Thursday, January 27, 2011

01-27-11: No Kiddin', I'm Ready To Fight

This week's mix features two songs in triplicate: Danny O'Keefe's moody 70s hit "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" with covers by Waylon Jennings and Elvis Presley as well as three covers of The Smiths' "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me" by The Thrills, Grant-Lee Phillips and Low. Additionally, there are two versions of Cat Power's "Metal Heart" as well as two versions of Jay-Z's "Encore": one a cappella and the other Dangermouse's Grey Album mash-up of Jay-Z with The Beatles.

The rest: the swinging "Good Times Bad Times" by Led Zeppelin, Solomon Burke's determined "Home In Your Heart", the ferocious "Boom Boom, Out Goes The Light" by Little Walter And His Jukes, the catchy "Past In Present" by Feist, the 12" mix of Chic's infectious disco anthem "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)", Kwest Tha Mad Ladd's densely produced "What's The Reaction", the rhythmic "Guns Of Brixton" by The Clash, Don Covay's soul singer homage "Temptation Was Too Strong", a demo version of The Who's "The Kids Are Alright" by Pete Townshend, a cover of New Order's "Ceremony" by Radiohead, a funereal vocal demo of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence", Lou Rawls' version of Leon Russell's "A Song For You" and Dean Martin's jaunty and definitive version of the standard "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You".

Good Times Bad Times Led Zeppelin
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Thursday, January 20, 2011

01-20-11: I'm Like A Dog, I Never Speak But I Understand

This week's mix features a few songs that repeat. "Bumming Around" was a hit for future sausage mogul Jimmie Dean and was also covered by Dean Martin. The version of the early Randy Newman song "So Long Dad" here by Nilsson includes a little loose studio chatter. Both Van Morrison's "If I Ever Needed Someone" and T. Rex's "Broken-Hearted Blues" are on here as both album and rare acoustic demo versions.

The rest: the driving "Life During Wartime" by Talking Heads, the martial "General Patton" by Big Boi, Elmore James' anguished "Talk To Me Baby", Jay-Z's defiant "Never Change", the moody "Medley - Ike's Rap II/ Help Me Love" by Isaac Hayes, the mellow "Sweet Exorcist" by Curtis Mayfield, the soul singer homage "Don't Take Your Love From Me" by Third Guitar, Otis Redding's plaintive "My Lover's Prayer", Bruce Springsteen's haunting "The River", Neil Young's wistful "Too Far Gone", the chipper "In Acapulco" by Georgia Gibbs, the funky "Cutie Pie" by One Way, the melodic "Never Gonna Change" by Freeway & Jake One, a cover of David Bowie's "God Knows I'm Good" by Danny Michel and a cover of The Beatles' "You Never Give Me Your Money" by Sarah Vaughan.

Life During Wartime Talking Heads
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Thursday, January 13, 2011

01-13-11: It's A Mixed Up, Muddled Up, Shook Up World

This week's mix features two songs: the non-album Bob Dylan song "Baby, I'm In The Mood For You" with covers by Dion and The Wanderers as well as Odetta and three covers of Stevie Wonder's "All In Love Is Fair" by Barbara Mason, Mel Torme and Cal Tjader with Carmen McRae.

The rest: the wry "Lola" by the Kinks, the rocking "That Ain't Nothin' But Right" by Mac Curtis, the forlorn "Nails In My Coffin" by Jerry Irby & His Texas Ranchers, a cover of Prince's "Purple Rain" by Stina Nordenstam, Bobby Womack's funky "If You Want My Love, Put Something Down On It", the percussive "Gold" by GZA, the full album version of "I'm A Greedy Man" by James Brown, the Brown-sampling "Nighttrain" by Public Enemy, the loping "Policy Of Truth" by Depeche Mode, the poppy "Out Of Touch" by Hall & Oates, the original Niles Rodgers production of Diana Ross' "I'm Coming Out", the Freda Payne-sampling "Bob N' I" by RZA, the atmospheric "The Afrikan In Winter" by The Positive Force with Ale Olatunji and the languid "I Wanna Touch You Babe" by Roy Ayers.

