Paul Newman - Re-issue! Re-package! Re-package!
Re-evaluate the Song  Double-pack with a photograph extra track (and a tacky badge). Give into the fascists and pick up… …all the Joy Division reissue’s and that fancy Death in June package.

Now onto the movies…
Blade Runner
Five DVD version in a deal or no deal case with toys and lots o’ stuff including five versions of this sci-fi epic.

There Will Be Blood DVD
Paul Thomas Anderson’s version of Citizen Kane portraying the tru American Dream (greed is good)…and so is the soundtrack by that Jonny Greenwood guy.

Control DVD
Anton Corbijn’s Ian Curtis biopic, filmed in the fuzzy black and white!

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters DVD
A true tale of good vs. evil: “Jobs are for people that can’t play videogames.”

tip: www.myspace.com/hankcraddick

The Five best used singles I found this past year.

The Diablos featuring Nolan Strong - The Wind (Fortune Records, 1954)
Formed in Detroit in about 1950, the Diablos sound centered on the eerily ethereal, lead tenor voice of Nolan Strong, (his cousin, Barrett Strong, wrote ‘’Money’’ and other R&B standards). Music historians often site The Diablos as the originators and early archetypes to the Motown sound. “The Wind”, written by the group, has a curiously ghostly quality; a simple guitar line plays with a light vibrato filling in behind the background harmonies singing “blow wind”, as Strong’s incredibly delicate, smooth as silk lead carries over the top. The atmosphere takes on a strange feel during the bridge when, backed by a quirky plate-reverb effect, Strong quietly recites his lines about his missing lover. All and all it’s just bizarrely and evocatively captivating. Some eight years later the single was rereleased, this time reaching the Billboard charts. “The Wind” is now regarded as a doo wop classic and is much sought after by collectors. With varied lineups, the Diablos would continue to record for Fortune Records until about 1964, though they never charted nationally again. Nolan Strong was heavily influenced by Clyde McPhatter, in turn he would be a huge influence on a young Smokey Robinson & the Miracles over at Motown. At one point Berry Gordy tried to sign Nolan Strong & the Diablos, reportedly offering 5,000 dollars for the their contract, but a deal never emerged. Later, Gordy would cover another Diablos’ composition “Mind over Matter” on his Mel-O-Dy label with a group called the Pirates, later known as the Temptations.

Gloria Walker - Talking About My Bab (Flaming Arrows Records, 1969)
This is actually the b-side to the Chevelles single “The Gallop” (they also back Walker on her track). On side one the Chevelles play tight, funky and in tune ...but not so true on side two! Anyway, Miss Walker is lamenting the behavior of her man in a monologue that ends with the lyrics from Etta James’ “I’d rather go Blind”. There’s a cool soulful bass line, some minimal guitar work with just a touch of vibrato. Mood … laid back. So the song begins with the story of Gloria and her lover and what she use to think was true. Then wham! Two second later she’s going off about what you really need to worry about is your close girl friends; because when they tell you about your man’s cheating ways, they’re just “trying to get some for themselves”. Set into motion is a deeply paranoid rant, Gloria Walker’s monologue ends with her shouting “dirty dirty dirty!” to her girl friends, to her ex and to anyone else within earshot! Simply said, she becomes completely unhinged, (then again I may be over-reading this whole thing and just reliving some of my own personal shit …). Anyway, the song ends on her super souled-up, desperate vocals digging into the melody, the Chevelles horns come in underneath … completely out of whack and totally out of tune. I guess it’s just the sound you’d expect from a one-take-in-and-out-of-the-studio situation, second tier bands had to put up with because you’ve got your Ike’s or Lee’s or Slim’s waiting (and possibly packin’) in the hallway. I’m not sure what ever happened to Gloria Walker, but she is my kind of woman: out of her freaking mind crazy, surreal hot chick that can stop time with a song.

