Doc Watson - The Preacher and the Bicycle

Artist: Doc Watson

Song: The Preacher and The Bicycle

Album: Doc Watson on Stage (1971)

 

“Rap before there was rap!”

 

One of Doc Watson's finest later records, Doc Watson on Stage is a virtual travelogue of his entire career in one record, almost a greatest-hits record, live. Assisted by Merle Watson, the program flows from lightning fast hoedowns such as "Brown's Ferry Blues," where Watson picks lightning fast with a dexterity that is almost unbelievable. His feel and command of the instrument is truly incredible. "Open Up Them Pearly Gates for Me" has a similar effect. There are also numerous stories and patter (mostly about the songs) in between the cuts, and it guides you through the performance. Watson also shines on this album as well, especially his exquisite fingerpicking on "Banks of the Ohio." A timeless slice from one of the fathers of modern country music. ~ Matthew Greenwald, All Music Guide

 

Doc Watson is well known as one of the best flatpicking guitarists in the genres of Old Time, Bluegrass and Folk. He is possibly the one who is responsible for transfering the guitar from only a rythm instrument into a soloinstrument in these kinds of music, by learning how to do the old fiddletunes on the guitar. And how he does it? He is a virtuoso on his instrument. 
On this live recording, first released in 1982 as a dobbel LP, he is joined by his son Merle, and it is possibly one of the most beautiful records he has ever made. Doc sings and plays the guitar, and on some numbers the mouthorgan too. Merle accompanies him on guitar, and gets the chance to kick in a couple of numbers of his own. 
There is a nice and warm and relaxed atmosphere in the concert. Doc tells a few jokes and you get the feeling that you are sitting around in his livingroom. 

 

biography

 

The Preacher and The Bicycle as told by Doc Watson:

 

There's a couple of preachers, a Baptist and a Methodist, livin' in either end of a little community, and it was back in the days when people didn't have many cars -- they rode bicycles to church.

And one Sunday mornin', when the Methodist feller comes a-whistlin' along down the road on his bicycle, he meets that Baptist boy walkin'.

And he asked him where his bike was, and he says, "You know, I don't know where that thing's at -- if someone didn't steal it," he said, "I've left it somewhere's and forgot what I'd done with it."

"Well," he said, "I'll tell you," the Methodist feller says, "I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll go down to the churches this mornin' and preach a good sermon on the Ten Commandments -- and when we get down to where it says 'Thou shall not steal', we'll dwell long and loud, and chances are one of our sermons will pay off."

Next Sunday mornin', they come ridin' along down the road, he met the Baptist feller, he had his bicycle, he says, "Well, one of our sermons paid off!"

And the Baptist boy dropped his head, he says, "Yeah, mine did, but not like you think," he says, "When I got down there to where it says 'Covet not thy neighbor's wife', I remembered where I'd left my bicycle!"

Queen - Bicycle Race

Artist: Queen

Song: Bicycle Race

Album: Jazz (1978)

"Bicycle Race" is a single for the English rock band Queen. It was released on their 1978 album Jazz and written by Queen's frontman Freddie Mercury.

To release this song, Queen staged a bicycle race with 65 naked women. A clip from this race was used as the single cover. The video was originally banned, and the video had to be re-edited with colour added to censor out any offensive imagery. The song is famed for its 'bicycle bell solo', which fans would often replicate live at Queen concerts with their own such bells.

It was released as a Double-A side with the song "Fat Bottomed Girls". A still photograph from the naked bicycle race was used for the single cover, a pair of bikini bottoms crudely painted on the photo of the naked rider.

Four singles were released from “Jazz”:

"Bicycle Race"/"Fat Bottomed Girls (edit)" – Elektra E45541; released October, 1978

"Bicycle Race" and "Fat Bottomed Girls" were released in 1978 as a double A-side; the band staged a famous nude, all-female bicycle race to promote the single. The bicycle race took place on 17th September 1978 at Wimbledon Stadium in London. The picture sleeve showed a rear view of one of the ladies on her bicycle, but in the U.S. a pair of red panties were painted on to avoid public outcry. Legend has it that the band borrowed the bicycles from a store ("Halfords," according to the liner notes), but upon returning them were informed that they would have to purchase all the seats, as they had been used in an improper manner (i.e. without clothing).

