Songs Of The Week, 2023: 6/3-6/9

 

(Due to some technical issues, this week's SOTW zip file will not be tagged or sequenced. You'll need to do that yourself. Apologies from the staff of Burning Wood/Now Playing. Your regularly scheduled SOTW zip files will hopefully be back to normal next week.)

 

All Over My Head- Matthew Sweet
I Close My Eyes- Bee Gees
Forget About It- Ginger Wildheart
You Still Owe Me A Kiss- Danny Wilkerson
In My Lonely Room (Alternate Mix)- The Supremes
Television Light- Marshall Crenshaw
Built To Last- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

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All Over My Head- Matthew Sweet
Some days I think "Blue Sky On Mars" is Matthew Sweet's best record. There's no question that "Girlfriend" is brilliant, but it's just too long. "Mars" is short and...sweet. And packs a real punch, like this, my favorite track.

I Close My Eyes- Bee Gees
Keen readers will have noticed that I love Kevin Gray and have said so many times. His ears belong in the Smithsonian. His work on mastering the first three Bee Gees records is by far, some of his best. These records have never sounded this big. Here is the mono version from Kevin Gray's master of their first album, though I strongly suggest listening to the real thing and not an MP3 to get the true effect of his genius.

Forget About It- Ginger Wildheart
As I continue to plow through Ginger's 352 releases, I continue to find gems, like this one.

You Still Owe Me A Kiss- Danny Wilkerson
I raved about Danny Wilkerson's album in 2018 saying, "With more than a little help from power pop hero Bleu and Jellyfish alum, Roger Manning Jr., Danny Wilkerson serves one gem after another." Here is one of those gems.

In My Lonely Room (Alternate Mix)- The Supremes
The Supremes "A Go-Go" was just released as a deluxe MONO LP and it is a winner. Even better, if you purchase the album from Amazon, your download includes a ton of bonus tracks. One of those tracks is a version of one of my favorite Motown songs, which I honestly did not realize the Supremes had covered. I actually should have known this since that was Berry Gordy's M.O.--having ten artists record the same song and releasing the best of the lot, which in this case was Martha & The Vandellas, though this version is a very close second.

Television Light- Marshall Crenshaw
M.C. went through an extended period with writer's block. For a few years, this was the only new song he would perform live and during that stretch, I got sick of it real fast. But now, "#447" is one of my fave M.C. records and this track is a beauty. I particularly love the understated production.

Built To Last- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
"Into The Great Wide Open" was a bit disappointing after "Full Moon Fever" and because of that, I didn't play it as much, and by not playing it as much, I wasn't as familiar with it. I played it last week. It's better than I remember, but still only about half as memorable. This track, the last on the record, is my favorite. Jeff Lynne's almost girl group production is brilliant.