WHERE DID I GET THIS CRAZY IDEA?

Since I can't be at CDX 2002 in person, I figured I might as well ramble a bit about the various songs here. Of course, you're welcome to ignore all this and dismiss me as a verbose crank. I'll never know.

This whole concept is something I actually thought of ages ago. My best friend and I noticed that we seemed to discover new artists along the lines of this CD, moving from one band to another based on guest appearances and such. I thought a compilation tape like this one would be really cool to do, but I could never figure out a track listing and forgot all about it. CDX 2002 seemed like a great reason to try again. Also, my collection's a lot bigger now and I can look up info on the computer to help remember the obscure details I'd need to pull this together.

The link I thought of immediately was from King Crimson to XTC (via Pat Mastelotto) and then I just worked outwards from both ends. I made some rules for this little project …

The first was intended to keep it fairly possible for someone to solve. The rest were intended to keep the compilation interesting. I could have gone from Pink Floyd to Roger Waters, but that seemed like it would kinda break up the flow of the CD. I also could have just bopped back and forth a lot, but again, the compilation would be less interesting.

THE SONGS

Looking back at the track listing, there's almost a second theme here - underrated artists. A number of these are big favorites of mine that are generally thought of as one hit wonders. I'll ramble a bit about each song (or band). Of course, you can always hit the "Back" button and ignore this stuff.

  1. Big Country - "Wonderland"
    taken from the EP Wonderland

    Big Country - a classic "one hit wonder" in the US. Also the return of the two-guitar band during the age of synth-pop. Unfortunately, they made the silly mistake of having their band name in the title of their first hit. For some reason, this seemed to speed up their descent into obscurity in the US, although they stayed a big draw overseas. Most US listeners would be stunned to hear they recorded eight studio albums, numerous live albums, and only really broke up in 1999. Sadly, lead singer/songwriter Stuart Adamson took his own life in 2002. Big Country's debut album, The Crossing, is a classic, as is their second album, Steeltown. "Wonderland" is taken from an EP that came out between the two, although the song has been added to the reissue of The Crossing as a bonus track.

  2. Pete Townshend - "A Little Is Enough"
    taken from the album Empty Glass

    I like a ton of artists, but my main obsession is The Who. A Who or Pete Townshend song was going to make this CD, one way or another. This one is one of Pete's best known solo tracks.

  3. Pretenders - "Talk Of The Town"
    taken from the album Pretenders II

    I remember loving Pretenders when "Brass In Pocket" came out. Unlike most critics, I loved Pretenders II as well (it generally got slammed for not being as good as Pretenders). More death hit here - guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon both died after this album and tour (although Pete was kicked out first). I still like Chrissie Hynde's work, but I kinda wish she'd changed the band name to "The Chrissie Hynde Band" or something 'cause the new stuff just doesn't match these first two albums. Although, I did notice that all the albums after Pretenders II are billed to "The Pretenders". I kinda wonder if she added "The" to note the difference.

  4. Neil Young - "All Along The Watchtower"
    taken from the album Road Rock Volume 1

    This was a very cool tour for Neil Young. He took most of his "Stray Gators" band (that backed him on Harvest and Harvest Moon) added his wife Pegi and sister Astrid as background singers, and went out as the "Friends And Relatives" band. Much to my surprise, Neil didn't just stay in that laid-back, Harvest-style groove. The band mixed it up, playing laid back, folky pop and then rocked out like Crazy Horse. Amazing. Chrissie Hynde's guest appearance on this one was a big help in making this CD work.

  5. Warren Zevon - "Splendid Isolation"
    taken from the album Transverse City

    Another "one hit wonder", this time for "Werewolves Of London". I'll pause for you to say "ahhh-ooooooooooo!"

