9/20/2012 Rocket Ship Ska Trip

(9/20/12)

The "Ooh" started out this week sending one out to In Your Ear's Angie Pykonen, who'd played "I'm In the Mood for Love" on her show.  We played The Skatalites' 1983 live version from Stretching Out,  sung by Lord Tanamo, "I'm In the Mood for Ska".  1983 turns 30 next year, making Stretching older now than the band itself was when I first heard the original cassette-only release of the landmark 'Lites live session, easily qualifying it for inclusion in the Opening Oldies Hour (and 15 minutes). Remember, on the RSST each hour lasts 1hr+15min.! Also heard was trumpeter Raymond Harper's "Sea Breeze", a.k.a. "Cool Breeze", "Breeze of the West", and probably as many titles as the number of record labels the 45 wound up being released on. Now let's turn our attention to the doings around Sherwood's Planet, where we heard an "ancient voodoo tune" performed by "Biff Bailey" and his jazz combo. That combo was actually the Tubby Hayes Quintet, and the tune was lifted directly from the movie "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors". Turns out Trunk Records, in '09, released exactly 666 copies of the master "Voodoo Session" as a 45! What you heard on Sherwood's was cribbed straight from the movie, not the master studio session that was dubbed into the flick as a "live club performance".  (Now if only we could find any release of Neil Sedaka's studio master of "Do The Jellyfish" (Sting of Death)... the version on the Popcorn Ska 7" was lifted straight from the movie!)  Sherwood's other notable lift directly from a movie was Les Baxter's end title from "X - The Man with the X-Ray Eyes".  Ready for The Home Stretch? The Skatalites GotchaSKAvered this week with their 1983 take of Guns Of Navarone from the live Stretching Out. At the top of 5am, we made up for the complete lack of a 5@5 last week with a 5(x2)@5 this week... 5 Twin Cities ska bands (The Prizefighters, Secondhand Ska Kings, P. Lacquers, The Jinkies and Umbrella Bed), 2 songs apiece. Then we threw in 2 by a 6th local ska band (The Contenders) after that! Two Slackers songs (Triple Rock!! This Friday 9/21!!) found their way into the Home Stretch before The End as well. Missing in action for the whole 4-hour tour?  None other than Shiina Ringo!  We'll rectify that next week... promise.