Episode 108: Another Sunny Day

Dedication in the used copy of Belle and Sebastian’s biography I picked up at The Strand bookstore in New York City a couple years ago.

I discovered Belle and Sebastian later in college than most. It’s not that I didn’t get its music; it’s just that I already listened to many other twee bands (and the bands they influenced). Don’t get me wrong, I liked If You’re Feeling Sinister, but I just didn’t see what the big deal was. Then I started paying attention to the lyrics…which you don’t necessarily do if you’re into twee or indie pop.

Does it diminish a band’s worth to consider the context in which it creates music? Does it put a damper on that moment you discover a new band to consider the other bands in its scene? Does it make a band seem less creative when you find out what’s in the lead singer’s album collection?

I think it’s always important to consider context when analyzing art, especially music (because that’s what I know best). It’s especially important with someone like Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch, who is obviously a referential writer. This is why I devote Episode #108 to the musical ancestry of Bell and Sebastian. Have I exhaustively discussed every band that influenced Murdoch? Or course not, but they are all very influential. (And, if you read the band’s biography, Belle and Sebastian: Just another Modern Rock Story, you’ll find many pages devoted to Murdoch’s adoration of these bands.) This show is a starting point for many evenings getting caught in internet wormholes, discovering obscure Britpop bands.

At any rate, in the era of publicly-accessible Spotify playlists, I’m unsure that I need to merely make podcasts amounting to little more than shuffled playlists and commentary. I hope you find focused shows like this helpful. I still bristle at the idea of themed shows; I just want to help everyone grasp the context in which my favorite music is created. Enjoy.

1. “Do You Remember Walter?” – The Kinks (The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society / Reprise / 1968)
2. “One of These Things First” – Nick Drake (Bryter Layter / Island / 1970)
3. “Caroline Goodbye” – Colin Blunstone (One Year / Epic / 1971)
4. “Down but Not Yet Out” – Felt (Forever Breathes the Lonely Word / Creation / 1986)
5. “I’m in Love with a Girl Who Doesn’t Know I Exist” – Another Sunny Day (Air Balloon Road / Sarah / 1990)
6. “Another Sunny Day” – Belle and Sebastian (The Life Pursuit / Matador / 2006)

Radio Free Raytown – Episode #108 (10/5/12)

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Episode 86: Too Much on My Mind

A couple weeks ago, I re-loaned This is Where I Belong: The Songs of Ray Davies and The Kinks to a friend.  He’s been playing it in his koffeeshop, re-reminding me of Davies’ genius.  (As if I ever forgot, right?)  Since then, I’ve been on a krazy Kinks kick.  It’s almost as if I’m back in kollege when I discovered the band.

The funny thing about my musical discovery process is that because my parents kared so little about rock and roll (they, in fact, were decidedly against it), I didn’t take any usual path to the important albums.  I didn’t start with Rubber Soul or Are You Experienced? to learn about the 1960s.  I heard about The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society, and dove into that.  My discovery of The Beatles’ albums would come much, much later.

Anyway, on to the show.  If you live in Raytown, you have to love a guy named Ray, right??  Enjoy.

1. “Till the End of the Day” – The Kinks (The Kink Kontroversy | Reprise | 1965)
2. “Sunny Afternoon” – The Kinks (Face to Face | Reprise | 1965)
3. “Village Green” – The Kinks (The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society | Reprise | 1968)
4. “Shangri-La” – The Kinks (Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) | Reprise | 1969)
5. “Too Much on My Mind” – The Kinks (Face to Face | Reprise | 1965)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1415312/86radiofreeraytown.mp3″

Radio Free Raytown – Episode #86 (8/5/11)

Episode 68: Between the Zero and the One

In lieu of an introduction to this week’s show, I just have some further comments on some of the songs that didn’t make the recording.

I indicate that “Shutout” hints at the direction Scott Walker would go with his solo work.  That’s only partially true.

The Walker Brothers had broken up in the late sixties, and Scott recorded several solo records before the band reunited in the mid-70s.  His first four records are quite good, but refuses to discuss the others, as they were label-demanded, failed forays into MOR adult pop.  He already had a solo career; it didn’t start after Nite Flights.

After Nite Flights, though, the quality of his output was fairly consistent.  (He was selective about what he released, only three albums and two soundtracks in next 25 years.)  “Shutout” is probably his most accessible song, so don’t expect it all to be as danceable and Bowie-ish.

As I mention in the show, Transmit Pulse is one of Andrew Sallee’s solo projects (he’s also in Namelessnumberheadman, who is playing at The Record Bar on the 29th).  Make him rich and buy his songs online.

At any rate, I hope you enjoy the show.

1. “Shutout” – The Walker Brothers (Nite Flights / GTO / 1978)
2. “Something Better Beginning” – The Kinks (Kinda Kinks / Reprise / 1965)
3. “The Cord Unwinds” – Transmit Pulse (“The Cord Unwinds” digital single / Scatterplot Sounds / 2011)
4. “She Turns to Flowers” – The Salvation Army (Happen Happened: Befour Three O’Clock / Frontier / 1993)
5. “5/4” – Young and Sexy (Panic When You Find It / Mint / 2006)
6. “Green Grow the Rushes” – R.E.M. (Fables of the Reconstruction / I.R.S. / 1985)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1415312/68radiofreeraytown.mp3″

Radio Free Raytown – Episode #68 (1/21/10)

Sunday Spin Setlist (10/11/09)

I am playing some records at Benetti’s Coffee Experience on Sunday, to kick off the store’s weekly Sunday Spins.  I will have a sign-up sheet for you to bring an album next week, so will hopefully I will be providing fewer records each week.

Most of the time at these events, I will play entire sides of albums.  To keep things mixed up, I have chosen only to play one side of each album.  I’ll occasionally break from this and play an entire album if warranted, like when I play A Love Supreme in a few weeks.  (I already anticipate people’s criticisms about only playing half of these albums, but trust me, you will still get plenty of deep album cuts and non-singles.)

Since album sides usually run about 20-25 minutes, you can plan on a different side about every half hour.  I’ll start at 6:00, so plan accordingly, if you want to hear a particular record.  (I’ve included links describing the albums, so do your homework.)

1. Duke Ellington – 70th Birthday Concert (side 1)
2. Ray Charles – Greatest Hits (side 1)
3. Oscar Peterson – Night Train (side 2)
4. The Supremes – Where Did Our Love Go (side 1)
5. The Kinks – Kinkdom (side 2)
6. Buddy Miles – We Got to Live Together (side 2)
7. Yes – Close to the Edge (side 2)
8. Herbie Hancock – Head Hunters (side 1)
9. Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come (side 2)
10. Elvis Costello – This Year’s Model (side 2)
11. XTC – Black Sea (side 2)

Oh yeah, and I’m going to post the next episode of Radio Free Raytown tomorrow morning, making your Friday even better!