... Stupefaction ...

Stupefied: The NME UK Top 50 Singles of 1980

2015-05-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

Back by no demand whatsoever, I felt inspired to continue the series of NME year-end lists, so here you go - 1980 in all of its glory. Lake Placid, Russian boycott, great records & more video with each release. You could easily do a second, completely different, list, and it would be just as good. Please note that the Spotify list is not as complete as the YouTube list due to availability.

01. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

02. The Jam - Going Underground

03. The English Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom

04. Joy Division - Atmosphere

05. David Bowie- Ashes to ashes

06. Bow Wow Wow- I Want My Baby On Mars

07. Grace Jones - Private Life

08. David Bowie - Fashion

09. BOW WOW WOW - C30 C60 C90 Go!

10. Stevie Wonder - Master Blaster (Jammin')

11. The Teardrop Explodes - Treason

12. Dexys Midnight Runners - Geno

13. The Jam - Start

14. UB40 - Food for Thought/King

15. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - New Amsterdam

16. A Certain Ratio - Shack Up

17. Echo and the Bunnymen - Rescue

18. UB40 - My Way Of Thinking

19. Kurtis Blow - The Breaks

20. The English Beat - Best Friend

21. Elvis Costello & The Attractions ~ I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down

22. The Cramps - Drug Train

23. The Fall - Fiery Jack

24. Dexys Midnight Runners - Dance Stance (Original 7'' Version)

25. Robert Palmer - Johnny and Mary

26. The English Beat - Hands Off... She's Mine

27. The Subterraneans - My Flamingo

28. Magazine- A Song From Under The Floorboards

29. Comsat Angels - Independence Day

30. The Undertones - My Perfect Cousin

31. Stray Cats - Runaway Boys

32. Robert Wyatt - At Last I Am Free

33. Robert Palmer - Looking For Clues

34. Dexy's Midnight Runners - There, There My Dear

35. Madness - My Girl

36. Squeeze - Another Nail In My Heart

37. A Certain Ratio - Flight

38. Au Pairs - Diet / It's Obvious (7")

39. Tom Browne - Funkin' For Jamaica

40. Caberet Voltaire - Seconds Too Late

41. Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out

42. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - High Fidelity

43. Aswad - Warrior Charge

44. Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Love Comes in Spurts

45. Smack - Edward Fox

46. The Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me

47. Bette Bright - Hello I Am Your Heart

48. Linx - Rise and Shine

49. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Happy House

50. Adam and the Ants - Dog Eat Dog

Stupefied: The Holly George-Warren Playlist

2014-08-23T14:20:00.000-04:00

We have a special treat today in the form of a new Stupefied playlist from one of my favorite writers, Holly George-Warren. As you hopefully know by now, her latest book, A Man Called Destruction, gives the bio treatment to Alex Chilton - songwriter extraordinaire, rock star at 16 with the Box Tops, and leading light of Big Star. And of course, I'd be remiss not to mention that the cover photo is by none other than our pal, Godlis.

Already at work on her next book (a Janis Joplin bio), all things Holly can be tracked at HollyGeorgeWarren.com including some appearances this weekend in Carrboro, NC, and next month in Nashville, TN, and Brooklyn, NY. The paperback edition of AMCD will be available in 2015.

Alex Chilton & Holly George Warren by Dan Howell

Big thanks to Holly for the list!

Box Tops - The Letter
Box Tops - Neon Rainbow
Box Tops - Cry Like a Baby
Box Tops - I Shall Be Released
Box Tops - Soul Deep
Alex Chilton - The EMI Song
Alex Chilton - Free Again
Big Star - Thirteen
Big Star - Ballad of El Goodo
Big Star - September Gurls
Big Star - I’m in Love With a Girl
Big Star - Kangaroo
Big Star - Holocaust
Alex Chilton - Bangkok
Alex Chilton - Can’t Seem to Make You Mine
Alex Chilton - Hey Little Child
Alex Chilton - Alligator Man
Alex Chilton - Take It Off
Alex Chilton - Dalai Lama
Alex Chilton - Thing for You
Alex Chilton - Thank You John
Alex Chilton - Guantanamerika
Alex Chilton - Devil Girl
Alex Chilton - Dark End of the Street (with Teenage Fanclub)
Alex Chilton - Never Found a Girl
Alex Chilton - Never Found a Girl (with Teenage Fanclub)
Alex Chilton - You Can Bet Your Heart on Me (Electricity by Candlelight)
Big Star - Hot Thing

Stupefied: The Tim Sommer Playlist

2014-07-30T23:12:00.002-04:00

Good things come to those who wait, and its been a while since I've run a playlist from a friend. After a delay of some time, Mr. Tim Sommer answers the call with a hell of a list. I first knew of Tim many years back when he attended NYU with Jack Rabid. He hosted the locally influential show on WNYU, Noise, the Show - at the time the only radio show playing punk/hardcore. Tim would do voiceovers in an almost-screaming level to match the urgency of the music. Don't believe me? Listen to this or this!

Also, around the same time, he contributed to UK music weekly, Sounds, as a NY correspondent, as well as Trouser Press magazine, and a host of other publications. He went on to do a whole bunch of other interesting projects in the name of art - like producing records, forming Hugo Largo, and signing Hootie & the Blowfish to Atlantic Records, amongst other things.

Jack Rabid, left, and Tim Sommer, 1982

To this day Tim still writes, on a regular basis, a column that's well worth checking out over at the Brooklyn Bugle. It's called, what else? Noise, The Column! Where else can you read about the Ruts, Boston, baseball, the state of New York City, why the New York Times sucks, Hootie & the Blowfish, and racial issues? Nowhere else...that's where! He also contributes an editorial twice a year to Big Takeover magazine...published over the last 34 years by our mutual pal, the aforementioned Jack Rabid.

Special thanks to Tim for writing an entire column inspired by my request to him for this list. Not to mention this great list! So fire up your RSS feed for Tim's column, and then hit play.

p.s. For those who might give a crap, I've given up creating a Spotify version of these lists. It's just too glitchy and slow. And they don't have all of the tracks I want anyway.

01. Hallogallo - NEU

02. Know Your Product - THE SAINTS

03. Dot Dash - WIRE

04. The Lonely Surfer - JACK NITZSCHE

05. Theme From A Summer Place - PERCY FAITH

06. Otis - DURUTTI COLUMN

07. Albatross - FLEETWOOD MAC

08. Cheree - QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS

09. Memphis Egypt - MEKONS

10. Ramones (album) - RAMONES

11. Mongoose - FU MANCHU

12. You Better Believe It - HAWKWIND

13. Albatross - PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED

14. There There My Dear - DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS

15. Handbags and Gladrags - CHRIS FARLOWE

16. Ceremony - NEW ORDER

17. More Than A Feeling - BOSTON

18. The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore - THE WALKER BROTHERS

19. Tommy (complete, Live at Leeds version) - THE WHO

20. Astronomy Domine - PINK FLOYD

21. Dopesmoker (album) - SLEEP

22. Everybody Wants Some - VAN HALEN

23. Irene Wilde - IAN HUNTER

24. Gloria - PATTI SMITH

25. Song of the Siren - TIM BUCKLEY

26. Crucifixion - PHIL OCHS

27. All the Way From Memphis - MOTT THE HOOPLE

28. Jailbreak - THIN LIZZY

29. December - COLLECTIVE SOUL

30. Orinoco Flow - ENYA
31. & 32. Secret Bonus Tracks

Stupefied: The NME UK Top 40 Singles of 1979

2014-06-21T15:55:00.003-04:00

Not.

