Monday, July 10, 2006:

Barbara Lynn -- Ring Telephone Ring

Barbara Lynn -- Ring Telephone Ring
Darcy Feels It posted two Barbara Lynn tracks on Thursday, and then this morning London Lee posted one. And I'm feeling it too so here's another, off her You'll Lose a Good Thing compilation, which unfortunately has the kind of liner notes that look like they were printed on someone's inkjet and more unfortunately seems to have gone out of print. (On further thought, I wonder if those two are unrelated....)

"Ring Telephone Ring" is a strange track: a lurching rhythm guitar, backed by a very subdued organ and "big" cymbal hits, with lyrics about a woman wondering about a failed or failing relationship. None of that gets across the stoned dirge-like mood of the track, though--allmusic.com describes the compilation as "idiosyncratic stuff with a bluesier, swampier feel than most any other soul being made during the time," but as far as I can tell, that's a good description of only this track. "Swamp blues" would describe this track perfectly, but not the rest of the tracks. The rest of the music has much more chipper instrumentation, giving a sunny, cheerful feel to the tracks even when the lyrics are about conniving women or relationships turning sour.

Standouts on the disc include "You'll Lose a Good Thing" (featured in Hairspray), "Don't Be Cruel" (yes, that one), and "Can't Buy My Love" (no, not a typo + the Beatles track).
[You'll Lose a Good Thing]

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Another MuFi (HiFi? MeFi Music?) find: How To Fight Loneliness, a cover of a Wilco song I've never heard. Wilco fans, does it stack up to the original?

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I missed posting this on the 4th of July: a sixth-grade essay on What the American Flag Stands For.

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Mohammed Raffi can expect to have trouble wiring money to someone, as can Ahmed Ahmed.

In general I despise the IMF, not least because it values commerce over the will of democratic nations, but sometimes they get things right. (Which is to say, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.) Hey Western Union man, I wonder what Mesud Ahmed thinks about your policy.

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Comments:
I was aware of "Ring Telephone Ring" but had never heard it. Now I have and it's on repeat play. It's simply fantastic. It reminded me of something else and it's just come to me - check out Portishead's "Sour Times".
Thanks for this track (and recent comments on my blog).
Now I must go and and try and buy "Ring..."

I'd forgotten all about Portishead after the CD got scratched (pre-mp3-ripping days, unfortunately). They did some good work. Theremin (synth voice on a keyboard, but still) + turntables + slow guitar with trippy effects + wailing, occasionally banshee-voiced singer. What an idea.

Not a Wilco fan, but I do have that track (one of Wilco's few good songs with actual hooks)if you want me to send it to you.

I have a hard time believing a 12 year old wrote that essay--not without heavy parental coaching, that is.

I could believe a 12-year-older wrote it, but I did think the parents were probably constantly going on at home about what they find important, maybe talking back to the television. ^_^

Well I thought it was working, but apparently that's only for the original poster.

Try it again now (you'll have to go to the download page first, sorry).

... another reminder that I need new hosting.

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