In Defense of Folk Rock

    A couple of years ago, I posted a compilation featuring male artists (Billy Bragg, John Prine, and Ron Sexsmith) who, in one way or another incorporated folk into their music.  Tonight's compilation has a slightly different premise as I feature four female artists (Sarah Harmer, Jenny Lewis, Shannon McArdle, and Sharon Van Etten) who offer different variations on the ever-sturdy folk rock.  I am aware that Lewis (especially her band Rilo Kiley) is more likely to be considered indie rock, but like I said, it's different variations on folk rock.  

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Rabbit Fur Coat	Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
Washington	Sarah Harmer
One Day	Sharon Van Etten
Poison My Cup	Shannon McArdle
I'm That!	The Mendoza Line
Almost	Sarah Harmer
I Wish I Knew	Sharon Van Etten
Sing A Song For Them	Jenny Lewis
Wedding Dance	Slow Dazzle
Go Ahead	Rilo Kiley
Lodestar	Sarah Harmer
Kevin's	Sharon Van Etten
Life of His Own	Sharon Van Etten
Close Call	Rilo Kiley
The Dream Of Axes	Shannon McArdle
How Deep in the Valley	Sarah Harmer

Johnny Paycheck - The Real Mr. Heartache

     Like a lot of folks, I was pretty unaware of Johnny Paycheck - save his huge hit Take This Job and Shove It for a long time.   So I was pretty unprepared for the insanely brilliant country to be found on the Country Music Foundation's 1996 24 track compilation of Paycheck's 1960s recordings on the Little Darlin' label.   The songwriting, the singing (jesus christ, he can sell a song), and, of course, Lloyd Green's inspired pedal steel playing.   Just phenomenal country.  Now, it went out of print a while back, then I think it was back in print for a while, but is now definitely out of print (and pretty rare).  However, Nowhere to Run, another compilation of his Little Darlin' label did come out last year and they share about 10-11 songs in common.  Still, there's about 18-19 tracks on that comp that aren't on The Real Mr. Heartache.   The Koch label also put out some other comps of Paycheck's stuff from the 60s - they're all good, but I think I'm kind of partial (at least this month) to The Complete Gospel Sessions.  And also check out The Soul and the Edge - it's a nice collection of his best 70s material.

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Don't Start Countin' On Me

The Girl They Talk About

A-11

The Real Mr. Heartache

I'm Barely Hangin' On To Me

The Lovin' Machine

He's In A Hurry (To Get Home To My Wife)

The Ballad Of Frisco Bay

Wherever You Are

Big Town Baby

Hang On Sally

(Pardon Me) I've Got Someone To Kill

(It's A Mighty Thin Line) Between Love And Hate

Apartment #9

The Late And Great Me

Motel Time Again

Jukebox Charlie

Touch My Heart

My Baby Don't Love Me Anymore

The Cave

Don't Monkey With Another Monkey's Monkey

(Like Me) You'll Recover In Time

It Won't Be Long (And I'll Be Hating You)

If I'm Gonna Sink (I Might As Well Go To The Bottom)

The Passion and Pride of Johnny Paycheck

       Given his career arc, I understand that it would be difficult to make a Johnny Paycheck biopic.  But why, oh why, isn't his music used in more films? You'd think someone like Quentin Tarantino would have made some southern noir 60s film based around the music of Paycheck by now.  As a (very) partial remedy, I give you a 15 song sampler of the truly late and great Mr. Paycheck.  I'm pretty partial to his 60s stuff recorded on the Little Darlin' label, but I've also included a bunch of his 70s songs as well.  And since it's out of print, I will post the great Paycheck collection put out by the Country Music Foundation: The Real Heartache: The Little Darlin' Years next week.

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I'm A Coward

Heartbreak TN

Livin' in a House Full of Love

I'm Glad to Have Her Back Again

Not Much I Don't

She Thinks I Still Care

It's Only A Matter Of Wine

Kissing Yesterday Goodbye

I Thought I'd Never Fall in Love Again

She's All I Got

I'm Gonna Tell The World

Black Sheep

Passion and Pride

From Cotton To Satin (From Birmingham To Manhattan)

The Wheels Fell Off The Wagon

Happy 15th Yep Roc!

