playlist

Playlist #168

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Happy Tuesday, folks! We’re back from the beach, and for once I did not get sunburned! Don’t forget that the new Eddie Hazzard book is now available on the ‘Zon.

  1. Foo Fighters, “Best Of You”: “I’ve got a confession to make”: I didn’t realize this song was over 20 years old. It somehow seems older? And yet somehow also timeless. David Grohl is a pretty good songwriter.
  2. Sonic Youth, “Teen Age Riot”: Never really got into noise rock when I was young and malleable, so it’s kind of strange that I started listening to them this week and didn’t hate it. Still don’t fully understand the genre, but that’s on me, not them.
  3. Bob Dylan, “Love Minus Zero/No Limit”: Dylan rarely writes straightforward love songs, and calling this one is maybe a bit of a stretch. It’s easier to decode than many of his other songs: “She doesn’t have to say she’s faithful/Yet she’s true like ice, like fire,” is a damn good line.
  4. Fleetwood Mac, “Silver Springs”: Man, the 1997 live version of this song is just gloriously mean. Stevie Nicks sings it directly to and at Lindsey Buckingham, a great big lyrical fuck you the likes of which you rarely get even in the best sad songs.
  5. Wilco, “Livid”: Wilco’s new EP is pretty good, if sadly short.
  6. Flying Burrito Brothers, “Dark End of the Street”: These guys were putting the country in country-rock well before that was even a genre.
  7. John Prine, “The Great Compromise”: I’m still discovering amazing songs written by this guy. He left us far too soon.
  8. The Shins, “Phantom Limb”: I kinda like the Shins still. They didn’t change my life, contrary to what the movie Garden State would have you believe, but they’re good.
  9. Violent Femmes, “American Music”: The snide condescension in the vocals on, well, all Violent Femmes songs sustains me in my dark moods.
  10. The Velvet Underground, “Rock & Roll”: Why does this song include a Bb6? What is the point of that damn chord other than to infuriate me when I try to play the song?

Playlist #167: Beach Party

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Happy Monday, folks. We’re at the beach this week with the Wife’s family, but I have a surprise! The new book comes out this week! That’s right, Hazzard Pay 7, The Armageddon Seed, will be available sometime this week (whenever it gets through the Amazon process, which should be today or tomorrow?). I’ll show you the cover tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a playlist while I soak up some sun and splash around in the Atlantic.

  1. Alanis Morissette, “Head Over Feet (Acoustic Version)”: Mellower with age, as things tend to be.
  2. Soundgarden, “Burden In My Head”: The Lithium station on Sirius XM plays a lot of Soundgarden, and I’m kinda here for it, I think.
  3. Charley Pride, “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone”: Apparently, my grandfather only ever attended one concert in his life, and it was to see Charley Pride.
  4. Fleetwood Mac, “Seven Wonders”: I’ve developed a certain fondness for latter-day Fleetwood Mac.
  5. The Rolling Stones, “Not Fade Away”: I’m always slightly amazed at how ramshackle and almost chaotic this song is, like the band were barely keeping it together while they played it.
  6. Radiohead, “2+2=5”: On the other hand, you’ve got Radiohead, who even when they get into a heavy breakdown still feel completely in control of everything.
  7. Ben Harper & the Blind Boys of Alabama, “Well, Well, Well”: What’s that, someone doing a Dylan cover? It’s more likely than you’d think!
  8. Band of Horses, “General Specific”: I love this song for reasons I’ve never been able to fully articulate. It just seems so joyful.
  9. Uncle Tupelo, “Steal the Crumbs”: Meanwhile, this song just hits me right in the gut and tugs on the ol’ heartstrings.
  10. Wilco, “Say You Miss Me”: Speaking of the heartstrings, this one gets to me, too. Maybe I’m just more vulnerable to songs of love and loss right now.

