Trick or Treat: Tam Lin

Fairport Convention: Tam Lin

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Last Week, I looked into the British folk song Cruel Sister, and found survivals of pre-Christian beliefs in the song. The case is even easier to make in the case of Tam Lin.

Faerie lore is a British tradition which allowed the natives to preserve their beliefs when the British Isles became Christianized. The old gods became the fey folk, and myths became children’s stories. Nowadays, belief in faeries and Christianity exist peacefully side by side in parts of the British Isles.

The Otherworld is the home of the fey folk, and there is a borderland between their world and ours, where humans can be lured, and from there entrapped in the Otherworld. One way this happens in Celtic myth is that a nobleman strays into this borderland while hunting a magical beast, typically a white stag. This is clearly what happens to Tam Lin, although all the song tells us is that he fell off his horse, and was captured by the Faerie Queen.

Tam Lin is paired with the Faerie queen, and the tradition of the seven-year king is followed. In this tradition, Tam Lin becomes the ruler of the Otherworld alongside the faerie queen, and he must be sacrificed after seven years to make way for the new ruler. Because he has this rank, Tam Lin can himself lure a human woman to the borderland, and mate with her.

In Celtic lore, there is a term called a geas. When Tam Lin is captured, the faerie queen places him under a geas which makes it impossible for him to escape the fate she has set for him, and return to the human realm, unless certain conditions are met. In this case, the mother of his child must meet him on Hallowe’en at a crossroads, and pull him down from his horse. She must hold him tight as the faerie queen transforms him into a series of fearsome beasts. Finally, if she holds him still, he will be transformed into his human form, and he will be free. The breaking of this geas is the trick in the song.

Hallowe’en, or Samhain, is the time in Celtic mythology when the boundaries between our world and the world of faerie break down. Then, the fey ride out from their realm in the wild hunt, seeking mortals to lure back to their world. The wild hunt is clearly what the climactic scene in Tam Lin describes.

Trick or Treat: Candy and Razor Blades

Jane Jensen: Candy and Razor Blades

Trick or treat? How about both rolled into one?

What did our mothers tell us every Halloween? Never eat unwrapped candy. Why? Because of the scare of contaminated candies they had whenever and wherever where poisons and razor blades were found in Halloween candy. Of course, this affected only a few people, and supposedly these were not even given by strangers, so the threat was probably minimal, all the same, now it is a lesson every child must hear before heading off to trick or treat every Halloween.

This song isn't about that particular trick, it's just using the idea of candy with razor blades to describe how her feelings for a particular guy feel. He's sweet, but dangerous. It explains the dichotomy of love, how good it can be, but how much it can also hurt. It might taste so good, but at what cost?

Jane Jensen makes electro-punk rock music, this song is no exception. Some know of her because she played Juliet in the cult classic film Tromeo & Juliet, which seems only fitting since she has the looks for the innocent young lover, and yet the personality to handle the absolute absurdity of the low budget pseudo-horror film they created of the Shakespeare classic. I first heard of her through a magazine spread that featured her with a very impressive mohawk, something that catches your eye when the girl wearing it looks like she could be the prom queen.

Trick or Treat: Babooshka

A babushka is the traditional head scarf worn by Russian women, and by the nesting dolls shown here.

Kate Bush: Babooshka

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Kate Bush broke onto the British music scene while still in her teens. (Does this sound like anyone you’ve heard about recently? Apparently, it happens all the time over there.) Bush’s first two albums were full of lush, to my ears way over-produced, romantic ballads. The quintessential example was “Wuthering Heights.” Bush could have continued in this vein forever, and her record company would have been happy.

But Peter Gabriel has always heard things no one else can, and Kate Bush’s voice was no exception. Gabriel hired her to sing the backing vocals on “Games Without Frontiers”, and she evidently stayed around for some of Gabriel’s recording sessions. There she encountered possibilities for what music could be that had apparently never occurred to her before. And she has embraced those possibilities and run with them ever since.