    Anyway, Warren is a top-notch songwriter, and much overlooked during his career. Transverse City is my favorite Zevon album, and "Splendid Isolation" is one of my favorite Zevon songs. I knew Warren would show up on here somewhere because of his penchant for getting big names to appear on his records. Apart from Neil Young and Mike Campbell on this song, Warren's had Jackson Browne, David Gilmour, Jack Casady and all of R.E.M. on his albums. On his latest, My Ride's Here, he's started cowriting with some big literary names, like Mitch Albom, Carl Hiaasen, and Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.

  6. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "Out In The Cold"
    taken from the album Into The Great Wide Open

    For my money, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are one of the all-time great rock bands. Tom Petty is a superb songwriter, and keyboard player Benmont Tench and lead guitarist Mike Campbell are among the best you'll ever hear. Nothing flashy here, just solid playing, especially live.

  7. Electric Light Orchestra - "All She Wanted"
    taken from the album Zoom

    This comeback stunned me. ELO was my favorite band when I was a kid, and it was sad to see the band trickle away. The last ELO album (back in '86) sounded largely like a contract filler. Jeff Lynne's first solo album was quite good but went nowhere and his second album was completed but never released. With his success producing George Harrison, Tom Petty, and then the two "Threetles" tracks, I figured Lynne was just going to remain a producer for good. Zoom was a heck of a comeback. "ELO" is basically Jeff Lynne now (he wrote all the songs and played almost all the instruments), but the album's a big winner. It's also kinda neat that Jeff got George to come play slide guitar on this (and one other) song. According to an interview, Jeff called George up to ask him to play slide and George demurred at first, saying "you can play that Jeff, you don't need me." Jeff told him "yes, but I can't play slide like you." Turned out to be one of George's very last performances.

  8. The Beatles - "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
    taken from the album The Beatles aka The White Album

    Not much to say on this one - it's hardly "underrated". This was one of the first songs I was aware of with a big-name, yet uncredited guest appearance. I always thought that was cool.

  9. Cream - "Deserted Cities Of The Heart"
    taken from the album Wheels Of Fire

    I've liked Eric Clapton's work over the years, but I really loved Cream. Absolutely amazing band. In case you were only familiar with the hits (like "Sunshine Of Your Love" or "White Room"), I figured I'd dig a little deeper and pull out a favorite album cut. This one was the closing song on the studio half of Wheels Of Fire. Great album.

  10. Public Image Ltd. - "Round"
    taken from the album Album aka Compact Disc aka Cassette, depending on the format

    In case you didn't know, Public Image Ltd (or just "PiL"), was Johnny Rotten's post-Sex Pistols project, although he went back to being billed as John Lydon. PiL's albums in general have never really been to my taste, but I loved Album. Of course, the hard-core PiL fans tend to write this off as the beginning of Lydon's losing his touch. When I found out that Cream drummer Ginger Baker played on about half of Album, I was stunned. Baker (or someone from his era) seemed like the last person that the former Johnny Rotten would work with. Sadly (for this compilation), Baker doesn't play on Album's best track, "Rise" ("anger is an energy, anger is an energy"), but "Round" is a cool track too, so it all works out.

  11. The Golden Palominos - "Dying From The Inside Out"
    taken from the album Drunk With Passion

    The Golden Palominos are a collective of sorts. Drummer Anton Fier is the main link. He tends to bring in people to work with him and bills the result under the "Palominos" monicker. Former members have included Michael Stipe, Jack Bruce, John Lydon, Richard Thompson, and Bob Mould, amongst others.

    This track was a cool find for me. I was a big fan of the later Hüsker Dü records, and especially Bob Mould's work as a solo artist. On a promo CD, he covers Richard Thompson's classic "Shoot Out The Lights". I loved Bob's version and hunted down the original album. To my surprise, I liked the original even better and I'm now a huge Richard Thompson fan as well. On "Dying From The Inside Out", Mould sings the lead vocals and shares the guitar duties with Thompson. Mould is a Thompson fan as well, so this had to be a blast to record.

