Superfuzz Wednesday Playlist

Schmaltzy Junior had me up for a couple hours last night, and there's a crapload of work to move out today. It's time to call up the caffeine and jet-fueled fuzz for a little motivation.

Of note, this version of Oh Well comes from the three-volume Fleetwood Mac Live in Boston treasure trove. Not to be confused with the fruity behemoth from a few years ago, this is from a heavy and spirited February 1970 run by the Peter Green psychedelic blues version of the group. Volume 1 is the most consistent, culminating in a delicious, massive Green Manalishi.

Ah Hell, let's just end with that, then.

Superfuzz Wednesday Playlist

Swlabr - Cream
Oh Well - Fleetwood Mac
Du Ska Inte Tro Att Det Ordan Sig - Dungen
The Green Manalishi - Fleetwood Mac

"Today We Mourn A Stooge"

Today we at R&S Labs acknowledge that the world got a little more boring over the weekend with the death of one of the patron saints of Ribaldry and Schmaltz, Charles Nelson Reilly.

Serrated Edge - The Dead Milkmen

Memorial Day Park Picnic Playlist

Ah, yes. The Friday of Memorial Day Weekend. It's time to get la familia together, come together around some picnic tables at the state park, and enjoy a little dappled sunshine on the pond.

Happy Summer, peoples.

Memorial Day Park Picnic Playlist

Aqui No Me Quedo - Bobby Valentin
Ya Me Canse - Adassa
Ese atrevimiento - Irakere
Wave - Eliezer Freitas Santos and Yemanja
Quizas - Ibrahim Ferrer

Holy Grail of Schmaltz Wednesday

What kind of person, while reading an old-fashioned "newspaper" last week, sees the national news stories about Paul McCartney opening up the digital rights to his catalog, and the first thing they say is: "Oh, please let that include Rhapsody, so I can finally playlist up that Holy Grail of schmaltz, the guitar solo in "My Love"?

I think we all know the answer to that question.

My Love - Paul McCartney

Addendum: In other news, faced with the $13 price bloat for basic Rhapsody, did I follow through on my bold threat to just walk away? Or instead did I break down, buy Lady Ribaldry a little Sansa for Mother's Day, and pony up the extra two bucks for Rhapsody To Go? Well, we all know the answer to that question now, too. She's loving it, actually.

And, I'm not sure how helpful the new "My Profile" feature of Rhapsody Online will ultimately be, but if it lets me have a Plushy Cthulhu for an avatar, it can't be all bad.

Mutton Chop Ludlow Garage Wednesday Playlist

Over the last few months, this Allman Brothers Live At Ludlow Garage 1970 album has become a workday staple here at R&S Labs. It's just thick mutton chop fuzz goodness from one end to the other.

Oddly enough, it's not the only Live At Ludlow Garage 1970 album to come into Rhapsody relatively recently. A young NRBQ also converged on that Cincinnati hall in the same year. Both albums show the bands when they were a bit younger, a bit greener, and a bit more on fire.

We round out the fresh catch with some thematically friendly songs, including a tolerable Vince Neil version of one of Aerosmith's finer dark horse gems.

Mutton Chop Fresh Catch Playlist

Dimples - Allman Brothers Band
Flat Foot Flewzy - NRBQ
Rockin' Chair - Mildred Bailey
Chip Away At The Stone - Vince Neil

Dalai Lama Live Wednesday

So His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is doing an early show down the street this morning. It's been sold out for three lifetimes, and those Buddhist scalpers are outrageous. So for the rest of us, here's a little something, you know, for the effort, before the webcast starts up.

Dalai Lama Live Playlist

Ura Gi Ache Lhamo - Unknown Artist
Small, Medium, Low Bowls Medley - Carol Colacurcio
I'm Alright - Kenny Loggins
Long Life Prayer for H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama - Tashi Lhunpo Monastery

Ditty Puppini Rumble Playlist

Yesterday I was checking out an oddball on the New Release list from the Puppini Sisters. Their sound is a relatively benign resurrection of the Andrews Sisters, but this kooky version of the Smiths' Panic cannot be denied.

These Puppinis better watch out, though. With their post-modern retro harmonies they've ventured dangerously into turf currently controlled by the fearsome Ditty Bops (whose Wishful Thinking video is far and away the steamiest Garrison Keillor-approved lesbian snuff film in Rhapsody).

But of course, it turns out none of them have quite the filterless moxie of the originals.

Ditty Puppini Rumble Playlist

Panic - The Puppini Sisters
Aluminum Can - The Ditty Bops
Six Times A Week And Twice On Sunday - The Andrews Sisters
Oh, Johnny! Oh, Johnny! Oh! - The Andrews Sisters

[special thanks to Wally Pfrenzi for foundational inspiration for this playlist]

May Day Fresh Catch Celebration

A very Happy May Day to you. Today a little playlist celebration for the Red Diaper Baby inside us all. We start out with songs from a vintage album of disarmingly polite revolutionary calls to action from the Philippines. From there, it's some slightly more impassioned worker's songs from Italy. And we'll drive the final nail in the coffin of capitalism with two classic odes of the Industrial Workers of the World.

Smash the State, everybody! (Or, at least don't work very hard today...)

May Day Celebration Playlist

Manggagawa at Magbubukid (Workers and Peasants, Arise!) - Unspecified
Pagbabalikwas (Break the Chains!) - Unspecified
Se Otto Ore Son Troppo Poche (If Eight Hours Are Not Enough) - Rice-Harvesters from Novellara, Reggio Emilia
Gli Ingranaggi (Machinery) - Gualtiero Bertelli
Mr. Block - Joe Glazer
Dump the Bosses Off Your Back - Utah Phillips