“Babooshka” comes from Kate Bush’s third album, Never Forever. The liner notes include the dedication, “To Peter Gabriel, for opening the windows.” The song is a “trick”; I will leave the rest to the listener.

Trick or Treat: Hobo Supper

A submission from Susan of Optimistic Voices

John William Davis: Hobo Supper

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This song is *not* about candy… but when the alternate theme of trickery was announced, it’s the first that popped into my head – upon initial listening (and realizing where the storyline was headed), I shook my head in wonderment and glee (and now enjoy watching others as the A-ha! Moment occurs)…

I discovered the music of John William Davis when I was a preliminary judge for the 2005 South Florida Folk Festival – I was first attracted to his Linda Lou with a Yellow Brick Road mention (and bluebirds too?... and bluebirds too...) but my payoff was more than one line in one tune. He's highly entertaining (lyrically and melodically, playing *wicked* slide and blues guitar), extremely literate (winkin', blinkin' and noddin') and very Southern (that's a good thing, Martha!) - it's disconcerting to hear 'sword of Damocles' and ‘hegemony’ sung in that so-thick-you-can-cut-it-with-a-knife exaggerated drawl…

A former Kerrville winner, and said by one reviewer to be ”Randy Newman meets Shel Silverstein”, he’s a former college professor of language and literature from St. Marys, Georgia who recently moved to Colorado – I tease John that he must have a psychic connection with his fans because there is no calendar displayed on his web page. Should you ever find out he’s playing in your area (whether by word of mouth or mental telepathy), I highly recommend – in my opinion, his best tunes are as yet unrecorded!

In John’s own words about his song Hobo Supper:

They say that every Southern fairy tale begins, "Y'all ain't gonna believe this sh_t." Well, probably the same holds true here. Paul McCartney inspired this song. I was listening to an interview he did with Terry Gross in which he related the creation of "Yesterday". According to McCartney, he dreamed the melody. Hard for me to imagine since I usually dream about such profound matters as being chased out of my house by cat burgling Jehovah's Witnesses and suddenly finding myself in a busy mall only to discover that somehow I forgot to put on my pants. At any rate, McCartney has this great melody he's literally dreamed up and then sticks in a scratch vocal based on English food groups. Something like, "Scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs and English peas." It sounded like a great technique, so I went home, went to sleep, woke up, and since no nocturnal muse bothered to visit, had to get my melody the old-fashioned way - slogging away on my guitar. After which I threw in my own scratch lyric based on Southern food groups, "You can have some catfish, you can have some Cole slaw…" I waited patiently for the muse to hand over, as it apparently had to McCartney, the lyric for a classic pop tune. After some time, I gave up and began trying to write a story around my "meal".

Submitted by Susan

Trick or Treat: Caramel

Suzanne Vega: Caramel

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I’ve searching around for some “treats” for this week, and I have reached a conclusion: all such songs are actually about sexual attraction. “Caramel” is certainly no exception. But where “Candyman Blues” and even “Lollipop” are very clear about their intentions, “Caramel” is all suggestion. All are great songs, but Suzanne Vega’s tune is all the more intense for what it doesn’t say.

Suzanne Vega was the first artist I ever posted here at Starmaker. I apologize to her for waiting so long to get back to her work.

Trick Or Treat: I Want Candy

Strangeloves: I Want Candy

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Bow Wow Wow: I Want Candy

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I know the song is a double entendre, but one side of the equation is close enough for government work. Besides, it's on mega Halloween collections and paid compilers are way smarter than I, right? Enough of this, time to get back to Count Floyd's Monster Chiller Horror Theatre - they're running Dr. Tongue's Evil House of Wax and I don't want to miss one drop of blood.



