Cass McCombs: So Damn Pure [2002]
Cass McCombs: I Went to the Hospital [2003]
Cass McCombs: Subtraction [2005]

Last week I took my head out of the books long enough to see that Cass McCombs is releasing a new album this week. It's as brilliant as expected. So here's a decent sample of some earlier work from one of my favorite contemporary singer-songwriters.

I definitely recommend buying Cass McCombs stuff. Current album here. My favorite here.

Grateful Dead: Dancing In The Streets (JAZ edit)

Thanks and praises to JAZ for doing this! It also happens to coincide neatly with the publication of this book.

source material: GD live at Cape Cod Coliseum, 10/27/79

Elton John: Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding

I've been raging and re-raging this pocket symphonia on my subway rides lately. After much careful consideration, I've decided that Love Lies Bleeding is right up there with Pictures Of Matchstick Men on my list of underrated guitar riffs. This track also figures into our latest Viva playlist, entitled Lighters Up, or Light The Fucking Gong On Fire: A Tribute to Arena Rock, Dedicated to the Memory of Hughie Thomasson, which can be streamed here.

Honk: Tunnel Of Love

from the soundtrack to Five Summer Stories

from the liner notes: "HONK lives in the hills of Laguna Beach...the entire group contributed to the composition of the score, which was specially written to the actual filmed sequences...the album and soundtrack was recorded in Hollywood at Criterion Music's studio."

I could see Phish covering this when they re-form in 2011.

Freddie Hubbard: Little Sunflower (Theo Parrish edit)

This is Theo's 2002 edit of Freddie's 1979 recording. About those crackles: most of them are coming from the vinyl LP that Theo used to make the edit. In other words, they are in some sense "intentional". Anyroad, check out the bass on this.

bonus beats:
Freddie Hubbard: Little Sunflower (source material for the above)

from the 1979 LP The Love Connection

music by Freddie Hubbard, words by Al Jarreau

Freddie Hubbard - trumpet & flugelhorn
Al Jarreau - vocals
Chick Corea - keyboards
Chuck Damonico - bass
Chester Thompson - drums
Jumma Santos & Rubens Bassini - percussion

Fleetwood Mac: Prove Your Love

from Heroes Are Hard To Find

written and sung by Christine McVie, and featuring Christine on all keyboards.

The Move: Tonight [1971]

Written by Roy Wood with Jeff Lynne sharing production credit and vocals. When the bridge hits at 1:23 the song breaks orbit. Sounds as if David Bowie could have written the b-side for this track. Hit #11 in the UK charts.

The Sir Douglas Quintet: Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day

from The Best Of Doug Sahm & The Sir Douglas Quintet 1968-1975

Daevid Allen: 333

from the album N'Existe Pas!

Thelonious Monk: I Should Care

from the indispensable Solo Monk

recorded in sunny Los Angeles, CA on October 31st, 1964

written by Sammy Cahn, Axel Thordahl, and Paul Weston

from the film Thrill Of A Romance [1945]

Miles Davis: Great Expectations

vinyl rip, from Big Fun

Recorded November 19th, 1969, in New York City. Featuring Miles, Steve, Bennie, Herbie, Chick, John, Khalil, Ron, Harvey, Billy, Airto, and Bihari. Produced by Teo.

...with half-hearted apologies for the "Smell The Glove"-esque cover art.

Prelude: After The Goldrush

Telex: Tell Me It's a Dream [1984]
Telex: It Could Happen To You [1984]

Later avant-garde electronic pop from Belgians Marc Moulin, Dan Lacksman and Michel Moers.

Buy more Telex here.

Billy Preston: I Wrote a Simple Song [1972]
Billy Preston: Will It Go Around in Circles [1973]

Two hits from the fifth Beatle.

Sheridan Dupre put me on to this clip, which I believe is from the first ever SNL. Is that right?



Buy BP here.

