mugglestone hi fi

Hank Williams as LUKE THE DRIFTER

2012-02-19T10:49:00.004+01:00

The other day my brother was telling me that I "have always been a big fan of this moralistic crap", and for some reason he sited my recent binge on the complete Luke the Drifter single collection. I have to admit, a gasp of delight welled up in my heart as I uncovered these beautiful relics, all in their original sleeves. The original box-set (pictured above) only had 4 records, but I found 2 more! For fans of "Hank", this stuff is a bit different: a lot of ponderous talking and gospel themes (mainly death). But for me it completes the picture of a man struggling to find self and truth in this often cruel world.

Track Listing ::>

01. Beyond the Sunset
02. I've Been Down That Road Before
03. Be Careful of the Stones You Throw
04. The Funeral
05. I Dreamed About Mama Last Night
06. Help Me Understand
07. Just Waitin'
08. Men With Broken Hearts
09. No, No, Joe
10. Everything's Okay
11. Why Don't You Make Up Your Mind
12. Too Many Parties Too Many Pals

Here is the .zip

Various- THE WILD SOUNDS OF NEW MUSIC

2012-02-19T10:03:00.004+01:00

This compilation is almost as bizarre as the misleading liner notes. Some of these excerpts/edits are shamefully short (sorry Steve Reich and Lasry-Baschet), but where else are you going to get Harry Partch or Conlon Nancarrow on 7"? Think of it as an educational tool. Or, for you more cynical and privileged: simply an artifact.

Here I have transcribed the amazing liner notes::>

Over Thirty? Stuck in the same musical bag for too long and getting a little twitchy? Have you run through the three Bs and back to Monteverdi and forward to Mahler and Ives? Are you bored with Perry Como but not desperate enough to want to embrace "The Stones" or Janis Joplin? Peace.
Under thirty? Are you getting bored occasionally with Jimi Hendrix, maybe a little put off by Jim Morrison? Jaws tired of "bubble gum music"? Want to broaden your horizons without getting trapped in that square symphony and opera stuff?
Good news! There's an area of new music growing that you can listen to without your friends accusing you of selling out to the other side. We don't know what to call it yet and we probably won't until strict "pop" and "classical" and "jazz" categories are ground into dust by the electronic age. But just because we don't have a name for it is no reason you can't go ahead and enjoy it.
Its borders are hazy and loose. Some of it is being written now by people like Terry Riley and Mort Subotnick and Luciano Berio. Some of it a decade or two old, is just now being discovered: like Blood, Sweat, and Tears uncovering Erik Satie or kids grooving to the sound of Harry Partch or Varèse.
So, if you've got the musical "blahs," listen. There's enough on this record to keep your adrenalin pumping through 1970. Come on, get with it!

-John McClure
Director of Masterworks

Track Listing (links are to wiki, not individual pieces)::>

Side 1:
01. Terry Riley- A Rainbow in Curved Air
02. Lasry-Baschet- Chronophagie
03. Harry Partch- Castor and Pollux
Side 2:
04. Luciano Berio- Sinfonia: Section III
05. Steve Reich- Violin Phase
06. Conlon Nancarrow- Study Number 7

Here is the .zip

Mugglestone Hi-Fi WHAT'S UP, DOC?

2012-02-14T16:50:00.001+01:00

I was back home recently and raided my Novelty/Children's box. The resulting mix is def not for everyone's ears or tastebuds, but for you crazy fucked-up individuals::> here is a schizo mix of 50's thru 70's novelty classicks, children's anthems, dated mash-ups, moral sexist slapstick beatnik fitness studio madness. No wonder our parents are so fucked up!!! I have cut all of these into individual tracks for easy perusal and appropriation, though most are only short lil snippets. "Take the straight and narrow path, and if you start to slide, give a little whistle..."

Track Listing::>

01. Buchanan & Goodman- The Flying Saucer Pt. 1
02. Firesign Theater- National Toilet
03. Jiminy Cricket- Intro
04. The Wizard of Oz- Ding Dong the Witch is Dead
05. Parakeet Training Record- Happy Day
06. Bob McFadden and Dor- The Mummy
07. Mel Blanc- Snowbound Tweety
08. Bobby Hendricks- Psycho
09. Dance Instruction
10. Flipper Theme
11. Tom Edwards- What is a Teenage Girl
12. Descending LFO
13. Eddie Vespa- A Letter to My Ex-Wife
14. Firesign Theater- Shoplifters Market
15. The Sword in the Stone- Higitus Figitus
16. Hudson and Landry- The Hippie and The Redneck
17. The Sicknicks- Presidential Conference
18. Jeanna Dixon- The Gift of Prophesy Pt. 2
19. Wendy Bagwell- Here Come the Rattlesnakes
20. The Hollywood Argyles- Bug Eye
21. United Electronics Institute
22. Jazzercize- Fit Is It
23. The Harlem Globetrotters- Sweet Georgia Brown
24. The Strangers- Crab Louie
25. Rollo and Boliver- Mildred, Our Choir Director
26. Play and Talk
27. Mickey Mouse and Friends- School Days
28. Firesign Theater- Art Snob
29. Slim Gaillard- Cement Mixer Putti Putti
30. Mel Blanc- Woody Woodpecker
31. Mel Blanc- Bugs Bunny in Storyland
32. Dickie Goodman- Mr. Jaws
33. Jose Jimenez- The Astronaut
34. Dr Boscoe- Dr. Boscoe Plays Name That Tune
35. Warren Schatz and the Universal City Orchestra- Stuck On TV
36. Robert Preston- Chicken Fat
37. Cinderella- Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo
38. Sallie Blair- Daddy
39. Judy Garland- Somewhere Over the Rainbow
40. Jiminy Cricket- Give a Little Whistle
41. Jorgi Jorgenson- All Pooped Out
42. The Corona Kids- Nid Nid Noddin'

here is the .zip

Mugglestone Hi-Fi HELP WANTED

2012-02-01T03:52:00.004+01:00

Last night I watched a man die on the u-bahn. We all sat there waiting, and then stood there watching. It was -9 degrees on the platform and they wouldn't let us leave at first. People half-hiddenly smoked cigarettes, planning their personal retreat. I was hungry and didn't want a drink. No one was there. Something about a man carrying the jaw bone of his father wrapped in a blanket tied across his back.

Track Listing::>

01. Marvin Gaye- Distant Lover (Live)
02. Al Petty- Steel Guitar Twist
03. Pete Drake- Rick-A-Shay
04. The Animals- Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
05. Hank Williams- Alone and Forsaken
06. Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant- Rolling Sky
07. Lonnie Donnegan- Dead or Alive
08. Neil Young- Time Fades Away
09. Joe Maize and his Cordsmen- El Rancho Grande
10. Bud Isaacs- Steel Guitar Breakdown
11. Suni McGrath- Fantasia
12. Leadbelly and The Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet- Take this Hammer
13. Spade Cooley- Y' ready
14. Willie Nelson- Blackjack County Chain
15. Jerry Byrd- Adventures in Paradise
16. Charles Mingus- Meditations for Moses
17. Frank Hunter- A Song About A Lonely Man
18. Herb Remington- Java
19. The Viscounts- Summertime
20. The Browns- Big Daddy

Here is the .zip

CAN- Halleluwah vs. DSCHINGHIS KAHN- Dschinghis Kahn

2011-11-25T13:39:00.008+01:00

I haven't been posting many individual singles as of late, but I just felt the need to demonstrate how much West Germany in the 70's was a hell of a drug...

This Can single I have been hoisting high above my head since I found it at the Platten Pedro record store in Berlin (prices are high, but plenty o' raritease). Not much needs to be said here about "Halleluwah" except that once again any Can purists will be disappointed by the truncation of the edit (not to mention the mix), but goddamnit! The fact that this exists makes me happy to be alive! "Turtles Have Short Legs", a non-album track is also quite amazing, though I agree it would stick out on Tago Mago. Here is a good review from Head Heritage.

Can- "Halleluwah"

Can- "Turtles Have Short Legs"

Then, well there is Dschinghis Khan.

It doesn't get better than this video from the Eurovision Contest (4th place!!!) in 1979::>

Could have said it better myself. Their song "Moskau" was even an international hit, but believe me neither song hits no matter how ironically themed the night is. Better play it for disapproving friends while dancing wildly in yr living room late one night after the bars close.

Dschinghis Khan- "Dschinghis Khan"

Mugglestone Hi-Fi CULLING ALL CURS MIX

2011-11-04T18:43:00.008+01:00

Bounty! And by bounty I am in a very vague way talking about a young child's dream of becoming something of a brilliant star. A star so bright that it blinds most, and gives others intense headaches. Featured here is my very first 7" single, originally given to me by Little A during lunch in high school. It was subsequently stolen and sold, and though I have looked diligently in the D section of every hip record store I encounter, alas, I could only find it on ebay. This then sparked a stream of seamingly unnecessary compulsive shopping on and off line, whereby I could acquire fancier (like this bizarre french Fela edit--I know some records should not be put onto single, but you can't blame me for coveting them, right?) and more "post punky" shuck an groove records to sparkle away the hours of DJ-dom. I never knew it was so easy. I dreamed of a world where I could own Nervous Norvus' "The Fang", and now that it's here next to me as I write this endless tome of an introduction, I would like to give thanks and praises to the record gods who have been shining on little ol' me as of late.

Track Listing::>

01. Dub Narcotic Sound System- Fuck Shit Up
02. Miles Davis- Vote for Miles Pt. 2
03. The Slits- In the Beginning There Was Rhythm
04. Fela Anikulapo Kuti- Shakara
05. The Residents- Sinister Exaggerator
06. Pink Floyd- See Emily Play
07. Nervous Norvus- The Fang
08. Pere Ubu- Not Happy
09. Ween- Pollo Asado
10. Charles Mingus- Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting Pts. 1&2
11. Can- Future Days
12. The Pop Group- Where There's a Will...
13. Red Crayola with Art and Language- An Old Man's Dreams
14. Snakefinger- Kill the Great Raven
15. The Dead Kennedys- Too Drunk to Fuck
16. Wayne Cochran- The Coo
17. The Halo Benders- Don't Touch My Bikini
18. The Fall- How I Wrote 'Elastic Man'
19. Diamond Joe- Moanin' and Screamin' Pts. 1&2
20. Down from Dover- Lee Hazlewood/Nancy Sinatra

Here is the .zip

MUGGLESTONE HI-FI Sum of 11 vol. 3

2011-07-16T01:26:00.005+02:00

This last mix is probably my fav of the bunch because it played itself. I picked up a few Sega records from Mauritus (islands of Madagascar where the rich French come to sun) that blew my mind and sowed them with some dust that I found at Backtrack Records in Lincoln when I was there to see my cousin wed in the local Masonic Temple. This is the mid-summer mid-afternoon cool drink to begin the day (whether its a can o beer, a vodka tonic, or a caipirinha). Please enjoy!

Track Listing::>

01. Franki Valli- I Can't Take My Eyes Off You
02. Sanford Clark- The Fool
03. Booker T & the MGs- Aw, Mercy
04. Etta James- Something's Got a Hold on Me
05. Lonnie Donnegan- Lost John
06. Dave York- Beach Party
07. Roger Clency and Marie Josee- Famille Coutou
08. Bobby Gregg and Friends- The Jam Pt. 2
09. Mable John- Able Mable
10. Lee Hazlewood- Don't Cry
11. Jack McDuff- The Vibrator
12. Unknown Japanese Singer- Inochi Blues
13. The Muppets- Ma-Na-Ma-Na
14. Gerard Cimiotti e Son Ensemble- 40 Mozart
15. Lord Buckingham's XI- Fried Onions
16. Dossie "Thunderbird" Terry- Skinny Ginny
17. Naughty Abbie- Ala Moana Annie
18. Gerard Cimiotti- Sega Dans Camp Creole
19. Paul Evans- Happy Go Lucky Me
20. Marlene Dietrich- Lili Marlene

Here is the .zip

MUGGLESTONE HI-FI Sum of 11 vol. 2

2011-07-16T01:13:00.004+02:00

This mix started as a tribute to all the songs that are a bit too "anthemic" for their own good, even though when taken in doses can make or break a nostalgia fueled dance party. But it turned out to be a collection of cool dad i-pod playlist material. I tried to sneak some ladies up in here to provide a little balance, but for the most part you can tailgate this one anywhere.

