My Insipid Record Collection – Love
Feb 7th
OK, gather ’round children. We’re hitting the way back machine again. The magical year was 1967. The Summer of Love. The Los Angeles band we are discussing today, as we continue our Hallmark Holiday themed month, eventually came to be known as Love after temporarily calling itself The Grass Roots for a time. Apparently another L.A. band called The Grass Roots (of “Midnight Confessions” fame…talk about Guilty Pleasures…count me among the fans of that group as well) beat the Love Grass Roots to the punch by releasing a single and staking a claim to the name. I’d say it worked out well for both parties. Love was led by Arthur Lee, who called himself the first “Black Hippie” according to Rolling Stone. He was of the opinion that without him there would have been no Jimi Hendrix or Sly Stone. I don’t know about that, but what is true is that this guy was a pioneer. I can’t think of anybody remotely like him and don’t confuse him with Blues Rock legend Alvin Lee of Ten Years After fame either.
Love was a major factor in the Los Angeles music scene in the 60’s. It has been said that Lee’s role models were folks like Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson and James Brown, but he took it in another direction. Love was involved in Folk Music, Psychedelic Rock and even some Latin or Spanish tinged sounding music. I can remember my childhood friend Jim’s older siblings having copies of Forever Changes and we both grew to like this record very much. We used to play it all the time while playing cards and board games. We were barely teenagers at the time and the record had been out seven or eight years by then, but like most records our “elders” turned us onto we treated it as new and fresh. And it was to us. I have to admit, I was a little slower to embrace Forever Changes as opposed to my friend Jim. I’m still a rocker at heart and Love could be construed as Soft Rock to some I suppose, but Jim would not take this record off the turntable so I absolutely absorbed it as a result. Jim and I actually got to see a version of Love behind Arthur Lee in early October of 1994 at a now defunct New York City nightclub called Tramps. The tickets were $10. I’m still dumbfounded at ticket prices sometimes. I’m gong to see another monster legend in John Mayall this Thursday night and those tickets are $27.50. Try seeing U2 for that kind of money. You can find some unbelievable entertainment bargains if you stay out of the stadiums.
Arthur Lee changed backing musicians with regularity and he allegedly struggled with narcotics and was even jailed at one point for unlawful possession of a firearm. He died in 2006, after a potracted battle with Lukemia, a tad bitter about failing to capitalize financially on his legend. His band did blaze the trail on a number of fronts though. They were the first rock band to sign on at Elektra Records, which was essentially a folk label until rock bands like The Doors put the rock stamp on the label for good. Love was also one of the first bands to release a song that took up an entire side of an LP (Long Playing record in case we’re losing you here with this walk down memory lane) when they released “Revelation” on De Capo in early 1967. One of Love’s other claims to fame was their racially mixed lineup. That didn’t happen very often in those days. Love was a very different act as rock bands go.
Arthur Lee had a lot of famous admirers. Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, Jim Morrison of The Doors, William Reid of The Jesus & Mary Chain, Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones and Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd can all be counted as Lee fans. The Folk Rock scene was huge in Los Angeles in the 60’s. The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield were unbelievably popular back then and Crosby, Stills, Nash & sometimes Young filled that void nicely after those bands broke up. The Mama’s and The Papa’s became wildly successful and the legendary Joni Mitchell also called that area home for many years just to name a few famous folkies. Arthur Lee and Love were as big as any of them with one exception; commercial success seemed to elude them.
Forever Changes was Love’s third record, but by then they were already fixtures at famous L.A. rock clubs like Brave New World and Whiskey a Go-Go. The thing is, Forever Changes barely dented the charts. Love already had a couple of singles from their earlier records by the time Forever Changes was released. “7 and 7 Is” and a cover of Burt Bacharach’s “My Little Red Book” had already charted for them before Forever Changes. They say that soft pop maestro Burt Bacharach didn’t care for Love’s rendition of “My Little Red Book” at all. I find that funny for some reason. The main reason Forever Changes didn’t sell as well, according to then Elektra head honcho Jac Holtzman, is that Lee didn’t like to tour. The rumor is that he preferred to stick close by his dealer. Now that’s addiction huh? Love even turned down a chance to play the legendary Monterey Pop Festival. Ouch.
Despite all the self imposed roadblocks to commercial success, Love’s Forever Changes is universally critically acclaimed to this day. It was more an album than a collection of hit singles, but you can find Love’s “Alone Again Or” covered by all kinds of diverse acts like Calexico, Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs, The Damned, The Boo Radleys, Sarah Brightman and UFO. Rolling Stone says a London film company is working on a Rockumentary tentatively titled “Love Story” to chronicle the Love story. If you are like me and you like to change it up often you could do a lot worse than to work some Love into your iPod at one point or another. Enjoy.
Love – A House is Not a Motel.mp3
Buy or download Forever Changes from Amazon here.
My Insipid Record Collection – The House of Love
Feb 6th
All You Need is Love this month. That and your mortgage payment of course. Happy Saturday everyone. Today’s post is about an English band called The House of Love. Their heyday was between 1986 and 1993, but apparently they reformed the last couple of years and are making another go of it. Good for them. I don’t know how many bands in history named their first two records the same thing (I’m going to overlook the eccentric brilliance of Peter Gabriel for purposes of this discussion), but The House of Love had two records, on different labels with different songs, called The House of Love right out of the chute. The first one was released in 1988. The record I came to discuss today was released in 1990. To avoid confusion, Wikipedia states, the CD in question here is commonly referred to as Fontana (the label) or The Butterfly album. Now I just need my Duncan Butterfly yo-yo from 1972 for synergy.
I have to admit, I did love the cover of this record. It was simple and beautiful. I know the value of album artwork has declined significantly with the onset of the CD, but it still resonates with me a bit. Let’s be clear though; I bought this CD because I loved the music. It’s kind of funny; when I go back and do research for these posts I sometimes can’t recall if a song was actually a hit on the radio or if I just put it on one of my famous mixed tapes and made it a “hit” in my own world and mind. Fortunately much of that information is available so I don’t look like the moron that I am. I’m an album guy anyway, screw the singles…yeah that’s right, I’m old school…
The first incarnation of The House of Love released five studio albums between 1988 and 1993 before taking a long sabbatical. It seems one of them, 1990’s A Spy in The House of Love, was a mishmash of B-Sides and outtakes. Don’t quote me on that, but I didn’t really care. The Butterfly Album had great singles on it like “I Don’t Know Why I Love You, Shine On and Beatles and The Stones.” I might have heard ”I Don’t Know Why I Love You” three times before I was madly in love with that song. I’m not a religious man at all, but I was completely clueless about the lyrics of this song. I had no idea of the religious overtones until many listens later. I still don’t really care, but it is interesting. It kind of reminds me of when I finally figured out what Matthew Sweet was singing about in “Divine Intervention.” I know what you’re thinking…”what gave it away moron?”…but I don’t give lyrics as much weight as the music itself. I was in love with both of these songs almost the instant I heard them. If it has a good riff I could care less what the hell the band is singing about. Sounds absurd I know, but sometimes that’s just how it is for me. Don’t hold it against me.
