De De Pierce's New Orleans Stompers

Ever come back home after a few drinks, heard some fantastic music on the radio, bought the record, and found that it wasn't quite what you remembered? This record, along with Nanci Griffith's 'Five And Dime', is one of those.

Track by track its marvellous, but a whole LP gets a bit tedious. If you had seen these guys live, however, it would have been one of the best nights of your (musical) life.

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Battle Of The Bands (10" LP)

I've never been convinced by big band jazz, but Stan Kenton and Dizzy Gillespie have a very good stab at things here. But what was Bobby Sherwood thinking?

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Muggsy Spanier And His Ragtime Band (10" LP)

I got this LP from Hector's House in Belfast, one of the last of the old style record stores, now closed. Its a bit crackly. Although it doesn't have "Relaxin' At The Touro" its from the same golden period of Spanier's recordings, with the music playing the musicians rather than the (more usual) other way round.

I had a bit of a thing about Bix Beiderbecke at one time, largely because others rate him so highly that he must be good. But I think I prefer Muggsy Spanier; good music doesn't have to be complicated.

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Goin' Up The Country

I got this after Mike Raven played Herb Quinn's "Casey" on his show. I was plonking about on the on the guitar at the time and had never heard the like of this - I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on as I had never come across slide guitar before.

A friend bought the album and a few of us would wander around in search of record players to play it on, on one instance getting into a stand-off with others looking for somewhere to play their Beatles "White Album". Different times.

"Casey" doesn't give me the same thrill now but its still marvellous stuff. At the time the record was touted as evidence of the healthy state of the country blues, but it sounds more to me like its swan song. Oh well.

Includes covers and four page insert.

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