What do Amy Sedaris and Dolly Parton have in common? Well to tell you the truth I'm not really sure but Miss Jeri Blank (and sister of one of my favorite writers ever) is in the brand new Dolly video "Better Get To Livin'" - don't believe me? Check out the circus themed video out at CMT here - Dolly Video
and for more circus video fun, check out Blondie's 2003 brilliant "Good Boys" - just because I said so:
Swivek has a brand new single out just for you - my fans and friends - the second single from our latest album INTO THE BLUEis now available to download for free!
APOCALYPTIC is now a full fledged single complete with the album version of the song, two rare songs not included anywhere else and a brand spanking fun-a-delic remix of "Apocalyptic" by our favorite remixer ORANGE TELEVISION.
So just click the pic so you can download the whole single including artwork and you can dance, dance, dance and shake that ass like it's your last gasp.
Don't forget you can still download the entire Into The Bluefrom our website! And we now have a bunch of downloads for FREE on our MP3 page and (gasp!) remember our My Space website for even faster updates!
bub100 – Deborah Harry – Debracentryk November 27, 2007
Deborah + Century + Eccentric = Debracentryk
That’s right we’ve come to our 100th Bubbatunes compilation CD and what a journey it’s been, which is why we are going back to the beginning for inspiration. Way back in 1999 when I did the first Bubbatune with artwork and all the little jubilant casings we looked to my idol of idols Deborah Harry for the inspiration and launched out – Debravacious: The Singles as bub #1 so it’s only fitting we take Deborah and give her the prize of being our 100th CD so I present Debracentryk; a collection that goes fittingly well with her singles collection as this time around we are checking out her album cuts.
Similar to the Stevie Nicks collection Mindscape and Cyndi Lauper’s Cynsational, our newest collection is meant as a companion piece to Debbie’s greatest ‘hits’ collections, none of which are better than our bub 1 by the way.
With the release of her fifth solo album Necessary Evil just a few months ago I thought it was high time we took a look at Debbie and all she has to offer when working without the boys of Blondie (well except for Chris who appears on all of her albums).
Beginning in 1981 when Debbie and Chris hooked up with Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, Debbie was off on her own when she was on her own. When the album that resulted Koo Koo came out in the summer of 1981 no one seemed quite prepared for what they had on their hands. The cover was a HR Giger art piece with Debbie’s face firmly entrenched with needles representing the elements, I’m sure Chrysalis Records who had opted to use the tag line “Get Debbie Harry alone…” was dumbfounded to find out Debbie would be on the cover scantily clad and cooing. Just one look at the cover and you knew you were headed into a different world than Blondie – for Debbie, if anything has always had her hand in the imprints of different styles be it art, fashion or music.
When Koo Koo emerged I have to admit I was one who didn’t know what to make of it. I was a huge Blondie fan and this whole new look didn’t make much sense to me as a little kid but the singles “Backfired” and “The Jam Was Moving” were fun enough for me to get through it. More recently, Koo Koo with its Chic R&B vibe and Debbie and Chris’ eternally strange look at things has become my favorite of the Debbie solo albums. Sure, it only took about 25 years but hey, she was way ahead of her time.
From Koo Koo, we get our opening cut – the micro beating “Military Rap” with Debbie’s fast rap-like delivery. The song is a complete riot though also quite sarcastic and seething when thinking that it could be used as a war protest song even today. The ultimate lines, “Go now pray later/ it’s a lay away plan/ free vacation in Iran/ stop and see the Middle East/ miles and miles of lovely beach/ get that Coppertone tan/ on radioactive sand…” It’s excellent.
For our adventure into Debbie solo land we ended up with at least four songs from each of her solo works so Koo Koo delivers three more little ditties – super funk fun is found in the cop on a trail new wave “Under Arrest” complete with some cool male back ups, “Jump Jump” opens up the solo album with a ride through more funk and R&B from the production of Chic, but the writing credits are give to Debbie and Chris so you know it’s some strange place you’re headed to. For years I’ve tried to figure out what exactly the song is about but I’ve decided to just give it up and funk to it – besides any song with a grown man giving a dog bark is okay by me.
A lot of her fans absolutely love “Chrome” which is probably one of the strangest songs on Koo Koo if for only the insane lyrics and the strange thundering island drum beats at the end but it is really good and not so ‘experimental’ that it doesn’t work.
Like I said, Koo Koo has really grown on me and it was hard to decide what tracks to put on as “Surrender”, “Now I Know You Know” and “Oasis” all have great things going for them. One of my all time favorite Debbie songs “Inner City Spillover” was almost chosen but it’s on the bubbatunes Deborah Harry rare collection Debralicious in a different (though very close) form so I thought I’d be more original.
It should also be noted that prior to working on Koo Koo the boys of Chic had just done Diana Ross’ smash Diana album which contained “Upside Down” and “I’m Coming Out” and there’s a lot of those funk elements on the Koo Koo tracks, but it’s funny that Diana remixed her album because she thought the Chic boys drowned her vocals out and on the songs from Koo Koo I’ve always felt that Debbie’s vocals were so right up front she was practically in the room…. Strange isn’t it…
After Koo Koo, Debs went back to Blondie for one ill reviewed album and sort of retired for awhile when Chris got sick around 1983. She did however come out of hiding a couple times; first in late 1983 with the “Rush Rush” single from Scarface and then again in 1985 with the Jellybean Benitez produced “Feel The Spin” from the Krush Groove soundtrack.
Then came a major overhaul – in late 1986 Debbie was back with a solo album, an Andy Warhol painted canvas behind her, punked out hair and new dance vibe beats for a new generation. Rockbird was just what I needed in 1986 and I always thought it was a great album; it’s a tad kooky and a tad eccentric but ummm so is Debbie.
Rockbird came out with only 9 songs on the album, three of which were singles (and are on Debravacious) and 2 I’m not particularly fond of (“Beyond The Limit”, “You Got Me In Trouble”) and four more that were perfect fits for Debracentryk.
The keyboards and sax that drive “I Want You” were the perfect way to open up her 1986 ‘comeback’. The song is hilarious and strange, fast, furious and over the top. It’s exactly what I love to hear over and over again. I can’t tell you how often me and my pal Melsie played the song – I believe we even made a pseudo video when her parents got the first video camera I had ever seen.
“Buckle Up” is similar to “I Want You” with its jive talking pumped up melodies. It’s always been a crime to me that it wasn’t considered by the powers to be as the anthem for buckling up for safety when they launched a major campaign that year. How do I know it was a major campaign you ask.. well because I saw Regina (“Baby Love” – remember??) doing a ‘Buckle Up’ song on TV for the Safety Commission right around the time I was listening to Debbie’s song…. What a rip.
Anyway, Debbie’s “Buckle Up” isn’t really about driving a car anyway though I do believe it uses metaphors of such to get some other point across. Again, I think Deb is just too much for the mere mortal to understand. Perhaps someday she’ll write liner notes and tell us all what she was really thinking when she wrote some of these songs. All I know is the song is fun and great to sing along with.
The title track from the album is another fast jaunt through Debbie’s fun little mind trap but this time it’s all done for pure fun (I think) and the fact that she can write a song with so many references about zoos and birds and rocking out is testament to the genius she is. “some said the jaybird to the cockatoo/ want a commitment from inside the zoo/ say hey birdbrain why be sly/ tell me how a rockbird can learn to fly…” See, isn’t it fun?
The last selection from Rockbird is a little more conventional – the pop/rock hybrid set to the sweet coos of our girl “Secret Life” – “listen while I tell you of a secret life/ lives entwined like vines/ man and wife…” It’s a great little pop song.
Anyone who has followed Debbie was right there when she unleashed what is often quoted as her fan’s favorite solo work Def, Dumb & Blonde. Changing her moniker from Debbie to Deborah Harry made it a tad noticeable that she was changing direction. Where her first two albums were a little on the dare I say eccentric side, this was a full on courtship of all styles she loved and she gave her all.
When Def Dumb & Blonde was released in its incarnations – vinyl, cassette and CD – you got the luxury of added songs. The original vinyl has 11 songs and from that set I put on my ultimate favorite from the album – her rocking Ian Astbury of the Cult sing along “Lovelight.” The lyrics are phenomenal, the mix is incredible and the vocals are great.
Also included from the original 11 is the subtle and beautiful “Calmarie” – a song I figured absolutely had to be on a Debbie album track compilation.
Def Dumb & Blonde – the cassette added two more tracks, both of which were too good to pass up for our compilation – “Bike Boy” a rocking frolic through love of leather and “Comic Books” are both Debbie (or Deborah) at some of her rock sided best.
With the compact disc version came even two more songs, the tropical fest “I’ll Never Fall In Love” (not included) and the ultimate in punkiness for the solo girl, “Forced To Live” – one of my all time favs.
