Five Hungry Joes – A pictorial archive of the Trashcan Sinatras. Legendary Scottish Band

That’s how I’d describe Eddi Reader’s ‘Live In Japan’ album.

Recorded at Billboard Live shows, Japan in September of 2009, this CD covers a wide selection of her career highs, from Fairground Attraction’s, ‘Perfect’, all the way to the recent Love is the Way. It’s a great album with stunning and haunting vocals and the crowd participation is worth the purchase fee alone. In fact, the album closes with a Japanese children’s song, Usagi, sung a cappella with the audience.

Eddi is joined by regular band members Roy Dodds, Boo Hewerdine, Alan Kelly, Kevin McGuire and I have it on good authority that the Trashcans John Douglas is ‘all over it’.

Magical!

2010 Eddi Reader ERCD01

…was released by Eddi Reader in 2006 and included a couple of songs written by John Douglas – namely ‘Prisons’ and ‘Should I Pray?’

Both these songs as you know appear on the TCS’ most recent long player ‘In The Music’.

‘Prisons’ is a simple, stripped down duet with John and Eddi swapping harmonies throughout and I think it’s just magic, whilst ‘Should I Pray’ takes on a different dimension with female lead vocals as opposed to TCS’ later version.

Another song covered by Eddi on this album is ‘The Afton’, written by Johnny Dillon from Heirloom – a band who were at one time graced with the talents of Mr John Douglas and Mr Livingston.

2006 Rough Trade Records Ltd RTRADCD233

Eddi Reader’s ‘Medicine’ was the first single released from her third album, ‘Candyfloss And Medicine’ – a gentle musical ebb and hypnotical lyrical flow typical of her low key approach.

The single, which failed to bother the UK charts, included the Trashcan Sinatras penned song, ‘Earlies’.

I like the little comment, ‘Part 2 of the album ‘Sadenia Sings The Sinatras’ – an obvious reference to her cover versions of TCS songs.

1996 Blanco Y Negro NEG95CD1