Thursday, October 28, 2010

Songlines #3

Warren Zevon
Gorilla, You're a Desperado
from
Bad Luck Streak at Dancing School
1980

One of my favourite Warren Zevon songs is Gorilla, You're a Desperado. It is a very clever dig at the cool lifestyle of the '80s, set up with these opening lines:

Big gorilla at the LA Zoo
Snatched the glasses right off my face
Took the keys to my BMW
Left me here to take his place

Themetrain #109 tracklist

Tuesday October 26
Theme: Fiddlin' Around

Fisherman's Blues: The Waterboys

Eleanor Rigby: The Beatles

Drifting Too Far: Emmylou Harris

Down Among The Wines & Spirits: Elvis Costello

Dance If You Want To: Rose Cousins

Come On In My Kitchen: Crooked Still

The Flight of the Bumble-Bee from the Tale of Tsar Saltan: Nigel Kennedy

The Lily Of The West: The Chieftains, Mark Knopfler

Spring l Allegro: Yehudi Menuhin

The Dingeshowe Dancers: Jennifer & Hazel Wrigley

Here He Lies: The Audreys

Please Read the Letter: Alison Krauss & Robert Plant

Slip Away: April Verch

Monkey on a Wire: Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson

Ashokan Farewell: Jay Ungar & Molly Mason

Beautiful Thing: Slaid Cleaves

Short Trip Home: Joshua Bell, Edgar Meyer, Sam Bush

Sweet Jennie Lee: Willie Nelson & Asleep At The Wheel

A River Runs Through My Heart: Broderick Smith

The Merry Making Set: Chris Duncan

Horse Soldier, Horse Soldier: Corb Lund

Sara: Bob Dylan

Molly Green: Sara Storer

One True: Uncle Earl

Was There Anything I Could Do?: The Go-Betweens

If I Should Fall Behind: Bruce Springsteen With The Sessions Band

Theme For Scotland: Alasdair Fraser

You Wear It Well: Rod Stewart

II Allegro ma non troppo Joshua Bell, Olli Mustonen, Steven Isserlis


birthdays

Carnival: Natalie Merchant

Cold Missouri Waters: James Keelaghan

Pleasure And Pain: Divinyls (Christina Amphlett)

Jumping Jack Flash: The Rolling Stones (Bill Wyman)

White Rabbit: Jefferson Airplane (Grace Slick)

Gold To Me: Ben Harper


preview of next week

Here Comes the Night: Van Morrison

Hot Curry #30 tracklist

Monday October 25
Feature CD: Veedon Fleece, Van Morrison

Ego (Is Not A Dirty Word): Skyhooks

Faded Into Night: The Tea Leaves

Yesterday's Bed: Troy Cassar-Daley

Comfort You :Van Morrison

The Ransom: Madison Violet

Preview: Kym Campbell

Everybody's Talkin': Harry Nilsson

Everybody's Talkin': Megan Washington & Sean Foran

The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan: Marianne Faithfull

Bulbs: Van Morrison

Rhiannon: Fleetwood Mac

Woodlands: Simon Tedeschi, Kevin Hunt

Something: Joe Cocker

Ain't Gonna Worry No More: Peter Case

White Freightliner Blues: Gillian Welch

Linden Arden Stole The Highlights: Van Morrison

Circus Song: Kate Rowe

Too Many Fish In The Sea: The Marvelettes

Yesterday: The Beatles

Things We Said Today: The Beatles

Bapa: Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu

Country Fair: Van Morrison

Ventura Highway: America

What'll I Do: Kate & Anna McGarrigle

Maria from West Side Story: Simon Tedeschi, Kevin Hunt

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Songlines #2

Tower of Song
by Leonard Cohen

There are many great lines in this song but these apply to what is happening to me lately, especially the aching bit.

Well my friends are gone and my hair is grey
I ache in the places where I used to play

Leonard Cohen's version of this song on the Live in London CD is great but I do believe the Martha Wainwright version on I'm Your Man rates pretty highly too.

