Mercy mercy me
Things ain't what they used to be, no no
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows from the north and south and east
Mercy mercy me
Things ain't what they used to be, no no
Radiation under ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Be sure to check out "Way Back Wednesday"- a new weekly series I'm doing with Yours Truly featuring strictly vinyl rips of amazing music. This week is Dionne Warwick, Hugh Masekela, Buddy Miles, and O.V. Wright.
Who else samples 1970s erotic film soundtracks? None other than Grammy award winning super producer Mark Ronson; the man behind such acts as Amy Winehouse, ODB, Ghostface Killah, Nas, Kaiser Chiefs, Macy Gray, Robbie Williams, and Christina Aguilera- to name a few. Off this record, he uses the piano melody from the opening song "Emmanuelle In the Mirror" in "The Littlest Things" which he produced for Lily Allen.
It's funny how porno films from back in the day actually, often, had good music. Here's a great soundtrack from one of the most famous adult films of all time, Deep Throat. Funny thing about this soundtrack is the composer or composers are unknown- my guess is that they simply didn't want their friends or family to know- but why didn't they just use a pseudonym (like many people in the adult film biz)?. As for you beat-makers, they're plenty of dope samples on here- I've cut up a bunch of this myself.
You 'aint ever heard harmonica shredding like this before. Prep yourself for the king of the harp hailing all the way from Argentina. Hugo's capable of playing all sort of styles but my favorite jams are the zambas and tangos. Here's a collection of his more "known" tunes. Oh, and did I mention he's blind?!
I mixed stones in water just to see what it would do
and the water it got stoney and the stones got watered too.
So I mixed my feet with water just to see what could be seen
and the water it got dirty and the feet they got quite clean.
- From my favorite tune on this album "No Sleep Blues".
If you're like me, and not the biggest follower of psychedelic folk music, I hope you surprise your tastes with this one. I was immediatly impressed by these guys' incredibly skillful playing ability and complex arrangements in the recordings. I also really dig the bluegrass edge and drunken Irish vocals.
I love finding new Chilean music, especially nueva canción. Thanks again to Hippy-DJkit for posting this. This is one of those albums I was immediatley blown away by the second I popped it in my stereo. True to nueva canción, El congreso fuses ethnic Chilean music with electric western styles, utilizing both cultures' instruments. Among them, my favorite is the zampoña (pan flutes). One thing I noticed about this album, is that it's the only nueva canción group I've heard that switch between playing the zampoña in an Andean and western jazz style, whereas other groups tend to stick to playing them just in the traditional Andean way. Their mastery of both culture's instruments allow them to seamlessly maneuver from the spiritual sounds of their people to funky flavors of today. The opening track is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. I hope you like it!
I wished that you were lying.
I heard the news and I've been crying.
No one's eyeing really.
I remember feeling like yesterday.
I hate that phrase, plus the way you hear about it.
Like you remember so and so? Used to be down with so and so?
They had to go.
You won't ever see them at another show.
I know his brother- his mother, she can barely take it.
You said, she shakes and stays awake at night feeling touch his room.
If only he had made a right instead, it would be one less dead that we knew.
One more dead on the road.
One less pool on the curb.
I'm disturbed-
It just occured to me, last time we spoke I didn't hear a word or see.
I could have been around that day.
I guess I saw the positive note in a way.
I quote what he'd say, then dream about him too.
Sometimes wake up thinking it was all cool.
But all fools know that feeling whether accident to cap peelin'.
Sealed in fate, you got a date at the front gate pearly.
Time waits for no man, and it's never not early to expire.
I feel the fire on my ass, cuz every time I turn around someone to close they gotta pass.
Someone too close they gotta pass away.
If death shall come knockin' at my door today, tell him muthafucka leave cuz I got more to say.
I know that flesh may be weak and every man's got his time, but please don't take mine.
Please don't take mine.
Now how many people go out like they planned to?
Answer, probably none- leave how they come.
Beautiful and peaceful, don't see that too often.
Can't soften the pain.
