The Sugarcubes - Pt. 1

Thor, Einar, Björk
23rd St, NYC, 1988

The Kras stepped into my office and said “I want you to go to England and see Wet Wet Wet. They’re playing the Hammersmith Odeon tomorrow night...fly ‘first’, if you have to”. I had a deal with Rough Trade, a record store in London. Every week, they’d send me the new entries to the UK top 50 singles chart so I already knew what they sounded like, but what Bob Krasnow wants, Bob Krasnow gets, so I asked my assistant, Valerie, to book me a flight. A few hours later I was sitting in Elektra’s London office reading the music papers. Sounds had picked 'Birthday' by The Sugarcubes - a band from Iceland - as their Single Of The Week and their review was so...well...rave-y, I just had to hear it. Like, now! I thought about getting a cab over to Rough Trade but as chance would have it, the 45 was sitting right there at the front of a pile of singles on the floor, leaning against a&r manager Dave Field’s desk. I placed it on the turntable and must have played it 5 or 6 times, in complete awe of its sheer beauty and unique, fresh sound. Whoa! Moments like this happen only a handful of times in a talent scouting career. Most of the stuff you hear is mediocre at best, and a large part of the job is saying “sorry, not quite right for us” to musicians hoping for a recording career. Out of the blue, here was a 100% bona fide, instant ‘hell, YEAH’. I was thoroughly blown away by this record and now wanted to see the band in concert, as soon as possible. I kept playing the record as I finished reading the paper and could scarcely believe my eyes when I read there was a Sugarcubes show, that night, at a pub near Great Portland Street tube station. I called the venue (I thought it was called the Portland Arms but there's something called the Green Man there now) and learned they were due to play at 11pm. Dave was out of the office at meetings and had another band to see that night, but he told me on the phone that he would try and catch the Wets last 2 songs and meet me in the Odeon’s lobby at the end of the show. The band played a perfectly professional set and seemed to satisfy their audience of (mainly) teenage girls. However, they didn’t strike me, particularly, as a band that would sit comfortably on Elektra’s roster, or sell particularly well in the US. I found Dave and he offered to drive me back to my hotel. I asked if he could drive me to Great Portland Street and invited him in to watch the Sugarcubes with me but he begged off saying he had to pack, as we were both flying to America in the morning to attend one of our 6 monthly, company-wide a&r meetings. We made plans to meet at the airport and I made my way into the venue. Inside, I was dismayed to see practically every a&r person I knew in the UK packed into this very smoky pub room, obviously trying to coax the band away from One Little Indian, the tiny independent label that had released the single. By this point I was exhausted and had been awake for nearly 40 hours. I staked my claim on a small flight of stairs so I could see the stage better and waited for the band to start. And waited. And waited. Midnight rolled around and I was feeling a bad mood coming on. There was no room to move, it was difficult to breathe with all the smoke, I couldn’t get a drink (or I’d lose my vantage point), I was tired and my feet were killing me. When the band finally decided to hit the stage at about 12.30am I was seething, and when the ugliest, most cacophonous, unrelenting, grating noise burst out of the speakers, I was totally shocked. It couldn’t have been more opposite to what I’d heard earlier that day and I wondered whether if this was the 'right' Sugarcubes. After about 8 more minutes of this, I thought, “screw this” and made my way back to my hotel. A couple of month later, I’m reading one of the music papers in my Manhattan office and I see the Sugarcubes’ second single, 'Cold Sweat', is picked as their ‘Single Of The Week’ again. I phoned Dave and asked him to have it couriered over. Once the 45 showed up, it was obvious they were a truly fantastic band - on record – and quite unlike any other I’ve ever heard, a factor high on my list of criteria needed for me to want to work with someone. I walked down the corridor to Bob Krasnow’s office and asked if I could play him a couple of tunes. He agreed, and once ‘Birthday’ faded out, he told me to call Derek and “make it happen”. I loved working for Bob. There was never any doubt, and you knew where you stood. Dave Field had been following the Sugarcubes’ progress in the UK and gave me the number of their record company and the name of the fellow in charge. I called Derek Birkett who’s in the middle of co-producing the album (with Ray Shulman) and he agrees to send over some rough mixes of what he’s done so far and to talk to Gary Casson in our business affairs department. I do not mention the show I’d seen. A deal is worked out so now it’s time to meet the band. I fly to London and take them all out to dinner at the Rasa Sayang, a Malaysian restaurant in London’s Soho district. Finally, I meet Derek, who brings some of his staff and Siggi, Bragi, Thor, Einar Melax, Einar Örn and, of course, Björk. We eat, talk, and the drinks flow. All of them struck me as smart, vital, creative, highly likeable people and I learned they weren’t above having a little fun with folks they found stuffy, or ridiculous. Planeloads of Brits had to fly to Iceland to meet with them and I’m reasonably sure the band had no intention of ever leaving Derek or OLI. Indeed, over 20 years later, Björk is still with Derek, and One Little Indian continues to release her brilliant albums. Towards the end of dinner, I was feeling very good about our new relationship, when Einar Örn (co-vocalist/trumpet), who was sitting next to me, told me how much he was looking forward to me seeing the band play live, as I was probably the only person (by then) who hadn’t. I looked him in the eye and said, "well, actually Einar, I’ve already seen you in concert."
He looked genuinely surprised and asked "Where did you see us?"
"I think it was a place called The Portland Arms...near Great Portland Street tube"
He narrowed his eyes and looked at me quizzically... "oh yeah? (pause) What did you think?"
"Well, to be honest, I thought it was terrible and left after about 10 minutes."
He leans back, a smile coming slowly to his lips. "Correct! That was our "punk" gig. We wanted to play a really obnoxious show that would confuse the record industry people who were bothering us!"
Phew! I could have easily said I thought they were "great". It certainly wasn’t easy to tell my new pal that the show I’d seen was, uh, crappy, but I’ve always thought honesty’s the best policy and – although it’s got me into trouble before – this time, it marked the beginning of a long and satisfying relationship.

