Late Night Edition

Staff Notes: 3 strikes 5000 recently doubled our number of followers (from 1 to 2). Very exciting times here at the blog. We know however that there are other frequent readers out there. Perhaps some of them are famous musicians...I'll elaborate. I was looking at a few celebrity playlists on iTunes, which is a pretty cool feature of the site/store. Specifically I was checking out the musical recommendations from Hall and Oates. In his playlist created on Oct 26th, John Oates (the one with the 'stache) called Patty Griffin "ethereal and earthy". If that assessment sounds familiar to you it may be because on August 15th this blog described Rachael Yamagata's sound on the song "Don't" as "both earthy and ethereal." I'm flattered to know that Oates (and maybe Hall) are fans of the blog.

1. Me Just Purely- Brendan Benson

• "This is only temporary, these songs are my worst habits, my looks and my skin and my temper and this town, this place I call my home well it's me just purely." In 2006 Brendan Benson gained some mainstream notoriety as "the other guy" in the band The Raconteurs, with "the guy" being Jack White of the White Stripes. This minor breakthrough came 10 years after the release of his debut solo masterpiece "One Mississippi" which was a commercial failure. I've lost count of the number of people who I've talked up "One Mississippi" to...usually describing it as "the best album you've never heard". "Me Just Purely" is a mid tempo acoustic number with minimal (lo-fi) production, relying largely on the outstanding hooks, lyrics, melodies and harmonies which at times soar. Power pop maestro Jason Falkner co-wrote a number of songs on the album and his imprint is audible. I very recently caught Brendan in concert at the World Cafe in Philadelphia. "Me Just Purely" was requested but was not performed. Luckily, "One Mississippi" songs "Sittin' Pretty" and "Crosseyed" made the cut. The Cardinals (as in Ryan Adams & The Cardinals) Brad Pemberton played drums for Brendan at the show...word came yesterday that Cardinals bassist Chris Feinstein passed away. R.I.P. Chris.

2. Up Around the Bend- Creedence Clearwater Revival

• "You can ponder perpetual motion, fix your mind on a crystal day, always time for a good conversation, there's an ear for what you say. Come on the rising wind, we're goin' up around the bend, yeah." There is a certain Beatles quality to most CCR songs. The feel is very different with the raspy force of John Fogerty's vocals and the down home grit that defines the sound of the band. But in both cases we are talking about brilliantly crafted pop songs that last about two or three minutes often built around a few basic chords. These songs are brilliant in their simplicity. "Up Around the Bend" gives us a distinctive CCR guitar riff, a solid groove and Fogerty's vocals- do we need anything else? In case you do this song has hand claps as well (a lost art). I have a friend that always wants me to play/sing "Who'll Stop the Rain" in order to hear me do my best "Fogerty" vocals. Who am I to deny her? For your enjoyment here is the one of the great CCR pop culture references from the Big Lebowski:
• Younger Cop: And was there anything of value in the car?
• The Dude: Oh, uh, yeah, uh... a tape deck, some Creedence tapes, and there was a, uh... uh, my briefcase.
• Younger Cop: [expectant pause] In the briefcase?
• The Dude: Uh, uh, papers, um, just papers, uh, you know, uh, my papers, business papers.
• Younger Cop: And what do you do, sir?
• The Dude: I'm unemployed.

3. Dumb (Unplugged)- Nirvana

• "My heart is broke, but I have some glue, help me inhale and mend it with you, we'll float around and hang out on clouds, then we'll come down and I have a hangover...have a hangover." The "MTV Unplugged in New York" album brought us live acoustic versions of a number of classic Nirvana songs. In many cases hearing these songs in a different context gave them a new feel. In the case of "Dumb" it doesn't sound all that different from the original studio version, which is fine. "I think I'm dumb, maybe just happy" is brilliant at best and clever at worst. Nirvana helped define the grunge era in the early-mid 90s. Kurt Cobain's suicide forever cemented the bands legacy, giving them what most would consider a legendary status. It also deprived listeners of hearing how the band might have grown/changed through the years as popular musical tastes and styles fluctuated. Would their sound evolve over time (Metallica) or would it largely remain the same (AC/DC)? Another unfortunate consequence of the band's early demise is that it left us with a fairly sparse catalogue of material- Philadelphia radio is currently playing the same 5-10 Nirvana songs into the ground. Maybe this is why I rarely flip on the radio.