You can barely get out a blood stain on a rug.
But you're just a name quick.
You make more friends dead then when you're alive and fit.
Start gettin' tattoos and shit they bitin'-
Claiming you were best pals, looking for their name up in your writings.
Family wants heirlooms, and everyone starts thinking about their doom-
and stops living dangerous for a month.
After that it's back to blunts and no seatbelts.
Flowers on your grave dying- only your mother's still weak still crying.
Until that day I think about it and dread it.
Try and do as much as I can so I won't regret it.
Hoping that my family and my friends out last me-
and I live to be 93 and find the key to why I be alive.
If death shall come knockin' at my door today, tell him muthafucka leave cuz I got more to say.
I know that flesh may be weak and every man's got his time, but please don't take mine. Please don't take mine.
This is one of my all time favorite soul albums. If you're not familiar with the group, you might recognize their hit song "Thin Line Between Love and Hate." But, all songs on this album are amazing- not just the performance but the production as well- knockin drums, creative instrumentation and structures, complex background vocals and harmonies (a Poindexter brothers trademark), touching lyrics- simply great music.
I'm just waiting for someone to do something with "Love Gonna Pack Up"- I've tried and tried, but can't quite get it right. It sounds heavy sped up- kinda Kanye-chipmunk style.
Django Reihndardt is undeniably one of the world greatest guitarist. He's influenced countless contemporary musicians through his compositions (many of which are now jazz standards) and virtuosity. If he were still alive, January 23rd of this year would have been his 100th birthday. This month, events all over are being held in his honor, including my stomping grounds, the Bay Area. If you haven't been learned on Django yet, I'll shed a little light on this amazing fellow.
Django was born January 23rd, 1910 in Liverchies, Belgium to a nomadic gypsy family. He started playing banjo and accordion at the age of twelve which eventually brought him to playing night spots around Paris. When he was 18, his caravan caught fire while he and his pregnant wife were in it. They both survived, but Django was left forever disfigured. Due to severe burns, his left leg became immobilized, and he lost movement in 2 fingers on his left hand. But Django didn't stop playing. Instead he developed a unique playing technique that not at all hindered his ability. In fact, he proved to play better than guitarists with all working fingers and soon captured the hearts and ears of audiences worldwide.
The recordings on this album are performed along with violinist Stéphane Grappelli back in 1949.
I caught word of this interesting mash-up album off my homie Will's super duper blog YoursTruly. It's hot off the press and free. Innovative UK producer/rapper/Tea Sea Record's owner Tom Caruana cleverly superimposes Wu-Tang members' a capellas over Beatles tunes. The result varies from straight dope to hilarious to chaotic.
Since its reissue, this one has become big on the web; and for good reason. The music on this soundtrack is really impressive. Anything with funky drums and sitar- I'm all over it.
Vampyros Lesbos is an erotic horror flick with both Spanish and German production credits. It's directed by Jesús "Jess" Franco (Count Dracula, 1970) and stars the gorgeous Soledad Mirando who sadly died in a car accident before the film was released.
Redbone is a Native American rock group that formed back in 1969 in Los Angeles, California. Some might remember their big hit "Come and Get Your Love" that reached #5 on the US Billboard charts in 1974. What I like most about this group is their creative incorporation of Native American musical elements into their songs. Wovoka is their 5th and most successful album.
My fav track on this album is definitely "Clouds In My Sunshine" which hip-hop producer Hi-Tek cleverly chopped up for "This Means You" (featuring Mos Def) off his and TalibKweli's 2000 album, Train of Thought.
Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice
I say the darker the flesh then the deeper the roots
I give a holler to my sisters on welfare
Tupac cares, if don't nobody else care
I know they like to beat ya down a lot
When you come around the block brothas clown a lot
But please don't cry, dry your eyes, never let up
Forgive but don't forget, girl keep your head up
And when he tells you you ain't nuttin don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you, you should leave him
Cause sista you don't need him
And I ain't tryin to gas ya up, I just call em how I see em
You know it makes me unhappy (what's that)
When brothas make babies, and leave a young mother to be a pappy
And since we all came from a woman
Got our name from a woman and our game from a woman
I wonder why we take from our women
Why we rape our women, do we hate our women?
