It’s my wife’s birthday in the coming week and as a special wink and nod to her I thought it appropriate to dedicate this week’s entry of “The Theme Days of Summer” to her (cue the “aww’s”).  That said here’s the playlist:

Match ANY of the following conditions

NAME contains Happy
NAME contains Birthday
NAME contains Wish
NAME contains Cake
NAME contains Party
NAME contains Celebrate

This pulled up considerably less tracks then I expected and at least half of them were “Partyup” or “Partyman” by Prince.

Last weeks “Question the Answers” playlist is the first that has been promoted to a full-time playlist. From the comments from the Faithful Friends of Five it would seem that you are all enjoying these as well. So much so that I’d like to invite some of you to send me your ideas for future playlists. There are four Fridays left this summer and I’m giving two of the four back to the Fivers! So send your ideas to michael at ickmusic dot com with the subject line “The Theme Days of Summer” and I’ll choose the best two to be featured in a coming Friday Five.

For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with some words for each track (and on occasion the song itself).

Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. Van Halen - Poundcake (from Best Of, Volume 1)

Originally from the cheeky titled For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, this was, to me, the second pinnacle in the bands career. Sure 5150 and OU812 were both excellent in their own right, but it was on For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge that the band hit their stride. From the Makita vs. Guitar intro of “Poundcake” to the smash hit “Right Now” to the closer “Top of the World” (the opening lick which, for you astute students of Ed know, is actually the closing tag to “Jump”) the record never let up and delivered. It also was the last good record that the band has put out (save for the single “Humans Being” which kicks all sorts of ass).

2. DJ Shadow - The Number Song (Cut Chemist Party mix) (MP3) (from Midnight in a Perfect World)

DJ Shadow showing up twice in two weeks, what’s the chance? This is a great remix of “The Number Song” by Shadow’s partner in crime Cut Chemist, with a bit of Latin flair to bring that real party vibe. Seeing how it’s out of print, here is your chance to hear it as well.

3. Bobby McFerrin - Don’t Worry Be Happy (from Billboard Top Hits: 1988)

Here’s an admission of a guilty pleasure, I absolutely dig “So You Think You Can Dance?” and this week the aptly named Twitch performed his solo piece to this track and I’ve got to say he perfectly embodied the joy that this song brings. For the record I’m predicting Joshua to win, though any one of them really could and I’d be satisfied.

4. Prince - Life ‘O’ the Party (from Musicology)

Mama said if you ain’t got nuthin nice to say, don’t say anything at all. I will say that this is the only track on Musicology that I skip. Not as bad as “Jughead”, but damned close.

5. Beastie Boys - (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party) (from Def Jam Music Group Inc.: 10th Year Anniversary)

Now this is a send off into the weekend! From the box set that no one on this earth should be without this is the single that made all of suburbia sit up and take notice (and tremble a bit). The Beasties trademark blend of Hip-Hop and Rock with a three chord punk aesthetic. For the record, I tried to find and embed the video but apparently Universal does not like that. Hrmph!

So that’s the Five for this week, Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife Christine and if you see Pete around be sure to buy him a drink and give him a pound as I believe he’s got a birthday coming up in the next week as well… so now what’s helping you party through the day?

Friday Five

This week it’s time to “Question the Answers” on the Friday Five with the following playlist…

Match ANY of the following conditions

NAME contains Who
NAME contains What
NAME contains Where
NAME contains When
NAME contains Why
NAME contains How

As we continue “The Theme Days of Summer” I’m calling this in as I do some chores around the house.

For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with some words (and the occasional rant) for each track.

Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. Prince - Whole Lotta Love (from My Band’s Tight!)

From a 2002 aftershow in Copenhagen, the recordings title says it all. This is as rockin’ a version as I’ve ever heard Led Zeppelin perform. This is a classic aftershow and is well worth seeking out.

2. Grant Green - So What (MP3) (from Sunday Mornin’)

From Prince covering Led Zeppelin to the criminally underrated Grant Green covering Miles Davis it would appear that the shuffle is doing a little theme of its own. While not the household name that his contemporaries Wes Montgomery and Charlie Parker became, Grant Green had a swing and groove that was all his own. Sunday Mornin’ is his ‘Gospel’ record, showcasing the brilliant tone and bop that he possessed. The record is out of print, so here’s the track for ya’ll to groove to.

3. Def Leppard - No Matter What (from Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection)

If I were a betting man, I would not have guessed but the third track up on the shuffle would be another cover, this time its Sheffield’s favorite son’s Def Leppard covering the Badfinger classic “No Matter What”. This kicked off a record (the peculiarly titled Yeah!) that I did not care much for. Let’s move on.