Its been a few months since I've run a playlist, but here we are. The first day of summer seems a good time for it, and picking up where we left off, 1979 is a great year. This list would serve a party well...I hope you enjoy it!

As usual, stream/watch below or do it directly on Spotify or YouTube. (If you have the time, check out the YouTube version - there are always some surprises & things forgotten.)

1. Eton Rifles - The Jam
2. Gangsters - The Specials
3. London Calling - The Clash
4. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
5. Strange Town - The Jam
6. Message In A Bottle - The Police
7. Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello
8. Spacer - Sheila B Devotion*
9. Shake Your Body - The Jacksons
10. Memories - Public Image Ltd.
11. Death Disco - Public Image Ltd.**
12. My Feet Keep Dancing - Chic
13. Rock Lobster - The B52's
14. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson
15. Making Plans For Nigel - XTC
16. Queen Of Hearts - Dave Edmunds
17. The Pictures On My Wall - Echo & The Bunnymen
18. Life During Wartime - Talking Heads
19. She's Beyond Good & Evil - The Pop Group
20. Boogie Wonderland - Earth Wing And Fire
21. Rowche Rumble - The Fall
22. Living On The Front Line - Eddie Grant
23. The Prince - Madness
24. Boys Don't Cry - The Cure
25. Touch - Lori & The Chameleons*
26. Transmission - Joy Division**
27. Get Over You - The Undertones
28. Memphis Tennessee - Silicon Teens
29. On My Radio - Selector
30. Pop Musik - M
31. Girls Talk - Dave Edmunds
32. Heart Of Glass - Blondie
33. We Are Family - Sister Sledge
34. Stop Your Sobbing - Pretenders
35. Where’s Bill Grundy Now - Television Personalities*
36. Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palms - Leyton Buzzards*
37. Time Goes By So Slow - Distractions*
38. Protection - Graham Parker**
39. A Message To You Rudy - The Specials
40. Electricity - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

* - No version on Spotify available
** - Studio version replaced by live version

Stupefied: The NME UK Top 30 Singles of 1978

2014-01-26T14:32:00.000-05:00

1978 was a mighty fine year. Post punk got underway in earnest, some rock bands started appropriating disco into their repertoire, and most of them made videos, or appeared on one TV show or another. There are some real treats in the YouTube version of this playlist. I hope you enjoy it!

As usual, available via Spotify or YouTube. Your choice.

01. Ever Fallen In Love - The Buzzcocks
02. Public Image - Public Image
03. What A Waste - Ian Dury
04. Miss You - Rolling Stones
05. Radio Radio - Elvis Costello
06. I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea - Elvis Costello
07. Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie & The Banshees
08. White Man In Hammersmith Palais - The Clash
09. Shot Both Sides - Magazine
10. Sign Of The Times - Bryan Ferry
11. Shame - Evelyn 'Champagne' King
12. Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - Ian Dury
13. Rising Free EP - Tom Robinson Band
14. Satisfaction - Devo
15. Ambition - Subway Sect
16. Take Me To The River - Talking Heads
17. It's The New Thing - The Fall
18. I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass - Nick Lowe
19. What Do I Get - The Buzzcocks
20. Germ Free Adolescents - X Ray Spex
21. I Am The Fly - Wire
22. Because The Night - Patti Smith
23. Damaged Goods - Gang Of Four
24. Mr Know It All - Gregory Isaacs
25. Night People - Alan Toussaint
26. Mighty Real - Sylvester
27. Private Plane - Thomas Leer
28. Where Were You - The Mekons
29. Hard Workin' Man - Captain Beefheart
30. Down At The Doctors - Doctor Feelgood

Stupefied: The NME UK Top 30 Singles of 1977

2013-12-22T20:26:00.001-05:00

Well, here we are...the so called ground zero of punk rock, and the punks are certainly pushing out the rest of the competition when it comes to the UK faves of the year. Especially the Sex Pistols, the Jam, Ian Dury, and Elvis Costello. Not to mention Bob Marley or David Bowie. All of them have multiple entries. If you didn't know which way the wind was blowing it would have been a good time to rethink your strategy.

As usual, your choice: Spotify or YouTube

01. Pretty Vacant - Sex Pistols
02. Watchin' The Detectives - Elvis Costello
03. Sex & Drugs & Rock 'N' Roll - Ian Dury
04. God Save the Queen - Sex Pistols
05. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker - The Ramones
06. Heroes - David Bowie
07. 2-4-6-8 Motorway - Tom Robinson Band
08. Waiting In Vain - Bob Marley & The Wailers
09. Do Anything You Wanna Do - Eddie & the Hot Rods
10. Alison - Elvis Costello
11. Roadrunner - Jonathan Richman
12. Spiral Scratch EP - The Buzzcocks
13. Sweet Gene Vincent - Ian Dury
14. In the City - The Jam
15. All Around the World - The Jam
16. Complete Control - The Clash
17. Lookin' After No. 1 - The Boomtown Rats
18. Peaches - The Stranglers
19. Oh Bondage! Up Yours - X-Ray Spex
20. Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel
21. Gary Gilmore's Eyes - The Adverts
22. More Than A Feeling - Boston
23. American Girl - Tom Petty
24. Short People - Randy Newman
25. Showroom Dummies - Krafwerk
26. Dirty Pictures - Radio Stars
27. Orgasm Addict - The Buzzcocks
28. (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes - Elvis Costello
29. Sound & Vision - David Bowie
30. Jamming - Bob Marley & The Wailers

Stupefied: The NME UK Top 20 Singles of 1976

2013-12-10T14:17:00.001-05:00

Here we are in 1976...the NME still looked like this (look up), and the year end charts are getting really interesting. '76 could really be looked at as the peak of rock culture as we knew it. Punk is coming on, there's still some so called classic rock making an appearance, a little pub rock, and of course there's some R&B/Soul (although the selections for the year are fairly mediocre). The really strong thing for this chart is the roots reggae with stone cold classics from Lee Perry, Junior Murvin, and Max Romeo - all Lee Perry productions...well done, Scratch!

Your choice: Spotify or YouTube.

01. The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy
02. Live At The Marquee (EP) - Eddie & The Hot Rods
03. Anarchy In The U.K. - Sex Pistols
04. Don't Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
05. So It Goes - Nick Lowe
06. Police And Thieves - Junior Murvin
07. Young Hearts Run Free - Candi Staton
08. Love And Affection - Joan Armatrading
09. I'll Be Good To You - Brothers Johnson
10. Couldn't Get It Right - Climax Blues Band
11. War In A Babylon - Max Romeo
12. Take The Money And Run - Steve Miller
13. Hurricane - Bob Dylan
14. Lowdown - Boz Scaggs
15. Let's Stick Together - Bryan Ferry
16. Little Johnny Jewel - Television
17. I Want More - Can
18. Shake Some Action - Flamin' Groovies
19. Roast Fish And Corn Bread - Lee Perry
20. Boogie On The Street - Lew Lewis

Stupefied: The NME UK Top 20 Singles of 1975

2013-12-03T19:45:00.000-05:00

Just for fun I'll be running a bunch of these playlists for as many years as I feel like...So here is 1975. Its interesting to watch the change through the mid 70's into the 80's as the NME writer's tastes gets less pop...

