Thursday, November 25, 2010

11-25-10: Spread Your Wings And Let Me Come Inside

"Tears Of Rage" was written during Bob Dylan's "Basement Tapes" sessions with The Band in 1967, and first appeared on The Band's debut album. In addition to these two versions, this week's mix features versions by Gene Clark of The Byrds and Jimi Hendrix. A previous mix included Joan Baez's version.

Toussaint McCall's "Nothing Takes The Place Of You" was also recorded in 1967. This week also features covers by Al Green and a reggae version by Prince Buster. Also getting a reggae treatment is Pink Floyd's "Us And Them" by Frankie Paul. The original version is preceded on here by a cover of their "Wish You Were Here" by Bettye LaVette. Finally, there are two versions of the Rodgers & Hart standard "Have You Met Miss Jones?": one by Louis Armstrong and another by Art Tatum with Ben Webster.

The rest: the festive "Having Fun" by Pepe Fernandez & His Orchestra, Lil Wayne's guitar-heavy "I Am Not A Human Being", the N.W.A. diss track "No Vaseline" by Ice Cube, the M.C. Hammer diss track "H.A.A. (Here's Another Asshole)" by Black Sheep, Rod Stewart's languid "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)" and the plaintive "If You'll Be A Baby To Me" by Hank Williams.

Having Fun Pepe Fernandez & His Orchestra
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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

11-18-10: Sometimes I Feel It's A Shame When I Get Feelin' Better When I'm Feelin' No Pain

This week's mix features Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" with covers by The Specials, Solomon Burke, Toots Hibbert and Richie Havens as well as the original album version.

Other stuff: Bruce Springsteen's hopeful "The Promised Land", the loping "What I'm Here 4" by Gang Starr, the chipper "Feelin' The Spirit" by Luis Russell & His Orchestra, Sarah Vaughan's cover of "Something" by The Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot's mellow "Sundown", the contemplative "Rivers Of My Fathers" by Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, the nostalgic "Doo Rags" by Nas, the spacey "Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts" by Funkadelic, Kanye West's tortured "Blame Game" sans comedic skit, Daniel Johnston's haunting "Dream Scream", the full band album version of "Judy And The Dream Of Horses" by Belle & Sebastian and Dock Walsh's spiritual "Bathe In That Beautiful Pool".

Maggie's Farm Bob Dylan
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Thursday, November 11, 2010

11-11-10: And I'll Never Have That Recipe Again

"Winter In America" was the title of an iconic album by Gil Scott-Heron with Brian Jackson, but they didn't believe in title tracks for albums, so the eponymous song appeared on their following album. This week's mix includes their album version as well as Gil's solo version recorded over two decades later.

Don Covay's "Funky Yo Yo" is so funky I had to include Parts 1 and 2. Also in the vein of excess is Donna Summer's 12" single version of the pop standard "MacArthur Park", which fits in her "One Of A Kind" and "Heaven Knows" before reprising the original.

I included the acoustic demo version of Big Star's "What's Going Ahn" earlier this year, the album version here is more muted emotionally with altered lyrics and guitar.

The rest: Keith Jarrett's swinging "Blue Streak", Plantlife's ethereal "Fool For U", Big Daddy Kane's funky "Smooth Operator", EPMD's swaggering "Get The Bozack", the full version of the late Supremes song "Stoned Love", the dense "Ambassadors" by Strong Arm Steady featuring Planet Asia and Chace Infinite, The Zombies' take of the Gene Vincent single "I'm Going Home", the languid "Crush" by Smashing Pumpkins, the wartime lament "I Will Be Home Again" by The Golden Gate Quartet and Nina Simone's take of the gospel standard "Nearer Blessed Lord".

Winter In America Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson
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Thursday, November 4, 2010

11-04-10: It's Never What You Do, It's How It's Done

"Black Sheep Boy", like "If I Were A Carpenter", was written by Tim Hardin and later recorded by Bobby Darin. This week's mix includes both their versions as well as covers by Scott Walker and Okkervil River.

Hardin wrote many of his more famous songs in Greenwich Village and this week's mix is very New York City-centric. Lou Reed's languid "Downtown Dirt" opens the mix and it ends with the "Closet Mix" of his band The Velvet Underground's "Candy Says". The "Closet Mix" was Reed's alternate production of their album, with the vocals more prominent.

Other New York songs abound here, including the recently-released Witmark demo of Bob Dylan's "Hard Times In New York Town" as well as Cat Power's rare Peel session cover. There's also a nod to New York hip-hop with Jay-Z's Nas-sampling "Dead Presidents II", Nas' Barry White interpolation "No Idea's Original" and old school rap from Mr. Q with the Michael Jackson-sampling "DJ Style".

Other New York-based artists here include Sonny Rollins with his version of the standard "Without A Song" and Little Jackie's retro-sounding "28 Butts".

Beyond New York, and planet Earth, are two versions of David Bowie's "Moonage Daydream": the original and a cover by Danny Michel.

