1000 SONGS - DAY 241 SONG #272

Day 241: Songs by the Guy that the Lord loves

Olufemi is the name given to the artist (better known as Keziah Jones) by his parents in Lagos, Nigeria. The Yoruba name Olufemi means "The Lord loves you". At least, the lord has given remarkable musical skills to the inventor of Blufunk (it is a fact). Ever since I heard (and immediately bought) his first album - Blufunk is a Fact - I have been a fan of Olufemi Sanyaolu. It is hard to make a choice among his great recordings on the one hand, but it is easy on the other: his live performance at Montreux is simply striking; it features "The Wisdom Behind the Smile" and "Where's Life?" in gorgeous versions (the second one even better...). Then, we have to add (one of) his version(s) of "All along the Watchtower" - I dug a short one; finally (last not least) a fine video featuring "The Rhythm is Love", one of the best songs of all time, to be watched at full screen and heard at full volume, and a live version of the same tune. Funky!!

1000 SONGS - DAY 240 SONG # 271

Day 240: Easy Listening & Feeling Fine 

Matt Johnson has written this song, originally released as a single and also featured on The The's first album Soul Mining. As Matt Johnson sometimes seems to have tended to write & perform songs that are not too relaxed in their mood, this song featuring the nice melody line on the accordeon strikes me as somewhat different. There is also a version by the Welsh "alternative rock" Band Manic Street Preachers that sounds like mainstream to my ears. Anyway, people who do not appreciate a song's quality simply for being mainstream do not understand anything about music. Be that as it may, I prefer the version by The The (although MSP did a good job, especially on the guitar part that takes up the melody played by the accordeon on the original version, I am not fully satisfied with the way they render the bridge and the chorus). Great song for starting the day by creating a good mood in the morning (in both versions).

1000 SONGS - DAY 239 SONG # 270

DAY 239: A Song Featuring John Lurie

I would have liked to post the Punch and Judy Tango, but there is no chance to find a version of it on the internet. Nervous, although great, as the free-jazz inspired music of the Lounge Lizards might be, the P&JT seems to be (to my ears, at least) the most relaxed recording they ever did. Nevertheless, they are a great band of fine jazz (& anything)  musicians, and, f.e., BIG HEART is an apt  proof of their musicianship, albeit from times long ago. Here it is, two times in (nearly) the same rendering of it, the one featuring the clip directed by John Lurie, but with rather low sound quality, the other without the video but fitting better to our ears.

1000 SONGS - DAY 238 SONG # 269

DAY 238: A Rock'n Roll Heart

Rock & Roll Heart is one of the albums by Lou Reed I once owned and do not have in stock anymore (in contradistiction to Sally Can't Dance or Transformer and some others). I do remember exactly two tunes from that one, a reason to have them listed among my 1000 songs of importance to me. First one is the track that gave its name to the album, the lyrics being slightly remininscent of Sam Cooke's Wonderful World:

I don't like opera and I don't like ballet

And new wave french movies, they just drive me away

I guess I'm just dumb, 'cause I knows I ain't smart

But deep down inside, I got a rock 'n' roll heart

Yeah-yeah-yeah, deep down inside I got a rock 'n' roll heart

Oh, rock 'n' roll heart

Lookin' for a good time

Just a rock 'n' roll heart, roll heart, roll heart

Lookin' for a good time

I don't like messages or something meant to say

And I wish people like that would just go away

I guess I'm just dumb, 'cause I know I'm not smart

But deep down inside, I got a rock 'n' roll heart

Yeah-yeah-yeah, deep down inside I got a rock 'n' roll heart

Yeah, rock 'n' roll heart

Searchin' for a good time

Just a rock 'n' roll heart, roll heart, roll heart

Lookin' for a good time

The other one is Vicious Circle:


And for the sake of completeness, let's add Sam's Wonderful World to that one:

1000 SONGS - DAY 237 SONG # 268

A fine cover version of a Dylan Song

Queen Jane Approximately is one of my favourite Dylan songs. Here is a version that not too many people might know, by the Valentines from their 1994 live album recorded in Japan. The Valentines consisted of two former members of Grateful Dead, Bob Weir on guitar and Vince Welnick on keyboard, a part-time Dead, more widely known for having played the keyboards in the Tubes. They are accompanied by Prairie Prince on drums, Bobby Vega on bass and the great Henry Kaiser on guitar. Here it is, QJA, in a rather relaxed version. I especially do like the keyboards on that one:

1000 SONGS - DAY 236 SONG #267

Day 236: (One of) the most beautiful song(s) ever

This is a song from the 1990 collaboration of John Cale and Brian Eno. It is hard to write something about these two guys. As I have been a fan of Roxy Music in their early years (first five albums) and also a fan of Eno from that time on, what should I say about him? That he has recorded some very beautiful albums, based on oblique strategies, as he called that, the old esotericist? That he has composed the sounds for Windows 95 on his Mac? That, as a collaborator and producer, he has done some excellent jobs for David Bowie, Talking Heads, U2 or Coldplay? The same holds for John Cale, who, f.e. has produced the first album by the Patti Smith Group. Maybe best known for his work as a member of the Velvet Underground, he has been active (as a multi-instrumentalist) in a lot of different musical styles and genres, from rock to classical music to experimental. There are many songs by Eno with melodies that will stay in your mind for days (e.g. On Some Far Away Beach from Here Come The Warm Jets or I'll Come Running from Another Green World?). Spinning Away is one among them, refined by the musicianship of John Cale. When I first heard it, I was convinced that this was the most beautiful song ever recorded. It is beautiful, for sure, but there is no ultimate beauty in this here world, as beauty lies in the ear of the beholder. Here it is, Spinning Away from Wrong Way Up:

1000 SONGS - DAY 235 SONG #266

Day 235: A Tribute to Cesária Évora

The last post being about Brazilian musician Jorge Ben, I decided to stay in the lusophone world for this entry, but make a trip to "little Brazil" as Kap Verdian singer Césaria Évora has called her home island of São Vicente in one of her many wonderful songs, Carnaval de São Vicente. It was the first song by her that I came to know, and later on I became a fan of her live record Cesária Évora à l'Olympia. I have not been to the Kap Verdian islands, but I would really like to be there at the Carnaval de São Vicente. My lack of proficiency in the Portuguese language might be an obstacle to the fulfillment of that dream. Be that as it may, here is a rendering of the original recording followed by the Jazzy Carnaval Mix by François K. & Joe Claussel, featured on the CD with remixes of Carnaval de São Vicente and Sangue de Beirona from 1999 (on the CD I own there are more tracks than listed on the site the link leads to; this track is my favourite re-mix, it is really worth listening to for all of the nearly ten minutes it takes). Back then when I was volunteering in a fair-trade shop I very frequently listened to the CD's of Cesária's music the shop had in stock. Enjoy the beautiful music!

1000 SONGS- DAY 234 SONG #265

DAY 234: Some Songs from Brasil

Back in my teens, I owned an album by Jorge Ben, his 1970 recording Força Bruta. I do not own the album anymore and I have not listened to it for 30 years. But, as I do remember 3 songs from that album, I guess they are worth to be listed among my favourite 1000 Songs or so. Jorge Ben is a great musician, here are three tracks from that album and one extra dance track: Oba lá vem ela; Mulher Brasileira and Força Bruta (Samba!!!), the song the album was named after. As a bonus track I add Pais Tropical, for sure the most widely known song by Jorge Ben and maybe something like the secret anthem of Brasil. If you just want to be happy or dance or sing or all of them, start with that one!

1000 SONGS - DAY 233 SONG #264

Day 233 - The Pure Doctrine 

Reckless Kelly, Little Blossom, the pure doctrine of rock music. Nuff said. Isn't it great?

1000 SONGS - DAY 232 SONG #263

Day 232: Another Radio Song

Songs from or about the radio are a constant feature on this blog. Lately I came to know one exceptionally beautiful radio song, thanks to a guy called Hermann who provides me with music throughout the years. It is by Upstate New York Folk Band "The Felice Brothers", from their fifth album "The Felice Brothers" (2008). It fits perfectly to a beautiful August Sunday like today. It moves me to tears, and if you don't like it you can kiss my ass....

Anna Bell, the dying leaves
Are dancing off of the trees.
They got an easy way.

Let's you and me
Go dancing, too,
Wreck our dancing shoes.
Hey, hey, hey.

Please don't you ever die,
You ever die,
You ever die.
You moved me all of my life,
All of my life,
All of my life.
Hum our radio songs,
Radio song,
Radio song.
After every radio's gone,
Radio's gone,
Radio's gone.

Anna Bell, the dying stars
Are falling down on us.
They got an easy way.

Let's you and me
Go falling, too,
Way out into the blue.
Hey, hey, hey.