Without the rest of The Beatles to reign him in, John Lennon’s solo career became dogmatic in the quest to bring equality to the world. “Imagine” and “Give Peace A Chance” and “Power to The People” may have more infamy than this cut off of his 1974 release Mind Games but “Bring On the Lucie (Freeda People)” was perhaps the better anthem. Building upon a slide guitar melody, the song is rife with what would become John Lennon’s signature sound, a powerful message that is backed by clean cut drumming, in the pocket bass lines and swaggering horns. No wonder that this song was chosen to play over the credits of the great film Children of Men. For all his faults, Lennon’s talent was in making anthems that still resonate today.
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Jonathan Wilson may never get the fame he deserves, but he’s perfectly fine being in the background. The Laurel Canyon native has been the producer behind both of Dawes albums North Hills and Nothing Is Wrong and a fine musician in his own right. Check out this cut “Dreaming” off of the never officially released Frankie Ray from 2007 which features a stellar melody and some great guitar work.
For all the (unwarranted) hipster cred Velvet Underground gets, Aloe Blacc’s spin of their little known “Femme Fatale” on his 2010 release Good Things turns a murky song into a cinematic tour-de-force with swirling strings and a haunting vocal performance equal parts soul and gospel, but the subject matter is entirely secular, and oh so good.
Good Things was released on Stones Throw Records September 28th, 2010. You can find the digital version on iTunes here
It’s truly unfortunate that disco carries such an negative connotation nowadays, even when most electronic and dance music is at it’s best today when it borrows heavily from it. Mock it for all you want, but it’s hard not to dance and have a good time. Enter Chic, a band known for it’s two solid disco anthems “Good Times” and “Le Freak”. On Real People, their 1980 release, the common cry was disco was dead and synth-dominated music would usher in a new era in pop. Listen to “Open Up” an instrumental jam that opens up the album, the production is huge and the strings counter-melody is on point, tighter than anything ELO ever did. It’s just begging to be rediscovered by some DJ out there. Check out the bonus track “You Can’t Do It Alone” which pulls off a daring arrangement of disco sheen and Spanish nylon accompaniment. It doesn’t hurt that they have a damn good singer either.
Real People was released on Atlantic Records in 1980. You can find the digital version on iTunes here
The Art of the Mixtape 