Monthly Archive

BS 2000’s Simply Mortified is an album that I bought on a lunch break about six years ago but over the years, had completely forgotten about. While I was packing up all my CDs for the move recently, I noticed loads of albums that I wanted to listen to again, but none more than 2001’s Simply Mortified.

BS 2000 is (or maybe was?) a side project of the Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz and West Coast-based Avery Smith, the Beasties’ tour drummer. According to their VH1 artist page, BS 2000 was “originally conceived as an east-meets-west long distance beat-trading coalition”. Their first album (1997’s BS 2000) was released in 1997 on vinyl only, through Grand Royal. I didn’t even know that album existed until this week, but apparently it was an instant hit with DJs. A few years later, I saw a video on MTV for some crazy song called “Buddy” and loved it immediately. It was goofy and charming and incredibly catchy. I didn’t realize it had anything to do with the Beastie Boys until later, when I looked them up and found the album on that lunch break.

Martin Strong’s Great Rock Discography is a great book (there I go, using those crazy books again) and a fantastic resource, but I’m not sure I agree with what Mr. Strong has to say about my beloved Simply Mortified:

Much the same fare [as the 1997 release], but with distorted vocals, fantastic scratching and less songs, at least the passion was all there if Horovitz’s and Smith’s brains were somewhere else. Many would’ve liked to dismiss BS 2000 as a sad joke or just another example of the Beastie’s ever increasing oddness – and perhaps it was, but that still didn’t diminish the fact that it was as zany, as lo-fi and as nuts as anything to grace the underground indie scene that year.”

One my biggest music-related pet peeves - I reckon you should be able to tell when a review is positive or negative, don’t you?

Some of that is true though – the songs on Simply Mortified are crazy, and some may not even completely qualify as songs exactly, but that’s what makes me love it. I’ve said it at least ten thousand times, but I always appreciate music that can’t be pinned down, genre-wise. Sometimes BS 2000 are silly rap, like the Beastie Boys making children’s music. And then sometimes they’re punk. But other times they’re roller rink instrumentals with sweet beats. I’m sure I don’t know what genre I’d classify them in – is ‘fun’ a genre?

   BS 2000 - Buddy
   BS 2000 – No Matter What Shape Your Stomach Is In
   BS 2000 – The Scrappy

Fear Of Flying are a British band that play fast, dancy, eighties pop songs. I thought the eighties were tapped out, but these guys make it sound fresh again. Their songs are a celebration of youthful debauchery and great pop music. They’ve already supported the likes of The Maccabees, Jack Peñate and Jamie T and they sound so insanely fun and catchy that they probably won’t have any problems selling their tunes to the people.

   Fear Of Flying - Forget-Me-Nots
   Fear Of Flying - Shadows
   Fear Of Flying - Three’s A Crowd

Things have been so crazy this week that I really didn’t expect to have a New Band Crush, so I wasn’t paying attention to The Stomps at first. When I finally woke up out of my caffeine haze and gave them a proper listen, I was hooked! They’re from New Zealand and they’re a cross between a more subdued version of Man Man and a theatrical, modern sea shanty band - if there is such a thing. Their MySpace claims to have these two songs from their first EP up for free, but the download thingy don’t work, so here ya go. “The Bitch Has Done It Again” is amazing, it’s an angry, roaring beast of a song about a cheating, ehm, skank. Don’t forget to download the other two (working) songs on MyStomp from their upcoming second EP, because especially “Beaumains” you won’t want to miss. Sigh, it’s times like this that make me love New Band Day so very much.

   The Stomps - The Bitch Has Done It Again
   The Stomps - One More Night

Individually, the 30-year-old DJ Yoda (aka Duncan Beiny and pictured above) and Mr. David Viner are excellent artists. The former is a DMC DJ of the Year (2001). The latter an indie-folksy-bluesman guitar player reminiscent of Eric Clapton and Leon Redbone.

The magic begins when you put these two goofy-looking London-based musicians together. They almost work better than peanut butter and jelly with bananas. And, hot damn, if they aren’t poptastic as all get out for their collaborative track on the 2006 album The Amazing Adventures of DJ Yoda. Just the right amount of hipness and cheese.

