John Peel's Music Box
October 31, 2005 2:57 PM   Subscribe

John Peel's box of 142 favorite singles discussed in The Times and The Observer. These guys are collecting the whole set (NSFMPAA). [via Stereogum]
posted by Armitage Shanks (83 comments total)
 
that list practically screams "i have elite and refined taste" ... except for harry nilsson and sheena easton (wtf??)

i've never even heard of most of these songs
posted by pyramid termite at 3:08 PM on October 31, 2005


Weird that the one T. Rex related single features "Marc Bolan talking." Anyone know what's up with that?

The Boards of Canada single is happifying.
posted by hackly_fracture at 3:08 PM on October 31, 2005


Also, pyramid termite, the Beatles are in there. So are the White Stripes, the Yardbirds, Lightnin' Hopkins, the MC5, and Lee Perry, for some others. Probably most of us have heard of most of them.

(there are also plenty I've never heard of either. Maybe he should have parlayed his knowledge of obscure music into some sort of paying gig)
posted by hackly_fracture at 3:15 PM on October 31, 2005


I thought the White Stripes thing was a myth but obviously not. A lot of White Stripes there.
posted by fire&wings at 3:18 PM on October 31, 2005


Waaaay too many White Stripes tracks. Tastes may differ, but c'mon...
posted by twsf at 3:20 PM on October 31, 2005


Wow, that's some bad taste in music there.
posted by Mach3avelli at 3:22 PM on October 31, 2005


Downloading all those yousendits nets you 78 files, but I wouldn't know anything about that.

Also, I can verify that galacticsymposium is shit. We'll see abou the rest.
posted by metaculpa at 3:24 PM on October 31, 2005


You mean, all those southern soul singles are signifiers of elitism? OK. If you've never heard of Mel and Tim, say, the single he cites is available on several compilations, all of which are accessible to the masses.
posted by raysmj at 3:27 PM on October 31, 2005


MPAA GNAA RIAA

lest we forget

<bgsound>
posted by Pretty_Generic at 3:28 PM on October 31, 2005


that list practically screams "i have elite and refined taste"

Actually, much of it might be relatively obscure (Don Covay, Charlie Feathers, Ann Peebles, Cleveland Crochet, etc), but all the aforementioned are very straightford, accesible, unpretentious music, I can assure you.

The list isn't elitist, unless you believe that because Peel was a DJ, which gives him more opportunity to hear lesser known music, makes it de facto elitist. But his taste seems quite down-to-earth and gutbucket to me.
posted by jonmc at 3:29 PM on October 31, 2005


and Harry Nilsson was a fine songwriter and performer. Nyah!
posted by jonmc at 3:30 PM on October 31, 2005


Wow, thanks.
posted by carter at 3:31 PM on October 31, 2005


MPAA GNAA RIAA

Argh. Wrong bogeyman. Boogeyman? Boogieman.
posted by Armitage Shanks at 3:32 PM on October 31, 2005


posted by hackly_fracture: The Boards of Canada single is happifying.

Amen to that. I'm also happy to see a pavement single on there.
posted by retronic at 3:34 PM on October 31, 2005


Something else for those wacky Usenet kids to collect.
posted by smackfu at 3:35 PM on October 31, 2005


and when does the hero worship stop? Seriously, mild mannered Peel would be appaulled by all the ho-har surrounding his death.
posted by gwildar at 3:39 PM on October 31, 2005


jeez...all this talk and no mention of iTunes...what is WRONG with you people????

and....that is one interesting, disconnected list.... i think
posted by HuronBob at 3:41 PM on October 31, 2005


and no mention of iTuneseMule/Soulseek/BitTorrent
posted by Pretty_Generic at 3:45 PM on October 31, 2005


Elitism: having a Bill Oddie track in their top 100-odd tracks of all time.

Gwidar, I dunno. Maybe in a couple of decades or so when someone doing what he did comes close to matching his contribution to music ?
Just a guess.
posted by qwerty155 at 3:49 PM on October 31, 2005


so i guess the stones, marvin gaye, otis redding, aretha franklin, the kinks, (insert 50 or so other legendary artists here) just didn't have the right stuff compared to many of these relatively obscure artists ... not to mention sheena easton (wtf?)

it's an elitist's list ... no matter how gut-bucket the music may be on it
posted by pyramid termite at 3:50 PM on October 31, 2005


pyramid termite, I think this list was meant more as a list of Peel's (and I'm only marginally familiar with the man) personal favorites not a Greatest Of All Time List. And as a disk jockey, he got to hear a wider variety of music than a lot of people, so it's not elitist that there'd be a lot of obscurities on the list.