Lola The Kinks
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Thursday, January 6, 2011

01-06-11: Dream Up, Dream Up, Let Me Fill Your Cup With The Promise Of A Man

My first weekly mix of 2011 begins with the bullet blast opening Jr. Walker's "Shotgun". For some reason the sound effect wasn't added until later and there are versions without the sound effect and at least one different one, which sounds more like a bomb going off. This seems to be the standard version. Walker played saxophone but had never recorded lead vocals until this song, when the singer didn't show up. For the rest of his career, he did double duty.

Two songs are featured in different versions on this week's mix. Neil Young's countryish "Harvest" is on here alongside a cover by Sy Straw. Also, the Tin Pan Alley standard "When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful", made popular by Fats Waller with versions by Bryan Ferry and Dean Martin from the movie Scared Stiff to accompany the Waller version.

Years ago, I included the frantic Ghostface Killah/Jadakiss collaboration "Run" on a mix. The remix here adds verses from Raekown, Freeway and Lil Wayne.

The rest: the swaggering "Return Of The Hip Hop Freaks" by Nice & Smooth, the soulful "Never Find A Love Like Mine" by The Brownettes, the brooding "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle" by Nirvana, MF Doom's instrumental "Pennyroyal", the mellow "I Get My Groove From You" by Bobby Patterson, Method Man's atmospheric "Killin' Fields", the operatic "Streets Of Fire" by Bruce Springsteen, O. V. Wright's soulful "I'm Going Home (To Live With God)", Polly Possum with Joe Wolverton and The Dog Patch Boys on the smoky "Don't Talk To Me About Men", Elvis Costello's brisk cover of Bob Dylan's "You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go", Dylan's precocious "My Back Pages", the jazzy "Glad Tidings" by Van Morrison, 60s French pop by Les Roche Martin with "Les Mains Dans Les Poches", a cover of Carly Simon's James Bond theme "Nobody Does It Better" by Radiohead, a version of the Jimmy Webb standard "Wichita Lineman" by Bruner and the elegiac "Baker Street" by the recently departed Gerry Rafferty.

Shotgun Jr. Walker & The All Stars
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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Countdown 2010

Of the 1,074 songs across my weekly playlists of 2010, the previous post collected my favorite 107, or the top 10%.

This post narrows it down further to my top 1% of the year, or my top 11. Here they are, counted down to my very favorite song of 2010.

11. "Captain (The Mermaid)" by John Phillips

This odd but infectious song stuck with me throughout the end of the summer of 2010. I love the gospelly chorus, the odd maritime lyrics and the casual guitar and piano behind a subtle and confident vocal performance by John Phillips. It has the pop feel of one of his Mama & Papas hits but with a more idiosyncratic feel. It sounds like both a tall tale and a statement of purpose.

10. "Re-Up Intro" by Clipse

I first heard this a few years ago on a Clipse mixtape. This year I heard it again in slightly different form from an official release of outtakes and the like. This version lost some of the unnecessary sound effects to reveal just the fierce and funny lyrics over a punishing and spare beat. Whether they are "high like giraffe ass" or threatening to "suicide bomb ya like Mohaammded Atta", their overall lyrical assault is simply astonishing.

9. "Stimulus Outro" by Freeway & Jake One

Freeway is a bit of a journeyman rapper, although talented. His album Stimulus Package came out early this year and I really loved "Stimulus Outro", his funny and weirdly moving recitation of fan mail, of which he says "some send it physical, some send it email". Over a dreamy and sympathetic production from Jake One, he comments on the mail and even adopts a regional accent depending on which letter he is quoting. There are probably a lot of songs where the artist directly addresses their fans but this song stands as very unique.

8. "Ceremony (Original 7" single ver)" by New Order

This very early New Order single was recorded right after Ian Curtis died and Joy Division became New Order. It marries the brooding feel of the former band with the pop sensibility of the latter. I particularly like the original single version for the punchier guitars and murkier vocals. It's a very evocative song that still has mystery for me.