Track Listing::>

01. Can- Vitamin C
02. Mc5- Kick Out the Jams
03. Joy Division- Transmission
04. Blondie- One Way or Another
05. Iggy Pop- Lust for Life
06. Nina Hagen- African Reggae
07. The Dead Kennedys- Holiday in Cambodia
08. The Sweet- Blockbuster
09. FehlFarben- Es Geht Voran
10. Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit
11. Led Zepplin- D'yer Maker
12. The Velvet Underground- Femme Fatale
13. Metallica- Creeping Death
14. Frank Zappa- Stick it Out
15. Guns N' Roses- Welcome to the Jungle
16. David Bowie/Queen- Under Pressure
17. Neil Young- Walk On
18. the Smiths- Big Mouth Strikes Again
19. The Pop Group- We are All Prostitutes
20. Negativland- I Still Haven't Found What I am Looking For (Special Edit Radio Mix)

Here is the .zip

MUGGLESTONE HI-FI Sum of 11 vol. 1

2011-07-15T21:43:00.006+02:00

When in doubt (and I mean self-doubt), overcompensate. That's what the country preacher has to say about it. So here you get not 1, not 2, but rather 3 new mixes to mow the lawn to. For this first volume I didn't really want to break any rules of the game for the summer of 2011, just showcase some of the finest southern funk and proto-rock classics. Doesn't that sound nice? There are plenty of classix as well as the elusive rare groove or two to keep the pop police at bay, and of course some nice whitey go black blues rock that we've grown to love.

Track Listing::>

01. The Meters- Hand Clapping Song
02. Sandy Nelson- Drum Stomp
03. Jo Ann & Troy- Who Do You Love?
04. The Animals- Boom Boom
05. The Twistin' Kings- Congo Pt. 1
06. Chuck Berry- Hey Pedro
07. Eddie Bo- Hook n Sling Pt. 2
08. The Novas- The Crusher
09. The Who- Dogs Pt. 2
10. The Fantastic Epics- Fun and Funk Pt. 3
11. Caetano Veloso- Não Identificado
12. The Shadows- Apache
13. Hugh Masekela- Riot
14. Mickey and the Soul Generation- Iron Leg
15. The Blackbyrds- Do it, Fluid
16. The Byrds- Leavin' Here
17. Them- Mystic Eyes
18. The Rolling Stones- Not Fade Away
19. Benny Spellman- Fortune Teller
20. Bert Weedon- Bert's Boogie

Here is the .zip

Mugglestone Hi-Fi MONKEY MIX

2011-02-11T06:36:00.005+01:00

I was drinkin beer mid-afternoon with my man Alan and watching old Butthole Surfers videos when we got to talkin about famous rock n roll bass players that did weirdo electro dub side projects in the late 70's. When back at my favorite watering hole (WAX TRAX Records in Denver) I was able to pick up a few that show up on this mix. As for the rest of it, needless to say I was feeling a bit manic.

Track Listing::>

01. Dion- Runaround Sue
02. The Yardbirds- The Shapes of Things
03. Bill Wyman- Si Si, Je Suis Un Rock Star
04. Paul McCartney- Check My Machine
05. Grace Jones- Warm Leatherette
06. Five Du Tones- Divorce Court
07. Johnny Dee- Sittin' in The Balcony
08. Preston Epps- Bongola
09. Adam Ant- Ant's Rap
10. Raymilland- Side Talk
11. America- A Horse with No Name
12. Love- No. Fourteen
13. Jimmy Castor- Ham Hocks Español
14. Shirley and Company- Shame, Shame, Shame
15. Kraftwerk- The Robots
16. John Cale- Rosegarden Funeral of Sores
17. The Viscounts- Chug-a-lug
18. Donald Byrd- Black Byrd
19. Hal Pearl's Singing Canaries- La Paloma
20- Wally Fowler and His Oak Ridge Quartet- Church in the Valley

Here is the .zip

Mugglestone Hi-Fi NEW AGE MIX

2011-01-30T23:45:00.005+01:00

Something for the New Zodiac, this one goes out to all you Ophiochus mofos out there. This picture came from a web article entitled "How Will Climate Change Impact World Food Supplies?" Need I say more? Lots of gold and moldies here, hard-hitting sentimentalitease and saxy sweet sextrumentals to ease the burden of the everyman inside us all.

Track Listing::>

01. Conway Twitty- Long Black Train
02. Jimmy McCracklin- The Drag
03. Gloria De Haven- Red Hot Pepper Pot
04. Dee Jay and the Runaways- Peter Rabbit
05. John Lee Hooker- Dazie Mae
06. George Jones String Band- Opry Rag
07. The Chantays- Move It
08. Ketty Lester- Love Letters
09. Big Jay McNeeley- Deacon's Hop
10. Red Foley- Hoot Owl Boogie
11. Floyd Jones- Any Old Lonesome Day
12. Roy Orbison- Running Scared
13. The Ideals- Knee Socks
14. O.V. Wright- Monkey Dog
15. Betty Mclaurin- Autumn Leaves
16. Jim Ed Brown- The Enemy
17. Ray Charles- Busted
18. Irma Thomas- It's Raining
19. The Jaguars- Where Lovers Go
20. Jack Scott- Goodbye Baby

Here is the .zip

Mugglestone Hi-Fi MAKKI LA LA MIX

2011-01-13T09:14:00.007+01:00

Who said mama's little baby likes shortnin' bread?
My little monkey loves watermelon
My little monkey loves teen wolf
My little monkey likes all the finer things
My little monkey could teach you one times two
If she can make to teach on me
She can sure reach down to you
My little monkey is a vu vu vu
vu vu vu vu la la vu vu vu

Track Listing::>

01. The Dixie Cups- Iko Iko
02. Wanda Jackson- Let's Have a Party
03. The J.B.'s- Hot Pants Road
04. Sam Taylor- Let's Go Dancin'
05. The Sheik's Men- The Belly Dancer
06. Lil Green- Romance in the Dark
07. Lee Hazlewood- Greyhound Bus Depot
08. Ines Barroso- Villa Legos
09. Alice Coltrane- Journey to Satchidananda Pt. 1
10. Spiritualized- Good Times
11. Carla Bley- Little Pony Soldier
12. Mick Jagger- Memo From Turner
13. Otis Redding- I've Been Loving You Too Long
14. Big Maceo- Worried Life Blues
15. Dave "Baby" Cortez- Organ Shout
16. Muddy Waters- Mean Mistreater
17. Brian Wilson- Caroline, No
18. The Roberta Martin Singers- Teach Me Lord
19. Norman Granz Supervising Charlie Parker etc.- Lady Be Good Pt. 1
20. Paul Craft- It's Me Again, Margaret

Here is the .zip

MUGGLESTONE HI-FI "IT WILL NEVER WORK OUT" MIXX

2010-11-09T06:23:00.005+01:00

I just came back from Istanbul with a slew of amazing Turkish prog/psych records to find a small package of amazing skweee records from dødpop in Norway. I knew it would be dicey and a bit presumptuous to make a mix using only those, so I added a few other classics to help pave the way for this mixx. Perhaps not as easy listening as some other mixes up on hear, but a lot of goodies and some raritease to while the sun machine to sleep.

Track Listing::>

01. Erkin Koray- Krallar
02. Melkeveien vs Nino- Mandag
03. Selda- Rabbim
04. Shannon- Let the Music Play (dub)
05. Fantastic Johnny C- Boogaloo Down Broadway
06. Baris Manco- Olum Allahin Emri
07. Sprutbass- Ulykke
08. Beat Happening- Red Head Walking
09. Righeira- Vamos a la Playa
10. Unknown Coxsone Record- Little Girl?
11. Black Sabbath- Iron Man
12. Selcuk Alagoz-Malabadi Koprusu
13. Charles Mingus- The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
14. Eric B. & Rakim- Paid in Full
15. Nikki Sudden- Channel Steamer
16. Beatbully- Jobbe Pa Fabrikk
17. Minnie Riperton- Lovin' You
18. Serap Aksoy- Bendeki Sabir Daglari Deler
19. Swell Maps- Loin of the Surf
20. 3 Hur El- Sevenler Aglarmis

Here is the .zip

MUGGLESTONE HI-FI HAPPY GEBURTSDAY MIX

2010-09-21T20:09:00.005+02:00

"Fuck it, I deserve it," I said as I realized I had spent some 130 Euro on records over the last week (but even those weren't enough for a B-day mix so I added both some dance with yrself classix and some tracks I have been meaning to post for a while). Sorry for the lengthy gap between posts, the I-man has been overdoing it a bit for the last lasts. Enjoy!

Track Listing::>

01. The Temptations- Papa was a Rolling Stone
02. The Cramps- Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?
03. Red Crayola- We are Born in Flames
04. Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg- La Dècadanse
05. Washboard Sam- Don't You Leave Me Here
06. Sonic Youth- Death Valley 69
07. Fadhili William and the Black Shadows- Hakuna Mwingine
08. The Flying Lizards- Tube
09. Lou Reed/ John Cale- Nobody but You
10. Bix Beiderbecke- Riverboat Shuffle
11. Nancy Sinatra- Lightning's Girl
12. Betty Davis- He was a Big Freak (Record Plant Rough Mix)
13. Little Richard/ Jimi Hendrix- Money Honey
14. Hamilton Bohannon- South African Man
15. Yoko Ono- Kiss Kiss Kiss
16. Annette- Lonely Guitar
17. Pixies- Dig for Fire
18. Dee-Lite- Groove is in the Heart (Peanutbutter Mix)
19. Wreckx N Effect- Rumpshaker
20. Harold Betters- Do What you Wanna Pt. 1

Here is the .zip

Mugglestone Hi-Fi SOMMERMIX 2010

2010-07-07T05:29:00.004+02:00

This one just writes itself::> a lot of ethnic goodies here, including some cumbia records that my friends brought me back from recent S.A. travels and a killer Congolese record courtesy of Brian at Awesome Tapes from Africa. Round it off with some good feelin soul and twang-strumentals and we gots something, it ain't profound but it moves.

Track Listing::>

01. Pigmeat Markham- Here Comes the Judge
02. Johnny Colon- Mombo Suzie
03. Tommy James and the Shondells- Thunderbolt
04. The Mighty Imperials- Thunder Chicken
05. Mickey Baker- Baia
06. Link Davis- Allons a Lafayette
07. The Beach Boys- Girl Don't Tell Me
08. Gary U.S. Bonds- New Orleans
09. Paul Humphreys and his Cool Aid Chemists- Cool Aid
10. Warren Covington- El Watusi
11. Ronny Kae- Drums Fell Off a Cliff
12. Screamin Jay Hawkins- Little Demon
13. Chuck Carbo- Can I Be Your Squeeze
14. Osibisa- Music for Gong Gong
15. Orch. Stukas- Wangata pt 1
16. Ines Barroso- Capueira
17. Scandinavian Letkis Dance Band- Jumpin Jenka
18. Cecilio Ruiz y su Sonor Colombiano- La Banda Borrachada
19. El Chicano- Viva Tirado pt 1
20. Jerry Byrd- Hawaiian Sunset

Here is the .zip

MUGGLESTONE HI-FI BRITISH TOURISM GUIDE

2010-06-03T16:02:00.005+02:00

Recent travel to the UK brought some memorable round pieces of plastic into my life. SPOILER ALERT::> Not everything is British. The name and the little picture were just too tempting. There are some proper classics from quite a few hipster genres on here, but also some "challenging" stuff that might be a bit too much for yr super cool art-collector mom. But yr older cousin that never quite made it out of the minimum wage turned shift manager job at the grocery store will be like "those songs were already retro like 15 years ago" and then go off about these fucking kids who still think J.G. Ballard is like the greatest new thing. He will then start bitching about how William Gibson's new books are even better than the old ones but that no one cares anymore. And then he will wipe his sweaty hands on the back of his jeans (faded and frayed, but no proper holes), chew on the corner of his moustache and continue to fret about his young girlfriend/co-worker that may or may not be pregnant.

