At the rehearsal dinner for Billy and Ariel's wedding this past weekend, two of Billy's nephews got out their guitars and played an exceptionally well chosen set of songs in Everly Brothers style. They included this sweet ditty from Yo La Tengo's 1995 "Painful", one of the band's finest efforts.
I was reclined with my head in the sink readying for my pre-wedding (Billy & Ariel) haircut, when I heard from across the room "omg, Michael Jackson is dead". I sat bolt upright in the chair, water flying everywhere, and loudly exclaimed by disbelief, nearly demanding details and verification from the receptionist. I was sure it was a prank, coming as it was from TMZ. Over the next few minutes, with the news confirmed, I sank into a wordless gloom as Nina snipped, trying to engage me in small talk.
I was surprised at the depth of my reaction to the news, and can't remember another celebrity death since Princess Di that's had this effect on me. Exploring my reaction with friends over drinks last night, I realized that Michael Jackson's is a case where I've always just naturally separated the man from the music. Never once has the sad bizarre circus surrounding his life affected the way I feel about his immense and irrefutable contribution to the popular music pantheon. As for the man and his actions, my sympathy has always outweighed my anger for reasons I cannot justify. Despite all of the allegations, at heart I still view him as a man-child who was horribly wronged at a very young age and then grew into a very sick and lost man. There is solace in knowing that both his suffering and the suffering he causes others are over.
Oh, and a couple of other things: 1. Anyone who equates Farah's icon status with that of Michael is out of their effing mind 2. I nominate Johnny Depp to play Jacko in the inevitable biopic. He's essentially already played him in both Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I never get tired of reggae treatments of soul songs, especially in the summer. I’ve heard a few duds, but most of these covers seem to work out exceptionally well, especially those from the period before roots reggae took hold, when soul music had a strong influence on reggae. I’ve bought a bunch of reggae soul compilations over the years, and here are four of my favorite examples of the genre. Reggae Soul
Monday, June 22, 2009
Summer is officially here, and finally, the weather is starting to accept it. To celebrate, check out this 1974 version of Seals and Croft's "Summer Breeze" by the Isley Brothers.
Need a last minute gift for your pops on Father's Day? I've got you covered! Taking a cue from Alvy's Summer Jamz Series, I've created a Sunday morning easy listening mix of AM Gold especially for Fathers. You'll get "leader of the Band" from Dan Fogelberg, "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens, "Cats in The Cradle" by Harry Chapin, and many more!
I just got back from working on the video for this song by MSTRKRFT featuring John Legend. I've listened to this song hundreds of times over the last two weeks, and I'm surprised how well its held up. The lyrics have an innocence that reminds me of sixties girl groups, but the electronic backing and the deadpan delivery make it feel fresh. I don't want to spend another night in a pinata store listening to it on repeat at any point in the near future, but I think it's definitely deserving of a listen.
Take one part Neko Case, one part Jens Lekman, and one part El Perro del Mar, and you'll wind up with the retro pop stylings of Glasgow's Camera Obscura. I presume that I often hear mention of Belle & Sebastian in the same sentence as Camera Obscura because they share a hometown, but I much prefer the latter band's sound to the twee renderings of B&S.
I wandered into Reckless last night to kill some time before picking up the QD from her stats class and was reminded how much I love the dirty, organic, hard rocking sound of Crazy Horse, Neil Young's on-and-off backing band since the early Seventies. The track I heard over the store speakers was "Country Home", the opening number from 1990's Ragged Glory, a real sleeper of an album which sounds a whole lot fresher to my ears today than it did when I bought it back in senior year of college,
Next time you're in the convertible up to the Summer cabin (or pretending to be)in Michigan, Indiana, or Wisconsin, turn this one up and enjoy the ride. Country Home
Monday, June 15, 2009
Congratulations to David and Eva, who welcomed their daughter into the world yesterday!
Ellery Lark Singer 7 lbs, 8oz. 20 inches long Born June 14, 2009
We are creatures, creatures of love We are creatures, creatures of love From the sleep of reason, a life is born We are creatures, creatures of love
Friday, June 12, 2009
Tony Bianchi Posts
A couple weeks ago, I was driving from Portland, Oregon, to the town of Astoria (see above), and naturally forgot to charge the ipod, so was left with the complimentary cd from my room in the really hip Ace Hotel (nice place, actually.)
