Cher - Take Me Home - 1979

What a cover, right? In the spirit of Halloween I thought this cover was a sort of tribute to dressing up in outrageous costumes. In looking at it now, it sort of makes me think that this inspired Princess Leia's outfit in Jedi. Who knows if that is true, but it certainly is a great outfit.

I have a few Cher records from early in her career and I have some Sonny and Cher records I enjoy. This record from 1979 may be the most recent record I have of hers on vinyl. I was a bit skeptical about what to expect of the music at this point in her career. I dreaded hearing some bad disco and was only buying the record for the amazing costume she's wearing.

I was pleased to find that I knew the song "Take Me Home" and I already loved it. My previous experience with the song was with the cover Sophie Ellis Baxter did back in 2001. I thought that was a great dance track. Cher's version is also pretty great.



There are a few other tracks on the record that I also like. Another highlight is another song that I had heard before, but didn't recognize the title. The closing track "My Song (Too Far Gone)" is a beautiful little song. Not at all what I was expecting when I thought I was picking up a formula disco record from Casablanca records.

And the third song I knew, but didn't know I knew was "Let This Be A Lesson To You!", which has a great gospel and soul flavor to it. The chorus is certain to get you singing along and clapping your hands like you were in a revival meeting. A great song.

Track 2 "Wasn't It Good" on the other hand was a new song for me. I hadn't heard it before getting this record, but I love it. In relistening to it while writing this blog I couldn't help but think this would probably be a good candidate for some DJ to mash up or remix with some modern beats. The other thing the song made me think about is that the electronic manipulation on the back up singers were kind of like the precursers to her 1998 hit "Believe" which had the hook "Do you believe in life after love" where her voice was electronically tweaked.

The electronic voice manipulation also reminds me of some of the robotic voice effects in the Bee Gee's movie "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" which would have come out just a year before she recorded this record. Listen to "Mean Mr. Mustard" for a comparison.

Also check out "Git Down (Guitar Groupie)" and "Love & Pain". I dig on them as well.

Overall this is a great record and one to pick up when you see it. Get it on CD or just keep your eyes open in the thrift stores for the vinyl. It litters the dollar bins everywhere.

Enjoy!

01 Take Me Home.m4a
02 Wasn't It Good.m4a
03 Say The Word.m4a
04 Happy Was The Day We Met.m4a
05 Git Down (Guitar Groupie).m4a
06 Love & Pain (AKA Pain In My Heart).m4a
07 Let This Be A Lesson To You!.m4a
08 It's Too Late To Love Me Now.m4a
09 My Song (Too Far Gone).m4a

Take Me Home Side 1.zip
Take Me Home Side 2.zip

As an extra bonus here is one of Cher's other tasteful outfits from the 80's. Remember this gem?

Brigham Young - Rise And Shout

Besides Halloween and Thanksgiving, many people think of of college football when they think of Fall. I'm not a big football guy myself, but I recognize that many people love the sport and to them Fall means football. So in honor of that here is a college marching band record. It's just the sort of music you here at college football games. I attended a few when I was in school. Like most sporting events, being there in the stadium is usually a fun time and a far different experience than watching it on TV.

Many of these songs, most people won't know unless you went to BYU, because they are school songs. However there are some pop songs on here. I love The Beatles and so "Hard Days Night" is a favorite here. "Watermelon Man" is also pretty fun.

Enjoy!

01 Cougar Song.m4a
02 Watermelon Man.m4a
03 Acapulco 1922.m4a
04 The Old Y Bell.m4a
05 WAC March.m4a
06 Give My Regards To Broadway-Mondo Cane.m4a
07 Hard Days Night.m4a
08 Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho.m4a
09 College Song.m4a
10 Longest Day.m4a
11 When The Saints Come Marching In.m4a
12 On The Trail Of The Y.m4a
13 Lonely Bull.m4a
14 Walk On The Wild Side.m4a
15 Cougar Song.m4a
16 Fight You Cougars.m4a
17 College Song.m4a

Brigham Young University Band - Rise And Shout.zip

Halloween Mix 2007 Re-post

Yes, I am being totally lazy recycling old posts, but what can I say. I'm into recycling. I've also been extremely busy and I'm spending whatever extra time I have for this blog, getting Christmas records digitized and processed for the month of December. I am planning to do like last year and post a new record every day. I'm also madly trying to get all that done so I can make my final selections for the Christmas mix. I spent time this past weekend digitizing audio clips from movies and TV shows that I thought might work nice on a mix.

