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!

Here Comes The Sun - Playlist 11.18.08

Another long play list from this morning with so many good songs to blog about. I'm putting the album info on the list as well so you can track down the tracks yourself.

Jordan's 1st Choice - Against Me! - Reinventing Axl Rose
Here Comes the Sun - Voodoo Glow Skulls - Who Is This Is
Wilkommen - Al Hirt - Music To Watch Girls By
Deceptacon (The DFA Remix) - Le Tigre - Remix
Am I Going Insane - Black Sabbath - We Sold Our Souls For Rock 'N' Roll
Free Time - The Aggrolites - Reggae Hit L.A.
Sister Morphine - The Rolling Stones - Unplugged
Pint After Pint - Charlie Overbey - The Charlie Overbey Compilation: Just The Hits Folks, Just The Hits
Wasp/N.I.B. - Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Midnight Rambler - The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
Faith - George Michael - Twentyfive: For Living
Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson - Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814
Lap Of Luxory - Oingo Boingo - All The Pieces 7"
Young And Lovestruck - Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - Searching For The Hows And Whys
Angel - Jack Johnson - Sleep Through Static
Desafinado - Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto Featuring Carlos Jobim - Getz/Gilberto
Misery Town - Cheater - Home Is Where the Heart Is
Burnin' Up - Jonas Brothers - A Little Bit Longer
Glory Box - Portsihead - Dummy
Everything You Ever - Neil Patrick Harris - Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Freebird - Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd
Sidekick - Rancid - Let's Go!
Be Good To Yourself - Journey - Revelation
Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan
Killer Queen - Queen - Sheer Heart Attack
Wait For Me - Jamie Lidell - Jim
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor - The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert
Volare - Wayne Newton - Danke Schoen
Lust - The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
We Don't Get Along - Phil Seymour - Phil Seymour
Riddles - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Sinner
Spinning Ceiling - Mark Sultan - Sultanic Verses
Unworthy of Your Love - Stephen Sondheim - Assassins
Shuffle your Feet - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl
The Prisoner - D.O.A. - Bloodied But Unbowed
Damaged I - Black Flag - The First Four Years
River, Stay 'Way From My Door - Frank Sinatra - All The Way

And then my day at work began.

You can find many of these tracks on Itunes. Check out this Imix.

So I have a little to say about almost every song. "Jordan's 1st Choice" from Against Me! is pretty emotional. The singing claws down deep in your gut and rips you inside out. Fantastic.

"Here Comes The Sun" is a sped up ska punk version of The Beatles song. I saw this guys many a year ago when this record came out. Must have been in '93 or '94 I think. Bought this CD at the show. They opened for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Great show.

"Wilkommen" I believe I wrote about in an earlier post. Check it out.

"Deceptacon" is a pretty fun track, but this remix by The DFA is sooooo unbelievably great. It's a great dance track with the punk screeching attitude you'd expect from Le Tigre. Favorite lyric is "Linoleum floor. Linoleum floor. Your lyrics are dumb like a linoleum floor." You can find this remix on a CD on Amazon.

The review on Allmusic.com com says it all in it's review of this remix CD. "But unquestionably the highlight of this remix package is the bona fide juggernaut hurricane remix of "Deceptacon" by modern-day art punk heroes DFA."

"Am I Going Insane" Pretty good Sabbath song, but I'll save my Sabbath commentary for the upcoming track.

"Free Time" is just one of the many great track off of "Reggae Hit L.A.". I know I've said this before here, but this album is a must have. These guys are so talented. Some of the best reggae ever as far as I'm concerned. I'm no expert on the genre, but I know the major players and records and this is at the top of the list in my book.

"Sister Morphine" is one of those not so popular Stones tracks that you find buried on their records that is great. Simple song with lots of raw emotion. Check it out.

