THE TOFU HUT

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glisten: oneaday

I'm away from my desk right now, so if you'll leave a message after the beep; I'll get back to you.


The Sterling Jubilee Singers - "Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb"

The Sterlings have been family music for as long as I can remember. The Alexanders were Easter friends that we would meet at the show on holiday. This is all just to say, I may be prejudiced when I tell you that music of this caliber remains the gold standard that it takes to get me REALLY excited. Wicked good.

As appropriate now as ever, this makes a great companion piece to the great Golden Gate Quartet song "Atom and Evil", which should certainly get some play on here sooner or later.

Apparently, Tripping Daisy borrowed the name of this track for one of their albums. Having never really listened to Tripping Daisy (barring that "Got a Girl" track, which seemed like servicable novelty pop), I can't tell you just how offended I should be. I imagine a bit.


Buy the album "Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb" direct from New World Records
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Soundportraits.org's documentary piece on Jefferson County Gospel Quartets in RealMedia and transcripts of same.
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1994 article from Alabama's state art council on the Sterling Jubilee Singers

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glisten: oneaday

I'm away from my desk right now, so if you'll leave a message after the beep; I'll get back to you.


James Bryan and Carl Jones - "Last Look at Lonesome Rock"

Bryan is on fiddle, Jones is on guitar.

James is a family friend and a musician of great repute and astonishing talent. Having seen him a few times live, I can definitely vouchsafe his mastery of the instrument. He's also a gentle and friendly soul, a helluva nice guy.

This little waltz has always moved me; it's wistful and simple, perfectly paced for a stolen moment. Nothing the slightest bit corny here, just heartfelt bluegrass like yer greatgreatgrandpappy used ta' serve up.

Old memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder books are permitted.

Purchase "Two Pictures" from Countrysales.com
Spectacular ol' timey music from start to finish.
You'll be the coolest kid in your neighborhood. Get two.
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Member in good standing of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
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A whole page of Old Time Fiddle Tune Music in midi and .pdf sheet music.

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glisten: oneaday

I'm away from my desk right now, so if you'll leave a message after the beep; I'll get back to you.


Huey 'Piano' Smith and the Clowns - "Don't You Just Know It?"

Inspired rock and roll lunacy from the guy who penned "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Blues". Silly novelty fluff of the first order. Gooba gooba gooba gooba!

"Don't You Just Know It" was Huey's biggest hit; "Rockin' Pneumonia" never charted under his helm. Smith also wrote and performed the first release of "Sea Cruise", but overdubbed white singer Frankie Ford's vocals to improve the songs salability. It worked.

According to AllMusic, when Huey found himself "(u)nable to return to the charts (in the sixties), he eventually converted to the Jehovah's Witnesses and left the music industry permanently."

Here's to our best moments.

Buy "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" from Louisiana Music Factory
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The exceedingly incomprehensible lyrics
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"I have tested my hypothesis and discovered that, as I suspected, it is impossible to be sad and listen to Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns at the same time."

glisten: oneaday

I'm away from my desk right now, so if you'll leave a message after the beep; I'll get back to you.

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Jimmy Dean - "Big Bad John"

This 'un here's a favorite from childhood. Jimmy Dean's goodol'boy growl is the perfect narration for this manly tale of masculine male manliness. Just the sorta hair-on-your-chest tune you'd expect from a once and future sausage king.

The little acapella coda has been raising the hair on the back of my neck for well over twenty years now; don't imagine it's gonna stop now.

"At the bottom o' this mine lies ONE HELLUVA MAN. Big. John."

Buy "Jimmy Dean's Greatest Hits" from Amazon. With that golden classic, " I Won't Go Huntin' With You Jake (But I'll Go Chasin' Wimmin)". Seriously.
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"Mastered song and sausages."
"You know, I might have been the first rapper."
Uh. No.
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What Gets YOU going Jimmy Dean?
Starring Gem Sweater Be Thy Name!
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"I can show you a place in "Big Bad John" that's just pitiful."
Coulda fooled ME, pal.

glisten: oneaday: minimalist

I'm away from my desk right now, so if you'll leave a message after the beep; I'll get back to you.


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Bjork - "New World"

i'm VERY sorry there's no documentation for this week, i've got to pack up and ship my computer in the next few hours... gotta go gotta go gotta go!

Hey, ya'll.
Sean was nice enough to give me a buzz and let me know that the bandwidth done got exceeded and I hied me to a library.
Technical difficulties. Please stand by while I get in touch with my hosting company.
Perhaps now would be a good time to ask if anyone has an account that they wouldn't mind me working out of? The essential paradox is that the more popular sites like mine get, the more difficult it is for me to keep this afloat. I refuse to ask for donations (ethically, I can't justify); but if you'd like to help out with bandwidth, I wouldn't turn it down.
The first leg of my trip has been quite nice so far. How're you?
Okay, we now return you to your regularly scheduled lack of service.

glisten: oneaday: minimalist

I'm away from my desk right now, so if you'll leave a message after the beep; I'll get back to you.

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Junior Senior - "Move Your Feet (Extended Remix)"

i'm VERY sorry there's no documentation for this week, i've got to pack up and ship my computer in the next few hours... gotta go gotta go gotta go!

glisten: oneaday: minimalist

I'm away from my desk right now, so if you'll leave a message after the beep; I'll get back to you.

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Esquivel - "Sentimental Journey"

i'm VERY sorry there's no documentation for this week, i've got to pack up and ship my computer in the next few hours... gotta go gotta go gotta go!

glisten: oneaday: minimalist

I'm away from my desk right now, so if you'll leave a message after the beep; I'll get back to you.

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Sun Ra - "Transition"

i'm VERY sorry there's no documentation for this week, i've got to pack up and ship my computer in the next few hours... gotta go gotta go gotta go!

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(hey everyone: as john said, i'm gonna be putting his one-a-day posts online until he's finished his move. if there are any emergency concerns, feel free to contact me about them, but otherwise, please note that john made all the curatorial choices, and your props should head his-a-way. cheers! -- sean.)

hit th' road jack

Alright, so here's the situation kids; things are gonna get a great deal more stripped down over the next few weeks here at the Hut. Your erstwhile narrator is about to undergo a bit of a trip into the unknown and they don't have DSL on that rough and rocky road.

I gotta go.

But I like you all so much that here's what I'm gonna do: everybody's favorite DJ, Sean at Gramophone has kindly volunteered to post my jibberjabberin' in my stead until I find my way back online. What a great guy!

I've spent most of my weekend typing like a fiend to get together a healthy dose of fill-in spots so that you'll be entertained until I can settle down into my new spiderhole. Do I love you or do I love you?

Unfortunately, I'm only human; so something's gotta give. The "theme", such as it is, for the next few weeks is gonna have to be OneaDay: one track, a few links and a little blurb of commentary. Linkage and anything excess is gonna have to wait a bit.

But that'll start tomorrow! Today we feast; so eat up!

glisten

The next week is gonna be "travelling songs" to commemorate my mighty journey to... well, to somewhere. Details are forthcoming soon.

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Phineas Rockmore - "Travelling Man"

Jaunty little ragtime blues piece that suffers from outdated lyrics; you're unlikely to hear a revival of a song that refers repeatedly to a chicken-stealin' coon.

Racist language aside, this is a solid winner of a storyteller. While his string playin' is only serviceable, Rockmore's singing voice is just amazing.

This is a true American original: bigoted but beautiful.

Buy "Black Texicans: Balladeers And Songsters Of The Texas Frontier" from Amazon
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CD Review
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"Texican as she is spoke"

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Jimmy Cliff - "Hard Road to Travel"

Jimmy Cliff is one of those pinnacles of cool that mere mortals can't hope to attain. You could maybe aspire to someday becoming Beenie Man or Eddie Vedder. That would be reasonable. Being Jimmy Cliff is more of a fantasy, a Charlie Kaufman sequel. Forget it; you can't hang.

Cliff has always been representative of the little man who overcomes impossible odds, though not always to success. Patron saint of "just give me a shot".
Bless me, Jimmy; I may need it.

