Borrowed Best of 2005 Playlist

Here's part two of the Ribaldry & Schmaltz year-end tunefest retrospecticus. Today on offer is a playlist of my favorite songs suggested by other Rhapsody blogonauts that I never would have heard otherwise in 2005.

Thanks for the tips, you delightful people. And thanks for all the effort put into spreading the Rhapsody playlist love in 2005. You're a great crowd with diverse tastes and endless creativity with the Rhapsody playlist format.

When Captain Glaser brags to the press about the Rhapsody subscribers who listen to more than 200 songs total and more than 100 unique songs every week, it's nice to know exactly who a good number of those people are.

A couple of these songs, bands, or albums were rightfully posted by many folks this year. In those cases I credited the one that got in my ears first...

Borrowed Best of 2005 Playlist

01 Fatbackin' - The Fatback Band (Drake)
02 Lame To Be - Papas Fritas (mrgrooves)
03 Black Flamingos - Modey Lemon (covalent Bond)
04 Sponsorships - Les Georges Leningrad (Drake)
05 Making Plans For Nigel - Nouvelle Vague (Amanda)
06 A Parasitic Love Song - Dr. Chordate (Robert)
07 Miedo De Pederia - Steve Jordan (Drake)
08 Maria - Ali Ryerson/Broadway (Pantagruel)
09 Slip Sliding Away - The Persuasions (Musicrocker Mark)
10 Spring 2008 - Architecture in Helsinki (Amanda)
11 People Make The World Go Round - The Pharoahs (Covalent Bond)

Of note, Drake's scoop on the new Robert Pollard solo album From A Compound Eye would've led this list. It certainly spent the most time in the rotation here at R&S Labs. It's been pulled from active Rhapsody status, but hopefully will be back after the album's official release in January 2006.

P.S. For a bonus, I'm throwing in an award for Best Album Review I saw in Rhapsody all year. And the winner is: Mike McGuirk for his priceless review of Feelings by Roger Whittaker...

"Such songs as 'Feelings' and 'Send in the Clowns' were tailor made for this ultra-smooth and much-loved crooner's bearded vocals. Whittaker is a master interpreter, but perhaps more than any other performer people listen to him for his supernaturally gentle voice. Also it's fun to wonder who would win in a knife fight: Roger Whittaker or pan-flute mogul Zamfir."

Best of Ribaldry & Schmaltz 2005

It's been alot of fun rummaging through Rhapsody this year. And a pleasure posting up some of my finer finds for others to come across.

I'm putting up two year-end playlists today and tomorrow. First, the top twenty songs that appeared on playlists here at Ribaldry & Schmaltz. Tomorrow, my favorite songs suggested by other Rhapsody blogonauts that I never would have heard otherwise.

Note that this isn't a countdown, just my usual attempt at somewhat solid tracking.

Cheers and a Happy New Year to the lot of you!

All My Best 2005 Playlist

01 Amarcord - Nino Rota
02 Big Bamboo - Lord Creator
03 A Song For You - Leon Russell
04 1974 - Robyn Hitchcock
05 Peel Me A Grape - Anita O'Day
06 Kraf Dinner - Annihilator
07 Jam On It - Newcleus
08 Mad World - Tears For Fears
09-10 The Green Manalishi - The Melvins
11 Mella Mella - The Woggles
12 Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien - Edith Piaf
13 Cheese And Onions - Galaxie 500
14 Jaan Pahechan Ho - Mohammed Rafi
15 I Don't Want To Talk About It - Crazy Horse
16 Fuck The Valley Fudge - Grandaddy
17 Sunshine Superman - Mel Torme
18 Girl Let Me Cum In Your Mouth - Blowfly
19 Guava Jelly - Barbara Streisand
20 You'll Never Walk Alone - Billy Eckstine

Catchup Fresh Catch Playlist

Today the catchup continues with a fresh catch batch playlist of songs pulled from the slow-moving Rhapsody depths recently. The Crazy Horse and Todd Rundgren albums were both recent additions. A whole heap of Todd Rundgren was recently added, actually.

I think the version of Una Paloma Blanca I remember was by Slim Whitman. That one's not Rhapvailable, but the interpretation below by Ezequiel Pena is a fine ride of a substitute.

Catchup Fresh Catch Playlist

I Don't Want To Talk About It - Crazy Horse
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - The Buckinghams
Can We Still Be Friends? - Todd Rundgren
Trying to Get To You - Elvis Presley
Una Paloma Blanca - Ezequiel Pena

Superman Came Into Town Tuesday

More huge news from the Rhapsody additions world today. I swear I searched for this song not too long ago and came up blank. But today there it was in all its glory: Jam On It by Newcleus.

This song defined a particular long summer spent playing video games in the bowling alley. Very good times.

It appears on what looks like a self-released Newcleus compilation from earlier this year and sounds phenomenal.