"Pint After Pint" is from a CD I picked up at a local show. It is pretty much demos and what not. Don't think it has ever been officially released by any label. Charlie is a great song writer and puts on a great show. I wrote a little about him in my Supersuckers post, where he was one of the opening acts. He played under the moniker Charlie and the Valentine Killers. If you ever have a chance to catch him, do so. This song features some violin and when I saw him he had a fiddle player in the show. Sounded great.

"Wasp/N.I.B." is one of the all time great Sabbath songs or pair of songs. The two songs are connected on the album and clock in at over 9 minutes. Actually I think if there were a fight between the two songs N.I.B. would win out. Iomni's riff on that song is so iconic. Pure Sabbath.

"Midnight Rambler" great Stones song.

Okay now this is getting tedious I know. Commenting on every song. You're going to be reading forever. It is hard, though not to with this list. But I'll jump ahead and point out some must listen to's and notables.

"Glory Box" by Portishead is one of the quintessential Trip Hop songs of all time. Dummy has to be one of my favorite records of the 1990's. It paints a beautiful dreamy landscape.


If you haven't heard of seen Joss Whedon's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog" go check it out on itunes. Joss is a genius and this musical is genius. Neil Patrick Harris does a fantastic job and all the songs are clever and fun. And not to give away the ending, but it is a gut wrencher. Very daring Joss. Well done.

This track has a very cool E.L.O. thing happening with the backing vocals. You'll know what I mean when you hear it. It's that electronic processing to the voice that E.L.O. did back in the day.


Have to talk about "Freebird" if only to mention that this song is now forever connected to "Forrest Gump" in my mind now. The song was used to perfection in that film when Jenny was all coked out and she climbs on the balcony railing. Also I just want to say that the whole end of the song which is featured in that part of the film is so great. It build and builds and then releases and then before you know it the swirling and frenzied guitar builds again to another amazing climax. Listen to the second half of that song with the volume at 11 or with head phones adn close your eyes. It is guitar rock and more specifically Southern Rock at its greatest. You can find this on Skynyrd's debut record "Pronounced 'Leh-Nerd Skin Nerd'" from 1973.

"Sidekick" is funny because for some reason I had this song in my head as I was doing things around the house this morning and I was literally humming the song just moments before the song came up on the ole Ipod. I just about flipped when it came up because of the weird coincidence.

And yes that is a track from the new Journey record. The new singer isn't half bad and I kind of like this track.

I mentioned Joan Jett yesterday and then today a track from Sinner came up. This is a good example of the what you can find on the new record. Lyrics that are about something. They make a statement while still being very catchy.

The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club track is from their Howl record a record that I kind of initially dismissed because it was so different than their previous work, but this past year I have fallen in love with this record.

The list starts winding down with two classic hard core punk songs. Both are classics from D.O.A. and Black Flag. "Bloodied But Unbowed" was featured here this last Spring. Check out that entry for more info.

And then we finish with Sinatra. This album "All The Way" is one I grew up on. Our family had this on an 8-track that lived in my father's car. We played that thing over and over and over. I know every lyric to every song on that record and it is one of my favorite Sinatra records of all time. You have to get it if not for "High Hopes".

Sp that was a lot. I think I may take a day or two off and just let people absorb these last two lists.

I know your eyes in the morning sun

This morning was a big music morning. The ipod started long before the daily walk and to the playlist is extra long today. I am however writing this at the end of the day, which means I've been able to put a little more time and effort into this post. Hope you enjoy it. So here goes.

