Tag Archives: The Fall

It’s time to choose your handle and pick up your microphone Part 2

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And talking of CB in the last post, here’s some Citizen Band related tunes. The first is a funky/disco number from the island of Jamaica. It’s from Bobby T & The Citizen’s Band (Third World we reckon as it is near enough “Everything is great”) called 40 channels to play. There’s even some shortwave tuning sounds and even a callsign thrown in, “U54 or UW4 (?) Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies”. This is probably the only time CQ DX is ever mentioned on a Jamaican Top Ranking Discomix 12″.

The next is a downtempo CB sampling tune and what sounds like off-tuned SSB (single side band) vocals in parts from Trucker called Interlude 4 – Citizen Band Armageddon. 

And if anyone can comment on Citizen’s Band, Mark E. Smith did with the ditty by The Fall called I’m into CB which contains the classic lyrics:
“This is Happy Harry Plank
From the land of waving palms
Calling out to Cedar Plank
477 CC
There’s no Code 13
In the home of chocolate city
I’m having trouble with the terminology
But I’m into CB”

Above is an odd recording of CB truckers across the pond just as COVID was starting, mad stuff!

Have a good weekend and may the sun shine on your garden again tomorrow.

Popcorn Double Feature later showing

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Wow we didn’t even know it was a cover version! We prefer The Fall‘s interpretation but this ain’t bad though. While we’re there, we’re sticking this one below from The Fall as we love the Lee Perry original but this is great too.

Calling all Wallies, calling all Wallies

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What with all this great weather we’re having at the moment, we’re reminded of the old free festivals that used to be about. Festivals like Stonehenge and Deeply Vale where The Fall used to love to play and also where The Ruts were formed. If you love all that free festival business have a look at this site here. It’s a brilliant documentation of when festivals didn’t have 30 or so big name DJ’s/Bands playing each day and where you weren’t searched for cans of Carling Black Label on your way in. There were certainly no artisan bread stalls and WI tea tents selling home-made victoria sponges in those days though there was some alternative home-baking going on. RIP to Wally Hope (above on flyer) who was a part of getting the punk band Crass together and the nude dancer William “Jesus” Jellett. There’s a great bit in Paul Gorman’s blog where “Jesus” is pictured dancing at an early Sex Pistols gig here.

Sort of related to all of this Free Festival malarkey, Imaginary Stations bring you WHPY this Sunday 18th June 2023 at 2200 hrs UTC on 9395 kHz via WRMI. They’ll be broadcasting a special programme live from the Skybird mobile studio van parked up in a free festival in a car park in the hippy haven of Woodstock. They’ll be a mix from One Deck Pete called “For all the Wallies out there” featuring tunes by Can, Bongo Isaac, Itekted and Dread I Benji, Emma-Jean Thackray and original Woodstock artiste Richie Havens.

So don your best 1970’s long afghan coat even in this heat, grab something strong to drink if there is anything still left in the communal fridge and play your imaginary recorder or shake a home-made tambourine along to the far out sounds of WHPY.

 

These boots are made for working…

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If there’s ever been any regrets in my life, the biggest one was getting rid of my steel toe-capped boots when I left the council, thinking I’d never use them again after studying graphic design.

I loved those old boots. They were black and had never been polished so were well scuffed and at the front, the leather was so worn away about a quarter of the “steelie” was showing through. They’ve been ran over by my lawnmower, took many a flying brick from the whizzing mower blades and had lots of incidents with misplaced garden forks and spades, so had a “used” look to them. You could have definitely worn them to a Cramps gig!

The downside was that they were freezing when you put them on on a cold winter’s morning, stunk like high heaven mid-summer and were heavy like lead after digging on a wet day with all that London clay stuck to them.

Todays workers have never had it so good, as nowadays the style of protective steel capped footwear are limitless, from beige CAT builder’s boots, backless ladies moccasins and trainees but years ago there was only one style, the Totector boot only available in two colours, black or dark brown. They should be a design classic and be on show at the national museum of gardening alongside a donkey jacket as an example of ancient council workwear.

What’s your favourite gardening footwear? Do let us know and photo’s please!