Wednesday 26 November 2008

Freak like who?

You know how I get late to everything...years behind with films/movies, late to blogging, still a teenager in a middle-aged body? Well here I am late to YouTube too. So...now I know how easy it is to put a video on the blog...will I be doing it every week? Probably not but today I thought I might share a fantastic piece of pop music with you. It's from...last year some time I think.

I'm not very up with anything like pop or club or dance music these days but I have a friend who comes to visit from Leeds about twice a year and he brings me anything good that I might have missed (which is most things because I go to the folk club here mostly so I'm quite up-to-date with new folk...and some old folk...but not much else). Last xmas he played me this track by Scroobius Pip and I have to say I absolutely love it. Some of the lyrics are very, VERY funny (some are less so but such is life and writing...) and though the version on YouTube is not quite the one Andy played me (it seems to be missing the big acid breakdown section...if that means anything to you whatsoever) it's still good...great even. I stopped club DJing in about 1997 and this is one of the first things I've heard in ages that's made me wish I could go and play it to a crowd of crazy people in a big sweaty, packed room at 2 o'clock in the morning. Make some noise? Make some noise? Oh yes! Yes please!



But by the way...Led Zeppelin are NOT just a band! The very thought of it...
x

34 comments:

Dominic Rivron said...

Thanks for this. I find myself getting years behind too, but it's good to be reminded of the latest goings on in The Hit Parade from time to time :)

Marion McCready said...

I've seen this before on another blog, it is funny isn't it.

Jim Murdoch said...

Interesting "Subterranean Homesick Blues" moment/homage. The guy even looks a bit like Ginsberg.

Rachel Fox said...

Dominic...yes, we're not missing much (all that X Factor bilge for a start) but now and again there are some sounds worth hearing.

Sorry, Sorlil...to be so behind the times! I am over 40 you know...

And Jim...he looks a bit like you too maybe. I think maybe you are his style icon...

x

Ken Armstrong said...

I can't watch this now (working... yeah, right!) but will come back later. Groovin' hard to a Jim-Looky-Likey? You know I'll be there!
:)

Rachel Fox said...

Well, you know, we can't all like Westlife...

Anonymous said...

Brilliant. Thanks, Rachel.

Rachel Fox said...

You're welcome Dick. It's damn catchy too...I've been singing snippets of it all day...
x

Kat Mortensen said...

"Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry!" Love it! Beats the usual commandments, even I will say that.

I hope you don't find this shocking, but when I was in England in '91? I really latched on to that song by The Shamen - Ebeneezer Goode. I couldn't get enough of it! I have a cassette tape called "Wicked" with the song on it (lots of other goodies too...Jimmy Nail's Ain't No Doubt for one).

Speaking of Led Zep - have you heard "Raising Sand" with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Looovely!

Kat

Rachel Fox said...

After Ken's Westlife admission, Kat, no musical confession could shock me! I did dance to the Shamen's 'Move any mountain' thing more than once (Smithy...it's real name...wasn't it called something else?) but by the time they'd got to E Goode they were a bit pop for me (I was sooo underground, man). I think I used to go an illegal thing that Mr C of Shamen DJed at too. I think I did...might be wrong. It was good...I think...

Jimmy Nail and the Shamen on one album...what crazy psychedelic weirdness do you Canadians go for, Kat?

And yes 'Raising Sand' was played a lot in this house over the past year or so. Whatever it is..he's still got it! (And that's a 'Showgirls' quote...more or less..which is a bit weird too, I know).

x

hope said...

Ah, poetikat beat me to it! That Stephen Fry line was my favorite. :)

Interesting. Yes, you're definitely in charge of our movie sound tracks. Have you started on one for Shug yet? ;)

Rachel Fox said...

I think you may be coming up with a future post though, Hope...soundtrack to the story of our lives. I have had half an idea of a poem like that for a while but it's been coming out as lots of little poems instead... so far. But one day....the epic!
x

Ken Armstrong said...

Don't throw my unapologetically eclectic music taste at me so predictably - you're better than that.

Great vid, reminded me of this:

'Endless Art - A House'

Rachel Fox said...

Now, Ken, I'm only teasing you! But if it makes you feel any better I watch 'Strictly Come Dancing'..we all have our taste bypass moments...

Ken Armstrong said...

That's all right, darlin', I can take it. Tell me (here) can i use a poem or two in my little post about your wonderful book? Can I eh? eh?

:)

Rachel Fox said...

Please do. I'm looking forward to it. I think...

Colin Will said...

I liked this one - and they are all just bands.

Rachel Fox said...

