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The Friday Five: October 19, 2012

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By Michael Parr - October, 19th 2012

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The Friday Five

Friday Five : |ˈfrīdā – fīv| : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button in iTunes and share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up the media player of your choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.

The Five:

“Nowadays” by Ron Sexsmith (from Long Player Late Bloomer, 2011)

I don’t know a heck of a lot about Ron Sexsmith, but this simple, planitive tune is so good that I actually hit repeat to get a better listen to the lyrics. I hear a bit of Nick Drake, with a touch of nashville. This, right here, my fellow Fivers is why I do this week after week, every once in awhile I stumble on a diamond hiding in plain sight. Brilliant.

“Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain for My Sham Friends” by Fall Out Boy (from From Under the Cork Tree, 2005)

I make no bones about how much I dig Fall Out Boy.

“Pussycat Meow (Murk Boys remix)” by Deee-Lite (from Sampladelic Relics and Dancefloor Oddities, 1996)

There was a time when listening to Lady Miss Kier purr would have, well it would have been enough. Today is not that time.

“Tamburitza Lingua” by Ani DiFranco (from Revelling / Reckoning (disc 1: Revelling), 2001)

As much as I love Ani in “little folk singer” mode, it is her more experimental side that keeps me listening. “Tamburitza Lingua” recalls “Tiptoe,” over a sparse electronic beat and droning acoustic lines. DiFranco muses, “TV is, after all, the modern day roman coliseum / human devastation as mass entertainment.” This, years before reality television became the new normal.

“Hope You Love Me Like You Say You Do” by Huey Lewis & The News (from The Heart of Rock & Roll: Live in San Francisco ’85, 1985)

As strong as anything on Sports, this is one of my favorite Huey Lewis & The News tunes. Probably one of the more under appreciated tunes in the band’s catalog, it was written by Mike Duke, the same man responsible for “Doing It All for My Baby” and “Let Her Go and Start Over” (which are, incidentally, also high on my favorite HLN tunes list.) This live version, featuring the Tower of Power horns, is nothing short of perfect.

What’s on your shuffle today?

Michael Parr

Husband, Father, Writer, Musical Voyeur, Pop Culture Glutton, Gourmet in Training. I'm the tall guy behind all these short guys. You can find me on the Twitter.

http://twitter.com/mordalo Mordalo

I was ready this week. Had my Five cue’d up early this morning, listening to them over a morning cup of tea (ironic consider my fifth song). Shall we?

1) Judas Priest – Breaking the Law

I hadn’t heard this song for years, but it popped up on my radar not that long ago, and now, my office is filled with “breaking the law, breaking the law”. Headbanging. What better way can I start a weekend?

2) Queen – Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Be cool. Relax. Get in. Get off my pants.
I swear, when I first heard this song, that’s what I thought Freddy Mercury was singing.

3) Louis Prima – Sentimental Journey

I’ve commented on my love of Prima before. The little gem is on a disc called “The Versatile Mr. Prima: Trumpet, Vocal & Hits”. I don’t think Keely Smith does the vocals here, for some reason. It just doesn’t sound like her, but it’s a good version of the old standard.

4) Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – ‘Opae E

Big man. Majestic voice. Every time I hear him, I just have to close my eyes and savor the music, which can be a little difficult if I’m driving somewhere…

5) Michael Franks – The Lady Wants to Know

And we go from a majestic voice to one of the most unique singers out there. One of my favourite Christmas songs has to be his “I Bought You an Plastic Star for Your Aluminum Tree”. I’ll have to go dig that out, since we’re a few short weeks from that particular season. Sigh.
http://www.clangandclatter.com/ Phil

Saosin – “Deep Down” (In Search of Solid Ground, 2009)
Decent enough song from this emo/screamo unit, curiously opting to drop the screamo for this particular number. “Deep Down” was apparently the 4th single from the album, not that I would have known that without peeking at (the mostly reliable) Wikipedia. I came late to the Saosin party, discovering them around the time of their mid-2010 hiatus. Too bad since they are capable of some pretty good stuff if you’re into this sort of thing.

