Q: What do Alexander O'Neal, Macy Gray, Christina Aguilera, Peabo Bryson, Chicago, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Patti Austin, Patti LaBelle, Gloria Estefan, Freddie Jackson, Bobby Womack, Destiny's Child, Ashanti, Boney James, Harry Connick Jr.,Faith Evans, Diana Ross, Menudo, Usher, Boyz II Men, Dismemberment Plan, Trey Songz, Chris Brown, Aretha Franklin, and 'NSync all have in common?

A. They've all released covers of Donny Hathaway's top notch Holiday tune "This Christmas"

They all pale in comparison to the original, which wins my vote for best holiday song ever. Hailing from Chicago, DH came up working as a songwriter, session musician and producer at Chicago's Twinight Records. After participating in projects by The Staple Singers, Jerry Butler, Aretha Franklin, and Curtis Mayfield, he recorded his first single in 1969. "This Christmas" was released as single by Hathaway for Atco records in 1970.

TC is also the song that was chosen by the Fuller Park Teen Band Trace for their recent Holiday Show. Guitar teacher Randy grew up under the tutelage of Hathaway's guitarist Phil Upchurch and remembers walking miles with his guitar in hand to the park each day to soak it all in. He refers to "This Christmas" as the Black National anthem, suggesting that its the most recognizable song of all in the black community. If the crowd's response ("Play it on boy!") to Trace's performance is any indication, I'd have to agree.

A few years after its release, DH's collaboration with Roberta Flack took him to the top of the charts and won him the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for the duet "Where Is the Love" in 1973. Unfortunately, due to substance abuse problems,Donny Hathaway's life and career was cut short on January 13, 1979, when his body was found outside the luxury hotel Essex House in New York City; his death was ruled a suicide.

This Christmas

Happy Holidays to you all! FI Will be on hiatus until after the New Year. See you here in 2009!

Well Hung, Snow White Tan

If you're a fan of The Beatles, Os Mutantes, Dungen or the Elephant Six Collective, then you're going to want to skip to the chase and buy this collection of Hungarian 70's Psyche Rock, despite its terrible name. I mean, you've got $10 for 22 fuzzed out
nuggets in a language you don't understand, right?

Buy Well Hung on Amazon

Or if you prefer to sample the wares first, check out this track from Illes, known all over Eastern Europe as The Hungarian beatles (they pre-dated the Fab Four by 3 Years"

a boland lany

David Berthy Posts



I recently watched “Killer of Sheep,” the 1977 film by Charles
Burnett. Set in South-Central Los Angeles, the movie has an
incantatory veracity that makes it feel somehow more real than
documentary even though it’s a work of fiction. By holding on
characters until their interior states are clear, the film achieves
the novelistic effect of engaging the viewer in its subjects’ inner
lives. The film’s soundtrack plays a primary role in this
achievement. Though the soundtrack is eclectic, it is always fitting,
often in surprising ways. Sometimes, it’s intentionally jarring, as
when Paul Robeson sings about America as his home over a scene of
kids in a desolate lot throwing rocks. On other occasions, there’s an
organic, playful feel, as when a little girl sings to her doll along
with Earth Wind and Fire. Most arresting, for me, was the way the
blues songs I include here are used. You’re listening to the blues
while the characters are feeling them, and the combination of image
and sound is a more evocative expression of their inner landscape
than anything that could be achieved with dialogue.

Killer of Sheep

And there ain't nothing wrong with that...

The greatest misheard lyric of all comes from the Jeffersons Theme Song. Danny's sister Jill Bernstein thought the line "As Long as we live, its you and me baby" was " Long Sweet Lips, Chewin' Me Baby". Now on the rare occasion that I hear the song, I can't hear it any other way.



Movin' On Up

Dirty Deese and The Dunderchief

I was 7 years old when this rock anthem took the airwaves, and my friends and I really had no idea who Dirty Deese or the Dunderchief was, just that these two were locked in an epically aggressive battle told by the sound of the music and the throatily chanted chorus.


Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

Misheard Lyrics #1- Assy Lovers in The meadow

Much of this week will be devoted to my favorite misheard song lyrics. Back in the 80's I had a notion to publish a book of of the best, but alas, someone beat me to the punch.

Here's one from Bob Dylan's 30th studio album Time Out Of Mind, released in 1997. It was a great year for highly atmospheric albums with themes of stasis and alienation, and this one and Radiohead's OK Computer took turns on the stereo throughout the year.

The first line of the second verse on album opener Lovesick is easily misconstrued as "Assy Lovers in The Meadow, Assy Silhouettes in the Window". Of course its "I See" in both lines, but the other way is much funnier against the brooding backdrop of the song.

Years after its release, Bob would inexplicably license this song and others for a Victoria's Secret marketing CD.

Lovesick

David Berthy Posts



I recently drove from San Francisco to Chicago. In order to avoid the Rockies, I took I-40, which more or less follows the defunct Route 66 route from Los Angeles to Chicago. The drive took us through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri before we finally made our way to Illinois. The drive was visually epic and as good an excuse to listen to music as I can remember encountering, particularly a certain kind of country music. The popular cliché about country is that “It tells a story,” and that’s certainly part of the allure, but I can’t enjoy a story if it’s slathered in the kind of bombast or schmaltz so often associated with current country. It’s necessary to go back a bit to find the sort of sounds I like best on a road trip.

My first choice is “You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly,” an inestimably well-titled Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn duet. Aside from the greatness of the performance and the sharpness of the lyrics, I love how the backbeat mixes with the twang in this song. This dynamic also exists in my second choice, Willie Nelson’s “Devil in A Sleeping Bag.” The song comes from 1973’s Shotgun Willie, an album that’s perfect any time, but especially brilliant while you’re driving through Amarillo, Texas resisting the urge to watch people try for free steak dinners by putting away 72 ounces in less than an hour.

You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly

I've always been a grinch when it comes to holiday music....until now. Perennial Uke Cabaret favorites Heavy Boxes have changed that with this sweet and winsome new holiday collection. In addition to traditional holiday favorites, husband and wife team Melanie (Vibes and vocals)and Evan (everything else) have given us three new original songs of the season to add to the canon. Its hard to pick a favorite- Melanie's ode to knitting "Eventual Mittens" or Evan's piano based love song "Sweater Weather". The Heavy Boxes were kind enough to hand the album out for free at Uke Galactica and online, so today's download includes the entire album. Do yourself a favor and make it your holiday soundtrack.


Outdoor Hums for Snowy Weather

Pure Imagination

Fuller Park Teen band guitarist Elijah brought this one in for his band to play. You might remember if from the film Willy Wonka. It's the song that Gene Wilder sings as he and the kids enter the Chocolate room. The song is a brilliant choice for a kids band with its lyrics about the power of will and imagination

If you want to view paradise,
simply look around and view it,
anything you want to, do it,
if you want to change the world, there's nothing to it

I went in search of lyrics and chords to discover that the song has been covered by
a host of artists, from Lou Rawls to Maroon 5. After hearing 5 versions, the band decided to use Maroon 5's version as a template. I've include three versions here-the original, Lou Rawls, and Maroon 5.

Pure Imagination

Props to The Hitmaker for hipping me to this album from Sammy Davis Jr., one of the artists I would most like to have seen live in his heydey. Released in 1970, Something for Everyone is a collection of pop covers written by the likes of Jimmy Webb, Paul Anka, and Blood Sweat and Tears. The record was released on Motown Records, but bares no resemblance to the Motown sound , which may be why the label chose not to release a single from it. Its a shame, because Sammy's exuberantly groovy over-the-top arrangements of "Spinning Wheel," "Wichita Lineman," and "In The Ghetto" smoke!

