Jizzney - Giant Dog

Jizzney - Giant Dog

3:16

Pile, 2016

Singer Sabrina Ellis, of this Austin-based band, has a great rock voice, and blended with the male voice it really elevates this song.  Sloppy post-punk pop, clanging along with triumphant major chords, belying the dour nature of the lyrics, about a former or perhaps only perceived lover who isn't around.  In fact, they're out with someone else!  I dig the irreverent humor: "Some people that I know / Are gonna track him down / And run him out."  But it's also nostalgic, and melancholy in its way, thinking back to a better moment in time.

Hell Yes - Beck

Hell Yes - Beck
3:17
Guero, 2005
Written by Beck, Michael Simpson, and John King

I haven't given Beck much of a listen past Odelay, just a few songs here and there.  This seems like a return to his "Loser" and "Where It's At Days" — mumbled surreal rap lyrics over blues harmonica and sampling.  The women's voice is Christina Ricci.  It may not be a triumphant reinvention of the self or an Important Art Work, but it's got a good beat and Beck's pretty good at disjointed stream of consciousness mumbling.

Keep A-Knockin' - Little Richard

Keep A-Knockin' - Little Richard

2:16

single, 1957

Written by Richard Penniman, Bert Mays, and J. Mayo Williams

An uptempo boogie with a screaming vocal interspersed with that great Penniman "woo!"  The drum fill at the very beginning is akin to the drums that start Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll," so much that I find that it's usually taken by commenters online to be a tribute.  Although this song is credited to the three songwriters above, it has a long history dating back to the 1920s; the version recorded by Milton Brown is basically the same song as Little Richard's, just in a bluegrass, jug band style.

Oh Well (Pt. 1) - Fleetwood Mac

Oh Well (Pt. 1) - Fleetwood Mac

3:24

Then Play On, 1969

Written by Peter Green

An early example of blues mixing with some folk elements, going electric, and inching its way toward hard rock.  Its a capella vocals coming in between guitar parts is very reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog."  The lyrics are tongue in cheek,; probably not much thought went into them, though one part does remind me of Manfred Mann's "Don't Ask Me What I Say": "But don't ask me what I think of you / I might not give the answer that you want me to."

Kailee Anne - Michael Carpenter

Kailee Anne - Michael Carpenter

2:53

Hopefulness, 2001

Written by Michael Carpenter

I have never heard of this guy, but he certainly knows how to deliver a power-pop gem.  It begins with a few bass notes, then explodes into a wall of Who-like guitar and drums.  Then the Fountains Of Wayne type vocal comes in, and it's all busy drums and crunchy guitars.  Another comparison comes to mind here; Like Paul McCartney, Carpenter plays all the instruments on this track, including drums and bass.

Cool Drink Of Water - Houston Stackhouse

Cool Drink Of Water - Houston Stackhouse
3:17
single, 1967?
Written by ?

A minimalist blues, with Stackhouse's vocals crooning and fluttering into a falsetto and stretching out every ending vowel.  He clearly isn't a master guitarist, but the eerie singing style on this track gives it an authentic feel.  This guy definitely has had the real down home blues.  He asks for cool water, and gets gasoline.  "Lord, I asked the conductor, "Could I ride these blinds?" / Want to know, can a broke man ride the blinds, boy I ain't got a dime."  What's riding the blinds?  According to various sources, it's either riding between the cars (same as riding the rods, grabbing onto the ladder and hanging on, often fairly close to the tracks as the train zoomed by), or just hopping on any empty box car.  

Signal For the Assassins - Budapest One

Signal For the Assassins - Budapest One

3:19

This Town Just Gave You a Dreamer, 2003

Written by Budapest One, probably?

This Denton-based band made a sort of carnival-gothic rock, with hints of Bertolt Brecht or a particularly dour Elvis Costello.  The singer belts out the words like Spacehog's Royston Langdon, the piano pounding along behind him, telling a cryptic tale.  I enjoy bombast and can even take literary pretension in the right doses.  It's not for everyone, but this song revs my particular engines.

Fourteen Days - The O's

Fourteen Days - The O's

3:12

Honeycomb, 2016

Written by Taylor Young and John Pedigo

I absolutely love this Dallas-based two-man bluegrass folk band.  Harmonica, banjo, kick drum — what's not to love?  Their voices blend and it becomes something greater than the sum of its parts.  "Pick and choose your blues / Depending on the mood / All we got is three chords and the truth."  This song, like almost everything they put out, is a whoop and a holler, twice the energy of what some full electric five-piece bands have.

