Tame Impala: “Mind Mischief” (2012)
From a record that made several 2012 year-end best-of lists, Tame Impala’s Lonerism album. The band clearly shoots for a psychedelic late-60’s sound. Sounds a little like a Revolver outtake.
Songs You May Have Missed #259
17 Dec 2012 2 Comments
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: mind mischief, tame impala
Songs You May Have Missed #258
13 Dec 2012 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: i've got a line on you, mr. skin, nature's way, randy california, spirit
Spirit: “Mr. Skin” (1970)
Led by guitarist/singer Randy California, Jay Ferguson (of the later solo hit ‘Thunder Island’) and bald-headed drummer Ed Cassidy (to whom ‘Mr. Skin’ is a lyrical nod) Spirit was one of the more experimental bands of the late 60’s and early 70’s, enjoying rabid devotion from their fans but lacking the wider success their music deserved.
Comprised of members from disparate musical backgrounds (pop, rock, jazz, blues, classical, folk) the band melded these influences into a mystical and eclectic mix. Indicative of how ahead of their time they were is the fact that ‘Mr. Skin’ first appeared in 1970 (on the pseudo-sci-fi concept album The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus) but did not chart as a single until ’73.
Their albums often had a slow-burn quality about them too: their 1968 record, The Family That Plays Together, re-entered the charts four years later, while Twelve Dreams enjoyed FM radio play years after its singles fell from the charts.
Their highest-charting single was the now largely forgotten straight-ahead rocker ‘I’ve Got a Line On You’ (#25 in 1969)
Their hippie-esque anthem of the following year (and B-side to ‘Mr. Skin’) ‘Nature’s Way’ got some serious FM airplay despite not charting as a single itself. Dig the kettle drums on this one:
The three songs sound like three completely different bands, but are merely three sides of one very versatile and adventurous one.
Randy California was given his name after being invited by Jimi Hendrix to join his band. Jimi, who in 1966 went by the name Jimmy James, called his band Jimmy James & the Blue Flames. Since they already had a Randy in the band, Jimi referred to the two by their home states. Bass player Randy Palmer was “Randy Texas” and the former Randy Wolfe became “Randy California”, which he decided to keep.
In a sad epilogue, California died in Hawaii in 1997. He and his family were swimming off the coast when Randy and his 12-year-old song were caught in a riptide. Though California was able to push his son close enough to shore to save him, he himself was swept out to sea. His body was never found.
Songs You May Have Missed #257
12 Dec 2012 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: built to spill, hindsight
Built to Spill: “Hindsight” (2009)
Singer/songwriter/vocalist Doug Martsch took the indie guitar hero baton from Dinosaur Jr.’s Jay Mascis sometime in the last decade. His layered guitar arrangements and live soloing pyrotechnics draw comparisons to Neil Young, while his loose, freeform songwriting style reminds some of Pavement.
Songs You May Have Missed #256
12 Dec 2012 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: nikki meets the hibachi, not mending
Nikki Meets the Hibachi: “Not Mending” (2006)
Nikki was a small, noisy dog. The hibachi was…a hibachi. The band name derived from the threat of introducing dog to cooking appliance at a party…or something like that.
So, to the music: The folk duo (Elaine Tola and John Gillespie) released one cult favorite album, 1991’s out of print The Bluest Sky, which fetches sky-high prices for used copies online. Back Around was their next album, released a full fifteen years later.
They have a bit of that Robin and Linda Williams, Richard and Linda Thompson thing going on. Melodic, acoustic, harmonic…and therapeutic.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2015/06/10/songs-you-may-have-missed-536/
Songs You May Have Missed #255
26 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: kansas, reason to be
Kansas: “Reason to Be” (1979)
When you think about it, a lot of hugely successful pop and rock acts actually have a very short heyday. In the 60’s the Mamas & the Papas charted all their top 20 hits over a period of about a year and a half. Ditto the Lovin’ Spoonful. The top 20 window for Creedence was less than three years.
The same held true in the 70’s. Most of Steve Miller’s greatest songs came from two albums, Fly Like an Eagle and Book of Dreams. All of Elton John’s great albums came between 1971-73, unless you’re going to argue for Caribou‘s classic status. Carole King? Tapestry.
Kansas was no exception. The Leftoverture album in 1976 propelled them into the realm of arena headliners. Then they eclipsed it with the next year’s Point of Know Return, an album that was among the decade’s finest and, as it turns out, the best the band was capable of creating.
Following it up was probably a little like trying to follow up Boston or Frampton Comes Alive. Predictably, Kansas put out a very respectable album with 1979’s Monolith and, predictably, it was called a disappointment.
If songwriter Kerry Livgren’s lyrics are any indication (and they always are–he writes more autobiographically than most) ’79 finds him already beginning to ask himself ‘is that all there is?’. This song sounds like a thematic companion to 1982’s “Play the Game Tonight”, with Livgren questioning the meaning of rock star life in the bigger scheme of things. The bigger scheme in question was a spiritual search that eventually led him to leave the band to make Christian music.
But while he pulled off the balancing act of pondering the big questions while making gold and platinum records, Livgren created some of the best progressive rock songs of the era (see: ‘The Wall’, ‘Carry On Wayward Son’, ‘Dust in the Wind’, ‘Sparks of the Tempest’, ‘Portrait’).
Songs You May Have Missed #254
26 Nov 2012 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: the education song, the gourds
The Gourds: “The Education Song” (2006)
Some casually rendered yet solid wisdom from the front porch of the Gourds:
Those that know don’t close the door on those that don’t know
If ya been t’ college, ya got some special knowledge
Ya can share it with some children or some old folks too
Go ahead and share it, with all the people
That’s the best thing that you can do.
If you a mama, ya teach yer children
How to walk and talk, how to read and write
It’s fundamental, but ya must be gentle
You don’t wanna teach ’em up to fuss and fight
Those that have should not hide what they have from those that don’t have
Those that need should not seek to succeed in the stealing the seeds
If you need some help, just ask for help
You can’t know everything all the time
Just ask somebody, they should be willing
Address the ignorance and lose the pride
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/02/12/recommended-albums-5/
Every Moment Has A Song 