 

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Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like

You say black I say white
You say bark I say bite
You say shark I say hey man
Jaws was never my scene
And I don't like Star Wars
You say Rolls I say Royce
You say God give me a choice
You say Lord I say Christ
I don't believe in Peter Pan
Frankenstein or Superman
All I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle 
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my

Bicycle races are coming your way
So forget all your duties oh yeah
Fat bottomed girls they'll be riding today
So look out for those beauties oh yeah
On your marks get set go
Bicycle race bicycle race bicycle race

Bicycle bicycle bicycle 
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle 
Bicycle bicycle bicycle
Bicycle race

You say coke I say caine
You say John I say Wayne
Hot dog I say cool it man
I don't wanna be the President of America
You say smile I say cheese
Cartier I say please
Income tax I say Jesus
I don't wanna be a candidate for
Vietnam or Watergate
Cause all I wanna do is

Bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle bicycle bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like

Uncle Eck Dunford - My First Bicycle Ride

Artist: Uncle Eck Dunford

Song: My First Bicycle Ride

 

Uncle Eck Dunford, born in 1878 in Caroll County, West Virginia, was an old-time musician, singer and comedian as well as an eccentric character. During the 1920’s, he played mostly with Ernest Stoneman’s band on fiddle or guitar but also recorded a few sides by himself as lead singer. Later,in the 1930’s he played with members of the Ward family in a band called ”The Bogtrotters”. 

Apparently, Uncle Eck is best remembered for his archaic voice and eccentric personnality than for his playing on fiddle or guitar. From the few 78rpm records that went out under his name, two features him telling comic stories over Ernest Stoneman’s banjo playing.

 

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Rusty Belle - Rusty Belle

Artist: Rusty Belle

Album: Rusty Belle (2007)

 

about influence… many and varied "...One of the more interesting bands to come into my periphery in a while... They're a little bit country, a little bit rock'n'roll, a little bit old-timey and a whole lotta weird. But in a good way. This quartet mashes genres as if they were tasty little sonic potatoes. " - Dan Bolles Seven Days Burlington, VT 2-13-08

 

Rusty Belle’sound is… a convergence of several styles. Not a knew genre, but a fresh approach. Whatever the flavor we decide to mix up, we try to keep it honest. . . . . We 're dirty kids with badminton guitars making a backyard hootinanny. We're the front yard lemonade stand in deep summer. a middle yard secret meeting in the clubhouse under the rhododendrons with cookpot helmets and broomstick getaways. looks like just the mess you'd want to stumble upon in an attic. smells like a funky cheese, tastes like a funky cheese. feels like a woozy waltz or a stompy spin.

Buck 65 - Dirty Bike Project

Artist: Buck 65

Album: Dirty Bike Project (2008)

 

Richard Terfry (born March 4, 1972), better known as Buck 65, is a Canadian hip hop artist,MC and turntablist. Underpinned by an extensive background in abstract hip hop, his more recent music has extensively incorporated blues, country, rock, folk and avant garde influences into a style commonly compared to Tom Waits and Beck.

 

Dirtbike series (2008), self-released free digital downloads - home recordings

Dirtbike 1/3 (August 2008)

Dirtbike 2/3 (Oct 2008)

Dirtbike 3/3 (Oct 2008)

 

Hre we go, fresh off the grills, the master chef Buck 65 serves up the Dirt Bike project, his most expansive work to date. Collaborating with artists across the globe, this entire compilation is free for digital distribution.
Originally released as 3 aprox. 60 minute mixes, it is presented here as individual tracks for your listening pleasure. Disable cross-fade and shuffle ya\'ll, and enjoy the artists expression.

