Dear Mike;

I finished listening to your cd and posted it to Andras yesterday. I'll post my review in a few days.

P.S: I loved it!

Zeynep

Mike, I finished the CD for the 2nd time. I'm always complaining that an 80 minute long CD is too long. Now, yours wasn't :o) I like it very much. Review after Christmas.

Andr.

Hello Mike;

First of all I want to say that it was a pleasure to hear the music inside of your head.
After listening this CD I think I'll go out and buy some Jazz records

1. On the wrong side of the railroad tracks
written by Duke Ellington, performed by Dr John: Definitely a night song. I used to put this song in my discman before sleeping( when I had your CD) Those were the days. sigh.

2. Only a dream in Rio - James Taylor:Maybe it'll sound weird but his voice reminded me of Jay Jay Johanson when I first listened to the song. One of my favorite songs on the Cd!

3. Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes - Kevin Ayers: Very fun to listen to!

4. This must be the place (naive melody) - Talking Heads: At first I thought it was only a musical song but then the lyrics began The rhythm and melody is very sweet.

5. Page One - Lemon Jelly: Th beginning is like "aliens conquering the world" so it can be scary to listen to this song at midnight. (tried and tested) But at a point it enchants you and you can't push the stop button. "Imagine to have nothing at all, when there was nothing at all, beginning of history" Wow.

6. Cloud Cuckoo Land - Bill Bruford's Earthworks: It made me feel that I was in a Jazz bar.

7. Bed O'Roses no. 9 - Ian Dury:Wonderful voice, great rhythm!

8. Woke up this morning - Alabama 3:It brings me shivers, very effective!

9. Mumps (D) - Hatfield and the North:It sounds like a soundtrack for me.

10. Jolly Coppers on Parade - Randy Newman: It is a very emotional song. Newman sings as if he's crying.

11. Virtually part 1 - Soft Machine:To tell you the truth I can't remember this song now and I'm afraid I haven't taken any note about it. so sorry

12. History Repeating (Knee length) - Propellerheads and Miss Shirley Bassey:What a voice, what a song! Wow! Again one of my favorites. They dance, they don't know who is singing...

13. Player Piano Study No 11 - Conlan Nancarrow : See Track 11


14. Diamonds on the Soles of her shoes - Paul Simon: Great way to end the CD. I loved it!

And Mike before finishing I'd ask for a favour from you, can you recommend me some Jazz records. I don't have any so what do you think is the best album to begin with?

Thats all for now;
All the best

Zeynep

I'm glad you liked it.

I can only tell you what I like, which is what's on this disk.
Try "A Part and Yet Apart" by Bill Bruford's Earthworks, if you liked the Bill Bruford track.

Cheers

Mike

Hello Mike,

The CD is fantastic :o)

- Track no. 1 & 3

I like them. But more exciting stuff is coming on! :o)

- James Taylor

Cams' words describe this track wonderfully: 'plinky-plonky keyboards'. I coundn't have said it better :o) Not that I have anything against this plinky-plonky thing, my dear Tanita uses this on her first two albums, but again, I got her cassettes when I was 10. At 24 (happy bithday to me, btw) I just find this soundeffect less... ahm... :o)

I have a CD where James Taylor is singing 'I Bought Me a Cat'. I expected something totally different :o) He has many faces I guess, I see, Cams is also confused about his 'real' style.

- Talking Heads

Hm. Yeah, pretty naive. But if it comes to 'naive music' I prefer Mirwais. He is the only one (I'vea heard), who not only recycled, but developed something new out of this '80s retro movement.

- Lemon Jelly

"And then... nothing." :o) At this point I realised I should have collected the best songs which I got through this Towie Tree to a CD... or 2... or more.

This is the 3rd Lemon Jelly song I like. I should buy now their album. Do you say that song about the Duck was released as a single only?

(At first I thought it was Baz Luhrmann (not sure about the spelling) talking. Years ago he had this song about the sunscreen. It's similar to 'Page One'.)

- Bill Bruford's Earthworks

Ahm, I feel stupid now, because this song also has an '80s feeling for me. I heard songs like this on the Hungarian TV as a background music in the late '80s early '90s. (It's mainly because the saxophone.) Maybe that's why this song sounds a bit funny for me. But it's very warm.

- Ian Dury

Hm, this guy has a good voice.
Good song. But I couldn't define the style of this music. (OK, I'm always confused about genres. It's probably something very plain and obvious.) But... what would you call it?

[Zeynep, this is also for you!]

