The Random Revolution: Your Shuffle

[Mike Boom]

So I nicked this idea off some website in some far flung corner of the internets - the idea is to put your Ipod on shuffle and talk a bit about the first - say five - songs that come up - no skipping , no cheating - make it as long or as short as you want. Go ahead -

[Who Shot Sam?]

Not using my iPod at the moment, but I put iTunes on shuffle and it came back with:

1. Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five - "Don't Jive Me"

Recorded in Chicago in 1928. Not one of his more famous tunes, but a nice ringing solo from Louis. This wasn't his original Hot Five lineup with Kid Ory and Johnny Dodds. Earl Hines is, however, featured on piano.

2. Elvis Presley - "How Do You Think I Feel?"

Bit of Caribbean flavor to this. Bops along nicely and is very pleasing in its nuttiness. Makes me want to order a tropical drink and sit by the pool in a Hawaiian shirt.

3. Booker T. & the MGs - "Time Is Tight"

Really thought it was "Temptation" for a moment there. What can you say? Stellar groove.

4. Sparks - "Hasta Mañana, Monsieur"

From their best album, Kimono My House. How many pop songs feature references to Emmanuel Kant? I've been listening to early Roxy Music lately, and I hear a lot of the same sensibility in Sparks' early '70s material. Sparks are one of the first bands I ever saw live, at a KROQ free outdoor concert.

5. Elvis Costello & the Imposters - "...Dust"

I don't listen to this album much anymore, but this is the lesser of the two "Dust"s IMO. A bit listless. Don't really understand why it's reprised on WIWC. Sort of a throwaway.

[BlueChair]

1. "Feel Flows" by The Beach Boys

This is one of my favourite Beach Boys songs, and definitely one of Carl Wilson's finest moments. A gem from the group's post-Smile output.

2. "Heart of Soul" by Beth Orton

From her new album, Comfort of Strangers. This track finds Orton singing in a higher register than normal and sounding eerily like Sandy Denny as a result. Very nice.

3. "Ricky Wants A Man Of Her Own" by Bruce Springsteen

From the Tracks box set. I believe it's from the sessions for Darkness On The Edge Of Town, though it sounds more like it could have gone on The River. Just upbeat, good rock 'n' roll.

4. "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite" by The Beatles

Not much I need to say about this one... loved it as a kid, and still enjoy it.

5. "Stray Cat Blues" by The Rolling Stones

The vocals are only so so, the song itself is nothing special, but in '68 The Stones could build up a groove without much effort at all and for that this song is Exhibit A.

[Boy With A Problem]

I'll Play -

1. Gimme Hell - The Jesus and Mary Chain - On a friend of mine's permanent shit list - expensive ticket - 20 minute set - tortured song - sample lyric - I've Been Good/And I've Been Mean/And I've Been Looking For a Coke Machine

2. Country Boy - Little Jimmy Dickens - The joys of being a country boy - several years ahead of John Denver - a bit on the sappy said - sample lyric - Ma Doctored Me From Youngin 'Hood/With Epsom Salts and Iodine/Made My Diapers Out of Old Feed Sacks/My Suspenders Out of Plow Lines

3. Good Morning Aztlan - Los Lobos - Title track from the lp before the last one (or was it three ago) - I never skip Los Lobos when they come on - time to put these guys in the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame.

4. Mark My Word - Dillinger - Toasting! - starts out with - This Song Is Called Evel Knievel.....Don't Be Like A Bol Weavil..... He Jump Over The Gulf of Mexico...Said Ah Evel Knievel.....Him Fly Like A Eagle..... A wicked cool song that doesn't come across so well on a computer keyboard.

5. Red Sunset - Kelly Willis - From her debut - Rocking country track - it's a shame she's not a star - her first husband plays drums on this one - my friend Scott tells me she's doing a Clariten commercial with her current husband.....I've got almost her entire discography on my iPod....Kelly Willis when you least expect it story - playing hookey from work, taking in a rare weekday day-game at the Astrodome - they play "Bang! Bang!" from her second lp during a rally.

[wardo68]

<B>“Don’t Forget To Remember” – The Bee Gees</B>: A little-known 1969 single, from interim when they were a Robin-less duo. Taken from <I>Best Of Bee Gees Vol. 2</I>.

