Fade To Grey - Night Chill

Night Chill Pt. 1 - Fade To Grey

This is the first part of a series of chillwave, new wave, ambient, dub, jazz vocal remixes and late night chill. This all comes together as an easy listening jam of familiar but distorted laid back beats that's perfect for that late night groove or toe tappin' dinner.

The title of the mix comes from the classic new wave Visage closing song. It is preceded by a very cool version of a classic early Cure song and an almost unrecognized version of the well known Echo & The Bunnymen classic. Radiohead also provides a remixed version of a song from their OK Computer album. It is interesting to hear the modern remixed versions of classics from Nina Simone and Sarah Vaughan and there will be more scattered throughout the series.

This series of mixes is drawing from a large playlist that I put together over a period of five years or so. As usual I've broken it down into CD length mixes. The next couple of mixes are assembled and just need to be mixed as a single mp3 for posting.

Image is Radiohead in concert.


1.   Dido - Here With Me (Chillin' With The Family Mix)
2.   Beth Orton - Daybreaker
3.   Coldplay - Yellow (Alpha Mix)
4.   Nina Simone - Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair (Jaffa Remix)
5.   St. Germain - Sure Thing
6.   Feist - Mushaboom (Mocky Remix)
7.   Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed
8.   Kings Of Convenience - I Don't Know What I Can Save You From (Royksopp Remix)
9.   Astrud Gilberto - Who Needs Forever? (Thievery Corporation Remix)
10. Sarah Vaughan - Summertime (UFO Remix)
11. Radiohead - Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Mix)
12. Echo & The Bunneymen - Rescue (Mindwinder's Remix)
13. The Cure - A Forest (Tree Mix)
14. Visage - Fade To Grey (12" Version)

New Lyric

My old neighborhood movie theater... Saturday matinees for a quarter. Godzilla, Hercules, Sinbad, Martians and 13 Ghosts. This is also the place I first saw Spartacus, James Bond, 2001 Space Odyssey, Clint Eastwood, Lawrence of Arabia, Planet of the Apes, The Alamo, The Great Escape and the Village of the Damned.

I grew up about two blocks away and we went there regularly on Saturday afternoons and later on at night as a teen.

It had Lyric on the sign but it was always referred to as the New Lyric because of some renovation done in the 1930's. It was originally opened in 1914. It closed in 1971 and judging from the condition of the property this photo was probably taken in the mid-70's during the decline of the neighborhood. The Little Dog House next door too.

I moved back to the neighborhood in early 1974 and lived around the corner from it again but was disappointed to see that it was closed. A year later in 1975 I was sad to watch it burn down one evening.

The Last Time I Saw Elvis - Porch Sittin'

The Last Time I Saw Elvis. Another Porch Sittin' theme mix. I put this together a few years back around Elvis' birthday. It includes songs about Elvis, songs associated with Elvis covered by others and a few Elvis performances. The mix title is from the opening line of the first song on the mix by Neil Young.

The last time I saw Elvis
He was shooting at a color TV
The phones were ringing in the pink motel
And the rest is history
He was the King

I had a lot of material to work with and I actually have a second part of this mix ready to go. I'll post it later.

This was a fun mix to make and I think it strikes a nice balance of tribute and commentary. It starts off with a Neil Young story about Elvis and a couple of my favorite Elvis songs. Then we have a couple of guitar heroes doing their Elvis thing that also includes Rod Stewart singing with Jeff Beck. There is a quote from Rod Stewart later in the mix. Mojo Nixon and Dread Zeppelin due some funny commentary followed by a little Elvis imitator action. Elvis himself comes back for another one of my favorite performances and then some more songs that refer to Elvis, Graceland and Memphis. Gillian Welch does a wonderful heartfelt song followed by Loudon Wainwright III yucking it up. The mix closes with some Elvis style rockabilly from some fans and ends with the king himself. Yes, he was the one. Elvis needs boats.

   
1.   Neil Young - He Was The King
2.   Elvis Presley - All Shook Up
3.   Elvis Presley - Little Sister
4.   Link Wray - Blue Suede Shoes (Live)
5.   Jeff Beck Group - All Shook Up
6.   Mojo Nixon & Skip Roper - Elvis Is Everywhere
7.   Dread Zeppelin - Heartbreaker (At The End Of Lonely Street)
8.   Steve Goodman - Elvis Imitators
9.   El Vez - It's Now Or Never
10. Elvis Presley - Burning Love
11. Paul Simon - Graceland
12. John Hiatt - Memphis In The Meantime
13. R.E.M. - Man On The Moon
14. Dire Straits - Calling Elvis
15. Gillian Welch - Elvis Presley Blues
16. Loudon Wainwright III - Happy Birthday Elvis
17. Pete Yorn - Suspicious Minds (Dawn Version)
18. Wanda Jackson - My Baby Left Me
19. Buddy Love - Heartbreak Hotel
20. Janis Martin - My Boy Elvis
21. Elvis Presley - I Was The One

It's Raining - Porch Sittin'

It's Raining: A Porch Sittin' Theme Mix.
I occasionally make a mix with a theme based on a particular word in a song title and this one is obviously about rain. These theme mixes I usually put together in my Porch Sittin' group. In this one the rain is a barometer of human emotion.