Quite a few years (in recording terms) passed before that day in 1993 when I walked into the music store and found out our girl had another solo album – I wasn’t using the internet way back then. Debravation came out of nowhere as far as I was concerned and I have to tell you I was very excited when I stumbled upon it.
From her fourth solo album I went all over the map in sounds – the R&B guitar sounds of “Stability” with its awesome lyrics, “Must I take pills for stability (yes you must!)”, the ravey short laced “Lip Service” with its ode to Edgar Allen Poe right in the middle of a pop song (genius!), and two of my favorites – the upbeat and completely nurturing “Keep On Going” – “when you are down/keep on going/ determination will change your life/ don’t look around/ no/ keep on going/ if you believe that you’ve had enough/ then you must keep on going/ don’t ever give up…” It’s so simple yet so inspiring.
The final song from Debravation is the intensely super cool, overlooked, should have been a hit single “Communion.” Taking religious ceremony and turning it on its backside, Deborah coos and croons through her dance/rock infection – “I’ve touched some objects of faith/ more precious than pieces of eight…” “had my own revelations/ ideas about fate/ but for communion let’s go to my place…” The first time I heard that I just about died. I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever heard and that’s before we even get to the bridge or chorus – “so as the body/ so as the blood/ sacred as the soul is to love/ don’t be mistaken if you don’t understand/ divinely simple/ part of the plan…” and then the kick of all kicks – “Take! Eat! This is my body/ I give it to you/ Take! Drink! This is my blood/ do it in remembrance of me/ so you don’t forget me…”
“Communion” is most definitely one of the best songs she ever wrote or recorded and like I said, it should’ve been a single and it should’ve been huge! The album version actually runs a tad long at about 7 minutes but I somehow found a great 7” remix that is shorter yet still doesn’t lose any of its punch.
It took over fifteen years for Deborah to re-emerge as a solo artist but it wasn’t like she was gone from us, as Blondie had re-formed, made two albums and toured endlessly. Plus the woman is in every other independent movie ever made so we did get our fix of the gal, but when she’s put to her own notches to work on a solo music project, you really have to pay attention… and I did.
Necessary Evil came out in October steam headed by the brilliant catchy “Two Times Blue” and though it was released as a limited single I still feel it’s really an album track, plus it came out way after our Debbie singles collection so I had to include on Debracentryk.
Also from the new album come three more gems of out and out Debbie-ness, now working with the duo of Super Buddha on almost every song. The super cool duet with Miss Guy “Charm Alarm” has some of the best imagery of cool New Yorkers hanging and sassing - “I’m drinking my drink of glamour and damage/ seduction and piss elegance…” I love it! Performance wise the duo sound like a sequel to Debbie and Iggy’s “Well Did Ya Evah!” – yeah it’s that cool. Our girl tones it down a bit on the beautiful ballad “If I Had You” which is the Leivas’ favorite song on the album and just too great of a performance to pass on.
But she goes full on crazy in “You’re Too Hot” which only has the lines – “Don’t touch me! You’re too hot!” repeated over and over while the music continues to get more intense. The song is actually a prequel to “Dirty & Deep” which follows it on Necessary Evil but it’s so eccentric and fun it totally works all on his own – oh and a lot of fans claim it to be their favorite on the new album.
So you see for those who don’t know, they would think Debbie was just a member of Blondie (some would claim she is the only member and is really named Blondie) but I have set out to do our girl a little justice and show her extremely cool solo side in all its glory – on those hidden gems found inside the sleeves of five super cool solo releases. And a final PS - if you are in the LA area Debs is coming to our world for two shows and I will be at her performance on the 6th so see you there!
Deborah Harry – Debracentryk (bub100) Track List: 01. Military Rap 02. Lovelight 03. Keep On Going 04. I Want You 05. Two Times Blue 06. Jump Jump 07. Stability 08. Under Arrest 09. Secret Life 10. Lip Service 11. Charm Alarm 12. Comic Books 13. Buckle Up 14. If I Had You 15. Bike Boy 16. Communion (7” Edit) 17. Chrome 18. Rockbird 19. Forced To Live 20. You’re Too Hot 21. Calmarie
Well we made it - our 7th day of Bubbatunes as we countdown to Tuesday when we unleash our 100th Bubbatune - until then let's look at #99 shall we?
bub99 Cyndi Lauper - Cynsational November 13, 2007
Another in our series of companion compilations, Cynsational is meant to go hand in hand with Cyndi’s greatest hits 12 Deadly Cyns…and Then Some. I love me some Cyndi and the beatch can sing just about anything, from silly 20’s Betty Boop impersonations to full on balladry, there really isn’t anything she can’t do, and I’ve been lucky enough to not only meet the woman (briefly) but to have seen her perform a couple of times and let me just say she doesn’t let you down – there is also the whole thing that she totally reminds me of my best pal Lisa and recently I met the faboo Angie Diamond, go go dancer extraordinaire who just happens to have more than a passing Cyndi Lauper look. Plus Cyndi is a human rights activist that doesn’t really take crap from anyone and I love that.
But we’re not here to talk about what a cool person Miss L is, but rather what a great singer and songwriter she is and that’s why we added a few little gems of some overlooked singles and some excellent album tracks from just about every release our girl has done.
Of course Cyndi’s claim to fame is 1983’s She’s So Unusual and her greatest hits really takes care of the singles including all four of the hit singles and our previous Bubbatunes re-releases (see bub84 and bub85) of the album includes the excellent b-side “Right Train Wrong Track” so for Cynsational we took a few of the album tracks that are somewhat overlooked including her excellent take on Prince’s “When You Were Mine” including the awesome decision not to change the lyrics so her plead to her ex, “I know you’re going with another guy…” packs a bit of a punch. “Yeah Yeah” is downright super cool with Cyndi’s little girl voice answering back everything she and her Hooters boys are singing including such random lines as “sushi/I love sushi”, and when her and boy back up singers sing “I’ll ask you once/ I’ll ask you again” and the little voice behind says, “Oh ask me, ask me!” I fall head over heels in love again. “Yeah Yeah” is one of her best cuts ever and just listening to those background vocals make me miss my gal Lisa.
Of course our opening song was originally put together with “Yeah Yeah” but I separated out the static clingy old 45 sound of “He’s So Unusual” to bring us into Cynsational. The song is short and sweet and the perfect opener to our album.
Her follow up to the highly successful debut solo album was 1987’s equally brilliant True Colors, which took her new waviness and threw on some powerful ballads and excellent lyrics. Her ode to a friend who died of AIDS – “Boy Blue” was a fairly successful single reaching the 70’s on the charts but the importance of the song is in her lyrics and her performance – “You never knew yourself well enough/ but she never knew you at all/ and when she put you out on the street/ she may have taken your innocence but not/ no, not your soul…” It’s so sad and so powerful and really something that speaks to people even 20 years later – which is actually pretty unfortunate.
Also included in our compilation from the True Colors albums is my all time favorite on the album “Calm Inside The Storm.” A rocking little song about discontent and our girl’s attempts to make things right – “I can get up on the ride side of the bed/ but that don’t stop the rain from coming down on my head/ I can live my life/ playing hide and seek/ but when I look inside/ it’s hard to make believe..” The chorus kicks in a bit later and it’s so sing songy I can’t help but belt it out with the Cyn – “you never really want anything/ but what you need is everything/ I’ll give you something only life can bring/ the calm inside the storm/ love me a little/ love me long…”
Prior to her reign supreme as Miss Unusual, our girl was in the band Blue Angel and they released one awesome little album that I happened to track down at Amoeba Records for only about $12. On the album she does the first version of “Maybe He’ll Know” a clever bouncy little track recollecting the glory days of 60’s Motown music that she redid on 1986’s True Colors album – which is the version we include here because Billy Joel’s bopping bee boy back vocals make it even better than the original.
But don’t worry, we didn’t forget that excellent band debut for the Blue Angel album is represented by one extremely catchy song – “Just The Other Day” – a rockabilly/ reggaeish mixture of fun. “Just the other day/ I heard you walked out on her…” and the kicky chorus – “did she let you go/ huh huh?” – it’s kind of sarcastic and a ton of fun.
There were a few one off singles that Cyndi’s US version of 12 Deadly Cyns horribly overlooked including her 1985 top ten “Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough” which may sound a little silly on the surface but is actually a very deep, not to mention catchy as hell single. In 1988 Cyndi made a cinematic turn as a hilarious somewhat psychic in Vibes with the often overlooked Jeff Goodblum and though only people with my somewhat cheeky mentality would find it a classic film, no one could doubt how good the single “Hole In My Heart” is as a single – too bad it didn’t do better chart wise but everyone I know loves the song so that says something.
On top of catchy fun and fast singles Cyndi can belt out a ballad like a regular pop diva and included here is the overlooked UK only single “The World Is Stone” which has some of her more serious and heartfelt belting.
