Funhouse

07.03.2008

Fonds de tiroir

That was a pretty long break, wasn’t it?
Alright, folks, here is the deal:
It all started when megaupload was being a pain and kept disconnecting uploads every time I’d try to.

And I am not the patient type.

Maybe some of you would have guessed that.

So at the same time, I quitted my job.
Felt soooo good. I didn’t find another one, my wife did!
So it was my turn to look after my son and all of a sudden the world was such a better place.
Especially when you play a little James Brown or The Embrooks or whatever I was obsessed at the time.

By the way, it’s not a joke, The Embrooks are a pretty awesome bunch of freakbeat makers. I discovered them because RYP from Twilightzone offered the album “Yellow Glass Perseptions” in November – or was it October? Anyway, I haven’t stopped listening to them since. I got the others albums. They’re good. I’m a happy little freakbeater these days.
And also, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Twilightzone offers the best selections these days: Buddy Holly, The Embrooks, The Fleshtones, some amazing obscure garage comps, man, try not to miss that, it’s pretty funky.

So after a while, it’s like it’s been too long to write on the blog again, see?
I’m sorry, I thought I would be a little more consistent than that.
But it is just not there anymore.
The will is not there.
So I don’t know. I think I’m going to go more or less quiet for a while.

Anyway, I’m not going to go like that.
Especially since after trying now and then to upload something on megaupload, the other day, I got fucking lucky. After a couple of trials, I got up to four uploads. Yeah, baby.

So I’m going to post what was already on my computer and maybe a couple of cool more things that I get in the meanwhile. Because, oh baby again, I got tons of good shit the past few months. I had what my friend Sylvain and I call a “bon pétage de plombs”: kinda when you loose control and start to buy everything that sounds good and not so expensive.

From a 1cent CD – Tee and Thee Crumpets on Amazon, you can check, it’s still there – to a 32euros 8 CDs boxset Atlantic Records 1947 to 1974. And put about a good 3 or 4 dozens of CDs in between.
I got lucky, crazy, I needed it, call it whatever, my ears are clear and ringing from all these good sounds. So the Embrooks. That’s one. Grinderman. Tom Waits (Alice, Blood Money, Frank’s Wild Years), Led Zeppelin (Physical Graffiti, the japanese vinyl replica double for 11 euros, how could I resist?), etc, etc.

So here it is, folks, months after, when it doesn’t really mean so much anymore but I am having fun anyway, some stuff I uploaded on my computer some months ago and I hate a waste job.
Plus you know, I still have tons of stuff to tell you so:
a) I’m going to finish posting the good dozen and a half albums I uploaded for you.
b) Maybe I’ll throw in a new thing or two that I found too cool to pass by without sharing it AND TELLING THE FUCKING WORLD HOW FUCKING MUCH I LOVE AND WORSHIP THIS GODDAMN MUSIC THAT CARRY ME, LIFT ME UP, AND KEEP ON INSPIRING ME EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE. (I guess I had to say that. Sorry.)
c) And then, I won’t close it. I’ll let the links die one after another (wow, that’s sounds not cheerful all of a sudden). Okay, here is the deal: anytime someone encounters a dead link in the right column, please let me know and I’ll revive it. You know, some kind of cool haunted dead blog where the roots of it are kept alive, the minimum I can keep on giving to the world all the time. Putting some really good music out there. You know, it sounds a little stupid written like that but I bet it is still more than a lot of people out there. Like right now, I leave in New Jersey, right? And I have to talk
d) Sarkozy is dying by his own hand. I hated him so much that I was too blinded to see it coming. I live, again, very happy times. He is sooo perfect. I almost love him now, of course. I am a sick motherfucker, ain’t I?
e) And if Life keeps on being slightly better every day or so, the feeling to be on the right track stays around, maybe I’ll find the time and the want from time to time to give you news.

Of course, a lot of other things happened to me but unfortunately, we don’t have time to go any further into details. Maybe another day.

So let’s go: music, Maestro!

The Mike

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Ruth Brown – Teardrops from My Eyes

This is a compilation. I know, it’s not my style usually but it seems that Ruth Brown was one of these artists who recorded in sessions and then released the results in singles or EP format.  But this, my friends, is a “proper” compilation. (I don’t know if you know that label, Proper, which releases “Proper introduction” to artists – I like the pun.)

 

Anyway, I got to find out about Ruth Brown when Ahmet Ertegun died last year. There was a very good paper in Mojo and they wrote about Atlantic, “the house that Ruth built”. So of course I got curious. And I wasn’t disappointed. Amazing artist, great choice of songs, the lovers of warm, sexy but also strongly opinioned feminine voice will be in a little paradise while listening to her majesty Ruth Brown.