As far as I’m concerned, The House of Love had four absolutely stellar singles (the fourth being “Marble” from 1990’s A Spy in The House of Love). I’m sure there were others and honestly I have no idea what their newer material sounds like. I’ll have to investigate and get back to you. The point is, this was “Indie” music circa 1990. When I was Googling the CD one of the hits said “An Indie Classic!” I can buy that. I’ve always had a strong affinity for these songs and now I’m leaving them here for you to enjoy. Love-itis month continues!
The House of Love – I Don’t Know Why I Love You.mp3
The House of Love – Shine On.mp3
The House of Love – Beatles and The Stones.mp3
The House of Love – Marble.mp3
The House of Love – Marble.mp3 YSI
Buy or download The House of Love (Butterfly) from Amazon here.
My Insipid Record Collection – Gene Loves Jezebel
Feb 3rd
We’ve reached February, shockingly enough, and it’s the Hallmark month of Love. Luckily I won’t have to concern myself with Vermont Teddy Bears and outlandishly priced roses again this year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get into the spirit. It was Ground Hog day here in the Northeast yesterday and of course we are due for another six weeks of hard winter followed by another six weeks of soft winter. Opening Day at Boston’s Fenway Park will take place the first week of April and anybody who’s ever been to a baseball game in these parts at that time of year knows better than to show up under dressed. Ground Hog day means Less Than Zero, to quote Elvis Costello, around here. We know better than to think we could mysteriously luck into spring like temps for good on February 15th just because Punxsutawny Phil can’t see his shadow one year. It does make for nice theater though. I was going to go with some vintage Sonny & Cher in recognition of Bill Murray & Ground Hog Day, but I thought better of it. You’re welcome. I will say this; I’m bringing the love all month here at The Giant Panther. All of my posts are going to have something to do with the concept of love this month. Something I obviously know very little about, but all the more reason to get in the mood right? Today’s topic is Gene Loves Jezebel.
The story of Gene Loves Jezebel begins around 1980 in Wales of the United Kingdom. Identical Twin brothers Michael and John (Jay) Aston started a band with guitarist Ian Hudson and a drum machine. The boys migrated to London in 1981 and in 1982 added a female bass player named Julianne Regan and eventually a keyboardist named Jean-Marc Lederman. That lineup lasted about a year according to our friends at Wikipedia and there were several lineup change before they hit the big time in 1986 with third release Discover. Gene Loves Jezebel basically came on like gangbusters for two records; 1986’s Discover and 1987 House of Dolls. After that sales dwindled and the brothers battled in court over use of the band name once Michael decided things had gotten too commercial for his liking and left in 1989. 1990’s Kiss of Life had some legs with the single “Jealous,” but the thrill was all but gone by then. One brother had “Gene Loves Jezebel” trademarked in the U.S. and the other had a U.K. trademark. Great. Thanks loads. I ended up finally seeing one of them, I’m assuming the Michael led U.S. version, but I can’t be sure, at The Middle East in Cambridge a couple of years ago. It was fairly acoustic as I recall, but I enjoyed it just the same.
Discover made its bones with “Heartache” and “Desire (Come and Get It)” and House of Dolls had “Gorgeous, Twenty Killer Hurts and The Motion of Love.” I understand “Suspicion” was released as a single as well, but I don’t recall that one being a big hit. I think the Boston market went for “Gorgeous” instead somehow. Anyway, GLJ was a Goth Rock band, but it was not your normal dirge like stuff you might expect. Maybe Michael was right to bail on their direction, but these guys had some real musicality to them. They were white hot for two or three years in the late 80’s and the Alternative Rock set (hello) loved them. Their lead track; “Desire (Come and Get It)” has a few remixes out there which can be maddening at times. Remember my story in an earlier post about radio playing one version of a given track on the radio and then selling us another on the actual CD. I have a copy, of course I do (I’ll take useless must have CDs for 500 Jack), of the soundtrack to the movie She’s Having a Baby, which allegedly has a more rockin’ version (along with the U.S. Geffen) release of this track, but I’m too tired to dig both versions up about now to make sure you have the premiere version. Maybe I’ll surprised you with some love later in the week on that account. I never did find out who this Devil worshipper Gene was, but that was a cool decision, particularly since their original moniker was Slavaryan (as in Arian Slavic I would imagine). Gene Loves Jezebel was so much better and more mysterious I thought.
This just in; I just located a bit of the story. Brother Michael broke his leg at one time and was doing a fair amount of limping. The limping apparently reminded someone of Gene Vincent of “Be-Bop-A-Lula” fame so he became Gene. Brother Jay was introduced to a local filmmaker who apparently mistook “Jay Aston” for “Jezebel” amidst the Welsh accent and whatever other noise was going on at the time. So if that story is true, there’s a little brotherly love for you. I really am bringing the love in February…
Gene Loves Jezebel – Heartache.mp3
Gene Loves Jezebel – Desire (Come and Get It).mp3
Gene Loves Jezebel – Desire (Come and Get It).mp3
Gene Loves Jezebel – The Motion of Love.mp3
Gene Loves Jezebel – Twenty Killer Hurts.mp3
Gene Loves Jezebel – Twenty Killer Hurts.mp3 YSI
Buy or download Discover or House of Dolls from Amazon here.
My Insipid Record Collection – The Reivers
Jan 31st
Austin, TX is a hot bed for music. There is no denying that. If you have ever been there you can just feel the buzz on 6th Street. Deep in the heart of Texas scores of bands come and go, but an Austin band called The Reivers had a small, but fervent following. Sometimes, if you are like me and you just crave that CD you missed, you come across a record that has a lot of critical buzz many years later. The Reivers’ End of The Day has that kind of cult following. I bought this album about seven years ago or so when it finally surfaced on CD. It originally was released in 1989. I was much too busy with my R.E.M., U2 and Grunge fare of the day to have found this gem.
