January 2012 reviews

[toomanyhatz]

I am so, so very sorry to my sender for the delay on this. It's just been a crazy month, ending with a completely unexpected job loss. I finally have a moment to do this. I don't want my recipient to think it's 'cause I didn't like it, especially as the exact opposite is true.

Being that I tend toward eclecticism, I'd like to think my sender purposely hit a lot of bases. The CD almost says "you want 'all over the place?' Well great-here's a heaping helping of it. Knock yourself out!" Fortunately I like the majority of it as well.

Without further ado (as we've had well enough ado already):

1) Silly spoken word intro about "one small step for Bruce, one giant leap for Bruce-kind." Pythons?

2) The music starts off inauspiciously enough, though. Almost a full minute of moody guitar intro goes into quiet singing and 4 minutes of melancholy. It...errr...jangles.

3) Another downcast English(?) voice that I think I recognize. Same downer mood but a bit more variety and melody.

4) Glorious funk/Afro-Cuban thing that could come from one of those comps I should be famous for. Much liked, as (I assume) expected.

5) Female singer/songwriter with fingerpicked guitar and natural, unforced vocals with country-ish inflection, but not affectation. Also up my alley, on the Gillian Welch/Lucinda Williams tip (but not either).

6) Jazz with honkin' alto (?) sax. Again hitting the spot, and third great-but-totally-different track in a row. Short but sweet.

7) Ah, now a bit of trad. Someone knows me well.

8) Piano-based down-and-dirty male singer/songwriter. Cool changes. Nilsson/Brian Wilson-esque singing, but with a nice homemade quality- might be a demo. Very touching.

9) First one in a while that I'm not totally crazy about. Moody backing, with driving rhythm guitar, but don't care for the voice that sounds slightly like the guy in Black 47. A bit long at over 7 minutes, though the "rave up" section gets involving for a minute or so.

10) Haunting solo piano. Could be Keith Jarrett or similar ECM type, or maybe Satie. Lovely.

11) Short sound-effects thing, maybe native flute or something. Nice interlude.

12) Stompin' late 70s/early 80s sounding punky thing with bass mixed high and trebly, surfy guitar. No idea who it is, but it's pretty cool.

13) More jazz, this time with prominent piano and stand up bass, leading into soprano sax. Sounds a bit like Pharoah Sanders, but a touch more restrained.

14) More fingerpicked guitar, Pentangle-esque with a touch of flute. A light touch without going too twee.

15) Groovy reggae about Elijah ("him not dead"). I don't know my reggae but I'm going to guess that it's late 70s. Very song-oriented, but with touches of electro-funk. Cool.

16) Texas singer/songwriter? Sounds like a Guy Clark/Townes type anyway, nicely produced with sweet pedal steel.

17) A long track and a descent into prog-land. Not my favorite, of course, but it's good-humored and keeps a light touch- not too show-offy. Like Taste or somebody like that- good musicianship but enough wackiness to keep my interest.

18) Not sure how to describe this one...light pop, female voices. Comparatively non-descript, but not bad and serves the overall diversity, so no complaints.

19) Nice, somewhat improvised-sounding cool groove with twisted surfy guitars. If it's not Krautrock, it's at least influenced by it.

20) An outro that sounds like folks banging on cans. Nice way to end it.

So in the end this turned out to be one of my favorite discs ever. Not that I liked it all, but there was enough variety and invention that even at over 70 minutes I never really got bored. I can't even say there were any particular tracks that stood out 'cause it was all so good and of a piece. But the run from tracks 4-8 was particularly strong. Look forward to the reveal, and apologies again for the long delay.

[dgs]

I had the pleasure of listening to an absolutely outstanding mix this month. The mixer has really assessed my tastes well, I gotta say. It's a very impressive selection of songs, it's a very imaginative, thoughtful, nuanced cross-section of artists and songs.
It's called Alternative Scotland and judging from this the Scottish indie / underground / alternative scene must be very fertile at present. There's 14 songs here and I only recognised the opener which is...

Hi Grant, sorry for the delay in getting you a reveal, I have been out the country on business for a couple of weeks so this is my first chance to get something pulled together. So, this month a went with a short revue of some of the local talent in Scotland with a couple of old stalwarts added in for good measure. Glad that you liked it so much!
1) The Jesus & Mary Chain with their raucous cover of 'Surfin' USA'. I remember hearing this way, way back when it was the b-side to 'April Skies' or 'Happy When It Rains', one of the singles from the Darklands era ,anyway. Anyway, a very good, solid, enjoyable opener.

Surfin' USA (Summer Mix) - 3:33 - The Jesus & Mary Chain – Aye, seemed like a good opener and as I am currently in SoCal, it works quite well as you walk along the beachfront.
2) I think this must be either Arab Strap or Malcolm Middleton solo because the singer refers to "Malcolm" in the first person. This is a beautiful song, just acoustic guitar and croaky vocals. The lyrics are very self-pitying but also massively convincing and genuine. An utterly spell-binding song. Wonderful.

Devil and the Angel - 4:56 - Malcolm Middleton – Cheery old Malky indeed. The first time I heard this was live about four or five years ago and in a school hall with about 500 folk sitting on the floor, you could have heard a pin drop. I told him afterwards how much I had enjoyed his set, he said Thanks.
3) A catchy, low-key pop song with slightly folky touches. There's a fiddle and maybe a violin and banjo featuring, too. It's a fairly subdued song, but very nice to hear.

Piaqno -3:35 - Pip Dylan – One of the Anderson brothers, two of whom appear on this comp. I love this track and Een, who has now retired from making music, has a great talent, as do the other two. Who’d have thought that you could make such a catchy tune about mice living in a piano!
4) A clanging, insistent piano starts this finely, then a tambourine and other instruments gradually join in. The vocals are plaintive and low in the mix, but very engaging. This is very impressive speedy pop.

My Backwards Walk - 3:31 - Frightened Rabbit – Great isn’t it. This is so reflective of life in the highlands of Scotland, there are so many references to what it must be like living in a small village, where everyone comes together for the local Ceilidh. It’s also no too bad a wee tune.
5) Some gentle piano at the start here, too. Booming drums come in, the song ebbs and flows nicely, before really taking off. Splendid thrashy pop here. This mix just can't fail.

