Burn and Shine

Burn and Shine's Top 30 of 2011.

2011-12-25T06:40:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Folks!

Usually on or around Christmas Day I post a compilation with some of my favorite tunes of the year here at Burn and Shine. This year I squeezed 30 songs onto my year-end compilation. I did so by fudging it a bit. My #1, very favorite song of the year did not make the cut. The brilliant "Johnny Kwango" by the Bevis Frond is just over five minutes long, and I decided to put the nearly equally as awesome "More To This Than That" (it clocks in at 1:45!) on here so I could share a few more tracks from a great year. "Johnny Kwango" is featured in video form at the end of this post, if you'd like to hear it. I uploaded the clip to Youtube because nobody else had-- sorry for the intermittent zoom effect, I'm a complete novice when it comes to videos.

Because I've noticed that the number of Downloads is inversely proportional to the length of my blog post, I won't say much else about this compilation or the year in music except there were so many great releases this year, that I toyed with putting together two more comps. Maybe at some point those will make an appearance along with a list of my Favorite Albums of 2011. Enough babbling.

Happy Listening!

Burn and Shine's Top 30 of 2011:

01. The Bevis Frond, "More To This Than That"
02. The Decemberists, "Down by the Water"
03. Wild Flag, "Future Crimes"
04. Those Darlins, "Waste Away"
05. The Night Marchers, "All Hits"
06. The Bats, "It's Not the Same"
07. The Red Button, "Caught in the Middle"
08. Brilliant Colors, "Hey Dan"
09. Tommy Keene, "Deep Six Saturday"
10. R.E.M., "That Someone is You"
11. PJ Harvey, "The Last Living Rose"
12. Iceage, "You're Blessed"
13. Woods, "Any Other Day"
14. Surfer Blood, "Miranda"
15. Milk Music, "Out of My World"
16. Crystal Stilts, "Through the Floor"
17. Sonny & the Sunsets, "I Wanna Do It"
18. Jonny, "Candyfloss"
19. Ducktails, "Hamilton Road"
20. Motel Beds, "Surfjerk"
21. Dum Dum Girls, "Wrong Feels Right"
22. Vivian Girls, "I Heard You Say"
23. Tim Cohen, "Don't Give Up"
24. Army Navy, "Feathered"
25. Crooked Fingers, "Black Candles"
26. Times New Viking, "Ever Falling In Love"
27. La Sera, "I Promise You"
28. Shirk Circus, "Understanding"
29. Guided by Voices, "The Unsinkable Fats Domino"
30. J Mascis, "Too Deep"

Total Time 1:19:10

Download it here: Burn and Shine's Top 30 of 2011

And here's my Favorite Song of the year: "Johnny Kwango" by The Bevis Frond:

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-01T17:38:00.001-08:00

Hey Folks, thought I'd go ahead and share the latest volume of Christmas Redux. I've noticed that last year's Christmas post has been getting a lot of hits lately, so maybe everyone is ready to start listening to Christmas music. If you are new to this blog, and are looking for Christmas tunes, be sure and click the "Xmas" tag at the end of this post and check out the five previous volumes in this series.

I also wanted to give everyone the heads up on what's in store here at Burn and Shine over the next few months. Sometime around Christmas Day, I will post my favorite tracks from 2011. In January, I've got something really special planned. Check out this video:

I must admit, when I put that video together I was thinking that I was going to start my 1977 series in January. Instead, I have decided to finally post my Proto-Punk series first. So look for Sunday Punks to start in January-- it's going to be massive! For now though, enjoy the Christmas tunes.

Happy Listening!

Christmas Redux Six:

01. Aztec Camera, "Walk Out to Winter"
02. Best Coast & Wavves, "Got Something for You"
03. Adam Kempa, "Jingle Bells"
04. The Hepsters, "Rockin' & Rollin' With Santa Clause"
05. Don Kriss, "It's Christmas"
06. The Majority, "All Our Christmases"
07. The Yobs, "Run Rudolph Run"
08. The Only Ones, "Silent Night"
09. The Alan Milman Sect, "Punk Rock Christmas"
10. Three Aces and a Joker, "Sleigh Bell Rock"
11. The Beach Boys, "The Man With All the Toys"
12. Los Straitjackets, "O Come All Ye Faithful"
13. Parenthetical Girls, "Carol of the Season"
14. Matt Black & the Double Bugs, "Punky Xmas"
15. Bouquet of Veal, "It's Christmas"
16. The Krayolas, "Christmas Time"
17. The Ravens, "Blue Christmas"
18. The Recital, "And Your Boy Can Drum"
19. Will Yates, "You Didn't Get Me Anything for Christmas"
20. The Reigning Sound, "That's All I Want"
21. Sufjan Stevens, "I Saw Three Ships"
22. John Cale, "Child's Christmas in Wales"
23. Three Hour Tour, "Peace On You"
24. Crocodiles & Dum Dum Girls, "Merry Christmas, Baby (Please Don't Die)"
25. Iggy Pop, "White Christmas"

Total Time: 1:00:18

Download it here: Christmas Redux Six

1986.

2011-11-19T21:22:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means it's time for me to celebrate songs that are a quarter century old. This is the third installment, please see 1984 and 1985 for the first two discs in this ongoing series.

1986 has a little bit of meaning for me, as it was the year I graduated from high school. It is also the year I went to boot camp, had my heart broken by the New York Mets and bought my first car (how I miss you VW Golf!). By the next year, I would be out in sunny San Diego, in a land of great radio. 91X in San Diego was where I heard a lot of the bands represented here for the first time. This was before "X" meant "EXTREME". I still hate that word.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Listening!

01. Drivin'n'Cryin', "Scarred But Smarter"
02. R.E.M., "Superman"
03. The Smithereens, "Behind the Wall of Sleep"
04. The Windbreakers, "Don't Wanna Know"
05. Bodeans, "Fadeaway"
06. The Go-Betweens, "Spring Rain"
07. The Woodentops, "Get It On"
08. Elvis Costello, "I Hope You're Happy Now"
09. Steve Earle, "Guitar Town"
10. The Godfathers, "I Want You"
11. The Triffids, "She's Sure the Girl I Love"
12. fIREHOSE, "Brave Captain"
13. Moving Targets, "Faith"
14. Dumptruck, "Alone"
15. Yo La Tengo, "The Cone of Silence"
16. Scruffy the Cat, "Buy a Car"
17. Billy Bragg, "Levi Stubb's Tears"
18. The Feelies, "Let's Go"
19. XTC, "Earn Enough for Us"
20. The Housemartins, "Happy Hour"
21. That Petrol Emotion, "It's a Good Thing"
22. Tommy Keene, "Places That Are Gone"
23. Don Dixon, "Southside Girl"
24. New Salem Witch Hunters, "Falling"
25. Trotsky Icepick, "The Gaslight"

Total Time: 1:15:36

Download it here: 1986

Human Switchboard!

2011-11-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

A recent discovery for me, but as my good friend Laura might say, they're my new favorite band! Just got the fabulous anthology which Bar None Records has so lovingly put out. Read all about it here: Human Switchboard.

I went looking for the title track on YouTube, but only found a live version. I decided to upload my first video to that site ever. Here's hoping I don't get taken down by the internet police. It's a pretty basic still shot video, but at least you get to hear the song, which by the way, is not the remastered version but rather a vinyl transfer I found on the interweb a few months ago. Enjoy!

Eleventh Dream Day!

2011-11-11T07:18:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to all the babies who have been or will be born later today. My own daughter missed being an 08/08/08-baby by three days. I don't have a compilation for you today, but I will leave you with a video of a very under-appreciated band: Eleventh Dream Day.

Our Band Could Be Your Life: The Soundtrack

2011-11-06T04:20:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of Michael Azerrad's excellent tome, Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981-1991. As you can see from that handy link, I'm a little late to the party: apparently there was an actual party in NYC celebrating the book's birthday. Not knowing about this event, I decided to reread Our Band a few weeks ago. I flipped to the copyright date page, and realized it had been nearly a decade since I first read it (I'm pretty sure I read it in '02 or '03). As I made my way through, I thought I needed to do some sort of tribute to the book here at Burn and Shine.

I decided to make a companion compilation. The NPR article I posted above mentions that the book "was all about these obscure rock bands from 30 years ago". Having lived through this period, I don't really think of any of those bands as "obscure". I don't claim to have been riding this wave from the beginning, but I remember Black Flag playing Chattanooga, even if I was too lame to have gone. Then it hit me: 30 cussing years! When I was just getting into these bands in the mid/late 80's, I knew very little about the popular music of the 50's let alone, the stuff that was bubbling under the mainstream. So there is a generation of potential rock geeks out there who may not have ever heard any of these bands. Well I've got you covered!

I'm pretty sure all of the artists featured in the book have appeared on previous Burn and Shine compilations (one of these days I'm going to catalog all the songs/artists I've used in this here blog, but till then, I'll just have to rely on my increasingly unreliable memory). So instead of talking about the tracks I've selected, let me give you a list for further investigation for each band featured in the book.

Black Flag (Los Angeles): Kind of tricky, there is not one definitive album to recommend as the Flag had several lead singers and went through some distinct artistic phases. Start with the fabulous Pre-Henry Rollins compilation The First Four Years. Then of course you need Damaged, and finally My War.

Minutemen (San Pedro): Double Nickels on the Dime (1984), but if you like this, you're going to want everything.

Mission of Burma (Boston): Signals, Calls and Marches EP (1981). Both the Ryko and Matador versions of this add the totally essential "Academy Fight Song" single, for that reason it gets the slight nod over 1982's, Vs, the only studio long player released during their initial lifespan of 1980-83 (MoB have since regrouped and put out a handful of good to great albums).

Minor Threat (Washington D.C.): Finally an easy one! All you need (and all they recorded) is nicely compiled on Complete Discography.

Hüsker Dü (Minneapolis): Okay, I'll go with 1984's Zen Arcade, but really you cannot go wrong with pre-Warner's Dü (and I stand by their major label albums too).

The Replacements (Minneapolis): Sticking with the 1984 theme, start with Let It Be. Though few bands have recorded three back-to-back albums as brilliant as Let it Be, Tim and Pleased to Meet Me (the latter two on a *shudders* major label).

Sonic Youth (New York): The longest continually running band featured in the book, Sonic Youth also has the most daunting discography. Start with Daydream Nation (1988). Then if you like the noisy parts go backwards to their indie releases, or if you like the more pop-like tracks go forward toward their Geffen output.

Butthole Surfers (San Antonio): My personal fave is Rebrandt Pussyhorse (1986).

Big Black (Chicago): Another easy one, The Rich Man's Eight Track Tape (1987) as it compiles all of the essential Big Black Recordings on one handy disc.

Dinosaur Jr. (Boston): My favorite album is You're Living All Over Me (1987), but a great starting point would be Ear Bleeding Country: The Best of Dinosaur Jr., released by Rhino in 2001 shortly before the reunion shows and subsequent albums. I rarely suggest starting with a best-of compilation, but this one compiles songs from their indie releases and the cream of their major label output as well as some important non-album singles.

Fugazi (Washington D.C.): 13 Songs (1990) was my introduction to the mighty Fugazi, and it's still my favorite. It includes their first two EPs, and for my money Fugazi was never better. Repeater and Steady Diet were pretty great too, but after that they got a little too post-rock for my taste.

Mudhoney (Seattle): My favorite of the Seatle bands. If you already know "Touch Me I'm Sick" (featured on my compilation below), then jump on over to their last album released on Sub Pop, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge (1991)-- the perfect blend of grunge and pop.

Beat Happening (Olympia): Hmmmm . . . One of these bands is not like the others. That would be the quirky Beat Happening. I've heard plenty of people scoff at the fact that BH were included in this book. I would venture to say that no other band on this list puts a smile on my face quite like Beat Happening. Sure, Johnson's booming baritone is an acquired taste, and Heather Lewis's voice isn't always on key, but damn put them together . . . and it just knocks my socks off. If you are a fan of twee, but don't know this band, then go ahead and indulge in the Crashing Through box set (2001) which compiles just about every note recorded by Beat Happening-- you'll thank me later. If you are new to this sound, then start with the pop-perfection of Jamboree (1988). If that record doesn't do anything for you, then there is no need for further investigation.

Alright, on to today's comp. I've sequenced the comp in the same order that they appear in the book. The only band that is featured here that does not have a chapter in OBCBYL is Ian MacKaye's pre-Minor Threat band, the Teen Idles. When an artist had multiple singers, I tried to include an example of each. Some of the bands only had one singer, but I made sure and gave everyone at least two tracks as it didn't seem fair.

Happy Listening!

Our Band Could Be Your Life: The Soundtrack

01. Black Flag, “Nervous Breakdown” [1978]. (Keith Morris)
02. Black Flag, “Jealous Again” [1980]. (Chavo Pederast)
03. Black Flag, “Six Pack” [1981]. (Dez Cadena)
04. Black Flag, “Rise Above” [1981]. (Henry Rollins)
05. Minutemen, “Tension” [1981].
06. Minutemen, “Little Man With a Gun in His Hand” [1983].
07. Mission of Burma, “Max Ernst” [1981]. (Roger Miller)
08. Mission of Burma, “That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate” [1982]. (Clint Conley)
09. The Teen Idles, “Sneakers” [1981].
10. Minor Threat, “I Don’t Wanna Hear It” [1981].
11. Minor Threat, “Think Again” [1983].
12. Hüsker Dü, “It’s Not Funny Anymore” [1983]. (Grant Hart)
13. Hüsker Dü, “In a Free Land” [1981]. (Bob Mould)
14. The Replacements, “Takin’ a Ride” [1981].
15. The Replacements, “We’re Coming Out” [1984].
16. Sonic Youth, “Kill Yr Idols” [1983]. (Thurston Moore)
17. Sonic Youth, “Brave Men Run (In My Family)” [1985]. (Kim Gordon)
18. Sonic Youth, “Eric’s Trip” [1988]. (Lee Ranaldo)
19. Butthole Surfers, “Butthole Surfer” [1984].
20. Butthole Surfers, “Creep in the Cellar” [1986].
21. Big Black, “Passing Complexion” [1986].
22. Big Black, “Heartbeat” [1987].
23. Dinosaur Jr, “Repulsion” [1985]. (J. Mascis)
24. Dinosaur Jr, “Lose” [1987]. (Lou Barlow)
25. Fugazi, “Waiting Room” [1988]. (Ian MacKaye)
26. Fugazi, “Margin Walker” [1989]. (Guy Picciotto)
27. Mudhoney, “Touch Me I’m Sick” [1988].
28. Mudhoney, “Into the Drink” [1991].
29. Beat Happening, “Cast a Shadow” [1988]. (Calvin Johnson)
30. Beat Happening, “In Between” [1989]. (Heather Lewis)

Total Time: 1:17:19

Download it here: Our Band Could Be Your Life: The Soundtrack

Psychedelic Sundaze #13

2011-10-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

When I first mentioned I was working on this series (way back in July), I thought it would be 10-discs and 200 tracks-- about the same as the two Nuggets box sets. As I continued to work on it, it got a little longer. I finally settled on 12 volumes, but as I posted them here, I kept finding stuff that I had missed-- either in my collection or via some of the GREAT Psychedelic blogs that are out there. So I made one more playlist for these tracks and figured I'd just keep them handy and if I had enough for another volume I'd just tack it on at the end. Well I ended up with 26 more tracks. I'm sure the Burn and Shine book is not closed on this era, but this final volume with it's 26 tracks will put it to bed for awhile.

A few quick tidbits about the bonus disc selections. First, our cover boys The Action, make an appearance with a song from an album that did not get an official release until 2002, Rolled Gold. Usually when you hear these so-called, "Great Lost Albums" they really aren't that great. Not so with this one. RG is the real deal, and should have put the Action in the upper echelons of the British Invasion.

One of the last tracks I selected for this compilation is the Big Star track titled "Psychedelic Stuff", which is really a Chris Bell track. This was featured on the Big Star box set that came out a couple of years ago. Even if you have the three proper Big Star albums, you need this set-- it was lovingly done.

The series closes out with a track written and sung by Bill Wyman. I believe it was the first such song in the Rolling Stones discography (was there another?). It was featured on their terribly underrated album Their Satanic Magesties Request, which I'll go on record here saying that it's a better album than Sgt. Pepper's.

Oh, one more thing. My three year old daughter has discovered the Monkees. I have the first season on DVD, and we've been watching them with her. I did not remember "Take a Giant Step" from their first album, written by Goffin & King. It would have been on here, but I had already zipped the file when we watched that particular episode. Anywho, I thought I'd share it via a youtube clip:

Happy listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era (Bonus Disc)

01. The Monks, “Shut Up” [1966]. U.S./Germany
02. Alice Cooper, “Changing Arranging” [1969]. U.S. (Michigan)
03. The Blades of Grass, “I Love You Alice B. Toklas” [1967]. U.S. (New York)
04. Shocking Blue, “Love Buzz” [1969]. Netherlands
05. The Golden Dawn, “Evolution” [1968]. U.S. (Texas)
06. Plastic Penny, “Wake Me Up” [1968]. U.K. (England)
07. Del Shannon, “Silver Birch” [1968]. U.S. (born in Michigan)
08. The Clouds, “I’ll Go Girl” [1968]. U.K. (Scotland)
09. Ultimate Spinach, “Ego Trip” [1967]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
10. Andromeda, “Day of the Change” [1969]. U.K. (England)
11. The Attack, “Colour of My Mind” [1967]. U.K. (England)
12. Dean Carter, “Rebel Woman” [1967]. U.S. (Illinois)
13. Graham Gouldman, “Impossible Years” [1968]. U.K. (England)
14. GTO’s, “The Ghost Chained to the Past, Present and Future (Shock Treatment)” [1969].
15. The Everly Brothers, “So Lonely” [1966]. U.S. (Kentucky)
16. Savage Resurrection, “Someone’s Changing” [1968]. U.S. (California)
17. Bodast, “1,000 Years” [ca. 1969]. U.K. (England)
18. Synanthesia, “Fates” [1969]. U.K. (England)
19. New Colony Six, “Let Me Love You” [1967]. U.S. (Illinois)
20. The Great Society, “Free Advice” [1966]. U.S. (California)
21. The Action, “Brain” [ca. 1968]. U.K. (England)
22. Love Sculpture, “River to Another Day” [1968]. U.K. (Wales)
23. Sons of Adam, “Feathered Fish” [1966]. U.S. (California)
24. Halfnelson, “Saccharine and the War” [1968]. U.S. (California)
25. Big Star (Chris Bell), “Psychedelic Stuff” [ca. 1968]. U.S. (Tennessee)
26. Bill Wyman, “In Another Land” [1967]. U.K. (England)

Total Time: 1:14:36

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, (Bonus Disc)

Psychedelic Sundaze #12

2011-10-23T05:02:00.000-07:00

This week's installment of TPF, has a couple of distinct threads running through it. The first is it features three bands that are generally considered as the forerunners of Heavy Metal. Deep Purple (Pictured Above), Blue Cheer, and Steppenwolf were all instrumental in the development of "Heavy Metal" as a viable genre.

A second trio of bands featured here, were part of the so-called "Bosstown Sound": The Beacon Street Union, Eden's Children and Orpheus. Critics have not been to kind to these bands or the idea that the "Bosstown Sound" could ever have been as crucial to Rock & Roll as the San Francisco Sound. While none of these bands put out records on par with Santana (also featured on TPF12) or the Jefferson Airplane, they did put out some interesting records. Definitely worth a listen for anyone interested in the Psychedelia, and certainly as good or better as some of the second tier San Fran acts.

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. XII

01. The Other Half, “Wonderful Day” [1968]. U.S. (California)
02. The Dave Clark Five, “When” [1965]. U.K. (England)
03. La De Das, “All Purpose Low” [1967]. New Zealand
04. Thor’s Hammer, “Heyrdu Mig Goda” [1967]. Iceland
05. Blue Cheer, “Gypsy Ball” [1968]. U.S. (California)
06. Pink Floyd (Waters), “Julia Dream” [1968]. U.K. (England)
07. Steppenwolf, “None of You’re Doing” [1968]. U.S. (California)
08. The Beacon Street Union, “My Love Is” [1968]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
09. Eden’s Children, “Awakening” [1968]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
10. Orpheus, “So Far Away In Love” [1968]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
11. Twink, “Ten Thousand Words in a Cardboard Box” [1970]. U.K. (England)
12. Santana, “Shades of Time” [1969]. U.S. (California)
13. The Wilde Flowers, “Impotence” [1966]. U.K. (England)
14. The Sorrows, “Pink, Purple, Yellow and Red” [1967]. U.K. (England)
15. Deep Purple, “Shield” [1968]. U.K. (England)
16. Spooky Tooth, “Bubbles” [1968]. U.K. (England)
17. The Spiders, “Back” [1970]. Mexico
18. The Moving Sidewalks, “Crimson Witch” [1968]. U.S. (Texas)
19. The 23rd Turnoff, “Leave Me Here” (Single Version) [1967]. U.K. (England)
20. Gandalf, “Can You Travel in the Dark Alone” [1968]. U.S. (New Jersey)

Total Time: 1:00:04

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. XII

Halloween Tunes!

2011-10-19T07:37:00.001-07:00

Well the masses have spoken (well 14 of you anyway!), so I'll go ahead and post my annual Halloween compilation today. This edition of Candy Apples & Razor Blades has a little punkier flavor than most. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag but I've got some cool stuff in store for 2012. Parts of this compilation will serve as kind of a preview of what's in store here at B&S.

Happy Listening!

Candy Apples & Razor Blades: Even More Music for All Hallow's Eve, Vol. 4

01. Kristen Hersh, “Your Ghost” [1992].
02. Screaming Lord Sutch, “Jack the Ripper” [1963].
03. Dead Moon, “Graveyard” [1988].
04. Jay Reatard, “Blood Visions” [2006].
05. Destroy All Monsters, “Vampire” [1974].
06. The Effigies, “Haunted Town” [1981].
07. Guadalcanal Diary, “Ghost on the Road” [1985].
08. Jackie Morningstar, “Rockin’ the Graveyard” [1959].
09. New York Dolls, “Frankenstein” [1973].
10. The Dutchess & the Duke, “I Am Just a Ghost” [2008].
11. The Misfits, “Halloween” [1981].
12. Barrence Whitfield, “Bloody Mary” [1985].
13. Blood, Sweat & Tears, “Lucretia Mac Evil” [1970].
14. DoubleHappys, “Moss Monster” [1985].
15. Social Distortion, “The Creeps” [1982].
16. The Sleepy Jackson, “Vampire Race-Course” [2003].
17. Laughing Clowns, “Ghost Beat” [1981].
18. Stiv Bators, “Evil Boy” [1979].
19. Roky Erickson, “Creature With the Atom Brain” [1979].
20. Mary Timony, “Look a Ghost in the Eye” [2002].
21. The King Khan & BBQ Show, “Zombies” [2006].
22. The Dentists, “Back to the Grave” [1985].
23. Dean Carter, “Shadow of Evil” [ca. 1967].
24. Brats, “Zombie People” [1979].
25. The Jam, “Ghosts” [1982].

Total Time: 1:13:49

Download it here: Candy Apples & Razor Blades, Vol. 4

Psychedelic Sundaze #11

2011-10-16T07:41:00.001-07:00

Okay, there is less than 24 hours left to vote in the poll, currently 12 of you have voted and it looks like you want the new Halloween compilation ASAP. If that stays the same by tomorrow, look for the new comp later this week-- Wednesday probably.

As for today's comp, I'll just say a quick word about Creedence Clearwater Revival-- whose lead singer, John Fogerty, is this weeks cover star. Again, not really a band that springs to mind when you think "Psychedelia", though they were one of the most well known artists during this era. This particular track, "Gloomy", has one of the hallmarks of Psychedelia: the backwards guitar. A near perfect example of that technique.

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. XI

01. The Human Beinz, “Flower Grave” [1967]. U.S. (Ohio)
02. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Gloomy” [1968]. U.S. (California)
03. McCully Workshop Inc, “Why Can’t it Rain” [1969]. South Africa
04. Sarolta Zalatnay, “Egy Szot Se Szoli” [1970]. Hungary
05. Iron Butterfly, “Most Anything You Want” [1968]. U.S. (California)
06. Vanilla Fudge, “Where is My Mind” [1968]. U.S. (New York)
07. The Steve Miller Band, “Brave New World” [1969]. U.S. (California)
08. John’s Children, “Just What You Want – Just What You’ll Need” [1967]. U.K. (England)
09. Tommy James & the Shondells, “I Am a Tangerine” [1967]. U.S. (Michigan)
10. The Amboy Dukes, “Why is a Carrot More Orange Than an Orange” [1968]. U.S. (Michigan)
11. Zakary Thaks, “Mirror of Yesterday” [1967]. U.S. (Texas)
12. Earth Island, “Seasons of Our Lives” [1970]. U.S. (California)
13. The Bonniwell Music Machine, “Absolutely Positively” [1968]. U.S. (California)
14. Big Brother & the Holding Company, “All Is Loneliness” [1967]. U.S. (California)
15. Blood, Sweat & Tears, “Meagan’s Gypsy Eyes” [1968]. U.S. (New York)
16. Bubble Puppy, “Lonely” [1969]. U.S. (Texas)
17. Giles, Giles & Fripp, “Newly Weds” [1968]. U.K. (England)
18. The Factory, “Try a Little Sunshine” [1969]. U.K. (England)
19. Sagittarius, “Glass” [1967]. U.S. (California)
20. The Lovin’ Spoonful, “Coconut Grove” [1966]. U.S. (New York)

Total Time: 1:00:34

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. XI

Psychedelic Sundaze #10

2011-10-09T06:22:00.001-07:00

Well we are hitting the final stretch for our Tiny Purple Fishes Series-- just three more volumes after today. This will take us through the end of October, which poses a bit of a dilemma. As some of you may know, Halloween has a significant meaning here at Burn and Shine, as the first playlist I posted here was a Halloween Compilation. Over the last few weeks, the most popular blog entry here at Burn and Shine has been last year's Halloween post. The fourth volume of Candy Apples & Razor Blades is ready to go, but I haven't decided when I'm going to post it. Since there are three comps worth of Halloween Tunes already available, I'm leaning toward posting it on Monday, October 31, once all the TPF comps are posted, but I will leave it up to my faithful readers to decide. Somewhere near the top right corner is a poll, please take a moment to vote when you want the new Halloween Comp posted, thanks!

Okay enough new buisness: a few words about today's Psychedelic platter.

First, I would like to call your attention to track #12. The band is Rust, but I'm not sure exactly where they are from. There seems to be some confusion on this point, and if any of you know definitively, please leave me a comment, as I have read conflicting reports. They released this album on a German label, but they sing in English. I've seen them described as British Psyche, and cannot find a mention of what city they might have been based. Here's a blurb about them at Aural Innovations.

Today's comp features the third and final Beatles' track for TPF, "Fixing a Hole", which is a McCartney track from one of the landmarks of British Psychedelia: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Not one of my favorite Fab Four albums (as I've said before, I prefer the pre-facial hair Beatles!), but it does have its moments, this relatively underrated track being one of them.

Mars Bonfire (aka Dennis Edmonton), is credited as writing one of the most well-known songs of the Psychedelic era: "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf (his brother was the original drummer). This particular track is culled from his second solo album, Faster than the Speed of Life, and is worth tracking down for fans of psychedelia.

Finally, I'd like to highlight a band with a horrible name, Electric Banana (is that a euphemism for vibrator?). Had never heard this record before I started compiling tracks for this series, which is weird because I went through a fairly extensive Pretty Things phase about ten years ago. This is, for all intents, the Pretties under another name. Not sure why a band who never really hit it big (especially true over here in the U.S.) would put out some first rate music under another name, but that's exactly what they did for some low budget films. According to AMG it was because they needed money? Maybe it was a way to hide the money from their label? I'm purely speculating. Anyway, there is a compilation of Electric Banana tracks that is absolutely glorious. Track it down!

Happy listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. X

01. The Monkees, “Porpoise Song (Theme From Head)” [1968]. U.S. (California)/U.K. (England)
02. Dantalian’s Chariot, “Sun Came Bursting Through My Cloud” [1967]. U.K. (England)
03. Syd Barrett, “Baby Lemonade” [1970]. U.K. (England)
04. Bobby Jameson, “Jamie” [1967]. U.S. (California)
05. Kim Fowley, “Me” [1967]. U.S. (California)
06. Skip Spence, “Little Hands” [1969]. U.S./Canada (California, but born in Ontario)
07. Bob Smith, “Please” [1970]. U.S. (California)
08. The Deep, “Pink Ether” [1966]. U.S. (Pennsylvania)
09. Mars Bonfire, “Sad Eyes” [1968]. Canada
10. The Association, “Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies” [1967]. U.S. (California)
11. Afterglow, “Afternoon” [1968]. U.S. (Oregon/California)
12. Rust, “Think Big” [1969]. (Not sure see notes above)
13. Procol Harum, “Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone)” [1968]. U.K. (England)
14. Arzachel, “Garden of Earthly Delights” [1969]. U.K. (England)
15. Kevin Ayers, “Gemini Child” [1970]. U.K. (England)
16. Electric Banana, “I See You” [1967]. U.K. (England)
17. Faine Jade, “Cold Winter Sun” [1968]. U.S. (New York)
18. The Music Machine, “Point of No Return” [1966]. U.S. (California)
19. The Beatles, “Fixing a Hole” [1967]. U.K. (England)
20. The Troggs, “Cousin Jane” [1968]. U.K. (England)

Total Time: 1:00:15

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. X

Psychedelic Sundaze #9

2011-10-02T00:12:00.000-07:00

This volume of Tiny Purple Fishes is easily the most varied, in terms of number of countries represented, so far. While England and the U.S. still dominate, there are no less than five other countries represented: The Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Peru, Scotland and Wales. As I've said before, when putting these comps together I try not to consider countries of origin for the artists represented on each edition. I do consider other things, such as trying not to put too many well known artists on one compilation or grouping together bands whose names are similar (check out the three "Smoke" bands on TPF #7 or the two "Elastic/k" bands on this week's disc).

In addition, I find it interesting that three of the American bands here have ties to Oregon. In fact, Oregon actually outnumbers New York on this comp and has just as many bands represented as California. In recent years, Portland has garnered a lot of attention as a hip place for indie bands to relocate to, but it has a rather long history of great Rock & Roll, which may have all started with this great garage band.

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. IX

01. Hunger, “Colors” [1969]. U.S. (Oregon)
02. The Golden Earrings, “You Break My Heart” [1966]. The Netherlands
03. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play” [1967]. U.K. (England)
04. Sam Gopal, “Midsummer Night’s Dream” [1969]. U.K. (England)
05. New Dawn, “Dark Thoughts” [1970]. U.S. (Oregon)
06. Blue Öyster Cult, “Then Came the Last Days of May” [1972]. U.S. (New York)
07. Left Banke, “Lazy Day” [1967]. U.S. (New York)
08. Them, “You Just Can’t Win” [1965]. U.K. (Northern Ireland)
09. The Serpent Power, “Gently, Gently” [1967]. U.S. (California)
10. The Stowaways, “Just a Toy” [1967]. U.S. (North Carolina)
11. Laghonia, “Someday” [1971]. Peru
12. One In a Million, “Double Sight” [1967]. U.K. (Scotland)
13. The Leaves, “Codine” [1967]. U.S. (California)
14. The Summer Sounds, “Small World” [1969]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
15. The Elastik Band, “The Darkest Corner” [ca. 1967]. U.S. (California)
16. Elastic Band, “Crabtree Farm” [1969]. U.K. (Wales)
17. Van Dyke Parks, “Palm Desert” [1968]. U.S. (Born in Mississippi)
18. The End, “Dreamworld” [1969].
19. Paul Revere & the Raiders, “Get Out of My Mind” (Demo Version) [ca. 1967]. U.S. (Idaho/Oregon/California)
20. Black Sabbath, “Planet Caravan” [1970]. U.K. (England)

Total Time: 59:59

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. IX

Psychedelic Sundaze #8

2011-09-25T04:38:00.001-07:00

As you probably know, Jimi Hendrix was born in Seattle, but moved to England to form the Jimi Hendrix Experience (pictured above). The impact and inventiveness of Hendrix' guitar playing has been recounted by countless journalists since his demise in 1970. The story of David Vorhaus, another expat, has not been disseminated quite as thoroughly. In the grand scheme of Rock & Roll, however, his band White Noise might have been every bit as influential as the Experience. Especially considering, for better or worse, how important the synthesizer became as an instrument in rock music. If you are interested in the history of electronic music, I urge you to check out Vorhaus' story here: Sound on Sound: David Vorhaus.

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. VIII

01. Pisces, “Dear One” [1969]. U.S. (California)
02. Traffic, “Heaven Is in Your Mind” [1967]. U.K. (England)
03. The Moon, “Someday Girl” [1968]. U.S. (California)
04. White Noise, “Love Without Sound” [1969]. U.S./U.K.
05. July, “My Clown” [1968]. U.K. (England)
06. Popcorn Blizzard, “Missing You” [1968]. U.S. (New Jersey)
07. Crystal Circus, “Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You [ca. 1967]. U.S. (California)
08. Les Fleur De Lys, “Gong With the Luminous Nose” [1968]. U.K. (England)
09. Harry Nilsson, “She Sang Hymns Out of Tune” [1967]. U.S. (New York)
10. Thuderclap Newman, “Look Around” [1969]. U.K. (England)
11. The Ugly Ducklings, “Not For Long” [1966]. Canada
12. The Strawberry Alarm Clock, “Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow” [1967]. U.S. (California)
13. Tages, “It’s in a Dream” [1967]. Sweden
14. Chad & Jeremy, “Rest in Peace” (Single Version) [1967]. U.K. (England)
15. Status Quo, “Paradise Flat [1968]. U.K. (England)
16. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, “Love or Confusion” [1967]. U.S./U.K.
17. The Vejtables, “Anything” [1966]. U.S. (California)
18. The Count Five, “Revelation in Slow Motion” [1968]. U.S. (California)
19. SRC, “Black Sheep” [1968]. U.S. (Michigan)
20. Bill Fay, “Some Good Advice” [1967]. U.K. (England)

Total Time: 59:40

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. VIII

Psychedelic Sundaze #7

2011-09-18T06:04:00.000-07:00

We are officially past the halfway point in our Tiny Purple Fishes series. Originally intended as a 12-part series, I decided to expand it by one more disc, so those of you who stick with it will get 13 volumes of TPF-- 260 tracks! A lot to chew on, which is why I decided to keep the individual discs at 20 tracks and about an hour. The goal was to sort of mimic the specialty show format on a college radio station. Though I wish I was able to broadcast a show, this method has its advantages. Namely, you don't have to listen to me babble.

Speaking of babbling, here are a few thought on this weeks compilation.

It may sound naive, but when I started compiling songs for this series, I really thought the U.K. would dominate. That does not seem to be the case. Once again the American bands outnumber the rest of the world on Volume VII. I guess it should make sense, as the U.S. is quite a bit larger than the U.K. There were so many bands making their own personal Psychedelic masterpieces across the U.S. and, in particular, California. Not to slight the U.K. as there was a lot going on there too, but it just seems like the U.K. bands are generally better known. I mean, why is it that having been an avid collector of Rock & Roll for most of my 43 years, that I only just recently discovered a band as great as Michigan's The Rationals?

Merrel Fankhouser is another American artist that should have been more successful. This is actually the second Fankhouser track on TPF: he was on last week's comp with his first band Fapardokly. There's also a John Uzonyi (of Peacepipe) and Steve Morgen (of Morgen), who might have been America's answer to Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton under different circumstances.

As for the well known British bands in this series, few are bigger than The Who. Probably not the first (or even the tenth?) band you would mention while discussing Psychedelia, but I challenge you to find a better example then "Disguises" by anyone else.

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. VII

01. The Smoke [U.S.], “Cowboys and Indians” [1968]. U.S. (California)
02. The Who, “Disguises” [1966]. U.K. (England)
03. The Millenium, “There Is No More To Say” [1968]. U.S. (California)
04. Os Mutantes, “Panis et Circenses” [1968]. Brazil
05. Morgen, “Welcome To the Void” [1969]. U.S. (New York)
06. Joe Byrd & the Field Hippies, “You Can’t Ever come Down” [1969]. U.S. (California)
07. Lazy Smoke, “How Was Your Day Last Night” [1968]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
08. The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, “Living, Loving Life” [1968]. U.S. (California)
09. The Idle Race, “Morning Sunshine” [1968]. U.K. (England)
10. Lost & Found, “Let Me Be” [1968]. U.S. (Texas)
11. The Rationals, “Gave My Love” [1965]. U.S. (Michigan)
12. Kak, “Rain (Single Version)” [1969]. U.S. (California)
13. Peacepipe, “The Sun Won’t Shine Forever” [ca. 1970]. U.S. (California)
14. Merrel Fankhauser and (His Trusty) H.M.S. Bounty! “Madame Silky” [1968]. U.S. (California)
15. Rainbow Ffolly, “Sighing Game” [1968]. U.K. (England)
16. Lothar & The Hand People, “L-O-V-E (Ask For It By Name)” [1968]. U.S. (Colorado)
17. Mystic Siva, “Find Out Why” [1971]. U.S. (Michigan)
18. Hawkwind, “Children of Man” [1971]. U.K. (England)
19. Quicksilver Messenger Service, “Pride of Man” [1968]. U.S. (California)
20. The Smoke [U.K.], “Have Some More Tea” [1967]. U.K. (England)

Total Time: 1:00:24

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. VII

Psychedelic Sundaze #6

2011-09-11T04:47:00.001-07:00

Not one but two non Anglo-American bands make an appearance on volume six of TPF: Q65 from the Netherlands (singing in English) and Steppeulvene from Denmark (singing in their native tongue). As you may suspect, the Danish band took their name from the same Herman Hesse novel that a more famous Los Angeles band used for their moniker. The California Steppenwolf will be gracing Psychedelic Sundaze in a few weeks.

One of the more interesting acts represented this time around is the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Here's some trivia about the Bonzo's that may help you some day if you happen to be on Jeopardy. They played a song in the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour film. The name of that song? "Death Cab for Cutie".

Our cover star this week is the beautiful Grace Slick. Believe it or not, before I started searching for pics for this week's compilation, I had never seen this one before. I would imagine it is pretty famous. This is the second Jefferson Airplane track featured on TPF, the first being the Marty Balin penned "Today" on Vol. III.

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. VI

01. The Grateful Dead, “Rosemary” [1969]. U.S. (California)
02. Silver Apples, “Oscillations” [1968]. U.S. (New York)
03. Q65, “I Was Young” [1969]. Netherlands
04. The Electric Prunes, “The Great Banana Hoax” [1967]. U.S. (California)
05. Arthur Brown, “Time” [1968]. U.K. (England)
06. David Bowie, “Karma Man” [ca. 1967]. U.K. (England)
07. The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, “Piggy Bank Love” [1967]. U.K. (England)
08. Frank Zappa, “Mom & Dad” [1968]. U.S. (California)
09. Captain Beefheart, “Beatle Bones ‘N’ Smokin’ Stones” [1968]. U.S. (California)
10. The Mandrake Memorial, “Hear I Am” [1968]. U.S. (Pennsylvania)
11. The Standells, “All Fall Down” [1967]. U.S. (California)
12. The Gants, “Grenner Days” [1967]. U.S. (Mississippi)
13. The Seeds, “Two Fingers Point at you [1967]. U.S. (California)
14. Family, “Scene Through the Eye of a Lens” [1967]. U.K. (England)
15. The Remains, “Heart” [1966]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
16. Shadows of Knight, “Dark Side” [1966]. U.S. (Illinois)
17. Steppulvene, “Kvinde Kom Ud” [1967]. Denmark
18. Wimple Winch, “Rumble on Mersey Square South” [1967]. U.K. (England)
19. Jefferson Airplane, “Two Heads” [1967]. U.S. (California)
20. The Beach Boys, “’Til I Die” [1971]. U.S. (California)

Total Time: 59:30

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. VI

Psychedelic Sundaze #5

2011-09-04T07:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone! This week's disc kicks off with the Fourmyula, a great band from New Zealand who I only recently discovered. Apparently they were positively huge in their homeland, but they barely registered a blip anywhere else. Unfortunate, as they had a slew of singles that rivaled anything by the bands that dominated the U.S. charts during the British Invasion. "Come With Me", by the way, was their first single and it spent three weeks in the #2 slot in New Zealand.

One of the biggest bands to emerge from the L.A. scene finds a spot here. The Doors' "Take It As It Comes" is not very 'psychedelic', but it is is easily my favorite Doors' song. Manzarek's trademark keyboard sound is all over this one, even if it errs on the garage-side of psychedelia.

The Beatles make their second appearance on TPF, this time with the lovely George Harrison penned "Only a Northern Song".

Finally, this comp ends with a most unlikely choice. Cleveland's Mirrors are generally associated with the Proto-Punks. This track was released in 1975-- well outside what is generally considered the First Psychedelic Era. But "Shirley", the A-side of the only record released during the band's lifetime, channels the best of the original Psychedelic Era without sounding retro. The B-side, "She Smiled Wild" is a little more proto-punk (and I swear, some day I'm going to feature the Proto-Punks here at Burn and Shine!). If'n yer interested, check it out:

Find more artists like Mirrors at Myspace Music

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. V

01. The Fourmyula, “Come With Me” [1968]. New Zealand
02. The Baroques, “Iowa, A Girl’s Name” [1967]. U.S. (Wisconsin)
03. Blues Magoos, “Love Seems Doomed” [1966]. U.S. (New York)
04. Caravan, “Ride” [1968]. U.K. (England)
05. Clear Light, “Sand” [1967]. U.S. (California)
06. Fever Tree, “Where Do You Go?” [1968]. U.S. (Texas)
07. The Charlatans, “I Saw Her” [1966]. U.S. (California)
08. The Guess Who, “Clock on the Wall” [1966]. Canada
09. Beau Brummels, “Magic Hollow” [1967]. U.S. (California)
10. Fapardokly, “Gone To Pot” [1966]. U.S. (California)
11. The Chocolate Watchband, “She Weaves a Tender Trap” [1966]. U.S. (California)
12. Gong, “Tried So Hard” [1971]. France/Australia/U.K. (England)
13. Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, “What’s the Point of Leaving” [1968]. U.K. (England)
14. The Doors, “Take It As It Comes” [1967]. U.S. (California)
15. Lee Hazlewood, “In Our Time” [1967]. U.S. (Born in Oklahoma)
16. The Move, “Blackberry Way” [1968]. U.K. (England)
17. The Nice, “Daddy Where Did I Come From” [1968]. U.K. (England)
18. The Beatles, “Only a Northern Song” [1968]. U.K. (England)
19. The Lemon Drops, “Learn To Fly” [1968]. U.S. (Illinois)
20. Mirrors, “Shirley” [1975]. U.S. (Ohio)

Total Time: 59:48

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. V

Psychedelic Sundaze #4

2011-08-28T05:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, we're back to a mostly evenly split compilation between the U.S. and the U.K. with one Dutch band thrown in for good measure. Interestingly, we also get our first Scottish artist represented on TPF: Donovan. Actually that's not quite true, as I know that Cream's Jack Bruce is Scottish but I put Cream down as English, because they formed in London. France also makes an appearance, in quite an interesting way.

If you do not know the story behind Philippe Debarge, then by all means check it out over at Technicolor Web of Sound. The short and the skinny of the story is that Debarge had some money and he befriended The Pretty Things and funded a fantastic album, on which he sang and the Pretties backed him up. Sounds like a recipe for disaster but Debarge can really hold his own behind the microphone.

Vol. IV's cover boys, The Yardbirds, are most famous for producing three of most innovative guitarists of the Rock & Roll era. Their real ace in the hole, might have been original member, bassist/composer Paul Samwell-Smith, who co-wrote many of the Yardbirds' finest tunes including the one featured here from Roger the Engineer, which would be the last Yardbirds' album before his departure.

This edition of TPF kicks off with a band that actually gained some notoriety by sharing their name with a much more famous band. In 1991, I had never heard of the original Nirvana, but I remember reading that there was a psychedelic band from the U.K. which had already used the name. It was probably 10 years later before I actually heard The Story of Simon Simopath, which is one of the earliest examples of a Concept Album. A great album in its own right.

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. IV

01. Nirvana (U.K.), “Pentecost Hotel” [1967]. U.K. (England)
02. Mighty Baby, “Egyptian Tomb” [1969]. U.K. (England)
03. The Misunderstood, “My Mind” [1966]. U.S. (California)
04. Tyrannosaurus Rex, “Chariots of Silk” [1969]. U.K. (England)
05. The Red Krayola, “Green of My Pants” [1969]. U.S. (Texas)
06. The Rising Storm, “Frozen Laughter” [1967]. U.S. (Massachusetts)
07. Billy Nicholls, “Would You Believe? [1968]. U.K. (England)
08. The Outsiders, “It Seems Like Nothing’s Gonna Come My Way Today” [1968]. Holland
09. The Yardbirds, “He’s Always There” [1966]. U.K. (England)
10. The Mystery Trend, “What If I [1966]. U.S. (California)
11. The Mystic Tide, “Why” [1965]. U.S. (New York)
12. The Tremeloes, “What a State I’m In” [1966]. U.K. (England)
13. The Mojo Men, “Evelyn Hope” [1968]. U.S. (California)
14. Donovan, “Super Lungs” [1966]. U.K. (Scotland)
15. The Velvet Underground, “Sunday Morning” [1967]. U.S. (New York)
16. Philippe Debarge w/ The Pretty Things, “All Gone Now” [1969]. France/U.K. (England)
17. Eric Burdon & the Animals, “No Self Pity” [1968]. U.K. (England)
18. Fifty Foot Hose, “If Not This Time” [1968]. U.S. (California)
19. The Moody Blues, “Peak Hour” [1967]. U.K. (England)
20. Index, “Rainy Starle” [1968]. U.S. (Michigan)

Total time: 59:58

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. IV

Psychedelic Sundaze #3

2011-08-21T04:23:00.000-07:00

When I put these TPF compilations together, I did not really attempt to balance them geographically. The first two volumes in the series were pretty evenly split between American and British acts. As I was jotting down the track listing for Vol. III, I noticed a decidedly American flavor-- as it turns out, only five of the twenty tracks are British.

Even more interesting, this compilation kicks off with five consecutive tracks from the L.A. Scene. California completely dominates this comp, with L.A. stealing the show with seven tracks, including the important compilation positions of opener, closer and cover star (that of course, is Love's Arthur Lee pictured above).

One of the non-California, American bands featured here, however, has a little more in common with the U.K. The Aerovons were hugely influenced by the Brits, and in particular their heroes the Beatles. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then the John, Paul, George and Ringo would blush right through the Aerovons sole long player, Ressurection, which did not see the light of day until 2003. I chose the title track here, because it is the most Beatle-like track on the album. Listening to it the first time back in '03 when RPM lovingly released it, I found it to be a sub par, Beatles' ripoff. But damn if it didn't get stuck in my head. As I learned more about the band, I soon had a change of heart. Tom Hartman, was only 17-years old when this track was recorded, and did I mention he produced it? And oh, by the way, he got to record it at Abbey Road Studios? Not too shabby for a kid from St. Louis.

Batting in the two-slot here, is a song that was featured here at Burn and Shine about a year ago when I posted AMC's The Walking Dead trailer. One of the biggest hits featured in this series, the Walker Brothers took this wonderful track all the way to #13 on the Billboard charts. For the life of me, I don't know why this song doesn't get more love when critics discuss the greatest songs of all time. I would put it right up there with "Be My Baby", "Waterloo Sunset" and "A Day in the Life".

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. III

01. Buffalo Springfield, “Out of My Mind” [1966]. U.S./Canada (California)
02. The Walker Brothers, “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore” [1966]. U.S. (California)
03. She, “Braids of Hair” [ca. 1970]. U.S. (California)
04. Jan & Dean, “Yellow Balloon” [1966]. U.S. (California)
05. Love, “She Comes In Colors” [1967]. U.S. (California)
06. The Nazz, “Letters Don’t Count” [1969]. U.S. (Pennsylvania)
07. The Rascals, “Find Somebody” [1967]. U.S. (New York)
08. The Creation, “Life is Just Beginning [1967]. U.K. (England)
09. H.P. Lovecraft, “Moubius Trip” [1968]. U.S. (Illinois)
10. The Small Faces, “Long Agos and Worlds Apart” [1968]. U.K. (England)
11. Jefferson Airplane, “Today” [1967]. U.S. (California)
12. The Pretty Things, “Trust” [1968]. U.K. (England)
13. The Honey Combs, “It Ain’t Necessarily So” [1964]. U.K. (England)
14. The Aerovons, “Resurrection” [ca. 1969]. U.S. (Missouri)
15. Moby Grape, “Sitting by the Window” [1967]. U.S. (California)
16. The Rolling Stones, “She’s a Rainbow” [1967]. U.K. (England)
17. Gary Lewis, “Jill” [1967]. U.S. (California)
18. Country Joe & the Fish, “Porpoise Mouth” [1967]. U.S. (California)
19. The Fugs, “Ah, Sunflower Weary of Time” [1965]. U.S. (New York)
20. Tim Buckley, “Hallucinations” [1967]. U.S. (California)

Total time: 59:44

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. III

Psychedelic Sundaze #2

2011-08-14T04:57:00.001-07:00

I got so caught up in explaining the new series last week, I said nary a word about the the artists or tracks on the first volume. As has been the case lately, I won't do a track-by-track commentary, but I will single out a few highlights.

Notes on Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol I:

The first disc (which can be found here!) in this series kicks off with the acid-folk of New York's Holy Modal Rounders. "Hesitation Blues" is a traditional folk tune, with some not-so-traditional, lyrics added. This track from 1964, contains the first recorded use of the word "psychedelic" in a pop song, so I thought it would be an appropriate way to kick off the series.

The first disc is pretty evenly split between American and British acts with two Australian bands thrown in for good measure, although the Bee Gees had moved to London by 1967. Speaking of London, you'll notice some of the giants from the British invasion, including the biggest of them all, the Beatles. The fab four will make three appearances on TPF, the first of which is the John Lennon penned "Tomorrow Never Knows". Here in an early version, which can be found on the Beatles' Anthology 2. According to Steve Turner in A Hard Day's Write, Lennon was attempting "to create in words and sounds a suitable guide track for the LSD experience"-- the very definition of psychedelic music.

The most well known of the American bands listed here would probably be Austin's 13th Floor Elevators, who's charismatic leader, Roky Erickson, was the cover boy for Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. I; and one of the first acid-casualties of the Rock & Roll era.

Vol. I closes with one of my favorite songs ever, the beautiful "Beechwood Park" by the Zombies. A song that was usurped to great effect by Knoxville Power-Poppers, Superdrag on the opening track from their neo-psychedelic masterpiece Head Trip In Every Key:

Notes on Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. II:

Volume II kicks off with my favorite band. According to Ray Davies, the Kinks never wrote a psychedelic song. That may be true in the sense that they never set out to write a psychedelic song, but there are a number of Kinks' tracks that I would consider to be at least in the ball park of psychedelia. Two of which have already been used on comps here at Burn and Shine: "Lazy Old Sun" and "Wicked Anabella". I've picked another Kinks' track for inclusion on TPF, the lovely "Lavender Hill" which was an outtake from the Village Green sessions.

Though I'm not a big fan of guitar-gawd, Eric Clapton, I do tend to like some of the projects he was involved with during the early part of his career, Cream being one of them. His "Tales of Brave Ulysses" gets the envious honor of giving me the title for the Tiny Purple Fishes series.

