tell me something good, tell me that you like it

I had fully intended on blogging last week, but the very sudden and shocking death of one of my favourite musical artists left me simply too distraught. The irony of a day that I have dreaded for years (the day of Michael Jackson's death) coinciding with a day that I have excitedly anticipated for years (my 18th birthday) would have been comical had it not been so devastating. I don't really feel like doing a long tribute to MJ, as I can't imagine what I could possibly add to the many tributes done by casual fans.

Instead I will celebrate my birthday and graduation with an old Ashcan Rantings favourite - the songs that have been rockin' my world the hardest the past little while.

10 Songs I'm Into At the Moment

1. "If I'm In Luck, I Might Get Picked Up" by Betty Davis
Betty Davis is a bad mama-jama...I've fawned over her and her pure awesomeness before, but she continues to surprise me with her all-killer, no-filler albums. I got her self-titled debut for my birthday (thanks, Nicola!), completing my Betty Davis collection. This is the track I can't stop listening to.
"So all you lady haters, don't be cruel to me/Ah, don'tcha crush my velvet, don'tcha ruffle my feathers neither/I said I'm crazy, I'm wild/I said I'm nasty"

2. "Red Hot Mama" by Funkadelic
It's the spoken word introduction, first high-speed then screwed, that makes me turn this song on, but it's the heavy, badass guitar work (does Eddie Hazel ever let you down?) that keeps me from turning it off once the music drops.
"A luscious bitch she is, true/But it's not nice to fool Mother Nature/The proud Mother of God, like all ho's, is jealous of her own shadow"

3. "Worried Dream" by Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac
I'll emphasize once again that this is very different from Stevie Nicks' Fleetwood Mac - it's blues and this is a B.B. King cover. Anguished guitar and beautiful vocals, it's probably moved up to be one of my absolute favourite Fleetwood Mac songs. Listen to the version linked above rather than the one in the playlist - or, you know, both!

"It may sound silly to you, woman/Baby, but tell me my dream was not true"

4. "The Glamorous Life" by Sheila E.
It's no secret that I love Prince, and I love most of the music he's written for protegées, but this one in particular is a favourite. Sheila E stands out among his protegées as a strong woman who is actually talented (!) - she's a kickass drummer. Vocally, she's just mediocre, but, as with most pop music, it's all about the production.
"She said, I need a man's man, baby/Diamonds and furs/Love would only conquer my head"

5. "Respect My Conglomerate" by Busta Rhymes feat. Lil' Wayne and Jadakiss
I love Busta Rhymes, I love Lil' Wayne and I love any collaboration they make together.

"It's Bus Rhyyyymes, and I'm back/with the crack, and the thugs, and the drugs/ Nigga BLACK"

6. "If Tha Mood" by Esthero
Filthy and taunting and wicked - how could I do anything but love it?
"She won't fuck you like I do/She's not into that wild shit"

7. "Cherry Red" by Earthless
I know...I'm all over the place. But I love heavy, hard rock, and this band does not disappoint. You like Sabbath? Check 'em out.

8. "Give It to Me Right" by Melanie Fiona
You know, from the fact that it dares to sample the Zombie's immortal "Time of the Seasons", I assumed I was going to hate this song. I ended up really digging it, probably because I love this chick's voice. I think the sample was tastefully done and where I'm at right now, I'd rather be listening to this than the Zombies version! Blasphemy, yes, but I cannot tell a lie.
"I'm not, I'm not trying to run your life/That's why, that's why I'm nobody's wife/But when I want and when I want it, you gotta be ready"

9. "Tell Me Something Good" by Rufus
Not gonna lie - this song makes me think of That 70's Show, but really, that's not a bad thing. It's so purely joyful and, I must say, Kayla Hyne-esque. I can't get into most 70's funk bands because they all pale so profoundly when compared to P-Funk, but this song has definitely been sung by me on multiple occasions in the past month, often in public.
"Tell me something good!/Tell me that you like it, yeahh"

10. "My Dick" by Mickey Avalon feat. Dirt Nasty and Andre Legacy
"My dick...nuff said"

july 2/09

everybody knows from the coy little wink, the girl's got a lot on her mind

I'm pretty sure there are no words in the human dictionary that describe how much I suck for not blogging or commenting in ages, but I think if there were, they would sound less like actual words and more like a large bird squawing in pain while being trampled by wildabeests. My bad!

