Chris and I have been wondering how many readers we have; we're guessing it's somewhere between three and six (depending on whether we count Chris, Tim and I). So I've decided to start this new thing called Audience Participation to trick you sneaky audio perverts into revealing yourselves. I'll be pitting a couple songs together and hopefully you, the loyal and faithful fan, will tell us what you like better.
Kicking off this first song battle is Common's Testify against MURS' I'm Innocent; both of which sampled Honey Cone's Innocent Until Proven Guilty. While I think Common's production is a little tighter, lyrics like "you(re) cold coffee, wet cigarettes;I'm a shot of espresso and hot morning-sex" make MURS' version a tough contender.
In my opinion, the real star of this post is the Honey Cones track. Yeah, yeah. I know I her version wasn't in this ocatagon of audio death, but she's some how come flying in like Super Fly Jimmy Snuka off the top turn buckle.
The story, the vocals, the tempo changes and the violin solo make this song truly unique and it's no wonder why so many artists have sampled this song. Time to dust off that big foam-middle-finger of mine that says "INNOCENT".
So , back to my trickery, er, "poll". Who wins this song battle, Common? Murs? or *gasp* Honey Cone?
Song comparison time. Let's take a look at "You Send Me" which most people think of as Sam Cooke's song. It's pretty hard to argue against that. But I am able to argue against anything. Just last week in court I was fighting the fight against societal restrictions that most people think are "common sense." I laugh heartily in the face of common sense and demand the right to dance at any time, in any state of undress, and in anyone's living room.
I think I have some of the court transcript.
Defendant- "These my dear sir are the very principles that the constitution was biiirthed from.
Lawyer for the Prosecution- "Did you just say birthed from?"
D- "I did good sir, for as the people of this fine courtroom know, the constitution plopped out of lady liberty's womb and was caught in the great hands of a little chamber maid known as justice."
LFTP- "I think you mean mid-wife and please get back in the witness box."
D- "I apologize but I feel separated from my people, the people that make up this great country, like you madam, how are you this fine morrow."
LFTP- "Witness box, you, get back in it, don't kiss her hand and "this fine morrow makes no sense."
D- "We will agree to disagree on that matter but I think you will find it a hard fought battle to prove this is not a fine morrow sir."
LFTP- "My argument is not with the adjective "fine" but the use of "morrow." Look it doesn't matter, just answer the question. Where were you on the evening of June 10th 2006?
D- "Let me scan my mental Rolodex good sir this may take a moment. I haven't rebooted in awhile, if you know what I mean."
LFTP- "I have no idea what you mean please just answer the question."
D- "The 10th of June in the year of our lord two thousand and six."
LFTP- "Yes, that would be another way of saying it, stop grinning and looking so self satisfied and just answer the question."
D- "If I could I would like to perform a sonnet."
LFTP- "Does this sonnet answer the question of where you were on June 10th 2006?"
D- "No but it's quite good if I do say so myself. It was inspired by the water lilies of Niagara and the seasonal drift of their petals down the Snake River."
LFTP- "Geographically that's not possible. Let me answer the question for you, according to several witnesses, I am talking a whole school bus full of children, parents waiting to pick up their kids, the plaintiff, basically everyone says the same thing. They saw you enter the Crawford residence. Wearing nothing but cut off jean shorts and a hairnet..."
D- "I would like to call a witness."
LFTP- "Let me finish and you can't call witnesses right now anyway. Do you deny the fact that you entered the residence, proceeded to put an Ace of Base cd into their cd player and then continually spun the plaintiff around in her wheelchair, while shouting I love the night life?"
D- "I think the use of the word spun is objectionable, I prefer the word danced."
LFTP- "Ok did you "dance" with the plaintiff?"
D- "It's kind of hard to dance when your partner won't get on her feet. Am I wrong? Get your rhythm shoes on m'lady."
LFTP- "Please don't point at the plaintiff. She is a disabled 87 year old grandmother, who was relaxing in her home, before you barged in."
D- "We will agree to disagree, because what I saw was a special lady friend who wanted to get down with the get down. If you know what I mean, and I think you do Constable"
LFTP- "I think I can rest my case your honor."
D- "You do that good sir."
LFTP- "I was talking to the judge."
D- "Yeah so was I."
LFTP- "I don't think you were."
D- "You my angel of civil service are good, I really wasn't, you are making me blush. So you free later?"
LFTP- "No."
D- "Well I want to leave you with some words of inspiration because my love for you is undying and wrapped in fuchsia flowers of adoration."
LFTP- "Ummm.."
