from Nancy to Will with love

You know that moment, when you read a track listing, and you know that someone has really thought long and hard about what they are doing? That's what happened when I read the track listing on the CD I got from Nancy. I knew she had spent hours, thinking carefully, about what she was going to send me. She knew a lot of my story, she knew what songs she was going to send me. The CD track listing was wonderful.

And now, breathe...

1. Breathless - X
No messing about, straight in with something that rocks! It's not a cover of The Corrs (which was a bit scary at first) and definitely not a cover of Shayne Ward (thank the powers that be) but was a straight forward X rendition of Breathless. And this is the way I'd like to be breathless - maxim pogoing, excessive bouncing around. Music is supposed to be fun (in my book) and this is fun, Fun, FUN!

2. Ruby Soho - Rancid
The Clash. The Clash. The Clash. I have a history with this track. I was convinced, the first time that I heard this track (many moons ago) that this was The Clash - could Tim Armstrong sound more like Joe Strummer on this track? My son was listening to it and my heart soared! Yes!! My son is listening to The Clash - my job, as a parent, is done! Of course it isn't The Clash, it's Rancid (who, my son informed me, are the founding fathers of punk - which cost him three years in his bedroom, on bread and water). But this song has a great punk feel with the right amount of reggae backbeat mixed in (which, for those of you taking notes, is very little - all songs should try to avoid reggae...are you listening Joe?).

3. Oh, Oh, I love Her So - The Ramones
"I met her at the Burger King.
We fell in love at the soda machine."
Two minutes of power packed energy. Tell the story and then get out. The Ramones are gods - and unfortunately most of them are in heaven as I type. The early 70s was not a great time to listen to music as a pre-teenager/teenager. The only drugs that were readily available were sugar, sugar, and sugar. If you could lay your hands on anything harder then you could listen to Yes, Genesis, Rick Wakeman, ELP, and anything else that went on and on and on and on. What I wanted was something fast, something energetic, something that didn't talk about trolls and orcs. I got the Ramones! Was I happy? Gabba, gabba hey, I was happy! The Ramones are gods. Nuff said.

4. Ca Plane Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrand
Blondie sang in French on Denise, Denise. Nena sang in German on 99 Red Balloons. And Plastic Betrand was French (yes, I know Nena was German!). Did I care? No! I bounced around the room in 1978 and I was still bouncing around (thirty years later) in 2008. Of course, thanks to the power of the t'internet I now know I was dancing to lyrics that went:

Wham!
Bam!
Someone poured whiskey on my cat, Splash
And lit him
He went "boof"
While he was on my bed
I tried to put him out with a broom
My goitre problem got in the way (I sleep naked?)
Very quickly
Ouch,Ouch,Ouch,Ouch
In four colours
Ey up!
One morning
There's loot at my place
It's my shit wrapped in plastic
Horse's in fishnets
Spare a drop in one's mouth
It's a very grand beer dance
I like my beer in a big glass
And spew
Ooo,Ooo,Ooo,Ooo

Come on you Indians in your igloos
That's life for me.
Me, me, me, me
Ey up!
The mother
Is larger than a panel
What a vibration
And a voyage through passion
Be my dirty passenger
And ride in my lime Combi
You are King of the divan
Oh,Oh,Oh,Oh
I'm King of the divan
That's life for me
Ey up!
Occupy me
Touch my trinkets
Touch my little house plant
It's not today that I wish to talk of tambourines
Or the head of a mannequin
Yeah,Yeah,Yeah,Yeah
That's life for me
Repeat thrice...
Ey up!
My Nana's the best
She's bizzarre
Marry me
And carry my case
Lever me onto the bar
My life force will come for a grand cocktail
Oh yeah,Yeah,Yeah,Yeah
Dance on the plate
That's life for me
My life for me

Yes, I fell stupid now! But, there again, I have had haircuts that I don't like to talk about :^)

5. Lipstick - Imperial Teen
It starts wonderfully, full of promise, the music has a wonderful raw edge to it and I really am liking this. The bass kicks in, the guitar rides over the top, heck, even the lyrics have an edge to them. I do feel like he needs to be more shouty. He needs an edge to his voice. In spite of this, I like the song, a plus, overall.

6. California - Little Red Rocket
Who are Little Red Rocket? A sort of cross between The Bangles and Veruca Salt with a little B52s thrown in. Have you ever heard "Come back to Texas" by Bowling For Soup, one of my favourite songs? The lyrics are very reminiscent of that. Liked it.

7. Welcome to Tijuana - Manu Chao
Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Don't get me wrong, I loved this song. However it is one of those songs that starts to creep up on you at totally the wrong time. And there is a time and place to sing songs that creep up on you unnoticed. It isn't a good moment when you are wandering around a classroom, checking up on kid's work, singing along:
Welcome to Tijuana,
Tequila, sexo y marihuana.
Thanks for that :^)

8. Mi Vida Brilla - Aterciopelados
My life shines - thanks for noticing! I'm sure that the lyrics to this are wonderful. I'm sure that you thought long and hard about choosing this. But (unfortunately for this track) I'm a music man first, lyrics guy second (actually, Maria will tell you that lyrics tend to come in a poor fourth after music, music, music). This was something that Phil Collins could have sung along to...sorry, because (in my world) it don't get much worse than that.

