iPod/MP3 Friday Shuffle — Happy Birthday Nigel Tufnel Edition
They say that if you have a choice between printing the facts and the legend, print the legend. But with the immortal Nigel Tufnel, the legend and the facts are one in the same. Since he first came into the public eye with the beat group The Thamesmen, Nigel has been turning it up to eleven night in and night out, blazing heavy metal trails that are still too hot for anyone to trod upon and follow. This Spinal Tap axe god, who shares a birthday with actor-director Christopher Guest, is still working on his first solo album, and perhaps we can all encourage him, by getting out your iPod/MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 tunes that come up.
- The Go-Gos — Yes Or No (Talk Show): The third Go-Gos album is a hidden gem, fueled by stylized production by Martin Rushent. The album crackles with prominent drums, ultra jangly guitars and Belinda Carlisle’s dramatic singing. This mid-tempo track was a collaboration between guitarist Jane Wiedlin and Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks. The song is decidedly more conventional than most Sparks tracks, but has a few clever lines here and there.
- The Last — And They Laugh (Confession): The first reunion album from The Last ditched some of the garage-ier elements of their classic early work (like the L.A. Explosion album) in favor of the folkier Paisley Underground aspects. This wasn’t a problem, because these guys added teeth and guts to their post-Beau Brummels jangle. This is one of the best tracks on an album that overflows with passion.
- Gary Numan & Tubeway Army — Bombers (single version)(The Plan): Brittle sci-fi punk from Numan in the days before he discovered a synthesizer and began finding his direction. This song is based on a clipped guitar riff and Numan’s equally choppy vocal phrasing. His distinctive voice always oozes discomfort and paranoia. A reasonably catchy song indicative of the promise that his future work fulfilled.
- Jim Croce — Stone Walls (50th Anniversary Collection): I’m a big fan of Croce’s work. He found a unique conversational bluesy vocal style to go with his poppy folk story songs. Without looking at the CD, this is clearly an early work of his, as he sounds a lot more like a conventional folk singer on this far from authentic tale of prison life. Better things were ahead.
- Nomads — Stranded On A Dateless Night (Showdown! 1981-93): This Swedish garage rock band laid on the guitars thick but never too heavy. This sounds like a ’50s rock and roll number, a la “(You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care”, beefed up. The Nomads didn’t often venture into Cramps territory, but this comes close.
- Eleventh Dream Day — Dream Of a Sleeping Sheep (Lived To Tell): This is an electrified country stomp with the patented Crazy Horse-ish guitar stylings of early Eleventh Dream Day. Rick Rizzo’s lead guitar work is magnificent, while Janet Beveridge Bean slams out a bopping beat.
- Darker My Love — Waves (2): This L.A. band melds retro psychedelic rock with shoegazer dreaminess on its most recent album. Some songs reach a midpoint of those two styles, but this leans heavily on the psych side, with some genuine guitar freak outs, with a mellotron breakdown in the middle before one last dash of feedback and spectral harmony vocals.
- Nick Heyward — Whistle Down the Wind (North Of A Miracle): I’m still baffled why the first solo album from the former leader of Haircut One Hundred wasn’t a worldwide smash. Heyward knows how to write a big hook and this widescreen ballad sounds like it would have been perfect for the early-‘80s pop charts. It’s the rare song of this type that isn’t overwrought, which is a credit to Heyward’s measured vocal performance and the lovely string and horn arrangements that make this emotionally affecting instead of manipulative cheese.
- The House Of Love — Touch Me (1986-88 The Creation Years): Another appearance by Guy Chambers and company. This mid-tempo song is keyed on a gently ebbing drum pattern with accompanying strumming guitars. Chambers’ vocal is doubled up in a very ’60s style harmony vocal, making for a pleasingly retro pop song. Then Terry Bickers rips off a spectacular dramatic guitar solo which gives the song a lot more heft.
