September 2010 Reviews

[Penk!]

1. Wade In The Water - Big Mama Thornton
2. Rev. Moses - Lou Donaldson
3. Why Am I Treated So Bad? - Cannonball Adderley
4. Walkin' The Blues - Willie Dixon
5. I Can Dig It Baby - Little Beaver
6. LSD Partie - Ronald Vincent
7. Chitterlings Con Carne - Pucho & His Latin Soul Brother
8. Take It Easy My Brother Charlie - Jorge Ben
9. F-U-N-K-Y Til The Day I Die- The Southern Energy Ensemble
10. Right Place, Wrong Time - Ray J
11. Ungena Za Ulimgwegu(Unite The World) - the Temptations
12. You're Gonna Make Me Love You - Sandie Seldon
13. Let's Go Get Stoned - Lowell Fulsome

Cheers for that - as I said, a good mix and a few tracks to pop on the iPod. I'm not so surprised I didn't spot the Temptations one - I dig them but don't have any of the albums proper; I'm far more a singles/compilations guy when it comes to soul.

[The Fish]

So this month I took on both of the Mix Club newbies, sending a disc to Nolamike and receiving one from TG. And all in all it’s worked out pretty well.
So onto TG’s disc. Plenty to enjoy here and nothing I really hated. Not that this disc was a dealbreaker for my pending L.A visit but for the record I think we’re going to get along just fine.

1) An instrumental with a fast bluesy shuffle beat. This sort of thing can sound generic at times like you’ve heard it a million times before, although the playing and energy here lift this up a notch. Good start
2) Mentions Hollywood, so coupled with the artwork I’m already guessing at an L.A theme, although parts of this have a more New Orleans feel. The ooo eeees keep reminding me of Sea Cruise. Like this one too.
3) A poppy rock number that sounds “of its time” I keep hearing Centrefold for some reason. Another one on the tick column.
4) Well this sounds like Santana, but weren’t they based in San Francisco ? Settles into a pleasant vibe but (un)fortunately stays there. Kept waiting for this to lift off. Scores an OK+
5) Unless I’m much mistaken this is Beefheart. Amazing that this works in the context of the album and at the same time you could slip this into a laid back soul comp and would barely bat an eyelid.
6) I’m pretty sure this is Los Lobos, although it’s far from typical. I have the album I’m thinking of (Colossal Head from memory) where they did all the “Waitsy” stuff (I could check of course but that would a) require more effort than I’m willing to expend and b) preclude the laughter at my expense if I’m horribly wrong) Anyway this is terrific.
7) And right on cue here’s the man himself. Gotta love Tom.
8) And this one seems yet another logical progression being the blues played gruff and gravelly Tom style. The song itself is a bit “by numbers” but the feel is right and generally speaking I’m a sucker for this stuff.
9) Well I’m not sure what to make of this one. A bright perky jazz number. I like it but I keep imagining this as a gameshow theme. The sort of stuff I can imagine Donald Fagen growing up on (that’s meant to sound like a good thing by the way).
10) This sounds like a punkier B52s. OK although this suffers from the same problem of the vocals being a bit thin. Is this X maybe – don’t think I’ve heard a note by them to be honest (Strange as a big Dave Alvin fan, even though his involvement was minor)
11) I’m afraid this one kind of just came and went.
12) Great Surfy instrumental with a great driving beat and a whole load of twang.
13) Every time I hear this I can’t believe just how much it sounds like Lloyd Cole, and I like it for the same reasons I like Lloyd Cole.
14) Psych pop. Really like this.
15) This resolutely refuses to be pinned down to any style. The drawl of the verse (a bit James McMurtry in places) gives way to a sublime pop chorus
16) Good song although some issues with the whiny vocal style drags this one down a notch for me.
17) Conversely, not much of a song here, but played with real gusto. Found my foot tapping along to this.
18) Second venture into jazz, and I’m afraid I found this way too noodly for my tastes. Guitar seems to be the main instrument. I have some Frisell and Metheny, so I’ll stand by to look like a right numpty when it’s revealed as either of those.
19) Now this is right up me street. My favourite track here. A great folky thing with hints of Gordon Lightfoot.
20) Love this stuff. Presumably LA-Mex rather than Tex-Mex (You mean there are Mexicans in L.A Who knew ?)

Apologies if this is a bit sketchy in places but I wanted to post review this weekend as I have other plans next week Anyway only a couple of misgivings but on the whole an enjoyable listen. Thanks Tom and see you next weekend.

[TG]

So this month I took on both of the Mix Club newbies, sending a disc to Nolamike and receiving one from TG. And all in all it’s worked out pretty well.
So onto TG’s disc. Plenty to enjoy here and nothing I really hated. Not that this disc was a dealbreaker for my pending L.A visit but for the record I think we’re going to get along just fine.

I'm glad you enjoyed it. I started with a completely different theme but it morphed into an L.A.-centric CD. With your pending visit I thought I'd give you a taste of some of my favorite L.A. music. It's not that I don't dig the Beach Boys and Love and all of the music that everyone automatically thinks of when they think of L.A. but this is my version (or one of them) of my town.

1) An instrumental with a fast bluesy shuffle beat. This sort of thing can sound generic at times like you’ve heard it a million times before, although the playing and energy here lift this up a notch. Good start

This is a version of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's Okie Dokie Stomp done by the Hollywood Fats Band. I never had the chance to see them live and Fats himself died pretty young but he was a terrific guitarist. From what is, I believe, his only LP.

2) Mentions Hollywood, so coupled with the artwork I’m already guessing at an L.A theme, although parts of this have a more New Orleans feel. The ooo eeees keep reminding me of Sea Cruise. Like this one too.

The Blasters doing Hollywood Bed. This is the 7 piece version of the band with Lee Allen and Steve Berlin on saxes and Gene Taylor on piano. One of the finest bands I ever witnessed. And they are doing their NOLA thing here but it mentions Hollywood so I went with this. I'm pretty sure that Lee Allen also played on Sea Cruise.

3) A poppy rock number that sounds “of its time” I keep hearing Centrefold for some reason. Another one on the tick column.

This is Sterling Harrison from his South of the Snooty Fox CD. He was a soul singer in the 60s who never made it but kept plugging away at a club in South Los Angeles that wasn't easy to find but was located just south of the Snooty Fox which had an enormous sign. This was recorded in 2007 just before he passed away. It's Jerry Ragavoy's Ain't Nobody Home.

4) Well this sounds like Santana, but weren’t they based in San Francisco ? Settles into a pleasant vibe but (un)fortunately stays there. Kept waiting for this to lift off. Scores an OK+

El Chicano doing Viva Torado. Released in the wake of Santana's success and was a hit even at this length. This is a real East Side (that is to say East L.A.) jam. I love this kind of grease.

5) Unless I’m much mistaken this is Beefheart. Amazing that this works in the context of the album and at the same time you could slip this into a laid back soul comp and would barely bat an eyelid.

It is the Captain doing I'm Glad. He grew up hearing this same sort of East Side, cholo, Low Rider music up in the Lancaster/Palmdale area. I wanted to continue the theme from the last track and might have used any number of real East Side hits but this seemed to fit and allowed me to get a little Beefheart into the mix.

6) I’m pretty sure this is Los Lobos, although it’s far from typical. I have the album I’m thinking of (Colossal Head from memory) where they did all the “Waitsy” stuff (I could check of course but that would a) require more effort than I’m willing to expend and b) preclude the laughter at my expense if I’m horribly wrong) Anyway this is terrific.

It's half of the Lobos (Hidalgo & Perez) with Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake doing business as The Latin Playboys. This one's called Chinese Surprize.

7) And right on cue here’s the man himself. Gotta love Tom.

This is Tom Waits with Down in the Hole. I'm not a huge fan but love this song that was used in several incarnations as the theme to HBO's The Wire. Incidentally, back in the 70's I used to spend time at the world famous Tropicana Hotel. Tom Waits was living there then but he wasn't yet Tom Waits. He was the guy who drove the hearse and who you rarely saw.

8) And this one seems yet another logical progression being the blues played gruff and gravelly Tom style. The song itself is a bit “by numbers” but the feel is right and generally speaking I’m a sucker for this stuff.

The semi-legendary Top Jimmy. A real world class blues shouter who got his start as a roadie for X and went on to have a song written about him by Van Halen and who, with the Rhythm Pigs, did a series of near-mythic Monday night shows at the long gone Cathay de Grande club in Hollywood. This is Hole in my Pocket. Most people who know anything about Top Jimmy will tell you he released only one LP. I've spent the last couple of years finding a lot of material by him. This is from, I think, his last recording.

9) Well I’m not sure what to make of this one. A bright perky jazz number. I like it but I keep imagining this as a gameshow theme. The sort of stuff I can imagine Donald Fagen growing up on (that’s meant to sound like a good thing by the way).

The most fabulous Phast Phreddie and Thee Precisions. Some NYC posters know him as a local DJ who specializes in soul sides. Some L.A. posters know him as the "commissioner" of a loose knit softball league in the 80s. I know him as one of my oldest friends. He fronted this sort of jump blues combo in L.A. in the 80s and, unfortunately, this track doesn't feature him as it's just the band without his vocals. They are doing Lester Leaps In - Lester Young's famous workout with the Basie band.

