mekons

Little Rays of Sunshine

Nov 242011

I love this record, adore it, I want it played at my funeral and I want to be alive during my funeral so I can hear it just one last time. Whenever I hear it I then have to play it another three or four times just to bask in the llveliness of it. I want to line up everyone who bought “Need You Tonight” by INXS in 1988 and demand to know why they didn’t buy this instead.

It is such a gorgeous song that I want to buy everything that The Mekons have ever recorded, and all of Sally Timms’ solo records, and follow them on tour just in case they play it. Here’s where it all falls down, though – I’ve heard almost all of their other records and they do nothing for me at all, leave me stone cold. For over thirty years.

By way of a reversal of the “one rubbish track on a great album” debate: Which band or artist (who have released at least two albums) would be completely without interest if it wasn’t for just one song which gives you a nice sunny feeling inside whenever you hear it and vindicates an otherwise not very interesting career?

Mystery Date Revealed: A ’90s Artist and Her Collaborators

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Jun 032011

Will Your Mystery Date Be a Dream or a Dud?

So our ’90s-era Mystery Date was California-born and -based singer-guitarist Barbara Manning, who’s released records as a solo artist and a member of various bands, including SF Seals (ie, the “local baseball team” ladymisskirroyale referred to) and the World of Pooh. These songs are from a collaboration called Barbara Manning Sings With the Original Artists she did Stuart Moxham of Young Marble Giants (who accompanies her on the first track, “When I Dream”) and Jon Langford of The Mekons (on the second Mystery Date track, “Gold Brick”), among others. You probably know the varying sounds of The Mekons. Young Marble Giants is one of those bands that you may have heard of but never actually heard. Here’s a Young Marble Giants track that showcases Moxham’s guitar style:

DEAL WITH IT! (Pt. 2)

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Apr 272011

Although this is nowhere near as much to deal with as what we dealt with last time, I found this clip a bit…challenging. Maybe part of it has to do with being a fan of The Band and never considering “It Makes No Difference” to lend itself to a solo dance performance. I eventually came to terms with it. How about you?