Sunday, May 28, 2017 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
The Sky is a Poisonous Garden by Concrete Blonde
Give Her a Great Big Kiss by New York Dolls
Groove is in the Heart / California Girls by Crocodiles
Long Way Down by Sons of Hercules
Chicken in a Hurry by MFC Chicken
If a Man Answerrs by King Salami & The Cumberland 3
Turn My Head by The Molting Vultures
Right on You by Benjamin Booker
Main Offender by The Hives
Baby, I'm in the Mood for You by Dion
Simone on the Beach by The Mekons
69 by The Four
Grab as Much as You Can by The Black Angels
Bunny Run by The Ghost Wolves
Will You Teach Me by Mark Sultan
Mr. Rolling Stone by The Hard Times
OUTSIDER MUSIC SET
Walking on the Moon by Pamela Lucia
Cut the Mullet by Wesley Willis
Big Ole Bear by Little Howlin' Wolf
My Pal Foot Foot by The Shaggs
We're Going to Texas by What's Your News
Like a Monkey in a Zoo by Daniel Johnson
Sodom and Gomorrah by New Creation
Lift Every Voice and Sing by Shoobie Taylor
I'm Just the Other Woman by The MSR Singers
True Love by Tiny Tim and Miss Sue
You like this crazy stuff? Check out this podcast on Radio Mutation, an aircheck from a July 18, 2010 show by a D.J. named Danielle on CJLO, a Montreal station
The Spotlight Kid by Captain Beeheart
Slip Inside This House by 13th Floor Elevators
Feel the Pain by Dinosaur Jr.
Tijuana Hit Squad by Deadbolt
Singing in the Rain by bPetty Booka CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, December 19, 2021 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Santa Claus by The Sonics
She Said Yeah by Larry Williams
Long Way Down by The Ar-Kaics
Once Upon a Time (in Your Mind) by Mal Thursday
I Didn't Know I Was Dead by Negativland
Abstract Blues by Kim Gordon & J Mascis
Grass Jeans by Kim Gordon
Get Me by Dinosaur Jr.
Santa Claus Has Got the AIDS This Year by Tiny Tim
Out for Blood by Johnny Dowd
Too Good to Be Blue by Trixie & The Train Wrecks
Misshapen Head by The Grawks
Ride by Ty Segall
Funky But Chic by David Johansen
Faith in Love by The Lostines
Armenia City in the Sky by Petra Haden
Little Drummer Boy by Joan Jett
Must Be Santa by Bob Dylan
Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand in the Snow) by Yoko Ono
Scumbag by Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention Yoko Ono & John Lennon
We Start the Fire by Old Time Relijun
Nail My Dick to the Wall by The Toy Trucks
Punk Rock Retirement Plan by Legendary Shack Shakers
A Poundland Christmas by Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians of the British Empire
My Insurance Man (from Bathtubs Over Broadway)
Almost Persuaded #2 by Ben Colder
Come Closer by Honshu Wolves
Jacob's Ladder by Michael Hurley
Girls by Eleni Mandell
Give Me That Old Time Religion by Joseph Spence
Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, March 5, 2023 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Devil Get Away From Me by T. Tex Edwards & Out On Parole
Get Up by De Los Muertos
Nobody But Me by The Dickies
Shoot The Freak by LoveStruck
Night Of The Sadist by Larry & The Blue Notes
Bad Luck Man by Delaney Davidson
Shake A Tail Feather by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
My World Is Upside Down by The Shames
Hootie Sapperticker by Barbara & the Boys
Hey! Sister Lucy (What Makes Your Lips So Juicy?) by The Treniers
Brimful Of Asha by Cornershop
Try It by The Standells
One Piece Topless Bathing Suit by Jan & Dean
Topless A Go Go by The Rockets Combo
The Perfect Me by Deerhoof
Civilization by Uncle Toasty
Cone Of Lightby The Almighty Defenders
Get Me Outta the Country The Electric Mess
Norman by Sue Thompson
Tell Me What's Inside Your Heart by Ty Segall Band
Oo-Ma-Liddi by J.J. Jackson & The Jackals
Evil Eye by The Low Spirits
Head Held High by Frontier Dan & the Hickoids
Goin' Home by Churchwood
Frenzy by Iggy Pop
Monkey Man by Baby Huey & The Babysitters
Jug Town by Neil Hamburger
Murder In My Heart For The Judge by Moby Grape
Crazy West Virginia Mutant Water Woman Blues by The Slow Poisoner
Clementine by Neil Young & Crazy Horse
We Were Wrong by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Wings Of Dawn by Monsoon
The Kindness Of Strangers by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
I Believe In Tomorrow by Tiny Tim & Brave Combo
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
A recent podcast posted on Radio Mutation re-sparked my fondness for so called "outsider music." It was a an old radio show, preserved on Archive.org, from 2010 called Runny Noise from CJLO in Montreal.
