Friday Five : \ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv\ : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

The Five:

Editor’s Note: After a 4 day work week that felt more like 7 it’s time to unwind, but before I start my holiday weekend I’ve got a quick shuffle to share. Have a safe and great Independence Day weekend.

Harvey Danger – “Flagpole Sitta” (from Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone?, 1997)

The Gaslight Anthem – “Great Expectations” (mp3) (from The ‘59 Sound, 2008)

Van Halen – “Jamie’s Cryin’” (from Van Halen, 1978)

Prince – “Controversy” (from Controversy, 1981)

Bobby Brown – “Roni” (mp3) (from Dance! … Ya Know It, 1989)

What tunes are getting you started today?

Friday Five Bobby Brown, Harvey Danger, Prince, The Gaslight Anthem, Van Halen

Friday Five : \ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv\ : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

The Five:

Today my shuffle is a celebration of the King of Pop and the memories tied to his music, I encourage you all to share your five today whether they be related to Michael Jackson or not…

The Jackson 5 – “ABC” (mp3) (from Greatest Hits, 1971)

This brings to mind watching the Jackson 5 cartoons with my little brother.

Michael Jackson – “Thriller” (from Thriller, 1982)

I remember watching Clash of the Titans at my Aunt & Uncle’s house followed by my first viewing of the classic video.

Michael Jackson – “Human Nature” (from Thriller, 1982)

Like much of his music, this brings me back to summers spent playing outside, clutching my little red AM radio, devouring all the music of the day.

The Jackson 5 – “The Love You Save” (mp3) (from Greatest Hits, 1971)

One of the first bass lines I ever bothered to sit down and actually learn note for note.

Michael Jackson – “Man in the Mirror” (from Bad, 1987)

My memory of this song changed forever yesterday. Upon hearing the news it was this song that came rushing to me. It bears repeating that despite it all, Michael cared with a child like innocence for the troubled of the world. This is what I will cherish. This as well as his music is what I will share with my children. The legacy of the artist who tried to change the world, and who, to some degree, succeeded.

What’s getting you through the day?

Friday Five Michael Jackson

Friday Five : \ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv\ : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

Editor’s Note: I’m happy to turn the reins over to Alan Wilkis for this week’s Friday Five. You can find my review of his stellar latest release Pink and Purple here. See you all back here next week… – Michael

The Five:

Did the iPhone shuffle today for a little Friday 5, and was quite pleased with the selection! It could have been scary, folks… like Norwegian Death Metal, followed by Japanese Noise, followed by Yanni (hey, you never know)… So, thank you SHUFFLE-GODS! – Alan

“In the Stone” (mp3) – Earth, Wind, and Fire
I LOVE EWF, and I especially love this song. The musicianship, production, songwriting, performances are all superb, as is the norm for them. I love how you can hear that the percussion + clavés were recorded in a big room, differently from the rest of the band – it creates such a cool sense of space in such a subtle way… I also love how on the verses, the bass and kick drum lock in so tightly and play something slightly differently every two bars – really keeps things interesting, but in a subtle way…

“Journey to Reedham (7AM Mix)” – Squarepusher
I have a distinct memory of the first time I heard this song in college, and it was one of those rare instances of complete and utter musical jaw-dropping. It’s just total ear-candy, so fun to listen to LOUD and/or on headphones especially, drum-programming bliss and a great intro to the insane genius of Squarepusher… The melody and bassline are so simple and so repetitive, but beautiful, and somehow mesh perfectly with the frenetic, totally unpredictable, and awesome drum-programming – I really was floored the first time, and was once again, today.

“Apeman” – The Kinks
The Kinks are just the best… I only discovered this song recently but it puts a gigantic smile on my face – instantly memorable, lyrics are hilarious & dripping w/Ray Davies’ characteristic wit… Has that “fed up with the world, I’m getting outta here” vibe – the perfect soundtrack to giving the finger to everyone as you quit your shitty job, Half-Baked style…

“La Polka Du Roi” (mp3) – André Popp
André Popp is unreal… If you haven’t dug into him, get familiar! This man was a total crazy genius French composer, classically-trained but w/a real taste for modern tape experiments / studio tricks… He would invent really avant-garde/extremely forward-thinking methods, but he wouldn’t use them in cheesy pretentious ways – no “technique for the sake of technique” a la many others… Rather his music would still come out very listenable and accessible, and fun as all hell.

