mixed cd Archives - Ramblin' with Roger

The way we sang off-key

Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Charlie Mingus

Here’s more Mixed CD music. “The way we sang off-key” comes from one of the songs.

Hey Bartender– Floyd Dixon and I Don’t Know – Willie Mabon. I have these on an Atlantic Blues CD. I assume they made the cut because they both appear on that Blues Brothers album, Briefcase Full Of Blues, here and here, respectively. The label was implicitly saying that those songs came from somewhere.

Salt Peanuts – Gillespie/Parker/Powell. That would be Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and the rest of the Quintet, Max Roach, and Charlie Mingus. I almost certainly learned of the song from the Pointer Sisters’ version.

They Can’t Take That Away from Me – Sarah Vaughan. I LOVE the way she sings “off-key” intentionally off-key.

45 Men in a Telephone Booth – Four Top Hatters (1955). My father had a 45 of this song. When I saw this tune, and a few other songs, on a Cadence Records CD compilation, I HAD to buy it.

Walkin’ the Blues – Willie Dixon. The shot at the singer’s MIL sounds like something my father might have thought.

More than 98.6F

Fever – Little Willie John (#28 pop, #5 RB in 1956). I heard the Peggy Lee version (#8 in 1958)first.

Stranded in the Jungle – the Cadets (#15 in 1956). This is such a strange song.

Why Do Fools Fall In Love – Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers (#6 in 1956). I always loved the bass vocal intro. It’s so iconic that Joni Mitchell covered the song on one of her live albums.

Blue Suede Shoes – Carl Perkins (1956). This was a massive hit for him, #2 for four weeks. But he was in a severe car crash at the time and was unable to exploit the momentum. Lots of folks only associate the song with Elvis Presley.

April in Paris – Count Basie (1956). I’m a fan of the Pop Goes the Weasel version that signals the two short encores. I know someone who is irritated by it; so it goes.

Mixed CD: Flick Tunes

from 1965 to 2003

Being Academy Awards weekend, I thought I’d share songs from movies. It’s from a mixed CD I made in 2007 called Flick Tunes. Interestingly, I haven’t seen three of the movies, yet I own the soundtracks on CD.

Morning Hymn/Alleluia – Nun’s Chorus. The Sound of Music (1965) won five Oscars, including Best Picture, and was nominated for five more, including Julie Andrews as Best Actress in a Leading Role. Though my mother owned the soundtrack LP, and I played it a LOT in my childhood, I never saw the movie until I saw it on video with my wife and daughter in 2013.

I’m A Soldier In the Army of the Lord – Lyle Lovett, The Apostle (1997). I am positive I saw this movie on Washington’s Birthday weekend in 1998 with my ex-girlfriend Susan to see Robert Duvall’s Oscar-nominated lead actor performance.

John Rudolph

In Your Mind – Johnny Cash. Dead Man Walking (1995). I saw it at the Spectrum. Susan Sarandon won as best lead actress. Sean Penn (lead actor), Tim Robbins (director), and Bruce Springsteen (the title song) were all nominated.

The Great Beyond – R.E.M. Man On The Moon (1999). At the Spectrum with my wife. Jim Carrey won the Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, but the film failed to gain any Oscar noms.

I’m Going Home – Sacred Harp Singers at Liberty Church. Cold Mountain (2003). I never saw the film. Renée Zellweger received the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The movie received four other nominations, including Jude Law as Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Beware Verwoerd – Miriam Makeba. Amandla! (2002). The subtitle is “a revolution in four-part harmony.” I saw it at the Spectrum.

In The Name Of The Father – Bono and Gavin Friday. In The Name Of The Father (1993). I saw it at the Spectrum. It was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director (Jim Sheridan), and Best Lead Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis).

Revolution – Grandaddy. I Am Sam (2001). I never saw it, but it has a bunch of Beatles songs. Sean Penn was nominated as Best Lead Actor again.

Overture To The Sun – Terry Tucker. A Clockwork Orange (1971). I saw it, quite possibly alone, and I felt brutalized. Yet I love the music. It was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Director (Stanley Kubrick) and Best Picture.

Train song

Ridin’ The Rails – k.d. lang and Take 6. Dick Tracy. I was disappointed that this track does not appear on the lang box set. I never saw the movie, which won three Oscars, including Best Music, Original Song: Stephen Sondheim for the song “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)”; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration; and Best Makeup. It was nominated for four others.

