Friday, February 18, 2022

Expedia Ad Brings Wreckless Eric's 1977 Punk Anthem "Whole Wide World" To The Super Bowl






Wreckless Eric's beloved 1977 punk anthem "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World" made an appearance at the Super Bowl this year, courtesy of an advertisement called "Stuff" (see above) from travel service Expedia and that Scottish actor from Trainspotting.

When I was a young boy
My mama said to me
"There's only one girl in the world for you
And she probably lives in Tahiti"
I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world just to find her
Or maybe she's in the Bahamas
Where the Caribbean Sea is blue
Weeping in the tropical moonlit night
Because nobody's told her about you
I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world just to find her
I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world
To find out where they hide her
I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world just to find her
Why am I hanging around in the rain right here
Trying to pick up a girl
Why are my eyes filling up with these lonely tears
When there's girls all over the world
And is she lying on a tropical beach somewhere
Underneath a tropical sun
Pining away in a heatwave there
Hoping that I won't be long
I should be lying on that sun swept beach with her
Caressing her warm, brown skin
And then in a year or maybe not quite
We'll be sharing the same next of kin
I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world just to find her
I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world
To find out where they hide her
I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world just to find her
I'd go the whole wide world
I'd go the whole wide world
To find out where they hide her

So many artists have covered "Whole Wide World" over the years. Here's two videos we shot of Mikal Cronin's take on it, in concert in Portland and San Francisco:

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Cool, New Music: Indie Rock Playlist. Mid February 2022, Climate Change Spring in Pandemic Times



ALBUMS

Bob Mould. The Ocean (3-song EP). Three live acoustic numbers, two from 2020's Blue Hearts, and another from Bob's original band, seminal punk rockers Husker Du. Bob is iconic. We love him. This EP is nice to hear, reminds us he is not only still around, but in fact experiencing a late career renaissance. The lead songle from Blue Hearts, "American Crisis" is one of the most searing songs by anyone recently, much less from someone we've already been listening to since the 80s... Check out this EP and if you haven't previously heard 2020's "American Crisis", here it is:


Big ThiefDragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You. Young 2022 's Album Of The Year (So Far....).


Eddie Vedder. Earthling. Solo triumph for the Pearl Jam frontman. With a little help from his friends such as Ringo Starr, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder.

Father John Misty. ChloĆ« And The Next 20th Century. Interesting orchestra pop from another era but somehow perfect for our era too. I am suspicious of the level of Father John Misty's artifice, but have to admit he is talented and intriguing.

Marsden & Richardson. Marsden & Richardson. Two members of Band Of Skulls explore their romantic pop side.

Cate le Bon. Pompeii.

Midnight Oil. Resist. The Aussie political rockers are back... just in a nick of time!

Andy Bell. Flicker. The Oasis collaborator (not the Erasure guy of the exact same name) releases a nice collection of tunes well-worth checking out.

Jethro Tull. The Zealot Gene. I actually laughed out loud when I saw the publicity photo of the 2022 version of Jethro Tull. I had recently reflected that my 16-year-old-self's Tull fanboyism in the 70s was a great example of the terrible taste in music I once had. I mean, pretentious medievalist British music with flute solos... C'mon! So I had no intention of listening to this album until a Facebook friend, singer Mary Lou Lord gushed online how great the new album is, his voice, the words, the songs... So out of morbid curiosity I gave it a listen, and... it is actually surprisingly good. 

The Cactus Blossoms. One Day.

Dan Andriano And The Bygones. Dear Darkness.

Rev. Gary Davis. Let Us Get Together("Lost" 1969 Concerts, Portland & Seattle).

                                                    "Too Much Information", R. Crumb 2022

SINGLES


Sharon Van Etten. "Porta"



Jack White. "Fear Of The Dawn" (Two new albums due in 2022).


Kurt Vile. "Like Exploding Stones" (New Album coming soon...)

Monday, February 14, 2022

Two "Lost" 1969 Concerts of Rev. Gary Davis See The Light: "Let Us Get Together" feat. previously unreleased shows from Portland & Seattle

 


Legendary gospel and blues artist Rev. Gary Davis (1896 - 1972) comes back to life via these two excellent live recordings from 1969, now available from Sunset Blvd. Records.

You can get a Double CD or MP3 version, or stream it here.

Davis, blind since infancy, played guitar in the 1930s on the streets of Durham, North Carolina with artists like Blind Boy Fuller and Bull City Red. He recorded a few songs in New York in 1935, and later moved there. He played at the memorial concert for Lead Belly in 1950, and as the folk revival blossomed in late 50s and early 60s, he found himself giving private lessons (for the princely sum of $5) to many young guitarists in the New York Metro area, including a young Harry Chapin and his brother Tom Chapin. He would play on the street in New York, show up at places like Izzy Young's The Folklore Center in Greenwich Village, and even the Sunday folk hang-out in Washington Square Park. He began recording again, and as his fame grew, played The Newport Folk Festival twice and toured the U.S. and Europe extensively.