          I was going to get all righteous (or just a little righteous) in discussing music labels and why they still matter, but I'm going to refrain and just say that Yep Roc has long seemed to be a cool (well, except for the name), artist friendly label.  And since they're celebrating their 15th birthday next weekend (October 11-13th) with a set of live shows in Carrboro, North Carolina by their various acts, I thought an homage was in order.  There's one track from each year from a different Yep Roc artist starting in 1998 with Nick Lowe's Faithless Lover from his Dig My Mood album (*) and ending with Eleni Mandell's Bun in the Oven (from her 2012 release I Can See the Future).  Needless to say, there were some Yep Roc artists I really like (I'm looking at you Big Sandy, Dave Alvin, etc.) that I couldn't fit in.

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Faithless Lover	Nick Lowe
One Paper Kid	Two Dollar Pistols With Tift Merritt
Turquoise	Laika & The Cosmonauts
Fool's Paradise	Greg Hawks & The Tremblers
Shallow Heart, Shallow Water	Caitlin Cary
Some Tears	Thad Cockrell
Drivin' All Night Long	Amy Farris
Georgia Hard	Robbie Fulks
Adventure Rocket Ship	Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3
The Trial	The Sadies
El Huracan y Pin Pon	The Iguanas
Hot Talk	Chuck Prophet
Cloud Spitter	Steve Wynn And The Miracle 3
Little Tiger	John Doe
Bun In The Oven	Eleni Mandell

* I know Dig My Mood was initially released by Upstart records, but it was reissued by Yep Roc.  Therefore, it counts. :)

I'm Gonna Make You Love The Jayhawks - Side B

      As promised, here is Side B (I listened to the Jayhawks on my car cassette player a lot back in the 90s so it seemed apropos to label the comps as Side A and Side B).  For those of you new to The Jayhawks, I'd recommend Tomorrow the Green Grass and Hollywood Town Hall (Louris and Olson harmonizing at their finest) followed by Rainy Day Music (definitely their best post-Olson album). 

Download Side A and B

The Trap's Been Set	Mark Olson & Gary Louris
My Own Jo Ellen	Mark Olson And The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers
Fools On Parade	The Jayhawks
Tailspin	The Jayhawks
Do You Know How it Feels to be Lonesome	Golden Smog
Tiny Arrows	The Jayhawks
Martin's Song	The Jayhawks
Get The Load Out	The Jayhawks
I´m Gonna Make You Love Me	The Jayhawks
Last to Know	The Jayhawks
Desperate Serenade	The Jayhawks
Up Above The River	The Jayhawks
Sing Me Back Home	The Jayhawks

I'm Gonna Make You Love The Jayhawks - Side A

           As I've mentioned a couple of times on the blog, I tend to listen to a lot of twang in the fall, especially on my morning (and afternoon) commutes.  As I practically wore out the cassette tapes I had of them back in the 1990s when I had a car, I thought an homage to the alternative country superstars The Jayhawks including solo releases from Mark Olson and Gary Louris (and, also, material from The Jayhawks albums that Olson wasn't on) was overdue.  I'll post Side B next week.

Download Side A and B

Blue	The Jayhawks
Up Above My Head	The Jayhawks
Sioux City	The Jayhawks
Break My Mind	The Jayhawks
If You Really Want Me To, I'll Go	The Jayhawks
Precious Time	The Jayhawks
Lights	The Jayhawks
December's child	Mark Olson And The Creekdippers
It's Up to You	The Jayhawks
Keith And Quentin	The Jayhawks
Good Long Time	The Jayhawks
Black Grass	Gary Louris
It Sure Can Get Cold In Des Moines	Mark Olson With Victoria Williams

A King Sunny Ade's Ransom

         I don't really know why it took me so long, but I didn't become a King Sunny Ade fan until about 8 years ago when I bought Best of the Classic Years, a collection of material culled from his 1967-1974 recordings.  Once smitten, I, of course, couldn't believe that he had never become an international star, especially since there was a real push in the early 1980s - when he was with Island Records - to expand his audience.  As for tonight's mix, I tried to incorporate material from various stages of his career.  I also owe the website http://globalgroovers.blogspot.com/ thanks for posting several of his out of print albums.

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Sunny Ti De

Ma Jaiye Oni

Ja Fun Mi [Instrumental]

John Ali

Egbe board

Ogunja

Solution

Maajo

Afojudi

A kunle a tewo adura

S.K. Dada

Baba orun a mbe o

We Need an Answer: A Collection of Answer Songs

      I usually don't go in for the themed mixtape (not that there's anything wrong with them), but I was listening to Camera Obscura's "Hey Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" and I couldn't help but start making an answer song mixtape.   I know that I already included the song (as well as the Lloyd Cole and the Commotions song which the Camera Obscura song answers) on the Dear Heartbroken in Glasgow comps.  But I really love both songs and I also had a hard time finding any other contemporary answer songs that I liked (and everything else on the mix was either country or soul/old r&b).  In the spirit of full disclosure, I should mention that I used a couple of the ones featured on a WFMU blog.  There's a bunch of other ones there too, if you're so inclined.