And that was good, because it forced me to listen to a record of the Headless Heroes about ten times over the 180 miles, which turned out to be pretty good fit for the winding road along the Columbia River.
And it turns out they aren't a band, exactly, but some sort of NYC art collaborative / music project, with a (I think) portland-based folk vocalist named Alela Diane singing all the songs. They are all covers, but besides Daniel Johnston, Jesus & Mary Chain and someone named "Nicholas Cave" I didn't realize that, they not the most well known tunes, which I believe is the point.
So here's one very atmospheric track "To You" and a much more traditional sounding "Blues Run The Game" by someone named Jackson C. Frank (covered by Simon & Garfunkel, which won't be a surprise when you hear it.)"
I love some of the slower-paced early Michael Jackson numbers. Because the smiling, “ABC” Michael dominates the collective memory of the young star, it’s easy to forget that he could bring a preturnatural soulfulness to slower numbers. Included here are “Maria (You Were The Only One)” and a cover of “Ain’t No Sunshine.” It’s tempting to point out Jackson’s despair is a little out of scale for a thirteen-year- old, especially when he goes into a Barry White-style address in Maria (“...sweet little sunflower.”) Or how disturbing these expressions of anguish are given what we no know about Jackson’s life. But ultimately I prefer to throw all that out the window and enjoy the sheer craziness of the performances Michael Jackson Numbers
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Benjamin Fingerhut Posts
Although it’s still a work-in-progress we submitted Breaking and Entering to our first film festival the other day. The score is being created by Andrew Duncan, but there are a few songs by other artists scattered throughout. One of the bands providing additional music is the Chicago band, Hayward. Without giving too much of the movie away, their amazing original song, “High Lonesome” provides a perfect backdrop to one of the more dramatic and beautiful scenes in the movie. To my knowledge this is the one and only original Hayward song. Give “High Lonesome” a listen and I think you’ll agree that it’s high time that they made another one!
Listening to Patty Griffin's "Long Ride Home" I was reminded of another song, "On The Road to Find Out", from Cat Stevens 1970 album , Tea for The Tillerman. I remember the track about Self discovery also as a central soundtrack item from the terrific film "Harold & Maude". Listening to the song repeatedly, I was struck by how much of an early blueprint it is for the artist's future devotion to the faith of Islam and eventual withdrawal from the music industry. Like Kurt Cobain and Elliott Smith after him, there are abundant early lyrical cues in Stevens'early work as to the path his future life will take
"Yes the answer lies within, so why not take a look now? Kick out the devils sin, pick up, pick up the good book now"
The Fever Ray record is definitely my favorite of the year so far. Fever Ray is the solo project of Swedish musician Karen Dreijer, who is also one half of the brother-sister duo The Knife. Fever Ray shares some similarities with The Knife’s sound, particularly on their last album Silent Shout, but the Fever Ray record manages to be stranger, darker, and more organic. Dreijer herself has described the sound as “...a deep sleep spreading over fields and endless oceans.” Which I can see. She’s also sited as inspiration a love of the long, wordless musical interludes in Miami Vice (where Crockett and Tubbs zoom through the night in a car or on a boat while staring moodily into the distance, seemingly contemplating the likely possibility of their own imminent demise). I can see that too, I guess, and am certainly for anything that celebrates the virtues of Miami Vice. But what draws me most to this music most is its ability to encode strange, disturbing, heartfelt messages in a pop context. Included is The Knife song “Pass This On,” and two Fever Ray songs: “Seven,” and “When I Grow Up (Lissvik version).”
Forgive the extended posting theme, but in discussing Steve Albini and Cheap Trick I'd be remiss in not posting Albini fronted post-hardcore band Big Black's cover version of Cheap Trick's "He's a Whore", originally release as a 7" and these days available on the CD version of the band's 1987 album Songs aAbout Fucking. The b-side of the single was a Kraftwerk cover and both sides of the single jacket imitate the original bands' artwork.
