then there’s the other spelling:
It’s Alright - Ray Charles
It’s Alright - Van Morrison
It’s Quite Alright - Rancid
It’s Alright - Pet Shop Boys
It’s Alright For You - The Police
It’s Alright - Trisha Yearwood
It’s Alright - Shania Twain
It’s Alright - Queen Latifah
It’s Alright With Me - Harry Connick, Jr.
If you still need comforting, here’s Sting singing Little Wing with help from Branford Marsalis and others:
I handed the CD to the receptionist, following the dental assistant in right away (even though I was really early), since this is the office that feels sitting and reading magazines will make patients more nervous.
This visit would consist of extensive, serious, no-nonsense, deep cleaning. I had crowns put in previously, and it is hard to floss, so there were lessons on the proper way. First, the polishing. In the background, very faintly, I could hear bits of songs, some apparently being rejected, although with the sounds coming from the instruments, it was hard to tell. I was reminded of chain saws in the distance taking care of downed trees in the recent storms.
When the dentist arrived, out came the tiny, sharp things that made me jump. She promised that if I took better care of my teeth, next time would be much better.
On the way out, Queen Latifah was wishing she was in California on such a winter’s day. Short appointment, much better than the three-hour kind. I wanted to dance down the steps because I won’t have to be back till July.
Here Comes the Sun (Francois K remix) - Nina Simone
Quando, Quando, Quando (with Nelly Furtado) - Michael Buble
This Never Happened Before - Paul McCartney and Wings
South of the Border - Chris Isaak
Your Love is Mine - The New Mastersound, featuring Corinne Bailey Rae
California Dreamin’ - Queen Latifah
Waters of March - Al Jarreau and Oleta Adams
I’ll Fly Away - Sphere
Dindi - El deBarge and Art Porter
Primavera - Ludovico Einaudi
Here, There and Everywhere - Emmylou Harris
Fields of Gold - Eva Cassidy
Sometimes late on a Sat. night when I’ve gotten very little done from my weekend to-do list, I waste even more time by checking out the celebrity playlists at iTunes.
And that’s how I find out that Underworld is a fan of Melt Banana.
Yesterday, I had to endure the high-pitched whine and muted, but persistent buzz of assorted dental tools that inflicted various degrees of discomfort. Sweating to the oldies took on a new dimension.
I asked my dentist if that was her music of choice. She explained that the oldies were a compromise. The staff (all women, average age 30 - 40) fell asleep to songs without lyrics.
While the staff struggles to stay awake, the patients are willing themselves to be calm and cool. Interesting challenge.
The next time I go in (3-hour appointment during which I will be unconscious, thank goodness), I will present them with something a little different, because the next umpteen times after, I will not be under the nitrous.
California Dreaming - Queen Latifah
When Will I See You Again - Three Degrees
Lustral - Everytime
I Will - Art Garfunkel
Sierra - Boz Scaggs
South of the Border - Chris Isaak The Look of Love - Dusty Springfield
Dreams - The Cranberries
Fields of Gold - Eva Cassidy
Quando Quando Quando - Michael Buble
Only a Dream in Rio - James Taylor
This Never Happened Before - Paul McCartney
Sometimes a person needs to hear music that can raise the hackles on the back of the neck (as a few of these do), but in a good way.
Going Home - Libera
She Moved Through the Fair - Meav
Rio de Maio - Jane Monheit and Ivan Lins
Villa-Lobos: Aria - Kathleen Battle
Opening Title, House of Flying Daggers soundtrack - Kathleen Battle and Shigeru Umebayashi
Always With You - Libera
The neat thing about such lists is going, ‘How have I missed so many songs?’, or ‘Who?’ or ‘You’re kidding, they actually tried that?’
Some notables from my duets collection:
In Your Wildest Dreams - Tina Turner and Barry White
Belle Star - Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris
Gortoz A Ran - J-Attends - Denez Prigent and Lisa Gerrard
Waters of March - Al Jarreau and Oleta Adams
It’s been a downer of a week. But big oil companies keep making record profits!
Separate Ways - Teddy Thompson
Speed of Sound - Coldplay
Prairie Wedding - Mark Knopfler
Don’t Explain - Herbie Hancock, Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan
Like a Lover - Dianne Reeves
Tempest (from The Insider soundtrack) - Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke
Tearing Us Apart - Tina Turner and Eric Clapton
Whenever I Say Your Name - Sting and Mary J. Blige
Hey Girl - Ray Charles and Michael McDonald
A friend has undergone a traumatic rift in her family, and is shakily getting to her feet again. In her company from time to time is someone just learning how to walk, having recently celebrated her first birthday. As one is tentatively finding her balance again, and the other is determinedly upright, wanting to move fast, I’m giving them some music to dance to when the time comes to throw caution to the winds.
And the Kylie Minogue has that ‘. . . la la la la la la la la’ refrain, perfect for someone anxious to talk and sing, but not quite able to grasp the finer points of human speech just yet.
I Just Want to Dance With You - George Strait
Fly Like a Bird - Boz Scaggs
Feeling Good - Michael Buble
I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
Graceland - Paul Simon
What’s New Pussycat - Tom Jones
Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Calling Elvis - Dire Straits
Can’t Get You Out of My Head - Kylie Minogue
Red Staggerwing - Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris
Venus - Frankie Avalon
If I Ever Say I’m Over You - Art Garfunkel
Take Me to the River - Talking Heads
China Girl - David Bowie
Shake it Up - The Cars
Goin’ Out of My Head - Luther Vandross
Night Flight - Joe Sample
Nature Boy - David Bowie
We Will Rock You - Queen
I Feel Like a Bullet in the Gun of Robert Ford - Elton John
Let the Good Times Roll - The Cars
Nothing is working today, maybe I’ll close my eyes for . . . just a . . . minute. . . . .
