After School Special: Patio Songs

It finally got hot. So I recorded a musical guide to summer. On location on my patio, no less. You can practically feel the sunshine and happy vibes washing over you through your speakers. I imagine. Waves breaking on a beach, leather thudding off willow, tofu sizzling on a barbecue. All these sounds and more are evoked. This is my last radio missive for a while, so slip into something summery and get it while it's hot...

After School Special: Week Sixteen



1. The Fabulous Wailers -- Tall Cool One
2. The Undertones -- Here Comes the Summer
3. Nick Cave -- Here Comes the Sun
4. Dick Dale and his Deltones -- Shake 'n' Stomp
5. Ernest Ranglin -- Surfin'
6. The Duckworth Lewis Method -- Gentlemen and Players
7. James Yorkston -- Summer Song
8. Cam'ron -- I Hate My Job
9. Two Gallants -- Long Summer Day
10. Canned Heat -- Going Up the Country
11. Lou Christie -- Guitars and Bongos
12. Gorkys Zygotic Mynci -- Honeymoon with You
13. The Ramones -- California Sun
14. Nick Drake -- Saturday Sun

After School World Cup Special: Gooooaalllllll!

I've got World Cup Fever this week. Well, I say this week. Once more URF conspired against me last week, and cut off the stream to my show about a third of the way through. Dedicated broadcaster that I am, however, I returned yesterday to provide the remainder of the promised tunes and footy related ramblings. So, please enjoy a hour and a bit of disjointed World Cup chat and uniformly magnificent music from the tournament's host continent, Africa.

After School Special: Week Fifteen



1. The Bhundu Boys -- Chitaunhike
2. Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maestros -- Osalobua Rekpama
3. Mahotella Queens -- Unculo Kawupheli
4. The Mercury Dance Band -- Kai Wawa
5. The Four Brothers -- Uchandifunga
6. Udokotela Shange Namajaha -- Sobabamba
7. Irene And The Sweet Melodians -- Phelaviki
8. Popular Cooper & His All Beats Band -- Arraino
9. The Ogyatanaa Show Band -- You Monopolise Me
10. Umahlathini Nabo -- Qhude Manikiniki
11. Mgababa Queens -- Akulaiwa Esoweto

After School Special: Soul, Mate

Alright. Wall to wall sweet soul music for your listening pleasure today. Minimal chat -- minus a little read-aloud excerpt of Nelson George's classic black music treatise "The Death of Rhythm and Blues" -- and maximum tunes. Get on that shit.

After School Special: Week Fourteen



1. Albert King -- Breaking Up Somebody's Home
2. Bobby "Blue" Bland -- Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City
3. Etta James -- Tell Mama
4. Tim Jacob -- Mercy Baby
5. Carla Thomas -- My Man Believes Me
6. The Carrolls -- Surrender Your Love
7. Chocolate Snow -- Inflation
8. Mel and Tim -- Starting All Over Again
9. William Bell -- I Forgot To Be Your Lover
10. Ann Peebles -- Can't Stand the Rain
11. Irma Thomas -- Long After Tonight Is Over
12. Johnny Adams -- I Wish It Would Rain
13. Stanley Winston -- No More Ghettos in America

After School Special: Cinerama

The After School Special goes to the movies this week, with special guest Will Morley -- the Monkey's Paw -- film blogger, music fan and all round wit. Soundtrack tunes, scores, theme songs etc. Quality music and fascinating insights. And quite a lot of giggling. Enjoy!