Old Balloons - 5:17 - Admiral Fallow – I love the way this one builds up to the end. Glasgow based, another example of some of the talent that is coming through in Scotland. It’s shameful to think, but also great, that this album required funding from the creative arts in Scotland to ever see the light of day.
6) A very gentle, serene song. Lovely dual vocals and minimal instrumental backing. This is a very fine song, just my sort of thing.

Waterfall Abltn - 2:26 - Lone Pigeon – Sublime music from such a troubled soul. Grodon Anderson, ex betas, Aliens and long time lone pigeon. If you liked this you must explore the box set out on domino, each of the songs are vignettes rather than truely finished and polished pieces but it gives a great insight into his genius.
7) Another winner ! Much ringing, frantic guitar playing here, quite reminiscent of Alec Bathgate from Tall Dwarfs. The overall basic instrumentation is outstanding. The plaintive vocals are low in the mix, but suit the song well. This is bloody wonderful. A very impressive song, goes for six minutes, I would've happily enjoyed it if it was another six minutes long.

Song for Martin Kippenberger - 6:51 – Meursault – Edinburgh based this time, epic lo-fi is how they describe the music. You should hear them live, the lead singer Neil has to stand well back from the mic’s, that is how loud his voice is.
8) Delightful, gentle, folkish instrumental. Really good woozy violin and maybe a mandolin, too ? This actually strikes me as being very psychedelic for some reason even though it features none of the obvious tropes. Just fantastic ! This mix really is the biz !

Blackout - 3:58 – eagleowl – Again, Edinburgh based band, they ahve a number of releases on low fi labels, mixing traditional folk sounds with deep melancholy.
9) Great song. I love the surreal lyrics "tortoise regrets here, fox takes hare" and the like. The electronica backing is strong and works with the lyrics well. Another great line is "...the petty jealousies of the minor rock star...". This is a quite fabulous song. Superb !

Tortoise Regrets Hare (DTTS Mix) - 4:13 - James Yorkston – Former punk, James Yorkston, with this track taken from a ltd cd that came with the Haar album. Remixed by part time musician and carpenter Jonnie Common under his old Down The Tiny Steps moniker. Jonnie has a great pop sensibility whilst James has a way with words. A great coming together.
10) Some electronica at the start, then guitars, drums and a xylophone or similiar comes in. A good, bouncy pop song. Neat !

Infinitea - 4:30 - Jonnie Common – As I said, great pop sensibilities and not too bad with a Chisel, apparently.
11) Uptempo electro-pop. Brilliantly metronomic and repetitive. Great stuff. As with #7, it's six mins long and I'd have been happy with twice as much here, too.

Autobahn 66 - 6:15 - Primal Scream – I thought you’d get this one Grant to be honest. Taken from one of their more maligned albums, this one has krautrock written all over it, albeit with a kraftwerkian electronic twist.
12) Electronica here too, but noticably harsher and jarring than the previous song, but not in an off-putting manner. Another fine song.

Happyfour Twenty - 5:00 - Christ. – Edinburgh electronica from the now sadly defunct Benbecula label. This is great and I believe he was one of the contributors to the Boards of Canada sound in the early days.
13) Slow, taut rock. The dual vocals and ringing guitar stand out superbly. This song works a treat.

Earth Angel - With Sticks in Crypt - 5:21 - The Scottish Enlightenment – From Dumfermline, the electric bagpipes have been put to rest and we have a slowcore band. Very hymnal sounding.
14) We finish with a long, nine mins of a beautiful ambient piece which proceeds serenely before guitar feedback and distortion bursts out at the end. Th is is brilliant, a superb piece to end with.

Mogwai Fear Satan [Mogwai Remix] - 9:49 – Mogwai – possibly the best ever Mogwai track given the Mogwai remix.

This is an excellent mix. I've really enjoyed listening to this and the mixer can pat themselves on the back, it's one of the best mixes I've ever received.

Cheers Grant, glad that you enjoyed it!

Tracklist
1. Surfin' USA (Summer Mix) 3:33 The Jesus & Mary Chain
2. Devil and the Angel 4:56 Malcolm Middleton
3. Piaqno 3:35 Pip Dylan Once Upon A Time
4. My Backwards Walk 3:31 Frightened Rabbit
5. Old Balloons 5:17 Admiral Fallow
6. Waterfall Abltn 2:26 Lone Pigeon
7. Song for Martin Kippenberger 6:51 Meursault
8. Blackout 3:58 eagleowl
9. Tortoise Regrets Hare - DTTS Mix 4:13 James Yorkston
10. Infinitea 4:30 Jonnie Common
11. Autobahn 66 6:15 Primal Scream
12. Happyfour Twenty 5:00 Christ.
13. Earth Angel - With Sticks in Crypt 5:21 The Scottish Enlightenment
14. Mogwai Fear Satan [Mogwai Remix] 9:49 Mogwai

[Magilla]

I am so, so very sorry to my sender for the delay on this. It's just been a crazy month, ending with a completely unexpected job loss. I finally have a moment to do this. I don't want my recipient to think it's 'cause I didn't like it, especially as the exact opposite is true.

Being that I tend toward eclecticism, I'd like to think my sender purposely hit a lot of bases. The CD almost says "you want 'all over the place?' Well great-here's a heaping helping of it. Knock yourself out!" Fortunately I like the majority of it as well.

Without further ado (as we've had well enough ado already):

I know how you feel Dave, it's been damn hectic for me of late as well. I've spent the past few weeks sorting out a new flat, packing up all my bits 'n' pieces and getting set up at the new place. It's been a bloody slog, that's for sure.
I'm delighted you like the mix. I deliberately made it fairly eclectic as I figured you'd like a fair bit of variety genre-wise, so glad my hunch was correct. I hope you pick up a new job soon, too.

1) Silly spoken word intro about "one small step for Bruce, one giant leap for Bruce-kind." Pythons?

Not the Pythons, but same era, more or less. It's a character called Fred Dagg, the creation of John Clark, whose been a successful comedian in Australia for decades. In the early - mid '70s Fred Dagg ran as a comedy show about a farmer and satirised NZ life and society.
I got this and the other two snippets below from the RNZ website.

2) The music starts off inauspiciously enough, though. Almost a full minute of moody guitar intro goes into quiet singing and 4 minutes of melancholy. It...errr...jangles.

