The Friday Five: May 14, 2010
Friday Five : ‘frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a 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:
“Get It Together” by Beastie Boys (from Anthology: The Sounds of Science, 1999)
One-Two, One-Two, Keep it on!
“Valerie (feat. Amy Winehouse)” by Mark Ronson (from Version, 2007)
Realizing this came out in 2007 stings a little. Hopefully we will hear from Amy again.
“Eruption” by Van Halen (from Best of Both Worlds, 2004)
Perhaps the most recognizable guitar cadenza known to man.
“Anotherloverholenyohead” by Prince & The Revolution (from Parade, 1986)
A classic, 4 sure! I much prefer the guitar heavy version he was playing in the late ’00s.
“Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” by Frank Zappa (from Apostrophe (‘), 1974)
Sage advice.
What’s on your shuffle today?
10 Comments
Mindy
This might be one of my fave’s so far!
Shannon
“Dusty Pages”, by James McMurtry. Sweet song, love the percussion and piano on this.
“Got to Get You Into My Life”, by Earth Wind & Fire. Not my favorite of theirs. Prefer the Beatles version.
“Country Mike’s Theme”, by the Beastie Boys. Weird I got a Beastie Boys hit today too. I promise it was random. Also very short. Not much to say.
“Fooled Around and Fell In Love”, by Elvin Bishop. I’ve known this song since I was a kid, and I like it fine. I discovered his other bluesier stuff later in life and this doesn’t even seem like the same guy.
“Get Back”, by The Beatles. Groovy, Billy Preston on the Hammond.
Nothing too exciting today. Happy weekend.
Mike
1. “May This Be Love” by Meshell Ndegeocello. (from “Bitter”, 1997
Excellent Hendrix cover from an excellently sad breakup album, performed by an excellent artist. Have I used the word “excellent” enough?
2. “Without You” by Christina Aguilera (from “Back to Basics”, 2006)
You can pull 3 or 4 tracks from each of Xtina’s albums (like this one), smush ’em together, and come up with a really great album. Her current single isn’t giving me much hope that her next effort will have much value to it.
3. “Our Love” by Michael McDonald (from “No Lookin’ Back”, 1985)
This song shoulda been a movie theme. I can totally picture it as the background music for some cheesy film-ending montage.
4. “Sweetheart” by Franke & the Knockouts (from “Franke & the Knockouts”, 1981)
I can also picture Michael McDonald singing THIS song. Very Toto/Doobies/Ambrosia-ish.
5. “All of Me for All of You” by 9.9 (from “9.9”, 1985)
Holy 1980s one-hit wonders!! If it had not been for “New York Hot Tracks” (the cooler version of “Friday Night Videos” that was on ABC affiliates during the mid Eighties), I’d probably have never heard this song. Musta been good, though, considering it stuck in my head for the better part of two decades and I remembered it enough to download it.
Phone is ringing-oh my God.
Michael
I swear, when we finally get to hang it’s gonna be trouble.
I’m like Ma Bell, I’ve got the Ill Communications.
whiteray
Somewhere west of here, it’s still Friday, so . . .
1. “Hommage a Grungie” by Kate & Anna McGarrigle from “Dancer With Bruised Knees,” 1977. Thoughtful, lyrical, melodic, like all their work.
2. “I’m Talking About You” by Rick Nelson from “Garden Party,” 1972. Rick rocks it! Maybe a little heavy on the drum fills, but that’s not always a sin.
3. “Doesn’t Everybody” by LeAnn Rimes from “Family,” 2007. Grown-up country, nicely produced.
4. “Justice & Independence ’85” by John Mellencamp from “Scarecrow,” 1985. This is a little much, but JM’s heart is in the right place, so a little over-reach can be forgiven.
5. “Come On In My Kitchen (Take2)” by Robert Johnson, San Antonio, Texas, November 23, 1936. Not as good as the first take, but still one of the building blocks on which so much of what we listen to is based. Oh, how the wind do howl.
Pete
My Saturday 5…
1. “When the Coast Is Clear” by Jimmy Buffett / Overproduced schmaltz with strings and 80’s lead guitar. Looked it up on Wikipedia. Yep, 1986.
2. “Continental Trailways Blues” by Steve Earle & the Dukes / From a 1987 bootleg at the Chestnut Cabaret. Can’t miss with Steve and the Dukes. Wish Steve would bring the full band back on the road, but that doesn’t appear to be happening soon. Did you know that Steve and his wife Allison Moorer had a baby in April?
