Sunday, April 15, 2012

Sunday Random 10

Sunny/rainy/sunny/stormy Sunday here at TWDQ. Fortunately, the hail and storms bypassed us here.

Let's see what the little green Nano had for us today. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Elvis Costello & The Attractions - (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (Live)
Drive-By Truckers - The Boys from Alabama
Los Lobos - When the Circus Comes
Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy
Kirsty MacColl - Can't Stop Killing You
Florence + the Machine - Remain Nameless
The Beatles - I Dig a Pony
Hank Williams Sr. - Your Cheatin' Heart (single version)
Bryan Ferry - Bob Dylan's Dream
The Ike Reilly Assassination - God and Money

Well, we broke the two-week Wilco lead-off streak, which is funny since we just ordered Wilco tix yesterday. The Costello tune might be our favorite Elvis tune after this. It also gives us an good excuse to post this little slice of awesomeness. And that Gin Blossoms song is a killer rock 'n roll tune.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Why did Hilary Rosen need to apologize for telling the truth?), already in progress.

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Sunday Random 10

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it! Been a long day, so here's what the little green Nano came up with this morning.

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

Wilco - Wishful Thinking
Greg Brown - I Don't Know Anybody in This Town
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Without a Heart
Yusuf - Heaven/Where True Love Goes
The Kinks - Picture Book
Carly Simon - Just Like a Woman
Joe Henry - Fireman's Wedding
Jeff Arundel - It's Okay
Drive-By Truckers - Everybody Needs Love
Dan Zanes - When the Curtains of Night are Pinned Back

Wilco leads off for the second week in a row. We'll see if they can keep the streak up next week. The wonderful Kinks tune (from The Village Green Preservation Society) made a memorable appearance in a HP printer commercial a few years back. The Carly Simon track is one of the less memorable Dylan covers on Amnesty International's 4-disc Chimes of Freedom. If you don't own Joe Henry's terrific Kindness of the World, go track down a copy. Same goes for Dan Zanes' Parades and Panoramas.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Why isn't this guy on the Sunday morning talk shows?), already in progress.

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Sunday Random 10 catch-up

Wow, where did those three weeks go?

Oh well, Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

03/18/2012
XTC - Playground
The Rascals - You Better Run
Diane Birch - Photograph
Old 97's - The Other Shoe
The Beatles - She's Leaving Home
This Train - Great Atomic Power
Muddy Waters - Young Fashioned Ways
Robert Palmer - Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)
Van Morrison - Real Real Gone
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Without a Heart
(Bonus) Mavis Staples - In Christ There Is No East or West

We actually went out and picked up Van the Man's Enlightenment after hearing the Belfast Cowboys terrific cover of "Real Real Gone".

03/25/2012
The Rascals - A Beautiful Morning
Elvis Presley - You're a Heartbreaker
The Muppets - Wipe Out
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes (Live)
Geraint Watkins - Two Rocks
Brendan Benson - Misery
Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne
The Temptations - Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Preservation Hall Jazz Band (feat. Anita Briem) - C'est Si Bon
The Coasters - Three Cool Cats

One of our favorite Costello tunes, from the Live at Hollywood High album, and we learned of the Coasters original from Ry Cooder's cover on the fine Chavez Ravine.

04/01/2012
Wilco - Hummingbird (Live)
The Decemberists - Foregone
The Beatles - Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Kirsty MacColl - Miss Otis Regrets
The Band - Acadian Driftwood
Toad the Wet Sprocket - Fall Down
The Beatles - Misery
The Who - I'm a Boy
The Who - Quadrophenia
Joe Henry - Nico Lost One Small Buddha
(Bonus) The Honeydogs - Dear Prudence

Seemed to be in a Beatleish mood today. I'm sure it knows we were watching the Abbey Road Crosswalk cam yesterday. Interesting back-to-back murder songs, too.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Why isn't it ever about race?), already in progress.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Sunday Random 10

Incredibly beautiful spring weekend here at TWDQ. We're embarrassed to say we didn't crank up the little green Nano while taking a stroll in the extra daylight. Instead, here's what the Nano shook out on the beautiful ride to and from church this afternoon.

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

Wild Flag - Electric Band
The Coasters - Young Blood
Etta James - Something's Got a Hold on Me
Kirsty MacColl - Perfect Day
Dan Zanes - The Mermaid
Allen Toussaint - A Dear Old Southland
XTC - The Meeting Place
Death Cab for Cutie - Crooked Teeth
The Beatles - Honey Pie
The Who - Happy Jack (Acoustic)

Boy, oh boy, do we miss Kirsty MacColl. At minimum, go find yourself a copy of Galore. You won't be sorry.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Can we call them racist, misogynist bigots now?"), already in progress.

Sunday, March 04, 2012

Sunday Random 10

Hey, it's Sunday again! And we're on time this week!

Was a beautiful, sunny day (albeit a bit chilly) at TWDQ HQ, plus we got to listen to a bit of the local nine getting warmed up in Fort Myers--the new guy's going to be fine, BTW--so let's see what the little green Nano came up with today before the ball game.

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

Greg Brown - Lovinest One
Jimmy Donley - Radio, Jukebox and TV
Dan Zanes - Deep Blue Sea
Bob Dylan - The Man in Me
Lone Justice - Dreams Come True (Stand Up and Take It)
XTC - King for a Day
Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
Joe Henry - Unspeakable
The New Standards - Song 2

Okay, so the Nano was really into Dylan and XTC. (We always love a good excuse to point you to Sal Nunziato's terrific love song to that terrific love song.) The Jimmy Donley track is from the new Oxford American Music Issue CD, this year it's focused on Mississippi music. Always a great read and listen. It also popped out some Dan Zanes, whom we caught on the Del Fuegos reunion tour Tuesday night. (Good show at a great venue, plus their new EP is pretty solid.) And we wrap with some local faves covering Blur.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Shouldn't an apology contain, y'know, actual apologizing?), already in progress.

Saturday, March 03, 2012

Sunday Random 10 catch-up

Before another Sunday rolls around, let's get this baby up to date.

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

02/19/2012
Crowded House - Saturday Sun
Jars of Clay - Sunny Days
Jim Jackson - Old Dog Blue
The Animals - Boom Boom
Lucinda Williams - Blessed
U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
Little Feat - Oh Atlanta
Mary Lou Lord - Lights Are Changing
The Beatles - Old Brown Shoe
Peter Case - Banks of the River

Ms. Williams' tune made this year's Faves compilation and the Mary Lou Lord song is the version from her self-titled debut, which we highly recommend.

02/26/2012
The Temptations - Don't Look Back
The Temptations - Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)
Elvis Costello - Satellite
Elvis Presley - Blue Moon
Jules Shear - Sad Sound of the Wind
John Hiatt - Detroit Made
Eddie Vedder - Sleepless Nights
Muddy Waters - Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man When I'm Gone
Los Lobos - I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)
Rhett Miller - Happiness

Wow. We once opened a church variety show singing & playing "Don't Look Back" with three guys in shades doing backups, finger snaps, and a bit of choreography. The Shear tune is another of his gorgeous pop songs that should've been a monster hit back in the early 90's. And yeah, Eddie Vedder and ukuleles combined for a terrific album, and we've always been pretty apathetic toward Pearl Jam.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Rush Limbaugh said something incredibly misogynistic this week. Wouldn't the sun rising in the east be a bigger story?), already in progress.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Sunday Random 10 (x3)

Been busy, blah, blah, blah, so let's get caught up on the little green Nano's selections.

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


01/29/2012
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - License to Kill
R.E.M. - Supernatural Superserious
Kirsty MacColl & The Pogues - Miss Otis Regrets
Jonathan Rundman - Local Road
U2 - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
The Ventures - Walk Don't Run
Thea Gilmore - I'll Remember You
Muddy Waters - I Feel Like Going Home
Bruce Springsteen - Fire

The Costello and Gilmore tunes are from the Chimes of Freedom - The Songs of Bob Dylan 4 CD set that dropped earlier that week. Good to see the remaining Beach Boys on the Grammys tonight singing "Good Vibrations."

02/05/2012
Greg Brown - Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
The Beatles - Wait
Solomon Burke - I Need Your Love in My Life
Beki Hemingway - My World
Adele - Make You Feel My Love
U2 - Beautiful Day
Muddy Waters - Mean Red Spider
Sussan Deyhim - All I Really Want to Do
Drive-By Truckers - The Day John Henry Died

Hope Adele rented a pickup truck to carry home all her hardware tonight.

And "Anselma" is one the kid and I used to dance around the room to. (We need to do that again when you're back from Russia.)

02/12/2012
Van Morrison - Domino
Jonathan Rundman - The Loneliness of Happiness
Marah - 20,000 Streets Under the Sky
The Avett Brothers - Kick Drum Heart (Live)
Loggins & Messina - Angry Eyes
Greg Brown - Remember the Sun
Tom Waits - House Where Nobody Lives
Steve Dawson - Goodbye
The Beatles - I'm Only Sleeping

If you don't own EBTG's wonderful Idlewild, do yourself a favor and go get it. Coincidentally, we just heard Nils Lofgren on World Cafe last night talking about helping Danny Whitten finish the song "I Don't Want to Talk About It" and EBTG does a terrific cover of it on that very same record.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (What the hell was that Nicki Minaj deal?), already in progress.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Sunday Random 10

Finally starting to get wintry here in the land of TWDQ. Fortunately, not wintry enough to shovel or blow winter out of the driveway.

Let's see what the little green Nano has in store for today.

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

Mary Lou Lord - His Indie World
Nick Lowe - I Read a Lot
Ry Cooder - Do Re Mi
Todd Snider - Disorganized Crime
Elvis Costello & The Attractions - This Year's Girl (Live)
Fountains of Wayne - Nightlight
Tracey Thorn - Late in the Afternoon
Al Green - You Ought to Be with Me
The Avett Brothers - All My Mistakes

The wonderful Mary Lou Lord song that leads this off is one we'll throw on repeat, so this list could well have been ten repeats of that. Couldn't find it on YouTube, but there is a nice version from the BBC in the link above. Nick Lowe is aging so, so gracefully. We highly recommend his most recent album. Couldn't find a live clip of the Split Lip Rayfield tune, but do check out the clip to see the awesome gas tank bass.

We even got a little Al Green this week, which is a pretty good excuse to link to the other Al Green we got this week. The kid thought the aside to the wings was so The West Wing.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Sunday Random 10

Let's see what the little green Nano produced this morning!

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

XTC - Blame the Weather
The Beatles - Sea of Time
The Beatles - Lovely Rita
Dr. John - Mos' Scocious
Brook Benton - Rainy Night in Georgia
Lyle Lovett - Cowboy Man
Los Lobos - Carabina .30-30 [Live]
The Temptations - My Girl
Elvis Presley - Blue Moon of Kentucky
Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)

Love that it picked up from last week's XTC song at #10 to leading off with XTC this week. (Again, not that the odds of it hitting an XTC tune are terribly long.) The first of the Beatles tracks is one of the instrumentals from Yellow Submarine. (The odds of hitting a Beatles tune are way shorter than XTC.) Brook Benton's tune is from the album that is pound-for-pound the Best Album in Our Collection. [1] There's our choice for the Best Band America has Produced [2], followed by The Tempts singing The Greatest Song Ever Written, and the B-side of the record that made it all happen for The King. It wraps with those crazy Canadian kids who were the highlight of last year's Grammys telecast. [3] Not a bad ten at all.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Is Mitt Romney a serial killer?), already in progress.

[1] Atlantic Rhythm & Blues 1947-1974 - Volume 6 1966-1969. Try to find a 2-album set with more great songs on it, we dare you.
[2] Excellence in a broad variety of styles, solid body of work, longevity, same lineup all these years.
[3] But were noticeably absent from tonight's commercial for this year's ceremony.

Monday, January 09, 2012

57 Channels and Nothin' On

Saw the following item in the latest Comcast Xfinity e-mail under the heading "Editor's Top 5 Picks":

Rob: Rob Schneider stars in this new sitcom as a bachelor who marries into a tight-knit Mexican-American family.

An "editor" picked that? Sweet Mother of Pearl, we've only seen the commercials for this stinkfest, so here's This Week's Discussion Question:
How much cash would someone have to pony up to get you to watch an episode of that "editor's pick"?
Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "I think there's an editor with a death wish -- or a new Mercedes," "To paraphrase Arthur Dent, 'Ah, this is obviously some strange usage of the word "stars" that I wasn't previously aware of," or "Hell, it'll make the Republican presidential debates look like Masterpiece freaking Theatre."

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

Let's see what the little green Nano offered up this week!

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

Erik Brandt - The Ballad of Janos Sinko
Blind Pilot - We Are the Tide
Husker Du - Makes No Sense At All
Nick Lowe - Somebody Cares for Me
Ike Reilly - Put a Little Love In It
Wilco - Someone Else's Song
Wilco - Solitaire
John Hiatt - When New York Had Her Heart Broke
Los Straitjackets - Close to Christmas (The First Noel)
XTC - Generals and Majors

We're thinking about catching Mr. Brandt opening for Koerner and Glover in the near future. Bought the Blind Pilot album via download on Saturday after seeing them on Letterman (and recalling my buddy Tom raving about them). We're suckers for a band with an extra tom-tom player. Five bucks on Amazon. The Husker tune is the A-side of the single we bought years ago for the terrific B-side, the video of which we'd never seen until just now. There's a pair of pretty obscure Wilco tunes, and Los Straitjackets track is from their terrific new album, Yuletide Beat. And let's just say that as time goes by, the chance of an XTC tune popping up in the mix gets more and more likely.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Monday, January 02, 2012

Sunday Random 10

Happy New Year! Here's what the Nano dropped on New Year's Day 2012!

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

Eurythmics - Missionary Man
The Band - When I Paint My Masterpiece
Gear Daddies - African Killer Bees
Florence + the Machine - Hurricane Drunk
Wilco - Handshake Drugs
Fountains of Wayne - Revolving Dora
Todd Rundgren - Marlene
The Beatles - Get Back (Let it Be...Naked)
Old 97's - Love Is What You Are
The New Standards - The Dark End of the Street

Hope 2012 is off to a good start!

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Iowa? Really?), already in progress.

Sunday Random 10 (catching up for 2011)

Getting caught up here after a long holiday week. Here's the last of the 2011 randoms. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

12/18/2011
The Coasters - I Must Be Dreamin'
Joe Henry - This is My Favorite Cage
Florence + the Machine - Cosmic Love
Fountains of Wayne - All Kinds of Time
The B-52's - Good Stuff
Ivy - She Really Got to You
Todd Snider - Unorganized Crime
The Beatles - Misery
Diane Birch - Forgiveness
The Staple Singers - Respect Yourself

12/25/2011
Ry Cooder - Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us All
Susan Werner - Sunday Mornings
Beki Hemingway & Jonathan Rundman - Easy Chair
Beki Hemingway & Jonathan Rundman - Everything to Everyone
Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
Wilson Pickett - I'm In Love
Over the Rhine - Here It Is
Dolly Varden - Balcony
The Replacements - I'll Be You
The Ike Reilly Assassination - Garbage Day

Didn't have a lot of holiday music on the Nano this year--or anywhere, for that matter--so it's nice that Over the Rhine's terrific Christmas tune turned up on Christmas Day.

"I'm wrapping up my love this Christmas and here it is."

Peace on earth, goodwill to all...

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Sunday Random 10

Before we get another week in the hole, let's clean out the queue of Sundays.

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

12/04/2011
John Coltrane - Everytime We Say Goodbye
Laura Nyro - Stoney End
Dan Zanes and Friends - I Am What I Am
Dwight Yoakam - Wichita Lineman
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Simplest Love
The Autumn Defense - Why I'm Like This
Professor Longhair - Whole Lotta Loving
Allen Toussaint - Just a Closer Walk with Thee
The Beatles - Long, Long, Long
Allen Toussaint - West End Blues

The Nano was in a jazzy New Orleans mood, it appears.

12/11/2011
Dolly Varden - Some Sequined Angel
Wilco - That's Not the Issue
Ricky Nelson - Hello Mary Lou
Badfinger - No Matter What
The Honeydogs - I Miss You
Greg Brown - Tenderhearted Child
Professor Longhair - Meet Me Tomorrow Night
Yusuf - Heaven/Where True Love Goes
Fountains of Wayne - The Girl I Can't Forget
Nick Lowe - All Men Are Liars

Even though we didn't get tickets for the Wilco/Nick Lowe shows last week, the Nano apparently thought we should have.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Sunday Random 10

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! We're thankful for you and we're thankful for music! Shall we see what the little green Nano served up today?

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!!!
Tres Chicas - Drop Me Down
Hank Williams - Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
Ace - How Long
Muddy Waters - Stuff You Gotta Watch
The Who - We're Not Gonna Take It
Drive-By Truckers - The Righteous Path
Michael Penn - Mary Lynn
The Who - Call Me Lightning
The Rascals - Mustang Sally
Todd Rundgren - I Saw the Light
Bonus 11 and 12 because, um...well, it's the first Sunday in Advent, so it's the Christmas season, and um...yeah, like the "Twelve Days of Christmas", and it's a Christmas song, so that's a sign that we ought to do twelve! Yeah, that's it! (Actually, 11 was a pretty great song and then twelve is brand new and we simply must mention it.)
Rodney Crowell - Closer to Heaven
Los Straitjackets - Que Verdes Son
Okay, we see the Nano is liking The Who this week. Ace's one and only hit appears (though Paul Carrack went on to have several more), there's some Hank Sr. and Muddy, and the terrific lead track from the great Something/Anything?, which we'd strummed on the uke earlier in the day.

Now to the bonus tracks. The Rodney Crowell song is the beautiful closing piece from the Joe Henry-produced Sex & Gasoline and we introduced a bunch of folks to Los Straitjackets' first holiday record several years ago, but didn't get in early enough to get one of the limited run of the Yuletide Beat CDs, so we ended up downloading it last week and "Que Verdes Son" is one of those tracks. We're not sure why we waited so long. Go. Get. It.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (While Jimmy Fallon and The Roots are apologizing for the sexism, shouldn't they also apologize for assuming our former Congresswoman knows enough about what she speaks to be lying?), already in progress.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Sunday Random 10 (x3)

Yeah, we've been busy, busy, busy. Here's what the little green Nano's spit out the last few weeks.

11/06/2011
Wilco - Black Moon (Alt.)
Feist - Cicadas and Gulls
Rod Stewart - Reason to Believe
The Beatles - Here Comes the Sun
Robert Palmer - Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)
Buffalo Springfield - Mr. Soul
The Beatles - Rain
Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour
Ivy - Distant Lights
Preservation Hall Jazz Band (feat. Anita Briem) - C'est Si Bon

(A few new tunes here. We like the new Wilco album better than Wilco (the album) but not as much as Sky Blue Sky. The new Feist is quite good. The new Ivy record is heavy on the electronica, but we're liking it.)

11/13/2011
The Beatles - Sexy Sadie
The Civil Wars - 20 Years
Steve Goodman - Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere - One of Those Days
Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens - Streets of Bakersfield
The Civil Wars - Girl with the Red Balloon
Arcade Fire - Sprawl I (Flatland)
Erik Brandt - Shit List
Joe Henry - Last One Out
The Replacements - I'll Be You

(The Nano likes The Civil Wars, too. Dwight and Buck are terrific.)

11/20/2011
Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire
Laura Nyro & Labelle - I Met Him on a Sunday
Rockpile - Play That Fast Thing (One More Time)
The Beatles - Honey Pie
Husker Du - Love Is All Around
The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
Titus Andronicus - Theme from "Cheers"
This Train - The Missing Link
The Rascals - Love Is a Beautiful Thing
Elvis Costello and The Attractions - This Year's Girl (Live)

(The new Ryan Adams record is gorgeous. You know how we feel about Ms. Nyro's collaboration with Labelle that predates "Lady Marmalade" by a couple of years. Yes, the Huskers' are covering the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. It was a B-side that any respectable Minnesotan ought to own. Nice to hear This Train after seeing Mark Robertson's current band Thursday night.)

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Christiane Amanpour's roundtable today: George Will, Peggy Noonan, Matthew Dowd, and Paul Krugman prompts us to ask (again) "What liberal media?")

Monday, October 31, 2011

Wedding Bell Blues

So Kim Kardashian filed for divorce today after 70 days of marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries. Irreconcilable differences. Seventy days. Hard to imagine things couldn't be worked out after such a lengthy effort at reconciliation.

Here's This Week's Discussion Question:
Tell us again how allowing gays to get hitched undermines marriage?
Please keep the discussion civil and feel perfectly free to wander off into "Why are you famous?" and "Can we never hear her name again, please?"

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10 (x2)

Been a couple of busy weeks, so let's get caught up on what's shaking with the little green Nano.

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

10/23/2011
Rod Stewart - Seems Like a Long Time
The Kinks - Susannah's Still Alive
Jonathan Rundman - If I Ever Get There
The B-52's - Debbie
The Civil Wars - To Whom It May Concern
The Waterboys - Sweet Thing
R.E.M. - Romance
Los Lobos - Carabina .30-30 (live)
Dolorean - Beachcomber Blues
The Replacements - Achin' to Be

Try explaining to someone under the age of, oh, thirty-five, that Rod Stewart was once a vital and critically-acclaimed artist. Good luck.

10/30/2011
Erik Brandt and The Urban Hillbilly Quartet - Helplessly
Ike Reilly - The Assassination of Sweet Lou Diablo
The Beatles - Get Back
Joe Henry - A Friend to You
Jonathan Rundman - No More Walls
Rosanne Cash with Johnny Cash - September When It Comes
Kaivama - Mosalarium
Ivy - Suspicious
The Rutles - Joe Public
Golden Smog - Easy to Be Hard

Just loaded UHQ's fine "Amelia's Boot" over the weekend. Also tunes from the new Kaivama and Ivy records, and Gary Louris's take on "Easy to Be Hard" is simply gorgeous.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Monday Random 10

Sunday was a busy day at TWDQ HQ, so we fired up the little green Nano late that night for a few tunes and--especially since Derek and the Dominos' 20-minute live version of "Let it Rain" came up midway through--we decided to shut it off and go on shuffling along in the morning. When we plugged the iPod into the laptop at work, none of what played showed up under "Last Played" so we needed to do it all again.

Fortunately, it gives the Nano an opportunity to choose something from a couple of lunchtime acquisitions.

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

Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
Lost Dogs - I'm a Loser
Jonathan Rundman - Oswiecim
Derek and the Dominos - Keep on Growing
The Ike Reilly Assassination - Good Work
The Baseball Project - The Ballad of Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson
Bruce Springsteen - Fire
Neil Young - Southern Man
Bob Dylan - Boots of Spanish Leather (demo)

Well, no 20-minute guitar epics and none of the recent acquisitions turned up, but it was worth redoing if only to link to Sal Nunziato's stupidly wonderful piece on a stupidly wonderful song.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Nick Punto in the World Series?), already in progress.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Sunday Random 10

Today's shuffle played out on the flight to Houston. Was a beautiful day in MN, rainy in TX. We're glad we took the late flight out.

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

Rosanne Cash - Sleeping In Paris
The Beach Boys - Sloop John B. (live)
The Decemberists - January Hymn
Jackson Browne - Doctor My Eyes
Aaron Neville - Stand By Me
Los Straitjackets - Ana (Anna)
The Hold Steady - A Slight Discomfort
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Couldn't I Just Tell You
Boiling Point - Long Way (All the Pretty Reasons)
The Twilight Hours - Yes

The King is Dead might be our favorite album of 2011. Los Straitjackets' Rock en Espanol is a terrific album of 50's and 60's rock 'n roll done in Spanish, of course. (Los Lobos' Louie Perez's liner notes are pretty terrific, too.) Mr. Sweet and Ms. Hoffs cover our favorite Todd Rundgren tune, and we close with a couple of local bands. Boiling Point is our worship leader's band and the Twilight Hours are half of Trip Shakespeare (John Munson & Matt Wilson) making really fine, tuneful pop.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Take Me Out to the Cathedral

At the Values Voter Summit, Bryan Fischer, of noted hate group the American Family Association, suggested that the United States hasn't been attacked by America-hatin' Muslims since Sept. 11, 2001 because we started singing "God Bless America" instead of the "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the 7th inning stretch.

Take it away, Brian:

"By God's blessing, we have not been hit by a Muslim attack since 9/11," Fischer said. "I suggest that in part, we have Major League Baseball to thank. You remember that the week after 9/11 Major League Baseball converted the seventh inning stretch from the singing of 'Take Me Out To The Ballgame' to the singing of 'God Bless America.'"

"Now 'God Bless America' is not just a song, it is a prayer. When we sing that we are inviting God to bless America, to stand beside her and to guide her through the night with a light from above," Fischer said.

"So for one brief, shining moment every night, Major League Baseball has converted our stadiums into cathedrals in which tens of thousands of ordinary Americans lift their hearts and voices as one and ask God to watch over and protect the United States," Fischer said.

"Ladies and gentleman, I think that those prayers have been heard and they have been answered," Fischer said.

First, some clubs only sing GBA on Sundays (for which TWDQ thanks God). We believe the Yankees do it every game less out of patriotism than to use Ronan Tynan's 17 minute rendition to ice a visiting pitcher that's in a groove.

Second, nothing got "converted". We still sing 'em both on Sundays at Target Field. More people sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". Way more.

Third, though it may be a prayer, GBA is a sentimental, mawkish, schlocky prayer. Woody Guthrie disliked it so much he wrote "This Land is Your Land"--originally titled "God Blessed America for Me"--in response.

Fourth, his last line reminds us of a great line in Barbara Brown Taylor's "An Altar in the World":

“I do not know any way to talk about answered prayer without sounding like a huckster or honeymooner. When someone wants to tell me how God has answered prayer, those are the first two possibilities that occur to me, anyway: 1) This person wants to sell me something, or 2) This person is not quite sober yet.”

And lastly, the last time we checked, Irving Berlin, who penned GBA, was Jewish, leading us to This Week's Discussion Question.

So wouldn't that be synagogues instead of cathedrals?

Please keep the discussion civil and please do not wander off into "Values? What values?" but do feel free to wander off into your Slim Pickens impression. (Quote #2, to be precise.)

Discuss.


Wednesday, October 05, 2011

She's Gone

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question to bring you the news that former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin will not run for the presidency in 2012.

In other news, the sun rose in the east today.

Palin's decision means, of course, that TWDQ's CEO will not be consuming his headwear in front of City Hall at high noon on November 6, 2012, as promised had the FHTG been the GOP nominee.

The story we linked to is headlined, "Sarah Palin's Decision Not to Run Shocks Supporters", which brings us to This Week's Discussion Question:
Really? Who didn't see this coming?
Please keep the discussion civil and try to keep the guffaws down.

Discuss.

Monday, October 03, 2011

Idiot Wind

While we're waiting for country music stations all over Amurica to sponsor rallies to burn and smash Hank Williams Jr. records, here's This Week's Discussion Question:
Who gives a rat's behind what Hank Williams Junior thinks about anything?
Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "That's a mighty generous use of 'thinks', bucko," or "Remember kids, don't drink before breakfast."

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

Let's see what the little green Nano kicked out on this first Sunday in October!

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

Son Volt - Route
The Beatles - The Long and Winding Road (from Let it Be...Naked)
Badfinger - No Matter What
Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies
Los Lobos - La Pistola Y El Corazon
Titus Andronicus - Four Score and Seven
Eurythmics - Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves
Everything But the Girl - Oxford Street
Fountains of Wayne - Acela
The Beatles - Only a Northern Song

Really nice mix this week. Son Volt's debut, Trace, is one of those albums we could sing along to from start to finish by heart but couldn't name the song titles at gunpoint. (Seriously, this album is so deeply engrained that on a family vacation, I pulled the family off the freeway to see St. Genevieve, Missouri. A co-worker told me he'd also done the same side trip.) We're always thrilled by the Phil Spector-free version of McCartney's ballad following the 28 year wait after hearing it for the first time in the film "Let it Be" in 1976. There's Donovan's guest shot with Alice, some excellent rootsy Los Lobos (The Best Band America Has Yet Produced, in our not so humble estimation), some Civil War-based (sort of) Jersey rock, Aretha & Annie, and the vastly underrated and underheard Tracey Thorn and EBtG.

And, boys and girls, right there at number three is the first full-flower of power pop, with a tune from the fine new album by our current favorite power pop purveyors checking in at number nine.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Odds and Sods

We've had a few little things we wanted to get off our chest lately, so let's unload:

Norquist to Buffett: Send Government Your Money - Here's the Envelope, You Pay for the Stamp
TWDQ to Grover: Here's the short pier, you take the hike.
Crazy Train Keeps A-Rollin':
Seriously, how can anyone take this lunatic seriously?
Montana GOP Fears School Lunch Fraud is Eating Taxpayer Money
Yeah, beating up poor kids for their lunch money is the way out of our economic malaise.
There, that feels better.

Back tomorrow with tunes...

Sunday, September 25, 2011

The Great Beyond

Was a little surprised the Nano didn't turn up any R.E.M. today in the wake of Peter, Mike, and Michael hanging it up this week. (It seems like it's got a spidey-sense about those kinds of things.)

Had read some buzz about them and I have a strong memory of hearing "South Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" on an AM station while commuting home along I-694 one sunny afternoon and digging the jangle. I also loved Peter Buck's 12-string work on the Mats' great "I Will Dare", so I bought Reckoning, and in the not-yet-codified TWDQ Hierarchy of Recording Artists, they quickly became a "buy their new album on release day" band.*

* That said, didn't pick up Green until years later. Maybe they were playing it on the radio so much I didn't think I needed to. Never did get Up or Behind the Sun, possibly because I'd heard them first. ;-)

Loved Life's Rich Pageant, Document, Out of Time, Automatic, and yes, even Monster. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth" still makes me want to grab a guitar and play along. Loud. And move like Peter Buck. The kids loved "Shiny Happy People" and even though I've seen it a thousand times, still think the "Losing My Religion" video is pretty terrific.

Only ever saw 'em live once. They were on the Vote for Change tour with Bright Eyes, Fogerty, and Springsteen (with interloper Neil Young) in 2004 and they were terrific, with an energetic Stipe bouncing all over the Xcel Energy Center stage. Got back on the release day bit with Accelerate, which is a terrific record.

So thanks, Bill, Peter, Mike, and Michael. It was a great run.

This is still my favorite:

Sunday Random 30 (catching up...)

Okay, so "back tomorrow" ended up being a fortnight. Been crazy busy. Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's catch up.

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

09/11/2011
Wilco - At Least That's What You Said
Ricky Nelson - Hello Mary Lou
Loggins & Messina - House at Pooh Corner
The Kinks - Days
Los Lobos - A Matter of Time
Radiohead - How Do You?
Paul Simon - So Beautiful or So What
Steve Goodman - Somebody Else's Troubles
Professor Longhair - No Buts, No Maybes
Joe Henry - Hello Stranger

Interesting that the first track on the tenth anniversary of 9/11/2001 was from the one of the first notable post-9/11 albums. It seems like every September 11th since 2001 has been a beautiful, sunny day, just like that morning.

09/18/2011
Wilco - Someday Soon
Fountains of Wayne - Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart
The Beatles - For No One
Fountains of Wayne - Please Don't Rock Me Tonight
Old 97's - Streets of Where I'm From
Ben Folds - Gracie
The Baseball Project - Ted F***ing Williams
The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (live)
Peter Wolf (w/Shelby Lynne) - Tragedy
Dan Zanes - Hallelujah, I'm a Bum!

Leading off with Wilco again. I think the Nano's getting ready for The Whole Love on Tuesday. (We're listening to them streaming live on NPR this very moment, singing along to "Jesus, Etc.") A couple of FoW tunes, including one from their excellent new Sky Full of Holes and one from their debut. The verse about Gracie falling asleep on Folds' arm chokes me up every time.

Started the Sunday New York Times Crossword when we hit shuffle on the Nano. We let it go for these...

The Replacements - I Will Dare
The Beatles - It's Only Love
The Who - Squeeze Box

...and finished it in the middle of this one.

Derek and the Dominos - Roll It Over (live)

Beat that.

09/25/2011
Professor Longhair - Go to the Mardi Gras
The Beatles - It's All Too Much
The Kinks - Apeman
Over the Rhine - All My Favorite People (demo)
Jonathan Rundman - Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
The Who - 5:15
Johnny Cash - So Doggone Lonesome
Wilco - Poor Places
Lucinda Williams - Sweet Love
Earth, Wind & Fire - Can't Hide Love

Bonus 11 - Gear Daddies - One Voice (I Wanna Drive the Zamboni)

Nice mix this morning. More Wilco, The Kinks' great "Lola" follow-up single, a terrific rocker from Quadrophenia, and my favorite EWF tune. I think the Nano knows they started playing exhibition hockey this week, too.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Who Knows Where the Time Goes? (Random 10 catch-up)

Did anyone get the license number of the car that ran over August? Wow.

We've been to Maine and back and are still in the final throes of remodeling the living room at TWDQ, so let's get caught up on a month's worth of random tens.

08/14/2011
Old 97's - Marquita
Little Feat - All That You Dream
Janelle Monae - Locked Inside
Dan Zanes - Alba Mananera
The Coasters - Riot in Cell Block #9
The Kinks - See My Friends
Adele - Daydreamer
Paul Simon - Getting Ready for Christmas Day
Jonathan Rundman - The Prophetstown Tornado
Bob Dylan - Mama, You Been On My Mind

Bunch of stuff here from relatively recent acquisitions (97's, Feat, Adele, Simon).

08/21/2011
Al Green - Full of Fire
The Coasters - Youngblood
Old 97's - Curtain Calls
The Avett Brothers - Tin Man
The Thorns - I Can't Remember
Vince Guaraldi - Samba de Orpheus
Marshall Crenshaw - Better Back Off
Girlyman - Invite Me In
The Avett Brothers - The Ballad of Love and Hate
Nick Lowe - Without Love

Nothing at all new here, but a very nice mix.

08/28/2011
Over the Rhine - Only God Can Save Us Now
The Thorns - I Can't Remember
Jonathan Rundman - Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I'll Still Be True
Lost Dogs - Pray Where You Are
Muddy Waters - Train Fare Home Blues
Legendary Shack Shakers - Everything I Ever Wanted To Do...
Uncle Tupelo - Whiskey Bottle
Suburbs - Drinking with an Angel
Sam Cooke - Only Sixteen

No recent tunes, but those lush Thorns harmonies pop up again this week. Nice run of liquor tunes leading into Sam Cooke's teenage lament.

09/04/2011
R.E.M. - What's the Frequency, Kenneth?
Kaivama - Pirun Polska
She & Him - Ridin' in My Car
Lost Dogs - Red, White and Blue
Los Straitjackets - Magia Blanca
XTC - Mermaid Smiled
Boiling Point - Incomplete
Mavis Staples - Last Train
Golden Smog - Glad and Sorry
The Replacements - Dose of Thunder

We've always appreciated the noisy Monster album, She & Him's NRBQ cover jangles so nicely, and the Smog's cover of the Faces is really a wonderful tune.

Back tomorrow with a fresh ten. We'll see if the Nano knows what day it is and pushes out a somber mix. Maybe even a question or two.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday, August 07, 2011

Sunday Random 10

Wow, productive morning at TWDQ HQ! Got international calling set up so TWDQ can communicate with the kid in Russia, made an international call, and got the Sunday Morning Shuffle in by...okay, 1 p.m.

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

Lone Justice - The Train
Fountains of Wayne - Fire in the Canyon
Lost Dogs - Jesus Loves You, Brian Wilson
Little Feat - Old Folks' Boogie (Live)
Muddy Waters - Still a Fool
Bettye LaVette - No Time to Live
Crowded House - Nobody Wants To
Jimi Hendrix - The Stars That Play with Laughing Sam's Dice
Bob Dylan - 4th Time Around
Jonathan Rundman - Dialysis Carpool

Nothing from the new Fountains of Wayne album, which has been dominating the various players around TWDQ HQ, but we did get one from their previous release along with a Little Feat tune from the recently-acquired Waiting for Columbus. Also, the fabulous Crowded House tune led off one of our annual Faves compilations.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Off by $2 trillion? Is it any wonder these clowns missed the boat on sub-prime mortgage securities?), already in progress.

Friday Not At All Random Ten (Tiny Cabana Edition)

It was a gorgeous day, we were running an errand over lunch with the sunroof open and windows down.

Let's...Hit...Repeat!



We now return you to This Week's Discu...

No, no, no! Hit "Play" again!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Sunday Random 10 (x 2)

Been crazy around TWDQ HQ, between the final throes of a remodeling project and the kid getting ready to go to Russia.

Here's what the little green Nano offered up the last couple of Sundays. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

07/24/2011
The Beach Boys - I'm Waiting for the Day
The Wild Tchoupitoulas - Big Chief Got a Golden Crown
Nick Lowe - All Men are Liars
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - She May Call You Up Tonight
The Beatles - And Your Bird Can Sing
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - And Your Bird Can Sing
Patty Griffin - Icicles
Neil Young - Like a Hurricane
Adam Again - River on Fire
The Avett Brothers - Shame

07/31/2011
Brendan Benson - Feel A Whole Lot Better
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - She May Call You Up Tonight
The Hold Steady - Stuck Between Stations
Kirsty MacColl - Innocence
Derek & The Dominos - I Looked Away
Wilco - Dreamer In My Dreams
Radiohead - Anyone Can Play Guitar
Adam Again - Hopeless, Etc.
Tom Waits - On the Nickel
The Baseball Project - The Magic Mitt of Jason Byles

Bonus 11th track: U2 - Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of

Last week's ten was pretty remarkable for the back-to-back "And Your Bird Can Sing" renditions. Also, if you've never heard Adam Again's haunting "River on Fire", go check out the clip. We really miss Gene Eugene. Same goes for Patty Griffin's "Icicles".

This week's list is really interesting because each of the first two tunes was a lead-off track on one of our annual Faves compilations, immediately followed by another Faves track. Also, Derek & The Dominos remains Mr. Clapton's career high point.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Do you suppose Paul Krugman spent this morning's This Week roundtable listening to Grover Norquist, yearning for such a sock?"), already in progress.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Sunday Random 10

It's hot and muggy outside, so let's see what the little green Nano offered up to cool us down.

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

Mavis Staples - Downward Road
The Decemberists - January Hymn
Robert Plant - Angel Dance
The Replacements - Bastards of Young
The Decemberists - Rox in the Box
Joe Henry - A Friend to You
AfroCubism - Djelimady Rumba
The Suburbs - Drinking with an Angel
Lyle Lovett - An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy
Buddy Miller - That's How I Got to Memphis

Couple of tunes from the excellent new Decemberists album, couple from great Twin Cities bands (not counting The Jayhawks backing Mr. Henry), and a couple featuring Buddy Miller (he's the guitarist in Mr. Plant's Band of Joy).

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("What liberal media?"), already in progress.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Sunday Random 10 (a bunch of them)

Yeah, sure we'll be back later in the day with a fresh ten, you bet.

Here's that Sunday's ten, plus the holiday weekend edition and...wait for it...today's random ten!

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

06/26/2011
Eddie Vedder - Without You
The Avett Brothers - I Killed Sally's Lover (Live)
The Hold Steady - Your Little Hoodrat Friend
The Beatles - When I Get Home
Steve Dawson - Temporary
Sam Dees - The World Don't Owe You Nothing
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Willin'
The Beatles - Lady Madonna
Eddie Vedder - Can't Keep
Johnny Cash - Come In Stranger

07/03/2011
The Baseball Project - The Ballad of Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson
Fountains of Wayne - All Kinds of Time
Nick Lowe - True Love Travels on a Gravel Road
Fountains of Wayne - Leave the Biker
Earth, Wind & Fire - Sing a Song
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - The Game Gets Old
Ry Cooder - Fool for a Cigarette/Feelin' Good
Sam Cooke - Only Sixteen
Wilco - Everlasting Everything
Kirsty MacColl - You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby

07/10/2011
Marshall Crenshaw - What Do You Dream Of?
Solomon Burke - Cry to Me
Jonathan Rundman - What Wondrous Love is This
Erik Brandt - Ain't Broke
The Beatles - If I Needed Someone
Robert Brown and The Sons of The South - Nobody Knows
Beki Hemingway - Fort Bragg
Jonathan Rundman - Church Directory
Lucinda Williams - Kiss Like Your Kiss (The Kitchen Tapes)
Beki Hemingway - Saturday

And today's bonus 11th, since you've all been so patient:
Ivy - Digging Your Scene

So three weeks ago, the Nano had a thing for the sweet new Eddie Vedder "Ukulele Songs" record and the Fab Four. Last week it was Fountains of Wayne (new album available for pre-order now!) and this week it was into Ms. Hemingway and Mr. Rundman in a big way. We also think it's reminding us about the new album Mr. Brandt will be recording this coming week.

We'll try to be more prompt next week.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("How do you reach a compromise with people who doesn't understand the meaning of the word?"), already in progress.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Catching up...

Before we fire up the Nano today, let's review the weeks we've missed here due to a lot of stuff goin' on (most notably, this project):

06/05/2011
XTC - The Wheel and the Maypole
The Beatles - Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite
Tom Waits - Lucky Day (Live)
Boiling Point - Pieces of Me
R.E.M. - Can't Get There from Here
Aaron Neville - I'm So Glad (Trouble Don't Last)
The Weepies - When You Go Away
Bob Dylan - Masters of War (demo)
Suburbs - Tape Your Wife to the Ceiling
Adam Again - Worldwide

06/12/2011
Florence + The Machine - I'm Not Calling You a Liar
The Smiths - Hand in Glove
Bruce Cockburn - Waiting for a Miracle
John Coltrane - Summertime
Joe Henry - Curt Flood
Jonathan Rundman - Read the Signs
The Beatles - Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey
This Train - A Million Years
Fountains of Wayne - Richie and Ruben
Dan Zanes - Lincoln & Liberty

The Fountains of Wayne tune is a preview they've posted from their forthcoming album, due out August 2nd. Yeah, we'll be at the record store that day. Before lunch.

Back later today with a fresh ten.

Update: Hey wait, we weren't quite caught up...

06/19/2011
Lucinda Williams - Soldier's Song
Muddy Waters - Gypsy Woman
Joe Henry - Short Man's Room
The Baseball Project - Gratitude (for Curt Flood)
The Bangles - Eternal Flame
Jonathan Rundman - David & Peter & Thomas
Jonathan Rundman - I'm Alive and Sleep Deprived
Van Morrison - Cleaning Windows
The Belfast Cowboys - Domino
Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins - Rise Up with Fists!!!

That's better.

Monday, May 30, 2011

What Goes Around...

In our previous episode, we wondered if an offensive"prayer" by a lunatic would derail a vote on an amendment that would chisel discrimination into the state constitution.

Well, it didn't derail it, so in November 2012, the voters of Minnesota will get to decide about the rights of other Minnesotans, which is just plain wrong, regardless of whose rights they are.

It did, however, have some karmic consequences for the "pray-er." He'd already been booted off one right-wing station prior to the "prayer" and in the wake of it, was dumped from another, leading to This Week's Discussion Question:
Just how crazy do you have to be to be too much for stations who air Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Didn't start this fight? Are you kidding, you coward?"

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10 (x2 - Holiday edition)

Been another couple of busy weeks at TWDQ HQ. Ran through a random 10 yesterday while scraping wallpaper paste and when we plugged the little green Nano into the laptop, the Last Played column didn't show it'd played anything since Friday.

We fired it up again this morning, so here's what fell out first the last coupla weeks:

05/22/2011
Dan Zanes - The Shantyman's Life
Lucinda Williams - Ugly Truth (The Kitchen Tapes)
Over the Rhine - Sleep Baby Jane
Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere - One of Those Days
Fountains of Wayne - Sink to the Bottom
The Smiths - What Difference Does it Make?
This Train - Baby Baby
Alice Cooper - Elected
Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
Ringo Starr - I'm the Greatest

05/29/2011
Uncle Tupelo - New Madrid
The Rutles - Joe Public
Bob Dylan - Ain't Gonna Grieve
The Band - When I Paint My Masterpiece
Ike Reilly - Good Work
The Beatles - Blue Jay Way
Fountains of Wayne - Stacy's Mom
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I'll Still Be True
Tom Waits - House Where Nobody Lives
The Bad Plus - Smells Like Teen Spirit

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Save It for Later

First, we bring you the breaking news that today's Rapture has been postponed because after this opening "prayer" at Friday's Minnesota House of Representatives session, Jesus will likely still be throwing up at the appointed hour. At this time, a Rapture make-up date has not been scheduled.

Based on the video clip of the incident, Jesus may need a stint on the 15-day disabled list, followed by a brief minor league rehab assignment rapturing mice and small birds to make sure he's back in rapturing shape.

Which brings us to This Week's Discussion Question:
How sweet would it be if that lunatic's "prayer" torpedoed the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment vote?
Please keep the discussion civil and do feel free to wander off into "When you speak for me, you don't speak for me."

Discuss.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Sunday Random 10 (x 2)

Been so busy we don't even remember what we've been doing that kept us from posting. Let's see what the Nano's tossed out over the last couple of Sundays.

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

05/08/2011
Radiohead - Thinking About You
Uncle Tupelo - Graveyard Shift
Talking Heads - Heaven
The Beatles - Only a Northern Song
Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin' (demo)
Rosanne Cash - Seventh Avenue
Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (demo)
Fountains of Wayne - Number 45 Sunblock
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below
The Bar-Kays - Soul Finger

05/15/2011
Derek & The Dominos - Got to Get Better in a Little While (Live)
The Beatles - When I Get Home
Buddy Miller (feat. Ann McCrary) - No Good Lover
Girlyman - Tell Me There's a Reason
The Beach Boys - You Still Believe in Me (Live)
Odetta - The Times They Are A-Changin'
The B-52's - Party Out of Bounds
Wilco - Walken
XTC - Church of Women
Afrocubism - Dakan

And a bonus because you've been so patient: 11. Ritchie Valens - La Bamba

Starting to see some newer stuff here. Picked up a used copy of the Dominos' excellent Live at the Fillmore on Record Store Day, so this week we started with a 13-minute track. The young man can play a little bit. Too bad that band only lasted one album. We got a couple of versions of Dylan's anthem, including his own Witmark demo on piano. The Buddy Miller tune is from the fine new Majestic Silver Strings record with Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot, & Greg Leisz.

We'll see if we can get this up in a more timely fashion next week.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Why not both, Newt?), already in progress.

Sunday, May 01, 2011

Sunday Random 10 (x 2)

Whole lotta painting and baseball going on, not much blogging. Started up the Nano en route from TWDQ HQ to play at the Sunrise service and the two tunes it kicked out were entirely appropriate. Finished up the rest while applying some Ancient Marble after spending a glorious Sunday afternoon at the ballpark witnessing what, sadly, remains the most recent win for the local nine. This week, we fired up the Nano after the 5 p.m. service.

So let's see what else it had queued up. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

04/24/2011
The Beach Boys - We Got Love (Live)
U2 - Peace on Earth
Joe Henry - Flesh and Blood
Old 97's - Big Brown Eyes
The Kinks - See My Friends
Old 97's - You Belong to My Heart
The Who - Happy Jack
Steve Dawson - Out of Your Mind
Joe Henry - Buckdancer's Choice
Boiling Point - Incomplete

05/01/2011
The Turtles - Happy Together
Tom Waits - The Part You Throw Away
Ringo Starr - No-No Song
Jonathan Rundman - Church Directory
Erik Brandt - Who Am I Making the Bed for When You Aren't Here?
Girlyman - Invite Me In
Janelle Monae - Cold War
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Alone Again Or
Gear Daddies - Dream Vacation
The Turtles - Elenore

Final tune on Easter Sunday is from the band led by the worship leader with whom we played that morning. This week we had some excellent bookends, especially since "Elenore" is pretty much "Happy Together" inside out in a blatant attempt at a hit. (It also features some of the most sublimely dumb lyrics in rock 'n roll.) Thanks again to Dave Biljan for insisting the Gear Daddies put out their odds and ends on Cant Have Nothin' Nice all those years ago.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Why does anyone care what Donald Trump thinks about anything?"), already in progress.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Sunday Random 10

Did today's shuffling with paint brush in hand, so the little green Nano accompanied the second coat of Ivoire on the dining room wall.

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

The Hold Steady - Banging Camp
Muddy Waters - Train Fare Home Blues
The Decemberists - Sons & Daughters
Paul Simon - Rene and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War
Kaivama - Edina Speedtrap
Dolly Varden - Overwhelming
The Beatles - I'm Looking Through You
The Rascals - Easy Rollin'
Tom Waits - Falling Down (Live)
Split Enz - What's the Matter with You

Sadly, I don't have any Red House Painters on the Nano. The Kaivama is a new acquisition and while we didn't get anything off the fine new Paul Simon record that hit the racks this week, we did get a wonderfully-named song from the underrated Hearts and Bones.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

So Listen, Mister D.J., Keep Those Records Playin'...

Happy Record Store Day from all of us at TWDQ HQ! We hope you're celebrating the occasion in the traditional manner.

Here's This Week's Discussion Question:
Isn't every day Record Store Day?
Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "No, it isn't."

Discuss.

Meanwhile, we're gonna go find some good stuff that'll eventually show up on a future Sunday Random 10.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday again! The last little bit of snow is melting off the grounds at TWDQ HQ, so let's see if spring's in the air on the little green Nano. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Jack Logan - Town Crier
Old 97's - Doreen
Wilco - My Darling
Girlyman - I Know Where You Are
Los Lobos - I Got to Let You Know (Live)
Professor Longhair - Boogie Woogie
Professor Longhair & His Blues Scholars - Hey Now Baby (Live)
Los Lobos - 27 Spanishes
Allen Toussaint - Bright Mississippi
The Pogues - Bottle of Smoke

The Nano still must think it's Mardi Gras since it pulled up a couple of 'Fess tunes and one from the terrific Allen Toussaint. It brought back a Los Lobos tune from last week and bookended the Longhair tracks with a new Lobos tune from last year's fine Tin Can Trust. "Doreen" is the early 97's at their frantic best and The Pogues' profane ode to a race horse is from the essential If I Should Fall from Grace with God.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Could we send Mississippi down to Triple A and bring Puerto Rico or Guam up to the 50-state roster? Even if Mississippi's out of options, it ain't like Canada or Mexico is going to claim them off of waivers." And please do wander off into "And why the hell is anyone asking an idiotic question like that in twenty-freaking-eleven?"), already in progress.

Sunday, April 03, 2011

Sunday Random 10

...and it's actually still Sunday! Let's find out what the little green Nano shuffled up this week.

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

Todd Rundgren - The Range War
Todd Rundgren - All the Children Sing
Boiling Point - Stars Are Falling
The Smiths - Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Joe Henry - Nico Lost One Small Buddha
The Beatles - Chains
Los Lobos - I Got to Let You Know (Live)
Katrina & The Waves - Walking on Sunshine
The Neville Brothers - Every Day
Jonathan Rundman - Ah, Holy Jesus

Well, no Baseball Project songs off their fine new album (or even "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" or "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request"), but we did get two of our favorite Todd tunes right off the bat (pun fully intended) and we hope to be humming Katrina's big hit next Saturday evening as we get our first live glimpse of the local nine.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Where have you gone, Dude-You-Have-No-Koran Guy? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you."), already in progress.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sunday Random 10

Let's see what the little green Nano shook out this week. It's the only thing green around TWDQ HQ since Tuesday night's storm blew in and left another layer of white.

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

Bob Dylan - I'll Keep It with Mine
The Suburbs - Girlfriend
Jimi Hendrix - Pali Gap
Johnny Cash - Guess Things Happen That Way
Jonathan Rundman - Oswiecim
The Rolling Stones - Play with Fire
Jules Shear - Sad Sound of the Wind
Wilco - The Lonely 1
Ike Reilly - Morning Glory
The Waterboys - This Land is Your Land

Nice mix there. "Sad Sound of the Wind" is another of those great lost singles of the early 90s and why The Suburbs were never big outside of Minneapolis/St. Paul, we'll never know.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Monday, March 21, 2011

I'll Be Back

Horrific natural disasters like the Japanese earthquake and tsunami tend to bring the stupid-ass theologians out of the woodwork, so here's This Week's Discussion Question:
Would it really count as The Second Coming if Jesus just popped by briefly to say "Stop. Talking. Now." to a few folks?
Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "That wouldn't be a brief stop, chief."

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10 (x 2)

Crazy, crazy busy around TWDQ HQ. Didn't get to the iPod last week until Monday and until late Sunday this week, so let's see what the little green Nano shook out on Mardi Gras and St. Paddy's weeks. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

03/13/2011
The Beatles - With a Little Help from My Friends
Split Enz - Straight Old Line
Steve Dawson - Out of Your Mind
Los Lobos - La Bamba
Muddy Waters - Trouble No More
Guided by Voices - Queen of Cans and Jars (live)
The Beatles - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
The Faces - Maybe I'm Amazed
The Beatles - Rock and Roll Music
The Avett Brothers - Ill With Want

03/20/2011
Bruce Springsteen - The Brokenhearted
Todd Rundgren - Torch Song
The Beatles - Don't Let Me Down
Los Lobos - On Main Street
Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey - Here and Now
Professor Longhair - Go to the Mardi Gras
The Ike Reilly Assassination - When Irish Eyes Are Burning
The Baseball Project - The Death of Big Ed Delahanty
Elvis Presley - I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow version)
Beki Hemingway & Jonathan Rundman - Easy Chair

And a bonus because you've waited--all three of you--so patiently, the 11th song that popped up this week was the lead track on this year's Faves compilation:

Steve Dawson - Obsidian

Well, we got about as Mardi Gras as you can get with 'Fess, but Ike Reilly's about as close as we got to St. Paddy's, so maybe next week we'll get some Pogues or Waterboys or Van the Man.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question--and hang on, kids, there's an actual one coming in a few minutes, already in progress.

Monday, March 07, 2011

Rookies and Steroids

Couple of quick items while we're at it.

Numero uno, the Minnesota Twins have a great ad agency. Nice bit of acting by young Mr. Valencia. And who knew first base coach Jerry White could croon?

Numero two-oh (copyright Molly), Fred Clark must be juicing, because he's been hitting them out of the park one after the other over at the great Slacktivist blog for several weeks now.

Sunday Random 10

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we should just call it Bi-Weekly Sunday Random 10. Let's find out what the little green Nano shuffled up the last coupla Sundays. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

02/27/2011
Mavis Staples - You Are Not Alone
Lookbook - Real Love
Preservation Hall Jazz Band (feat. Tom Waits) - Corrinne Died on the Battlefield
Eddie Floyd - Knock on Wood
The Beatles - Good Night
Bettye LaVette - It Don't Come Easy
Otis & Carla - Tramp
Bruce Springsteen - Candy's Boy
Dolly Varden - Forgiven Now
Phoenix - Lasso

03/06/2011
XTC - Wounded Horse
The Beatles - Rock And Roll Music
Aaron Neville - Stand By Me
Fountains of Wayne - Amity Gardens
The Beatles - The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
Bob Dylan & The Band - You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Talking Heads - City Of Dreams
Tom Waits - House Where Nobody Lives
Michael Franti & Spearhead - Say Hey (I Love You)
Muddy Waters - She's Nineteen Years Old

We did update a couple of things in the blogroll and added a couple of new ones (we are digging the new Baseball Project album these days).

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("You really want to go there, Gov? Oh yeah, there's a Mr. Koch on line 2...), already in progress.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Sunday Random 10

Been a couple of busy weeks, so here's another two-fer from the little green Nano.

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

02/13/2011
The Temptations - All I Need
The Crazy Teens - Crazy Date
Bruce Springsteen - The Brokenhearted
Todd Rundgren - You Cried Wolf
The Avett Brothers - Talk on Indolence (live)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Money
Fountains of Wayne - Hey Julie
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Rosanne Cash (feat. Elvis Costello) - Heartaches by the Number
Old 97's - Color of a Lonely Heart Is Blue

02/20/2011
The Beatles - Flying
Robert Plant - House of Cards
Jonathan Rundman - I'm a Liar
XTC - I'm the Man Who Murdered Love
Johnny Cash - Train of Love
Wilco - Sunken Treasure
Old 97's - Big Brown Eyes
Split Enz - The Devil You Know
The Ventures - Wipe Out
The Avett Brothers - Go to Sleep

And even with a couple of Old 97's tunes, we failed to catch the boys Sunday night at First Avenue. Hope they made it through the Blizzard du Jour to their next gig.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Super Sunday Random 10

While the Green Bay Packers are celebrating their victory in Debut of New Commercials Bowl XVL, let's see what the little green Nano unpacked today!

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

Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint - Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
Crowded House - Locked In
Wilco - How to Fight Loneliness
The Twilight Hours - Forgot Me Now
Professor Longhair - Stag-O-Lee
Brendan Benson - You Make a Fool Out of Me
Marshall Crenshaw - Someday, Someway
The Twilight Hours - Yes
XTC - Love on a Farmboy's Wages
Erik Brandt - Locks

Hmmmm, no Black Eyed Peas. Again.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Sunday Random 10

We actually did the shuffle last Sunday morning, but the rest of the day (and week, as it turned out) got busy and we never posted, so you get a two-fer today.

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

01/23/2011
Al Green - Let's Get Married
Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey - Geometry
Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime
Talking Heads - Love --> Building on Fire
Joe Henry - Shut Me Up
Girlyman - Could Have Guessed
Bob Dylan - Man on the Street
Michael Smith - The Dutchman
Dan Zanes - Lo Que Digo
Professor Longhair - Tipitina (Live)

01/30/2011
Wilco - Airline to Heaven (live)
Joe Henry - Our Song
The Hold Steady - Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night
Lookbook - Real Love
Crowded House - Better Be Home Soon
Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy
The Beatles - All My Loving
The Who - See Me, Feel Me
Janelle Monae - Sir Greendown
Kirsty MacColl - Caroline

Lotsa really good stuff there. "Geometry" and "Better Be Home Soon" are gorgeous pieces of pop, Muddy's vocal is ferocious and spine-tingling, and Joe Henry's "Our Song" is nothing short of amazing.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Sunday Random 10 (Monday Morning Edition)

Crazy busy day yesterday so we shuffled up the iPod this morning at work.

And promptly forgot to log the first ten.

Fortunately, there's the "Last Played" column, so Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Aaron Neville - Let's Live
Tom Waits - Live Circus
Aaron Neville - You've Got to Move
Professor Longhair - How Long Has That Train Been Gone
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Gimme Some Truth
The Animals - Gonna Send You Back to Walker
XTC - The Last Balloon
Johnny Cash - Big River
Bob Dylan - Farewell
Jonathan Rundman - I'm a Liar

The Nano must be sick of the snow and ready for Mardi Gras with the two Aaron Neville tunes and the 'Fess tune stacked up front. Can you blame it?

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Danged Good Stuff

Let's praise some terrific stuff from the teevee and the intertoobz this past week.