Joey Ramone, Einar, Thor & Siggi
The World, NYC, '88

The Sugarcubes - Pt. 3

Siggi & Einar
Iceland, '89-ish

One of the best parts of being in a&r was the traveling, the seeing places I would never have gone to if I’d had a ‘proper’ job. Having hung out with the Sugarcubes for a good portion of their first US tour, I felt compelled to visit the country that could spawn such creative, open-minded and, overall, such splendid people. They were brilliant ambassadors and were keen to have everyone visit their homeland as (although they never said it) I’m sure they felt as far as countries go, theirs was a lot better than most, if not all. I rarely took vacations, since work always seemed like a holiday, but I decided to take a week off and see Iceland for myself.
The flight from JFK to Keflavik takes just over 5 1/2 hours, but soon I was checking into the Hotel Holt, one the band had recommended. I was immediately struck by the smell in my room. A bit like like rotten eggs. I thought of switching rooms, but on my way down to reception, I noticed everything smelled like that. I mentioned this to the girl at the check in desk and she told me “you’ll get used to it, it’s just the sulfur in the geo-thermal heating system”. She smiled, and said “is that all?” Later, Einar explained that Iceland derives its power and hot water via geothermal activity and many rivers and waterfalls are harnessed for hydroelectricity, availing its population to cheap, renewable energy. Fortunately, the smell comes and goes, and after a short while, you hardly notice it. I was surprised to see so many mobile phones, too. Technologically, Iceland seemed far ahead of any other country I’d been to and today, it tops the list of most developed countries in the world, having just overtaken Norway (according to the Human Development Index, which measures life expectancy, literacy, education, standard of living, and GDP per capita for countries, worldwide).
I was there during October, so it was chilly, but not too bad. Unfortunately, the conditions weren’t good for seeing the ‘northern lights’ but the volcanic terrain outside the city made it seem like you were on the moon. During my stay, Siggi and Einar took me on a sightseeing trip (Golden Falls, some hot pools and erupting geysers), showed me their “national forest” (a small clump of ‘trees’ about 30 inches high – I think they were joking) and introduced me to their ‘alchemist’ friend and fellow musician, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, a fascinating guy with an interest in Alistair Crowley and owns large collection of his original works and memorabilia. Before I left, as a present, he gave me 'Egil’s Saga' and 'Najal’s Saga' both epic stories written in the 13th century, about Icelandic life during the 9th -11th centuries…fantastic stuff about Viking times! Everywhere I went, people gave me presents: Björk gave me a cap with an Icelandic flag on it and a necklace with a snowflake pendant hanging from it, Bragi gave me a published volume of his own poetry, Einar gave me a book about a dark, Icelandic surrealist, Alfred Flóki, I was given albums at the Bad Taste record shop, featuring pre-Sugarcubes works by Bjork, Einar and Magga and other local bands like Ham and Reptile. One night, Thor and Magga invited me to their house for dinner and Magga cooked roast puffin, a seabird which (for a change) tasted like fish, not chicken. Everyone I met was super-friendly and very proud of their heritage. I don’t remember seeing any policemen (apparently there are 700 in the whole country) and the crime rate is so low, they only have 137 prisoners, 4 of whom are women. When I was there, the population was about 245,000 and the band had been booked to play a charity concert, to be broadcast live on the national radio station. Listeners pledged approximately $110,000. I think it says a lot for a band - and a country - where the equivalent of the entire nation donates about 40 cents for a good cause. Evenings were spent drinking Brenavin, a ‘potato moonshine’ (also known as Black Death), in one of the many bars there and, on my last night there, the group decided to throw an Oktoberfest party, so sausages were strung around a room, beer was ordered, Siggi ‘became’ Heidi in another dress and curly, blonde wig and - as always with these guys - much jollity ensued. Björk blew a horn and led the conga line.
I had such a good time, it was a pleasure to take record producer Paul Fox out there a couple of years later. The first thing we did was help look for Einar's brother Arni's horses who'd bolted from their pen having been spooked by some fireworks a couple of days earlier. We drove through the snow-covered countryside for about an hour, 90 minutes maybe, and somehow managed to find them in, corralled in some random farmer's pen. I was amazed. While we were there, a 'Cubes side-project, Konrad B (a variable 10+ piece jazz band consisting of members of the Sugarcubes, Reptile and other local musicians was booked for a concert and Bragi asked if I would like to join the band for the night. The thing about Konrad B is that all the musicians have to play an instrument they don't normally play. They had a euphonium lying about, so, what the hell...why not? That’s how I found myself making my stage debut, in front of approx. 200 Reykjavik locals, sitting next to Björk (clarinet), and across from Siggi (vocals), Magga (accordion), Einar and others. I was asked to take a solo during ‘I’m In The Mood For Love’ on an instrument I’d never touched...so I did. It probably wasn't very good, but one look at the front row showed me exactly why it's so great to be a musician. (For Sugarcubes in Iceland slide-show, click here).
In 2006, when The Sugarcubes reformed to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of their incredible single, ‘Birthday’, I found myself back there watching them play a one-off to a sold-out crowd in a basketball arena. They were just as great as ever.

