Track of the Week (or two)
What's been playin' in my head this week
Those of you on a dial-up may want to save it to your hard drive to play them.
[Right click], "Save Target As..."
Monday, 9-26-5
Bloodletting
by Concrete Blonde
A cool song that mentions New Orleans but not in the mean ways I was threatening...
The computer is almost ready, I can see my music files are still there, all I have to do is get it running so I can access them...
Monday, 8-15-5
I Can't Get Behind That
by Henry Rollins And William Shatner
Still running lean on music choices because I can't access all my tunes until I get my hard drives into a new body.
This is funny stuff. Henry and Bill ranting on several topics over a beatnik jazz track.
Monday, 7-18-5
The International Friendship Song
by The Animaniacs
This was one of the few songs I have on the work laptop so I decided to change the track because it had been a while.
I don't know how long it will be before I get my computer running so it may be a while between updates.
This is one of those tracks that will drive me nuts in my head until I get to hear it. Then I am okay. Well, as okay as I ever was to begin with....
Friday, 6-24-5
Suicide Is Painless
by Marilyn Manson
Of all the cover songs I have, this is one of the rare few that I like the cover better than the original. The TV version has no lyrics and sounds almost cheerful. The movie version is sung by a chorus and just sounds bland and emotionless. I'm not the biggest fan of Marilyn Manson but he does lend some credibility and creepyness to the song's bleary lyrics.
Written by Mike Altman at age 14. His father, Robert Altman, was directing MASH and used his son's lyrics in the opening theme. Mike Altman received more money from royalties than his father received for directing the movie.
Thursday, 6-9-5
Fast Junkie
by Overkill
I've been considering getting back into a band recently. I miss the chemistry of playing live with other people instead of playing to headphones. Anyway, because of that, I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about bass guitars. There may be better bass players out there but I love the way DD Verni from Overkill beats the crap out of his bass. This whole CD (W.F.O.) seems to have the bass miked-up real loud. This is great music to drive to. Assuming you can afford the speeding tickets.
Wednesday, 5-18-5
Soldier Of Fortune
by Deep Purple
No long explanation for this one.
I've just been on the verge of happy/sad recently and this song makes me feel both.
See, very short explanation.
Monday, 5-9-5
Pusherman
by Curtis Mayfield
I just can't help this one. It's been in my head all weekend. I was listening to the Ice-T rendition of it and the original crept in my mind. I've been hearing it in my head ever since. The only thing that kicked it out of my head was when we went to dinner Sunday night. The restaurant had music going and as we were leaving, The B-52's "Rock Lobster" came on. "Boy's in bikinis, girls on surfboards". I'll take Superfly over Fred Schneider any day!
Tuesday, 4-26-5
Dream On
by Dio and Malmsteen
Two artists I absolutely love. Ronnie James Dio and Yngwie J. Malmsteen.
Dio is his own force. I can listen to Dio when I'm up or when I'm down. Heaven and Hell is probably my most often played Black Sabbath album. Sacrilege for the purist to be sure but I just love every song on that CD.
Malmsteen is great. A little too much "speed just for speed's sake" but still, the Marching Out and Rising Force albums were a constant for me in the 80's.
That said, this song is hard to listen to for me. I keep it as a novelty but everyone that hears it, thinks something different. Most people actually like it. I don't know why but I just can't take it. So now I subject you to it's cruel tones...
Tuesday, 4-12-5
When You're Evil
by Voltaire
I've been listening to this guy for a few years now. He's out of New York and stays pretty local but I finally saw him live last year at a comic-con here in Jacksonville. He puts on a great one-man show but seems mollified by the idea of sex and Star Trek.
This is one of the songs that I sing at the top of my lungs and unlike normal, when I'm busted singing at the stop light, I don't stop. I just look over at the guy next to me who is looking at me like I've lost my mind and I keep singing.
This one has been put in my head by Sam singing the Grave Digger's Waltz at Bardic Circle. Very similar styles, morbid solo singer and a violin...
Monday, 4-4-5
A Warning
by Lamb Of God
OK, you were all waiting for it, the first metal song I put up here on the "Track of the week or 2". And it comes at you in a weird way too.
Last week during the drum circle, someone had a metal bar they kept striking and keeping the beat. It rang out clear and strong (too strongly at times) above the drums but all I could think about was this band and the way the drummer cranks out on the bell of his ride cymbal. Especially after that South Park episode about the drum circles and Slayer. All week I've gotten home and put on the headphones and played along to this song beating the living hell out of my ride. After I'm done, I change speeds and sit with my new djembe.
Drum circle, death metal. Two things that really don't go together but oh well, it's what's in my head now... and now it's in yours.
Tuesday, 3-29-5
Centerfield
by John Fogerty
With spring training coming to a close and opening day a week away, I had to go with a baseball tune. I've had this one running around in my head since I got back from festival and looked at the baseball stats. It just makes me long for the days when I played baseball. The days I was good and even the days I was bad. Just getting out there and playing.
Embarassing story...
When I left Plainfield, I was hitting the ball well and even made the all-star team. When I moved down to Jacksonville, I never hit it again. I don't know what happened. I stopped caring? They were all just so much better down here? I don't know but I just couldn't hit the ball in the games. At practice I would smash the hell out of the ball. They would pitch to me like they would in games and I tore it up. They even brought in the pitchers from other teams and I could hit off of them at practice. But as soon as I put on a uniform, I sucked. The only reason I stayed in the line-up was because the coach kept expecting me to break through and hit in the games the way I hit at practice. I just never did. I still don't know why.
Oh well, I'm still good in my head and Teresa's tired of hearing how once I hit it out the long side of Bruce Park field.
Tuesday, 3-15-5
Arran Campbell
by Lucid Druid
Last month when we were down at the ren-faire these guys were there selling their CDs. I put the headphones on and took a listen. The first track started out like most of the "new age" music out there. Wind chimes, drums, flute. It was good. Then they put in an upright bass to mix things up. The djembes really started going and then the regimental drums kicked in! I almost freaked out. About that time, the bagpipes started their squealing.
I love both of these sounds but never thought of putting them together. The laid back sound of the djembes and the tight rolls of the Scottish snares are incredible. I bought the CD and went on about my way. The rest of the CD is pretty cool. A lot of experimental stuff. Most of the songs melt and end in chaos, more than I would like.
Anyway, if nothing else, the first few minutes of this track are a must hear. I'd rather a tighter ending but hey, that's just me.
Monday, 3-7-5
Sugar Craft
by Medeski, Martin & Wood
I first heard this about these guys back when I was working in Tallahassee (in 1999?). Being a big college town, they had some incredible choices on the radio and I heard this track on the FSU college campus radio station. It was one of those tracks that when I heard it, I went out and bought the whole CD. It's got a lot of jazz organ mixed with a turntable. It works. Really!
I'm not a big jazz fan so I only have the one album but I like a lot of the stuff on it. There's a lot of cool piano work on the "Latin Shuffle" track.
If you like them, they'll be in Jacksonville at UNF on March 17th.
Wednesday, 2-23-5
Malagueña Salerosa
by Chingon
It's an old Mexican folk song about forbidden/unrequited love, usually done by a mariachi band. There's a spot where he holds this note. Easy for a mariachi to do it with his barrel chest but Chingon is a Tex/Mex rock band and the singer is not very big. Still, he keeps that note going. All the more impressive if you know all this back story stuff.
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