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Songs About Girls

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Every year I do an elaborate “Best of [whatever year it is]” mix that I give out to friends as an Xmas present. This year, however, I just didn’t purchase enough music released in the year 2006 to be able to truly say with any real sense of authority what my favorite records or songs were from the year. There was simply too much stuff that I neglected to pick up. So rather than release an incomplete, inferior version of the “Best of” CD, I instead decided to do a concept mix. This year’s theme: “songs about girls.” To define the concept more specifically, I narrowed my list of possibilities down to songs recorded prior to 1970 that feature a girl’s name in the title. I narrowed the keepers list down to 60 songs, or three CDs worth of music.
 

Anyway, I’d rather not give away the entire tracklist just in case you’re one of the lucky folks who will receive this gift, but I will say that it moves quite nicely from Herman’s Hermits to Roy Orbison to Mitch Ryder to The Strangeloves. There’s plenty of songs you’ll already know that made the cut, plus a few surprises. Here’s a sneak peak…

The Kinks — “Susannah’s Still Alive”

I have quite the fondness for the Davies brothers. Is it possible that The Kinks are underrated? I think so.

Dr. West’s Medicine Show & Junk Band — “Nora”

This was the starting point for Norman Greenbaum (of “Spirit in the Sky” fame). On the whole, their lone 1967 album is as wacky as its title, The Eggplant That Ate Chicago, might suggest. It’s a lovely affair if you’re into kazoos, jugs, and Zappa.

Dean Carter — “Mary Sue”

Regular readers of my blog from my hometown of Champaign, Illinois, should rush out to purchase Dean Carter’s anthology, Call of the Wild. For one, it’s a helluva unsung rock and roll record that compiles his work from the ’60s. (Carter was known for being a rockabilly reject who could play a mean dobro solo.) But more importantly to the local aspect, he was based in Champaign. “Mary Sue” is his homage to The Sonics, I assume.

Posted on 12.17.2006 by Registered CommenterThe Noiseboy in | CommentsPost a Comment | References15 References

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