Chicken: Anyone For Seconds?

Carnival Saloon regulars will know that my first post of the new year was about chicken songs and the second was the start of my musical tour of every American state which began in Alabama. So, imagine how I felt yesterday when I discovered I actually own a song called Alabama Chicken and didn't mention it in either post!

I believe there's always room for more chicken so here's that song plus some more premium poultry.

MP3: Sean Hayes - Alabama Chicken

I found this on one of the wonderful Crowd Around The Mic compilations my favourite American radio station WNCW sends out to its supporters each year. On his MySpace Sean Hayes says, "I like the sound of claw hammer banjo". Amen to that.
More Sean Hayes: official site | Amazon

MP3: Charles Mingus - Eat That Chicken

Pete Marsh (a vegetarian) recommended this after my previous chicken post. I'm a jazz novice and know next to nothing about Mingus. This is from his 1961 album Oh Yeah which after two listens I rate as both "excellent" and "bonkers in places".
More Mingus: official site |Amazon | 7digital

MP3: The Magnetic Fields - A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off

One of the 69 Love Songs Stephin Merritt and co released in 1999. In the accompanying booklet Merritt writes, "There's not that many clichés left to be used as titles of country songs. So I was jokingly scraping the bottom of the barrel".
More Magnetic Fields: MySpace | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Howlin' Wolf - The Red Rooster

I don't know how I could have omitted this from my first chicken post. The Rolling Stones had a number one hit with this in 1964 but the Howlin' Wolf original is still preferable in my mind.
More Howlin' Wolf: Unofficial site | Amazon | 7digital

More Chicken Song Posts
Chicken Songs For The Soul - Joe Ely, Hayes Carll, Hellwood, McGee Bros, Bill Thomas
Clucking Brilliant - The Meters, Rufus Thomas, Uncle Dave Macon, Link Wray
Thighs, Wings, Legs & Breasts - Big Joe Turner, The Hillbillies, Dr Alimantado, Cab Calloway

Other Related Posts
State Songs #1: Alabama Cat Power, Billie Holiday, Jim White, Joan Baez, Shelby Lynne and, of course, Lynryd Skynyrd

State Songs #3: Arizona

Photo © Adamos Maximimus @ Flickr

I spent a few days in Arizona in 1996 mainly to see the Grand Canyon. A tip if you're planning to visit. There's a sign at the top that advises against descending unless you have plenty of water. Take that advice. I genuinely thought there'd be a Wendy's at the bottom.

MP3: The DeZurik Sisters - The Arizona Yodeler

One of the joys of rooting through my record collection seeking songs about specific topics is chancing upon hidden gems like this I barely knew I owned. The DeZurik Sisters, Mary Jane and Carolyn, were Grand Ole Opry stars in the 30s and 40s famous for their yodeling, which, as you can hear, is quite spectacular.
More DeZurik Sisters: Wikipedia

MP3: Glen Campbell - By The Time I Get To Phoenix

The only time I ever got to Phoenix I spent the night on the "Sky Harbor" floor, sharing a corner of carpet with my friend James and an American who I recall was an unexpected Des Lynam fan. This won't be the last you'll hear of Glen Campbell on our journey through the States.
More Glen Campbell: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Wilco - Hotel Arizona

There's more than a nod to 70s rock'n'roll on Wilco's second album Being There so this I suppose is their 'tribute' to the Eagles. You can visit the Hotel Arizona if you're ever in Tuscon.
More Wilco: MySpace | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Public Enemy - By the Time I Get to Arizona

The original version is on the album Apocolypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Back and was written in response to Arizona's reluctance to acknowledge Martin Luther King Day in the early 90s (a stance supported by the state's senator John McCain by the way).
More Public Enemy: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Dimitri Tiomkin - Gunfight at the OK Corral Theme

The actual gunfight at the OK Corral was over in about 30 seconds. It's now recreated at 2pm each day in Tombstone and lasts about an hour. Three-time Oscar winner Dimitri Tiomkin composed dozens of other classic western themes and songs including High Noon and Rawhide.
More Dimitri Tiomkin: IMDb | Amazon

Next time we return to the South with a musical tour around Arkansas.

Related Posts
State Songs #1: Alabama - Cat Power, Billie Holiday, Jim White, Joan Baez, Shelby Lynne and, of course, Lynryd Skynyrd.
State Songs #2: Alaska - Michelle Shocked, Johnny Cash, Port O'Brien, Dan Bern, The Velvet Underground

State Songs #2: Alaska

Our musical tour around the United States takes us to the country's most northern point. Until Sarah Palin made her unwelcome entrance into my consciousness pretty much all of my impressions about Alaska came from Northern Exposure, a whimsical 90s TV show that was actually filmed in Washington state.

This was my favourite programme as a teenager. What was not to love about the eccentric small town of Cicely and its residents that included Martin Scorsese's pen pal, a sexy female pilot and a well-read DJ who still played 78s?

I digress. There are more than 500 miles between Alaska and Seattle and the state averages just one person per square mile. With that in mind it's unsurprising that in most of these tracks Alaska seems to be a metaphor for remoteness. Wrap up warm...

MP3: Port O'Brien - Fisherman's Son

The song that inspired our musical trip across America. If I'd got round to making a list of my favourite albums of 2008 Port O'Brien's All We Could Do Is Sing would have have been on it.
More Port O'Brien: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Michelle Shocked - Anchorage (live)

One of my favourite songs of all time - I'm not quite sure why. This version was recorded for Dutch radio and appears on disc two of the Short Sharp Shocked re-release.
More Michelle Shocked: official site | Amazon

MP3: The Velvet Underground - Stephanie Says

It's debatable whether this song is actually about Alaska but it's a beauty nonetheless and one of only two tracks on VU that feature John Cale. Lou Reed re-wrote it as the much darker Caroline Says II for his Berlin album.
More Velvets: Wikipedia | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Dan Bern - Alaska Highway

Regular visitors through these doors will be familiar with Dan Bern. The Alaska Highway runs 1,522 miles through Canada, connecting Alaska with the rest of the US. The song also mentions Kodiak, home the famous bear.
More Dan Bern: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Johnny Cash - When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)

At last a song that wallows in Alaskan clichés. Johnny Horton's lyrics mention blizzards, freezing temperatures, grizzly bears and caribou. I have found no evidence to suggest that the "Eskimo Hop" is a genuine dance.
More Johnny Cash: official site | Amazon | 7digital

I hope you've enjoyed our trip up North. Things will be warmer next time as we head southwest to Arizona.

Related Posts
State Somgs #1: Alabama - Cat Power, Billie Holiday, Jim White, Joan Baez, Shelby Lynne and, of course, Lynryd Skynyrd.

State Songs #1: Alabama

A Southern start to an epic musical journey

Last October Joanne and I were driving back from a weekend away with friends listening to the brilliant Port O'Brien album All We Could Do Is Sing on the stereo. Track 3, Fisherman's Son, opens with the line, "I'm doing fine in Alaska" which got us talking about the potential of a great '50 States, 50 Songs' playlist we could lovingly compile for a future road trip.

The more we discussed songs about places in America the more I thought this subject had blog potential. So here we are - 50 states, 50 blog posts* - starting in the "Heart of Dixie" and finishing, who knows when, in Dick Cheney's home state of Wyoming.

The selections will be a mixture of what we already own and songs I'll be seeking out (the Musical Map episode of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour has already sown some inspirational seeds). Feel free to suggest tracks I've omitted or should include in future posts.

There are no shortage of songs about Alabama (Wikipedia even has an entry on them) and I've missed out obvious ones by Neil Young and the Grateful Dead but I hope you enjoy what I have posted.

Okay, seat belts on, let's go.

MP3: Lynryd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama

A predictable start to our epic journey I know but it's easily the most famous song about Alabama and I'd get complaints for not including it. You may recall it being put to amusing use in the film Con Air.
More Lynryd Skynyrd: fan site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Shelby Lynne - Where I'm From

Shelby Lynne grew up in Alabama and this song is a wonderful evocation of the laid-back Southern way of life although, as she sings, "This ain't no Margaret Mitchell". In fact some of Lynne's biography is sadly Faulknerian.
More Shelby Lynne: MySpace | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Cat Power - Stuck Inside of Mobile (With the Memphis Blues Again)

This is Cat Power's contribution to the I'm Not There soundtrack. You can hear the Dylan original on Blonde on Blonde. Some trivia - Mobile is twined with Havana, Cuba and Malaga, Spain.
More Cat Power: MySpace |Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Billie Holiday - Stars Fell on Alabama

This jazz standard was written in 1934 and has been recorded by hundreds of people. I've gone with a populist choice. The title refers a meteor shower observed in Alabama in 1833.
More Billie Holiday: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Jim White - Alabama Chrome

I've previously recommended the film Searching For The Wrong-Eyed Jesus. It features a great sequence with Jim White talking about "Alabama chrome", i.e. duct tape used for car repairs.
More Jim White: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Joan Baez - Birmingham Sunday

My dad wouldn't forgive me for not including this in a post about Alabama songs so I'm afraid we're ending on a downbeat note. The song was written by Baez's brother-in-law Richard Farina in response to the KKK bombing that killed four school girls in Birmngham in 1963. If you've not seen it, Spike Lee's documentary 4 Little Girls is a brilliant account of the atrocity and its aftermath.
More Joan Baez: official site | Amazon | 7digital

I hope you've enjoyed the start to our journey. All comments welcome. Next time we'll be wrapping up warm and heading north to Alaska.

*Actually, it'll be at least 51 blog posts because there are some excellent Washington, DC songs I'd be remiss to leave out and Texas and Tennessee probably warrant at least two entries each.

Chicken Songs For The Soul

Last year I saw Hayes Carll and Tom Russell in fairly quick succession at the Luminaire. Both performed excellent sets; both sang songs about chickens - one a fighting cock, the other of barnyard-to-plate variety. Which got me thinking...

MP3: Joe Ely - Gallo Del Cielo

I think Joe Ely's version is better known than Tom Russell's original. Like so many Tom Russell songs this is a wonderful evocation of borderline lawlessness.
More Joe Ely: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Hayes Carll - Chickens

For some reason this song got the loudest cheer at Hayes Carll's Luminaire gig last year. I guess everybody loves chicken.
More Hayes Carll: official site | Amazon | 7digital

MP3: Hellwood - Chicken Shack

Hellwood is the rip-roaring collaboration between Johnny Dowd and Jim White. This is their love song to the finger-lickin' favourite. "When I eat fried chicken I need lots of room." Amen to that.
More Hellwood: Amazon

MP3: Bill Thomas & The Fendells - Southern Fried Chicken Pt. 1 & 2

I know nothing about Bill Thomas except that he evidently loves fried chicken as much as I do. Instead of his "good ol' southern recipe" I highly recommend Matthew Fort's. It takes time but the results are incredible.

MP3: McGee Bros - C-h-i-c-k-e-n Spells Chicken

A gem from the Ghost World soundtrack no doubt culled from director Terry Zwigoff's own collection of old records.

One final recommendation - the photo on this page is from Mark Lewis' brilliant film The Natural History of the Chicken. Watch it!

More Chicken Song Posts
Chicken: Anyone For Seconds?
Clucking Brilliant
Thighs, Wings, Legs & Breasts

Get Behind Me, Santa!

Seven Festive Favourites

Our modest Christmas tree is illuminated, a few presents have been bought and so far I've eaten two mince pies this month. If you're not feeling festive yet these seven songs should help.

MP3: Sufjan Stevens - Get Behind Me, Santa!

This is from Stevens' Songs For Christmas box set. Not the greatest Christmas song of all time but certainly the one with the best title.

MP3: The Blind Boys of Alabama - Last Month of the Year

The Blind Boys' Christmas album contains more hits than misses and starts brilliantly with this track. This is usually the first festive song I play each year and for much of December Jo has to out up me constantly asking, "When was Jesus born?".

MP3: The Blind Boys of Alabama w/ Tom Waits

The Blind Boys have covered a few Tom Waits songs so it makes sense that he guests on this. Plus, his growl is perfect for preaching. (For those who care about these things, Danny Thompson plays double bass on this track).

MP3: Tom Waits - Silent Night

Recorded for a 1989 charity compilation, SOS United, I'm not sure that this version of Silent Night works as a lullaby.

MP3: The Staple Singers - Who Took The Merry Out of Christmas

I love this song. Like so many Staple staples it's full of righteous anger but remains utterly joyful.

MP3: Low - Just Like Christmas

A Christmas song that isn't actually about Christmas but does have plenty of sleigh bells with nods in the direction of Phil Spector. Perfect.

MP3: Captain Beefheart - There Ain't No Santa Claus on the Evening Stage

What can I say? Certainly one of the strangest Christmas songs ever recorded. You can find it on the Captain's Spotlight Kid album.

Happy Christmas! As usual please leave a comment with your thoughts on yte tracks. For an even more interesting collection of Christmas songs I recommend a visit to Big Rock Candy Mountain - twang, truckers and tinsel abound.

Mark Olson & Gary Louris

A belated response to their Union Chapel show last month

I have an awful lot to thank Mark Olson and Gary Louris for. Their band, The Jayhawks, were my first Americana heroes and in the fifth form I wore out my cassette of their album Hollywood Town Hall. That record, along with a photo of Evan Dando wearing a Gram Parsons t-shirt on a Lemonheads sleeve, were the chief ingredients mixed in the crucible that formed my love of 'alt.country' (whatever that is/was). Sadly I never got to see Louris and Olson sing their wonderful harmonies together on stage. I think The Jayhawks played in London the day before my English A-level so that was a no-no. By the end of 2005 Mark Olson had left the band.

Since then I've seen both the Louris-led Jayhawks and Mark Olson perform plenty of times but I never thought I'd ever get to see the pair play the songs together that first set my musical taste on a twang trajectory. I'd heard rumours that Louris and Olson had recorded a new album together and at Dingwalls last year I asked Mark Olson if a tour was likely. He was optimistic; I was excited.

And so to a 19th-century Gothic church in Islington a few weeks ago...

Watching two middle-aged blokes with acoustic guitars isn't comparable to seeing a band in their youthful prime but the fantastic reaction to songs they wrote together like Settled Down Like Rain and Over My Shoulder proved that I wasn't alone in being overwhelmed by both nostalgia and enormous affection for the men in front of the pulpit.

Thankfully, a lot of the songs on their new album, Ready For the Flood, are pretty good. They're certainly more Simon & Garfunkel than Gram & Emmylou but you can imagine tracks like Bloody Hands being worked up into full-on country rockers.

Unless you're a Jayhawks fan of old this I can't imagine this reunion would mean much. Perhaps the tracks below might convince you otherwise. Let me know.

MP3: The Jayhawks - Sioux City

MP3: The Jayhawks - Settled Down Like Rain

MP3: The Jayhawks - Over My Shoulder

MP3: Mark Olson & Gary Louris - The Rose Society

MP3: Mark Olson & Gary Louris - Bloody Hands

Related Posts
Mark Olson - Dingwalls, 17 October 2007

Related Links
Mark Olson - MySpace

Gary Louris - official site

Buy This Music

The Jayhawks: Amazon | 7digital
Mark Olson & Gary Louris: Amazon
Mark Olson: Amazon | 7digital
Gary Louris: Amazon | 7digital