10) This sounds like a punkier B52s. OK although this suffers from the same problem of the vocals being a bit thin. Is this X maybe – don’t think I’ve heard a note by them to be honest (Strange as a big Dave Alvin fan, even though his involvement was minor)

X, indeed. Doing Los Angeles. It seemed appropriate.

11) I’m afraid this one kind of just came and went.

The Flesh Eaters doing See You in the Boneyard. An all star L.A. punk era band with Chris D. on vocals.

12) Great Surfy instrumental with a great driving beat and a whole load of twang.

The Go-Gos with Surfing and Spying. I had to work in some sort of surf music and this was of the right era. I love the Get Smart theme quote at the end.

13) Every time I hear this I can’t believe just how much it sounds like Lloyd Cole, and I like it for the same reasons I like Lloyd Cole.

I don't know that I've ever heard Lloyd Cole but if he sounds like this then I probably should. This is The Dream Syndicate with Tell Me When it's Over. One of my favorite bands from this town at that time.

14) Psych pop. Really like this.

The Long Ryders doing And She Rides from their first EP. Old friends who were good but rarely better than this.

15) This resolutely refuses to be pinned down to any style. The drawl of the verse (a bit James McMurtry in places) gives way to a sublime pop chorus

Knockin' Around from X's John Doe's first solo CD. He didn't write this almost alt-country, Americana ode to drinking and dissatisfaction but it fits him really well.

16) Good song although some issues with the whiny vocal style drags this one down a notch for me.

It is pretty whiny, isn't it. This is Danny and Dusty; an L.A. all star band made up of members of Green on Red (whose singer provides the whiniest of the vocals), Dream Syndicate (the less whiny vocalist) and the Long Ryders. It's a better LP that any of those bands (except the Dream Syndicate) ever made. One of the best LPs of that year - 1984 or 1985 if I remember correctly. This is Miracle Mile, named for a stretch of Wilshire Blvd., by the way.

17) Conversely, not much of a song here, but played with real gusto. Found my foot tapping along to this.

The Plimsouls doing Shaky City from the recently released live it the Whisky-a-Go-Go CD. It was recorded back in the day but only just released. They were another of the great overlooked bands from these parts.

18) Second venture into jazz, and I’m afraid I found this way too noodly for my tastes. Guitar seems to be the main instrument. I have some Frisell and Metheny, so I’ll stand by to look like a right numpty when it’s revealed as either of those.

Old pal Nels Cline with Blues, Too. It was sitting there in ITunes and I decided to add it in at the last minute.

19) Now this is right up me street. My favourite track here. A great folky thing with hints of Gordon Lightfoot.

The aforementioned Dave Alvin doing Dry River. It's about the Los Angeles River which is indeed paved with cement. You'll be seeing it soon. Actually, as he's from the suburb of Downey he could be writing about the Rio Hondo River which is also near his hometown and also paved. Dave is unbelievably talented and this is a nice slice of L.A. history set to music.

20) Love this stuff. Presumably LA-Mex rather than Tex-Mex (You mean there are Mexicans in L.A Who knew ?)

Now we have Los Lobos with Rio Tenampa. It seemed only fitting to end with a real piece of Mexican folk music and this continues the river theme from the last song. This is one of the finest bands in the world and they do this kind of thing as well as anyone out there. They are as good at this kind of Roots music as they are at R&B, etc.

Apologies if this is a bit sketchy in places but I wanted to post review this weekend as I have other plans next week. Anyway only a couple of misgivings but on the whole an enjoyable listen. Thanks Tom and see you next weekend.

Looking forward to meeting you.

I must say that I am digging this whole mix club thang. I should have gotten involved long ago.

Mix List
1. Okie Dokie Stomp - The Hollywood Fats Band
2. Hollywood Bed - The Blasters
3. Ain't Nobody Home - Sterling Harrison
4. Viva Torado Pt. 1 - El Chicano
5. I'm Glad - Captain Beefheart
6. Chinese Surprize - Latin Playboys
7. Way Down in the Hole - Tom Waits
8. Hole in my Pocket - Top Jimmy
9. Lester Leaps In - Phast Phreddie & Thee Precisions
10. Los Angeles - X
11. See You in the Boneyard - The Flesh Eaters
12. Surfing and Spying - The Go-Gos
13. Tell Me When it's Over - Dream Syndicate
14. And She Rides - Long Ryders
15. Knockin' Around - John Doe
16. Miracle Mile - Danny and Dusty
17. Shaky City - The Plimsouls
18. Blues, Too - The Nels Cline Singers
19. Dry River - Dave Alvin
20. Rio de Tenampa - Los Lobos

[The Fish]

Well I call myself a fan and yet didn't spot Alvin or The Blasters Such is the way of Mix Club. Thanks again. Enjoyed it.

[John_K]

Thanks to my mixer for this month's disc, apologies for waiting so long to post some thoughts...

01 Short instrumental intro reminiscent of something from Johnny Trunk's record collection.

02 Bang into track 2, The Ramones with Rockaway Beach, not much to say, love these guys and I'm rocking' in my chair.

03 Nostalgia had me playing these guys again recently, and they still sound good. The Jesus & Mary Chain with Some Candy Talking.

04 Summer of 2010 sounds from Best Coast with When the Sun Doesn't Shine, their album was a nice lo-fi soundtrack for the summer evenings.

05 Similarities with the Best Coast track, but I don't believe I've heard this before. Nice indie pop feel to it, sits nicely alongside the previous track with the work-out towards the end taking it to a higher place...

06 Nice twangy guitars and vocal harmonies, this is shaping up to be a summery holiday mix.

07 Nice feel to this one, kind of psych vibe going on, it's dreamy and spiraling, I like it…

08 With that sound at the start I was waiting for The Beatles? However it went and little further than I expected and morphed into this soulful orchestrated piece. Can't say I recognize it, but I can almost see it being performed in a Vegas show type setting, big sound!

09 Change of direction, and something more recent than the previous track. Don't think this is a band, rather one man and his machine? The 'ooweeoo' vocals are familiar but again I can't place this, not my usual bag…

10 Sweeping electronic track, which builds nicely and really takes off before coming to a gentle landing, again not my usual bag but on the couple of plays it ha sounds good and it'll be interesting to find out who…

11 Nice female folky vocal, with a simple folk arrangment, like it. Ah, of course, it's The Garden of Jane Delanwy

12 Lovely instrumental piece...

13 Singer-songwriter ballad, sparse instrumentation with simple electric and acoustic guitar accompaniment, my head is very mushy at the moment and I'm struggling to write anything

14 Curious instrumental version of Amazing Grace?

I thought initially it was going to be a mix where I recognised almost everything, but that wasn't the case and I look forward to the reveal.

[Moleskin]

Thanks to my mixer for this month's disc, apologies for waiting so long to post some thoughts...

Hi John! I was your mixer this month, and thought I'd send something for any indian summer type evenings.

01 Short instrumental intro reminiscent of something from Johnny Trunk's record collection.

This is a short motif from the Clangers (Vernon Elliot). It's called 'Visiting Friends'. I think the record is on Trunk's label as it goes.

02 Bang into track 2, The Ramones with Rockaway Beach, not much to say, love these guys and I'm rocking' in my chair.

Correct. I wanted the Clangers bit to go into something quite fast and da brudders fit the bill nicely.

03 Nostalgia had me playing these guys again recently, and they still sound good. The Jesus & Mary Chain with Some Candy Talking.

It's been a long while since I listened to the JAMC. We're actually moving forward in time with distorted guitars from the 70s to the 80s.

04 Summer of 2010 sounds from Best Coast with When the Sun Doesn't Shine, their album was a nice lo-fi soundtrack for the summer evenings.

And then to the 00s.

05 Similarities with the Best Coast track, but I don't believe I've heard this before. Nice indie pop feel to it, sits nicely alongside the previous track with the work-out towards the end taking it to a higher place...

Another newie. This is Avi Buffalo from their debut album. it's called 'Remember Last Time'. This and the Best Coast are certainly among my favorite records of the year.

06 Nice twangy guitars and vocal harmonies, this is shaping up to be a summery holiday mix.

We now drop back into the 90s with 'Take A Run At The Sun', the last single under the Dinosaur Jr banner (at least until the reunion). It was written for the 'Grace Of My Heart' film and is J Mascis' attempt at a Brian Wilson track.

07 Nice feel to this one, kind of psych vibe going on, it's dreamy and spiraling, I like it…

Arriving in the 60s, just through that hole in the wall you'll see the Remo Four performing their track 'In The First Place', produced by George Harrison and featured on the Wonderwall soundtrack.

08 With that sound at the start I was waiting for The Beatles? However it went and little further than I expected and morphed into this soulful orchestrated piece. Can't say I recognize it, but I can almost see it being performed in a Vegas show type setting, big sound!

This is a piece of Charles Stepney's work: Rotary Connection and 'Aladdin'. The band featured Minnie Riperton on those high vocals and many, many psychedelic touches. They were more renowned for their trippy soul covers of rock songs ('Sunshine Of Your Love', 'The Weight', 'Salt of the Earth') but their 'own' stuff is pretty fantastic.

09 Change of direction, and something more recent than the previous track. Don't think this is a band, rather one man and his machine? The 'ooweeoo' vocals are familiar but again I can't place this, not my usual bag…

It is more recent, but is very much a band. Yeasayer from Odd Blood. The song is 'Madder Red'.

10 Sweeping electronic track, which builds nicely and really takes off before coming to a gentle landing, again not my usual bag but on the couple of plays it ha sounds good and it'll be interesting to find out who…

Foals are one of the best bands of the last couple of years. 'Spanish Sun' is from their recently released second album Total Life Forever.

11 Nice female folky vocal, with a simple folk arrangment, like it. Ah, of course, it's The Garden of Jane Delanwy

Indeed. Trees.

12 Lovely instrumental piece...

This is one of the instrumentals - reminiscent of Penguin Cafe Orchestra - that Nick Duffy added to the Lilac Time albums he made with his brother. (Actually, it's one of the bonus tracks from the abandoned double-album version of Paradise Circus). It's called 'On Milkwood Road'.

13 Singer-songwriter ballad, sparse instrumentation with simple electric and acoustic guitar accompaniment, my head is very mushy at the moment and I'm struggling to write anything

This is John Simon, producer of Big Pink and The Band, from his solo album John Simon's Album. It features several members of the band among the musicians, and is the source of Manfred Mann's hit 'Davey's On The Road Again'. However for your entertainment this evening I have selected 'Fool Dressed In Velvet'.

14 Curious instrumental version of Amazing Grace?

To finish off, the 'toe-tapper' version of 'Amazing Grace' from the Van Dyke Parks album Clang Of The Yankee Reaper. The title track is among my favourite songs.

I thought initially it was going to be a mix where I recognised almost everything, but that wasn't the case and I look forward to the reveal.

Glad you enjoyed it. I figured front-loading this with well-known artists wouldn't hurt since it explored various byways on the way to its end. If there's anything you'd like a little mor eof, you know how to ask.

1. Vernon Elliot - 'Visiting Friends'
2. The Ramones - 'Rockaway Beach'
3. Jesus & Mary Chain - 'Some Candy Talking'
4. Best Coast - 'When The Sun Don't Shine'
5. Avi Buffalo - 'Remember Last Time'
6. Dinosaur Jr. - 'Take A Run At The Sun'
7. The Remo Four - 'In The First Place'
8. Rotary Connection - 'Aladdin'
9. Yeasayer - 'Madder Red'
10. Foals - 'Spanish Sun'
11. Trees - 'In The Garden of Jane Delawny'
12. The Lilac Time - 'On Milkwood Road'
13. John Simon - ' Fool Dressed In Velvet'
14. Van Dyke Parks - 'Amazing Grace (Toe Tapper)'

[John_K]

Glad you enjoyed it. I figured front-loading this with well-known artists wouldn't hurt since it explored various byways on the way to its end. If there's anything you'd like a little mor eof, you know how to ask.

1. Vernon Elliot - 'Visiting Friends'
2. The Ramones - 'Rockaway Beach'
3. Jesus & Mary Chain - 'Some Candy Talking'
4. Best Coast - 'When The Sun Don't Shine'
5. Avi Buffalo - 'Remember Last Time'
6. Dinosaur Jr. - 'Take A Run At The Sun'
7. The Remo Four - 'In The First Place'
8. Rotary Connection - 'Aladdin'
9. Yeasayer - 'Madder Red'
10. Foals - 'Spanish Sun'
11. Trees - 'In The Garden of Jane Delawny'
12. The Lilac Time - 'On Milkwood Road'
13. John Simon - ' Fool Dressed In Velvet'
14. Van Dyke Parks - 'Amazing Grace (Toe Tapper)'

Thanks Simon, with some names to add to iTunes it'll make an interesting listen again...

[T. Willy Rye]

So I have a pretty good idea who is responsible for my September disc labeled Odd Music. I don’t think I’m enough of a fixture in these parts to engage in coy repartee, so I’ll just get to it…

Track 1- Annoying yet hysterical vocal piece with only the slightest musical accompaniment. A relentless chant of domestic malaise; nice start.

Track 2-Peculiar little vocal piece that comes together for some strange harmonies and then splits up into different vocal parts, not really a lot of reference points for this.

Track 3- Another strange juxtaposition of noise. Is atonal pop a label that’s used, but maybe that’s not correct because there does seem to be a repeat of some song structure. Some muddled AM radio voice in the background. This stuff is not easy to review.

Track 4- A jazz vocal piece that sounds like it would work well on some surreal cartoon from the 30s, it really is fantastic, though. The cartoon would probably be terrifying and fraught with politically incorrect caricatures.

Track 5-Another piece that is difficult to classify. Some kind of meandering bass line with strange instrumentation (I’m not even sure what instruments are being used) going on and unique vocals that could’ve have been taken from those English dancehalls bands that influenced the Kinks and the Beatles maybe? I don’t know, I think I’m starting to talk outta my ass a little here.

Track 6- This one is the most conventional pop so far. It almost sounds like one of the bands in the late 80s that was influenced by XTC, but I haven’t heard them before so knowing what I think I know about my mixer I would say it might be from earlier.

Track 7- Some guy pleading for his bus to come. His plaintive vocals have coerced me to forget that this is basically not really a song, more of a made up plea.

Track 8- DIY video game rock? Interesting, and makes me wish pot was more a part of my listening experience these days.

Track 9-Film score for surrealist Bulgarian sci-fi film? Not really sure how to describe this one. Music to accompany footage of the graceful stroke of the manatee?

Track 10 – Some weird spoken word piece about a horrible noise interrupting a Playboy channel induced orgasm.

Track 11- Freakout Japanese disco hoedown with a Phil Collins touch? Hell, I don’t know what it is.

Track 12- Blues jazz thing that doesn’t coalesce into a neatly structured song, but somehow manages to be almost groovy.

Track 13- Fuzz guitar sixties garage band. I like this, very skuzzy sounding. Big booze or boobs? Whatever moronic thing he’s saying- I love it.

Track 14- A really weird Wall of Voodoo sounding song. Is that Stan Ridgeway?

Track 15- Great 60 organ vibe. Really like this- very groovy. Interested to know about this one.

Track 16- Sparks?

Track 17- Another comparatively conventional 60s sounding R&B crossover style song, well except for the subject manner “Hey Redneck.” Probably should know this,

Track 18- Some experiment with multi tracked vocal parts over an otherwise somewhat simple Dire Straits sounding song.

Track 19- Doo Doo Doo Don’t Fuck Around With Love. This can’t really be from the period it sounds? The barbershop quartet of profanity. Fun song

This was so much fun and I’m really enjoying the bonus discs. Thank you for absolving of me of reviewing them, but I do love them so if I have to sing for my supper, I will, but would love to find out what’s on them. I’m only familiar with a few on the soul comp.

Thanks again.

[Nolamike]

S
Track 17- Another comparatively conventional 60s sounding R&B crossover style song, well except for the subject manner “Hey Redneck.” Probably should know this,

Oooh, an inspired choice by your mixer (who was not me) - this track is by none other than Swamp Dogg. Sounds like you got a killer mix!

[king feeb]

So I have a pretty good idea who is responsible for my September disc labeled Odd Music. I don’t think I’m enough of a fixture in these parts to engage in coy repartee, so I’ll just get to it…

I'm not fooling anybody these days!

Track 1- Annoying yet hysterical vocal piece with only the slightest musical accompaniment. A relentless chant of domestic malaise; nice start.

1 The Tinklers- Turn The Screw On The Crank
One of the many interesting bands on NYC's Shimmy Disc label in the 80s. A deadpan duo, this is from The Tinklers' album Casserole.

Track 2-Peculiar little vocal piece that comes together for some strange harmonies and then splits up into different vocal parts, not really a lot of reference points for this.

2 Red Krayola- Music
Even amongst their psychedelic contempories, the Red Krayola stood out for their oddness. This is a weird little track from their second LP God Bless The Red Krayola from 1968. It's not really representative of their work as a whole... but in a way it is. They're a hard band to pin down for certain.

Track 3- Another strange juxtaposition of noise. Is atonal pop a label that’s used, but maybe that’s not correct because there does seem to be a repeat of some song structure. Some muddled AM radio voice in the background. This stuff is not easy to review.

3 Biota- Moom
You're right. It is especially hard to write about the music of Biota, since they are very original, and hardly anyone else sounds much like them. They're a collective based in Fort Collins, Colorado who have been popping out albums of these dream-like soundscapes since the early 80s. This track fits in with the occasional "start/stop/start" dynamic of a few of the tracks here.

Track 4- A jazz vocal piece that sounds like it would work well on some surreal cartoon from the 30s, it really is fantastic, though. The cartoon would probably be terrifying and fraught with politically incorrect caricatures.

4 The Five Jones Boys- Mr. Ghost Goes To Town

An eerie acapella masterpiece from the World War II era (Bobby McFerrin, eat your heart out). All the horn/percussion/bass sounds here are the human voice. I've heard that horns were so hard to get during the war (because all the metal used to make them was going to the war effort) that there were a number of groups that used this approach back in the day. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed this, and hope it will become a Halloween standard at your house.

Track 5-Another piece that is difficult to classify. Some kind of meandering bass line with strange instrumentation (I’m not even sure what instruments are being used) going on and unique vocals that could’ve have been taken from those English dancehalls bands that influenced the Kinks and the Beatles maybe? I don’t know, I think I’m starting to talk outta my ass a little here.

