On the Right Side of 2020

I have a lot of unfocused thoughts about 2020, so I'll leave the pontifications about the year that passed to other folks.  The only thing I'll say is that I'm grateful for the fact that artists continued to make music during what must have been an incredibly stressful and anxiety-ridden time for them (and other artists).  So if you have a little money you don't know what to do with, I'd especially recommend the releases from Emma Swift, Clem Snide, Terry Allen,

The Mavericks, and the Sun Ra Arkestra.

As usual, I've only included artists who weren't on the two previous years compilations.  I've also re-upped all my previous best of compilations 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).  

Here's hoping everyone has a much better 2021!!

Download all 3 discs
Disc 1 Am Gold Nicole Atkins La cumbia me está llamando (featuring La Perla) Nubya Garcia City of the Vampires Terry Allen Love Came Back Paul Burch Union, God and Country Steve Earle & The Dukes Ginseng Sullivan Gillian Welch & David Rawlings Headlights Squirrel Flower Corcovado Dirty Projectors Behold, The Deceiver Shabaka and the Ancestors Peaceful Afternoon Rufus Wainwright Call Me Closer Sagittaire Undertow Tanya Donelly and Gail Greenwood Bad News Blues Lucinda Williams These Are My Friends Fantastic Negrito Focus Caleb Giles Fill My Cup Thad Cockrell Diamonds And Dogs Daniel Romano Weather Shelby Lynne Disc 2 interregnum Asher Gamedze Be Thankful For What You Got Sunny War King Of The Hill Thundercat Hour Of The Furnaces Algiers Star Chambered X Hey, Bus Driver! Tami Neilson Keep on Smilin' Banditos Deep In Love Bonny Light Horseman Migration of Souls M. Ward James and Ira demonstrate mysticism and some confusion holds Yo La Tengo Cut Me Moses Sumney I Lay Awake Swamp Dogg Black Sara Sir Richard Bishop Thoughts and Prayers Drive-By Truckers The Stuff of Us Clem Snide ACC Kirtan Stephen Malkmus You're A Big Girl Now Emma Swift The President (2020 version) Robyn Hitchcock Disc 3 I Contain Multitudes Bob Dylan St. Peter's Autograph Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit How Long Iris DeMent Quits Lola Kirke Deep Dream STRFKR Days of Heaven Jerry Joseph Queer Notions Sun Ra Arkestra Looking Back from the Future The Koreatown Oddity Late Arriver Trummors Ever-Roving Eye James Elkington Think of You Fondly Ron Sexsmith Pale Blue Moon A Girl Called Eddy Are You Listening? Lera Lynn Kulun Mankwaleshi Mulatu Astatke & Black Jesus Experience Recuerdos The Mavericks My Favorite Mistake Esther Rose Another Space and Time Laura Veirs I Remember Everything John Prine

 

On the Right Side of Christmas 2020

       I don't have anything insightful or deep to say about Christmas music (or Christmas) in a pandemic, though I do think the cover art for this year's comp is somehow apt for 2020.   As usual, I've re-upped all the previous Xmas compilations.  Also, if you're looking for a deeper dig into Christmas music, I highly recommend the site Hip Christmas.

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White Christmas	Big Maybelle
Merry Christmas Baby	Bonnie Raitt & Charles Brown
Santa Claus Baby	The Voices
Reindeer Boogie	Hank Snow
The Little King Jesus	The Joystrings
Rock & Roll Santa	5.6.7.8's
Felicidades	Cheo Feliciano
Holiday On Skis	Al Caiola & Riz Ortolani
Why Should Christmas Be So Hard	Attic Lights
The Night Before Christmas	The Playboys
Christmas Time Is Here	Ed Harcourt
Middle of Winter	Peppermint Harris
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen	T Bone Burnett
Everything's Changed At Christmas But You	Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors
Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto	Anthony Hamilton
Hey Santa Claus	The Moonglows
Brand New Christmas	Hot Chocolate
The Little Drummer Boy	Dandy Warhols
Down We Go (Sledding Song)	Mac McCaughan & Annie Hayden
Wake up Christmas Morning	The Mighty Spoiler
Heart On Snow	Marc Almond
Christmas Fais Do Do	Marcia Ball
Crazy Santa Claus	The Debonaires
Auld Lang Syne	B. B. King

 

Dylan, Hank, and Townes

       I was more than a little ambivalent/nervous about putting together a compilation of Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, and Townes Van Zandt given their vast catalogs and, more pertinently, my relative lack of expertise about all three. It's also why I didn't try to come up with a thematic approach like Dylan, Hank and Townes sing about death.  But, as someone else must have said at some point, a homage is still a homage.  I tried not to include too many standards, but I just couldn't pass up including some.  Anwyay, hope the combination of the three works for folks.  Also, I re-upped my Townes Van Zandt tribute compilations.