<B>“Under” – Brian Eno</B>: One of the better tracks from last year’s <I>Another Day On Earth</I>, his first album with vocals in 15 years.

<B>“Mistress” – Red House Painters</B>: The so-called <I>Rollercoaster</I> album has two versions of this song; while I much prefer the piano version, this is the heavier band version.

<B>“Either Side Of The Same Town” – Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet</B>: Live from Sydney, courtesy of our very own Pope Of Pop!

<B>“Be Here Now” – George Harrison</B>: From the underrated <I>Living In The Material World</I> album. Hopefully this will be reissued soon.

[Goody2Shoes]

Before I start, a disclaimer: I share this machine with the man of the house and our 10-year-old daughter. 1/5 of the following is not my responsibility.

"I'll Never Get Over You" - John Hiatt. From the fabulous The Tiki Bar Is Open.

"Maureen" - Fountains of Wayne. From last year's Out-of-State Plates. One of 2 new songs on a fun collection of old, unreleased stuff. Lots of it is good, some of it uneven, some are sorta novelty songs, and this one is great. Fast, loud, clever lyrics, wakes me up 6 AM at the gym.

"Something Cool" - Rickie Lee Jones. From Girl At Her Volcano. Best rendition of this Bill Barnes song ever. Whispery, heart-breaking, pathetic. "Well, I don't ordinarily drink with strangers, I guess I usually just drink alone".

"Janie Jones" - The Clash. Great album to exercise to.

"Disasterpieces" - Sugar Ray. Aptly named, it has an inoffensive, catchy, and surprisingly promising 8-bar guitar intro. Straight to hell as soon as the guy starts singing.

[Mechanical Grace]

Hi, guys. Mug here, back with a spanking new identity. Don't ask me where I was or why I went, and no one gets hurt.

1. Shins - KISSING THE LIPLESS
2. Aimee Mann - SATELLITE
3. O'Jays - DON'T CALL ME BROTHER
4. Rezillos - DESTINATION VENUS [c/o BWAP's incomparable CD-swap disc!]
5. John Hiatt - THE LOVE THAT HARMS

[Jackson Monk]

1. It's all Over Now Baby Blue - The Byrds (Very Best of)

Never my favourite version even though I love The Byrds with a passion. I much prefer Them's take on this Dylan classic.

2. Mumbo Jumbo - Squeeze (East Side Story)

A bit of fun from one of my favourite ever albums. This song has a strage time signature and a barrelful of chords. This was the only Squeeze song of note that was written by Tilbrook on tour. He wrote it on a piano in a hotel funtion room. The chorus is very much like 'Peggy Sue'.
Lyrically, its about a girl from Chesterfield who Chris Difford knew. She was always covered in make-up, which was a turn off to him. It's loaded with puns and was inspired by the songs on 'Get Happy' - CD cites EC as one of his most important influences.

3. Saturday Sun - Nick Drake (5 Leaves Left)

Arrrhhh...Nick. One of his most laid back tunes in a pretty laid back canon. Is there anything better in life than sitting back in the garden on a hot summers day, listening to Nick Drake with a cold beer in your hand?

4. Gone Fishin - Bing Crosby/Louis Armstrong (Classic Crooners vol 3)

Lots of bah-boo-bah-boo-bah-boo-bah-boo-bah..and chat between the boys. I love the sentiments of this song. Sometimes I really just want to drop all the stress of life and just go fishing.....never seems to happen.

5. I Don't Know What I Can Save You From - Kings of Convenience (Quiet is the New Loud)

Lots of people find them too cheesy. I've always liked them. This album feels like the audio equivalent of taking a long hot soak in the bath.

[Who Shot Sam?]

Hi, guys. Mug here, back with a spanking new identity. Don't ask me where I was or why I went, and no one gets hurt.

1. Shins - KISSING THE LIPLESS
2. Aimee Mann - SATELLITE
3. O'Jays - DON'T CALL ME BROTHER
4. Rezillos - DESTINATION VENUS [c/o BWAP's incomparable CD-swap disc!]
5. John Hiatt - THE LOVE THAT HARMS

Great to have you back mug!!!!

