Start 'em up!
- The Who - It's A Boy (live). This is exactly the kind of thing I was thinking about when I wrote that "Wheat - Chaff" post. The original version of The Who's "Live At Leeds" had six songs, and it was great. The latest and greatest version, the double-deluxe super-expanded edition is 4 CDs long and contains, along with a ton of good early stuff, two full performances of "Tommy". Which I hate - especially on shuffle. Maybe Tommy works if you listen start to finish, but most of the songs taken individually are pretty weak.
- My Morning Jacket - Mahgeeta. Not sure what the live version of this will sound like, but the studio version, as with all MMJ songs, is neck-deep in reverb - it's kindof their trademark sound. And I'm kind of torn on this band and this song. On one hand, they have a unique sound and a loose, jammy feel. On the other hand, the singer kinda bugs me.
- Neil Young - Walk With Me. This is from his latest record, the "Le Noise" which, unlike My Morning Jacket, has almost no reverb on it (except for the swirling vocals) - everything sounds dry and live and ragged and raw. It sounds like a demo, a sketch of a song. It's a good one, thankfully. But I wonder what it would have sounded like with the full Crazy Horse treatment...
- REM - The Wrong Child. Haven't heard this album ("Green") in many years - and this song is one of the reasons why. Not my favorite. The "Battle Of Evermore"-esque mandolins are nice, but Stipe's strange counterpoint vocal parts are distracting.
- Neil Young - Peaceful Valley Boulevard. Another from "Le Noise". This is an acoustic tune, about how the white man killed the native Americans and then went on to ruin the world. Good times!
Talk about the first random five!
Just to be a sport, I’ll continue to use that same shared drive I used last week. Only one this time is from my collection. I kind of like it that way, it’s like speed dating for music.
1. Jesse Cook: Breathing Below Surface
Cook is a very skilled musician, and his formula has a lot of potential, some good and some not. The question is, is he playing flamenco over a new age canvas, or is he a new age artist who brings a flamenco sensibility to it? For me, if I want to hear nuevo flamenco, I’d rather go with the Gipsy Kings or Chambao (neither of whom is particularly traditional). If I want to hear newage… well, I don’t really want to hear that much any more. So, eh.
2. Ennio Morricone: Fuga A Cavallo
From The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Just another variation on the main theme. You gotta be in the right mood for this, but if you are, hell yeah.
3. Mark Knopfler: Once Upon a Time… Storybook Love
From the Princess Bride soundtrack. Knopfler was the perfect choice to score this film. I’m often skeptical when pop artists turn their talents on film soundtracks, but he produced something timeless here.
4. Eagles: Doolin-Dalton
I like the Eagles, but this is the kind of thing that makes the Dude hate the fuckin’ Eagles. Yeah, yeah, I know Jackson Browne wrote this one. Fuck all that. Chaff.
5. Lila Downs: Bésame Mucho
From her first album, when she was still trying to figure out if she was a jazz musician. Not a bad arrangement by her husband Paul Cohen, but a fairly straightforward one that doesn’t hint at the more interesting bi-cultural direction the duo would later take.
A stomach bug is one way to lose a few pounds I guess.
The White Stripes – The Air Near My Fingers
From 2003’s ‘Elephant’ which is when they became household names I guess (‘7 Nation Army’ really did it for them here in the UK and it features on this album.) This track is typical Stripes – a guitar riff you wished you’d thought of first and simple boy-meets-girl lyrics, hell there’s even a dash of piano for good measure … steady now Jack! I’m a big fan of this band as the whole stripped down bluesy thing was a totally revelation for me when I first heard about them 10 years or so ago. I’ve seen them live a few times and although a great act, he can struggle with his vocals at times. My wife *loathes* them with a passion because of Meg Whites cymbal-heavy drumming but will grudgingly admit that Jack is one hell of a talent. They will be sorely missed and were my favourite of all his other projects (the Dead Weather don’t really float my boat though the second Raconteurs album is pretty awesome.)
The Specials – Ghost Town
Wow, forgotten how good this track was and how it seemed to be coming out of every radio back in 1981. Even though I was only 10 and not really into music, I remember this track vividly. It was released during a time of inner-city unrest and really captured the mood of the time. The recession was in full swing and the new right-wing government was dividing the country. Funny how history repeats itself.
“This town, is coming like a ghost town
Why must the youth fight against themselves?
Government leaving the youth on the shelf
This place, is coming like a ghost town
No job to be found in this country
Can’t go on no more
The people getting angry”
Blondie – Heart Of Glass
I was just a little too young to fully appreciate Blondie and the feelings Debbie Harry stirred in the loins of older boys but eventually I grabbed a greatest hits collection and reveled in how many bloody good pop songs this band managed to turn out. Ack, I even bought a copy of Debbie Harry’s ‘Rockbird’ when I was 15 just because of ‘French Kissin’ In The USA’. This track is much more memorable than any of her solo efforts and sounds pretty fresh after all these years.
I think Blondie still tour – they certainly seem to pop up again every few years.
Bob Dylan – Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
I recently found out that my wife is into Bob Dylan after 9 years of marriage. She plays his songs most mornings when I go to work probably because I really struggle with his voice – it’s like fingernails down a blackboard for me sadly. I appreciate his cultural position and his massive influence but that voice and me are never going to be best friends. Ow well, can’t win ’em all.