 

The titles are eloquent: “Mama, he treats your daughter mean”, “I’ll get along somehow”, “Teardrops from my eyes”, this is rhythm & blues just because of its recording dates, because we are clearly in Deep Soul territory… for our greatest pleasure.

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XNS9B256

 

Enjoy,

 

The Mike

 

PS: And she plays Mabel in the original Hairspray! I love that movie a little more now that I know that.

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Lori Burton – Breakout

I bought that CD only after reading an article. Well, the article was by Nicolas Ungemuth who has a real talent to share his devotion towards talented 60’s female singers, especially if they sound a little like Dusty Springfield.

 

Lori Burton doesn’t sound much like Dusty but she is indeed talented. She has a powerful voice and the songs that she wrote are what the tradition to call great “stompers”. “Gotta make you love me baby” or “There is no way (to stop lovin’ you)” will get you to dance around frantically and there is nothing you will be able to do about it.

 

Interesting enough, the CD includes a single that has nothing to do with these recording sessions: “Nightmare” by the Whyte Boots. When girl groups were one of the major sounds around and death songs were fashionable, Lori and her writing partner, Pam Sawyer, penned this creepy tale of death which is still one of the greatest death songs around, along with “Terry” and of course “The Leader of the pack”.

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=AJEL74E4

 

Enjoy

 

The Mike

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Joey Heatherton – s/t

Alright, this album… is clearly here for its cover.

I’m sorry, I’m a machist pig and all that sort of things… but I definitely got my eyes caught by Joey Heatherton’s beautiful figure… and I haven’t listened twice to the album.

Ok, I don’t own it so I’m not super drawn to it. But the impression I got was waaaayyyyy too “sugary” for me.

And you know me, I have a sweet tooth alright, whether it’s for food or music. I like the Carpenters or Abba as much as the next guy.

But seriously, here I don’t know, it’s just too much.

So why posting it?
Well, like I said, it’s on my computer and maybe it will make some crazy freak happy out there… and there is nothing wrong with that.

And I really really like the picture on the cover.

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TY57R3JK

 

Enjoy

 

The Mike

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The Gore Gore Girls – Get the Gore

The third album of these crazy chicks is an unbalanced one but a good one.

For those who don’t read the precious posts on this blog, you don’t know that I was obsessed with their first album. It sounded like a wild cat fight recorded with a 1930 tape recorder but, hey, isn’t that the exact definition of a GOOD punk record?

 

So I bought the second one but I wasn’t convinced: too slow, not enough screaming and even the songs weren’t catchy or wild enough or…

 

Anyway, this one shows the girls back in full form: songs like “Pleasure unit” (my favorite), “Loaded heart”, “Don’t cry” or “Fox in a Box” will get you wild alright while the great covers of “All Grown Up” or “Where evil grows” (second favorite – and if anybody knows who sung the original and where to find it, I’d appreciate the infos a LOT) are impressive and sung with the perfect attitude. Because if there is one thing those wild gals have plenty of, it’s attitude alright. And it’s so perfect that it balances anything you’d think this album lacks of!!!

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DHIWKL04

 

Enjoy (or make way for the Gore Gore Girls! They mean business!)

 

The Mike

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Gladys Knght and the Pips – Everybody needs love + Feelin’ bluesy

I started to buy these CDs, twofers of Gladys Knight Motown albums, and I can’t help but feeling a little disappointed.

There are some great songs here and there but these albums don’t stand as strong as some of Motown’s productions at the same time.

 

Again, it was on my computer… as complementary program for another post. So there it is. And I am sure that some Motown worshippers will be happy to find it here. But if some of you are disappointed, you can’t blame me, I will have warned you.

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0WJQ0MT2

 

Anyway, enjoy.

 

The Mike

 

PS: No Dusty Springfield this time but Megaupload made it very clear, no more upload this time. Maybe next time? And when will that next time be? Only time will tell.

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19.10.2007

Tuesday night… on a Thursday…

How’s it goin’?

Pretty good myself, thank you.

Not much to say, unfortunately.

Except it was my birthday.

So it was the jolly time to turn nice checks into wise CDuniverse and Amazon orders ;)

Got tons of really good shit.

 

Special award to Smile – the DVD with the documentary. It’s everything I was hoping it was going to be and a little more. It has been out for a while but I was scared it’d be boring so I didn’t get it right away. But I watched it two nights ago and it was just perfect. You see all the ambiance around the making of Smile 2004. Just plain perfect.

 

The reissue of Colossal Youth by Young Marble Giants is also really good. Probably a post soon.

