The Friday Music Shuffle (4.8.23)

Hi pop pickers and welcome to the first shuffle of the last month of summer. Yes, soon we will be in winter, as I refer to everything from 1st September to 1st March, so let’s enjoy this pitiful excuse of a summer while we can.

So here goes. Ten songs from my collection, chosen at random by my music device. I tell you what it’s chosen and should you like to listen, then just clock on the title. Feel free to sing along, too.

Welcome to another shuffle and I hope you find something you like.

1. Goodnight Saigon by Billy Joel. Joel hasn’t made new music since 1989 and nowadays tours the old hits to great acclaim. And when the songs are as good as this, why worry?
2. All I Need by Montrose. From the 1975 long player Warner Brothers Presents Montrose, Bob James had taken over from Sammy Hagar as lead singer and it’s a fine rock album.
3. Skreevar by Erland Cooper. This is from the Orkney islander’s brilliant 2020 LP Hether Blether. I’ve never been to the islands but this makes me want to.
4. Nimrod’s Son by The Pixies. Incredibly, to me at least, we now go back to 1987 for this joint from the band’s first album Come On Pilgrim. Still sounds great.
5. No Tears Left by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. From 1999’s Looking Forward, their final studio album, this is classic Stephen Stills. I’m in a minority that thinks this was a decent album.
6. A Little Too Soon To Say by Jackson Browne. Gorgeous track from 2020’s excellent Downhill From Everywhere. Not for Browne, it isn’t.
7. Young Guns (Go For It) by Wham!. The band’s first hit back in 1982 and way ahead of its time. George Michael was a pop genius.
8. Bah Singer by Graham Coxon. Great stuff from the Blur man, taken from 2012’s A+E.
9. Song For Our Daughter by Laura Marling. An embarrassing lack of women in the shuffle, corrected only in part by the title track of Marling’s lovely eponymous album from 2020. Must do better, Mr and Mrs Shuffle.
10. All The Way by Pearl Charles. A cracker from Ms Charles’ excellent 2021 long player Magic Mirror.

This week’s Desert island Disc is Skreevar by Erland Cooper. Hether Blether is a lovely record, as to be fair is all his stuff.

Have a good week ’til next week!