May 2, 2012
Miracler
Pepe Verde
Location
San Francisco
Okay, here's a familiar & terrific name. What's he been up to since last time?
Short answer: new baby, more fabulous Prodge commenting, and today, this kooky-fun mix. You're in deft hands here, los manos de Señor Rock and Roll Love Letter, a June '11 insta-classic (featuring the 80's-esque 'Some Kind of Wonderful' which Your Hostess has now played as many times as an actual 80's release).
But wait, that's not all. A lot of YOU wrote PV a love letter, with 'I love it already just reading the set list. Right on!,' 'Any mix sportin' The Young Fresh Fellows is destined to a be good one,' 'B-sides* the fact that I am _digging_ the enthusiasm of the liner notes alone (that story of the Breakdowns 45? RAD!), I am loving this mix so far and I'm only three songs into the initial listen. Now four, head bopping,' 'A rollicking good time here. And it almost sounds like the album of one band, albeit a rather prodigious band,' 'I really loved this mix...your enthusiasm is catching. Looking forward to listening to this one again (and again),' 'Nice heaping helping of power pop!,' 'The pause that refreshes, indeed!,' 'This one's right in my wheelhouse. Rather than lavish praise on every single cut, I'll just say that, if forced to rank them (and isn't that half the fun?), the Elliott Smith track would be my least favorite. And I love Elliott Smith. So that, as The Velvelettes put it, is really saying something,' 'I wonder what else we have in common, I think lots more. More mixes from Pepe! Keep up the comments too, we have needed your energy in the prodge!,' 'This is tasty. The Correcto tune burned out the repeat icon on my playback device which shall remain nameless. And oh! That Elliott Smith tune...,' 'Your old band rocks. Was that you on vocals?' Etc. Today, Pepe invites us on a challenging but rewarding road trip into his inner ear. Sherpa away, Pepe!
Liner Notes and FunLinks by PV
Hola everyone! This time it's all about our “musical pet
peeves” if you will—those songs we love to hate... or hate to love? It
embarrasses you to sing them out loud, but at the same time it's such a
liberation to do so because, what the hell, you just love that tune!
Some are not bad at all, just plain sticky; impossible to
get off of your head. That'd be your classic earworm. Then there are those
that, like Millie Jackson said the other day, hurt so good. They are cheesy,
they subtract hella points from your street-cred score, but you can't help but
love'em. And that's what we call a guilty pleasure right there.
1. Bruce Hornsby & the Range - The Way It Is (RCA Victor, '86)
So let's start with a clear example: It's a brilliant tune,
but it's deemed so uncool by the crap radio context it's usually played within,
and the band is so lame otherwise anyway, that you just don't want to admit you
like it. But crank that piano intro up to eleven and then listen to the bass
synth kicking off at 30 secs. And let go.
2. The Apples in Stereo - Dance Floor (Simian/Yep Rock, '10)
You see, your favorite tune doesn't have to be tacky or
unhip to be included here; it can be quite the opposite –but still a creature
the size of a Dune sandworm.
3. B.A. Robertson - Flight 19 (Asylum, '80)
I accidentally taped this little ditty off the radio when I
was 12, and I've never been able to get rid of it ever since. The boundaries
between AOR attack, power pop experiment and novelty hit are totally blurred on
this Bermuda Triangle anthem. Recommended if you like Ancient Aliens.
4. Wanderlust - Lou Reed (unreleased)
To all Miraclers: if you don't know Wanderlust's debut
“Price” (RCA, '95), I wholeheartedly
recommend it. This tune is a total grower from their forthcoming new
album, and I'm quite happy to share it with you (which they've asked fans to do
anyway, it's not like I'm leaking it!). We should petition for them to come
play SF.
5. Toad the Wet Sprocket - Is It For Me? (Columbia, '91)
This might be the early '90s alt-whatever-song I'm probably
the least proud of loving, but it is such a guilty pleasure. I never quite
understood the band's name (took me some time to find out about the Python
connection), but I was glad it name-checked my favorite puppet dog.
6. When in Rome - The Promise (Virgin, '88)
By the time I heard it as the closing number on Napoleon
Dynamite, this song had fallen in total oblivion, my subconscious trying to
save me from its evil influence. I am very grateful to said movie for a million
things, but rescuing this song is definitely a high water mark. I promise, you.
7. Walk Off the Earth - Somebody that I Used to Know (self-released, '12)
This one is so f***in' ubiquitous lately, it's not even
funny. It's even on American Idol and Glee (but of course, “wrong”).
But hey, precisely that overexposure (and admit it, the fact that it is a
brilliant song) accentuates its earwormness™. Needless to say, I particularly
liked this live acoustic version for its simple video clip in which five people play one guitar!