The Chills with their landmark second single 'Pink Frost' from '83 or so. Available on both the Kaleidescope World and Heavenly Pop Hits comps these days.

3) Another downcast English(?) voice that I think I recognize. Same downer mood but a bit more variety and melody.

Rowland S. Howard with 'Ave Maria' from Pop Crimes. Howard is best remembered as guitarist in The Birthday Party, but his solo stuff is less raucous, more along these lines.

4) Glorious funk/Afro-Cuban thing that could come from one of those comps I should be famous for. Much liked, as (I assume) expected.

Yep, this really is a phenomenal bit of funk. It's Ice with 'Rakubah' from the Africafunk comp. I don't know anything else about them, but the rest of the comp is just as good.

5) Female singer/songwriter with fingerpicked guitar and natural, unforced vocals with country-ish inflection, but not affectation. Also up my alley, on the Gillian Welch/Lucinda Williams tip (but not either).

Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins with 'The Big Guns' from Rabbit Fur Coat. I heard this on an Uncut mix and really liked it and figured it'd be your sort of thing.

6) Jazz with honkin' alto (?) sax. Again hitting the spot, and third great-but-totally-different track in a row. Short but sweet.

Sun Ra, 'Dancing In The Street' from The Heliocentric World Of...

7) Ah, now a bit of trad. Someone knows me well.

'Corn Rigs' from The Wicker Man soundtrack. (The '70s original, not the crappy recent re-make). It's an amazing film and the soundtrack features several other equally-fine folk songs.

8) Piano-based down-and-dirty male singer/songwriter. Cool changes. Nilsson/Brian Wilson-esque singing, but with a nice homemade quality- might be a demo. Very touching.

Plush with 'The Instrumental' from More You Becomes You. I know it's called 'The Instrumental' but as you've no doubt gathered, there's singing in it. Plush is a Chicago singer- songwriter.

9) First one in a while that I'm not totally crazy about. Moody backing, with driving rhythm guitar, but don't care for the voice that sounds slightly like the guy in Black 47. A bit long at over 7 minutes, though the "rave up" section gets involving for a minute or so.

Hmm, I thought you'd have liked this. Oh well, no worries. It's Dunedin band the Verlaines with 'Ballad Of Harry Noryb' from Hallelujah All The Way Home.

10) Haunting solo piano. Could be Keith Jarrett or similar ECM type, or maybe Satie. Lovely.

Yep, Erik Satie with 'Lent' from Gymnopedies. Delightful stuff.

11) Short sound-effects thing, maybe native flute or something. Nice interlude.

The kokako, a native NZ bird.

12) Stompin' late 70s/early 80s sounding punky thing with bass mixed high and trebly, surfy guitar. No idea who it is, but it's pretty cool.

Au Pairs with 'Unfinished Business' from Stepping Out Of Line 2CD comp. I know your a big Gang Of Four fan, so I just thought you might want to hear what their fellow Leeds post-punkers the Au Pairs were like.

13) More jazz, this time with prominent piano and stand up bass, leading into soprano sax. Sounds a bit like Pharoah Sanders, but a touch more restrained.

Mr Sanders indeed features here, backing Alice Coltrane on 'Stopover Bombay' from Journey In Satchidananda. Yep, a bit more restrained than his usual full-on approach.

14) More fingerpicked guitar, Pentangle-esque with a touch of flute. A light touch without going too twee.

My friend Chris Thompson with 'London Blues' from self-titled 1973 debut album. Chris lived over in Britain in the early - mid '70s and was part of the singer-songwriter scene there. He gigged and crossed paths with a lot of the more well-known names and has some amazing stories to tell about it all.

15) Groovy reggae about Elijah ("him not dead"). I don't know my reggae but I'm going to guess that it's late 70s. Very song-oriented, but with touches of electro-funk. Cool.

Peter Tosh with 'Moses - The Prophet' from Bush Doctor.

16) Texas singer/songwriter? Sounds like a Guy Clark/Townes type anyway, nicely produced with sweet pedal steel.

Spot on, Texan troubador Terry Allen with 'High Plains Jamboree' from Lubbock On Everything, his '70s classic double album.

17) A long track and a descent into prog-land. Not my favorite, of course, but it's good-humored and keeps a light touch- not too show-offy. Like Taste or somebody like that- good musicianship but enough wackiness to keep my interest.

Faust with 'Giggy Smile' from Faust IV. I included a track from Faust's So Far on my previous mix to you and I remember you liked it, so just thought you'd like to hear a track from one of their latter albums.

18) Not sure how to describe this one...light pop, female voices. Comparatively non-descript, but not bad and serves the overall diversity, so no complaints.

Auckland act The Sami Sisters with 'Take It Or Break It' from their recent Happy Heartbreak.

19) Nice, somewhat improvised-sounding cool groove with twisted surfy guitars. If it's not Krautrock, it's at least influenced by it.

The Fall with 'L.A' from This Nation's Saving Grace. Yep, given there's another song on the album called 'I Am Damo Suzuki' definitely a bit of a krautrock influence.

20) An outro that sounds like folks banging on cans. Nice way to end it.

'Pacific Island Drumming'. NZ, especially Auckland, has a very large Pacific islands population, so you hear these drums around at sports and cultural events, etc.

So in the end this turned out to be one of my favorite discs ever. Not that I liked it all, but there was enough variety and invention that even at over 70 minutes I never really got bored. I can't even say there were any particular tracks that stood out 'cause it was all so good and of a piece. But the run from tracks 4-8 was particularly strong. Look forward to the reveal, and apologies again for the long delay.

Really glad you liked it. Sorry for being slow to reveal, just been busy. If you want any more info or to *cough* just PM me.

TRACKLIST:
01) Fred Dagg
02) The Chills - Pink Frost, 3.57.
03) Rowland S. Howard - Ave Maria, 4.00.
04) Ice - Racubah, 3.21.
05) Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins - The Big Guns, 2.32.
06) Sun Ra - Dancing In The Sun, 1.50.
07) Plush - The Instrumental, 3.06.
08) Verlaines - Ballad Of Harry Noryb, 7.28.
09) Erik Satie - Lent, 3.10.
10) Kokako
11) Au Pairs - Unfinished Business, 3.27.
12) Alice Coltrane - Stopover Bombay, 2.51.
13) Chris Thompson, London Blues, 3.48.
14) Peter Tosh - Moses - The Prophet, 3.35.
15) Faust - Giggy Smile, 7.46.
16) Sami Sisters - Take It Or Break It, 2.55.
17) The Fall - L.A, 4.12.
18) Pacific Island Drumming.

