Seven songs

Andrew has tagged me with this meme:

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.

Here we go. (Some downloads at the bottom of the post.)

1. Miles Davis “Blue in Green”
from Kind of Blue. Not actually my favourite Miles album, but last night, at the end of a hot and tiring day, accompanied by a very large glass (or so) of cold white wine, it was perfect.

2. Curtis Mayfield “So in Love” from my favourite Curtis album There's No Place Like America Today (1974). I was inspired by Andrew and Max to dig out some Curtis, one of my cultural heroes.

3. Dolly Parton “Down from Dover” (from The Fairest of Them All, 1970) Most sensible people acknowledge that Dolly Parton has one of the most beautiful voices of our time: pure and true as Appalachian mountain water. It is not widely enough recognised that she is a great songwriter too, as this song shows. If she were a fella, or probably if she had gone out with Gram Parsons, or possibly even if she was a skinny brunette instead of a busty blonde, she would be recognised as a musical genius.

4. Ry Cooder “Los Chucos Sauves” featuring the late Lalo Guerrero from Chavez Ravine, Cooder’s excursion into the Los Angeles of 1950. It’s perfect for a sultry sunny day, but has an edge.

5. Candido “Jingo”. Nine minutes and 22 seconds of Latin disco heaven. I know nothing about Candido apart from what it says in the sleeve notes of Soul Jazz RecordsNu Yorica 2: a 1970 Salsoul release written by Michael Olantuji, produced by Joe Cain, one of the pioneers of the twelve inch single, performed by Candido Camero, veteran of the Duke Ellington orchestra and the Dizzie Gillespie band.

6. DJ Sandrinho “Berimbau”. I don’t even know where I got this from, but it is an insane baile funk re-working of the Bahian capoeira standard. Baile funk is the intense electronic music of the favela, a bastard variation of UK grime, Puerto Rican reggaeton or Detroit booty bass. Keep it unreal. [Links: wikipedia, Rio Baile Funk Blog, Fat Planet]

7. Solomon and SoCalled Dobriden Yardstyle for the Mekhutonim [Socalled/P.S. Bova Remix] For some reason, I’ve been listening to Hiphop Khasene (a concept album; the concept is the wedding of hip hop and klezmer) while driving lately: cruising through the streets of SE4 blasting out phat beats and shtetl sentiments. This track is untypical of the album: both less hip hoppy and less klezmery, but very cool.


I'm tagging: Jams, Roland, Noga, Incognito, Martin in the Margins, Darren and Richard. (Note to the tagged: don't feel obliged to write as much about your songs. I can't help myself!)


Listen to:
Note: I don’t know anything about the ethics and legality of posting these tracks. If you own the intellectual property on them, and want me to take them down, let me know and I’ll comply! If you like them, buy them.


While we're here: check out Richard S's excellent selection.

Comments

kate said…
Hi Bob, i got this one .....havent got round to it just yet , woops. i havent even heard of most of them so will have to take a look. or listen .
max said…
I just bought "There's no place like America today" from Itunes and burnt it on a cd, I'm about to listen to it as I wash dishes now before going to bed.
Thanks for filling up this hole.
bob said…
Glad to be spreading the word. Hope you like the tracks - it's the first time I've managed to work out how to post music, so I hope it works. And I hope, Max, that your purchase proves worthwhile!
max said…
It'll be playing on a loop for a while. Great.
Andrew Brown said…
I'm enjoying the Solomon and SoCalled track, while imagining the pimped up sort of ride you've got.
jams o donnell said…
Thanks for tagging me Bob. I don't know I can top your selection! I'll do my choice at the weekend
Imposs1904 said…
Bob,

Just spotted that you've tagged me.

I'll chew it over and post my selection tomorrow (today?).

A meme that I can get into. ;-)
Anonymous said…
I'm working on it too, Bob. I was hoping to finish it before dawn (Thursday), but I don't think that will happen. Maybe within a day or so...

I want to make sure that I like how I answer this so I don't decide just to drop the post later, the way I did with an answer to a book meme that Darren sent me for my other blog not to long ago. :)
bob said…
Looking forward to your seletions Darren, Richard and Jams. Thanks for yours Martin and Noga.

Glad you're liking the Curtis, Max: I was starting to panic. (Is No Place like America... really better than Curtis, Roots or Superfly? Probably not, but it's got more emotional resonance for me, hence being my favourite.

Andrew, thanks for the image of me in a pimped up ride. My current, recently purchased, ride is very, very un-hip hop. To quote a recent Guardian motoring review, it's a car that indicates I've procreated beyond my financial means... But at least it has a CD player, which is a huge advance over my old car, which barely even had an engine.
Incognito said…
Just noticed you tagged me. Very cool eclectic mix of songs, Bob!

Will look forward to picking my own.. will get to it next week.. have shows this weekend and won't have time to research.
Anonymous said…
Nu Yorica Vol. 1 is great too.
bob said…
TNC - Nu Yorica 1 is better than 2: in fact, one of my favourite compilation albums ever! I love your list.

Incognito - I'm looking forward to yours. Later this week, I'll link to all of the wonderful replies.
Anonymous said…
Cool. I was inspired by your list and CC's list. Good sh*t...

Let me know if those downloads on my page work. If they do I'll put some more links as an update at the bottom of the post.

There is this Indian-Israeli music I want you to check out. I have no idea who it is but I think you'll dig it...
Anonymous said…
good post

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