1000 SONGS - DAY 282 SONG # 313

DAY 282: A Song by a Band that Nobody Knows

The Divine Horsemen were a band active in the 1980ies headed by a guy called Chris D. They took their name from a book by the Russian choreographer/dancer/filmmaker Maya Deren, about her experiences with Haitian Vodun (better known by its misspelled Hollywood name Voodoo). Maya Deren (Элеоно́ра Деренко́вская) went to Haiti in 1947 (and two times later) to shoot a film about the Vodun dancers there and she got initiated into the religion and wrote that book about the "Divine Horsemen", the media posessed by the lwa (the spirits), ridden like horses by them. The movie of the same name - which I sometimes show in my lectures on Afro-Caribbean religions - was put together after her death from her footage by Teji and Cherei Ito.

Back to the band: From their 1987 album "Snake Handler" - of which I own a vinyl copy - here it is: "Kiss Tomorrow Good-Bye", a song with a clear message about friendship. Besides that, it has an interesting structure, musically. It is, basically, a duet. And it has a kind of "leitmotif", masked as "the bridge". It starts (after the intro) with the verse sung by the male singer, followed by the bridge, that does not lead to the chorus as one would expect, but to the verse again, now interpreted by the female singer. After that, chorus in duet mode and - hail to the producer! - pumped up volume on the guitars and the bass, followed by verse, bridge, chorus a.s.o. It ends with a guitar solo, that turns out to be buildt mainly upon the leitmotif (the bridge) and finally fades into a rendering of that very leitmotif by the harmonica, backed up by accoustic guitar. I always wonder whether the drummer used a double bass-pedal or just is very quick with his right foot (as I am...).
What a great song by a so called punk/roots band:

1000 SONGS - DAY 281 SONG #312

DAY 281: A Song by the Guy who invented the Moon Walk

Cab Calloway is credited to have been the first performer whose dancing style - or at least elements of it - could be described by use of the main characteristics of the moon dance: a dancer trying to go forward but in fact looking like being pulled back. He is also one of the earliest jazz singers to use and popularise the scat-style. In his most famous recording, "Minnie the Moocher" he used some kind of call and response scatting. The rendering of the song that most people might know is the one from the famous "Blues Brothers" movie from 1980, when Calloway was 73 years of age. Calloway has also been featured in three episodes of the Betty Boop animated movies (cartoons) from the 1930ies. First, version included here is from the late 1950ies, with a sympathetic competition at the end, then we go on with the Blues Brothers and after that with two Betty Boop episodes:

Betty Boop was a character created by Max Fleischer. Amongst the movies featuring Popeye the Sailorman and others, the Betty Boop cartoons have been among the bigger successes of the Fleischer Studios. In contradistinction to the Disney characters, Betty is - like most of the Fleischer's main cartoon figures - essentially human and not an animal, and her sexual/erotic characteristics are very openly displayed (see how she is attracting male persons in the "Old Man of the Mountain"). Fleischer, a son to Jewish immigrants born in Cracow, but raised in New York, is sometimes said to have been of "Austrian Jewish" descent, as Cracow was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire at that time. Here are two of the Betty Boop episodes featuring Cab Calloway. The first one is about Betty leaving home because of a conflict with her parents (who are clearly drawn as Jewish) but returning to home sweet home after some frightening experiences. If you want further detailed information on that one, click on this link: http://www.heptune.com/minnbett.html, to "The Heptune Guide to Betty Boop Cartoons"

The second one is "The Old Man of the Mountain", featuring Cab Calloway's music from beginning to the end. For further information, click on the following link that leads you to "The Heptune Guide to Betty Boop Cartoons": http://www.heptune.com/betty.html

1000 SONGS - DAY 280 SONG # 311

Day 280: A Song about Sinning

Steve Wynn has already been featured on this blog, on day 123, which was, in absolute numbers, song number 268 in the 1000 songs challenge (including alternative versions), Song #268, Amphetamine, by Steve Wynn & Miracle 3, pure ecstasy. Before his solo-career, Wynn has been the man behind Dream Syndicate. I do like their album "Ghost Stories" - I really would have liked to include the version of Blind Lemon Jefferson's "See that My Grave is Kept Clean" featured on that album in the blog-entry dedicated to that song:  Day 54, Songs # 107 & 108. I did not find it on U Tube. Instead of that, another track from that album, written by Steve Wynn, will be featured here; one of the best straight-ahead rock tunes I know: Loving the Sinner, Hating the Sin:

Talking aloud in a motel room

but no one is listening

the bed is unmade and the curtains are drawn

and the wind is whistling

under cover the lover is waiting

but I can't turn away

I've been loving the sinner

and hating the sin

loving the sinner yeah

I know there's somewhere a man waits for her

in misery

and I can try all I want to

find the will

but there aint no sympathy, no

under cover the lover is crying

but I can't question why

I've been loving the sinner

and hating the sin

loving the sinner and hating the sin

hold me back until the trouble begins

loving the sinner and hating the sin

I know somewhere a man waits for her

wonder where she can be

and I tried so hard to find the will

but there ain't no sympathy, no

under cover the lover is laughing

just got me where she wants me now

I've been loving the sinner

and hating the sin

loving the sinner and hating the sin

hold me back until the trouble begins

I tried so hard and I don't want it to end

I tried so hard and I cant' let it go

I tried so hard and I cant' let it go

I can't let it go, I can't let it go

I tried so hard and I cant' let it go oh no

1000 SONGS - DAY 279 SONG #310

Day 279: What everybody knows

A song about what everybody knows was the opener for the radio show that a young man (played by Christian Slater) did in the movie "Pump Up the Volume" from 1990. As everbody knows, this song is written by Leonard Cohen, we can find it on his album "I'm Your Man" (one of his best, in my opinion). On Amazon you can find customer reviews of the CD containing the soundtrack of the movie mentioned, containing complaints about the fact that Cohen's version has not been included, but instead the CD features the version by Concrete Blonde (as first published on a 7" single done together with Sonic Youth). I do like the version by Concrete Blonde (esp. because this is from the year, when the GREAT PAUL THOMPSON of Roxy Music fame was the drummer of the band). It definitely can be called a grower - the more often you hear it, the more it will convince you. But I also do understand that there are some people who prefer the version by the guy who wrote the track.
Many a folk have tried to outdo good ol' Leonard with their own version of this song, among them the boy who had no choice but to become a musician (with parents like that: Loudon and Kate), Rufus Wainwright. So here is the Concrete Blonde Version, followed by the original recording of LC, and then the RW version. Enjoy!

1000 SONGS - DAY 278 SONG # 309

DAY 278: More Songs About Girls

The Great Crusades from Illinois are probably not to well known outside what one could call the Independent Scene. Some of their music has been distributed by Glitterhouse Records, and normally that means that we are confronted with a US band more popular in Europe than in their homeland. I do not know, I just want to share two beautiful songs about girls by this band that has not changed its line-up since 1998, if I am right.

Listen to Caroline and Elizabeth: taken from their album "Who's Afraid of Being Lonely?"

1000 SONGS - DAY 277 SONG # 308

Lubricated Goat
The Australian band Lubricated Goat consisted principally of Stu Spasm, born Stuart Gray. I came upon them via their EP "Schadenfreude" that contained (amongst others) one of my fav songs, called "The Hunt is Better than the Kill".

Their next album had the illustrous title Psychedelicatessen and was a step away from typical Aussie "Noise Rock" to what I have no category for. Unfortunateley, my two fav tracks, the more classic noise-rock title "New Kind of Animal" and the step away called "Stu's" are currentyl not featured on UTUbe or somewhere else one coul embed it from. After disbanding his band, Stuart Grey went to the USA where he met and married Kat Bjelland of Babes in Toyland, the one who kicked out Courtney Love from her band for being a nuisance or something like that.

1000 SONGS - DAY 276 SONG # 307

DAY 276: Songs from the Best Studio Albums of the Stones

I have been a big fan of the Rolling Stones in my childhood. During primary school, from "Let's spend the night together" (b-side: Ruby Tuesday) on - I really loved the song, although, 7 years old, I had no idea what it was about - I have bought almost all of their singles, later on starting with albums. In my opinion, their most creative and best time (maybe due to Nicky Hopkins and other non-mebers), at least with reseoct to studio work, was between "Beggars Banquet" and "Exile on Main Street", "Goat's Head Soup" being kind of disappointing. The next album I did like was "Some Girls" and after that I went New Wave and Alternative and did not care about the Stones any more. No need to introduce them, just a few comments on my choice. I could have chosen each and every track from Beggars Banquet, with the possible exception of "Sympathy for the Devil" (for being way too popular and known by everybody). Jig-Saw Puzzle is one of my favourite tunes from that one, but I chose "Factory Girl", because it is not a Rock'n Roller. On Let it Bleed it was easy, the haunting Gimme Shelter immediately gets me on my dancing feet. Sticky Fingers (I remember the vinyl I used to own, with the original zip you could open attached to the picture of the jeans on the cover; I was old enough then to understand its meaning) contains one of my all time fav Stones. tunes, Dead Flowers (featured in The Big Lebowski as rendered by the great Townes van Zandt). Finally, Exile on Main Street, maybe their best album ever. Hard to decide, but as I have always loved the tune,  I feature "Sweet Virgina" here. I once played this to a Blues purist, and she said to me: "see, this is where groups like the Stones have stolen their tunes from". "This is the Stones" I answered.