Volume II hosts the first non-Anglo group on TPF, Israel's The Churchills, whose lead singer Stan Soloman was actually Canadian, and he sounds remarkably like Cream's Jack Bruce. Although there will be a few tracks on subsequent volumes sung in other languages, I must admit to owning very little psychedelic music (or any genre of music for that matter) from around the globe.

On the cover of Vol. II, is the first incarnation of the Soft Machine (from Left: Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers and Mike Ratledge). Not as well known over here in the States, but the Soft Machine might have been as influential as Pink Floyd in the U.K. The Richard Wright penned, "Remember Day" is also included on Vol. II-- the first of three Pink Floyd tracks which will be featured on TPF.

The closing track here is a fairly obscure track from a Boston band, Earth Opera. Those of you who know me, probably remember that I'm a huge Red Sox fan, so the title of this song certainly intrigued me. Presumably written during or just after the "Impossible Dream" 1967 season, the song itself has very little to do with baseball, but is a wonderful, early example of psychedelic prog.

Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. II

01. The Kinks, “Lavender Hill” [ca. 1968]. U.K. (England)
02. The Turtles, “Me About You” [1967]. U.S. (California)
03. Cream, “Tales of Brave Ulysses” [1967]. U.K. (England)
04. It’s a Beautiful Day, “Girl With No Eyes” [1969] U.S. (California)
05. Pearls Before Swine, “Uncle John” [1967]. U.S. (Florida)
06. We the People, “St. John’s Shop (Early Version)” [ca. 1966]. U.S. (Florida)
07. Blossom Toes, “What’s It For” [1967]. U.K. (England)
08. J.K. & Co., “Little Children” [1967]. U.S. (Nevada)
09. Kaleidoscope, “Keep Your Mind Open” [1967]. U.S. (California)
10. Soft Machine, “Save Yourself” [1968]. U.K. (England)
11. The Byrds, “Draft Morning” [1968]. U.S. (California)
12. Leaf Hound, “Growers of Mushrooms” [1971]. U.K. (England)
13. Mouse & the Traps, “Requiem for Sarah” [ca. 1967]. U.S. (Texas)
14. Music Emporium, “Velvet Sunsets” [1969]. U.S. (California)
15. The Churchills, “Pictures in My Mind” [1968]. Israel
16. The David, “Time M” [1968]. U.S. (California)
17. The Five Day Week Straw People, “Five Day Week Straw People” [1968]. U.K. (England)
18. The Majority, “Wait By the Fire” [1967]. U.K. (England)
19. Pink Floyd (Richard Wright), “Remember Day” [1968]. U.K. (England)
20. Earth Opera, “The Red Sox Are Winning” [1968]. U.S. (Massachusetts)

Total time: 59:52

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. II

Psychedelic Sundaze #1

2011-08-06T16:46:00.001-07:00

“Psychedelia represented rock ‘n’ roll at its most breathtakingly adventurous and innovative—and sometimes, at its most foolish. While the most self-conscious experiments of the mid and late ‘60s have dated badly, the best psychedelic rock had an exhilarating recklessness that has been difficult to recapture in the ensuing decades.”—Richie Unterberger

If you are a fan of Rock & Roll and are over the age of fifteen, then you probably have an opinion regarding the original Psychedelic Era. Whether you love it or hate it, I suspect that the first part of the above quote by Richie Unterberger probably resonates with most of you. It’s the last dependent clause that I am going to try tackle during this series. Perhaps I will even go a little further, and claim that virtually all great (and not-so-great) rock movements since this era owe a huge debt to the Flower Power Crowd. Prog, Heavy Metal, Punk, Post-Punk, Post-Rock, Shoegaze, Lo-Fi, Brit-Pop, Indie, Electronica—all can be directly linked to this era.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been on quite a psychedelic binge over the last several weeks. For the record, I’m not talking about doing hallucinogenic drugs. I have, however, been digging through my collection and scouring the internet for some of the best music from the First Psychedelic Era, which for the purposes of this series is roughly 1966-1970, though there will be a few outliers.

As with some of the other genre series I’ve done here at Burn and Shine, there are many great commercially available compilations out there which mine the same territory. Of course, Rhino has put out at least two definitive box sets, chronicling the U.S. garage scene and the (mostly) U.K. psychedelic scene: Nuggets I and II. If you are completely new to this era, I would certainly suggest you start with those first. I have, I think, made sure that none of the songs on my compilations are found on either of those. In addition, I have a great box set from a few years ago that further explored the U.K. scene from the editors at Mojo Magazine: Acid Drops, Spacedust & Flying Saucers: Psychedelic Confectionery from the UK Underground 1965-1969. This one, unfortunately, looks as though it is out of print. It would be, should you run across it, another worthwhile investment for anyone serious about getting to know this genre, and you will find none of those tracks on my Psychedelic compilations.

There are many, slightly more obscure, commercially available psychedelic series/comps (Pebbles, Rubble, Fading Yellow, Trash, Teenage Shutdown, etc.). I cannot guarantee that the songs I’ve chosen for my compilations won’t be found on those, because frankly, I haven’t heard all of them. It generally seems that on those niche comps, they tend to feature bands that maybe put out just a few singles (or even just one track). For the most part, I’ve tried to use artists that made albums or at least produced an album’s worth of material. So as is usually the case here at Burn and Shine, if you are a hardcore fan of this genre, you probably are not going to find much here you haven’t heard before. For those of you relatively new to this era, this should be a great jumping off point. All of the big names of the era will be represented, as will many, many unheralded acts. Feel free to use these discs as a road map to track down some great records.

As for the music, my tastes tend to err on the pop side of the ledger, as many of you well know. Some of these songs may not sound all that psychedelic to your ears. If they had been released during some other era, I wouldn’t feel the need to classify them as such. I’ve very little patience for studio wankery, so these tracks will be somewhat tame. If “psychedelic” doesn’t seem to fit, then maybe “mildly trippy” might be a better way to describe them. It may come as a surprise, but I’m not a big fan of the sitar, so that particular instrument of hippiedom, might be somewhat under-represented here (though it does make a few appearances). In general, I like my psychedelic music to be a little more melancholy than fey. Lyrics are never really important to me when listening to music (other than that there are some), and I would imagine there are quite a few lyrics contained here that will make even Jim Morrison fans cringe. I’m much more concerned with harmonies and pop hooks—these, you should find in spades here.

As always, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on psychedelic music and this era in particular. Just leave me a comment. Thanks, and Happy Listening!

Tiny Purple Fishes: A Trip Through the First Psychedelic Era, Vol. I

01. The Holy Modal Rounders, “Hesitation Blues” [1964]. U.S. (New York)
02. The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, “Shifting Sands” [1967]. U.S. (California)
03. Condello, “Dr. Tarr Professor Fether” [1968]. U.S. (Arizona)
04. The United States of America, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” [1968]. U.S. (California)
05. Colours, “I Think of Her (She’s On My Mind)” [1968]. U.K. (England)
06. 13th Floor Elevators, “She Lives (In a Time of Her Own)” [1967]. U.S. (Texas)
07. Skip Bifferty, “Come Around” [1968]. U.K. (England)
08. Tomorrow, “Hallucinations” [1968]. U.K. (England)
09. The Beatles, “Tomorrow Never Knows (Mark I)” [1966]. U.K. (England)
10. The Bee Gees, “Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You” [1967]. Australia
11. The Hollies, “Heading for a Fall” [1967]. U.K. (England)
12. The C.A. Quintet, “Colorado Mourning” [1968]. U.S. (Minnesota)
13. The Godz, “1 + 1 = ?” [1966]. U.S. (New York)
14. The Cowsills, “Mr. Flynn” [1967]. U.S. (Rhode Island)
15. Spirit, “Dream Within a Dream” [1968]. U.S. (California)
16. The Neighb’rhood Childr’n, “Feeling Zero” [1968]. U.S. (Oregon)
17. The Deviants, “I’m Coming Home” [1967]. U.K. (England)
18. Forever Amber, “On My Own Special Mountain” [1969]. U.K. (England)
19. The Easybeats, “Land of Make Believe” [1968]. Australia
20. The Zombies, “Beechwood Park” [1968]. U.K. (England)

Total time: 1:00:21

Download it here: Tiny Purple Fishes, Vol. I

Celebrating 20 Years of the Elephant 6!

2011-07-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks, I'm still on a psychedelic bender. For the last several weeks I've been listening to tons of old favorites from the first Psychedelic Era plus lots of stuff I never heard. I'm in the process of compiling one heck of a Psychedelic Pseries for Burn and Shine, which will probably start the first weekend in August. So be on the lookout for Burn and Shine's Psychedelic Psundays-- the series is tentatively scheduled for ten kaleidoscopic volumes. More on that when we get there!

In the meantime, I had started to put together a little Elephant 6 playlist a few years ago that I never quite finished. While listening to all this classic era Psych-Pop and the Paisley stuff I posted earlier this month, I got to wondering how the third (fourth?) wave of Psychedelia compared. So I listened to my unfinished, Elephant 6 playlist, and I was pleasantly surprised how well this stuff has held up.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Elephant 6, it is a loose conglomerate of dozens of like-minded bands who have a knack for pop hooks and love for the killer B's of the 60s (Beatles, Beach Boys and Byrds) as well as the Velvet Underground, Syd Barrett and the Zombies. The most well-known of the E6 are probably Neutral Milk Hotel, the Apples in Stereo and the Olivia Tremor Control, as the masterminds of each of those bands (Jeff Mangum, Robert Schneider and Will Cullen Hart, repectively) are credited with founding the Collective. Depending upon who you ask, the next tier of E6 bands might include: Elf Power, Beulah, and Of Montreal. Which band is most important is sort of a moot point, as all of the players in these bands tend to show up on each others releases and at each other's shows. There has even been an Elephant 6 Orchestra playing shows in recent years.

I haven't spent a whole lot of time with these bands over the last few years. Frankly, as many in the E6 "scene" moved toward a more danceable/electronic version of Psychedelia, I sort of lost interest. But for awhile there in the late 90's and early 00's, it seemed like every new record I bought had some affiliation with the E6, or they were at least favorably compared to the Collective in the reviews I read.

According to some sources, the Elphant 6 Recording Co. is currently in its 20th year of existence. I was actually a little late to the E6 party. It was near the end of 1998 when I started hearing the chatter about Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea on a Guided by Voices email list I followed. I remember going to Chad's Records here in Chattanooga (when it was still over on Lee Hwy) and buying both NMH records on vinyl. Not necessarily so anymore, but the vinyl versions of albums used to be cheaper than CDs. I still had a tape deck in my car, so I would usually buy the vinyl and then slap it on a Maxell cassette, which is exactly what I did with the two NMH albums-- one album per side. Needless to say, I listened to that tape a lot.

Neutral Milk Hotel was my gateway to a whole new world of Psychedelic Indie Pop. Every time I went to a record store there after, I combed the used bins for bands associated with the Elephant 6. A short while later, I actually got a job at a record store in Knxoville and was DJing at WUTK, so finding these records became a lot easier (downloading was in its infancy and I didn't know what an mp3 was), though I must admit I haven't heard everything-- not even close. In fact, when I mentioned this project on a message board, someone recommended a band I completely missed back in the day, Secret Square, and they make an appearance here with the lovely, Hillarie Sydney penned, "Sparkly Green Couch".

Okay, I won't bore you anymore with rock history lessons. If you are interested in learning more about the Elephant 6, then check these links out (as well as the Wiki Article I posted above):

The AV Club: A Beginner's Guide to the Elephant 6

Pop Matters: An Oral History of the Elephant 6

The Official Elephant 6 Website

Otherwise, Happy Listening!

Transparent Dreams: A Glimpse at the Elephant 6 Co.

01. Neutral Milk Hotel, “Everything Is” 7” Single [1993]
02. The Apples in Stereo, “Shine a Light” from Tone Soul Evolution [1997]
03. The Olivia Tremor Control, “California Demise (3)” from Black Foliage: Animation Music [1999]
04. Beulah, “Score From Augusta” from When Your Heartstrings Break [1999]
05. Secret Square, “Sparkly Green Couch” from Secret Square [1995]
06. Essex Green, “Mrs. Bean” from Everything is Green [1999]
07. Dressy Bessy, “Look Around” from Pink Hearts Yellow Moons [1999]
08. The Gerbils, “Meteoroid From the Sun” from The Battle For Electricity [2001]
09. Elf Power, “O What a Beautiful Dream” from A Dream in Sound [1999]
10. Great Lakes, “Some of Shelley’s Blues” from The Distance Between [2002]
11. The High Water Marks, “Good I Feel Bad” from Songs About the Ocean [2004]
12. Instruments, “Bird Song” from Billions of Phonographs [2002]
13. Sixth Great Lake, “Cannon Beach” from Up the Country [2001]
14. The Ladybug Transistor, “Perfect for Shattering” from Argyle Heir [2001]
15. Marbles, “Pyramid Landing” Originally from a cassette-only release in 1993. This is the remastered version from Pyramid Landing and Other Favorites [1997]
16. The Minders, “Hooray for Tuesday” from Hooray for Tuesday [1998]
17. The Frosted Ambassador, “Untitled (track #4)” from The Frosted Ambassador [1999]
18. Of Montreal, “Baby” from Cherry Peel [1997]
19. The Essex Green, “Chester” from The Essex Green EP [2000]
20. The Sunshine Fix, “Age of the Sun” from Age of the Sun [2002]
21. Ulysses, “Falcon” from 010 [2004]
22. Circulatory System, “Joy” from Circulatory System [2001]
23. The Apples in Stereo, “Winter Must Be Cold” from Fun Trick Noisemaker[1995]
24. The Music Tapes, “Majesty” from Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes [2008]
25. Marshmallow Coast, “Ancient Chinese Secret” from Seniors and Juniors [1999]
26. 63 Crayons, “Go Now April” from Good People [2004]
27. Von Hemmling, “Never Alone” from Von Hemmling [Cassette-only 1993]
28. Chocolate USA, “The Boy Who Stuck His Head in the Dryer (and Whirl'd Round 'n' Round) from Smoke Machine [1994]
29. Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t, “Million Pieces” from Individualized Shirts [2001]
30. Jeff Mangum, “I Love How You Love Me” from Orange Twin Sampler [2002]

Total Time: 1:19:20

Download it here: Transparent Dreams: A Glimpse at the Elephant 6 Co.

The Paisley Underground: 1981-1990

2011-06-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, thought I'd celebrate the Fourth of July with a compilation covering a very American Scene. I've heard the term "Paisley" used to describe a number of bands from all over, but I went with a pretty strict definition here.

I tried to stay close to Los Angeles or at least bands that were associated with LA. Green on Red were really from Tucson and Game Theory were from Northern California-- but they are generally lumped in with the Paisley scene. A couple of bands that aren't normally given the Paisley tag that I've included are the Plimsouls and the Gun Club. Not sure why that is. They were both doing a similar kind of thing. Of course that begs the question, where do you draw the line? Was X Paisley? How 'bout the Minutemen or Circle Jerks or Black Flag?

There are a couple of excellent articles on the internet that are good overviews of the period/scene I'm covering if'n yer interested: One Nation Underground (Magnet) and Paisley Primer (by Jim Derogatis). This last one is actually an excerpt from a cool book by Derogatis on Psychedelic music in general, called Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock. I read this years ago, under a different title and I'm currently rereading it. As you can imagine it has me listening to tons of great psyche music. Be on the look out for some more psychedelic comps here at Burn and Shine soon!

As for the Paisley comp, there are a few tracks on here that have not seen digital reissue (or at least that I'm aware of)-- the Clay Allison transfer is not the greatest, but I love the song. Speaking of which, Kendra Smith (pictured above) is pretty cussing underrated isn't she? Smith is the star of this disc singing three songs, not the least of which is the brilliant cover of "Flying on the Ground is Wrong".

Happy listening!

The Paisley Underground: 1981-1990

01. The Bangs, "Call on Me" [1981]
02. Green on Red, "A Tragedy" [1981]
03. The Salvation Army, "While We Were in Your Room Talking to your Wall" [1982]
04. The Gun Club, "Carry Home" [1982]
05. True West, "Hollywood Holiday" [1983]
06. Rain Parade, "Saturday's Asylum" [1983]
07. The Last, "December Song" [1983]
08. The Plimsouls, "Inch by Inch" [1983]
09. The Dream Syndicate, "Still Holding on to You" [1984]
10. The Long Ryders, "Ivory Tower" [1984]
11. Rainy Day, "Flying on the Ground is Wrong" [1984]
12. Wednesday Week, "You Wanted Me To Hang Around" [1984]
13. The Leaving Trains, "Leaving Train" [1984]
14. The Prime Movers, "Museum" [1984]
15. The Pandoras, "I Live My Life" [1984]
16. Clay Allison, "All Souls" [1984]
17. The Three O'Clock, "Mrs. Green" [1985]
18. Danny & Dusty, "Bend in the Road" [1985]
19. Game Theory, "Girl With a Guitar" [1986]
20. Pontiac Brothers, "She Knows It" [1986]
21. Broken Homes, "Yes, It's All Over Now" [1986]
22. Thin White Rope, "Thing" [1987]
23. Viva Saturn, "Old World" [1988]
24. Opal, "Empty Box Blues" [1989]
25. Mazzy Star, "Halah" [1990]

Total Time: 1:19:30

Download it here: The Paisley Underground: 1981-1990

June Salutes You, Robert Pollard #2!

2011-06-11T04:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks, here's part two of my three part series on Robert Pollard. I'm already late, and I don't have the energy to do the track by track commentary. Instead, I've just tried to jot down the relevant info for you, just in case you want to do some further investigating. Disc One in this series was one of the most downloaded comps here at Burn and Shine last year, so if you haven't yet checked it out please do.

Before we get to the new comp, though, I've got a little added bonus this year. I've finally converted an old NPR story that I had recorded on cassette, and I thought I'd share it here. It probably dates from about 1995. The sound quality is not great: I'm pretty sure that my original copy was a second or third generation recording. It was also my first time using the Audacity software to covert the recording to mp3. Still, it is well worth a listen if you are at all interested in Pollard's back story. It really gives you a great overview in under seven minutes! I used to put this at the beginning of primer tapes when I was trying to covert my friends to the brilliance of Guided by Voices. Check it out:

Okay, onto the new comp. Same rules as last year. Nothing off of Bee Thousand or the The Best of Guided by Voices compilation released on Matador Records in 2003, and very little from the 21st century (nothing recorded post-2002 on this one). I'm not a huge fan of Pollard's recent work, but if you'd like to sample some of the newer stuff, my friend and blogger People are Leaving, has put together a couple of good comps recently which would fill in the gaps: Boston Spaceships Collection and Best of Robert Pollard 2006-2009.

Happy Listening!

Your Trail is Quite a Puzzle – A Robert Pollard Primer (Disc 2)

01. “Deaf Ears” by Guided by Voices, originally released on “The Official Ironmen Rally Song” single, 1996.

02. “Wondering Boy Poet (Piano Version)” by Clinton Killingsworth, originally released on Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft, 2000 (recorded circa 1993).

03. “Eureka Signs” by Guided by Voices, originally released on Universal Truths and Cycles, 2002.

04. “They’re Not Witches” by Guided Voices, originally released on Alien Lanes, 1995.

05. “As We Go Up, We Go Down” by Guided Voices, originally released on Alien Lanes, 1995.

06. “Jane of the Waking Universe” by Guided Voices, originally released on Mag Earwhig! 1997.

07. “Your Name is Wild” by Guided Voices, originally released on Under the Bushes Under the Stars, 1996.

08. “Flat Beauty” by Robert Pollard, originally released on Not in My Air Force, 1996.

09. “Now To War” by Guided Voices, originally released on Mag Earwhig! 1997.

10. “Choking Tara (Creamy Version)” by Guided Voices, originally released on Everything is Nice: The Matador 10th Anniversary, 1999 (originally recorded circa 1997).

11. “The Terrible Two” by Styles We Paid For, originally released on Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft, 2000 (originally recorded 1993).

12. “Child” by Leon Lemans, originally released on Suitcase 2: American Superdream Wow, 2005 (recorded circa 2002).

13. “Top Chick Silver Chord” by Guided Voices, originally released on Tonics and Twisted Chasers, 1996.

14. “In Previous Trials (Stingy Queens)” by Guided Voices, originally found on the fan-made rarity compilation, 30 Songs, 2004 (recorded circa 1995).

15. “Stifled Man Casino” by Airport 5, originally released on Tower in the Fountain of Sparks. 2001.

16. “There Are Other Worlds” by The Constant Going Forward, originally released on Suitcase 3: Up We Go Now, 2009 (originally recorded for the film The United States of Leland circa 2001).

17. “Long Distance Now” by Guided Voices, originally released on Sandbox, 1987.

18. “Captain’s Dead” by Guided Voices, originally released on Devil Between My Toes, 1987.

19. “Wrecking Now” by Guided Voices, originally released on Do the Collapse, 1999.

20. “Like I Do” by Guided Voices, originally released on Forever Since Breakfast EP, 1986.

21. “Class Clown Spots a UFO” by Royal Canadien Mustard, originally released on Suitcase 3: Up We Go Now, 2009 (recorded circa 1988).

22. “Red Gas Circle” by Guided Voices, originally released on Propeller, 1992.

23. “Fly into Ashes by Guided Voices, originally released on Hold on Hope EP, 2000.

24. “If We Wait” by Guided Voices, originally released on Sunfish Holy Breakfast EP, 1996.

25. “Paper Girl” by Guided Voices, originally released on Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostagia, 1989.

Total Time: 57:06

Download it here: Your Trail is Quite a Puzzle: A Robert Pollard Primer (Disc Two)

R.I.P. Poly Styrene.

2011-04-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Sad news: Punk icon Poly Styrene dies at 53.

The Greatest of All Time.

2011-04-22T18:13:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I blogged about the Archers of Loaf playing an unannounced show at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill. I hoped that the show would lead to a full blown reunion tour and it has. I just got tickets to the Asheville show and one of the Atlanta dates-- woo-hoo! Here's the schedule:

Archers of Loaf Reunion Tour
May 21 The Grey Eagle Asheville, NC
June 3 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA
June 4 Troubadour Los Angeles, CA
June 11 Emo’s Austin, TX
June 12 The Loft Dallas, TX
June 25 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
June 26 Webster Hall New York, NY
July 8 The Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL
July 9 The Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL
July 22 The Earl Atlanta, GA
July 23 The Earl Atlanta, GA
August 5 Black Cat Washington, D.C.
August 6 The Trocadero Philadelphia, PA
August 19 Cat’s Cradle Chapel Hill, NC
September 2 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
September 3 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA

If you are lucky enough to live near any of these venues, please do not miss this opportunity. If you are unfamiliar with the Archers, then I'm here to hook you up. I've put together a nice little AoL primer. The Archers only put out four albums but each of them are great. All of them are represented here, as well as one track from the rarities compilition, Speed of Cattle.

Happy listening!

The Greatest of All Time: An All Too Brief History 1993-1998

01. Web in Front
02. Wrong
03. You & Me
04. Might
05. Hate Paste
06. Plumb Line
07. Learo, You're a Hole
08. Backwash
09. Audiowhore
10. All Hail the Black Market
11. Telepathic Traffic
12. Harnessed in Slums
13. Nevermind the Enemy
14. Greatest of All Time
15. Death in the Park
16. Strangles by the Stereo Wire
17. Scenic Pastures
18. Vocal Shrapnel
19. Bones of Her Hands
20. Fashion Bleeds
21. Dead Red Eyes
22. Perfect Time
23. White Trash Heroes

Total Time: 1:16:58

Download it here: Archers!

Notes:

Tracks 1-8 from Icky Mettle (1993)
Tracks 9-10 from Vs. The Greatest of All Time EP (1993)
Track 11 from Split 7" with Monsterland (1994) [also found on the rarities compilation The Speed of Cattle (1996)]
Tracks 12-15 from Vee Vee (1995)
Tracks 16-19 from All the Nation's Airports (1996)
Tracks 20-23 from White Trash Heroes (1998)

The Trick! (Part Deux)

2011-04-19T04:55:00.000-07:00

It's spring, so that means I'm smack dab in the middle of my high school tennis season. I have been ridiculously busy since last I posted. I promised this companion Cheap Trick volume almost a month ago. Well here it is.

A few comments:

I split the version of "Everything Works" from the box set into two tracks. I think the acoustic version plays well by itself, but in the end, I just had to hear the rest of the song. When you put it on on a disc with no gap, it sounds just like it does on the box set. If you don't like the acoustic intro, then you can just uncheck the box in your iTunes library.

"Reach Out" is generally not a fan favorite. It was left off the Box set, ostensibly because it was written by Pete Comita (the guy who replaced Tom Petterson for a spell). I didn't know that when I bought the Heavy Metal Soundtrack back in seventh grade. I loved it then, and it's definitely a time-and-place kind of song for me. I think Cheap Trick were at their worst when they were trying to be too gimmicky/new wave-y [see "I Want Be Man" from 1982's otherwise excellent One On One], and "Reach Out" definitely has some of that, but Zander's vocal on this is pretty cool and holds up for me.

"Ohm Sweet Ohm" is a song I never would have paid much attention to if I hadn't been putting together a compilation like this one. Having heard it several times over the last few weeks, it almost makes me weep. It's the only song I can think of where the Trick comes off sounding like the Faces. I wish someone would have steered them in this direction during the mid 80s.

"Walk Away" from another lackluster Cheap Trick album, Busted (1990), makes me wish Chrissie Hynde would have hired Cheap Trick as her backing band to do an album after James Honeymoon-Scott died.

I can't believe Borack didn't pick "Say Goodbye" from 1997's self-titled album for his compilation. His loss is my gain-- it makes for a nice closer.

Happy listening!