7. "Everything Means Nothing To Me" by Elliott Smith

I didn't pay too much attention to Elliott Smith's music when he was alive but I had some familiarity with his work. Last spring, I heard this song at a restaurant and it bowled me over. The haunting lyrics and spooky falsetto over a gorgeous, Beatles-esque arrangement make it a perfect, if deeply melancholic, pop song. I listened to this song as much as any in 2010 and feel like I heard it at just the right time, and that it changed meaning slightly as the year went on.

6. "What's Going Ahn (demo)" by Big Star

Alex Chilton passed away in 2010, and I listened to a lot of Big Star again. In late 2009 an amazing box set of their work was released which included acoustic demo versions of many of their best songs. This one is amazing in its finished form and even more striking in its unfinished form. I liked hearing him tinker with the lyrics between the two. This was another one that had special resonance for me in 2010.

5. "Spaceball Ricochet" by T. Rex

My love for T. Rex seems boundless the last couple years and I think I have to put, at least temporarily, this one at the very top of their catalog. It's hard to know what a "spaceball ricochet" is exactly but this song seems to sound like one. The lazy guitar strums, the background chorus, child-like but brilliant lyrics and of course Marc Bolan's singing make it perfect. Even the wordless grunts seem perfectly placed.

4. "Turns Me On" by Big Boi ft. Sleepy Brown & Joi

Big Boi's solo album was as good as any new album I heard last year. Other singles got more attention maybe but this was my absolute favorite. I love the laid-back feel and the melodic production with great singing by Sleepy Brown and Joi behind Big Boi's sly delivery. This song will remind me of 2010 for a long time.

3. "Your Daddy Loves You" by Gil Scott-Heron

His new album sent me scrambling through his back catalog. Before I had a chance to get to know a lot of his older work, I got to see Gil Scott-Heron perform this past spring. He played this song, written for his daughter, and dedicated it to his son who was in the audience. It was the first time I'd really heard it and was a great way to experience how simply powerful and moving it is. The album version here features amazing electric piano by Brian Jackson.

2. "And I Love Him (live)" by Esther Phillips

Esther Phillips as a singer straddled the lines of jazz, soul and blues and unfortunately lived the hard life suggested by the subject matter of all of those genres. Here, she tackles rock, in particular The Beatles' "And I Love Him", changed to "And I Love Him", as well as tacking on a bit of "Light My Fire" by The Doors at the end. The cocktail lounge arrangement actually works as her amazing vocal lifts the whole song up into an area of drama and beauty. I can't think of a song I heard in 2010 with better singing.

1. "Mind Games" by John Lennon

I've long been familiar with this song but rediscovered it this year. The title suggests something negative and the soaring arrangement bears more than a hint of sadness and resignation but the lyrics and Lennon's vocal performance, perhaps the best he ever recorded, bring the song into a realm of guarded hope: about love, the future, the world. He seems to acknowledge the naivete of his earlier positions but he is still defiantly hopeful and brave. This song carried me through 2010 like no other.

Captain (The Mermaid) John Phillips
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Best Of 2010

There were 1,074 songs across my weekly mixes of 2010. Here are my favorite 107 of them.

N.W.A.'s "Approach To Danger" is post-Ice Cube and post-apocalyptic. One of the more overlooked Dr. Dre productions, very Public Enemy-esque, it's truly frightening. Much more soothing is the contemplative "Astral Weeks" by Van Morrison. When I discovered it in high school it sounded like nothing like I'd heard before. "Award Tour" is one of the more addictive beats in the arsenal of A Tribe Called Quest. Improbably, Eddie Money's "Baby, Hold On" was one of my very favorites last year. I re-heard it in a jeans store while a pretty Russian girl sang along with it on the radio. I felt like I'd rediscovered the simple pleasures of its melody and the way the songs just swells. The crunchy "Cadillac" was a sweet fix for my ever-growing T.Rex addiction of the last couple years. The world lost Solomon Burke last year and among his many songs I really enjoyed the graceful "Can't Nobody Love You". I've always been a sucker for the catatonic charms of Hope Sandoval and her song with The Warm Inventions called "Clear Day" reminds me so much of melancholy winter walks at the beginning of 2010.

