photo from I’ve Had Dreams Like That That blog
As you prepare to celebrate another circuit around the sun, here’s a mix of 2011 music to ponder in anticipation of what dreams and disappointments, despair and delights are in store for 2012. Have a fine one.
“Santa Claus’ Daughter” by Charlie Rich — Belatedly fine addition to any seasonal play list. Sample lyric: “Gee, I wish she’d come this way/Take me for a ride on her daddy’s sleigh.” (from It Ain’t Gonna Be That Way: The Complete Smash Sessions)
Speaking of who’s been naughty and nice …
“If I Can’t Have You” by Blackie & The Rodeo Kings with Lucinda Williams — A benchmark exercise in roots rock from the loose conglomeration of Canadian talent that is the Rodeo Kings, with an understated but just right guest turn from Lucinda, just one of a brace of stellar boy-girl turns on the band’s collaborative concept album (from Kings & Queens)
Speaking of queens …
“Suzanne & I” by Anna Calvi — Big 80s drums, trebly guitars and Calvi’s fetching purr. Like an abandoned theme for a James Bond movie told from the perspective of his female foils. (from Anna Calvi)
Speaking of unique female perspectives …
“Roosevelt Island” by Eleanor Friedberger — Burbling along on throwback clavinet, this sweet memoir of the Fiery Furnaces’ singer’s formative years in New York City is the very definition of bittersweet. And there is an awesome break at 2:41 that will fill a NYE dancefloor. (from Last Summer)
Speaking of twisted memories …
“Rain” by the Petticoat Junction Girls — If there was any doubt that the power of arguably the Beatles’ greatest b-side (aside from the double A-side of “Penny Lane/Strawberry Fields Forever”) was in the stunning production work (and Ringo’s thundering drums), doubt no more. This what-where-they-thinking soft-rock remake by the comely stars of the 60s country fried sitcom strips it down to a middling melody and lyric. (from Sixties Sounds)
Speaking of weird covers, part 1 …
“Let’s Go” by Prince — Performing for a less-than-sold-out crowd in what was, for a time, his adopted hometown Toronto, the Purple One doubled down and was inspired to play hard and play exactly what he wanted. That included this unlikely cover of The Cars’ nugget, which provided a nice segue into “Take Me With U.” (live performance)
Speaking of weird covers, part 2 …
“White Rabbit” by Gillian Welch — A highlight of her live shows in support of Harrow & The Harvest album, Welch and Rawlings found common ground with Jefferson Airplane’s reconsideration of Alice In Wonderland. Unlikely, but l like. (available oniTunes)
Speaking of weird covers, part 3 ..
“One Too Many Mornings” by Ronnie Hawkins — Bob Dylan’s affection and fascination with The Hawk is well-established. Here, Hawkins tips his stetson back with a gospel-flavored, understated crooning take on Dylan’s great kiss-off anthem (from the reissue of Cotillion’s LP Ronnie Hawkins)
Speaking of folkified/country fried 60s icons …
“Do You Think That I Really Care?” by The Rolling Stones — There were no real revelations in the Stones’ expanded reissue of their still well-regarded 1977 album, except this: If we take the “outtakes” at face value — that these tracks were more or less ready for inclusion back in the day but were dropped for esthetic or quality control reasons — then the leftovers suggest the Stones’ “punk” album could have been their “country album.” If “No Spare Parts,” “Don’t Be A Stranger,” “We Had It All” and a straight version of “You Win Again” had made the cut, alongside “Far Away Eyes” and this track, then the Glimmer Twins could lay claim to the first alt-country album (if you don’t already count Beggar’s Banquet or Let It Bleed. (from Some Girls Deluxe Edition)
And speaking of just plain fried British icons …
“Just Like Honey (demo version)” by Jesus & Mary Chain — An acoustic treatment of the melancholy Velvets-meet-Spector anthem. Relieved of its dense bank of squalling guitars, the pure pop classicism of the melody is splayed out for close inspection (from Psychocandy reissue)
Demo revelations part 2 ….