Ain't Been To No Music School - The Nosebleeds

April 29, 1992 (Miami) - Sublime

Groove Is In The Heart (Jellyjam Beats) - Deee-Lite

Blind Nuns - Wasted Youth

Mirage - Siouxsie and the Banshees

You Cross My Path - The Charlatans

Gotham City - Out Of Order

Bron-Yr-Aur - Led Zeppelin

Dancing With Myself - Billy Idol

Fire - Jimi Hendrix

Los Angeles - X

I've Never Been In Love Before - Chet Baker

AC/DC - Sweet

Mary's Little Boy Child - John D. Loudermilk

This Twilight Garden - The Cure

99 Luftballons - Nena

Little Ghost - The White Stripes

This Could Be All - Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly

In The Breeze - Jack McManus

Sent For You Yesterday And Here You Come Today - Count Basie

Chain Of Fools - Aretha Franklin

I'm Eighteen - Alice Cooper

How Deep Is Your Love - The Bird & The Bee

Susanne - Weezer

Django - Modern Jazz Quartet

Master Of Puppets - Metallica

Let's Dance - David Bowie

It Takes Two - Zac Efron

Virginia Waits - Ennio Morricone

Our House - Madness

The first track I'd like to talk about it "Gotham City" by Out of Order. Out of Order was a band from Chicago. This track comes from their "Paradise Lost" LP which I had as a kid. The sad part of this story is that that record is part of a handful of records that disappeared from my room when I went away to college. The who

le album is great. It is out of print, but you can basically get the sum total of the record on their "Survival Of The Fittest" compilation. The song is great because it is basically the theme from the old Batman TV show, done punk rock style and then some simple lyrics thrown over it. For anyone looking for a little nostalgia, check out this old Puszone article in which pushead reviews this record and mentions "Gotham City"

If you don't know who Pushead is or was, he was an artist who also wrote articles for Thrasher magazine. He also had a music label and band Septic Death. If you don't recognize his name you make certainly recognize his artwork, because he has done lots of art for Metallica and some other big bands. Back when I was a kid he was mostly doing w

ork for underground band, Thrasher magazine and Zorlac skateboards. Check out everything Pushead at this website.

Wow that was a big detour.

The next track to point out is "AC/DC" by Sweet. This is a pretty fun song, but I must say the version Joan Jett did on her album Sinner last year makes the original seem tame. And now that I've worked Joan Jett into the conversation, I have to say that her record last year was one of my favorites. It is great from start to finish. Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill and Le Tigre fame contributes song writing duties on about half the tracks. It is one of her strongest records to date.

And to wrap this up I want to point people to another great cover that is on this playlist. The Bird and The Bee's version of the Bee Gees' "How Deep Is Your Love" rivals the original and may be one of the most beautiful songs from this past year.

Inara George's voice sounds like gentle morning sunbeams. Makes the opening line "I know your eyes in the morning sun" make you feel warm and fuzzy all over.

I first heard this song on "Morning Becomes Eclectic" a fantastic public radio show here in LA. You can find it on the internet and check it out. I think it may also be available on Itunes as a podcast.

The moment I heard it I knew I had to get this song. I did some research and learned about The Bird And The Bee. The song is on the "Please Clap Your Hands" EP. I found the CD when I was in New York for work. I actually was at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square and I bought it there. The song became an instant favorite in my family. My daughter has it on her ipod shuffle and knows all the words. Find it on Itunes and buy it. It is well worth the 99 cents. If you come across the whole EP, pick that up. All five songs are good.

As part of a new experiment I took this play list and made an Imix with Itunes which I submitted to the Itunes store. Not every song showed up on the list, but quite a few of them did. If you want to buy some of these songs just click on this link to find the songs on itunes. Let me know if this is helpful to anybody.

Drop?

This morning is a short list, because I was listening to a podcast for most of my walk. So here goes.

Boyz-N-The-Hood - Eazy E
Drop - Ying Yang Twins
Detroit Rock City - Kiss
Only Women Bleed - Alice Cooper

See? Short and sweet.

Gotta love that thumpin' bass of Easy E early in the morning. "Drop" is the kind of song that makes me wish I was young and still going out dancing in clubs. The ipod headphones are good, but that is the kind of song that when it is pumping through a club, rocking your body, you can't help but get your groove on.

