NOTHING BUT A HEARTACHE

NOTHING BUT A HEARTACHE by The Flirtations.

Nothing But a Heartache is a stone-cold favorite dancefloor filler of mine and Stu's. I don't remember if I had heard it before he played it for me, but I've heard it many, many times at his sets at Key Bar and everywhere else. (It's also available on my favorite box set, "One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found").

Those first monster piano chords, that faux-Motown bass part, and those horns, wow! It may be a Northern Soul classic, but as the guy on this youtube introduction to the song says, the production on this record is top, top class.

The best song EVAH.

LISTEN.

Photo: Late afternoon in Baltimore.

Lazy Sunday afternoon

It's been a while since I've updated my reading list, in part because I've been busy enough at the other place and in part because I haven't read much since the last time I updated. Three books, I think, the best being "Istanbul: Memories and the City" by Orhan Pamuk. An extremely engaging memoir. An honest memoir is an exhilarating and harrowing experience, that's the main thing I learned.

But today we can report the end of the Harry Potter sage here at HLIT central. Martin had bought Amy a copy for her birthday, but then we quickly realized (and later had confirmed) that Amy would have inevitably bought her own copy in Las Vegas. So, not wanting the gift to go to waste and disappoint the little mutt, I read her a few chapters, and just kept going. We put it down not 20 minutes ago. I won't say how it ended, but the whole country will probably be finishing their copy within hours, if not already, so there's no need anyway!

Beautiful weather today, enjoy it! Tonight we're going to see the last Rivals show (at least the last one with the full band!), at Cake Shop.

GETTING HAPPY

GETTING HAPPY by Ralph Robles.

Getting happy is what we all need to do today! This track is from another great boogaloo collection (it's not a very album-driven genre, as far as I can tell), the Rough Guide.

I can't tell you much more than that except it's a gas from the first note. And I love the lyrics, which give voice to a severe case of ennui or ambivalence for a song urging the dancers to get happy.

LISTEN.

Photo: Wintery Hudson.

Unexpected day off

The city has frozen us out of our offices today because of the steam explosion yesterday. Truly an unfortunate development.

GET OUT OF MY WAY

GET OUT OF MY WAY by Joe Torres.

This is off a great compilation I got from Stu several years ago. I love about 8 songs off of it, but Get Out Of My Way is probably my favorite. Just checking around the internet, I saw this wonderfully succinct review of the collection:

Broasted or Fried--Latin Breakbeats, Basslines & Boogaloo
Funky New York Latin Soul. This CD is the one of the best compilations I've ever heard. Each one of these tracks is classic dance floor Boogaloo. It will make you move with Latin percussion mixed in with classic funk and jazz elements like Hammond organ, horns, and guitar. Lyrics are generally in English with the touches of Spanish. Bands range from biggies in Latin jazz (Puente, Mann) to ultra obscure rarities. ALL TRACKS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, play constantly at maximum volume

About Get Out Of My Way, the reviewer says, "4) *Great groover, English and Spanish vocals, jazzy horn interludes." Which is all true. Totally worthy of being played at the wedding reception.

LISTEN.

Photo: Ice on the Hudson.

ASI ASI

ASI ASI by Pete Rodriguez.

I'm about to start a likely-futile battle to get those in charge of playing music at our wedding reception to play some boogaloo. The arguments against going that direction are pretty obvious (no one knows it, they won't dance, etc.) But this stuff is so great! This Pete Rodriguez (not El Conde) is probably best known for a different track off his second LP, Oh, That's Nice, but Asi Asi is the same formula and just about as catchy. Ay, que bueno!

LISTEN.

Photo: Winter out on the pier.

BRING DA RUCKUS

BRING DA RUCKUS by Wu-Tang Clan.

This was just a bizarre one to show up on a wedding reception playlist. Undoubtedly a hip hop classic (the first track from the Wu's first album), but undeniably filthy and undanceable. What was I thinking in flagging it to be played at the reception?? I must have been subconsciously trying to get disowned.

No matter, any hip hop fans that somehow don't know this track should enjoy listening to it today. As always, make the weekend fun!

LISTEN.

Photo: Lobster gear in Southwest Harbor.

ABBA ZABBA

ABBA ZABBA by Captain Beefheart.

Here's another great track that nevertheless should be nowhere near a dancefloor, especially not at a wedding reception, where it's inadvisable to really challenge the dancers.

Still, I can see what flashed in my mind when I flagged it. It's got an immediately recognizable, loose, fast beat, catchy, fun. So far so good. What I completely missed was the 20-30 seconds of bass noodling after only a minute. So any momentum you would conceivably have built up in the first minute (already unlikely) would be completely lost right away. So no Beefheart at the wedding...

LISTEN.

Photo: Lobster gear on Islesford (2).

JUMP IN THE FIRE

JUMP IN THE FIRE by Metallica.

One of the 30 things I've remembered to put on my to-do list for our wedding next month is get music together for the reception. I've made it a personal vow not to get too tied up into the reception music, but I can't really help myself.

