Ignored, Maligned, and Forgotten Music

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Blues for Greasy - Lester Young & Friends with Ella Fitzgerald

In contemplating scat, Ella Fitzgerald, and women with the blues (all Squidoo lenses I've either improved or started today), I came across this fantastic video of some fabulously-talented people jamming together. I immediately thought of you all and wanted to share it. Enjoy!

Guarded by Monkeys - Cracker

Normally, I'd never add a Cracker song to my blog, but I'm trying something a little new. I love the idea of Guarded by Monkeys, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired, in my ever-so-humble opinion. I can't decide, however, just who ought to cover this song to give the concept the flair that it deserves.

Thus arises my question to you. Who would you like to see cover a song that essentially says to a woman, "You're so beautiful that you should be the queen of some jungle tribe, worshipped by all and guarded by monkeys"? Who could really pull this one off and make it the tribute, the ode that it could be? I fear that I've heard the song often enough that I'm drawing a complete blank.

Kerouac - Subincision

I must apologize, as I've returned from vacation to discover that I'm far, far behind at work and cannot put you, darling readers, on the pedestal on which you so deserve to be placed. As an apology, enjoy this energetic and entertaining song about Jack Kerouac by Subincision. There have been many songs about the beat poet, but this one is my favorite. Tomorrow I'll find something really special (and not punk) to share.

The KKK Took My Baby Away - The Ramones and More

The Ramones may be one of the most-covered bands of all time. Their place as one of the seminal punk bands makes their songs the chops that others feel the need to demonstrate that they have as well as inspiring tribute versions. That means that half of the punk bands in existence have recorded, and probably 85% have performed, a Ramones tune, generally badly I'm sad to say. I've managed to find three good versions of The KKK Took My Baby Away, one of my personal favorite of their songs, and one intriguing rockabilly take on it as well. Of course, I've included the original here for your comparison and enjoyment. Happy Friday, all!

Axilla Pt 2 - Phish

Now, I'm hardly a Phish-head or whatever they call the followers of the band that regard them as the next coming of the Grateful Dead, but I can happily admit that they've come up with some weird and wonderful songs. In particular, Axilla shows the band's finely tuned sense of the bizarre and their penchant for playing with words. Axilla, for those of you who do not know, is the proper term for an armpit. Who but Phish, I ask you, would write a song about an often-smelly and generally ignored piece of the human anatomy? Actually, the Dandy Worhols probably would, now that I think about it, but that's not the point. Enjoy the song! (The version I have, though ostensibly from the same album, doesn't have this odd ending on it The meat of the song remains the same, however.)

Papa Oom Mow Mow - The Beach Boys

On this craptacular July day, I say, "Beep you!" to the weather and crank up the sunshine music. What better song for mentally flipping the bird to bad weather than The Beach Boys' version of Papa Oom Mow Mow, which makes up in enthusiasm what it lacks in polish. Truly, a more fun song I could not find for today. That may be because I quit looking as soon as I thought of this one, but that's not the point I'm trying to make.

Should you desire more versions of the song, try these Youtube videos, including a truly dreadful version from Gary Glitter. I've posted The Beach Boys because it's the one with which I grew up and they sound like they're having so much fun. Which one is your favorite?

Mack the Knife - Various Artists

I've been concentrating on my cover songs and standards pages at Squidoo, of late, and today it was time to update my Mack the Knife lens. As usual, I was moved to listen to many versions of the song, mostly from well-known swing artists and crooners. I did, however, come across some unusual versions of Mac's story that I wanted to share with you all.

Sting most immediately caught my attention, in a more traditional arrangement than the one I've included below from Gerald Price in an off-Broadway production that sounds more like Sinatra than Kurt Weil had intended the stage production to play. The Doors sound exactly like The Doors and The Psychedelic Furs are also true to form, here. Cab Calloway offers a short but enjoyable trip through Mac the Knife's story, with full horns and his usual flair. I've declined to include the better-known Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, and Ella Fitzgerald versions here, as you can hear them just about anywhere.

Here you'll find thirteen version of Mack the Knife, including those I've mentioned above, Enya's version from The Frog Prince, and Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and more. If you're interested in the history of the song, do click above to learn more and please let me know if I've missed your favorite version.

Mack the Knife by legbamel on Grooveshark

Wrong 'Em Boyo - Various Artists

In working on my lens about the blues standard Stagger Lee or Stack O'Lee, I was kindly informed by 2Eklectik that I'd completely missed Stagger Lee and Billy's appearance in The Clash's Wrong 'Em Boyo.

