Ickmusic’s Friday Five: May 2, 2008
by Michael
For most people, Friday’s just the day before the weekend. But after this Friday, the neighborhood’ll never be the same.
It was back to the daily grind this week (day job, well, during the day and Mr. Home-Improvement-Man in the evening) and that means the tunes have been going nearly non-stop. The wife and I decided that we’re taking this weekend easy, despite the unfinished project so I’m psyched to push play on this weeks Five. Last week we missed a few of the faithful fivers but had a few new friends to play along. For the first timers, here’s the deal… I hit the shuffle button and share the first five tracks along with thoughts, quips and memories.
Then it’s your turn!
Here are this week’s tracks:
1. Keith Urban – Days Go By (from Days Go By)
While I’m not much for the stuff they call “Country Music” these days I make exception for guys like Keith Urban and Brad Paisley. Both bring a bit more rock to the table then most of their pop-driven peers not to mention that both are wickedly good guitarists.
2. Tool – Prison Sex (from Undertow)
Have you ever tried to explain Tool to someone? It’s nearly impossible to define them. Art-Rock? Progressive-Metal? Disturbing? I haven’t a clue. What I do know is that I’ve faithfully purchased every single thing that they have released in their 15+ year tenure as one of the most indefinable bands of the last decade and enjoyed every moment thoroughly.
3. Prince – La, La, La Means I Love U (from Emancipation)
Can we take a minute here to acknowledge the fact that Prince has pretty much managed to set the bar for all future Cochella headliners straight into the stratosphere? Aside from the sensational take on Radiohead’s “Creep”, the man delivered a solid performance that could sell out a stadium on its own.
4. Hall & Oates – You Make My Dreams (from Greatest Hits: Rock ‘n Soul, Part 1)
I’ve got a wicked soft spot in my heart for the blue-eyed soul of Daryl Hall and John Oates.
5. Chet Baker – When Lights Are Low (from Chet Baker in New York)
And a beautiful and romantic tune to take us into the weekend.
Okay, it’s your turn, what’s knocking you the f**k out?!?
May 2, 2008 - 12:53 pm
you’re doin the business here once again pete!
May 2, 2008 - 1:29 pm
1. “He Called Me Baby” by Candi Staton from “Candi Staton”, 2004. If you don’t have this album, beg, borrow or steal it!
2. “Just Like A Woman” by Richie Havens from “Summer of Love Gold”, 2003. Always seems to shuffle up next to Candi Staton and seems to fit very well there.
3. “Stop Breakin” Down” by Jeff Healey from “Cover to Cover”, 2004. 4 minutes and 21 seconds of outstanding slide guitar!
4. “Rip It Up” by Little Richard from “18 Greatest Hits”, 1985. One of my earliest rock & roll memories.
5. “Radio Ga Ga” by Queen from “The Platinum Collection”, disc 2, 2002.
May 2, 2008 - 1:33 pm
I Can’t Be | Ramones | Bootleg or Demo
Let the Sky Fall | 10 years after | A Space In Time
I’m Free Now | Morphine | Cure for Pain
Beautiful | Michael Penn | MP4 [ Days Since A Lost Time Accident ]
Love You Till Friday | The Replacements | Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash
Bonus: If you can get the file
フィルムメイカーズ・ブリード～頂上決戦～ | Japanese Ska Paradise Orchestra | Full Tension Beater
http://melchman.net/F5
May 2, 2008 - 2:21 pm
…. and here are mine:
king creosote – and the racket they made (pure scottish genius!! seeing him play again in london in two weeks. i literally cannot wait…)
herbie hancock – little one
radiohead – the national anthem
beastie boys – jimmy james
wu-tang – clan in da front (the wu track that coverted me to their cause)
May 2, 2008 - 2:31 pm
Jim! How dare you say in Japanese that I wear yellow and purple underpants and juggle fruit bats while I shower!?