On this song, he had the vocalist sing and record her part – he then played the recording of her voice in reverse and transcribed what the syllables sounded like in reverse. Then he had his singer learn the reverse-melody and reverse-lyrics, and record her singing that… And then played the new reverse recording in reverse, AGAIN! The lyrics wind up being a very peculiar-sounding, but still totally intelligible (if you speak French!)… He did this with a lot of his instruments as well… So weird and so ahead of his time… AND MIND YOU THIS IS LIKE DECADES BEFORE COMPUTERS… I’m talking razor-blade slicing two-inch tape for every little edit… And actually hearing the idea in his head and figuring out how to do it, rather than clicking a button on a laptop…

Also, coincidentally, David Lynch borrowed this technique for all the dream sequences in Twin Peaks… Wonder if he was a fan?

“High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In“ - Tortoise
Tortoise is hands down among my favorite bands in current existence, and are definitely SOMEWHERE on the all-time short-list for me, too… I like to describe Tortoise as the soundtrack to my imagination… I honestly feel like I’m dreaming when I listen to them – so many styles/sounds/genres/decades of music all mushed together seamlessly…

This is the first track on their upcoming new record, and I’ve been waiting for this damn thing for YEARS!!!!! So there was quite a lot of anticipation for me, as you could imagine… And lo and behold, I hit play, and THEY DELIVERED… AS USUAL… All the trappings of what I love about Tortoise all boiled down into one awesome tune… Awesome SOUNDS, repetitive but very grooving feel, puts you in a trance and then keeps taking you up and up…

So, yeah, I love Tortoise…

What’s up next on your shuffle?

Friday Five Alan Wilkis, André Popp, Earth Wind & Fire, Squarepusher, The Kinks, Tortoise

Friday Five : \ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv\ : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

The Five:

Willie Nelson – “Always on My Mind” (mp3) (from The Essential Willie Nelson)

I may be committing an act of blasphemy, but this is – in my opinion – the quintessential version of this song. Released in 1982, this earned Willie a Grammy award (Best Male Country Vocal Performance) and the songwriters Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson Thompson the Song of the Year and Best Country Song statues. This tune is easily in my top 10 favorite ballads.

Incognito – “Rivers Runnin’ Black” (mp3) (from Life, Stranger Than Fiction)

Not my favorite Incognito record, but this is a specifically strong (mostly instrumental) track. This band never lacks for groove.

Chrisette Michele – “Playin’ Our Song” (from Epiphany)

This record, while good in it’s own right, was a disappointment for me. After the power and range displayed in her debut I Am, this record feels flat. It’s a decent modern R&B record but suffers from the input of her songwriters trying to hard to sell a ‘hit”. The biggest offender here is the track “Another One” which is essentially Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable” with different lyrics. Oh, and the real rub here is they were both written by Ne-Yo.

Janet Jackson – “That’s the Way Love Goes” (from Design of a Decade: 1986-1996)

Mmm… Good Tune!

Old Californio – “From the Mouths of Babes” (from Westering Again)

You may recognize Old Californio from Pete’s Ick Pick column (link). This is actually one my favorite cuts from that record and has stood up to multiple listens. As a matter of fact I think that I’m going to go listen to the whole record again now.

What tunes are brightening your day?

Friday Five Chrisette Michele, Incognito, Janet Jackson, Old Californio, Willie Nelson

Friday Five : \ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv\ : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

The Five:

Editor’s Note: It’s a busy day here in the Northeast but The Five is still playing in the background… here’s what is spinning with some twitter-sized thoughts:

Frente! – “Labour of Love” (from Labour of Love)

Aussie acoustic-pop act better known 4 their intimate cover of New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle”. I actually like this record quite a bit.

Metallica – “Battery” (from Master of Puppets)

& now 4 something cmpletly difft! ive 2 admit that I dont listen 2 enough classic Metallica. I hold their present against their past glory.

ALL – “Hot Rod Lincon” (from Allroy’s Revenge)

Punk tribute to the Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen classic.

Prince – “The Arms of Orion (feat. Sheena Easton)” (from Batman)

Mama said if you ain’t got nuthin’ nice to say don’t say nuthin’ at all.

Johnny Cash – “A Boy Named Sue (live)” (from The Legend of Johnny Cash)

This 1 brings back memories of sitting the back of the family station wagon. Johnny, Waylon, Willie & the boys were always the soundtrack.

What’s keeping your day rolling?