1. Bob Dylan's 49th Beard (Live)- Wilco

• "And I'll stop along the way, and it's then I'll think of you, and I'll wonder if you knew, how I got blue when things got weird, and I started growing....Bob Dylan's beard." In 2003 to supplement the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (recently named the 3rd best album of the decade by Rolling Stone) Wilco released the 6 song EP "More Like the Moon" on their website. The EP featured a number of unreleased songs including "Bob Dylan's 49th Beard". This particular version of the song comes from the Bridge School Collection, Volume 1 compilation. "Bob Dylan's 49th Beard" finds Wilco Front man Jeff Tweedy in folk rock mode. The song is built around acoustic guitars, lyrics and backing harmonies...his band mates take a backseat. If you enjoy this song I'd recommend Jeff Tweedy's "Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest" DVD, a collection of live recordings from several Jeff Tweedy solo shows. The songs from the DVD can be downloaded into mp3s- it's just a simple "137 step process" that involves uninstalling, downgrading/installing, uninstalling, upgrading/reinstalling Quicktime on your computer. Well worth the effort.

2. Dissident- Pearl Jam

• "She had to turn around, when she couldn't hold, oh...she folded...A dissident is here, escape is never, the safest path, oh, a dissident, a dissident is here." Do you remember where you were in 1993? If you were anywhere within earshot of a radio you were probably listening to songs like "Daughter', "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a Small Town" and "Dissident" from the Pearl Jam album "Vs." You may have enjoyed these songs so much that you took to wearing flannel shirts and showering less frequently. Personally speaking I was enjoying the hell known as "high school" in 1993 in what could best be described as a high school "built like a prison" (if I may paraphrase the BareNaked Ladies). "Dissident" like just about anything else from Pearl Jam stands the test of time; the song sounds fresh over 15 years later. If i listen to this song a few more times I may go looking for some flannel.

3. Festival of Flowers - Tish Hinojosa

• "Just the two of us hand in hand, gathering armfuls of flowers, the sun rose high above us, we left our cares behind us." "I'll remember this day forever -our festival of flowers, those short moments in our lifetime when we were one with nature." In 1998, Appleseed Records (based in West Chester, PA) released a star studded tribute album to the great folk singer songwriter Pete Seeger. "Festival of Flowers" is covered beautifully by Tish Hinojosa and features both English and Spanish lyrics. Stylistically the song is probably best described as "Tejano Conjunto" (feel free to look that up). "Festival of Flowers is built on Spanish style acoustic guitar, strings and accordion . I once tried to teach myself accordion after getting an old accordion from a girl i was friendly with (read between the lines) and buying a "teach yourself the accordion" book. The book was a total sham. My dreams of seducing women with an accordion remain unfulfilled.

1. Snake Bit Again- Anders Osborne

• "I did it again, now I'm busted and blue, I know I pushed you too hard, and I'm losing you." "I know my luck is bound to change real soon, aww somehow the trouble doesn't always win in the end...I was snake bit again." I used to be friendly with a nurse in Annapolis Maryland...we had some common interests including music, alcohol and adult situations. She was goodly enough to make me a small bundle of CDs including "Ash Wednesday Blues" by Anders Osburne which features "Snake Bit Again". I was goodly enough to take her to see Charlie Hunter at the Rams Head Tavern so I think we're even. "Snake Bit Again" brings funk with a gospel organ, horns and wah-wah guitars. Lyrically it's a down and out tale, the kind most people can identify with. The jazz, soul, funk sound on "Snake Bit Again" highlight Anders New Orleans roots. "Who' dat?" "Anders" "Yea, you rite!"

