Futtocks

Not entirely relaxing, after all - the lyrics from the song 'Tattoo'. Her new name was tattooed to her wrist It was longer than the old one Sealed in the silence with a fist This night will be a cold one Centuries live in her eyes Destiny laughs over jack-booted thighs "Work makes us free" says the sign Nothing leaves here alive Tattoo She steps out of line to the left And her father to the right One sides a cold, clean death The other is an endless night Gold from a grandmother's tooth Mountains of jewelry and toys Piled in the corners, mailed across the borders Presents for the girls and boys Presents for the girls and boys Tattoo And it gets darker every night Spread-eagled out among the stars, she says "Somewhere in this tunnel lives a light Still my beating heart I have never known a man What man will want me now? Am I still alive, somehow? If I can survive, somehow Tattooed?" Soldiers from the other side Liberated them at dawn Gave her water, gave her life She still had all her clothes on She lived until she died Empty as the autumn leaves that fly Surgeons took the mark But they could not take it far It was written on her heart Written on her empty heart Tattooed

A much more relaxed mood, now: Janis Ian - Breaking Silence Pink Martini - Sympathique

The Angels - two Minute Warning. Riffy.

Did you see 'Something for the Weekend' on Sunday? Seasick Steve meets Tim Lovejoy and Emma Bunton. Talk about a strange combination... check your BBC iPlayer.

TRLers interested in the more traditional areas of music should enjoy this Friday's evening schedule on BBC4, as follows:

Like Sam & Dave? This is an excellent DVD of them.

I'm staying with my sister and we decided, after days of slobby, post-Christmas Royle Family impressions, to go to Whitby for Fish & Chips. Head over the main bridge to the South (Abbey) side and take the first left and the shop's on your right. Small but interesting - very little mainstream stuff. As for the purchases and their genres, Archie Roach is an Aboriginal singer-songwriter (check out 'Summer of my Life' if you want your heart broken), Mavis Staples' album is a collection of protest songs, sung by one of the greatest voices in Soul and Holger Czukay was the nuttiest regular member of Krautrock titans Can.

In a record shop in Whitby today, I got: Mavis Staples - Have a little Faith Archie Roach - Looking for Butterboy Holger Czukay - Time and Tide

I've been given Herbie Hancock's 'River' album. Joni Mitchell songs, interpretated by HH, with the help of, among others, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner, Norah Jones and Joni herself. First two songs rather good, BTW, with Tina Turner stepping out of her usual persona to relax and stretch out with 'Edith and the Kingpin'. I'll report back when I get my head round the rest of it.

Kinky Friedman - Sold American DJ QBert - Wave Twisters Van der Graaf Generator - Trisector

Tomoyasu Hotei - Scorpio Rising. Guitary.

Latest stuff from http://www.bigozine2.com/ Jaco Pastorius - From Paris To New York (feat. Jimmy Page) Grateful Dead with John Fogerty and Neil Young - Dead Moon Rising Elton John - Christmas Party 1974 Jane Birkin - Aung San Suu Kyi Jack Bruce - Jack Bruce meets the BBC Big Band Hossein Alizadeh & Madjid Khaladj - In The Netherlands Ilham Al Madfai - Cafe Khuttar Kronos Quartet & Alim Qasimov Ensemble - Ramadan Nights Jeff Beck & Stanley Clarke - Japan 1978 Don Cherry - Frankfurt 1968 Chris Stamey - A Stamey Christmas Blood, Sweat & Tears - Bottom Line 1977 Brian Eno - Music For Glitterbug Van Der Graaf Generator - The Killer Lives Police - Melbourne 1981 Led Zeppelin - Orlando 1971 Slow Music* - Largo 2006 *Improvised stuff, featuring the likes of Peter Buck, Robert Fripp & Hector Zazou

Oh God, days to go 'til Christmas, and that X Factor bint's karaoke 'Hollerlujah' is already boiling my p!ss.

This week's freebies from http://www.bigozine2.com/ are pretty damn good. Grateful Dead - So Many Roads Outtakes Jimi Hendrix - Complete KPFA Radio Special Vol 5 Led Zeppelin - Long Beach 1975 Jack Bruce And Friends - Fillmore East 1970 Lou Reed - Los Angeles 1976 Jimi Hendrix - Complete KPFA Radio Special Vol 4 Led Zeppelin - Uniondale 1975 Joni Mitchell - Paris 1972 Wings - Venus And Mars Outtakes Eric Clapton - Buddy Holly Tribute Patti Smith - Stockholm 1976 Eric Clapton - Orchestra Night 1990 Ornette Coleman - New York 2006 Stooges - New Orleans 2003 Susheela Raman - France 2007 Peter Tosh - Equal Rights Demos

Mofro - Blackwater. Earthy, funky stuff. Bebo Gonzales - Cuban Dance Party. Exactly what the title suggests.

A four-volume Jimi Hendrixtravaganza available as a free download from Big O

Ry Cooder - Chavez Ravine. The best tracks on this album are up there with his all-time finest moments.

A superb fusion of Dub and Ethiopian.

Or you could just get this album... Not volume 1 or volume 2, but the mighty THIRD album!

Exclusive Preview: Bob Dylan's 'Tell Tale Signs'

Great news! The guy who's been digitising his collection of 78s is back online! http://78records.cdbpdx.com/ and click on the link where it says "CLICK HERE for temporary access to the main music page."

I dug out my copy of their first album recently, but the cod-Jamaican accents grated more than I remembered.

Actually, it's rather good. And in the sleeve notes they point out that they took care to make sure that their version synchronises with 'The Wizard of Oz', just like the original.

Have you heard about this album?

Yep, the Big O bods sure love their Neil Young. And Pink Floyd. Okay, 'shuffle' engaged on Windows Media Player and... The Zombies - Care of Cell 44 Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army Messer Chups - Devil Exit from Fashion The Nits - Yksi Kaksi Kolme Allen Toussaint - Whirlaway Suzanne Vega - If you were in my Movie Lemon Jelly - Return to Patagonia Mel & Tim - Backfield in Motion