Get the Jimmy Cliff "Ultimate Collection" from Amazon
Honestly? I'd get "The Harder They Come" first, anyday.
Luckily, life doesn't require such choices. Get 'em both!
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The Official Jimmy Cliff homepage
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The 'Top of the Pops' interview

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Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet - "Travellin' Shoes"

Acapella brilliance of a sort that simply doesn't exist anymore.
Every note is perfect, every harmony blends like ice cream and apple pie.
Instruments are for wimps.

Buy "The Complete Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet, Volume One" direct from Document Records.
Document seems to have finally got around to updating its site and the design is very nice with lots of audio.
Document CDs are as close to guaranteed sight unseen quality buys as you're likely to get. Plunder their catalog; you won't be sorry.
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Meet the Golden Gate Quartet
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Paint your travelling shoes

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Stevie Wonder - "Travellin' Man"

As cheery as depression can get.

Sorry about the sound quality; this CD simply isn't a nice master.

Buy Stevie Wonder's "Greatest Hits, Vol. 2" from Amazon.
It's ALL good, but the cover of "We Can Work It Out" has long been a flavourite.
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Stevie Wonder Songs
But no "Travellin' Man"!?!
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Stevie at the Kennedy Center

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musicblog clicky

You just can't take your eye of the ball in the Musicblog Clicky business; you blink twice and six heads spring up hydra-like.

These first four are straight up gold and going right into the daily pile:

Oddio Overplay left me shaking my head in wonder. DL full length mix CD's of golden age Blues, Asian traditional, international pop, Russian folk; leaf through a "junk drawer" of more free form CD mixes; take a music safari in the plethora of beautifully organized music linkage (this gamelan site alone has kept me busy all day); revel in the slick, easy to navigate design.
I do not exaggerate when I say that if you do not check this action out right now, you are a certifiable Dexter.
I am NOT joking.
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Release the Reality has a ton of great breakbeat dj akshun.
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Music for the Free World joins TALKIEWALKIE and MUSICFORROBOTS in the group musicblog category. I love these communities; they're so rad. Would anybody let me into one of these puppies or am I just invoking Groucho's Law?
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The Suburbs Are Killing Us, out of NYC _and_ South Africa, has an EXTREMELY eclectic collection of tracks, nicely annotated with loads of linkage. What more could you want?


Hey, fellow musicbloggers: are you suddenly getting fifty percent of your hits from the windows version of this?
Y'know, I don't mind Webjay cause their missionstatement is in the right place; but when big companies start anonymously hotlinking to my stuff...
Aw, fuggit. I don't have the energy to tilt at windmillsearches. Clearly the revolution is gonna hafta be televised.
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Opendir and Swen's Weblog are MP3 aggregators in the vein of TOTALLYFUZZY.
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Copious filepile at, ahem, "fuckallyall.com" (catchy!)
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"Its purpose is to show that Hip-Hop continues to be innovative, that sampling is a valid form of artistic expression, and that I am simply the greatest producer ever."
The 'Red Album' producer sounds like Jermaine Dupri to me.

Okay, one more time: NO MORE BLACK ALBUM REMIXES.
(Though really, this one ain't half bad at that, just a little too belligerent with his hooks.)
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Schkopi is a Prince fansite with several Prince-only radio stations orbiting.
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Kempa seems to be just gearing up to musicblogging. Drop by and show your support.

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clicky

A big shoutout to the fine fellows over at Project Neko who forwarded a pretty damn fonky mix cd of jazzed-out hipbop turntablism called "Earful of Wax."
Go check 'em out, the website has plenty to listen to via its detachable music player.
Quite smoov, gentlemen.
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Happyment is a fansite for one of my fave pop bands, Komeda. No tunage, but plenty of info.
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Nothing can quite prepare you for CHENGWIN!
Yes, Chengwin: half chicken/half penguin and his arch enemies Chunk (half skunk) and Chixon (half Nixon).

If this isn't strange enough for you, there's always the adventures of Chabio (half... well, you know).

The movies are must watches.

I'm of the opinion that this may be the greatest idea in the history of the world.
Who's with me?

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The Hut will be continuing to run in diminished capacity as noted above, but we're gonna be on autopilot. Feel free to leave comments and to get in touch, but it'll likely be mid May afore I get back on the horn. Meanwhile, we're up until tomorrow; so if you were ever gonna holla back, now would be the time.

Hugs and kisses ya'll. See ya on the other side.

kiddy glisten: final
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The Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band - "Roundabout"

Keith: To be perfectly honest, I cannot stand marching bands. I find the whole sound pompous and overly brassified. I love horns, but there needs to be something there to balance 'em. And a couple of flutes whistling in and out just aren't enough. Also, that cheer at the end sounds fake.

Andrew: I don't remember any of my school bands playing this song. Or being this good.

Not familiar with the original, but this is pretty happening. I was a french horn in my high school marching band and I was really pretty bad. I played a bastardized version of a marching french horn, the flugelhorn.

There were a few lasting benefits from my marching band years: better balance/posture and greater ability to conserve and dole out my breath (both of which help in yoga) and a permatight embouchure (which helps in kissing).

Yep, it's 365.
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Marching Music Online
Hardly as hip as this, but where else are you gonna find more Sousa than you can shake a baton at?
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Roundabout: a Tribute to the Music of Yes

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Unknown Marching Band - "Staying Alive"

Keith: I hear a bass line! Which makes me wonder whether this is a marching band at all. Because I'm yet to meet the guitarist that can walk around and play, with an amp strapped to their back.

Andrew: See above. Uh-uh-uh-uh-huh STAYIN' ALIIIIIIIVE!

I think the bass player would be on the sidelines; that's the way most of the bigger marching band schools handled it.

Everybody's just a LIIIIITTLE off and that lethargic trombone solo ain't helping. This is what MY band sounded like.

Clean ending tho'.

No idea where I got this.

"(P)erhaps the gayest film ever made about heterosexuals..."
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The aim of the game is to stay alive!
Tres' Choose Your Own Adventure, which you know I like.
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Flip the Fire Monkey knows kids, Flip knows fire safety, and Flip knows Staying Alive

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Alva T. Stanford Middle School Chorus - "Chinatown"

Keith: Wow. How very racist sounding is that intro? On the whole though, I like this song. Probably the best (Langley excluded) of the "School Segment" of this CD.

Andrew: Man, either these are some of the best middle school bands ever or mine just plain sucked. Great melodies on the singing. I've never heard the original, so I can't really comment on accuracy, but it sounds like the band's having fun, so what the hell. Chiiiiiiinatown! Needs more gong.


This is SO sweeping and accomplished. The choir is just freaking ON.

AGAIN, 365.
I'm getting awful embarrassed here. Hope Otis don't mind my liberal borrowing, but them tracks is so nice.
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The Internet Chinese Music Archive
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"More inflammation on special offers & ordering"
Oh, come on! That's funny!

Plenty to download on each of those last two links.

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Anonymous Young Girls - "Jack, Can I Ride"

Keith: Yay! More Lomaxishness. I don't like this one as much as the other one though. It's sparser, and less energetic than Hopali, which to me is a damn shame. Still, it's not bad by any measure, and it finishes real strong.

Andrew: I prefer the first tune by these girls, but this one's still damn good, and the 'double-time comment' was pretty funny.

The "double time" call is a little obnoxious for my money, a case of ethnographers intruding on their subject's style. Still, that these girls are able to pick up the pace so effectively and professionally is testament to their skill.

Is it just me or is this a prurient song? Bunch of young girls jumping around asking if they "can ride", talking about old folks in bed putting bad thoughts in their heads? Maybe I'm just a filthy minded boy (no doubt), but there's some double meaning goin' on here for my money.

This was later co-opted into the "15 cents to watch the elephants jump over the fence" song; I like it better here, in its dirrrtier original form.

Again, this cut is from the "Deep River of Song: Alabama" album, available from Rounder Records
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Clapping Rhymes and Jumprope Jingles
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Jump Rope Rhymes

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Thanks one more time to Keith and Andrew for helping me on the reviews this time around!

How's this format sit with you guys? Should I try this style of online mix CD again anytime soon? Let me know.

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clicky

Here's some updated blogroll finds:

If you think _I'M_ obsessive (and I do), check out DJ Martian's page. There's got to be THOUSANDS of links on there.