Your choice: Spotify or YouTube.

01. No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley & The Wailers

02. I'm Not In Love - 10cc

03. Shame Shame Shame - Shirley & Co.

04. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

05. Third Rate Romance - Amazing Rhythm Aces

06. Fame - David Bowie

07. Young Americans - David Bowie

08. King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown - Augustus Pablo

09. Lady Marmalade - Labelle

10. A Fool In Love - Frankie Miller

11. Welding - I. Roy

12. Do It Again - Steely Dan

13. Shoorah Shoorah - Betty Wright

14. Hurt So Good - Susan Cadogan

15. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen

16. 18 With A Bullet - Pete Wingfield

17. Mendocino - Sir Douglas Quintet

18. Love Hurts - Jim Capaldi

19. Swing Your Daddy - Jim Gilstrap

20. Dance With Me - Orleans

Stupefied: The NME UK Top 50 Singles of 1981

2013-12-01T13:16:00.002-05:00

I dare any naysayers of so called 80's music to argue with the quality here. 1981 was a hell of a year according to this list as put together by the NME staff at the time. There were only a couple of tracks I couldn't locate.

Your choice: Spotify or YouTube.

01. Ghost Town - The Specials

02. Adventures On The Wheel Of Steel - Grandmaster Flash

03. Me No Pop I - Coati Mundi

04. Fascist Groove Thang - Heaven 17

05. Love Action - Human League

06. Mama Used To Say - Junior Giscombe

07. Tears Are Not Enough - Abc

08. Pull Up To The Bumper - Grace Jones

09. Superman - Laurie Anderson

10. Walking On Thin Ice - Yoko Ono

11. Burn Rubber On Me - The Gap Band

12. Tainted Love - Soft Cell

13. Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag - Pigbag

14. Rapp Payback - James Brown

15. Wordy Rappinghood - Tom Tom Club

16. Let's Groove - Earth Wind And Fire

17. The Razor's Edge - Defunkt

18. Being With You - Smokey Robinson

19. Four Movements - Thomas Leer

20. Just Can't Get Enough - Depeche Mode

21. Going Back To My Roots - Odyssey

22. Intuition - Linx

23. Rapture - Blondie

24. Plan B - Dexys Midnight Runners

25. Happy Birthday - Stevie Wonder

26. Chariots Of Fire - Vangelis

27. Der Mussolini - Daf

28. Good Year For The Roses - Elvis Costello

29. Shoot The Pump - J. Walter Negro & The Loose Joints

30. Doors Of Your Heart - The Beat

31. Kitchen Person - The Associates

32. Can You Feel It - The Jacksons

33. Favourite Shirts - Haircut 100

34. Pocket Calculator - Kraftwerk

35. Another One Bites The Dust - General Saint And Clint Eastwood

36. Launderette - Vivien Goldman

37. Genius Of Love - Tom Tom Club

38. Chant No.1 (We Don’t Need This Pressure On) - Spandau Ballet

39. Out Come The Freaks - Was(Not Was)

40. W.O.R.K. - Bow Wow Wow

41. Flowers Of Romance - P.I.L.

42. Ceremony - New Order

43. Beggarman- Pablo Gad

44. The Longest Day - Sound Of The Valleys

45. The ‘Sweetest Girl’ - Scritti Politti

46. Pretty In Pink - Psychedelic Furs

47. The Art Of Parties - Japan

48. Computer Love - Kraftwerk

49. To Drunk To Fuck - The Dead Kennedys

50. Show Me - Dexys Midnight Runners

Stupefied: The Andy Schwartz Playlist

2013-10-08T08:42:00.000-04:00

This week's edition of the Stupefied Playlist© is brought to us by one of my favorite writers, and someone I'm happy to call a friend, Mr. Andy Schwartz. Andy contributes a wonderful essay & playlist based on the blue eyed soul genre. I can say with certainty that having his writing on this blog definitely classes the joint up. Thank you Andy! Hit play and read along...

Andy Schwartz by Tim Broun, 2013

Blue-Eyed Soul: Trying to precisely define the term describing black music performed by white artists can be a slippery slope - while some of the genre’s greatest practitioners are among its most obscure.

By Andy Schwartz

One night in early December, I sat with music-business veteran and fellow Hall of Fame voter Gregg Geller in a Manhattan nightclub. When the conversation turned to the topic of this essay, he reflected: “ ‘Soul’ as a vocal quality is timeless, eternal. But ‘blue-eyed soul’ is a moment in time.”

Gregg was referring to a pop–music phenomenon whose rise and fall paralleled that of African-American soul music itself. Among its spiritual predecessors were Bing Crosby, whom bandleader Artie Shaw called “the first hip white person”; Johnnie Ray, whose histrionic style borrowed heavily from black gospel and early rhythm & blues; and Elvis Presley, who scored across–the–board hits on the pop, country and R&B charts alike.

When I e-mailed some twenty music aficionados around the country, informally soliciting their favorite “white soul” artists and recordings, their enthusiastic replies cited nearly seventy artists, spanning the musical alphabet from Mose Allison to Timmy Yuro. A New York label entrepreneur’s all–British list included Tom Jones, the Bee Gees, and Simply Red. A Georgia journalist named prewar jazzmen Bix Beiderbecke and Jack Teagarden. A New Jersey memorabilia dealer vouched for Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad and the Four Seasons’ Frankie Valli. (Continued after the jump.)

But soul music “has a beginning and an end,” noted another respondent, Dan Hodges of Berkeley, California, in his provocative three–thousand–word (!) response. “I’m unwilling to call something ‘white soul’ that wasn’t recorded during the historical period of soul music. Whatever else, for example, the Beastie Boys may be, I don’t consider them blue-eyed soul.” In awarding his soul seal of approval to the Motown recordings of the little–remembered singer Chris Clark and Dusty Springfield’s landmark Dusty in Memphis, Hodges established two compelling criteria for the sound:

“One . . . is that the white singer and song should ‘fit’ with what we recognize as soul music already. It would mean that, for example, the white soul singer was recorded by a record company that released soul records and that the records were made as they would have been with a black singer.”

“Two . . . is that the white singer’s performances should be accepted as soul music since they would be so accepted if sung by blacks [italics added] . . . and [that] if a black singer recorded the song, it would be considered soul. In contrast, whether a white group or the Supremes made an album of Rodgers & Hart songs, it wasn’t soul music.”

Dan’s definition would accommodate such exponents (whether famed or forgotten) as the Righteous Brothers, the Magnificent Men, Roy Head, Eddie Hinton, Len Barry, Billy Harner, Roland Stone, Bob Brady & the Con Chords, Bob Kuban & the In-Men—even Lulu (in her Muscle Shoals period) and Charlie Rich (whose version of “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby” predated that of Sam & Dave). But it would exclude the (Young) Rascals as well as the Box Tops, Tony Joe White, Bobbie Gentry, Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, Sir Doug Sahm, Laura Nyro, and the Spencer Davis Group featuring Stevie Winwood – to mention just a few more names that came over my Internet transom.

[Gregg Geller’s personal favorite, Aesop’s Fables, were from Huntington, Long Island. “Performing Stax, Motown and especially James Brown’s hits of the day,” he recalls, “their lead singer Sonny Stiles was one of the greatest live performers it has been my privilege to witness. To complicate matters (this is America, after all), Sonny was Puerto Rican – which I guess makes him a brown–eyed blue-eyed soul artist.”]

