Playlist, 29/06/08

The Show On this week's show we celebrated two centenaries: firstly today marks the centenary of the king of orchestral "pops" music, Leroy Anderson. And coming up on Tuesday will be the centenary of the virtuoso slide guitar player and electronics pioneer Alvino Rey. The Music First of all we welcomed back our roving news correspondent MC Zirconium from Paris with a couple of French-flavoured lovelies: 1. Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Love Paris (Cow Fingers and Mosquito Pie, 1991) 2. Pizzicato Five - tokyo mon amour DISCOTIQUE 96 MIX (combinasion SPACIALE ep, 1996) Neil Diamond played the "tea-time" slot at Glastonbury earlier today so we played a version of one of his more famous compositions: 3. Quincy Jones - I'm a Believer (Cactus Flower OST, 1969) 4. Ray Davies - Hadrian's Wall (Benny & the Duke, 1973) 5. Ajo Y Su Organo Oriental - Black Is Black (Easy Melodías) Next up were the first couple of tracks in our Leroy Anderson feature: 6. Terry Snyder & The All Stars - Blue Tango (Persuasive Percussion, 1960) 7. Hot Butter - Syncopated Clock (Popcorn, 1973) Then another track from the great new compilation by Vickie Bennett aka People Like Us: 8. Komar & Melamid And Dave Soldier - The Most Unwanted Song (Edit) (Smiling Through My Teeth, 2008) Next it was time for today's other featured artist: 9. Alvino Rey - Mama Blues (excerpt) (1961) 10. Alvino Rey - The Peanut Vendor (Ping Pong!, 1960) 11. Ira Ironstrings (Alvino Rey) - Blacksmith Blues And then some lovely exotica from a jazz giant: 12. Yusef Lateef - Taboo (Other Sounds, 1957) We played a track from this new album last week which featured dialogue from the movie Tron. Well, here's another track, this time taking its inspiration from that John Carpenter classic Dark Star: 13. Disrupt - Bomb 20 (Foundation Bit, 2008) We've been featuring various tracks from the DC Recordings label in the last couple of shows and the kind fellows have sent us some more great music so here's a track from the brand new compilation Death Before Distemper 2: 14. Kelpe - Shipwreck Glue (Death Before Distemper 2, 2008) And then it was time to close our two features, firstly by playing a Moog-ed up version of what we think of as Leroy Anderson's most famous tune: 15. Jean Jacques Perrey/Dana Countryman - The Typewriter (The Happy Electropop Music Machine, 2006) Our other featured artist, Alvino Rey, had a nice side-line going on in the 1960s as one of many virtuoso players in Esquivel's band and you can hear his slide guitar playing on many tracks including: 16. Esquivel - Baia (Infinity in Sound Vol 2, 1961) The Ian Fleming centenary finally reaches Edinburgh with a new exhibition at the City Art Centre. We used this as an excuse to play some more Bond: 17. Matt Berry/Peter Serafinowicz - Goldfingo (Peter Serafinowicz's Album) 18. James Bond & His Sextet - James Bond Theme (Shaken Not Stirred, 1965) And we closed the show with a couple of belters starting with another amazing version of show favourite Caravan: 19. Bernard Pretty Purdie - Caravan 20. Phil Clinton - She's Born Loser (A Trip? Just A Little Beat, 2008) The News

• Tiny Shetland island declares independence
• CERN declares Large Hadron Collider perfectly safe
• Record-breaking toaster
• Electricity generating brassiere
• Dance energy charger
• Ray Gun channel changer
• Mathmos Graphite Space Project Light
• Mmmm Space asparagus
• Lawn-mower Boy
• Bad Pigeons
• John Oates’ Moustache Cartoon

