TUBE STRIKE

God Save The Queen by Nouvelle Vague

Annie Leibovitz’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II

Taken from the album 3

A photo what I took at Hillingdon station whilst waiting for the Metropolitan line. Sunday 27th May. I wonder why someone left two cherries on a fence? If I released an album today, this would be the cover.

Last Days of Disco by Saint Etienne

Tubestrike’s wife: “What’s this playing?”

Tubestrike: “Saint Etienne’s new album. Why? Do you like it?”

Tubestrike’s wife: “No. It’s shit”

….Tubestrike’s wife is wrong.

Taken from the album Words and Music by Saint Etienne

Riding On The Rocket by Shonen Knife

Shonen Knife, written in Japanese as 少年ナイフ, which transliterates as Shōnen Naifu, literally “Boy Knife,” is an all-female Japanesepop-punk band formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1981.

It was in 1991 that Shonen Knife came to find their biggest fan in the form of Kurt Cobain. Cobain had seen them play in LA and had come to deeply enjoy their music:

“When I finally got to see them live, I was transformed into a hysterical nine-year-old girl at a Beatles concert.”

Nirvana asked Shonen Knife to serve as their opening act for their UK tour, just prior to the release of their breakthrough album, Nevermind. Yamano later admitted that when Cobain asked them to open for his band, they had no idea what Nirvana was:

“So I went to a record store, and I bought their CD. And when I saw their photograph, I thought they might be scary persons, because their hairstyles and their clothes were very grunge. But once the tour had started, I noticed that all the members were nice, good persons. And because this was our first experience of a long tour, the drummer Dave helped us with setting up the drum kit.”

Taken from the album Let’s Knife

This Time I Know It’s For Real by Donna Summer

As great as I Feel Love and Love To Love You Baby and Hot Stuff and Bad Girls and No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) and On The Radio and State Of Independence and She Works Hard For The Money and Dinner With Gershwin are (…and they are), let us not forget the Stock, Aitken and Waterman years. This Time I KNow It’s For Real is a shiny slice of the SAW hit factory at it’s greatest.

RIP Donna Summer - a musical artist who made music from the future and sent it to number one.

Taken from Endless Summer: Donna Summer’s Greatest Hits

Shadrach by Beastie Boys

R.I.P Adam Yauch A.K.A MCA A.K.A Nathaniel Hornblower

“It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old.”

Taken from the album Paul’s Boutique

Finally by Ce Ce Peniston (Leo Zero Rework)

Move Over Darling by Doris Day

He’s The Greatest Dancer (12” Version) by Sister Sledge

“He wears the finest clothes
The best designers, heaven knows
Ooh, from his head down to his toes
Halston, Gucci, Fiorucci
He looks like a still
That man is dressed to kill”

Halston’s first big break came when the Chicago Daily News ran a brief story on his fashionable hats. In 1957, he opened his first shop, the Boulevard Salon, on North Michigan Avenue. It was at this point that he began to use his middle name as his professional moniker. During his childhood he had been referred to as Halston to distinguish between himself and his uncle Roy.

Halston moved to New York City in late 1957, first working for milliner Lilly Daché. Within a year, he had been named co-designer at Daché, became acquainted with several fashion editors and publishers, and left Daché’s studio to become head milliner for department store Bergdorf Goodman in their customer milliner salon.

Halston achieved great fame after designing the pillbox hat Jacqueline Kennedy wore to her husband’s 1961 presidential inauguration, and when he moved to designing women’s wear, Newsweek dubbed him “the premier fashion designer of all America.” His designs were worn by Bianca Jagger, Lauren Hutton, Liza Minnelli, Anjelica Huston, Gene Tierney, Lauren Bacall, Babe Paley, and Elizabeth Taylor, setting a style that would be closely associated with the international jet set of the era.

Despite his achievements, the increased pressures from numerous licensing deals, that demanded eight collections per year plus accessories (he was a consummate perfectionist and would not allow junior designers to design licensed products bearing his name) in addition to his Made to Order, Ready to Wear and Haute Couture lines, all took their toll. In October 1984, Beatrice Foods subsidiary Playtex corporate managers asked Halston to leave the Olympic Tower, headquarters of Halston Enterprises. Due to the rapid succession of hostile corporate take overs during the subsequent four years, Halston was prevented from designing or selling clothes under his own name.

On March 26, 1990, with his family by his side, Halston died of lung cancer complicated by HIV in San Francisco, California.

I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun by Nuyorican Soul

6:02 Monday (BST) - Sunrise in London, UK

The astronomical spring began Tuesday, 20 March 2012, and ends Tuesday, 19 June 2012.

Spring is here. Dig out your copy of Nuyorican Soul.

Taken from the album Nuyorican Soul

Big Love by Jim Moray

I’m sure that when 1980’s Fleetwood Mac wrote Big Love, high up in the Hollywood hills on a post 70’s cocaine comedown, the thought of a claustrophobic banjo interpretation by an English folk musician wasn’t foreseen as likely. Still, you just can’t keep a good song down, no matter how it’s performed.

You can download this song here. The cover is of Jim cuddling a fox. 

Pure Imagination taken from the soundtrack to Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

“There is no, Life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there, You’ll be free
If you truly wish to be”

TheAcademy Award-nominatedoriginal scoreand songs were composed byLeslie BricusseandAnthony Newley, and musical direction was byWalter Scharf. The soundtrack was first released byParamount Recordsin 1971.

Let’s Go Out Tonight by Craig Armstrong feat. Paul Buchanan

Taken from the album Six Feet Under

A Real Hero by College feat. Electric Youth

If I lived in Los Angeles, I’d listen to nothing but this song all day. It’s a hazy love song.

Taken from the album Drive - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Horizons by LTJ Bukem

Taken from the album LTJ Bukem presents Logical Progression Level 1