A few weeks ago I added a music player from Playlist.com and wrote a short blog entry about what went into selecting music.
Well...forget what I said in that last entry, because there is little rhyme reason why I add or delete something, other than I like the particular song and think it would fit here, and on some occasions I just want to expose people to an artist or song that has been forgotten or ignored. There's a great deal of really good music and amazing artists who for some reason never find wide acceptance, or have written or performed a great song that for whatever reason fell the the popular cracks.
Most people hear Wang Chung and think about their two US hits from the 1980's, Dance Hall Days and Everybody Have Fun Tonight- you know, "everybody Wang Chung tonight". Many have forgotten that the group also wrote and performed the soundtrack from a classic 1980's crime drama, To Live And Die In LA , directed by William Friedkin and starring William (L) Petersen, John Pankow, and Willem Dafoe and has early career appearances by John Tuturro, Robert Downey, Jr. and Jane Leeves- she doesn't say a word in the film but she does make an impression. I always like the music from the action sequences and thought the theme was a good example of 1980's electronic movie theme music (of anything not composed and sung by Kenny Loggins). I followed that song with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers playing Don't Come around Here No More because (a) I like that song (b) SOUTHERN ACCENTS is a much under- rated Petty album (c)TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA segues nicely into it.
The instrumental Persuasion is included because Richard Thompson has always been a favorite. Sometimes his memorable lyrics and evocative singing makes you forget what an incredible guitarist he is, with a style distinctly his own. There is a rye and wicked sense of humor as well; later on in this playlist there is his version of OOPS I DID IT AGAIN. And for a laugh, look for his version of JANET JACKSON, as he tells the epic story of her Super Bowl wardrobe "malfunction".
Fools Overture by Supertramp leads off because I love the epic scope of it. Its provocative in its nature, referencing the insanity of war and its packaging in patriotism; in the this case the song samples Winston Churchill's famous "never surrender" speech. Whether you go along or not with the song's point of view, it is something unique and memorable. That's why I decided to lead off with it.
One last song i want to talk about, John Prine's humorous The Sins Of Memphisto. Many years ago on the old NASHVILLE NETWORK there was a show called THE AMERICAN MUSIC SHOP that usually included rock, folk, and country acts in various combination. John Prine was featured on one show. He sang SINS OF MEMPHISTO, but first told the story of when he wrote the song and recorded it, no one told him that the name of the fictional devil was "Mephisto" and not "Memphisto"...but the result was so good he never bothered to change the lyric or recording.
Signing off....."Hugh Jee"
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