Playlists #164, #165, and #166

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As you read this, I’m somewhere between Virginia and Oklahoma, headed back to the land of my birth for my grandfather’s funeral. He passed away this weekend, and it’s kinda left me gutted. I’m glad I got to see him over Father’s Day weekend, and that he was in good spirits at the time. It’ll be nice to remember him that way.

Anyway, I’m combining three playlists into one today, because I’m behind a bit and I put together a big playlist to get me to Oklahoma. Here’s thirty songs.

  1. David Gray, “A Clean Pair of Eyes”: Early David Gray just hits different. It’s folkier, more acoustic, and very introspective. I dig it.
  2. Louis Armstrong, “Mack the Knife”: There is no better moment in music than when Louis throws it to himself for the trumpet solo at the end.
  3. Bing Crosby, “Swinging on a Star”: One of the best songs about the importance of education ever committed to tape.
  4. Ryan Adams, “Desire”: Yeah, the guy has diarrhea of the recording studio, and some of the crap he’s pulled over the years is rather reprehensible, but he does occasionally write and record good tunes.
  5. Mavis Staples, “Eyes on the Prize”: Leave it to Mavis to turn a Civil Rights Standard into a bluesy banger.
  6. Greg Feldon, “Incoming”: On one of my (many) recent trips back from Oklahoma, I spent the better part of a day driving up I-81 listening to this song on repeat until I had it memorized. It’s a good song.
  7. The Rolling Stones, “Honky Tonk Women”: Poor Mick just can’t even have an easy one night stand, can he?
  8. James McMurtry, “Choctaw Bingo”: It’s something of a standard “driving to Oklahoma” song for me at this point. It pops up on lots of playlists, because it’s a good song and it’s kinda long.
  9. Mark Knopfler, “Cannibals”: There are no cannibals anymore, are there, Mark? I think some folsk would beg to differ with a knife and fork, sir.
  10. Rilo Kiley, “More Adventurous”: Such a beautiful, forlorn sort of song. I’ve always loved it.
  11. Big Red Machine, “Renegade (feat. Taylor Swift)”: I’d be okay with Justin Vernon and Taylor Swift doing more duets for the next decade or so if they’re up for it.
  12. Ben Caplan, “Down to the River”: Did you know you needed more klezmer-inflected folk music in your life before you heard this song? Because I didn’t, but I obvious do need more of that in my life.
  13. Hank Williams, “Honky Tonk Blues”: This man knew from hard living, not that you’d know it from his songs necessarily. If he were alive today, he’d put the rest of the country music scene to shame, I’m pretty sure.
  14. The Mountain Goats, “Training Montage”: An amazing song if for nothing else than the line, “I’m doing this for revenge.”
  15. Neil Young, “Downtown”: I do enjoy it when Neil, the godfather of grunge, rocks out with Pearl Jam in tow. It’s a good time.
  16. Van Morrison, “Give Me a Kiss”: Old school Van was always top notch, as this song proves.
  17. The Wallflowers, “Misfits and Lovers (feat. Mick Jones)”: If you’re gonna do an album that sounds heavily indebted to the Clash, it’s probably a damn good idea to get a member of the Clash to guest on it.
  18. Tom Waits, “Chocolate Jesus”: Sacrilicious.
  19. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Angel Dream”: Can we talk for a minute about the run Tom Petty had between 1987 and 1999? He released Full Moon Fever, Into the Great Wide Open, Wildflowers, the She’s the One Soundtrack, and Echo, all bangers. All classics. Name me band in the past thirty-five years that’s had a string of records that good.
  20. Toad the Wet Sprocket, “Are We Afraid”: A quieter, more reflective moment from their odds & sods collection In Light Syrup.
  21. Pearl Jam, “Better Man”: I think I mentioned a few weeks ago how the Seven Mary Three song “Water’s Edge” is just a 90s rewrite of Richard Marx’s “Hazard,” and this song is just a rewrite of the final verse of Bob Seger’s “The Fire Inside.”
  22. Peter Gabriel, “Washing of the Water”: How does this man create such consistently interesting and provocative music? It’s wild.
  23. Paul McCartney & Elvis Costello, “My Brave Face (Original Demo)”: Two great tastes that taste great together, as it turns out. Elvis brought out the sharper side of McCartney (for a given value of sharper, since McCartney long ago filed off everything to smooth edges).
  24. Drive-By Truckers, “Everybody Needs Love”: An anthem for our time. Everybody does need love.
  25. Descendents, “‘Merican”: Another anthem for our time, this time about the true history of our country and how some folks just don’t want to see everything.
  26. The Dead Weather, “Hustle and Cuss”: It’s nice to see a Jack White project where he kind of takes a backseat to the proceedings, mostly just playing the drums and occasionally singing (like on this track).
  27. David Bowie, “Modern Love”: Dance-pop-era Bowie usually isn’t my favorite, but this song rocks.
  28. Calexico, “Guero Canelo”: Do I understand a word in this song? No. Does it still slap? Yes.
  29. Bob Dylan, “Song For Woody”: Another appropriate “traveling to Oklahoma” song. Woody is a state treasure, or damn well ought to be.
  30. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Someday Never Comes”: One of the saddest songs that John Fogerty ever wrote, if you want my opinion. It’s dark and bittersweet and sad and longing, and it hits in just that right spot every time.