[beenieman]

TRACKLIST:
01) Fred Dagg
02) The Chills - Pink Frost, 3.57.
03) Rowland S. Howard - Ave Maria, 4.00.
04) Ice - Racubah, 3.21.
05) Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins - The Big Guns, 2.32.
06) Sun Ra - Dancing In The Sun, 1.50.
07) Plush - The Instrumental, 3.06.
08) Verlaines - Ballad Of Harry Noryb, 7.28.
09) Erik Satie - Lent, 3.10.
10) Kokako
11) Au Pairs - Unfinished Business, 3.27.
12) Alice Coltrane - Stopover Bombay, 2.51.
13) Chris Thompson, London Blues, 3.48.
14) Peter Tosh - Moses - The Prophet, 3.35.
15) Faust - Giggy Smile, 7.46.
16) Sami Sisters - Take It Or Break It, 2.55.
17) The Fall - L.A, 4.12.
18) Pacific Island Drumming.

People always seem to know whether the mix is from me or you don't they?

The Peter Tosh could give some cause for doubt but none of the others will ever likely make my mixes

Hoo-rah for diversity though.

[Magilla]

TRACKLIST:
01) Fred Dagg
02) The Chills - Pink Frost, 3.57.
03) Rowland S. Howard - Ave Maria, 4.00.
04) Ice - Racubah, 3.21.
05) Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins - The Big Guns, 2.32.
06) Sun Ra - Dancing In The Sun, 1.50.
07) Plush - The Instrumental, 3.06.
08) Verlaines - Ballad Of Harry Noryb, 7.28.
09) Erik Satie - Lent, 3.10.
10) Kokako
11) Au Pairs - Unfinished Business, 3.27.
12) Alice Coltrane - Stopover Bombay, 2.51.
13) Chris Thompson, London Blues, 3.48.
14) Peter Tosh - Moses - The Prophet, 3.35.
15) Faust - Giggy Smile, 7.46.
16) Sami Sisters - Take It Or Break It, 2.55.
17) The Fall - L.A, 4.12.
18) Pacific Island Drumming.

People always seem to know whether the mix is from me or you don't they?

The Peter Tosh could give some cause for doubt but none of the others will ever likely make my mixes

Hoo-rah for diversity though.

They sure do. By and large the type of music included is a dead giveaway.

[hookfinger]

Man there is nothing more aggravating than spending an hour on a reveal than to send the goddamn thing off in to neverland with the flick of a wrong button. TG - I'll try again soon I promise. Glad you liked the disc and sorry about the postage.

[TG]

Man there is nothing more aggravating than spending an hour on a reveal than to send the goddamn thing off in to neverland with the flick of a wrong button. TG - I'll try again soon I promise. Glad you liked the disc and sorry about the postage.

No worries. And remember - always Copy (Control-C) before you submit or preview. If you do you can always paste it back into place when you re-sign in.

P.S. - I am looking forward to the reveal. It was a fine mix.

[hookfinger]

I have to admit that alot of this disc is culled from other comps I have collected over the years. More often than not they are the single song I own by the particular group. But they all seemed to be something you would like so it was a blast to put together....

So the review took until February. In my defense it only arrived a couple of days ago. And a pretty fine disc it is! 20 tracks long and most of them keepers.

Track 1 is a very funky, spacey, jazzy instrumental workout. Five plus minutes long but doesn't outstay its welcome. It's Afro-Cuban, I suppose and features lots of great B-3 sounds. Loads of hand percussion too. It's not Santana by a long shot but was probably influenced by them. Maybe someone like Malo or El Chicano. It's a great opening track.

Sahara 72 by the Bobby Hughes Experience. the first of several bands I know nothing about.

Track 2 is another funky little thang with a pretty good female vocalist who is apparently not really loved but is being kept around to do the "day work". This really could have been a hit. It's probably early 70s and isn't any worse than lots of stuff that hit. Very nice.

I'm Not Your Regular Woman by Lucille Mathis from a Nashville Soul comp.

Track 3 gets weird. It's a nice jump blues/boogie woogie song but with the strangest lyrics. At first I thought it was a religious/spiritual track what with all the talk of Deacons and sisters. Apparently he's not the most moral of Deacons because he's moving in. It's actually quite comical and it rocks pretty hard - as apparently does the Deacon. Another fine choice that I really want to know more about.

The Deacon Moves In - crazy, huh? Little Esther

Track 4 starts out like it's going to be Homework by Otis Rush. But that only lasts for the short intro. Pretty quickly we're into a fine version of Sookie, Sookie with a chick singer, a fine drummer and some very funky guitar. Don't know this version but I'd buy it.

By Tina Bitt...again from some obscure Soul comp.

Track 5 is more boogie woogie/jump blues, this time extolling the virtues of Texas. It's probably a Don Robey label record because it mentions his club The Peacock. Great sax work, the horn section cooks and a not bad at all guitar solo. This was put on repeat a couple of times as i listened to this mix. A really good band.

She Sets My Soul On Fire - man this song just hollers Texas, don't it? Freaking hot as hell beer barn Texas.

Track 6 is an odd one. A "pitchy" girl singer doing The Beat Goes On over a jazzy track with a red hot drummer. Two minutes in the whole band (and it's a big band) kicks in. This is, as I said, a very odd record and I really hope it was released on a 45 because it would make a great one. I like this a lot. Great band arrangement throughout.

This is odd because it is by Buddy Rich.

Track 7 is a personal favorite. The Kinks doing She's Got Everything. I love this song and have been on a pretty serious Kinks binge lately. When this came on the first time I was listening to this mix I was in my car and I think I sped up by twenty or so miles per hour. Is that Nicky Hopkins on piano? Whoever it is it makes the song. A terrific hook, great drumming; what's not to love? God Save The Kinks!

Don't know what I was thinking here because it seems so out of place. Glad it worked out though.

Track 8 didn't do much for me. Actually it's not that bad for the most part. It's a sort of a sub Gil Scott Heron poetry meets jazz/funk thang that is ruined (for me) by a jazzy vocal bridge that gets repeated a couple of times and seems out of place. This comes close but doesn't really do it for me.