Track Listing::>

01. Bauhaus- Third Uncle
02. Orchestral Manoevers in the Dark- Maid of New Orleans (The Waltz of Joan of Arc)
03. Spiritualized- Good Times
04. Jesus and Mary Chain- Just like Honey
05. Hank Mizell- Jungle Rock
06. J. O. Araba and his Afro Skiffle Group-Lumumba Tiku
07. Snakefinger- The Man in the Dark Sedan
08. Ed Banger- Kinnel Tommy
09. The Modern Lovers- Roadrunner
10. The Fiery Furnaces- Crystal Clear
11. Jad Fair/ Daniel Johnston- The Making of an Album
12. Bow Wow Wow- C'30 C'60 C'90 Go
13. M.I.A.- Galang 05
14. Mr. Lex- No (Raw)
15. Rip Rig & Panic- Go Go Go (This is It)
16. Grauzone- Eisbaer
17. Magazine- Shot by Both Sides
18. Fad Gadget- 4m
19. Cocteau Twins- Iceblink Luck
20. Prince- 7

Here is the .zip

Mugglestone Hi-Fi ALL PURPOSE FILLER

2010-05-06T12:45:00.005+02:00

You guessed it! Filler songs are generally my favorite because they are dependable, make everyone happy, and take the pressure off. Too much killer can kill. Cuz as we all know, there is such a too much of a good thing. And yes, often hits make perfect filler.

Track Listing::>

01. Al Green- Tired of Bering Alone
02. Art & Dotty Todd- Chanson D'Amour
03. Dusty Springfield- Son of a Preacher Man
04. Charles Brown- Butterfly
05. Paul Anka- Crazy Love
06. John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band- Woman is the Nigger of the World
07. Clarence Henry- Ain't Got No Home
08. Larry Williams- Short Fat Fanny
09. Memphis Slim- Hey Lonely Girl
10. El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico- Mundy Baja
11. Johnny Cash & June Carter- Long-Legged Guitar Pickin' Man
12. Al Jolson- Carolina in the Morning
13. Dinosaur- Kiss Me Again
14. Flor Silvestre- Una Limosina
15. Billy Paul- Me & Mrs. Jones
16. Lyn Collins- Mr. Big Stuff
17. The Ink Spots- We Three
18. Perry Como- Keep It Gay
19. Etta James- All I Could Do Was Cry
20. The Flamingos- I Only Have Eyes for You

Here is the .zip

DIE TEILNAHMSLOSIGKEIT BEI MUGGLESTONE HI-FI

2010-05-01T21:56:00.006+02:00

What can I say without sounding too weird. I started out wanting to make a kind of NDW mix with a smattering of 60's/70's classic rock/disco jams and some tasteful ballads, but then I kept adding these world music tracks that I love and can never DJ or fit into some of the more straight ahead mixes (esp these amazing Burmese and Bengali songs) and then of course some other little muffins. The track listing looks like another one of these "who the fuck is this guy, maybe he's trying a little bit too hard," but after listening to it yull find the songs create the perfect background for you to discuss politicized photography movements of the mid-70's or some article you read in the most recent issue of Cabinet.

Track Listing:::>

01. Mills Bros.- Sweet Adeline
02. DÖF- CODO
03. Ike and Tina Turner- Come Together
04. Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers- Egyptian Reggae
05. Trio Los Panchos- Cancion Del Alma
06. Deep Purple- Space Truckin'
07. Hamilton Bohannon- Disco Stomp
08. Burmese Song and Dance Ensemble- Introduction
09. The Ramblers- Devil Train
10. Donovan- Hurdy Gurdy Man
11. Gilbert Becaud- Nathalie
12. Leonard Cohen- It Seems So Long Ago, Nancy
13. Tiriki Musicians- Unknown
14. Lecuona Cuban Boys- Tabou
15. The Monkees- Last Train to Clarksville
16. Wall of Voodoo- Mexican Radio
17. Bengali Folk Song- Unknown
18. Trevor Baby/ G James- Cooki Monster
19. De La Soul (feat. Jungle Bros., Q-Tip, Queen Latifah)- Buddy
20. Trio- Sabine Sabine Sabine

Here is the .zip

MUGGLESTONE HI-FI KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY MIX

2010-04-17T21:33:00.007+02:00

This mix came about as a desire to hear a few songs that didn't make it on the Family Vacation Mix and then needing to fill them in with other pieces of gold both that I listen to all the time and/or things I just bought into. Wheel let you decide which is which. After looking at the track listing I can honestly say there is something incestuous about this mix, it keeps harkening back to the bad old isolated teenage days mixed with some syrupy nostalgia and then just plain creepiness. But it plays nicely on a rainy it would be a picnic but instead its mid-afternoon brunch.

Track Listing::>

01. Ronnie Hawkins- Mary Lou
02. The Bell Jubillee Singers- Shadrach Meshach & Abednego
03. The Moonrakers- Love Train
04. Bob Dylan- Subterranean Home Sick Blues
05. James Brown- Every Piece of My Heart
06. The League of Gentlemen- Dislocated
07. Dick Hyman- Topless Dancers of Corfu
08. Lee Dorsey- Mexico
09. The Hombres- Let it Out
10. Caterina Caselli- Nessuno Mi Puo Giudicare
11. Siouxie and the Banshees- Supernatural Thing
12. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee- Walk On
13. Eugene Chadbourne- Jesus Protects Mexico
14. The Murmaids- Popsicles Icicles
15. The Birthday Party- Mr. Clarinet
16. Otis Redding- Fat Gal
17. The Coasters- Charlie Brown
18. Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant- West of Samoa
19. Josh White- Careless Love
20. Syd Barrett- Terrapin

Here is the .zip

MUGGLESTONE HI-FI Mx17

2010-03-24T12:05:00.005+01:00

Are you ever on the road with yr band and things are getting a little bitchy and you need some good tunes that will make the miles go by, not anything to heavy or too sing-songy or taste-specific? Well let's hope this does the trick. A non-Cormac McCarthy road trip mix.

Track Listing::>

01. Tex Ritter- High Noon
02. Tom and Jerry's Rockets- On the Road Again
03. The Kinks- Lola
04. Tony Joe White- Polk Salad Annie
05. The Banjo Maniacs- Pick It You Peasant
06. Slim Willet and the Brush Cutters- Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes
07. The Cure- Close to Me
08. The Church Street 5- A Night with Daddy G Part 1
09. Sidney Bechet- St. Louis Blues
10. Augustus Pablo- Edi Amin
11. Bull and the Matadors- Funky Judge (Instrumental)
12. Tom Waits- Frank's Wild Years
13. Clyde McCoy- Sugar Blues
14. Kenny Everett/Mike Vickers- Captain Kremmen
15. The Traveling Wilburys- Margarita
16. Caetano Veloso- Alegria Alegria
17. Bessie Smith- Black Mountain Blues
18. Perez Prado- My Roberta
19. Porter Wagoner- Heartbreak Affair
20. Pete Moesser's Music- Hawaiian Affair

Here is the .zip

MUGGLESTONE HI-FI FAMILY VACATION MIX

2010-03-23T14:39:00.004+01:00

The idea here is quite simple: something for everyone. And while that most likely is not the case, who can resist some good disco, big band, cumbia, hank williams, david bowie, post punk, reggae, calypso, kitsch, italian pop, etc.? I'll admit it: I was in a good mood...oh, and this vik venus intro is such a classic, download it just for this proto mash-up masterpiece.

Track Listing::>

01. Vik Venus- Moonflight
02. Anita Ward- Ring My Bell
03. Enoch Light and the Light Brigade- Carribe
04. David Bowie- Andy Warhol
05. Cabaret Voltaire- Silent Command
06. Hank Williams Sr.- Kawliga
07. Fantasy- Stoned Cowboy
08. Les Paul and Mary Ford- I'm a Fool to Care
09. Cy Coleman- Sweet Pussycat
10. Frank Zander- Da Da Da
11. El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico- Mundy Baja
12. The Jordanaires- Each Day
13. Culture- Two Sevens Clash
14. Eddy Grant- Time Warp
15. Patty Pravo- La Bambola
16. Mighty Sparrow- Norman
17. Tommy Dorsey with Louis Bellson- Drumology
18. Ernest Tubb and Loretta Lynn- Who's Gonna Take the Garbage Out
19. Cecil Bee and the Buzzy Bunch- Superman
20. Coleman Hawkins- Body and Soul

Here is the .zip

WANKERS STONERS AND FREAKS MIX

2010-03-11T03:32:00.009+01:00

This one's not really a stretch for me as I prolly fit into all 3 categories. People have been buggin me to do an all garage/psych comp for the blog, but when I sat down to do it, I kept thinking how male and wankery these songs sound stacked up against each other so I spliced it up a bit. I tried to add some of my fav wanker/stoner/freak tracks from at least 3 generations: yr parents, yr older drop-out cousins, and you of course, but don't get too picky about the what and the why here, cuz I just wanted to have some fun. So let's get stoned and put on some vintage porn::>

01. Bubble Puppy- Hot Smoke and Sassafras
02. Thee Midnighters- Whittier Blvd.
03. The Pleasure Seekers- What a Way to Die
04. Hot Jam- Tobacco Road
05. The Marshmallow Overcoat- Groovy Little Trip
06. The Electric Prunes- I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night
07. Eric Burdon and War- Home Cookin'
08. Frijid Pink- House of the Rising Sun
09. Link Wray and the Wraymen- Rumble
10. Dead Moon- Don't Burn the Fires
11. The Seeds- Pushin Too Hard
12. The Amboy Dukes- Journey to the Center of the Mind
13. Vanilla Fudge- Shotgun
14. Rhinoceros- Apricot Brandy
15. Brownsville Station- Martian Boogie
16. Thin Lizzy- The Rocker
17. Man or Astroman?- King of the Monsters
18. Bobby Vidone and the Rhythm Rockers- Weird
19. The Swan Silvertones- Singin' in My Soul
20. Jimi Hendrix- Little Wing

Here is the .zip

Mugglestone Hi-Fi Fuck It Mix

2010-02-13T13:36:00.005+01:00

I think this mix is pretty self-explanatory. A lot of oldies but goodies: you got country, instrumentals, "ethnic" classix, soulful ballads, etc. Let's call it a "late-afternoon" mix.

Track Listing::>
01. Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant- Sandy Canyon Swing
02. Roger Miller- Chug A-Lug
03. Rockin' Sydney- My Toot Toot
04. John Prine- There She Goes
05. Aaron Neville- Tell it Like it Is
06. Unknown- 60's Japanese Pop Duet
07. Caterina Valente- Precipite Volissime Volmente
08. Calypso Carnival- Zombie Jamboree
09. Bulawayo Sweet Rhythms Band- Skokiaan
10. Dick Cureless- Snap Your Fingers
11. King Oliver- St. James Infirmary
12. Elmore James- It Hurts Me Too
13. Vicente Fernàndez- Volver Volver
14. Jennell Hawkins- Moments
15. Kenny Ball- Midnight in Moscow
16. Ernest Tubb- Saturday Satan Sunday Saint
17. Fats Domino- Walkin' to New Orleans
18. Clifton Chenier- Frog Legs
19. Jorgen Ingman- Milord
20. Willie Nelson- She's Still Gone

Here is the .zip

Mugglestone Hi-Fi Pande-Mix

2010-02-13T13:20:00.008+01:00

Sorry, I tried to make this cover as ugly as possible. It somehow fits into the trashy DJ mix aesthetic. This mix is for a more arty crowd, maybe they want to dance or maybe they want to stand there and be cool. It stretches out a bit more and even dabbles into sub-genres of krautrock and 90's indie while keeping the ever-chic psych/garage and 70's country nouveau in the fore. I imagine it playing in a kitschy bar or a retro modern cafe, but that doesn't mean you can't dance around yr dorm room or clean the dishes will listening to it as well.