Playlist, 22/06/08

The Show DJ Bongoboy was flying solo this week and because yesterday was the Summer Solstice chose to make the sun the theme of today's show, though given the appalling weather outside this might not have been the most sensible choice. The Music 1. One G Plus Three - Summertime 2. Big Jim Sullivan - Sunshine Superman (Sitar Beat) 3. Padded Cell - Beautiful Gloom (Night Must Fall) 4. Keith Mansfield - Man With A Mission (When The Saints Go) 5. Barbara Barr - Shame and Scandal in the Family 6. Disrupt - Blast You to Bits (Foundation Bit, 2008) 7. Bertrand Burgalat - The Summer Night (W/ Robert Wyatt) (Chéri B.B., 2007) 8. April March - Laiser Tomber Les Filles (Chick Habit) 9. Paul Lowry - I Got Rhythm (Smiling Through My Teeth, 2008) 10. Yello - Coast To Polka (Solid Pleasure) 11. Les Baxter - Tahiti: A Summer Night At Sea (Exotic Moods) 12. Korla Pandit - Tales Of The Underwater Worshippers (Exotica 2000) 13. Matt Berry - Snuff Box Theme (Matt Berry's Album) 14. Lionel Hampton - Them Changes 15. Combustible Edison - Summer Samba (Blue Light EP) 16. Monty Alexander - So What (Alexander The Great - Monty Swings On MPS) 17. The Happy Sound of Berry Lipman - The Mill in the Black Forest 18. Soundsational Sort of Soul - Swamp Water (Birds 'n Brass) 19. Margo Guryan - Sun (Take A Picture) 20. France Gall - Y'a Du Soleil À Vendre (Long Box : France Gall) 21. Synthesonic Sounds - Help 22. Piero Umiliani - Gadget (Musica Elettronica Volume 1) 23. Ray Davies - Caravan The News

• Argonaut news #1: Jason-2 in space.
• Argonaut news #2: Ray Harryhausen coming to Edinburgh!
• The Hard-Wear jacket for the paranoid pedestrian.
• LEGO Death Star
• Squidgy Robots
• Happy 60th Birthday to 'Baby', the world's first PC...? and here.
• Ecuadorian boy youngest ever zero-gravity passenger
• UFO buzzes police helicopter

Playlist, 15/06/08

The Show Today marked our first anniversary of doing live shows on this broadcast of Leith FM, so happy birthday to us! We chose to celebrate the occasion by playing some birthday-themed tunes, some of our favourite tracks from the last 12 months as well as some new material. You can catch a repeat of the show when it goes out on Wednesday 25 June from 10pm - midnight, either by tuning in to 98.8 FM (in and around Edinburgh) or online via the Leith FM website. The Music 1. Delia Derbyshire - Happy Birthday (BBC Radiophonic Music, 1968) 2. The Folkswingers - Dona Dona (Raga Rock, 1966) Listener (and occasional guest) Jeff nominated this next track because apparently it was first track we played on a Leith FM show way back in 2004: 3. Liberty Studio Orchestra - Zabadek 4. Lalo Schifrin - Turn Every Stone (Mannix, 1999) 5. Tätärä - Orion (Next Show) Former regular co-presenter Fuz made a return to the show today (albeit in pre-recorded form) as he dedicated this next track to MC Zirconium: 6. Tommy Seeback - Baby Elephant Walk 7. Perrey & Kingsley - One Note Samba/Spanish Flea (Kaleidoscopic Vibrations, 1967) 8. Chris Joss - Count the Daisies (Teraphonic Overdubs, 2008) 9. Slim Gaillard - How High the Moon (Slim Gaillard Rides Again, 1958) 10. Louis Prima & Keely Smith With Sam Butera & The Witnesses - Angelina/Zooma Zooma (Ultra-Lounge: Wild, Cool & Swingin' - Artist Collection, Vol. 1 [Disc 2], 1957) 11. David McCallum - The Edge (Music-A Part Of Me / Music: A Bit More Of Me, 1966) 12. Dick Hyman - Living on Borrowed Time (Fabulous, 1963) I went to see a band who played a formative role in my musical taste last night and while they're not the sort of band we might normally play on the show I managed to find a track of theirs that was almost up our street: 13. A Certain Ratio - Tumba Rhumba (I'd Like To See You Again, 1982) 14. Music for Aardvarks and Other Mammals - Birthday (Grumpy, 2006) The great J Saul Kane is still making great music nearly 20 years after he first started recording as Depth Charge. His label DC Recordings has a great new compilation out which we played a track from: 15. Depth Charge - Castle of Doom (Death Before Distemper - Revenge of the Iron Ferret, 2008) Also on that compilation are a new band to Project Moonbase's ears and they have new album out of their own: 16. Padded Cell - Savage Skulls (Night Must Fall, 2008) Fuz's second pre-recorded contribution to the show was this, er, Mike Batt production: 17. Synthesonic Sounds - Superfly Russell T Davies got an OBE (see story below) so we went out with this cheesy disco version of the Dr Who theme: 18. Ron Grainer - Playing It Cool (Dr Who Theme) (1979) The News

