“51 Tons…I Mean TUNES…” (Music Playlist) by Richard F. Yates

Wow… It’s been THREE MONTHS since my last playlist. Time seriously flies once you get to a “certain age.” (I don’t know if I’m even having that much FUN! I mean, I AM, for certain, enjoying being a grandpa and making art and writing stories and listening to music---but literally, as I type this, I’m sitting with an icepack on my back. I threw my spine out of whack yesterday---get this---opening the dishwasher! Not fighting a crocodile or lifting a flipped car off a trapped driver or hurling a nuclear warhead at an asteroid threatening to pulverize the Earth… Just opening the freakin’ dishwasher!!! “What does this have to do with MUSIC?” you might be asking. And I’ll answer, “Screw you! It’s my blog, and I want to write about my hurt back! The fact that this is the only post I’m going to have time to write today, and it happens to be a MUSIC PLAYLIST, just means you get a little EXTRA with your tunes! So shaddup!!”)

So, it’s been three months since my last playlist. That’s too long. I’ve been LISTENING to lots of music, but I’ve spent so much time writing and arting (and working on webby stuff) that I’ve neglected my music lovin’ followers. Sorry! Let’s remedy that right now.

Lately, I’ve been watching this fellow on YouToob, Todd in the Shadows, who does these great music reviews, including a recurring segment that he calls, “One Hit Wonderland.” What I LIKE BEST about these videos is his wide ranging, non-genre specific tastes. He covers ‘80s new wave, he covers ‘90s pop, he covers ‘60s psychedelic tunes, he covers’ ‘70s soul singers…along with some modern reviews of current hits. I appreciate that eclectic, open selection, and additionally, he’s funny---which goes a long way in my book. Some of the “one hit wonder” bands that he covers are also some of my favorite performers (Butthole Surfers, Wall of Voodoo, Thomas Dolby, Dexys Midnight Runners, Dead or Alive, Falco…), and even though those bands mean a LOT more to me than their single Top 40 hit, it’s pretty cool that he’s keeping their memories alive (even if he doesn’t always “like” the band! Come on Todd! Wall of Voodoo are AWESOME!!! They just take a bit of getting used to…) But give his channel a look if you want some nice, extensive dives into some great and (regrettably) sometimes forgotten or overlooked GEMS!

Meanwhile, inspired by Mr. In-the-Shadow’s OPEN selection process, and IGNORING genre restrictions and eras completely, I’ve put together a list of 51 great freakin’ songs that are mostly upbeat and fun, and a bit ALL OVER THE PLACE. I’ve got country and techno-country, lounge and punk and pop and dance and industrial and goth and yacht rock and indie-pop and hip-hop and nu-rave and ska and goofy novelty cuts---and lest we forget that it exists, that one time where an upcoming rap band and a famous but flagging rock group got together (thanks to producer, Rick Rubin) and created a weird, super-fun, RAP-ROCK cross-over hit! (Remember that? When Run-DMC and Aerosmith made a remake of “Walk This Way” together? That was great stuff!)

I love all of these songs…

Hopefully, there will be a couple tracks in here that are new to you, and maybe a few that you’ll actually enjoy. (I’ll try not to let three months slide by before doing my next playlist!) But, in the meantime, give this mix a try… (Oh, by the way, the first cut in this mix is the album version of “Wot” by Captain Sensible---who started his career as the bass player for first-wave British punk band, The Damned, before going wonderfully insane---and there is about a minute of noodling and talking before the music actually starts. To ME, this intro is funny. Hopefully, it doesn’t turn too many people off. And, even if you DON’T make it the full THREE AND A HALF HOURS through the playlist, I recommend looking up “Yoda” and giving it a listen. It’s a weird, lounge-punk novelty song by The Punk Group, a Portland, Oregon, synth-punk comedy band who I’ve seen live a few times. They’re brilliant and offensive and weird, and this cut is HILARIOUS!!!)

Another interesting note… I have been looking for the song “Got to Keep On” by Cookie Crew since 1990, when I first heard this weird mix called “The Brit’s 1990 Dance Medley,” which played on a local radio rebroadcast of a show called Rock Over London. I eventually found the 12” single for the medley, which is AWESOME and I love it, but there is, at best a 30 or 40 second snippet of Cookie Crew in that mix… Finally, just a few weeks ago, TWENTY NINE YEARS after I started looking for this song, I got my hands on a USED copy of Cookie Crew’s album, Born This Way, on CD. The rest of the album is pretty fun (if you like things in the L’Trimm or Edelweiss or Mel & Kim sort of vein---which I do!), but “Got to Keep On” is THE SHIT! Nearly three decades of searching, and it was worth EVERY PENNY I spent to get that one track. (Good luck trying to find your own copy!)

