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.

Best of '09 (Vol. III)

A final volume in my on-going mixes of my fave songs of the year. This is all leading up to an eventual Un-Herd Music Top 20, which will arrive as soon as I can get off my ass and compile it.

So That's How It Is

1. Dan Mangan Tina's Glorious Comeback
2. Gin Wigmore Oh My
3. Sour Jazz Masquerader
4. Like A Martyr And By Coffee I Mean Drugs
5. Chuck Prophet American Man
6. This Modern Station Evangelina
7. Reno Bo You Don't Know
8. Cheap Star Willing Reason
9. The Raveonettes Bang!
10. Norfolk & Western So That's How It Is
11. Philadelphia Grand Jury Going To The Casino (Tomorrow Night)
12. The Sun Watch Out
13. Heavy Trash Good Man
14. Paul Westerberg Drop Them Gloves
15. The Dirty Strangers Don't Come Easy
16. Rat Silo Oh, Fuck Off Tony
17. Band of Skulls Fires
18. Ike Reilly The Reformed Church of the Assault Rifle Band
19. Gidgets Ga Ga Hit By A Train
20. The DomNicks Party's Over (pt. 2)
21. The Almighty Defenders Bow Down And Die
22. The Kill Devil Hills I Don't Think This Shit Can Last Much Longer

25 Songs of Christmess

Ah... Christmas. If the consumerist pressures aren't enough to break you, then surely the non-stop holiday music will. Admit it, if you have to listen to another round of those earnest, choral hymns and/or chirpy yule ditties you may have to eat your own head to make it stop.

And you can't fight it. Nope. It's Christmas, ferchrissakes. In order to fight you'd either have to declare war on friends, family, and immediate culture - maybe go live in a cave or forage in the snowy forests for seeds and berries - and that's not gonna happen if you're even halfway sane.

So instead of an outright fight, why not offer a compromise? And by compromise, I mean this mix. Slip it in the player at the next family Christmas event, settle back, and bliss out over the 80 minutes of actual decent music - and make sure to appreciate it, because once it's over you know you're doomed to return to Burl Ives bleating "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". Or the Dogsbum Township Middle School Choir's version of "Silent Night". Or those barking dogs. Or even... (shudder)... the jingle cats. You know what I'm talking about. Yep. We're all in this together. Download now. Thank me later.

25 Songs Of Christmess

1. Pointed Sticks Power Pop Santa
2. Manic Street Preachers Ghost of Christmas
3. Joey Ramone Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
4. The Hives w/ Cyndi Lauper A Christmas Duel
5. Barely Pink Come On Christmas
6. Imperial Drag Please Leave Me Home For Christmas
7. The Holidays Sleighbell Bop
8. The Fleshtones I Still Believe In Christmas
9. The Yobs Another Christmas
10. Jeffrey Foskett Christmas Time Is Here
11. Slow Santa Claus Is Back In Town
12. The Del-Lords Merry Christmas Baby
13. The Media Whores All I Want For Christmas
14. Hello Saferide Ipod Xmas
15. Redd Kross Super Sunny Christmas
16. Carpet Frogs Christmas Would Not Be Christmas
17. Black Halos Homeless For Christmas
18. The Raveonettes Christmas Song
19. Aimee Mann & Michael Penn Christmastime
20. The Smithereens Merry Christmas Baby
21. Tom Petty Christmas All Over Again
22. Fountains of Wayne I Want An Alien For Christmas
23. Spooner The Saddest Time Of The Year
24. Dreams So Real Red Lights (Merry Christmas)
25. Wonderful World of Joey What Sweet Child O'Mine Is This?

Thanksgiving Mix

Just a quickly assembled, oddball mix meant as something that can be played while a group of family and friends devour multiple birds, told from the POV of the bird.

This one's mostly mellow, oozing a kind of late-night vibe. Y'know, that twilight moment, walking rain-slicked streets reflecting the flash of neon light from surrounding bars and hotels of ill-repute - the natural habitat of the domestic turkey.

Of course, I'm not above abandoning my own theme just to include a completely unrelated song that I happen to dig. Like Luke Doucet's "Cleveland", for instance, tossed in just because the ambience fits (and the fact I just totally love the extended guitar solo during the coda). Likewise the Kid Koala song, which is some of the most amazing turntablism I've ever heard, but absolutely nothing to do with a turkey in any way whatsoever.

Actually, forget I ever said anything about a turkey.

