Some songs just have killer intros. The first 23 seconds of this song are perfect. Not the least bit flashy or over the top. Just…perfect. The song itself has that hip-TV-drama-soundtrack vibe.
Nashville’s Blue Merle only released one studio album before vocalist Luke Reynolds moved on to other projects.
Chilean-Canadian flamenco guitarist Oscar Lopez as the Thinking Man’s Ottmar Liebert. Lopez plays just as nicely, but compositionally there’s a little less repetition in the songs.
Liebert has all the Gold and Platinum and is rightly credited with helping create the Nouveau Flamenco genre (the title of his biggest album, in fact–sort of the way Quiet Storm music is named after a Smokey Robinson record) but if you know and love Ottmar already, moving on to Oscar is an essential step!
From a band with the balls to perform Live At Leeds in its entirety in concert…ladies and gentlemen this is what Power Pop should sound like. The Shazam combine the nastylicious riffs with the sweet-spot choruses better than most anyone in the genre. Fronted by a singer/guitarist/songwriter named Hans Rotenberry, the Shazam hail from…Nashville, of course!
It’s a shame to see them vying for status in the “Where Are They Now” file (their two best albums, Godspeed the Shazam and Tomorrow the World are currently out of print). Ah, well–the good stuff’s supposed to be rare. That’s what makes collecting it fun.
Music of such eclecticism and diversity has been released under Mickey Hart’s name that it’s certainly no safe assumption that any particular Deadhead will appreciate a given release. I’d say that probably holds true here, although the 1996 Mystery Box album is a collaboration with long-time Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, and Bob Weir appears on at least one track (not this one).
Percussionists Zakir Hussain and Giovanni Hidalgo are featured, as well as the lilting vocals of British a capella group the Mint Juleps. I think this track’s a beauty. Just don’t expect American Beauty.
The Dukes Of Stratosphear: “Vanishing Girl” (1987)
In 1985 XTC recorded an EP called 25 O’Clock which was an homage to the music of the mid-to-late 60’s, and released it under the pseudonym the Dukes Of Stratosphear. It turned out so well they recorded a full-length follow-up in 1987 called Psonic Psunspot, a full-on psychedelic collage of 60’s tribute with Alice-In-Wonderland-style spoken-word interludes read by the young daughter of the recording studio’s owner (she did her work, according to liner notes, for “a fiver and some sweets”).
From this comes the dead-on 1967 Hollies send-up “Vanishing Girl”. As you can hear, the band weren’t just larking around (note sly XTC in-joke). Proving imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, XTC truly did some of their best work on these well-respected releases.
Here’s a bonus cut: a video of the Dukes’ “You’re A Good Man Albert Brown”, a tip of the hat to the Kinks and a reminder that the Brits are so much better than we are at being silly.
The song itself is from their 1986 debut album, but this live version (which by my estimate is 16% spunkier, what with audience participation and all) dates from ’95.
Every Moment Has A Song 