   DJ Yoda - Pussy Cat (ft Mr. David Viner)

For comparison by those unfamiliar with Mr. David Viner, here’s the title track from his 2004 This Boy Don’t Care, which has the added zest of flute-jams.

   Mr. David Viner - This Boy Don’t Care

Check out DJ Yoda and Mr. David Viner on the Intertubes.

Editor’s Note: The Bean managed to post this by writing it and having someone else send it to us for posting to 100b. That’s dedication. It’s what we do and how much we dig blogging for you.

So after moving to a whole new country and spending many hours drowning in boxes, I finally have the time and energy to scribble something down for our lovely blog. The problem is, I don’t have any of those handy internets in my new house yet. So I went old school on this post and used books. Yup, those paper things that take way longer to search through than getting information from the tubes.

All I could really use to look up chart information was Rock & Pop: Year By Year by Luke Crampton and Dafydd Rees, a great overview of popular music since 1954, like the title says, year by year. I started at the beginning - 1954, commonly believed to be the birth year of Rock ‘n Roll - and checked out the songs that held the #1 spot every 10 years. I also had a look at the amazing songs that weren’t nearly as popular yet have become classics over the years.

1954
Perry Como - Wanted
Kitty Kallen - Little Things Mean A Lot

Both of these songs held the top spot for 9 weeks. Have you ever heard of either of them? Nope, me neither. And somehow, Crew-Cuts’ “Sh-Boom” - probably the best doo-wop pop song ever - only held the spot for 7 weeks.

   Crew-Cuts - Sh-Boom

1964
The Beatles - I Want To Hold Your Hand

Number 1 for 7 weeks. Which is pretty awesome, I really can’t find any fault with that.

1974
Barbara Streisand - The Way We Were
Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun
Ray Stevens - The Streak
Paul Anka - (You’re) Having My Baby

All of these spent three weeks at number 1. The only one I even know is “The Way We Were”, which I do enjoy for the cheese factor, but there’s no way it’s better than:

   John Lennon with The Plastic Ono Band - Whatever Gets You Thru The Night

which only got to shine for one measly week. That’s just wrong.

1984
Madonna - Like A Virgin

“Like A Virgin” spent 7 weeks at the top. I’m ok with that.

1994
Boyz II Men - I’ll Make Love To You

Boyz II Men really rocked 1994. “I’ll Make Love To You” was number 1 for 14 damn weeks, which was followed by their next single, “On Bended Knee”. Lisa Loeb had a respectable 3 weeks with this 90s classic:

   Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories - Stay (I Missed You)

2002 *
Ashanti - Foolish
Nelly ft Kelly Rowland - Dilemma

These two songs spent 10 weeks at the top of the chart each, but I don’t remember that Ashanti song. Was it that one where she sang a a little and danced a little and made sultry badass faces? Hmm. Like everyone else, I liked “Dilemma”. But not as much as I liked “Lose Yourself”, which was at number 1 for 8 weeks in 2002 and I hope stayed on for at least a few more weeks into the next year.* This anthem just has to have beat out a song I can’t even remember.

   Eminem - Lose Yourself

* The book is awesome but it only goes up to 2002. Hey, I think I done pretty good for an internet-less post, even if the whole thing is a tiny bit pointless.

This one isn’t one of my recent purchases (naturally). I’m throwin’ it up since I’m listening to some stuff and catching up on some this-n-that and, snap, if Joe Budden’s “#1″ isn’t a memory jolt. Not the song itself, but what he covers.

Listen to the song.

If you were born between 1970-1975 you really (I mean really) remember exactly what he’s telling you in this track about back in the Golden Age between 1986-1992.

