Category: Music

It’s about that time again….

First off, in honor of the weather we’ve been having (or, rather in an effort to dispel the unrelenting heat with memories of nicer summers): Seals and Crofts – “Summer Breeze.” I had thought about posting the Type O Negative cover instead, but no–rather than making me think of balmy, jasmine-scented air, that version makes me think more along the lines of the roaring flames of Hell Itself (which is too close to the actual weather we’ve been having.)

Engaged in some serious sci-fi nostalgia with the Dastardly Best Friend last night, watching the first episode of this on DVD, and re-living the pre-Star Wars state of SF in the mid-70s. Bland, washed-out colors for the uniforms, slow pace, very talky. Still one of the best spaceship designs ever, though….and a groovy theme that I still like. So here it is: Barry Gray – “The Theme from SPACE:1999”

Another interesting mash-up: This one is a mix of Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life”, The Doors “Touch Me”, Cream’s “I Feel Free” and “Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees. I love it when people mash older stuff, because you don’t expect it. The format lends itself more to newer music. This is sweet, though: CCC – “Lust Train.”

“I hope you know that this will go down on your PERMANENT RECORD…” My favorite song from the self-titled debut album, all of which is brilliant, but always gets eclipsed by the single “Blister in the Sun”: Violent Femmes – “Kiss Off.”

U.N.K.L.E. is a studio project of James Lavelle and a series of collaborators ranging from DJ Shadow to Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and more, producing some of the best trip-hop material I’ve ever heard. This is a particularly haunting track from the first CD, Psyence Fiction, with vocals by Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft: U.N.K.L.E. – “Lonely Soul.” The mix of the raw breakbeats and the lush symphonic strings grabs me, and Ashcroft’s dispairing vocal just drives the whole thing home.

Most people know the singles that have relegated Men At Work to a permanent place in “Music of the 80s” compilations and flash-back shows. “Down Under”, “Who Can It Be Now”, etc. I loved this group, and was impressed by the quality of the album tracks that never got any airplay at all. I was especially fond of the tracks that were written and sung by the lead guitarist, Ron Strykert, which sounded like they came from another band entirely. Keep songs like “Down Under” in your head, and give this a listen: Men At Work – “I Like To.”

Lastly, another one of my own compositions….this time, the first finished track I produced using the ReBirth software, which is a simulator of the old TR-303, 808 and 909 synth, bass synth and drum machines. Throw in some samples (including a vocal test by a friend’s girlfriend, and an air raid safety broadcast from the WWII-era BBC), and bobsyeruncle: @nubis – “Initial Eyes.”

More next week, as usual.

Friday Music

It’s about that time again….

First off, in honor of the weather we’ve been having (or, rather in an effort to dispel the unrelenting heat with memories of nicer summers): Seals and Crofts – “Summer Breeze.” I had thought about posting the Type O Negative cover instead, but no–rather than making me think of balmy, jasmine-scented air, that version makes me think more along the lines of the roaring flames of Hell Itself (which is too close to the actual weather we’ve been having.)

Engaged in some serious sci-fi nostalgia with the Dastardly Best Friend last night, watching the first episode of this on DVD, and re-living the pre-Star Wars state of SF in the mid-70s. Bland, washed-out colors for the uniforms, slow pace, very talky. Still one of the best spaceship designs ever, though….and a groovy theme that I still like. So here it is: Barry Gray – “The Theme from SPACE:1999”

Another interesting mash-up: This one is a mix of Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life”, The Doors “Touch Me”, Cream’s “I Feel Free” and “Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees. I love it when people mash older stuff, because you don’t expect it. The format lends itself more to newer music. This is sweet, though: CCC – “Lust Train.”

“I hope you know that this will go down on your PERMANENT RECORD…” My favorite song from the self-titled debut album, all of which is brilliant, but always gets eclipsed by the single “Blister in the Sun”: Violent Femmes – “Kiss Off.”

U.N.K.L.E. is a studio project of James Lavelle and a series of collaborators ranging from DJ Shadow to Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and more, producing some of the best trip-hop material I’ve ever heard. This is a particularly haunting track from the first CD, Psyence Fiction, with vocals by Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft: U.N.K.L.E. – “Lonely Soul.” The mix of the raw breakbeats and the lush symphonic strings grabs me, and Ashcroft’s dispairing vocal just drives the whole thing home.

Most people know the singles that have relegated Men At Work to a permanent place in “Music of the 80s” compilations and flash-back shows. “Down Under”, “Who Can It Be Now”, etc. I loved this group, and was impressed by the quality of the album tracks that never got any airplay at all. I was especially fond of the tracks that were written and sung by the lead guitarist, Ron Strykert, which sounded like they came from another band entirely. Keep songs like “Down Under” in your head, and give this a listen: Men At Work – “I Like To.”