4. DJ Shadow - What Does Your Soul Look Like, Part 1: Blue Sky Revisit / Transmission 3 (from Endtroducing…)

If you had asked me what my favorite record was in 1997 the record that would immediately spring to mind is Entroducing…. Culled from a record collection so deep it knows no bounds the record was later cited in Guinness World Records as being the first album created entirely from sampled sources. This is a brilliant record that came out at just the right time.

5. The Afghan Whigs - What Jail is Like (from Gentlemen)

Speaking of brilliant records, Gentlemen is a record that has stood the test of time. I can listen to this record twenty times in a month and it still inspires and sounds brand new.

So what’s answering your questions?

Friday Five

Is it really Friday already?

I’ll admit that I got through the first 4 hours of my work day without even realizing what day it was. Time flies, or so they say. Now if one of you could kindly point me in the direction of where this “they” sit I’ll be on my way. Oh, this baseball bat in my hand, it’s… um, a gift. That’s it, a gift for “them”. In keeping with what I’m now dubbing “The Theme Days of Summer” I’ve cobbled together the following playlist to reflect my current mood with hopes of pulling some uplifting tunes to pass the hours until I’m free to count down to Monday. That said, here’s the playlist for this Friday:

Match ANY of the following conditions

NAME contains Work
NAME contains Time
NAME contains Passing
NAME contains Quick
NAME contains Slip
NAME contains Flash

This pulled about half the amount of tracks as last week’s playlist.

For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s how it works: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five with some words for each track.

Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.

That said…

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. The S.O.S. Band - Take Your Time (Do It Right) (from The 70’s Preservation Society Presents Disco Fever)

Now there is nothing like a little slice of premium 80’s funk (I do realize this particular track is a 1979 vintage) to kick off a Friday Five. More and more lately I’ve been a sucker for the likes of The S.O.S. Band, The Dazz Band and The Brothers Johnson. If anything this one was too short and went by to quickly, so I’m going to do something I rarely do and listen to it again.

You know you ought to slow down
You been working too hard
And that’s a fact
Sit back and relax a while
Take some time to laugh and smile
Lay your heavy load down
So we can stop and kick back
It seems we never take the time to do
All the things we want to, yeah

Yeah, that’s the stuff…okay, next!

2. Prince -Let’s Work (from Controversy)

Now I don’t want to go ruining this by saying something, but this is a turning out to be one funky five. While Controversy was never my favorite Prince record, it does contain quite a few of my favorite individual tracks. I mean come on, who can resist “Do Me, Baby”?

3. The Black Crowes - Sometimes Salvation (from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion)

It might not be funky, but this is damned soulful. I’ve had an odd love/hate relationship over the years with The Black Crowes. To me, this is where they shine. Soulful, Bluesy and with a passion that seems to play hide and go seek with every other record they release. This one is brilliant though, and I’m enjoying hearing it after a long while.

4. The Meters - Love Slip Upon Ya (from Fire on the Bayou)

And right back to the funk, bubbling up from the Louisiana Bayou. I had the pleasure of seeing The Meters live a few years back at the “From the Big Apple to the Big Easy” benefit show at Radio City. So funky.

5. The Dave Matthews Band - Stay (Wasting Time) (from Listener Supported)

Recorded September 11, 1999, this was the second live record that Dave and the Band released and to me really captured the essence of the live DMB experience at the time. Featuring “The Lovely Ladies” this down-tempo version of their funky as hell New Orleans tribute is a perfect coda on today’s Friday Five, cause don’t it make you wanna stay?

Okay, now it’s your turn, what’s wasting time with you this Friday?

Friday Five

Its days like today that test the limits of my ability to stay focused on the work at hand. Its 77°F, 50% humidity, sunny and the great outdoors (not to mention the pool) is beckoning and I’m doing my best to block it out. Thankfully I’ve got the Friday Five to keep my attention focused for the next little bit. Last week we celebrated the fourth with a themed playlist and the Fivers represented with their patriotic best. And since the playlist concept seemed to really spark some interesting tracks, here’s a playlist for this Friday:

Match ANY of the following conditions

NAME contains Sunny
NAME contains Beautiful
NAME contains Warm
NAME contains Summer
NAME contains Day
NAME contains Weekend

This called up a staggering number of tracks for me to shuffle through!

For those who have not joined in the Five, here’s the scoop: … I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and then show you my five with some words for each track.

Then it’s your turn! You can play along with the themed playlist or just share the first five of your shuffle, either way the fun is in playing musical voyeur for the day.