Not huge cultural phenomena?

swiss said...

you thought mr c djing was good!? oh dear, i suspect you were very trolleyed if that was the case! lol

Rachel Fox said...

I think I meant the whole experience of the night...and you know how long those nights used to be...
But other factors might have entered into it too...

Fiendish said...

Never heard this song when it came out - but it was awesome, so I'm glad you posted it!

Just to prove how mindlessly hip I am: I had to hit pause on Bloc Party to listen to it. I am also sitting in the vicinity of a nice stack of NMEs.

And I do not believe that Arctic Monkeys are "just a band"; they're actually what God would be if He wore skinny jeans, played a Fender and dated inane TV presenters.

(Quite seriously, "just a band" means nothing. You can put the word "just" before anything. It doesn't make it any less colossally important).

(Especially Arctic Monkeys).

Unknown said...

Ooh, aah missus. Never know where you're going to go next: nice one, indeed... v. catchy!

I took your advice :) thanks for geeing me up :)))))

Rachel Fox said...

Fiendish...I feel less like an old maiden aunt now. I am hip with the kids - hurray! I like Arctic Monkeys too (clever, funny, bolshie, can sing, from Sheffield not bloody Manchester - hurray again) but I can't say I've got the Bloc Party thing yet. One of them is pretty...but the music...what do you like about it exactly.

And Barbara...where am I going next? I never have the faintest idea...just rambling about...trying to keep it together...
x

Anonymous said...

The Shamen song was actually called Pro-Gen but anyone would know what you were on about.

Was that the rave in the field with those awful Spawnee Possee posh student ravers? One of them heard me DJing and asked if I was deaf.

Mr C was nice though I think his music was a bit techno for me by that stage. Would that be 1992/3?

xx

Rachel Fox said...

I thought that was the name of the track. Couldn't be sure. See, I never had the DJ gene...not quite!

Spawnee Posse...I remember the name (now you mention it) but not who, when or why. Weren't they in Bradford? Cheeky buggers anyway by the sound of it.

I think the Mr C thing was in London..wasn't it? I think if I'd just gone to bed some nights with a nice warm milk drink I might be able to remember a bit more now!

So do you like this track - the S Pip - Smithy? Would you/have you played it?

Anonymous said...

They were thoroughly horrible. Posh kids slumming it. Let us speak of them no more (they probably have jobs in the security services now, so they might do us ..).

Mr C used to play the End but I never went there. Someone else perhaps?

I didn't bother buying it but I do like the track (although I have to disagree with him about Crass. Everyone says that about their favourite band don't they? The difference is I'm right).

Would I play it out? It's not really a dancefloor kinda thing - but then neither is bossa nova. It wouldn't be in my first choice ..

Ken Armstrong said...

I put your little 'thing' up. I hope it's okay, let me know if anything is wrong or anything

Rachel Fox said...

It's great Ken! Thanks so much. I will be doing a post just now to link to it.
I did email you just now as the 'Short love'poem comes up differently in different browsers (in some it is kind of split in half...Mark says it needs separating from the image somehow). But apart from that it is all lovely! I'm glad you keep me on your desk!
x

McGuire said...

I have this song saved to my youtube account. A friend of mine discovered it. Brillant! Surprised to find it on hear, but glad too, nonetheless.

Bryon - just a poet.
Keats - just a poet.
Bukowski - just a poet.
Ginsberg - just a poet.
Saul Williams - just a poet.

Someone else can do the entire poet translation.

Rachel Fox said...

Why surprised, young man? Are you saying I'm old and past it..? OK, I am...but don't let everyone know it! My 8 year old thinks I'm cool...

Good point about the poets. You could do quite a good literature version of this track.

Ken Armstrong said...

I think I might have fixed that, will you have another look? :)

I can see I'm going to have to do something to prove myself hip and cool. Em... Fiendish thinks I'm hip and cool, don't ya Fiendish... Fiendish?

Rachel Fox said...

Yes, the poem looks good now. Thanks.
And you are cool. Of course!
x

Dominic Rivron said...

Interesting Jim spotted the Bob Dylan/Subterranean Homesick Blues moment. I'd just returned here to mention it myself. My favourite allusion to that song will always be Weird Al Yankovic's song/video "Bob" (on YouTube).
Talking of "new sounds" and the Hit Parade as we were, I thought I'd "discovered" Weird Al, only to find I was merely ignorant and my daughter knew all the words to half his songs (White and Nerdy, Amish Paradise, et al).

Rachel Fox said...

Well you obviously did a great job teaching your daughter what's important in life then!
x