Spinning Wheel

David Berthy Posts

Today’s post concerns the third and fourth tracks on the Impressions 1968 LP This Is My Country. First up is “I’m Loving Nothing.” Taken on its own, the title phrase does double duty by suggesting both that there is nothing to love, and, more penetratingly, that the narrator is “loving nothing.” The vocal performance is a Mayfield classic, and this is easily one of the most moving songs I know. There’s something perfect about how “I’m Loving Nothing” leads into the next track on the album, “Loves Happening,” where Mayfield dips his toe into the waters of hippiedom. The lyrics get a little slippery here—love is apparently happening in a place, “…where color speaks to flower girls, hippie beat, in a macro (or is it micro) world.” This may or may not be a solution to the existential dilemma explored in “I’m Loving Nothing,” but it doesn’t really matter, because “Loves Happening” sounds like Curtis Mayfield is singing while being backed by The Zombies—an irrefutable cure for just about any ill.

Loving Nothing/Loves Happpening

Set the controls for the inner and outer cosmos at Uke Galactica! Bring your songs of planetary ukesmanship for an exploration of our universe. This Saturday, December 6, at Silvies. See You There!


Major Tom

Each year I like to pick a few CD's for my dad's holiday gift. He's been getting into music in recent years, and since he's new to the music scene, I'm not limited to new releases and can cherry pick the entire canon of music history, which is great fun. This year I started with Dusty in Memphis, which I knew he would dig. Then I picked up the Robert Plant & Alison Krauss album Raising Sands, which I've been curious about since it came out late last year. We listened to it together and I really enjoyed its moody understated feel for the most part. The album, produced by T-Bone Burnett, features a great roster of players, from Marc Ribot to Norman Blake, with Plant and Krauss singing duets on songs from the likes of Gene Clark and Tom Waits. Upon first listen, this one jumped out at me.

Killing The Blues

David Berthy Posts

For Thanksgiving, I thought I’d post two songs from impossibly romantic Ray Charles and Betty Carter album. You may want something a little more upbeat while you’re cooking and eating, but this is a great one for dessert or after, when it’s all over, the dishes are done, and you’re enjoying a well-deserved drink with one or a few friends. If you’re going to be with your family, Ray and Betty might be the perfect salve for wine-laced wounds inflicted over dinner. The album, recorded over two sessions in 1961, is worth picking up for the months ahead, particularly if you live somewhere like Chicago that goes from Russian to frightening between December and February. The quiet virtuosity that results when these two legendary performers join together is a perfect excuse to stay inside during the winter months. Happy Thanksgiving to all. FI will be back next week.


Ray and Betty

Guilty Pleasures 101

"Somebody's Baby" is a 1982 pop nugget from Jackson Browne. It was on the soundtrack to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, featured in a key coming of age moment for Jennifer Jason Leigh's character' Stacy Hamilton. The song was later covered by Yo La Tengo, and remains a staple in their live set.

Somebody's Baby-Jackson Browne

Bombast
Bom"bast\, a. High-sounding; inflated; big without meaning; magniloquent; bombastic.

Chinese Democracy

Back at Wydown Junior High School in St.Louis, one subset of the pre-Smiths/Cure goth crowd was made up of girls sporting the pirate look. The look was made up of striped (also known as the munchkin look) or black tights under black skirts with white shirts and dark eyeliner and lipstick. I even remember a pirate hat or two, though that may be a revisionist image on my part. This crew took their fashion and music cues from Adam Ant, with whom they were all hopelessly smitten. I always dug the Adam and The Ants sound, and still put on this record occasionally.

Ant Music

David Berthy Posts


Al Green was the artist who got me into soul music. I pretty much beat his greatest hits record to death when I was younger, and I haven’t given his back catalogue its proper due until recently. Last week, I came across the track “Love Ritual” on 1975’s Is Love. Whereas most Green songs strike me as slow-burning hymns about either the sacred or the profane, “Love Ritual” stands out as something else altogether. I love the up-tempo, percussion and organ-based build that notches up one degree at a time, teasing out a shift from a simmer to a boil. Even more irresistible, Green really goes out there with his vocal performance: yelping, chanting words that may or not be “juana” and “zula,” and at one point venturing into a language all his own.



