October 24, 2016
Miracler
Marcella Estes
Location
Alameda, CA
Never ones to miss a calendar cue,
Miraclers have always understood when they've been handed an auspicious launch date. Whether it's Jeanne-Marie cooking up the ultimate Back-To-School mix for a September post or it's Alix Tyler or Mark Ulriksen concocting keep-forever Christmas compilations, or it's a different season altogether—one of political change, with Vanessa Belli or Sam Koritz laying out their cases in '08, Miraclers do not squander a juicy musical date.
Such is the case today with Marcella's mix. Last seen here in late-May 2014 with another seasonal mix, A Glimpse of Summer, and before that, 2013's Marcella on the Rocks and 2012's A Glass of Twang, Marcella can string tracks together to great effect, and with her eye on November 8, she takes an apocalyptically dirty job and gets it done. From now on, I'ma call that lady The Cleaner.
Liner notes by M.E.: The Road Ahead
Slow yer asses down, settle into the vinyl bench seat and
get in touch with ‘merica.
Living vicariously through my husband as he traversed the
country last month, (met him in Maine cuz I had to fly cuz of job), as he visited
among others a friend in Arizona who left the tech world to run a hot dog
cart business. I’ve been across the U.S. 6 times now and there’s so much great stuff to
see. It’s a somber playlist, folks - I’m nervous for our country.
Johnny Cash “Solitary Man” Neil made it famous but I love
the gut wrenching voice of Cash in his later days.
Proclaimers “What Do You Do” No Proclaimers ever used in The
Prodge-what?!
Little Feat “Willin’” Spectacular fun band from the 70’s,
Lowell George the front man died of a heart attack in ’79.
Cat Stevens “Miles from Nowhere”
Harry Nilsson “Think About Your Troubles” from The Point. If
you have kids that haven’t seen it, great animated movie created, narrated and
sung by Nilsson in 1971.
Willie Nelson “The Scientist” yes it was used in a Chipotle
ad to great affect, it’s a good version that sounds better IMHO than Coldplay.
Jesse Colin Young “Four in the Morning” no Jesse either in
3MPM, understandable, quite folksy - he was one heck of a guitar picker with a
lovely voice. Went on to be in The Youngbloods.
Kristin Hersh - post Throwing Muses. Heard this song in a
not very good movie “Rock the Kasbah” with Bill Murray and was reminded of how
good it is—Hersh nails it.
Creedence “Effigy” I debated putting this on here as it
takes up 6 and a half minutes but I couldn’t get away from that hook.
Cash again. “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” What he said.
Leon Russell “Hurtsome Body” What a cool cat. I’ve got a DVD
from Netflix to watch called “A Poem is a Naked Person” by Les Blank.
Simon&Garfunkel “America” yep, I went there.
Wish us all luck.
X-TINA STORK, YOU ARE NEXT!
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13 comments:
I really like "Hurtsome Body" - the funkiness of the song and the cleverness of the title. Haven't heard the Proclaimers in years. This one still sounds good. Always loved the way they incorporated the pedal steel and that they sing with a clear Scottish accent. "Effigy" is one of my favorite CCR tunes. Darker than just about anything in their catalog, but still has that classic, chugging pace. Great tunes for the road ahead. Thanks, Marcella!
Nice mellow mix. Johnny Cash's singing in Solitary Man is so rough is practically avant garde -- that's a compliment! I like a mix with a theme, in this case pop singers singing countryish and country singers singing pop-ish. Thanks for sharing, Marcella!
That riff on Effigy got me through an entire Birdy concert. Like Danny, this is a long favourite from CCR, and I am glad you committed 6 minutes of your mix to remind us. I have latterly been getting into Willie Nelson (his last 2 records are great btw) so wonderful to hear some more. The overall mood of the mix feels expertly judged with a well chosen blend of familiar and older, less well-known voices. Thanks Marcella x
We are huge Nilsson fans in this house. I remember watching "The Point" when it was first broadcast. I'm so glad it is still finding an audience. "Think About Your Troubles" is such a great tune. "Solitary Man" is a favorite song of mine too. Neil did such a great job of getting so much story and mood into so few lyrics. Not sure if I like the Cash version as much but it is interesting to hear. I like that Cash kept recording into his later years. What he lost in vocal ability he made up for in sheer will to keep putting his music out there. Anyway, thanks for the mix! I will take any and all assistance at this point to help alleviate my pre-election jitters!
I love this mix. And now I finally have Willin' in my library! Thanks Marcella.
Wow, the mix is oddly foreshadows the future of things to come and complimented my fading PTSD (Post Trump Stress Disorder) nicely. I really enjoyed queuing this mix up on recent car trip when I just need to clear my mind and ease into the scenery.
It took a while for the fog of current events to life, but it did and I finally put this mix on again. I strapped on my headphones and went out in the dark during a drenching Seattle rain. Johnny Cash got me to the end of the street. His voice became such a force at the end of his career. Rick Rubin did the world a favor by pushing him to record all those songs.
