Mix Tape #6 - Words Not Allowed On Art Of The Mix 1 - Char!

I really like Art of the Mix. The people there are intelligent and good looking and it's a great place to find interesting music.

I'm not sure why I'm compelled to post playlists there, but I do. The sad thing is some dumbasses started uploading malicious code to the site, and now certain words are not allowed when you post. Which can lead to a really frustrating scavenger hunt.

One of the prohibited words is 'char' and, just for fun, I searched my files for those letters to see what would pop out. Surprisingly, a fun and listenable mix. Whee!

It includes Ray Charles singing "It's Not Easy Being Green." Which I've always loved. Just because I want to say, "Someone please tell him he's not green!"

Here's a youtube of it. I think the person who made it videotaped his or her tv.

Anyway. Here's the list:

Side A

1. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Love Comes In Spurts
2. The Charms - Carry Go Bring Come
3. Jorge Ben - Take It Easy My Brother Charles
4. Bored - Sweet Charity
5. Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Express Yourself
6. Richard Maltby - Man With The Golden Arm
7. DJ Scud - In The Charts Again
8. Seam - Port of Charleston
9. Charles Leonard - Funky Driver on a Funky Bus Pt. 1
10. Stereo Total - Sweet Charlotte
11. Scrawl - Charles
12. Charles Bernstein - Laying the Trap
13. Guided By Voices - (I Wanna Be A) Dumbcharger
14. The Clash - Charlie Don't Surf

Side B
1. Bill Medley - Swing Low Sweet Chariot
2. Hüsker Dü - Charity, Chastity, Prudence, And Hope
3. Rod & The MSR Singers - Richard Nixon
4. Magic Sam - Mr. Charlie
5. DI - Richard Hung Himself
6. Charlie Hunter Quartet - Teabaggin'
7. Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - Charlotte
8. Redd Kross - Charlie
9. Ray Charles - It's Not Easy Being Green
10. Nick Charles - The Three Dogwoods
11. Richard Johnston - Coal Black Mattie
12. Charlie Rich - Life Has Its Little Ups And Downs
13. Killdozer - Richard

Here.

Mix Tape #5 - Zombies Don't Surf

I have a deep and consuming love for zombie movies but, paradoxically, I only love three. I mean, 28 Days Later is ok. So is the remake of Dawn of the Dead (except for that gratuitous and completely idiotic birth scene). But I think having fully ambulatory zombies who can run is cheating. It's a lot harder to terrify the audience with a slow moving horde, and it's also a lot of fun to watch the resulting hubris that causes the living to fail.

The only three I love are Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Return of the Living Dead. I like how the first two combine the nightmare with social commentary. And I like how the third chooses instead to pit the zombies against a car load of 80's stereotypes.

Here's a nice scene from that movie where Rick James and two white guys chat with a torso they've chopped in half.

Return of the Living Dead has a fantastic soundtrack, too. And this week's entry kicks off with a song from that. There are other songs about zombies, including the odd "Night of the Living Dead Trading Cards" by Black Spot. They're a fun band. It's the lead singer of Rifle Sport who, apparently, wished he were actually singing for Ratt.

Anyway. Here it is.

Side A
1. Cramps - Surfin Dead
2. Air Miami - I Hate Milk
3. Bert Kaempfert - Mambo Mania
4. Blind Lemon Jefferson - See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
5. Dead Moon - Dead Moon Night
6. Jeffrey Lewis - If you Shoot the Head You Kill the Ghoul
7. African Head Charge - Beriberi
8. Marie Laforet - Marie Douceur, Marie Colere
9. Flesh Eaters - We'll Never Die
10. The Mob - Give It To Me
11. Whale - Hobo Humpin' Slobo Babe
12. Hank Ray & Thee Executioneers - Outlaw Kill
13. Beat Happening - Zombie Limbo Time

Side B
1. Mekons - Big Zombie
2. Amazombies - Walked Away
3. Eugene McDaniels - Supermarket Blues
4. Bonde Do Role - Geremia
5. Q-Tip - Vivrant Thing
6. Roky Erickson - I Walked With A Zombie
7. The Gossip - Drunken Maria
8. Pretty Things - S.F. Sorrow Is Born
9. Tex and the Horseheads - Oh Mother
10. Chrome - Zombie Warfare
11. Retribution Gospel Choir - Breaker
12. The Zombie Surfers - Surfin' Zombie
13. Black Spot - Night of the Living Dead Trading Cards
14. Unknown - The Gonk

Here.

