Ickmusic’s Friday Five: June 20, 2008
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?
9 Comments
Gonzn
Woo hoo! First comment!
1. Misfits – “Come Back” Can’t go wrong with Danzig-era Misfits. Oddly, both post-Misfits Danzig and post-Danzig Misfits are pretty crappy.
2. Detroit Cobras – “My Baby Loves the Secret Agent” A dash of garage…
3. Black Star – “Definition” – I’ve rediscovered this album recently, and it’s reentered my list of favorite hip hop albums of all time.
4. Battles-“Snare Hangar” – one of my favorite discs from last year, and one of the most unique. Quirky, proggy, a bit mathy.
5. Ramones – “Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World” – from the classic first album.
Happy friday!
ljhord
1. “All The Time In The World” by The Subdudes from “Primitive Streak”, 1996.
2. “Love Struck Baby” by Stevie Ray Vaughan from “The Real Deal: Greatest Hits, Vol.2”, 1999.
3. “Positively 4th Street” by Bob Dylan from “The Essential Bob Dylan”, 2000.
4. “China Grove” by The Doobie Brothers from “Listen To The Music: The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers”, 1993.
5. “Isa Lei” by Ry Cooder and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt from “A Meeting By The River”, 1993.
Y’all have a great weekend!
Steve
Hmm…my randomizer seems to have worked overtime for this week. What a diverse set of 5:
1. “Thousands Are Sailing” – The Pogues
Love the Pogues. Where’s my Guinness???
2. “Fly Away” – John Denver
Sometimes I just need his brand of earnest songwriting
3. “The Water Song” – The Mountain Goats
John Darnielle can do no wrong in my book.
4. “Love In The Third Degree” – Bananarama
80’s synth pop! Why not? What’s a great slice of cotton candy!
5. “Strobelight” – The B-52’s
Never underestimate the appeal of beehive hairdos!
Pete
iPhone shuffle (Warning: possible high doses of Springsteen, Lobos, Stones, and Prince)…
1. “W. TX Teardrops” by the Old 97’s – from Too Far To Care . “Well the road maps of West Texas, never gave me good advice” – I’m a big fan of Murry’s songs… this is one of my favorite songs from the best Old 97’s album.
2. “Stolen Land” by Bruce Cockburn – Live from the Fox Theater in Boulder, CO – 1993. Pristine soundboard show.
3. “I’m Amazed” by My Morning Jacket – from Evil Urges. I am in love with this album.
4. “I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You” by the Ramones – from Leave Home. My 2 daughters’ favorite song right now is “Surfin’ Bird”, the Ramones version from Rocket to Russia. They ask for it before their bath every night, and dance around the room… you don’t know how good that makes me feel.
5. “Island on the Coast” by Band of Horses – from Cease to Begin – Another band / album that I admire and appreciate more every day.
Wow – no Boss, Lobos, Stones or Prince! Though Prince and Lobos came up in 2 of the next 3 tunes….
Skittles
1. “Basement Apt.” by Weeping Tile from Eepee. An early version of the song that eventually ended up on Sarah Harmer’s brilliant “You Were Here” album, as recorded with her previous band. This version is a little more rock and a little slower than her solo version. A great song no matter which version you listen to.
2. “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” by Hall & Oates from The Very Best of Hall & Oates. I love Hall & Oates. There. I said it.
3. “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin from The Big Chill Soundtrack. Every time I hear this song, I can’t help but think of the old Chic jeans commercials from the 80s that used this song.
4. “True” by Spandau Ballet from True. I did this song at karaoke one night. I don’t think I was half bad. All I thought of the whole time was Sixteen Candles.
5. “Don’t Let Me Down Again” by Buckingham Nicks from Buckingham Nicks. I bought a bootleg CD of this album at this indie record store not far from my college campus. I was going through a serious Fleetwood Mac/Lindsey Buckingham phase at the time (which, really, never ended) and was just so excited to have this in my collection. I would love to get my hands on an original vinyl copy.
whiteray
All right, evening in the Midwest and still sunny, of course. If I were in the land of my Swedish ancestors, I’d stay up for night-time daylight. Anyway, here’s what’s lighting my way:
1. “Antenna” by the Church from “Starfish,” 1988. Not my fave by the Church; that would be “Under The Milky Way,” but this isn’t a bad start at all.
