Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Otis Redding Edition

When it comes to sheer passion and intensity, very few soul singers could equal the great Otis Redding. Backed by the great Bar-Kays, he testified and pleaded and shouted, taking his songs to another level. As some of his live covers, such as his take on The Beatles’ “Day Tripper”, show, he didn’t even have to know the words to make a song his own. And who else could Duckie have lip synced to in Pretty In Pink, but Mr. Redding. The man is a legend, so let’s wish Otis a happy birthday by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first ten songs that come up.

1. Kid Creole and the Coconuts — He’s Takin’ The Rap (Private Water in the Great Divide): After the Kid left Sire/ZE, his work with Columbia had a slightly harder edge, chasing that elusive U.S. airplay. This is a fine funk-pop tune, in the tradition of “Stool Pigeon”, with just a bit more percussive punch and general forcefulness.
2. Eurythmics — Thorn In My Side (Revenge): The second single off the band’s 1986 album, this is a wonderful ’60s kissed jangle popper that sounds like it might have been penned for Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart’s first band, The Tourists. This has a killer chorus.
3. Dappled Cities — The Price (Zounds): I love this Aussie band. They mix in bits of ’80s Brit indie pop, Flying Nun, and shoegazing sounds with a persistence and energy that is winning. This song is typical, with creative drumming and a great textured arrangement.
4. The Golliwogs — You Better Get It Before It Gets You (Creedence Clearwater Revival box set): The Golliwogs were the pre-CCR band fronted by Tom Fogerty…until little John Fogerty began to assert himself as a great singer and songwriter. This is a slow R & B cooker, with just a little hint of John’s swamp guitar picking. The song then morphs into a fuzz guitar breakdown and becomes more of a stomper. The latter Golliwogs songs are very good, and this is no exception.
5. Steely Dan — Night By Night (Showbiz Kids): Other than Aja, I don’t really know Steely Dan’s albums very well, so I live off this two CD comp. I really should get the individual albums. This song is a mid-tempo funk edged R & B number with horns and some tasty licks, as they would have said back in the day.
6. Robot Monster Weekend — I’m Your Davy Jones (Funeral Candy): Mild garage pop from some of the wiseacres behind the similarly slanted American Werewolf Academy. The music is bouncy, the vocals are shaggy and charming, and the song is stupid fun.
7. Soft Cell — Bedsitter (Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret): Marc Almond’s off-key overly dramatic vocals were perfect for his decadent melodramas, and Dave Ball conjured up just the right musical settings. If anything, it would be weird to here these songs with a regular band, as the electronic settings fit the clubland that would spawn such dissatisfied hedonists.
8. Starflyer 59 — Give Up The War (Leave Here A Stranger): I love the mellower side of this band. This song has a spacious desert rock feel, with warm vocals and echoing guitars. While not as lyrically stimulating as Pernice Brothers, musically this covers some similar territory, but with extra luster.
9. Sweet — Getting In the Mood For Love (Waters Edge): The second Sweet album after lead singer Brian Connolly was booted from the band found the remaining trio focusing on tighter pop songs, perhaps seeing what was going on with the success of new wave music. Of course, this stiffed commercially, but there are plenty of fun little songs, like this peppy number with a spirited vocal by Steve Priest.
10. Shoes — Girls Of Today (Tongue Twister): A rare Shoes number on which Gary Klebe, John and Jeff Murphy share a writing credit. This song has a pulsing rhythm, which is Klebe’s bread and butter with an energetic yet wistful chorus and a effects heavy lead guitar part that sounds like it came from one of their living room recordings. Superb power pop.

Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday John Zorn

With the Jazzfest going on this weekend, let’s give a birthday shout out to a major figure in the world of avant-garde jazz. John Zorn has constantly pushed the boundaries in jazz, whether it involves going to the outer limits of free jazz and improvisation or exploring other genres, from hardcore punk to klezmer. In addition to his inventive approach, Zorn can kill with his saxophone and he has done his part as a producer and band leader to foster other creative minds. In honor of Mr. Zorn, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle and share the first 10 songs that come up.

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Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Maureen Tucker Edition

She kept one of the most basic beats in rock ‘n’ roll history, and, as a result, Moe Tucker is one of the more influential rock drummers ever. Her work in The Velvet Underground showed a new way for rock drumming, taking rhythm to a simple essence, playing while standing up, emphasizing the bass drum and dispensing with cymbals, all in service of so many great songs. She didn’t let the dissolution of the Velvets take her down, as she released some nice solo records and played with other bands, such as Magnet and Half Japanese. Nowadays, I’ve heard she has taken a strong liking to tea. Let’s pay tribute to Mo by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.