The Guardian asks what they listen to when they travel. Quite a range, from Tony Jo White to DJ Shadow to Brian Wilson to Massive Attack to Kate Bush to Groove Armada to David Bowie.
From all the miserable and unrelenting heat of this sweltering July. Stephen Holden of the NYT suggests the collaboration from two giants - Frank Sinatra and Jobim, some Sade, Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, and film music from In the Line of Fire, Lolita, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Talk to Her and The Wings of the Dove.
July is proving to be extremely, awfully, terrifically uncomfortable for many of us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t feel pretty good despite all that sweatiness, clamminess and general ickiness.
Who Do You Love - Bo Diddley
I Feel Good - James Brown
Feeling Good - Michael Buble
C’est la Vie - Robbie Nevil
Oh Yeah - Yello
Late in the Evening - Paul Simon
Turn Me On (Low Tide Remix) - Kevin Lyttle
It’s Raining Men - The Weather Girls
Heaven’s What I Feel - Gloria Estefan
I’m On Fire - Bruce Springsteen
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
What’s New Pussycat - Tom Jones
Summertime - Herbie Mann
Summer Samba - Walter Wanderly
The Summer Knows - Phil Woods
The Summer Wind - Michael Buble
Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts
Estate (In Summer) Grover Washington
Late in the Evening - Paul Simon
Miss Sun - Boz Scaggs
Summertime Blues - Stray Cats
Summer Song - Chad & Jeremy
The driver was short-tempered and hungry. It was hotter than the dickens. Traffic continued to be bumper-to-bumper way past the usual slowdowns. A cabbie refused to let us merge. This list got us through the truly bad spots, especially when we got behind the Worst Driver in the State of California.
Yesterday When I Was Young - Dusty Springfield
Butterfly Mornings - Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions
Captain Bacardi - Eric Marienthal
Sunrise - Norah Jones
Maureen - Sade
Dreamsome - Shelby Lynne
One Less Bell to Answer - The 5th Dimension
On the Low - Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions
Sweet Potato Pie - Ray Charles & James Taylor
You Don’t Know Me - Ray Charles & Diana Krall
San Francisco Days - Chris Isaak
Graceland - Paul Simon
For those long evenings when your fussy child can’t get to sleep:
Dreamland - Art Garfunkel
House at Pooh Corner - Kenny Loggins
Hush - Kathleen Battle
So Many Stars - Kathleen Battle
Night Ride Across the Caucausus - Loreena McKennitt
Wnyken, Blynken and Nod - The Doobie Brothers
Lasso the Moon - Art Garfunkel
Baby Mine - Bonnie Raitt
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Eva Cassidy
What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
Dreams - The Cranberries
Dream Scream - Death Cab for Cutie
Dreaming of You - Selena
In Dreams - Roy Orbison
Dream Lover - Mariah Carey
Dream a Little Dream of Me - Michael Buble
Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics
All I Have to Do is Dream - Everly Brothers
Dream - Dinah Washinton
Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Diana Krall
Dream Baby - Roy Orbison
Dreamland - Art Garfunkel
felt like streaming and mixing some of the new records i’d picked up over the last month. i can never find a good track to mix out of the mataya one, so i bailed and started over.
mix 1 starts with some laid-back electro, moves into microhouse and light tech-house territory, then goes into some heavier, glitchier stuff. the mix of the last 3 tracks was shamelessly lifted from mr. c’s classic 2002 essential mix.
mix 2 is tech-house of the darker, deeper variety, with some basic channel stuff and aril brikha thrown in for good measure. ends on a floatier, housey note.
mix 1:
mesak - tufnu (klakson)
johan skugge - kyrkogaard (mitek)
subsound - electrobot (affected)
zvukbroda - kse zo (listen to reason)
omni a.m. & casey hogan - in my time of flying (euphoria)
le dust sucker - keine bewegung berlin (styles kickin’)
steve bug & richie hawtin - low blow (minus)
mataya - new game (listen to reason)
mix 2:
blue mar ten - numbers (deep structure)
second hand satellites - orbit 1.4 (hallucination)
maurizio - m5 (maurizio)
round four - find a way (vocal mix) (main street)
sanasol vs. ozzy - seveneleven (ozzymix) (thule)
aril brikha - on and on (transmat)
david alvarado - klugh (ovum)
juju christian - feel good (zeppelin)
It’s Friday. Sometimes a short week can seem like forever.
Extol - Gloriana
Extol - Soul Deprived
Meshuggah - Elastic
Meshuggah - Concatenation
Candiria - Dead Bury The Dead
Candiria - Work In Progress
Disbelief - Sick
Disbelief - Floating On High
Emperor - Ye Entrancemperium
Heaven Shall Burn - Architects Of The Apocalypse
Heaven Shall Burn - Weapon They Fear
Samael - Rebellion
Green Carnation - A Place For Me
Green Carnation - Purple Door, Pitch Black
Katatonia - Leaders
Katatonia - Deliberation
Riverside - Artificial Smile
Porcupine Tree - The Creator Has A Mastertape
Porcupine Tree - Blackest Eyes
In The Woods - Cell
In The Woods - Generally More Worried Than Married
Ulver - Blinded By Blood
Tool - H
Tool - Jimmy
Graceland, Paul Simon This Ain’t Tennessee, Garth Brooks Rainy Night in Georgia, Brook Benton Walking in Memphis, Marc Cohn Black Velvet, Alannah Myles Georgia On My Mind, Ray Charles Shenandoah, Keith Jarrett Jackson, Johnny Cash Tennessee Waltz, Norah Jones Tall Trees in Georgia, Eva Cassidy
Late at night when it’s hard to rest, I hold your picture to my chest, and I feel fine.
