Thursday, September 23, 2004  10:04 am 

Country Blood

(Smog)- Bloodflow

Talking about playlists…last friday we had our second release of 20 Jazz Funk Greats at the Penthouse in Brighton, and it was great. quite busy, the people there seemed to enjoy the noise and the weirdness and the greatness. Matt Djed like a true lord of The Drone and The Riff. I played the following (not necessarily in this order, might have forgotten some tracks):

-Fly Pan Am- Pas a Pas Step Until

-Black Dice- Endless Happiness (Yoshimi Eye Remix)

-Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom- Rise (DFA Remix)

-Public Image Ltd- Swan Lake

-Non-Prophets- Disasters

-Liars- Broken Witch

-Lightning Bolt- Crown of Storms

-Can- Vitamin C

-Deerhoof- The Last Trumpeteer Swan

-The Beat Happening- Noise

-Can- Mushroom

-Add (n) to (x)- Metal Fingers in My Body

-White Noise- Firebird

Which is all good except for the fact I neglected to play a single country song, and folks, I might be a city boy but this desert music really does my head in…Lee Hazlewood and Giant Sand and Johnny Cash and Calexico and Gene Clark and Wilco and Cat Power and Songs:Ohia and the Beachwood Sparks and Gram Parsons and the Violent Femmes and M Ward and John Fahey and Califone and Lambchop and The Sadies and Mount Eerie (formerly known as The Microphones) and the Band of Blacky Ranchette and the Flying Burrito Brothers and Low and some of that new freak folk stuff such as Vetiver and Devendra Banhart, Scout Niblett, Cocorosie, Sufjan Stevens, Entrance, Joanna Newsom…it really blows my mind!

I mean, my definition of country is quite wide, and inclassificable outcasts such as Bill Callahan fit perfectly (as perfectly as they can fit anywhere) in it…I saw him, the mind and body and eyes half-closed-half-open Clint Eastwood style behind (Smog) live on monday, playing an accoustic set at Brighton’s Komedia and it was truly beautiful: alone over the stage, accompanied by his drawl and a guitar, some times funny and others sad and most of the times both funny and sad, putting a light where there was darkness and telling everyday stories that sink deep in the heart of the stranger, I am one. He played two of my favourite songs in his discography, Dress Sexy at My Funeral, which I was going to review but then found here
, and Bloodflow, the song above, which is about blood and machetes and has that driven chick-wacka-chick-wacka-twack twang and an amazing ghetto kids chorus at the end, it’s weird and unsettling and soulful and as cutting edge as any of the other shit we play at 20 Jazz Funk. Yeah, it’s great, I think I might do a free for all country set next time, or maybe the one after.

(Both songs can be found in Dongs of Sevotion out in Drag City a few years ago)

Now pass me that machete.

Did anyone see all the BBC2 programs lost highway?

In episode 3 Beyond Nashville they venture into the territories of Gram in the Byrds and the beginnings of country rock etc and episode 4 had amazing footage of all the female stars of country. If anyone knows were I can get it on video let me know. I mailed the BBC but they have no plans to release it.

Country rock led to bands like the Eagles and Chicago (Mums favourites), but to start with it was a wonderful original movement coming at the trail end of the hippie era that gave song writing a new lease of life, and released it from too much psychedelic drudgery.

Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens and Andy Hummel, formed a band called Big Star and released there first album in 1972. They had bits of the Brit Rock invasion about em and Led Zepelin even, but they managed to write some amazing albums. They were a little bit country, and a little bit rock and roll but with a nice twist.

Big Star - Thirteen

This is a MOJO choice for which I’m sorry. When the world (or at least nme) were all about Teenage Fanclub Big Star were thee name to drop. I don’t think Big star are really ‘alt-country’ but they did a nice line in cowboy shirts. This vocal arrangement is a quite Crosby Stills Nash and Young in the harmonies but the lyrics are much less hippy idealistic preaching to the world of peace love and harmony.

Big Star have one of those sounds that you never really forget. There is quality of beauty and honesty in Alex’s vocal that makes it truly original, but the Fannies did have a pretty good go.

Innocence oozes and I’ll really glad this was not made in the latter 70’s or 80’s or I’m sure top notch production and orchestration would have made it into an overblown Chicago type ballad.

Big Star didn’t care much about or try to have credibility- the next song on the first album is a good time boogie song, that really does sound like Cheap Trick. By the second album Alex was on his own, and the third album maybe shows more of his influences, even including a cover of the Velvets Femme Fatal - which is probably the best Velvets cover I have ever heard. There is loads more to say about Big Star, but other people have done it better, so have a read here at Big Star Reference.

This is just a simple song to a girl, with imagery of that first teenage romance we all had in school days.

Needless to say you cannot dance to it, it’s not big or clever, but sometimes…… and just sometimes it’s nice to maybe hold someone close to you and enjoy the beauty of a simple songs from years gone by. (that last bit may be from the Wonder Years)

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