Lastly, another one of my own compositions….this time, the first finished track I produced using the ReBirth software, which is a simulator of the old TR-303, 808 and 909 synth, bass synth and drum machines. Throw in some samples (including a vocal test by a friend’s girlfriend, and an air raid safety broadcast from the WWII-era BBC), and bobsyeruncle: @nubis – “Initial Eyes.”

More next week, as usual.

Here we go again….and it’s a big ‘un this time around:

To kick things off, here’s the biggest reason why I prefer the originally filmed musical version of the Willy Wonka story: “Veruca Salt” (Julie Dawn Cole) – “I Want it Now/Oompa Loompa” My favorite song from the film, although for the past few years, all I can think of when I hear it is a skit done on “Saturday Night Live” where they did a “Where are they now” sort of thing, and Molly Shannon appeared as a tramped-out Veruca, smoking a cigarette and still wearing the little red mini and Mary Janes, saying: “Now, I get paid lots of money to go to hotel rooms and tell men “I want it NOW, Daddy!”

In keeping with the music-from-models theme that I began last week with the Carla Bruni song, I’d like to show you some music from Milla Jovovich (she of Fifth Element fame). Milla started modeling at 11, but was signed as a musician when she was 12, because she was a bit of a prodigy it seems. (Yeah, she’s one of those. Beautiful, intelligent, creative….as would say, “Your basic nightmare.”) The record label wanted to turn her into a bubblegum pop princess, but she refused to record the songs, choosing instead to record her own. The label didn’t release them. So, when she turned 18 (1994), and the contract expired, she released them herself, in an album called The Divine Comedy. These are songs written when she was 13-15, recorded when she was 16, and released two years later. The album is GREAT, although it went largely unnoticed. She had a small splash with the single (which I’m sure some of you will recognize when you hear the refrain): Milla Jovovich – “The Gentleman Who Fell.” It got some radio play, she perfomed it on Conan O’Brian, and it was featured on the soundtrack to Rules of Attraction..

Now, that was going to be the only track from Ms. Jovovich that I was going to post, until I hear the last song on the album, which blew me away. It’s a traditional Ukrainian folk song, which she sings in her native language (the rest of the album is English), and I find it absolutely beautiful: Milla Jovovich – “In A Glade.”

As a complete change of gears, here’s Rammstein – “Heirate Mich”, because sometimes, you just need to hear a German techno/industrial song about a guy digging up the body of his dead love.

Confession time: I actually liked the Spice Girls. Yes, they were camp. Yes, the songs were bubblegum fluff. But as I used to say at the time, they were Very Well Constructed Bubblegum Fluff. The debut album had some amazing production behind it. This was my favorite song from the debut, which didn’t get a lot of play, since it wasn’t one of the singles here in the US. For me, this will always be part of my internal “I’m about to kick ass and take names” soundtrack, because it was included on a mix tape that a friend of mine made for a road trip we took to our first publishers’ trade show (GAMA Trade Show in Reno in 97, for those who care), and it was a very successful show for us. The lyrics turned out to be appropriate: “Swing it, shake it, move it, make it, who do you think you are? Trust it, use it, prove it, groove it, show me how good you are.” Spice Girls – “Who Do You Think You Are.”

My first experience with Rufus Wainwright was seeing him on some late-night talk show, (I can’t remember which one it was, now) performing his cover of The Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” I was hooked. This will show you why: Rufus Wainwright – “Across The Universe.”

Anyone who has seen the brilliant zom-rom-com (Zombie Romantic Comedy, as described by the filmmakers) “Shaun of the Dead” will get a chuckle out of this: Queen – “Don’t Stop Me Now.” I liked the song before, but now I get added smiles, due to memories of Shaun & Co. wacking a zombie will pool cues, choreographed to this song on the jukebox. “You–Kill the Queen.” “WHAT??” “The Jukebox! Turn off the bloody jukebox!”

Briefly: Best Instrumental EVAR. Booker T and MGs – “Green Onions.” Play that, and try not to feel cool. I dare ya.

One of my favorite “alternative” songs from the 80s, when the word actually meant something. Alternative was strange, and got no airplay except on college stations. I remember hearing this on KJHK, and pretty much nowhere else. Adrian Belew – “Big Electric Cat.”

….and, sticking with the 80s alternative for the moment, I give you one of the better-known songs from Norman (Fatboy Slim) Cook’s first band: The Housemartins – “Caravan of Love” You’ve gotta love acapella covers of Isley Brothers tunes.

There you are folks, a whopping 10 tracks this week. Enjoy.