May 2, 2008 - 2:41 pm
Traffic at the Fillmore East
Doing my best Homer Simpson…
…mmmm…Win-wood….soooo good….*drool*
May 2, 2008 - 3:00 pm
1. Orange 9mm – “Thickest Glass”
Great in-your-face rock, but admittedly not something I listen to very often. Reminds me of high school.
2. Jacksons – “2300 Jackson Street”
One of the worst songs in their catalog, surpassed by “Torture,” if nothing else.
3. Anthrax – “Startin’ Up a Posse”
Ha! Here’s another one that reminds me of high school. Ironically, I thought about playing this song (a rant against censorship) for my students this week (we’ve been talking about the FCC and obscenity) but I thought better of it.
4. MJ- “Smooth Criminal”
Classic.
5. “Take You Down” from VA-Hyphy Hits
I picked this up last summer – it’s a tight compilation of hyphy, the west coast hip hop style that should have been the next big thing, but alas.
May 2, 2008 - 3:57 pm
1. “In a While” – Tres Chicas on the album Sweetwater. Great country/folk group.
2. “Next to You” — Buckcherry from the soundtrack Disturbia. I actually enjoy this soundtrack quite a bit.
3. “Moonglow, Lamp Low” — Eleni Mandell on “Miracle of Five”. Soft, sweet music.
4. “Holland” — Sufjan Stevens on his Michigan album.
5. “Black Hole” — She & Him on “Volume One”. I love this album so much–I hope that they do a volume two!
May 2, 2008 - 5:47 pm
Ok, Friday evening here in the Midwest, and what do we hear?
1. “Treasure of Love” by Ronnie Hawkins from “The Hawk,” 1971. Duane Allman played on a few tracks on this album; unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them.
2. “The Sad Bag of Shake Jake” by Humble Pie from “Town and Country,” 1969. Bluesy vocal with a little bit of harp — great fun!
3. “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Main Title)” by John Barry, soundtrack, 1969. Trombones and baritone horns growling low, cup-muted trumpets, tambourines: What more could you want?
4. “Little Children” by Cookin’ Mama from “Brand New Day,” 1972. Just found this. It’s hippie mysticism with vocal harmonies and flute.
5. “Roll Over, Beethoven” by Johnny Rivers from “Here We á Go-Go Again!,” 1964. For a time in the mid-Sixties, Rivers was the King of the Sunset Strip. Sounds a little take today, but when it was new, it rocked!
May 2, 2008 - 6:30 pm
1. “Red Red Wine (live)” by Neil Diamond from “Greatest Hits 1966-1992″ – Neil’s OK at times, but I must say that I much prefer the UB40 version of this song (probably one of those things where you prefer the version you heard first).
2. “The Wind” by Cat Stevens from “20th Century Masters” – Nothing quite as peaceful as listening to Cat Stevens… Too bad the man had to back violence as a defense for his religion.
3. “If I Needed Someone” by the Beatles from “Rubber Soul” – Not one of my favourites from the Beatles.
4. “Earn Enough For Us” by XTC from “Skylarking” – Funny thing about this album is that I bought it for Dear God, not realizing that they were selling the British version here in Canada (which doesn’t include Dear God). Still got a great album, but now I check the track-list closer before buying!
5. “God Part II” by U2 from “Rattle And Hum” – I have a love/hate relationship with U2, right now I’m in a hate phase. Bono can just come off as a little self-important at times, and he’s made some moves lately that I think are a disservice to his fans.
…nothing tonight that’s really indicative of what I’m listening to lately (although I do slip a little Cat Stevens in once in a while)…
May 2, 2008 - 7:33 pm
Here are mine:
1. “Too Late for Goodbyes” by Julian Lennon (from Valotte) – I was obsessed with this song back when it first became a hit. It was one of the many songs I waited patiently to tape off the radio. Oh, the good old days.
2. “17 Days” by Prince & The Revolution (From The Hits/The B-Sides) – Boy am I glad he recorded this instead of Apollonia 6.