1989’s A Night To Remember album was panned by critics and her fans alike and to be perfectly honest it isn’t exactly as great as her previous albums but there were a few moments of greatness – nowhere more so than the single “I Drove All Night” (found on 12 Deadly Cyns) but for Cynsational we included the sassy and fun, “Like A Cat” –“when you threw me out the window/ I landed on my feet/ yeah you threw me out the window/ like a, like a cat/ oh mister you could never own me/ I only let you hold me / like a cat/ and mister you could never know me/ I only let you stroke me/ like a cat…” For some reason it really speaks to me.
After taking a few years off to do Cyndi things, she came back in 1993 with what is my favorite Cyndi album of all times – Hat Full Of Stars. It charted in the low 100’s on the US album charts and did a tad better in the UK, but I don’t care what that would imply because every song on the album is great. For singles she put out “That’s What I Think” and “Sally’s Pigeons” which both ended up on 12 Deadly Cyns, but the best single and the first released wasn’t included on the compilation so we put it here, “Who Let In The Rain?” is a simple ballad but the vocals and the lyrics are so powerful, “things like this/ can always take a little time/ I always thought/ we’d be together down the line/ we start to fight and can’t get over what was said/…” and my favorite line, “cause you see black and white and I see red…” I love it, I love the song, I love Cyndi!
“Like I Used To” is another in the sassy pants category for our Miss Cyn – again from the 1993 brilliant album, this one is full of power little ‘take control’ lyrics. “I know you expected me to act just like a school girl/ followed your rules/ just like a fool/ wrapped up in your world/ what’s good for you/ doesn’t mean it’s so good for me/ what can I do but hang around/ and lose myself just like I used to/ go round and round like a loose screw?” but as it turns out Cyndi isn’t going to that no more – “Well I ain’t gonna walk with my heart in my hand/ and take things lying down like before/ won’t take your crap like I used to/ ain’t gonna be the way it used to/ alright for you ain’t alright for me…”
Hat Full Of Stars is so shock full of great songs I couldn’t keep from adding more and more tracks and we finally had our fill of songs but I was able to squeeze one more great little track onto Cynsational – the poppy rock confection of “Someone Like Me” with the so simple yet so powerful lines of “what’s someone like me/ doing in a life like this?” How many times I’ve asked myself the exact question. The second verse actually makes the whole song – “sun comes up and streams through the blinds/ and as I throw my clothes on/ do my hair wrong/ stare into the mirror/ telling myself that everyone falls/ take the first step/ that’s the trick of it all/ bounce back like a ball/ what’s someone like me/ doing in a life like this…”
One of Cyndi’s greatest achievements is her personal favorite album 1997’s Sisters Of Avalon, which combines all kinds of nuances into the music including violins, dance beats, and I think even the kitchen sink in a few instances. Again, her lyrics are more and more intense as she tackles everything from women’s rights, politics and even one supremely fabulous transgender boy in “Ballad Of Cleo + Joe” which is one of her greatest little gems ever released – “every day the clock kicks off the beat/ little Joe struggles just to get up on his feet/ waits on the platform for the right train to come/ sipping his coffee another day has begun…” in between the first and second verses, Little Joe can be found working his body just to be somebody where ‘there’s a woman in the mirror looking like a dream/and he works his body/ just to be somebody/and the working boy becomes a dancing queen.”
The second verse almost repeats the first only with a bunch of new connotations – “every night the DJ kicks off the beat/ Little Cleo’s jumping just to get up on his feet/ waits in her platforms for the right song to come/ sipping his cocktail another night has begun…” The song got a ton of club play and it’s no surprise as to why.
The first single from Sisters Of Avalon is just as brilliant only in a whole different way. “You Don’t Know” is a sarcastic, slap in the face, bitter little ditty set to a downbeat and Cyndi’s vocals are great – “You don’t know where you belong/ you should be more careful/ as you follow blindly along/ to find something to swear to/ til you don’t know what’s right from wrong/ you just need to belong somehow…”
The verses are even more powerful as she sets up her tone of bitchiness – “Relying on rhetoric/ not well versed in topics/ any idea what you’re talking about?/ Revisions of history/ fair well in some company/ but don’t shove that bullshit down my throat…” That’s right she said bullshit and she means it. Cyndi takes on both sides of political hypocrisy in the song, as it totally rips on those hypocrites so likely to share their misinformed rhetoric. “Left suppresses right/ right suppresses left/ so what’s left?/ and what’s right?/ you’re told what to wear/ you’re told what to like/ be nice if you think for yourself sometime/ but you don’t…” “Mix sheer hypocrisy/ with mediocrity/ you play it safe every time / oh so life turns up empty/ and you’re so dissatisfied/ so who do you blame this time/ this time/ or don’t you know?” So great!
One of my all time little ballads by our girl is also from Sisters Of Avalon – the very simple and yet so powerful “Hot Gets A Little Cold” – “Heaven/ you say it could be Heaven/ but I don’t really know/ lovers come and go/ when hot gets a little cold” and my favorite lines, “I could get carried away/ but not anymore/ what was it I heard you say/ you love me cause I’m strong/ I hope you’re not wrong…”
When I first met Miss Cyn it was when she released her EP Shine in 2002, there she was signing and singing for us at the now defunct Tower Records on Sunset (sob! Sob!) and though the album was released in fullness in Japan, I haven’t had the chump change to actually pick it up though I do have a few signed copies of the US EP release. Though it only contained a handful of songs, it did contain two of her best – the rocking ode (or slap in the face) to Anna Nicole – “It’s Hard To Be Me” which is one of Cyndi’s more rock songs of late – “It’s hard to be me/ nobody knows what it’s like to be the envy of mediocrity/ if you could see all my depth and complexity/ I think you’d agree it’s hard to be me…” Apparently Anna wanted to use it for the theme to her show but our girl declined.
On the opposite side of the rocker is the ballad “Water’s Edge” – one of her best songs of recent years – a simple little melody and some very wonderful lyrics – “You say it’s the way of the world/ to somehow co-exist/ that eventually life unfurls a path to happiness/ so I whisper your little secret/ and repeat it under my breath/ I’ll save it for you in my heart/ in case we both forget…” and the powerful chorus, “Oh I wish you could wrap yourself around me/ I am gripped by a loneliness/ oh I wish you could wrap yourself around me/ I’d be released in your tenderness….”
The final album represented on our compilation is 2003’s At Last – a covers album of old 60s standards and pop songs that includes the best version of “Stay” I think I’ve ever heard. Instead of a straight up cover of the Motown classic, our girl added a Spanish flavor to it, why you ask? Well apparently when she was a teenager she and her girlfriend would listen to their stack of 45’s in the girl’s bedroom while in the other room the girl’s mother played her Spanish records, so this is exactly how “Stay” would sound mixed with the two records playing – ingenious, don’t you think.
We close Cynsational in the same way we opened it – the fuzzy old record sound of “He’s So Unusual” from 1983’s She’s So Unusual opens our door into the heart and soul of Diva Lauper while the fuzzy old record sound of “Kindred Spirit” from 1989’s A Night To Remember brings us out of her frenetic world of fun, spirit, love, hate and wonderment… long live la Lauper!
And if you really want your Lauper – head on over to her official website where they have started a petition to get Epic to remaster and re-release her first three albums with bonus cuts, the way we all really want them… http://www.cyndilauperonline.com/
Cyndi Lauper – Cynsational (bub99) Track List: 01. He’s So Unusual 02. (There’s A) Hole In My Heart (All The Way To China) 03. It’s Hard To Be Me 04. The World Is Stone 05. Like A Cat 06. When You Were Mine 07. Water’s Edge 08. Just The Other Day 09. Boy Blue 10. You Don’t Know 11. Stay 12. Calm Inside The Storm 13. Someone Like Me 14. Ballad Of Cleo + Joe 15. Maybe He’ll Know 16. Who Let In The Rain 17. Yeah Yeah 18. Hot Gets A Little Cold 19. Like I Used To 20. Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough 21. Kindred Spirit
Okay, the minute I finished up the Fleetwood Mac compilation I knew I was headed to the land of Stevies for my Nicks Fix, so I immediately put together some of my all time favorite Stevie songs to make a new bubbatunes compilation. But this isn’t just some random greatest hits package instead Mindscape is made as a companion piece to go along with Stevie’s greatest hits collection Crystal Visions. So there are only a couple singles here, both of which never ended up on Stevie’s greatest hits, so they are a very welcome addition here. As for the rest of the cuts, you’ll find mostly album cuts from her five solo albums plus some soundtrack stuff and a rarity here and there from her box set.
Without any further delay, let’s whip out the shawls and the boots and head into the enchanted world of Stevie Nicks.