Original web site posting 

Tuna Helpers - Bicycle

Artist: The Tuna Helpers

Song: Bicycle

Album: Starring in… The Suspicious Fish (2002)

 

The Tuna Helpers are the queens of performance art in Austin, combining props, sign language and twisted childhood fantasies in a way that is both touching and hilarious. Adrienne's voice is probably the most fetching aspect of the band, but the lovely harmonizing keyboard melodies provided by Bethany, Stacy's eerie violin work, and Khattie's sparse and simple rhythms provide a truly original sound and live performance.  (…) In their world, it's all bicycles, dolls, and shit-smeared doors. The only thing missing on the album is Bethany's sign language. CD Review By Vanity Girl of Citizen Snob

 

"Bicycle" is a bucolic, Sunday-go-to-meeting waltz that barely conceals the underlying prurience…

 

biography

 

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windy road
Down to the church house
Singing hymns
"he is all that is
smooth and unpainted"
"are you smooth are you
painted today?"
no, she's opened her blouse
to the mail man and his letters
send him off first class
he's a paper doll
but who'll sing the lullabies
who'll bake the dreams
in her apple pie?
Bicycle
she's our friend
you take her home now
tuck her in close her eyes
turn on the sugarplums
I'll sing the lullaby
I'll bake the prayers
in her book of light
don't ask for me
I'll send her my love
through a rosary
still stringing beads
and counting prayers and wishes
until she sees me

 

Faces - Had Me a Real Good Time

Artist: Faces

Song: Had Me a Real Good Time

Album: Long Player (1971)

 

This is the album where the Faces came into their own as a band. After the breakup of the Small Faces and the recording of the Faces' debut "First Step" in 1970, Rons Lane and Wood, Kenny Jones, Ian McLagan and frontman Rod Stewart emerged with the first of the two best albums of their all too short career--the other being the equally excellent "A Nod Is as Good as a Wink..."

(…)This was back in the days when Rod Stewart still had some soul and could sing English Folk, Rock, R&B and Pub tunes all on the same album without missing a step. He's in fine form here, as he was on most Faces records, all his Jeff Beck stuff and all of his own stuff right up to FOOT LOOSE & FANCY FREE. He couldn't pull off a fun-time gem like "Had Me A Real Good Time" today to save his life; it remains one of my all-time favorite Faces tunes.

 

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Thought I was lookin' good
So I cycled 'cross the neighbourhood
Was invited by a skinny girl 
Into her high class world
Left my bicycle under the stairs
Laid my coat across the kosher chairs
Made my way across the crowded room
I had nothing to lose
My reception wasn't very keen
So turning on a friendly grin
Stood on the table with my glass of gin
And came straight to the point
(Chorus)
I was glad to come
I'll be sad to go
So while I'm here
I'll have me a real good time
(Repeat)
Dancing madly round the room, yeah
Singing loudly and sorta' out of tune
Was escorted by a friendly slag
'Round the bedroom and back
Wandered across to the door
Missed my step and I fell on the floor.
Said one word and was asked to leave
Kinda' wish I was dead.
(Chorus)
The skinny girl made it clear
That she only came here for the beer
The vicar simply reeked of gin
On my way home I happened to fall off my bicycle
(Good party)
I was glad to come, but I was also glad to get home

Bye Bye Bicycle - Five Little Lies

Artist: Bye Bye Bicycle

Album: Five Little Lies (2008)

 

Great band, for these who like libertines-like vocal with more melodious songs. Each one sounds different and original.

download

 

biography

Wade Jacoby - The Bicycle Wreck

Artist: Wade Jacoby

Song: The Bicycle Wreck

Album: The Bicycle Wreck - A Tribute To Jacoby Brothers (2004)

Wade Jacoby is a singer-songwriter of Roots, Americana & Country Music.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Jacoby Brothers (and unless you lived around the San Antonio area back in the early 50's, you probably are not) let me give you a rundown of their accomplishments. Regular guests on KMAC Radio, The Red River Dave TV show, TNT and Columbia recording artists, these two were about as good as it gets.
Beautiful voices, awesome instrumentalists, and just a couple really nice guys. Gene played guitar and Boy played mandolin. Boy was my dad.
This album is a tribute to the Jacoby Brothers, with all new music of most of the material they cut on TNT and Columbia. I hope you will enjoy it!
Sincerly, Wade Jacoby

"The Bicycle Wreck" is beautiful, timeless, classic country, from when country & western was just good music, unaffected by corporate marketing strategies. The Jacoby Brothers are one of the best songwriting and performance duos ever. Unfortunately, their's is a story that time forgot, until now. Wade really brings it home on this CD with great performances, a true tribute to his Dad.

(…) especially the Bicycle Wreck song. We loved to sing that song as kids, and it brings back lots of fun memories, as do the other songs.

