Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 40)

 Okay, so it's been a while but it's freakin' Part 40 for crying out loud! 

As usual, I've posted these in the form of a Spotify playlist which you can find here with the usual caveat that once in a while, a song I reference isn't available on the service. 

"Here Comes Your Man" by The Pixies (1989)

It's the most mainstream song from this band by a long shot but still has a tiny bit of an edge to it with a catchy guitar lick.

"Reva's House" by Los Lobos (1992)

Another good track from a really solid album. The opening really hits with a "wall of sax" and a great Country Swing (?) feel. Sure, it's no Elmo and the Lavender Moon but what is?

"Not Now John" by Pink Floyd (1983)

I may have let this track play through due to a certain name being in the title but damn, this was the *single* from this album? Fun stuff.

"Monkey's Paw" by Laurie Anderson (1989)

This song seems to have been influenced by the musical feel of Paul Simon's "Graceland" album and even features the same South African bassist who played on that 1980s staple. 

"Green Flower Street" by Donald Fagen and the New York Rock and Soul Revue (1991)

A live version of a song from Fagen's first solo album that manages to mostly outshine the studio version with one exception. Fagen really likes to play this odd instrument called the Melodica. I've seen him play this thing at Steely Dan shows and he pulls it out for this tune. Needless to say I am not a fan but you may feel differently.  The "Revue" was a short-lived group of hot shots that made one live album. The NYRSR wasn't really a group as they mostly performed their own songs but it did include Fagen, Phoebe Snow, Michael McDonald, Boz Skaggs, and others. The album is very good and should be, given the talent involved. 

"Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long" by The Magnetic Fields (1999)

An amusing alternative song packed to the rafters with fun retro, super analog-y synths. 

"Stop Loving You" by Toto (1988)

This is one of the stronger tracks from this LP. It's kind of hard to believe that this was released only 11 years before the previous Magnetic Fields song which sounds like it's from a different musical planet (at least within pop music, let's not get too pedantic).

"Jenny Wren" by Paul McCartney (2005)

A very good late-period McCartney song from one of his better albums, period. Better than I remember.

"Your Dictionary" by XTC (1999)

Pretty good but it leans a bit too much into Beatles territory. 

"Racing in the Street" by Bruce Springsteen (1978)

Another Springsteenian Epic.

"What's in the Middle" by The Bird and the Bee (2009)

One reviewer called this, music "for the NPR crowd". Guilty as charged.

"Not About Love" by Fiona Apple (2004)

I think I talked about the album this song is from, the one that had its earlier version leaked on the Internet before but this is another example where the earlier attempt with a different producer and the arrangement is better, in my opinion. There's a good, sort of long article here about the whole saga around this album that's worth a read. Needless to say, this track is not on the streaming services but seems to be on YouTube.

"Broken" by Tears for Fears (1985)

This almost sounds like an extended introduction to the song that comes up next on this album, the big hit, "Head Over Heels". 

"God Put a Smile upon Your Face" by Coldplay (2002)

Is this the best song by this band? I have no idea but it is catchy as hell. 

"Working My Way Back to You" by The Spinners (1980)

Another example of the later cover version surpassing the (still good) original. 

"Well..All Right" by Buddy Holly and The Crickets (1958)

This is one of my favorite Holly tunes. It's a perfect, stripped to its bare essentials, pop song. I also love the way that the drummer plays the whole track on one cymbal which gives the song an unusual sound.

"Means to an End" by Traffic (1968)

This feels a bit like a throw-away song from this LP but it's short!

"Po' Boy" by Bob Dylan (2001)

A great later-period Dylan song with lyrics that seem random but somehow come together. It may not be profound but it has...an easy-going depth...whatever that means.

"Right Now" by Van Halen (1991)

That Hagar fellow is starting to grow on me.