Rolling Stones:
If I Was A Dancer (Dance pt. 2) b/w Dance (instrumental)

When SPC raged the original version of this back in March, a listener wrote in: "Do you know of more songs that sound like this?" Well, here's 2 more... sort of. :)

Now I'm heading out to the corner of West 8th Street and 6th Avenue. (There's a Barnes & Noble's there.)

Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, Steve Stills:
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry

from Super Session

Positive Noise: Positive Negative [1982]
Positive Noise: Feel the Fear [1982]

Scottish New Wave. ib?

Buy the vinyl here.

Also: "Between Sidetracks and Statements", the latest installment of our weekly show on Viva Radio, premiered today at 2 PM. New shows drop every Wednesday at 2 PM EST (GMT -5), and archived shows can always be listened to here.

The Fixx: Reach The Beach (dub)

This is a dream chimney re-rage, dedicated to Jasi.

available on CD

Alice Coltrane With Strings: Galaxy Around Satchidananda

from the album World Galaxy

recorded November 15 & 16, 1971, at The Record Plant, New York City

The Only Ones: From Here To Eternity

from Even Serpents Shine

I grabbed this out of the "O" section at the record shop the other day while I was searching (unsuccessfully) for The Outlaws on vinyl.

Van Morrison: Natalia

from Wavelength

na-na-na, na-NA NA
na-na-na, na-NA NA
na-na-na, na-NA NA, Natalia

Go on, move to it if you want!
Makes you wanna freaky deaky, don't it?

>>contributed by SPC

Depeche Mode: Blasphemous Rumours (album version) [1984]
Depeche Mode: Somebody (live) [1984]
Depeche Mode: Two Minute Warning (live) [1984]
Depeche Mode: Ice Machine (live) [1984]
Depeche Mode: Everything Counts (live) [1984]

The 1984 vinyl release in its entirety. The live tracks were recorded at The Empire Theater, Liverpool, on September 29, 1984.

Buy the 1991 version of the EP (with a slightly different track list, on CD) here.

The Outlaws: Green Grass And High Tides

Willie Nelson: Night Life

Listening: Stoned Is

Thanks and praises to the dudes from ear fuzz for turning me on to this number back in August '05. No complaints about the sonar-tinged breakdown which commences at 3:13.

from the album Listening

Also: "Lost In The Paradise", the latest installment of our weekly show on Viva Radio, premieres today at 2 PM. New shows drop every Wednesday at 2 PM EST (GMT -5), and archived shows can always be listened to here.

Tim Maia:
Imunização Racional
Rational Culture

from the album Racional Volume 1

The Babys: Isn't It Time

The piano intro and John Waite's vocals are great. The bass reminds me of a heartbeat. When the song played I thought he was one those new singers, but then the rest of the song played and it was better than a new song. I love the beat that they chose.

>>contributed by Ari C

U2: Untitled Instrumental [1978?]
U2: The Fool [1978]
U2: Be There [1982]
U2: Alone in the Light [1979]

A while ago I posted U2's first single and its accompanying b-sides, and promised I would post more early U2. Against my (usually not so) good judgment I am going to post a few more early and rare U2 tracks. Last time this killed our bandwidth for the month. Hopefully this time it will go unnoticed as a holiday weekend post.

Can anyone help me out with dates or other information? My U2 knowledge is extremely limited.

Alone in the Light is a 1979 demo recorded at the Windmill Land Studio in Dublin.

Read the comments for more information on individual tracks.

Buy early U2 here.

The Rolling Stones: Before They Make Me Run

Life on the road, as told by Keith.

>>contributed by SPC

Mi-Sex: Living in September [1980]
Mi-Sex: It Only Hurts When I'm Laughing [1980]

Kiwi and Aussie New Wave off 1980's Space Race.

Buy Mi-Sex here.

The Isley Brothers: Summer Breeze

An example of a cover being unmistakably better than the original. And I LOVE the Seals & Crofts version. Probably released on the T-Neck label, Ernie Isley's guitar is one of my all-time fave sounds. ......Bliss.

from the album 3+3

>>contributed by SPC