 

I finally indulged myself a little “Cake or Death” by Sir Hazlewood. What a brilliant album. I have a feeling Leonard Cohen must have felt a lot of jealousy while listening to this incredibly cool album.

 

And so and so and so.

Everything being good and all, there is a good chance that I’ll post some of them soon.

Especially if I keep this rhythm of a good post every two weeks. Not bad so far, hum?

 

So what’s on the menu tonight?

Compilations.

I had a something I wanted to post and it just made more sense to post a lot of them. Put together, they’d look less weird, here, where it is mostly original albums.

 

And a nice little post around The Gun Club. Specially for my friends Marie-Anne (the bitch), Stephanie (best friend, guitarist of Annaoetc – go check the song Je T’aime if you haven’t yet. I still think it’s going to be a major fuckin’ hit single soon enough) and David (?...), I think of you my buddies and I am sorry I don’t have more time to write e-mails. I have told you about this band quite a few times. So now you can go further in your exploration. So this is a little hi to you all! Hi!

 

Alright, motherfuckers, enjoy it all… while I haven’t been put to jail by the FBI!

(I guess it should be the time to stop smoking weed???)

 

Catch you later,

 

The Mike

 

PS: Did I tell you that the blog “In the Crowd” is active again and just as amazing as it was before. Don’t loose a minute and go check it out. And if you get something, don’t forget to leave a feedback, he seems to be sensible about it.

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The Heart of Southern Soul - From Nashville to Memphis & Muscle Shoals – Various

A pretty amazing soul compilation. Not far from Dave Godin’s deep soul treasures, to give you an idea. Michelcharles told me there were two other volumes of the same series. Maybe he’ll be cool enough to share. Without wanting to pressure him. You know me, it’s not my style.

Anyway, incredible quality: 24 quite obscure songs and so good it gets just plain ridiculous at some point. You’re listening to it, having a real good time and you can’t help thinking: “How come no one knows about this shit?”

 

Enjoy!

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4I6WTBCY

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Studio One Kings

This is the comp that started the whole idea. I got that album and was literally blown to pieces. I’ve been listening to more and more reggae lately. And I saw that comp was released so I thought it’d be a good idea to get it. And it’s right there with the best comp of the series. So I thought it’d be cool to post it, being all fresh and all.

But one comp, like that, in the middle of nowhere, it would have bee weird. So I thought of doing several compil.

And since the classic selection of the evening is a reggae album, I should privilege reggae music. So this one is dope. But the others aren’t bad. Trust me.

 

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=INOFQG6D

 

Enjoy!

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Studio One Rockers

The absolute classic. This comp is so good, it is as important as great albums. Classic great albums. Before that album, I can’t say I didn’t like reggae, I can only say now: “before that album, I didn’t know reggae.”

If you have no idea what this comp is, just get it.

 

Enjoy!

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6ICGT5RP

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Studio One Roots

So while I was with the “Studio One” comps, I thought I could always post this one as well because I hadn’t post it before and it’s a box set so let’s be a little obsessed.

 

My friend Marie-Anne says we all need obsessions. They are vital, something you really need to keep you alive. And she likes reggae. She is cool. She did a comp for me and it’s a really nice one. I’ll ask for her permission to post it next time. You should like it, it’s all over the place.

 

Oh, and by the way, if this album – the Studio One Roots – is less good than the two others, it’s only by a notch.

 

And just so you know, if you want more reggae, I have “This is Reggae Music”, a very good all Trojan major hits 4 CDs comp. I don’t think I should post it because it’s the type of thing everybody should have. But if you really want me to, who am I to argue?

 

Enjoy

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=93YH7UK6

 

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Bob Marley – Babylon by Bus

The classic album of the night. Still as good as ever. I’ve been showering almost every morning to the sound of it. Good soundtrack if you want to start the day sharply but slowly!

 

 

The only thing is I don’t know much about the album. I am not sure during which tour it was recorded, if there are any special versions of certain songs, etc. I know it’s an amazing album and everybody should own it. I really have a feeling Marley was at the top of his game but it’s hard to say, not knowing about it. I guess it is one of these albums where I really don’t care about where it’s from and all. It just stands by itself. That is a exploit in Marley’s career! Because every fucking is so good. And in the middle of all that, this amazing live –on-the-side- album.

 

Enjoy!

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=UW2IETZ6

 

PS: Also the kind of album you envy the person who’s going to discover it for the first time. It was such a pleasure for me, discovering this music.

