A Real Rhapsody playlist blog of questionable quality

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

The Nice Antlers Playlist



It's kind of funny because "Nice!" is exactly what I exclaimed when I saw the moustache on the album cover of this album by The Nice. I got there by way of the fine Arthur Fest featured playlist when Rhapsody suggested I could only hear one song by intriguing fuzz mongers Comets On Fire, but I might be interested in this thirty eight year old psychedelic outfit featuring a young Keith Emerson.

This cover of "She Belongs To Me" has a definite charm, and segues quite seamlessly into the only Rhapvailable Comets On Fire track.

The Nice Antlers Playlist

She Belongs To Me - The Nice
Antlers Of The Midnight Sun - Comets On Fire

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Ice Cream Candy Man Playlist



OK, I had the most fantastic cone of watermelon sherbet over the weekend, perfectly sweet and creamy, with little chunks of real watermelon. And the county fair is coming this next weekend. If it can be served on a stick, I plan on eating it. So simply enough, this playlist goes out to summer, sucrose, and my overworked pancreas.

Ice Cream Candy Man Playlist

Candy Man Blues - Mississippi John Hurt
Ice Cream Man - Tom Waits
Candy Man - Sammy Davis, Jr.
Ice Cream Man - Van Halen
Children Run Away (The Man With The Candy) - The Frogs
The Candy Man - Cibo Matto
Pure Imagination/Candy Man - Harry Connick, Jr.
Little Man With A Candy Cigar - Jo Stafford

Monday, August 29, 2005

Blooming Hostas Fresh Catch Playlist



A foggy Monday fresh catch of late summer bloomers admired over the last week.

Blooming Hostas Fresh Catch Playlist

Merry Little Minuet - Kingston Trio
I'm Not In Love - 10cc
Who Were You Thinking Of - Texas Tornadoes
My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It) - En Vogue
Jumpin' At Shadows - Fleetwood Mac
Flowers of Romance - Public Image Limited

Friday, August 26, 2005

Mumbai Mayhem Friday


A rather rocking oddball album on the Just Released list this week is the teamup between the Kronos Quartet and Asha Bhosle titled "You've Stolen My Heart, Songs From R.D. Burman's Bollywood." Rahul Dev Burman composed over 300 film scores, and really mixed things up stylistically. Asha Bhosle is Mister Burman's wife and sang on quite a few of those 300 soundtracks and many, many more. The Kronos Quartet Web site purports that she very well may be "the most recorded artist in the world."

Hyperbole aside, this album contains interpretations of twelve vintage Burman compositions, and has been sparking fires all week here at R&S Labs:

You've Stolen My Heart

For the curious, I've assembled a playlist of the Rhapvailable R.D. Burman source tracks:

Stolen My Heart Source Tracks

Dum Maro Dum
Rishte Bante Hain
Piya Tu Ab To Aaja
Dhanno Ki Ankhon Mein
Chura Liya Hai Tumne

P.S. What a glorious Friday, indeed. The only Bollywood track I've searched for before was that bombastic rocking song that opens the movie Ghost World. While Rhapsody doesn't have the Ghost World soundtrack, I finally found that song (Jaan Pahechan Ho by Mohammed Rafi) on its original soundtrack. Shake it and smile.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Barfly - The Missing Soundtrack



Senor Scamboogah went and invoked Henry Chinaski in a post earlier this week, which made me search Rhapsody for a Barfly soundtrack. And apparently there isn't one. However, the trusty IMDB did include a list of music played in the movie, so I was able to rectify the situation and cobble together a nearly complete soundtrack playlist. A fine mix of soul, classical, and blues, much like the life of the gentleman who wrote the screenplay. Copy to your portable player and listen on your way to the track!

Barfly Soundtrack

Hip Hug-Her - Booker T. & The MG's
Nine Below Zero - The Nighthawks
Silver Threads Among The Gold - Mike Auldridge
Hair Street - The Lounge Lizards
Piano Concerto No.25 - Mozart
The Poem of Ecstasy - Scriabin
Piano Concerto No.4 - Beethoven
Born Under A Bad Sign - Booker T. & The MG's
The Sermon - Jimmy Smith
Theme For Ernie - John Coltrane

P.S. This has to be the most hilarious little headline I've seen in a while. Methinks whoever created this image at Rhapsody knew EXACTLY what they were doing. Please Hootie, don't hurt 'em!