His favorites list alone is pretty intimidating. Go forth and mine them suckas!
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Gutterbreakz writes good review material and also has outspoken opinions on the musicblog life. Check'im out.
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StrangeCo's grown up toy lab is frightening, weird and totally megarad.
Lord knows I'm getting jack for Xmas, but this site would be an optimal giftlist.
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Ad Age is the place to hear agency wonks talk business on virals, commercials and campaigns. Lotsa video.
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"This is not a joke. We are alone and constantly battling for our lives."
Brill.
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Kinja has been kind enough to list the Hut as an editor's choice in the Music category and though it hasn't exactly sent the masses rushing to my door, it's always nice to know somebody likes what you're doing.

Kinja has limitless potential, but since the much ballyhooed launch, I ain't heard nothing from either media or blogosphere.

How useful is this? My Kinja people? Holla if you hear me?
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Languagehat, one of everybody's fave Meta- and Monkey-posters has a long running and interesting blog on semantics, grammar and (duh) language.
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webzen is currently running a "Geekmusic" post with tons of mp3's and fun links. Go get up on it.
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Atlapedia is my new favorite permaresource.
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This one's LONG overdue: Art of the Mix lets you post your own mix cd playlists for criticism and curiosity.
Add in some MP3 action and you've got our past week, no?

VERY spiffy

The Musicblog sidebar has been redone and we are now at over 125 links.

If you'll look back to the March 16th entry, you'll see that I bet that there would be double as many musicblog links in two months. Well, it's MORE than doubled since then in half the time I supposed it would and I get the feeling I'm still only scratching the surface.

On an average weekday, you could download at least eight albums worth of interesting tunes just by navigating through those links alone.

If that's not a revolution in the way you can find and listen to new music, I don't know what is.
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Shoutouts from the Quality Crowd:

A Free Man In Preston, Jalpuna, The Morning News, Thirsty River and
Friends of Sound.

Danke, gracias, konichi wa and all that rot.
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David Bowie is hosting a mashup competition in which he's inviting DJ's to mix his tracks and compete for A NEW CAR!!!!!

... sorry; I got all Rod Roddy there for a minute.
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A change is gonna come. Next week even. More explanation on Monday.

Enjoy der veekend.

kiddy glisten

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The Langley Schools Music Project - "Desperado"

Keith: Obligatory. Has anyone not heard this yet?

Andrew: Wow. Loved the original, and the kid's voice suits it well.

Not to be confused with the stellar version from "In America" (a dropload of which would be greatly appreciated, by the by).

Yeah, as Keith says, Langley is pretty old hipster news; but those of you unfamiliar with it are in for a treat: heartfelt, honest "Shaggs"-like music, only in tune.

You really DO just wanna give this girl a hug, dontcha?

Purchase the Langley School's Music Project CD "Innocence and Despair" direct from Bar/None Records
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Learn more about the Langley Schools Music Project
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Guitar Tabs

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The Peabody School - "Fly Like an Eagle"

Keith: Did these kids decide to do this song after seeing a commercial for the US Postal Service? Love the "Tick Tock Tick Tock". Or maybe I hate it. At least the teacher is a halfway decent guitar player. Otherwise, this might be unbearable. Can you say off key?

Andrew: Whoever says 'baby' after the choruses is the coolest kid ever.

No doubt, Andrew! That kid is Captain Cool of the Cool Patrol. Hell, everybody involved in this is.

So much to like about this: the "ohhhwhoah, there's a so-luuuuuuuushun" wail, the wobbly outtasync "doo doo doo doo's", the very cute teacher on guitar, the breakdown near the end where everyone tells the "baybeh" kid to shut up... just rad.

This track is originally courtesy of Sharpeworld, who is now (more or less) back up and running, which is hella good news. The Oz-like archives remain off line, but you should bookmark and peek around; SHARPEWORLD has been very good to me in the past and is off to a roaring start in her newest excursion into musicblogging via Radio Sharpeworld.
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I want you to buy me some Pringles/don't you see/dried potatoes and maltodextrin.
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The official site of the Steve Miller Band

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The Geert Grote School (Groep 8) - "Dreamer"

Keith: Well, they're at least all off key the same way - as opposed to the noise of kids singing 8 different notes, these kids are all flat, tuneless, and tone deaf together! At least, until the end they are. Then it all falls apart in a poorly synced attempt at harmony.

Andrew: Starting to notice a bit of a trend here with school choruses. I'm not a big fan of the original, but this I like. And I stand corrected.

You stand what now?

The fragile, reedy solo at 2:04 sells me and the "dream DREAM DReam drEAM dReAm DrEaM" chorus don't hurt either.

The ending is TOTAL anticlimax, but that seems to fit.

Muziekopnamen van de Geert Grote School
Crawl around a bit and you'll find BUNCHES of tracks to DL.
DON'T miss the incredible, xylophone-driven cover of We Will Rock You!
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"There are a few very talented kids as well as a few very enthusiastic screamers in that class."
By now, you CAN'T be surprised to hear that this link comes courtesy Otis Fodder.
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The official site of Supertramp

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The Castle Park High School Band - "Hotel California"

Keith: What is a High School Cafeteria Band exactly? That would be a typo in the tracklist I sent. Sorry. It sounds like a coffee can is being used in lieu of drums, which I'm feelin. The guitar sounds kind weird too. But all of that is a distraction. The girls singing - incredible. The guy alternating with her? Should be shot. But oh god those girls are actually on to something. But whoever agreed to this alternating vocal scheme was a fool. What is it about the Eagles that make them so attractive to kiddy covers? Is it merely the fact that the songs are clean?

Andrew: Bit of a different age group with this one than the previous school orchestras, and I kind miss the sheer exuberance of the middle school bands. Nice electric guitar. What's that weird shoooook sound at the start and at the beginning of choruses?

Yeah, I thought that was strange too, Andrew. Am I nuts or does it sound like they're using pyrotechnics?

My High School talent show performances were as follows:

Sophomore year: A gag version of "Wild Thing" with lyrics along the lines of "prune juice/you make my bowels loose". I swigged from a coke bottle filled with mixed juices and moshed around the stage, then threw the bottle into the audience. The kid who caught it started drinking it immediately, which was way rad. I got into some trouble for throwing the bottle. Fascists.

Junior year: I spent a lot of time sucking up to the Senior stoner kids who could play an instrument and managed to get them together into a BMOC "superband" of the coolest and most talented badass outcasts to play as my backing band for "Smells Like Teen Spirit". I dutifully transcribed the lyrics from a taped MTV special that subtitled videos (I think it was called "Say What?"). Singing "SLTeen Spirit" to my principal while leading the school in a session of headbanging remains one of my prouder moments.

Senior year: I provided the "hut-hut-hut huthuthuthut" (interesting coincidence!) vocals, shared chorus duties and provided random screaming for a friend's band's cover of Faith No More's "A Small Victory". At the end of the song, we all went apeshit and spazzed out on the floor a'la "the fish", the dance everyone did at the end of "Epic" (in the manner of the flopping dying fish that contorts in death throes as the song's piano solo decrescendos... and would you believe that was Bjork's fish?). We'd wait a minute for the applause to die down and then the guitar player would just start wailing and the drummer would beat the hell out of the skins and we would howl gibberish into the mikes and flail around. This went on for, like, five minutes. They had to come and take us off the stage.

I was subsequently banned from performing solo as punishment for my antics, specifically for "humping the floor", which was not what I was TRYING to look like I was doing, but I would've had I thought of it.

Being banned really sucked, as I was prepared with an instrumental copy of Naughty by Nature's "Hip Hop Hooray". To this day, I still know all the lyrics; but I've yet to put that knowledge to any good use. Pity.

Visit Castle Park High School
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Pictures from the Chattahoochie High School Talent Show
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Regardless of your opinion of this track, it certainly can't be worse than William Hung's cover (note the date of that article).
Could it?
PLEASE somebody dropload that for me. I ain't gonna front, after hearing the godawfulatrocious "I Believe I Can Fly" cover over at GRAMOPHONE, I kinda want to hear a bit more. Just a bit.

