Friday Five

The Friday Five: January 21, 2011

January 21, 2011 / 26 Comments

Friday Five

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:

“Breakdown” by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers (from The Live Anthology, 2009)

Recorded in June of ‘81 at The Forum, in Los Angeles; this take simply smolders its way through six solid minutes of groove. It’s definitely a testament to the power of a solid shuffle. The “Hit the Road Jack” tag towards the end of the jam is a bonus. Despite having this in my collection for over year, I still haven’t listened to the entire collection.

“I’ve Seen All Good People” by Yes (from Highlights: The Very Best of Yes, 1993)

This is shaping up to be one of the longest shuffles in recent memory, clocking in at just shy of seven minutes, the prog-rock pledge of allegiance demands attention. Rise up! Grab your 12-string laúd and recorder and salute Roger Dean.

Let’s hope for a shorter song to follow …

“Infinite Arms” by Band of Horses (from Infinite Arms, 2010)

Make that the Grammy Nominated album, Infinite Arms. Dreamy and serene, this is probably the closest tie on the record to their impeccable debut, Everything All the Time. Naturally, it is a favorite of mine. The crickets at the close remind me of being a kid sitting out on the back lawn

“Delicate” by Damien Rice (from B-Sides, 2004)

Another live performance, this time from perennial Irish sad bastard, Damien Rice. That’s not to say that Ireland isn’t teeming with sad bastards, that is; rather, to say Mr. Rice is famously especially sorrowful in his bastard ways. Add to the fact that this version of “Delicate” is played just a hair slower than the original, amping up the dirge quality.

“Candy” by The Silver Seas (from Château Revenge!, 2010)

Ahh … a perfect power pop song close to what was becoming a very heavy Friday Five. I’m sure I’ve shared the story of how I came to know and love The Silver Seas, so I’ll spare you all the gory details, but I will share that the band has just released a brand-spanking new “3 AM” version of Château Revenge! for your listening pleasure. You can hop on over to http://chateaurevenge.com/ and pick up the “Blue” as well as the original “Red” versions of the record. It came in at number two on my Top 12 of 2010, and is a must-listen.

What’s on your shuffle today?

26 Comments

  • Anonymous
    January 21, 2011 at 4:36 pm Reply

    My Five:

    1) Eddie Money – Died a Thousand Times
    2) U2 – With or Without You
    3) The Cranberries – Dreams
    4) Jack Johnson – Better Together
    5) Howard Jones – Tomorrow is Now

  • Anonymous
    January 21, 2011 at 4:49 pm Reply

    Funny…just as I’m reading this, the “Blue” version of “Candy” is playing. Not digging it. 🙂 Okay, I’ll stop playing this Silver Seas album and hit shuffle:

    The Who — “Bargain (live)”. I’ve always been a fan of this song from Who’s Next but the version I’m listening to — from the deluxe version of the album — isn’t very good. It’s an early live version, and Keith Moon can’t remember how the drums go. He tries two different beats — the second clearly guided by Pete — before finally settling in on the almost-correct beat in the chorus. It’s interesting from a band evolution standpoint, though.

    Norah Jones — “One Flight Down.” Man, I remember when I used to listen to this album (Come Away With Me) every night before bed. Then I went to see her in concert and I fell asleep.

    Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. — “Sandman.” Weird, layered, stacks ‘o vocals in the same vein as “Hush,” the lead-off track from Spilt Milk by his former band Jellyfish. Not nearly as good, though.

    Moxy Fruvous — “Pisco Bandito.” Moxy Fruvous got a little too serious for their own good near the end of their career. Not that they should have just stayed with novelty tracks, but there was very little “fun” on their final album. Around the same time, though, they recorded this track, which appeared on their album of oddities (The “C” Album) the same year and was reminiscent of some of their earlier, lighter material. This song features a rare lead vocal by their bassist, and a great nylon guitar solo.

    Bliss Band — “Don’t Do Me Any Favors.” Ahh, west coast music! I think Terje sent this album to me. They kind of sound like Steely Dan. http://www.bluedesert.dk/blissband.html

  • Mike Duquette
    January 21, 2011 at 7:42 pm Reply

    Weezer, “Lullaby for Wayne.” A solid if unremarkable outtake from the Blue Album that was released on the deluxe edition a few years back. As a slightly-more-than-casual Weezer fan, I think I’ve committed a sacrilege by a) preferring Blue over Pinkerton and b) not abhorring everything they’ve done post-Pinkerton. Granted, you can make maybe two classic power-pop LPs from the five or six albums they’ve done since then, but even so.