The DJ, a lady named Danielle, used several selections from Irwin Chusid's classic Songs in the Key of Zcompilations, plus several she'd found on her own,
So what is this "outsider music"? I'll yield to Chusid (as one should in this area):
Outsider musicians are often termed "bad" or "inept" by listeners who judge them by the standards of mainstream popular music. Yet despite dodgy rhythms and a lack of conventional tunefulness, these often self-taught artists radiate an abundance of earnestness and passion. And believe it or not, they're worth listening to, often outmatching all contenders for inventiveness and originality... Since I started doing Wacky Wednesday, I've featured several outsider musicians including Tiny Tim and Wesley Willis. And just a few months ago I featured Christmas music by outsiders.
Below is a sampling of outsider artists singing songs good (or bad) for any time of year.
Let's start with Charlie Tweddlewho recorded a psychedelic mess of an album of untitled songs called Fantastic Greatest Hits back in the early 70's. It originally listed the artist's name as "Eilrahc Elddewt" (Charlie Tweddle backwards.) Today Charlie still makes music, but he's made a decent living not as a hit-maker, but as a hat-maker.
Bingo Gazingo, born Murray Wachs, was a New Yorker whose unique style defies description. The New York Times tried though. "... his trademark songs most closely resemble free-verse beat poetry, and he delivers them in a mesmerizing chant, sometimes screamed, sometimes shouted or growled." Bingo died on New Year's Day 2010, reportedly hit by a cab.
Mark Gormleyis an ex-Marine whose songs were discovered more by fellow Florida musician Phil Thomas Katt, who hosted a public access TV show called The Uncharted Zone. Katt produced some appropriately cheesy videos that helped make Gormley an internet sensation. Here's my favorite:
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy is a titan of outsider music. The Lubbock, Texas native (born Norman Carl Odam) got national exposure in 1968 on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (a performance in which he stormed off the set because he felt the cast was making fun of him.) I once wrote of this artist that his "wild cries and spontaneous `wooo-hoooo' declarations are those of pure Earthly joy. Billy The Kid probably made near-identical noises while escaping from the Lincoln County jail. ... Don't worry about "understanding" whatever it is The Legendary Stardust Cowboy says or does. Just bask in the freedom he represents."
New Creation was a Christian rock band from Vancouver in the late '60s. I once described them as a "Bible-soaked cross between The Shaggs and The Partridge Family (there was a mother-son team in the band) The New Creation played like a garage-band apocalypse."
Sunday, October 14, 2007 KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and out new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) Techno Remix by Pink Filth 2wce by Mission of Burma Automatic Husband by The Fiery Furnaces Buried Alive by The Pretty Things Electric Sweat by The Mooney Suzuki The Kids by Lou Reed Let's Get the Baby High by The Dead Milkmen Oops, I Did It Again by Richard Thompson
The Eternal Question by The Grandmothers Big Leg Emma by The Mothers of Invention Girl From Al-Qaeda by The Jack & Jim Show Depression Medley by Tiny Tim (with Eugene Chadbourne) The Indian of The Group by Farrell & Black Band Build Me a Woman by The Doors Shakin' All Over by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
Istanbul (Not Constaninopal) by They Might Be Giants Telephone Call From Istanbul by The Red Elvises Fourty Four by Istanbul Blues Kumpanyasi Tajo by Cankisou In the Mausoleum by Beirut Not a Crime by Gogol Bordello Mystery Train by Nightlosers Frankie & Johnny by Kazik Staszewski
Dice Men by David Holmes Satan's Blues by Junior Walker & The All Stars I'm In Love by Nathaniel Mayer Hot Pants Road by Ravi Harris & The Prophets Them Hot Pants by Lee Sain The Spark That Bled by The Flaming Lips CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Love is All Around by Husker Du
All the Nation's Airports by Archers of Loaf
America Goddamn by King Khan
Immigraniada by Gogol Bordello
West of the Wall by Toni Fisher
Evil is Going On by Howlin' Wolf
Let's Burn Down the Cornfield by John the Conquerer
What's the News by Motor City Crush
Legs by PJ Harvey
Melt Yourself Down by James Chance & The Contortions
A New Wave / Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney
Fall on You by The Plimsouls
I Love You So Much by Mark Sultan
Killing the Wolfman by The King Khan & BBQ Show
Earth Blues by The Sex Organs
Goin' Down by Dinosaur Jr
I Like it Small by Mudhoney
Not Me by The Orlons
Mazhott by Mazhott
Rag by Ras Al Ghul
Who's Your Buster, Dolly by Dicky B. Hardy
Lost Someone by James Brown
The Claw by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
So Much in Love by The Tymes
Celery Stalks at Midnight by Doris Day with The Les Brown Orchestra
Charlie Brown by The Dean Ween Band
Love Like a Man by The Fleshtones
Graveyard by Sloaming Moops
Cold Feelings by Social Distortion
Slippin' Sideways by Drywall
I Believe in Tomorrow by Tiny Tim CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014 KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell Webcasting! 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Drop Dead Baby by Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin
Sweet n Sour by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
School is For Donkeys by Will Crum
Blue Cirque by The Bell Rays
Music Tribalist by Wild Billy Chyldish & CTMF
50 Foot Queenie by PJ Harvey
Bite the Bed by Glambilly
Too Hot Blues by Heart Attack Alley
Politicians in My Eyes by Death
Working Man's Friend by Hickoids
Car Crash by Churchwood
Be So Fine by Left Lane Cruiser
Thunderbird Esq by The Gories
Cranked Up Really High by The Grannies
Sittin' Shotgun by Daddy Longlegs
Into the Primitive by The Future Primitives
Man in the Box by Les Claypool's Duo de Twang
Block of Ice by Thee Oh Sees
Gris by Holy Wave
I Want You by David Lynch
Down on Me by Big Brother & The Holding Company
Border Town Blues by Long John Hunter
The Times They Are a Changin' by The Beach Boys
Obviously Five Believers by Big Foot Chester
Sho is Cold by Chuck E. Weiss
Those Four Walls by Irma Thomas
Divorce Decree by Doris Duke
The Gypsy by Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs
Come on Up to the House by Tom Waits
True Love by Tiny Tim with Miss Sue
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Over the weekend, the biggest threat to America and the freedoms we cherish was the version of "The Star Spangled Banner sung by Fergie, formerly with The Black Eyed Peas (not to be confused with The Dutchess of York) sung at the NBA All-Star Game.
I don't think that was how Jimi Hendrix intended it be performed.
True, Cosmopolitan called it "different AND sexy," but other reaction on social media was far less positive. (I think my favorite was comedian Johnny Taylor, Jr., who tweeted, "Not sure what Fergie was going for on that national anthem performance but if it was `my friends drunk mom acting sexy' she nailed it."
By Monday, the singer apologized in a statement saying, “I’m a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn’t strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best.”
Judge for yourself:
This whole stink reminded me of 1968, when at a World Series game, Jose Feiciano, known as "The Blind Puerto Rican Fergie," shocked an dismayed patriots everywhere by his unconventional take on the national anthem.
Back then, the anthem was generally performed by popular musicians of stage and screen, or talented first-responders and members of the military, always in a very straightforward way. Feliciano's gentle, Latin jazz-infused version puzzled some people. And it outraged others. "After I sang it, it was really strange to hear me being booed, as well as yay'd, and I didn't know what happened," he recalled when I reached him by telephone last week, while he was on tour in London.
A Tigers official told him the club's phones were lighting up with angry calls from around the country: "Some veterans were taking off their shoes and throwing them at their television screens," he was told.
Jumping ahead a few decades, I do like this version of the anthem by the group Patax, "a communion between flamenco, funk and Afro-Cuban folklore" from Spain. "Star Spangled Banner" appears on their latest album, Creepy Monsters.
On their Youtube channel the band says the song is their, "humble contribution to tolerance and mind openness sending a musical message to the Trump Administration: lets make America open minded and tolerant again. Greatness will be the result."
What kind of commie talk is that? (By the way, percussionist Jorge Perez is a citizen of both Spain and the US of A.)
And if you don't like that, there's always Tiny Tim. He even knew the largely forgotten second verse ...