That said…

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. Zwan - Endless Summer (from Mary Star of the Sea)

One of the few Billy Corgan projects that I’ve truly enjoyed since Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, Zwan had a purity to it that could clearly not be sustained with a maniac like Corgan at the helm. It’s a damned shame, really as I truly believe that the combined creative forces of Zwan could have really produced some amazing music together. I would also be remiss if I did not at least mention the beautiful foil of Paz Lenchantin. She somehow balanced Billy’s nasal falsetto and made it nearly accessible.

2. The Beatles - Good Day Sunshine (from Revolver)

Pleasant, I suppose.

3.  New Order - Blue Monday (from Retro)

While I can appreciate New Order (and even more so Joy Division) for the influence they have provided to countless bands that I enjoy, I’ve never really been a huge fan of their discography. I certainly enjoy all the hits to no end, but that’s about where it ends.

4. Prince & The Revolution - The Beautiful Ones (from Purple Finale)

From the final show of the Purple Rain tour (Orange Bowl, Miami: 7th April 1985), this is nothing short of astounding. The Revolution are as tight as ever and Prince provides a highly charged performance.

5. Flickerstick - Beautiful (from Welcoming Home the Astronauts)

One of my favorite records of the past decade, it kills me that these guys never made it the way they deserved. I suppose the dual curse of having been a reality show contest winner and releasing your major label debut on September 11^th, 2001 really was too much to overcome. The band has persisted through some line up changes and can still be seen occasionally in and around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

Now, excuse me while I slip outside for a quick walk, yeah that’s it… Tag! You’re it!

Friday Five

Today is the Fourth of July, better known in the United States as Independence Day, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

This also means many of you will be off today and enjoying time with your friends and families, but we here at Ickmusic are dedicated to ensuring our readers have their Friday Five fix. In spirit of the holiday I’ve cooked up this playlist to get some patriotic tunes going for the days activities.

Match ANY of the following conditions

NAME contains Independence
NAME contains U.S.A.
NAME contains America
NAME contains Fourth
NAME contains July
NAME contains Declaration

This pulled up a few more tracks than I suspected it might. I hit the shuffle and away we go!

For those of you reading this for the first time, here’s how it works… I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and then show you my five with some words for each track.

Then it’s your turn!

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. (from Greatest Hits)

This song, along with “Glory Days”, is to me the epitome of summer songs. It stands beside Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Fortunate Son” and John Mellencamp‘s “Jack and Diane” as true American Standards. I could go on, but I’m just going to enjoy listening to the rest of the track.

2. Frank Zappa - Food Gathering in Post-Industrial America, 1992 (from The Yellow Shark)

As performed by Ensemble Modern, this is perhaps one of Frank’s most challenging works. I didn’t come to truly appreciate the depth of this record until much later in life. And in the spirit of the day there is something to be said of Frank’s ardent support of the First Amendment and the fight against censorship of any sort.

3. Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (from Bleed American)

I actually purchased this record in its pre-9/11 configuration (my copy is titled Bleed American as opposed to the self-titled change) and had been a JEW fan for a few years prior. I still think this song is underrated and had it come out in a different time it would have been a huge single.

4. Ani DiFranco - Independence Day (from Little Plastic Castle)

I don’t think my love of the little folk singer has come up before. I’m a huge fan.

5. Weezer - Surf Wax America (from Weezer)

What a great send off into the holiday weekend! My 10 year old has recently discovered early Weezer (thanks to Guitar Hero) so I’ve been listening to the Blue Album and Pinkerton quite a bit lately.

So what’s not letting you go quietly into the night?

Friday Five

The post lunch dip is kicking in boys and girls and I need something to push me through the next two hours. The finish line for the week is in my sights and I’m ready to shuffle up and deal! Last week we covered everything from Travolta to Arquette, here’s hoping that this week uncovers yet more gems in my music library.

For those who have not played along yet here’s the scoop, open up whatever provides you with tunes and hit the shuffle button and let the music take you where it will and if you feel so inclined share the results with the rest of the musical voyeurs in the comments section.

So let’s see what comes up this week…

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Manic Depression (from Live at Winterland)

While I do love me some Hendrix, this particular performance is, to me, a mess. The rest of the recording is stellar and the performance is inspired, but this track just seems to meander too much for my tastes.

2. Kiss - Beth (from Double Platinum)

Boy, two stinkers in a row. Don’t get me wrong, I kinda like Beth, for what it’s worth but it’s just not doing much for me at the moment. Thankfully it’s short.