This mix starts off with the Beatles' Rain which was recorded during the Revolver sessions but released prior to the album as a b-side to the Paperback Writer single. It was said that the rain was a euphemism for the psychedelic experience of LSD. That could probably not be said for the next two songs from the Hollies and XTC but that psychedelic feel starts flowing again for the House of Fire, Traffic and Jimi Hendrix songs. Then the sound of the rain leads into some girl group vocals that get harder until the full throttle of the Jesus and Mary Chain take hold. A couple of 90s tunes takes the mix to Tom Waits and after that intensely gruff voice the voices of the Temptations sound sweet indeed. That gets followed by another rain song from 1968 with the different sounding voices of the Four Seasons that graced the top 40 airwaves at the same time. Then of course is the big disco hit from the Weather Girls followed by the new wave of the Eurythmics. Adele adds some contemporary soulful vocals before sliding into the alt-country sounds of Julie Miller, Steve Earle and John Mellencamp. The mix closes out with Creedence asking who'll stop the rain.

I was surprised with how many songs in my collection that have rain in the title. I could easily put together another couple of mixes with this theme but making this work is getting the flow of the songs to sound good together on their own and not because they have some artificial construct like a common word in the title. They have to sound good together. I think I did that here but you can be the judge.

 The photo is from the Rain Room installation at the Barbican Centre in London.

1.   The Beatles - Rain (Past Masters Vol. 2, 1988)
2.   The Hollies - Rain On The Window (Evolution, 1967)
3.   XTC - Ballet For A Rainy Day (Skylarking, 1987)
4.   House of Fire - Rain (House of Fire, 2008)
5.   Traffic - Coloured Rain (Heaven Is In Your Mind, 1967)
6.   The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Rainy Day, Dream Away (Electric Ladyland, 1968)
7.   The Ronettes - Walking In The Rain (Best of the Ronettes, 1992)
8.   The Detroit Cobras - It's Raining (Baby, 2005)
9.   Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Have You Ever Seen The Rain (The Hit List, 1990)
10. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Happy When It Rains (Darklands, 1987)
11. Los Lobos - Wicked Rain (Kiko, 1992)
12. Blind Melon - No Rain (Blind Melon, 1992)
13. Tom Waits - Rains On Me (Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, 2006)
14. The Temptations - I Wish It Would Rain (The Tempations Wish It Would Rain, 1968)
15. The Four Seasons - Tell It To The Rain (The Definitive Pop Collection, 2006)
16. The Weather Girls - It's Raining Men (The Disco Box, 1999)
17. Eurythmics - Here Comes The Rain Again (Touch, 1983)
18. Adele - Set Fire To The Rain (21, 2011)
19. Julie Miller - Out In The Rain (Broken Things, 1999)
20. Steve Earle - The Rain Came Down (Exit 0, 1987)
21. John Mellencamp - Rain On The Scarecrow (Acoustic Version) (Rough Harvest, 1999)
22. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Who'll Stop The Rain (Cosmo's Factory, 1970)

Trenchtown Rock - Reggae Night

Trenchtown Rock - Reggae Night Mix

The second part of my long reggae playlist. More classic reggae, sounds from the 80s and some dub.




1.   Bob Marley & The Wailers - Trenchtown Rock (Live)
2.   Bob Marley & The Wailers - Concrete Jungle
3.   Toots & The Maytals - Funky Kingston
4.   Third World - One Cold Boogie (Couldn't Stop Dis Ya Boogie)
5.   Black Uhuru - Youth Of Eglington
6.   Linton Kwesi Johnson - Inglan Is A Bitch
7.   Steel Pulse - Steppin' Out
8.   Peter Tosh - Downpressor Man
9.   Bunny Wailer - Rasta Man
10. Papa Michigan & General Smiley - One Love Jam Down
11. The Mighty Diamonds - Pass The Kouchie
12. Augustus Pablo - Nature Dub
13. The Congos - Congoman
14. Jimmy Cliff - Bongo Man
15. Johnny Clarke - Roots Natty Congo
16. Burning Spear - The Ghost

Rivers of Babylon - Reggae Night

Rivers of Babylon - Reggae Night Mix

A selection of classic reggae from my collection. Earlier in the summer I created a very large iTunes playlist of reggae songs that went on for many hours. I've decided to break the list down into CD sized mixes. This is the first. Part 2 is completed and should be uploaded soon.

Reggae has been one of my favorite genres of music since the early 70s when I first saw the film The Harder They Come at the old Bandbox  Theater in Germantown, Philly. We also enjoyed the live reggae shows at Grendels' Lair on South Street throughout the 70s but the highlight was seeing Bob Marley & The Wailers perform live in the spring of 1976 at the Century Theater during my first visit to Buffalo.

Photo is Black Uhuru. 


1.   The Melodians - Rivers of Babylon (Rivers of Babylon, 1970)
2.   The Heptones - Book of Rules (Book of Rules, 1973)
3.   Bob Marley & The Wailers - Stir It Up (Catch A Fire, 1973)
4.   The Congos - At The Feast (Heart Of The Congos, 1977)
5.   U-Roy - Chalice In The Palace (Dread In A Babylon, 1975)
6.   Junior Murvin - Police & Thieves (Police & Thieves, 1977)
7.   Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey (Marcus Garvey, 1975)
8.   Max Romeo & The Upsetters - War Ina Babylon (War Inna Babylon, 1978)
9.   The Mighty Diamonds - Why Me Black Brother Why (Right Time, 1976)
10. Augustus Pablo - King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown (King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown, 1976)
11. Toots & The Maytals - Sweet & Dandy (Sweet & Dandy, 1968)
12. Peter Tosh - Stepping Razor (Equal Rights, 1977)
13. Black Uhuru - Right Stuff (Chill Out, 1982)
14. Linton Kwesi Johnson - Forces Of Vicktry (Forces Of Vicktry, 1979)
15. Steel Pulse - Worth His Weight In Gold (Rally Round) (True Democracy, 1982)
16. Third World - 1865 (96 Degrees In The Shade) (96 Degrees In The Shade, 1977)
17. Desmond Dekker - Israelites (This Is Desmond Dekker, 1969)
18. Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come (The Harder They Come, 1972)