A Whimsical Top Ten of Blues Songs

Following on from the runaway success of my earlier post (a whole 20 people visited the page) I have decided to continue with the next chapter.
This one is going to be much tougher. I know a lot of blues musicians and I know a fair amount of blues. I can't think of any other musical form that can be so divisive while being so limited. Most blues tunes consist of three or four chords (ok, passing chords, substitutions blah blah blah) and most conform to one of a few set patterns BUT (and it's a big but, fnarr fnarr) it's how you use those limitations that matters.
This list is purely personal and I'm sure everyone has their own opinions and that's a great thing. Please share them with me. I'm always open to new blues.

1. Hush Hush - Jimmy Reed

Jimmy Reed is the king of the shuffle. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of bands that can properly play a Jimmy Reed shuffle. Lots try. Lots fail.
This groove is just so bad-ass. Tight, sloppy, groovy, nailed-on shuffle. You could study music for a thousand years and still not get it right.

2. Mojo Hand - Lightnin' Hopkins

Another example of sloppy tightness. This is one of my favourite tunes of all time. The lyrics are all kinds of menacing and the guitar playing is spot on. I love the way Lightnin' uses his right hand in such a laid back way. I've tried to play like this and discovered I can't. Mainly because I'm not Lightnin' Hopkins.

3. On The Road Again - Memphis Jug Band

This is a great tune. Full of movement and a great central riff. The chorus is a blinder and it amazes me it hasn't been covered more. You can just imagine someone like Levon Helm laying down a tight drum beat behind it. I like a lot of jug band stuff because I grew up on it but it seems to be treated as the comedy sidekick of more 'serious' blues. I think that does the music a massive disservice. Open your ears and minds and give it a go.

4. Milk Cow Blues - Sleepy John Estes

I bloody love Sleepy John. Put his records on and you can hear the licks, phrases and style that so many later blues players would absorb in to their own music. Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, Bob Dylan and many others owe a big debt to him. I could have picked any of his stuff so I recommend you find an album and just put it on from start to finish.

5. Freddie King - Takin' Care of Business

Freddie King is the main man of electric blues, as far as I'm concerned. My uncle Rob gave me a cassette of his when I had just started learning the guitar and I listened to it constantly until my walkman finally chewed it up. His style was so cool. Far more direct than the Jazz or Soul leanings of many of his contemporaries. He's also one of the main reasons I play a Gibson semi. (The fact it's black is because of BB King)

6. Boomers Story - Ry Cooder

Ryland P Cooder has the sort of back catalogue that requires constant attention. I could have chosen something from 'Into The Purple Valley' or 'Paradise and Lunch' but this is the song and album I probably listen to the most. I love the songs and I love his guitar sound. What I wouldn't give to be able to make a guitar sing and growl like Ry.

7. Big Mammas Door (Might Return) - Alvin Youngblood Hart

Something a little more up to date. This song is the opening track on an album that all blues guitar players should own (Motivational Speaker) and what an opener it is. Open G dirty guitars giving it the big'un over the old train shuffle beat. What is there not to love about this tune? Dirty dirty dirty.

8. Done Changed My Way of Livin' - Taj Mahal

Two for the price of one because you not only get the awesome Taj but also Jesse Edwin Davis on the guitar. Another hard one to narrow down but I love the tempo and feel on this one. Not to mention Davis' cool-as-fuck guitar playing. The first three Taj Mahal albums (and the Risin' Sons album too) are great blues introduction. Laid back, cool and totally down with it. My favourite albums to play along with.

9. Scratch My Back - The Fabulous Thunderbirds

A bit of a cheat as this way I get to indirectly include Slim Harpo as this is a cover of one of his old tunes. I love the Fabulous Thunderbirds and I'm one of those rare people who loves Jimmie Vaughan more than his more famous brother. This band had that Texas, slicked back shuffle thing going on.
Although I don't know many blues players who wouldn't want to be in the Thunderbirds, I doubt many could resist the temptation to over play. That's the secret. Never over egg the pudding.

10. Hard Again - Muddy Waters

Sod it. I can't pick one track from this genius album. Johnny Winter on guitar, Pinetop Perkins on piano, James Cotton on harp, the list goes on. Not only does this have the best title of an album ever, it also shows just how powerful a force of nature Muddy Waters was.
If ever you want to feel ten feet tall and bad as can be, just pop this on your iPod and step out your front door. Chest beating, strutting blues at its best.

Honorable mentions to...

One Kind Favour - BB King

A timely reminder of why everyone loves/loved BB. This T Bone Burnett produced album sets him up with a killer backing band and strips away all the Las Vegas bullshit. The result is a truly joyous noise.

The Bright Lights E.P. - Gary Clark Jr.