Björk
Laugardalshöll Arena, Reykjavik, Nov 17 '06

The Sugarcubes - Pt. 2

Björk
Elektra offices, NYC

So Elektra released their debut, 'Life’s Too Good', and I thought I'd try to catch as much of the accompanying tour as possible. Their first show in the US was at the 9.30 Club in Washington, DC where I finally got to see the group in all their glory. Margrét (Magga) Örnólfsdóttir (now a permanent member, having replaced Einar Melax on keyboards) was dating guitarist, Thor. Thor had previously been Björk’s partner and their 2 year old boy, Sindri, (aka ‘Sparky’), was with them on the road. There was no weird vibe...in fact, everyone meshed beautifully, sharing responsibilities and taking care of business professionally and with good humour. It's not usually like that with musicians on tour. There’d often be an unstable one, perhaps a jealous-of-the-singer one, there’d be somebody who cared more about the ‘business’ than the music, a married one (whose spouse resented the band), often one who’d given up a good, paying job and found themselves in a filthy van, eating crap and sleeping on floors. There was none of that here. The ‘Cubes were the most democratic, hard working, down to earth, secure band I’d worked with. They took their artistry very seriously, but not at the expense of their lives outside the band. Hanging out with them was fun and inspirational. The DC show was a solid start to the tour and it was immediately obvious Björk would, one day, become a big star. The next show – July 29th 1988 - was in a decrepit hall in NY’s East Village called The World. It had no air conditioning and the temperature was in the low hundreds. I don’t think the group had ever felt such heat before, but they played their hearts out and later, backstage, made many new friends. A full complement of Elektra staff showed up, from the mail room to the legal department, and all were hugely impressed. Later, the show was pressed up as a bootleg double LP, 'Have An Ice Day'.

drawing of 'The Sugarcubes In Concert'
by Bragi (Konrad Bé) Ólafsson

Boston was next, and I watched the show standing a few feet to the side of Siggi’s drum kit. Now this guy’s a drummer! Not because he chose to wear a fetching white dress with a ton of tulle filling the drum-stool, but because his crisp, meticulous playing and extraordinary technique was a revelation to watch and hear. His playing is a huge factor in the band’s distinctive sound and later, he showed me he could play in four different time signatures simultaneously (using both hands and both feet independently), something not many drummers I ever ran into could do. After the show, we all went to Elektra promo rep Dave Johnson’s house for a party. Mark Cohen, our Deadhead from the mail room and Mary Mancini, an assistant in the a&r dept - and these, days a popular talk radio hostess in the Nashville market (Google and listen to her Liberadio show) - had both made the journey and were happy to watch Einar and Siggi demonstrate ‘Glima’, a form of Icelandic folk-wrestling which, apparently, is best undertaken after many Heinekens. According to Wikipedia, there are four points that differentiate it from regular wrestling:
* The opponents must always stand erect.
* The opponents step clockwise around each other (looks similar to a waltz). This is to create opportunities for offense and defense, and to prevent a stalemate.
* It is not permitted to fall down on your opponent or to push him down in a forceful manner, as it is not considered sportsman-like.
* The opponents are supposed to look across each other's shoulders as much as possible because it is considered proper to wrestle by touch and feel rather than sight.
Ok, that's quite enough of that... The following day, I took the band to my favourite Boston attraction, the Mapparium in the Mary Baker Eddy Library, next to the Christian Science Monitor building. The place is a trip and after we walked across the ‘equator’ and tested the freaky acoustics inside the globe, I returned to NY feeling really happy with our latest signing. I caught them again in San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles. Word was spreading and People Magazine arranged a photo shoot at the Phoenix Hotel in SF where I introduced Björk to SF resident and NoFoSo playlist-mate, Angel Corpus Christi. According to the big map of the United States displayed in their bus, the tour had been christened NAMERIKA ’88 and, for some reason, whenever Duran Duran’s 'Notorious' came on the radio, the whole band would leap to their feet and start frantically spazz-dancing. Elektra’s Peter Philbin took us all out for sushi in Los Angeles, and once again, there was our mail room guy, Mark Cohen! How the hell did he get out here? The tour ended back in New York at the Ritz. Joey Ramone, Richard Butler and Sinead O’Connor came to pay their respects. So did Denis McNamara from WLIR, which, at that time, was the only radio station with a relatively far-reaching signal within a radius of hundreds of miles that played ‘modern’ music. For a slideshow of the Sugarcubes' first US visit and tour, click here...

