Music Labyrinth Episode 099
Oh My God / Kaiser Chiefs (2004)
Hello Listener, and welcome to episode 99 of The Music Labyrinth. I’m a bit excited about getting here - not just because we’re within staggering distance of episode 100 - but also because 99 is a special number in and of itself. So, for such a special episode I wanted to reach out to the epitome of all things 99, but I have to admit to falling a little bit short of my expectations. Still, I can bring you this…
They must be quite busy at CONTROL because Agent 99 is yet to respond to my many messages. Still, I live in hope. I’m also proud to point out that we practice what we preach here at The Music Labyrinth, in that we have previously honoured the special number 99 back in episode 56 when we included the Jay-Z track 99 Problems. Now, if you are unfamiliar with any of the previous 98 episodes of this program you probably wont know that what we do here is play tracks that have a direct and tangible link to the previous song. Since we started this journey with Godless by The Dandy Warhols, we have managed to create an uninterrupted string of more than 1580 songs which are all linked to the ones either side of it like a parade of 1580 trunk-to-tail elephants. And tonight, we will add a further 24 songs to that list. So lets get on with it. We started the show with Oh My God by the Kaiser Chiefs. Drummer, backing vocalist and songwriter for the Kaiser Chiefs was Nicky Hodgson, who was the co-writer of this song for the soundtrack of the 2015 feature film Shaun The Sheep. This is the Shaun The Sheep Band with Feels Like Summer.
Feels Like Summer / The Shaun The Sheep Band (2015)
That was The Shaun The Sheep Band, from the 2015 Shaun The Sheep feature film, with Feels Like Summer. A co-writer of that song, and member of The Shaun The Sheep Band is Tim Wheeler, who’s day job is with the Northern Irish alt-rock band Ash. You will remember them for this tune.
Girl From Mars / Ash (1996)
From their 1996 album, confusingly titled 1977, that was Ash with Girl From Mars. In 2008 Ash released a remastered version of that album which included bonus tracks. Amongst them, was Ash’s cover of this 1970 tune. This is Get Ready by Rare Earth.
Get Ready / Rare Earth (1970)
That song, Get Ready by Rare Earth, is the band’s most successful single. But in Australia the highest selling song be Rare Earth was this one.
I Just Want To Celebrate / Rare Earth (1971)
I Just Want To Celebrate by Rare Earth appeared in the last episode of season 5 of the TV show Six Feet Under. There is also a soundtrack album from that TV series called Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends, and it includes this track, which appeared in the Season 4 episode, Terror Starts At Home. This is Death Cab For Cutie with Transatlanticism.
Transatlanticism / Death Cab For Cutie (2003)
That was Death Cab For Cutie with Transatlanticism. Now, something that I have learned this week is that The Monkees were still releasing albums right up until 2018, and I know that because I discovered that Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie wrote this tune for The Monkees, which was included on their 2016 album Good Times - and its quite lovely! This is Me & Magdalena.
Me & Magdalena / The Monkees (2016)
From their 2016 album Good Times, that was The Monkees. The album was released for the 50th anniversary of the band and, by the time of its production, Davy Jones had dies, but the album does include posthumous contributions from Davy Jones. A couple of the albums’ songs were written by Mickey Dolenz and Michael Nesmith but, as we just heard, there are also songs by more contemporary songwriters and performers. And such a contribution was made in the form of this tune written by Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher. This is Birth Of An Accidental Hipster.
Birth Of An Accidental Hipster / The Monkees (2016)
From the 2016 Monkees album Good Times, that was Birth Of An Accidental Hipster, a track written by Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher. Those two lads formed a productive songwriting and performing collaboration in the 1990s and it seems that they enjoy each other’s company and musical talents. In 1995 they made a contribution to a fundraising album for the charity War Child. The project was called The Help Album, and it involved a number of tracks by a variety of artists. For the project Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher put together a band which included Sir Paul McCartney. They called the ensemble the Smokin’ Mojo Filters and the track they contributed to The Help Album for War Child was this one.
Come Together / Smokin’ Mojo Filters (1995)
That track formed part of a fundraising album called The Help Album: Music For War Child. All the songs were recorded in a single day (4 September 1995) with artists such as Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher, Sir Paul McCartney, Sinead O’Connor, Radiohead, Blur and our next band all converging on multiple studios on that day to record tracks for the album, which was available for sale 5 days later. One band who contributed to the album were the Stone Roses, who re-recorded a version of their own song from their 1994 album Second Coming. This is Love Spreads.
Love Spreads / The Stone Roses (1994)
In 2003 Love Spreads by The Stone Roses appeared in a season 4 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation called “Invisible Evidence”. In 2002 a soundtrack album for the CSI TV series was released, called CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Original Television Soundtrack, and that album included this song. This is the Liverpool band Clinic with Come Into Our Room.
