Trains: Love Like A Train

Giant Sand: Love Like A Train

[purchase]

Here’s a good one about how love can be like a train, among other things. I like the organ and funky guitar parts.

Giant Sand is a pretty interesting group to check out if you haven’t yet. This song comes from my favorite Giant Sand album, The Love Songs, released in 1988. It's a good place to start if you can find it, but right now it looks to be out of print.

1989: Love's Recovery

Indigo Girls: Love's Recovery (live version)

[purchase]

How appropriate I'm posting this on Valentine's Day - for our 30th wedding anniversary (we've now been married 33 1/2 years), I made my husband a mix CD of love songs that portrayed the "it ain't easy, baby... but it's ours" side of long-term relationships (with this tune included). Marriage is a series of One Day At a Times - one can't experience the joie de vivre without the sturm und drang... and I try never to take my good love for granted...

This is yet another song with just-back-from-Puerto-Rico memories - I remember seeing the Closer to Fine video and falling in love with the Indigo Girls: one fair, the other dark; one soft-voiced, the other urgent; one romantic, the other realistic. Their combined yin-yang, flip-sides-of-the-same-coin captivated me in a way I had not been the previous 4 1/2 years - I was smitten and of course had to buy their eponymous recording (on cassette at the time, I confess). What a treat to discover the rest of the album as fine (pun semi-intended) as the song that introduced me - I don't think it left my car's player for weeks (and as a then-suburban mom, I spent a *lot* of time in my car!).

From Everything2.com:

"Indigo Girls", their first major-label album, was released in February 1989. Guest artists on the album included REM, Hothouse Flowers and Luka Bloom. "Closer to Fine", the first single, peaked at #52 on the Billboard chart. The album reached as high as #22, remained in the chart for 35 weeks, and was certified gold in September 1989. Also that year, "Indigo Girls" won a Grammy Award in the category "Best Contemporary Folk Recording". The duo was also nominated for a Grammy Award in the category "Best New Artist".

It took me years to hear Love's Recovery references to same-sex relationships ("not content to bow and bent to the whims of culture that swoop like vultures eating us away... to our extinction"), although it certainly fit all the criteria I had for my 'til-death-do-us-part mix as well - we've watched so many of our friends allow themselves to succumb to the hardships, rather than choose to continue the work necessary to maintain and further growth and connection...

"Nobody gets a lifetime rehearsal, as specks of dust we're universal, to let this love survive would be the greatest gift we could give" - Happy V-Day!

1989: Three More

I would love to have time for three more posts this week, but I don’t. Each of these songs and their albums are worthy of a full post of their own. But I certainly didn’t want to leave any of them out.

Kate Bush: The Sensual World

[purchase]

Mmmmm... yes! I have mentioned elsewhere that Kate Bush’s work with Peter Gabriel inspired her to become more creative, freeing her to incorporate various elements that she had never before considered into her own music. For me, 1989 represented one of the finest results of that process. The album The Sensual World found her adding elements of Celtic music into her sound, and also working with traditional singers from Hungary. Bush stirred it all together, and what resulted sounded like nothing else, but it all made sense. And, for my money, the song The Sensual World is one of the sexiest songs ever recorded.

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band: Here I Am

[purchase]

During the 1980s, Lyle Lovett went through a process of his own. He started the decade making music that somewhat related to country, and both he and his label hoped he would breakthrough on the country charts. But Lyle Lovett was always to quirky for that to happen. By 1989, he and his label had decided to stop trying, and Lovett was free to make whatever music he wanted to. So 1989 marked the recorded debut of his large band.

Lovett added horns to his sound, and the fans he had won stayed with him. His quirkiness came to the fore. Here I Am is certainly a song he would not have tried to pitch to Nashville, but it highlights his wonderful sense of humor, and the musicianship of the band is on full display.

Jane Siberry: Everything Reminds Me of My Dog

[purchase]

!989 saw the release of Bound By The Beauty, by Jane Siberry. By now, Siberry was already known for her surreal lyrics and imaginative musical settings. And Bound By The Beauty did not disappoint. But Everything Reminds Me of My Dog is relatively straightforward. And the song has been a favorite in our house ever since it was released.

1989: I Wanna Be Adored

The Stone Roses: I Wanna Be Adored

[purchase]

The Stone Roses had been around for five years by the time they released their 1989 self-titled debut album, but in the years since their first one-shot single, their sound had moved from post-goth/punk to something which would come to typify the Madchester sound: a smooth alternative dance style which fit squarely within the growing alt movement, and tended towards a smart politicized britpop, making this particular radio hit an atypically self-reflective commentary on fame.

Their initial timing was good, and their recognition factor was only helped by mad outbursts against the labels who had helped them find fame, including a notorious and well-covered set of antics involving throwing paint on an ex-label president who had released what they felt was a bastardized "third-rate" video of that first, punkier single in an attempt to capitalize on their later success. In the end, however, though their influence would live on in modern Britpop sound of Oasis, Blur, Coldplay, and The Verve, their desire for greatness at all costs led to both a diffused sort of fame -- this song notably was not released as a single until 1991 -- and more press than product, as evidenced by their final and highly unusual career tally of two albums and five compilations.

The Stone Roses broke up in 1994; today, the members work as respected artists of various sorts. Lead singer Ian Brown, for example, managed to parlay his early success into a solo career; bass-player Mani plays in Primal Scream, while lead guitar John Squire, despite community respect for his definitive guitar-work, has moved on to full-time painting.

Bonus points for this sweet, twangy, mandolin-laden alt-countryfolk cover from Axton Kincaid's 2007 debut Songs from the Pine Room, which emerged the usual half-generation later.

Axton Kincaid: I Wanna Be Adored

[purchase]

1989: Waiting Room

Fugazi: Waiting Room

[Purchase]

As I said in my last post, I was only 10 years old in 1989, so I can't say that I was listening to this song at the time. But luckily enough, it found me years later because an artist I loved covered it and I was smitten and wanted to hear the original. Despite not generally being a fan of most punk music, there was undeniable talent and great rhythm in this song and even though I generally like less aggressive music, I loved this song and could see why someone would want to cover it.

Fugazi was founded in 1987 by Minor Threat frontman Ian MacKaye. The album "13 Songs" which this song was featured on, was a compilation of previous EPs the band had released. I think this song is an interesting addition to the 1989 theme because I hear a transitional sound in it. It is very much a part of the hardcore 80s punk scene, but it also contains hints at the alternative/grunge of the next decade ahead.

And I thought I'd also include the cover version, by Emm Gryner (off of her covers album "Girl Versions"), since it is what brought me back to the original after so much time had passed.

Emm Gryner: Waiting Room

[Purchase]

1989: The Proving Ground

Wendy Wall: The Proving Ground

[out of print, but purchase used copies here]

This is a story, in part, about memory.

