the rolling stones

Playlist #239

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Happy Monday, folks! It’s Thanksgiving this Thursday, or “Thursday” as most of the world calls it. Americans call it an excuse to stuff ourselves silly with turkey and more pies than is advisable under any circumstances. America: We may be obese, but at least we also have shitty health care.

  1. Todd Snider, “Alcohol and Pills”: Only just now discovering this guy’s music is like learning about a great novelist who wrote all these books that you know you’ll love but simultaneously discovering that he’s also dead and there won’t be anymore new stuff from him. Except he plays guitar.
  2. Fastball, “You’re an Ocean”: From the album after their big breakout. It’s a solid song. Does it do anything new or exciting? No. But it’s charming and fun and bouncy and features a nice guitar lick, so it gets a pass.
  3. Marc Scibilia, “More to This”: Dude finally released a whole album, and it’s pretty good indie singer-songwriter stuff, but this is still the best song on the thing.
  4. Florence + the Machine, “Everybody Scream”: I feel like Florence Welch has the right idea here, folks.
  5. Jimmy Cliff, “Many Rivers to Cross”: This man just passed, and I’m listening to his version of this song off of “Later with Joles Holland,” and damn could he sing.
  6. Big Red Machine, “Mimi”: I just like the rhythm to this one, I guess.
  7. Ra Ra Riot, “Ghost Under Rocks”: When was the last time I listened to this band? I need to go back and give them a listen again, I think.
  8. Glen Phillips, “Thankful”: It is Thanksgiving week, after all, and I do have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve got a job and a wife and a car and a place to live, I have all the things I need to do so comfortably, and I own more guitars than a saner woman would let me own. Someday, I may even be able to retire and live out the rest of my days as a curmudgeonly old man who yells at clouds.
  9. The Rolling Stones, “Mother’s Little Helper”: If at least five people reading this don’t feel the need to reach for a bottle of mother’s little helper this week, I don’t know my audience.
  10. Josh Ritter, “Wait for Love (You Know You Will)”: It’s a sweet love song. Sort of.

Playlist #230

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Happy Monday, folks. I’ve been a bit down the past few days, which may or may not have affected my choice in music. Let’s take a look at the playlist and see.

  1. Glen Campbell, “Wichita Lineman”: Heard this song last night and it made me cry.
  2. Counting Crows, “Holiday in Spain”: The saddest song about being on holiday in Spain I’ve ever heard. I would assume being on holiday in Spain is a joyous occasion, not one so somber.
  3. Genesis, “No Reply At All”: One of the most upbeat songs about getting ghosted I’ve ever heard.
  4. case/lang/veirs, “Atomic Number”: How can a song ostensibly about the periodic table feel so sad? There’s just so much longing and loss in this song that I can’t help but love it.
  5. The National, “Afraid Of Everyone”: “You’re an oasis, darling, in my soul soul soul soul” on repeat in my brain for the rest of the day.
  6. Van Morrison, “Not Supposed To Break Down”: A Van cast off that’s better than most bands’ best song.
  7. Spoon, “Everything Hits At Once”: It sure does, It sure does.
  8. Hem, “The Part Where You Let Go”: I love this band. They’re one of my go-tos when I’m feeling down. Very cinematic and widescreen in the best possible ways.
  9. Wilco, “Handshake Drugs”: Four-chord songs are fun to play sometimes. I love playing this one.
  10. The Rolling Stones, “19th Nervous Breakdown”: I dunno if it’s the nineteenth one or not, but I do feel like I narrowly avoided a breakdown last night. Why’s the world so overwhelming right now?

Playlist #222

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Happy last Monday in July, folks! August will be here at the end of the week, which means we’ve reached the time of year when I don’t have a paycheck coming in (why the school system still only does teacher paychecks over 11 months instead of 12 is beyond me). So, if anyone wanted to buy a book or a CD to help a guy out, now would definitely be the time!

