by Paul Simon (1977)Poignancy could be Paul Simon’s middle name and perhaps never more than with his bittersweet Slip Slidin’ Away – a song that never fails to make me rather sad (and enjoy it). The song was an new composition released on his 1977 Greatest Hits, Etc.
by Jail Weddings (2010)A strong douse of Scott Walker, a touch of Elvis Costello, a whole lot of 60’s pop mixed with the funnest side of Nick Cave.. put it all together with a ten piece band and you’ve got Jail Weddings. I was psyched when the video for “I Thought You Were Someone I Knew” popped up while browsing facebook and not just because that dapper front man is my cousin. Yes, a relation to me, and so cool! This is not his first music project. Los Angelians may know him from his previous band, The Starvations or Dante Vs Zombies. The album for this song, Love is Lawless comes out Oct. 26th.
by Yvette HornerThe haunting En Glissant by Yvette Horner came to my attention via family on facebook and is one of the songs shot for the Scopitone, which friend Marcus explained to us over on RC a ways back. Horner, virtually unknown in America was a French accordion star.
by Afrika Bambaataa (1982)Do surprise mystery songs ever show up on your ipod? Ones you know you never downloaded but suddenly appear in a shuffle? Some are frustrating, boring emo rock or some sort of Pavement song from Jim, but Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaataa is one of the most delightful for me. The summer’s road trips have been that much more fun with the Kraftwerk sampled 80’s techno gem.
by Peaches and Herb (1979)Peaches and Herb is a quintessential seventies disco ballad duo who’s hit Reunited is the epitome of modern day “cheesy”. So much so that it’s featured in a commercial where a dad is so lame he dares to sing it.The dad also has power tools, so it’s never registered with me as to what the ad is for but it does put the song in my head and that puts a smile on my face.
By the way Herb’s real name is awesomely Herb Fame and the role of “Peaches” has been performed by different women over the years. Reunited features Linda Greene.
by Suzi Quatro (1974)I saw The Runaways. Thought it was shot nicely, the costumes were cool, but am I the only person that was totally bored by the end? No matter, it did remind me of the great Suzi Quatro hit abroad, (she rarely made the charts in the USA) The Wild One.
Click here for the rest of The Wild One
by The Paupers (1965)I discovered this fun little song, If I Told My Baby, while posting a sweet photo of the band, The Paupers over at Rotating Corpse.
by The Inner Space with Rosemarie Heinikel (1969)While there are no doubt tons of great unknown gems to find in this week’s blog pick, Berlin Beatet Bestes, Kamera Song by Rosemarie Heinikel (aka Rosy Rosy) and the band The Inner Space (no affiliation with Dennis Quaid) that eventually became the revered Krautrock band, Can caught my eye and ear instantly.
Made for a film called Agilok and Blubbo, of which I found precious little info about except for a few lines here, the album seems to have gained more cult acclaim recently as marking the beginnings of Can.
The song is a bit Nico, a bit Giallo, a bit progrock, and wholly enjoyable.
Click here for the rest of Kamera Song
by Bill Haley (1955)Bill Haley’s Rock Around the Clock is considered iconic of the mainstreaming of rock and roll even if it wasn’t the first or the most popular of it’s time. It’s inclusion in the rebel teen movie, Blackboard Jungle sealed it’s place in pop culture infamy and now I think it’s catchy awesomeness as a song is overshadowed by it’s position as a background to our history. I mean, how many times have we heard the song over the years? Still, even though it might be overplayed and is by no means a rare hip find, when you really listen to it again, it’s a whole lot of fun and makes me think of bobbysox, rebellion, and high school dances – all good things!
by Bob Seger (1973)Yes, Bob Seger’s been here before (see Still the Same). His songs are just too good to ignore. Turn the Page is a somber lament about a rock stars life on the road. I am particularly partial to the references to Midwestern boobs making fun of the long hair since both my dad and husband sport the do, I’ve seen the confused faces plenty. While Metallica’s take on the song was not as mismatched as one might expect, I still prefer the lonely original that evokes the empty sound of deserted roads passing by.