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The Central High School Cafeteria Band - "First Rhapsody for Knives, Forks and Spoons, Pts. 1 and 2"

Keith: What on earth is this? Whatever it is, I love it. The percussion is so clean, and the melodies are just goofy and benny-hillish for me to get into it. Shame I am utterly unskilled in the mixing department, or these beats would become a part of my basic toolkit. They just have a distinctive tone to them that I'm loving.

Andrew: Cool music through cutlery. Kickass, and the ending - with everyone just throwing down their 'instruments' - is just plain classy.

Yes, it's another 365 Days submission (offered by no less than Strictly Kev!) and it's a doozy.

Here's Kev's take on the thing:

"Don't know the year on this but I reckon 60's by the sound quality. I found this in Vortex on Queen St. in Toronto, bought in the same crop that yielded the Utica club beer drinking song featured on January 23rd. A high school band clunks and clanks it's way through 2 (original?) compositions by Charles Crean accompanying the band with Knives, Forks & Spoons - very noisy, disjointed and hilarious in that quaint way all high school bands are. The first movement (Allegro Conbeat) is my favorite, 'Wipeout' guitars, a kazoo, oompah style kickdrum and the trade offs between the cutlery and piano make this a treat. The second movement (Andante Con Cha Cha) is a bit more sedate as an organ joins them with overtones of 'The Monster Mash' in places and the whole thing clunks to a halt after just over two minutes."

Kev spins under the name DJ Food. Here's his website.
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Musical Silverware
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Knife Music

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spiffy

Mark at CLASSICALGASP has posted a great new mashup of that Beatles "Because (Acapella)" and Ray Scott's Powerhouse (note to self: a few days of Scott on the Hut in the near future).

The resulting track is loopy and threatening, like trying to outrun Jack Nicholson in a topiary maze. Go get ogg (Mac types go here); go check it out and then keep obsessively hitting that refresh button for CLASSICALGASP's regularly scheduled updates. I know _I_ am.
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I spent part of my day indulging in a way I don't often get to: buying, then kicking back and reading comic books. I had been curious about the work of Bob Fingerman for quite some time and decided to "pop" by the local comic book shop to get some. I picked up the first two volumes of Minimum Wage, pulled up a seat at the shop, popped on the iPod and didn't get up till I was finished. Wonderful!

"Minimum Wage" is HIGHLY recommended autobio; it's fresh, funny, honest, sexy and dead fucking on. Like visiting New York. The backgrounds are HIGHLY detailed and I can generally tell where the action is taking place, which makes me really nostalgiac. I miss the city. The art improves as it goes on; to which end Fingerman recently released a more-than complete version (mostly redrawn, with much new material) of "Minimum Wage" called "Beg the Question" (published by and available from Fantagraphics) that I now want very badly.

If you see a copy of Fingerman's work at your local library/comicstore/whatever, be sure to pick it up and give it a look; you won't be sorry.
-
Personal stressors and a decidedly unhealthy inability to release pentup emotion (exterior, not interior reasons) have left me a pretty sorry moviegoer these past two months. I've seen maybe four films in the past two months which is definitely some kind of all time low for me.

I mention this because I DID get around to seeing the third Lord of the Rings movie yesterday and it's as good as advertised. The Shakespearean-scope fight scenes are sweeping and anything but anonymous and every line of dialogue and forward motion fairly oozes portent and melodrama. It plays like an immense trailer; every fifteen seconds there's another money shot. Somehow Jackson manages to keep one upping the prior high, like a cinematic party anthem with yet more and more complex and improbable situations and effects wonders (the Legolas vs. the Oliphant fight would have to be the pinnacle). The much ballyhooed extended length of the film only gives everyone room to stretch out and get the job done proper; by the end, I hadn't been taken out of the story once and was astonished that it was dark outside.

Quality writing and acting make this about three times as cool as Star Wars; the effects are about twice as hot as either of the last two SW prequels.

Anyway, the greatest feat this thing pulls off is to INVOLVE you. I got teary often, which is rare. Probably a better indicator of my madness level than the tearjerker nature of the film, but it surprised hell outta me.

I'm INTENSELY frustrated by the casting of the execrable Jack Black in the new King Kong film, but I'll probably force myself to the theater anyway. The blossoming of Peter Jackson into the king of Hollywood is as unlikely a story as any I could come up with, but I'm enjoying it too much to let a casting gaffe (albeit a REALLY bad one) derail my view of the ride.
-
The "Wayne Brady" episode of the Dave Chappelle Show had me literally laughing myself hoarse. If you're not watching this, you're missing out on really revolutionary TV. I don't like everything the guy does (just watched the last episode of the season and half of it was dumb, but the other half was hysterical); when he hits, he homers.

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musicblog clicky

Some more clickariffic and unsidebarred Musicblogbackthepower types (and even some corporates!):

Warp Records is organized intelligently, easy to sample and stylishly designed. Why can't larger labels follow suit?
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April Winchell is one of the real grandmaws of musicbloggin'. No offense intended, Missus Winchell.
A great site to pilfer the most offbeat and frightening stuff imaginable, from Hindi Abba covers to Italian lessons by Fabio to Joe Pesci's spleen freezing cover of "Got to Get You Into My Life".
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Interesting audio, and not just Me'Shell NdegéOcello on this Me'Shell fansite.
-
The Unofficial Wire Audio Companion offers "links to representative mp3 or streamed tracks from albums reviewed by The Wire, provided for the purposes of aiding listeners in their record-buying decisions."
-
Soulstrut is a great source for music conversation and lots of realaudio vinyl transfer.
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Popnose is dead; long live Popnose.
-
Birth/Music/Death has Ludacris, Prince, Manu Chao and Buena Vista Social Club and you're not even listening to me because you already clicked over there, didn't you? Hello?
-
Bush No. 10 steps up with plenty of mashup akshun: Em vs. Axel F, Britney vs. ODB, Sugababes vs. Daft Punk... Frankee vs. Eamon? Well, I suppose it was inevitable.
-
I'm seriously feelin' Poj's shit these days. Great mashups and bobbin' head glitch. Just click anywhere and be pleasantly surprised.
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Last mash link: fettdog.
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Glorious Noise is music journalism wit' lotsa imbedded music for download.
-
I just mentioned NEGATENDO last week, but I wasn't aware that they was ALSO musicbloggin'.
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Music for Robots is a collaborative musicblog that has really hit the ground running.
Highly recommended.

# posted by John : 4/15/2004 12:17:00 AM

glisten

Patience and Prudence - "Tonight You Belong to Me"

Keith: The talent here is more conventional than the mad geniuses of the Cheese Band. Nonetheless, I don't mind this. At the very least, there IS actual talent here, unlike certain other children on this mix.

Andrew: Something distinctly creepy about two little girls singing 'tonight you belong to me', but whatever. Not bad.

A case of too young artists who somehow have insight into circumstances beyond their experience. How can a twelve year old understand the sad, fragile beauty of a last night together before separate ways is a reality and not a plan? Flip that script: how did they understand the wistful guilty pleasure of breakup sex?

So sweet, so sharp.

Purchase "The Best of Patience and Prudence" from Collector's Choice Music.
BASICHIPDIGITALODDIO used to host a great site with a ton of P&P tracks; that's RIP so here's your best bet for more. Recommended buy; there's a number of other good cuts: "A Smile and a Ribbon" (recently of Ghost World), "Over Here", "Gonna Get Along Without You Now", and "We Can't Sing Rhythm and Blues" for starters.
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"Yep, they were up there on the charts alongside Elvis Presley!"
-
Guitar tabs
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"If you're an avid U.S. Island hunter and have followed my island activating exploits over the past few years, Patience is the one major virtue you would need to eventually add Prudence Island to your collection."

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Quindon Tarver - "When Doves Cry"

Keith: You didn't... A Prince cover. Oh God. This feels wrong. Hearing a small child singing When Doves Cry... It just FEELS WRONG. But, moving past the inherent wrongness of it, this kid has some real talent. He's no Prince - his vote is richer and deeper, and strangely more manly than the purple one, but on this song, it works. I especially like the synthesized rendition of the instrumental. Slick.