8. CocknBullKid - CocknBullKid (Moshi Moshi, '10)
Anita Blay, better known in the UK as (the) CocknBullKid,
can strike a chord that I don't usually let others know about. But hey, it's
the Prodge –and since this is Guiltworms, well, few examples are better.
9. El Último de la Fila - No me acostumbro (PDI, '85)
I'm obviously never sure how a song in Spanish will go down
when the lyrics are a huge part of its charm. But I thought I'd take a chance:
this duo from '80s Barcelona fuse surreal poetry, rock and a dash of flamenco
vocals for a compelling mix.
10. Leo García - Morrissey (Virgin, '01)
Then sometimes I feel that, even when you don't have a clue
what the words say, if the song is catchy enough then it bears sharing. This
Argentinian gem is quite a poppy instance of such case, and yes, it gets better
if you catch the lyrics.
11. Washed Out - Amor Fati (Sub Pop, '11)
There should be a scientific study about earworms (wait,
maybe there is). I wish I knew why some songs sound immediately familiar, and
from the very first time you hear them you feel you've been listening to them
all your life. This is one of them. Maybe it's because I hear the chords to
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's “Souvenir” in the background?
12. Phil Oakey & Giorgio Moroder - Together in
Electric Dreams (Virgin, '84)
My buddy Gerardo and I used to close the odd set with this
when we partied as Two PIAS DJs. It's loaded with double meaning: We (crowd +
us) will always be together, but alas, also we (song + brain) will always be
together. However far that seems.
Hope you can forgive me for this one ;-) See you around!
Mix is UP. Same new-ish password (in your email).
To comment on this mix, click on the 'Comment' button below the post and write something. If you don't have/want to use your Google etc. accounts, just type your name in the "Name" box and you are done.
See you back here or on our members-only Facebook page soon.
XOK
21 comments:
Uh-oh--looks like 'Lou Reed' is gonna be my new 'Some Kind of Wonderful.' All I can say is: Poor Stephen Bramfitt.
Lou Reed is on it's third play of the day and I'm reminded of a frame from a very old Doonesbury cartoon "Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!"
I do not understand the cover. Why do you take a perfectly healthy breakfast cereal and tie it to guilty pleasures? I have to run now — the wife just ran out of whisky for her morning coffee...
I have little kids who would love sugared gummy bears for breakfast.
And thank you for Bruce Hornsby.
There are few mixes I like more then ones that include guilty pleasures.
Canary Islands, Pepe ?? Do tell..........
Pepe, you bastard!
All I did was read the tracklist, see Walk Off the Earth's cover of Somebody I Used to Know, and the song (and video) immediately began playing in my head.
Over and over.
And over.
Luckily, it's an earworm I love.
Did I mention over and over?
Pepe! Do you believe in fate? I didn't until you posted this mix. Two weeks ago my partner Val and I booked an impromptu Bay Area vacation for seemingly no other reason than JetBlue had a crazy one-day sale. Now I realize the Cosmos enlisted me for a mission. The fact that it's on Flight 19 is a clue. The Cosmos is sending me to California to kick your ass.
I'm sorry, Señor Verde. You cannot insert such malignant, insidiousness worminess into the ears of others and NOT expect to pay a price.
Let it be known, I know my way around Walnut Creek. And it's time to make like Bruce Hornsby and tickle your ivories. With my fists.
All right, time to reinstate me live-blogging experiment. OK, Bruce Hornsbee -- I salute your gutsiness starting out this way. There was a song from around this same time w/ a piano-esque synthesizer that I liked but I think it was by a UK artist. Blue something? I've repressed it.
I actually like this 2nd song & don't know it. Not as catchy as Bruce Hornsbee's hit but that may be a good thing. I think it was old Al Crowley who wrote about earworms being a type of evil magic -- he used Ta Ra Ra Boomsee-ay as an example.
Flight 19 -- numbers are catchy. This reminds me that the accordionist at Civic Center BART played an oompah version of Love Is Like Oxygen days ago & it's still stuck in my head. The dude is some kind of Beautiful Mind. I've heard him 5 days a week for years & I think he's repeated himself twice -- & it's usually catchy.
This doesn't sound like Lou Reed. Did I ever tell you about the time he signed my Cure album?
I don't want my kid stealing bread. This should be It's a Shame About Ray. But maybe that wouldn't be guilty. Did you ever his his version of Skulls?
When In Rome -- yeah, that's catchy. But couldn't it be Love on a Farmboy's Wages? Here you go: https://www.facebook.com/groups/51860281099/
Walk Off The Earth: I kinda like this -- except for the impassioned vocals -- & am so culturally cocooned that I don't know it. Success! And I've never seen the Cosby Show: yes! Is Jonathan Richman collecting royalties for Egyptian Reggae? That was a hit in the UK but he could use the royalties.