Stevie has released some brilliant singles over the years but there are just as many hidden gems on her albums as those hits. It’s probably not a big shocker that her solo debut Bella Donna is the album that has the most cuts represented here, but the fact is Bella Donna is probably her best solo album from start to finish. From that big debut I picked the fourth and final single “After The Glitter Fades” – a countrified take on fame and fortune and our girl’s plight with stardom. The opus that is the title track of Bella Donna has some of the coolest ethereal lyrics from our girl, while “Think About It” is a little take on life’s problems and how to deal with them – ‘take on the situation but not the torment/ now you know it’s not as bad as it seems…” and our final track from Bella Donna, is probably my favorite song on the first album “Kind Of Woman” is really just a song about infidelity but with the piano, Stevie’s warble and her great sense of poetic lyrics, it’s excellent.
1983’s The Wild Heart launched Stevie’s most brilliant singles with “Stand Back” and “If Anyone Falls” but for some reason they never bother putting the third single “Nightbird” on a compilation and it’s really one of my all time favorite Stevie singles. Co-written and sung with Sandy Stewart there are a ton of references to past Stevie including an ode to the white winged dove, but all of the lines in the song are brilliant. “and the summer became the fall/ I was not ready for the winter/ it makes no difference at all/ cause I wear boots all summer long…” So cool.
But one of my all time favorite Stevie cuts ever is “Enchanted” and that’s why I chose it to open this compilation – a rocking little ditty about a man who wants our girl, it’s sassy and fun. “Crying in the morning/ trying to be strong/ waiting for the spring to turn into the fall/ love don’t mean what it says at all/ and destiny says that I’m destined to fall… enchanted/ you thought you saw something in my eyes/ enchanted/ it’s a shame that you wanted me/ you didn’t try…” I love it.
Her third solo album 1985’s Rock A Little is my second all time favorite solo album by our little chanteuse. Full of synthy infused rock songs, it launched a few big hits as well but there isn’t a bad song on the album. In fact it was hard to pick out which songs I was going to use on here, but I finally did nail it down to three – the rocking “Some Become Strangers” with it’s sing songy chorus – ‘thing is/ time was/ part of me used to love you/ part of me still does…”,“I Sing For The Things” which has our girl cracking and warbling so beautifully as she talks about the more important things in her life – “You say I have everything/ well I’m living on dreams and chains/ but I sing for the things money can’t buy…” and a great little chorus, “well have you ever been in love/ have you touched the soul of someone?/ did the fear inside make you turn and run?” Not to even mention that Stevie says she will take off her cape for you, and she’ll let her hair down for you – oh yes.
But my favorite from Rock A Little is a steamy little rock song called “Imperial Hotel” that finds our heroine in third person contemplating why she doesn’t have love in her life and opens with one of my all time favorite lines – “he says to her…why do you do it? She says to him…why do you stay?” and then there’s verse 2 with “she sits across the table, the same glass table/ cries to her friend, why am I so alone?/ he says to her baby wo baby baby baby this is the path you have chosen…” and another great line with, “she probably goes under another name/ well that’s a good idea….” All leading with the chorus – “well you can get her/ but you can’t keep her/ and you can’t catch her fall/ well she will call you/ when she needs you/ you know where she lives/ the Imperial Hotel…”
The Other Side Of The Mirror launched the brilliant single “Rooms On Fire” in 1989 but as an album it just isn’t up to the par of her previous three, however in “Whole Lotta Trouble” comes a rocking number that is really good and it’s our one and only inclusion from the album. Though I do own it on CD and may have to go back and give it a few more listens.
By 1994’s Street Angel, it was implied that our Miss Nicks had lost her touch and apparently she isn’t very proud of this album either, however it has two of my favorite songs from the girl – “Blue Denim” is a clever little single not that different from anything she had previously done but still rousing and a great listen – ‘I saw him the other day/ I saw him again…yesterday/I wonder if I’ll ever see him again/ he reminded me of blue denim/ blue gray eyes they change with the color/ change with the sun/ they run with the sight/ they change with the wind/ but they’re always bright/ bright eyes/ blue denim.”
And another of my favorite Stevie tracks – the acoustically driven “Rose Garden” which takes that old 70’s song about being promised a rose garden and turning it all around – “You never promised me a rose garden/ you never said it would be easy/ you never promised a leisure lifetime/ you only said you’d never leave me…” and the kicker in the chorus – “well I never took the time to realize/ how much I needed love in order to survive/ I was so spoiled/ a princess in my time/ and your love was so deep/ and mine so blind…” As the song continues we learn she was never promised a ring of diamonds, only a band of gold, and of course she doesn’t accept it, only to get her big house, big rose garden and everything she ever wanted – everything except a small gold band on her left hand… aw.
When Stevie came barreling back with 2001’s Trouble In Shangri-La, she came swirling like a banshee in the night, proving to everyone that she could still make a solid solo album. I wanted to include almost every song from the album but was obviously limited so I went with two of my favorites – “Every Day” which was a video and a promo single and one that just captures me with its lyrics – and a Natalie Maines duet called “Too Far From Texas” with a bit of a twang, a bit of a storyline and some awesome vocals, its by far my favorite song on Trouble…
From there we had to include some of those little gems Stevie threw on box sets and soundtracks including the excellent Sheryl Crow produced “If You Ever Did Believe” from the Practical Magic soundtrack, “It’s Late” is an acoustic cover of the 50’s little rockabilly song that may seem out of place for Stevie but it’s a song her grandfather always sang and it proves that Stevie can wrap her warble around anything she wants and it comes out perfect.
The ultimate of the little gems is her cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” that was included on the Party Of Five television soundtrack (???) but she does such a frickin’ killer job on the song I can’t believe it wasn’t a huge hit.
To go back into the vaults we put on “Long Distance Winner” which is from the 1973 Buckingham Nicks album which is how it all really started; and the Brett Michaels co-write and produced “Love’s A Hard Game To Play” that was released as a single off of her Timespace: The Best Of Stevie Nicks album in 1991.
Of all the Bubbatunes compilations I make I have to admit that Stevie’s Mindscape is one of my all time favorites. I haven’t stopped listening to it since I made it and because of my love affair for Stevie’s lyrics it is our very first Bubbatune ever to include lyrics. Because I simply must sing along with my girl and it’s always nice to have the right words when swinging your shawl and dancing in your boots.
Stevie Nicks – Mindscape (bub98) Track List: 01. Enchanted 02. Kind Of Woman 03. Some Become Strangers 04. Rose Garden 05. Nightbird 06. Bella Donna 07. Imperial Hotel 08. Too Far From Texas 09. Think About It 10. Love’s A Hard Game To Play 11. If You Ever Did Believe 12. I Sing For The Things 13. Blue Denim 14. Every Day 15. Whole Lotta Problem 16. Free Fallin’ 17. Long Distance Winner 18. It’s Late 19. After The Glitter Fades
I’ve been meaning to make a Fleetwood Mac Bubbatune collection for sometime now. I love me some Mac and there are times when you just need a fix. Anyone who knows anything about the Mac’s history is sure to tell you they really hit their stride when they added Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham to their line up in 1975 and changed from a somewhat jazz band to the California rock of the 70’s that they were to become. Of course I always say, “add a little Stevie Nicks to the mix and you just can’t go wrong.”
I think a lot of Mac fans have their favorite songwriters, which is more than not, made up of Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nicks or Christine McVie. The three of them are the main songwriters in the band and their biggest albums usually have a couple ditties by each with a sometime collaboration between them all. Now it’s probably no surprise that I’m a big Stevie fan – I love her ethereal lyrics and crazy mysticism, but Lindsay is a very close second with his anger issues always on the surface. Of the three Christine’s songs are my least favorite but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t good by any means I mean she is the one who wrote “Don’t Stop”. There are a few Fleetwood Mac compilations out there and I didn’t get all that creative with my track list using a lot of the same songs those others used but where the hits are here, I also opted to put on a few album tracks that are either only on a double disc collection or on the albums themselves. Of course Rumours, the 1977 gigantic selling Fleetwood Mac is represented thoroughly with the singles “Don’t Stop”, “Dreams”, “You Make Loving Fun” and “Go Your Own Way” but also included is the intense “The Chain” and one of the more overlooked songs Stevie’s “I Don’t Want To Know.” For Lindsay’s contribution to the album you need look no further than the ingenious “Never Going Back Again” which is just a rifling little guitar rift but with the infectious harmony vocals of the three singers it’s perfection.
The new line up with Stevie and Lindsay’s addition was the self titled 1975 album that launched for singles Christine’s “Say You Love Me” and the whsipy woman who rings like a bell through the night – “Rhiannon.” But the highlight to me is Stevie’s “Landslide” – a song that is often imitated but never as full of depth as when you hear Stevie’s version. In fact the only thing that comes close to the original from 1975 is Stevie’s own re-working from The Dance album with her and Lindsay playing to each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
After the much heralded Rumours album came 1979’s double album set Tusk, which had a ton of over wrought songs by all three songwriters but where they came down a few notches came out some brilliant songs including Lindsay’s USC Marching Band epic “Tusk” (don’t tell me that you love me huh!), Stevie’s haunting “Sara” (‘drowning in the sea of love/ where everyone would love to drown’) and my fav of all three a Christine composition “Think About Me” that is just as jovial as any of her romantic little endeavors but actually has a little bit of ferocity in it. I thank Lindsay for some reason.