Playlist #163

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Haaaaappy last Monday of the school year! School officially ends here in Fairfax County on Wednesday, and I for one am more than ready for Summer Break. Here are some songs to get us there.

  1. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Waiting For Tonight”: Heard this one late last week on Tom Petty Radio, and had forgotten the song even existed. Features one of the best lines ever sung, “And I’m wrestling with my overcoat/And I’m fighting with my thoughts.”
  2. Primal Scream, “Rocks”: Hadn’t really listened to these guys before, and while this song is pretty good, it wasn’t enough to get me interested in listening to any of their other stuff.
  3. Van Morrison, “Tupelo Honey”: It’s also Clyde’s birthday this week! Let’s listen to classic Van Morrison in his honor.
  4. Hank Williams, “Kaw-Liga”: My grandfather continues to kick around, though he’s currently in the hospital with pneumonia. But his spirits seem good, and he’s alert and responsive, so I’ll take those as good signs. This is one of his favorite Hank Williams songs, and one he used to sing to us when we were little.
  5. Wilco, “The Late Greats”: What is the greatest song most folks have never heard?
  6. Paul McCartney, “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man”: Great McCartney cover. Run Devil Run was such a good album.
  7. Linda Ronstadt, “When Will I Be Loved?”: Things don’t get much better than Linda Ronstadt singing this song.
  8. Sting, “We’ll Be Together”: The most 1980s song I could imagine, from the processed drum machine to the synth horns.
  9. Pink Floyd, “Fearless”: I’m weird in that I really dig the Pink Floyd album Meddle (it might even be my favorite of theirs). This song, right in the middle of things, is a good example of why it’s such a great collection of tunes.
  10. Alice Cooper, “School’s Out”: Of course it is. And good riddance until next school year, ya filthy animals!

Playlist #162

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Happy Monday, folks! The school year is winding to a close as we speak; this time next week, I’ll only have a day or so left before I’m free for the summer! Here’s some songs to tide you over until then.