There Stands the Glass - Webb Pierce

There Stands the Glass - Webb Pierce

2:26

single, 1953

Written by Russ Hull, Mary Jean Shurtz, and Autry Greisham

In this honky-tonk hit (twelve weeks at number one), the narrator needs a drink to forget someone who's gone.  "There stands the glass / That will ease all my pain / That will settle my brain."  Then the not-so-funny punchline: "It's my first one today."  Pierce's voice, high, nasal, and full of twang, cuts through the mix with a sharp, almost crying quality.  The steel guitar provides a solid country shuffle, but Pierce's plaintive vocals are doubtless what made this song a hit.

A Summer Song - Chad & Jeremy

A Summer Song - Chad & Jeremy

2:38

Yesterday's Gone, 1964

Written by Clive Metcalf, Keith Noble and Chad Stuart

A wistful baroque-folk song about a summer romance.  "They say that all good things must end someday / Autumn leaves must fall."  Sounds like the Association at their quietest, like maybe if there were only two of them.  The melody is carried by soft string embellishments and subtly intricate guitar work. The song evokes the feeling, especially in the young and those given to flings, of the season's fleeting, bittersweet nature.

Big Boss Man - Jimmy Reed

Big Boss Man - Jimmy Reed

2:50

Found Love, 1960

Written by Luther Dixon and Al Smith

A twelve bar blues, a low slinky blues, with the mask of a protest song on, but it's really just working-class resentment.  Reed growls "You ain't so big, you just tall, that's all" like it's under his breath, like he's afraid the big boss man might hear him.  A universal sentiment.  The boss has him working, won't even let him have a drink fo water.  Does Jimmy rise up and give the the boss man a well-deserved punch in his smug smirking rich face?  No, he just sourly mutters that the boss man ain't so big.  Who among us hasn't put their head down, too afriad to jeopardize a steady income?

When My Baby's Beside Me - Big Star

When My Baby's Beside Me - Big Star

3:23

#1 Record, 1972

Written by Chris Bell and Alex Chilton

This brief power-pop gem is a masterclass in power pop economy — a lyrically direct and emotionally straightforward love song, yet musically rich. Built on a driving groove, the track balances toughness and sweetness, with Alex Chilton and Chris Bell’s chiming guitars locking into a tight, muscular rhythm. The chorus is catchy, the vocals are soulful, and the wah-wah guitar solo screams 1972.  

Good One Comin' On - Blackberry Smoke

Good One Comin' On - Blackberry Smoke

3:40

Little Piece Of Dixie, 2009

Written by Blackberry Smoke?

Carload of Southern-rockin' good old boys get some beer, crank up the Ray Wylie Hubbard, and drive down to the lake with some foxy blondes.  Ground well covered by ZZ Top and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, with just a hint of Toby Keith and Blake Shelton.  They leave it to the imagination just what the good one is that's comin' on.  It's an okay song, but this isn't really my cup of tea.

Let's Go - the Feelies

Let's Go - the Feelies
2:39
The Good Earth, 1986
Written by Glenn Mercer and Bill Million

Another band that I never listened to, though I've heard their name bandied about.  A sort of subdued post-punk pop with vocals low in the mix.  Almost hypnotic in its understudied, repetitive drone.  The lyrics are a few words here and there, not really worth mentioning.  Sounds kind of like R.E.M. without the manic energy of a Michael Stipe.

Sugar, Sugar - Wilson Pickett

Sugar, Sugar - Wilson Pickett
2:58
Right On, 1970
Written by Jeff Barry and Andy Kim

Silly song, but Pickett brings serious musical talent to it and infuses it with soul gravitas.  I think this is the first time I've ever heard the words of the verses, having tuned them out completely when listening to the Archies' version.  Pickett's voice is just an amazing instrument, and the horns and organ provide extra muscle.  A candy-coated pig's ear turned into a velvet purse.

Talulah Gosh - Talulah Gosh

Talulah Gosh - Talulah Gosh

3:24

single, 1987

Written by Matthew Fletcher

Never heard of this rather twee pop band, whose star burned briefly but apparently influenced a lot of jangling indie-pop guitar bands that came after.  I definitely can hear them in Belle & Sebastian's jangly guitar and soft female vocals.  This song, a proud entry in the long line of songs named after bands, implores a girl, possibly obsessed with stardom, to be true to herself.  Not so easy to do!

