Grateful Dead - KY Jam

I'm closing a chapter and turning over a new leaf, and in these moments one turns to Jerome.

Recorded "live" on Friday, July 6th, 1990, at Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky. Thanks to Brent for ultimately arriving at pure vacuum cleaner sounds at the 7:15 mark.

Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso: Tradicao
"It's August 1970 and there are 600,000 people in a field..."

Art Tatum - Lullaby Of The Leaves

Recorded on Thursday, February 22nd, 1940. Hall Of The Mountain King quote at 1:36.

Nick Drake: Place To Be

Skeeter Davis - Give Me Death

I heard this on the radio this summer in arguably the best possible conditions: driving around the foothills of Santa Fe at night.

Words & music by Skeeter Davis and Marie Wilson. Produced by Chet Atkins. This is from a 45 on the RCA Victor label, in "New Orthophonic" high fidelity. To simulate the sound of AM radio, listen through your computer speakers.

Gotta love Skeeter's pronunciation of the word "sentence."

Stay tuned for an action-packed autumn on A.D.!

Jr. Walker & The All Stars - (I'm A) Road Runner

August 19th? Time to party.

Featuring two of my all-time favorite "whoa!"s, at 1:07 and at 2:08. Kudos also to the baritone saxophone (bass clarinet?) part and the bass drum sound. Written by Holland-Dozier-Holland.

New London Children's Choir - The Useful Plough

Credit where credit due to Wes Anderson, that track The Cuckoo is a sick crate-dig. So I had to pick up a copy of this CD, which I (mistakenly) believed to include the performance featured in the film. Anyroad, this track The Useful Plough is another standout from the same Benjamin Britten suite (Friday Afternoons) whence The Cuckoo is drawn.

Britten wrote Friday Afternoons for his schoolmaster brother, Robert, and the boys of Clive House preparatory school, Prestatyn. (Choir practice used to take place on Friday afternoons.) The text of The Useful Plough is anonymous, and Britten set it to music on May 14th, 1934, which was (appropriately) a Monday. He was 20 years old.

No courtier may

Compare with them who clothe in grey,

And follow the useful plough.

Mellow Candle - Silversong

I was never expecting that note at 0:46.

New Viva show (#132) in the archive. Thanks to all who offered suggestions for the 2003 project. For some reason on the playlist I erred on the side of technicolour trip-hop. Hope you like it.

P.S. This is the 5th anniversary Viva show!

The Incredible String Band - Air

Gentlemen, I'm beginning to feel something!

Tim Maia: Where Is My Other Half

Anyone else dig Existential Soul?

Lemon Jelly - Nice Weather For Ducks

A troll trawl through the UK charts of 2003 turned up this one, which I like partly because it's the 2K3 equivalent of a bubblegum novelty single. My all-MMIII playlist, such as it is, is due to air on Friday. If anyone has eleventh-hour suggestions to add to the mix, fire away...

new Viva show (#131) in the archive

Nick Nicely - Psychotropia

Yes, it's a blatant hommage to Tomorrow Never Knows, but since the part at 1:23 popped into my head the other day (unbidden), I reckon it must be worth sharing. More Nicely available here.

The Kinks - Celluloid Heroes (live excerpt)

Recorded "live" at The Volkhaus, Zürich, Switzerland, 11th November, 1979. I'm posting just the opening guitar solo because to me, this is rock'n'roll nirvana, and more than enough to keep you rocking down the highway for the remainder of summer and beyond.

Someone explain to me how portamento works on a polyphonic synth.

P.S. We're still welcoming suggestions for out hotly-tipped "2003 Project"...

Bent - Stay The Same

Is this good? I can't tell, but it's definitely weird. Does anyone have suggestions on more intriguing music released in 2003?  Please send me your picks early and often.  I'm hoping to crystallize the zeitgeist of an undefined age, obliquely, with an hour's worth of half-forgotten "hits." Any music in any genre released in 2003 is fair game.

Thanks as ever,
Emmett

Lemonheads - It's A Shame About Ray (demo)

A nice way to re-enjoy a super-good song. I can still picture E. Dando performing this at Keene State College Spring Fling '93 (long story), how the intro seemed to go on forever, and how the chords on the second four bars are different from the chords on the first four, which I'd never noticed before.

Thanks again to everyone who sent ideas for the 1980 project. The new Viva show (#130) was assembled out of those suggestions. I tried to include as many reader picks as I could, while still leaving room for a few of my own ridiculous selections. Hope you enjoy it. We'll do another year soon!

Listen to the mix here.

Modern Eon - Choreography

Special thanks to Wharf99 for pointing me towards the "Hicks From The Sticks" compilation LP, on which this appears. The change into the chorus at 0:47 is a nice surprise. Unsure on the artwork.

Lori and the Chameleons - The Lonely Spy

One of the fruits of the ongoing 1980 project. The surprising brevity of the intro is a nice touch. Thanks, Chameleons.

New Viva show (#129) in the archive, comprised entirely of tracks released in 1980. Thanks a mill for all the suggestions. Due to the high volume of submissions, I've decided to do one egocentric mix (see above) and a separate mix, to air next week, featuring Readers' Choice selections. So, if anyone has further recommendations from 1980, please do send them along.