Lonely Avenue – Ian Gillian and Roger Glover. Rain Man (1988). I saw it. As I recall, a critic particularly loathed this song as a bastardization of a great Ray Charles song. [Shrugs] The film won four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Lead Actor, Dustin Hoffman; Best Director, Barry Levinson; and Best Original Screenplay; and nominated for one other, cinematography.

Tennessee Plates – Charlie Sexton. Thelma & Louise (1991). I saw it in the cinema. THR deemed this film #18 on the list of Hollywood’s 20 Most Erotic Movies. Callie Khouri won Best Original Screenplay, and the film received four other nominations, including for director Ridley Scott and lead actresses Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon.

Ma ‘Tit Fille – Buckwheat Zydeco. The Big Easy (1986). I recall disliking the film, which I saw with Susan at the Spectrum, but loving the music.

The first film on this list that I saw

Ballad Of Easy Rider – Roger McGuinn. Easy Rider (1969). I saw it when I was in high school. Two Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson) and Best Original Screenplay (Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern).

The Funeral (September 25, 1987) – George Fenton and Jonas Gwangwa. Cry Freedom (1987). Three Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor (Denzel Washington), Best Musical Score, and for the title song (both Fenton and Gwangwa)

At that point, I might have quit after that stirring finish.

Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive – Clint Eastwood. Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil (1997). I saw this film shortly before my trip to Savannah in 1998 and recognized some landmarks.

You’ve Got A Friend In Me – Robert Goulet. Toy Story 2 (1999). My wife and I saw all four Toy Story movies; not one was with a child. Randy Newman was nominated for Original Song: When She Loved Me. I saw Randy Newman once.

And finally:

Gump – Weird Al Yankovic. Although I own the soundtrack to Forrest Gump (1994), most tracks are too obvious. This parody of Lump by The Presidents Of The United States was more suitable. BTW, Forrest Gump won six Oscars: Best Picture, Best Lead Actor (Tom Hanks), Best Director (Robert Zemeckis), Adapted Screenplay (Eric Roth), Film Editing, and Special Effects. It was seven more, including Gary Sinise for Best Supporting Actor.

Mixed CD- Heart

SPAC

heartbreak It’s time for Mixed CD – Heart, it being Valentine’s Day. Some are happy love spongs, some not so much. And since I love music, I’m noting if I saw the artist perform.

You Really Got Me – the Kinks. I didn’t pay that much attention to the group until a few years after they broke through.

Caught Up In The Rapture – Anita Baker. My friend KD recently reminded me that when we saw her at the Palace Theatre in Albany on March 25, 1986, I met her, and she got us backstage where we saw Jack Nicholson, in town to film the movie Ironweed, and boxer Mike Tyson, who trained around the area.

Love Is Everywhere I Go – Sam Phillips. I first heard her during the TV show Gilmore Girls.

How Sweet It Is – Marvin Gaye

Passionate Kisses – Mary Chapin Carpenter. I have several of her albums. This is a Lucinda Williams song; her I saw at the Newport Folk Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs, NY, on Aug 9, 1998, and at least once in Washington Park in Albany in the mid-1990s.

Stepping Out With My Baby – Tony Bennett. I saw him at Tanglewood on September 5, 1998, with Diana Krall opening. A great show.

I Do It For Your Love – Paul Simon. I saw him perform in Albany at the Knick Arena in March 1991.

My favorite song from Tapestry

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow – Carole King. With James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.The only time I ever saw JT was at the anti-nuke demonstration on June 12, 1982. Joni I saw on August 22, 1974 at SPAC, then in Philadelphia in 1981.

Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby – Diana Krall. I saw her on 8/8/2023 at a disappointing show.

Tempted – Squeeze. One of the finest groans in all of pop music.

Good – Better Than Ezra

Someone To Lay Down Beside Me – Linda Ronstadt. She was also at the 12 June 82 demonstration.

For No One – the Beatles. I saw Paul McCartney on July 5, 2014 at the Knick Arena (or whatever they were calling then) in Albany.

Season Of Hollow Soul – k.d. lang

Time and Tide – Basia

I Believe – Stevie Wonder

I Love Everybody – Lyle Lovett. He was the headline artist at the Newport Folk Festival at SPAC in 1998.

Can’t Nothing Be Love But Love – the Temptations. This was from the Norman Whitfield wah-wah era. I saw the Temptations twice, once during the Reunion tour at the Colonie Colesium in 1982, and a couple of years later at Heritage Park in Colonie near Albany.

