Old reggae covers of old country songs are a trip. This 1972 recording of Johnny Cash’s story song moves the setting to Jamaica, where the cowboy named Billy Joe becomes a young stupid boy named Joe and the dusty cowpoke is a big dread man. This is a very different, and very cool, way to hear a classic country song…. Read more »
I was talking with a friend today and Sweet came up. While “Ballroom Blitz” and “Fox on the Run” are the best known tunes from their glam period, this has always been one of my favorites.
Song: GazzelloniArtist: Eric DolphyAlbum: Out to Lunch It is a testiment to both the Beastie Boys’ greatness and my stupidity (not to mention my short-term memory loss) that when this song began, I thought it was one of the Beastie’s instrumental tracks. Eric Dolphy was an incredible musician, and if you think flute is lame, just listen to what he… Read more »
Song: Give Your Body Up to the MusicArtist: Billy NicholsAlbum: Larry Levan’s Classic West EndThis song might not cause you to rethink your opinions on disco, but if it doesn’t at least make you tap your feet, you’re probably dead.
In 1979, the Stones were between the bad, yet overrated Some Girls and the downright awful Emotional Rescue. Lucky for fans of 60s holdover bands, the Kinks took a break form making good music to record Low Budget. It’s pretty much a complete throw away…except for this little gem.
Song: ActionArtist: SweetAlbum: Best of Sweet If you can get past the fact that it sounds like it was recorded in a tin can and played back on an AM transistor radio from Radio Shack circa 1975, it’s a pretty awesome song.
Song: Send Me an AngelArtist: Real LifeAlbum: Heartland This is perhaps a bit dated, but I’ve always liked it. It’s kind of haunting. I’m not sure that it stands head and shoulders above its over-synthed peers, but it seems to have that…something…that sets it apart. This is the original version from 1983, not the one remixed in 1988.
Song: Chimera ObscurantArtist: The Velvet TeenAlbum: Elysium bob_vinyl put this song on a mix CD he made a few years ago. It blew me away, and then I promptly forgot about it. Having it show up on shuffle was like having an old friend show up at my front door. You can hear it for free at Last.fm.
Song: Movement of FearArtist: TweakerAlbum: 2 a.m. Wakeup Call Chris Vrenna’s cover of Tones on Tails’ “Movement of Fear” starts off like fairly typical darker-than-thou swill, but cooks into a densely orchestrated stew of sound by the end of the song. This one’s a fine treat.
Song: Black Magic WomanArtist: Fleetwood MacAlbum: The Pious Bird of Good Omen I never knew this was a Fleetwood Mac song before it was a Santana song. The Mac’s version is dark and bluesy, kind of like “House of the Rising Sun.” It’s different than Santana’s version, but it’s equally as good.