Needles In the Camel's Eye - Brian Eno

Needles in the Camel's Eye - Brian Eno

3:11

Here Come the Warm Jets, 1974

Written by Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera

I wouldn't call this experimental, which is what you think of when you think of Eno.  I'd call it maybe glam pop.  Over a repeated and simple but effective major guitar riff, Eno's voice and synths blend into a hypnotic melody.  The lyrics are, as often with his collaborator David Byrne, apparently secondary and without much surface meaning.  "Why ask why? / For by the by and by / All mysteries are just more / Needles in the camel's eye."  Indeed, Wikipedia tells us, Eno has attempted to dissuade fans from reading too much into his words; he claims that the song "Needles in the Camel's Eye" was "written in less time than it takes to sing ... I regard [the song] as an instrumental with singing on it."  

Night Time Train - Dan Patlansky

Night Time Train - Dan Patlansky

2:43

True Blues, 2004

Written by Dan Patlansky?

Never heard of this South Africa artist.  This is a straight electric blues number with a catchy sing-along chorus.  The first verse seems to be about a tough life on the road, but the second verse is a bit more obscure: "You live in a dream with a head full of green / Lots of vibes coming on so strong."  Maybe a weed reference?  Well, Patlansky may not be a poet lurking among us, but this is a feel-good toe-tapping blues.  Ironic or not, I can see a mellow, happy crowd chanting "My life is easy" along with him.

Nobody But You Baby - Steve Miller Band

Nobody But You Baby - Steve Miller Band

4:05

Living in the 20th Century, 1986

Written by Steve Miller

Around this time, Miller was experimenting with keyboard and synthesizer, so this come-on of a song is pretty firmly set in its '80s era.  He also chooses to sing it in a higher register than normal, giving the whole a rather glossy, yacht-rock vibe. Some might see it as Miller trying to be futuristic, but to me it just seems tinny and synthetic, not as warm as his more guitar-oriented material.  But it's got an upbeat vibe and has a nice easy-listening melody.

Nuevo Laredo - Sir Douglas Quintet

Nuevo Laredo - Sir Douglas Quintet

2:41

Together After Five, 1970

Written by Doug Sahm

Another fun slice of Tex-Mex, slightly cajun, folk-rock from the Quintet.  Here, the narrator is smitten with a raven-haired senorita he espies "in a dimly lit cafe."  (This is an unusually common situation in popular song, from "El Paso" to "Down In Mexico.")  Anyhoo, it seems like a match made in a border town: "Sittin' on an old bar stool / Lookin′ like nobody's fool / Her heart was meant that she was going to go home with only me."  Just then, though, like in "Gimme Three Steps," a hulking fellow about an inch shorter than Bad, Bad Leroy Brown comes in and the narrator's hopes are shattered.  Así es la vida.

Nothing's Going To Happen - Tall Dwarfs

Nothing's Going To Happen - Tall Dwarfs

3:54

Three Songs, 1981

Written by Alec Bathgate and Chris Knox

I really love the Elf Power version of this song (it's more fierce and exuberant), but this is the original.  It's stripped-back, lo-fi, and has a slow, almost menacing tempo, and the song is quite dark and cynical, speaking to a general sense of alienation and ennui.  A primitive guitar riff, a shaken tambourine, some ghostly "la la la"s.  Perhaps, the narrator muses, at some point somewhere children might be entranced "Because of some beauty / That has not been altered, damned or pointed out / By the clumsy dark oafs that train them."  But then again... 

This Boy Is Exhausted - The Wrens

This Boy Is Exhausted - The Wrens

4:17

The Meadowlands, 2003

Written by Charles Bissell, Greg Whelan, Kevin Whelan, & Jerry MacDonald

A self-referential anthem.  Tired of being on the outs with record companies, no promotion for their record, tired of being told their sound isn't radio friendly.  Why not quit?  This boy is exhausted.  "But then once a while / We'll play a show / Then it makes it worthwhile."  But he "can't tell a hit from hell."  Soaring double guitars and powerhouse drumming belie the broken hopelessness of the lyrics.

Oogum Boogum Song - Brenton Wood

Oogum Boogum Song - Brenton Wood

3:06

Oogum Boogum, 1967

Written by Brenton Wood (as Alfred Smith)

There's always something that's new to you, no matter how much of an expert you are.  Despite nearly four decades of listening and learning about music, I had never heard of Wood until he died, yesterday.  Too bad.  An urgent, falsetto soul vocal makes this silly song ("When you wear your bell bottom pants / I just stand there in a trance") more than a novelty, despite the equally silly title.  After some funky piano and drum chords, Wood hits us with that out of sight vocal.  Go on with your bad self! 

Battleship Chains - Hindu Love Gods

Battleship Chains - Hindu Love Gods

3:08

Hindu Love Gods, 1990

Written by Terry Anderson, 1985

This song was written by the front man of a little-known band called Woods and made famous by the Georgie Satellites.  Woods released their own version in 1987.  I haven't heard either band's take on it, just this one.  Zevon's muscular vocals carry the day here.  Its lyrics consist of verse, chorus, same verse as before, chorus, same verse as before, chorus.  Super repetitive, but its catchiness helps.  There was just something magical about the collaboration of R.E.M. and Zevon and we're lucky to have it on wax.  Tape.  The cloud.

C'mon C'mon - The Von Bondies

C'mon C'mon - The Von Bondies

2:13

Pawn Shoppe Heart, 2004

Written by Jason Stollsteimer

After a few beats of surf guitar this song erupts into a super-catchy, rollicking swagger of a rock track.  The vocals are booming, the bass line is thumping, the chorus hooks into you and demands you sing along.  The quiet/loud approach is the Pixies, the lyrics are Danzig ("With my teeth locked down, I could see the blood / Of a thousand men who have come and gone").  This is the band's only successful single; they're best known for being produced by, and then punched by, Jack White.

After the War - Peter Breinholt

After the War - Peter Breinholt

4:30

single, 2024

Written by Peter Breinholt

I've never heard of this musician, but he's a recording artist based out of Salt Lake City who's been publishing music since 1993.  I was surprised to learn this, as I thought I heard a faint but distinct German or Nordic accent in his singing.  This song is the homecoming of a soldier at Christmastime, set after some unspecified war.  He is stunned, ebullient at what he sees, the town all covered in white and a choir singing.  It's a story song, an epic, chugging to a triumphant finish punched up with bells and horns.