The Beatles – Page 7 – The Art of the Mixtape

Mixtape Monday: Charlemagne and the Silver Bells of Harlem

Listen in this order

A voice of pain that soothes, a song that is one of the sweetest odes to a lover, written by Keith Richards no less.

An upbeat song about destroying a guitar/relationship, pulled off in Cake’s typical catchy style.

The song, the harmonies, the lyrics, are so uplifting and inspiring, this was Curtis Mayfield’s gift and its over far too soon.

Peace Like A River (Paul Simon Cover)- Spoon

The original was perfect, and yet Spoon still breathes new life into it, the bass plays the melody now, the guitar and piano the rhythm, and Britt Daniel brings along his cynical touch to the lyrics.

Jesus, Etc.- Wilco

Jesus, don’t cry
You can rely on me, honey
You can combine anything you want
I’ll be around
You were right about the stars
Each one is a setting sun

Tall buildings shake
Voices escape singing sad sad songs
tuned to chords
Strung down your cheeks
Bitter melodies turning your orbit around

The lyrics say it better than I ever could

How Long Do I Have To Wait For You- Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

The lyrics cry longing, the instruments dance and the band grooves pay attention to that little guitar lick (you’ll see what I mean) Sharon Jones’s performance, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call her the female James Brown, and sax solo is worth the download alone.

When I Get Home- The Beatles

Ah, The Beatles in their youth, a whole different polished animals, the guitars and drums burst with energy, the harmonies are tight and John Lennon proves himself as one of rocks greatest vocalists.

Tired of My Tears- Susan Tedeschi

Take Sharon Jones earlier song, dip into a Southern Gospel groove and this is what will come out, Susan Tedeschi’s vocals blur the color line on this one and the guitar work is flawless.

Bells of Harlem- Dave Rawlings Machine

From the soft pitter patter of the snare drum to the golden acoustic guitar and the warm vocal harmonies this song just breathes beauty at its most effortless.

Multiply (In A Minor Key)- Jamie Lidell

That squeak at the beginning is the opening of a door into a club where both the voice and piano shine and dance, and all anybody else can do is watch.

Breaking All The Ground- Joe Firstman

she’s swinging from my heartstrings
singing that she’s climbing up.
she drinks bourbon from her daddy’s favorite coffee cup.
and she’s flying down the highway
crying that she won’t confess.
she’ll walk to charlotte like a princess
in her mama’s wedding dress.
and i watch her break away
more and more every day.

thats just the opening verse, some people have a way with words, and heck he’s gotta thing for melody and arranging too.

Where Did Our Love Go (Live) (Supremes Cover)- J. Geils Band

J. Geils was the ultimate bar band, they had fun, they didn’t get bogged down by ambition, they rocked a dirty gritty sound anchored by Peter Wolf’s gruff vocals, you can tell they’re just having fun here, and the slide solo in the middle is absolutely euphoric.

Ragoo- Kings of Leon

The dynamics are fantastic on this, with a Police styled arrangement but more nitty gritty earth bound vocals.

Book of Moses- Beck’s Record Club

If for just one reason, get the song for its beat, because shit it is heavy. Another? Beck is a hell of a producer and arranger, this one plays out like an updated Bill Withers song, funky, soulful and full of power.

Remember- Jimi Hendrix

Everything about this song is wonderful, youthful yet reminiscent.

Minding My Own Business- Coconut Records

Its hard to figure this guy was an actor before a musician, add the fact he plays all the instruments as well, the natural feel of the song goes even more to prove his talent, great songwriting.

Lenin- Arcade Fire

A song off of Dark Was the Night, by Arcade Fire, like you need any other reason to download it.

Gold Mine- The Union Line

I wish this band existed on iTunes because this song actually makes me want to buy more of their stuff, and buy isn’t a word i like to throw around alot.

Charlemagne in Sweatpants- The Hold Steady

From the organ to the guitars to the vocals and lyrics, The Hold Steady just grip you from the get-go.

Aeroplanes and Nicotine Canaries

Gone, Gone, Gone- Colin Farell

Yes, before you ask, that is Colin Farell the actor, and how did he come out better than most country acts around today? Well he’s got a great voice, you’re gonna be asking yourself is this really an irish dude the whole time? That and he’s got T. Bone Burnett who is a great producer (of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou fame) helping provide the instrumental authenticity, sure its a song from his new movie Crazy Heart but just because its part of a movie soundtrack doesn’t mean it can’t be good.