Imagine my chagrin at that, and then further at discovering that The Clash was covering a song from a Jamaican ska band The Rulers, who recorded Wrong Emboyo in 1967. The Clash came along and put their version on "London Calling" in 1979. Finally, Buck-O-Nine took ahold of the song and covered it again in 1995. For me, these versions take ska from its roots straight through into modern ska-punk, demonstrating ably the various styles along the way. Who would you have liked to see cover this song?

Hot Tips - D'Urbervilles

Today we've got an interesting little piece from the Canadian boys in D'Urbervilles. I expected a female lead singers when I saw the name of the band, perhaps because of the novel (Tess of the D'Urbervilles, for you unlettered folks out there) and something moody and mellow. Instead, I found this slightly-hyper bunch of guys jamming and doing a little yelling, but not in an obnoxious, screamo way. What do you think?

Too Old to Get Married (Too Young to Be Buried) - Eddy Clearwater

I love songs by talented musicians who complain about getting old while rocking the heck out of what they're playing. In this case, Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater (that'd be the opposite of Muddy Waters, as the apocryphal story goes) and Lonnie Brooks riff off of each other and bemoan the fact that they are Too Old to Get Married and too young to be buried. The track comes from Clearwater's "West Side Strut" album released in 2008, and such an impressive amount of guitar blues and rock is enclosed therein that it's difficult to believe that the man is in his 70s.

You can hear a bit of Muddy Waters here, and a smidgen of Bo Diddley, as well as a liberal dose of Chicago blues. If you want a little trivia, Ronnie Brooks produced the record and wrote Too Old to Get Married (Too Young to Be Buried) for Eddy Clearwater and his father to enjoy. You can very clearly hear just how much fun they're having in this recording.

Three Cool Cats - Various Artists

I came about Three Cool Cats completely backwards: the first version that I heard was Three Cool Chicks from the 5678s. It seemed vaguely familiar, and a little digging led me to the Ray Cooder cover from 2005 and then the original from The Coasters, which was the B side of the Charlie Brown 45 from 1959. Apparently, The Beatles snuck in a cover version a few years after that. In my opinion, theirs is a weaker copy and was something that they should not have attempted, but you can make up your own mind on that score.

Unfortunately, Grooveshark didn’t have the original song and the videos on YouTube left quite a bit to be desired in sound quality. I have included the video for Sha Na Na’s cover of Three Cool Cats, mostly because I swear they recorded it on the Sesame Street sound stage while Big Bird was sleeping but also because it's an interesting version.

Last Wish of the Bride - Gogol Bordello vs. Tamir Muskat

As if Gogol Bordello weren't interesting enough, with their multi-cultural sound and punk-infused craziness, they branched off into the "Jewish-Ukrainishe-Freundschaft" or JUF for an album or combined gypsy-electro-punk that wanders all over the musical map. From When I Was a Little Spy, which I really wanted to like considering my love of spy music, to the JUF Dub, a rather uneven but more entertaining song, to Last Wish of the Bride, the most successful song on the record.

The steady beat, the varied instrumentation, and the familiar voice of Eugene Hutz pull together on this one (what is with Gogol Bordello and weddings, anyway?) and it's a fun song. I prefer the more straightforward tracks on Gogol Bordello albums like Super Taranta! and Immigrant Punk, but you can find enough mashed into this album to make for a cross-genre, world music festival. This may be one of those albums that grows on you the more you hear it, but even at first "glance", there are a few tracks that deserve to end up in regular rotation. As an experimental side project, the album stands up well. Let me know what you think.

Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh - Say Hi to Your Mom

One of the best things about Amazon is that you can get fantastic free music, if you're willing to invest the time to sort through the pap. Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh from Say Hi to Your Mom demonstrates this perfectly - a band that I'd not heard of and a song that I'd never seen before offered for free as part of a label's sampler (Barsuk Records, if you're curious). You, too, can download the song for free (although the band name has, for some reason, been abbreviated to "Say Hi"). While you're there, check out some of the dozens of other free samplers, albums, and tracks that will, in theory, lure you into purchasing more music from these artists. At the very least, you can get an idea of just how many independent labels hide in plain sight, producing music far outside the mainstream.

Deutscher Girls - Adam and the Ants

For those of you who thought that Adam Ant was a two-hit wonder (with Stand and Deliver and Goody Two Shoes), I give you my favorite of his songs, as Adam and the Ants rather than simply Adam Ant. While I like Jolly Roger and I love Friend of Foe, Deutscher Girls has long stood out from his catalog as a a punkier, funkier New Wave song. If only Young Parisians stood up to it, I would have been extolling his dedication to hot, young European folks (not necessarily a particular gender). As it is, take this hot, summer, Friday afternoon and enjoy a mildly suggestive little tune. If any of you really are Deutsher Girls, let me know if this offends.

