There were 1,046 songs across my weekly mixes of 2011. Here are my favorite 104 of them.
I've included covers of "And I Love Her" by The Beatles in past years but until now never the original. I love the percussion and George Harrison's classical guitar. Bobby Womack sings and plays it much slower on this cover version. The live version of Nirvana's obscure "Aneurysm" is fierce, with a cleaner chorus than the original. I love the Spinners sample on Nine's "Any Emcee" as well as his gruff delivery. "Atmosphere" by Joy Division is haunting and beautiful. The same adjective describes Duke Ellington's "Blood Count", written by his writing partner Billy Strayhorn as he lay dying in a hospital. "Blue Flowers Revisited" is strange even by the standards of Kool Keith alter ego Dr. Octagon, and contains snippets of hilarious covers. Betty McQuade's cool "Blue Train" is both rockabilly and pop, with a sweet yearning feel to it.
"Born And Raised In Compton" by DJ Quik is a great use of an Isaac Hayes sample. "Broken Language" by Smoothe Da Hustler and Trigga Da Gambler is scary, funny and rhythmically addictive. Mos Def's "Brooklyn" feels like three songs in one, deftly moving through samples like different neighborhoods. I heard "Burnin' For You" by Blue Oyster Cult at a friend's birthday party and it took me back to listening to rock radio as a kid, and how clean the guitar rings here. Like the acoustic outtake I included on a "best of" a couple years ago, I prefer this "electric outtake" of The Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait" to the original. I love the swinging wit of Jo Stafford & Johnny Mercer's "Conversation While Dancing". "Count On Me" by The Natural Four matches a great groove with heavenly singing. "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" was a new discovery for me last year from the vastly underrated George Harrison solo catalog. Camera Obscura's "Dory Previn" summarizes the healing power of music as well as any song I've heard. As I've told friends, I have coveted a tee shirt I saw once that simply said: "Me & You, Your Momma And Your Cousin Too", the refrain from "Elevators (Me & You)" by Outkast. Bushwick Bill's "Ever So Clear" is long-winded, funny, oddly poignant, scary and shocking all at once. I love the strings phase of Charlie Parker's latter career, and his version of the standard "Everything Happens To Me" is elegant and moving. I've included many versions of the Eugene McDaniel-written "Feel Like Makin' Love" across the mixes over the years, but the original version by Roberta Flack is still my favorite. There's no shortage of rap songs with James Brown samples but the sample in "Get Down" by Nas is one of the most clever. Clever is a good word to describe Lyyke Li's "Get Some", and I love the tribal beat.
I included a few versions of Danny O'Keefe's melancholic "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues" this year but the Elvis Presley version was my favorite. I'd forgotten how great "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" by The Beatles is: heavy, slightly sinister, funny and joyful. There probably isn't a word to describe the singing on "He Got Better Things For You" by Memphis Sanctified Singers, but it sounds unlike anything else on here. I never knew there was an original version of the Michael McDonald hit "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)" until I heard the Chuck Jackson version, with its clever percussion, echoing a racing heart, against his amazing vocals, full of anger and hurt and even a little sarcasm. The next song here, "I Like You" by Sol Hoopii & His Novelty Quartet, feels colored by opposite feelings. "I Saw Her Again" by The Mamas & The Papas is so perfectly constructed, a song that would stick in my head for days after hearing it. I always knew that George Harrison's "I'd Have You Anytime" was written with Bob Dylan, but it wasn't until I saw the Scorsese documentary on Harrison this year that I learned he wrote it about his friendship with Dylan, about his efforts to try and be a closer friend. I love the rare and more subdued version of "I'm Still Waiting" by Bob Marley.
I included two versions of Bobby Womack's "If You Don't Want My Love (Give It Back)": the acoustic version was part of the soundtrack to Across 110th Street, the later electric version included on his album Communication. I'm surprised "Innocent When You Dream (Barroom)" by Tom Waits didn't make a weekly mix until this year, as I've loved it for years and it feels timeless. Mazzy Star's "Into Dust" was one I didn't remember well from the album I bought when it came out over 16 years ago, but listened to a lot this year. Masta Killa's "Iron Chamber" is worth it for RZA's verse alone, but they are all on point. Linda Ronstadt's done more than a couple Buddy Holly covers but none more lovely than "It Doesn't Matter Anymore". Lil Wayne's "John" with Rick Ross is relentless, one of the best songs to actually come out this year. I heard Crosby, Stills & Nash's "Just A Song Before I Go" when I was out this year, and didn't know it was them. But how could it have been anyone else? "La La La La" by Lone Catalysts has such a great sound that I've never really absorbed the lyrics. "Lady" was my favorite of several Fela Kuti songs that made my heavy rotation this year. The acoustic version of "Learning The Game" by Buddy Holly is so bittersweet, simple and wise, it's hard to fathom he was still in his early 20s when he wrote it. Destroyer's great cover of New Order's "Leave Me Alone" sounds more New Order than the original. "Lola" by The Kinks never seems to get old to me. "Mac Dre Is The Name" by Mac Dre employs a genius sample of "Bounce, Skate, Rock, Roll" by Vaughn Mason & Crew. I listened to a Persuasions album on vinyl at the end of a party last spring and fell in love with their cover of Bob Dylan's "The Man In Me". Nirvana's ubiquitous cover made me forget the haunting original version of "The Man Who Sold The World" by David Bowie. The live version of The Chantels' "Maybe" by Janis Joplin is absolutely spine-tingling. Amy Winehouse died last year, and I rediscovered her witty "Me And Mrs. Jones".
