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.

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 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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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 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 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 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.