Thinking about the song brought to mind the 1970 Marvin Gaye performance of the Strong/ Whitfield song “Cloud Nine” from That’s The Way Love Is. As with the Green track, the buildup here is notch by notch, and there’s something trance-inducing about the frenzied percussion. Gaye’s scorching vocal performance, abetted by wah-wah guitars, really takes this over the top. That’s The Way Love Is was the last album Gaye made before going into relative seclusion for a year and emerging with his masterpiece, What’s Going On. You can hear some of the anguish, anger, and longing for transcendence in “Cloud Nine” that will emerge into a fully realized suite of songs a year later.

Love Ritual/Cloud Nine

H. and I recently held a Miles Davis Marathon on a cold and rainy weekend night.
We listened to everything from the classic early quartets through the modal and electronic periods right into the faux funk of his latter days. Something clicked when I dropped the needle on Side one of 1974's Big Fun, a double album of material largely recorded during the Bitches Brew sessions. Recorded in 1969, The indian tinged pre-fusion jazz rock of the album-side-length opener Great Expectations made for the perfect rainy late night soundtrack. The track is a dense extended modal vamp with electric sitar and spooky electronic keyboards, and features Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea and Bennie Maupin among others. Four years after this track was recorded, Herbie Hancock would popularize the fusion sound for the masses on Headhunters, one of the highest selling jazz albums of all time.

Great Expectations

We'll leave the dial tuned to Hip-Hop with brand new music from Q-Tip, the velvet voiced half of A Tribe Called Quest. The Renaissance is his first record in many years, and I'm happy to report that it represents a welcome return to form upon first listen.
I like the quirky jazzy number "Official, which reminds me of his purple highness in the chorus.

Official

I've been waiting since Summer of 2006 to see Houston Rapper Devin The Dude again.
DTD brings his smooth hazed out jams to the Abbey tomorrow night. I'll be there, and so will you if you know whats good for you. Here's one of Devin's many tributes to the his favorite "North American Tree"


Sticky Green

The Return of Roller Boogie

David Berthy Posts

Lately I’m noticing a resurgence of the early eighties roller-boogie sound. There were two obscure skate tracks on the Rapture’s recently released mixtape Tapes, and I’m hearing it a little bit on Q-Tip’s new record as well. The closest I’ve gotten lately to a roller boogie was when I watched the movie ATL on demand, but when I lived in Venice Beach I used to walk by the regularly held skate circle on the boardwalk, and I have dim recollections of the slow grooves and swirling lights at certain skate rinks I frequented in the early eighties as a clueless youth (I danced on the carpet just outside the rink, so as to avoid injury). I’ve been around the music enough, then, to know the sound is characterized by a rolling beat that lends itself to the bounce and rock of skating, and fat, fuzzy bass that recalls the legendary funk artist Roger Troutman. Here are two newish tracks that reference and update the sound. The first comes from the young Scotsman Calvin Harris, who supposedly made his silly-fun I Created Disco record in his bedroom on a Commodore 64 or something. The second song, a more obvious example of the genre, comes from LA-based Plantlife’s recently released record Time Traveller. Hopefully, the trend picks up steam and we’ll see a widespread proliferation of roller boogie nights in the near future.

The Return of Roller Boogie

Back in the mid-nineties, I had the priviledge of working at Jazz Record Mart for a couple of years. It was the greatest type of music education-constant exposure to great jazz, blues, and soul music I had never heard before. The owner of JRM, Bob K., is also head of Delmark Records, a local record label that broke Buddy Guy and Junior Wells back in the day.

Bob is legendary among JRM staff and clientele for his frequent uninhibited vocal tyrades, "outside the box" thinking, and liberal use of non-sequitors. So much so that the JRM staff, which includes many of the finest Jazz and Rock musicians in the city, banded together to have some fun at BK's expense. The Lead Lined Bags put together a collection of country, funk, and rock tunes built around some of BK's classic moments. Granted, this is "you had to be there" kind of music, but I think you'll get a kick out of it just the same.

