Minor Threat - Salad Days 7"

I actually feel unworthy to write about this record or really any Minor Threat record. There are so many people that have more insight and have written far more eloquently than I will even be able to about their music. What I can write about is how great I thought these guys were. They along with the Circle Jerks were my introduction to Hard Core as a kid. I had a neighbor whose older brother was into Hard Core. In fact he drummed for the band Life Sentence in Chicago. I"m sure to doa post about them at some point. Anyway, my my friend made ma a tape of some of his brother's records. The first one he made me, to which I played endlessly had Minot Threat, the red 12" album and The Circle Jerks "Group Sex". I'm pretty sure that same tape also had 7 Seconds "The Crew". That was such a great thing about Hard Core records was that the albums were so short that you could fit a bunch of them on one tape. That tape was a revelation. Up to that point I knew some basic Punk. Clash, Ramones, etc. I was into the who British heavy Metal thing and Metallica was just releasing their first record. I remember thinking Metallica was fast and loud, but then I heard Minor Threat. Life was never the same. Not only were they fast, but they were singing about things that actually meant something to me, instead of songs about evil adn the devil and killing and other dark fantasies. This was real life stuff.

I didn't hear the songs on this 7" until much later in life. To be honest I didn't hear these until I heard them on CD on the Minor Threat Discography. Again the great thing about Hard Core is that you could take a band like Minor Threat and put everything they ever recorded on one disc. These are some of the last songs they recorded and are starting to sound like Embrace. You can hear the future sounds of Emo within these three songs. Things get slowed down and there is a bit more melody than the first records. From what I've read these songs weren't universally loved because they broke from the hard core dogma of faster and louder. If I had heard them when I was 14 or 15 I may have been disappointed as well, but by the time I heard them I was far more open to all different kinds of musical expression. I appreciate the exploration and break from the same old same old.

So take a trip back in time with me and listen to the slower tones of this groundbreaking, legendary band.

Enjoy!

01 Salad Days.m4a

02 Stumped.m4a

03 Good Guys.m4a

The Adventures Of G.I. Joe - 1975

Today I'm taking a little vacation from the music with this G.I. Joe story album. It's pretty good for a laugh.

I didn't have this record as a kid, but I did have a Batman and Superman story album from Peter Pan. I loved that record. This is in the same vein.

I bought the record in hopes of finding some comedy gem for Halloween with the "Secret Of The Mummy's Tomb". I think there may be an excerpt that I can use on this year's Halloween mix. We'll see.

The other two stories are also great. "The Secret Mission to Spy Island" is pretty funny. There is a bit where Joe is cornered and he sets a time bomb and then to stall for time he and the Russians get into a bit of an Abbott and Costello routine. Then when the bomb does go off isn't so big that it injured Joe, who is only a few feet away from the Russians that he blows up, but it is big enough to set off a volcano on the island that blows up the whole island.

"The Rescue From Adventure Team Headquarters" is equally good in it's absurd, yet inventive climax. The story involves Joe rescuing the "Prime Minister" off an island of headhunters. What country the Prime Minister is from is never stated and why the Prime Minister would be flying to meet Joe and his buddy Mike at Adventure Team headquarters is also just blown over. Anyways, in the end Joe sends in his remote control adventure vehicle to scare the headhunters and he asks Mike to broadcast something really loud. Mike plays some crazy go-go music which scares the headhunters. Then the last lines of the story go something like this.

Mike: You forgot to thank me.
Joe: For what?
Mike: For my record collection.

How great is that? A record collection saved the day. I'm sure you can understand why I love this ending. Maybe someday my record collection will be used to save a head of state. I can only hope.

So put on you PJ's get some popcorn and maybe your favorite G.I. Joe figure and have fun with this G.I. Joe trilogy.

Enjoy!


01 The Secret Of The Mummy's Tomb.m4a

02 The Secret Mission To Spy Island.m4a

03 The Rescue From Adventure Team Headquarters.m4a

The whole thing here.