Sunday, December 2, 2007 KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and our new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres Cold Turkey by John Lennon Slow Death by The Flamin' Groovies Endless Party by Johnny Thunders & Wayne Kramer Kill the Messenger by The Bell-Rays Crane's Cafe by TAD You Got it All ... Wrong by The Hives Communist Moon by International Noise Conspiracy Chicago Seven by Memphis Slim
Teddy Bear by The Residents Leaky Bag by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 Transcendental Light by The Black Lips Thee Most Exalted Potentate of Love by The Cramps (Hot Pastrami with) Mashed Potatos by Joey Dee & The Starliters Bahamut by Hazmat Modine Vaquero by The Fireballs Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Tiny Tim
Dumb All Over by Frank Zappa Love - Building on Fire by The Talking Heads Prickly Thorn but Sweetly Worn/St. Andrew (The Battle is in the Air) by The White Stripes Live With Me by The Rolling Stones Sun Arise by Alice Cooper Kewpie Doll by The Birthday Party Something Funny in Santa's Lap by The Moaners
No More by The Dirty Projectors I Remember You by Ruby Dee & The Snakehandlers When Jack Ruby Met Joe Glaser by David Murray Blue Intensity by Sun Ra The Flying Club Cup by Beirut CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican Feb. 10 2012
Almost all bands and singers on the face of this Earth do cover songs. Some are interesting at best, but more frequently they are mediocre. (Sometimes they’re horrifying, but I think I’ll save those for a future column.)
But every so often, a cover version will be better than the original — because of a stronger vocal performance like, say, Prince’s version of Joan Osborne’s “One of Us”; or a more soulful performance like Gram Parsons’ cover of Roy Orbison’s “Love Hurts” (and being more soulful than Orbison isn’t easy); or having higher energy, like about half the covers that The Cramps ever recorded. Sometimes a cover will barely resemble the original — good examples being the Elvis songs that The Residents recorded on their 1989 tribute album, The King & Eye.
What makes a cover memorable? For starters, it has to add some new dimension or have a different angle from the original. It could be a new context or maybe done in a different genre. Humor usually helps, and in my book, bizarre is a bonus.
Here are my top 10 favorite cover songs of all time until the end of history (until maybe I think of some others).
1. “Goldfinger” by Peter Stampfel from the album You Must Remember This. The 70-something founding member of The Holy Modal Rounders recorded his daffy version of the classic James Bond movie theme just a few years ago. It features Stampfel on the banjo and his signature cartoonlike vocals, backed by what sounds like a tuba, a sax in the closing moments, and is that steel drums I hear in there?
2. “Stairway to Heaven” by Tiny Tim & Brave Combo from the album Girl. When I reviewed this album in the ’90s, I noted that if Van Morrison heard this, he’d be jealous that he didn’t cover “Stairway” with an arrangement like this.
Dr. Chadbourne in Albuquerque2007
3. “I’m the Only Hell My Mama Ever Raised” by Eugene Chadbourne from the album There’ll Be No Tears Tonight. Chadbourne is known for his wild improvisational acoustic-guitar playing and taking familiar songs into unfamiliar territory. At the beginning of this track, he announces that Johnny Paycheck is one of his favorite country singers. I believe him, and I believe the man loves country music. But unless you’re already a Chadbourne fan, you’ve probably never heard Paycheck done like this before. He sings the lyrics like he means them and plays guitar like a space alien on trucker’s crank. This album is full of covers of honky-tonk classics done in Chadbourne’s own peculiar way, including Paycheck’s hit “Take This Job and Shove It.”
4. “Stormy Weather” by Reigning Sound from the album Time Bomb High School. I don’t think Judy Garland did it this way, but Greg Cartwright’s exuberant take on this chestnut is irresistible This isn’t the first time this song appeared in the world of rock ’n’ roll. A vocal group called The Five Sharps did a doo-wop version in the 1950s.
5. “Surf’s Up” by David Thomas and Two Pale Boys from the album Surf’s Up. I believe in my heart that this song is Brian Wilson’s greatest moment. It’s so dark and full of lyrical enigmas that if the current nostalgia-act version of the Beach Boys attempted to play the song in concert, half of their audience would bolt in fear and revulsion. And if they heard Thomas warbling this meandering eight-minute version, there would be blood. This avant-garde deconstructed dirge is a commendable attempt to plumb the depths of Wilson’s melancholic masterpiece. But in the end, despite the inspired weirdness of this version, Wilson’s original still remains more mysterious and powerful.