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The Gun Club – Fire of Love

Everything has been written on this album. Plus I feel weird talking about it: it’s the only album I post so far I don’t own. Shame on me? Well not really. I have about 3 record versions. I just don’t have it on CD. So I had to download it to post it tonight. Not a big thing. Except I could only find a 192kbps encoded version. It’s not the best but It’s not so bad. It’s mostly for Stephanie – who just joined a band called “Les Supremes Dindes”. That woman will never stop to amaze me.

And also for David. I don’t think he bought it yet.

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=10G289G6

 

Enjoy!

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The Gun Club – Da Blood Done Signed My Name

So before you get all excited, I don’t know if you read what I wrote a few days ago: this is nothing new, it’s been released before under the title “Early warning”.

 

No matter how this program sounds, it is very fascinating material. It starts with five demos. Highly dispensable but still enjoyable.

It goes on with a 13 title live from 1982 – very good year for the band - the band was definitely in good shape. And every song is played with a LOT of intensity. Just listen to the version of Preaching the Blues, listen to Jeffrey Lee Pierce screaming like a madman and you’ll know what I mean.

 

That was for the first CD. The second one is not as easy to listen to but nonetheless impressive: Jeffrey Lee Pierce, alone with his guitar, working on songs. That guy knew what he wanted. And to hear him trying to achieve it alone with his guitar instead of with the whole band he obviously needs gives you nice goose pops now and then.

 

Oh, and before I forget, don’t forget to check Billie Holiday’s“Strange Fruits” covered on the live album. Terminal.

 

CD1

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IDEITEJ8

CD2

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D9CK4UN0

Enjoy!

 

This one is specially for Marie-Anne. Because I would strongly recommend this CD but maybe not as a gift to someone who never heard the band before. The ones after are also for you, my dear, but they are definitely more “tamed”.

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The Gun Club – Miami

Not a bad album, even if it isn’t the dreamed follow up to Fire of Love.

But a solid, consistent album.

Once the disappointment is gone, you can slowly go back to it and start appreciating a motherfuckin' good rock’n’roll album. Wild enough.

 

Enjoy!

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QCUPJJ3P

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The Gun Club – The Las Vegas Story

There again, there is a little disappointment. But there are also very good songs. It helps.

 

Enjoy!

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EUUB6TJ7

 

The Mike

 

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03.10.2007

Have you surrender yet? Bobbie Gentry: Patchwork + Fancy

Of course, I watch constantly for reissues of Bobbie Gentry’s albums.

So when this one was released, I literally jumped on it – no, no, I didn’t hurt myself. Quite the contrary, if you know what I mean.

Good, great, incredible Bobbie Gentry. Okay, these ones are a little more “sugary” than the other two. But still, to me, she is right there with the greatest.

So to be sure you don’t miss it, I’m starting with it.

Well, the only problem is that the first record is really good… but also sounding exactly like the previous toffer. And the second one is a cover record. What a drag from such great composer.

And yet, I’ve been listening to this CD almost everyday since I bought it. Go figure.

 

Bobbie Gentry : Patchwork + Fancy

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=D9Q7R0L5

 

Enjoy!

 

The Mike

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Dusty Springfield… Definitely

Attention! Masterpiece. A little one, but a masterpiece nonetheless.

My theory is that it is overshadowed by the next one – the ‘real’ masterpiece one – well at least the one acknowledge by the “rock’n’roll authorities” – and you know the score: for it to be “a great album”, it must stand alone.

Well, I am a little bit sorry, “authorities”, but it happened that the great Dusty loved Jerry Wexler’s work and was dreaming of working with him... but this album proves that she hardly needed him. She was on the right track anyway, as this incredibly unjustified underrated album of a marvel it is, proves. Album that she produced herself, do I have to repeat myself?

One song after another, Dusty is embracing soul while slowly but surely kissing easy listening, comfort, boredom goodbye. Plus she started to use the backup singers in a real soulful way. It makes all the difference.

And on top of that, she succeed in recording what I consider THE definitive version on one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking songs of all times: I Think It’s Going To Rain Today. If you can listen to it without feeling a little distinct rip in your heart, it’s because it is not there. Would it have been made of stone, it would still have crack!

And the songs after that holy one are so perfectly ending the record without hurting the listener’s hear, they're a nice little treat.

What are you waiting for?! Get the damn thing, already!

 

Dusty Springfield… Definitely

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=PLBXC6TZ

 

Enjoy!

 

The Mike

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Dusty Springfield – Where I am Going?

I would like to come back on this album that I started to listen to the other day and I discovered a golden nugget.

Mmmhh???? Is it just me or this record can be so bad sometimes that you could just miss such a great version of this already amazing song, “Take Me For a Little While”? I mean, yeah, Evie Sands' version is pretty great. But the one here is just simply breath taking, no?

