Playlist : July 18th - 22nd, 2011

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

Well, Revelation 14 has begun and I've recently attended opening night for a screening of the very entertaining Fire In Babylon. Thanks to the reggae and calypso music which punctuated that film, this week's playlist contains a Bob Marley & The Wailers album, as well as a Peter Tosh greatest hits compilation. The general 60s/70s vibe is rounded out with Pink Floyd's epic classic The Wall and the Velvet Underground's debut. On top of that there's the deluxe release of REMs Life's Rich Pageant, Jamiroquai and the follow up to an album I included a couple of weeks back from Boho Fau & Elevated Soul. Plus, there's the obligatory alt country from A.A. Bondy and Lambchop.

Check it out:

• REM - Life's Rich Pageant (Deluxe)
• The Summer Set - Everything's Fine
• Jamiroquai - A Funk Odyssey
• Boho Fau & Elevated Soul – Coffee House Swinger : Brewing Sessions
• Bob Marley & the Wailers - Exodus
• Peter Tosh - The Best Of
• A.A. Bondy - American Hearts
• Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground
• Pink Floyd - The Wall
• Lambchop - Nixon

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Rickie Lee Jones
2. Ratcat
3. U2
4. Queen
5. Hole

Song of the Week : Bob Marley & The Wailers - Get Up, Stand Up

Last night I went to opening night at Rev and they played Fire In Babylon. It was a documentary about the 1970s and 80s West Indies cricket team. Some might be just a tiny bit too young to recall, but others will remember that they were total rock stars of cricket. In fact, the movie states that between 1980 and 1993 they never once lost a test series. But the doco showed that they were once the dancing minstrels of the sport – entertaining to watch and always getting badly beaten. Australia’s fast bowlers at the time, Lillee and Thomson were fond of bowling dangerous bouncers at even their tail enders. After an embarrassing thrashing in Australia in ’76, the Windies set about recruiting some fast bowlers of their own.

Where my song comes from is Bob Marley was a fan of the team and often came into the change rooms. Supposedly the creative period of Jamaican music at the time was inspired by the Windies and the team says the music inspired them. Viv Richards tells how this song, Get Up, Stand Up was his pre-match wind up and he had it in his head every time he went out to bat. It’s a call to arms, a revolutionary cry to stand up for your rights. I need more reggae. It makes your head bob. I was still nodding by the time I got home and I listened to some Wailers in bed. In a way I guess reggae it’s just like soul music, except for the Caribbean.

What the doco showed was that there was terrible racism during the apartheid years even here in AUS from the crowd as well as the cricketers. Tony Greig, then captain of England, made some remark about making the Windies grovel and my lord they let him have it. They felt as if he was degrading their race itself. And those bouncers were no joke!

Do Svidánija

Sunday sees me off to Revelation again and I'll be seeing not 1 but 4 films that day. I'll be trying to find the time very soon to review everything I see on MFNM. Until next week, may the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back and may nobody ever spout Celtic prayers at you again.

Ciao bambinos.

Playlist July 11th - 15th, 2011

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

This week's list has a little bit of a classic rock vibe. I think that has something to do with my slow and steady descent into Audiophile hell. There's no denying that rock music had a certain sound to it in the 70s and that was largely to do with wanky audiophile sound engineers and the nerdy audiophiles who collected records and built great component systems. And the quality of the music, of course.

So what I've got is some classic, remastered Queen, some Steve Miller, a Stax compilation, ABC from the Jackson 5 (that I recently bought my oldest daughter for her 5th birthday on vinyl), two of my favourite Hip Hop LPs from Brother Ali and Pegz, plus some early Ratcat and U2. I threw in the new The Grates and a Rickie Lee Jones for good measure :

• Queen - A Night at the Opera
• Jackson 5 - ABC
• VA - Stax Gold : Memphis Hits
• The Grates - Secret Rituals
• U2 - October
• Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth
• Steve Miller Band - Fly Like An Eagle
• Rickie Lee Jones - Evening Of My Best Day
• Pegz - Drama
• Ratcat - Inside Out

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Gillian Welch
2. Nightmares on Wax
3. Son Volt
4. Bias B
5. The Autumn Defense

Song of the Week : Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen

Because this week has been so stressful, everything has pretty much played as wallpaper to my crappy days. I haven’t really heard anything apart from in the car and at home. Earlier in the week while riding the exercise bike in my office, I watched a DVD I have of a Classic Albums episode – this one on the Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks. It’s a great episode and I recommend you search it out if you haven’t seen it. You can tell by the interviews and the old footage that the Pistols were just a bunch of ratbag kids who were only in it for a laugh, while McLaren was a business man who saw dollar signs in everything but in particular controversy.