So I made a playlist of about 300 "acceptable" tunes, and boy is it a doozy. It's chock full of classic "one man dancing" songs. That is, the songs would be a huge hit if I was marrying myself, and 100 of me were attending.

Sadly, Jump In The Fire is one of those songs, I think. If you step back and squint at it just right, I think the song would be great dance material. It's fast, it's got a great hook, it's surprisingly glammy, you can even sing along with the chorus. In an alternate, better universe, everyone would beg for this tune instead of, say, Billy Idol.

But let's not kid ourselves. This gets played, and 30 people stop dancing to get another drink, and 69 people check their watch wondering when the next ferry is coming. But I'd be out there hopping around!

By the way, Metallica were in the news this weekend. Great item, on the way to the new Wembley for a gig, James Hetfield got detained at Luton airport for his "Taliban-like beard." Awesome.

LISTEN.

Photo: Lobster gear on Islesford (1).

SOUL BROTHER #1

SOUL BROTHER #1 by Pete Rock and CL Smooth.

Correspondents report slight disappointment at the lack of hip hop beats on the blog, and we can't afford to ignore our correspondents here. Soul Brother #1 is from Mecca and the Soul Brother. It's a subgenre that has pretty much disappeared (or at been completely marginalized) from the hip hop scene as far as I can tell. The dorm-friendly "philosophical" hip hop from the early to mid-90s, post-Public Enemy, Tribe-Called-Quest-rap. (ed.: For this read, what happened to the music we used to love, what happened to our youth? :)

The thing that really strikes me listening to this track (and the album) again, is how tight the production is, and I mean to give that description both positive and negative connotations there. The craftsmanship is there for all to see. Pete Rock was a hard-working producer, and you can tell he spent a long long time on each of the breaks and accents. By the same token, I don't hear too many risks in the production. It just seems slightly too respectable.

LISTEN.

Photo: View from the dog run (3).

NUMBER ONE

NUMBER ONE by Playgroup.

This number is from 2001, and it sounds a little like Chic fronted by Lenny Kravitz. Good times.

I've been telling everyone who would listen for the last year that I didn't care very much about what was played at our wedding reception. The idea is that let someone else worry about that, the all the good songs you hear there you'll associate with the wedding itself, instead of a song you know inside out. Plus it seems like a little much to try to micromanage the music (along with everything else).

So of course I find myself here wasting the last two hours building a 300 song playlist to evaluate for the reception, instead of cleaning the apartment like Amy told me to. Can't help it.

Anyway, enjoy this little electroclash tune, and have a happy July 4th!

LISTEN.

Photo: View from the dog run (2) (taken with the new phone camera).

Test Post

Pardon the interruption. We're playing with the settings a bit today.

WHY CHUCK NORRIS IS #1

WHY CHUCK NORRIS IS #1 by The Chuck Norris Appreciation Society.

"When Chuck Norris was born, the nurse said, 'Holy hell, that's Chuck Norris!'
And then she slept with him.
At that point she was the third woman he had slept with."

For reasons that are mostly opaque from here, the boys from the Gaffers fantasy football group in London have gotten a little obsessed with the cult of Chuck Norris in the last week or so.

If that last sentence didn't make any sense to you, don't worry, just enjoy this little ditty we picked up here a couple years ago, courtesy of the great WFMU radio station blog. It's only a matter of time before you're rolling on the floor with tears of laughter. I promise.

LISTEN.

Photo: View from the dog run (1).

SECOND HAND NEWS

SECOND HAND NEWS by Fleetwood Mac.

It's been a hell of a week, so, TBH, TGIF! Part of my difficulties this week was being confined to a computer without my iPod, and not much time to surf around (the horror!) But I did have the blog, so I actually listened to the songs posted on here. Each one for the last few weeks, about 10 times each! I'm ready for something new.

It's a little odd to call anything from "Rumours" new, since some of those songs have by now been hard-wired into every American brain, but Second Hand News counts, I think. I don't believe you hear it much on the radio, and it's a great, tough tune. And like all the famous songs on that album, the obvious subtext is the bitter breakup of members of the group (Lindsay and Stevie here). It's a brilliant tune to revisit, so take that with you into the weekend.

Before I leave to try to get an iPhone, let us note a bit of a milestone here. By my count this is the 100th song we've posted on the blog, which is quite a lot. And they look pretty good too. Check them out below the fold. If you want any that you missed the first time around, let us know!

Here are the songs we've posted to date:

'Til I Die by The Beach Boys
(You) Got What I Need by Scott, Freddie
3,000 Miles by Vladeck, Andrew
400 Blows: Playing Hooky by Constantin, Jean
400 Blows: Prologue by Constantin, Jean
400 Blows: The Police Van by Constantin, Jean
Atom Sounds by Mittoo, Jackie
Auntie Aviator by Martyn, John & Beverley
Balancar by Mestre Iram Custodio
Balmy Night by Department Of Eagles
Bits & Pieces by The Rivals
Boll Weevi by Leadbelly
Brainiac's Daughter by The Dukes Of Stratosphear
Brazilian Rhyme by Earth, Wind & Fire
Break In The Road by Harris, Betty
Cabin Fever by Super Furry Animals
Caminando Caminando by Jara, Víctor
Canyon Life by The Rivals
Cardova by The Meters
Carol by Reigning Sound
Charlie (Shoot the Piano Player) by Delerue, Georges
Childhood by Beach House
City Life by Nilsson, Harry
Colorado by Grizzly Bear
Comfy In Nautica by Panda Bear
Danger In Your Eyes by The Paragons
The Dolphins by Neil, Fred
Dream by Green, Al
Drunkard's Lament by The Honey Brothers
Drunkard's Special by Jones, Coley
Dynamite! (Single Version) by Sly & The Family Stone
Easier (Alternate Edit) by Grizzly Bear
Everyman by Double Exposure
The Freedom Under Certain Konditions Marching Band by Whitehead,
Charlie and the Swamp Dogg Band
The Gal From Oklahoma by Brown, Junior
Glorioso Santo Antonio by Carlos, Antonio & Jocafi
God Bless America for What by Swamp Dogg
Hedfan by Elisa, Gillian
Honey Dove by Fields, Lee & The Expressions
I'll Bet He's Nice by The Beach Boys
I'm The Greatest by Starr, Ringo
I am the Greatest (single) by Clay, Cassius
I Am The Greatest Says Muhammed Ali by Dr. Alimantado
I Don't Want To Be President by Watson, Johnny "Guitar"
I Met A Little Girl by Gaye, Marvin
It's Your Thing by Cold Grits
Krakken by Acid Casuals
Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (original version) by
Spiritualized(r)
Let's Make Christmas Mean Something by Brown, James
Let My People Go by Darondo
Long Long Long by Smith, Elliott
Los Mas Grande Que Existe by We All Together
Lovely Day by Withers, Bill
Manha De Carnaval by Jobim, Antônio Carlos, João Gilberto & Luiz Bonfa
Maninha by Miúcha & Antônio Carlos Jobim
Message From The Country by The Move
Miss Blonde, Your Papa Is Failing by Of Montreal
Moonshake by CAN
Muchacha (Ojos De Papel) by Almendra
My Gorilla Is My Butler by Sly & The Family Stone
Night Must Fall by Xavier Cugat & His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra
The Nightmare Of J.B. Stanislas by Garrie, Nick
Oklahoma Hills by Guthrie, Jack
Oklahoma Rag by Wills, Bob & His Texas Playboys
Oklahoma Waltz by Bond, Johnny
Ominous Cloud by Broadcast
One More Time Around by The Majestic Arrows
Out On The Side by Dillard & Clark
Past, Present & Future by The Shangri-Las
Philistines On The Land by Murvin, Junior
Please Please Me [Take 1] by Wray, Link & The Raymen
Poco a Poco by Chetes
Poison Cup by Ward, M.
Ponta De Areia (Epílogo) by Nascimento, Milton
Postcards From Italy by Beirut
Postizo by Ribot, Marc & Los Cubanos Postizos
Prodigal Son by The Rivals
Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours? by Trenet, Charles
The Rain by Asteriadi, Popi With Lakis Pappas
Second Hand News by Fleetwood Mac
Shut 'Um Down by Scott-Heron, Gil
Sign On The Window by Dylan, Bob
Sleep Away Your Troubles by Softies
Spring Hall Convert by Deerhunter
Sunlight Bathed The Golden Glow by Felt
Sunstroke by Joy Zipper
This Could Be The Night by The Modern Folk Quartet
This Is Love by Sly & The Family Stone
Thrills and Chills by Smith, Helene
Tomorrow & Me by Nesmith, Michael
Town Feeling by Ayers, Kevin
Traces by Classics IV
Tripoli by Pinback
Wa Muluendu by Sankayi, Masanka + Kasai Allstars feat Mutumilayi
Waiting For The Coffee To Kick In by Vladeck, Andrew
We All Gotta Go Sometime by Louis, Joe Hill
Where Does Yer Go Now? by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Whip Them Jah Jah by Brown, Dennis
Whizz Kid by Mott The Hoople
Woman I Love by Cale, J.J.

LISTEN.

Photo: Le Croix (3).

I MET A LITTLE GIRL

I MET A LITTLE GIRL by Marvin Gaye.

This story is so familiar to me I thought I had blogged about it before. Back during sophomore year, Jimmie brought home this Marvin Gaye album that had just been remastered and re-released, and until then, was pretty much completely unavailable. We had heard it was a "difficult," "spotty" album, but put it on with great anticipation. And were still blown away.

Even now my favorite Marvin Gaye album, "Here, My Dear" has to be listened to to be believed. The short story is that in Marvin's divorce settlement he was required to give half of the royalties from his next album to his ex-wife Anna Gordy. So in a total f*ck-you move, the album Marvin recorded was a blistering, bitter, highly-detailed (and extremely self-serving) account of their marriage and divorce.

I Met A Little Girl is early in the record. It's mostly sweet, sensitive and faux-sensitive, in a doo-wop style. For the most part, the bitterness is tamped down on this track, but (especially if you know the context), it still peaks through and is more effective for it.

LISTEN.

Photo: Le Croix (2).