I guess the only thing I can say to excuse my absence is that the weather has been gorgeous, I'm graduating from high school this week and it's my birthday on Thursday! So I have no tragic excuse, just happy ones! I have been busying myself with my online vintage store, and last weekend I photographed a whole bunch of new items in this gorgeous little graveyard. I hate for my first post in almost a month to be a long plug for my vintage store, but this is truly something I find interesting, exciting and feel passionate about - and I think you'll probably enjoy it as well!

70's Bright Psychedelic Hawaiian Print Maxi Dress
I really wanted this to be my grad dress, but it was a bit too small for me. It's so bright and so fun, I'm going to be infinitely jealous of whoever ends up with it.

Blue Embroidered Mexican Eyelet Dress
Absolutely gorgeous colour - with beautiful embroidered butterflies.

70's Brown Psychedelic Mini
Sure, it's simple, but it has a very flattering fit and is a good length.
Leopard-Print Fleur-de-Lis Rich Hippie Caftan
Unfortunately, the colours didn't turn out very well in the pictures, but it's a very rich looking piece, incredibly classy. Floral Hippie Off-Shoulder Peasant Mini Dress
If I wasn't cursed with very short legs, I would definitely be rockin' this allll summer long. It needs a long-legged woman to wear it to its full potential.Psychedelic Animal-Print Mazatlan Minidress
This dress is so mind-blowingly cool - animal print, a jungle scene, psychedelic birds of paradise...the word "Mazatlan"...yeah, you can't resist this, don't even try!
70's Floral Accordion Pleat Hippie Caftan
Accordian pleat! Yes, that is the sound of all your quirky pleat dreams coming true.

Purple Floral Wrap Skirt/Dress
Another one that I was tempted to keep for myself, but I have a skirt/dress almost the exact same colour so I figured I'd pass on the love.
70's Red Psychedelic Hippie Maxi Dress
Rich colours, bold psychedelic/paisley pattern....go head now, you hippie you.
70's Smoking Lady High-Waisted Maxi Skirt
I'm usually not a fan of full-length skirts, but how could I possibly resist this print? A smoking lady....genius.
70's Sleeveless Rainbow Striped Long Dress
This dress totally elongates the body - as vertical stripes are known to do - and is pretty flattering. It gives shorter girls like myself some semblances of height, and it makes taller girls look like freaking supermodels. Love the colours too.
70's Striped Zip-up Maxi Dress
Because this is made of terrycloth, it is the most perfect swimsuit cover up - like wearing a beautiful, comfortable, stylish towel! The pleats and V-neck keep it very flattering.

I will try, try, try to post more often, but it is now summer, so no promises!

so kind of you to bless us with your effortless, we're grateful and so strangely comforted

Well, it's time for another exciting round of lookin' boy - oh, wait, no...it's just me making fun of the bizarre Google searches people made to end up on my blog, but the snark levels are still on high. Yo mama so slow she can't cook minute rice lookin' boy - zingggg. I've done it before - in January and in April, so I don't feel like re-explaining how this goes down. I'ma call "watch and learn" on this one.

"damn clip"
(Europe)
This is just plain intriguing. The location? Mysteriously, Europe. France? Estonia? Belgium? We'll never know. And what clip? A film clip? A paperclip? And why is it damned?
Did ashcan rantings give them what they needed?
They have left me with infinite questions and no answers.

"am i creater of the world i feel that im the only one like me i think im all that but wat am i"
(Kentucky)
You're a teenaged boy smoking pot for the first time.
And I thought they did it up fried, not baked, in Kentucky! Ohhh, snap, I got some lookin' boy in me, yet.
Did ashcan rantings give them what they needed?
The correct spelling of "what"? I can only hope so.

"males forced into silks"
(Strathpine, Australia)
Oh, beautifully reminiscent of "men forced into silk nightgowns"...now that it's happened twice, one must wonder - is this a "thing"? Or are there really just two individuals out there with a yearning to see the simple yet surely-hilarious image that is men being forced into silk? If the latter, well, I guess that's what the world means when it says "soulmates". If the former...somebody hook me up with whatever is inspiring people to Google such awesomeness.
Did ashcan rantings give them what they needed?
Sadly, no. But if either of these people see this, perhaps it will give them hope that there is somebody else out there for them. Or maybe just frustrate the fuck out of them that they're so far away.

"alex turner wants to have children"
(Kingston, UK)
Not sure if this is a declarative by a very well-placed source or somebody looking for a confirmation, but the main point is...why do you need to know? Are you thinking you might possibly be the owners of the ovaries that will aid in bearing said children? Because I'm sure that Alex Turner has placed high on his list of qualities he seeks in a baby mama "Googles my feelings on procreation".
Did ashcan rantings give them what they needed?
A swift scissor-kick to the ego? You betcha.

"pinky nail of the devil"
(West Virginia)
I will bet you $100 that this was a teenaged boy Googling to make sure nobody has already taken the band name Pinky Nail of the Devil because he wants to use it for his heavy metal garage band.
Did ashcan rantings give them what they needed?
No. I have no idea how this even linked them to my blog at all.

"when a we boy bits his lip wat dose it mean"
(Belfast)
As something of a spelling/grammar Nazi, you know I had a field day with this. I can't decide if it's meant to be "When a boy bites his lip, what does it mean?" (technically: "What does it mean when a boy bites his lip?"), but the "we" throws me off. Surely they can't be asking "When a wee boy bites his lip, what does it mean?" In any case, I don't think Google has the answers you're looking for, hun.
Did ashcan rantings give them what they needed?
Because I'm such a giver, I attempted to look up the answer to this with the trusted (?!) help of cosmpolitain.com. I got so disgusted with the colour scheme and blandly attractive faces that I left and went to cracked.com after a couple minutes, so I didn't solve the lip-biting query, but I did learn that when a man tilts his head and shrugs his shoulders while looking at you it means he's deeply in love with you and you guyz are gonna be married 4 eva. So, bear that in mind, kids.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, I know I've been slacking, but the weather has been exceptional lately.

y'all don't wanna hear me, you just wanna dance

I really don't know whether this will be a shock to you or not, but I love pop music. Bring me your vapid, shallow, empty, AutoTune-soaked, emotionless masses and I will consume. Yeah, you're talking about somebody who actually got excited when Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" came on the radio yesterday - "Oh, man, haven't heard this one in ages!" - and then proceeded to get into an indepth discussion on whether the lyrics on the original (I have the CD) are actually "Shawty wanna fuck" or "Shawty wanna hump". (It is in fact "hump", and I just found myself thinking that the first verse is pretty romantic)
For awhile, I tried to deny my true feelings about pop music, but then I realized that if it makes me so happy, why fight it? Since I'm getting fully confessional on ya, I'll tell you that I have within the past hour danced to NSYNC. Will you still respect me in the morning?
Anyway, I'm going to lay on you my favourite pop songs of the 00's - and I'm talking the type of pop songs that you'd actually hear on the radio (probably fairly regularly), not just any song released by a pop artist. Sorry, Britney's "Why Should I Be Sad".

My Top 5 Favourite Pop Songs of the 00's:

5. "Kiss Kiss" by Chris Brown feat. T-Pain
I can never resist this one...from "Yo, this is Nappy Boy Radio live with your boy T-Pain, we love. Rap music." to "Five, four, three, zero, yeah", I'm hooked. Though, I'm obviously unimpressed by Chris Brown's recent, uh, douchebaggery, but I ain't gonna be hatin' at his anatomy - this is about the music, and most of the props must go to T-Pain. Any guy who throws a one-two "I got money on me" "Let's hit McDonald's" punch has got my interest. If he's actually got money on him, this McDonald's feast should be one of the record books indeed. Maybe he'd even spring for a milkshake...

