Finishing up the week of Session Specials with T. Rex and Marc Bolan recorded live in session at The BBC on August 3, 1971 for the Bob Harris Show.

T Rex started from rather psych-folkish beginnings but quickly morphed into one of the premier Glam bands in the early 1970's. No one on the planet had a voice quite like Marc Bolan's - it was completely distinctive and you either loved it or hated it. And maybe for that reason T Rex didn't achieve the enormous popularity in the States that they did in the UK and throughout Europe and Japan. Although a staple in the diet of most FM stations at the time, with a string of hits of which Jeepster (the second track on tonight's lineup) was one, Bolan wasn't taken all that seriously over here. Being relegated to Teeny-Bop status, which was something of a false pigeonhole.

Tonight's track lineup goes like this:

T-Rex at The BBC - Recorded August 3, 1971
1. Cadillac
2. Jeepster
3. Life's A Gas

T Rex didn't last all that long, as band's go. The Glam movement came and went within a few years and Bolan was somewhat left behind and his career was dwindling. His tragic early death as the result of a car accident in 1977 at the age of 29 robbed the musical world of a great and innovative talent. What he might have gone on to do is anyone's guess. Whatever it would have been it would most definitely have been unconventional - that was a given.

But we'll just never know.

Hopefully we'll do more sessions in the coming weeks. Of course, that all depends on if you can chip in to keep Newstalgia afloat. That would be more than appreciated.

Technical difficulties delayed getting this post out until this morning - but, better late than never - G.S.

The Move were by far more of a force in the UK than they were here in the States. They certainly had more than their fair share of great singles and they did get considerable support from their U.S. label (A&M). But for whatever reason, the audience in the U.S. didn't take them to heart the way they did on their home turf. Our loss at the time, which was more than made up for when The Move eventually morphed into ELO. But that's a whole other story.

Here are four tracks from a series of sessions they did for various programs at The BBC during the 1967-1968 period. Two of the tracks may sound familiar (Flowers In The Rain - Blackberry Way) as these are live versions of songs released as singles.

Here's the rundown:

1. Flowers In The Rain
2. Useless Information
3. Blackberry Way
4. It'll Be Me

A great band who are fortunately being discovered by whole new waves of fans who missed them the first time around, and reacquainted with the ones who "seem to remember hearing something" but didn't realize who they were the first time around.

Who says Rock n' Roll isn't forever?

Newstalgia may not be . . . . .

Probably one of the most influential and star-studded bands of the 1960's no doubt would have to be The Yardbirds. Aside from British Blues legends like John Mayall who hosted a virtual who's who in the British Blues movement, The Yardbirds were proving grounds for some of the greatest guitarists in Rock. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page at one time or another were in The Yardbirds - in the case of Beck and Page, both were in the band together for a brief time, even though Page was enlisted to take over Bass guitar duties after the departure of original bassist Paul Samwell-Smith.

They did several sessions for the BBC, from the period 1964-1966, and tonight's session comes from the February - May 1966 period, with the session in May being the last to feature both Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page sharing lead guitar duties. Beck would leave shortly after to form The Jeff Beck Group and enter another chapter with another star-studded band.

Tonight's set consists of three songs which were featured on the Saturday Club series.

The Yardbirds – at the BBC
1. Shapes of Things (rec. 2/66)
2. The Sun is Shining (rec. 5/66)
3. Over Under Sideways Down (rec. 5/66)

I don't have to tell you, but I will anyway - play loud.

And while you're doing that . . .please consider chipping in a few cents to keep Newstalgia afloat.

A couple of weeks ago I made mention of how the live session thing on radio was a tradition and an ongoing one that is especially popular in Europe. I also promised to give some examples. But it completely skipped my mind until I was reminded earlier today of a good one with Ben Harper performing live with an acoustic set on Oui-FM Radio in Paris this May 12th.

So with no excuses, here is a live acoustic set by Ben Harper that lasts a little under an hour, complete with interview (he's in English and the interviewer is mostly French) exactly as the rest of Paris heard it a little over a week ago. Now you get to hear it too.

Continuing in familiar territory tonight. This session, done for the Andy Ferris BBC show, was recorded on March 25, 1970 and features only one track this time - A Bowie rendition of Waiting For The Man (which is purported to be radically different from another session version of this track).