You know, what I like about this Towie Tree, that I'm learning new things. Zeynep asked you to recommend him jazz records. I'm also a beginner. And my bf also decided to buy a yazz record. We both like jazz (again, have no idea about these sub-genres, or how do you call it), but we're totally beginners. He was totally cluless in the CD shop. So, what I did, I looked for compilations with nice paper digipack covers :o) Checked out the tracklists, and we found a good CD. So, now we have a good starting to point. I think that's how you have to start, Zeynep :o)

- Alabama 3

Sorry Mike, but this is blues and **'80s pop*** :oD I cannot decide if it is me or you who is lost in that decade :o)

I know I have an Alabama 3 song somewhere. I thought it was on Ministry of Sound's Chillout Session 2 compilation next to Lemon Jelly, but I was wrong. Anyway...

This song rocks! Kinda reminds me of Moby's 'Play', but this is more powerful. I like that... ahm, Cams could you help me out? I need a definition for a particular sound on this track :o) That fat bump-like bass thing :o) You know, that '80s thing :o)))

- Hatfield and the North

Ahm, when was this song released? :o)
Nice, nice... Ahm... Yeah. Nice :o)

- Randy Newman

Ahm, he has nothing to do with Nanci Griffith, right? :o) I don't know, a bit lukewarm for me. But if it was sang by Nanci, I would probably say it's a nice song :o) My friend proved to me that I discriminate male singers :o)

- Soft Machine

I really like these jazz songs you included, I'm just too inexperienced with this genre. I like it.

- Propellerheads + Shirley Bassey

Oh, one of my all time favorite songs. Many years ago I've heard the whole album, but I was a bit disappointed. I think I should give it a chance again.

You know, this CD has a very good concept. '80s & jazzy piano parts.

Knee legth means radio edit, I guess :o)

- Joanna MacGregor

When I heard this for the fist time... :o) It made the same effect on me as Beck's bonus noises on his albums. I was rolling on the floor in extasy :o) You can say what you want, but this music perverse :o) And I'm a real perv :o)

- Paul Simon

Yeah, it sounds exactly like Paul Simon :o)

***

Ahhh, this was great :o) OK, Bob, I'm posting you this masterpiece tomorrow :o)
Andr.

Well, it’s time for me to write another CD review. No crazy gimmicks this time around. I’m just going to get in and out as I’m not feeling particularly inspired…Let’s just say most of this disc didn’t make me feel anything. I liked a couple songs, didn’t like a couple songs and found a nifty pen which taught me the true meaning of happiness. Anyway, on with the song by song analysis.

Dr John – Ahhh the good doctor…I saw him at a blues festival in 95 or 96…B.B. headlined and me and my buddy got bombed and had to wait for everyone to leave the parking lot before we could find my car (it also helped us sober up). I don’t own any of his music, but I don’t turn the channel when he is playing on our local radio station. Cool way to start out the disc.

2. James Taylor – I covered my hatred for this particular performer in my haiku review of Annika’s tape. Boring, boring, boring….

3. Kevin Ayers – I like this. I can see myself listening to this guy in a seedy bar. Vocals remind me somewhat of Lou Reed.

4. Talking Heads – I have not enjoyed David Byrne’s solo career, but you can’t go wrong with the Heads. Of course I’m down with this….

5. Lemon Jelly – Emotionless Computer music. I am robot. Beep. Beep.

6. Bill Bruford's Earthworks – Obligatory jazz song. Still don’t like jazz.

7. Ian Dury – This is not what I expected from this departed artist. I thought he was somewhat punky or at least new wavey. The vocals are fine, but the music is just godawful…two sax solos…need I say more?

8. Alabama 3 – Phunky! I was expecting some twang with that name, but this is groovy. I remember this song playing on the Simpsons when Fat Tony and his boyz were getting ready to whack Homer. That was a cool scene. I later found out that it was ripped from the Sopranos. Never seen that show. I’ve also never seen Scarface or the Godfather either.

9. Hatfield and the North – Jazzy instrumental with lots of instruments that said nothing to me. Reminds me of the music you hear at resorts…you know…the “entertainment” they promise in the brochures…

10. Randy Newman – It’s odd not seeing a movie while I’m listening to Randy Newman. He’s done some good movie soundtrack music (I wish I could remember the song and movie I’m thinking of…it was the dramatic introspective part in the movie…c’mon people help me out =>). Anyway, this is pretty standard Randy Newman from what I’ve heard.

11. Soft Machine – I actually listened to this song twice in a row and I still can’t remember what it was like. Instrumental music for the most part is just lost on me.

12. Propellerheads and Miss Shirley Bassey – I most definitely do not need to listen to this song. This cool poolhall/bar that I practically lived at in D.C. had this song in the jukebox (BTW – this is one of the finest jukebox’s I’ve ever had the pleasure to drop money into…). One of the more annoying regulars used to ALWAYS play this song. It seemed like it was always on. I think he played it because he knew how much it annoyed my friends and I. The thing is then he would play some cool ska songs right after (so I could at least forgive him a little bit). At least my friends and I would switch up which Clash, Replacements, Pixies or Fugazi songs we would choose.