Austin has a nice cache of bands that either started there or have called it home at one time or another. You’re going to get a Blues and Southern Rock type sound from that zip code more often than not, but the names are still impressive even if Blues Rock is not your thing. The Reivers have more in common with Fairport Convention than Stevie Ray Vaughan, but you might recognize acts like The Arc Angels, Charlie Sexton, Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen, Eric Johnson, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, The Meat Puppets, Poi Dog Pondering, Roky Erickson, Shawn Colvin, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, The Butthole Surfers, Blue October, Omar & The Howlers, The Recliners, Robert Earl Keen and Spoon. But it’s really not about the acts you know; it’s more about the constant spirit of the bands that never get signed.
I went down to Austin for a trade show in 1998 or 1999 and made a beeline for 6th Street after my duties were taken care of for the day. I couldn’t find one co-worker willing to make the trip with me and it couldn’t have been more than a cab ride to get there as I recall. I wasn’t going to Austin and pass up a chance to sample the local wares. No way. I remember trolling from bar to bar and standing outside the door to listen to the band for a minute before I went in. I settled on a place where I heard a great solo coming from inside the bar. The place was nearly empty as I recall, but I got to see a guy named Matt Powell pushing new CD The Money & The Grass. He was selling them out of a suitcase between sets so I’m pretty sure he was unsigned. I’m looking at the CD I bought from him and it was released in 1998 by MIA Records. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that I was thoroughly entertained and that this guy had a lot of talent. I just Googled him to see what he’s been up to and it seems he’s still down there dominating the free world. Good for him. I loved his CD, but my musical thirst marched on without knowing what became of him. I shook his hand, told him how much I enjoyed his show, bought his CD and off I went. That, to me, is one awesome outing. I helped out a struggling artist and saw a great show in a small venue (sorry, no recall there) in a great city and lived to tell about it.
The Reivers were one of those unknown Indie bands back in 1984 when they were known as Zeitgeist. Luckily they were forced to change their name and chose to name their band after a 1962 William Faulkner novel. The book was made into a movie in 1969 starring Steve McQueen. Of course, I didn’t know any of this prior to buying the CD, not because I’m completely illiterate or clueless when it comes to literary giants like Faulkner (even if that it is true); it was more of a function of that stuff happening before my tenth birthday. I’m still clueless when it comes to movies. I like going to the actual cinema as much as the next person, but I look at that $12 ticket and $15 worth of popcorn, candy and soda as two CDs. I just watched Spinal Tap again last night and laughed out loud again. I guess that is about my speed. Maybe I’ll meet someone who knows movies like I know music and the synergy will be exxxcellent, but I’m never going to be much of a movie expert I’m afraid.
I don’t own all of the four records released by The Reivers, but I will. They were comprised of vocalist, songwriter and guitarist John Croslin, bassist Cindy Toth, vocalist and guitarist Kim Longacre and Garrett Williams on drums. They made popular folkish music with a touch of rock and Indie credibility to it. They had stellar harmonies and yet nobody really has ever heard of them. Their story is so typical, yet they are so far under the radar I can’t name a single person I know who knows them. How sad it that? I’m listening to them as I type and I’m trying to figure out who they sound like. I know I mentioned Fairport Convention earlier, but I don’t know if it’s fair to compare Kim Longacre with Sandy Denny. It’s just that she has a great voice and I love her sound. John Croslin’s voice kind of reminds me of Australian rocker Dave Faulkner (there’s some irony no?…Meet The Faulkners) of Hoodoo Gurus fame on those rare occasions when he sings without those beautiful crunching electric guitars. I still love those guys to this day.
By the way, End of The Day is one of those records where you can’t necessarily pick a favorite. It’s not because it is blow away great either; it’s because it’s so solidly even. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that “Almost Home” from this record was covered by countrified soft rockers Hootie & The Blowfish according to our friends at Wikipedia. I have to laugh out loud when I think about Hootie. I’m always a bit ahead of the curve and buy stuff on somebody’s say so, an early review or because some girl I dated like the record, but Hootie’s Cracked Rear View can be found on some shelf in my collection with considerable dust on it. You can bet I’d love to have Darius Rucker’s money though. I just didn’t know I’d be subjected to listening to that CD so many times in so many public places. And unfortunately, it’s not the only one…I think I saw John Mayer’s Room For Squares the other day too. Ouch. At the end of the day…god I say that way too much…End of The Day is one of those massive sleepers that leave you wondering why nobody bought their records and why this band could only survive six or seven years before packing it in around 1991. I hope they are proud regardless. An awful lot of people loved this record.
The Reivers – Star Telegram.mp3
The Reivers – End of The Day.mp3
The Reivers – End of The Day.mp3 YSI
Buy or download End of The Day from Amazon here.
My Insipid Record Collection – Crowded House
Jan 29th
OK, I’m back after giving you all time to soak in The Giant Panther’s Top 20 list. It didn’t look much like mine, but that’s the beauty of having two writers that have slightly different musical priorities and tastes. We grew up in different eras too, but it’s all good and hopefully that makes it interesting for the reader. Congrats to Ryan on his great list and thanks to all of you for coming to our site and reading it. We’ve only been over here on Wordpress for a couple of months now, but Ryan’s post broke new readership ground with regard to site hits. All very inspiring, but now I’m back to get them back to normal (he said facetiously)…
Back in 1991 I have to tell you I had full on Crowded House fever. What’s that? Yet another Australian band I fell in love with? Say it ain’t so Big John. I can distinctly remember managing The CD Store on Newbury Street in Boston when their debut CD, 1986’s self titled Crowded House, hit the stores. The owner made me play it over and over and over until I either got it or couldn’t stand it anymore. Similar CDs suffered the same fate in those days; among them were The Pretenders Get Close and Paul Simon’s Graceland. We literally could not get through a single day without playing those records all the way to the end. Same for Anita Baker’s Rapture. If I thought about it for ten seconds I could probably drum up five more, but you get the point. The guy was just trying to move product. I was a retail clerk just trying to hear great music all day while I earned my $30K or whatever pitiful number it was. Sometimes I got force fed some stuff I didn’t like. I’m sure Whitney Houston and Anita Baker are fabulous artists, but they just weren’t my cup of tea. I even learned to like another record that I was force fed back in the day; Bruce Hornsby & The Range’s The Way It Is. Really. I hated it then, but I actually enjoy it from time to time now. It’s a strange phenomenon, but I had to hear it against my will about 200 times before I gave it any quarter whatsoever. Maybe the customers who actually bought it, when we could keep it in stock, weren’t my kind of folks back then, but whatever it was, today I’m a fan of that record. I don’t play it everyday or anything, but when the mood strikes me I don’t mind it is all I’m saying. Guilty Pleasure? Yeah I suppose so.