"Lady" by Styx (1973)

With all due respect to "Mr. Roboto", this is one of the band's earliest and best hit songs. I have yet to plumb the depths of all Styx LPs so I may have to remain ignorant of the band's deeper cuts. The song has a great interplay between the instruments in the early part of the song with a massive buildup with what I assume is some kind of organ to get us to the Power part of the Power Ballad. 

Silly details:  My copy of this song is from an old CD box set of 1970s hits called, "Have a Nice Decade". The CD box had a strip of green carpeting that reminds me of the carpet that was in my high school which was built in 1978 and also featured a lot of orange painted railings. Neat. At the end of some of the tracks, you hear clips of audio from events that happened the year the song was released.  At the end of "Lady", there is audio of Gerald Ford announcing the pardon for Richard Nixon. Ah, good times! 

Styx re-recorded this song in 1995 for a greatest hits compilation when the original record label, I assume, wanted too much dough to license the original. The re-do is a pretty faithful facsimile of the '73 version but the analog synth or whatever it was doesn't sound quite right and of course Dennis is, well, old. Hold on to your master recordings, kids (just ask Taylor)!

Dad's Movies: "Genevieve"

 Next, we have Genevieve (1953)

A charming light comedy road movie with that distinctive post-WW2 British style. The setup wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The race, such as it is, isn't the entire focus of the film, but the climax of a story about the main characters and their relationships. The show isn't afraid to take its time on the characters, even with its lean 83 minute running time. The feel is kind of like an Ealing Studios comedy but more sweet in nature. 

The leads are all very good with lots of brief appearances by colorful characters. It's fun to see Kenneth Moore in something besides a war film or his great performance in "A Night to Remember". Dinah Sheridan is great here with a charming performance as the sometimes frustrated wife. This makes me wish Sheridan had done more film work. 

The movie is also fun to watch as you get tons of location footage across the 1950s English countryside and then there are the antique cars which are almost characters themselves. 

Dad really liked these old British comedies and I specifically remember him trying to track down a copy of this movie when other movies of this era were being reissued on DVD. Not everything Dad bought from the "old days" was a gem, but this one was a keeper.

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 39)

 Time to dust this thing off for another batch of old stuff.

"Happy" by Pharrell Williams (2013)

One of the most un-ironically catchy songs I can think of and it was EVERYWHERE a decade ago (yikes). 

"Foot Stomping,  Pt. 1" by The Flares (1961)

The one hit by this surprisingly long-lived doo-wop group. 

"5 O'Clock in the Morning" by The Donnas (2002)

At my current age, this song is truly aspirational. 

"Just My Baby" by Rickie Lee Jones (1989)

A nice tune from an album produced by Walter Becker while Steely Dan was on its extended hiatus. 

"Gold" by Prince (1995)

It's great to re-hear such a good Prince song now and then to remind me just how much great music he cranked out over his too-short career. The B side for this single was called, "Rock 'N Roll Is Alive (And it Lives in Minneapolis!)". If you say so...

"Give Me More Time" by Whitesnake (1984)

A good "take me back" 1980s rocker.

"Say Goodbye" by Cheap Trick (1997)

A somewhat modern Beatles-esque song but it's just fine.

"A Taste of Honey" by The Beatles (1963)

And of course an actual Beatles song appears. This is a close, if well done, cover of what was a very popular tune from a Broadway play in the early 1960s. The song seems to have long outlived the show.

"Just a Little Lovin'" by Ray Charles (1962)

Speaking of covers, this is from Ray's fantastic album of Country AND Western songs. 

"Can We Still Be Friends" by Todd Rundgren (1978)

The song by the band, War, with a similar name is a lot more fun.

"A Taste of Honey" by Jackie Gleason (1967)

Just-a by accident, this OTHER cover of "Honey" popped up. And yes, it's the Jackie Gleason from "The Honeymooners" (he should have called the LP, "A Taste of The Honeymooners") and apparently he made a lot of easy listening albums in the 1950s-60s. 

The guy didn't read or write music so obviously others did most of the work but I'm sure they match Gleason's tastes. Others must have agreed since Capitol released 58 (!) albums between 1952 and 1972. 

This cut is obviously performed by studio pros with serious chops but it's very "White Bread Basie" in its arrangement. 

"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson (1979)

Now *this* is Peak Disco!

"Rox in the Box" by The Decemberists (2011)

An American alt-rock band has its UK Folk phase. I heard someone say recently that mono, as a format (as opposed to stereo) is dead but this is damned close to these ears. Dang hipsters and they're olde tyme monophonics!

"Talk to Me Baby" by Barry Mann (1964)

A choice lyric:  "Girls get mad at such little  things. How can a guy ever think of them all?"

"Little Sister" by Elvis Presley (1961)

I just love the sound of this track; it's just FAT. And that guy from the Jordanaires singing along with Elvis puts it over the top.

"Heathaze" by Genesis (1980)

A deep track from one of the band's earlier forays into pop that actually holds up pretty well. A song that seems to be about apathy and has some very good bass work by Mr. Rutherford.

"True" by Spandau Ballet (1983)

One of those songs they put into TV shows or movies set in the 1980s to create easy atmosphere. 

"Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell (1984)

A pretty funny song from a guy who's dad was Berry Gordy. Oh yeah, and some rando named Michael Jackson is here for some reason.

"Longview" by Green Day (1994)

A great 90s punk bass line. 

"Willing and Able" by Prince and the New Power Generation (1991)

A great classic R&B inspired tune with the usual Prince polish. 

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 38)

 Here ya go, kids!

"The Great Curve" (live version) by Talking Heads (1982)

Six+ minutes on one chord:  edgy!

"Black and Blue" by Van Halen (1982)

I guess this would be considered a "ballad" for this band.

"I'm Still in Love With You" by Al Green (1972)

In the same groove as, "Let's Stay Together" with that dry, boxy horn sound.

"Persuasion" by Santana (1969)

A cookin' second tier Santana song...still Santanic!

"Michael" by Franz Ferdinand (2004)

Another good example of 20-year old alternative rock and roll.

"Hey, Good Lookin'" by Hank Williams (1951)

I love the Ray Charles cover but the original version still gets the job done.

"Angel of the Morning" by Juice Newton (1981)

Despite its overuse in TV/movies, I had to laugh at how this was hilariously used in the opening of the movie, "Deadpool".

"White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane (1967)

A classic that became shorthand for drug trips, it's still a great hallucinogenic bolero of a song.

"Chimes of Freedom" by The Byrds (1965)

We stay in the land of the hippies with this Bob Dylan cover. I'm guessing the Dylan version is more well known today. 

"Fortress Around Your Heart" by Sting (1985)

The passage of time has reinforced the notion that Sting was smart to launch his solo career with an album featuring heavy-hitting jazz/session musicians which made his music sound familiar and yet distinct from his work with The Police.

"People Are Strange" by The Doors (1967)

I've become less fond of The Doors as I've gotten older but this song is still great. The 80s Echo and the Bunnymen cover is good, too but doesn't top old Jimbo's version.

"Revolution" (Esher demo version) by The Beatles (1968)

Like some, I grew up listening to the single/non-album version of this song find the slower version from "The White Album" the be inferior. This demo/acoustic version for me beats the LP version as it's a little peppier. The LP version seems to run out of steam.

"A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)" by Simon and Garfunkel (1966)

The longest song title on this list!

"P.Y.T." by Michael Jackson (1982)

This was VERY Disco for 1982. 

"Knives Out" by Radiohead (2001)

Radiohead around this time had passed its peak (OK Computer, IMO) but this is still good.

"Smoke Rings" by k.d. lang (1997)

Lang's version of a very old song mostly seems to pay tribute to the Les Paul/Mary Ford version but has its own coolness to it. There's a "real Corinthian leather" feel here.