Anna King - Sally (End Records, 1964)
Some time ago I wrote about a Jean Dushon single, “I’m Tired”, and with absolute, overthe- top aplomb I ranted, raved and foamed. A discovery like that, out of the blue, only happens once in a lifetime. I went so far as to say that my aching back was miraculously healed just by hearing the song. Well … I may have been wrong. Not only did my backache return, eventually it worsened. But Wait! Then I heard “Sally” by Anna King … I think I had a religious experience. And I swear to god I haven’t had an asthma attack since I first heard this cut … these healing sounds, as if touched by the hands of Benny Hinn … Anyway, as I have often found, it’s all about the fl ip side, and “Sally” is the B-side to “Mama’s Got a Bag of Her Own”, a kind of a dig at her old boss James Brown, and that’s a great track too, but “Sally”, oh Sally . . . The song builds slowly, once again a story unfolds. “Sally” is an impossibly soulful, medium tempo ballad with just a hint of a musical arrangement. Starting with little piano, a touch of a bass, kick drum and all the room in the world for Anna King. She fi rst starts off a little breathy, a little hesitant, telling her dear friend Sally about her no good boyfriend. But by the second verse the vocals just lay it on the line: Sally should just forget that son of a bitch, because as Anna King plainly states, “I’m gonna steal him from you.” And I thought they were pals! There isn’t enough space here to sufficiently explain the greatness of this cut. Find it, even if it takes you a decade. So what. Think of it as a religious pilgrimage and you’re seeking the truth. Hey, I’m serious!

Jimmy Ricks & The Raves - Daddy Rolling Stone / Homesick (Atco, 1962)
Jimmy Ricks is the greatest bass/baritone singer in the history of recorded music … jazz, or classical, gospel or soul, R&B, C&W or rock… Rick’s voice was so rich, so deep, and so flexible; no one has ever come close to surpassing his abilities. It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that every aspiring R&B or gospel singer with a low voice, especially in the 1950’s, wanted to sound like Jimmy Ricks. His career lasted some 30 years, from the mid forties until his death in 1974. And though the Ravens or Ricks as a solo artist had few charting hits, he was always a popular draw. Both sides of this single are amazing, but “Homesick” is the one that sticks in my head for days on end; a mid tempo Latin groove thing with an understated R&B feel, add a little exotic flute in the background and you’ve got a masterpiece. The song is a heartrending tale of a man trying to fend for his family by going to the city to get rich and bring back a better life, but he finds all the things he thought he wanted isn’t worth the loneliness and the pain of leaving his loved ones behind. I’ve said this a few times before, but records, any style, any era, don’t get much better than “Homesick.” Jimmy Ricks was really a one of a kind talent.

Jerry Butler - Isle of Sirens (Vee-Jay Records, 1962)
While most of the world was dancing to and buying only twist records, a few brave souls insisted on releasing incredibly provocative pop records which of course failed to sell. This is one of those records. Jerry Butler was known as “The Ice Man” because of his cool demeanor, cool vocal styling, and he was also a great songwriter (he cowrote, with Otis Redding, “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”). But on this record it’s his Impressions’ band mate, Curtis Mayfield, who really shines. First of all Mayfield wrote “Isle of Sirens”, but what excels most is his virtuosic guitar work. Mayfi eld not only was a hugely talented composer and producer but one of the greatest guitarists of his generation. A purveyor of the idea that less is more, Mayfi eld’s economy of notes would always create just the right mood or feel. On occasion he would just set his guitar loose on a song, but his note selection, variety of tones, space, and soulfulness was always brilliant, something most guitarists will never approach. “Isle of Sirens” is of course the saga of a sailor who can’t resist the call of the mythical Sirens singing to passing ships, and try as he may, Butler can’t defy their beautiful cries. At the end of the song, blind with desire, the song’s narrator fearlessly jumps over board into the sea, in a splash of strings and ghostly female voices. The song is perfect, the vocals are perfect, the spacious and restrained production is perfect and the guitar playing is a gift.

Various Artists - Si, Para Usted: The Funky Beats of Revolutionary Cuba, Vol. 1
A collection of Cuban groups from the late ‘60s to the mid seventies infl uenced by rock, funk and Samba. This movement in Cuban music rivaled the Nuyorican movement that also occurred during the same time period in New York. It’s dirty, funky and has all the great rhythms that you would expect from Cuban musicians.

Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru - various artists
Popular in Peru for many years but new to most, This Compilation touches the surface of Chica, a variation of Cumbia that is guitar heavy and uses vox organs rather than the accordion that is used in traditional Cumbia. The music has its western infl uences yet retains its Afro-Peruvian roots. The music on Roots Of Chicha African reminds me of other great musical styles such as Soukous, Jamaican Ska and Ethiopian Jazz as much as it does Cumbia.

Quantic Soul Orchestra - Tropidelico
Quantic made a big splash in 2006 with his collaboration with Nickodemus on their monster international hit, “Mi Swing Es Tropical” on Tropidelico, Quantic goes deeper in his Latin music explorations with Boogaloo, Salsa, Mambo and Cumbia tracks mixed with QSO funky production. She Said What? W/ J-Live is a standout Boogaloo/
Hip-Hop track and “Lead Us To The End” features the great pipes of L.A.’s own, Noelle Scaggs, formerly of The Rebirth.

