I never cried that hard, never loved that much, just had no idea so much even existed
12
12
2010
Dylan Jones’ Diary
Touch Base
101 Films
- An error has occurred; the feed is probably down. Try again later.
Just read your iPod book, enjoyed it, agreed with some of it (yep, Sgt Peppers is the beatles worst album), disagreed with some of it (the Doobie Brothers? On your essential rock list?) and, anyway, thought I’d add my two cents worth,
and pass you a few of my playlists – brief lists as I would actually like you to consider the songs listed rather than be overwhelmed by a million and one tracks.
Obviously all taste is subjective and also related to experience. For instance, you were fairly dismissive of the Saints, but for me, roughly the same age as you, but growing up in Melbourne, they were an absolute revelation. The scene was moribund at the time – top of the pops type bands in satin flares and long haired denim clad pub boogie bands…and then the Saints blasted out of nowhere and made every local band redundant overnight. Forget ‘Stranded’ (great track that it is), hunt down ‘Know Your Product” an immortal searing rock and roll sneer.
The Saints (oh, alright, and Radio Birdman) kicked off the punk scene in oz and everything else that sprang from it. So here goes, first play list ‘Oz Stuff’
Cattle & Cane – The Gobetweens
Wide Open Road – The Triffids
Swampland – The Scientists
My Pal – God (awesome grunge 8 years before Seattle)
I Want You Back – The Hoodoo Gurus
This Is Not The Way Home – The Cruel Sea
Aloha Steve and Danno – Radio Birdman
I Don’t Mind – The Hitmen
For Always – The Stems
Everything I’ve Got Belongs To You – Ed Keupper
oh, and of course Friday On My Mind – The Easybeats
You mentioned you had reduced your reggae tracks down to 34, so here’s 16 to round it out to an even 50:
Hi-LIfe – The Granville Williams Orchestra
Street 66 – Linton Kwesi Johnson
Badder Dan Dem – Lone Ranger
Black Wa-Da-da – Burning Spear
Bad Day At Black Rock – The Cimaron Kid (An english track from the mid 70s, when I play this for people now they immediately laugh and try bad impersonations of the cowboy jamaican narrator)
Dancing Mood – Delroy Wilson
It Mek – Desmond Dekker
Book of Rules – The Heptones
El Bang Bang – Jackie Mittoo
Sugar Dandy – Jiving Juniors
Feel Like JUmping – Marcia Griffiths
Uptown Top Ranking – Althea and Donna
Return of Django – The Upsetters
Soul Food -Lyn Tait
Honey Love – Burt Walters
Armagideon Time – Willie Williams and the Brentford Disco Set
a quick few recommendations to add to your soul playlist:
Tell It LIke It Is – Aaron Neville
Ruler of my Heart – Irma Thomas
Sweet Little Pussycat – Andre Williams
Soul Train – Bobby and the Heavyweights
Voices Inside (Everything is Everything) – Donny Hathaway (the live version not the studio version)
I’d Rather Go Blind – Etta James
Sex Machine – Sly and the Family Stone (if Peter Frampton had heard this he would have stayed well away from ever trying to use the talkbox on his thin white boy lips)
It Should Have Been Me – Yvonne Fair
Respect Yourself – The Staples Singers
I Don’t Know Why – Stevie Wonder (an old 60s chugging ballad that scorches)
I Walk On Gilded Splinters – Dr John (not sure whether you’d call it soul, it’s more new orleans voodoo trip music)
Now…….BLUES. Alright I understand your aversion because, as you say, it’s sad music…about loss and jealousy etc…but it can also be cheeky and sexy and light and upbeat…and I really do think if you took the trouble to explore jazz, then it’s time to do the same with blues. I first got into it while doing the Route 66 journey in the early 80s..a perfect soundtrack to the road.
I’m A Little Mixed Up – Betty James
Hi Heel Sneakers – Tommy Tucker
Wild Cherry – Leroy Washington
To A Scrapyard Bus Stop – Charlie Parr (wistful contemporary acoustic blues)
300 Pounds of Joy – Howlin’ Wolf (the big man boasts about how every pound of his is there for satisfaction)
Little Red Rooster – Howling Wolf (the original, not the plodding version with backing by clapton and stones et al in the mid 60s)
My Babe – Little Walter (sweet and skips along and catchy as anything)
Baby Scratch My Back/Strange Love/I’m A King Bee/ Tee-Ni-Nee-Ni-Nu – Slim Harpo (or anything at all else by him – all sweaty sexy grooves)
Rollin’ Tumblin’ – R L Burnside (off the Come On In album – get the whole album – a brilliant example of contemporary dance production of traditional chicago blues)
I Started Out With Nothing And I’ve Still Got Most Of It Left – Seasick Steve (a light hearted contemporary reflection on poverty)
I Cover The Waterfront – John Lee Hooker ( haunting and atmospheric – you want to know where van morrison comes from…john lee hooker is it. oh, and ray charles of course. You never mentioned Ray Charles in your book. No Like?)
I think we might have had similar music taste growing up through the 70s but diverged somewhere in the 80s. You followed the fashion and dance and synth stuff wheras I detoured through blues and scungy rock like the Gun Club, and thought that the Pixies were the greatest and most influential band of the decade. (sorry, U2 were way too self righteous and anaemic for me, and don’t get me started on – oops, almost vomited in my mouth – Coldplay). I think generally australia lies in a strange cultural limbo between the UK and the US (hence my love also for all those great one hit wonder 60s garage bands from the states)
Recently I lived in Ireland for 3 years and rediscovered all those pastoral folkie
things that i used to love in the early 70s – christ, i even grew to like irish traditional music. I think it’s very much the paths we take that expose us to music that we end up appreciating. For instance, I had no understanding or liking for country music until I ran a venue for a couple years where, because of noise issues, my only choice of live music was to book country and roots acts.
Thanks again for the good read. I’ll leave you with one last playlist that consists entirely of one song. Blue Moon – Elvis Presley. Like you, I’ve never had much time for Elvis, but this song, from his first Sun recordings, well, I defy you to listen to it and not find it one of the most beautiful and haunting tracks ever recorded.
cheers,
Gordon
Hi Gordon,
I am not the Dylan Jones who wrote that book, the music critic. I am sure you could get in touch with him by searching online. Interesting comment though!
Cheers,
Dylan