2. “You Haven’t Done Nothin’ ” by Stevie Wonder from “Fulfillingness’ First Finale,” 1974. Venomous and angry, but man, does this cook!
3. “Sweetheart Like You” by Bob Dylan from “Infidels,” 1983. What’s she doing there? She’s there for the music, of course.
4. “True Love Ways” by Buddy Holly, Coral single 62210, recorded in 1958, released in 1960. Just a sweet love song, and that’s okay. A little too heavy on the strings, but I love the saxophone solo.
5. “Love Is More Than Words Or Better Late Than Never” by Love from “Out Here,” 1969. Hey, we need some wierdness sometime!
Good weekend to all!
KathyB
Steve–My shuffle play was working overtime earlier, coming up with everything from Holst’s “The Planets” to jazz to some techno thing, but I wasn’t very happy with any of it. This group is a lot better (about an hour after the really bad one-star group of songs):
1. “Clear the Crowds”–Jim Bryson from “Where the Bungalows Roam,” 2007.
2. “Falling Slowly”–Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová from “KBCO Studio C Volume 19.” I stood for two hours in line to buy this CD last December. I swear I’ve got something like four or five different versions of this song–the original, this acoustic version, a live version, the Frames’ version…
3. “Suitcase Song”–Nellie McKay, live at the Knitting Factory, Los Angeles, 2004. I got this from her website several years ago, but I don’t think that these live recordings are available any more. In fact, it looks as if nelliemckay.net has gone away (though nelliemckay.com and nelliemckay.org live on).
4. “I Like to Sleep Late in the Morning”–David Bromberg Band, from “Midnight on the Water.” Don’t we all?
5. “Choked Up”–Whiskeytown, from “Faithless Street,” 1995. Probably my favorite band of all time.
Anne
Mine is a Sunday shuffle.
1. “Birds of Paradise”-Basia Bulat from “Oh, My Darling” 2008. I am pretty sure she has come up before on a Ickmusic shuffle for me. I love this album.
2. “Guess I’m Doing Fine”-Beck from “Sea Change”, 2002.
3. “Ice Age”-Pete Yorn from “Nightcrawler”, 2006. You know, I should check on Pete. He is probably due for a new album soon.
4. “Wordless Change”-My Morning Jacket from “Z”, 2005. Great album. I haven’t had too much time to listen to their new one yet but this one is fantastic.
5. “Getting Better”-The Beatles from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, 1967. I can’t help but think of a TV commercial when I hear this song now.
Jim Russell
Yikes! It’s after midnight, so now it’s Tuesday. I’m late even by my standards.
Hey, Michael! I love Jellyfish. Good choice.
Let’s see where my shuffle leads…
1. Mieke Telkamp / Waarheen waarvoor (1971, single) — A Dutch language song sung to the tune of “Amazing grace” that hit the top of the charts over there. Sounds gorgeous, but I don’t know what the hell she’s saying.
2. Japanese cast of “Hair” / Aquarius (1971) — The Japanese original cast album of “Hair” is a blast. They flip back and forth between Japanese and English, and the musicians rock. (Funny how the shuffle picked two 1971 cuts in a row.)
3. The Finn Brothers / Homesick (2004, from “Everyone is Here”) — The Finn Brothers are like pizza or sex. When they’re good, they’re really good, and when they’re bad, they’re still pretty good. This song’s not their best, but still nice.
4. Soul Asylum / Bittersweetheart (1995, from “Let Your Dim Light Shine”) — I severely overplayed this album when it came out.
5. Chuck Berry / I’m a rocker (1970, from “Back Home”) — Basically a rewrite of “Reelin’ and Rockin'”. In fact, on the later “London Sessions” album, Chuck does a live version of “Reelin’ and Rockin'” that mostly uses these lyrics instead of the original.