I Gotta Make Moves!

“No Time to Play,” Guru f/ D.C. Lee & Ronny Jordan
Guru put out the first volume of the Jazzmatazz series in 1993, and it just about perfectly embodied the whole hip-hop/jazz movement. He recruited jazz heavyweights like Donald Byrd, Branford Marsalis and Roy Ayers to put a jazz vibe that hip-hop had only been starting to incorporate. It really is amazing and belongs in every music lover’s library. On “No Time to Play,” Ronny Jordan plays guitar and D.C. Lee contributes vocals. She used to sing with Paul Weller’s The Style Council. In fact, they were once married and have two children.

“What?,” A Tribe Called Quest
I generally consider this the lead-in track to “Scenario.”

“Cars and Parties,” Edith Frost
Edith Frost is a singer in the alt-country vein and deserves more time on the air. Any time on the air, really. She’s been spending the last year or so making guest appearances on the albums of other artists like Sonny Smith, The Zincs and Morning Recordings. She hasn’t put out a record of her own since 2005’s It’s a Game. This song comes from her Drag City release, Wonder Wonder.

“It’s All in Your Mind,” Beck
As Mac Wilson said last week, it just wouldn’t be a Shuffle without Beck.

“Loving Cup,” The Rolling Stones
I love, love, love this song!

Touch It Real Good If You Want a Piece

Come on, no whammies! No whammies!



“Conventional Wisdom,” Built to Spill
Built to Spill are still touring in support of You in Reverse. They recently announced that they’ll be appearing at the Langerado Music Festival on the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in southern Florida this March. Here’s a live version from a gig in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Doug Martsch is apparently a big hoops fan. You can challenge him to a game of one-on-one right here.

“Parachute Woman,” The Rolling Stones
OK, pointless debate time. Here’s a thorny question for you? What band, generally speaking, are you more in the mood for: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? I think this was the mysterious fifteenth question that the Buddha refused to answer. I’ve got to go with the Stones on this one. The short explanation is that I lean towards music that comes from the gut more than from the head. The Stones are more visceral than The Beatles and that’s just more attractive to me.

“Vicious,” Lou Reed
Featuring a guitar hook that never gets old, this is the lead-off track to Transformer. Here he is doing an extended live version in Paris in 1974. The band plays it extremely tight as Lou attempts to break the land speed record! A mellower Reed later explains Andy Warhol’s role in the creation of the song.

“Burnt Out Car,” Saint Etienne
This English trio is probably best known for their dance treatment of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart.” Sarah Cracknell has said the group plans to release a best-of disc later this year. Considering they put out a singles collection just three years ago, I’m not sure the world is quite ready for another one.

“Hollywood Freaks,” Beck
Nooooo! Just when I thought I’d escaped him, Beck drags me back into his funky clutches. Midnight Vultures is such a ridiculously over-the-top album. Which is exactly why it’s so enjoyable. “Hot like a cheetah, neon mamacita”? “Hollywood Freaks” was the song where I actually began questioning Beck’s sanity. He does know how to bust a move, though.

What popped up on your player?

Listen Up and I'll Tell a Story

No jinx this week, as I had feared in last week’s Shuffle. Unless you consider a 45% appearance rate by Beck a jinx.



“Round the Bend,” Beck
Beck successfully channels Nick Drake’s melancholia on this song from 2002’s Sea Change. In other news, Odelay is being reissued on January 29.

“Can’t Stop Thinking About Her,” The Red Button
Poptastic deliciousness by this duo from Los Angeles. Seth Swirsky is an accomplished pop songwriter, making music for people like Al Green, Rufus Wainwright, Jane Weidlin and a host of other artists. Mike Ruekberg is Alex Chilton reincarnated. Well, that is, if Alex Chilton were dead. Anyway, local music aficionados will remember Mike from his days fronting pop trio Rex Daisy. And who can forget his alter-ego Monty De Carlo in 2 Tickets 2 Paradise? Sweet.

“Story of an Artist,” Daniel Johnston
This song breaks my heart every time. As luck would have it, and as Christina Schmitt told us last week, Daniel Johnston is playing a gig at First Avenue in February. He epitomizes the term Outsider artist. The Devil and Daniel Johnston is an absolute must-see.

“The Slummer the Slum,” The “5” Royales
Making their second straight Shuffle appearance, this song is like a blueprint for the blues-rock that would follow in its wake. Plus, whenever I hear the word “roy-yal,” I think of this scene in Pulp Fiction. “Royale with cheese” does sound a lot more appetizing, doesn’t it?