I've included my two favorites for your listening pleasure today.

Blow On Your Arm- This catchy number recounts the years that JRM's air-conditioning was on the fritz, and BK's solution for his employees, which did not involve getting it fixed.

Never Put A Typewriter on the Floor-This country inflected ditty recounts the time when JRM mail order guru Steve Dawson (on lead vocals here) had a typewriter sitting on his office floor and came in one morning to find a note attached in BK's writing angrily all cap screaming
"NEVER PUT A TYPEWRITER ON THE FLOOR!


Other titles include "Trained Monkey", "Jewel Bag", "The Black Dame", "Whitey Likes it Tight", "Slightly Dished", "Stet!", "I Like to Air Dry", and "Doesn't That Make More Sense?"

This brand new limited release split 7" from David Singer and Wes Hollywood is a great looking and even better sounding small platter. The terrific mod technicolor jacket design recalls those of early Elvis Costello, and the music on both sides conjures the same era. As a hopeless vinyl junkie, its nice to see that people are creating works of vinyl art for the sheer joy of doing so, and I feel honored to be a part of it!

French Cuffs

You can get your very own copy here

In 1962, Jazz legends Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins finally realized a joint project that had been in both of their minds for 20+ years, but had eluded their incredibly busy parallel careers.On November 18 of that year, the two giants finally got in the studio together, and the results made for a highly enjoyable listening experience. My favorite track on Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins is the light and catchy calypso inflected opener Limbo Jazz. According to the album's liner notes, the number was composed spontaneously by Ellington on the spot while Hawkins was changing a reed. The engineers rolled tape, though the musicians were unaware of this, as indicated by drummer Sam Woodyard's unselfconscious singing.

Limbo Jazz

Bluegrass legend Del McCoury and his band will take the stage at The Old Town School of Folk Music this Saturday night for two shows. If you're curious about Bluegrass you should come check it out to see a master at work. originally hired as a banjo picker, he then played guitar and sang with Bill Monroe back in the 60's... the rest is history. Hayward is making a band outing of it for the late show.

Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms

David Berthy Posts

Every 1's A Winner

What a strange thing it is to walk around feeling dumb happy. Please allow me to aid in your celebration by contributing these two tracks from UK band Hot Chocolate, best known for their smash hit, “You Sexy Thing.” I’ve found gold (my sort of gold, anyway) by digging through Hot Chocolate’s back catalogue, where I discovered the source of both of today’s tracks, the Every 1’s A Winner album. Neither “Confetti Day” nor “Stay With Me” possess the universal appeal of “You Sexy Thing,” but they certainly aren’t without their charms. Sure, the synth lines could have been a touch less grandiose; and I won’t argue that the lyrics for “Stay With Me” aren’t patently ridiculous; but I, for one, am all in favor of this sort of solid-gold enthusiasm right now. Every 1's a winner indeed.

Confetti Day

Stay With Me

Are You Ready to Rock?

Hello There-Cheap Trick

Stand
For the things you know are right
Its the truth that the truth makes them so uptight
Stand
All the things you want are real
You have you to complete and there is no deal
Stand
There's a midget standing tall
And the giant beside him about to fall
Stand. stand, stand
Stand. stand, stand

Stand

David Berthy Posts

One way to terrify yourself in time for Halloween is to listen to the song "Disco Stress," by German pop star Udo Jurgens (for the sake of your sanity, you probably don't want to listen more than once). One can presume from the title of the album the track comes from--Udo 80--that this was an effort by the aging Jurgens to reserve one of the last seats on the disco bandwagon. I found "Disco Stress" (or maybe "Disco Stress" found me) at the ever-mysterious Salvation Army on Grand, and I've been unable to rid it from my life ever since. Maybe it's Udo's piercing disco scream around the 2:06 mark of the track. It could be the breakdown where, like some sort of bizarro German James Brown, Jurgens calls out each instrument for an ill-advised solo turn. Or maybe it's the Buck Rogers laser zaps that accompany the chorus. Actually, the sad truth is that I'd hold onto Udo 80 for all my days just to hear Jurgens sigh, "Schtresss...." at the conclusion of "Disco Stress." Download at your own peril.