20 More Cheap Tricks To Die For!

01. Everything Works If You Let It (Acoustic Intro)
02. Everything Works if You Let It
03. I'll Be With You Tonight
04. Taxman, Mr. Thief
05. I Want You
06. Oh Caroline
07. Walk Away (Feat. Chrissie Hynde)
08. Reach Out
09. Way of the World
10. Borderline
11. On Top of the World
12. So Good to See You
13. All I really Want
14. Auf Widersehen
15. Tell Me Everything
16. Oh, Candy
17. Such a Good Girl
18. Ohm Sweet Ohm
19. One On One
20. Stop this Game
21. Say Goodbye

Total Time: 1:09:58

Download it here: 20 More Cheap Tricks To Die For!

April Fool.

2011-04-01T03:54:00.001-07:00

I know I promised a companion compilation to last week's Cheap Trick playlist, and it is ready to go. I will probably put it up in the next week or so. Meanwhile, I found a 20 track disc in my car that I had put together last year around this time titled "April Fool". I had totally forgotten about it. I popped it in, and really enjoyed it, though there was a track on it, which I had just used in the Power Pop Explosion series (The Yachts' "A Fool Like You"). So I went back to the drawing board and fleshed it out a bit. While it's not strictly a Power Pop compilation, there are quite a few Power Pop acts on here. Not surprisingly, given the theme, there is also a good bit of classic R&B. A dose of garage, a pinch of punk, a little indie-rock, and a sprinkle of Lee Hazlewood, and there you have it. Oh, and a mystery track! Burn and Shine, what will you think of next?

Happy April Fool's day everybody!

April Fool

01. Superchunk, "Like a Fool"
02. The Bobby Fuller Four, "Fool of Love"
03. Sam Cooke, "Fool's Paradise"
04. Oxford Circle, "Foolish Woman"
05. Ike & Tina Turner, "A Fool in Love"
06. Let's Active, "Mr. Fool"
07. Elvis Costello, "You Little Fool"
08. The Last, "Fool Like You"
09. Blur, "Fool"
10. DM3, "Foolish"
11. MG & the Escorts, "A Somebody Fool"
12. The Searchers, "She Made a Fool Out of You"
13. Pat Ferguson, "Fool I Am"
14. Lee Hazlewood, "Whe a Fool Loves a Fool"
15. M. Ward, "Fool Says"
16. Eagles of Death Metal, "Now I'm a Fool"
17. Ronnie Lane, "April Fool"
18. All, "Fool"
19. Nick Lowe, "Man of a Fool"
20. Teenage Fanclub, "Everybody's Fool"
21. The Names, "Baby You're a Fool"
22. Larry Saunders, "All My Friends Call Me a Fool"
23. The Black Hollies, "(Baby) I'm Your Fool"
24. Sex Clark Five, "Fool I Was"
25. Bad Religion, "1000 More Fools"
26. Mystery Track

Total Time: 1:13:05

Download it here: April Fool

The Trick!

2011-03-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I posted a poll here at Burn and Shine, where I asked you all to pick the most important Power Pop Band of the Eighties. Forty-six of you voted and Cheap Trick finished a few votes ahead of the Plimsouls in first place. As an added bonus during this Power Pop frenzy I've got going on, I decided to devote two compilations to one of the greatest American Rock & Roll bands evah-- Cheap Trick.

I was going through John Borack's Power Pop book, Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide, and noticed his list of 20 favorite Cheap Trick songs. There were a couple on there that I didn't have (off some of their mid-period albums) so I tracked them all down and made the playlist. I only made two changes. "I Can't Take it" from Next Position Please made the first volume of Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983, so I took the liberty of substituting "Downed", which would be in my personal Top Five Cheap Trick tracks. The second change is a little more subtle. I decided to use the "No Strings Version" of "Dream Police" which is found on the Cheap Trick Box Set, Sex America Cheap Trick, and is, in my opinion, vastly superior to the album version. There's nothing newer than 1997's Self-titled album on this playlist. Next week I'll post a companion compilation to this one covering the same era. Stay tuned . . .

Happy Listening!

Ooh La La: 20 Cheap Tricks to Die For [Compiled by John Borack, mostly]

01. He's a Whore
02. If You Want My Love
03. Surrender
04. Invaders of the Heart
05. Voices
06. She's Tight
07. Downed
08. Dream Police (No Strings Version)
09. Just Got Back
10. Baby Loves to Rock
11. Southern Girls
12. Next Position Please
13. Shelter
14. California Man (Move cover)
15. You're All I Wanna Do
16. Tonight It's You
17. I Want You To Want Me (Live)
18. Had to Make You Mine
19. Never Had a Lot to Lose
20. Hello There

Total Time: 1:10:39

Download it here: Ooh La La: 20 Cheap Tricks to Die For [Compiled by John Borack, mostly]

Power Pop Girls: 1977-1984

2011-03-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

[EDIT]August 21, 2011. I received a warning from DMCA for something on this post. Not sure if it was a song or the image I used, so I've just deleted both the cover art and the mediafire link. Apologies to my new readers, as this is one of my favorite comps[/EDIT]

Once again the tragic events of the last few days drastically overshadow any compilation that I might post here. I, like many of you, am deeply concerned with the ongoing tragedy in Japan. My heart hurts. As insignificant as this latest installment of Power Pop is, I thought it best to post it as I normally would have. Hopefully, some of the tunes on here might put a smile on your face.

Today's compilation overlaps the Birth of Power Pop series and Power Pop Explosion! It even jumps just ahead to the next, as yet unnamed Power Pop series, as it contains a couple of tracks from 1984.

Power Pop Girls: 1977-1984

01. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, "Fake Friends" [1983]
02. The Shivvers, "Teen Line" [1980]
03. The Go-Go's, "Lust To Love" (Early Version) [1981]
04. Boy Trouble, "Party Girl" [1983]
05. Holly & the Italians, "I Wanna Go Home" [1981]
06. Catholic Girls, "Boys Can Cry" [1982]
07. Zodio Doze, "Americommandos" [1981]
08. City Thrills, "Dreamin" [1981]
09. The Bangles, "Tell Me" [1984]
10. Katrina & the Waves, "Game of Love" [1984]
11. Blue Shoes, "Better" [1980]
12. Bohemia, "Unconventional Boy" [1980]
13. The Cold, "You" [1980]
14. B-Girls, "Boys Are Drinking" [1980]
15. Numbers, "Five Letter Word" [1980]
16. Let's Active, "Blue Line" [1984]
17. Poptarts, "Words" (Alternate Version) [1980]
18. The Shirts, "Love is Fiction" [1979]
19. Blondie, "(I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear" [1977]
20. The Pandoras, "He's Not Far" [1984]
21. Beex, "Beat Beat" [1980]
22. Nikki & the Corvettes, "Just What I Need" [1980]
23. Robin Lane & the Chartbusters, "When Things Go Wrong" [1980]
24. Kirsty MacColl, "Clock Goes Round" [1981]
25. The Pretenders, "Kid" [1980]

Total Time: 1:14 14

File Deleted by request.

T. Remley once again has come up with some awesome artwork for this one:

Images deleted by request.

File Removed by Request.

Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 4

2011-03-07T17:00:00.000-08:00

Today I post the final volume in my Power Pop Explosion Series. Though please stay tuned over the next few weeks as I have more Power Pop compilations lined up. Also, please take a moment to vote in the latest Burn and Shine Poll. I’d like to know which year you think was the best for our favorite sub-genre of Rock & Roll. I chose the last two years of the 70’s and the first two years of the 80’s as the primary possibilities, because I seem to find so many great songs from those years. You may, however, believe some other year might be the best. If so, I’d love to hear which year and why—just leave me a comment.

Featured on today’s compilation is a track that I’ve had in my collection since it came out back in 1980. As I’ve mentioned before on Burn and Shine, I do not claim to have known all these bands since their original release dates. Even my favorite band of the bunch here, the Plimsouls, had been around for a while before I bought anything by them. I did not get around to picking up Everywhere at Once until about five years after it’s release.

Way back in the summer of 1980 though, there was a radio station here in Chattanooga that used to do trivia questions every afternoon. If you happened to be the first caller with the right answer, you won a prize: usually a promo album. I used to listen religiously, and I would call in whether I knew the answer or not. Although I cannot for the life of me remember the station's call letters, I do remember the question that won me Phil Seymour’s self-titled debut. For the record the question: What are the three top Orange producing states? I knew Florida and California, but guessed Texas and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had the right answer.

The DJ may or may not have told me what I had won, I don’t remember that either. I do remember getting my Mom to take me way the heck out to the station to pick up my prize and being pretty disappointed and even embarrassed when I saw the cover of the album:

At the time I was all about AC/DC and had only just recently gotten through my Kiss phase (it was the summer after 6th grade), so Mr. Seymour with his too tight, blue and black-striped shirt looked a little “sissy” to me. I wish I could say that I took it home listened to it and it changed the way I thought about music. Nope. I did listen, but it was just not RAWK enough for me. I gave it to my older sister, who kept it in her collection until about 20 years later when I asked for it back.

Better late than never, I guess. I just wish I had been savvy enough back then to have given it a few more spins. Surely those melodies would have eventually crawled into my skin. Maybe I would have even tracked down the Dwight Twilley Band or 20/20 (two bands he had been involved in) and my whole junior high experience might have been different (maybe I would have gotten beat up more?). Never mind, I’m glad things worked out the way it did. I did eventually get around to loving those bands, and I managed to escape Junior High with a few less black eyes.

Happy listening!

Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 4

01. The Great Plains, “When Do You Say Hello? [1983]
02. The Saints, “Simple Love” (Original Version) [1980]
03. Astrobeats, “Tight Jeans” [1982]
04. Rain Parade, “What’s She Done To Your Mind?” [1983]
05. The Plimsouls, “How Long Will It Take?” [1983]
06. Jack Lee, “Give Me Some Time” [1981]
07. Trend, “Girl On TV” [1982]
08. Phil Seymour, “Baby It’s You” [1980]
09. Marshall Crenshaw, “There She Goes Again” [1982]
10. The Bats (Boston), “Not Easy For Me” [1982]
11. The Vapors, “Somehow” [1980]
12. Split Enz, “History Never Repeats” [1981]
13. The Continentals, “Fizz Pop (Modern Rock)” [1980]
14. Australian Crawl, “Errol” [1981]
15. The Crooks, “All the Time in the World” [1980]
16. Strand, “Seconds Waiting” [1983]
17. The Jags, “Woman’s World” [1980]
18. Purple Hearts, “Jimmy” [1980]
19. Fools Face, “Won’t Make It Hard” [1981]
20. The Pencils, “If You Really Wanna Hurt Somebody” [1982]
21. The Tweeds, “I’m Thru” [1980]
22. Single Bullet Theory, “Hang On To Your Heart” [1982]
23. The Three O’Clock, “Fall To the Ground” [1983]
24. The Roulettes, “Baby Don’t Go” [1981]
25. The Keys, “I Don’t Wanna Cry” [1981]

Total Time: 1:11:28

Download it Here: Power Pop Explosion!: 1980-1983: Vol. 4

Also, faithful Burn and Shine Reader, T. Remley has offered up artwork for all four volumes of Power Pop Explosion. Check it out:

Download a zip with all the artwork here: Power Pop Explosion Artwork!

Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 3

2011-02-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

Only one more compilation in the Power Pop Explosion series left after today, but remember: I promised five discs worth of PP goodness. There's a special bonus compilation which will make its appearance in approximately two weeks. I've also got one or two more Power Pop surprises up my sleeve, so keep stopping by-- I might just make 2011 the year of Power Pop here at Burn and Shine, who knows?

As for today's volume, it might be my favorite of the bunch. Again, I wish I could go on and on about how great Arizona's Blue Shoes or England's Prisoners are, or all of the bands in between. I just don't have time. I would, however, like to single out the Vertebrats from Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. I first heard "Left in the Dark" about 15 years ago, when I found the compilaition Destination Bomp! in the used bin at one of my favorite record stores. Judging by the $40+ price tag on that used copy at Amazon, I'm guessing this baby is out of print :(

I don't know exactly when it happened, but at some point, LitD just knocked me out. It is probably their most well known song, mainly due to its inclusion on that Bomp! compilation, but I just couldn't resist putting it on PPE! It's one of those songs, that is the best song ever whenever it pops up on my iPod. It's the kind of song that never wears out its welcome, and always leaves me wanting more. In short, it is perfect. If you've never heard it, you're in for a treat. If you know it well, then you won't mind hearing it again-- I'm sure.

Happy Listening!

Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 3

01. Blue Shoes, "Someone Like You" [1980]
02. Dogs (France), "Never Come Back" [1983]
03. The Lambrettas, "Da-a-ance" [1980]
04. Rockpile, "Now and Always" [1980]
05. Shane Champagne, "Lonely Next to You" [1980]
06. The Bongos, "The Bulrushes" [1982]
07. The Rings, "Who's She Dancin' With"[1980]
08. James Freud & the Radio Stars, "Modern Girl" [1980]
09. Tommy Tutone, "Why Baby Why" [1981]
10. The Vertebrats, "Left in the Dark" [1981]
11. The Speedies, "Something on My Mind" [1981]
12. Matt Finish, "Layman's Day" [1981]
13. Let's Active, "Make Up With Me" [1983]
14. Kimberly Rew, "Stomping All Over the World" [1982]
15. Boyfriends, "Wrapped Up in a Dream" [1981]
16. The Allies, "Emma Peel" [1982]
17. Tommy Keene, "Another Night at Home" [1982]
18. The Spongetones, "Tell Me Too" [1982]
19. The Sunnyboys, "You Need a Friend" [1982]
20. Cheepskates, "Run Better Run" [1983]
21. Comateens, "Late Night City" [1981]
22. Beat Rodeo, "What's the Matter" [1983]
23. Donnie Iris, "Agnes" [1980]
24. The Pinkees, "I'll Be There" [1982]
25. The Prisoners, "There Can't Be a Place" [1982]

Total Time: 1:15:44

Download it here: Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 3

Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 2

2011-02-22T06:59:00.001-08:00

Old Business: My "Most Important Power Pop Band of the '80s" poll closed last week. Pretty good voter turnout with 46 of you taking a moment to voice your opinion. Cheap Trick ended up edging the Plimsouls 13 votes to 11. Even though their best work was behind them, the Trick were certainly the most high profile act working consistently in the genre. We can all forgive them for "The Flame" (some of you might even secretly like that one) and the utterly forgettable album The Doctor. The Plimsouls were great, but in the end that appearance in the movie Valley Girl, wasn't quite as earth shattering as it should have been. I was pleasantly surprised to see Marshall Crenshaw receive a few votes after getting none the first week of the poll. He ended up in a very respectable third place. Again, I'd like to apologize to Tommy Keene for leaving him off the list. I presume that had he been on the poll, he would have garnered more than his one write-in vote.

I hope everyone participates in the new poll. This week's question centers on one of the artists on PPEV2: the Producers. The reason I've picked the Producers, is that I don't hear much about them among the Power Pop glitterati. Their two initial albums have been mostly unavailable for the last twenty or so years. Their biggest hit in the U.S., "She Sheila" was all over MTV in 1982 and may have been the first time I ever witnessed a Keytar (really, I think this is just a keyboard with a guitar strap):

I don't know exactly where I stand on the Producers question, but I do know that the track I picked, "What's He Got", has been popping into my head at random times for the past 30 years. That's worth something, idn'it?

Wish I could tell you all about the other 24 artists on this volume, but I just don't have the time. Besides, I wouldn't tell you anything you couldn't look up yourself via Alta Vista.

Happy Listening!

Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 2

01. The Swingers, “Counting the Beat” [1982]
02. Any Trouble, “Yesterday’s Love” [1980]
03. The Sidewalks, “Rhythm Kids” [1981]
04. Modernettes, “Barbra” [1980]
05. The Action (U.S.), “She’s Got My Heart” [1982]
06. The Innocents, “Sooner or Later” [1980]
07. Dirty Looks, “You Can’t Love Me” [1980]
08. The Producers, “What’s He Got” [1981]
09. Secret Affair, “I’m a Bullet” [1980]
10. The Chords, “Maybe Tomorrow” [1980]
11. Squire, “Take a Look” [1983]
12. The Rockers, “Don’t Leave Me Tonight” [1980]
13. Code Blue, “Modern Times” [1980]
14. The Ejectors, “Fade With the Summer” [1981]
15. The dB’s, “Black and White” [1981]
16. Fleshtones, “I’ve Gotta Change My Life” [1982]
17. Crash Street Kids, “Mystery Girl” [1982]
18. Berrys, “The Little Things” [1983]
19. The Windbreakers, “I Never Thought” [1983]
20. Richard Barone & James Mastro, “I’ve Got a Secret” [1983]
21. The Blades, “Hot for You” [1980]
22. Taxi Boys, “Bad to Worse” [1981]
23. Rattlecats, “Back to Life” [1981]
24. The Smart Remarks, “Mary’s Got Her Eye on Me” [1982]
25. Utopia, “Say Yeah” [1982]

Total Time: 1:10:46

Download it here: Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 2

Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 1

2011-02-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! What better way to celebrate than to listen to some Power Pop? I suggest that if you want to make your Valentine happy, then you should burn a copy of today’s playlist and give it to them. They will surely be grateful, and if they’re not, you should look for a new partner! But seriously, today I get to tackle my favorite Rock & Roll genre, and, perhaps my favorite decade of music. Actually, I think my favorite decade is 1976-1985, but I digress.

You may be asking yourself, “Why 1980-1983?” Great question. I’ve got a couple of reasons. The main reason is the sheer volume of artists that were making great Power Pop records in the 80s. When I started sorting the stuff I had, I quickly realized I needed to do the decade in sections. When the decade began, there really was sort of an explosion of Power Pop bands getting signed to record contracts.

This “Power Pop Explosion” probably started in 1978, but it was very much still in full swing by 1980. In the U.S., bands like the Cars, Cheap Trick, Blondie and the Knack were moving a lot of units. In the U.K., Elvis Costello, the Jam, Squeeze and Joe Jackson were doing quite well too. Success breeds imitation, so there were a lot of bands playing jangly guitars, singing three-part harmonies, and wearing their heart on their sleeves.

Another reason I picked 1983 as the cut-off has more to do with another series here at Burn and Shine. I started doing 25-year anniversary compilations in 2008. So the first year in that series was 1984. While I do intend to finish the decade at some point, I wanted to give these years the spotlight here.

As usual, I’ve tried to stay away from some of the most well known songs from the era. There are a lot of great Power Pop Compilations out there and I tried to stay away from the songs that come up again and again. In most cases, when a band or artist is well known, I’ve tried to choose a song from their catalog that is maybe slightly off the beaten path. For instance on today’s compilation, I chose the Cars’ “Don’t Go To Pieces” which was a b-side to their “Gimme Some Slack” single. Of course, I also chose Squeeze’s “Is That Love?” which made it into the Top 40 in the U.K., so I’m not afraid to throw in a bona fide classic! By the way, today’s compilation is made up entirely of artists who featured in the Birth of Power Pop Series. I almost subtitled this one, “The Returning Starters”, but then I couldn’t come up with subtitles for the other three comps, so I just went with the very boring “Vol. 1”. I won’t be doing the track-by-track commentaries this time, but if you have any questions about any of the songs, please fill free to ask me in the comments.

Happy listening!

Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 1

01. Paul Collins Beat, "All Over the World" [1983]
02. Scientists, "Last Night" [1980]
03. The Distractions, "Boys Cry"[1980]
04. The Fans, "You Don't Live Here Anymore" [1980]
05. The Searchers, "Changing" [1980]
06. 20/20, "Nuclear Boy" [1981]
07. Squeeze, "Is That Love?" [1981]
08. The Barracudas, "I Can't Pretend" [1981]
09. Bram Tchaikovsky, "Missfortune" [1980]
10. The Ramones, "I Need Your Love" [1983]
11. The Romantics, "Forever Yours" [1981]
12. Elvis Costello, "I Stand Accused" [1980]
13. Cheap Trick, "I Can't Take It" [1983]
14. Dave Edmunds, "Other Guys Girls" [1982]
15. Nick Lowe, "My Heart Hurts" [1982]
16. Dwight Twilley, "I'm Back Again" [1982]
17. The Knack, "Just Wait and See" [1981]
18. Shoes, "Only in My Sleep" [1981]
19. The Pointed Sticks, "Part of the Noise" [1980]
20. The Records, "Not So Much the Time" [1982]
21. The Jam, "Man in the Corner Shop" [1980]
22. Badfinger, "Because I Love You" [1981]
23. The Cars, "Don't Go To Pieces" [1981]
24. Secrets*, "Shy Around Girls" [1982]
25. The Yachts, "A Fool Like You" [1981]

Total Time: 1:17:00

Download it here: Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983: Vol. 1

Not sure what is going on with Divshare, but until it gets resolved here is another link for this PPEV1: Megaupload

Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983

2011-02-11T09:12:00.000-08:00

Okay folks, I'm currently putting the finishing touches on my upcoming Power Pop Series, which is now officially titled, Power Pop Explosion! 1980-1983. Big thanks to Ralph Dibney for the suggestion on the title and artwork. I plan to have my first installment ready by Valentine's Day. I currently am projecting this to be a four-part set, and I'm also planning a bonus disc (that's five volumes with 125 Power Pop gems). I'll post one new compilation per week-- generally by Tuesday, but check back early and often. Any help spreading the word for this would be great, so if you have a blog or Twitter account, I'd appreciate a shout.

Also, if you have not yet voted in the poll in the top-right corner, there are still a few days left. Currently, the Plimsouls and Cheap Trick are in the lead. Here are some videos of the four nominees who have yet to receive a vote:

Stay Tuned Power Pop Fans!

2011-02-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

Currently working on a companion series to my Birth of Power Pop compilations. I've decided to only tackle the years 1980-1983. I need a title, as the Adolescence of Power Pop (working title) is not doing it for me. Please, suggest away in the comment field. Hopefully, I'll have the first volume up within the next week or so. Also, if anyone would like to come up with some artwork (T. Remley? Sherri?) let me know, as I am super busy and don't have time to come up with anything on my own.

In the meantime, here's a video of one of the tracks that I'm certain will make the cut:

Check it Out!

2011-01-17T10:56:00.001-08:00

My friend Sherry from The Claw interviewed me today. If you feel you don't know me very well, now's your chance to find out all about me!

Archers!

2011-01-16T04:11:00.001-08:00

Holy crap! Color me jealous. The Archers of Loaf played an unannounced show last night at the Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill, NC. Hopefully this turns into a full on reunion. Here's a clip from last night's show:

Burn and Shine's Top 26 of 2010.

2011-01-10T08:57:00.001-08:00

Snow day today. We woke up to about eight inches of the white stuff on the ground this morning, which means I've got a little time to finally post my best of 2010 compilation. I know my timing isn't great. With the tragedy that happened this weekend, the year in music seems pretty fracking insignificant. But here goes anyway.

I spent a little more time listening to old music this year, but I still managed to find some great new bands. And, of course, some of my old favorites came through with some nice records. If you've been following my blog this year, you know that I kept a running list of new releases that I liked. Here's the list I had circa my last update, which I think I last modified in early November:

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
Best Coast - Crazy For You
Black Francis - Nonstoperotik
Corin Tucker - 1000 Years
Damien Jurado - Saint Bartlett
Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
Eels - End Times
Fresh & Onlys - August in My Mind
Frightened Rabbit - The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Goodnight Loving - The Goodnight Loving Supper Club
Harlem - Hippies
John Cunningham - 1998-2002 (Reissue)
Jonathan Richman - O Moon, Queen Of Night On Earth
Len Price 3 - Pictures
Magnetic Fields - Realism
Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
Mark Sultan - $
matt pond PA - The Dark Leaves
Miles Kurosky - The Desert of Shallow Effects
Moonhearts - Moonhearts
New Pornographers - Together
Pernice Brothers - Goodbye, Killer
Phosphorescent - Here's to Taking It Easy
Plimsouls -Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal
Posies - Blood/Candy
Robyn Hitchcock - Propellor Time
Roky Erickson & Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil
Sadies - Darker Circles
Shearwater - The Golden Archipelago
Soft Pack - The Soft Pack
Spoon - Transference
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
Sweet Apple - Love & Desperation
Tallest Man on Earth - The Wild Hunt
Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
Television Personalities - A Memory is Better Than Nothing
The National - High Violet
Tobin Sprout - The Blue Birds of Happiness Tried to Land on My Shoulders
Top Surprise - Everything Must Go
Ty Segall - Melted
Wild Nothing - Gemini

If I had to pick a favorite record this year, then I would probably go with the one at the top of that alphabetical list. Followed closely by Len Price 3, Surfer Blood, Robyn Hitchcock, Tobin Sprout and The Soft Pack. Sweet Apple, The Fresh & Onlys, Damien Jurado, and Harlem would round out my top 10.

A few more records that I got into late in the year (some as recently as the last couple of weeks):

Bottomless Pit - Blood Under the Bridge
Edward O'Connell - Our Little Secret
Retribution Gospel Choir - 2
The Greenohornes - ****
The Volebeats - The Volebeats
Versus - On the Ones and Threes

So if you'd like to take a break from the awful news this weekend, here's a compilation of 26 of my favorite songs from 2010.

Top 26 of 2010

01. Robyn Hitchcock, “Ordinary Millionaire” [3:52] RH can do little wrong in my book, and when he hooks up with Johnny Marr . . . well then, the sky is the bloody limit, as this song clearly shows.

02. The Fresh & Onlys, “Waterfall” [3:12] These San Francisco garage rockers got the two slot on last year’s Burn and Shine Top 26 compilation. They are quickly becoming my favorite band.

03. Len Price 3, “After You’re Gone” [2:58] As much as I like Power Pop, I hate to admit, I had never heard of LP3 until this year. If you like your PP sprinkled with an ample dose of Kink-isms, then this band is definitely for you!

04. Veronica Falls, “Found Love in a Graveyard” [3:49] I blogged about VF earlier this year, and this song still slays me every time I hear it. Looking forward to a full length by them soon.

05. The Greenhornes, “Underestimator” [2:33] The first album in eight years by these Cincinnati garage rock revivalists does not disappoint.

06. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Grafitti, “Bright Lit Blue Skies” [2:25] I remember reading a few years ago that Ariel Rosenberg’s masterpiece was 2004’s The Doldrums—meh, that album seemed a bit too ambitious and sprawling for my taste. The new album, Before Today, is my favorite album of 2010 and should be considered the crown jewel in the APHG discography.

07. Harlem, “Be Your Baby” [2:12] Nothing new here, but damn if this wasn’t one of the catchiest albums of the year. Reminds me of Royal Trux but at their poppiest.

08. The National, “Lemonworld” [3:24] High Violet is getting a lot of year-end praise. I haven’t made my mind up on the album, but I do love this song.

09. Tobin Sprout, “Pretty (Demo Version)” [2:54] I don’t think Tobin Sprout has released a track that I don’t like. This version of “Pretty” is not actually on the new album, but was given away by Magnet in anticipation of the new record.

10. Sweet Apple, “I’ve Got a Feeling (That Won’t Change)” [2:31] A super group of sorts, this track has J. Mascis all over it = Greatness.

11. Eels, “Mansions of Los Feliz” [2:49] Mark Oliver Everett put out two Eels records this year. This is from the first one (End Times), and finds E in a very dark place. Stunning album.

12. The Gaslight Anthem, “The Diamond Church Street Choir” [3:12] The ’59 Sound, from 2008 is one of my favorite albums of the last five years—I don’t care that it is a complete Springsteen rip-off. The new one, is not nearly as memorable, but has its moments.

13. Best Coast, “Boyfriend” [2:30] After a slew of 7” records in 2009, Bethany Consentino finally delivered a full length album to an eagerly awaiting public. You should see the looks I get when I’m singing along to this one at the Y on the treadmill.

14. Blitzen Trapper (Feat. Alela Diane) , “The Tree” [3:35] I’ll admit, Blitzen Trapper’s fifth album, Destroyer of the Void, is a bit unfocused, and I guess the jury is still out on whether it is masterstroke or a well-intentioned flop (I vote the latter), but this duet with Alela Diane is heavenly.

15. The Candles, “Let Me Down Easy” [2:43] Wilco and the Youtube series Yacht Rock have managed to make 70’s soft rock cool. The Candles debut, Between the Sounds, takes this and runs with it.

16. Damien Jurado, “Rachel & Cali” [3:01] Damien Jurado really should have a bigger following. 2008’s Caught in the Trees was my favorite album that year, and Saint Bartlett makes my top 10 this year.

17. Dum Dum Girls, “It Only Takes One Night” [2:02] I’m a sucker for lo-fi, indie pop. Again, nothing new here, just well written melodies and a little tape hiss.

18. The Grip Weeds, “Twister” [1:54] Okay, I’ll admit. I have yet to hear the Grip Weeds new double album, Strange Change Machine. They gave away 8 tracks via their website before the album came out, and that’s all I’ve heard. I do like all the freebies though and will eventually order the vinyl—I promise.

19. The Magnetic Fields, “You Must Be Out of Your Mind” [3:14] At this point, I think there are more Burn and Shine compilations with a Stephin Merritt tune, than without.

20. matt pond PA, “Sparrows” [2:50] Another splendid offering from one of the most consistent bands of the new century.

21. Pernice Brothers, “Jacqueline Susann” [2:18] It’s hard to believe it has been four years since the last PB album. This excellent new album features the return of Bob Pernice, but sees the departure of long time collaborator Peyton Pinkerton.

22. The Sadies, “Another Year Again” [3:22] Canada’s favorite country rockers put out another fine collection of psychedelic-tinged, alt-country.

23. The Soft Pack, “C’mon” [2:13] San Diego’s the Soft Pack (formerly known as the Muslims), have studied their rock history well. Poppy, garage-rock at it’s loveable best.

24. Surfer Blood, “Catholic Pagans” [3:13] I know, I’ve fallen hook, line and sinker for the current indie trend which harkens back to the glory days of surf rock. Sue me.

25. The Volebeats, “We Don’t Like to Forget” [3:29] It seems like every year, someone mentions an album on their best of list that had gone completely under my radar. I didn’t know the Volebeats had a new one out till a couple of weeks ago. It is well worth hearing if you are at all a fan.

26. Teenage Fanclub, “Dark Clouds” [2:43] Scotland’s finest power poppers put out a mature record, that didn’t seem to get much attention this year. I loved it.

Download it here: Burn and Shine's Top 26 of 2010

Total time: 1:14:46

Do You Want To Hear the Best Song Ever?

2010-12-26T03:37:00.000-08:00

How to explain?

Okay, so I think I’ve mentioned before that I frequent a Guided by Voices message board. I know, I know, message boards are sooo 1990s, but this particular board is quite a beehive of activity. You can go on there and “talk” about pretty much anything. Most of the discussion does not necessarily revolve around Robert Pollard, but everyone there does have a love for most-things-Bob in common. The other commonality seems to be a love for Rock & Roll in general. In fact, music is probably the most active topic—you can find a thread on just about any band you can think of. Heated arguments occasionally ensue, because aside from Pollard projects, you can’t get much of a consensus on any other artist. The boarders are very passionate about their taste in music and extremely knowledgeable when it comes to Rock History. I can’t tell you how many great recommendations I’ve gotten from that board over the last few years.

There is one thread in particular, titled “The Best Song Ever . . . Right Now At Least”, which I have long thought would make a good source for a Burn and Shine compilation. As you can probably surmise from the title of the thread, it is a place where members name a particular song that is currently kicking their ass. Sometimes these can be obvious, like “Unsatisfied” or “A Day in the Life”, but usually people venture into the thread to divulge the virtues of songs a little more off the beaten path.

I decided to go through the last few pages (the thread started in March of 2005 and is currently up to page 316) picking songs that were on my hard drive that had not yet made one of my compilations here at B&S. It has my signature all over it—you’ll see some of my favorite artists—but I can’t take credit for the choices. In order to give credit to the people who inspired the compilation, I’ve put their screen names in parentheses next to the song they nominated.

I’ll let the compilation speak for itself, but I will say that I think it turned out pretty fabulous, and I will continue to mine that thread for future Burn and Shine compilations.

Happy listening!

Do You Want To Hear the Best Song Ever?

01. Mission of Burma, "Progress" [1985] (Pimple Zoos)
02. The Monkees, "What Am I Doing Hangin' Round?" [1967] (Chapter 18)
03. Bobby Fuller, "Let Her Dance" [1965] (Steve Cock)
04. Brian Eno, "Burning Airlines Give You So Much More" [1974] (Man of Dimension)
05. Dinosaur Jr, "Does It Float" [1985] (Man of Dimension)
06. Archers of Loaf, "Death in the Park" [1995] (Ultra Maroon Blazer)
07. Martha & the Muffins, "Echo Beach" [1979] (The Third Man)
08. The Clash, "Jail Guitar Doors" [1977] (Dannyramone)
09. The Stranglers, "Golden Brown" [1981] (LARM)
10. Devo, "Beautiful World" [1981] (Dirty Dutch)
11. Low, "Starfire"[1999] (Lookit55)
12. Throwing Muses, "Not Too Soon" [1991] (MoreHotDogsPlease!)
13. The Wedding Present, "Dare" [1991] (Pimple Zoos)
14. Screaming Trees, "Seeing and Believing" [1986] (MoreHotDogsPlease!)
15. Undertones, "My Perfect Cousin" [1979] (LARM)
16. Wire, "Map Ref. 41n 93w" [1979] (Jscott)
17. The Byrds, "Wasn't Born to Follow" [1968] (Berno)
20. 20/20, "Backyard Guys" [1979] (Berno)
19. Roxy Music, "Editions of You" [1973] (Breadwinner & Klutz)
20. Nick Drake, "From the Morning" [1972] (Riff Randall)
21. X, "White Girl" [1981] (Dirty Dutch)
22. Tall Dwarfs, "Crawl" [1990] (Spastic Semicolon)
23. Sex Pistols, "Bodies" [1977] (Dirty Dutch)
24. Them, "Richard Cory" [1966](LARM)
25. The Church, "Tear It All Away" [1982] (RedLetterDay)

Total Time: 1:19:25

Download it here: Do You Want to Hear the Best Song Ever?

Christmas Tunes!

2010-12-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

[EDIT: December 8, 2011]
If you are finding this blog for the the first time in search of Christmas tunes, then thanks for stopping by! If you like the comps featured below, then don't forget to check out the latest volume in the Christmas Redux Series featured here: Merry Christmas!
[/End EDIT]

It's the home stretch, folks: Christmas is less than three weeks away. Of course that means it's Christmas Redux time here at Burn and Shine! Twenty-five more holiday faves from my seemingly endless supply of Rock & Roll Christmas tunes. This year's edition features a few returning stars from my previous Christmas compilations: The Ventures, Stevie Wonder, the Sonics, the Eels, the Pointed Sticks and Low. Several of these artists, however, are making their first appearance on a Burn and Shine playlist. I'd especially like to call your attention to track #12, as it was submitted by one of my readers. Rob Stuart of Broken Promise Keeper, stumbled upon my blog during Power Pop Month here at B&S. He graciously sent me an mp3 of a Christmas song he recorded in 2009. One listen, and I knew it had to be on this year's Christmas compilation.

If you have any recommendations for future Xmas Redux volumes, please leave me a comment.

Merry Christmas and Happy Listening!

Christmas Redux Five (Artwork for this volume can be seen and downloaded at the end of this post):

01. The White Stripes, "Candy Cane Children"
02. NRBQ, "Christmas Wish"
03. Billy Childish, "Ho Ho!"
04. Adam Arcuragi, "The Christmas Song"
05. Paul Westerberg, "Away in a Manger"
06. The Young Republic, "Merry Christmas Again . . ."
07. The Psycho Daisies, "Santa Is Coming Down Again"
08. Trembling Blue Stars, "Christmas and Train Trips and Things"
09. The Sonics, "I Don't Believe in Christmas"
10. The Ventures, "Sleigh Ride"
11. The Very Foundation, "All Lit Up (For Christmas)"
12. Broken Promise Keeper, "Christmas Countdown"
13. Chris Stamey, "Christmas Time"
14. The Flaming Lips, "Christmas at the Zoo"
15. The Payola$, "Christmas is Coming"
16. The Icicles, "Snowman Song"
17. Eels, "Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas"
18. Stevie Wonder, "What Christmas Means To Me"
19. The Vipers, "Christmas I'll Be Home"
20. The Dickies, "Silent Night"
21. Jens Lekman, "Run Away With Me"
22. The Pointed Sticks, "Xmastime Again"
23. Brendan Hanlon & the Bat Men, "Christmas Party"
24. Julian Casablancas, "I Wish It Was Christmas Today"
25. Low, "Long Way Round the Sea"

Total time: 1:12:47

Download it here: Christmas Redux Five

Since I've gotten so many new readers this year, I've gone ahead and reposted all four previous editions of Christmas Redux below. If you're interested in reading the original posts just click the "Xmas" tag at the end of today's post, otherwise just download the comps right from this page.

Christmas Redux

01. “The Christmas Song” by the Raveonettes
02. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Darlene Love
03. “Just Like Christmas” by Low
04. “Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy” by Buck Owens
05. “All the Right Reasons” by Dressy Bessy
06. “Santa’s Got a Brand New Bag” by Gary Walker
07. “Christmas Eve” by the Galaxies
08. “Run Run Rudolph by Dave Edmunds
09. “Christmas Spirit??” by the Wailers
10. “Santa Claws” by Vermont
11. “Santa Claus” by The Sonics
12. “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid
13. “O, Little Town of Bethlehem” by the Young Fresh Fellows
14. “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Pedro the Lion
15. “Little Drummer Boy (Up the Kyber)” by the Hoodoo Gurus
16. “Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas?” by the Staple Singers
17. “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)” by the Ramones
18. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by Bruce Springsteen
19. “2000 Miles” by the Pretenders
20. “I Want an Alien for Christmas” by Fountains of Wayne
21. “Merry Christmas Girl” by The Figgs
22. “Sleigh Ride” by the Ronettes
23. “Old Toy Trains” by Roger Miller
24. “Happy Christmas (Was is Over) by John & Yoko with the Harlem Community Choir
25. “Auld Lang Syne (Alternate Mix) by the Beach Boys

Time: 1:14:41

Download it here: Christmas Redux

Christmas Redux Two

01. “Frosty the Snowman” by the Ronettes
02. “Christmas All Over Again” by Tom Petty
03. “Someday at Christmas” by Stevie Wonder
04. “Winter Wonderland” by the Cocteau Twins
05. “Joseph, Who Understood” by the New Pornographers
06. “Spotlight on Christmas” by Rufus Wainwright
07. “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses
08. “Christmas Celebration” by B.B. King
09. “Jingle, Jangle” by The Rockfield Chorale
10. “Father Christmas” by the Kinks
11. “Jingle Bell Rock” by the Ventures
12. “Thanks for Christmas” by the Three Wisemen (XTC)
13. “Christmas Ain’t Christmas Without the One You Love” by the O’Jays
14. “Peace on Earth-Little Drummer Boy” by Bing Crosby & David Bowie
15. “Everyday is Christmas” by Swag
16. “Holiday Spirit” by the dB’s
17. “The Christmas Song” by Weezer
18. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by the Cadillacs
19. “Purple Snowflakes” by Marvin Gaye
20. “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues
21. “Jingle Bells (Buala Bas)” by the Clancy Brothers
22. “So Much Wine” by the Handsome Family
23. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by John Prine
24. “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Death Cab for Cutie
25. “New Year’s Revolution” by Graham Parker

Time: 1:16:20
Download it here: Christmas Redux Two

Christmas Redux Three

01. “The Christmas Sound” by the Swimmers
02. “It’s Christmas Time” by Yo La Tengo
03. “Put the Lights on the Tree” by Sufjan Stevens
04. “Your Christmas Whiskey” by the Minus 5
05. “Silent Night” by the Primitives
06. “Your Christmas is Going to the Dogs” by the Eels
07. “All That I Want” by the Weepies
08. “December 25th” by Desmond Reed
09. “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by the Crystals
10. “Santa’s Beard” by They Might Be Giants
11. “The Mods of Christmas” by Zumpano
12. “Christmas” by the Buzz of Delight
13. “Egg Nog” by Luna
14. “X-mas Song” by the Fireflies
15. “Christmas in Baghdad” by the Black Lips
16. “Donna and Blitzen” by Badly Drawn Boy
17. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” by Bright Eyes
18. “Merry X-mas Everybody" by Slade
19. “Christmas Celebration” by Weezer
20. “Last Christmas” by Erlend Oye
21. “Rock Around the Christmas Tree” by Daniel Johnston
22. “Baby, Please Don’t Get Stoned (It’s X-mas) by Je Suis France
23. “Christmastime” by Aimee Mann & Michael Penn
24. “She’s Coming Home” by the Wailers
25. “Space Christmas” by Shonen Knife

Time: 1:10:36

Download it here: Christmas Redux Three

Christmas Redux Four

01. “Seasons Greetings” by Robbers on High Street [2:23]
02. “Merry Christmas Will Do” by Material Issue [3:36]
03. “Careless Santa” by Mono Puff [2:16]
04. “iPod Xmas” by Hello Saferide
05. “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway [3:32]
06. “Christmas is Cancelled” by The Long Blondes [4:29]
07. “Let Me Sleep (Christmas Time)” by Pearl Jam [3:00]
08. “If Christmas Can’t Bring You Home” by The Reigning Sound [2:32]
09. “Ghost of Christmas” by Manic Street Preachers [3:39]
10. “I Believe in Father Christmas” by Greg Lake [3:22]
11. “Back Door Santa” by Clarence Carter [2:10]
12. “Christmas Eve” by Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci [1:51]
13. “Christmas Must Be Tonight” by The Band [3:41]
14. “Little Saint Nick (Single Version)” by The Beach Boys [2:11]
15. “There Ain’t No Sanity Claus” by The Damned [2:31]
16. “Christmas Vacation” by The Descendents [2:39]
17. “Power Pop Santa” by The Pointed Sticks [3:20]
18. “Holiday Hymn” by Orange Juice [3:01]
19. “Lonely This Christmas” by Carter USM [2:12]
20. “Christmas” by The Posies [3:53]
21. “Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday” by William Bell [2:39]
22. “Silver Bells” by Swearing at Motorists [2:03]
23. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” by The Ronettes [2:42]
24. “It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop” by Frightened Rabbit [5:28]
25. “Christmas Time (Is Here Again) by The Beatles [3:03]

Total Time: 1:15:25

Download it here: Christmas Redux Four

Download the Artwork for Vol. 5 (Courtesey of T. Remley!): Christmas Redux Five Artwork

A Pocketful of Posies!

2010-11-25T05:43:00.001-08:00

I don't think I've ever done a show review here at Burn and Shine. Truth is, I don't go to many shows anymore. Lame, I know. There are a few reasons, mostly it's parenthood, but living in Chattanooga doesn't help. Since we got pregnant (our daughter turned two in August) I've seen a grand total of four shows: Superdrag twice, GBV last month and the Posies last weekend. This was my first time seeing the Posies, and I was inspired enough to slap together a little Posies-Primer. I would have posted this the day after the show, but having just posted the 1985 compilations earlier in the week, I felt it was a little too soon. I have a few spare minutes this Thanksgiving morning, while my better half goes grocery shopping, so here is a quickie show review (followed by the comp).

It was a great, if sparsely attended, triple bill last Saturday night at The Loft in Atlanta. A band I didn't care for, Aqueduct, opened the show right around 8:30pm and played for about a half hour. Brendon Benson, who I like, was next. Sidenote: I did not realize that Jon and Ken were in Brendan Benson's band on this tour. My wife and I both agreed that BB's songs were much better Posie-fied. I also did not realize that in some cities Benson headlined. That was not the case Saturday night in Atlanta-- thankfully, I was definitely there to see the Posies. Benson played a pretty good 45-minute set, then the Posies played for about an hour and a half.

They played nearly every song from the new record, Blood/Candy, and a smattering of their "greatest hits" over the course of about an hour and a half. There were also a couple of cool guest appearances, Linda Hopper (Oh-Ok, Magnapop) came on to sing Lisa Lobsinger's part on "Licenses to Hide" from the new record. She looked and sounded fantastic, even if she had to use a cheat sheet to remember the words. Mike Mills (R.E.M.) made an appearance at the end for an all hands on deck rendition of "September Gurls".

I knew it would be a fun night, but I had no idea just how much the Posies would flat out RAWK, Ken Stringfellow in particular-- he's got all the rock moves down pat. We were right in front of Jon Auer, and I certainly have a new found appreciation for his guitar chops-- I don't think he played a wrong note all night long.

As I mentioned earlier, the show was not packed. While I certainly enjoyed not being bumped into the whole night, it was kind of sad that a band that has been together for so long (Jon and Ken have been writing songs together since 1986, according to Wiki) and is this good can have such a small following-- at least in this part of the country.

Doing my small part to help rectify this wrong, I put together this 20 track compilation of the Posies. I took three songs from each of their proper albums (not including this year's Blood/Candy), plus two rarities. Hopefully this will introduce a few people to this fantastic band and their fairly deep discography. If you already know and love the Posies, then please feel free to point someone you know who has not been properly introduced to the Posies to this post. There was a Best of the Posies album released in 2000, but it only chronicles their time on Geffen and, I think, is currently out of print.

Happy listening and Happy Thanksgiving!

A Pocketful: An Introduction to the Posies, 1988-2005

01. I May Hate You Sometimes
02. Under Easy
03. Paint Me
04. My Big Mouth
05. Golden Blunders
06. Suddenly Mary
07. Saying Sorry to Myself
08. Dream All Day
09. Solar Sister
10. Flavor of the Month
11. Fight It (If You Want)
12. Grant Hart
13. Ontario
14. Every Bitter Drop
15. Somehow Everything
16. Looking Lost
17. Chainsmoking in the U.S.A.
18. I Guess You're Right
19. I Finally Found a Jungle
20. Conversations

Tracks 1-3 from Failure (1988)
Tracks 4-6 from Dear 23 (1990)
Track 7 from Yellow Pills Vol. 2: More of the Best of American Pop (1994, but it sounds more like a Dear 23 track so I stuck it before the FotB songs)
Tracks 8-10 from Frosting on the Beater (1993)
Tracks 11-13 from Amazing Disgrace (1996)
Tracks 14-16 from Sucess (1998)
Track 17 from Nice Cheekbones and a Ph.D. EP (2001)
Tracks 18-20 from Every Kind of Light (2005)

Total Time: 1:08:38

Download it here: A Pocketful of Posies!

1985.

2010-11-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

Last November (one year ago today, actually!) I put up a compilation of some of my favorite songs from 1984. Today we celebrate 1985. The year of Back to the Future and The Breakfast Club: both of which had very successful soundtracks thanks to Huey Lewis and Simple Minds. Once again though, you won't find anything quite that huge represented on my compilation. Well, actually, on either of these compilations (more on that in a moment!). My focus is primarily with college rock. Just about every one of these 38 songs would have gotten the most attention left of the dial back in 1985. One of the songs here managed to scrape the bottom half of Billboard's Hot 100. Another was on a very successful album, you maybe remember this fantastic video?

But for the most part these songs were beloved by few-- some even creeping into "obscure" territory. Two discs worth this time around, because I had a plethora of songs vying to make the cut. The first disc is very much in the same realm as last year's 1984 edition. The bonus disc is devoted to bands with an Americana bent. Some have said that the Mekons' album Fear and Whiskey from 1985 "ushered in the age of Alt-Country as a marketing category." So I figured I would give that little niche a compilation of its own.

Happy Listening!

1985:

01. The Cult, "She Sells Sanctuary" [4:17]
02. Dramarama, "Anything, Anything" [3:19]
03. Robyn Hitchcok, "Egyptian Cream" [3:32]
04. Plasticland, "Posing For Pictures" [2:06]
05. a-ha, "Love is Reason" [3:07]
06. The Three O'Clock, "Her Head's Revolving" [3:11]
07. The Style Council, "Walls Come Tumbling Down" [3:22]
08. The Sisters of Mercy, "Walk Away" [3:26]
09. Butthole Surfers, "Mexican Caravan" [2:41]
10. The Lyres, "Someone Who'll Treat You Right Now" [3:06]
11. Martin Newell, "Golden Lane" [3:30]
12. The Chameleons, "Perfume Garden" [4:28]
13. Prefab Sprout, "Faron" [3:41]
14. Dinosaur Jr (Barlow), "Gargoyle" [2:11]
15. The Screaming Blue Messiahs, "Someone To Talk To" [3:36]
16. Tall Dwarfs, "Sleet" [2:09]
17. Hüsker Dü (Hart), "Green Eyes" [2:55]
18. Dukes of Stratosphere, "My Love Explodes" [3:31]
19. New Order, "Sub-Culture" [3:27]
20. Squeeze, "King George Street" [3:48]
21. Sonic Youth & Lydia Lunch, "Death Valley '69" [5:11]
22. Beat Happening, "Foggy Eyes" [2:45]
23. Jonathan Richman, "Now is Better Than Before" [2:08]

Total Time: 1:15:16

Download it here: 1985

1985: The Birth of Alt-Country?

01. The Mekons, "Hard To Be Human Again" [3:53]
02. Beat Farmers, "Bigger Stones" [2:22]
03. The Three Johns, "Brainbox (He's a Brainbox)" [4:03]
04. The Long Ryders, "Looking for Lewis and Clark" [3:58]
05. Danny & Dusty, "Send Me a Postcard" [2:58]
06. Camper Van Beethoven, "Where the Hell is Bill?" [2:06]
07. The Del Fuegos, "Don't Run Wild" [3:30]
08. Jason & the Scorchers, "White Lies" [3:21]
09. The Blasters, "Dark Night" [3:44]
10. Lone Justice, "Ways to Be Wicked" [3:25]
11. The Connells, "Seven" [3:08]
12. Tom Waits, "Jockey Full of Bourbon" [2:42]
13. Green on Red, "Sixteen Ways" [3:38]
14. The Knitters, "The New World" [2:51]
15. Thin White Rope, "Dead Grammas on a Train" [2:53]

Total Time: 48:29

Download it here: 1985: The Birth of Alt-Country?

Here's a link for the jewel case artwork, courtesy of T. Remley: 1985 Jewel Case Art

Halloween Compilation Artwork

2010-10-22T03:35:00.000-07:00

Once again T. Remley has supplied the artwork for my latest compilation. Download the jewel case artwork here: Candy Apples & Razor Blades Vol. 3 Artwork

Just in case you missed the Halloween comp earlier this week, you can find it here: Happy Halloween!

R.I.P. Ari Up

2010-10-21T06:08:00.000-07:00

Slits' Ari Up Dead at 48. Sad. The weird thing is that I just recently picked up a copy of Simon Reynolds' Totally Wired: Post Punk Interviews and Overviews, and she's the first interview featured. I still don't know much about her, but I do know she was NOT a typical girl.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

We are less than two weeks out from Halloween, so I figured I'd go ahead and post my annual volume of Candy Apples & Razor Blades, so that those of you who will be hosting Halloween parties this weekend will have some new tunes to impress your friends. [Edited to add: that was a joke!] Halloween also marks the official anniversary of Burn and Shine-- it turns two this year! It has been really fun posting my comps here, and those of you who have commented, I really appreciate it-- keep those comments coming! If you are new to B&S and would like to find the first two compilations in this series, please click on the "Halloween" tag at the bottom of this post.

Before I say a few words about the new Halloween comp, I'd like to call your attention to the following trailer for a new series which debuts on AMC on Halloween night called The Walking Dead:

It looks awesome, so if you can't watch it that night, be sure to set your DVRs! That's all I'll say about it, feel free to use the search engine of your choice to find out more as there is lots of internet chatter going on about it.