Track Listing::>

01. The Balloon Farm- A Question of Temperature
02. Dallas Frazier- Just a Little Bit of You
03. Faust- Extract 4
04. P-Model- Kameari Pop
05. Stereolab- Iron Man
06. Hasil Adkins- Sally Waddy Wally Woody
07. Esquivel- Whachamacallit
08. Madame X- Just That Type of Girl
09. The Turtles- Buzz Saw
10. Leon Redbone- Te Na Na
11. Peggy Lee- Me and My Shadow
12. Plastic Bertrand- Ça Plane Pour Moi
13. Blonde Redhead- Symphony of Treble
14. Sleepy LaBeef- Asphalt Cowboy
15. Palace Bros.- Ohio River Boat Song
16. Can- Spoon
17. Broadcast- Phantom
18. The Kingsmen- The Jolly Green Giant
19. Red Crayola- Hurricane Fighter Plane
20. Joao Gilberto- Samba de Una Nota

Here is the .zip

Mugglestone Hi-Fi MEGA MIX

2010-02-13T13:00:00.007+01:00

I have been busy for a while so I figured to make up for lost time I would put up some mp3 mixes.

This one was first called the "Super Berlin Mega-Mix" cause its totally heiß. There are a lot of hits on this one, not so many raritease, cause not everyone has a taste for the obscure. I give these mixes to prospective "clients" that somehow might not think the blog gives an accurate representation of my taste level and mixing skills (which it really doesn't). Some of these tracks are featured on the blog, the rest will be up here in the original (non-blended) format when I get a chance.

Track Listing::>

01. David Bowie- Sound and Vision
02. The Chiefs- Apache
03. Sweeney Todd- Roxy Roller
04. Althea and Donna- Uptown Top Ranking
05. Professor Morrison's Lollipop- You Got the Love
06. Shirley Ellis- The Clapping Song
07. Sparks- Wonder Girl
08. Ko Ko Taylor- Wang Dang Doodle
09. The Clash- London Calling
10. The Flying Lizards- TV
11. Love- Time is a River
12. Mandrill- Warning Blues
13. Dave and Ansil Collins- Double Barrel
14. The Honeymoon Killers- Histoire a Suivre
15. Gap- Sheriff
16. Nillson- Jump into the Fire
17. Soul Survivors- Hey Gyp
18. The Champs- Midnighter
19. Bow Wow Wow- Louis Quatorze
20. Laid Back- White Horse

Here is the .zip

Nina Hagen- SMACK JACK

2009-10-29T23:23:00.009+01:00

I am gonna just give you this picture, it was too hard to choose from all of the amazing photos and styles this diva has donned over the years. People either love or hate Nina Hagen, but she has had an amazing career and is still at it. This single off of "nunsexmonkrock" is quintessential of her early 80's crossover sound: weirdo goth synths and guitars, jagged beats that are still poppy but almost cheap, and of course her amazing range of growls, screeches and operatic scary German woman voices. She is always controversial, of course she plays into it, but damn she looks the part and would have scared the piss out of me as a kid (even though now she just released a children's audio book). Oh, wiki also told me that she dated Anthony Kiedis for a year, that must have been fun. Here is the vid.

Nina Hagen and "Smack Jack"

Betty Harris- CRY TO ME

2009-10-29T22:58:00.004+01:00

Lets just say that the mood of this picture is the exact opposite of that in the song, but Betty looks good, so I figured it would add a little spice to the page. "Cry To Me" from 1962, on Jubilee Records, to me is one of those at home with the bottle type of songs. I don't get to DJ this one too much cause its just too painful, but if its just right (say Valentine's Day at 3 AM, when there is just the heavy drinkers left at the bar and the lonely women sitting in the corner with the glow of their cigarette the only evidence of their existence) then I will let it loose. Woman's got soul, there is no doubt. And while she is more know for her catchy Toussaint productions on Sansu records, this one always hits the spot for me. She builds into it the right way, its like Charlie Parker said about soloing (and I paraphrase): you don't just go into a room and start shouting, you smile and shake hands first. You can check out the B-side "I'll Be A Liar" on So Many Records So Little Time as well, to get an idea of just what kinda voice we are dealin with here.

Betty Harris with "Cry To Me"

Jennell Hawkins- MOMENTS

2009-10-29T22:42:00.005+01:00

When I first put this song on here I couldn't find any info on the lady herself outside that she recorded with Richard Berry (yes, the "louie louie" guy) but now there is a whole bio page and even some mp3 links. This Titanic label photo is courtesy of Brian's Music Musings a great resource for oldies but goodies like this one. I got this as a Collectables reissue B-side to Ike and Tina's "Poor Fool", but this song immediately captivated me. Her sweet vocal line is longing and slightly shattered, but never wavering in devotion or bitter. The track has a great sax intro and solo and such a smooth feel that it almost breezes past you. Most people who know me know that I only play this song when I am either really happy or really sad.

Jennell Hawkins- "Moments"

Peggy Lee- ME AND MY SHADOW

2009-10-29T22:03:00.005+01:00

This is the B-Side to the 1969 classic "Is That All There Is?", and even more nasty and depressing, but in that super cool Sunset Boulevard (by Billy Wilder) kind of way. Peggy Lee slings and slurs her way through the text, making it seem almost cute that she's so desperate and alone. This gal could do it all and did. She even wrote the lyrics to the Disney classic "We are Siamese" cat song from "Lady and the Tramp". The arrangement of this Jolson-written cabaret number (originally made famous by the Rat Pack) is by Randy Newman. The piano and bass reel this song along while her breathy vocals make you wanna give her a big bugs bunny kiss or slit yr own throat. Sounds melodramatic I know, but goddamn I love this song.

Peggy Lee "Me and My Shadow"

Flor Silvestre- UNA LIMOSINA

2009-10-08T23:50:00.007+02:00

Flor Silvestre, stage name of Guillermina Jiménez, has been in dozens of mexi-famous movies and sang many a celebrated song, yet will always live in the shadow of her husband, Antonio Aguilar, heartthrob actor who sold over 150 million albums over his 40 year career (not to mention son, pepe). This song develops the story of being tortured by someone so great you have to let them go, but with style (una limosina), so they know how special but evil they are. Her voice and the accordion are hauntingly desperate and sincere, something singers above the border often forget. Go to her myspace page to see what a showstopper she was, lots of videos and tracks.

Flor Silvestre- "Una Limosina"

Althea and Donna- UPTOWN TOP RANKING

2009-10-08T23:21:00.005+02:00

I have noticed that many of my post involving ladies, esp ladies of color, have been deleted. I am not sure if the flagging gods have started to inflict their exacting (yet frivolous without explanation) censorship on my blog because I am offering up free mp3 downloads (of singles I purchased used and digitized that can no how supplant the original source tapes or official reissues) or because of some kind of musical misogyny. I almost hope for the latter as it could be some how mediated, but in attempt to add some balance back to the blog, I will put up some of the tracks again.

Like this cool cool classic from '77, of Althea and Donna singing over the Alton Ellis riddim "I'm Still in Love". John Peel originally brought this into chic-dom, gotta love him for that. This song is one of my clutch singles, I use it either to shift into the dance vibe or to apologize for something that didn't hit the floor running. This is the scene::> At least 1/3 of the girls will immediately hand their boyfriend their drink and then either attempt to pull him to the dance floor or make their way solo, knowing its a ladies number anyway. Its not really a booty track so there is more head swaying with arms up in the air than ass smackin. Here is a youtube of them gettin down on TV (love the glasses on Donna, or is that Althea?).

Althea and Donna- "Uptown Top Ranking"

Ko Ko Taylor- WANG DANG DOODLE

2009-09-24T22:46:00.007+02:00

This may be the hottest song ever recorded. Pure juke joint flava, nasty and feisty, putting everyone in the mood for drinkin dancin and fuckin. This one will play well at weddings, hipster bashes, mexi dive bars, road trip mix CDs or even Curves workout playlists because it brings that from the bottom of the belly to the top of the head explosion from the needle drop. Ko Ko Taylor's voice on this is one of the most precious moments ever recorded, not to mention the rhythm section or the rippin sax solo. Taylor passed on this year in June, age 80, but not without gaining the title time and time again of "Queen of the Blues". You will be missed.

Ko Ko Taylor- "Wang Dang Doodle"

Lee Hazlewood- NANCY AND ME

2009-09-11T20:44:00.005+02:00

Barton Lee died a couple years back of kidney cancer but not before leaving us a legacy of darkly charming and shruggingly unabashed music that spans his production of Duane Eddy's twangy guitar and saxtrumentals to many solo masterpieces, including his final work, Cake or Death. This song is a single from 1973's "Poet, Fool, or Bum", and of course is about his time with the Pope's Daughter, Nancy Sinatra, who he wrote and produced "These Boots are Made for Walking" and "Some Velvet Morning" for and with. Like everything with Lee, this song is not as sweet as it seems, and he offers no answers.

Lee Hazlewood "Nancy and Me"

Tony Terry- SHE'S FLY (DUB MIX)

2009-09-11T19:40:00.006+02:00

There are a lot of these mid-80's Epic Records R&B dub mixes that accompany a pretty bland A-side radio mix, and I collect everyone I see because this was the first one I ever found, and of course the best. Its lucky I did not win big at scratch games when I was young or it would have been over for me. Unfortunately, I have never found anything else on Epic, Solar, Zomba, or Def Jam that even come close to the intricate latin breaks that Charlie "Dee" Diaz and Omar Santana put together for Tony Terry's first single (someone had something to prove, and it wasn't Mr. Terry--I mean look at the guy). This song will make any b-boy or girl dizzy, it's fast and off-kilter, but still has all of the mixing tricks and pre-digi sounds (think reverse-echo vox) that most dub mixes from this era play people off the dance floor with due to the cheese factor (sorry T'Pau). This song will either cause people to lose it on the dance floor or stand still in awe at how fucking deep it gets. File under sweat!

Tony Terry with "She's Fly (Dub Mix)"

Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels- SOCK IT TO ME BABY

2009-09-11T19:17:00.006+02:00

The picture sleeve here really is not overselling the hype that this song whizzes together. Pretty much from the shout/slap intro of the song, this song is a whirlwind of party screams, searing guitar breaks, momentous builds, grunting and punchy sax lines. Mitch Ryder, a Bob Crewe protegè had a few other bigger hits: "Little Latin Lupe Lu", "Devil With a Blue Dress On", etc. But this one, from 1967, takes his sound a step further and really feeds into the hysteria of the time. It's really hard to say what market he was trying to fit into, as this song is freak-out enough to be psychedelic garage, mob shouting and stir crazy enough to be protest, sexy enough to be black, but somehow with this overdriven mod british beat and guitar line. And Mitch is still kickin, goddamnit! Here is a link to his home page where you can find out what casino to catch him crooning Prince and Springsteen covers in. Ever-enlightening wiki also wrote that Winona took her surname from Mitch after seeing his record in her dad's collection. Thanks wiki!

Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels- "Sock It to Me Baby!"

Clifton Chenier- FROG LEGS

2009-09-11T18:55:00.006+02:00

Clifton Chenier is really the grandfather of Zydeco music (accordion and rub-board=all night dancing). He is a direct descendant of old New Orleans and the "Deep South". This track is the B-side of his soul crossover "Black Gal" on Bayou Records from the mid-50's. My copy is severly scratched but I think it lends to the sunset sittin on a porch eatin greasy frog legs atmosphere. With a rolling Creole shuck and Chenier's rip n' jive accordion solo, this song is perfect for throwing on between live acts or more appropriately to barbecue alligator meat on Sunday afternoon. Not much there, just a feel good track to start out the day.