5 The Residents-Perfect Love
It's a brief blast of The Residents from The Commercial Album, a collection of songs clocking in a one minute each (I used two on this disc, because they're so short).

Track 6- This one is the most conventional pop so far. It almost sounds like one of the bands in the late 80s that was influenced by XTC, but I haven’t heard them before so knowing what I think I know about my mixer I would say it might be from earlier.

6 The Moles-Bury Me Happy
Actually you're just about right on the time frame (it's from the early 90s). I thought it might be time for something a wee little bit less odd, so here is a track by The Moles, lo-fi Austrailian pop band led by Richard Davies, who was later in the better-known US band Cardinal.

Track 7- Some guy pleading for his bus to come. His plaintive vocals have coerced me to forget that this is basically not really a song, more of a made up plea.

7 Aloe Blacc- Busking
I don't know much about Aloe, except that he's an experimental hip hop/neo-soul guy from your neck of the woods. I originally got this from a MixClub disc from Bhoy, and it seems to be sort of a field holler for public transit riders.

Track 8- DIY video game rock? Interesting, and makes me wish pot was more a part of my listening experience these days.

8 Afterglow- Susie's Gone
This is a strange one from 1968. Most of Afterglow's music was pleasant 60s folk rock, but they must've eaten some bad mushrooms the night they recorded this wigged-out side.

Track 9-Film score for surrealist Bulgarian sci-fi film? Not really sure how to describe this one. Music to accompany footage of the graceful stroke of the manatee?

9 Egg-Nearch
A piece of 70s British progressive rock (but don't worry... Egg are one of the good ones- I consider them to be what ELP would've sounded like if they had actual musical taste). Another "start/stop/start" type of track, this is from the third and final Egg album, The Civil Surface.

Track 10 – Some weird spoken word piece about a horrible noise interrupting a Playboy channel induced orgasm.

10 Negativland-The Playboy Channel
Another strange California outfit, from their 1987 "concept album" Escape From Noise. My favorite part: "You've called the cable TV company six times... and every time the technician comes out, he can't fix the problem. He is fired. *horrible toilet flushing noise*"

Track 11- Freakout Japanese disco hoedown with a Phil Collins touch? Hell, I don’t know what it is.

11 Sadistic Mika Band- Dontaku
From 1973, when Japanese rock bands were still a novelty. Sadistic Mika Band toured with Roxy Music and Alex Harvey, and released their second (and best) album Black Ship in the UK and the US...but soon faded back into obscurity (everywhere but Japan, that is, where they are still an influence on the younger generation of Japanese bands).

Track 12- Blues jazz thing that doesn’t coalesce into a neatly structured song, but somehow manages to be almost groovy.

12 Sun Ra & His Astro-Galactic Infinity Arkestra-I'm Gonna Unmask The Batman
Sun Ra and his intergalactic crew in weird R&B mode from The Singles collection. This is one of several Sun Ra songs about Batman...

Track 13- Fuzz guitar sixties garage band. I like this, very skuzzy sounding. Big booze or boobs? Whatever moronic thing he’s saying- I love it.

13 The News-Blue Shoes
He seems to be real upset about Blue Shoes! This song is an odd one because a fuzztone keyboard is combined with fuzz guitar to create a dense, impenetrable wall of fuzz. These guys came from North Carolina and this was their only record, released on the tiny MU label in 1969.

Track 14- A really weird Wall of Voodoo sounding song. Is that Stan Ridgeway?

14 Wall Of Voodoo-Longarm
Yes indeed. Good call, sir. This is the first song from the first Wall Of Voodoo EP, about a year and a half before their "Mexican Radio" hit.

Track 15- Great 60 organ vibe. Really like this- very groovy. Interested to know about this one.

15 Jr. And His Soulettes- Waw-Waw Rock

Now considered an "outsider music" classic, Jr. And His Soulettes' only album from 1970, Psychodelic Sounds (SIC) is filled with stuff like this. In fact, a lot of it sounds exactly like this- they were just little kids and could only play in a couple of keys. But, in their limited way, these kids could really cook, and if you like this track, you gotta hear their "Thing, Do The Creep". The band was Harold Moore, Jr. (age 10) on guitar and his sisters, Vinita Marie (9), on bass and organ, Denise Marshall (7), on drums, and Jacqueln Carol (6), on "waw-waw" organ. The instrumental workouts are all ace... the small number of vocal tracks are less so. Still, they were a fuck of a lot more cool than I was at that age!

Track 16- Sparks?

16 The Residents-Picnic Boy
The second track from The Residents' Commercial Album, this time with guest vocalist Lene Lovich.

Track 17- Another comparatively conventional 60s sounding R&B crossover style song, well except for the subject manner “Hey Redneck.” Probably should know this,

17 Swamp Dogg- Redneck
As a producer and songwriter, Jerry Williams has been nominated for a Grammy and has worked with a number of R&B, rock and country artists such as Gary US Bonds, Johnny Paycheck, Doris Duke, Irma Thomas, Z. Z. Hill, Dee Dee Warwick, and Arthur Conley. But, recording under the name Swamp Dogg, he has produced some of the most odd and idiosyncratic soul music ever, including this gem, from his classic LP Total Destruction Of Your Mind.

Track 18- Some experiment with multi tracked vocal parts over an otherwise somewhat simple Dire Straits sounding song.

18 Faust-Der Baum
From The Faust Tapes, the brilliant German experimentalists with a prime piece of Golden Age Krautrock... and the final "start/stop/start" track on the disc.

Track 19- Doo Doo Doo Don’t Fuck Around With Love. This can’t really be from the period it sounds? The barbershop quartet of profanity. Fun song

19 The Blenders- Don't Fuck Around With Love
Yep, it actually is from the mid 1950s. The group recorded it as "Don't Mess Around With Love", but did a second "blue" version for "under-the-counter" sales as a party record. Nowadays, of course, the dirty version is the one that is remembered, while the "hit" version has faded into history.

This was so much fun and I’m really enjoying the bonus discs. Thank you for absolving of me of reviewing them, but I do love them so if I have to sing for my supper, I will, but would love to find out what’s on them. I’m only familiar with a few on the soul comp.

Thanks again.

I'll PM you with the other track lists, right after I post this. Although many of these tracks are "one-offs", if you're interested in hearing more by these outfits, don't hesitate to ask.

ODDMUSIC



1 The Tinklers- Turn The Screw On The Crank 1:52
2 Red Krayola- Music 0:58
3 Biota- Moom 2:13
4 The Five Jones Boys- Mr. Ghost Goes To Town 2:53
5 The Residents-Perfect Love 1:00
6 The Moles-Bury Me Happy 3:01
7 Aloe Blacc- Busking 2:11
8 Afterglow- Susie's Gone 2:24
9 Egg-Nearch 3:20
10 Negativland-The Playboy Channel 1:32
11 Sadistic Mika Band- Dontaku 3:46
12 Sun Ra & His Astro-Galactic Infinity Arkestra-I'm Gonna Unmask The Batman 2:17
13 The News-Blue Shoes 1:57
14 Wall Of Voodoo-Longarm 3:40
15 Jr. And His Soulettes- Waw-Waw Rock 2:30
16 The Residents-Picnic Boy 0:59
17 Swamp Dogg- Redneck 2:44
18 Faust-Der Baum 3:45
19 The Blenders- Don't Fuck Around With Love 2:48

[king feeb]

This month's disc was a pretty solid one, with some proggy moments that might have sent some lesser mortals reeling, but not me. HA! Anyhow, I've waited too long to post this, so here goes...

1- we start out with a nice piece of progressive rock /folkrock with a vocalist who sounds somewhat familiar. Well-judged dynamic shifts between sections... it might be Strawbs or someone along those lines. A really strong opener.

2- this sounds like a more recent cut, with more prominent drums and a bit of funkiness in the bass. Really well-written song with a slight prog edge, nicely done. Love the spacy bits at the end.

3- hard-edged rock. Great distorto guitar and powerful drumming. I feel like I should know this one. Bizarre ending with lots of sax and radio-distorted voices.

4- "In The Dream Life You Need A Rubber Soul" by The Clean. Mr. Pop was one of my favorite albums of 2009, although I sort of overlooked this track at first in favor of the more bold ones like "Tensile" and "Factory Man". Nice slide solo is an extra bonus.

5- lyrics about the Beatles and Stones sucking marrow out of bones, but this one didn't do much for me. Just seemed a little bit pretentious and too self-conscious. Not a bad tune, though.

6- it took me a few minutes to recognize this Jethro Tull selection, although that voice was instantly identifiable. It's "Wond'ring Again" the "extended version" of "Wond'ring Aloud" from Aqualung. A good one, although I still think the best parts were used in the shorter version.

7- I like the overall feel and the happy violin is real sweet on this track. The way it swings into a bit of discord (with additional backward tapes and weird sounds)toward the end keeps it from becoming too cloying and flying off into the clouds.

8- this isn't a bad track, but the vocal is a bit of an "acquired taste", one that I'm probably not getting. Sounds like Kate Bush with a lot more vibrato in her singing. Musically ambitious for sure, and the instrumental section that starts at about 6 minutes in is a real treat. But I did struggle with the vocal... my loss probably.