In 1989, I read something about Wendy Wall. I can’t remember what it was, but it may have been a review of a performance, or of her album. Or it may have been a blurb about new artists in Musician magazine. I can’t even tell what it was that struck me about it. I only know that my brain stored the name in the “musicians to check out” folder.

At least a few years later, I came across Wendy Wall’s album in a bargain bin, on CD. The price was right, so I bought it on spec. And when my wife and I got to listening to it, we discovered a new favorite artist. She had a distinctive voice, her songs had a good beat and a nice blend of acoustic and electric instruments in uncluttered arrangements and her lyrics were interesting.

Years went by, and I hoped to hear more about her, but I never did. She seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. I assumed it was the old story of an unknown artist who records one album on a major label, and then gets dropped into oblivion.

Then, this week’s theme was announced. I was thinking that the Wikipedia list gave me all the material I would need. But, just for fun, I started looking through my albums to see what else might have been released in 1989. And there was Wendy Wall. So, I wanted to see if I could find out more about her. I did not expect to find anything. But, there was her website. And there she tells her story. Was it the old story, as I had assumed? Yes. But now the old story had a human face and a richness of detail. And I found exciting news. Wendy Wall has a new album coming out in the spring. I know I’m going to be checking that out. and I’ll try to let everyone know what I find.

1989: God's Comic

Elvis Costello: God's Comic

[purchase]

In the early days of my involvement with this blog, Elvis Costello was ubiquitous, but we haven't heard from him a little while now. Following a string of seven almost flawless albums, Costello started to look more like a mere mortal in the mid-80's. Nineteen-eighty-nine's Spike was a bit of a hodge-podge and I agree with many critics that it doesn't hold together very well as an album. But, what the critics miss is that Spike has so many amazing singles on it. Yes, they sound like they were written in different times and in different styles, but as singles many of these songs are among the best Costello ever wrote. In that spirit, I consider Spike to be Costello's last great album of his coming of age period.

That's my stand and I'm sticking to it. God's Comic is one of those songs that makes this album worth owning.

1989: Rhett Miller's Mythologies

Rhett Miller: Candy Apple Corkscrew Hair
Rhett Miller: Iron Child

[purchase]

Like most people, I first came to know Rhett Miller through his work with Alt-Country icons, The Old 97's. When Rhett released The Instigator in 2002, I was under the impression that it was his first solo album. I thought this to be true for quite a while until I stumbled upon something called Mythologies.

It seems that an 18-year-old Rhett Miller recorded and released the album with an extremely limited run in 1989. Who knew?

The album itself is mostly an acoustic affair featuring Rhett on vocals and guitar with future Old 97's bandmate Murry Hammond as producer. Hammond also appears on most of the album's 13 tracks. It's a fairly straightforward album that never quite reaches the heights Miller and Hammond would later achieve with their more famous collaborations. Still... it offers an interesting look at Miller's early songwriting efforts and is (mostly) an enjoyable listen.

I've provided a "purchase" link above. However, the only copy amazon.com seems to have available comes with an asking price of $999.00. If that's a bit too steep, try Rhett's other, more affordable, solo efforts The Instigator and The Believer.

1989: Love Letter

Bonnie Raitt: Love Letter

[purchase]

From Wikipedia:

Nick of Time [was] released on March 21, 1989.

Nick of Time topped the Billboard 200 chart, selling five million copies, and won three Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year. In 2003, the album was ranked number 229 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Before work began on Nick of Time, Raitt had been courted by several major labels. It was during this time that Raitt met producer Don Was through Hal Wilner, who was putting together Stay Awake, a tribute album to Disney music for A&M. Was and Wilner both wanted Raitt to sing lead on an adult-contemporary arrangement of "Baby Mine" (the lullaby from Dumbo) created by Was. Raitt was very pleased with the sessions, and she asked Was to produce her next album.

Bonnie: "I wanted to make a record that was more like Give It Up. It's a return to roots, as it were. It's been really refreshing for me to play a lot of guitar and just go back to stripped down production... In many ways this is like a first album. It's for a new label and getting all of this attention and critical acclaim. And it's my first sober album. My first single and sober album, being this age and being straight..."

My family had recently moved back to Atlanta from Puerto Rico (see my Love Shack post) and a friend had an extra ticket for Bonnie Raitt at the Fox Theater, with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band opening - he didn't have to ask me twice!

I vividly recall the spirit of the evening, as Bonnie was turning 40 the following day (which means our show was November 7, 1989) - the evening was a celebration of her birthday, her sobriety and this amazing kick-*ss album which finally gained her the commercial success she deserved as well as the personal happiness that had eluded her up to that point.

The album was equal parts growl and girl, empowering yet fragile - the popular video with Dennis Quaid (which seems to have been pulled from YouTube) of John Hiatt's Thing Called Love was a call to action for women to take charge of their own romantic/sexual destiny.

And Love Letter? (more about writer Bonnie Hayes here) - there's a line between hopeful and stalking... and Ms. Raitt's pleading guitar and insistent voice walk it finely (in all definitions of the word)...

1989: Toy Soldiers

Martika: Toy Soldiers

[Purchase]

When I first heard what the theme for the week was going to be I thought "uh oh, everyone else was probably at a more mature age than I was in 1989, and therefore had more mature taste in music", because in 1989 I was ten years old and I only listened to what was on the radio. That being said, I certainly could have picked something that I only discovered after the fact, but my 5th grade self is begging me to stay true to her first. So, one of my favorite songs of 1989 in 1989 was Martika's "Toy Soldiers".

Two of my favorite genres of music are 80s pop music, and female singer-songwriters, this song pulls both of those together, way before I ever had a sense of what it meant to be a singer-songwriter. More than anything, Martika was a power-pop vocalist, having spent her early years on the children's TV program Kids Incorporated, she was the 80s equivalent of the Disney crew these days. But at the same time, she WAS writing her own songs, and she wasn't always singing bubblegum pop. This song is about a friend's drug addiction. Of course, this was the late 80s, and the anti-drug movement was at it's peak. We were slowly seeing the emergence of pro-abstinence and anti-drug music hit the mainstream, like a radio version of an after-school special.

Over the years, I still love this song. I think it's beautiful enough to pass through the corniness of the 80s pop generation fairly unscathed. I've also always admired Martika because she sang one of my favorite songs of all time, the Prince-written "Love...Thy Will Be Done". Since her success in the late 80s and early 90s, Martika has found minor success writing and contributing backing vocals to other people's work, and finally, having "Toy Soldiers" sampled in an Eminem track a few years back.