Jam On It - Newcleus

St. Thomas For Three Tuesday

About a month ago I included the ska instrumental number Musical Communion by Baba Brooks in a fresh catch playlist. I noted that it contained the uncredited head to a jazz standard, whose identity eluded me at the time.

Well lo and behold the Rhapsody gods were smiling on me last week when I shuffled the original version of St. Thomas, by its composer Sonny Rollins, into my Mixer. It appears on his definitive 1956 record Saxophone Colossus.

Another case closed. I've included the original, Musical Communion, and a rather happening, more recent interpretation from the Joshua Redman Quartet below.

St. Thomas For Three Playlist

St. Thomas - Sonny Rollins
Musical Communion - Baba Brooks Band
St. Thomas - Joshua Redman Quartet

Boxing Day Leftovers Playlist

I've actually come across quite a trove of postable Rhapsody finds recently, but haven't had the open minutes to craft them together. Here's a start at catching up.

It's no secret Robyn Hitchcock is one the Ribaldry & Schmaltz pillar poster children. I noticed two new fegmania-feeding tracks from a live compilation added to Rhapsody last week. Both are competent covers worth hearing.

Of note to anyone prone to spake thusly, the same compilation (Live & Direct from the Spunk label) contains two tracks from a solo Joe Pernice, also included below.

Boxing Day Leftovers Playlist

Gigolo Aunt - Robyn Hitchcock
Let It Be Me - Robyn Hitchcock
Courage Up - Joe Pernice
Bum Leg - Joe Pernice

Nuts To You Playlist

I can't let the holiday season pass by without setting out a big festive bowl of nuts. Dig on in!

Nuts To You Playlist

Hot Nuts - Georgia White
I'm A Nut - Leroy Pullins

Thursday Fresh Catch Playlist

A fresh catch batch of seldom seen worthy listens trolled from the RealRhapsody depths recently. That Merle Travis number is thick (so to speak) with horrible clever imagery if you haven't heard it before.

Fresh Catch Playlist

Slit Skirts - Pete Townshend
Walking in L.A. - Missing Persons
Fat Gal - Merle Travis
The Attitude Song - Steve Vai

"Fairies On A String For Your Ass"

I could never surmise to express that holiday sentiment better than Thing-Fish. Or Duke Ellington. Specifically, Duke Ellington's jazz Nutcracker Suite. It's tucked onto an album (Three Suites) that wouldn't show up on any general Christmas music search. It's meaty, joyful, swinging and sweet, and extracted into a playlist below.

Duke Ellington Nutcracker Suite

Further Developments

Happy Friday, world. I've got too much work and snow to get through for a proper playlist today, but had to point out that several key portions of the XTC canon and three full albums from guitar original James Blood Ulmer were added to Rhapsody in the last day or so. Check them out. More reasons for Rhapsody-listening weirdos to rejoice in this holiday season!

Sieg Howdy! Sampler

Some momentous, delightful additions to Rhapsody this week for the staff here at R&S. First off, the recently released second collaboration between the Melvins and Jello Biafra, Sieg Howdy! After several listens, I consider this two records. The first seven tracks are a clear, loud collection of pure Jellvins. The last three tracks are remixes (of unique songs) and thus sonically a brother from another mother. All have something to offer the neglected volume knob.

Six months ago(?!) in a post of Melvins covers source material I included Halo Of Flies by Alice Cooper. At that time the song was a long-time recurring friend in the Melvins live show, but hadn't been recorded. Well, that's taken care of in grand style here on Sieg Howdy! It's the most soul satisfying voyage of surgical bombast I've heard in quite some time.

Sieg Howdy! Sampler


Halo of Flies
Voted Off the Island
Kali-Fornia Uber Alles 21st Century (Live)

P.S. In other Rhapsody developments, several pages of Tzadik Records releases were added earlier this week, including quite literally a hundred or so John Zorn albums. A deep, rich mine for exploration to be sure. For today, let me just suggest the 121 tracks of the Naked City Complete Studio Recordings.

Friday Out To Lunch Playlist

It's Friday all over the land, and that means it's time to head out to lunch. Here's the playlist that's getting us there here at R&S.

Friday Out To Lunch Playlist

Tangerine - Lawrence Welk
Working For The Weekend - Loverboy
Keep On Drinking - Johnny Young
Musical Communion - Baba Brooks Band
Donde Andara - Graciela Beltran
Golgi Apparatus - Stanford Marching Band

P.S. I know the first theme presented in Musical Communion above is the head to a jazz standard, but its identity keeps squirting out from between my brain cells. A thousand thanks to anyone who can place it.

More Ribaldry

A dribbly ribaldry triptych of songs that innuendoed up in the Rhapsody Mixer here at R&S Labs recently.

Dribbly Ribaldry Playlist

Crosscut Saw - Albert King
Bunnies - Pansy Division
Knocking At Your Back Door - Deep Purple