9- The Moody Blues' "Legend Of A Mind". A band that I don't listen to very much these days... this sounds more stripped-down or somehow different than I remember it. Is this a remix/ remaster or something?

10- liked this one a lot. Good melody that didn't go where I figured it would. I enjoy it when that happens.

11- another one that I feel like I should know. Kind of a glam-rock vocal yoked to a Lennonesque piano melody and a production straight out of the Brian Wilson school. I'll probably kick myself etc etc.

12- Family's "My Friend The Sun". One of the greats of 70s progressive rock, I'd say. Dismissing their later albums like Bandstand in favor of their early work happens a lot, but those jokers are ultimately wrongheaded.

13- this cut would likely be Roy Harper, but I'm not familiar with this track. Good stuff, although I'm in the minority that generally prefers his full-band records like HQ to the acoustic tracks.

14- here is some gentle folkrock with female vocals. Usually a track like this is not really my sort of thing, but this makes a nice change of pace here. The vocal harmonies are really ace, and it's a beautiful, melancholy melody. Makes me want to chuck it all and become a druid.

15- a dense Tony Visconti-type production of a cut that has the sort of vagueness usually associated with the Cocteau Twins or MBV. But then a flatly-affected, American-accented vocal comes bumbling in and sort of mucks things up. Not sure how I feel about this one... seems like an experimental combination that doesn't really add up for me.

16- a clappy, strummy tune with unison vocals. This has "closing track" stamped all over it. Nothing earth-shattering, but a nice little cut with a sweet feel to send us off shimmering.

Thanks much for a real solid disc that takes some chances, but hits the mark most of the time. Good stuff, man.

[Magilla]

I received an excellent disc this month, absolutely crammed with 77mins of great songs, mostly in a indie pop / rock stylee, which is, of course, very much my sort of thing.
I think it's a really good selection of tracks - plenty I liked, a few old goodies I hadn't heqard in ages and some very intriguing songs by acts I don't know at all. Also, I liked all the songs, there wasn't a single duff track here. (Just as an aside, however, there was a split-second of skipping on tracks 1, 5, and 9, but nothing that really negated the enjoyment of the mix...).

I also received a really neat bonus disc of jazz tracks ,which I'll review in October.

Anyway, I've listened to this four times, so away we go...

1) A quick screech of feedback and thev action begins. Lots of distorted guitars, pummelling drums and belligerent female vocals. I really like the frenetic, juddering arrangement. This is a cool song.

2) Brooding, distorted guitars, hazey vocals, very much my sort of thing. The drums and vocals only section that takes the song to the end is superb. Like it.

3) Aaah, good ol' Kim Deal. Lovely ringing, clanging guitars and speedy rhythms. I can't tell if this is the Breeders or the Amps, but either way it's nice to hear this again, but I've forgotten what it's called.

4) A wave of feedback, a stomping, ominous drum beat, then a shimmering guitar riff emerges, as does a raw, ragged vocal. This is a really good song. Good lyrics, too: "...that son of a bitch crossed me once, he won't cross me twice..." Great line, cool song.

5) A female singer-songwriter here. Nice acoustic guitar line and gentle piano, then the band comes in and the song takes off. Really nice voice, good song.

6) A guy singer-songwriter, very good picked acoustic guitar. Typical "woe is me' lyrics, but genuine, not cloying or insincere. Good song.

7) ...and the ukelele makes its first appearance on a mix disc to me ! A good, basic, enjoyable song.

8) 'Then She Remembers' by the Dream Syndicate. Always a pleasure to hear a track from the wonderful The Days Of Wine And Roses.

9) 'Rave Down' by Swervedriver. I was very keen on shoe-gazing back then and still enjoy hearing it now. This was a staple on student radio at the time, so it evokes very happy memories for me. I wish shoe-gazing had been huge and not Brit-slop or grunge.

10) Fantastic song, very appealing female vocals which stand out brilliantly against very sparse instrumentation. The slide guitar here and there is cool, as are the bursts of more full-on instrumentation in general. The section from 5.00 to the end at 6.20 is especially amazing.

11) Good, uptempo pop song with cool reverbed guitars. It is especially impressive in the second half. Neat song.

12) Fervent, jangling guitars, snappy rhythms here, very nice piercing guitar riff. Great thrashy ending. Good song, like it.

13) Very pleasant singer-songwriter track, nice and enjoyable.

14) Good, vaguely country-ish rock. Lovely ringing, tumbling guitar riff.

15) Very impressive, zig-zagging, herky-jerky arrangement. This is a pretty cool track, like it.

16) Very basic, acoustic guitar, fast, woodblock-type percussion, high female vocals. Quirky, but enjoyable.

17) Excellent post-punk, all scratchy guitars and rattling rhythms. I recognise the lyrics from somewhere and may even own this. Either way, it's fantastic.

18) Blazing, manic rock, loads of bludgeoning riffs. A fun dose of heavy psych-rock, good stuff.

19) The immortal Husker Du and 'Celebrated Summer'. A wonderful song to finish with.

Well, as you may've gathered, that was a very, very impressive mix, thank you !! A lot there I really liked !!

[Mike Boom]

This month's disc was a pretty solid one, with some proggy moments that might have sent some lesser mortals reeling, but not me. HA! Anyhow, I've waited too long to post this, so here goes

Mr F, I knew you'd be able to handle it !

1- we start out with a nice piece of progressive rock /folkrock with a vocalist who sounds somewhat familiar. Well-judged dynamic shifts between sections... it might be Strawbs or someone along those lines. A really strong opener.

Strawbs indeed with "Hero and Heroine" from their great album of the same name, I kind of prog sea shanty.


2- this sounds like a more recent cut, with more prominent drums and a bit of funkiness in the bass. Really well-written song with a slight prog edge, nicely done. Love the spacy bits at the end.

Phil Mazanera with Tim Finn on lead vocals from his K Scope solo album.

3- hard-edged rock. Great distorto guitar and powerful drumming. I feel like I should know this one. Bizarre ending with lots of sax and radio-distorted voices.

Ejection from Robert Calvert from Captain Lockheed and Star Fighters

4- "In The Dream Life You Need A Rubber Soul" by The Clean. Mr. Pop was one of my favorite albums of 2009, although I sort of overlooked this track at first in favor of the more bold ones like "Tensile" and "Factory Man". Nice slide solo is an extra bonus.

Yep, Kiwi Rock n Roll Royalty the Clean

5- lyrics about the Beatles and Stones sucking marrow out of bones, but this one didn't do much for me. Just seemed a little bit pretentious and too self-conscious. Not a bad tune, though.

House of Love with the Beatles and Stones

6- it took me a few minutes to recognize this Jethro Tull selection, although that voice was instantly identifiable. It's "Wond'ring Again" the "extended version" of "Wond'ring Aloud" from Aqualung. A good one, although I still think the best parts were used in the shorter version.

Right again, Wondering Again, I think I prefer the longer version , tho there is something to be said for Wondering Alouds brevity

7- I like the overall feel and the happy violin is real sweet on this track. The way it swings into a bit of discord (with additional backward tapes and weird sounds)toward the end keeps it from becoming too cloying and flying off into the clouds.

Her Hair Hangs Long from Gorky's Zygotic Mynci from the How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart album

8- this isn't a bad track, but the vocal is a bit of an "acquired taste", one that I'm probably not getting. Sounds like Kate Bush with a lot more vibrato in her singing. Musically ambitious for sure, and the instrumental section that starts at about 6 minutes in is a real treat. But I did struggle with the vocal... my loss probably.

Joanna Newsome and the wonderfully titled " The Good Intentions Paving Co from Have One On Me.

9- The Moody Blues' "Legend Of A Mind". A band that I don't listen to very much these days... this sounds more stripped-down or somehow different than I remember it. Is this a remix/ remaster or something?

Yep, this is from the remastered In Search of Lost Chord - a much maligned and underappreciated band according to me.

10- liked this one a lot. Good melody that didn't go where I figured it would. I enjoy it when that happens.

Be Bop Deluxe and a bit of glam with Jet Silver and the Dolls from the Axe Victim album

11- another one that I feel like I should know. Kind of a glam-rock vocal yoked to a Lennonesque piano melody and a production straight out of the Brian Wilson school. I'll probably kick myself etc etc.

Pop Levi and From the Day That you were Born - Lennonesque definitely, theres a fair bit of Bolan in their too.

12- Family's "My Friend The Sun". One of the greats of 70s progressive rock, I'd say. Dismissing their later albums like Bandstand in favor of their early work happens a lot, but those jokers are ultimately wrongheaded.

Yep, right again

13- this cut would likely be Roy Harper, but I'm not familiar with this track. Good stuff, although I'm in the minority that generally prefers his full-band records like HQ to the acoustic tracks.

From the Stormcock album Hors d'Oeuvers

14- here is some gentle folkrock with female vocals. Usually a track like this is not really my sort of thing, but this makes a nice change of pace here. The vocal harmonies are really ace, and it's a beautiful, melancholy melody. Makes me want to chuck it all and become a druid.

The Unthanks - Heres the Tender Coming

15- a dense Tony Visconti-type production of a cut that has the sort of vagueness usually associated with the Cocteau Twins or MBV. But then a flatly-affected, American-accented vocal comes bumbling in and sort of mucks things up. Not sure how I feel about this one... seems like an experimental combination that doesn't really add up for me.

