Armagideon Time... a mix

And you thought I was going to talk about the economic meltdown and start of the 2nd Great Depression but actually this is just another reggae mix. However, it is something a little more hot, dark and dangerous and has a few angry Brits thrown in for some cultural diversity. 

Armagideon Time 

1. Igziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised) - Peter Tosh (Legalize It, 1976) 

2. Utterance - Black Uhuru (Red, 1981) 

3. Taking Over - Sizzla (Taking Over, 2001) 

4. Steppin' Out - Steel Pulse (Earth Crises, 1984) 

5. Crazy Baldhead - Bob Marley & The Wailers (Rastaman Vibration, 1976) 

6. Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)(Live) - Bob Marley & The Wailers (Live At The Roxy, 2003) 

7. Time Tough - Toots & The Maytals (Funky Kingston, 1973) 

8. Warning - Tony Rebel (If Jah, 1998) 

9. Armaagideon Time - Dr. Israel (Inna City Pressure, 1998) 

10. One More Time - The Clash (Sandinista!, 1980) 

11. Whine & Grind / Stand Down Margaret - The English Beat (I Just Can't Stop It, 1980) 

12. Food For Thought - UB40 (Signing Off, 1980) 

13. What's The Matter With The World - Bushman (The Reggae Box, 2001) 

14. War & Friction - I Roy (Ten Commandments, 1978) 

15. Old Marcus Garvey - Burning Spear (Marcus Garvey, 1975) 

16. Blood & Fire - Niney (Freaks, 1992) 

17. Chant To King Selassie - Augustus Pablo (East Of The River Nile, 1977) 

18. All Nations Bow - Big Youth (The Chanting Dread Inna Fine Style, 1983) 

19. I Love Jah - Beres Hammond & Flourgon (Music Is Life, 2001) 

20. Jah Rastafari, Jungle Safari - Lee "Scratch" Perry (Jamaican E.T., 2002) 

21. Give Praises - Yabby You (Dub It To The Top: 1976-1979, 2002)

Reggae Got Soul... a mix

Some of the classic stuff. This mix was originally posted to AotM back in October of 2003. 

1. Israelites - Desmond Dekker & The Aces 

2. Rivers Of Babylon - The Melodians 

3. The Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff 

4. Reggae Got Soul - Toots & The Maytals 

5. King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown - Augustus Pablo 

6. Concrete Jungle - Bob Marley & The Wailers 

7. I Shot The Sheriff (Live) - Bob Marley & The Wailers 

8. Police & Thieves - Junior Murvin 

9. Book Of Rules - The Heptones 

10. War Ina Babylon - Max Romeo 

11. 1895 (96 Degrees In The Shade) - Third World 

12. Marcus Garvey - Burning Spear 

13. Worth His Weight In Gold (Rally Round) - Steel Pulse 

14. Ratafari Liveth - Peter Broggs 

15. One Way - Inner Circle 

16. Positive - Black Uhuru 

17. Stepping Razor - Peter Tosh 

18. No. 1 In The World - U Roy 

19. Private Beach Party - Gregory Isaacs 

20. The Ghost (Dub Version of Marcus Garvey) - Burning Spear

McHoover On The Tube

Watched the debate last night and was certainly not impressed with McCain. Sure, he can recite lots of times when he did things in government but we never heard what the results were of his decisions over the years. He also came across as a snarling little twit, a weasel and he certainly didn't look presidential all of the time. He was condescending and arrogant. It was also really weird that he refused to look at Obama anytime during the debate. I guess I just don't trust McCain. He has shown that he will do anything and say anything to get elected. Now that may be a typical characteristic of a politican but this guy promotes himself as a maverick. All the things that he did that was supposedly bucking his party and president has been reneged on. Tax cuts for the rich, immigration reform, campaign finance, energy, etc etc. He has changed his position to pander to far right conservatives. Oh yeah, he is a conservative. The maverick thing was bullshit. It also looks like McCain's stunt to suspend his campaign so that he could go to Washington and solve the crises backfired. His request for Obama to also suspend his campaign and postpone the debate was a pathetic gimmick that stunk of desperation. I just don't trust McCain's risky behavior. The Palin pick and his bullshit campaign suspension illustrates that distrust. I can't see him being careful and steady as president. He would risk everything for personal gain. It's been interesting to see all the right wing print columnists declaring Palin unfit to be Vice President.

