80s Soundtracks: Back to the Beach and Tapeheads

    A couple of months ago, Robbie Fulks decided to test his hypothesis that "80s Popular Music is the most godawful music of all popular musics in recorded history" by playing a bunch of 80s songs for his 14 year old son who, of course, confirmed Robbie's suspicions.  Now, I would never argue with Robbie about music (btw, Doc Watson fans should check out his tribute to Doc) and it's true that even the good stuff of that period was often plagued by certain unfortunate excesses.  And the two late 1980s soundtracks I've posted tonight are no exception to those tendencies.  But there's a bunch of interesting curios on both (no, I'm not putting Pee-Wee Herman's Surfin Bird in that category) and they're both long out of print. (Btw, the Swanky Modes are Sam Moore and Junior Walker.)


Back to the Beach

Catch A Ride	Eddie Money
Pipeline	Dick Dale, Stevie RayVaughan
Sign Of Love	Aimee Mann
Absolute Perfection	Private Domain
Surfin Bird	Pee-Wee Herman
Sun, Sun, Sun, Sun, Sun	Marti Jones
Jamaica Ska	Annette Funicello & Fishbone
Wipe Out	Herbie Hancock
California Sun	Frankie Avalon
Wooly Bully	Dave Edmunds

Tapeheads

Ordinary Man	Swanky Modes
Roscoe's Rap	King Cotton
Surfer's Love Chant	Bo Diddley
You Hooked Me Baby	Swanky Modes
Betcher Bottom Dollar	Swanky Modes
Baby Doll (Sung In Swedish)	Devo
Slow Bus A-Movin' (Howard's Beach Party)	Fishbone
Audience For My Pain	Swanky Modes
Language Of Love	Swanky Modes
Ordinary Man (Can't Keep A Good Man Down Mix)	Swanky Modes

Another Detour to Fist City

     It's really humid out in the northeast today. so I'm a little more addled than usual.  Alas, I don't have too much to say about Volume 2 of Detour to Fist City.  I will, however, say that if you like the Sunny Sweeney cut on here, you should definitely get her entire first album - Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame.  It's one of my fave alt-country releases of the last 5 years.  I just checked and the mp3 album is only $3.61 on Amazon now.

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The Day We Met	Sarah Borges & Broken Singles
Every Little Thing	Carlene Carter
Walk of Shame	Nikki Lane
Honky Tonk Hiccups	Neko Case & Her Boyfriends
His Rockin' Little Angel	Rosie Flores
Crazy Mixed Emotions	Rosie Flores
Love Me To Pieces	Janis Martin
I'm Head Over Heels In Love	Eilen Jewell
Loose Talk-(w Carl Smith)	Carlene Carter
Playin' Every Honky Tonk In Town	Heather Myles
Don't Be A Lemming Polka	k.d. lang
Baby Loves Him	Wanda Jackson
Baby Ride Easy	Carlene Carter
Tulsa Love Affair	Molly & the Heymakers
Please Be San Antone	Sunny Sweeney
Dent In My Heart	Rosie Flores

Detour to Fist City

    Back in the late 1970s, Carlene Carter famously (or infamously) introduced a song off her debut album with the claim that it would put the cu-- back in country.   (According to wikipedia, her mom and stepdad were, unbeknownst to Carlene, in the audience and she spent a decade trying to live the quote down.)   I invoke this story only because I put together a compilation which features a bunch of cuts from Ms. Carter and other female country artists with a similar style and because I couldn't think of good way of characterizing the music - brassy, spunky, scrappy, etc. just don't work.  But since this is a family blog, I thought I'd just go with the only slightly banal Detour to Fist City since I kinda see Loretta Lynn as the godmother/high priestess to this kind of music.  Oh well, it's about the music, right? :)

Volume Two comes next week.

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I Fell in Love	Carlene Carter
Girl Haggard	Rosie Flores
Fist City	Loretta Lynn
Lies	Nikki Lane
That's Where I'm Going	Eilen Jewell
Rock-A-Bye Boogie	Rosie Flores
Cry	Carlene Carter
Too Bad About Sandy	Carlene Carter
Who Says God Is Dead	Eilen Jewell
Let's Elope Baby	Janis Martin
Drink Myself Single	Sunny Sweeney
Jesus Was A Wino	Lydia Loveless
Daniel Lee	Sarah Borges
The Bitter End	Carlene Carter
Blue Side Of Town	Rosie Flores
Next Big Nothing	Sunny Sweeney

Tales of the Drummer - A Tony Allen Sampler

      I was really glad to see Fela Kuti get a little more recognition a couple of years ago when the play Fela made it to Broadway.  Now, I don't expect to see a play about his life, but Tony Allen also deserves more a lot more appreciation.  Not only was he Fela's drummer and musical director, but he put out  a number of great solo albums in the 1970s.  He didn't record much in the 1980s or 1990s, but he's been very prolific over the last 15 years as both a solo artist and as a collaborator with various acts.  The Wrasse record label did put out a greatest hits collection (Eager Hands and Restless Feet) in 2002, but it's only available as an import for us North Americans and I also thought a broader career retrospective was necessary.  (Most of his great 1970s albums have been reissued are easily available as both cds and mp3 downloads.)  

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The Same Blood	Tony Allen
Crazy Afrobeat	Tony Allen
Secret Agent	Tony Allen
Against The Wall	Jimi Tenor / Tony Allen
Nepa	Tony Allen
Ako	Fela Kuti
Don't Fight	Tony Allen
Afropusherman	Psyco On Da Bus
Gbedu	Tony Allen
Nature Springs	The Good, The Bad and The Queen
Sankofa	Hypnotic Brass Ensemble featuring Tony Allen
Progress	Tony Allen

Sucking in the 70's - Volume 4

   Yes, it's time again for another volume of 70's music.  This one's heavier on the popular soul music of the 70's.  There's still a few of them durn guilty pleasures, but I defy you to say anything bad about The Jackson 5's take on Clifton Davis' (who, of course, was on the short lived 70s sitcom That's My Mama) Never Can Say Goodbye.  (The first three volumes are still available, btw.)

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Livin' Thing ELO Strawberry Letter 23 The Brothers Johnson Everlasting Love Carl Carlton #9 Dream John Lennon You're Only Lonely J.D. Souther If You Don't Know Me By Now Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes Never Can Say Goodbye The Jackson 5 You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go Bob Dylan Dueling Banjos Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell American Girl Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Jeepster T.Rex I Can't Stand the Rain Ann Peebles Band of Gold Freda Payne Suavecito Malo Without You Nilsson Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong B.J. Thomas Show and Tell Al Wilson Grandma's Hands Bill Withers The Air That I Breathe The Hollies Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) The Delfonics