Duke Ellington: Acht O'Clock Rock


From The Afro-Eurasion Eclipse, partly inspired, apparently, by Marshall McLuhan. So for kicks, and old times sake, the below.

John Lee Hooker: Homework

Here's a tip, kids - always do your homework.

from the archives

Lucio Battisti - Anima Latina

It was just about a year ago that I first heard this, lying on a beach in Sitges and letting my IPOD play on shuffle. Now that was an Alpha Moment.

P.S.: New megamix coming soon!

From the Archives:



Henri Salvador: Saint Germain Des Pres

View Monsieur Salvador's extensive discography.

New Viva show (#92) in the ark hive.

Terry Riley vs. Hungrybear9562 - A Double Rainbow In Curved Air

Erroll Garner - Body And Soul

It's going to be 95 degrees in NYC on Friday, so turn on the ceiling fan, pour yourself an old-fashioned and get nice to this. You can't step to this intro. Also notice when Erroll gets particularly sultry at the 2:03 mark.

Recorded on Thursday January 11, 1951, in New York City. "Body & Soul" written in 1930 by Johnny Green.

Sandii - Zoot Kook

Featuring all the members of YMO, and composed by Haruomi Hosono. I'm feeling this chorus. While we're at it, here's another female chorus tinged with melancholy, courtesy of the inestimable Big B.

Imagine how sick these guys must have been live.

Superchunk: Detroit Has a Skyline

And for more of Camilo Jose Vergara's photos, go here.

Grateful Dead: Jack Straw

Leaving Texas, fourth day of July...

The Dead live in Fresno, July 19, 1974.

new Viva show in the archives

YMO - 以心電信 (You've Got to Help Yourself)

...as recently covered by Keane!

Trek with Quintronic - Take It Off

Eternal Triangle - Nothing But A Friend (Endless Mix)

I needed a bit of Balearica while cleaning the house yesterday, and this is what I arrived at. For fans of shiny surfaces and jazzy horn stabs.

Roy Ayers: It Ain't Your Sign It's Your Mind

The second in a series of posts in which we discuss who should play who in yet to be realized biopics. You'll recall bandying about a young Sam Neill as Sinatra some time ago. Well, for the man who was given his first pair of mallets by Lionel Hampton at the tender age of five, we need look no further than the great Chad Coleman, better known as Dennis 'Cutty' Wise from The Wire.




My people will talk to your people.

Peter Gabriel - Steam

OK, so it's basically a rewrite of either "Sledgehammer", "Big Time", or "Fame", depending on how you look at it, but that's none of our concern today. A window into the heighth of sophisticated production, circa W.J. Clinton's presidential campaign. Featuring Tony Levin on bass.

Steam 6:03
Arranged By [Horns] - Daniel Lanois, Peter Gabriel
Bass - Tony Levin
Drums [Electronic] - Manu Katché
Drums [Sabar] - The Babacar Faye Drummers
Guitar - David Rhodes, Leo Nocentelli*
Programmed By - David Bottrill, Richard Blair
Saxophone - Reggie Houston, Tim Green
Trombone - Renard Poche

*of Meters fame. (ed.)

Jo Stafford - No Other Love

Today we revisit the many manifestations of Chopin's E Major Étude in popular music (c.f.: Lemon Incest) with this ancient ditty from Jo Stafford. They don't make reverb like that anymore, kids.

From Wiki:

"(The E major Étude)... is regarded by some critics as a manifestation of Chopin's love for Poland, where he was born. During a lesson with his pupil Adolf Gutmann, Chopin began weeping and cried, 'Oh, my homeland!'. Chopin was said to have noted this piece as the most intimate he had ever composed, stating that 'In all my life I have never again been able to find such a beautiful melody.' The Etude has also been known as 'Tristesse', meaning 'Sadness' in French."

Going down.

compare / contrast

Bob James - El Verano

Kicking off summer 2010 with this bringing-tears-to-my-eyes jam originally posted on bumrocks in Feb. 2007. Featuring a delayed snare drum hit at 2:26, one of my favorite rare funk tropes. For another example of same, check the 1:58 mark (and following) in this.

P.S. It's Steve Gadd on drums. Compare/contrast the intro to 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover.

Dwight Twilley Band - Looking For The Magic

Some music for your Memorial Day car wash, pool party, and/or barbeque. That step down to the minor chord on the chorus keeps segueing into the bridge of Waterloo Sunset in my head. In other words, where Dwight goes "Whoa, oh oh oh I I", I keep ending up at the "Chilly chilly is the evening time" bit of Waterloo. FWIW.

