Looking Back : Uncle Bob’s Advice*

It seems like I have been listening .

* No, not talking about Mr. Martin.

Baby I Have Been Here Before

Hallelujah
‘The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift’
Most likely everybody’s favourite Leonard Cohen song, even of those that have never heard about this ‘Beautifull Loser’.
Jeff Buckley made it famous.

Worms Make Their Cruel Design
‘Saying d-i-e into her skin’
The Birthday Party : Deep in the Woods
Must be the wintertime. I seem to be listening to the more darker songs in my collection these days.

Shivers
Written by Rowland S Howard, his guitar playing on the Birthday Party stuff has influenced more people than you can imagine.
This song originally appeared on the first, and as far as I know only, recording of The Boys Next Door, featuring amongst others Nick Cave and Rowland S. Howard. They would later turn into The Birthday Party and change musical history. These days they are known as The Bad Seeds.
Rowland S. Howard never made it into the bad seeds. He released an album earlier this year in an attempt to escape the clutches of poverty and raise enough money for some badly needed medical attention as he is suffering from liver cancer.

I Misunderstood
Richard Thompson
My favourite solo artist. I saw him do a gig with just an acoustic guitar and I rate it in my top ten experiences of all time. Being a musician myself, I know how hard that is to pull off, having no band to hide your mistakes behind and all. Probably the best guitarist I’ve seen when it boils down to doing everything yourself, a wicked singer (even though he does not possess the natural gift of a golden voice) and an utterly amazing songwriter.

The Murder Mistery
V.U. : from their nameless third album, although it’s still a great record I think John Cale was sadly missed on that one.

Different Colors Made of Tears
V.U. : Venus in Furs
Probably my all-time favourite.
Likely the song that made me pick up a guitar, and definitely the song that made me look for violin players to jam with.

You Better Hit Her
Again V.U. : There She Goes Again.
I felt pretty clever after coming up with this title.

I Could Sleep For a Thousand Years
Again V.U. : Again Venus in Furs

Go Check
… if I’m alive. Go Check … if I’m on fire…
Ms. John Soda.
Wicked band, wicked song.

Is That All There Is
Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
First recorded by Dan Daniels. Peggy Lee made it famous. PJ Harvey ruined it a bit.
Very existentialistic.

I Woke Up With a Word in My Head
Camper Van Beethoven : Seven Languages.
You should all love Camper … or Step Away…

a + a = b
Console : Reset the Preset is turning out to be one of my favourite CD’s.

I’ll be Your Mirror
V.U. : One of Nico’s moments of glory. I’ve seen her do it live on more than one occasion and everytime it broke my heart.
I saw one of her last gigs, as she fell of her bike shortly thereafter and suffered a brain hemorrhage. It was a double billing with John Cale and she joined him on stage for the last couple of songs giving me the thrill of a lifetime. I’m … waiting for my man…

Previous Posts : Don’t Look Back

Dylan, She Belongs To Me :
She’s got everything she needs,
She’s an artist, she don’t look back.

Talking ’bout my Generation
The Who. On the cd version of one of my favourite albums, Horses by Patty Smith, produced By John Cale, there’s a bonus track where the Patty Smith Band does a wicked cover of this with John Cale playing bass.

Hey Man, Now You’re Really Living
Eels. Not my favourite Eels song, but still pretty good.

Sometimes I’m So Happy,
Sometimes I’m So Sad,
But Mostly You Just Make Me Mad.
First verse of Pale Blue Eyes by the Velvet Underground. This song’s a classic.

The Only One That Could Ever Reach Me
First line of the chorus of Son of a Preacher Man. I don’t really know who wrote it. Dusty Springfield made it famous, Aretha made it great.

Rode the Trolleys,
Down to Forty-Seven,
Figured He Was Good,
To Get Himself to Heaven
Part of Run, Run, Run. Again V.U. From their ‘banana’ debut album. Everything on that one is a classic.

Make It Rain
Tom Waits. White Man’s Blues. You heard the story, here it comes again.

If Love Was an Equation
The main line of one of my favorite Console songs : Into the Universe. From the german notwist scene, brilliant stuff.

Into the Universe
Console. If love was an equation, we’d have no need for songs.

When You Add it Up, It Brings You Down
Part of the chorus from Fear by John Cale.

With a Heart Full of Napalm
Second part of the first line of my favourite stooges song, which makes it one of my all-time favourites.
Blog title and description is also taken from this one :

I’m a street walking cheetah
with a heart full of napalm
I’m a runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb
I am a world’s forgotten boy
The one who searches and destroys
Honey gotta help me please
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby detonates for me
Look out honey, ’cause I’m using technology !
Ain’t got time to make no apology
Soul radiation in the dead of night
Love in the middle of a fire fight
Honey gotta strike me blind
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby penetrates my mind
And I’m the world’s forgotten boy
The one who’s searchin’, searchin’ to destroy
And honey I’m the world’s forgotten boy
The one who’s searchin’, searchin’ to destroy
Forgotten boy, forgotten boy
Forgotten boy said
hey forgotten boy

Hush, Little Baby, Don’t Say a Word
… Mama’s going to buy you a mockingbird. First line of a traditional lullaby.