Andrew: Not a big fan of this one, it's got a bit of an early '90s one-hit-wonder vibe. Like being back in grade 4 or something.

First off, I _really_ dislike this movie version of R+J. Heck, I'd say it's safe to say I'm gonna dislike ANYTHING by Baz Luhrmann; I find his work garish, rococo and soulless. Everything I love about Vincente Minelli is warpedmirrortwisted when it comes to Luhrmann's work. I find him offensive.

This song's OK, though. The church choir and the multi-track vocals pay off nicely; this is easily better than Ginuwine's cover... and that had Timbo on board, so you know I say that with trepidation.

Purchase the second volume of "Songs from Romeo and Juliet" from Amazon.
With the Butthole Surfers!
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More Quindon from IUMA
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Quindon's Bio
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Lyrics

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The Jackson 5 - "Who's Lovin' You"

Keith: Jackson 5 is cheating. More Kidz Bop. Less of the real thing. That and I hate the Jackson 5.

Andrew: I knew something by the Jackson 5'd be on this CD. Nice intro, but the rest... to be honest, everything by the Jackson 5 sounds the same to me, and not in a good way. Please excuse my youthful ignorance.

Excused and how is this "cheating"? No quality artists allowed?

That both of you made none of the obvious comments about Michael singin' "Who's Lovin' You" to his runaway paramour gives me pause enough so that I will also elect to take the high road.

Buy the Jackson 5 "Ultimate Collection" from Amazon
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The Jivy Jackson 5 Page
Loads o' content!
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Lyrics

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Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers - "I Am Not a Juvenile Delinquent"

Keith: Oh yes you ARE a juvenile delinquent. The denials are so fierce, it must be true (see, Jeff Skilling etc.) I REALLY like this track. Probably my favorite on this mix. I can see this being a minor, regional hit in the 50's.

Andrew: This is great. Old, old-style tune, but the lyrics are what make it. Catchy, hummable, and so bloody anachronistic! Huzzah!

Huzzah yourself!

Every song should start this way.

My lasting memory of this track is from John Waters' "Pink Flamingos"; the tune plays underneath a scene in which Divine smuggles steaks out of a grocery store by shoving them in her underwear.

Buy "The Very Best of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers" from Amazon
At least 75% classic.
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The sad story of F.L and the Teenagers
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Frankie's life story was made into a movie, "why Do Fools Fall in Love", the tomatometer indicates it might be worth a peek.
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So, if Frankie WAS a Juvenile Delinquent, what's to blame? Fame? Money? Power? Musta been all dem comical books.
Or possibly the heroin.

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Stevie Wonder - "Fingertips, Pts 1 and 2"

Keith: I'd call Stevie Wonder cheating too, but unlike the Jackson Five, there's a DAMN good song here, so there's really nothing I can do to complain. Love those handclaps!

Andrew: This is Stevie Wonder? Have to say I prefer his voice now. Kid seems damn good at working the crowd. Good tune, though the harmonica (is that what that is?) is kinda annoying and shrill after a while.

This sumbitch has been working the crowd for five decades or so; he was good from the git go.

It's unbelievable how together this kid's act is. Stevie's an honest to god genius.

Purchase Stevie's "Early Classics" from Amazon
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A fairly comprehensive French Stevie page
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Stevie Wonder vs. Ray Charles: Darts at twenty paces

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clicky

Jason Little's "Shutterbug Follies" is a seriously fun read.
Start here and then go get the book.
-
This thread over at ILM led me to the new Afroman "How to Rob an Industry Nigga"-style single "Wack Rappers".
Worth listening to once and then erasing from your memory forever.
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Videos to make your anus clench: Sawstop product safety demos.
If you've EVER worked with a bandsaw, you'll grimace.
via MILKANDCOOKIES
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I was just sitting here thinking to myself, "What would my readers really appreciate?" Then it came to me: you'd all love a possibly photoshopped picture of a killer whale having his massive penis stroked by a man in a wetsuit.
No, don't thank me. I'm here for YOU.
via BOINGBOING
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J.G.I.W.Y.P.
via ESSELLE
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Specifically for Kimdog:
"Cat? I'm a kittycat. And I dance dance dance and I dance dance dance...
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"NEC Corp has developed a battery that... takes only about 30 seconds to recharge enough to allow 80 hours of continuous operation".
Meanwhile, the iPod can just barely make it through to five o'clock.
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ALREADY linked to death, but this Burger King viral of a "subservient chicken" is just too damn amazing to go unremarked.
via OH, EVERYBODY.
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And here's a bonus Japanese viral that I found funnier than I should've.
via MILKANDCOOKIES

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musicblog clicky

Seems like not a day goes by that I don't find SOMEONE musicblogging. Here's the current, yet-to-be sidebarred haul:

Instamatic comes with more mashup DJ akshon; I like the Luda-Kriss Kross mix.
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Indiepoprock is just what it says: indiepop, only it's en flambe (that means "in French").
Mountain Goats, Four Tet, Cat Power. Check em out, toot sweet.
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Music Steev Got in South America
via MISTERPANTS
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Incorrect Music Sifting is a GOLDMINE for exotica and plain BAD tunes.
Dunno about that commentary, tho'; I don't trust anyone who calls Wesley Willis "an exploited crack addict".
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Musical Family Tree is a private party, but you can stop by and have a beer if you really want to. Who knows WHAT you'll find?
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What, TOMWAITSFORNOONE didn't fill your Waits needs? Alright, here's a live bootleg site. Now that's REALLY enough already.
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The Slack Album.
Sigh.
No, I haven't listened to it yet. No, I'm not going to. Pavement fans, feel free.
Look, I agree that "everybody should try and make music at some point in their lives", but could we PLEASE get off the Black album already?
Not hatin', just statin'.
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IUMA is a fairly large "post your finished product here for free" file index for indy artists. Fun to wade into; this is where I first found Dokaka, so I'm quite grateful.
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A Breath of Wind is a nicely organized J/K/C-pop site.
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Here's a great idea: email songstowearpantsto with a set of parameters for a short song; let's say: "make an a capella chant-type song about people who photocopy their body parts (you may wish to focus on the photocopying of the buttocks), with at least 14 layers of your voice". And they'll do it!
This is precisely why I heart the internet: unleashed offbeat DIY spirit, squared.

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glisten: The Kids Are Alright


Generacion - "Toma Que Toma"

Keith: The beats are cracklin, the melodies sound like something out of a Disney marching band, but what the hell are these kids singing? I mean, I know it's Spanish, and probably something innocuous, but in my mind, I envision hymns to Satan because of the beats, the call response pattern, and the way it just feels like a chant.

Andrew: I like the singing, though the instrumentation sounds like something from a Disney flick. Seriously, like it was ripped from Fantasia or something. Still a good tune.

Strange that both of you thought this was Disnified. I guess the orchestration does lend itself a little to that, but I don't much hear it. Mostly, this makes me wanna shake a tailfeather.

In terms of info, I got nothing. Google isn't helpful for foreign language terms if you don't speak the lingo. I don't even remember where I got this from. Some samaritan wanna help?

Aprenda un poco español
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Lyrics

=================================================================

The Shaggs - "You're Something Special to Me"

Keith: This sounds like the work of a 9 year old Robert Pollard or John Darnielle. It has that, "I just thought of this, and now I'm gonna take out my boom box and record it," aesthetic. Unfortunately, this kid is nowhere near as good as mssrs Pollard and Darnielle.

Andrew: Like everything from the Shaggs, I'm sure that this is emotionally pure and meaningful and all that, but I'm just too shallow to appreciate it. Cracks me up every time.

I'd like to go on record as saying I love the Shaggs. I don't know about "emotionally pure and meaningful" but they sound so goddamn _real_. People who listen to this with ironic attachment are crazy; this is just honest DIY rock, nothing bad or "hipster" about it as far as I can see. I've spent a day or two with nothing but the Shaggs to keep me company and I'll prolly do it again.

This is one of my fave Shaggs tracks. The "hup two three" count, the lead guitar racing to keep up with the lyrics ("when you smile at me, my face bleeds"), the slight lisp, just the sweet gentle lull of it all: I'm four years old spinning in circles and listening to a 45 turntable, eatin' pimento loaf and swingin' my Stretch Armstrong octopus over my head.