Rush – “Working Man” (Different Stages, 1998)
I’m not sure why Rush feels compelled to release so many live albums, especially when there isn’t much difference between many of them. This version of “Working Man” just seems tired to me, and I think Peart’s overplaying here is an indication that he would be utterly bored with reproducing the album version. And as with the original, the most interesting part here is the instrumental section, that in this case segues directly into the more interesting “Fly By Night.”

Coldplay – “We Never Change” (Parachutes, 2000)
“Hi, my name is Phil, and I like Coldplay. No, I do. I really do. Seriously, guys, I do.” I realize no self-respecting metalhead should ever be caught saying he likes Coldplay, so an intervention may be in order here. Not that I understand some of Chris Martin’s lyrics, but boy does he feel them when he sings. Hey, the guy is married to Gwyneth Paltrow, so he gets a pass.

Dream Theater – “Yes Medley (with Steve Howe)” (Uncovered, 1995)
Dream Theater teamed up with prog legend Steve Howe in 1995 at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London to run through a medley of Yes tunes. The result ended up on a bootleg that ended up on my computer. Gotta love the interwebs.

Coldplay – “Amsterdam” (A Rush of Blood to the Head, 2002)
“Yes, I’m sure I still like Coldplay. No, I don’t have the problem, you do. No, I’m not stupid, you’re stupid.”
Rock_dawg

“Get Through To You” – Blue Rodeo, Nowhere To Here
Much like the Beatles, Blue Rodeo is driven by two front men who are easily pigeon-holed: Jim Cuddy writes the peppier, country/pop singles and Greg Keelor writes the darker, rawer material. Like Lennon/McCartney, this is b.s. and while much of ‘Nowhere To Here’ highlights just how different their approaches can be, Keelor’s “Get Through To You” is one of the most uplifting country rockers in their catalogue despite the dreary images of the lyric.

“Hearts In Trouble” – Chicago, Days of Thunder soundtrackOh, 80′s Chicago… Such a shadow of your former selves, I know I should mock you but I just can’t stay away. For over-produced soundtrack filler, this is a pretty solid tune.

“Stand” – Jewel, Warner Music Canada Promo CD
From Jewel’s foray into dance pop. I don’t think this went very far as a single, but it’s always stuck with me. I think it has to do with the dreamy effect of the multi-tracked vocals, especially in the bridge. Then again, Jewel’s usual “deep high school poetry” lyrics are as irritating as usual.

“Don’t Bring Me Down” – Electric Light Orchestra, Mr. Blue Sky: The Very Best of…
I’m not a fan of these later day rerecording releases, but the advance word was Jeff Lynne (who recorded everything himself) had done a great job recreating every little detail, so I decided to check it out. Musically, everything sounds pretty damn faithful but overall, it’s still pretty “meh”.

“Anything That’s Part Of You” – Elvis Presley, Elvis In Hollywood
One of the King’s prettiest 60′s ballads from the It Happened At The World’s Fair soundtrack.
MC_Snocap

1. The Beatles – “You Can’t Do That” (from A Hard Day’s Night, 1964)
I was a lucky kid in that my parents had Beatles vinyl amidst the show tunes.

2. Ursula 1000 – “Samba 1000″ (from Kinda’ Kinky, 2002)
60s easy-listening crossbred with millennial dancefloor sound. Ursula’s albums are generally fun, though the cleverness wears a bit as the tracks pile up. His DJ mix albums are more of a start-to-finish blast.

3. Nirvana – “In Bloom” (from Nevermind, 1991)
Don’t know what it means. Don’t know what it means.

4. Stereo Action Unlimited – “Lovelight” (from Paris Lounge, Vol. 1, 2001)
More millennial neo-lounge. Less … processed than Ursula’s.

5. Versus – “Yeah You” (from Secret Swingers, 1996)
I dig all of Versus’s stuff – the rawer early stuff, and the more streamlined later. Can anyone offer an opinion on the reunion cd from a few years back?
mc3

1. “Georgia on my Mind (live)” Eric Clapton &
Steve Winwood (Live from Madison Square Garden, 2008)
I really like this album. The sum of this duo is greater than its parts. And its parts are pretty damn good.

2. “Bam Bam” Toots and the Maytals (featuring Shaggy and Rahzel) (True
Love, 2004)
I really like this album, too. It’s one of those collections where the artist features a different guest on every track. Still not sure who the heck “Shaggy and Rahzel” are, but it works for me.

