Ode to a Mixed Tape: No Messages Music +1

Text © Robert Barry Francos
Images from the Internet

This is a tape I made for someone else around 1990-91. It’s geared towards things I thought she may like. Below, I put as many of the actual recordings I used (all from albums rather than CDs), though I could not always find the studio version of the song on the ‘Net (came to the closest).
SIDE ONE

Baja Marimba Band - Ghost Riders In the Sky
Along with Herb Albert’s Whipped Cream and Other Delights (for his rendition of “A Taste of Honey”), the BMB was popular in my parent’s collective group. This particular cover has always been a favorite of mine since we got the album in ’66. Johnny Cash’s classic, which many consider the definitive one (along with the Highwaymen) was great, but the BMB’s is an insane rave-up with hoots, hollers and horns (and a xylophone!). There are a number of time changes, all leading up to a fading, happy party.

Lenny Kaye Connection - I’ve Got a Right
If anyone has read my “Ode” series before, they’ll know I champion Lenny’s only solo full release as the LKC. This song has a video somewhere – I know, I’ve seen it – and the song should rightfully have been a breakthrough for him. Aimed at the Religious Right during the Reagan years, Lenny strongly explains that he has the right to keep his “freedom of choice.” He further states, “I don’t mind sayin’ / That I don’t mind prayin’ / But I don’t like to be told how.” Backed by a strong rhythm section and organ, he masterfully builds the song with fierceness and melody. He may be crazy like a fox, but this song is hardly subtle.

Blue Angel - I Had a Love
Before Cyndi Lauper became Cyndi “Girls Just Wanna” Lauper, she fronted this excellent Long Island rock band. As she later proved with her cover of the Brains’ “Money Changes Everything,” Cyndi knows how to rock out. This song is more of a ‘60s style ballad, but it’s beautiful and she certainly shows her range. Though a lot of Cyndi’s early solo stuff has been overplayed, her Blue Angel material deserves to be heard more.
Mystic Eyes - Calm Me Down
Off the Mystic Eyes’ first full lengther on Get Hip Records, this cover of the Human Expression tune is masterfully handled by Bernie Kugel and crew. Solid garage pop out of Buffalo (though this sounds like it could have come from the Pacific NW of the ‘60s), this song is well suited for Bernie’s voice. The production is sparse, as it should be, and backed with Eric Lubstorf’s 12-sting hugging the circular melody, Craig Davison’s bass line and Scott Davison on skins, this brings this tune to a whole new level without drowning it in studio trickery.

Dream Academy - Life in a Northern Town
Speaking of studio-work, this tune is true wall-of-sound gloss. I have to admit, at the time, I liked the song, but for me, I’ve grown a bit weary of it. Its sing-along chant was charming, but now seems to just go on and on. Plus it seems both cheery and overwrought at the same time. Tastes do change. I have the album this came off of, but honestly, I can’t remember a single other piece from it. Like “C’mon Eileen,” it is a one-hit wonder in the ‘States.

Marshall Crenshaw - Someday Someway
Yes, more people know the Robert Gordon cover, and he did a bang-up job, but Crenshaw’s original is still the far superior. His jangly, Beatles-esque guitar holds up the piece, which is extremely catchy, poppy, and bouncy. Though guitar-based, the vocals are right up front, as they rightfully should be. Crenshaw’s career may be overshadowed by this tune, but this is a classic piece of songwriting, and something of which to be proud.

Divinyls - Siren Song
I realize this Australian band is better known for their salacious “I Touch Myself” and “Pleasure and Pain,” but I always thought the material off their earlier album, Desperate, was far superior, including “Boys In Town,” and especially “Elsie.” “Siren Song” is a fun co-shared vocal of love and desperation (as is much of their material), which strangely and effectively includes most of the alphabet. Lead vocalist Christina Amphlett’s transition from off-kilter schoolgirl in this period to later sex-bomb may have been technically successful, but there was something lost. Besides, her dumping a pitcher over her head when she performed this song live is pretty intoxicating: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bCLdMY-hOA

Ray Charles - Busted
It’s hard to say this is one of Ray Charles’ best tunes, as he was amazing so often, but I will posit that this is one of my faves. While sad, this blues number also has a very dark sense of humor (“I went to my brother to ask for a loan / ‘Cause I was busted… / My brother said ‘there ain’t a thing I can do… / And I was thinking ‘bout calling on you / ‘Cause I’m busted’”). Walter Lure also does a great cover of the song, by the way, on his Waldo’s Rent Party. Note that the video below is live, not the studio version on the tape.

