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“I Wish I Looked A Little Better”, Sparks

This way: I Wish I Looked A Little Better

I am a recent convert to Sparks, not really my thing back in the day. But they can really write a good song. Here is one of my favorites.

Sparks is an American pop and rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1972 by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals). The duo formed in 1968 under the name Halfnelson. Known for their quirky approach to songwriting, Sparks' music is often accompanied by intelligent, sophisticated, and acerbic lyrics, and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified in the contrast between Russell's animated, hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's deadpan scowling. They are also noted for Russell Mael's distinctive wide-ranging voice and Ron Mael's intricate and rhythmic keyboard playing style. 

While achieving chart success in various countries around the world including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, and the United States, they have enjoyed a cult following since their first releases. During the late 1970s, when in collaboration with Giorgio Moroder (and Telex subsequently), Sparks reinvented themselves as a new wave/synth-pop band, and abandoned the traditional rock band line-up. Their frequently changing styles and visual presentations have kept the band at the forefront of modern, artful pop music.

[Spotify] I Wish I Looked A Little Better

“No Tears”, Tuxedomoon

This way: No Tears

Tuxedomoon is an experimental, post-punk, new wave band from San Francisco, California, United States. The band formed in the late 1970s at the beginning of the punk rock movement. Pulling influence from punk and electronic music, the group, originally consisting of Steven Brown and Blaine L. Reininger, used electronic violins, guitars, screaming vocals and synthesizers to develop a unique "cabaret no-wave" sound. Bassist Peter Principle (Peter Dachert, 1954–2017) joined the band and in 1979 they released the single “No Tears”, which remains a post-punk cult classic. That year they signed to Ralph Records and released their first album, Half-Mute. Eventually, Reininger left the group and Tuxedomoon relocated to Europe, signing to Crammed Discs and releasing Holy Wars in 1985. The band separated in the early 1990s, only to reunite later that decade. They all have remained together since releasing the album Cabin in the Sky in 2004.   

[Spotify] No Tears

“Murder She Wrote”, Chaka Demus & Pliers

This way: Murder She Wrote

"“Murder She Wrote
Single by Chaka Demus & Pliers
from the album Tease Me
Released 1993 

“Murder She Wrote” is a song by Chaka Demus & Pliers, from their 1993 album Tease Me. It was first released as a single in 1992 and again in late 1993, reaching number 27 on the UK Singles Chart in early 1994. The music to the song is based on the Maytals 1966 song “Bam Bam”. 

[Spotify] Murder She Wrote

“Bad Penny”, Big Black, Dave Riley dead at 59

This way: Bad Penny

Dave Riley was a friend of mine. He provided music for a couple of performances I did back in the day. He was a real musical trooper. I’m glad to have known you and sorry you are gone.

Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun. In 1985, Pezzati was replaced by Dave Riley, who played on Big Black’s two full-length studio albums, Atomizer (1986) and Songs About Fucking (1987).

Big Black's aggressive and abrasive music was characterized by distinctively clanky guitars and the use of a drum machine rather than a drum kit, elements that foreshadowed industrial rock. The band’s lyrics flouted commonly held taboos and dealt frankly—and often explicitly—with politically and culturally loaded topics including murder, rape, child sexual abuse, arson, racism, and misogyny. Though the band's lyrics contained controversial material, the lyrics were meant to serve as a commentary or a display of distaste for the subject matter. They were staunchly critical of the commercial nature of rock, shunning the mainstream music industry and insisting on complete control over all aspects of their career. At the height of their success, they booked their own tours, paid for their own recordings, refused to sign contracts, and eschewed many of the traditional corporate trappings of rock bands. In doing so, they had a significant impact on the aesthetic and political development of independent and underground rock music.

[Spotify] Bad Penny

“One Guitar”, Willy Nile

This way: One Guitar

I’m not sure if I love this song or not. But nananana nananananan anananana nana, here it is anyway.