2. Intro (New York State of Mind)- DJ Green Lantern

• "Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood, hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood, but I’m taking a greyhound on the Hudson river line-I’m in a New York state of mind." DJ Green Lantern mashes up the Beastie Boys on "New York State of Mind", a mixtape that puts new beats behind classic Beasite songs and features other MCs (Ludacris, Biggie Smalls, Busta Ryhmes) alongside the B-boys. Any fan of the Beastie Boys will enjoy hearing classic songs like "Pass the Mic", "Hey Ladies" and "Sure Shot" reinvented. For me hearing "Body Movin" over Special Ed's "I Got it Made" is a special treat. "New York State of Mind" highlights one of the great strengths of hip hop- the inherent flexibility of the art form. A hip hop remix is only limited by the imagination of the DJ. As Rakim once said, "Even if it's jazz or the quiet storm, I hook a beat up and convert it in a hip hop form".

3. Trouble Man- Marvin Gaye

• " (I) Come up hard, baby I had to fight, took care of my bid'ness, with all my might." "There's only three things that's for sure, 'taxes, death and trouble, 'oh!" In 1972 Marvin Gaye scored the soundtrack to the blaxplotation film "Trouble Man". The jazz album is mainly instrumental and is best known for the title track which found it's way onto a number of Marvin Gaye greatest hits compilations. With Issac Hayes scoring "Shaft" in 1971 and Curtis Mayfield scoring "Superfly" in 1972 the blaxplotation era was at it's zenith. For Gaye, the offer to score the film was an opportunity to compose jazz and for a time delay a true follow up to the massively successful "What's Going On" (1971) LP. "Trouble Man" was a musical step to the side and an interesting one at that. The title song has a slow menacing groove and the silky smooth vocals that made Marvin a legend. "Trouble Man" creates a real mood and it's inclusion in the hit film se7en was well done.

Turkey Day Edition

1. Freedom (Live from KCRW)- Amos Lee

• "Don't wanna be a martyr in this war, don't wanna hear the same excuses anymore." "Freedom is seldom found by beating someone to the ground, telling them how everything is gonna be now." Philadelphia singer songwriter Amos Lee blends folk, soul, jazz and blues into an amazing blend. In some ways it is difficult to categorize his music. Philadelphia Eagles back up quarterback Kelvin Kolb (who listens to Lee prior to each game) compared Lee's music to Bob Marley despite the fact he doesnt have a reggae sound. Some voices are simply filled with soul. Singers like Sam Cooke, Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass. Amos Lee is in that class. Freedom comes from the superb "Supply and Demand" (2006) album. "Supply and Demand' is perhaps best known for the song "Sweet Pea" thanks to it's inclusion in an AT&T commercial. I'm not sure if "Freedom" is a reaction to the Iraq War but given the lyrics and timing it certainly could be. This particular version is from a live iTunes EP that finds Lee and his band in great form.

2. Hey! Baby (Single Version)- Bruce Channel

• "Hey, hey baby (uhh ahh), I wanna know if you'll be my girl." "When I saw you walking down the street, I said that's the kind of gal I'd like to meet, she's so pretty, Lord she's fine, I'm gonna make her mine, all mine." There are fun songs and then there are fun songs. I'm putting this in the fun song category. If you are a Penn State football fan and you hear this song you know it is the end of the 3rd quarter...it also means you are in Beaver Stadium. Pick up the beat and clap along to "Hey! Baby". If you are an 80s movie fan then you may associate this song with Dirty Dancing. I haven't seen the whole film but I hear people like it. If we are talking 80's Swayze movies, I'm probably more partial to the Roadhouse soundtrack and the music of Jeff Healey. "Hey! Baby" has a 60's feel- the production is reminiscent of early Beatles records, but at the end of the day the song is timeless.

3. Hummingbird- Wilco

• "His goal in life was to be an echo, the type of sound that floats around and then back down like a feather, but in the deep chrome canyons of the loudest Manhattans no one could hear him, or anything." " Remember to remember me standing still in your past floating fast like a hummingbird." Some bands have a hard time following up an album that was a critical/commercial success. "A Ghost is Born" (2004) proved that Wilco would have no such problem, in this case following the sucess of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (2002). "A Ghost is Born" is a great collection of songs including "Hummingbird". The album serves as the basis for their first live recording "Kicking Television: Live in Chicago" (2005). The sing song-y nature of "Hummingbird" makes it a great song to hear live; when the crowd sings along with the chorus you feel like there is something going on...if you are one of the people singing you may feel like you are a part of that something. There is an interesting alternate/demo version of "Hummingbird" on the "The Wilco Book CD" which comes with the Wilco Book. If you are leery of books, this one has a lot of pictures and there is a CD included.