CocknBullKid: this is like a track from my Lily Allen Pandora station.
Washed Out -- I remember the 1st time I ever heard OMD's Souvenir. It was a new release a friend of mine had, which makes it, what?, 1982? F*ck. Anyway, it made me feel a sort of trippy buzz. Hear it now & I just think "keyboards & echo" -- ah youth. And my spell-check doesn't recognize "trippy" -- the squares really have won.
Moroder -- there's another example of the accordionist's brilliance. Last week, or something, he played the Donna Summer / Moroder "I Feel Love." Gotta dig deep to pull that earworm out from an accordion version. See if I can find this dude. Here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=N8QUlhOpvg8
Thanks for sharing this thought-provoking mix, Mr. Verde!
One man's guiltworms are another man's poprocks.
"Morrissey" = Una canción perfecta y bella sobre amor complicado. Gracias.
God help me, I have a problem. I just told my husband, "Okay, you need to leave the house now, so I can listen to 'Lou Reed' some more." It's come to that.
DAMN YOU, PEPE VERDE!
I didn't feel the full effect of this mix on my first couple of listens,, but yesterday it hit me. I was walking around on the deck of the Seattle ferry and realized that I was singing Somebody That I Used To Know out loud. I came to that realization because some of the other passengers started to give me what I can only call judgmental looks. It was at that moment that I shook my fist at the sky and said "DAMMIT! I've been Guiltwormed!". Thank you, Pepe.
I can't listen to the Hornsby, just reading the title earworms me. I also had to skip the generally great, but equally adhesive, Walk Off the Earth Gotye cover. I'm digging Lou Reed too, and it's fun to hear The Promise. Fun poppy mix and liner notes (complete with release date). Gracias Pepe!
Hola everybody! Back from a weekend away and finally able to comment (on a slight off-topic, I love my smartphone, but isn't it a drag when some websites force you to use their mobile version? Especially when the latter misses some key functionalities!! For example, the other day I learned that with LinkedIn Mobile you can do many things... but applying for a job you saw on their website –just before getting in the car for a 7-hour drive– is not one of them. Argh.)
That rant out of the way... Thank you so much everyone! I had a lot of fun with all the comments, here and on FB. Although I sure hope there was some irony involved, or else I'm in deep trouble.
Bruce Hornsby — boldest move yet from a Miracler? He was a guest on Marian McPartland's "Piano Jazz" a few years ago, and the guy has serious chops. "Dance Floor" may not be my favorite Apples in Stereo tune, but they're in continuous heavy rotation on my turntable. Robert Schneider cannot not write a hook. Wanderlust? Never heard of 'em. "Flight 19"? What? Who? Okay, my teeth are beginning to hurt. Back later...
Your Bruce Hornsby selection is like an 'F.U.' middle finger to musical snobbery — well done. I must admit some of these worms do get stuck in my head — damn you! Fun and funny mix. Thanks for the liner notes too.
Liked the Apples in Stereo quite a bit, and the B.A. Robertson too.
I remain unsold on Hornsby's songwriting although I do agree with Doug that he's an excellent player (well, not his accordian work I suppose...)
Sorry, the 1st album by Wanderlust is called "Prize" not "Price"! Oops.
Lou Reed makes it to the next round.
...and faces off against Morrissey. Tough to pick a winner. By the way, who the hell is Leo Garcia? Isn't that a beach off the PCH?
Guilty indeed. True fact - back in the yesteryears I use to follow the Dead around like some half crazied wandering fool (actually everyone that followed the Dead fits that description - alas I digress) and I have to admit one of the best shows I saw was in Landover Maryland in 1991 cause Brucey sat in. Not many people know that about me and probably shouldn't.
Nor did I see Dance Floor coming next, but should have. You almost lost me at Flight 19 - I know, everyone has nostalgia (see above), but I almost purged the guilt - a skill I learned leaving my roman catholic background - on that one and became just a simple listener. But nope, The Promise pulls back up some guilty days of faining a distaste of preppy kids but silently wanting to be one.
I do not feel guilty for liking Somebody that I Used to Know nor CocknBullKid. I'm just sayin.
I know exactly what you speak of on the the Washed Out tune - has this not been out since 1987!
Summary of my listening experience for this entire mix:
First listen; Ug, is this Toad the Wet Sprocket? Blech.
Second listen; Man, I love this song. (check track listing) What? Toad the Wet Sprocket! What?!
These songs certainly do dig in, and I especially enjoyed the introduction to CocknBullKid.
Nick Hornsby sat in on a Bluegrass feature on NPR a couple of years ago and just tore up and down the piano on a rollicking rendition of Darling Cory. It made me revisit his pop catalog with a new ear.
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