A couple of weeks ago my best chum described me as a “Paul McCartney aficionado”, which is certainly not something I would say was true at all.  I do think he used to look like my mum, but I don’t think that counts and my mum probably wouldn’t be chuffed (although if I was told I looked like someone handsome enough to trap off with the young Jane Asher I’d probably be delighted).  I am, however, one of those few people whose answer to the query of favourite Beatle would be answered with positive messages for the unidexter-divorcing vegetarian former mullet-sporter.  Whilst I could never for a moment defend the sheer horror of the likes of Ebony & Ivory, That Fecking Frog Song With Ruperb The Bear In The Videoor even the ineffective hey-let’s-all-be-nice-to-one-another-man anti-war lamery of Pipes of Peace, McCartney seems to be largely overshadowed by the beautiful corpse of his probably-an-awful-twat-in-real-life mate and his over-bearing political conscience.  Yeah, stay in bed for peace, John, that’ll work.  Thanks for that.  You’ve been a massive help.

However, rather than getting into a mud-slinging contest about who has the bigger metaphorical cock, we’ll simply press on and say that discovering the existence of a collective revisit of Paul & Linda McCartney’s 1971 album Ram by 21st century artists piqued my interest somewhat.  Said compilation was put together by Los Angeles blogger Justin Gage whose superb site Aquarium Drunkard is a regular interweb haunt of mine and whose scribing in the name of eclectic musical wonderment has spawned not only a weekly 2 hour radio show on two satellite networks in the US but also a series of compilation releases, recorded live sessions and the Autumn Tone Records label.  I guess from small acorns and all that…

Last year, Gage set out to put together a record which demonstrated the varied range of sounds that current artists from his hometown were recording, though wanted to set a theme for them all to work to.  The result was RAM On LA – a full album of cover versions of songs from McCartney’s original – featuring the likes of Autumn Tone artists Frankel  and Le Switch along with other acts such as The Parson Redheads, Earlimart and Travel By Sea to name but a few.  The results are well worth some attention and can be downloaded for nowt from here if you’re a skinflint, though you are politely encouraged to make a donation to No More Landmines (whose cause would, I imagine, need no explanation) when downloading the whole compilation.

This year, Aquarium Drunkard have followed this up with L’Aventure – a revisit to the tracks of Television‘s second album Adventure.  Again the contributing artists are all based in LA, with Gage choosing the album because it is “A post-punk landmark” going on to say that “Television’s debut, Marquee Moon, tends to garner most of the adulation. It’s follow-up, Adventure, is now a classic album in its own right that seems to regularly get lost on the mix. In short, it is time for a reevaluation—perhaps this is the beginning of that conversation.”

Well, Marquee Moon probably does garner greater acclaim, but to be fair that is because it’s better – the greatest debut album of all time so says I – but a chance to have a fresh look that the further Adventures of the band should certainly be grabbed with both hands.

L’Aventure can be downloaded from here, with this year’s optional charitable cause being the Silverlake Conservatory of Music.  The album features bands such as Dirt Dress, The Happy Hollows and Leeds Festival-bound Local Natives.

Anyway, courtesy of this lovely Soundcloud player you can listen to the show again for a limited period (probably about the length of time it would take to tie enough loose pubic hairs together to make a Pete Sampras wig).  Sadly due to copyright and such blah the show cannot be made available as a downloadable file.

Selection Box Show 144 by PatrickSelection_Box

Selection Box Show 144

Transmitted 9/8/2010
1.  The Go! Team – Bottle Rocket
from: Thunder, Lightning, A Strike

2.  Gene Criss – I Don’t Know
from: Stomper Time 7 (various artists)

3.  Melanie & The Edwin Hawkins Singers – Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)
from: The Best of Melanie

4.  The Knife in collaboration with MT Sims and Planning To Rock – Colouring Of Pigeons
from: Tomorrow, In A Year

5.  Bela Lakatos – O Bijav
from: The Rough Guide To The Music of Hungarian Gypsies (various artists)

6.  Focus Three – 10,000 Years Behind My Mind
from: The Mojo Psychedelic Box – Acid Drops, Space Dust, Flying Saucers: British Psychedelic Confectionary from the UK Underground 1965 – 1969 (various artists)

7.  Pulp – Acrylic Afternoons
from: His & Hers

8.  Al Casey / K-C-Ettes – Guitar, Guitar, Guitar
from: Girls With Guitars (various artists)

9.  Cherry Ghost – Barberini Square
from: Beneath This Burning Shoreline

10.  Cherokee Ramblers with Bill Gatin & His Jug – My Little Girl
from: http://westernswing78.blogspot.com/

11.  Keith – 98.6
from: The Adventures of Keith

12.  Grinderman – Heathen Child
from: Here Come The Wolfman

Patrick Thornton presents Selection Box every Monday at midnight.