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I'm Sorry	Brenda Lee
I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)	Ben Vaughn
Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)	Loretta Lynn
I Come Home A-Drinkin	Jay Lee Webb
High Heel Sneakers	Tommy Tucker
Slip In Mules	Sugar Pie DeSanto
Hit The Road Jack	Ray Charles
Well, I Told You	The Chantels
King Of The Road	Roger Miller
Queen Of The House	Jody Miller
Mama Didn't Lie	Jan Bradley
Mama Didn't Know	Major Lance
Bring It on Home to Me	Sam Cooke
I'll Bring It On Home To You	Carla Thomas
The Wild Side Of Life	Hank Thompson And His Brazos Valley Boys
It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels	Kitty Wells
It's A Man's World	James Brown
It's A Man's Woman's World (Pt. 1)	Irma Thomas
Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?	Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken	Camera Obscura

Aretha and Dusty - Volume Two

     About two years ago, I posted an Aretha Franklin - Dusty Springfield compilation.  A year later, a commenter said that he was surprised that Dusty won the "competition" between the two easily.  I was a little surprised by that, but I have to admit, after listening to the comp again several months ago, that indeed Dusty won that compilation.  In the spirit of fair competition, I thought a rematch was in order (plus, it's only right that this comp includes Dusty's version of "I Can't Wait to See My Baby's Face).  I say it's a draw, but I'll let y'all make up your own minds.

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So Well When You're Well	Aretha Franklin
I Can't Hear You (No More)	Dusty Springfield
Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody	Aretha Franklin
Meditation (Meditao)	Dusty Springfield
Climbing Higher Mountains	Aretha Franklin
Heartbeat	Dusty Springfield
Oh No, Not My Baby	Dusty Springfield
96 Tears	Aretha Franklin
I'll Try Anything	Dusty Springfield
I Need A Strong Man (The To-To Song)	Aretha Franklin
You Send Me	Aretha Franklin
I'm Gonna Leave You	Dusty Springfield
Hello Sunshine	Aretha Franklin
Let Me in Your Way	Dusty Springfield
Every Natural Thing	Aretha Franklin
Who Gets Your Love	Dusty Springfield
Love Shine Down	Dusty Springfield
I've Been Loving You Too Long	Aretha Franklin
I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face	Dusty Springfield
I'll Never Be Free	Aretha Franklin
Tupelo Honey	Dusty Springfield

Jonboy Langford and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts: Misery Loves Company

      Here's the out of print (and pretty darn rare) 1994 Jonboy Langford and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts Misery Loves Company cd I promised last week.  As I may have written previously, I know some folks are a little skeptical of tribute albums, but Jonboy definitely has a way with The Man in Black's songs (I do think one artist paying homage to another artist generally work better than a bunch of artists all covering one artist).  Among Jonboy's releases that are in print, I'd recommend are his collaborations with Sally Timms and the Sadies, his solo All the Fame of Lofty Deeds release, and, of course, his too numerous to list releases with The Mekons.

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Cocaine Blues

Tennessee Flat-Top Box

Guess Things Happen That Way

What Is Truth?

I Got Stripes

Busted

Big River

Sunday Morning Coming Down

There You Go

I Still Miss Someone

Thing Called Love

Give My Love To Rose

Next In Line

Home Of The Blues

Tell 'em Jonboy is Here: A Jonboy Langford Collection

            Whatever alternative country is (or has been), it's kind of hard to imagine it without the contributions of Jon Langford - starting, of course, with The Mekons, then on to his various solo projects, his collaborations with Sally Timms, Richard Buckner, and The Sadies, the Pine Valley Cosmonauts, and, of course, his work with The Waco Brothers.  With that in mind, here's 18 tracks of Jon Langford in all his various guises.  Oh, and befitting his status as the hardest working man in alternative country (you should also check out his artwork), he's just put out a single to benefit a foundation to provide free music tuition to people in Wales.  Lastly, if you're wondering a track from his Pine Valley Cosmonauts tribute album to Johnny Cash isn't on the compilation, it's because I noticed that the album was out of print.  So I'll post that next week.