After School Special: Week Thirteen



1. Xavier Cugat -- Perfidia (2046)
2. The Slickers -- Johnny Too Bad (The Harder They Come)
3. Luis Enríquez Bacalov -- Django's Theme (Django)
4. Urge Overkill -- Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon (Pulp Fiction)
5. Wings Hauser -- Neon Slime (Vice Squad)
6. Goblin -- The Terror of Tenebre (Tenebre)
7. Glasscandy -- Digital Versicolour (Bronson)
8. Vangelis -- Love Theme (Blade Runner)
9. Paul Williams -- So You Wanna Be a Boxer (Bugsy Malone)
10. The Commodores -- Night Shift (35 Shots of Rum)
11. The Kinks -- Strangers (The Darjeeling Limited)

After School Special: Covers Uncovered (part two)

I'm back. With a working stream and everything. Covers, the return. Turned out not too shabby I reckon. Some brilliant tunes, including your new favourite band, The Great Republic of Rough and Ready. As always, thanks for listening...

After School Special: Week Twelve



1. Tindersticks -- Here (Pavement)
2. Futureheads -- Hounds of Love (Kate Bush)
3. The Last Town Chorus -- Modern Love (David Bowie)
4. Alan Price -- I Put a Spell on You (Screaming Jay Hawkins)
5. The Fall -- Victoria (The Kinks)
6. Guitar Wolf -- Summer Time Blues (Eddie Cochran)
7. Steeleye Span -- Rave On (Buddy Holly)
8. The Great Republic of Rough and Ready -- Candy Man (Reverend Gary Davis)
9. Billy Bragg -- Walk Away Renee (The Left Banke)
10. Betty Everett -- Hound Dog (Elvis Presley)
11. Dead Kennedys -- Viva Las Vegas (Elvis Presley)
12. Flying Burrito Brothers -- Dark End of the Street (James Carr)
13. The Ventures -- Perfidia (Alberto Dominguez)
14. Phyllis Dillon -- Perfidia (Alberto Dominguez)
15. Nat King Cole -- Perfidia (Alberto Dominguez)

After School Special: Covers Uncovered (part one)

Ey up me ducks. Fancy hearing an hour's worth of carefully selected cover versions complete with insightful commentary courtesy of your devoted DJ? Well, tough. The always reliable URF stream cut out after 45 minutes, so that's what you'll have to make do with, I'm afraid. Will return next week with covers part two, I guess. Ah well. Listen and enjoy anyway...

After School Special: Week Eleven



1. The Sonics -- Do You Love Me (Originally by The Contours)
2. The Horrors -- Jack the Ripper (Screaming Lord Sutch)
3. The White Stripes -- Jolene (Dolly Parton)
4. The Pogues -- I’m a Man You Don’t Meet Every Day (traditional)
5. Mountain Goats -- The Sign (Ace of Base)
6. Scott Walker -- Jackie (Jacques Brel)
7. Eileen -- Cette Bottes Sont Fait Pour Marcher (Nancy Sinatra)
8. Detroit Cobras -- Last Nite (The Strokes)
9. Bad Livers -- Lust for Life (Iggy Pop)
10. Toots and the Maytals -- (Take Me Home) Country Roads (John Denver)
11. Tindersticks -- Here (Pavement)

After School Special: Big Fish, Little Fish...

Hello again. Sorry it's taken a while to get this one up. Dancey-electro tunes from Kraftwerk to Röyksopp via quite a lot of early '90s rave. Yeah! So put your dancing shoes and get to it. Sorry, no trainers.

After School Special: Week Ten



1. Kraftwerk -- Robots (1978)
2. The Orb -- Little Fluffy Clouds (1990)
3. Urban Hype -- A Trip to Trumpton (1992)
4. SL2 -- On a Ragga Tip (1992)
5. N-Trance -- Set You Free (1995)
6. Boards of Canada -- Roygbiv (1998)
7. Marc Smith Vs. Safe N Sound -- Identify the Beat (2001)
8. The Klaxons -- Atlantis to Interzone (Crystal Castles Remix) (2005)
9. The Presets -- I Go Hard I Go Home (2005)
10. LCD Soundsystem -- All My Friends (2007)
11. Burial -- Archangel (2007)
12. Röyksopp -- The Girl and the Robot (2009)

After School Special: No, She Went of Her Own Accord

Hello again. URF reopened for the summer term and I nipped in and recorded a new show on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. Reggae, lovers, dancehall etc, all in a post-1977 style. Enjoy! Also, I'm struggling to think of topics for the shows over the next few weeks. Suggestions gratefully received...