"Detroit Rock City" made me chuckle a little this morning. This is the version from the album with the long intro of someone watching TV and then getting in their car and driving. The part that makes me laugh is that once in the car the car radio is turned on and the radio dial searches for music. It lands on Kiss singing "Rock and Roll All Nite". Kiss were such shameless whores that they even promoted their own music with in their own music. Shameless. But that is what made Kiss Kiss.

"Only Women Bleed" an oddly pretty song from the little boy Alice.

So all in all an okay way to start the day. Now I'm going to go back to listening to some King Khan and BBQ for the rest of the morning. Seriously if you haven't checked them out yet, do it now.

Do You Wanna Shake

Took the skateboard into work today and made pretty good time. Hence the short playlist, but there are some good notables on here.

Home Again - Beach House from "Devotion"
Horror Show - The Libertines from "Up The Bracket"
I'm Happy Just To Dance With You - The Beatles from "A Hard Days Night"
Wax And Wane - Cocteau Twins from "Garlands"
Zombie Jamboree - King Flash and The Calypso Carnival
Superfly - Curtis Mayfield from "Superfly"
Always See your Face - Love from the "High Fidelity" soundtrack
Skin Divers - Duran Duran from "Red Carpet Massacre"
Do You Wanna Shake - Novo Combo from their self titled record

First off I'd like to point out that two songs from my Halloween mixes showed up today. "Horror Show" was on the 2007 mix and "Zombie Jamboree" was on this years mix.

Not sure if I've written about The Libertines before, but they were one of the great bands of the 21st century. If you have the chance pick up their records. I like to say they are a little bit of The Smiths with a little more rock and roll. Great British centric music.

Hadn't heard "Wax And Wane" for a while so that was a nice time. Love "Garlands" because it is definitely from a darker period of the Cocteau Twins. I like their latter dreamier less dark stuff as well, but I love Garlands. Allmusic.com doesn't give it a very good review, but what do they know. It's raw and maybe not as refined as their latter work, but that is the appeal. I think I like it because it was the first record of theirs that I heard.

Love the Superfly.

Don't know much about the band Love and to be honest when it came up today I didn't much remember the song, but I have to say I really love it. I guess there is a reason I rated it high and it ended up on my ipod. You can read up on them on allmusic.com. After writing this I'm going to do some reading myself.

Any regular reader should know I love Duran Duran and I'm also a fan of this latest record. Sure it may not be the old Duran Duran from the 80's, but it doesn't need to be. There has been much talk about bringing on all the modern producers and me I'm on the side of if it sounds good it sounds good. I think the end product is good and so I think the boys did the right thing. "Skin Divers" has a touch of early Duran Duran dark sexuality, but it also sounds modern. Well done.

Then as I walked to my office Novo Combo came on. This record was featured on the blog earlier this year. It is a fairly new record to the collection and so I don't know the record inside and out. What surprised me is that when this song came up I thought it sounded like some obscure Bon Scott era AC/DC song and was very surprised when I looked at the ipod to discover it was Novo Combo. I know think of this band differently. This is a real rock and roller of a number.

So there you go. Another handful of songs to think about, read about or listen to today. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow, but we'll see.

Cheers!

10.05.08 - Sunny Fall Morning Playlist

Great morning. So good, that I thought I'd still write about it even though it is the end of the day. The weather was cool and felt like fall. The ipod was kind as well. Here's what my friend the ipod gave me.

Come Baby Come - K7
Iron Maiden - Big D And The Kids Table
Smash It Up (Parts 1 & 2) - The Damned
La Valse de L'amour - Edith Piaf
Samba Triste - Charlie Byrd & Stan Getz
Summer Love - Justin Timberlake
Roadworn and Weary (live) - Supersuckers from "Must Have Been Live".
Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night Of the Week - Frank Sinatra from "Young at Heart"
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - The Righteous Brothers
Angel - Sarah McLachlan
Crack - Big Black

That's a pretty good selection, huh? So what shall I highlight from that list? Well I'd like to throw a plug to Big D and The Kids Table. Saw them open play about a year an a half ago at a night before warped tour gig. It was them and some other band, Gallows and the secret headliner was Bad Religion. Big D were fun and great. I bought their album "Strickly Rude" that night and I love it. This track is actually from an Iron Maiden ska tribute album. Anyways, check 'em out if you have a chance.