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Hole in the Ground	The Mekons
Tubby Brothers	Jon Langford
Plenty Tough Union Made	Waco Brothers
Maverick	Mekons
From Attic To Basement	Richard Buckner And Jon Langford
Sweet Kind Of Love	Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Junco Partner	Jon Langford
Dark Sun	Sally Timms & John Langford
The Fame Of Lofty Deeds	Jon Langford
Strange Ways to Win Wars	Jon Langford & Skull Orchard
Teeth	Mekons
Amnesia	The Mekons
Up To My Neck In This	Jon Langford And The Sadies
Revolution Blues	Waco Brothers
Road to Florida	Mekons
Nothing to Say	Waco Brothers
White Freightliner Blues	John Langford & Sally Timms & John Rice
Over the Cliff	Jon Langford's Hillbilly Lovechild

Short Cuts soundtrack

      I was in beautiful central California last weekend (for a cousin's wedding) and brought along Jennifer Egan's  novel "A Visit from the Goon Squad".  As I was finishing it (it's very good, btw), I was thinking how about it might be made into a movie - which, in turn, made me think of Short Cuts, the 1993 California based movie which is based on several different Raymond Carver short stories.  So, of course, when I got home, I listened to the Short Cuts soundtrack.  While pulling the cd out, I realized it was on the ill-fated Imago label (along with Aimee Mann's first two albums) and probably out of print.  Which it is, so enjoy! :) And after listening to it, you should definitely check out the movie - the director Robert Altman is at the top of his game.

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Open On Helicopters (Sound Effect)	Sound Effect
Conversation On A Barstool	Annie Ross & Low Note Quintet
To Hell With Love	Annie Ross & Low Note Quintet
Punishing Kiss	Annie Ross & Low Note Quintet
Cello Concerto In B Minor	Lori Singer & The Trout Quartet
Blue	Annie Ross & Low Note Quintet
Evil California (These Blues)	Annie Ross & The Low Note Quintet With Iggy Pop & Anthony Coleman
Berceuse From "The Firebird Suite"	Lori Singer
A Thousand Years	Annie Ross & Low Note Quintet
Cello Concerto No. 2, Opus 30-First Movement	Lori Singer & The Trout Quartet
Imitation Of A Kiss	Annie Ross And The Low Note Quintet With Roy Nathanson
Full Moon	Annie Ross & The Low Note Quintet With Michael Stipe, Steven Bernstein, & Dave Tronzo
I Don't Know You	Annie Ross And The Low Note Quintet With Dave Tronzo And Lori Singer
Nothing Can Stop Me Now	Low Note Quintet
Earthquake Into Low Note (Sound Effect)	Sound Effect
Ending Credits Music: Medley - Prisoner Of Life / I'm Gonna Go Fishin'	Annie Ross And The Low Note Quintet With Lenny Pickett
How Does She Do It So Quickly?	Thomas Tree & Cory J. Coppage

More Bobby Womack and Sam Cooke

  As promised, here's disc two of Bobby Womack and Sam Cooke.  Another thing about them that I like that I didn't mention last week is there respective affection for country music.  So, of course, I had to feature a country music cover from each of them.  I think I take Sam's Tennessee Waltz over Bobby's Point of No Return, but ymmv.  Oh, and I also didn't mention last week how good the SAR Records set is - a ton of great gospel and soul from Sam Cooke's label including, but not limited to, Bobby and Sam.

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These Foolish Things Sam Cooke Just My Imagination Bobby Womack Cloud of Unknowing  Bobby Womack (w/Gorillaz) Lost And Lookin' Sam Cooke Point Of No Return Bobby Womack Tennessee Waltz Sam Cooke Cousin Of Mine Sam Cooke One More Chance On Love Bobby Womack Nearer To Thee Sam Cooke Yield Not To Temptation The Womack Brothers And I Love Her Bobby Womack Don't Cry On My Shoulder Sam Cooke Yes, Jesus Loves Me Bobby Womack Bill Bailey Sam Cooke I Lost Everything Sam Cooke I'm In Love Bobby Womack

Bobby Womack and Sam Cooke

   I've been enjoying Bobby Womack's new album "The Bravest Man in the Universe" for several weeks now (and was planning to go see him perform in Brooklyn, but the show was cancelled), so I thought it was high time to put together a Bobby Womack - Sam Cooke compilation.  I'm not going to get into their personal relationship (you can check wikipedia for all the details), as I paired them together because they're two of my very favorite soul men - in particular, both have an amazing talent to take pop dross (well, maybe not dross, but maybe pop fluff) and turn it into a soul-pop delight.  I tried to stay away from their most popular stuff, but there were a few cuts I just couldn't resist.  Disc two is next week.