“Iko Iko,” The Dixie Cups
The history of a song is always appealing to me. And this tune’s New Orleans heritage is particularly interesting.

Hey Baby, There Ain't No Easy Way Out

The Shuffler is the man at table 5 calling you "honey."







"I Won't Back Down," Johnny Cash
God bless Johnny Cash! All the covers that JC did during his time with Rick Rubin were so well chosen. He made each and every one his own. Tom Petty supplies background vocals here. And here's the original with Petty playing with 1/4 of ELO and 1/2 of the Beatles. Not too shabby.

"Broken Drum," Beck
Beck makes his third appearance in five weeks. The Shuffle elves must really dig him! This track is from the Guero album and it plays like it's in slow-motion. I love the video, too.

"Up to You," Yo La Tengo
Ira Kaplan delivers one of his quintessential, noisy, yet melodic guitar solos on this cut from the modestly titled double disc of rarities, Genius Love = Yo La Tengo.

"Waitress Song," Freakwater
One of my favorite songs! Janet Beveridge Bean and Catherine Ann Irwin have been making roots music since the late eighties. Fans of Eleventh Dream Day will recognize Janet as the drummer and vocalist in that great indie-rock band. "Waitress Song" appears on 1995's Old Paint released by Thrill Jockey. The duo put out a record two years ago called Thinking of You with Califone. Highly recommended.

"Ballade de Melody Nelson," Serge Gainsbourg
Ahhh, the dirty old Frenchman! He's accompanied here by one of his muses, Jane Birkin. Maybe it's just me but don't you feel like you need to take a shower after listening to him? Here's the clip of a drunk Serge gleefully hitting on Whitney Houston on French television in 1986. This was pre-Bobby Brown, pre-crack Whitney so her look of horror appears genuine.

Two Keys, Twisted and Turned

Shuffler don't fail me now! Happy Hannukah!







"Snakes in the Grass," The Essex Green
A little neo-psychedelia from the Brooklyn outfit's third album, Cannibal Sea (2006). Sasha Bell takes the reins on this one.

"My Lady Story," Antony & the Johnsons
It only makes sense: Nina Simone last week, Antony right on her heels. This is a song from the gorgeous I Am a Bird Now, which won the 2005 Mercury Prize. Expect a new album in spring '08. Here's bonus footage of Antony's performance in the Leonard Cohen documentary, I'm Your Man. He was the best thing about that show.

"Side of the Road," Beck
Beck goes acoustic on the aptly titled Sea Change. Nice album, but did he have to sound like Eddie Vedder's kid brother?

"Iron Man," Black Sabbath
This is one of those songs where I would kill to have been in the studio when the band was making it. Here's a live version recorded in Paris. How Bill Ward made all that noise with just one bass drum is beyond me.

"Peking Spring," Mission of Burma
It's hard to find a more fiery group than this one. But, then, Mission of Burma have always played it that way. Simply put, this is one of the greatest post-punk songs ever slapped onto vinyl. The band has described it as emerging "Athena-like" from the head of bassist Clint Conley. Check out this vintage 1979 clip from an MoB gig in Boston.

What's on your player?

I Believe in Locomotion

Here’s your Thanksgiving edition of the Shuffle. I hope everyone is having a healthy and happy holiday.






“You Are My Face,” Wilco
Wilco meets Pink Floyd on this track from their new album, Sky Blue Sky. One of my favorite domestic releases this year, it landed on the year-end lists of quite a few of my mates here at The Current. What were some of your stand-out albums of the year?

“Calling You,” Jevetta Steele
This is an Oscar-nominated song from the film Bagdad Cafe (1988). When this song popped up I immediately put the movie in my Netflix queue. Jevetta’s voice is stunning.

“Derelict,” Beck
One of the least played tracks from Odelay (1996). It’s got a nice little Middle Eastern flavoring in the middle. Maybe it’s just me, and I know nothing in his catalog compares, but I’m still waiting for Beck to deliver an album even half as good as this one. Or Mellow Gold, even.

“Fight the Power,” Public Enemy
Rosie Perez in boxing gloves. Remember that? And sampling Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" was sonically and thematically brilliant.

“Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind),” Loretta Lynn
From 1967. Coal Miner’s Daughter was the start of my inexplicable man-crush on Tommy Lee Jones. I feel like you need to know these things. Here’s a clip of Loretta singing the song with Jeannie C. Riley, the gal who did “Harper Valley, P.T.A.”