- Neil Finn — She Will Have Her Way (Try Whistling This): Neil’s first solo album found him experimenting more with keyboards and textures, freed from a band format (not that Crowded House didn’t do some of this) leading him into some new territory. But there was still room for a straightforward guitar pop song, and this showed that Finn hadn’t exhausted his supply of silky smooth melodies. The way he draws out that melody in the chorus and little arrangement tricks show why Neil Finn is a pop master.
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What They're Saying
beepee, on Feb 5, 07:46 AM, wrote:
1. The Thrill Is Gone – B.B. King
2. From This Moment On – Poi Dog Pondering
3. My Little Japanese Cigarette Case – Spoon
4. Weekend Off — Little Charlie and the Nightcats
5. There Is Work – The M’s
6. Myriad Harbour – New Pornographers
7. Shake That Ass On The Dancefloor – Vicious Vicious
8. What More Can I Say – DJ Dangermouse / Grey Album
9. Look Out Young Son – Grand Old Party
10. A Worried Man – Kingston Trio
Billy Kalb, on Feb 5, 08:36 AM, wrote:
1) The Spinners – Could It Be I’m Falling In Love (The Spinners): Oh my god yes. The Spinners are one of my all-time favorite Philly Soul groups, and while “I’ll Be Around” is my pick for best song, this one isn’t far behind. I thank my dad’s road trip mixtapes for introducing this song to me about 900 times over in my formative years.
2) The Slits – Liebe and Romanze (Slow Version) (Cut): At least I’ll always have Cut. The Slits’ reunion has been less… good… than I’d hoped.
3) Chicks on Speed – Shick Shaving f/ Miss Kitten (99cents): And right into an artist that couldn’t have existed without the Slits. Nice work, iPod!
4) The Walkmen – Brandy Alexander (A Hundred Miles Off): A pick from my least favorite album (we’re not counting Pussy Cats, right?) from a band I otherwise love. I keep listening expecting it to click the way the others have, but no luck yet.
5) Cat Power – The Moon (The Greatest): Another record I never quite managed to immerse myself in. I always recognize the songs when they pop up though, so maybe I’m wrong.
6) Radiohead – I Might Be Wrong (I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings): The studio version of this jam tore my brain up something fierce in high school. The live version’s got the same effect for the most part.
7) Madvillain – Monkey Suite (Madvillainy): Can we get another album from these guys already?
8) Ladytron – Destroy Everything You Touch (Witching Hour): This is clubbier and more anthem-ready than I remember, but I’ve got it locked away in my touchstones-of-freshman-year-of-college vault. Oh, good times.
9) Uncle Tupelo – Acuff-Rose (Anodyne): Taught me in high school that I do like country music after all, after a decade of thinking the contrary. Bless you, Jeff Tweedy.
10) Common – The Food (Be): What a time capsule — Common and Kanye on the Chapelle Show. Still sounds good though.
Scott McK, on Feb 5, 09:53 AM, wrote:
1. Bibio – Fire Ant (Ambivalence Avenue)
2. Daft Punk – Teachers (Homework)
3. Displacer – Cage Fighter’s Lullaby (Cage Fighter’s Lullaby)
4. Sun Kil Moon – Trucker’s Atlas (Tiny Cities)
5. Outkast – Roses (The Love Below)
6. The Raveonettes – The Heavens (Pretty in Black)
7. Serge Gainsbourg – Elaeudanla Téïtéïa (Du Jazz Dans Le Ravin)
8. Serge Gainsbourg – L’Hotel Particulier (Historie de Melody Nelson)
9. Laurie Anderson – Poison (Bright Red)
10. Fugazi – The Kill (The Argument)
Tony Breed, on Feb 5, 11:16 AM, wrote:
I was recently in London and considered going to see a play or musical. Down the street from our hotel was Hairspray, with Belinda Carlisle taking the role of Velma von Tussle. We were so tempted! But the tickets were pretty pricey.
