Don't Misunderstand! Or Else!

Quickly now- let's have another brief blast from the most recent mix, which includes the song below.



Turns out this was in Kill Bill:
do not recall.

I of course did not pinch my version from some Quentin Tarantino-sanctioned mix.
I do the sanctioning around here, thanks.
Instead, I found this song by what you might call the "lost-wax casting method". That is the "method" whereby one seeks records, sees records, and gets divinely inspired to snap some particular one up. In this case, inspiration struck because of this fairly intriguing record cover.



Will it be Canticles for Catholics? (Santa = Saint)
Cha-Cha, or (Two-to-) Tango?
Spanish Goth for Goya fans? (check the "Castlevania" style font)
Erotic fiction en Espagnol?

More apt pictures, here:









I think this song may have launched Ruth and I into a long little game: in which songs does the singer name herself/himself?
(An example: in "What My Woman Can't Do Can't Be Done" by Jerry Lee Lewis, he says, "If ever there's been a baby/ Jerry Lee has found him one")

No hip-hop obviously -that wouldn't be a challenging game- unless maybe you had to rap the line yourself, and actually do a decent job of it.

And since you are listening to the above song already, you probably can see the related event in that song. In probably the only lyrical derivation from the Animals' track (originally written for Nina Simone- who knew?),
a line is (for no clear reason) added: "Oh, Esmeralda". I imagine that is who he does not wish to be misunderstood by?
Anyhow, since he says "Esmeralda", and the band's name is "Santa Esmeralda", you know, it got me thinking.

Any other examples of singers naming themselves in lyrics; or saying their own band name in the lyrics? I won't say the ones we've already thought of- that way you can play the game too.
In the comments of course.

(you can still download the mix- a summery, disco-filled and disco-infused little scorcher, here- of course, it includes this song. Of Course!)

Funkin' Around: The House That Disco Built

Okay, funk a little of this through your speak's and 'phones.


This is one of the deftly selected tracks from the last mix (grab a fistful of music, including the song below, here). Now, these fellows may not appear so very cool, but I think they spent all their money recording all those instruments in the studio. And so they spent very little designing, shooting, and dressing for the record cover.

You know, it's expensive to record this many guys.
A story made super short- the expense of putting full large bands in the studio (for disco, funk, etc) was an annoyance for bands and labels alike. So, when synthesizers made it possible to sub out a few guys, and lay down an additional sound without paying an additional dude- well, synths were understandably popular.
And that is how house music is born (I told you this was the short version). Broke people (so more blacks and Latinos- less ABBA Northern European) could make disco without having to have/pay a full band (no drummer, no strings, no piano player, etc) because one person could use synths instead.

-But!- using different materials (the instruments), even if one were trying to exactly replicate an existing form (disco), will inevitably shift the form too. Disco -->(shifty synthy changey)--> House.
(dropping eggs of knowledge in the discothèque)

Now, this song is not proto-house or anything; that is not what I'm trying to claim. But the "Wedded To The Discothèque" mix I made does eventually shift from disco to more recent house. So I thought I'd throw out a condensed version of how that happened historically. How it happens on the mix is different.
Pretend you are at a wedding reception that you actually really really want to be at- I'm DJing (ahem!). After a while, though our parents have drifted away from the dancefloor, we are really just starting to get wound up.
Gotta let it loose.
So your (inimitable! inestimable! incorrigible!) DJ eases out of the Disco classics, and slips into our classics- Blur, Daft Punk, and a few dance gems that you will crown classics, once you have heard them. Check the Jesper Dahlback RMX of Fox 'n' Wolf, for instance. In fact, check out the whole track listing on the last post.

Wedded To The Discothèque

New mix, and it's essential that you download this before the 4th of July weekend is through.