Pink Mountaintops and Axis : Thrones of Love

16- a clappy, strummy tune with unison vocals. This has "closing track" stamped all over it. Nothing earth-shattering, but a nice little cut with a sweet feel to send us off shimmering.

This is Karen O from the Where the Wild Things Are movie soundtrack and All is Love

Thanks much for a real solid disc that takes some chances, but hits the mark most of the time. Good stuff, man.

Glad you enjoyed it.

✓ Hero And Heroine The Strawbs A Choice Selection of Strawbs
✓ Gone Flying Phil Manzanera K-Scope (Remastered) [Bonus Track Version]
✓ Ejection (2007 Remaster) Robert Calvert Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters
✓ In The Dreamlife You Need A Rubber Soul The Clean Mister Pop
✓ Beatles and Stones The House of Love The House of Love: Best of
✓ Wond'ring again Jethro Tull Living in the past
✓ Her Hair Hangs Long Gorky's Zygotic Mynci How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart
✓ Good Intentions Paving Co. Joanna Newsom Have One On Me
✓ Legend of a Mind The Moody Blues In Search of the Lost Chord (Remastered)
✓ Jet Silver and the Dolls of Venus Be Bop Deluxe Axe Victim
✓ From the Day That You Were Born (Hollywood Version) Pop Levi Sugar Assault Me Now - EP
✓ My Friend the Sun Family Bandstand
✓ Hors d'Oeuvres Roy Harper Stormcock
✓ Here’s the Tender Coming The Unthanks Here’s the Tender Coming
✓ Axis: Thrones of Love Pink Mountaintops Outside Love
✓ All Is Love Karen O and the Kids Where the Wild Things Are (Motion Picture Soundtrack)

[T. Willy Rye]

I received an excellent disc this month, absolutely crammed with 77mins of great songs, mostly in a indie pop / rock stylee, which is, of course, very much my sort of thing.
I think it's a really good selection of tracks - plenty I liked, a few old goodies I hadn't heqard in ages and some very intriguing songs by acts I don't know at all. Also, I liked all the songs, there wasn't a single duff track here. (Just as an aside, however, there was a split-second of skipping on tracks 1, 5, and 9, but nothing that really negated the enjoyment of the mix...).

I'm glad you liked it. I started based on
1. your like of indie guitar bands like Sonic Youth, the
2. the fact that we are the some age, so probably have some nostalgia in common.
3. I think I read that you had defended Ryan Adams, hence the Americana, alt country of whatever we are supposed to call it now. [/color]

I also received a really neat bonus disc of jazz tracks ,which I'll review in October.

I realized that you may have better things to do than review this if you want I can just give you a track list.
Anyway, I've listened to this four times, so away we go...

1) A quick screech of feedback and thev action begins. Lots of distorted guitars, pummelling drums and belligerent female vocals. I really like the frenetic, juddering arrangement. This is a cool song.

The mighty Sleater-Kinney. Man, I miss them and talk about going out on top. Entertain from their last record The Woods. I was heartened to find that Corin Tucker is putting out a record next week.

2) Brooding, distorted guitars, hazey vocals, very much my sort of thing. The drums and vocals only section that takes the song to the end is superb. Like it.

Decided to slow things down with Centro Matic's fuzzed approach to alt whatever it is. Fort Recovery came out a few years ago. Haven't really heard from then in a while.

3) Aaah, good ol' Kim Deal. Lovely ringing, clanging guitars and speedy rhythms. I can't tell if this is the Breeders or the Amps, but either way it's nice to hear this again, but I've forgotten what it's called.

I Am Decided from the Amps' Pacer. Very early on in my bcb days I tried to start a thread about how this is an unjustly neglected gem of a record. Mostly board members disagreed strongly, yet they were respectful. I still thinks it's a great record and should certainly get more love, certainly the last time Kim Deal was lucid.

4) A wave of feedback, a stomping, ominous drum beat, then a shimmering guitar riff emerges, as does a raw, ragged vocal. This is a really good song. Good lyrics, too: "...that son of a bitch crossed me once, he won't cross me twice..." Great line, cool song.

Deer Tick with Easy- this came out last year, but is just really resonating with me lately.

5) A female singer-songwriter here. Nice acoustic guitar line and gentle piano, then the band comes in and the song takes off. Really nice voice, good song.

Kind of the antithesis of female singer-songwriter. This is My Curse from the Afghan Whigs, but you're to be excused from this because Marcy Mays from Scrawl takes over lead vocals from Greg Dulli on this. I think when I was 24 I found lines like zip me down/ kiss me there to be titilating, now it just seems like a sad song of sexual co-dependence and mutual psychosis, but I still love it. Another band that doesn't get discussed enough here.

6) A guy singer-songwriter, very good picked acoustic guitar. Typical "woe is me' lyrics, but genuine, not cloying or insincere. Good song.

I liked to take credit for a conscious smart sequencing, but I think I put it here by chance but Graveyard by the Devil Makes Three works nicely after the previous track, it gives off a morning after feel

7) ...and the ukelele makes its first appearance on a mix disc to me ! A good, basic, enjoyable song.

Probably the first wash basin bass too. The Pine Hill Haints do hillbilly calypso with Bordello Blackwidow

8) 'Then She Remembers' by the Dream Syndicate. Always a pleasure to hear a track from the wonderful The Days Of Wine And Roses.

I started to get a little into Dream Syndicate in 88, but it was hard to find DOWAR, so I kinda forgot about it. In 2000 I went to Amoeba SF and Steve Wynn was playing a show because DOWAR had just been released on CD. He and his band- ripped picked up the CD and have listened to it pretty routinely over the last 10 years.

9) 'Rave Down' by Swervedriver. I was very keen on shoe-gazing back then and still enjoy hearing it now. This was a staple on student radio at the time, so it evokes very happy memories for me. I wish shoe-gazing had been huge and not Brit-slop or grunge.

You and me both. You are of course correct.

10) Fantastic song, very appealing female vocals which stand out brilliantly against very sparse instrumentation. The slide guitar here and there is cool, as are the bursts of more full-on instrumentation in general. The section from 5.00 to the end at 6.20 is especially amazing.

Bettie Serveert with Brain Tag. I was wondering if Carol Von Dijk's English as a second language lyrics might get a little precious but I love her voice, and Peter Visser's guitar is pretty outstanding. I saw them as an opening act in 93 and 98- both times they blew away the headliner. Haven't really kept up with them, but am going to see them in SF on 10/12, finally as a headliner.

11) Good, uptempo pop song with cool reverbed guitars. It is especially impressive in the second half. Neat song.

Kevin and Anita Robinson's (responsible for Vivia Voce) second band Blue Giant with Clean the Clock. It sounds a lot like XTC (there's quite a bit of that going around these days), but I really this song.

12) Fervent, jangling guitars, snappy rhythms here, very nice piercing guitar riff. Great thrashy ending. Good song, like it.

Carry the Zero by Built to Spill. Another band I had sort of written off and then another free show at Amoeba and well Keep it Like A Secret has to be one of my 10 favorite records of the 90s

13) Very pleasant singer-songwriter track, nice and enjoyable.

I'm noticing a strong Portland presence Celilo with Pinata. They should've gotten some of the adulation heaped on Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes.

14) Good, vaguely country-ish rock. Lovely ringing, tumbling guitar riff.

Whiskeytown from Stranger's Almanac with Loosering

15) Very impressive, zig-zagging, herky-jerky arrangement. This is a pretty cool track, like it.

Locked in by fIREHOSE. I probably listen to them more than the Minutemen

16) Very basic, acoustic guitar, fast, woodblock-type percussion, high female vocals. Quirky, but enjoyable.
tune-yards is definitely quirky in a kinda outside art sort of way

17) Excellent post-punk, all scratchy guitars and rattling rhythms. I recognise the lyrics from somewhere and may even own this. Either way, it's fantastic.

Au Pairs with Diet. Dave Allen's band Elastic Purejoy covered maybe you might have that?

18) Blazing, manic rock, loads of bludgeoning riffs. A fun dose of heavy psych-rock, good stuff.

Skills Like This from my favorite Guided by Voices record Isolation Drills

19) The immortal Husker Du and 'Celebrated Summer'. A wonderful song to finish with.

Yes. Sir!

Well, as you may've gathered, that was a very, very impressive mix, thank you !! A lot there I really liked !!

Thought we might have some common ground!

1. Entertain- Sleater-Kinney
2. Calling Thematica- Centro- Matic
3. I AM Decided- The Amps
4. Easy - Deer Tick
5. My Curse- Afghan Whigs
6. Graveyard- Devil Makes Three
7. Bordello Blackwidow- Pine Hill Haints
8. Then She Remembers- Dream Syndicate
9. Rave Down- Swervedriver
10. Brain-Tag- Bettie Serveert
11. Clean the Clock- Blue Giant
12. Carry the Zero- Built to Spill
13. Pinata- Celilo
14. Loosering- Whiskeytown
15. Locked-In- fIREHOSE
16. News- Tune-yards
17. Diet- Au Pairs
18. Skills Like This- Guided by Voices
19. Celebrated Summer- Husker Du

[beenieman]

Firstly my apologies for the delay in reviewing. I was laid low with the flu for weeks. Just going to work (where I’d get a few posts in) and home to eat lightly and sleep.

