Four Sonnys

Why is it that so many legendary jazz musicians are called Sonny?

Sonny Clark - Something Special MP3

Sonny Criss - When Sunny Gets Blue MP3

Sonny Rollins - Tune Up MP3

Sonny Stitt - Easy Does It MP3

Wild Weekend Vol. 34

Yes... and here we go again. Wild Weekend #34 is here, and the hits just keep on coming. Soul, new wave, garage, reggae: you name it, we´ve got it. Just have another wild one.

Reading Eric Davidson´s inspiring Gunk Punk book found me digging up all kinds of garagey sounds from the wild nineties again. Enter Seattle´s Fall-Outs, whose short, sharp and snotty Here I Come used to be a favorite of mine back in the days. Moving into soul territory now, with an early seventies, Swamp Dogg-produced gem by the obscure Freddie North. If you ever chance upon the slogan 'Freddie loves Mary' somewhere, I bet you five dollars it was him back when he was still young and in love. "Now I write my letters with a fancy pen, but my mind goes back to the chalk every now and then..."

The Fall-Outs - Here I Come MP3

Freddie North - Sidewalks, Fences And Walls MP3

I came rather late to the Black Swans, whose presence on a just-released split single with Bonnie 'Prince' Billy urged me to check out their earlier stuff. And guess what? It didn´t disappoint at all. Au contraire. Try the moody Shake, with a cool Scarlet Rivera-like gypsy violin, to see what I mean. Cover time now, featuring the new wave pride of Swindon. On their second album White Music, XTC surprisingly climbed Dylan´s rickety watchtower, where a forgotten mouthharp lay waiting for them.

The Black Swans - Shake MP3

XTC - All Along The Watchtower MP3

I take it you´re all familiar with that tired old folk warhorse about that whorehouse down in New Orleans, but did you ever catch Frijid Pink´s motor city version? From 1970, with Bonzo-inspired drums and wicked guitarwork. Find it on their eponymous debut, a more or less forgotten classic. And it´s bye bye for now with a track from Sound System Scratch, an excellent new Pressure Sounds release dedicated once more to the great mr. Perry. And here I was thinking the vaults must be empty by now... Locks In The Dublight is a dub version of his classic Dreadlocks In Moonlight: short but very very sweet.

Frijid Pink - House Of The Rising Sun MP3

Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Locks In The Dublight MP3

Before I Even Knew You

"I would never, never do anything to you,
To make you blue...
But yesterday I got this letter,
From a boy I loved,
Before I ever knew you,

Before I even knew you..."

Presenting one of the greatest mini-operas in popular music: Train From Kansas City by the Shangri-Las. Sung by Marge and Mary Anne Ganser and Mary Weiss. Written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Produced by the amazing Shadow Morton. Drama supreme in 3 minutes and 22 seconds. She tells her current boyfriend not to worry, as "nothing in this world could tear us apart" but somehow I´m not entirely sure. It´s nearly ten after two... Will she or won´t she? Here comes the train...

And for a very different-sounding cover version, we turn to Superchunk, those indie darlings from Chapel Hill. Is it me, or does this train approach even faster?

Shangri-Las - Train From Kansas City MP3

Superchunk - Train From Kansas City MP3

Wild Weekend Vol. 33

Was away, am back. Broadcast from our new residence in the oh so chilly Lowlands, edition 33 of Wild Weekend has finally dropped. The song will remain the same however, so once more, the iPod shuffle did its best to deliver its weekly goodies. Proto-HipHop? Check. Sweet soul music? Check. Punk rock? Check. More? Check again. Have a wild one.

We´ll start off with a golden oldie. "Ya know my heart keeps tellin´ me, you´re not a kid at thirty-three, you play around, you lose your wife, you play too long, you lose your life..." Wise words, pop kids. Signed: Danny O´Keefe, nearly forgotten seventies singer/songwriter. Nat Couty´s wild Woodpecker Rock sure is one totally weird and infectuous rockabilly ditty. Lux and Ivy from the Cramps loved this one, and I guess Woody would have, too. Find it on volume 4 of the indispensable Born Bad series.

Danny O´Keefe - Good Time Charlie´s Got The Blues MP3

Nat Couty & The Braves - Woodpecker Rock MP3

HipHop forerunners anyone? Try New York´s Last Poets, who released their famous eponymous debut way back in 1970. A true percussion attack. Critical guys? You bet. "Niggers are players, niggers play football, baseball and basketball, while the white man is cuttin´ off their balls..." Right on. V-3 was one of the brainchildren of the late Ohio underground legend Jim Shepard, who for some reason managed to score a major label contract with American Recordings in ´96. The resulting Photograph Burns still sounded rather lofi though, as the fine Caucasian White shows, and that sure is a compliment.

The Last Poets - Niggers Are Scared Of Revolution MP3

V-3 - Caucasian White MP3

From the soundtrack to Sweet Soul Music, one out of many excellent music books by Peter Guralnick you really should own, come the Enchanters and the sweet sweet voice of Garnet Mimms. He paid for the party, oh yes he did... in teardrops and heartaches. Lord! And we´re off with a very thirsty Pat Todd and his Lazy Cowgirls. "They ask me why I´m drinking, well I´m trying to forget..." True punkrock, American stylee. Cheers and enjoy, see ya all next week!

The Enchanters - I Paid For The Party MP3

The Lazy Cowgirls - Goddamn Bottle MP3