"Wedded To The Discothèque"- the upbeat dancin'-pants summer mix
Track Listing:
--No Nos Pararan [Spanish-Language cover of "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now"] *** Charanga 76

Got To Give It Up (Pt 1) *** Marvin Gaye

--Funkin' Around *** Bloodstone

Tequila [cover of The Champs] *** Duane Eddy

--I Got a Woman [cover of Ray Charles, the same song Kanye West used for "Gold Digger"] *** Bobby Darin

Everybody's Trying to be my Baby *** Carl Perkins

--Sweet Caroline [cover of you-know-who, done pon Steel Drum style, seen?] *** Esso Steel Band

Hang On Sloopy *** The McCoys

--Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood [cover of The Animals- BUT!- a mad DISCO version!] Santa Esmeralda

Bad Girls *** Donna Summer

--Girls & Boys *** Blur
The Girls *** Calvin Harris

--One More Time *** Daft Punk

In Yr Underwear (Jesper Dahlback Mix) *** Fox 'n' Wolf

--Your Bmore Singing Study Mix [an unlikely Balitmore Club edit of "Your Love" by the Outfield, as in "I just want to use your love, toniiiight"] *** Roctakon

(download "Wedded To The Discothèque.zip")

You should use the joy of this mix to place a cherry on top of what ought to be an ice-cream-sundae of a weekend.
This is basically a mix in the Shower-Jamz mold. Actually, there were a few more specific considerations at the origin of this mix.
1) My b-day
2) Girls (either as ‘what girls like’, or as girl-watching during the summer), and
3) Disco.
I thought (correctly) that these three exciting elements would all call forth a very upbeat version of the summer mix.
Now, the first summer mix was a perfect example of a particular side of summer- that wistful, utterly relaxed summer feeling.

But there is another side of summer…
staying out all night,
going to parties after you’ve gone to a BBQ after you've gone swimming,
drinking “summer drinks” (rum and tequila, citrusy, light beer in 10 oz cans and 8 oz bottles- drinks you don’t normally drink, but which go down “champion style” in the summer),
running in flip-flops (including these flip-flasks),

and so forth.
That is this mix. And you gon’ luv it.
Ah, but I digress like a mamma-jamma. Girls, Birthdays, and Disco morphed together, constituting a new theme….

Wedding Madness! This is actually a mix-theme matheme I pondered before. What would be the formula necessary to craft make a mix with
1) all the fun of good wedding receptions;
2) While cutting the cheese out (sorry, no jokey-pants modern country songs, like “Save a Horse- Ride a Cowboy”; no thanks); very difficult, but oh-so-essential, to making disco excellent
3) And still maintaining the songs that “old people wanna dance to, too”. Which would be largely, not exclusively, the disco classics- “Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now”, Yeah!.
And I stumbled upon the solution. Take two girls, add one cup (heh) of disco, and shake it all together, on MY BIRTHDAY!
Do you now believe my frequent claim, that I am one divinely inspired, as was Socrates? Except his daimon only told him not to do certain things, whereas my daimon positively brings that hot fire in mix form. My guiding divine daimon likes to party down.
So, yes, I am what Nietzsche called for, waited for, hoped for: that Musical Socrates. Pleased to meet me, aren’t you?

Download that there mix

I Know I Done Wrong

Songs like the following are why i have grown steadily more interested in old country and western music of late. A real story in the lyrics (not just words about some things that merely happened); and sad beautiful. Like watching a big ship, slowly sinking into the sea, in a film.
(not like "Titanic", you dope)



There are infinite good versions of this song. Like much C 'n' W music, it's based on songs that are so old, nobody can tell just who "originally" wrote them. Even professors don't know, and dude trust me, professors KNOW IT ALL.
Marty Robbins has my favorite version- that's why it's playing now- but I just copped another version by Elton Britt with the Zeke Manners' Band. The song-writing credits on the Britt record say "Manners", which got me wondering if ol' Zeke originally wrote the song; but no. Must've just arranged it or sumtin.
Now this song tugs on the old heartstrings more nearly every time I hear it. I SING this song, do you see? You realize what it takes to get me singing, out LOUD?? A pretty special song, that's what it takes (or a fair bit of coffee).

