Sunday, October 13, 2024

Songs Of The Week, 2024: 10/5-10/11

 


Free Salute- Little Barrie
Formidable- Sylvain Sylvain
C30 C60 C90 Go- Bow Wow Wow
Defecting Grey- The Pretty Things
Desperate People- Living Colour
Philadelphia Baby- Charlie Rich
Ask What You Will- Irma Thomas

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Free Salute- Little Barrie
(I love Wikipedia's description of Little Barrie.
"Their sound has drawn from a mixture of influences including freakbeat, garage rock, UK R&B, neo-psychedelia, surf rock, krautrock, funk and rock and roll."
What, no klezmer? Anyway, this track was the first thing I heard by them and it's still my favorite.)

Formidable- Sylvain Sylvain
(I had this playing on a mixed tape at my job in 1982, and a co-worker ran out of the shop sobbing, relating a little too much to the lyric. It's a bizarre memory that will forever be attached to this really solid pop song.)

C30 C60 C90 Go- Bow Wow Wow
(Lenny Kaye mentioned this song in his most recent book and of course, I had to hear it.)

Defecting Grey- The Pretty Things

(I don't love "S.F. Sorrow" the way others do. I think it's a bit overrated, especially next to some other psych records from the same time. But I do love this single, recorded around the same time. This would have made "S.F. Sorrow" a better record...I think.)

Desperate People- Living Colour
(I have had a long relationship with this band, dating back to their earliest shows without a singer. "Vivid" still kicks my ass, and hearing this played live for the first time at CBGBs around 1985 blew my mind.)

Philadelphia Baby- Charlie Rich
("Budda BAH buh BAH DAH.")

Ask What You Will- Irma Thomas
(The Soul Queen Of New Orleans can preach with the best of'em. Don't be afraid of the gospel music, I always say. Remember, as Zimmy once said, "You don't have to be a junkie to listen to "Heroin" by The Velvet Underground."
Just dig the feeling, then you can go right back to your heathen ways. Works for me!)

5 comments:

Todd said...

I LOVE that Sylvain and the teardrops LP! Check out this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ityd3DNPftY
for live versions!

Noel M said...

A song about both radio AND cassettes? Count me in! Looknig forward to hearing that Bow Wow Wow song and all of them here. Thanks man!

Michael Giltz said...

The gospel comment is hilarious. And that story from the store and "Formidable" def made me look up the lyrics and ponder what triggered them!

Anonymous said...

Bow Wow Wow had some chops, usually verboten in punk/new wave. Oh well.

Robert Plant (with the Crawling Kingsnakes) covered "Philadelphia Baby" on the Porky's Revenge soundtrack. It was written as a milk sop to get Charlie on Philly-based Bandstand.

Bob in IL

G said...

That Sylvain video link Todd posted above is essential. Rosie Rex's drumming is HEROIC on that. Really impressive. Swedish TV, I think. There's also an episode of the same show with Johnny Thunders, real cringe fest though (this is coming from a big fan).

And a double shaking thumbs up on Bow Wow Wow. That stuff really holds up; band was great--check them tackling "Fools Rush In"!

G