So I have been listening constantly to this song lately – as well as the Gun Club so it’ll probably be on the next session. I am sadly predictable, sometimes – and making a living hell for everyone around me who doesn’t necessarily appreciate this song as much as I do. Their loss.

Otherwise.

Well, not much to save.

I started to like Sunny. I think this one is okay. I mean more than okay. Totally decent.

And I discovered I hate the first song. But the second and third are pretty good.

Well it’s going to be one of these times where you need to get an album for just one song. It’s okay. We’ve all done it.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Dusty Springfield – Where I am Going?

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3FPVOPW7

 

The Mike.

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Clarence Carter : Patches + The Dynamic CC

 

I don’t have a lot of time today but I kinda wanna post a lot of stuff, even if I don’t talk so much about them. I’ll try to do it short and to the point.

I promised you Clarence Carter, so here he is. Mentioned several times in Dave Marsh favorite 1000 singles, Clarence Carter is an incredible singer of a kind of a mix of soul and blues that it is so obvious you wonder how come he was the only one to do it and how come noone thought of that before? It's very weird to think about when it is so freaking good.

Among guys such as O.V. Wright, Solomon Burke. Yeah, that good.

 

Clarence Carter : Patches + The Dynamic CC

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=P9XAIUNH

 

Enjoy!

 

The Mike

 

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Clarence Carter - This is Clarence Carter + Testifyin'

To give you other example, I take these two “toffers” to be the male equivalent to the following CD. No less.

 

Clarence Carter

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FWMJ1T06

 

Enjoy some more!

(yes, you will want the two of them.)

 

The Mike

 

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Etta James – Tell Mama: The Complete Muscle Shoals

Yeah, I know, it is one of the most obvious great soul album… ever?!

But I was listening to it and I felt I had to post it anyway. Most of you have it but maybe there is still one motherfucker out there without this treasure. Still shining after all these times. I don’t know, call me stupid but I can’t help feeling that this kind of album makes life just a little easier.

 

Etta James – Tell Mama: The Complete Muscle Shoals

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=H07CPJ1R

 

Enjoy!

 

The Mike.

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20.09.2007

Septembre – la rentrée

 

 

Alright, here we go again.

 

 

 

 

Welcome, welcome, step right in.

 

New tunes, new links, new stories.

 

It was all on all a good summer and the vacations were much needed.

 

Not that I was away for so long, I only took a day or two here and there.

 

But I mean the vacation from the blog. Once I hadn’t posted anything for a month, I thought “fuck it” and we’ll see each other back in September. Originally I wanted to post something for the 15^th of September, like 3 months apart. But I had a busy week-end. But since I won’t tell you what it was about, you stopped caring so let’s move on to the GOOOOD stuff.

 

First of all, the more “SARKOZY- haters” among you will be interested to know that I shook hands with Pierre Sarkozy, brat of his omni-unbearable daddy, poor little wanker from Neuilly. If you’ve seen the doc about the “Nappy”, you’ll know what I am talking about. And since I was at work and he is who he is, I couldn’t slap him. And the more I thought about it, I didn’t want to slap him. I just wanted to shake him really hard for a really long time while shouting my hatred for his father. I think I read Le Canard Enchaine a little too much for my sanity. And again, after thinking real hard about it, I still don’t think it is insane to truly, completely, viscerally hate Niko – sale nazi. To tell you the truth I am tempted. I mean to come back to France and to fight. To really, like never before in my life, fight the Beast. It is so funny to see that nothing will ever change: the ones who are the more openly religious are still the real demons, the real ugly evil ones.

 

Anyway, I came here to talk about music.

So we had some few real sad death this summer.

This will be linked with what I listen to these days – or what music am I currently grooving to? Because the saddest and happiest death prize comes back to Lee Hazlewood. I wasn’t really expecting it. I really liked what he did here and there but I never went as far as digging into his life and his solo work (as opposed to the work with Nancy Sinatra where I have all the albums. The cool sundazed re-issue.)

So after he died, I downloaded the complete – the entire 22 albums – works. And wow.

Simply wow. So I’m pretty busy.

I want to specially draw your attention to the last album Cake or Death - and I have to write to Regis to thank him to draw MY attention toward it - it is like a follow up to The Future. Only more clever and funnier. You HAVE to check it out.

Just as the rest of his work, though. Good guy.

 

At the same time I am rediscovering The Gun Club. I just received the Early Recordings in their new version. It’s the same thing, just a little cleaner and with better pictures in the booklet.