As Quickdraw mentioned in Friday's post, the band was not too happy with Tom Werman's treatment of their songs for the album In Color. Drummer Bun E. Carlos explains: "He made it safe for radio, but the album sounds like it was done in a cardboard box." Over a decade later in the 90's, the band was in the studio hanging out with producer Steve Albini with nothing to do for a few days, and decided to re-record the album for kicks. They never completed it, but got pretty far in. I recently found the entire album on the internet (props to Rock Town Hall Blog) and present it here in its entirety for your downloading pleasure. It includes two versions each of "I Want You to Want Me" and "Oh Caroline" as well as a cover of John Lennon's "I'm Losing You."
In my opinion, In Color was a perfect record the first time around. The pop treatment of the set makes the songs shine, setting them apart from other hard rock albums. Its ithe very reason I love it so much. I've listened to the Albini versions a bunch, and while there are moments of brilliance overall I find it bit bland and uneven, with the songs getting lost in the mix. Listening to the vocals, you can really hear how much Billy Corgan was influenced by Robin Zander. Still, its a rare chance to hear a band reclaim its vision.
Rockford, Illinois is not the first place (nor the second, or third, for that matter) that comes to mind when thinking of places that have produced iconic pieces of American history. Hailing from a town near Rockford that is even less exciting and a fraction of its size, it's surreal even for me to think that Rockford gave us such offerings as the original sock monkey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sock_monkey, the Rockford Peaches http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockford_Peaches featured in "A League of Their Own", and various parts that propel the airplanes we fly every day. However, Rockford's greatest gift to the world is without a doubt, Cheap Trick. The band was officially formed in 1974 by Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson, and Bun E. Carlos. To this day, I can't get enough of the 1977 album In Color. Rumor has it the band wasn't all that happy with the production of the album, saying that producer Tom Werman wanted to highlight the band's lighter, more pop-influenced side (exactly why I love it). While the album was only slightly more successful in the U.S. than their debut album Cheap Trick released earlier the same year, it gave them mega-star status in Japan. The Japanese media deemed them "The American Beatles", and after their 3rd record went gold there (though not here in the U.S.) the band was inspired to record Cheap Trick at Budokan (only intended for release in Japan, but eventually released in the U.S. by popular demand). Today I'm posting my all-time favorite Cheap Trick track, "Southern Girls" from In Color. The toe-tapping drum intro, the beautifully ringing power chords of the verse, and the hook-laden chorus never fail to keep me moving every time I hear it. It's a 70's power pop gem, but something about the simplicity of it takes me back to a simpler era of rock and roll. Enjoy! Cheap Trick-Southern Girls
Thursday, May 28, 2009
David Berthy Posts
While yesterday's excellent mix is going a long way to cheer me up, the gloom of recent days has had me drinking too much tea and reaching for a certain strain of melancholy British pop. "Beachwood Park" by The Zombies and "She Smiled Sweetly" by the Rolling Stones are both classics of the genre. If you're familiar with them, they're well worth revisiting whether or not the gloom persists. Listened to on a sunny summer day, they very well might make me nostalgic for the experience of drinking tea on a rainy afternoon while listening to a certain strain of melancholy British pop. "Sam," is from the third album by Bill Fay, a singer who never quite caught on, but has had something of a rebirth in the last ten years thanks to reissues of his three studio albums.
back in the late 90's, the Lake Effect crew would rent a house together for a week each year up in Saugatuck, Mi. The area had one of the greatest resort radio stations of all time, blending inane Dj Patter with obscure AM radio hits that you you knew all the words to, but had no idea who the artist was and hadn't heard since you were five years old, riding in the back of the family station wagon on the way to the supermarket or TGI Fridays.
The radio station went country, but Alvy has kept the tradition alive with a series of annual mixes to keep our Summer soundtrack rolling. This years is a real doozy, highlighted by an incredibly Steve Windwood-esque Santana hit "I'm Winning", Leo Sayers incomparable jam "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing", and a pair of hits from the Little River Band, plus 20 or so others.
Here, courtesy of Alvy, is the complete mix. Do yourself a favor and download it, your Summer will thank you, if it ever gets here.
