Lee 101J 1966 denim jacket - as worn by The Beatles

Fancy a denim jacket with real heritage? You need the Lee 101J 1966 jacket.

This is a replica of the Lee 101J from 1966, made famous by The Beatles, who wore these very same jackets in that year for a Scandinavian photo shoot. The jacket is made from premium Japanese denim and has an adjustable waist, two button-fastening chest pockets and the Lee tab on the chest pocket.

Yours from Oi Polloi for £159.99.

Find out more at the Oi Polloi website

Via Retro To Go

What is your worst Lennon track?

The January issue of Uncut has hit the stands, and they're talking about The Beatles... again. They've got a bunch of musicians and asked them what they're fave Lennon track is! God knows he needs the work. Brian Wilson, an Arctic Monkey, Roger Daltrey, Yoko Ono, John Cale, John Lydon, Jarvis Cocker, Liam Gallagher and Mick Jones tell us things about songs we already know inside out! Waste of time! So why not turn this on its head? We'd like to ask you dear reader, which is your WORST track by John Lennon.

As much as I love 'im, there's bloody loads to choose from. Go wild... choose solo stuff... Beatle stuff... live tracks... I'm gonna opt for that awful racket he made on The Rolling Stones' Rock 'n' Roll Circus (Whole Lotta Yoko by Yoko Ono And Ivry Gitlis With The Dirty Mac). Crap improv violin, bog standard blues and horrible horrible wailing. I could've gone for Watching The Wheels as well. Now, over to you... I expect at least one mention of Revolution #9.

Get ready for Mick Fleetwood and Sam Fox pt2... The Osbournes are hosting The Brits

Award ceremonies... they're a bit pointless aren't they? I mean, the only people who really look forward to these things are the people who own HMV, music industry types... and coke dealers. Well, you can add The Osbournes to that list as they're hosting next year's Brit Awards.

The event, like last year, will be televised live... which means we could end up with another toe-curler. Imagine Sharon getting one of her surgeon baps out for shock value, whilst Ozzy mumbles and swears, slumped to her left. The crowd won't mind though... they'll all be too busy rimming The Klaxons and egging Amy Winehouse on to a premature death. Maybe they should rebrand the awards as The Caligula Excuse? Didn't he die during some event of 'dramatics and games' event?

New Band: Les Plastiscines

This is a band you wanna be hanging around with. Four tough knife wielding chicks with riffs, Les Plastiscines sing songs about bikes, driving and probably roller-skating too. It's the unholy marriage of The Shangri-Las and The Ramones... they're battered heel of The New York Dolls minus The Stones influence and the dangling genitals. They'll kick your arse... only to pout and blow you a kiss.

Les Plastiscines hail from Paris and switch from Bardot English to native tongue... sometimes within a song... you'll know what I mean when you hear them pipe "Hive been whaiting hhhere for hhhhours", this band is impossibly glamorous, clutching great tunes, vamping up the attitude and holding that most unfashionable of things... pop sensibilities. Click here to listen to Les Plastiscines on their MySpace page.

Rock Bottom - NME

For a long time now, the NME (or New Musical Express to some older readers) has been a brown trout. Endlessly regurgitating piffle and promoting pointless twang for years and years. In a recent issue, the NME, presumably in an attempt to boost sales with some schlock shock, have claimed Morrissey to be a racist. I don't really like The Smiths... but this defence of him, taken from Holy Moly's Cunts Corner, is priceless.

"It is imperitive that washed-up 'magazines' such as the New Musical Express be staffed by lazy-cunt, fluffy-haired bell-ends with fuck-all to crow about but studenty wankfodder and bastard-all else. If they are not emptying their watery jizz over the latest grubby cabal of jangly -guitar C&P chimps with a post-pre-post-again ironic name like 'The Cunts', they are alluding to some kind of Student Uni in-joke using TS Eliot as a juxtaposed anacronism alluding to some pot-headed fucking wanker who is quite obviously 'the next big thing'. All of them, enslaved, tortured cruelly, made to work very hard breaking up rocks whilst in chains and then summarily, needlessly but savagely executed, when I am king." Brilliant.

Don't push me cuz I've got a nice bag...