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The Bravest Man In The Universe	Bobby Womack
The Last Mile Of The Way	Sam Cooke
Somewhere There's A Girl	Sam Cooke
Arkansas State Prison	Bobby Womack
You Gotta Move	Sam Cooke
I Wish It Would Rain	Bobby Womack
Baby I Can't Stand It	Bobby Womack
Somebody's Gonna Miss Me	Sam Cooke
Somewhere There's A God	The Womack Brothers
Lonely Island	Sam Cooke
Little Girl	Sam Cooke
Take Me	Bobby Womack
I Got A Right To Sing The Blues	Sam Cooke
(If You Want My Love) Put Something Down On It	Bobby Womack
Nobody Wants You When You're Down And Out	Bobby Womack
Little Red Rooster	Sam Cooke

M. Ward and Upward: Disc Two

     As promised, here's another disc of the great M. Ward.  I got back from England a few days ago and I'm still a little out of it so I'm not sure how well the songs are sequenced....but it ends with To Go Home, so how bad can it be? ;)

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Howlin' For My Baby

Bean Vine Blues, No. 2

Helicopter

Let My Love Open The Door

Blue Bayou

Were You There?

Story of an Artist

Fearless

Goodway

Headed For A Fall

Roll Over Beethoven

To Go Home

M. Ward and Upward

      First off, I apologize for the title of this compilation - it did seem fairly clever for about 23 minutes.  At any rate, I'm excited to go see M. Ward in August so I thought I'd put together a nice mixtape which ultimately ended up being a 2 disc compilation (the guy has a lot of b-sides, appearances on soundtracks, compilations, other people's albums, his side projects, etc.)   For the M. Wardniks, hopefully there's a few cuts you haven't heard before.  And for the newbies to M. Ward who want more, I'd start with Post-War, and then go on to Transfiguration of Vincent, End of Amnesia, Hold Time, and his more recent one, Wasteland Companion.

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For Beginners

The Twist

Green River

Way It Goes

John King's Watercolor Bicycle

Ridin' In My Car

I Get Ideas

Cosmopolitan Pap

Crooked Lines

Color Of Water

One More Goodbye

Sweethearts On Parade

Let's Take the Day Off: The New Girl Group Sounds

      Since I tend to feature a lot of "older" music (i.e. Gen Xer nostalgia stuff) on the show, I thought I'd put on my hipster fedora and put together a compilation of new girl groups - ya know, a variety of lo-fi, garage rock, indie pop, etc. The perfect soundtrack for driving to the beach or sitting in a kiddie pool drinking a Corona. :)  (And btw, I'm aware that some of these bands have boys in them.)

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Let's Take the Day Off	Denise James
The Box	Veronica Falls
Girlfriend Island	Frankie Rose and The Outs
Tomorrow Will Be Yesterday	The Girls At Dawn
Yours Alone	Dum Dum Girls
I'm Not Asleep	Vivian Girls
This Is Real	Best Coast
Each And Every Day	Best Coast
Where Evil Grows	Gore Gore Girls
Hip Check!	The Come Ons
Vanishing of Time	Vivian Girls
Break My Heart	La Sera
Love Has Got Me Crying Again	Denise James
Know Me	Frankie Rose
Hang Around	Grass Widow
Wild Eyes	Vivian Girls
In My Head	Dum Dum Girls
Let's Go Home	Best Coast

Nobody's Baby Now - Volume Two

           As summer is now clearly upon us, one's mind inevitably turns to pop music.   And even though Mad Men's fifth season is over, I thought another volume of 60s female singers pop and soul nuggets was in store. (The first volume can also still be downloaded, btw.)  And even though it's mostly lesser known artists, I couldn't resist including Francoise Hardy's Le Temps de L'Amour after watching Moonrise Kingdom.   (For those of you with an emusic subscription, several of the tracks came from a ridiculously cheap compilation entitled Cool 60s Girls (never mind the title).