D- *Mouthes the words "Call me" as he is taken away by the baliff.*
Ok so maybe that didn't work out as I had hoped. Sorry for that, on to the music. First up the one that most people think of when you say "You send me." The OG up in here. This is a great example of some pure vocalizations by one of the best voices in history. It sounds clean, poppy, it's sweet. I mean sweet in that sappy kind of nostalgic going to the hop throw back vibe it gives. I think a lot of that has to do with the backing vocals. The random choruses that backed solo artists on songs like this always makes me think of a Dean Martin or Perry Como type era and genre. Sam's is more upbeat than a love ballad from them but the backing vocals have that feel. I am not sure how much I like that sound, I usually think it's too much, it leads any song towards fields of corniess, Especially when you have a voice that is as good as Sam's the backing vocals only serve as distractions. It works with this song and it works for the Deans and Perrys it's just an added layer that I don't think would be missed if it was not there. Case in point the second version of this song. Otis handles it by himself. The stand alone vocals have more emotion to them and it changes the feel of the song. Listen to the Sam one first.
Sam Cooke- You Send Me
In Sam's version I feel like the protagonist of the song has already gotten the subject of the song's affections. The You send me's are directed at someone in a relationship. It is just saying this is how you make me feel and I am happy that I am with you. The overall song is happy, vocals, arrangement, backing chorus. It is an uplifting affirmation of the love and feelings that the subject gives Sam. It's the fairytale, read the lyrics at face value, version. Now listen to Otis.
Otis Redding- You Send Me
Otis' version is heartbreaking to me. To me, his version is about the protagonist saying these are the feelings that you give me, but you are not attainable. Something like that. He loves her, wants to marry her, but the way that he sings the lyrics with a hint of sadness makes me think that he has not yet had his affections returned. This is what you do to me, I wish I did the same thing to you. This is what you do to me, I wish I could be in your life, instead of watching you from afar. The arrangement is stripped down, slowed a bit, the lack of the chorus vocals is noticeable because in the Sam version it provides a sugary backbone to the song. Here there is only Otis, emoting with such heartfelt delivery it is palpable through the speakers. Otis' voice is gruffer than Sam's the pretty pop stylization of Sam is countered by the gutteral bluesey tone of Otis. I think Otis pulls more out of the song but there is no way you can say Sam's version is bad. I notice that I am leaning more towards the sadder heartbroken version of songs. Even interpreting the songs in a negative way when maybe that is delving too deep.
But I think realistically you can support the argument that Otis' version is about yearning more than having attained. The way he approached the lyrics just doesn't sound happy to me. It stands in sharp contrast to Sam and it creates two versions that are equally excellent and manage to go down two divergent paths. Do I really have to choose? Since I am in a sad mood tonight, (anyone get that reference?) I am going to go with Otis. The reasons being the way that he transforms a song that I never thought could be re imagined. I never would have thought this song could be sad but Otis slapped the sadness on it with a quickness. Read the lyrics, how can that song be sad? Otis just said, "I'll make anything sad mufuckas, try me." I wonder how that studio session went.
"Heey Otis buddy got this happy little diddy for you to sing."
"Let me see it."
"Happy right? Such happy happy lyrics awwww love, it's such a wonderful thing."
"Ok, Let's do this." *begins to wail*
"I can't see through my tears Otis, you bastard, you magnificent bastard, how did you do that?" *crumples up into a shivering ball of tears*
I am pretty sure that's how it went. Just for flipping the script and doing it effectively he gets the nod.
Oh and when I was looking at the lyrics to "You send me" I saw at least two other versions. One was by Taylor Hicks and another was by Aretha Franklin. Kind of interested in hearing those, but can they even come close to fucking with these versions? Aretha could be thrown in the mix but Taylor Hicks? Ha, I scoff in your general direction. Someone listen to them and tell me how they are. Weigh in below.
I'm working on a compilation of my favorite M.U.R.S. tracks. Here's a taste of what's upcoming. (Get through the talking in the beginning 'cause it's a banger.)
Murs feat 9th Wonder - Intro (From the Sweet Lord mix-tape)
Z-Trip feat Murs and Supernatural - Breakfast Club
Someone please help. My glasses are now thick and heavy, my pants are getting tighter, plaid has over come my wardrobe and Pabst Blue Ribbon is starting to sound tasty. I don't know what it is but the 80's are looking ok to me now and I think I should shower less. Well one good thing about hipsters taking over the world is they sure do like trippy-synthy-music. Here are a couple of songs I've added to my playlist within recent months that any hipster would feel proud to bump on their walkman while speeding through stop signs on their fixed-gear bike on their way to the new-yet-old vegetarian taqueria. Put them on your playlist by clicking the divshare logo to download them.
What do you get when you cross Nite Jewel with Dam Funk? Nite Funk; DUH! Aside from a superhuman cool name, you also get an awesome track which sounds like like a B-Girl made love to Peaches and Herb.
