Since last year, Memorial Day has taken on new meaning for me. A dear friend of mine passed away in February 2007, and his birthday was May 25. So every Memorial Day will be spent with thoughts of Jim, and in honor of him and his excellent and deep knowledge of music, I thought I'd share a mix he made a few years before his death. A mix that, upon first listen, I considered amazing, in that it was filled with weird and wonderful songs, half of which I had never heard. So thank you, Jimmy for introducing me to Townes Van Zandt and Lee Hazelwood and connecting the Staple Singers with the Band in my brain, among many other things.
I hope you enjoy his mix as much as I do.
1. "Boeves Psalm" - Guy Klucevsek
Jim loved that his mix started out with an accordionist from Staten Island. Like, really loved it.
2. "Breathless" - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Cave sweetly applies his relaxed darkness to this straight-up love song and it's damn beautiful.
3. "I'll Call You Mine" - The Zombies
I love the optimism of this song. It's all: "Hey, you may not be into it, but I'm calling you my girlfriend, regardless of your feelings about me. Just wanted to let you know. Peace!"
4. "Hands of Ash" - Backworld
Semi-depressive, earnest love song that seems to seep up from somewhere dark. (Unavailable on iTunes, so learn about the Backworld phenomenon here. PS: Hi Joe!)
5. "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" - Neutral Milk Hotel
Is it really necessary to extol NMH again? I think not.
6. "Always See Your Face" - Love
Hmmmm, how can I explain what this song means to me? Can't.
7. "I'm Coming Home (To See About You)" - Otis Redding
This is like the best threat in music. As hot as Jimi's "I'm comin' to getcha!" but far less fear-inducing.
8. "Summer Wine" - Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra
A mighty good song sung by two people who can barely sing.
9. "Psychedelic Warrior" - Hawkwind
Space rock at its finest. Think Joe Satriani's "The Crush of Love" with Ozzy Osbourne doing vocals.
10. "Close Behind" - Calexico
Arriba, marijuana! Vamos a Tijuana! (Check out their MySpace page for their cover of Love's "Alone Again Or." Fits right into this mix.)
11. "It's a Crime I Never Told You About the Diamonds in Your Eyes" - The Black Heart Procession
This is one of those amazing songs without a verse-chorus-verse pattern that just steadily pleads and pleads. (It might be missing in iTunes if you click the mix link above. iTunes won't let me update my mix. See, Jim had mislabeled this song as "Down Along the Way," so I thought it wasn't on iTunes at all, but then I figured out the real title and woot-woot! there it was. Anyhoo, you can search for it yourself if you wish. It's worth it.)
12. "Black Foliage (Itself)" - The Olivia Tremor Control
Slightly petrified by their band photos? Me too.
13. "Come Before Christ & Murder Love" - Death in June
Jim could never resist putting a track from his favorite band onto a mix. It could be a mix about puppies and unicorns and there'd be a Death in June track in there somewhere.
14. "Coin-operated Boy" - The Dresden Dolls
This song has become a mix staple for me. It's so cute and quirky I could just hump a robot!
15. "Amore, Amour, Amor" - Novy Svet
Industrial music for lovers. Not available on iTunes.
16. "Abendrot" - Forseti
This song is kind of the heart of the mix--or at least one ventricle, with the accordian, the German, and the Calexico-y drum beat. It's unavailable on iTunes, so here is a corny Ansel Adams-esque photo montage for you.
17. "Mr. Gold & Mr. Mudd" - Townes Van Zandt
In my Netflix queue is Be Here To Love Me. But I still have't watched that Gram Parsons documentary yet (had it since January), so lord knows when I'll get around to TVZ.
18. "The Lady Came From Baltimore" - Scott Walker
This song is unavailable on iTunes, so here it is as the soundtrack for what might be the most boring video ever posted on YouTube. (I have no idea what's happening in it. Does someone buy drugs?)
19. "All Set?" - The Bevis Frond
Kind of starts out like a lame-o madrigal but then, oh, the glorious trumpet solo. (Unavailable on iTunes.)
20. "The Weight" - The Staple Singers
The #1 thing I want to do this summer is go to one of Levon Helm's Midnight Rambles.
Yes, one person can illuminate the world of another through a well-executed mix. Thanks, Jimmy. Miss you.
"You know... You just don't hear enough saws in music anymore."
– James Elenidis
(Sometime in 2005 when he first shared this song with me... He said it earnestly...)