A live album and a few solo albums came between Tusk and Mirage in 1982 but the wait was well worth it as Stevie came up with what is her best Fleetwood Mac single in my mind – “Gypsy”. The whole thing is wonderful from its upbeat tempo to Stevie’s insane vocal, not to mention her exciting lyrics and Lindsay’s super cool guitar solo at the end. The whole thing is definitely a band effort and one of my all time favorites.
But Christine does really well with her contributions to Mirage as well with the lead off single “Hold Me” which is still one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs and a new favorite “Love In Store”.
After more solo albums the band reunited for 1987’s Tango In The Night and came up with another huge success and some of their best singles ever – Stevie’s “Seven Wonders” is one of my favs as well as Christine’s “Little Lies” (though it really is Stevie’s ‘tell me lies’ in her vibrato that make the song), and my all time favorite and our opening cut for Dreams, Lindsay’s “Big Love” (huh huh)
After Tango In The Night the line up started changing every couple of years with Lindsay leaving, Stevie staying and then leaving, then coming back, Christine not wanting to tour etc. etc. There were albums recorded during the time and a few chart hits but with the exception of Christine’s “Skies The Limit” – a song that didn’t chart – there really wasn’t any reason to replace a great song from a well known album just to have an all inclusive time line, so songs from Greatest Hits, Behind The Mask, Time and the newest Say You Will were all shelved.
What wasn’t shelved however was an excellent little reggae-ish Stevie composition “Paper Doll” that was released as a single off of the box set The Chain, and Stevie’s live performance of “Silver Springs” from the reunion concert The Dance. It’s a song that was super important to her when she originally recorded it for the Rumours session in 1977 as she had signed over all the rights to it to her mother as a gift (the woman wouldn’t take money from Stevie). But Mick cut the song from the album going with “I Don’t Want To Know” instead as it was shorter, the original “Silver Springs” ended up as a B-side to the single “Go Your Own Way” and eventually found its way onto The Chain, but only after Stevie had personally requested use of it for her own Timespace, greatest hits collection in 1991. A request Mick refused as he wanted it for the Mac box set, and a request that could’ve been the reason Stevie left the band – that time.
Now the original song can be found on said box set as well as on Stevie’s latest greatest hits Crystal Visions and then of course there’s the live version I’ve included here which was actually a hit.
Fleetwood Mac – Dreams (bub97) Track List: 01. Big Love 02. Don’t Stop 03. Gypsy 04. Go Your Own Way 05. Dreams 06. Hold Me 07. Little Lies 08. Landslide 09. Never Going Back Again 10. Sara 11. Love In Store 12. The Chain 13. Rhiannon 14. Say You Love Me 15. Seven Wonders 16. Think About Me 17. Tusk 18. Silver Springs (Live) 19. You Make Loving Fun 20. I Don’t Want To Know 21. Paper Doll
So what did I do last night? Oh yeah that's right, I went and got myself hitched. Oh yeah, I'm off the market - so sorry boys, but the Leivas and I have made it official - well official in West Hollywood anyway. In this great land known as CaliMexi there are official benefits in being married but there is also a separate license with benefits (albeit a little less) for just West Hollywood rather than the whole California state process.
Yesterday I left work a little early so my man and I could trot on over to City Hall and register as domestic partners - two words I frankly despise but what can you do? That's what they call it. I know it only took him 7 years to lead me to the alter but it was worth it - I'm sure he feels that way.
So now we are officially an old married couple - though if I go into Hollywood I think I'm still single - so watch out Spotlight patrons - I keed, I keed. As for when he can finally trot me off to the State Department and be recognized in all of California - I'm waiting until our tenth anniversary - August 20, 2010 when I am having a full on wedding whether or not we actually get gay marriage - so mark the calendars cause you just might be in the wedding party and if not, I'll still need you to bring me presents.
I now present the Leivasons (by the way that's confetti in our hair - don't ask)
Now that you're dripping with love glow after reading of my nuptials - let's take a look at our 7 Days Of Bubbatunes as we count down to our 100th Bubbatunes compilation. Today we venture into the world of country, pop adult contemporary and a lot of songs with love in the title.
bu95 Anne Murray – Fall In Love Again October 2007
Okay, if you’re done laughing now maybe we can talk a little about this Canadian gym teacher/singer. First let me say anything she sings takes me way back to when I was a kid and my parents had an 8 track player in their old Chevelle. They only had a few 8-tracks and I hadn’t yet been able to swing the whole thing of buying my own music so there were limited things I was able to listen to. Of course I had the Grease soundtrack, but that was the only thing I owned, as for my ‘rents they had a few 8-tracks including Dolly Parton’s Dolly Dolly Dolly which I have since discovered was the Leivas’ favorite Dolly album and of course it became a bubbatune (see bub69). They also had Crystal Gayle’s When I Dream which was the inspiration for bub64 Crystalized, and they had Anne Murray’s Let’s Keep It That Way from 1978 which included Anne’s most recognizable ditty “You Needed Me.”
So when I hear the salty saccharine of Anne’s voice it takes me way back to that time. My parents also listened to country music all through my childhood and anyone who grew up listening to country in the early 80’s knows that country and pop kind of meshed for a few years with people like Juice Newton crossing both charts, and one other person who seemed to be a mainstay on both country and pop throughout the 80’s was little Miss Anne Murray.
First of all, I will admit you may have to be in a certain mood to listen to our compilation Fall In Love Again, but then again that may be said about most of our Bubbatunes. Secondly, I will admit that I do love Anne Murray’s voice. She isn’t all high and sweet like a lot of other ‘adult contemporary’ people. There is a bit of rusty resonance in her delivery and that’s probably why I like her more than some of her contemporaries.
As for the songs, there are some damn fine ditties on here. I mean she didn’t score upteen top tens for nothing. We begin with my all time favorite Anne song, 1983’s “A Little Good News” – it’s an up tempo ditty about the state of the world circa ’83 and other than a few name changes here, the song could be relevant today – “I woke up this morning/ the kids had the morning news show on/ Bryant Gumbel was talking about the fighting in Lebanon/ some senator was squawking about the bad economy/ it’s gonna get worse you see/ we need a change in policy/ There’s a newspaper rolled up in a rubber band/ one more sad story’s one more than I can stand…” and the first chorus, “Tell me nobody robbed a liquor store in the lower part of town/ no one OD’d / no one burned a single building down/ no one fired a shot in anger/ nobody had to die in vain/ sure could use a little good news today” – and it just goes from there mentioning the kids of Ireland and her own desires to hear the news report about something good. It’s actually pretty powerful stuff wrapped up in a little pop/country song.
Most of the rest of Anne’s catalog isn’t quite as deep as love – both unrequited, just found and just lost – make up the sum of her music. But that’s not to say these touches of love are something to make fun or stay away from. I mean she did have hit after hit, and they are all here for us to enjoy – “Could I Have This Dance”, “Shadows In The Moonlight”, “Blessed Are The Believers”, “I Just Fall In Love Again”, “Just Another Woman In Love” – they’re all great, though I must admit I love some of the lines from “Just Another Woman…” the best – “Just another woman in love/ a kid out of school/ a fire out of control/ just another fool/ with you I'm just another woman/ just another woman in love."
There’s some interesting covers that you might not expect as well including a total upbeat and fun cover of the Beatles’ “You Won’t See Me” from her 1974 album Love Song which actually hit #8 on the pop charts. Don’t tell John or Paul but I do love this version, it’s a lot of fun and something a tad more interesting than one might expect from the girl.
One of her most popular first singles was her take on Kenny Loggins’ “Danny’s Song” – “even though we ain’t got money/ I’m so in love with you honey…” and one of my all time favorites was her straight up 1986 pop hit “Now And Forever (You And Me)” which is a song I was looking for forever which is actually what prompted me to make this mix.
Another old time cover is the Monkees’ “Daydream Believer” from her 1980 album I Will Always Love You and I totally remember this song from the radio, and in fact when I first heard the Monkees’ version I couldn’t believe they were doing an Anne Murray song… strange how little kids think isn’t it?
The biggest draw to Anne Murray still seems to be her 1978 pop and country hit “You Needed Me” – it even hit the charts in the UK. It wasn’t until I made my top 100 Singles Of The 70’s list that I realized not only how much I liked the song but how good it really is. Being lifted up on a pedestal until you see eternity is really a dream come true, and though on paper the lyrics may seem a tad cheese whizzy, it’s really not.
Also from the 1978 that brought up “You Needed Me” and the 8-track my parents had all those years ago comes her cover of “Walk Right Back” which when I was a kid I thought it was so cool since most of the album was ballads and here we finally had some upbeat stuff going on. “Tennessee Waltz” is full on old country as also comes from the album. In “Waltz” our girl loses her man at a dance after introducing her man to an old friend of hers, poor girl. I would've included the title cut from Let's Keep It That Way but since owning that 8-track I discovered Miss Tanya Tucker did the song first and since hearing that version, I find it to be the better and why make Anne feel bad just because she's no Tanya Tucker.