Clifton Chenier "Frog Legs"

Mutabaruka- SIDDUNG PON DI WALL (ROLAND Z MIX)

2009-08-28T15:52:00.006+02:00

Samuel L. called, he wants his glare back. This Roland Z. remix kills mainly for the rise n fall sax slices and the minimal drum/tamborine feel that makes this feel like a Digable Planets track. "I siddung pon di wall, an watch him watch me": the war cry of the captured and plotting! Mutabaruka is a Jamaican dub poet that has been writing for 30+ years about Jamaican culture and its role in the Worldsphere. Here is a link to his website that has a lot more info, audio, and even a section called Muta Seh, where he gives his "reasoning on a variety of subjects affecting black people and society today". This song proves that not everything out of Jamaica is about feelin irie, sometimes its more about being irate.

Mutabaruka "Siddung Pon Di Wall (Roland Z Mix)"

King Sunny Ade and His African Beats- ASE

2009-08-27T22:22:00.005+02:00

"The Minister of Enjoyment", as he is known in Nigeria, King Sunny Adè is no doubt the international king of Jùjú . This song (from 1984's Aura on Island Records) has it all: 80's synths, buoyant electronic and talking drumline, relentless vocal refrains, pedal steel and tenor guitar, electric harmonica; what more could you want? Okay, I can imagine a crazy break in the middle and a janky video where dudes in nylon ball caps with the bill flipped up are gettin down on the streets of Lagos, but that's not the way this one roles out (it is Island Records in the 80's after all). But all lovers of electro and breakdance music can get into this one. Warning though: this will not hit on the dance floor, it is too intimidatingly chill. Obviously I learned the hard way, but it probably won't stop me from trying again. The equation involves more hippies with children or drunk 30-somethings NOT trying to hook up. This guy has more records out than Bob Dylan, and tours pretty regularly. Please do yourself a favor and see him live!

King Sunny Adè and His African Beats- "Ase"

Taj Mahal- AIN'T NOBODY'S BUSINESS

2009-08-27T21:53:00.007+02:00

Taj Mahal, world music blues guy, sounds like it could not get any worse, but this guy is for real. His shows now may be catered to more of a botanical garden or sit down university theater crowd, but this single from 1976 shows where he's at. A re-write of the 1920's rollicking "I'm so honest, I'm drunk" 8-bar blues called "Ain't Nobody's Business if I Do" made famous by Billie via Bessie, this song seems to really speak to the spirit of '76: cocaine and champagne. It's just fun in a fuck it why not way, and not so many songs, esp 70's blues songs, can pull that off. Go see him some time, he's always touring.

Taj Mahal- "Ain't Nobody's Business"

Santo & Johny- SLEEP WALK

2009-08-27T20:07:00.006+02:00

This could possibly be the best song (read slow instrumental ballad most commonly associated with the sad funeral sequence of "la bamba") of all time. My friend told me that the mother of Santo & Johnny used to sing it to them at night and so they recorded it and went all the way to #1 in 1959 (which makes for a great American story), but all knowing wiki says "this is apparently false". Anyone who hates this song is a hater. That being said, here is a video. Enjoy.

Santo & Johnny with "Sleep Walk"

Stan Kenton- 23N 82W

2009-08-27T17:11:00.006+02:00

"23N 82W", the longitude and latitude coordinates for Havana, Cuba, (thanks Google) only give a glimpse into the inspiration for this romping trombone-a-thon, arranged by Bill Russo. Stan Kenton was always on the cutting edge of big band arrangements, but this song shreds away the cliche and moves into something Mingus would probably dig. It even delves into 7/4 after the Lee Konitz solo. I wouldn't have quit my high school jazz band if I knew big band tracks like this existed (sorry Mr. Brice). Originally cut in 1952, this sounds more like the soundtrack to the bay of pigs than the watered down tribute to Cuban rhythms that most big band leaders were doing at the time.

Stan Kenton with "23N 83W"

Grady Martin- THE FUZZ

2009-08-27T16:45:00.004+02:00

Grady Martin, as a member of the Nashville A-Team, played guitar on some of the most classic country hits of the 50's and 60's, but it's his "fuzz effect" (discovered accidentally during the recording of Marty Robbins' "Don't Worry" in 1961) that changed the sound of Rock to come. Originally caused by a faulty pre-amp in the studio, this sound has been used by everyone from the Ventures to Radiohead, and of course has been made into many different pedals like the "Fuzz Tone" or the "Big Muf f" that probably many of you shoe-gazing guitarists own some version of. "The Fuzz" (on Decca) is kind of a tribute to that sound, and with a different production would sound straight gangsta and fit into any miami bass or dubstep party. I love the fading effect of the strings, and how the guitar sound reminds me of an old Lee Hazelwood walking down an Arizona highway.

Grady Martin- "The Fuzz"

Broadcast- PHANTOM

2009-08-27T16:24:00.006+02:00

This is the B-side to a rare 7" on Duophonic from 1997 that sounds like Jean-Jacques Perrey on Nyquil. Broadcast has continued to put out great albums on Warp Records, but the early stuff (as compiled on Warp's "Work and Non Work") is still my favorite. The wurlizer-filtered melodies drip in and out of the over-saturated vamps and ghostly rhythm box bossa sounds, making this a great song for either a down-tempo/chill out night or in the long pause between indie-electro bands in a smoky bar.

Broadcast- "Phantom"

Ian Dury and the Blockheads- HIT ME WITH YOUR RHYTHM STICK

2009-08-27T15:52:00.007+02:00

This song has been in my head for the past couple weeks and has caused me to unexpectedly hit people and inanimate objects in both the public and private spheres a few too many times. Ian Dury and the Blockheads made a pretty big splash in the post-punk/new wave scene in '79 with this hit that to me sounds like Dr. Buzzard and Bryan Ferry doing bumps at the bar. A spastic galloping groove, an evocative catch-line, and the use of ironic phases in French and German make this song an instant dance floor success. Esp if yr audience is wearing a gang of 4 shirt but secretly rediscovering later kinks and yes records. Here is a live video.

Ian Dury and the Bockheads- "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick"

Dinosaur- KISS ME AGAIN

2009-08-27T15:29:00.006+02:00

Arthur Russell on 45 would make any serious collector laugh (if they knew how), but when you are crack-addicted to these little records you find yourself shelling out money for things you didn't even know existed. This song was a legend in the downtown disco genre as was the mid-western buddhist cello-groove master behind it. Though relatively unknown or under-appreciated in his lifetime, more and more compilations and tribute articles about Arthur have come out in the last years and even a new documentary. When researching photos etc. for this post I came across a truly amazing description/background for this song on the Mr. Disco blog. Unfortunately, his link to the 12" mix has expired, but you can feel his enthusiasm and listen to this 45 mix; then go on ebay and pay waaaay too much for the original.

Dinosaur- "Kiss Me Again"

Bill Withers- LOVELY DAY

2009-08-27T14:57:00.004+02:00

I have been looking for this feel good track forever, and just after lamenting to a friend that it was one of those (the "so common yet classic that no one sells them or throws them away unless they melted in the attic") I found it on my first day back at Wax Trax in Denver. Bill Withers has written some of the most classic American soul/funk anthems ("Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", and even "Just the Two of Us"), yet few people know his name--and those who do drop it every chance they can. His beautiful arrangements and honest lyrics created a legacy that has been sampled/bit countless times (blackstreet, arrested development, etc.) and even spawned some secular spirituals that everyone can wave their lighter to. The intro to this song really brings a smile to my face as does the sustained "lovely day" in the chorus. You have heard it before, hopefully many times, but listen again to the way this song unfolds, or check out this really bad "sunshine mix" from '88 that was a pretty big Euro hit (even bigger than the original). Still waiting for the documentary which should be out soon!

Bill Withers' "Lovely Day"

Fad Gadget- RICKY'S HAND

2009-05-29T13:26:00.006+02:00

This is the second Fad Gadget single, and was never released on an LP. What I would give to have seen this guy live back in the day. I love the synth intro, it hits so hard, and seems like the song will be relentless, which it is. This is considered and industrial song (cause of the drill?), but to me its more like a pushier new wave track that misses the mark cause its just too annoying. I love the 808 timbale sounds in the break. This is a song to play people out of the bar, but sometimes it actually hits, then there is some guy who comes up and begs to hear PIL after or something. I can also imagine the theme used in a flight simulating video game, something like during the refueling inbetween levels. More info cause I don't have a lot of links to offer:::> Mute Records 006 and co-written, produced, and recorded with Daniel Miller (founder of Mute). Also, Fad Gadget was the first act signed to Mute, before Depeche Mode or even Throbbing Gristle.

Fad Gadget "Ricky's Hand"

Nervous Norvus- APE CALL

2009-05-29T13:01:00.004+02:00

I always wished this guy was my grandpa. Another novelty hit, this song was actually a pretty big hit in 1956, the follow up to the ground-breaking "Transfusion". The lyrics to this one are pretty amazingly goofy, but his phrenetic voice and the extremely gratuitous use of the Tarzan sample is what makes this one so memorable. Nervous Norvus, or Jimmy Drake, invented a whole lingo with which he described his world. There is now a compilation out on Norton Records, Stone Age Woo: the Zorch Sounds of Nervous Norvus, which I recommend highly, because its not just the few novelty or Dr. Demento songs that we know, but really a whole body of work that somehow creates and encompasses his wildly fucked up cosmology. This is another song that ain't for everybody, but its worth a listen if not a download.

Nervous Norvus "Ape Call"

The Church Street 5- A NIGHT WITH DADDY "G" PT1

2009-05-28T00:48:00.004+02:00

I can't find any pics of this band or the original record (my camera doesn't take the glossy Legrand in gold label too well, sorry) so here is a pic of the reissue. This is another saxtrumental from the house band at Legrand Records that later became the Gary "U.S." Bonds hit, "Quarter to Three." Produced by Frank Guida, this track is a rollicking southern soul hit from Norfolk, VA, that kicks hard from the lead in. I love the cymbal heavy drums (anyone who's played with me knows why) and the varied dynamics of the song lead by the amazing tenor work of Gene Barge (Daddy "G"). If you know the U.S. Bonds version, this seems a bit empty without his vocals, but it kills on the dance floor anyway, as it has the hand clapping thing goin on and the right amount of wholesome juke joint raunchiness.

The Church Street Five- "A Night with Daddy G"

Vicente Fernàndez- VOLVER VOLVER

2009-05-28T00:19:00.007+02:00

El Idolo de Mexico with his 1976 cross the border hit on CBS records, "Volver Volver." This guy IS the undisputed king of Ranchera and is still kickin it hard, playing arenas across the US (check his myspace, pretty amazing). Here is a video link where he starts the song on a juke box (I have always wanted to do that) and sits down to drink. This guy just has it, the strength and gentle grace of his voice is undeniable. The arrangement of the organ, the strings, and the horns into swooping punches with the "ay! ay!" whelping interludes make this song a drink in the air salute to "the struggle." Here are the lyrics both in spanish and english.

Vicente Fernàndez- "Volver Volver"

The Soul Survivors- HEY GYP

2009-05-27T18:46:00.008+02:00

This is the lesser known B-side to the huge 1967 Gamble & Huff crossover hit "Expressway to Your Heart," and is a cover of a Donovan song "Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness)" (that while is as cute as one would expect, does not even get close to this version). These guys are still around, here is a link to their webpage. "Hey Gyp" is one of my favorite rollicking psych classics, amazing that its the b-side to the soulful and Phillie-fied "Expressway", though usually this side wins out in the DJ booth because its more fun. I love the guitar scronking, and the singing is just perfectly desperate and cool. If this song is not on a Nuggets boxset then someone is sleeping on the job. It has several freakout sections that sound like the zombies and marc bolan humping in the closet. Also the drum solo "heartbeat" section is just perfect, such soul for some whities from New York. I remember reading somewhere that they always wore sharksin suits on stage, I don't know what sharkskin feels like, but that's some big pimpin if you ask me, they sure don't dress like they usta.