Prolapse - When Space Invaders Were Big b/w Anthrax

I got this because it sounded like a great idea. No one else should touch Gang of Four's "Anthrax," really. Not Jesus. Not Led Zeppelin. It is a perfect song. Think of it as the Jesus cup in Indiana Jones 3 and then think of Prolapse as Indiana Jones. Or don't. I know it's a shitty metaphor.

Anyway. How I love them. How I'd give every penny in my bindle to fly out to Scotland or wherever they're from to see a reunion show. But this will never happen. Because I think one of them's an archaeologist or some shit now.

Oh. Wait. So it was an apt metaphor.

The surprise here for me is that the A side's the true killer, totally bringing their signature cacophony/call & response/brogue vs. siren call mayhem. Joy is here for the taking.

I am posting below a different song by them from the absolutely perfect album The Italian Flag.



And here is the rest.

Quickspace - Amigo b/w Rise

I could listen to, and I have listened to, Quickspace all day. This post is a 7" of their best song "Friend" sung in Spanish. Except it's called "Amigo" for some reason.

This vinyl rip of mine is disgraceful. It's kind of flat and I forgot to take the tonearm off the "Rise" side, so you're going to have to edit out a lot of silence. ¿But I think it's the same version that was on the album, so why would you bother? ¿Actually, why did I bother to include it? So many questions!

¿But what I'm REALLY wondering is, should I get a USB turntable? ¿Will it make things better? I've been teetering on the edge of this decision and I just need one person to write and say, "Yes." Preferably someone I don't know.

Anyway, here's the original.



If you want to hear it in Spanish, click here.

Mix Tape #4 - I ♥ Perry Rhodan

This mix got rolling with a track from that completely far-out soundtrack. It comes from a franchise of late 60's German sci-fi movies that appear to be a complete scream and I need to find out if any are available with English subtitles.

The soundtrack's out on Diggler records who also put together one for Robbi, Tobbi und das Fliewatüüt which is apparently this freaky Thunderbirds Are Go type kids show with about 1/1,000th the budget. A track from that is on this week's entry.



I wish I had a bunch of Euros so I could get everything in their catalog, because they obviously have bulletproof taste.

So. There's a bunch of soundtracky stuff on here. And some assorted trash. Last time I was in Cincinnati I was pleasantly surprised to see that local rock and roll behemoths SS-20 had made a comeback record. You'll be hearing more from them in the coming weeks. C'mon back!

Here's the track list:

A
1. Marcello Giombini - SOS Aus Dem Weltall - Seli
2. Chron Gen - Puppets of War
3. Donald Bird - Boom Boom
4. Chang Loo - At Three Springtime
5. Royal Trux - Sewers of Mars
6. Mighty Casey - Liquorland
7. Michel Magne - OSS 117 Huly Guly
8. Pavement - Teenage Piss Party
9. Galt MacDermot - Ripped Open By Metal Explosions
10. Rapeman - Dutch Courage (Demo)
11. Ingfried Hoffman - Guten Flug
12. Monk Higgins - Wichta Lineman
13. Sam Spence - Queen of Diamonds
14. Keren Ann - For You And I

B
1. Sanford Clark - Better Go Home (Throw That Blade Away)
2. Selda - Yaz Gazeteci Yaz
3. Scrawl - Ted Nugent Medley
4. Dalida - Le Petit Gonzales
5. Roxy Music - 2HB
6. Isis - Glisten
7. Memphis Horns - Soul Bowl
8. The Coachmen - Household Word
9. The Who - Whiskeyman
10. Luis Enriquez - Django
11. Acetone - Pinch
12. SS20 - Fossil Fuel

Here.

Various Artists - The Hard Ride OST

This is the soundtrack for a biker movie I've never seen nor read about. Judging from the lyrics, it's probably about a disenchanted vet who buys a motorcycle and rides aimlessly until he finds a brothel.

As a fan of biker soundtracks, I was really excited to find this. It's pretty wimpy, though. But it has grown on me. Like a wimpy fungus. It's mostly 70's AOR, but sneakily catchy. And the instrumentals match the Arrows rev for rev.

The album's greatest achievement is the jauntiest song about prostitution that I've ever heard. It is called "Shannon's Hook Shop" and you can listen to it below. And then I think you'll be compelled to download it.



Satisfaction guaranteed!

GÄA - Auf Der Bahn Zum Uranus

Speaking of immature, I bought this because the word "Uranus" was in the title and I was kind of turned on by the "what naked Adrienne Barbeau would look like if she were composted" cover.

I need to never resist that impulse. Because my reward was great. This is excellent German prog. The lead track ("Uranus" [snicker]) unfolds slowly but builds into a rewarding Pink Floyd-y gut churn. The rest of it is equally satisfying. There are flutes. But it's better than Jethro Tull by a longshot.