As with T. Rex, my Jesus & Mary Chain addiction came out of nowhere the last couple years and last year I really loved the hazy "Cut Dead". Looking back at previous years "best ofs" I could not believe I hadn't included any Charlie Parker. I listened to him a lot again this year, particularly the controversial "strings" sessions from late in his career. His version of the standard "Dancing In the Dark" evokes a romantic New York. "Darling Dear"by The Jackson 5 is one of two of their songs in my best of this year that were "stripped" of much instrumentation and back-up singing to reveal the stunning and precocious singing of a young Michael Jackson. This one in particular almost made my top 1% of the year, the top 11 revealed in the next pos, and is absolutely amazing. "Daylight" is another soulful tale from the road by Bobby Womack. There was a great piece in the Times about how we should appreciate an ailing Aretha Franklin now, while she's still with us, in particular her landmark album I've Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You. From that, the definitive reading of the standard "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man". From there, the slightly sinister yet slightly mystical "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult and then an almost harrowing version of The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down" by the obscure Bruner. Also along the lines of amateur musical genius is Daniel Johnston's "Dream Scream". His heavy breathing on there seems part of the atmosphere and unintentional. Guru of Gang Starr died last year and their "DWYCK" with Nice & Smooth is a fitting epitaph. Seu Jorge released a cool cover of Roy Ayers' "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" that served as a perfect late summer soundtrack. Radiohead's "Everything In Its Right Place" came out about a decade ago but I felt like I just caught up to it, or its chilly appeal caught up to me and knocked me on my ass last spring. The funky obscurity "Evil Vibrations" by The Mighty Ryeders is one I played over and over again last year. In my universe, it was just as ubiquitous as Cee-Lo Green's glorious "Fuck You" was on the radio, deservedly so with its witty Motown update.

Main Source's "Fakin' The Funk" is old school but timeless. I went on a huge Fela Kuti kick last year, with all the reissues of his old albums and one of my favorites was the hypnotic "Fefe Naa Efe". Speaking of Main Source a minute ago, I was excited to find the slept-on Large Professor album The LP. From that, I loved "For My People (The LP)". Nice & Smooth's "Funky For You", like the best of their work, has loads of charm and killer production. Ray Charles' 50s songs on Atlantic are just about perfect, but I always love demo versions of songs and his "Funny (But I Still Love You)" is a case of the stripped-down version serving the material. I can't believe I had 7 years of mixes before James Brown's propulsive "Get Up (I Feel LIke Being A Sex Machine)" graced a mix. The "isolated" tracks of "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones were a huge underground hit online before their old record company abruptly pulled the files from the blog that shared them. After a lot of digging I was able to find the all-vocal version and I'm sure you'd agree it was worth the effort. I haven't yet dug deeply enough in the catalog of Billie Holiday to state a preference for early or late Holiday, not do I know what the "correct" answer is. I do slightly prefer the later version of her "God Bless The Child" here, with a slower delivery that hints at hard-earned wisdom that she might not have had when she first wrote it. Among the many covers I featured, Richie Havens' live version, in its artless but heartfelt delivery, may be my favorite. Another online music sensation was the mashup of Beatles and Wu Tang Clan songs, and my favorite was Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Got Your Money" against samples of both the original and cover versions of "You Never Give Me Your Money" by The Beatles, lending the former a pathos I didn't think it could have. I've long been familiar with Van Morrison's early band Them and their "Here Comes The Night" but last year I couldn't get enough of it. There is no song among these more fierce than Raekwon's "House Of Flying Daggers" with Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah and Method Man. It feels like a Wu Tang throwback.

