Hot Tuna 'Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning'

Hot Tuna 'Keep Your Lamps Trimmed And Burning'

Jefferson Airplane members Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonnen come correct on this live recording from 1971, ably backed by the fiddling maestro Papa John Creach. The message is a good metaphor for life really, and on a Monday morning, with the excesses of the weekend still a glow of embers in the pit of the stomach, this reviving slice of hoe-down, country blues is just what the doctor ordered.

Jan Akkerman & Kaz Lux 'Can't Fake A Good Time'

Jan Akkerman & Kaz Lux 'Can't Fake A Good Time'

Dutch guitarist Jan Hammer cuts loose with some funked-up licks, backed by former band mate Kaz Lux from the days of Focus. The soul mumbling is totally incomprehensible to these ears, but enjoyable nonetheless. Hammer released his first record at the age of 14 and was voted 'world's best guitarist' by readers of Melody Maker in 1973. Good cruising music for the motor, just watch out that the impulse to unleash your air guitar doesn't end on a bad note.

Trilogy 'I'm Beginning To Feel It'

Trilogy 'I'm Beginning To Feel It'


Picked up this little doozy of a seven inch in San Francisco a while back. Not much info on the band, but they made an album that seemingly faded into total obscurity soon after release. This is an uplifting number with excellent lyrics and a loping guitar phrase that have you yearning for more, especially when the song steps up a gear in the final moments just before fading out. "In a little while we will discover little ways to help each other face the day." Indeed.

Music Machine 'Come On In'

Music Machine 'Come On In'

Apparently Jim Morrison watched this one-gloved garage outfit intently during their shows in downtown L.A. during 1966. Music Machine were classed as a one hit/no hit garage band but this cheeky B-side to their only hit 'Talk Talk' (a raging proto-punk belter) shows a depth of songwriting and musicianship not reached by most Nuggets-era tomfoolerers. "Now's the time to break your leash and show the world your apron strings have come untied." A call to arms for girls all over the world to embrace the hedonism of the era.

Joe Walsh 'County Fair' (Mindless Boogie edit)

Joe Walsh 'County Fair' (Mindless Boogie edit)

A first for the Danceflawed blog in that this is, shock horror, an EDIT of an original record. Not a habit to be encouraged too readily, but this is a corker from a few years ago on the mostly very excellent Mindless Boogie re-edit series. Joe Walsh's own habits were many, including hot-wiring his guitar to get that trademark 'attack' sound. He also took a barrow-load of drugs and drunk the equivalent of the Llangollen reservoir in bourbon. He was the epitome of the consumptive rock god and his career went into decline for a bit after joining The Eagles. He's back on it now though, twisting old melons with licks of liquid metal.

Donovan 'Get Thy Bearings'

Donovan 'Get Thy Bearings'

All about the tough drum break on this one - a bit of a departure from Donovan's usual repartie of softly contoured and sickly sweet musings about garden gnomes, hanging out the washing on a cloud of bumblebees and what not. For those that share the enthusiasm for this beat, a replica 60s studio soul band called The Sand Dollars recently did an edgy instrumental cover of this song.

Procol Harum 'Gates Of Cerdes'

Procol Harum 'Gates Of Cerdes'

Best known for their Hammond stroking mega-ballad 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' this 1960s rock outfit from London produced an album of strikingly vivid, lysergic songs that have really stood the test of time. 'Gates Of Cerdes' is the cornerstone of this debut album and unlocks a world populated by the most extraordinary creatures. A much more in-depth assimilation of this track can be found here. The name of the band supposedly means 'beyond that which is' or words to that effect and was named after a Burmese cat belonging to a friend of front man Keith Reid. The mysterious identity of the owner has been quoted as one of the great unsolved mysteries of rock 'n roll, though rumour has it he might be living in a van in the middle of a wood in Wales according to Ian Marchant in his excellent book 'The Longest Crawl'. Click here for more mystery.