• UPDATE: iTunes U - UK university lectures on iTunes.
• Cloak of silence.
• Hairhats (via EPIC FU).
• Moustache battle.
• Cuba approves free sex-change operations.
• Would the owner of this Cambodian Air Dream jet please collect it from Hanoi airport?
• Sega E.M.A. Robot ready to kiss.
• David Byrne's 'Playing the Building' also here and here.
• Pluto or Plutoid.
• Birthday honours: RTD OBE and Des O'Connor CBE.
• Moog electric guitar.

Playlist, 08/06/08

The Show On the show this week we celebrated the 50th(?!) birthday of Prince, the 40th anniversary of the release of Jumpin' Jack Flash and the imminent 80th birthday of king of the crooners Vic Damone. You can catch a repeat of the show when it goes out on Wednesday 18 June from 10pm - midnight, either by tuning in to 98.8 FM (in and around Edinburgh) or online via the Leith FM website. The Music The weather was lovely this weekend so we kicked off in sunny mode: 1. Soundsational Sort of Soul - In The Summertime (Birds 'n Brass) 2. Edmundo Ros - Sunny (Today, 1977) According to which web-site you believe, today may or may not have been the 40th anniversary of the release of this particular Rolling Stones tune: 3. Ananda Shankar - Jumpin' Jack Flash (Ananda Shankar, 1970/2005) Listeners may have heard that Radiohead recently launched a remix competition (see links to story below). We think this fellow should have won: 4. 1030 (James Houston) - Big Ideas (Don't Get Any) (2008) For no particular reason, another track from a great compilation of work by French library music genius Jack Arel: 5. Jack Arel - Strange Valley (Original & Remix, 2007) And then another track from a reissue of this great slice of spaced-out electric piano work: 6. The Mike Nock Underground - Space Bugaloo (Between Or Beyond, 1970) MC Zirconium brings to our attention a collection of very, very strange Cambodian pop: 7. Various - Two Wives Are Twice the Problem (Cambodian Cassette Archives: Khmer Folk & Pop Music Vol.1, 2004) Time for yet another version of show favourite Caravan by guitar wizard Buddy Merrill: 8. Buddy Merrill - Caravan (Out of This World, 1965/2007) Then a track from a great new album from this German duo: 9. The Low Shoe Orchestra - Focus on Infinity (Through The Black Hole, 2008) It's Nancy Sinatra's (68th) birthday today! 10. Nancy Sinatra - Drummer Man (bonus track on Movin' With Nancy, 2006) On the subject of drums... 11. Brian Bennett - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (The Illustrated London Noise, 1967/2008) Unbelieveably, Prince turned 50 yesterday so we played a couple of celebratory tracks (both found via the fabulous WFMU): 12. Brian Joseph Davis - Purple Rain (Ten Banned Albums, Burned, Then Played) 13. Benjamin Verdery - Let's Go Crazy (Soepa, 2007) Sergio Mendes has a new album coming out in the next few weeks so we played one of his great tracks: 14. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Masquerade (Ye-Me-Le, 1969) Another track from a recently released collection of albums on the MPS label by Monty Alexander: 15. Monty Alexander - Here Comes The Sun (Alexander The Great - Monty Swings On MPS, 1971) Then it was time for some more bizarre Cambodian pop: 16. Various - Unknown (Cambodian Cassette Archives: Khmer Folk & Pop Music Vol.1, 2004) And we closed the show with an Italian double-bill, the first of which was played to mark the imminent 80th birthday of Vic Damone: 17. Vic Damone - Vieni Vieni (Tender Is the Night, 2003) 18. Giorgio Gaslini - Donna Più (A Trip? Just A Little Beat, 2008) The News