Harry Chapin - If My Mary Were Here
While I found this song to be a touching number about loneliness and asking for forgiveness, the person I gave this tape to found it to be an ego trip for the protagonist, who has mistreated his ex- and only wants her back because he’s afraid of being alone, not because he cares about her. I can understand both views, honestly, yet I still find this middle-of-the-night-regret moving. Chapin may be an acquired taste for some, but once you get it, you’re rarely dissatisfied. There used to be a video of this, but now I can’t find it.

Sam Chalpin - Satisfaction
Where to even begin on this one? Sam is the father of Ed, the man who first recorded Jimi Hendrix (and my ex-boss), who was a cantor in his synagogue and felt he was a better singer than most of the music on the radio in the ‘60s. Ed took some background tracks and had his father do sort of a karaoke with them, such as this one, and “Leader of the Pack.” Hearing this elder Jewish man with a thick Yiddish accent singing these songs is truly priceless. Hysterically funny, one also needs to admire and marvel at Sam’s chutzpah. Though easy to laugh at Sam, I respect the man more, and howl in his honor.

Side Two

Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians - What I Am
The New Bohemians were going nowhere until Edie joined them, and then resented that she got all the attention. She left after a couple of albums and then they all disappeared. She married Paul Simon, pushed out a bunch of kids, and put out a failed solo release. But in all of this, Edie and the NB released a few really fine songs, such as “Circle,” “Little Miss S” (for Edie Sedgwick), and this one. While a bit lyrically overwrought with cutesiness (“Throw me in the shallow water / Before I get too deep”), the jazzy melody sustains it, along with her unique sounding voice (and stage stance).

Rutles - Ouch!
They may have been formed as a spoof of the Beatles, but the Rutles produced some mighty fine music in their own right, such as this revisionist / interpretation of “Help!” Neil Innis, known to many Monty Python fans, does a superb Lennon-esque take (as he does a great Dylan take-off with “I Suffered For Your Music Now It’s Your Turn,” or his own “How Sweet to be an Idiot,” both worth seeking out). As a stand-alone, this – er – stands on its own.

Hollies - Bus Stop
Truthfully, the Hollies aren’t one of my favorite Mersey Beat-era bands. “He Ain’t Heavy” is okay, and I detest the nails-on-chalkboard “Carrie-Ann,” but that being said about the band generally, specifically, I love this song. Perhaps it’s the key changes or the harmonious melody. There is a sanctified and stunning video done to this song by a television program called Déjà View (see below) that shows the life of the couple in the song from the bus stop’s perspective (and was clearly ripped off in the Hugh Grant walking through the market scene in Notting Hill, which uses the great Bill Withers’ tune, “Ain’t No Sunshine,” which I’ve also included below as a bonus so you can see what I mean).

Theme to Grand
Grand was a two-season television show from early 1990 that had a killer theme song. I’ve included two versions of it here, first and second season, respectively. The first, season one, is more general (but the sound on the video is better), and the one included on this tape. The second shows the cast and is more championed by the fans of the show (check out the very young Sara Rue!). It had a killer cast, such as Pamela Reed and Bonnie Hunt, but like many of the Hunt sit-coms, it came and went very fast and not appreciated by many. This tune has stayed with me all these years.


Monkees - You Just May Be the One
Is there anyone else left who hasn’t’ realized that Mike Nesmith was the most musically talented of the bunch (and yes, they all deserve to be in the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame)? This, along with his solo efforts of “Joanne” and “The Crippled Lion,” are great country-tinged pop songs that even Mike’s own post-Elephant Parts period hasn’t topped. Boyce & Hart wrote some amazing tunes for the boys, but Mike luckily got to sing some originals. Well, considering how the network felt about the band’s original material, we were lucky to have even heard it. Sadly, the only on-line version I found was this awful live one.

Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers - Abominable Snowman in the Market
This reggae-infused nonsense ditty is a perfect example of why JR’s “phase 2” (as it were) was so popular. It’s a great song. Usually I rankle at white guys doing reggae (the Police, the Clash), but this is just so innocent and cute, without being saccharine. It was during this period when I first saw JR and the Modern Lovers play in 1977 on Long Island, and I knew this album before his darker, first one (which contained the breakthrough “Road Roadrunner”). “Snowman” seemed so off the wall to me back then, and charmed me instantly. I’ve had the good fortune of seeing JR a number of times now, and videotaped him getting interviewed for Videowave cable access show. Most of the populace know him from his minstrel bit in the film There’s Something About Mary, but he is so much more than that. JR has had more incarnations than Madonna, and every chapter is unique and noteworthy. The version on the tape is studio-recorded, and the video, obviously, is not.

Roger Miller - In the Summertime
I had an early version of a greatest hits collection during my formative years, which started with his biggest hit, “King of the Road,” but the collection is just chocked full of great music. My enjoyment of old tyme country is most likely rooted in that album, and rests squarely on the shoulders of the brilliant Roger Miller. I mean, “Dang Me,” “England Swings,” “Engine Engine No. 9,” and the list goes on. This particular song is a rave-up with Miller’s often-present country scat. And this is certainly not to be confused with Mongo Jerry’s piece of crap. RIP, RM. Here is a link to a later, live version: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lEC7JsBTxA (embedding was not allowed).

Leon Redbone - Ain’t Misbehavin’
Redbone made his mark on Saturday Night Live and became a hit. Unfortunately, his tendency to sit on stage with his hat over his face sort of had a toll on his career. His distinct voice and style is instantly recognizable. This cover of the Fats Waller classic has remained one of my Redbone faves over the years. The video is a recent live clip; nice to see he still has some career left.

Kimm Rogers - Right By You
I’ve mentioned this song before on this blog. Kimm has had a couple of albums out (that I know of – and own), and her first remains one I can listen to repeatedly from beginning to end. It’s called Soundtrack of My Life, which is a totally appropriate name, as it seems she talks about the minute thoughts that pass through her brain, and it’s usually something that strikes a chord with the listener. I have never had a chance to see Kimm perform live, sadly, but it would please me enormously to thank her for many hours of listening pleasure.

Dave Edmunds - I Knew the Bride
Gee, yet another great song off the Get It album. It’s the record that just won’t end when it comes to astonishing music. I still remember my jaw dropping when I first heard it in the late ‘70s. This rave-up made me think of a friend down south that married a straight good-ole-boy. Somehow, though, I knew she would rock’n’roll again…and she did (and does) – without him. Now she’s married to a rocker, where she belongs. But I digress. This song was on my playlist when I got married, because I wanted something that would raise the roof. The live video version does not match the studio recording on the tape, but it still rocks.

Reflections of Out Magazine's 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums of All Time

Text © Robert Barry Francos
Images from the Internet

At a doctor’s office, I looked through their magazine rack and in the corner of my eye, I noticed the following enticement on the cover of the October 2008 issue of Out: “The 100 Greatest, Gayest Albums (of All Time).” As I scanned the list, I notched off the ones I own.

Despite my large collection, there are many on the list I do not own, because I don’t care about the output of musicians like George Michaels, Madonna, Culture Club, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Donna Summers, Pet Shop Boys, Scissor Sisters, and The Smiths/Morrissey. There are also places where I am definitely lacking, with the B-52s, Bikini Kill, Team Dresch, Le Tigre, and Nina Simone. Mind you, in some cases I do have recordings by the artists listed above, but not the ones mentioned on the list (e.g., I have Cher’s first few albums, but not the later and the boringly techno/disco Believe).

Note that this is listed as their Rank, the Artist’s Name, and the Album Title.

009 Cyndi Lauper: She’s So Unusual – While “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” was not only played ad nauseum when it came out, I was actually able to get past it and enjoy it now. Still, I don’t think it’s the best song on the release, what with “Time After Time” and some of the other quirky tunes there. As a whole, her previous release by her band Blue Angel was a more solid piece of work, but Unusual has much higher production values. Besides, though it’s not on this album, her live version of the Brains’ “Money Changes Everything” may be the hardest she’s ever rocked post Blue Angel.

012 The Velvet Underground & Nico: The Velvet Underground & Nico – For some reason, I didn’t really get into this until the early ‘90s, over 20 years after its release. That just shows the power of this disk. While cuts like “European Son” still put me off, I actually like the entire first side, and the first half of the second. There is a lot to recommend here, such as “Sunday Morning,” the three Nico cuts, and of course the opus, “Heroin.” And no, it did not make me want to actually try the crap.

