This morning, on the way in to work...

Pardon the incessant playlisting, but this will have to do for the moment in lieu of something a bit more meaningful...

Strung Out On Strings - The Tubes

"You'll never know how far / I've gone with this guitar..." Maybe that's a bit too much information. Clever and listenable if not particularly remarkable track from The Tubes: Now, of interest mostly because of the cute little parody guitar licks that get thrown in all over the place.

Burn & Shine - The Posies

Always loved this one, at what used to be the end of the second side of Frosting On The Beater. Up pops a whammytastic guitar solo that proves they've been listening to their Neil Young.

Lyrical Stance - Minus 5

All I know about the Minus 5 is that (nifty random-play segue here) Ken Stringfellow of the Posies is involved. This is a rather agreeable slice of garage punk, actually, and the lyrics are exceedingly scrumptious, what with the lyrical stance being 'in [one's] pants', and all.

I'm So Glad - Skip James

A great performance: fingerpicking is deceptively clever and the man's voice swoops and dives like a reasonably glad thing. The Cream, and many others, have murdered this tune many's the time, but the gritty glory of the original is undiminished.

Hanging around the day (part 2) - The Polyphonic Spree

I still haven't given up completely on the Spree, though most of the appeal is in the warm, real sound of the instruments, the backing and the voices. I love their big, bright sound but I'm still not sure if the writing really has any substance. The song itself is hooky and worms its way in there. At least it did when I was listening to it on the way back from lunch. I can't for the life of me remember that chorus now, so ha!

Trip To Your Heart - Sly And The Family Stone

Completely around the twist, and brilliantly done - psychedelic funk from the crew that pretty much wrote (and re-wrote, and re-wrote, and then smoked) the rule book.

Jacques Derrida - Scritti Politti

A bizarre little musical triptych from Songs To Remember, the album when Scritti started to get a bit of attention. It starts off as a jaunty strumalong with subversive lyrics, starts messing with sassy backing vocals and ends up in a pretty good 80s white funk groove. Still don't know what the hell Green is on about, though, which is a fitting enough tribute to the French structuralist philosopher of the title.

Twenty Years Ago - Magazine

One of Magazine's most out-there tracks; I can't remember where this came from originally, possibly a b-side. Fantastic bit of rock concréte that proves once and for all that Magazine owed a lot more to the British rock avant-garde of the mid-late 70s than to the traditional punk influences. This is disorienting, intoxicating stuff that repays a few listens.

Natchez Burning - Howlin' Wolf

Eerie; Wolf's lonesome wounded croon sounding more barbed than ever as he sings - confides really - of intolerance and racial unrest in Mississippi.

16 Track Scratch - Calexico

Classy little mood piece, the kind of thing Burns and Convertino do so well. Cinematic and evocative, with just the right kind of grotty sounds.

Because You're Frightened - Magazine

The Correct Use Of Soap came out around 1980 and was produced by Martin Hannett (the record producer guy in 24 Hour Party People). It kicked off with this, which had previously gotten an airing on a Peel Session under the title Look What Fear's Done To My Body.

Turn On Your Love Light - Bobby Bland

Nowadays when we aging Deadheads hear this tune we tend to think of Rod 'Pigpen' McKernan, who made this song a party piece. Here it is straight from the real master's voice.



Who Is It - Mantronix

I'm pretty sure I got this from Actual Discs! Real Tunes! A pretty apposite slice of 80s electro, as it 'appens.