Music Labyrinth Episode 017
Fire / The Black Pumas
Hello Listener, and welcome to episode 17 of The Music Labyrinth. Tonight we will be wandering across about 4 decades and revisiting old favourites, as well as being introduced to potential new favourites. If it happens to be your first time with us, let me offer you an extra special welcome, and some extra reassurance that, despite the eccentricities of your guide, there is really no peril in remaining lost in this labyrinth. We have no destination in mind, and no map. Our only rule of thumb is a very flexible one, and that is that each song we play should have some link to the previous. We started this week where we left off last, with the catchy and soulful Fire by Black Pumas. I stated last week that it was a track from my favourite album of 2020, and while that is technically correct (in that I first heard it a few months ago) the album was actually released in June, 2019. My apologies for any misdirection I might have initiated there. That album earned Black Pumas a nomination for the Grammy for Best New Artist, but they were ultimately knocked over by Billie Eilish. I had a scan back through the records of other acts who were unsuccessfully nominated for Best New Artist and found a happenstance that could not be ignored for fear of the wrath of a regular listener to this program. In 1998 the Grammy for Best New Artist went to Paula Cole. Now, at the risk of suffering the probably disastrous consequences of wormhole in the labyrinth, I will hint that you should keep Paula Cole in the front of your mind. Who knows where we might encounter her? However, back to our link. An artist who was unsuccessfully nominated for the same Grammy that year was Fiona Apple. Here she is with her glorious cover of Across The Universe.
Across The Universe / Fiona Apple
Across The Universe was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1969. That version, by Fiona Apple, was recorded in 1998. In the same year ABC television produced a weekly variety program confusingly titled The Channel Nine Show and hosted by HG Nelson and Roy Slaven. Neil Finn appeared as a guest on that program and, when asked what was the song he wished he had written, he was unhesitating in nominating Across The Universe. The very clever John Doyle, in his screen persona of Roy Slaven, immediately picked up on the reference to a paper cup in the opening line of Across The Universe, and asked about the same reference in a song written by Neil Finn. Finn, clearly surprised by Doyle, commented that these were very skilled questions. Doyle then asked if he had any skilled answers! Anyway, because of that interview, I have always associated the paper cup in Across The Universe with this Crowded House song.
Don’t Dream Its Over / Crowded House
This is The Music Labyrinth where we last listened to Don’t Dream Its Over by Crowded House, which comes from their 1986 debut album. That album was produced by Mitchell Froom, who is still in the caper. In July this year Froom was credited as the producer of the Rufus Wainwright album Unfollow The Rules. From that album, and produced by Froom, this is Rufus Wainwright, with Damsel In Distress.
Damsel In Distress / Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright is part of the famous Wainwright dynasty which included his sister Martha Wainwright and their father Loudon Wainwright III, who the listener will best remember for his slightly quirky, 1972 novelty song, Dead Skunk. Interestingly, Loudon Wainwright III is also known by the acronym LW3, and Wikipedia specifically states that a search for LW3 redirects to the Loudon Wainwright III page, and any enquiries about the film Lethal Weapon 3 should be entered in its full text. Which took me straight to the soundtrack of the film Lethal Weapon 3, from which I have selected this tune.
Its Probably Me / Sting and Eric Clapton
From the soundtrack of the 1992 film Lethal Weapon 3, that was Its Probably Me by Sting and Eric Clapton. Michael Kamen played keyboards on and co-produced that track. Kamen had a lengthy CV in the music business as a composer, arranger, musician and producer. The list of people he had collaborated with is lengthy and impressive. In 1993 he was engaged by Kate Bush to contribute orchestral arrangements to her album The Red Shoes. From that album, here is the title track.
The Red Shoes / Kate Bush
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth, where we have eventually removed our red shoes and found some level of peace and contentment. We have previously touched upon songs based on fairytales, and Kate Bush has just provided us with another of those. Now, Patient and Trusting Listener, stay with me while I skilfully skipper us around a looming rock in the river of our journey. You will know, of course, of my love of all things Peter Gabriel, and you will see that we are being directed with great momentum towards the wonderful collaboration between those two, Don’t Give Up. However - we are not going to hit directly upon that rock. Do you recall, at the start of this episode, when I cautioned you to keep the name Paula Cole in the front of your consciousness? Well, just as well you heeded me. When Peter Gabriel performed his Secret World Tour in 1993 and 1994, Paula Cole was his principle back-up singer and she co-performed the duet Don’t Give Up, which had previously been made famous by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. So, here is Paula Cole from 2019 with Shake The Sky.
