Book of the week

Posted on October 30, 2015 by onedeckpete

Gardeners’ World: The Veg Grower’s Almanac: Month by Month Planning and Planting – Martyn Cox – BBC Books 2014 – £9.99

I found this in the library this week, a nice compact little gardening book that’ll snugly fit into a donkey jacket pocket. It’s a handy little publication sectioned off month-by-month with what jobs to do and has features on vegetables that are relevant to that month too. It’s all in black and white with no pics but has some nice graphics and a sow and grow chart at the back. Simple and informative and a book worth buying or one for a long-term loan out of the library.

Trouble is though with library books you do really have to take care of them. When it comes to gardening books I have taken them outside into the garden, balanced cups of tea on them and even have been known to read them in the bath. The last one I had from the library went back after a good few renewals and in a bit of a state. Thank god for those automatic machines, rather than getting an earful from an angry librarian!

A book worth getting (but not one for dropping into the bath!)

Ain’t that peculiar

Posted on October 28, 2015 by onedeckpete

Big thanks to our good mate Pete B in Japan for getting in touch and letting us know what the vocal version of The Crystalites tune in the last post was.

It’s funny but that organ riff was going around in my head all last night and I kept saying to myself “I know that tune, I know that tune!” but for the life of me couldn’t remember what it was.

And as if by magic I receive a message from Pete this morning with the answer to the question I didn’t ask but needed to know. Cheers Pete!

The crystal ship

Posted on October 27, 2015 by onedeckpete

Two cracking tunes from The Crystalites out of the Derrick Harriott camp. Heard on this week’s David Rodigan (MBE) show from a forthcoming compilation from Norman Jay (MBE.)

The next is one I found a long time ago in the 50p singles section downstairs in Record and Tape Exchange Soho. It was slung away in the back of a cupboard before finding it a couple of years later and realising what a tune it is! Both of them appear on a Nu Beat UK release from the late 60’s if you’re ever lucky enough to find it!

Those oldies but goodies remind me of you…

Posted on October 23, 2015 by onedeckpete

This is a lovely mix of downtempo gear (including some organ-led gospel, dark funk and the like) and a great guest mix from Blundetto out of Paris from a couple of years ago. If you remember we featured his single Warm my soul featuring Courtney John (here) in 2012 after hearing it on DJ Dick’s blog out of Birmingham (nice one Dick!).

This is one to put on loud on a Friday evening after a (crap) week at work, while enjoying a glass of your favourite tipple waiting for the cabbage to cook. Big up Blundetto and the Confused Radio Crew!

Never mind the gloomy weather, spread the rhythm (doc)

Posted on October 17, 2015 by onedeckpete

And talking about the Rhythm Doctor as we were in the last post…

We thank him for letting us know about his great mixtape recorded live at the Ace Hotel in Shoreditch last week for Jocks and Nerds Magazine.

A top mixture of all-sorts (from Max Romeo, Fun Boy Three, Grace Jones and Bertie King & Baba Motta amongst many others). One to listen to while looking out of the window having a cup of Verbena tea.

Nice one Chris!

Non X Factor business (Death in the arena)

Posted on October 16, 2015 by onedeckpete

Whack the stereo up loud, open up those back doors and blast out this corker from Pinchers & Bounty Killer called “Don’t Get Weary” while sweeping up the earliest of those autumn leaves. If it’s the evening when you are reading this and you’re indoors, just turn the heating up and pour yourself a Baileys and Brandy and enjoy.

Years and years ago the Rhythm Doctor introduced me to the pleasures of the Studio 1 12″ single which led me to buy “Death In The Arena” by The Soul Vendors (the original of the above rhythm from around 1968) from Dub Vendor on reissue in the early 1980’s.

And by chance while looking around the web this morning, I found the inspiration to the Death In The Arena rhythm by Pretty Purdie called Funky Donkey from 1967. It is funky as the name suggests, but I do prefer the Jamaican jazzier take on it.

And if you want more of the same here’s a version of it I bought (supposedly brand new) as a seven inch single in the Midlands in the late 1970’s by U Brown called Black Star Liner. Mine is authentically pressed very off-centre with lots and lots of surface noise. Tune!

Gardenin’ and other rock ‘n’ roll habits

Posted on October 15, 2015 by onedeckpete

Thanks to Fliss who produced the great Gardeners Delight fanzine for letting us know about the Wimbledon Zine Fair next month. If you remember we featured her great allotment here.

If like myself you like a good fanzine, pop along on Saturday 14 November from 1pm – 4.30 pm at Wimbledon Public Library, 35 Wimbledon Hill Road, Wimbledon SW19 7NB and have a butcher’s and it’s FREE!

Fliss also tells us she’s working on a new gardening fanzine which will hopefully on sale at the fair. For more details have a look here at the informative SW Zines website and read about their previous events (including a zine swap and a zine picnic at a castle!)

And talking of fanzines here’s a few old ones from the Joly archives:

May the (good weather) be with you

Posted on October 9, 2015 by onedeckpete

Here’s two great tunes to get the supposedly sunny weekend off to a flying start.

The first is from Roots Manuva with Don’t Breathe Out on Big Dada featuring a nice Barry White sample.

Number two is the work of Greg Morris from “the land of wood an water” (as the Rt. Honourable David Rodigan says) with a great dub of the Real Rock rhythm in a 2015 style.

Stick these two on loud when you’re out in the garden tomorrow tidying up and when the sun goes in, light up the bonfire and put the tunes on again!

Be afraid, be very afraid

Posted on October 4, 2015 by onedeckpete

Earlier this week I received a great tweet from the good folks at Shannon‘s telling us that the Eremurus tubers (Foxtail Lilly/Desert Candle) had arrived. I had a shock when I picked out two of (the very strange looking) tubers today as these were huge (nearly a foot wide) compared to the one I had last year. I even had to put both of them in a bin bag just in case they’d scare the neighbours! The tubers are very out of this world looking and wouldn’t be out of place in “War of the Worlds” either.They were £7.99 each which may seem a bit steep but what you get for it, a giant of a plant with a huge coloured flower spike (some varieties grow up to 3 metres), it’s well worth it! Here’s what it was like earlier this year. Roll on next year!

Weeds up to me knees

Madtone, gardening and life

Monthly Archives: October 2015