Neil Diamond - Lady Oh

Off of 1976's Robbie Robertson-produced Beautiful Noise. This with Robbie Robertson on guitar, Bob James with the string and horn arrangements.

Hatsune Miku Orchestra - Nice Age

It's come to this.

Joe Dassin -
Le Jardin de Luxembourg
Salut les Amoureux

"Like many Russians, Olga adored Joe Dassin, especially the songs on his last album, with their resigned, lucid melancholy. Jed shivered, feeling an irrepresible crisis coming on, and when he remembered the words of "Hello Lovers" he began to cry."
--Michel Houllebecq

Improved Sound Limited -
Nine Feet Over the Tarmac
Suicide Road

With a tip of the hat to my brother, here are two songs by Improved Sound Limited from Wim Wender's 1976 movie Kings of the Road. I haven't seen it, but based on these two tracks I'm going to tentatively say it's the best fucking movie ever made.

Elton John - Amoreena

OK, this is the third time I've posted this song, but it's that good. And we haven't heard this version from 11/17/70.

Note to self - live more like a lusty flower in '12.

Stephen Stills - Midnight in Paris

From 1976's not very good Illegal Stills, here's a track written by Donnie Dacus and Stills's wife at the time, Veronique Sanson. Listen as Stephen Stills sings in French. Wonder about the debt Woody Allen owes to this album. Midnight in Paris? And does Stephen Stills bear a little more than a passing resemblance to a certain Wilson brother? Just sayin'.

The Beach Boys - Little Bird

Dennis Wilson comin' at ya off of Friends. I feel like the string section should be given the sample treatment. Or maybe it has been? Whatever. I'd still probably prefer this version.

Bee Gees: I Close My Eyes

From the b-side of the Bee Gees' 1st.
Add it to the list of classics released in 1967.

Terry Melcher -
Beverly Hills
The Old Hand Jive

And speaking of Terry Melcher, here are two from Terry Melcher, an album Bud Scoppa in Rolling Stone described as "a disturbing, difficult album that reverberates like a cosmic sigh."

That's a bad thing?

Al Hazan - Just Another Broken Heart

Get ready to hit play again and again on this one from Al Hazan. Some things to know about the man, from his website: "In addition to his music career, Al has been a licensed real estate broker since 1954, worked as a professional photographer, is a proud veteran of the U.S. Army, and now specializes in treating crime victims as a Doctor of Psychology." And, relevantly: "Dr Hazan earned his PhD in Psychology in 1987 after writing his dissertation on the Seven Developmental Stages of a Romantic Love Relationship."

And yes, that is Terry Melcher you hear.

Chris Robison - I'm Gonna Stay With My Baby Tonight

Special thanks to Wombletunes for this one.

Eddie Hooper & Storm - Pass It On (Part 1)

Although I already recommended purchasing an mp3 of this, I have to post it now--slightly slowed, à la Tako in this mix--for New Year's inspirational purposes.

Can't wait to hear part 2.

2011: The Year In Review

Igor Stravinsky - Otche Nash
Brenda Lee - The Crying Game
Zoo - Hard Times, Good Times
Tuesday - Sewing Machine
France Gall - Les Petits Ballons
Nancy Sinatra - Sugar Me
England's Glory - Bright Lights
Helen Banks - Do You Know
Sensational Nightingales - My Sisters And Brothers
Sadistic Mika Band - Hi Jack (I'm Just Dying)
El Tigre - Figure
Chris Spedding - Video Life
Ilitch - Peripherikredcommando
Step Lang - Airborn
Radar - Una Splendida Emicrania
Miharu Koshi - Parallélisme
Electric Light Orchestra - Letter From Spain
Haruomi Hosono - Sports Men

I wanted to do a little compendium of some of my top finds of 2011, the songs that really made "life work leaving" (to quote a cryptic James Joyce). I also needed a reasonable excuse to post this picture of my boy.

Best wishes to everyone for a happy 2012...

Marie Moor - Illusions

Since no one has offered to send me their copy of this record yet, I'm posting a sweet youtube rip of it for now. (Thanks to the folks at clipconverter.cc for the good times.) Words and music by Friedrich Hollaender. Here's a clip of Marlene Dietrich singing the O.G.

In this crazy paradise, you are in love with pain.

Pop the champagne.

Je Demain - L'Hiver Au Bord De La Mer

Special thanks to TV Disko for the tip on this one. Lordy, we haven't posted any hibernian French synth-pop this frothy since Mikado. Read an interview (in French) with Je Demain here. Have a spacious New Year.

Roy Panton - Endless Memory

Subway Sect: Ambition

Oak Cliff String Band: Dallas Rag

song history "an old-timey howdy-do"

Tom Zé - Defect 2: Curiosidade

Does anyone have a copy of this record they want to give me?

The Seldom Scene: Doing My Time
and a more popular cover Baby Blue;
Live at the Cellar Door

Duran Duran - Save A Prayer (after disco rough edit)

Cooley-Munson: Sightly Sue

Nice bit of history on this stellar track here. Thanks to KnowPhase for introducing me to Sue.