Tim Maia - Nobody Can Live Forever
If Caetano is the Brazilian Dylan and Os Mutantes were the equivalent of the Beatles, It would be safe to say Tim Maia was Brazil’s answer to Sly Stone. It’s funky with quiet grooves and bits of Psychedelic and Brazilian grooves. Tim Maia releases have been hard to fi nd over the last few and this collection so this collection should satisfy one’s curiosity ‘til his entire classic album is one day released.

Todos Tus Muertos - Greatest Hits
Todos Tus Muertos were one of Roc En Espanol brightest moments during the 90’s. Their lyrics were way to the left and their live shows were legendary. Musically, they have been compared to The Bad Brains because they are a rock band that played Reggae and their two co-lead singers, Pablo and Fidel, are both black, which is rare for a band from Argentina. Along with bands such as Los Cafres, Cultura Profectica and Gondwana, Todos Tus Muertos are the forefathers of the burgeoning Reggae En Espanol movement that is ready to explode any day now.

Geronimo - self-titled
This album would be a great soundtrack for the next Dario Argento - whoever that may be. Much like Goblin, the band that Argento used for some of his classic horror flicks (Suspira, Profondo Rosso) Geronimo makes a soundscape of eerie sounds with a heavy rhythm section that reminds me of early Swans. Geronimo sounds like no other group around. Part of that reason is that the band’s creator, Bill Nelson only plays instruments that he creates. (Check out the instruments at Trogotronics.com). On top of that, his rhythm section is from East L.A. Orale East Los!

Also get:
The Budos Band - Budos Band II

Café Tacvba - Si No

Authenticité: The Syliphone

Years 1965-80 - various artists

Mala Rodriguez - Malamarismo

Tego Calderón - El Abayarde Contra-Ataca

Ticklah - Ticklah vs. Axelrod

Toumani Diabate - Mande Variations
If you think “no more kora” (west African harp) albums, check again: Toumani is one of the greatest musicians in a classical sense, not just African. This is a more personal, profound album, totally unaccompanied. Meditative,and beautifully recorded.

Wijdan DVD
Beautifully filmed encounter between traditional Gnawa musicians from Morocco and Malian musicians (the Gnawas are descendants of black slaves that were taken into Morocco). A must for anybody interested in trance, music, rituals, etc. – the portraits are amazingly intimate.

The Yacoubian Building DVD
Hit movie in Egypt about the people living in one building which show the issues of the society in a surprisingly candid way, a real window into another world, and absolutely well-made.

Waiting for Happiness DVD
By my favorite director from Mauritania, Abderrahmane Sissako. A poetic, dreamy film about a young man getting ready to leave his country. Not much of a narrative, just amazing shots. Totally timeless.

Hollow City DVD
An orphaned child trying to survive in the capital of Angola – though it could be any African city – beautifully fi lmed by Maria João Ganga, a newcomer, from a child’s view.

Alemayehu Eshete - Ethiopiques #22
Recently I met this man and is he ever suave, a bit of an Ethiopian Little Richard, who would appeal to anyone that heard the great Mulatu Astatque. Lots of blues & groove!

Andy Palacio - Watina
The Garifuna artist’s latest album finally made it in world music circles, and then he died of a heart attack. There is not much cultural music available from the Central American countries. This garifuna music was proclaimed one of the “masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity” by UNESCO, and this CD would be a great example.

Bembeya Jazz - Syliphone Years
The true African super group before there was “world music,” funky stuff from Guinea, which was a socialist country & refused help from its former colonizers, there by eliminating itself from the international radar. A few lucky people have this stuff on vinyl, and FINALLY this compilation of their best years was released.

A Visit to Ali Farka Toure DVD
Combination of great music, scenery, and philosophy. Ali Farka Toure as ecologist who knows that Africa has to be self-sufficient – and he had become an important local figure as farmer, investing his money in improving conditions in his homeland.

I’d like to recommend 5 acts from the Oldies Dept. at Amoeba that seem to fly a tad under the radar. These groups do not sound anything like one another...

Peanut Butter Conspiracy
This L.A. group issued two albums on Columbia circa ‘67-’68. A nice amalgam of Jefferson Airplane and Mamas & the Papas. Well executed harmonies matched with psych instrumental accompaniment.

Rascals - Young
Kingpins of the mid-’60s “Long Island Sound” scene that included The Vagrants (Leslie West), The Pigeons (later Vanilla Fudge), Gandalf, and others. I’m mainly familiar with their early material when they still had “Young” attached to their name. Hot soulful raving rockers mixed with beautifully rendered ballads. Racked up 5 Top Ten hits including 3 #1s between ‘66 and ‘68. Great organ sound...

