"The Foggy Dew", Ye Vagabonds

This way: The Foggy Dew

Ye Vagabonds is an Irish folk music duo consisting of Dublin-based brothers Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn. Having been described as "being at the fore of a new wave of Irish folk", they won three awards at the 2019 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards: Best Track (for a recording of "Foggy Dew"), Best Album (their 2019 album The Hare's Lament), and Best Folk Group. Ye Vagabonds are signed to River Lea, which is described as an offshoot of Rough Trade Records.  

[Spotify] The Foggy Dew

“Crawling from the Wreckage”, Dave Edmunds

This way: Crawling from the Wreckage

Dave Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s-style rock and roll and rockabilly. This song written by Graham Parker from 1979. 

[Spotify] Crawling from the Wreckage

“Cheap Sunglasses”, ZZ Top, RIP Dusty

This way: Cheap Sunglasses

Joseph Michael "Dusty" Hill (May 19, 1949 – July 28, 2021) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the bassist and secondary lead vocalist of the American rock group ZZ Top; he also played keyboards with the band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of ZZ Top, in 2004. 

[Spotify] Cheap Sunglasses

"More Than This", Roxy Music

This way: More Than This

“More than this - there is nothing” 

Roxy Music were an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead singer and main songwriter—and bass guitarist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members were Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone and oboe), and Paul Thompson (drums and percussion). Other members included Brian Eno (synthesizer and 'treatments'), Eddie Jobson (synthesizer and violin), and John Gustafson (bass). Although the band took a break from group activities in 1976 and again in 1983, they reunited for a concert tour in 2001, and toured together intermittently over the next few years. Ferry frequently enlisted band members as session musicians for his solo releases.

Roxy Music became a successful act in Europe and Australia during the 1970s. This success began with their self-titled debut album in 1972. The band pioneered more musically sophisticated elements of glam rock while significantly influencing early English punk music, and provided a model for many new wave acts while innovating elements of electronic composition. The group also conveyed their distinctive brand of visual and musical sophistication with their focus on glamorous fashions. Ferry and co-founding member Eno have had influential solo careers. Eno became one of the most significant British record producers of the late 20th century. Rolling Stone originally ranked Roxy Music No. 98 on their greatest artists list ("The Immortals – The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time"), but dropped the group from the list when they updated it in 2011.

[Spotify] More Than This

"Art/Empire/Industry", Bill Nelson’s Red Noise

This way: Art/Empire/Industry

Bill Nelson’s Red Noise, or more simply Red Noise, was Bill Nelson's umbrella term for what effectively became a British new wave band formed by himself (lead vocals, guitar), his brother Ian (saxophone), Andy Clark (keyboards) and Rick Ford (bass). Dave Mattacks and Steve Peer (drums) both had brief stints in the band. Nelson formed Red Noise after dissolving Be-Bop Deluxe, while metamorphosing from blues, progressive and glam rock to more new wave and electronic sounds following the last Be-Bop Deluxe album Drastic Plastic, released early in 1978. EMI’s Harvest Records subsidiary, to whom Be-Bop had been contracted, insisted on his name being added – hence Bill Nelson's Red Noise. Clark had also been a member of Be-Bop Deluxe, while Ian Nelson had collaborated on the song (and hit single) "Ships in the Night" from the Sunburst Finish album (1976). Peer was previously in TV Toy, only joining the band for touring purposes after the album had been recorded (he can be heard on a number of Red Noise live and Bill Nelson-credited B-side studio tracks plus the one Red Noise-credited track on Nelson's later Quit Dreaming And Get on the Beam). In the studio, Nelson recorded most of the drum parts himself, hiring former Fairport Convention drummer Dave Mattacks for more complex tracks. 

