Hello All,
Welcome to the second volume of my AZ project! Hopefully you got something from the first.
Again, I am creating this series of MixTapes by selecting songs to represent each artist’s work up on my CD shelf. Yes, that is from an actual physical CD–as for now I won’t attempt to tackle the 10,000-plus “items” stored up digitally on my computers.
Taking this on from A and continuing through the entirety of the alphabet until I touch down upon Z, this certainly provides direction and a forward momentum of its own. However, the challenge lies in selection and finding a flow to thread it all together.
Although every song found on these might not be what I normally would present on a mix, or even be something I’d typically recommend, I’m positive the results will at least be more interesting than a standard music block on your radio. I must admit that in the case of some of this music I might not have listened to it in about two decades, and I’m sure that there will be a few I’ve actually never listened to more than once if at all. However, in my opinion, so far so good.
So here on volume two we’ve got Ar to Bal.
Oh and in case you missed it from the first volume, a little explanation on all the inserted scribbles:
In addition to the mix, I plan on pairing each song with a line or two of quick poetic impression. Utilizing each track as a mandala—a target for focus—or perhaps as a prism to refract thought, I think of this aspect of the AZ project as a Solitaire variation on the Surrealists’ game of Exquisite Corpse. Hopefully in the end I’ll have a few good poems to show or at least a good line or two, but even that concept of “good” doesn’t seem all that important for this project. A psychic investigation and a form of exercise to keep my imagination limber and help the creative juices to continue to flow: sure this may all be a bit self-indulgent, but hell, what isn’t in this world?
Anyway, once all that is completed my intention is to present them stitched and somewhat refined in structure at the bottom of the post.
Oh, I invite you all to create your own and if you like feel free to post them in the comments section below.
Anyways, Come on and click below to continue on what is sure to be a long, long, long and bumpy ride.
…as always,
–ENJOY YOURSELF–
Oh, and as somewhat of an aside, I must say that I’ve never heard a rhyme more perfect and playful than Ira Gershwin’s:
Yes, Jonah, he lived in a whale,
Oh Jonah, he lived in a whale,
he made his home in
that fish ab-domen.
Oh Jonah, he lived in a whale.
—————————(CLICK TO LISTEN & DOWNLOAD)————————
AZ— VOLUME 2
- It Ain’t Necessarily So – Louis Armstrong (ft. Ella Fitzgerald) (from What A Wonderful World)
- Broken Mouth Blues – Nic Armstrong & The Thieves (from The Greatest White Liar)
- They Don’t Make Love Like They Used To – Eddy Arnold (from Last Of The Love Song Singers: Then And Now)
- Children Play With Earth – Arrested Development (from 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days In The Life Of…)
- On A Beach – Richard Ashcroft (from Alone With Everybody)
- Extra Kings – The Avalanches (from Since I Left You)
- Chest’ è l’africa – Enzo Avitabile & Bottari (feat. Hugh Masekala) (from Salvamm’o munno)
- Even Stranger – Baby Elephant (Bernie Worrell, Prince Paul, Newkirk) (from Turn My Teeth Up!)
- Listen To Me – Baby Huey and the Babysitters (from The Baby Huey Story)
- The Medicine – Baby Lemonade (from 68% Pure Imagination)
- La Belle Et La Bête – Babyshambles (from Down In Albion)
- Slow Down – Backbeat Band (Greg Dulli, Thurston Moore, Don Fleming, Mike Mills, Dave Grohl) (from Backbeat Original Soundtrack)
- Stone On The Water – Badly Drawn Boy (from The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast)
- Long Gone – Syd Barrett (from The Madcap Laughs)
- Individual – Bad Religion (from Stranger Than Fiction)
- Danger/Think Twice/World Keeps Turning (Outro) – Erykah Badu (feat. China Black & Roy Hargrove) (from Worldwide Underground)
- Tears Of Rage – Joan Baez (from Any Day Now)
- I’d Like To – Corinne Bailey Rae (from Corinne Bailey Rae)
- Who Loves – Matteah Baim (feat. Devendra Banhart) (from Death Of The Sun)
- Meboli – Balkan Beat Box (feat. Vlada Tomova) (from Balkan Beat Box)
A—————————————————— — — — ————- ———Z
——————– – – — —– — – – – ——- — — ————— — –
They’ll tell you that there are only a few avenues, four perhaps, through which to take it and go:
swallow, spit, smile, or chew.