3. “Blitzkrieg Bop” by the Ramones / From the expanded remastered Leave Home album. This is a bonus track, live at the Roxy.
4. “Born on a Train” by Arcade Fire (live) / From a 2005 bootleg at the Casbah. Great Magnetic Fields cover. Love Win Butler, and can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeve next.
5. “The Ballad of Love and Hate” by the Avett Brothers / I really enjoyed their Emotionalism album, and feel like one of the few who still doesn’t care much for their latest – I and Love and You. I’m sure I’ll come around to it someday.
azecho
s-pathetic: jen ghetto’s intimate solo project. vulnerable and haunting.
dirty projectors-two doves: another reflective acoustic number. almost sounds upbeat after ghetto’s “pathetic.”
jeff tweedy-spiders (kidsmoke), live orpheum theater 12/27/09: brings back wonderful memories of a great show at a beautiful theater.
shafiq-cheeba: drugged out, hazy groove. perfect after-hours jam.
big star-o my soul: rip alex chilton.
Courtney Jaye
You asked, so here they are!
1. Skeeter Davis “Optimistic”
2. The Generationals “When They Fight, They Fight
3. Lucinda Williams “Where Is My Love”
4. Yim Yames “My Sweet Lord”
5. The Everly Brothers “Poor Jenny”
Happy Saturday, xo.
EightE1
My Friday was nuts, and I forgot to post. Very unlike me. I think I took a nap somewhere in there; the wife had to wake me up (cuz she’s the cheese and I’m the macaroni). I think I even went to bed early, too. It was a long week.
Anyway, here’s my Saturday Five:
David Gray, “My Oh My.” I love the chorus in this — Gray’s way with a melody is quite special. When this record found me in late 2000, it got mad spins; the melodies and lyrics so matched my moods, it was, as the cliche goes, like he was writing this stuff for me. Of course, the track I gravitated to was “Say Hello Wave Goodbye,” his Soft Cell cover, which I completely misread at first as a fond farewell, instead of a nasty kiss-off. I’m an idiot. “My Oh My,” lyrically grabbed me right away. “My oh my you know it just don’t stop.” No shit, David. True dat.
Blondie Chaplin, “Can You Hear Me.” Such a fucking great song from his debut solo record. It’s the second track on the record, and one I quite often skip over, cuz it comes after “Bye Bye Babe,” which is amazing, and I will usually play that one several times, then move on to something else. Silly me. This one just pumps out the energy. Chaplin really deserved a bigger audience for his work outside the brief period in which he was a Beach Boy.
Duran Duran, “Rio.” YES!! I’m totally in the mood for some Eighties cheese. So suave, so sophisticated, so maddeningly indecipherable. “Cherry ice cream smile?” Does she have something stuck in her teeth? Of course, the yacht shot in the video comes immediately to mind. You know what’s really odd, particularly for me — who regularly poo-poos “Double-D’s” contributions to pop — these guys can really bring it live. I saw some live show they did a couple years ago — something on VH-1 Classic or something — and they did everything in the original keys! And LeBon (who I used to call Le-Bow-Wow, just to piss off the girls in my middle school) hit all the notes. I don’t think he could do that in their heyday. He even still had that classic Le-Bow-Wow hiccup on every other line. But I digress. This was a nice little surprise in the shuffle. Feel like dancing across the Rio Grande now, so if you’ll excuse me …
Journey, “Every Generation.” The last gasp of the Steve Augeri era. I don’t think Augeri even sings on this song. Is that Jon Cain? Or Deen Castronovo? It’s Jon Cain. You know, if I didn’t know this was supposed to be Journey, I’d probably like it. Generations is a shit record (only “A Place in Your Heart” gets anything approaching repeated play here). This had to make Steve Perry (and, for that matter, Gregg Rolie) chuckle. Wince, then chuckle.
Heart, “What About Love.” I need to get with my Popdose colleague, Dw. Dunphy, and suggest this track for a “Rock Court – Small Claims” thing. Bon Jovi ripped this song off. Roxette ripped this song off. Bon Jovi ripped this song off again. Belinda Carlisle ripped this song off. That chord progression in the verses is the foundation for a couple dozen late-Eighties melodic rock hits. And it’s fantastic. Too bad the Wilson sisters didn’t write it (we have Sheron Alton, Brian Allen, and Jim Vallance to thank for that). And, like most Ron Nevison productions of the day, Mickey Thomas contributes background vocals.
Michael
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I can’t wait to belly up to the watering hole and throw back a few Dogfish with you while discussing the finer points of Howard Leese’s guitar tone.