The "later" version is Cat Power's "Metal Heart" is from her latest covers album and I like it even better than her original. Woody Guthrie's version of the standard "There's More Pretty Girls Than One" was one of my theme songs of the year. The remix of "Movin' On Them" by the obscure Two Kings In A Cypher has a great, underused Sly & The Family Stone sample. Sammy Davis Jr. brings unique magic to the country standard "Mr. Bojangles". I could not listen to this one enough last year. JVC Force's Buffalo Springfield-sampling "A Musical Sample" was similarly addictive. It's a controversial period of her oeuvre, but I love late-era Billie Holiday and this version of "No Good Man" is among her best. The non-album track "Nobody 'Cept You" by Bob Dylan is among the most heartfelt songs he ever wrote and I love the rare Waterboys version as well. "On Coming From A Broken Home (Part 2)" is the second of two rare in-studio monologues Gil Scott-Heron recorded near the end of his life. With a faint sample of Kanye West's "Flashing Lights", this passage is incredibly moving. "One Woman" is early Al Green that I had never really listened to until last year and I feel it's near the top of all his work. Albert Ayler's live version of "Our Prayer" here is simply magnificent. Fesist' insanely catchy "Past In Present" was a song I listened to as much as any last year. I've had to include two versions of David Bowie's "The Prettiest Star", the later Alladin Sane version is breezy but sweet. Harry Nilsson recorded a whole album of Randy Newman songs, and his gorgeous "Remember" sounds even better coming from Newman.
"Rhymin & Stealin" is the first song on their first album, and in my opinion, still their best. The full album version of "Sail On" by The Commodores is Lionel Richie at his smoothest. Ditto for Lou Rawls on his "See You When I Git There", he seems to sing his way home. I was reminded of Wu-Tang's fierce "Shame On A Nigga" by a brilliant mash-up of the song against an animated episode of My Little Pony that was sent around last year. Even more unhinged Wu material is the brilliant a capella version of "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" by Ol' Dirty Bastard. "Shook Ones Part II" by Mobb Deep was near the very top of my favorite songs of the year, the eerie production filled my headphones on more than one late night walk. The "closet mix" of "Some Kinda Love" by The Velvet Underground has the intimate feel of a late night secret. Eric Dolphy's "Something Sweet, Something Tender" is also great late night music. I might enjoy John Lennon's version of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" even more than the original, and he sings the hell out of it. I was thrilled this year to find not one, but two obscure female-vocal covers of Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and I like them both about equally. The Vikki Carr version is a little more defiant, while Sammi Smith's is a bit more sad with a beautifully ravaged voice. The live version of "Talent Show" by The Replacements takes a decent song and make it epic. As I said about the Destroyer New Order cover above, Luff's cover of Neil Young's "Tell Me Why" sounds more Neil Young than even Neil's original does. "Temptation 'Bout To Get Me" by The Knight Brothers has long been a favorite soul ballad of mine and hearing it again this year really stuck with me.
The cover of The Smiths' "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" by Dum Dum Girls was one of the very best new songs I heard last year. It kicks ass in a way that would make Johnny Marr proud. Listening to Nancy Sinatra's 60s hit "These Booth Were Made For Walkin'", I was struck by Lee Hazelwood's production, particularly the bass line. Betty Crutcher's mellow "Up For A Let Down" is so lushly produced while still feeling weightless and a little bittersweet. "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" by Joe South & The Believers is one I always wanted to play really loud when I listened to it this year. I posted a couple versions of Fleetwood Mac's "What Makes You Think You're The One" this year, including the original, but I most loved the Twilight Singers cover, with the swinging beat and echoey Greg Dulli vocals. I never thought of Led Zeppelin having a female influence until I heard both the vocal and guitar on "When The Sun Never Goes Down" by Willie Mae Williams. Snoop Dogg's "Who Am I (What's My Name)" will now forever remind me of dancing on a frozen lake in the middle of the night. "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love" was one of the very first Phil Spector sessions with The Ronettes and among their best work. "Women Women Women" by Shelley Lee & His Alleycats was another anthem for the year 2011, although released some 75 years earlier. "Yes It Is" is an early overlooked Beatles song that I loved hearing this year. "You And Me" by Penny & The Quarters appears in the movie Blue Valentine, which I watched this year and remembered that I had on an obscure compilation from the reissue label Numero Group. After the movie came out, there was a great story about finding the woman who sings this vocal, she never knew it was released. Donald Byrd's "You And The Music" is jazzy, funky and just a great groove. Chet Baker's vocal version of "You Don't Know What Love Is" is about the best version I've heard of this standard. The "acoustic" version of "You Trip Me Up" by The Jesus & Mary Chain is a revelation, and still has a little electric guitar noise, feeling fully formed rather than just a practice take. I discovered the airy "You Got What It Takes (To Please Your Woman)" watching the old Whit Stillman film Barcelona, and realized Silver Convention was a little more than just a one hit wonder. I played "6 Foot 7 Foot" by Lil Wayne about as often as any song this year and seemed to discover a new funny line every time. "100 Days, 100 Nights" by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings came out a few years ago but feels both old and timeless.
