Dodgy Dave's Extended 45 Mix - the feedback!

Brilliant! That guy, Dodgy Dave is a wonder. Not does he totally ignore the rules and goes for broke in his 57.59 extended extravaganza but what he loses in timing he gains in enthusiasm and determination. Obviously, so much thought has gone into this compilation whilst wallpapering and it is a delight to the ears.

The opening track is a belter "Bluebirds Over The Mountain" by the Beach Boys who sound in ripping form in this live performance. A great opener for a compilation - uplifting fun and frisky! Nice to hear the audience enjoying it so much

The second track takes us to the 70s with Led Zep's Misty Mountain Hop. At 4.38 minutes this is probably 4.30 minutes too long. Of all the Zep tracks to enjoy this one needs serious consideration - as one of their poorest. Overlong, probably sounded really good if you were on harpic or some such substance in the 70s but it really is tedious! The lyric is dire - have you ever listened to the words? If they had asked me for "some tea to have some Fun-un" I would have told them to squeeze my lemon. So such a relief when we went across to the Wild Mountain Thyme by the Byrds. Isn't it wonderful how they can record anything and make it their own sound. Nice track this! But what a joy to peak with Everest by the Fannies. Funny how I had forgotten about this wee classic off Songs From Northern Britain. Underrated track surely but on listening to it am still unsure what it has to do with Everest. Do you?

Blue Mountain have passed me by and I hadn't realised we had changed from Teenage Fanclub at first and loved the Harrisonesque break as the boys sang "What am I going to do when you're not around?" Nice warm sound.

And so to Mountain! Did they or did they not record a theme for World In Action or something? But they were a band of their time and some tracks surely have not stood the test of time well. Theme for an Imaginary Western (live at Woodstock) sounds like a band failing an audition for a singing lesson. Best thing about Mountain was their guitar breaks which are beautiful. But they really do make Gary Moore look like a good singer. As John Peel once said of Leo Kottke - he plays guitar like Daglish plays football but sings like Grobbelaar
playing on the wing.. If this is the theme for the Imaginary Western thank goodness they didn't make the film.

Bob Harris is always banging on about how brilliant Del Shannon was and I couldn't get it but it was refreshing to be uplifted and taken up to the Mountain again by the splendid Swiss Maid. And of course the richness of Roddy Woomble's vocals shines through on I came in from the Mountain. Stripped down Idlewild - absolutely gorgeous. So onto Donovan's hypnotic muse "there is a mountain" ..good choice!

"Mountain Woman" from the classic Muswell Hillbillies LP is a lost Kinks masterpiece and so brave when it came out. And the way Ray Davies manages to phrase his lyrics is sheer genius ..listen again to how he articulates "Hydro Electric Power Station" ..super.

The Robert Knight track "Love on a Mountain Top" sounds like it may have been a Northern Soul Classic. However, once again the lyrics leave me somewhat bewildered. Surely it must be rather uncomfortable making love on a mountain top whilst drinking out of a fountain. Most strange position. Also have you noticed how the sounds on the track make it seem like a kettle is boiling at the end?

So onto the Welsh Wizards - SFA with the explicit lyrics and a track which goes nowhere at all and bleeds the joke dry about a two foot mountain but well done Dave for being brash and brave enough for including it.

Oh Oh just when youy thought it was safe we are back with the Felix Mountain with Mississippi Queen. Much prefer Mott The Hoople's version I must say. So hasten on to the second track from Blue Mountain who have obviously been listening to their early Fairport lps carefully for this extended romp of folk rock reminiscent of Matty Groves tips the hat to Richard Thompson - and there is nothing wrong with that. And isn't it great we get a count out towards the end of the track before a cracking Alberto Y Los Trios Paranois style crescendo of a finale.

Again the Byrds come to liven the afternoon with their Blue Canadian Rockies followed by what starts off as a classic track by Mel Torme, who has an exceptional voice, I have never heard of him, someone is having great fun with the piano before the lyrics fall into the bizarre and plainly ridiculous. He at some point is tempting the girl with sandwiches and beans and then adds "fatter girl hatter girl. He obviously has been on the waccy baccy as he then descends into a jazz rumble where he makes it up as he goes along. Suggest some serious editing would make this song bearable.

Saving the best for last is the classy Harry McClintock "Big Rock Candy Mountain" a song as comforting as melted butter on freshly toasted teacakes. A great way to end the compilation! I'm licking my lips waiting for the next one.

So overall a 4 star review!

MT:1st there is a mountain - Neil Gets in there first

So it seemed like a sensible idea at the time. Happily sitting listening to the new Tindersticks Lp "Falling Down a Mountain" and I thought it would be a wheeze to suggest to friends Neil and Dave that they compile a C45 length mix to reflect the theme of Mountains. I gave a week for the challenge and waited to see what happened. Well as it turned out lots happened! Mountains of stuff.

As I decorated I thought of all the Mountain references in rock and there are many. I also pondered what would be going through Neil and Dave's minds. They have similar yet at times quite different tastes in music and I wondered if they would be choosing the same music.

Neil's was the first compilation to arrive. Beautifully packaged with pictures of the sleeves the tracks came from. A bit of a bizarre entry but I was delighted that he had appreciated the 45 minute challenge. His came in at 46.06. Not bad and if you were lucky in your Memorex or Boots purchases tapes could have that extra minute! Making tapes in the 70s was an art form not appreciated in these Spotify and i-tunes days. I don't want some technologically brilliant algorithm to choose my next piece of music - no I want a creative and individualist talent to take me from The Beach Boys to Zeppelin or from The Housemartins to Scouting for Girls! Neil's first track set me a challenge as judge. Whilst the "Green and Red of Mayo" is quite a brilliant track do the hills of Mayo really classify themselves as mountains? Is Croagh Patrick's Peak really the K2 of the republic? Hard one that. Still as I listened to the expansive sound of the sax helping to create the majestic mood of the track I couldn't help think that Susie may be right and that a mountain could be anything over 1000 feet. I checked the height of Croagh Patrick on wikipedia and discovered it was 2530 feet so pretty damn high in reality and as people go up barefoot I think it deserves inclusion on a Mountain Mix! However, I was a tad disappointed to listen to the lyric carefully and hear what I think was the line about the ocean having fishes from herring to whales. Now I know Davy was an ex-school teacher and surely he knows a whale is a mammal.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croagh_Patrick

Track 2 was Around the Sun by REM which if you listen to it really carefully mentions the work mountain once. Mmm. Still as the compilation is called "Tenuous Mountain Links" we shall give that. That is the joy of a mix like this - you have to entertain the listener as well as make them think and ponder. The Gorillaz track "Fire Coming Out of A Monkey's Head" certainly met the mountain challenge and you can't help wondering about Robbie Robertson as you listen to the vocal. Cracking track however! Nice mix taking us into the Shamen but I was so glad when we switched to the Stranglers and Southern Mountains. The Housemartins was a surprising inclusion with Caravan of Love but once again great to have the pace lifted by the underrated Scouting for Girls with the Mountains of Navaho. The Levellers obviously enjoyed themselves on The Devil Went Down to Georgia and the tenuous links came back with "Andy's Chest" from the sublime Transformer album from Lou Reed. Is he really the girl on the back of the LP cover or am I dreaming? Think I was dreaming.

http://www.superseventies.com/spreedlou.html

So we went onto Hendrix at the foot of a mountain before reaching the plateau with Nirvana - what a fine track!And cleverly Neil takes us back down to the foot of the mountain with Paul Weller. Clever that as a last track. Like it .. foot of the mountain last...

So overall a 4 star review for the compilation!