The Soul Survivors "Hey Gyp"

Cannonball Adderley Quintet- DOWN IN BLACK BOTTOM

2009-05-27T18:26:00.007+02:00

I figured this was a good time to insert one of my favorite beginners (songs that I start a set with). This track from 1970's "The Price You Gotta Pay To Be Free" features Cannonball's brother Nat Adderley on guitar and vocals. It starts with his slow deep funky guitar and backbeat, talkin about how a one way ticket is the best thing you can get in Black Bottom. Then it dissolves into a back woods Wednesday night prayer meetin (not in the mingus way) where he hands it over to god and the live (studio) audience, sayin "that's why every sunday I pray that the lord will find some way to help some folks less fortunate than me." That shit is so right I want to cry every time I hear it. The production by David Axelrod is (as always) impeccable and so fucking rich you feel right at home.

Cannonball Adderley Quintet featuring Nat Adderley Jr- "Down in Black Bottom"

Spike Jones- BLACK BOTTOM

2009-05-27T17:57:00.005+02:00

What could Spike Jones not do? Check out this video and others to get a idea of the virtuosic genius at work and play. His depth of cultural/musical knowledge and showmanship allowed him great satirical liberty in a generally conservative late 40's/early 50's America. This track, named after a 1920's dance "the Black Bottom," has the feel of a Woody Allen slapstick scene, featuring Spike on a wide array of instruments, from bike horns, bells, to the bones. At one point during the piano solo, the "record" starts to skip and he has to slam a door to get the pianist to keep going. This song is just too much fun!! Enjoy it, and please check out his breadth of work with deconstructionism (sorry to get all nerdy and pedantic, but I love this guy), as I think he couldn't help but de- and re-contextualize everything, even as it was happening.

Spike Jones and his City Slickers play "Black Bottom"

Sparks- WONDER GIRL

2009-05-27T17:30:00.006+02:00

This record, produced by Todd Rundgren for Bearsville Records in 1971, shows really how far this legendary glam pop group has come (Rundgren to Moroder to obscurity in the late 80's to a 21 night stint in London in 2008, playing one full album a night and debuting the newest). The Sparks brothers' (Ron and Russel Mael as seen above) goofy album titles (puns anyone?) and covers always caught my eye but it wasn't until I heard this track that I really fell in love with all of the ridiculous tongue-in-cheek pomposity that they espoused. "Wonder Girl" has this bowie-esque disco cowboy guitar line and what I like to call the "bleacher beat" (or what sounds like a reverby gymnasium full of high school basketball fans). But the piano line is what seals it, it sounds like something Rza would sample. That and the goofy lyrics make this a gem that I play almost every chance I can get.

Sparks- "Wonder Girl"

C.O.D.- IN A BOTTLE (SPECIAL MEGA-MIX)

2009-05-19T01:59:00.010+02:00

I found this diggin through crates in a small store in Kreuzberg (Heisse Schieben) with my boy Shimmy from Awesome Tapes from Africa. It looks like this track has made it on many electro break comps due to its crazy breaks and kickin synths courtesy of Raul A. Rodriguez. Amazingly, Gil Scott Heron penned this track, but this mega-mix by James "the Mighty Chopper" Hamilton and featuring "The Smurf" hisself, Tyrone Brunson, gives us a taste of everything that was hot in '83:::> all the 808 sounds, the phased out drums and lazer sounds, the synth stabs and hand claps, etc. I know most people think its pretty lame to rock this on 45, but for a fetishist this is a fucking dream come true as many disco-electro hits never made it onto the little discs.

C.O.D. "In the Bottle (Special Mega-mix Incorporating The Smurf Tyrone Brunson)"

Tomita- ARABESQUE NO. 1

2009-05-19T01:16:00.006+02:00

Isao Tomita 's combination of experimental electronics performing classical (as in old white dudes) masterworks may not strike everyone as new (he's not as flashy as the gender-bending W. Williams), but the artistry and complexity by which he develops these melodies is staggering. The tonal qualities and the effervescence might make you giggle a bit, but this shit sounds futuristic even now (though its an RCA promo from 1974). Arabesque No. 1 is one of Debussy's most memorable pieces, but you have never heard it like this before. I think the picture above gives you an idea of what's at play here. I never am able to do this, so here is a link to the sheet music, and also a solo piano version for all you theory heads out there.

Tomita "Arabesque No. 1"

The Hello People- (AS, I WENT DOWN TO) JERUSALEM

2009-05-19T00:51:00.008+02:00

I did not know anything about this single or band, but its one of my staple garage/psych groove tracks. Little did I know that the band dressed as mimes and mimed in between songs, which probably killed any chance of success (but makes them that much more venerable now, right?). This track comes from their 1968 s/t release, and is a rollicking blues lead by distorted e-bass and bongos. The original line-up was::>
The original Hello People were:
W. S. "Sonny" Tongue - vocal, guitar (stage name "Country")
Greg Geddes - bass, vocal (stage name "Smoothie")
Bobby Sedita - guitar, vocal (stage name "Goodfellow")
Larry Tassi - keyboards, vocal (stage name "Much More")
Michael Sagarese - flute (stage name "Wry One")
Ronnie Blake - drums (stage name "Thump Thump")

Here is a great bio/discog link to learn more about this anomaly that gets collectors' (far more involved than me) panties in an uproar. Also the video for "Teen Time" hosted by Del Curtis is more than amazing as is this blog entry about making fun of mime rock as a youth (from floweringtoilet.blogspot.com). I have not heard their albums and don't know the extent of their exploration, but this is a rockin track that gets everyone (dressed in denim) up and dancing.

The Hello People "(As, I Went Down to) Jerusalem"

Prince Mohammed- BUBBLING

2009-05-18T09:55:00.010+02:00

Here is a reggae/dancehall gem by Prince Mohammed (George Nooks) to cap off the morning. Don't know much about it or him except that he was a DJ that then cut a few sides with Joe Gibbs (among others) and had a minor hit with "Bubbling Love" (a different track from this one). This classic track (from 79-81 era) has a killer keyboard hook and solo with Nooks' buoyant vocal line bobbing and weaving over it making me wanna raise a spliff in the air in thanks and praises. Enjoy!

Prince Mohammed "Bubbling"

Dick Curless- SNAP YOUR FINGERS

2009-05-18T09:32:00.007+02:00

Known more for his truck drivin songs, this Maine born Country legend also did a version of "Snap Your Fingers" for Capitol Records back in 1971. Dick's version of course does away with the swooning horns giving a more down home accompaniment to his wretchedly perfect voice. He also takes the song down a note or two to showcase his deep baritone voice, which makes me think of a bullfrog with an eye patch singin in some animated disney-esque 'saloon in the woods' short cartoon. This is prolly my favorite version of the song that I have heard because he brings so much character to the piece, almost mocking the tone of it with complete sincerity and dexterity. Here is a nice bio on Dick from Wang Dang Dula (a tremendously helpful resource).

Dick Curless sings "Snap Your Fingers"

Barbara Lewis- SNAP YOUR FINGERS

2009-05-18T09:18:00.007+02:00

Here is another version of "Snap Your Fingers" by another lesser known (I hate the term 'one hit wonder' but she is undoubtly best remembered for her hit "Baby I'm Yours") vocalist Barbara Lewis. Her rendering of the melody is more coquettish and smooth than the slight pleading of Joe Henderson, but some how the lounge soul horn and rhythm arrangement seems less sincere. But its nice to hear the female voice singin the song, and like everything she sang, she just kills it.

Barbara Lewis with "Snap Your Fingers"

Joe Henderson- SNAP YOUR FINGERS

2009-05-18T09:01:00.007+02:00

This is one another one of my favorite songs of all time, so I am going to post a few different versions up here today starting with what I think is the original. I just learned (god bless the googlemagod) is that the Joe Henderson who sang this song in 1962 for Todd Records is NOT the one and very same legendary hard bop tenor sax man that played on so many seminal Blue Note albums in the 60's (pictured below). I always figured this was another guy (like the easy listening singer Don Cherry), and originally a country song gone soul (like "Just out of Reach" sung by Solomon Burke etc.).

And though the internet lied to me and affirmed it was truly indeed THE (meaning the one pictured above) Joe Henderson, Anonymous commented here to correct me. Here is what he said of this Joe::>

Joe Henderson (b. 1937, Como, Mississippi) grew up in Gary, Indiana, and spent some time in the Fairfield 4 gospel group, one of the early groups for Randy Wood's Dot label. He moved to Nashville in 1958. His first single for Todd was "Baby Don't Leave Me" [Todd 1066] in 1961, which made #7 on the R&B charts. His followup, "Snap Your Fingers" [Todd 1072], was a huge hit, making #2 on the R&B charts and #8 on the pop charts. He charted three other sides within the next year, "Big Love" [Todd 1077, 1962], "The Searching Is Over" [Todd 1079, 1962], and "You Take One Step (I'll Take Two) [Todd 1096, 1964]. In between the latter two, there were about a half-dozen duds, chartwise. "You Take One Step (I'll Take Two)" proved to be Henderson's swan song, as he died on November 7, 1964.

Thank you anonymous!! Now, dig the smooth vocal style and the ease at which he slides up and down the melody.

Joe Henderson and "Snap Your Fingers"

Wanda Jackson- JESUS PUT A YODEL IN MY SOUL

2009-05-08T18:11:00.006+02:00

I am not going to say much about this revvin track beyond to give a couple info links and then hopefully you will play the song based on faith. Let's just say that the lord was definitely with her when she yodels out the outro chous of the song. She is still giggin around, GO SEE HER!!!!!!! She is and was the first female rock (n' billy too) singer ever, and has the personality to prove it.

Wanda Jackson "Jesus Put a Yodel in My Soul"

The League of Gentlemen- DISLOCATED

2009-05-08T17:52:00.006+02:00

Talk about THE post-punk supergroup::>Robert Fripp of King Crimson fame on the guit, Sara Lee (Gang of Four, B52s) on bass, Barry Andrews (XTC and recently with Eno), and Johnny Toobad (cool name?) on skins. They were only around for about half a year, but made one of my fav EG/Polydor records ever. The flip side to this single is Frippertronics stuff that is equally amazing, but not fit to DJ unless playing the catatonic ward yr local asylum. This song's ferocity mounts and mounts until Fripp is unleashing a fury that is still somehow well contained by Lee's bass and the plodding drums. By far one of my best singles, it can be a bit abrasive in most DJ settings (either too loud or too rock--"but not the kind of rock I like"--one of the classic comments I associate with playing this side) with a lot of distorted high end gushing from Frippy and Andrews. Enjoy!!

The League of Gentlemen- "Dislocated"

The Honeymoon Killers- HISTOIRE À SUIVRE

2009-05-08T17:29:00.004+02:00

I got the pic above from a great live archive (the clock that went backwards again) where he/she posts a live show from Bremen in '82 with other Belgian avant-rock legends Aksak Maboul (see Crammed Discs). This track is the B-side from The Honeymoon Killer s hit cover of "Route Nationale 7". I love the velvety vocals of Vèronique Vincent and the proto-electro beat with the guitar and bass lashing out and pulling back. This track reminds me of Flying Lizards and Laid Back going on a road trip together. This track is great for a party thats just getting kickin, cool enough not to be in the way but cute enough to make the ladies purse their lips and weave.

The Honeymoon Killers "Histoire à Suivre"

Andre Williams- GIN

2009-05-08T16:53:00.005+02:00

I just had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Rhythm in Berlin this week and figured I put up this lesser known track of his on Norton Records. Most famous for his 1957 hits "Jail Bait" and "Bacon Fat", Williams usually talks and pleads through the songs, beggin for pussy or in this case another sip of Gin. There is a new documentary about this 72 year old legend called "Agile Mobile Hostile: A Year with Andre Williams" that I have not seen, but the trailer looks fucking amazing. Here is his myspace link, see him any chance you can get!!

