Setting The Woods On Fire Hype Mix!

This week my blog was added to The Hype Machine. I knew traffic would go up, but I was surprised by how much.

So, to welcome all my new readers (and give you an idea about what's going on here), I present the Setting the Woods On Fire Hype Mix!

SIDE A - Country/Folk
Gram Parsons – Return Of The Grievous Angel (buy album)
Johnny Paycheck - Georgia In A Jug (buy mp3 album)
Townes Van Zandt - To Live Is To Fly (buy album)
The Country Gentlemen - Fox On The Run (buy album)
Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys - Basin Street Blues (buy album)

SIDE B - Rock/Jazz
Thelonious Monk - In Walked Bud (buy album)
The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset (buy album)
Big Star - The Ballad Of El Goodo (buy album)
The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait (Tim Version) (buy album)
Uncle Tupelo - Whiskey Bottle (buy album)

CD Only Bonus Tracks (from the patron saints of this blog)
Hank Williams – I Can't Help It (buy album)
Tom T. Hall - Don't Forget The Coffee Billy Joe (buy album)

Liner Notes: STWOF is currently in the middle of a series called "Those Jangly Eighties." (See the bottom of the sidebar for links to these posts). Once that wraps up, I'm going to start the search for the next Tom T. Hall. Also in the works is an Introduction to Jazz series, but that's a ways off.

Thanks for checking in!

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P.S. If you're looking for music, don't forget to check Elbows too. They've had STWOF on board from the start.

Nature Boy

In case you missed it, here's another re-post from earlier this year...

One night about sixty years ago, a young man rode his bicycle up to the back door of a theater in Los Angeles hoping to meet popular vocalist Nat King Cole. The man was turned away, but left behind an unaddressed envelope for Cole containing the following song:

There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far, over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye, but very wise was he.

And then one day, a magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings, this he said to me: The greatest thing you'll ever learn, Is just to love and be loved in return.

Cole saw the beauty in the song and began playing it live. Through word of mouth, the song "Nature Boy" quickly became popular with his live audiences. Cole realized that he had to record the mysterious man's song, but he had no way of identifying its unkown author. After an extensive search, he discovered Eden Ahbez, living as a homeless "yogi" under one of the “L's” in the "HOLLYWOOD" sign. Thus began the hippie movement.

After making his mark with Nature Boy in 1948, Ahbez went on to compose material for artists like Frankie Laine and Sam Cooke. In the 1960's, he hung out with Brian Wilson and Donovan (with whom he reportedly had a "near-telepathic" conversation). Ahbez even made his own album called Eden's Island. In 1995, Eden Ahbez was killed in a car accident at the age of 87. (Read more about Ahbez here and here).

Here are the original and two excellent cover versions of "Nature Boy":

Nat King Cole - Nature Boy (buy album).
Big Star - Nature Boy (buy album).

John Coltrane - Nature Boy (buy album).

Here's another favorite Nat song: Nat King Cole - Sweet Lorraine - After Midnight Sessions (buy album).

And, finally, here's one that may have been inspired by the "nearly telepathic" conversation between Donovon and Eden Ahbez: Donovan - Atlantis (buy album).

The India Song (or just a dream some of us had)

I'd like to go to India, live in a big white house in the forest, drink gin and tonic and play a grand piano, read a few books, far from what saddens my heart...

Sounds like a nice exotic escape, eh? (A delicious G & T is always a good thing.)

Although there's not much to it, I've always liked The India Song (buy album) by Big Star.

Big Star's debut album #1 Record was not fully appreciated in its own time, but modern day hipsters have since made up for that. So I really can't call it "underrated"--just a great record. Digging around for something to say about The India Song I happened on two interesting (and conflicting) reviews addressing its merit.

Bud Scoppa said in Rolling Stone that "the only unsuccessful track is 'The India Song,' and that was written by Hummel; it just doesn't fit with the rest of the music. But 10 out of 11 is practically unheard of. No. 1 Record is one of the sleepers of 1972."

Robert Christgau saw it differently, describing as a "special attraction" Big Star's "fantasy about India with gin-and-tonic in it."

The India Song is the only track on the album composed by bassist Andy Hummel. In an interview Hummel explained "I was really into Joni Mitchell's "Blue" at the time and kind of trying to imitate her. Also I was upset about a girlfriend who had dumped me and feeling very depressed and escapist."

The song on Blue that most resembles The India Song is All I Want, but my favorite tune from that essential album is California (buy album).

Johnny Cash was also a fan of Joni (and her dulcimer): Click HERE.

STWOF trivia question: What does Joni Mitchell mean when she sings about kissing a "sunset pig"? Post answer in comments section.

Outlaw for your love?

"If it's so, well, let me know; If it's no, well, I can go" - Thirteen

The blog is off to a pretty good start, I think. Great comments and some fun interaction with other bloggers. But it's really been a lot of work! Anyway, my real job and family are calling me back to reality now (plus I have a single malt wiskey tasting to attend this evening), so I've got to step back from the world of blogging for a few days.

Before taking the weekend off, I thought I would leave you with my No. 1 favorite pop song, which is Thirteen on Big Star's classic #1 Record (buy album).

The melody, instrumentation, lyrics, and delivery are all spot on. Read the AMG review here. There are many cover versions (Garbage, Elliot Smith, Wilco, Evan Dando) but none capture the feeling as well as the original masterpiece. Hard to believe that its sung by the same guy who sang "The Letter" for the Box Tops.

Just listen and enjoy. And have a nice weekend!