Small Discoveries from Monday

The Roots feat. Erykah Badu doing Billie Jean

J. Viewz interpreting another Michael Jackson song: Smooth Criminal ("Annie are you OK?")

Layla live with Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.
The "Derek and the Dominoes" version - the fast one - is actually the original. I knew the slower, intimate, "unplugged" version first, so hearing it sped and noised up was a bit of a shock. But I think this version is just as touching.

In the Dragon's Lair

Yesterday morning in the Apple store I became enraptured with a set of large and luxurious (and way out of my league, money-wise) noise-cancelling Bose headphones. Padded like an executive chair for the ears. Music coming in so clear you can almost smell it.



I contemplated selling my soul to the Devil for a set, but the Devil happened to be away on business at that moment. So he missed his chance.

Anyway, I don't hate New York City so much anymore. Here's proof:

Black Magic Woman - Santana

Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon

Say What You Want - Texas

End of Summer

I had the most wonderful summer...

It ended abruptly as I left the sun and the beach across the Atlantic, and friends began to scatter all over the country and the world.

So here is some
Disgust from the airplane,
People Ain't No Good - Nick Cave

Wistfulness from Washington DC,
Angie - the Rolling Stones

Loathing from NYC
Happiness is a Warm Gun - the Beatles

But this marvelous bass line
You Don't Know Me - Caetano Veloso
And maybe winter won't be so bad.

Guitars On My Mind

Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused live at the Royal Albert Hall, 1970
"Been dazed and confused for so long, it's not true
Wanted a woman, never bargained for you
Lots of people talkin', few of them know
Soul of a woman was created below"

If you can get past that, some B. B. King live

Also, the opening sequence of the TV series "True Blood" is outstanding. Watch in high definition. The song is "Bad Things" by Jace Everett.

Songs Before Flying

Two more and I'm off to Amsterdam:

15 Dakot from Meno'im Shketim (Quiet Motors) by Asaf Amdurski

Inta Omri - Mica Shitrit's take on the song made famous by Umm Kulthoum.

August Ups & Downs

In chronological order:

Will There Be Enough Water - The Dead Weather
The Dead Weather is Jack White of The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, Alison Mosshart of The Kills and Discount, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age and Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs and The Greenhornes.

Sun King / Mean Mr. Mustard / Polythene Pam / She Came In Through The Bathroom Window. From "Abbey Road" by the disintegrating Beatles. Shuttling between dreamy--groovy--obnoxious.

Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana) woke me up wide one night.

Ani Eshtagea - Chava Alberstein with Matti Caspi (traditional Spanish tune)

High and Dry by Radiohead.

Being Boring - Pet Shop Boys. Love zebras.

You Got Me - the Roots feat. the queenly Erykah Badu

Girl From the North Country - Bob Dylan

I Cut Like a Buffalo - the Dead Weather again

Twist in My Sobriety

A haunting doom-toned song with a compelling melody that seems to lend itself to any genre, but especially to darker ones. I found it incarnated as country, pop ballad, cabaret, house, death metal, and even that Korean kid on acoustic guitar. Here are a few cover versions I picked out.

German Gothic rock band Dreadful Shadows. Worth a listen for Sven Friedrich's deeper than Hades voice.

Taiwanese singer Chyi Yu, proving the song works even with a sweet voice and little expression.

Club mix by Les Adams feat. Alexis.

Mash-up by DJ Not I - Wu Tang Clan & Eminem vs. the original.

And the original by Tanita Tikaram, from her debut album Ancient Heart, released when she was 19.