1989: Love Shack

The B-52's: Love Shack

[purchase]

I may have mentioned before that we lived in Puerto Rico (for my husband's job) from January 1985 through June 1989 - there were obvious plusses and minuses... the latter mostly being out of the loop of all things entertainment-related. We tried to stay current but always seemed to be many steps behind - as soon as we moved back to the States, I was like a kid in the proverbial candy shop, gorging on albums until I hit sensory overload...

My younger sister had turned me on to The B-52's years before, and I loved their vintage look and infectious sound - one night not too long after our return, she, her boyfriend and I went out drinking and playing pool... and when Love Shack came on the jukebox, I could not stop smiling. What a perfect song - glitter and door-banging and hot-as-an-oven, oh my!

Not two weeks later we were at the wedding of a friend and the DJ played the tune at the reception (with all of us yelling out "tin roof... rusted!" at the end - I decided then and there that people weren't officially married unless Love Shack was played at the celebration afterwards to consummate their union... :-)

My planned epitaph (but since I'm choosing to be cremated and won't have a formal headstone, they can carve it on the coconut floating out to sea with my ashes) has always been, "Her Children Knew All The Words To Love Shack!" - I still consider it a perfect song, and I even heard it at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival a few years ago on a workshop stage, performed by Jian (from Moxy Fruvous), Lucy Kaplansky, The Nields and The Kennedys...

For the backstory on the *real* Love Shack, go here - then click the Play button above... again... crank it up to 11... and shimmy like you mean it!

1989: Luka / Just Like Heaven

The Lemonheads: Luka

[purchase]

Dinosaur Jr.: Just Like Heaven

[purchase]

The perfect set: two covers from a single emergent genre that arguably saved my social life.

I've gone on about Evan Dando here and there, but this 1989 Suzanne Vega cover was the true turning point for me. The familiarity of Vega's folk original gave me entry into the song, but I had just switched schools, and the cool kids at my new hipster school liked loud. From here, I would turn my back on folk music, adopt a new set of long-haired friends, and turn on to the fuzz and feedback of a whole new musical movement, formed in the halls of the very high school where I was getting my second chance.

Released on Lick, the Lemonhead's last indie record before signing to Atlantic, and a studio disaster -- the original band members were at each others' throats, and would break up after this one despite the new contract; the tracks were cobbled together from B-sides and previous sessions -- this is the raw, early lemonheads, not the mellow-by-comparison heroin dream that would follow, and Luka still claims my heart. You can hear the boiling waters of the post-punk grunge movement emanating from every lick. The original colored vinyl 7" only made it that much sweeter.

The 12" release of Dinosaur Jr.'s cover of The Cure classic Just Like Heaven provided a similar entry into the world of alternative grunge, while the coverage simultaneously allowed me a comprehensive opportunity to purge myself of my earlier, top-40 post-punk geekself through song transformation. To be fair, though, this wasn't a cover so much as it was a total destruction of song, from the stop-and-start style to the parody of anthemic guitar to the full-stop ending mid-chorus, as if the song and everything it stood for had burned out too quickly.

The song is now available as a bonus track on the re-release of 1987 album You're Living All Over Me, but the original 45 RPM release was pricelessly weird, its vinyl deeply etched with unplayable body organs and, oddly, a box of Rice Crisps on the B-side, the better to match the A-side thrash of long-haired screams and moans, the epitome of teen angst and rage against a culture we saw as wiped out and musically exhausted. The album cover was terrifying, too, featuring clashing colors and some sort of brain being consumed by a jagged adolescent-drawn maw; it spoke of violence and drug-addled rejection, like the music inside, and I was all for it.

1989: Plainsong

The Cure: Plainsong

[purchase]

Robert Smith was depressed, was using copious amounts of hallucinogenic drugs, was coping with his his quickly approaching 30th birthday (which caused him considerable consternation), and was dealing with the public reaction to the deaths of two teenagers who listened to The Cure as they committed suicide, when he wrote the music for 1989's Disintegration. Smith was also openly concerned that his opportunity to write the "magnum opus" of the band was quickly passing, as most great music was written by people who were younger than him.

The result of this soup of depression, drugs, disillusionment, and public scrutiny is arguably the band's greatest album. It is probably my favorite album of 1989, and certainly my favorite Cure album overall.

I used to love to listen to this album as I drove up and down the wide empty expanses of the state of Nevada. There was something about the long instrumental introductions, the slow crushing rhythms, and the plaintive vocals that went well with the hum of the engine and the loneliness of the landscape.

Lovesong was the big hit from this album, but Plainsong is the better track. Enjoy.

1989: Poor Skeleton Steps Out

XTC: Poor Skeleton Steps Out

[purchase]

1989 saw the release of Oranges and Lemons by XTC. The obvious choices here would have been Mayor of Simpleton or King for a Day. But the album is a gold mine of great choices that never received proper attention. Poor Skeleton Steps Out is one of these.

Oranges and Lemons found XTC at a turning point creatively. They were a punk band for all of one album, and then the began to find their voice. The band developed a muscular and highly rhythmic sound, as exemplified by the song Senses Working Overtime. But, in 1989, they began to expand their sound. The Garden of Earthly Delights, which opens Oranges and Lemons, begins XTC’s exploration of psychadelic music. The band experiments with more complex arrangements, using instruments that had never been part of their sound before. And an explosion of creativity gives them so many songs to go with that Oranges and Lemons was originally released on vinyl as a two-record set.

Poor Skeleton Steps Out has the rhythmic signature that marked an XTC song up to that point. But the arrangement includes xylophone in addition to the usual instrumentation. The lyrics talk about human beings having a “muscle mask”, meaning our consciousness of our image and appearance, and imagines that a human skeleton would feel imprisoned by this. How would a skeleton feel if it could be free of the “muscle mask”? The song is Andy Partridge’s answer to that question.

One: Ellis Unit One

Steve Earle: Ellis Unit One

[purchase]

Here's one more quickie that didn't quite fit in with the happy songs I posted yesterday.

This is one from Steve Earle's 2002 odds and ends release, Side Tracks. It's a stark powerful song about a prison guard on death row and the many sights he's seen in his work. A guest appearance by The Fairfield Four adds a nice dimension to this one. The sombre sounds of the track certainly fit the subject matter.

One: Only One

James Taylor: Only One

[purchase

Only One is from James Taylor's twelfth recording, That's Why I'm Here, released in 1985:

Rolling Stone: "With its heartening aura of renewed faith and burgeoning self-knowledge, James Taylor's That's Why I'm Here reveals a man at peace with himself, his notorious inner demons finally silenced."

AllMusicGuide: "he had found his long-term niche with Baby Boomer fans now permanently tuned to soft-rock radio... (Notwithstanding its initial commercial reception, That's Why I'm Here eventually went platinum.)"

