Hello, partygoers! Welcome back to the rumpus room! And remember, in these sad times when we’re encouraged to isolate ourselves, the rumpus room is open to everyone. So come on in!
If you’re looking for ways to pass your self-imposed or otherwise exile, Mary and Dave have given you a bumper episode of the Listening Party this week! On this episode we bid farewell to Mike Davidson’s second mixtape as we take a listen to Side 2. Music fans, there’s a lot of music on this week’s show (and also a whole lot of blabber)!
So stifle your disturbing cough and listen to:
- Burt Bacharach – “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” – Hit Maker! Burt Bacharach Plays His Hits, 1965 – 12:26
- Wilco – “At Least That’s What you Said” – A Ghost Is Born, 2004 – 48:41
- Howie Beck – “Don’t Be Afraid” – Howie Beck, 2004 – 58:43
- Pozo Seco – “Strawberry Fields Forever/Something” – Spend Some Time with Me, 1970 – 1:06:16
- The Millennium – “It’s You” – Begin, 1968 – 1:21:13
- Sloan – “Don’t You Believe a Word” – Between the Bridges, 1999 – 2:07:01
- Scritti Politti – “Dr. Abernathy” – White Bread, Black Beer, 2006 – 2:23:49
- Califone – “Frosted Tips” Stitches, 2013 – 2:40:39
- The Dandy Warhols – “Get Off” – Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia, 2000 – 2:50:13
- Lullaby Baxter Trio – “Ding-A-Ling” – Capable Egg, 2000 – 3:03:37
- The Overton Berry Trio – “Hey Jude” – The Overton Berry Trio at Seattle’s Doubletree Inn, 1970 [Mojo Magazine compilation CD Beatlemania / Volume 2, 2004] – 3:16:49
And we also heard:
- The Goldebriars – “Shenandoah” – Walkin’ Down the Line: The Best of the Goldebriars, 2014 – 1:32:53
- The Music Machine – “Talk Talk” – 7″ single b/w/”Come On In”, 1966 – 1:38:11
- The Ivy League – “My World Fell Down” – 7″ single b/w “When You’re Young”, 1966 – 1:43:52
- Sagittarius – “My World Fell Down” – 7″ single b/w “Libra”, 1967 – 1:48:32
- Oranj Symphonette – “Bananas” – The Oranj Album, 1998 – 3:11:25
- Rahsaan Roland Kirk – “Volunteered Slavery” – Volunteered Slavery, 1969 – 3:34:53
Thanks for listening.
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Still only one song in and I had to comment…
You led with Bacharach! Yeah!! So about our parent’s record collections… My Dad shared his albums with me when I was young, he was just on the cusp of the British Invasion so most of what Dad had wasn’t considered “hip”. No rock and roll at all, mostly Showtunes like “The Music Man” and “West Side Story”, Folk music like The Weavers, Studio Jazz like The Ink Spots and Dave Brubeck and a lot of Bobby Vinton. But you hit the nail on the head, he DID have Herb Alpert, specifically the “Whipped Cream” album…and I loved it! I think I listened to Dad’s Alpert and Bacharach albums mostly. I say Bacharach because Dad had the soundtrack to that godawful Casino Royale from 1967, but I had no context for it and 007 at the time, I just liked the whimsical tracks with all that brass and the psychedelic cover art of the nude woman. Great stuff and great memories with the high-fi that had that eerie green glow in a dark room. Had you visited my home when we were kids, I’d have happily shared all these with you because I loved them too. In fact, the offer still stands, if you ever visit the area, I’d be more than happy to show you Dad’s collection, which he still has…
Another album Dad had, (still has) was not like anything else in his collection. It’s an album of recordings from Nazi Third Reich rallies called “Hitler’s Inferno”. I can only think that he had this because of the Wagnerian march music and not the propaganda element it was meant to have…but there’s a crazy story about this album.
My Dad was going to college at the University of Illinois and he was in the dorm with quite a few Jewish students. One of the Jewish students rode home to Chicago with my Dad one Thanksgiving and came across the “Hitler’s Inferno” album while he was waiting to be picked up by his folks. He asked my Dad if he could borrow the album over Thanksgiving, his plan was to play it full blast after Thanksgiving dinner and scare the shit out of all his Jewish relatives. Well, it worked all too well. According to my Dad’s story, he played the album and it sent all the Jewish relatives running from the house outside, it’s safe to say that didn’t go over too well for the older members of the family. He returned the album to my Dad saying it “Was worth it.” about the devious prank…
So how’s that for a story about our parent’s record collection?
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Hitlers-Inferno-In-Words-In-Music-1932-1945-Marching-Songs-Of-Nazi-Germany/release/2985861
What a bizarre record, Ed!
Thanks for hosting the first lockdown listening party, folks. Hope Mary’s feeling better and all the Dedricks are keeping safe and well. As always, that was a fine and diverse choice of music.
Burt Bacharach – I like a lot of Bacharach’s 1960s output, but wasn’t so familiar with this one. Really interesting chord changes, and that wonderful horn sound, so characteristic of his arrangements during this period.
Wilco – This had plenty of elements that usually appeal to me – quiet/loud contrast, big guitar, disturbing lyrics. Overall, though, I felt it was less than the sum of its parts.
Howie Beck – Ooh, hanclaps! Catchy riff! Harmonies! Swearing! Yep, I’m on board.
Pozo Seco – Any act that attempts a Beatles cover is starting with a huge disadvantage as the original versions are almost always definitive. I felt they pulled this off, and really enjoyed it.
The Millennium – Fun song and production, with plenty of catchy elements. Could have been a Monkees hit. Liked the drumming in particular.
Sloan – Terrific! It’s easy to undersand why this band is so popular at home, and mystifying that they aren’t better known overseas.
Scritti Politti – Green’s output can be hit or miss for me. This was okay, in a 60s throwback kind of way, but trying a bit too hard to hold our attention. Agree with Mary that it would have been better to end the song before reprising the quiet section.
Califone – Yes, liked this one a lot.
Dandy Warhols – Loved it!
Lullaby Baxter Trio – Beautiful – my favourite of this mix.
Overton Berry Trio – A nice curiousity – I liked the live feel and ambient sound of the audience, but the players could have jazzed things up a bit more. It kind of plodded where it should have swung.
The Curt Boettcher minidoc was very interesting – it was nice to have a deeper dive into a fascinating story. The extra songs were all pretty great and the. I had no idea the Ivy League were English – you can really hear the Brian Wilson influence. Oranj Symphonette reminded me a lot of Nino Rota. Rahsaan Roland Kirk was just wonderful – sounded like it could have been recorded yesterday.
More novelty songs next? Oh, Dave, we don’t deserve this. No, really, we don’t!
I have good news for you, Chris!
Oh wait, you did mean that even if you don’t deserve it, you can’t wait for more novelty songs, right?