Extra Mayhem - 23rd June 2009
[Welcome to another Extra Mayhem. Tonight's theme was the color green. I've been aiming to tie in themes to current events, so this one was timed to tie in with the political situation currently going on in Iran. Green has been the color of the protesters who have been arguing for a recount and examination of the recent election results. So it seemed appropriate and turned into one hell of a show, especially combined with tonight's Wholesale album. The podcast of the theme show goes about half an hour longer than normal as I had a ton of stuff to fit in, but it was definitely worth it.
Now, because it's late and I would like to sleep at some juncture, onward.]
J's Extra Podcast: 23rd June 2009 Show
Kermit the Frog - "Bein' Green" [so, first off, i mislabeled the song on the podcast. i always assumed it was called "it's not easy being green," but i'm wrong. this was written by joe raposo for kermit to sing in the first season of sesame street and it's been associated with him ever since. i could be really correct and say jim henson was performing this, but c'mon people.]
Blitzen Trapper - "The Green King Sings" [from wild mountain nation. i do so enjoy blitzen trapper.]
Vic Mizzy/Eddie Albert/Eva Gabor - "Green Acres" [i wasn't sure at all how to label this. vic mizzy was the composer and, of course, the stars of the show, eddie albert and eva gabor, are the voices actually singing the song. my parents actually allowed me to move my bedtime back half an hour when i was younger in order to watch green acres on nick at nite. i still think it's a prime example of brilliant absurdist comedy.]
R.E.M. - "Green Grow the Rushes" [from fables of the reconstruction. to clarify from my utter confusion on-air, this was their third album. a very memorable r.e.m. guitar line if there ever was one, too.]
>
Chris Stamey - "Shades of Green" [from travels in the south. i've always enjoyed this song a lot - it's very sentimental in its remembrance of recklessness. it reminds me of the song "rebellious" by kacy crowley.]
Deerhunter - "Green Jacket" [from microcastle. deerhunter is a pretty unique band - i don't care if their name gets confused with all the other 'deer' names.]
Type O Negative - "Green Man" [from october rust. you know, i'll stick up for type o negative. i know i only pull them out for certain theme shows, but i still enjoy playing october rust every so often. it's big, silly fun in a way that was never quite as showy and over the top as the same sort of big-rock mockery that marilyn manson styled himself with.]
Green Jelly - "Three Little Pigs" [from cereal killer soundtrack. a song that had my ear from the first time i ever saw the video on mtv back when i first started listening to music. compare the podcast to the video and see if you can catch the seamless editing job lyrically.]
>
Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf - "Red Light Green Light" [from their one and only album, big ideas. great early 90s hip-hop. and i like the conceit of the song, too.]
Sonic Youth - "Green Light" [from evol. i was just discussing with a friend earlier tonight how neither of us have any sincere love for early sonic youth. i know it's a failing on my part, but my top three sonic youth records are all from either the 90s or the 00s. and then this song popped into my set just to prove me wrong. not bad.]
Elvis Hitler - "Green Haze" [from disgraceland. an early form of the mash-up? i love the absurdity of this song and yet, it's so catchy and rockin'. credit warren defever who would go on to form the completely different and amazing his name is alive.]
Yo La Tengo - "Green Arrow" [from i can hear the heart beating as one. a lovely instrumental track.]
>
Shakin' Stevens - "Green Door" [i've never heard another song by this guy, but i downloaded this years ago because it was the number one song in the UK on the day i was born. it's a throw-back sounding cut of rock and roll and pretty fun, really.]
Miles Davis - "Blue in Green" [from kind of blue. it being summertime, it'll be time to pull out kind of blue and to revel in its amazing tones. that album is an experience.]
Gist - "Greener Grass" [from the c81 compilation. we talked about c86 music a lot here recently, but before the NME put that comp out in 1986, there was an earlier post-punk heavy comp in 1981. back when i did a piece on c86 for aquarium drunkard, a person in comments was nice enough to link to their blog where they had made the c81 comp available. so go snag it if you're interested.]
the National - "Green Gloves" [from boxer. one of the band's finest moments, without a doubt.