So I checked again Miami and The Las Vegas Story. Good albums. No, not as strong as the first one but very decent, especially Miami. But The Las Vegas one is good too. I guess it’s just that it couldn’t really fit: The Gun Club needs old myths. Las Vegas was just too recent for them. But they couldn’t be compelled/attracted by the smell of evil rotting. Definitely a good album. 

 

What else? Well, I also received Lulu but it hasn’t stayed on much. Instead, I am rejoicing in the 100^th listening of the beautiful work of Dusty Springfield. Since I am posting a lot of them. So I wanted to be able to talk about them with fresh new emotions.

 

 

The second part is the cool music that I “encountered” with this summer:

I met people. And I know people.

So to me the song of the year is “Je T’aime” by AnnaO & Miss White.

 

http://www.myspace.com/annaoetc  

 

Alors par le plus grand fait du hazard, il se trouve que la dite Miss White est ma meilleure amie.

Mais je ne l’ai jamais dit auparavant de tout ce qu’elle a pu faire et me faire écouter, je trouvais qu’elle faisait des trucs plus ou moins sympas. Mais jamais géniaux. Ouais, je suis plutôt un enculé comme pote. Et là, pour la première fois, je trouve qu’elle a vraiment écrite, composée, arrangée, une très bonne chanson qui à mon avis sera amené – quasi tel quel – une très grande chanson qui pourrait etre amener à topper les charts.

 

C’est con mais c’est sur myspace.com/annaoetc et ça vaut le détour.

Alors tel quel, c’est pas un grand single, parce que c’est un peu long. Mais arretez la chanson au bout de 3min17 et vous verrez ce que je veux dire.

 

The third part is about the book collection 331/3, a hundred pages about the so-called most impressive rock albums. And if there are the unpleasant presence of U2 or Radiohead, most of the selection is very impressive: well, most of the titles on the right column of this very blog, to start with. So of course, they have my sympathy. I found at a cheap price Dusty In Memphis (hehe) and The Piper At The Gates of Dawn. So I took the CD out of it’s pocket. And my god, that is a powerful album. Very impressive. I feel I am rediscovering it. Maybe also because I haven’t listened to it much before. Maybe 15 times.

 

But good find for me. And the new Mojo is about it. And the reissue is mentioned everywhere. It’s good thing my shopping list is full for the next three months. Good thing? Well the thing is I am pretty tired to keep buying reissues because they have a so much better sound –

 

Oh, a little parentheses, another thing I am listening too right now that I never really listened to before: Howlin’ Wolf. Wow. Again. But what else to say? Especially, just a few minutes ago, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn was followed by the Wolf and it was a cool transition.

Well, fuckin’shittin’hell! I bought the CD of 1987, without doing the full research on the available material. And I know very soon, I am going to track down good mixes and instead of spending money on new fun/interesting stuff, I’ll keep rebuying shit I bought before. – end of parentheses

 

-         So, what I mean to say is that: since we live in a fuckin’ consumers’ world, I say, they should update us, like in a car vendor, where they take your old sucky version of a bright great reissue and sell you back the new version for half the price!

 

Fourth – that I kinda of fucked up because I should have put it in first:

The blog of my good friend Felix Le Jaune.

 

http://felixlejaune.canalblog.com/ 

 

And here you can watch the movie I am staring in, a peplum – kung-fu – gunfight – extrardinaire named Atlantide.

 http://felixlejaune.canalblog.com/archives/les_courts_metrages_de_felix/index.html

And there is also a picture where I fuck a dog. And the dog is Balto. And it’s in Central Park. And I don’t know why but he loves this picture and keeps talking about it and showing it to everyone. So sometimes, I would come to a party and some guy I never met before in my life, and I have truly NO idea who they are, who they could be and they come to me, laughing, yelling so everybody around will hear them well: “Hey! You’re that guy who fucked a dog! Hahahahaha!” like it’s the funniest thing. I usually hate these guys. Forever.

 

Alright, enough ranting, I have the Simpsons Movie to finish, it is very funny. The stoners illegal dowloaders of the movie will particularly appreciate Bart writing on the board in the credits “I Will Not Download Illegally This Movie”. Perfect!

 

Have a good one!

 

The Mike

 

PS: My son is still the cutest. The bastard.

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Dusty Springfield – Ev’rything’s coming up

Alright, second part of our complete works of Dusty the Greatest of all.

Good album. From the lessons taught during the recording of the first one, she lost in the sophistication a little bit of the raw / super enthous quality of the first one. But good, polish production for good collection of songs: …pretty much everything… except of course of the regrettable incident of “La Bamba”. The diva was able to pull out of impressive shaky situation during her long and diverse career… but La Bamba was NOT one of these times.

