What are we in now, May? So it must be time for the hypothetical mix CD for January. That would be January 2005. This mix manages, I think, to cover most bases, while also being (if I may say) a damn good listen. Here goes:
The Shadows, “Scotch on the Socks”: more 60s garage than the Shadows you would know from the radio.
The Slits, “Heard It Through the Grapevine”: I never understood why this was a b-side. On my copy, “Typical Girls”, the a-side, has hardly ever been played. In an alternative universe this would have outsold Marvin Gaye hands down.
Creation Rebel, “In I Father’s House”: sonic trickery a la Adrian Sherwood. Almost everything sounds like it’s been run backwards and yet the song itself moves forward. A bit like those shots Sam Raimi managed to come up with in that Western he made a couple of years or so back.
Dr Alimantado, “Mary Lou”: conversely, this track is a lot more straightforward than we have come to expect from the good doctor.
Tim Rose, “I Gotta Do Things My Way”: this slice of soul wasn’t what I expected. I thought “Tim Rose” conjured up some kind of name recognition. Seems I was confusing this Tim with a couple of others. Such as ...
Tim Hardin, “How Can We Hang On To A Dream”: hard to imagine that I didn’t even know this song existed until a few short months ago. Now I can’t imagine how I ever managed without it.
Harry Nilsson, “All I Think About Is You”: same as I just said, only more so. Nilsson is someone who I have, clearly, misunderstood completely. I mean, “Everybody’s Talkin’”, right? But then there’s this, there’s the long version of “Jump Into The Fire”, there’s “Cowboy”, possibly the downest downer of a song I’ve ever heard. That’s four songs, four entirely different Nilssons. I better do some homework.
Scarlet’s Well, “Death”: if Bid is capable of songs this smart, well, he’s an underapprreciated genius. Which he may well be. I wish I’d listened back in the day to much more of ...
The Monochrome Set, “He’s Frank”: one particular tributary of the post-punk river got no better than this.
Junior Senior, “Shake Your Coconuts (DFA Mix)”: then, for those with short attention spans, we move into the present day (tho’ the ghost of the punk/funk arm of the post-punk diaspora isn’t far below the surface, as you would expect from the DFA crew).
Solvent, “My Radio (Mitgang Audio Remix)”: don’t know anything about this. I seem to be attracted to anything with the word “remix” in the title: which makes no sense given my otherwise purist disposition - “ah, yes, but the original was so much better”. Anyway, this has stuck, thanks to its smooth mix of Vocoder and Moroder.
Annie, “Chewing Gum (FakeID Remix)”: I got to know this; then I got to know the album version. Now I can’t make up my mind. This version certainly packs a bigger punch, but in the context of the album (which is as good as everyone has said it is) it would seem quite out of place. So the world is a better place for having both versions. And any other versions that might come along.
L’Trimm, “We Like The Cars That Go Boom”: the boys’ favourite song a while back. They are on a big Hooley Dooleys kick at the moment.
Seksu Roba, “Telephone”: studiously (in a nice way) pop, nice analog electronic sounds, heavily accented female vocals. It’s all goodness, really.
Chica and the Folder, “I’ll Come Running”: likewise, although more downtempo, but with the added selling point of being an Eno cover, not an easy thing to pull off.
Cornershop, “Valeurs Personelles”: personally, I don’t have a problem with Cornershop. This song is perhaps a bit daggy, with the sitar, corny sound effects, and French spoken-word voiceover (a la Pere Ubu’s “the book is on the table”), but the funky drummer and electric piano more than make up for it. I dare you not to be clicking your fingers by the 1:30 mark. I haven’t got our in-house translator to work on it yet, so I hope the lyrics are family-friendly.
France Gall, “Daddy da da”: you wouldn’t have to worry about naughty words in a France Gall song, especially one as joyously in-your-face as this one. (Is this a bad rip, though? It seems awfully top-heavy.)
Dykehouse, “Chain Smoking”: god I love this song. “I’m chain smoking ‘cos my heart’s broken.” Hurts, doesn’t it? Musically, just the latest in a long line of songs that couldn’t have existed without My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless”, but we’re not sick of that sound. Yet.
The Associates, “Party Fears Two (Extended Version)”: all five-plus minutes of it. A song that sent me through the emotional ringer even before I knew anything of Billy MacKenzie’s troubles. Does anyone know what “turns to shark” means?
CocoRosie, “By Your Side”: two Billie Holidays recorded in a tent surrounded by crickets, noisy birds and a drum machine. Or something.
Strawberry Switchblade, “Trees and Flowers”: lurking somewhere in the back of my mind, as I surf the mp3 blogs, is a deep pool of songs from my past. Very occasionally I stumble upon one, and my heart gives a special little kick. Recent examples are “Money” by the Flying Lizards and “There Goes Concorde Again” by ... And The Native Hipsters. When “Trees and Flowers” materialised I fell off my chair, because I had, to my shame, not thought about it for many years. I loved it unconditionally at the time even though it was so far away from most of what I listened to (closer to the Moir Sisters than to Magazine) that it made the guy in the room next to mine at college scream out at me in exasperation (I had just converted him from a strict diet of classical music to the joys of the Psychedelic Furs, and now I was professing enjoyment of this pap). He remains one of my best friends. Memo to mp3 bloggers: does anyone have a copy of “Der Mussolini” by DAF?
