Hello, partygoers! As always, you are welcome to join David and Mary in the Listening Party rumpus room. Dave is sitting in the big armchair this week so we recommend the bean bag chair.
Everything gets back to normal this week as Dave takes the controls for the first time since December! We had our friend David M. drop by for a couple of shows with his Christmas music, and then Mary filled in with her fabulous Laundromancer mixtape, and now Dave is back with a mixtape he made for listener Mike Davidson in August of 2016.
So settle down into your big ol’ comfy chair with a mug of hot liquid and a plate of goodies, and listen to:
- Eric Matthews – “Fanfare” – It’s Heavy in Here, 1995
- Bubble Puppy – “Hurry Sundown” – A Gathering of Promises, 1969
- Sparks – “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us” – Kimono My House, 1972
- Preston School of Industry – “Monkey Heart and Horses Leg” – All This Sounds Gas, 1971
- The Bamboo Shoot – “The Fox Has Gone to Ground” – Columbia single b/w “There and Back Again Lane”, 1968 [from Acid Drops, Spacedust and Flying Saucers: Psychedelic Confectionary from the UK Underground 1965-1969, 2001 or Rubble 3: Nightmares in Wonderland, 2001]
- Destroyer – “Beggars Might Ride” – Streethawk: A Seduction, 1998
- The Mohawk Lodge – “Wear ‘Em Out” – Wildfires, 2007
- Field Music – “In Context” – Tones of Town, 2006
- No Fun – “Ambivalence (Gets Me)” – Snivel, 1984
- Sufjan Stevens – “Jacksonville” – Illinois, 2005
- Belle and Sebastian – “The Stars of Track and Field” – If You’re Feeling Sinister, 1996
And we also heard:
- Belt Buckle – “Judas Suicide” – Belt Buckle EP, 1993
- Demian – “No More Tenderness” – Demian, 1970
Thanks for listening.
Here is the front page of Dave’s booklet from the Snivel box set – the only sign of its 26 years of age is the yellowing of the plastic overlay.
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Another great show. Stand out tracks for me were Eric Matthews, The Mohawk Lodge (pretty close to perfection, that one), and Sufjan.
Hugely enjoyable show once again, folks. You can keep talking as much as you like as far as I’m concerned – and both your voices sound great.
Eric Matthews – Great song. Much better than If you Believe in Christmas Trees, which I found pretty much unlistenable on account of the dopey lyrics. One minor gripe is that the production was so clean and considered that I felt it diluted the spirit of the song. I’d have loved to hear a full band just thrash this one out.
Belt Buckle – Lucky that Dave warned us what to expect, so I knew not to inhale. I had fun with this one, but probably not as much as the band did.
(The) Bubble Puppy – really enjoyed this. On first listen, I loved the bizarre section in the middle where it suddently sped up for no reason. Then I realised I’d accidentally pressed my phone’s 1 1/2 speed command…
Demian – Another new one to me. Good tune, and great band dynamic, reminiscent of Spirit and Buffalo Springfield.
Sparks – I was 12 when this came out and remember the buzz at school the day after Sparks appeared on Top of the Pops. ‘Did you see that guy who looks like Hitler?’ Even though I’ve never quite been able to ‘get’ Sparks, I’m glad they’re around. Hearing this song again made me feel I should delve deeper. Here’s the clip that blew our young minds almost 50 years ago – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ztSKDbDRXc
> Sidenote on the Old Grey Whistle Test: The ‘old greys’ were the props and scenery movers working in theatres that started hosting pop and rock concerts in the 1950s and 60s. If your band’s new song got these old fellas whistling the tune, you knew you had a hit – hence ‘the old grey whistle test’.
Preston School of Industry: Totally loved everything about this track. Lovely, simple song, beautifully played and mixed, with great depth of feeling.
Bamboo Shoot – Nope, not for me. Verging on parody, and not in a good way.
Destroyer – And we’re back… Weird and wonderful.
The Mohawk Lodge – So many great hooks in one song. Must be fantastic live.
Field Music – Less keen on this one than some other Field Music songs. It’s good, but somehow its cleverness gets in the way of enjoyability. Maybe repeat listenings will sort things out.
No Fun – Excellent song, whiny vocals and all. Might even have been my favourite from this mix, if it hadn’t been for…
Sufjan Stevens – Just a total masterpiece. Up there with Heroes and Hey Jude, in my book. What else is there to say?
Belle and Sebastian – Never been much of a fan of this band, but I’m starting to get them, thanks fo Listening Party. A nice song, and a good closer for the side.
Incidentally, that was me shouting ‘BILLY MACKENZIE!’
I the spirit of Penn Jillette resounding with an affirmative “YES” to when he hears the title of a film mentioned within the film itself, I did the same when I heard Sparks – “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the Both of Us”! This marks the first time a song from one of my playlists has been featured on your podcast! I have memories of listening to it while I took the train into downtown Dallas for my last job…wonderful.
Then when it came time to play “Jacksonville” by Sufjan Stevens, I thought, “I have to like this song because my wife is from Jacksonville, Texas.” I loved it and the name Sufjan Stevens seemed very familiar to me, so I looked again at my playlists. Sure enough, I have a song by him on another playlist titled, “Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)”, a very etherial and relaxing song.
Great show as always, opening my mind and soul to the simple treasures of music.