North Fork Sound Top 20 - October 7th 2012

Hi Sheriffs Of Blue

1. Hi Sheriffs Of Blue: My Big Vacation

2. Graham Parker & The Rumour: Long Emotional Ride

3. Dwight Yoakam: Long Way To Go

4. Jaiman Crunk: She Stepped Away

5. Herschel Brown & His Boys: Corn-Shucking Party In Georgia

6. Freddie King: Hide Away

7. Public Image Ltd: USLS1 (live, NYC, 2010)

8. Bill Ryder-Jones: Intersect

9. Al Green: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

10. Adele: Skyfall

11. Frank Zappa: Watermelon In Easter Hay

12. Barrington Levy: Skylarking (ext. version)

13. Primal Scream: I'm Comin' Down

14. The Faces: Stay With Me

15. B.B. King: Sell My Monkey

16. Sonny Boy Williamson: Bring It On Home

17. The Music Machine: The People In Me

18. Baba Brooks Band: Duck Soup 

19. Shelby Lynne: You're The Man

20. Reverend Organdrum: I Got A Woman

North Fork Sound Alb O' The Week

Various Artists: Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard
Hard Time, Good Time & End Time Music 1923-1936

Last Week's Listener 'Thumbs-Ups'

Billy Ward & The Dominoes: Jennie Lee
Brian Eno: The Big Ship

Danny Thompson

Danny Thompson & John Martyn: Outside In (live)

Gladys Knight & The Pips: Come See About Me
Gordon Terry: It Ain't Right

Iain Matthews

Iain Matthews: Old Man At The Mill
Larry Graham & Graham Central Station: It's Alright
Lou Reed: Doin' The Things That We Want To
Medeski, Martin & Wood: Doppler

 Papa Mali

photo: Daniel Perlaky

Papa Mali: A Man Of Many Words
Patto: You, You Point Your Finger
P.P. Arnold: The First Cut Is The Deepest
Ray Wylie Hubbard: Drunken Poet's Dream

 Sarah McQuaid

photo: Ronald Rietman

Sarah McQuaid: The Sun Goes On Rising
The Sir Douglas Quintet: Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day
The Sir Douglas Quintet: Backwoods Girl 
Sister Sledge: He's The Greatest Dancer
Spielgusher: the flight of gregory corso

The Sugarcubes

w/Ron Delsener and assorted Elektra staffers after the band's NYC debut at the World

The Sugarcubes: Planet

Tim Buckley: Morning Glory

Van Morrison: Educating Archie
Young-Holt Unlimited: Soulful Strut

Radio Radio

This past Thursday, I had lunch with my good friends Bill Levinson, his wife Bonnie and Denis McNamara at The Sitar, an Indian restaurant in Huntington. Until recently, Bill worked at Polygram/Universal combing through their huge vaults and releasing beautifully researched and lovingly annotated boxed sets by The Velvet Underground, James Brown, Rod Stewart, The Sir Douglas Quintet, Cream and Thin Lizzy. Furthermore, fabulous anthologies by JJ Cale, Marianne Faithfull, Elvis Costello, Van Morrison, New York Dolls, Nico, T. Rex and Bob Marley came out under his watchful ears, along with many more. All of the above artists feature in regular rotation here on North Fork Sound. Bill lives for music, and always did right by the artist, so it is sad to see him leave after 28 years there. NoFoSo wishes him all the best in his future endeavors and if they ever call him back to consult on an Eddie & The Hot Rods box set, he knows who he should call, ha!
Denis is well-known for steering WLIR through the 80's and making it such a popular station amongst listeners and musicians. It was probably the first 'alternative' radio station in the US with any kind of meaningful signal and when I worked for CBS in the UK, I used to mail singles by the bands I worked with to LIR, hoping that I'd see them reported as 'imports' in tip-sheets like Walrus. These days, Denis is consulting for an amazing little company company called vTuner, based in Northport on Long Island. vTuner 'organizes' internet radio and tv content, and has developed a method whereby a 'chip' can be incorporated into a radio which can pick up thousands of (pre-chosen) internet stations, via wi-fi. After our lunch, Denis gave me one of these radios, the Noxon iRadio pictured above. After simply plugging it into a wall socket in my kitchen, I've been listening to Radio Caroline, the BBC's 6Music, Mojo Radio, Metro Radio (hi Helen!), Resonance FM, NYC Police Department's radio scanner, Roots Rock Reggae (out of Jamaica), WXPN, and a whole mess of stations from all over the world. You want local radio from Poland? You've got 78 stations to choose from! How about South Korea? 44!! You get all genres of music, and talk, from practically every country in the world. Hopefully, vTuner will sort out a deal soon with the Live365 network, allowing North Fork Sound to be heard without the need for a computer. Many major manufacturers - Bose, Nokia, Denon, Yamaha, Terratec, Philips, Pioneer, for instance - are already incorporating vTuner's technology into their products right now, so say hello to the past, present and future of radio.