The Dickies look pretty much like this too
6. “Banana Splits (the Tra La La Song)” by The Dickies from the album The Incredible Shrinking Dickies (though I first heard it on their live album We Aren’t the World). I was too old to really get into The Banana Splits Adventure Hour when that Saturday morning show started twisting young minds in the late ’60s. But something tells me Dickies frontman Leonard Grave Phillips watched it every week. The show starred four people in funny animal costumes — a dog, a gorilla, a lion, and an elephant, kind of like a live-action cartoon or human-scale puppet show. I think they were supposed to be some kind of rock band. I believe the same thing is true of The Dickies. In fact, they’re one of the longest-lasting Los Angeles punk bands ever to crawl out of the gutter. Phillips and his pals took the Banana Splits theme song up to warp speed.
7. “I Wanna Be Sedated” by Two Tons of Steel from the album King of a One Horse Town. I don’t know much about this turn-of-the-century country rock band, but for years this has been my favorite Ramones cover. I’ve always thought that The Ramones should have done a cover of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.”
8. “Little Rug Bug” by NRBQ from the albumDummy. This one’s for the late NRBQ drummer Tom Ardolino, who died early this year. Andolino was a connoisseur of song poems — songs with lyrics written by some wanna-be songwriter who responded to one of those “Put Your Poems to Music” ads and had his work recorded (at a price) by an overworked crew of studio musicians and singers.
9. “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)” by Iggy Pop, from the album Party (2000 CD reissue ). This version of the smoky Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen classic barroom ballad is good, but my favorite is still the one I got in the early ’90s on a bootleg called We Are Not Talking About Commercial Shit, on which Mr. Pop berates and curses an unruly crowd for several minutes until he finally croons the slow, slinky song in his bruised baritone.
10. “Sugar Sugar” by Wilson Pickett from the album Right On. Nobody covered The Archies like the wicked Pickett.
Outsider musicians love Christmas too! It's time for some of the most twisted carols you may ever hear.
Not hip to the concept of outsider music? Fear not. Irwin Chusid, author of Songs in the Key of Z, the Bible of this "genre," will enlighten you:
Outsider musicians are often termed "bad" or "inept" by listeners who judge them by the standards of mainstream popular music. Yet despite dodgy rhythms and a lack of conventional tunefulness, these often self-taught artists radiate an abundance of earnestness and passion. And believe it or not, they're worth listening to, often outmatching all contenders for inventiveness and originality...
Most of the artists below appear in Chusid's book and or the fabulous Songs in the Key of Z CD compilations,
Here's an outside artist you probably have heard of, the late, great Tiny Tim, (especially if you read Wacky Wednesday very much.)
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
February 18, 2011
The ragged old flag of Old Weird America has been waving high in recent months. There have been a rash of new compilations of old recordings of tobacco-spitting hillbillies, roughneck bluesmen, gospel shouters, jug bands, and chain-gang chanters.
You might even say that the past is so bright, you gotta wear shades.
I’m referring to recent releases from two fine companies — the Georgia-based Dust-to-Digital, founded by music collector Lance Ledbetter, and the Global Jukebox, a new label of the Alan Lomax Archive.
Here’s a look at some of this music.
* The Hurricane That Hit Atlanta by Rev. Johnny L. Jones. This double-disc Dust-to-Digital compilation is one of the most intense, most powerful, and most satisfying gospel collections I’ve ever heard. It’s a collection of church and radio performances, going back to 1957, by Jones, a 70-something preacher/singer who’s still preaching and singing every second Sunday at Second Mount Olive Baptist Church in Atlanta. It’s mostly music, though it also has a little preaching, some conversation with a radio caller, and even a couple of radio ads.
Thankfully someone, perhaps Jones himself, thought of taping his services. The sound quality isn’t exactly professional. But it doesn’t take long to forget that — the spirit comes through loud and clear. Jones sings most of the material, although a few others — Lula Pearl Jones and Valerie Mathis, among them — are featured on some tracks.
Many of the songs aren’t the typical verse-chorus-verse structures. Some sound improvised, as if Jones is moaning when the spirit says “moan,” shouting when the spirit says “shout.” The track “Devil Don’t Understand Moaning,” for instance, is part of a sermon — a traditional black sermon in which you don’t realize when the music subtly takes over from the preaching. At one point, Jones’ guttural shouts sound as if he’s in the midst of a struggle deep inside his soul.
