Tomorrow Never Knows - Ipod Playlist 11.24.08

If you pay any attention to the title of this blog you'll pick up on the fact that this playlist a day old. Well, it was a pretty good playlist, but my day was just so full I never quite squeezed out the time to write this blog, but I've got time now, so let's get to it.

Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles - Revolver
Nobody But Me - Save Ferris - It Means Everything
Little Bit Of Feel Good - Jamie Lidell - Jim
Fish Fry - Big Black - Songs About F**king
24 Hour Party People - Happy Mondays - 24 Hour Party People Soundtrack
Evil Is Alive And Well - Jakob Dylan - Seeing Things
I Won't Share You - The Smiths - Strange Ways, Here They Come
What It Feels Like For A Girl - Madonna - Music
Utopia - Terveet Kadet - Aereton Joulu 7" EP
G.I. Sex - Fang - Landshark/Where The Wild Things Are
For No One - The Beatles - Revolver
A Good Man Is Hard To Find - Lou Monte - Pepino The Italian Mouse And Other Italian Fun Songs
Change Your Mind - The Killers - Sawdust
Signifying The Monkey - Willie Dixon
Istanbul (Not Constantinople Remix) - They Might Be Giants - Istanbul (Not Constantinople) CD Single
Let The Funk Flow - EPMD - Strictly Business
Charmless Man - Blur - The Great Escape
Venus In Overdrive - RIck Springfield - Venus In Overdrive
Strength Through Wounding - AFI - Black Sails In Sunset
How Soon Is Now? - The Smiths - Meat Is Murder
Lies - Injections - Killed By Death Vol. 12
Why Don't You Lie - King Khan And BBQ Show - What's For Dinner?
Debaser - The Pixies - Doolittle
Soul Man - Sam And Dave - The Best Of Sam And Dave
Digital - Joy Division - Substance
On The Back Row Of A Broken Dream - Flogging Molly - Float
Sailin' On - Half Off - Shoot Guns
Three's Company - Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3
Machine Gun Funk - The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die

First of all I want to say that while this new imix thing is extremely cool and I hope is providing an easy way for people to find some of this music, it is also very frustrating because the itunes store doesn't have all the music. I could be more forgiving if it was some hard to find thing, but the fact that the itunes store still doesn't have The Beatles is a huge hole in their catalog. I get that it isn't their fault and is the fault of Paul and Ringo who won't put The Beatles catalog for sale in any downloadable form. There are also things like Jack Johnson, which I know is on the itunes store, that somehow don't get picked up and put into the list. That happened on one o the earlier lists. I just don't get it.

So enough complaining. What about the music? Ah, yes the music.

"Tomorrow Never Knows" is one of the songs that intrigued me as a kid when I was really discovering The Beatles. I remember listening to a show on Sundays called "The Lost Lennon" tapes and I think it was on that where I learned about this process used in this song where Paul carried around a looping tape recorder all day and the endless recording and rerecording is what ends up on this track. The tape basically becomes over saturated with sound. You'll hear bursts of that noise when you listen closely. There is also all sorts of other tricks they used by recording things and then cutting up the tape and splicing it back together. Crazy stuff.

Save Ferris. I always compare them to No Doubt because they were contemporaries. Both bands had the ska thing going. Both bands were from Orange County. However in my opinion Save Ferris is so far the superior band mostly because of the lead vocal talents of Monique Powell who is simply amazing. She could sing Gwen under a table. Unfortunately Gwen had the looks that couldn't be beat on MTV. Do check them out.

I've already said before Jamie Lidell's album "Jim" is one of the best albums of the year. Great blue eyed soul and this is one of the great songs off that record.

Skipping down a bit I want to bring Fang to the attention of people. They were a great hard core punk band from the bay area. They were however not as obsessed with speed and had kind of a slower Flipper sound. I had a tape of them growing up and loved it. A few years ago I found this CD at Amoeba. The cashier actually commented on the record saying it looked interesting an wondered what the band was like. I told her and she seemed interested. That is the only time that has ever happened. They have a track called "Fun With Acid" which is one o my favorites of the era. There is a version on this record and an even better, faster version on the "Not So Quiet On The Western Front" compilation.

The Willie Dixon track is a fun number. It is a story that tells a story about a monkey taunting a lion. It's kind of a kids song and I've put it on a mix I made for my daughter a few years ago. The mix is all songs about monkeys.

AFI is a pretty big band these days. They've tapped into a formula and market and been very successful. Myself, I'm not a big fan of their current music. But long before they became MTV favs they were making amazing music. The album "Black Sails In Sunset" is a great introduction record in my opinion. It was the first I heard and owned. This track "Strength Through Wounding" is one of the best tracks on the record. Classic AFI. By the way AFI back in the day did a great cover of "Hanging Garden" by the cure. One of the best Cure covers ever. Their covers of the Misfits "Halloween" and "Demonomania" are also great.

I think I'll end by pointing out that if you are ever looking for a good introductory soul record "The Best Of Sam and Dave" is a great record to begin with. Sam And Dave perfected soul in my mind. Sam Cooke I consider a sort of godfather to soul (sorry James Brown), but it really got perfected by the likes of Sam and Dave. I'm sure people will argue and list some other artists, but I'm not that schooled. I just have a few soul records and this one has been in my collection for many many years and I love just about ever track on it. "Soothe Me" is one of my all time favorite songs, not just by Sam and Dave, but of any artist.

Okay, I got one more song to mention. If you are ever feeling stress at work. You boss is driving you crazy. You feel like you are in a dead end job sitting in a cubicle. Put on "Digital" by Joy Division. It is a cathartic song as Ian sings

Feel it closing in,
Feel it closing in,
The fear of whom I call,
Every time I call,
I feel it closing in,
I feel it closing in,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out.

I feel it closing in,
As patterns seem to form.
I feel it cold and warm.
The shadows start to fall.
I feel it closing in,
I feel it closing in,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out,
Day in, day out.

I'd have the world around,
To see just whatever happens,
Stood by the door alone,
And then it's fade away.
I see you fade away.
Don't ever fade away.
I need you here today.
Don't ever fade away.
Don't ever fade away.
Don't ever fade away.
Don't ever fade away.
Fade away. Fade away.
Fade away. Fade away.
Fade away. Fade away.
Fade away.

And on that depressing note I sign off.

Cheers!