Shades Of Blue - Paul Weller

Shades Of Blue - Paul Weller

3:07

Fat Pop (Vol. 1), 2021

Written by Paul Weller and Leah Weller

Breezy, melodic pop with a soulful touch.  A duet with Weller's daughter, it came out of the Covid pandemic and seems to say that a bit of perspective during tragic times can show us what really matters: "All that matters / Is close to you / The people you know / The things that you show / Shape our views." I like the driving piano line.  Weller's voice is in great form too.

Revival - Zach Bryan

Revival - Zach Bryan

3:40

Elisabeth, 2020

Written by Zach Bryan

With its sparse instrumentation, this song is raw and feels intimate, like you're hearing a bar band playing some favorite song after hours, just for themselves.  It has the kind of sing-along chorus that Middle America and indie hipsters alike can get behind: "For the sake of my survival / Baptize me in a bottle of Beam, put Johnny on the vinyl."  It's got that old time religion, but with a shot of whiskey and the gospel choir plays outlaw country.  He confesses his sins and the expiation is a good time with the boys.

Ring the Living Bell - Melanie

Ring the Living Bell - Melanie

5:04

Gather Me, 1971

Written by Melanie Safka

A modern gospel, complete with choir and shout-outs in the background.  I've always appreciated Melanie for more than "Brand New Key," and I dig her uneven, girl-next-door voice.  This one goes on a little too long with an extended fade our repeating just two lines, but she infused the whole thing with so much naive hippie spirit that this time I don't mind.  We need a little gusto these days.

Rockin' Rockin' Leprechauns - Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers

Rockin' Rockin' Leprechauns - Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers

2:11

Rock 'n' Roll with the Modern Lovers, 1977

Written by Jonathan Richman

This is a sweet and corny song much in the style of "Here Come the Martian Martians" and "Corner Store," with a tambourine and (maybe?) a horn, except a bit near the end where Jo-Jo really lets loose and starts almost shouting a verse, until, with a little laugh, coming to his senses and easing up on the throttle and reverting to the "doo dum da da" choruses than the Lovers do so well.  Is it rock 'n' roll?  I personally don't care.  This kind of music is the kind that I like.

Railroad Bill - Bob Dylan

Railroad Bill - Bob Dylan

2:44

The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971), 2013 (recorded 1970)

traditional

Dylan's ability to inhabit an old tune and make it his own is on display here, with a spare acoustic backing and a world-weary voice.  A younger Dylan might have taken this tale of an outlaw rambler and made it uptempo and sung it brightly like he did on "Rambling, Gambling Willie," but here he sounds like he really has been put upon by Bill, and wishes Bill would leave him and his wife alone.

Pretty Flamingo - Manfred Mann

Pretty Flamingo - Manfred Mann

2:30

single, 1966

Written by Mark Barkan

Rock's oldest story: a guy sees a girl and is smitten, vows one day to capture her heart. "Crimson dress that clings so tight / She's out of reach and out of sight."  Why Flamingo?  "On our block all of the guys call her Flamingo / 'Cause her hair glows like the sun."  Ah.  Right.  Well, that part doesn't make much sense, then.  Carry on.  Flute, acoustic guitar, and Paul Jones' soft vocal make it a pop gem, more suited to the Monkees, frankly, than Manfred Mann's usual, more shouty rock-blues output. 

Pay Me Now (Or Pay Me Later!) - Squirrel Nut Zippers

Pay Me Now (Or Pay Me Later!) - Squirrel Nut Zippers

2:54

Beasts Of Burgundy, 2018

Written by Jimbo Mathus

This isn't the Squirrel Nut Zippers that I was an ardent, devoted fan of back in the '90s.  On their previous album, 18 years earlier, only Jimbo Mathus and Katharine Whalen remained of the main creative force.  Now, only Mathus and the drummer are left of the original band, and he's replaced the towering talents Andrew Bird and Tom Maxwell with fiddler Dr. Sick and '30s-style burlesque singer Cella Blue.  The muted horns, piano, and singing style (the vocals track deliberately scratchy to feign age) on this track all evoke Dixieland jazz.  The lyrics are simple — the title pretty much covers them — and the production is less slick than the original band's, but it's a fine tribute to those old weird New Orleans blues.