Disco Stress

Uke Cabaret poster designer and man about town Chris P's band Mean Ohio will become the 60's Garage Rock kings The Sonics at the Halloween show on Friday. The Sonics' tunes make an excellent Halloween Soundtrack- Rough and ready, hard and fast, with fuzzed out guitars and horns. The subject matter is appropriately macabre with songs about drinking strychnine for kicks, witches, psychopaths, and Satan. Todays track, Strychnine is from their 1965 debut album Here are The Sonics .


Strychnine

If you stop to think about it, It takes serious cojones to name your album Let it Be. That, or bravado manufactured from copious amounts of booze. The Replacements had both in spades

I Will Dare

My Fleetwood Mac obsession continues as Hayward prepares for the upcoming Halloween bash at Silvies. In learning the bass parts, I've come to discover just how good a bass player John McVie is, so smooth and fluid you'd hardly notice unless you're, well, trying to learn the parts. Listen for instance to the chorus on this one, from their 1975 self-titled LP, the first with the Buckingham/Nicks in the line-up and a reinvented sound.

Say That You Love Me

When will I shake this device?

Watching the Elephant Six Holiday Surprise Show at The Bottom Lounge earlier this week, I became nostalgic for the mid-nineties gold rush of 60's inspired psychedelic pop nuggets. While the Lily's weren't an Elephant Six band, this track is one of my favorites from the era.


And One(On One)

New music from Oasis. Profound lyrics abound as usual:

"Love is a time machine, up on a silver screen
Love is a litany, a magical mystery"

and still I give them the benefit of the doubt. Now that's a mystery.

The Shock of Lightning

More California Dreaming

David Berthy Posts

Mike’s post reminded me how much I love this song. Like a lot of classic compositions, “California Dreaming” has inspired untold covers. Two of my favorites come from Jose Feliciano and Lee Moses, performers otherwise not often mentioned in the same sentence.



Feliciano’s version, replete with swelling strings and Spanish guitar, comes to us from the easy side of the street. The focus is on the brilliant melodic underpinnings of the original, resulting in a swinging, romantic melancholy that evokes turtlenecks, fireplaces, and empty wine glasses. Undeniably cool, its bongos and scatting make it perfect for an exclusive Aspen nightclub performance circa 1978.


Jose Feliciano Version




Lee Moses, on the other hand, brings a holy terror to his interpretation, turning the longing for California into a matter of life or death. He scraps the propulsive groove in favor of funereal horns and dramatic pauses, almost turning the song into a dirge. The references to church and prayer, which often fade into the background in other versions, are here highlighted when the singer unleashes his gospel shout. California represents salvation, and Lee Moses sings the song like a man who knows he’s going to hell.

Lee Moses Version

DJ Luke Singer played this one during his set last night at The Whistler (*A GREAT bar by the way). As soon as it came on, it appeared that everyone in the place stopped mid-conversation to sing along and bob their heads in unison from side to side, like some hipster muppets number. This song is quite a soundtrack for the transition we're about to make from Fall to Winter.

California Dreaming

Forgive me friends, but this track is killing me, so I feel compelled to post it. A while back I posted a version of Chuck Berry's The Promised Land by Swamp Boogie king Johnny Allen. I've had a mild obsession with the song ever since I heard it years ago on a roots of americana Uncut compilation. We even played it at The Uke Cabaret. Then, the other day, while searching for the Elvis track I posted Friday, I came across his version of the Promised Land, recorded in the heydey of his later Vegas Days, 1975.
I've never really listened to stuff from his late period, and I find it infectious in a way that makes me smile and sing along. I mean, really, this track smokes, from the funky opening organ riff right through three guitar solos and countless Jerry Lee Lewis style piano flourishes to the end.