Track 1 A great hip hop track with a fantastic backing track - bagpipes. I really should hear more hip hop. Eminem right? 10 out of 5!

Track 2 Another rap with a bit of a Jamaican sensibility to the lyrics. Nas & Damian Marley As We Enter. It sounds way more hip hop than dancehall doesn’t it? Lyrically great. I think they put out every song on that album as singles!

Track 3 This I don’t know. People who criticise modern black music don’t listen and appreciate how busy the productions. There’s a lot going on in there and in a lot of rap these days!

Track 4 They give away who they are. Kid ‘n’ Play. Old school sound now. From early 90’s I guess? If I hear pop or rock from then I think it’s too modern! Lyrically crammed isn’t it. They don’t make them like this anymore.

Track 5 More old school. 90’s style. Hush the Crowd. This has a bit lineage to current styles; I’d say Eminem heard this.

Track 6 Don’t know this one but some good dancefloor lyrics and again really musically adventurous in the backing. Not sure what’s getting played back there.

Track 7 Boogie On Reggae Woman – Stevie’s hit song.

Track 8 Rick James –Give It to Me Baby. He deserved a way better career than he got. Busting Out of L seven is one of my favourite albums ever.

Track 9 More funk from the day. I should know who this is! Another great track

Track 10 Like the last track made for the disco floor. Takes a while to let everybody catch the groove before the lyrics come in. It’s DAZZ BAND with Let It Whip of course. I’ll bet that there albums. largely million sellers, are all out of print! An under rated band. So much great black music in that era but the focus is always on the 60’s & 70’s for soul. Great track. I’m bouncing in my chair!

Track 11 Prince!!! Sign ‘o’ The Times. He was perfect wasn’t he. It was his time. He couldn’t make a bad track. Shame he’s so pedestrian now.

Track 12 Sounds familiar...More great dancefloor funk. I don’t how this music could ever have gone way. And why it’s not universally loved!

Track 13 Doctor John’s best ever track was his biggest hit. Right Place, Wrong Time. He owes Norman Whitfield some posthumous royalties though

Track 14 B.T. Express- Do It Till You're Satisfied. If we have DAZZ we should have these guys. Need some Slave; Mass Production & Brick now! I had (have) a bunch of LP’s from all these guys! Great stuff.

Track 15 Wilson Pickett. He should have signed on with one of the afore mentioned bands. He’d have been massive all over again. Three Time Loser. How many heartaches can a man have?

Track 16 The closer. I expected a slow track to wrap up the night. This is funkier than ever. Funked up Louie Louie.

One of the best mix club discs ever. I’ve toyed with doing something similar in the past but I may as well not bother now. Not a bad track here and this will go on the shelves for regular play.

Thanks.

[bhoywonder]

Sorry it’s a day late, I somehow thought there were 31 days in September! Fool that I am. My other excuse is that I meant to get it done before going on holiday but was so busy with work I just failed. Thanks for being patient and here’s to it:

1. tight wee reggae opener. Very solid, great groove, passionate singing, yeah, nice. I’d like more of this for sure.
2. Solid funker next. Nice elements throughout, but maybe a wee bit clean for me to listen to much of it. Still, it’s a fine track, although it goes on a bit.
3. 70s motown, possibly even late tempts or four tops, but I certainly don’t recognise it. Nice and slick, but perhaps a bit too slick for me. The orchestration swamps it a little, and perhaps is covering up that the song itself isn’t the strongest, but that’s only a minor criticism, it’s essentially cool.
4. This is excellent. Really brilliant track. It’s a great version of don’t let the devil ride. Sounds to me like it could be the Fairfield four, from the lead vocal, but the guitar sounds more Memphis than Nashville. I’ll be buying whatever album this comes from for sure.
5. Sweet cut, 60s girl singer, some of the arrangement is very Dusty, but it’s certainly not her singing. Really like this one too. I love this sort of thing.
6. Nah, don’t dig this. It’s just quite annoying really. The strings loop is horrible, like nails on a blackboard, the production is clichéd – at best – and the vocal is bored. Next.
7. From the first note, it’s obviously a great cut. Sweet as honey, floaty piece of vocal harmony rocksteady version of hurts so good. Really like this one, yes thank you and very much too. It gives me shivers – in a good way!
8. Slightly more rootsy, but still I think, rocksteady or ska. yes? I don’t know the styles of reggae so well, I’m quite a new reggae fan. Anyway, it’s another sure winner. I love this. Nice one.
9. This one’s not really for me. It’s a modern blues, a bit worthy for me. Or maybe deliberate is a better word than worthy. It feels a little deliberate, unnatural. No thanks.
10. Exemplary southern/eastern European thing. Admirable, if not entirely easy, listening. The playing is superb and you have to admire them, even if you might not want to sit and listen to it much.
11. Great voice, very similar to Otis Redding. Almost identical in parts. The groove’s pretty hectic, isn’t it? That bass is all over the place while the drums are very jazzy. Pretty decent song, if a little dizzying!
12. Acoustic version of The Blood by the Cure. Great band, great song, great version. Always puts me in mind of Kafka, for some reason.
13. I kind of don’t mind this and hate it at the same time. There are bits I really like, but the whole is just a bit annoying to me. A bit like Black grape.
14. Dreadful track. Appalling, almost beyond words how terrible it is. The lyrics are not worthy of a grown-up and the music is the most formulaic shit imaginable. A baffling choice.

So all told, an excellent mix, with a couple of very obvious exceptions. Really looking forward to the reveal as I think some of this must rank among the best stuff I’ve had in 2 or 3 years of mix clubbing.

Thanks mixer!

[Mike Boom]

I've played this mix a lot , and it got better with each listen. This is not stuff I would normally listen to, but I enjoyed pretty much all of it, maybe for that reason. Really have no idea who most of the tracks are by, but I enjoyed the variety of the disc and there are three or four tracks I really really loved, especially track 18 which I think is fucking brilliant.

1) Old blues number - have no idea who but its cool, it rocks along, and nice female backing vocals. Nice opening.

2) Great little sixties pop song, have really enjoyed this more with each hearing, reminds a little of Go Now by the Moody Blues, not sure who it is and it annoyes me I don't know.

3) A bit of African music , has that typical high life guitar, but at a slower tempo and has a nice wah wah solo another nice track.

4) A short instrumental/loop featuring a horn section nice interval

5) Not sure how to describe this track, another instrumental - its a sort of jumble of horns and drums and tuba - a sort New Orleans jazz party jam I guess, energetic and fun. Like it

6) A bit of Zydeco , I like this, really swings along.

7) Another short instrumental track with strings, quite lovely.

8) Country number, "It takes two to make one", dont know this but its enoyable, the singer has just a touch of Dylan about his vocal delivery in parts.

9) This one sounds like a Jerry Lee Lewis song but sung by a woman - groovy rock n roll number.

10) This is a real interesting track, song of singer songwriter track but with quite a few psychedelic touches. Very interested in who this is, a favourite from the disc.

11) A boogie woogie piano piece , sort of Leon Russel /Prof Longhair type thing. Very nice.

12) A slightly sort of latin beat to this track, cruises along with some very tasty organ and guitar. Like it

13) Sixties girl group pop song, love it, but can't place who it is.

14) Lo fi recording , interesting little acoustic number - again , no idea who it is. Hard to tell how old this is, but it reminds me a bit of Chris Knox, or GBVs more lo fi moments.

15) Mercy Mercy, I know the Stones version of this, this is the original version I guess, not sure who by.

16) Short instrumental - led by horn section

17) Another boogie woogie piano track, nice vocal. Is this Dr John or someone of his ilk? Groovy.

18) Highlight of the disc - I love this song , brilliance. "Sugar Man" . A sort of woozy drug song, a pretty straight foward acoustic type track but with this crazy trippy production. As with just about everything else on this mix I have no idea who this is but I do know its fucking great.

19) Sounds like John Martyn, but I'm not sure it is , just a vocal with just some strange strings, cello I think. Another favourite from the disc - kinda strange and folky - really love this track.

20) And another favourite track from this disc, mostly instrumental, it really heats up at the end. Really nice drums and rhythm guitar at the start of the track leads into a faster end section with a few vocals. Cool stuff.

Thanks again to my mixer for a great disc

[Nolamike]

I've played this mix a lot , and it got better with each listen. This is not stuff I would normally listen to, but I enjoyed pretty much all of it, maybe for that reason. Really have no idea who most of the tracks are by, but I enjoyed the variety of the disc and there are three or four tracks I really really loved, especially track 18 which I think is fucking brilliant.

Hey Mike - I was the sender. I really liked making this one for ya, but was a bit concerned that a lot of it seemed to be outside of your usual listening, at least based on some of your posts that I've seen - but it sounds like it worked out!

1) Old blues number - have no idea who but its cool, it rocks along, and nice female backing vocals. Nice opening.

This is the Reverend Charlie Jackson, with "God's Got It." This one is from the mid-'70s, he had a very small church (a congregation of maybe 40 or 50 people), and this is basically what his Sunday services sounded like. I'd probably be a church-going man, if I could find a church like this one. There's a comp collecting all of his '70s singles, which is one of my favorite gospel discs.

2) Great little sixties pop song, have really enjoyed this more with each hearing, reminds a little of Go Now by the Moody Blues, not sure who it is and it annoyes me I don't know.