Where was I? Oh yeah, Crowded House. I have to admit, I didn’t know jack squat about Neil & Tim Finn’s previous band, Split Enz, except for “I Got You” which was a big time New Wave hit in the early part of the 80’s. I know now they had an ardent following and a fair amount of critical acclaim before coming apart in 1984. I would have mistakenly written them off as a one hit wonder act if it wasn’t for Crowded House. Apparently it wasn’t long after Split Enz took a powder that a band called The Mullanes was formed almost immediately. Neil Finn, younger brother of Tim, Paul Hestor and Nick Seymour, younger brother of Hunters & Collectors member Mark Seymour represented early Crowded House. I’m usually not much for record label interference, but mercifully Capitol Records induced The Mullanes to change their name to Crowded House after the band shared a, yep, crowded house together in Los Angeles during the making of their debut CD. I can’t quite remember when I finally figured out these guys had talent, but their record had three tremendous singles in ”Don’t Dream It’s Over, World Where You Live and Something So Strong.” I didn’t immediately take to them, but I now realize that was wrong.
1988’s Crowded House followup was called Temple of Lo Men. I didn’t get it and the record bombed relative to the their first release. The critics liked it, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean much. If you don’t believe me just take a gander at the Top 50 selling records today. I’d be very lucky if I owned five of them. I’m don’t really consider myself a music snob; well maybe a little, but what music moves the most units consistently floors me. I no longer subscribe to Billboard, Rolling Stone or Spin Magazines, mostly because I detest mixing politics and rock, but when I did I hardly ever believed what I saw. Regardless, Crowded House stumbled a bit with Temple of Low Men. Now I’ve learned from the past that one of my readers is going to come at me with both guns blazing when I say that, but the numbers don’t lie.
In 1991 when Woodface was released; oh my. What a treasure. “Chocolate Cake” was the first single. It was almost a throwaway track, but it got some traction in Modern Rock circles. “Weather With You” was flat brilliant though. I just loved that track. My favorite Crowded House song is probably “It’s Only Natural” which might surprise some, but I really got a charge out of that song. Still do. OK, I’ve babbled on long enough today. Crowded House released a record called Together Alone in 1993 before calling it quits in 1996 or so. They reunited for another record in 2007 called Time On Earth, but I haven’t caught up with that one yet. To summarize; Crowded House had some extraordinarily beautiful songs with gorgeous harmonies. They were hit or miss with the U.S. public from time to time in terms of their CDs, but I’d have killed to have written at least half a dozen of their tracks. It’s the damnedest thing; I can’t remember if I ever saw them live either. Now that’s not like me at all. I’m really getting old! I’ll have to dig through my stubs for you.
Crowded House – Chocolate Cake.mp3
Crowded House – Weather With You.mp3
Crowded House – It’s Only Natural.mp3
Crowded House – It’s Only Natural.mp3 YSI
Buy or download Woodface from Amazon here.
The Giant Panther’s Top 20 Albums of 2009
Jan 21st
I’d love to be able to say I did this list in one shot, fired from the hip, and came out fearlessly and decisively with my rock solid Top 20 Albums list ready for prime time. The truth is, unfortunately filled with scribbles, crumpled paper balls, wishing I had 25 slots, and a few question marks that will inevitably be answered in a year or two from now when I look back on this list and laugh at myself. I must admit my 2008 list held up pretty well for me over time. Even my 2007 list doesn’t make me blush, but my lackluster “top 15″ of 2006 has definitely not aged as well. This list is the naked, sometimes ugly truth of what really stuck with me this year. Some albums started out sure fire top five when I first heard them, but eventually I just plain got sick of (sorry Passion Pit). Some albums I could not make myself sick of no matter how many times I hit repeat (thank you Dirty Projectors). I even found myself asking “Where is Grizzly Bear on this list”? Only to answer that, while I respect the album, it just wasn’t an album I found myself wanting to listen to over and over again, although the Michael McDonald version of “While You Wait For The Others” gets filed under coolest move of the year.
When my list was finished, I found myself wishing it was drastically more different than a lot of the other blog lists, but making a list just to be different seems stupid. If it’s my favorite and it happens to be a million other blogger’s favorites, so be it. I always see people leave comments on top album lists like [say in comic book guy voice] “most unoriginal list ever”. Those people are missing the point. These lists are the author’s favorite albums of the year, nothing more and nothing less. I don’t pretend to be any kind of authority or suggest anybody out there should take these too seriously.
The list is far from thorough, unlike John I don’t go through and listen to every album that deserves consideration at list making time. If I haven’t had time to really fall in love with an album, (as John mentions with multiple front to back listens) and time for the album to grow on me as I fall in and out of love with it, then it doesn’t get considered for my list. I do love catching up on music I missed in the past year with other people’s lists. I’ve found some really cool music over the past few weeks on some of my other favorite blogs that I’m sure if I had found them earlier, would have had a shot at making my list (as if anybody cares about making my list). There are a handful of albums like this that just didn’t make my radar during the course of the year, and as I listen now I’m wishing they did.
I really look forward to making these lists. It’s why I started blogging in the first place. Friends would ask me, “what’s some good new music I should check out?” and I would always draw a blank when put on the spot. These lists are a good reminder on what a great year it actually was in music. When I first started I was worried I wouldn’t have 20 worthy albums to include, now I’m wishing I had room for at least another five. They are also a good way for lazy bloggers like me that didn’t take the time to tell you about these albums when they were actually released to get you up to speed. I’m not going to write much on these albums, I’ll let the music speak for itself.
#20. Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
Bat For Lashes – Pearl’s Dream
Dreamy dark music with a tinge of 80s goodness. Gotta love her video for “Daniel”, paying homage to none other than the Karate Kid himself, Daniel-San. Makes me wonder if she grew up with a huge crush on Ralph Macchio. I’m sure she has her fair share of guys growing up with a huge crush on her.
Download Two Suns here
#19. Japandroids – Post-Nothing
Japandroids – Young Hearts Spark Fire
This album is by far louder than anything else that finds it’s way into my regular rotation, but there is something particularly special about Japandroids. Kind of reminds you of early Pumpkins with their powerful, at times insanely in your face loudness, but still somehow making beautiful music at the same time. I think the one difference where they could have taken another page out of the Pumpkins book would be to add a bit of room for dynamics, this album starts noisy, ends noisy, and is noisy in the middle. This is one of the albums I thought for sure would also be on John’s list, I’m looking forward to catching up with him about our lists.
