For masked rapper MF Doom, every day is Halloween. Here's a track from his epic MMMFOOD record, which is crammed with songs about food, as well as samples from Fantastic Four cartoons featuring arch enemy Dr. Doom. When I first heard this track about the wonders of Girl Scout cookies, I couldn't place the backing track, but knew it came from way back in my childhood. I believe its the closing theme from Sesame Street. Download KOOKIES
Out on the town this past Saturday night, I was reminded of this song amidst all the Halloween revelers. I've never been a fan of the Chicago Blues, but when I came across this record back in my Jazz Record Mart days, I was struck by the raw organic feel of Hound Dog's two guitar + drums attack...raw and reckless... and the lyrics are priceless. This smokin' 1974 live recording was released as Beware of the Dog after Hound Dog's Death in 1975.
ps. For those of you who missed it, be sure to scroll two posts down and watch the misheard song lyrics video. Its guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Lead Track from the 5th album by The Jam, Sound Affects, released in 1980. Singer/guitarist/songwriter Paul Weller said at the time that he considered the album a cross between Michael Jackson's Off the Wall (huh?!) and Revolver. He's also been quoted saying that this was the Jam's Best Work.
I know of at least two great debuts from 1977. One is the fiddle playin'neuropsych wunderkind Jennifer Elaine Medina, who celebrates her 30th birthday today. Another is The Talking Heads, a group of Rhode Island School of Design Students, who would become the quirky art-rock element of New York's burgeoning punk scene.
This is my favorite Al Green song, an intimate and personal articulation of his growing conflict between the spiritual and sexual, released at a crossroads in his life and career. He'd just broken from the Hi Records crack rhythym section, and producer Willie Mitchell, who together crafted the polished sound of hits like Let's Stay Together, Still in Love with you, etc. In contrast, The 1977 Belle album was written and self-produced by Al in his home studio, featuring the man himself on lead and acoustic guitars. After its release, he would turn to the church for the remainder of his life and career to date.
I've had a cassette copy of Purple Rain in my car tapedeck now for the last four days and don't think I'm gonna change it out any time soon. Its just one jam after another. I was driving expectant Brian home from the impromptu Half Acre Ping Pong Party last night, and he remarked that the solo section of the title track has a Pink Floyd vibe..at first I scoffed, but soon realized that he's dead on, and its the Division Bell era to be precise. Weeeeeird.
If you listen to this at work, how will you keep from swaying back and forth at your desk, orange highlighter held high, singing woo, ooh, ooh oooh? I don't believe that you will.
One fine morning in 1970, Ray Davies woke up to find that his body and mind had been inhabited by Richard Manuel from The Band. A great song resulted-"Strangers" from Lola Vs. The Powerman and the Moneyground. The Kinks' love affair with The Band lasted through 1971's Muswell Hillbillies, a really fun album that I highly recommend. Its also widely considered their last good record.
A twofer today! You get my favorite song from Electric Light Orchestra and the only song I know ever written ABOUT Electric Light Orchestra. I know I'm up against a mighty river of disapproval here, but I love ELO's bombastic orchestral pop..the strings, the Land of Oz backing vocals, all of it. I dug the 45's as a kid (Evil Woman, Living Thing, telephone Line, Sweet Talkin' Woman) and I dig them now. ELO mastermind and Beatle freak Jeff Lynne went on to produce George Harrison (he tastefulty finsihed GH's last album after his death) and Tom Petty among others, and even became that Traveling Wilbury that you never recognize.
20 years before Flight of the Conchords, there was Ween. The difference is that while they're both hilarious, Ween are also great songwriters and amazing musicians. Rather than simply parody a genre as FOTC does, Ween inhabits a genre sincerely while still managing to be funny at times.
I was in St. Louis this past Friday and picked up a copy of the Riverfront Times, their equivalent of the Reader. I enjoyed Jordan Harper's article on Ween, which neatly sums up some of the reasons I love them so much. Its leaves out the main reason, though, which is that they write great songs. While I love every single Ween album since, I still think that 1994's Chocolate & Cheese is their definitive moment. Here's their Philly Soul Nugget, Freedom of 76, featuring one of the greatest lines on the album:
"Mannequin was filmed at Woolworth's, Boys II Men still keeping up the beat" Freedom of 76
That Steve Earle quote from CL's post yesterday got me to thinking about Townes Van Zandt, an amazing songwriter. I never heard his music before this year (or never new it was his song I was listening to). Truthfully I think that somehow for me he slipped by amongst all the similarly named- Van Dyke Parks, Steve Van Zandt, maybe even Dick Van Dyke and Dick Van Patten. Then, when I was visiting Adel in LA on New Years Day, he popped a live TVZ disc into the car stereo on a drive through the canyons. I was an instant fan and had the great pleasure of going back to discover all of his great songs. This one, Don't Take it Too Bad, got me through some hard times this year. Don't Take it Too Bad
Today's post comes courtesy of TFI's resident Bluegrass Afficianado-Chris Lozier.**
Best Songwriter Ever?
My guess is that an awful lot of folks would say Dylan. Or certainly Lennon, McCartney, or both even. Tom Waits is another favorite of mine. Steve Earle once said, "Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world, and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." Then again, someone else astutely noted once that opinions are like assholes. Well, I wanted to introduce folks to a song by a guy who deserves consideration as one of the best songwriters ever.
He is Leonard Cohen, and I think that he is among the more overlooked contenders for this title. It may be that his singing is, well, not for everyone. The man himself once said, “I love to hear my songs by anyone else but me.” And it’s often precisely when “anyone else” does Cohen’s songs that many people discover him. For your listening pleasure and edification, I present to you Teddy Thompson singing Tonight Will Be Fine. And we should note that Teddy is the son of a pair of amazing musicians and songwriters: Richard and Linda Thompson.