I'd wager that this song is more sad and touching than even Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia", no mean feat.

Recall that I posted (way yonder) re: a band called Salem, and their version of "S of P"? Well, their album is coming out late
summer, very exciting. I'm even going to PURCHASE it. You can download a track of theirs here, at XLR8R.com.
See how I draw all this together? I'm a very special man, aren't I?

Some Bodies Have Organs

All right, the archive extends- Part Two- the second half of records I bought last trip to West Philly.


Charlie Rich, singing about 'The Most Beautiful Girl in the World'


Elton Britt: The Wandering Cowboy. His band probably is not wandering too far; there is plenty of honky-tonk organ in this.
Surely, you can drag your slide-steel, your banjo across the country- but not your Wurlitzer.

"My Organ is too BIG!"

This is my record's cover:
(I sort of wish this was the cover:)



Jose Melis Plays the Latin Way. His album before this is titled Senior Prom!

Don't know much of anything about this/him yet.


Beatles '65, Older B's stuff. I can't hardly be bothered to listen to most Beatles' stuff, for various reasons. This, however, is good.

Chuck Berry covers, Birth-of-Rock-n-Roll kind of stuff, which, if you've been downloading my mixes, you know is my passionate attachment lately. ("IF?") I think the first Beatles Anthology has different versions of a lot of these songs.

Lou Rawls Merry Christmas Ho! Ho! Ho! and an Al Green Xmas album. The Rawls is solid- even behind a veil of ignorance (...) you would recognize that.

The Rev. Green's Xmas, though, is basically a bag of coal.
I would wear the hell outta that suit above, btw.

Richie Havens Mixed Bag

Quite Good, one of the real discoveries of this music-spelunking trip.

Charlie Rich Silver Fox.

Check the sweet Fox Logo!
Does a very odd 'medley' on the first side. In which he discusses his bio (including his many musical shifts- from Jazz, to Rock 'n' Roll, to Country), cracks a few 'jokes', etc. In between the spoken bio bits, he plays newly-recorded versions of his most famous songs, usually just the chorus and a verse. Why does he do this? I haven't the foggiest, frankly.

Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

A little mellow for my normal listening tastes, but real slow burn soulful heavenly stuff. Perfect for relaxed cooking, doing the dishes, a light summer rain outside, etc. (I know all that does not sound like high praise, but I'm trying to describe the mood that would make you put this record on- it is much more enjoyable than washing the dishes.)
Unfortunately, the first two tracks- on both sides- are all warped to hell. So I can only listen to about 60% of this album.
Pffffffff.

I Ain't Square; I Just Like To Share

I'm your Sponsor; I Buy-Buy-buy (records).
Charlie and I went to Slought Foundation. Both of us, not to put words in his mouth, were underwhelmed by the exhibit that we went to see. But both were 'whelmed' by the other exhibit, archival footage from '60s of teachers/students in the British education system. Sounds boring; my apologies- to split the difference,
here are some exciting records that I bought while we were in West Philly.


The Stylistics: Pieces

And what did I buy this time?.....

Isaac Hayes Live at the Sahara Tahoe. Cover has cutout folds; they open like the doors of the theater; opening, of course, onto a picture of Isaac Hayes on stage.




Better still, inside, is this spread.


(Sidenote- one really nice thing about being a little sick, is all the soup and tea you get to consume. Not generally a big fan of Minestrone soup, but I am killing a bowl of it right now at the cafe.)

Eric "Slowhand" Clapton: On White/ Something I might could maybe try to sell.

White vinyl; 'Cocaine' and other big songs on there; promo/DJ/radio copy, so maybe 'rare'.

Vicki Sue Robinson 12". Still sealed, which, normally, who fucking cares. But... used copies of this 12" sell for around $10-$40 online, although I'm not entirely sure (is this a reissue, explaining why it is sealed? etc). I don't particularly want to get into the hustle of selling/swapping records, but eventually... it probably will have to happen.
If I do start selling records, I will take the title of this blog for a motto... "I Ain't Square, I Just Like To Share".
Vicki Sue Robinson is well known for "Turn The Beat Around".