Give it fifteen seconds and you'll know exactly why.

Thanks for reading. Please leave any comments and suggestions below.

I've made a Spotify playlist of these and the tunes from my previous list for you to listen to here https://open.spotify.com/user/milospilo/playlist/0yjKElH3UbGkCcKmfzEVPC

Enjoy!

A Whimsical Top Ten of Acoustic Singer/Songwriter Songs

In an effort to keep my brain distracted from other things, I have decided to jot down my favourite acoustic guitar tunes by my favourite songwriters and some little notes on them. Nothing special or earth shattering but there might be something in there that you've missed.
I'm not going to include blues tunes as I am going to do a separate list of them. Anyway, in no particular order....

1. Girl From The North Country - Bob Dylan (The Freewheelin')

When I first started playing the guitar I had two influences, my dad and Bob Dylan. Many more would quickly follow but it started with these two. We only had a few Dylan records in the house. The first one and Times They Are A Changin' so I had to go out and buy my own copy of this one. I guess because of that it made it more special. Anyway, it's a beautiful song and one I have tried in vain to cover a few times. There are many different versions out there but I still think this is the best one.

2. 1952 Vincent Black Lightning - Richard Thompson (Rumor & Sigh)

This is not only one of the greatest examples of solo acoustic playing but also one of the great story songs. I'm still amazed no one has made it in to a film. Thompson manages to fit more in to five minutes with a single guitar than most people do in their entire careers. Every time I hear this it completely envelopes me and not many tunes can do that.

3. Time - Tom Waits (Rain Dogs)

Speaking of story songs, this is another cracker. It's a lovely moment in life when you 'get' Tom Waits. Once that happens it's fairly natural to become obsessed. This is such a beautiful song that I really can't say much other than to tell you to go and listen to it....RIGHT NOW!!

4. Brave Awakening - Terry Reid (Seed of Memory)

This is a bit of a cheat as it only starts on acoustic before the rest of the band kicks in but it's my list so I'm going to include it. I could have picked any number of songs from this great album. The opening track is a belter and starts with one of the best acoustic guitar riffs but I'm choosing this one mainly because I've spent many a late night singing this at parties with drunken friends (you know who you are!).

5. Couldn't Love You More - John Martyn (One World)

I was introduced to this song via the Old Grey Whistle Test and I actually prefer that version to the studio cut. Either way it's a lovely song that doesn't over stay its welcome. The tuning he uses on this is a complete bastard but once you've learnt it, you won't stop playing it.


6. Helplessly Hoping - Crosby, Stills & Nash (Crosby Stills & Nash)

Harmonies.

7. Cautious Man - Bruce Springsteen (Tunnel Of Love)

It's tricky to narrow it down to one acoustic boss song but this one is just so good. It contains all the usual Springsteen themes and he weaves them together in to a heartbreaking meditation on heartbreak, loss and love. The lyrics are superb. This album doesn't get a lot of love because it's got some pretty dated 80s production but I highly recommend you give it another try.

8. Elephant - Jason Isbell (Southeastern)

While we are on the subject of great lyrics, you can't get any better than this. Another album where it's almost impossible to choose just one track but this morning I'm going with this one. Why this man isn't a superstar is beyond me.

9. Sweet Baby James - James Taylor (Sweet Baby James)

The first song I ever played in a folk club at the Penny Theatre in Canterbury in about 1991. Why I decided to choose a fingerpicked song with a million chords still remains a mystery but needless to say I screwed it up. I just loved the song so much. I'm a sucker for a lullaby and this is a near perfect one. It's a shame that Taylor slipped in to such a bland place as the 70s wore on . His first few records were terrific.

10. Oh My Sweet Carolina - Ryan Adams (Heartbreaker)

Any song that features EmmyLou Harris is immediately awesome as far as I'm concerned. When her beautiful voice appears for the first chorus it makes your hair stand up and your heart skip a beat. Probably Ryan Adams best acoustic record from his purple patch. The boy can definitely write a tune.

Honorable mentions to..

Wont Be The Last Time - Justin Townes Earle (Nothings Gonna Change The Way I Feel)

This is another beautiful song. The production is superb, the lyrics are sublime and the whole thing just feels so good.

Blue - Lucinda Williams (Essence)

I find it hard to choose my favourite Lucinda album let alone song so I shall just go with this for now.

and finally....... everything by Jackson Browne x

I made a Spotify Playlist of the tunes that you can find here https://open.spotify.com/user/milospilo/playlist/0yjKElH3UbGkCcKmfzEVPC

A Question and A Thought about The Blues

*Blues Musician Rant Alert*

I'm just listening to some blues on the radio and it made me think of something that I've been quietly shouting (can you do that?) about for a while. It's this idea of clean blues vs. dirty blues.
This is a really interesting subject and seems to divide blues players quite a lot. 

