PAVUNA SADDAM HUSSEIN

Listen to PAVUNA SADDAM HUSSEIN by As Melhores Do La.

This one is very 2005. I don't know what a "Pavuna Saddam Hussein" is..."Pavuna" is supposedly a rough neighborhood in Rio. Maybe they were trying to tell us where Saddam was hiding before he found his spider hole.

KO-WO, KO-WO

Listen to KO-WO, KO-WO by Cachao.

I think I picked up this song by the late Cachao on the recommendation of Damon Albarn about ten years ago. Funny, I doubt he even remembers hearing this song, much less listing it in some interview somewhere. (Is it still on the internet? Why, yes it is!)

I also remember that Corbett didn't like this song, but you can't please everybody. I'm happy with it, and a little disappointed I've never heard any other of Cachao's tracks that are this hypnotic. Must try harder.

MER DU JAPON

Listen to MER DU JAPON by Air.

Shiny.

EI MORI ROUJKE

Listen to EI MORI ROUJKE by Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares.

In honor of Mr. Berbatov's goal today (not really, but you have to introduce these songs some way) (by the way, apparently it's pronounced ber-BA-tov by Bulgarians), here is a short beautiful piece by the "spine chilling" Mysterious Voices of Bulgaria.

BAPIKEK BALAM

Listen to BAPIKEK BALAM by Samsimar.

I first heard Samsimar on an "I Love Music" project back in maybe 2005. That made me put a compilaton called "Folk and Pop Sounds of Sumatra" on my wish list, where it stuck around for a year or two. I think I eventually got it at Christmas from someone who must've thought it would be perversely funny to gift such an obscure-sounding title.

This isn't an Indian raga by any stretch, but there's a droniness about it that make you think about how repetitive most pop music is (by design, and to good purpose). If you can get away with it, play it really loud, and it starts to sound funky.

AIN'T IT FUNKY NOW (PART TWO)

Listen to AIN'T IT FUNKY NOW (PART TWO) by James Brown.

Well, ain't it?

Hey...Hey you...COOme-here... ...hey you...llooky here...can you play that thang..can you play that thang...nowgimme a little taste.make you melt ... heh... let it oooze out... ...huh-huh...maceo...bring it in... ...g-god...good god...heh heh... ... ...mmake it funky... ... hehhah.... haha... ...say Jabo...brother... do you like it... ... do you like it... ...good god... ...do you like it... ... huhhaHA hmhm.... hey ......ehehehehehehehe...mm..m. brother... ....MACEO QUIT THAT NOISE OVER THERE... take it down...LET ME CONCENTRATE...heh...bring it down...good god...kush... heh...fred.heavy...play kush part fred so I can let kush solo... ... ... . . . .. ...kushyououghttabeashamed of yourselfleave that lilhorn alone...hhuh...good god... huh...be quiet....heh...let me get in my thang ... heh...mmmheuh...hh...nnnnhuh...HAAA...googod....

Credits:

Richard "Kush" Griffith - trumpet
Joe Davis - trumpet
Fred Wesley - trombone
Maceo Parker - tenor saxophone
Eldee Williams - tenor saxophone
Jimmy Nolen - guitar
Alphonso "Country" Kellum - guitar
"Sweet" Charles Sherrell - bass
John "Jabo" Starks - drums

JUST A MOMENT

Listen to JUST A MOMENT by George Danquan.

Today, we have music. And a photo. No words, but music. And a photo. Tomorrow is a new day.

BUSINESS BEFORE PLEASURE

Listen to BUSINESS BEFORE PLEASURE by George Akaeze & His Augmented Hits.

Hello readers! With the coming of the new year, we've reached a milestone of sorts here. It's been two years of regular posting, with around 400 songs picked, blogged, downloaded and commented on. Much of the picking and the blogging has been done by our very able guest bloggers, John, Jason, Laura, Corbett, Stu, & Chris, and for that I owe them all a big hand. The bulk of it, though, obviously, has been me, and it's time for me to scale back, to what degree I can't yet say. Posting four times a week takes some time & inspiration, and I've had less and less of both, especially as my computer has entered middle age along with me. Things just run slower.

I'm speaking for me only--John and Jason may or may not be keeping up their regular Friday slots, depending on how they feel--but I won't be posting with any regularity for the foreseeable future. We'll see how it goes. Thanks to all of you for visiting, and happy new year!

Photo: LIMITED SIGHT DISTANCE.

First Day of My Life

Listen to FIRST DAY OF MY LIFE by Bright Eyes.

Jason dropping in.

Conor Oberst is the voice of Bright Eyes. And he came to my attention in 2005 amidst claims that he was "the new Dylan" on the back of the album that this was taken from ("I'm Wide Awake, Its Morning"). I saw him play this year with The Mystic Valley Band and he was off - that's ok, he was ill, I forgive him.

I like his songs. They tell stories. They can take you places. And most of the ones I like have the same trait - they all seem to raise it up a gear midway through the track. Not quite a trucker's gear change but "up" none-the-less.

But its the video that's the reason for this post (and maybe a little seasoning of lurve) - its a polariser - you'll either think they nailed it, or you'll be thinking "barf it up schmaltzoid".