Hey ladies! Got your shell-toes? Check. Got your calf zip trackies? Check? Fat gold chain? Check. Boom-box... well, y'know, tapes are so... y'know?

You can go back to the old school with this fly retro handbag that’s designed to look like a boombox, without all the weight. This Boombox Red iBag actually has real working speakers and an FM tuner built into it, so you can carry your things in the bag to the beach and still have your tunes available for everyone to hear.

The speakers on the bag actually work, along with the power and volume buttons... not only that, but you can rig it up to you MP3 player with a headphone jack... and it only used 4 AAs. All you need now is some lino and some Electro comps... and you'll be popping to Roxanne Shante like no-body! This carrying bag retails for $49.99 from WeLoveMacs

[via SlipperyBrick]

Tony Wilson to be hung in National Portrait Gallery

Anyone with half a brain knows the importance of Tony Wilson... in fact, I think it would be nothing short of patronising to tell you his list of achievements. In fact, by not telling you, I'm placing the reader above our need to get up Google's rankings... fuck 'em.

Four months after his untimely death, the Factory boss  is set to have his portrait hung in London’s National Portrait Gallery... which surely proves his significance to the world as a whole, as opposed to only those who like buying obscure indie 45s.

The portrait used to commemorate Wilson’s contribution to British music and cultural impact was by photographer Kevin Cummins and taken at the Haçienda in 1985 and with typical cheekiness, Wilson is shown peeping between those famed dancefloor pillars.

Book - Eric Clapton: The Autobiography

He might be a dour old bugger now, but Slow Hand has been through the mill, mixed with the most important, made great records, sexed on beautiful women, snorted half his body weight in coke and ingested more acid than Syd... so if you wanna read about someone, you could do far worse than flailing around in the world of Eric Clapton.

Clapton's autobiography is a fascinating read and most importantly, warts 'n' all. By the close of the book, you feel that his biggest achievement is surviving to the grand old of 62. He heaps praise on those that influenced him and coyly looks back at the days when he was a cocksure little upstart who thought he knew better. From The Yardbirds, through The Bluesbreakers, to Cream, to death, debauchery, models, booze and The Beatles, Clapton is a walking rock 'n' roll museum... pay the ticket and take a wander around...

Click here to buy Eric Clapton: The Autobiography from Amazon

eBaywatch... the real beat for Beat junkies... William Burroughs

Released in 1965, this spoken word record was the first foray into the recording industry by Beat legend William S. Burroughs and this collection features excerpts from three novels, notably, Naked Lunch, Soft Machine and Nova Express.

So, in these excerpts, follow the exploits of junkies, prostitutes, pushers and more as they move through seedy underworlds without concern for the borders between reality and hallucination. This is an LP which is both creepy and blackly funny. Burroughs went on to record with John Cale, Tom Waits and Kurt Cobain... but this is where it all started. Click here to make a bid.

Take a trip with Led Zeppelin

The whole world is going Zep mad at the moment... and quite right too. There's new comps out... new DVDs... a new gig for fuck's sake! And now, a virtual trip in the zeppelin through time and space.

With Google Maps and Google Earth you can see where Zeo used to secretly jam after Earls Court performances, or the house in which Stairway to Heaven was written, or where Jim Page took a leak in a hedgerow.

To access Led Zeppelin Landmarks, you can use Google Maps on your regular web browser, or install Google Earth (http://earth.google.com) for an even better visual experience. To access the Led Zeppelin Landmarks, CLICK HERE.

From that page, you will also be able to download the Google Earth file. Double-click it to run it, and then select the sites you’d like to visit from the left-hand menu.

The future of rock 'n' roll is... vegetables

I've seen the future of rock 'n' roll kids... and it doesn't involve a Fender or a pair of cowboy boots... instead, to be on the bandwagon before the bulb headed Babyshambler and quite possibly Bjork, you need to get down to the greengrocers and stock up on turnips and sprouts! Yessir, The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra is a band of Grocer Jack misfits who make sounds... and then soup! Seems that these took note of Brian Wilson and took a great big brown bag of them home to jump up and down. Watch the video and dig (literally if you like).