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

All Those Molecules of Time Wednesday



Robyn Hitchcock is a steadfast purveyor of exhaustively researched off-the-cuff surrealism, but his catalog is also peppered with a goodly amount of sharp personal reflection. I'm usually in the mood for a bit of both, and this particular track has been forging an increasingly opulent and very welcome home in my mind since we were first introduced.

1974 - Robyn Hitchcock

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Rebirth of the Ribaldry



It looks like we've been delivering a bit more schmaltz than ribaldry for a while here. Well, here's a playlist of some of the liveliest ribaldry you'll find in these here United States. The Rebirth Brass Band are a loud and lusty New Orleans institution, delivering tuba love for over twenty years at this point. I made it to Jazzfest but once so far, but think I saw three permutations of RBB around town in two and a half long, loud, lovely days. The Rhapvailable Rebirth selection just expanded a little, so it's a fine time to offer up a big ribald sampler.

Rebirth of the Ribaldry

Let's Get It On
Big Fat Woman
Pop That Pussy
Shake Them Titties/Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
Just The Two Of Us

Monday, August 22, 2005

Odds and Sods Fresh Catch Playlist



A fine fresh catch batch harvested while wandering hither and yon in the Rhapsody subdivisions over the last week.

Odds and Sods Fresh Catch Playlist

Satan Army Band - Black Uhuru
The Boys In The Back Room - Marlene Dietrich
Radio King - Golden Smog
Hi-Heel Sneakers - Elvis Presley
The Eton Rifles - The Jam
Zacchaeus - Jim Lauderdale/Ralph Stanley

Friday, August 19, 2005

Friday Mammy Playlist



Well for no good reason other than it's Friday, here's a playlist of the finest Mammy songs available on Rhapsody. Have a fine weekend. Call your mammy.

Mammy Playlist

My Mammy - Al Jolson
Little Rabbit, Where's Your Mammy? - Cathy Fink
Mammy, Mammy - The Clancy Children
The Mammy Nuns - Frank Zappa
Mammy Blue - Julio Iglesias
Mammy Yokum - Nat Adderley Quartet
My Mammy - Kenny Rogers
Crow Mammy Crow - Unknown Singers
Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy - DEVO
Jolson Medley - Cher

Thursday, August 18, 2005

(Parenthetically, a) Playlist

Who was the first artist to put part of a song title in parentheses? I'd love to know who to blame. It's a phenomenon that pops up across genres and generations, and most frequently seems unnecessary. Of course, exceptions do exist.

At its most superfluous it just cages off what easily could have been part of the title without parentheses ("Lubie Come Back Home" works just as well, says I). Other times an artist may be using parentheses to express a matter of extent ("Yes, it's Voodoo Chile, but we do it with a slight return" or "Oh yeah, the girl was Knee Deep, but it's MORE than that."). The parentheses are sometimes used in attempt to wax poetic ("Sometimes it's Mothering and sometimes it's Smothering, don't you know" or "She's my Summer Babe, but this is the Winter version, or something.") or even deliver narrative ("This is a song about Lazy Susan, who, at the time this song takes place, happens to be with a client.") in song title.

Here's a playlist to put on and ponder the role of the parenthesis in modern music.

Parenthetical Playlist

Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) - Stevie Ray Vaughan
Lazy Susan (With A Client Now) - Charlie Hunter Trio
Lubie (Come Back Home) - The Who
Summer Babe (Winter Version) - Pavement
(S)Mothering and Coaching - Guided By Voices
(Not Just) Knee Deep - Funkadelic

P.S. Is it just me, or is anyone else getting odd behavior from the playlist link maker in Rhapsody today? The default method produced a blank text box this morning, so I had to email this list to myself and hardcode the link.

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Just Added Culture Sampler



There was a bumper crop of classic Culture albums on the Just Added list earlier this week. Some of them had just a few songs active on them. I've pulled together a sampler playlist for a harmonious, Jah-worshipping, this heah Ah-ma-geddy-on Wednesday.