Sinéad O'Connor, Einar Örn Benediktsson, Denis McNamara
Sugarcubes' after-party, NYC, 1988

Girls, Girls, Girls...and some new Chris Isaak

Memorial Day Play-list:
Ana - Pixies
Angela - New Math
Angela - The Star Spangles
Angela Jones - Michael Cox
Hey Angelina - Hemmit
Annalisa - Public Image Limited
Miss Anne - Halfbreed
Cycle Annie - The Beachnuts
Annie Mae - John Lee Hooker
Audrey Macy - PT Walkley
Bertha - Los Lobos
Grunge Betty - The Dandy Warhols
Little Bonnie - Drive-By Truckers
Bridget - Mick Hargreaves
Candy Says - The Velvet Underground
Carolina - New Soul Cowboys
Caroline - Kirsty MacColl
Charmaine - Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez
Cherry Oh Baby - Eric Donaldson
Christine - Spooner
Cinderella - Eric 'Monty' Morris
Cindy, Cindy - Elvis Presley
Collette - Billy Fury
Delia's Gone - Johnny Cash
Delilah - Tyrone Taylor
Denise - Chuck Rio –
Desdemona - John's Children
Deseri - The Mothers Of Invention
Donna Lee - Miles Davis
Donna The Prima Donna - Dion
Edna - The Medallions
Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners
Dear Elaine - Roy Wood
Ella Guru - Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
Eloise - Barry Ryan
See Emily Play - Pink Floyd
Ermaline - Zero
Big Leg Emma - The Mothers Of Invention
Evangeline - Mary Gauthier
Francesca - Richard Thompson
Frankie - Mississippi John Hurt
Frankie Lee - Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers
Gabrielle - The Nips
Gardenia - Aubrey Small
Georgia Lee Brown - The Cramps
Geraldine - Ian Dury & The Blockheads
Ginny In The Mirror - Del Shannon
Harriet Can Carry It - Danny Adler
Heidi Is A Headcase - The Ramones
Helen Of Troy - John Cale
Isabella - The Sir Douglas Quintet
Jacqueline - James Hunter
Plain Jane - Eddie Hickey
Janie Jones - The Clash
Jennifer Juniper - Donovan
Jenny Lee - Owen Gray
Jenny Ondioline - Stereolab
Jenny, Take A Ride - Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels
Dear Joanne - Bruce Bruno
Joanni - Kate Bush
Ride On Josephine – Bo Diddley
Judy - Hamell On Trial
Fat Judy - Big John Patton
Hit And Miss Judy - Wreckless Eric
Justine - Don & Dewey
Karen - The Shoes
Karla Faye - Mary Gauthier
Buzz Me Kate - The Wolfmen
Katie Cruel - Karen Dalton
Lana - Roy Orbison
Laura Farina - Ruben Blades
Leslie - Jessie Winchester
Tiger Lily - Luna
Linda - Randy Newman
Liar Linda - Dillinger
Linda Lu - Johnny Kidd & the Pirates
Linda Lu - Ray Sharpe
Dizzy, Miss Lizzy - Larry Williams
Lola - The Kinks
Lorna Banana - Dennis Alacapone & Prince Jazzbo
Lorraine - Buddy Covelle
Lorraine Part 1 - Legend
Lovely Loretta - Gene Vincent
Louise - Ian Gomm
Lucille - B.B. King
Lucy - Shane MacGowan
Luedella - Jimmy Rogers
San Francisco Mabel Joy - Mickey Newbury
Magdalena - Alan Vega
Maggie May - Rod Stewart
Marcella - The Beach Boys
Marian (Version) - Sisters Of Mercy
Marie Marie - The Blasters
Mary Ann - Buddy Guy
Mary Annette - Doug Powell
Mary Lee - Eddy Lawrence
Mary-Anne With The Shaky Hand - The Who
Maybellene - Marty Robbins
U.S. Millie - Theoretical Girls
Skinnie Minnie - Lee Curtis & The All Stars
Good Golly Miss Molly - Little Richard
Mona - NRBQ
Mony Mony - Tommy James & the Shondells
Muriel - Alton & Eddy
Nadine - Juicy Lucy
Nancy - Audience
Natalie - Flashcubes
Nefertiti - Calhoun
Norina - Hotel Lights
Ophelia - The Band
Ophelia - Peter Hammill
Pamela Jean - Survivors
Patricia - Billy May & His Orchestra
Pauline - Steve Almaas
My Pearl - Automatic Man
Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly
Pretty Polly - The Stanley Brothers
Priscilla - The Soft Machine
Little Queenie - Chuck Berry
Little Queenie - The Flamin' Groovies
Ramona - Church Keys
Ramona - The Ramones
Little Ramona (Gone Hillbilly Nuts) - BR5-49
Regina - Sugarcubes
Rene - The Small Faces
Roberta - The Real Kids
Help Me Rhonda - Johnny Rivers
Rosalyn - The Pretty Things
Rose - Mott The Hoople
Roxette - Dr. Feelgood
Hey Ruby, Shut Your Mouth - Ruby & The Party Gang
Sister Ruby's House Of Prayer - Paul Thorn
Sadie Green - Big 'T' Tyler
Sallie Gooden - Eck Robertson
Sally Cinnamon - The Stone Roses
Sally Jo - Rosco Gordon
Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett
Shadazz - Suicide
Shawna - Streetwalkin' Cheetahs
Sheila - Georgia Satellites
Sherry - Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons
Shirley Lou - Seasick Steve
Sookie Sookie - Don Covay & The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band
Susan - MX-80
Susie-Q - Dale Hawkins
Tanya - Plas Johnson
Uma - Arto Lindsay
Ursula In A Waiting Room - Martin Newell
Vanessa - Billy Swan
Venus - Television
Vera - Peter Bruntnell
Veronica - Elvis Costello
Victoria - The Fall
Wanda Lou - Tim Buckley
Wendy - Jesse Malin
Wilhemina - Thunderclap Newman
Willa Mae - Al Casey
Xena - Pinky Tuscadero's Whiteknuckle Assfuck
Xiomara - Irakere
Yolanda - Kid Creole & The Coconuts
Yvonne - Marshall Crenshaw
Beautiful Zelda - Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Zindy Lou - The Chimes