One of the driving forces and creative minds behind my favorite era of Wilco's music (Being There, Summer Teeth, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot), Jay Bennett, died of undisclosed causes at the age of 45 this past weekend. Known as a pioneer in putting the alt into alt-country, Bennett split with the band in 2001 amidst unpleasant circumstances laid out unflatteringly by the band in the film I Am Trying To Break Your Heart:A Film About Wilco. Disputes continued and just weeks ago Bennett filed suit against his former bandmate Jeff Tweedy for breach of contract relating to his work in Wilco.
Here's a beautiful track from his latest solo album, 2006's Magnificent Defeat. Survey The Damage
Friday, May 22, 2009
QD and I caught The artist formerly known as Cat Stevens on the Colbert Report recently. Now going by the moniker Yusuf, (I suppose the name "Islam" isn't a great boost for record sales), the artist has just released his first album in nearly three decades. Watvhing him perform we were surprised at how much he sounds like, well, Cat Stevens! Colbert's brass balled questioning was priceless. Heres the title track from the new album Roadsinger .
Muskegon, Michigan’s Betty LaVette recorded “You’ll Never Change” in 1963 and “Let Me Down Easy” in 1965. Though both songs are about heartbreak and even share some similar lyrics, it would be a shame to post one without the other. “You’ll Never Change” features a poppier sound, some memorable backing vocals, and the defiant tone of a one-sided argument. “Let Me Down Easy” is the other side of that argument--a solitary lament--and evokes genuine vulnerability with a raw vocal performance backed by haunting strings.
As Simo posted a week or two back, i did pick up a couple records from the chicago-based reissue label Numero recently (new to me) ... including a double LP set called "Good God! The Gospel Funk Hymnal".
And when I mentioned that to someone they responded: "There's such a thing?" To which Numero responds:
"A collection of this nature can only exist in hindsight. ... There aren't any labels, artists, or producers that focused strictly on funky gospel music; rather, there were a couple hundred groups that had a funkier number in their repertoire"
In this case here's a disco, very Curtis Mayfield-inspired version of the spiritual standard "Wayfaring Stranger" ... which is a song usually associated with country or bluegrass (and apparently, Burl Ives).
Also included is a live Neko Case version with a great banjo solo ... compare and contrast if you will.
Perennial Uke caberet player C. Everett Uke opened the last show with a dead-on rendition of Manu Chao's "Bongo Bong", a song I myself had tried to prepare but gave up on due to the lyrical delivery demands. The next week, I brought the song in to the kids at The Intonation Music Workshop at Taylor Park to find all three classes giggling uncontrollably at the playful boasting of the song's narrator. They wanted to learn the song and did so in no time.
The track is the first solo single from Manu Chao's debut album Clandestino, released in 2000. Its a remake of Mano Negra's song, "King of Bongo" (1991), which has its roots from a 1939 recording of "King of the Bongo Bong" by the trumpeter, Roy Eldridge.
I'm going to go ahead and kick off the summer songs season with two songs from Africa and hope the weather will eventually cooperate. First is Armee Guineenne, by Guinea's Bembeya Jazz National. Famed guitarist Sekou "Diamond Fingers" Diabete achieves a depth of tone here that pairs especially well to the slowness of a hot day, and this song has been at the top of my most played itunes list the last two summers. Next up is "Sunday Morning" by Zambian supergroup Amanaz. The first line, "Sunday morning, and we're sitting outside..." is followed by five gloriously unhurried minutes that are the perfect soundtrack for lazy weekend mornings in the shade.
This past weekend Simo, Tony B. and I attempted an enthusiastic cover of the song Barracuda by Heart at the incredibly fun animal-themed uke cabaret "Uke Zoologica". As I was preparing for the considerable vocal challenge, I became a bit obsessed with the band. I have long been a fan of their pioneer status in the arena of female rockers as well as their infectious Zeppelin-influenced sound. I was struck, however, when I rediscovered the title track to their 1976 debut album Dreamboat Annie which I hadn't heard in years. In contrast to their more gritty singles, this one has a remarkable Carpenters-esque folky vibe, especially in the lead and backing vocals. Perhaps my favorite part of the song is the banjo roll in the second verse, giving it the feel of a dreamy yet slightly sad travelin' song.