Refrain:
I was goin' round a curve doing ninety miles an hour
When the chain on my bicycle broke
I was skinned all over by the rocks and the gravel
And was punctured to death by the spokes

Verse.
You've heard of accidents with hotrods, motorcycles and airplanes
But the accident I had would take the cake
My foot slipped off the peddle, my toe caught in the chain
Therefore I couldn't even hit the brake

Lead break: Mandolin, fiddle

Refrain:

I'm not braggin I'm not lyin, I'm just layin here a dyin
With these handlesbars sticking down my throat
I've got the front wheel for a necktie, a backwheel for a belt
And I'm wearing the fenders for a coat

Lead Break, fiddle, mandolin

Refrain and out.

Interesting to see some variations on my dad's old tune. The song was a parady of "The Wreck of the Old Ninety Seven".

He and my uncle released this back in the early fifties on the TNT label. It was very popular around here.

I'm Wade Jacoby, son of Boy Jacoby, the author and artist of "The Bicycle Wreck".

Walking Bicycles - Go?

Artist: Walking Bicycles

Album: Go? (2009)

 

Location is everything. A small coastal town with long rainy days in the heart of the redwood forest led founding members Jocelyn (vocals) and Julius (guitars) to create dark, lonely songs on their self-titled 2005 EP.

That year the two moved from Arcata, California to Chicago, Illinois changing location and band members. They added Jason Leather on bass and in 2006 released their second EP, "Disconnected," which was aptly titled. The songs were dark and edgy but when put together their seemed to be an underlying disconnection to the album. Rightfully so; the band had just moved and wrote the album with three different drummers while they were laying the groundwork for their record label, Highwheel Records. Walking Bicycles felt the discontinuity and decided to play into it, recording half of the album with producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine, Fruitbats) at Engine Studios and the other half with engineer Steve Albini (Pixies, Nirvana) at Electrical Studio.

In late 2006 Walking Bicycles moved once again. This time from an apartment in the trendy Wicker Park neighborhood to a small three-storey coach house in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, affectionately coined by the band, Old San Juan. They added drummer and native Chicagoan Johnny Mars to the official line up and began to hone their sound. The four, energized by their new surroundings, spent a couple years practicing in their basement creating their next release. They were able to get back to the basics; writing songs inspired by the weird little place that they live.

 

Review

"Since moving to Chicago from the misty verdure of Arcata, California, Walking Bicycles have made themselves at home, in part by starting a label, Highwheel Records, whose roster includes La Scala and Unicycle Loves You. Their hooky, restless postpunk—mightily focused on the 2006 EP Disconnected by the efforts of Brian Deck and Steve Albini—has a sharp big-city bite and savory whiffs of Wire, Pixies, and early Siouxsie. Since that recording, founding members Jocelyn Summers (vocals, percussion) and Julius Moriarty (guitar, vocals) and Chicago addition Jason Leather (bass) have found a permanent drummer, Johnny Mars, for their first full-length, ¿Go? (High wheel), ten tight, spiky, beautifully paced tracks that glow with what sounds like the sheer joy of playing. " - THE CHICAGO READER

System of a Down - Innervision

Artist: System Of A Down

Song: Innervision

Album: Steal This Album! (2002)

 

"Innervision" is a song by the band System of a Down. It was released as a promo sampler single and was played on radio stations. This single is the only single released off of Steal This Album! to be non-airplay only.

The song was leaked prior to the album's release, although it was not included in the Toxicity II bootleg, rather than being leaked in a separate way. The origin of the leak is not known. The leaked version features a slightly different arrangement and lyrics.

 

music

 

Well I have a home
Longing to roam
I have to find you
I have to meet you

Signs of your face
Slowing your pace
I need your guidance
I need to seek my inner vision
Inner vision

My pupils dance
Lost in a trance
Your sacred silence 
Losing all violence

Stars in their place
Mirror your face
I need to find you
I need to seek my inner vision
Inner vision, Inner vision

It's never too late to reinvent the bicycle
A smile brings forth energy or life 
Giving you force
It's never too late to reinvent the bicycle
A smile brings forth energy or life 
Giving you force
Vision

Inner vision (x5)

Your sacred silence
losing all violence

 

Beach Boys - It's a Beautiful Day

Artist: Beach Boys

Song: It’s a Beautiful Day

Album: Ten Years of Harmony (1979)

'"It's a Beautiful Day"' is a song written by Mike Love and Al Jardine. The song was never released on an original Beach Boys album, however it was released on the soundtrack to the film Americathon and as a single during September, 1979 with the B-side of the single being "Sumahama". The single charted at #45 in the United States but never charted in the United Kingdom. The song has also been released on the ''Ten Years of Harmony'' Beach Boys compilation album.