Andre Williams wants some "Gin"

King Oliver-ST. JAMES INFIRMARY

2009-04-30T15:48:00.007+02:00

This song is legendary, and is another that has been done by about everybody. My favorite will always be the Cab Calloway version featured in the Betty Boop cartoon with Koko the Clown (youtube). King Oliver is considered one of the earliest inventors/innovators in Jazz best known for bringing a young Louis Armstrong into the fold and composing one of his best songs ever :::> "West End Blues". This picture does not really give the mood of the song which is generally a dirge, but I couldn't resist it. The arrangement of this song is definitely a nod to what Duke Ellington was doing at the time (finely sculpted solos and dark horn section counterpoints alà "East St. Louis Toodle-oo). Pleae check the cartoon link above, the sound is bad but the animation mixed with Calloway's performance is amazing.

King Oliver with "St. James Infirmary"

Lee and Nancy-style Japanese Pop Duet from the 60's (please help)

2009-04-30T15:28:00.012+02:00

I have been wanting to add this one for a while but without any info (or decent pic) I can't say too much. So I will just try to sell you on the idea of listening to it, and maybe anyone who stumbles across this and knows something can drop a line. The track is a male/female duet, flirtatious but somehow melancholic, with an electric shamisen (sounding) lead and an pop string ensemble response that adds enough cheese to counter the longing of the voices. Let's just go out on a limb and say if you love Lee and Nancy there is a chance you will fall in love with this track.

Label info and track::>
Polydor Japan DR 1868 (2082 409)

Kurtis Blow-I'M CHILLIN

2009-04-30T15:10:00.006+02:00

This by far my fav Kurtis track, it has it all: Transformers robot voice, timbale breaks to make you shake (not to mention the bells), the impeccable flow that breaks down his mentality on how life really is in the ghetto, and of course the horn and bass stabs that somehow pull it all together. Here is a wiki link (where I learned that Bob Dylan did backing vocals on "Street Rock" and that also he opened for Bob Marley at MSG for 20,000 people:::>WTF!!!) where you can learn more, but I really just suggest you press play and git down to that old school sound. And:::> Here is a video where you can see the pimp in full early 80's regalia, must have been a steamin' party.

Kurtis Blow "I'm Chillin"

Cuco y Aurelio-JINETES EN EL CIELO

2009-04-30T14:13:00.008+02:00

Here is another version of Stan Jones' smash hit: Riders in the Sky. This one is definitely modeled after the Ramrods with all of the demonic cattle calls and gun shot sounds but also has the lyrics in Spanish and a pedal steel giving it a balladic longing feel. The label Anahuac (named I guess for the Aztec cradle of civilization) was a subsid. of Nortex Records, a Mexi C&W/ranchera label based in Hollywood. I can't find any info about the label or the guys beyond that they often did covers of American 60's pop songs, so just enjoy.

Cuco y Aurelio con sus Traviesos- "Jinetes en el Cielo"

The Ramrods-(GHOST) RIDERS IN THE SKY

2009-04-30T13:51:00.007+02:00

I am bit surprised that I cannot find pics of this band or much info about this release, as it seems to be one of the seminal versions of this song (which has been done by about everyone). Maybe its because there are as many different bands with this name or a slight variation as there are cover versions imitating the twangy "Eddy-esque" guitar sound and the demonic cattle calls that drive this side. Here is some correct(ed) info about the band which recorded for Amy Records back in the early 60's. I have made it a point to collect as many versions of this song as possible, but I still think this one sets the best mood, esp. for an instrumental. Maybe I will try to throw a couple others up here today. Until then, enjoy this animated rendering of the story complete with ghost cowboys and purple ghost horses scrolling across the cloudscape.

The Ramrods "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky"

James Brown- EVERY BEAT OF MY HEART

2009-03-25T21:47:00.006+01:00

This is by far my favorite James Brown organ instrumental on King Records. I was lucky enough to hear him play it live at an outside festival (where he opened up for the string cheese incident !?!) and I got kicked out of the show for "being disruptive." It was the forth of July and he was wearing a blue rhinestone tux, and his band had on trad. black tuxes with a red sash and white shirt. Pure class. I come across many James Brown records, usually all but destroyed by time and excessive play; this one is unfortunately no exception. But I love the soulful feel and the vocal sensitivity he infuses into his solo. Genius does not begin to describe his impact on this world. When are they going to make some blasè bio pic on James Brown, this guy deserves a whole Martin Scorcese series!!!

James Brown- "Every Beat of My Heart"

Dick Hyman- TOPLESS DANCERS OF CORFU

2009-03-25T21:27:00.007+01:00

We often only think of Dick Hyman as the Moog guy (as this track represents), but in fact he was a very accomplished jazz and classical musician. The sad truth may be that we already had enough of those so he had to branch out into making these space age (for the late 60's) recordings for the Command label. His oeuvre is such that it spans everything from this experimental synth pop to tribute albums for bix beiderbeck and fats waller often accompanied by some heavy jazz cats from many generations. Still, this song is just goofy and fun, and gives a pretty good idea of what a titty bar on corfu must be like. I love the space pistol sounds, by far one of my fav sound effects.

Dick Hyman and his Electric Eclectics- "Topless Dancers of Corfu"

dj scud- GUN COURT

2009-03-25T21:10:00.010+01:00

I thought I'd give a couple pics since they both are small and mean absolutely nothing to anyone that doesn't know what this record is. I am very lucky to have found this early breakcore record in a bookstore in Denver. Released in 1999, this record has enough ear-bleeding siren sounds cracked over frantic ragga-style breaks to make anyone think its beirut in the 80's. I am not finding much in the formation of the man beyond his name is Toby Reynolds and he runs Ambush Records out of London. Anyone who knows breakcore knows a little too much about it, so let them correct me and give more infos. This song is a great way to shock waaay too drunk people or to segway in or out of some heavy shit. Often, as an act of contrition I will play some hip hop after or some heavier dancehall that hits but never as hard and fast as this does.

DJ SCUD- Gun Court Series (side A)

The Jaguars- WHERE LOVERS GO

2009-03-24T20:13:00.008+01:00

The Jaguars never had any huge hits, but perhaps were remarkable for being "integrated" back in the 50's, giving them good crossover appeal. This record follows the simple single formula of doo-wop dance track on one side and guitar-lead instrumental ballad on the other (of which I share witchoo). "Where the Lovers Go" has the timeless parked at lookout mountain neckin in the backseat of daddy's t-bird feel, which I just love. Ah, nostagia. The record I have is on Original Sound, but according to Global Dog Productions (one of the greatest resources for single enthusiasts of all kinds--with often near complete catalog lists of many different obscure and staple labels), it was on Faro records. This pic is with Hunter Hancock (famous L.A. DJ that is considered the first whitey to play R&B on the radio).

The Jaguars take you "Where Lovers Go"

Sleepy LaBeef- ASPHALT COWBOY

2009-03-23T00:48:00.008+01:00

Sleepy is still around playin shows (his website says more than 200 a year) so book him for yr next barbecue or wedding. Best known for his low voice and rockabilly style (and half-closed eyelids), I learned from the Bob Dylan Theme Time radio show that he was also a bit of a B-horror movie star, usually cast as the monster/double due to his tremendous height. This song, on Plantation Records, is chuggin the whole way through, more of a mix tape song than a live DJ track, but there is something about a "diesel-dockin, truck-drivin, asphault cowboy" that strikes a chord in me.

Sleepy LaBeef as the "Asphalt Cowboy"

The Ohio Players- FUNKY WORM

2009-03-23T00:29:00.006+01:00

I picked this song up years ago at a record convention in Denver after seeing the Westbound label, and while I always found the Ohio Players to be incredibly innovative, this track is on a different level. It's hard to believe it actually made it to number one in the charts, given the insanely grating granny voice of the worm's "manager". But the synth solos have been sampled by about everyone and are pretty much the trademark of the N.W.A. sound. Beyond all of that, this old lady hustler manager who just wants to get paid for exploiting the funky worm cause "he can't spend it" is just an amazing and hilarious parody of the industry. I can here them cracking up in the studio when they recorded the vocals (hubbas anyone?).

The Ohio Players, "Funky Worm"

Perry Como- KEEP IT GAY

2009-03-23T00:16:00.006+01:00

A random picture of the legendary cheeseball Perry Como. This song is out of my (not so extensive) retro-homo-erotic single collection that I will get back up here for the people who care. You can read the lyrics here, but its understood that the word gay is used in its antiquated sense, however the irony of some of the lines inspired this extremely amateur youtube video. "Take it easy and enjoy it while you take it".

Perry Como with "Keep It Gay"

The Swan Silvertones-SINGIN IN MY SOUL

2009-03-22T23:52:00.006+01:00

The Swan Silvertones were one of the most influential gospel singing groups of the 40s and 50s. It looks like this track was recorded in 1960 (according to soulwalking.co.uk) and was the title track of a full length. The lead voice of Claude Jeter is so smooth and sweet/hot and cold that you know exactly where Al Green got it from. The power of a delicate and controlled falsetto whooping and yelping always sends chills down my spine.

The Swan Silvertones "Singin in My Soul"

Augustus Pablo/Joe Whyte- EDI AMIN

2009-03-22T23:30:00.005+01:00

One of the greatest/most striking reggae 45s I have ever come across. I can't find any info about the recording beyond some people selling it at online auctions. Augustus Pablo is playing some super angular melodica riffs on this, but the jazzy production and everything I probably attribute more to Joe Whyte because I don't hear many Augustus tracks with this much flava and interplay. I bet Idi Amin could probably get next to this song. I often play this early in the night before people really get jammin because any reggae fan can tell there is something amazingly wrong with this track. If you know any more info on this, please let me know.

Augustus Pablo/Joe Whyte- "Edi Amin"

Rip Rig and Panic-GO, GO, GO (THIS IS IT)

2009-03-22T23:14:00.007+01:00

Generally I try to stay away from themes in my posting, but this was too easy and perfect to follow Rahsaan. This band, named in tribute to the Roland Kirk album, certainly also qualifies as a post-punk super group with Neneh Cherry on vocals, members of the Pop Group (Bruce Smith!!!!) and daddy Don Cherry and even Nico making cameos. I love the looped John Coltrane lick that plays near the end. This first single is great for any post-punk/eclectro party because it doesn't quite fit the mold of any of it, blending Neneh's sassy soul vocals with some pretty wild left (as opposed to found)-field music and horn sounds and the heavy reverb claps over the tin pan drumming of Smith.

Rig Rig & Panic with "Go, Go, Go (This is it)"

Roland Kirk-ONCE IN AWHILE

2009-03-22T22:50:00.009+01:00

Rahsaan Roland Kirk left behind a legacy that spans the entirety of the jazz idiom. Often considered a gimic or trick-pony crowd-pleasing mockingbird, its tracks like this, from the album "Rip, Rig, and Panic," that prove even further his devotion to the traditional elements of all black music and expression. The only other comment I can make is the line-up of this record, which included Elvin Jones on drums, Jaki Byard on keys, and Richard Davis on double bass--definitely a dream team or fantasy jazz league lineup.

Rahsaan Roland Kirk- "Once In A While"

Roxy Music-VIRGINIA PLAIN

2009-03-02T15:04:00.007+01:00

Classic Roxy Music when Eno still reigned on the knob-turning synth. Perfect accompaniment to any retro hipster night, this song has it all: from the dramatic instro build to the tumbling bass fallout to the searing guitar and sax lines, all with Ferry's indelible croon. Here is a live video from '72 with enough glitter and glam to shame the vatican (check out the dancers, they don't make them like that any more).

