Everything Is Fine

Celebrating David Lynch, born 20th January 1946, whose death was announced on Thursday, days before what would have been his 79th birthday.

 

This wasn't the Friday post I originally had in mind, and is a hastily cobbled together selection of a dozen of David Lynch songs, remixes (of and by), cover versions and mash-ups. 

 

The collection starts and ends in possibly predictable fashion, Pixies' cover of In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song) in 1988 making as much of an impression on my teenage mind as the opening minutes of Lynch's 1987 film Blue Velvet. 

 

And yes, I know it's a cheat including Lana Del Rey's version over Bobby Vinton's cover, which was the inspiration for the film, but the latter makes a cheeky appearance in Voicedude's contribution to the intriguing (and sadly no longer available) 2008 compilation Mashed In Plastic: The David Lynch Mash-Up Album.

I got to see nearly all of David Lynch's films on the big screen, including a re-release of Eraserhead in the early 1990s, and with the exception of Dune (1984) and Inland Empire (2006). And on the small screen, I was left with an agonising wait to complete the Twin Peaks experience, as I headed off to Australia for a year after Season 1's cliffhanger ending on BBC2. 

Edisrehtoehtnoees

 

1) In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song): David Lynch & Alan R Splet ft. Peter Ivers (1976)

2) This Is David Lynch: Neiltomo (2008)

3) Pinky's Dream (Trentemøller Remix): David Lynch ft. Karen O (2012)

4) Girl Panic! (Remix By David Lynch & Dean Hurley): Duran Duran (2011)

5) Fuel To Fire (David Lynch Remix): Agnes Obel (2014)

6) I Know (Jon Hopkins Remix): David Lynch (2011)

7) Velvet Dreams: Voicedude (2008)

8) The Big Dream (Moby Reversion): David Lynch ft. Mindy Jones (2014)

9) Rockin' Back Inside My Heart (Tibetan Single Mix By Greg Royal): Julee Cruise (1989)

10) Blue Velvet (Single Version) (Cover of Tony Bennett): Lana Del Rey (2012)

11) Falling (Cover of Julee Cruise): The Wedding Present (1992)

12) In Heaven (Lady In The Radiator Song) (John Peel Session) (Cover of David Lynch & Alan R Splet ft. Peter Ivers): Pixies (1988) 

 

1982: Eraserhead OST: 1

1989: Rockin' Back Inside My Heart EP: 9 

1992: Silver Shorts EP: 11

1998: Pixies At The BBC: 12

2008: Mashed In Plastic: The David Lynch Mashup Album: 2, 7

2011: Girl Panic! EP: 4 

2011: Good Day Today / I Know EP: 6

2012: Pinky's Dream EP: 3 

2012: The Paradise Edition EP: 10

2014: Aventine: 5

2014: The Big Dream Remix EP: 8

Everything Is Fine (46:33) (KF) (Mega)

The Strangest Days I've Ever Seen

Today's selection is a small selection of artists, songs and albums that I've discovered or rediscovered during 2022, either by diving into my vinyl or CD collection, digital purchases from Bandcamp or via the many wonderful posts from fellow travellers in the blogosphere, listed in the sidebar if you're viewing the web version. A special thanks to Charity Chic Music for introducing me to Blaze Foley and reminding me of the brilliance of I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight by Richard & Linda Thompson.

For the second year running, the rather wonderful 5CD New Age Steppers collection, Stepping Into A New Age 1980-2012, gets a look in. There have been some fabulous CD box set reissues in 2022. My favourites have included Satellite Life, collecting Billy Mackenzie's recordings between 1994 and 1996 on 3 CDs. The Times' run of albums from their first incarnation were represented with a ton of bonus tracks on the 6CD set My Picture Gallery: The Artpop! Recordings. It actually came out in 2021, but I didn't buy it until May this year. Ironically, neither artist features in today's selection.

Researching respective posts got me going back to several artists from my teens, notably The Jesus & Mary Chain, Ramones, Orbital and David Sylvian. David Holmes' new album with Unloved this year also prompted me to belatedly buy the soundtrack to Series 1 and 2 of Killing Eve, which includes a fair few 1960s and 1970s nuggets, including out there husband and wife duo Ramases and Selket (Kimberley and Dorothy to their neighbours).

 

There are a couple of artists from my birthplace, Bristol: Babyhead, who I rediscovered when reminiscing about the annual festival at Ashton Court and Emily Breeze, who I heard for the first time this year and have been a huge fan of ever since.

 

To bring things to a close, The Abyssinians with an unreleased 'extended mix' of a 1982 song, courtesy of the 27 Leggies music blog during the summer after yet another postponed gig. Fingers crossed it's sixth time lucky in 2023, Ernie.

 

Today's photo was taken in the Gloucestershire village of Wotton-under-Edge a couple of weeks ago. It's the tried-and-tested hairdresser/barber shop staple of using a bad pun for a business name, but this one made me smile. I've never visited, so please don't take this bit of free advertising as an endorsement. I've also not eaten at the Indian restaurant with the garish orange frontage a few doors down. Parking's a nightmare, though.

 

More 2022 highlights tomorrow.

 

1) Тютюнник (Tiutiunnyk) (John Peel Session): The Wedding Present (1987)

2) Clay Pigeons: Blaze Foley (1977)

3) Move Ya Loin: Roots Manuva ft. Lotek (2005)

4) Pulling Punches (Album Version): David Sylvian (1984)

5) Call In Sick Today (Album Version): Emily Breeze (2019)

6) Good For My Soul: The Jesus & Mary Chain (1992)

7) Drown: Karen O & Danger Mouse (2019)

8) Chime Crime (Remix): Orbital (1992)

9) Distraction (Radioactive Man Remix By Keith Tenniswood): C.A.R. (2020)

10) Good Voodoo (Gaudi Remix By Daniele Gaudi): Ganga Giri (2011)

11) The Bottle (12 Inch): The Tyrrel Corporation (1992)

12) My Whole World: New Age Steppers (1981)

13) Killing Time: Babyhead (2003)

14) I'm Not Jesus: Ramones (1987)

15) Screw You (Single Version): Ramases & Selket (1970)

16) Withered And Died: Richard & Linda Thompson (1974)

17) Praise Him / Praise Him Dub: The Abyssinians (1982)

 

The Strangest Days I've Ever Seen (1:14:48) (Box) (Mega)

Call In Sick Today: Emily Breeze

When I was young I thought I’d bring the world to its knees
Smoking skunk in the daytime, skim reading Socrates
Please....
Jesus said, I should get out of bed and I replied
Fly me first class to heaven in a neon pink cocktail dress
I don't get up for less

Because these are the strangest days I’ve ever seen
So give me C.B.T and sertraline
As I sashay through the decades on a vast indifferent sea

Lets get high in the cemetery,
Call in sick today
Waste a day with me,
I'm gonna start a cult
And you'll build a time machine
Let's go rob a bank
And go on a killing spree

Because these are the strangest days I’ve ever seen
So give me C.B.T and sertraline
Did you catch my million dollar movie?
It went straight to T.V
But I still believe, I still believe
That it's easy to bury reality
But hard to dispose of your dreams
So I still believe, I still believe
When I was young I thought I'd bring the world to its knees
Call in sick today baby waste a day with me
When I was young I thought I’d bring the world to its knees
And I still believe, I still believe
Call in sick today baby, waste a day with me
Cos I still believe, I still believe.

The Gods Are Looking Down, Waiting...Then They Burn Us Down

I didn't realise how much I'd missed Yeah Yeah Yeahs until they came back, with their first new album in 9 years, Cool It Down, out on 30th September. As expected, the music is accompanied by stunning visuals, the latest of which is second 'single', Burning. The video is directed by Cody Critcheloe aka SSION, who goes way back with the band, producing the artwork for Yeah Yeah Yeahs debut album, 2003's Fever To Tell, whilst still at school.

Burning was preceded in June by Spitting Off The Edge Of The World, featuring Perfume Genius, a sonic slab of synth-washed bliss that sits well with my other 80s/90s/goth/shoegaze/electronica inspired purchases this year by Trentemøller, Andy Bell, Dan Wainwright and Pye Corner Audio. There are two videos for Spitting Off The Edge Of The World, both again directed by Cody Critcheloe, the first a glorious technicolour feast, the second in black and white and focusing on the 'live' performance used in the closing scenes of the former. Both are perfect complements to the song.

Up to now, I've still been regularly listening to Karen O & Danger Mouse's collaboration from 2019, Lux Prima. It's a great album and I'd highly recommend it. In preparing today's post, I found a performance of Woman from The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, directed by Spike Jonze, which is wonderful.

Today's post title is taken from the sub-titles used in the Burning video, which bear no relation to the lyrics of the song.

It's good to have you back.

 

Burning (Album Version): Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2022)

Spitting Off The Edge Of The World (Album Version): Yeah Yeah Yeahs ft. Perfume Genius (2022)

Spitting Off The Edge Of The World (Live In KC Video Version): Yeah Yeah Yeahs ft. Perfume Genius (2022)

Woman (The Late Show With Stephen Colbert): Karen O & Danger Mouse (2019)