“There ain’t no black in the Union Jack”

Manic Street Preachers – “Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit’sworldwouldfallapart” from
The Holy Bible (1994)
Manic Street Preachers – “4st 7lb” from The Holy Bible (1994)
The Manic Street Preachers are one of the more provocative bands around, or at least they were in 1994 (I don’t know their more recent work). I bought this album based on its title and the [...]

“Ended with a cry”

Neil Young (w/ the Buffalo Springfield) – “Expecting to Fly” from Buffalo Springfield Again (1967)
The latest Neil Young Archives Performance Series recordings will be released next week as Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968.   These archives releases have been very exciting for me.  I found the Live at Massey Hall 1971 recordings to [...]

“All these poor men in rich men’s clothes”

Zookeeper – “Snow In Berllin” from Becoming All Things [2007]
Zookeeper – “On Madison Way” from Becoming All Things [2007]
Chris Simpson was the primary songwriter for the bands Mineral and The Gloria Record and has been recording under the Zookeeper moniker for the last year or so.
I love Chris Simpson.  I love him forever.  His words [...]

“Strange days have found us, and, through their strange hours, we linger alone.”

The Doors – “Strange Days” from Strange Days (1967)
The Doors – “People Are Strange” from Strange Days (1967)
I’m not sure how my fellow SWR-mates feel about The Doors, but I think they’re top-notch, as long as you can excuse Jim “Bozo Dionysus” Morrison’s poetic posturing. Morrison was a great singer, with a good sense of [...]

“I told you when I came I was a stranger”

Leonard Cohen – “The Stranger Song” from Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)
Songs of Leonard Cohen is Cohen’s first album.  Before recording music, he found success as a poet and novelist (the novel Beautiful Losers is his literary magnum opus…read it!).  Songs was released on December 27, 1967, which is the same day Bob Dylan’s return [...]

“Someone better talk this over.”

The Sea And Cake – “On A Letter” from Car Alarm (2008)
The Sea And Cake – “Midtown” from Oui (2000)
I really love The Sea And Cake. Breezy, funky, deceptively simple (or is that deceptively complex?), with killer bass tones. They play like a limber jazz group and write songs that seem to just hang in [...]

“I can play along to every record/front and back every song”

Against Me! – “Rice and Bread” from As The Eternal Cowboy (2003)
My friend Becky asked me to make a guest post on her excellent vegetarian cooking blog, Meals; for Moderns. I wrote a bit about some Victory Loaves baked Monday in honor of the impending Obama win. Check out my bread (and Becky’s delicious blog, [...]

“The U.S.A. be on their way/prosperity bound.”

Wilco – “Christ For President” from Mermaid Avenue [1998]
On this election day, the choice is clear.
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Posted by Phil

“I started growing Bob Dylan’s beard.”

Syd Barrett – “Bob Dylan Blues” from The Best of Syd Barrett: Won’t You Miss Me? (2001, org. recorded 1970s)
Minutemen – “Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs” from What Makes A Man Start Fires? (1983)
Wilco – “Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard” from More Like The Moon (2003)
Bob Dylan – “Bob Dylan’s Dream” from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan [...]