NoFoSo Alb o’ The Week:
Chris Isaak: Mr. Lucky

The Guilty Pleasure:
Chiquitita – Abba

Last Week’s Listener Thumbs-Ups:
Mississippi John Hurt: Frankie
Los Lobos: Bertha
Kursaal Flyers: Little Does She Know
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band: Frying Pan
The English Beat: Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret
Commander Cody: Last Call For Alcohol
The Band: Mystery Train
Otis Redding: I Got To Go Back (And Watch That Little Girl Dance)
Legend: Captain Cool
Richard Thompson: Francesca
The Nips: Gabrielle
Lo-Fidelity Allstars: Battleflag
John Lee Hooker: Annie Mae
Black Joe Lewis: Boogie
Thin Lizzy: Here I Go Again
X: See How We Are
William DeVaughn: Be Thankful For What You Got
The Standells: Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White
LCD Soundsystem: Losing My Edge
Aaron Neville: Tell It Like It Is
Public Image Ltd.: Annalisa
Seal & Jeff Beck: Manic Depression
The Chimes: Zindy Lou
Bell XI: One Stringed Harp
Timebox: Misty
22 Pistepirkko: Rally Of Love
Hawksley Workman: All Of Us Kids
Elliot Easton: (Wearing Down) Like A Wheel
Loudon Wainwright III: School Days
Barrington Levy: Love The Life You Live
Ian Hunter: Once Bitten Twice Shy
McAlmont & Butler: Falling
Tammy Wynette: You’ll Never Walk Alone

North Fork Sound Top 20 - August 23rd 2015

CL

1. Diplo, CL, Riff Raff & OG Maco: Dr. Pepper
2. Widespread Panic: Steven's Cat
3. Herb Alpert: Night Ride
4. Michael Chapman: Stockport Monday (for Tom Rush)
5. Ralph Stanley: Two Coats (feat. Robert Plant)
6. Barrence Whitfield & the Savages: Rock 'n' Roll Baby
7. The Sinceros (RIP Bobby Irwin): I Still Miss You
8. The Flying Burrito Brothers: Honky Tonk
9. Alabama Shakes: Over My Head
10. The Phobics: When You're Dead
11. Stevie Agnew and Hurricane Road: Whiskey
12. Cornell Campbell: The Gorgon (Steppers cut)
13. Irma Thomas: Ruler Of My Heart
14. The Contortions: Bedroom Athlete
15. Lyn Collins: Mama Feelgood
16. Craig Leon: Ich Steh Mit Einem Fuss Im Grabe
17. David Allan Coe: London Homesick Blues
18. Tinsley Ellis: All In The Name Of Love
19. Jimmy Witherspoon: S.K. Blues
20. FFS: Call Girl

North Fork Sound Alb O' The Week

Eddie Cotton: One at a Time

Last Week's Listener 'Thumbs-Ups'
Ashley Monroe: Winning Streak

Josie Jones R.I.P. 

Big Hard Excellent Fish

Big Hard Excellent Fish: Imperfect List
Blind Willie Johnson: John The Revelator
Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions: You've Been Cheatin'
The Flamin' Groovies: Crazy Macy
The Fugs: Marijuana
Gardez Darkx: Bliss

Gary Lucas

photo: Roni Hoffman 

Gary Lucas & Gods and Monsters: Peep Show Bible
Genya Ravan: Flying
Girlschool: Emergency
Gregory Isaacs: Number One

Hundred Waters

Hundred Waters: No Sound (Paul & Zach's Waltz)
The James Hunter Six: Let the Monkey Ride
Jessie Hill: Ooh Poo Pah Doo
John Hulbert: All Night Waitress
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: Born Bad
Juicy Lucy: Nadine

