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Michael Bennett writes

iPod/MP3 Friday Shuffle — Happy Birthday Mark E. Smith Edition

Since the late ’70s, The Fall has been the crap that talks back. As the late, great John Peel so aptly put it, The Fall always sounds different, the Fall always sounds the same. This is because of the sole constant in the band, the man who seemingly says “unh” after every phrase in his hectoring Mancunian accent, Mark E. Smith. Whether it’s careening off-kilter rockabilly or heavily electronic music, Smith’s torrent of acidic observations and musical adaptability have made The Fall one of the greatest bands ever, whose influence is immeasurable. In honor of Mr. Smith, who turns 53 today, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first ten tunes.

  1. Cheap Trick — Can’t Hold On (Cheap Trick At Budokan: The Complete Concert): Originally released on the Found All The Parts 10” EP, this track was resurrected when the band reissued it’s classic Live At Budokan album as a 2 CD set with all the songs played at the original series of concerts at the venue. While I can understand why this song didn’t make any of the band’s first three albums, it’s a really good anguished power ballad (and I mean power ballad in a good way, not a cheesy hair metal band way) which showcases Robin Zander’s amazing powerhouse vocals and features typically wonderful guitar work from Rick Nielsen.
  2. Superdrag — What If You Don’t Fly (Regretfully Yours): Superdrag is a disciple of Cheap Trick, The Raspberries and Paul McCartney with beefy guitars (all the better to compete with all those alternative rockers in the ’90s), and this is a swell power pop tune. I became a convert to Superdrag when they performed at a Belmont-Sheffield street festival and overcame the ramshackle stage and poor P.A. and put on a great performance.
  3. The Go-Go’s — Beatnik Beach (Vacation): Vacation is definitely a sophomore slump type of album, not nearly as good as the albums which bookended it. The songs just weren’t consistently strong. This surf rock goof isn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it’s fun and that’s a good enough reason to have it on my iPod.
  4. Wipers — So Young (Over The Edge): Perhaps because they were located in the Pacific Northwest, the Wipers have not received the attention that Mission Of Burma (who has covered them live) did. Their music isn’t exactly the same, but I think Wipers, MoB and Chicago’s own Effigies explored a particularly punky niche of post-punk that still sounds thrilling to this day. Frontman Greg Sage wrote edgy, dramatic songs, such as this track, and then added his masterful guitar playing. You can get the first three Wipers albums, with bonus tracks, in a box set that is less than three sawbucks. Such a bargain.
  5. The Move — My Marge (Great Move: The Best Of The Move): A bit of a music hall/novelty number from the great Birmingham band. This is somewhat in the vein of “When I’m 64”. A trifle.
  6. Little Esther and Mel Walker — Cupid’s Boogie (The Roots Of Rock ‘n’ Roll): As the title might indicate, this is a blues boogie woogie number. Esther and Mel have a nice back-and-forth duet, bursting with personality. Nice, but not amazing.
  7. The Jimi Hendrix Experience — You Got Me Floatin’ (Axis: Bold As Love): I think Lenny Kravitz based part of his sound on this one Hendrix tune (especially his hit “Are You Gonna Go My Way”). This is all about the insistent rhythm pounded out by Mitch Mitchell and complimented by Hendrix’s riffing. The chorus is a modified R & B soul shout. It’s kind of like a rocked up Sly and the Family Stone track.
  8. The Bobby Fuller Four — Only When I Dream (Never To Be Forgotten: The Mustang Years): The heir apparent to the Texas pop-rock legacy of Buddy Holly, Fuller, as many of you probably know, was found dead in his car in L.A. and the mystery of who killed him has never been solved. In addition to “I Fought the Law” (which was written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets), Fuller left some great soaring pop tunes, like this one, that builds on Holly and The Everlys.
  9. Beastie Boys — Car Thief (Paul’s Boutique): When Paul’s Boutique came out, it took a bit of an adjustment, because it was so much funkier and less rocking than Licensed To Ill. But the adjustment was easy, as the album was so bloody brilliant. This was the end of the unfettered sampling era, and the sheer volume of samples on this disc is staggering. And it shows how, when done right, multiple samples are really an art form and hip-hop has been diminished in some respects when the law got in the way. Oh well. At least we have albums like this and De La Soul’s 3 Feet High And Rising.
  10. Crowded House — All I Ask (Woodface): A lush retro-pop ballad from the Aussie-Kiwi superstars. By retro, I mean ’40s style pop, with strings and everything. A swell detour from the band’s best selling international album, with a very nice vocal from Tim Finn, on the one album where he was part of his younger brother Neil’s band.

Posted on March 5, 2010 • Permalink • 5 Comments

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Owen the Kiwi, on Mar 5, 06:03 AM, wrote:

Great list you have there Mike! Let’s see how I do…

1. Liam Finn/Lum Fun-Second Chance (I’ll Be Lightning): great track from Neils eldest, typically performed solo live with live-sampled playing. I like the sentiment.
2. James Brown – Down And Out In New York City (JB: 40th Anniversary Collection) Here’s a dime boy, gimme a shine boy…
3. Johnny Mathis – Come To Me (Johnny’s Greatest Hits) It wasn’t THE biggest-selling album on Billboard Charts until 1973 (DSOTM) for no good reason, y’know…
4. Midlake – Core of Nature (Courage of Others) Nice.
5. Pavement – Range Life (Crooked Rain Crooked Rain) Typical. My iPod is still on a Pavement kick after seeing them last Monday in NZ. Rattled indeed. Brilliant.
6. Gerry Rafferty – Right Down the Line (City to City) My fave off this album, not Baker Street.
7. Goon Squad – Eight Arms to Hold You (12”) Arthur Baker showing his electro chops. Confusion vs. Let the Music Play!
8. Booker T & The MG’s – Green Onions (Green Onions) Timeless groove. Nuff said.
9. Dragon – Are You Old Enough (O Zambezi) NZ coulda shoulda woulda been US rock stars if they hadn’t bene overly seduced by substances in LA. Classic Antipodean mid 70’s rock.
10. Dave Dobbyn – Don’t Hold Your Breath (Lament For The Numb) Powerful final track off DD’s album.

bobby, on Mar 5, 06:39 AM, wrote:

I didn’t have anything by The Fall so I used The Alarm as my starting point.