This is The Action, with "Come Around," from the great, great album Rolled Gold. The thing was recorded by George Martin in '67, but EMI for some reason didn't want them to beef it up (it was intended as a demo for the album), and it sat on the shelves until being released in 2002. If you like this song, you'll love the whole thing - it has a similar vibe.

3) A bit of African music , has that typical high life guitar, but at a slower tempo and has a nice wah wah solo another nice track.

Sir Victor Uwaifo, with "Kirikisi." The recent comp of his has got some stellar guitar playing on it.

4) A short instrumental/loop featuring a horn section nice interval

J Dilla with "Gobstopper," from the album Donuts, which is full of this sort of thing.

5) Not sure how to describe this track, another instrumental - its a sort of jumble of horns and drums and tuba - a sort New Orleans jazz party jam I guess, energetic and fun. Like it

It's the Rebirth Brass Band, with "Fire." They're probably the best and best-known brass band from New Orleans, and have been around for almost 30 years at this point. This is the soundtrack to a lot of days here.

6) A bit of Zydeco , I like this, really swings along.

Cajun, actually (Zydeco typically leaves out the fiddle and adds a washboard, and is usually done by African-Americans). This is Feufollet, with "Les Jours Sont Longs." They're a pretty great little band, in fact they're my current favorite thing to listen to. They're all in the early 20s, but have been playing together since they were 6 and 7 years old. While they do a lot of traditional songs, they do them in strange ways, with things like pedal steels, toy pianos, and the like. This song is an original number; keeping with their love of odd instrumentation in Cajun songs, this tune features mellotron (!).

7) Another short instrumental track with strings, quite lovely.

Andrew Bird, with one of the untitled tracks off the lovely album The Mysterious Production of Eggs.

8) Country number, "It takes two to make one", dont know this but its enoyable, the singer has just a touch of Dylan about his vocal delivery in parts.

This is the criminally unknown Jim Ford, with "It Takes Two." Bear Family has re-released some of his stuff on a single disc, which this is from.

9) This one sounds like a Jerry Lee Lewis song but sung by a woman - groovy rock n roll number.

Sodsai Chaengkij, with "Shake Baby Shake" from the always-amusing Thai Beat a Go-Go comps - basically, people in southeast Asia in the '60s and '70s doing American songs and covers, often for the GIs over there for Vietnam. Good stuff!

10) This is a real interesting track, song of singer songwriter track but with quite a few psychedelic touches. Very interested in who this is, a favourite from the disc.

This is the Small Faces, with the mono mix of "Just Passing," from their Immediate years. Despite its brevity, this has always been one of my faves by them.

11) A boogie woogie piano piece , sort of Leon Russel /Prof Longhair type thing. Very nice.

This is James Booker, with a take of "Classified" from the Taste of Honey live set, recorded in the mid-'70s. James was an odd cat - an openly gay, one-eyed (he had a star-shaped eyepatch) junkie who is generally regarded as the most technically gifted New Orleans piano player. Despite being openly gay and a junkie, he was set up with an easy job in City Hall, simply because he was so loved by so many people in this town. He died way too young, in the early '80s. This live set, by the way, also features an eleven minute version of this track, with a long spoken section in which he describes his having the hots for Burt Reynolds.

12) A slightly sort of latin beat to this track, cruises along with some very tasty organ and guitar. Like it

This is The Super Eagles, with "Love's a Real Thing." They were a Nigerian group from the '60s and early '70s. This is their best track; on their LP, they cover "Hey Jude" in the weird Temptations way - by focusing all their attention on the verses, and only doing, like, four bars of the "na-na-na" coda.

13) Sixties girl group pop song, love it, but can't place who it is.

This is the Cookies, with "I Never Dreamed." This may be my favorite girl group tune; that guitar sound just slays me!

14) Lo fi recording , interesting little acoustic number - again , no idea who it is. Hard to tell how old this is, but it reminds me a bit of Chris Knox, or GBVs more lo fi moments.

This is Roky Erickson, with his first recording of "Birds'd Crash" (which he recently redid with Okkervill River). This was recorded at the mental hospital where he was locked up in '71; the second guitar on there is thought to have been played by the other guitar player from his prison band, who hacked up his family.

15) Mercy Mercy, I know the Stones version of this, this is the original version I guess, not sure who by.

This is the Don Covay original, and features none other than Jimi Hendrix on guitar. Covay and Jagger sound remarkably similar, both the tone of their voice, and the way they pronounce words and finish lines. The whole "Mercy" album is a corker, and I'd highly recommend it.

16) Short instrumental - led by horn section

This is everyone's favorite street-performing, Viking-helmet wearing composer, Moondog, with "Bird's Lament." I've been listening to a ton of his stuff lately; there's all kinds of interesting things going on, but with a great sense of melody and rhythm.

17) Another boogie woogie piano track, nice vocal. Is this Dr John or someone of his ilk? Groovy.

Yep, good call - Dr. John with "Life," an Allen Toussaint tune that's been recorded by a bunch of New Orleans folks. This is probably my favorite version of the track, from the album In The Right Place.

18) Highlight of the disc - I love this song , brilliance. "Sugar Man" . A sort of woozy drug song, a pretty straight foward acoustic type track but with this crazy trippy production. As with just about everything else on this mix I have no idea who this is but I do know its fucking great.

Ah, great! This is Rodriguez, with "Sugar Man" from the 1970 album Cold Fact. This whole album is killer, and is along these lines; this is one of those great lost albums that sank without any notice at the time, but which has been rediscovered and re-released recently. Good stuff!

19) Sounds like John Martyn, but I'm not sure it is , just a vocal with just some strange strings, cello I think. Another favourite from the disc - kinda strange and folky - really love this track.

Arthur Russell, with a track off the World of Echo disc, "Our Last Night Together." The whole album sounds similar to this, with cello, echoey vocals, and little else getting in the way. This is from the early '90s or late '80s.

20) And another favourite track from this disc, mostly instrumental, it really heats up at the end. Really nice drums and rhythm guitar at the start of the track leads into a faster end section with a few vocals. Cool stuff.

This is The Feelies, with "Raised Eyebrows" off their debut album Crazy Rhythms. An early '80s masterpiece; I recently bumped a thread about them, which is likely on page 3 or 4 of Yakety Yak right now.

Thanks again to my mixer for a great disc

Thanks, Mr. Boom! And thanks for enjoying my first mix club entry!

1. Rev. Charlie Jackson - "God's Got It"
2. The Action - "Come Around"
3. Victor Uwaifo - "Kirikisi"
4. J Dilla - "Gobstopper"
5. Rebirth Brass Band - "Fire"
6. Feufollet - "Les Jours Sont Longs"
7. Andrew Bird - "[Untitled]"
8. Jim Ford - "It Takes Two (to Make One)"
9. Sodsai Chaengkij - "Shake Baby Shake"
10. The Small Faces - "Just Passing"
11. James Booker - "Classified" (Live)
12. Super Eagles - "Love's a Real Thing"
13. The Cookies - "I Never Dreamed"
14. Roky Erickson - "Birds'd Crash"
15. Don Covay - "Mercy, Mercy"
16. Moondog - "Bird's Lament"
17. Dr. John - "Life"
18. Rodriguez - "Sugar Man"
19. Arthur Russell - "Our Last Night Together"
20. The Feelies - "Raised Eyebrows"

[John_K]

9) This one sounds like a Jerry Lee Lewis song but sung by a woman - groovy rock n roll number.

Sodsai Chaengkij, with "Shake Baby Shake" from the always-amusing Thai Beat a Go-Go comps - basically, people in southeast Asia in the '60s and '70s doing American songs and covers, often for the GIs over there for Vietnam. Good stuff!

I LOVE that track

[Mike Boom]

1. Rev. Charlie Jackson - "God's Got It"
2. The Action - "Come Around"
3. Victor Uwaifo - "Kirikisi"
4. J Dilla - "Gobstopper"
5. Rebirth Brass Band - "Fire"
6. Feufollet - "Les Jours Sont Longs"
7. Andrew Bird - "[Untitled]"
8. Jim Ford - "It Takes Two (to Make One)"
9. Sodsai Chaengkij - "Shake Baby Shake"
10. The Small Faces - "Just Passing"
11. James Booker - "Classified" (Live)
12. Super Eagles - "Love's a Real Thing"
13. The Cookies - "I Never Dreamed"
14. Roky Erickson - "Birds'd Crash"
15. Don Covay - "Mercy, Mercy"
16. Moondog - "Bird's Lament"
17. Dr. John - "Life"
18. Rodriguez - "Sugar Man"
19. Arthur Russell - "Our Last Night Together"
20. The Feelies - "Raised Eyebrows"

Wow, had no idea that was the Small Faces, I have a ton of their stuff, including a lot of the Intermediate stuff, but not familiar with that track - its a good one too!

I will definitely get that Rodriguez album, thats just a killer track.If the whole album is as good as that track I have to have it!

Heard of the Action but don't have any of their stuff, so may have to correct that.

The Thai Beat a Go Go stuff sounds very cool.

Should have recognised the Cookies.

Should have got the Feelies too, I have their Good Earth album kicking around somewhere.

The Arthur Rusell stuff sounds interesting, will have to investigate that too!

Thanks again Mike.