In essence, clean blues started with T-Bone Walker and BB King and continues with Robert Cray, (modern) Eric Clapton and Joe Bonamassa. A sound based on clean lines, clean notes, clean production etc. I don't necessarily mean clean tone as in 'not distorted', I mean clean as in 'never wrong'. 

On the other hand we have dirty blues, that's the kind of dirty noise that Elmore James and Jimmy Reed used to play and is now carried on by the likes of the N.M.A., The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr. and (in his own way) Tom Waits. Nasty tones, wrong notes, tub-thump drums and a whole lot of sleaze.

I appreciate that both can coexist and I like a lot of both but there seems to be a reluctance to cross-breed with each other. I'd love to hear a Bonamassa album recorded with Jack White or The Black Keys back up Clapton. Can you imagine what a joyous noise that would be?

What I guess I'm trying to say is that all us blues types can get stuck in the most terrible ruts and we must try to think about what makes our music so good. It aint Jazz, it aint Funk, it aint Soul and it aint Rock. It's the blues and the blues is all of those things and so we should bring it all to the party. Play everything with a wink in your eye, lust in your heart and fire in your fingers. In the end it's all about love and love can be dirty and love can be clean but at it's best it's a mixture of both.

x

(All comments RT's, shares etc. are to be encouraged. I'm very interested to hear peoples point of view on this)

Birthday Ramblings

Ok. I've finally finished celebrating my birthday. It has been great fun and all those people who cancelled (a lot of people who no longer fall under the 'friend' category) missed out on a hell of a good weekend.
A lot of people continue to be surprised by why and for how long I celebrate my birthday and I never tire of explaining why.

I was brought up in a family of entertainers. My mum and dad were both performers and my grandad was a legend of the London club scene. There was never any doubt about how we as kids would turn out and thank god that was the case.
The very idea of not having a party is (and always shall be) ridiculous. I was surrounded by parties and laughter since I was born and the very idea that I should allow an excuse for good people to enjoy themselves to pass by is just plain dumb. I have the best friends in the world and genuinely all I want is for them to have a good time. Smiling is the best thing in the world and in this day and age it's more important than ever. My delight in my friends and family's happiness is beyond measure. 

..so basically what I am trying to say is that you are all awesome. I feel sorry for all the people that don't have you as friends.

As Bill Shakespeare said, "But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restored and sorrows end."

Thank you dear friends x

2014 That Was The Year That Was

As I lay here in bed with the best part of two weeks worth of washing surrounding my bed, I decided in the spirit of procrastination to write a year in review instead. This might seem a little extreme when you think that it'd take about five minutes to gather up some clothes and chuck them in the washing machine but that would require moving and I am an extremely lazy man.

So... what has happened in 2014? I'll tell you one thing that has and that's the use of the word 'So'. Some of my chums have become SO addicted to using it to start sentences that my inner grammar-gerbil has fallen off his wheel and is now spasming on the floor of his cage. I'm not sure where this vocal tic has come from (although I have my suspicions) but I wish it would bloody go away again. It's up there with Australian cricketers starting every statement with the word 'Look'.

Ok, the rant is out of the way now. What else..?

As far as books and films and music is concerned it has been a mixed bag. I watched a lot of films but didn't enjoy a great deal of them. I read only a few books but didn't really get inspired by them. On the other hand I listened to a great deal of music and was genuinely inspired. I didn't go to as much live music as I would have liked (that is the curse of the gigging musician) but what I did see was of top quality. As a lifelong Fabulous Thunderbirds fan, seeing Jimmy Vaughan was a dream come true and he didn't disappoint. Both Ryan Adams and Robert Plant at the Roundhouse were excellent.
As for recorded music I discovered several new bands, a few old ones and rediscovered many that I had forgotten about. Hooray for the joy to be had in music.

On a personal musical level, it was another good year for the band. Regular gigs, new venues and plenty of new friends has made our job as musicians that much easier. It's always a delight to be greeted with warmth on the return to a venue. Us musicians are an insecure lot and things like that make all the difference.
I've also been writing a lot this year and have several things in the pipeline. If I can get my arse in gear, expect some exciting news in 2015. That said I can't even be arsed to do my washing at the moment so don't hold your breath.

Looking back on 2014 I can't in all honesty say it was a great year for me. I had some horrible ups and downs. I was shunted from pillar to post by the doctors and have just been informed I must go through the process again. My diary is as full of NHS appointments as it is gigs at the moment. One of the many joys of getting old I suppose.
On the other hand I met some truly lovely people and did some truly lovely things. Beer festivals, cricket matches, weddings, barbecues on the beach etc. Most of these were limited to summer but isn't that always the way?
One should never underestimate the great qualities of sunshine and friends.

