If you were paying attention, this set is dated Fall 2017, which means these posts have finally caught up to my activity of culling tunes from the digital landscapes across the soon-to-be practically dead planet. As Mr. Anka wails, we'll be Crying in the Wind, but these are now category 5 hurricane gusts we're talking about.
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| Boo hoo! |
If you are confused about why my catching up is important, go back to the beginning of these posts. What this really means is that my monthly missives will no longer be monthly. I'll release all subsequent volumes as they are completed. If this lousy world ends before the next set is done, don't say I didn't warn you it wasn't coming! Besides, these past 21 volumes contained plenty of songs to have calmed your anguished soul for the last 18 months. We have some good tunes here this time around. If this is to be my last, we'll die happy Earthlings.
Black Cat, by The Checkers, couldn't be a better way to start things off. It's slow, slinky, dim, and with horns. I don't have any specific Halloween themed songs in this set, but this certainly does the tricking and treating for the ears.
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| Don't ever call central casting again! |
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| She definitely knows. |
Luck be some ladies tonight! Can you hear them call out as you sit down to a game of five card stud at Jack Eubanks’ Casino? You can't quite tell though, if the ladies’ sirens are a warning, taunts, or signs of good fortune. Just place your bet and pray to the gods of Bicycle you'll come out even, at best.
If your luck ran out and you still have your wits, quickly sneak out to the train platform and catch a ride on the Chartreuse Caboose. The drinks car is in the back. The Starfires are the bartenders tonight, pouring some potent cocktails, so sip slowly. Or not. Whatever you choose to do, don't call them goddamn mixologists.
Time to move on to the Sidemen Band Name of the Month Contest. Our contenders for this round include The 7 Karats (with Billy Mure), The Bell Hops (with Porter, who or whatever the hell that is), The Thundertones (with Lenny), and The Cardinals (with St. John).
I heard The Cardinals’ song Rampage on Intoxica quite recently. In fact, the flip side is what really stood out for me. It's called The Rise. I couldn't find it however. When I do, they'll automatically win that round.
So, who's left? Well, Billy Mure gets enough love from the exotica fanatics, so he's out. The 7 Karats is a great moniker though. The prize goes to The Bell Hops! With their title, The ?, I couldn't pass it up. The question mark is bold, simple, and profound. It sums up the existential backbone of this entire blog.
This is turning out to be a long entry. I'd end it here, but there's a few more songs worth a mention. Namely, the two unique covers. Green Onions, by The Midgets, gets washed, sliced, and garnished. I wonder if the band genuinely had little people in the line up? Next is The Sundowners with a damn fine take on Rumble. Growling brass, a wall of sound, and shimmering guitars bring that monolith of a classic to its knees in the best way possible. Link was hopefully proud of this one, if he ever did hear it.
Halloween is around the corner, which means it's not too early for some Christmas creeping. Take a Sleigh Ride with Mr. Lloyd Glenn. Bring a scarf and fill your thermos with hot toddies. The darkness is coming, a little more each day. I don't think it's a global catastrophe, just seasonal.
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| Now, only 8 more lives left. |
One final word about Two in the Morning. It's very rare I'll stay up this late but man, it's worth it. Especially if the gal from the matchbook cover is there. I think I know why they're called the Spooners Crowd. Wow!
That's it for now. If you miss me, continue to look for new posts on the WFMU Ichiban FB page.
SNAFU yourselves here!