The Strangeloves - I Want Candy


Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy

Trick or Treat: Rebellious

Kacy Crowley: Rebellious

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This was the first song that came to mind when I heard the theme for the week. That's mostly because the song actually mentions children misbehaving on Halloween, so it felt appropriate. Overall, though, the song is an autobiography of the singer-songwriter and how she went from a normal little girl with loving parents to a rebellious adolescent, a drug-addled young adult and finally a professional musician finally finding her voice. It tells the tale in such a way as to make it sound both extraordinary as well as make it feel like it could be anyone you know.

I turned thirteen and I tried smoking pot
It was Halloween, so we didn't get caught.
Dressed up like hobos and hookers
Eating candy like crooks in the bushes.

Trick or Treat: A Quick One While He's Away

The Who - A Quick One While He's Away [purchase]

There's a very good possibility this song doesn't meet the theme's criteria. But, it does have a few things going for it.

1) Features a girl who spends a year cheating on her boyfriend. When he finally comes back from wherever he was gone, she admits that she kissed a few guys, sat on Ivor the engine driver's lap, and later, took a nap with Ivor. Of course, "napping" was that generation's "rusty trombone." So there's that.

2) Said dirty old sooty engine driver offers the little girl "a sweet" to take a walk with him ... to sort it out ... back at his place, maybe. Nudge nudge wink wink.

3) When the little girl's boyfriend finally returns, she asks, perhaps rhetorically, "I can’t believe it. Do my eyes deceive me? Am I back in your arms? Away from all harm?" To which, the boyfriend responds, "Harm? What harm? Show me on this doll where Ivor the engine driver harmed you. Seriously? There? And THERE?!?! My God, do I need a haz-mat suit?!?!"

4) Oh yeah, forgot to mention that this might be the greatest live version of any single song in the history of mankind. Surely, such ear candy counts for something.

5) On a meta-level, it was fiendishly clever of The Who to get themselves booked on the Rolling Stones' "Rock 'n' Roll Circus." Their performance was so inspired, controlled chaos incarnate, that by comparison, the Stones ... especially famed blackface minstrel, Mick Jagger* ... appeared to be slogging through some sort of gelatinous muck. It's almost painful to watch. And by painful, I mean, God bless The Who.

From the video archives, a Halloween treat for y'all:



* I love the Stones and I'm just busting Jagger's chops. Besides, we all know he didn't actually wear blackface. It was merely implied.

Trick or Treat: Don't Wake The Scarecrow

The Felice Brothers: Don’t Wake The Scarecrow

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So the song here has nothing to do with Halloween, Tricks, or Treats, but as soon as I ran across it, I thought of one thing:



Be careful out there folks...

Trick or Treat: Lollipop

Ben Kweller: Lollipop

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Our theme this week is either-or dichotomy, allowing for the realities of door to door carousing: though I have many more fond memories of proffered candy baskets and miniature, individually-wrapped sweets than I do of haunted houses and neighborhood goofballs opening the door dressed as an axe-murderer, I had my share of scared moments and live worms in the candy bowl as a child, and hope my children will have opportunity for the same this Halloween.

Here's a halloween-appropriate song, given its high kitsch value, and its origin on the Stubbs the Zombie soundtrack: a cover of old fifties harmony tune Lollipop from Ben Kweller. Great fifties harmonies, but its still a product of its age, with just the right aura of ragged indiecred when compared to the polished original. Under the fluffy delivery, this has always been a truly sexualized song, presenting a girlfriend as an object to devour and savor, "sweeter than candy on a stick". But then, there's nothing that innocent about Halloween, either, when it comes down to it. Bring on the treats, and the danger of trickery lurking everywhere.

Trick or Treat: Lady Waters and the Hooded One

Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians: Lady Waters and the Hooded One

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This year, I got a treat. I have long bemoaned the fact that the work of Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians was out of print and unavailable. I have these albums on vinyl only, and I no longer have anything to play them on. But now, Element of Light, Fegmania, and Globe of Frogs have all been reissued on CD.

“Lady Waters and the Hooded One” comes from Element of Light. The song sounds like one of those morbid British folk songs, but is actually a Robyn Hitchcock original. Here. Lady Waters comes face to face with Death, as the plague rages through her town. The question for the listener is: who tricks who?