Olympics
Formed in Compton in 1954, this rhythm ‘n blues vocal group left a varied batch of records as a legacy. Their fi rst (and largest) hit was the 1958 novelty “Western Movies”. They waxed a wonderful and somewhat incoherent dance disc “(Baby) Hully Gully” that launched scores of imitations. Toward the end of their career (and after member Charles Fizer was killed during 1965’s Watts Riot) they delivered two fi ne up-tempo soul numbers, “Mine Exclusively” and “Baby Do The Philly Dog”. Los Angeles has an amazing R &B history that can boast acts like Bobby Day, Bob & Earl, Johnny Otis (and his many bands and acolytes), Richard Berry, Robins and early Coasters, Brenton Wood, War, Hollywood Flames and on and on...

Troggs
British band whose early days were its best. Had a #1 with the deathless “Wild Thing” in ‘66. My personal primitive faves are “From Home”, “I Want You” (not the Dylan song) and “Gonna Make You”. Made the world safe for AC/DC...

“5” Royales
Wrote about these guys briefl y in an earlier Music We Like. They started as a Gospel vocal group in the 1940s. Went secular early ‘50s and made a string of outstanding singles on both the Apollo and King record labels. Much of their late ‘50s material features stinging lead guitar by chief songwriter Lowman Pauling.

Tip: The recent 13th Floor Elevators, Gram Parsons and Doors by the Doors books are to be recommended. Always remember, precious and few are the moments we two can share...

Ferraby Lionheart - Catch the Brass Ring

Radiohead - In Rainbows

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim

Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List: Season 1 DVD
Jesus had nothing to do with this listing.

tip: Lori McKenna, A Fine Frenzy, Meg Librizzi & friends - smoke a bowl with Jesus.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 6 DVD
This is easily the funniest show on television. Larry David is a genius.

Thailand - Motorcade
Thailand is an underrated indie electro from Los Angeles. If you’re a fan of Brian Eno, Krautrock, and/or contemporary electro pop bands, you should check them out.

Various Artists - Eccentric Soul: The Outskirts of Deep City CD/LP
This is the Numero Group’s 17th compilation of soul and funk, and it is probably my favorite. Quality tunes from obscure artists I probably otherwise wouldn’t be familiar with.

John Maus - Love is Real
A collaborator and friend of Ariel Pink, John Maus’s last release got a lot of guff from music critics. I think with tunes like “Do Your Best” (a song that would easily fi t on a Buffalo Bill mix tape) will help this album be more warmly accepted.

Spindrift - The Legend of God’s Gun
Apparently, over the last couple of years the band shot a full length feature film and recorded a soundtrack to go along with it, but the movie has yet to be released. I’m not sure what the movie’s about, but if I had to take a guess from the soundtrack, I would say it’s a mix between a mescaline trip and “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”.

Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
Another beautiful record from Mr. Banhart, the youngest musician to bear the title of Mr. California. Each new record shows him getting even better at singing and writing. His voice has a new lower richness to it, and there are so many different styles of songs. “Smokey” is an ambitious album that still manages to sound cohesive. It’s great to hear someone have the means to realize all of their musical ideas. I love his arrangements, especially with piano, acoustic guitar, and the backing vocals. He often adopts characters for the different songs and acts them out to some extent, occasionally even switching gender in the lyrics. There are more sad songs this time; a breakup is obviously being dealt with. More songs in Spanish, too, the Tropicalia inspired “Samba Vexillographica”, the sassy sounding “Carmensita”, along with the quietly beautiful “Rosa”, and the opening song, ”Cristobal.” Devendra’s interest in vaudeville continues with “So Long Old Bean,” all understated and heartwrenching, and in 50s Doo-Wop with “Sha-Bop Shalom,” the silliest song on the album. There’s also a gospel rocker, “Saved”, complete with soulful choir, and the Jackson 5 styled “Lover.” Even tense reggae rhythm acoustic guitar on the guilt ridden and regretful “The Other Woman.” I’m not even mentioning some of my less stylized favorites. One more thing: I really don’t see why a deal has been made about how weird he is; even though he may use some unusual and jarring imagery, the sentiment behind Mr. Banhart’s lyrics (when he’s not “in character”) is level headed and open hearted. I think he just has free and uncensored access to his imagination, a skill that we should all be encouraged to use!