I don't get the Sheena Easton either, but there's no accounting for taste. But trust me, listen to the other selestions and you'll see what I mean.
posted by jonmc at 3:55 PM on October 31, 2005


People seem to be treating this as "the 142 best singles in music, according to John Peel", when it's really "the 142 singles that John Peel liked the most". If he didn't like the Stones, it won't have the Stones. It doesn't take anything away from them, and doesn't make him an "elitist".
posted by smackfu at 3:58 PM on October 31, 2005


Or what jonmc said.
posted by smackfu at 3:58 PM on October 31, 2005


it's an elitist's list ... no matter how gut-bucket the music may be on it

No, it's not an elitist's list precisely because of the breadth of music represented. A real musical elitist would never sully him or herself with "mere" Beatles records on his list (much less admit to Sheena Easton!), nor allow himself 12 White Stripes records (obviously in the midst of a White Stripes kick that would, obviously, be tempered in the coming months or years had he lived) -- a current band that's a critical darling! Nope, the inclusion of the obvious and the obscure (and the omission of plenty of the same) makes it a list that reflects the musical passions and quirks of someone who just happened to hear (and enjoy!) more songs in his lifetime than just about any of the rest of us ever will.

Besides, it's not the list of his "greatest 150 songs in the rock era" -- I'm pretty sure Peel would certainly have included plenty of other artists/tunes (e.g. Aretha, the Stones, etc.) if called upon to make that list. This was the box of stuff he (metaphorically, and possibly literally) wanted to take with him if the house burned down. "Sympathy for the Devil" wouldn't exactly be difficult to replace, but plenty of the records in this box would have been. (on preview: jinx, smackfu)
posted by scody at 4:00 PM on October 31, 2005


And as a disk jockey, he got to hear a wider variety of music than a lot of people,

and therefore can be described as a member of a critical elite ... i'd expect that someone like that would come up with a few obscurities ... but there are so many that it seems rather self-conscious to me
posted by pyramid termite at 4:01 PM on October 31, 2005


it's an elitist's list ... no matter how gut-bucket the music may be on it

Oh good grief. Please read the frigging links before putting on the huffy.

At his feet in his home studio lay a sturdy wooden box in which he stored the 7in singles that meant the most to him. At the time of his death last year, this immensely personal collection numbered just 142 three-minute slices of pop. It was the thing he would carry with him if his house burnt down — records he clearly felt he couldn’t live without.
posted by Armitage Shanks at 4:05 PM on October 31, 2005


How does a box of music imply any sort of list? He didn't put it together and post it on his blog, he didn't read it on the air, it was a box of records discovered posthumously. I'm pretty sure he didn't have a secret plan that upon the boxes discovery, all would know just how great his taste in music was. If you want to debate if john peel was an elitist that's an entirely different matter.
posted by Dr. Twist at 4:08 PM on October 31, 2005


he may as well have been one for all the media are making it out to be ... his "favorite" records ... the ones "he couldn't live without" ... "the ones you might expect, in that no one has ever heard of them outside of the tiniest, maddest club of experts and aficionados"

i stand by my statement ... he may not have done this with that intention ... but that's the way it's being hyped and presented to us ... as an elite list
posted by pyramid termite at 4:14 PM on October 31, 2005


the ones you might expect, in that no one has ever heard of them outside of the tiniest, maddest club of experts and aficionados

Um, I've heard of a fair amount of them. Of the ones I haven't heard of, I wouldn't be surprised if the other big music fans in my life had heard of at least some of those as well. Do we just know a shitload about music between us? Or are we elitist fucks? You tell me.
posted by scody at 4:25 PM on October 31, 2005


This is no different than those throw-away polls in the entertainment mags, Esquire, etc. that ask second and third- tier celebs what's on their iPod/nightstand. It's always some amalgam of esoteric bloviation meant to disguise their secret fetish for Hanson and Clive Cussler.
posted by docpops at 4:30 PM on October 31, 2005


It's always some amalgam of esoteric bloviation meant to disguise their secret fetish for Hanson and Clive Cussler.