Lou Monte - Sings Songs For Pizza Lovers

One Saturday several years ago the family and I were at my son's baseball game. For some reason I got sent home or sent on an errand alone. Me alone on a Saturday with where garage sales were blooming was trouble. On the way back to the field I stopped by a moving sale. Usually I'd stop check to see if they had records and I'd be on my way because usually they wouldn't. However on this particular day I stumbled upon a family who loved music and the sale had not been pillaged by other record buyer. They had a couple hundred records for sale. I was giddy. I thumbed through the records and I think I pulled about 60 records. Most everything was pop vocal music from the 50's and 60's. The family must have been Italian because they had quite a few Italian artists. Lots of Frank and Dean with a fair share of Connie Francis. They also had several records by Lou Monte, who at that point I was ignorant of. Well, I can't tell you much about any of the other records I bought that day, because none of them stick out like the discovery of Lou Monte. I bought this record, a live record and I think one or two others. It's hard to remember for sure because since then I've bought a few other Lou Monte records. These records instantly became some of my most cherished records. I digitized them and we played the CD's in the family car constantly. I'm sure to post the other LP's in the future.

As for the songs, well, every single one is great. No ifs, ands or buts, about it. I particularly love when Lou dips into Italian. Makes you feel like your listening to the genuine article. Highlights are "The Sheik Of Araby", "Calypso Italiano" "If I Knew You Were Coming I'd A Baked A Cake" (he change the lyric to "baked a pizza") and "Eh Marie! Eh Marie!". The back up singers in "Eh Marie" are sooooo gooood. You just hear songs like this anymore. I better stop now because I could write about each song, but that would just take up a lot of blog space and take away from you listening to the songs, which you should do immediately. So cook up your favorite Italian dish, get you Italian/English dictionary and enjoy the entertainment stylings of Lou Monte.

Enjoy!

01 The Sheik Of Araby.m4a

02 Jealous Of You.m4a

03 Bony Lena.m4a

04 Calypso Italiano.m4a

05 If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake.m4a

06 Ha! Ha! Ha!.m4a

07 Eh, Marie! Eh, Marie!.m4a

08 The Wife.m4a

09 Musica Belle.m4a

10 Angelique.m4a

11 Round And Round My Heart.m4a

12 Italian Jingle Bells.m4a

The whole record here Lou Monte.zip

Johnny And The Hurricanes - Reveille Rock "

I bought this record not really know what I was getting. I thought "Johnny And The Hurricanes" that sounds fun. The record also looked like it had been played to death. And just as a forewarning, it sounds like it, so don't complain.

The funny thing is that once I put the record on I was like "I know this song" and I had the same reaction when I turned the record over. I don't mean that I knew "Red River Rock" because it was just the song "Red River" done in a rock instrumental. I mean that I had heard both of these songs many times in movies and commercials. In fact the very first thing that came to mind when listening to "Red River Rock" was is that song from one of those infomercials selling oldies collection of CD's. I think this song was featured many times over the years in TV commercials selling mail order oldies collection. Why? Because the song is just catchy as all get out and makes you feel good.

"Reveille Rock" is is also very catchy using that bugle call melody and throwing it into a raveup instrumental that really cooks. Once it starts it never lets up. The song really does its job if the job is to wake you up. So I recommend downloading this song and load it into your I-pod. Then set your I-Pod timer to wake you up in the morning the this number. I think it will certainly chase the sleep away and get you going in the morning.

Enjoy!

01 Reveille Rock.mp3

02 Red River Rock.mp3

Sleater-Kinney - You're No Rock N' Roll Fun 7"

When I first looked at this record as a possible record to post I thought this is too new of a record, but then I realized that the record is almost 8 years old. It came out as a single for "All Hands On The Bad One" which came out in 2000. I'd say that is old enough to warrant a posting.

In getting ready for this post I of course listened to the two tracks on the record. The impression that really hit me hard is how much these songs feel like they belong to and by that I mean they sound like they are from the height of the whole Seatle sound grunge thing. That really shouldn't be surprising given the Sleater-Kinney formed in Washington around 1992. The funny thing is that 7 years later long after grunge had died they were making records that perfectly embodied the spirit of that movement. At least to me they were.

I didn't really discover Sleater Kinney until the 21st Century. Actually it was probably shortly after this record came out. If you like these tracks I highly recommend going out and buying their CD's. You won't be disappointed. They have a great indie vibe and some of the tracks are full over gut wrenching honesty and passion.

