The Soundtrack To My Life. 18/01/2013.

Hi folks! Here are some of the records I’ve been listening to over the past few weeks…

Record: Fashion Nugget.
Artist: Cake.
Year: 1996.

Cake? What kind of a name for a band is that? I heard Cake’s ‘Frank Sinatra’ song on an episode of “The Sopranos” years ago and always liked it. I never bothered to investigate the band any further than that until last week when I got “Fashion Nugget”. They’re an okay band but I think I only like the Sinatra song…

Record: The Black Belles.
Artist: The Black Belles.
Year: 2011.

I found The Black Belles because they’re signed to Third Man Records which is home to one of my favourite bands Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three. Jack White (Of Jack White fame) is also part of Third Man and I think he even signed The Black Belles.

I like Jack White. I like to listen to him talk but his music doesn’t really do much for me. That’s okay but what’s weird is that The Black Belles do a lot for me and I know that their music sounds a lot like Jack White’s music. Strange. Maybe it’s because The Black Belles are girls. Maybe it’s because they all look great in those black hats. Maybe it’s just because they have better songs than Jack White.

I think that The Black Belles are a band to watch out for in the future!

Record: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards.
Artist: Tom Waits.
Year: Recorded 1985-2005. Released 2006.

My mate Sean go me into Tom Waits. I think it was maybe last year. I remember asking him which albums I should get and he said: “All of them. Get ALL of them.” So that’s exactly what I did.

“Orphans” is a big ballsy 3 record set and there’s something for everybody on there. This is my favourite track from the set and probably my favourite Tom Waits song in general…

Record: That’s Why God Made The Radio.
Artist: The Beach Boys.
Year: 2012.

Everybody loves The Beach Boys don’t they? How could a person not? It’s nice to see that they’re still capable of writing a good tune when they want to…

Record: Live At The Meadowlands.
Artist: Frank Sinatra.
Year: Recorded 1986. Released 2009.

Frank Sinatra Live At The Meadowlands is such an incredibly good recording that I can’t even find any videos to represent it on Youtube. If you’re even a casual Sinatra fan the you should buy this record.

Because I can’t find anything to do with it on Youtube, here’s a video of Frank recording the song “It Was A Very Good Year”…

Record: Old Ideas.
Artist: Leonard Cohen.
Year: 2012.

Y’know how Leonard Cohen’s early records were sort of mournful and acoustic? And then remember how his early 90’s records were more synthesizer based? Well “Old Ideas” is a sort of mixture of both.

Record: In The Jungle Groove.
Artist: James Brown.
Year: Recorded 1969-1971. Released 1986.

James Brown at his fonkiest!

Record: Dirty.
Artist: Sonic Youth.
Year: 1992.

Would you believe me if I told you that I only heard this record for the first time 2 days ago? I’m 31 years old. The only thing I can think of is that this record must have been very popular at the time. If something’s popular, I avoid it like the plague and then ‘discover’ it YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSS later when nobody is interested anymore. Good band that Sonic Youth!

Record: Hellbilly Deluxe II.
Artist: Rob Zombie.
Year: 2010.

Rob Zombie is never not on my MP3 player. I regularily jam this on in my ears…

Record: Flash Gordon (OST).
Artist: Queen.
Year: 1980.

Is the soundtrack to “Flash Gordon” underated? Nobody ever mentions it. I love it. I love the multi-tracked guitars, the dreamy synths and the pounding drums! I love it all! Especially this track…

Record: Doom And Gloom.
Artist: The Rolling Stones.
Year: 2012.

A solid rocker from The Rolling Bones!

Record: Live At The Harlem Square Club 1963.
Artist: Sam Cooke.
Year: Recorded 1963. Released 1985.

A (excuse my French) fucking excellent live album from Sammy here! It’s so…LIVE! I know that’s not the greatest description for a live record but I’m no writer. Obviously. Look, just listen to this:

Record:  Where Are We Now?
Artist: David Bowie.
Year: 2013.

I didn’t know what to think when I first heard David Bowie’s latest release. It’s always the same. Bowie releases something, I dunno how to take it and then 5 years later I eventually get it! I did happen to notice something about Bowie’s latest, “Where Are We Now” but before I tell you what it is, let’s see if you can spot it for yourself…

Did you spot it? When I heard the song for the first time it seemed familiar to me. But how could that be?
And then it dawned on me…

Does this mean that Ricky Gervais had a hand in writing “Where Are We Now?”

You May Also Be Interested In…
* The Soundtrack To My Life. 09/11/2012
* The Soundtrack To My Life. 21/09/2012
* The Soundtrack To My Life. 16/08/2012

The Soundtrack To My Life. 09/07/2011.

I’ve listened to a lot of albums this week and this is me recommending them all to you.

Phil Phillips’ “Sea Of Love” (2008 ):

The Complete Soundtrack to “Stand By Me” (1986 ):

Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers: “Rare Bird Alert” (2011):

Gavin Bryars: “The Sinking Of The Titanic” (2009):

Leonard Cohen: “The Future” (1992):

Fucked Up: “The Chemistry Of Common Life” (2008):

“Death Proof” (OST) – “Stuntman Mike’s Mix” (2007):

If I’m listening to anything at night, it’s usually a radio show or something old or something spooky.
This week it was all three in the form of “An Evening With Boris Karloff And His Friends” (2011):

Musically, I’ve had a pretty good week.
I also listened to The Arctic Monkeys’ latest album “Suck It And See” but frankly (And I like The Arctic Monkeys), it bored the arse off me and that’s as much of a mention as I’m gonna give it on here.

My favourite music comes from the 50’s and I always have some old records at hand just incase modern music decides to completely disappear all the way up it’s own backside. That said, “The Chemistry Of Common Life” marks the first I’ve heard from Fucked Up. Good name for a band that eh?
I liked it enough and although they don’t sound as fucked up as I thought they would (Iggy Pop), I think I’m probably gonna buy their latest.

Have fun if you track down any of these recommendations and let me know how you get on.

P.S. I only ever had bootleg copy of that Boris Karloff record which was full of static and crackles but it’s been re-released and you can now buy it from Amazon for a few clams.