Music Labyrinth Episode 092
Shock The Monkey / Peter Gabriel (1982)
Hello Listener, and welcome to episode 92 of The Music Labyrinth. Now, our introduction this week has gone all cosmological and astrological. Within that frame of reference, Messier 92 is a globular cluster of stars in the heroically named constellation of Hercules. The cluster is about 26 700 light years away from us, and was first documented from this far away in 1777 by the German astronomer Johann Bode - who is also famous, as it turns out, for determining the orbit of Uranus. But thats another story. Messier 92 is one of the brightest clusters in the known galaxy but also one of the oldest and therefore comparatively dim from our vantage point. Its also quite large, being the equivalent mass of about 330 000 of our suns. So, there you go, like Messier 92, episode 92 of The Music Labyrinth aspires to be weighty, deceptively bright, and heroic. And we got away to an excellent start in those terms, with Peter Gabriel’s 1982 song Shock The Monkey. For those who are new to The Music Labyrinth, welcome! Let me explain that we started with Shock The Monkey because that is the song which ended our last episode. And what we are now about to attempt is to find something to link Shock The Monkey to our next song, and then something to link that song to the one after - and so on into the finite but vast network that is The Music Labyrinth. On an Apple Music Playlist called Heavy Covers I found a cover version of Shock The Monkey by the American Nu Metal Chamber Music band Coal Chamber. Its - pretty average. However, on the same playlist I found another cover of a Tracey Chapman song and it might described in many ways, but “average” is probably not one of them. This is the Kentucky band Black Stone Cherry.
Give Me One Reason / Black Stone Cherry (2020)
Give Me One Reason is, of course, a song written and first recorded by Tracey Chapman. Here is another song also written and first recorded by Tracey Chapman, and also not performed by her on this occasion. This is the American ska punk band, Reel Big Fish.
Talking ‘Bout a Revolution / Reel Big Fish (1990)
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth where we last heard Talking ‘Bout A Revolution, performed by the American ska punk band Reel Big Fish. In 2010, Reel Big Fish produced a digital “best of” album called A Best Of Us For The Rest Of Us. That album contained a really awful cover of this next song. I think, in the interests of purification, we owe it to ourselves to hear the original. And then, because even those paying scant interest will immediately understand, we will immediately double-play our way straight into 5 Seconds Of Summer. But first, this:
Hungry Like The Wolf / Duran Duran (1982)
Hey Everybody! / 5 Seconds of Summer (2015)
On The Music Labyrinth, that was 5 Seconds Of Summer with Hey Everybody!, and we rolled straight into that without introduction because - well, you will have noticed the similarities in melody between the verse of Hungry Like The Wolf and the verse of Hey Everybody! Lets give 5 Seconds Of Summer another chance. From their 4th album, Calm, this is 5 Seconds Of Summer with Teeth.
Teeth / 5 Seconds Of Summer (2020)
This is The Music Labyrinth, and thanks for joining us here. We just listened to 5 Seconds Of Summer with their 2020 song Teeth. For that song and album the band were deliberately looking for a darker sound, which is probably why they commissioned Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine to play the guitar outro on the track we just heard. In 2016 Tom Morello and two other members of Rage Against The Machine joined up with two members of Public Enemy (DJ Lord and Chuck D) and also the rapper B-Real of Cypress Hill, to form the rock/rap supergroup Prophets of Rage - who sound like this.
Living On The 110 / Prophets of Rage (2017)
That was Living On The 110 by Prophets of Rage. As I mentioned before we played that track, Prophets of Rage featured rapper B-Real, who was a member of Cypress Hill, who feature in this track from Slash’s self-titled album from 2010.
Paradise City / Slash (feat.. Cypress Hill & Fergie) (2010)*
* Spotify did not contain this version of Paradise City. I had to sub in another Slash & Fergie tune. Sorry.
That was Paradise City by Slash, Cypress Hill, and featuring the vocals of Fergie who, I think we can all agree on the basis of the evidence presented so far, can sing just a little bit. If you doubt me on that assertion, here is a chance to reconsider your position.
Beat It 2008 / Michael Jackson (feat. Fergie) (2008)
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth where we last listened to a 2008 remix of Michael Jackson’s song Beat It, featuring the vocals of Fergie. That track comes from the 25th Anniversary remix of the album Thriller. I wanted to stay with that album for now, because I found this remix of one of the better known tracks from it pretty intriguing. You will know the song - eventually. This version features the vocals of Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur, Akon.
Wanna Be Starting Something 2008 / Michael Jackson (feat. Akon) (2008)
That was Wanna Be Starting Something by Michael Jackson, sounding quite different in the remix featuring Akon. A couple of years before that song was remixed, Akon teamed up with one of our favourites here at The Music Labyrinth. Here they are - Akon and India.Arie - with I Am Not My Hair.
I Am Not My Hair / India.Arie (feat. Akon) (2006)
That was I Am Not My Hair by India.Arie, featuring the vocals of Akon. I mentioned that India.Arie is a bit of a favourite here. Here she is with John Mellencamp from 2001, with Peaceful World.