Download Post Nothing here
#18. Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms
Neon Indian – 6669 (I don’t know if you know)
I’ve said it before, and before that, I love the sounds Alan Palomo creates. This album is just as trippy as the title suggests, and literally feels like it was recorded on tape, sealed in a time capsule for 25 years, and just now pressed to CD. The only reason the album isn’t higher on my list as I didn’t think every single song was worth a re-listen.
Download Psychic Chasms here
#17. The Xx – xx
If you read my best remixes of 2009 post, you know they did a bang up job on Florence and the Machine. The only reason The XX didn’t make it higher on my Top 20 is because I get the impression The XX think they are entirely way too cool for pretty much everything, including Top Album lists, and showing any signs of exerting effort into anything, let alone vocals on a song. Almost a “we can’t be bothered” vibe. At times their vocal style dips almost into near comatose. I don’t like the feeling that somebody is trying extra hard to sing with a certain style or type (see John Mayer doing his best whispery Dave Matthews impression for example) but I can’t deny they make good tunes. I especially like the Chris Isaak vibe on “Infinity”, if only because as a young lad that music video got me through many a lonely night.
Bonus Remix Florence + The Machine You’ve Got the Love (The XX Remix)
Download xx here
#16. Atlas Sound – Logos
Atlas Sound – Quick Canal (w_Laetitia Sadier)
Atlas Sound is a solo project from Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox. I have mixed feelings on this album, it at times escapes too far beyond reality as he tends to do, but the Atlas Sound project is definitely more focused and on track towards reality than Deerhunter. Has a sixties vibe to it. There are some beautiful songs on this record and he has a knack at making them without ever having to let on that they are anything but ugly. This album also earns my nomination for worst record cover of the year.
Download Logos here
#15. Yacht – See Mystery Lights
Yacht – I’m In Love With A Ripper
Yacht – We Have All We Ever Wanted
How would I ever begin to describe Yacht? There are no words. Like nothing I’ve heard before. Incorporating elements of electronic music, sampling, live instruments, mantras, and a bunch of other crazy stuff. One of my favorites to listen to this year because it’s so fresh and different than anything else. Think of how you would have described Tom Tom Club or LCD Soundsystem the first time you heard them. I’m pretty sure this album is about dying, you wouldn’t know it from it’s tone and energy. After writing this paragraph, I just hopped over to Pitchfork to get some background on Yacht, and of course it cites Tom Tom Club and LCD Soundsystem as influences, and they cite using mantras. I swear I haven’t read that review before, or anything on Yacht for that matter. Weird.
Download See Mystery Lights here
#14. Cass McCombs – Catacombs
I never really caught on to Cass McCombs before, but was completely won over by this album. I only knew of him from his tune That’s That, which I found to be pretty good, but this new album is more than pretty good. It’s got a kind of minimalist approach, a relatively quiet album, but has the feel of something like the quieter side of Velvet Underground, tough to describe, give it a listen. Where The XX are exerting extra effort to sound cool in my opinion, for Cass McCombs it’s a natural occurrence. There isn’t a bad song on the record.
Download Catacombs here
#13. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
Neko Case – This Tornado Loves You
Neko Case – Magpie To The Morning
You’ve gotta love Neko Case’s voice. Smooth as silk, even when she’s bellowing at the top of her lungs, what a pair of lungs they are. I’d go so far as to say she has the best female voice in modern music. Hard to describe her musical style, not Tex Mex ,not Country but certainly not mainstream Pop or Rock either. I took a few years break from Neko (I heard she was heartbroken) after going through a huge Neko Case phase. This album was the perfect reminder that she is still amazing and can still mix things up. This is her most refined and focused album to day.
Download Middle Cyclone here
#12. Dan Auerbach – Keep It Hid
Dan Auerbach – I Want Some More
Dan Auerbach – My Last Mistake
Solo effort from Dan Auerbach, the frontman from The Black Keys (if you don’t know them start making yourself familiar right away). As pretty much expected, this is the only album that made both John and my list this year. These tunes are at times slightly quieter than those produced from The Black Keys, but one thing is for sure, Auerbach turns whatever he touches to Blues gold. If you like The Black Keys, this will not be a let down.
Download Keep It Hid here
#11. J. Tillman – Year In The Kingdom
J. Tillman – Year In The Kingdom
Josh Tillman is a member of Fleet Foxes, and has been recording solo music for some time. His latest release, Year In The Kingdom, is nothing short of earth shatterring, without ever raising the dB needle past green. The amazing thing is, he is the drummer for Fleet Foxes, and I don’t even think there was a drum kit on site when recording this album. Think of the first time you heard Iron & Wine or Bon Iver, that’s the kind of spine tingling goodness this record contains. Looks like there are plans to digitally release some of his earlier works, looking forward to hearing those as well. As a wannabe songwriter, I’ve always appreciated being able to allude to something without actually ever coming out and saying it, rewarding the careful listener with allegories and clues. See “Earthly Bodies” for a great example of singing about doing the no pants dance without ever mentioning the word sex.
Download Year In The Kingdom here
#10. Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains
Cymbals Eat Guitars – And the Hazy Sea
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Some Trees
So many great bands come to mind when listening to Cymbals Eat Guitars – Pavement, Sonic Youth, Built To Spill. The first three tracks are especially killer, I swear if you put them on for someone without telling them they might think it was a lost track from one of the aforementioned bands. Some people take offense to being compared to other artists, but how could you in this company? It doesn’t necessarily infer that you are just copying what’s already been done, or worse, trying to sound like somebody else on purpose, just that it’s clear you grew up listening to great music.
Download Why Are There Mountains here
#9. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is!
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – Sugarfoot
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – Boogie
Whatever happened to making simply good damn music to get funky to? Thank God for Black Joe Lewis, the closest we are going to get to the Godfather of soul anytime in the foreseeable future. With a good mix of funk and blues, It would be impossible for you to not be moving at least one extremity when this record comes on. Going to see Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears live in Feb at Great Scott in Allston, I’ve heard they put on a hell of a show.
Download Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is! here
#8. Fanfarlo – Reservoir
Fanfarlo – Harold T. Wilkins, Or How To Wait
I have to admit, when I first heard a track from Fanfarlo “The Walls Are Coming Down”, I thought these guys were just trying to rip off Beirut, like literally copy every aspect of it – from the mandolin to the trumpet to the tremolo style vocals. But then I got the full album and realized that was only one tune that sounded like Beirut, and the album was actually a layered, well written album. Any fan of Sufjan Stevens, The National, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and Beirut should give Fanfarlo a listen.