Ummm … so I went to youtube for a video but all I can find is bloody cover versions! Sorry.
The Bravery – Swollen Summer
This band are a bit of a guilty pleasure. They sound a bit like Duran Duran at times, a bit 80s, a bit synth, a bit over the top … a bit forgettable. But I think their debut album is really great and I played it endlessly back in the summer of 2005. This track features a bit of everything – wailing guitar, plinky keyboards and compressed drums. They toured with Depeche Mode for a while (good fit really) then released a follow-up record that bombed. No idea what they’re up to now. I seem to remember buying their album because the NME *hated* it … often a good sign that I’ll like it. he.
Until next week!
The Who is the very definition of the Wheat/chaff paradigm. When they write crappy songs, about half the time it seems, they are really crappy.
1. The Books – An Animated Description of Mr. Maps
This song is just…really compelling. If you don’t know them, they are a duo of guitar/vocals and Cello with both playing samplers/tapes. They call themselves collage music, which is a very apt description. They are weird and took some getting used to but then you get to a song like this and I just can’t stop listening.
2. The Overlords – Holiday in Cambodia
A Danish industrial/techno band does a cover of Holiday in Cambodia, and pretty much sounds exactly like that description. It was weird enough that when I couldn’t find a video for it (no real surprise there) I uploaded it to my home area for your listening pain/pleasure.
3. The Replacements – Alex Chilton
From the year I graduated high school. And I’ll tell you, living three and half hours from Minneapolis means The Replacements where HUGE for us. The Replacements and Husker Du loomed over the eighties like two giants. This is one of their better pop songs. I am of two minds with the Mats: I really like the older, sloppier, out of control punk of their early stuff. But I also liked their more controlled pop craft of their later stuff.
4. Suede – Animal Nitrate
I just vaguely recall this song when it originally came out as I was still in the States at the time. Suede was never a big thing Stateside. When I moved to Norway though, my wife had this album and together we bought Coming Up which is just killer. This will very often remind me of my friend Vibecke, a Norwegian married to my best British mate (who was a nanny in London ages ago) who is obsessed with The Smiths/Morrissey, Suede, Gene and the Pixies. Every time I hear a Smiths song I see her head swaying back and forth singing it. Yeah, that was barely even about this song, which is excellent!
5. Hole – Celebrity Skin
I don’t really care one way or another about Courtney Love, other than she seems to be quite the skank. But I don’t hate her like some do (Yoko!), though I do find Dave Grohl’s obvious distaste for her amusing (How many songs has he written about her, anyway?). All I can really say is I like this song. Nice fat riffs, that punky, rubbery bass and a nice melody in the chorus. All I really ask for, really.
Speaking of that, New Foo next week! They are streaming the whole album free right here!
“Other Towns and Cities”, Camera Obscura — John gave me this record last year, I’m still not sure what I think about it. The singer’s voice is pretty great once you get past its alien aspect. The melodies are kind of singsong and beatless but can be hypnotic. Depends on what mood you are in I guess — right now I’m not really digging this.
“Streamline Woman”, Muddy Waters — well you know. What can you say about Muddy Waters. (Muddy is not my favorite blues guitarist, definitely up there tbs, but I think of him as sort of the essential, iconic, bluesman.)
“Door Train Home”, Fischerspooner — Far out. This is from a mix tape a friend gave me last year which I haven’t really listened to, so essentially a brand new song. Strong pulsing beat, mournful Smiths-y lyric. Good stuff. (Actually this is the title track of the mix, which is called “Sometimes You Have to Punctuate”)
“The Ballad of John and Yoko”, The Beatles. Well you know. What do you say about The Beatles? This is such a fun song. They look just like two gurus in drag.
“Some a these days”, Jaybird Coleman (off the R. Crumb blues mix) — Straight ahead southern gospel tune. Amazing harmonica.
Bonus track, “Left all alone again blues”, Lowe Stokes and his North Georgians — sweet fiddling from a one-handed man; I’m mostly including it so I can link to that link.
The Specials – Ghost Town
i used to love that song.
I like the Eagles, but this is the kind of thing that makes the Dude hate the fuckin’ Eagles.
Eagles definitely belong in my good/terrible bucket. i like a lot of their ‘hits’, but their deeper tracks leave me baffled.
iving three and half hours from Minneapolis means The Replacements where HUGE for us
my next NTT was going to be “Minneapolis bands”. guess we know who would have won that one!
Muddy is not my favorite blues guitarist, definitely up there tbs, but I think of him as sort of the essential, iconic, bluesman
i just discovered Albert King. and that discovery knocked Stevie Ray Vaughan down more than a couple of pegs in the “Originality” category. i mean, turn up the treble on King’s guitar and they’d be indistinguishable on most mid-to-slow-tempo licks. SRV can go a lot faster, and does a lot more chord work, but his slower stuff is pure Albert King.
Ummm … so I went to youtube for a video but all I can find is bloody cover versions! Sorry.
Somewhere there is a video of Him singing DTTIA on a TV show in 64 and it is Amazing.
I used to love Suede and had forgotten how good ‘Coming Up’ is. Must listen to that album ASAP!
My copy of The Who’s ‘Live At Leeds’ is a 2-CD version with Tommy on disc 2 (which I never listen to). I’ve seen the Tommy movie a couple of times but it’s lost on me now. Disc 1 on the other hand is bloody amazing. But this is the only Who material I own.