Another birthday gift, this one from Alvy, hasn't left my turntable in the last few days. Histoire de Melody Nelson is a 1971 concept album by controversial French songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. The Lolita-esque pseudo-autobiographical plot involves the middle-aged Gainsbourg unintentionally colliding his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost into teenage nymphet Melody Nelson's bicycle, and the subsequent seduction and romance that ensues. Histoire de Melody Nelson is considered by many critics and fans to be Gainsbourg's most influential and accomplished album. Beck obviously loved it, as he pillaged this track for "Paper Tiger" from Sea Change.
Join us this Saturday 9:00 PM at Silvies for Uke Zoologica, a four-string celbration of the animal kingdom. With 14 acts already signed up, this promises to be the best Ukulele Cabaret yet. We Hope to see you there! Thanks to Tony B for sending this track in.
In continuing with Leonard Cohen, here are some of my favorite covers of his songs. Part of what was emotional about seeing the show last night was listening to songs I’ve experienced as very personal in a communal space. For me, it brought home how universal Cohen's subject matter is. The two performers I’ve picked, Jeff Buckley and Antony, understand that Cohen's songs at their best are about nothing less than the human condition, and perform them with appropriate reverance. As a bonus, I’ll throw in “Suzanne” as performed by French chanteuse Francoise Hardy.
Tonight is the long anticipated Leonard Cohen show at The Chicago theatre. The 74 year old bard has been on the road for nearly a year now, with another one yet to go. It will be interesting to compare tonight's show to the one Heather and I saw last year in Toronto, which was the first of the tour. Perhaps he will again open the second set with Tower of Song, accompanied by himself on the Casio.
Tony B hooked me up with this Double Vinyl LP from the terrific Numero Group label. Home Schooled, The ABCs of Kid Soul, a collection of tracks from 1970's kid soul bands is an inspired gift for someone who runs a youth pop band workshop! The album caught my attention right out of the gate with this Kids Rights Anthem "Trust Your Child" from Patrizia & Jimmy
Join us tonight, dear listeners, for an Intonation Music Worskhop benefit at The Hideout featuring local indie stalwarts David Singer & The Sweet Science and Horse in the Sea, both of whom count IMW instructors among their members. Stick around afterwards for a dance party with DJ Solucien and witness yours truly upgrading to 4.0 at midnight.
Today's track is "Mosquito King" from Horse in the Sea's 2007 album I Order The Sun To Shine on Everyone
Like a lot of T. Rex fans, for a long time I overlooked the album Tanx (despite its amazing cover), assuming that The Slider was the last album worth spending time with. Granted, Tanx did mark the beginning of the end of T. Rex. Made in 1973, the very height of the “T. Rextasy” phenomenon, it was the last album recorded with the classic T. Rex lineup, and Bolan’s legendary ego--fueled by brandy, money, and cocaine--was stratospheric by this point. One would assume this would all make for a disaster of an album, but in actuality the louche decadence of the record’s sound is its greatest virtue, perfectly suited for Bolan’s spaced-out lyrical non sequiturs.
John King, Who Made Ukulele Ring With Bach, Dies at 55 By DOUGLAS MARTIN
John King adored Hawaii, though he lived there for only a few years as a boy. The “Hawaiian room” in his Florida home was stuffed with hundreds upon hundreds of hula dolls, leis and other artifacts. He once owned 400 Hawaiian shirts, more than enough to wear a different one every day of the year — which he was proud to do. Is it a surprise that Mr. King played the ukulele?
And boy, did he play that ukulele. His huge hands and stocky wrists darted and danced up, down and across the tiny instrument’s strings in a way that few, if any, players have ever attempted.
Mr. King resurrected a guitar technique from the time of Bach to play a piece that was almost certainly never before tried on a ukulele, Bach’s Partita No. 3, and went on to play other difficult classical works with dazzling mastery. He opened pathways of sound unimaginable to those whose memories of the ukulele involve Arthur Godfrey, Elvis Presley and, of course, Tiny Tim.
