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Friday Random Ten
Mar. 30th, 2007 11:36 amProbably no Friday Cat Blogging during Friday proper today -- we're borrowing a camera tonight, so I'll probably take some new photos later of the monsters (especially to show off Hooker's floppy new ear) and put them up tomorrow.
Still feel the need to continue with the Random Ten though:
1. "Misirlou" - Rabbi Nuftali Zvi Margolies Abulafia - downloaded
Best known now for the Dick Dale surf guitar version heard to great effect at the start of Pulp Fiction, this lovely melody has a storied history going back to 1927 which can be read HERE. The Wikipedia article barely touches on the Yiddish/Klezmer versions that popped up in the 1930s, though this version (apparently recorded by the great Harry Smith) is discussed in the notes. I also have Yiddish versions recorded by the late singer Seymour Rexite (who I was lucky enough to speak with on the phone briefly - we had a mutual friend - about his old friend, clarinetist Dave Tarras) and by a 1940s black vocal group.
I'd love to see/hear this version replace the Dick Dale in Pulp Fiction sometime . . . it would still work somehow -- Amanda Plummer: "Any a you motherfuckers move, I'll execute every last fucking one a ya!" [freeze frame] Ancient-sounding voice of Rabbi Abulafia: "Vayt in dem midbar, Fun heyser zin farbrent!"
2. "I Got To Find My Baby" - The Beatles - Live at the BBC
Spiffy little Chuck Berry number pulled out in 1963 for one of their BBC radio programs. Much harder than most of their work from that time; much closer to what you'd find on The Rolling Stones' first few singles/EPs. Probably a lot closer to their Hamburg time. Good stuff. Lucky for them they didn't keep playing quite like this.
3. "Allah Wakbarr" - Ofo The Black Company - World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love's a Real Thing
Psychedelic fusion-funk-african. Makes you wanna move. Makes you wanna shout. Love it.
4. "Lovely Lady" - Phluph - Phluph
Quirky late-60s pop-psychedelia. I probably like this stuff more than I should, but nothing sounds like this any more. It has a joy and fun to it. Even at its most serious, there is a sense of "play," of exciting experimentation (often beyond the skills of the players, which is enjoyable in its own way). Swirls of organ and overdubbed harmonies, faux-"classical" bits with sub-Mothers of Invention breakdowns and dissonance. Just fun to hear.
5. "Harlem Nocturne" - New York Ska Jazz Ensemble - Harlem Nocturne x 23 1/2
Ah, one of the other songs I have an insane number of versions of (besides "Misirlou), this one courtesy of a mix disk from my dad, thanks dad! Now all I need is versions of "Hey Joe" and "Louie Louie" to come up.
This is "Harlem Nocturne" done, as the group's name would suggest, in ska fashion, well, and a bit loping. That pretty much sums it up.
6. "Tuff" - Ace Cannon - Orgy of the Dead
From the soundtrack made up by Frank Cwiklik for his and Trav S.D.'s original stage version of the Ed Wood-penned nudie film (we did this at the late, lamented Surf Reality; I played The Werewolf). Frank made up a CD soundtrack (with massive crackles and surface noise) of the songs the girls danced to in the show -- great obscure 60s rock instrumentals.
Good, slow, quiet sax-led piece. Too quiet. I have to turn up the volume on this track sometime.
7. "Sister Sleep" - Rasputina - Thanks for the Ether
Berit got me into this group - three women singing and playing cellos, with drums. Alternately beautiful and lyrical or sharp and nasty. Really good versions of "Brand New Key" and "Why Don't You Do Right?" My favorite of theirs is their original song "Transylvanian Concubine," which was used (effectively) on an episode of Buffy.
This is one of the sweeter, prettier ones on the album. Berit and I need to get some other stuff from this group. But I always think that when I hear this album and then I forget.
8. "Bojkotta Coca-Cola" - Absurd - Absurd 7" EP
Scandinavian hardcore punk. Brings back high school years (except for the Scandinavian part). I do love some of the hardcore (this is great) but where the hell was I hearing it in my high school years? Punk friends? Probably. I didn't own almost any, so that must be it.
9. "Downtown (in French)" - Petula Clark - Foreign Language Fun, Vol. 1
I now have a lot of English-language hits sung in foreign languages by the original artists, but Petula may be the queen with this number, which I think I have her doing not only in French (which kinda works - her accent sounds pretty good to me), but in German, Italian, and Spanish ("Downtown" always remains "Downtown" however, no matter what language, just accented differently). I've grown to like this silly song through the multiple multilingual versions that keep coming up. Something's wrong with me.
10. "The Soul of My Suit" - T.Rex - Dandy in the Underworld
At a certain point, I just run out of things to say about T.Rex. It's Bolan, it sounds like Bolan, it's great. Any T.Rex song makes me smile when I hear it come up on random. It always feels like an old friend I haven't seen in a long time that's blown back into town.
