Throwback Track--July 21, 2016
Shaun Cordingley
The Dave era didn't last very long at Throwback Tracks...but I am sure that it will not be the last time he puts together a list here, as it sounded like he had a pretty good time.
I however, am back this week, book ending the list with a little bit of Trainspotting love, and going all over the place, because really, last week having a theme and being all "making sense together" makes me uncomfortable in my chest-al region.
The Guys From do not hold the rights to any of these songs, it is more our hope to expose our readers to new (*cough*) and different retro music, or re-expose them to things they may have forgotten about.
At the top of each section, will be the song name, followed by the artists' name linked to their website (if possible...which is totally hit and miss with oldies), so you can fall down the rabbit hole, finding and supporting what you dig.
Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is one of those musical artists that just seems to be able to do just about anything. Over the course of his career (including his time with The Stooges), Iggy Pop has done music you could call garage rock, punk, art rock, jazz, new wave...he's just one of those dudes you know. I have to say that my introduction was (as far as I remember) "Lust for Life" in Trainspotting...a song that I absolutely love (and not just because of it's use in the movie).
Co-written with David Bowie in 1977, "Lust for Life" amazingly, actually feels like it's title; this is a song, laden with references to William Burroughs, that, thanks to the combination of the beat, and Iggy Pop's blinding energy, really is a song about having a lust for life. I just...I can't explain it better than that: it is a lust for life, in a song.
Bleed to Love Her - Lindsey Buckingham
This has to be here because of the Showtime series Roadies...which two quick things: 1) Dave and I love, and 2) If you read the two music articles that I put up on here, you should be watching...
Lindsey Buckingham (probably best known as the ridiculously good guitarist from Fleetwood Mac, on top of a good solo career) was the special guest on the third episode of the series, and he played "Bleed to Love Her" (a Fleetwood Mac song) just...on his own....and it was amazing, so I had to track that down and find it for you here. Buckingham is such a good, finger-picking guitarist, it's just a joy to watch...and this broken down version is my favorite way to listen to this song.
"Bleed to Love Her" is originally from Fleetwood Mac's album The Dance (1997), and was written by Buckingham himself; a beautifully emotional piece that really stands out among the many great Fleetwood Mac songs.
(Nothing but) Flowers - Talking Heads
If I'm being perfectly honest, I am not the biggest fan of the Talking Heads, but there are a few songs of theirs that I really dig; "(Nothing But) Flowers" being one of those songs. I'm not sure what it is about "Flowers" that clicks for me...the new-wave/worldbeat is very Talking Heads, but it just has something to it that I enjoy. Off of their final album Naked (1988), "Flowers" is a look at a world that through something, has returned to a more pastoral state, and the singer/protagonist of the song/story at first is really happy with that, but finds himself missing some of the modern conveniences. This song also probably stuck in my head as much as it has, thanks to its' excellent placement and use in Clerks 2..
In the end, "(Nothing but) Flowers" is like a weird, fun 'other-side of the coin' song to Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow TaxI"...
Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
Dang it, now I'm starting to build these lists together....although more accurately, I would feel weird saying that in the last song, and then not putting "Big Yellow Taxi" in here.
Originally from 1970, on her album Ladies of the Canyon, "Big Yellow Taxi" never really got the recognition in the US that it did here, or in Australia and the UK (until much later at least). It's really just a great little pop-folk song from her really early work; I would be kidding myself it I did not acknowledge that her best works were probably Blue and Court and Spark, both released after "Big Yellow Taxi". Don't be surprised if there is more Joni Mitchell on this list later...
I imagine there will be some that only really know the Counting Crows cover which is a swell (very 90s) version in its' own right, but there's just something so beautiful about the simplicity of Joni Mitchell's original.
Plus that little laugh at the end makes me smile every time.
Temptation '87 - New Order
I have already had New Order on a Throwback Tracksso I won't go into too many details on the band, again, or how much I like New Order...because you can see that in that article from April. Instead I'm going to focus on "Temptation",
This is probably the song that New Order plays the most live, and has released it on 3...maybe 4 separate occasions--I have selected the 1987 release of "Temptation", a re-recording of the original (from 1982) that the band released as a part of their singles compilation album Substance. Originally "Temptation" was released in 1982 as a single, and it did moderately well (cresting at #29 in the UK). "Temptation '87" is probably the most well known "version" of the song (there are a few changes here and there, but largely "Temptation" remains the same across the versions) thanks to its appearance in Trainspotting.
And on that killer Trainspotting soundtrack....I think we all had that soundtrack....so good.
Here is the June 2016 Throwback Playlist , done in the usual fashion of trying to make it sound a bit like a set (which is never easy without transitions, or just yapping until I change genres), but, yay! Playlist!
In case you missed our previous Throwback Track playlists, here they are:
Don't forget to check out the latest Tuesday Tunes for your new music fix, and I will see you again next Thursday with some new....oldies...
-S (@Shauncord)