Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Songs Chris D Taught Us.

To keep this robust, there are two download links to the song files- one here, and another right here.
Feel free to share- though I'd prefer you linked to the blog rather than just pass on a naked download link.

And this is what's in the files. Enjoy.

     track:                         by:                   originally on:
01 I Take What I Want    Ann Peebles     Straight From The Heart,1972
version appears on:       by:
Hard Road To Follow     The Flesh Eaters

The first of a pair of Peebles tracks here. Jill Jordan sang on this live, of course, and the recorded version, supplying the“girly” lines, though there exists at least one rehearsal tape wherein CD sings it all himself.  Which is kind of fetching.








02 Cinderella  The Sonics Boom!, 1965 
The Flesh Eaters Live 88 The Flesh Eaters
Great band, great track. You can hear the DNA of this one in Flesheaters tracks like “Eyes Without A Face” and “Life’s A Dirty Rat” here. I saw the Sonics play in March 2012 and can report they are still an amazingly tight outfit.











03 Gimme Shelter The Rolling Stones Let It Bleed,1969
Middle Of The Night  Divine Horsemen
What a great song for CD & Julie Christensen  to duet on. The female singer featured on the original, Merry Clayton, is well worth following up on, too- her 1970 solo album, also called“Gimme Shelter” is pretty great.
 
  







04 I Got The Will  Otis Redding  Tell The Truth
I Pass For Human     Chris D & Stone By Stone
"I Pass For Human" may be the most revealing album CD's ever done, and the painful themes of this Redding-penned song- "I got the will but can't find the way"- fit right in.










05 The Moon Upstairs  Mott The Hoople  Brain Capers, 1971
Dragstrip Riot        The Flesh Eaters
One of the more obscure numbers here, also one of the rockingest. Love that synthesiser. There’s a strong argument that  maybe these guys didn’t get the ongoing success they deserved, and despite the fact that everyone knows “All The Young Dudes” their wider legacy has certainly faded these days.
  





06 Slipped Tripped Fell In Love  Ann Peebles  Straight From The Heart,1972
Dragstrip Riot   Flesh Eaters
The second of our Peebles tracks. Slinky and smoky as all hell, there's an iron fist inside a velvet glove here. In case you are still uncertain, let me tell that you do indeed need to check this album out.
 
 
07 Voodoo Idol The Cramps Psychedelic Jungle,1981
Middle Of The Night   Divine Horsemen
A suitably spooky version of this early Cramps fave. I would have loved to hear the “Minute To
Pray” line up's take on this. Also to be found on the "Play New Rose For Me" compilation LP.

 
  






08 Field Of Stone David Allen Coe single, 1975
Middle Of The Night     Divine Horsemen
Whose version were they listening to- Tanya Tucker's  or David Allen Coe’s? Probably Tucker's, 
as it was a bigger hit and released earlier, but Coe's own version is worth a listen too.

  










 09 Rhymes Al Green  Al Green Is Love,1975
Hard Road To Follow   The Flesh Eaters   
A stablemate of Anne Peebles at Hi Records in the early 70s, soul maestro Green was in fine  form here, in the middle of a hugely productive period for him.

 
    









10 Frankie & Johnny Big Bill Broonzy
Time Stands Still, Chris D & Snake Handler (CD only) Divine Horsemen   
I went all the way from Harry Smith's American Anthology to the Elvis movie soundtrack and listened about 100 takes on this song  before picking this version, mainly because of the little details- Frankie’s red kimono and her stein of beer in particular. What a gal.And he looks like a dude, too.

  











11 Superlungs (My Supergirl) Donovan Barabajal, 1969
Snake Handler (CD only) Divine Horsemen 
Usually known for his folkie stuff, this is one of Donovan's less whimsical numbers, and another relative obscurity. And when I say whimsical, I mean this album also includes a song called “I Love My Shirt”.

  










12 I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement The Ramones The Ramones,1976
Gabba Gabba Hey-a tribute to the Ramones The Flesh Eaters
The Flesh Eaters were in some good company on this tribute album but this is the Ramones at their most minimal and the song doesn't give them much to work with. I was unable to trace full line up details for this but think it was the “Dragstrip Riot” band.
 
  










13 Ghost The Neats The Neats, 1983
I Pass For Human   Chris D & Stone By Stone   
A legendary Boston group from the early 80s, who never achieved great success but yet are still spoken of in the same breath as REM by those in the know. Despite the generally jaunty feel, this is actually a  pretty sooky break up song- “Look through me and watch me fade, as you turn another page”. Thanks to Chris Haskett for the tip. 
  











14 Slow Death Charlie Pickett  single 1981
Dragstrip Riot (vinyl only) The Flesh Eaters    
Charlie Pickett is a national treasure and he really does justice to the Flamin' Groovies’ 1972 original. Thank god this early output is available on the "Bar Band Americanus" collection. Apparently it was hearing this version that led to CD’s interest in the track.
 
  





15 Baby Won't Ya MC5 High Time, 1971
Woman Hell CD single The Flesh Eaters   
The MC5 had plenty of suitably grunty tunes  in their repertoire. CD played it smart by avoiding more obvious choices and going  with this. Check out the way the full-on 4/4 choruses segue into that great lurching-but-swinging rhythm for the verses- "Baby let's have a good tiiiiime!.

 









16 If You Want Blood AC/DC Highway To Hell, 1979
Women Hell CD single The Flesh Eaters   
A great tune from the last real AC/DC album- ie the last one Bon Scott sang on. As any Australian of a certain age will tell you, they just weren’t the same after he died.  


17 Agony Shorthand The Flesh Eaters Disintegration Nation EP, 1978
Dragstrip Riot The Flesh Eaters   
…and here CD goes back to that original single, the one that started it. Did he really ever have a 
girlfriend who worked at the Ivar? Who knows- it doesn't really matter, does it?


5 comments:

  1. Nice work I like the way you've dotted the eyes and crossed the Ts. I still have your copy of SLASH zine with Gary Panter cover et al

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a great post, and thanks! One ommission that's one of my favorites I take what I want (Sam and Dave).

    Thanks again. This is very cool.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sorry, I take what I want was of course on your list. Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete

Don't be a dick.