Thursday, August 12, 2010

08-12-10: You Took The Blue Out Of The Sky

"Walkin' Down The Line" is a Bob Dylan song from 1963 that never made an official album but, like many other obscure songs of his, was sought out by other singers for their own albums. This week's mix features covers by Odetta, Jackie DeShannon and Joan Baez, as well as his original.

Beth Orton's recording of "I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine" is a cover of the Phil Spector-produced epic by The Ronettes.

Merle Haggard wrote "You Don't Have Far To Go" for his debut album, and a few years later re-recorded it as "You Don't Have Very Far To Go", with the changes being the title and a more Spanish-tinged guitar in the latter version. In addition to both versions, this week features Candi Staton's recent recording of it.

"Me And The Devil" by Gil Scott-Heron is a modern reworking of Robert Johnson's "Me And The Devil Blues".

The very rare recording of "I Wish I Never Had Met Sunshine" by a teenaged June Carter is a cover of the Gene Autry hit, which is also on here.

The original "Jamaican Version" of "Baby, We've Got A Date" by Bob Marley & The Wailers from their major label debut Catch A Fire sounds punchier and leaner than the regular album version.

The rest: Just Ice's defiant "Goin' Way Back", Sonny Rollins' Brazilian-flavored version of the standard "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes", Seu George's cover of Roy Ayers' "Everybody Loves The Sunshine", MF Doom's mellow Steely Dan-sampling instrumental "Dature Stramonium", Al Green's blissful "Soon As I Get Home", MF Doom again with J Dilla's production on "Sniper Elite", the spacey "Beyond Real" by Jigmastas and a hushed version of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "The Prince of Bel-Air Theme" by Sparrows and Crows.

Funny How Things Can Change The Watts Prophets
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Thursday, August 5, 2010

08-05-10: Don't Ask Me What You Know Is True

"You Are My Sunshine" is a standard first recorded in 1939, written by country singer and Louisiana governor Jimmie Davis. This week's mix features three different 60s soul versions by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Dyke & The Blazers. Also featured here are two versions by Johnny Cash, one a late 60s duet with Bob Dylan and the other an acoustic studio version recorded decades later.

This mix also includes multiple versions of the John Lennon-sung early Beatles song "You Can't Do That": the album and demo versions as well as covers by The Supremes, Harry Nilsson and Booker T. & The MG's. The Nilsson version is from his first album in 1967 and is stuffed with snippets of other Beatles songs.

Roy Orbison's melodic "Oh, Pretty Woman" also repeats on here, with a cover by Al Green.

The rest: Peggy Lee's languid cover of Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman", Big Boi's loping "Lookin' For Ya" featuring Andre 3000 and Sleepy Brown, Mos Def's Big Boi-referencing "Twilite Speedball", Amy Winehouse's forlorn "Love Is A Losing Game", the swaggering "Brass Monkey" by Beastie Boys, Bo Diddley's sly "Bo's A Lumberjack", Kool Keith's bizarre "Lost In Space", the tortured "Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who, the slow-burning "The Lonely One" by Wipers, U2's propulsive "Two Hearts Beat As One", Elvis Costello's cover of The Beatles' "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", St. Vincent with Beck on a cover of INXS' "Never Tear Us Apart" and Bettye Lavette's live cover of The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me".

You Are My Sunshine Aretha Franklin
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Thursday, July 29, 2010

07-29-10: Givin' 'Em Information Like Encyclopedia

This week's mix features "Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)" by John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band, featuring George Harrison and Billy Preston among others, along with covers by Paul Weller and Bobby Shad and His Bad Men.

The newly-released "Rill Rill" by Sleigh Bells samples "Can You Get To That" by Funkadelic.

The rest: J Dilla's funky "Reality Check" with Black Thought, the loping "Groove Me" by King Floyd, the cocky "Set 'Em Straight" by Eric B. & Rakim, the infectious "Get Down" by Curtis Mayfield, a demo version of "Talk Of The Town" by The Pretenders, the sly "Johnny Sunshine" by Liz Phair, the organ-driven "Chitlin' Strut" by The Backyard Heavies, Speech Debelle's clever "The Key", Busta Rhymes frenetic "Gimme Some More", Norman Connors' spacey "You Are My Starship" with Michael Henderson on vocals, the sweet "Electrified Love" by Ernie Hines, a live version of David Bowie's "Heroes" by Blondie, a jaunty live version of "All I Really Want To Do" by Bob Dylan, Boz Scaggs' exuberant "Lido Shuffle", the tender "Liza" by Bill Withers and a live cover of The Rolling Stones' "Let It Bleed" by Caetano Veloso.

Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) John Lennon And The Plastic Ono Band
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Thursday, July 22, 2010

07-22-10: I Live For The Day, Plan For The Future, Pack A Lunch And Haul Ass

This week's mix has two versions of Jay-Z's "Lucifer": an a cappella version and a version remixed against Prince's "Darling Nikki". Prince is on here as well with a cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case Of You". I've also included Joni's original "Big Yellow Taxi".