But it’s not true, and much more likely some confluence of those along with some other unknown element.
• It Ain’t Necessarily So – Louis Armstrong (ft. Ella Fitzgerald) (from What A Wonderful World)
—————— —- — – ———————– – —– — —– –
We take it on the arches only to return with feints, jabs, and other charms of learned behavior.
He’ll tell her that there are only five cognitive functions:
perception; memory; attention; language; and intelligence.
but I just don’t know about these ideological assumptions.
—“Is it getting better?”-“Are we getting worse?”-“What works?”—
And over the remote, row-upon-row of massive servers roaring away, adverts ask:
“Who will you be a year from now?”
• Broken Mouth Blues – Nic Armstrong & The Thieves (from The Greatest White Liar)
———————– — — – ————— – —— – – ————–
Respire in the subtle all.
They’ll point out to a portion of the fluid and shout:
“Look! New moving parts!”
But some of us focus on
the alchemy in stomata and lungs;
trading in diamonds and coal.
“What works?”
With this ring
I thee wed;
with these songs
We will make it work.
• They Don’t Make Love Like They Used To – Eddy Arnold (from Last Of The Love Song Singers: Then And Now)
—————– —– ——– — — – – – – — – ————— ——— –
So we dig out and dig in:
O Great Creator
Let us now water our gardens in the morning
Let us now join in play in the dirt for another afternoon
And in the evening, let us supper together
before we join in on that other dig…dig?
• Children Play With Earth – Arrested Development (from 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days In The Life Of…)
— – – – – ——————————— — – – –
Suicide at a cellular level.
and as we arrive to a point where we think there’s nothing left but all this & perhaps a bit of all that,
We point,
We tell ourselves stories.
We know there’s something more.
• On A Beach – Richard Ashcroft (from Alone With Everybody)
————– — — ———– —- — — ———————– —- – –
The familiar game of catch-and-kiss-and-jealous-and-kiss-and-release—
Someone will get you.
• Extra Kings – The Avalanches (from Since I Left You)
——— – – – – —————- – – – – – – – – – – –
Enjoy your meal
The four courses have been prepared
Enjoy your meal
• Chest’ è l’africa – Enzo Avitabile & Bottari (feat. Hugh Masekala) (from Salvamm’o munno)
————– — — — – – – – —- – ———
We dance with callous…
…before we unveil the soft orbit of our hearts
• Even Stranger – Baby Elephant (Bernie Worrell, Prince Paul, Newkirk) (from Turn My Teeth Up!)
– – – ——— — – – ——————– – – —- –
If there be anyone who still feels
they still have something left to say
still
listen and speak
why not when
after all
We’ve been falling all this time
• Listen To Me – Baby Huey and the Babysitters (from The Baby Huey Story)
————— – —————– —— —————- – —-
Particularly those that please,
All volatile chemicals are symbols,
through which we come to understand,
given enough time.
Let us now have time enough
for all this & perhaps a bit of all that.
• The Medicine – Baby Lemonade (from 68% Pure Imagination)
——— —– — – — – – – – — — – – — – – – – – – –
Beauty & The Beast & Bread & Circus
That familiar game…the clip-clop of horse-hooves & heartbeats
• La Belle Et La Bête – Babyshambles (from Down In Albion)
———– ————– ————– ———— ——– ———– –
“Slow Down”
:in all things, no better words of advice were ever passed from lips:
“slow down”
• Slow Down – Backbeat Band (Greg Dulli, Thurston Moore, Don Fleming, Mike Mills, Dave Grohl) (from Backbeat Original Soundtrack)
—— —- – – – — — — — – – – – – – – – ———- – – – –
We go
headlong into the dissolve we go
We go
but it need not be frightening for no one
Sad
Sure
we remember sometimes
We go
• Stone On The Water – Badly Drawn Boy (from The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast)
———— ———- —- – – —- — — — —- — — ——————–
Return,
to what?