Willie Nile is an American singer-songwriter.
In 1980, Nile released his self-titled debut album. His early career was interrupted by various problems, but he eventually returned to recording and performing in the US and Europe. This song is from 2010. 

[Spotify] not likley

“A Fairytale of New York”, The Pogues feat. Kirsty MacColl

This way: A Fairytale of New York

Would you like to hear one of the all time best Christmas songs I ask you? “Fairytale of New York” remains The Pogues’ best known and best-selling single. It was named after J.P. Donleavy's 1973 novel A Fairy Tale of New York which Finer had been reading in the studio when the song was first written. The song dated back to 1985 when Finer had written the original melody and lyrics, about a sailor looking out over the ocean, but he admitted that his lyrics had been terrible and MacGowan had come up with a better storyline of a couple arguing in New York City at Christmas time. MacGowan had always intended the song to be sung as a duet, originally with O’Riordan providing the female vocal part, but despite attempts to record “Fairytale of New York” in January 1986 during the sessions for Poguetry in Motion, the band were unhappy with the results and abandoned the song. During the sessions for the third album at RAK in May 1987, MacGowan recorded new guide vocals for the song but with O'Riordan's departure it now had no female vocalist. Lillywhite took the tapes home and recorded his singer-songwriter wife Kirsty MacColl singing the female lines: when he brought them back to the studio The Pogues were so impressed that the song was re-recorded with MacColl as the replacement singing partner for MacGowan. “Fairytale of New York” was released as the album's lead single in November 1987 in the run-up to Christmas and reached number one in Ireland and number two in the UK. Its enduring popularity has seen it re-enter the charts several times since 1987, eventually going on to sell over a million copies in the UK and being voted the most popular Christmas-themed song of all time.

[Spotify] A Fairytale of New York

“Now That Was a Day”, Dead Gwynne

This way: Now That Was a Day

Every year for the past 24 years my friend Carl and I have written a Christmas song. Above is this years edition. Have a merry Christmas everyone.

The whole lot; Dead Gwynne Holiday Tunes

[Spotify] Not Likely

“2000 Miles”, Pretenders

This way: 2000 Miles

Chrissie Hynde of Pretenders is one of the great pop songwriters. Her she puts it all out for a great classic Christmas tune. From 1982s LP Learning to Crawl.

[Spotify] 2000 Miles

“River”, Joni Mitchell

This way: River

One of the all-time best Christmas songs. A real heartbreaker, lovely. From one of the great songwriters . . . 

[Spotify] River

“Jesus Built My Hotrod”, Ministry

This way: Jesus Built my Hotrod

“Jesus Built My Hotrod” is a song by American industrial metal band Ministry, released as the first single from their fifth studio album, Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs. It was written by the band's frontman Al Jourgensen, bassist Paul Barker, drummer Bill Rieflin, session keyboardist Michael Balch, and the Butthole Surfers lead singer Gibby Haynes, and was co-produced by Jourgensen and Barker. An industrial metal track, it features elements of rockabilly and psychobilly, and is influenced by the Trashmen 1963 hit "Surfin' Bird", and Flannery O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood; the song's instrumentation is defined by its polyrhythmic structure. This is the longer Red Line/White Line version.

[Spotify] Jesus built my Hotrod

“NYC”, Drink Me

This way: NYC

I love this great song about where I spend so much time, little town called New York city. This was put out by one of the members of TMBG via the Hello CD club. Drink Me is a two-man acoustic band. Mark Amft sings lead vocals and alternates playing Fanta bottle (ridged you see, and played like a South American guiro), ukelele, slide guitar, accordion, tambourine and kazoo. Wynne Evans plays guitar and sings harmonies. Drink Me started in 1986. The band was originally conceived as a sort of experimental hard-core duo, inspired by the likes of Flipper and Pere Ubu. Mark sang and played drums and Wynne played electric guitar. After indulging in this type of delivery for a period of time, they figured a more genial approach would better get their craft across. A shift was in order.

