All About Bowie

    As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I saw the 1986 movie Something Wild again recently and was struck by how good The Feelies were as the high school reunion band - especially their cover of David Bowie's Fame.  In addition to sending me on a Feelies listening binge, I also started listening to more Bowie, and, of course, more Bowie covers.   The pickings were a little slim - especially given how many Bowie tribute albums there are - but I consider that a testament to Bowie rather than an indictment of his songwriting.  There's some interesting interpretations (starting with M. Ward's version of Let's Dance) as well as some nice straightforward covers (Culture Club's take on Starman).  Disc Two comes next week.

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Let's Dance	M. Ward
After All	Ventilator
The Gospel According to Tony Day	Edwyn Collins
John, I'm Only Dancing	Vivian Girls
Suffragette City	The Get Up Kids
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)	Ex-Voto
Fame	Dennis Coffey
The Sun Machine (Memory Of A Free Festival)	Mercury Rev
Fall in Love With Me	Guy Chadwick
Drive in Saturday	Teacher and the Pets
The Bewley Brothers	Sister Crayon
Heroes	TV On The Radio

More Bowie Covers

     In addition to being inspired to do a Bowie covers compilation by seeing the Feelies perform Fame in Something Wild, I should also cite Seu Jorge's great set of Bowie covers from the Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou soundtrack (specifically The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions cd) as inspiration.  For some reason, I only got it earlier this year.  Not only the cd is great, but it also validates my argument that the best tribute albums are usually one artist paying homage to another artist.  (And yes, I realize that kind of invalidates my putting together a tribute compilation like this, but I prefer not to dwell on that. :)  I also recognize that including Nirvana's version of The Man Who Sold the World is a bit on the obvious side (especially since Richard Barone's version is quite dandy).  Blame it on my Gen Xer mentality if you must.

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The Man Who Sold The World	Nirvana
Queen Bitch	Capsize 7
Watch That Man	Lulu
Ziggy Stardust	Bauhaus
Oh! You Pretty Things	Seu Jorge
China girl	Rhonda Harris
Andy Warhol	Tubalcain
Ashes to Ashes	The Wee Trio
Starman	Culture Club
Red Money	Swahili Blonde
Changes	Lewis & Clarke
Soul Love	Marti Jones

On The Right Side of 2021

     Though it was certainly a lot better than 2020, I don't think 2021 is going to down in the global history books as a great year.   But, as always, there was a lot of great music.  I'd especially recommend all of the following artists' 2021 releases: Strand of Oaks' In Heaven, Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird's These 13, David Sanford's A Prayer for Lester Bowie, First Aid Kit's Live Tribute to Leonard Cohen, Rodrigo Amarante's Drama, A Sweet Relief Tribute to Joey Spampinato, Lord Huron's Long Lost, Charley Crockett's: 10 for Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand, and Sons of Kemet's Black to the Future

      As usual, I've only included artists who weren't on the two previous years compilations with the exception of Angel Olsen and Sharon Van Etten.  (They sound so good together and the song just really captured 2021 for me, so there you go.) I've also re-upped all my previous "best of" yearly compilations (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020).

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Disc 1

She Walks in Beauty (with Warren Ellis):  Marianne Faithfull

Could It Be:  Dominique Fils-Aimé

Candles in the Sun:  Miguel

MURDA:  BLK ODYSSY

Mellow Peaches:  The Black Keys

Heartbeat Of America:  Billy Strings

I'm Still Here:  Travis Linville

Blue Mesas:  Leon Bridges

If You Have Ghosts:  Chelsea Wolfe

I Will Be Your Shield:  Billy Bragg

Here's The Thing:  Courtney Barnett

Stones of Silence:  Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth

Dizzy Atmosphere:  David Sanford Big Band

Galacticana:  Strand of Oaks

The Starchaser:  Menahan Street Band

3:00 AM:    HAIM

Just Because You Can:  Speed the Plough

Red Velvet Rope:  Jimbo Mathus & Andrew Bird

 

Disc 2

 

Who by Fire / As the Mist Leaves No Scar:  First Aid Kit

Blue Raspberry:  Tobacco City

The Globe:  Son Volt

That I Get Back Home:  Deer Tick

Hot & Heavy:  Lucy Dacus

Marathon of Anger:  Parquet Courts

Cosmosis [feat. Ben Okri & Skepta]:  Tony Allen

Movement 5:  Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, & The London Symphony Orchestra

Caroline:  Arlo Parks

Tanto:  Rodrigo Amarante

The World Is A Ghetto:  Los Lobos

Love Me Like You Used To:  Lord Huron

Mighty Lonesome Man:  Charley Crockett

Makin Memories:  Melissa Carper

Relative Fiction:  Julien Baker

Call Me A Fool:  Valerie June (w/Carla Thomas)

Put On A Smile:  Silk Sonic

But Beautiful:  Mandy Barnett

 

Disc 3

 

Drinking in America:  Chris Eckman

I’m Waiting For The Man:  Matt Berninger

Screaming:  Jake Bugg

Chismiten:  Mdou Moctar

Pick Up Your Burning Cross:     Sons Of Kemet [feat. Moor Mother & Angel Bat Dawid]

The Same Tree:  CTMF

Fox On The Run:  Daniel Donato

Long Time Gone:  The Flatlanders

Pretty Good:  Nathaniel Rateliff

Rare to Wake:  Shannon Lay

Phase One Million:  Vanishing Twin

Point and Kill:  Little Simz feat. Obongjayar

Give Me Fifteen:  Aimee Mann

Virginia Beach:  Hamilton Leithauser & Kevin Morby

One of These Things First:  Susanna Hoffs

Little Green Apples:  Real Estate

I Never Could Get Enough:  My Morning Jacket

Like I Used To:  Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen