Monday Random Ten

As we continue to shelter-in-place, the Thin Blue Touch is a source of comfort and joy, so let's see what it's offering up this week.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Bruce Springsteen - Land of Hopes and Dreams
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Suite:  Judy Blue Eyes
John Prine - Speed of the Sound of Loneliness
Our Native Daughters - Quasheba, Quasheba
Steve Earle - Here I Am
Rod Stewart - Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)
Dolly Varden - Mouthful of Lies
Peter Himmelman - Only Innocent
The Beatles - Across the Universe (Past Masters, Vol. 2)
Beki Hemingway - Don't Let It End

Bonus 11
Bob Dylan - Joey

A friend recently wrote that "Land..." is the best gospel song written in the new millennium. It may have been penned on the cusp and a centerpiece in the '99 E Street reunion tour, but he's otherwise correct. We're still processing John Prine's passing. Our Native Daughters is a terrific record from a quartet of African-American women featuring Rhiannon Giddens. Beki is covering the Styx hit, and Bob's recent 16-minute release about the JFK assassination shouldn't have surprised anyone, because the bonus today is all eleven minutes of him from 45 years ago, singing about a mobster.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Sarcasm? In the middle of a pandemic?"), already in progress. 

Monday Morning Rock!

Time to find out what the Thin Blue Touch served up as we start this sixth week of staying at home.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Vigilantes of Love - Real Down Town
Adam Levy - How I Let You Down
Gordon Lightfoot - The Patriot's Dream
Joe Henry - Widows of the Revolution
The Rutles - With a Girl Like You
Vince Guaraldi - Cast Your Fate to the Wind
Bob Dylan - God Knows
XTC - I'm the Man Who Murdered Love
Peter Frampton - Baby, I Love Your Way
The Clash - Hateful

Bonus 11
Lake Street Dive - How Good It Feels

("God Knows" was preceded by a 21 second track of Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash studio chatter from the latest Bootleg Series, but we're not counting that officially as part of the ten.)

The Adam Levy song is from "Naubinway", a deeply moving album about the loss of his son, who took his own life. Lightfoot's anti-war tune is the closer to the underrated "Don Quixote" album. The Rutles twist "If I Fell" ever so slightly into a delightful new song. If all you know if Vince Guaraldi is the Charlie Brown soundtracks, you owe it to yourself to check out his other material. The XTC song is from "Wasp Star (Apple Venus Pt. 2)", their terrific swansong, "Baby..." is from the monster "Frampton Comes Alive" set, and "Hateful" is one of the "18 New Songs From The Only Band That Matters" from the album with the best cover photo ever.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Where are the tests?"), already in progress.   

Monday Morning Rock (Three straight weeks!)

We're starting our fifth straight week of working from the home office at TWDQ HQ with the Thin Blue Nano connected up to the big stereo system, so let's see what it's offering for takeout service today.

Let's...hit...shuffle!

Spinners - I'll Be Around
The Frames - People Get Ready
The Beatles - For You Blue (from Anthology 3)
Van Morrison - Come Running
Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Rock Me
Indigo Girls - Closer to Fine
Billy Bragg & Wilco - All You Fascists
Little Richard - Keep A-Knockin'
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
Sam Cooke - Chain Gang (Live at the Harlem Square Club)

Bonus 11
Poco - Keep On Tryin'

Nice mix there. Just finished reading that Sunday was Amy Ray's birthday, so the Indigo Girls is very appropriate. The Frames tune is an original, not the Curtis Mayfield classic. Bragg & Wilco remind us that Woody Guthrie was warning us about fascists decades ago. The Sam Cooke live album is from a tough, gritty small club performance that is light years away from the slickly-produced singles or Sam's set at the Copa. Sam could bring it.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("What the...it's snowing AGAIN?!?), already in progress.

Monday Morning Rock (Random 10)

Remembered to do this two weeks in a row! Let's find out what the Thin Blue Touch serves up this overcast, stay-at-home Monday morning.

Let's...hit...shuffle!

Fountains of Wayne - Please Don't Rock Me Tonight

Billy Joel - Prelude/Angry Young Man

Delta Rae - Forgive The Children We Once Were

James Taylor - Shower the People

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Go It Alone

Bill Evans Trio - My Romance (Take 2)

First Aid Kit - A Long Time Ago

Michael Kiwanuka - Piano Joint (This Kind of Love)

George Harrison - What Is Life

Molly Burch - To The Boys (Live at Paste Studios)

Bonus 11

Allen Toussaint - It's a New Orleans Thing

Nice touch to start off with FoW. RIP, Adam Schlesinger. 

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, ("Is today really Monday?") already in progress.