New ish of Shindig out now!!!

The brand new issue of SHINDIG! magazine hits the shops in the UK this week. This fab magazine gets better every issue putting the likes of Q, Uncut and Mojo to shame.

Inside this issue are fantastic, in depth features on THE WEST COAST POP ART EXPERIMENTAL BAND plus DENNIS WILSON, LOVE, JACKIE LEE, THE PINK FAIRIES and lots, lots more including a Soul column by yours truely! Glossy, professionally produced and packed with cool pics and reviews. This magazine is essential reading for any music fan.

Visit www.shindig-magazine.com for more info and subscription rates. Shindig! is available in all good newsagents (WH Smiths, Borders & Barnes & Noble), book stores, comic stores and indie record shops!

My Favourite 45 by Daniel Wylie, Singer/Songwriter

Daniel Wylie has released dozens of feel good, shimmering, summery pop classics over the years, both as former lead singer of the Cosmic Rough Riders and now as a solo star. His third solo album, ‘Car Guitar Star’ will be released in the UK on Neon Tetra on August 18th. For the prefect introduction to his work the recent 'best of' is recommended. The album compiles his solo work alongside his best work with the Cosmic Rough Riders. You can also read an old CRR interview with Daniel in our Archive section.

RSG! asked Daniel to pick out one his favourite tracks for our ever expanding 'My Favourite 45' feature and he opted for this obscure seasonal number from the seventies stage show, ‘Hair’.

Good Morning Sunshine by Oliver

“I first heard this song when I was 10 years old" says Daniel, "A few of my cousins and I were on our way to Glasgow Green carnival, counting our money to see how many rides we could afford to go on”.

“My cousin Anne had a little battery operated hand held radio with her and we were listening to Radio 1. It was a warm, sunny day and suddenly on came this amazing song with a melody sent from Heaven”.

“Originally from the musical, "Hair", there's a real melancholia mixed in with the happiness on this song, which in later years I found out is a difficult mood to capture in a song”.

“Some of the lyrics are plain dumb but isn't that true about a lot of the best pop music? Glibby glib glooby...”

“I still get the same feeling of euphoria when I listen to this song now as I did back then and am instantly transported back to that moment, walking along Old Rutherglen Road past the bowling green when this magical song came on the radio.”

“My children are also fans of the song since it's inclusion in an episode of The Simpsons”.

For more information on Daniel Wylie go to www.myspace.com/danielwylie

To purchase Car Guitar Star click here.

RSG/IKON competition

There’s still time to enter our competition to win you a swish record/man type bag courtesy of the good folk at IKON footwear. The closing date is June 30th. Simply answer the following question below and email your answer to soulboy_69@yahoo.com

Q. Who was the female presenter on the sixties music TV show, Ready Steady Go?

The lucky winners will be drawn soon after and announced here. Watch this space and good luck!

My Favourite 45 by Adam, Rowed Out Records

As technology gathers pace the punk DIY spirit of yesteryear seems such a long lost time ago. The buzz you got from vinyl, fanzines and word of mouth tip offs serve only to remind you of a nostalgic era long before t’internet, IPODs, CDs and MP3s came along.

Here at RSG! we feel it’s important to embrace new technology at the same time as keeping the old ethos alive. So, as much as we still love and desire vinyl, we treasure the fact that the internet is a unique facility for indulging our musical desires like never before.

In a world of fake celebrity and superfluous celebration for the non-talented it is both satisfying and inspiring to see small, independent labels like Rowed Out Records steadfastly keeping the spirit alive, releasing limited 7” singles from up and coming bands, whilst at the same time using technology to connect with like minded souls.

You can’t but help admire label boss Adam for his dedication to the cause. His mission is a pure labour of love, devoid of any selfish aspirations for fame and fortune. Of course, it would be nice to have a bit of dosh and gratitude along the way but that’s not the primary reason for wanting to stick your neck on the line and run your own label. It’s this grassroots level RSG! applauds. This label, like many other small, enterprising labels, represents the life blood of a music industry that never properly pays its dues to the people like Adam, whose obvious devotion to music and supporting others is beyond question.

