Before it's too late ...

And here is Volume 2 of The Psychedelic Soul of South Korea from our Anywhere Else But Here Today project. This special selection of stunningly beautiful sounds from the South Korea of the late '60s and into the '70s was put together for us by PC who compiled the very popular and very wonderful Bollywood mixtape for us. In this mix PC delves deeper into the works of Shin Jung Hyun and the various recordings he has been involved with. It really is a set not to be missed. The next stop on our travels will be briefly Iran which we will mixing in with selections from Scandinavia (and speaking of which, if you are as taken with The Tages as we are then track down their amazing Studio LP by hook or by crook). If you've not yet caught up with the Finders Keepers compilation, Pomegranates, which gathers together some glorious examples of old Persian pop, funk, folk and psych from the '60s and '70s, then treat yourself.

Living Room

A lot of rubbish has been and will be written about Creation Records. I've seen film clips and read books and thought: "You're having a laugh ..." You want to put the record straight but there is the danger of coming across as bitter and twisted. And what is the truth anyway? Nevertheless the music speaks for itself. And this performance by the Jasmine Minks, in the Living Room, upstairs at the Roebuck on the Tottenham Court Road one Saturday evening in the summer of 1984 captures a moment perfectly. Thanks to Ally at 'Dusty C90s' for the prompt, to Adam, Jim, Martin, Tom for the inspiration, and to the good friends who were there on this occasion and many others dancing the night away. And let's not talk about the Jasmines in the past tense. A great EP is available on Oatcake Records "dedicated to the memory of two guys very important in the Minks, sadly with us no more. All proceeds from this sale will go to the MacMillan Cancer Support charity." Amen.

My Heart ...

There is a mixtape called The Psychedelic Soul of South Korea Vol. 1 available over at our Anywhere Else But Here Today project. It is very much a beginner's guide to some of the extraordinary music made in South Korea at the end of the 1960s and into the 1970s. That is, as in put together by a beginner. I would make no claims about knowing much about the music scene there, so this is simply a collection of the remarkable tracks that have made me fall in love with the power and beauty of pop music all over again. I have to thank our good friend PC (who put together our fantastic Bollywood mix) for starting this off by including a few South Korean tracks on an East Asian compilation he had made. I thought these songs were absolutely amazing, with weird illogical echoes of things I knew and loved like Francoise Hardy and the Blue Orchids. One track in particular, by Shin Jung Hyun & the Donkeys, PC described as the best thing he'd ever heard. He has a point. A 16-minute beauty that you suspect was invented in the fervent pastures of Julian Cope's imagination. It's incredible, leaving you hungry for more. And as you search around you realise there are plenty of people who know much more about these things. So if you are looking for a bit of context, this article on Shin Jung Hyun is a good place to start. You will find most roads lead back to him. Ordinarily I would shy away from using the term psychedelic as it's ridiculously overused, but the artists themselves do seem to have adopted it. So, immerse yourselves in some music of astonishing beauty. Volume two will be with you soon ...

The Soul of England

One of the few delights of the modern world is being able to fish around on YouTube and enjoy the treasures shared by people who have taken the time and trouble to share their loves. Combining the search for London related songs with a passion for old ska, rocksteady and reggae tunes I often came across the name of OldWah, a gentleman and a scholar who has posted many ridiculously rare and wonderful old reggae recordings. Well, I'm delighted to say he has put together a lovely mix for The London Nobody Sings of skinhead era sounds with a Capital conection. So time for a knees-up 1969-style ...

A day to remember ...

30 years ago Vic Godard and Subway Sect played two shows at the Music Machine, supporting Siouxsie and the Banshees. They would play what became known as the legendary Northern Soul set, featuring just one song from the imminent LP What's The Matter Boy? Those shows have become part of pop mythology for all sorts of reasons, not least the links to the Postcard Records of Scotland story. Treasured tapes of one of the shows have been in circulation down the years. Now, a recording of one of the performances has been made available in our library, complete with cut-outs and glitches. That, after all, is the way it's been listened to. There is, also, a special 'commemorative' edition of Your Heart Out, called A Day To Remember, available to download for free ...