This week’s SOTW is a song that clearly made #1 in the UK but was never recorded as such because it was banned. When the papers would list it in the charts, the title and artist would be blacked out or left off completely. I chose this song because it’s astounding nowadays to think it would cause so much controversy. A bunch of National Front members beat up on the band and the sound engineers at a pub because of the song. If you listen to it though, now it’s virtually safe to play to kiddies. Not even NINs controversial Closer raises much of an eyebrow now. And maybe, just maybe, that’s why rock is dead – because nobody can set the world on fire with any shocking ideas any more. Damn you Internet… damn you all to HELL!

TTFN

This weekend is a long one for me, as my very generous employer has given us all Monday off as reward for hard work. I'll be making the most of my surprise break with a trip to the Zoo with the munchkins and the wife. It better not rain!

Whatever you're doing, I hope it's a lot of fun. Peace man, right on.

Playlist July 4th - 8th, 2011

Hello and welcome to Work Tunes.

Straight into the music this week. I was completely floored by Gillian Welch's new one The Harrow & The Harvest and so I'm spinning another of her classics this week in Hell Among the Yearlings. While trawling my iTunes, I found an album I'd forgotten about from Little Barrie and that's here too. Along with some smooth jazz hop from Pete Rock and some even smoother flows from Rakim, I've got two breakthrough classics from Madonna and the Boss, the soundtrack to Larry Clark's 1995 Kids and a little alt country as usual from Son Volt and The Autumn Defense.

Check it out:

• Gillian Welch - Hell Among The Yearlings
• Madonna - Like A Virgin
• Pete Rock & CL Smooth - The Main Ingredient
• VA - Spin Magazine July 2011
• Rakim - The Master
• VA - Kids OST
• The Autumn Defense - Once Around
• Little Barrie - Stand Your Ground
• Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
• Son Volt - Wide Swing Tremelo

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Gillian Welch
2. T. Rex
3. Bias B
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. Ladybug Mecca

Song of the Week : Gillian Welch - Tennessee

The weather is partly responsible for my song of the week. A while ago, I preordered Gillian Welch’s new album. It’s been a long time between drinks for her and when she finally released something, I didn’t hesitate to grab it. The CD is in the mail, but on release day, I got a DL link to lossless quality mp3s of The Harrow & The Harvest.

I don’t know if it’s the cold, or the music or the high quality of the sound files, but the whole thing sounds amazing. I’m not sure what you’d call it, but there’s all this space in the tracks like it was recorded in some huge and ancient cathedral. Dave Rawling’s guitar rings out in the hollows like bells and you can hear the breath in Welch’s voice. I told someone it’s like the whole thing is haunted.

The track is the best example of what I mean about the haunting. The story goes that for all these years since her last LP Soul Journey, they have been recording things and then ditching them as not good enough. What I think has changed for the better is the personal aspect of the lyrics. Where once they’d write old gothic hillbilly tales, these songs are about their own lives but still sound like those Appalachian dirges. It’s just blown me away and is definitely the best thing she’s released since Time (The Revelator). You can stream the whole album at NPR http://n.pr/mvy5lL

Ciao Bellas

That's all folks. I'll see you at the same blog time, same blog channel next week. I'm going to bed now to listen to some tunes before some sweet, sweet sleep. Nighty night.

Playlist : June 27th - July 1st, 2011

Hey there Tunesters, nice to see you. How's things?

My whole household has the dreaded lurgee and so we haven't even been able to go and meet my newborn nephew in person. I had Monday off work and have been popping tablets like an early 90s raver while Mrs coreyj spent the day at home sick today (Friday).