"Don't Mess With Doctor Dream" by Thompson Twins (1985)

I think I have managed to hit every TT song in my library.

"The Things We Do For Love" by 10cc (1976)

This is pretty heavy on the cheese but it's still a catchy pop song.

"Arthur's Theme" by Christopher Cross (1981)

Huh, so the core lineup from Toto is on this track and the song credits Burt Bacharach as a co-writer. Does this make Bacharach, Yacht Rock???

"Funkytown" by Lipps Inc. (1979)

I hear musicians around here (Minnesota) talk about how the people who were hired to play on this song, recorded in Minneapolis, were offered a flat fee or a percentage of the profits. Needless to say, the flat fee wasn't NEARLY enough. 

Songs I Didn't Skip (Part 37)

 If this goes on much longer, this series might have to be renamed, "Songs I Was Too Lazy to Skip (Part 1,834)". 

"West of Hollywood" by Steely Dan (2000)

This closing track to SD's comeback LP kind of reminds me of the old single, "F.M." in that it's just okay but ends with this long-ass (but good!) tenor sax solo. Wait, there are actually two versions of FM and it's the "alternate" version (if you care enough to read about all the variations, the series of tubes can assist) that has the sax solo on the end. Never mind.  

"Born Again" by Badly Drawn Boy (2002)

Does this, a 20+ year old song, sound dated today? Not in the way that an old A-Ha song might but it does have that early-2000s alt-rock, post-90s (would you like a side of cliche' with that?) combo of sparse, synthesizer-less (but often piano) guitar rock that is still smoothly produced. Smooth Grunge? 

"The Diary of Horace Wimp" by Electric Light Orchestra (1979)

Think Beatles tribute band song with some crazy Vocoder going on. 

"We Are the People" by John Mellencamp (1987)

A vague, lumpy anthem for the working people. JM does it again.

"We Got the Beat" by the Go-Gos (1981)

I could have sworn this is later than 1981; it sounds more like mid-1980s. Great retro-surf song.

"23rd Chromosome" by The Honeydogs (2003)

A Minnesota band that broke through (briefly) twenty or so years ago. A nice, pseudo Bossa Nova song. 

"Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Willie Nelson (1980)

Willie does a good cover of this Kris Kristofferson original in that it does kind of sound like a Nelson song.

"La Bamba" by Los Lobos (1987)

Another cover!  This must have been the one song that got Los Lobos into the mainstream. This track is good although their original material is better.  I like the little coda on the end of the tune, something that almost certainly wasn't on the Ritchie Valens original. 

"I Appear Missing" by Queens of the Stone Age (2013)

Wait, what's a song from 2013 doing here?!  Nice to see Dave Grohl in something other than a Crown Royal ad. 

"The Truck Song" by Lyle Lovett (2003)

Not your typical country song about a pickup.

"Out of Control" by The Rolling Stones (1997)

There's a pretty decent groove here for a 90s Stones song.

"Jump in the Line" by Harry Belafonte (1961)

RIP, Harry. One of his great songs:  "Somebody help me!"  

"Ain't That Asking For Trouble" by Stevie Wonder (1966)

Stevie in wiiiiide stereo!

"C'est le Vie" by Robbie Nevil (1986)

In the 1980s, there was a lot of synth bass and a lot of actual electric bass that *sounds* like synth bass (see also: drums). I think this is an actual bass that's been processed to sound like a synth but I'm not 100% sure. If it's from a keyboard, it's really good. Wikipedia does list a bassist for the album but who the hell knows (cares?). 

"Miserlou" by The Trashmen (1964)

A convincing cover/knockoff of this famous tune by everyone's favorite Minnesota surf rock band.

"Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix (1967)

Speaking of covers, I once heard a string quartet do a version of this song and it really works!

"Whatever Gets You Through the Night" by John Lennon (1974)

This is a classic song but man, I have a hard time with the intonation on this one. Lennon was probably fucking with us. 