Neil Young - Chrome Dreams II
Wow, this record really shows Neil’s guitar soloing and lyric writing at his most genius! What a great album! There are warm, quiet country songs with harmonica, lap-steel and acoustic guitar, mentions of birds in flight, and walking through sun-drenched trees, and then there’s the moody, stormy rockers uncovering the dark side of human nature. The 18 minute long “Ordinary People” is the provocative centerpiece exposing greed, corruption, drug addiction, and brain washing as the ugly, not -so- hidden side of American culture. He lumps the drug and illegal weapons dealers into the song about the “hardworking, ordinary people,” saying that at this point, criminals are part of the American economy. And when the goal is to get as much money as you can, people caring for one another vanish and corruption is invited in. He seems to be reminding us “ordinary” citizens that we must accept responsibility for what is done to us by the government and corporations. Such a complex, amazing song! Great horn section riff, there is even a sax solo and a powerful but sentimental, flag waving poppy piano, and incredible guitar solos. This song sounds like classic Crazy Horse, with Ralph Molina on drums and Frank Sampedro on guitar. Other standouts are “Dirty Old Man” with its stompy Cajun fi ddle and blazing Hammond organ, “Spirit Road” about temptation and self destructiveness, the “snake” that steals “your soul without a fight”, and the antidote song to the snake, “The Way,” sounding so angelic with a childrens’ chorus featured. Especially  touching that a man in his 60s can write such a sweet, hopeful song. An album for all you soul searchers out there.

Caetano Veloso - Caetano Veloso
(Originally released in 1971; vinyl reissue 2007 on the Lilith label)
One of my all time favorite albums has been reissued, so you bet I’m writing about it! This is the third self- titled Caetano Veloso album, recorded in London after his imprisonment and then exile from Brazil. It shows an artist who feels homesick, isolated, and is recovering from the shock of a horrible experience. He says in his autobiography, “Tropical Truth,” written in 2002, that no one who has been in jail is ever 100% free again, even after their release. So while there is an overall sadness, there’s no self pity. There is even some dark, absurd humor and carefree, childlike observations. The lyrics are poetic gold: there is a direct honesty that never gets too heavy emotionally and conveys precisely feelings and ideas. He knows how to draw a listener in; the fi rst line of “Maria Bethania,” a song about his sister back in Brazil, starts, “Everybody knows that our cities were built to be destroyed.” Whoa, tell me more... His beautiful, expressive singing never loses control, and he knows how to push his vocal range and stretch words to make them more melodic. He does some pretty eccentric nasal humming/ scat singing at the end of two songs, further making him my hero for just going for it and not caring if someone will think he is weird. The musical arrangements are sparse, but the playing is definitely professional and tasteful. There are hand drums, jazzy acoustic guitar, flute, bass, strings, and that’s it! Except for the full drumset and choral sing along on “If You Hold A Stone.” I very highly recommend this recording by a super talented, original, and adorable weirdo. I saw him last November at Pasadena Civic Auditorium and was blown away! P. S. Since I’m on a Brazilian music discovery right now, I’d also like to recommend both Souljazz Compilations, “Tropicalia” (SJR118), and “Brazil 70 - After Tropicalia” (SJR 164). Also Gal Costa’s “India” album and Dom um Romao’s “Spirit of the Times.”

Fursaxa - Alone in the Dark Wood
Tara Burke, aka Fursaxa, makes music so stirring, stately, and strange that it sounds like the trees and flowers made it themselves. Phantasmagoric is a good description. Using a drony instrument or lower register vocal as a base, she adds other vocals, shakers and bells to create songs simple in melody and instrumentation, but rich and filled out with tones. I’m hearing harmonium, acoustic and electric guitars that are in and out of tune, banjo, some kind of wood flute, and maybe ukulele. All used to take you into a refreshing trance. Her Allmusic Guide page lists Hildegarde von Bingen and Nico as infl uences, and I’d agree. She deals with the sacred and the profane using the power of the human voice. Her singing is so unusual and beautiful, it grabs you. It sounds ancient and eternal. It’s fairy music if you think fairies are a little bit scary.

Wooden Shjips - self-titled
Steady, mid-tempo drums and bass guitar give the background for some mucho psychedelic guitar work. Songs are instrumentals or with minimal vocals, including some backwards vocal sampling to add to the trippiness. Song structure reminds me a lot of the early 90s psych band “Loop” with a simple bass riff making up the whole song, and then a wild duo of fuzzed out and wah wah guitars giving dynamics, scorching and skittering through the song. Organ, programmed synthesizer, sleigh bells and a sample of a flock of birds chirping adds grooviness. The music is super heavy, but not doom and gloomy, the LSD isn’t spiked with bad vibes. My brain feels like chewed bubble gum after listening, all gooey, expanded and blown.