Top 200 songs.

An interesting diversion. My Top 100 or so CDs have been nutted out over the years - refer Desert Island Discs. Now my old friend Len has provided me with a disc of his Top 100 "songs" so I felt that I had to attempt something similar, but I don't have Len's fortitude. 100 or so, I thought, then perhaps 150, nahhhhh.....maybe 200... could have kept going, but then there's the write up, the accompanying reasons for choice, which I must get started on.....world's yer oyster son, get into it. Is this final? Not likely - I could add more tomorrow. Only 1 classical?? Well I could have added more but then we'd be up to 300...this one had to go in.

Collectors are orderly creatures and jump at the chance of classifying and banging things into their appointed boxes - refer Saturday Morning Ashwoods and Collectors. But what is the basis of choice - nostalgia, artistic merit, lyrics, musical innovation, classic status, da groove mon, aesthetically appealing, dig the beat, cool man, tickles my ivories, absolutely fab, "oooh, ah like it"?

Well these are discs which I would hope to have with me, should I be stranded on a desert island (with a superb sound system and electricity of course, a fabulous tsunami proof island hideaway, a fishing rod... and maybe one or two mermaids....I didn't say that!!) Some have nostalgic value eg Cliff Richard's live version of "Move It" which I recovered from the lifeboat platform after a wind gust blew it over the side of the "Fairsea" in the Indian Ocean 1962. So, that had to be included didn't it? Nonetheless, it is a superb example of early British, pre Beatles rock - check out Hank B Marvin's lead and Jet Harris' bass. Edith Piaff's "Les Mots D'amour" has romantic attachment, but of course it is a great performance by a chanteuse magnifique.

Looking through the list I realise I'm a traditionalist, a roots aficionado. There is little from recent years and yet modern eclecticism does appeal. I love the use of technology, particularly when it incorporates indigenous music, as for instance with Mustt Mustt by Nusrat Farka Ali Khan, Amadou et Miriam, Lo Jo, Susheela Raman, Mercan Dede, Omar Sosa.

The final list, like the list in Nick Hornby's very amusing book High Fidelity, is a moveable target, subject to whim, nostalgia, vacillation, further listening and discoveries. If only one had more ears, and time.....! The record that gave you a glow back then and put a smile on your dial, your secret song, has now been flogged mercilessly by those two cent stations and one cent jocks. But that's pop music, instant glow.......or is it art where further listening reveals depth? It turns like a diamond and each face reveals another aspect......Mmmm sometimes - "Madame George" but perhaps not "Papa Oom Mow Mow". It depends on your memory and imagination. This is not high art and was not intended to be so, initially. It was intended for dance, excitement and foreplay, intimacy and instant glow. And along the way the moneymakers shook the roots out of it and tried to cabaret, homogenise and codify. But the roots prevailed, yea on back streets bro, porch and dance halls and independent small labels kept it alive. In writer Tim Winton's expression, "dirt music". Real music. The best of it sounding spontaneous, exciting and unpredictable.

I have included the top 30 here, the remaining 170 or so can be viewed on my website

Were You There Soul Stirrers (with Sam Cooke)

Laudate Dominum Mozart - K 339 Vesperae Solennes Phillips edition soloist (?)

Madame George Van Morrison

Mystery Train Elvis Presley

I Am The Walrus The Beatles

All Along The Watchtower Jimi Hendrix

Moonlight Mile The Rolling Stones

Drown In My Own Tears Ray Charles

Gimmie Shelter The Rolling Sones

Elvis Presley Blues Gillian Welsh

A Change Is Gonna Come Sam Cooke

Tomorrow Night Lonnie Johnson

Al Bowley's In Heaven Richard Thompson

Les Mots D'Amour Edith Piaff

Come On In My Kitchen Robert Johnson

Canned Heat Tommy Johnson

Dark Is The Night Blind Willie Johnson

A Strange Affair Linda and Richard Thompson

Oh Well Pts1&2 Fleetwood Mac (with Peter Green)

Lucille Little Richard

Unchained Melody The Righteous Brothers

See Emily Play Pink Floyd

The Green Manalishi Fleetwood Mac (with Peter Green)

Gimmie A Pigfoot Bessie Smith

Paint It Black The Rolling Stones

Future Blues Willie Brown

Pain In My Heart Otis Redding

Any Day Now Soul Stirrers (with Sam Cooke)

Give A Man A Home Five Blind Boys

Little Wing (live) Jimi Hendrix

A rare sighting of the Shy Bald Headed Steve Buzzard, alongside Eadaoin, Kirsten, with myself in the background.


