Mark's Un-Herd Music Mix

Ladies and gentlemen, the Un-Herd Music is honored to present its first guest blogger: the esteemed Mark, well-known in certain circles as a multi-talented man of the arts, bass slinger in fave rock 'n' roll combo Sour Jazz, and all-around debauched libertine. He has concocted a mix for the ages, which is presented below in all its unfettered glory.




Mark's Un-Herd Music Mix

01 Dan Kelly & The Alpha Males - Checkout Cutie

02 Americo - Damedyo

03 The Rats - Turtle Dove

04 Barry Adamson - Spend a Little Time

05 Doctors of Madness - Waiting

06 The Yellow Monkey - マリーに口づけ

07 Lieutenant Pigeon - Mouldy Old Dough

08 Tex Perkins - Darkside

09 Spencer P Jones - Terrorise Your Friends

10 Iggy Pop - Ready To Run

11 Silver Ginger 5 - Girls Are Better Than Boys

12 Rosso - 1000 のタンバリン

13 Rowland S Howard - [I Know] A Girl Called Jonny

14 Julian Cope - Dying to Meet You

15 The Butcher Shop - No Fear

16 Mo'some Tonebender - You Are Rock & Roll

17 Anita Lane - Jesus Almost Got Me

18 Hugo Race - Spirit World Rising

19 Louis Tillett - Liferaft [live version]

20 Thee Hypnotics - Kissed By the Flames

21 Mink DeVille - Heaven Stood Still

Mark sez:

I'm not really sure what -- if anything -- ties all these songs together, apart from the fact that I love these songs, and that I hope they'll be new and agreeable to anyone who bothers to download and knock an ear to them. I know that I truly love a song when hearing it makes me wish that I'd either written it or played on the session... and all twenty one of these do that to me.

'Checkout Cutie' by Dan Kelly & The Alpha Males definitely scoops up the prize for Single Of The Decade in my book, with the proper balance of raunch and catchiness. This is Australian, as are the tracks by Tex Perkins, The Butcher Shop, Spencer P Jones, Louis Tillett, Hugo Race and Anita Lane. 'Darkside' is Tex Perkins' contribution to a tribute album to Aboriginal legend Kev Carmody, and Tex also handles lead vocals on 'No Fear' by The Butcher Shop, which boasts a simple but soaring guitar solo. Spencer P. Jones is Tex's bandmate in the mighty Beasts of Bourbon, and this particular track, 'Terrorise Your Friends,' is just one of many highlights from his vast heap of solo albums. The Louis Tillett track, 'Liferaft,' is a cracking live recording, which builds very nicely into a storming horn section. Louis Tillett, like so many others, is a criminally under-rated artist deserving of much more recognition. Hugo Race, Anita Lane and Rowland S. Howard are all former bandmates of Nick Cave's, with Rowland's track, '[I Know] A Girl Called Jonny' being my pick for best track of 2009. Barry Adamson is another former bandmate of Cave's, and his recent 'Spend A Little Time' is one of this decade's finest.

Americo, The Yellow Monkey, Rosso and Mo'some Tonebender are all Japanese bands that manage to deliver, despite the language barrier. I stumbled upon Americo when they supported us in Tokyo, and they knocked me sideways before they even finished their soundcheck. There's very little that I'm able to say about Rosso, Mo'some Tonebender or The Yellow Monkey aside from the fact that Rosso features Yusuke Chiba on vocals and guitar... formerly of Thee Michelle Gun Elephant. The Yellow Monkey, now defunct, were absolutely huge in Japan, and wear their love for Mott The Hoople on their sleeves. That ain't a bad thing at all, in my book.

'Dying To Meet You' by Julian Cope is the best non-Iggy Iggy record ever... a remarkably riff-worthy accomplishment. 'Ready To Run' is proof positive that Iggy himself is still able to achieve greatness... although it remains a complete mystery as to why this track from the 'Skull Ring' sessions was left off the album and relegated to Japanese b-side status.

The Rats' 'Turtle Dove' and Lieutenant Pigeon's 'Mouldy Old Dough' are masterpieces of early 70s UK glam, while 'Girls Are Better Than Boys' gives a nod in similar direction. Modern man would be wise to search out Silver Ginger 5's lone album, 'Black Leather Mojo'... Silver Ginger 5 being a one-off side project from Ginger out of The Wildhearts. 'Waiting,' by Doctors of Madness, is another 70s UK track that makes me wonder what the hell the British Class of 76 was rebelling against. Seldom has the violin rocked so mightily. And as for 'Mouldy Old Dough,' this is the rare 1974 version of their 1972 smash hit, with some tasty guitar replacing the original version's plonking piano track, which was played by the drummer's elderly mother. That version can be dug here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy32skBSHs0

Thee Hypnotics were one of the very few great bands of the 90s, and 'Kissed By The Flames' is a track that I keep returning to all the time. Like 'Liferaft' by Louis Tillett, it builds and builds, sets itself alight, and really takes off in a way that not many songs do. Singer Jim Jones' latest band, the Jim Jones Revue, is well worth looking into, and can be found here: www.myspace.com/thejimjonesrevue

And that leaves only 'Heaven Stood Still,' by Mink DeVille... my favourite track by one of my favourite artists. Willy DeVille sadly passed away in 2009 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, and will never be replaced.