Adjective Noun: White Wedding

The Harvey Girls: White Wedding

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(This is from a free album that is downloadable on their website, and is not available for purchase)

I thought I'd get one more grammar-tastic song in while it's still this week.

This song combines a lot of things I love:
1) cover songs
2) 80's pop music
3) female vocals
4) acoustic/folk music

I've heard other covers done of this Billy Idol classic, but this one really impresses me, but then again I am a sucker for all the things listed above. Most of The Harvey Girls' music is available free on their website (linked above), and this song in particular is from their covers album Our History Is Your Kitsch.

Adjective Noun: High Water

Bob Dylan: High Water

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Recorded live in Niagara Falls on August 23, 2003, this one´s from Tell Tale Signs, the brand new installment in the Bootleg Series. Bob really is on fire here, and so is his touring band. Definitely an improvement on the studio version from "Love And Theft", which wasn´t too shabby to begin with. 

´A prime example of how honing a song on the road can completely transform it,´ says Larry ´Ratso´ Sloman in the liner notes, and he´s spot on. "I get up in the morning, I believe I'll dust my broom, keepin' away from the women, I'm giving them lots of room... Thunder rolling over Clarksdale, everything a-looking blue, I just can't be happy, love, unless you're happy too... It's bad out there, highwater everywhere."

Clearly a case of love, not theft. High Water is subtitled For Charley Patton, in honour of the legendary Delta bluesman who recorded his own High Water in two parts. "Well, backwater done rose all around Sumner now, drove me down the line, backwater done rose at Sumner, drove poor Charley down the line... Lord, I'll tell the world the water, done crept through this town." Here they are.

Charley Patton: High Water Part One

Charley Patton: High Water Part Two

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Adjective Noun: Think Tank

Prescott Curlywolf - Think Tank [purchase]

"Placated angst, what for?
The strings that tethered me
Vacated sleeves that I've worn
No foot on the brakes, no foot on the brakes for me."

As the years pass, I'm convinced that Prescott Curlywolf is the greatest band to ever come out of Austin, TX -- at least within the last 25-30 years. Granted, the Butthole Surfers have a strong argument, Scratch Acid, The Dicks, and Big Boys have the entrenched nostalgia of old-school punks on their side, Spoon gets the chicks and sells out all manner of venue, The Gourds and Bad Livers can thumbwrestle for anarcho-acoustic crown, and lest we forget, Stevie Ray & Double Trouble have the tragic mythos. I'm sure there's a dozen other bands with more luck and better PR who could leap to the top of the GOAT poll.

But, Prescott has Rob Bernard (pictured right) and thusly the discussion ends. The only guitar player I've ever heard able to successfully reconcile Eddie Van Halen with D. Boon, Bernard distills what could easily be self-indulgent wankery into :30 explosions of vicious economy, like Keith Moon on punk rock Telecaster. Combine his less-is-more genius with songwriting partner, Ron Byrd's, power-trash melodicism, and Prescott, at their best, were the perfect synthesis of The Replacements and Nirvana, as if Kurt Cobain was composing with Bob Stinson's guitar thrash in mind. Add to this the occasional Black Franciscan songwriting contributions of bassist, Tim Kinard, and you have a band ... a fearless, rat-a-tat rhythm machine of a band, no less ... that managed to reference three post-punk giants without devolving into the calculated and formulaic Red Bull jingles painfully common in the fashion-first Pitchfork Era. That's one man's think tank summary anyway. No foot on the brakes for me.

For a comprehensive summary of this great band, please visit The Adios Lounge.

Adjective Noun: Dire Wolf

Grateful Dead: Dire Wolf

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I am a very strange example of a Grateful Dead fan. I never got to see them live. And, while I greatly admire the instrumental acrobatics of their live recordings, I often prefer the studio versions of their songs, because many of the live recordings feature the worst vocal performances you will ever hear from anyone. That said, give me a live recording of theirs with good vocals, and I’m in heaven.