The Promised Land

At KP and Joe's outrageously fun wedding reception a couple weeks back, Hayward wound up in the basement late in the evening for an impromptu jam session with Eric, who had played a well selected set of covers earlier to entertain the crowd. We stomped through a string of Beatles, Buddy Holly, and Elvis tunes and had a blast playing outside of the Bluegrass canon. Don't Be Cruel was one of the songs we played, and I was reminded just how great a song it is.

Don't Be Cruel

Nikki Sudden was a prolific English singer-songwriter and guitarist who co-founded the post-punk band Swell Maps with his brother Epic Soundtracks. His sound owes a lot to the classic rock pantheon- Neil Young, T Rex, and the Rolling Stones. He recorded under various monikers including the Jacobites and The French Revolution. He died of a heart attack in his sleep after a concert in 2006. Here's his version of Neil Young's Captain Kennedy from The Bridge-A Tribute to Neil Young. The song was originally released on Neil Young's little known 1980 album Hawkes and Doves.

Captain Kennedy

I like the trendy "boogaloo" style jazz that was made popular by Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Herbie Hancock and others in the mid sixties. Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder became a crossover hit, cracking the pop charts in 1964. Its ultra groovy in a striptease music kind of way.
Its success led to record labels rushing their jazz acts to record tracks in this funky/cool style.

The Sidewinder

They Ran

We had the great honor of playing at the marathon again this year, round about mile marker 6 at Fullerton & Stockton. The "Free Hugs" sign worked to great effect, keeping our frontman busy. We broke out this one from Flock of Seagulls, one of my favorites from the new wave era.

Space Age Love Song

While watching the mostly boring movie "The Assassination of Jesse James" this weekend, I was reminded of the terrific band The James Gang, which featured a young Joe Walsh well before he released his string of solo hits and joined the Eagles. My favorite track is Funk #49 from 1970's James Gang Rides Again, which the hipster band 5style would later rip off in the mid-90's for an entire album.

Funk #49

Recessional

"Theres a problem, feathers iron
Bargain buildings, weights and pullies
Feathers hit the ground before the weight can leave the air
Buy the sky and sell the sky and tell the sky and tell the sky

Dont fall on me (what is it up in the air for) (its gonna fall)
Fall on me (if its there for long) (its gonna fall)
Fall on me (its over its over me) (its gonna fall)"

Fall On Me

Soundtrack for Repentence

Yom Kippur puts me in a reflective mood as its designed to do. Each year around this time I find myself putting Leonard Cohen's New Skin for The Old Ceremony on the turntable as I contemplate the past year and the look forward to the next. "Who by Fire" explicitly relates to Cohen's Jewish roots, echoing the words of the Unetanneh Tokef prayer and sung as a duet with Janis Ian (also Jewish; her birth name was Janis Eddy Fink).

Who By Fire

Great Debuts

Here's one from Devo's first album, Q. Are We Not Men A: We Are Devo released in 1978 and produced by Brian Eno.
The name "Devo" comes "from their concept of 'de-evolution' - the idea that instead of evolving, mankind has actually regressed, as evidenced by the dysfunction and herd mentality of American society. Frontman Mark Mothersbaugh went on to work on countless film soundtracks, most notable Wes Anderson films such as Rushmore and The Royal Tennenbaums.

Gut Feeling

Today, Tuesday

Today, Tuesday

Solid Gold

This song came on while I was shopping at Salvation Army this past weekend for the upcoming Halloween extravaganza (more on that soon). Heather had never heard this one before, so I post it for her. Its by Andy Gibb, baby brother of the Bee Gees, and it stayed at #1 for seven consecutive weeks when it came out in 1978. It was co-written by the Bee Gees, who also sing on the track. Not soon after its release, AG's carreer took a downward spiral due to drug addiction and a broken heart when he and Victoria Principal split. He died in 1988 of a heart condition just after his 30th birthday and just weeks before he was to join his brothers as the 4th BeeGee.


Shadow Dancing

Break-up Music

Dramatic break-up anthem from indie-pop stalwarts Sebadoh's 4th album, 1993's Bubble and Scrape.

Soul & Fire