Well, enough about Christmas. This is October and Halloween is quickly approaching. So come with me in the way back machine to 2007, before I knew how to make mixes in garage band and was doing it old school with itunes. This was my first Halloween mix and I think I did okay. If nothing else I think my cover photo was pretty good.

Enjoy!

Spencer's Halloween Mix 2007.zip

The track listing is as follows. For details on the artists you'll just have to download the tracks and look at the ID tags. Or if you are really just curious, you can send me an e-mail.

01 Ed Wood Main Titles (Edit)
02 Trick Or Treat
03 My Dear Watson
04 Horrorshow
05 To Make A Witch Pockmarked
06 Suspiria (Narration)
07 Angel Witch
08 Pass The Witch's Broomstick
09 Figments Park (Edit)
10 Kill The Brain And You Kill The Ghoul
11 I Walked With A Zombie
12 Halloween Hootenanny
13 Surfin' Dead
14 Teenage Zombie Blues
15 Braineaters
16 Among The Dead
17 She's My Witch
18 Lil' Red Riding Hood
19 The Self Fascination Ritual For Increased Power
20 Evil
21 Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But...
22 Braineater
23 At The Munsters
24 Casper, Casper (Whatcha Doin' On The Moon)
25 Do The Rigormortis
26 Pacific Ghost Highway... (Intro)
27 Dinner With Drac
28 Goblin Dance
29 Hillside Strangler
30 Blood Lust
31 Jack The Ripper
32 The Tell-Tale Heart
33 Popeye (The Gravedigger)
34 I Dig You Baby
35 Halloween

SAP Music Halloween Mix 2008 re-post

Last year was my first exploration into doing mixes in garage band. I am still really proud of last year's mix and thought I should repost it for the new comers.

Last year I posted it as a podcast because last year you could burn that podcast to disc in itunes and itunes was smart enough to break up the chapters into individual CD tracks. For some reason on one of the itunes updates this summer that feature was lost. So I'm posting the individual tracks in this one zip file.

The liner notes image has all the details on everything that went into creating this mix. And when I say everything I do mean everything. Prepare to geek out on the level of detail I have provided. Just click on the image to get view the large high res file. At the bottom I've also provided an image to print out for a CD case.

Check back soon, because the 2007 Halloween mix should make an appearance before the end of the month.


Enjoy!

SAP Music Halloween Mix 2008.zip

SAP Music Halloween Mix 2009

It is finally that time of year again. For me Halloween is by far the best season for making mixes. There is so much material out there and I have the most fun mashing up and layering things. Also in addition to traditional Halloween songs, pop and rock music is full of songs with dark themes that lend themselves to Halloween. Candy and sugar is another popular theme in pop music which again plays so well into the whole Halloween thing. So this year, you get songs about candy, you get Elvis Costello singing about killing people.

Again to keep myself off the search engine radar, I'm going to avoid typing out the songs and artists on the track list. I have however provided a hi-res image of the liner notes I made for the CD's I made for friends. You should be able to read that to learn who is singing what. Also as always I have put in all the track tags so when you pull these files into itunes you get all the info you need.

Also I highly recommend listening to the whole thing, because I've mixed all the tracks to flow into each other. Also included here is an image that can be used to print out a CD sticker. That would be the image with the circular theme.

As far as the tracks go, I've put a lot more spoken word and dialogue samples on this mix this year. Don't let that scare you off. I made sure to make all those bits as interesting as possible by layering in music and sound FX. I've also done a lot of editing of songs so you get just the best bits. Much of the time, songs don't overstay their welcome. My philosophy was to get in, get the gist of the song and then move on. So the mix is constantly surprising the listener. I think also there may be some tracks that will put a smile on your face because you may have never thought of them a Halloween songs, but I think you'll find in the context of the mix they work quite well. The easiest example of what I'm talking about is the opening track by The Doors. You may be asking "The Doors, how is that a Halloween song?" well once you give it a listen and hear what I've done I think you'll get it.

So have fun with the music. I hope it can provide a nice soundtrack for the month of October. I also hope to get some comments back from people, so feel free to ask questions and or discuss the songs.

Enjoy!

Here is the whole thing in one zip file.