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Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday John Deacon Edition

If George Harrison was The Quiet Beatle, what would you call John Deacon? The Mute Queen? The Stay in the Background Queen? Of course, with two large personalities in Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor, and a guitar god in Brian May, there simply wasn’t room for much more than a bass player who could hold the fort, and Deacon did that and then some. Not only did he keep up with all of Queen’s various styles, he set some too, hanging out with Chic during some down time, and then whipping up “Another One Bites the Dust”, he also wrote such beloved Queen songs as “Spread Your Wings” and “You’re My Best Friend”, while remaining perhaps the dweebiest rock star of all-time. So please celebrate Deacon’s b-day by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.

1. Curve — Ice That Melts The Tips (Doppelganger): Curve melded throbbing post-punk inspired dance music with Toni Halliday’s chilly/sexy vocals and prickly guitars to make music heavy on atmosphere. Luckily, they did a good job translating the groove into catchy songs with just enough melody to cut through the dense soundscape. I think this is one Curve’s better songs.
2. Teacher’s Edition — I Wanna Be Loved (In Perfect Harmony: Sweet Soul Groups 1968-1977): A wonderful soul song with simple lyrics and an enduring melody. This group, who issued a couple of singles in the early ’70s, got the backing of the renowned Hi Records rhythm section, giving it a certain simmering funk groove, but the performance is more in line with classic Philadelphia vocal groups. Elvis Costello recognized the greatness of the song, and covered it on his Goodbye Cruel World album.
3. Alexander O’Neal — Fake (Greatest Hits): O’Neal was the lead singer for the band Flight Tyme, a Minneapolis R & B/funk outfit. Then Prince booted him, replaced him with Morris Day, and rechristened the band as The Time. Meanwhile, O’Neal went on to have a pretty nice solo career. He isn’t quite the personality that Day was (but who is?), but he has a powerful voice, well-suited to sing the big choruses of his best tunes. This was his biggest hit and the only one to really impact the pop charts. This is a fine slice of ’80s R & B.
4. Outkast — Behold a Lady (Speakerboxx/The Love Below): A really nice piece of electrofunk from Andre 3000’s half of Outkast’s smash hit double CD. Mr. Benjamin was clearly influenced by Prince and the sounds of the early to mid-‘80s on this fun tune.
5. The Finn Brothers — Only Talking Sense (Finn): The opening cut from this gem of a record from Tim and Neil Finn. This project was put off when songs these Kiwi brothers had worked on formed the bulk of Crowded House’s Woodface album. On this second try, they conjured up a batch of songs as strong as that Crowded House classic. This is one of Neil’s songs, and it fits in well with the intelligent guitar pop he’s been doing since forming Crowded House. But the backing is less dense, the percussion is low key but very creative and Tim is an excellent backing vocalist. And album worth seeking out.
6. Gene Chandler — Rainbow (Beg, Scream & Shout): My iPod is feeling soulful today. Although this is from a Rhino collection of ’60s soul, this number from Mr. “Duke of Earl” is a bit more in line with the ’50s scene from where he came. This is a gospel drenched number that finds Chandler moving closer to deep soul.
7. Paul Kelly & The Messengers — Adelaide (Gossip): The first album from Paul Kelly is classic Australian music. Heck, this song is named after an Aussie city. Kelly’s music fell somewhere between folky singer-songwriter and pub rockers like Graham Parker. This is a typically warm number with literate lyrics and an engaged performance. Kelly will be in Chicago in September.
8. Crowded House — Archer’s Arrows (Intriguer): The two post-reunion albums don’t quite retain the amazing quality of the band’s first four albums, but Neil Finn is such a good songwriter, that the hooks eventually sink in. This is a very typical Finn composition, with moody verses opening up into a winning chorus, with a great melodic hook that takes the song back into the next verse. A very strong song.
9. Ken Stringfellow — Down Like Me (Touched): This is from the first solo album of one of the two voices behind The Posies. This song has a mid-tempo country pop vibe, accentuated by the pedal steel guitar. Both of Stringfellow’s solo releases are full of terrific songs, and, of course, the vocals are very strong.
10. The Screaming Blue Messiahs — Someone To Talk To (Gun Shy): A sadly forgotten band. The Messiahs mixed a bit of blues and old rock with a more sleek pub and punk rock inspired vibe to come up with some great aggressive guitar rock songs. They benefited from the strong presence of guitarist/front man Bill Carter, whose lyrics sometimes seemed improvised, as his powerful voice rode over the strong riffs and grooves he and the rhythm section put down. This song stitches together a few simple musical ideas, building up to Carter passionately growling out the title in the chorus.