Thursday, December 31, 2020

The Simple Image - Spinning, Spinning, Spinning (1968) - New Zealand pop/rock & psychedelic rock band from the 60's

Here's another album from my New Zealand music collection.  The Simple Image was a New Zealand band that was popular here in the 1960's.  In their short career they achieved 4 top ten chart hits including the extremely popular Spinning, Spinning Spinning. This album was released in July 1968.


Tracklist:

01 - Spinning, Spinning, Spinning
02 - Love Of The Common People
03 - Hold Me Tight
04 - I Don't Want To Love You
05 - Walk On
06 - The Little Bell That Cried
07 - Bring It On Home
08 - Something Happened To Me
09 - Take Me To Tomorrow
10 - Treat Her Like A Lady
11 - Brand New Woman
12 - Tomorrow Is Another Day
13 - Hawaii

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Phantasmic - my final mix post for 2020

I was playing this mix last night while sitting around a fire pit with friends.  I had the volume cranked up fairly loud and so it was sounding rather good on a warm summers night (I live in New Zealand) amidst the glow from the flames, the clear skies, the native bush backdrop and the steady flow of alcohol.  A friend remarked that he wished he could buy cd's like this, which I took as quite the compliment. This mix brings together quite a diverse selection of rock & pop music that I've tried to sequence in a way that makes it flow nicely through the 12-songs.  I love the song that I've opened the mix with by Still Corners and particularly like the reggae/pop feel of 'Stay Alive' by Hollie Cook, the cruisy "An Ocean Between The Waves' by the fantastic War On Drugs (and yes it does finish rather abruptly) as well as the semi-cluby sound of "No Reason' by Bonobo.

Wherever you are - I wish you all the very best for 2021.  I do hope it's better than 2020 but regardless of what happens - music is the tonic that gets us through.  Take care and stay safe and if you like what I've posted so far - stop by again in the new year.....

All the best,
Skylord99


Tracklist:

01 - The Trip - Still Corners
02 - Stay Alive - Hollie Cook
03 - Bottle Rockets - Lowest Of The Low
04 - The Funeral - Band Of  Horses
05 - Shine - Younger Brother
06 - To Lose My Life - White Lies
07 - Cath - Death Cab For Cutie
08 - Islands - Zola Blood
09 - An Ocean Between The Waves - The War On Drugs
10 - Goddess On A Cadillac - Just Like Honey
11 - No Reason - Bonobo (feat. Nick Murphy)
12 - Don't You Evah - Spoon


Monday, December 28, 2020

Hang On - a pop music mix

This mix is a blend of pop songs that provides a lighter and easy listening experience.  I included the cheeky Toploader version of  King Harvest's 'Dancing In The Moonlight' for a bit of fun but it I feel it works works well in the mix by following after 'Desire' by Champ and into the next few songs.  I've closed the mix out with some great vocals from Danish band Go Go Berlin and ended with a rather haunting song from Soleil Fisher, which is sung in French.


Tracklist:

01 - Keep It Healthy - Warpaint
02 - Brace The Storm - Grendel
03 - Desire - Champs
04 - Dancin' In The Moonlight - Toploader
05 - Secret Of Life - Lord Huron
06 - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart - Mark Ronson/Miley Cyrus
07 - Hang On - Plumb
08 - Stockholm - The New Division
09 - Holding On For Life (Solomun Radio Remix) - Broken Bells
10 - Last Goodbye - The Birthday Massacre
11 - Here Comes The Darkness - Go Go Berlin
12 - Au Clair De La Lune (Vocal Mix) - Soleil Fisher


Thursday, December 24, 2020

Come Set Me Free - rock mix

A mix of songs from some well known and perhaps lessor known artists.  Merry Xmas


Tracklist:

01 - Winds Of Change - Jefferson Starship
02 - Better - The Screaming Jets
03 - Swamp Thing - The Chameleons
04 - Mr. Time - Alan Parsons Project
05 - For The Glory - Ian Brown
06 - No Light, No Light - Florence + The Machine
07 - Seven - Ed Kowalczyk
08 - My Obsession - Icehouse
09 - House Of Valparaiso - Calexico
10 - Bad Ideas - Left Is West
11 - If You Go - Sticky Fingers
12 - Mama (Genesis) - Magellan

Friday, December 18, 2020

Headin' Down South - music from the southern states

I used to work on an offshore oil rig in the 70's with guys from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.  It was during this time that I got to hear different types of music from the southern US states that I normally would not have heard in my native New Zealand.  Southern Rock is the most common subgenre of rock that is associated with the south, which tends to cross the rock n' roll, blues and country genres and is often linked to popular bands like The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Marshall Tucker Band.  However, in this compilation, I've deliberately stayed away from those bands and instead selected a snapshot of tracks that expresses the experience I had following my introduction to music from the south lands.