Wayne Cochran, the Rationals and the Temptones are three classic examples of the profound impact of soul music on a generation of white performers.

WAYNE COCHRAN

Throughout the Sixties and Seventies, Wayne Cochran may have done more than any other single white performer to spread the gospel of Southern soul music – and he did so without having anything close to a hit record.

Born in Thomaston, Georgia, in 1939, Cochran was a close friend and frequent performing rival of Hall of Fame inductee Otis Redding in the early Sixties. (Wayne played bass on Otis’s second single, “Shout Bamalama,” in 1962.) In 2001, Cochran described his red–dirt upbringing to author Scott Freeman in the Redding biography Otis!: “Father a cotton–miller and moonshiner. Grandfather a paid–up member of the KKK for life. . . . Music just takes all that away. You appreciate someone’s talent and they become your idol. Who cares what color?”

His imposing 6’ 2” figure topped by a towering white–blond pompadour, Wayne fronted a skin-tight, horn–heavy band known as the C.C. Riders that served as an incubator for such gifted musicians as bassist Jaco Pastorius, later of Weather Report. In a 1994 essay, writer James Porter noted that throughout the Sixties, Cochran regularly performed in “the same places as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. At a time when Black soul acts who played that circuit . . . were reduced, in their heyday [italics in original], to doing stuff along the lines of ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business,’ the fact that Cochran could get away with performing maximum r&b for a blue-haired audience is significant.”

Cochran recorded sporadically for such labels as King, Chess and Mercury, but his closest brush with the Hot 100 came when his version of Bob & Earl’s “Harlem Shuffle” bubbled under for a few weeks in late 1965. As a songwriter, however, Wayne had better luck. In the fall of 1964, his classic tale of teen tragedy, “Last Kiss,” became a Number Two pop hit for J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers, obliterating Cochran’s original version on King. Thirty–four years later, Pearl Jam cut the song in one take at a pre–show sound check and pressed it up on a seven–inch single as a fan-club giveaway. Radio programmers picked up on the track, which took on an unexpected poignancy in the wake of the April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School. By the year’s end, “Last Kiss” had reached Number Two and become Pearl Jam’s highest–charting song to date.

Wayne Cochran retired from the music business in the early Eighties and became a pastor at the Voice of Jesus Christian Center in Hialeah, Florida. “In the end, it wasn’t music to me – it was a cause,” he told Scott Freeman. “. . . What we did, we took soul and r&b music and dressed it up like Las Vegas. And while they weren’t lookin’, we snuck up behind them.”

THE TEMPTONES

In 1965, four Temple University students – Daryl Hall, Paul Fogel, Ken Halpern and Brian Utain – were performing around Philadelphia as an a cappella vocal quartet called the Temptones. After Fogel enlisted in the air force, another Temple student, Barry Glazer, replaced him.

The new lineup recruited a rhythm section and shifted its repertoire away from doo-wop revival standards toward contemporary soul music, with a particular emphasis on the songs of their idols, the Temptations. A typical Temptones set might include the Spinners’ “I’ll Always Love You,” the Miracles’ “Ooh Baby Baby” and such Tempts favorites as “I Wish It Would Rain” and “My Girl.”

“The Temptations’ harmonies were tighter and more melodic than [those of] the doo-wop groups,” says Barry Glazer. “Daryl, who was a music major at Temple, did all the vocal arrangements and was our main lead singer.”

When the Temptones finally met the Temptations, backstage at Philadelphia’s Uptown Theater, the Motown stars were impressed by the white group’s unaccompanied rendition of an early Tempts ballad, “Farewell My Love.” Temptation Paul Williams became a solid supporter, buying the white kids some new stage clothes and later arranging for an audition with Smokey Robinson (a Motown recording contract was not forthcoming).

When the group took second place in a James Brown Talent Show at the Uptown (coming in behind the Ambassadors but ahead of the Delfonics!), WDAS jock Jimmy Bishop brought them to local indie Arctic Records. On their 1966 sessions, the Temptones were backed by many of the session players who would later form MFSB – the musical backbone of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International Records.

Barry Glazer and Daryl Hall co–wrote the group’s first single, “Girl I Love You,” as well as the follow–up, “Say These Words of Love.” “‘Girl I Love You’ went Top Twenty on some local radio charts and got us on TV shows with the deejays Hy Lit and Jerry Blavat,” Glazer recalls. “We also played two Freedom Shows, big concerts sponsored by the NAACP. We almost always played with black acts.”

Neither disc did anything to extend the Temptones’ appeal beyond their home turf. A second Freedom Show at Convention Hall would have been the group’s last gig but for the thunderous reception that greeted their rendition of “Old Man River” (in the Temptations’ arrangement, naturally). This led to a showcase for the Ashley Famous Agency at New York’s Village Gate, where the Temptones’ rhythm section included one John Oates on guitar. It was the first time he and Daryl Hall had ever performed onstage together.

Following some personnel changes, the Temptones disbanded for good in 1969. “John and Daryl started doing music together,” says Barry Glazer, “and the rest is history.” (Hall and Oates released their debut album, Whole Oates, in 1972.)

“But the Temptones were pretty damn good and very unusual for our time,” he adds with a chuckle. “We didn’t even like the Beatles. I mean, we really wanted to sound black!”

THE RATIONALS

Of all the white teen rock & roll bands to emerge from the Great American Garage in the mid–Sixties, none interpreted contemporary soul music with more skill and passion than the Rationals, from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Scott Morgan (vocals) and Steve Correll (guitar), fellow students at Forsythe Junior High in Ann Arbor, formed the embryonic Rationals in 1963 and were joined within a year by Terry Trabandt (bass) and Bill Figg (drums). By then, their focus had shifted from guitar instrumentals to a blend of hip British Invasion covers (Pretty Things, Them, et al.) and promising originals. Meanwhile, Morgan recalls, “Steve Correll’s mother would drive us to the Fox Theater in downtown Detroit to see the Motortown Revue shows with Little Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, everybody. We’d be among the few white kids in the place.”

Jeep Holland was the group’s manager, the founder of the A2 (A Squared) label and a dedicated collector “extremely well–versed in rhythm & blues,” says Scott Morgan. “Jeep was the one who turned us on to songs like ‘I Need You’ by Chuck Jackson, ‘Listen to Me’ by the Esquires, and ‘The Entertainer’ by Tony Clarke.” In late 1966, Holland chose an Otis Redding song called “Respect” for the Rationals’ third A2 single. This recording anticipated Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” by nearly a year and – in light of its local–hit status in her hometown of Detroit – likely influenced the Queen of Soul’s own arrangement.

Creeping to #92 on the Hot 100, “Respect” became the Rationals’ sole Billboard chart entry. Several more intense and soulful singles followed; none broke nationally, despite heavy regional airplay. The Rationals commanded a loyal following in the 1967–69 heyday of Detroit’s Grande Ballroom scene but gradually lost momentum. Only months before the group broke up, in August 1970, New York label entrepreneur Bob Crewe finally released their self–titled debut album. It’s an uneven LP, but the Scott Morgan–Steve Correll duet on “Temptation ’Bout to Get Me,” in its raw power and desperate yearning, cuts the Knight Brothers’ hit version. (“Hijackin’ Love,” an obscure 1971 single by Morgan’s next band, Lightnin’, is likewise a more thrilling record than the Johnnie Taylor original.)

