Now this is what I call a DLHWI record! And it’s a good, hard enough sounding reissue, too. Produced by the legendary Duke Reid, “Train To Skaville” is an absolute classic by the group formed by Leonard Dillon (aka mento artist Jack Sparrow), Stephen Taylor and Aston Morris, although the latter had already left the group when they recorded the track. Albert Griffiths (who would go on to form The Gladiators) was a member briefly and he’s singing on “Train To Skaville”.

Here’s a video Twisted Wheel made for “Train To Skaville”:

Apparently this is one of the next big things, what with bands like The xx and mags like Pitchfork going on about them and all. This single is their first, as part of the Too Pure singles club, and I quite like it. Nobody ever died of a bit of darkness, did they? They got picked up recently by Matador and second release “Marching Song” will be out in October.

Here’s a video of “Lucia, At The Precipice” played live:

Beautiful single by this New Zealand outfit. Both tracks can also be found on their highly recommendable first album Every Waking Hour, originally released in 2009 on their own label and now out in the rest of the world via BBE and Wonderful Noise (Japan). One thing though: someone tell those fine people in the UK and Japan to release it on vinyl. Please. Pretty please?

Video of “They Don’t Want” live in Paris:

Bonus single that came with the fabulous 45 Live: Classic Rap 45s box set when ordered at the Stones Throw store. The sound quality is rather poor but don’t you just luuuurve that old school rap?

Single that came as a bonus with the first 1,000 copies of the Echomania album. In a time when “the first 1,000 copies” still meant something. Dub Syndicate are ace, as almost everything on the fabulous On-U Sound. Sherwood is boss!

Here’s a video of the “Ravi Shankar” tune, an animation in which a man builds a soundsystem. Ikea should do videos like this:

Got this single sent a while ago. It’s got a certain, er, German feel to it, mostly because of the recitative (or “parlando”), I guess. Although I can’t really make out if the accent is Frenchish or Germanish. Whatever.
At first I wasn’t really into it, but after a couple of spins I quite like it.

Here’s the video:

Great reissue of this 1967 single. Great because it sounds good and you can play it out, unlike many of the Jamaican pressings, which many times sound good enough for (not too loud) playing at home but awful on a big soundsystem. Not that there are that many big, or good soundsytems in the Madrid clubs.

Actually “Rude Boy Train” is by Desmond Dekker And The Aces and together with the immortal “Israelites”, one of my favourite tunes ever, it was one of his biggest hits in the UK (where it was released by the Pyramid imprint, fruit of the hook-up of Beverley’s head honcho and producer Leslie Kong with engineer Graeme Goodall) and on the mod scene worldwide.

Here’s a live video of “Rude Boy Train”:

The Dead Weather – Treat Me Like Your Mother
label: Third Man Records
year: 2009
side a: Treat Me Like Your Mother
side b: You Just Can’t Win

I love The Dead Weather. The A-sides of these singles are from the Horehound album, haven’t checked the new one yet. Mental note. The B-sides are covers. “A Child Of A Few Hours Is Burning To Death” is originally by The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, while “You Just Can’t Win” is a tune by Them.

This is the video for “I Cut Like A Buffalo” – I’ve chosen version two (version one is here) because I like it better:

Dãm-Funk – Toeachizown Bonus 45
label: Stones Throw Records
year: 2009
side a: On Your Way To Her Pad
side b: Attic Secrets

Can this man do anything wrong? Probably, but it’s not a lot. These here fine singles I love. I wish I could play them out without the brasas coming to me going on about playing “something danceable”, or worse, “something funky”. I kid you not, ask anyone who’s ever spinned funk in Spain (and who’s not famous).

Check this interview with LA Weekly:

Converse 45 Series #2
label: Wax Poetics
year: 2009
side a: Adrian Younge – Rafelli Chase
side b: Brian Bennett/Alan Hawkshaw – High Diver
www.brianbennettmusic.co.uk | www.alanhawkshaw.com

These two singles came free with issues 37 and 38 of Wax Poetics respectively. In the magazine it said that the 45s are only for U.S. subscribers (racists!) but I still got them, even though I live in Spain. It stopped after #2 though, so I guess someone woke up.

At the risk of sounding ungrateful, I have to say I don’t think I would have missed them much hadn’t they come my way like they did. Not that it’s bad stuff on here, but they’re not DLHWI stuff, either. Especially the first single, the one featuring 9DW and Mackrosoft. The second is better IMHO. I like the K-ish sound of Adrian Younge’s “Rafelli Chase, and the nice’n'slick “High Diver” by former The Shadows members Brian Bennett and Alan Hawkshaw.