[Spotify] Not likely

“Music for Evenings”, Young Marble Giants

This way: Music for Evenings

This track from the near perfect LP. Young Marble Giants were a Welsh post-punk band formed in Cardiff, Wales, in 1978. Their music was based around the vocals of Alison Statton along with the minimalist instrumentation of brothers Philip and Stuart Moxham. Their early sound was a sharp contrast with the more aggressive punk rock that dominated the underground at the time. Young Marble Giants released just one studio album, Colossal Youth, in 1980. They also released two EPs and recorded a John Peel session. 

[Spotify] Music for Evenings

“Happy Death Men”, Echo and the Bunnymen

 This way: Happy Death Men

Echo & the Bunnymen are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson. By 1980, Pete de Freitas joined as the band's drummer. 

Their 1980 debut album Crocodiles went into the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart. After releasing their second album Heaven Up Here in 1981, the band's cult status was followed by mainstream success in the UK in 1983 when they scored a UK Top 10 hit with "The Cutter", and the album which the song came from, Porcupine, hit number 2 in the UK. Ocean Rain (1984), continued the band's UK chart success with its lead single "The Killing Moon" entering into the top 10.

After releasing a self-titled album in 1987, McCulloch left the band and was replaced by former St. Vitus Dance singer Noel Burke. In 1989, de Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident. After working together as Electrafixion, McCulloch and Sergeant regrouped with Pattinson in 1997 and returned as Echo & the Bunnymen, before Pattinson's departure in 1998. The band has done some touring and released several albums since the late 1990s to varying degrees of success.

[Spotify] Happy Death Men

"Ships in the Night", Be Bop Deluxe

This way: Ships in the Night

Be-Bop Deluxe were an English progressive rock band who achieved critical acclaim and moderate commercial success during the mid to late 1970s. The band's sound emerged as a mixture of glam rock, prog rock and straightforward rock and roll.[citation needed] Science fiction imagery was common in the lyrics, along with the more traditional themes of love and the human condition. Stylistically, the songs took elements from progressive rock, glam rock (the band had flirted with make-up in the early days) and hard guitar rock. "Ships in the Night", taken from the band's third album Sunburst Finish, was their most successful single in both the UK and the US. The single features an alto saxophone solo by Ian Nelson. The album was notably the first to be produced by EMI employee John Leckie, who had hitherto worked for the company as a recording engineer, in which capacity he had served on Axe Victim, which he also in effect produced.

[Spotify] Ships in the Night

"I've always been a Rambler", Ola Belle Reed

This way: I've always been a Rambler

Ola Belle Reed (August 18, 1916 – August 16, 2002) was an American folk singer, songwriter and banjo player.

When she was a teenager, Reed's family moved to Southern Pennsylvania. In the mid-1930s, Reed joined The North Carolina Ridge Runners. She later formed the band, The New River Boys and Girls, with her brother, Alex Campbell, which went on to open the New River Ranch in Rising Sun, Maryland, a music park that hosted many well known performers until being destroyed in 1958. They went on to be the "house band" and broadcast live shows at another music park called Sunset Park in West Grove, Pennsylvania.

Reed's songs often speak of Appalachian life and traditions. Her best-known songs have been recorded by mainstream bluegrass and country artists. "High on a Mountain" has been recorded by Del McCoury, Tim O'Brien, and Marty Stuart; "I've Endured" has been recorded by Del McCoury as well as Tim O'Brien. The New York-based folk music group Ollabelle is named after Reed.

[Spotify] I've always been a Rambler

[A nice cover, Clifton Hicks & Jake Book] I've always been a Rambler

"Down the Road Pt II", Steve Earle

This way: Down the Road Pt II

Steve Earle (born January 17, 1955) is an American rock, country and folk singer-songwriter, record producer, author and actor. Earle began his career as a songwriter in Nashville and released his first EP in 1982.

His breakthrough album was the 1986 album Guitar Town. Since then Earle has released 20 more studio albums and received three Grammy awards. His songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Levon Helm, The Highwaymen, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Shawn Colvin, Bob Seger, Percy Sledge and Emmylou Harris. He has appeared in film and television, and has written a novel, a play, and a book of short stories.

[Spotify] Down the Road Pt II

“Motorcade”, Magazine

This way: Motorcade

Magazine were an English punk band active from 1977 to 1981, then again from 2009 to 2011. The band was formed by Howard Devoto after leaving punk band Buzzcocks in early 1977. Devoto had decided to create a more progressive and less "traditional" rock band. 

Magazine reunited in 2009 for a UK tour, with almost all the remaining members of the "classic" lineup, with the exception of guitarist John McGeoch, who died in 2004. He was replaced by Noko, who had played with Devoto in Luxuria. Magazine released an album of new material, No Thyself, in October 2011, followed by a short UK tour. This track from 1978.

[Spotify] Motorcade

“I Wanna Be Adored”, The Stone Roses

This way: I Wanna Be Adored

This band had great potential but sort of fizzled out. The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, bassist Mani and drummer Reni.

The band released their debut album, The Stone Roses, in 1989. The album was a breakthrough success for the band and received critical acclaim, many regarding it as one of the greatest British albums ever recorded. At this time the group decided to capitalise on their success by signing to a major label. Their record label at the time, Silvertone, would not let them out of their contract, which led to a long legal battle that culminated with the band signing with Geffen Records in 1991. 

[Spotify] I Wanna Be Adored

“Pumping”, Patti Smith

This way: Pumping

Radio Ethiopia was the follow-up record to Smith's widely acclaimed debut Horses. In interviews surrounding the album's release, Smith explained that she chose producer Jack Douglas in hopes of making the album commercially successful. Smith co-wrote much of the album with bassist Ivan Král, the band member keenest for commercial success.

[Spotify] Pumping 

“As We Go Up We Go Down”, Guided by Voices

This way: As We Go Up We Go Down

Guided By Voices (GBV) is an American indie rock band formed in 1983 in Dayton, Ohio. It has made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard. Alien Lanes is the eighth full-length album by American lo-fi band Guided by Voices, released on April 4, 1995. The album (Alien Lanes) was GBV's first release with Matador Records. According to James Greer's book Guided by Voices: A Brief History: Twenty-One Years of Hunting Accidents in the Forests of Rock and Roll the advance for the record was close to a hundred thousand dollars, one of the more expensive deals in Matador's history. In contrast to the lucrative deal, Greer mentions that "The cost for recording Alien Lanes, if you leave out the beer, was about ten dollars."  

[Spotify] As We Go Up We Go Down

“I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got”, Sinéad O’Connor

This way: I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

Sinéad O'Connor, is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, released in 1987, charted internationally and her single "Nothing Compares 2 U," released in 1990, was named the number one world single by the Billboard Music Awards. 

Since then, while maintaining her singing career, she has occasionally encountered controversy, partly due to her statements and gestures. These include her ordination as a priest, despite being a woman with a Roman Catholic background, and strongly expressing views on organised religion, women's rights, war, and child abuse. In addition to her ten solo albums, her work includes many singles, songs for films, collaborations with many other artists, and appearances at charity fundraising concerts.  

[Spotify] I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

“Sister Midnight”, Iggy Pop

This way: Sister Midnight

A Great song from another near perfect LP. The Idiot is the debut studio album by American musician Iggy Pop, released on March 18, 1977, by RCA Records. After the break-up of his band the Stooges in 1974, Pop struggled with drug addiction. Although attempts to get sober proved unsuccessful, by 1976, he was ready to break free of his addiction. Pop accepted an invitation to join his friend David Bowie on his Isolar Tour. At the end of the tour, Pop agreed to join Bowie, also struggling with drug addiction, in moving to Europe to rid themselves of their addictions. The two settled into the Château d'Hérouville in Hérouville, where Bowie agreed to produce an album. 