Do yourself a favour and have a punt on one of Rowed Out records 7” singles and help keep the fire burning. In the meantime, we asked Adam to tell us about one his favourite 45s from his record collection and he has plumped a pure mod gem by the Eyes, ‘I’m Rowed Out’ –

“So good I named a record label after it!!” says Adam.

The Eyes - I'm rowed out (Mercury MF 881)

“There are many sounds from the 60s that will stay with me as they were the first records I got into as an 11/12 year old, 'Green Onions', 'Be My baby', 'Louie Louie' etc. and I still love the thrill of hearing something new from that period of music. Although 'I'm rowed out' is a blatant rip-off of The Who's 'I can't explain' is has stuck with me from the first time I heard it, which would have probably been in a London club in the late '80s ( I also remember top '90s mod band THE CLIQUE covered it). The intro is not as shrill as The Who's and the lyrics are a lot harder - it could have been written about a mod, the lyrics reflecting an attitude akin to a teenagers thoughts on living in the fast lane, sod the mediocrity”

“The opening lyric of "You got a grey suede coat and a soul like fire" sum up a mod's pilled-up attitude. It has parallels with The Kinks 'Dedicated follower of fashion' in creating a vision of some hip young thing lording it up around the London hot-spots”. “I named the second release on Rowed Out Records 'Soul Like Fire' as a tribute and the third release 'Join the tea set' is a lyric from another of their tracks - 'My degeneration'. Release #4 is entitled 'Do it for kicks' (from a line in 'Rowed out' - "You don't want money, you do it for kicks")”.“The Eyes are a VERY under-rated mod band, look at the back catalogue they left, they were ahead of their time, recording freakbeat monsters 'You're too much' and 'When the night falls' long before other bands took R&B and made it heavier”.“The record still gets plays in clubs now and is one of only a few British R&B tunes that can be heard between the US soul and R&B, proving it's longevity on the mod scene”.“A truly classic 45”.

For more information on Rowed Out records go to http://www.rowedout.co.uk/ or http://www.myspace.com/soullikefire

If you run your own label and would like to be featured in Ready Steady Go please drop us a line @ soulboy_69@yahoo.com

Cheap CDs, Vinyl for sale now on EBAY

It's time for a clearout here at RSG! towers.

Check out our 'for sale' lists on ebay and pick up a bargain along the way including this lovely original copy of the Temptations lp, Psychedelic Shack on Gordy.

http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZpaul*rsg

Keep on lookin' as there are lots of soul, funk and indie goodies to come soon!

My Favourite 45 by Andrew D. Cannes (Yeti)

Andrew Cannes is guitarist with hotly tipped Yeti (pictured left), a harmony-driven psychedelic pop group who are set to release their long awaited debut LP, ‘The Legend Of Yeti Gonzales’ (Get Up & Go records) on June 23rd.

The first single off the album is “Don’t Go Back To The One You Love” a sprawling psyched up song cycle that picks up from where the Beta Band left off and is out now on iTunes and other digital stores or CD and 7″. Check out the video below.

Andrew has kindly taken time out to delve into his record collection to pick out one of his favourite soul singles and tell us why he loves it so much for our ever popular ‘My Favourite 45’ series…

TELL IT LIKE IT IS – AARON NEVILLE

“It’s always amusing to look at a photo of Aaron Neville while listening to his music" says Andrew, "the man is a mountain: muscles everywhere, tight t-shirt with tattoos, earrings. You wouldn’t mess with him in a dark alley. But then you hear his voice, and you just want protect him – the man is crying out for a cuddle. Haunting, delicate and yet raw, Neville’s voice is one of the most unique in the history of recorded music. Dylan once described Neville (along with my other personal favourite from New Orleans, Irma Thomas) as being on a “higher level”. To me, Neville is the badder, New Orleans version of Carl Wilson, with a super-heavy dose of drugs, knock-backs and prison thrown in. In “Tell It Like It Is”, his voice conveys a level of hurt and raw emotion that has become alien to modern music”.

