The Not-Pop Jukebox

In reposting from five years ago, I keep finding playlists that I created in Grooveshark that have all disappeared into an abyss never to be seen again. They included as many as forty versions of or thematically related songs that I spent hours curating. Ring of Fire was one of the first, and it was blessedly short!

Happily, the song and its covers have not paled over time. My family still sings it at full volume when shuffle blesses us with a version. Here's hoping the rest of my recreations go as smoothly! Here's the original post and the new video playlist with the addition of the actual original from Anita Carter and a couple of other great burning covers (don't miss DragonForce and don't look for Coldplay--this is the Not-Pop Jukebox, you know).

I feel that I should start with a disclaimer that I don’t watch American Idol. I do, however, like many of Johnny Cash’s songs and Ring of Fire in particular. It caught my eye that one of the contestants performed a very unusual version of that song last night and the wildly varying opinions led me to watch the video.

While I wasn’t crazy about the arrangement, the many posts and comments that I read expressing the opinion that Johnny Cash was spinning in his grave made me go looking for even more versions of Ring of Fire. I suspect that The Man in Black would have given the contestant a hearty pat on the back for taking such chances rather than being offended by the unusual interpretation. Of all of the country stars whose songs he could have chosen, I think Cash is the most likely to enjoy such a creative rendition.

Consider these versions of Ring of Fire, most of which were recorded while Mr. Cash was still alive (and, for the better-known acts, almost certainly with his permission). Try Grace Jones’ reggae-tinged version, Ray Charles’ soulful cover, or Blondie’s punk-country take on it. I’ve included Johnny Cash himself at the end (he's at the beginning, now), for a reminder of how it originally sounded. There’s a bit of nasty language in the Social Distortion cover, so if that will upset you then you may want to skip it.

I've posted about the Nils Landgren Funk Unit before and I probably will again. I don't think I've ever waxed adoringly on the funky, jazzy sax prowess of Maceo Parker. As a transition between the two, and as a shining example of why talented people should collaborate, let's have the former playing--nay jamming their faces off--with the latter.

The Chicken has been around a while. James Brown released it as a B side first but Pee Wee Ellis wrote the thing to begin with. As with so many great songs, musicians picked it up and made it their own over the decades. The bones stay the same but the body of the song changes with every player and each solo along the way. Enjoy!

Oh, my darlings, oh do I have something for you today.  I am, you see, in love.  With five German guys.  Don't tell my husband.

Hyperbole aside, not since I was introduced to Seeed have I geeked out over a new German band this hard. Combine three guys with what appear to be antique brass instruments, a head-banging bassist, and a drummer the drives them through it all and you get LaBrassBanda. One of the band members is listed as "Capt. Yossarian", which makes two literally references in two days if you're following my G+ posts as well! (Yes, blogging in two places about the same things is Catch 22, since you ask. /heavy hint)

In this video, you get the guys having a great time, some heavy-duty brass goodies, a Bavarian gent playing Tubissimo, a bunch of chair-dance-inspiring solos, and part of a Daft Punk cover. What more could you ask from less that seven well-spent minutes of your life? Now enjoy, dears, while I click the next song and see if I can get all their albums on-line.

Sometimes, you just want some funky drums. Thanks to Rusted Root, you can take a beat-heavy, Grateful Dead-esque Drum Trip, the first track on their 1994 release "When I Woke". Rusted Root lives in the genre I call "hippies", with the likes of Phish and WookieFoot. They're globally aware, world beat-influenced jam bands, all a mite more esoteric than strictly necessary. Rusted Root is also a lot of fun on songs like Drum Trip, Weave, and their better-known Send Me on My Way.

Sadly, much as I loved their first four albums (and the EP "Evil Ways"), when they took that long break after 2002's "Welcome to My Party" the seem to have lost something.  "Stereo Rodeo", released in 2009, seemed unfocused in comparison.   When they came out with "The Movement" a few years later the first song made me think they were back but, alas, the same dragging, badly-mixed sound dogged the rest of the album.  One of these days I'll post Monkey Pants for you, but for now take a Drum Trip back to Rusted Root's heyday instead.

