| Playlist: |
| Set #1 |
| 1. |
|
Johnny Dollar |
|
Spoken intro from 40s radio show |
| 2. |
|
Supergirl |
|
Shonen Knife. A caffinated opening tune. I liked them back before they could play their instruments. |
| 3. |
|
Ali Click |
|
Brian Eno. "A Better Tomorrow mix." I've added Chow Yun Fat demanding that you apologize to his rice. I suggest you comply. |
| 4. |
|
Run Lola Run |
|
Anita Hill's Chicken Heart mix |
| 5. |
|
I Knew the Bride |
|
Nick Lowe & Rockpile, live at a 1977 Stiff records concert; Dav Edmunds on guitar |
| 6. |
|
Nanana |
|
Royal Crescent Mob. I usually don't like this sort of goofy music, but I like this. I added Ned Flanders; he just fit. |
| 7. |
|
P. Harvey |
|
Sage Advice. |
| 8. |
|
Help Me Somebody |
|
Byrne & Eno. A pioneering work of sampling from the early early 80s, this features some shouting preacher taped off the radio. Back then we called it "found art." |
| 9. |
|
Gene & Eddie, '49 Mercury Blues |
|
Brian Setzer. The man's an encyclopedia of American rock. The latter song contains some of the crunchiest guitar of 2000. |
|
| Set #2 |
| 10. |
|
Oh Honey! |
|
Gloria Wood. Really. |
| 11. |
|
B.L.O.S.S.O.M |
|
Komeda. Do the Right Thing: purge. |
| 12. |
|
Unemployed |
|
Spoken fragment from 40s radio show |
| 13. |
|
Yesterday, When i was Mad |
|
Pet Shop Boys. One of 45,342 remixes; this is the noisiest |
| 14. |
|
Girl of My Dreams |
|
Bram Tchaikovsky. One of those songs that just deserves to be heard every other year or so. |
| 15. |
|
This Song |
|
Television. From the '93 reunion album. Takes me right back to 1977, except now we're all 40 years old. |
|
| Set #3 |
| 16. |
|
Suspicion of Love |
|
Chris Isaak. From his "surely he'll be a big pop star really soon" phase, also known as 1985-1993. Spoken words at the beginning taken from the Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" radio show. |
| 17. |
|
Rockin' into Your Heart |
|
Julie Cruise. Worth it for the sax. Warning: there's not much sax. The entire show nearly grinds to a dead halt somewhere in this song, but God help me. I love it. |
| 18. |
|
I'm Slitting My Wrists Over You |
|
Patsy Cline. Or words to that effect. |
| 19. |
|
To Step Aside |
|
PSB. Count on these fellows for operatic narcissistic anguish - and you'll get it! Bonus points for indiginous children and folk guitar. |
| 20. |
|
Five Months |
|
Louis Prima slaps us awake. |
|
| Set #4 |
| 21. |
|
I'll Be Glad When You're Dead |
|
Two recordings, spliced together. The first is some English band, and is used here to prove that Brits couldn't swing in pre-Hitler era if you held an umbrella to their temple. The second is Jack Teagarden’s version; listen for the bandmember arguing in the background. |
| 22. |
|
Caledonia |
|
Woody Herman. Probably came out of some jam sessions, this is a loose and messy tune. Stay with it - around a minute and a half into the song, the entire band lets loose with one of those battle-of-the-band moments that parts your hair and smooths out all wrinkles if you're standing too closely. To get the full effect, imagine that you're about 24, on a dance floor with a new girlfriend, you're back from the war, you have a new car and it's June first: that about sums up the mood. |
| 23. |
|
This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof |
|
Okay, another by Mr. Setzer & Band. Sorry. It rocks. |
| 24. |
|
The Beast |
|
Milt Bruckner. Swank 50s organ. |
| 25. |
|
The Jetsons |
|
No, I'm not kidding. The first 40 seconds of this piece are, I maintain, the most amazing piece of music written in the 1960s. I don't know how you begin to write this, let alone get the band to play it. The stop-this-crazy-thing sequence is included, and you can tell it's all edited and spliced together from one sumbitchin' session - just listen to that horn player go absolutely nuts toward the end. |
| 26. |
|
Orange Blossom Special |
|
Hillbilly Trance. I've never been much of a fan for show-boatin' speed-pickin' for its own sake, but this version by the Hellecasters is one of the reasons why, in 1994, I laid down my Strat for good. Salieri says: "Too Many Notes!" You’ll say "SWEET jaysus." Seven minutes of this. Pity the drummer. |
| 27. |
|
Route 66 |
|
Nelson Riddle. You'll never be cool enough to have this as your theme song. Winston Smith's next door neighbor and several members of the Canadian Broadcast Company return you to your regular musical selections. |