The Twistin' Kings: Xmas Twist

This tune comes courtesy of a pal in Memphis.

Igor Stravinsky - Otche Nash

Neo-renaissance moves from Igor on this setting of the Slavonic "Our Father." Composed in 1926 and recorded by the Tallis Scholars at Charterhouse Chapel, Godalming, Surrey, England, in 1982.

bonus beats

A bit of goth for the Yuletide.

Bauhaus: Dark Entries

Virgin Prunes - Sandpaper Lullabye

X: Come Back to Me

Lone Star - She Said, She Said

Dear Santa,

For Christmas this year, I would like an eight-and-a-half minute, totally overblown prog-boogie cover of one of my favorite Beatles songs, by an obscure Welsh hard rock outfit; one that busts into some rad Free-esque moments, e.g. at the 2:50 mark. Thanks in advance!

Love,
Emmett

new Viva show (#118) in the archive

Wizzard - See My Baby Jive

From an era when 3-minute pop songs were sometimes 5 minutes long (c.f. Tyrannosaurus Rex, "Hot Love", which clocks in at 4:23, and of which this is a lineal descendant). I'm mainly posting this for the melisma at 1:04.

Miller - Baby I Got News For You

Marvin Gaye: Star-Spangled Banner

Marvin singing the national anthem at the 1983 NBA all-star game.

This one goes out to NBA legend Earl Monroe on his 67th birthday. And here's Woody Allen on "the Pearl" in 1977:

It’s amazing, because the audience’s “high” originates inside Monroe and seems to emerge over his exterior. He creates a sense of danger in the arena and yet has enough wit in his style to bring off funny ideas when he wants to. He has, as an athlete-performer, what few actors possess. Marlon Brando is one such actor. The audience never knows what will happen next and the potential for a sudden great thrill is always present. If we think of an actor like George C. Scott, for instance, we feel he is consistently first rate, but he cannot move a crowd the way Brando does. There is something indescribable in Brando that pins an audience on the edge of its seats at all times. Perhaps because we sense a possible peak experience at any given moment, and when it occurs, the performance transcends mere acting and soars into the sublime. On a basketball court, Monroe does this to spectators.

Read the whole thing here

Le Orme - Ad Gloriam

new Viva show (#117) in the archive

Jacky Chalard - Superman, Supercool (extended version)

A track featured on a very worthwhile subscription series the lads at Finders Keepers have put together. As near as I can tell they created this "extended version" themselves by having the first half of the song play twice. Good times either way, with drummer Jean-Pierre Prévotat giving Ernie Isley a run for his money in the rad feel sweepstakes. Best part: the absence of snare drum on the "2" when Jacky sings "superstar" (e.g. at 1:55). Don't chouette the technique.

Beautiful Zion Choir - Let's Ride To The Mountain Top

More Duaneology while I'm waiting for records in the mail. The organist in the right channel is raging pretty hard...

Great Pride - She's A Lady

Analog delay on the vocals and a chorus that sounds like Styx? Now we are finally getting somewhere.

Plaudits to the bass player and to the organ player in the right channel. And huge thanks to Duane for the peel-off.

Tsurubami - Gekkyukekkaichi

palate-cleanser

5th Anniversary Spectacular!

Moons - Standard Planet

So we've been trawling through the audio archives of this standard planet for five years now. Halfway through the decade. What surprises will the next five years hold? Will I ever find another song as good as this?

Time will tell, rastas. Time will tell.

new Viva show (#116) in the archive

NRBQ - That's Alright

Any band that shows love for the pre-Help! Beatles can only win points in my book, especially when brilliant changes such as that occurring at 1:36 are on offer.

Words and music by Joseph Spampinato. Recorded November, 1974 in beautiful Maynard, Massachusetts.

France Gall - Les Petits Ballons

A thousand thanks to Davy across the pond for helping me to acquire this precious mp3. Written by J.C. Vannier and Serge Gainsbourg. Direction d'orchestre: Jean-Claude Vannier. This one's for fans of chord changes (you know who you are).

Headstone - Turn Your Head

best singing of the word "cloud"

Erton Revelation - Free Show

written by Erton-De Piscopo-Chiaravalle

Brenda Lee - The Crying Game

music & words by Geoff Stephens

Ilitch - Peripherikredcommando

Patrick Muller : Guitares, Traitements, Synthetiks (intro)
Philippe Doray : Synthetiks
Ruth Ellyeri : Guitares, Vocal
Thierry Muller : Traitements, Basse, Synthetiks, Sequenceur

Philip Lynott - Yellow Pearl

I'm still trying to track down the demo version heard in this video, but in the meanwhile here's the O.G. slowed to minus 4.

Clinic - Video Life

One of the better German-language Chris Spedding covers I've heard lately. Thanks again, Tedward.

Chris Spedding - Video Life

many thanks to Ted for the tip on this life-changer (on the RAK label, no less!)