Workingman’s Dead was my introduction to the music of the Grateful Dead. And Dire Wolf is my favorite song from the album. An original song by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, the song nevertheless has the quality of a folktale.

The lyrics are by Hunter, and I never tried to find out what he meant by them. I have always had my own interpretation. The song says, “the dire wolf... was grinning at my window. All I said was come on in.” Clearly, I thought, the wolf cannot enter a house without being invited in. That means the wolf represents the Devil. They sit down to game of cards. Presumably, if the narrator wins, his soul is safe from the Devil’s clutches forever. But, of course the Devil cheats. “I cut my deck to the queen of spades, but the cards were all the same.” Not what the narrator expected! And the last verse describes the Devil seeking out other souls.

In researching this post, I find no backing for this interpretation whatsoever. However, all Robert Hunter has ever said is that the song was inspired by The Hound of the Baskervilles. So I’m sticking to my story.

Adjective Noun: Malted Milk

Robert Johnson: Malted Milk

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If you couldn’t tell, I’m having fun with this week’s theme. There are so many songs to choose from, you can just browse through your favorite artists and find one that fits. I vote for more grammar/song title-related themes.

For further proof that this theme is universal, and even timeless, here’s The King of the Delta Blues singing about one of the many vices that lead to his early departure.

Adjective Noun: True Colors

Cyndi Lauper: True Colors

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Not posting hit songs? Sorry, but this one's also worth it. I've been a fan of Cyndi Lauper for almost as long as I can remember. I love her voice, but I think it's always been more her persona that made me admire her. There's no one quite like her, and there's just no voice quite like hers either.

"True Colors" is just one of those songs that is so simple and touching that it seems timeless. It's been recorded by many different artists, but none seem to hit the spot quite like Cyndi's does.

Adjective Noun: Red Rain

Peter Gabriel: Red Rain

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In general, we Starmakers tend not to post hit songs. I have never heard that it was a rule, but we tend to be drawn to artists and songs that are not as well known as, perhaps, they should be. But there are exceptions.

Peter Gabriel’s “Red Rain” went to #3 on the Billboard chart in 1987. The third single from the album So, it probably wouldn’t have done so well if it hadn’t followed “Sledgehammer” and “Big Time” up the charts.

To my ear, “Red Rain” does not sound like a hit, even in the 1980s. The song combines electronic textures with Gabriel’s growing interest in world music. The lyrics are enigmatic; look the song up on Wikipedia and you will find three different interpretations. The closest thing to a pop element is the fact that the song has a great groove.

On the other hand, try listening to some of the 80s biggest hits today. Stripped of their newness, many of these songs prove to be interchangeable and disposable. And you’re talking to someone who thinks the 1980s were one the greatest decades for pop music ever. “Red Rain” is another story, however. Whatever it may be about, it still sounds as fresh to me now as it did then.

Adjective Noun: Simple Girl

Max Stalling: Simple Girl

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Simple girl, but that's what Max likes about her.
Simple song, but that's what i like about it.

“Simple Girl, are you out there listening?
Simple Girl… Do You Exist?
Simple Girl, I'll bet your at the dime store,
But every time I go to shop, I forget my list.”

Adjective Noun: Dumb Fun

Juliana Hatfield: Dumb Fun

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Hatfield's heavy indierock at its best: a proto-hipster anti-commericalist anthem turned out in low-tuned electric fuzz and feedback. This roller coaster of a song, and the amazingly potent scream that is 1995 release Only Everything, totally got me through young adulthood -- the song, and the memory of meeting Juliana Hatfield and Evan Dando wandering the halls of that same school afterhours one day near the end of my senior year, just me and these new grunge gods hanging in the hallway. They thought I was a teacher, maybe. Now I am.

Also incredible, and thematically relevant: the languid, muffled cry of rage that is Dying Proof, off the same album.