Side 1, Track 1: early 90s UK bands

I like this playlist idea; here's my contribution: first songs on the first sides of albums released by UK bands in the early and mid-90s (from Teenage Fanclub and Cocteau Twins to Stereolab, Chapterhouse and The Charlatans). Enjoy.

Side 1, Track 1

I like this idea. It doesn't require me to think too much - although it did make me realize that many great albums do not start off with the best song. Some albums just start great. Like that B52s record. But yeah, I could do this all day. RHAPSODY Link

K Records Sampler

Calvin Johnson and his cronies from the Pacific Northwest have been doing everything they can to keep independant music way off the beaten path. From the gospel-funk-punk of The Make-Up to early material from the likes of Built to Spill to the vast catalog from Phil Elvrum's Microphones... there's a lot to find here (and hopefully more on the way).

Track 1 - Side 1 - Part 1

The first in what might be a long series of lists... For the first installment, I've selected some indie-folk and lo-fi stuff that starts with bang (a few of which kinda end with a whimper, but what can ya do....)

A`ole Pilikia (No Worries)

The Rhapsody collection of Hawaiian music is slowly growing. Here's a sampler of both traditional and contemporary mele (songs), with some hapa haole songs (in English) and instrumentals tossed in for good measure. Kick back and spread the aloha.

An ode to flight

I overslept and missed a plane this morning, giving rise to this playlist of songs about flight, featuring songs from The Pentangle, Joni Mitchell, Brian Eno, and of course, the Steve Miller Band's "Jet Airliner." Enjoy.

In memorium: John Peel

Sad news today from Peru, where legendary BBC broadcaster John Peel died of a heart attack while on vacation. Peel was a longtime (and legendary) presence on the BBC, starting his career in the 1960s as a DJ on a pirate radio station before joining BBC's Radio One in 1967. Peel was always a champion of good and necessary music, and today we offer a tribute...these songs were among Peel's All-Time Festive Top 50.

Click here to listen. R.I.P., John.

Greenwich Village Folk Freaks

I just finished a back to back reading of Positively Fourth Street and Bob Dylan's autobiography and so I'm feeling a bit of love for the Greenwich Village folkies and the stuff that made them want to start playing in the first place. Also feeling much love for Mimi and Richard Farina (well Mimi especially), but Richard seemed like he was a cool cat, as well. I've got his book coming in the mail, this week hopefully. Take a listen. Folkin' Ay

"Pastures Of Plenty" - Woody Guthrie
"Song To Woody" - Bob Dylan
"Reno Nevada" - Richard & Mimi Farina
"Casey Jones" - Dave Van Ronk
"Hard Traveling " - Cisco Houston
"Will The Circle Be Unbroken" - Ramblin' Jack Elliott
"Swing And Turn Jubilee" - Carolyn Hester
"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" - Joan Baez
"No More Auction Block For Me" - Odetta
"Two Trains Running" - John Hammond
"C.C. Rider" - Leadbelly
"Pepperheaded Woman" - Sonny Terry
"Death Don't Have No Mercy" - Reverend Gary Davis
"Lord, I Want To Die Easy" - Josh White

Stephen Street, genius?

Stephen Street first rose to fame as the engineer and then producer for The Smiths, and subsequently for Morrissey's early solo efforts (circa Viva Hate). Street's wave of success continued with a string of well-regarded albums, most notably with Blur (many of whose albums he produced, including the mega-selling Parklife), as well as with The Cranberries, Psychedelic Furs, Sleeper and others too numerous to name.

Due to the frustrating lack of most of The Smiths' albums in Rhapsody (we should start a write-in campaign to Warner Music Group about that), as well as now out-of-print material from bands like The Darling Buds and The Mighty Lemon Drops, this playlist doesn't include some of Streets' best songs. Still, it's an impressive run.

Click HERE for a sampler of Streets' work.

Roots Manuva or Ali G?

I find myself listening to Roots Manuva all the time. I don't know why. Something about the delivery and the accent. Different beats and samples. I've become kind of burned out on all the familiar hip-hop conventions...seems like going over the pond gave me a fresh look at things...Roots Manuva gives a nice spin to the hip-hop/dancehall mix. If you got excited by the recent releases by The Streets and Dizzee Rascal, you might hear something familiar and tasty in this little sampler.

Roots-fi Discotheque
Witness (1 Hope)
Soul Decay
Man Fi Cool
Clockwork
Bashment Boogie
Movements

Click Here to check it out.

Martin Hannett: a retrospective

Martin Hannett was one of the greatest producers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, a man whose genius behind the controls left a distinct stamp on the recordings he made with Joy Division, New Order and a veritable who's who of post-punk bands.

Hannett is most famous for his production duties on Joy Division's first two albums and their celebrated single "Love Will Tear Us Apart." This work led to other production work for U2 (he produced the band's first single), Magazine, The Duritti Column, A Certain Ratio, New Order, Psychedelic Furs, and Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark, among others. Sadly, Hannett's descent into heroin addiction sidelined his studio work for much of the 1980s (aside from some work with the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses towards the end of the decade), and led to his death in 1991 at the tender age of 42.

This playlist offers a look back at some of the groundbreaking recordings Hannett produced. Enjoy.

Sad songs for Sunday: Mindy Smith

I'm not a big country fan, but THIS EP by Mindy Smith really hit me square in the heart this year. Recorded solo in our studios in Seattle, it includes stripped down & hauntingly beautiful versions of five songs from her debut album. My favorites are "Fighting for It All" and "Hurricane." Best enjoyed alone on a Sunday.