037 Blondie: Parallel Lines – This certainly is not Blondie’s strongest release, even if it is one of their most popular. For me, they have never had a collection as strong as their first, eponymous release, on Chrysalis. “X Offender,” “In the Sun,” and “Attack of the Giant Ants” are just some of the great pop songs on this pre-New Wave collection.

038 Dusty Springfield Dusty in Memphis – Absolutely classic Dusty, who could sing the contents of a magazine and make it interesting. She had one of those pure voices that practically had the power to heal (when she wasn’t wearing it out by over-practicing – check out the bio about her, Dancing with Demons: The Authorised Biography of Dusty Springfield by Penny Valentine and Vicki Wickham, which is so worth reading). Her version of “Windmills of Your Mind” is the standard-bearer for the tune (that has been covered umpteen times), though “Son of a Preacher Man” was a bigger hit.

049 Patti Smith Group Horses – Patti at her absolute best. There is not a weak cut here. Even the two 9 minutes cuts are riveting through and through, from beginning to end. Tales of suicide, insanity, and free money flow and this just whips by. While I still think her stuff now is strong, this is my favorite collected work. I remember a time when women would flock to clubs dressed in the white shirt and skinny black tie, like a uniform of solidarity.

058 Liz Phair Exile in Guyville – While I bought this album because of its hype, I don’t get it. Yes, I understand it’s a feminist deconstruction and rethinking of Exile on Main Street, but man, the woman cannot sing. You may be surprised that I totally respect Phair for what she does, but I cannot listen to her. I made it through the CD twice, and while I’ll still keep it around for reference, unless called for in some research, it will stay on my shelf and off the player.

064 Patti Smith Group Easter – Honestly, this is not one of my favorite Smith albums. The saving grace for me is “Frederick.” Part of my feeling this way is Jimmy Iovine’s over-production. Patti’s music from this period is still pretty raw, but it gets drowned in studio techic. I would rather hear the rawness of “Ask the Angels” or “Ain’t It Strange” than this version of “Rock and Roll Nigger” or “Space Monkey.”

067 Husker Du Candy Apple Grey – Okay, I know that two thirds of the trio are gay, but I’m not so sure how this is a gay album. Gotta be truthful, of my Husker Du collection, this isn’t one I played all that often. I know, I know, everything they did was gold, Jerry, gold, but I like their earlier, grittier stuff. Mind you, now I sound like someone who complains how Patti Smith’s comeback wasn’t angry anymore, but this was a bit too thrash metal for my tastes.

068 Nirvana Nevermind – The year that punk broke, my ass. This is as punk as is Green Day and Good Charlotte. In other words, it’s not very. However, unlike the output of those other two bands, Nirvana’s stuff was killer good. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was way overplayed on the media, but it still holds up after all these years. I bet at some point, if he had lived, Cobain would have gone the way of label mate Elliott Smith (no, not that, I mean singer-songwriter), as so many of the state’s grungsters did. He would have been great at that, too. As the Beatles created rock with Sgt. Pepper’s, Nirvana created the whole grunge thing, which was not punk, but something else, in the same way that hardcore was not New York-style old school punk, but something new.

075 Carole King Tapestry – For a number of years, this was the largest selling album in the world (replaced by Frampton Live, if I remember correctly, which was then swamped by the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack, then Thriller. Of all of those, Tapestry is the only one to which I would voluntarily still listen. It’s amazing to think of the number of top-of-the-charters came off of this, both for King and the likes of James Taylor and even Aretha Franklin. Her blonde-blue eyed-Jewish soul made the listener feel so far away, needing a friend, and for some, a natural woman. Earlier, King and then-husband Goffin were one part of a trio of duos that wrote the soundtrack of the pre-Beatles ‘60s. Her pop songsmithy lasted well into the ‘70s, and this, her first solo release I believe, proved that she was not just a pretty pen, but had the unique voice to hold it up.