Uh-Huh- Wu-Tang Clan/The Beatles

A couple years back, The Beatles were my Bible, and any deviations or covers of their songs I could never come to terms with, they never captured the same magic as the originals. But then mashups came on to the scene, The Grey Album was one of the first and one of the best, and shot DJ Dangermouse into being the superstar producer he is today. What I like about this particular track is it takes the instrumental from a Beatles song that I thought always had a great instrumental backing but lacked in lyrics, the crazy (You Know My Name) Look Up the Number. This mashup fixes the lyrical inadequacy with its rapping, and you never thought a Beatles sample could sound so fitting.

Where My Fortune Lies- Auld Lang Syne

Just a beautifully delivered, organic song with a little The Band meets The Avett Brothers flair. The banjo is a nice touch with the hammertack piano.

Locksmith- The Gorgeous Colours

With a band name like that you have to be able to back it up with your music and they do, with a colorful guitar sound and wonderfully gorgeous and intimate vocal performance.

You Carry the Deed- Deradoorian

Some people have that special talent where no matter what surrounds them, their voice immediately brings you in. With a softly played acoustic backing, her voice just flows out from her heart and tugs at yours.

Little Lovin’- Lissie

Another example of that special talent, Lissie is a newcomer to the music scene but has a voice beyond her years.

Lewis Takes Off His Shirt- Owen Pallett

Of of his new LP Heartland Owen Pallett is a musician in his own world, sure people might compare him to fellow violinist Andrew Bird due to their choice of instrument and vocal range, but Pallett is no one trick pony, having arranged for acts such as the Arcade Fire as well as his own material. In short this song is otherworldly, with hooks coming in and out in ways that delight the ears. I promise you will never hear a more inspiring song with the lyrics “I’m never gonna give it to you”.

Blue Skies- Noah and the Whale

The cathartic build up of a song that The National is famous for is played out to perfection on this song by Noah and the Whale. Off of their new LP The First Days of Spring, a breakup album, Blue Skies has a sweeping majesty and humbleness that only the song itself can describe.

Airplanes- Local Natives

Like Modest Mouse at their finest, with better singing.

Wicked Blood- Sea Wolf

Sea Wolf, despite the unusual name manages to evoke the familiar while being entirely original, a wonderful song off of a wonderful album.

Home Sweet Home- Sad Brad Smith

Put a Sad Brad Smith song on and you’ll be hard pressed to believe that he’s only released one album, his debut, his arrangements show wisdom beyond his years and his song-craft is impeccable, just check out his song off of the Up in Air soundtrack, if you need more evidence.

The Right Place- Monsters of Folk

As The Beatles so well proved, the sum is often greater than its individual parts, all the members in Monsters of Folk have their own great respective careers, but together they have a timeless cohesive element that only bands like CSNY could match.

Nicotine Canaries- Cotton Jones

A song thats as interesting and intriguing as its name.

Getting Better- The Beatles

I don’t care what anyone says, no one will be able to ever replicate this song, the ringing guitars, the famously impeccable Beatle harmonies, the perfect mixing in of Eastern Influences and an indomitable hook. This song is for all those times you start to wonder if they were overrated to prove just how great they were.

Hot Cookin’- G. Love and Special Sauce

I’m already sick of this cold New England winter, I want it to be summer already. At least with this song I’m halfway, its like a beach party campfire for your ears, it just sounds, well, warm and its a catchy song to boot.

Got Nuffin’- Spoon

Driving at night throwing cares out your window. Theres something off, lurking in the shadows but you don’t know how to explain it, you got nuffin.

Let’s Stay Together- Al Green

This song is a classic, one that solidified Al Green as a powerful presence in soul and was the soundtrack to a lot of baby making, Just to further prove Green’s genius, after hearing the instrumental he wrote the lyrics in 15 minutes, I dare you to do better.

The Mystery Zone- Spoon

Just more proof of how catchy and inventive Spoon can be.

Tides- Megafaun

A perfect closing track.

Mixtape Monday 2010 vol. 2

Lives of Crime- Fruit Bats

Remember how Garden State made the little known band The Shins smash hit indie darlings, how exciting it was to be hearing, discovering this new band along with Zach Braff’s character when he put on those huge headphones. Well the Fruit Bats just might be next with one of there songs (When U Love Somebody) featured on the soundtrack of Youth in Revolt the new Michael Cera vehicle, which is bound to attract the indie masses because it’s Michael Cera. Fruit Bats are from the same mold as The Shins, refreshingly inventive and retrospective at the same time.