Download Reservoir here
#7. Throw Me The Statue – Creaturesque
Throw Me The Statue – Hi-Fi Goon
Throw Me The Statue – Cannibal Rays
Another band that I bet I could trick you with if I put it on for you. The first time I heard them on the radio I could have sworn they were Built To Spill. Again, I don’t mean to offend anyone with comparisons like this, I know it’s not the favorite of most artists to be compared. These guys make great rock music, the lead singer has a soft delivery much like Built To Spill or the Flaming Lips. Hi Fi Goon was a strong contender for my song of the year.
Download Creaturesque here
#6. White Denim – Fits
White Denim – Regina Holding Hands
Let me put a disclaimer in, pretty much every album from my #6 to #1 have at some point during my list making process been #1. It was quite a struggle for me to sort these last six out. They are pretty much all #1s to me. This album sure was a surprise for me. Some of my favorite bloggers have been absolutely raving about White Denim for a few years now, and I never understood why. I didn’t really dig their first album, but when I sat down with Fits, and listened to it twice over, I was blown away. So many different sounds for this album. Zappa, The Doors, Pink Floyd, The Dead, more recently Tapes N Tapes, but most importantly, their own, rocking unique sound that makes them in no way like any of the influences I just mentioned. You won’t be able to get a feel by just listening to a couple of sample songs, you really need to pick up this record and give the full album your undivided attention.
Download Fits here
#5. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
Fever Ray is a solo project for The Knife’s Karin Dreijer Andersson, and one of The Giant Panther’s absolute favorites for 2009. The first time I heard this album I was a little weary, because I think I was expecting a Knife album, which this is not. But it grew on me incredibly quickly, and became my second most listened to album of the year. I’ve raved about The Knife and Karen in particular many times before. She has such a ballsy voice and is way way out there in the music she makes. Often times creepy, but in a good way. Also my pick for best album cover of the year.
Bonus Remix: The Knife -Triangle Walks (Rex The Dog Radio Edit)
Download Fever Ray here
#4. Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
Bibio came out of nowhere and hit me in the head with an amazing album. Half beautiful indie melodic songs, and half sampled head bobbing beats, this album was an amazing surprise. Easily my favorite track of the year, “Fire Ant” is an example of the latter. I’m not sure what inspired Bibio to go from the experimental folksy Boards of Canada type stuff to the Flying Lotus, J Dilla-esque beats like “Fire Ant”, but it’s a great combination.
Download Ambivalence Avenue here
Bonus Remix: Bibio – Lovers Carvings (Letherette Remix)
#3. Dirty Projectors – Bitte Orca
Dirty Projectors – Stillness Is The Move
Dirty Projectors – No Intention
I’ve been listening to Dirty Projectors for years. I always thought to myself that frontman Dave Longstreth is one step away from perfection, if he could just trade a tiny bit of orchestral experimentation for catchiness, they could be one of my favorites. Their last album Rise Above set them on this path, and Bitte Orca finally hit perfection. Killer album. Rocks my world every time I put it on. I’m convinced 20 years from now “Stillness is the Move” will be considered a decade defining song. You can almost hear it making it to the Top 100 radio station, it’s so damn catchy. Amber Coffman puts in a vocal performance that is could have easily been transplanted to any top R&B song (without needed assistance from an autotune). As a matter of fact, I think I remember seeing this video posted on Kanye West’s blog, and all the commenters were like “damn this is a pretty good girl group etc”, maybe this single took things to far into the popularity realm for Longstreth, I guess time will tell when we hear the next album from them whether they keep on the current course or hunker back towards experimental interpretations or maybe a rock opera. The guitar riff is so unique and added to the beat it’s a great combination, I’m always impressed when I hear a live version of “No Intention”, how tight the harmonies are, and how easily they play that guitar riff (I’ve tried, it’s hard). I love the harmonies and voices the lovely pair Amber Coffman and Angel Deradoorian in Dirty Projectors bring to this band. There isn’t a bad track on this record.
If you don’t believe me that Stillness Is The Move has R&B potential, check out Beyonce’s sister’s rendition:
Bonus cover: Solange – Stillness Is The Move (Dirty Projectors Cover)
Bonus live performance: Dirty Projectors – No Intention (Live acoustic on Sirius XMU)
Download Bitte Orca here
#2. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Animal Collective – In the Flowers
Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes
Don’t stare directly into the album cover! If you’ve read a music blog in the last five years, I don’t need to tell you about Animal Collective. If you haven’t, stop and give them a good listen, because you probably won’t ever hear them on the radio. Stick with your first listen, some of the songs have long, repetitive intros, almost mantra like, that end up rewarding the listener greatly towards the middle or end of a song with a catchy hook. “In The Flowers” would also get the TGP nod for best written song of the year (even though sometimes I had to refer to a lyrics sheet). This is by far their best album, and it really blew me away. It was the most listened to album by The Giant Panther this year, and I think it’s because you can find so many things with each new listen. I would also go so far as to say this is their most “radio friendly” album to date, but again, don’t ever expect to hear these on the radio. Sorry to be so unoriginal with my #2 selection, but they are on a lot of year end lists for good reason. There is nobody like them and they make amazing, interesting, original music.
Bonus Remix: Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes (Dam-Funk Remix)
Download Merriweather Post Pavilion here
#1. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart – The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Stay Alive
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – A Teenager in Love
Your first listen to The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart will most likely leave you wondering how they were able to achieve perfection without seemingly trying too hard. Cramming so many perfect songs into one album, I would imagine takes making about 30 or 40, then leaving 20 of them on the cutting room floor. I hear so many influences in this music, all of which bring me back to my favorite era and genre of music, 80’s new wave. From song to song I hear The Cure (one of my all time favorite albums is Disintegration), The Smiths, Jesus & Mary Chain, and on and on. Maybe throw in a little Belle & Sebastian for good measure. I thought after listening that this band was from the UK, but I think they are actually Brooklyn based. If you pick up one album this year based on my recommendations, make it this one.
Download The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart here
My Insipid Record Collection – The Lemonheads
Jan 19th
I couldn’t get enough of It’s a Shame About Ray when it was released in 1992. It wasn’t only the title track either. Songs like “Confetti, My Drug Buddy and Rudderless” (even the much reviled cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs Robinson”) made this record a must own back then. It was an Alternative Rock programmer’s dream; it had folk, rock, melody, a breeziness and it was catchy as all get out. The Lemonheads had been around since 1986 and had really never risen above Indie status before their sixth record (including EPs), It’s a Shame About Ray, was released. They had a following, don’t get me wrong, but it just seemed like their popularity exploded in 1992. As far as I was concerned, it was with good reason.