  1. Tom Petty, “Casa Dega”: Why this never received an official release on an actual album, I’ll never understand. It’s a classic Petty song, and Benmont Tench’s keyboards feature heavily. An absolute classic.
  2. Soul Asylum, “Runaway Train”: This playlist initially started out as a list of songs that I like to play but cannot play and sing at the same time (or at least, can’t sing well). I enjoy playing this one immensely, and I love singing along to it on the radio, but I struggle to put the two together.
  3. Onnu Josu Son, “True Love Will Find You In The End”: Quite possibly the simplest song on this playlist, and one of the most heartfelt and beautiful.
  4. Pearl Jam, “Wreckage”: I…really enjoyed the newest Pearl Jam album? Like, legitimately? I dunno, man. It’s weird.
  5. Counting Crows, “Hanginaround”: It’s a great way to kick off an album or start a party, I think. And the way it melts into “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” on the album? *Chef’s kiss*
  6. Toad the Wet Sprocket, “Whatever I Fear the Most”: Somewhere along the way, this turned into “songs Chuck likes from the ’90s” and, to be honest, it kinda got away from me.
  7. Josh Ritter, “Monster Ballads”: Okay, maybe now we’re back on firmer, “I can’t sing and play this well” footing? Maybe. This one is juuuuuust a little too low for my vocal range.
  8. Waxahatchee, “War”: I have abandoned any premise or presupposition of a theme for this playlist. It’s just damn good songs now.
  9. Dr, Dre, “Forgot About Dre”: And also this song about how Dr. Dre feels forgotten and, instead of being forlorn about it (as I would’ve done), he gets rapper snippy.
  10. Blind Melon, “No Rain”: Who among us hasn’t danced as a bee girl in a field?

Playlist #161

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Tuesdays are the new Mondays, am I right? Whatever. I was hanging out with my mom yesterday, on the rare opportunity to have a family member from Oklahoma out in my neck of the woods, so today is the day for the playlist.

  1. Drive-By Truckers, “Marry Me”: It’s so rare to hear a joyous, happy song from these guys, and this one stands as one of my favorites.
  2. Soul Asylum, “Runaway Train”: On the list “90s Songs I Love to Play But Really Can’t Sing,” this one is near the top. It’s a great, song, though.
  3. Counting Crows, “Rain King”: Speaking of songs from the 90s that I love, this one never fails to get the blood pumping and me singing along. I also end up doing at least 20 over the speed limit whenever it’s on in the car, which might be a problem.
  4. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Have Love Will Travel”: On the long list of Tom Petty albums that I own and love, The Last DJ ranks pretty low (okay, at the very bottom). A recent re-listen just confirms that, while there are a few gems tucked away (the title track, “Dreamville,” “Like a Diamond,” and this particular song), it’s mostly best left forgotten as the concept album that couldn’t.
  5. Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”: One of the few Fleetwood Mac songs my wife can even stand. I, of course, like most everything they’ve done.
  6. The Wallflowers, “Bleeders”: I mostly just love the little organ flourish that starts this song off, and want to someday start a song of my own that way.
  7. Fiona Apple, “Criminal”: I also someday want to work in some Fiona Apple-style piano in a song. I have a long list of things I want to borrow and reappropriate from other musicians, as it turns out. All art is love and theft.
  8. Paolo Nutini, “Let Me Down Easy”: I oughta sue this guy for stealing my song title. And I know mentioning him will only bring my brother out of the woodwork to talk about how much of a dick the guy apparently is.
  9. Andrew Bird Trio, “Caravan”: Sadly, not the Van Morrison song, but an old jazz standard, apparently? I would love to hear Andrew Bird sing some Van. Give me that cover album, dammit.
  10. Nirvana, “Lithium”: With our use of Sirius XM in the car nowadays, we’ve spent a lot of time listening to the 90s grunge/alternative station, Lithium. They only play the Nirvana song of the same name about once a day, though.

Playlist #160

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Happy Monday, folks. If you’re like me, you spent the weekend thinking about music, coughing, and playing video games. You also came up with this playlist. You are very talented and quite handsome, I must say.

