fange's tune of the day

[fange]

In the spirit of pig bodine's most excellent and sadly-missed album thread of a similar nature, i'm gonna set up this little thread corner to post some thoughts about a tune that happens to really connect with me on a particular day. It might not be every day, but whenever something really hits home.
Please feel free to add any thoughts on the tunes and artists too.


Little Richard - A Little Bit Of Something (Beats A Whole Lot Of Nothing)



I spin a lot of Little Richard records - have done my whole life pretty much - and while it's largely the classic Specialty sides, i'll sometimes break out the comp. of his Okeh stuff i have and it's almost always this tune that gets the most plays. Released in '67, it's an unsung gem in his catalogue for me - a class tune from Ex-Specialty chum Larry Williams who produces as well, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson sitting in, and beautifully arranged by Arthur Wright who was no slouch with a guitar himself. But Richard's voice is, as it always should be, the star of the show: soaring and manic, gentle and plaintive, it's a voice that can bring the hairs on my neck to attention in a deep and primal way. Godhead.

[Snarfyguy]

I wasn't familiar with this tune.

Thanks!

[der nister]

great tune
Richards recast himself as a soul singer
during the 60s and early 70s
very well, i think
Williams and Watson were a great duo, and their 60s and 70s work is great
for better and worse, Richards was very loyal to Williams
which endangered his life, but ultimately saved it
and upon Williams' death probably set Richards to straightening his out

[Walk In My Shadow]

Never been a big fan of Little Richard and his mannerisms.


I'll take a good Jerry Lee Lewis tune any day.

[Quaco]

Never been a big fan of Little Richard and his mannerisms.

Especially when he put his foot in my face.

[fange]

The Who - Dogs



This came on as i was riding the bus to work this morning, which somehow made it all the more perfect.
It's such an intimate little tune for me, both lyrically and musically, something that i don't often associate with The Who, the Mod-R&B Noisemakers and then Stadium Rockers. It seems to find that perfect balance between being a tongue-in-cheek look at a group of people, and yet not making it a crude piss-take and honestly being able to capture something poignant and real. A hell of a tune too, lots going on in the arrangements as well.

[pcqgod]

Very nice.

EDIT: I was commenting on the Little Richard track.

The Who track never made much of an impression on me -- too novelty-ish for me, I guess, but there are some pretty melodic bits. Ha, listen to those woodblocks.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Never been a big fan of Little Richard and his mannerisms.


I'll take a good Jerry Lee Lewis tune any day.

You should check out the clip Ange posted. It's mathematical AND philosophical.

[fange]

Banbarra - Shack Up, Pts. 1 & 2



One of my favourite Saturday-night jams.

I know nothing else about Banbarra other than they did this tune, but for that alone I thank the funk gods profusely. And I didn't even know they did this tune until 6-7 years ago when, thanks to the wonder of Youtube, I went searching for A Certain Ratio's version of the song, which I've loved since the late-80s and always thought was an original.

Oh man, those bass and drums have direct electrical access to my nervous system. The lyrics are a laugh, and the Eddie Hazel-channeling fuzz guitar freakout in Pt. 2 is the icing on my funky cake.

Shack up and get down, people.

[fange]

Can - Shikaku Maru Ten



One word: Jaki.

Ok, that's selling the rest of the band a little short, but just listen to what Liebezeit is doing here! It's just extraordinary, so much going on. It's hot and slinky and funky as hell, with Karoli and Czukay playing the shit out their parts, and Damo's non-sensical, multi-lingual vocals still seem to fit it beautifully.

[hookfinger]

The Who - Dogs.

It appears that you posted two (2) songs on this day. It is obvious from the outset that you cannot be trusted!!!

[fange]

The Who - Dogs.

It appears that you posted two (2) songs on this day. It is obvious from the outset that you cannot be trusted!!!

I can assure you, your honour, that the second song was posted after midnight Hong Kong time, UTC+08:00.

[trans-chigley express]

Can - Shikaku Maru Ten



One word: Jaki.

Ok, that's selling the rest of the band a little short, but just listen to what Liebezeit is doing here! It's just extraordinary, so much going on. It's hot and slinky and funky as hell, with Karoli and Czukay playing the shit out their parts, and Damo's non-sensical, multi-lingual vocals still seem to fit it beautifully.

