Mark E. Smith (Mok E. Smee-uth-ah)

Work has been getting a bit outta control as of late and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. So for now, I guess I'm out of business here. I will try to post from time to time, but unless something changes, that's about it. Suppose I could find time here and again on the weekends... so don't give up just yet.

Now for the song...


The Fall - "Mansion" - 1985

(Buy The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace from Amazon.com)

As everyone knows by now, John Peel passed earlier this week. There's really nothing much for me to say about that other than everything that has been said already... so R.I.P. John. Strange though that nothing much was said in the blogging community that I've been able to find about an equally brilliant man who passed just a week earlier... That man was Greg Shaw of Bomp! Records. Check out Bomp! here: (BOMP!) Both are great losses to the music world and my deepest sympathies go out to their families... they will be missed.

John Peel was probably the main reason The Fall ever made it to radio, and so, for that reason, I chose this song. If you play it loud enough, maybe John will hear it from that great big mansion in the sky.
Thanks for listening,
Ronney D.

Work calls...

Sorry, nothing new today. Stuck at work and starving. Check back tomorrow.

Ronney

Something Old... Something New-ish

The Church - "Song in Space" - 2003

(Buy Forget Yourself from Amazon.com)

This one came up on my iPod Sunday night at work. I'm not even going to get into the history of The Church. Go here for that. Instead I'm just going to tell everyone who hasn't heard them in a while to go buy Forget Yourself NOW! This is without question the best Church album since Starfish. Everyone remembers "Under the Milky Way" - right? If you don't have that one, you should buy it too. Might as well buy everything you can find by them. They're just that good. I am also posting this The Church - "Roman" from their 1986 release Heyday as a means of comparison.



Oh how I miss paisley shirts.

(Buy Heyday from Amazon.com)

The Church official website

Thanks for listening,
Ronney D.

Hanging in the Air Apparent...

The Dream Academy - "The Edge of Forever" - 1985
The Dream Academy - "The Love Parade" - 1985

(Buy The Dream Academy from Amazon.com)

I'm sure everyone has heard The Dream Academy's Life in a Northern Town, but if you didn't buy the album, chances are you haven't heard the rest of it. There are at least two other tracks (which you might find posted here) that are worth a listen. I guess it is possible that you've heard The Edge of Forever if you've ever seen Ferris Buehler's Day Off. It's in there, as well as The Dream Academy doing an instrumental cover version of The Smiths, Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want. The Edge of Forever is probably my favorite track off of this record for two reasons - 1) I'm a real sucker for breathy vocals - 2) The pounding drums at the beginning of the song. Yeah, it also has LOVE appeal. You can never get too much of love, or maybe that's lovin'. Speaking of love - I have also posted The Love Parade, my other fave from this record. Again, breathy vocals - YES! Some nice little da da da da da's as well.

Other items of note on this record... It was co-produced by David Gilmour, who also plays acoustic guitar on The Party... Pete Buck from R.E.M. plays electric 12 string on same said song.

Currently (or lately - like say the past 10 years or so) the members of The Dream Academy have been up to:
Nick Laird-Clowes: Trashmonk
Gilbert Gabriel: Futurasound
Kate St. John: Channel Light Vessel as well as some solo work.

More info here: The Dream Academy

Thanks for listening,
Ronney D.

I Remember! I Remember!

Wire - "Ahead" - 1987


(Buy The Ideal Copy from Amazon.com)

One of the best things about spending my teenage years in New Orleans was the fact that as long as you had an ID - which I did, you could gain access to any bar/club you wanted, so I did. Most weekends, I would have friends visit from other cities, and for some reason, we'd always end up at a hole in the wall dance spot called "La Boucherie". (Traditionally, a boucherie was a communal butchering sponsored by a Cajun family and joined by neighboring families. Cattle or swine were usually slaughtered, and the meat and by-products were shared among participants. Boucheries ensured a fresh supply of meat for the community, and also provided an opportunity for socializing. Refrigeration made the boucherie unnecessary, but the practice still occurs on a limited basis, and largely for social purposes. The town of Sorrento hosts an annual boucherie festival each October.) Sources: Ancelet et al., Cajun Country; Brasseaux, Acadian to Cajun.

As I recall, every time I visited La Boucherie, I would hear this song (which turned out to be my introduction to Wire) and without thought, I was dancing like a stripper on crack.

In 1996, Band of Susans covered Ahead on Whore, a Wire tribute album. Although, it was my least favorite track on the disk, maybe you will enjoy it - so here it is.

Band of Susans - "Ahead" - 1996


(Buy Whore from Amazon.com)

Thanks for listening,
Ronney D.

Sticks and stones...

Paul McCartney - "Check My Machine" - 1980


(Buy McCartney II from Amazon.com)

This is about the most oddball (but damn if it isn't catchy) song I've ever heard by Sir Paul McCartney. It's the B-side to the single "Waterfalls" from McCartney II and for my money is far more enjoyable. I've been checking every machine I can find since I first heard it. Just not really sure which machine Paul's talking about... maybe I should check my head. Hmmm.... maybe that's what he had in mind. But come on, how can you go wrong with an intro by Barney Rubble? If you're not walking around all day tomorrow singing this one, let me know, I'll send you a cookie. McCartney II has been reissued with Check My Machine as an extra track, so if you dig it, pick up a copy. Sir Paul could really use the money.
Once again - thanks for listening,
Ronney D.

Could this be the day?

Echo & the Bunnymen - "Over the Wall" - 1981


(Buy Heaven Up Here from Amazon.com)

I used to work as a runner in the CBD of New Orleans. One of the ladies in the office and I used to talk about music. Apparantly her brother was a dj at some point and once she found out I liked Echo & the Bunnymen, she brought me a promo copy of this little gem. The album, Heaven Up Here, was their second and probably their darkest. This particular track seems to hit home right now with the elections coming up. It gets me fired up, so to speak, to do something about the shit that we find ourselves in as a country. So watch the debate tonight, VOTE!, and perhaps hand in hand we can make it Over the Wall that Furious George has built up around us.
Thanks for listening,
Ronney D.