[Spotify] not likely

“Influence”, Big Boys

This way: Influence

The Big Boys were a pioneering punk rock band who are credited with having helped to create and introduce skate punk as a new style of music, which became popular in the 1980s. They also were famous by bring elements of funk into their hardcore punk style. Based in Austin, Texas the band members were Randy "Biscuit" Turner on vocals, Tim Kerr on guitar and Chris Gates on bass. The key members of the band were childhood friends for a decade before the band was started.

The hardcore punk style, a development from the earlier punk sound, arose spontaneously in various cities, but in Austin it was represented by MDC, Big Boys, The Huns, The Skunks and The Dicks. The bands often played together; Big Boys and The Dicks jointly released a split single and an LP, Live At Raul’s.

[Spotify] Influence

“The Love Song”, k-os

This way: The Love Song

k-os (/ˈkeɪ.ɒs/; "chaos"), is a Canadian alternative rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. His given name may also be cited as Kheaven, a spelling he later adopted.

The alias "k-os", spelled with a lower case "k", was intended to be less aggressive than the pseudonyms of other rappers whose names were all upper case, such as KRS-One. It is an acronym for "Knowledge of Self", although in a later interview he said that it originally stood for "Kevin's Original Sound". k-os' music incorporates a wide variety of music genres, including rap, funk, rock, and reggae. The lyrics frequently focus on promoting a "positive message" while at times expressing criticism of mainstream hip hop culture's obsession with money, fame and glorification of violence. A musician as well as a producer, k-os has written and produced nearly every part of all four of his albums. k-os usually performs with a live band, something that is uncommon in the hip hop genre. He sometimes plays guitar and keyboard both during live performances and in the studio. 

[Spotify] The Love Song

“A Good Idea”, Sugar

This way: A Good Idea

Sugar was an American alternative rock band of the early 1990s. Formed in 1992, they were led by the singer and guitarist Bob Mould (ex-Hüsker Dü), alongside bassist David Barbe (ex-Mercyland) and drummer Malcolm Travis (ex-Human Sexual Response). Copper Blue is a fantastic LP beginning to end and Mould is at the top of my list of favorites.

[Spotify] A Good Idea

“Strangled by the Stereo Wire”, Archers of Loaf

This way: Strangled by the Stereo Wire

Archers of Loaf is an American indie rock band originally formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1991. The group toured extensively and released four studio albums, one compilation, numerous singles and EPs, and a live album which was released after the band broke up in 1998. 

“All the Nations Airports” is the third studio album recorded by the indie rock band Archers of Loaf. Although the band was still signed to Alias Records the album was released by Elektra Records in 1996, making it the first to be distributed by a major label. 

[Spotify] Strangled by the Stereo Wire

“Birmingham”, Shovels & Rope

This way: Birmingham

Shovels & Rope are an American folk duo from Charleston, South Carolina composed of husband and wife Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst. Shovels & Rope blends traditional folk, rock and roll and country rock. This band is not in Birmingham. 

[Spotify] Birmingham

“Letter From Anne Marie”, Grant Hart

This way: Letter From Anne Marie

Here is one of my favorite songwriters. Grant Hart (March 18, 1961 – September 13, 2017) was an American musician, best known as the drummer and co-songwriter for the alternative rock and hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü. After the band’s breakup in 1988, he formed the alternative rock trio Nova Mob, where he moved to vocals and guitar. His solo career became his main focus after the dissolution of Nova Mob in 1997. 

Hart died on September 13, 2017 of complications from liver cancer and Hepatitis C.

[Spotify] Letter From Anne Marie

“Fit and Working Again”, The Fall

This way: Fit and Working Again

Famously quoted by Mark Smith of the Fall: If it’s me and your grandma, it’s the Fall.