Hailed by David Fricke in Rolling Stone as “one of America’s Great Voices,” Scott Morgan went on to perform and record with such groups as Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, Dodge Main and the Hydromatics. In 2009, Ace/Big Beat Records UK released the two-CD Rationals anthology Think Rational! It includes an earlier version of "Temptation 'Bout To Get Me" along with renditions of songs by Eddie Holland ("Leavin' Here"), Sam & Dave ("Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody") and Albert King ("Had You Told It Like It Was, It Wouldn‘t Be Like It Is).”

1. Righteous Brothers - "Soul And Inspiration"

Written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil; produced by Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers. The duo's first release after their split with Phil Spector, "Soul And Inspiration" became their second US Number One hit in 1966 after "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."

2. Bob Kuban and The In-Men - "The Cheater"

St. Louis MO drummer and bandleader Kuban led a large group including horn section. "The Cheater" reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966. Lead vocal by the late Walter Scott.

3. Dusty Springfield - "I Don't Want to Hear it Anymore"

From 1969 album Dusty In Memphis. A Randy Newman song first recorded by Jerry Butler.

4. Aesop's Fables - "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"

Non-charting song recorded for Cadet Concept by a group from Huntington, Long Island. “Performing Stax, Motown and especially James Brown’s hits of the day, their lead singer Sonny Stiles was one of the greatest live performers it has been my privilege to witness. To complicate matters (this is America, after all), Sonny was Puerto Rican – which I guess makes him a brown-eyed blue-eyed soul artist.” -- Gregg Geller. Written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Jerry Ross; other versions released by Dee Dee Warwick, Jerry Butler, Jay & the Techniques, Madeline Bell, and Dusty Springfield. Single by the Temptations with Diana Ross & the Supremes reached No. 2 on both Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Singles in January 1969.

5. Wayne Cochran - "Harlem Shuffle"

Cover of 1963 song written and first recorded by the black duo of Bob [Relf] and Earl [Nelson]. Cochran was a close friend of Otis Redding and played bass on Otis' second single, "Shout Bamalama," in 1962.

6. The Magnificent Men - "Peace Of Mind"

From 1966 album The Magnificent Men with "orchestra conducted by Horace Ott and Sonny Sanders," both of whom were African-American. Song co-written by MM lead singer Dave Bupp; covered by black artists including Skip Jackson (on Capitol), Jerry Butler (Mercury), and The Players (Minit).

7. The Temptones - "Girl I Love You"

1967 single on Arctic Records. Lead vocal by Daryl Hall; song written by Hall and Barry Glazer of the Temptones. Uncredited backing band is presumed to include members of MFSB, the Philly studio band behind the O'Jays, Three Degrees, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, et al.

8. Chris Clark - "Love's Gone Bad"

1966 single on V.I.P., a Motown subsidiary label. Written and produced by Holland/Dozier/Holland. She performed at the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans in October 2013.

9. The Rationals - "Temptation 'Bout To Get Me"

On their only album, released in 1970, this Ann Arbor MI band covered a song first recorded in 1965 by The Knight Brothers for Chess (No. 12 R&B/No. 70 Pop). Lead vocal by Scott Morgan with guitarist Steve Correll on second vocal.

10. The Young Rascals - "Lonely Too Long" / "Come On Up"

Felix Cavaliere (organ, lead vocal), Eddie Brigati (vocal, percussion), Gene Cornish (guitar, vocal), Dino Danelli (drums).

11. Lonnie Mack - "Wherever There's A Will, There's A Way"

Lonnie Mack (guitar and vocal); recorded in Cincinnati in 1964. Cover of a song by the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi.

12. Lulu – “Sweep Around Your Own Back Door”

From her Atco LP New Routes, recorded in Muscle Shoals AL in Fall 1969. Produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, and Arif Mardin. With Duane Allman on lead guitar.

13. Eddie Hinton - "Hard Luck Guy"

Muscle Shoals session guitarist (1967-1971) played on tracks by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Solomon Burke, Staple Singers, and many more; wrote or co-wrote songs recorded by Dusty Springfield ("Breakfast In Bed"), Laura Lee ("It's All Wrong But It's All Right"), and others. He died of a heart attack in 1995 at age 51.

14. Bobbie Gentry - "He Made A Woman Out Of Me"

Four years after "Ode To Billie Joe," Gentry reached No. 71 with this song by Fred Burch and Donald Hill. It was also recorded by Bettye LaVette.

15. Elvis Presley - "True Love Travels On A Gravel Road"

From 1969 album From Elvis In Memphis. Song first recorded by Percy Sledge.

[Thanks to all Blue-Eyed Soul Survey participants. Special thanks to Gregg Geller, Geoff Ginsberg, Barry Glazer of the Temptones, Daniel M. Hodges, Scott Morgan of the Rationals, Phast Phreddie Patterson and Don Waller.]

Stupefied: The Tony Fletcher Playlist

2013-10-01T15:35:00.000-04:00

This week's edition of the Stupefied Playlist© to brought to us courtesy of one of the more prolific writers that I know, Mr. Tony Fletcher. Probably best known for his Keith Moon bio, Tony has had two books published within the last year - A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths, and the very recently published Boy About Town: A Memoir. Long a resident of upstate New York, Boy About Town: A Memoir tells the tale of growing up a music obsessive in & around post punk London. Needless to say, a very relatable story for most of us.

Thankfully, Tony is still a music obsessive...I'm sure we'll be able to look forward to quite a few more titles from him over the years. As I type this he's probably planning his next three!

For those in the Woodstock, NY, area, on Saturday 10/5 Tony will be doing a reading, and Q&A about Boy About Town: A Memoir at The Golden Notebook. Get all of the info here.

Big thanks to Tony for the list!

Tony on Amazon

Official Website

Twitter

Facebook

01. The War To Fight for Love - BP Fallon and The Bandits

02. The Queen of Denmark – Sinead O’Connor

03. Your Perfume Was The Best Thing – Karl Hyde

04. You Left The Water Running (Unedited Demo Version) – Otis Redding

05. Tokoloshe Man – Johnny Kongos

06. You're My Friend - Eels

07. Get Rhythm – Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two

08. Cause – Rodriguez

09. Happy Jack (acoustic version) – The Who

10. GMF – John Grant featuring Sinead O’Connor

11. Judge, Jury and Executor – Atoms for Peacae

12. Flyin’ Saucers Rock ‘n’ Roll – Bill Riley and his Little Green Men

13. Cupp Cave - The Kid's A Loner

14. Slip Away (demo) – Clarence Carter

15. Sex Machine – Sly and the Family Stone

16. Let’s Get An Understanding – Wilson Pickett

17. Your Life Your Call – Junip

18. Easter Parade (single version) – Faith Brothers

19. Paranoid - Wavves

20. Remember Me - Steve Earle

Also Enjoying:

Edgeland - Karl Hyde (LP)

Junip - Junip (LP)

Amok - Atoms for Peace (LP)

Pale Green Ghosts - John Grant (LP)

The Fame Studios Story 1961-1973 (triple CD)

Stupefied: The Alice Bag Playlist

2013-09-17T12:47:00.001-04:00

This week's edition of of the Stupefied Playlist© is brought to us by legendary LA punk rocker, Alice Bag. Arguably, Los Angeles could be credited with being at the forefront when it came to a musical movement known for being (mostly) equal opportunity. Go ahead and name the bands - the Alley Cats, X, Alice's very own Bags, the Go Go's, the Germs, 45 Grave, Legal Weapon, and others I'm sure, all had prominent female members if they weren't fronted by women. And Alice has always been in the thick of it.

