1. Opening- Cowboy
Cowboy were discovered by the wonderfully talented and sadly, recently departed, Phil Walden and signed to his Capricorn label. This tune leads off their 1970 Reach For The Sky LP. Yes, Cowboy fully ramp up from this opener and deliver a totally crucial rural record that grooves this hard from start to finish. (-zc-)
2. Hang Out- Kaleidoscope (Mexico)
I like this song because it reminds me of hanging out... with mexicans. (jm)
3. No Milk Today- Herman's Hermits
October 1966 and this song reached 35 on the U.S. singles charts! Penned by cool kid and future 10cc member Graham Gouldman, the compacted structure of the song belies its infectious melody as lead singer Peter Noone nails a delivery worthy of free milk for a year. Purely British! (cb)
4. Portland Water- Michael Hurley
It took me A LONG time to fully wrap my head around Michael Hurley. I think
the problem was over exposure. I used to spend a lot of time touring with a
band called Vetiver that have damn near every Hurley album (dude STILL makes
records) burned to an iPod and playing non-stop in the van. I now realize that his vibe can't be force-fed, it needs to find you. Don't get me wrong, I always dug it, it never bummed me out or anything…but one day, this song just smacked me in the face and I become just as converted as said band. I, to this day, listen to at least one Hurley record a week. This song is from 1976's Long Journey. (-zc-)
5. Saturday Nights- Skyhooks
These guys seem really gay to me. At least I hope they're gay. If not then they're really really fucked up. (jm)
6. Sangue Latino- Secos & Molhados
My old roommate, let's call him Dave Barnes, recently played in Brazil and Argentina, he brought this killer LP back for me as a gift. He grew up in South America and this is a favorite of his. All I know about it is that the jams are totally sweet, the cover photo is totally insane- and, well, so are the dudes! Check it: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wIyvM9Ce7mM (-zc-)
7. Sweet Cream Ladies Forward March- Box Tops
The voice of young Alex Chilton highlights another "dairy based number", this time from 1969. An honest dedication to the ladies who surrounded the touring rock bands of the time, the Memphis, TN band's treatment of the issue has infectious organ pumps. (cb)
8. Changing Colors- Jim Ford
Oh man. This is easily the raddest record that's crossed my path all year. Insane props go out to Andy Cabic for finding this bad boy. Jim Ford was "the baddest white dude around" according to Sly Stone and made this epic Harlan County LP with the best LA seshers money could buy back in '69…uh-huh, that's Keltner destroying on drums. This tune is one of the few mellow numbers on the record, the rest of it makes you wanna do mad drugs and party 'til you explode. Bear Family did a great reissue of this with tons of bonus material they found under a bed in Ford's trailer. (-zc-)
9. Cocoanut Grove- Ernest Tubb
Down on Wilshire Boulevard is where they headed for this 1965 instrumental from the Hittin' the Road album. Inspired by the famous Grove at the Ambassador Hotel, the band really nails this one. Take a tape of this track to the ghost town of Crisp, Texas and visit with Ernest's ghost in his deserted birthplace. Wonderful pedal steel work by Buddy Emmons for your summer swinging needs. (cb)
10. Can't Get Enough Of Your Love- Yellow Balloon
I was always fascinated by this record because I'd heard a reissue of it Sundazed. It's all total bubblegum Beach Boys rip off stuff but Sundazed included a couple bonus tracks that were recorded when their manager wasn't around. Total mind scorchers I tell ya. Unfortunateley the LP version doesn't include those tracks so we're left with this song about Babies(jm)
11. Deep In The West- Shake Russell with Dana Cooper
Fuckin' Kevin Barker. What would I ever do without that dude?!?! Kev was stayin' at my pad a while back when he was in town for a buncha meetings here in LA. I was being totally bummed on my couch from some recent family issues and dude busted in with this record in an clear plastic LP sleeve and gave it to me. I had no idea what it was from the cover, so I flipped it over to check out the back and I was all "whoah, he covers some Hurley songs (see above)" and then I realized the tricky bastard had bought me a copy of Armchair Boogie from Michael Hurley and stuck it behind the sleeve of this mystery record he thought I'd also dig to DOUBLE surprise me! After I calmed the fuck down (Armchair Boogie's are impossible to find nowadays), I threw on this mystery LP and was immediately destroyed by this next-level jam. (-zc-)
12. Interlude- Bruce Palmer
Being the drummer of The Buffalo Springfield would make any man crazy. In Bruce Palmer's case, it also produced an anomaly of an album in 1971. Using remnants of Southern California fave rave group Kaleidoscope, Toronto keyboard ace Ed Roth and pre-funk era Rick James on vocals (except this track), Palmer delivered the four track The Cycle Is Complete album to the Verve offices and summarily evaporated from the music world as the label hacks scratched their heads and found ways to make this ahead album unsellable. Bruce died of a heart attack three years ago in Ontario. (cb)