Mike Fox and Deloreans
Asics
Brass knuckles
New Edition
Commodore 64
Colleco
Kwame
Breakdancing (before it was retro)
Low top Converse
Flava Flav clocks
X-Clan medallions
Notes in class
When “Warm It Up Kane” was released
8-Ball jackets
Columbia rainsuits
Decepticons
Sheepskins
Two turntables and a mic
Public Enemy
The Pee Wee Herman
The Roger Rabbit
Fila
Gazelles
Kangols
Gold teeth (when it was one or two caps before grillz)
The Real Roxanne
Kool Mo Dee
Run DMC
Lord Finesse
Black Sheep
Bobby Brown (before he thugged Witney)
The Ultimate Warrior
Jimmy Fly Snooka
Knight Rider
NWA
Quincy Jones
When hip hop had a message

Damn, I think I might be getting on for sure now. I remember when they said hip hop was a passing fad.

So, hell yeah, it feels good to see hip hop say it’s #1.

Check it.

   Joe Budden - #1

And, since I’m here anyway and that’s just how I roll, “Pump It Up” a lil’ bit.

   Joe Budden - Pump It Up

I got my hands on some serious iTunes voucherage last month and bought a mountain of albums, singles, and one-offs. Now I’m not working my way through them all and bringing a few here and there to your attention (if you didn’t already know about them, that is).

The first up to bat is The EP from Frank N Dank. One music review site (not Bitchfork) actually said there were two ’serious flaws’ with Frank N Dank’s The EP - Frank N Dank. Now, I can see why these two dudes might not be what you get down with, but, damn, saying Frank N Dank are the two biggest problems with a Frank N Dank CD. That’s just cold. And unfair.

Repping Detroit, Frank N Dank (aka Frank Bush and Derrick Harvey, aka Frank Nitty and Dankery Harv) aren’t the source of uncool on their own album. In fact, the album just ain’t uncool. With Dutch producers I.N.T, Kid Sublime, and Wouda on the scene, The EP - released by Dutch label Dopeness Galore last month - is light years better than a lot of the mass-produced Shit Hop making the rounds out there. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it Touch (the site with the review I mentioned at the start of this post).

For your sampling I chose the Werkmix of “Spitkicker” because the beat is simple, stripped down, head noddin’ excellence. The original is very good, too, the Werkmix shows what you can do with so little. And, yes, I purchased the dirty version of the album, so the bleeps are intentional and part of the song.

   Frank N Dank - Spitkicker (Werkmix)
   Frank N Dank - Why?

For more, check out The Official Frank N Dank site and Frank N Dank on MySpace

The other day I felt like listening to some poppy tunes so I turned on the radio. I had a blast at first, I sang along with Christina and Justin, but then Avril Lavine ruined it with the line ‘She’s like so whatever’. Seriously?!? Good god, she’s become the Cher Horowitz of Pop. That totally ruined my pop appetite, so I turned off the radio and browsed through the free mp3s of newly added bands on 7Digital’s Indiestore instead. Before all the merriment starts I want to make clear that I am in no way affiliated with 7digital, but I would accept money from 7digital … from anyone really.

I had to wade through a pool of some scary homemade gothic rap acts, but I was surprised to come across some nice new bands too. If some of these songs sound a bit sucky, please do not adjust your set, it’s probably because they were recorded in Bobby The Bassplayer’s basement.

   Dakar Rally - Confidence Trick

These guys have a really fun London-ish Indie pop sound. That’s code for they’re most likely inspired by the likes of The Libertines and Bloc Party, but on uppers. This song is great, it makes me want to bust a move and that’s never a bad thing.

   The Operation - Sing For The People

These guys compare themselves with The Magic Numbers, but I don’t hear it … not in this song anyway. It’s a very catchy rile up the masses type of song reminiscent of Kasabian.

   The Steeples - Samples

This a medley of samples of a few of The Steeples surprisingly good songs. Geez, I tried but they make it impossible to buy full songs from them. Anyway, if you mourned the demise of Larrikin Love earlier this year and you’re in love with The Kooks and Mystery Jets, The Steeples are your band.

   The Bedroom Orchestra - Walls (Bedroom Version)

Folksy crooner with a pleasant voice in the vein of James Morrison and John Mayer. This was my favorite of the three songs he had up for free.

   The Hornblower Brothers - Courtship Prior To Coïtus

Aw, these guys sound so sweet! Can I keep them, can I? Great lyrics and a swinging, summery melody. My favoritest line is ‘It’s scary that there are really twats that read the Daily Mail and believe Pete Doherty drank from the Holy Grail’. Hee. This band is my favorite of the bunch, just for being the most adorable thing ever. They even managed to make the words ‘Al Qaeda’ sound cute!

