386 Three Questions: Comfort During Hard Times

The second question, a good subject here.  Not going into as many details/history but these songs all got frequent airplay when I was going through difficult times, both as a youth and an adult.  These are easily the most relatable songs in my collection.

Well maybe I will over-share anonymously here as opposed to directly at work.  "Cool Waves" and "Floating in Space" were from when I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and literally had days to get surgery before I would've been terminal.  "Avalanche" is from when I lost my mother to cancer, I still can't make it all the way through this song.  "Take Your Burden to the Lord" was when I was dropped from chemotherapy because I was no longer a candidate and had to manage my recovery on my own, which I did through Ayurveda, diet and a positive mindset.  "Flow my Tears" is my go to song anytime I am feeling down. "Lucifer Landed" is for anytime I question myself or my intentions.  "Holy" reminded me of an ex, that dumped me because I wasn't Christian enough for her.  "The Skeleton Collection" is a little too on point for me.  And "It's a Crime" is a good reminder of seizing the moment to say what's on your mind before its too late.

00:00  Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space

03:39  Spiritualized - Cool Waves

08:32  Leonard Cohen - Avalanche

13:29  Washington Phillips - Take Your Burden To The Lord

16:37  Andreas Scholl - Flow My Tears (Dowland)

20:33  Legendary Pink Dots - Lucifer Landed

24:28  Dinosaur Jr - Boy With The Thorn In His Side

26:20  Frightened Rabbit - Holy

29:50  800beloved - The Skeleton Collection

34:00  The Black Heart Procession - Its a Crime I Never Told You About The Diamonds In Your Eyes

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photo credit: Mooz in 2006

382 Mark S still plays Simon Says

Fourth and final of this set for Mark in 2010.  Lots of cleanup of leftovers from the last three, plus some real classics and fun tracks.  A mixed bag of styles, though entertaining start to finish.

00:00  DJ Spooky vs Rob Swift - Scratch Battle

02:29  2nd Gen - and_or (Techno Animal vocal mix feat Dalek)

07:31  2Pac x Cookin Soul x DJ Whoo Kid x DJ Scream - Halloween pt II feat Notorious BIG

09:52  Pharoahe Monch - Simon Says (remix)

16:01  My Morning Jacket - Across 110th Street

20:02  Beequeen - The Honeythief

22:41  Faust - Jennifer (alt mix)

27:22  David Lynch - Basically

27:33  Novy Svet - Malavita

30:28  Electrelane - I'm On Fire (Springsteen)

32:40  Perez Prado and His Orchestra - Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom

35:36  Harry Belafonte - Jump In Line (Shake, Shake Senora)

39:17  Astrud Gilberto - Fly Me To The Moon

41:32  Francoise Hardy - Le Temps De l'Amour

43:51  The Velvet Underground - Waiting For My Man (Different Take)

47:56  Buddy Holly - That'll Be The Day (greetings to Murray)

48:21  Bob Dylan - (I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle

50:21  Cowboy Copas - Don't Shake Hands With The Devil

52:27  Smokey Harless - Place For Them Called Hell

54:53  Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards - If You Can't Land 'Er On The Old Veranda

57:36  Chick Webb and His Orchestra with Ella Fitzgerald - Wackey Dust

60:34  Howlin Wolf - Moanin at Midnight

63:28  Rev. Edward W. Clayborn - A Letter From Father

66:22  Rev. Edward W. Clayborn - Your Enemy Cannot Harm You

69:17  Blind Willie Johnson - God Moves on the Water

72:14  Hakim Bey & Nicky Skopelitis - Marco Polo's Tale

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photo credit: n/a

329 Spiritual Reggae

There is more to Jamaican religious music than just the Rastafari and Nyabinghi styles. I've picked some obvious choices here, and pulled a lot from the compilations on Social Music Records "Noah Found Grace," and "Put No Blame on The Master." Yes the Jo Johnson Swf track cuts off short, but what is available is an excellent track worthy of being included. I went back and forth on the last track several times, it fits in this mix but it also sticks out in this mix. I didn't have anywhere else to use it, so decided why not. Easy enough for the listener to hit stop if they don't care for it.