Hejira — Joni Mitchell (Travelogue)
…Joni Mitchell re-recorded a lot of her older songs in a dark, fully-orchestrated style. It’s a good album, and very interesting. “Hejira” was a pretty dark album to begin with; the more interesting translations are early works like “Circle Game”.
White Tooth Man — Iron & Wine (The Shepherd’s Dog)
Pieces — Saint Bernadette (In The Ballroom)
Mania De Peitão (Remix) — Seu Jorge (Cru [Bonus Tracks])
Mi Hijo — Savath & Savalas (Golden Pollen)
Old Old Fashioned — Frightened Rabbit (The Midnight Organ Fight)
Dog — Ben Folds (Supersunnyspeedgraphic: The LP)
…Maybe the best song on this LP. Certainly the most Ben Folds Five-y.
Fingernail Moon — Annie Lennox (Songs of Mass Destruction)
Love Theme — Graeme Revell (Until The End of yhe World)
Matinee Idol — Rufus Wainwright (Rufus Wainwright)
…Trivia! This song is about River Pheonix
Andy Weber, on Feb 5, 12:37 PM, wrote:
OK are we throwing around our Go Go’s experiences slash encounters….. I have to throw my hat in the ring. In 1996 I partied all night with Jane Wiedlin in Lawrence, KS after a Lemonheads show. Her band Frosted? opened up. My friend and I befriended her and ended up bouncing to two more bars with her. She was very entertaining to say the least. Oh yeah… I got a kiss on the cheek at the end of the night. By far one of my best brushes with greatness. Thanks for conjuring up my memory!
1. Ko Ko – Duke Ellington
2. It’s Better To Spend Money – Quiet Company
3. Here We Go Lie Down – Frank Budgen – Yes!
4. Scarlet Fields – The Horrors
5. Lightning Blue Eyes – Secret Machines
6. Far From Home – The Levellers – I have been compiling my Celtic Rock because Mr. Calendar is telling me that St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Wednesday this year.
7. Take Me Home, Country Roads – Jason and the Scorchers – good little version of this honky tonk classic
8. Lost Coastlines – Okkervil River
9. Do The Boomerang – Junior Walker
10. Sonja Cries – Stellastar
BTW… I am pretty sure Jane only hung out with us because we worked in radio! Membership has it’s privileges.
Also I am so glad I did not have to look up the record label for this playlist!
Elizabeth, on Feb 5, 01:40 PM, wrote:
Fairly twee shuffle—the Weddoes always come up, though.
Thursday — The Future Heads (wrong day to start off with…)
How to be Dead — Snow Patrol
Shiny Teeth and Sharpened Claws — Sad Day for Puppets (worst band name second only to Cats on Fire, but lovely Scandanavian band)
Hay Fever — 14 Iced Bears
Clementine — The Decembrists
Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family — The Wedding Present
This Town — The June Brides
The Sporting Life — The Decembrists
Let’s Get the Party Going — Warwick (also filed under my Glamorama playlist)
Fever of Love — Sweet
swanksalot, on Feb 5, 04:45 PM, wrote:
1. Bowie, David- Letter To Hermione – Space Oddity – Strange to hear David Bowie play softly psychedelic rock before he became famous, and better.
2. Band, The- Key To The Highway – A Musical History –This particular track has enough reverb to start a pogo-stick revolution. Err something.
3. Fools Gold- Poseidon – Fool’s Gold- Fool’s Gold is a Los Angeles collective that weaves together western pop aesthetics with African rhythms and melodies, and indeed this is true. If I didn’t know better, I’d think this song was from the Nigeria 70 series, or a Luaka Bop compilation.
4. Fahey, John- Give Me Corn Bread When I’m Hungry – The Dance Of Death & Other Plantation Favorites – can never have enough John Fahey. This is a straightfoward acoustic blues, with percussive bass strings in homage to Mississippi John Hurt and others.
