8.04.2011

Dog Day Afternoons

Well folks, it is hot. With the heat index hovering around 100 we have reached the dog days of summer. If you are breathing then you are probably sweating. After living many years in Florida I have grown to like the heat. The smell of wet concrete after a late evening shower is one of my favorite scents. On my recent night runs through the neighborhood my iPod's shuffle reminded me of these great summer songs. I've added them to my mixpod playlist. To listen click the player on the right side bar and enjoy.



My Gal is Red Hot - Billy "The Kid" Emerson - 1955
A great release from the early years of Sun Records. Oh to be a fly on the wall of that studio as Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and so many more made their first albums. Click here for the Sun Records Discography. This song has my favorite lyrical come back in music. One guy brags about his virtuous woman "I got a girl who's never been kissed" and the other responds "I got a girl who's never been missed. My gal is red hot." I know which one I would go for.



100 Yard Dash - Raphael Saadiq - 2009
A champion of neo soul Saadiq brings his energy to the stage on this track from Bonnaroo 2009. Starting as a singer in the 90's pop group Tony! Toni! Tone! he later evolved into a producer for albums by John Legend, The Roots, and others. Click here for a 2008 World Cafe interview promoting his album The Way I See It.


Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - 1993
Predating Petty's hugely successful Wildflowers album this song dominated the cd player my freshman year of high school. It reminds me of how cool I thought I was smoking cigarettes outside of the neighborhood pool that summer. Petty dancing with Kim Basinger's corpse is a classic moment from 90's music videos. Do you remember when MTV still played music videos?



Hound Dog - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - 1967
Hendrix needs no introduction but how about that hair? Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell have the best white man Afros of all time. The barking dog sound affects combined with Jimi's improvised lyrics make this a memorable cover. This version comes from the BBC Sessions released in 1998.



Jackson- Johnny Cash with June Carter- 1968
"We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout, We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out"

I have many of Cash's albums but Live at Folsom is the most frequent visitor to my music rotation. How surreal would it have been to be sitting in that crowd while serving your time? Cash made the prison concert a musical concept staging a follow up later that year at San Quinten. In 1982 Jerry Garcia followed suit playing at the Oregon State Prison to fulfill his community service on a drug charge. Click here for the recording. The video below is of this same tune from At San Quentin.

No comments:

Post a Comment