 Download both volumes

  Volume 1

Meet Me In The Morning	Bob Dylan
No Deal	Townes Van Zandt
I Don't Care	Hank Williams
The Prodigal Son	Hank Williams
Song To Woody	Bob Dylan
Forever, For Always, For Certain	Townes Van Zandt
Tennessee Border	Hank Williams
At My Window	Townes Van Zandt
Most of the Time	Bob Dylan
May You Never Be Alone	Hank Williams
Snake Song	Townes Van Zandt
As I Went Out One Morning	Bob Dylan
The Love That Faded	Bob Dylan
My Sweet Love Ain't Around	Hank Williams
Pancho And Lefty	Townes Van Zandt
A Mansion On The Hill	Hank Williams
Ballad of a Thin Man	Bob Dylan
Waiting Around To Die	Townes Van Zandt
Volume 2
Lost Highway	Hank Williams
No Lonesome Tune	Townes Van Zandt
Obviously Five Believers	Bob Dylan
Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum	Bob Dylan
Man Gave Names To All The Animals	Townes Van Zandt
Six More Miles (to the Graveyard)	Hank Williams
I'll Keep It with Mine	Bob Dylan
None but the Rain	Townes Van Zandt
We Live in Two Different Worlds	Hank Williams
Pretty Boy Floyd	Bob Dylan
Only Him or He	Townes Van Zandt
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry	Townes Van Zandt
I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive	Hank Williams
That's All Right, Mama	Bob Dylan
I'll Be A Bachelor 'Til I Die	Hank Williams
Rex's Blues	Townes Van Zandt
They'll Never Take Her Love From Me	Hank Williams
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You	Bob Dylan

Always put a little Jackie DeShannon and Jessie Baylin in your playlist

        I apologize for the long and pretty uninventive name of this month's compilation, but, like most of the planet, it feels really difficult to be very inventive these days. However, you shouldn't let that deter you from enjoying some pretty inspiring pop music, which I think we all need right about now.  I can't imagine there are many folks reading this who aren't familiar with Jackie DeShannon, but if you're looking for more Jessie Baylin, I'd recommend Little Spark or Dark Place.  

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To Hell and Back                          Jessie Baylin

Lay, Baby, Lay                          Jackie DeShannon

Thorns                                          Jessie Baylin

Walkin' Down the Line                  Jackie DeShannon

Oh, Boy                                          Jackie DeShannon

Hurry Hurry                                  Jessie Baylin

Heavy Burdens Me Down               Jackie DeShannon

San Francisco                                  Foxygen (w/Jessie Baylin)

Put A Little Love In Your Heart Jackie DeShannon

Sparkle Shoelaces                      Jessie Baylin

Am I Making It Hard On You Jackie DeShannon

Lonely Game                                Steelism (w/Andrew Combs and Jessie Baylin)

God Only Knows You Now        Jessie Baylin, Dave Stewart

Sooner Or Later                        Jackie DeShannon

Was I On Your Mind                Jessie Baylin

Needles And Pins                      Jackie DeShannon

Colour                                        Wild Cub featuring Jessie Baylin

The Weight                                Jackie DeShannon

Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant

When I was putting together the 50's music compilations last year, I kinda rediscovered my affection for the country jazz stylings of Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant.  After listening to the compilations put out by Razor and Tie several times, I decided to look them up and discovered they were out of print, at least in the United States.  Moreover, practically none of their music - save their last album together - is available for streaming.  In order to rectify the situation, here are both of their out of print Razor and Tie compilations.  Enjoy!