I think I was desperately trying to reach 60 minutes at one time. This song is called Cherrystones and is from psyche folk comp. decent enough but like the Kinks a bit out of place.

Track 9 has me confused. It sounds like the Everlys but has what seems to be an almost garagey backing track with kinda loud guitars. I admit I don't know enough about the Everlys catalog beyond the hits but if there is more that sounds like this I've really been missing out. A real find.

It is the Everlys with a bizarre little single from my collection. I'm Not Angry.

Track 10 sounds like the Honey Cone or some other early 70s female vocal group. There's still a touch of 60s Girl Group sounds but it has a foot pretty clearly in the coming sounds of the 70s. It's a good song but it seems to cut off a bit early.

What Have I Got To Cry About - more obscure soul comp fodder.

Track 11 is similar to the last one. Actually this sounds more like the Honey Cone than the last one. She's a Love Thief, it seems. Another great find. The reveal on this mix is gonna cost me some cashish as I go about trying to find some of these tracks.

This is from another single in my collection. This one on the Volt label - The Emotions.

Track 12 features more large band funk. Chick singer, horn section and another great drummer. Could this be someone like Rotary Connection? Cold Blood? No idea. It's not great and has such stiff competition on this disc that, even as it falls short, it can be forgiven.

This is one my favorites on the disc.I could be quite embarrassed if anyone saw me dancing around my living room to this. (Actually anything for that matter.) I guess this may not be the best time to tell you to grab the Mama's Got A Bag of Her Own comp. This track is called Beatmaker.

Track 13 is a version of The Box Tops' Soul Deep but it isn't The Box Tops. Could be Dan Penn, I suppose. I don't imagine you could do too bad a version of this song. It's awfully damn catchy.

This is actually by the songwriter. Have no idea where I picked up this single.

Track 14 is another large horn band with 70s fuzz guitar ala Dennis Coffey. But it's gotta be Georgie Fame. And when he does the sort of jazzy vocal thang that I was complaining about on Track 8 all is forgiven. What a great record. This is a current favorite of mine.

Georgie Fame it is. And so aptly titled.

Track 15 is just okay. A sort of a Fabulous Thunderbirds take on 60s gritty soul. Quasi soulful vocals and a decent band. Not a great song - he's in love with a woman he can't stand. It's alright but only just.

The final song I struggled with including. This Don Dixon and I have a weak spot for the guy. What can I say?

Track 16 might be an answer song to Mr Big Stuff. But I doubt it because Aretha probably didn't do many answer records and this has to be Aretha. I've never heard this and that's surprising because it's damn fine and I would have thought I knew most of her stuff. Where does this come from? Another great track.

Aretha baby, from some sort of out take sessions floating around out there. I have a couple of discs from these sessions if you are interested.

Track 17 is a version of The Big Hurt - a song I love in it's original form and that is pretty good here. Not as good as the original but it ain't half bad.

Oddly I don't know the original, only this version by someone named Susann Farrar

Track 18 is another strange one. 60s rock called Go-Go, apparently. Dead simple and almost a bubblegum record - not a bad thing in my book. Good production, nice guitar playing - Paul Revere & the Raiders? Gets all heavy and "psychedelic" in the solo. Another one I'll probably buy.

My next pet cat is gonna be named Go-Go in honor of this song. From a Wilde 60's Kiwi comp.

Track 19 has been driving me crazy. it's a very kitschy track called House of Bamboo that's all hipster jive and bongos and I've been singing it nonstop for a few days. But, and I'm sure this sounds insane, I swear this sounds like Andy Williams singing. It took me a while to nail down the voice but I think it's him. Could he have done something this "hip"? If The Fleshtones haven't covered this they should. Tomorrow.

Very nice...you nailed it...Andy Williams...this should show up more on Space Age Bachelor Pad comps.

Track 20 rocks like a mother. Little Richard? No, but not a bad imitation. One of the best things I've hard in a while. Sax player can flat blow and the vocalist can scream pretty damn fine. What's he singing? It sounds like "Chonk, chonk, chonk". Who cares? He could be singing his plans to murder me in my sleep and I wouldn't care. This is a great, rocking slab o' fun. A terrific ending.

A smoker for a finish I thought. James Brown and the Famous Flames from '57.

1. Sahara '72 - Bobby Hughes Experience
2. - I'm Not Your Regular Woman - Lucille Mathis
3. The Deacon Moves In - Little Esther
4. Sookie, Sookie - Tina Bitt
5. She Sets My Soul On Fire - Sonny Parker
6. The Beat Goes On - Buddy Rich
7. She's Got Everything - The Kinks
8. Cherrystones - Eugene McDaniels
9. I'm Not Angry - The Everly Bros.
10. What Have I Got To Cry About - Ramona King
11. Stealin' Love - The Emotions
12. Beatmaker - Doris
13. Soul Deep - Wayne Carson Thompson
14. Somebody Stole My Thunder - Georgie Fame
15. I'm In Love With A Woman That I Can't Stand - Don Dixon
16. Mr Big - Aretha Franklin
17. The Big Hurt - Susann Farrar
18. Go-Go - The Four Fours
19. House Of Bamboo - Andy Williams
20. Chonnie On Chon - James Brown


There ya have it. Feel free to cough for anything.

[TG]

Thanks again for a great mix. It is still being played. I'm only sorry that so many of the songs are so obscure that I may not be able to find copies. A couple of comments...

1. Sahara '72 - Bobby Hughes Experience - Apparently a recent record. That surprised me.

6. The Beat Goes On - Buddy Rich - Did you mean to say that Buddy was singing this? If so he has a very girlish voice.

17. The Big Hurt - Susann Farrar - You really should check out the original of this by (Miss) Toni Fisher. Not only is it a great record but it's the first record to feature the effect called flanging.

19. House Of Bamboo - Andy Williams - This one was bugging me and I started checking around to see where I knew it from. A friend who is a DJ played this last year or so and I first heard it there. It's a surprisingly good record.

20. Chonnie On Chon - James Brown - I can't believe I didn't recognize this as being JB. A great record.

[hookfinger]

Thanks again for a great mix. It is still being played. I'm only sorry that so many of the songs are so obscure that I may not be able to find copies. A couple of comments...

1. Sahara '72 - Bobby Hughes Experience - Apparently a recent record. That surprised me.

6. The Beat Goes On - Buddy Rich - Did you mean to say that Buddy was singing this? If so he has a very girlish voice.

He does have a surprisingly high pitched voice doesn't he? LOL. But it is credited to him alone.

17. The Big Hurt - Susann Farrar - You really should check out the original of this by (Miss) Toni Fisher. Not only is it a great record but it's the first record to feature the effect called flanging.

19. House Of Bamboo - Andy Williams - This one was bugging me and I started checking around to see where I knew it from. A friend who is a DJ played this last year or so and I first heard it there. It's a surprisingly good record.

20. Chonnie On Chon - James Brown - I can't believe I didn't recognize this as being JB. A great record.

Did ya figure out the "theme" on the bonus disc?

[TG]

Did ya figure out the "theme" on the bonus disc?

I did not but only because I haven't given it a good listen yet. I did listen once while cleaning the house, etc. I'll bring it in the car with me and get back to you.

[hookfinger]

Did ya figure out the "theme" on the bonus disc?

I did not but only because I haven't given it a good listen yet. I did listen once while cleaning the house, etc. I'll bring it in the car with me and get back to you.

Not a big deal, just kind of a joke.

[hookfinger]

This is part of why I don't participate in the mix club much. I am far too slow in responding.

My Jan disc was a fairly long one clocking in at 70 minutes.

1. A short soundtrack type intro. I thought I recognized it but I was wrong. A nice start.
2. Early early jazz, just after its escape from New Orleans I'm thinking. Very under rated.
3. This is more modern but still rooted in the feeling established by the last tune. Great segue.
4. Even more modern sounding, ass shaking funk with a swinging trumpet. Love it.
5. settling back into early jazz. St Louis Blues by a vocal quartet. Someone did their homework.
6. some country blues - A+
7. Lyle Lovett but unfamiliar with the tune. Can't go wrong with this guy.
8. Hmmm, I don't know. The guitar is cool, but I have very narrow taste when I comes to this sort of folk music.
9. This falls within that narrow vision. I'm a sucker for violins/cello. Great voice as well.
10. Modern Americana - I like this stuff. It fits well here but doesn't stand out.
11. One of those long story songs. Ok but not the sort of thing that gets played alot. Nice in the context of this disc.
12. Is this Lowell George?
13. A very nice, very pastoral song about butterflies.
14. I like this a lot. More violins from south of the border somewhere.
15. Even though this sounds a bit more "produced" than the last song, you are on quite a roll.
16. An interesting take on Shipbuilding
17. A nice smoking soul blues number. This cause the volume knob to creep up.
18. One of those blues numbers that sounds way bigger than it really is. I'm not going to venture a guess because I'm probably miles off.
19. Bombast is always a nice way to finish off a disc. It really works here.

Nice disc mixer. Lots of surprises. Really enjoy it and will play it again often I suspect.
I'm going to forward the extra one to a buddy who is always making me comps because I think he will really like it as well.

[whodathunkit]

This is part of why I don't participate in the mix club much. I am far too slow in responding.

No worries Dave. You only received it just over aweek ago. I've waited longer

My Jan disc was a fairly long one clocking in at 70 minutes.

It does go on a bit. I usually cut them down a bit from 20 tracks but this time you got the lot.

1. A short soundtrack type intro. I thought I recognized it but I was wrong. A nice start.

A little novelty opener. I neither know the title nor the artist but it was used throughout the 60s and 70s as the opening music for ITN newscasts. Heavily nostalgic for Brits of a certain age.

2. Early early jazz, just after its escape from New Orleans I'm thinking. Very under rated.

Well in this case it escaped to somewhere north of Lewisham. So glad you thought this was "authentic". Easily the coolest British dance band of the 30s, Lew Stone and his band with Al Bowley on vocal refrain and "My Woman"

3. This is more modern but still rooted in the feeling established by the last tune. Great segue.

From arguably the best album I've ever heard from an 82-year old, Mose Allison and "Some Right Some Wrong" from last years The Way Of The World

4. Even more modern sounding, ass shaking funk with a swinging trumpet. Love it.

Despite calling themselves a "music collective" the Brooklyn Funk Essentials have made four cracking records over the last 20 years. This is "Bop Hop" from their 1994 debut Cool Steady And Easy

5. settling back into early jazz. St Louis Blues by a vocal quartet. Someone did their homework.

Well the mix you sent me a couple of months back sort of gave the game away .The Mills Brothers wrapping their fabulous tonsils around "St Louis Blues".

6. some country blues - A+

Robert Wilkins and "That's No Way To Get Along" - the track the Stones "based" their "Prodigal Son" on.

7. Lyle Lovett but unfamiliar with the tune. Can't go wrong with this guy.

"She's Already Made Up Her Mind" from 1992's Joshua Judges Ruth

8. Hmmm, I don't know. The guitar is cool, but I have very narrow taste when I comes to this sort of folk music.

Paul Siebel made a couple of excellent albums on Elektra in the early 70s and that was his lot. "My Town" from the debut Woodsmoke And Oranges.

9. This falls within that narrow vision. I'm a sucker for violins/cello. Great voice as well.

Alternative bluegrass (although it just sounds like bluegrass to me) outfit Crooked Still and "Sometimes In This Country" from their last album but one Some Strange Country. Five albums in and all worth getting.

10. Modern Americana - I like this stuff. It fits well here but doesn't stand out.

This bloke was going to be the next big thing a couple of years ago but seems to have sunk without trace. Probably because he called himself Phosphorescent ."Mermaid Parade" from 2010's Heres To Taking It Easy.

11. One of those long story songs. Ok but not the sort of thing that gets played alot. Nice in the context of this disc.

Guy Clark and a live version of "Randall Knife". Surely it made you blub? Get's me every time.

12. Is this Lowell George?

"20 Million Things To Do" from his only solo effort Thanks I'll Eat It Here

13. A very nice, very pastoral song about butterflies.
14. I like this a lot. More violins from south of the border somewhere.
15. Even though this sounds a bit more "produced" than the last song, you are on quite a roll.
16. An interesting take on Shipbuilding
17. A nice smoking soul blues number. This cause the volume knob to creep up.
18. One of those blues numbers that sounds way bigger than it really is. I'm not going to venture a guess because I'm probably miles off.
19. Bombast is always a nice way to finish off a disc. It really works here.

