June 18, 2008 Playlist

 
 

It's my birthday too, yeah!
The Self Indulgent Birthday show
(Sir Paul McCartney and your host Dave 3000 share a birthday)
"Magical Mystery Tour" by The Beatles (1967)
The Beatles  "Magical Mystery Tour"  1967 (UK)
Today is Sir Paul McCartney's birthday (and it's my birthday too yeah!)  So the CAOTW this week is my all-time favorite Beatles record.  Magical Mystery Tour was originally a British TV special which received dreadful reviews when it aired during Christmas 1967, but the accompanying 6-song soundtrack EP was an instant classic in the psychedelic style of the times.  Their American record company then added five recent non-LP single sides to create this full-length album for the US market (the TV show eventually made it to America in 1976, the same year this LP configuration was released in Britain.)  How could a Beatles album that contains "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Penny Lane" and "I Am The Walrus" NOT be the greatest Beatle record of all time?  Plus "Fool On The Hill", "Baby You're A Rich Man", "All You Need Is Love" -- it's positively crammed with mad classics!
Here's a clip of silly outtakes from the promo film for "Hello Goodbye", a #1 hit single on this album which is Paul's statement about duality (cause he's a Gemini dontcha know.)  And here's another amazing Paul-penned #1 hit also included on this album, "Penny Lane".  Finally, here's a clip from the Magical Mystery Tour TV programme itself, featuring the most demented genius song John Lennon ever wrote, "I Am The Walrus".
"Emerson Lake & Palmer" by Emerson Lake & Palmer (1970)
Emerson Lake & Palmer  "Emerson Lake & Palmer"  1970 (UK)
For my annual birthday show, I always throw in a bonus CAOTW, so here's one of my favorite guilty pleasures from yesteryear -- the notorious prog rock supergroup Emerson Lake & Palmer.  It all kicked off with the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album,  the original "Art Rock" statement, which started a powerful late 60's meme that Rock could be Serious Music, just like Classical and Jazz.  And nobody ever took Serious Rock to a more ridiculous extreme than this super-talented but taste-deprived power trio!  Although their fourth album Trilogy is actually my favorite of their opuses, their debut is a relatively satisfying and sincere stab at combining classical music with heavy rock -- Emerson plays more acoustic than electronic keyboards for this one, and there are no silly epics about space armadillos battling with manticores ("Tarkus") or surrealistic carnivals run by nefarious computers ("Karn Evil 9").
Here's a clip of their debut album's centerpiece "Take A Pebble", featuring the mad Keith Emerson scraping the strings inside his piano.  And here's my favorite of their rocked-up classical pieces, a warp speed version of Aaron Copland's "Hoedown".  The pinnacle of ELP's success was when they headlined the massive (and televised) California Jam festival in 1974 -- here's a bit of "Karn Evil 9".
And finally for something completely different!  Here's a  computerized Japanese anime character singing the third movement of "Karn Evil 9" (somehow, that's strangely fitting -- since the theme of the piece is machines taking over!)
(N) = New Release
(F) = Freeeeakout!
   
Artist Song Album Year Country
The Beastie Boys Jimmy James Check Your Head 1992 USA
Paul McCartney & Wings Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five Band On The Run 1973 UK
Bobby Conn Axis '67 - part 1 Bobby Conn 1997 USA
Bobby Conn Axis '67 - part 2 Rise Up! 1998 USA
Bobby Conn Axis '67 - part 3 Bobby Conn 1997 USA
 
 
The Jimi Hendrix Experience Voodoo Child
("Extra Kosmik" live radio remix)		 Electric Ladyland 1968 USA/UK
Chico Magnetic Band Crosstown Traffic (Jimi Hendrix) Chico Magnetic Band 1970 Algeria
/France
Journey It's All Too Much (The Beatles) Look Into The Future
 		1976 USA
   
 
The Beatles I Am The Walrus Magical Mystery Tour
 CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK		 1967 UK
The Beatles Glass Onion The Beatles (White Album) 1968 UK
Klaatu Older Sir Army Suit 1978 Canada
The Beastie Boys Jimmy James ("original original version")
   / Drinkin' Wine
("Jimi Goes To Japan" live radio remix)		 Jimmy James CD single
 1992 USA
The Doobie Brothers Black Water
("16-To-128 Style" live radio remix)		 The Best of the Doobie Brothers
 rec. 1974 USA
   
 
Emerson Lake & Palmer Take A Pebble
("Kosmik Freakout" live radio remix)		 Emerson Lake & Palmer
2nd BONUS CLASSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK!		 1970 UK
Sonny & Cher,
Bing Crosby,
Tom Jones,
Ray Conniff & The Singers		 Hey Jude (The Beatles)
("Paul Is 66" live radio remix)		 Sonny & Cher Live,
Hey Jude / Hey Bing!,
This Is Tom Jones,
I Love How You Love Me
 1960's-70's USA,
USA,
UK (Wales),
USA
 
 
The Monkees The Porpoise Song (single version) A-side 7" single (The Best of the Monkees CD)
 1968 USA/UK
Star Trek
(not the original actors)		 The Robot Masters Original Stories For Children Inspired By Star Trek 1979 USA
The Pickwick Children's Chorus & Musical Friends Pufnstuf
("16 Style" live radio remix)		 Sesame Street & Other Children's Pop Hits! 1970's USA
James Last I'm Just A Singer In A Rock 'n' Roll Band (The Moody Blues)
(45 rpm live radio remix) 		M.O.R. 1973 Germany
Blue Oyster Cult Monsters Cultosaurus Erectus 1980 USA
Dethkorpz Polaris Dethkorpz IV: The Reserection 1999 USA
Alan Price O Lucky Man! O Lucky Man! (OST) 1973 UK
 
  
The Black Angels
 Snake In The  Grass Directions To See A Ghost (N) 2008 (Light In The Attic) USA
          
   
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