Chic Blue Foghat Legend (July 15th - 19th)

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

There's not a second to spare tonight. I simply must get away and watch SHARKNADO! A movie about a tornado full of sharks - what's not to like?! Let's ride! 

I recently started watching Freaks and Geeks and one mention of Foghat and here we are. More 70s style from Chic and for a more serious 70s sound, there is Patti Smith's brilliant Horses. Also brilliant but world's apart is a Digable Planets favourite. Another favourite is from Dinosaur Jr. I've picked a tribute to Nick Drake that I've been meaning to hear for a while and will probably add Drake's Pink Moon on next week's list. Also a tribute of sorts, a new suite of remixes for Bob Marley's Legend LP. I chose Alopecia from Why? because I haven't played it for a while. The latest from Josh Pyke is here so I can give it a listen and lastly, also new, Jay-Z. 

Check it out:

• Josh Pyke - Beginning and the End of Everything
• Bob Marley - Legend Remixed
• VA - Way To Blue (The Songs of Nick Drake)
• Chic - The Chic Organization (Greatest Hits)
• Digable Planets - Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)
• Patti Smith - Horses
• Foghat - The Best Of Foghat
• Why? - Alopecia
• Jay-Z - Magna Carta Holy Grail
• Dinosaur Jr. - Without A Sound

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Josh Rouse
2. The Lemonheads
3. Son Volt
4. David Bowie
5. Chelsea Light Moving

Song of the Week : The Easybeats - Good Times

Back in, I guess, '87? when this song Good Times was released by INXS featuring Jimmy Barnes, I was a huge fan of both artists. I also had no idea that it was a cover. I later found that out, but had never heard the Easybeats original until this week.

Listening to it now it is obvious why Jimmy Barnes would choose to cover it. That even sounds like him on backing. Did he pinch his scotch soaked scream from The Easybeats all along? Is he even older than he appears and that is him?! Who knows? 

As for the song, that 60s rock n roll sound is immense. The main riff like the standard E A A E (e.g. "Mama took those batteries E A A E She took em away E A A E") blues refrain played after every line in the verse. The percussion all symbol and snare with the rolling bass drum. The little handclaps and Yeahs! It's so 60s and a little bit Aussie. In short, the perfect song for INXS and Jimmy Barnes to cover in the late 80s.   

Adeus 

That's Portuguese for goodbye, or so Babelfish tells me. I'm a fan of the Portuguese people; they gave us Nandos and one of my best friends from primary school. Shout outs to Steve B! 

Boa noite, amigos. Hasala malakim.

Playlist : September 5th - 9th, 2011

Hello and welcome to another Work Tunes.

This week's list is fairly diverse and includes some new selections as well as old, Oz Hip Hop, 90s alternatunes, ATCQ inspired by Michael Rappaport's documentary, 60s/70s cuts and disc one of an 80s underground compilation.

Let's get right into it.

• VA - Left of the Dial : Dispatches from the 80s Underground (Disc One)
• Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue
• Patti Smith - Outside Society
• The Herd - Future Shade
• Bob Dylan - Another Side of Bob Dylan
• Sloan - Select Singles
• The Sundays - Blind
• Josh Rouse and the Long Vacations - Josh Rouse and the Long Vacations
• Gotye - Making Mirrors
• A Tribe Called Quest - The Love Movement

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Velvet Underground
2. Bob Dylan
3. R.E.M.
4. Blitzen Trapper
5. The Replacements

Song of the Week : Nas - Not Going Back

On the drive from Rockingham to Kwinana on Saturday, I saw some of the dodgiest people and places I’ve seen in a while. I pulled up into my old local petrol station to fuel the car and there’s six blokes squeezed into a beaten up SS Commodore, smoking at the pump, mind. And of course, giving me the absolute death stares.

It made me think about a time when I would have asked them wtf they were staring at. But I just don’t have that mentality now and I can’t believe that anyone does. But it’s everywhere you look down there. It’s some kind of pre-emptive defense mechanism where they just treat everyone who isn’t their own as if they mean to do them harm or should be harmed.

Shit goes deep but it probably stems from feeling like you’re backed into a corner and there isn’t a way out. I used to feel it and I don’t anymore. My song is Nas – I’m Not Going Back. And though it’s all about not going back to being a criminal, for me it’s about how I just don’t belong down there anymore.

Goodbye for Now

Enjoy the tunes. Happy Father's Day to all the Australian Dads for Sunday. I hope your is as good as mine.

As always, asalaam alikum.