The rest: the forlorn "I Told A Lie To My Heart" by Hank Williams, the giddy "Barnyard Boogie" by Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five, the chipper "Town Called Malice" by The Jam, the melodic "Starvation" by The Pioneers, the rocking "Threshold Apprehension" by Black Francis, the lushly-orchestrated "Numbered Days" by Eels, the graceful "Knocks Me Off My Feet" by Stevie Wonder and a cover of Stevie's "If It's Magic" by Cassandra Wilson.

Downtown Dirt Lou Reed
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Thursday, October 28, 2010

10-28-10: Rainbow, Moonbeams And Orange Snow

"Can't Find My Way Home" is an original track from the only studio album by 70s supergroup Blind Faith, which featured Eric Clapton on guitar and Stevie Winwood on vocals. In addition to the original, this week's mix features covers by Gilberto Gil and Ellen McIllwaine.

Other songs that repeat this week include Jelly Roll Morton's standard "Sweet Substitute", covered by Karen Dalton and the country standard "I Wish I Had A Nickel" by Jimmy Wakely as well as a rare demo by Hank Williams.

The version of Stevie Wonder's "Saturn" on here includes a slight edit of the song, with the sound of children playing at the end edited out. Preceding that is Gato Barbieri's cover of Stevie's "I Am Singing".

Kanye West's recently-released single "The Joy" features Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and former Gap Band singer Charlie Wilson as well as killer production by Pete Rock with a Curtis Mayfield sample.

The last two songs on here reflect a recent trend in re-released "stripped" versions of songs, with some of the production taken out to reveal crisper versions. One is a more acoustic version of John Lennon's "Woman", the other a more vocal-focussed version of "Baby, Baby Don't Cry" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.

The mix begins with the rare album version of James Brown's "Get Up Offa That Thing/Release The Pressure", all glorious nine minutes of it. Listen carefully and you'll hear a swipe at Barry White.

The rest: the aptly-named "Funky 2 Listen 2" by Large Professor, the wistful "I Had It All The Time" by Tyrone Davis, the menacing "Cross The Border" by Clipse, the rhythmic "Ride A White Swan" by T. Rex, the rocking "Fell In Love With A Girl" by The White Stripes, an alternate version of Bob Dylan's "Most Of The Time" and Billy Preston's funky cover of "I've Got A Feeling" by The Beatles.

Get Up Offa That Thing/ Release The Pressure James Brown
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Thursday, October 21, 2010

10-21-10: A-Riggy Diggy Dig Dang Dang

"He'll Have To Go" was first recorded by Jim Reeves and soon became a pop country standard. The Elvis Presley cover also included here was the very last song he recorded. Other covers on this week's mix include a reggae version by Raphael Stewart & The Hot Tops, a studio outtake by a Keith Richards-led Rolling Stones and another by Solomon Burke.

Solomon recently passed away en route to a concert, and much of this mix is dedicated to his music. In addition to "He'll Have To Go", I've included his recent version of the standard "None Of Us Are Free" as well as his hits "Cry To Me" and "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love". I've also included a cover of the latter by The Rolling Stones, as well as two versions of their Exile On Main Street track "All Down The Line", the album version and a rare acoustic demo. Stones-related songs here are rounded out by three covers: Gabor Szabo's instrumental version of "Paint It Black", Bobby Darin's version of "Back Street Girl" and a cover of their standard "Wild Horses" by The Sundays.

The mix is bookended by Merle Haggard's outlaw anthem "I Take A Lot Of Pride In What I Am": the original and a jaunty cover by Dean Martin.

The rest: a mash-up of The Clash's "This Is Radio Clash" and Biz Markie's "This Is Something For The Radio" by dj BC called "This Is Radio Biz", the defiant "I Ain't Got The Love (Of One Girl On My Mind)" by The Ambassadors, Lil Wayne with Drake on the oddly romantic "With You", the dusty soul obscurity "Your Smallest Wish" by 21st Century LTD, the sly "Back Up Plan" by Big Boi, the television theme "Green Acres" by Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor, an acoustic home recording of "Nobody Told Me" by John Lennon.

I Take A Lot Of Pride In What Am Merle Haggard
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Thursday, October 14, 2010

10-14-10: Someone's Always Trying To Tell Them Something They Already Know

Biz Markie's "Alone Again" heavily samples Gilbert O'Sullivan's hit "Alone Again (Naturally)", and was a landmark case of copyright infringement which changed the rules for sampling forever. Seemed an appropriate one to feature on this week's mix: future pressings of Biz Markie's album omitted this song and it is very hard to find a digital copy of it. But not as hard as it is to now find yourself on this blog, gentle reader.

Previous mixes featured the original O'Sullivan hit, as well as a cover by Esther Phillips and reggae group The Now Generation. This week's features covers by Gene Ammons, Sarah Vaughan, Bobby Darin and a typically personal and idiosyncratic version by Nina Simone.

The Darin cover is live, filling out a suite of live songs here. First, Bob Dylan's Vegas-like version of "One More Cup Of Coffee (Valley Below)" performed in Budokan, followed by Darin, then a young Neil Young with a stripped-down version of "Tell Me Why", followed by Paul Westerberg's similarly unadorned version of his Replacements single "I Will Dare". The concert continues with a live version of Cat Stevens' "Moonshadow" followed by Gladys Knight & The Pips' live cover of The Temptations' "I Wish It Would Rain".