Happy Memorial Day, America.

Neil Young: See the Sky About to Rain

Bad Brains: I & I Survive

This one goes out to one of my sister's old mixes.

The Cure: The Funeral Party

I wonder if Angelo Badalamenti was a Cure fan. Coincidence?

1. Using the word "punk" in 1974: check.
2. pre-Slash top hat: check.
3. Rhythm guitar player tight pants: check.
4. When you're actually from Oklahoma, it's OK to sing like Leon Russell: check.

Still trying to track down the 45 reissued by
Anopheles. Who's holding?

Carol - So Low

My favorite note occurs at 0:43, 1:49, and 2:55.

Islanders - Tirolien Laender

Selections from my favorite youtube channel.

Pretty much all you need to know about American history is contained in this.

new Viva show here

Maceys Window - It's Getting Harder
Sunshine Theatre - Mountain

Two sunbaked 45s from '71, lovingly compiled on this. Maceys Window are English and Sunshine Theatre are Welsh.

Kind of makes you want to throw a styrofoam cooler full of ice-cold Tecate in the trunk and drive westward, doesn't it?

Peter Gabriel: Disturbed (alternate take)

When this soundtrack came out there were many nights I would put this on before bed. For years I had no desire to see The Last Temptation of Christ for fear that it would spoil the music, no matter how great the director.

I wonder how many soundtracks are actually better than the films they represent?

Lesson of the day.

Jacob Miller: Each One Teach One

Townes Van Zandt: I'll Be Here in the Morning

FROM THE ARK HIVE

East Of Eden - Northern Hemisphere

Hearing this again the other day, I was reminded of an article recently linked to by Big B ("The death of mistakes means the death of rock", written by one-time A.D. commenter Douglas Wolk), namely because I love when the bass player fucks up and goes to the chord change too early at 1:20. I'm also quite keen on the one-time modification the guitar player makes to his line at 2:10. Original airdate 4/22/08.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Merry Clayton - Tell All The People

Original air-date: 1/30/2007. Words & music by Robbie Krieger. Paul Humphrey on drums.

FROM THE ARCHIVES


original air-date: 4/15/07

Green Arrows - The Towering Inferno

Inspired by the film. Best flubbed guitar note at 1:02.

Aiight fools, this is going to be on the spring playlist (whenever I finish it) but throwing caution to the wind I've decided to "leak" it today. Dig the melody. The message. The endearingly off-key guys in the background singing "just for me". The heavy-handed imagery in the video. The celesta part (or whatever's making that bell sound). The harpsichord part. The ducks in the pond.

Anyone know who wrote this? Is that Mike d'Abo on lead vocals?

A toast for the great photographer Jim Marshall.

One of many obits here.

FYI

you can hear my March playlist in progress over here

Cass McCombs: The Executioner's Song

I just can't get this out of my head.

Sun Kil Moon: Si, Paloma

Erroll Garner - Fantasy On Frankie And Johnny

Basement Jaxx (featuring Yoko): Day of the Sunflowers (We March On)

Suede - My Insatiable One

Featuring a lead tone from Bernard Butler that had me doing air-guitar on the treadmill earlier today. Ripped from a CD I purchased at the late, great Etherea record store. Apparently Morrissey covered this?

Frederick Knight: I've Been Lonely for So Long

Emmett presents: Winter-Harvest

side one
Zmirneikos Balos - Maria Papagika
The Woman Of Our Day - Svanfridur
Pastels - Keith Cross & Peter Ross
Sidewalk Cafe - Todd Rundgren
Nice Age - Yellow Magic Orchestra

side two
Trois Gymnopedies (First Movement) - Gary Numan
I Can't Leave It Alone - Tony Wilson
Jalousie - Amon Düül II
Da Guadeloop (Prins Thomas edit) - Amon Düül II
Invitation - Earth and Fire

side three
Perspective - Yellow Magic Orchestra
He Needs Me - Shelley Duvall
Song Of A Sinner - Top Drawer
Hedi's Head - Kleenex
Groove On Down - Dunn Pearson, Jr.

side four
El Condor Pasa - Esther Ofarim
Gnostic Serenade - Esther Ofarim
Superlady - Jeff Phelps
You And I, Part II - Fleetwood Mac
Just Visiting - Lynsey de Paul

Get 'em all in one zip file, now with m3u file included!