Many of you seem to be confusing lack of commercial success with anti-commerciality. As somebody who's actually heard a good chunk of the songs on the list, I can assure you this is not the case here.
posted by jonmc at 4:34 PM on October 31, 2005


Attitudes like pyramid termite's drive me up the wall, I gotta admit. As do theories people have that those that listen to non-mainstream music do it because they think obscure==cool.

I used to have a wall full of CDs and whenever people came over they'd look thru them and groan that they "Don't know any of these bands!" and roll their eyes. (Here's a clue: I bought them to please me, not people who browse my music shelves!) One of the greatest benefits of converting all of my music to digital is that these people no longer have easy access to the titles and I don't have to put up with their childish whining.

Music is a personal thing and to suggest that someone spends their time listening to such-and-such simply because it's little-known is insulting and infantile.

In my experience, people that listen to the least known music are the same people that go out of their way to share that music with others and try and bring it out of obscurity. Peel was certainly one of those people. To suggest that people like these bands because they're obscure ignores this fact because it goes against the "logic" of such beliefs (ie, Why would they want it to be popular if what they like about it is that it's obscure?).

If you think that Peel and other fans of little known bands wouldn't be delighted if their favorite bands were on the charts instead of the shit that is on the charts, you're deluded.

That list of Peel's fave singles is great because I have not heard of 40% (or whatever) of the artists. It gives me something to investigate. What would you prefer? A list identical to your own so that your taste could be validated? Please.
posted by Manhasset at 4:38 PM on October 31, 2005


Interesting list & cool post. Thanks, Armitage Shanks!
posted by starscream at 4:39 PM on October 31, 2005


Not to mention, accusing someone of "esoteric bloviation," and then implying inferiority for liking mainstream stuff like "Hanson and Clive Cussler," begs the question: just what set of tastes would satisfy you, sir? One that matched your own in every way?
posted by jonmc at 4:40 PM on October 31, 2005


If you think that Peel and other fans of little known bands wouldn't be delighted if their favorite bands were on the charts instead of the shit that is on the charts, you're deluded.

Preach on, Brother Manhasset! I've been saying this for years. It's the people who piss and moan when their favorite cult act finds success who are the real posers.

NTM, there's music that's commercially marginalized because it's an acquired taste, like say The Dwarves, Captain Beefheart or Melt Banana. Whatever their virtues, those artists are difficult listening so they'll pretty much remain marginal, and that's perfectly understandable.

Other artists, like say Big Star, The Fastbacks or The Dictators are/were very commercial in that they specialized in hooky, punchy, melodic, accessible music that failed to hit the charts due to bad timing, mimanagement or sheer bad luck. The same could be said of many of the artists on Peel's list.
posted by jonmc at 4:45 PM on October 31, 2005


Damn, now I'll have to switch from my laptop to Mrs. Ber's desktop to download...er, listen to some of these.

I doubt that this is all of Peel's favorites. You'd definitely see The Fall, Stones, etc. This is probably just what he had as his current faves. If someone looked at my CD drawer at work, they'd get a pretty skewed view of my taste in music. I think the same thing is happening here.
posted by Ber at 4:46 PM on October 31, 2005


It's really cool to be able to know what John Peel was actually listening to.

This isn't something that he had any intention of being published, so the logic of him being elitist or not doesn't work. This is just music he liked and somehow some people take offense to that. Take it for what it is: a snapshot of what he was listening to before he died. John Peel was also instrumental in making music available by playing it in on his show, how is this elitist?

Somebody was listening to [insert band name here] before they got huge and sold a gazillion records and were played to death on the radio.
posted by Mijo Bijo at 4:49 PM on October 31, 2005


Actually my problem with the list is that there is something implied by the choice of singles that I suspect has more to do with events and memories attached to the recording as opposed to the recordings themselves. The second article says as much. Or, as with the White Stripes, it may just be that these were the newer pieces floating on his radar. If anyone can be given the benefit of the doubt for their [obscure] choices, it's Peel. But the seconds racks at CD stores are too lousy with characters out of High Fidelity central casting to not have, at a gut level, a sense that the obscurity here is more deliberate.
posted by docpops at 4:49 PM on October 31, 2005


To suggest that people like these bands because they're obscure ignores this fact because it goes against the "logic" of such beliefs (ie, Why would they want it to be popular if what they like about it is that it's obscure?).