The Libertines made decent rock, but the whole “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” concept rather went to the heads of some members, or at least to their egos. It's too bad, because songs like Narcissist prove that the group made a solid songwriting team. They actually managed to make a grungy, almost rockabilly song that doesn't wallow.

I like a little social commentary with my pop, so this song won me over to the Libertines' side of the fence (musically speaking, if not politically). While the band did meander into melancholy, The Libertines offered generally interesting, and often smart, lyrics as the cake to hold up their musical icing. They do a very old-school sound, with guitars straight out of the 70s. That's enough to earn them a spot in the jukebox!

For a new reboot, I'm going to start a new series: creepy songs about obsessive love. Stalker songs have long been popular, some more subtly than others. Night Vision Binoculars is not one of those songs.

I quite enjoy songs where the lyrics are in direct opposition to the feel of the music. Passenger has captured this juxtaposition with creepy, psychotic lyrics over bouncy, jangly pop music. Night Vision Binoculars sounds rather like a Vampire Weekend tune, but the lyrics belie the happy beat. I love it when they do that.

For all its reference to restraining orders and the titular spying apparatus, it remains a feel-good tune. Unless, that is, you actually have a stalker, in which case it might lead you to invest in some heavy curtains and avoid leaving the house altogether.

It's time to plug the Not-Pop Jukebox back in, and what better way to do that than to go back to my first song and re-post the song with a new way to listen to it? As far as I can tell, no alternative to the wonders that were Grooveshark are going to arise and I miss posting so we're going with videos. The post went thus (I used to be more succinct):

I remember when Dance the Night Away was a old David-Lee-Roth-era Van Halen tune. I can admit that I rather liked it then; I'm old enough not to blush about my occasional enjoyment of hair band hits. But the song was due for an update. Along came the Forces of Evil in 2003, with their ska rendition of the song on the album "Friend or Foe".

I'll add to my original blurb that Dance the Night Away was Van Halen's first hit, when I was but a wee music fan, and that the story behind it could only have come from a group that paid their dues playing dive bars. Whoever that woman was that inspired the song, the world of rock and roll thanks you.

It's surprising how many people think Howard Jones was a one-hit wonder, based entirely on the beautiful Everlasting Love and the lack of other hits from the "Cross That Line" album. Now, I adore the album because Howard Jones has an amazing talent that doesn't get enough appreciation, but I can see why he didn't dance all over the Top 10 with the songs on it.

I spent a good chunk of the 80s basking in the warm, rich sound of Howard Jones and this album saddened me, not because it wasn't beautiful and deep but because I knew it would spell the end of his popularity. By the mid-90s most people had forgotten the hits off "Dream into Action" (and what an amazing crossover that album made) and, when they heard his name, Everlasting Love was the only song they remembered. Ah, well, at least it was a song well worth being known for, even if it was the best you'd ever made.

This may actually be my longest post title, ever. The song's good enough to support one twice this length, though. I realized that, now that I'm finally getting around to making and posting videos for some of the songs I haven't been able to find on YouTube I should probably share them here as well as at Google+. Rather than start from scratch (any more than I already have) I thought I'd just embed the post here. Enjoy!

Thanks to a couple of fine folks over at Google+ I've been introduced to my new favorite rock band. Shaka Ponk is everything the mopy, post-grunge whiners strive to be. They're edgy, in-your-face, and unexpected. They're also great fun and, from the looks of the I'm a Lady video, put on one hell of a wild live show. Somehow I doubt they'll be touring North Dakota any time soon, from their native France so I'll have to satisfy myself with watching videos.

Rather than distracting, this video adds a lot of punch to the song and clarifies that it is not only the female singer proclaiming the title in the chorus. If you find I'm a Lady as headbang-inspiring as I do, if you find yourself jumping up and down in time to the beat, and especially if you're interested in the lead singer announcing he's a lady, try Lucky Girl next for more confounding of your expectations.