Anyway, if you’re not already familiar with Leonard Cohen, dig through his substantial catalog of material when you’re done with this. I think you’ll agree that this guy is a pretty darn good songwriter.
**Yeah, I know this tracks not Bluegrass, but still he is our Bluegrass Afficianado, and besides, I needed a segueway! Ready? Ok here comes:
Speaking of Lozier, He plays a face-melting mandolin (Black, insert insult here) in the local Bluegrass band Hayward (your bloghost plays bass in said band too!) (hey thats two, no, wait, three, parenthesied thoughts in one sentence).
Come out and see Hayward tonight (Wednesday) at Silvies, 1902 W. Irving Park, 9:00 PM.
Wow, look at me plugging my bands two days running, for shame!
Congratulations to David Singer on the release of his terrific new record "East of The Fault Line", which comes out today. Swing by the Hideout this coming Saturday, October 20, at 9:00 pm for the record release show with David and the band (yours truly included). Bring your dancing shoes and stick around afterwards for the "Life During Wartime" danceparty.
There are lots of reasons why a cover song may or may not work. In rare cases, the reinterpretation is the definitive version, making you wonder how it could have been written any other way, as with Jimi Hendrix's version of Dylan's All Along The Watchtower , or Jeff Buckley's take on Leonard Cohen's' Hallelujah. The artist places the song in an entirely new sonic landscape, revealing meaning and emotional impact in the music and/or lyric that you hadn't considered before.
Such is the case with M.Ward's version of David Bowie's Let's Dance. His hushed and intimate delivery puts the lyric front and center, revealing a poetic tenderness that was buried in the original slickly produced dancefloor version.
Lets Dance for fear your grace should fall lets dance for fear that life is all lets sway you could look into my eyes lets sway under the moonlight the serious moonlight
and if you say run I'll run with you and if you say hide we'll hide
because my love for you would break my heart in two if you should fall into my arms and tremble like a flower
Blind American Jazx Multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk had an amazing arsenal of tricks up his sleeve. He played sax, clarinet, trumpet, & flute, etc and whats more, often several of them simultaneously, effectively making him a one man horn section. He pioneered a circular breathing technique which allowed him to hold notes and 16th note runs for for any period of time. He could also could sing into his flute exactly what he was playing, a talent which Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull seized upon and ripped off ad nauseum.
Check out the flute solo in the middle of this track from his debut on Mercury Records in 1961. I love the way he punctuates it with a slide whistle exclamation point.
Early this year I had the radio on in the car on a Saturday morning and Sound Opinions came on. Greg Kot and Jim Derogatis were talking about this new record by Emily Haines, and they played a track called "Our Hell", which I loved. Frontwoman for Metric, she's also another alum from the Broken Social Scene Collective (Feist, Kevin Drew). Her haunting and melancholic simplicity registered with me, so I went home and bought the album.
Although he still has a lot to answer to for releasing Capeman, in my book Paul Simon is one of the most gifted singer/songwriters around. For the past week I have been listening to nothing but this song over and over and it gets better with each listen. Fleetwood Mac, Elliott Smith, Richie Havens, I hear all of these artists in this song.
When I ride my bike to work in the morning I turn left from Damen onto Madison just as the sun introduces itself to the city above the radio antennas of the Sears Tower. Just at that left turn, I start to break a sweat, working the pedals over and over, up in the saddle fighting against the wind and singing at the top of my lungs...
Peace like a river ran through the city/long past the midnight curfew we sat starry-eyed/we we're satisfied
(I hope that I'll never make it to work and I'll just spend the day riding, this song playing over and over)
You can beat us with wires/you can beat us with chains/you can run out your rules/but you can't outrun the history train
(I hope you enjoy this song as much as I have)
Four in the morning/I woke up from out of my dreams Nowhere to go but back to sleep/But I'm reconciled
I'm going to be up for a while I'm going to be up for a while I'm going to be up for a while
Swedish Indie Popster Jens Lekman's New Record "Night Falls Over Kortedala" is due out today. Here's my favorite Jens track, Higher Power, from his 2004 release "When I said I Wanted to be Your Dog".
....posed the featured artist in the "Sympathty For Devil-Rock and Art since 1967" exhibit at MCA. Answer- Probably write a song. Here's a relatively recent one I love from the Greendale album a few years back.
As some of you know, my friends The Sweptaways are are an all women's Swedish choir who sing acappella arrangements of the likes of Kiss, Kate Bush, Pet Shop Boys and Black Sabbath. They always look and sound fabulous. Word from the choir is that Feist must have gotten the idea for her terrific 1234 video from The Sweptaways debut video for Wuthering Heights (Kate Bush), released over a year ago, and made with a tiny budget. Coincidence? If not, it just goes to show what several million bucks can do to a good idea.
Guess what? Growing up I was a huge Genesis fan. Guess what else? I'm going to see them tonight. I kinda wish I could be like the hipsters and say I dug'em best in the Peter Gabriel Era:
but it would be a stone cold lie. The truth is that victimized as I was by being a child of the 80's, It was the Phil Collins era I loved first:
only later did I go back to find the real motherload of the Gabriel era... The whitefaced, flute and bass drum playing, flower costumed goodness.
So for today's download I'll bridge the gap by featuring a track and a video from the first record with Phil up front, my favorite ever Genesis Album, " A trick of The Tale", from 1976.
Heres one from singer-songwriter Richard Swift, one of my favorite artists to emerge in the last couple of years. The album, Dressed Up for the Letdown, is one of 2007's best releases.
This blog is for your listening pleasure. If you enjoy what you hear, be sure to support the artists and buy their music! If there is ever a problem with anything posted on this site, please contact me immediately
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