The Fall were an English post-punk group, formed in 1976 in Prestwich, Greater Manchester. They underwent many line-up changes, with vocalist and founder Mark E. Smith as the only constant member. The Fall’s long-term musicians included drummers Paul Hanley and Karl Burns; guitarists Marc Riley, Craig Scanlon and Brix Smith; and bassist Steve Hanley, whose melodic, circular bass lines are widely credited with shaping the band's sound from early 1980s albums such as Hex Enduction Hour to the late 1990s.

First associated with the late 1970s punk movement, the Fall's music underwent numerous stylistic changes, often concurrently with changes in the group's lineup. Nonetheless, their music has generally been characterised by an abrasive, repetitive guitar-driven sound, tense bass and drum rhythms, and Smith's caustic lyrics, described by critic Simon Reynolds as "a kind of Northern English magic realism that mixed industrial grime with the unearthly and uncanny, voiced through a unique, one-note delivery somewhere between amphetamine-spiked rant and alcohol-addled yarn."

The Fall have been called "the most prolific band of the British post-punk movement." From 1979 to 2017, they released thirty-two studio albums, and more than three times that number when live albums and compilations (often released against Smith's wishes) are taken into account. They were long associated with BBC disc jockey John Peel, who championed them from early on in their career and described them as his favourite band, famously explaining, "they are always different; they are always the same." Smith's death in 2018 effectively put an end to the group. 

[Spotify] Fit and Working Again

“Baltimore”, Randy Newman

This way: Baltimore

Little Criminals is a 1977 album by Randy Newman. Like most of Newman’s work, the album eschews traditional pop-music themes in favor of musical story-telling, often featuring quirky characters and cynical views. 

The song “Baltimore” has been covered by Nina Simone, Nils Lofgren, The Tamlins, David Gray, Billy Mackenzie, Lianne La Havas, Jazmine Sullivan, Mink Stole, Coldfinger and Nedric Nedo. 

[Spotify] Baltimore

“The Future”, Leonard Cohen

This way: The Future

The Future is the ninth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, released in 1992. Almost an hour in length, it was Cohen’s longest album up to that date. Both the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 1992 Los Angeles riots took place while Cohen was writing and recording the album, which expressed his sense of the world’s turbulence. The album was recorded with a large cast of musicians and engineers in several different studios; the credits list almost 30 female singers. The album built on the success of Cohen's previous album, I’m Your Man, and garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews. 

[Spotify] The Future

“Pearly-DewDrops’ Drops”, Cocteau Twins

This way: Pearly-DewDrops’ Drops

We’ll be sold when Roddy comes 
Comes for pearly dewdrop's drops
Tis the lucky lucky penny penny penny
Buys the pearly to their souls

Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. The group has earned much critical praise for its distinctive ethereal sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, which often abandoned recognizable language altogether. When this band came out there was really nothing like it. It didnt really fit in with the genres of the day. There is something about a song such as this that reveals nothing with the vocals that really gets to me. From 1984.   

[Spotify] Pearly-DewDrops’ Drops

“Chocolate Jesus”, Tom waits

This way: Chocolate Jesus

Tom Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. His music is characterized by lyrics focusing on the underside of society, delivered in his distinctive deep, gravelly voice. During the 1970s, he worked primarily in jazz, but since the 1980s his music has reflected greater influence from blues, vaudeville, and experimental genres.

[Spotify] Chocolate Jesus

“Transmetropolitan”, The Pogues

This way: Transmetropolitan

The Pogues were an English Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as “Pogue Mahone” – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic póg mo thóin, “kiss my arse”. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s, recording several hit albums and singles. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems, but the band continued – first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals – before breaking up in 1996. The Pogues re-formed in late 2001, and played regularly across the UK and Ireland and on the US East Coast, until dissolving again in 2014. The group did not record any new material during this second incarnation. This song is from the bands debut in 1984.

Their politically-tinged music was informed by MacGowan and Stacy’s punk backgrounds, yet used traditional Irish instruments such as the tin whistle, banjo, cittern, mandolin and accordion.

[Spotify] Transmetropolitan