The Joy and Misery

I like blogging for an exercise in creative writing, expressing myself and sharing cool music with others. I'm not supposed to share .mp3's that don't belong to me, though. They are not mine to give away.

But I do it anyway. Just like the 10's of THOUSANDS of other people worldwide who write blogs. I don't fancy myself a great writer. Or even a good writer. But I try like hell. And if I'm going to write about something, I can more easily critique my words when I'm writing about something I love. Something I'm passionate about. I think it's fun and probably keeps my mental acuity sharp. But it's fun, mostly.

When I started this a few years ago, I was mostly inspired by AnAquariumDrunkard. And I promised to myself to give a good effort to support the music I was sharing. Not just, "Hey, everyone! Here's some free music! Rob from the artist who created this beautiful art; the bastards are richer than you anyway!"

No. No. No. My intention was (and is) since I'm SO excited and inspired by this music, let me channel that into a creative expression. An expression of sincere admiration of the music.

But life gets hectic. Without going into details, over time I guess I lost time and interest in my newfound 'creative outlet'.

So I log on for the first time in a VERY LONG time, and I apparently have a DMCA message. GRRR!

Not my first.

This time, for my post about the song "Tweeter and The Monkey Man". The first was for posting Duffy mp3's. Admittedly, I posted a few songs from an album not-yet-released. I can understand if they thought I might undercut sales. I'd like to think I tried to spur interest in her, though.

Anyway, Google took my "Tweeter" blog entry down and put it into my draft folder. Tweeter and The Monkey Man. Released by Traveling Wilburys in 1988. Covered by The Headstones in 1993 on their album, Picture of Health. (Amazon.com links provided!)

Not much different than this web page I just found as I'm composing this blog:

http://www.cover-vs-original.com/song-21.html

I'm pretty disappointed, but I'm pleased that my whole blog wasn't deleted. Or worse, I suppose.

That said, I may start writing again. If (When) I do, I'll be more clever when sharing. So, for those artists I offend in the future (or more likely, their record companies), know that I love your art. If I'm writing about it, then I believe to my marrow that its beauty should be beheld by everyone that shares my affinity for great music.

Thanks in advance for not suing my ass off.

Carl

Girl Talk :: Feed The Animals

I've always had leaning toward rap music and I love a great DJ mix, but there's nothing like the classics in rock. The hits... the songs that everyone knows, the ones that get played over and over at the bars and house parties. And then there's the deep cuts of long forgotten albums, the b-sides often overlooked and overshadowed by the radio hits.

Of course, what would the world of music be with guilty pleasures... songs so simple and superficial, you know you shouldn't. But you just can't help yourself. They find a way to permeate into your everyday life and before you know it, you're hooked!

What if you could find one album that captured all those great tunes?

What would an album sound like that flexed a cacophony of sounds; a musical force that defied conventions of mainstream and underground music while celebrating them both? An album that defined sonic synergy?

That album would be "Feed The Animals", by Pittsburgh native DJ, Girl Talk. A album is a veritable 'megamix' of lesser-known and popular hits. A collection of 322 samples from various artists like Jay Z, Roy Orbison, Huey Lewis and The News, Rod Stewart, Procol Harum, Li'l Wayne, The Band, Fergie, Kenny Loggins and The Cure!


The album was released through Girl Talk's label, Illegal Art on at a Name-Your-Own-Price basis.

Just give in, already! You know you're gonna love it!


Play Your Part (Pt.1)


Shut The Club Down


Set It Off

Enjoy!

Hayes Carll

Thanks to Blender Magazine's Top 33 Albums of 2008 I was introduced to Hayes Carll and his album "Trouble In Mind", released back in April.

It's a fantastic album! Love it from start to finish.

Bad Liver And A Broken Heart (Not a Tom Waits cover)

I Don't Wanna Grow Up (Tom Waits cover)

She Left Me For Jesus

It's Been A Long Time...

Four and a half months without a post! A shame really, but life has been very busy. So here we go...

Boomp3.com

In my teenage years of the mid to late 1980s, rap music was definitely a way to set yourself apart from the crowd growing up in rural (read: white) America. I loved to come home from school to watch Yo! MTV Raps and Rap City on BET. Eric B. and Rakim were steady favorites of mine with their album, Paid In Full. From start to finish, it's a classic which has stood the test of time, sounding every bit as fresh today as it did in 1987. And if you can find a copy of the Platinum Edition with a second disc of song remixes, I highly suggest you pick it up.
















It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you without a strong rhyme to step to...

I Know You Got Soul (from Eric B. and Rakim :: Paid In Full)

Paid In Full (Remix Jack and Diane) (from Eric B. and Rakim :: Paid In Full - Platinum Edition)

I Ain't No Joke (from Eric B. and Rakim :: Paid In Full)

It's Been A Long Time (from Rakim :: 18th Letter)

...

The Ting Tings

I (luckily) caught The Ting Tings on DirecTv's freeview of SXSW this past March. I love their sound and catchy rhythms. Much like The White Stripes, it's a two-piece rock band with a punk / do-it-yourself feel. Opposite of The White Stripes, drums are handled by the male, Jules De Martino, while singing and guitar are handled by Katie White.

