Secret Santa 2004 - Reviews (better late than never...)
Jim's Mix
A really great, diverse mix, with excellent sequencing, and the ending track with David Sedaris is hysterical. I really liked every song, except for Combustible (and hey, 14 out of 15 ain't bad). Highlights for me included I'll Be On My Way, Letter From an Occupant (I'll probably have to check out a New Pornographers album), Because of You (I'm often a sucker for a big, brassy, jazzy number with lots of horns), among others.
Minty Fresh and Fucking Gorgeous! - socialretard's mix
A fantastic sampling of some more obscure indie rock from the past few years, and that's just what I needed, because the recent albums I own are mainly the ridiculously acclaimed ones. Most of these songs fit my taste perfectly. As a side note, the McLusky song here comes from a CD that has perhaps the greatest album title ever: The Difference Between Me and You Is That I'm Not on Fire. I really liked every song except Way of the Light, but I'll try to narrow it down to 5 highlights out of 21 (and the 5 may just vary with my mood): Natural Disasters, Bleeding Powers, Ephedrine Blue, Idiot Heart, and In the Backseat.
A mix with an I on it, with an insert that says "Listen first..." I think there is some sort of "Listen first" conspiracy here. I'm not sure whose mix this is.
This one is a bit hard for me to review, because it mainly focused on genres of music I'm pretty unfamiliar with. It is mostly jazz and world music with a few pop standards, though there are a few songs that are a bit more like what I would normally listen to. I still found much to like here, some within the latter category (Hollow Man) and some outside it (Miguelito Valdes's Negra Leono). It is an great sampling of some music that I wouldn't ordinarily check out.
Many, many thanks to all three of you, especially Jim for facilitating all this!
Thanks AJ! It's funny, when I was making that list I immediately pegged "Combustible" as the song most likely to be disliked. I too am a sucker for lots of horns.
Have you heard Van Morrison's Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile), They Might Be Giants' No One Knows My Plan, the Rolling Stones' Rocks Off, or the Clash's Wrong 'Em Boyo? These are a few songs that really satisfy my horns craving.
I also go in for The Beatles' Good Morning...
Rocks Off rocks. When the horns slide, have we any choice but to do the same?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Y'know, I don't think I've heard any of those! At the very least, the titles don't conjure them up in my mind.
Van's song is on his best-of, and I am willing to bet that is the one you are most likely to have heard and not recognize by title.
The Beatles' tune is on Sgt. Peppers, and the Stones song is the opening track to Exile. The Clash classic is from London Calling.
I'll let AJ fill you in on the other song... :)
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
No One Knows My Plan is on TMBG's John Henry, a really fun, upbeat number. It also contains a reference to Plato's cave allegory.
I keep getting the horn part to No One Knows My Plan confused wih the arrangement for The Doors' Touch Me. I have no idea why... okay: Yes I do. I can't tell the difference between them. That is what's confusing me. Please don't tell me that Ray Manzarek is owed more money.
Stronger than dirt!
"Good Morning," indeed. When you said "Rocks Off" I first thought of Primal Scream's Rocks Off. But I think I've heard of the Rolling Stones. Which means Jimmy Price and Bobby Keys. Which means the sprawling drug fest of a band that was Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen and the guys that cut Eric Clapton's first record. Doo doo doo doo doo doo...
But what I meant to say was, "Sir Duke." And "10th Avenue Freeze Out."
Heck, we haven't even dug into soul yet...
Although for BS horns, I'll take Meeting Across the River, though that might be out of flavor with the above...
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Yeah! Randy Brecker rules almost as much as his brother... and the live version of 10th Ave with the Miami Horns is jubilant.
Miami Horns. The Brecker Brothers. Tower of Power. Muscle Shoals. Stax/Volt. The JBs. Funk Brothers.
mmmm... Funk Brothers.
Funk Brothers... Stax/Volt... What's not to love?
Shalom, y'all!
L. Bangs
Michael Brecker played saxophone on 10th Avenue Freeze Out. The NYTimes reports that he is very ill and has stopped performing. That's a very bad sign for a jazz musician.
"I don't know if my neighbors would appreciate it," he said, referring to his fellow patients.Brecker has myelodysplastic syndrome (a form of cancer) and is hoping for a donor match. The jazz community has launched a donor drive at concerts far and wide.
Brecker has played with virtually everyone under the sun.
Michael Brecker has passed.
Even if you think you've never heard him, you have. Most people haven't heard of him. Everyone has heard him.
His most famous work is the saxophone intro to Dire Straits' "Your Latest Trick." On the album version his solo follows the trumpet work of his brother, Randy, the other half of The Brecker Brothers. In the mid '80s Michael Brecker was in the SNL band and every week he played the tenor solo over the opening credits. He was, yes, instrumental in the design and development of the Akai EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument) as well as its greatest practitioner.
Michael Brecker was the first call session musician when you needed a tenor saxophone. A quick look at his discography reveals some of his work with Chet Baker, James Brown, Edie Brickell, Bootsy's Rubber Band, Michael Bolton and Blue Oyster Cult among many others. And that's just from the 'Bs.' He was also in Paul Simon's touring band along with fellow super-session players (and former Stuff members) Tony Levin, Richard Tee, Eric Gale, Cornell Dupree and Steve Gadd.
Almost two decades ago Brecker co-founded Steps Ahead with vibraphonist Mike Mainieri. Here's an excellent solo with his old mates, post myelodysplastic syndrome. (full version) I will say this: the tribute concert is going to be awesome.
The worst thing that I can say about Michael Brecker is that he chose very unfortunate song titles... "Its Bynne Reel," "Funky Sea, Funky Dew" etc... and he left the bandstand too soon.
You're 3rd CD sounds like mine except I don't think it has the same songs. What gives Jim? Who is the Listen First bandit?
But yours has a III on it, and mine has a I. My guess is that three people got together and all sent in three separate discs that all had "Listen first..." on them. That's the conspiracy I was talking about.
My Listen First CD was all dance tracks with a few remixes thrown in. Doesn't sound like yours. I think they were all different.
Did your Listen First CD have a number on it?
I know our CDs aren't the same. I'm just saying if I were to read your description of your CD it would sound like you were describing my CD. I know for a fact they aren't the same. I'm wondering if one person instead of creating a CD and then duplicating it made unique CDs.
But look here. You, me, and jokow11 all got Listen firsts, and at that link, we see that so did Imposter and Kza. I also know that geek got a Listen first. So that's 6 of them right there.
I know that. I think there is a connection between the people who created Listen First CDs. Maybe they know each other in the real world?
One person submitted 5 distinct pairs of CDs (in effect being 5 people rolled into one).
So in your count of 16, did you count that person as 5 people or 1 person?
One.