Shake The Sky / Paula Cole
The 1998 film City of Angels featured a song by Paula Cole. It also featured this next song, which was written specifically for the film by John Rzeznik, and which subsequently became one of the biggest crossover hits in the history of popular music, reaching number one in three separate categories of radio music, and becoming the most played song of 1998 for all formats. This is the Goo Goo Dolls with Iris.
Iris / Goo Goo Dolls
Here we are, still within The Music Labyrinth, where we find ourselves leaving the Goo Goo Dolls and heading off towards our next point of discovery. In June 2007 the Goo Goo Dolls performed a concert to a capacity crowd at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. The concert was captured on film for subsequent TV and DVD release. The list of performers who have recorded performances at this spectacular venue is a long one, and - just as I skilfully piloted us past the Peter Gabriel rock earlier, so too am I steering us around the “Dave Matthews Band at Red Rocks” rock which looms dead ahead. Instead, lets have a listen to a band who also performed at Red Rocks, this time in August 2009 and, because they thoughtfully left us a recording of the show, we can be certain that they played this tune. Here is Depeche Mode with Personal Jesus.
Personal Jesus / Depeche Mode
From 1989 that was Depeche Mode and Personal Jesus. The song has subsequently made its way on to the Rolling Stone Magazine’s list the 500 greatest songs of all time. It is also included in Q Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest songs. But perhaps its greatest achievement is having been covered by artists as disparate as Johnny Cash and Marilyn Manson! Production credits on the song belong to the British producer Mark Ellis, who is better known by his mononymous professional pseudonym, Flood. In 2013, Flood co-produced the third studio album from the British band Foals. Lets end this episode of The Music Labyrinth in a slightly unusual fashion. Whilst this track does contain some vocalisation, it is largely instrumental and, in my opinion, is a fantastic album opener, setting the scene for what lies ahead like a perfectly weighted appetiser. As always, thanks for listening to The Music Labyrinth. This is Foals, with the aptly named Prelude.
Prelude / Foals
Hello Listener, and welcome to episode 17 of The Music Labyrinth. Tonight we will be wandering across about 4 decades and revisiting old favourites, as well as being introduced to potential new favourites. If it happens to be your first time with us, let me offer you an extra special welcome, and some extra reassurance that, despite the eccentricities of your guide, there is really no peril in remaining lost in this labyrinth. We have no destination in mind, and no map. Our only rule of thumb is a very flexible one, and that is that each song we play should have some link to the previous. We started this week where we left off last, with the catchy and soulful Fire by Black Pumas. I stated last week that it was a track from my favourite album of 2020, and while that is technically correct (in that I first heard it a few months ago) the album was actually released in June, 2019. My apologies for any misdirection I might have initiated there. That album earned Black Pumas a nomination for the Grammy for Best New Artist, but they were ultimately knocked over by Billie Eilish. I had a scan back through the records of other acts who were unsuccessfully nominated for Best New Artist and found a happenstance that could not be ignored for fear of the wrath of a regular listener to this program. In 1998 the Grammy for Best New Artist went to Paula Cole. Now, at the risk of suffering the probably disastrous consequences of wormhole in the labyrinth, I will hint that you should keep Paula Cole in the front of your mind. Who knows where we might encounter her? However, back to our link. An artist who was unsuccessfully nominated for the same Grammy that year was Fiona Apple. Here she is with her glorious cover of Across The Universe.
Across The Universe / Fiona Apple
Across The Universe was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1969. That version, by Fiona Apple, was recorded in 1998. In the same year ABC television produced a weekly variety program confusingly titled The Channel Nine Show and hosted by HG Nelson and Roy Slaven. Neil Finn appeared as a guest on that program and, when asked what was the song he wished he had written, he was unhesitating in nominating Across The Universe. The very clever John Doyle, in his screen persona of Roy Slaven, immediately picked up on the reference to a paper cup in the opening line of Across The Universe, and asked about the same reference in a song written by Neil Finn. Finn, clearly surprised by Doyle, commented that these were very skilled questions. Doyle then asked if he had any skilled answers! Anyway, because of that interview, I have always associated the paper cup in Across The Universe with this Crowded House song.