To find out more about the Vegetable Orchestra, click here

Reverend Charlie Jackson- God's Got It

Brothers and sisters, did any of you low down, filthy fornicators get a little shiver of excitement in your chest when reading the news of the Black Crowes' return? Fear not if you did my good friends, you have not lost your right minds, that may just have been the gentle hand of the Almighty raising your gladdened heart on high. For those who didn't so much as suffer a slight twinge of indigestion, all I can say is you shoulda - YOU DIRTY HEATHEN DOGS!

See, buried amongst the news of flared trews, sons of Memphis' legends jumping on board the band bus and forthcoming tour/release dates, was word about those Robinson boys and their debauched rocker pals knocking out a (probably inadequate) cover of God's Got It by the late Rev. Charlie Jackson. Those in the know, lucky lambs who walk safe in the light, will be familiar with the soul-stirringly raw blues and gospel of this Baton Rouge preacher. His scattered output was gathered together on CD for the first time in 2003 on the Case Quarter label, with a limited vinyl release from Crypt Records, and no doubt you all kneel and spin it nightly, in lieu of your required bedtime prayers. Those not blessed with divine knowledge of this holy holler, Electric Roulette bids you head on over to either label and start living right! Doubting Thomas types who would still question the word, get on the pilgrim trail over to YouTube, where you can watch the good Rev. get patronised by an Irishman, before performing Wrapped Up And Tangled Up In Jesus - a video I would have posted here, if embedding hadn't been disabled by Satan. Get saved, sinners!

Blogged with Flock

Tags: ReverendCharlie Jackson, Black Crowes, Blues, Gospel, Crypt Records, Case Quarter, Videos,

Lost Classic... David Wiffen

The late sixties and early seventies saw a boom in singer songwriter types... all binning the fuzz pedals and rekindling their love of acoustics. Space wasn't where it was at... you'd find your folkies down the bottom of the garden... probably wrecked. Since then, folk and folk rock has seen people quitting hard livin' and taking up herbal tea and making friends with Radio 2.

As with most genres back then, the output was so vast that some great albums would be overlooked forever... and unjustly so. One album... and quite possibly my favourite record ever made (today at least... you know how it is...) is the self titled cut from the brilliant David Wiffen.

Black Crowes splatter Warpaint... but what is it good for?

Find yourself ruing the day that Lynyrd Skynyrd went all Phoenix in reverse? No matter! The Black Crowes are hear with Southern drawls and 9 Gibson Les Pauls to spit in the soul stew!

The group have wrapped up "Warpaint," their first studio album since 2001, and will release it March 4 internationally via their own Silver Arrow imprint. The 11-track set was recorded in Woodstock and is sure to be getting exiled on the main street. It features the recording debut of new guitarist Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars and keyboardist Adam MacDougall. They join original members Chris and Rich Robinson and drummer Steve Gorman, as well as bassist Sven Pipien.

All of the tracks are Robinson brothers originals, except "God's Got It," which was penned by the Reverend Charlie Jackson. The Crowes will perform "Warpaint" in its entirety during a spring U.S. run that will begin March 4, with dates to be announced. A world tour will follow, which kicks off March 24 at Australia's Byron Bay Festival.

Line-up for Portishead's ATP shindig revealed... and it looks ace!

Y'know Portishead (founders of Strip-Hop)? Well, they're curating All Tomorrow's Parties at Christmas... hence the name The Nightmare Before Christmas. It's a three day event will take place at Minehead from December 7- 9... and now, we know exactly what we're letting ourselves in for with the release of the line-up.

Portishead and Aphex Twin are both due to play two shows at the festival, and have both opted to play in Center Stage, as the press release states "so they could perform their sets with no restrictive sound issues due to the bottom end frequencies." On top of those gigs, how's about GZA performing Liquid Swordz? Or the brilliant A Hawk and a Hacksaw? Damo Suzuki? Or maybe you dig the refried funk of Madlib? Or Thurston Moore... geeeeez... this looks good.

This year's capacity has been cut by 600, to allow fans easier access to see the shows of their choice and the Portishead shows are to be wrist-banded so that all fans are guaranteed entry. I've seen 'em. You wouldn't wanna miss 'em.

Have you been to Dulcimer yet?