078 Various The Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack – I was working in a (no-longer existing) Baskin-Robbins abutting Sheridan Square when this opened at the Waverly’s midnight show, and I sat there soon after it opened by myself the first time, surrounded by perhaps a dozen male couples making out. I could actually hear the screen. The next time I went, about 6 months later, it was a zoo. I had learned the music from the original British stage soundtrack, which I liked immediately. I thought it was smart that all the male voices were high pitched, except for Frank N. Furter’s, with Tim Curry’s rich basso. Some of the changes that had been made sort of annoyed me, such as that the film cut out a verse from the “Over At the Frankenstein Place” song, the break for “Time Warp” was moved, and Meat Loaf’s great “Hot Patootie, Bless My Soul” number erased the unique word phrasing and spacing; but I thought it was great having Barry Bostwick - the original (re: real) Danny Zucco -playing Brad, and Susan Sarandon playing a surprisingly good Janet. I was especially happy with the replacement of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman’s Graham Jarvis with the elegant Charles Gray. But there really is no Rocky Horror without Curry, and he proved why in this film. If you want a laugh, find the Australian stage version, and listen to the whiney, high-pitched FNF, that will have your neighbor’s dog barking. Despite all the changes, this film has certainly become rightfully iconic, building its own synergy, but it’s especially good when you can actually hear it.

088 Husker Du Zen Arcade – This and Double Nickels on the Dime (or, as I like to call it, Going 55 on Highway 10, show why the Du were so highly regarded. The songs are tight yet simple (without being simplistic or formulaic) tunes with biting lyrics, wrapped in just a few brilliant flashes of a catch phrase. They were criticized at the time for going merch mad (i.e., signing to a major label), but with this rich a legacy, it would be hard to not be impressed.

090 Kate Bush The Kick Inside – Honestly, I wasn’t fond of Kate at first. I saw the videos for “Wuthering Heights” and “Rolling the Ball,” and was just not impressed. It wasn’t until I heard “The Man with the Child in His Eyes” that I stood up and noticed. Then I went back and bought the album, and found it grew on me. That being said, I find the whole myth of “sensitive soul who is a recluse” thing kind of silly. Most likely the woman has agoraphobia, which does not make her “sensitive,” it makes her psychotic (which somehow reminds me of a Rita Rudner joke: “You know that saying that neurotics build castles in the sky and psychotics live in them? My mother cleans them”). Bush has had many more hits in the UK, but other than the overrated “Running Up That Hill” she never reached an equal goddess-hood here. Personally, I think it was the disco beat she added that dragged her down (i.e., “riding the wave”), much as with the stunning Lene Lovitch, who I believe sabotaged herself similarly with “New Toy.”

094 Various Hair Original Broadway Cast – I wrote a previous blog about my relationship with this soundtrack (dated September 15, 2008, if you want to check it out). When one buys it now as a CD, it also includes songs left out of the original LP, which had been released to an uncaring audience as Disin-HAIR-ited. While at the time I agreed that it was not as superior, as I’ve listened to the modern joint version, it feels right that it should all be together rather than as separate pieces. Anyway, the original release, which is what is listed here, was not a soundtrack as much as it was a touchstone. So many of the songs have become ingrained into culture and covered by the hip to straight.

100 The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – I’m not sure what makes this a gay recording, actually. Is it the bright colored uniforms? Nah, that’s too cliché, frankly. Even talking about his album in this context seems bizarre, because it fits into nearly any category. This is not just one of the most important albums in a list “Greatest, Gayest Albums,” it is possibly the most important one ever. Given my druthers, there are other Beatle albums I enjoy more (such as For Sale and Help, but there is no denying what this one brought to the genre. It not only effected (and affected) rock and roll, but nearly all genres.

As with all lists, even though this is compiled from “more than 100 actors, comedians, musicians, writers, critics, performance artists, label reps and DJs,” it is still extremely subjective choices for a select group; as any student of mass media, there are always a “bias of communication” (as posited in a famous book by Harold Innis). For instance, where is Wayne/Jayne County and/or the Electric Chairs? There are two on the list by Rufus Wainwright, but none by his more talented sister, Martha? Where’s The Tom Robinson Band/TRB? The Soundtracks to Cabaret and The Wizard of Oz? Lesley Gore? And no “like budda” Barbra? Sacrilege!

I respect this poll, but find it lacking as any other one could be. I seems if they had just gone and asked 100 people on either Christopher Street, and then again on West Street, each version of this list may have been entirely different.

This sounds more critical than I actually mean it to be. I enjoyed going through this list and remembering all the stuff I’ve listened to over the years, and thank the mag for the opportunity to reminisce.