Stevie Wonder Presents Syreeta. Not that impressive.
More fun is Jay Z's recent line, at a show, that his mother was going to be so proud of him, because Steive Wonder was sticking around some festival, just to hear Jay Z's set.

The Stylistics: Round 2. Great Album Cover.

Perhaps only one song that I really like on it though; that is the song to which you've been listening.

I've already written the second half of this blog- check out this space on Monday for the continuation...

I Fought the Road- and the Road Won

One more from the Summer mix... more mixes in the pipeline too. Going to make one about girls, one very disco-y, and one about my birthday.

The mix re: my birthday may involve songs about bikes, since I fell off my bike while riding to get my birthday presents.
Falling = fighting the road and losing
Damage = minimal cos I'm tuff

(That is my arm- look at my Popeye-ass forearms. What can I say- I invented muscle!)
Presents = DVD player and new CD/DVD burner for computer
-- {both stopped working months ago- I was utterly without lazerz in my house : laserless}
-- {but no longer: thanks Mom and Dad!}

Bobby Fuller Four: "I Fought The Law"

( Various versions can be found here )



Here is the original version of Bobby Fuller Four's "I Fought The Law". Well, theirs is the original; this is a sweeeeeeet live version.
Except on old TV, so, probably not really even live. I dunno; old stuff is fun, but confusing, yeah?
One of the Four is sitting on a (prison-style) bunk bed; there is a woman in a cell, but dancing; the warden eventually starts dancing; etc etcet etcetera...

Oh, and you probably want to see my wound again:


You know the expression "Zounds!" (it is used much like "Gadzooks!")?
It's short for "God's Wounds"; lotsa expressions are just not-really swearing substitutions for for-real curses. I mean, even 'curse' is the word for bad words, because heathens used to invoke their gods in order to destroy their enemies. You used to curse when you wanted someone destroyed, essentially.

When you wanted them smote with holy hellfire, justly turned to dust.

And that reminds me- a girl stepped out in front of me on this fateful bike ride
(on purpose)
(before I fell)
and then when I said "YO!"
(honestly said just that)
because I nearly hit her
(but didn't - I'm a real aware rider, okay? My control is super-right)
she then replied, "You on a bike, Bitch!"
(which can be interpreted in various ways)
-- {as, 'you are a little bitch because you are on a bicycle- what are you, ten?'}
-- {or as, 'I can step out in front of you, because, Rock Paper Scissors style, walker beats biker')

So I think she cursed me. I sure the hell cursed afterwards.

One for the Road (heh) : Live (really live) Clash version too:

Suicide, By Machete- I Are The One

Oh, some art things are coming up that are total musts.


Klute- We R The Ones (Remix). Relased on the stellar Commercial Suicide label. You'll see why I chose this in a sec.

Slought Foundation is doing this project where they are displaying all these mysterious objects. At one time, they were part of a sort of foreign travel/foreign commerce edutainment thing at this old 'Commercial Museum'. The Commercial Museum, for various reasons, got phased out.... committed suicide, you might say....
but they were in possession of all these random artifacts. So Slought is displaying them.

They're foreign.
Old.
and WTF-y.
Somewhat like this:

Or like the book I have of Chinese paintings of the Life of Christ.

Read more about the exhibit at Slought; there is much more to it then I am saying here.

Did I mention that you can borrow some of the pieces?
Do you realize how much more awesome inexplicable artifacts I could add to my house with this deal?

So let's go to that soon, yeah? We only have until June 12th.

Also, we are already going to Marginal Utility's First Friday. Marginal Utility also puts out the Machete zine/periodical/provocation.


And, Vox Populi is in the same building as Marginal Utility, so we all slip from one floor to the other throughout the eve. Always a good time; I'll see you there.