My Pal's Name is Foot Foot
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"The SHAGGS MOVIE should start filming during March 2004!"
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Buy "The Shaggs Greatest Hits" from Amazon

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The Cheese Band - "I Like Cheese"

Keith: I don't like Cheese actually. Outside of Pizza, I can't stand the stuff. That said, the tape recorder tricks were cutting edge... 40 years ago... And that break halfway through is a pathetic excuse for scat. Eventually, this seems to just break down into a Casio demo and kids bashing keys and shouting and any hope of experimentalism or interestingness is abandoned in favor of cacophony. This is where the song finds itself. This is the soul of the song. LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH LUNCH!

Andrew: Well hell, who doesn't? Keith, apparently. Loved the scatting (dooo dee dee deeeeeh), piano playing, and 'I mean, not dinner, but lunch, lunch lunch.' What's that squeaky noise thing that plays randomly? Sounds kinda like a pullstring noisemaker I had when I was 6.

I'm really getting a kick out of the fact that you guys seem to gravitate to the same idiosyncracies in these tracks. Great minds.

That casiotone beat and the pullstring "I love you very much"/"let's have fun" toy is SO nostalgiac; I can't even tell you.

That creepy voice at the end that says "Let Dylan play" scares me doodyless.

This is me, twenty years ago. No, not really; but it might as well be. It's probably you too.

Casio brings electronic sound to life.
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Tell the world!
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"I curtailed my Walpoling activites, sallied forth, and infiltrated your place of purveyance to negotiate the vending of some cheesy comestibles!"
Cheese is, traditionally, geek food.

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April - "Peanut Butter, Jelly"

Keith: I remember singing this song as a child. I did a better job of it than this pathetic child. I agree with her (brother?) - she should be arrested.

Andrew: The definitive guide on proper sandwich making. I like, though it evokes unpleasant memories of preschool kindergarten.

I must've missed this one in grammar school; it's not familiar to me at all.
I like how the kid screws up and then incorporates the screwup into the song as some sort of strange alter-ego voice.
"Henaaa, henaa gutta; nellie, nellie."

Both this and the prior track are off the FREE TO DOWNLOAD "Party Fun with Recorders" via Comfort Stand Records.

If you haven't bookmarked CS Records yet, you're only spiting yourself.

They're amazing.
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One of the greatest things the web has to offer.

I sometimes open a window of this in the background and periodically refresh.

I blame the childhood head trauma.

The updated version sucks. Accept no substitutes.

"Freestyle, freestyle, yo' style!"
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2000 Uses for Peanut Butter

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Anonymous Kid - "How Does It Stinkin' Feel?"

Keith: This child wants 3 things more than anything. 1) to be a Bluesman. In this regard, he fails. Miserably. He should have his larynx removed if he attempts to sing ever again. 2) to let loose and say FUCK. The euphemism does not fool me. This is a foul-mouthed child. I approve. 3) To masturbate. I will not pass judgment, but I would rather not hear him sing about it. This young man is not, after all, Cindi Lauper.

Andrew: I bet this is what schizophrenics hear inside their heads.

This is completely brilliant.

I have to wonder if this is some sort of response to D'Angelo's "Untitled (How Does It Feel?)"

Because I love you and I'm a strange man, here's the lyrics; transcribed at great risk to my mental health:

"How? Does it feel? Tell me, how does it feel? I wanna know, how does it stinkin' feel? How what? How, how yeah, does it stinkin' feel? Let's turn it up, cmon. How does it stinkin' feel, bay beh; how does it stinking feel? How does it stinkin' feel; how does it stinkin' feel? I wanna know how! You stinkin' feel; cmon tell me how you stinkin' feel! Tell me how you stinkin' feel, bay-beh!
How do you, how do you; how do you stinking feel! Hangoozah! Zingazingoozah! Gummazingzumbingabeeyoo! Hmm hmm ha hmm hmm hmm ha mmbahzingazingazumbayeh! (Dumb voice) Yes, I want, a chicken wing, from your Burger King. How do you stinking feel?(/dumb voice) Well, I feel just fine. EEEEEEYAAAAHHH! How do you stinking feel, tell me how do you stinking feel? How do you stinking feel; how do you stinking feel? Tell me how do you stinking feel? How do you feel? Tell me how do you stinking feel? How do you feel? I got a rabbit! Down my pants! Tell me now! I said I got a rabbit, rabbit, rabbit down my pants! If you want one rabbit down your pants, you better fish it right out, right now, cmon! Mmnammyam, a how do you stinking feel; cmon now, howweeyoweehow, how do you stinking feel? Oh, I. I'm not sure. Anyways, all I wanted to do was have a stinking wing, but I got a humongous butt all over; don't wanna butt all over. Uh, Chicken wings, how do you stinkin' feel; said, chicken wings; said, how do you stinking feel? Bacon burger. Give me a throw pillow and a crowbar; I'll show you how to hit with a nine iron. Chicken wings; how do you stinking feel. Said, how do you stinkin' feel? How do you stinking, STINKING, STIIIINNKINNNG FEEEEL? I wanna know how you stinkin' feel! Tell me! How You Stinking Feel! But I wanna know how you stinking feel; oh, but I wanna (percussion) buhbuhbuhbuhbuhbuhBUH! Yeah! How do you. Stin. King. UhFeel! Yeaaahuhhhyeah: how do you STINKING FEEL?"

I have to go rest now.
This track comes courtesy of Mic In Track who offers two OTHER songs by our young protege: "Willie Nelson" and "The Ice Cream Man Is Fat".

They live up to your expectations.

Mic In Track is a fun romp; stay awhile.
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Chicken wings are not for flying.
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How to hit with the nine iron.

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glisten: Kids Are Alright

Okay, pay attention because this is a little complicated and I'm only gonna say it once. Put down that Gameboy and face front George.

Over the past few months, I've been mailing out mix CD's and posting guest reviews. I've decided to try something a little different: in addition to posting my guest's response, I'm also gonna post the music as well. That way I can share my mix tape with ALL of you. Andrea, I think I told you to keep your hands to yourself?

The theme for this particular mix is "The Kids Are Alright", music by (but not always FOR) kids. I tried to structure the mix with a set of five little minimixes so as to make it more easy to break them up for a whole week of posting; additionally, each of these entries should have a thematic gist all their own. Matt, if you can't stop making that noise, we're going to have to discuss it with the principal. Is that what you want?

As always, comments and response are welcome. I'd also love to see some REMIXES coming from these tracks; any of you DJ types wanna cut one of these puppies up? Get in touch with me if you do and I'll be happy to post your work in the blog. Tammi, when I say "cut up", I don't mean the construction paper. That costs money and you are WASTING MONEY.

Let me introduce you to our two guest reviewers: New Yorker Keith Causin (of the "high profile" and appropriately-named-for-this-review Teaching the Indie Kids to Dance Again) and the equally wondrous (but somewhat less blogoriffic) Canuck, Andrew Matthews. They're very good boys, even if they do act up a little. Andrew, don't eat that; you have NO idea where it's from. Keith, noses are for blowing, not picking.

As always, these are posted unedited with my stellar and brilliant commentary in italics. In honor of Bunny day, the subtheme for this particular post (minus our intro track) is "Kids and the Word of God".

Gentlemen? Shall we?

=================================================================

Anonymous Young Girls - "Hopali"

Keith: I could get into this. It has the feeling of a Lomax recording, full of snap crackle and pop, and I wonder if this has been sampled to death yet. Nice repetitive vocal hook, beats are handy, and HANDCLAPS!

Andrew: This I like, even if it does sound like something Moby'd ripoff for a song. I'm not really sure why I like this tune so much, but damn, it's really, really catchy and easy to footstomp to. Great singing, great track.

Good call Keith; this IS a Lomax recording; an Alabama field recording, circa late 1930's.
This is traditional, also known as "Hop-A-Lee", specially made for jump rope chant (although I must admit I've never heard it live before, much less sampled).

I have no idea what in the name of god they're saying.

That this stuff makes people think of Moby makes me cringe.

