War & Peace
My June mixes go out to razzy:
1. The Kleptones - War of Confusion
2. Peter Tosh - No Nuclear War
3. Salem Al Fakir - Devil Look
4. Yesterday's New Qunitet - Nuclear War
5. Culture Club - La Cancion de Guerra
6. Vanilla Fudge - Some Velvet Morning
7. Lucille Bogan - War Time Man Blues
8. Sinéad O'Connor - War
9. Bruce Haack - War
10. Parliament - I Misjudged You (alternate take)
11. Nikka Costa - Tug of War
12. Prince - The War
1. Prince - Peace
2. Owusu & Hannibal - A Million Babies
3. BT Express - Peace Pipe (Tom Moulton mix)
4. Dusty Springfield - What Are You Doing the Rest of your Life?
5. Build An Ark - Peace and Love
6. D'Angelo - When We Get By
7. Monette Moore - Peace, Sister, Peace
8. Cyndi Lauper - Fearless
9. Tori Amos - You Can Bring Your Dog
10. Millie Jackson & Isaac Hayes - Feels Like the First Time
11. Essra Mohawk - Life is Scarlet
12. The Exciters - Life, Love & Peace
13. Linda Scott - I've Told Every Little Star
14. Matmos - Tract (For Valerie Solanas)
15. Salem Al Fakir - Tell Me
16. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Peace in the Valley
17. Erykah Badu - Kiss Me on my Neck
18. The Gaylads - Peace, Love & Understanding
19. Jason Forrest - INKhUK
20. Dolly Parton & Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Peace Train
notes
The Kleptones, one of my favorite mashup artists, has several excellent albums that are free to download on his website. "War of Confusion" appears on his 2006 album 24 Hours.
Reggae star Peter Tosh was a founding member of the Wailers, along with Bob Marley. "No Nuclear War" is the title track from his final album, released days before his murder in 1987.
Swedish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Salem Al Fakir began his musical career as a child prodigy who toured at age 12 as a solo violinist. His musical influences are all over the map- pop, soul, blues, gospel, classical, jazz, folk and more. "Devil Look" can be heard on his 2007 debut album This Is Who I Am.
Yesterday's New Quintet is the alter ego of Otis Jackson Jr., better known as Madlib. A rapper, DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist, his cover of Sun Ra's "Nuclear War" appeared on Sun Ra Dedication -- The Myth Lives On.
Culture Club were the British pop sensation fronted by the flamboyant Boy George. "La Cancion de Guerra" is an alternate version of "The War Song," from their 1984 release Waking Up with the House on Fire.
Vanilla Fudge were the Long Island, NY, band best known for their psychedelic rock versions of pop and R&B hits. Their cover of Lee Hazlewood's "Some Velvet Morning" is from their 1969 album Near the Beginning.
Lucille Bogan was the Mississippi-born singer best known for the raunchy blues classic "Shave 'Em Dry." Her lyrics dealt explicitly with taboo topics including sexuality, prostitution, and drug abuse. "War Time Man Blues" appeares on Lucille Bogan-Complete Recorded Works.
Sinéad O'Connor is the provocative Irish singer-songwriter whose career has often been surrounded by controversy. "War," a Bob Marley cover from her 2005 album Throw Down Your Arms, hews closer to the original than the a cappella version she sang on her infamous SNL appearance.
Bruce Haack was a pioneer of electronic music who played synthesizers he built himself and recorded several successful children's albums. "War" is from his 1970 album The Electric Lucifer.
American singer-songwriter Nikka Costa is relatively unknown in the U.S. but remains a pop star in Europe, Australia, Central and South America after scoring a series of platinum albums beginning at age 8. Daughter of a famed producer who worked with Sly Stone and her godfather Frank Sinatra, her sound encompasses soul, blues and funk. "Tug of War" can be found on her 2001 release Everybody Got Their Something.
"The War" is a live performance by the New Power Generation, led by Prince. A 1998 fanclub-only release, the extended funk jam imagines a dystopian society with familiar Prince themes of spirituality and the dehumanizing effects of technology.
Owusu & Hannibal are a Danish electronic duo who take their inspiration from classic R&B and funk. "A Million Babies" appeared on their 2006 debut Living with Owusu & Hannibal.
