Hello again! As you may have noticed, this podcast has been a bit on the quiet side for the last few weeks. I assure you, this has not been due to laziness or apathy on my part, but rather to illness & technical difficulties.

For example, the technical difficulty that is lodged inside the automated recording software on the station’s computer, which is currently refusing to record my show in its entirety. This week’s podcast, for example, is half the usual length; preceding weeks have netted less than even a quarter of that running time. WTF, HAL?

So, despite being unable to provide a podcast that, shall we say, performs to completion, I didn’t want to sit back for another week’s worth of radio silence. With that in mind, here’s the first half of last week’s show. The second half was really good, too; I’ll have to replay it when this glitch is chased out of the system.

Quick wrapup: The “I Who Have Nothing” versions are intriguingly different, the disco Pink Floyd version is nicely done, and, yes, that is Britney Spears down there; I played it because I like Justice & thought you might enjoy their take. It was an early breakthrough for them; a pretty high-profile slot for a pair of laissez-faire Frenchmen. Sadly, no instrumental version on the 12″.

It’s a fun half hour! Go on, give it a shot. What do you have to lose?

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Thirty-One Point Five

Metropolis—I [heart] NY
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Sadat X—Don’t Get It Twisted (Thes One Remix)
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Brenda & Herb—I Who Have Nothing
Sylvester—I Who Have Nothing
Snatch—Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 (Pink Floyd)
Britney Spears—Me Against the Music (ft. Madonna) (Justice Extended Mix)

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This week’s show has a lot of movie-related stuff going on. I’m not sure why—I swear, it wasn’t intentional (at least, not consciously; what my subconscious does is no business of mine). Songs from cult/popular/crap eighties movies (one each), plus a Disney movie tune, because, well, why not? Maybe everybody does want to be a cat. Or, you know, vice-versa.

There’s also the usual assortment of covers & quirky WTF-type numbers; Nazareth (“Love Hurts,” “Hair of the Dog”) does a song by Crazy Horse (Neil Young’s backup band—whose impressive levels of scraggly scruffiness make Neil himself look clean-cut & debonair), Johnny Cash sorta covers/re-composes a Ramblin’ Jack Elliott song, & Rotary Connection (who you might remember from last week) do their version of “Soul Man,” which inspires nothing so much as the question, “But—wait, huh?”

Finally, loyal longtime listeners (& if you’re in the Triple-L Club, this week’s password is in the knothole of the third tree from the left next to where they used to keep the bikes) will note that not only have I found yet another song by Indeep (which, I think, will be the last; not counting an instrumental B-side which I’m sure will get its turn someday) as well as, gallingly enough, another version—in my own collection, no less; a criminal oversight, conceptually speaking—of “If You Go Away.” & I think this might be the first Moroder-free week in a while. Not that I’m tired of him (far from it), but I guess we all need a break from time to time.

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Thirty-One

Nazareth—Beggar’s Day (Crazy Horse)
M—To Be Is to Buy
Indeep—The Rapper
The Beat Kids—Life is Juggle (ft. Sadat X)
Rotary Connection—Soul Man (Sam & Dave)
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Hip Hop For Respect—One Four Love Part 1 (instrumental)
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Lana Cantrell—If You Go Away
Johnny Cash—Mr. Garfield
Phil Harris—Everybody Wants to Be a Cat (from The Aristocats)
Josie Cotton—Johnny, Are You Queer?
Sandra Bernhard—Mighty Real
Jeff Kutash & the Dancin’ Machine—Disco Bones
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Farah—Law of Life (instrumental) (slow)
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Three Amigos—My Little Buttercup
Bobcat Goldthwait—I’m a Lot Like You (from Burglar)
Bob & Ray—Two Face West
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MED—Special (ft. Erykah Badu) (instrumental)

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Shorter tracklist—longer songs. Vintage Donna Summer. St. Etienne tackle Neil Young (well, less “tackle” than “touch,” to stretch the metaphor), with the assistance of Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez & “Little” Louis Vega. Rick Rubin “ruins” Justice. Tata Vega speeds up Ned Doheny. SA Smash jiggifies Led Zeppelin & Howie B electronifies Robbie Robertson.

Oh, & three groups just flip the Reverse switch & run the tape backwards. Whaat? Yes, it’s true. A trio of backwards versions, created & released by the artists themselves. Why? Who knows; slowed-down music is enjoying some popularity, but taking songs & running them from back to front doesn’t seem to have caught hold with the music-loving public. Still, one man’s trash is another man’s hsart, I suppose.

Hey, you can take the effort out of clicking this site’s link every week by subscribing to the podcast, btfw. Click here, then click the blue “View in iTunes” button on the left & just do whatever the computers tell you to do. It’s the best way, really.

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Thirty

Rotary Connection—Memory Band
Justice On’n’On (Rick Rubin remix)
Leftfield—Afrika Shok (ft. Afrika Bambaataa)
St. Etienne—Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Ken-Lou B-Boy Mix)
Donna Summer—Spring Affair
Tata Vega—Get It Up for Love
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SA Smash—Last Night (instrumental)
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Bangles—Hazy Shade of Winter (Shady Haze mix)
Stone Roses—Simone
Gnarls Barkley—Lous Ym Evas Annog S’ohw
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Redboy [Robbie Robertson + Howie B]—Making a Noise (Midnight Special)
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Fam-Lay—Git Busy (instrumental)

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Staring at the threshold of the Thirties, this latest episode has twentysomething written all over it. It’s still living at home with its parents, it won’t even consider accepting a job where it can’t check its Facebook page at least once every quarter-hour, & it doesn’t understand why putting Oliver North on TV is “tragic or whatever.”

I admit, I didn’t expect this show to turn out as well as it did. The assorted, scattered elements I cobbled together really came together in a way that I had hoped would cohere successfully, but really had no idea if they would (or, honestly, any reason to expect them to).

That said, I hope you’re in the mood for pre-House of Pain era Everlast (in his first incarnation as an affiliate of Ice-T’s Rhyme Syndicate crew), a Sarah Jones back-in-the-day classic, a charming Stone Roses b-side, some acoustic & country-tinged gems, plus the (by now) usual allotment of Giorgio Moroder-related synth-pop. Oh, & Kenny G. Did I mention Kenny G? Also Kenny G.

The mic levels are once again a little “hot,” as we say in “the biz.” Sorry about that; it’s the price you pay for quality of this caliber.* Also, I promised Johnny Cash but didn’t deliver, due to a (literally) last-minute timing-based switcheroo. No worries; the Man in Black will be back.

Have enjoyment with the songs of this!

* & you get what you pay for

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Twenty-Nine

The Woody Herman Band—I Got the News (Steely Dan cover)
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Donna Summer—Looking Up
Nite Jewel—Want You Back
Rhye—Open
DJ Vadim ft. Sarah Jones—Your Revolution
Everlast—Syndicate Soldier
Paul Hardcastle—19
Meco—Maniac (Lyricon solo by Kenny G)
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Meco—Love Theme from Superman III (Moroder)
Helen St. John—Love Theme from Flashdance (Moroder)
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Sittercise/Harlem Smoke—The Arms Race
T. Maxwell Carlton—I-80
Stone Roses—Goin’ Down
Glen Campbell—The Straight Life
Flatt & Scruggs—I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (Dylan cover)
Jim Reeves—Waiting for a Train
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Tom Scott—Car Wars

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Whuuurrraaaahh, uurrrhhhh, I’m still alive.
—Eddie Vedder

The above quote is a ham-handed reference to rock stars who die at twenty-seven years of age.* The phonetic approximation of the chorus from Pearl Jam’s biggest hit serves at once to celebrate this show’s survival past that landmark & to note the innate insignificance of that “achievement.” Did I struggle as much over the course of my august twenty-seven volumes as, say, Kurt Cobain did with his stomach pains & unfathomable fortune? Hard to say. Only my diary knows for sure—& it can’t be bought. (Well, not on your budget; trust me.) Anyhow, it’s in a locked box, under the care of my trusty native bearer, Carl, who has strict instructions not to open it until exactly one hundred years after my death.

It is a sobering thought, for example, that when Mozart was my age, he had been dead for two years.
—Tom Lehrer

Why all this fretting over the passage of time? Well, probably because Friday’s my birthday. No, no, shush, you couldn’t be expected to remember. I’m just thinking, as I always do at this time of year, about mortality, nostalgia & the future…

Ew, gross! Moving on: This week, you’ll hear Frida (of ABBA) singing songs by Bryan Ferry & Giorgio Moroder, plus Gregg Allman & Cher singing songs about how it feels to be in love for just about as long as it takes to make a record. I’ve also got more answers to the microcosmic musical questions I can only imagine are inflaming your curiosity even as I write this, such as:

• You know that classic rap song, “Roxanne, Roxanne,” by UTFO? What else did that label release?

• Did Frank Sinatra ever do a version, arranged by Gordon Jenkins, of “Are You Lonesome Tonight?”?

• Hey, are there words (written by the legendary Sammy Cahn) to the Odd Couple theme song?

• What about Lenny Kaye, from the Patti Smith Group & the Jim Carroll Band—did that guy ever make his own record?

If you will engage the mousian locator on your webular browse-a-tron with the hyperlink at the end of this post, you will be rewarded with the answers to all these questions, & maybe even one or two more. Who can say?

Enjoy the show! I swear it’s going to be worth all this.

* Amy Winehouse: rock star? Tough call.**

** (not really)

Note: There seem to be some technical glitches in the MP3 uploading/downloading process this week; it seems to work, but might take longer than usual. Hoping to sort out why, but for the moment, just act natural.

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Twenty-Eight

Neal Hefti—The Odd Couple (lyrics by Sammy Cahn)
Mac Davis—Lookin’ at Linda
Allman and Woman [Gregg Allman + Cher]—Move Me
Frida—To Turn the Stone (co-written by Giorgio Moroder)
The Brothers Johnson—This Had to Be (co-written & w/backing vocals by Michael Jackson)
Peter Brown—Fantasy Love Affair
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Sade—Siempre Hay Esperanza
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Frank Sinatra—Are You Lonesome Tonight?
Lenny Kaye—I’ve Got a Right
Nonnie & the Onnies—I’m in Love with a Rent Boy
Frida—The Way You Do
Allman and Woman—In for the Night
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Thawfor—Memories (instrumental, prod. by the Opus)
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Mark Ronson—Ooh Wee (ft. Ghostface Killah & Nate Dogg)
Bigg Juss—Poor People’s Day
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Arcadia—She’s Moody & Grey, She’s Mean & She’s Restless

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Back again for more nonsense, chicanery, monkeyshines, malarkey, hi-jinks & shenanigans. This week’s crop mixes pop, dance, rap & more. Well, actually, that’s about it. There’s a “block” (I think four songs constitutes a block) of tracks with production by NYC independent hip-hop stalwart El-P; personally, I think his beat on “Night Work” is maybe his best ever? Top three, anyhow.

The first half of the show is a little choppy, for which I blame Ritchie, the friendly gent who does the show before me. We got to talking, & anyone who knows me is aware that I can’t actually do two things at once. Something had to go, & that turned out to be competent segues. But the second half? Man, I have to admit, I am very pleased about the suave smoothness with which I meshed the rap tracks together. Seriously, I am not that good, but it sounds sweet. (Or at least, it did at the time. I haven’t listened back yet.)

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Twenty-Seven

New Order—Beach Buggy
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McFadden & Whitehead—I Got the Love
Imagination—Just an Illusion
Maria Minerva—Gloria
Teenagers—Trouble
David Hasselhoff—If I Could Only Say Goodbye
The Bob Crewes Generation—Birds of Britain
Indeep—Buffalo Bill
Beans—Mutescreamer (El-P remix)
Slug—RPM Revolutions Per Minute 2.1 (prod. by El-P)
Roots Manuva—Juggle Tings Proper (El-P Madness, Microchips & Hi-Tech War remix)
Sir Menelik—Night Work (prod. by El-P)
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Babbletron—All the Way Hype (prod. by El-P) (instrumental)
Babbletron—And One and What (instrumental)
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Electric Frankenstein—Coolest Little Monster (ft. Zacherle)
Neal Hefti—“Odd Couple” Theme
The Glitterhouse—Barbarella

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Ladies & gentlemen, my Valentine’s Day gift to you:

A scrappy mostly-nineties pop-punk beginning (with a garish vinyl fox pass* at the start of song #3, over which I have much chagrin), followed by some B-sides from popular eighties hits. A few odds & ends (funk-soul brothers, an R&B Paul Simon cover, German novelty pop, b-boy classics) round out the hour & we’re off into the night like a Rick Perry third thing.

A fun show; not the most polished, but there’s a lot to be said for good intentions, right? Sure, there is. (Of course, it’s usually said by parents sighing over report cards &/or girlfriends putting on a brave Valentine’s Day face over gas-station roses,** but still.)

Anyhow, enjoy!

* From the French; literally, “when a fox breaks wind on your efforts.”

** Ladies, did your man laugh at that one? Mmm-hmmm. You fellas know who you are!

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Twenty-Six

The Damned—Thanks for the Night
The Barnhills—I Helped Save the Lady
Skimmer—All I Know is Wrong
Leatherface—You Are My Sunshine
Plow United—Yes, Sir!
The Undisputed Truth—You + Me = Love
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Stevie Wonder—Send One Your Love (instrumental)
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Prince—Hello
Heart—Heart of Darkness
Bruce Springsteen—Janey, Don’t You Lose Heart
Joe Tex—I Mess Up Everything I Get  My Hands On
The Intruders—Mother & Child Reunion
Player—Every Which Way
Dschingis Khan—The Rocking Son of Dschingis Khan
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Nat Cross—Boogie Truck
Terry Baxter & His Orchestra—Thank You Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Again
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Jellybean Benitez—The Mexican
Malcolm McLaren—Buffalo Gals

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This show is characterized largely by what you might call “functional oddity,” a term I just made up to describe songs that would probably fit in just fine as part of any given Revolutionary Plastics Hour, but have the added value* of being performed by a celebrity.

For example, Bill Cosby’s version of “Uptight” is musically amazing; Phoebe Cates’ eighties pop stylings are absolutely up to par with stuff I’ve played by artists who never took their top off in a Judge Reinhold fantasy—& the story Leonard Nimoy tells would be just as vapidly trenchant if it had been read, instead, by a record label intern on a monthly stipend. (I’m just kidding—the record industry doesn’t pay anyone a dime until they reach the level of vice-president.)

Plus, there’s the foreign novelty element—like, did you know that Peter Gabriel released versions of two of his early albums with the vocals re-done in German? Well, he did. Or, hey—which of the following is a weirder idea: Puff Daddy covering Public Enemy? Or Puff Daddy rapping in Spanish? Okay, now, what if he did both? I’ll wait while you climb back onto your chair.

So, there we are. Add an instrumental Led Zeppelin cover that defies any reasonable expectations of lameness & you’re off to the races! Well, I hope you are, anyway. Metaphorically speaking, that is. Look, just check it out & enjoy yourself, okay?

* A term used in marketing; generally synonymous with either “snake oil” or “sow’s ear.”

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Twenty-Five

Arcadia—She’s Moody & Grey, She’s Mean & She’s Restless
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Rachel Sweet—New Rose [Damned cover]
Run 21—She’s Very Hot
Cher—Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves
Skeeter Davis—I’m Going Steady With a Heartache
Ray Price—Grazin’ in Greener Pastures
Jack Greene—There Goes My Everything
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The Kane Gang —Gun Law (instrumental, slow)
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Terry Baxter & His Orchestra—Whole Lotta Love
Peter Gabriel—Shock Den Affen (Shock the Monkey, German vers.)
Tupperware’s 1975 Happyland Jubilee—Dr. Doom
Leonard Nimoy—A Visit to a Sad Planet
Bill Cosby—Little Ole Man (Up Tight)
Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby—Well, Did You Evah?
Phoebe Cates—How Do I Let You Know?
Puff Daddy—P.E. 2000 (Spanish version)
Jack Jones & Roger Williams—(Theme From) Charade
Mama Cass—Dream a Little Dream

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It’s hard to describe this show. It’s partially the result of realizing that I’ve collected a bunch of oddball Christian comedy & spoken word records over time, & partly an expression of my innate contrarianism. It’s not a show that I could really expect anyone to enjoy who isn’t, well—me.

On the other hand, if you’re in the right mood, this could be the most enjoyable show so far. I really can’t tell. Either way, I had a ball putting it together & I hope you’ll take a crack at it.

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Twenty-Four

Part One: The Game of Life—The thrilling play-by-play description of an imaginary football game between Christianity an [sic] The Forces of Evil

[Interspersed with:]
Wynn Stewart—Daddy’s Girl
Little Marcy—Jesus Loves Even Me
Art Linkletter—Cain & Abel
Isaac Air Freight—Rapture Hotline #1
Jerry Jordan—No Hand to Dismiss
Isaac Air Freight—Rapture Hotline #2
Isaac Air Freight—Rapture Hotline #3
Ronnie Laws—Tell Me Something Good (Stevie Wonder)
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Wham!—Bad Boys (instrumental)
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Part Two: If You Go Away

Neil Diamond—If You Go Away
Glen Campbell—If You Go Away
Jack Jones—If You Go Away
Tom Jones—If You Go Away
Mia Farrow—Lullaby from Rosemary’s Baby
Steely Dan—Dallas
New American Orchestra—End Title (from Blade Runner sdtrk.)

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Okay, so, sure—I’m hung up on Moroder at the moment. Sue me! Or… check out the first track of tonight’s show & thank me…!

All over the map again tonight, starting with disco-inflected dance-pop, moving over to bubblegum-pop & then to pop country; then into a block of rap music guaranteed to entertain even the most skeptical of rap music skeptics. The concluding hustle meshes punk rock (including a dash of post-modern comedic flair) with dance-pop, for a finale that can’t be beat.

That’s right: I said it—it can’t be beat…!

Be ear now!

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Twenty-Three

Giorgio & Chris—Love Now, Hurt Later
Neon Neon—I Lust You
Q—Knee Deep In Love
Syndicate of Sound—Little Girl
Glen Campbell—Hey, Little One
Porter Wagoner—Doll Face
Roger Miller—Squares Make the World Go Round
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Giorgio Moroder—Flashdance (What a Feeling) (remix instrumental)
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Lifesavas—Gutterfly (ft. Camp Lo)
Dangermouse—Tom’s Diner vs. In Da Club (Suzanne Vega/50 Cent)
Latin Rascals—Macho Mozart
UTFO—Lethal (ft. Anthrax) (Mondo Bass mix)
Silicon Teens—Judy in Disguise
Symptoms—Simple Sabotage
Onra—The Anthem
Hard-Ons with Neil Hamburger—Six Pack (Black Flag cover)
Mylo—Destroy Rock & Roll
No More Boredom—Creativity
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Lifesavas—A Serpent’s Love (instrumental)

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Welcome back & thanks for dropping by! Won’t you join me as we stay out all night & wake up under a car tomorrow in celebration of the show’s twenty-first episode…?

This week’s show has some really fun disco-soul (undertaking a cover of A Taste of Honey? daring!), some really catchy power-pop & a brutally scathing indictment of the American drinking populace, ca. 1930.

The power-pop block is a cool one; Canadian New Wavers share a song name with NYC rock geniuses (but the Dictators, as always, take the title), then these Private Eye dudes come out of nowhere (you have to see this album cover; click the images below), delivering an intriguingly demanding and insistent take on what’s usually a pretty lighthearted, flirtatious come-on.

The Neil Young track is the B-side of a single from his then-controversial Trans album (he went electronic—our Neil!); a now-charmingly-antiquated hi-tech take on an old classic of his.

Basically, this is a good one—it’s always fun finding these random esoteric gems, but sometimes they pile up in a higher ratio of hits to misses. Tonight, ladies & gentlemen, is all about the hits. (The Mrs. was at home, sleeping.*)

As always, the tracklist is embedded in the MP3 for your convenience & the artwork is included free of charge. As for the website, we’re off to a good start, but by next time, things should be organized a little more suavely. Just hold your horses, people!

Let me know how you like it—& hey, why not tell your friends? Surely they enjoy good music, too. Who doesn’t?

* You see what I’ve done there.

The Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Twenty-One

GQ—Boogie Oogie Oogie
Baccara—Sorry, I’m a Lady
Neil Young—Mr. Soul (Dance Remix) (from Trans 12” single)
100 Proof (Aged in Soul)—Don’t Scratch Where It Don’t Itch
The Sweat—Why’d You Have to Lie?
Ohio Express—Mercy
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Blockhead & DJ Signify—Nobody’s Smiling (Part One)
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Doug & the Slugs—Stay With Me
Dictators—Stay With Me
Private Eye—Your Place or Mine
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Mike Oldfield—Hergest Ridge (excerpt)
Gilbert Seldes—The Future of Drinking (1930; excerpt)
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Kid Koala—Space Cadet
Downtown Science—This is a Visit

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Starts out with a couple of protest chants, then smooths things out with some eighties pop. On the heels of a pair of novelty rap gems, a Christian fifties-high-school lecturer gets his point across (backed up by an Earth dirge), & a godawful Hot Chocolate cover by Rick Rubin’s old band (taken from the first record to bear the Def Jam name & logo) rounds out the set.

Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Twenty

Bob Marley—Burnin’ & Lootin’
Against Me!—What We Worked For
Police—The Bed’s Too Big Without You
Falco—Do It Again (Steely Dan)
M—Moderne Man/Satisfy Your Lust
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Michael Jackson—Wanna Be Startin’ Something (inst)
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Rodney Dangerfield—Rappin’ Rodney
King M.C.—What have I Done For You Lately
Madvillain—All Caps
Earth—Land of Some Other Order
Don Lonie—Talks to Teens
Hose (Rick Rubin)—You Sexy Thing
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Loka—Safe Self Tester
-
Social Distortion—So Far Away

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This one gets off to a very eighties start, then eases into some wackiness. The Negativland song is a classic piece of intellectual property legal-test-caseness, while Penn (of Penn & Teller) Jillette’s track explores the paradoxical theme of being too hip for Vegas. They both go on a bit longer than necessary, but I guess that’s part of their naïve, early-90s charm. Some classic-era Sesame Street songs follow that, along with a light dusting of Christmas music—but don’t miss the gem of the collection, “Devil’s Gun,” which caps off the night with a smoking bang!

The Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Nineteen

Mike Post—Theme from L.A. Law
Quincy Jones—The Dude
The Dark—Judy
Negativland—The Letter U & the Numeral Two
Penn Jillette—Dino’s Head
Oscar the Grouch—I Love Trash
Sesame Street—The Square Song
George Burns—Wish I Was 18 Again
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Stina Nordenstam—People Are Strange (UNKLE remix)
Howie B—Under the Boardwalk
Ben Folds—Lonely Christmas Eve
Frank Sinatra—The Christmas Waltz
C.J. & Company—Devil’s Gun

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This one’s a sort of duel between the forces of pop vs. punk; you might say it reaches its apex in the World/Inferno track, which combines the two. Or wait, is it the Dictators—or that stellar Superkools song, which sounds like a cover of a classic fifties rock & roll anthem? (Or the Danzig song, which is a cover of a fifties rock & roll anthem?*)

Anyhow, some vinyl-only classics from Rancid & Dillinger Four give the set some street cred, offsetting the literary pretensions of the reading from H.G. Wells’ When the Speaker Wakes. Enjoy it all!

* It’s one of many Lieber-Stoller classics, also performed (less werewolfily, but more hip-jiggily**) by Elvis.

** No typo; that’s “hip-jiggily,” i.e., indicating hips that get jiggy, as opposed to the more conventional “hip-jiggly,” which simply describes the jiggling of the hips.

The Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Eighteen

Bottin— No Static (Club Version) (slow)
Fog—Check Fraud (Kid Koala’s Space Cadet 2002 mix)
Pet Shop Boys—What Have I Done to Deserve This? (ft. Dusty Springfield)
Night Hawk—Eye of the Tiger (Disco Version)
Aerobic Dance Hits (Casablanca)—I Can’t Go For That (with instruction)
The World/Inferno Friendship Society—Our Candidate
Bob Dylan—Most Likely You Go Your Way & I Go Mine (Mark Ronson remix)
Southern Culture on the Skids—BSA-441
-
DJ Spinna—Adyzmal
King M.C.—What have I Done For You Lately (inst)
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Dictators—Loyola
Danzig—Trouble
Superkools—Why Baby Why
Rancid—Media Controller
Dillinger Four—An American Banned
China Drum—Barrier
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Bottin— No Static (Club Version) (slow)
H.G. Wells—When the Sleeper Wakes (conclusion)

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The second in this pair of new-era soul/R&B-inflected shows; this one plays like the B-side of the first; lots of the same names (Sa-Ra, PPP) &, to my chagrin, a repeated song (Grace Jones).

I can only blame my own absent-mindedness for that; I try to avoid repeating artists too frequently (although certain names & faces keep cropping up—I’m looking at you, Stevie Wonder, Giorgio Moroder & the Dictators), but playing the same song two shows in a row? That’s just poor form. Plus, it’s a disservice to Ms. Jones herself; a wasted opportunity. I’ll have to make it up to you (& her) with a dedicated show, one of these days.* Ah, that will be awesome.