I _like_ Moby, for the most part, but the ubiquity of his music (and the rampant commercialism of same) seems to have done some real damage to the honor and pedigree of roots music. At the same time, I _do_ admire a great deal of his politics, but he seems to have made so many compromises. Wasn't electronic originally supposed to be about the death of the ego oriented industry? "No stars in techno" and all that?

Sigh. I'm getting worked up. Enjoy the track.

Buy "Deep River of Song: Alabama" direct from Rounder Records
Remind me to post "Titty, Give Me Some Titty" on here some time. It's amazing.
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A review of said CD
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Listed in The Folk Music Index.
No audio, but a great resource.

=================================================================

Tiny Tot Calvin - "Say Will You Be Ready"

Keith: "Are you truly born again, washed in Jesus Blood? - I'm Jewish. And quite frankly, this scares the shit out of me. It's just so... creepily faithful.

Andrew: A voice that's cute to the point of causing diabetes in the very young or elderly, but the whole "little kid-singing-about-being-washed-in-Jesus'-blood" thing scares the bejesus out of me. So to speak.

Yeah, the earnestness of the piano and the lyrics combined with "Tiny Tot's" slurring, mewling uckiness makes this awfully unpleasant.

Edited down, for sanity's sake. The original is three and a half minutes long and includes Calvin's precious rendition of "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam." Nuff said.

I put these tracks on repeat while I write the notes for each and I must tell you that after FIFTEEN listens, I now HATE this track. You've been warned.

Here's the original notation from that god among men, Otis Fodder:

"I found this album while living in Reno, Nevada in the early 1990's at a Savers thrift store. It's been a favorite for years and I know of others who own this album as well and can attest to the fact that it is excruciatingly painful at times. This is no Junior American Idol, Reality Show, Television Star Search recording. Here we have Aunt Bertha presenting an album from 1968 featuring a happy household of sisters, brothers and cousins singing their precious little hearts out to the lord.

Bertha writes on the back cover liner notes, "Tiny Tots Calvin and Rachel add sparkle in their winsome way. Yes, I am sure SINGTIME will be enjoyed by all who love to sing... or maybe just listen!"

I consider this album a treasure to both scare my neighbors with and to clear a room faster than you can say 'Sunbeam'."

This track (and a few more to come) have been stolen shamelessly from Mr. Fodder's (now defunct) 365 Days Project, wherein he posted one offbeat mp3 a day for the whole of 2003. More than any other site, 365 Days made me want to musicblog.
-
More frightening Christian action: Jesus Plus Nothing from Harper's Magazine.
-
Are You Ready For Her Jelly?
Check out The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl and her "wacky adventures in weight loss".

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Janeen Brady and the Brite Singers - "I'm a Mormon"

Keith: I'm not sure whether this is scarier than the last one, simply because Mormons by nature are, or whether it's less so because it doesn't have the simple, confessional, honesty of the last track. This is so polished, it becomes somehow less faithful seeming. These kids could have been paid. Not so Calvin.
Also, Mormons baptize baptize dead people. That's creepy.
Andrew: A Mormon march? Whuuuut? Still, the singing's pretty cool (the lyrics, not so much), so I'll give it a thumbs up.

It's pretty darn rousing, ain't it?

Again, this is a 365 Days find.

Otis' website is a fun read with lots to explore. He's a busy musician and a helluva great presence on the web.
-
I've seen some strange error messages in my time, but this takes the cake.
-
Get Mormonized.
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Okay, we kid because we love. Here's the official site for The Church of Latter-Day Saints. Honestly, some of my best friends are Mormons.

=================================================================

The Click Kids - "Happy Happy Christians"

Keith: Is that a Banjo I hear? I do believe it is! How did the Banjo become a staple of childrens music anyway?

Andrew: I'm starting to detect a certain pattern, here. Gets cut off after a minute, which is a good thing, as I could see this getting real old real fast. The instrumentation's not bad, but the singing's a little grating.

Edited down again, out of mercy and love for my fellow man.

They seem to know what the note IS, but how to GET there remains a mystery.

I lifted this one from Dana Countryman's vaults of the bizarre.

Dana's site is a regular drive-by fave for exotica and offbeat stuff. Well worth the click.
-
A mini-banjo. You know, FOR KIDS.
-
The Happy Christians meet in Room 2820 at 9:30 a.m. and we celebrate birthdays every week with coffee and donuts!

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The Joubert Singers - "Stand on the Word (Larry Levan Remix)"

Keith: Do I hear what I think I hear? The minute I heard this off Fluxblog I fell in love. It's already one of my most played tracks in Itunes, and will continue to be there. The beats... the harmonies... the exuberance of it all... this is the sort of religious music I love. It's just so goddamned EXCITED ABOUT GOD! And that little kid soloist, just makes the whole thing come together in the most excellent of ways.

Andrew: Definitely a pattern, but I like this song, so no worries. The intro's got a really nice funky vibe to it, and the singing's enthusiastic as hell. Fun tune, I was chairdancing throughout.

Here's Flux's commentary:

This is usually referred to as the "unreleased" Larry Levan mix, but that's a misnomer now that it's been recently issued as a 12" single. The song is a perfect blend of live disco beats and strident gospel vocals, and it is easily one of the finest pieces of music I've ever posted here. I'm absolutely floored by this song, and honestly, I think you'd have to be crazy not to love it too.

Not much to add, except that this is a total favorite round these parts, getting almost daily play. So joyous and alive and unselfconscious.

Very easy to buy into.

Drop by "the Daddy" and give him a big sloppy kiss for the tunage, originally from his pages.
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Learn more about DJ Larry Levan
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You can purchase Larry Levan's work from Tigersushi Records, including a B-Side Remix of this very song.

Anybody wanna get it for me?

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spiffy

At the request of Hut afficionado Sullivan, here's some spiffy shoutout to
Public Domain, "the greatest band that no one has ever heard". While I wouldn't go that far by half, they do sound like a pretty fun bar band and are worth a sniff.
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So I buzzed my head again and had just the strangest reactions at my (increasingly shorter-term) place of employment where I bring beer and sandwiches to old men and women who want lemon with everything. One guy wandered up to me while I was keying in an order and says REAL LOUD and REAL CLOSE, "I like your HAIR! It's REAL CLEAN! HAHAHAHAHAHA!" In circumstances like this, I tend to try to maddog right back, so I leaned in to his face and nonsensically whispered "Yeah... I like to keep it CLEAN!" This left him overjoyed; he clapped me on the back and wobbled away.

I would've written that off, except at the end of the night some OTHER old guy yelled at me from a tablethatwasn'tmine, "Hey, you've got a great HEAD! I love the way it's shaped!" So I told him thanks and he says "Yeah, it's so smooth and perfect... there's no indentations or bumps, just good smooth HEAD!"

Clearly a man who's been reading my press releases.
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In other restaurant news, talking to the hispanic kitchen staff pays off yet again, as I scored a double CD of Peruvian Creole guitar music which is currently being ripped.

red faced retraction

Busted on my own blog! "Jay Vee" left a note in my comments to say thanks for the music and then a second one to point out that "Pretty Bitch" sounded a tad suspect. Well, I did a bit more reading and that track is NOT Prince, but is instead a Prince soundalike by the name of Seamore Funk, who specializes in "purple-flavored funk".

Not much info available on the web, but I think anyone who gave "Pretty Bitch" a testdrive can tell you that if Mr. Funk _ISN'T_ Prince (and given Prince's penchant for underground work and sillyassAKA's, there's always a chance), he's certainly the next best thing.

The main link above has a few songs available for listening, I'll also throw in R U Horny by Seamore.