"You're No Rock 'N Roll Fun" is a great song. It has a fun memorable hook. It is just a nice pop song really which an indie aesthetic. It kind of reminds me of the Breeders. It also reminds me of a little of Belly Tanya Donelly's band. You don't ever hear much about Belly these days, but I remember liking their record back in the day. That "Feed the Tree" single certainly was hooky. But I digress. This song is also catchy and will get caught in your brain.

"Maraca" is pretty good. It is a big more complicated and maybe has more emotion and to it. It has more interesting harmonies and an interesting give and take with the two vocals. Nice stuff.

Enjoy!

01 You're No Rock 'n Roll Fun.mp3

02 Maraca.mp3

Chaka Khan - A Woman In A Man's World 7"

This post comes in response and celebration of actually getting a comment on the Lesley Gore post a couple days ago. I don't get too many comments and so I have to celebrate when I do. So I thought I'd follow the Lesley post with something somewhat in the same vain, the fabulous Chaka Khan.

I don't remember this "A Woman In A Man's World" being a hit in any world that I was a part of back in the late 70's. That isn't to say that it wasn't a hit, but I just didn't know it. I was was still listening to whatever my parents listened to, which was a lot of Frank Sinatra. The radio dial pretty much never ventured to the local R&B stations.

On the surface this is just another disco song from the former vocalist with Rufus, but underneath that surface there is a woman singing passionately about her place in the world. She sings:

It's a losing game I play

In a dog eat dog showbiz town

I've got a dream of my own

And I carry my own weight

But still they try to drag me down

I'm a woman in a man's world

Not your usual fair for a disco song.

I'm not sure, but I would be surprised to learn that the title of the song is in reference to James Brown's "It's a Man's World". If anyone has any insight there feel free to comment.

As you would expect Chaka sings amazingly and by the end she is just belting out the chorus at the top of her lungs. She feels it. She's living it.

The B-side "I'm Every Woman" is also another dance track with plenty of 70's disco in it. It also carries a strong fem-power theme to it. In fact the song sing about her almost supernatural woman abilities. She sings about reading minds in the lyric:

I'm every woman

It's all in me

I can read your thoughts right now

Every one from A to Z

Then later she sings this great verse:

I can sense you needs

Like rain on to the seeds

I can make a rhyme

Of confusion in your mind

And when it comes down

To some good old fashioned love

That's wheat I've got plenty of, 'cause

I'm every woman.

Then in the bridge she declares definitively:

I ain't braggin' 'cause I'm the one

You just ask me ooh and it shall be done

And don't bother to compare

'Cause I've got it

I've got it, I've got it, yeah

No one else can deliver this lyrics like Chaka. I believe every word. She just gives off this "don't mess with me" vibe when she sings. And by the end she's just screaming out notes all over the place. You just have to sit back and take cover as she lets out her vocal assault.

Enjoy!

01 A Woman In A Man's World.mp3

02 I'm Every Woman.mp3

Roger Miller - Rings For Sale 7"

If you're like me the name Roger Miller brings to mind one of two things or maybe even both. You either think

"Trailer for sale or rent

Rooms to let 50 cents

No phone, no pool, no pets

I ain't got no cigarettes"

Or you think

"Robin Hood and Little John walking through the forest

Laughing back and forth at what the other one had to say

Reminiscing this and that and having such a good time

Oo-de-lally, oo-de-lally golly what a day"

Both of these songs bring to mind specific memories of my childhood. "King Of The Road" reminds me of one year in elementary school when we did square dancing. Once of the square dances we did was set to Roger Miller's "King of the Road" and so it forever will be associated with that for me. I always thought it funny that we danced to a song about being a hobo basically.

Then the old Robin Hood song also brings of memories from about the same time period. When I was in elementary school when we got to the end of the year and the teachers knew is was pointless to try and teach us just days before summer break all the classes would gather in the auditorium and watch a movie. They had one film print and one projector to who the entire school. Today teachers just bring in DVD's and show their individual classes movies. I don't know if that is better or worse, but there is something to be said about gathering in a big auditorium and watching a movie on a movie screen that made it seem real special. Each year we saw a different Disney movie. I believe we covered both "Witch Mountain" movies during those years. We also watched Walt Disney's "Robin Hood". This is where I first saw this movie and I loved it. After that I tried to watch it whenever I had the chance. Back then I didn't have a VCR and my mom was never one to take my brother and I to animated movies so I just had to keep my eye out for it playing on TV.