“And what about the first verse? Coupled with Neville’s delivery, it’s a pure knock-out”

"If you want something to play with
Go and find yourself a toy
Baby my time is too expensive
And I'm not a little boy”

“My favourite rhyme in the song is “serious/furious”, mainly because of the way Neville sings it. It simply wouldn’t be the same if it had been, say, Diana Ross”.

“Apparently it took Lee Diamond 15 minutes to write this song, which isn’t as short as it sounds. After all, if you’re going to name a song “Tell It Like It Is” and mean it, you should really get straight to the point”.

Thanks to Andrew for sending us this fantastic article. Keep coming back for more guest contributions. If you are in a band and would like some free publicity send us your views on one of your own 45s and we'll do the rest!

Yeti are Graham Blacow – Drums; Andrew Cannes - Electric, Vocals; John Hassall - Bass, Vocals; Mark “Harmony” Underwood - Acoustic, Vocals

For more information go to the bands’ website yetigonzales.com

Order your copy of 'The Legend Of Yeti Gonzales’ here.

IKON desert boot & competition!

BBC London DJ and well known broadcaster Gary Crowley (right) will be launching his own range of footwear through the company Ikon this Spring.

Gary says of the collaboration.

'I've been Desert Boot crazy for as long as I can remember now. Perhaps it has something to do with its enduring, classic British quality. Plus of course it was a staple part of any self respecting Mod's wardrobe. And if it was good enough for those little sawdust ceaser's, it’s certainly good enough for me! Plus they're so damn comfortable as well.

To be invited to design my own take on the Desert Boot by those cool folk at Ikon is really a dream come true for me. It's been fascinating following the process from the initial idea and design right through to the finished result. I'm absolutely thrilled with it. I hope people like them too'

“Crowley” stitch down boot, RRP£50.00 are available in Army suede and Ice suede now, and will be joined by chocolate suede and stone corded suede from July 1st onwards.

Meanwhile, the good folk at Ikon are offering three lucky Ready Steady Go readers the chance to win one of these smart record bags (pictured left). To win all you need to do is answer the simple question below and email your answer along with your name and postal address to soulboy_69@yahoo.com. The closing date for this competition is June 30th. The lucky winners will be announced here shortly after.

So hurry, email your details today!!

RSG/IKON Competition question :

Q. Who was the female host of the hit sixties TV show, Ready Steady Go?

For further Ikon goodies and to purchase the new desert boot go to www.ikonfootwear.co.uk

My Favourite 45 by Paolo Hewitt, Author

The Ronettes – Be My Baby

Ace author and wannabe Soprano(!), Paolo Hewitt, reveals why he digs those fabulous sixties girl group sounds…

(To be spoken in a Soprano voice...)

“Everyone is talking at me, telling me their fave rave on 45. What the fuck. I gotta disagree wit all of them because round here at Paolo's, the greatest single ever made is quite simply Be My Baby by The Ronettes”. ”Why? Why the fuck not? You got something better? No you haven't and you know why? Because it don't get no better than this. From that drum beat at the start, the way the instruments kick in, those lyrics…”

”For every kiss you give me / I'll give you three”

“…the production, the singing, the way those three girls look with their tight dresses and their haircuts and their brown flashing eyes, Jesus, breaks my heart every time. And that's the point. I have never heard this record and gotten tired off it. Never”.

“You hear some tunes you like a lot and then they come on the radio once more and you think, okay enough already. Not with this baby you don't. It is just pure beautiful magic all the way. Now stop breaking my balls and let me get back to serving people. Okay. What the fuck do you want meatball?"

Paolo Hewitt has written dozens of great novels and biographies. RSG! highly recommends ‘The Soul Stylists’ and ‘The Sharper Word’, two essential items for anyone with a love of Mod fashion and culture. You can purchase these and lots more by using the link below.