Hopefully when Monday rolls around, I'll be fighting fit and able to tuck into this week's list. Good for what ails me this week is the new (and apparently last) Bias B, new ones from Gillian Welch and Vetiver, another free album from Noisetrade, a Digable Planets MC's solo effort and some T Rex and Marilyn Manson (after I realised the similarities between them). All that and more, see:

• Bias B - Biaslife
• Graham Colton - Pacific Coast Eyes
• Vetiver - The Errant Charm
• Boho Fau & Elevated Soul - Coffee House Swinger
• Ladybug Mecca - Trip The Light Fantastic
• VA - Rave On Buddy Holly
• Gillian Welch - The Harrow and the Harvest
• Marilyn Manson - Lest We Forget
• Marc Bolan & T Rex - Essential Collection
• Pretty & Twisted - Pretty & Twisted

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Josh Rouse
2. Bob Seger
3. Edie Brickell and New Bohemians
4. Bias B
5. David Bowie

Song of the Week : Hole - Plump

I plugged an old DVD player into the Yamaha to serve as a CD player and decided to hear a CD instead of my usual LP for a change. Just by chance of browsing the CD shelves, I picked Hole – Live Through This. After hearing it on CD through the amp, I had to re-rip it in Apple Lossless for the iPod. Putting it into iTunes and rating everything again made me twig that this is very likely my favourite album of all time. There isn't a track on there that I dislike and over half of it is pure gold. I soon commenced to rave about how incredibly good it is and @sunky and others joined in.

Live Through This is seriously a masterpiece of the 90s and imho will hold up for a very long time to come.To look at it, the first 7 tracks on a 12 track LP are the same outstanding quality. She Walks On Me is not as good, then comes I Think That I Would Die and Gutless both superb ending with Rockstar that isn’t as good but better than She Walks. I can not think of another album that I can say that about. Given Hole never touched close to it again, Kurt had to have written at least some of it, surely. Or else Courtney lost all her mojo when he died. I don’t want to believe that last bit, because that makes their story so much sadder and gives me empathy for her. Crazy bitch.

Sayonara

Thanks for visiting. I'll be back next week with another list. Unless I win lotto. In which case, it won't be work tunes, it will just be tunes. You know, on some other blog. ...one powerball.

Playlist : June 20th - 24th, 2011

Hey there tunesters. Welcome to another week at Work.

Last week I had my birthday. I'm 29 now (hey, 30's the new 20, okay!). It was on the whole unremarkable, except I played Hanging With Friends with Crazy Legs! If you haven't read my fanboy gushing tumblr post, it's here. This week I've picked the Brooklyn radio mixtape for 1983 in honour of that. The rest is some more Bowie, the seemingly well-liked The XX, some Hendrix thanks to Song of the Week, Buzzcoks, Radams, a free sampler from Josh Rouse (that you can download yourself) and some other stuff.

Here it is;

• The XX - XX
• Toad The Wet Sprocket - All You Want
• David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
• Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians - Shooting Rubber Bands at the Stars
• Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
• Ryan Adams - Demolition
• Buzzcocks - A Different Compilation
• Bob Seger - Greatest Hits
• Josh Rouse - Summertime (Noistrade Sampler)
• VA - Rub Radio 1983

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. Everclear
2. Kitty, Daisy & Lewis
3. David Bowie
4. Mathew Sweet & Susannah Hoffs
5. Best Coast

Song of the Week : Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower

I was standing there in JB Hifi looking at foreign film DVDs which are unfortunately close to where they sell car stereos and speakers. There was some song playing, way too loud for what it was. Something about loving a stripper. Vapid, autotuned, over-produced crap with a doof beat and “r&b” “singing”. It was driving me mental. So much so, I actually said out loud “This is f$%#^ing shite”, attracting rolled eyes from some douche who worked there and was obviously in charge of the car stereos. So I left that section to get away from it.

As I approached the space where the music DVDs are kept, they were playing something else on the AV receivers and home theatre speakers. It was Jimi Hendrix. I walked over there and two guys from JB greeted me with ‘hello’. I said “the music is waaaay better over this side of the store.” They laughed, not realising I was deadly serious and still pissed that on my birthday my ears had been raped by crap music.

Now, the latest episode of South Park makes fun of how grownups don’t ‘get’ the music of the kids; and how it always sounds shit to older folks. But I’m sorry, there are some things that you just cannot deny no matter how much you go on about changing fashions etc. Because for a start, Hendrix was dead before I was born. This is not my generation’s music. But this fantastic song, written by one of the great songwriters and played by probably the greatest guitarist ever, is straight up superb and there’s just no comparison between it and the completely wrong shit I was forced to endure at JB yesterday.

Adios

This is where I have to leave you and head on over to MFNM to review a little film I saw Wednesday night. In the meantime, I hope you find new and interesting tunes to keep you happy and feeling good. Adios muchachos.

Playlist : June 13th - 17th, 2011

Hey there tunesters. How's everybody doing? You comfortable? Good.