But after that, it’s pretty much all good. So what I do is I start listening to the album from the 5^th song. Since there are 9 extras bonus tracks, I don’t think the first three are much missed. My opinion.

 

Enjoy!

 

Dusty Springfield – Ev’rything’s coming up

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4WWX2TK0

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Dusty Springfield – Where I am Going?

Well, this one is a bit delicate because it is among the albums of the 60’s, the one I like the least, the one I found a bit awkward and, to tell you the full truth the album I almost never listened to.

The thing is this one is the least soul of her albums. And the weird thing is that she didn’t do a more “popish” album as one would have suspected. But a more “easy listening album”. You know? They long to be close to you? I love the Carpenters and I love when they sing that song. But you know?! They are the Carpenters. You expect things like that from them. But not from Dusty. From Dusty, you want fire, but also ice, passion but always dignified.

So basically, after the first four songs, I am kinda falling asleep.

But the first four are good.

And if you dig well, I am sure some of you will find their happiness here and there.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Dusty Springfield – Where I am Going?

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=3FPVOPW7

 

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Compil J Geils Band

I have uploaded more stuff but I am kinda whipped so I will end today’s session with a request – because even if it usually takes me a month or three to indulge them, I love requests.

 

Alright: good stuff put together by the now legendary goodness of MichelCharles. Don’t forget to drink one at his health. The longer he’ll stick around… hehe…

 

Enjoy!!!

 

Compil J Geils Band

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EKMBAEJY

 

The Mike

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15.06.2007

Liste de chansons – compil Funhouse

01 - Elvis Presley - Mystery Train

02 - Lily Allen - Knock 'Em Out

03 - Olivia Ruiz - J'traine des pieds

04 - J. Geils Band - Whammer Jammer

05 - joeystarr-jarrive

06 - The Saints - The Perfect Day (Single Version)

07 - The Minutemen - The Big Stick

08 - The Tammys - Egyptian Shumba

09 - Gloria Jones - Tainted Love

10 - The Gun Club - She's Like Heroin to Me

11 - Specials - Friday Night, Saturday Morning

12 - The Pipettes - One Night Stand

13 - Sharon Tandy - Hold On

14 - The Gore Gore Girls - Hard enough

15 - The Jesus And Mary Chain - Just Like Honey

16 - The Czars - angel eyes

17 - Jean Wells - Somebody's Been Loving You (But It Ain't Been Me)

18 - Tom Waits - Never Let Go

19 - Bob Dylan - Hurricane

20 - Lily Allen - Friday Night

21 - Suprême NTM - C'est clair

22 - Paris_hilton-turn_you_on

23 - The Pipettes - I Love You

24 - Nick Garrie - Deeper tones of blue

25 - Elvis Presley - Until It's Time For You To Go

 

 

J'espere que ca vous aura plu!

 

A l'annee prochaine.

 

The Mike. 

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Bobbie Gentry – Delta Sweete & Local Gentry

Difficile de parler de Dusty et de Bobbie Gentry le meme soir.

La première, je l’écoute en quasi-non-stop depuis 6 ans, la seconde, je l’ai découverte il y a 1 mois et demi.

Et pourtant, c’était des prières exaucées, une rencontre pareille. J’ai adoré direct.

 

Et j’ai pensé à une façon de vous en parler : imaginer une voix entre Dusty et Julie London et pour la musique, c’est un peu comme Dusty mais avec un élément country en plus. Mais de la country bien… comme Creedence peut un peu sonné country, voyez ?

Et puis les arrangements sont un peu surprenants, ils passent assez facilement d’une sècheresse un peu Léonard Cohen les premiers albums à Scott Walker, pas forcément les trucs les plus softs. Un des grands tours de force de ce disque, c’est notamment de pouvoir donner à entendre une version de cette chanson extrêmement médiocre des Beatles en un truc du genre Plastic Palace People et c’est impeccable. Surtout que c’est suivi par une reprise sans cordes et sans fioritures chichiteuses d’Eleonor Rigby.

 

Bon, je peux difficilement vous en dire plus ce soir. Mais c’est pas grave. Ecoutez and Enjoy !

 

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6T7HHCEL

 

The Mike.

 

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Dusty Springfield

Salut les aminches!

 

Du Mike stoned, ça vous dit?

Pas trop en fait mais ça ne devrait pas tarder vu la puissance de la nouvelle herbe que je viens de m’offrir. Pour la fête des pères évidemment ;)

Bon toujours est-il que je viens de faire une rencontre incroyable – je peux difficilement vous en dire plus – malheureusement – et il y a des chances pour que le blog évolue… on verra, je ne sais pas trop comment. Sauf, sauf si par exemple Miko Bilbao passait par les US comme il a dit qu’il le ferait pour une micro-tournée Côte Est.

 

Bon allez, assez tergiversé, on inaugure la série Dusty Springfield. Parce que si je vous balance du Martha and the Vandellas, je suis obligé de vous balancer tout de suite après du Dusty Springfield. Elles sont trop liées. Et vous allez entendre – si vous ne connaissez pas déjà l’une des voix anglaises les plus troublantes, elle chante plus grave que Aretha et elle arrive à arroser de pop anglaise juste ce qu’il faut pour que la soul Motown de Martha soit… égalée.

 

Ce premier album, il est maladroit et parfois un peu ronronnant mais toujours plein d’énergie euphorisante. Et quand on sait que la nana avait derrière elle 12 ou 15 ans de formation folk anglais chiant et qu’en enregistrant ce disque, elle avait découvert Martha and the Vandellas moins d’un an auparavant et qu’elle a dû enregistrer ce disque seule, le produire seule et l’arranger seule. Son producteur était un homme tellement charmant qu’elle avait réussi à le convaincre de s’occuper elle de tout, toute seule parce qu’elle, elle savait vraiment le faire. Et donc tout cela, évidemment, sans être créditée. P

 

Enjoy anyway and fuck machismo!

 

A Girl Called Dusty

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NI3Q81TZ

 

The Mike.

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04.06.2007

Birthday! – The Funhouse Mix

If I started the blog in march 2006, it’s actually the 31^st of May that I decided to go “musical”. So even if it was a few days ago, it seems to be the custom to actually celebrate the event! One year of blogging! Given the rhythm of posting the past few months, it doesn’t feel that way but I HAVE TO celebrate because…

 

 

THE MIX IS FINALLY OVER, PEOPLE!

Rejoice, rejoice!

 

 

Funny thing to be doing mix nowdays, with the ipods and all, who wants a mix, seriously?!?!

But the thing is I’ve been doing mix tapes and mix cds for the past 18 years…

Which leads me to another topic: MUSIC GEEKS.

 

 

Alright, folks, you have to know that doing this blog has been a tremendous experience for me, the responses, the comments, the contributions, I was so NOT expecting all that.

 

 

Which leads me to one thing that I haven’t done (shame on me, triple shame on me):

THANK YOU everyone!

Thank you especially for all the nice words, when Max was born, thank you for the comments – I am so sorry I can’t answer all the time, I really want to, and I used to but right now it’s really hard to find the time, believe I wrote you each a letter in my head, of course when I couldn’t have access to a computer – and thank you for the contributions. One more time big up to Michelcharles and Dan-the-man who have animated the blog when I couldn’t. And I hope you all checked the comments because it was worth it.

 

 

Alright, about the mix: I really really REALLY worked my ass off on that one – you can ask my wife, I think I really scared her during this past week (which is about the time it took me – if you hate it, please don’t laugh).

 

 

The thing is I really wanted to be good because it meant a lot: I love good mixes and it’s very rare for me to find some that I really enjoy (exception of the J Geils Band covers that Michelcharles sent me – maybe he could share that link – or I could…).

 

And the past few years, I did one every year with the songs that I discovered and got hooked on, listening to them repeatedly. And this year, since I discovered a LOT of music with the Internet thing, there were a LOT of songs to choose from.

So it meant finding the right rhythm so it runs smoothly during the 25 songs and the 79 minutes this mix lasts for.

 

And I did it. I never “worked” on a mix this much but I think it’s good now. It’s all over the place, it’s got all the musical genres, it’s VERY upbeat and should give people who give a try a lot of energy.

 

And it’s not over. This is where we get to the MUSIC GEEK part!

 

How about a little contest?

 

I hid all the titles and performers of the songs on the mix.

 

But I just saw that you can click on each title and find out everything about them. So forget the beautiful contest I had in mind.

 

Oh well...

 

Maybe next year... 

 

 

And before I go, there are a few dedicates to make:

-         to Marie-Anne (the bitch) who spoke a lot about mixes and made me want to make that one perfect… just so she would be so impressed.

-         to Joris who is having a house-warming party in two weeks and who will have a part of me by playing the mix.. since I can’t cross an ocean just for a week-end (sorry).

-         to Linda Tsolakis to whom the last song is played in her remembrance. RIP, dear Linda.

 

Alright! That’s it, folks, this is all I wanted to say.

 

And of course, for the year to come… I’ll try to post more often!

 

Funhouse Mix

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9NWA8P6U

 

Enjoy!

 

The Mike.

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