After School Special: Week Nine



1. Misty in Roots -- Intro/Man Kind (1979)
2. Janet Kay -- Silly Games (1979)
3. Dr. Alimantado -- Poison Flour (1979)
4. Sister Nancy -- Bam Bam (1982)
5. Barrington Levy -- Here I Come (1985)
6. Shabba Ranks -- Wicked Inna Bed (1990)
7. Buju Banton -- Til I'm Laid to Rest (1995)
8. Mr. Vegas -- Yu Sure (1998)
9. Sizzla -- I'm Not Sure (1998)
10. Richie Spice -- Groovin' My Girl (2007)
11. Tony Rebel -- My Love On Fyah (2007)

After School Special: A Country Practice

Howdy, y'all. Country and Western today. More specifically, an ill-prepared and frankly ill-thought-out audio essay on feminism, backed by twangy guitars. Hmm. Doesn't sound particularly promising, does it? Still, have a listen, it's not that bad! A bit rambling, but fun tunes at least! Go on, you know you want to.

After School Special: Week Eight



1. Faith Hill -- Wild One (Take Me As I Am 1994)
2. Carolyn Mark -- Pirate and Shotgun (Nothing is Free 2007)
3. Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs -- You Can't Buy a Gun (You Can't Buy a Gun When You're Crying 2007)
4. Deana Carter -- Strawberry Wine (Did I Shave My Legs for This? 1996)
5. Laura Cantrell -- The Whiskey Makes You Sweeter (Not the Trembling Kind 2000)
6. Emmylou Harris -- Two More Bottles of Wine (Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town 1978)
7. Jamie O'Neal -- There is No Arizona (Shiver 2000)
8. Neko Case and her Boyfriends -- Twist the Knife (Furnace Room Lullaby 2000)
9. Loretta Lynn -- This Old House (Van Lear Rose 2004)
10. Dixie Chicks -- Sin Wagon (Fly 1999)
11. Ronnee Blakely -- Tape Deck in his Tractor (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Nashville 1975)
12. Kelly Hogan -- Dues (A Tribute to Robert Altman's Nashville 2002)

After School Special: The Swedest Thing

Hej! A little Swedish cracker for you today: Swedish pop, Swedish hip-hop, a half-cocked Swedish history lesson, and a real life Swedish guest. Wrap your ears around this, you lovely Scandophiles, you.

After School Special: Week Seven



1. Maia Hirasawa -- Gothenburg (Though, I'm Just Me 2007)
2. Vit Päls -- När Solen Går Ner (Nu Var Det I Alla Fall Så 2010)
3. Nottee -- Control (Kitsuné Maison Compilation 8 2009)
4. Alexis Weak -- Första Svensken i Rymden (single 2007)
5. Makthaverskan -- It's You and I (Makthaverskan 2009)
6. Frida Hyvönen -- Jesus Was a Crossmaker (Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill 2009)
7. jj -- Ecstasy (jj No. 2 2009)
8. Broder Daniel -- Shoreline (Cruel Town 2004)
9. Refused -- Refused Party Program (The Shape of Punk to Come 1998)
1o. Dreamboy -- Stockholm, We Have a Problem (It Means The World to Me 2007)
11. Speech Defect -- Bad vs. Evil (Happy Hunting 2009)
12. Laakso -- Västerbron (Mother Am I Good Looking 2008)

After School Special: Garage Rock Revisited

Yeah! Garage rawk this week. Cracking tunes, slightly out of it DJ. Can't win 'em all. Enjoy, nonetheless. Just about the best hour and a bit of music you'll have heard all week, I can quite confidently say. Click the link, read the tracklist. All that good stuff.