SAP Music Halloween Mix 2009.zip

01 Peace Frog.m4a
02 Swamp Blood.m4a
03 Skeleton Topless.m4a
04 Full Moon.m4a
05 The Final Sound.m4a
06 Terror From The Circus Of Death.m4a
07 Halloween.m4a
08 More Evil.m4a
09 Psycho.m4a
10 Nightmare In My Closet.m4a
11 The Dead Do Rise Vs. People's Playground.m4a
12 Poltergeist In The Pantry.m4a
13 Ghostride.m4a
14 Ghost Ship.m4a
15 The Ghastly Stomp.m4a
16 Haunted.m4a
17 We Are The Witches.m4a
18 You Must Be A Witch.m4a
19 I Put A Spell On You.m4a
20 Spooky.m4a
21 Candy Man.m4a
22 Some Candy Talking.m4a
23 Graveyard Girl (Yuksek Mix).m4a
24 Zombie.m4a
25 The Haunted And The Haunters Vs. Man With A Harmonica.m4a
26 The Boogie Man.m4a
27 Trick Or Treat.m4a
28 Under The Moon Of Love.m4a
29 Night Of The Witches And Dr. Frankenstein On Campus Commercial.m4a
30 Vampire Daddy.m4a
31 Graveyard Rock.m4a
32 Rock Candy.m4a
33 A Spooky Sounding Halloween Story Vs. The Emperor.m4a
34 The Headless Horseman.m4a
35 Astro Zombies Commercial.m4a
36 Goo Goo Muck.m4a
37 Walk Like A Zombie.m4a
38 Season Of The Witch.m4a
39 Halloween Is All Around.m4a

Here's an image to print out for a CD case.

The Motels - All Four One - 1982

Much of this album was recorded for an unreleased record. I had no idea that was the in case until doing some research. Read the wikipedia entry.

"After the mild success of their second album Careful, The Motels went back into the studio in early 1981 to record album three with the then up and coming producer Val Garay. The band at this time consisted of Martha Davis on vocals and guitar, Tim McGovern on lead guitar, Marty Jourard on keyboards, Michael Goodroe on bass and Brian Glascock on drums.

Wanting to stretch the limits as to what they could do artistically and musically, the band recorded some of its most dark and heavy music to date. Despite having Garay as producer for the album, the songs were basically arranged and handled by McGovern. The results were mixed. While some arrangements on the tracks were outstanding rock numbers ("Mission of Mercy," "Schneekin'" and "So L.A."), some were a little too experimental and not as well produced ("Sweet Destiny" and the first version of "Only the Lonely"). Neither the band nor Garay ever submitted any of the recordings to Capitol Records while the recording process was going on. When the band submitted the final tapes to Capitol, the label rejected it stating that it was "not commercial," essentially meaning it was a dead record.

The band had begun getting local gigs in the L.A. area to try out their new material, but by the end of 1981, McGovern officially left the band for personal and private reasons, leaving The Motels without a lead guitarist.

Unwilling to give up, the remaining members forged on back into the studio with Val Garay at the controls. This time Garay had more liberty to mold the band's sound to a more commercial venue. Studio musicians were added to fill the lead guitar void for several of the tracks, as well as to flesh out the sound of the recordings. Adrian Peritore (who went by the name Guy Perry because his former producer had misspelled his name on an album cover) was hired in late January and played lead guitar to some of the tracks, including "He Hit Me."

The album was retitled All Four One because the band had recorded four albums but one would not be released, and also because the four remaining members had stayed together to complete the album ("all for one and one for all!"). it was released in April 1982 on Capitol Records.

The result was the biggest selling album for The Motels. The album spurred both American and International hits. The album was certified gold in several countries including the United States and Canada by the end of 1982. The hits from the album included "Mission of Mercy," "Only the Lonely," "Take the L," "Forever Mine," "So L.A.," and "Art Fails."

I usually don't just rip off stuff from Wikipedia, but I thought this story was interesting enough that I figured it was worth the copy and paste job.

So enough about what some Wikipedia writer says about the record, let's get on to what I think about the record. Let me just start by saying that I think Martha Davis has one of the great voices in pop music, especially in the 80's.

"Mission Of Mercy" starts the record off with some upbeat new wave synth and guitar driven pop. As a song, it is okay, but certainly not great. It does introduce you to Martha's voice in a way that some may not be used to because this is a rock and roll song and not a slow ballad like "Only The Lonely" or "Suddenly Last Summer".

"Take The L" is going to sound like more familiar territory as the band slows down a little. The passionate singing that drove The Motels to the top is also present here. The song is a nice transition from the opening rocker and "Only The Lonely" because it still kind of rock. It is a sort of hybrid of the two styles and works nicely into "Only The Lonely".