Not to be confused with U2’s song of similar name and sentiment. During concerts, Wilsons would sometimes sing lyric, “Bicycle Rider, look what you’ve done,” in certain songs. It finally appears in 2004 as a line in Brian Wilson’s “Roll, Plymouth Rock” from nostalgic Smile, which, like all Beach Boys music, was intended to ease your mind, heal ills, and offer hope. Bike & Chain

OOOOOOOOOW
Livin' down in L.A.
Such A Beautiful day

Whoa whoa
Whoa whoa

The skies are clear
It's a beautiful day in l.a.

People in motion
Our wheels movin all kind a ways

Indoors, outdoors, in the sun
There are people everywhere havin' fun, fun, fun

And when the moon and stars come out at night
We'll know what to do when we turn out the lights (turn out the lights, out the lights)

The freeways there are jammed with all kind of folks on their bikes
With fastball surfers, their all doin' their lefts and their rights

Roller skating, joggin', or a fancy bike
You can get around most anyway you really like

And when the sun is down and the stars are bright
I can hardly wait to get to hold you tight (hold you tight, hold you tight)

OOOOOOOOOOOh
Living down in L.A.
Such a Beautiful Day

Whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa

Riding the fastlanes, and ballet in leisurely flight
People in motion the streets there a beautiful sight

In goodtimes, sunshine, you'll feel alright
We'll maybe even do an afternoon delight

You're sure to get as high as the clouds above
Participatin' in this little dance of love (dance of love, dance of love)

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOW
Living down in L.A.
Such a Beautiful Day

The freeways are jammed now
The cars have disappeared from the scene

Cause' gone to work or to play
They use a whole 'nother kind of machine

OOOOOOOOOOW
Living down in L.A.
Such a beautiful day

Mike Watt - Pluckin' Pedalin' and Paddlin'

Artist: Mike Watt

Song: Pluckin’ Pedalin’ and Paddlin’

Album: The Secondman’s Middle Stand (2005)

 

The Secondman's Middle Stand was Mike Watt's third solo album and the first full-length recording that he had made under his own name since the release of Contemplating The Engine Room in 1997.

The storyline for the nine-track album parallel's Watt's real-life January 2000 bout with a near-fatal infection in his perineum with one of his favorite pieces of literature, Dante's The Divine Comedy. The first three tracks of the album represent the Inferno (Watt's illness up until the time the abscess burst); the second three songs represent the Purgatorio (Watt's surgery and subsequent recovery), and the final three (Pluckin’ Pedalin’ is here) represent the Paradisio (Watt's resuming his everyday life and career).

 

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the making of

 

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sun in my face, breeze at my back, it's easy to see where heaven's at. to think some think it's a pile of bones or something material like a load of gold. sure, that's fine but in my mind... note for note, each thought a vote: plucked strings singing how much I don't know. stating thus w/this little bass then evaporating in the air w/hardly a trace permanently temporarily... tangents, I imagine kept me confused but being a hellride hostage gave me a clue. complicated thinking can sure wear you out - out at sea paddling or pedaling my route... spinning, simply spinning my wheels 'round. pluckin', pedalin' and paddlin'. pluckin', pedalin' and paddlin'. pluckin', pedalin' and paddlin'. there before the mirror, cross-examinatin' - what use is blaming others and situations? thinkin', linkin' responsibility has helped me open possibilities. still, I find myself hollerin' for help. manifesting watt by learning from others? what a mechanism I've discovered! philosophical a la carte... what works, works: parts is parts. a humbler bumbler, a slow learner... the knowing's in the doing if your sights are such, the hamster wheel turning though drives some folks nuts. but wherever I put myself, there I am - what can you do w/a ridiculous man? put foot to pedal and hand to paddle... man, it's funny how things get organized to make them comprehendible, systematized. a stalag, a gulag or a berlin wall - stuck in the head to strain it all and strangle tight out all the life. structure punctured, hey what gives? here in the sphere of contemplatives. up jacob's ladder, flaming sparks - dancing, glancing - igniting up the dark... a top self-spun, climbing up each rung. cornball ways to express stuff profound, 'pert-near the only thing out my mouth. if I had to relate this experience, a wordless breath would be my closest guess - I think that'd sum it up the best.