13. Summer Holiday- Cliff Richard
The theme song from a 1963 film of the same name in which Cliff drives a double decker bus around and rudely passes his band The Shadows who are pedaling along on bikes towing elderly women! Smooth delivery, as usual, by Cliff who still today is in fine voice and mind and perhaps is still juggling the mental issues associated with the film's unorthodox she-male encounter. (cb)
14. Rock N Roll Widow- Wishbone Ash
1973 was a strange year for the hair in Wishbone Ash. Coming off the success of 1972's Argus record, they blow-dried their locks out and went back to the pub sound. I like this song from the Four album as it reminds me of days out in the fields of England with ladies who are now memories. (cb)
15. Amanda (demo)- Shagrat
Shagrat is a short-lived collaboration between Steve Peregrin Took (who jammed with Marc Bolan in Tyrannosaurus Rex) and Twink (of Pink Fairies, Devients, etc fame). The band is named after an Orc in Lord of the Rings, and Steve's sir-name is taken from a hobbit (Talk about conflict!). That's pretty much all it takes for me to buy a record. (-zc-)
16. Drip Drop- Dion
A Lieber-Stoller penned number delivered with such conviction that it's no wonder the valet's in his building would hand their jacket and cap over to Dion so they could go score for him. Grab an egg cream and let this 1963 Columbia single wash over ya like a fire hydrant soaking the Brooklyn night. (cb)
17. We're Gonna Find A Way- Variations
I like those uplifting 70's jams that make you feel like everything is gonna be cool even when you run out of coke.(jm)
18. Driving- Sibylle Baier
I still think this shit is fake. How can something SO FUCKING GOOD go unnoticed for this long!? Sure, some reissues pop up here and there that blow your mind, but the music still always sounds like it's from the time period it was supposedly recorded in. Listen to Colour Green and try and convince me it's ACTUALLY from the early 70's- nope, sorry buddy, IT'S TOO PERFECT. (-zc-)
19. Rubber Room- Porter Wagoner
Pure mental country sung by a living legend. From the 1972 album What Ain't To Be Just Might Happen, this song has been praised in circles for years for being a true account of mental illness. The exciting use of echo and the disturbing lyrics make it a perfect track for hanging out in a graveyard on a July night in Hollywood. (cb)
20. Sukiyaki- Kyu Sakamoto
When I was two years old I had a friend, let's call him The King, who virtually gave birth to the idea of a "rock star" and once ate meatloaf for six months in a row! He gave me this single in 1977 shortly before he passed away at Graceland (oops!) and commented how much he adored Kyu's version of this song which topped the U.S. charts in 1963 sometime between The King's shooting of Fun In Acapulco and It Happened At The World's Fair. Released on Capitol, it was the only Japanese language song to ever reach the top sales position in America. Sakamoto was a passenger on Japan Airlines Flight 123 which crashed near Gunma Prefecture on August 12, 1985. He was 43 years old, a year older than The King when he died. (cb)
21. Song Of Everything- Sir Douglas Quintet
Sir Douglas Quintet + 2 = Honkey Blues, Smash Records, 1968. It's Big Sur if you're there…or Prunedale off the 101 near Monterey where Doug holed up and weighed in the proper amounts to create this soothing rambler. (cb)
22. Rising Of The Sun- The Rabble
Music blogs are so lame. Well…all but like, 4 of them. This one is the best ever: http://andthenthechimneyspoke.blogspot.com/ . It's where I found the Rabble. Both of their records (this tune is from their 1968 self-titled debut) are so fucking undeniable it's scary. I wish the dude who runs this site (The blog-master? What do you even call this person!?) would come back from the Appalachians and post more crazy loner jams, I'm actually beginning to cheer up. (-zc-)
23. Marie- Jack Nitzsche
The Small Town Talk boys are gearing up to DJ before "One Flew Over the
Cuckoos Nest" for our good buddies over at Cinespia/Hollywood Forever. I
totally had to pull this one out. It's from Jack Nitzsche's 'lost' solo LP,
which is seriously the best record you've never heard. Jack Nitzsche is the
dude that did the 'Cuckoo's Nest' soundtrack (and also produced Neil Young's
early solo LP's, and played keyboards in Crazy Horse, and produced so many
fucking killer early to mid-60's singles for dudes like Round Robin, Bobby
Darin, etc…), but I'll move on. Talk about 'hurts so good'!? Does that slide
playing sound familiar? Yup- FAHEY. Buy this on Rhino Handmade and thank me
later when your mind recovers. (-zc-)
24. Illusions- You Keep Me Hangin' On- Vanilla Fudge
I never got this band until I saw the video for this song. If every band tried this hard I would go out more often. Even if I wasn't on the guest list. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71cGLyOKhSc