As for this year's edition of CA&RB, it was a treat putting it together. Some returning players from previous Halloween comps are Roky Erickson and the Misfits, of course. I imagine Burn & Shine will be long gone before I run out of songs by those two Halloween friendly artists. Superdrag makes their second appearance on CA&RB with "Take Your Spectre Away" from their split EP with the Anniversary. Helium, which was the very last band I cut when I put together my Matador @ 21 compilation earlier this month, makes their first appearance on any compilation here at Burn and Shine. And of course, there are several more Post Punk bands on here: Australia's Beasts of Bourbon, Boston's La Peste, Tulsa's Los Reactors, and Tucson's Green on Red. There are others that I'd like to mention, but I'll just finish by telling you that the compilation ends with a request. One of my faithful readers asked for "Halloween" by the Dream Syndicate via email shortly after I posted last year's comp. How could I resist?

Creepy Listening!

Candy Apples & Razor Blades Vol. 3: Still More Music for All Hallow's Eve!

01. "Superstitious" [1968] from the Monkees' Head
02. "The Witch" [1964], The Sonics
03. "Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)" [1990], Concrete Blonde
04. "Going to Hell" [1998], The Brian Jonestown Massacre
05. "Ghouls Night Out" [1986], The Misfits
06. "Ghost Ride" [2006], Nebula
07. "Wanna Be a Vampire Too, Baby [1994], Helium
08. "She's Wicked" [1985, Peel Session], The Fuzztones
09. "She is the New Thing" [2007], The Horrors
10. "Mommy's Little Monster" [1983], Social Distortion
11. "Zombie Boy" [2008], The Magnetic Fields
12. "Devil Song" [1988], Camper Van Beethoven
13. "Take Your Spectre Away" [2001], Superdrag
14. "Stake Thru My Heart" [1998], The Fiends
15. "Psycho" [1984], Beasts of Bourbon
16. "I Put a Spell on You" [1967], Creedence Clearwater Revival
17. "A Guide to the Worlds Most Fantastic Monsters" [2009], Hallelujah the Hills
18. "There's a Ghost in My House" [1967], R. Dean Taylor
19. "Black Coffin" [2009], The Fresh & Onlys
20. "Black Night" [1982], Green on Red
21. "Witching Stone" [2009], Black Heart Procession
22. "Be a Zombie" [1981], Los Reactors
23. "Haunt" [1986], Roky Erickson
24. "Better Off Dead" [1978], La Peste
25. "Halloween" [1982], Dream Syndicate

Total Time: 1:15:58

Download it here: Candy Apples & Razor Blades Vol. 3: Still More Music for All Hallow's Ever

Matador @ 21!

2010-10-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

There was a time in the early/mid nineties when it seemed every other new release I bought was on Matador Records. I’m pretty sure that it must be the indie label which is most represented in my record collection. This past weekend, Matador celebrated it’s twenty-first year of existence in Las Vegas with an all-star cast of past and present bands. Last Tuesday, Matador released a fancy little box set to commemorate the occasion with all the proceeds going to charity. I figured I needed to do my own little tribute to the label, so I put together a Matador Sampler of my own.

Twenty-one songs, all culled from what I think of as Matador’s Golden era: 1991-1999. Not to say that there aren’t some fine artists on the label these days, but these are the artists that made me fall in love with the label and kept me coming back for more. Limiting my choices to a nine year period was also an easy way for me to whittle down the number of possible tracks to 21. I did not include any tracks that are on the new box set, nor are there any tracks which may have appeared on the three previous Matador anniversary compilations: What’s Up Matador?, Everything is Nice, and Matador at 15. So this compilation will serve as a great introduction to the label for those of you unfamiliar, and will work nicely as a companion disc for those of you diehard fans who already picked up the box set.

Happy Listening!

Matador @ 21!

01. Yo La Tengo, “Stockholm Syndrome” [1997]. James McNew takes over lead vocals for this should have been a hit from Hoboken’s finest trio.

02. Silkworm, “Couldn’t You Wait” [1995, Marco Collins Session]. I love, love, love this version of “Couldn’t You Wait”!

03. Guided by Voices, “Little Whirl” [1995]. Since I’ve given you all the Pollard you need for awhile, I thought I’d let Tobin Sprout get the spotlight here. From GBV's second album for Matador, Alien Lanes.

04. Bettie Serveert, “Tom Boy” [1992]. As if the world needed another reason to visit Amsterdam?

05. Railroad Jerk, “Bang the Drum” [1995]. The Fall meets Jon Spencer on this romp-- you'll be singing along the first time through.

06. Chavez, “Unreal is Here” [1996]. Matt Sweeney has collaborated with a lot of talented people, but his best work might be the two albums released by Chavez.

07. Cat Power, “Say” [1998]. Backed by Australia’s Dirty Three, this is from my favorite Cat Power album, Moon Pix.

08. Cornelius, “Chapter 8 – Seashore and Horizon” [1997]. Keigo Oyamada (aka: Cornelius) creates interesting sound-collages and this one features the Apples in Stereo.

09. Tommy Keene, “Tuesday Morning” [1998]. Tommy Keene put out two excellent LPs on Matador: Ten Years After (1996) and Isolation Party (1998).

10. Superchunk, “Throwing Things” [1991]. This track was previously featured on Burn and Shine in video form when I celebrated North Carolina during Power Pop Month.

11. San Francisco Seals, “Winter Song” [1994]. Jangly guitars never sounded so good.

12. Pavement, “Elevate Me Later” [1994]. From my favorite Pavement long player: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.

13. Bailterspace, “Untied” [1995]. New Zealand’s finest super-group!

14. Spoon, “All the Negatives Have Been Destroyed” [1996]. People who don’t like the first two Spoon records are just plain wrong.

15. Come, “Half Life” [1996]. Four albums, all on Matador, is all we got from the collaboration of Thalia Zedek and Chris Brokaw. All of them worth tracking down.

16. Fuck, “To My Gurl” [1997]. You have to respect a band that would choose ‘Fuck’ as their moniker. Imagine pitching this band to any label, let alone one that was distributed by Warner’s at the time.

17. Teenage Fanclub, “So Far Gone” [1991]. B-Side to their fabulous “God Knows It’s True” single.

18. Guitar Wolf, “Fujiyama Attack” [1999]. The needles were most definitely in the red when this garage-stomper was recorded.

19. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, “Brenda” [1994]. Jon Spencer’s schtick has not aged well, at least not for me. For a brief moment there in early 90's, however, I really thought he might save Rock & Roll.

20. Belle & Sebastian, “A Century of Fakers” [1997]. Technically this did not get released by Matador until 2000, but since it was a reissue of a band already on the roster, I included it here.

21. Liz Phair, “Glory” [1993]. I recently listened to Exile in Guyville for the first time in ages. It still holds up.

Total Time: 1:01:59

Download it here: Matador @21!

Download Jewel Case Artwork here: Thanks rem2rigs!

Mixtured.

2010-09-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hey folks, just wanted to let you know that I got to participate in the latest Mixtured Mix Tape. For those of you who don't know about it, read this: About Mixtured.

This month's theme was "Songs that would have cleared the dance floor of your senior prom." Though I only knew one other contributor on the compilation, it ended up being a very good batch of songs with some of my all-time favorite artists represented. You can stream the mix here and read all the comments by the participants: Mix #2: Songs That Would’ve Cleared the Dance Floor at Your Senior Prom.

Looking forward, I've got a compilation ready for next week (hint: it's got something to do with the festivities in Las Vegas this weekend!), but then I'll be off till I post the third installment of Candy Apples & Razorblades-- at least as far as posting compilations is concerned. I'm still anxiously awaiting comments and questions and recommendations regarding my Post-Punk series-- as my post from earlier today was met by a resounding chorus of crickets!

Rebellious Jukebox Jewel Case Artwork.

2010-09-30T03:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

Todd Remley, one of my readers who I'd never 'met' until now, was kind enough to put together some artwork for all five volumes of Rebellious Jukebox. I asked him if I could share it here at Burn and Shine with the rest of you, and he was fine with that. Here's a sample of the first volume:

Download the artwork for all five volumes here: Rebellious Jukebox Jewel Case Artwork

Also, now that you've had a chance to see (and maybe listen?) to the whole series, I'd love to hear your thoughts. What great Post-Punk bands did I miss? (In particular, I'd love get some recommendations regarding Post-Punk bands from countries other than the U.K. and U.S.) What great Post-Punk track featured here had you never heard? Maximum Jack, why the hell did you include ___________, they are complete shite?! Feel free to list your favorite top ten (or however many) Post-Punk artists or albums or both. Did you ever see any of these bands live? Share your experiences here, please. Speaking of live Post-Punk. I'll leave you with these four lads from Leeds:

Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 5: Noise

2010-09-29T08:43:00.001-07:00

The fifth and final installment in my Post-Punk series. A caveat: I'm not a huge fan of bands that are anti-music, so this should probably be subtitled, "Noise, for People Who Don't Like Noise". Some of these tracks are downright danceable, for crying out loud. Just check out the Throbbing Gristle track, "Hot on the Heels of Love", featured here.

I make these comps primarily for my enjoyment, and then the idea is to share them here. So I love every track here, and have probably listened to this compilation more times than any of the others-- even if I don't sit around all day listening to the more difficult albums by some of the artists featured here. I've never understood the concept of listening to noise, and, let's face it, some of these artists have put out albums that make Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music seem like soft rock.

It's true: I don't understand noise, but I do realize how innovative these artists were (many, still are!). Their bold attempts to go where no band had gone before really pushed the envelope, at a time when Rock & Roll seemed to be regressing.

So if you are a little skeptical of the idea of a "Noise" compilation, please, go into this with an open mind. On the other hand, if you are already a fan of the genre, be forewarned that this compilation will probably seem tame.

Happy Listening!

Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 5: Noise

01. Theoretical Girls (Jeffrey Lohn), “Theoretical Girls” [ca. 1978]
02. Savage Republic, “Machinery” [1982]
03. Big Black, “Bad Houses” [1986]
04. Chrome, “March of the Chrome Police (A Cold Clammy Bombing)” [1978]
05. The Birthday Party, “Zoo Music Girl” [1981]
06. Caberet Voltaire, “Landslide” [1981]
07. The Ex, “Human Car” [1980]
08. DNA, “You & You” [1978]
09. Public Image Ltd. “Flowers of Romance” [1981]
10. Killing Joke, “The Wait” [1980]
11. Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, “Nacht Arbeit” [1980]
12. Naked Raygun, “Swingo2” [1983]
13. Notekillers, “The Zipper” [1980]
14. The Mekons, “Karen” [1980]
15. Pere Ubu, “The Modern Dance” [1978]
16. Sonic Youth, “I Don’t Want to Push It” [1982]
17. The Pop Group, “We Are Prostitutes” [1979]
18. Throbbing Gristle, “Hot on the Heels of Love” [1979]
19. X [Australia], “Suck Suck” [1979]
20. SPK, “Mekano” [1979]
21. Swans, “Big Strong Boss” [1983]
22. This Heat, “S.P.Q.R.” [1981]
23. Virgin Prunes, “Pagan Lovesong” [1982]
24. Crass, “White Punks on Hope”[1979]
25. Flipper, “Love Canal” [1980]
26. Theoretical Girls (Glenn Branca), “You Got Me” [1978]

Total Time: 1:19:04

Download it here: Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 5: Noise

Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 4: Pop

2010-09-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

It will come as no surprise to those of you who have been reading Burn and Shine for any time at all, that the “Pop” volume of my Post-Punk series would most likely be my favorite. Guilty as charged-- I can’t help it, it’s in my DNA. I could listen to songs like the Soft Boys’ “Queen of Eyes” or Hüsker Dü’s “Pink Turns to Blue” a million times and never grow weary of them. While both of those tracks have been near and dear to me for quite some time, this volume actually has the greatest percentage of songs which are relatively new to me.

As I previously mentioned here at B&S, discovering Black Randy & the Metrosquad a few weeks ago was the instigator for this Post-Punk series. I also mentioned in that very same post, that I recently picked up The Lines’ early singles compilation. I cherry picked their very first A-side for this compilation, the almost Power Pop, “White Night”.

The Cigarettes are another fairly new to me band. I have to thank Laura @ Needles + Pins for turning me onto them about a year ago. Thanks LCP!

Scotland’s tv21 is another new to me band. They only released one album during their heyday, Thin Red Line from 1981. I don’t remember who recommended it to me, but it stayed in my car player for about a week solid. BTW, I don't think it was ever released on CD, so you will have to find this using your favorite music search engine (I like Captain Crawl). RIYL: Echo and the Bunnymen or the Teardrop Explodes.

The rest of this compilation is filled with artists that I discovered while I was working at the Disc Exchange in Knoxville (1999-2006). In particular: Felt, Orange Juice, the Embarrassment, the Homosexuals, Wah! and the Swell Maps. Ah, the record store. Those were the days!

Happy Listening!

Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 4: Pop

01. Devo, “Uncontrollable Urge" [1978]
02. The Lines, “White Night” [1978]
03. The Soft Boys, “The Queen of Eyes” [1980]
04. Boys Next Door, “The Night Watchmen” [1979]
05. The Fall, “Rebellious Jukebox” [1979]
06. Buzzcocks, “Breakdown” [1977]
07. Hüsker Dü, “Pink Turns to Blue” [1984]
08. Alternative TV, “The Ancient Rebels” [1981]
09. The Associates, “A Matter of Gender” [1981]
10. The Cigarettes, “Can’t Sleep at Night” [1980]
11. Dream Syndicate, “That’s What You Always Say" [1982, EP Version]
12. The Embarrassment, “Sexy Singer Girl" [1981]
13. Felt, “Something Sends Me To Sleep” [1981]
14. The Homosexuals, “Walk Before Imitate” [1978]
15. Magazine, “Touch and Go” [1978]
16. The Monochrome Set, “The Lighter Side of Dating” [1980]
17. Orange Juice, “Falling and Laughing” [1980]
18. Swell Maps, “H.S. Art” [1979]
19. Wipers, “Up Front” [1980]
20. The Teardrop Explodes, “Second Head” [1980]
21. Telvison Personalities, “The Glittering Prizes” [1981]
22. tv21, “Waiting for the Drop” [1981]
23. Wah! “Other Boys” [1981]
24. XTC, “Things Fall to Bits” [ca. 1978]
25. 100 Flowers, “Our Fallout” [1983]
26. Black Randy & the Metrosquad, “I Slept in an Arcade” [1980]
27. Stiff Little Fingers, “Bloody Sunday” [1980]

Total Time: 1:19:37

Download it here: Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 4: Pop

Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 3: Swing

2010-09-15T03:40:00.001-07:00

“Disco Sucks” might have been a mantra for some of the original punks (or really, their brainless followers), but that is most certainly not the case with most of the Post-Punks. As evidenced on the first two installments of Rebellious Jukebox, dancing was very much a part of the Post-Punk zeitgeist. This third volume, Swing, continues to show that in addition to the Velvets and Roxy, these artists were also paying attention to Chic and Donna Summer.

Volume Three begins and ends with the vocals of Alan Vega, who shows us yet another unlikely influence on a Post-Punk artist: his crooning has often been compared to Elvis Presley, and “Fireball” might be the prime example. His band, Suicide (a duo actually, with keyboardist Martin Rev), was part of the original CBGB's scene (along with Talking Heads and Come On-- also featured here) and could easily be included on a Proto-Punk compilation.

The European continent makes a fairly sizeable contribution on this volume of Rebellious Jukebox as bands from Germany (Kraftwerk), France (Metal Urbain) and Belgium (The Honeymoon Killers) all make an appearance. I realize this series is very Anglo-American, but I intend to remedy this on a future installment (next September, maybe?).

Another Athens, GA band makes the cut here, bringing that quaint Southern city’s total up to four (the other three bands were all on the first volume: Pylon, B-52’s and Oh-Ok). This time it’s the vastly under-rated Method Actors, who have recently been given the reissue treatment from Acute Records.

Another band that are just now starting to get their due thanks to a recent reissue is San Francisco's the Units. If you aren’t from the Bay Area and didn’t live through the golden era of Post-Punk, you’d be forgiven if you thought “High Pressure Days” was a long lost Devo track. Probably my favorite track on this compilation, and the one newest to me, as I had never heard it before Community Library put out History of the Units: The Early Years 1977-1983 last year.

Enough out of me, Happy Listening!

Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 3: Swing

01. Alan Vega, “Fireball” [1981]
02. Gang of Four, “I Found That Essence Rare” [1979, Peel Session]
03. Depeche Mode, “Photographic” [1981, Some Bizzare Version]
04. Kraftwerk, “The Model” [1978]
05. Minutemen, “Life as a Rehearsal” [1982]
06. Fire Engines, “Discord” [1981, Peel Session]
07. Talking Heads, “I Zimbra” [1979]
08. Come On, “A Kitchen in the Clouds” [1978]
09. Tuxedomoon, “Incubus (Blue Suit)” [1981]
10. The Sound, “The Fire” [1981]
11. The Better Beatles, “I’m Down” [1981]
12. The Honeymoon Killers, “Histoire À Suivre” [1982]
13. The Method Actors, “My Time” [1981]
14. Soft Cell, “Bedsitter” [1981]
15. Colin Newman, “& Jury” [1980]
16. Manicured Noise, “Metronome” [1979]
17. Suburbs, “Tiny People” [1980]
18. Units, “High Pressure Days” [1980]
19. Caberet Voltaire, “Landslide” [1981]
20. Echo & the Bunnymen, “Read it in Books” [1979, Original Single Version]
21. Metal Urbain, “Hysterie Connective” [1978]
22. The Wake, “Favour” [1982]
23. James Chance, “Contort Yourself” [1978, Original Version]
24. Scritti Politti, “Double Beat” [1978]
25. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, “Electricity” [1980]
26. Suicide, “Diamonds, Fur coat, Champagne” [1979]

Total Time: 1:19:08

Download it here: Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 3: Swing

PLEASE NOTE: When I zipped this puppy up and loaded up at Megaupload, I was in a bit of a rush, apparenttly, and the title for this comp comes up as "Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 3: Gloom". Of course, this is volume 3, but it should say "Swing". Instead of rezipping, I thought I'd just let you know and you can fix it once you've downloaded it. Apologies and Thanks Eric for noticing and letting me know!

Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 2: Gloom

2010-09-08T03:31:00.001-07:00

I think I mentioned this in last year's Halloween post, but as most of you know the Post-Punks were a gloomy bunch. Some of the very first Post-Punk bands I gravitated toward had a Gothic bent: The Cure, Siouxsie, Depeche Mode, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Sonic Youth (even R.E.M. and the Smiths neither of which will be represented on the first five volumes of Rebellious Jukebox). Not exactly sure why that is: I'm not a "black on the outside because black is how I feel on the inside" kind of guy. Looking back, I think it was sort of a natural progression from my heavy metal phase. What some of these bands were doing, isn't too far removed from those early Black Sabbath records that I love (just check out A Certain Ratio's "All Night Party" to see what I mean).

Interesting too, that this compilation features many of the artists before they were stars here in the U.S. One notable exception is Gary Numan, who's song, "Metal" was on the very same album as his #1 smash hit, "Cars". Simple Minds, the Human League, the Cure, New Order and Adam Ant (doing his best Brian Eno impression) are all here before they became household names a little later in the 80's. I even kick the compilation off with Warsaw, which was essentially Joy Division, before they became Joy Division. Most the others here never reached much more than cult status fame, although in Bauhaus's case that cult was rather large. Probably the most obscure band on this comp is Your Food out of Louisville. A band I recently learned about and just had to get them on here. There is one track on here that sticks out like a happy thumb when you listen to it. I won't give it away, but I figured I needed to break up all the gloom. I didn't want to be held responsible for someone slashing their wrist listening to this playlist.

Gloomy listening!

Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 2: Gloom

01. Warsaw, “Leaders of Men” [ca. 1978]
02. The Comsat Angels, “Independence Day” [1980]
03. Fad Gadget, “Collapsing New People” [1984]
04. The Feelies, “The Boy With Perpetual Nervousness” [1980, Demo Version]
05. Crime, “San Francisco’s Doomed” [1978]
06. Bauhaus, “Silent Hedges” [1982]
07. The Jesus & Mary Chain, “Taste of Cindy” [1985]
08. A Certain Ratio, “All Night Party” [1979, Original Single Version]
09. The Cure, “Plastic Passion” [1979]
10. New Order, “Dreams Never End” [1981]
11. Gary Numan, “Metal” [1979]
12. Desperate Bicycles, “Obstructive” [1980]
13. Bunnydrums, “Shiver” [1983]
14. Clock DVA, “4 Hours [1981, Original Single Version]
15. Human League, “The Path of Least Resistance” [1979]
16. Mission of Burma, “Trem Two” [1982]
17. Wire, “Marooned” [1978]
18. Your Food, “Leave” [1984]
19. The Durutti Column, “Sketch for Summer” [1979]
20. Simple Minds, “Reel to Real” [1979]
21. Ultravox, “While I’m Alive” [1977]
22. Laughing Clowns, “ Clown Town” [1981]
23. Adam & the Ants, “Cleopatra” [1979]
24. Josef K, “Romance” [1979]
25. The Undertones, “Boys Will Be Boys” [1980]
26. Joy Division, “She’s Lost Control” [1979]

Total Time: 1:19:37

Download it here: Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 2: Gloom

Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 1: Women

2010-09-01T03:17:00.000-07:00

"Young people have a biological right to be excited about the times they're living through. If you are very lucky, that hormonal urgency is matched by the insurgency of the era, and your built-in adolescent need for amazement and belief coincides with a period of objective abundance. The prime years of postpunk-- the half decade from 1978-82-- were like that: a fortune." Simon Reynolds, from Rip it Up and Start Again.

Okay here we go, today I'm posting the first volume in my Post-Punk Series, Rebellious Jukebox. As I mentioned in my last post, there are five Wednesdays in September and I'll drop one compilation on each of those. Here's what's in store: 5 Discs, 132 Songs, 6.5 Hours worth of Post-Punk madness. These five discs are separated into five mini-themed comps: Women, Gloom, Swing, Pop, and Noise.

When I first decided to tackle Post-Punk, I thought I would do three maybe four compilations at 20 tracks each. Needless to say, that expanded pretty quickly and I just didn't have the heart to make many cuts. There are 130 (129 if you're picky) artists represented. I'll explain the ones I doubled up as we get to them. The earliest track I used is from 1977, and the latest track is from 1986. Most of them, however, fall within the five-year period generally considered to be the golden age of Post-Punk, 1978-1982.

I said I didn't make many cuts and, of course, that's not entirely true. Instead of just randomly leaving out an artist I loved, I decided to skip certain sub-genres of Post-Punk, which I felt could be tackled at some later date. In particular, you'll find no American Hardcore, Ska Revival, Mod Revival or Kiwi Pop in this series and very few artists from Australia. The New Romantics are here only in their earliest form, as are the Synth Poppers. All of this is subjective. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on my picks and omissions. I've already started compiling stuff for future volumes, so any recommendations you have will be taken very seriously! I don't claim to have heard everything, and I'm always looking for new stuff to listen to.

Today's compilation features the Women of Post-Punk. In a way, it is the perfect introduction disc to the series and to Post-Punk in general, as nearly every sub-genre is represented within it's 27 tracks. Of the songs I selected, I'm pretty sure I only heard two of them back in the day. In the late 70's and early 80's I was more interested in AOR, and didn't really know much about Post-Punk. I did have a friend who was way ahead of his time. In 1979 (we were in sixth grade), he made me a tape with the Sex Pistols' Nevermind the Bollocks on one side and the B-52's self-titled debut on the other.

I wish I could say that that tape immediately changed my listening habits. Alas, it would be a few years before I discovered how great that gift was. Let's put it in perspective. In sixth grade I was still very much in my Kiss phase-- Destroyer was my favorite album of all time. My older siblings (sister: 10 years older, brother: 8 years older) both listened to a lot of music, but my sister was buying 12" Disco singles and my brother was an avid Classic Rock fan at the time. Radio in Chattanooga wasn't that great (it still kinda sucks), and we didn't get MTV in our area until '81 or so. That tape sounded like it came from some other planet, but I did listen to it all the way through, so technically the first song I heard on this compilation was "52 Girls", though I can't claim it made much of an impression at the time. The other track, of course, would be "Mental Hopscotch" which I heard via MTV in 1982. It is the most New Wave-y track on any of the comps, but I still think it's a great song and Missing Persons' Spring Session M is miles better than anything else the Bozzio's ever produced and a nice little document of how Post-Punk influenced the mainstream.

Enough babbling, I'll let the ladies take it from here.

Happy Listening!

Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 1: Women

01. The Slits, “Instant Hit” [1979]
02. Au Pairs, “We’re So Cool” [1981]
03. Suburban Lawns, “Unable” [1981]
04. Essential Logic, “ Fanfare in the Garden” [1981]
05. Lizzy Mercier Descloux, “Wawa” [1979]
06. Pylon, “Stop It” [1980]
07. Bush Tetras, “You Taste Like the Tropics” [1980]
08. Delta 5, “Anticipation” [1980]
09. Siouxsie & the Banshees, “Mirage” [1978]
10. Family Fodder, “Savoir Faire”[1980]
11. LiLiPuT/Kleenex, “Ain’t You” [1978]
12. Young Marble Giants, “Final Day” [1979]
13. Romeo Void, “Myself to Myself” [1981]
14. X, “Nausea” [1980]
15. Snatch, “All I Want” [1978]
16. Altered Images, “Dead Pop Stars” [1981]
17. B-52’s, “52 Girls” [1979]
18. ESG, “Moody” [1981]
19. Missing Persons, “Mental Hopscotch” [1982]
20. Animals & Men, “Terraplane Fixation [1980]
21. The Raincoats, “Fairytale in the Supermarket [1979]
22. Tom Tom Club, “On, On, On, On . . .” [1981]
23. Oh-Ok, “Brother” [1982]
24. The Flying Lizards, “TV” [1980]
25. Inflatable Boy Clams, “Marin” [1981]
26. Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, “Orphans” [1978]
27. Marine Girls, “In Love” [1981]

Total Time 1:15:47

Download it here: Rebellious Jukebox Vol. 1: Women

Post-Punk Series Slated for September!