His songs "Death Don't Have No Mercy", "Cocaine", "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down", and "Samson and Delilah (If I Had My Way, I Would Tear This Whole Building Down)" have been recorded by artists such as The Grateful Dead, Jorma Kaukonen, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul And Mary, and Jackson Browne.

These two live 1969 shows (Disc 1 from Reed College in Portland, Oregon and Disc 2 from Seattle, Washington) show The Reverend in fine form, albeit it slowed by age and playing a 12-string guitar for a fuller sound.

Both long-time fans and new listeners will find these shows to be a delight.







Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Neil Young Tells Spotify Workers: "Daniel Ek is your big problem - not Joe Rogan... Get out of that place before it eats up your soul..."


"A Message From Neil" 

In our communication age, disinformation is the problem. Ditch the misinformers. Find a good clean place to support with your monthly checks. You have the real power. Use it. 

To the baby boomers, I say 70 percent of the country’s financial assets are in your hands compared with just about 5 percent for millennials. You and I need to lead.

In our age of Climate Chaos, I say ditch the companies contributing to the mass fossil fuel destruction of Earth. 

For their continued funding of the fossil fuel damage even as the global temperature keeps climbing, I say take your money from the accounts of these American banks today:

Chase 
Citi 
Bank of America 
Wells Fargo

Join me as I move my money away from the damage causers or you will unintentionally be one of them. You have the power to change the world. We can do it together. Your grandchildren will thank you in history.

To the musicians and creators in the world, I say this:
You must be able to find a better place than SPOTIFY to be the home of your art. 

To the workers at SPOTIFY, I say Daniel Ek is your big problem - not Joe Rogan. Ek pulls the strings.

Get out of that place before it eats up your soul. The only goals stated by EK are about numbers - not art, not creativity.

Notice that EK never mentions the Medical Professionals who started this conversation. Look, one last time - at the statements EK has made.

Then be free and take the good path.


Editor's Note: Meanwhile, the former president also weighed in on the controversy... but perhaps only to grift off of it... Notice the prominent click-to-donate icon (DONATE TO SAVE AMERICA!) Trump helpfully included at the end of the message...


Trump calls on Rogan to "stop apologizing". We have to wonder if Rogan and Spotify will be thrilled by the former president's endorsement... or concerned that it will alienate half the country...

Even before the recent COVID denying and racist scandals, many people had real questions about how poorly Spotify compensated artists whose work they used and profited from so enormously. We were accustomed to hearing music on the radio and in concerts and nightclubs, and buying it on vinyl, CDs, and MP3s. Now many people get their music on demand via YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music or on satellite radio via Sirius. The transition to streaming, especially during the COVID era, which also put things like touring and nightclubs in limbo, happened before people could put protections in place for musicians and creators. The streaming services have made billions in a few short years. Perhaps we need new legislation now to guarantee that artists and creators are fairly compensated by the streaming services and other outlets for their work.

Spotify, based in Sweden, and primarily a tech company, rather than a music company, may be more interested in bottom line profits and less responsive to consumer demand for content free of racism, COVID denial, and baseless conspiracy theories. 

American companies, like Apple and Amazon, seem more willing to listen.

And the more we learned about Joe Rogan, the less we liked him...



While Spotify appeared to be unwilling to quit him, so more and more artists are quitting Spotify instead... #BoycottSpotify

Also see related articles: 

ThisSmallPlanet.com Calls On All Artists & Subscribers To Leave Spotify To Protest Joe Rogan Super Spreading COVID Disinformation

and 

Boycott Spotify Movement Takes Off; Swedish Company Criticized for Super Spreading COVID Disinformation; PLUS: A Tear For Ian Brown & Richard Ashcroft...

and

ThisSmallPlanet.com Calls For Boycott Against COVID Deniers Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Morrissey, and Joe Rogan

and while you're at it...

Cool, New Music Playlist February 2022

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Cool, New Music Playlist February 2022


ALBUMS

Miles Kane. Change The Show. British retro rock at its best.

James McMurtry. The Horses And The Hounds. Literary Western songs from writer Larry McMurtry's son. Liked his song "State Of The Union", released last year, which explored the red and blue divisions in rural American families.

Ryley Walker. So Certain (EP).

Black Country, New Road. Their second album Ants From Up There is due on Friday and it's good, but late breaking news reveals lead singer Isaac Wood has quit the band, and their U.S. tour has been cancelled. The band vows to carry on without him... Looks for their limited release EP Never Again featuring a cover of Abba's "Mamma Mia".