All Tomorrow's Parties... a mix

Andy Warhol was on my mind when I made this mix a while ago after watching a PBS program on him and then getting the DVD. We had also recently visited the Warhol museum in Pittsburgh where we bought some books on him and his work. This CD mix came out of me like some "Exploding Plastic Inevitable". Andy Warhol was everywhere in NY during that time and these songs are all somehow connected to him.

The Factory, CBGB, The Velvets, The Dolls, Bowie, the Sticky Fingers cover, Nico, the entire New York scene. Warhol's influence was immense.

Of course this mix just uses Warhol as a touchstone to put together a collection of songs about him, the people around him and the NY scene in general.

All Tomorrow's Parties

1. All Tomorrow's Parties - The Velvet Underground (The Velvet Underground & Nico, 1967)
2. Andy Warhol - David Bowie (Hunky Dory, 1971)
3. Artist Only - Talking Heads (More Songs About Buildings And Food, 1978)
4. Venus - Television (Marquee Moon, 1977)
5. We Are The Mystery Girls - The New York Dolls (Too Much Too Soon, 1974)
6. Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed (Transformer, 1972)
7. Sweet Jane - Mott The Hoople (All The Young Dudes, 1972)
8. Femme Fatale - R.E.M. (Dead Letter Office, 1987)
9. Chelsea Girls - Nico (Chelsea Girl, 1967)
10. I'll Be Your Mirror (Live) - Lou Reed (NYC Man: The Ultimate Lou Reed Collection, 2000)
11. White Light/White Heat (BBC Live) - David Bowie (Bowie At The Beeb, 2000)
12. No Fun - The Stooges (The Stooges, 1969)
13. Sister Morphine - The Rolling Stones (Sticky Fingers, 1971)
14. You Know More Than I Know - John Cale (Fear, 1974)
15. Song For Nico - Marianne Faithful (Kissin' Time, 2002)
16. Hello It's Me - Lou Reed & John Cale (Songs For Drella, 1990)
17. Sunday Morning - Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs (Under The Covers - Vol. 1, 2006)
18. Rock 'N' Roll - The Velvet Undergound (Loaded, 1970)

Cold Winter Sun Symphony... a mix

Here comes the sun. A mix from several months back about the sun, the warmth of the sun, the shining sun.

1. Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles (Love, 2006)
2. The Warmth Of The Sun - The Beach Boys (Greatest Hits Vol. 1, 1999)
3. Who Loves The Sun - The Velvet Underground (Loaded, 1970)
4. Lazy Old Sun - The Kinks (Something Else, 1967)
5. Sun Is Out - The Apples In Stereo (New Magnetic Wonder, 2007)
6. Sun In The Sky - The Seers (Psych Out, 1991)
7. It's The Sun - The Polyphonic Spree (The Beginning Stages... , 2002)
8. Sun Is Still Shining - The Moody Blues (To Our Children's Children's Children, 1969)
9. The Sun - The Pretty Things (Emotions, 1968)
10. By The Grace Of The Sun - Richie Havens (By The Grace Of The Sun, 2004)
11. Sun, Sun, Sun - The Elected (Sun, Sun, Sun, 2006)
12. Way Of The Sun - Archer Prewitt (Wilderness, 2005)
13. Play In The Sun Again - The Dreadful Yawns (Early, 2003)
14. Sun Child - The Vines (Winning Days, 2004)
15. Into The Sun - Great Northern (Trading Twilight For Daylight, 2007)
16. Fly Into The Sun - Sun Dial (Acid Yantra, 1995)
17. Cold Winter Sun Symphony In D Major - Faine Jade (Introspection: A Faine Jade Recital, 2006)
18. Fingers Of The Sun - The Fugs (Electromagnetic Steamboat:: The Reprise Recordings, 2001)
19. And The Sun Will Shine - The Bee Gees (Horizontal, 1968)
20. Around The Sun - R.E.M. (Around The Sun, 2004)
21. Here Comes The Sun Again - M. Ward (Transitor Radio, 2005)

Some Cool Vids...