To me it’s all about the poppy side of Anne Murray and in the mid 80’s she delivered some pretty good adult contemporary synthesized (think Olivia Newton-John not Depeche Mode) pop including “Time Don’t Run Out On Me” and the crazy “That’s Not The Way (It’s S’posed To Be)” which is almost rock in its delivery.
The twangy 70’s country hits on here as well with “Broken Hearted Me”, “Snowbird” (another very early hit) and “Love Song” – all songs you’d recognize if you have ever seen one of her old Anne Murray sings the hits collections on television. Another thing I happen to remember, our girl really schlepped the television with her collections years before anyone else did.
Apparently Dave Loggins happens to be Anne’s favorite singer and he shows up as her duet partner on 1984’s “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do” which is a pretty good love song except I know it more for the version sung by Whitney Houston and Jermaine Jackson on her first album that came out a year after this version. Anne may be able to sing but I think it’s safe to say she’s no Whit.
Stay tuned for next time when he head to a small town full of pink houses – did you get it? Do you know who’s coming up?
Anne Murray – Fall In Love Again (bub95) Track List: 01. A Little Good News 02. Danny’s Song 03. Could I Have This Dance 04. Time Don’t Run Out On Me 05. Another Sleepless Night 06. Shadows In The Moonlight 07. Blessed Are The Believers 08. Now And Forever (You And Me) 09. Broken Hearted Me 10. You Won’t See Me 11. I Just Fall In Love Again 12. That’s Not The Way (It’s S’posed To Be) 13. You Needed Me 14. Daydream Believer 15. Snowbird 16. Tennessee Waltz 17. Just Another Woman In Love 18. Nobody Loves Me Like You Do 19. Love Song 20. Walk Right Back
Until our next trip to Bubbatunes land - have a great day and don't be jealous just cause I landed some poor schlub - as Anne shows, love is always right around the corner
Welcome back to our 7 days of Bubbatunes countdown to #100 - today we have one of my favorite compilations I have ever done. I'm not quite sure how this woman speaks to me so well but she does. She is smart, intelligent, cohesive and talented, plus she's from music royalty really. Of course I started liking her years ago but she became one of my obsessions. You know how about a year ago I had to have every single Carly Simon CD because I discovered her album cuts were just as good if not better than the singles? Well after I fulfilled my Carly fix I started reading up on this woman and the critics loved, loved and loved everything she did, so I did it. I went back and bought every single album she ever did and that my bubbapals is how we came up with our #94 - oh and she's totally liberal and loud mouthed about her opinions. I like that.
bub94 Rosanne Cash – Rosie Strikes Back September 2007
First, before I get chastised over loving country or anything like that let me just say I frickin’ love Rosanne Cash. In fact I had no idea how much I loved her until the release of her album Black Cadillac last year. I had a real appreciation for her since I found a used copy of her greatest hits on cassette around 1999 but it wasn’t until I started reading about her and most importantly, listening to every single song she recorded that I realized how cool, how relevant, how insanely talented and how important she is to music.
I know people are probably thinking I’ve lost my mind but it’s so not true. First of all in the terms of the pop hybrid of country that took place around the early 80’s it has to be mentioned that it was almost single handedly started by Rosanne Cash. Her debut album Right Or Wrong from 1979 combined more poppy elements than typical country radio was used to at the time. The album produced by Rosanne’s husband Rodney Crowell had a few hits off of it but it’s the gems inside the album where she really shined, and my favorite is the title cut which cuts to the bone about infidelity and how one is supposed to react to it – a theme Rosanne will put through on song after song. In fact that is just one more reason to love her. I can’t think of anyone else who lays it so on the line about her own life as Rosanne has.
In 1981 she hit the biggest cross over with her album and single “Seven Year Ache”, and the album contains great pop country hybrids including “What Kinda Girl?” with awesome lines like, “what kinda girl am I really what? I’m here for love but I ain’t no slut…” and two more hit singles which were a little more country “My Baby Thinks He’s A Train” which has one of my favorite lines ever, “He’s just like a train/ he's always giving some tramp a ride” and the ballad “Blue Moon With A Heartache”.
Her follow up to Seven Year Ache was 1982’s Somewhere In The Stars which again spawned a number of hit country singles but my favorite is one that hardly makes a lot of her compilations, “It Hasn’t Happened Yet” one of the many songs she would record that was written by John Hiatt. The song talks about how the man told her she would be falling apart and going crazy once he left and guess what motherf**** it hasn't happened yet. Okay, I added the mother part but it is a sassy little song. The pop/rock/country confection Rosanne was stewing up around this time is perfectly captured in yet another album track from Somewhere In The Stars, “I Look For Love” which is practically punk country telling the tale of some tramp who drops her hankie and looks for love.
By 1985, our girl was going full blown pop with Rhythm & Romance, complete with a punky rock hairdo and neon pink writing on the album cover. The first hit single “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me” was written after she lost a Grammy award and ironically it’s the song that the following year would win her the Grammy. Of all her early albums I have to say I think Rhythm & Romance is probably my favorite. It is definitely in the pop vein as compared to the twangy country of other artists. “Never Be You” is a Tom Petty composed song she recorded originally for the film Streets Of Fire but her version was replaced by Maria McKee and she re-recorded it for the 1985 album.
Another pop confection complete with a little keyboardy synth rift, again from Rhythm & Romance is “Never Gonna Hurt” a song that would’ve sounded perfect on pop radio circa 1985. Also from my favorite Rosanne album is a piano ballad simply titled “My Old Man” which I’m sure most would know is dedicated to her father Johnny Cash. The song is touching and actually shows a real relationship in only a 2 and a half minute time frame – “Let him be who he wants to be/ cause he ain’t never gonna be young again/ Let him see who he wants to see/ cause he never had too many friends/ ask him how he remembers me/ cause I want to know where I stand/ how I love my old man…”
The best song on Rhythm & Romance is another John Hiatt composition, the total pop/rock of “Pink Bedroom” which tells the sordid tale of a spoiled girl and her place in the world of 1985, she takes valium with Coca-Cola, she wears her short shorts, she has her records and they’re all imports. I love it, and I love the song.
In 1987 Rosanne recorded what is probably one of her more famous albums, King’s Record Shop which launched four number one country singles – which though not all reflected on Rosie Strikes Back, we do include the cover of her own father’s “Tennessee Flat Top Box”, and the title track of our compilation – a little rocky ditty about self perseverance in an abusive relationship – “take the baby and the clothes on your back/ keep walking Rosie strike back” – it’s a pretty powerful little number and again one of those favorites that shows our Rosie will lay it on the line in the songs she chooses to sing.
In 1989 came Rosanne’s first greatest hits compilation (The Hits 1979-1989) containing 12 tracks almost all of which were top ten, if not #1 singles on the country charts. I bought the cassette years later and loved every song including the one here, her rockabilly-ish cover of the Beatles’ “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party”.
There is a story about this particular album which makes me love Rosanne for yet another reason. When I was in Idaho, I worked for Tesh which was a school for mentally challenged adults with varying degrees of handicaps. One older woman couldn’t talk, could barely walk with her walker and just seemed to sit there not aware of much around her. During “Music Class” one day I decided to put up a karaoke machine and have the ones who wanted to participate in it. Well I never in a million years would’ve expected this, but dear old Rhonda practically ran to the microphone when I put on “Seven Year Ache” – the woman could only moan into the microphone but I think it was quite obvious that in her head she was singing the entire song. I left her the cassette tape when I moved to LA.
But I have digressed for now we come into the most important part of Rosanne’s career – the time when she was divorcing and fighting with husband Rodney Crowell. What came about during this tenuous time was the excellent album Interiors. A personal affair that Rosanne wrote and produced pretty much all on her own and an album which stripped the pop right out of her country. Instead you get some upbeat country songs and a lot of introspective lyrics, not only about her relationship but about others as well.
The most haunting song on the album has nothing to do with her marriage but instead is about the state of the world, “This World” opens with “I read a story about a little girl/ she was beat up by her dad/ she was 9 months old/ and he was a full grown man/ she may have been learning to crawl/ he put fist into her / the doctor said, ‘this baby’s gone she can’t be replaced/ Now you read a lot of things in the daily news/ but I’m laying awake at night wonderin’ what to do/ I pray the Lord her soul to keep/ cause all down here are fast asleep/ I want to say this baby belongs to me and you/ so you better wake up…” It’s horrific and probably true which makes it even more disturbing.
Also from Interiors comes “Paralyzed” an excellent little ballad with only a piano and a little ambience as she recalls hearing her parents fight on the telephone. The song is so good that I actually thought it was about her picking up the phone as her husband talked with another woman – either interpretation makes the song very powerful. The whole album Interiors is really something everyone should own - though I must admit when you're done listening to it, it does feel like you were a voyeur studying Rosanne's life - that's how personal the lyrics are.