Due to a misremembered lyric this evening, I found myself following a trail of songs that included the phrase "red hands" in the title. Since I've all but abandoned you all I thought I'd bring you the whole, sloppy mess, dripping with indie goodness via Walk off the Earth and Harlem Shakes, angry post-grunge from Calling All Cars, and even some classic Melvins death grind.

Now, I'll grant you some of these aren't fantastic songs. The point of these lists, however, is to point out the wide variations artists can come up with on a theme, in this case being red-handed (as in guilty). Some of them take the red a wee bit more literally than others. I did actually nuke one song from the list that was painfully bad but I left things like The Bravery, which sounds like a bad Cure cover band, because it's not my thing but Red Hands and White Knuckles takes the concept in a different direction and so still rates a listen.

The Builders and the Butchers come at things from yet another side, doing an Americana song that's almost bluegrass. Their Red Hands brings some classic storytelling and instrumentation to the table but manages to stay far enough on the not-painful side of the twang line that it remains enjoyable. So there you have it, my dears: seven songs about people guilty of something to one degree of violence or another. Have a listen and tell me which is your favorite or if you have a Red Hand Song I've missed!

There are some who say that ska is dead, that the great bands have all moved to punk or funk or rock and roll. They say that the good groups have turned in their two-tone and quit skankin' in exchange for leather and screaming. Not true.

The pop chart love affair with ska, lamentably brief but real, has ended, yes. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones will likely never chart again. Be honest, Sublime was never a ska band in the first place. But ska is alive and well all over the world, as well it should be.

In case you doubt, let me share with you a little post from The NPJ on G+, where I normally blather on these days (hint, hint). As an added bonus, as all the best ska bands do, they've work the genre into their name. Okay, not all the best ska bands, it's just a little quirk that entertains me, like when Mephiskapheles or The Skatalites do it. And now, Bombskare...

In case you were wondering, I've been doing pretty much all of my posting at Google+ these days. While that's been quite interesting for me, it does leave this lovely mess in a bit of a stagnant heap. I'm going to try to find a better balance but, for now, I wanted to add this lovely bit of good stuff from Chewing on Tinfoil in both places. Let me know what you think!

While I've listened to and loved a lot of Lou Reed in my day, Harry's Circumcision is the one song I will recommend without hesitation when his name is mentioned. I've not actually heard anyone else mention it but to me it's the perfect distillation of Lou Reed's sense of humor and lyrical style.

In his memory, I want to share it today. Even if you aren't a fan, listen to the story he tells. Then spare a moment for the guy who could tell it.

If anyone can give Sean Kingston some flavor, can prove that the man would sound the same in front of a frenetic set of fiddles as he does a drum machine, it’s Fissunix. That’s precisely what the DJ has done with this Mashup of the Month: taken the R&B idol and backed him with the country-fried electro madness of Rednex and their take on Cotton-Eyed Joe.

If anyone happens to have a picture of Mr. Kingston sporting a beat-up cowboy hat and a pair of boots, I’d love to have it. This song practically demands one, particularly if it somehow gives the impression of his being at a hoedown.

As always, you can download the Mashup of the Month for free, this time from the official Fissunix web site. Here you can see a mockup of the picture I'm picturing, if that isn't too redundant. I think all of this Rednex is shrinking my vocat...uh, vocan...er, vocaz...my words. I'm off to read a dictionary. Let me know what you think!

It's been quite some time since I shared anything from Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings but this brand-new video has me jamming to them all over again!

With a hearty thanks to +Hadrian Micciche for introducing me to Schlachthofbronx, I bring you a bangin', clappin', chantin' good time. I'm not altogether clear on the point of Songstar, though the lyrics are relatively easy to understand. Given the title of the song (and the mention of bouncers) I'm guessing it's about an obsessed fan.

Here's my suggestion: put on your headphones, crank up the bass, and have a listen. Then you tell me what you think the song is about. You'll probably want to listen again while you do, like I am right now.