In Manchester, there isn't much going on that hasn't been sullied by the wading in of various soulless club promoters, kicking out those that love in favour of those that need attention. Thankfully, a breath of independent air has breezed in and ghosted in at the back post... and that place is the wonderful Dulcimer.

Dulcimer, sitting cross legged and sending good vibrations in Chorlton, fuses folk with psych with prog with soul with garage with... whatever takes the fancy of the discerning ears that grace this permanent psychedelic haven. If you like a bit of grime with your psych, the weekly (and free) Hot Rats is the place for you... or maybe you like your music liveanddirect? Buddy, Dulcimer kicks the snake oil vendors to the kerb and offers great gigs in its great setting. Coming up this week is a spot with Welsh folk legend Heather Jones (£7)... and if previous gigs with Dando Shaft and The Junipers are anything to go by, everyone is in for a winner. I've not even mentioned the selection of amazing ales...

So where can I find? A £6 taxi from the city centre should head to 567 Wilbraham Rd, Chorlton, Manchester, M21 0AE... and watch out for David Crosby at the top of the stairway to heaven... got knows what he's got up his sleeve... Click here to visit the Dulcimer website.

Traps E400 - the silent drum kit

Want a drum kit, but worried that the neighbours will knock you off the Christmas card list? You need the Traps E400.

It's an electronic drum kit, which still casts an 80s shadow (think Spandau Ballet on Top Of The Pops), but thankfully the technology has moved on, with the E400 offering the look and feel of a real kit, but with less weight and the ability to slip in some headphones for noise-free drumming. Well, for everyone bit you anyway.

The kit includes two cymbals, a hi-hat, three toms, a snare drum, bass drum and the stool. It retails for £450.

Find out more at the Trap website

The Bad Seeds - Taste of the Same

For no other reason than I dig this track, here's The Bad Seeds... no... not Nick Cave's lot, but rather, Texas frat boys gone minor chord, with Taste of the Same. If that guitar got anymore wiry, you could decapitate with it! 

Beginner's guide to... The Byrds

Why bother?

Let's not beat around the bush. The Byrds are one of the most important groups to grace our speck in the universe... and were also brilliantly flaky. What more d'ya want from a band? Great tunes? Spade fulls. Shifting shapes and sounds? Check. Too many Bob Dylan covers? It was the sixties man! Psych, country, folk, rock... it's all there in The Byrd back pages...

Essential purchase

There's quite a few. The best place to start is the blinding 5th Dimension which features a band transforming from Mop Top to Drop Out. Tracks like I See You and What's Happening?!? need to have a home in every self respecting collection. Sweetheart of the Rodeo is also a must, being the entry point to country rock (of course, you should really be buying part-time Byrd Gram Parsons' LPs, but we're talking 'bout the Byrds).

Essential Rock 'n' Roll Fashion # 909: The Beard

Where would rock 'n' roll be without the beard? Just how do you tell your fans that you've gone all serious without sounding like a pretentious git? A beard tells everyone that you're not buying into the game man... we don't play that shit man... it's all about the music maaan. Yep. The beard is your messenger to those in the know.

When the Beatles' grew their chins out, they were saying "Listen... forget that mop-top crap... we got the blues now!" And think of funny ol' Jimbo Morrison. When he grew his beard, he was desperate for everyone to take his sixth form scribblings seriously... I mean, he even drank whisky neat from the bottle. Sadly for The Lizard Thing, his drinkin' and hirsutery left him looking more like a randy vagrant rather than a sex God. Still... you'd rather that than the doe eyed whistful bozo horseshit he was playing around with circa Waiting For The Sun.

People still use The Beard now. Bands like The Magic Numbers, a beard on every one of 'em, show their fondness for sixties cred with their jaw. Still, everyone has a long way to go before they reach the bearded heights of The Band. Danko et al had separate dressing rooms for their beards. The beards even had their own song with Jawbone. Hippie musical Hair was a tribute to the chins of those carrying The Weight... so basically, you ain't shit with a naked face. Mof Gimmers

Jackson 5 to reunite in 2008?

I love the Jackson 5. It feels a bit dirty. I know I shouldn't, but I love those pipsqueaks. Maybe Tomorrow is one of the greatest records ever made! Now it seems that the J5 are the latest yesteryear poppers to get on the comeback trail.