3. America - Tin Man (from History: America’s Greatest Hits)

Have I died and ended up in Jason Hare’s shuffle? Again, don’t get me wrong, I actually love the mellow gold of America, but it’s not exactly helping in my plight to stay awake. This is a great song though.

4. Green Day - Jesus of Suburbia: I. Jesus of Suburbia / II. City of the Damned / III. I Don’t Care / IV. Dearly Beloved / V. Tales of Another Broken Home (from American Idiot)

I give Green Day a ton of credit for managing to stay “punk” by pulling the most un-punk career moves time and time again. Let’s face it, it rings true that living well is the best revenge and they’ve certainly done just that. Clocking in at just over 9 minutes this is a great tune with more twists and turns then a roller coaster. Five individual movements make up the sum that is “Jesus of Suburbia”, each with its own tone and tempo.

5. Incubus - Stellar (acoustic) (from When Incubus Attacks, Volume 1)

I guess we’re wrapping on a very chill note again. I’m going to have to start setting some conditions for my Friday shuffles to get some boogie back in the Five.

So that’s mine for this week, what’s carrying you out to the car?

Friday Five

Tomorrow is officially the first day of summer, the longest day of the year, but today it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a fine slice of Friday Five! Last week I let the Junior Pantherz take over in the kitchen, but I’m back this week to take the reigns. The Fivers have been representing in droves and as always I’m amazed at the range of music that appears in the comments. We must be doing something right here at Ickmusic to get such a diverse crowd together. For those who have not played along yet here’s the scoop, open up whatever provides you with tunes and hit the shuffle button and let the music take you where it will and if you feel so inclined share the results with the rest of the musical voyeurs in the comments section.

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. John Travolta - Greased Lightnin’ (single version) (from Grease - The Original Soundtrack From the Motion Picture)

Seriously, vividly remember being a kid running around singing “You that no shit, we’ll be getting lots of tit” and “I ain’t bragging she’s a real pussy wagon” and no one batting an eye.

2. Jellyfish - The Man I Used to Be (from Bellybutton)

They may have only released two records, but I’ll be damned if they were not two of the best slices of power pop to come out in the early 90’s. While I prefer Spilt Milk to Bellybutton, this is just a matter of splitting hairs. If you’ve not ever experienced Jellyfish I cannot recommend doing so enough. Sure they dressed as if they were stuck in the cover of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and sound like an amalgam of The Beatles and Queen, but since when is that a bad thing?

3. Dave Matthews Band - Lie in Our Graves (from Warehouse 8, Volume 3)

This reminds me that I need to write up my review of last weeks show! This is a great version from the ‘95 tour with a stellar sax solo from Leroi Moore. As much flack as these guys can sometimes take (which I’ve never understood) for being ‘frat guy’ rock they really are an amazing group of musicians who’ve managed to make a living doing what they love and compromising very little (except maybe for every summer vacation for the last 15 years).

4. Toto - Rosanna (from Super Hits)

This song is the only good thing that any Arquette has ever contributed to this world.

5. Counting Crows - Colorblind (from This Desert Life)

Well this is no way to end an otherwise upbeat Friday Five. Not to say that this is not a brilliant song. I’ve always been a huge fan of Adam Duritz’s more intimate moments.

(Just as an aside, the very next tune to pop up on the shuffle was “Delicious” by Catherine Wheel, now that’s the proper kick off into the weekend!!)

So what’s kicking off your summer?

Friday Five

Very often there is not much in the way of “Rock” in our “Indie Rock” but Saskatoon’s Junior Pantherz must have missed the memo. Pete beat me to the punch in posting a review of their latest record Rejoice, Remain but in the spirit of one-upping the boss man, I’ve invited the crew to log our first Special Guest Friday Five. Much to my pleasure the band accepted and drummer Arnold Van Lambalgen II turned in the following saying “he had fun doing it”.

For the uninitiated, the rules of the Friday Five are quite simple; first rule is you do not talk about fight… I mean, be honest! Open up whatever provides you with tunes and hit the shuffle button and let the music take you where it will and if you feel so inclined share the results with the rest of the musical voyeurs in the comments section.

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. My Morning Jacket - Sec Walkin (from Evil Urges)

“A song from their brand new album. Catchy as hell. Such a simple - yet powerful - song. It’s one of those tracks you put in on a Friday after a long work week.”

2. Sloan - Believe in Me (from Parallel Play)

“Canada’s best Indie Pop/Rockers have just released their 9th album…..and if the track above is any indication, I know we’ll see at least 9 more. I like them so much in fact; we named our band after one of their songs. They haven’t even sued us for defamation of character…….yet!”