Paul Simon - My Little Town

Artist: Paul Simon

Song:  My Little Town

Album: Still Crzy After All These Yrs (1975)

 

Paul Simon's third solo album unifies the varied threads running through its predecessors--confessional ballads, wily story songs, agnostic spirituals and snapshots of modern life, circa 1975, are extensions of the models on his self-titled debut and--There Goes Rhymin' Simon. Here, Simon and producer Phil Ramone establish a more cohesive, explicitly urban setting that burnishes the artist's acoustic folk accents to spotlight his sophistication as an inventive composer and, as always, deft wordsmith. Included is his last great collaboration with Art Garfunkel, the bittersweet "My Little Town," a pop gospel romp with Phoebe Snow on "Gone at Last," and the sly adulterer's solution of "Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover" (arguably the antithesis of Willie Dixon's classic "29 Ways"), along with the tender "I Do It for Your Love" and the woozy, dissolute "Have a Good Time." Best of all, of course, is the brilliant title song, shifting from anecdotal verse to soaring bridge and colored by keening strings and Phil Woods's knowing tenor-sax solo. Simon was crazy, like a fox. --Sam Sutherland

 

MY LITTLE TOWN has some of the hardest, most biting lyrics on the album which are unfortunately lost in a not particularly memorable melody. It is interesting, but leaves me colder than many of his other songs.

 

In my little town
I grew up believ--ing
God keeps His eye on us all
And He used to lean upon me
As I pledged allegiance to the wall
Lord I recall
My little town

Coming home after school
Flying my bike past the gates
Of the factories
My mom doing the laundry
Hanging our shirts
In the dirty breeze

And after it rains
There's a rainbow
And all of the colors are black
It's not that the colors aren't there
It's just imagin-ation they lack
Everything's the same
Back in my little town

Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town
Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town

In my little town
I never meant nothin'
I was just my fathers son
Saving my money
Dreaming of glory
Twitching like a finger
On the trigger of a gun
Leaving nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town 

Repeat and fade:
Nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town  

Kaiser Chiefs - Team Mate

Artist: Kaiser Chiefs

Song:  Team Mate

Album: Employment (2005)

 

Sometimes the greatest success stories sprout from the tiniest of ambitions. When Kaiser Chiefs formed up in Leeds around the summer of 2003, their aim wasn't to conquer stadiums and change the world. Instead, these five Britpop-obsessed oddballs began plotting a rather more modest plan. In the shadowy corners of clubs and venues across the city Ricky Wilson (lead vocals, owner of stylish blue and orange suit), Andrew 'Whitey' White (guitar), Simon Rix (bass), Nick 'Peanut' Baines (keyboards and modeller of impressive pork-pie hats) and Nick Hodgson (drums and vocals) decided to form a band that would harness the awesome capability of being able to blag an early slot at the following year's Leeds Festival.

The Kaisers' story actually begins some time before they'd decided to name themselves after a successful South African football team. School friends Simon, Peanut and Nick had been playing together in various bands since the age of 15 before spying art school graduate and restless-ball-of-energy Ricky singing with a Rolling Stones tribute band.

Right now, everybody wants a piece of the Kaiser Chiefs. Blur producer Stephen Street was so bowled over he offered his services for debut album Employment. A barrage of bouncing art-pop brilliance, it's scheduled to soundtrack 2005 from the minute it hits stereos this March. (Amazon)

 

Employment ends with "Team Mate," a tantalizingly short character sketch that is also the band's best ballad. 

