Nu Mix

Made a new mix today for my boss. He wanted death songs, I decided a mix full of shady characters, bad drugs, gamblers, Sex crazed reefer addicts, and of course, the devil.
Here we go. Some of this stuff has been on some of my better mixes. Let me know if you want a copy.

1) Ananda Shankar Jumpin Jack Flash
Yes, Ravi Shankar and this guy are related, and yes, Ananda plays the sitar. On his amazing debut in 1972 the lesser-known Shankar covers The Doors Light my Fire as well this amazing instrumental of The Stones Jumpin Jack Flash.
Why did I choose this song to open up? Eh, well The Stones are evil, what better representation of the whole duality of man deal then with some good Indian vibes rocking out to their Sympathy for the Devil?

2) Oakley Hall House Carpenter
Oooooh yeh. Oakley Hall rips the shit out of this song that has been covered so many times by the likes of The Pentangle, Bob Dylan and about 100000 other people that hung out or would have liked to have hung out in Washington Square Park in the early 60's.
Of course if Oakley Hall would have been around back the and tried to play this monster, I think the power would have been cut off quite fast.

3) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Devils Waitin'
Whats all this modern shite? What happened to the days when I was a real bastard and only put songs up until 1979 as a sign of hatred for the modern state of music?
What has become of me?
Hmmm.
Less cynical. B.R.M.C. was one of those "new garage" bands that I wanted to hate a few years back, and I did.
Then they put out this record called Howl. All sleazy, blues stomper, rock. This gem was on there.

4) Junior Kimbrough Meet me in the City
Okay, umm, there is something really fucking raw and/or badass about the late, great Junior Kimbrough. The man needed to be on here.

5) The Byrds Hey Joe
Okay, while not THE BEST cover of this psych/garage stomper, it's The Byrds.
So let's see, one of the greatest bands in American history, doing a cover about a guy who shot his wife? Yeh, needed to be on here.

6) Dock Boggs Pretty Polly
Doc "Motherfuckin" Boggs. Old timer that Harry Smith found way back when. Doing the old English ballad about a poor young lady that is lured into the forest, killed and buried in a shallow grave.
Total bummer it made such a sweet song.

7) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Stagger Lee
Did you not see this coming? The baddest of the bad ol' Stagger Lee's was done by non other than Mr. gloom and doom Nicky Cave on the classic Murder Ballads album.
A cover that would have made many a juke-joint uncomfortable.
With a sweet video to boot.


8) John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers The Death of J.B. Lenoir
Leave it to ol' Mr. white bluesdudemaster himself to write the eulogy for one of Chicago's most overlooked blues dudes, Mr. J.B. Lenoir.

9) Dick Justice Henry Lee
Of any of the "death songs" I know, something about Henry Lee gives me the willies.
Mr. Cave, whom I mentioned a few positions above also covered this song on the same album as Stagger Lee, but something about this recording seemed more in step with the "vibe".

10) Mississippi John Hurt Candy Man blues
Why I went from death songs to this filthy lil' number I do not understand, but hey, all is fair in mixes.
"The Hurt" may have written one of the sleaziest song's I can think about.
" All heard what sister Johnson said
She always takes a candy stick to bed"
OOOOOHHH YEH!



11) Lucille Borgan Shave em' dry
Remember what I just said about the last song being one of the sleaziest songs ever written? Nope. This one takes the cake.
Lucielle has sex and weed on her mind. Long before anybody from Bed-Stuy rapped about it. Most of her songs like this one, Tricks aint workin no more and the classic Sloppy Drunk Blues sort of back that theory up.

12) Dick Justice Cocaine
Again with the Dick Justice? Hell yes!
Of course there are a million of great songs about drugs, this one just seemed to fit.
"The doctor said she couldn't smell no more".
Classic!

13) Charley Patton Prayer of Death Pt. 2
Maybe the man who brought "delta blues" to the attention of people outside of the area, Mr. Patton from Sunflower County, the man first put out this record under the pseudonym "Elder J. Hadley" and died about 5 years after it came out.

14)Carter Family Motherless Children
Ah, the blessed Carter clan and their songs about the down and out people that at the time catered to well, the down and out people.
Every song is golden, and I could have picked their version of John Hardy I know, but what about the poor motherless kids roaming barefoot through the mountains of Tennessee? Who will put their song on a mix?

15) Townes Van Zandt Waiting around to Die
Lordy, it's really hard to make a mix about down and out, and not put this song on it. I actually think I need to establish an "every mix from now on has a Townes Van Zandt song on it" rule.

16) Old Crow Medicine Show Silver Dagger
One thing I hate, is a revival band. Heartless clones, aping off a genre from long ago. Sometimes, I will let it go if the band or musician is really great.
On the surface, O.C.M.S. might seem like a bunch of guys trying to re-write the Oh Brother where art thou? soundtrack, but they are so far from that.
This cover of the old Silver Dagger ballad is the best one around. Even better than old Joan Baez (Shhh...)

17) Snatch and the Poontangs Two Time Slim
If you have been paying attention, this LP is my favorite find in awhile. I was itching to put it on something.
If you get this CD see if you can spot the lyric that one of the artists lifted into another song towards the start of the comp.
Johnnie and Shuggie Otis for ever!!!!

18) Oblivians with Quintron Live the Life
Not a bad closer eh? I love The Oblivians and Mr. Quintron as well. This is one of the greatest albums of the 90's, hands down. It's the closest to Christ I'm ever gonna get, so enjoy!