Hello, partygoers!
Bah, humbug! Let’s throw the garland and tinsel into a box where the fragile ornaments are rolling around in the bottom, and chuck it back up into the attic for another year.
This week, David and Mary get back to work with Nick Owen’s first mixtape to bring you fear of aging set to music, the roots of shoegaze, powerful power pop, demo sessions, proto-bubblegum, a musical conflagration, electric music, and a famous guitarist in sex shocker!
This episode we are spinning:
- Game Theory – “24” – Real Nightime, 1985 – 20:49
- The Primitives – “Run Baby Run” – Lovely, 1988 – 39:00
- Fountains of Wayne – “Radiation Vibe” – Fountains of Wayne, 1996 – 49:42
- Tandyn Almer – “Find Yourself” – Along Comes Tandyn, 2013 – 56:29
- Autosalvage – “Parahighway” – Autosalvage, 1968 – 1:14:20
- The Long Island Sound – “1, 2, 3, and I Fell” – Dynovoice Records single b/w “Skid Row”, 1967 – 1:22:59
- The High Llamas – “Theatreland” – Hawaii, 1996 – 1:41:41
- The Low Anthem – “In the Air Hockey Fire” – Eyeland, 2016 – 1:47:48
- Claudine Longet – “Snow” – A&M single b-side to “I Don’t Intend to Spend Christmas Without You”, 1968 – 2:01:01
- Teen – “Electric” – In Limbo, 2012 – 2:09:49
- Jackie DeShannon – “Dream Boy” – What the World Needs Now Is…Jackie DeShannon, 1994 – 2:18:46
- Willard Grant Conspiracy – “Flying Low” – Let It Roll, 2006 – 2:30:39
Also spinning on the old Victrola:
- The Loud Family – “Sodium Laureth Sulfate” – Interbabe Concern, 1996 – 34:34
- The Garden Club – “Little Girl Lost and Found” – Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968, 2009 – 1:08:42
- Ritchie Cordell and Bo Gentry – “Love Is Here” – Columbia single b/w “Daylong”, 1968 – 1:32:51
- The Long Island Sound – “Skid Row”“1, 2, 3, and I Fell” – Dynovoice Records single b-side to “1, 2, 3, and I Fell”, 1967 – 1:35:26
- Judi Smith – “Leaves Come Tumbling Down” – Folk Rock And Faithfull: Dream Babes Volume Five, 2003 – 2:27:01
Thanks for listening.
Watch Jackie Deshannon ham it up in Surf Party!
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I got Bluetooth noise-cancelling headphones for Christmas, so now I can listen to the Listening Party as I roam freely in and out of the house doing chores and yard work! Between songs, it sounds like you are both standing right beside me, rudely not lending a hand.
I think Ed Sheeran is plenty famous in North America too. He was on high rotation on my hair salon’s easy listening music station. You couldn’t NOT hear “Shape of You” (5 billion views on YouTube) or “Thinking Out Loud” (3 billion views, and the wedding dance song of way too many couples that year.) His appearance in Game of Thrones outraged many because he was too well known as a singer. Chris Martin from Coldplay was Danny Boyle’s first choice of a pop star to play himself in Yesterday but I think Ed did a good job of poking fun at his own self-image.
Louise! Bluetooth is the way to go and roaming free about the house while listening to Sneaky Dragon Listening Party takes the sting out of doing chores. It’s the best way to listen, I can even listen while I vacuum with the noise cancelling on…
Sorry folks, I’m way behind with my comments. This was another great show, both for the music and the conversation.
I started my usual second listen on a stool in our kitchen while my wife, Diane, cut my hair. Diane isn’t a regular listener, but when she catches part of an episode, she always comments on how lovely it is to hear a father and daughter talk so openly and genuinely listen to one another with such obvious love and respect. Of course, that was just the first half hour, so she wasn’t around to hear you make farting noises during the end credits. Still, I’m pretty sure this demonstration of delightul silliness would simply have strengthened her impression.
To the music:
Game Theory – Great, bouncy opener.
The Primitives – Very catchy – definitely should have been picked as a single.
Fountains of Wayne – Yes! I really like it when bands declare exactly who they are with the first song on their first album – see also Beatles and Pixies. What a wonderful band.
Tandyn Almer – Nice, but a bit too smooth for my taste.
Autosalvage – Thought this had a lovely DIY feel – fab guitars and harmonies!
Long Island Sound – ‘Proto-bubblegum’ was a pretty good assessment from Dave. I have a strong bias against the old ‘final chorus key change’ trick, but enjoyed it up to that point.
High Llamas – Beautiful. Loved the horns and harmonies. I’ve said this before, but I tend to enjoy other bands doing the Beach Boys more than I like the Beach Boys themselves.
Low Anthem – Loved this one. Probably my favourite on the whole mix, or second to Fountains of Wayne. The singer’s voice grabbed my attention immediately and the song was beautifully odd. They’re a band I’ve known of but never checked out. My bad…
Claudine Longet – I didn’t know this, but am a huge Randy Newman fan and guessed straight away that he’d written it. Lovely song, though the cutesy-pie vocal style was a bit much for me.
Teen – Brilliant! Slight Pixies sound in the guitar and vocals. Loved how it built. Sorry to hear they didn’t do more in this vein.
Jackie DeShannon – Great talent. Hadn’t heard this one before. Very ‘of its time’ but in a good way. Liked the demo feel.
Willard Grant Conspiracy – Another of those bands I’d heard of but hadn’t sought out. I really enjoyed the contrast between the slightly aimless, laidback verse and killer chorus. Very catchy song with good instrumentation and a great build.
Of the extras, Garden Club was FANTASTIC; Loud Family pretty great; Cordell and Gentry meh; Long Island Sound, um, I liked it! and Judi Smith alright apart from the vocal.
Roaches!