Deep Madness

Phil Spector had a production style that created a sound that could so deep it couldn't come from anywhere but the bottom of the ocean. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', River Deep Mountain High, Be My Baby, My Sweet Lord and Imagine are just a few examples of this fathomless production. While these are pop gold standards of the 60s and early 70s there is something more here and it has something to do with the bass that causes you to recalibrate your stereo and feel the sonic effect throughout your body. One feels they are floating upon an ocean of music and one can see the sounds as they flow through air around you. With the deep he also gets beautiful vocals from his performers like John Lennon, George Harrison, The Righteous Brothers, The Ronnettes, The Crystals and Tina Turner; each distinct in personality and emotive quality that can hook you in. The songs he worked on however drives one into madness (not the band) Mr. Spector's (why do I want to call him Dr. Spector) history is notorious and has ultimately brought him down. He held the Ramones at gun point so they would put strings on their album, he stole John Lennon's Demos (at gun point), smashed through his windshield in a car accident in Hollywood, marrying one of his artists, wearing crazy wigs, locking Leonard Cohen out of the studio and threatening him with a crossbow as well some other bizarre, controlling stuff. All this must have been caused by the dense wall of sound he conjured up from the abyss bringing with it the end of sanity. I can also point out that Brian Wilson who was obsessed with Spector's production tapped into this sound with beautiful songs like Don't Worry Baby, and Good Vibrations is also known for his pour mental state; hell, he used the theremin in pop music. This sound also cursed the family with drug addiction and fatalities. While Wilson balanced the impossibly low drowning with gentle cascades of twinkling sound into what we must perceive as beach music his inspiration is obvious. There is a sadness beneath that transcends the fun. This all may sound out there but listen to three or four of these songs in a row and you may find that something has slipped through the transom.
My Suggestions:

River Deep-Mountain High - Ike and Tine turner
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - The Righteous Brothers
My Sweet Lord - George Harrison
Be My Baby - The Ronnettes
Don't Worry Baby - The Beach Boys
Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
and a bonus, I have no idea who produced this song, maybe it was the Walker Brothers but the Spector, specter is obvious
The Sun Ain't Gonna' Shine Anymore - The Walker Brothers

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 26

This one was also done back in 2002. It continues my Aerosmith adoration as well as my discover of that trippy band, Clinic. I first heard them in a Border's book store while on the 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica where Patricia Richardson was being shown the way to a private bathroom. Please make an attempt to listen to new music and enjoy some of these songs.

1. Without Me by Eminem
From Marshal Mathers' third album, I first heard this song in Las Vegas
2. Big Ten Inch Record by Aerosmith
The bad boys of Boston at their innuendo best
3. I Can't Explain by The Who
I put this in as filler, no lie
4. Time Bomb by Rancid
This song was everywhere back in the mid 90s; it's kinda' turned into classic rock
5. Santeria by Sublime
If you are smart you will stay away from Santeria
6. Play With Fire by The Rolling Stones
Don't play with fire and don't mess with the Stones
7. Fell In Love With A Girl by The White Stripes
They do their best Buzzcocks tune and never again do they play like this
8. Clash City Rockers by The Clash
Not their best song
9. Just A Girl by No Doubt
The Song that started it all for this band from the Tragic Kingdom
10.Toxicity by System Of A Down
As time goes by this songs seems less interesting
11.California Dreamin' by The Mamas & The Papas
A 60s anthem about getting out of the cold and getting west
12.Walking With Thee by Clinic
Ladies and Gentlemen, Clinic the faceless band from England. One of the best bands to never make a blip in the U.S.
13.Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World
This is a nice little song by a little band
14.Dope Nose by Weezer
He alludes to Welcome to The Jungle . . . Awesome!
15.Barely Legal by The Strokes
Another great song from Is This It?, One of the best albums of the 00s
16.Bedbugs and Ballyhoo by Echo & The Bunnymen
That;s the way the bee bumbles
17.Sick & Tired by Cardigans
I saw them play live and they were great
18.A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T by The Hives
Frenetic!
19.B.O.B. by Outkast
This is Oukasts first voyage into a mix of mine, also my favorite song of theirs, Bomb Over Baghdad
20.Mama Told Me Not To Come by Three Dog Night
This song always makes me giggle
21.Can't Do A thing To Stop Me by Chris Isaak
Mr. Isaak would later become more creepy but not by much
22.Rise by Public Image Ltd.
All the anger in the world through Johnny Rotten in the 70s became this in the 80s

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 25

I think this one is alright! This was the first mix I made in the year 2002 so you can seea bit of new bands starting to show up. Not all these songs are easy to find. Enjoy