Until adulthood that was pretty much all I knew of Roger Miller and to be honest it wasn't until I was an adult that I even knew his name or that the same guy sang both songs. Then it wasn't really until the last few years that I heard anything else by Roger Miller. This record being one of those few things.

"Rings For Sale" isn't the greatest song in the world. I think I was hoping for something a little sadder and maybe even cheesier. With a title like, "Rings For Sale" I thought for sure the song was going to be about a couple going through a break up and selling their wedding rings. No such luck. Instead it's right out of the "King Of The Road" playbook. It's a song about some poor guy making rings out of nails and selling them. This guy must be really down on his luck that he's finding old nails, bending them and then trying to sell them. The nails aren't even shiny and he is asking his customers to imagine that they are shiny and new. Can you imagine the nerve of this guy? Well just listen to this song and you will.

The unexpected gem was the discovery of "Conversation". This one has a sort of late 60's early 70's give peace a chance hippie vibe to it. It is really a great song and when it gets going I think it really kind of rocks. I don't mean in an AC/DC sort of way, but in a "that was pretty rock and roll for Roger Miller" sort of way. After the first verse there is a nice little guitar solo leading into the bridge where Roger really kind of lets loose. I've mentioned this about other songs, but I love when an artist builds to a point where they just let loose and belt out some emotion. That is exactly what happens.

The song is also interesting because it doesn't follow the standard verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, verse chorus structure. There really isn't a chorus. Instead it has one long verse then a bridge and then back to a shortened verse, which is in a way a B Verse. He does repeat conversation a lot in the verse which is the basic hook, but it isn't really a chorus. Because of this structure the song doesn't over stay it's welcome. It's just a little over two minutes long. It gets in says what it has to say and then finishes. Short, sweet and to the point. So download this forgotten little number and treat yourself to 2 minutes and 21 seconds of optimism.

Enjoy!

01 Rings For Sale.mp3

02 Conversation.mp3

Johnnie Ray - Cry 7" - 1953

Before writing anything else about Johnnie Ray or either of these songs I just have to point out that the first one starts off with an "ooo-ah" and the second song starts off with a similar sounding "oooooo" from backup singers. I find it funny because it really goes to show that when a producer or an artist find a formula that works, they so often repeat the same elements.

Such was the case here. "Cry" was a huge hit for Johnnie Ray. The song was produced by Mitch Miller of "Sing along with Mitch" fame. The backup vocals are the equally notable Four Lads. The follow up to this monstrous hit was "The Little White Cloud That Could" and so you can see they tried to recapture the magic of "Cry" The song is very similar.

In doing some research on Johnnie Ray I discovered that he was practically deaf. I find that amazing because the vocals on "Cry" are electric. When he starts into the second verse her lets out such power and emotion that the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up. His voice pierces you and it is like static electricity shooting through you. Give it a try.

Enjoy!

01 Cry.mp3

02 The Little White Cloud.mp3

Lesley Gore -You Don't Own Me 7" - 1964

If you don't know who Lesley Gore is you would probably know her from her biggest hit "It's My Party", which then has the famous lyric "And I'll cry if I want to". This record has what I'm guessing was an attempt to capitalize off that hit. It is another song about a girl crying. You may recognize it because it pops up here and there because it too was a hit for her.

My love for Lesley Gore however does not stem from either of those songs. I got into Lesley because I saw her sing the happiest song ever written in the 1965 Frankie Avalon movie "Ski Party". This movie was a spin off of the beach movies and followed the same formula, but took the fun to the slopes. Annette Funicello even has a cameo and James Brown sings in the movie as well. Check it out. Anyways on the way up to the slopes all the gang are packed into a bus and Lesley Gore sings "Sunshine and Lollipops". It is and incredible short, but infectious number. I'm not posting that song here, but if you want it I suggest seeking it out. From that one performance I began reading about he and eventually got the two disc 52 song collection of her songs called "It's My Party". Many or the songs are beyond good and can actually be called great.

Lesley was sort of discovered and mentored by Quincy Jones and so many of her early singles have the Q touch. That is certainly the case with this record. Read more about that at Allmusic.com It talks about how Quincy double tracked her vocals and made these amazing arrangements. By the way that double tracking technique is something Disney producers did with Annette Funicello as well.

