< The Stream 11/30/07 | Main | "My 3 Songs" for Friday >

Do the Shuffle

Posted at 12:32 PM on November 30, 2007 by Tony Lopez (5 Comments)

The Shuffle gods continue to shine on me this week. What popped up on your player?

“Night Comes On,” Leonard Cohen
Like Dylan’s and Joni’s (to name only two), Leonard Cohen’s lyrics have been mined for meaning until there is almost nothing left to excavate. I’ll take the easy way out and say this is a song about resisting the lure of Death’s warm embrace. I’m a Leonard Cohen fan because if it hadn’t been for my wife, I would have continued to resist his embrace.

“Radio Cure,” Wilco
Wilco make their second appearance in as many weeks with a song from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, the album generally acknowledged to be their masterpiece. Here's a clip from "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart."

“Old Dan Tucker,” Bruce Springsteen
A song with a rich and illustrious history, “Old Dan Tucker” has been performed by Civil War re-enactors and grampaws on the old Porter Wagoner television show. Bruce and the boys burn the barn on this version from We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.

“Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair,” Nina Simone
Nina Simone follows with her famous rendition of this classic Scottish folk song. This was recorded at The Town Hall in New York City in 1959.

“Mecanica de Amor,” Mi Son
I’m not entirely in love with this song but it just seems to work coming out of “Black Is the Color.” Sometimes a different context helps me better appreciate a song.

Comments (5)

Spin the wheel and here’s what comes up today:

Dance To The Music – Sly & The Family Stone feat. Will I Am
A remix/mash-up featuring Will I Am from Black Eyed Peas rapping over the classic Sly track. This is a lot of fun. But not quite as interesting as the mash-up of “Thank You (fallettinmebemyselfagain)” and Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation 1812” from the same tribute album. I can’t remember the name of it right now, but there are some interesting interpretations on it.

Rock El Casbah – Rachid Tacha
Algerian Rai artist covers the Clash. Pretty groovy.

Rockfour – Goes Around
One of the most perfect jangle-pop tunes I’ve heard in a long time. It makes me want to go out and get that 12-string Rickenbacker electric. A great psychedelic/pop band from Israel.

Elvis Presley – A Little Less Conversation
This is the remix of the Elvis tune. His last #1 song, posthumously.

Chris Isaak – Wicked Game
I don’t care how many times I’ve heard this song, it still has one of the best guitar intros ever. James Calvin Wilsey was a great accompanist for the first 3-4 Chris Isaask albums. He totally had the whole rockabilly twang sound down, while still using sophisticated guitar technology. Retro or Nowtro?

Posted by Frick | November 30, 2007 1:59 PM

I remember hearing a Rachid album from the mid-90's and digging it. I'll have to track down that Clash cover, Frick.
Nice one with the Chris Isaak. And what about that video!

Posted by Tony Lopez | November 30, 2007 3:20 PM

I got the Rachid Tacha Clash cover from a MOJO magazine sampler called "Global-A-Go-Go". It's farily recent, within the past 4 months or so.

Now if they'd just put out "The Chris Isaak Show" on DVD, I'd be a happy camper. Stupid Showtime...

Posted by Frick | November 30, 2007 4:17 PM

Frick, it means you should buy yourself a cabin in the deep, deep woods of Appalachia, and you should sit on the porch of said cabin and whittle yourself a pipe while your sweet wife scrubs the laundry on a washboard down by the river.

I have no idea what I'm talking about.

I think it really means you are fond of the sweet sweet Twang (that syrupy, lonely howl that slide guitars make, and not to be confused with the beverage--also sweet--Tang), and are perhaps perplexed by Wilco's wavering fidelity to Twang.

I can also confidently assert that people who are drawn to Twang are often big drinkers.

Posted by Jacquie Fuller | December 3, 2007 12:22 PM

*swigging from a big ole jug of moonshine*

Yep.. that's pretty much correct. Love the Twang and the High Lonesome. Well done. Tick VG.

Posted by Frick | December 3, 2007 12:43 PM

November 2007
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30

Master Archive