Burn Me Up - Oingo Boingo

This song stands as proof that Oingo Boingo was even better live than their recordings, a rare feat in this over-processed, cheese-pop-raddled world. If you didn't know who was playing (and weren't familiar with Danny Elfman's voice), you'd never peg Burn Me Up as one of their songs. It sloppy, punk-y, and wild without the usual control that Mr. Elfman and the others generally displayed. You can almost see them cutting loose, rip-roaring this barn-burner for a couple of precious minutes in the midst of their final appearance together.

I generally avoid live tracks because they rarely live up to the thirty-take album version, but in this case not only is there no album cut but I can't imagine this song tied town in a studio to the sort of cutting and mixing to which most songs are subjected. Burn Me Up epitomizes the reason that people attend concerts - because live performances ought to offer something more and better than pre-recorded tracks. There should be more energy and more experimentation. There should be more songs like this.

Bad Busters - Michael Jackson vs. Ray Parker

You didn't think I could let Michael Jackson's death and memorial service pass unnoticed, did you? If you're old enough, take a few moments to recall the heady years of Michael-Jackson-mania that ended not long after Bad was released. Whether you were a fan or not, you knew some of his songs because there was simply no way to escape them. And you tried to moonwalk. Don't deny it!

While I'd rather have linked to a free download of this track, I was unable to find any indication of the original mashup artist or a reputable site from which you could acquire the track. If anyone knows who created this mashup and to where I can link for everyone, please let me know.

Tonya Harding - The Coathangers

I couldn't leave you all for another whole day without something to entertain. Enjoy The Coathangers, with their appropriately jangly, fuzzed-out sound and their rather admiring take on Tonya Harding and her vindictive behavior.

Fireworks - Louis Armstrong

Fireworks seems, on this Fourth of July holiday (in the US, at least), to be the perfect song. It's retro in the extreme, adding a taste of Dixieland jazz and great musicianship that recalls the heady days of straw hats and sleeve garters, when fireworks were not readily available at road-side tents and people gathered to watch skilled technologists blow things up while enjoying food and drink in a real celebration.

That reads a wee bit preachy, but Louis Armstrong and his band recall the Roaring Twenties and the sheer exuberance of that era in this track from the happily-rereleased "The Hot Fives & Sevens" recordings. While I fire up the grill and mix the potato salad this hot and happy Fourth, I'm looking forward to getting together with neighbors and friends to say, "Happy Birthday!" to America and watching things explode into lovely colors. The title of Fireworks fits the song, as that exactly what the music is doing.

Supermarket - Nuclear Rabbit

In honor of my soon-to-occur shopping trip, I'd like to share the song that invades my head any time I find myself pulling into the parking lot of a local food store (or discussing zucchini) . You might have expected The Clash with Lost in the Supermarket, but that's only if you've never heard Nuclear Rabbit's hyperactive song, Supermarket. If you remember my Christmas song, Santa Claus Is Selling Crack, you may understand what's in store for you when you click on this link. Actually, this version, from the band's 1997 release, "Vicuna", covers a few musical styles and gives you a good taste of the variety of which Nuclear Rabbit was capable. They're rooted in a mutant sort of ska-punk, with a healthy dose of thrash metal and a dash of funk thrown in for good measure. Now I'm off to the grocery store.

Java Jive - Various Artists

I blame Java Jive for my life-long obsession with coffee. I've always loved this song, especially the Ink Spots original from 1940. I've gathered half a dozen cover versions, here, because, well, I'm in a caffeinated kind of mood. The Puppini Sisters slowed the song down to melancholy speed, Manhattan Transfer smoothed out the soul, and Richard Thompson included it in his ridiculously-ambitious "1,000 Years of Popular Music". Apparently Queen Latifah also recorded a version, but I haven't been able to lay my digital hands on it. You may remember the song from coffee commercials, although I don't remember, and couldn't uncover, which brand used the "a cup, a cup, a cup" line. Whatever your brand, pour yourself a cuppa and have a listen to this celebration of caffeine.

Canada's Really Big - The Arrogant Worms

For this fine Canada Day, enjoy a funny, folky tune from Canada's funniest folkies, The Arrogant Worms. I first heard of these folks on an album of songs from Car Talk, with their great track Horizon. Every time I see one of those cars, I think of this song.

But that's not what I started this post to share. The Arrogant Worms are, after all, Canadians and thus may be celebrating Canada Day at this very moment. Whether they do so or not, they have left this proof of their enduring patriotism and wit. You'll get an education about the fine country, as a bonus. I couldn't find a video of the band that had decent sound quality, so you'll have to settle for this goofiness. Happy Birthday, Canada!

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