Drop the feint and jab of your mad bird act
long enough for our orbits
to go
where they will
• Long Gone – Syd Barrett (from The Madcap Laughs)
—————————————– — ———————- – – – – – – –
Let us now fall through the cracks together
Who cares for forgot
or remembered?
Let us now fall through the cracks together
• Individual – Bad Religion (from Stranger Than Fiction)
— — — — — — — —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– —– – – – —— —————
—(you’ve got me feeling-some-type-of-way/I’ve got you feeling-some-type-of-way)—
• Danger/Think Twice/World Keeps Turning (Outro) – Erykah Badu (feat. China Black & Roy Hargrove) (from Worldwide Underground)
——— —————- —————— —————— —— ———————
Betrayal?
Sure
Forgiven
Hurt?
Still Here
We Go On
—I Love You—
• Tears Of Rage – Joan Baez (from Any Day Now)
—— – —— – – – — — – — – – ——————– – – —- —- – — – – ———
tender orbit
touch
tender orbit
• I’d Like To – Corinne Bailey Rae (from Corinne Bailey Rae)
— — – ——– — – — – —
Return,
to who?
Who loves you, baby?
• Who Loves – Matteah Baim (feat. Devendra Banhart) (from Death Of The Sun) [photo by Lauren Dukoff]
—I Love You—
• Meboli – Balkan Beat Box (feat. Vlada Tomova) (from Balkan Beat Box)
————————– — — – ——- – – – – – —————– – – –
BAL (Ballast Tank Prayers For Those In Love, and Other Dialogues With God)
They’ll tell you that there are only a few avenues, four perhaps, through which to take it and go:
swallow, spit, smile, or chew.
But it’s not true, and much more likely some confluence of those along with some other unknown element.
We take it on the arches only to return with feints, jabs, and other charms of learned behavior.
He’ll tell her that there are only five cognitive functions:
perception; memory; attention; language; and intelligence.
But I just don’t know about these ideological assumptions.
—“Is it getting better?”-“Are we getting worse?”-“What works?”—
And over the remote, row-upon-row of massive servers roaring away, adverts ask:
“Who will you be a year from now?”
Respire in the subtle all.
They’ll point out to a portion of the fluid and shout:
“Look! New moving parts!”
but some of us focus on
The alchemy in stomata and lungs;
trading in diamonds and coal.
“What works?”
With this ring
I thee wed;
With these songs
We will make it work.
So we dig out and dig in:
O Great Creator
Let us now water our gardens in the morning
Let us now join in play in the dirt for another afternoon
And in the evening, let us supper together
before we join in on that other dig…dig?
Suicide at a cellular level.
and as we arrive to a point where we think there’s nothing left but all this and
perhaps a bit of all that,
We point,
We tell ourselves stories.
We know there’s something more.
The familiar game of catch-and-kiss-and-jealous-and-kiss-and-release—
Someone will get you.
Enjoy your meal
The four courses have been prepared
Enjoy your meal
We dance with callous…
…before we unveil the soft orbit of our hearts
If there be anyone who still feels
They still have something left to say
still
listen and speak
why not when
after all
We’ve been falling all this time
Particularly those that please,
All volatile chemicals are symbols,
through which we come to understand,
given enough time.
Let us now have time enough
for all this & perhaps a bit of all that.
Beauty & The Beast & Bread & Circus
That Familiar game…the clip-clop of horse-hooves & heartbeats
“Slow Down”
:in all things, no better words of advice were ever passed from lips:
“slow down”
We go
headlong into the dissolve we go
We go
Sad
Sure
but it need not be frightening for no one
we remember sometimes
We go
Return,
to what?
Drop the feint and jab of your mad bird act
long enough for our orbits
to go
where they will
Let us now fall through the cracks together
Who cares for forgot
or remembered?
Let us now fall through the cracks together
—(you’ve got me feeling-some-type-of-way/I’ve got you feeling-some-type-of-way)—
Betrayal?
Sure
Forgiven
Hurt?
Still Here
We Go On
—I Love You—
tender orbit
touch
tender orbit
Return,
to who?
Who Loves you, baby?
—I Love You—
.—————————————————-
— —————————–
——–Bobby Calero———————————————–
A Mouthful of Pennies 