I bought it (in album form) when it first came out, but it was definitely a turning point for me - I didn't want to be lumped in with the "Baby Boomer fans" the review above describes. I missed the demons, the Sweet Baby James who was anything but... with his growling Steamroller, his poignant Her Town Too, his double-entendre'd Handy Man - I purchased October Road for my husband for his birthday one year... but I gave myself permission to call it quits with the man I always teased about marrying (if Robert hadn't asked me first). I preferred to have the memories of what once was... rather than move forward into a self-perceived Candyland (too many Gum Drop Mountains, not enough Molasses Swamps) - and oh, the memories (almost every song on those first 11 albums is near and dear to my heart... :-)

As an extra treat, here's the "official music video", complete with harmonies by Joni Mitchell and Don Henley (of the Eagles)... as well as JT's regular back-up vocalists Arnold McCuller and Rosemary Butler... Leland Sklar on bass... Billy Payne (of Little Feat) on keyboards - check out the cigarette in Joni's right hand!

One: Power of One

Daniel Lanois: Power of One

[purchase]

Better known as the Canadian producer behind such incredible records as Dylan's Time Out of Mind, Emmylou Harris' Wrecking Ball, and U2's The Joshua Tree, each of which won Grammys in their respective categories, Daniel Lanois on his own is an atmospheric experimentalist songwriter and arranger in the same vein as early co-conspirator Brian Eno, if a bit more melodic.

The multi-instrumentalist Lanois plays mostly guitar, pedal steel and drums, filtering these through a series of pedals and boxes on stage and in the studio to maximize the sound he can produce on his own. The resulting songs on my favorite of his albums, such as 2003 release Shine, from whence this singular cut comes, carry the typical synthetic symptoms of his curious hybrid of New Wave, Folk Rock, and Pop. Dreamy and ever-catchy, if also imperfect and somehow unfinished without the superstar talents he usually employs, these are songs for songwriters, not for the charts, but they go a long way towards explaining the full environments which he has brought to the work of others over the years.

One: Fun with One

These songs have no real connection except that they all contain "One," and they they're all just a lot of fun.

Ben Folds Five: One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces
[purchase]

I bought Whatever & Ever Amen on a recommendation from MTV's Matt Pinfield back when I still thought MTV was cool. Yeah... it's been a while. This was the first song on that album and the first Ben Folds Five song I ever heard. It's angry and bubbly all at the same time. It's a perfect example of Ben's self proclaimed "punk rock for pansies" style. Bonus points for the GI Joe reference.

Patty Griffin: One Big Love
[purchase]

No anger here... just Patty Griffin getting funky like a monkey. This song is all about swimming in the high tide and walking on air. Let your hair down and enjoy this one from Patty's Flaming Red album.

Keller Williams: One Hit Wonder
[purchase]

There have been a few one hit wonder artists featured here on Star Maker Machine. Keller Williams wishes he was one of them. I don't think you can classify Keller as ever having made a hit himself. He laments that fact here on this track from Laugh.

One: One

I've always wanted an excuse to post the three most popular versions the Harry Nilsson composition, One, so away we go...

Harry Nilsson: One

[purchase]


As with most songs, the composer, Harry Nilsson, has the best performance of the three. Nilsson had originally released it as an independent single in 1963, under the pseudonym Bo Pete, to some small local radio airplay. Probably the most covered song of his entire catalogue, One is a straightforward tune about loneliness and the desperation it brings.


Three Dog Night: One

[purchase]


Three Dog Night covered One in 1969 with a completely different arrangement, more fleshed out with thick layers of instrumentation, as opposed to Nilsson's simple approach. The great success of their version (it made its way to #1 on the US charts) launched them on the road to covering other previously charted songs, such as Randy Newman's Mama Told Me Not to Come, Laura Nyro's Eli's Coming, Russ Ballard of Argent's Liar, Hoyt Axton's Joy to the World, among others. It's not my favorite take of the song, but one can still appreciate the fine Pop craftsmanship at work.


Aimee Mann: One

[purchase]


Aimee Mann's approach is the most stark of the three, which I feel serves the song well, since it was the opening of the 1999 American drama, Magnolia, Paul Thomas Anderson's film about isolation and the human condition. Mann composed the soundtrack along with her husband, Michael Penn and fellow bandmate, Jon Brion.


One can be the loneliest number - Harry Nilsson did a great job in song explaining how important interpersonal relationships can be to our humanity. Each of these three versions are unique unto themselves, the true proof of artistry is how musicians turn their interpretations into vehicles of distinctive self-expression, which all accomplish with much brilliance.

One: Just One More

George Jones: Just One More

[purchase]

For country songs about boozing to try and forget her, look no further than George Jones. Nothing beats his If Drinkin´ Don´t Kill Me (Her Memory Will), but Just One More comes mighty close.

Jones sure was no stranger to a stiff drink himself back in the days. My fave country music anecdote finds a thirsty Possum stranded in the mansion he shared with his second wife Shirley Corley, who went out one day and took all the car keys with her to make sure Jones wouldn´t be able to buy himself a nice bottle. The nearest liquor store was eight miles away: not exactly in walking distance for a guy who was used to screwdrivers for breakfast and bourbon for lunch. The missus forgot about the electric lawn mower though. To quote Jones: "It might have taken an hour and a half or more for me to get to the liquor store, but get there I did."

To make matters worse, Jones allegedly repeated this feat when he was married to Tammy Wynette. As she wrote in her autobiography: "About 1 am I would wake up and look over to find he was gone. I got into the car and drove to the nearest bar 10 miles away. When I pulled into the parking lot there sat our rider-mower right by the entrance. He'd driven that mower right down a main highway. He looked up and saw me and said, ´Well, fellas, here she is now. My little wife, I told you she'd come after me.´"

"Well, one more drink of wine,
then if you're still on my mind,
one drink, just one more and then another..."

One: One

Billy Jonas: One

[purchase]

My introduction to Billy Jonas took place about 1:00 a.m. my first night of my first Folk Alliance (Albuquerque, February 1999) - I was instantly captivated by his shining spirit, uplifting songs and boyish charm (complete with long curly hair, which has since been shorn)... not to mention xylophone sticks duct-taped to his shoes and plastic trash cans and paint buckets inverted and bungee-corded together ("industrial re-percussion instruments", as he calls them... :-)

I smiled through my tears during his tunes, equally feel-good and thought-provoking - he also encouraged audience participation... and it was sheer delight to be part of a roomful of people shouting out "One!" at the appropriate time...

A Billy Jonas performance is an explosion of energy. In singalongs, bangalongs, whisperalongs, as well as improvised songs, his primary instrument is the audience... from there a whimsical trajectory carries listeners through stories of life, love, and triumph over 'Murphy's Law.'