There are other videos in this category:

The closing scene of Juno? Works.


The Elton John singalong in Almost Famous? Works.


The drunken Manilow in Hellboy 2? Does NOT work (how did this EVER work on paper?)


Anyway, you be the judge. I, however, dig.


Photo: GOLD COAST, 2008. Photo taken by Jason Bryant.

SANTA CLAUSE'S COMING TO TOWN

Listen to SANTA CLAUSE'S COMING TO TOWN by Lucho.

This is a special post directed pretty much only to the family. Windy & I finally tracked down the real Lucho a few months ago and we're happy we'll be able to listen to his Christmas album tonight and tomorrow.

In memory of Grandpa Wayman and all of our loved ones who have passed before us.

Photo: Christmas lights.

"Twelve Times"

Listen to AIN'T NO BIG THING by Jimmy James And The Vagabonds.

Download the 2008 mix here.

Happy Holidays! Here is this year's holiday mix, hot off the presses. Not sure I have anything to say about it. I wanted to do something nice and easy, something you can play while you clean up on Sunday afternoon, or borrow from if you're DJ'ing your New Years Eve do.

The two things that made this was, I've known for a year that the first song here would be the first song -- the "Twelve!" announcement signifies that this is the twelfth mix that we've done since Amy and I have been together (and that's all the title really means too), and also, I wanted to do mostly Northern Soul tunes from the vaults, which I did for the most part, but I did get away from that a little bit with each successive draft. Thanks to John and Stu in particular -- a lot of these songs are actually theirs. Thievery. I try not to be deliberately obscurantist, so hopefully you'll recognize a lot of these songs, but not be bored by them. That's it. Ain't no big thing. Ho ho ho!

Download the 2008 mix here.


Photos: "Twelve Times" // Tunes for 2008 (front and back covers).

WALKIN' UP A ONE WAY STREET

Listen to WALKIN' UP A ONE WAY STREET by Willie Tee.

Oh how I love this song. There's something about the way those horns snake their way up the scale that makes me just want to play the song over and over. It's been that way for years.

This mix was made for Amy's 30th birthday. I seem to recall passing out copies of it plus another one at her birthday party. I also remember picking these songs while I was out Hawaii for our friend Jimmie's wedding. All of these tunes remind me a little bit of driving around Maui with the top down on my rented convertible (most rental cars over there were convertibles).

Overall this is a solid mix that's held up pretty well. The predicted electoral map on the cover didn't do as well, alas!

Photo: I Hate Hate!

SATURDAY NIGHT IN OAK GROVE LOUISIANA

Listen to SATURDAY NIGHT IN OAK GROVE LOUISIANA by Tony Joe White.

This mix I did in August 2005 might be my favorite one I ever put together. The song selection was really strong. It had a lot of tunes that not too many people would know, but were high quality. It maintained a consistent "swamp rock" vibe through the whole thing, and the cover was pretty great too.

Take today's song. Some of you may have heard of Tony Joe White, or maybe a song like Polk Salad Annie. But I doubt many of you have heard Saturday Night. And it just kills. Two minutes of redneck funk, totally laid back, confident, swingin.' It's a great tune and I was really proud of myself for tracking it down!

The sad thing is, not too many people ever heard this mix. I made a bunch of copies at the end of August to pass out to people (this is before the blog, of course), and then Hurricane Katrina showed up. It's a good reminder to myself how traumatic that event was to me (to all of us), just watching it on TV, that I decided it would be in poor taste to distribute this little mix CD that has basically nothing to do with anything, but has the word destruction...and involves water...and music you might hear in Louisiana.

Photo: Total Destruction To Your Catfish.

I'M SO PROUD

Listen to I'M SO PROUD by Joe White.

This mix from 2002 is a tiny bit awkward in retrospect. It's a mix of Afrobeat and reggae--which is fine--but it doesn't really stretch out or dig too deep. Thing is, I was aware of this at the time, but I wanted the mix to be reflective of what I had actually been listening to that year, and I was just getting into Jamaican & African music in a meaningful way.

IIRC, we met Stu right around the time I finished this, and I got swamped with so much great Jamaican stuff that I never looked back. I can't even imagine how I put together such a mix before getting Stu's collection, or what the point would be.

None of that is to say this particular song isn't good. It's wonderful, in fact, and I much prefer it to the Curtis Mayfield original. It should be downloaded by everyone.

(The title, which was Amy's, was in loving memory of my maternal Grandfather.)

Photo: Jah Monty.

GIRA

Listen to GIRA by Vanessinha & Alessandra.

In 2005 we had a new dog (hence the cover), plus my sister was living at our apartment and so we all got a vote as to what was on or off the Christmas CD (hence the title).

2005 was also the year that baile funk really broke out into the quasi-mainstream (thanks M.I.A. and Diplo!), so there were a whole lot of tunes, such as Gira, that all of a sudden were available for download. I kinda doubt Gira was even recorded in 2005, but I don't know the slightest thing about it except it's super catchy and over in two minutes. And that it was voted on the holiday mix, of course...

Photo: 2005: Designed by Committee.