After School Special: Week Six



1. The Monks -- Higgle-Dy-Piggle-Dy (Black Monk Time 1966)
2. The Detroit Cobras -- He Did It (Life, Love and Leaving 2001)
3. The D4 -- Party (6twenty 2001)
4. The Seeds -- Excuse Excuse (The Seeds 1966)
5. Dirty Rainbow -- Six in the Morning (Death, I Was Sure of It 2006)
6. The Good, The Bad -- 019 (From 018 to 033 2010)
7. The Dirtbombs -- The Thing (Ultraglide in Black 2001)
8. The Sonics -- Strychnine (Here Are the Sonics 1965)
9. Black Lips -- Dirty Hands (Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo 2007)
10. Heavy Trash -- Outside Chance (Going Way Out with Heavy Trash 2007)
11. The White Stripes -- Hand Springs (single 1999)
12. Soledad Brothers -- Break 'Em on Down (Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move 2002)
13. Guitar Wolf -- Jett Beer (UFO Romantics 2002)
14. The Count Five -- Psychotic Reaction (Psychotic Reaction 1966)
15. The Oblivians -- Talk to Me (Best of the Worst 1999)

After School Special: Folk Right Off

Hello my dears. How are you all? Splendid, I trust. All things British and folky this week. Just the thing to warm the cockles on a wintry February day. Wrap your earholes round this...

After School Special: Week Five



1. Kate Rusby -- Here We Come a Wassailing (Sweet Bells 2008)
2. Bellowhead -- Whiskey Is The Life Of Man (Matachin 2008)
3. Lindisfarne -- Meet Me On The Corner (Fog on the Tyne 1972)
4. Nic Jones -- Canadee-I-O (Penguin Eggs 1980)
5. Eliza Carthy -- French Stroller (Definitive Collection 2003)
6. Julie Fowlis -- Hug air a' Bhonaid Mhoir (Cuilidh 2007)
7. Shelagh McDonald -- Let No Man Steal Your Thyme (Album 1970)
8. Fairport Convention -- Crazy Man Michael (Liege and Lief 1969)
9. Steeleye Span -- Hard Times Of Old England (All Around My Hat 1975)
10. Rachel Unthank & The Winterset -- Sea Song (The Bairns 2007)
11. Billy Bragg -- The World Turned Upside Down (Between the Wars EP 1985)

After School Special: Hip-Hop, Don't Stop

Guess who's back in the mother-flipping house... No After School Specials for the past two weeks, sadly. The ever reliable URF equipment clapped out again. Ah well, I hope this is worth the wait. A hour of quality rap tuneage, spanning 1987 to 2008 but focussing primarily on New York City. There's a little streaming glitch in the midst of my Jay-Z as David Beckham theorising: I was explaining how Jigga is like late-period Becks... Not necessarily the most talented or glamourous figure anymore, but someone who knows their limitations and who, with dogged determination, affable good humour and brilliant business cunning, is able to shine nonetheless. So now you know.

As per a previous request, I'm going to start adding helpful, informative tracklistings to these posts, so listen, read and enjoy...

After School Special: Week Four



1. Roots Manuva -- Witness (1 Hope) (Run Come Save Me 2001)
2. N.W.A. -- Express Yourself (Straight Outta Compton 1988)
3. Public Enemy -- Public Enemy No. 1 (Yo! Bum Rush the Show 1987)
4. KRS-One -- Sound of Da Police (Return of the Boom Bap 1993)
5. GZA -- Liquid Swords (Liquid Swords 1995)
6. Gravediggaz -- Unexplained (The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel 1997)
7. Camp Lo -- Luchini (AKA This Is It) (Uptown Saturday Night 1997)
8. Jay-Z -- Izzo (H.O.V.A) (The Blueprint 2001)
9. Dr. Octagon -- Blue Flowers (Dr. Octagonecologyst 1996)
10. Lil Wayne -- Let the Beat Build (Tha Carter III 2008)
11. Ken Ring -- Sthlm City (Äntligen Hemma 2007)

After School Special: Let's Go, Daddio!