Don’t Dream Its Over / Crowded House
This is The Music Labyrinth where we last listened to Don’t Dream Its Over by Crowded House, which comes from their 1986 debut album. That album was produced by Mitchell Froom, who is still in the caper. In July this year Froom was credited as the producer of the Rufus Wainwright album Unfollow The Rules. From that album, and produced by Froom, this is Rufus Wainwright, with Damsel In Distress.
Damsel In Distress / Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright is part of the famous Wainwright dynasty which included his sister Martha Wainwright and their father Loudon Wainwright III, who the listener will best remember for his slightly quirky, 1972 novelty song, Dead Skunk. Interestingly, Loudon Wainwright III is also known by the acronym LW3, and Wikipedia specifically states that a search for LW3 redirects to the Loudon Wainwright III page, and any enquiries about the film Lethal Weapon 3 should be entered in its full text. Which took me straight to the soundtrack of the film Lethal Weapon 3, from which I have selected this tune.
Its Probably Me / Sting and Eric Clapton
From the soundtrack of the 1992 film Lethal Weapon 3, that was Its Probably Me by Sting and Eric Clapton. Michael Kamen played keyboards on and co-produced that track. Kamen had a lengthy CV in the music business as a composer, arranger, musician and producer. The list of people he had collaborated with is lengthy and impressive. In 1993 he was engaged by Kate Bush to contribute orchestral arrangements to her album The Red Shoes. From that album, here is the title track.
The Red Shoes / Kate Bush
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth, where we have eventually removed our red shoes and found some level of peace and contentment. We have previously touched upon songs based on fairytales, and Kate Bush has just provided us with another of those. Now, Patient and Trusting Listener, stay with me while I skilfully skipper us around a looming rock in the river of our journey. You will know, of course, of my love of all things Peter Gabriel, and you will see that we are being directed with great momentum towards the wonderful collaboration between those two, Don’t Give Up. However - we are not going to hit directly upon that rock. Do you recall, at the start of this episode, when I cautioned you to keep the name Paula Cole in the front of your consciousness? Well, just as well you heeded me. When Peter Gabriel performed his Secret World Tour in 1993 and 1994, Paula Cole was his principle back-up singer and she co-performed the duet Don’t Give Up, which had previously been made famous by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. So, here is Paula Cole from 2019 with Shake The Sky.
Shake The Sky / Paula Cole
The 1998 film City of Angels featured a song by Paula Cole. It also featured this next song, which was written specifically for the film by John Rzeznik, and which subsequently became one of the biggest crossover hits in the history of popular music, reaching number one in three separate categories of radio music, and becoming the most played song of 1998 for all formats. This is the Goo Goo Dolls with Iris.
Iris / Goo Goo Dolls
Here we are, still within The Music Labyrinth, where we find ourselves leaving the Goo Goo Dolls and heading off towards our next point of discovery. In June 2007 the Goo Goo Dolls performed a concert to a capacity crowd at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. The concert was captured on film for subsequent TV and DVD release. The list of performers who have recorded performances at this spectacular venue is a long one, and - just as I skilfully piloted us past the Peter Gabriel rock earlier, so too am I steering us around the “Dave Matthews Band at Red Rocks” rock which looms dead ahead. Instead, lets have a listen to a band who also performed at Red Rocks, this time in August 2009 and, because they thoughtfully left us a recording of the show, we can be certain that they played this tune. Here is Depeche Mode with Personal Jesus.
Personal Jesus / Depeche Mode
From 1989 that was Depeche Mode and Personal Jesus. The song has subsequently made its way on to the Rolling Stone Magazine’s list the 500 greatest songs of all time. It is also included in Q Magazine’s list of the 100 greatest songs. But perhaps its greatest achievement is having been covered by artists as disparate as Johnny Cash and Marilyn Manson! Production credits on the song belong to the British producer Mark Ellis, who is better known by his mononymous professional pseudonym, Flood. In 2013, Flood co-produced the third studio album from the British band Foals. Lets end this episode of The Music Labyrinth in a slightly unusual fashion. Whilst this track does contain some vocalisation, it is largely instrumental and, in my opinion, is a fantastic album opener, setting the scene for what lies ahead like a perfectly weighted appetiser. As always, thanks for listening to The Music Labyrinth. This is Foals, with the aptly named Prelude.
Prelude / Foals