You: Listen to These Records

The records on this page are ones I wish were better known and/or I'm posting them for my friends (all are trimmed 2/3 in, except for John Kessel)

John Kessel

An amazing songwriter and guitar player, John Kessel, a friend of mine, has developed a unique style and plays with a passion, fury even, that really shouldn't be missed

Innocent, Fifteen, I Am the Sun

You: Listen to These Records

Pressure Cooking, Labelle

The human-voice equivalent of Eddie Van Halen's guitar playing

Date Added: 3/21/2010

A Pair of Paradoxes

harmony all the way through

slow-build thriller

Date Added: 3/13/2010

Two Dance-y Trance-y Covers of 60s Tunes

Mad Violets, World of ... (1986)

This is an awesome EP of 80s neopsychedelia. Four originals and a cover of The Move's I Can Hear the Grass Grow.

Track list:

Side 1

Black Light Sound Reality

Crystal Chandelier

Come Out and Play?

Side 2

I Can Hear the Grass Grow

World of LSD (I Wanna Come Back)

Jr. Gone Wild, Less Art More Pop! (1986)

Catchy, fun, idiosyncratic band from Canada with a couple proto-genius songwriters. Second only to the Association in sophomoric but still impressive lyrical glossolalia

The first song I'm posting shows their popcraft, and a little craziness in the lyrics:

She'll Never Know

This second tune has some truly crazy lyrics (2nd verse, esp.), which are reprinted below:

Heather on a Bad Day

Lyrics to Jr. Gone Wild, Heather on a Bad Day (M. McDonald)

Sitting by the fountain protecting her skin from the mist

And her entourage respects her, on that she must insist

The atmosphere is somber the conversation is subdued

Cuz she controls her atmosphere and she's not in a very good mood

And there are pictures in behind her eyes she's dreaming of where she should be

Should be hailed as a princess cuz she's royalty

[chorus]

And when her dreams wake up, they won't go away

And you get Heather on a bad day

Better watch out what you say

It's Heather on a bad day

Her slightest movement inspires reaction from everyone in sight

They try so hard to keep her happy they try with all their might

And the rancid badly timed statements from men don't warrant a response

Unflinchingly she discards these fools like clothes cuz they don't have what she needs

And the watery eyed adolescents with their hearts torn out see her as a taloned vixen

Heather's gaze is far away she's catching herself wishing, she's wishing

[bridge]

I'll kiss your hand for you

I'll kill a dragon for you

I will rescue you

Oh Heather if you wear my colors, I'll belong to you

Once I got to look in her eyes and I saw what I know

It's her private truth something she doesn't want to show

And as sure as the sky is blue that cumulus spectacle there belongs to her

The world is her ring her entourage are her bangles

And she's really waiting for a prince she really is, she really is

Her entourage hopes she's happy tomorrow

Green, self-titled first alb (1986)

I'm posting this whole album (songs trimmed 2/3 in). Great Beatle-ish/Kinks-ish/Prince-ish! power pop. Jeff Lescher shoulda been as big as Paul Westerberg. If you don't listen to everything, don't miss the ones with asterisks.

Side 1

Gotta Getta Record Out

She's Not A Little Girl Anymore

Technology

*Curry Your Favor

Baby Why

*I Play The Records

*Better Way

Side 2

*If You Love Me

*I Don't Wanna Say No

*For You

*Hurt You

She, Probably

Not Going Down (Anymore)

Big In Japan

After 7, self-titled first alb (1989)

At the turn of the 90s there was a certain amount of quietly traditionalist R&B, of the Anita Baker sort. Can't Stop has the kind of groove you never want to end, and when I got the single, I was pleasantly surprised to find Ready or Not on the B side. It seemed familiar, I thought maybe it was a cover of a mid-70s or late-60s tune. But it's not.

Can't Stop

Ready or Not

Blue Hippos

Paul Osby the singer/guitarist of this group and an earlier one, oozes attitude, undoubtedly too much. He was gonna die before he got old. But the main attraction is his guitar playing, effortless. I saw them in Iowa City at the time and Osby was so cool. He peeled off these wicked snarly guitar lines, from ultra-low-slung guitar, cigarette in mouth, while singing!

Can't Stop Sweating

Belly Down

Drug Party

Simple Kind Of Love

Tamia (1998), song originally recorded w/Quincy Jones (1994)

Her voice is perfect, pure, clear, relaxed but completely in control. Like a certain other perfect-voicester (initials WH), but with added sweetness

You Put A Move On My Heart

Random stuff you should listen to if you don't know it

Dead Can Dance, Within the Realm of a Dying Sun (1987)

I was surprised in 1990 to hear from a friend that she was going to see these folks play. Now somewhat well-known, I guess this band's gothic-ness saved it from the dustbin of history

Cantara

Summoning of the Muse

special_areas/you_listen_to_these_records.txt · Last modified: 2011/05/30 23:46 by william
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