The Soundtrack To My Life. 15/01/2012.

Where to begin.

I’ve been secretly putting a band together.
…Even more secretly than that, I’ve also put a second secret band together!
– I’m two timing myself with myself! (Hope I don’t find out!)
So, that makes 2 secret bands and they are so secret that even I don’t know how they’ll both eventually sound!
I’ll let you know.
Anyways, here’s what I’ve been listening to lately.
You should try to get your mits on some or all of these folks!

*
“Bad As Me”. (Deluxe Edition). (2011).
Artist: Tom Waits.
Why You Should Get It: Because Tom Waits sounds like a homicidal Jim Henson muppet! Especially on ‘Chicago‘.

*
“Let’s Dance”. (Single). (1983).
Artist: David Bowie.
Why You Should Get It: Because all Dave’s love for you, would break his heart in two.

*
“Crazy Clown Time”. (2011).
Artist: David Lynch.
Why You Should Get It: Because it’s an album by David Lynch and this is the first track.

*
“Spilt Milk”. (1993).
Artist: Jellyfish.
Why You Should Get It: Because Jellyfish were one of the best bands of the 1990’s and nobody even seems to mention them these days which is criminal because LISTEN TO THIS and then THIS!

*
“Crumb” (Original Soundtrack). (1991).
Artist: Various.
Why You Should Get It: This is old time music selcted by Robert Crumb himself from his own personal collection. Back then, people used to put their lives and souls into the songs they wrote.
Every cut on this record is a one of a kind gem and this is probably my favourite.

*
“Middle Of Everywhere”. (2011).
Artist: Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three.
Why You Should Get It: Pokey LaFarge can do no wrong for me so I don’t care if you get this or not because I have it and that’s good enough.

*
“Yes I’m A Witch”. (2007).
Artist: Yoko Ono.
Why You Should Get It: Because you probably just think Yoko Ono is about breaking up The Beatles and screaming but really, you’ve never even heard one of her songs and have no idea about how far ahead of everyone else she always has been.
Listen to this for starters.

*
“Rhapsody In Blue”. (1924)/(1928).
Artist: George Gershwin.
Why You Should Get It: CLICK HERE.

The Soundtrack To My Life. 20/08/2011.

Well, I’ve slowly been moving out of my flat for the past couple of days now and here are some of the records that have kept me from going mad…

Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three – “Live At The Newport Folk Festival 2010”:

Robert Crumb And His Cheap Suit Serenaders’ selt titled Debut Album (1974):

Leadbelly: “Easy Rider” (3-Disc Compilation):

Big Mama Thornton: “The Original Hound Dog” (1990):

The “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” soundtrack by Jack Nitzsche (1975):

Almost 2 years have gone by since I wandered into The Strathclyde Suite in The Royal Concert Hall and saw Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three play one of the best gigs I’ve ever seen and they are STILL one of my favourite bands right now.
Still!
I got a hold of their performance at last year’s Newport Folk Festival and it’s just as good as their studio work.
I listen to these guys a lot and the Newport performance put me right in the mood for some more oldies…

Robert Crumb And His Cheap Suit Serenaders.
– Now there’s a fucking band!
Robert Crumb is of course, THEE Robert Crumb; the World famous (and notorious) underground cartoonist and illustrator. If you think his drawings are the works of a genius, you should check out this debut album because it fits perfectly with his artwork and him and his band will take you right back to the 1920’s.
Back to when music was good and inspired and played with heart.
Back before it was cheap and disposable like most of it is now.

I’ve been playing that Leadbelly compilation up there quite a lot recently too because I don’t know how he gets his 12-string guitar to sound exactly like it does and I want to find out. I’m pretty sure it’s because he tunes real low and hits his guitar rather than plays it.

Big Mama Thorton’s version of  “Hound Dog” will always be better than Presley’s for me but this particular album has a song on it which I love just as much. It’s called “Big Mama” and I love it because it starts off like this:
“WELL…THEY CALL ME ‘BIG MAMA”BECAUSE I WEIGH 300 POUNDS!”
Big Mama Thornton is how I imagine the Woman at the top of those legs in the Tom & Jerry Cartoons to be!

I’m not moving house very far. In fact I’m moving next door to myself but that’s besides the point because moving can still drive you crazy and sometimes it’s better if you just go with it and Jack Nitzsche’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” soundtrack will take you all the way to crazy and back.
I love that soundtrack more than the six invisible penguins who helped me move my things out of the flat.
Cheers boys!

Time to lie down for a few days.
Good morning.

The Soundtrack To My Life. 22/07/2011.

Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three’s “Riverboat Soul” (2010):

The Shangri-Las’ “Myrmidons Of Melodrama” (1995):

Led Zeppelin’s “Led Zeppelin II” (1969):

Captain Clegg & The Night Creatures’ self titled album (2009):

Roy Orbison’s “Crying” (1962):

I’ve really loved Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three ever since I happened to see them play live at the Celtic Connections Festival a couple of years ago.
They’ll have you stomping the floor and occasionally shouting out “YES!” at the top of your voice.
They have a new album out called “Middle Of Everywhere” but I’ve yet to hear it.
“Riverboat Soul” is from 2009 and gets played often in my place.

The Shangri-La’s are maybe my favourite girl group behind The Chordettes and I could happily listen to them all the time.

I dug Led Zeppelin’s second album out last week because I decided that I wanted to learn “Heartbreaker” on the guitar.
I thought it would be really satisfying to be able to play that song on the guitar and it really really is!

Ever since it came out, I really liked Rob Zombie’s “Halloween II”.
No seriously, I did!
It was over the top and brutal and trippy and you know what else?
I even liked the white horse stuff in it.
Yeah that’s right, I even liked that but I only realised at the start of the week that the fictional band from the film “Captain Clegg & The Night Creatures” are an actual band! With an actual album!
Whoo Hoo!
It has “Transylvania Terror Train” on it which appeared in Rob Zombie’s film and that’s the track I’ve played most so far.
Cartoon Horror!

“Crying” is the only non greatest hits Roy Orbison album I have but you’d think it was a greatest hits collection what with all the…great…er, hits.
Actually, maybe it is a greatest hits collection.
I dunno, but it’s dark and sad and brilliant.