  1. Tom Lehrer, “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park”: Man, Tom Lehrer died over the weekend. In other news, holy crap, Tom Lehrer was still alive. Go poison a pigeon in his honor.
  2. The Move, “I Can Hear the Grass Grow”: It’s not hippy-drippy hearing the grass grow, it’s muscular, bottom-heavy rock hearing the grass grow. There is a difference.
  3. Mission of Burma, “That’s When I Reach For My Revolver”: I came to this song through Moby, of all people. The album is from 1981, and sounds like it could’ve come out in 2005 or anytime in between.
  4. Black Sabbath, “War Pigs”: I will forgive this song for rhyming “masses” with “masses,” because even though they are the same exact word, it’s a different meaning in each instance, and it doesn’t feel like Ozzy is rhyming a word with itself.
  5. Big Country, “In A Big Country”: It’s pretty ballsy, naming your biggest hit after your band name, but Big Country manages to pull it off.
  6. The Rolling Stones, “Let It Bleed”: There are just some things we can all agree that we need, including someone we can lean/bleed on. Mick Jagger knew it, and you know it.
  7. Them, “Here Comes the Night”: It’s too loud and nervy to be wistful, too wistful to be punky, and too Van Morrison to ignore.
  8. The Kinks, “Everybody’s Gonna Be Happy”: Everybody clap as fast as you can! No, faster!
  9. Yael Naim, “New Soul”: Remember when this song was used in an ad for the iPod? Remember when there were dedicated music players, separate from our phones? Good times.
  10. The Both, “No Sir”: I’m just a sucker for anything involving Aimee Mann. I’ve come to terms with it, as should you.

Playlist #200

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Happy Monday, folks. We’re almost to the end of February, which means next week is March: the month of my birth! That’s beside the point, though. Here’s some songs.

  1. Joel R.L. Phelps & The Downer Trio, “Lost Continent”: Heavier than my usual fare, I’ll be the first to admit. I blame John Darnielle for this one, as he’s the guy who was talking about this album on BlueSky the other day. I kinda love the idea that love is a lost continent. It’s a brilliant metaphor, I think.
  2. Role Model, “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”: This one isn’t my fault, either. Poppier than usual, but with a bit of twang and slide guitar, and a sing-along chorus that is pretty damn infectious.
  3. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Room at the Top”: This is one of the most beautiful songs Tom Petty ever wrote, and it’s just heartbreaking as you get to that last verse. “Yeah, I keep doing those things on TV, I love you/Please love me, I’m not so bad/And I love you so.” And then the whole band kicks back in for that last chorus. Gets me every time.
  4. St. Vincent, “Broken Man”: St. Vincent does fantastical things with every new album, and I’m kinda here for it, honestly.
  5. David Gray, “A Clean Pair of Eyes”: I honestly can’t say why, but I really love David Gray’s Lost Songs collection. There’s just so much good stuff here.
  6. The Rolling Stones, “Honky Tonk Women”: Some days, you just need a little honky tonk in your life.
  7. Drive-By Truckers, “Everybody Needs Love”: Still one of the best songs the band has ever written, with such a simple message.
  8. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Someday Never Comes”: How John Fogerty could write such a heartbreaking song, I’ll never know.
  9. Bob Dylan, “Song To Woody”: How do you tell your hero they’re your hero?
  10. Mavis Staples, “Eyes on the Prize”: This woman has lived through so much, has sung so many amazing songs, and her version of this old tune still grabs me and holds my attention every time.

Playlist #196

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Happy Monday, folks! It’s the end of the 2nd quarter here in Northern Virginia, which means I’m officially halfway through my 20th school year. Yes, I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to get through high school, too. Here’s a playlist to get us through the week.