I rediscovered my love for The Spinners last year and the gorgeously melancholic "How Could I Let You Get Away" is one of two songs of theirs on here. Merle Haggard's outlaw anthem "I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am" became one of my favorites this year and I liked Deam Martin's version every bit as much. The anguished "I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine" by The Ronettes shows that Phil Specktor's Wall Of Sound was every bit as majestic as the hype suggests. Jim Croce's "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" reminds me of my childhood and puts a lump in my throat. "If I Were Your Woman" by Gladys Knight & The Pips has it all: a great lyric with amazing singing against a perfect production. Also boasting perfect production: John Lennon's "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" which still gives me goosebumps. The orignal version made a previous year's "best of" but I think I actually prefer the remix of Ice Cube's "IT Was A Good Day", which swaps The Staple Singers' sweet "Let's Do It Again" for The Isley Brothers' "Footsteps In The Dark". Speaking of great sampling production, Pete Rock's Curtis Mayfield sample on "The Joy" with Jay-Z was the best thing Kanye West rapped on this year, despite the praise for his official solo album. The hushed BBC version of Belle & Sebastian's "Judy And The Dream Of Horses" was one f the more memorable songs for me this year, one that will always remind me of 2010 and that somehow feel just outside my top 11. I first heard Jerry Butler's "Just Because I Really Love You" as a chopped-up smaple on J Dilla's posthumous album Donuts. I loved finding the full song this year. Stevie Wonder's "Knocks Me Off My Feet" will forever remind me of watching Showtime At The Apollo on late, lonely Saturday nights in my early days in New York, when I was young and broke. This song was the mountain singers dared to climb, over and over again.

I saw the amazing documentary Still Bill early in 2010, and that led to a rediscovery of Bill Withers. In the film, he talked about how he wanted to write songs about things that felt substantial and real, like friendship, at which point the sublime "Lean On Me" cues up. Previous years' mixes have probably exhausted the ragged brilliance of The Replacements catalog but their anthemic "Left Of The Dial" landed belatedly in 2010 and I was grateful for it. Big Boi's album was at my very top of new albums in 2010, and "Lookin' For Ya", left off the album for contractual reasons around Andre 3000, hint at the Outkast album that never was. In addition to seeing the Withers documentary in the theaters, I saw 30 Century Man on DVD which sent me on a huge Scott Walker kick. The wintry "LOve Her" by The Walker Brothers" was one of my favorites last year. Over the last sveral years of "best ofs" I've included two versions of "Love My Way" by The Psychedelic Furs: the original and a rare acoustic live version. This year the song resurfaced for me with this live version, with crunchy guitar. My only excuse is that this is probably my favorite song in the world. Ne Order's "Love Vigilantes" was a revelation this year, such great lyrics and a song that sounds unique in their catalog, or anyone's for that matter. "Lovin' You" by Al Green is from my favorite, and underrated, album of his: Belle, where he produced a funky disco-ish album about his struggles with God. Way better than it sounds. Janis Joplin's posthumous hit version of Kris Kirstofferson's "Me And Bobby McGee" has always been a favorite of mine and last year I was thrilled to find the demo version of it. Gil Scott Heron's new album at the beginning of 2010 sent me on a kick though his catlog, and from the new album his interpolation of Robert Johnson on "Me And The Devil" sounds both current and timeless. "Mighty Love" by The Spinners is joyous ear candy. Of the songs on the new Kanye West album, the standout to me is "Monster" with Nicki Minaj outshining Kanye and Rick Ross and even Jay-Z. The trend in "stripped" mixes led me to an album of Smokey Robinson songs pared down from the originals, and this best of includes one of my favorites of his with The Miracles "More Love", which only highlights the amazing singing. Lil Wayne's "Mrs. Officer" reminds me of a wedding road trip gone wrong, but where getting lost felt fun. Billy Paul's jazzy covers of pop standards are always fun and his version of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" sounds like it should have been the original.