1. Back In The Saddle By Aerosmith
it's a great way to start a mix and a great way to start an album
2. Automatic Schmuck by The Hives
Welcome to the world of my mixes
3. You're pretty Goo Looking (For A girl) by The White Stripes
One of the many faces of The White Stripes
4. Stupid Girl by The Rolling Stones
The Stones get a little bubbly in beat and mean lyrically
5. I Don't Mind by The Buzzcocks
Punk pop pioneers from England
6. Single Girl by Lush
Good little band
7. One Love by The Stone Roses
I believe this is one of the secret recordings the band did while fighting their contract with Silvertone records
8. Here She Comes Now by The Velvet Underground
More songs about drugs
9. Someday by The Strokes
Still in the shadow of New York Bands of the past
10.Hella Good by No Doubt
IS this a dance tune? I don't know
11.Oops by Tweet
Dirty, dirty girl, her only appearance
12.Forgot About Dre by Dr. Dre Fear. Eminem
Some people hate this song because it's not on the first Chronic album
13.Burn Hollywood Burn by Public Enemy
Hollywood movies suck
14.Hotel California by The Eagles
The ideals of California are a lie
15.White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)by Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel
Nancy Reagan loved this song
16.Madness by Madness
This song makes the air seem drunk
17.Sadness by Porno For Pyros
"I got the devil in me"
18.Supernatural by The 360's
Another reason why this band was so good
19.A Drug Against War by K.M.F.D.M.
German industrial techno, bitches
20.Pain For Pleasure by Sum 41
It's cool when a band does a song about their influences
21.King of Rock by RUN-D.M.C.
"I made the devil tell me sell his soul" Brilliant!

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 24

Here it is you Weekly mix of songs that fit nicely onto an 80 minute CD. This mix is better than it looks.

1. One Step Beyond by Madness
Great name for a band and one the best openings to a song!
2. Fuel by Metallica
This song should start the Mix or another mix
3. Can U Dig It? by Pop Will Eat Itself
Late 80s techno is so tasty!
4. 19-2000 by Gorillaz
Dorky and fun song
5. Hay Baby by No Doubt
So what if I like this song
6. Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones
The beginning to this song gets me every time, hooked!
7. Chop Suey by System Of A Down
System Of A Down peaked on this song
8. Machinehead by Bush
Back in the day that this rocked it was a sign that nothing much in music was happening
9. Fat Lip by Sum 41
Punk for 1st graders but very funny
10.Agony by The Muffs
More punk for 1st graders
11.The Modern Age by The Strokes
Too many varieties . . .
12.The Middle by Jimmy Eat World
If they never released another song after this I would have been happy. This is from the album Bleed American Which some people though was negative in the wake of 9/11
13.Judy Is A Punk by The Ramones
It broke her parents heart too
14.Hungry Like A Wolf by Duran Duran
A song like this could only be recorded by Duran Duran nobody else could bring the earnestness to it.
15.Sandwiches by Detroit Grand Pubahs
This song is so weird but so inectious
16.Fever by Madonna
This is dumb dance song
17.Get The Party Started by Pink
This song is so much worse in retrospect than I once thought it was
18.Someday I Will Treat You Good by Sparklehorse
This song was stuck in my head for years before I commited to buying the CD
19.Judy Staring at The Sun by Catherine Wheel (with Tanya Donnelly)
Tanya sang with Throwing Muses, The Breeders and Belly
20.Trust by K.M.F.D.M.
Does not stand for Kill Moth Fucking Depeche Mode
21. Living After Midnight by The Donnas
This is what 4 barely legal girls covering Judas Priest sound like

Heart Attack Alert

In case you wondered what the jr. High bully was doing with your lunch, look no further. Good news is he died by the time he was 20. Usually I am tempted by grossly cheesy, meaty goodness but as it's in my American blood but this is really disgusting! As a matter of fact it's irresponsible and negligent . . . shit it's arrogant for Friendly's to put this burger and two grilled cheeses out as one sandwich. I suppose you could feed three people with this meal.
I grew up on the east coast where Friendly's was a nice little family focused diner chain where you could have a burger and crinkle fries before ending the meal with a sundae. For a while they were know for there Watermelon ice cream roll which was truly a treat for the children of the north east! But now they may go nationwide with this Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt because that's what America wants! Did you know that in 1991 our nation's most obese state was Mississippi with just under 20% vs. today's lowest state, Colorado at 19.1%. Don't worry though Mississippi still leads the country in fat fucks with an alarming 33.8% obesity rate. By the way; this doesn't include children so the numbers are actually even more disturbing. Don't get me wrong I love some fast food every now and then but it would appear that is all many people are eating and whether it is all the person or family's can afford I'm not sure but that stuff will make you a fat piece of shit, give you diabetes and kill you before 60 if you don't watch it. By the way check out the growing burger. Maybe nobody cares about their body's health, maybe it's part of a greater plot that goes along with melting out brains we melt our bodies. MAybe we don't have to go to space to get enormous like it is shown in the movie WALL-E.




The thing is some people are proud to be more stomach than man, maybe we should blame Homer Simpson. Is it art imitating life or the other way around? If you watch comedy TV up until the 90s TV dads were thin dudes!



Look at Ward Cleaver, look at Mike Brady they was a lean motherfuckers, probably the planning all the neighborhood orgies!