There are those who believe in the "secret club" theory of cool, that if too many "ordinary" people enjoy something it can't possibly be any good. These tend to be the same people who never smile, get jokes, or get laid, so I don't pay them much mind.

If I like something, obscure or obvious, I'll shout from the rooftops about it. I want others to be in on the fun.
posted by jonmc at 4:51 PM on October 31, 2005


It's always some amalgam of esoteric bloviation meant to disguise their secret fetish for Hanson and Clive Cussler.
Except that it was posthumously discovered, and was never really publicized when he was alive. It's also different in that Peel was not a third rate anything when it came to the world of music, and viewing what he surely considered his jump kit or 72 hour bag brings some insite to his life to those who view the list with honest curiosity.
posted by boo_radley at 4:55 PM on October 31, 2005


and for what it's worth, I think the Dwarves are irresistably catchy.
posted by boo_radley at 4:56 PM on October 31, 2005


If I like something, obscure or obvious, I'll shout from the rooftops about it. I want others to be in on the fun.
Yes. Bravo.
posted by docpops at 5:01 PM on October 31, 2005


Elitism: having a Bill Oddie track in their top 100-odd tracks of all time.

The Bill Oddie track was on Dandelion. Note that there were several other tracks on the Dandelion label as well. Presumably, this is because Dandelion was Peel's own label, back in the late 60's/early 70's, so it isn't surprising that he'd include copies. Back in those days, Peel was far from being the legend that he is today, and pretty well everything released on that label was an enormous flop, so presumably all of those singles are extremely rare.

Personally, I was pleased to see the wonderful Travis Wammack's, 'Scratchy' on the list, but don't understand how he could have so many Eddie and Ernie cuts and exclude their masterful Torch anthem, 'I can't do it'.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:10 PM on October 31, 2005


Kudos to Manhasset. Well said. It's hard to find a "problem" with this list. Take it for what it is: it's John Peel's most treasured 45s. Big F deal (except for fans of the DJ who haven't heard some of these artists, which is a very cool deal, I would think.)

And I can't believe I'm agreeing with jonmc again. Harry Nilsson has been a fave of mine for a long time. I'm kind of insulted that he was lumped with Sheena Easton.

I actually don't have a "wooden box," but since I lost about half of my favorite LPs in an apartment fire two years ago, it's not such a bad idea. Then my survivors could find it and exclaim, "Boy, what a pretentious little twat!"

If you think that Peel and other fans of little known bands wouldn't be delighted if their favorite bands were on the charts instead of the shit that is on the charts, you're deluded.

Sing it. There might be some "posers" (can't think of a better word) who say that the Mountain Goats suck now because he doesn't record on a Walkman and the shows are too crowded, but were they fans of the music or of the apparent "lifestyle" that said music represented to them (at that specific time)?

Ugh. I like music. I'm a huge fan of Radiohead and the Mountain Goats, and I'd love to see both at No. 1 and No. 2 when the new albums are released, because I think both artists should be rewarded for their excellent work.

To be fair to pyramid termite (now that I think about it), there are likely some "hipster doofuses" who just like to wear cool bands' buttons, but likewise there are San Francisco 49er "fans" who just like to watch the players' asses. I'm not sure what any of it has to do with John Peel's record collection.
posted by mrgrimm at 5:45 PM on October 31, 2005


"but there are so many that it seems rather self-conscious to me"
No one expects to die, and thusly picks out 140-some "obscure" 7"s. Further, a lot of these (if the UK ILMers can be trusted) were huge hits in England. And that's leaving alone the skewing factor that these are 7" singles, which isn't exactly a prime format anymore (so it's unlikely to find Girls Aloud) and that these are the albums that he wanted to replace or hold onto (which tends to mean that they're by definition more obscure).

So, yeah, we know that you're tired of everyone giving you swirlies and making fun of your Coldplay and Mariah Carey collection, but you have to remember that most people who have better taste than you honestly couldn't care less what you think of their record collections. Doofus.
posted by klangklangston at 5:47 PM on October 31, 2005


Oh, and by the way, that ILM thread is awesome... I had ignored it because I thought it was just gonna be a wankfest over Peel, but I'm glad that you pointed it out.
posted by klangklangston at 5:51 PM on October 31, 2005