One last thing before I go and finally put the washing on and do the vacuuming and the washing up and the dusting etc. and that is to raise a glass to my wonderful family who keep getting better and better. The sheer amount of talent in my Mum and my siblings is astonishing. I only wish my old man were still around to see it.

So (gah!!!) take care in 2015. A little more love and a lot less hate. Whatever happens, try and be one of the good guys.

Miles x

Lists etc.

There's a trend over on Facebook for putting up lists of favourite movies, albums etc. so in the interests of posterity I am reposting the 'best albums' one here. Cheers!

A mate asked me the question, what are my favourite albums and why so here we go..

1. Sticky Fingers - Rolling Stones. A far more concise, tough and solid album than 'Exile' which always gets the attention. It's full of great riffs and in 'Sway' has the best guitar solo of any Stones tune.

2. Late For The Sky - Jackson Browne. If I could write just one song one tenth as good as this collection, I'd die a happy man.

3. Fire & Water - Free. The best album by my favourite (british) guitarist. Only 7 tracks long and each one is a blinder. Side one opens with the title track, side two opens with 'Mr Big' and the whole thing ends on 'All Right Now'. Top stuff.
4. Tunnel of Love - Bruce Springsteen. A hugely underrated album by the Boss and one I keep coming back to. 'Cautious Man' is probably my favourite song of his entire catalogue.
5. Southern Harmony & Musical Companion - Black Crowes. Best guitar sounds of any album ever. If you're a sad '70s rock head, you'll love it.
6. Boomers Story - Ry Cooder. It's hard to pick a single Ry Cooder album but at gun point I'd choose this one. Although even as I type this I'm thinking of changing it to 'Paradise & Lunch'.
7. Freewheelin' - Bob Dylan. I learnt every track of this album. 'Girl From the North Country', 'Hard Rains Gonna Fall', 'Don't Think Twice It's All Right' etc. I was tempted to choose 'Blood on the Tracks' but I think this one just shaves it because its influence on me as a young man.
8. Rain Dogs - Tom Waits. The great starting point for anyone wanting to get in to the crazy world of Waits. It's one of those rare albums that gets better with every listen. It's worth the price of admission for 'Time' alone.
9. The Bends - Radiohead. A nostalgic choice for the memories it conjures up when ever I listen to it. Undoubtedly Radioheads most melodic album.
10. Hideaway - Freddie King. The most influential guitarist on me. My uncle Rob sent me this on cassette when I first started learning the guitar. I listened to it until my walkman chewed it up. I have subsequently purchased several more copies on different formats. I know it's a compilation but I don't care. It's bloody brilliant.

So there you have it. This list is only the tip of a huge iceberg and is subject to change at any time depending on my mood. Feel free to criticise, question or otherwise stick your oar in.
x

The Best Laid Schemes o' Mice an' Musos

I was recently involved in an experience that many musicians will relate to. I was asked to be involved in a gig that was being put on for a friends birthday. The date was a long way off and we only had to play for half an hour or so. Ok so far. The line up was to be various friends of varying ability. I agreed on the understanding that I am busy with my own bands so wouldn't be able to rehearse much. This was accepted, I put the date in my diary and thought no more about it.

Over the next few weeks, I bumped in to various members of this 'band' and it became apparent that not everyone was on the same page. Some were super eager, while others were.....less so. I shrugged and ordered more beer (there are few things in life that can't be made better by ordering more beer).

Anyway, last weekend it was decided to cancel the whole thing. We all got a text (well I did anyway) saying that it was not working out and it was best if we knocked it on the head. This made me smile a little as it's certainly not the first time this has happened to me and I'm sure it won't be the last. My musical history is littered with stillborn projects and forgotten ideas. What seems great on Friday at 11pm, soon becomes a bit of a pain when you can't be arsed to rehearse on a Tuesday night. The obscure tribute act that everyone wants to be part of is destined to get a name but no more than that.

What it boils down to is the fact that musicians are terrors for being lazy, egotistical, stubborn and (most importantly) easily distracted. We are constantly talking a good fight and then having our head turned by another offer. It's not our fault. We are artists (except drummers) and we have brains that don't like to stay still. I'm sure there is some science to it but I'm a musician, not a scientist so I shall leave that one for someone else.

Suffice to say I'm sorry to everyone I ever included in any of my half-baked musical ideas and I hope that you don't hold it against me. Maybe we could get together and have a jam? Not next week though as I'm quite busy....how about Tuesday week?.....I'll give you a shout....soon....