July 30, 2017
Miracler
Toby Barlow
Location
Normally Detroit, but coming to us from a summer of traveling
Ladies and gents: It's The Grim Reaper, sans scythe!
For the past 6 years, we've heard from TB for year-end wrap-ups of the great musical artists we'd lost that year, wrapping the bad news in anecdotes and songs, often introducing us to artists we might not have known, just in time to miss them.
So, some of you only know Toby from those mixes: RIP 2016 and RIP 2015 and RIP 2014 and RIP 2013 and RIP 2012 and RIP 2011 and RIP 2010 and the original, The Not Completely Dead memorial to artists who R'd in 2009.
But you old-timers will recall his straight-up mixes, since he was, after all, the 4th Miracler EVER to miraclize, back in Autumn 2003. From there came, in reverse order: August 2011's American Ambulance and June 2011's Free Form and Nov. '10's I Love You Harvey Nichols and Jan. '10's Love Story and Oct. '09's Look and May '09's City Vs. Country and Sept. '08's Covers mix and Aug. '08's Honey.
So, that's the past stuff. What's going on today? Here's what.
Liner Notes from TB
It's been an eclectic time. I was driving around a lot at first, listening to whatever radio I could find between Detroit and Massachusetts and Savannah and then back north, trying not to die while I shazzamed at 70 mph. Then I was listening to the streaming Novaplanet in my little apartment in Paris, there in the 7th. Then up here on the lake in Vermont, visitors have wandered in, we've been barbecuing. I listened to my friend Ben's mix. The sun set. Fireflies whispered in the night. The books I've been reading here in the cottage have been mysteries from China and England, various histories thick with human failure, humorous tales of wizards and warriors, some F Scott Fitzgerald. I've unplugged for the most part from FB, Instagram, Twitter. I've been out sailing while steadily growing a big fuck-off beard, all the while worrying about the state of our nation, the fate of our planet. So, amid all that, this mix emerges.
Gonna Fly Now - Takes you back to a time when we could do anything
Top Of The Pops - Fuck yeah
Drew Barrymore - When this song came out I suddenly was optimistic again, good things can still happen
Brothers on the Side - Cymande sounds Mighty
Jo Jo's Jacket - Good clean fun
Makes You Wanna - This is where we start slipping into a mood
Do You Wanna - The mood continues
Video - Still feeling the mood
Sandwiches - Suddenly, the mood stops.
New York - Who can say "motherfucker" better than this woman?
Bofou Safou - This feels like it shoulda been on a Jonathan Demme soundtrack
Bra - Seriously, these Cymande guys
Estuvo Bien - Doug Patterson and I are selling Van Morrissey t-shirts, who's in?
A there's a mystery track or 2 tucked in there too, just to throw you off. Deal with it miraclers. xox T
(Hostess note: Yep, the 2 hidden tracks not noted here! So no need to tell me, thank you! XO)
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14 comments:
I got no complaints about my summer, but reading the liner notes made me a little jealous of yours, Toby. Though I have been doing my own shazzamming at 70mph. Turns out there is a very cool free form radio station in central Indiana - http://www.919witt.org which you can stream just like Nova.
In any case, taking off on our next family road trip to the theme from Rocky seems like a good way to go.
And also, can you please not add in teasers of cool mysteries, and give us the titles?
Thanks for the mix Toby!
Okay bonus track notes - I'm in the country and can't download Nothing so going on Instinct here:
Third to last song - Flow With It: Almost too normal for us abnormal kids, but in the end for me too good not to include.
Second to last song - Nimble Girl: This song caught me by my ear at the last second and pulled me to the ground. So I added it in.
SANDWICHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What Doug said! It's shitty hot at my house tonight, but this mix took my mind off that. I like it all, but how am I going to get Sandwiches out of my head?
Toby – Lurching from the Rocky theme to The Rezillos made my morning. I love contrast-y segues.
John Cooper Clarke! Sandwiches! And special thanks for the introduction to Cymande. Great Afro-grooves – with great cussing!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymande
P.S. The original K-Tel SUPER BAD IS BACK shaped my worldview back in 1981. I hadn't heard it in the seventies. I was too busy listening to suburban white teenager rock and glam. SUPER BAD IS BACK taught me how much I was missing.
First of all, I love the liner notes. It’s so true. It also makes me with I had a little apartment in Paris.
