Monday musical mayhem
- Asylum Street Spankers, “Think About Your Troubles.” A cover of an old Harry Nilsson song. And a testament to the Spankers’ versatility. It’s not too many bands who can do sweet and sincere children’s tunes (like this one) and bawdy bits of musical sauciness . . . and do them both well. Even better, they can manage to do them all in the same song at once (cf. their “You Only Love Me for My Lunchbox”).
- Brenda Lee, “Dynamite.” Of course, sometimes saucy youngsters make their own music.
- Rolling Stones, “Let It Bleed.” And then, sometimes, the baddest of bad boys can serve up odes to tender emotional support and friendship. (Okay, okay. They still manage to get in a few lines about coke and cream and knifings and junkies. But what’s a little stoned bloodletting between friends?)
- Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).” Eventually, of course, the randomness of the iPod shuffle algorithm serves up a tune that can’t be shoehorned into some serendipitous theme except by the most gratuitous forms of textual violence. So let’s just enjoy these five minutes or so of classic ’80s synth-pop coolness, eh?
- Neneh Cherry, “Outre Risque Locomotive.” Whatever happened to her? A brilliant debut album. A decent, but (IMHO) not wildly exciting, second effort. A gorgeous one-shot contribution (a stunning rendition of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”) to the Red, Hot, and Blue AIDS benefit album. And then . . . what? Was there a third album? If so, is it worth chasing down? If not, why the hell not?
- Staple Singers, “I’ll Take You There.” There’s a meme floating around on Facebook among some of my friends right now — “25 (or 20, for some people) Songs I Can’t Live Without” — that I’ve resisted playing along with . . . but I’ve toyed with some rough lists. It’s a major “favorite child” question for someone like me. Limiting myself to 25 artists would be tough. 25 albums seems like cruel and unusual punishment. 25 songs?!? That’s just not right. Still. This is a groove that would definitely need to be on my “long short list” for consideration.
- U2, “Desire.” I’d estimate that roughly one out of every three U2 songs has the Bo Diddley beat in it somewhere. This is only the most obvious example.
- Temptations, “The Way You Do the Things You Do.” Some classic Motown . . . with a mini-version of the Bo Diddley beat snuck into the middle eight.
- Billy Ward and the Dominoes, “My Baby’s 3-D.” From the same group who gave us “Sixty Minute Man,” this is a simple yet sassy homage to the lead singer’s multi-faceted gal, who evidently has “got it upstairs (Lena Horne), she’s got it downstairs (Betty Grable), and she’s got it on her balcony (Janey Russell).”
- Queen, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” A little throwback rockabilly action from from those champions of glam-rock.
2 comments Monday 09 Feb 2009 | Gil | Music
Neneh Cherry’s second album was beyond brilliant. One of the best albums of the last twenty-five years (so what do you know?). She released a third album entitled ‘Man’ that was only available as import; it was so-so (though a great cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” and a few stirring originals). Neneh Cherry is in a band called cirKus (but their only release has been in France — I have it but not worth tracking down). But I will make you copies of any of her stuff. Soft spot in my heart (Neneh, that is … oh okay, you too).
I have nothing against Neneh’s second album — and I know it holds a special place in your heart, Greg, since it almost got you on a panel with Queen Latifah — but it never moved me the way it moved you. I still love you in spite of your obvious faults and character defects, though. Or maybe because of them. :)