The Damned are kind of new to me. Not in the sense that I never heard of them before, but in the sense that it wasn't until recently that I actually heard them. I of course new of them since I was a kid, but I never really got into that era or punk and was more of a hard core kid. The funny thing is that in my mind I alway thought of them being darker and harder, but it turns out after comparing them to hard core, they are quite tame. This track in particular is just a light pop song with new wavish keyboards. Not at all what I expected from them, given the image in my head. With that said I love this song. The Offspring did a cover of this on their first 7" which is great. Give that a listen if you can find it. I found it on one of the many punk blogs out there, but I can't remember where.

The Edith Piaf song is great. I know a bit of French and the lyrics are really sweet. A couple lines I like are:
C'est la romance
Que Chacun danse
En attendant l'amour
Il y a tourjours un cœur
Qui cherche un autre cœur
Alors commence
une romance

The Charlie Byrd & Stan Getz track comes from "Jazz Samba" a classic jazz record. One of the first jazz records/cd's I ever owned. It is a must to your library. It is nice soothing mellow jazz. I like to say it is like butter.

Skipping down past JT, there is the Supersuckers. I've said much about them on this blog. They are the greatest rock and roll band working today. They have a new record coming out this month. Pre-order it now and then see them when they come to your town. They put on a great show. This track is from one of their live records, "Must Have Been Live". This version of "Roadworn and Weary" is the more country version. They do a rock version as well. If they ever play near you and you see that they are going to do their "country' show, do not miss it. They don't do it often, but it is a fun night. A couple years ago I saw them one night do the rock show and then the next night do the country show. Two different sets and two awesome nights. Nuff said.

The last thing I think I'll comment on is the Righteous Brothers track. I haven't heard this song in years. I don't exactly go searching for it on the ipod, but it is on there because it is a classic. The production is epic like unto Bridge Over Troubled Water" and the bit at the end when they go into the "bring it on backs" and the "baby, baby" part it is just great. I'm sure a lot of people can't listen to this song after "Top Gun", I think I was kind of that way, but give it a chance again. It has been 20 years.

Okay, I know I said that was the last thing, but just to wind things up I have to say "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan is sublime and one of her most beautiful songs. And Big Black is awesome. There now I'm done.

Cheers!

Election Day

I feel so lame with today's post. It's Election day and so the listening started early today as I waited in line to vote. I had a big long list of songs, but then I did something stupid. I stopped the random and played an individual track which got rid of what I had played. So I'm going to try and recall as much of the songs as possible and the order is going to be all messed up, but no one would ever know.

Another Day - Left Alone
Contact - Prids
Take The Long Way Home - Supertramp
She Rides - Danzig
She - Misfits (Yes these two did play back to back. Funny, huh?)
Alone - Thicke
We're Going To Be Friends - Jack Johnson
Roll With It - Oasis
Headhunter V. 3.0 - Front 242
River Deep Mountain High - Ike and Tina Turner
Exsanguination - AFI
Spring Awakening/Left Behind - Spring Awakening Cast
Half Way To Crazy - Jesus and The Mary Chain
Magic Number - De La Soul
Air Traffic Control (Out Of Oxygen) - Louis XIV
J'Attenderai - Nestor Amaral
Running Down A Dream - Tom Petty And The Heart Breakers
On The Dark Side - John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight - Genesis

I wish I could write about all of these songs, but because of voting and the craziness of work I don't have time to say much. So I'll just give one plug for now.