Wooden boxes are elitist.
posted by Armitage Shanks at 5:53 PM on October 31, 2005


i guess the part where the list was presented as his "favorites" and "the records he couldn't live without" flew right over everyone's head

if it had been presented as a list of records he kept "because they'd be very hard to replace" or "john peel's box of rarities", that would be another matter, wouldn't it? ... it's not about the list itself, it's about how this list has been presented by others

presenting this as a list of interesting records is fine ... presenting it as a list of "favorites" is absurd

the assumptions some of you have made about my musical taste and the defensiveness at my using the nasty word "elitism", (without my even stating whether elitism is good, bad or indifferent), have been interesting ... more interesting than my initial statement was

well, i have to go to the store and buy some coldplay and mariah carey cds, because obviously i must like them ...
posted by pyramid termite at 6:07 PM on October 31, 2005


presenting it as a list of "favorites" is absurd

... because ..?
posted by mr.marx at 6:19 PM on October 31, 2005


Not one but two G.L. Crockett records!

'"Cause it's a man down there
May be yo' man, I don't know."
posted by rdone at 6:23 PM on October 31, 2005


This really isn't a list of his favorites though and it isn't presented as such. That's pretty obvious I think. It's Peel's "precious selection of 7-inch singles that meant more to him than any of the others." And as his son says, "The only reason for so many White Stripes singles is that they were his latest band,” he says. “In another 12 months, there may not have been any White Stripes at all." That these 142 are in a box has less to do with how great the song is and more to do with the sentimental attachment to the records for whatever various reasons. It seems pretty absurd to say that it's an elitist list or that he was conscious of his selections (especially in light of the fact that the man is dead).

Anyway, there are some greats on there. And so much I have never heard. Bless ILM for introducing me to such amazing music. And bless the RIAA. Er. Wait. No, not that.
posted by panoptican at 6:25 PM on October 31, 2005


If I like something, obscure or obvious, I'll shout from the rooftops about it. I want others to be in on the fun.

Which is the exact attitude that made John Peel a great DJ.

And I'm going to be horribly elitist and assume those crying elitism don't listen to much music beyond the pop canon- the idea that it's an obscure list is just plain bizarre. Maybe they're all songs UK folk are more likely to be into due to the influence of Peel...
posted by jack_mo at 6:30 PM on October 31, 2005


And I can't believe I'm agreeing with jonmc again.

I am your new leader, my child. Just accept it and all will be well.

Harry Nilsson has been a fave of mine for a long time. I'm kind of insulted that he was lumped with Sheena Easton.

Even Sheena had her moment in that "U Got The Look" song with Prince, but he could bring outthe hidden talent in just about anyone.
posted by jonmc at 6:34 PM on October 31, 2005


And I'm going to be horribly elitist and assume those crying elitism don't listen to much music beyond the pop canon-

The central irony being that just about all the songs on that list (commercially obsure thogh they may be) fit squarely and snugly in the pop canon. Peel was no elitist, more of a populist, if you think about it.
posted by jonmc at 6:35 PM on October 31, 2005


In my experience, people that listen to the least known music are the same people that go out of their way to share that music with others and try and bring it out of obscurity.

Sometimes there is good reason for the obscurity. That said, it is a wonderful experience to visit the house of someone you've never met, have them put on music you've never heard before and completely fall in love with it.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 6:58 PM on October 31, 2005


"i guess the part where the list was presented as his "favorites" and "the records he couldn't live without" flew right over everyone's head"
I guess the part where you started out slaggin' the list, then backpedalling to justify your balmy ire was lost on you.
And if you don't have any Coldplay or Mariah Carey, why don't you, you elitist?
posted by klangklangston at 7:11 PM on October 31, 2005


I get so confused with John Peel's name because of The Avengers. I have to remember: it was John Steed and Emma Peel.
posted by Miko at 7:37 PM on October 31, 2005


And if you don't have any Coldplay or Mariah Carey, why don't you, you elitist?

because when i go over to ashlee simpson's place to spend the night, she's constantly playing them
posted by pyramid termite at 7:42 PM on October 31, 2005


Wonderful post, Armitage Shanks. I've spent the whole evening listening to tracks and have barely scratched the surface.

Thank you.
posted by LinnTate at 8:01 PM on October 31, 2005


but that's the way it's being hyped and presented to us ... as an elite list

Um. Can I assume that you've never actually heard the John Peel show, Pyramid?

Because this is precisely the kind of playlist that Peel would serve up on his BBC Radio 1 show, week after week after week, for the last twenty five or thirty years or so.