3. “One Big Holiday” My Morning Jacket (The Wired CD, 2004)
My first exposure to MMJ, was part of a free CD that came with an issue of Wired magazine.

4. “Wish You Were Here” Pink Floyd (Echoes: The Best of Pink
Floyd, 2001)
A classic that I never get tired of.

5. “Uncloudy Day” Phish (with Willie Nelson & Neil Young)
1998-10-03 FarmAid at New World Music Theater, Tinley Park IL
I’m not a big Phish fan… this ended up on my iPod as a result of a phriend’s effort to recruit me. Not bad I guess.
jhallCORE

1) Iris Dement — “There’s A Whole Lotta Heaven” (Sing The Delta, 2012).

2) Cyrus Chestnut (featuring Anita Baker) — “Summertime” (Cyrus Chestnut, 1998).

3) Ben Harper & The Blind Boys Of Alabama — “Church On Time” (There Will Be A Light, 2004).

4) Terence Blanchard — “Ghost of 1927″ (A Tale Of God’s Will: A Requiem For Katrina, 2007).

5) D’Angelo — “Brown Sugar” (Brown Sugar, 1995).

Enjoy the weekend.
http://www.discoskonfort.com/artists/drxl/ drxl

I cheated this week by restricting my
playlist to only songs I have already rated with at least four stars out of
five:

1. No Way 3:40 Los Coming Soon We Are Family 2012

One of my favourtite songs in the world
right now. Sweet indie pop from Argentina with female and male vocals and
harmonies. This is a gorgeous track with an edge on the lyrics. Album available
here: http://www.loscomingsoon.com/shop.html

2. Experto en Solitario 3:41 Capullo Testigos del fin del mundo 2012

One of my favourtie bands of the last few
years. I am pretty sure another one of their songs appeared in one of my
previous Popdose Friday 5s, so I am not gojng to repeat myself here. They are
cool, their secodn album is catchy electro pop, and this soing is great. Lo fi,
yes, but great still. Uuh-aa, uuh-aah! Get the full album here: http://www.mediafire.com/?j11omwpcsj8pt9b.
Not an illegal download.

3. Los Ovnis 3:05 Tropikal Forever High Merenguenergy 2011

The Vengaboy’s classic eurocheese “Up and
Down” in an electro merengue version (they call it “High Merenguenery”) with
funny lyrics… and the “I want to break free” guitar solo smack in the middle.
The original concept behind “Tropikal Forever” was to play Latin (mostly
merengue, but also cumbia) vs (mostly eighties) pop and rock mash ups with a
live band instead of samples. They are a blast of energy live and the recors is
also available for free download here: http://archive.org/details/TropikalForever.
It is also worth mentioning that the band is made mostly from professional
studio musicians, so this is no diletante joke.

4. 7th week (we r almost there) 3:30 Roux Spana 9 Weeks of Sun 2012

Filter deep house with not a lot of
filtered sections, but a killer sampled loop all through the track. This guy is
from poland and you can download the whole album this comes from on his
bandcamp http://rouxspana.bandcamp.com/album/9-weeks-of-sun.
I have not ehard the rest of the album, but this is way fun!

5. Fotos 2:54 Les Ondes Martenot Dos 2011

Chilean twee indie pop in Spanish. “Dos”
is their second album, around seven years later than their debut one. Yes,
Chile is the country du jour as far as indie pop goes, but Les Ondes Martenot
has not been as hyped as others. Not to be mistaken with the Argentinean twee indie
pop band “Ondas Martenot” that used to record for Indice Vírgen back in the
early 00s, even thiugh they sound very similar.Highly recommended. This is also
available for free download at http://ponk.cl/lesondesmartenot/descarga_dos_les_ondes_martenot.html.
Did I mention that Ponk.cl is one of my fave indie labels out there? I had the
chance to meet his founder, Sokio, when he first came to México a couple of
years ago, more or less, and he is a very cool guy too.
MB