I’m not making a political statement one or the other about the current Irag conflict or any conflict now or in the past. However, when it comes to protest songs very few equal, for me, Creedence Clearwater Revival’s 1969 “Fortunate Son” on Willy and the Poor Boys.

A song driven by the draft, support for those with fewer options fighting a far off battle, and the apparent lack of impact the Vietnam War had on the affluent and influential, “Fortunate Son” has inspired countless covers in the decades since its original release. Ample proof of its ability to inspire righteous anger and indignation among and for those doing someone else’s dirty work.

Refresh your memory with the original. After that, try out the versions by the Dropkick Murphys and Articles of Faith frontman Vic Bondi.

   Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son (1969)
   Dropkick Murphys - Fortunate Son (2003)
   Vic Bondi - Fortunate Son (2003)

A few years ago I first heard dios (malos)‘ “Starting Five” and I loved it. So when their eponymous, sophomore album came out in 2005 I picked it up along with a few other CDs. I listened to it twice and then sadly it got buried under a big, fat pile of new music. The only song that lingered in my brain was the single “I Want It ALL” because it’s so darn catchy. Everytime I flipped by the CD I thought ‘I should listen to it again … but not right now’, so thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster for Backtrack! Now that I’ve listened to it again, I feel really bad that I ignored it so long, because they’re lovely. They make layered indie pop that bounces between Blur and The Beatles, with a summery sweetness that makes you want to jump in a fountain and go La Dolce Vita crazy.

The song that made me want to buy the CD:

   dios (malos) - Starting Five

A B-side I had hidden in a folder:

   dios (malos) - Dumb After All

The first song that caught my ear:

   dios (malos) - I Want It ALL

My favorite song off dios (malos):

   dios (malos) - Grrrl…

They just finished recording their new record and this time I definitely won’t wait two years to give it the time of day. Listen to more songs on dios (malospace).

The last home-recorded and -produced releases we heard from Maps (aka James Chapman) were singles-only, “Start Something” and “To The Sky” (2005) and “Lost My Soul” and “Sparks In The Snow” (2006). Now, the Northamptonshire lad has released his debut full-length album, We Can Create, 11 tracks (including “To The Sky” and “Lost My Soul”) put together with participation from Valgeir Sigurdsson (production for Bjork) and Ken Thomas (mixing for Sigur Ros).

Breathy and throwback in style, the album reminds me of Electronic without the oompf and drive. (Some will scoff and laugh at that, coming up with much better musical roots for Maps. But, I don’t pretend to know about all kinds of music. I simply point out artists, albums, and songs you might want to know about and purchase.) This description of Maps is not, by any means, meant to bash the effort. We Can Create is smooth and easy to listen to. For some it will feature as a full album listen. For others it will serve as quality mix material or will be shuffled in with other music to change the tempo and feel.

All in all, well worth a sample and follow up.

   Maps - So Low, So High

And, of course, you can check out MapSpace for more.

Most people just know The Knack from “My Sharona”, as do I. It was a hit in 1979 and then again in 1994 thanks to Reality Bites and it has been covered by numerous bands. I love that the girl on the cover with the hair and the nipples is the actual Sharona who inspired Doug Fiedler to write the song! This and John Lennon’s “Oh Yoko” are my favorite ‘tribute to my girlfriend’ songs. It must be so cool to have such a fan-friggin’-tastic song, with that ridiculously hot riff written for you. I mean Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” is sweet and all, but you know she had to have been supa dupa fly to inspire a song like “My Sharona”.

   The Knack - My Sharona

Ever since I first saw Reality Bites I’ve wanted to dance eighties stylee at a gas station. Check out the clip here:

This post goes out to Bean, may there be no more big boxes in her future … except the ones filled with presents. Here’s another song for ya, B. See you soon!