2010-08-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

Just so you know where I'm coming from, someone posted the above video on a GBV forum that I frequent, and it has sent me on a three week Post-Punk bender. Not kidding, I've been obsessed. I'd never heard nor even heard of Black Randy. Here I thought I had listened to all the great bands from the Post-Punk era. How Wrong I was! Seriously, there were sooooo many great bands, some of them put out a single or an album or two then, sadly, vanished. Others went on to fame and fortune in a Post-MTV world. Still others, had formidable careers, but garnered little more than cult status. Whatever, there was lots of great music to be had during those heady days just after the Sex Pistols turned the world on its head.

Long story short, I've scoured my collection for nuggets to share here at Burn and Shine. I've also tracked down a few things that I had never heard (like the spectacular reissue of the Lines early singles which came out on Acute a couple years ago: Memory Span. As per usual, the blogosphere was a tremendous help in finding stuff that I've only got on vinyl or stuff that has never seen digital reissue.

Just as in my Power Pop series, this is by no means to be taken as a definitive collection of Post-Punk. I always try to balance my compilations by using a few tracks that aren't quite as well known, and put them along side tracks that are. I mean, if you haven't got a copy of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" or "Damaged Goods" then by all means track those down and listen to them before downloading my comps. Along those lines, I heartily recommend (if you have any interest in the genre at all), picking up a copy of Simon Reynolds' Rip It Up and Start Again: POSTPUNK 1978-1984 (pictured below). I've been rereading it over the last few days, and my compilation works as a nice companion (especially the first half of the book).

So what is Post-Punk? You may be asking yourself, well let me direct you to the Wikipedia definition, which is pretty good: Post-punk. It can be a bit murky, and I think everyone has their own general idea of what bands get the tag. Does R.E.M.? How 'bout Duran Duran? Nirvana? Good cases could be made for all of those, yet they didn't make my compilation. For me it's a gut feeling. You'll see soon enough who made my comps, which by the way, I've separated into five volumes: Women, Gloom, Swing, Pop, and Noise. You might be surprised to find out who I've put where, but hopefully the playlists make some sort of sonic sense.

There are Five Wednesdays in September, and I will post my comps on each of those (I promise). I may not have the energy to do track by track commentary, but I'll share some of my thoughts on each compilation. For now, I'll leave you with the cover art, which I made in about 13 minutes in true, DIY fashion:

See y'all on Wednesday!

Veronica Falls

2010-08-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for jangly guitars and boy/girl vocals. So when I stumbled upon the above video, it made me smile. Didn't know anything about this London Quartet, but it was obvious that they love the old C-86 Bands as much as I do. Apparently, they have yet to release a full length, but they have released one 7" single which pairs the title track (see video above), "Found Love in a Graveyard", with a very nice cover of Roky Erickson's "Starry Eyes". Unfortunately, the 7" is already OOP, so I missed out on snagging a hard copy. I did find downloads for both tracks via this blog: Transparent (thank you very much!).

Another 7" titled "Beachy Head" is supposedly on the way from Captured Tracks, so be on the lookout for that. In the meantime, you can download the two tracks from the new 7" here: Guerolito Music. Hopefully there's an album on the horizon!

Free Robyn Hitchcock Single!

2010-08-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Robyn Hitchcock? Probably not often enough. He is currently giving away a new single by his new project called The Hungry Moment @ RobynHitchock.com, but only for one week (starting today). The new band is comprised of Robyn on vocals and guitar, Abigail Washburn (vocal & banjo) Rayna Gellerd (vocal & fiddle) and he calls it a "psyche and western group". You can get the free download here: The Hungry Moment: Thank You b/w Time Girl & Violet Rain. I'll also leave you with a live version of my favorite song off the new RH & V3 record, Propellor Time:

No Las Vegas But How 'Bout GBV in Hotlanta?-- Who's with me?

2010-08-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I'm not going to be able to go to Las Vegas for Matador's 21st B-day Shindig. Those of you who do, drink a beer or two for me. I have, however, gone ahead and purchased tickets for the Saturday, October 23 show (just two days before my own birthday!) at Buckethead Theatre in Atlanta. What I did not realize until I purchased these tickets is that Sweet Apple is opening that show!!! If you don't know, Sweet Apple is Jon Petkovic and Tim Parnin (of Cobra Verde), Dave Sweetapple (Witch), and J mother-effing Mascis! Seriously, their new album Love & Desperation has been in constant rotation since I got a copy back in April. Here's the lead single:

Yes, this should be a pretty great night for Rock & Roll.

Oh and just in case you haven't seen the dates for the GBV Reunion tour, here you go:

9/30 - East Side Drive, Austin, TX (On Sale 7/16 at 12pm) *
10/3 - Pearl Theatre @ Palms Hotel, Las Vegas NV SOLD OUT Matador at Twenty-One Las Vegas
10/4 - Wiltern, Los Angeles CA (On Sale TBA) *
10/5 - Warfield, San Francisco CA (Pre-sale FRI 7/23 10am-10pm password "bee thousand", Regular On Sale SAT 7/25 at 10am) *
10/7 - Crystal Ballroom, Portland OR (On Sale 7/20 at 10am) *
10/9 - Showbox So Do, Seattle WA (On Sale 7/26 at 10am) *
10/12 - First Avenue, Minneapolis MN (On Sale 7/16 at 12pm) *
10/13 - The Vic, Chicago IL (On Sale 7/24 at 10am) *
10/15 - Southgate House, Newport KY (Cincinnati) (On Sale 7/16 at 10am)
10/16 - Outlands Live, Columbus OH (On Sale 7/15)
10/21 - 9:30 Club, Washington D.C. (On Sale 7/17 at 10am) =
10/22 - Cat's Cradle, Carrboro NC (On Sale 7/16 at 10am) =
10/23 - Buckhead Theater, Atlanta GA (On Sale 7/24 at 10am) =
11/4 - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (On NBC at 12:35/11:45C)
11/5 - Paradise, Boston MA (On Sale 7/17 at 12pm) +
11/6 - Trocadero, Philadelphia PA (On Sale 7/17 at 12pm) +
11/7 - Terminal 5, NYC (On Sale 7/23 at 12pm) +
* with Times New Viking
= with Sweet Apple
+ with Blitzen Trapper

Check Out the New Header!

2010-08-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

I know, right? I've technically been on blogger for three years now-- though I didn't actually really start blogging here till Halloween '08-- and I'm just now getting around to fancy-ing up this place. Okay, not really but I really love my new header! Big thanks to Sherri from The Claw, who I just recently figured out went to high school with me, for doing such a nice job. She also did the header for my Hixson High School Tennis Blog, so you can mosey on over there to check out another sample of her handy work. If you need any graphic design work, I suggest you drop her an email (headersforhire@hotmail.com). I'm telling you, she is lightning fast!

While I'm here, have you all had a chance to check out the documentary You Weren't There: A History of Chicago Punk, 1977-1984 that is posted over at Bitchfork TV? Here's the trailer:

It really is fantastic, and you can watch the whole thing for free courtesy of P4KTV here: You Weren't There! It says it will only be available for one week, and I'm not sure how long it has been posted, so don't delay!

My Little Girl Is Turning Two!

2010-08-05T07:47:00.000-07:00

Oh man, it seems I'm always making excuses. Totally missed posting a comp in July, and my Pollardfest didn't pan out quite the way I wanted it to. Okay, so here's the deal: I'm putting Bob on the back burner, and I'm slotting disc two in the series for next June. The first one is still selling like hot cakes, and I don't want to slow the momentum by posting another.

As you've probably gathered from the headline, I'm shifting gears to celebrate Maria Justine's second birthday! It is sort of a cop out, but not really. I promised this about a year ago in this post: My Little Girl is Turning One!

That's right, we're having a guest-compilation this month from my good friend Laura. Just to reiterate, she sent us this comp shortly after MJ's birth, and we've listened to it dozens of times. A few quick thoughts:

There are no less than three songs on here that would make my all-time top 100. Those being, "American Girl" (a song that has lost none of its luster even though it is in constant rotation on Classic Rock Radio), "Girl U Want" (seriously, how many songs in the history of recorded music are better than this?), "The Girl Can't Help It" (LR's vocals on this continue to floor me every time I hear this). There were also three songs on here I had never heard. "Party Girl" (caused me to track down the one and only album by the Prissteens), "Girl's Attractive" (I was astonished to find out this was recorded in 2005, as it sounds like 1983 to me-- fantastic!), "Punk Girl" (I'm a fan of all things Billy Childish, but somehow managed to miss this little gem). Also, not sure if I had ever heard the Muff's version of Paul Collins' "Rock & Roll Girl" [see video above], but it is a fine rendition of another song which would crack my personal Hot 100. Thanks again LCP, and Happy Birthday MJ!

Happy Listening!

Oh, Girl: Welcome MJ!

01. The Replacements, “Birthday Girl”
02. Alex Chilton, “New Girl in School”
03. Tom Petty, “American Girl”
04. Hüsker Dü, “Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill”
05. Iggy Pop, “Girs”
06. Alex Chilton, “Never Found a Girl”
07. The Prissteens, “Party Girl”
08. The Muffs, “Rock & Roll Girl”
09. Diamond Nights, “Girl’s Attractive”
10. Frank Zappa, “Valley Girl”
11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Mystery Girl”
12. Devo, “Girl U Want”
13. Heavenly, “P.U.N.K. Girl”
14. The White Stripes, “Fell In Love With a Girl”
15. Kings of Leon, “Taper Jean Girl”
16. The Knack, “Good Girls Don’t”
17. Dwight Twilley Band, “Girls”
18. The Beatles, “Girl”
19. Thee Headcoatees, “Punk Girl”
20. Little Richard, “The Girl Can’t Help It”
21. The Long Winters, “New Girl”
22. The Amps, “She’s a Girl”
23. Tom Petty, “Here Comes My Girl”

Total Time: 1:11:49

Download it here: Oh, Girl: Welcome MJ!

Classic GbV Lineup to Reunite!

2010-06-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Matador is having a three day Birthday Party in Vegas, and you're invited. And oh, by the way, the original Matador lineup of Guided by Voices will be playing. I think that means Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Kevin Fennel, Greg Demos and Mitch Mitchell. Couldn't find a good pic with all five of them, but the one above has four of the five, plus Jim Greer instead of Demos.

Seriously, this is cool news. Sorry, my Robert Pollard month has been so quiet, but I've been ridiculously busy. Rest assured I've got more comps on the way-- we'll just have to extend it another month or two. On a positive note, a whole mess of you have downloaded the first disc. It has out done pretty much all of the non Power Pop comps-- including the Xmas comps but not including my top 25 of 2009. So hopefully, I've turned a few new people onto the legend of Pollard. In the meantime, enjoy this video from 1994 (again, I don't think it's Demos playing bass, not sure who it is):

Check Out This Rather Lengthy Article on GBV!

2010-06-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

At Pop Matters

Seriously, hope you have some popcorn. If you're not into reading than enjoy this classic Guided by Voices Video:

What I think is cool about the above video, is that it features a really young Nate Farley, before he was actually a member of the band.

June Salutes You, Robert Pollard!

2010-06-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, I apologize for not putting out a compilation in May. With the High School Tennis season in full gear, I just did not have time to put anything together. The good news is that I've decided to make June Robert Pollard month. Perhaps not as extensive as Power Pop Month, but I will be sharing several compilations with you over the next few weeks and all of my posts will be related to Mr. Pollard.

Just a couple of quick notes about the compilation. I've made dozens of Guided by Voices comps for people over the years. This is the first time I've ever put together a compilation of just Pollard tracks from throughout his career (well, pretty much). This primer assumes two things. Number one, you already own Bee Thousand. My second favorite album of all time BTW, and if you own it and don't think the world of it, then these primers are probably not going to change your mind. Second, it assumes you own The Best of Guided by Voices, as I have not duplicated any of the tracks here. Finally, for those of you with a pretty good grasp on the Robert Pollard discography, there will still probably be something on these comps which will interest you, so read through the tracklistings and see for yourself if they're worth your time. Speaking of time, I won't waste any more of your's today. On to the first in a series of three Robert Pollard compilations.

Happy Listening!

Your Trail is Quite a Puzzle: A Robert Pollard Primer – Disc 1:

01. “Over the Neptune/Mesh Gear Fox” by Guided by Voices from Propeller (1992). Starting with the canned “G-B-V” chant and Pollard’s sarcastic statement: “This song does not Rock”, OtN/MGF is probably my favorite Guided by Voices album opener.

02. “Carnival at the Morning Star School” by Guided by Voices from 30 Songs (Ca. 1992). A fantastic song that was on the fan assembled bootleg, 30 Songs, but didn’t actually get an official release until 2009, when it made it’s appearance on Suitcase 3.

03. “Do Something Real” by Robert Pollard from Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department (1999). Released a few months after Guided by Voices’ first major label album, Do the Collapse, Speak Kindly, which was not marred by Ric Ocasek’s production, is far superior to the TVT long player.

04. “Dayton, Ohio – 19 Something and 5” by Guided by Voices from Tonics and Twisted Chasers (1997). T&TC was originally a vinyl-only, fanclub release. It has since been released on CD, and I think it is still available. It’s just Tobin and Bob, and I believe that it’s the most under-rated release in the GbV discography.

05. “Liar’s Tale” by Guided by Voices from Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia (1989). This to me is one of the shining examples of Pollard’s brilliance. Not much going on, but good god what a song! It’s a shame that it was not included in the GbV Best-of compilation. This is a top five Pollard track for me.

06. “Jar of Cardinals” by Guided by Voices from Vampire on Titus (1993). It took me awhile to fall in love with the album VoT. I fell in love with this nugget instantaneously.

07. “Lonely Town” by Sucko from Suitcase 2 [Disc 7] (ca. 1987). Again, just a simple little tune that did not make it’s way onto a proper album. It did manage to make the second box set of unreleased stuff from the Pollard vaults.

08. “Blimps Go 90” by Guided by Voices from Alien Lanes (1995). AL is my third favorite GbV long player. It might have the best batch of songs of any of the albums. This is one of many shining moments on the disc.

09. “I Am Decided” by Timid Virus from Suitcase 2 [Disc 6] (ca. 1996). A song given to Kim Deal, who recorded a version of it with the Amps.

10. “Get Under It” by Robert Pollard from Not In My Airforce (1996). From RP’s debut solo album. Still my favorite Pollard solo album, by the way.

11. “People Are Leaving” by Robert Pollard from Waved Out (1998). A hauntingly beautiful song, from Pollard’s second solo album on Matador Records.

12. “Not Behind the Fighter Jet” by Guided by Voices from Mag Earwhig! (1997). ME! Often gets a bad rap. The beginning of the brief Guided by Verde period. A true transition album, it’s the first GbV record that sounds better as you turn up the volume.

13. “The Ascended Master’s Groshop” by Guided by Voices from Hardcore UFOs: Demons and Painkillers (1997). A B-Side to the great Doug Gillard live staple, “I Am a Tree”. This one is co-written by Tobin Sprout and I’ll bet my life that’s his lovely piano part.

14. “Scissors and the Clay Ox (In)” by Too Proud To Practice from Suitcase [Disc 3] (ca. 1990). According the GBVDB, this is from an aborted album from 1990 titled Back To Saturn X. With all the Robert Pollard product that is available, it boggles the mind how many projects were actually scrapped.

15. “Zoom” by Robert Pollard from Zoom EP (2005). The newest song featured on this compilation. I’ll be honest, I’m not big on very much Pollard music post-2001, but this is Bob at his poppiest.

16. “United” by Ben Zing from Suitcase [Disc 4] (1988). Again this is the kind of throwaway that Pollard-freaks like me can’t get enough of. Pretty sing-along chorus—it makes me weep.

17. “Time Machines” by Lexo & the Leapers from Ask Them EP (1999). An oft neglected release in the ridiculously vast Pollard discography. Pound for pound, it might be the best EP he has released.

18. “Coastal Town” from Suitcase 3 [Disc 9] (ca. 198?). An early, and much slower version of what would become “Closer You Are” from Alien Lanes. Melancholy Bob at his finest.

19. “Sister I Need Wine” by Guided by Voices from Isolation Drills (2001). Though I don’t love ID as much as I did upon its release, it still holds up pretty well. There are a number of gems on it, and I never tire of this one.

20. “A Crick Uphill” by Guided by Voices from Hold On Hope EP (2000). The HoH EP that came out a few months after GbV’s major label debut, Do the Collapse, is a much stronger affair than that album.

21. “The Winter Cows” by Guided by Voices from Sunfish Holy Breakfast EP (1996). I remember being slightly embarrassed buying this record when it came out. I was a little worried too, had Pollard gone hippie? One spin on the turntable, and I knew all was well.

22. “She Wants to Know” by Guided by Voices from Forever Since Breakfast EP (1986). Early GbV owes a lot to the jangly, guitar pop of early R.E.M. This is a great example of that.

23. “Underwater Explosions” by Guided by Voices from Under the Bushes, Under the Stars (1996). The last three songs on this comp are all from the same recording sessions. This one actually made it on a proper album.

24. “Bunco Men” by Elf God from Suitcase [Disc 1] (ca. 1996). This one, however, did not. I can still remember this song coming on the first time I heard Suitcase, and just being stunned. I later found out it was recorded for UtBUtS, but did not make the cut!!

25. “Bright Paper Werewolves” by Guided by Voices from Under the Bushes, Under the Stars (1996). Understated Pollard at his very best. It’s criminal that songs this good don’t get any attention, save from uber-fanboys like me.

Total Time: 58:35

Download it here: Your Trail is Quite a Puzzle: A Robert Pollard Primer – Disc 1

Forty Years Since Kent State.

2010-05-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Sad day in American History. Read the thoughts of one of the victims mother here: I Lost My Son 40 Years Ago at Kent State.

R.I.P. Will Owsley.

2010-05-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Completely missed this over the weekend. Another sad loss, and Tennessean at that. He was one of the talents found on the Nash Pop Compilation I posted during Powere Pop Month. I Found this interview from 1996 posted on Youtube:

Support the new Crooked Fingers EP!

2010-04-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

April Showers.

2010-04-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

Not sure why they chose "Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head" by B.J. Thomas for that particular montage in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, but somehow it works! As for today's compilation, it's one that I made a couple of years ago. Some of you may already have it, but it is new to Burn and Shine. It actually is raining today here in Chattanooga, though I do believe it's the first shower we've had this April. Fine by me, because it seems like we had one of the wettest (and snowiest) winters that I can remember. Here's the playlist:

Music for a Rainy Day

01. "Standing in the Rain" by Hüsker Dü
02. "Rain" by the Cult
03. "Rainfall" by The Apples in Stereo
04. "Fall Down (like the Rain)" by The Mighty Lemondrops
05. "Rain" by The Beatles
06. "Rain" by The Pretty Things
07. "Box of Rain" by The Grateful Dead
08. "Who'll Stop the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
09. "Crying in the Rain" by Carole King
10. "Like a Summer Rain" by The Ladybug Transistor
11. "Happy When it Rains" by the Jesus & Mary Chain
12. "When Will the Rain Come" by The Troggs
13. "Wash in the Rain" by Band of Bees
14. "I See the Rain" by The Marmalade
15. "Rainy Day in June" by The Kinks
16. "Take Me Out of the Rain" by The Romantics
17. "Light Rain" by The Leaving Trains
18. "Rain" by The Chills
19. "Rain on the Window" by the Hollies
20. "Who'd Stop the Rain" by Dressy Bessy
21. "I Hear the Rain" by The Violent Femmes
22. "Caught in the Rain" by Preston School of Industry
23. "Bottom of the Rain" by Buffalo Tom
24. "Dark & Rainy Town" by Applesaucer
25. "Save It for a Rainy Day" by The Jayhawks

Total Time: 1:19:19

Download it here: Music for a Rainy Day

Happy Anniversary R.E.M.!

2010-04-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

R.E.M. turns 30!

Here are some cool early demos recently posted on youtube:

R.I.P. Alex Chilton

2010-03-18T04:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like I just got punched in the gut: Alex Chilton dies at 59.

Irish Eyes Are Smiling!

2010-03-11T18:09:00.000-08:00

St. Patrick's Day is Less than a week away and some of you might be celebrating this weekend (or all of next week for that matter), so I figured I'd drop the second Burn and Shine Irish Comp a little early. Kiss Me I'm Irish was one of the most successful (in terms of downloads) comps of the year, and I'm hoping you all enjoy the sequel as well.

Happy Listening!

Kiss Me I’m Irish Two!

01. Gary Moore, “Back on the Streets” (1978).

Okay there are some cheesy guitar solos on this (it is Guitar Gawd Gary Moore after all) but the song still manages to hold up. From his second solo LP, of the same name.

02. The Moondogs, “Who’s Gonna Tell Mary” [John Peel Session] (1980).

This actually predates the single version of this song, by about a year. Punky Power Pop at its finest.

03. In Tua Nua, “All I Wanted” (1988).

I’m pretty sure I bought this cassette because ITN was opening some dates for U2 in the U.S. I remember really liking it at the time, the production on this song is a little dated, but still makes me smile.

04. Future Kings of Spain, “Venetian Blinds" (2003).

Odd name for an Irish band. This song sounds a lot like Weezer—and I mean that in the best possible way.

05. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Give Ireland Back to the Irish” (1971).

Second generation Irish, this was the first single released in the States credited to Wings.

06. Radiators From Space, “Television Screen” (1977).

Issued on Chiswick records in April of 1977, this is one of the first Punk singles out of Ireland (or anywhere for that matter).

07. Horslips, “Dearg Doom” (1973).

If I had heard Horslips in seventh grade, I would have been all over them (what is it about junior high boys and prog?). From The Tain, a progressive rock opera based on an old Irish Saga.

08. Hothouse Flowers, “Don’t Go” (1988).

Another song that hasn’t aged quite as well as it should have, thanks to the cheesy 80’s production and the bad sax solo. Still, beneath all that gloss lies a fantastic song.

09. The Vipers, “No Such Thing” (1978).

As promised, this is the flipside of the Vipers lone, dynamite single “I’ve Got You” featured on BoPP Disc Four.

10. The Frames, “Sad Songs” (2006).

This is from The Cost, which was the first I’d ever heard of the Frames. I had no idea they had been around for about 15 years already.

11. Philip Lynott, “Dear Miss Lonely Hearts" (1980).

From Phil’s first, and best solo album, Solo in Soho. It might have been a bigger hit, had it been released as Thin Lizzy.

12. A House, “Call Me Blue” (1988).

Last time I made an Irish compilation, the year 1977 kept coming up. This time it’s 1988. This song has aged quite gracefully.

13. So Cow, “To Do List” (2007).

Brian Kelly is So Cow, and he was one of my favorite finds in 2009. I’m surprised Jason Reitman hasn’t used him on a soundtrack yet.

14. Bob Geldof, “Room 19” (1993).

A fun sing-a-long song from the former Boomtown Rats frontman.

15. The Outcasts, “Self conscious Over You” (1979).

Another great punk band from Belfast.

16. Bell X1, “Flame” (2006).

Okay, I’ll admit I have a soft spot for most of those neo-post-punk dance singles from the early/mid aughts. This one is particularly fun, and sounds kind of like Franz Ferdinand.

17. The Urges, “I Gotta Wait” (2007).

Seriously, if you’d never heard of this band and checked them out, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were a great lost garage band from the 60s. As far as I know, this track is from their album Psych Ward which is the only thing they’ve released. Hopefully, there’s something on the horizon.

18. Rory Gallagher, “Don’t Know Where I’m Going” (1971).

Rory does a nice Bob Dylan impression here, from his second album, cleverly titled Deuce.

19. Saint Vitus Dance, “Horse Sense” (1987).

Noel Burke’s-- the guy who replaced Ian McCulloch for that one (not very good) Echo and the Bunnymen record-- first band put out a very under-rated Brit Pop album called Love Me Love My Dogma, from which this track is culled.

20. John Lennon, “Maggie Mae” (ca. 1979).

Also second generation Irish, this is a nice, if a bit short acoustic demo that can be found on the excellent Lennon Anthology from 1998.

Total Time: 1:02:15

Download it here: Kiss Me I'm Irish Two!

R.I.P. Mark Linkous.

2010-03-07T04:21:00.000-08:00

Damn, the song above just about sums it up. R.I.P. Mark Linkous

The Birth of Power Pop: The 1970s (Revisited) - Disc Six

2010-02-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

Just a few quick words and on to Disc Six.

Here are the final twenty-two tracks in my Birth of Power Pop series. Of all the volumes, this one might be my favorite, probably because it is mostly made up of songs that are relatively new to me. Many of which have not been widely available in a really long time. All of these songs are over thirty years old, and I hope people will be listening to them thirty years from now. Judging by the response to this blog, I think at least some of us will be! I hope you've enjoyed the series as much as I've enjoyed making it. Perhaps next February I'll tackle the Eighties!

Happy Listening!

Birth of Power Pop: The 1970s (Revisited) – Disc Six

Track by Track Commentary:

01. The Now, “What’s Her Name” (1979).

I don’t think The Now’s first (and only) album has ever been released on compact disc. It really is a lost, New Wave, Power Pop classic. They were from the Big Apple.

02. Bread, “Down on My Knees” (1972).

Bread is usually remembered as a bit of second rate Eagles, with a penchant for sappy love songs. What is lost in this revisionist history, is the fact that they really could craft a pop song, and some times flexed their muscles, as they do on this track from arguably their best, if a bit clumsily titled, album: Baby I’m a Want You.

03. Scientists, “Frantic Romantic” (1979).

If someone were to write the history of Australian Rock & Roll, Kim Salmon would probably take up a few chapters all on his own. This is the A-side, of the first single released by the Scientists. It does not foreshadow the noisier stuff the band would become better known for producing. Instead, it looks back to the garage-pop of the great Australian band, the Easybeats.

04. Roy Loney & the Phantom Movers, “Born To Be Your Fool” (1979).

The other half of the original Flamin’ Groovies’ writing team, Roy Loney produced a fine roots rock effort with more than a nod to Power Pop on his first post-Groovies album, Out After Dark.