Some promos up soon . . .
Still feel the need to continue with the Random Ten though:
1. "Misirlou" - Rabbi Nuftali Zvi Margolies Abulafia - downloaded
Best known now for the Dick Dale surf guitar version heard to great effect at the start of Pulp Fiction, this lovely melody has a storied history going back to 1927 which can be read HERE. The Wikipedia article barely touches on the Yiddish/Klezmer versions that popped up in the 1930s, though this version (apparently recorded by the great Harry Smith) is discussed in the notes. I also have Yiddish versions recorded by the late singer Seymour Rexite (who I was lucky enough to speak with on the phone briefly - we had a mutual friend - about his old friend, clarinetist Dave Tarras) and by a 1940s black vocal group.
I'd love to see/hear this version replace the Dick Dale in Pulp Fiction sometime . . . it would still work somehow -- Amanda Plummer: "Any a you motherfuckers move, I'll execute every last fucking one a ya!" [freeze frame] Ancient-sounding voice of Rabbi Abulafia: "Vayt in dem midbar, Fun heyser zin farbrent!"
2. "I Got To Find My Baby" - The Beatles - Live at the BBC
Spiffy little Chuck Berry number pulled out in 1963 for one of their BBC radio programs. Much harder than most of their work from that time; much closer to what you'd find on The Rolling Stones' first few singles/EPs. Probably a lot closer to their Hamburg time. Good stuff. Lucky for them they didn't keep playing quite like this.
3. "Allah Wakbarr" - Ofo The Black Company - World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love's a Real Thing
Psychedelic fusion-funk-african. Makes you wanna move. Makes you wanna shout. Love it.
4. "Lovely Lady" - Phluph - Phluph
Quirky late-60s pop-psychedelia. I probably like this stuff more than I should, but nothing sounds like this any more. It has a joy and fun to it. Even at its most serious, there is a sense of "play," of exciting experimentation (often beyond the skills of the players, which is enjoyable in its own way). Swirls of organ and overdubbed harmonies, faux-"classical" bits with sub-Mothers of Invention breakdowns and dissonance. Just fun to hear.
5. "Harlem Nocturne" - New York Ska Jazz Ensemble - Harlem Nocturne x 23 1/2
Ah, one of the other songs I have an insane number of versions of (besides "Misirlou), this one courtesy of a mix disk from my dad, thanks dad! Now all I need is versions of "Hey Joe" and "Louie Louie" to come up.
This is "Harlem Nocturne" done, as the group's name would suggest, in ska fashion, well, and a bit loping. That pretty much sums it up.
6. "Tuff" - Ace Cannon - Orgy of the Dead
From the soundtrack made up by Frank Cwiklik for his and Trav S.D.'s original stage version of the Ed Wood-penned nudie film (we did this at the late, lamented Surf Reality; I played The Werewolf). Frank made up a CD soundtrack (with massive crackles and surface noise) of the songs the girls danced to in the show -- great obscure 60s rock instrumentals.
Good, slow, quiet sax-led piece. Too quiet. I have to turn up the volume on this track sometime.
7. "Sister Sleep" - Rasputina - Thanks for the Ether
Berit got me into this group - three women singing and playing cellos, with drums. Alternately beautiful and lyrical or sharp and nasty. Really good versions of "Brand New Key" and "Why Don't You Do Right?" My favorite of theirs is their original song "Transylvanian Concubine," which was used (effectively) on an episode of Buffy.
This is one of the sweeter, prettier ones on the album. Berit and I need to get some other stuff from this group. But I always think that when I hear this album and then I forget.
8. "Bojkotta Coca-Cola" - Absurd - Absurd 7" EP
Scandinavian hardcore punk. Brings back high school years (except for the Scandinavian part). I do love some of the hardcore (this is great) but where the hell was I hearing it in my high school years? Punk friends? Probably. I didn't own almost any, so that must be it.
9. "Downtown (in French)" - Petula Clark - Foreign Language Fun, Vol. 1
I now have a lot of English-language hits sung in foreign languages by the original artists, but Petula may be the queen with this number, which I think I have her doing not only in French (which kinda works - her accent sounds pretty good to me), but in German, Italian, and Spanish ("Downtown" always remains "Downtown" however, no matter what language, just accented differently). I've grown to like this silly song through the multiple multilingual versions that keep coming up. Something's wrong with me.
10. "The Soul of My Suit" - T.Rex - Dandy in the Underworld
At a certain point, I just run out of things to say about T.Rex. It's Bolan, it sounds like Bolan, it's great. Any T.Rex song makes me smile when I hear it come up on random. It always feels like an old friend I haven't seen in a long time that's blown back into town.
Some promos up soon . . .
