Month: April 2015

Commercial Break


Try telling kids today that once upon a time cash didn’t come out of a hole in the wall anytime you wanted it and they won’t believe you. In fact, they’ll probably say “What’s cash?” as they swipe their plastic card through the electronic reader or pay for their mocha latte with their phone or whatever it is they do these days.

The “How A Cheque Book Works” booklet mentioned in the ad can be seen here and it’s a beautifully-designed thing. When was the last time you wrote a cheque in a shop?

Download: Free Money – Penetration (mp3)

I wouldn’t say this was better than Patti Smith’s original but I do prefer Pauline Murray’s voice.

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New Monday

I was watching the Academy of Country Music Awards on television last week (there was nothing else on) and in among the usual cowboy-hat-wearing, truck-driving, good ol’ boy nonsense was this gorgeous track by Alabama quartet Little Big Town which just blew me away.

This came out a few months ago and is a sexy slice of retro Country-Soul that sounds like it could have been recorded by Dusty Springfield in Nashville in the 1960s. I’m not the biggest Country fan in the world but this makes me go Yee-haw.

Midnight Moroder


When I worked in the record department of WH Smith in the late 70s there were a few records which we were guaranteed to sell a copy of if we played them. Giorgio Moroder’s soundtrack to Midnight Express was one, it’s haunting electronics inevitably bringing an entranced customer to the counter to ask what it was. I’m reminded of it now because it’s just been reissued on vinyl after many years out of print.

Director Alan Parker hired Moroder after hearing “I Feel Love” and asked him to do something similar, so while the album is mostly slow mood pieces he fully answered that brief with the pulsing opening track “Chase” which turned out to be just as influential as the Donna Summer record. The version on the album is over 8 minutes long but it was also issued as a 12″ single that clocked in at a whopping 13 minutes, and that’s the version I’m giving you here. At this length it moves beyond electronic disco into more trancey territory, sounding at times like a proto-Rave tune.

Warning: Even at 128kbps this is a 12MB file.

Download: Chase (12″ version) – Giorgio Moroder (mp3)

Tee Time


In a bid for global domination of the LondonLee brand beyond blogs and magazines, I am expanding into selling my own t-shirt designs (watch out Amazon, I’m coming for you).

The first, Every Day is Record Store Day, is for those who don’t need an excuse to spend too much money on music and comes in a variety of colours for both men and women, all printed on top-quality 100% cotton shirts. It’s now on sale at my online store for the initial low price of only $14 for the first 72 hours and $20 after that — so get them while they’re hot. I have lots more designs coming soon all with the same sweet early-bird deal, so stay tuned.

Shirts are printed, sold, and shipped (including internationally) by the reputable on-demand service Teepublic. It’s secure and easy as pie, they even accept Paypal and will exchange if there’s a problem.

This is the closest I could get to a pop song about t-shirts.

Download: Wearing Your Jumper – A Craze (mp3)

I Heart New York


I just got back from a long weekend in New York City with the family. It was the first time the kids have been so we did a lot of touristy stuff I hadn’t done in years — Empire State Building, Central Park, Staten Island Ferry — which reminded me what a wonderful, exhilarating city it can be.

I haven’t counted them or anything but I’m pretty sure more songs have been written about The Big Apple than any other city in the world. A lot of them are great too, but if I had to pick one it would be this beauty from 1977.

Download: Native New Yorker (12″ version) – Odyssey (mp3)