1. Ghost Town- Cat Stevens

• "Come on lets go down, everybody's waiting for us down at the ghost town." "Lovely Queen Anne Boleyn learning new tricks from the Great Houdini, woah woah, now thats the way shes gonna make it woah woah." In 1974 Cat Stevens dropped "Buddha and the Chocolate Box", an album best known for the hit "Oh Very Young". As a Cat Stevens fan it is hard not to buy this album. This Buddha you mention sounds intriguing and a chocolate box only sweetens the deal. "Ghost Town" is a fun upbeat number based on acoustic guitar and piano (staples for Cat Stevens) and is augmented with harmonica and slide guitar. The singer songwriter would go on to convert to Islam, change his name to Yusef Islam and dismiss his work as Cat Stevens. In the past few years he has loosened his stance and taken to performing his old material including a marvelous rendition of "Peace Train" during the 2007 Live Earth concerts.

2. You Say You Don't Love Me- Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

• "You say you don't love me, well that's alright with me 'cos I'm in love with you, and I wouldn't want you doing things you don't want to do, oh you know I've always wanted you to be in love with me." A few years ago 90's power pop icon Matthew Sweet and 80s pop star Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) teamed up for "Under The Covers, Vol. 1", an album of 60's covers. This past year the duo teamed up again on "Under The Covers, Vol. 2" to tackle the 70s. "You Say You Don't Love Me" is a Buzzcocks cover, the Buzzcocks being a seminal 70s punk band from the UK. Sweet and Hoffs also pay tribute to the Ramones on this album. Neither of these punk covers find the duo at their best. On a personal note one of my 1st crushes growing up (aside from the one on my older sister's best friend) was on Susanna Hoffs.. I've aslo asked a friend of mine to sing "Eternal Flame" at my funeral.

3. At The Party- The Treacherous Three

• "(Kool Moe Dee) Remember me to the rhythm I'm Kool Moe Dee, (Special K) remember me Special K at the t-o-p, (L.A. Sunshine) remember me Sunshine and you will agree (All) nobody rocks (huh!) like the Treacherous Three." "(All) We'll rock the house without a doubt, and young ladies say we're guaranteed to turn it out, and if you don't believe it's true just check out how we rock for you." The Treacherous Three became one of the 1st hip hop acts to record in 1980 with a number of singles for the Enjoy! label including songs like "At The Party", "Feel The Heartbeat" and "Body Rock". The group would later move to the Sugar Hill label and MC Kool Moe Dee would go on to have a successful solo career. "At the Party" is 7 and a half minutes of old school hip hop pleasure. The synth hook which drives the song was used later in the decade by MC Shan in the song "Down By Law". Mariah Carey (who is "kinda scary") would use the bass line from "Body Rock" for her 1997 hit "Honey". If you need further proof of the group's impact, The Beastie Boys cite The Treacherous Three as an important influence- Moe Dee, Special K and L.A. Sunshine provided a template for how three MCs can work in unison.

1. Burning Bridges- Jason Mraz

• "You know exactly what I want so I don't have to be so damn upfront." "Oh desire can cause heart attacks, oh desire can cause heart attacks, oh desire can cause heart attacks, oh desire it won't bring you back." In 2005 to supplement the release of his sophomore release "Mr. A-Z" Jason Mraz offered an exclusive iTunes EP with a few gems including "Burning Bridges" and the original version of "I'm Yours". "I'm Yours" would resurface years later and set the record as the longest running song on the Billboard "Hot 100" list with 70 weeks on the chart. "Burning Bridges" finds Mraz at his mellow acoustic best. Mraz's live shows (well documented in the new "Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess- Live on Earth" CD/DVD) mainly give us the singer songwriter surrounded by horns, percussion, keyboards, et all. The soul/funk/reggae sound of the full band is great but some of Mraz's best moments are with nothing more than an acoustic guitar. "Burning Bridges" is a rare song that showcases the singer in great form.

