Superfuzz Wednesday Playlist

We're hitting the road for a long wedding weekend in the Land of Benny Mardones tomorrow, so I've got a heap of work to nail to the proverbial wall today. Once again, let's turn to the righteous fuzz to set the pace.

First, the new Praxis live release Tennessee 2004, a fine recording of the band's set at Bonnaroo that year. It gets a little meandering at times, so here's a distilled sampler. Second, there was both some vintage and late model Monster Magnet added to Rhapsody quite recently, highlighted by their thoroughly auspicious debut, Spine of God.

So while I'm working, the rest of you can turn the speakers to the windows, head for the back yard, and turn the kiddie pool into a gravity bong.

Super Fuzz Wednesday Playlist

Vertebrae - Praxis
Machine Gun - Praxis
Nod Scene - Monster Magnet
Spine of God - Monster Magnet
Into The Night - Benny Mardones

P.S. There was also a new record from Fu Manchu that came into Rhapsody recently, but it didn't really grab me. I'll point it out in context here, though.

Nobody's Putting Up A Fight Friday

Well, the huge additions to the Rhapsody catalog just keep rolling in. Paul McCartney. Elvis Costello. David Soul. Men Without Hats. Pinch me.

And now: AC/DC.

Oh wait, no, it's Wing Sings AC/DC. Even better.

With her deft combination of the best elements of midi cheese and karaoke compassion, the Wing Han Tsang catalog certainly fills a gap in the Rhapsody. She's inspired [wikipedia.org] New Zealand nursing home residents, an episode of South Park, and an upcoming stateside show at the Cafe Du Nord for you lucky kids in the Bay Area.

Yes, now it's Friday.

Nobody's Putting Up A Fight Friday

Highway To Hell
Back In Black
Hell's Bells
For Those About To Rock
It's Now or Never

Tapped for Father's Day

Just in time for Father's Day, we bring you this Out To Lunch Friday Special Edition. The second father-son release from Eddie Levert, Sr. of the O'Jays and his son, the late Gerald Levert came out this week on Atlantic Records, but I found it wandering loose in the Just Added list, since it's missing some database fields or something.

It's a pretty cheesy, hyper-produced bit of bedroom soul, but this song "Tapped" was written just for Ribaldry & Schmaltz.

Sure, I'm hearing the Leverts, but my mind sees only Dave Chappelle on a ladder holding a bucket of "R Kelly's Doo Doo Butter".

Happy Father's Day, everybody!

Tapped - Gerald Levert and Eddie Levert, Sr.

Super Banter Thursday Playlist

Today a playlist to highlight a couple stage banter gems from recently-released live albums. First, Patterson Hood turns the tale of his first REM show into an episode darker than anything that ever transpired in the basement of Margo and Harold (a highlight from a decidedly uneven REM tribute show).

Second, Robbie Fulks explores the foibles of identity, inspiration, and Cher from his own recent (decidedly inspired) electric-acoustic double live release. If you're at all inclined, there's plenty more well-employed vocal gymnastics and guitar battle on Revenge!

I probably could have extracted a gem or two from the Guided By Voices Austin City Limits album, but in lieu of doing the work right now, let's just say "Rock and Roll is for the kids!"

Super Banter Thursday Playlist

Second Guessing Intro - Patterson Hood
Second Guessing - Patterson Hood
Fake Jews Everywhere/The Death of Enthusiasm - Robbie Fulks
I Like Being Left Alone - Robbie Fulks
Believe - Robbie Fulks

Safety Radish Celebration Saturday

Today we fete two golden classics: yes, I'm talking of course about the Safety Dance and Robert of the Rhapsody Radish. Is it a coincidence that one of the gaping song holes in Rhapsody got filled just in time for Robert's birthday? Who knows, but this belated one's for you, young man.

And for the icing on the frosting, here's another gem just recently added to the Rhapsody.

Safety Radish Celebration Saturday

Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Don't Give Up On Us - David Soul

Cracker Countrysides Source Material Playlist

A few years ago Cracker took on the moniker Ironic Mullet and had some fun playing country songs for a while. The mainly covers album Countrysides is the artifact of that foray. It's got a particularly unique and educational track list, both characteristics highlighted by hearing the same sequence playlisted up from the original songs. Seeing the entire catalogs of Terry Allen, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and even Dwight Yoakam open up before me is one of those little things that makes me realize how much of a blind man and the elephant my music listening life has been. And that Ike Reilly has a few more albums in Rhapsody as the Ike Reilly Assassination.

All source tracks are originals, execpt for Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother. The only Ray Wylie Hubbard version in Rhapsody is on a live album and includes quite a bit of banter that, while entertaining, dilutes the classic sentiment of the song.

Before the album was released, there was a great set of mp3 demos posted temporarily that also included "You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly", "She Thinks I Still Care", "Let's Get Drunk and Screw", and another Cracker original called "Asshole Tonight" that's even less congenial to Virgin Records executive Roy Lott than "Ain't Gonna Suck Itself" (but more hilarious). That page is long gone, but I included the first song in the list here just because.

Cracker Countrysides Source Material Playlist (Rhapsody Software version)

Truckload of Art - Terry Allen
Duty Free - Ike Reilly
Up Against The Wall, Redneck Mother - Jerry Jeff Walker
Sinaloa Cowboys - Bruce Springsteen
Family Tradition - Hank Williams, Jr.
The Bottle Let Me Down - Merle Haggard
Reasons To Quit - Merle Haggard/Willie Nelson
Buenas Noches From A Lonely Room - Dwight Yoakam
Ain't Gonna Suck Itself - Cracker
You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly - Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty

Addendum: Mainly as a service to people like myself, who spend alot of time listening to the Rhapsody through the browser player, I'm going to try to offer both Rhapsody Software and Online playlist versions. Let's see if this thing works:
Cracker Countrysides Source Material Playlist (Rhapsody Online Version)