Tracklist:

01 - I Don't Want This Worry - Ledfoot
02 - Rebel Soldier - Jamey Johnson
03 - Jesus & Johnny Walker - Neal Black & The Healers
04 - Whitehouse Road - Tyler Childers
05 - You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive - Brad Paisley
06 - Hurry Sundown - The Outlaws
07 - Ballad Of A Southern Man - Whiskey Myers
08 - Po-Dunk - Kid Rock
09 - Gumbo John - Tony Joe White
10 - In Time - Mark Collie
11 - Soundtrack To A Six Pack - The Cadillac Three
12 - Soul Of A Man - David Lindley

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Absolutely Kiwi

This is a compilation of  New Zealand (Kiwi) artists and bands - mostly from the 80's.  Some like Tim Finn and Shona Laing have had international success but most are better known in NZ and Australia.  Tim of course a member of Split Enz and Shona Laing did a stint with Manfred Mann Earth Band.  Also, Charlie Tumahai from Herbs was the bass player in the UK band Be-Bop Deluxe.


Tracklist:

01 - Why Does Love Do This To Me - The Exponents
02 - Isabelle - Greg Johnson
03 - Sweet Lovers - Holidaymakers
04 - Youthful - Anika Moa
05 - (Glad I'm) Not A Kennedy - Shona Laing
06 - Break In The Weather - Jenny Morris
07 - Persuasion - Tim Finn
08 - Language - Dave Dobbyn
09 - For Today - Netherworld Dancing Toys
10 - Magic What She Do - DD Smash
11 - What's The Time Mr Wolf? - Southside Of Bombay
12 - Sensitive To A Smile - Herbs

Friday, December 11, 2020

Satellite Spies

Today's compilation leaves behind the Prog Rock theme from the previous posts and brings together a few well known artists with some lessor known ones.  I've assembled tracks from rock, indie rock, electronic and pop genres for this 12-song mix of cool music.


Tracklist:

01 - Soon - Yes
02 - Pleasure & Pain - Divinyls
03 - Satellite - Guster
04 - Hypnotized - Fleetwood Mac
05 - Hold My End Up - Delta Spirit
06 - The High Road - Broken Bells
07 - Daniel - Bat For Lashes
08 - I'll Figure It Out - Lisa Marie Presley (Elvis' daughter)
09 - House Of Cards - Scorpions
10 - Coming Home - Mike Tramp
11 - Energy - Schiller
12 - High Hopes - Pink Floyd

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Ragnarok - Ragnarok

As promised, here is the first Ragnarok self-titled album that was released in New Zealand in 1975.  Lea Maalfrid appears on this album as part of the original Ragnarok lineup but left the band shortly after its release to pursue a solo career.


Tracklist:

01 - Fenris
02 - Butterfly Sky
03 - Fire In The Sky
04 - Rainbow Bridge
05 - Raga
06 - Caviar Queen
07 - Dream
08 - Dawning Horn


Below is the original Ragnarok lineup with Lea Maalfrid, Ramon York, Mark Jayet, Ross Muir & Andre Jayet


Thursday, December 3, 2020

Black Lily Dream

This weeks compilation is in keeping with the Prog Rock theme from last week and brings together a selection of tracks that span the progressive rock / alt rock & post rock genres.  There's some wonderfully complex sounds to wrap ones ears around and always makes for a great listen if your music tastes extend beyond the normal confines of mainstream music safety.


Tracklist:

01 - Try As I Might - The Pineapple Thief
02 - Geneve - Mr. Putiferio
03 - Faster Man - Morgan Rose
04 - I Will Follow - Tammatoys
05 - An Ocean Away - White Moth Black Butterfly
06 - Thin Air - Anathema
07 - Wall Street King - Mystery
08 - You Are The One - Narayan
09 - Black Lily - Gazpacho
10 - Crystaline - Lonely
11 - Twice In A Lifetime - Jon Anderson
12 - Puppets - Marathon