These guys are a hoot.




Sarah Palin and the Preaching Witch Hunter

The Struggle Carries On... a mix

Another in my series of protest rock mixes. I had to post this today after watching the news and seeing Bush leading us into a second great depression. Corporate welfare indeed.


Phil Ochs in the picture.




Phil Ochs singing Power And The Glory.







Title comes from a line in the Billy Bragg opener.


The Struggle Carries On

1. I Dreamed I Saw Phi Ochs Last Night - Billy Bragg (The International, 2006)
2. Power And The Glory - Phil Ochs (Farewells & Fantasies, 1997)
3. There But For Fortune - Joan Baez (Washington Square Memoirs: The Great Urban Folk Boom 1950-1970, 2001)
4. Blowin' In The Wind - Peter, Paul & Mary (Best Of Peter, Paul & Mary, 1970)
5. 7 O'Clock News/Silent Night - Simon & Garfunkel (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme, 1966)
6. In The News - Kris Kristofferson (This Old Road, 2006)
7. Anthrax - Kimya Dawson (Body Of War: Songs That Inspired An Iraq War Veteran, 2008)
8. How Did I Get Out Alive? - Mischief Brew (Songs From Under The Sink, 2006)
9. The Damage Done - Butch Hancock (13 Ways To Live, 2004)
10. When The Generals Talk - Midnight Oil (Oils On The Water, 2004)
11. War Dance - XTC (Nonesuch, 1992)
12. This Is Baghdad - Bruce Cockburn (Life Short Call Now, 2006)
13. Dad's Gonna Kill Me - Richard Thompson (Sweet Warrior, 2007)
14. Love Vigilantes - Laura Cantrell (Body Of War: Songs That Inspired An Iraq War Veteran, 2008)
15. War - Joan Osbourne (How Sweet It Is, 2002)
16. Glory Of War - The Redwalls (De Nova, 2005)
17. After The Garden - Neil Young (Living With War, 2007)
18. Road To Peace - Tom Waits (Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, 2007)
19. Political Science - Randy Newman (Sail Away, 1972)
20. Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream - Pete Seeger (If I Had A Hammer: Songs Of Hope, 2006)

As always... download available on request.

It's Four In The Morning... a mix

A reworking of a mix previously posted on AotM. Actually it's just the last several songs that are changed. The title comes from the opening line of the first song.

1. Famous Blue Raincoat - Leonard Cohen (Songs Of Love And Hate, 1971)
2. Pink Moon - Nick Drake (Pink Moon, 1972)
3. Waltzing's For Dreamers - Richard Thompson (Amnesia, 1988)
4. Waltz #2 - Elliot Smith (XO, 1998)
5. Five String Serenade - Mazzy Star (So Tonight I Might See, 1993)
6. Nightswimming - R.E.M. (Automatic For The People, 1992)
7. The Golden Age - Beck (Sea Change, 2002)
8. Blonde On Blonde - Nada Surf (Let Go, 2003)
9. New Slang - The Shins (Oh, Inverted World, 2001)
10. Sonnet - The Verve (Urban Hymns, 1997)
11. The Way He Sings - My Morning Jacket (At Dawn, 2001)
12. Perfect Day - Lou Reed (Transformer, 1972)
13. The Good Thing - Talking Heads (More Songs About Buildings And Food, 1978)
14. More Than This - Roxy Music (Avalon, 1982)
15. I'd Like That - XTC (Apple Venus Volume 1, 1999)
16. She Doesn't Exist - Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians (Greatest Hits, 1996)
17. So Long Marianne - John Cale & Suzanne Vega (Bleecker Street: Greenwich Village In The 60s, 1999)

We Got All Lined Up... a mix

From a time and a place...