Now I see iTunes is helping promote them through their latest ipod commercial featuring the song, "Shut Up And Let Me Go".


The Ting Tings will be releasing their debut album We Started Nothing on May 20th!

In the meantime, check them out!

Great DJ

That's Not My Name

Shut Up And Let Me Go


boomp3.com

The Two Man Gentleman Band :: William Howard Taft

William Howard Taft was the 27th President of The United States of America (1909 - 1913) and the 10th Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1921 - 1930).

The Two Man Gentleman Band are S. Andy Bean and Condon Fuller. A two-piece band consisting of banjo and upright bass, with kazoo accompaniment for a splash of old-timey authenticity.

Mr. Taft is the only person to ever hold both top positions of the Executive and Judicial branches of the United States government.

Two Man Gentleman Band released their third album this past February and are current amid a tour which will take them across the country twice in the next 5 months.

Taft was a portly fellow and the last President to sport facial hair in office.

Above, Mr. Bean sports a fedora and Mr. Fuller, a bowler.

boomp3.com

Two Man Gentleman Band :: William Howard Taft

From Fat Jokes about Taft :

"Justice [David J.] Brewer of the Supreme Court said that 'Taft is the politest man in Washington; the other day he gave up his seat in a street-car to three ladies.'"

"While he was in the Philippines, disturbing reports about his health caused Secretary of War [Elihu] Root to send a cabled inquiry. Taft cabled back that he was perfectly all right -- he had just finished a twenty-five-mile horseback ride and was feeling fine. Root read that, smiled, and sent off another cable of solicitude: 'How is horse?'"

"What are you going to name it when it comes, Mr. President?" asked Senator Chauncey Depew as he patted Taft’s huge stomach. "Well, if it is a boy I’ll call it William," replied Taft. "If it’s a girl, I’ll call it Theodora. But if it turns out to be just wind, I’ll call it Chauncey."

Ryan Adams Live :: Ann Arbor, MI 2007

boomp3.com

Goodnight Rose

Please Do Not Let Me Go

A Kiss Before I Go

Cold Roses

The Raconteurs :: Consolers Of The Lonely

Listen up! New material from The Raconteurs will be released quickly, this Tuesday, March 25!

This past Monday, The Raconteurs officially acknowledged the album's upcoming release, Consolers Of The Lonely, the band's sophomore album, along with a tracklist and Spring tour dates. The announcement notes that the album will be available through regular stores as well as online retailers and the band's own website in an attempt to get the album to EVERYONE (including the music press) at the same time. The speedy release is an attempt to stop an online leak of the album before it's available for sale.

That will prevent a repeat of the debacle last spring when a Chicago DJ played Icky Thump in its entirety prior to the official release.

Read more from The Raconteurs at their myspace page through the link provided above.


boomp3.com

Duffy, I'm begging you for 'Mercy'

At the request of Duffy's label, I took down my previous post.

watch the 'Mercy' video on Youtube


Duffy's Myspace page


Duffy's Official Website

You've got me begging!

You've got me begging!

You've got me begging!

Mercy,

why won't you release me?

I'm begging you for mercy,

why won't you release me?

Pre-Order Duffy's Rockferry through Amazon (if you don't mind waiting until May 13)

Black Crowes :: Warpaint

The Black Crowes will be releasing Warpaint, their 7th studio album, on March 4.

Their new single, "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution" can be heard in the Press N Play to the left. Sites have been warned by the Web Sheriff about posting the mp3, so I won't be posting it. If posting the song on my blog with a Boomp3 player is unacceptable, leave a comment, I'll take it down.

With the new album just days away, here's a taste to whet your appetite, but remember: Support the artists! Buy the album!

Fork out 50 bucks and go to the concert!

Buy a 35 dollar t-shirt!

And a 20 dollar program!

Hell, spend 25 for a cool hat, too!

Shit, might as well shell out your last 10 bucks on some buttons for the blue jean jacket you've owned since high school!

Meet The Eels

If you've been living under the same rock I have for the past decade or so, The Eels' newly released compilation, Meet The Eels, is aptly titled.

Meet The Eels features the band's hits and favorites while a companion release, Useless Trinkets, presents b-sides and rarities spanning 1996 - 2006, the band's first decade.

Though it took more than a decade, I'm very glad I finally met The Eels.

Read more about Mark Everett (known as E) and his band The Eels at wiki.

...and enjoy some great music!

boomp3.com

Mr. E's Beautiful Blues

**************************************

boomp3.com

Hey Man (Now You're Really Living)

**************************************

Novocaine For The Soul

My Beloved Monster

Souljacker Pt. 1

Flo Rida :: Low

My guilty pleasure at the moment comes from the soundtrack to the film "Step Up 2 The Streets".

give it a listen...

boomp3.com

take it home with you...