I also sincerely apologize for the misinformation. I'm off to go update that entry.

purple glisten

Forty little memories:

Prince in the "Batdance" video, the assless pants dance on the MTV awards, audio taping half of my collection for an old lover while my new lover disapprovingly watched, shucking and jiving across college campus to "Pope", arguing over Prince with friends/strangers/boyfriends of friends, blowing fifty dollars on my first Prince boot, watching bad "Kiss" karaoke, buying a 0+-> earring, being overjoyed to discover that my new dorm room was #319, being accused of resembling Prince (multiple times, especially after a particularly bad haircut), shaving lightning bolts into my goatee after seeing the "Slave" cut, listening to Tori cover "Purple Rain" live, crying over "Another Lonely Christmas" after my girl left me, having my first doubts of Prince's purple badness after buying the 1999 Remix CD, digging through piles of thousands of cassingles looking for "Cream" and the "Horny Pony" B-side (found it, not a good cut after all), taping Prince on the Muppet Show, fingerbanging a platonic highschoolfriend at her house while we were both listening to the "Diamonds and Pearls" album playing in the background, looking for www.emale.com, loudly shouting the words to "Billy Jack Bitch" out the window of a moving van, asking my folks for the "Hits and Bsides" box for Xmas (didn't get it), discussing the grammatic disorder of "Darling Nikki" with a flirty gay man at a bar, teaching myself the accompanying sign language for I (point finger at self) Would (3 fingers up in a "W" shape) Die (finger slashes throat) 4 (4 fingers) U (point at you), dancing naked in the shower to "Housequake", buying TLC's "Crazysexycool" after discovering that they covered "If I Was Your Girlfriend", being embarrassed about forcing myself to buy a Martika CD, spending two days unsuccessfully P2P hunting for the extended version of "Shockadellica" (the B side to "If I Was Your Girlfriend", can ANYONE dropload?), "what the fuck is Kirstie Allie doing on this?", ecstacy when I found the Prince Interactive CDRom (where'd I put that damn thing?), lost and driving around looking for a party with "A Love Bizarre" playing on the Walkman, going through a brief period in which "you" was spelled U and "for" spelled "4", numerous frustrating redneck confrontations over a Tshirt with a picture of a mostly naked writhing Prince, talking Prince with a girl who would later let me follow her to the bathroom of the club, calling for a taxi in New York while listening to "All the Critics Love You In New York" just as Prince yelled "Taxi!" and tripping on the synchronicity, freaking out my roommate with "Papa", bargaining a copy of the "Bright Lights, Big City" off of a friend for the "Good Love" track (primo shit, shoulda posted it) in exchange for my Fu-Schnickens CD (so worth it), a few years where all new flirtations would begin with the litmus: "So do you like the Simpsons? Do you like Prince?", being horribly sad when I heard Prince's child had died after only a few days but being unable to not wonder how this might affect his music, being confused that it DIDN'T seem to affect his music, "Seriously? A Jehovah's Witness?", being disgusted when I heard that he thanked Warner Brothers in his RockNRoll Hall of Fame speech.

Oh, Prince. You're the complicated "Everlasting Sunshine" relationship: you piss me off; you intrigue me; I'm embarrassed, protective, exasperated, amazed, confused. I don't know whether to write you off or hype you up.

What sort of a death jackpot will the fabled vaults yield? Shit, you think Tupac albums keep coming; Prince should have new releases in 2104.

No one in popular music has been more influential, more frustrating, more prolific, more daring and more enduring than Prince. He is a singular force, music made in the shape of a man.

For better. For worse. He my boy.

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Prince - "7 (Acoustic Version)"

Cleaner, more Bolly-ed out, organic and claptracked to tha' max. I find this preferable to the official release.

"7" is a real galvanizer of a Prince song; I've met a few fans who think it's his best work. I wouldn't go THAT far, but it deserves room on the mantle.

Prince's official home on the internet is also the place to DL his new CD, Musicology.
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Buy the "7" CD single from Amazon
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The Times weighs in.
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A list of Prince composed songs.
Can you think of ANY other major artist who's penned so many hits for others?
A few: "Nothing Compares 2 U", "Jungle Love", "Toy Soldiers", "Manic Monday", "Round and Round".

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Prince - "Ballad of Dorothy Parker (Jazz Version)"

Again, no clue from whence this came, but the new vocals makes it sound like a first party mix. Anybody know anything?

Sorry about the sound quality, but too good not to post.

Buy "Sign O the Times" from Amazon
Surely Prince's most fully realized album. Maybe 90% classic.
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Beautiful Strange Discussion forum
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Hammer's Prince Page
I started reading Hammer's page back in college and am gratified to see he's still around, even if he ain't updating too often.

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Prince - "Irresistable Bitch (Live)"

I will jitterbug up to your house and fuck your momma and you cannot stop me, for I am Prince.

I will take a shit on your kitchen table, lace it with birthday candles, light it up and make you blow that turd out. I am Prince and you will do it.

I will blatantly lift the hook from "Sex Machine" without apology, but with such pinache and style that you will shake your ass like a chimpanzee with piles and you will boogie gratefully goddamn it, because I am Prince.

I will carry on conversations with my bandmates while I play. I will stop the song cold in its tracks just long enough for you to call your friends and tell them what a badass I am and then I'm gonna slap that Nokia out yo' hands and make you massage my feet with your tongue.

You know why? Say it.

What's my name, bitch?

Buy "The Hits and the B-Sides" from Amazon
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Mayte, Prince's ex-wife's site
Rumour has it Mayte is engaged to Tommy Lee. Strange.
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Want to meet 1,290 Prince fans?

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Prince - "Sexy Dancer"

When Prince's second and eponymous album dropped in 1979, Jimmy Carter was president; the Berlin wall was still up; Michael had just released "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough"; Margaret Thatcher took over Parliament and Sony introduced the Walkman.

He was 21.

Twenty five years later? A Carter in the hand was worth two gens of Bush; Glasnost led to Russia's splintering and financial depression; Michael has a few children and no nose; Tony Blair bears slight resemblance to the Iron Lady; iPod nation 0WNZJ00...

And Prince is still funky.

Buy "Prince" from Amazon
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Would you believe Doctor Fink has a website?
Dude, get a new shtick. Those scrubs are getting dirty.
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On the other hand, Sheila E is improving with age.
Cuuuuuuute! And she can cook!

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clicky

Just one clicky tonight, but it's a great one.

Went down to the local comic book shop a few weeks ago to rifle through the quarter box for bathroom reading and was pleasantly surprised to find a big pile of Savage Henry. It was mostly stuff that I already owned but that had been in storage for years, so I ponied up the five bucks and bought the lot of 'em. BOY are they great!

Matt Howarth is the writer and illustrator of Savage Henry and one seriously cool cat. Savage Henry is the story of a band called the Bulldaggers that exists and plays in a separate branch of reality known as Bugtown. It's neato scifi stuff, expertly delineated by Howarth, but here's the kicker: Howarth is a big music geek, so much so that he actually writes his favorite artists INTO THE COMIC. He also posts a whole bunch of reviews in comic strip form, effectively COMICMUSICBLOGGING, if you can believe it.

As obsessed as he is with electronic music, it should come as no surprised that Howarth has a great site up with lots of free comix and literally YEARS of reviews.

Go check it out; you won't be disappointed.

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spiffy

New Random Ten

Started with Lil Flip: "Rainbow Colors" (My choice)
De La Soul: "The Magic Number"
The Dixie Hummingbirds: "Is There Anyone In Heaven That You Know?"
The Four Aces: "St. Louis Boogie"
CB4: "I'm Black, Y'all!"
Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet: "The General Jumped at Dawn"
Sticks McGhee: "Drinkin' Wine, SpoDeeODee"
Clarence Williams: "Worn Out Blues"
Orbital: "Funny Break (One Is Enough Weekend Ravers Mix)"
Funkadelic: "Promentalshitbackwashpsychosis Enema Squad (The DooDoo Chasers)"

Now THAT'S a hot playlist! I'm proud of my iTunes!
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Watching Spree and Gollum kill Sacramento in the last few minutes here. Worth mentioning in so far as it's Prince's hometown.

If Cassell is Gollum, Kevin Garnett is Aragorn. That mufugga is CRAAAAAZY intense, MJ eyeofthetiger style. They're gonna be great to watch in the playoffs.

Is Cheryl Miller raiding Prince's wardrobe? Are Charles and Ernie _seriously_ sniping at each other these days? ("If I go to church witchoo Ernie, what they gonna call me? Spot?") It's getting harder to tell on both of these.
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That'll do it for purple glisten. I'd like to hear about YOUR Prince stories; leave me a note in the comments.