>
the Olivia Tremor Control - "Green Typewriters" [from ..dusk at cubist castle. on the album, "green typewriters" appears as tracks 12 through 21 and, indeed, the song does appear as 9 parts. landed smack in the middle, as it does, of an album full of hazy psychedelic pop, its shards of musique concrete and pop majesty are really affecting. i get kinda hyper when talking about this band, so better you just listen to all 23 minutes of it yourself.]
[Tonight's Wholesale album took a bit of debate to choose. Not because I was picking between bands, but because I was picking between albums by one band. Namely the first two records by Big Star. Both of them got a reissue this past week with the re-packaging of the 2-for-1 CD edition of #1 Record and Radio City, their first two albums, respectively. The new reissue doesn't add much to the first CD issue - a couple of single edits as bonus tracks - but at least they are back in print this way. A 4 CD box set of all of their albums plus a ton of outtakes and live recordings is due in the late summer.
Why did I end up going with Radio City? Two words: "September Gurls." On my list of perfect pop songs, it stands, nay, towers above so many - rivaled only, really, by the La's "There She Goes" in terms of pure, pop perfection. It's also a bit darker and more desperate than #1 Record. That album's pop-sweetness held it together - here the overall affect is much more unsettling and urgent. It's an amazing record that is an important piece of the power-pop puzzle. Tonight's Wholesale album of the week is..]
That'll do it for another Extra Mayhem. I'll be back on Wednesday for Indie/Rock Mayhem. Until then, take care.
Now, because it's late and I would like to sleep at some juncture, onward.]
J's Extra Podcast: 23rd June 2009 Show
Kermit the Frog - "Bein' Green" [so, first off, i mislabeled the song on the podcast. i always assumed it was called "it's not easy being green," but i'm wrong. this was written by joe raposo for kermit to sing in the first season of sesame street and it's been associated with him ever since. i could be really correct and say jim henson was performing this, but c'mon people.]
Blitzen Trapper - "The Green King Sings" [from wild mountain nation. i do so enjoy blitzen trapper.]
Vic Mizzy/Eddie Albert/Eva Gabor - "Green Acres" [i wasn't sure at all how to label this. vic mizzy was the composer and, of course, the stars of the show, eddie albert and eva gabor, are the voices actually singing the song. my parents actually allowed me to move my bedtime back half an hour when i was younger in order to watch green acres on nick at nite. i still think it's a prime example of brilliant absurdist comedy.]
R.E.M. - "Green Grow the Rushes" [from fables of the reconstruction. to clarify from my utter confusion on-air, this was their third album. a very memorable r.e.m. guitar line if there ever was one, too.]
>
Chris Stamey - "Shades of Green" [from travels in the south. i've always enjoyed this song a lot - it's very sentimental in its remembrance of recklessness. it reminds me of the song "rebellious" by kacy crowley.]
Deerhunter - "Green Jacket" [from microcastle. deerhunter is a pretty unique band - i don't care if their name gets confused with all the other 'deer' names.]
Type O Negative - "Green Man" [from october rust. you know, i'll stick up for type o negative. i know i only pull them out for certain theme shows, but i still enjoy playing october rust every so often. it's big, silly fun in a way that was never quite as showy and over the top as the same sort of big-rock mockery that marilyn manson styled himself with.]
Green Jelly - "Three Little Pigs" [from cereal killer soundtrack. a song that had my ear from the first time i ever saw the video on mtv back when i first started listening to music. compare the podcast to the video and see if you can catch the seamless editing job lyrically.]
>
Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf - "Red Light Green Light" [from their one and only album, big ideas. great early 90s hip-hop. and i like the conceit of the song, too.]