5. Tosh, Peter- Coming In Hot – Honorary Citizen: pop reggae tune with dub-style drum
6. Bach: Cello Suite #1 In G, BWV 1007 – Menuet #1 & 2- Jaap Ter Linden: ahh, Bach – in my best Radar O’Reilly voice…
7. Professor Longhair- Cherry Pie – House Party New Orleans Style – A duet with Snooks Eaglin’s guitar. Not much of a lyric, I suspect cherry pie is a sexual innuendo perhaps.
8. The Ruts- Babylon’s Burning: No Thanks! The ’70s Punk Rebellion – Meh. Serviceable track on a great boxed set. Tellingly, this is the only Ruts song I have in my library.
9. Thomas Mapfumo, The Acid Band- Matiregerera Mambo -Hokoyo! – Thomas Mapfumo deserves a Nobel Peace Prize more than Barack Obama! One of my favorite musicians I’ve seen perform live: such a leonine stage presence. Don’t know if his band is playing electric guitar arpeggios or an electrified mbira, just know that the Zimbabwe government didn’t like the criticisms, and Mr. Mapfumo lives in exile these days.
10. Bert Jansch & John Renbourn- East Wind – Bert And John – absolutely spectacular acoustic guitar duel/duet
Michael A, on Feb 6, 07:43 PM, wrote:
1. Young Marble Giants – Music for Evenings (Singles and Salad Days): How do you out-minimalize the affectionate minimalism of YGB’s intimate pop? Get a compilation of the demos.
2. Sonic Youth – Dude Ranch Nurse (Sonic Nurse): I know it’s blasphemous, but Sonic Nurse may be my favorite SY album. I can’t really pinpoint exactly why, but I think it has to do with the well-practiced icy-hot, discordant-harmonious, noise-melody balance beam act that supports the record throughout.
3. Dinosaur Jr. – It’s Me (Beyond): Another return-to-form from a noisy 80s underground rock band, and one that was even more surprising than the former. I especially like this song though because of the revitalized bass chug that was so prevalent on Bug. Mascis at his Mascisian best.
4. Friar Tuck – Where Did Your Mind Go? (Friar Tuck and his Psychedelic Guitar): An unessential but rather enjoyable psych-pop album from ’67. You get plenty of rad electric guitar solos, whimsical group vocals and those wonderfully warm analog studio effects.
5. Roxy Music – Dance Away (Manifesto): Roxy Music is still somewhat of a un-embraceable paradigm for me. I always keep Bryan Ferry close, just in case a track comes up on random and I catch myself grooving into the know. But, with the spoon-fed disco-pop of “Dance Away,” it probably won’t be today.
6. The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Foxey Lady (Live at Monterey): Self-explanatory.
7. Fugazi – Two Beats Off (Repeater): Repeater was my first foray into the wonderful world of Fugazi; and as a curious teenager in the inauspicious backwoods of South Carolina, it was revelatory. I’m pretty sure that makes me a completely normal post-millennium music fan.
8. Mr. Lif – Home of the Brave (Emergency Rations EP): Lif came into Reckless a while back while I was working. Dude is short, surprisingly short, but extremely nice and personable. I think that genuineness has a lot to do with why this sometimes suffocatingly political underground rap is so easy to dig. The superb lyricism also probably has something to do with it.
9. GET! – The Leaders (Messthetics Greatest HISS: classics of UK cassette-culture DIY, 1979-82): “Messthetics” is not only my favorite innocuous music meme and word, it’s also one of my favorite label for no-name post-punk. I don’t know a thing about GET!, nor do I really need to. But its infrequent appearance on shuffle is always welcome.
10. Spaceways Incorporated – Red Hot Mama/Super Stupid (Thirteen Cosmic Standards by Sun Ra & Funkadelic): Chicago free-jazzers (Vandermark, McBride, Drake) combining the endlessly innovative work of Sun Ra & Funkadelic? Yes, please.