Jermaine Jackson told BBC 6 Music that the mini-Motowners have been in discussions to reunite for a string of shows "sometime in 2008". And guess whut? "Michael will be involved." "We feel we have to do it one more time. We owe that to the fans and to the public." Not to mention the baying bank managers.

If the tour goes ahead, it will be the first time Marlon, Tito, Jermaine, Jackie and Michael have hit road since they completed their mega-bucks Victory jaunt in 1984. Leonard Rowe, who promoted Michael Jackson's Off The Wall tour, met with the group in April to discuss their big comeback. “His brothers are ready, Janet is ready. But the motor of that car that makes the car run, isn’t just yet."

Joy Division: The Documentary premieres at the Salford Film Festival

The Salford Film Festival can always be relied upon for some interesting big screen entertainment, but this year it has a very interesting premiere - Joy Division: The Documentary.

If you can get to Salford on Tuesday 27th November, you can check out the doc and get involved in a Q&A with Peter Hook. The film itself runs through the band's history with interviews with the surviving band members, as well as featuring never-before-seen live performance footage, personal photos, period films and newly discovered audio tapes.

If you're a fan, it sounds pretty much unmissable.

Find out more at the Salford Film Festival website

Via Cinedelica

My Bloody Valentine plans online-only releases

Regular readers will know that My Bloody Valentine are back on the road and it looks like they're going back in the studio too - although fans will know that doesn't always equate to new albums on the horizon.

Quoted on Reuters, the band's manager Vinita Joshi said: "The plan is that they will release the album themselves via the Internet, but there will also probably be a vinyl release."  He added: "At the moment, all I can say is that Kevin is getting the band back together and they will go into the studio next month to work on the new record."

The band has no plans to add to the dates previously announced, details of which you can find here.

And the best debut album of 2007 is...

XFM has given its listeners a vote for the best debut album of 2007 - and they have chosen...10 artists heavily-rotated on XFM.

Yes, no surprises here, but what do you expect? Still it gives a few indie chancers a night out, a free drink and a chance to say something slightly controversial, as well as offering some of the more popular bands of 2007 the chance to win a trophy for the bathroom.

Classic rock skateboards

Art or transport? You get the option of both with these classic rock skateboards.

All are officially licensed and sold without wheels, giving you the option of hanging the boards on your wall or using as they were intended. The boards have plain uppers and designs on the rear, including the likes of The Ramones and Jamie Reid's Never Mind The Bollocks and God Save The Queen Sex Pistols artwork.

They retail for around £45.

Find out more at the 991 website

Via Retro To Go

Extreme: Reuniting For 2008 Album, Tour

New Releases, 26th November, with Kid Jensen

Hi gang! Kid Jensen here. It's a pleasure to review the new rekkids out today for this two bit e-rag, so let's have a look at the latest releases from around the globe to get your ears fuckin' rockin'!

New Singles

Elvis Presley – An American Trilogy

Isn't he dead yet? Yup. The king is back from the grave and now touring the country with a band of zombie rockabillies to show young punks like Razorlight how it's really done. From the womb to the tomb... from girth to the earth... and back again! Rock? And how!

PJ Harvey – The Piano (7”)

Ah. Polly Jean Harvey. Flashing her flaps since the nineties. Loves to rock... and doesn't mind fox hunting! Pull on a red jacket and strap me in baby! She's dropped the scuzz in favour of a church voice. The folk boom is on the wain... but don't let that stop you! You probably meant it anyway!

Queens Of The Stone Age - Make It Wit Chu (7”)

Scummy bastards find the place between metal and music you can actually listen to. What's that? You don't buy singles anymore? Read over pinkchops... I've got some LPs for ya...

New Band: Ubyk

Is a sea of middling indie schmaltz, it's refreshing for my ears to wrap around the sound of something dropping off the radar into places unknown. Cali freaks Ubyk are just the tonic you need to ease you through your comedown.

Ubyk is the bastard offspring of Russian born brainz Roman Bleum and a little help from Samantha Tobey. Obsessing about a world slowly sinking into Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Ubyk cast weary and fugged eye on the daily grind... perfectly encapsulated in the marvelously creepy 'Work'. It's like the sounds of Syd if he'd been spending too long with his Kinks LPs. It's that weariness, mixed with simple arrangements that leave you wallowing in simple guitar mixed with “secret weapons”... although, I wouldn't crow about secret weapons if I was a Russian in America these days...