Elvis Costello. The Boy Named If. Sounds like classic Elvis. Love it.

John Mellencamp. Strictly A One-Eyed Jack. Not bad... 

Pedro The Lion. Havasu.

Jake Xerxes Fussell. Good And Green Again. I like this but what I found really extraordinary was "The River St. Johns" from his Tiny Desk Concert:

Janis Ian. The Light At The End Of The Line. Awesome singer-songwriter; great new album. "Better Times Will Come", indeed...

Steve Gunn. Nakama (EP).

John Mayall. The Sun Is Shining Down. One of the original British blues rockers delivers a helluva album at the age of 88.

Beirut. Artifacts.

Destroyer. Labyrinthitis.

Yard Act. The Overload. Loud British sing-talking poem-songs about this and that. Good.


ARCHIVAL

Mike Bloomfield. The Bottom Line '75 (Live).

PJ Harvey. Let England Shake Demos. The informative demos for this 2011 classic, a meditation on war (you know, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc.) and what it does to people.

Faces. Live at John Peel's Sunday Concert, 13 May 1971. Classic.

The Beatles. Get Back (Rooftop Performance).

Linda Ronstadt. This Heart Of Mine (Live, Los Angeles '76).

Harry Chapin. Some Wisdom (Live Ohio '79). Great!

Lowell Goerge, Bonnie Raitt, John Hammond, Jr. Blow My Blues Away (Live Long Island '72)

Rare Earth. Different Strokes. (Live California '74). "I Just Wanna Celebrate" another day of living...


SINGLES

Lana Del Rey. "Watercolor Eyes" (Euphoria soundtrack).

Cassandra Jenkins. "It's You".

Big Thief. "Simulation Swarm". New (double) album sounds like it's going to be great!

The Dead South. "Will The Circle Be Unbroken"/"You Are My Sunshine". Interesting takes on two classics.

Pavement. "Be The Hook". Get ready for the reunion.

Jack White. "Love Is Selfish"

Idles. "Danny Nedelko". This 2018 pro-immigrant song is everything pop music should be.

Fontaines D.C. "Jackie Down The Line".

Rowan. "Irish To My Bones"

Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder. "Hooray Hooray". Rising Sons rise again!

Arab Strap. "Aphelion".

Hamish Imlach. "Cod Liver Oil and Orange Juice"

Parquet Courts. "Watching Strangers Smile(SINGLE OF THE WEEK!!!). They just released an album not long ago, and this single wasn't on it. Return to form? Got their Mojo back? Seems to be the case...


Highly Anticipated February Releases:


Big Thief. Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (February 11, 4 AD).

Spiritualized. Everything Was Beautiful (February 25, Fat Possom).

Johnny Marr. Fever Dreams Pts. 1 - 4. (February 25, New Voodoo Limited).



The Deluxe Edition of Valerie June's excellent The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers is out now. It contains several interesting bonus tracks, including a version of John Lennon's "Imagine" and this cover of the Nick Drake classic "Pink Moon"...


You may also be interested in:


and



UPDATE: Conor Oberst is re-releasing his first three Bright Eyes album, along with three "companion" EPs (May 27/Dead Oceans), featuring newly reworked versions of some of the old songs, with friends like Phoebe BridgersM Ward, and Waxahachee...

                                                               "Contrast and Compare" [ft. Waxahatchee]

                                                            "Haligh, Haligh, a Lie, Haligh" [ft. Phoebe Bridgers]



A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997: A Companion EP:

01 Driving Fast Through a Big City at Night
02 Solid Jackson
03 A Celebration Upon Completion  
04 Falling Out of Love at This Volume
05 Exaltation on a Cool Kitchen Floor   
06 Double Joe (Simon Joyner cover)

Letting Off The Happiness: A Companion EP:

01 The Difference in the Shades  
02 The City Has Sex [ft. Waxahatchee]
03 Contrast and Compare [ft. Waxahatchee]
04 Kathy With a K’s Song [ft. M Ward]
05 St. Ides Heaven [ft. Phoebe Bridgers] (Elliott Smith cover)
06 June on the West Coast [ft. Becky Stark]

Fevers and Mirrors: A Companion EP:

01 Haligh, Haligh, a Lie, Haligh [ft. Phoebe Bridgers]
02 A Scale, a Mirror, and Those Indifferent Clocks [ft. Phoebe Bridgers]
03 Arienette
04 Hypnotist (Song for Daniel H) (Lullaby for the Working Class cover)
05 When the Curious Girl Realizes She Is Under Glass [ft. Phoebe Bridgers]
06 A Spindle, a Darkness, a Fever, and a Necklace [ft. Phoebe Bridgers]


ALSO SEE:


AND...

AND...

ThisSmallPlanet.com Calls For Boycott Against COVID Deniers Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Morrissey, and Joe Rogan