Consider The Chicken

1. Ivor Cutler Questionaire
2. Chuck Prophet The Hurting Business
3. The XX Teardrops
4. Heavy Trash Isolation
5. AM Darker Days
6. Diane Birch Fools
7. Marykate O'Neil Traffic Jam
8. The Ettes Modern Game
9. P. Hux Do Ya
10. J. Roddy Walston & the Business The Times Are A-Staying
11. Panurge Sweet Fannie Annie
12. Luke Doucet & White Falcon Cleveland
13. Grant-Lee Phillips Buried Treasure
14. Jersey Budd Shotgun Times
15. Loveless You Wore Me Out
16. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs Heads Will Roll
17. Morphine Top Floor, Bottom Buzzer
18. Portishead Revenge of the Number
19. Kid Koala Drunk Trumpet
20 Zero 7 Swing

Wet Winter Holiday mix

I don't really do autumn and spring. To me, it's either summer or winter - that inbetweeny stuff is for fence sitters and committment-phobes. So in that spirit, here's a new mix perfect for the upcoming cold 'n' nasties.

The mood here is melancholy, but it's not weepy acoustic folkie melancholy. This is essentially a companion piece to the "Allergic To Fun" punky poppish etc. mix from last summer - lots of guitar jangle 'n' fuzz, melody, and momentum - but the key here is a distinct note of sadness for those winter blahs.

There's no rhyme or reason behind the bands picked; they come from many eras and genres. Lead-off track "Now It's On" is a great track from a few years ago, even though everything else that particular band has done has left me cold. Gidget's Ga Ga, Philadelphia Grand Jury, the Modern Station, the Tomorrows, and Raveonettes are some faves from this year. Teenage Fanclub, Sammy, the Odds, and Material Issue are starting to feel like transmissions from an ancient world. The others are a grabbag from the last few years. Or so. Pretty much all of it deserved a much greater audience.

Wet Winter Holiday

1. Grandaddy Now It's On
2. Teenage Fanclub Sparky's Dream
3. Junior Panthers California
4. Attic Lights Bring You Down
5. Javier Escovedo Tonight Is Gonna Be Better
6. Gidget's Ga Ga Dreamer
7. Ambershades Clap Clap Clap
8. The Raveonettes Breaking Into Cars
9. Philadelphia Grand Jury Wet Winter Holiday
10. The Modern Station Evangelina
11. The Redwalls Love Her
12. The Oranges Band White Ride
13. Planet Melvin Chromacolor Dream
14. Sammy Neptune Ave. (Ortho Hi Rise)
15. The Mayflies USA The Greatest Thing
16. The Odds Eat My Brain
17. The Breakers Tried So Hard
18. Material Issue Ordinary Girl
19. Watts One Below (The All Time Low)
20. The Tomorrows Don't Worry About Me
21. Ice Cream Hands Weak At The Knees

Note: if you're using skipscreen you'll want to turn it off for megaupload

History Lesson Pt. 1 Mix

Overtly stealing Minutemen song titles here, but thought I'd start compiling some songs by some bands that artists were in before they got any fame (and the word "fame" is applied somewhat loosely in this exercise - I ain't no mainstream type).

This mix starts with a song by the Iveys, who were signed to the Beatles Apple label in the late 60s. They put out one album (Maybe Tomorrow) before changing their name to Badfinger. Badfinger had only a slightly better fate, hitting with McCartney's "Come and Get It" and penning "Without You", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson, but (as everyone probably knows) the band could never catch a break and, after a strange bit of litigation involving their shady manager, ultimately ended when songwriter Pete Ham hung himself in 1975. Eight years later, after some attempts at reunions, Badfinger's other main songwriter Tom Evans committed the same deed.

Next up is a slightly happier story. During the late '70s U.K. punk explosion the Nipple Erectors never made much of a dent in the charts, and not much changed even after shortening their name to the Nips and releasing the awesome "Gabrielle" in 1980. But singer Shane McGowan went on to form the Pogues, and after flirting with a premature demise for decades he seems to finally appear clean and sober (with brand new teeth) these days. See? Not everything ends in tragedy.

Signed to Dawn Records in 1974, and evidenced by the song "Rough Kids", Kilburn & the High Roads were a band stuck between glam and pub rock, and generally going nowhere until singer Ian Dury struck out on his own, releasing the remarkable debut New Boots and Panties in 1977. In a similar situation almost exactly, the 101'ers were stuck in pub rock hell between '74 and '76 and probably wouldn't have been remembered at all if their singer Joe Strummer hadn't gone on to form the Clash.

That first rush of punk led to an avalanche of new bands. Riff Raff came about in 1977, released a couple singles on the Chiswick label ("Romford Girls" being one of them), and disbanded in 1981 when the singer Billy Bragg up and joined the army. Likewise, Johnny & the Self Abusers formed in '77 and also released their song "Dead Vandals" on the Chiswick label. A slight line-up shuffle prompted them to change their name to Simple Minds.

Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club only released one record, 1980's English Garden, but that album included the original version of "Video Killed The Radio Star", a song Woolley cowrote with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes, who took the song to the bank in the Buggles (trivia note: the trio also wrote Dusty Springfield's hit "Baby Blue"). Bruce Woolley went on to a more behind-the-scenes role in music, eventually being eclipsed in fame by Camera Club bandmate, Thomas Dolby.

"City of Fun"was recorded as a demo in 1974 by England's Glory, a band that never officially released an album. Band leader Peter Perrett had considerably more luck with his next band the Only Ones, who re-recorded this song on their debut. Despair were kicking around at the same time as England's Glory, but it wasn't until they hopped aboard the punk train and changed their name to the Vibrators that they found any acclaim. Tigerlily existed alongside those other two bands and even released their version of "Ain't Misbehavin'" as a single, but their fortune didn't come until they ditched that bandname and became Ultravox. During this same era the apocalyptic glam/prog band Hawkwind was killing brain cells in the U.K. When they kicked out their bassist for too many drug busts, Lemmy took his song "Motorhead" as the name for his new band.

When the Soft Boys broke up, main songwriter Robyn Hitchcock went solo and guitarist (and less prolific songwriter) Kimberley Rew formed the Waves. The Waves put out the Shock! Horror! ep in 1983 (which "I Caught The Milk Train" is from), but they didn't release a full-length album until after they recruited American ex-pat Katrina Leskanich on vocals, and by that time they were about to be much better known as Katrina and the Waves.

In those weird mid 70s years before punk and new wave, there were a lot of artists trying to figure out a musical direction that veered away from the stagnant sound of mainstream rock. Richard Otcasek and Benjamin Orzechowski were two such musicians, first trying their hand at country rock in Milkwood before slightly streamlining their names (to Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr) and forming the Cars. Somewhere around the same time, Peter Holsapple was kicking around in the H-Bombs, before hooking up with Mitch Easter and Chris Stamey (from the Sneakers) and starting the dBs. That same year (1978), way over on the other coast of North America, a singer/songwriter by the name of Jules Shear, fresh out of his involvement with the Funky Kings, formed Jules & the Polar Bears (his solo career continues to this day, but he probably remains best known for writing hits for Cyndi Lauper and the Bangles). The New York band Piper put out their debut in 1977, and was formed when leader Billy Squier left the Sidewinders (with the Paley Brothers).

L.A.'s the Nerves only ever managed to put out a single ep (in 1976), but the band launched the careers of Paul Collins (of the Beat) and Peter Case (of the Plimsouls and solo career) as well as introducing the planet to the short-lived flash of Jack Lee (who wrote the Blondie hit "Hangin' On The Telephone", which first appeared on that Nerves ep). Candy's lone album appeared in 1985, and it's an uneven affair, although the song "Whatever Happened To Fun?" remains one of the greatest power pop one-shots in history. Guitarist Gilby Clarke would later find fame as Izzy Stradlin's replacement in Guns n' Roses.

Jumping around a tad in chronology now, Maow was an all-female Vancouver trio that put out their only album The Unforgiving Sounds Of Maow in 1996 on Mint Records. The album is sloppy and fun, but really only jumps to life when the band's drummer steps up to the mike on her two songs. That drummer later developed a critically acclaimed solo career as Neko Case.

The Moving Sidewalks were a 1960s garage band, compiled on the Nuggets set as well as various other garage collections. Songwriter and guitarist Billy Gibbons is much better known for his subsequent work in ZZ Top. Also in the 60s, the Jynx included a young Chris Bell, who would later show up with Alex Chilton in Big Star (and die tragically before a promising solo career had a chance to even begin).

In the early 80s, L.A.'s paisley underground scene brought forth a wealth of great bands, two of them being the Dream Syndicate and the Rain Parade. When guitarist Dave Roback left the Rain Parade he teamed up with Dream Syndicate bassist Kendra Smith and released the Happy Nightmare, Baby album under the name Opal in 1984. Kendra's sultry vocals gliding on top of Roback's fuzzy chording certainly formed the framework for his next band, Mazzy Star.

The Bis-Quits self-titled album came out on John Prine's Oh Boy label in 1993. If there's any questions over why the band never quite made it, let's just say that song titles like "Anal All Day" proved them just too clever (or wiseass) for their own good. Of course, in his subsequent solo career Tommy Womack hasn't exactly become a household name, but that's more due to the more typical unfairness of the market place than any fault of his own.

Finally, the two ringers of the compilation (and probably the most well-known). Heatmiser were a band out of Portland, releasing three full-length albums between 1993 and '96. The band splintered into No. 2, Quasi, and, most famously, the tragic solo trajectory of Elliott Smith. The Go are from Detroit and their debut came out in 1999. They somehow missed out on the great garage rock revival/trend of the early '00s, which must be a tad hard for them to swallow, seeing as then-bandmate Jack White is the guy who helped kickstart that very trend with the White Stripes.