Ubyk have an brand new EP coming out soon... more on that when we hear it... but in the mean time, dig the sounds of 1969... they're selling hippie wigs in Woolworths man... Click here to listen to Ubyk

Win Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who on DVD

Just out in time for Christmas is a two-disc DVD set of The Who's finest moments coupled with rare footage of the band and band members - Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who and Six Quick Ones. And we have three DVD sets to give away.

Directed by Paul Crowder, Amazing Journey tells the story of the band through the music, footage, new interviews with the band, celebrity fans and musicians, plus recently-discovered concert footage, kicking off with I Can't Explain and ending with the band's most recent tour and recordings. There's also an additional Six Quick Ones disc, which focuses on each individual band member, the mod scene, the pop art movement and more rare footage - including film of the band as the High Numbers at the Railway Hotel - the earliest footage of the band known to be in existence.

If you want to be in with a chance of winning a set, just enter your details at our sister site Modculture, following the link below. The winners will be drawn just before Christmas.

Enter the Who competition at the Modculture website

Kick-Ass Band Name Motherlode Uncovered: Take Your Pick!

Everybody knows the first thing you need to do when forming a band is to come up with a KICK-ASS NAME. Before you write any songs, before you learn to play an instrument, shit, before you own an instrument, you need a kick-ass name. I mean, you get a bunch of mates together and say "Oh, it doesn't really matter what we're called at this point, let's just call ourselves Keane" - what have you got to aim for? You'll end up sounding like Keane! You need a name to inspire you, a name which demands you make music kick-ass enough to justify it! But coming up with a kick-ass name isn't easy. Infact, it's the hardest thing in the whole world. The junior band namer is facing down the barrel of 60 years of used up band names. I mean, are you really gonna come up with a better band name than The Grateful Dead? Or The Velvet Underground? Shit, whydoncha quit right now?

NO! DON'T quit right now! 'Cos I've discovered THE MOTHERLODE OF KICK-ASS NEVER-USED-BEFORE BAND NAMES. DOZENS of 'em. Suitable for any genre. Band names so incredible that the mind struggles to comprehend the overwhelming kick-assness of the 'em. And where did I discover this mythical haul? Why, dear reader...IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

A tribute to Germany's Beat Club

In the UK, we had the likes of Top Of The Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test and The Tube - in Germany, they had The Beat Club.

Running from 1965 to 1972 and transmitted from Bremen, the show gave airspace to a host of top talent and emerging artists, from both home and abroad. And its rich archive is packed with performances  from the likes of The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, Black Sabbath, Small Faces,Kinks, Pink Floyd and Kraftwerk. Oh yes - and it was hosted by Brit DJ legend Dave Lee Travis in the late 60s.

Cool site: Tunes

Few online record stores get it just right in terms of the music they sell and how they sell it. For me, Tunes is one of that few.

Tunes' is a mix of the old and the new - vintage soul, funk and jazz grooves rub shoulders with their modern equivalent, as well as throwing in some dance and hip hop into the mix. And best of all, there's vinyl, both new and promotional and each track has an audio file - so you get a proper listen to before you shell out your hard-earned cash.

If you like your vinyl, it's a site you really should have bookmarked.

Find out more at the Tunes website

New Artists: Duffy

Music nerd time again. Once upon a time there was a bloke called Stephen 'Tintin' Duffy who had a hit single, made some decent indie pop with the Lilac Time, then made an album under his own name - Duffy.

Well, this isn't him. The latest Duffy is female and indeed Welsh I believe, as well as having a fine line in big 60s ballads if the new single - Rockferry - is anything to go buy. And it's available on vinyl - hurrah!

Check out the single via YouTube below and if that's your bag, you can check out Duffy's mySpace site by clicking here.

The Faces to reform in 2008?

Ronnie Wood , whilst chatting about his new concert film, The First Barbarians: Live From Kilburn, hinted that The Faces might just reform in 2008. He said “I’m looking through about 5,000 hours of Faces footage. Stuff we shot on hand-held cameras, us messing around. It’s hopefully getting a release next year.”