   Herman Dune - I Wish That I Could See You Soon

Music nerds and magazines everywhere are celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the release of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band this month, so I thought it’d be cool to see what was going on in the singles charts forty years ago. 1967 was a big year in music, not only did The Beatles’ most critically acclaimed album come out that year in June, but The Velvet Underground’s debut album was released in March, Jimi Hendrix lit his first guitar on fire (and burned his hands, he perfected this stunt in later shows), The Stooges formed and played their first ever concert, The Beach Boys’ record company pulled the plug on SMiLE after Brian Wilson couldn’t bring himself to finish the project, Elvis married his Priscilla, Brian Epstein and Otis Redding died - Redding had just recorded “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay” two days earlier and Jeff Tweedy, Billy Corgan, Noel Gallagher and Kurt Cobain were born that year.

Here are the top 20 most popular singles of 1967:

20. Topol - If I Were A Rich Man
19. Petula Clark - This Is My Song

This list is filled with songs that make you go ‘Oooh yeeeah’, you kinda know these songs but who and when and what is not really clear. These two songs belong in that category, I sort of remember the melodies and even a lalala after the ‘if I were a rich man’ line, but I have no idea why.

18. The Beatles - All You Need Is Love

The happy closing song of the Magical Mystery Tour album and The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Marianne Faithfull, Keith Moon and Graham Nash sang along on this historical first-ever live, international, satellite television broadcasting. A complex song with a simple message. It made such an impact and was number one for 27 weeks, so I expected it much higher up in the chart. Every single person and their mother has shared their opinion about the massive impact The Beatles have made, so I won’t bore you with my unhealthy love for the band.

17. Vince Hill - Edelweiss
16. The Tremeloes - Silence Is Golden
15. The Bee Gees - Massachusetts

Decca chose The Tremeloes over The Beatles when they auditioned them on the same day. It may seem like a blunder now … because it is. BUT this song is really great.
Brian Epstein, the original fifth Beatle passed away a few days after he told the Bee Gees that this song was beautiful and it would be a big summer hit. It became number one in the UK and it launched the brothers Gibb’s career.

14. Keith West - Excerpt from A Teenage Opera
13. Vicki Carr - It Must Be Him
12. The Mamas & The Papas - Dedicated To The One I Love

Oo I’ve posted about The Shirelles version of this song, because it’s one of my favorite poptastic tunes! The Mamas & The Papas version is sweeter and more polished and suits their voices beautifully, but I still prefer The Shirelles.

11. Frank & Nancy Sinatra - Somethin’ Stupid
10. The Monkees - I’m A Believer
09. Procol Harum - Whiter Shade Of Pale

Ah, three wonderful songs in a row. The recent popularty of the cover of “Somethin’ Stupid” by Nicole Kidman and Robbie Williams, the frequent use of the Monkees’ songs in movies and the prominent place “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” gets in every single Greatest Classic Hits chart is proof that you can’t beat a good, solid pop hit.

08. Frankie Vaughan - There Must Be A Way

Hey, Frankie Vaughan wasn’t just a singer, he also negotiated a truce between teenage gangs in Glasgow. Check out this excellent news segment from the 1960’s about the Glasgow Gangs Peace Talk. Apparently Frankie Vaughan - ‘himself a product of streetgangs’ - got through to the kids by ‘talking sense’. It ends saying ‘If a singer can achieve so much, surely world leaders with all their experience can do more.’ One would think so …

07. Tom Jones - I’ll Never Fall In Love Again

The man is unstoppable, at the age of 67 he is still touring and recording! This song is a karaoke classis and it probably still is the cause of many-a airborn panty at his concerts.

06. Sandie Shaw - Puppet On A String

The 1967 winner of the Eurovision Song Contest. I usually can appreciate campy, cheesy, bad pop but I really can’t stand this song, though neither could Sandie Shaw herself.

05. Scott McKenzie - San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hear)
04. Anita Harris - Just Loving You

Aw, I just love the part in “San Francisco” where everything but the bass and Scott’s voice goes quiet. The hippie anthem of the famous 1967 Summer Of Love and still one of my favorites on any ‘Remember The Sixties’ CD. I never heard of the number four single, but I only know Anita Harris’ lovely “Clapping Song”.