A vocal defender of women's (and human) rights, Alice is still an active performer and writer. Her recent memoir, Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage/A Chicana Punk Story, tells the fantastic & true story of growing up in East LA during the sixties & seventies, and is well worth a read. Visit her sites below, check out her work, and go see her if she's playing a gig near you.

Big thanks to Alice for this wonderful playlist!

01. Arthur Alexander - In the Middle of it All

02. Freda Payne - Band of Gold

03. Doris Duke - Feet Start Walking

04. Bessie Smith - I Need a Little Sugar in my Bowl

05. Jimmy Scott - All the Way

06. Eydie Gorme y Los Panchos - Piel Canela

07. Raphael - Yo Soy Aquel

08. Pedro Infante - Cuando el Destino

09. The Sweet - Ballroom Blitz

10. Sparks - Equator

11. David Bowie - Life On Mars

12. Patti Smith - Ask the Angels

13. Suzi Quatro - Your Mama Won't Like Me

14. Elton John - First Episode At Hienton

15. Elvis Costello - Shipbuilding

16. Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love

17. The Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated

18. X-Ray Spex - Oh Bondage, Up Yours

19. Patsy Cline - She's Got You

20. Flat and Scruggs - Foggy Mountain Breakdown

Stupefied: The Preston Lauterbach Playlist

2013-09-10T09:50:00.000-04:00

This week's edition of the Stupefied Playlist© is brought to us by Mr. Preston Lauterbach. Besides posessing one of the cooler names I've come across recently, Mr. Lauterbach has written one hell of a book on an oft-ignored subject in the pre-history of rock & roll: the chitlin' circuit. The book (available now in paperback) is entitled The Chitlin' Circuit and the Road To Rock & Roll, and its highly recommended by us here at Stupefaction central.

Preston Lauterbach

As a sort of primer and/or soundtrack to the book, check out this slammin' list Preston was kind enough to put together. It loosely traces the narrative of the story, and really is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to musical suggestions made by the text. A BIG thanks to Preston!

Official Website

The Chitlin' Circuit and the Road To Rock & Roll on Amazon

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01. The Falcons “You’re So Fine”

02. Sax Kari “Chocolate Fizz”

03. Jimmie Lunceford & the Chickasaw Syncopators “In Dat Mornin’”

04. Jimmie Lunceford “Organ Grinders Swing”

05. Earl Hines “Piano Man”

06. Lil Green “In the Dark”

07. Champion Jack Dupree “Junker Blues”

08. Fats Domino “The Fat Man”

09. Louis Jordan “Knock Me A Kiss”

10. Joe Turner “It’s Alright” (From Spirituals to Swing) or “My Gal’s a Jockey”

11. Joe Liggins “The Honeydripper”

12. Wynonie Harris “Good Rockin’ Tonight”

13. Roy Brown “Boogie at Midnight”

14. Cecil Gant “We’re Gonna Rock”

15. Big Maybelle “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”

16. Little Junior Parker “Next Time You See Me”

17. Big Mama Thornton “Hound Dog”

18. Little Richard “Send Me Some Lovin’”

19. Esquerita “Why Did It Take You So Long?”

20. Johnny Ace “Never Let Me Go”

21. James Brown & the Famous Flames “Please, Please, Please” & "Night Train"

Stupefied: The Paul Haig Playlist

2013-09-03T19:45:00.000-04:00

This week's edition of the Stupefied Playlist© is brought to us by none other than Scottish post punk legend, Paul Haig. Mostly known for his work as vocalist of Josef K on the Postcard label, Paul has released about a dozen albums, as well as a series of excellent singles, over the last 30 years or so. Much of Paul's solo work is currently available via his own label, Rhythm of Life, as well as classic catalog labels, LTM and Disques du Crepescule.

Right now, Paul is getting ready for the release of his 12th solo album, Kube, on October 14. Preceding that on Sept. 16 is the double A-side single, "UW2B / Red Rocks" (for pre-orders, click here for iTunes UK, and here for iTunes US).

As a long time fan of Paul's work, I am truly honored to be able to share his playlist. I hope you know how lucky we are in this day in age to be able to get a peek into what makes our favorite artists tick. A huge thanks to Paul for the list...Now, go and check his music!

01. Television - Marquee Moon

02. The Pop Group - She Is Beyond Good And Evil

03. Pere Ubu - Non Alignment Pact

04. Lou Reed - Temporary Thing

05. Marvin Gaye - Mercy Me

06. David Bowie - Where Are We Now?

07. Throbbing Gristle - Hot On The Heels Of Love

08. Roxy Music - If There Is Something

09. Eric B and Rakim - You Know You Got Soul

10. The JB's - Giving Up Food For Funk

11. New Order - Blue Monday

12. Buzzcocks - What Do I Get

13. Vampire Weekend - Diane Young

14. James Blake - Digital Lion

15. Brian Eno - Third Uncle

16. Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground

17. The Walker Brothers - Fat Mama Kick

18. Madcon - Beggin

19. Paul Giovanni - Corn Rigs

20. Neu - Hallogallo

Stupefied: The Chris Hollow (Sand Pebbles) Playlist

2013-08-27T08:30:00.000-04:00

After a week off from the Stupefied Playlist© (not that anyone noticed), we're back this week with a list from way down under. Chris Hollow, of the Sand Pebbles (out of Melbourne), has submitted a great list after being sent my way via Dean Wareham. And like Dean's Stupefied Playlist, Chris has selected film music as well. After all, his band is named after a Steve McQueen movie. And its a beautiful selection of music. Hit play on the YouTube playlist below, and check out Chris' comments about each track.

The latest thing The Sand Pebbles have done, appropriately enough, is a version of “Dream Chant” from the soundtrack to Morning of the Earth, an iconic Australian surf movie. There’s a new tribute coming out called Spirit of Akasha that they'll appear on. Chris fills in his spare time playing in an off-shoot band called The Riding Hood.Thank you Dean, and a big thank you to Chris!

Sand Pebbles Official Website

Sand Pebbles Facebook

01. Carter Takes a Train – Roy Budd – Get Carter
Incredible bass line and against type use of harpsichord and tabla. I also love that the found sounds from inside the train are included on the soundtrack. It adds so much. The theme plays again as “Goodbye Carter!” with a spookier intro.

02. Cemetary [Film Version] – Basil Poledouris – Big Wednesday
Another version of the fiesta comedown – John Milius tackled this surf movie like it was a western.

03. Chanson du forçat – Serge Gainsbourg - Vidocq
The beauty of Serge’s songs is you don’t need to know what the meaning is despite the idea that Gainsbourg is all about the words. I’m told it’s a rebel song. Inspired by Dylan’s “Hollis Brown”.

04. Rosita – Ennio Morricone – The Big Gundown
I love the after the fiesta comedown moment that happens in most every border Western. They’re always scored with my favourite film music – soft, lilting Spanish guitar.

05. Theme to Endless Summer – The Sandals – Endless Summer

The harmonies are beautiful, subtle. It was also the first time we’d heard melodica and it’s hard not to put melodica on everything once you’ve heard it. The colours on the album cover are brilliant too. Purple, orange and yellow are our colours.