The screams of a female parishioner whose soul is obviously on fire give a real edge to “Sometimes I Feel Like I’m Almost Gone.” Obviously, the word “almost” wasn’t necessary for some of those who felt the spirit while this was being recorded.
* Baby, How Can It Be? Songs of Love, Lust, and Contempt From the 1920s and 1930s. While the other discs I’m reviewing this week are field recordings (with some tracks recorded in actual fields), this three-disc set from Dust-to-Digital consists of commercial 78-rpm records.
The themes of love, lust, and contempt each get their own disc. The 66 songs are taken from the collection of old-timey musician John Heneghan (he has a band in New York called Eden & John’s East River String Band). The songs include hillbilly, blues, jazz, jug band, string band, and even a few Hawaiian tunes. The collection spills over with sex and humor.
There are some famous people in this compilation — Cab Calloway, Mississippi John Hurt, and Blind Lemon Jefferson. But some of the obscure artists steal the show, like screechy-voiced Mississippi Matilda, George “Shortbuckle” Roark (who is “I Ain’t a Bit Drunk”), and Laura Smith, who kicks off the Contempt disc with a funny ditty called “I’m Gonna Kill Myself.”
Grateful Deadheads will recognize “Don’t Leave Me Here” by Henry Thomas. The Dead turned it into “Don’t Ease Me In” — coffee, tea, and jailhouse key included. R. Crumb’s Cheap Suit Serenaders covered “Pussy,” a song about a special feline by Harry Roy and His Bat Club Boys on the Lust disc.
Meanwhile, Tiny Tim fans will be happy to find the original “Tiptoe Through the Tulips With Me” by Eddie Peabody.
* Wave The Ocean, Wave The Sea; * Worried Now, Won’t Be Worried Long; *I’ll Meet You On That Other Shore; * I’ll Be So Glad When the Sun Goes Down * I’m Gonna Live Anyhow Until I Die. These five albums feature selections from Alan Lomax’s Southern Journey, which he recorded on trips in 1959 and 1960 to the rural South.
Lomax captured performances on front porches and in living rooms, town squares, churches, and prisons. Some of the locales were those he visited on similar trips with his father, John Lomax, decades before, and some of the musicians were those he met on those previous trips. The original Southern Journey, albums released in the early ’60s, were the first field recordings of American roots material presented in stereo. Periodically, these recordings reemerge in various configurations. In the late 1990s, for instance, Rounder rereleased 13 CDs worth of Southern Journey recordings.
I’m not really an audiophile, but I have to comment on how crisp and clear these newly remastered tracks sound. I’m ignorant of what kind of electronic voodoo went into this process, but the results are remarkable.
Many of Lomax’s usual suspects are scattered about the albums — Mississippi Fred McDowell, Bessie Jones, Hobart Smith, the Georgia Sea Island Singers, Vera Ward Hall, Sid Hemphill, and Almeda Riddle, among others.
Various styles of traditional Southern music can be found on each of the five albums including sacred harp, Cajun, gospel quartet, some proto-bluegrass, and the sound of the men working on the chain gang. The title song of I’ll Be So Glad When the Sun Goes Down is by Ed Lewis and other prisoners at the infamous Parchman Farm prison in Mississippi. It’s an a cappella call-and-response accompanied only by the clanging of the men’s axes and hoes.
Probably the most surreal, Captain Beefheartean recording here is “Devil’s Dream” by Hemphill and Lucias Smith (on I’m Gonna Live). It’s a fife-and-drum tune with incomprehensible lyrics.
“Dark Day,” a spiritual by the Silver Leaf Quartet (on Wave the Ocean), is apocalyptic and spooky. And speaking of songs of contempt, “Levee Camp Holler” by Johnny Lee Moore (on Worried Now) is an a cappella put-down of a “downtown money-waster” whom Moore threatens with physical violence.
One year ago, on Wednesday, Nov. 19, I unleashed a new weekly feature on this here web log.
Wacky Wednesday, was created, I wrote, "to introduce you, the reader to strange, funny and/or confounding music -- the type of "unclaimed melodies" that the Firesign Theatre's Don G. O'Vani was talking about when he said, `if you were to go into a record store and ask for them they would think you were crazy!' "
I've tried to live up to that mission statement. Some weeks work better than others, but I think I've provided you guys with a lot of wackiness this past 12 months.
My very first post was a salute to a musician named Bob Purse who I'd just discovered on the Free Music Archive.
