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.

Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Buck Owens Edition

He came from Oklahoma to Bakersfield, California, added a bigger beat to honky-tonk music, and became one of the biggest stars in country music history. Buck Owens picked great material, could pen a decent tune himself, and was blessed with an awesome band, The Buckaroos, led by the incomparable Don Rich on lead guitar. Owens dominated the country charts in the ’60s, as sometimes his A-sides would hit number one, only to be supplanted by the B-sides. He once had a letter printed in a trade magazine, apologizing for edging too much towards rock ‘n’ roll, and then turned around and released a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis”. And, of course, he was covered by The Beatles, who did his classic “Act Naturally”. His influence lived on, touching Dwight Yoakam and others. Let’s all salute the man with the red, white and blue guitar by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.

1. Arcwelder — You (Pull): This Minneapolis trio played an awesome blend of melodic guitar rock, somewhat in the vein of bands like Husker Du, blended with some noise rock and post-punk rhythms. Throw in some great harmony vocals, and you have one hell of a band. This song relies on a circular guitar riff and creative drumming, with an explosive instrumental breakdown.
2. Eagles Of Death Metal — I’m Your Torpedo (Heart On): Some EODM songs are funky ’70s drenched hard rock. But sometimes, inevitably, they edge a bit more towards the sounds of Queens Of The Stone Age. This song is one of those numbers. However, the instrumental approach is different. The Eagles’ songs are often centered on the rhythms, and this is no exception. The repetitive rhythm on this song verges on Krautrock, connecting the dots from Neu to Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult on a pretty exciting track.
3. Tom Verlaine — The Scientist Writes A Letter (Flash Light): A contemplative song from the great Television guitarist. Keyboards actually dominate this song and the hook of the song is a pretty keyboard line that punctuates every verse of the song. One of Verlaine’s best solo tracks, which is saying something, because all of his solo albums are worthwhile.
4. The White Stripes — The Air Through My Fingers (Elephant): This song really swings. Yes, Meg White’s drumming is simple but it doesn’t get in the way of the blues riff that first is played on the guitar and then gets a funkier treatment on the electric piano. Jack White is typically playful on this fun number.
5. LCD Soundsystem — Drunk Girls (This Is Happening): A straightforward rock number with a bit of a Bowie sound, and James Murphy’s sense of humor. I know some folks think that each LCD album got weaker, but I like them all pretty much equally. I hope Murphy reconsiders his decision to retire the band.
6. Joyride — 1, 2, 3 Red Light (Right To Chews: Bubblegum Classics Revisited): I don’t recall much about Joyride, but they do a real nice job on this cover of the oldie from The 1910 Fruitgum Company (who were represented in last week’s shuffle). This is one of my favorite bubblegum songs, as it is so innocent, but it’s about a horny guy who wants to go further with his girl, but she won’t let him.
7. Starflyer 59 — Teens In Love (I Am The Portuguese Blues): This ostensibly Christian rock band takes a slightly different approach with each album. This album was a rocker. This song sports a chunky riff that could have come from a Lenny Kravitz record. The loud guitars contrast with the solid melody and soothing vocals. Might be the best song on a good album.
8. Frisbie — Pick A Flower (Period): The forgotten second album from this wonderful Chicago band. The circumstances of the record, which came out in a limited pressing, are unusual. The band’s original drummer, Zack Kantor, had to leave the band due to mental health issues. Kantor wrote a significant percentage of the band’s songs, and this album, recorded by the band as a trio (Steve Frisbie and Liam Davis on vocals and acoustic guitars, Eddie Carlson on bass), recorded a batch of those songs at a show at Fitzgerald’s. While the band might not think the recordings as ideal, Kantor was a great songwriter, performances are heartfelt, making for a resonant effort. This song has a bit of an R & B undercurrent with an unusual ascending melody in the chorus.
9. Robyn Hitchcock — You’ve Got A Sweet Mouth On You, Baby (Jewels For Sophia): A whimsical talking blues which shows the inlluence of early Dylan. Hitchcock gives a low key performance and it’s obvious that he’s having fun on this simple song.
10. The La De Das — How Is The Air Up There? (Nuggets II): A garage rock classic. This song is basically electrified folk rock with a modified Bo Diddley beat underneath and a great chorus to shout along with. Fits well between the early Rolling Stones and The Seeds.