a pair of brown eyes

With a nod, perhaps, to Van; porcine, disagreeable bastard that he is (albeit quite excellent). If you've ever seen the video for this one you might recall Shane MacGowan scrabbling in a trench puddle for his eyes. Or is that just a figment of a whiskey fueled half life ? I can no longer remember.

Where are my reading glasses ? I am feeding the seagulls.

Recorded at Elephant Studios, London. Produced by Elvis Costello.

▼ THE POGUES: A PAIR OF BROWN EYES from "Rum, Sodomy & The Lash" LP (Stiff) 1985 (UK)

PURCHASE RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH REMASTERD + BONUS TRACKS

i'm a man you don't meet everyday

This is quite possibly my favourite Pogues song, culled certainly from my favourite Pogues' album, a traditional arrangement delivered with stunning clarity and understatement not by Shane MacGowan on this occasion, but by the incredibly beautiful Caitlin O' Riordan. This is forever a New Year's Eve staple in my house.

Beauty, of course, will burn you eventually if you can't let go.

Henry Banagh: fiddle; Dick Cuthell: horns;
Shane MacGowan: vocals; Caitlin O' Riordan: vocals, bass;
Spider Stacey: tin whistle; James Fearnley: accordion;
Andrew Ranken: drums; Philip Chevron: guitar;
Jim Finer: banjo; Tommy Keane: uileann pipes.

Produced by Elvis Costello and Philip Chevron.
Recorded at Elephant Studios, London.

"The Raft of the Medusa" by Théodore Géricault, 1818-19.

▼ THE POGUES: I'M A MAN YOU DON'T MEET EVERYDAY from "Rum, Sodomy & The Lash" LP (Stiff) 1985 (UK)

PURCHASE RUM, SODOMY & THE LASH REMASTERD + BONUS TRACKS

high tea with uncle vernon

Tom Waits: Farfisa organ, vocals
Larry Taylor: double bass
Stephen Arvizu Taylor Hodges: parade drums
Michael Blair: percussion
William Shimmel: accordion
Bob Funk: trombone
Marc Ribot: guitar

▼ TOM WAITS: CEMETERY POLKA from "Rain Dogs" LP (Island) 1985 (US)

PURCHASE RAIN DOGS

i am damo suziki

Written by Mark E. Smith, Karl Burns, and the beautiful Brix Smith.

▼ THE FALL: I AM DAMO SUZUKI from "This Nation's Saving Grace" LP (Beggars Banquet) 1985 (UK)

PURCHASE THIS NATION'S SAVING GRACE

goin' back to miami, part iii: moving to florida

is it in my eye ?

Continuing our Florida Fantasy theme spread over the last couple of days, here's Gibby Haynes and fellow upstarts stirring things up in the mid-eighties on their second studio EP.

"The EP was originally released on Touch and Go. It was also included with CD editions of Rembrandt Pussyhorse in the U.S. and Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac in the U.K. Rembrandt Pussyhorse and Cream Corn... were again packaged as a single album when they were reissued on Latino Buggerveil in 1999."

Smear it all over.

▼ BUTTHOLE SURFERS: MOVING TO FLORIDA from "Cream Corn From The Socket Of Davis" EP (Touch & Go) 1985 (US)

BUY CREAM CORN

william s. burroughs

paging dr. benway!

Jon mentioned somewhere that Burroughs was on a list of beatniks he met. I can't remember where, but drop in on his site Poetry Is For Assholes. It's an interesting visit.

The following track is from Gus Van Sant's 1985 release, "the Elvis of Letters", produced shortly before he dropped music in favour of film. Apparently, most of the original vocal recordings featured were culled from the 1966 "Call Me Burroughs" LP, which i've never had the pleasure of hearing.

Van Sant employed a similar "cut up" technique on this record to the one credited to Burroughs and fellow beatnik, Bryon Gysin in their pioneering early work. Burroughs, of course, subsequently returned the favour and delivered a significant cameo performance in Van Sant's "Drugstore Cowboy".

It works extremely well.

▼ WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS & GUS VAN SANT: MILLIONS OF IMAGES from "The Elvis Of Letters" EP (Cutout/Tim Kerr Records) 1985 (US)