Toadcast #80 – The Jailcast
When we were out in Italy on our holidays Mrs. Toad and I had very few CDs with us but one of them was an Uncut compilation of prison blues and murder ballads which, amazingly, given the very promising subject matter, really wasn’t very good. In fact, it was rotten, so I’ve made a podcast based on the self same concept, but with what I personally think are vastly better songs.
Most obviously, to my mind, there were very few contemporary songs in there, and I thought that was a little weird. Now, I actually think that the level of political commentary in popular music is just a little weak at the moment, but there are nevertheless some amazingly good prison and criminal justice-related songs to be had, and certainly some exceptional murder ballads, although I must confess that the most recent bit of genuine social commentary here pre-dates the 1990s by a couple of years. There was probably more recent material I could have used, it just didn’t spring to mind at the time I’m afraid.
So here we have the Jailcast, complete with some largely incoherent ranting about politics and my own stupid fucking jail story which Mr.s Toad takes such delight in sniggering about at every available opportunity, the bitch. It’s not that exciting, really it isn’t.
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01. Tom Waits – Jockey Full of Bourbon (02.05)
02. Willard Grant Conspiracy – Drunkard’s Prayer (08.37)
03. Pulp – Down by the River (16.14)
04. Bob Dylan & the Rolling Thunder Revue – The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (Live, 1975) (19.42)
05. The Pogues – Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six (31.36)
06. Bruce Springsteen – Vigilante Man (Woody Guthrie Cover) (39.33)
07. The Radiators – Prison Bars (43.34)
08. Enfant Bastard – Compilation Tapes (50.10)
09. Nightjar – The Hanging Tree (55.30)
10. Pete Wylie – Stay Free (Clash Cover) (60.49)
Wot, no Johnny Cash, or was that just too obvious?
Did I not mention Folsom Prison Blues? Whoops – that was the whole reason I recorded this podcast in the first place.
the first thing i thought of was Johnny Cash… never mind!
No Merle Haggard and ‘Mama Tried’…sacrilege!
To be fair, I haven’t played the podcast yet – I will do! – but I thought you’d play it some!
Ed
(www.17seconds.co.uk – now finally working!)
Great story to lead into Drunkard’s Prayer. Sound like something you’d see on ‘cops’.
‘Waiting Around to Die’ by Townes Van Zandt would have fit well on this cast.
Hang on Jailcast and No Johnny Cash…..we’ve been short changed Booooo
Fuck off Cogstar. Toads have feelings too y’know.
great big slimy feelings, i’m sure.
oh wait, that sounds just so wrong… scratch that comment!
Great podcast, you do mention Johnny Cash and a lot of very relevant political commentary. Just wonder regarding the social commentary bit of songs; although physical releases take forever to get out these days (and don’t I know it!) in this age of the internet, and mp3s, is it not easier? latest issue of the List reckons hte age of polityical apathy is over, I hope so, and if the Tories get in at the next election, it will bloody flourish!
Oh, and have to say, I thought your jail story was very funny. Not because of you ending up in jail, but because I could point out to my darling Mrs. 17 Seconds that at least i haven’t done that (yet!)
Sending round a box of worms, slugs and a variety of insects this afternoon to assist toad feeling healing.
Ed….Akira The Don released a free mp3 track B.N.P. D.O.A the day after the Euro election debacle. I think a lot of the social commentary in UK music is happening in the spoken word, Uk rap and mix circles. (that was a tricky box to create).
I absolutely adore that Nightjar track.
Nightjar album is fantastic, one of my very favourite things Matthew has put out. Along with the Meursault album, obviously.
Will try abd track down that Akira the Don track, Cogstar, think you’re almost certainly right about it happening in those circles. Sixteen years ago, when the BNP won their first council seat in Tower Hamlets, Apache Indian released a track called Movin’ On (Special)’ which was his response to that.
Yeah, I’d forgotten the ‘instant mp3′ possibility, but that seems to have happened more to mock Christian Bale and stuff like that than anything else. Has there been much political stuff done in that way? I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.
really enjoyed this mate. I like the fact Nick Cave and Johnny Cash aren’t here. I think there are some great choices, the Pulp song is a peach and also Drunkards Prayer is totally new to me. A great find.
Thanks Sean. The Willard Grant Conspiracy have been one of my favourite bands for a few years now. That whole album is a work of genius.