“Nothing Left To Borrow (demo)” by The Jayhawks — I had the pleasure of watching the reunited ‘Hawks perform in New York City in 2011. On a cold night, hearing them settle into this and other songs was the kind of comfort you get warming yourself next to a fire. The sensation endures when listening to the full disc of demos included with this reissue (from Tomorrow The Green Grass Legacy Edition)
Demo revelations, part 3 …
“I Walk The Line (early demo)” by Johnny Cash — Even in this sketchy run-through, there is absolutely nothing lost by the absence of supporting instrumentation. Even in its formative stage, Johnny knew exactly what he was doing and understood the song’s simple power. Still gone, still not forgotten. (from Bootleg Volume 2: From Memphis to Hollywood)
Demo revelations, part 4 …
“We Gotta Get Out of This Place (Original Demo)” by Barry Mann — Wherein the Brill Building composer runs through the song, which became a hit for The Animals. There are some lyrical changes in this version, and Mann’s quavering voice works well when compared to Eric Burdon’s swaggery take (from The Red Bird Story)
Demo revelations, part 5 …
“So Many People (demo)” by Paul Williams — Yes, the diminutive 70s MOR hitmaker long ago crossed the line from ubiquity to the where-are-they-now file. But this demo from his Someday Man LP (now revered by sunshine pop fetishists) emphasizes that at heart, Williams’ brand of easy listening often betrayed wells of sadness. For added insight, seek out the excellent documentary Paul Williams Still Alive. (from Someday Man Expanded Deluxe Edition)
Demo revelations, part 6 …
“I’m One (demo)” by Pete Townshend — Although it’s from a rock opera set amid the 60s Mod subculture — a scene obsessed with R&B — Townshend curiously chose to score Quadrophenia with synth-charged anthems and the odd dash of folk and country flourishes (see also “Had Enough”). (from Quadrophenia Director’s Cut box set)
Live revelations, part 1
“Oh Canada!” by Nicole Atkins — Possibly the best concert I saw this year was before no more than 50 souls in the basement of Toronto’s Drake Hotel, by Atkins, who used the intimacy and devotion of the small crowd to make the show as special and memorable as possible for her faithful. She ended the gig by leaving the stage and inviting the crowd into a circle around her to join her in song. Coincidentally, this song predated that memorable night, but the sentiment is appropriate (bonus track from Mondo Amore)
Live revelations part 2 …
“King Midas In Reverse (Live At Lewisham Odeon)” by The Hollies — Whatever their deficiencies and inconsistencies as British Invasion tag alongs, The Hollies could harmonize and they could pull it off live, as they amply demonstrate on this live treatment of Graham Nash’s greatest contribution to their catalogue. Nash could not have ditched The Hollies because he was looking for better singers with CSNY (from The Clarke, Hicks & Nash Years)
Live revelations, part 3 …
“Lay It Down (live)” by Cowboy Junkies — If you or anyone you know still pigeonholes the Junkies as mellow fellows, play them this 11-minute slow burning creepy treatment of the title song from the band’s ill-starred 1996 LP. This is psychedelic, period. (from Sing In My Meadow bonus tracks)
Not to say that there isn’t a power in understatement …
“If I’ve Been Fooled” by The Weather Station — Tamara Lindeman’s music is fragile as a bird’s nest but possesses an unfathomable allure. Don’t take my word for it, watch her transform a Toronto in-store into a séance (from All Of It Was Mine)
Nothing sells like overkill …
“Coca Cola Commercial” by Lee Dorsey — Wherein the “Ya Ya Man” laments his broken down car, and while pushing the jalopy to town, dreams of an ice cold Coke. All ad come-ons should be so funky. (from Soul Mine: Greatest Hits & More 1960-1978)
Nothing sells like overkill, part 2
“Dating Courtesy” by The Shangri-Las — In which front woman (girl, really, at the time) Mary Weiss offers dating advice such as, if you “barge on ahead like a baby elephant, you’ll get attention alright but it won’t be favorable” and allowing a boy to indulge in chivalrous acts will “flatter his masculine ego.” Happily, the Shangri-Las melodramatic pop has aged better than their dating insights (from Remember: Hits & Rarities From the Bad Girls of 60s Pop)
Autotuning in …
“Fall Creek Boys Choir” by James Blake & Bon Iver — Call it a summit of creative auto-tuners, this track mutates two remarkable vocalists into knots of incomprehension but it is a beautiful sound. Bon Iver’s Massey Hall performance this year was perhaps the only time I’ve ever seen several thousand people emerge from a concert in a collective state of ecstasy, really. And at its best, Blake’s self-titled album can render the same effect on a smaller scale (from Blake’s Enough ThunderEP)
Speaking of Bon Iver …
Red Horse (Judges LI) by Colin Stetson — One of the unexpected revelations of Bon Iver’s live show is the insertion of a solo spotlight for this Montreal-based sax player, whose style defies simple description: imagine a freak snowstorm, only instead of snowflakes, you got hit with a blizzard of flatulent-sounding notes squonked through a sax. I can’t say for certain, but I believe this vertigo-inducing number was the one Stetson favored the crowd with that night. You can also see him perform in studio on CBC (from New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges)
Speaking of Bon Iver, part 2 …
“Change The Sheets” by Kathleen Edwards — In the midst of Bon Iver’s above-mentioned Toronto performance, Justin Vernon took a rare moment to address the audience and express his gratitude for his recent success, adding cryptically “It’s okay to dream … but most of the time it’s better to be doing than dreaming,” before adding “mostly I’m grateful for Kitty.” And so, in 2012, Kathleen Edwards will step into the spotlight with her Vernon-produced new record. Judging by this advance single, their chemistry in the studio has reinvented her sound and may yield the best record of her career (from the Wapusk single — see the video here)
Speaking of 2012 …
“Serpents” by Sharon Van Etten — One of my great listening pleasures was belatedly discovering the music of Van Etten, so one of my most anticipated releases for 2012 is her forthcoming record Tramp. “Serpents” is a tantalizing foretaste (available on-line)
And before you head out the door …
(bonus track) “New Year’s Eve” by Tom Waits — The lovely lullaby melody and elegant turns of phrase sound like a heartfelt attempt at a new seasonal favorite. The lyrics suggest a celebration spoiled by a botched junkie intervention (“The stars were like diamonds/And then came the sirens/Everyone started to curse/The noise was disturbing/I couldn’t find Irving/It was like two stations on at the same time”). That it resolves itself with a heartbreaking chorus of “Old Lang Syne” should come as no surprise. May your new year’s celebration be as strange and beautiful, but minus the police. (from Bad As Me)