Culture Sampler

Natty Never Get Weary
Two Sevens Clash
I'm Not Ashamed
Jah Pretty Face
Armageddon
See Dem A Come
Natty Takin' Over
The International Herb
Rally Around Jaho Viah's Throne
Jah Rastafari
Jah Alone A Christian
A Double Tribute to the O.M.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Small Popcorn Playlist



OK. So another song high on my informal wish list to see added to Rhapsody is the original Hot Butter version of Popcorn. I swear I searched for it not too long ago and didn't come up with any version. So imagine my muted euphoria yesterday listening to the Classic Lounge Radio when this Ronnie Aldrich version came up. It's passable, as is the Herb Alpert version Rhapvailable, but neither hold a candle to the artificial infectiousness of the original. Just something to think about, Rhapsodists.

Small Popcorn Playlist

Popcorn - Ronnie Aldrich
Popcorn - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Monday, August 15, 2005

Little Monday Fresh Catch Playlist



Here's a little fresh catch of the greatest hits in rotation here at R&S Labs last week.

Little Monday Fresh Catch

Salt Peanuts - Charlie Parker & Dizzy Gillespie
Things Ain't What They Used To Be - Duke Ellington
Sufferation - Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus
To Say Goodbye - Paul Desmond

Friday, August 12, 2005

Friday Out To Lunch Playlist



And it's Friday. Looks like a fine day to sneak out, watch the skies, migrate south, get some lunch, and ascend to the godhead. Not necessarily in that order. Here's a playlist for it.

friday out to lunch

The Surfer Moon - Beach Boys
Acadian Driftwood - The Band
Kundalini Express - Love & Rockets
Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? - Bob Dylan
Out To Lunch - Eric Dolphy

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Song Reflex Trigger Phrase 03



Last night I was listening to the baseball game on the radio. Joe Castiglione and Jerry Trupiano briefly discussed the year of potential jail time for the 'fan' who jumped from the upper deck and landed in the net behind home plate in Yankee Stadium on Tuesday [Chicago Sun Times]. At the end of the short bit, one of them said "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time."

And another one of my song trigger phrases flared up as Bob Dylan jumped up in the back of my head and started singing Heart Of Mine. In listening back to the song a few times, there's definitely some apt things in there for the jailbound numnut to think about.

And thus is documented part three in my ongoing investigation of spoken words or phrases hard wired to songs in my brain chemistry, soul, or what have you...

Heart Of Mine - Bob Dylan

Song Trigger Phrase Part 1
Song Trigger Phrase Part 2

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Indeed



Went for a long family drive to the flea market and the beach on Sunday. As we backed onto the road one of those random radio jazz brunch shows was in the middle of So What. Combined with the occasion, clear skies, cool sunshine, and a little ice coffee it made for a most auspicious start to the day. I spend so much time exploring the odd nooks and crannies of Rhapsody, sometimes I forget there's always time for a familiar, perfect song.

So What - Miles Davis

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Great Musician Names Playlist



As I wander Rhapsody hither and yon I've gradually been making a list of musicians with the most fantastic names ever. No band names, just individuals. Though altogether I'm sure this bunch would make one of the most potent supergroups yet seen.

Great Musician Names Playlist

Sleepy Labeef - Just Pickin'
Mongo Santamaria - The Morning After
Big Bill Broonzy - I Want My Hands On It
Shuggie Otis - Ice COld Daydream
Chucho Valdes - La Sitiera
Marianne Nowottny - Our Day Will Come
Spade Cooley - Honey Song
Bun E. Carlos - Dream Police
Willie Bobo - Grazing In The Grass

Monday, August 08, 2005

Old Man Monday Fresh Catch Playlist



Here's a fresh catch playlist of morning stretches for sleepy groove things after an eventful weekend.

Old Man Monday Fresh Catch

Uncle Remus - Frank Zappa
I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco - Eden Atwood
Hurtsome Body - Leon Russell
Crazy, She Calls Me - Chet Baker Introduces Johnny Pace
Cracked Actor - David Bowie

Friday, August 05, 2005

Just Added Phenomenon Playlist



Here's another delightful Rhapsody phenomenon to document in a playlist. I have no idea what the total subscribership is for Rhapsody, but I'm constantly convinced records on the Just Added list were put there just for me.