Below are videos and other mementos of the first year of Wacky Wednesday. Keep the wackiness alive!
Early on, I wrote about a song that tore at the soul of a youngster (yours truly) who loved The Beatles as well as Allan Sherman. The day I posted this, I showed it to my oldest grandson, then 3. He looked at me bewildered and asked, "Why does Pop hate The Beatles?"
I wish I knew, kid, I wish I knew!
Wacky Wednesday has explored the musical legacy of Muhammad Ali.
Bad karaoke is usually good for some good wholesome fun (and cheap laffs).
In honor of the 41st anniversary of the resignation of President Nixon, I did a Wacky Wednesday full of Watergate songs. Here is one I stumbled across while searching for another song.
On April Fool's Day I looked at a cruel prank that cost The Dwarves a record contract.
Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012 KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell Webcasting! 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell(at)ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres HOUR 1 The 2012 Steve Terrell Christmas Special Must Be Santa by Brave Combo
Sausage and Sauerkraut for Santa by The Polkaholics
Santa Claus, Go Straight to the Ghetto by James Brown
Did That Crazy Santa Claus by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
We Three Kings by Mojo Nixon & The Toadliquors
Santa Claus Boogie by Hasil Adkins
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Tiny Tim
Little Drummer Boy by Joan Jett
Gloria by Elastica
Walking in a Winter Wonderland by Leon Redbone
Hooray for Santa Claus by The Fleshtones
Run Rudolf Run by Keith Richards
We Wish You'd Bury the Missus by The Crypt Keeper
Santa Bring My Baby Back by The Reverend Horton Heat
Can Man Christmas by Joe West
White Christmas by Otis Redding
Fairy-tale of New York by The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl
Oh Holy Night by Brian Wilson Hour Two: Freeform Weirdo Radio
Lupine Dominus by Thee Oh Sees
Million Dollars by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Dial 666 by Night Beats
Stick a Fork in It by LoveStruck
Third-Degree Burn by The Electric Mess
Rhinestone Cowboy by The Frontier Circus
Wave Goodbye by Ty Segall Band
I Shot the Devil by Gravelroad
Preaching the Blues by The Gun Club
Angel of Death by The Bassholes
Burnin' Love by The Hickoids
The Other Side of This Life by The Jefferson Airplane
Been Away Too Long by Soundgarden
I'm Tired by Bettye Lavette
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
You're Humbuggin' Me by Rocket Morgan
Second House Now by The Fall
The Leader is Burning by Pocket FishRMen
Diddy Wah Diddy by Captain Beefheart
I Ain't Got No by Mary's Kids
Break a Guitar by Ty Segall
Red Grave by The Devils
Signal by Boss Hog
Danger by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Santa Claus Has Got the AIDS This Year by Tiny Tim
Happy Birthday Jesus by Little Cindy
Drowned Beast by Thee Oh Sees
Comet by Baronen & Satan
Moon by Travel in Space
There Ain't No Other Way by The Blasting Fondas
Church Mouse by Nobunny
Heavy is the Head That Wears the Crown by Count Vaseline
I Found a Peanut by Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds
Strange Days by The Darts
Egg Nog by The Rockin' Guys
Rock and Soul by Country Joe & The Fish
Kiss and Ride by King Soul
Man With Soul by Alex Maiorano & The Black Tales
King of the Jungle by King Khan & The Shrines
Wonderful Girl by Jack Mack & The Heart Attack
House Party II by The Soul Deacons
Galactic Zoo by Swamp Dog
Beginning to See the Light by The Velvet Underground
Usurpentine by Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons
Demona by Dead Moon
Fish Out of Water by Jon Langford's Four Lost Souls
O Holy Night by Brian Wilson
Star of Wonder by The Roches CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's my playlist :
OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Ain't No Pussy by Pussycat & The Dirty Johnsons
Interlude: E'Lectric Spider Webz by The Black
Call the Police by The Oblivians
The Cat's Meow by The Darts
Don't Mess with Me by Rattanson
Lies by Dilly the Kid
Elevator by Boss Hog
Voodoo Got Me by The Goon Mat & Lord Bernardo
The Cuckoo by Johnny Dowd
Victoria Train Station Massare by The Fall
The Projects by Baronen & Satan
Queen of the Gorillas by Pocket FishRMen
Born to Lose by Social Distortion
We Want the Lot by The Movements
Swamp Thing by The Cavemen
Sea Serpent by Mean Motor Scooter
Ultimo Cartucho by Hollywood Sinners
Shotgun by Junior Walker & The All Stars
Comin to Take Me Away by Tiny Tim POLKA SET!