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women
And if we don't we'll have a race of babies
That will hate the ladies, that make the babies
And since a man can't make one
He has no right to tell a woman when and where to create one
So will the real men get up
I know you're fed up ladies, but keep your head up
oooo child things are gonna get easier
ooooo child things are
get brighter
I remember Marvin Gaye, used to sing ta me
He had me feelin like black was tha thing to be
And suddenly tha ghetto didn't seem so tough
And though we had it rough, we always had enough
I huffed and puffed about my curfew and broke the rules
Ran with the local crew, and had a smoke or two
And I realize momma really paid the price
She nearly gave her life, to raise me right
And all I had ta give her was my pipe dream
Of how I'd rock the mic, and make it to tha bright screen
I'm tryin to make a dollar out of fifteen cents
It's hard to be legit and still pay tha rent
And in the end it seems I'm headin for tha pen
I try and find my friends, but they're blowin in the wind
Last night my buddy lost his whole family
It's gonna take the man in me to conquer this insanity
It seems tha rain'll never let up
I try to keep my head up, and still keep from gettin wet up
You know it's funny when it rains it pours
They got money for wars, but can't feed the poor
Say there ain't no hope for the youth and the truth is
it ain't no hope for tha future
And then they wonder why we crazy
I blame my mother, for turning my brother into a crack baby
We ain't meant to survive, cause it's a setup
And even though you're fed up
Huh, ya got to keep your head up
To all the ladies havin babies on they own
I know it's kinda rough and you're feelin all alone
Daddy's long gone and he left you by ya lonesome
Thank the Lord for my kids, even if nobody else want em
Cause I think we can make it, in fact, I'm sure
And if you fall, stand tall and comeback for more
Cause ain't nuttin worse than when your son
wants to kno why his daddy don't love him no mo'
You can't complain you was dealt this
hell of a hand without a man, feelin helpless
Because there's too many things for you to deal with
Dying inside, but outside you're looking fearless
While da tears, is rollin down your cheeks
Ya steady hopin things don't fall down this week
Cause if it did, you couldn't take it, and don't blame me
I was given this world I didn't make it
And now my son's getten older and older and cold
From havin the world on his shoulders
While the rich kids is drivin Benz
I'm still tryin to hold on to my survivin friends
And it's crazy, it seems it'll never let up, but
please... you got to keep your head up
This is the kind of stuff crate diggers freak out over, and not to mention pay big bucks for. But guess what? I'm kind enough to share it with you.
Día Prometido is comprised of a Chilean and an Iranian who live(d) in Spain. As you can see in the picture they get down on some interesting instruments including the santur which is an Iranian hammered dulcimer.
I dug up this 45" back in '05 in Madrid at El rastro (a really cool flea market that goes down every Sunday just outside of downtown).
I've been looking for the LP for years, so if anyone has it, let me know!
For years I wondered- How is it that Milton Nascimento's album, Clube da esquina, is so much more amazing than his numerous other albums? Well, I finally figured it out. Clube da esquina is a collaboration with Lô Borges; and after listening to Lô's solo albums, you can really hear how he's responsible for what I would say are the most creative parts of that album.
So, if you're a fan of Clube da esquina, you need to give Lô a listen.
Does life make any sense? For many people, it means only a slow death, agony that never ends. To be born, to suffer, to have hearts betrayed and broken, to labour simply to find food and shelter, then for it to disappear...Does life really have any meaning? We must never doubt!
Life, especially human life, knows its seasons. The gloom of autumn and the cold of winter are replaced with the living spring and an enchanted summer. Even though there is often rain and even hail in life, there are also rays of sunshine.
However, the highs that alternate with the lows, the return of health after an illness, prosperity, or the happiness of loves ones, these are not the true reasons that give my life meaning. I uncover the true sense in life by the power of my faith.
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Collect all three!