For me the highlight here is "You Don't Own Me" and it is one of her greatest songs. I still love "Sunshine And Lollipops" the best, but I'm probably alone on that one. But this song "You Don't Own Me" is an amazing powerful emotional ballad of defiance. It is still completely relevant and for my money is one of the earliest girl power songs in pop/rock history. The song has this great ominous opening riff on the piano that sets the mood right off the bat. You know you are not in for your usual teen pop song. Then Lesley comes in with her "you don't own me" lyrics that sound like she's just taunting you. She seems in complete control. And then the song builds and her passionate declarations get even more emphatic that it send chills down my spine. It is such a great anthem. The chorus is a laundry list of what it means to be young free and your own person and then when you add the young empowered female aspect it is just spot on and fantastic. The lyrics are:

I don't tell you what to say

I don't tell you what to do

So just let me be myself

That's all I ask of you

I'm young and I love to be young

I'm free and I love to be free

To live my life the way I want

To say and do whatever I please

The lyrics are great because they really work for Lesley and she really makes the song her own. They are also great because she could be singing to a boyfriend, a mother or a father. I can hear her singing it to any of these. And because of this you can apply these lyrics to yourself and sing along remembering some time where someone was trying to boss you around and "own you". you feel an amazing catharsis with Lesley as she belts these words out in the final chorus.

Anyways, my word will never do the song justice. You just have to listen and experience it yourself.

Enjoy!

01 You Don't Own Me.mp3

02 Judy's Turn To Cry.mp3

Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime

This is my biggest post to date. It has easily required the most work in digitizing, breaking up tracks and even piecing together a scan of the inside of the album jacket. If you look closely you can see where I did a poor job photoshopping the two sides together.

I believe all the work has been for the good of the world because this vinyl rip contains two songs that were never included on any of the various CD re-issues of this masterpiece. I've also preserved all the car jams at the ends of each record side.

I can only speculate why "Ain't Talking About Love" and "Mr. Robot's Holy Orders" were left off of the CD, but I'm guessing it partially had to do with time constraints, but more to do with one song being a Van Halen cover that they would have had to pay for and then it wouldn't make financial sense to make the release a double CD just to include in instrumental. I wish this would be corrected and that the album would get released in a 2 disc set that restored the songs to the original order.

Plenty has been written about this album. You can get a good start on Allmusic.com. Needless to say this is not only the Minutemen's absolute masterpiece it is a masterpiece of alternative/punk music from the 80's that still sounds as fresh and innovative as it did when it was released.

If you have never listened to this record you are in for a treat. Make sure you listen to it in order from start to finish. Don't just jump to "Corona" the theme song from "Jackass". The songs really flow into each other and work off each other. You'll notice that there are a ton of songs here. The reason being that some songs are really short. Others are longer. Songs explore jazz and funk with one foot still in the band's punk roots. It is really quite groundbreaking and influential to so much of what followed in alternative rock after this. So put in the time and download this whole thing here and treat your ears to a pure delight.

Enjoy!

01 Anxious Mofo.m4a

02 Theater Is The Life For You.m4a

03 Viet Nam.m4a

04 Cohesion.m4a

05 It's Expected I'm Gone.m4a

06 #1 Hit Song.m4a

07 Two Beads At The End.m4a

08 Do You Want New Wave Or Do You Want The Truth_.m4a

09 Don't Look Now.m4a

10 Shit From An Old Notebook.m4a

11 Nature Without Man.m4a

12 One Reporters Opinion.m4a

13 Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing.m4a

14 Maybe Partying Will Help.m4a

15 Toadies.m4a

16 Retreat.m4a

17 The Big Foist.m4a

18 God Bows To Math.m4a

19 Corona.m4a

20 The Glory Of Man.m4a

21 Take 5, D..m4a

22 My Heart And The Real World.m4a

23 History Lesson, Part II.m4a

24 You Need The Glory.m4a

25 The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts.m4a

26 Mr. Robot's Holy Orders.m4a

27 West Germany.m4a

28 The Politics Of Time.m4a

29 Themselves.m4a

30 Please Don't Be Gentle With Me.m4a

31 Nothing Indeed.m4a

32 No Exchange.m4a

33 There Ain't Shit On T.V. Tonight.m4a

34 This Ain't No Picnic.m4a

35 Spillage.m4a

36 Untitled Song For Latin America.m4a

37 Jesus And Tequila.m4a

38 June 16th.m4a

39 Storm In My House.m4a

40 Martin's Story.m4a

41 Aint' Talking About Love.m4a

42 Doctor Wu.m4a

43 Little Man With A Gun In His Hand.m4a

44 The World According To Nouns.m4a

45 Love Dance.m4a

Here is the whole thing in 3 zip files.