If I understand the chain of events, the “Mrs Robinson” cover was almost an accident as it was recorded to promote the video release of the classic 1967 movie soundtrack The Graduate featuring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross. It also appeared on the soundtrack to 1993’s Wayne’s World 2, but by then it was anticlimactic. The band was annoyed that it was released at all, but it became so popular that they had to reissue the Ray CD and include it because so many people like me bought the original CD, sans “Mrs Robinson,” and were disappointed to find it was later reissued. I just went out and bought the CD single My Drug Buddy (which included ”Mrs Robinson”) to remedy the situation, but it was annoying to me as well. I can so remember getting singed a few years prior with XTC’s Skylarking when it failed to originally include the single “Dear God.” The point is, while it is my understanding that The Lemonheads weren’t thrilled with ”Mrs Robinson” they are still playing it on the radio to this day. I can take it or leave it, but it’s not better than any of the other songs I mentioned above and I’m a mad Simon & Garfunkel fan. I grew up with those boys. Folk at its very best.
Chief Lemonhead Evan Dando became a popular face beyond his wildest expectations as a result of the genius of It’s a Shame About Ray. The record was so strong it seemed to somehow fit right in with the Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden fare of the day. Dando appeared even made People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful that year. Heady stuff for a guy who allegedly had a taste for the drug world. He had created his own musical category if memory serves called “Bubblegrunge.” How awesome is that? Call it whatever you want, but I loved it. I was very disappointed when they couldn’t even come close to duplicating this record. 1993’s Come On Feel The Lemonheads had a nice single “Into Your Arms,” but ultimately the record fell flat. They had half a dozen decent singles between 1987 and 1996 (see their cover of Suzanne Vega’s “Luka” for instance), but I just can’t help but think they could have done better. That’s just my opinion of course. I’ve never written a single song so I have no business criticizing anyone.
I know I’ve been posting more than one song in most of my posts, which I’m sure is good news to MP3 surfers, but this is a record I sort of want to post four songs so I’m going to. If you somehow missed these the first time around; you’re welcome. I could use some supportive comments though; the one’s I’ve been getting lately are coming from aggravated artists and fans after I’ve reluctantly labeled someone a potential one hit wonder. I hope you like these songs as much as I do.
The Lemonheads – It’s a Shame About Ray.mp3
The Lemonheads – Rudderless.mp3
The Lemonheads – My Drug Buddy.mp3
The Lemonheads - My Drug Buddy.mp3 YSI
Buy or download It’s a Shame About Ray from Amazon here.
One Track Mind – Ruby
Jan 17th
I feel like the 90’s was loaded with long lost great singles, though I’d have a tough time convincing The Giant Panther of this. I was digging deep while watching football this afternoon to come up with something unusual that might jog some memories this evening and the band Ruby came to mind. This band is so forgotten that I haven’t even put it on my hard drive yet. Now I am forced to. I’m trying like hell to give you guys quality MP3 files for your iPods (320 KPS), but it’s not always possible. Sometimes I put the band’s music on years ago and haven’t found time to upgrade the sound (from 128 KPS). I’m working on it folks…
As I have stated in the past I have a large CD collection and I just haven’t gotten around to uploading every one of them. It takes forever to re-label them and when I started the process most everything was done at the lower quality capacity because I never dreamed I’d have three or four external terabyte drives running around here with room to spare. I’ll probably wind up doing nearly everything twice, but at least everything in the last six to nine months has been uploaded at the best possible MP3 quality. I feel like I’ve been working on this for three years straight.
Technically, Ruby had two “hits” (at least in America) on 1995’s Salt Peter. One was called “Paraffin” and the other “Tiny Meat.” I believe “Paraffin” was the first one, but don’t quote me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Salt Peter was in league with records like Portishead’s 1995 masterpiece Dummy. I don’t think I gave much though to what Trip Hop actually was, but I was, and still am, positively mesmerized by music like Portishead and Mazzy Star. I don’t know what drugs (kidding!) these people do, but I love the result. Ruby’s Salt Peter will never get the recognition of a record like Dummy, but there were similarities. I am always looking for records that change my whole latitude and Salt Peter was one of those records some fourteen years ago.
Ruby consisted of Scottish singer Lesley Rankine and American producer Mark Walk and some high tech computing. Their Ruby alliance began in Seattle, Washington in 1994. According to our friends at Wikipedia, Ruby became the name of this two person act because both Lesley and Mark had maternal grandmothers named Ruby. They messed around with Jazz, Industrial, Trip Hop and Electronic music and released two studio CDs and three remixes CDs between 1995 and 2001. Salt Peter is the only one that I own. Wikipedia also has an interesting tidbit about Rankine; she lived in New Orleans for about six months, but left abruptly when a murder took place in the garden across from where she was living. Apparently the murder victim’s clothing was found in her garbage by the authorities. I guess that was enough for her and she headed back to Seattle where she once worked in Industrial acts known as Silverfish and Pigface. Don’t worry, I’d never heard of them either…
It’s fun to re-discover bands like Ruby a decade or more after I bought the CD. It’s easy to lose sight of acts like this when you buy alot of records like me. They just seem to get swallowed up only to seemingly fall from the sky years later. That’s Fun For Me (oooh another one hit wonder band for future posts…I won’t make you guess…Moloko).
Buy or download Salt Peter from Amazon here.
My Insipid Record Collection – The Tubes
Jan 13th
The first time I heard The Tubes was when one of the DJ’s at WPLJ in New York played “White Punks On Dope (WPOD!)” back in the 70’s. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but I remembered being quite enamored of the sentiment. Nobody ever considers themselves an actual punk at that age, but looking back, I probably was to a certain extent. I got the biggest kick of this parody of the young & rich, but I don’t remember buying a Tubes record until years later. The Tubes self titled first record was released in 1975. I was mere lad of fifteen. I had latched onto The Beatles, The Stones, The Who and Jethro Tull by that age, but I wasn’t veering too far out of my comfort zone just yet. That first Tubes LP had some interesting themes and fun ideas, but two songs stood out like the Hall of Fame AOR FM radio singles that they later became. I already mentioned the first one, but the second one was called “What Do You Want From Life?” Two absolute classics.