After Interiors, our girl kept up the momentum of personal lyrics and small arrangements with both The Wheel in 1993 and Ten Song Demo in 1996. Having remarried producer John Levanthal, our girl was a little happier yet not quite serene enough to let the world get away with injustice. The happy part of the album is found in the title cut “The Wheel” and an excellent little ballad “If I Were A Man” is our reflection from 10 Song Demo which is essentially the songs she was working on for her first Capitol Records album but was pushed instead to release the album as the demos she was doing as her producers thought they were so good the way they were.
“If I Were A Man” is an excellent little take on what some might call feminism, “if I were a man/ I’d be so sweet/ I’d give me everything I need/ I’d be so glad to go this deep/ I’d change the way the whole world thinks…” and “If I were God/ I guess I’d know/ I guess my friends would tell me so/ it’d be a heavy line to tow/ if I were God…” I love it.
Rules Of Travel was her next album (1996) and it's an album I had received as a promo when I was working at a magazine and truth be told, despite pretty good reviews and help from some big hitters in the music business including Sheryl Crow, it doesn’t do much for me, except her self composed song “September When It Comes” which is a duet with Johnny Cash, and also one of the last songs he recorded. Interestingly enough he would die in September a few years later.
Which brings us to the end or the beginning for me, with 2006’s Black Cadillac album. During the making of the album – about 24 months of work – Rosanne lost her father, her step mother June Carter and her own mother, Johnny’s first wife. The album is a complete reflection on those losses but in a much better way than you might expect. There is no "whoah is me, how do we go on...” instead there’s real depth and feelings on each and every song – there’s even a bit of anger that seeps through every now and then.
Though I have to admit to loving each and every song on Black Cadillac, this compilation would only lend itself to so much so we take a few of my ultimate favorites. The rockier “Like Fugitives” with its details of the church leading us to hell, and everyone’s half hearted condolences about death; it’s a powerful little number. The title track is all about her father with the lines about a black Cadillac that drove him away, just like the black Cadillac he used to drive. Now one of them is in Heaven and one is here in Hell, while she also gets to reflect that there wasn’t anything she could do for him when he was alive. But don’t let the somber tone get you down because everything here is stated merely matter of fact. “Black Cadillac” even turns up a notch toward the end where some horns kick in tune to Johnny’s big hit “Ring Of Fire.” Musically and lyrically it’s excellent.
To calm down and reflect we have “I Was Watching You” also from Black Cadillac, it’s a beautiful little piano song that begins with her mother and father marrying while she watches from above, as “before there is life there is love” and at the end she is still watching and loving for “Long after there is life/ there is love.” Beautiful stuff.
Hopefully, my short story here about Rosanne Cash will make you run out and buy every piece of music you can get your hands on. From her pop country inflections in the beginning through her numerous number one country hits and straight to her introspective serious work, she delivers no matter what.
And if just cowing her music wasn’t enough you have GOT to check out her monthly story on her website where she’s just as apt to share an old family recipe as she is to attack the government for their insane policies. You just head on over to Mrs. L’s Monthly updates at http://www.rosannecash.com/monthly.html and she’ll once again lay it on the line.
Rosanne Cash – Rosie Strikes Back (bub94) Track List: 01. Rosie Strike Back 02. Seven Year Ache 03. Black Cadillac 04. Pink Bedroom 05. This World 06. What Kinda Girl? 07. It Hasn’t Happened Yet 08. Tennessee Flat Top Box 09. Right Or Wrong 10. I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me 11. September When It Comes (with Johnny Cash) 12. The Wheel 13. Blue Moon With Heartache 14. Never Gonna Hurt 15. Paralyzed 16. My Baby Thinks He’s A Train 17. Like Fugitives 18. If I Were A Man 19. Never Be You 20. My Old Man 21. I Look For Love 22. I Was Watching You 23. I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party
I had a great weekend, first off my pal Luther and I hit up Palm's on Friday. It's supposedly a big old Lesbian bar but on Friday and a few Fridays a month it becomes Dirty Sheets when a friend DJ Rawbert starts spinning mash ups and I start drinking Captain and cokes. The boys of Shitting Glitter were there along with Marc - all my new pals that I love so much. It was a really good time though I have to admit I was a bit of a slow starter and it wasn't until the super kick of the C&C hit me that I really started getting into it. It was a little slow in the bar but I think once people hear about it, it could be quite a super night. Meanwhile, DJ Rawburt also does Blender at the Faultline and though I haven't been yet, I hear it's a big old good time so I'll keep you all updated as I know you're just itching to hear if I end up in wet underwear.
On Saturday, the Leivas pulled me out from under my hangover as the elder Leivas' made their way to our house. They made the trek from Harbor City to bring us this burnt orange 70's chair and ottoman that we just couldn't live without. We're trying to figure out how to get the chair and this crazy ass lamp in the living room to match up. If you've ever seen my lamp you'd know what I mean by crazy ass, I think I'll have to take a picture tonight to show you all how retro I can really be.
After we got the chair, we headed to Peterson Auto Museum which is actually a place I love. I have always been into old cars and they have some cool ones there, but on this particular weekend they had even better cars as it was an exhibit of Low Riders. It was so cool plus I got to learn even more about Chicano culture and this time I was actually with the Leivas' who I was happy to help educate on their historyOn Sunday, the best of the best came about as I headed to Guitar Center to buy what I call "the precious" - a USB Record Player. Needless, to say once I had my little Nokura I didn't leave the bedroom. The guy at Guitar Center was super fun and nice and we chatted about how cool this thing was as we both have such extensive record collections. I left out the fact that my collection consisted of lost Lisa Hartman, Cheryl Ladd and Tanya Tucker albums, but hey it's still just as extensive as his. And now that I have my precious you can bet there are some Bubbatunes re-release albums coming out, so hold onto your wigs and keys kids. And since we are talking about Bubbatunes, I invite you now to our second post (coming in a bit) 7 DAYS OF BUBBATUNES, as I have been making some compilations that I haven't talked about yet. We are going to countdown to next Tuesday when I present our 100th Bubbatunes and it's an exciting one so get ready!
Welcome to the 7 DAYS OF BUBBATUNES as we countdown the last few Bubbatunes compilations I've made recently until we hit next Tuesday when I present our 100th compilation. Oh how very exciting I know....
so without further ado, I give you #93 _
bub93 Martina McBride – McBride’s Ride
CMT’s Crossroads television show is a great little marketing tool – combining rock stars and country stars and having them duet on each other’s songs is pretty ingenious when you consider some of the guests they’ve had on the show – matching up Melissa Etheridge with Dolly Parton is one example but the ultimate for me was a few years ago when my girl Pat a la Benatar joined Martina McBride on stage for one magical night. Apparently Martina was asked to do the show and said she would only do it if they could get Pat to do it. It seems Martina learned to belt out a song by listening to her Benatar records when she was a teenager. How about that?
I was aware of Ms. McBride having witnessed the horrific, yet strangely alluring “Independence Day” video from 1994. I loved the song and I loved the video though of course it was fairly disturbing. For those not in the know, the song is told from the perspective of a girl who’s mother is being abused by her father, while our 8 year old girl hits the 4th of July carnival, the mother burns down the house killing the husband and our heroine becomes an orphan. The song isn’t nearly as downbeat as it sounds, in fact it’s a rocking little tune that has a strange sense of empowerment to it. When it was released no one in radio wanted to touch it, but around the same time it was released a man named OJ was being pursued for abusing and murdering his wife, so I guess it was fairly timely. After liking the song and a few others over the years, it was after I saw the Crossroads show that I really became a fan.
A little while after I decided I loved the woman’s voice she started releasing fairly interesting little songs, of course most of these happened to have some form of horrible abuse or children on the verge of dying as a theme, but really through out country music you find that theme runs rampant.
I decided to make a little mix for the Leivas of Martina’s greatest ditties plus a few album tracks I had decided I really liked and along came McBride’s Ride our 93rd Bubbatune.
Of course I’m always mixing up the track listings so these are not in chronological order, but instead in a nice cohesive little way to highlight her singles, both rockin’ country and straight up belt out ballads, because if anything Martina can belt out a song.
Opening with “This One’s For The Girls” a little anthem of women empowerment, which is a theme I really dig for some reason?? The ballad “Where Would You Be” happens to be one of my all time favs by the girls so it was only fitting it broke up the pumping country pop of “..Girls” and the “Independence Day” kicker. “Anyway” follows which at the time I made the CD was the girl’s brand new single, so you see this is a really up to date compilation.