Double Nickels On The Dime (part 1).zip

Double Nickels On The Dime (part 2).zip
Double Nickels On The Dime (part 3).zip

Francisco Gabilondo Soler - Cri Cri MKE 21 7"

Today's selection is one of two records I have from what I assume to be a series. I have another record by the same artist with the same record name "Cri Cri", but it is yellow and has four different songs. I didn't know anything about these records when I bought them, but I did find the songs catchy. The "Raton" song is pretty great.

A funny story is that I had this record at work a couple years ago and a friend of mine from Guatemala said he had this record when he was a kid. He told me that "El Raton Vaquero" is translated to mean the cowboy rat. I think he also said that at least in his family Fansisco Gabilondo Soler was well known.

Anyways take a trip south of the border with these kids songs.

Enjoy!

01 El Raton Vaquero.m4a

02 Di Por Que.m4a

03 La Merienda.m4a

04 La Olla Y El Comal.m4a

Exposed II

Here's half of a two record compilation from the 80's. Sorry that it is only half. I haven't gotten around to digitizing the second record yet. Maybe someday I'll get around to it. Until then you can enjoy the first record, which for my money is the better of the two.

The best song by far it the Furs original version of "Pretty In Pink". I like the version that they re-did for the movie, but the original so much better. It is rougher around the edges and is sexier. There is something about the phrasing and the way that the lyrics are delivered that they ust seem to have an undertone of lust. It is subtle, but it makes a difference. My favourite line of the whole song is a perfect example where the two songs differ. The line is,"She doesn't have anything you want to steal, well nothing you can touch." In this version the line is loaded with all sorts of sexual energy. The one from the movie comes of kind of bland.

The record has some other great 80's New Wave cuts. "She Talks In Stereo" by Gary Myrick is fantastic. Also if you only know Tommy Tutone from his "Jenny 867-5309" song you should check out "Which Man Are You" because it shows that he did some other fine music. I loved that "867-5309" song, but let's face it, it is gimmicky and you can get sick of it. This song here has been growing on me. Give it a try and see if I'm wrong in saying that it is a forgotten/lost gem of the period.

A lot of these bands I never really heard of before. Take for instance the second track is by a back called Whitford/St. Holmes Band. I know nothing about them, but it is funny when you listen to it because it sounds just like a Sammy Hagar song from the same period. I don't mean it sounds like a particular Hagar song, but you could mistake this for Hagar.

The other forgotten bands all pretty much sound like time capsules of the era. Each one trying to make a name for themselves sounding like so many other bands of the early 80's. That is kind of why I like this record. It really captures the feeling of the New Wave movement at the time because it has songs I never really knew. By listening to them I don't get caught up in all the nostalgia and I can really hear the cliches and trends by hearing other bands in the songs. I don't know if that makes sense of not, but it does to me.

So take a trip in the wayback machine and listen to part one of "Exposed II".

Enjoy!

01 Which Man Are You - Tommy Tutone

02 Whiskey Woman - Whitford/St. Holmes Band

03 Tell That Girl To Shut Up - Holy And The Italians

04 She Talks In Stereo - Gary Myrick And The Figures

05 Pretty In Pink - The Psychedelic Furs

06 Messages - OMD

07 Just The Way I Like It - Billy Thorpe

08 Hit And Run - Jo Jo Zep And The Falcons

09 Thinking Of You - Halrequins

10 Rock Against Romance - Holly And The Italians

11 Guess Who - The Hitmen

Exposed II.zip

Tex Williams - The Night Miss Nancy Ann's Hotel For Single Girls Burned Down/If It's All The Same To You 7"

I think this one may win the award for longest song title of anything I'll ever post. I certainly can't foresee anything in the near future that is going to beat it.