00:00  Bob Marley - Rastaman Chant

03:46  Ras Michael - Keep Cool Babylon

07:25  Dicky Burton & The Prophets - God is Watching You (dub plate mix)

10:35  The Melodians - Rivers of Babylon

14:42  Jo Johnson Swf - Leave it There

16:14  Otis Wright - It's Soon Be Done

19:00  Astley Dixon - Put No Blame on the Master

21:31  Glen Francis - Hold My Hand

23:51  Grace & Peggy - How Great is The Lord

27:37  Ras Michael - Carnal Mind

30:35  The Gospel Singers - Noah Found Grace

32:31  L Winter - The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow

35:06  Bob Marley & The Wailers - Small Axe

38:52  unknown - Lead Me Through The Darkness

41:34  Triumphant Singers - I'll Soon Be Home

44:23  Bro Marshall - It Soon Be Done

46:42  Hubert Cunningham - In My Father's House

49:34  Laurel Aitken - Haile Selassie

52:44  Bob Marley - Forever Loving Jah

56:28  Max Romeo - Chase of the Devil

59:46  Yabby You - Dicky Burton, God is Watching You

62:33  Matisyahu - Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light)

 

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photo credit: http://uucorpus.org/services/rastafari/

250 - The ESP's Heard Them First (or Songs We Taught His Name Is Alive)

No secret that His Name Is Alive is one of my all time favorite groups.  In all their incarnations, they always have something interesting to provide.  This mix highlights the original songs covered in The ESP's 1920's blues,  HNIA Dreem Up, and HNIA Time Stereo releases mostly.  It was a lot of work and a lot of fun tracking down all these songs.

00:00  Erika Hoffmann - Ragged But Right (Riley Puckett)

01:54  Blind Roger Hays - I Must Be Blind, I Cannot See

04:54  Blind Willie Johnson - Church, I'm Fully Saved To-Day

07:59  Blind Willie Johnson - Can't Nobody Hide From God

11:16  Blind Lemon Jefferson - Mean Jumper Blues

13:51  Rev. Gary Davis - I'm Gonna Meet You At The Station

16:27  Blind Alfred Reed - Always Lift Him Up and Never Knock Him Down

19:40  Blind Willie McTell - Don't You See How This World Made A Change

22:30  Teddy Grace, Billy Kyle, Buster Bailey, Dave Barbour, Delmar Kaplan, O'Neil Spencer - Betty and Dupree

25:21  Blind Boy Fuller - Truckin My Blues Away No.2 (Take 2)

28:07  Riley Puckett - Ragged But Right

30:54  Washington Phillips - Take Your Burden To The Lord

34:01  Peter Green - Seven Stars

37:01  Tiger Trap - Prettiest Boy

40:13  Masters of Reality - Jody Sings

42:58  Jane Siberry - The Taxi Ride

48:15  Leadbelly - Bring A Little Water, Sylvie

41:11  The Carter Family - Fond Affection

52:31  Neil Young - Harvest

55:35  Big Star - Nightime

58:18  Tommy Tucker - A Man In Love

60:02  Beatles - Long, Long, Long

62:57  Elizabeth Cotten - Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie

67:34  Two Gospel Keys - I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

70:04  Duke Ellington - Solitude

73:27  The Supremes - When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes (live)

75:59  Big Star - Blue Moon

77:58  The Equals - Tear drops

80:18  Unrest - Imperial

88:00  Ida - Maybelle

94:37  Fleetwood Mac - Oh Well (part 1)

97:56  Rainbow - Man On The Silver Mountain

102:33  Jimi Hendrix - In From The Storm

105:55  John Denver - Sunshine on my Shoulders

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photo credit: https://warpedrealitymagazine.com/2021/04/return-to-never-revisiting-early-his-name-is-alive.html

Episode 136 - Modern Gospel

Continuing the theme from the last two posts, this time focusing on more recent and unexpected places to find religious themes.  While I don't seek out this particular style of music, I do have a lot of it.  In my opinion, the theme changed from suffering and salvation in the older gospel music, to more of a personal salvation or reprieve from drug addition that fuels these religious songs.

00:00 Spacemen 3 - Lord, Can You Hear Me?