New Kind of Love- Plants and Animals

Few bands have the skill to make a song 6 + minutes entirely listenable. Plants and Animals are one of the few, this song comes off like a mellowed Arcade Fire meeting with an ethereal Nick Drake, the arrangement is vast but at the same time endearing and homespun, and an absolute blast with headphones.

The Bed’s Too Big Without You- The Police

The Police weren’t entirely unknown at the time, Roxanne and Can’t Stand Losing You and So Lonely had guaranteed that on their previous debut effort. Regatta de Blanc showcased their new signature sound and pushed them into stardom and this song is an oft forgotten highlight of the album.

Witness Blues- A.A. Bondy

Bob Dylan affected his audience so well due to his direct approach and wonderful narrative lyrics, A.A. Bondy may just be the closest comparison to the Dylan mystique and he well deserves it.

La Mar – The Beautiful Girls

Achingly introspective and beautifully understated, this song reaches into your emotions and doesn’t let go. The lo-fi production and simple acoustic arrangement only make this song better.

Anne- John Frusciante

Sans the Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante is a wholly new animal. Featuring a Cat Stevens-esque croon, Anne starts out stark with beautiful acoustic accompaniment before expanding into a full blown creative arrangement. A wonderful talent.

Joe’s Waltz- The Dodos

Many bands have their own sound, but the Dodos go even further, there is no other band that features their musical DNA, inventive in their arrangements and deceptively simple, they make a waltz sound like an entirely new style.

The Danger Zone- Susan Tedeschi

Susan Tedeschi isn’t the only country and blues styled guitar slinging singer but she’s one of the best, with a voice that belongs in a category alongside Bonnie Raitt, Etta James, and Aretha Franklin.

Willow Tree- G. Love and Special Sauce

I dream for the day that Beck and G. Love collaborate for they both have their own genius touch on blending musical styles, for now this is the closest I’ll get. Creative, laid back groove and tight soulful harmony.

Caught by the River- The Doves

The song you wished Coldplay and Oasis had written so you wouldn’t feel so guilty for saying you liked them, vast and beautifully arranged.

Help Yourself- Sad Brad Smith

Featured in Up in Air, this song harkens back to the best of CSNY and Simon and Garfunkel with beautiful harmonies and acoustic guitars going back and forth and yet with an arrangement that’s completely original, just one of those songs where beautiful seems to be the only word that fits perfectly. I don’t care if Up in Air wins any awards for its film merits, but it should for this song.

Please Be Patient With Me- Wilco

As great of a full band Wilco is, they have a magical quality when they tone it down to just guitars and vocals.

For No One- The Beatles

Eleanor Rigby gets a lot of credit for it, but mark my words; in terms of arrangement, production, lyrics and delivery, For No One is simply one of the best songs in the entire Beatles catalogue and is Paul McCartney’s lonely masterpiece and its over far too soon.

Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let it Roll)- George Harrison

Simply put, the best all around song on All Things Must Pass the arrangement is full of mystical and haunting beauty and proves once and for all George’s ability as a songwriter.

Futures- Zero 7

Wonderfully unique in its arrangement and production with a beautiful voice to boot. One of those melodies that will just keep rolling around in your head, a brooding kind of song.

American Hearts- A.A. Bondy

The most beautifully written piece of Americana this decade, Dylan himself would be green with envy.

Take Me Out of the City- Dawes

Not many bands can tone down their arrangement and let their harmonies dominate to create a song of utter beauty. Dawes is one of them and it would be hard to find a band who does it better.

Real Love

The Beatles- Real Love

When The Beatles came together for the Anthology series it was easy to assume it was just another cash in (after all the band had been gone 25 years and Apple was still making money off their one band, and they still are). Real Love was the second Lennon demo that they had been given access to master and do what they please. But it comes off great, George’s guitar work is fantastic, John sounds fresh and alive, a quality sorely lacking in Free as A Bird, and the harmonies are there along with Ringo’s steady backbeat.

G. Love and Special Sauce- Crumble

G. Love has been around an awful long time with his hip-hop/blues genre, and while that is no longer novel, G. Love has a knack for production that is the show piece of this song. Starting with beautifully played piano interwoven with upright bass, it blossoms into nice syncopated drum and acoustic guitar work, the melody is shimmering and the music surrounds you, its not so much his words that have the flow on this song, its the music, though the words are good too.

Slow Club- It Doesn’t Have to be Beautiful

Slow Club is an English folksy rock duo in the She and Him style, except they’re much more bright in their melody and harmony, this song chugs along at a frenetic pace and the singing is wonderful and catchy too.