Okay, look. I was in marching band when I was in junior high. The reason that I bring that up, is that we would go to all these competitions and we would win because we were the only band, and I mean the only one, that didn’t play Conti’s Rocky Theme. This was 1977 and that song was everywhere. We also wore white pants and white turtle necks with navy blue blazers so we might have won because it was pretty easy to stand out what with the other bands and their standard large plumage. And just in case you’re wondering, we played Send In The Clowns which has got to be one of the most bizarre marching band selections of all time, but we killed it. I played trombone. The directors name was Mr. Stone.
The Rezillos are awesome. They’re just so sassy.
I have never heard of RZA. I dig it. What a great voice.
I’m really surprised by Cymande not having made it onto my radar. It’s awesome. I’m going to dig deeper into this one.
God, I loved Pavement. Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain is in my top 10 of all time. I haven’t followed Malkmus’ solo career much, but this is a great song.
What a delight to see Zap Mama on the mix. It’s just so smooth. It feels like summer. Well, not this summer. Seattle is basically about to burst into flames. It’s so hot we’ve all stopped listening to anything except the weather report for when this nightmare is going to end. Other summers, though.
Indie.Arie is another smooth delight. I’m diggin’ this mood.
Wow, Detroit Grand Pubahs came right out of nowhere. Oddly, it did not make me want a sandwich.
St Vincent has such a great voice. TB, you’re right, best pronunciation of Motherfucker maybe ever. Plus, she sang on Swans’ To Be Kind so she gets a lifetime pass from me for everything she does.
Amadou and Miriam is new to me. I like it. Another great voice.
Well, I’m super stoked to see that Cymande made another appearance. Another great song. I cannot believe that this band got past me.
John Cooper Clark is awesome. I haven’t heard anything about him in forever.
I don’t think I’ve ever heard Hotel Eden. This is a cool song. The vocal deliver and phrasing is fantastic.
I also didn’t know that there was a Mexican Morrissey. I wonder if he cancels most of his shows at the last minute too. And yes, I want a Van Morrissey shirt.
Toby, this is a great mix. Listening to it was a cool ride. Thank you.
SZA into Brothers on the Slide = :raised hands:
New York. I go back and forth with St Vincent, but this song is just so lovely and crass. Something Kate Bush-y about it, too, which appeals.
and duh sandwiches omg
Rando: I always wanna give a clap of hands to those mixes that have more than one track by a certain artist. High five, Toby Barlow, bearded fancypants.
Sweet Baby Jesus -- you logged more quality vacation time this summer than I have for the past 3 years. OK, for my entire life. That sort of amazing lifestyle also gives you the cajones to put 2 Cymande cuts on here. Neat stuff...also thanks for the SZA who I assumed was going to be a new member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
I have the 2 Super Bad k-tel comps too!
Nice to hear Malkmus again -- it holds up. Very strangely, I twice stood behind St. Vincent in a hotel line. The first time she had dyed her hair white and I was debating whether it was her or a "still working it" 60 year old Cruella de Ville type. The next time, she had black hair and was a stunner, making me realize I should dye my hair. But, taking it back to Mexrissey -- Nunca lo haré, nunca lo haré.
I can feel the Detroit inspired hot soul vibes. SF is more of a cool jazz town. Lotta alive people on this mix. Thanks for sharing, Toby!
The Zap Mama tune is a great summer song. Flow With it is too. Rezillos is pure snot. John Cooper Clarke I never heard of but I just saw a pic of him looking like 1965 Dylan. Further reading required now. Spanish somehow makes Morrissey's lyrics rock harder. And Brothers on the Slide. Wow. Looked them up. British, says Wikipedia. No way. They gotta be from just across 110th street. Great stuff.
Nothing but joy from this one, thanks! Just what I needed to boost my mood as the summer draws to a close. Of particular note to me were The Rezillos (so good! it's exactly what I would like my own music to sound like, although my band sounds nothing like this and it probably never should), Cymande (thanks for the double dose!) and Mexrissey (because why did I not know about this already?). Thank you Toby!
Like Chris Farlowe, I am completely Out Of Time - that I know. However, I am grateful to be discovering these gems, thank you for keeping them up there!
Those who know me know how I feel about the Detroit Grand Pubahs in general, and Sandwiches in particular. Great choice Toby!!
But my surprise of the day is Cymande's "Bra", which had me scratching my head for a few minutes trying to remember where I'd heard that sampled... "Once again it's time to bite more soul"!!
Thanks Toby, thanks Kelly, thanks all — I missed you.
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