06. Bennie & Alfredo – Jerry Fielding – Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia
Jerry Fielding did most all of Sam Peckinpah’s films.

07. I Feel the Sun – Tully – Sea of Joy
My favourite piece of Australian surf music – if it could be called that – is Tully’s “I Feel the Sun” from the film, Sea of Joy. The singer sounds like an Australian version of Bert Jansch.

08. Wait For Me – Maggie Cheung – Clean
A quintessential Dean Wareham lyric [One kind of sorry/Two kinds of green/Three kinds of jealous/Every kind of mean] sung by Maggie Cheung.

09. Bring Down the Birds – Herbie Hancock – Blow-Up
I was as big a fan of Deee-Lite’s “Groove is in the Heart” as anyone. I got a thrill hearing that bass line on the Blow-Up soundtrack. The film also has the great footage of the Yardbirds churning out “Stroll On”, their Beck + Page super-sized version of “Train Keeps a-Rollin’”.

10. As We Go Along – The Monkees – Head
As a kid I’d always read terrible things about Head. When I finally saw the film, I was stunned. It’s so irreverent and modern and shocking too. It also houses my two favourite Monkee tracks – “Porpoise Song” and the more underrated “As We Go Along”.

11. Summer Kisses, Winter Tears – Elvis Presley – Flaming Star
There are two versions – both last minute cuts from the Flaming Star movie. The shorter version is just bongos, shaker and Elvis’s voice.

12. Solo On a Raft – Hugo Montenegro – The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
It’s from the soundtrack to the TV show but it’s probably my favourite piece of music on this list. Another triumph for harpsichord.

13. Me and My Arrow – Harry Nilsson – The Point!The Point! was a film that played a lot as kids. It was mesmerizing - strange animation, strange story and strange songs. “Me and My Arrow” was entrée to other craziness like “Think About Your Troubles” and “Everything’s Got ‘Em”.

14. Through the Morning, Through the Night – The Fantastic Dillard & Clark Expedition – The Getaway
This plays on a jukebox as Ali McGraw talks to a soldier in a railway station bar.

15. Finale and End Credits – David Shire – The Conversation Stunning end to a great film. We know that you know; keep your mouth shut.

16. El Degüello – Nelson Riddle – Rio Bravo
The no quarter bugle call adapted by Dimitri Tiomkin. The wail of disrepair.

17. In the Morning of My Life – The Bee Gees – MelodyI recently asked Barry Gibb, ‘if your show’s going pear-shaped, what’s the song you pull out to make things right?’ He said “How Deep Is Your Love” and also mentioned “In the Morning [Of My Life]”. The version that opens Melody is slower than the original and has no Robin.

18. Leaving Del Norte – Bruce Langhorne – The Hired Hand
Langhorne was Bob Dylan’s greatest guitarist. I once had a crack at Warren Ellis of The Dirty Three saying all his soundtracks were just ripping off Bruce Langhorne and The Hired Hand. He assured me he’d never heard it.

19. Hard Work Drivin’ Man – Capt Beefheart + Jack Nitzsche – Blue Collar
Ry Cooder, Jesse Ed Davis, Jim Keltner, Tim Drummond, Jack Nitzsche and Captain Beefheart doing his best Howlin’ Wolf impression, combine for good over evil. I also like “Coke Machine” off this soundtrack which is this supergroups’ version of “Killing Floor”.

20. La Noyee – Anna Karina – Vivre Ensemble

I’ve never seen this film, directed by Anna Karina herself. It could be his most exquisite melody. Carla Bruni and Serge himself do incredible versions. HYPERLINK "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oMrPdOQYr0" www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oMrPdOQYr0

21. Work It Out – Beyoncé – Austin Powers: Goldmember

“There are two kinds of people I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch.” “Work It Out” and the Rutles “Cheese and Onions” are my fave pastiche pop.

22. “Main Title Theme (Billy)” – Bob Dylan – Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid

I once had a girlfriend who was shifting in her seat around the two-hour mark of this film: “When’s Billy the Kid going to start?!” She thought she was seeing the longest double feature in the history of westerns. I love the sleigh bells.

23. “Blue Moon” - The Marcels - American Werewolf in London

I saw this at the cinema as a young kid. I wasn’t even ten. I thought it was a comedy and it scared the absolute beejesus out of me. I spent a good deal of the film in the foyer. It then haunted my dreams and, to this day, I still have never watched it again. The other thing that was burnt into my psyche was the idea of “Blue Moon”. It was used in different incarnations throughout the film and over the end credits was The Marcels’ knockout version. My other favourite is Elvis’s.

Stupefied: The Glen E. Friedman Playlist

2013-08-13T08:30:00.000-04:00

Photo via Paradigm magazine

"If you’re inspired to do something, if you want to do something, if you have some kind of feeling that you should do something … then you should just do it; don’t let what other people’s preconceived ideas of good behavior, or whatever it is, limit you to thinking what you should and shouldn’t do." - Glen E. Friedman

This week's edition of the Stupefied Playlist© comes to us courtesy of Mr. Glen E. Friedman. Glen is one of my all time favorite photographers: As a teenager, he began shooting skateboarders in the mid-late 70's, and followed that by taking era-defining shots of the nascent hardcore and hip hop scenes - he's always been a music junkie. The great thing is that Glen was the same age as most of his subjects at the time he started - one of us! - and he's never stopped. His work is the perfect visual accompaniment to the musical artists & skateboarders he's shot over the years. Seriously, just hit play, and then open up this slideshow at his website & watch. Pure inspiration! He has so many great shots I won't even begin posting any here as there are too many to choose from.

About putting the playlist together, he said, "To be clear, picking 20 songs to me is a near impossible task, bands that I love did not make this particular list - different day would be a different list." This is obvious from the "extras" list of Glen's I've included below, and I must say, I understand. A huge thanks to Glen for the list.

Books by Glen

Glen's official website

Glen's blog

01. Masters of War - Bob Dylan '63

02. Have Love Will Travel - The Sonics '65

03. Manic Depression - Jimi Hendrix Experience '67

04. I Want You (She's so Heavy) - The Beatles '69

05. 1969 - The Stooges '69

06. Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield '70

07. Let's Start - Fela Ransome Kuti '71

08. Lick and a Promise - Aerosmith '76

09. Teenage Lobotomy - The Ramones '77

10. New Rose - The Damned '77

11. E.S.P. - The Buzzcocks '78

12. California Über Alles - Dead Kennedys '79

13. Garbageman - The Cramps '80

14. Thirsty and Miserable - Black Flag '81

15. In My Eyes - Minor Threat '81

16. Public Enemy #1 - Public Enemy '87

17. Poetry - Boogie Down Productions '87

18. FUCK THE POLICE - NWA '88

19. C.R.E.A.M. - Wu-Tang Clan '93

20. We're In This Together - Nine Inch Nails '99

some leftovers

Annalisa - Public Image Limited

Achilles Last Stand - Led Zepplin

He Miss Road - Fela Kuti

Sixteen Again - Buzzcocks

Run-DMC - Live at the Fun House

Cold Gettin' Dumb - Just Ice

Saturday Night - Schooly D.