I've never heard this before, the B-side of Spoon according to wiki's discography. It's really good. Is it on any album?

[fange]

^^

Yep, it's on the Cannibalism 2 compilation, Ray, made up of B-sides, remixes and other assorted stuff.

[fange]

The Beach Boys - It's About Time




Been playing Sunflower this morning. Could have picked one of the many tunes i love from that LP, but 'It's About Time' really hit home today. It's garage rock-meets-soul to me - that mix of rock-injected soul and R&B is intoxicating, like great Spencer Davis Group stuff, and perfect for such a talented vocal group. Does Carl get enough props as a lead singer? He does a fucking killer job here, i think; there's an urgency and edge to his voice that really works on Dennis' soul-searching lyrics. And that instrumental fade-out with the guitar freakout and wicked cowbell is fucking glorious! i could ride that mother out to eternity.

[hookfinger]

The Who - Dogs.

It appears that you posted two (2) songs on this day. It is obvious from the outset that you cannot be trusted!!!

I can assure you, your honour, that the second song was posted after midnight Hong Kong time, UTC+08:00.

A technicality. Whadda ya have a Texan for a lawyer?

[fange]

Whadda ya have a Texan for a lawyer?

They're the only ones i like!





The Teardrop Explodes - When I Dream (long version)



Yeah, i'm a (new) romantic at heart, i'll admit it.
What a wonderful, strange, confusing record Kilimanjaro is, much like the man and the group that made it. For all the egos and rancour that caused the band to, well, explode, i really think they had IT, the musical chemistry to make something magical. 'Reward', 'Treason', a batch of excellent songs that stand the test of time, and 'When I Dream' is a classic example for me. I loved it when Cope sang like this, open and yearning. I used to sing the 'I go up up up up up...wooo-ooooh part till my throat was sore. And Balfe's synth sound is gorgeous, that slightly-too-long outro swirling around in an unsettling, psychedelic haze of multi-tracked instruments. What was a pretty, innocent little thing becomes something... a little different. And i wouldn't change a second.

[fange]

Jimmy Lloyd - I Got A Rocket In My Pocket



Sure it's ironic that, after a decades-long career in country music, Jimmie Logsdon is most often remembered these days for one single he did in the late-50s during a brief flirtation with rock and roll/rockabilly, and which he released under a pseudonym anyway. But when the tune in question is as good as 'I Got A Rocket In My Pocket' it's kind of understandable. From the risque-for-the-times lyrics, Logsdon's nimble piano work, and killer guitar from Nashville studio legend Grady Martin, this is a stone-cold classic in every way. Love the way Jimmie sings along with his playing too.

[trans-chigley express]

I love those Beach Boys and Teardrop Explodes tracks. I picked up a copy of Sunflower in an HMV sale the other week. It was the first thing I've bought in HMV for years.

[fange]

I love those Beach Boys and Teardrop Explodes tracks. I picked up a copy of Sunflower in an HMV sale the other week. It was the first thing I've bought in HMV for years.

Yeah, i can seeing you enjoying this period of the BBs, Ray. A little funky and little psych to go with the pop sensibilities, like 'Slip On Through'.




Life - Cat's Eyes



I've tried for several decades now to forget a song by Peter Shelley - no, not Pete - called 'Love Me Love My Dog'. If you've heard it, you're probably with me on this point. It got an annoyingly large bit of airplay on Aussie radio in the mid-to-late-70s, but happily time had erased it and Shelley from my memory. (If you don't know it, here's a YT clip - listener be warned.)

But on a trip back to Aus recently, i was going through the box of 45s my sister and i had abandoned at my dad's place, and amongst the Duran Duran and Abba was a copy of 'Cat's Eyes'. Not remembering the tune, I guess my older sis had bought it during the height of disco and that it had never got played again once the New Wave crashed over her.
When i saw Shelley's name on it - and my memory of him clicked - i almost didn't play the damn thing, expecting another 'Love Me...'-type horror, but i'm very glad i did. The late-soul/proto-disco sound of the thing, with that motorik beat and keyboard hooks is propulsive and infectious as hell. Tight arrangement too, with the tough guitar riffs adding muscle, the strings providing plenty of energy and lift and the subtle, layered vocals have a nicely eerie and slightly sinister feel.
I can almost forgive Shelley now for that Dog crap.