There are already plans to release re-mastered editions of the band’s four studio albums, so it stands to reason that the surviving members of the group will join forces again for one last blow-out. Wood, Rod Stewart, keyboard player Ian MacLagan and drummer Kenny Jones have recently been in meetings... possibly in negotiations to reform for live dates in 2008? If only Ron Lane was still with us...

If this happens, the writers of Electric Roulette will see you down the front for a fist fight and a soaking... remember where you read it first.

 

New Artist: John Stammers

We live in a world where 'singer-songwriter' is a dirty word. Quite rightly too... every two bit git with an acoustic guitar is digging the sounds of James Blunt and Norah Jones... is there no saviour? Well, yes there is... and he goes by the name of John Stammers.

John's music harks back to a golden age of Brit folk music, encompassing sniffs of country and jazz, without ever going down the dreaded 'self indulgent' route. Tracks like 'Idle I'm' and 'Baby Dee' are some of the finest folk you'll hear in your life and you'll wonder why some doesn't invent a time-machine to take this cat back to '68 to get him a deal on Island pink. John is also a tour-de-force live (tour dates can be found in the link below) bringing a gentle hush to all that sit as his feet. John Stammers may look like an unassuming man, but he's a modern day shaman... a psychedelic troubadour... a man who will warm your soul through cold winter nights.

Click here to listen to John Stammers' music

The Beatles' Help! film to see first ever broadcast this weekend

The Beatles' bonkers 1965 film 'Help!' is to be broadcast on television for the first time ever, this Sunday (November 25). The newly restored film now has a swish 5.1 soundtrack and will be on the box on BBC4 at 7pm.

Basically, the feature follows the Fab Four around as they are chased from London to the Austrian Alps to the Bahamas, after Ringo takes possession of a sacrificial ring. If you liked the TV series of The Monkees, then you'll love this. Not only that, but you get to watch the band performing 'Ticket To Ride'. Also, keep an eye out for the intermission... it's piss funny.

The new Special Edition double-disc DVD features the restored version of Help! digitally restored. The second disc includes an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary of The Beatles on the film set, as well as a documentary about the restoration process of the 60s film.

More details are available from the band's official website here: www.thebeatles.com

Daptone record bag - protect your 45s with style!

Daptone Records of NYC are at the forefront of classic soul and funk grooves with a modern twist... so it shouldn't surprise you to see that they've made this great Daptone record bag - or the Dap-Sack - made to carry and protect your vintage 7-inch singles and... well... make you look cool.

It's made of a sturdy water-resistant fabric, with an adjustable velcro top flap to accommodate up to 90 7-inch records, along with protective "rain-guard" flaps. It also features a hard plastic feet keep your records out of beer puddles and a rigid reinforced bottom panel to prevent bending and breakage.

There's also four extra pockets for your bits and pieces, along with two pen pockets and adjustable strap - and of course, that Daptone label so everyone knows you're in the know. Available for a very reasonable $24.99 (which is around £13.50). Find out more from Daptone Records

[via RetroToGo]

Old school iPod boom box

Back in the day, miniature music players would have been laughed out of town - the size of your boom box was all that mattered. And now you can relive that era with this suitably old school iPod boom box.

But this 80s-style stereo isn't all that it seems - it's actually a DIY sound system, made of flat-packed cardboard, but with fully working speakers, a dock for your iPod and power from the included batteries.

Just like the real thing - only lighter and with more tunes. It retails for $45 (around £23).

Find out more at the Fred Flare website

Via Retro To Go

DVD Review - The McCartney Years

If you're anything like me, you'll judge the quality of a Paul McCartney solo release by his haircut. Chances are, if he's got a mullet, it's going to be bad news. Of course, you can't always see his hair... so the new DVD - The McCartney Years - gives you ample opportunity to judge away.

Of course, any retrospective of any artist who cut his teeth in the sixties who... well... didn't die young... should be approached with extreme caution (I'm looking at you Stevie Winwood and your dreadful Higher Love). Macca, more than anyone, is responsible for some horrific dross... but remember... he's a Beatle... and where there's a Beatle there is occasional gold...