Factory Girl:



Gimme Shelter:



Dead Flowers:


Well when you're sitting there in your silk upholstered chair
Talkin' to some rich folk that you know
Well I hope you won't see me in my ragged company
Well, you know I could never be alone

Take me down little Susie, take me down
I know you think you're the queen of the underground
And you can send me dead flowers every morning
Send me dead flowers by the mail
Send me dead flowers to my wedding
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave

Well when you're sitting back in your rose pink Cadillac
Making bets on Kentucky Derby Day
Ah, I'll be in my basement room with a needle and a spoon
And another girl to take my pain away

Take me down little Susie, take me down
I know you think you're the queen of the underground
And you can send me dead flowers every morning
Send me dead flowers by the mail
Send me dead flowers to my wedding
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave

Take me down little Susie, take me down
I know you think you're the queen of the underground
And you can send me dead flowers every morning
Send me dead flowers by the U.S. Mail
Say it with dead flowers in my wedding
And I won't forget to put roses on your grave
No, I won't forget to put roses on your grave


Sweet Virginia:




Bonus Track: Townes van Zandt doing "Dead Flowers":

1000 SONGS - DAY 275 SONG #306

DAY 275: A Song by the Man who Invented the Power Chord

Link Wray (1929-2005) is credited to have invented the 'Power Chord' as soon as 1958 and therefore looked at as a predecessor of Punk and Heavy Rock. Rolling Stone Magazine lists him among the 100 most influential guitarists of all time. His groundbreaking recording in that vein was the instrumental 'Rumble' from the year mentioned above, his use of the 'BIGSBY' on his early recordings is thought to be seminal. Here is a piece of music from his 1971 self-titled grass-roots-blues-album, without any use of the vibrato, a really fine tune from that time, called Black River Swamp:

1000 SONGS - DAY 274 SONG # 305

A song written by Bryan Ferry and Andy MacKay

Love is the drug might be one of the most widely known Roxy Music songs, from Siren, the last of their brilliant albums, before their musical decline began down to Avalon. The song was co-writtten by Ferry and Andy MacKay, the guy who also was responsible for the experimental stuff you find on the b-sides of the early Roxy-singles. His 1974 solo-debut 'In Search of Eddie Riff' includes a version of Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries'. During a break in his musical career, MacKay did a three years bachelor course in divinity at King's College, London. He also co-wrote some other Roxy Music hits. Love is the drug was covered by Grace Jones (to be found on Warm Leatherette, and Island Life). There is a 12" with remixes of this version, a rousing piece of a Disco-Dance-Floor prodcution from the eighties. Be that as it may, here is a 1920ies Jazz style version of the tune, done by The Byan Ferry Orchestra:

1000 SONGS - DAY 273 SONG # 304

Day 273 - The unbeatable french crooner

Pacal Danel is a person I do not know too much about; all I know, is that he has been the singer of the ultimate tear jerker (Schnulze), with, maybe, the exception of Christian Anders' recordings. It is a french song, it has been in my mind for forty years or so, and, to my knowledge, there is no recording of it in German. Tbe video (which seems to rather original, or so to say) shows, that they had some sense of irony back then, with all the painters painting the singer's 'blanc manteau'... Here is the song, there are the lyrics:

Il n'ira pas beaucoup plus loin
La nuit viendra bientôt
Il voit là-bas dans le lointain
Les neiges du Kilimandjaro

Elles te feront un blanc manteau
Où tu pourras dormir
Elles te feront un blanc manteau
Où tu pourras dormir, dormir, dormir

Dans son délire il lui revient
La fille qu'il aimait
Ils s'en allaient main dans la main
Il la revoit quand elle riait

Elles te feront un blanc manteau
Où tu pourras dormir
Elles te feront un blanc manteau
Où tu pourras dormir, dormir, dormir

Voilà sans doute à quoi il pense
Il va mourir bientôt
Elles n'ont jamais été si blanches
Les neiges du Kilimandjaro

Elles te feront un blanc manteau
Où tu pourras dormir
Elles te feront un blanc manteau
Où tu pourras dormir, dormir, dormir, bientôt