We go through almost every single one of Martina’s chart scoring singles including some awesome little kicks like “How Far” – a super ballad about how far you would go for love (of course), and the continuing saga of children in peril in “God’s Will” (one of the Leivas’ favorites) and the so horrible you can’t help but stop and listen “Concrete Angel” – the song’s protagonist is a little abused girl who doesn’t get any help from anyone until one night when it’s too late and her image is forever cast in a stone statue – horrific yet excellent.
Then there’s two more worthy of particular mentions, the country rockin’ “Two More Bottles Of Wine” all about trying to make it as a musician and a person and not really caring cause it’s after midnight and the girl still has two more bottles of wine to get her through – it’s a Delbert McClinton song that has been sung by others including Emmylou Harris but Martina does just as good on it making it her very own in an otherwise big career of fairly big ballads.
And speaking of ballads “Wrong Again” is also included and it’s one of the many Martina singles that hit the top ten and it’s one of my favorites. With its inclusion as the second to last song on the compilation it makes it the 15th song on this compilation that hit the top ten country songs – who knew she was that popular?
One of Martina’s biggest hits is the super powered “When God Fearin’ Women Get The Blues” all about some bible thumping housewife who stirs her last pot of gravy and takes off in her supped up Mustang leaving behind the church choir and a small town of confused people. I love it, though I may have elaborated more in the song were I to write it. Regardless, it’s fun, fast and furious and of course included here.
The highlight and the only real rare gem here is our final cut which is the live version of “When God Fearin’ Women Get The Blues” sung with Miss Benatar. I thought it was the fitting conclusion as if it weren’t for this performance (and a few others on Crossroads) that McBride’s Ride wouldn’t have ever even been a thought in the Bubbatunes catalog.
Martina McBride – McBride’s Ride (bub93) Track List: 01. This One’s For The Girls 02. Where Would You Be 03. Independence Day 04. Anyway 05. My Baby Loves Me 06. Broken Wing 07. God’s Will 08. When God Fearin’ Women Get The Blues 09. How Far 10. Happy Girl 11. Concrete Angel 12. Life #9 13. There You Are 14. Wild Angels 15. Whatever You Say 16. Two More Bottles Of Wine 17. Valentine 18. Blessed 19. Wrong Again 20. When God Fearin’ Women Get The Blues (with Pat Benatar) (Live)
Though Flex Rex is now gone that doesn't mean you can't have your Swivek free downloads, so with great and excited pleasure I give you (once again) the latest Swivek album Into The Blue. Just click the link and you can have your very own free download of the entire album, including artwork. Or if you just want a few of the 11 mp3s, click on the individual song titles and download - it's that easy!
I'm going to slowly but surely get all of the Swivek music up at http://www.swivek.com/ for downloading but it may take a bit... in fact if anyone knows of any really good but really (really really) cheap webmasters who would be interested in revamping our website let me know.. I want an overhaul and I want it done right - so obvs my skillz are not going to work.
It would appear that I have quite a social life lately. I have been going to shows, hanging out with friends and even (gasp!) leaving West Hollywood and driving to the Valley! I know, I am a jet setting LA boy if ever there was one.
So this last weekend I finally hooked up with my Val pal Jen and we had a Saturday of watching some classic horror-ish type of flicks. Two from the glorious 80s and one strange little 70s flick. It all started with Jen asking me if I had the movie April Fool's Day starring our other fav Val gal Deborah Foreman - not too mention other actors from such classic films as Friday the 13th Part 2 and Just One Of The Guys - which was kind of strange as I had just been at Amoeba and was planning on buying the flick but thought it was a little too spendy at $15.
With Jen's birthday only a few weeks ago I decided to tell a fib and told her I did own the movie and then before driving through the canyon, I hit up Amoeba in Hollywood and bought her the copy of April Fool's Day.
Of course she loved it, and she also loved the vinyl copy of Lisa Hartman's Letterock I bought her and the 7" (with picture sleeve) of Andy Gibb and Victoria Principal's version of "All I Have To Do Is Dream." But since she didn't have a record player, we opted to watch some flicks instead starting with the uber cool April Fool's Day.
If anyone hasn't seen this classic little film, head on over to Netflix right now and get it. Here's the gist - Lovely and loveable Deborah Foreman plays Muffy St. John who invites all her college pals to her remote island mansion for April Fool's Day weekend. They all come out and after a strange little tragedy on the ferry over, the pranks and the fun really begin. A total send up of Agatha Christie, there's not really too much gore as most of the murders take place off screen, but like most of Deborah's roles, the normal 80s cliches are pushed aside for something a little more intelligent than your standard 80s slasher flick. The cast will all be familiar to anyone who's seen any 80s flicks including Amy Steel and Deborah Goodrich and the ending and the post ending are awesome... Get it, now! You can buy it at Amazon for cheap
For our second flick, we headed to 1977 as I had made a recent purchase. For a whopping $1.99 I got a TV movie classic from that wonderful Amoeba Music - a little movie called "Ants" which features Suzanne Somers, Robert Foxworth, Myrna Loy and a whole heapin' helpin' of crazy pesticide infested ants. I remember seeing this movie on TV when I was a kid and let me tell you it's just as great as I remember it. I love those "when animals go bad" flicks and this is a doozie... check out one crucial and shocking scene:
and we ended the evening with yet another classic, the pseudo zombie/sci fi hybrid of Night Of The Comet, one of my all time favorite movies and a film that my gal Jen - queen of all things 80's - hadn't ever seen! I couldn't believe it. For anyone else not in the know, here's the sitch - a big comet is making its way into our atmosphere circa 1984 and our heroines are part of the whole world celebrating. At a theater, Catherine Mary Stewart as Regina is making out with her boyfriend in a steel encased room while her sister Sam (played by the uber cool Kelly Maroney) is at home with step monster Doris. As the comet makes its way to Earth it appears that anyone left outside is either turned to dust immediately or is slowly disinegrating into dust, including a secret army science barracks outside of LA - as the movie kicks in our Valley Girls seem to be one of only a few living residents on planet Earth and it just gets better and better. Here's a little scene with some bad, mad and slowly disinegrating stock boys harrasing our girls after they do a little shopping at the mall.
and that's the way we spend Saturdays in the Valley!
Location: West Hollywood, California, United States
SHORT VERSION: Bradley Jacobson is a singer/songwriter, sometime actor, sometime writer, audio engineer and producer, and all around happy dude. He was the singer/songwriter of the electronic trashy punky pop band Swivek, but is now a "solo" artist releasing music under his own name.
What do Amy Sedaris and Dolly Parton have in common? Well to tell you the truth I'm not really sure but Miss Jeri Blank (and sister of one of my favorite writers ever) is in the brand new Dolly video "Better Get To Livin'" - don't believe me? Check out the circus themed video out at CMT here - Dolly Video
Swivek has a brand new single out just for you - my fans and friends - the second single from our latest album INTO THE BLUE is now available to download for free!
I had a great weekend, first off my pal Luther and I hit up Palm's on Friday. It's supposedly a big old Lesbian bar but on Friday and a few Fridays a month it becomes Dirty Sheets when a friend DJ Rawbert starts spinning mash ups and I start drinking Captain and cokes. The boys of Shitting Glitter were there along with Marc - all my new pals that I love so much. It was a really good time though I have to admit I was a bit of a slow starter and it wasn't until the super kick of the C&C hit me that I really started getting into it. It was a little slow in the bar but I think once people hear about it, it could be quite a super night. Meanwhile, DJ Rawburt also does Blender at the Faultline and though I haven't been yet, I hear it's a big old good time so I'll keep you all updated as I know you're just itching to hear if I end up in wet underwear.
After we got the chair, we headed to Peterson Auto Museum which is actually a place I love. I have always been into old cars and they have some cool ones there, but on this particular weekend they had even better cars as it was an exhibit of Low Riders. It was so cool plus I got to learn even more about Chicano culture and this time I was actually with the Leivas' who I was happy to help educate on their historyOn Sunday, the best of the best came about as I headed to Guitar Center to buy what I call "the precious" - a USB Record Player. Needless, to say once I had my little Nokura I didn't leave the bedroom. The guy at Guitar Center was super fun and nice and we chatted about how cool this thing was as we both have such extensive record collections. I left out the fact that my collection consisted of lost Lisa Hartman, Cheryl Ladd and Tanya Tucker albums, but hey it's still just as extensive as his.
And now that I have my precious you can bet there are some Bubbatunes re-release albums coming out, so hold onto your wigs and keys kids. And since we are talking about Bubbatunes, I invite you now to our second post (coming in a bit) 7 DAYS OF BUBBATUNES, as I have been making some compilations that I haven't talked about yet. We are going to countdown to next Tuesday when I present our 100th Bubbatunes and it's an exciting one so get ready!
Though Flex Rex is now gone that doesn't mean you can't have your Swivek free downloads, so with great and excited pleasure I give you (once again) the latest Swivek album Into The Blue. Just click the link and you can have your very own free download of the entire album, including artwork. Or if you just want a few of the 11 mp3s, click on the individual song titles and download - it's that easy!