In music news for me this week, I snared a cheap Yamaha RX-550 amp at the Melville markets, along with some Hendrix and Blondie vinyl and some bargain CDs. A few of the CDs I bought have made it onto the list this week. Besides those from Beastie Boys, Ben Folds Five, Prince and the Friends soundtrack, there's the new Daisy, Kitty and Lewis for a bit of brand new old timey rock n roll, some Public Enemy because Chuck D himself now follows me on Twitter (squeeee...) and some other stuff. I added some David Bowie because I feel like my Bowie education is very poor, even though I appreciate much of what I do know.

So this week;

• VA - The Breakers '83
• Best Coast - iTunes Session EP
• Prince - The Black Album
• Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen (Reissue Edition)
• VA - Friends Soundtrack
• Beastie Boys - Solid Gold Hits
• Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - Under The Covers Vol. 1
• Everclear - So Much For The Afterglow
• Public Enemy - Beats and Places
• Kitty, Daisy & Lewis - Smoking In Heaven
• David Bowie - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. The Herd
2. Mos Def
3. The Vines
4. Lucinda Williams
5. Dolorean

Song of the Week : REO Speedwagon - Keep On Loving You

So with my new amp, I have been spinning much vinyl. Besides the Hendrix and Blondie I bought, I have been reaching for 80s compilations that I still have from back in the day, or I got for $2 at various op shops over the years. I’ve rocked out to Duran Duran, Men Without Hats, Falco, Austen Tayshus, you name it.

But the one song that really still RAWKS for me is today’s SOTW; REO Speedwagon – Keep On Loving You. The subtle snake rattle, the grinding pick scrape, the blazing high solo and the cleanly rumbling rhythm crunch just make me want to do that thing Homer does when he throws horns and bangs his head going Yes! Yes! Yes! to Phish or someone.

This freakin’ song, for all its big hair and glam 80s pop juts kicks so much butt. Gentleman, in the words of the immortal Mr Bob Dylan “Play it fawkin loud!”

Ciao Bambinos

For now then, that's all I've got. Enjoy your working week and may Friday afternoon come with speed and precision. Don't forget to be excellent to each other. Stay kooky, kids.

Playlist : June 7th - 10th, 2011

Welcome to a long weekend. It's Labour Day in Western Australia - whatever that means. Seems like we're having a day off to celebrate work. Very Australian.

So it's a short week, but I've got a bunch of songs anyway. I had a blast listening to a 1980s compilation the other day and it reminded me of another, so that's here. I also have the new one from The Vines and the first one from my band of the moment, Dolorean.

And the soundtrack to my next working week looks like this:

• Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
• VA - 20 Years of Lollapalooza
• Dolorean - Sudden Oak
• The Herd - Summerland
• Sarah Nixey - Brave Tin Soldiers
• VA - '85 Heaps Of Hits
• The Vines - Future Primitive
• Mos Def - Mos Definite
• Curtis Mayfield - Give, Get, Take and Have

Top Five Artists Last Week

1. U2
2. Morrissey
3. Eminem
4. R.E.M.
5. Black Box Recorder

Song of the Week : Chaka Khan - I Feel For You

On the weekend, late at night and three Stellas down, I decided to write another post for my Hip Hop blog. It was 1985 Comes Alive. I wrote it from start to end without any planning or re-editing beyond spelling. And things came out that I had forgotten about.

Besides the personal stuff, I remembered how much I had played, scratched, danced to and played again Chaka Khan - I Feel For You. I had the Heaps Of Hits double LP and we were living in the flat in Orelia. One of my uncles, who would have been early 20s then, had given my Mum his stereo and bought himself a new (awesome!) Mirantz kit. The one he gave us was the only thing we had for entertainment for a while until we scored a B&W TV. It was one of those all-in-one things that had a huge speaker at the side and a lid on top that you lifted to get at the turntable. Not ideal for DJ magic, but I scratched Melle Mel’s voice up like (I thought) a demon. Also scratched that record up. I still have it and its hysterical to see all the perfect condition tracks around it and a scratch on that one. I think I barely played anything else on the record.

So here is that track, unscratched, for you. When you play it, picture a 13 year old, still light blonde Corey J poppin’ and lockin’ in a dingey Homeswest flat on the second floor of Hell Block C.

Adios

Thanks for stopping by. If you're in Perth like me, you're going to want to have a great long weekend, so please do. Until next week, asalaam alikum.