Paths Will Cross - Josh Ritter

Paths Will Cross - Josh Ritter

3:02

Josh Ritter, 1999

Written by Josh Ritter

Very early Ritter already has the hallmarks of his best material: literate, fast-paced lyrics; solid acoustic guitar work; a nasal, folksy delivery that evokes Cohen and Dylan.  This song isn't among his greatest works, but it shows huge skill as a songwriter so young.  I'm a sucker for verbosity and syllables that tumble over themselves.  "Though one time we floated free / We are pulled by separate gravities to ground."  That's a great way to say we're taking different paths.

Polaroid Picture - Frank Turner

Polaroid Picture - Frank Turner

3:43

Tape Deck Heart, 2013

Written by Frank Turner

To me, Frank Turner can almost do no wrong.  I mean, as a bishop in the Church of the Unblemished Bob, I have a tendency to put my musical heroes on a pedestal, but I still think it's legit.  He's as honest and literate as Springsteen and raw as Dylan.  His best sing-along songs are Scriptures, this one specifically Proverbs.  The song comes to a crashing faux-finale at its midpoint and gets quiet, reminding us to focus on this, the moment, forget all the guitars and drums and noise.  "So let go of the little distractions / Hold close to the ones that you love / Because we won't all be here this time next year."  Be here now.  

Prisencolinensinainciusol - Adriano Celentano

Prisencolinensinainciusol - Adriano Celentano

3:61

single, 1972

Written by Adriano Celentano

Looped horns and drumbeats, with deliberately gibberish lyrics.  No, it's not the Digitial Underground!  It's a folk-funk number by an Italian guy taking the mickey out of English-language hits.  It's so catchy, though.  It sounds a little bit like Bob Dylan, or at least someone impersonating Dylan.  Who knew grammalot would crack the Top Ten in three countries?  I guess Celentano did.

Pool Hall Richard - Faces

Pool Hall Richard - Faces

4:26

single, 1973

Written by Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood

The title kid is a pool wizard who comes in like a rock star, winning all the games and getting all the attention.  The song's narrator half admires and half resents him: "All the women crawl around him like he's Getty's son / Makes you kind of jealous but it sure is fun / I don't mind, but he wants my lady too."  He vows to beat Richard one day.  But that day is not today.  It's a great rocker, with Stewart belting it out like he means it.

Peace Frog - the Doors

Peace Frog - the Doors

2:50

Morrison Hotel, 1970

Written by Jim Morrison and Robby Krieger

A funky, slinky, toe-tapping, up-tempo number from the Doors.  I'm no Doors expert, but it seems to me to be quite a departure from their signature sound.  I learned that it was written as an instrumental first, and Morrison later found some older poems that fit the song; that probably explains it.  A two-line spoken-word break about dead Indians on the highway mars an otherwise perfect song.

Have Love Will Travel - the Sonics

Have Love Will Travel - the Sonics

2:40

Here Are the Sonics, 1965

Written by Richard Berry

Brash, American garage rock with stuttering guitar and hoarse screams.  Proto-punk at its loudest and surliest.  Mostly this album is covers of oldies; this particular track was written in 1959.  Raw guitar, a buzzy sax, and spooky surf rhythms bring it into the lo-fi garage era.  The narrator doesn't have a particular baby in mind, he just wants to get one and he'll travel across the country to get one.  "Well, I might take a boat, or I'll take a plane / I might hitchhike or jump a railroad train."  It's like the anti-romantic mirror version of the Box Tops' "The Letter."

I'm Still In Love With You - Alton Ellis

I'm Still In Love With You - Alton Ellis

3:21

Sings Rock and Soul, 1967

Written by Alton Ellis

A soft, crooning pop-reggae by the Godfather of Rocksteady.  A low-key declaration of unrequited love.  Why doesn't the girl know how to kiss him?  He doesn't even know why.  A gentle, jerking guitar riddim is punctuated by a single, clonking hand percussion, rather off the beat.  It's a slow dance of a song.  Possibly best enjoyed when mellow.

Time Is On My Side - Irma Thomas

Time Is On My Side - Irma Thomas

2:52

Wish Someone Would Care, 1964

Written by Jerry Ragovoy (as Norman Meade) and Jimmy Norman

I did not know, or had forgotten, that this song was not a Jagger-Richard original.  It was first recorded as an instrumental by jazz trombonist Kai Winding!  For this version by the Soul Queen of New Orleans, a singer named Jimmy Norman wrote the words.  She belts them out as well as Aretha herself could have done it, and obviously in so doing created a standard, because the Glimmer Twins used her version as a template, though leaving out her impassioned monologue in the middle.