03. Engelbert Humperdink - The Last Waltz
02. Engelbert Humperdink - There Goes My Everything
01. Engelbert Humperdink - Release Me

Holy Humperdink, he sure was popular in 1967. I don’t really get the appeal, but in keeping with the Beatles anniversary that started this all, “Release Me” kept “Strawberry Fields Forever” off the number one spot, so who am I to criticize such a tour de force.

Thanks for traveling 40 years back in time with us and as a reward here is an incredible version of the number 18 song of 1967, the additional track from MOJO’s tribute Sgt. Pepper … With A Little Help From My Friends:

Echo & The Bunnymen - All You Need Is Love

You can catch the second half of the BBC radio sessions featuring contemporary artists like Oasis, Kaiser Chiefs The Magic Numbers and many more, and their take on the Sgt. Pepper songs of their choosing 16 June.

An international move is in the works and for the past week I’ve been sitting in my empty apartment and sleeping on an air mattress, eating take out, sandwiches, cookies, various chip-type foods, watching weak television on a small, old set, and surfing the Internet when a public wireless connection allows. I’ve completely lost track of time and days, despite the television and Internet.

Here’s an illustration of what being in this empty apartment and rarely leaving is doing to me.

I participate in a simulation baseball league and run the games every Wednesday, almost like clockwork unless I warn everyone in advance. The Swiss might be able to set their clocks using me instead of some secret alien atomic clock. Not this week. I woke up Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday. Seeing the wireless connection was working I decided to run the games and upload them. I only realized it wasn’t game day when I checked later and a few people pointed out - with justifiable indignation if you know competitive simulation baseball - I’d run the games 30 hours early and could have given them a bit of notice. Of course, I felt like a dumbass because we don’t re-run games. History is history, come what may. Anyway, someone in the forum said it sounded like I could be having a Captain Benjamin Willard Apocalypse Now experience.

I think that strikes the right chord.

So, to complete my point (finally), I lost track of the days again yesterday, not realizing a) it was Wednesday and b) I was scheduled for Soundtrack Day. I think I’m losing my mind. This is probably a time warp, days are jumping around and getting lost. Definitely a case for “Mulder And Scully” from Catatonia’s International Velvet (1998).

   Catatonia - Mulder And Scully

So you may have heard by now that Starbucks’ label Hear Music and Paul McCartney are in bed together. The Starbucks staff has had to listen to Sir Paul’s latest on a loop ALL day to promote the release. How special for them. I don’t get the whole Starbucks goes music enterprise anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good caramel latte as much as the next person, but since when are distributors of over-priced, flavored coffee experts on music? I wonder how long it’s gonna take for other chains to say if ‘Starbucks can do it, well gosh darned, so can we!’ Before you know it the Kings of fast food and popular horror novels - Burger and Stephen respectively - will combine their powers and put out a Double King special with a Whopper of a suspense novel. Or Madonna will promote her next tour at a popular Swedish clothing store … oh. Some might misinterpret this brilliant marketing move as a sign that music is indeed nothing more than another mass-produced product to be sold along side hot beverages and skinny-fit faded jeans. Of course they’d be wrong, it’s a soulful art that needs to reach the broadest audience possible so artists like Paul McCartney won’t starve.

One guy interviewed on CNN said that people were tired of going all the way to the music stores to buy CDs. That makes me sad. I wonder what it means as an artist when people can’t be bothered to pick up your albums unless it’s right there at the counter of their local coffeeshop. Anyway, you can now spruce up your coffee break with a banana bran muffin and Paul’s new CD Memory Almost Full.

   The White Stripes - One More Cup Of Coffee

When you get release sneak peaks there’s a secret unspoken hope it’s something you’d want to buy anyway. Making it a gift of sorts. It doesn’t always happen. In fact, more often than not, it’s like you opened a Christmas present and Santa really did bring you a lump of coal.

No lumps of coal when 100b got a knock on the door and were handed access to a few Iller Than Theirs tracks from the upcoming ILLer Than Theirs.