Stratosphere Boogie

Stratosphere Boogie

Blue Bonnet Rag

Cotton Pickin'

Old Joe Clark

Sleepwalker's Lullabye

Arkansas Traveler

The Night Rider

Low Man on a Totem Pole

Speedin' West

Comin' On

Bryant's Bounce

Midnight Ramble

Pickin' Peppers

Shuffleboard Rag

Bustin' Thru

Flippin' the Lid

Swinging on the Strings

Frettin' Fingers

Lover

Two Of A Kind

Yodeling Guitar

West Of Samoa

Opus 1

Truck Driver's Ride

T-Bone Rag

Skiddle-Dee-Boo

China Boy

Railroadin'

Jammin' With Jimmy

Deep Water

This Ain't The Blues

The Rolling Sky

Whistle Stop

Hillcrest (Opus 3)

Pushin' The Blues

Swingin' On The Strings

Caffeine Patrol

Don't Fence Him In: A David Byrne Retrospective

        It's almost 37 years since I saw Talking Heads at Forest Hills Stadium, in what was probably one of their last concerts.  I can't say I've loved all his solo work, but it's still really impressive how vital an artist he remains (and I've been kicking myself for not going to see American Utopia).  Anyway, hope this comp serves as a nice little antidote to whatever ails you during pandemic summer.

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Disc 1
Psycho Killer	Talking Heads
Snoopies	De La Soul feat. David Byrne
Said & The Ants	David Byrne
Don't Fence Me In	David Byrne
The Dream Police	David Byrne
Let's Get Ready To Rumba	David Byrne
The Lighthouse	David Byrne & Brian Eno
Waters Of March	David Byrne & Marisa Monte
Five Golden Sections	David Byrne
I Should Watch TV	David Byrne & St. Vincent
It's Not Dark Up Here	David Byrne
Maria Lando	David Byrne
Jingle of the Record	Tom Ze
Body in a River	David Byrne
Just The Motion	David Byrne
Let The Mystery Be	10,000 Maniacs
Disc 2
Loco de Amor (Crazy for Love)	David Byrne & Celia Cruz
Please Don't	Santigold
Gypsy Woman	David Byrne
Garbage Disco	Brian Eno & David Byrne
Lazarus	David Byrne & St. Vincent
A Cloud Of Light	David Byrne
Glass Operator	David Byrne
Asa Branca	Forro In The Dark
Yolanda Nigüas	Cafe Tacuba & David Byrne
Knotty Pine	Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
Under Heavy Manners	Robert Fripp
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter	David Byrne (w/Thievery Corporation)
The Cowboy Mambo (Hey Lookit Me Now)	David Byrne
Hoy No Le Temo A La Muerte	La Portuaria
Dance on Vaseline	David Byrne
God's Child	Selena Feat. David Byrne

The Texas Legends Series - Volume Four: Terry Allen and James McMurtry

      I'm trying not to dwell on the stuff I missed because of the pandemic, but.....I'm still a little bummed that I didn't get to see Terry Allen as he was scheduled to play a concert in Brooklyn last month.  I've never seen him live and his new album Just Like Moby Dick is really impressive - probably his best since Lubbock on Everything.  I should note that I don't have a cut from the new one on this compilation because I finished putting it together before I heard about the new album.  Also, I've re-upped the previous Texas Legend Series compilations as well as the following Texas artists and compilations:

The Damnations' Where it Lands
The 3 named singer-songwriter compilation
The Robert Earl Keen - Lyle Lovett compilation
A Trip Back to Alternative Country - Volume 4 compilation
The Wondrous Ways of Willie Nelson 

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The Bottom of the World	Terry Allen
We Can't Make It Here	James McMurtry
Tired Of Walking	James McMurtry
Texas Tears	Terry Allen & The Panhandle Mystery Band
Sixty Acres	James McMurtry
I Blame God	Terry Allen
How'm I Gonna Find You Now	James McMurtry
Gonna California	Terry Allen
Writing on Rocks Across the U.S.A.	Terry Allen
Safe Side	James McMurtry
The Burden	Terry Allen
Fight (Tonight's The Night)	James McMurtry
Amarillo Highway	Terry Allen
Too Long In The Wasteland	James McMurtry
Southern Comfort	Terry Allen
Levelland	James McMurtry

King Me: Selections from the Carole King Canon

     

    It's kinda hard to resist a certain romantic nostalgia for places like Tin Pan Alley, the Brill Building, the Motown Hitsville USA house, the Philadelphia International Records Building, etc of yore.  On the other hand, it also seems a little strange to imagine songwriters and musicians going off to work from 9-5 in suits.  And when you go by those places now, they seem like any other building (i.e. I was a little let down when I finally went and saw the Philadelphia International Records building). It has been more than 15 years since I read  Ken Emerson's great book  "Always Magic in the Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of the Brill Building Era", but I'm pretty sure I would still recommend it for its revealing portraitures of King (and Goffin) and the other talented songwriters who worked at the Brill Building.   It also means that this collection of Carole King songs is way overdue.  Hope it brings a little joy during these chaotic times.


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My Inspiration	The Mad Lads
Yours Until Tomorrow	Bettye Swann
Up on the Roof	The Drifters
Chains	The Beatles
I'm into Something Good	Herman's Hermits
Wasn't Born To Follow	Uncle Tupelo
Don't Bring Me Down	The Animals
I Can't Make It Alone	Maria McKee
Don't Forget About Me	Dusty Springfield
It's Too Late	The Stylistics
No Easy Way Down	Hour Glass
I Can't Say Goodbye to You	The Everly Brothers
The Loco-Motion	Little Eva
Oh No Not My Baby	Aretha Franklin
Hi De Ho (That Old Sweet Roll)	Carla Thomas
So Much Love	Alton Ellis
Let Me Get Close To You	Alex Chilton
You've Got a Friend	Pou Vannary
Crying In The Rain	Rockpile
Will You Love Me Tomorrow	Bryan Ferry

Notes from the Paisley Underground

Early in 2019, four of the most prominent bands from the Paisley Underground movement in the 1980s released 3X4, wherein each of the bands covered one song by the other three bands.  Listening to that album, belatedly discovering this oral history of the scene (the article was written in 2013)  around the same time, and finding the long out of print Rainy Day album on the internet all, of course, led to an irresistible urge to put together the compilation below.  I should note that the Burn and Shine blog put together an excellent compilation called Paisley Underground: 1981-1990 back in 2011.  As the blog seems to have been defunct for several years, I did use several of the tracks from that compilation on mine as well.  Anyway, hope people enjoy it.

P.s. I highly recommend watching the video for Rainy Day's I'll Keep it With Mine (it's just the song with footage from the 1961 Guy DeBord film, CRITIQUE OF SEPARATION.)

P.P.S. Rest in peace, Tony Allen. I've re-upped my one disc career retrospective of his work.

P.P.S. I've re-upped several other LA-centric posts, including the a) Byrds/Three O'Clock/Army Navy compilation, b) the Los Angeles music scene comps, c) the Tom Waits/Eleni Mandell/Aimee Mann/Stan Ridgway comps, d) the 90s roots revivalist scene. 

P.P.P.S. Rest in peace, David Roback.  There's a good article on the LA Times website about the Paisley Underground scene, especially his friendship with Hoffs.

Download both discs

Side A
You Are My Friend	The Rain Parade
It's About Time	The Pandoras
Let It Rain	Dream Syndicate
Fading Away	Green On Red
Hold On	True West
John Riley	Rainy Day
I'll Keep it With Mine	Rainy Day
Northern Line	Opal
Only Business	The Rain Parade
Old World	Viva Saturn
Seeing Is Believing	Three O'Clock
All About You	The Bangles
And She Rides	The Long Ryders
John Hardy	The Gun Club
No Free Lunch	Green on Red
Side B
My Only Friend	Opal
Astronomy	Thin White Rope
Ghost on the Highway	Gun Club
Her Head's Revolving	The Three O'Clock
The Days Of Wine And Roses	The Dream Syndicate
Here On Earth As Well	The Dream Syndicate
What's She Done To Your Mind	The Rain Parade
Happy Nightmare Baby	Opal
Getting Out of Hand	The Bangs
The Word Is Out	Danny & Dusty
Hot Generation	The Pandoras
And Leave and Leave Me	To Damascus
Hollywood Holiday	True West
You Wanted Me To Hang Around	Wednesday Week
Sloop John B.	Rainy Day