Described by Pop as "a cross between James Brown and Kraftwerk", The Idiot marks a departure from the proto-punk of the Stooges. Recording for it began at the château in June 1976 and continued into July. Further sessions took place at Musicland Studios in Munich in August. Bowie composed most of the music and contributed a major portion of the instrumentation. Pop wrote most of the lyrics in response to the music Bowie was creating.   

[Spotify] Sister Midnight

“We're Desperate”, X

This way: We're Desperate

This is from one of my all time favorite bands and a near perfect album, Wild Gift. X is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles The original members are vocalist Exene Cervenka, vocalist-bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom and drummer D. J. Bonebrake. The band released seven studio albums from 1980 to 1993. After a period of inactivity during the mid-to-late 1990s, X reunited in the early 2000s, and currently tours, as of 2019. 

X achieved limited mainstream success but influenced various genres of music, including punk rock, Americana,[4] and folk rock, and is considered one of the most influential bands of their era. In 2003, X's first two studio albums, Los Angeles and Wild Gift, were ranked by Rolling Stone as being among the 500 greatest albums of all time. Los Angeles was ranked 91st on Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s. The band received an Official Certificate of Recognition from the City of Los Angeles in acknowledgment of its contribution to Los Angeles music and culture. 

[Spotify] We're Desperate

“Frankie’s Gun”, The Felice Brothers

This way: Frankie’s Gun

The Felice Brothers got their start as a band playing in the New York City subway. They lived in a little apartment in Brooklyn and would play in the subway stations at 42nd Street and Union Square and in Greenwich Village. The three brothers originally hail from Palenville, New York in the Catskill Mountains.b

Now they tour the country, traveling in their "Short Bus". Their 2006 self-released debut album was Through These Reins and Gone followed by Tonight At the Arizona released in 2007 through Loose. Through These Reins and Gone made it onto Radio Woodstock WDST's top 25 albums of 2006. About their album Adventures of the Felice Brothers Vol. 1 James Felice said, "We put one record out on an English label (Loose), and we've released all the other stuff ourselves" (on their label 'New York Pro'). The Felice Brothers have played at Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble in Woodstock, New York and also toured with Bright Eyes in the fall of 2007. This from 2008.

[Spotify] Frankie’s Gun

“Sophisticated Boom Boom”, The Shangri-Las

This way: Sophisticated Boom Boom

The Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966, they charted with several hits documenting teen tragedies and melodramas. They remain known for their hits "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", "Give Him a Great Big Kiss", and in particular, "Leader of the Pack", which went to #1 in the US in late 1964. This track from 1966. 

[Spotify] Sophisticated Boom Boom

“Bright Smile”, Josh Ritter

This way: Bright Smile

Josh Ritter (born October 21, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and author who performs and records with the Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006, he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine. 

[Spotify] Bright Smile

“Just Like Heaven”, The Cure

This way: Just Like Heaven

Is this the greatest song ever written?

The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex, in 1978. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's debut album was Three Imaginary Boys (1979) and this, along with several early singles, placed the band in the post-punk and new wave movements that had sprung up in the United Kingdom. Beginning with their second album, Seventeen Seconds (1980), the band adopted a new, increasingly dark and tormented style, which, together with Smith's stage look, had a strong influence on the emerging genre of gothic rock as well as the subculture that eventually formed around the genre. 

Following the release of their fourth album Pornography in 1982, the band's future was uncertain. Smith was keen to move past the gloomy reputation his band had acquired, introducing a greater pop sensibility into the band's music. Songs such as "Let's Go to Bed" (1982), "The Love Cats" (1983), "Inbetween Days" (1985), "Close To Me" (1985), "Just Like Heaven" (1987), "Lovesong" (1989), and "Friday I'm in Love" (1992) aided the band in receiving commercial popularity. The band have released 13 studio albums, two EPs, over 30 singles, and have sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

[Spotify] Just Like Heaven

[Nice cover] Just Like Heaven (Dinosaur Jr.)

