I post playlists to an online radio station called Viva Radio. There are tons of great shows on there from awesome people. My “show” is called Pyjamarama. Of the last three “episodes” one of them as as new as this week and at least two of them are available in my archives. Here they “are”.
From a Silver Phial
Just read Mr. Tambourine Man, the biography of Gene Clark, who is my favorite songwriter ever. You wouldn’t think that of me, unless you knew me. The amount of folk and country in my collection is relatively small. Still, nothing quite touches me the way his music does. This playlist used him as a starting point but as usual I just went with my gut. There are some connections here…Beau Brummels writing music for the Everlys, Dion and Del Shannon’s lesser known late 60s rock, Del Shannon had covered Billy Nicholl’s Come Again, Billy, Del Shannon and Small Faces all on (or almost on) Immediate, Scott Walker covering Tim Hardin, Tim singing a song the Small Faces covered, a bunch of baroque stuff. One of the most interesting things I learned from the Gene Clark book was that during one of his few brief reunions with the Byrds just after Crosby left the band during The Notorious Byrd Brothers, Gene sang harmony vocals on “Going Back” and with Roger co-wrote “Get To You” but never got credit. I should upload an all Gene playlist. His sound really varied over the years but his songs are always instantly recognizable as his. That voice. That melancholy. My favorite.
1. Link Wray – La-de-da
2. The Byrds – Get To You
3. Dillard and Clark – With Care from Someone
4. The Everly Brothers – Shady Grove
5. The Beau Brummels – Turn Around
6. The Charltans – Codine
7. Gene Clark – From a Silver Phial
8. Small Faces – Song of a Baker
9. Billy Nicholls – Come Again
10. Del Shannon – It’s My Feeling
11. Dion & the Belmonts – My Girl the Month of May
12. The Move – Message From the Country
13. Neil Young – Walk On
14. Tim Hardin – Red Balloon
15. Scott Walker – Black Sheep Boy
16. The Merry-Go-Round – Saturday Night
17. The Left Banke – My Friend Today
18. Colin Blunstone – Though You Are Far Away
19. Gene Clark – In a Misty Morning
Sleep Will Come
No great logic here other than opening and closing with obscure Syd Barrett covers. The Able Tasmans song is a recent discovery/obsession of mine. Louder Animal Group I learned about from Steve at Low Down Kids years ago, one of those mysterious post-punk DIY singles distributed by Rough Trade. I forgot how great a song that is until I put this playlist together.
1. Dolphins – She Took a Long Cold Look
2. David Bowie – Speed of Life
3. Bill Nelson’s Red Noise – Wonder Toys that Will Last Forever
4. Devo – Meca-Mania Boy
5. Jacques Dutronc – Mini, Mini, Mini
6. Fred Frith – Evolution
7. Tres – I Doubt
8. Louder Animal Group – Pip Pop
9. Brian Eno – Strong Flashes of Light
10. Jez and Vini – Sleep Will Come
11. Richard Jobson and Bill Nelson – Ieyasu
12. Fiat Lux – Feels Like Winter Again
13. Robert Marlow – The Face of Dorian Gray
14. Michael Nyman – A Walk Through H
15. Able Tasmans – Hold Me 1
16. No Night Sweats – Nights in a Glass
17. Franco Battiato – No U-Turn
18. Cleaners From Venus – Late Night
Late Night
Thanks on this one to my old friend Liz who made me mix-tapes with Pink Industry and Cocteau Twins on it when we were sophomores in high school. She was also a partial inspiration for one of my very first Viva playlists, the long-archived Chasing Sheep. Thanks also to Brian for hipping me to the Sade and Laetitia Sadier songs.
1. Pink Industry – Anyone’s Fashion
2. Cocteau Twins – Wax and Wane
3. Ultra Vivid Scene – Kind of a Drag
4. Salem – Frost
5. Bryan Ferry – Song to the Siren
6. Sade – Soldier of Love
7. A.C. Marias – One of Our Girls Has Gone Missing
8. Colin newman – We Means, We Starts
9. The Passions – I’m In Love With a German Film Star
10. Young Marble Giants – Ode to Booker T
11. Laetitia Sadier – One Million Year Trip
12. Ben Watt and Robert Wyatt – Walter and John
13. Robert Wyatt – A Sunday in Madrid
14. Syd Barrett – Late Night