Music of the early 20th century

Ezekiel 37

This music of the early 20th century became another mixed CD, which I’ll probably complete next month.

Maple Leaf Rag – Paul Schoenfeld. Right away, a bit of fiction. I did not have a Scott Joplin recording, which does exist (!), in my CD collection, so I went with another. But I can’t find that on YouTube, so you must settle for the original!

Who’s Sorry Now – the Rhythmakers. This song receives a very different take by Connie Francis (#4 in 1958). The tune hit the charts by five different artists in 1923, but it does not appear to include the Billy Banks-led group. Classic Ersie two-step.

Bizet Has His Day – Les Brown (1941). This is based on Bizet’s Farandole from L’Arlésienne-Suite. I’m a sucker for popular songs swiping classical themes.

Run On For A Long Time – Bill Landford and the Landfordaires (1949). As I noted here, this recording was the foundation of Moby’s Run On.

Little Brown Jug – Glenn Miller (1939),. It’s Glenn Miller.

Hit That Jive, Jack – Nat King Cole. When I was aware of Nat Cole, he released songs like Ramblin’ Rose, People, and Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer, which were fine. But early Nat was great.

Which bone is connected to which?

Dry Bones – Delta Rhythm Boys. This song was inspired by Ezekiel 37 in the Hebrew scripture/Old Testament of the Bible. Here’s a version where the camera focuses on the parts of the singers’ bodies. I put this track on a Biblical sources Mixed CD. The CD I took the track from was the soundtrack to the movie Rain Man; I love the first half of that album.

Cow Cow Blues – Meade Lux Lewis (1951). It’s probably from an Atlantic Blues CD.

Rag Mop – the Ames Brothers (1950). This was a #1 song for two weeks. But I first heard a version of it on the Beany and Cecil cartoon show when I was a kid. I looked for a decent YouTube video but found a lot of remixes; here’s a snippet. You may know the song from the Muppet Show, as shown here.

The Mixed CD cavalcade

“new” music

The Mixed CD cavalcade solves two of life’s little problems for me. But first, what IS it?

In 2005, when I first started blogging, I went to my friend Fred Hembeck’s roster of links. I visited several of my fellow bloggers, often leaving comments.

One of them, Lefty Brown, organized a mixed CD swap with a bunch of us, including Fred, Eddie Mitchell, SamuraiFrog, Mike Sterling, and even Greg “living in a desert” Burgas. I reviewed some of these collections back then in my blog. We almost always created a list of the enclosed songs.

Fred and I also had our private exchange of music. Several of Fred’s involved Beatles covers, so I reciprocated.

Then, I got so into curating music that I started making mixed CDs for myself. Oddly, though, I never included a playlist. So I have about 30 discs, and I have no idea what’s on them other than the title. (1966/67, War, Troublemakers)

Also, I need “new” music to augment the playing of albums tied to the artists’ birthdays. So I’ll play some of these, and they’ll become blog content. And when I run out of mine, I’ll play those discs from Fred and probably the others. Some of them are very good. Some are weird. These are not mutually exclusive terms.

One reality is that I have no computer with a disc drive presently, so I can’t make more of these. I suppose it could make me sad. Instead, I’m grateful for the ones I already created. Call it a smidgen of musical nostalgia.

1966/67

If I had to play only one year of music, it would be 1966. It was the year I turned 13. When I used to listen to an oldies station in the early 1980s that played songs from 1955 to approximately 1974, about 30% of my favorites were from 1966. I’m not saying the music was better, but it did resonate more for me.

Here are the first ten, with the remaining 16 coming up soon—all of them I still own on CD.

Cool Jerk – the Capitols. I wrote a whole post about this track. My, I love this song. Incidentally, Grammarly wanted to change Cool to Fantastic.

Keep On Running– The Spencer Davis Davis Group. This song has long been in my head. This is the first song of an unauthorized collection called Winwood, which I bought in a store then.

Along Comes Mary– the Association

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer – John Lee Hooker

Till The End Of The Day – the Kinks

I Feel Good – James Brown

Got To Get You Into My Life – The Beatles. It’s probably my second favorite Fab Four song.

Hold On, I’m Coming – Sam and Dave

Everlasting Love – Robert Knight. This song by Jamie Dornan was one of the best things in the movie Belfast.

Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart – the Supremes. This is my favorite Supremes song, and I never understood why it only went #9 pop, #7 RB on the Billboard charts. I have this extended version from a Supremes anthology.