9. Es Por Ti - Juanes
Ooooooooooo, I've just got a new mobile phone and it comes with Juanes wallpaper, Juanes themes, Juanes ringtones. I'm not using any of them! Are you scared about what I'm going to say next!!??!! I like this. It is on constant rotation, at the moment, on MTVMexico, which means that I was already familiar with it. However, it wasn't on my mp3 player before - 'tis now! Don't know how familiar you are with the works of Sr. Juanes but there are other songs that I do like more. But thanks for this - am scoring a certain amount of "street cred" points!

10. Crystal Frontier - Calexico
Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, anyone who has rocks in the back of his throat (hell, Edith Piaff) would have made this song brilliant. (Can I use the word edge again?) I know this isn't a country song, I know that it is trying to be Tex-Mex in its sound, but it just needs to be a little more rough in the vocals. It is a song that tells a pain-staking story (or two), it needs vocals that add to that pain. Now, if you can find me a cover version done by Rick Astley, I'd love it :^) And I am being serious! It needs to be more blues-y, more something.

11. Mexican Moon - Concrete Blonde
This is going to be your favourite track on the whole CD - I know that because...because if this was playing in a supermarket I'd stop shopping and walk out the store. If this was playing in an elevator, I'd get out at the next floor. There is probably a nice way to say how I feel about this song but the words escape me for the moment. It takes 50+ seconds for the vocals to kick in and I don't blame the vocalist. If I was asked to sing along to this I'd hesitate a hell of a lot longer. Too harsh? Sorry. I knew you'd like it :^(

12. Mahna, Mahna - Cake.
Rule number one: Don't mess with The Muppets. There is one definitive version of this song and it is done by The Muppets. Nuff said!

13. David - Nellie McKay
Promise you won't tell anyone I said this? I liked this. I have no idea who this person is, never heard of her before. If you were to ask me, in public, about this song I would have to say that I spent most of the time with my head in a kitchen drawer, slamming it shut, repeatedly. However, between you and me, I liked it. Would this be the wrong moment to mention it made me think of "Belleville Rendez-vous", which I also liked. I'll go stand in the corner for a bit.

14. Private Suit - Bettie Serveert
Either I know this or it sounds like something I've heard before. Maybe that's it - it sounds like something I've heard before - and it just washed over me. I kept trying to listen to it, hitting rewind, sitting down, forcing myself to listen to it, and the next thing you know is that I'm in the next room doing something else. It just didn't hold my attention. Sorry. The word "generic" comes to mind. There is nothing in this to catch on to, nothing new, nothing different. I think I've heard it before. And I probably didn't listen to it then.

15. Nobody - Paul Simon
Paul Simon is a poet. These are lyrics that I would quite happily sing to Maria. Hell, so long as she doesn't read this I might just cut and paste them into an email! Yay me!

16. Secret Heart - Ron Sexsmith
This is a real person! That is his real name!! Damn, I was hoping he was a rapper with a made-up name!!! But no, it appears that: His first five albums are generally melancholic pop-folk with elegant melodies, accentuated use of guitars and economic application of other instruments. Nancy, I love you, I really do. We love you, we both do!! But this is a generally melancholic pop-folk song with elegant melodies, accentuated use of guitars and an economic application of other instruments. Me, I'm putting my head in the kitchen drawer again!!!!

17. Blue Magic - Kelly Hogan
Good News - this isn't Hulk Hogan's daughter. This song needs to be listened to at 11:37pm as you drive out the city on into the desert. The top down on your convertible, the music system on full, the sky full of stars, the wind in your hair. At some stage, you need to drive past Slash, doing the guitar solo, in the middle of nowhere. Wonderful guitar solos.

18. Into My Arms - Nick Cave
It's Nick Cave - do I have to say more? But I will. The lyrics are perfect. The vocals are perfect. The emotion in this song is wonderful. A fantastic end to the CD!

...but wait...what's this?....

19. Bonus Track
Promise that you won't tell anyone this? I have a weird love for Gilbert and Sullivan. I have performed in three of their operettas and produced one. I am that boring person who sings along when, Sideshow Bob or Bart, break into song in "The Simpsons". I love Gilbert and Sullivan!! I am also English! I am not British. I am not European. I am English!! So, the bonus track is from H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan. It is the song "For He Is An Englishman". Loved it!!

Wow! That was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Sometimes it is very difficult to actually put in words why a certain song works for you. The good news (for Nancy) is that the CD will slip into the rotation. It will be in the changer, tracks will come up, people will ask who it is, and I will be able to answer. Thanks!