Hey Joe, Happy Birthday
Joe Strummer should be a young 53 years old today, but as fate would have it, he was plucked from this world almost three years ago. Thanks to this post at Berkeley Place, reminding me of fact that Joe’s birthday is upon us.
Instead of focusing on his legendary Clash days, I offer one pre-Clash and one post-Clash selection. The first comes from ‘Elgin Avenue Breakdown‘, a collection of tunes from Joe’s pre-Clash pub-rock band The 101’ers. Next up is from Joe’s first solo album: 1989’s ‘Earthquake Weather‘. It’s the last cut on the album, the mellow “Sleepwalk” (not to be confused with Santo & Johnny’s popular instrumental).
The 101’ers:
Motor Boys Motor(mp3)Joe Strummer:
Sleepwalk(mp3)- Read Joe’s All Music Bio.
- More rare Joe music on SIART.
Saturday Night Soul wiith Isaac
In the late 60’s, Jimmy Webb moved to LA and wrote the bittersweet tune “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”. Johnny Rivers recorded it soon thereafter, but it was popularized by Glen Campbell’s 1968 version.
But me, I’ll take the soulful Isaac Hayes version any day of the week. Isaac originally released this tune on his 1969 album ‘Hot Buttered Soul’. His rendition clocked in at over 18 minutes. This one’s cut down to a little over 7:00:00 but captures that sweet Stax sound with the omnipresent organ churning away in the background, and Isaac’s opening tale of being cheated on a few too many times. You tell her Isaac.
Get ready for it
Something is definitely up in Montreal. I recently posted The Arcade Fire, and tonight it’s Montreal-based The Stills. This is an example of a tune where the whole atmosphere changes mid-song, and you find yourself entranced and drawn into it. You know, like the piano /guitar-instrumental last half of “Layla”. There’s beauty here…
The Stills: Ready for It
- From Logic Will Break Your Heart, their 2003 debut
Big Night Music
I finally got my grubby hands once again on one of my favorite albums, Shriekback‘s ‘Big Night Music.’ Hailing from London, Shriekback was made up of Barry Andrews (vocals, keyboards), Dave Allen (bass), and Carl Marsh (vocals/guitar). Andrews was once in XTC, and Allen came from Gang of Four (who incidentally are reunited and on tour). ‘Big Night Music’ was their fourth album, and is pretty much defined by its title. Each song that weaves into the total package sounds and feels like night.
From the liner notes:
Big Night Music – songs to sing in your sleep. Shriekback celebrate the blessed dark – the place where they were always most at home… Big Night Music is the shape and rhythm of two different kinds of nights – nights of heat and weirdness in which we alone are awake, humming with forbidden energy; nights into which we would not send our dogs – wild sea and wet forest and eyes and teeth – or those other nights – fragrant with blossom, incandescent with moonlight and dreams, possessed by a cool beauty which evaporates with the dew…
It is, perhaps, worth mentioning that Big Night Music is entirely free of drum machines, sequencers, Fairlight Page R’s – digital heartbeats of every kind. Seductive though they are, Shriekback have opted to make a different kind of music – one which exalts human frailty and the harmonious mess of nature over the simplistic reductions of our crude computers.
A couple of samples for you: the opener of the album, “Black Light Trap”, and the most downright seductive song, “Exquisite”. This tune will make your most – um – intimate moments with that significant other even more so.
- buy Big Night Music
I’ll have to go when the whistle blows
Tonight I hit you with Montreal’s Arcade Fire, with their version of “Born on a Train,” a Magnetic Fields song. This was performed on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic. I love lead singer Win Butler’s voice, especially on this tune.
- Buy their latest album, Funeral. Go on, do it. I’m watching you.
Brother Jack and Young George
During the month of July 1964, Hammond B-3 whiz Jack McDuff was in a New York studio with tenor sax player Red Holloway, Joe Dukes on drums, and a 21 year old George Benson on guitar. The tracks they recorded were released on assorted LP’s between ’65 and ’69, but were compiled on a 1997 release called Legends of Acid Jazz.
This one will roll you through the mid week. This is their take on Horace Silver’s “Opus de Funk.” The album cover above has nothing to do with this track, but it’s so damn cool, I just had to include it. The world lost Brother Jack in January of 2001 at the age of 74. Another legend who will live on forever through his talent on the B-3.
Jack McDuff: Opus de Funk
Sad News from Havana
My wife and I were lucky enough to see Ibrahim and his large Cuban band at Gammage Auditorium (ASU) back in 2003. To get a better understanding of this angelic-voiced, gentle man, rent/buy Buena Vista Social Club; and listen to this.
Ibrahim Ferrer: Silencio – duet with Omara Portuondo
New Marah Tune
I’ve posted about Marah a few times before: here here and here. I will always follow these guys because they pretty much carried me through the summer of 2000. Their album ‘Kids in Philly’ was always in the background, and I saw them in Tempe at the sweltering Long Wongs, and a week earlier opening for Steve Earle at the House of Blues in West Hollywood.
So their new album, ‘If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry’ comes out on October 18th on Yep Roc Records. Here’s a sneak peek at the album. This comes from the Phill Jupitus Breakfast Show on BBC 6 Music. The audio is from the 64kbbs stream of the show. Really a cool show. You can check out the playlists on the web site, and listen to the last week’s worth of shows.
Marah: Demon of White Sadness
- Check them out on Amazon.
Once Again Hitting you in The Shins
I’m going to blog about the Shins. You see, I’m relatively new to the Shins. I discovered them in April, when I heard “Gone for Good”, and promptly posted it, proclaiming my love for it. I could still listen to that song on repeat for an entire week and never tire of it. Well I picked up their first album, ‘Oh, Inverted World’ recently, AND I saw the movie Garden State, both which feature the great and also infectious tune “New Slang”. James Mercer’s smooth voice and intelligently entertaining lyrics are right up my alley.
So yeah, the Shins are nothing new to a lot of folks and “New Slang” is the most well known off the album, but for those of you who haven’t heard them, check ’em out.
The Shins: New Slang (mp3) from Oh, Inverted World
- The Shins Official Site
Mana’s Revolucion Starts Now
Mana is a mega-popular Latin American rock band whose roots go back to Guadalajara, Mexico, where they started out in the 70’s and 80’s performing under the name Sombrero Verde. Their self-titled debut as Mana was released in 1987.
My brother introduced me to this tune recently (okay, well, tonight), which comes from Mana’s 2002 release ‘Revolucion de Amor’ (the album cover reminds me of Steve Earle’s ‘El Corazon’). A nice laid back tune, eliciting thoughts of sunshine &, margaritas, though my brother tells me it’s the story of a prostitute. Maybe he can fill in the details in the comments below….
Mana: Mariposa Traiconera
- Visit Mana’s offical web site: http://www.mana.com.mx
- Buy ‘Revolucion de Amor’ on Amazon.