You know what I mean: you search for a few odd things, but they're not there. Then, a couple weeks or months later, shazam! It's the entire recorded output of the Stylistics, or a dozen Ennio Morricone soundtracks, or the Melvins Ipecac output arrives. Or you listen to the one record available from a musician, and soon after, blammo! Here's eight more Roland Kirk records for you. Am I a delusional paranoid, or does Rhapsody actually make some effort to provide people with things they want to hear? We'll know for sure when we see "Born To Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez and GWAR's Scumdogs of the Universe show up on the Just Added list.

Here's a little playlist of songs that display this fine phenomenon, real or imagined.

Just Added Phenomenon Playlist

People Make The World Go Round - The Stylistics
Tema Per Le Goff - Ennio Morricone
Mary Lady Bobby Kins - The Melvins
Vaya Con Dios - Freddy Fender
Gary Cooper - Nino Rota
No More Hot Dogs - Hasil Adkins
Jitterbug Waltz - Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Wrote It Myself Playlist



When I open up the Rhapsody music guide page for a jazz artist for the first time, I find it easiest to get into their versions of those standards I already know and love. The prism they bend that classic chart through will undoubtedly display the personality and style of the musician.

The real reflection of a jazz musician's artistic heart, though, lies in their own compositions. Here's a playlist of self-written tracks by jazz musicians not widely heralded for their composition.

wrote it myself playlist

Richard Groove Holmes - Sweatin'
Paul Chambers - Tale Of The Fingers
Jeff "Tain" Watts - Mr. JJ
Bobby Hutcherson - Little B's Poem
Benny Green Trio - Bu's March
Red Garland - Mort's Report
Avishai Cohen - Dror
Nicholas Payton - Tantric
Hank Mobley - The Breakdown
Curtis Fuller - Blues-ette

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Fresh Catch Playlist, Polyester Palace Edition



So I checked in to the Polyester Palace (motto: "No longer confused with Cucumber Castle!") yesterday to aid my convalescence and soothe the itching. Here's a fresh catch playlist of fine oddball songs that came up on the Polyester Palace radio station, or found on the related albums.

Of note, I admit I didn't know Red, Red Wine was a crusty old lusty nugget originally written by Neil Diamond.

Polyester Palace Fresh Catch

I'd Like To See THe Bad Guys Win - Margo Guryan
Red, Red Wine - Neil Diamond
Jasper Country Man - Bobbi Humphrey
Any Major Dude Will Tell You - Steely Dan
Cocaine - Jackson Browne
Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) - Looking Glass

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Poison Ivy Playlist



So I went on a little canoe ride over the weekend. Every time I'm on a river I must say "Never get out of the boat" a couple times an hour. And every time I'm on a river at some point I'm reminded why that's much more than just a memorable movie quote. That's right: the right side of my body is playing host to an abundance of oozing, weeping, itchy poison ivy pustules.

Interesting factoid: once the toxic urushiol oil has been washed from the skin, poison ivy can't spread or be 'contagious.' It's common for the rash to sprout in different areas three to seven days after the initial leaf on skin action. This delayed bloom is what makes you think it's actually spreading.

So I got that going for me.

In the words of another great star of moving pictures: "Pray for Mojo".

Poison Ivy Playlist

Poison Ivy - The Von Bondies
Poison Vine - Michelle Osborn
Leisurely Poison - Stephen Malkmus
The Itchy Glowbo Blow - Cocteau Twins
Poison Ivy League - Elvis Presley
Every Time I Itch I Wind Up Scratching You - Glen Campbell
Poison Ivy - Buddy Guy
I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - Rosemary Clooney

Monday, August 01, 2005

Suspended Animation Sampler




Here's a sampler of a fun little record: Suspended Animation from Fantomas. Fantomas is an occasional project consisting of Mike Patton, King Buzzo, Trevor Dunn, and Dave Lombardo.

Suspended Animation matches cartoon sound effects and music with the trademark Fantomas bombast and machine gun style changes (which possibly infringes on the pre-existing Naked City trademark?). I freely admit listening to the whole album at once could be a little trying on a Monday morning. So, here's a tasty ten track sampler fer ya.

Suspended Animation Sampler

1. 04/05/05 - Tuesday
2. 04/08/05 - Friday
3. 04/11/05 - Monday
4. 04/18/05 - Monday
5. 04/21/05 - Thursday
6. 04/23/05 - Saturday
7. 04/25/05 - Monday
8. 04/26/05 - Tuesday
9. 04/28/05 - Thursday
10. 04/30/05 - Saturday