    The Clash, “Train in Vain.” I’ve been on a solid Clash kick lately – I’ve got that singles box set arriving in the mail any day now – and they’re my go-to argument for anyone who doesn’t like punk music.

    Prince and The New Power Generation, “Jughead.” A solid reminder that maybe, just maybe, I should try cutting down albums on my iPod. Why? Two words: Tony. M.

    Queen, “We Will Rock You.” Anxiously awaiting more details on the upcoming U.K. deluxe editions of the Queen albums so I can decide if I should buy something other than the three or four greatest hits sets of theirs I have.

    Michael Jackson, “Doggin’ Around.” From the Music & Me album, one of the last times MJ had that falsetto working for him. It’s a pretty good soul/blues album cut with those beeeeautiful early-’70s Motown strings.

  • Mike
    January 21, 2011 at 7:52 pm Reply

    It’s a blerd, it’s a plane, it’s my Friday Five!

    1) “The Long & Winding Road” by Aretha Franklin: Man, did ‘Retha do a bang-up job with Beatles covers. Actually, during her glory years, it seems like she was an absolute master when it came to deconstructing and reconstructing songs that were originally recorded by other artists.

    2) “Dear Mama” by 2Pac: Why does 2Pac get mentioned as one of the greatest rappers of all time? Well, primarily it’s because he’s dead. He wasn’t a fantastic technical rapper (much like Kanye West), but also like Kanye, he has the ability to express great emotion through his songs. “Dear Mama” was one of his biggest hits for a reason.

    3) “The Look of Love” by Isaac Hayes: Yet another early Seventies soul cover. One of four versions of this song I currently have in my iTunes library-the other three are by Shelby Lynne, Nina Simone and Anita Baker. Random fact: I used to be scared of Isaac Hayes when I was a kid.

    4) “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” by Kiss: Yes, I like this song. Actually, it’s one of only a handful of Kiss songs that I can tolerate. Part of it might be cultural. Part of it might be because I’m tired of people trying to impress upon me how good Kiss is. And part of it might be because Gene Simmons is a dick. Although I met Peter Criss a couple years ago and he was a perfectly nice man.

    5) “Engine Number Nine” by Wilson Pickett: Man, it’s classic soul Friday here at Blerd HQ!! More cowbell!!

  • Anonymous
    January 21, 2011 at 8:16 pm Reply

    1. “Fat Man In The Bathtub” by Little Feat
    2. “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” by Bobby “Blue” Bland
    3. “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted” by Jimmy Ruffin
    4. “Windy Town” by Chris Rea
    5. “Space Captain” by Joe Cocker

  • Chad Zimmermann
    January 21, 2011 at 11:58 pm Reply

    1) “Your Touch” by the Black Keys
    2) “Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love” by Coldplay
    3) “Resolve” by the Foo Fighters
    4) “Superbeast” by Rob Zombie
    5) “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Live)” by Elton John

  • Mela
    January 22, 2011 at 12:35 am Reply

    My five– a lot of my favorite Indies came up–

    1. Alexandra Slate, “Bad Girl ” (Tomb Raider II Soundtrack. That’s right–I own it) http://bit.ly/gG9ZQo
    2. “Coast,” Paul Simon
    3. Rachel Eckroth, “Gold” http://bit.ly/dIr9Ko (Think Ella Fitzgerald meets Jefff Buckley)
    4. Mara Levi, “Sing So Loud” http://bit.ly/gLP3It (Think Elvis Costello meets Liz Phair)
    5. Margot MacDonald, “Just for Now” http://bit.ly/hJX8PU (Think Robert Plant meets Feist)

  • EightE1
    January 22, 2011 at 1:30 am Reply

    My back is fucking KILLING me, and my shit desk chair ain’t helping matters any. So a quick shuffle before I go lay down on the floor for a while:

    Bruce Springsteen, “Streets of Philadelphia,” from Greatest Hits. Still get chills when I hear that drum pattern that opens the song.

    Peter Gabriel, “Secret World,” from Us. Seven splendid minutes of Gabriel greatness.

    Sugar Army, “Many a Mask,” from The Parallels Amongst Ourselves. Australian band that will never be big in the US, not because they’re not good, but just cuz.

    John Denver, “Annie’s Song,” from Playlist: The Very Best of John Denver. Takes a real man to sing “You fill up my senses like a night in the forest.” J-Den was just such a man.