Roxy Music- "Virginia Plain"

Big Tiny Little-THE GANG SONG

2009-03-02T14:43:00.007+01:00

I think the first picture gives you a good idea what this song is about. It's "Big" Tiny Little's version if the children's song "I've Been Workin' on the Railroad". I have been goaded recently to put up more of my novelty collection (many of them on Coral records), and while this is a different breed (he played with Lawrence Welk for years), it fits the bill. The use of train whistles and the toy piano bring playfulness to the side which somehow I guess is a parody of chain-gang life. Let me go out on a limb here and say this song ain't fer everyone.

"Big" Tiny Little's "The Gang Song"

Bow Wow Wow-LOUIS QUATORZE

2009-03-02T14:08:00.008+01:00

What can I say, this song is about a teenage girl being sexually coerced by the king of france (either that or the famous race horse--listen to the drums) at gunpoint. Here is a link to the video where you can see the band fully adorned in pirate costumes, that hints more at early 80's scallywag fashion than pent-up royal sexual tension. I love the lyrics "just close yr eyes and think of england just for a second." I am not going to bore you with the details (Adam and the Ants etc.--here is a wiki link if you care), this song just rocks.

Bow Wow Wow and "Louis Quatorze"

Enoch Light and the Light Brigade-CARRIBE

2009-03-02T13:39:00.005+01:00

This picture doesn't really do justice to the man, his wild stereophonic sound, and his innovative ab-minimal cover art, but since this is from a sleeveless 45 on Command records, at least you get a glimpse of the man behind the Light Brigade. This track is the b-side to an exactly what you'd expect version of "A Hard Day's Night," which almost compelled me to not buy it. But this track is uproarious from the onset, with its lush pitter-pat percussion and trilling synthesizer sounds punctuated by a riverboat hornline. The arrangement is half quincy jones and half afro-cuban dizzy gillespie, all coated inna "springtime in oz" style production. "Carribe" is more of an audiophile's wet dream than a dj song, but can work well as punctuation or a pivot in a set.

Enoch Light and the Light Brigade with "Carribe"

Slim Willet-DON'T LET THE STARS GET IN YOUR EYES

2009-03-02T11:19:00.007+01:00

I found this record at the end of a long day searching through shelves of sleeveless 45s in a book store in Dallas. This is the original version, on 4 Star Records, though most people know the song as done by Perry Como. Slim Willet was one of the most under-rated country songwriters of the early generation, never having any real hits, though his songs have been covered by almost everyone. I love the uptempo chugging of the song, with sprinkles of barroom piano and fiddle a là Bob Wills; but for me its all about the way Willet wraps the melody around the simple 2 chord structure, giving a longing Willie Nelson feel to the vocals.

Slim Willet and the Brush Cutters- "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes"

Hot Jam-TOBACCO ROAD

2009-03-02T10:47:00.006+01:00

This 70's garage/blues/psyche gem (from Iowa!) often slips through the cracks due to the simple fact that every band from '65 on did a version of this song. I don't know much about the group, but I did gather a bit of info from waxidermy where members of the band actually wrote some comments about it. This song has a great wind up or wind down feel for a set as it goes from kind of a roadhouse boogie blues to an uptempo psych-out, always with the bass thudding and plodding along. I remember one night, a sweat-drenched bearded long-haired guy came bounding up to me to exclaim, "this is 'Tobacco Road'!" It was one of those classic, 'I just wanted to let you know that I know too' kind of things, but of course when I first heard the song I thought the same but perhaps with a more !?! expression.

Hot Jam with "Tobacco Road"

L'trimm- CARS THAT GO BOOM

2008-10-07T17:02:00.009+02:00

Damn they sexy!!! This one back by request, but here is a link to (where I got the pic) a bootyclub remix that is also pretty hot. You can read more about the ladies here, but this has to be one of the most original yet imitated songs and sounds of miami bass movement. Listen to it loud, not on yr computer speakers, and feel that sub bass. This kills any party, gets the ladies bouncin and shakin, the only problem being they might ask you to play it again.

L'Trimm and "Cars that Go Boom"

The Tidal Waves- BIG BOY PETE

2008-10-07T16:40:00.007+02:00

This is a pretty classic psychedelic cover of the ever-romping Big Boy Pete. I had no idea these guys looked so fuckin goofy. I couldn't find out much about them except that they opened for Sam the Sham. The Olympics had a mild hit with the song, before it was reworked by the kingsmen into "Jolly Green Giant." It seems like the kingsmen's sound was prolly more the inspiration for this version, with ramped up guitars and oversung vocals, but also the Grateful Dead covered this a lot in the early garage days. It's a perfect fit for any garage/retro night, esp coupled with Mitch Ryder or even something by Junior Parker, due to the shouting storytelling or barroom drunken delivery. But, like any good song, it has a moral: don't be flashin or packin unless you can take the action.

The Tidal Waves with "Big Boy Pete"

Clarence Fountain- CONFUSING TIMES

2008-10-07T16:16:00.006+02:00

Mr. Fountain was an original member of the Blind Boys of Alabama. He went solo cause he knew his shit was hot, and this soulful gospel ballad on jewel from 1965 (before he left the band) demonstrates his ability to crossover into a more mainstream feel. This song captures the mood of these confusing times and while it doesn't make you wanna holler, you will def sit back and let them tears well up inside. He doesn't offer hope, he is just tellin it like it is, was and always will. I will post some other gospel gems and jewels, but here is another one by him from a little later I found on another blog.

Clarence Fountain sings "Confusing Times"

Wet Bull- STRUTTIN'

2008-10-07T15:59:00.006+02:00

I can't find out anything about this band, or this track (I was lucky enough to find someone selling it on ebay for the pic). The song's not an obvious hit but it has a really hard funk edge to it: punchy horns, shotgun meets p-funk bass and guitar lines, pre-cameo vocals with a bit of humor, all over a strut 2-step disco beat. Its a hard hit on the dance floor, better than some other pushy strut/hustle songs, because somehow the idea of a sassy lassy with well equiped hips flows straight into the mix. Its a good transition to more rocky funk, or even to faster electro funk, going out of the souldrums into the coked-up fantasy dancing.

Wet Bull is "Struttin"

Eartha Kitt- SHO-JO-JI

2008-10-07T15:45:00.005+02:00

This song skirts between kinderlied and completely racist. SHO-JO-JI is a hungry raccoon who loves macaroons, jellybeans and pink spumoni, don't we all. I go crazy for the swingin Spike Jones-esque horn line and the "Chinese" soprano voice mixed with the "Chinese" pentatonic strings. But like everything Eartha touches, it has extreme self-awareness and sexuality that lets you know she's nobody's fool, and if she is, it's cause mama needs a new fur coat.

Eartha Kitt and "Sho-Jo-Ji"

The Romeos- PRECIOUS MEMORIES

2008-04-18T16:43:00.006+02:00

I love the feel of this track. A perfect Sunday afternoon instrumental that goes from pensive to latin at the drop of a hat. The interplay of the trilling piano chords and the booker t style guitar comping is amazing. I always thought of this as more garage, but it seems leon haywood had his hands in the making of this, and the band was some how related to the packers, another l.a. soul instrumental group. This a great song to begin the night with, or wind down to. The session feel is flawless, like they are equally at home with floyd cramer and stax. I love it when he yells out at the end in response to his piano line "heres some salsa, squeeze everything you got."

The Romeos with "Precious Memories"

Shirley Ellis-THE CLAPPING SONG

2008-04-18T16:30:00.005+02:00

The original video is amazing, but as youtube continually redefines context and culture, here is an even better version (white boy dancing in Canadian mall). Shirley Shirley Shirley, what can I say. Every time this song hits the magnets people go crazy (especially the girls). Its one of those appex songs of the night, that I try to time exactly right, to get the most appeal. If it hits (and it always does), then I can get away with murder the rest of the night. This little gal is responsible for some of the top ear worm hits of the 60's, the name game, nitty gritty, etc. and they all make you wanna throw yr arms up in the air. I was also told this song is featured on a doc about scratching, I would love to hear what they do with it.

Shirley Ellis doing "The Clapping Song"

Tina B-HONEY TO A BEE

2008-04-18T16:13:00.006+02:00

My Friend Zack pulled this original promo single out of a wall of records, neither of us the wiser until we put it on. Amazing sampling keyboard bee sounds and anthemic cheese synth hook line with with extremely childish and confused vocals ('like honey to a bee, yr love will stick to me'-I am not sure thats the exact relationship of honey and bees). People always ask me if this is Madonna, it could be, but its a little too far out for that, the production is a little too lo-fi (yes!) and the beat is a little too danceable. Here is a link I found to a DJ remix of it, probably better than the original though the original has all the charm of a teenage girl who only wears one earring.

T-T-Tina B.- Honey to a Bee

Moonrakers-LOVE TRAIN

2008-04-03T03:16:00.004+02:00

Ah, perhaps the only good band to ever come out of Denver, Colorado. I bought this record at a fair by chance, and was amazed at how good it really is. Pure pyschedelia: rippin guitar, pounding drums, and reverb/delay harmonica, what more do you need? Not to be confused with the famous O'Jays' track, this song is on a different trip, though I would love to hear what kind of Philly soul rendition they would have done. I don't know much about the band except that they are the pride of Wax Trax, the record store in Denver that I spend most of my time at when there. With so many singles (walls and a basement), how could you resist? Read a little bit more about this obscure Denver 'artyfact' here.

Moonrakers and "Love Train"

Faust- EXTRACT 4

2008-04-03T03:06:00.004+02:00

This is a single released by ReR records, something I am extremely lucky to have. Both sides are great, but this "Extract 4" has more prog to it so I can get away with playing it live. This is krautrock at its finest, maybe not the song, but the band. I highly recommend any of their old records if you are just getting into the genre. Faust was kind of a super band, hand chosen so to speak, but now they have divided into 2 different bands that fight over rights and tours etc. Its sad when demi-stardom destroys a band, especially one as obscure yet important as they are. Its funny, cause I play this at indie rock nights as well as kind of arty bullshit parties, no one seems to notice or care. But I do remember one old man coming up and giving me a thumbs up (though he did that every time I played anything old and proggy, like Focus or Can).

Faust with "Extract 4"

Cy Coleman- SWEET PUSSYCAT

2008-04-03T03:01:00.003+02:00

Part of my "pussy" related collection, this song is a cool instrumental with breathy female vocals that highlight the organ melody (I'm a pussycat, sweet, sweet, pussycat). It has a great chromatic build up and is a perfect lounge background. I often start a slow night with this song, or slip it in near the end, just to sleaze and cheese things up a bit. I know nothing about the man excpet he did some famous broadway songs and duets, but here is more info.

Cy Coleman playing "Sweet Pussycat"

Dave and Ansil Collins- DOUBLE BARREL

2008-04-03T02:54:00.004+02:00

Dave and Ansil Collins were early seventies session guys working with Lee Perry and others. This song is a classic ska-reggae-rockover that brought them to international success. This video is pretty funny but the song hits hard every time. I DJed this last week at a kind of emo indie night, just to see what would happen, and the little kiddies went crazy, they even started a conga line (why I don't know, and in hindsight I am a bit ashamed). It just goes to show, watch each card you play and play it slow. Classic feel here, great organ work. The mimicking melodic patterns with different synths almost give it a playground feel.

Dave and Ansil Collins with "Double Barrel"

Al Dexter- PISTOL PACKIN MAMA

2008-04-03T02:47:00.004+02:00

This song is a classic, not only for its violent yet playful message, but also for the instrumentation and style. Not yr typical country, it has a more mexi-cali feel, with the trumpet and the accordion borrowing from the vocal lead. Many people have covered this, but the original is still the best. It more or less tells of an unrelenting ladies man that gets killed by his jealous woman after promising never to go pussy-huntin again. The final tag (as from the tombstone) being "Now there goes Al Dexter, he always had his fun, but with some lead she shot him dead, his honkin days are done." Perfect addition to any party or drinkin night, its fun but a little sick, the way we po-mo party people like it.

Al Dexter singin "Pistol Packin Mama"