"Hungry Like The Wolf" by Duran Duran (1982)

Keywords:  Deeply silly lyrics, 80s Disco, heavy breathing. Yeah, that's it.

"Diamonds Are Forever" by Shirley Bassey-Mantronik 007 Remix (1971/2000)

Not every track on this compilation of remixes is a winner but this one was fun and perhaps preferable to the original. 

"Another Day" by Paul and Linda McCartney (1971)

More interesting musically than lyrically with a cool middle/bridge section in 3/4 time.

Dad's Movies: "Hopscotch"

And now I get around to watching, Hopscotch (1980). 

This mid-late career Walter Matthau movie is a lot of fun. Matthau's near-retirement CIA agent character, who has would could be described as a Cold War Spy code of ethics, refuses to eliminate his Soviet counterpart in an operation which draws the ire of his bureaucratic political boss at the agency who decides to put the old goat out to pasture. 

Matthau, rather than wait out his years sitting in an office, decides to burn his bridges on the way to retirement by writing a "memoir" where he reveals the dirty secrets from his years as a spy. This doesn't go over well the boss, played with oily relish by Ned Beatty, who begins a hunt to take our guy out before he can embarrass them all too much. This begins a fun and clever chase around multiple countries where Matthau's spy always keeps one step ahead of his old co-workers with the help of his old lady friend.

Everyone is very good here and the plotting is clever and funny without going to stupid extremes. Some of the things Matthau's classical music-loving character does might be a stretch but it's all played so well that I didn't mind, really. Walter Matthau played in the same range most of the time but he doesn't do this in a cartoonish over-the-top way which prevents this from being, "The Odd Couple with spies". 

The supporting cast does well with Beatty handling the thankless boss role well. Glenda Jackson is great as the very capable friend who also fools the CIA people easily. Sam Waterston is fine though he doesn't get a ton to work with. I also enjoyed seeing Herbert Lom who is always good, no matter how silly the part. 

Dad no doubt enjoyed the use of classical music in this show and it doesn't hurt that this was directed by Ronald Neame, who did "Whisky Galore" which was a favorite of his.

Dad's Movies: "Mister 880"

 Today, we have Mister 880 (1950)

A somewhat early Burt Lancaster movie, written (based on a true story apparently) by frequent Frank Capra writer, Robert Riskin. The plot revolves around a kind old man who counterfeits dollar bills and the US Treasury agent who is trying to bust him. Riskin's sentimental style is evident here but the show plays a bit more on the subdued side than Capra would have done it. The film opens with what reads as a rouser for US Government agents who protect the nation but thankfully, this is dispensed with early on. 

Lancaster is his usual charming handsome self even if he lays the "tough G-Man" act on a bit much at times. Dorothy McGuire is fine as the friend Skipper, the counterfeiter, and love interest. McGuire's character even has a job at the UN; nice touch. This film must have been intended as a vehicle for Edmund Gwenn (Skipper) who became famous as Kris Kringle in the 1947 version of "Miracle on 34th Street" and he doesn't disappoint. Gwenn still does a similar act but with subtle differences. Skipper comes off as sweet but a little foggy in the mental department. The fun is noticing how Skipper is more sharp and aware of things than people think. Gwenn would go on to play a similar character (in tone, not a counterfeiter) in Hitchcock's 1955 "The Trouble With Harry" (he's perfect in this). Also kudos to Skipper's Benji-like shaggy dog.

The movie seems to use a fair amount of NYC locations which gives it a more substantial feel. While I wouldn't describe this show as a comedy, it's fairly light. If it wasn't for the charm of the cast, the show would feel a bit slow at times but this is one of those cases where just spending time with these folks is nice.

I don't know what Dad thought of this movie, which I'd never heard of before I found it in his collection, but I do know he was a fan of the '47 "Miracle" so perhaps that was the connection.