6.04.2011

wild ox moan: a beat-the-heat mix

I promise, I'm not trying to take over this blog! I make these things for myself anyway, and I'll just keep copying them here as long as you guys don't care. I just hope they are up someone's alley...


Finding a lovely tune in a stack of all-too-easily forgotten old records is something fantastic. It is also overwhelming when you realize that you could probably spend the rest of your life completely ignoring new musical output, and use all of your free time mining the past for hidden gems. Even then, there will always be some out-of-print vinyl tucked away in a thrift store in Milwaukee that you won't ever hear.

And since I don't spend much of my free time scouring record stores for these rarities, I rely on people like Wes Anderson, Andy Cabic, Robin Pecknold, Matt Morelock, Amanda Petrusich, and the wonderfully eclectic Justin Gage over at Aquarium Drunkard to do some of the scouring for me.

For this mix, I stuck with tunes from 1975 or before. Most of them fit the bill of the rare obscurity or obscure rarity - some more than others. And a few just fit that sound of a hot afternoon full of kamikaze cicadas turning into an evening full of fireflies as you daydream of an old European countryside. I can already hear the vinyl crackle... Cheers!
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1. Sally Goodin (Long Version) / Heron [1970]
2. Katie Cruel / Karen Dalton [1971]
3. Sunlight Shadow / Linda Rich [1969]
4. The Hills Of Isle Au Haut / Gordon Bok [1970]
5. Iris's Song For Us / Vashti Bunyan [1970]
6. The Tall Tall Grass / John Hartford [1967]
7. Buckeye Jim / Burl Ives [1944]
8. Kings And Queens / Loudon Wainwright III [1975]
9. Take It From A Friend / Janey & Dennis [1970]
10. Cast The First Stone / Tom Fogerty [1972]
11. Play With Fire / The Rolling Stones [1965]
12. Don't Forget Me / Harry Nilsson [1974]
13. So Long, Marianne / Leonard Cohen [1967]
14. The Way I Feel Inside / The Zombies [1965]
15. I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire / The Ink Spots [1941]
16. You Always Hurt The One You Love / The Mills Brothers [1944]
17. Love / Nancy Adams [1972]
18. As We Go Along / The Monkees [1968]
19. Wild Ox Moan / Taj Mahal [1969]
20. Houses / Elyse Weinberg [1968]
21. Where Is My Wild Rose? / Chris Thompson [1972]
22. I've Been My Own Worst Friend / Sandy Denny & The Strawbs [1967]
23. Lopin' Along Thru The Cosmos / Judee Sill [1971]
24. The Lady With The Braid / Dory Previn [1971]
25. If I Knew You Were The One / Richard Twice [1970]
26. Lon Chaney / Garland Jeffreys [1973]
27. The Good Book / Melanie [1971]

Download the full mix HERE.

5 comments:

stan said...

i'm excited about this. especially since i've heard of maybe 3 of these songs.

that said, "song long, marianne" is one of my favorite cohen songs. glad to see it on here.

thanks for posting.

stan said...

dude, i had no idea neko case performing "don't forget me" was a cover of nilsson. love it.

will said...

Another instant classic Rucker mix. Like Jason said, I know hardly any of these songs. Actually I think So Long Marianne is the only one I know.

Can't wait to digest this.

Wade Holmes said...

I’m finally getting around to listening to this mix. When I saw how heavy it was on the late-60’s and early-70’s, I definitely got excited. I expected a song or two that I had never heard before to be mined out of some deep cavern and bring a smile to my face, but there’s like ten of them on here. I mean, I love the Harry Nilsson and Leonard Cohen, but you went to all kinds of deep-cuts I’ve never heard of (and stuff that I’m really loving). Garland Jeffreys, Judee Sill, Janey & Dennis, and Melanie who are these people? Whoever they are, I am loving all of this stuff… I’m not afraid of some good, smooth cheesy 70’s goodness (like that Janey & Dennis song)… that song is like warm queso oozing out of my speakers and I can’t get enough.


Also, I love The Mills Brothers song.

And, I love the Robin Hood tune on here… that’s definitely one of my favorite Disney movies.

And, I couldn’t believe that “As We Go Along” was actually by The Monkees… how in the world is THAT song by The Monkees? Like, that’s really by The Monkees… like, The Monkess, The Monkees??? Seriously? Wow.

benjamin said...

Ha ha! I love all these music descriptions using food references. Apparently I prefer the musical equivalent of dairy products.

Yea, I love mining the past for stuff that has fallen off the radar over the years. I think about the amount of music that we consume in the present and I foresee so much of it being "lost" over a generation or two, so I assume the same thing has happened between our parents' formative years and ours.

Yes, that is The Monkees. It was on the soundtrack to their movie Head. Carole King wrote it and she plays guitar along with Neil Young and Ry Cooder on the recording. Neil is also the one playing the electric guitar on "Houses" by Elyse Weinberg.

Anyway, glad you're liking it.