i'll be a big noise with all the big boys, so much stuff i will own

I'm back! After a beautiful summer of, uh, obsessively watching Real Chance of Love 2: Back in the Saddle (because I don't get it here in Canada) I'm back home in BC and the below-80 degree weather makes up for not being able to ogle Real's shiny weaves on a nightly basis (thanks, VH1's obsessive/compulsive super-redundant programming mode!)But my Real infatuation is fodder for a whole new post on it's own (and I'm not joking, so prepare yo' self) - today, I shall be imparting on you some musical inspiration with

10 Songs I'm Into At the Moment

1. "Computer Games" by George Clinton
It was on George Clinton's first solo album, but in reality, it's pretty much a P-Funk track cuz the gang's essentially all here - Bootsy, Garry, Bernie, Junie, Maceo, Eddie... This whole album has a more electro feel, and it does feature George's most well-known song "Atomic Dog", but I can't get enough of this track, especially the lyrics, which are characteristically witty.
I can outdrum a beat...I can outdance a floor...I can holler for more

2. "Break Ya Neck" by Busta Rhymes
I have requested to my loved ones that if I somehow die by cervical fracture, this song be played while my casket is being carried in. Listen to it in that context - it heightens the experience.
And, like all Busta songs, the video is tres amusant.
And we get a little HIGH, and we get a little DRUNK, and we get a little CRUNK, c'mon!

3. "Friend or Foe" by Jay-Z
It's embarassing that I slept on Jay-Z for so long, but now I am obsessed with his Reasonable Doubt debut. This track combines the Godfather gangster-ness that I love with Jay-Z's undeniable wit.
You're twitching - don't. do. that/You're makin me nervous/My crew? Well, they do pack/ Them dudes is murderous/So, please, would ya put your hand back in sight? They don't like to see me nervous/You can understand that, right? Your draw, better be Picasso/You know, the best/Cuz if this is not so, ha, God bless

4. "Vitamin C" by CAN
Wikipedia calls it "krautrock", their website says they're "doch der Einfluß dieser Werke strahlt bis in die jüngste Gegenwart", but I just say they rock in the freakiest, most badass way.
A beautiful blows, I stay at the corner/She is living in and out of tune

5. "Big Love (acoustic version)" by Lindsey Buckingham
I know it's originally a Fleetwood Mac song, but I much prefer Lindsey's solo acoustic version. As I've stated infinite times, I prefer Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, but Lindsey Buckingham is clearly insanely talented.
Oh, I'll build you a kingdom in that house on the hill

6. "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel
I doubt I'm really introducing this to anyone, but recently I've been craving this song incessantly. The video is unsurprisingly brilliant as well.
I've worked it out - I'll be stretching my mouth, to let those big words come right out

7. "Junker's Blues" by Champion Jack Dupree
I'll admit that I don't listen to as much blues as I should, but I love Champion Jack Dupree's voice and this song's badass lyrics attracted me pretty easily.
Some people crave for chicken, and some crave for a house steak, but when I get loaded, lawd, I don't want my milk and cake

8. "Death of an Electric Citizen" by the Edgar Broughton Band
Some more freak rock - if you're a Captain Beefheart fan, you might enjoy this heavy, bluesy band.

9. "Brick House" by the Commodores
Quite simply just a perfect song to git down to.
36-24-36 - ow, what a winning hand!

10. "Get Low" by Lil' Jon & the Eastside Boyz, feat. the Ying Yang Twins
Party hip-hop exactly how I like it: filthy. Whenever I start to feel a little bit guilty about liking this song, I remember that George Clinton loves it, and even covered part of it when I saw him in concert - and GC is never wrong.
Can I play with your pantyline? The club owner said I need to calm down

august 18

i'll let you be in my dreams if i can be in yours

Looks like this next list is not gonna be a tough choice: there are multiple votes, kicked off by Sister Libby, for a Bob Dylan Top 5 list. I guess the interesting thing about my musical "relationship" with Bob Dylan is that I prefer his more recent, blues-y stuff to his classic folk songs.
I must dedicate this post to my good pal Michele, who is undoubtedly among Dylan's most loyal and devoted followers.