  1. Seven Mary Three, “Water’s Edge”: This is just the grunge version of Richard Marx’s “Hazard,” isn’t it? I’m pretty sure it is.
  2. Onnu Jonu Son, “True Love Will Find You In the End”: Icelandic dude who has one of those great raspy, lower-register voices that feel folky and lived-in. So do his songs, including this lovely cover.
  3. Rhiannon Giddens, “Yet To Be (feat. Jason Isbell)”: I am a sucker for a good duet, and these two knock it out of the park.
  4. Adeem the Artist, “Nancy”: I like his new album, though I liked White Trash Revelry more. This one strikes me as “Laid” by James only ’90s country styles.
  5. Pearl Jam, “Wreckage”: Dark Matter was a surprisingly good album. It feels like classic Pearl Jam without really sounding anything like classic Pearl Jam. This one is a predominantly acoustic number, a strange thing on any Pearl Jam album but a welcome departure from their riffy electric assault.
  6. Hurray for the Riff Raff, “The Body Electric”: They just really get the folky country style, like they’ve lived it and it’s written in their bones.
  7. John Prine, “Souvenirs”: Is that really how you spell the word “souvenirs?” Why did I think it had more vowels in it, especially in the back half? I am just left confused.
  8. The Strumbrellas, “Spirits”: It’s one of those 2000s-era, over-produced pop-alternative bands with strummy acoustics and shouted team-style vocals, and I can’t get enough of it, apparently.
  9. Willie Nelson, “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain”: You can’t go wrong with the Red Headed Stranger, either the singer (Willie) or the album.
  10. The Ink Spots, “Java Jive”: I am 90% sure most of my jazz and classical music knowledge came from watching cartoons as a child. Loony Tunes, Little Lulu, Tom & Jerry…everything I know about some genres of music came from these shows, including this song. “I like coffee, I like tea/I like the java jive and it likes me.” Yes indeed.

Playlist #159: Count It In

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Happy Monday, folks. It’s SOL testing season here in Northern Virginia, so I get to spend most of my free time each school day proctoring! Woo! It’s so much fun. Today, we count it in with a selection of songs featuring – you guessed it – a count in!

  1. The Beatles, “Taxman”: George starts us off right with a song all about counting. Speaking of taxmen, I might have to fire mine, since between them they almost cost me $2000 this tax season (instead of the $500 it actually ended up being). Of course, considering my taxmen are my brother and my father, and I don’t actually pay them, I guess you could argue I’m getting what I pay for.
  2. The Presidents of the United States of America, “Cleveland Rocks”: The POTUSes know how to kick it up a notch, and it starts with a, “3, 4!”
  3. Ryan Adams, “To Be Young”: This song just bleeds in from the opening argument with Dave Rawlins (which isn’t exactly a song, since it’s just the two of them arguing about Morrissey’s catalog). It does feature a hasty count-in, though, so it…counts.
  4. Outkast, “Hey Ya!”: Why do so many songs that start with a count-in of “3, 4”? Why do we skip the one and the two? Why is five never considered? Is it because we’re always in 4/4 time? That doesn’t seem fair, exactly. Outkast know better, though, giving us a full four count.
  5. The Avett Brothers, “Will You Return?”: So do the Avett Brothers, actually! It’s nice to hear. And that heavy-strummed banjo.
  6. Pink Floyd, “Free Four”: I’m not sure if this actually counts, since “free” is not a number.
  7. Moxy Fruvous, “Earthquakes”: This one makes due with a, “1, 2, 3” count-in, skipping four entirely.
  8. U2, “Vertigo”: Someone needs to have a conversation with Bono, because, “1, 2, 3, 14” is not how we count.
  9. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “You Got Lucky”: This one just gets a “1” before Petty gives up counting and the song just starts.
  10. The Decemberists, “Shankill Butchers”: A trailing, “2, 3, 4” leads off this song about youths who will cut you, they will.

Playlist #158: More Tales from the Revolution

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Happy Monday, folks. It’s a wet and weary Monday, especially for me. I got sick over the weekend and have not fully recovered. But time and playlists (and AP Test proctoring) stop for no one!

