From top: Bill Graham; BP Fallon; Dave Fanning; NPR‘s Bob Boilen; Lester Bangs; from left: Huw Stephens, Annie Mac, MayKay of Other Voices, and Donal Dineen
Last Friday we asked you to request a piece of music as a shout out to your favourite rock writers, jocks and other evangelists.
In fact, the specific sentence that needed filling was:
‘I would like to dedicate__________to ___________for sharing with me his/her impeccable taste and love of decent music.’
In the balance was a newly-minted voucher for twenty-five euro, redeemable at any of fourteen Golden Discs locations, including the brand-new Vinyl Lounge , upstairs in the chain’s flagship Cork location on Patrick Street.
The running was tough, but there could only be one winner…
Specific Gravity, with the clincher:
I would like to dedicate New Grass by Talk Talk to Donal Dineen for sharing with me his impeccable taste and love of decent music. Insight, foresight, more sight, the clock on the wall reads a quarter past midnight… And so would begin a few hours of nightly magic. Dineen’s shows remain the pinnacle of musical broadcasting in this country.
He just let the tracks do the talking and despite his obvious breadth and depth of knowledge, was never preachy or arch about introducing lesser known but massively talented artists from around the globe. It was like a muso mate sharing some recommendations they thought you’d like to hear.”
In other highlights:
OUCH: “I would like to dedicate Henry McCullogh by BP Fallon and David Holmes to both BP Fallon and David Holmes, for sharing with me their impeccable taste and love of decent music and this amazing tribute to a legend of Irish music. They’re two men whose recommendations have help me discover some amazing music, it was an interview with David Holmes that first made me seek out Histoire de Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg, easily in my all time top ten!”
MCGENIUS: “I would like to dedicate this beer I’m supping to Bob Boilen of NPR’s All Songs Considered podcast for sharing with me his impeccable taste and love of decent music. And for introducing me to Puddles’ Pity Party and his unbelievably awesome Johnny Cash/Pink Floyd tribute.”
SCOTTSER: “I would like to dedicate Nobody’s Hero by Stiff Little Fingers to Lester Bangs for sharing with me his impeccable taste and love of decent music. “A hero is a goddamn stupid thing to have in the first place and a general block to anything you might wanna accomplish on your own.”
LIAM DELIVERANCE: “I would like to dedicate American Townland by Interference to the producers and researchers, and indeed the hosts, of Other Voices for sharing with me their impeccable taste and love of decent music. The series which has been running for fourteen years, continues to introduce music of a high quality from artists old and new, and to do so in a warm and reliable format. Great music, knowledgeable hosts, beautiful scenery and moments of pure magic.”
PAT WALSH: “I would like to dedicate Ballad of a Thin Man by Dylan to the late Bill Graham of Hot Press, for sharing his knowledge & passion for music with me & thousands of other readers.”
LIAM: “I’ll dedicate MBV’s Sometimes to Dave Fanning, whose evening Rock Show got me through secondary school and also introduced me to the likes of the Pixies, Primal Scream, REM and the Cure, way, way back in the day.”
Thanks all.
Is it really kosher to be lauding BP Fallon, when, by many accounts, he is not the most savory adult?
Please explain.
And to think…
I didn’t enter John Peel because I thought the whole competition was a sham… Some kind of trick to make 100s of people all type John Peel at the same time and see what happens kind of thing.
I’m shocked.
Burpie should’ve won, or the bloke who mentioned Marc Reilly.
No, sorry… I take that back.
You are ALL winners. Every one of did your best and that’s what counts.
While I thought I was in with a chance with my tribute to Other Voices I’m delighted the winner was the Donal Dineen entry so congrats to Specific Gravity. What a show HCTN was for all of the reasons mentioned in the post. My friends and I used to laugh at how a radio show could be so, so much better than TV. I despaired when the show was cut short and then dropped. Small hours was good too but not the same. Over a hundred of my albums are directly attributable to HCTN and I must have 30 odd cassette recordings of random shows that I will dust off someday. So thanks Donal, good times, hope they come back again.
“Dineen’s shows remain the pinnacle of musical broadcasting in this country.” – Agreed.
Specific Gravity – Just re-reading your post and noted you mentioned Tuareg throat singers, would you happen to have track name for one Donal played a good few times over the space of a year or so. It was a female singer I’m sure, it was sung a cappella, may not have been specifically Tuareg, it was a combo of words or chants and some throat singing. I can remember bits of the song in my head but not actual words, if indeed they were words. She would say things like backata, takata, makata or similiar. I’m being very obscure I know, just thought you might remember. It’s terrible having a song you want to hear again but with no way of finding it. Thanks.
Thanks, Liam. Can’t say I recall exactly – sorry – but if I’m not mistaken he did play Ofra Haza a bit.
Good selection of her stuff still available https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ofra+haza
Nice One SG, i’ll check out Ofra Haza, cheers and enjoy yer voucher :-)
Sheila Chandra – Speaking in tongues
Thats It!,Thank you very much John for posting that, it has been so long since I heard it and to hear it again is such a relief, it was bugging me! Listening to it there it is such an amazing piece of vocalism. Thanks again.
Kudos to SG for a great call on this.
Laughing Stock – from which New Grass is taken – is staggering. Defiant and utterly glorious, it’s a work of genius.
Have you ever heard his solo album Otis?
It’s phenomenal, Hollis really is a genius.
Agreed, yet he has vanished utterly, apparently. Not a note since.
The cover of that album still leaves me unsettled.
I have indeed, Bertie.
It’s probably my favourite album of all time. As SG says it’s amazing that he hasn’t done anything since then. There’s something really admirable and honest about creating something so perfect and just leaving it at that.
Oh there’s a thread all of its own- favourite album of all time.
So hard to choose, possibly Hounds of Love or Waterpistol for me but if you ask me tomorrow that might well change :)
See?
I already want to say Scott 3 and it’s not even tomorrow yet.