Peaceful World / John Mellencamp (feat. India.Arie) (2001)
This is The Music Labyrinth and the song we heard just before that break was Peaceful World by John Mellencamp and India.Arie. From the moment that song made the shortlist for this show I have had the lyric “Love in a peaceful world” in my head and I thought I had an automatic link to our next track. Until, that is, I remembered that “Love in a peaceful world” is a lyric from Wishing Well by Free, which was have already played in episode 35. however, not to be deterred, I found the phrase “peaceful world” also popped up in this next track from 1988. This is Skin I’m In by the American funk band, Cameo.
Skin I’m In / Cameo (1988)
That was Cameo on The Music Labyrinth with Skin I’m In. Aaron Mills was and is a member of Cameo, and he continues to tour with that band to this day. He has also worked with Outkast, including playing bass guitar on this hit from 2000.
Ms Jackson / Outkast (2000)
That was Outkast with their Grammy Award winning tune from 2000, Ms Jackson. In 2017, our old mate Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) contributed a song to the Edgar Wright film Baby Driver. The Danger Mouse tune featured contributions from Big Boi of Outkast fame, and it sounds like this.
Chase Me / Danger Mouse (feat. Run The Jewels & Big Boi) (2017)
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth where we got all hip and gangstery by listening to Chase Me by Danger Mouse, featuring Bib Boi and the hip-hop super-duo Run The Jewels. As I mentioned before that tune, it comes from the soundtrack of the 2017 film Baby Driver, which also includes the 1970 Simon & Garfunkel song Baby Driver.
Baby Driver / Simon & Garfunkel (1970)
From their 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water that was Simon & Garfunkel with Baby Driver. That song was released as the B side to their immense hit The Boxer, so lets have a listen to that song, but not the Simon & Garfunkel version. This version of The Boxer is credited to Jerry Douglas and we’ll talk more about him shortly, but if you listen carefully you will also hear contributions to this version by Mumford & Sons.
The Boxer / Jerry Douglas (feat. Mumford & Sons) (2012)
That version of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Boxer was by Jerry Douglas, who is an American Dobro player, lap steel player and record producer (the dobro is a wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar). And because we like to ensure our listener is fully informed about such things, on this next track you will hear a very good example of some of Jerry Douglas’ solo Dobro work.
I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow / The Soggy Bottom Boys (2000)
You might now be saying, O Music Labyrinth, Where Art Thou? Well, right here where we have been listening to Man of Constant Sorrow, which most of us now associated with the Cohen Brothers movie, O Brother Where Art Thou? The lead vocals on that song are by Dan Tyminski, who has a regular playing gig with Union Station, and his first album with that ensemble netted them and Alison Krauss the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album. From it, this is It Doesn’t Matter.
It Doesn’t Matter / Alison Krauss & Union Station (1993)
That was Alison Kraus & Union Station with It Doesn’t Matter. That song featured on a TV show soundtrack album called Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Album. And so to did this.
Temptation Waits / Garbage (1998)
On The Music Labyrinth, that was Garbage (NO IT WASN’T) - well, it was Garbage in the proper noun sense, being the band fronted by the wonderful voice of Shirley Manson. In 1996, when post-production was occurring for the film which would become the Baz Luhrmann masterpiece, Romeo + Juliet, somebody very clever selected this next track, also by Garbage, for that movie. This is #1 Crush.
#1 Crush / Garbage (1995)
Welcome back to the final section of episode 92 of The Music Labyrinth. I hope you’ve been enjoying the tour so far, which has led us to the soundtrack of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, and we last listened to #1 Crush by Garbage which was included on that lovely album soundtrack. Also included on it, was this tune by The Cardigans.
Lovefool / The Cardigans (1996)
From 1996, that was the Swedish band The Cardigans with Lovefool. The singer and lyricist for The Cardigans was Nina Persson, and after The Cardigans ran out of steam in about 2006 Nina Persson released a number of solo projects and worked on collaborations with other bands, including the Manic Street Preachers. In 2010 Nina Persson teamed up with - oh, look, Danger Mouse again - and the American indie rock band Sparklehorse. More on them shortly, but lets hear that collaboration first. This is called Daddy’s Gone.
Daddy’s Gone / Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse (feat. Mark Linkous and Nina Persson) (2010)
That was Danger Mouse, Nina Persson, and the band Sparklehorse with Daddy’s Gone. And that track brings us to our last track for this episode of The Music Labyrinth. Before I tell you about that tune, may I just say thank you for listening tonight and invite/implore you to come back again in a fortnight when we continue our journey through The Music Labyrinth. OK, on to the end of the show, and the next episode. Sparklehorse are an indie rock band from Virginia in the USA. The band was constructed primarily around the singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Linkous who, sadly, took his own live in 2010. Before that tragic event, he and the other Sparklehorsers got together with the magnificent Thom Yorke of Radiohead to record this track which you will certainly recognise. Thanks for listening to The Music Labyrinth.
Wish You Were Here / Sparklehorse & Thom Yorke (2005)