Tone Tank and Krayo hail from Embedded by way of Brooklyn NYC and are part of the Nuclear Family. Produced by J. Howells Werthman - with beats from Junk Science’s Snafu and appearances from Nuk Family fellows, as well as Jah-C from The Project and Masta Ace (both from Glow In The Dark Records) - their debut, ILLer Than Theirs, will drop when the leaves turn gold and brown later this year. Keep an ear to ground.

On “It Is What It Is” Cool Calm Pete (also on Embedded and Definitive Jux) glides in to make a typically smooth appearance. This is underground, my friend. Sah-weet-tah.

   Iller Than Theirs - It Is What It Is (ft Cool Calm Pete)

Go see if your space is IllerThanTheirSpace.

Okay, whoever has the fucking basketball just give it back already.

Damn.

And, before this gets out of hand, no, the photo is the not the basketball in question.

In honor of both having to wait only 14 more days for Icky Thump and my very favorite of the old-timey bluesmen, I’m here to bring you two amazing blues songs and two amazing covers.

Blind Willie McTell, like most of those blues guys, never really made any proper money and only really achieved the fame he deserved after his death. He performed under a number of different names - the best has to be Red Hot Willie Glaze - for a variety of labels, a sneaky way to get away with multiple record deals. His recording career is a labyrinth; it took me ages just to find out the dates of the two songs posted here. Thankfully, Blind Willie’s songs are available on a bunch of different collections - if you’ve never listened to him, I recommend picking one up.

Two of Blind Willie’s best songs, in my opinion, were covered by the wonderful White Stripes. I have to admit, I hadn’t really noticed exactly how violent the jealousy in “Southern Can Is Mine” really is until I read this blog post. Both Blind Willie and Jack White sing it in such a relaxed way, you don’t really hear all the stuff about beatings. “Lord, Send Me An Angel” is all about Willie’s ladies and why you shouldn’t be messing around with married womens (because their husbands will beat your ragged ass, in case you’re curious).

   Blind Willie McTell - Southern Can Is Mine (1931)
   The White Stripes - Your Southern Can Is Mine

   Blind Willie McTell - Lord, Send Me An Angel (1933)
   The White Stripes - Lord, Send Me An Angel

If you want to know more about Blind Willie McTell, visit bluesnet and read eMusic’s Spotlight article. Also, Bob Dylan scholar Michael Gray has written a book about Blind Willie, which will be out in the UK on July 2nd. Find out more about the book on the author’s blog and pre-order the book from Amazon UK.

Today is West Memphis Three Awareness Day. Make yourself aware. Recent DNA testing - agreed with the prosecution after much wrangling - have resulted in developments said to be significant and could mean a new trial.

Learn more about the facts and news in the case at the West Memphis Three site and contribute to the WM3 Support Fund.

If you think it couldn’t happen to you - think again. It can. It has. It does.

   Black Flag - Rise Above

Here’s how I imagine it going down at Elektra Records.

Peon: And next on the agenda, um, the new KMD album.

Executive: Is it good?

Peon: It sure is.

Executive: What’s it called?

Peon: Black Bastards.

Executive: What? That could be a problem. Let me see the cover.

(Peon hands album mockup to Executive)

Executive: Jesus H. Christ on fire! Fuck that bullshit! We’ll be massacred! Pull it!

In my head I see the reaction being similar to the apoplectic fit Flick’s mother goes into in A Christmas Story. You know, when Ralphie’s mother tells her Ralphie learned the eff-bomb from Flick. Unfortunately, the Elektra decision was probably much more cold, calculated, and corporate than that.

So an excellent album by Zev Love X, DJ Subroc, and Onyx the Birthstone Kid was sent into virtual exile when Elektra decided the cover art of the follow up to Mr. Hood (1991) was just too much for this fragile world to handle. What Elektra missed out on - and Subverse picked up and released in 2001 - only began to emerge from obscurity as fans of the reborn Zev persona - MF DOOM - started diggin and dustin off in an effort to learn more about the enigmatic man in the iron mask.

If you’re accustomed to the current MF DOOM style, it may be strange (for non-3rd Bass fans) to hear his early flow. But, it’s good stuff and you really should pick up the album if you call yourself a hip hop aficionado

Dig in …

   KMD - Black Bastards
   KMD - What A Nigga Know