If you ever have a chance to see "Spring Awakening", please do. It is my favorite musical in years. It isn't exactly a fun romp like Hairspray. It is actually very serious and tragic, but sooooo powerful. You can listen to the soundtrack which is great, but I don't think you'll get the full force. I can testify to this. I heard the music before seeing the play and I was luke warm on it, but then I saw the production and every song had new weight and meaning once heard in context.

So that may be it for now. If I have time later today to write more I will, but don't count on it.

Cheers!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!

You would think that I would have some big Halloween theme post ready, but I don't. I blew that at the beginning of the month. I figure sharing Halloween music the day of Halloween is too late. And speaking of Halloween music today's your final day to check out the Halloween music I posted earlier this month. It will be gone after today.

With that out of the way, let's get to this morning's random playlist.

Hell - Squirrel Nut Zippers
Hey Paula - Paul and Paula from the Animal House Soundtrack
Rockin' The Paradise - Styx
Great DJ - Ting Tings
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
Something About You - Boston
Traktor - Traste & Superstararna - Pengar/Traktor 7"
More Than A Woman - The Tavares - Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack

So the day started of with Hell, I find that oddly coincidental given that it is Halloween. hey sometimes the stars just align.

Then a pleasant little number from the Animal House soundtrack. That soundtrack is simply great. It has a couple Sam Cooke classics. Sam is my favourite soul singer hands down. Let's not forget Otis Day and The Nights couple of classics. I originally got this record (actually it was a tape) back when I was in elementary school and I wore that puppy out playing Shout and Shama Lama Ding Dong It isn't very long but it can be listened to over and over again.

The Styx track is obviously from Paradise Theater. A great concept record that I still throw on the old turn table and listen to from start to finish. That is really how it should be experienced, though there are plenty of singles to enjoy on their own.

Great DJ is one of my favourite songs of this year. If you haven't heard the Ting Tings yet please check them out. Great fun. You probably know their music from some ipod commercial this year.

"I Will Survive" is probably in the top 5 for all time great Disco tracks. You can't help but sing along with the defiant lyrics. About 11 or 12 years ago when there was a big disco resurgence i listened to that song endlessly. I think I had it on a mix tape that got a lot of play at that time.

Boston. I'm glad this song came up. Yesterday "More Than A Feeling" came up on my walk home and I was thinking I wish this was tomorrow morning because I'd love to comment on this record. As luck would have it this came up and gave me the excuse. This first Boston record is quite astonishing. I mean that in that it has so many classic songs on one record. The batting average on that record is 1000. There are 8 tracks and all of them are great. The production is legendary. At least 6 of the 8 songs are classic rock radio staples. It is hard to think of too many other records that can boast that. I don't think I have to say check it out, because I'm assuming everyone has heard this record and may even own a copy. It is kind of an essential record.

"Traktor". I got this song off of a blog. It isn't in English and I don't know much about the band. The song, though is very catchy. It is kind of a KBD punk/punk rock vibe from the late 70's or early 80's. I don't remember exactly. If you search some of those punk rock blogs that post rare and out of print music you'll find it. I can't remember which one I found it on.

And then as I walked into my office I was hit with another disco classic from the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. I played this album to death in high school. One thing I wanted to point out is that there were different versions of this record and I don't think I've ever seen it written about or commented on. I'd love to know the story behind this oddity. I have this album on tape from when I was a kid and then later I picked up on a CD and of course I have the record as well. Off the top of my head I can't remember which has which, but there are two versions of Jive Talkin' on the different formats. I'm pretty sure the tape had the studio version, but then either the CD or the record has a live version. I'm sure it had something to do with licensing and when the album or format was released. I don't know the reason, but I find it interesting. If you know the story, I'd love to hear it.

One other story about this record is that when I was in high school I drove my dad's car a 1978 Lincoln Continental. A boat. it had an 8 track player and so I would pick up 8-tracks at thrift stores and garage sales for like 25 cents to play in the car. We had a few staples as I cruised around with my skateboard buddies. One of them was a Saturday Night Fever knock off record. It wasn't the original, it was some cheap cover version my some unknown studio musicians. It was complete cheese and I used to love playing it.