OK, the basic mix would shift over the years, from outlandish rock, to punk and reggae, to various forms of dance music, but his eclectic tastes were the very reason why he dominated the British airwaves for as long as he did. DJ's who specialized in playing generic pop, or in one particular genre would come and go, but Peel just kept on doing what he always did, regardless of any market research into what audiences might want, sharing the records that were important to him and in doing so, building a huge loyal audience that stayed with him for life.

Disclaimer: I loathed the John Peel show because I usually hated his current obsessions and his love of discordant mayhem.

However, I was a devoted fan of Home Truths. That show just isn't the same without him.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:36 PM on October 31, 2005


Because this is precisely the kind of playlist that Peel would serve up on his BBC Radio 1 show, week after week after week, for the last twenty five or thirty years or so.

that doesn't surprise me

Disclaimer: I loathed the John Peel show because I usually hated his current obsessions and his love of discordant mayhem.

both tendencies that elitist critics tend to posess ... on the positive side, it exposes people to music they haven't heard before and might appreciate ... on the negative side, it often results in music being evaluated for what it isn't, rather than what it is ... there's a real problem of people advocating the obscure and different just for the sake of doing so ... whether it be something radically different ... or just something that didn't make the charts

it's interesting that people will accept the "spin" of tastemakers and specialists on a group of records ... but be vigilent when it comes to the manipulations of politicians and advertisers ... when i saw armitage shanks describe this as john peel's favorites and clicked that link, i was quite puzzled by it ... and the articles seem to want to turn what was a private collection of hard to replace things into some kind of canon

i've been sorting through my collection of 4 or 5 thousand records lately to save some room ... i would hate to think that people would regard the ones i kept as being representative of my musical tastes when most of the time, they were chosen because they might be worth something or because i'd have a hard time finding cds or mp3s ... i think some of the articles mistake the preferences of a collector for musical preferences ... which is why i think this is just an interesting list and shouldn't be taken as some kind of summation

yet the fpp outright states that and the articles throw some broad hints that it is ... it's hype ... and yes, it has elitist aspects ... as do many of the opinions, not just in musical discussions, i see here

look over some of the political and religious threads, as well as music, to see what i'm talking about

but i see that some truths are uncomfortable to deal with, so i'm just dropping it
posted by pyramid termite at 9:44 PM on October 31, 2005


I don't have much to say, except thank you. Posts like this are my favorite thing about MeFi.
posted by HSWilson at 10:01 PM on October 31, 2005


So they're making a documentary obout the contents of the box: that is so unfair on The Fall . As it says in the article, The Fall had an entire SHELF to themselves.

I'm not saying that we should worship at John Peel's feet but if we're going to - at least throw in some Fall.
posted by meech at 12:36 AM on November 1, 2005


He must have not had the time to put DJ Shitmat - Shopliftin' Gabba in the box.

"in the shadows, against the far wall, was the big empty chair where the king used to sit"

.
posted by NinjaPirate at 3:47 AM on November 1, 2005


As meech says, and which is clear if you read the times article, this box "was the thing he would carry with him if his house burnt down" and the contents seemed to change regularly according to his current favourites.

Also bear in mind that "stones, marvin gaye, otis redding, aretha franklin, the kinks" can be heard daily on 200 stations worldwide, so why carry them round in a box?
posted by magpie68 at 4:48 AM on November 1, 2005


You know, I'm guessing Peel kept a lot of this stuff in his special box because it's stuff that's rare/out of print. That explains the White Stripes stuff in there too. Most of those singles (or at least the b-sides) aren't currently available on cd. I've been trying to compile what's in the box that you can buy right now via Amazon, and it's a very small percentage.

And there's a difference between an elitist and a collector. Peel was obviously a collector and a fan. Elitism implies trying to impress others with your own superiority. Peel clearly just wanted to turn people on to (what he considered) great music.
posted by elvissinatra at 4:59 AM on November 1, 2005


I'd love to get a copy of the White Stripes single where they cover VU and Beefheart. Anyone know if it's still in print, or was it a one-off?

Looking at the list, it seemed like what I'll be browsing through at the WFMU fair this weekend. Doesn't mean I want it all or would like it all, but it's good to know that it all exists.
posted by AJaffe at 6:12 AM on November 1, 2005


" there's a real problem of people advocating the obscure and different just for the sake of doing so"
No, there's a real problem of world hunger and ongoing massacres and injustice.