Now things sort of go wrong here. Either you missed a track out or the disc is fucked up. Anyway here's how I intended it to go.

13.A little interlude- no lyrics, no butterflies . "South American Getaway" by Burt Bacharach and his Orchestra.
14. "Angola" by the sadly recently-departed Cape Verde diva Cesaria Evora. From her best-known (and probably best) album Miss Perfumado.
15. The darlings of the chill-out album, Gotan Project and "La Gloria" from 2010's Tango.3.0
16. This has slowly become my favourite version of "Shipbuilding".French-Israeli chanteuse Yael Naim from the 2009 project Around Robert Wyatt by the National Jazz Orchestra of France and the man himself.
17. Much raved about around these parts and a recent discovery for yours truly, OV Wright and "A Nickel And A Nail".
18. I was going to drop this one but the bloke went and died while I was finalising the mix It had to stay. Johnny Otis and "Barrel House Blues".
19. A good old good one. "I Met Her In Church" by the Box Tops.
20. And while we're there a little bit of Sacred Harp to close things. "I'll Fly Away" as performed at the 1998 Alabama Shape Singing Convention. Sounds like a good night.

Nice disc mixer. Lots of surprises. Really enjoy it and will play it again often I suspect.
I'm going to forward the extra one to a buddy who is always making me comps because I think he will really like it as well.

Cheers Dave. Glad you got something out of it and that the replacement wont be wasted

LISTING
1. ITN News Theme
2. "My Woman" - Al Bowlly/Lew Stone
3. "Some Right Some Wrong" - Mose Allison
4. "Bop Hop" - Brooklyn Funk Essentials
5. "St Louis Blues" - Mills Brothers
6. "That's No Way To Get Along" - Robert Wilkins
7. "Shes Already Made Up Her Mind" - Lyle Lovett
8. "My Town" - Paul Siebel
9. "Sometimes In This Country" - Crooked Still
10. "The Mermaid Parade" - Phosphorescent
11. "Randall Knife" - Guy Clark
12. "20 Million Things To Do" - Lowell George
13. "South American Getaway" - Burt Bacharach
14. "Angola" - Cesaria Evora
15. "La Gloria" - Gotan Project
16. "Shipbuilding" - Yael Naim
17. "A Nickel And A Nail" - OV Wright
18. "Barrel House Blues" - Johnny Otis
19. "I Met Her In Church" - The Box Tops
20. "I'll Fly Away" - 1998 Alabama Shape Singing Convention

[hookfinger]

I'll have to look at the disc and see where I screwed up in the review.
Now I am surprised out how much of the stuff I had or was familiar with that I didn't recognize. I have both the Lyle Lovett and Lowell George lps.
I have the first Crooked Still lp. Had no idea they had cranked out 5 of them. Gonna check more out definitely.
I also have the first Go-Tan Project lp. Glad you made me pull it out again. Great stuff.

[Duncan]

Right, review time.

1. This is great; dirty blues riffage, crunchy keyboard sounds, and an addictive sing-along chorus. There's a cool echoy production thing on the backing vocals that really works too. It sounds a bit like the Black Keys but I haven't heard anything else by them that's anywhere near as good as this, so it's probably someone else. Keen to find out who it is, though.

2. This one takes me back. It used to be my favourite song in the world when I was about 17. I love a decent bit of power-pop, and while this isn't quite the work of genius that it seemed during my teenage years, it's still good fun and chock full of hooks. Nice to hear it again.

3. Earnest singer-songwriter stuff about a dead toddler. This is probably the most depressing, dreary song I've ever heard. I really don't like this. Sorry.

4. This one's a cracker, although I had a massive mental block trying to figure out what it sounds like. I must have played it ten times before I finally worked out that it's Television(y). It's not from Marquee Moon so it must be either from Adventure or some of Verlaine's solo stuff, neither of which I've felt the need to investigate before now. Verlaine solo recommendations?

5. This is my favourite track on the disc. Raw, sweaty, laidback funk. Great bass, as you'd expect from this kind of thing, and the wild guitarsist goes about his work without ever dominating or getting in the way. The whole thing is pretty tight but it still has the feel of a relaxed jam session. I'd love to be able to roll up to a club where this kind of thing is going on.

6. A quick interlude for a moonshine run. Frenzied fingering fun. This guy plays a mean banjo.

7. This sounds like Gene Clark, but I don't reckon that I've heard it before. Not too keen on the production and the arrangement seems a bit syrupy and overdone, but there's still enough effortless class to the vocals in order to see it through.

8. This has to be the wee man. I enjoyed it more than I usually enjoy Paul Simon, although I'm not completely sold. It livens up and gets quite bouncy about half way through, although there's still the faint whiff of smugness.

9. Ah, the Shangri-la's. It's a pretty cheesy track, but I absolutely adore it. There's so much incredible stuff going on. Nobody else has ever made anything close to sounding like this.

10. This is a grower, definitely. There's not much going on aside from a bit of folky acoustic strumming, but it still holds your attention. There's something rather charming about the vocals, too. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this lass has to offer.

11. Is this early Elton? It's not bad actually. I've been meaning to give those (generally) BCB-approved EJ albums a chance for a while now.

12. Rod Stewart, surely? Country Rod is slightly better than Glammy Rod and Dad-Rock Rod, but it's still a bit borin'.

13. Not a big fan of this one either I'm afraid. It doesn't really go anywhere and the vocals aren't interesting enough.

14. Samuel L Jackson narrating a fuck-filled poem. Raised a smile certainly, although they kinda laboured the joke a little.

There you have it. There were a few tracks that I wasn't too keen on (and track 3 was painful) but the ones that I liked, I really liked, and I'll be following up on a couple of them for definite, so good job, sir. Cheers again for the mix - I appreciate it.

[toomanyhatz]

Well, now that it's March I really guess I should.

Right, review time.

1. This is great; dirty blues riffage, crunchy keyboard sounds, and an addictive sing-along chorus. There's a cool echoy production thing on the backing vocals that really works too. It sounds a bit like the Black Keys but I haven't heard anything else by them that's anywhere near as good as this, so it's probably someone else. Keen to find out who it is, though.

It actually is the Keys, from their new one which probably didn't deserve that 5-star review in Mojo, but does have some rocking numbers.