First, if you haven't already seen it, go watch the first five minutes of Jon Stewart hammering Fox News' criticism of the Tucson memorial service. After Laura Ingraham, Charles Krauthammer (we're guessing), and David Gergen wring their hands over the behavior of the crowd, the perpetually smug Michael Gerson concludes with "You can either have a pep rally or a memorial service. You can't have both." Stewart sends that hanging curveball into orbit:
You ever been to an Irish wake? I've never been sadder and laughed harder in my life. And I got news for you guys: "Amen" ain't that far from "woo hoo!"
Then at Slacktivist, TWDQ's favorite blog, Fred Clark takes apart Brit Hume's petty complaints about the Native American blessing that opened the service:
If Brit Hume would like, he could arrange to host a seminar on comparative religion, a forum for discussing the merits and demerits of burning sage or blessing the four-legged creatures or turning to the four corners of the world. In such a forum he'd be free to tell us what sort of rituals, prayers or blessings he prefers, what sort of rituals, prayers and blessing he doesn't care for, and why.

But if Hume ever shows up at a funeral or a memorial service or any other gathering of mourners, his job there is to shut up and mourn with those who mourn.

Amen (and woo hoo!), Fred.

Lastly, if this video of a tune by one of TWDQ's favorite musicians doesn't want to make you move to Fayetteville, NY just for the cool public library and librarians, we have to talk:



We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word

An aide to former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin says the crosshairs on this map--since scrubbed from her PAC website--were "surveyors' marks", not rifle sights.

TWDQ respectfully calls bullshit and offers This Week's Discussion Question:
What the hell ever happened to "We're sorry, we were wrong."?
Please keep the discussion civil and feel free to wander off into "If they were surveyors' marks, why remove the map from your site?" or "Why did Sarah herself call them 'bulls-eyes' in a tweet?" or "Methinks the lady doth protest too much."

Discuss.

Calmly.

Sunday Random 10

Here's what the little green Nano shuffled up on this sad, sad Sunday morning:

Fountains of Wayne - Revolving Dora
Jonathan Rundman - Chopin's Heart
The Hold Steady - Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night
Split Enz - History Never Repeats
Split Enz - Matinee Idyll (129)
Peter Wolf - Overnight Lows
Wilco - I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (live)
Pete Special - St. James Infirmary
Ray Charles & Diana Krall - You Don't Know Me
The Coasters - That Is Rock & Roll

The Nano seems to be exploring the new Split Enz compilation we picked up in November, but hasn't chosen anything from the Christmas/year end shopping acquisitions.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday, January 02, 2011

Sunday Random 10

Happy New Year! Let's see what the little green Nano shuffled up today.

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

Over the Rhine - Born
Uncle Tupelo - Give Back the Key to My Heart
Split Enz - I Walk Away
Jonathan Rundman - Get Behind the Wheel
The Beatles - A Taste of Honey
Beki Hemingway - Simplicity
The Kinks - You Really Got Me
Los Straitjackets - Ana (Anna)
The New Pornographers - Sing Me Spanish Techno
Dan Zanes & Friends - I'm Flying

Nothing from the Christmas gifts or year-end shopping acquisitions. Hmmm. Still some really good stuff here, since four of these tunes (the opener and the last three) made one of our year-end Faves CDs.

As always, feel free to post your own tens in the comments.

All the best for a great 2011 from TWDQ!

We now return you to...yeah, like there's a fresh question being discussed.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Sunday Random 10

Hope you're enjoying a great holiday weekend! Didn't load anything new onto the Nano this week, so let's see what popped up this morning.

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

The Waterboys - World Party
Vigilantes of Love - Unsuccessful
Gear Daddies - Dream Vacation
Vince Guaraldi - Treat Street
XTC - Greenman
Split Enz - Shark Attack
Otis Redding - Respect
Bruce Springsteen - The Promise
Derek & The Dominos - Tell the Truth
Otis Redding - These Arms of Mine

And one more since you've all been so good this year:
The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues

Guess the Nano wanted to hear some non-Charlie Brown Christmas Guaraldi and really wanted to hear a lot of Mike Scott and Otis. The title tune from Springsteen's "Darkness" leftovers is a terrific song.

As always, feel free to post your own random tens from your own devices down in the comments.

Thanks to all three of you who read this regularly for another great year!

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (The Intelligence Committee? Heh.), already in progress.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Sunday Random Ten

Let's see what the little green Nano has for us this week!

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

Bob Dylan - Tomorrow Is a Long Time
Eric Lugosch - Good News
Los Lobos - On Main Street
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Maggie May
Johnny Rivers - John Lee Hooker
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I'll Still Be True
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Ohio
Girlyman - Soldiers
Vince Guaraldi - Star Song

Didn't pick up any of the holiday tunes we loaded last week, but there's a interesting little juxtaposition of a couple of great 70's political songs by The Who and CSN&Y.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Wow, Fox News viewers are the most misinformed! Who knew?), already in progress.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Sunday Random 10 (Snowpocalypse Edition)

Greetings! TWDQ HQ is shoveled and blown out from the fifth worst blizzard in recorded history in our native state, so here's this week's shuffle, along with last week's. (We had last Sunday's mix all ready to go, but just didn't find time to post it, so you're getting another tw0-fer this week!)

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

12/05/2010
Marshall Crenshaw - What Do You Dream Of?
The Replacements - Never Mind
Fountains of Wayne - Yolanda Hayes
Split Enz - Years Go By
The Pogues - A Pair of Brown Eyes
Steve Dawson - Sweet is the Anchor
Barbara Lewis - Hello Stranger
Del Amitri - Being Somebody Else
Bill Evans Trio - My Foolish Heart
XTC - Life Begins at the Hop

12/12/2010
The Temptations - Don't Look Back
John Stirratt - Wayfaring Stranger
Rosanne Cash - Motherless Children
Bruce Springsteen - Ties That Bind
Old 97's - W. TX Teardrops
The Rolling Stones - Tumbling Dice
Over the Rhine - Cruel and Pretty
Them - Baby Please Don't Go
Ted & Marcia Johnson - Erie Canal
Miles Davis - Flamenco Sketches

We should note that the version of "Erie Canal" (from the Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook - Vol. 1, as is the tune by Wilco bassist Stirratt) doesn't mention a mule named Sal. It's the cool one they didn't teach you in school, whose chorus goes: "Oh, the Er-i-e was risin'/The gin was gettin' low/You'd scarcely think we'd get a drink/Till we get to Buffalo, oh, oh/Till we get to Buffalo." Sal, schmal, we'd have loved singing that in elementary school.

As always, feel free to post your own random tens in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Is this a sign of hope for America?"), already in progress.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Sunday Random 10

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend! We're especially thankful for little green Nanos that shuffle up great music, so let's see what it has for us this week.

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

Mumford & Sons - The Cave
Adam Again - It Is What It Is
Legendary Shack Shakers - Nightride
Old 97's - Over the Cliff
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Nobody's Baby
Girlyman - House Song
Johnny Cash - There You Go
Over the Rhine - Changes Come
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Without a Heart
Fountains of Wayne - Fire Island

As always, feel free to post your own tens in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (C'mon! Is there no one else in Washington on Sunday mornings?), already in progress.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Sunday Random 10

Let's see what the little green Nano shuffled up yesterday!

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

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
Los Lobos - Tears of God
Wilco - I'm Always in Love
Crowded House - Mean to Me
Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
Talking Heads - Once In a Lifetime
Adam Again - Worldwide
Alice Cooper - I'm Eighteen
Diane Birch - Fools
Rosanne Cash - Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow

Nothing from Mr. Springsteen's new double-disc set (which is good, but also proves that he rather astutely chose what made the cut for Darkness on the Edge of Town), but some of our all-time favorite artists are in this list. We were concerned that there wasn't going to be anything from the 21st century until Ms. Birch and Ms. Cash came through at the bottom of the batting order.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Sarah Palin, voracious reader?), already in progress.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Sunday Random Ten

It's Sunday! In the space of one week, we went from raking leaves to blowing snow at TWDQ HQ, so we spent the morning looking out at the fresh blanket of white, listening to what the little green Nano cooked up.

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

The Beatles - Long Tall Sally
This Train - Great Atomic Power
The Hold Steady - Banging Camp
Elvis Presley - Baby Let's Play House
Peter Wolf - Lying Low
Erik Brandt - Hanna Marie
Tom Waits - Goin' Out West (live)
Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey - Geometry
Neville Brothers - Hey Pocky Way
Al Green - Let's Get Married

Lots of great stuff here, kids. We're starting out with the Fab Four again, followed by a band near and dear to our hearts covering the Louvin Brothers making evangelical hay while the Cold War shone, and there's some Elvis from the room we once wept in. It liked Peter Wolf so much it played the same song again this week, delivered a lullaby from a great local guy whose day job is teaching at our alma mater, Mr. Waits' making big plans for the coast ("I don't need no makeup, I got real scars"), a pop gem from the former dB's, then the Nevilles at their funkiest and, bringing us back to Memphis, the Reverend Al.

Feel free to post your own random tens in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Could we get this chart plastered everywhere in the next few weeks, please?), already in progress.