• Remote-Control-Finder (via GeekBrief)
• 1030 (aka James Houston) does a Radiohead remix of "Nude" called Big Ideas (Don't Get Any) using obsolete technology and here.
• iTunes has launched iTunes U, a collection of university lecture videos. Now everyone can enjoy scruffy maths professors talking about infinity. They also have lectures from the Open University.
• The return of steam-powered engines - in cars! and here.
• UPDATE: Space toilet now flushing and here.
• The vital role that biscuits play in our economy.
• Kylie may be 40 but she's "too sexy" by Coldplay
• Prince turns 50 and here.
• Fake bus stop keeps Alzheimer's patients from escaping
• Virtual Breast bothering?

Playlist, 01/06/08

The Show This week we marked the centenary of the birth of Ian Fleming, the sad passing of Earle Hagen and Alexander Courage and the space-time-continuum-busting news that both Kylie and Jason turned 40 this week. You can catch a repeat of the show when it goes out on Wednesday 11 June from 10pm - midnight, either by tuning in to 98.8 FM (in and around Edinburgh) or online via the Leith FM website. The Music A great new reissue from Dutton Vocalion: 1. Biddu - Journey to the Moon (Futuristic Journey / Eastern Man, 1977/2008) David Holmes is coming to Edinburgh next Saturday: 2. David Holmes - Benedict Returns (Ocean's Thirteen OST, 2007) Another great reissue from Dutton Vocalion: 3. David Lindup - Grand Slam (When The Saints Go, 1970/2008) The first of our tributes to Earle Hagen: 4. Herbie Mann - Harlem Nocturne (Latin Fever, 1962) You can find lots more versions of Harlem Nocturne here. The first of our tracks celebrating the centenary of Ian Fleming's birth: 5. Ray Barretto - Thunderball (Señor 007, 1965/2001) Brand new track from a great new unsigned band from Mainz: 6. The Low Shoe Orchestra - Rise of the Colossus (Through The Black Hole, 2008) Bill Cosby is selling his jumpers (see story below): 7. Bill Cosby - Can't Get No Satisfaction (Hooray for the Salvation Army Band, 1968) Earle Hagen also composed many classic TV show themes, including: 8. Dick Hyman - Theme from I Spy (The Man From O.R.G.A.N., 1965) More Ian Fleming tributes: 9. Ingfried Hoffmann - From Russia With Love (Hammond Bond, 2007) 10. Jean-Jacques Perrey - Mister James Bond (The Out Sound From Way In!, 1969) Two great MPS reissues: 11. The Mike Nock Underground - The Squire (Between Or Beyond, 1970) 12. Monty Alexander - Monticello (Alexander The Great - Monty Swings On MPS, 1973) Another track from the Biddue reissue which spookily chimes in with the Ian Fleming centenary: 13. Biddu - James Bond Disco Theme (Journey Into Fantasy) (Futuristic Journey / Eastern Man, 1977/2008) Keeping it disco, we paid tribute to the passing of Alexander Courage: 14. Eumir Deodato - Theme From Star Trek (Do It Again, 1976) Kylie and Jason turn 40 (see news story below too): 15. Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - Can't Get You Out of My Mind (Hits the Hits!, 2007) 16. Gabor Szabo - Sealed With A Kiss (1969, 1969) Loads of people have covered the James Bond theme but I think this is the only Ian Fleming Theme out there: 17. The Menn - Ian Fleming Theme (Lost Legends of Surf Guitar, Vol. 1, 2003) We closed the show with a lovely ska version of Earle Hagen's classic: 18. New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble - Harlem Nocturne (New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, 1995) The News

• Ian Fleming centenary last Wednesday
• Kylie and Jason both turn 40 this week.
• UPDATE: Phoenix lander not smashed to smithereens and here.
• What to do with 602,000 match sticks
• Bill Cosby sells sweaters (the auction is taking place here)
• Space inconvenience and here and here.
• Monkey brain controls robot arm
• Japanese woman lives in cupboard
• A T-shirt with picture on it poses a threat to air safety?
• Uncontacted Amazon Tribe
• Placebo pills made for kids
• Ghost in a bottle
• Teen figures fast way to decompose plastic bags
• Unshredder can put your documents back together
• Space beer