I am blessed to say our paths have crossed many times since... at various concerts, festivals and conferences - a Billy Jonas show promises life at its most interactive: in your face... seize the day... kiss the sky... smell the roses... bang the drum!

One: One Nation Under A Groove

Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove

[purchase]

I have a secret. I’ve posted folk and blues ever since I got here. I lapse into occasional bouts of 80s music, including ska. I am the resident world music maven. But, what nobody knew until now is that I harbor a deep love of 70s funk.

There is no better way to make this confession than to introduce you to the strange world of George Clinton. In the 70s, George Clinton wanted as much freedom as a musician could have, and still be under contract. For this reason, he created the groups Funkadelic and Parliament. There were also offshoots: Bootsy’s Rubber Band, Parlet, The Brides of Funkenstein, Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns, to name a few. These were all the same group of core musicians. The offshoots highlighted musicians or sections within the larger whole. The trick was that each incarnation had its own recording contract, allowing Clinton to play the labels off each other, and record for whoever was giving him what he wanted at that moment.

What made it all work though was the quality of the music. George Clinton created funk that kept you moving, while at the same time expanding the language of funk, by incorporating rock guitars, jazz harmonies, and the different musical textures that were possible with the large ensemble of talented musicians Clinton relied upon. Even when it didn’t work, the failures were glorious ones.

Clinton’s bands were never the most popular, even at their peak. But his influence is undeniable. One of Clinton’s most obvious musical descendants is Prince, and Clinton’s tracks were constantly sampled by early hip-hop artists. But it is best to start with the original music. And One Nation Under a Groove is a fine example.

One: One Hit Wonder

Tracy Bonham: One Hit Wonder

Tracy Bonham: One Hit Wonder (acoustic)

[purchase]

It's slightly ironic that Boston's Tracy Bonham would choose to include a song called "One Hit Wonder" on her 1996 album, The Burdens Of Being Upright - especially considering the album boasted her biggest (and only) 'hit' with "Mother, Mother."

But being labeled as a one-hit wonder is not fair in Bonham's case. Sure, she belonged to the post-Morissette core of female musicians that made their mark in the mid-90's, when it seemed that just being female was enough to score you a record deal. But Bonham had the goods; the woman has a strong set of pipes and is a masterful violinist. And as her catalog has proven, she can write some great songs, even if they haven't quite reached the number of ears that "Mother, Mother" did.

I've included two versions of Bonham's "One Hit Wonder" here. The first from the aforementioned The Burdens Of Being Upright. The second is an acoustic live performance from her 2007 EP, In The City + In The Woods which features two newer tracks and an assortment of acoustic performances.

One: You're the One

The Roches: You're the One

[purchase]

In the spirit of Tina Turner's "nice and rough" philosophy, I offer up two tunes by The Roches (sister trio Maggie and Terre and Suzzy), who got their start singing Christmas carols on the street corners of New York City - they're known for their quirky lyrics, tight (and sometimes deliberately off-key) harmonies and distinctly eccentric personalities.

The Roches: You're the Two

Although the number exceeds our theme limit, the companion piece begged to be included - who says we can only have One Love? (that's a whole other song... :-)

One: Just One Kiss

Beau Jocque & The Zydeco Hi-Rollers: Just One Kiss

[purchase]

Need a steamy cajun rhythm with just a touch of funk and soul to warm up your remaining winter nights? Look no further than this delicious dance tune from this late icon of the Louisiana Zydeco scene.

Jocque, born Andrus Espree, took up his stage name and accordion while bedridden after a work-related accident; from there, rather than returning to his gig as a welder and electrician, the big man made his name reinvigorating the Zydeco genre for a wider, predominantly white audience through use of genre-fusion and a heavy dose of great covers.

Sadly, Jocque died of a heart attack in the shower in 1999, at the height of his exceptionally short career. But he was a prolific guy, and his music still rocks. Guaranteed to wake the gators and shake the neighbors, or vice versa.

One: One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer (and One More)

Amos Milburn: One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer

[purchase]

There’s been a lot of sweetness and light around here lately. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I’ve posted some of it myself. But sometimes it feels good to get down and dirty. And that often implies having a drink in there somewhere.

One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer is a classic drinking song. Most people know the George Thorogood version, but, to me, Amos Milburn’s version rings truer. Is this the original version?

That turns out to be an interesting question. One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer was written by Rudy Toombs, who was not a performer himself. Toombs wrote the song for Amos Milburn, but, before Milburn had a chance to record it, John Lee Hooker came out with a version of his own. As a result, many people think that Hooker wrote the song. For my money, this is the original, or should have been.

Milburn puts over the story of a man who has been unlucky in love, and wants drown his sorrows with alcohol. This was one of a series of drinking songs that Amos Milburn recorded and took up the R & B charts in the 1950s. It is interesting to note that Milburn wasn’t much of a drinker himself.

The Clovers: One Mint Julep

[purchase]

When I decided to post One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer, I couldn’t resist pairing it with One Mint Julep. Here is a morality tale of a man who had one too many. Imagine my surprise, in researching this post, when I learned that One Mint Julep was also written by Rudy Toombs.

One: Number One Blind

Veruca Salt: Number One Blind

[Purchase]

This song is from Veruca Salt's popular 1994 album "American Thighs". The song was only a minor success in comparison to their hit "Seether" from the same album, but I think this song is just as good. I love the concept of the song. Had we not known that Levolor was a popular brand of blinds and drapes, we might suspect that this was a love song or a song about addiction or something else, but the fact that they sing the song to Levolor we know that they're quite literally singing to their window blinds. I imagine the depression of youth or a break-up or both, the desire to just stay in bed all day. She can't believe it's morning. Has she been blind? Is it time for a change? She's been kept in the dark...was it her own doing or was it her blinds? It takes something that otherwise could be quite depressing and gives it a spin so instead we're smiling at the same time.

The original Veruca Salt broke up in 1998 after only two full length albums together. Since then one of the founders, Louise Post, has kept the band going, if by name only, and is still touring with all new band members and making albums. The other founder, Nina Gordon has also continued to make music as a solo artist.

One: One Hundred Names

The Nields: One Hundred Names

[purchase]

The first time I heard this song by The Nields (who were a five-piece folk-rock band in a previous incarnation but are now a sister duo), I thought it was about a romantic relationship... and my interpretation worked quite well for months... until someone else told me they thought it was about god (lower case used deliberately) - now I can't hear it any other way...

I am not religious (I was raised Catholic and have been "recovering" from that the remainder of my life) but I do consider myself a spiritual person - I find beauty and joy and faith in the mundane... and I believe miracles happen every day, if one is aware...

In researching the backstory of the title of this song, I came across the following quote - ah, now it all makes sense!

