Monthly Archives: March 2015

My iPod #464: George Harrison – Got My Mind Set on You

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So one day whilst flicking through the countless music channels on TV, I stumbled across the video for “Got My Mind Set on You” on VH1. The camera shot makes a close up on the artist singing and playing the guitar in an old chair, and the first question I asked myself was “Is that George Harrison?” He sounded like him, and though with a few wrinkles and grown out hair he looked a bit like him too. I don’t know why I questioned it so much. Actually, it’s because it was the first time I’d seen a video of his on television. I do know why. Indeed it was George Harrison who was singing the song, but it’s clearly a stunt double doing the flips and crazy dance moves during the solo.

After taking a few years out of music to pursue other interests during the early 80s, “Got My Mind Set on You” was the first single from Harrison’s album Cloud Nine released in 1987. The track is a cover and was originally written by Rudy Clark and recorded by James Ray in 1962, but George – with the help of Jeff Lynee of ELO – makes the song feel like it’s his own laying a great vocal take in the midst of massive-sounding drums, that iconic slide-guitar, and a dominant presence of saxophones.

Just a note, I listen to the extended version of the song that was released as a bonus track on the 2004 reissue of the album. The song is the same. The instrumental breaks are just a bit longer.

My iPod #463: Hot Hot Heat – Goodnight Goodnight

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“Goodnight Goodnight” was the first single released from Canadian indie rock band Hot Hot Heat’s second album and first major label release Elevator. Released in 2005, I was ten years old at the time and it had maybe been a year or two after I heard seen the band for the first time via the music video for “Bandages” when it aired early in the morning on MTV2. It was good to see the group with a new song. I don’t think I cared for it that much, however. That was to change after hearing “Island of the Honest Man” and “Middle of Nowhere”.

In summary, this upbeat and poppy tune is from the perspective of a guy who is fed up in a relationship where neither one involved seem to have any interest in each other. The girl seems to string him along and the narrator has had enough and in a sarcastic, mocking tone wishes her goodnight and walks away.

Clearly, I’m more into this track now than when I was ten. It’s simple, quite short, but straight to the point. Most of all it’s a very nice melody to sing along to, and a suitable one to play for your soon-to-be-ex when they’re least expecting a dumping.

My iPod #462: Dananananaykroyd – Good Time

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“Good Time”, the seventh track on Dananananaykroyd’s final album There Is a Way, gets the album back to the original frenetic, loud, energetic, pumped-up style set in the preceding six after a calming interlude of environmental noises after the end of “Time Capsule“.

There is a lot to take in in the three minutes and sixteen seconds this song lasts for. It speeds up, slows down for the choruses, changes time signature at one point, there is stuttering, yelping, screaming, singing in unison, it lifts you up and smacks you around. If you don’t have a physical copy of the album (cos the lyrics are in there), there is a large chance you will have no idea what is being said to you most of the time. But that’s not a bad thing. As long as you have fun, which you will no doubt, then it’s fine. Just have a good time……. listening to it.

It was its unpredictability I think that made it one of the last songs from the album that I appreciated, but after a few more listens I got it. I’m glad.

My iPod #461: The Maccabees – Good Old Bill

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Sorry there was a no show yesterday. Was out watching Shakespeare at the RSC Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Much Ado about Nothing, if you wanted the specifics. Was really good. But you get two posts today. So it’s all good.

If it turns out that the new album by The Maccabees – which is supposedly finished and should be out sometime this year – isn’t that great, I think I will always recognise Colour It In as being my most preferred album of theirs. Before they went on to discover more atmospheric productions for Wall of Arms before establishing that sound in 2012’s Given to the Wild, the band’s first album captured the five members in their most…. naked form I guess you could say.

And “Good Old Bill” starts it all off. Though it is left off of the international versions of Colour It In, which I don’t really understand. The track is about a member of the band’s grandfather – who we can assume his name was Bill – sadly passed away after giving a traction engine to a museum. On the day he died, the museum rang up their grandmother saying that engine wasn’t working and asked if Bill could come up to have a look at it. The engine wouldn’t start without him.

Still, the song brightly begins the album despite the sad context. Set to a sprightly 6/8 time signature for the majority, “Good Old Bill” gives an introduction to all the members from the mood-settling guitar work of the White brothers to the trademark whimpering vocals of Orlando Weeks. After a minute and a half and a few mysterious seconds of silence, three sudden smacks of the snare and open hi-hat signifies the song’s ending in which fast 4/4 tempo is introduced, the performance becomes more energetic and brighter with joyous choral ‘oooh’ vocals bringing it to a satisfying close.

So yeah. That’s “Good Old Bill”. Been good since I heard the album exclusive on NME all those years ago.

My iPod #460: Kanye West ft. Mos Def & AL BE BACK – Good Night

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On my physical copy of Graduation, I was lucky enough to have “Good Night” as the final track on the album. This lullaby ends it on a sweet and innocent note after the stadium rock type vibes given by “Big Brother” and features the mighty Mos Def singing on the choruses and – a rapper who I thought was Jay-Z upon first listen – AL BE BACK on the last verse.

To the listener Kanye describes a moment in his life when he was a little kid and was out on a field trip with his grandparents, though shortly realises after that there is no point in dwelling over it so much as what’s done is done however much we’d want to go back in time and do it all over again. All in all, the track sends out a positive message to wake up everyday with a new frame of mind, take advantage of any opportunity that may come your way, and make the most of your life before it’s too late.