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We used to go out nightly
To the armoury
You used to be my team mate
Or that's the way it seemed
We lost our friends
Because you wanted to
They had no faith in you
I had faith in you
You said we don't need anybody new
It's just me and you
On a bicycle for two
Ah ah ahhh
We used to hold on tightly
And you relied on me
I used to to be your team mate
Or that's the way it seemed
We lost our friends
Because you wanted to
They had no faith in you
I had faith in you
We've been everything you wanted to
It was just me and you
On a bicycle for two
Ah ah ahhh
Ah ah ahhh

Paul McCartney - Junk

Artist: Paul McCartney & Wings

Song: Junk

Album: McCartney (1970), Wingspan: Hits and History (2001)

 

"Junk" is a song written by Paul McCartney in 1968 while The Beatles were in India. It was originally under consideration for The White Album. It was passed over for that LP, as it was for Abbey Road. It was eventually released on McCartney's first solo album, McCartney, in 1970. Another version of the song without lyrics, called "Singalong Junk" is also on the album. The version that McCartney played for the rest of The Beatles before the recording of The White Album is included on Anthology 3. The song's working title was "Jubilee".

In 2000, "Junk" was featured in Hanging Up, an American film.

Wingspan: Hits and History  is a greatest hits compilation album by Paul McCartney featuring material spanning his first solo album McCartney in 1970 to the 1984 Give My Regards To Broad Street movie soundtrack. This set is officially credited to Paul McCartney, although the bulk of the music included was performed by McCartney's former band Wings.

review

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Beatles version!

music

motor cars, handle bars,
bicycles for two.
broken hearted jubilee.

parachutes, army boots,
sleeping bags for two.
sentimental jamboree.

buy! buy!
says the sign in the shop window.
why? why?
says the junk in the yard.

da da ya da da da,
da da da,
da da ya da da,
da da da da da da da.

candlesticks, building bricks,
something old and new.
memories for you and me.

buy! buy!
says the sign in the shop window.
why? why?
says the junk in the yard.

 

Live instrumental version

Unicycle Loves You - Unycicle Loves You

Artist: Unicycle Loves You

Album: Unicycle Loves You (2008)

 

When listening to Chicago's Unicycle Loves You's self-titled debut, it's pretty clear that this is the product of a band that's spent a lot of time listening to the best music of every era, picking apart exactly what makes each thing great. Not only do they understand it, but they have the brains and chops to be able recreate that magic, blending/shifting between each of these influences flawlessly, while maintaining a singularly cohesive product.

The list of influences seems endless, but Unicycle Loves You never sounds derivative. Album opener "Great Bargains For Seniors" seems to mix everything from Can to The New Pornographers to Television, and that's just the start. Over the course of 10 songs, the band generates an eclectic contemporary history of pop rock as intelligent and catchy as anything any of those influences have ever created. (JL -NY Press)

Mix virtually every successful movement of the last sixty years and see what happens, resulting in ten lively, unpredictable tracks that flow without warning from Belle & Sebastian quirk-rock to late-1970s butt-rock to bluesy psych-rock back to Beach Boys pop.

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Ben Cristophers - Easter Park

Artist: Ben Cristophers

Song: Easter Park

Album: Spoonface (2001)

 

Sophomore album for Ben Cristophers, UK singer/songwriter. The followup to his 1999 debut 'My Beautiful Demon' with more falsetto folk-electronica. Featuring Faultline's David Kosten again at the production helm, this is a beautifully realized record. Sounding like a cross between Jeff Buckley & early Pink Floyd. Ten tracks including, 'Leaving My Sorrow Behind' & 'Transatlantic Shooting Stars'. Uncut gave it 4 stars saying, '..stunningly combining pin-drop stillness with spooked, unusual arrangements worthy of Mark Hollis (Talk Talk) & a croon cramped in the void between Jeff Buckley & Art Garfunkel...Gorgeous'. 2001.

 

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Racing into town 
Bicycles in line
In your raid 
In your raid I was
Crazy inner feeling flows in here
I'm a child sweet liberty

Heaven knows you thrilled them too
You raid my senses sunny vale

Am I really safe with you
If I dont know you I dont know myself

Heaven knows you thrilled them too
You raid my senses sunny vail

We'll never fade apart
Evergreen and everclear
Welcome in those sunny days
Heavely in Love 
Even if it's getting dark
Pretty one we'll stay home
Heaven knows you thrilled them
You raid my senses