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What a Lonely Way to Start the Summertime	Bitter Sweet
Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya	Sandpaper
Are You Getting Tired Of Your Little Toy	Darlene Paul
My Kind Of Boy	Mary Saenz
Weak Spot	Ruby Johnson
A Whole New Plan	Jo Ann Garrett
Babe I'm Leaving You	The Levee Breakers
Hullabaloo	Joey Heatherton
You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry	Billie Davis
It's So Fine	Dee King
Come On Baby	Kim D
Nobody But Me	Ann Cole
Le Temps de l'Amour	Francoise Hardy
Train song	Vashti
Hey Mama you've been on my mind	Caravelles
I Can`t Let Go	Evie Sands
Splendour in the Grass	Gullivers People
Then Only Then	Julie Grant
Try Love	The Sparkles
Going Back Where I Belong	Sugar Pie DeSanto
If There's Anything Else You Want (Let Me Know)	Roddy Joy
My Heart Cries	Tawny Reed

More Chris Gaffney: Chris Gaffney and the Cold Hard Facts/Mid Vida Loca

              After putting together the Chris Gaffney - Dave Alvin comp last week, I noticed that his first two releases were completely out of print.  Hopefully, they'll be reissued soon, but in the meantime, here they are in all their digital glory.  (Oh, and don't forget that Gaffney's Loser's Paradise is available as an mp3 download as is Gaffney's Live and Then Some.)

Chris Gaffney and the Cold Hard Facts

Lift Your Leg

King O' the Blues

The Gardens

Frank's Tavern

Glasshouse

I Was Just Feeling Good

Fight (Tonight's the Night)

Room 208

Accordiana

As Far as I'm Concerned

If I Had a Dream

Lonely Mile

Daddy's Little Girl

Mi Vida Loca Silent Partner

Artesia

Get Off My Back Lucy

Six Nights A Week

'68

Waltz For Minnie

They Made A Mistake

Quiet Desperation

Psychotic Girlfriend

Mi Vida Loca

So Tired To Be Me

I Never Grew Up

Dave Alvin & Chris Gaffney: Two Kings of California

   Chris Gaffney's 1995 album Loser's Paradise is one of those albums that you just find yourself playing over and over - first rate songwriting, nice sequencing of songs, solid backing musicians, and a great weathered honky-tonk voice.  It was also produced by Dave Alvin in the days when he seemed to be producing one out of every four alternative country albums.  Gaffney put out a fine live album "Live and Then Some" a few years later and then joined forces with Dave Gonzalez in the Hacienda Brothers who also released some excellent cds (I'm partial to their self-titled release).  Unfortunately, he passed away in 2008 after a bout with cancer.  I paired him with Dave Alvin for this comp given their long friendship, their fondness for songs about California, and well, because I thought they'd sound good together.

     Now, about the final song on the compilation.  It's the last thing Gaffney ever recorded.  He went in and sang the song which was to appear on a couple of friends' album (the guys who wrote the song) even though he was quite sick at the time (he died 3 weeks later).  A year later, when the friends found out that a Gaffney tribute album was being put together, they told Dave Alvin out about the song and ultimately it ended up on the tribute album - The Man of Somebody's Dreams.  (You can read the full story here.)  Anyway, I understand if you think it's kind of morbid, but it is really moving and a truly sublime performance.

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King of California	Dave Alvin
Artesia	Chris Gaffney
Alchoholidays	Chris Gaffney & The Cold Hard Facts
Johnny Ace Is Dead	Dave Alvin
Look Into The Future	Hacienda Brothers
These Times We're Living In	Dave Alvin
Ashgrove	Dave Alvin
She's Gone	Hacienda Brothers
La Frontera I	Dave Alvin & Steve Berlin
Two Lucky Bums	Dave Alvin
My Baby's Got A Dead Man's Number	Chris Gaffney
Fade To Grey	Chris Gaffney & The Cold Hard Facts
Laurel Lynn	Dave Alvin
The Last Time	Hacienda Brothers
Don't Talk About Her	Dave Alvin
California's Burning	Dave Alvin
Guitars Of My Dead Friends	Chris Gaffney

Another Taste of Caetano

         I posted a Caetano Veloso mixtape about a year ago (which you can still download).  A couple of weeks ago, I started reading his book The Tropical Truth - which is half autobiography, half history of Brazilian music - so I thought it was high time to make another mixtape especially since his 2004 concert at Carnegie Hall with David Byrne was finally released a few months ago.  (Btw, the leadoff track is a cut from that album.)

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Dreamworld: Marco de Canaveses

Anunciacao

A Tua Presença Morena

Coqueiro De Itapoã

Love For Sale

Onde eu Nasci Passa um Rio

Os Outros Romanticos

It's a Long Road

Escapulario

Torno A Repetir

Let's Face the Music and Dance

Rita / Esse Cara

Desde Que O Samba à Samba

Lindeza

Nega Maluca

Trilhos Urbanos

Coração Materno

Let It Bleed

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