Thursday, April 29, 2010

04-29-10: Crazy What You Could Have Had

Sometimes spring feels like a restless wait for summer, and then suddenly it feels like summer. So, calender be damned, it seems time to start my weekly mix with Albert Ayler's indescribably sublime version of the Gershwin standard "Summertime".

Two songs repeat across the mix: the original version of Randy Newman's "No One Ever Hurt This Bad" as well as a cover by Linda Ronstadt and both the demo and official take of Ray Charles' "Funny (But I Still Love You)".

I've always loved demo or more stripped-down versions of songs. I suppose all-vocal tracks fall in that category, such as the "a cappella" version of "99 Problems" by Jay-Z. Other demo versions on here include "Leave Me Be" by The Zombies and "Yesterday" by The Beatles.

Speaking of The Beatles, "Uh- Huh" is the Method Man track mashed up with The Beatles' "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)". Method Man and the rest of The Wu-Tang Clan are also on here with the menacing "Careful (Click, Click)".

Last week's mix featured a bunch of songs performed live and this week's ends with two more: "Country Feedback" by R.E.M. and Paul Westerberg's version of "Things" on the BBC.

The rest: Prince's salacious "Head", the funky "Things Could Be Better" by Ernie & The Top Notes featuring Raymond Winnfield, Prince Paul's bouncy "Steady Slobbin'" featuring Breeze, the bizarre "Thinking About God In Room 335 While The Guys Next Door Are Getting Blow Jobs" by Redemption Thong, the tender "Can We Pretend" by Bill Withers, the forlorn "Pieces" by Miwa Gemini, the languid "Obscured" by Smashing Pumpkins, Willie Nelson's version of the Leon Russell standard "A Song For You" and the defiant "My Love For You (Has Turned To Hate)" by Hank Williams.

Summertime Albert Ayler
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Thursday, April 22, 2010

04-22-10: Only To Realize It Never Really Was

The cover of The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down" that opens this week's mix is credited to Bruner, and comes from a recently-released home recording by an obscure young singer named Linda Bruner who recorded these songs nearly forty years ago and then disappeared. The last song on this mix also has that spare, home-recorded quality as it was an outtake from Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska sessions called "The Answer".

Guru passed away last week and this mix features both "Now You're Mine" from his Gang Starr days as well as a a Buckwild remix of his "Respect The Architect" with Ramsey Lewis and Bahamadia.

In between is a long series of songs performed live, beginning and ending with Stevie Wonder: first, his cover of Bobby Hebb's pop standard "Sunny" and ending with a 1970 performance of "My Cherie Amour". The other live songs include Hall & Oates' cover of Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On", Joe Strummer turning the microphone over to Mick Jones for a cover of The Equals' "Police On My Back", Michael McDonald singing his Doobie Brothers hit "What A Fool Believes" with the song's writer Kenny Loggins, a version of The Replacements' "Answering Machine" by that song's writer Paul Westerberg, REM performing "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" on MTV Unplugged, David Bowie with a version of Jacques Brel's "My Death", an atmospheric performance of "Unravel" by Bjork, a cover of Leon Russell's "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye playing the ladies in the crowd with "Distant Lover", Linda Ronstadt performing a version of her hit ballad "Long Long Time", Nina Simone's rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" and Gil Scott-Heron with a moving introduction to a live version of"Your Daddy Loves You" with Brian Jackson.

Don't Let Me Down Bruner
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Thursday, April 15, 2010

04-15-10: I Let You Treat Me Bad, Let You Make Me Sad

"I Wish I Knew" is a jazz standard that was written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon for a 1945 film called Diamond Horseshoe, starring Betty Grable. This week's mix features versions by Bill Evans Trio, John Coltrane Quartet, Ahmad Jamal performing live and Chet Baker both playing and singing.

Also featured on here is Hank Williams' haunting "Alone And Forsaken", including covers by Neko Case and The Mekons as well as the undubbed original.

The rest: the infectious "Why Can't We Be Friends" by War, A Tribe Called Quest's bouncy "Award Tour", the dour "My City Was Gone" by The Pretenders, Kid 'N Play's witty "Do This My Way", Wanda Dee's suggestive "The Goddess", Al Green's sensual "Love Ritual", the chugging "Born On The Bayou" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, T. Rex's ebullient "Cadillac", The Jam's harrowing "Down In The Tube Station At Midnight", an echoey demo version of "On The Wall" by The Jesus & Mary Chain, the lushly melancholic "Everything Means Nothing To Me" by Elliott Smith, the wistful "Place To Be" by Nick Drake, Diana Ross' cover of Aretha Franklin's "I Love You (Call Me)", and Jerry Butler's gorgeous "Just Because I Really Love You".

Why Can't We Be Friends? War
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Thursday, April 8, 2010

04-08-10: You Can Take Part In The All-American Dream, Just Fill Your House Up With Products You Don't Need

This week's mix features "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down": covers by Joan Baez and Solomon Burke as well as the original by The Band. Also originally by The Band: "The Weight", covered here by The Staple Singers.

A couple other songs are featured here this week: "Love Vigilantes" by New Order with covers by Laura Cantrell and a rare alternate to Iron & Wine's cover version; and Marlena Shaw's "Woman Of The Ghetto", also on here as a cover by Hortense Ellis.

The rest: Darondo's uplifting "How I Got Over", the Jay-Z-sampling Diplo mix of M.I.A.'s "Bingo", the brassy "Let Me Off Uptown" with Anita O'Day and Roy Eldridge, T La Rock's cocky "Breaking Bells", the funky "Hot Stuff" by The Rolling Stones, the groovy "Madison Avenue" by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson, the J Dilla-produced "Bullshit" by The Pharcyde, Weldon Irvine's sunny "I Love You", Francoise Hardy's yearning "J'Aurais Voulu", a stripped-down mix of "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5, Johnny Cash's cover of Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire" and the spiritual "Church In The Wildwood" by The Carter Family.

How I Got Over Darondo
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Thursday, April 1, 2010

04-01-10: You Can Be The Side Effect, I'd Rather Be The Dope

This week's mix features George Harrison's cautionary "Beware Of Darkness": including an acoustic demo along with his original as well as covers by Leon Russell, Marianne Faithfull and Matthew Sweet with Susanna Hoffs. George's music is also represented here by Peggy Lee's cover of The Beatles' "Something", a cover of his "Isn't It A Pity" by Galaxie 500 and a demo version of his "I Me Mine" for the Beatles album Let It Be.

The rest: Eddie Money's pleading "Baby Hold On", a hushed live version of the standard "My Foolish Heart" by the Bill Evans Trio, the "Blue Mix" of JVC Force's "Strong Island", the funky "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll (pt. 1)" by Vaughan Mason & Crew, Prince's witty "Pope", Main Source's menacing "Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball", the Mark Bell "Optimism" remix of Bjork's "Bachelorette", Paul Simon's mellow "Run That Body Down", Vetiver's chipper "Everyday", the calypso tribute "Bing Crosby" by The Lion, the dense "Older Gods" by The Wu-Tang Clan, the spiritual "A Little Talk With Jesus" by Ernest Phipps & His Holiness Singers and Belle & Sebastian performing the cryptic "Judy And The Dream Of Horses" live on the BBC.

Beware Of Darkness George Harrison
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