Nite Funk - Am I Gonna Make It Home
Since we're talkin about fucked up names here, this next group of songs is by a guy named Memory Cassette aka Weird Tapes aka Memory Cassette. He did a remix of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's Heads Will Roll which gained him some fame. Aside from remixing, he's also pretty good at creating his own stuff. His album Seek Magic is great to listen to while slaving away at work...
Memory Cassette - Asleep at the Party
Peter, Bjorn & John - It Don't Move Me(Weird Tapes Remix)
Dem Getaway Boyz - Imma G (Memory Tapes Remix)
Memory Tapes - Green Knight
To wrap this post up, I've included a new single from the pioneers of creepy-sythy-electronic fused music; Portishead. Yeah, Portishead is still around and YES they are still making dope music.
Portishead - Chase the Tear
Gotta go, it's time to lube my hair up and look for 80's clothing.
This mix starts with a track that I had a hard time placing in the soul category. It is actually 60's French pop penned by the infamous Whitney harasser and pop legend himself, Serge Gainsbourg. The track is sung by France Gall
Aww look, he's teaching her how to use a Tommy Gun, see kids that's how you woo a lady. I bow to you Serge.
An english cover version by April March was featured in Grindhouse by Tarantino. It has some soul sensibilities for example the horns and the rhythm section. The music would be perfectly at home backing up a girl group from the States, who really cares though? It's a good song whatever category you put it in. Check it out below.
People could argue with the second song as well but my definition of soul is not very rigid...also I have no standards. From there it goes into Menahan street Band, Curtis, Aretha, James, William Bell's- I Forgot To Be Your Lover, which deserves it's own write up. Stuff like that. Soul Mix 2
I know, I know: "Mellow Mix" is so unoriginal and so, well, 90's (sorry DJ Greybush). How many "Mellow"/"Chill"/"Just Chillin" mixes have we all made/received in our lifetimes? Too many. Well, eff it, here's another one. I made this as a soundtrack for my dissertation writing, an activity that is, for me, definitely not "chill." It's all fairly easy listening indie rock stuff, with a little alt-country and electronica-type stuff mixed in. One note on the last song by Animal Collective: if you are not familiar with this band, please be forewarned that they often take a lot of time to get to the actual 'singing' in their songs; so skip ahead to about the 3 minute mark if you want to get to the vocals. Stay mellow, people.
Jesus Christ, you want to hear a bad idea? How about a tribute to Curtis Mayfield that was made in 1994. The Tribute isn't the bad idea maybe just that it happened to come to fruition in the year that shared events like the Major League Baseball Strike and the clubbing of Nancy Kerrigan. If we could have planned that I bet we would have re-evaluated that timing. I just checked the top artists of 1994 and I saw the Real MCcoy, Ace Of Base, Richard Marx, Tevin Campbell and Michael Bolton. That era of music, though formative in my youth should pretty much be dead to the history books. Looking at that list made me feel dirty, kind of like this picture.
For my money, I don't know if it gets any better than when he sings "When a Man Loves A Woman."
I don't think the word tribute was truly understood by the parties involved in this production. The sentiment is nice, I am sure their intentions were pure and altruistic it's just the execution was flawed. I am being too hard on them because it was just a bad time for music. Just listen to this Gladys Knight version of, "Choice of Colors." Listen to the arrangement and the instrumentation, the pure 94ness of it is amazing. It's like everything that was wrong with that year in sonic form. The drums oh man, those drums. The good part starts 00:38 in.
Gladys Knight- Choice Of Colors
Now cleanse your ears with the original. I just don't think you can really touch Curtis in his prime. His work with the Impressions is pretty high up in there on my list of musical achievements. At the very least if you are going to try and do a Curtis cover, do me a favor and don't be in the year 1994.
Curtis Mayfield- Choice Of Colors
They actually got some heavy hitters from 1994 to participate, this wasn't a low budget deal. I am talking big names like, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Bruce Springsteen, Whitney Houston, U2......and Phil Colins, don't worry none of them did any better with Curtis' legacy. Listen to the Isley Brothers take a swing at it.
Isley Brothers- I'm So Proud
and the Q-tip to clean that shit out. The original is just too good. You stay away Mr Biggs!!!
Curtis Mayfield- I'm So Proud
You know what else is awesome about this album? They had to pick a young star to play with the established artists. They had to decide who the future of music was in 1994. Who is the future Curtis in this young batch of up and comers? Who will carry the torch through the next 20 years with stellar output and pure musical genius like Curtis? That must have been quite a dilemma when looking at such a talented stable of musicians. But they had to decide, and guess who they ended up going with.........Tevin motherfucking Campbell. Was he even popular for all of 1994? Sorry that wasn't my genre back then. The crazy part is that Tevin actually does a good job. Maybe because I am not as attached to the Curtis song that he is covering, or just the fact that the production doesn't assault my ears with it's dated instrumentation. Score one for Tevin....it's still not great though...horrible fucking album.
