Hold on to your headphones... just not while driving... here comes...
 
FURRBALL'S FAVOURITES Special #3: The Miranda Carrotte Edition!
Continuing to redefine the word "Hodgepodge", this time I raided the
mink's record, CD and mp3 collection (Miranda loves her music!)
to come with 78-minutes-and-change worth of her favorite tracks. As
befits our favorite drummer, some of the tracks are heavy on percussion
in unlikely places.
Ready? Here goes:
1. The Dave Clark Five/Glad All Over (EMI Columbia) 2.43
The DC5 forever earned a place in rock and roll history as the group
who knocked the Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" out of the #1 spot,
and this was the record that did it. Fittingly enough for the first
song in this collection, it starts with a drum solo. (CDs: The
History of The Dave Clark Five [Hollywood, out of print]; Glad All
Over Again [EMI, also out of print])
2. Steve Gibbons Band/Any Road Up (Polydor) 3.24
3. Steve Gibbons Band/Get Up And Dance (Polydor) 3.32
The Birmingham, England area has contributed more than its share of
great names to Britrock (let's see... The Moody Blues, Roy Wood (The
Move/ELO/Wizzard), Jeff Lynne (Move/ELO/Wilburys)... and the SGB).
This record is one of Miranda (and my) favorites because it has all
the prerequisites that any great rock single SHOULD have...
it was pressed on clear red vinyl and came in a transparent plastic
sleeve. (What... you mean those aren't prerequisites?)
(CD: Get Up And Dance: The Best of Steve Gibbons Band [Polydor])
4. The Other Ones/Another Holiday (Extended) (Virgin) 6.37
The first of two 12" remixes in this collection. Yes, you've heard
"Holiday" in an earlier comp, but this is where the Klimeks and friends
take an extended trip (and Hoffman lets loose on those drums)!
5. a-ha/I've Been Losing You (WEA) 4.26
Hard to believe that Merton Harket and co. have been together all these
years and are still at with the same lineup 23 years after "Take
On Me"! Those Norwegians. Ain't they somethin'? Oh yes... there WILL be
drums in this one! (CD: The Singles 1984|2004 [Warner Special Marketing])
6. Judge Jules and Katie Marne featuring Cara Dillon/Ordinary Day 7.08
Jessimyn explained it to Miranda this way: "Sure, Irish folk is nice and
all that, but sometimes a girl's got to go and just trance, you know?"
Cheeky mink that she is, Miranda replied, "Down the hall and to your left."
Jess just stared at her, as I recall... From Miranda's personal mp3 collection.
7. Lindisfarne/Run For Home (Mercury) 4.22
Alan Hull and Co. made some great music ("Fog On The Tyne", "Lady Eleanor",
etc.) but they only ever had one US top 40 hit... namely, this one.
A direct quote from the mink: "Darnit, they shoulda had more!" I'm inclined
to agree. (LP: Back And Fourth [Atco])
8. Madness/Our House (Stretch Mix) (Stiff) 4.58
It's 12" remix time, Madness is on the turntable (and Daniel "Woody" Woodgate
is on drums and triggers, sez Miranda, and she should know!). Miranda is
big on Madness. Minks. Go fig.
9. The Heats/I Don't Like Your Face (GRRRR) 2.18
Finally! An American group gets in the mix! (Miranda doesn't know
how that happened either...) From Seattle, The Heats perform a medley of
their near-hit. (It came in a cute pic sleeve of a growling white Scottie
dog, if you're interested.) Just the sort of song to pair up with Holly and
The Italians' "Tell That Girl To Shut Up" from an earlier comp.
10. Queen/Hammer To Fall (EMI) 3.39
The most needlessly overeducated group in the history of Britrock! (But
darn, they made some great rock and roll!)
11. ABC/The Night You Murdered Love (Neutron) 4.54
12. XTC/I'm The Man Who Murdered Love (Virgin) 3.44
Miranda's favorite hobby (well, one of them, anyway) is to find two songs
with similar titles, pair 'em up and see how they sound. Here's an example,
as (coincidentally) two of her favorite "letter" bands tackle different
takes on almost the same subject; one slightly bitter (with lemon), the other
just plain humourous. You can guess which is which. (First CD: "ABC in Alphabet
City" [Mercury/Neutron]. Miranda regrets that she lost the notes on the XTC
track; she thinks it comes from "Skylarking" [Geffen Goldline], but says,
"Even if it doesn't, it's worth checking out. Heck, TMBG like 'em, so they
MUST have something!")
13. Bram Tchaikovsky/Whiskey & Wine (live) (Radar) 3.31
And now, a touch of the classics. Bram, of course, was the one-time guitarist
and singer for The Motors (which is enough of a recommendation for anybody
into powerpop!), and fittingly enough, here he is with a Motors song. This
was one side of the bonus single that came with his 45 "Girl Of My Dreams",
and as such, wasn't on any album, but it is here! Drums? But of course!
14. The Kinks/UK Jive (London ffrr) 3.52
If you're going to be in a band populated by Brits, like the Bloomin' Loonies,
then a working knowledge of The Kinks' back catalog is an essential! An
essential what, Miranda isn't sure... This is the title track from
their unfairly overlooked 1989 album. But then, Miranda notes, that's what
happens when you have American distribution by MCA. (CD: UK Jive [MCA])
15. Eddy Grant/Baby Come Back (Ice) 4.55
In 1967, an interracial group out of England (fittingly called "The Equals")
stormed onto the pop charts with this song, written and sung by... you got it...
Eddy Grant. Several years later, he decided to tackle the song again, doing
all the instruments and voices and adding a new lyric. Miranda says, "Lyric,
shmyric, I love those DRUMS!" We thought she would.
16. Flash And The Pan/Believe In Yourself (Albert Productions) 4.20
After three LPs of technorock poetry (Flash And The Pan, Lights In The Night,
and Headlines), the previously mentioned Harry Vanda & George Young threw
everybody a curve (nothing new for them!) and on their fourth longplayer,
"Early Morning Wake Up Call", reminded folks straight out, "Hey, you know,
we can still sing." Which they did. This is that album's closing track,
with lead vocal by George, and a better call for empowerment, positive thinking
and all that has never been made. (And fittingly enough, like any song involving
the ex-Easybeats, you could dance to it. If you like.) (LP: Early Morning
Wake Up Call [Epic/Albert])
17. The Who/Dogs Part II (Track) 2.27
[NOTE: Miranda regrets that she lost the previously announced Bev Bevan track
she was going to put on here, but thinks that this makes a suitable (if sillier)
replacement.] If anyone could turn the drums into a lead instrument, it was the
legendary Keith Moon. Here, on this Who rarity, it was Keith's turn for the B-
side money, and he earned every shilling of it... with some help from the Who's...
dogs???
18. Status Quo/Slow Train (Vertigo) 7.55
Miranda sez, "If ever a song was misnamed, it's this one. The LAST thing about
it is slow!" The classic 70s line-up of Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt (lead
guitars... in stereo, yet!), Alan Lancaster (bass) and John Coghlan (pounding
the stuffing out of his black Premier drumkit, thank you very much!) take it
on home. Miranda adds, "I get so lost in that dual guitar part in the final
couple minutes, I forget how long the drum solo lasts! Anyway, this just HAD
to close the comp!" Agreed. (LP: Quo [A&M])
BONUS ALBUM!
"BLUES, RAGS AND HOLLERS" by "Spider" John Koerner, Dave "Snaker" Ray and Tony
"Little Sun" Glover (Originally released in stereo on Audiophile Records (1963),
reissued in an edited mono version as Elektra EK-240, and re-reissued in its
entirety in stereo on Red House Records. The version here is from the Red House CD).
The trio of Koerner, Ray & Glover were die-hard fans of authentic folk music,
and were not especially fans of the commercialized sounds of Peter, Paul & Mary or
The Kingston Trio, and like that. Purists? Sure. But they had fun doing it.
Oddly enough, the actual KRG trio only appear on the opening and closing cuts.
Everything else is divvied up in permutations of the group (2 by Dave & Tony,
1 by John & Tony, and none by John and Dave), with the solos going as follows:
8 by "Spider" John, 6 by Dave, and only 1 by Tony. This was the first recording for
any of them. It sure wouldn't be the last.
1. Linin' Track/Koerner, Ray & Glover (2.16)
2. Ramblin' Blues/"Spider" John Koerner and Tony "Little Sun" Glover (2.41)
3. It's All Right/Dave "Snaker" Ray (3.50)
4. Hangman/"Spider" John Koerner (2.28)
5. Ted Mack Rag/"Spider" John Koerner (1.28)
6. Down To Louisiana/Dave "Snaker" Ray and Tony "Little Sun" Glover (2.52)
7. Creepy John/"Spider" John Koerner (2.37)
8. Bugger Burns/"Spider" John Koerner (1.37)
9. Son's Wail/Tony "Little Sun" Glover (1.51)
10. Dust My Broom/Dave "Snaker" Ray (4.04)
11. One Kind Favor/Dave "Snaker" Ray and Tony "Little Sun" Glover (3.56)
12. Go Down Ol' Hannah/Dave "Snaker" Ray (2.55)
13. Good Time Charlie/"Spider" John Koerner (1.39)
14. Banjo Thing/"Spider" John Koerner (1.23)
15. Stop That Thing/Dave "Snaker" Ray (2.00)
16. Too Bad/"Spider" John Koerner (1.50)
17. Snaker's Here/Dave "Snaker" Ray (3.41)
18. Low Down Rounder/"Spider" John Koerner (2.09)
19. Jimmy Bell/Dave "Snaker" Ray (2.43)
20. Mumblin' Word/Koerner, Ray & Glover (2.43)
|