Sometimes these country songs that tell a story I can't tell if they were meant to be a serious song or if it was meant to be just a joke. I can't believe that this "Miss Nancy Ann" song exists for any other reason than comedy. The song reminds me of the classic episode of the Simpsons where Bart gets the job at the Maison Derrier. Then there is one bit where there are photos of public figures leaving the place. Of course Mayor Quimby is scene leaving and he is wearing his mayor sash. So when I hear this song about Miss Nancy Ann's place burning down and the mayor being the first to be seen leaving I can't help but picture Mayor Wills leaving with a mayor sash like old Joe Quimby.

"If It's All The Same To You" is just an okay song. Nothing really special there.

This record was Tex Williams last hit record in 1971. Tex Williams career however goes back some years. He was one of the key pioneers that brought country and more specifically western swing music into popular appeal. If you have a chance go back and listen to some of his early work where he was a contemporary of Bob Wills. He did all sorts of western swing, but made a name for himself with this type of humorous narrative song.

I have a best of compilation of Tex Williams CD, but that lacks several of his biggest hits. The one I'd love to hear is "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! That Cigarette" Sounds like that could contain from historical comedy gold. Well someday I'll track it down and maybe I'll share it here if I do. Until then you can listen to these two from the end of Tex's career.

Enjoy!

01 The Night Miss Nancy Ann's Hotel For Single Girls Burned Down.mp3

02 If It's All The Same To You.mp3

Ike And Tina Turner - Proud Mary 7"

Proud Mary, Smoud Mary. Listen, don't listen it doesn't really matter. Nothing really new there. I'm not saying it's not a good song, because it is. It is a classic and if you've ever scene any of Tina's live performance of this they are perhaps even better. But in my opinion it all pales in comparison to this scorching B-side "Funkier Than A Mosquita's Tweeter". From the very first note to the last this funk filled serving of Tina hits you right between the eyes and knocks you out. This is one of those songs I love playing for people not only because it is simply great, but because they usually never know who the artist is. Usually they are pretty blown away that it is Ike and Tina because it is so completely rock and roll and it isn't a cover, which I think most people associate with them.

Enjoy!

01 Proud Mary.mp3

02 Funkier Than A Mosquita.mp3

Burden Brothers/Supersuckers Split 7"

This one is pretty recent. It's probably still in print and you can probably find this one pretty easily. But I love the Supersuckers and try to share my love for them whenever I can. This cover of Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak" is sooooooo gooooood. I would love to see them play this live. I discovered this Thin Lizzy song a few years ago. I think I was just listening through some Thin Lizzy records and came across this song. I don't know if this was a hit or not. I don't think I had really heard it before. I'm sure amongst the Thin Lizzy fans this is a well known song. The moment I heard it I thought it was great so I'd imagine that they would to. Obviously Supersuckers liked the song too. This song is perfect for them too. It's just a straight a head rocker. It fits in perfectly with their outlaw vibe that they have going.

This is the only track I've ever heard from "Burden Brothers". It's pretty punk rock and I'm sure you'll like it as well.

Enjoy!

01 Walk Away (Live).m4a

02 Jailbreak (Live).m4a

Connie Francis - Stupid Cupid/My Happiness 7"

Happy Valentine's day everyone! I almost didn't even think to do a themed posting today. When I realized it I quickly rummaged through the records to find something that would work for Valentine's Day. I quickly realized that i don't have a lot of love songs. I did in the end find this fun little record.

"Stupid Cupid" is a super sugary bubble gum pop song that will stick in your head. It has a little bit of a rock-a-billy Brenda Lee vibe to it. Listen at your own risk.

"My Happiness" is an okay ballad, but kind of forgettable.

Enjoy!

01 Stupid Cupid.mp3

02 My Happiness.mp3

R.E.M. - Radio Song 7" - 1991

R.E.M. really hit their peak back in the late 80's and early 90's as far as popularity. Green came out when i was in high school and that record was just huge. I knew of them before that, but had never really gotten into them. I was too busy with other music, but by the time that album came out I was drifting back into radio friendly music and couldn't help but like that record. But R.E.M. got a whole new level of respect from me when they released their "Out Of Time" Record. Why? Because they had songs with Kate Pierson from the B-52's who I thought were the coolest and KRS-One who I also considered to be great. With "Radio Song" The KRS-One thing was really cool because it was one of the early crossovers of hip-hop and indie music. I'm discounting "Walk This Way" as being a crossover. That was basically just reinventing a classic rock song. I don't want to credit R.E.M. with being the first band to do this, because that trail was blazed the year before by Sonic Youth when they had Chuck D on their "Kool Thing" track. At the time those two MC's where at the tip top o my list of favorites. So have a listen and hear a little bit of history in the making, when indie rock and hip-hop began to merge.