"it's interesting that people will accept the "spin" of tastemakers and specialists on a group of records ... but be vigilent when it comes to the manipulations of politicians and advertisers"
That's because the "spin" doesn't exist. When I tell someone that I love Nurse With Wound, I acknowledge both that I don't listen to it all the time and that they might not, and that's totally fine. And if it comes to it, I'd rather have a million "elitists" like John Peel playing things that I've never heard but might like rather than the petit bourgiouse of music telling me that I should listen to the Shins again.

"but i see that some truths are uncomfortable to deal with, so i'm just dropping it"
You have actually made me laugh out loud, and I congratulate you. Please, don't disturb us with your profound truths anymore! They're so heavy, man!
posted by klangklangston at 6:16 AM on November 1, 2005


I can't stand the rain is the horniest song ever written.
posted by blag at 6:22 AM on November 1, 2005


I really like that Sheena Easton song damnit.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:31 AM on November 1, 2005


You know, the White Stripes are pretty damn good, just overexposed, go seem them live, homeboy is a great musician, probably too smart and self-concious for his own good though.

I have always been a big fan of Peel, when he died I was finding his yearly top fifty lists and downloading them, there was a bunch of stuff from the '80's that I liked less than the newer stuff especially, but there were both hidden gems and plain old great songs peppered throughout. Peel also had great (Great) live performances on his show. Cat Power's version of Wonderwall (that is all over F/S) is amazing, Bonny Prince Billy -Death To Everyone (this version in particular is fantastic), are two that I can think of off the top of my head that are lifetime keepers for me.

Peel's sense of what was good and his open mind, sustained over a very long time, was what made him such a good DJ. I miss him.
posted by Divine_Wino at 6:38 AM on November 1, 2005


Yeah, one of the best shows I ever saw was the Stripes in the annex of the Masonic here. Absolutely fantastic, and some of the best sound I've ever heard. I really wish there was a bootleg from that show.
posted by klangklangston at 7:51 AM on November 1, 2005


Have you seen the White Stripes DVD Under Blackpool Lights? It's fucking amazing.
posted by Divine_Wino at 8:00 AM on November 1, 2005


I think the Stripes are good ("Fell In Love With A Girl," is a world-class rock and roll single), but I think my beloved Bell Rays do the whole R&B meets Punk thing even better, and I'm lukewarm on the production he did on the Loretta Lynn album, it was uncomfortably close to Electric Mud territory.
posted by jonmc at 8:31 AM on November 1, 2005


On another note, pyrmaid, you defended yourself well. Everyone was against you! It's sort of funny to re-read through the post.
posted by panoptican at 8:49 AM on November 1, 2005


Ahhhhh, the Bell Rays... Lisa Kekaula is a goddess.

Jonmc, were you at either of the MC5 (whoops! DKT) shows in NYC this summer?
posted by AJaffe at 9:48 AM on November 1, 2005


Sadly, no, AJaffe. I was broke. Seeing Wayne Kramer, Lisa Kekaula, and Handsome Dick Manitoba on the same stage would have given me multiple aurgasms.
posted by jonmc at 10:06 AM on November 1, 2005


Even Sheena had her moment in that "U Got The Look" song with Prince, but he could bring outthe hidden talent in just about anyone.

Jonmc: I don't know if you're just trolling, but I'm pretty sure you're thinking of Sheila E, not Sheena Easton.
posted by Sparx at 1:59 PM on November 1, 2005


I created a torrent of all the files that were posted on the ILM board. It is the first torrent I've created, so I don't know how well it will work. The torrent can be found here, just click the "free" link at the bottom of the page and it will take you to the torrent. All the songs are in one really big .zip file (over 400MB), so it will take a while to download. It seems to be working, but I will keep my fingers crossed. (I posted this on the ILM board as well.)
posted by HSWilson at 7:56 PM on November 1, 2005


johnmc is right, Sheena Easton's collaboration with Prince is well documented
posted by magpie68 at 7:51 AM on November 2, 2005


This is awesome!!!!
posted by Quartermass at 10:07 AM on November 2, 2005


I stand corrected. D'oh.
posted by Sparx at 12:53 PM on November 2, 2005


I stand corrected - I just found the juxtaposition too head asploding to countenance.
posted by Sparx at 12:56 PM on November 2, 2005


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