I was originally just going to write one response to the new song challenge proposed by @metametheus, but I had an absolute blast with my three track exploration that I have gotten a little obsessive, as I do with games like these, and am lost in a musical rabbit hole - why leave? Check out the guidelines below - he's also offering SBI (steem basic income) which is pretty generous!

Blake Scott, from one of my favourite Aussie garage rock bands, Peep Tempel. Photo by me.

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You can read the post guidelines here.

Not only that, but we can use this table to build our mixtape.

In my last post, I talked about three songs that I might put on my mix tape, although I nearly break out in hives having to be DECISIVE about this:

Side A:

Track 14 The Ship Song by Nick Cave

Side B:

Track 37: Creation by Peter Tosh

Track 15: The Mercy Seat by Johnny Cash (Nick Cave cover)

Here's my next three!

Side B Track 24: A Song by a Band You Wish Were Still Together

Whilst I find it almost impossible to choose ONE of their songs, I'm going to commit to 'Which Way to Go' by Eddie Current Suppression Ring. Say who? ECSR were a Melbourne garage band and OH MY GOD I LOVED THEM. They rose to prominence around 2008 and this song was the first song I heard on RRR Melbourne radio (our awesome local radio station).

Minimalist guitar, basic lyrics, old school feel - they instantly brought me back to the late 80's and early 90's garage sound. We saw them live to a crowd of 100 people at the Torquay Footy Club around 2006 and by 2009 that crowd was sell out gigs - 3000 odd people packing the metro. The raw energy of their live performances was extraordinary and I'll never forget the lead singer jesus walk off the stage and up three levels of stairs whilst all of Melbourne fed the audio lead to his mic as he slinked upwards like a GOD. They made me remember how good raw, honest live music could be - a whole heap of fun. They are one of those bands that I can say 'Oh yeah, saw them three times' and people just gaze at me in awe, thinking how much they would have loved to have seen THAT.

I could equally add this under great music to play LOUD or road trip music. Check out their songs 'Colour Television' and 'Gentleman' which is super cute.

I WANT TO BE YOUR GENTLEMAN
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND
STAND UP FOR YOU
WHEN YOU NEED A SEAT ON THE BUS
BE THE KIND OF GUY
THAT YOU CAN TRUST
AND WHEN IT'S COLD OUTSIDE
I'LL LEND YOU MY COAT
AND WHEN YOU'RE FEELING HOPELESS
I'LL PROVIDE YOU WITH HOPE
OPEN THE DOOR FOR YOU
WHEN YOU WALK TOWARDS IT
AND PAY FOR YOUR MEAL
WHEN YOU CAN'T AFFORD IT

Side B Track 21: A Song You Like With Someone's Name in the Title

I'm sticking on the Australian disbanded garage band here and bringing in 'Carol' by Peep Tempel, who I've also seen twice, and was at their last gig before their hiatus in Castlemaine WHICH WAS FREAKING AWESOME.

I dont want to be so sanctimonious
I dont want to be such a negative jerk
But I dont think that Trevor is good for you, Carol

Disaffected, suburban, Australian, irreverant, clever, frustrated with Australian society, three piece, punk rock. Yeah, turn it up LOUD. Joy has gone down as one of my all time favourite Australian albums.

Check out Kalgoorlie too - it's circular, manic, crescendo building, dark awesome gothic Australian-ness. Why have ACDC when you can have Peep Tempel and Eddie Current, peeps? Let's move on.

Plus, I had an beautiful fun with one of my best friends at that last Peep Tempel gig, where we drank far too much red wine and stayed up all night dancing.

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Side B Track 27: A Song That Breaks My Heart

Thought I may as well stay on the Australian theme for this trio - a song that breaks my heart is 'I was Only 19', which might be a bit patriotic of me in an ANZAC war memorial kind of way, but it's a good song. I remember sitting having a beer at Christmas with my Yorkshire grandfather talking about his time in the second world war, telling us very sad stories and singing old songs in his thick accent - probably a year before my Grandma died, whereupon he quickly deteriorated with dementia and died two years later. I had recorded him on mini disc but the sound was too unclear, which I was upset about because I wanted to remember this forever as I knew it was one of last moments I'd spend with him as I was going back to the UK. Then Dad put on 'I was Only 19' and HE started to cry! I guess it was just thinking about all those wasted lives, all those young men dying. Vietnam was a particularly senseless war - we shouldn't have been there in the first place. Dad went, but luckily he was just a cartographer and he didn't do any fighting, or I wouldn't exist, or my life would have been very different.

Even the lyrics will break your heart.

Mum and dad and Danny saw the passing out parade at
Puckapunyal
It was a long march from cadets
The sixth battalion was the next to tour and it was me who > drew the card
We did Canungra and Shoalwater before we left
And Townsville lined the footpaths as we marched down to the > quay
This clipping from the paper shows us young and strong and > > clean
And there's me in me slouch hat with me SLR and greens
God help me
I was only nineteen
From Vung Tau riding Chinooks to the dust at Nui Dat
I'd been in and out of choppers now for months
And we made our tents a home, V.B. and pinups on the lockers
And an Asian orange sunset through the scrub
And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep?
And night time's just a jungle dark and a barking M.16?
And what's this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me
what it means?
God help me
I was only nineteen
A four week operation, when each step can mean your last one > on two legs
It was a war within yourself
But you wouldn't let your mates down 'til they had you
dusted off
So you closed your eyes and thought about somethin' else
And then someone yelled out contact, and the bloke behind me > swore
We hooked in there for hours, then a God almighty roar
And Frankie kicked a mine the day that mankind kicked the
moon
God help me
He was goin' home in June
And I can still see Frankie, drinkin' tinnies in the Grand
Hotel
On a thirty-six hour rec. leave in Vung Tau
And I can still hear Frankie, lying screaming in the jungle
'Til the morphine came and killed the bloody row
And the Anzac legends didn't mention mud and blood and tears
And the stories that my father told me never seemed quite
real
I caught some pieces in my back that I didn't even feel
God help me
I was only nineteen
And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can't get to sleep?
And why the Channel Seven chopper chills me to my feet?
And what's this rash that comes and goes
Can you tell me what it means?
God help me
I was only nineteen

The Herd also did a FANTASTIC cover version of this song. They're an Australian skip hop band (Aussie hip hop) and they really did amazing justice to the original song. I'm reading a book called Nashos about the Vietnam war at the moment, because I thought I should since Dad went, so this song suits this week in particular, too.

If you're a supporter of all things natural healing, you might like to read our introductory post here. We'd also love to welcome you on Discord here!!