The real reason I'm posting this single, though, is for the B-Side. I love this live version of the Troggs' "Love Is All Around". This was recorded on the radio show "Rockline" and is just great. It's simple and sweet. So maybe this will be a nice treat for you because you may not have heard this. The soundtrack to "I Shot Andy Warhol" has this track listed on it, but I have no idea if that is this version or a studio version. If anyone has any insight please chime in. I listened to the sample on Amazon.com but couldn't tell. The quality was too poor.

So whatever the case may be I have this one for you.

Enjoy!

01 Radio Song.mp3

02 Love Is All Around.mp3

Madonna - Like A Virgin 7"

I'm a child of 80's music. With that said I never really listened to Madonna for most of that decade. I started with Rock and got caught up on all the classic rock from the 60's and 70's. I then graduated to heavy metal. Not so much the hairbands of the mid to late 80's but the New Wave of British Heavy Metal like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Scorpions. Then around 1985 I was introduced to Hard Core Punk. I loved this music and still do. It made me feel like I was part of something small yet special. Of course in recent years there has been books and documentaries produced that claim that 1985 was when Hard Core punk ended. That may be the case and in hindsight I'm sure I missed the true hey days of the scene, but I still cherish my few years of discovering and enjoying that music from 85 to about 87. I moved away from the hard core toward the end of the decade and got into a lot of the indie rock bands like Jane's Addiction, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well as many of the early hip hop artists like Public Enemy, Eric B and Rakim, EPMD to name a few. I also realize looking back that it wasn't so much that I moved away from Hard Core as much as the whole scene just sort of disappeared.

So as you can gather from this brief history you can see why Madonna didn't really fit in there. But you can see that I wasn't stuck to any one thing and I was open to new music. So when Madonna released the album "Like A Prayer" in 1989 I remember hearing "Express Yourself" on the radio. I was in a car with a bunch of my skater buddies and it came on the radio. For some reason we left it on. I think it was because my friend Neil was driving and he was the kind of guy who marched to his own drum beat. he didn't care what people thought and so even though Madonna wasn't what any self respecting skater should be listening to he did. Anyways I remember thinking at the time that Madonna was doing something different. I think at this point in my life I had gone to a few clubs and was getting into dance club music. I thought this was a great dance track. From that day on I thought of Madonna in a different light. I didn't go out and buy "Like A Prayer", but I did get the Vogua cassigle the following year. Yes I said cassingle. I was somewhat late to the whole CD thing. Again she had keyed into something new. Vogue tapped into the house music that was already very prevalent in Chicago at the time. I had been listening to it on WNUR the Northwestern College station out of Evanston, IL for a few years now, but it was pretty underground up to that point.

The next thing I ever bought from her was a CD single of Like A Prayer. It had some great remixes on it. I'd put those mixes on mix tapes played that CD to death. Then in recent years I came across this 45 and saw that it said 7" mix. I thought I love the song. If ever I have a jukebox I'd want this song in it. It would be perfect for a party. I also knew I didn't have the 7" version of the song. Well, after getting the record I can say the whole 7" mix thing isn't that big a deal. A casual listener won't even know what the difference is. It's about 23 seconds shorter than the album cut, but other than that I don't even know what where the cuts are. Maybe you can identify them and let me know. I'm just not anal or patient enough to analyze the two version.

Side two is the weird "Act of Contrition" which sounds like what a B-side should sound like. The funny thing is that it is actually on the album "Like A Prayer". It closes out the record. I think it sort of foretold the future for Madonna who was going to explore all sorts of other genres and would experiment herself.

So get on your dancing shoes, get your rosary beads out of the closet and get ready to dance.

Enjoy!

01 Like A Prayer (7" Version).m4a

02 Act Of Contrition.m4a