“God has one hundred names: man knows only ninety-nine of them, but the camel knows the hundredth. That is why the camel always goes round with his nose in the air and a superior look on his face.”

P.S. The stunning piano accompaniment is by none other than the amazing Susan Werner, with whom some of you are familiar...

P.P.S. The "you're my favorite cowboy song" lyric always reminds me of Dave Carter...

One: We Are The One

Avengers: We Are The One

[purchase]

"We will build a better tomorrow,
the youth of today will be the tool
American children built for survival,
fate is our destiny and we shall rule..."

How about that for a manifest? Led by spiky-haired singer Penelope Houston, San Francisco quartet the Avengers recorded this optimistic anthem for the legendary Dangerhouse label back in ´77. It´s my fave out of an excellent first crop of early US westcoast punk singles, beating the Screamers, Crime, Nuns, Weirdos, X and the Germs by a narrow margin.

"We are not Jesus Christ
We are not fascist pigs
We are not capitalist industrialists
We are not communists
We are the one..."

One: Am I The Only One?

Barenaked Ladies: Am I The Only One?

[purchase]

Long before the ironic suburban white-boy hipster's hip-hop of top chart hit One Week, and certainly WAY before BNL were big enough to merit their own cruise, but still hot on the heels of their Canadian award-winning debut Gordon, Barenaked Ladies released this tiny, tender song in the midst of an otherwise critically ignored sophomore slump album called Maybe You Should Drive, which topped out at an incredibly lame #175 on the US sales charts.

Folks who know the indie geekrockers from their poppy post-millennial radioplay will find this to be an entirely different group, focused on sparse harmony and string section production, but to be fair, this isn't really representative of anything but the vast spectrum of poential the boys had in their early years. The album overall is decent, if wildly diverse and peppered with a few totally cheesy duds, showing an indiepop band searching for a way to take it to the next level, and not really finding a definitive sound; I don't listen to it all the way through these days, but fifteen years later, I still turn to this song when I need a good soul-searching.

One: One of Us

Abba: One of Us

[Purchase]

You've been lucky enough not to find out before now that I really like Abba. They aren't even from my generation, but I found my parents records and fell in love. It's hard not to feel good and sing along with their infectious pop music if you can get over the cheese factor. But more often than not, their music is ridiculed as disco nonsense, when in fact they were talented singers and even more talented musicians and songwriters. Luckily, I think enough time has gone by that a lot of their work is getting a second glance and a number of contemporary artists have even covered their songs and allowed the songwriting to shine through without what some may consider a very dated sound.

"One of Us" was a single from their last album together, 1981's "The Visitors". Overall, it was one of their strongest albums and took on a much more somber tone than many of the more pop/dance-friendly albums of their past. Of course, the band that was once composed of two pairs of lovers and spouses was now composed of two divorced couples growing more and more disgruntled with making music and working together. Despite it all, they managed to make an outstanding album, and this is one of the best songs from it.

One: The One I Love

Rosie Thomas (w. Sufjan Stevens): The One I Love

[purchase]

So I saw the new theme, and I corralled all of my “One” songs, and I put this one on the back burner. But then I remembered that is sort of a duet, and my brain said “transition!” So, here it is.

Rosie Thomas delivers a beautiful reading of the old REM song. Is it truly a duet? Well, Sufjan Stevens sings background harmonies, his and her voice intertwining beautifully on the chorus. But she clearly sings lead throughout. So, I will ask for opinions on this one.

Thomas has chosen to cover The One I Love in a spare arrangement which tends to focus the listener’s attention on the lyrics. Michael Stipe’s lyrics are often enigmatic, but this is one of the most direct songs he has written, so this treatment really works.

Duets: Two Of Us

The Beatles: Two Of Us

[purchase]


Two Of Us is from The Beatles' 1970 release, Let It Be, whose recording was documented by film director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, all while the band was going through the throes of break-up.

The movie can be painful to watch at times - the palpable tension of the tired and worn out group comes through loud and clear on the screen, but it does set up a nice moment where Paul McCartney and John Lennon share a duet on Two Of Us. McCartney had wrote it for his wife, Linda, but when he sang it with Lennon, it took on new meaning as an endearing gesture of affection from Paul to John, with lines like,"You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead." The Phil Spector-produced version starts with Lennon shouting, "'I Dig a Pygmy', by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids... Phase One, in which Doris gets her oats" - the "deaf aids" was the nickname given to The Beatles' Vox amplifiers.

Now, because we here at Star Maker Machine love you readers so much, I've also included the demo version - enjoy!


The Beatles: Two Of Us - Demo

Duets: The Eleventh Hour Edition

First of all, let me say that I adore this week's theme, as I've always been a harmony voyeur - there's just something about two voices saying so much more than one could, lyrically and sonically. To that end, I fear I am running out of time, as I was out of town for the beginning of the week and too busy to post - hope you all won't mind if I do a bit of a clean sweep here to share some of my other favorites...

Jules Shear and Susan Cowsill: Restaurant Scene

[purchase]

Jules Shear is best known as the author of Cyndi Lauper's "All Through The Night" and the Bangles "If She Knew What She Wants", but I'm particularly enamored with his recording, Between Us, definitely in my Top Ten - his gift for lyric writing is beyond description ("some people are changed by great romances but it's the wounds that make us who we are" and "so try to make it like the dream you had, the peaceable kingdom where no one's betrayed" and so many brilliant turns of phrase too numerous to name) and this CD is composed entirely of duets with such notables as Carole King, Ron Sexsmith, Paula Cole, Freedy Johnston and others. My understanding is that it was written after his break-up with Aimee Mann and each song is more tragic than the next - her side of the story can be heard on I'm with Stupid Now (guess perspective is everything)...

Amy Rigby and Todd Snider: Til the Wheels Fall Off

[purchase]

I loved what Anne said in her Nick Cave/P.J. Harvey post ("when two artists you love do a duet together you feel like the universe is lining up") - that's exactly how I felt when Amy Rigby had Todd Snider join her on a song a few CDs back. I am a fan of both, as their sometimes cynicism belies a true faith that trouble is only temporary - this tune mines the road-trip-as-relationship metaphor ("I guess the path of least resistance wasn't on the map")...

Robert Earl Keen and Margo Timmins: Then Came Lo Mein

[purchase]

When a Texas songwriter teams up with the female lead singer of The Cowboy Junkies, anything is possible - through the use of puns ("I was steamed, I was fried") and interweaving voices, they manage to put a poignantly humorous spin on a nervous breakdown in a Chinese restaurant...

Nanci Griffith and Adam Duritz: Going Back to Georgia

[purchase]

Queen of country-folk meets lead singer of angst-ridden rock band - what could have been a recipe for disaster succeeds beyond wildest expectations. This song is on my funeral tape ("I've been blinded by the sun, washed in the rain, scattered in America, I'm scatterin' again, but if you're goin' south, darlin', I guess I'm travelin' with you") - yep, Georgia's always on my mind....

