My Crucial Tracks this week - Dead Souls, Rappers Delight, the Theme From Marxman, a cover of Body of An American, Tribal War and the 2024 mix of Inkpot
These were my Crucial Tracks this week.
What's your favorite deep cut from an album?
"Dead Souls" by Joy Division
This is technically a deep cut from a single.
If memory serves this was released as a double A-side, on a small French label, in a very limited release. The other side of the record was Atmosphere, which soon got re-released as a 12" single.
Dead Souls, however remained very hard to get. It was widely bootlegged, and I remember John Peel announcing what time he was going to play the song on his radio show, presumably so people could tape it.
It eventually came out on an odds and sods compilation called Still
It’s not that often that a highly sought-after obscurity lives up to the hype …..but I think this does
Share a song you feel was ahead of its time.
"Rapper's Delight (7" Single Version)" by The Sugarhill Gang
I wasn't sure what to pick for this prompt, but went for a song that seemed to have come from another planet when I first heard it, like nothing I'd heard before....and it sounded like a lot of fun
"Rapper's Delight (7" Single Version)" by The Sugarhill Gang on Apple music
What's the last song you discovered and loved instantly?
"Theme From Marxman" by Marxman
I heard this last week. I had their single Ship Ahoy when that came out, but I'm fairly sure I hadn't heard this.
What's a lyric that resonates deeply with you and why?
"The Body of an American" by Kevin Devine
A Shane MacGowan song
“And as the sunset came to meet, the evening on the hill
I told you I’d always love you, I always did, I always will”
If your life were a movie, what would its theme song be?
"Lucky Man" by The Verve
A song from a genre you didn't think you'd like—what changed?
"Tribal War" by Black Roots
Back in the late 1970s, I didn't like reggae. To be honest, I saw it as music for hippies.
Two things happened at around about the same time. 2-tone was one thing. The other was seeing a couple of local-ish reggae bands. Ebony Rockers from Southampton, and this band, who I think were from Bristol.
Some top trivia: Ebony Rockers, who don’t seem to be on Apple Music, included Craig David’s dad on bass
Tw
How do you discover new music, and what's the latest gem you've found?
"Inkpot (2024 Mix)" by Shocking Blue
One of the ways I discover new-to-me music is through music magazines. Mojo, Song lines, Vintage Rock and Roll, Classic Pop and Record Collector are all free on Libby through my library.
I discovered this song through Record Collector I think. It’s by the group that did Venus….and I’m slightly obsessed with it