1. Lined Up - Shriekback (Care, 1983)
2. I Found That Essence Rare - Gang Of Four (Entertainment, 1979)
3. All That Jazz - Echo & The Bunneymen (Crocodiles, 1980)
4. Bloodsport - Killing Joke (Killing Joke, 1980)
5. Houses In Motion - Talking Heads (Remain In Light, 1980)
6. The Walk - The Cure (Japanese Whispers, 1984)
7. Careless Memories - Duran Duran (Duran Duran, 1981)
8. All Stood Still - Ultravox (Vienna, 1980)
9. Reduction - Material (Temporary Music, 1981)
10. Collapsing New People - Fad Gadget (Gag, 1984)
11. It's A Sin - Pet Shop Boys (Actually, 1987)
12. Blasphemous Rumours - Depeche Mode (Some Great Reward, 1984)
13. Temptation - New Order (Substance, 1987)
14. Nova Heart - The Spoons (Arias & Symphonies, 1982)
15. Treason - The Teardrop Explodes (Kilimajaro, 1980)
16. Seven Minutes To Midnight - Wah! (Na=Poo--The Art Of Bluff, 1981)
17. Boys Keep Swinging - David Bowie (Lodger, 1979)

9/11

George W. Bush will always be known as the president who spent the summer of 2001 on vacation and incompetently ignored the warnings that allowed the terrorist attack on America to happen during his watch. I grunt in disgust every time I hear a Republican exclaim that Bush and his administration has kept America safe. That they can turn around a gross security failure and use it politcally to increase their own power. That they can take a moment when the country should unite and use it to divide the American people for political gain. They didn't keep us safe. They let 9/11 happen and then started a war they were planning long before that horrible day in September. History's footnote on George W. Bush will be brief... "George W. Bush was the first US president of the 21st Century and considered one of the worst presidents. He is known for the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America that happened during his administration and the incompetently waged war against the wrong country that seriously weakened the US both militarily and economically."

When The Levee Breaks - Mix

Inspired by reading The Great Deluge by Douglas Brinkley three years after the flood and during the evacuations preparing for Hurricane Gustav.


When The Levee Breaks


1. Before The Deluge - Jackson Browne (Late For The Sky, 1974)
2. The Levee's Gonna Break - Bob Dylan (Modern Times, 2006)
3. Hurricane Party - James McMurtry (Just Us Kids, 2008)
4. O Katrina! - The Black Lips (Good Bad Not Evil, 2007)
5. Hurricane - Golden Smog (Another Fine Day, 2006)
6. When The Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin IV, 1971)
7. Here Comes The Flood - Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel, 1977)
8. Hurricane And Fire Survival Guide - Cloud Cult (Feel Good Ghosts, 2008)
9. Hurricane - Jamie Lidell (Jim, 2008)
10. New Orleans Is Sinking - The Tragically Hip (Up To Here, 1989)
11. In A Flood - John Cale (Black Acetate, 2005)
12. Disaster - Saturday Looks Good To Me (Sound On Sound, 2006)
13. After The Flood - Lone Justice (Lone Justice, 1985)
14. Talkin' Bout New Orleans - The Meters (Fire On The Bayou, 1975)
15. Jesus In New Orleans - Over The Rhine (Ohio, 2003)
16. The Sharpest Town - Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint (The River In Reverse, 2006)

McSame and Pain

Can't believe this shit. They must really think we are stupid.

OK, now this is a pretty funny...

The Great Deluge

I just finished this book. It was particularly intense reading experience because New Orleans was once again on the news everyday as Hurricane Gustav approached the city. So I was reading of the many horrific experiences from three yeas ago as another hurricane was bearing down on the still greatly damaged city. One thing I couldn't believe was how Ray Nagin could possibly still be mayor. The book was full of heroic stories and also truly evil people taking advantage of the crises. There was also a tremendous number of totally incompetent political lackeys running FEMA and other government agencies. 

 After reading this detailed examination of that awful event I realized we were only seeing a tiny portion of the tragedy as it unfolded on television. It was actually worse than I ever imagined. Much worse. For example the "toxic gumbo" of contaminated water that flooded the city is vividly described throughout the book. It is completely unimaginable how that must have smelled let alone getting that disease ridden scum in your body or infecting a cut. This book illustrates the unpreparedness of authorities before Katrina and was interesting to compare with the ongoing response to Gustav. Also interesting to see the different behaviors of the politicians threes years after the Katrina experience.