[alexv]

Welcome Back, Mug.

I don't have the I-Pod at work, but have about 2,000 songs on my Real Player. Put it on shuffle and here's the result (I am assuming RealPlayer players can play):

Charlie Parker, "Live at the Royal Roost"-- 52nd Street Themes. So this is Parker, Miles, Max Roach and Curly Russell playing, and for about the first minute, as they are playing, all we get is the boozed up voice of the club announcer/manager going on and on about how we are going to hear "the wonderful Charlie Parker and his organization". He repeats the "organization" bit a few times, and we finally get to the music, but not before he tells the radio listeners that they can still make it to the club for the late show. Those were the days.

Elvis Costello--The live Melbourne version of "Dust"--Yech. Blaring guitar noise with showy organ bits and EC screaming. Rowdy rhythm record my ass.

Ron Sexsmith-- Words We Never Use. From the first record I think. I actually like the more recent records better, particularly Retriever and Blue Boy, but Ron's sweet voice is a welcome relief after the EC barrage.

Marshall Crenshaw-- "They Never Will Know". From the mid-80s Mary Jean and 9 Others record, which is Marshall's GCW in that he calls it his worst record, but I like it, and this song is gorgeous. In fact, Marshall has never put out a bad record, and is right up there with EC in my affections.

The Beatles-- "Day Tripper". Nuff said.

Charlie Parker-- "Just Friends". From the Charlie Parker with Strings record. This is one of my all-time favorite jazz records, and is a sure-fire choice to convert non-jazz folks to jazz. Contrary to public perception, Parker had a conservative streak to him, and this album was the culmination of his dream to play in a proper hall with a string accompaniment. It's not him doing his revolutionary stuff, but the standards he does, despite the strings, are never grating, just plain gorgeous.

[invisible Pole]

Hi, guys. Mug here, back with a spanking new identity. Don't ask me where I was or why I went, and no one gets hurt.

1. Shins - KISSING THE LIPLESS
2. Aimee Mann - SATELLITE
3. O'Jays - DON'T CALL ME BROTHER
4. Rezillos - DESTINATION VENUS [c/o BWAP's incomparable CD-swap disc!]
5. John Hiatt - THE LOVE THAT HARMS

Welcome back, Mug ! Where were you and why did you go ?

1. Belle & Sebastian - Here Comes The Sun (Beatles cover)
2. Franz Ferdinand - Eleanor Put Your Boots On
3. Eels - Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)
4. Jesus & Mary Chain - Sometimes Always
5. Nick Lowe - Shelley My Love

[Otis Westinghouse]

Is there anything better in life than sitting back in the garden on a hot summers day, listening to Nick Drake with a cold beer in your hand?

Yes, sitting on a hot summer's day, listening to Nick Drake with a cold beer in your hand.

Sorry, couldn't resist!

[Mike Boom]

Your Not The Only One I Know - The Sundays

only Harriet could sing "You'll find me in the lavatory" and make it sound so angelic.
Sort of a female fronted Smiths really.

so they rode out west to the seaside
& they gladly decided to stay
but after two hours wandering outside
ooh the sea air drove them away, yeah

from the great Reading Writing and Arithmetic - what ever happened to them ?

Sunrise - Pulp

Jarvis - God bless him - and not only for taking the mickey out of Wacko, this song really takes off towards the end, like pulling back the curtains to some earth shatteringly huge sunrise - which I guess is exactly what its supposed to sound like.

Stepping Out Queen Pt 2 - Van Morrison

From the odds and sods collection the Philosophers Stone - as opposed to the more structured finished version on Into The Music I think. When he gets into a groove like this and goes all transcendental Van is unstoppable .You cant help but feel uplifted by this song and when he starts those vocal riffs, well , Im real real gone - with a little bit of hip action, just a little bit of hip for the trip - inarticulate speech of the heart indeed.

Substitute - The Who

The Live at Leeds version - the greatest rock n roll band in the world.

Losing Sleep - Richard Swift

Courtesy of WSS's cd circle cd. - very Beatley, has that slow loping woozy beat and strings - love it.