4. "1 Thing" by Amerie
I love pretty much all things Amerie (who else would throw an Emerson, Lake and Palmer sample on a R&B joint? Nevermind that it turned out mediocre...it's the idea that counts!) but the ridiculously awesome drums are what make "1 Thing" so special. I also adore Amerie's voice - raspy-ish, but still pretty.

3. "Me & U" by Cassie

This is a tough one to explain. She can't sing. The lyrics are unspeakably stupid. The beat is generic. And yet, it's just so good. It's almost....hypnotizing in its mediocrity, but it makes me feel amazing.

2. "Promise" by Ciara

I have so much love for this song because it's so heavily Prince-influenced. The drum machine in particular makes it sound like one of those kinky little numbers he produces for his talentless protegées. Again, not a lot of vocal power here, but it's fully unnecessary - the stellar production speaks for itself.

1. "Hey Ya" by Outkast
So genius in that its both 100% a pop song and simultaneously not pop at all. Its far too unique and bizarre to be pop, but its too fun, happy and, well, pop-y to be anything but. If you haven't heard it since its assault on every kind of radio station ever faded out, give it another go - I can understand how hearing it 32353084390 per minute made you a bit tired of it, but now your brain has rested and you are ready to plunge into the magical world of Andre 3000 once more. The video is fully worth your time as well.

top 5 pop songs of the 00s
(Click on the link to hear the songs in their entirety)

you have a way of walkin' round, your feet they never touch the ground

Even if I don't talk about them as much as a lot of other bands, Jefferson Airplane has been a consistent presence in my life for years. After Bathing at Baxter's is one of my favourite albums of all time, and when this-wheel's-on-fire suggested a top 5 Jefferson Airplane list, I knew it was definitely a good call. Unlike most people, I actually prefer Paul Kantner's songs to Grace Slick's - I love his voice. But, really, they're all good.

1. "Watch Her Ride" from After Bathing at Baxter's

2. "Comin' Back to Me" from Surrealistic Pillow

3. "Two Heads" from After Bathing at Baxter's

4. "Young Girl Sunday Blues" from After Bathing at Baxter's

5. "She Has Funny Cars" from Surrealistic Pillow

I feel lazy not doing write-ups (wait...I don't just "feel", I am lazy), but there really isn't much to say. Jefferson Airplane rules, plain and simple.

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
(Click on the link to hear the songs in their entirety)

P.S. The lovely Miss Eyeliah over at Style Symmetry is celebrating her 1000th post (congratulations!) with a give-away - so check that ish out!

and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make

Fleetwood Mac totally exceeded my expectations. I gotta say - Lindsay Buckingham is a bad mama jama. He busted out an incredibly epic guitar solo on "I'm So Afraid", and when they did "Oh Well" - a Peter Green track - Nicola and I screamed, hugged and near-cried. Stevie was looking gorgeous, and did a couple costume changes. (Check out her dancing with her scarf a bit here.)Mick Fleetwood had a stellar 7-minute solo near the end and whenever the Jumbotron (is that what they're called?) landed on him, he had excellent facial expressions. John McVie was on the opposite side of the stage, so I couldn't really see him, but I'm sure he was chillin'. I'd chosen 5 songs I wanted to hear - "Oh Well", "Tusk", "Dreams", "Gold Dust Woman" and "The Chain", and lucky me (as usual), I got to hear them all.

Anyway, WAT wants to know my Top 5 Beatles songs and, though it's a tough request, I think I can give it to ya. Though I respect them a lot, I don't listen to the Beatles very often, but when I do I much prefer late-era Beatles. One guess at my favourite two Beatles albums...