The Love Language- Lalita

This song bursts out of the gate with a Motown drum roll but keeps itself low-fi, the melody is insanely catchy and the whole thing sounds like it was recorded on one take, full of life and energy, you can just hear the fun the band is having playing this song.

Q-Tip- Believe

Q-Tip defied common belief when he continued to have a quality career after the fallout from A Tribe Called Quest’s breakup. This song has swagger but in ways that Jay-Z wished he had, the back track is funky and D’Angelo’s backing vocals are beautifully arranged, try and hate this song, go ahead I dare you.

Pete and J- Young Love

Boasting a Simon & Garfunkelesque harmony as well as a feel for Elliot Smith melody, Pete and J (now known as Harper Blynn) are a great up and coming group fashioned in the old style melodies and classic rock production.

Hall and Oates- You Make My Dreams

Sure its old, sure its cheesy, but can anybody hate this song? Its just so damn happy and the harmonies are great

Prince- Raspberry Beret

Prince is never conventional, and the cello violin arrangement thrown into this song is a perfect example of his eccentric genius, and no song about this subject matter should be this catchy and the bridge is fantastic. Favorite line thunder chimes out when the lightning sees her kinda makes you feel like a movie star. Wonderfully done all around song.

Sammy Davis Jr- These Foolish Things

Some songs just put you in a mood, overcome with love and memory, this is one of them, the arrangement is sparse and the lyrics are beautifully poetic, and Sammy Davis Jr.’s performance here is fantastic.

Soul Coughing- Soft Serve

Beat poetry meets funk, in the best of marriages, the bass line is fantastic, the arrangement creative, a very underrated song.

Port O’Brien- Love Me Through

Another great new band to watch out for with the members hailing from Alaska and California, the guitar work on here is great and a very beatle-esque melody. Great rainy day song

The Beatles- Every Little Thing

People love to look back at the early years of The Beatles and criticize their simplicity, but sometimes simple is perfect (Lou Reed made a career out of it). This song is very beautiful in its understatement, the harmonies are great the melody is sweet and you can just hear their youth, and the feeling is universal.

Jimi Hendrix- May This Be Love

As great as he was a guitarist, Jimi Hendrix was an equally excellent arranger and lyricist. His flashy guitar work takes a backseat on this one and even without it, I rate this as one of his best songs.

Kings of Leon- True Love Way

At the time they hadn’t blown up yet, Use Somebody and Sex on Fire hadn’t been overplayed by every single radio station yet, the bravado hadn’t come yet, but the presence was there, great arrangement and vocal performance on this one, I’d argue this song is more powerful then Use Somebody and Sex on Fire put together.

She’s the One- Bruce Springsteen

No longer was he under the shadows of Bob Dylan and Van Morrison comparisons, he was on his own, and he exploded on to the scene with this album. She’s the One doesn’t do alot to avoid his former comparisons though, it even adds a few new ones, his lyrics are as poetic as Dylans and his vocal performance is reminiscent of Morrison and Orbison and the guitar work, Bo Diddley. But that great melody, and those hooks, and the heart, thats all his.

Robert Palmer- Fine Time

Robert Palmer wasn’t always the suave power rock guy his 80’s hits made him out to be, sure he always loved the suits, but in the 70’s he was funky and he had great taste. Fine Time boasts the immortal James Jamerson on bass as well as a combined backing band of Little Feat and The Meters who were both great bands on their own. The highlight of the track though is the intensity he puts into the vocal performance, he really feels the music and he drives the band in return with his powerful presence.

Keb’ Mo’- Love Blues

Keb’ Mo’s first record soungs so organic, if you closed your eyes you’d feel like he was just in front of you playing his acoustic guitar, he’s got a great voice to boot, an underrated essential to being a bluesman, and nice harmonica work as well. A real sunny Sunday afternoon kind of song.

G. Love and Special Sauce-Ride

I don’t know any other artist who can emulate summer as well as G. Love can, and the arrangement and production values are great on this song as well.

Bob Dylan- Love Minus Zero/ No Limit

Bob has a lot of well written songs, and this is among his best

The Explorers Club- Last Kiss

Imagine that the Beach Boys came out in the last couple years, they would be this band, the similarities are unnerving.

John Lennon- Real Love

The original demo before The Beatles put their production hands on it, the piano work is beautiful as well as his vocals, its almost as if you’ve got him playing the piano just for you and its really endearing.