Anyhow, this show also features Tiombe Lockhart, another Revolutionary Plastics favorite, along with Malcolm Gladwell essay topic, Kenna, a couple doses of Cee-Lo from deeper in his catalogue, a N*E*R*D remix (sorry for the swear-censoring; I didn’t realize it was that kind of radio edit—just thought it was the shorter version) & a song by Bilal, whose album topped my 2010 list of what’s good, yo.

Oh, & the Infesticons (aka Mike Ladd & co-conspirators) track is a triumphant closer like whoa!**

* In my defense, those were some crazy weeks.

** © 2002, The Kids

The Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Seventeen

Brick—Music Matic
Sleepy Brown—Come Dance With Me
Cee-Lo Green & Jazze Pha—Happy Hour
Platinum Pied Pipers—Angel
Grace Jones—Warm Leatherette
Waajeed—The Overtaking (ft. Tiombe Lockhart)
Kenna—Say Goodbye to Love
Nino Moschella—If You Believe (Sa-Ra “Get It Girl” remix)
Sa-Ra Creative Partners—Glorious
N*E*R*D—Provider (Zero 7 radio mix)
Cee-Lo Green—Country Love
Lil’ Flip—Sunshine (ft. Lea)
Bilal—Restart
Infesticons—Hang It Up Anthem
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Aeroplane—Caramellas
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Aeroplane—Fish In the Sky

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Part One in a semi-advertent duo of shows centering around new-school soul & indie R&B, etc. The first part meshes some of the above with dance-pop from today (Surkin + Chromeo, Bonde Do Role) & yesterday (Human League, with a grim, Joy Divisionish commentary on the assassination of JFK).

The second block goes a little sideways, starting with a pair of very different tracks that both feature the Aphex Aural Exciter (I have no idea what this gadget is, but it’s important enough to get its own credit in the liner notes) & concluding with a really great song—hamstrung by a way-overlong solo that goes from Jerry Garcia to “November Rain” yet somehow doesn’t entirely derail the song’s overall catchiness.

The Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Sixteen

Bonde Do Role—Sole o Frange
Platinum Pied Pipers—On a Cloud (ft. Karma)
LeToya—All Eyez on Me
Jazze Pha—Playboy
Dwight Trible—Equipoise (ft. Sa-Ra Creative Partners)
Sleepy Brown—Me, My Baby & My Cadillac
Grace Jones—Warm Leatherette
Surkin—Chrome Knight (ft. Chromeo)
Human League—Seconds
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Stevie Wonder—Earth’s Creation + The First Garden
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The Raes—Gonna Burn My Boogie Shoes
The Boyzz—Wake It Up, Shake It Up
Skunk—There’ll Be Other Girls (Hoss)
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Blockhead—Jet Son (Aesop Rock remix inst)

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This show ended up with more of a novelty-song focus than I’d intended, but I guess it’s all based on which records I bring, so I can’t really dodge the blamethrower…!

Standouts include the Sa-Ra MMW remix, the O’Jay’s glimpse into the future & Chic’s “Happy Man,” which will be stuck in your head for days afterward (if you’re lucky!). Also, a begrudging commendation to Chevy Chase for being an early-enough-adopter to recognize that hip-hop music was a significant enough musical trend to merit parody. (Even if his parody is on the lamer side—basically, almost on par with any given wack rap song from that era…)

Also, the classic Hall & Oates song, “Kerry,” was actually co-written by Stephen Dees; the version here comes from Dees’ solitary solo album, produced by Daryl Hall himself.

The Revolutionary Plastics Hour: Volume Fifteen

The Clash – Magnificent Dance (instrumental)
Medeski, Martin & Wood – Midnight Birds (Sa-Ra remix)
Oran “Juice” Jones – The Rain
Chevy Chase – Rapper’s Plight
Steve Martin – Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
Phil Harris – Woodsman, Spare That Tree!
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Beastie Boys – Paul Revere (instrumental)
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Godfather Don – 3 The Hard Way (ft. Prince Po & R.A. the Rugged Man)
Donald Fagen – Century’s End
The O’Jays – The Year 2000
Chic – Happy Man
Narval Felts – Stand By Me
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Tom Tom Club – Genius of Love (instrumental)
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Stephen Dees – Kerry (Hall & Oates semi-cover)
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Godfather Don – 3 The Hard Way (instrumental)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (82.8MB)