La Balteuband | A Mouthful of Pennies

Hello All,

Welcome to the third volume of my AZ project! I consider this one to be a real treat, as it features more than a mouthful of some of my all time favorite artists!

Hopefully you got something out of the first and second mixtapes.

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 (I get a ton of CDs from fleamarkets and library discards). However, in my opinion, so far so good.

So here on volume three we’ve got Bal to Big.

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–

————-(CLICK TO LISTEN & DOWNLOAD)—————- — –

AZ— VOLUME 3

Historias Tristes – La Balteuband (from La Balteuband)
Rag Mama Rag – The Band (from The Band)
Quedate Luna – Devendra Banhart (from Cripple Crow)
Can’t Wait Too Long – The Beach Boys (from Smiley Smile)
Pass The Mic/(edit)(Pt. 2, Skills To Pay The Bills) – Beastie Boys (from Check Your Head)
Abbey Road Medley – The Beatles (from Abbey Road)
Sally Go Round The Roses – Caroleen Beatty (w/ Mushroom) (from You’re Only As Pretty As You Feel)
Midnite Vultures – Beck (from Arabian Nights “…” B-Sides)
I Think I Might Have Built a Horse – The Beets (from Let The Poison Out)
In The Mausoleum – Beirut (from The Flying Club Cup)
We Are MTO – Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra (from We Are MTO)
Dog Got A Bone – The Beta Band (from The Three E.P.’s)
Unbelievable/Suicidal Thoughts – The Notorious B.I.G. (from Ready To Die)
Danger Zone(edit)/ Street Struck – Big L (Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous)

A—————————————————— — — — ————- ———Z

——————– – – — —– — – – – ——- — — ————— — –

—”in whose name was opened the atrocity box? “—

• Historias Tristes – La Balteuband (from La Balteuband)

——– – ——- – – —– — – – – –

but—Why bother with these pointing fingers when we’re both hot-and-bothered?

but-—Beholden to a moribund heritage, we suffer in the name of habit and being consistent.

Steady—

• Rag Mama Rag – The Band (from The Band)

—- – – – —- – – —– –

but—Lord knows, this morning we could just collapse into an ocean

of tar and raw honey…and swim…and swallow.

• Quedate Luna – Devendra Banhart (from Cripple Crow)

——— – — —- – – — —————–

How long until then? How long?

• Can’t Wait Too Long – The Beach Boys (from Smiley Smile)

————– —- —- —- — — – – – – – – – – –

but–The arrow has already landed;

all that is left is to draw back the bow; etc., etc.

• Pass The Mic/(Pt. 2, Skills To Pay The Bills) – Beastie Boys (from Check Your Head)

————- — — — — —- – – – – – – – – — — — – – – – – — ——- – — __ —__–_-__

Observation of Beautiful Forms:

Listen to the room breathe.

Through hexagon peepholes

observe

The chamber set at the bottom of the cylinder turns, slowly…slowly…

—I’d rather the raw mouth full to the brim with robust flowers

than theories of the orifice stuffed with cash—

It gasps, it spits—petals spill slow from parted lips to wash the mind away with this parting toss of a bouquet.

but—The flowers have already been caught; all that is left is to give them a throw; etc., etc.

• Abbey Road Medley – The Beatles (from Abbey Road)

– – – – – – – – —————— ————- — — — — – – – – – – – – – – – — — – ———— – – – –

Sure thing, those flowers can burn you—

• Sally Go Round The Roses – Caroleen Beatty (w/ Mushroom) (from You’re Only As Pretty As You Feel)

– — – — —- —– — – – – – ————- —

There is

An area where the surface tension of the membrane reveals a porous access, through

which we might introduce ourselves.

Enter

Tongue first

the labyrinth of streams within the dawn of all things—

• Midnite Vultures – Beck (from Arabian Nights “…” B-Sides)

————————– ——————— ——————- – – – – – – – – ——————-

We ride each other’s hands like tender horses;

• I Think I Might Have Built a Horse – The Beets (from Let The Poison Out)

——– ———– ———— ————– — – – – – – — – — ———— ———— ——— —- —

We press hot flowers to perfume the tips and clefts of soft palms;

• In The Mausoleum – Beirut (from The Flying Club Cup)

– – — – —– —– — – — — – – – – – – – – – – – – – —– – – – ——

We writhe in each other’s hands until a tender divorce.

• We Are MTO – Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra (from We Are MTO)

———————– ——————- —- — – ————————————-

but–the cylinder turns once more, slowly…slowly…

• Dog Got A Bone – The Beta Band (from The Three E.P.’s)

– – – – ——– —- ———- — – ————- – – – – ———————

and once again the masks of Thalia and Melpomene meet and gently press.

• Unbelievable/Suicidal Thoughts – The Notorious B.I.G. (from Ready To Die)

—- ——– — — – – — – – – – ————- — – – – – – – – —————–

It’s always going to be down to a choice: hot flowers or some shrug in a morgue?

• Danger Zone(edit)/Street Struck – Big L (Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous)

— – — –

—— – – – – ————– – – – – – – – – — – – – – ——————————-

BIG (Big Church or Narrow House?)

— “in whose name was opened the atrocity box? “—

but–Why bother with these pointing fingers when we’re both hot-and-bothered?

but–Beholden to a moribund heritage, we suffer in the name of habit and being consistent;

Steady—

but–Lord knows, this morning we could just collapse into an ocean