Flo Rida ft. T-Pain :: Low

Whiskeytown :: Stranger's Almanac

I am anxious for the arrival of a deluxe release of the Whiskeytown's seminal major label release, Stranger's Almanac . This two disc edition will be available on March 4.

Along with the original album, which included such alt-country classics as "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight", "16 Days" and "Avenues", the second disc promises to be chock full of outtakes, demos and unreleased songs.

Though I expect many (if not all) of the extra recordings to be ones which have come out through bootlegs such as A Stranger Is Born, I can't wait to hear songs such as "Ten Seconds Till The End Of The World" and the Fleetwood Mac cover, "Dreams" in their shined-up, fully remastered beauty and glory.


From Stranger's Almanac:

boomp3.com

16 Days

Everything I Do

and a few extras:

Turn Around

Theme For A Trucker

Dreams (Fleetwood Mac cover)

Shawty Lo :: Down 4 Life

Shawty Lo of D4L will be releasing his major label debut, Units in the City on February 26. The album will feature the hit single, "Dey Know", originally from his underground mixtape DJ Scream presents Shawty Lo's I'm The Man, Part 2.

Couple of bangers for ya...

I'm Da Man D4L RMX feat. Fabo, Shawty Lo, Stuntman and Mook B

Dey Know (Remix) feat. Ludacris, Li'l Wayne, Plies and Young Jeezy

VietNam :: Step On Inside

The movie, I Know Who Killed Me, starring Lindsay Lohan, was roundly panned by critics and online reviewers alike (4.5/10 at IMDB and *ouch!* 2.1/10 at RottenTomatoes). I personally liked the concept and I don't blame Lohan for its shortcomings.

Perhaps some people just like to bash.

Maybe I'm no film critic.

Either way, the movie did introduce me to a very cool song. And hence the topic for this post. In the opening sequence of the movie, Lohan is dancing at a strip club while this groovy number plays.

boomp3.com

VietNam is a NYC-based rock group originally from Austin, Texas. "Step On Inside" recalls hazed-out Jim Carroll-inspired punk blues while "Priest, Poet and The Pig" is a full-throttle raved-up Dylanesque rant.

VietNam :: Step On Inside

VietNam :: Priest, Poet and The Pig

Happy New Year!

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne ?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

The most direct translation of the Scots phrase 'auld lang syne' is 'old long since'. Singing the song at the stroke of midnight has been a New Year's tradition the whole world around for many years. The song has been around since the late 1700's. More on 'Auld Lang Syne'

The recording by Guy Lombardo can be heard when the ball comes down at midnight every year in Times Square.

Guy Lombardo :: Auld Lang Syne

Have a happy and safe New Year's celebration!

Wrapping up the Christmas season

Wow! December 22 already! Hope the shopping's done and the stockings are hung!

I truly, truly love Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong's reading of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas"! It is another treasure from a man who himself was a beloved treasure. This one's gonna make you smile and feel warm all over!

Louis Armstrong :: 'Twas The Night Before Christmas

So pour yourself a tall glass of milk, curl under a blankie and enjoy this one before going to bed on Christmas Eve.

As timeless as A Charlie Brown Christmas, the soundtrack to the annual television classic contains music that will be weaved into Christmas memories for generations to come.

O Tannenbaum

Linus And Lucy

Christmas Time Is Here

Skating

So many great Christmas songs; it's hard to pick just a few more to share with you...

Run D.M.C. :: Christmas In Hollis

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band :: Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town

David Bowie and Bing Crosby :: Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy

Finally, let me share some Beatles / Lennon / McCartney with you.

The Beatles :: Christmas Time Is Here Again

John Lennon :: Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

Paul McCartney :: Wonderful Christmastime

Bob Rivers :: Jesus's Birthday

I've heard of tugging on Santa's beard, but...

In Danbury, Connecticut... Woman Accused of Groping Santa (link to news story)

Eartha Kitt :: Santa Baby

Mae West :: Put The Loot In The Boot, Santa

John Mellencamp :: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Jackson 5 :: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

"I believe you've just discovered the South Pole."

Christmas With The Crooners

Just a few more classics that hardly need introducing...

Bing Crosby :: White Christmas

Nat King Cole :: The Christmas Song

Frank Sinatra :: Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Gene Autry :: Here Comes Santa Claus (Down Santa Claus Lane)

Nat and Frank, 1957.

Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings

Tucked away among my string of Christmas posts, I had to finally write about Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. Their third album, 100 Days, 100 Nights was released October 2, 2007 and broke Billboard's Top 25 Independent Albums Charts. The album has been getting very good reviews around the music blogs and would make a great "I-never-heard-of-them-before" stocking stuffer.

You know the Dap-Kings from their work with Amy Winehouse, tapped by producer Mark Ronson to supply that 1960's R&B flow on her album Back To Black.

Once again they bring the funk and infuse Sharon Jones' bold, soulful voice with a swing reminicent of classic Motown/Stax records. This is The Daptone Sound! Daptone Records

From 100 Days, 100 Nights:

100 Days, 100 Nights

Nobody's Baby

And Daptones limited release single:

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

>>>This is HOT! d/l now!!!