  12. French Frith Kaiser Thompson - "Now That I Am Dead"
    taken from the album Invisible Means

    Speaking of a blast to record, the two French Frith Kaiser Thompson albums sound like they must've been fun to do. FFKT was a challenging "supergroup" of sorts, combining Captain Beefheart drummer John French, Henry Cow guitarist Fred Frith (on bass in this band), noted avant-garde guitar improviser Henry Kaiser, and folk-rock legend Richard Thompson. They play a myriad of styles, from rock to folk to R&B to pop to blues to avant-garde music to Okinawan folk songs, and from songs with deadly serious lyrics to jokey, funny stuff (like this one). The two FFKT albums are a total blast, and definitely worth a listen.

  13. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - "Veteran's Day Poppy"
    taken from the album Trout Mask Replica

    Trout Mask Replica is one of those legendary albums that almost everyone has heard of, but no-one actually has. It's an odd, rambling album with gems like "Veteran's Day Poppy" and "Moonlight On Vermont", some of Beefheart's poetry, and some wild, near-improvised pop, jazz, rock, blues, oh heck, I don't know. It's just Beefheart. This song is a big favorite, but if you're curious about the Captain, try one of his "comeback" albums from the 80's - Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) or Doc At The Radar Station. Challenging, oddly catchy, and pretty much unlike anything in your collection.

  14. Frank Zappa - "Dancin' Fool"
    taken from the album Sheik Yerbouti

    Apart from the Who, I have more Zappa records than anything. "Dancin' Fool" was one of Frank's rare radio hits. It gives you a taste of his sense of humor, but not his full instrumental and songwriting power. Frank was a one-of-a-kind. Sheik Yerbouti was one his more straight rock and roll albums, but the lyrics tended to be a touch, well, bluer than some records. I went the safe route, not wanting to offend.

  15. King Crimson - "Walking On Air"
    taken from the album THRAK

    King Crimson is an amazing band that's successfully reinvented itself several times over. The band that recorded the lush debut album In The Court Of The Crimson King, sounded nothing like the improvisational, hard-rocking Larks' Tongues In Aspic band, which sounded nothing like the clinical, precise band that recorded Discipline. THRAK took the Discipline band, added another Stick* player and drummer, and went for territory between Discipline's precision and Larks' Tongues-style improvizations with some lighter material (like this song) mixed in.

    * The Chapman Stick is an instrument that can fill the role of bass or guitar. One hand plays the treble strings, the other plays the bass. Crimson's Tony Levin is probably the most famous Stick player out there.

  16. XTC - "Merely A Man"
    taken from the album Oranges & Lemons

    Getting back to the "underrated" concept, XTC is another highly underrated act. Probably best known for the controversial "Dear God", XTC has recorded a dozen albums of smart, catchy pop with odd rhythms and clever lyrics. Lead singer and main songwriter Andy Partridge is one of the best in the business. Their latest, Wasp Star is one of their best albums, along with this one (Oranges And Lemons), Skylarking, and English Settlement.

  17. Peter Gabriel - "Family Snapshot"
    taken from the album Peter Gabriel aka Peter Gabriel III aka Melt

    Gabriel's first four albums, all titled simply Peter Gabriel*, were amazingly dense challenging records. For me, he kinda lost the plot on his fifth album (and first hit), So. The third and fourth are the best of his solo albums. "Family Snapshot" is a big favorite from the third album. It's a chilling song, viewing an assassination (presumably JFK's) from the point of view of the assassin. I don't know if I can picture someone getting away with a lyric like this today.

    * Oh, OK, in the US, the fourth Peter Gabriel was called Security. The US label insisted on a title, so Gabriel came up with the idea of having the title only on a sticker on the shrinkwrap, making it the first disposable title. The US company either missed the point or refused to play along, because "Security" was on the spine of the record as well as the label.

That's about it … I'm done rambling. Thanks for reading along.

THE LABEL NAME

OK, one last thing in case you're curious … the "Flaming Weasel" notation on the back of the CD. When I make my own CDs, I've listed them as being on one of two "labels". The oh-so-cleverly named "Homemade" is for anything that I did substantial work on (my source tape, etc), and "Flaming Weasel" is for any compilation CDs.