05. Colin Blunstone, “I Want Some More” (1972).

Colin Blunstone has one of the most recognizable voices in Rock & Roll. Best known as the voice of the Zombies, his first two solo albums are also well worth tracking down.

06. Blue, “Someone” (1973).

I’ve only had the self-titled album by Blue for a little over a month (it was recently reissued by NCORPS.EU), but it is quickly making it’s way into my favorite albums of all time. Fantastic Power Pop from Scotland.

07. The Paley Brothers, “Stick With Me Baby” (1978).

One record is all we got from Boston’s the Paley Brothers, and it is notoriously hard to find on compact disc. Their best-known song, “Come Out and Play”, is a well known classic of the genre, and the one featured here should be.

08. Van Duren, “This Love Inside” (1977).

According to AMG, Van Duren auditioned for Big Star right around the time of that band’s demise, and later played in a band called The Baker Street Regulars in the Memphis area with Jody Stephens and Chris Bell, before producing his first album, Are You Serious? in 1977.

09. Rick Springfield, “On the Other Side” (1974).

RS had quite a career Down Under before he made it big in America. This track is culled from the soundtrack to a Kids’ cartoon called Mission Magic, which featured Springfield. A little bubble gum, but that’s not always a bad thing.

10. The Pop, “Walk in the Rain” (1977).

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think L.A.’s The Pop have ever been given the compact disc treatment—at least not domestically. Another cryin’ shame. I’ve added them to the list.

11. Klaatu, “California Jam” (1976).

How in the world could pop fans have been duped by the insinuation that Klaatu's debut was actually the Beatles? There are certainly some nice Beatle-isms going on here: well-crafted songs, with soaring harmonies (this track in particular), but in a blind taste test, I can’t believe anyone would think it was the Fab Four.

12. The Moondogs, “She’s Nineteen” (1979).

This is the A-side of the debut single from Northern Ireland’s the Moondogs, who were kind of like the Undertones’ modish, younger brothers.

13. Badfinger (Tom Evans), “Believe Me” (1970).

Now this brilliant Tom Evans penned Badfinger track could easily be mistaken as a Beatles' song.

14. The Cowsills, “On My Side” (1971).

The band which inspired the 70s TV show, The Partridge Family. By the 70s, the Cowsills were trying to break free of their bubble gum image, into more of a folk rock, Byrds-like outfit—to great effect.

15. Poptarts, “Jealousy” (1979).

The very last track selected for my BoPP series, as I was looking for some more female artists to showcase. Allow me to explain: I only just recently discovered the Poptarts, thanks to a line in Carl Cafarelli’s essay, “The History of Power Pop”, featured in John Borack’s book, Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide. Here’s the line: “I submit to you that the world’s first avowed all-female power pop group was the Poptarts, a still-unknown quintet that formed in Syracuse, New York in 1978.” I was intrigued. A quick Google search, led me to a website and an email address. A few pleasant email exchanges quickly transpired, and I sent my money order off to Syracuse. What I got back for my measly fifteen bucks, is quite a Power Pop relic. “Jealousy” is just the tip of the proverial iceberg. I urge all of you to contact Gael Sweeney and snatch up your copy before they are all gone!

16. The Flashcubes, “She’s Not the Girl Anymore” (1979).

If I were to rank the greatest Power Pop songs ever recorded, Gary Frenay’s “It’s You Tonight” featured on the original Yellow Pills compilation, would be at or near the top. This song is nearly as good. The Flashcubes were also from Syracuse.

17. Fast Cars, “The Kids Just Wanna Dance” (1979).

Power Pop from Manchester, this song was written using the Fast Cars’ fans as the muse.

18. Excel, “If It Rains” (1979).

The title track from a four-song, self-released EP by these Yorkshire Power Poppers. One more single for Polydor followed in 1980, before the original band broke up.

19. Bram Tchaikovsky, “Sarah Smiles” (1979).

Although I’ve known the fabulous “Girl of My Dreams” for what seems like forever, I hadn’t ever listened to any long players by BT until last summer. A buddy mentioned that he couldn’t believe Strange Man, Changed Man didn’t make Borack’s top 200, nor did it make the fan’s response Shake Some Action Revisited. It is indeed worthy.

20. B-Girls, “‘b’-Side” (1978).

The flip side of the B-Girls debut single for Bomp!, “Fun at the Beach”, and a nice little anthem.

21. Gary Charlson, “Not the Way It Seems” (1978).

Kansas City’s Gary Charlson was part of the amazingly talented stable of artist on Titan Records! Pretty much everything he recorded is worth a listen.

22. Artful Dodger, “Scream” [Single Version] (1976).

From AD’s second, more hard-rock influenced album, Honor Among Thieves. This is a nice little Power Pop ballad, and a fitting end to my BoPP series.

Total Time: 1:05:28

Download it here: The Birth of Power Pop: The 1970s (Revisited) - Disc Six

Find Discs 1, 2 & 3 here: Birth of Power Pop - Discs 1, 2 & 3

Find Disc 4 here: Birth of Power Pop - Disc 4

Find Disc 5 here: Birth of Power Pop - Disc 5

Twenty for Tennessee.

2010-02-27T06:18:00.001-08:00

My last geographical tribute goes to my home state, and it takes the form of a playlist. Since we had a Nashville compilation yesterday, I stayed away from the Music City with one exception (the incomparable Who Hit John of course!). The Shazam also makes another appearance, but they're really from Johnson City. It's dominated by Knoxville bands, most likely because I lived there for about nine years. I know a lot of the people in those bands, and I didn't ask any of them if it was okay to put their songs up (not even the one penned by Mrs. Maximum Jack!). Apologies to anyone who might not think it's cool. Let me know and I'll take it down immediately. Hopefully, those of you who are diehard Power Pop enthusiasts will find a few unknown treats on here. The Taoist Cowboys or Smokin' Dave for instance, who should have been much bigger. Apologies to any band I missed. Enough babbling, and on to the compilation.

Happy Listening!

Tom Pappas (Flying) of Superdrag and Flesh Vehicle and Don Coffey, Jr of Superdrag and Producer extrodinaire (Drumming) pictured!

Tennessee Power Pop!

01. "Remain Yer Strange" by Superdrag (Sam Powers)
02. "Every Summer" by Smokin' Dave & the Premo Dopes
03. "Amy 88" by the V-Roys
04. "Super Tuesday" by the Shazam
05. "I'll Cry" by Reigning Sound
06. "American Chrome" by Stewart Pack
07. "Motley Who" by The High Score
08. "I've Got a Way" by The Scruffs
09. "Something to Let You Down" by Mic Harrison
10. "In the Street" by Big Star
11. "It's So Hard" by Geisha
12. "Steppin' Out" by The French Broads
13. "Ready to Go" by The Faults
14. "Back With You" by The Taoist Cowboys
15. "Singing in Your Ear" by Flesh Vehicle
16. "California Waiting [EP Version]" by Kings of Leon
17. "I Know a Place" by Jay Reatard
18. "Andrea" by Westside Daredevils
19. "Fan Club" by Who Hit John
20. "Lighting the Way" by Superdrag

Total Time: 58:40

Download it Here: Tennessee Power Pop!

Release Date Pushed Back Until February 28.

2010-02-26T02:44:00.000-08:00

Only two days left in Power Pop Month, it's been a fun ride. All kinds of milestones here at Burn and Shine. So I thought I'd share those with you:

01. I've had my first spammer.
02. Three of my comps have gone Gold (for downloads of 100 or more!).
03. The number of my Followers has more than doubled.
04. I'm pretty sure I've also more than doubled the number of hits I've received since the existence of the blog.
05. I had more blog entries for the month of February then I did for 2007, 2008 and 2009 combined.

Many of you are tuning in today because today's the day #6 in the BoPP series is supposed to come out. I decided the final compilation needed to wait until Sunday, so come on back in two days. I promise it will be posted nice and early-- then I get to take a break until St. Patrick's Day.

But don't fret, I've got a nice little surprise: another out of print Power Pop compilation! This time it's from the spectacular Not Lame Recording Company. I've done a little recon, and I can't find this anywhere in the blogosphere, and it has become quite a collectible among Power Pop fans. In 1998, NL set out to document the very fertile pop scene in Nashville, TN. They called the compilation Nashpop, and it has 18 tracks, with nary a throwaway to be found. From the liner notes by Derek Scott:

The Range of bands represented here reveal the many facets of Nashville's pop community, everything from the airy sophistication of Swan Dive to the charming garage pop of the Luxury Liners; the explosive entergy of Joe Marc's Brother and Who Hit John to the well crafted works by Owsley, Doug Powell and Bill Lloyd. And every week new acts emerge to reinforce the sense that something truly special is going on in Music City . . . And it isn't Country!

Too many highlights to mention them all. One song, Swag's "Everyday is Christmas" has already been featured here at Burn and Shine on Christmas Redux Two. I can't believe I've never used any of the others. Anywho, Here's the track listing and artwork (enjoy!):

Nashpop: A Nashville Pop Compilation (NL - 046)

1. Contact High - Bill Lloyd
2. Suzie Failed the Acid Test - Who Hit John
3. Beautiful Excuse - Swan Dive
4. I Hate That Song - The Shazam
5. Sonny Boy - Owsley
6. Penelope Wilde - Idle Jets
7. She's So Clean - Millard Powers
8. Torn - Doug Powell
9. Paper Star - Neilson Hubbard
10. Feel - Joe, Marc's Brother
11. Anything You Say - Ross Rice
12. If I Cry - The Luxury Liners
13. Spirit of '76 - The Rayon City Quartet
14. Christina - Idle Jets
15. Congratulations - Who Hit John
16. Second Hand Man - John Keaney
17. How Can We Go On? - Bill Lloyd
18. Everyday Is Christmas - Swag

Download it Here: Nashpop

Dom Mariani

2010-02-25T05:40:00.000-08:00

Again, Thursday is a bit of busy day for me so I'm really gonna take a short cut today and send you over to another blogger's site for a fantastic compilation. But first a few words.

Dom Mariani is like the Peter Case or Alex Chilton of Power Pop Down Under. I did not really discover him until recently. I'd heard the DM3 song "1x 2x Devasted" which was featured on the awesome Pop on Top! The Cream of Australia's Power Pop Crop! disc, but that's about it. Now I realize he was a founding member of the Stems and the Someloves in addition to producing some outstanding solo albums. Anyway, most of you probably already know and love Dom Mariani, but if you haven't checked him out, now's the time and here's the place:

Awesome compilation of Dom Mariani's work from a really fantastic blog, The Un-Heard Music!

I'll leave you with this little nugget by the Someloves:

More Live Plimsouls!

2010-02-24T03:20:00.000-08:00

Apologies folks, but I've been listening to the Plimsouls for the past 36 hours or so, and I can't get enough 'em. I found some high quality live clips on Youtube, and just had to share. The first, according to the guy who posted it, is from 1979 and might be the first major club appearance by Eddie Muñoz with the band:

The next three must have been some sort of TV/Radio simulcast out in Pasadena. Great stuff, but I can't help feeling a little sad as I watch this. They look poised to become the next big thing-- well, we all know how that turned out.

BTW, I've added the Plimsouls to my running list of artists that need the box set treatment. Did not realize that their first album (conveniently reissued together with their first EP by Rhino in 1992 as The Plimsouls . . . Plus) is no longer available. Travesty.

The Plimsouls - Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal: October 31, 1981 - Whiskey A Go Go

2010-02-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

A follow up to my post from February 3 - New Plimsouls Record! Check out the artwork for the new LP and download a track from the album there. It should be available from your favorite retailers today. I would suggest heading down to your local, independent record store and picking it up on vinyl!

I've finally had a chance to sit down and listen to this record a few times, and I thought I'd share my thoughts. I don't normally review new records here at Burn and Shine, but I figured I should make an exception for the Plimsouls during Power Pop Month. So here goes.

I'll be the first one to tell you, I don't like live albums. While I own quite a few (I used to hoard bootlegs of my favorite bands), there are maybe a dozen live documents that I'll still listen to on occasion. You can probably guess a few of those-- At Budokan, Live at Leeds, a couple of those Bob Dylan Bootleg Series discs leap to mind.

One you might not guess, is The Plimsouls' first widely released live album, One Night in America. It originally came out in 1988, on a French label called Fan Club. It was one of the first ten CDs I ever bought (I never bought the reissue from a few years back, because I cherish this one so much). At the time, I had never really listened to the Plimsouls. Of course I knew "A Million Miles Away", but that's about it. Those twelve songs recorded "in the midwest of all places" changed my perception of the band. I just figured they were a New Wave one-hit wonder. Wrong. This band had chops and knew their history-- five of the twelve tracks were covers, most notably the Outsiders' "Time Won't Let Me" and a scalding version of the Kinks' "Come On Now". So, as you can imagine, my expectations for this new live Plimsouls LP were through the roof.

Mighty tough for an album to live up to those kind of expectations. Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal delivers. Eighteen tracks and nearly an hour it is the perfect compliment to One Night in America (which was recorded five months earlier). The first song that really leaps out at me is "Inch by Inch" (one of my favorite tracks from 1983's Everywhere at Once) which, I'm assuming, must have been written during the time between the ONiA performance and this one at the Whiskey. While the album version has a shiny, new wave sheen, here it is presented in all of its raw glory. Eddie Muñoz' guitar sounds phenomenal, and Peter Case's vocals are to die for-- what I think a young John Lennon might have sounded like during one of those legendary eight hour sets in Hamburg.

Other originals not featured on the previous live document, are "Every Day Things" "Shaky City", "Lost Time", "I'll Get Lucky", "Zero Hour" and "I Want You Back". To go along with tremendous versions of "Hush Hush", "Now", and "A Million Miles Away". Oh, and let's not forget the covers. There are two Easybeats songs featured, "Women" which would make an appearance on their debut, self-titled long player and a fantastic version of "Sorry". A nod to both their L.A. and Hispanic roots, the Plimsouls' rollicking version of Thee Midnighters' "Jump, Jive and Harmonize" absolutely tears the roof down. There's more, to be sure, but listening to this record nearly thirty years after this show was recorded, one word comes to mind: Timeless.

Your Winner: Scotland!

2010-02-22T04:45:00.000-08:00

The People have spoken, or at least 28 of you have. Thanks for voting. It was down to the wire, but in the end it was Scotland by a nose. Of course, I thought all of the possibles were deserving, but there can be only one winner. Hard to argue with this one. Lots to choose from here, I think this is a good representation. I wish I could have found something for the amazing Blue (look out for them on Disc Six!).

Bay City Rollers:

Belle & Sebastian:

The Delgados:

Eugenius:

Pastels:

Primal Scream:

The Rezillos:

Superstar:

Teenage Fanclub:

The Vaselines:

The Old North State.

2010-02-21T05:45:00.000-08:00

As I write this, there are only a couple hours left in the poll and currently Scotland and Australia are tied for the lead in the poll. You might be the one to cast the deciding vote. Democracy in action. Today, however, we salute North Carolina, by special request. A state that produced much of the soundtrack of my life during the late 80s and early/mid 90s.

Archers of Loaf:

The Comas:

The Connells:

The dB's:

Dillon Fence:

Don Dixon:

Ben Folds:

Let's Active:

Small (later Small 23):

Superchunk:

The Todd Rundgren Dilemma.

2010-02-20T13:23:00.000-08:00

So what do we make of Todd Rundgren? I never really paid much attention to him until I reached my thirties. The more I read about music, the more I kept seeing his name come up-- usually as the producer of some album I loved. The list of artists TR has worked with is a veritable Who's Who of Rock: Sparks, Hall & Oates (seriously, the H&O records produced by TR are great, blue-eyed soul), Badfinger, New York Dolls, Patti Smith, XTC, Cheap Trick, Meat Loaf, Grand Funk Railroad, the Psychedelic Furs, Lords of the New Church, Laura Nyro, The Pursuit of Happiness, Bad Religion, and the list goes on. Those are just a few of his production credits, I don't have the time to list all the artists he's worked with in other capacities.

While I will probably never take the time to listen to all of the records he's had a part in making, I have, over the years, pretty much listened to all of his proper albums. I can say, categorically, that he is a fantastic artist. That's not saying he hasn't released a few duds here and there, but his hit-to-miss ratio is pretty darn good. Hermit of Mink Hollow and Something/Anything? are very high up on my list of all-time favorite albums.

But is it Power Pop?

I say no. Now I love "Couldn't I Just Tell You" as much as the next Power Pop nutjob, but check out the way TR introduces the song on this episode of the Mike Douglas Show:

It's very by-the-numbers isn't it? Maybe a little disdain in his voice? Could be because he's not thrilled to be playing to a mostly indifferent studio audience. To his credit, once the song gets going he does seem to enjoy himself and the version is pretty good, even with the keyboard so high in the mix. But if this show is from 1978, this song is six years old at the time of this performance. Why not a song from Hermit of Mink Hollow, which had come out a few months before? I'm not sure, but if I ever get the chance to interview him, I'll ask him. For the time being, I'll just let the way he says "It's called Power Pop" stick in my craw.

The Birth of Power Pop: The 1970s (Revisited) - Disc Five

2010-02-18T21:41:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder, your chance to influence one (or more) of the upcoming posts during Burn and Shine's Power Pop Month is quickly coming to an end. The poll closes tomorrow (I think), so vote for your favorite Power Pop state or country. As I type this, Scotland is narrowly in the lead, and I can't believe California hasn't received a single vote yet. Remember if you vote for "other" let me know who you think deserves an entry. Thanks.

Happy Listening!

Birth of Power Pop: The 1970s (Revisited) – Disc Five

Track by Track Commentary:

01. Richard Lloyd, “Misty Eyes” (1979).

I picked a Television song on Disc One of the BoPP series, but as you well know, that band isn’t usually grouped in with the Power Pop genre. Alchemy, Richard Lloyd’s first post-Television album, on the other hand is Power Pop through and through.

02. NRBQ, “I Want You Bad” (1978).

Ira Kaplan (of Yo La Tengo) picked this as his favorite American Power Pop song, and it’s hard to argue.

03. The Shirts, “Laugh and Walk Away” (1979).

The Shirts were part of the New York CBGB’s scene, and they even landed a major label deal with Capitol Records. They never managed much more than a small cult following outside of NY, but there are definitely some gems on all three of their records, their first self-titled LP, is a bit of an underrated classic from Punk's first generation, this track is from their glossier second effort, Street Light Shine.

04. Nick Lowe, “Born a Woman” (1977).

From Nick Lowe’s EP, Bowi—the title was a play on David Bowie having recently released an album titled Low—this is a tremendous, and gutsy cover of Sandy Posey’s “Born a Woman” (written by Martha Sharp). Utterly fantastic.

05. The Quick, “No No Girl” [Mercury Demo Version] (1976).

I went back and forth on whether to use the album version of this song on Mondo Decco, or this Mercury demo. In the end, the spoken word part of the LP version, kind of turned me against it. The Quick were from L.A. and straddled the punk/glam/hard rock line of Power Pop.

06. The Searchers,“This Kind of Love Affair” (1979).

Formed in 1957 in Liverpool, as a skiffle group (no I’m not talking about that group), the Searchers had an odd career. Part of the original British Invasion, the band had a half dozen songs reach the Top Forty from 1964-65 in the U.S., and three #1’s in the U.K. Perhaps because they relied on outside writers, they sort of fizzled out in 1965, only to come back as part of the Power Pop class of 1979 on Sire.

07. The Boys [Nebraska], “Hold Me” (1978).

Not to be confused with the British Punk-Pop band featured on Disc Two of the BoPP, these good’ole Boys were from Nebraska and recorded for the now legendary, Titan Records.

08. The Fans, “Give Me That Look In Your Eye” [7” Version] (1979).

Dear gawd, this band from Bristol, England, released two monumental Power Pop singles (check this one out, from 1980!) , got picked up by a major, but internal tensions concerning the direction of the band caused them to split. So sad.

09. Stories, “I’m Coming Home” (1972).

As promised, here is the second track featuring Michael Brown’s brilliant song-writing from the Stories self-titled debut. On their subsequent release, they would have a #1 smash hit, with “Brother Louie”.

10. Racey, “Lay Your Love On Me” (1979).

This was a fairly big hit in the U.K. but did not make a dent in the U.S. charts. It’s the kind of song that makes you want to sing along the first time through. Maybe a little kitschy, but fun nonetheless.

11. Circus, “Feels So Right” (1973).

From the self-tilted (and only) album by Circus, which was locally released in the Cleveland area. This is truly an under-appreciated Power Pop gem of an album in desperate need of wider recognition.

12. Yachts, “Look Back in Love (Not in Anger)” (1978).

Another great band from Liverpool, originally signed to Stiff Records. Yachts also rode Elvis Costello’s coattails over to Radar for a couple of long players well worth hearing.

13. The Cryers, “(It’s Gonna Be) A Heartbreaker” (1978).

The best Power Pop band to come from Meridian, Mississippi? I think so. If you’ve only heard the fantastic track, “Shake it Up (Ain’t it Time)” which was featured on the DiY American Power Pop II compilation, you need to track down this record.

14. Piper, “Telephone Relation” (1976).

This is from Piper’s first, self-titled album, which was produced by Lenny Kaye. It has a harder edge than the track used by Rhino in the DiY compilation, “Can’t Wait”, and more closely resembles the direction Billy Squier would mine to ridiculous, mainstream success in the 80s. Great song.

15. Radio Stars, “Is It Really Necessary” (1977).

Another super group, made up of members of John’s Children, Jet and Sparks, Radio Stars were, of course, grouped in with the first wave of Punk, but as this song demonstrates, they had a firm grasp on the Pop.

16. Jules and the Polar Bears, “Good Reason” (1979).

Jules Shear is a journeyman of sorts in the Pop world. He’s been putting out records since 1976 under several monikers: The Funky Kings, Jules and the Polar Bears, his own name, and Wreckless Sleepers (with the Cars’ Elliot Easton). He continues to put out critically acclaimed records, but his Power Pop apex was definitely this 1979 album, Phonetics.

17. David Werner, “Can’t Imagine” (1979).

I don’t know much about David Werner. His website, mentions that he was 17 when he released his first more glam influenced album, Whizz Kid (1975), which made him 21 when this one came out. By this time he had embraced the New Wave and ended up recording a classic Power Pop album.

18. The Distractions, “Doesn’t Bother Me” (1979).

Manchester’s Distractions, put out one pretty good long player in 1980, Nobody’s Perfect. This is from the EP that preceded it, “You’re Not Going Out Dressed Like That”.

19. The Atlantics, “When You’re Young” (1979).

Another great Power Pop nugget from Boston. The Atlantics only put out one album, Big City Rock (1979), which features this track, and a few regional singles, most notably the incendiary “Lonelyhearts” in 1980.

20. The Headboys, “The Shape of Things To Come” (1979).

The Scottish Power Poppers best known song, it was a minor hit in both the U.K. and the U.S.

21. Milk’n’Cookies, “We Go On Dancing” (1977).

Another second (or third?) tier CBGB’s band. M’n’C are about as sweet as it gets.

22. Badfinger (Joey Molland), Love is Gonna Come at Last” (1979).

The George Harrison of Badfinger, this is probably Joey Molland’s finest moment. From the post-Pete Ham era Badfinger album, Airwaves.

Total Time: 1:05:04

Download it here: The Birth of Power Pop: The 1970a (Revisited) - Disc Five

[EDIT June 6, 2011]Some of you are having problems with the last track on this disc. At some point I will reupload the whole disc, but in the meantime, here it is:

22. Badfinger (Joey Molland), Love is Gonna Come at Last” (1979).

If any of you come across any other corrupt tracks, please let me know so that I can fix 'em, thanks![END OF EDIT]

Burn and Shine!

2010-02-18T05:57:00.000-08:00

Quickie post today, as I've got loads to do today and the new comp comes out tomorrow. I thought I'd post the video for the song from which my blog takes its name. One of the truly under-appreciated bands of the late-80's and 90's. "Dream All Day" is one of the greatest songs ever recorded, and yet you can still find Frosting on the Beater for a dime. No really check it out: Used FotB at Amazon!

I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir, but if you haven't heard this band, I urge you to go ahead and spend ten cents. You won't be sorry.

Back to Zero Now.

2010-02-17T05:27:00.000-08:00

In conjunction with Power Pop Month, I've been going through John Borack's lists and finding stuff to listen to. I've been picking stuff that I haven't heard in a long time or maybe never really gave a proper chance. A couple of days ago I popped-in Tommy Keene's Songs From the Film. I've liked TK ever since the first time I heard "Places Are Gone" about twenty years ago, but I've never really loved his work. Every so often he puts out a record, and I generally find them pleasant (last year's In the Late Bright made my top 30 for '09).

Listening to SFtF this time, however, it really clicked. Not only is this album one of the great Power Pop records of the 80s, it might be one of the truly great albums of the 20th Century (technically, I think it's a compilation, especially the version I own which has an EP tacked on from the same era). It is still available from many of your favorite download stores (boo!), but it is in desperate need of a physical reissue. I've added TK to my running list of Power Pop artists who deserve the box set treatment (check out one of the gadgets in the top right corner). Much of Keene's back catalog is either long out of print or only available as digital downloads. Many of his early records fetch ridiculous prices on Ebay. Seriously, shouldn't that be the tip-off? Re-release this stuff, ASAP!

I found a slew of live videos from this era of Keene's career. I wish they were numbered in order, I'll just put a couple of them up and if you're interested head on over to Youtube to check out the rest (search "Tommy Keene Live March 1986").

Where the Wind Comes Sweepin' Down the Plain!

2010-02-16T02:52:00.000-08:00

By special request, today we celebrate Oklahoma!

20/20:

Admiral Twin:

He ain't Peter Criss, but he is from Oklahoma-- Garth Brooks (with Kiss):

Phil Seymour:

Technically from Coppell, Texas, but Sins Tailor were part of the Tulsa scene:

Dwight Twilley: