If this mix was on a cassette, side A would be for the beginning of the night and side B would be for the end. --Chris
Sweet - "Ballroom Blitz"
The first single I ever bought. As a little kid, the "Ready Steve" intro and the strange vocals really weirded me out. And I listened to it over and over again. Every time I hear it, it makes me think about being driven to the skating rink.
Teenage Fanclub - "The Cabbage"
There are tons of their songs I could pick for a mix, because they are the greatest pop band of the last 20 years. And nice guys. I never get tired of listening to their albums. Although some of my friends do. (Dig how this song continually keeps descending down.)
Zombies - "This Will Be Our Year"
Another band that it's really hard to pick one song by. Their album Odessey & Oracle is a masterpiece. If you don't have it and you like pop, buy it now. (If you want.) Incredible vocals by Colin Blunstone and songwriting that is second to none. I can't believe I only recently found out how great these guys were.
Hannah Montana - "If We Were a Movie"
Yep. I was driving the van home by myself from a tour and was clicking around on the radio. Tuned into Radio Disney and heard this song. I was mesmerized how well written and sung it was. It's like a lost Brill Building song for modern 13 year olds. When it's good, I love this kind of shit!
Los Shakers - "Break it All"
As one press release said about these Uruguans, "like the Beatles, only better." And if you're into the early Beatles, sometimes it's true! Look for the All the Best collection and their album La Conferencia secreta del Toto's Bar. (The new Kinski album was almost called Break it All. Isn't that interesting?)
Clean - "Point That Thing Somewhere Else"
Probably my favorite Clean song and I really love the Clean. They show how great stripping a song down to its bare essentials can be.
T2 - "In Circles"
This track is from their amazing album It'll All Work Out in Boomland. This is a lost classic from 1970 by this British band. Everyone I've played this for has been blown away. Heavy, psychy, poppy. Great!
Flower Travellin' Band - "Satori (Part III)"
70's Japanese psych monsters. This track is off their Satori record, which has become much more widely available in the last few years. Kawabata from Acid Mothers first played this for me and I was hooked.
Ash Ra Tempel - "Amboss"
You hear echoes of this 20 minute track in tons of modern psych bands' stuff. (Have a shot every time you read the word psych.) No one has ever mixed the deep cosmic vibe with raw, driving rock better. And the level of playing is top notch.
Annette Hanshaw - "Say it Isn't So"
This Irving Berlin song was recorded by Hanshaw in '32 and the first time I heard it was on the radio. I pulled the car I was driving over to the side of the road and was absolutely transfixed. It's one of the saddest songs I've ever heard and I can't imagine anyone doing it better than Annette Hanshaw.
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Kinskis' Down Below It's Chaos is released August 21, 2007 on Sub Pop Records.
http://www.kinski.net
