(Welcome to the first installment of Clifton's Corner. Every other week on the blog Clifton Weaver, aka DJ Soft Touch, will be sharing some of his favorite spins, old and new, in the worlds of soul, r&b, funk, psych and beyond. We're kicking off the series with a stack of Northern Soul and r&b. And if you haven't grabbed become a member or log in.
(Sevens, a recurring feature on Aquarium Drunkard, pays tribute to the art of the individual song.)
Johnny Cash did it, and nearly turned it into a hymn. John Mayer did it, and sweetened the notes until it sounded like Paul Simon. The dance-punks in Electrelane and the power-punks in The Motorettes both tinseled it up with distorted guitars. And fellow Jersey Boy Brian Fallon fed it through a tremolo pedal and damn near touched his hero’s garment. But in the . . .
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There is no doubt in my mind that the Speakers were one of the finest rock bands Colombia ever produced. Prior to Ingeson they had released 4 albums, the first 3 LPs mixed rock & roll covers with two or three beat garage/folk-rock group originals. All of their records are sung in Spanish and by the group's forth LP they were concentrating exclusively on group originals . . .
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One of the first animated TV shows I can remember waking up to on a Saturday morning is Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Aside from the humor and charm of a young Bill Cosby, the show’s host, comedian and legendary sweater enthusiast, the program had a dynamite theme song that’s super funky and catchy but also revolves around one simple hook. The animation features low income housing projects and junkyards with plenty of nondescript buildings in the background, basically offering an educational and fun . . .
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Beginning today, and running for two weeks, you can stream the excellent Harry Nilsson documentary Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin’ About Him?) in its entirety. Highly recommended. Also, be sure to read the interview we did with the filmmaker John Scheinfeld earlier this year. Film after the jump.
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Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can now be heard twice, every Friday — Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST.
SIRIUS 205: Jean-Michel Bernard - Generique Stephane ++ Toro Y Moi - Still Sound ++ Richard Swift - Broken Finger Blues ++ Peggy Sue - Long Division Blues ++ Deerhunter - Revival ++ Gauntlet Hair - Top Bunk ++ Letting Up Despite Great Faults - Teenage Tide ++ Hooray For Earth - True Loves ++ Bibio - K Is For Kelson ++ Bleached - Dazed ++ Girls Names - I Lose ++ Black Lips - Modern Art ++ Harlem - Someday Soon ++ Oregon Bike Trails - High School Lover ++ Dirty Gold - California Sunrise ++ Eddie The . . .
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I couldn't tell you exactly what it is that makes this song what it is, but I'd wager to say it's a combination of the slight quiver in Williams' voice, those perfectly arranged 'doo doo doos' and the backup singers' "I Love You's" all driven forth by propulsive piano, drums and a string section. If you only know Jerry Williams under his funked up Swamp . . .
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For better of worse, there is only one Andre Williams. Truly. If you've never caught his live show, this 2008 doc should give you and idea of what's going down with the man both onstage and off. Those of you here in Los Angeles will note the clips of his performance at Spaceland from a few years back. Watch the doc (for free) in its entirety over at Hulu . . .
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My biggest regret of 2011 (so far) is deciding I could skip the Love Language's show at the Cat's Cradle in Carborro, NC back in February. They had announced a special guest, but being that the Love Language is local, I figured I could miss a show and catch them again soon. Besides, how special could the guest be? The moment I received a text from my friend who was there ("Archers of Loaf are opening!"), my head hit the table.
Five, tight snare drum hits. That's the beginning ofbecome a member or log in.
If you're a regular listener to my radio show, then you're likely familiar with The Allah-Las. San Francisco's Nick Waterhouse, who produced their 7"and released it via his own Pres Records, turned me on to the band earlier this year; they've since become one of my favorite local outfits going. Sounding jangly, fuzzy and not entirely of this time, the fellas are the house band at . . .
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To the faithful---to the true believers---R.E.M.'s fabled five-album run on IRS Records was one of the strongest in contemporary rock/pop history. And in that run, 1986's Lifes Rich Pageant in many ways marked the end of an era as the group's next LP, Document, would find . . .
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Great Dylan cover released last week by a band I've had an eye on since first catching their show in New York several years back; The Moondoggies. Below is their inspired take on Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowehere." I'm loving "the Band" arrangement and flavor they inject here.
MP3: The Moondoggies :: You Ain't . . .
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(Diversions, a recurring feature on Aquarium Drunkard, catches up with our favorite artists as they wax on subjects other than recording and performing.)
Considering what passes for "country music" in Nashville these days (not to mention "country radio") it's easy to forget there are true heirs to the old masters writing, recording and performing in the here and now of 2011. Robert Ellis is one such artist. I caught the Houston musician at . . .
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Our weekly two hour show on SIRIUS/XMU, channel 35, can now be heard twice, every Friday — Noon EST with an encore broadcast at Midnight EST.
SIRIUS 204: Jean-Michel Bernard - Generique Stephane ++ William Sheller - Exitissimo ++ Jacques Dutronc - Sur Une Nappe De Restaurant ++ Yura Yura Teikoku - Ohayo Mada Yaro ++ Richard Swift - Broken Finger Blues ++ White Denim - Burnished ++ White Denim - At The Farm ++ The Shakes - You Ain't Alone ++ Witch - Introduction ++ Ofo And The Black Company - Allah Wakbar ++ Henri Texier - Les "lî -bas" ++ Sea-Ders - Thanks A Lot ++ Nina Simone - Save Me ++ Amanaz - Khala My Friend ++ The . . .
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For those of you sans satellite radio, below is the Aquarium Drunkard session we cut with Sonny & The Sunsets earlier this month in Los Angeles. It debuts on my SIRIUS/XMU show tomorrow. No stranger to the AD show (between his various and sundry projects and handles, Sonny Smith's music seems to make an appearance every other week) the bay area singer/songwriter/producer is as prolific as he is inventive. The session was recorded, produced and engineered by Andrew Murdock at become a member or log in.