The Journal of the Society for American Music last year called Mr. King “perhaps the world’s only truly classical ‘ukulele virtuoso.’ ”
Mr. King’s death at 55 on April 3 at his home in St. Petersburg, Fla., sent shock waves through the ukulele universe, which has widened with enthusiasts now clustering on the Internet and at festivals around the country. His wife, Debi, said that Mr. King died of a heart attack, suddenly and completely unexpectedly.
In one of the tributes that pervade this online universe, Jim Beloff, a leading ukulele player, calls Mr. King’s work in classical ukulele “the finest in the world, and the finest we will ever see in a long time.”
Tom Walsh, a board member of the Ukulele Hall of Fame Museum, said in an interview last week that Mr. King was “adored by the ukulele community,” most of whom faced an inescapable realization: “I could never possibly play like that.”
The foundation of Mr. King’s achievement was reviving a Baroque guitar technique and applying it to the ukulele. The technique involves playing each succeeding note in a melodic line on a different string. The ukulele — which is tuned so that the four strings go not from the lowest to the highest note but instead run G, C, E, A — turns out to be great for doing this. (An illustration of ukulele tuning can be found at theuke.com.) The result is a bell-like quality of sound in which individual notes over-ring one another, producing an effect that some compare to a harp or harpsichord.
“The people Bach originally wrote this music for must have been fabulous musicians, because this stuff is really hard to play,” Mr. King wrote in an essay. “My heart is in my throat whenever I play these pieces in concert.”
In another essay he expounded on the sheer difficulty: “The truth is it’s a crazy way to play the uke; ease of execution is all but sacrificed, subordinated to whatever it takes to get that shimmering, harplike sound. It works for me, because when I play it that way, the ukulele sings.”
John Robert King was born in San Diego on Oct. 13, 1953, the son of a naval officer. The family moved a lot; when John was 6, they lived in Hawaii. His mother took up the ukulele to get a feel for local culture, and John imitated her. He noticed two things: it was difficult, and he had “absolutely no talent.” So he took up the guitar and progressed impressively. He ended up taking lessons from Pepe Romero, the classical guitarist, and Pepe’s legendary father, Celedonio.
He picked up a ukulele occasionally, but not successfully. Then he learned that the diminutive ancestors of today’s guitars were tuned like ukuleles. He tried Bach on the ukulele and was deeply intrigued. He soon commissioned Gioachino Giussani, the Italian luthier, to make a ukulele expressly for classical music. After a decade of practice, he put out a record, including the Bach partita, on his own label in 2001.
Pepe Romero concluded in the liner notes: “The sound of the ukulele is exquisitely well suited for Bach’s music, and I delight in this discovery.”
Mr. King made a second record, again on his own label, Nalu Music. It was music composed in the later part of the 19th century by the members of the Hawaiian royal family, in the decades before the state’s annexation by the United States. Many pieces had not been played for a century.
He also wrote books of arrangements for the ukulele, including works by Mozart, Chopin and Scott Joplin. At his death, Mr. King was working on a book about ukulele history, beginning with its introduction to Hawaii by the Portuguese in the late 19th century.
Mr. King liked to pick his uke at his neighborhood Starbucks, where he said he did not feel nervous, because people had no expectations.
He often said that his fondest desire was to move to Hawaii and live in a shack in the mountains near the beach.
Transa, recorded in 1972, is my favorite album by the legendary Brazilian artist Caetano Veloso. This was the last album he released while living in political exile in London, and there's a bramble of seemingly incompatible ideas clashing on the record: exile, anonymity, hope, memories of Brazilian music, British pop music, lyrics sung in English, lyrics sung in Portuguese. I love how Veloso embraces these contradictions with a celebratory defiance.
On the other side of the universe from these two funkmasters is Neko Case, who gives good advice for those celebrating Earth Day. From her new album Middle Cyclone:
Let's continue our funky-bassist-gone-solo series with P-Funk legend Bootsy Collins and two tracks from his 1976 solo debut album "Stretchin' Out in Bootsy's Rubber Band". Both tracks here lay out a template for the tremendous success of Outkast almost 3 decades later
Heather and I commemorated Record Store day by scooting on over to Recordbreakers on the 2100 block of South State. $10 coupon in hand, we scoured the bins for an hour while some truly abominable bands assaulted our senses with live in-store performances. I came across this sealed copy of Graham Central Station and had to have it. Larry Graham was the bass player for Sly and the Family Stone, and I had heard from many that his solo material was top notch.