1. The Alarm – Spirit of ’76

This was put on a mixtape for my sister by a guy living in california she met on the internet. Put into words it certainly sounds lascivious, but this guy sent us both tapes and exposed us to music we never would have heard living in a small town in Iowa. It’s weird to owe a large portion of your taste to a person you’ve never met.

2. Bishop Allen – Click, Click, Click, Click

This song was sent to me by my friend Kat in 2006. The narrator stumbles into a wedding to get out of the rain and ends up in all their wedding photos. How pleasent. Bishop Allen is a fairly ubiquitous band, playing in Chicago, specifically The Subterranean, multiple times a year and I never go see them. I really should.

3. Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’

4. Harvey Danger – Incommunicado

This is off Little By Little, Harvey Dangers last full length album prior to disbanding for the millionth time. It was released over their website, allowing fans to name their own price. This was 2 years before Radiohead did it.

5. The Weakerthans – Confessions of a Futon Revolutionist

John K Sampson left Canadian anarchist punk band Propagandhi to write about his feelings.

6. Kevin Shields – City Girl

From Lost In Translation. What can I say, I love hip movie soundtracks.

7. The National – Gospel
8. Bright Eyes – Lover I Don’t Have to Love

not my favorite bright eyes song.

9. Korea Girl – Under The Sun

Definitely my favorite Korea Girl song. A warm sunny sort of twee band on Asianman Records with a dash of pain, male and female vocalists. So nice.

10. The Bird and the Bee – Love Letter to Japan

Still haven’t seen The Bird and the Bee live.

scott mck, on Mar 5, 07:34 AM, wrote:

1. Ride – Taste (Nowhere)
2. The Wonderstuff – No, For The 13th Time (The Eight Legged Groove Machine)
3. Tom Jones – She’s A Lady (The Complete Tom Jones)
4. Ladytron – Weekend (Witching Hour)
5. Bettye LaVette – The High Road (I’ve Got My Own Hell To Raise)
6. Blur – Gene By Gene (Think Tank)
7. The White Stripes – The Death Letter (De Stijl)
8. Damon Albarn/Michael Nyman – Ives Returns (Ravenous OST)
9. Azure Ray – Fever (Azure Ray)
10. Ratatat – Desert Eagle (Ratatat)

Mike Scales, on Mar 5, 09:58 AM, wrote:

1. Alias – New To A Few (Resurgam)
2. Oblivion – Teabag (Shoot Me A Waco)
3. Prefuse73 – Creating Cyclical Headaches w/ Four Tet (Security Screenings)
4. Joanna Newsom – Swansea (The Milk-Eyed Mendor)
5. Carcass – Inpropagation (Necroticism)
6. Strapping Young Lad – Spirituality (City)
7. Children Of Bodom – Punch Me I Bleed (Are You Dead Yet?)
8. Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me (Have One On Me CD1)
9. Charles Mingus – Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am (Oh Yeah)
10. Minor Threat – Out of Step (With the World) (Complete Discography)

Ha! This shuffle’s funny. Love the straight metal assault book-ended by Ms. Newsom.

Tony, on Mar 5, 01:18 PM, wrote:

Here we go…

Classique #2 — Hercules And Love Affair — Hercules and Love Affair
Little Cream Soda — The White Stripes — Icky Thump
Tchon Di Na Lú — Netos Do N’Gumbé — Onda Sonora: Red Hot + Lisbon
(From the Red Hot series. This one explores the musical influences of the Portuguese-speaking world, and includes k d lang singing fado music. There’s a lot of African stuff as well, like this track; offhand I don’t remember what it sounds like.)
Somebody — Deee-Lite — Dewdrops in the Garden
(I think most people don’t know Deee-Lite had a second album, let alone a third one. I don’t have the second one, but this third one is pretty good.)
Witches — Cowboy Junkies — Caution Horses
(My husband put this song on the first mix tape he made for me, back in 1991 or 2. It’s so quiet and subtle you have to turn off all other distractions — you can’t listen to it in the car, for example — and focus on it, but it rewards you with something really beautiful.)
Tieta — Bonde Do Role — With Lasers
A Boy in Love — The Aluminum Group — Plano
(Plano remains my favorite Aluminum Group album — there are just so many good songs!)
Stool Pigeon — Kid Creole & The Coconuts — Just Can’t Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the ’80s, Vol. 3
(I met a guy who had played horns for Kid Creole and the Coconuts as a session musician. The band had some hits, but as a session musician, you don’t see any benefit from that. The guy now performs in bars and cafés in Key West.)
I Feel Better — Frightened Rabbit — The Midnight Organ Fight
Helplessly Young — Oh No Ono — Eggs
(I’m not sold on this album. There are some good songs, but generally I find the vocal filtering that’s on many of the tracks to be annoying.)

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