Friday Five ALL, Frente!, Johnny Cash, Metallica, Prince

Friday Five : \ˈfrī-(ˌ)dā,-dē ˈfīv\ : On the sixth day of every week I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

The Five:

Toad the Wet Sprocket – “Nothing Is Alone” (mp3) (from 1992-09-16: Fox Theater, Boulder, CO, USA)

“And now the song so happy that Todd had to sing it.” From 1990’s Pale this remains one of my favorite Toad songs.

Stevie Wonder – “Sir Duke” (from Songs in the Key of Life)

To say that this song is one of the nearest and dearest to my heart would be an understatement. This song is truthfully sunshine for the soul. Don’t believe me? Next time you are having a bad day, put it on. You’ll thank me later.

Just to prove my point, here’s the set up. Glen Phillips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket, see what I did there?) has played so long that the venue has sent him and the crowd out into the streets where Glen along with Nickel Creek bring the encore to the streets and close the evening with a joyful rendition of Stevie’s classic “Sir Duke” (mp3).

Chaka Khan – “I Feel for You” (from Epiphany: The Best of Chaka Khan, Volume One)

Okay, so this is a Prince track featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel – that’s him on the “Ch-ch-ch-chaka-chaka-chaka Khan” – and Stevie Wonder on Harmonica. I mean really, how can you go wrong?

Prince – “Sexy Dancer” (from Prince)

Hey, look at that. It’s almost as if iTunes is paying special attention today. Stevie, Chaka, Prince… this could rank in my top 10 fives!

Jamiroquai – “Virtual Insanity” (mp3) (from High Times: Singles 1992-2006)

With the exception of the Toad the Wet Sprocket tune that kicked us off, this has turned out to be one damned funky five. The futuristic blend of soul, acid-jazz and funk of Jamiroquai has always resounded with me and this track is no exception.

**BONUS**

Down to the Bone – “Greedy Fingers” (mp3) (from Supercharged)

Okay, I’ve only done this once before… but the sixth track to shuffle up was just so good and fit the overall shuffle so well that I simply had to include it. More soul, acid-jazz and funk only this time of the instrumental variety. If you’ve never heard of the UK’s Down to the Bone consider yourself schooled in coolest collective of UK’s jazz groove.

Okay, I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours!

Friday Five Chaka Khan, Down to the Bone, Glen Phillips, Jamiroquai, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Toad the Wet Sprocket

For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.

The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!

The Five:

Last week my father-in-law commented that my shuffle seems to ignore the music of his generation, which I do actually have quite a bit of thanks to the “Oldies but Goodies” collection, so Sal… this one is for you…

Bob & Earl – “Harlem Shuffle” (from Oldies but Goodies, Volume 5)

For a moment I thought that I had hit the wrong playlist… I do quite like The Rolling Stones version of this tune.

The Supremes – “Where Did Our Love Go” (from Oldies but Goodies, Volume 8)

Classic. Classic. Classic.

Leslie Gore – “It’s My Party” (from Oldies but Goodies, Volume 3)

My least favorite tune out of the five.

Dion – “Runaround Sue” (from Oldies but Goodies, Volume 7)

Truthfully, this is one of my favorite songs ever. It’s downright infectious and you will be singing it in your head for days on end.

The Newbeats – “Bread and Butter” (from Oldies but Goodies, Volume 2)

Another ear-worm that will stick in your head for days on end.

What’s on deck for your holiday weekend?

Friday Five Bob & Earl, Dion, Leslie Gore, The Newbeats, The Supremes

For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.

The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!

The Five:

Van Halen – “In a Simple Rhyme” (mp3) (from Women and Children First, 1980)

Earlier this week our friends over at Addicted to Vinyl posted an incendiary Van Halen related article that sent me on a listening spree. In the last week I’ve listened to every record from Van Halen I to 1984 and still disagree with the assertion that “Jump” was in any way a stretch (or sell out) and that it was really a part of the natural progression of the band.

Primus – Tommy the Cat (mp3) (from Sailing the Seas of Cheese, 1991)

It has been a long time since I’ve heard this tune. Les Claypool is easily one of the funkiest bass players ever. Juxtaposed against the brash beats and dueling vocals with Tom Waits the band picked up the torch dropped by Funkadelic, dropped some Metal on it and moved it along.

Madonna – “Borderline” (from The Immaculate Collection, 1990)

I make no bones about it; I absolutely love nearly everything Madge did prior to the turn of the new millennium. These days it’s all one can do to avoid her pathetic clawing at staying relevant, compounded only by her odd public/private life and her preclusion to much younger men.