So that is it for today. I gotta start work.

Cheers!

10.30.08 - Morning Music List

Today's playlist was just a joy.

"I Call It Love" - Lionel Richie
"Fight The Power" - The Bare Naked Ladies
"California" - Joni Mitchell
"Won't Get Fooled Again" - The Who
"Baby, I'm An Anarchist!" - Against Me!
"Death Bros." - Cancer Bats
"Here Comes The Feeling" - Asia
"Desperado" - Langley School Project


So what kinds of things to talk about from a list like that. How about recommendations to start. If you've never heard the Langley School Project album Innocence and Despair, you should try and seek it out. This made a splash a few years back after being touted on NPR and other hipster places. It is a record from a high school back in the 70's. The music director loved pop and rock music and so the school choir sang everything from Bowie to The Eagles. The rendition of "Desperado" by Sheila Behman's is sublime. Her voice may not be perfect, but the emotion and feeling is.


Next up I'm going with the safe bet, Joni Mitchell. "California" is from her classic record "Blue". It is simply a must in any self respecting music lover's collection. Her lyrics are great and her delivery and melodies are like nothing else. One of my favorite lines from this song I only recently learned the full meaning of. The line is "I'll even kiss a Sunset pig". Until just a couple years ago I didn't make the connections of what that all meant. The pig is a pig in the police sense and this reference is to the police that were hassling hippies and other young people along the Sunset strip during this time. Before learning that I guess I always just shrugged it off as some sort of surrealistic imagery.


And the last thing I think I'll comment on is about "Won't Get Fooled Again". The whole song is pretty near perfect. The one part I absolutely love is toward the end when there is just the pulsating of the electric piano or organ and then drum runs start fighting their way into the song. Little by little until the full song breaks back in full force. I love the anticipation and the final release in that moment of the song.


Hey, that felt good getting that all out before starting work. I hope it give you something to think about for the day as well.

Cheers!

A New Feature

On my way in to work today I thought of a new feature I could write about that is quick and painless and shouldn't ruffle any feathers. First a quick set up about my mornings. I live relatively close to my work. 2 miles to be exact. Most days I walk to and from work. Recently I've been reading comic books as I walk. Probably not the safest thing, but I mostly walk down neighborhood streets with little traffic. The sound track to my reading is my ipod, which I just throw on shuffle. On an average walk I get 12-20 songs in. On some days I don't feel like reading and I want to just enjoy the morning so I ride my skateboard. This morning was such a morning. I get to work much quicker and don't get in as many songs. What the board does allow me to do is think a little and this morning I was thinking about the blog. Often I listen to my ipod and I really appreciate the wide range of music that can come up when set to shuffle. I thought that could be something I share with people. I don't have to upload the music and artwork and do all that hard stuff. I can just let people know what came up on the ipod, maybe make a few comments and see what people have to say about those songs. Maybe it is a lame idea, but I figure I'll give it a shot. At least it will fill in the days between posting records.

So this morning's list was as follows.

One For My Baby - Frank Sinatra from "Sinatra '57"
Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Part I-V) - Pink Floyd
Is This Love - Whitesnake
Paddle Out - Sublime
Da-Do - Rick Moranis from the Little Shop Of Horrors soundtrack
Springtime - Leatherface

So there is a sampling of the wonderful variety that I get in the morning. So what does this all bring to mind. Well first of all you should seek out this Sinatra version of "One For My Baby". It is from a live album and he has a great intro where he talks to the audience. And then the delivery of the song is the best of any version in my opinion.

The next thing that comes to mind is that I hope everyone saw The Family Guy this last week because they did a parody of Da-Do. It was hilarious. It's about 3 minutes into the episode. Check it out on Hulu.

Okay, that's enough for now. Looking forward to you comments.