As promised, the list of songs on "The Whole World is Gay" mixtape I've been ranting about for the last couple posts. 

Side A:

• The Modern Lovers - "The Sweeping Wind" 

The Modern Lovers is a band led by Jonathan Richman (if you don't know who that is look him up right now), with Ernie Brooks, David Robinson (of The Cars), and Jerry Harrison (of Talking Heads). They only existed as a band from 1970 - 1974, and only ever made one album, the eponymous The Modern Lovers, so they're kind of a cult phenomenon. And they're amazing. 

"The Sweeping Wind"

• Ola Belle Reed - "You Lead Me To The Wrong"

Ola Belle Reed was born in 1916 in Lansing, North Carolina. Lansing celebrates her music and life by hosting an annual Ola Belle Music Festival. Ola Belle has this Karen Dalton thing going on, but also very Lead Belly (minus the black man aspect) because of the time period. 

As mentioned before, I can't post "You Led Me To The Wrong" on my blog for some reason, but you can listen here. 

• Roger Miller - "My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died"

 Roger Miller "is best known for his humorous novelty songs, which overshadow his considerable songwriting talents as well as his hardcore honky tonk roots." (stole that quote from the Internets, but it's pretty good, huh.) He's the guy who wrote and sang "King of the Road." His songs are all amazing, super silly, and perfect dance tunes. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

"My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died"

 

• Peter Grudzien - "The Unicorn"

Peter Grudzien is considered an American country/psychedelic singer/songwriter, commercial artist, photographer, and recording engineer. According to Wiki, his music is considered "outsider music" which is ironic considering he was a commercial artist, but hey, I wont judge. Grudzien was heavily influenced by Hank Williams and Bob Dylan. Only 500 copies of his album The Unicorn, released in 1974, were ever pressed. 

"The Unicorn"

• The Red Krayola - "Transparent Radiation"

The Red Krayola was a psychedelic experimental rock band from Houston, Texas, that formed in 1966 under International Artists, the same record label as 13th Floor Elevators (Roky sang on some of their songs, so they were obviously buddies). The band made "noise rock" and experimented with folk and psychedelic instruments in a way that would later influence the lo-fi aesthetic of 1990s indie bands. 

The version on "The Whole World Is Gay" is the demo, sung playfully but with complete sincerity by lead singer Mayo Thompson. It reminds me of Lou Reed in early Velvet Underground, especially when Mayo laughs. 

"Transparent Radiation" (demo)

The album version is much different. 

"Transparent Radiation"

• Rodriguez - "Hate Street Dialogue"

Sixto Rodriguez is a genius. Please listen to him. There's even a documentary about him, Searching for Sugar Man. Rodriguez began playing music and recording in 1967 in Detroit, Michigan. But by 1975, after the dismal record sales from his albums Cold Fact and Coming From Reality, he was dropped from record label Sussex. Watch the documentary. This song was written by the producers and session guitarist of Cold Fact, but it's still amazing. Sixto makes it his own.

"Hate Street Dialogue"

• Lee Hazelwood - "Poor Man"

Lee is possibly the most underrated singer/songwriter that ever lived. Finding fame beneath the shadows of his longtime partner/musical collaborator Nancy Sinatra, Lee was never fully appreciated for his genius. His sound is often described as cowboy psychedelic, and if you listen to him, you'll understand exactly why. He sings about love and loss, like most songwriters do, but his baritone voice makes your bones shake with empathy. 

"I'm just a poor man with a heart full of love - for you." 

I can't post the video on my blog, fuck you YouTube, but you can listen here.

• Holly Golightly - "Sent" 

Holly Golightly (yes she was named after Breakfast at Tiffany's) is a contemporary British singer/songwriter who's sometimes a little country, sometimes a little folky, and sometimes a little garage-rock bluesy. I generally listen to older music, but she's kind of a gem, along the same road as Mazzy Star. 

"Sent"

• Michael Hurley - "Wildigeeses" 

Michael Hurley is another one of those wonderful musicians who just couldn't get enough attention while he was in his prime. Hurley was raised in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1941. His first album, First Songs, was recorded on the same reel-to-reel machine that taped Lead Belly's album, Last Sessions. Considered an American folk singer/songwriter/guitarist, the more obscure my research into music gets, the more I see his beautiful name. 

"Wildigeeses"

The end. 

Side B tomorrow.