A surprise birthday destination ended up in the Blue Mountains for our friend Eadaoin Corcoran, who was also hit with a surprise party at the Irish Club, Weston when she returned. Eadaoin will not believe anyone from now on, certainly not Kirsten or daughter Jamie ! A guest at the following day'’s bar-b-que, in fact a real Guest, was Barry Guest who had traveled from Sydney with partner Mary. Ex Woronora Bush Band member Baz and I had jammed a couple of years back at a similar function at the Steve and Eadaoin Burra manor and it was a treat to back him again on some Irish tunes. We then wandered into some blues, old rock '‘n roll and bush music. Baz, who is 6'’4"” was called B1, and I was B2, or Stumpy due possibly to a marginal height difference. Big Baz is an excellent cello maker, using Australian woods, and he can be located at BLOG Cellos-By-Guest.



The misty atmospheric Grose Valley and Angel Falls, Blue Mountains,
New South Wales, Australia.


Another surprise birthday destination ended at the Blue Mountains for my wife Denise. We had an enjoyable two days at the warm and cosy Pardolote Cottage, with its central heating, wood fire and spa. The large well maintained garden will be a delight over the coming months right through to Autumn, in fact even in Winter the camellias were blooming. Mountain scenery is so spectacular, it was years since we were there and despite heavy rain on the first day we thoroughly enjoyed it.


We met my brother Stuart at the Isobar Jazz Cafe/restaurant in Katoomba, which he calls Balmain in the mountains, and had an enjoyable meal and chat. Well, it's a rather unusual town, faded gentility to modern chic buildings, home to wonderful second hand bookshops and good eateries and some rather exotic species of humanity which festoon the streets. The mountain scenery is timeless and some pics can be found at my webshots site in the latest folder.


Norman Lindsay: Adolescence

Some pics also of the Faulconbridge property owned by artist and author Norman Lindsay, who was infamous back in the twenties for his nymphs and satyrs, in fact Norman adored the female nude no matter who was wearing it, the more the merrier. Huge hipped women with wobbly bums populate his pictures and actually drop from the sky in one extravagant painting "Spring" I think it was called!!. Yea the old Norman was a fabulous aficionado of the female form.




Norman Lindsay: Journalism and art

Anthony McGloin plays The Merry Muse

Friday 28 July 2006 saw my bro Anthony McGloin play at the Merry Muse folk club which is held in the White Eagle Polish Club at Turner. Trevor Dunham (web site coming soon) was the main support. It was a most enjoyable performance with Trevor'’s musical excursions into gospel (a great version of "“Wade in The Water"”), blues (an impromptu "“Crossroads"”), Cajun, folk, pop, rock and probably some genres I'’ve missed. A popular performer, who brought his own audience, ha ha -– Trev has a large family who can all either play or sing very well and although Trev'’s great aunt didn'’t show up (she was probably there in spirit !!) the others more than made up for her. Son Billy was impressive with his guitar compositions, which were according to my bro Tony "“soulful"”, and played with feeling.

Trev was also accompanied by fellow musos Baz on accordion and his harp player whose name escapes me but was especially fine on an instrument which is often butchered. Trev and Baz had Anthony join them on guitar for a lovely textured version of "“All Along the Watchtower"”. Trev has an engaging personality, shows great enthusiasm and appreciates audience involvement which makes for an intimate all inclusive performance -– we all kicked a goal there at the Merry Muse!!

Trevor Dunham accompanied by Anthony on mandolin.

Anthony'’s performance was relaxed, humorous and fluid -– he was obviously enjoying the venue and audience. He mixes a number of styles which show his influences, choosing mainly from the debut Cd "“Nightflight"” which has received some excellent reviews (I think he'’s working on getting some more up on his web site). It was great to watch his masterful playing take off in the intense rythmic numbers, and appreciate the deft colouration, the tone pictures.

His introductions, particularly in the longer pieces, such as "“Ship in The Storm"” and "“Nightflight"” allow the audience to travel with him as the music follows the journey. These are interspersed with shorter musical pieces such as "“Money Money Money/If I were a Rich Man"” and "“Sunny Afternoon"” both done with a sense of wry humour which enticed the audience to join in and sing along.

He has added a couple of songs and tunes to the repertoire, the Son House/Robert Johnson song "“Walking Blues"” and "Just a Dream", an amusing blues song using mandolin. Other new stuff were the lovely American Civil War tune "“Ashokan Farewell"” which was segued with "“Land's End"” as a mandolin medley and "Gloomy Sunday", a fine guitar piece - plus an excellent "Classical Gas".

I must admit that the warm ambience of the Merry Muse and the accompanying ambience facilitating beverages (the excellent Polish Zywiec beer and Annie'’s Lane wine) served to enhance the time, and subsequently blurrrrr the memory - oh– details where art thou?? But it was a fine night of great grass roots entertainment. Finally much praise is due to soundman Guy Gibson for a sensitive tuning of the mixing board and the welcoming, down to earth MCing of Bill Arnett.