  1. David Gray, “Singing for the Pharaoh”: New David Gray always makes my heart happy. This time around, there’s an emphasis on electronic beats, swirling keyboards, and fingerpicked acoustic guitar, which is pretty classic David Gray circa White Ladder. Very fun.
  2. Bob Dylan, “Boots of Spanish Leather”: One of the absolute saddest songs Dylan ever penned. Just the narrator begging and pleading for his love not to leave, and the eventual resignation to it. Gorgeous and sad.
  3. Nanci Griffith, “Across the Great Divide”: A lovely cover of an old Kate Wolf tune that ditches the corny harmonica for fiddle.
  4. Tom Petty, “To Find a Friend (Live)”: Already one of my favorite songs on Wildflowers, this version (from the Wildflowers box set) is beautiful and heartfelt and bittersweet.
  5. The Rolling Stones, “Let It Bleed”: Classic-era Stones just hits different. You forget that they’re now barely-animated corpses trotting out retreads of their greatest tunes and styles.
  6. The Pretenders, “Don’t Get Me Wrong”: I love Chrissy Hinde and the Pretenders. They had such a hard edge to some of their stuff, and then there’s the vulnerable songs like this one that show they’re more than just punky rockers.
  7. Nouvelle Vague, “Ever Fallen In Love”: Who doesn’t love punk songs covered as though they were actually bossa nova songs?
  8. Dolly Parton, “Seven Bridges Road”: Dolly’s read on this old song is absolutely gorgeous and actually brought Jason Isbell to tears when he listened to her sing it live once.
  9. Cat Stevens, “Father and Son”: Okay, I have a soft spot for Cat Stevens songs. He’s a good sad sack songwriter, and I’m a sucker for that.
  10. America, “Ventura Highway”: If you’re listening to this song while driving, don’t be surprised when you look down at your speedometer and realize you’re doing at least twenty over the speed limit. It’s good cruising music.

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 #153 – Annabelle the Horsewoman

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Happy Tuesday, folks! I returned from the great wide west to my humble abode in Virginia safe and sound. And today is eldest niece Annabelle’s birthday! In her honor, all of the songs have to do with horses, ’cause that girl is equestrian.

  1. Bob Dylan, “All The Tired Horses”: The kickoff to the infamous Self Portrait album doesn’t even feature any Dylan vocals. Which probably should’ve been a sign to folks, I think.
  2. Moxy Fruvous, “Horseshoes”: “You keep handin’ out horseshoes/Horseshoes have gotta be tossed.”
  3. America, “Horse With No Name”: Spoiler alert: you don’t have to keep riding a nameless horse. You can give it a name anytime you want. Horses don’t care. They don’t know their names.
  4. Bruce Springsteen, “Silver Palomino”: According to britannica.com., a palomino is a “colour type of horse distinguished by its cream, yellow, or gold coat and white or silver mane and tail.” Which…I mean, I guess you can refer to a horse by its mane color primarily, sorta like we do with hair color, except humans aren’t completely covered in hair that gives us a much better descriptor we could use, Bruce.
  5. Aerosmith, “Back In The Saddle”: If you fall out of the saddle, this song encourages you to get back up and climb back into it once more. Whereas I would say, “Bugger that for a lark, I’m gonna go have a lie down.” Because I apparently became British when I fell.
  6. Counting Crows, “Another Horsedreamer’s Blues”: Why does dreaming of horses give one the blues? I do not know. Maybe it’s because they’re so expensive?
  7. The Rolling Stones, “Wild Horses”: I dunno, I get the feeling wild horses would not want to be employed, let alone to drag anyone anywhere. But maybe that’s just me.
  8. Soul Coughing, “16 Horses”: I have so many questions. Why is she pushing the horses? Why sixteen of them, specifically? You guys have a lot of explaining to do.
  9. The Beatles, “Dig A Pony”: But not as much explaining as John Lennon has. Why do you dig a pony, John? And how? What is…is this a sex thing? Do I really even want an answer to that question?
  10. Tom Waits, “Pony”: Why does he sound so sad while he sings about riding his pony? I thought these things made people happy. I don’t understand.

Playlist #145: Grammy Edition

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Happy Monday, folks! Yesterday they had the Grammy awards, and once again I was shunned by the RIAA. Soon, very soon, they shall feel my revenge. It will be swift, subtle, and probably completely unnoticed by anyone in any position of authority or power. Anyway, here’s a bunch of Grammy-related songs.