“She’s Lost Control”, Joy Division

This way: She’s Lost Control

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris.

Sumner and Hook formed the band after attending a Sex Pistols concert. While Joy Division's first recordings were heavily influenced by early punk, they soon developed a sparse sound and style that made them one of the pioneers of the post-punk movement. Their self-released 1978 debut EP An Ideal for Living drew the attention of the Manchester television personality Tony Wilson, who signed them to his independent label Factory Records. Their debut album Unknown Pleasures, recorded with producer Martin Hannett, was released in 1979.

Curtis suffered from personal problems including a failing marriage, depression, and epilepsy. As the band's popularity grew, Curtis's condition made it increasingly difficult for him to perform; he occasionally experienced seizures on stage. He died by suicide on the eve of the band's first US/Canada tour in May 1980, aged 23. Joy Division's second and final album, Closer, was released two months later; it and the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart" became their highest charting releases.

[Spotify] She’s Lost Control

“Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock”, MC Lars

This way: Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock

MC Lars, is an American rapper, producer, teacher, cartoonist, and podcaster. Lars is one of the self-proclaimed originators of "lit-hop",[4] and is the founder and CEO of the independent record label Horris Records. Lars is one of several people who claim to have coined the term "iGeneration", which he was credited with doing in 2003. This song from 2006.

[Spotify] Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock

“Electrify Me”, Los Plugs

  This way: Electrify Me

This from a near perfect album of the same name. The Plugz (also known as "Los Plugz") were a Latino punk band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 1977 and disbanded in 1984. They and The Zeros were among the first Latino punk bands, although several garage rock bands, such as Thee Midniters and Question Mark & the Mysterians, predated them. The Plugz melded the spirit of punk and Latino music.

The band was formed in 1977 and was a contemporary of the bands featured in the film The Decline of Western Civilization. Their songs reflected the anger and angst of growing up Chicano, and this was reflected in their sardonic hi-speed version of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba". The Plugz are generally acknowledged as being the first D.I.Y. punk band in L.A., having started their own PLUGZ RECORDS and later Fatima records.

[Spotify] Not likely

 

“Fever”, Holograms

This way: Fever

On their self-titled debut, the Stockholm band offer synth-driven pop songs that nod to punk and hardcore. Holograms focus on weighty topics like isolation, industrialization, and being ashamed of their country's history, but their hooks can be outright jovial.  

[Spotify] Fever

 

“Roadkill”, Squirrel Flower

This way: Roadkill

Squirrel Flower is the stage name of American musician Ella Williams. Williams grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts. When Williams was a child, she gave herself the nickname Squirrel Flower. In 2014, Williams moved to Iowa. Her first EP, "Early Winter Songs From Middle America" was self released in 2015. Williams released her second EP in 2016 titled Contact Sports on DIY tape label It Takes Time, based in St. Louis. Williams debut album, I Was Born Swimming, was released in 2020 via Polyvinyl Records. The album was produced by Gabe Wax. 

After getting involved in the diy scene in Boston as a teenager, Williams moved to Iowa. There, she wrote her first EP as Squirrel Flower and began setting up small tours for herself.

 

[Spotify] Roadkill

 

“Forgot My Horse's Name”, Tenci

This way: Forgot My Horse's Name

Jess Shoman, better known by her stage name Tenci, is an American musician from Chicago, Illinois. 

Shoman began making music at the age of 14. Shoman released her first full-length album on June 5, 2020 titled My Heart Is An Open Field. The album was first released through Hobbies, a small label based in Chicago, before being more widely released through Keeled Scales. In addition to Shoman, the album also features Spencer Radcliffe and other musicians from Radcliffe's band. The album title was inspired by Arthur Russell's album Love Is Overtaking Me. The album received a 7.3 rating from Pitchfork. In 2020, Tenci was named one of the best new artists of the year by NPR Music.

[Spotify] Forgot My Horse's Name