The early version of this mix contained 34 songs. I had to whittle it down to fit onto an 80 minute CDR, so I suspect it's safe to suggest you keep an eye out for History Lesson Pt. 2.

History Lesson, Pt. 1

1. The Iveys See Saw, Granpa (Badfinger)
2. The Nips Gabrielle (Shane McGowan)
3. Kilburn & the High Roads Rough Kids (Ian Dury)
4. The 101'ers Letsgetabitarockin' (Joe Strummer)
5. Riff Raff Romford Girls (Billy Bragg)
6. Johnny & the Self Abusers Dead Vandals (Simple Minds)
7. Bruce Woolley & the Camera Club No Surrender (Thomas Dolby)
8. England's Glory City Of Fun (The Only Ones)
9. Despair Sweet Sweet Heart (The Vibrators)
10. Tigerlily Ain't Misbehavin' (Ultravox)
11. The Waves I Caught The Milk Train (Katrina & the Waves)
12. Milkwood We've Been All Through (The Cars)
13. Maow Ms. Lefevre (Neko Case)
14. The H-Bombs Big Black Truck (Peter Holsapple/ The dBs)
15. Jules & the Polar Bears You Just Don't Wanna Know (Jules Shear)
16. Candy Whatever Happened To Fun? (Gilby Clarke)
17. Piper Who's Your Boyfriend? (Billy Squier)
18. The Nerves One Way Ticket (Peter Case, Plimsouls, Paul Collins' Beat)
19. The Moving Sidewalks 99th Floor (Billy Gibbons)
20. Hawkwind Motorhead (Lemmy/ Motorhead)
21. Opal She's a Diamond (Mazzy Star)
22. Heatmiser Pop in G (Elliott Smith)
23. The Bis-Quits Anal All Day (Tommy Womack)
24. The Go You Can Get High (Jack White)
25. The Jynx Little Girl (Chris Bell/ Big Star)

13 Songs by Artful Dodger

Ever since the Beatles stopped performing live, it's usually been a mark of commercial doom for a band to get tagged as "power pop", and there's no better example than Artful Dodger. Like a perfect cross between the Raspberries and the Faces, this was the ultimate coulda-shoulda-woulda band. Passionate, energetic, unafraid to rock, and armed with a songwriting team (vocalist Billy Paliselli and guitarist Gary Herewig) that tossed off classic singles almost effortlessly, Artful Dodger dropped their self-titled debut in 1975. It boasted concise, hook-filled gems like "Think Think" and "Wayside", but that was the year that Frampton Comes Alive sold a bajillion copies, so let's chalk that one up to bad timing.

In '76 they followed up with the even stronger Honor Among Thieves (with songs by Gary Cox rivalling the Paliselli/Herewig axis). The band was certainly gaining a cult audience, but nothing big enough to impress the bean counters at the label. Possibly due to the exhaustion of touring, possibly due to desperation for sales (probably both), Artful Dodger's next move was disastrous. Coming out in 1977, at the height of the punk explosion, Babes On Broadway was exactly the wrong album at the wrong time. The mix was mainstream and dull, the band sounded tired, and, worst of all, the songs just weren't up to the gold standard this band had set for itself.

It looked like a tragic end - and it would have been - except that 3 years later, in 1980, they returned for one last stand. Against all odds and all reason, they created the album of their lives: the self-produced Rave On was by far their best work. It burned with an energy and desperation, like the band knew it was a final shot. The song "Forever" could be read on one level as a love song, but it's clear its real meaning is much more a statement of purpose - put simply, the band meant everything to these guys, and you can hear it in every note of Rave On. Unfortunately, even the flawless single "A Girl (La La La)" couldn't find a toe-hold in the trendoid new wave/disco days of 1980, and the life of one of my fave bands came to a close (but at least they did it in heroic fashion).

This collection is compiled chronologically. Three songs each from their first two albums, two songs from Babes on Broadway, and four from Rave On. The tracks from the latter are upped from a vinyl source, as I don't think it's ever been released on CD (and if it has, please do the band a favor and buy it - you won't be disappointed). As an added bonus, I've started the mix with an early version of "Long Time Away" from back when the band still called themselves Brat.

Artful Dodger

1. Long Time Away (Brat)
2. Wayside
3. Follow Me
4. Think Think
5. Honor Among Thieves
6. Remember
7. Dandelion
8. Can't Stop Pretending
9. Mistake
10. She's Just My Baby
11. Now Or Nevermind
12. Forever
13. A Girl (La La La)

#1 from Yellow Pills: Prefill - A Power Pop Prescription
#2 - 4 from Artful Dodger (1975)
#5 - 7 from Honor Among Thieves (1976)
#8, 9 from Babes On Broadway (1977)
#10 - 13 from Rave On (1980)