2. This one takes me back. It used to be my favourite song in the world when I was about 17. I love a decent bit of power-pop, and while this isn't quite the work of genius that it seemed during my teenage years, it's still good fun and chock full of hooks. Nice to hear it again.

Going through CDs to trade in recently I found the first Fountains of Wayne, from which I couldn't let go of this or "She's Got a Problem." They're quite hit and miss for me for the most part but I do love this one.

3. Earnest singer-songwriter stuff about a dead toddler. This is probably the most depressing, dreary song I've ever heard. I really don't like this. Sorry.

Since this seems to be the only one you really disliked, I won't defend it too strenuously, but hope you at least agree that the guitar playing is nice.

4. This one's a cracker, although I had a massive mental block trying to figure out what it sounds like. I must have played it ten times before I finally worked out that it's Television(y). It's not from Marquee Moon so it must be either from Adventure or some of Verlaine's solo stuff, neither of which I've felt the need to investigate before now. Verlaine solo recommendations?

Sharp ears again! It's Verlaine from his very good 2nd album. His first, self-titled album's my favorite, though it's mostly leftover Television songs. Guy E. is the expert on Verlaine, but I don't think he's ever done a bad record. He put out two albums- one instrumental and one vocal- in 2006 that I recommend highly.

5. This is my favourite track on the disc. Raw, sweaty, laidback funk. Great bass, as you'd expect from this kind of thing, and the wild guitarsist goes about his work without ever dominating or getting in the way. The whole thing is pretty tight but it still has the feel of a relaxed jam session. I'd love to be able to roll up to a club where this kind of thing is going on.

Funky New Orleans! Dirty D of the Fabulous Fantams (it says here...)

6. A quick interlude for a moonshine run. Frenzied fingering fun. This guy plays a mean banjo.

The Kentucky Colonels, featuring future Byrd, Clarance White. The banjo's his brother, iirc.

7. This sounds like Gene Clark, but I don't reckon that I've heard it before. Not too keen on the production and the arrangement seems a bit syrupy and overdone, but there's still enough effortless class to the vocals in order to see it through.

Got it again. Clark from 'Two Sides to Every Story' which is allegedly being re-released any day (though its release was originally scheduled for 2010!) The song's by James Talley.

8. This has to be the wee man. I enjoyed it more than I usually enjoy Paul Simon, although I'm not completely sold. It livens up and gets quite bouncy about half way through, although there's still the faint whiff of smugness.

...As there always is with Pauly. Once again, great guitar playing, though.

9. Ah, the Shangri-la's. It's a pretty cheesy track, but I absolutely adore it. There's so much incredible stuff going on. Nobody else has ever made anything close to sounding like this.

It's a soap opera in under 3 minutes! I've come to really love their stuff. Shadow Morton was some kind of nut, but he was a genius.

10. This is a grower, definitely. There's not much going on aside from a bit of folky acoustic strumming, but it still holds your attention. There's something rather charming about the vocals, too. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this lass has to offer.

The writer of "Windy," a hit for the Association. Sang with Jefferson Airplane for about a minute- her voice, as you might have noticed, resembles Grace Slick's a bit. You can find all the background stuff you want right here: http://ruthannfriedman.com/. She's still playing and she's still good! And a friend of mine plays bass with her.

11. Is this early Elton? It's not bad actually. I've been meaning to give those (generally) BCB-approved EJ albums a chance for a while now.

It's earlier than his first album, in fact! The early stuff is a bit more singer/songwriter-y and Taupin's lyrics lay it on heavy, but it's still got an engaging spirit about it. I'm a huge Elton fan, actually- I think I start earlier, and go later, with him than most BCBers.

12. Rod Stewart, surely? Country Rod is slightly better than Glammy Rod and Dad-Rock Rod, but it's still a bit borin'.

Ah, it's great. I love Mercury era Rod.

13. Not a big fan of this one either I'm afraid. It doesn't really go anywhere and the vocals aren't interesting enough.

Ry Cooder, with one of his few recent songs that he wrote that I actually like. He gets a nice smoky groove going too, but I guess I'm a bigger fan than you are. Ce'st la vie.

14. Samuel L Jackson narrating a fuck-filled poem. Raised a smile certainly, although they kinda laboured the joke a little.

A popular "kids book for grown-ups." All my parent friends love this. Kind of a bonus track more than part of the mix, but I'm glad you got a bit of a laugh out of it anyway.

There you have it. There were a few tracks that I wasn't too keen on (and track 3 was painful) but the ones that I liked, I really liked, and I'll be following up on a couple of them for definite, so good job, sir. Cheers again for the mix - I appreciate it.

My pleasure. Sorry again for the delay with both the disc and the reveal. Questions or coughs answered promptly, as ever.

1. Gold On The Ceiling -- The Black Keys -- El Camino
2. Radiation Vibe -- Fountains Of Wayne -- Fountains Of Wayne
3. Here In The Ground -- Sam Carter -- Here In The Ground
4. Mr. Blur -- Tom Verlaine -- Dreamtime
5. Dirty D' -- Dirty D' (of The Fabulous Fantoms) -- Funky Funky New Orleans
6. Shuckin' The Corn -- The Kentucky Colonels -- Livin' In The Past: Legendary Live Recordings
7. Give My Love To Marie -- Gene Clark -- Two Sides To Every Story
8. Armistice Day -- Paul Simon -- Paul Simon [Bonus Tracks]
9. Give Us Your Blessings -- The Shangri-Las -- Myrmidons Of Melodrama
10. Look Up To The Sun -- Ruthann Friedman -- Constant Companion
11. All Across The Havens -- Elton John -- Rare Masters [Disc 1]
12. What Made Milwaukee Famous -- Stewart, Rod -- The Complete Mercury Recordings
13. Little Trona Girl -- Ry Cooder -- I, Flathead
14. (bonus track)Go the F--k to Sleep (Unabridged) -- Adam Mansbach -- Go the F--k to Sleep (read by Samuel Jackson)

[TG]

Did ya figure out the "theme" on the bonus disc?

I'm not entirely certain but it seems to either be WWII, dropping the Atomic Bomb on Japan or just bombs in general. There were a few songs that wouldn't play in my car CD player and others where I wasn't sure how they fit the theme. A swell CD in any case.

P.S. - Still waiting for the review from this month. C'mon, the mix wasn't that bad!