David Bowie, just before his dramatic shift to glam, doing a song popularized by The Velvet Underground only a few years earlier.

Enjoy.

Hitting very familiar territory with The Kinks tonight, starting with their first major worldwide hit, You Really Got Me recorded at their first session for the BBC in 1964.

Unlike many of the artists I've featured on this series of groups in session, The Kinks have always had a huge popularity worldwide - even though there were peaks and valleys during their career, The Kinks have always been recognized as one of the premier bands in British Pop music, and the songwriting of Ray Davies as one of it's foremost contributions.

So this batch of songs, spanning sessions The Kinks did at The BBC from 1964-1969 begins with You Really Got Me, quickly followed by Cadillac, the classic Waterloo Sunset and ending up with Did You See His Name.

A five year mini-retrospective from one of the truly legendary bands of the past forty years.

If you don't mind - it's really needed.

Buzzcocks tonight, from their series of sessions done at BBC Radio 1 for John Peel between 1978 and 1979. Although there was no doubt about their being knee-deep in the Punk movement, their music could have passed for Pop in some circles - maybe because Pete Shelley was a great songwriter and like everything during that time, defied being pigeonholed.

Here are three tracks they cut as a sampling if you're not familiar with them. If you are, then you can Pogo along with them.

Not that you have to or anything . . . . .

Produced by Bob Sargeant
Recorded live Oct 18, 1978 in the BBC Radio 1 studio
1. Everybody's Happy Nowadays
Produced by Tony Wilson
Recorded live May 21, 1979 in the BBC Radio 1 studio
2. I Don't Know What To Do With My Life
3. Hollow Inside

But it would be nice if you tossed a few pennies in here and there.

Years before they became synonymous with burning incense and on the record shelf of every self-proclaimed Flower Child, The Moody Blues were part of that British Invasion of the 1964-1965 period which borrowed heavily from Motown and the Soul genre of Urban America. Their first huge hit, the one that established The Moody Blues on a worldwide basis was the Larry Banks penned Soul classic Go Now, which was a moderate hit for Bessie Banks in 1964, but with The Moodies it was pure gold.

The version of Go Now which we're playing tonight was recorded live for the BBC program Saturday Club on April 17, 1965. I don't believe it's been available commercially anywhere so quite possibly you get to hear it here first (aside from hardcore collectors).

Enjoy and don't forget to consider making a donation, as many of you have the past few days and it is greatly and deeply appreciated.

Continuing our Groups In Session series, here are The Smiths, recorded at the BBC for John Peel on August 9, 1984, featuring the 80's anthem "How Soon Is Now?" kicking off the set.

The Smiths – John Peel Sessions – August 9, 1984
1. How Soon Is Now
2. Nowhere Fast
3. Rusholme Ruffians
4. William, It Was Really Nothing

One of the more lyrically and musically interesting bands to come out of the 80's, The Smiths went through a number of changes during a short period of time before lead singer Morrissey struck out on his own and established a long-running (still going strong) solo career.

Here they are just about at their peak and in exquisite form.

Get ready for Monday.

Oh and . . . .if you like this and want to help keep it going . . .

Most people think of Dexys Midnight Runners and immediately recall their massive hit in the 80's "Come On Eileen". So huge, it's still played on oldies stations almost daily.

But they were/are a lot more than that. Still together, although the only remaining original member of the band is lead singer Kevin Rowland, Dexys came along at a time when the urgency of Punk was wearing off and New Wave hadn't quite fully materialized. So a band with roots in the Northern Soul scene in the UK offered something different, and in their case fresh.

That they were really only known in the U.S. for their hit single, and subsequently often thought of as a one-hit wonder, they were very popular in the UK and throughout Europe in the 80's. And this session, which they cut for the legendary John Peel at the BBC, gives ample testimony to what a high-energy aggregation they were.

Recorded on February 26, 1980 there were four numbers recorded:

1. Bringing Down The Walls Of Heartache
2. Geno
3. Horse
4. (Tell Me When) My Light Turns Green

High energy and a great set from an under-appreciated band. Side note: the last track ends rather quickly and fades out. Tape break is the culprit.