You should listen to it. There's a link down there. CLICK IT.

Uranus!

Mix Tape #3 - Songs For Women In Labor

A friend of Phoebe's is having a baby and she asked everyone she knew to make her the loudest mix they could come up with. So she can listen to them when she's in labor.

This is what I came up with.

Phoebe weighed in, too. She included "Loose" by the Stooges. Which I think is hilarious. Because I'm pretty immature.

Anyway, here it is. Since it was a CD, there's only one side.

1. Blatz - Fuk Shit Up
2. Redd Kross - White Trash
3. McLusky - Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues
4. Black Sabbath - The Mob Rules
5. Pussy Galore - Cunt Tease
6. Lunachicks - Jan Brady
7. Eyes - Disneyland
8. Bastards - Frank
9. Dwarves - Motherfucker
10. The Misfits - Die, Die My Darling
11. Queers - You Make Me Wanna Puke
12. GBH - City Baby Attacked By Rats
13. Angry Samoans - Lights Out
14. The Action Swingers - Kicked in the Head
15. Shellac - Spoke
16. Straw Dogs - Young, Fast, Iranians
17. Tad - Behemoth
18. Dils - Class War
19. DRI - Couch Slouch
20. X Ray Spex - Oh Bondage Up Yours
21. Manic Hispanic - Jet Muchacho
22. Pain Teens - Pleasures Of The Flesh
23. Happy Flowers - Call Me Pudge
24. Gorilla - Detox Man
25. Black Flag - Spray Paint
26. Fear - I Don't Care About You
27. Prisonshake - Beer Break
28. The Fix - Vengeance
29. Micronotz - I Got A Right
30. Blast Off Country Style - Hey Hey I Love You Bitch
31. Bullet LaVolta - Dead Wrong
32. Dinosaur Jr - Don't

Here.

Dougal Reed - Rumours

This is the guy from Quickspace and Th' Faith Healers covering Fleetwood Mac's Rumours in full. And I think one of the ladies from Quickspace and/or Th' Faith Healers helps out with the Stevie Nicks parts.

It is fun and fuzzy and he messes with the lyrics. Unless I'm mis-hearing it, I'm pretty sure he sings about my muff in "Second Hand News." (Note: my muff is also fun and fuzzy.)

Don't. Stop. Thinking about tomorrow. It will soon be here.

Mix Tape #2 - This Mix Has Four Songs By Or About Muhammad Ali

If I had to pick my favorite muslim, I think I'd go with Muhammad Ali. Wasn't he just the greatest? He just seemed really nice. Even though his occupation was beating people up.

That's why I think you should consider hiring this man for your next party or corporate event.

Anyway, about the rest of the mix...

I found "My Name is Potato" at PCL Linkdump (which is awesome and should be read daily). The song is head-scratchingly good and so is the video. If anyone can translate this for me, I'll buy you a potato.

I normally don't think it's a good idea to put the same artist on a mix tape twice, but I couldn't decide which Neal Hefti song I liked better and since he just died, I think it's ok. (The weird thing is that we were watching The Odd Couple the very night he died. Isn't that spooky?)

Anyway. Here's the track list:

Side A
1. Rita Pavone - My Name Is Potato
2. Arcwelder - Captain Allen
3. Joe Tex - Papa Was Too
4. Duangdao Mondara - Black Superman
5. Amazombies - Lost Girl
6. Antoine - Pop Corn
7. Black Rob - Ready
8. Analfabitles - She's My Girl
9. Neal Hefti - Oh Dad, Poor Dad
10. The Handsome Family - Weightless Again
11. Curved Air - Back Street Luv
12. Dennis Alcapone - Cassius Clay
13. The Originals - Supernatural Voodoo Woman
14. Miaow - When It All Comes Down

Side B
1. J. W. Grasshopper & The Butterfly - Ali Shuffle
2. The Bridge - Jesus
3. The Revels - Intoxica
4. Blonde Redhead - Equus
5. Bjorn Skifs - Allt For Sent
6. Henry Fiat's Open Sore - Midlife Riot
7. Sven Libaek - Start Growing Up Now
8. Friends of Betty - Crucified My Cat
9. Pop Tops - Mamy Blue
10. Neal Hefti - How To Murder Your Wife
11. Volcano Suns - Blue Rib
12. The Riats - Run Run Run
13. Tom T. Hall - Sneaky Snake
14. Lolitas - Sonic Reducer
15. I'm the Greatest - Muhammad Ali

Here.