A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today’s selection: Beatles - "Taxman" 1966
A classic tune for Tax Day - from the album "Revolver"
If you drive a car, I'll tax the street
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet
A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today’s selection: Boys Don't Cry - "I Wanna Be A Cowboy" 1985
Inspired by Clint Eastwood westerns. The band wrote the entire song in about an hour on a Sunday, recorded it, and spent three hours mixing it.
The band's only "hit"; #1 in New Zealand, #4 in Australia, #11 in South Africa, and #12 on the US. Only #77 in native Great Britain.
"The song was meant to be a joke and to make people laugh, but also we thought it would make a great dance track. That turned out to be true"
Continue reading →A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today’s selection: Deep Purple - April
A lesser known tune off Deep Purple's lesser known third album "Deep Purple" released in 1969. "Hush" off their first album ("Shades Of ...") gave the band a presence in the US but their second album (Book of Taliesyn) did not do well (#54) with a cover of "Kentucky Woman" being the most successful cut. "Deep Purple" was even less successful (peaking at #162). It wasn't until their 4th studio album - "In Rock" - released in 1970 that the band could be considered successful with "Black Night", "Child In Time", "Speed King" as significant cuts.
Continue reading →A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today’s selection: Vangelis - "Glorianna" 1988
Off the album "Direct" - another of my favorite albums ... (as opposed to single cuts).
SK got talking about opera ... which led to the soundtrack of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" in a Rolex commercial (my fault) ... which then reminded me of this cut.
Continue reading →A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today’s selection: Ozric Tentacles - Space Out
I'd say Pink Floyd on acid, but that's a bit redundant - at least regards Pink Floyd's early days.
How about Pink Floyd with a bit of Porcupine Tree, both on acid?
The vast majority of their songs are instrumentals because, "I've never really liked vocals. Words always get in the way, make everything too specific. Our music is more about creating moods and giving the listener the chance to get whatever they want out of it. Music is better than singing."
English psychedelica.
Continue reading →A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today’s selection: Waterboys - Red Army Blues
I changed my mind about this week's tune. I kept the Russia theme - inspired by a comment by John Fleming about Stalin in last week's tune post:
"That evil demon Stalin used Russian patriotism to keep himself in power. May he reside in the nethermost circle of Hell where Satan chews his bones with that of Judas Iscariot for all eternity."
A 17yo Russian joins the army in 1943 as a patriot, is part of the conquest of Berlin - and after the war, is sent to a gulag by Stalin because he might have become Westernized for having mingled with Americans.
When I left my home and my family
My mother said to me
"Son, it's not how many Germans you kill that counts
It's how many people you set free!"
*******************
"Dressed in stripes and tatters
In a gulag left to die
All because Comrade Stalin was scared that
We'd become too westernized!"
"Used to love my country
Used to be so young
Used to believe that life was
The best song ever sung
I would have died for my country
In 1945"
Two books, "The Forgotten Soldier" written of the German view, and "The Day of Viktenty Angarov", the account of a Russian soldier, inspired Scotland's The Waterboys' Mike Scott to write the song.
We didn't win the European war, the Russians did - but our help shortened the effort.
I hope Trump and Putin can finally put an end to this century-long mess. It's not the Soviet Union anymore.
Hell, if we can be "friends" with Japan and Germany (maybe). And China and Saudi Arabia ...
A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today’s selection: Russian Army Choir - Полюшко поле (aka Song of the Plains; Meadowlands)
Can't really say I'm a Russophile but I don't think of Russians as my enemy either - in spite of spending my childhood huddling under my desk to aid in identifying my burnt remains save me from Soviet nuclear attack. It's a place I'd like to visit, at least St Petersburg.
Way back when ... I was in 8th grade ... Vietnam raging and the Soviet Union evil incarnate ... I had a social studies teacher (a WWII vet) who told us that in our lifetimes, there would be a good chance that we'd see the US turn into a police state and Russia become the land of freedom. About the only thing I directly remember about 8th grade ...
While that teacher has not yet been proven correct - or incorrect, I can't say I've seen anything recently to disavow me from the notion that both countries seem to be on that path.
I'd much rather the US was "friends" with Russia than some of those we (supposedly) are friends with - say China and Saudi Arabia.
A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today’s selection: Tones & I - Dance Monkey
This one's not so obscure. Released in 2019 by an Australian singer, Toni Watson; spent 24 weeks at #1 in Australia
It completely slipped my mind that yesterday was Tuesday until I realized today is Wednesday ...
A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today’s selection: Mary Carter Stuart - "Going Back To Olive Hill"
Seems most everything ever recorded has made it to YouTube so it's hard to find "obscure" ...
But I think this one may be a challenge even for ghostsniper.
Olive Hill, KY is Tom T Halls' home town.
Continue reading →A sample of some obscure – and some maybe not obscure – tunes from my strange and off-the-wall collection.
Today’s selection: Arzachel - Queen St. Gang
An English psychedelic band under pseudonyms released a single album Arzachel in 1969. This particular cut is aka "Soul Thing".
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