Besides "Lucifer", the other repeating song this week is Fats Domino's "Walking To New Orleans": the original and a recent cover by Neil Young.

The rest: Led Zeppelin's determined "Your Time Is Gonna Come", Ornette Coleman's early composition "Lonely Woman", the Jam & Lewis-produced "Tender Love" by Force MD's, a "stringed out" mix of Jaylib's "The Mission", the mellow "Coltsfoot Leaf" by MF Doom, the blissful "Soft And Easy" by The Blackbyrds, Big Boi's infectious "Turns Me On", the melodic "Feels Like Summer" by Al Green, Wu-Tang Clan's relentless "Severe Punishment", the sweet "Show Stopper" by The Cashmeres, a live version of the eerie "Bombers" by Gary Numan, Fats Waller's playful "The Panic Is On", Prince Paul's detailed "Handle Your Time" with Sadat X among others, Laura Lee's sassy "Rip Off", Al Jolson's earnest "Ma Blushing Rosie", a live version of "Rain Dogs" by Tom Waits and a cover of Waits' "In The Neighborhood" by Peter Gabriel.

Your Time Is Gonna Come Led Zeppelin
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Thursday, July 15, 2010

07-15-10: With Every Mistake We Must Surely Be Learning

Sugar Minott, who died this week, had his biggest hit with a cover of Michael Jackson's "We've Got A Good Thing Going". This week's mix includes both their versions, as well as a "stripped" version that features the vocals more prominently. Also MJ-related: his Quincy Jones-produced "I Can't Help It".

Also featured on here this week are three versions of the gospel standard "God Rode In A Windstorm": by Sister Sarah James And The Sanctified Six, Professor James Earle Hines & His Goodwill Singers and Jessie May Hill.

One more song repeats on the mix: the album and demo version of "Confetti" by The Lemonheads.

The rest: Kool Keith alias Dr. Octagon's aptly titled "Real Raw", the gospel-inflected "One More Heartache" by Marvin Gaye, the moody "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by The Beatles, a live cover of The Beatles' "And I Love Her" called "And I Love Him" by Esther Phillips with a little of The Doors' "Light My Fire" thrown in, the mysterious "For You" by The Stylers, Bob Dylan's gentle "Huck's Tune", the peppy "Oh Baby Babe" by Willie & The String Poppers, Girl Talk's collage "Set It Off", the sweet "Bet You If You Ask Around" by Velvet, the loping "Who Got The Props?" by Black Moon, Digable Planet's mellow "For Corners", Donny Hathaway's tender "Make It On Your Own" and the wry "Restraining Order Blues" by Eels.

We've Got A Good Thing Going Michael Jackson
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Thursday, July 8, 2010

07-08-10: Feed The Animals In The Zoo Then Later A Movie Too

This week's mix features the Alice Cooper ballad "I Never Cry" as well as covers by Poison and Nina Simone with a rare rehearsal take.

Also repeating this week are two versions of Martha Reeves & The Vandellas' "(We've Got) Honey Love": the original and a version by The Velvelettes, and Hank Williams' "Moanin' The Blues": a live version and a cover by Merle Haggard.

The rest: a live cover of Prince's "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man" by Eels, a live version of "Perfect Day" by Lou Reed, the garage rocker "Hold Me Now" by The Rumors, the catchy "You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)" by The White Stripes, Giant Panda's mellow "Classic Rock", Joe Tex's Vietnam War ballad "I Believe I'm Gonna Make It", Celine Mastrorelli's cover of The Kinks' "I Go To Sleep", Vangelis' dreamy "La Petite Fille De La Mer", Marlene Dietrich's winsome "Solang Noch Unter'n Linden", an Italian version of The Four Tops' cover of The Left Banke's "Walk Away Renee" called "L'Acrobaleno", the joyful "Golden Gate Gospel Train" by the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet, Northend's rhythmic "Tee's Happy", a remix of Outkast's "B.O.B." by DJ X-Rated and DJ Esco, D'Angelo's funky "Left & Right" with Method Man and Redman, the breezy duet "Where Is The Love?" by Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway and Neil Young's haunted "On The Beach".

Moanin' The Blues (live) Hank Williams
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Thursday, July 1, 2010

07-01-10: I'm A Man Of No Conviction

This week's mix is bookended with both the album and acoustic demo version of "Cut Dead" by The Jesus & Mary Chain.

Also featured on here is John Lennon's "Working Class Hero": both the acoustic demo version and a cover by Richie Havens.