Junior Delgado

photo: Johan Palmgren  

Junior Delgado: Sons of Slaves 12"
Kevin Gordon: GTO
Kirsty MacColl: A New England
Lizzy Mercier Descloux: Hard Boiled Babe
Peter C. Johnson: Horse That Throws You
The Records: See My Friends
Soul II Soul: Back to Life

Starry Eyed And Laughing

Starry Eyed And Laughing: Dancing Slow
The Stooges: Dirt
The Sugarcubes: Hit
Tommy McLain: Before I Grow Too Old
The Upsetters: Sipple Dub 
The White Stripes: China Pig
The Woods: Battleship Chains

promos (CDs/vinyl only, please) to:
North Fork Sound
PO Box 45
New Suffolk
NY, 11956
USA
 

North Fork Sound Top 20 - July 31st 2011

Howard Leshaw

1. Howard Leshaw Quartet: Siempre Lulú
2. Michael Chapman: La Madrugada
3. The Handcuffs: Dirty Glitter
4. Amy Winehouse: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
5. Roy Montrell: (Every Time I Hear That) Mellow Saxophone
6. CockNBullKid: Stop Your Whistling
7. Curley Hamner & Milt Buckner: Bernie's Tune
8. Michael Powers: Bleecker Street Strut
9. Otis Blackwell: Daddy Rolling Stone
10. John Coltrane: Welcome
11. The Psychedelic Furs: Flowers
12. George Jones w/Keith Richards: Burn Your Playhouse Down
13. John Doe w/Jill Sobule: Giant Step Backward
14. Barry Biggs: I'll Be There
15. Grinderman: Worm Tamer
16. Keith Gemmell: Snake On The Lawn
17. Patto: Singing The Blues On Reds
18. Jimmie Dale Gilmore & The Wronglers: Uncle Pen
19. Andy Fairweather Low: Mellow Down
20. Prince: Purple House

North Fork Sound Alb O' The Week

Ry Cooder: Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down

Last Week's Listener Favourites

Al Kooper: If Dogs Run Free
The Blasters: Marie Marie
Buddy Holly: Not Fade Away
Chuck Berry: Got It And Gone
Dave Mason: Only You Know And I Know
The Drive-By Truckers: Carl Perkins' Cadillac
Elvis Presley: Way Down
George Thorogood w/Buddy Guy: Hi-Heel Sneakers
Geraint Watkins: At Last
Gloria Jones: Tainted Love
Hank Williams: Pins And Needles (In My Heart)
Heinz: Just Like Eddie

Imelda May
photo: David Holloway

Imelda May: Sneaky Freak (radio version)
James Brown: It's A Man's Man's Man's World
John Kongos: Tokoloshe Man
Johnny Horton: I'm Coming Home
Mary-Margaret O'Hara: Body's In Trouble
The Pretty Things: Loneliest Person
Roky Erickson & The Aliens: If You Have Ghosts

Ry Cooder

Ry Cooder: Humpty Dumpty World
The Shadows: Apache
The Star Spangles: I Don't Wanna Be Crazy Anymore
The Stooges: Down On The Street
The Streetwalkin Cheetahs: Little Tokyo
The Sugarcubes: Regina
Sugarloaf: Don't Call Us, We'll Call You
Sugar Minott: Rub A Dub Sound
Suicide: Harlem
The Tubes: White Punks On Dope
Warren Zevon: My Shit's Fucked Up

Will Calhoun

Will Calhoun: Movement Celebration
Willie Alexander & The Boom Boom Band: Beat Me To It
Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis: Georgia On My Mind
Zeus: The Confession

North Fork Sound Top 20 - May 11th 2014

Schizo Fun Addict
Jayne Gabriel, Jet Wintzer 

1. Schizo Fun Addict: Suspiria
2. Jim Keller: Walk You Home
3. The Burning of Rome: Melina
4. Jeff Buckley & Gary Lucas: Grace (studio demo)
5. 22 Pistepirkko: Waiting For The Train
6. Geeshie Wiley: Skinny Leg Blues
7. Nico: Valley Of The Kings
8. Queen Esther: Oh Sun
9. Curtis Gordon: Rompin' And Stompin'
10. June Sims: Tell The Whole World
11. Klaus Dinger + Rheinita Bella Dusseldorf: Jag Alskar Dig
12. Amanda Thorpe: Then I'll Be Tired Of You
13. Go-Kart Mozart: Electric Rock & Roll
14. The Aggrovators: Dub To The Rescue
15. Valerie June: Happy Or Lonesome
16. Dune Local: Dirty Little Cheater
17. The Mojos: Everything's Alright
18. Bettina Jonic: It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
19. Graham Parker: Bricks And Mortar
20. T.G. Sheppard: Tryin' to Beat the Morning Home

North Fork Sound Alb O' The Week

Candi Staton: Life Happens

Last Week's Listener 'Thumbs-Ups'
Bees Make Honey: Kentucky Chicken Fry
Big Joe Turner: Honey Hush
The Coward Brothers: The People's Limousine
Craig Leon: She Wears A Hemispherical Skull Cap

Dex Romweber Duo

Dex Romweber Duo: Midnight Sun
The Fugs: A Poem By Charles Bukowski
The Georgia Satellites: Hand To Mouth
Hamell On Trial: Global Tattoo
Howard Werth: False Prophets
Howlin' Wolf: Built For Comfort 