Duets: Dida

Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell: Dida

[purchase]

In his previous post, Darius said: "There also many fine all-female duets, but I leave that thought with my fellow Starmakers" - his "gauntlet" immediately brought to mind this amazing vocal collaboration between two Joans (Joni's birth name is Roberta Joan Anderson)...

Never has so much been done with so little - two nonsensical syllables (di-da) swirl and whirl and twirl and braid and weave and criss-cross and merge and mesh and entwine and spiral and elevate... until your (at least my!) cheekbones are aching from smiling so broadly at the sound of two diverse voices creating such intricate beauty in tandem...

From the liner notes of Diamonds and Rust:

Dida [written by Joan Baez]... was originally recorded with Joni Mitchell in June 1974 while Joan was in the studio doing a record of political nature. It held up as a valid track in Joan's mind for seven months, so when she got back to L.A. she went into the studio with Henry Lewy, the original engineer, to finish it up. Tom Scott and some of L.A.'s top horn players came in on it, and the album was complete.

Duets: Gram & Emmylou

Gram Parsons: Ooh Las Vegas
Gram Parsons: We'll Sweep Out the Ashes in the Morning

[purchase]

I know it's a rather obvious choice, but I just can't let this week go by without offering something from Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris.

I don't even think I need to say much here... just that when Gram and Emmy sing together... I think that's what music is supposed to sound like.

Duets: Henry Lee

Nick Cave & PJ Harvey: Henry Lee

[Purchase]

When two artists you love do a duet together you feel like the universe is lining up. Of course, in the case of the duet between Nick Cave and PJ Harvey, the pairing was even obvious to them. The two dated briefly around the time of Cave's most well-known album "Murder Ballads", just long enough for them to record this traditional ballad together in his trademark spooky style and for the relationship to (supposedly) inspire much of his next album "The Boatman's Call".

Both Harvey and Cave are artists with a penchant for dark and sinister storytelling, both seem to have a way of thoroughly creeping out the average listener. Their styles seem to mesh perfectly, apparently they agreed since they shared a rather passionate, if somewhat brief, relationship together. The video for the track is spooky yet very sexy as well, it sort of personifies their relationship as well as their public persona. Strangely, I find they even look a bit similar, making the whole thing even creepier if you ask me. It's almost as if Cave had found his female counterpart, or perhaps, they're long lost cousins.

Duets: Men’s Edition

I couldn’t help noticing that all of the songs posted this week were duets between a male and a female singer. Of course there’s nothing wrong with that, and the music has been great. But there are other possibilities. Here are two fine examples of duets between two male singers. There also many fine all-female duets, but I leave that thought with my fellow Starmakers. There’s still time!

Johnny Cash/ Willie Nelson: (Ghost) Riders in the Sky

[purchase]

VH-1 Storytellers was a series that usually featured one artist talking about the craft of songwriting, and playing examples. Musically, the results were often spectacular.

But, for one episode, somebody had the idea of getting Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson together to talk about each others songs. Cash and Nelson are, of course, both country artists, but with very different styles. So this could have been a disaster. But, judging from the episode as aired, the two really hit it off, and the music showed it. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky is only one example of how wonderfully they were able to mesh musically.

Bill Morrissey and Greg Brown: Duncan and Brady

[purchase]

Bill Morrissey and Greg Brown used to run into each other on the folk circuit, (they probably still do, for that matter). Over time, they became friends, and jammed together at festivals. Soon enough, they got the idea of recording an album together. What with schedule conflicts and all that travel, it took a few years before it finally happened. Both are fine songwriters, but by the time they went into the studio together, they had decided to record a set of songs by other writers. Duncan and Brady is a traditional song that they selected.

Duets: Kate and the Ghost of Lost Love

Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer: Kate and the Ghost of Lost Love

[purchase] (scroll about halfway down to When I Go CD)

I seem to be on a ghost tangent with this theme - hey, if the spectral slipper fits, right?

I first heard Kate and the Ghost of Lost Love, up close and personal, at the Albuquerque Folk Alliance in February 1999 - I deemed it then "the perfect song": a guy/girl duet, alternating verses, traded lines, stunning harmonies, aching violin solo, precise counterpoint singing...

It increased in poignancy (as if that were possible) when Dave Carter passed away in July 2002 of a heart attack - as a long-time and avid fan, I continue to "count the days in cups of wine and the candles I have burned"...

Here, in Dave's own words, is the live introduction he used to give, almost as sad as the song itself:

Long time ago, there was this boy and this girl. And stop me if you've heard this, but they fell in love. And stop me if you've heard this, but he promised her that he would stay with her forever. Well he meant it, at the time. But after all too short a time, the call of the open road proved too great for him, and he took off running, right on down it.

Still, she believed that some day he would return to her. And so every night, she would burn a candle in anticipation of his return. This went on for weeks, and months, and years, this burning of candles. It went on for almost twenty years. And just as she was coming right up on that twenty year mark, well, she was running mighty short on candles. In fact, she was down to her very last candle.

But you know that just as that last candle was flickering and sputtering and about to go out, and just as the first winter snowflakes were beginning to fall beneath the midnight sky, she thought she heard his voice at her garden gate. Or maybe it was his ghost, after all those years of being gone. Or maybe it was only the wind. But either way, they had this little conversation, which we call "Kate and the Ghost of Lost Love."

"So many candles" indeed - sigh...

Duets: Kisses Sweeter Than Wine

Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt: Kisses Sweeter Than Wine

[purchase]

Kisses Sweeter Than Wine was written by Pete Seeger for his group at the time, the Weavers; (I posted the original version on Oliver di Place a while ago, and the link is still active if you’d like to hear it.) Here, I have chosen a cover version over the original. On the Weaver’s version, Pete Seeger and Ronnie Gilbert sing alternating verses, but all four of the Weavers sing the choruses. But Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt perform the song as a true duet, again alternating on the verses, but with just their two voices on the choruses.

Like so many male/female duets, Kisses Sweeter Than Wine is a love song. But Seeger was not simply writing about that first rush of falling in love. The song starts there, but each verse goes another step onward. This is the only song I know of that traces how love grows and changes over a lifetime. .

Duets: Something Stupid

Nancy & Frank Sinatra: Something Stupid

[purchase]

Nancy Sinatra´s perhaps better known for her classic duets with eccentric producer Lee Hazlewood - Summer Wine, Sand, Some Velvet Morning, Jackson - but luckily she didn´t refuse when dad came knocking. The pleasant twist a father & daughter combination brings to the made-for-lovers lyrics of Something Stupid just might have had something to do with that.