The rest: a cover of Culture Club's "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" by Mark Eitzel, Culture Club's sly "Karma Chameleon", the poppy "Another Nail In My Heart" by Squeeze, Stephen Malkmus' catchy "Death And The Maiden", the airy "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side" by The Smiths, the spacey "Who Do You Think I Am" by MF Doom and others, a Spanish version of Smokey Robinson's "Being With You" called "Aqui Con Tigo", the rhythmic "Rastafarian Folk Song" by Cymande, Lee 'Scratch' Perry's Chi-Lites-inspired "Justice To The People", Jay-Z's witty "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)", a mash-up of Billy Joel over Jay-Z called "Big Shot Pimpin'", Raekown's Billy Squier-sampling "Big Beat", James Brown's funky "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine) Pts. 1-2", the odd "Politician Rag" by King Soloman, Babtunde Olatunji's percussive "Menu Di Ye Jewe (Who Is This?)" and the anguished "All I Want Is You" by U2.

Cut Dead The Jesus & Mary Chain
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Thursday, June 24, 2010

06-24-10: The Tall Ones, The Small Ones, I Grab Them Off Like That

"The Dark End Of The Street" was written by Muscle Schoals songwriters Dan Penn and Chips Morman in 1967. It was first recorded by southern soul singer James Carr, but quickly became both a soul and country standard. On this week's mix, in addition to Carr's recording, I have versions by Aretha Franklin, The Afghan Whigs, Frank Black and The Flying Burrito Brothers. I also have duet versions by Lee Hazelwood with actress Ann Margaret as well as a young Dolly Parton with Porter Wagoner and a live duet between Richard and Linda Thompson. Also live is a version by Eels. The Ry Cooder version is instrumental and the very rare Prince Buster version was simply titled "Dark Street".

"Samson And Delilah" by Rev. Gary Davis is an interpolation of Blind Willie Johnson's "If I Had My Way I'd Tear The Building Down".

The rest: a demo version of the Gershwin standard "Summertime" by The Zombies, the spacey "Questions" by Strong Arm Steady featuring Planet Asia & Fashawn, the hushed "Never Saw It Coming" by The Jesus & Mary Chain, the Ice Cube rant "I Ain't Tha 1" by N.W.A., Eddie Cantor's version of the early standard "They Go Wild, Simply Wild Over Me". the futuristic "Where We About To Take It" by Busta Rhymes, Gladys Knight & The Pips' version of The Temptations hit "I Wish It Would Rain", a live version of "I Threw It All Away" by Bob Dylan & The Rolling Thunder Revue and the gorgeously perfect "How Could I Let You Get Away" by The Spinners.

The Dark End Of The Street James Carr
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Thursday, June 17, 2010

06-17-10: What Will Be The Point In Being A Fool Again?

The standard "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" was written in 1930. This week's mix includes a version from 1937 by Brown's Musical Brownies as well as versions by Dean Martin, Willie Nelson and Thelonious Monk.

The rest: the Latin-tinged "Chico Cuadradino" by Duke Ellington And His Orchestra, the Duke Ellington tribute "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder, the gleeful "Arthur" by The Kinks, early Talking Heads outtake "I Feel It In My Heart", Kool Keith alias Dr. Octagon with the aptly titled "Wild And Crazy", the spooky "Slide Her Under The Door" by Moses Longpiece, Dilinger's loopy "Cocaine In My Brain", the sly "Mrs. Officer" by Lil' Wayne with Bobby Valentino, the mellow "Love" by Bob Marley & The Wailers, Aretha Franklin's cover of Bobby Womack's "That's The Way I Feel About Cha", Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti with the oddly retro "Can't Hear My Eyes", Air Supply's dramatic "All Out Of Love", M. Ward's reflective "Eyes On The Prize", a live acoustic version of Paul Weller's cover of Sister Sledge's "Thinking Of You" and a newly recorded live version of Jackson Browne's "Running On Empty" with David Lindley.

I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) Dean Martin
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Thursday, June 10, 2010

06-10-10: I'm Sewing Tigers On My Shirt And Alligators

A few songs repeat across this week's mix. Melanie's "Some Say (I Got Devil)" is covered by Tortoise with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. Beck does a version of Nick Drake's "Which Will". R.E.M.'s minor hit "Superman" was actually an obscure 60s garage rock song by The Clique.

The rest: a dramatic version of The Undisputed Truth's "Smiling Faces Sometimes" by The Temptations, late-period Who anthem "Who Are You", The Notorious B.I.G.'s mellow "Sky's The Limit" with 122 and without the goofy intro on the album, the oddly languid "Power Flower" by Stevie Wonder, Grant Green's lush cover of "Three Times A Lady" by The Commodores, the funky 12 inch version of "Brick House" by The Commodores , Rhymefest's cocky "Chicago" from his new album, the J Dilla-produced "Somethin' That Means Somethin"" by The Pharcyde, Brother Claude Ely with a rollicking version of the spiritual "There Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down", the ethereal "Spaceball Ricochet" by T. Rex and a live version of "Love My Way" by The Psychedelic Furs.

Smiling Faces Sometimes The Temptations
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