The Tubes surfaced in the San Francisco area in the mid 70’s. They had a sex and bondage leather pants thing going on, but they actually had talent. Front man Fee Waybill sometimes assumed a stage persona (to keep things fresh I suppose) and used the moniker “Quay Lewd.” Beautiful. How’re you gonna beat that? Lewd and lascivious behavior was the order of the day and if you liked Quaaludes (never did sample one of those myself) you were going to have fun watching them perform. The record was produced by Al Kooper, whom I have referred to before in this space. Al helped form the legendary Jazz Rock outfit Blood, Sweat & Tears, manned the legendary The Super Session Blues gigs in the late 60’s and helped a guy named Bob Dylan go electric in 1965. I don’t have any sales figures for this record, but the two singles I mentioned make it a keeper.
After releasing a record in 1976 (Young & Rich), 1977 (Now), 1978 (What Do You Want From Live), they released Remote Control in 1979. I don’t want to speak ill of the time period between 1976 and 1978, but aside from a “Don’t Touch Me There” or a “Slipped My Disco” there wasn’t much in the way of commercial potential jumping off of that collective vinyl. 1979 changed all that. I have to mention the producer of 1979’s Remote Control because it was none other than Todd Rundgren. It’s uncanny how this guy finds my posts as a producer as opposed to the performing artist he was. I’ll get around to posting something about his own career one of these days, but for now I keep stumbling on records he produced. It’s kind of funny. So far I’ve posted this past year plus about Grand Funk Railroad (just Grand Funk in his case), XTC, and The Pursuit of Happiness that I can remember and there may even be one more I’m spacing.
Remote Control saw one of the first songs The Tubes had go way up the charts in “Prime Time.” Wikipedia has it at number 34 on the UK charts, but nothing on the US charts. I’m not sure if that means the data was lost or if they didn’t chart at all. I find that hard to believe, but if that is true I stand corrected. I do know the album made it to number 40 eventually in the U.S. The point I’m trying to make is that they were now receiving fairly regular rotation play on now defunct stations like WCOZ and WBCN here in Boston. “Prime Time” was a little sappy for my tastes, but I absolutely loved “TV is King” from this record. It’s a long forgotten Tubes track that should have been huge. You’d think with a TV themed record this one would have been a single, but no…
The Tubes went on to have a nice run of hits in the 80’s. You may remember songs like “Talk To Ya Later, She’s a Beauty and Piece By Piece,” but there were a couple of B cuts on all of those early 80’s records. Their cover of Curtis Mayfield’s “Monkey Time” comes to mind. The thing is, I don’t know what to make of The Tubes legacy these days. Nobody could ever say they sucked, but there is no way that was true, but it’s also true nobody is walking around in my circle of friends and acquaintances saying The Tubes are their favorite band either. Some may feel that they could have done better. Me? I loved ‘em. I loved their irreverence and even if you only consider the 7 or 8 of their tunes I mention in this post you gotta hand it to ‘em. WPOD indeed.
The Tubes – What Do You Want from Life?.mp3
The Tubes – White Punks On Dope.mp3
The Tubes – White Punks On Dope.mp3 YSI
Buy or download The Tubes from Amazon here.
Buy or download Remote Control from Amazon here.
One Track Mind – US3 & Urban Dance Squad
Jan 11th
I would have loved to be a Program Director at a radio station before corporations were allowed to own two stations in one market. Before playlists were printed out before a radio show even started. And before folks like Howard Stern changed the playing field forever. Every now and then it was so very cool to stretch the boundaries of what a given format was supposed to sound like. In 1993 my local Alternative Rock station added US3’s “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” to its playlist from their album Hand On The Torch. It was an unusual choice since it was half Hip Hop and half Jazz, but it worked. As someone who likes to mix things up I was intrigued.
It was adventurous and bold at the time, but there was kind of a precedent for doing this. In 1990 a band called Urban Dance Squad has also cracked the mighty WFNX playlist with a song called “Deeper Shade of Soul.” It wasn’t quite as Jazzy as “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” would be, but “Deeper Shade of Soul” had more, well, Soul to put on a point on it. Neither record produced anything resembling a second single (although UDS did have a song called “No Kid” on their record Mental Floss For The Globe that I also liked), but that doesn’t mean they weren’t good songs. I bought both records and didn’t think much of either one to be honest, but I did love these two singles. They were different and happening. They stretched programming.
Urban Dance Squad was an excuse me Dutch band that formed as a result of a one off jam session in the Dutch city of Utrecht. After releasing Mental Floss For The Globe in the States in March of 1990, Urban Dance Squad amazingly went on to release four more studio albums, a Live record and a Greatest Hits package. I have to be honest and tell you I did not follow them after 1990, but I will say one thing about this single. I believe the record was first released overseas in 1989 and my best guess tells me a promo single was the first thing to hit the air waves over here. Those of us who actually bought the CD were disappointed to find a different mix on the CD than what was originally played on the air. I can distinctly remember The Hoodoo Gurus’ “Miss Freelove ‘69″ from their 1991 CD Kinky having the same problem around that time. It’s not intentional bait and switch, but it’s very aggravating.
There isn’t much information available regarding US3. “Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)” was a big hit here in Boston though it consisted mainly of samples from Blue Note Jazz recordings artists like Herbie Hancock and Art Blakey. Apparently US3 was formed in London in or about 1991 and were the brain child of producer Geoff Wilkinson. They are still recording to this day according to our friends over at Wikipedia, but I haven’t heard a note since 1993 I’m afraid. Jazz and Hip Hop are not my favorite combo although this song did work for me. Hip Hop and Soul, like Urban Dance Squad, has a bit more traction in my personal world, but like I said, neither band really scored much of a commercial audience after these fun singles.
As you know, I’m loathe to label any band a one hit wonder, but I was looking at some one hit wonder sites just now and saw bands like Siouxsie & The Banshees listed as one hit wonders. Automatic loss of credibility on the spot I’m afraid. The funny thing about one hit wonder bands is almost invariably there is a second or third hit behind them to the knowledgeable. Both of these bands were more popular overseas so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone takes issue with their one hit wonder status, but over here even I would be hard pressed to come up with anything else that made it onto the local station that took chances on these bands in the first place. There’s nothing wrong with that. They both scaled the mountain already.
Urban Dance Squad – Deeper Shade of Soul.mp3
US3 – Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia).mp3
US3 – Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia).mp3 YSI
Buy or download Hand On The Torch from Amazon here.
Buy or download Mental Floss For The Glove from Amazon here.