Themetrain #108 tracklist

Tuesday October 19th
Theme: Food

Inside My Kitchen: Tiddas

How To Make Gravy: Paul Kelly

Honey: Don't Carl Perkins

Malted Milk Blues: Lucinda Williams

Candy Man: Chris Smither

Candy: Paolo Nutini

Angie: The Rolling Stones

Messages: Xavier Rudd

The Devil in the Kitchen: Ashley MacIsaac

Mother And Child Reunion: Paul Simon

Apples In Bed: The Go-Betweens

Deep Fried Satisfied: Claude Hay

Harvest Moon: Neil Young

Chinese Cafe: Joni Mitchell

Dandelion: Eddi Reader

Oh Honey: The Audreys

Out Of The Rain: The Duhks

Shiny Apple: The Waifs

Banana Banjo: Steve Martin

Red Wine Lips: Lisa Mitchell

Every Red Road: Al Tuck

Strawberry Fields: Ben Harper

A Taste Of Honey: The Beatles

Single Drop Of Honey: Abigail Washburn

Pineapple Head: Natalie Imbruglia

Apple Candy: Ben Lee

Sweet Tooth: Dave Rawlings Machine

Banana Pancakes: Jack Johnson

The Haggis Set: Chris Duncan



birthdays

Eat It: Weird Al Yankovic

Blinded By the Light: Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Free Fallin': Tom Petty

Night Life: Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis

Sweet Little Sixteen: Chuck Berry

On The Road To Freedom: Roy Bailey


preview of next week

Long Time Gone: Dixie Chicks


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

SONGLINES

I am fascinated by the ability of some songwriters to capture ideas, feelings and events, in a few well selected words. This will be a series containing a line or two from some of my favourite songs. I hope I am not breaking any copyright laws. It is done in admiration, not in an attempt to rip anyone off.

Songlines #1

Paul Kelly
Love Never Runs On Time

I stopped, I don't remember the name of the town.
But the colour of the coffee was a warning,
It was the colour of the river but not nearly as brown.

Themetrain #107 tracklist

Tuesday October 12
Theme: Travelling Man

Travelin' Man: Ricky Nelson

Slow Boat to China: Jimmy Buffett

Streets Of Philadelphia: Bruce Springsteen

Sydney From a 747: Paul Kelly & Uncle Bill

Big Jet Plane: Angus & Julia Stone

Waltzing Across Texas Tonight: Emmylou Harris

Bus To Baton Rouge: Lucinda Williams

Heathrow/Mascot: Glenn Thompson

City Of New Orleans: Willie Nelson

West of Bondi: Martin Cilia

Bye Bye Montreal: Amelia Curran

California: Joni Mitchell

Canadian Whisky: Nanci Griffith

Dublin Blues: Guy Clark

Norwegian Wood: The Beatles

Postcard From Berlin: Ross Ryan

Alberta Breeze: Justin Rutledge

Mexico: James Taylor

Panama: The Cat Empire

Cape Breton Set: Seamus Egan

Tennessee Blues: Bobby Charles

Down in Hollywood: Ry Cooder

Edinburgh Castle: Mike Scott

Englishman In New York: Sting

If You Want Space, Go To Utah: Christine Lavin

Song Of The Traveling Daughter (Chinese): Abigail Washburn

California Dreamin': The Mamas and The Papas

Long Time Traveller: The Wailin' Jennys

Travelling: Juzzie Smith


birthdays

Am I The Only One (Who's Ever Felt This Way)?: Dixie Chicks (Natalie Maines)

Calling All Angels: Jane Siberry, kd lang

Imagine: John Lennon

Kodachrome: Paul Simon

Tuesday Afternoon (Forever Afternoon): The Moody Blues (Justin Haywood)

Speed Of The Sound Of Lonliness (Live): John Prine


Lucia di Lammermoor: Chi mi frena (Act ll sextet): Joan Sutherland


preview of next week

Sweet Corn: Fred Eaglesmith

Hot Curry #29 tracklist

Monday October 11
Feature CD: Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin: Brian Wilson

What A Wonderful World: Kieran Kane

China Girl: David Bowie

The Swimming Song: Loudon Wainwright III

Rhapsody In Blue (Intro): Brian Wilson

Going Home (Theme of Local Hero): Mark Knopfler

Dance If You Want To: Rose Cousins

Into Temptation: Crowded House

Into Temptation: Jimmy Little

You Couldn't Have Come At A Better Time: Luka Bloom

Summertime: Brian Wilson

The Place Where We Lived: Hayden

Thus the Ever Grateful Spring from The Fairy Queen, Act IV (1692): Miriam Allan

The Lost Lamb (Chinese): Abigail Washburn

Tell Everybody I Know: Keb' Mo'

A Well Respected Man: The Kinks

It Ain't Necessarily So: Brian Wilson

What a Beautiful Day: King Curly

Peter Pan: Jinja Safari

P.S. I Love You [Mono]: The Beatles

Ask Me Why: The Beatles

Kings Of The Roaring Days: The Bushwackers

I Got Rhythm: Brian Wilson

Winter Song: Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

Streets Of Arklow : Van Morrison

Cello Sonata no 1 in E minor, op 38: III Allegro: Steven Isserlis