But these guys . . . not so much. The idea of not giving a shit about your gut and butt is sad. I do understand that not everybody has time to hit the gym a few times a week but lord, spare time shouldn't always br used to stuff one's face with cheese and bread and bacon with no other physical activity that hand to mouth and finger clicking at the remote. I guess TV is just so damned good! I guess video games are better than running around with friends, climbing fences and trees.

mmmmmm .... so good!

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 23

Alright here's your listening fun for the week that will fit onto a CD if you are so inclined or a tape cassette with 45 minute sides each. The Story on this mix starts with Waiting for the man and carries through the end of the mix; it ain't hard to see what I'm getting at.

1. Cult Of Personalty by Living Colour
Great band with a limited future, what happened? They were an alternative band pre Nirvana who rocked; they should have lasted the 90s.
2. No Competition by Brassy
The singer, Muffin is John Spencer's sister
3. People That We Love by Bush
Originally called "Speed Kills" this single came from the album Golden State; it had an airplane silhouette on it. They changed the song title and removed the airplane as it was set to drop just after 9/11 2001
4. Cry by Creme & Godley
Two producers made there own song; it's a deep sound.
5. Down In It by Nine Inch Nails
Late 80s industrial gave birth to . . .
6. Burn Like Brilliant Trash (At Jackie's Funeral) by Machines of Loving Grace
early 90s industrial
7. Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go) by Garbage
This is not my favorite song about a transvestite
8. People Of The Sun by Rage Against The Machine
Rockers of the world Unite!
9. I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow by The Soggy Bottom Boys
Form O Brother, Where Art Thou?
10.Please Mr. Postman by Backbeat Band
This band was made up from dudes in Soul Asylum and Afghan Wigs; it's from the movie Backbeat
11.Our Lips Are Sealed by The Go-Go's
Started as a love letter and ended up a hit song
12.I'm Waiting For The man by The Velvet Underground
Here's where the story begins. VU, one of the coolest bands of all time.
13.Last Night by The Strokes
Let's welcome The Strokes into the mix tape anthology; they but out the best album of 2000, borrowing heavily from their New York City Rock ancestors.
14.Punk by Gorillaz
This is not punk
15.Something Else by Sid Vicious
This is not punk
16.Radio Radio by Elvis Costello
This is not punk
17.Breed by Nirvana
This is punk
18.Heroine by The 360's
One of the best unknown bands from Boston, I've been on the last car of the last train on the orange line, they ain't kiddin' around.
19.The Twelve Steps by Spiritualized
After the drugs you got to get to get clean
20.Shattered by The Rolling Stones
But then again, this is Rock n' Roll! Best song about New York Sucking!
21.Bennie And the Jets by Elton John
This song always reminds me of central park in the summer even though it was recorded in a studio in France.

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 22

Happy July! This Mix was not very good so I went back in time and rearranged the muthuh! Now it is a rock fest that gets awesome all the time! There are a couple bands that premier on this little list and I was very happy about it in the end!

Listen and enjoy

1. Bulls on Parade by Rage Against The Machine
This song is balls out from the beginning! Funny to think the group just about broke up before finishing this album
2. She Gives Me Love by The Godfathers
It's a badass song with that slick beat. How is this song better than there biggest single, "Birth, School, Work, Death"?
3. Everything Zen by Bush
It took me years to finally sorta' like this song, I don't get all pissy when I hear it anymore
4. California Love by 2 Pac & Dr. Dre
WEST SIDE! RIP 2 Pac
5. Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz
Let's welcome the Damon Albarn gone weird project; it's lovely.
6. Daughters of the Chaos by Luscious Jackson
This song was so cool in 1992 it gave ridiculous points if you liked it.
7. You're So Pretty - We're So Pretty by The Charletons
This band actually made some good music after their first album, here's some proof
8. Precious by The Pretenders
They rocked hard for us just once but it was enough to give them crazy cred!
9. Little Room by The White Stripes
Ladies and gentlemen the best band of the decade
10.Shut Your Mouth by Garbage
It's not a bad song but it's not as good anything off their second album
11.Sweet Dreams (Are made Of This) by Eurythmics
A perfect Song
12.Ray Of Light by Madonna
Madge keeps on dancing
13.On Fire by Spiritualized
This is not the Van Halen Song
14.Come On And Love Me by Lenny Kravitz
If I was a chick this song would make me go on and love Lenny
15.Photograph by Weezer
A nice little ditty that isn't the Def Leppard Song
16.Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers
Feel his agony! I do and I don't even know why.
17.Fallin' by Alicia Keys
Isn't this "Moonlight Senata"?
18.All Together Now by The Beatles
Let's get happy!
19.Burn Baby Burn by Ash
This is the last time Ash will appear on a mix. I think.
20.Because I Got High by Afroman
I'm kinda' embarrassed about having this song on here. It used to end the mix but it wasn't meant to be. There was a kid in my grade school who we used to call afroman.
21.Ultraviolet (Light My Way) by U2
Depressing end to good line up, no?