Of Kings...

"I used to be a king and everything around me turned around, but I know all I have to do is sing and I'll lift myself way off the ground..." Presenting part 1 of a royal megamix. Stay tuned for installment #2.

Graham Nash - I Used To Be A King MP3

Bob Dylan - Queen Jane Approximately (live Rotterdam '87) MP3

William Bell - A Tribute To A King MP3

Soft Boys - Queen Of Eyes MP3

Minutemen - King Of The Hill MP3

Ike & Tina Turner - Mojo Queen MP3

Henry Cow - Nine Funerals Of The Citizen King MP3

David Bowie - Queen Bitch MP3

Guided By Voices - Weed King MP3

Rachel Sweet - Truck Stop Queen MP3

Scratch & Sniff

All this talk about the mid to late seventies Cleveland scene - and the great Pere Ubu in particular - on the inspiring Siblingshot on the Bleachers blog made me think of another Ohio scene: the Akron one. Known as the rubber capital of the world, Akron was famous for its local sphere of musical activity for a short while when the mighty Stiff label released a showcase called The Akron Compilation in 1978. The album cover featured a scratch & sniff rubber tyre in the right-hand corner, and believe it or not, three decades later my copy still smells faintly of rubber when I rub a fingernail over it.

None of the featured artists really managed to hit the big time later on, and as far as I know Akron never produced any band of note since. But The Akron Compilation still stands as a worthy testimony of what once was, and definitely deserves a cd release. Just check out the following gems by Rachel Sweet (a great singer), Tin Huey (Ubu-inspired weirdness), Jane Aire & The Belvederes (nice pop, complete with a searching-the-radio-waves intro) and the Waitresses (funky!) for proof.

Rachel Sweet - Truck Stop Queen MP3

Tin Huey - Chinese Circus MP3

Jane Aire & The Belvederes - When I Was Young MP3

The Waitresses - Slide MP3