Okay, let me get out of the way already and LET THE MUSIC PLAY! (Dang… I wish I’d put THAT on here… Remember “Let the Music Play” by Shannon? It was a funky, electro, r&b breakdance hit back in the ‘80s… Shit… I’m doing it again… Quit reading my ramblings and just go listen to the music already!!!)

To hear this mix, for free, in its entirety, go to my 8track playlist. You don’t even have to download anything. Just hit “play.”

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“51 Tons…I Mean Tunes…” (Playlist) selected by Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool)
Approx. 3 hours, 38 minutes

1. Captain Sensible – “Wot”
2. Fishbone – “Everyday Sunshine”
3. Phantoms – “Be Just Fine”
4. The Neon Judgement – “TV Treated (DJ Hell Remix)”
5. Jan & Dean – “Sidewalk Surfing”
6. Praga Khan – “The Power of the Flower”
7. Wolfsheim – “Find You’re Here”
8. Clan of Xymox – “Jasmine and Rose”
9. The Strangeloves – “I Want Candy”
10. The Associates – “Green Tambourine”
11. A3 – “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness”
12. Tennessee Ernie Ford – “Sixteen Tons”
13. Me First and The Gimme Gimmes – “One Tin Soldier”
14. Hepcat – “No Worries”
15. Blues Image – “Ride Captain Ride”
16. The Slits – “Ping Pong Affair”
17. Freezepop – “Less Talk More Rokk (Guitar Hero 2 Mix)”
18. Moonlight Matters – “Come for Me (feat. Gustaph) (Punks Jump Up Freestyle Remix)”
19. Le Castle Vania – “Tigertron (feat. Factory Aire)”
20. Alphaville – “Forever Young (Hamel Album Mix)”
21. The Crytal Method – “Keep Hope Alive (MSTRKRFT Remix)”
22. Depth Charge – “Shaolin Buddha Finger”
23. Alex Chilton – “With a Girl Like You”
24. The Clash – “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais”
25. New Order – “Face Up”
26. The Presets – “My People”
27. Atari Teenage Riot – “Midijunkies”
28. Cookie Crew – “Got to Keep On”
29. Eurythmics – “Beethoven (I Love to Listen)”
30. Bloc Party – “Flux (JFK Remix)”
31. The Cribs – “Men’s Needs (CSS Remix)”
32. Echo & The Bunnymen – “People are Strange”
33. Dexys Midnight Runners – “Show Me”
34. Fake Blood – “Mars”
35. Esquival – “Latin-Esque”
36. Yello – “Electrified II”
37. They Might Be Giants – “Purple Toupee”
38. Nitzer Ebb – “Murderous”
39. The Prodigy – “Need Some1 (Jim Pavloff Remix)”
40. Fugazi – “Waiting Room”
41. The Magnetic Fields – “Long-Forgotten Fairytale”
42. Nena – “Just a Dream”
43. Killing Joke – “Follow the Leaders”
44. Crimpshrine – “Summertime”
45. Ministry – “Over the Shoulder (12” Version)”
46. Blur – “Under the Westway”
47. Grant Lee Buffalo – “Mockingbirds (Original 4-Track Demo)”
48. The Virgins – “Love is Colder Than Death”
49. Basslovers United – “Basket Case (DJs from Mars Remix)”
50. Run-DMC – “Walk This Way (feat. Aerosmith)”
51. The Punk Group – “Yoda”

Yeah---that’s a FUN playlist. I lean pretty heavy on the “alternative” quadrant of music, but I’m happy with the mixture. It’s a nice, upbeat, energetic selection (some songs heavier than others, a few dip a bit into more moody territory, but even those cuts are cool---and I think they work with the other selections.) I’m a fan of the “train-wreck” transition, too. Gotta keep the folks guessing!!!

Alright, that’s me for today. The artwork, as always, was mine---a digital drawing made in the free “Paint” program that came with my laptop. Thanks for visiting!

Later, skaters…

---Richard F. Yates
(Primitive Thoughtician and Holy Fool)

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