Special when-did-July-4th-become-Honor-The-Military-Day? edition:
Five songs, random, list and describe (linking to an on-line version of it is optional but appreciated):
- Adrian Belew - Three Of a Perfect Pair (live). He still rocks this great old King Crimson song. I've seen him four times so far, and he's played it every time I've seen him. Which is fine with me. Good song.
- De La Soul - Can U Keep A Secret. Better known as the "dandruff" song. Gotta get this shit off my iPod.
- Sea And Cake - Sending. A spare, warm and mellow tune from their wonderful album, The Biz. This album keeps growing on me, 16 years after I first heard it. Oh how I miss the old S&C.
- Stevie Ray Vaughan - Tin Pan Alley. A nice slow tune, lot's of lovely open space. It was recorded live in the studio. As songs should be.
- Brandie Carlile - In My Own Eyes. A lovely little song. I'm not crazy about the bridge - feels a bit too heavy to me. But the rest of it is nice.
OK, sparky, now you go!
Huh? Independence Day’s been a militaristic holiday as long as I can remember and a good deal longer… Whad’ya think all the explosives are there for? No particularly patriotic content in my shuffle, oh well.
1. “Moaning the Blues”, John Hurt. The definitive great blues guitarist imo. Or anyways my first exposure to great blues guitar playing. This song is not so much lyric-wise, it just rambles all over the place, but it is such a beautiful guitar part.
2. “Stuck Up Blues”, the Louvin Bros. Country/hillbilly music misleadingly titled “Blues”. Far out fiddling. Again, a silly lyric — could that be the emerging theme of this shuffle?
3. “She Took a Long Cold Look”, the Skygreen Leopards. I like where this is going… Syd Barrett’s lyrics are nothing if not silly, rambling and beautiful… Man the production on this song sucks.
4. “My Lover & I”, Cam Penner. Hot, a song I’ve never heard! Rocking, chanting. This is a great lyric, too.
5. “Lost Tribes”, The Egyptians. Takes a totally cliche guitar riff and beat and folds it into something pretty extraordinary.
The song in my head this morning, which does not appear to be in my shuffle (alas!) was “Me and My Shadow”, the 4 Aristocrats version which is not on YouTube but plenty of others are. Check out Judy Garland.
The Soft Boys- Ugly Nora (Live!) I have a friend who is fanatical, besotted by The Soft Boys. He gave me a tape which I played over and over and over in my car until I got it. I get it now, they’re good.
The Black Heart Procession-A Heart The Size Of A Horse. IIRC, this band started out as a joke. They set out to write them most moaningly goth music possible but discoverred a formula which showcased beautifully textured layers of keyboard and guitar sounds and soaring melodies. Their 2nd album is their best, IMO.
UGK – One Day I’ve liked everything I’ve heard by UGK, I should get more. Isn’t one of them dead?
Big Country – Fields of Fire. I remember an interview with the band on their first American tour in which one of the band members said that they should rename In A Big Country “How Do You Make Your Guitars Sound Like Bagpipes Like That.” This is another bagpiping guitar tune.
Pretty Bird – Constant Velocity. My Band! This will be released this year (I hope?). It’s a song about the the George Harrison/Patti Boyd/Eric Clapton love triangle. Its got lots of slide and even sitar. You gonna love it!
Happy Birthday you ungrateful Colonials!
Pulp – I Spy
If you don’t own 1995’s ‘Different Class’ by Pulp then you are missing out. Every track is a gem and the seedy, northern England lyrics just add to the overall atmosphere.
Graham Coxon – No Good Time (Live From The Zodiac)
I was there. It was loud … very loud. Couldn’t hear properly for 3 days. He’s the guitarist from Blur and is another English treasure.
David Bowie – Quicksand
From 1971’s ‘Hunky Dory’. Not my favourite track from an otherwise excellent album but it’s still a good song on it’s own. The 1970’s were a pretty good decade for Bowie.
Editors – Lights
Dark, moody and distinctive with a driving rhythm and decent lyrics. Their 2005 album ‘The Back Room’ is well worth a listen. The guy sounds a bit like Ian Curtis and some of their tracks sound like very early U2. Often compared to Interpol too.
Sex Pistols – Pretty Vacant
I don’t listen to ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ much but I will make more of an effort as this is a proper punk classic and the guitarist was actually pretty good. :)
Have fun blowing stuff up!
Huh? Independence Day’s been a militaristic holiday as long as I can remember
always seemed like more of a political and ideological thing, to me. feels more like another Memorial/Veterans day this year. but maybe that’s because we spent the weekend surrounded by huge military bases, in SE NC.
Around here (Iowa) the “parades” we went to were about 5% military/veterans/patriotism/politics and 95% “floats” advertising local business and heaving out candy for the kids. I keep saying that it is America in a nutshell: the most patriotic day in the country and the celebrating is almost all about advertising.
No link random 5 as I don’t have a lot of time. Waiting for fireworks to start!
The Cult – Sweet Soul Sister
Not the best Cult song. Here they are really starting to sound like AC/DC. It is difficult to not listen to this song loud though.
Thomas Dolby – Windpower
An old synthpop song, and a really good one at that. This was one of my favorite albums back in the day and I liked the other cuts on the album over the hit(s), particularly She Blinded Me With Science, which is really not his best song.
Blue October – HRSA
I really like this band, or at least their first two albums. They are getting a little too…bland and boring these days. But those first couple were filled with serious anger and a guy who was dealing with some major issues with his own sanity and women.
Autograph – Turn Up the Radio
Ha ha ha ha ha…how is this even on my player? Really, really sad hair metal from the 80’s. I actually remember listening to this song in the hospital (tonsils). Terrible song, but there is something to be said for these kinds of guilty pleasures built mostly on memories and hardly at all on taste.
Billy Idol – Eyes Without a Face
This song also brings back a specific memory. I listened to this and this whole album in the car on headphones coming back from a weekend at a lake. I was 13 I think and that morning that we left I kissed a girl for the first time, like a real kiss not a kid one. And I thought about it the whole way home. This song will forever be associated with that kiss and her, who I barely remember, not even her name. Thanks for the memory, whoever you are!
Happy fourth everyone!