Sonic Youth - "Green Light" [from evol. i was just discussing with a friend earlier tonight how neither of us have any sincere love for early sonic youth. i know it's a failing on my part, but my top three sonic youth records are all from either the 90s or the 00s. and then this song popped into my set just to prove me wrong. not bad.]
Elvis Hitler - "Green Haze" [from disgraceland. an early form of the mash-up? i love the absurdity of this song and yet, it's so catchy and rockin'. credit warren defever who would go on to form the completely different and amazing his name is alive.]
Yo La Tengo - "Green Arrow" [from i can hear the heart beating as one. a lovely instrumental track.]
>
Shakin' Stevens - "Green Door" [i've never heard another song by this guy, but i downloaded this years ago because it was the number one song in the UK on the day i was born. it's a throw-back sounding cut of rock and roll and pretty fun, really.]
Miles Davis - "Blue in Green" [from kind of blue. it being summertime, it'll be time to pull out kind of blue and to revel in its amazing tones. that album is an experience.]
Gist - "Greener Grass" [from the c81 compilation. we talked about c86 music a lot here recently, but before the NME put that comp out in 1986, there was an earlier post-punk heavy comp in 1981. back when i did a piece on c86 for aquarium drunkard, a person in comments was nice enough to link to their blog where they had made the c81 comp available. so go snag it if you're interested.]
the National - "Green Gloves" [from boxer. one of the band's finest moments, without a doubt.
>
the Olivia Tremor Control - "Green Typewriters" [from ..dusk at cubist castle. on the album, "green typewriters" appears as tracks 12 through 21 and, indeed, the song does appear as 9 parts. landed smack in the middle, as it does, of an album full of hazy psychedelic pop, its shards of musique concrete and pop majesty are really affecting. i get kinda hyper when talking about this band, so better you just listen to all 23 minutes of it yourself.]
[Tonight's Wholesale album took a bit of debate to choose. Not because I was picking between bands, but because I was picking between albums by one band. Namely the first two records by Big Star. Both of them got a reissue this past week with the re-packaging of the 2-for-1 CD edition of #1 Record and Radio City, their first two albums, respectively. The new reissue doesn't add much to the first CD issue - a couple of single edits as bonus tracks - but at least they are back in print this way. A 4 CD box set of all of their albums plus a ton of outtakes and live recordings is due in the late summer.
Why did I end up going with Radio City? Two words: "September Gurls." On my list of perfect pop songs, it stands, nay, towers above so many - rivaled only, really, by the La's "There She Goes" in terms of pure, pop perfection. It's also a bit darker and more desperate than #1 Record. That album's pop-sweetness held it together - here the overall affect is much more unsettling and urgent. It's an amazing record that is an important piece of the power-pop puzzle. Tonight's Wholesale album of the week is..]
Track Listing
1. O My Soul [click here to listen]
2. Life Is White
3. Way Out West
4. What's Going Ahn
5. You Get What You Deserve
6. Mod Lang
7. Back of a Car
8. Daisy Glaze
9. She's a Mover
10. September Gurls [click here to listen]
11. Morpha Too
12. I'm In Love With a Girl
1. O My Soul [click here to listen]
2. Life Is White
3. Way Out West
4. What's Going Ahn
5. You Get What You Deserve
6. Mod Lang
7. Back of a Car
8. Daisy Glaze
9. She's a Mover
10. September Gurls [click here to listen]
11. Morpha Too
12. I'm In Love With a Girl
That'll do it for another Extra Mayhem. I'll be back on Wednesday for Indie/Rock Mayhem. Until then, take care.
Labels: big star, extra, theme show, wholesale
2 Comments:
At 8:03 AM, June 23, 2009,
Justin Steiner said…
I downloaded #1 Record/Radio City a few months ago and can't believe it took me all these years to own a copy. Brilliant stuff.
At 1:28 PM, June 25, 2009,
J. Neas said…
It really is one of those records that when you finally hear it, makes you wonder where it was hiding all this time. And then makes you feel silly for not having heard it. And then you get over it and just rave about it for years to come.
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