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You’ve probably heard Newton Faulkner do his guitar-tappy thing before, but you should definitely watch this. Legend has it he only had half an hour or so before the show to work out how to play it. 

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My favourite part:

“Yeah I’ve got like a kind of bass drummy thing there, and a thing there, and a thing there. I’ve got like a scratchy thing as well, so err what can you do?”

…*plays like a genius*

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In case your knowledge of mid 80s - mid 90s Australian comedy isn’t quite up to scratch, you might be interested to know what Good News Week host, Paul McDermott used to do. Here is your answer:

Love it.

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KS

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It can be hard to find happy songs that aren’t trite or just about partyvibezzz (snore). ‘Never Let You Down’ is a lovely little song—it’s guitar pop, and it’s just, well, nice.

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Produced by Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne, the album ‘Never Let You Down’ is taken from, Underneath, is good clean, pop fun. 

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I tried to find a nice live video of the band playing the song, but it looks like they’re in an empty room, which is a bit too sad for such a cheerful song. So click if you like, otherwise enjoy the above.

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KS

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Two things I love about this video:

1. The go-go dancing
2. The set shaking during the go-go dancing

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According to the “huge Byrds fan” that put this video on YouTube this is from the band’s 2nd ever TV performance—live vocals, to the original backing track.

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This has always been one of my favourite Byrds songs, though I first heard Tom Petty’s version (which actually sounds pretty similar…). Genuinely one of my favourite moments of 2011 was lying in a hammock in the garden with the Summery, jangly guitars on The Essential - Byrds ringing out in the sunshine.

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To just see this song as happy 60s pop is to slightly miss the lyrical content of the song though—that “probably” is killer! It’s not just a simple, ‘I don’t want to be with you anymore’ song, it’s all about the confusion of not being quite sure of what you want.

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“There was always something to unravel in those songs, the non-explanation of the complex feeling. For instance, if you remember I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better, it doesn’t say: “I’ll feel a whole lot better”, but “I’ll probably feel a whole lot better.” For me, that makes the song. There’s a statement followed by a hesitation.”

- Jim Dickson (The Byrds’ manager), in The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited by Johnny Rogan

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I reckon all the best songs hit you on two levels—drawing you in with something that feels good, and then getting a bit dark and twisty underneath it all (ever heard ‘Grapevine Fires’ by Death Cab For Cutie? I never even thought about the lyrics until I watched this video and felt like I’d been punched in the gut…).

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Anyway. A great pop song, deceptively complex at a lyrical level, and a catchy standard of pub-rock bands everywhere. The Coral’s cover isn’t bad either. And if the slightly muffled sound of the black and white, live video isn’t really cutting it for you, here’s the studio version of The Byrds’ original.

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KS

Ballyshannon bluesman, folk hero, rock legend, celtic warrior, virtuoso, gentleman…today, on what would have been his 64^th birthday we remember the very wonderful Rory Gallagher.

Rory cut through the glut of bravado and preposterous egos of rock and blues pretenders of the day with a sound, a swagger and the presence of one of the truest and finest rock bluesman of a generation.

Rory simply did it better than any of them.  Unanimously respected and admired by his peers and fans, his legacy has left an indelible mark on the world of music with Brian May, Slash, Edge, Gary Moore, Johnny Marr and countless others citing Rory and his music as having a very profound effect.

Sadly gone too soon and greatly missed, today we will be celebrating all things Rory!

If you’re not already a believer…you should be! This guy was awesome!  And this video is just one of a million reasons why. If you’ve not heard a live Rory track, you’ve not heard Rory.

Rory Gallagher YouTube Channel

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LM