This is the All Good Things Must Pass (Especially Vacations) edition.
Shuffle, five, describe.
- Tommy Flanagan, John Coltrane, Idrees Sulieman & Kenny Burrell - Minor Mishap. A snappy number from a 1957 record called "The Cats". This was a session record, not a formal band - just a one-off gathering. Still, these guys make it sound better than most bands ever could. Happily, Coltrane is succinct here; his solo is in and out in a few bars, instead of wandering around for a few minutes. That's the right amount of Coltrane, for me.
- Rush - Tears. A very mellow tune, from the backside of "2112". The slow tempo and the Mellotron parts give it a distinct mid-era King Crimson vibe (the quieter parts of "Red", for example). I haven't ever wanted to hear this song.
- Mudhoney - The Farther I Go. And this, from Mudhoney's first full length record, would be the opposite of mellow: fuzzed-out and pounding, and over in 127 furious seconds. Yum-O.
- Bob Dylan - One Of Us Must Know. Well, I dunno... Harmonicas grate on me, Dylan's voice - always hit or miss - misses, and the song itself is not his strongest. Pass.
- Doc & Merle Watson - Hobo Bill's Last Ride. You can always tell a Jimmie Rodgers song - those little bits of yodeling at the end of verses give it away every time. And this is one of the many Jimmie Rodgers songs Doc does. Doc's vocals are sweet as always, and the playing is nice. There's not a lot of technical flash here, but it's a nice tune.
Evs.
Now you.
Happy New Year.
1. Peter Gabriel – Big Time
From ‘So’, one of the highlights of the 1980s.
2. The Stranglers – No More Heroes
1977? Really? Leon Trotsky, Lenny Bruce, Sancho Panza and Shakespearos.
3. The Beatles – Good Morning Good Morning
I’ll forget about this song in about 5 minutes.
4. Stevie Ray Vaughan – Love Struck Baby (Live at Carnegie Hall)
Is this a cover? It sounds very familiar.
5. The White Stripes – Jolene
Surprisingly good cover of the Dolly Parton classic.
2012 eh!
“Is this a cover?”
nope.
1. “Nobody’s Dirty Business”, Mississippi John Hurt (Avalon Blues). Very few lyrics, one of the funnest Delta blues I know of to listen to.
2. Patti LaBelle, “What a Wonderful World” (from Disney’s “For Our Children: The Concert”) Borderline unbearable — and 5 minutes long!
3. Joni Mitchell, “For Free” (Amchitka concert) My ears thank you for the restorative power of your voice, Ms. Mitchell. You are no longer on my shuffle list, Ms. LaBelle.
4. “Glass Hotel”, Robyn Hitchcock (Eye) The songs in “Eye” have in common that the openings sort of lull you into a particular head and then midway through turn it around 180*.
5. “Home is Where the Heart Is”, Old & In the Way (March 2, 1973 — KSAN)
Bonus track, 7 minutes of feedback solo from the Dead off of Live Dead. If you want it.
It’s the first workday of the week, so it’s sort of Monday.
Chanticleer – The Angel Cried Out (Vasily Titov)
A 17th century Russian work that gives the male sopranos a chance to shine.
Chuck Berry – Dear Dad
Ten years after “Maybelline,” Chuck Berry still loves singing about cars, but this one has a humorous twist ending. His mid-60’s ensembles were a lot noisier than his Chess crew, but it’s still quite peppy. I understand he wrote this one while serving time.
The Beatles – Taxman
I’m playin’ air bass over here! You know, I gotta admit, much as I support a dramatic increase in the marginal rate on the top earners, 95% really is too much.
Elvis Presley – That’s When Your Heartaches Begin
I’m not that big a fan of the King’s early ballads, but it’s instructive to see how early in his career (this is 1957) he was shooting for a wider, more mature audience.
Govinda – Le Zephyr
From one of my favorite albums of ambient downbeat world trance or whatever you call this kind of mellow hypnotic electronic stuff. I couldn’t find a copy of this song in five minutes of googling, though there’s a faster, sparser version on YouTube.
hear ya about Elvis. i recently picked up his first (?), self-titled, record, and it’s full of mid-50’s crooner stuff, and watered-down country ballads – stuff you never really hear anywhere. instructive.
This playlist is the opposite of random but is something I could listen to on loop for days and days.