  1. Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”: If you missed seeing her perform this song with Luke Combs last night, you need to find it and watch it. That woman has not lost a single step. If you’re not crying joyous tears by the end, your heart is harder than mine. Or maybe it’s missing, I dunno.
  2. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, “This Ain’t It”: He won for best Americana album last night for Weathervanes, as well as best Americana song for “Cast Iron Skillet.” Hard to disagree with either of those choices, honestly.
  3. Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”: And apparent she has a new album dropping in April, with the dope title Tortured Poets Department. Can’t say this woman doesn’t bust her ass getting things done.
  4. boygenius, “Satanist”: These three are just flat-out awesome. Spent a good chunk of the weekend listening to this album again, and it slaps.
  5. Foo Fighters, “Nothing At All”: The Foos continue to rock my face off.
  6. Joni Mitchell, “Down To You”: Joni Mitchell is an institution and the fact that she performed last night is a thing we should all be so very thankful for.
  7. Noah Kahan, “Dial Drunk”: Folks, don’t drunk dial your ex. Nothing good ever comes of it.
  8. The Rolling Stones, “Angry”: Kinda nice to see the old fogies still getting a mention.
  9. SZA, “Ghost in the Machine”: Hadn’t ever listened to anything SZA has ever done, but this song sounds nice. I kinda dig it.
  10. Luke Combs, “Fast Car”: And we round things up with the Luke Combs version of this song, which sorta kicked this whole thing off.

Playlist #132

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Happy beginning of November, folks! The days are shorter, the nights are longer, and the sun sets at 5:00 now. These tunes ought to keep you going through the darkness, though.

  1. Golden Earring, “Twilight Zone”: I guess I’d never really thought much about the chorus to this song, but holy crap did I apparently not know, like, any of it. “It’s just like steppin’ into the Twilight Zone/This is a madhouse, feels like bein’ cloned/My beacon’s been moved under moon and star/Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far?” Like, I had never in my life parsed even half of those lyrics. This song is just wild, man.
  2. The Beatles, “Now And Then”: Anyone with even a passing interest in my writings or who I am as a person knows that the Beatles are my all-time favorite band. Sure, it’s a cliché, but when your father is a Boomer, you have to expect things like this. And this is billed as the “final” Beatles song. Well, the last one made featuring original work from all four Beatles, I’m sure. And it’s not bad! Like “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” it was made using an old demo Lennon made that the other three built around, but they had to use Peter Jackson’s AI unmixer to isolate Lennon’s vocals on the track. The result is that he comes through real clear, more so than on the two Anthology songs. Is it the best Beatles song? No, far from it. Is it still pretty damn good? Yes.
  3. The Rolling Stones, “Bite My Head Off”: Everything old is new again. The Stones put out a new album (only their second or so of the 21st century?), and it’s not bad. It’s not essential, but they left that behind decades ago and are mostly coasting on cool factor now. And that’s okay. If I were in the Rolling Stones, I’d be coasting by on having written some of the best damn rock’n’roll songs of all time, too, by the time I hit my 80s. Not working on new material. This one features Paul and Ringo from the Beatles, even! Pauls’ bass riff at the end is nasty stuff, and I love it.
  4. P!nk, “Who Knew”: Why does she spell her name with an exclamation point? I have no answer. But I kinda dig this song anyway.
  5. Semisonic, “Only Empathy”: Semisonic always hits a bright, warm spot in my heart, and their new album positively glows with energy and love. I particularly like this song.
  6. Tom Petty, “There Goes Angela (Dream Away)”: I always have a place in my heart for Tom Petty music, especially from the Wildflowers/She’s the One era. This particular demo/home recording is simple and gorgeous.
  7. Josh Ritter, “Getting Ready To Get Down”: If I understand the lyrics to this one correctly (and I’ll be the first to admit that my literary analysis skills have waned over the years), I’m pretty sure this is the story of a young woman who discovers she’s a lesbian, gets sent to Bible college, and comes back even more lesbian. Hey, even some of those “little Bible college[s] in Missouri” will teach you something about the world if you’re not careful!
  8. Cory Branan, “When In Rome, When In Memphis”: I absolutely love the chorus and coda to this song. “When I go, I ghost” is just a great lyric.
  9. The National, “Wake Up Your Saints”: High Violet is still the best the National album and even its outtakes and bonus tracks prove that.
  10. Bob Dylan, “False Prophet”: For a while there, I was concerned that Dylan had lost a step or two. I mean, I get one album of Sinatra covers, but three? And one of them was a freakin’ triple album? That seems excessive. But Rough and Rowdy Ways was a fun album full of the Dylan lyricism and in-jokes I’ve come to expect from the man, and I just have to stand in awe that even as he eases into his 80s he’s still releasing exciting and interesting new stuff. The Stones could probably take a tip or two.