Doobie Brothers – Evil Woman (The Captain And Me, 1973)
Jimmy LaFave – Revival (Blue Nightfall, 2005)
Betty And Charles – You Can’t Find Love (The Last Soul Company, 1999)
Triumph – Just One Night (The Sport Of Kings, 1986)
David Bowie – Subterraneans (Low), 1977)
http://twitter.com/IrishJava Dennis Corrigan

Man, I had just written the best Friday Five in history, then the Internet ate it. Oh, well, you’ll have to settle for this one:

1. “Blue Guitar” by Cowboy Junkies from Miles From Our Home. Typical low-key, understated Junkies with Margo Timmins’ sultry whisper

2. “Southbound Suarez” by Led Zeppelin from In Through The Out Door. A little Zep boogie

3. “Convince Me” by Lucinda Williams from Blessed. She always attracts top-nothch players on her albums, and the guitar playing on this track and the rest of this album is no exception.

4. “Mean Old World” by Derek and the Dominos from the Layla 20th Anniversary box set. Nearly 15 minutes of the Dominos laying the track down, but that includes nearly 15 minutes of Duane Allman’s terrific acoustic slide work

5. “Two Hearts” by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band from Nassau Coliseum 12/31/80. I’m weak – I gave in and am going to see him again next week in Hartford.

Here’s what came on while I was rewriting:

6. “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen
7. “Naked Eye” by Luscious Jackson (hadn’t heard this in a loooong time)
8. “So It Goes” by Nick Lowe

Hope you hear something great this weekend!
nathan_az

“The Summer” – Coconut Records, Davy If you’re the type of person who wants to listen to Jason Schwartzman mess around in the studio, you’re going to dig Cocunut Records.
“Can’t Help You Anymore” – Sugar, File Under: Easy Listening My ex-stepbrother (confusing, ain’t it?) engineered the sessions they (Bob) threw out before re-recording this record. I’m compromised here.
“Inside Out” – Crowded House, Intriguer Most of Neil Finn’s songs are focused on relationships (not just romantic-type relationships). This one isn’t. Maybe it is.
“Watch Me Fall” – Uncle Tupelo, Still Feel Gone There’s nothing I can write that’s going to convince anyone to go back and listen to Uncle Tupelo anymore.
“Run to You” (Bryan Adams cover) – The Hold Steady feat. Malcolm Middleton (formerly of The Arab Strap), some BBC thing that somebody posted somewhere All parties involved (including Bryan Adams) have done better. I suspect they’d agree.
BRock

Klaatu – “Sub-Rosa Subway” (Klaatu)
A double-edged sword greeted this release back in the pre-internerd days of 1976 when rumours began circulating that this band in actuality was the Beatles. Sales of this album went thru the roof. Of course, after the truth came to light, these guys disappeared faster than a bag of Snickers at a Weight Watchers meeting. It’s easy to see, especially with this song and its McCartney-esque vocals, how those rumours caught fire.
Foreigner – “Love Has Taken It’s Toll” (Double Vision)
In the muck of all the overplayed hits stood some pretty acceptable tracks.
KISS – “Shock Me” (Love Gun)
One of Ace’s best contributions to the KISS canon and still a tour highlight, although it’s now done by Tommy Thayer, which, in all honesty, is a travesty.
Little Feat – “Hate To Lose Your Lovin’” (Let It Roll)
Gimme an F, Gimme an E, Gimme an A, Gimme a T…the Feat ressurrected.
Bob Marley – “Easy Skanking” (Kaya)
Excuse me while I light my spliff…oh God, I’ve got to take a hit.
On that high note, I bid you good night!
10over9

Tried a little different approach this week by hitting shuffle within my iPod’s default-created “90s songs” playlist.

1. “Daily! Happy!! Splash!!!” – Roboshop Mania, Daily! Happy!! Splash!!! A pleasant pop trifle. I don’t remember where I got it. It’s Japanese. It has 6 exclamation marks. 12 if you count the album title. That’s a lot of excitement. The song doesn’t have quite that much.

2. “Food for Songs” – Del Amitri, Twisted. I figured I had picked this up from the Popdose guide (http://popdose.com/the-popdose-guide-to-del-amitri/) but after checking, it wasn’t one of the songs from that album featured for download.