Rage Against the Machine – Freedom (mp3) (from Rage Against the Machine, 1992)

While I do really like guitarist Tom Morello’s current project Street Sweeper Social Club, nothing can replace the sound and the fury of the original Rage Against the Machine record. Born of the first Bush presidency, the record captured the angst and social unrest that was brewing just below the surface; that and the hearts and minds of drunken frat boys from coast to coast.

James – “Laid” (from Laid, 1993)

In researching this tune I discovered that this record was produced by the legendary Brian Eno. It does not necessarily surprise me. One of the best parts of doing The Five week after week is spending a little bit of time getting to know the tunes in my collection a little bit better.

So what’s on deck in your shuffle this week?

Friday Five James, Madonna, Primus, Rage Against the Machine, Van Halen

For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.

The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!

The Five:

“Winter Hill” (mp3) by Doves (from Kingdom of Rust)

I’ve listened to this record quite a few times and it’s yet to leave any lasting impression on me beyond “the lead singer (Jimi Goodwin) sounds like a cross between Chris Martin of Coldplay and Kele Okereke of Bloc Party.” Overall it’s a solid indie rock record that I’m sure will grow on me, it’s just not there yet.

“Oh! Darling” by The Beatles (from Abbey Road)

Wringing every bit of soul his slight British frame could muster, “Oh! Darling” is as close to 50’s Rhythm & Blues (à la Fats Domino) as Paul McCartney and The Beatles could manage. In a 1980 Playboy interview John Lennon said of the song “‘Oh! Darling’ was a great one of Paul’s that he didn’t sing too well. I always thought I could have done it better – it was more my style than his. He wrote it, so what the hell, he’s going to sing it.” It’s hard not to agree as John clearly had the more soulful voice.

“To ‘B’ or Not to ‘B’” (mp3) by Chet Atkins & Tommy Emmanuel (from The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World)

The mentor and the apprentice, though to call Tommy Emmanuel an apprentice is like calling Kobe Bryant an ‘okay’ basketball player. This entire record is a celebration of the style that the legendary Chet Atkins loved and championed his entire career. It’s fitting that this would be his final recording before passing in 2001. This specific tune has a ‘club jazz’ feel and is beautifully orchestrated.

“Soul Clappin’” by Sly & The Family Stone (from Dance to the Music)

Come on… ya’ll know how to ’soul clap’… on the one!

“Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution” (mp3) by Afro Fiesta (from Playing for Change: Songs Around the World)

By now I’m sure that you’ve all seen the video produced by the group of filmmakers who compiled buskers, street performers, choirs and the odd (and frankly out of place) superstar (yes, I’m looking at you Bono) from around the world and worked them into a single performance of “Stand by Me” (Pete posted it a while back). The group has released a record, the proceeds of which will go to the Playing for Change Foundation (Official Site) whose mission is simply “building and connecting music/art schools around the world” which is certainly a worthwhile cause. The album itself falls a little flat in places without the visual aspect to support it, but not to worry as there is a DVD included capturing the performances. This particular performance stood out to me and is one of my favorites from the record.

That’s it for me, what’s next on your shuffle?

Friday Five Afro Fiesta, Chet Atkins, Doves, Sly & The Family Stone, The Beatles, Tommy Emmanuel

For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.

The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!

The Five:

“Beautiful” (mp3) by Flickerstick (from Causing a Catastrophe – Live)

They may have played their last show, but this band will live on as one of my favorites of the first decade of the new millennium.

“Daughter of the Everglades” by Rory Gallagher (from Big Guns: The Very Best of Rory Gallagher)

Armed with his ‘well loved’ sunburst 1961 Stratocaster Rory brought common man earnestness to every tune that poured from his soul. In doing my research I found this quote, which I think is quite telling… “How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher.” – Jimi Hendrix.

“Watermelon in Easter Hay” by Frank Zappa (from Joe’s Garage: Acts I, II & III)

Behind “Pink Napkins” this is my favorite bit of Zappa guitar bliss. The composition itself is simple, the delivery is sublime.

“Mystify” (mp3) by INXS (from Kick)

I’ve been on an INXS kick the past few days. See what I did there? I never did understand how this wasn’t a single.

“Anotherloverholenyohead” by Prince (from The Holy Casino)

I so want to share this excellent live version of the Parade classic, but alas, the purple one (rather his lawyers) would kick my ass. Just trust me; it’s a really good version.

I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours!!

Friday Five Flickerstick, Frank Zappa, INXS, Prince, Rory Gallagher