Januweary

1) Bart Davenport - Euphoria or Everyone on Earth Is So Beautiful, Even You
2) The Rolling Stones - Midnight Rambler
A live version of this is featured in American Masters: Annie Leibovitz, and I just love it!

3) Ernie K-Doe - A Certain Girl
4) Little Richard - Directly From My Heart
5) Wilbert Harrison - Kansas City
6) Chuck Berry - Nadine
If you haven't seen Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'n Roll! by Mr. Helen Mirren, Taylor Hackford, you needs ta! Chuck Berry is at his showman's best and worst in this 1987 documentary which centers around a concert organized by The Stones' Keith Richards. The recall of "Nadine's" lyrics by The Boss, Mr. Bruce Springsteen, is one of those film clips that has stuck since the first time I watched this movie and probably will until the day I die.

7) The Wailers - Duppy Conqueror
I read in Paste Magazine that while sailing in the caribbean prior to Double Fantasy, John Lennon was particularly inspired by Bob's Burnin' album. I went back and checked it out myself. Um, yeah, inspired is a word, a feeling that comes to mind.

8) Richie Havens - Just Like a Woman
9) Ray LaMontagne - Hold You in My Arms
10) Bob Dylan - Desolation Row
11) Jackson Browne - I Thought I Was a Child
12) Jackson Browne - Farther On
I started to write a long explanation of this song, its lyrics the other day. Suffice to say, this was a song I listened to rather extensively throughout my senior year of college. I suppose Mr. Browne said of his life experience that which I anticipated saying at the time. It's day to day, but often, I find I relate to this song as a focal point for a life spent searching as I would just about any; "My Back Pages" perhaps providing the foil.

13) Arlo Guthrie & Pete Seeger - Draft Dodger Rag
Several songs have been playing on my iTunes since Bush decided to up the ante in Iraq; this is a gem amongst them.

14) Willie Nelson - Shotgun Willie
"... selling sheets on the family plan."

15) Merle Haggard - Trouble in Mind
16) Joan Armatrading - Dry Land
17) Irma Thomas - I Need Your Love So Bad
18) Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Tell Me What You Want Me to Do
19) Johnny Cash - Lights of Magdala
20) George Harrison - Isn't It a Pity
I dedicated this, the final track, to Mr. Bush and his OK Corral of policy-makers the night of his State of the Union.

The .zip of this mix is up and running! Please listen, and let me know what you think.

Josh Ritter is performing on NPR's Talk of the Nation this Monday at 3 EST. If anyone has a pair of tickets to his Wednesday performance at the Allen Room with which they would be willing to part, I will gladly accept.

Josh Ritter is performing tonight on David Letterman. I'm guessing he's going to play "Girl in the War" what with the recent developments in Iraq. Hopefully, he won't be as nervous as he was on Conan. You can see a clip of that at his website.

Random Song of my day: Andrew Gold

Andrew Gold, son of of composer Ernest Gold (who won an Academy Award for his score to the film Exodus) and vocalist Marni Nixon (the singing voice of Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady) wrote the following, which I just learned was a meager hit in the seventies prior to its rerecorded glory days as the theme to The Golden Girls.


Mr. Gold also cowrote the theme to Mad About You with the show's star and creator, Paul Reiser. It's called "Final Frontier," and yeah, I think that song is pretty bitchin,' what about it?