    Public Enemy, “Welcome to the Terrordome,” from Fear of a Black Planet. Denver to PE is musical whiplash.

  • Anonymous
    January 22, 2011 at 1:55 am Reply

    Erykah Badu – Love of My Life Worldwide from Worldwide Underground. This might possibly be my favorite Badu track. It never fails to make me happy.

    New Kids On the Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff) from Hangin’ Tough. How the hell did this get in my iTunes?

    Oh My God – Action! from The Action Album. One of my favorite bands who happen to be some of my best friends in the world. This song is all kinds of fun live.

    The Power Station – Some Like It Hot (12″ Mix) from the “Some Like It Hot” single. I love this song and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

    Annie Lennox – You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart (Live) from the “Whiter Shade of Pale” single. This is possibly the most gorgeous version of this song I’ve heard. I think I like the live rearrangement Lennox did on her solo tours — which ended up moving over to the Eurythmics Peace tour in the late ’90s — better than the original. And I love the original.

  • judd6149
    January 22, 2011 at 11:22 am Reply

    1. Tangled Up In Blue

    I remember hearing the first of my Friday Five on the radio while driving. I was deep into my training as a Bob Dylan super fan. One of the albums I listened to repeatedly was “Blood on the tracks”. One of the albums I ignored specifically was “Real Live”. The original version of “Tangled Up”s in Blue is on the former. It was the live version from Real Live that made me pull my car over. I knew Bob was known to change his lyrics up in concert, but this rearranging of the story also played with the narrative. I loved it. I figure out it was on “Real Live” and then listened to the entire album. There are some nice contributions from Knopfler and Mick Taylor on it. Check out “Tangled” from that album: http://db.tt/z0gZYqj

    2. Zooropa

    What a freak show album for U2. I liked it because it was an impulse reaction to what they doing at the time. Some songs just stick with you because of specific incidents. This song reminds me of a part of 20+ guys & gals heading out for a 5:30 am skinny-dip session to watch the sunrise chest deep in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Glouster, MA after an all night party session. Hot damn! http://tinysong.com/5hX2

    3. I Don’t Want No Woman

    Bobby Blue Bland. One of these greatest blues voices ever. Pure talent. http://tinysong.com/i6yx

    4. Orphan of the Storm

    I loved the whole Mudcrutch dust up from Tom Petty. It was an honest effort to get in touch with his early self. From it we got that killer Bogdonavich TP & The HBs documentary and the equally killer, Mojo. If you passed on the Mudcrutch revival, go back and check it out. This isn’t even close to the best song on the album. http://tinysong.com/gjfI

    5. Saturday’s Child

    I cannot be swayed. I get a good feeling whenever I listen to (most of) “The Monkees” album. When I was a youngster, I played the hell out of that album. BTW: Mike Nesmith is an unsung hero of the early * country rock* movement. ttp://tinysong.com/k4Va

  • Dennis Corrigan
    January 22, 2011 at 12:54 pm Reply

    1. “And I Love Her” – Paul McCartney from Unplugged. Always thought this was one of it not the best of the unplugged records
    2. “Better Not Look Down” – B.B. King from the King of the Blues box set. B.B. raps about meeting Queen Elizabeth
    3. “All I’ve Got To Do” – the Beatles from With the Beatles. Not flashy, but I’ve always liked Ringo’s drumming on this one
    4. “Tenth Avenue Freeze-out” – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band from Live at Winterland ’78. This one moves at breakneck speed
    5. “Further on up the Road” – The Band from A Musical History. Speaking of Winterland, here’s a studio version of the blues standard they did with Clapton at the Last Waltz concert. This one was recorded while they were still part of the Hawks with only Danko, Helm, Robertson and a sax player

    There it is

    p.s.to Michael, I’m totally with you on the Blue version of Chateau Revenge. Don’t listen to @JasonHare 😉

  • Pete
    January 22, 2011 at 4:30 pm Reply

    Happy weekend… here’s my Saturday morning random 5 from the streaming wonderland of Rdio.

    1. “Light As A Feather” – Norah Jones
    2. “Move Up” – Patty Griffin (feat. Ann McCrary, Regina McCrary, Jim Lauderdale, and Buddy Miller)
    3. “Share the Land” – The Guess Who
    4. “Same Kooks” – The Hold Steady
    5. “I Thought I Held You” – Wilco

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