2. Creep- Radiohead

• "I don't care if it hurts, I wanna have control, I want a perfect body, I want a perfect soul, I want you to notice when I'm not around." Radiohead burst on the scene in the early 90s with the album Pablo Honey and the debut single "Creep". I don't think I possess the perspicacity to quantify this bands importance or their influence on modern rock music. I'll leave that to actual music critics. At a minimum it is fair to say that Radiohead is an "albums" band- their work (often conceptual) is meant to be consumed as a whole, versus a single here and there. That being said I'm guilty of having downloaded a single here and there from the band. I think it goes without saying that "Creep" is a 4 minute masterpiece. If you take away the feel of the song (which is remarkable) the lyrics alone are other worldly. If this song hasn't spoken to you at some point, I'm not sure what to tell you. Ask around- I'm sure someone thinks you are a creep.

3. Stupid- Toad The Wet Sprocket

• "And it's frightening, Ooooh I didn't expect that from you, it's blinding, serious are you seriously, I am feeling really stupid now." A few months into this blog and it is probably obvious that former/somteimes Toad front man Glen Phillips is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. "Stupid" comes to us from the 1994 Toad album "Dulcinea" perhaps most notable for the hits "Fall Down" and "Something's Always Wrong". For me the highlight of "Dulcinea" is "Windmills", a Toad crown jewel that I'll salivate over when it comes up on the blog. I'll try to focus in the meantime. "Stupid" is a fun mid tempo number featuring strong vocal harmonies and references to a "carpenter's belt" and "sanding down the ceiling". Even if you lack construction experience this is a song you should be able to relate to. Ask around- I'm sure someone thinks you are stupid.

4 Days Rest Edition

1. Told You So- BareNaked Ladies

• "I never jumped in and rescued you, but I wanted to, I didn't tell you which way to go, 'cause I thought you'd know." "I never told you I told you so, but I told you so." In 1998 BareNaked Ladies climbed the charts with their LP "Stunt" featuring hits like "One Week" and "It's All Been Done". "Told You So" is an acoustic number from this set sung by guitarist Ed Robertson. While not a stand out song it is decent in it's own right. This is an "album track"- it was never a single and won't find it's way onto any greatest hits collections. Of course in 1998 people were still purchasing full length albums so there was a need for such songs. The "Stunt"album is great from start to finish surpassed only by the band's debut "Gordon". The Ladies are set to release a new album in early 2010 without co-founding front man/singer Steve Page. I'm quite curious to hear the results.

2. Mint Car- The Cure

• "I really don't think it gets any better than this, vanilla smile and a gorgeous strawberry kiss!, birds sing we swing, clouds drift by and everything is like a dream, it's everything I wished." I don't have a lot of The Cure in my collection and when I was in middle school I probably thought anyone that listened to and dressed like the band were strange. It turns out the music is good and I'm far more strange than anyone I went to middle school with. "Mint Car" is an ultra upbeat with colorful lead guitar work, an easy companion in tone to the band's hit "Friday I'm in Love". The song is available on the band's 2001 Greatest Hits collection but comes originally from the album "Wild Mood Swings". That title alone suggests I should dig deeper into The Cure's catalogue.

3. Son Of Byford- Run D.M.C.

• "I was born son of Byford, brother of Al, bad as my mamma and Run's my pal, it's McDaniels, not McDonald's, these rhymes are Darryl's, those burgers are RONALD'S." It took a long time for hip hop to go from the streets of the south Bronx to the suburbs. Run D.M.C. helped pave the way in 1986 with their groundbreaking album "Raising Hell". Songs like "It's Tricky", "Peter Piper" and the built to crossover "Walk This Way" made Run D.M.C. household names beyond the rap community. In the song "Bring the Noise" Public Enemy's Chuck D asserted that "Run D.M.C. first said a DJ could be a band." While Run D.M.C. will readily admit that they built their structure around the Cold Crush Brothers, the point is not lost. Run D.M.C. provided the template for hip hop success- validation that hip hop artists could compete with rock acts. "Son of Byford" is a short acapella song featuring D.M.C. on vocals and some human beat boxing thrown in for good measure. I never caught Run D.M.C. in their prime, but I did catch them live in the early 2000s before the passing of legendary Jam Master Jay.