The calm pace and beauty of the Proclaimers’ song made it even more solemn as now the lyrics couldn’t be more true. By the time Little Feat came on, I was in the parking lot of a small shopping mall near my house. As I listened to Willin’, I might as well have been in a parking lot in Lebanon, Indiana in 1978. I was too cool for Lowell George’s songs back then, but now I find the harmonies soothing and remember those hooks with such fondness.
I needed to get out of the rain so I went in and sat on a bench in the middle of the hallway inside the mall. Cat Stevens sang into my brain as I watched the puddle form on the floor from my coat. I’ve lived here a long time. I should know to take a towel when I leave the house. I guess I could also have looked for one of those “Wet Floor” sandwich boards, but where in the world do they keep those? I have no idea.
I listened to Nilsson while I pulled myself together. When one of the older employees at Tracks in West Lafayette introduced me to Nilsson back in the 80s, I was far too punk rock to take the time to listen. Now, I get it. It’s no wonder he and Randy Newman were so often compared.
I made my way toward the exit, but stopped to listen to a band playing on a little stage in the middle of the mall. As I walked up, the singer said “this is a song by Faron Young”. Then they launched into a stripped down, slowed version of If You Ain’t Lovin’. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was like somebody plucked me out of Seattle and dropped me back in the house in Oklahoma where we lived when I was 7 or 8 years old. The singer sang with such feeling and a sort of sadness. I think Faron would have approved.
I went back outside to rejoin the mix. Under my hood, Willie started singing to me. I love this song. As I got to an intersection, I had to stop and just listen. The last minute of the song, I stood watching a small river full of leaves flowing into a sewer grate. It was a nearly perfect moment.
The opening line of Colin’s song made me chuckle a little and I went off on my way.
Kristen Hersh was just in Seattle. She played an in-studio at KEXP that was stunning. I’ve listened to her voice for so many years that it’s like an old friend visiting when she sings. I’m not proud of this, but I may or may not have asked her to marry me after a Throwing Muses show at Mabel’s in Champaign. Versions of events from those present vary. I was pretty drunk that night so it’s equally possible that I asked the bouncer. Whomever I asked declined.
I’m so glad you decided to leave the Creedence song in the mix. They wrote some amazing songs. This one ranks with Pagan Baby as among my very favorites. This song is as tragically prescient today as it was in 1969.
The rain finally soaked through my coat so it was time to head home as Johnny came back into my head. It was the perfect pace. Such a great song.
It’s sad to have lost Leon Russel this year, among so many sad losses. I count myself lucky to have seen him live in the 90s in a club in Cincinnati. He was just groovy.
America is the perfect ending to this mix. Such a hopeful song. I played it on repeat until I got back to the house. When I got there, I opened the door to my little dog who couldn’t care less about all the turmoil and political crap in the world right now, he was just thrilled that I was back with him.
Marcella, your mix was cathartic for me and I appreciate it. I might have shed some tears during parts of it, but lets keep that between us. Thank you.
Marcella, Thank you for this sweet mix of songs...and understandings.
Such a different mix from some of your previous ones, maybe not Glass of Twang...
This really swings and sways and jives all the way. I love how Kristen Hersh fits in with Leon, Jesse and Cat, and the Proclaimers too.
Oh if we could only go back to the innocent days of late October....
Trouble oh Trouble move for me....
Meant to comment, but life got away from me...
Tons of lovely tracks all through this mix, and several new-to-me from artists who I've liked a lot for a long while, which is always a nice bonus of Prodge membership.
My favorite of those is Four In the Morning: it's been a staple now of my late-night solo listening sessions.
Ahhhh Marcella.....I love the jangly wistful quality of this mix! Had I listened to it right after the election I probably would have ended up weeping. (I still weep over the election, don't get me wrong....) Loved the overall vibe of this mix....really great hearing Kristin Hersh again....loved Johnny and Willie and Cat.....Leon Russell was new to me and I loved it. And I agree with Wes....America was the perfect finale. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Marcella – While listening to your mix my partner Val was drawn into my studio to deliver undue praise. “Not my mix, baby!” Your threesome of Cat Stevens, Harry Nilsson, and Willie Nelson is an especially lovely chunk. Val’s a big, big fan of those artists, and so am I. Kudos also for such sublime selections thereof. They slip together so nicely. The Proclaimers song: gotta confess to only knowing their giant 500 Miles hit. The Scottish accents and pedal slide guitar are beautiful. Thanks also for Leon Russel’s 'Hurtsome Body' and Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘America’.
P.S. EVERYTIME I pass highway truck scales those Lowell George words "Driven the backroads so I wouldn't get weighed" hitch a ride in my brain. Fundamentally Pavlovian, I also get cravings for drugs that start with the letter "W."
Marcella - I LOVE LOVE LOVE your mixes. The songs, the vibes, and your particular mix-making style.
Loving this mix.
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