3. “Dance 2Night” by Madonna (From Hard Candy) – One of the few songs I like from the new album. Such a disappointing record from Madge.
4. “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!” by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (From Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!) – This is hands down one of my favorite albums of the year so far.
5. “Holy Ghost (Extended)” by The Bar-Kays (From Money Talks) – This is one of my favorite Bar-Kays tracks. And I have to laugh every time I listen to it because I always think of “Pump Up the Volume” by M/A/R/R/S, since that song heavily samples this one.
May 2, 2008 - 7:48 pm
1. Prince & the NPG – “Peach” (with “One Mo’ Jam” & “It Ain’t Over”) – from a smmokin’ bootleg called My Band’s Tight
2. Gov’t Mule – “Fool’s Moon”- just picked up this double live album, ‘Deepest End’, a couple weeks ago, getting ready for the festival last weekend where they headlined. I’m crazy about the Allman Brothers, but not totally crazy about the Mule. I may get there tho…
3. The Clash – “Crooked Beat” – from ‘Sandinista’ – you can find something new in Sandinista with each listen.
4. Band of Horses – “Is There a Ghost” – can’t WAIT to see them in Austin in Sept.
5. Tom Petty – “God’s Gift to Man” – from ‘Nobody’s Children’, part of a box set , right?
May 3, 2008 - 8:16 am
My Band’s Tight is in my All-Time Top 5 Prince bootlegs. Gonzo… I used to spin “Driver” every Thursday when I was DJ’ing in the 90’s. And Rob I totally agree with you on the “Red Red Wine” assessment.
May 4, 2008 - 10:31 pm
Well, here it is, Sunday night (wait, 1am, make that Monday morning), and so it’s time for the Fiver rear guard to check in.
Comments on what’s been said so far:
Hey, somebody else besides me has Chet Baker on the shuffle! ljhord: Jeff Healey — what an extraordinary talent. Whiteray: John Barry and Johnny Rivers: both could easily have shown up on my shuffle. RobC: I actually heard Neil’s version first — when I heard UB40, I knew it was a cover. Make of that what you will.
Here’s mine:
1. Richard Marx / The way she loves me (from “Greatest Hits”, 1997) — I threw Richard into my mix after seeing him play with Ringo’s All-Starr Band. If you ever get the chance to catch Ringo’s traveling circus, you should. He grabs a bunch of talented people who had their Warholian moments, and makes them all play together as a band. It’s out-freaking-rageous. I saw Marx and Starr play with Edgar Winter, Rod Argent, Sheila E and Billy Squier. And they all seem to love it; it’s like musician’s heaven.
2. Black Sabbath / Iron Man (live 1975 in Asbury Park NJ) — I love old “original” Sabbath, probably because I was listening to it in high school when it was new. I freaked out a high-school age metalhead a few weeks ago by playing this song on my acoustic guitar. (He’s 17, I’m 50. Imagine the scene.)
3. Carole King / The Locomotion (1976 concert, Boston Music Hall) — Carole has some fun here, in a concert mostly dedicated to hits from “Tapestry”. Hey, folks, did you know I wrote *this*!?!
4. Maya Angelou / Polymon Bongo (1957. from “Miss Calypso”) — Did you know that revered poet Maya Angelou had a previous life as a calypso singer? I mean, she was pretty good at it, but I’ll bet she’s a little embarrassed by it now. I’m sure Belafonte is, too.
5. Attila / Tear this castle down (1970, from “Attila”) — This is Billy Joel’s early record deal, when he was trying to be metal. It’s as funny as you would expect it to be. It’s even better when you see a photo of him in a Viking helmet.
July 1, 2008 - 7:27 am
Modest Mouse – “The Cold Part”
Seether – “Never Leave”
Live – “Selling the Drama”
Tool – “Intolerance”
Tool – “Jerk Off (Live)”