[Mike Boom]

Hey Mug - Welcome back!!

[Mechanical Grace]

Yes, sitting on a hot summer's day, listening to Nick Drake with a cold beer in your hand.

Sorry, couldn't resist!

Good lord are we correcting for apostrophe's now? Whats the world coming to??

[Otis Westinghouse]

Well he did ask if I could improve on it!!!

[Mechanical Grace]

Thanks, Mike. I missed you guys. Well, some of you.

[Otis Westinghouse]

We missed you too. All hail the Mechanical Mug!

[Extreme Honey]

1. Girl- The Beatles

I think this is the best-ever song for a movie. I always tohught it and I still do. I can just imagine somebody in a black and white scene following a murder. And this song just plays in the background, looming over a dark situation...just perfect.

2. Must you throw dirt in my face- EC

It's allright, I guess. Catchy. But not one of my favourties.

3. Less than zero- EC

I like this song. Catchy. Political. Pop. It's great.

4. Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You- Bob Dylan

This one's great. A very catchy song and voice. Very romantic, deeply american.

5. Man on the moon- R.E.M

I like this song a lot because there's such a difference between chorus and verse. I can play it on the guitar too.

6. Break on through to the other side- The Doors

What can I say about this song that hasn't laready been said? It's just frekin' great. And I'm going to listen to it.

[miss buenos aires]

1-"I Fought in a War" - Belle and Sebastian

The one I cannot imagine Stuart Murdoch doing is fighting in a war.

2-"Dance With Me" - Adam Green

I once saw Adam Green play a show in Paris, and this girl got up and did an interpretive dance to this song. It's such a straightforwardly sweet song, one could almost forget he was in the Moldy Peaches...

3-"The Unwelcome Guest" - Billy Bragg and Wilco

I remember the summer this CD came out...I was going door-to-door for an environmental group in Chicago, and I was so happy when this CD was played in the office, not least because the Beastie Boys and reggae were also in heavy rotation. I don't know a single person who doesn't like this CD.

4-"Maroon Bible" - Beulah

I really don't expect anyone else on the board to be familiar with this song, from Beulah's (justly) little-known first album. You can hear the elements of what would later become their sound, but it's so rough here..."If I were Jack the Ripper, would you still kiss me?" A question everyone should pose to their s.o. at some point. If they want to send said s.o. running in the opposite direction.

5-"Tower of Song" - Leonard Cohen

How effing appropriate.

[Jackson Monk]

Yes, sitting on a hot summer's day, listening to Nick Drake with a cold beer in your hand.

Sorry, couldn't resist!

Good lord are we correcting for apostrophe's now? Whats the world coming to??

Welcome back muggsy!!

Fuck right off Otis!!!

[so lacklustre]

Nice of you to grace us with your presence dear. I'm touched.

Eels - Mother Mary Mary's not my mother, what's he talking about?
The Kinks - Where Have All the Good Times Gone? Indeed, it's virtually a tabloid these days
Canned Heat & John Lee Hooker - Let's Make It Tribute to Lesley Judd?
The Rolling Stones - Congratulations Thankee, I didn't know you cared.
The Pogues - Bottle of Smoke "Twenty fucking five to one me gambling days are done, I bet on a horse called the bottle of smoke and my horse won" poetry.

[Mechanical Grace]

I'm touched.

Yes, I've always thought so. And we wouldn't have it any other way!

[guidedbyvoices]

I love these, seeing what everyone's got. My ipod has over 8500 songs on it, and probably half those are Guided By Voices (slightly kidding).


Here are my 5:
Hey, GBV #1! On Short Wave - GBV
2. Asia Minor - GBV. Cripes, hope it gets more random than this
3. Radio Campaign - M Ward. Never heard this song before, one of the many CDs people give me that I never get around to.
4. Black Sails In The Sunset -EC
5.Fujiyama Mama - Wanda Jackson
6.Stay - Belly
7.The Very Thought Of You - Billie Holiday
8.Fruit Tree - Nick Drake
9.Temptation-New Order (from the Left Of The Dial box set)
10. What You're Doing - Beatles

[Otis Westinghouse]

[Fuck right off Otis!!!

Only trying to help.