3. The Mongrels - The Answer (from Oshawa)

“A band that you, your parents and your guitar teacher will all love. Equal part rock and soul, with TWO drummers! Can’t have too many drummers….”

4. Sly & The Family Stone - I Want to Take You Higher (from Stand!)

“No introduction needed. No explanation needed. A necessity. You dig?!”

5. Swervedriver - Duel (from Mezcal Head)

“They’ve just kicked off their reunion with a stop at Coachella. By the time you read this, I’ll be (safely) landed in Toronto ready to play a Junior Pantherz showcase and gearing up to see THE Swervedriver shortly after. I can hardly contain myself.”

I want to thank Arnie for playing along and Jesse at Killbeat Music for making this happen.
If you haven’t already, check out Junior Pantherz record Rejoice, Remain: Amazon | iTunes

Now what’s getting your weeking moving in the right direction?

Friday Five

I’m Late, I’m Late for a very important date, No time to say hello, goodbye, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!!

They say the best laid plans, right? I took the afternoon off of work, had a small project and was going to roll out a very special Five before heading out to dinner with friends. Well you know they said about the best laid plans…

At any rate, though he chooses not to celebrate it anymore, I thought it appropriate to dedicate this week’s Friday Five to his royal badness on the eve of his 50th birthday. That said it’s late so let’s lower the lights, light some candles and let the funk flow. I apologize to the friends of the Five for last week’s rush job. There are some exciting things brewing in Friday Five land so stay tuned! If you’ve missed the ‘Friday Five’ to date its quite easy, I hit the shuffle button and share the first five tracks along with thoughts, quips and memories.

The rest is up to you; feel free to add your random five in the comments.

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. Prince – Sleep Around (from Emancipation)

I don’t think that this song gets it’s due. Buried on disc three of Emancipation, this slice of horn laden funk delivers a one two punch of a witty lyric and great driving beat. I remember the anticipation of hearing this one live during the Jam of the Year tour.

2. Prince – When You Were Mine (from The Hits/The B-Sides)

This is in my all time top 5 favorite Prince tracks to jam along with.

3. Prince & The New Power Generation – Jughead (from Diamonds and Pearls)

I can’t even defend this one. You know how sometimes things are so bad they are good. This is not one of those cases. I’d sooner listen to a David Archuletta record than listen to this track.

4. Prince – Mustang Instrumental (from The Beautiful Experience)

I miss the days of single and EP’s jam packed with mixes, remixes, B-Sides and 5 different tracks. Dang this five is starting to get depressing.

5. New Power Generation – Mashed Potato Girl Intro (from Exodus)

Have you ever seen Under the Cherry Moon? Remember the comical Tricky/Christopher moments? Times that by about a million and you’ve got the Mashed Potato Girl intro.

So Happy 50th Birthday Mr. Nelson and to the Fivers, what doin’ you like you wanna be done this Friday (or maybe Saturday…)

Friday Five

Four day work weeks always throw me for a loop. If it weren’t for the season finale of Lost being on last night I may very well have missed this week’s Friday Five. That said let’s cut straight to the main course…

Here are this week’s tracks:

1. Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (from Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm)

This has to be one of the oddest tunes ever. Three seemingly unrelated tales with a disjointed chorus that consists merely of a hummed tune and somehow it was a huge hit.

2. Taco - Puttin’ on the Ritz (from Taco: The Greatest Hits)

It’s shaping up to be an odd shuffle with another bizarre “one hit wonder” track, this time from the 80’s. Taking the Irving Berlin and putting a new wave twist on it this was a radio staple for the better part of the decade. It’s aged surprisingly well and I really enjoyed hearing it again. I imagine ya’ll might too…

3. Snoop Dogg - Who Am I (What’s My Name?) (from Doggystyle)

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Funky as hell, Snoop never disappoints.  A little bit of Funkadelic’s “(Not Just) Knee Deep” and a sprinkle of George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog” makes for a instant party starter.

4. Beastie Boys - Body Movin’ (Fatboy Slim remix)  (from Anthology: The Sounds of Science)

Looks like the shuffle is gonna keep the party moving with some help from Bed-Stuy’s favorite sons with a detour to Kent courtesy of Mr. Norman Cook.

5. Shania Twain - You’re Still the One (from Come on Over)

There was a time when you could not escape this tune. Hell, even Prince covered it. Perhaps a bit ironic these days (the tune was written by Twain in response to critics of her and soon to be ex-husband Robert “Mutt” Lange) it still stands as a beautiful testament to the power of love.

Now it’s your turn, grab a Coke, Pepsi, Stella or Mojito, hit shuffle and let the world know what’s getting you started on your weekend!

Friday Five