There was one reader's suggestion which was judged to attain to such a high degree of aesthetic excellence that it was included in this playlist - namely, the Prats' Disco Pope. Thanks to Ramone for the tip.

The Teardrop Explodes - When I Dream*

Folks, I need some recommendations on obscure tracks released in 1980. This is for the next Viva playlist. I'm not looking for "That Was The Year That Was"-type stuff, just good, somewhat obscure songs or pieces of music released in the year 1980. The deadline is this Thursday at midnight. Please send your recommendations early and often!

Your friend,
Emmett

*produced by Mike "Fingers" Howlett

new Viva show (#128) in the archive

Carole King - Porpoise Song (publisher's demo)

The Kinks - I Go To Sleep (demo)

I turned this one up while casting about for demos and other such drumless tracks for a (mostly) drumless mix, which is now streamable here: #127.

Carlos Paredes - Canção Verdes Anos

Things are finally starting to get languid around here.

Neil Young - The Bridge

There's a new Viva show (#126) in the archive; the second installment in our hotly-tipped Summer Playlist Series.

There's a new Viva show (#125) in archive. More importantly, school's out for summer, and I've made a solemn vow to do a new playlist every week for the next eight weeks or so. Plus, as of next Thursday, I'll be in Caribbean exile in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., for a month. So you can expect selections inspired by heat exhaustion, no turntable or records, and a dodgy Internet connection. Let the games begin.

Isaac Hayes - Hung Up On My Baby

A rare groove classic since at least the age of the Geto Boys. Today's projected high in NYC: 96° Fahrenheit. Open up the fire hydrants.

Portrait - Honey Dip

There's just one thing that never ceases to amaze me.

China Crisis - No More Blue Horizons

Breezy sophisti-pop for your Monday, from the pride of Liverpool.   

Hey folks... rare melody connoisseur and rustic troubador Dave Lerner, one half of Trummors, has kindly compiled another tasy guest mix for us, entitled "Where I'm Bound." Hear the mix here, and check out the brand-new Trummors LP, available on LP, CD and mp3. Settle in...

Prince Far I: Bendel Dub

The debut single.

Siouxsie and The Banshees: Hong Kong Garden

And, from Juju released 31 years ago this month:

The Beach Boys - Forever

Loveliness.  And then there's more loveliness with the American Spring version, sung by Brian Wilson's wife at the time, Marilyn Rovell -



And finally, there's this version -



Remember during the Kokomo sessions, when one Beach Boy said to another, incredulously but resigned - "I mean, from Pet Sounds to this crap?"

The Beatles - I Want You (She's So Heavy)

Hey-o, I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware of what Paul plays at 2:02, 2:14, 4:05, 4:14, 4:42, etc. That's all for now. More to come! Cheerio...

Nora Dean - Angie La La

2+ weeks since my last post? Ouch. I'm afraid it's the usual story of the day job chewing away at any time I might have to frolic atop Mount Parnassus, as it were. But I will be back... and in greater number.

Anyroad, here's a little number that's apparently been a rare-groove underground classic of sorts since at least 1997. I like that Nora sings in major while the band plays in minor. Oh, and is that Lynn Taitt on guitar?

Paul McCartney - Coming Up

And now it is the weekend...

John Phillips - Holland Tunnel

I'm already thinking about next weekend.

Brenton Wood: I Think You've Got Your Fools Mixed Up

James Govan - 
Help Me I'm in Need
Tell You About My Girl

Things I like the most about "Help Me, I'm in Need" --

1. Its unapologetic air
2. Its metric that what constitutes not keeping one's date out "too long" is getting her home before the break of day

Things I like about "Tell You About My Girl" --

1. Pretty much everything, but especially the "listen all you good men" bit

10cc - Gismo My Way

I needn't bore you with the particulars of why or how this came to pass, but I was recently granted an audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. When I told him of my Quest, he sipped from his tea, and then asked with a faint gleam in his eye if I had ever looked into any 10cc B-sides. Flustered and stammering, I replied that I had not. There followed a long silence in which His Holiness and I stared at each other in complete stillness. Then His Holiness nodded, almost imperceptibly, and I was given to understand that our meeting was over.

Victrola - Maritime Tatami

Memorably described by one youtube commenter as "cruel and beautiful." Highlights include the vocal inflection at 3:43 and the change at 4:41 lasting for two bars instead of four. In sum, a pretty heavy record.

The Rockin' Berries - She's Not Like Any Girl

I'm liking the falsetto leaps in the melody on this one. Very rainy, very British, very Sunday.

Harry Nilsson - Living without You

Let's keep things reflective this Friday, shall we?  This is a beaut. And, "the subway shakes my floor" really happens to me.

Yeah... as promised, our man in Cologne, longtime and esteemed commenter "Ano 2" is back with another sweet guest mix. Apologies for the delay. Face the music here.

Joe Higgs - There's a Reward

This song is the island musical equivalent of Hopkins's Carrion Comfort. Or something.

Bettye Swann - Don't Touch Me

A moving variation on a theme, said the critic. Very moving indeed.

Dolly Mixture - Never Let It Go

Here's another song with that "Carrot Rope" chiming guitar thing that I dimly recall alluding to the other day.

As an aside, the general contour of the melody keeps reminding me of this.