Edition number 11 of Wild Weekend is upon us. If you go for that sort of thing, eleven is a master number in astrology and numerology, signifying invention, refinement, fulfillment, vision and congruency. And believe it or not, this probably rings true for the whole sixpack of songs my iPod shuffle queued up for you today. As a Kashmiri proverb states: one and one are sometimes eleven. Chew on that for a sec.
For starters, here´s David Crosby. He of the characteristic drooping ´stache. Founding member of the Byrds and Crosby Stills Nash & Young. Dopefiend supreme. His ´71 solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name is rightly seen as a minor classic. Cowboy Movie is a cool rocking epic that reminds one of Crazy Horse. "And Eli said let's take her back to the cabin, I said you don't know, she might be the law, yeah..." Phosphorescent is slowly but surely becoming a household name in Americana circles. This one-man band improves by the album, and I predict that the new Here´s To Taking It Easy will end up in many an end of year list. But the talents of Matthew Houck were already apparent on the a tad uneven debut A Hundred Times Or More (´03), as the gripping dirge Salt & Blues shows.
David Crosby - Cowboy Movie MP3
Phosphorescent - Salt & Blues MP3
Jamaican producer Winston ´Niney´ Holness got his nickname after he lost a thumb in an workshop accident. But with only nine digits left he could still twist the knobs of a mixing board better than most of his contemporaries. Blood And Fire is such a classic roots track that one of the best reggae reissue labels named itself after it. Let it burn. Lydia Lunch was the undisputed queen of the New York underground in the late seventies. Her ´79 album Queen Of Siam was remarkably accessible for her no wave standards. "If this is the real thing there´s just no need to fake..." Lydia´s rumoured to live in Barcelona now, but so far I haven´t seen her around. I´ll keep you posted about future sightings.
Niney The Observer - Blood And Fire MP3
Lydia Lunch - Lady Scarface MP3
And yet another one-man band performer up next. In addition to 12 string guitar, kazoo, harmonica and hi-hat, Jesse Fuller played the fotdella, a foot-operated percussion bass of his own invention. A wonderfully strange contraption, it helped to make San Francisco Bay Blues into a timeless gem. And for dessert, there´s Lowell George, who´s got my heart on permanent loan. From his only effort away from Little Feat, Cheek To Cheek is a Mexican flavored ode to the lovely Chiquitita from Rosarita. "Yo soy amoroso... what could be wrong with the hombre who sings so slow, from up in Californio..."
Jesse Fuller - San Francisco Bay Blues MP3
Lowell George - Cheek To Cheek MP3
3 comments:
Hey, Ramone 666.
Thanks for the Niney. I didn't know about the workshop accident.
The Lydia was the first thing I went for in the mix - the title alone jumped right out - but I didn't really warm to it. Teenage Jesus remains my bag. Definitely keep us posted regards future sightings in Barcelona. I can picture her living quite comfortably in Gaudí's Casa Milà. ALike some kind of royalty.
Teenage Jesus is great too of course, but the idea of Lydia as a sleazy lounge singer with a big band always appealed to me too. I see your picture, but I bet you she lives somewhere in the sleaziest part of the Raval.
Oh, yes! - the Lowell George solo recording is a long-time favorite, discovered in an album cut-out bin over a decade ago... and later upgraded to CD...
Every track on it is a keeper... and, motivated by your post, I'm unearthing it now to enjoy as a sonic backdrop on this gorgeous day - thanks for the reminder... :-)
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