  1. Gil Scott-Heron, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”: Gawd damn, how had I never heard this song until this weekend? It is so angry (justifiably so) and righteous (also justifiably so) and that groove is undeniable.
  2. John Lennon, “Working Class Hero”: Over the weekend, the Wife convinced me to activate Sirus XM on our car, as she was tired of “just listening to your curated playlists all the time.” Apparently she wants unpredictability in the music she listens to? That just sounds horrible to me, but that may be my weird little quirk. Anyway, I heard this song this weekend, too, probably on the same radio show as the Gil Scott-Heron track.
  3. Bruce Springsteen, “We Shall Overcome”: The looseness of the Seeger Sessions always struck me as very out of character for Springsteen, but it’s also a big part of why I love these songs so much.
  4. Adeem the Artist, “Books & Records”: The revolution will not be televised, and a lot of folks couldn’t afford to watch it even if they wanted to. While not a revolution per se, it is indicative of the folks down at the bottom of society for whom scraping by just doesn’t cut it.
  5. Bob Dylan, “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”: Who writes more bitterly, more eloquently, about the revolution than Bob?
  6. Bob Marley & the Wailers,” Redemption Song”: You get the feeling – just from listening to this song, if nothing else – that Bob Marley understood the human spirit and the drive for freedom far better than many ever will. And maybe that’s a good thing: maybe we don’t want more folks having to think long and hard about how difficult freedom is to obtain, how challenging it is to fight just to exist. But Marley knew.
  7. Buffalo Springfield, “For What It’s Worth”: I’ll take “Songs I didn’t see becoming quite so relevant again” for $500, Alex.
  8. Leadbelly, “Midnight Special”: While I absolutely love the CCR version of this one, Leadbelly gives it a little something John Fogerty never could. There’s some authenticity to Leadbelly’s version – this is a man who literally sang his way out of prison at least once – and a lived-in experience that just isn’t present in the CCR version, no matter how awesome it is.
  9. Moxy Fruvous, “Stuck in the 90s”: While we may look back through nostalgic, rose-tinted glasses at that decade of decadence and – dare I say? – hedonism, not everyone sees the 90s as the golden age we think of it as being.
  10. Tracy Chapman, “If Not Now…”: Then when?

Playlist #157

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Happy Monday, folks! I hope everyone is doing well, and that folks out in Oklahoma weren’t hit too hard by all that weather over the weekend. It looks like the city of Sulphur got beaten up pretty badly, though.

  1. Uncle Tupelo, “Steal the Crumbs”: Went through an Uncle Tupelo kick late last week, especially their final record, Anodyne. Such a good album, and Jeff Tweedy really starts to find his voice as a songwriter. But Jay Farrar is still the frontman of this band, and this song is a good example of why.
  2. Simon & Garfunkel, “Kathy’s Song”: I’m constantly amazed by what these two could do with just their voices and a single acoustic guitar.
  3. Bob Dylan, “Seven Curses”: A simple tale of a horse thief condemned to death and his daughter, whose only path to freeing him is to sleep with the crooked, sleezy judge. Who, of course, does not free her father, but has him hanged instead. She puts one hell of a curse on him for it, too: “That one doctor cannot save him/That two healers cannot heal him/And that three eyes cannot see him/That four ears cannot hear him/That five walls cannot hide him/That six diggers cannot bury him/And that seven deaths shall never kill him.”
  4. Glen Phillips, “Train Wreck”: Glen Phillips sometimes comes across as a master of songs that are depressing as all hell and very, very bittersweet.
  5. The Head and the Heart, “Rivers and Roads”: The harmonies on this one are pretty nice.
  6. Jackson Browne, “Fountains of Sorrow”: Another one of those bittersweet songs about loss of love and innocence that just feels like a nostalgic gut punch.
  7. Moxy Fruvous, “My Poor Generation”: I always wish these guys had gotten just a little bigger, had stayed together just a little bit longer, and maybe released another album or two. It was awful, coming in right at the end of their time together, getting to hear all the cool stuff they’d done and slowly realizing that, hey, that’s it, there will be no more.
  8. REM, “Sweetness Follows”: I could not for the life of me tell you what this song is about, though it always feels like an elegy to me.
  9. The National, “Lucky You”: Probably the first great song written by these guys. It’s perfect, no notes.
  10. John Prine, “The Late John Garfield Blues”: Damn, but this man wrote simple songs about complicated things. Or maybe complicated songs about simple things? A little of both?