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After a long absence from Musicophilia, I’m very happy to be (almost) fully back to my normal geeky self. To kick things back into action, we return to an ongoing series of mixes made by Hiram Lucke of The Harvey Girls which explores the wide-ranging influences of his eclectic, adventurous, and geeky-in-the-best-way band. For the first mix and the story behind the series–and especially for samples of The Harvey Girls’ music–don’t miss ‘Good Morning‘. For those about to rock, we present ‘Afternöön Röck Blöck‘. I’ll leave the insights and the concepts to Hiram, as he’s provided a great personal essay on what all the music means to he and his partner in life-and-music Melissa (included with the download and quoted below). I’ll simply say that if Musicophilia has ever seemed a little too earnest or cerebral or mannered, this mix gives the blog a nice kick in the pants while wearing a beaming smile from ear to ear.
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Things start off back in your teenaged, pre-geek, pre-access-to-everything years with Led Zeppelin, (post post-punk) Mekons and Blue Oyster Cult. But this is a mix made by an unrepentant geek, so while the music continues to rock, it quickly leaves behind strict genre-allegiance to Rock. And so we visit Selda Bagcan, Howlin’ Wolf, the Tall Dwarfs, and Buck Owens. Pre-streamled Flaming Lips hug close to Aretha Franklin, next to Adam & The Ants. John Cale hangs out with Dennis Wilson, whose harmonies are echoed by ELO next door to glorious pop-mode Wire. Things finish off with two old Musicophilia faves, Jonathan Richman (in acoustic Modern Lovers mode) and Robert Wyatt, blissfully kissing the afternoon goodbye. It all makes sense when you know Hiram:
I spent my early childhood in the late 70s and early 80s, so my brain doesn’t really see what’s wrong with androgyny, polyester (as long as I don’t have to wear it), or overly-dramatic and completely overblown pop songs. I love Black Sabbath as much as I love ABBA. I can listen to a lot of proggy goodness in the way of Guru Guru and then turn on the sixth Beatle Jeff Lynne and his bubblegumilicious candy-prog band ELO.
Download link with artwork and Hiram’s full thoughts are after the “more…” link. Stay tuned for the beautiful conclusion to this series, ‘Night Time = Right Time,’ probably my favorite of the bunch.
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Various Artists – ‘Afternöön Röck Blöck’
(Mixed by The Harvey Girls, Mix 2 of 3, August 2009)01 [00:00] The Mekons – “Rock and Roll” (‘The Mekons Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ 1989)
02 [03:29] Led Zeppelin – “Misty Mountain Hop” (‘Led Zeppelin IV,’ 1971)
03 [08:01] Truck Stop Love – “Other Stars” (‘How I Spent My Summer Vacation,’ 1995)
04 [10:50] Blue Oyster Cult – “Burning For You” (‘Fire of Unknown Origin,’ 1981)
05 [15:16] Zoom – “Balboa’s Cannon” (‘Helium Octipede,’ 1994)
06 [17:55] Selda bagcan – “Meydan Sinzidir” (‘Selda Bagcan,’ 1976)
07 [21:33] Howlin’ Wolf – “Down in the Bottom” (‘Howlin’ Wolf,’ 1962)
08 [23:40] Tall Dwarfs – “Starry Eyed and Wooly Brained” (‘3 EPs,’ 1994)
09 [26:30] Buck Owens – “Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass” (Single, 1969)
10 [28:47] Flaming Lips – “Talkin’ ‘Bout the Smiling Deathporn Immorality Blues” (‘Hit to Death in the Future Head,’ 1992)
11 [32:31] Aretha Franklin – “Save Me” (‘I Never Loved a Man The Way I Love You,’ 1967)
12 [34:44] Adam & The Ants – “Prince Charming” (‘Prince Charming,’ 1981)
13 [37:58] John Cale – “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” (‘Paris 1919,’ 1973)
14 [41:12] Linda Husik – “Good Times Roll” (‘Rutles Highway Revisited,’ 1990)
15 [45:07] Dennis Wilson – “River Song” (‘Pacific Ocean Blue,’ 1977)
16 [48:46] Wire – “Outdoor Miner” (‘Chairs Missing,’ 1978)
17 [51:34] Dsico – “Fateful Pavement” (Online Release, 2002)
18 [54:55] Electric Light Orchestra – “Mr. Blue Sky” (‘Out of the Blue,’ 1977)
19 [59:48] Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – “Afternoon” (‘Rock ‘n’ Roll With the Modern Lovers,’ 1977)
20 [62:34] Robert Wyatt – “Heaps of Sheep” (‘Shleep,’ 1997)[Total Time: 67:30]
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