Several songs by disco funk outfit B.T. Express made the pop and R&B charts in the Seventies. "Peace Pipe," remixed by the legendary DJ Tom Moulton (creator of the 12" single) appeared on A Tom Moulton Mix.
A versatile singer of R&B, pop, standards and even country, legendary UK star Dusty Springfield enjoyed a varied career spanning forty years. "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" can be heard on the 1999 compilation Dusty in London.
Build An Ark are a Los Angeles collective numbering twenty members who "formed in an effort to encourage peace and love in the world." Their 2004 album Peace with Every Step, on which "Peace and Love" appears, incorporates, soul, jazz, African rhythms and spoken word performance.
Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer D'Angelo was one of the pioneers of the neo-soul sound and became something of a sex symbol following the video for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)". "When We Get By" appears on his seminal debut, Brown Sugar.
Monette Moore was a blues and swing singer who recorded and toured extensively in the 1920's. "Peace, Sister, Peace" appears on the 1998 compilation Female Blues: The Remaining Titles.
Singer, songwriter and actress Cyndi Lauper was among the biggest-selling artists of the Eighties and one of the first to benefit from the exploding popularity of MTV. Her unique vocal style, four octave range and mixture of pop and new wave sounds made She's So Unusual a worldwide hit and "Time After Time" has been covered by over 120 artists. "Fearless" is from her 2005 album The Body Acoustic.
Tori Amos is a singer and songwriter known for her skillful piano playing and her confessional, cryptic and sometimes confrontational lyrics. "You Can Bring Your Dog" appears on her 2007 release American Doll Posse.Part R&B singer and part standup comic working blue, Millie Jackson is known for her rich soulful vocals (often compared to Gladys Knight) as well as the racy spoken interludes on her albums and in her live shows. Isaac Hayes is a singer, songwriter and producer of funk and soul music. His spoken word interludes are considered a precursor to modern rap. "Feels Like the First Time" appeared on their album of duets, Royal Rappins.
Essra Mohawk is a little known singer-songwriter who performed as part of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention before releasing a string of acclaimed solo albums. She also wrote hits for Vanilla Fudge, The Shangri-Las, Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper and contributed vocals to several Schoolhouse Rock songs. "Life Is Scarlet" is from her 1967 debut Sandy's Album Is Here at Last!
R&B quartet The Exciters were one of the first early Sixties girl groups. Their tough, aggressive sound paved the way for acts like the Ronettes and The Shangri-Las. (Random factoid: producer L.A. Reid is the son of members Brenda Reid and Herb Rooney.) I found "Life, Love & Peace" on the compilation The Doors Of Perception: Dope Funk, Psychedelic Soul, & Acid Jazz From New York City 1970-74.
Linda Scott was an early Sixties pop singer with a string of hits to her credit. She also appeared as a regular cast member on Where the Action Is, an American Bandstand spinoff. I first heard the song on the Mulholland Drive soundtrack.
Experimental electronic duo Matmos are notable for their odd sourcing of sounds as well as their production work on two Björk albums. "Tract (For Valerie Solanas)" appeared on their 2006 album The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of the Beast.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the first great recording star of gospel music and among the first to perform gospel in concert halls and nightclubs. Strongly influenced by blues, swing and jazz, she crossed over to pop success and worked with greats like Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman. "Peace in the Valley" can be heard on her 1960 recording Sing Sister Sing.
Erykah Badu is another pioneer of neo-soul, incorporating R&B, jazz, and hip-hop influences into her sound. The singer-songwriter is known for her her distinctive vocals, which have frequently been compared to Billie Holiday. "Kiss Me on my Neck" is one of my favorite tracks from her acclaimed 2000 release Mama's Gun.
The Gaylads were a successful Jamaican rocksteady trio who scored a series of hits in the Sixties and Seventies. "Peace, Love & Understanding" is from their 1970 recording Fire and Rain.
Jason Forrest, who also recorded under the moniker Donna Summer, is an electronic artist whose laptop compositions combine familiar samples into glitchy breakcore reconstructions. "INKhUK" is on his 2004 album The Unrelenting Songs of the 1979 Post Disco Crash.
Country singer, movie and TV star, theme park owner- if there's any artist on this mix who needs no introduction it's Dolly Parton. Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African a cappella chorus who gained worldwide recognition with their work on Paul Simon's Graceland album. This version of the Cat Stevens classic was also remixed into a popular dance hit.
posted by Sgt Howie @ 11:28 AM
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