James King

James King: Sunday Morning Christian
Joey DeFrancesco: Love Letters
Klaus Dinger & Rheinita Bella Dusseldorf: Jag Alskar Dig
Martin Rev: Reading My Mind 
Matteah Baim: All Night
Mickey Newbury: The Future's Not What It Used To Be
Mott The Hoople: All The Young Dudes (live, 11/14)

Nick Lowe

Nick Lowe: Keep It Out Of Sight
The Nips: Gabrielle 
Ornette Coleman & Bashir Attar: Jnuin
Otis Clay: Baby Jane
The Paragons: The Version Is High
Patto: Sittin' Back Easy
Penguin Cafe: Catania

R. Dean Taylor

R. Dean Taylor: Gotta See Jane
The Revelations: I've Got To Use My Imagination
Sandy Denny: Who Knows Where The Time Goes (John Peel session)
The Sugarcubes: Blue-Eyed Pop (S1000 mix) 

Tappa Zukie

Tappa Zukie: Don't Get Crazy 
Tommi Eckart: Casino (Solid State remix)
Tykwer, Klimek & Heil: Running One
Van Der Graaf Generator: Man-Erg

Villagers

Villagers: Occupy Your Mind
Waylon Jennings: My Baby Walks All Over Me
XPTs: Grass

North Fork Sound Top 20 - October 17th 2010

Eric Clapton

1. Eric Clapton: Autumn Leaves
2. Marc Vormawah & The L8 Connection: Maybe I
3. Toots & The Maytals: Hope That We Can Be Together Soon
4. Dirk Hamilton: Billboard On The Moon
5. Genya Ravan: I Who Have Nothing
6. Dungen: Barnen Undrar
7. Caitlin Rose: Things Change
8. Dennis Wilson: What's Wrong
9. Ronnie Wood: Thing About You
10. Sandie Shaw: Girl Don't Come
11. Big Suga: L.I. Sailor
12. Vanessa Paradis: Joe Le Taxi
13. The West Saugerties Ale & Quail Club: Grizzly Bear
14. The Smoke Fairies: When You Grow Old
15. The Kursaal Flyers: Hit Records
16. Lemmy: Orgasmatron (spoken word version)
17. Smokey Joe w/The Clyde Leoppard Band: Signifying Monkey
18. The Stone Roses: Fools Gold (ext. version)
19. Jimmy & Johnny: Can't Find The Doorknob
20. The Motors: Love And Loneliness

North Fork Sound Alb O' The Week

KORT: Invariable Heartache

North Fork Sound Legend Of The Month
Dion

Last Week's Listener Favourites

Natalie Merchant
photo: Tom Sheehan

10,000 Maniacs: Gun Shy
Addie Brik: I Get Home
Altai-Hangai: Hangain Magtaal (Praise Song For The Hangai Mountains)
Amadou & Mariam: Mon Amour, Ma Cherie
Bobby Darin: Mack The Knife
Bonnie Raitt: Love Has No Pride
Die Antwoord: Evil Boy
Dion: Ruby Baby
Dion: (I Was) Born To Cry
Dungen: Högdalstoppen
Eddie Cochran: Milk Cow Blues
Family: Burlesque
George Jones: The Race Is On
The Impressions: People Get Ready
The Inmates: Jealousy
The Jim Jones Revue: High Horse
Jimmie Vaughan: Love The World
The Jolly Boys feat. Albert Minott: Rehab

Ian Kimmet (Jook)
Bearsville Studios, NY
photo: ht

Jook: Aggravation Place
Kirsty MacColl: Maybe It's Imaginary
Kitty Wells: It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
Kort: Eyes Look Away
The Little Darlings: Little Bit O' Soul
Lo-Fidelity Allstars feat. Pigeonhead: Battleflag
Los Straightjackets: Lurking In The Shadows
Miles Davis/Cannonball Adderley: Love For Sale
Odetta & Dr. John w/John Campbell): Brother, Can You Spare A Dime
The Ramones: The Return Of Jackie And Judy
The Roller Coasters: Rimshot Pt. 1
Ronnie Wood: 100%
Rootz Underground: Power To The People
Rosie Flores: It's Over
Roy Orbison: Running Scared
The Secret Sisters: Big River

Smashed Gladys
w/Larry Braverman, ht, Hale Milgrim & Brad Hunt
The Kat Club, NYC
photo: Gary Gershon

Smashed Gladys: Legs Up
Solomon Burke: You're The Kind Of Trouble
Solomon Burke: I Got The Blues
Solomon Burke: Cry To Me
The Sugarcubes: Regina

I now have a show - 'PURE' - on a GREAT radio station - WPKN, Bridgeport, CT.
Find the station and archived shows here: www.wpkn.org or tune in to listen "live" at WPKN 89.5 fm
SEND PROMOS - cds or vinyl ONLY, to Box 45, New Suffolk, NY, 11956
Next show: filling in for Terry Hopper Tuesday, October 12th, 3-6pm.
Otherwise, every second Friday of the month, 12-3pm