"I know I stand in line until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me,
and if we go someplace to dance, I know that there's a chance you won't be leaving with me..."

The story goes that Ol´ Blue Eyes played the original of Something Stupid (written and performed by folky married couple Carson and Gaile) to Hazlewood back in ´67, asking his opinion. Hazlewood said ´I love it, and if you don´t sing it with Nancy, I will...´ So Frank answered: ´We´re gonna do it, book a studio.´ The result: two minutes and thirty eight seconds of pure pop bliss, and the only father & daughter duet to reach the number one spot in the American charts.

Robbie Williams sang Something Stupid with actress Nicole Kidman a few years back, scoring a huge hit too. Just goes to show that nothing´s sacred anymore.

Duets: I Want To Sing That Rock and Roll

Gillian Welch: I Want To Sing That Rock And Roll

[purchase]

The David Rawlings Machine: Elvis Presley Blues

[live bootleg]

Glen Phillips: Revelator

[purchase]

Co-writer, producer, and constant companion David Rawlings may be willing to let Gillian Welch have the billing, but those in the know understand that the act known as "Gillian Welch" has been a true partnership since its inception in the early nineties. As such, most Gillian Welch songs are duets by definition.

As proof, we need only note that pretty much every cover of a Gillian Welch song I have ever collected retains Rawlings' subtle, unbilled but everpresent harmonies and intertwined second guitar part as if they were inherent in the tune itself. For example, though Glen Phillips is billed solo, the duet harmony leading into the chorus on his cover of Revelator is neither a surprise nor a fluke; similarly, you'll hear the exact same harmonies on Chris Pureka's cover of Everything is Free that you will on the Welch/Rawlings original. I also note that the two perform together on occasion as The David Rawlings Machine: when they do, though their material tends towards coversong, the guitar interplay and harmonies remain static; the only difference is that Rawlings is more prone to sing the verses, as he does in the bootlegged "Gillian Welch cover" above.

Here's a typical set, with originals under each name and a cover to split the difference; for more on the partnership, check out this longer treatise on Gillian Welch I wrote back in January '08.

Duets: Father/Daughter Dialogue

Loudon Wainright III (w/ Martha Wainwright): Father/Daughter Dialogue

[Purchase]

One of the many beauties of duets is the ability to get two perspectives. This is often done with love songs, break-up songs in particular where there are so often two sides to the same story. But rarely do they involve both of the actual people involved singing their side of the story, and that is what makes this particular duet so powerful.

Loudon Wainwright III married folk singer Kate McGarrigle. Both being singer-songwriters, music was a big part of their life together and their family became a frequent subject. They had two children together, Rufus and Martha, both of whom are respected singer-songwriters for their own generation now. Loudon often wrote songs about his family, about Rufus and Martha, and about fatherhood in general, but he wasn't actually around that much for his children since he was away touring and doing other projects so often. He eventually left their mother for another woman, and had a daughter by her who is now also a songwriter.

Martha and Rufus have now both written songs about their father for their own albums, and they're not quite as pleasant as his songs about them. But father and daughter came together on his 1995 album for this brief track to discuss both sides of their relationship in song.

Duets: Boom Magalina Hagalina Boom

Slim Cessna's Auto Club - Boom Magalina Hagalina Boom

[purchase]

I could post a SCAC song every day of week for this theme. Slim Cessna's signature sound features the harmonies and back and forth vocal performances of Slim and Munly.

SCAC writes big songs, I don’t really know how else to describe it. They aren’t heavy, they aren’t loud, and they’re rarely disposable. They are often labeled as “gothic country” due to the intermingling of Old Testament and apocalyptic religion with bad relationships, alcohol, and murder. If nothing else, SCAC is, IMO, one of the best bands in America that hardly any one’s heard of.

Here is a bonus song. Both of these tracks are off Slim Cessna's 2008 cd, Cipher, which was named the album of the year by ninebullets.net.

Slim Cessna's Auto Club - An Introduction To The Power Of Braces [Arms]

Duets: Conversation with a Ghost

Ellis Paul: Harmony (poem)

Ellis Paul and Patty Griffin: Conversation with a Ghost

[purchase]

I know there's a longer, more detailed story behind Ellis Paul's song Conversation with a Ghost (the lyrics reflect what emerged via a Ouija board interaction with a recently-deceased friend)... but it's in his book... which I own... which is at home... where I'm not - so... I'll follow up with a comment when I return in a few days...

I do, however, have in my possession a Duets mix CD I made for myself at least five years ago - Ellis' poem perfectly describes the magic when two voices combine and elevate to a sum substantially greater than their parts... then just as perfectly illustrates that alchemy... with Patty Griffin joining him on achingly beautiful harmony on the tune from Say Something, his first (although the version I've included is on his Live CD).

Duets: All God's Angels

Kate Rusby w/ Tim O'Brien: All God's Angels

[purchase]

One of my favorite duets of the dialogic subtype, from two powerful musicians known for pushing the boundaries of modern folk while staying true to their own national traditions.

The song, which appeared on Kate Rusby's 1999 sophomore release Sleepless, is timeless and traditional; you'd be excused if you thought, at first, that this was one of the old ballads of her native british isles. That Rusby and O'Brien together can craft and deliver such powerful lyrics and such a simple, tangible melody is a testament to their own expertise, and the power of the duet itself. But though the words and music are ageless, the duet arrangement of All God's Angels is what gives it its power, with each voice trading off verses only to come together for the final few lines in harmony.

By then, of course, both characters -- the pregnant adulteress longing for stability and a father for her unborn child, and the adulterer who loves and admires his wife too much to leave her for a temporary fling -- have established their own sort of nobility, no less potent for their simple, acoustic delivery. The combination of these voices for such a fleeting moment, like the too-human act which brought them to the story in the first place, collapses so much distance, and acknowledges so much complexity in the human condition. The last thirty seconds of this song still give me chills after a hundred repetitions.

Duets: Don’t Give Up

Peter Gabriel (with Kate Bush): Don‘t Give Up

[purchase]

Peter Gabriel asked Kate Bush to Sing backup for him on the song Games Without Frontiers. He must have been pleased with the results, because he asked her back for Don’t Give Up. Unlike the earlier song, Don’t Give Up is a true duet, with each voice part having equal importance.

Here, Gabriel sings the part of a man at a low point in his life, a man in despair. Most duets would have Bush singing the part of a new or prospective lover, come to make everything right. But Peter Gabriel has done something a little different; Bush sings the part of a sort of Greek chorus of friends and/or family, who reassure him that he still has people who care about him. By the end of the song, this support group has brought him to a much better emotional state.

So Don’t Give Up is an unusual duet for the role that Kate Bush portrays. And it is ultimately a hopeful song, making it the perfect transition song from our previous theme.