My "best ofs" do not have enough John Coltrane and this year I finally included one of my favorites, his early ballad "Naima". "Never Can Say Goodbye" was one of their early hits that the Jackosn 5 wrote themselves, and soon became a standard. The version here is one the "stripped" versions. "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper is one of two songs on here that reminds me of the film Dazed and Confused. My slightly edited (san skit) version of Ice Cube's "No Vaseline" is a fierce counterpoint to the earlier N.W.A. track "Approach To Danger". The melancholic "Numbered Days" by Eels was burned into me in 2010 and came close to my top 11. A previous "best of" featured Van Halen's ecstatic cover of Roy Orbison's "Oh, Pretty Woman". This year I have the original alongside Al Green's slowed-down version. Arrested Development's upbeat "People Everyday (Reprise)" reminds me of college. "Pretty Vacant" by The Sex Pistols reminds me that they weren't just an act, they wrote great songs too. The Madlib-produced Strong Arm Steady album might have been the best hip hop album of 2010 and "Questions" featuring Planet Asia and Fashawn was my favorite. Nas' "Represent" has an instantly recognixable DJ Premier production as well as amazing lyrics. Sleigh Bells were among the few hyped new bands of the year I found time for and "Rill Rill" is perfect pop. As is the ageless "Rock The Casbah" by The Clash. Ditto on Stevie Wonder's Duke Ellington tribute "Sir Duke". I rediscovered the powerful "Somebody To Love" by Jefferson Airplane" through a Cone brothers movie trailer. There are so many amazing versions of Leon Russell's standard "A Song For You": this year I include the live Donny Hathaway version as well as a cover by Cher, but as enjoyable as those are the Willie Nelson version here is probably his best vocal performance ever. Nearly in my top 11 of the year. "Starfish And Coffee" is overlooked evidence for the genius of Prince. The warm and heartfelt "Stop By" by Don Covay features one of my favorite singing voices ever. "Stray Cat Strut" by The Stray Cats reminds me of junior high and years later seems wittier than ever and just as cool. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's "Streets Of New York" is more gripping than any Law & order episode could ever be.

Albert Ayler's transcendent take of the Gerswhin standard "Summertime" sums up everything I felt last spring waiting for summer. Getting to see Paul Weller live last fall was a major thrill and he ended with, as I predicted and hped "That's Entertainment". the version here is not one of tThe Jam versions I used on mixes this year but a much later solo acoustic version. Pete Rock & CL Smooth's "They Reminisce Over You" tells a great story over a perfect jazzy beat. I found "They Say" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra with Helen Forrest on a post-war music compilation and loved the cool and sweetly wistful feeling it has. The mash up of "This IS Radio Clash" b y The Clash with Boz markie's "Something For The Radio" smacks of too-cute punnery on paper, but actually sounds amazing. There is no song that sounds more joyous than "Town Called Malice" by The Jam. "Two Hearts Beat As One" by U2 coasts over an amazing bass line and remidns me how exciting they sounded to me as a teenager. Among the many Bob Dylan covers I heard this year there was none better than Jackie DeShannon's countrified version of his obscure "Walkin' Down The Line".

"(We've Got) Honey Love" by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas is such a perfect pop song, and so far down the ranks of well-known Motown songs it remidns me of how bottomless their catalog of great songs is. Alex Chilton died this year which led me to listen to Bhis "What's Going Ahn" from his Big Star days. It's so beautiful and mysterious and evocative. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles is another one I can't believe it took me over seven years to put on one of my weekly mixes. Patel Vespa's sexy but spooky cover of Billy Idol's "White Wedding" makes my best of probably for shuffling through my ipod as I walked across the sun-dappled tarmac of teh Cartagena, Colombia airport. MF Doom's relentless "Who Do You Think I Am?" boast fierce lyrics from nearly unknown MCs and a killer flute sample. It was near the very top of my favorite songs I listened to last year. War's "Why Can't We Be Friends" was the other Dazed and Confused song I revisted this year and seemed to have special relevance for me now more than ever. Digging through Gil Scott-Heron's catalog this year led me to his stunning "Winter In America' with Brian Jackson, which I listened to endlessly as I took my early winter vacation in Colombia this past NOvember. The solo version also her, recorded many years later, was abonus track on his new album from 2010 and was even more powerful in its own way. Little Jackie's 28 Butts, like the ubiquotous Cee-Lo song from this year, update sMotown sounds with modern day wit.

And I Love Him (live) Esther Phillips
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