My Top 5 Favourite Beatles Songs:

1. "The End" from Abbey Road
I love love love hearing John, Paul and George trading off solos on this one. Each has such a distinctive playing sound, and Ringo ain't lagging either.

2. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" from Abbey Road
Heavy indeed. I love Eddie Hazel's cover, but I must confess that the original is still tops. I love hearing the Beatles dark.

3. "Glass Onion" from The Beatles
"Pop! Pop! Pop! I told you bout strawberry fields" - love the opening. Mocking the fans that over-analyze all the tiny details, it does leave me wondering....what's a "dovetail joint"? I've asked some of the biggest stoners I know, and nobody seems to be aware of this term.

4. "You Never Give Me Your Money" from Abbey Road
I really can't think of anything to say about this besides that it's an amazing song all-around.

5. "Happiness is a Warm Gun" from The Beatles

You know, I was this close to giving this spot to "For No One", but the "She's not a girl who misses much..." intro did not allow me to exclude this song. Anybody who says "The Beatles Aren't That Good" (yeah, all 11 of you) are pretty much retarded.

I just realized I forgot to post the playlist....my bad, here ya go:

THE BEATLES

if you don't love me now, you will never love me again

Seeing as how tomorrow I'm going to be seeing Fleetwood Mac (well...if it's not cancelled), I think it would be fitting to tell you my favourite Fleetwood Mac songs. Since I couldn't decide whether I should give you my favourite Peter Green Fleetwood Mac songs (since they are the version of Fleetwood Mac I prefer) or my favourite Stevie Nicks Fleetwood Mac songs (since they are the version I'm seeing in concert), I'll simply have to give you both.
Just to remind you, the distinction is that Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac is late-60's/early 70's blues-rock, while Stevie Nicks' Fleetwood Mac is mid-late 70's California pop.

My Top 5 Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac Songs

1. "Before the Beginning" from Then Play On

2. "The Green Manalishi"
You may perchance be familiar with the Judas Priest cover, but - obviously - I prefer the original. For one thing, a Fleetwood Mac song without Peter Green's heavenly voice is automatically a lesser Fleetwood Mac song.

3. "Oh Well" from Then Play On

As infuriating as it is to hear the incredibly sexy Peter Green (who was gifted with one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard) say "I can't help it bout the shape I'm in, I can't sing, I ain't pretty and my legs are thin", the stupendous guitar riff makes this song classic. It's also the Peter Green song we have the best chance of hearing the current incarnation cover tomorrow night.
And if you watch the video linked above, you will not regret it, as you will be gifted with Peter Green's breathtaking smile and laugh.

4. "Man Of the World"

The gorgeous contrast of the fast and slow parts are what make this song interesting. I really love the fast parts, but know they wouldn't be as good without the slow parts to contrast them.

5. "Worried Dream"
Written by B.B. King (who, for the record, once stated that Peter Green was the only guitarist alive he was scared of), this incredibly blues-y track wrenches right to the very soul.

PETER GREENS FLEETWOOD MAC

My Top 5 Favourite Stevie/Lindsay Fleetwood Mac Songs:

1. "Tusk" from Tusk
This labouring Buckingham-penned track is my favourite late-era Fleetwood Mac song. Special bonus: Listen closely around 2:11..."real savage-like".

2. "The Chain" from Rumours
This might be my favourite Fleetwood Mac song. We all know I'm a sucker for a good bassline.

3. "Dreams" from Rumours
I particularly like the bridge of this song, and the lyrics.

4. "Gold Dust Woman" from Rumours
Forget what you heard...Stevie Nicks said in an interview that she wrote this song before she was a coke addict. Still, it's an awesome track.

5. "I'm So Afraid" from Fleetwood Mac
I was convinced for so long that that was Christine singing, but it's Lindsay. If you're a fan of goodlooking guys with stellar hair shredding on their guitars, check out that link above. I wouldn't letcha down.

STEVIE/LINDSAY FLEETWOOD MAC