We knew we were in for a treat when we threw on side A and the acapella album opener "We've Been Waiting" came at us like some soul version of Bohemian Rhapsody. From that point forward, the album plays like a cross between The Staple Singers, Sly and The Family Stone, and Funkadelic, with some of the most astoundingly hot bass playing ever put to tape (listen to the beginning of "Hair".
“Every Little Bit Hurts,” written by Ed Cobb and originally recorded by soul singer Brenda Holloway in 1964, is one of those songs that just keeps coming back. Small Faces, The Clash, George Clinton, The Jam, and others have covered the song with success, and, like “The First Cut is the Deepest,” the song seems to weather any interpretation that’s thrown at it. I found my favorite version, by the Jamaican group The Rulers, on a MOJO compilation that came out a few years back. As a bonus, I’ll throw in the other Rulers song that was on the compilation, “Wrong Em’ Boyo,” which was also covered by The Clash.
When Phil Spector was initially acquitted in the 2003 murder of Lana Clarkson, I posted Pistol Packin' Papa from Jimmie Rodgers right here on this page. Now that Spector has finally been convicted of the murder, its only right to commemeorate it with "In the Jailhouse Now" another track from "The Singing Brakeman".
New music today from Bonnie Prince Billy, who recorded his latest record, Beware, right here in Chicago at Engine Studios with our friend Neil Strauch manning the boards. Its an ambitious effort, with arrangements incorporating Leonard Cohenish female choral backing vocals, fiddle, banjo, cornet, accordian, manolin, and pedal steel into a sound that blends americana, rock, chamber, and spiritual styles.
BPB's incredibly prolific with his output, releasing a new record every 7 months or so , and like Neil Young and Van Morrison (Pre-millenial), its the sound of BPB's voice alone that draws me in, regardless of the record or its approach.
I listen over and over again to the opening track "beware your only friend", especially in the morning. Don't miss this one!
Speaking of Crazy Hoes(?) I did see "Lez Zeppelin" Saturday night at the Double Door, and well, it rocked. On paper it sounds like a gimmick: 4 women playing Led Zeppelin covers, including a front-woman who is almost as hot as Robert Plant himself ...
And it would be, except they are really, really good at it (though Quickdraw's Robert Plant might still be better!), especially the guitar player Steph Paynes, who makes me think I could have been hearing Led Zeppelin.
But it got me thinking of some other hard playing / hard singing women-fronted bands like 70's prog-rockers Babe Ruth, and Ohio's Heartless Bastards, who played the Bottom Lounge saturday, as well. "The Mountain" is the title track of their new record ...
P.S. Do check out this Babe Ruth video for intense 70's costumes and visuals - esp. around minute 1:30 or so."
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Noir Doo Wop gets the choral treatment on the debut single from Swedish women's choir The Sweptaways' forthcoming sophomore album The Sweptaways Show. Sign Your name
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Unpacking those boxes from storage, I came across the countless mixtapes I made back in the 90's. One of the oldest of these was entitled "Neil Young and Crazyhoes", which alternated Neil Young tracks with those by the plethora of female indie rockers exploding onto the scene in the early 90's...Liz Phair, Bettie Serveert, Sonic Youth, Throwing Muses, and The Breeders to name a few. Tanya Donelly had stints in the latter two before making her bid for pop stardom fronting Belly whose pop confection "Feed The Tree" captured the airwaves in 1993. Today's double daily download covers boths ends of Donnelly's spectrum, from the sugary indie pop of that track to the dark swing of "Honeychain" from Throwing Muses' The Real Ramona. Donnely's rare writing and lead vocal contribution to that band is my pick for best Throwing Muses song ever, despite the fact that half-sister Kerstin Hersh was primary songwriter and frontwoman for all those years.
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