Hello again. Late '50s, early '60s tuneage this week. Rock and roll, rockabilly and surf guitar. Tried to squeeze in too many tunes (figuring they were about 2 minutes long, so what could go wrong?) so had to rush a bit at the end, but, all in all, a pretty darn enjoyable hour of amateur radio broadcasting. Dig it, you hepcats!

After School Special: Week Three




1. Dick Dale and the Deltones -- Let's Go Trippin'(1961)
2. Screaming Jay Hawkins -- I Put a Spell On You (1956)
3. Elvis Presley -- Mystery Train (1955)
4. Johnny Fortune -- Soul Surfer (1964)
5. Eddie Cochran -- C'mon Everybody (1958)
6. Link Wray -- 5-10-15-20 (Can Your Monkey Do the Dog)(1964)
7. Little Richard -- Tutti Frutti (1955)
8. Chuck Berry -- Maybellene (1955)
9. Roy Orbison -- Crying (1961)
10. Carl Perkins -- Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
11. The Ventures -- Walk, Don't Run (1960)
12. Jackie Wilson -- That's Why I Love You So (1959)
13. The Tornados -- Telstar (1962)
14. Charlie Feathers -- Get With It (1956)
15. Lou Christie -- Guitars and Bongos (1964)
16. Vincent Vincent and the Villains -- Sweet Girlfriend (2008)
17. Heavy Trash -- Crazy Pritty Baby (2007)

After School Special: Jamaican Me Crazy!

Wha' gwan kids? It's a Jamaican-themed After School Special, you lucky things. Presenting wise, not on top form today. Blame yet more equipment issues (no monitors this time) and a slight, farewell drinks with Will-induced, bleariness. Ho hum. Cracking tunes still. A few volume issues early doors, but stick with it. Listen up, y'all... * PS Edited MP3 now to clean it up a bit.

After School Special: Week Two



1. Lloyd Charmers -- Darker Than Blue (1975)
2. Stranger and Patsy -- When You Call My Name (1963)
3. Desmond Dekker and the Aces -- 007 Shanty Town (1967)
4. Johnny Osbourne and the Sensations -- Come Back Darling (1969)
5. Pioneers -- Starvation (1971)
6. The Slickers -- Johnny Too Bad (1972)
7. Heptones -- Country Boy (1973)
8. Augustus Pablo -- King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1976)
9. The Congos -- The Wrong Thing (1977)
10. Trinity -- Three Piece Suit and Ting (1977)
11. Althea and Donna -- Uptown Top (1977)
12. Culture -- Two Sevens Clash (1977)

After School Special: Why So Sad?

Welcome, class, to my After School Special. It looked rough for a bit there, but I made it through the wintry wastelands of the snowbound South of England to record my first little radio show of 2010. In it, I discussed sad songs: Sorrowful soul, frown-inducing folk, regretful reggae and cheerless country. Sniff. Hankies out, and escuche mí...

After School Special: Week One



1. Tindersticks -- Dying Slowly
2. Elmore James -- The Sky is Crying
3. Hank Williams -- I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
4. Stanley Winston -- No More Ghettos in America
5. Jimmy Cliff -- Many Rivers to Cross
6. Richard and Linda Thompson -- Withered and Died
7. Emmy the Great -- Edward is Dedward
8. The Broken Family Band -- Give and Take
9. Mark McGuinn -- She Doesn't Dance
10. Flying Burrito Brothers -- Hot Burrito No. 1
11. Elliott Smith -- No Name No. 1
12. Horace Andy -- Skylarking

Some New Kind of Kick is Dead*....

...Long live Matt Glazebrook's After School Special!

Like the new name? Does it make me sound a bit of a nonce? Whatever. Education and entertainment from 4pm to 5pm every Wednesday. A different genre of music each week. Listen live here. Or have a sneaky download at this very blog

* temporarily, at least. Depends on how the new format works.