4:24 p.m. - June 06, 2006
The War Cry Chain CD Mix!
Yes, this is a bonus episode of Smed�s Corner. Well, I didn�t really write one yesterday, but still it�s double shock Smed power! Heh!
As you may remember, I was part of a CD chain started by the great and almighty Lando.
Well, the winner (and still champeen) was Warcrygirl and she has finally posted her review of the 25 slabs o�wax that I sent to her.
Yeah, I sent her 25 songs. Mainly because I like torture, hah! Send me to Gitmo!
Seriously, I did send her 25 songs, but to make it easier on her, I told her that these songs were all written about in my archives somewhere, so if she really had the gumption, she could discern, somehow, each song on said mix CD.
You can see her effort now, but here is THE listing of the songs.
1. Happiness � The Anita Kerr Singers. Of course, I have said that this is the WHITEST song ever, and I still believe it in my soul. Yeah. This is a pretty obscure one unless you bought a limited edition Rhino Handmade CD or just love soulless singing combos from the 60�s. These guys make the Ray Conniff singers sound like The Miracles.
2. It�s A Sin To Go Away � We All Together. Fans of obscure pop bands from Peru would instantly recognize this. Oh, and those of us who bought one of the Nuggets collections from Rhino. It�s a deft slice of psychedelic Beatlemania, released a few years too late to be cashing in on the whole thing, I suppose, but it�s still a groovy song.
3. Little Bird � The Beach Boys. Unlike most songs by the Beach Boys, you probably wouldn�t peg it as a Beach Boys tune until the very end. This is one of Dennis� songs from Friends. For a while, Dennis was making some hay as a songwriter and musician. Then he spiraled into drug addiction, again. It�s sad, really, because he did have some talent, as this little 1:59 slice of heaven shows.
4. Moulty � The Barbarians. I already wrote about this here tune. Don�t walk away!
5. Love Buzz � The Shocking Blue. Scholars of Nirvana recognize this as a song on the Bleach album. This is the original, in all of its Dutch psychedelic wonder, with a groovy electric sitar and all. Kurt Cobain, for a poor kid from sticksville, really had access to a lot of obscure, yet groovy, tunes.
6. Journey To Tyme � Kenny and the Kasuals. A slice of mid-60�s garage psychedelia from Texas. They coulda, shoulda, woulda been hip, hot, and happening. But noooooo�.damn war, drafting people and all.
7. Mirror Of Your Mind � We The People. Yeah, I was stuck in a Nuggets rut, I guess. But you know, I though WCG would appreciate these tunes, so I stuck a lot on here. Besides, they�re short, so if you don�t really like it, the pain doesn�t last such a long time.
8. TCB or TYA � Bobby Patterson. Instead of psychedelia, we have 60�s soul now. (God bless Rhino compilations). Take care of business or turn yourself around. Damn straight!
9. Crazy Horses � The Osmonds. The Osmonds on acid, I swear to God. Just absolutely freakin� nutty, and it was a hit!
10. Nobody Knows � The Raspberries. This is reason #218 why one should always pay attention to the songs that aren�t singles. If you don�t, you miss great tunes like this.
11. Blue Letter � Fleetwood Mac. Another song that inspired its own essay, though frankly that essay was a bit unfocused, IMHO. Anyway, it�s another classic slab of pop not deemed worthy enough for a single. Pity.
12. Make A Scene � Chris Bell. A sad tale, in that a very talented guy forms one of the best unheard bands ever (Big Star) with a local legend (Alex Chilton). He leaves after the first album, knocks around a bit, makes a great solo album that�s never released, and dies in a car crash, basically unknown and unheard. But now we know what legacy he had and what we really lost when he died.
13. Her Heads Revolving � The Three O�Clock. Leaders of the Paisley Underground movement, the Three O�Clock had a shot at the big time, and this was the initial single for their IRS Records debut. It just didn�t click with the public in the mid-80�s for whatever reason, but it�s definitely groovy (with a heavy duty riff as well).
14. Vanishing Girl � The Dukes of Stratosphear. Yeah, everyone REALLY knew they were XTC in disguise, but as long as they made songs like this, no one cared.
15. Form Another Stone � Camper Van Beethoven. This was always a very interesting song by them, as it really had a swirling, twirling, mysterious vibe to it.
16. Everywhere With Helicopter � Guided By Voices. One thing can be said about GBV, almost every song is shower worthy. You can�t help but sing the choruses, at least, in the shower, whether you want to or not.
17. Lights of Downtown � The Long Ryders. A band that was 10 years too early, the Long Ryders were alt-country before that was a genre. They showed all of their influences on their sleeve, and played with heart and gusto.
18. Slow Suicide � Blue Mountain. This was a promising alt-country, southern-folky-rocky band that split up when the marriage at the core of the band broke up as well. The moral of the story, don�t mix business and pleasure, I suppose. I wonder if that goes if your business IS pleasure.
19. Back In Flesh � Wall of Voodoo. I rather much gave this one away, because Stan Ridgeway introduces it before the track starts (since it�s a live version) and you can�t help but not recognize his vocal stylings.
20. The Sky Lit Up � PJ Harvey. A powerful, evocative song from a powerful, evocative woman. Crank it up loud!
21. Half Day Closing � Portishead. The mood and the atmosphere of this tune are just heavenly. You can put it on in the background, and slowly you will find yourself drawn into it.
22. He�s Kissing Christian � that dog. The beauty of this song is the clever juxtapositioning of the sweet beginning, the raucous refrain, and the very sweet violin part, and of course the killer harmonies by the Haden sisters drive it home.
23. Aphrodisiac Jacket � The Cult. Another song to inspire an essay all its own, basically for the line �plastic fantastic lobster telephone�. Yes, that is a line in the song. No, I�m not kidding. I wish I were.
24. Jumpers � Sleater-Kinney. They are a tremendously powerful band � one of the best of today (though the singers can grate on occasion and Moose, my man, disagrees with me because they can be a bit TOO strident at times and yes I admit that they can be but on the whole their work is powerful, evocative, and necessary and yes this is a parenthetical thought � what was the original point?). This compels you to listen, so listen up!
25. Love�s My Only Crime � The Laughing Hyenas. The voice of John Brannon is a bit, well, out of control. I need some Vapo-action just listening to him!
Well, there they are, 25 songs, all part of a chain. I had fun, as always, doing this, and now I must get back to my normal mix CDs.
Stay tuned tomorrow for my Punk Rock essay!