04:19 Davy Graham and Shirley Collins - The Cherry Tree Carol

07:32 His Name Is Alive - Soul Resides in the Horse Barn

11:23 The Velvet Underground - Jesus (Closet mix)

14:42 Nina Simone - Sinnerman

24:53 Violent Femmes - Jesus Walking On The Water

27:48 The Vespers - Pick A Fight

31:09 Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Atlas Hands

33:41 Bruce Springsteen - Jesus Was An Only Son

36:23 Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

42:23 Palace Brothers - I Had A Good Mother And Father (Washington Phillips)

45:08 The Avett Brothers - Through My Prayers

49:10 The Beach Boys - God Only Knows (mono)

51:53 Spiritualized - The Straight and the Narrow

56:53 Spacemen 3 - Walkin With Jesus

60:38 Black Sabbath - After Forever

65:53 His Name Is Alive - Lord, Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace

68:00 African Head Charge - My God

photo credit: Penitente Canyon

Episode 135 - Gospel mix B

Part 2 of the old timey Gospel mix.  Had I planned the tracklist better there would be duplicate versions of some songs on this one.  I also neglected to tag the start positions for each selection.  Sorry about that, guess I was too wrapped up in the power of this music to do my administrative work.   I combined both of these into the previous Spotify playlist, minus the rarities that just aren't on the platform of course.

 The Orioles - Crying in the Chapel

 Utah Smith - Two Wings

 Astley Dixon - Put No Blame on the Master

 Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson - Amazing Grace

 Blind Willie Johnson - Take Your Burden To The Lord and Leave It There

 Washington Phillips - Denomination Blues

 Luther Magby - Blessed are the Poor in Spirit

 Rev. I.B. Ware - I Wouldn't Mind Dying

 The Staple Singers - Old Time Religion

 The Gospel Singers - Noah Found Grace

 Rev. Edward W. Clayborn - A Letter From Father

 Washington Phillips - Take Your Burden To The Lord

 Mahalia Jackson - Amazing Grace

 Washington Phillips - I Was Born To Preach The Gospel

 Henagar Union Sacred Harp Convention - Antioch 277

 Mahalia Jackson - My Story

 Sister Irene O'Connor - Fire

photo credit: near Chimayo, NM

Episode 135 - Gospel mix A

Old Gospel music has a special place in my heart.  I am drawn to the passion and strength these songs evoke.  Thinking of the struggles of the people and the faith and hope these songs give has interested me greatly.  This is a long mix so I split it in half.

00:00 Sister Rosetta Tharpe & Marie Knight - Up Above My Head

02:27 The Staple Singers - This May Be The Last Time

04:29 Mosby Family Singers - Eternal Life

07:12 Jo Johnson Swf - Leave It There

08:44 Washington Phillips - Mothers Last Word To Her Son

11:25 Blind Roosevelt Graves - I'll Be Rested 

13:52 Blind Willie Johnson - God Moves On The Water

16:48 Booker White - I Am In The Heavenly Way

19:48 Sister Ernestine Washington - Where Could I Go But To The Lord

22:36 Reverend Edward W Clayborn - Your Enemy Cannot Harm You

25:28 Otis Wright - Its Soon Be Done

28:12 Two Gospels Keys - This Heart of Mine

30:48 Odetta - God's Gonna Cut You Down

32:36 Blind Willie Johnson - I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole

35:35 Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Nobody's Fault But Mine

38:17 Washington Phillips - I Had A Good Mother and Father

41:09 Lightning Hopkins - Needed Time

43:54 Glen Francis - Hold My Hand

46:14 Mahalia Jackson - City Called Heaven

photo credit: a church in Anaheim, CA

As an added bonus, here is David Tibet reviewing and commenting on the Goodbye, Babylon 6CD set.

Episode 64 - Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

Dark indie folk, to some gothic alternative rock, and ending with a bit of gospel.  I like this dark vibe for October, even though I made this mix sometime early 2017.  Love the Unto Ashes track, from the fan tribute to Coil "Loved Stolen and Deconstructed."  I almost contributed a track when they solicited from the email distro, but was not confident in my music skills at the time.  I had to throw in a track from locals Orbit Service, with a nod that Randall is now a touring member of Legendary Pink Dots.  

00:00 Pascal Comelade/Pierre Bastien/Jac Berrocal/Jaki Liebezeit - Rock'n'Roll Station

05:00 Angels of Light - Sunset Park

10:48 Unto Ashes - Ostia The Death of Passolini (Coil)

16:35 Nina Simone - I Put a Spell On You

19:06 mewithoutYou - Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

23:51 The Cranes - Eg Shining

27:30 Larsen - Mentre

30:04 Marissa Nadler - Wedding

33:44 Orbit Service - Dark Orange Sunset

40:26 This Immortal Coil - Tattoed Man (3EF remix)(Coil)

45:45 Piano Magic - I am the Sub-Librarian

50:05 Julee Cruise - Falling

55:06 The Staple Singers - This May Be The Last Time

57:10 Washington Phillips - Mother's Last Word to Her Son

photo credit: Kurt Vonnegut "Slaughterhouse Five" illustration