My Top 5 Favourite Bob Dylan Songs

1. "Things Have Changed" from the Wonder Boys soundtrack
This has been my favourite Bob Dylan song since I first started listening to him about five years ago. It would be insultingly obvious to state that the lyrics are incredible. I in particular get a kick out of the line "Gonna take dancing lessons, do the jitterbug right"
Bob Dylan jitterbugging....people are crazy and times are strange, indeed.

2. "Dreamin' Of You" from The Bootleg Series Vol. 8: Tell Tale Signs

Recorded in the late 90's but unreleased until 2008, this song shows a side of Dylan I've always found intriguing: lovestruck. To me, Dylan is more of an entity than a person, and it's hard to imagine him being infatuated with a lowly human. And yet, he writes such honest and striking love songs.

3. "Ballad of a Thin Man" from Highway 61 Revisited
Sure, I prefer recent Dylan but that doesn't mean I've fully neglected his excellent 60's stuff. The version on the playlist below isn't quite the ideal but I do love his derisive tone. I got hipped to this song the first time I saw Dylan in concert, in 2005, when he did an awesome version of it.

4. "Love Sick" from Time Out of Mind

The soundtrack for Dylan's infamous Victoria's Secret "sell out", this is another case of seeing the unexpected vulnerabilites of Dylan in love. It's beyond bizarre to hear his plaint of "I just don't know what to do, I'd give anything to be with you" - what kind of woman in her right mind would reject Dylan?
It's a sick world out there.

5. "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)" from Bringing It All Back Home
Probably one of Dylan's most quotable songs, it definitely goes without saying that the lyrics are astonishingly good, but my favourite part is the swift guitar...riff. Would you call it a "riff"? In any case, this brilliant track not only says a lot but it really says something.

BOB DYLAN

Which artist next? It's all in your hands!

don't worry....i won't hurt you, i only want you to have some fun

Well, here it is.
It was inevitable but I didn't think so early in my top-five-songs-by-a-particular-artist month I would have to tackle him. But the divine this-wheel's-on-fire has put in a request for my top five favourite Prince songs, and I just can't say no to her. I'm going to exclude my absolute favourite Prince song because it feels way too personal to be discussing on a public blog, but here are my favourites, as best as I can figure them out.

My Top 5 Favourite Prince Songs:
1. "If I Was Ur Girlfriend" from Sign 'O' the Times
Quite simply one of the most arresting, astonishing and gripping songs of all time.

2. "Adore" from Sign 'O' the Times
In many ways, a fairly typical, almost-cliched love song. And, yet, somehow it's so much more. Listening to "If I Was Ur Girlfriend", a highly unique love song and "Adore", a more traditional one, it's pretty clear that nobody does love songs like Prince.

3. "Shockadelica" (B-side)
The B-side to "If I Was Ur Girlfriend", it also has Camille on lead vocals (hint for those of you who don't feel like clicking the link: Prince is Camille). I've always loved songs that describe a mysteriously unique woman. "The girl must be a witch/She's got your mind, body and soul hitched/Shockadelica/You need a second opinion/But she never wears a stitch/So you can't take her home/She's got you tied with a golden rope/She won't let you play your guitar/And when you've cried enough/Maybe she'll let you up/For a nasty ride in her shockadeli-car"

4. "Anotherloverholenyohead" from Parade

Fun fact: Three of the songs on this list are about a woman named Susannah Melvoin, the twin sister of Prince's guitarist Wendy (that's Wendy faking oral sex on him onstage in the above picture). "Adore" and "If I Was Ur Girlfriend" are both believed to be about Susannah, whom some call the love of Prince's life, but she didn't just get the romantic songs. This uptempo number hypocritically chides her, "You need another lover like you need a hole in your head." Bonus insult: Susannah's one of the women singing backup.

5. "Something In the Water (Does Not Compute)" from 1999

This is the earliest Prince song on the list, with the sped-up electro feel that was common in his early-80's style. I absolutely love the lyrics, particularly "Bitch...you think you're special? Well, so do I" It also features one of Prince's phenomenal screams around the 2 minute mark.

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

Any other suggestions of artists (that I'm into) to make such a list about?

listen, partner, i ain't no cheap thrill - cause ms. badu always comin' for real and you know the deal

My Erykah Badu girlcrush has been out of control this past week. I love her conversational and thoroughly honest lyrics, her uniquely beautiful voice and her chill, hip-hop groove. I'm going to share with you my top five Erykah Badu songs as of right now.
In fact, I think this month, the fifth month, I'll have a running series on my top five songs by various artists. So if there are any artists where you've always wondered what my top five favourites of their songs are (awkwardest sentence....ever), I definitely welcome suggestions.
Anyway, if the following pictures and songs can't convince you that Erykah Badu is one of the coolest women alive, I've got three more words for you:
Seven, Puma and Mars.
Yeah, those are her children.

My Top Five Erykah Badu songs:
1. "Honey" from New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
This chill, 70's-style groove has definitely been my song du jour. I adore the lyrics, oozing with the promise of relaxed romance that keeps one guessing...my favourite kind!

2. "Tyrone" from Live
I love any song that starts out with "I'm gettin' tired of yo' shit/You don't never buy me nothin'" This live-only gem has got awesomely badass lyrics and, if you watch the video, Ms. Badu accompanies them with delightful facial expressions. Unfortunately, the only Youtube video I can find cuts out the curse words, has mismatched audio and a fuzzy picture quality. Shame.
And if neo-soul ain't your thing, check out My Morning Jacket covering "Tyrone" with Erykah Badu, live.

3. "Booty" from Mama's Gun
Supertight drums are only the icing on the cake on this fantastic number. This is another one that's alll about the sublime lyrics. Basically Erykah Badu counts off all the ways your boyfriend prefers her, before reassuring you that she's not gonna steal your man - she doesn't want him, "cause of what he doin' to you".
I think many of my friends would agree I need to take this song pretty close to heart.


4. "Love of My Life (Ode to Hip-Hop)" from the Brown Sugar soundtrack
From the soundtrack of one of the only romantic comedies I've enjoyed, this is a chill, soulful number - okay, I need to stop saying that. I guess they all are! But, like Common's (who is featured on this) hip-hop classic "I Used to Love H.E.R.", this one imagines hip-hop as a person - in this case, a lover whose "words were very nice."

5. "Appletree" from Baduizm
With inspirational lyrics affirming that self-confidence is one of the most important traits, this track shows off Erykah Badu's killer vocal skills and jazz influence.
"I pick my friends like I pick my fruit/My ganny told me that when I was only a youth/I don't walk around tryin' to be what I'm not/I don't waste my time tryin' to get what you got/I work at pleasing me cuz I can't please you/And that's why I do what I do/My soul flies free like a willow tree"

ERYKAH BADU

Who else would you like to see a Top Five list about?

i don't go round trying to be what i'm not, i don't waste my time trying to get what you got

Stuff That Impress Me:

• How somebody manages to find a way to rhyme "ballin' ya" with "angels calling us" in that mediocre Lil' Wayne song "Mrs. Officer"
  
  


• Exactly how far VH1 can push their spinoffs. Case in point: The Surreal Life becomes Strange Love which turns into Flavor of Love which produces I Love New York which gifted the world with Real, the love of my short life and Real Chance at Love.
  
• This whole Miss California debate and how far beyond the point it's reached. Even though I personally believe gay people should be allowed to wed, I've gotta side with Miss California on this one. She was asked a straightforward question and she answered it honestly and, I thought, pretty diplomatically. With all the furor, I'd thought for sure that she'd revealed a forked tongue and screamed "FAGS MUST DIE" into the microphone. I'd really like to establish that I do support gay marriage and I do think beauty pagaents are silly and shallow, but how people are treating her is cruel and damn near hypocritical. She's not actually denying anyone of their rights - she's just saying her opinion.
  
  
• This picture. Too. Much. Awesomeness. Cannot. Compute.
  
  


• Lady Gaga's acoustic piano performances - how she takes her dance-pop hits and then plays them live just her and a piano, usually incredibly dramatically. I love it, this is how pop music should be.
  
  
• Life, and how it always works out. And spring!!