Weekly Mix 3
A new week, a new heaping dose of musical whiplash. Time to change out the car cd!
You can click here to download the entire thing.
Another one from the knowledgeable Dan Phillips at Home Of The Groove. He’s fighting the good fight to help keep interest in New Orleans music alive; if you have any interest in funk, jazz, etc., give it a click.
Anyway, here’s hoping that so many things about New Orleans, including its music, manages to survive Katrina’s ridiculously lengthy recovery process. Don’t get me started.
Buy The Meters
From his 1994 MTV Unplugged cd. You know I love this stuff. By the way, Tony just turned 80 last week.
He is still going strong. I believe I’m going to have to buy the Duets album; as much as I like the above song, any of the samples playing on his website leave it in the dust. Rock on, Mr. Bennett!
Preorder MTV Unplugged Remastered
What happened to Def Leppard? They just sort of wafted away. Rick Allen did the heroic in re-learning to drum after losing his arm in a horrendous car accident, and that didn’t even slow them down. But I guess lack of record sales is maybe a harder obstacle to overcome.
They did release a cover album, Yeah! earlier this year. It sounds decent – I’m a sucker for T. Rex songs in any incarnation – although, if you’re going to cover an ELO song, why choose “10538 Overture”? Anyway, while it sounds worth a listen, a cover album isn’t quite on a par with their glory days. Again, I ask, what happened?
Buy Pyromania
Underappreciated, in my opinion. It has a nice roll in its rhythm, and it’s fun to sing with in the car.
Buy Twisted
I’m old enough to have liked this song when it was originally released. Granted, I was five. As a matter of fact, this is one of a group of songs I remember hearing in the waiting room at the pediatrician’s office. (Al Stewart’s “Time Passages” and “Year Of The Cat,” and Dave Loggins’ “Please Come To Boston” are others. The doctor must have liked the easy listening. Thank God there wasn’t any bullshit “kid music” back in the day, or he would have played it, no doubt.)
I actually like all those doctor’s office songs. Not Ashamed.
The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer rocks the toy piano better than even Schroeder.
A nice “Coin Operated Boy” is exactly what she wants; she explains that it’s not just because of the obvious sexual angle, although, yes, that’s surely part of it. She can even take him in the bath!
But also because in his pretty coin-operated voice, he’ll tell her that he loves her, that he’s thinking of her, straight and to the point; without complications galore.
With a boy that honest, one who at least feels real, she’d never cry at night again.
Been there, sister.
Anyway, I’ve gone and made this sound all Tori Amos, and look, I promise you, if it were, I’d stomp on the song and kill it myself. It’s what I guess is called dark cabaret, and no, it’s not Gothy. The song’s quite bouncy, actually. Anyway, give its purple-and-black poignancy a try.
Yes, one of the many Drew Carey show themes. This is a worthy cover of the Ian Hunter song, and I enjoy it mightily.
Also, Ohio Pride, y’all. We take it where we can find it.
Buy Pure Frosting
I am making a real concerted effort not to ever use solely “OMIGOD” or “SQUEE” to explain why I love a song, because I like to pretend I have readers. If I did that sort of thing, I couldn’t even kid myself about it.
But yeah, damn, I love this song so very very much. Every 5 years or so, I run across it in my music collection, and this thudding lump of musical “OH, YES!!” feeling hits me in the chest, and I must hear it immediately, like 42 times, before I’m okay listening to other things again. I had a college friend who accused me of having the music-listening habits of a schoolgirl – fall in love with a song, play it till all the flavor’s gone out of its chewing gum, then toss aside carelessly, in other words – well, he was right. So whatever, Shawn. Are you happy now? You were right.
Anyway, Entertainment Weekly recently ran an article in which they grill Donald Fagen about the story behind this song. And who wouldn’t be curious? When a guy says
California tumbles into the sea
That’ll be the day I go
Back to Annandale
You have to wonder why he’s so pissed at his alma mater. I mean, I make a face when people mention OSU around me, but this goes beyond a little annoyance. Turns out, as I remember it, the police raided his dorm room (campus boarding house? Eh.) and arrested a bunch of people on grounds of possession and normally the school stood up for the students when this happened/bailed them out, whatever, but this time, the school didn’t and just let the students twist in the wind. Among them was Fagen’s girlfriend.
He was pissed. It was worth it if we got this song.
Yeah, so I’m not supposed to have this yet, but her highly anticipated double album Back To Basics, due out the 18th, got leaked.
OMIGOD SQUEE!!1!
Ahem. “Candyman” has filthy, filthy, filthy lyrics, yes, but they kind of just make the song that much more fun. Like a sweet, cream-filled cake. The icing? Is that this song was inspired musically by “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” It’s jumpin’ retro swing, all three Andrews Sisters plus Bette Midler in one woman, a woman with a singing voice three times bigger than she is.
“Candyman” may just find its way onto my Top 20 of all time list.
Pre-order Back To Basics
I was in the mood for some good-natured, candy-colored chaos.
Buy Cosmic Thing
More good-natured, candy-colored chaos; this is ridiculously catchy. It gets bonus theoretical points because Huge Ackman plays him on stage in “The Boy From Oz.”
Buy The Very Best of Peter Allen
Until I heard this song, I’d never heard of him. I thought the male voice in this song belonged to Dr. John, just to fully betray my ignorance. This is very swingy, something I can’t listen to in the car because I want to dance when I hear it.
If I’d like to learn more about Mr. Malo, what would you recommend I listen to? I’m all ears.
Buy Today
More Tom Waits – now with 50% more throat gravel!
This is awesome. This is the musical equivalent of Yeats’ poem The Second Coming. Tom, in this song, is himself the “rough beast, slouching toward Bethlehem.” Slouching and wheezing while ominously approaching Bethlehem, cheerfully singing a warning that he’s coming, because see, God’s Away On Business.
And the rough beast has free rein till He gets back and checks His messages.
Buy Blood Money
From Waits to Fitzgerald. Ella’s sweet voice, joining with Louie’s raspy (though much mellower and more urbane than Waits!) one, mingling on the dance floor – they say they won’t dance, sure, but how can they resist, with such sophisticated partners and swinging music? Musical champagne.
Summer sunshine seventies traveling music. Perfect for the last month of summer. (Although, let’s be honest, it’ll be a good two months or more before it ceases to be murderously, tiresomely hot.)
Buy Homecoming
Speaking of T Rex, as I did above, this song has a very T Rexy edge to it. Maybe I’m crazy, but I sense a little Marc Bolan here.
Buy A Ghost Is Born
This isn’t anything like “Luka,” or “Tom’s Diner.” This clips along with the steam pipes, clattering tools and engines of a factory. Really, I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to represent the blood pounding out an incessant din on its way through her veins, but it works either way.
Buy 99.9F
No, that’s not a typo. It’s a mashup of — oh yes, another one featuring Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” – and Elton John’s “Your Song,” hence “Your Crazy.” It’s very well done. Initially found here at Some Velvet Blog.
Enjoy.
All Eyes And Ears 
Weird… I Go To Rio and Coin-Operated Boy won’t play, and YouSendIt gives errors for most of the others. I love Candyman, though…
Hm. I logged out of yousendit and tried everything, just to be on the safe side. Everything seems fine on my end. Do you have firewalls up that might effect it, or would that have anything to do with it?