13. Conlan Nancarrow (performed by Joanna MacGregor) – Piano instrumental… Hey I just found one of those pens where you turn it upside down and a whale floats to the other end of the pen. How do they do that?…Oh sorry, my mind wanders when I hear music like this. If I heard this in a piano bar, I’d probably yell out play Piano Man…before I spilled my drink and got kicked out…

14. Paul Simon – I remember in 86 when this came out. I had a friend who always listened to this album. I just wanted to listen to Master of Puppets by Metallica (hey I was 12). Actually, I’d still rather listen to Master of Puppets than this. Or, maybe some Motorhead. Definitely some Motorhead.

Ha! I can empathize with your poolhall experience, Scott, since I used to frequent one where every fifth song was "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks. Sometimes it was every third song, interspersed with other classics of the Garth ouevre. The Propellerheads would have been a welcome relief, believe me.

For some reason, the people who would drop the quarter for Garth were invariably the same folks who couldn't seem to hit the ball without sending it flying across the room and barely missing somebody's head.

Scott,

you said "Soft Machine – I actually listened to this song twice in a row and I still can’t remember what it was like"
- – I think you must be getting the hang of it!

“Conlan Nancarrow – Piano instrumental… Hey I just found one of those pens where you turn it upside down and a whale floats to the other end of the pen. How do they do that?”

LOL – Scott, you’re definitely getting it ! A perfect evocation of the '70s.

- - - -

On a serious point, though: “(Mumps) Reminds me of the music you hear at resorts…you know…the “entertainment” they promise in the brochures…”
I notice several people thought it reminded them of background music.

That touches a chord with me – about the way music is used as a background in resorts, shops, adverts, planes…

A lot of my music is important to me, but that’s understating it. I’d call it sacred, the nearest thing I have to a religious faith.
Bits and pieces of the music I like get used as background in cookery programmes, and as you say, played for people to talk over in shops and resorts.
There oughta be a law – I mean I oughta be able to sue someone!
(You may laugh now, but just you wait 20 years till you hear some cheesy orchestral version of Rilo Kiley in the back of an advert for cat food. )

That’s the real “theft” of music – not what happens on Kazaa.

Mike

Scott - the way into instrumentals is to realise that they all have (hidden) lyrics, as in:

Dooo-oooo, doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo doo-doo Daaa-aa
Da-di da-da-daaa, da-da-daaa, Daaa-aa, Daaa-aa
Diddle-iddle iddle-iddle Daaa-aa
Daa-di daaa,
Daa-di, d-di-d-da d-di-d-di da-da daa-daaa
Diddle-iddle Deee Deee Daaa Deee Daaa Daaa Daaa
Daaa Daaa Deee Daaa Daaa Deee Daaa Daaa Deee
Daaa Daaa Daaa
Oommpph-oommpph, Oomph-oomph,
Oomph-oomph, Oomph-oomph... (etc)

"Facelift" - Soft Machine Three - authentic lyrics (mine, from memory) Now all you have to to is figure out the time signatures (5/8, 7/8 or something weird) Just persevere and you'll soon be singing them (instrumentals)in the shower. ;-)

Coincidentally, I saw saw Fairport Convention playing last Tuesday, with Rik Sanders (ex-Softs, although a later incarnation) playing on fiddle.

Also, while I'm here, if Suzanne's ever desperate for a drummer, and her regulars are unavailable, I see Dave Mattacks (ex-Fairport) is now well-established relatively nearby, in Boston: http://www.dmattacks.co.uk/ A versatile drummer if ever there was one. Lots of good Tech Notes on his site if anyone's interested in drumming. Now all we need is Steve Albini producing Suzanne's next album and we'll have a Dream Team.

Also, good to see Tim Eriksen (ex Cordelia's Dad, once produced by Steve Albini) on the Cold Mountain soundtrack, accompanied by Riley Baugus.

Better go now before I richochet from one tangent to another, even further into OT (la-la) Land.

Chris

Still reeling from "Belleville Rendez-vous" failing to win the best animated-feature Oscar. How could they... ? Nemo? - paaah!

Mike, I totally agree that there is nothing worse than hearing a song or artist you admire butchered like that. I can very much relate. I'm not one to watch MTV, but occassionaly one of their unreality programs will be on and in the background I always hear bands I like that MTV would never play (if they ever played music). That though doesn't annoy me nearly as much as hearing the Ramones, Clash, Buzzcocks, or even a newer band like the Transplants in a car or shampoo commercial.

Mike,

I still owe you a review, sorry I've gone out of order and posted my next one already.

Your mix is in my MP3 player, and I had been listening to it quite a bit around the time I would have been on time with it ... I'll get to it one of these days ...

I really like this one: Good selections, excellent pacing. (I keep trying to imagine nothing but I'm not getting anything.)