Verbs of Power - X-Clan

Fools Gold - Stone Roses

Bitch - The Rolling Stones

John Lennon - Imagine

Glen's first publication (1982), the My Rules Photozine

Stupefied: The Stupefaction Playlist, Vol. 2

2013-08-06T15:01:00.000-04:00

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming this week to present the second volume of our own Stupefied Playlist©. If you're listening I hope you enjoy it. Please check out volume one here.

01. Ray Charles – Lonely Avenue
02. Johnny Hartman – Joey, Joey, Joey
03. Charles Mingus – Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
04. Cosmic Rays – Dreaming
05. Subway Sect – Ambition
06. Orange Juice – Falling And Laughing
07. Chic – My Feet Keep Dancing
08. The Bees – Chicken Payback
09. Max Romeo – Chase The Devil
10. Dave Barker – Shocks Of The Mighty
11. Donovan – Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness)
12. The Rolling Stones – Bitch

13. Bob Dylan – Tombstone Blues
14. Jerry Butler – Aware Of Love
15. James Brown – There Was A Time
16. The Funk Brothers with Jerryo – Karate Boo-Ga-Loo
17. Television Personalities – Three Wishes
18. Bob Dylan – In My Time of Dyin'
19. Felt – Primitive Painters
20. The Fall – Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul
21. The Weather Prophets – Almost Prayed
22. Nina Simone – Four Women
23. Indeep – Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life
24. Curtis Mayfield – Doo Doo Wap Is Strong in Here
25. Ryuichi Sakamoto – Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence

26. Donald Byrd – Cristo Redentor
27. Cecil Gant – I Wonder

Stupefied: The John Goodman Playlist - Mingus Speaks!

2013-07-30T10:34:00.000-04:00

A couple of months back, I was lucky enough to come across a brand new book on Charles Mingus entitled Mingus Speaks! by John Goodman. Between 1972 and 1974 (only five years before the composer's death), Goodman (at the time the music writer for Playboy magazine) spent quite a bit of time with Mingus, and taped many extended discussions. If you've ever read any interviews with Mingus, you know he had a lot to say about many, many things. I've since read the book, and I'm very happy to report that it did not disappoint. This book is a rare one (especially for a jazz book, especially with an artist of Mingus' stature) in that, the artist gets to speak for himself. And much more than music is covered - politics, sex, race, spirituality. It makes for fascinating reading whether you're a Mingus expert, or just discovering his music, and is a rare, in-depth view into the mind of a musical genius.

I asked Mr. Goodman for a list of his favorite Mingus recordings for this week's edition of the Stupefied Playlist, and here are the wonderful results. I huge "thank you" goes out to him. Now, go and check this book out!

Buy Mingus Speaks!

Mingus Speaks! official website

Mingus Speaks! on Facebook

Mingus Speaks! on Twitter

01. Better Get It in Your Soul (Mingus Ah Um)

02. Goodbye Porkpie Hat (Mingus Ah Um)

03. Haitian Fight Song (The Clown)

04. Alice’s Wonderland (Mingus in Wonderland)

05. Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting (Blues and Roots)

06. Gunslinging Bird (Mingus Dynasty)

07. Hog Callin’ Blues (Oh Yeah!)

08. The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (full album)

09. Hora Decubitus (Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus)

10. Let My Children Hear Music (full album)

Stupefied: The Stupefaction Playlist, Vol. 1

2013-07-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming this week to present our own Stupefied Playlist©. This is volume 1, and if you're listening I hope you enjoy it.

01. Paolo Conte - Reveries
02. Tom Waits – Straight To The Top (Rhumba)

03. Los Zafiros – Bossa Cubana

04. Lambert Hendricks & Ross – Caravan

05. The Velvet Underground – Foggy Notion

06. Roger and The Gypsies – Pass The Hatchet (part 1 & 2)

07. Roy Budd – Main Theme - Carter Takes a Train

08. Echo And The Bunnymen – Turquoise Days

09. Ruts D.C. – Weak Heart Dub

10. Count Ossie – Run One Mile

11. Steve Miller Band – Fly Like An Eagle

12. 23 Skidoo – Coup
13. MFSB - TSOP
14. Dizzy Gillespie - Manteca

15. Machito – Cuban Fantasy

16. Ethel Merman – I Got The Sun In The Morning
17. The Impressions - East of Java

18. The Coasters – Brazil
19. The Drifters - On Broadway
20. Louis Armstrong - West End Blues

21. The Harvest Ministers – Railroaded

22. Jack Kerouac – Fantasy: The Early History Of Bop (Section 3)

23. Charlie Parker – Slim`s Jam (with Slim Gaillard & Dizzy Gillespie)
24. Slim Gaillard - Travelin' Blues

25. Mark Murphy – Why Don't You Do Right
26. Shirley Ellis - The Clapping Song

27. Wes Montgomery – Caravan

28. Dillinger – Cocaine in My Brain

29. Charles Mingus – Freedom

Stupefied: The Twink (Pretty Things, Pink Fairies) Playlist

2013-07-16T16:07:00.000-04:00

Twink, far right, with Tomorrow

This week's edition of the Stupefied Playlist© is brought to us by a true legend of the UK's sixties psychedelic underground, Twink! Otherwise known to his mother as John Charles Edward Alder, Twink has seen action recording with such luminaries as Tomorrow, The Pretty Things, The Pink Fairies, Syd Barrett, and Stars, amongst others.

As a fully paid up groover in the scene around Ladbroke Grove, and after taking part in the legendary UFO club in central London (ground zero for UK psych) as a member of Tomorrow, Twink was asked to join The Pretty Things, and took part in the recording of their now-classic album, S.F. Sorrow. As a solo musician, his first album, Think Pink, included musical support from Mick Farren (of the Deviants, see his playlist here), and Steve Peregrin Took (of Tyrannosaurus Rex) - this led to the formation of the initial Pink Fairies line-up.

An aside: Legendary record producer, and UFO Club founder, Joe Boyd, was obviously inspired by the title of Tomorrow's most well-known song, "My White Bicycle," when he entitled his 2006 memoir, White Bicycles – Making Music in the 1960s. It's an excellent book, by the way.

Over the years, there have been many reunions of his bands, in different combinations, and under different names. He's also collaborated with a few folks like Nik Turner of Hawkwind - they released a live album back in the mid-90's as The Hawkfairies. For a good idea of his lengthy discography, have a look at his Wikipedia page here.

Never far from a recording studio, you can keep up with, and say hello to the man,

on his Facebook page.

Thank you, Twink!

01. TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS - THE BEATLES

02. STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER - THE BEATLES

03. INSTANT KARMA - PLASTIC ONO BAND

04. MY SWEET LORD - GEORGE HARRISON

05. ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER - JIMI HENDRIX

06. HAPPENINGS TEN YEARS TIME AGO - THE YARDBIRDS

07. LA WOMAN - THE DOORS

08. WHY - THE BYRDS

09. WHITE RABBIT - JEFFERSON AIRPLANE

10. EXPECTING TO FLY - BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD

11. UM UM UM UM UM UM - MAJOR LANCE

12. MY GUY - MARY WELLS

13. WALKING THE BOOGIE - JOHN LEE HOOKER

14. MY BABE - LITTLE WALTER

15. GOIN' DOWN SLOW - HOWLIN' WOLF

16. SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN - CHUCK BERRY

17. BLUE MOON - ELVIS PRESLEY

18. JUST A DREAM - JIMMY CLANTON

19. PEACE TRAIN - YUSUF ISLAM/CAT STEVENS

20. REVOLUTION - THE BEATLES