Hosa Dyna by Brave Combo
Who'd Ya Like to Love Ya by Li'l Wally
Division Street by The Polkaholics
Desert Polka by The American Indians
Minnesota Polka by Karl & The Country Dutchmen
Tra Ra Ra Boom De by Walt Spolek & The Orchestra
The Polka Polka by Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper
Mountaineer Polka by Norm Dombrowski's Happy Notes
Weiner Dog Polka by Polkacide
Edge of Reality by Elvis Presley
Mr. Moonlight by The Beatles
Love Letters by Dex Romweber Duo with Cat Power
Wang Dang Doodle by P.J. Harvey
One for My Baby by Iggy Pop
He Gives Us All His Love by Randy Newman
Lonely Town by Stan Ridgway CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, December 17, 2006 KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres The Happy Wanderer by Brave Combo Gloria by Elastica Mountain Side by Chris Whitley & The Bastard Club The Moon is in The Gutter by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Boney Was a Warrior by Jack Shit Blow the Man Down by Giant Sand Betty's Body by The Residents She Left Me With the Herpes by Tiny Tim I'm A Christmas Tree by Wild Man Fischer
Elephant Gun by Beirut Born to Be Wild by Fanfare Ciocarlia Rock El Casbah by Racid Taha Mustapha Dance by The Clash Flat Foot Flewzy by NRBQ Nightmare Song by Eleni Mandell Christmas Boogie by Canned Heat & The Chipmunks
TOM WAITS SEGMENT All songs by Tom Waits unless otherwise noted
Waitin' For Waits by Ritchie Cole Lie to Me Long Way Home On the Road by TW with Primus Big Black Mariah by John Hammond God's Away on Business The Return of Jackie & Judy Swordfishtrombone Little Man Telephone Call From Istambul by Kazik Staszewski Filipino Box Spring Hog Day After Tomorrow Innocent When You Dream Goodnight Irene SUBSTITUTE CLOSING THEME: Lucky Day by Tom Waits
Sunday, November 25, 2006 KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres Thanksgiving in Reno by Too Much Joy We're Gonna Have a Real Good Time Together by The Velvet Underground Record Junkie by The Monsters Five to One by The Doors One-Track Mind by Johnny Thunders Turquoise Boy by Sonic Youth Details of the War by Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah March of the Cosmetic Surgeons by French, Frith, Kaiser & Thompson
River of Dreams by Jerry Lawson & Talk of the Town One More Time (Over and Over) by Fleetwood Mac Angel by Camper Van Beethoven What Makes You Think You're the One by The Twilight Singers Get Back/Glass Onion by The Beatles The Sparrow by A Hawk & A Hacksaw Harlem Nocturne by Esquivel
PERE UBU SET Blue Velvet Wasted Sentimental Journey Drinking Wine Spodyody i Hear They Smoke the Barbecue Texas Overture
The Valley by Los Lobos I Met Her in Church by The Boxtops Red Apples by Smog Hangin' Johnny by Stan Ridgway In the Land of Fairies by Lisa Germano True Love by Tiny Tim & Miss Sue CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, February 26, 2006 KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M. Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres Video Violence by Lou Reed Faster Pussycat by The Cramps Wonder Why by The Stillettos It Takes a Worried Man by Devo Never Say Never by Romeo Void The Temple by The Afghan Whigs Bird Brain by Kevin Coyne Springtime in the Rockies by Tiny Tim & Brave Combo
Hey Grandma by Moby Grape The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil by The Jefferson Airplane Combination of the Two by Big Brother & The Holding Company Here I Go Again by Country Joe & The Fish Pride of Man by Quicksilver Messenger Service
Who Knows One? by Frank London's Klezmer Brass Allstars Sumbawa by Sabah Habas Mustapha Gunslingers by The Mighty Sparrow Sumbula by Severa Nazrkhan Punjabis, Pimps & Players by Anandji V. Shah & Kalayanji V. Shah James Bond Theme by The Son of the P.M. Pretty Thing by Nightlosers
Local Boys by Graham Parker & The Figgs Christo Redemptor by Charlie Musselwhite The Great Nations of Europe by Randy Newman Homeland Pastoral by Mark Eitzel World I Never Made by Dr. John I Wish I Was in New Orleans by Tom Waits CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
