8:44 a.m. - August 20, 2007
Summer Mix 7 - A Hunka Hunka Burning Smed
It�s Monday, and I�m at the new job. Ok, I�m not writing this at the new job. This is another one that Moonfaeryy is posting before she starts HER new job. I may be back tonight if I get my laptop working in my spacious pad in Hopkins. (Woo-hoo!)
Yep, it�s one last mix. Summer Mix #7. Enjoy it, you music fiends.
1. Straight On � Heart. You know the stuff they did in the 80�s? In my world view those songs don�t exist. It never happened. Nope. They never showed Ann from the face up in videos and had Nancy do silly kicks. Not as such. This is the good stuff � when they were a rock band and not whatever they were. Oh, yeah, that stuff doesn�t exist. So they�re still a rock band to me. Heh.
2. I�m Straight � The Modern Lovers. Oh, you just want to go out and give Jonathan Richman a hug. This phone call contains Hippie Johnny. But Jonathan, he�s always straight and he wants to take his place. I bet I�d like Hippie Johnny too, I think. My tolerance for stoners is pretty low, though.
3. Straight Aero � Jeff Thomas. Well, if they�re a self-righteous square like Jeff Thomas, I�d rather be with a stoner. This single extols the value of being straight whilst still enjoying the fun of the counter culture, and it�s full of psychedelic effects and all that. The song is OK, and it�s kind of a hoot, but this guy is a bit of a stick in the mud. He needs to hang with Hippie Johnny.
4. Love Shadow � Fashion. Fans of obscure dance hits of the 80�s, rejoice. I mixed this one for YOU! It�s a pretty neat song, really, and did get a bit of play now and again, but not really a big hit. It has a nice fat bass (not a phat bass) but annoying electronic drums. I�m all for technology, but not in drums. Give me a good solid analog THWACK any day!
5. Over And Over � The Dave Clark Five. Yeah, the dance is going to be a drag. But NO! He spots the prettiest girl in the world. All is not lost. Except that she had a steady date and she would wait and await and await and await. So I think that�s a ruse. Moral of the story � if you think the dance will be a drag, it will be. (NOTE: This is not related to the Nelly song �Over and Over�, you noob.)
6. On A Carousel � The Hollies. Katie loves riding on the carousel at the Children�s Museum in Indianapolis, but the two times I�ve taken her we�ve been amongst the last to get on, so there wasn�t a horse that went up and down. Life�s like that sometimes, Katie.
7. Does Your Mother Know � ABBA. Yeah, they let the guys sing once in a while. But I�m glad I took a chance on a chick like Liz. I�m a lot better for it!
8. Turn Me Loose � Loverboy. Shut up. No you, shut up! Yes, I can mix Loverboy here if I want to. You should see me karaoke it. I even put on a headband for effect.
9. Star � Stealers Wheel. Before they decided to hate each other, they made some nice records as a follow up to �Stuck In The Middle With You�. But then they decided to hate each other, and that usually ends a group right quick-like. Unless you�re the Ramones. It�s just that no one remembers their others.
10. Friday On My Mind � The Easybeats. Is this song accurate, or what? (Actually, I don�t mind Mondays � but still). The opening guitar part is classic, and everyone knows all of the words. The Easybeats had other great tunes as well, but this is the one everyone knows. So don�t fear the other ones.
11. Let It Go � Def Leppard. Long before they met Mutt Lange and his bag of tricks, and when their drummer had two arms (of course I had to bring that up) they were a pretty good rock-and-roll band. I wouldn�t call them metal as even early on they had more of a pop sheen than the British metal bands of their era, but they had the riffs and the swagger that you need in rock.
12. Baxter � Superchunk. Now this, this is a riff with a heavy fuzzed out distorted bass to boot. But even Liz, the queen of wanting her songs rather quiet and placid on occasion doesn�t mind when I turn this up a bit in the car because the riff is that good (even if it is squealy). And to think they just gave it away for a compilation back in the day. Oh, well, but you can snag it now!
13. Lotion � The Greenskeepers. I�ve written about this a few times, and I think I�ve linked the video. Just remember, it rubs the lotion on the skin, or else it gets the hose again. PUT THE LOTION IN THE BASKET!
14. My Whole World Falls Apart � The Radiators. They�re still out there, gigging around and releasing records. They�ve been together since the late 70�s and are tight and can play. It�s rock music for grownups with a sense of music and music history. Which is why they don�t have a recording contract and radio ignores them.
15. He�s Gonna Step On You Again � John Kongos. There it was, hidden away on one of my silly 70�s one-hit wonder comps that Rhino put out. I barely remembered the song until I decided to put everything in my CD collection on my iPod. And then�WHAM! This was a big hit in the UK and a moderate hit in the US and was updated by the Happy Mondays in 1989 (back when they were lucid) and really, it�s just a heck of a rock and roll tune with a pretty heavy guitar after the chorus and a drum pattern that has probably been sampled by someone.
16. Magic Potion � The Open Mind. Just who were The Open Mind? They were a UK rock band that released one album in 1969 as psychedelic music was mutating into progressive rock. This song is absolutely fabulous, with a heavy heavy guitar and drumming that would make Ginger Baker proud. The guitars are heavy, yet also psychedelic. Man, this should have been huge. But nope. Maybe a group of young whippersnappers can cover this and do it justice.
17. Do The Move � Papas Fritas. It�s summer, and this group always makes me feel like summer. I�m usually in a good mood in the summer. I�m usually in a good mood nowadays anyway. I feel good, too. Jump back, wanna kiss myself. HAY! Oh, yeah, this isn�t James Brown�but still�
18. Wishing Well � Giant Sand. Obscure, obtuse, hard to find, hard to understand at times, shambling, unfocused, brilliant. Yep, that�s Howe Gelb and Giant Sand in a nutshell. He�s mixing country, folk, punk, and southwestern music in and out of his songs, and at times releases huge projects and then goes silent for a while. Whatever, if you can find their stuff it�s worth a listen or two, at least.
19. Three Cool Cats � The Coasters. I hate to admit it, as a rock historian, but the first time I heard this song was on the Beatles� BBC recordings. 30 lashes for me with a record by the Platters.
20. Silent Sun � Genesis. This is from their first album, and sounds nothing like the Genesis of 1973, 1974 or even Trespass. It�s a nice pop song that really is in the hippy dippy tradition of the time it was recorded, and they were just school kids at the time. It�s a pretty good song, and shows that Peter Gabriel had definite songwriting talent even then.
21. The Hunger � The Cloud Room. Someone around here recommended them to me, or I was linked to them, or SOMETHING. Hell, I don�t remember � I slept since then. But whatever it was, I dig it. Thanks to whoever or whatever. And I mean it.
22. Burning Love � Elvis Presley. Aw, thankyou, thankyouverrrymuch for reading all of these mixes. I�m eternally grateful to Moon for posting these mixes and for you to reading. I�m going to take us out with one of my favorites. �I�m just a hunka hunka burning Smed!�
