Here’s a discussion of my selections for Speed It Up, Volume 7 of the Green Monkey Music Project.
Antony and the Johnsons – Divine
A great operatic kickoff to my songs. Previously featured in my tribute to the gay side of Splotchy.
U.S. Maple – Open A Rose
This is a great Chicago band you’ve probably never heard of. It’s music ahead of its time. I kid you not, in twenty years, people are going to be wondering why the hell we weren’t all listening to this stuff when the band was around. From Acre Thrills.
James Brown – It’s A New Day
You can’t get much funkier than this. From the awesome collection In A Jungle Groove.
The Feelies – The High Road
Wow, it took me seven volumes of green monkey mixes before I used a Feelies song. This is off my all-time favorite album, The Good Earth. If you could take my DNA sequence and somehow run it through a machine that translates the code into music, it would probably play this song.
The Wedding Present – It’s A Gas
This song is wickedly poppy. I’ve never been a really big fan of singer/songwriter David Gedge’s lyrics, but for this song I wouldn’t care if he was talking about punching out old ladies and babies. Irresistibly catchy. Off the great album Watusi.
The Ramones – Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
My favorite Ramones song.
Hüsker Dü – Divide And Conquer
From the great record Flip Your Wig. This song just pumps me up every time I hear it. Great stuff.
The Feelies – Crazy Rhythms
*Another* Feelies song?!! You’re goddamn right, another Feelies song! This is the title track off their first album. Another song that represents the core of my musical being.
I don’t know US Maple OR the Feelies. I have obviously behind on a lot of listening.
I am looking forward to checking these out when I finish polishing my Green Monkey Master badge.
Nice choices. I had a feeling you were gonna pick a Feelies song for one of your fasties; that drummer boggles my mind.
barbara, the US Maple might not immediately be palatable to one’s ears, but I’d stick with it.
The Feelies — oh, The Feelies, The Feelies, The Feelies.
tim, you might or might not know this, but their drummer for Crazy Rhythms was a different guy — Anton Fier, who went on to form the Golden Palominos. The drummer for the rest of the records, Stanley Demeski, actually sent me an email! Woo woo! And I still I have a small note he put in a CD-R that I got from a friend of his.
I loved the US Maple song especially, but all of these are great.
I’d glad you liked the US Maple, Tim!
Check out their second album Sang Phat Editor — it’s their best.
I have never heard of the Feelies. I will have to go on a downloading binge tonight.
beckeye, hope you like them, but to each, their own.