The other song featured this week is the inscrutable but moving "Mohammed's Radio" by Warren Zevon: the album version, a solo piano demo and a cover by Linda Ronstadt.

The rest: the funky "No Diggity" by Blackstreet with Dr. Dre and Queen Pen, Funk Factory's languid "Rien Ne Va Plus", the spacey "ATLiens" by Outkast, Eddie Floyd's wise "Why Is The Wine Sweeter (On The Other Side)", Waylon Jennings' cover of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee", the romantic vocal version of Philippe Sarde's "La Chanson D'Helene" and George Fromby's chipper "I Told My Baby With The Ukulele".

Alone Again Biz Markie
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Thursday, October 7, 2010

10-07-10: We Can Be Like They Are

The first song I ever learned to play on guitar as a teenager was either "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2 or "Clampdown" by The Clash. But the first one that ever felt really powerful to play was Blue Oyster Cult's darkly majestic "Don't Fear The Reaper". While it was a song that seemed to belong, unlike the others, to a much earlier generation, there is something about it that now feels timeless and reminds me of brisk fall nights.

One song repeats this week: Merle Haggard's prisoner lament "I Wonder If They Still Think Of Me", both the album version and a rare stripped-down demo. He must have drawn on his own days as an inmate.

Etta James' "All The Way Down" seems to also draw on personal history as she entered rehab shortly after recording it in the early 70s.

The rest: Lil Wayne's profane "Gonorrhea", Marvin Gaye's romantic "Soon I'll Be Loving You Again", Gang Starr's purposeful "Work", the funky "Because I Got It Like That" by Jungle Brothers, Pulp's slowly-building "Help The Aged", Gang Of Four's fierce "To Hell With Poverty", the playful "Wack Wack" by The Young Holt Trio, Larry Young's groovy "Spaceball", Neil Diamond's peppy "Cherry, Cherry", a duet of John Hartford's pop folk standard "Gentle On My Mind" by Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry, O.V. Wright's soulful "Sacrifice", Bobby Womack's cover of The Carpenters' "(They Long To Be) Close To You", Tom Waits' wistful "Had Me A Girl" and John Coltrane with his Classic Quartet on the contemplative "Crescent".

Don't Fear The Reaper Blue Oyster Cult
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Thursday, September 30, 2010

09-30-10: It's Not Just Music That I Barter With

Barbara Lynn was the rare female blues singer who played guitar and left-handed at that. This week's mix features her iconic "I'm A Good Woman", along with a Latin-tinged cover by El Chicano and a blue-eyed soul version by Cold Blood.

The mix ends with a batch of songs performed live on the BBC: Radiohead's spooky "Idioteque", Marianne Faithfull's haunting "This Little Bird", a cover of Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Maps" by Arcade Fire and an acoustic version of Lupe Fiasco's hit "Superstar" with Matthew Santos. The album version opens the mix.

The rest: the swinging "Riot" by Joe Bataan, a Buckwild remix of Nas' debut album track "Life's A Bitch" with AZ, the funky "Feed Me Your Love" by The Fatback Band, an extended disco version of Johnnie Taylor's smash hit "Disco Lady", the fierce "Re-Up Intro" by Clipse, the bluesy "In My Time Of Dying" by Led Zeppelin, a cover of their ballad "All My Love" by Bettye Lavette, Scott Walker's autumnal "On Your Own Again" and the elegiac "Water Music" by Albert Ayler.

Superstar Lupe Fiasco ft. Matthew Santos
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Thursday, September 23, 2010

09-23-10: 'Cause This World Is My College

Last week's Biggie-themed mix inspired me to feature a lesser-known, but also great, rapper: Large Professor. This week features his group Main Source's classic "Fakin The Funk" along with his cameo on A Tribe Called Quest's "Keep It Movin'" and his solo track "For My People".

The recently-released Mavis Staples album features a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Wrote A Song For Everyone". The original is on here as well.

The rest: the Motown standard "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" by Jimmy Ruffin, Dillinger's outlaw "Flat Foot Hustling", the melodic "Flowers Blooming In The Wildwood" by Coon Creek Girls, Gwen McRae's disco-tinged "Rockin' Chair", the groovy "I Am Your Mind (Part 2)" by Roy Ayers, New Birth's funky "Honey Bee", the chipper standard "The People Tree" by Sammy Davis Jr., Charles Mingus' piano composition "Myself When I Am Real", Laura Nyro's take of the Burt Bacharach standard "Walk On By", the languid "Lisa Says" by The Velvet Underground, Pavement's witty "Elevate Me Later", a radio version of Talulah Gosh's eponymous single, Iron & Wine's tender "Weary Memory", the prison anthem "Tangle Eye Blues" by Tangle Eye and the anguished "Layla" by Derek & The Dominoes.

What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted Jimmy Ruffin
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