"Only The Lonley" is a pitch perfect song from those opening keyboard notes and Martha's sultry vocals to the end fade out on the saxophone. I love the opening lyrics and over the simple notes. I love the way Davis sings and pronounces "No intention". For some reason that bit has stuck with me sense I first heard the song as a kid. Then when the drum kicks in and she sings "We lied" I get warm fuzzies all over. Part of that is nostalgia, but I'm pretty sure I felt that when I heard this song back in 1982. The the bridge, let's not forget that great saxophone solo. I've mentioned it before here on the blog, but the 80's had some great saxophone music. This being one of the prime examples.

"At Fails" starts out with a slight Asian theme going on. Maybe I'm just hearing things, but I get a Kyoto song vibe from it. Think "Hong Kong Garden" from Siouxsie, but a little more new wave and Californian. I like this track.

Track 5 "Change My Mind" is a torch song in every sense of the word. I picture Martha Davis on a lonely stage in a small club, spotlit illuminating her face and ruby red lipstick accenting the image. If you saw Dark City with Jennifery Connelly playing a club singer, that is what comes to mind. I think you might consider this the real hidden gem of the record if you only know their radio hits.

Side 2 starts off with a favorite new wave topic, Los Angeles. Brings to mind songs like "Walking in LA" by Missing Persons. Overall I can't say the song is great, but I do actually really like the way the chorus unfolds. The rest of the song is kind of forgettable.

"Tragic Surf" has a whole surf thing going for it. Another great product of the West Coast. The song is very dramatic in the vein of the great car accident tragedy songs of the 50's and 60's.

The band continues their exploration of different styles on "Apocalypso". Here's they mix calypso with an ominous heavy rock sound. The Sax on this is more haunting on this track. There is a sense of impending doom, which makes for an interesting combination. The song is big, ballsy and full.

While track five may be my pick for a hidden gem, this track gives it a good run for it's money. "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)" is a darkly disturbing song that is catchy and unforgettable. Once you hear it I don't think you'll be able to put it out of your mind, because the lyrics about this weird abusive relationship are very unsettling. In a weird way it is sort of a twisted cousin to "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar.

"Forever Mine" starts off reminding me of "A Town Called Malice" with it's bouncy rythms. I don't want to oversell the song getting you excited that it as good as "Malice" because it certainly is not. It just has an upbeat feel, which ends the record on a high note. I'm sure the logic in the track sequencing had something to do with not wanting to end on the super dark note of "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)"

So there you have it, a rather full run down of the entire record. Haven't done that in a while. Now get to listening and see what you think.

Enjoy!

01 Mission of Mercy
02 Take The L
03 Only The Lonely
04 Art Fails
05 Change My Mind
06 So L.A.
07 Tragic Surf
08 Apocalypso
09 He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)
10 Forever Mine

All Four One - Side 1.zip
All Four One - Side 2.zip

Sparks - Fingertips 12" - 1986

Man oh man has time flown by. It has been some crazy busy weeks at work. For the past few months my work on this blog goes a little something like this. I do all the digitizing and photographing and all the processing at home on the weekends. Then I use my fast internet connection at work to upload music and use my lunch hour time to set up future posts and to actually write the posts. The big hiccup this month has been the time at work. It's been long hours and working through lunch. Well, today I'm putting my foot down and writing this early in the morning before I go to work, because I have a feeling today is just going to be another one of those days.

So I chose Sparks because for whatever reason, they've come up on my Ipod a few times in recent weeks. Not necessarily these songs, but songs like "Shrelock Holmes" and "I Predict" from a few years earlier. If you are just casually familiar with Sparks' works from the early 80's you probably have a feeling for what you expect to hear. I did. However this isn't really anything like those songs I mentioned a few sentences ago. "Fingertips" is a big electro dance club song in the vain of "Dead Or Alive" or maybe even "Erasure". There is even a crazy falsetto voice thing going on that reminds me of Scissor Sisters work.

"The Scene" is really interesting to me because there is a synth riff in it that sounds so much like a lot of the synth riffs to come circa 1992 when the rave craze really hit it's stride. If you are familiar with Moby's work from around that time and some of the other hyper fast electonic rave music I'm sure you will recognize the rhythm in the opening of this song. I should say also that while this song is pushing toward the future of electronic music, it is also more recognizeble as having some of the flavors of Sparks from the past. It is an interesting combination.

So give it a listen and hopefully you are pleasantly surprised. Then get up and dance.

Enjoy!

01 Fingertips (Extended Club Mix).mp3
02 The Scene (Special Club Mix).mp3
03 Fingertips (Short Version).mp3

As a post note, you should also know that I finished this year's Halloween mix a few weeks ago. I am very excited about it. With things going the way they are , that could very well be my next post in a week or so. So start getting into the mood, because the spooky songs are coming.