3. “Solucinations” – Three Merry Widows, Which Dreamed It? This was a local St. Louis band from my college days in the early nineties. The singer has a little bit of a Janis Joplin vibe but the music is more “cosmic” / psychedelic with obscure imagery. This track is one of the better ones on the album.

4. “All This Time” – Sting, Soul Cages. Eminently listenable, a real change of pace from the previous song.

5. “Millionaire’s Dream” – John Wesley Harding, Why We Fight. Have enjoyed this album for years, Harding has such memorable off-kilter songs and lyrics. However this song is not one of the high points of the album for me. “Kill the Messenger”, “Ordinary Weekend” or the wickedly funny “Hitler’s Tears” are the stand outs.
http://www.popdose.com/ Michael Parr

Again? You either have unlimited funds, or a very understanding spouse. Good on you, though. I know what it’s like!
http://www.popdose.com/ Michael Parr

I can’t imagine The Hold Steady doing “Run to You,” it just doesn’t compute. I love everything about FU:EL except the production.
http://www.popdose.com/ Michael Parr

I’m definitely of the opinion that Little Feat ended when Lowell George passed on. Much the same that the current incarnation of KISS isn’t anything but a cheap facsimile. For the record, I like the Bruce Kulick, and Eric Carr/Singer years. Nothing against Tommy, really; I just don’t dig the fact that he’s in Ace’s garb.
http://www.popdose.com/ Michael Parr

That’s an odd choice of tunes to try and indoctrinate another phan. I’d say check out the band’s last studio record, as it’s likely one of their most accessible works.
http://www.popdose.com/ Michael Parr

You had me at “Chilean twee indie pop in Spanish.”
http://www.popdose.com/ Michael Parr

’80s Chicago is like McDonald’s: you know it’s bad for you and doesn’t contain the ingredients it purports to, but you can’t help but eat, and enjoy it. (Only to feel awful and guilty about it minutes later.)
http://www.popdose.com/ Michael Parr

I don’t care what anyone says, “In My Place” is a killer tune.
http://www.popdose.com/ Michael Parr

“Washing the dog, Washing the dog…“
Rock_dawg

“doesn’t contain the ingredients it purports to”
Well put. I always love to point out when 80′s Chicago remember that they have a HORN SECTION!
http://twitter.com/IrishJava Dennis Corrigan

The latter (and some fortunate corporate sponsorships)
RoyBatty

Okay. I guess I’m kinda cheating by typing them in today, but I swear these were the 5 that popped up on my short commute to and back from work…

LEPER MESSIAH – METALLICA – MASTER OF PUPPETS
One of my favorite songs off the best album ever made in any genre. Ever. Yeah, I said it.

EYES WITHOUT A FACE – BILLY IDOL – REBEL YELL
Great ballad from one of the poor artists who really never made it out of the 80′s alive. Or maybe Cyber Punk was such a powerfully sucky album it alone killed his career. If you were a fan back in the day, check out 2005′s The Devil’s Playground. Very solid return to form.

MAJOR TOM (COMING HOME) – PETER SCHILLING – VH1 COMPILATION
What is this? An 80′s Hot Tub Time Machine? No worries. I love me a ginormous chorus. “4….3….2….1….Earth below us…” God, I never get sick of that. Plus, this comp was in the 99 cent bin and had the German version of 99 Luftballoons on it.

DIE LAUGHING – THERAPY? – TROUBLEGUM
Yeah. T?’s probably gonna pop up a lot here as they comprise about 25% of the songs currently on my ipod. But hey, here’s another huge and catchy, ginormous chorus off an album that has many. Also, we’ve moved into the 90′s, folks!

DEMON ALCOHOL – OZZY OSBOURNE – NO REST FOR THE WICKED
Back in the hot tub, I see. This is a fine tune from the very underrated NRFTW album that the dude behind the indie music store called “pure product” back in 1988. “Ozzy’s not a person. He’s a product. A marketing mechanism.” This very well may have been true, but how’s your band doing today, Mr. Sassypants? Yeah. Thought so.
Matt Wardlaw

Get Through To You is such a great tune. Blue Rodeo are quite an underrated band (but anybody who knows me knows my feelings on Blue Rodeo quite well). Gonna have to pull out Nowhere To Here now…

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