Come Into Our Room / Clinic (2002)
From their 2002 album Walking With Thee, that was the Liverpool band Clinic with Come Into Our Room. That song appeared as a cover version on the soundtrack album Music from The O.C (Mix 6). On that album, which is made up of cover versions of well known songs, the track we just heard, Come Into Our Room, was covered by The Ms. That same mix also included Lady Sovereign performing a cover version of this song. With the original version, this is The Sex Pistols.
Pretty Vacant / Sex Pistols (1977)
In their short and tumultuous carer the Sex Pistols only released a single album, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols, and from it, that was track 9, Pretty Vacant. In 1978, one year after the release of that album, it all fell apart for the Sex Pistols. Johnny Rotten reverted to his birth name of John Lydon and went on to form the band Public Image Limited. In 1986, they released this song.
Rise / Public Image Limited (1986)
That was Rise by Public Image Limited. If you listened closely (and who didn’t?) you will have heard the sound of violins on that track, which were played by Lakshminarayana Shankar, who is better and more conveniently known by his professional name, Shankar. Shankar is an Indian born musician who moved to the United States where he studied ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He is highly regarded in the music scene and has played with Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Yoko Ono, Stewart Copeland, Sting and also with John McLaughlin of the Mahavishnu Orchestra (keep that name in mind, its coming back later). AND, Shankar’s violin can also be heard on this track.
Blood Of Eden / Peter Gabriel (1992)
From his 1992 album Up, that was Peter Gabriel with Blood Of Eden. On that track the Great Man is joined in vocals by Sinead O’Connor, who also appears on this 2003 tune by Massive Attack. This is Special Cases.
Special Cases / Massive Attack (2003)
On The Music Labyrinth we just listened to Special Cases by Massive Attack from their 2003 album 100th Window. We’re going to stay with Massive Attack for our next track, which was a massive hit for them in 1991, and then we will double-play our way straight into the next track which was the source of a significant sample in the Massive Attack song. So, to begin our double-play, here is Massive Attack with Unfinished Sympathy.
Unfinished Sympathy / Masssive Attack (1991)
Planetary Citizen / Mahavishnu Orchestra and John McLaughlin (1976)
From 1971 that was the Mahavishnu Orchestra and John McLaughlin with Planetary Citizen, and if you were paying attention earlier you may have heard me flag their involvement in this episode when we were talking to the violinist Shankar, who has played with the orchestra. The group was a vehicle for the prodigious guitar playing of John McLaughlin in the 1970s and 1980s. In just a couple of weeks John McLaughlin, at the age of 80, will appear and perform at the Jeff Beck Tribute Concerts which have been organised by and around Eric Clapton to honour the output of Jeff Beck who died in January this year. John McLaughlin and Jeff Beck were both virtuoso guitarists who explored the application of the electric guitar to musical genres other than rock, and they shared the stage on many occasions. So it seems appropriate to hear from Jeff Beck after playing John McLaughlin. Here, at the height of their powers from 1969, are the Jeff Beck Group with Spanish Boots.
Spanish Boots / Jeff Beck Group (1969)
In the later years of his career, before his death earlier this year, Jeff Beck engaged the services of the Australian born bassist Tal Wilkenfeld. Tal Wilkenfield is something of a musical prodigy, and her career has seen her employed as a bassist for Jeff Beck, Prince, Eric Clapton, Toto, Sting, Jackson Browne and Mick Jagger. In 2014 she was engaged by Ryan Adams to play on his 14th album. From that album and featuring the bass of Tal Wilkenfeld, this is Gimme Something Good.
Gimme Something Good / Ryan Adams (2014)
That was Ryan Adams with Gimme Something Good, In addition to featuring the bass guitar of Tal Wilkenfeld, that track also included the talents of Benmont Tench who is credited on the album with “organ and piano weirdness”. Benmont Tench is perhaps best known as a long time member of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and in that capacity, he played on this track from Stevie Nicks’ 1981 album Bella Donna.
Stop Dragging My Heart Around / Stevie Nicks (with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) (1981)
On 19 February 2005 the song we just heard, Stop Dragging My Heart Around, was performed as duet at the end of episode 4 of season 1 of the SBS TV show Rockwiz. the guest performers who covered the song were Rebecca Barnard and Tim Rogers. So, lets stay with Tim Rogers for our next link. In 2020 he joined up with former Cat Empire member Daniel Farrugia to record this cover of a Robert Palmer song.
Looking For Clues / Daniel Farrugia (feat. Tim Rogers) (2020)
That was Looking For Clues by Daniel Farrugia and Tim Rogers. That song was written and originally recorded in 1980 by Robert Palmer for his 1980 album Clues. Also from that album, here is Robert Palmer with Sulky Girl.
Sulky Girl / Robert Palmer (1980)
From his 6th studio album, recorded in 1980, that was Robert Palmer with Sulky Girl. By the time that album was released Robert Palmer was already a reasonable-sized wheel in the music industry, which makes it a little surprising that he popped up as one of a handful of musicians engaged by Talking Heads for their 1980 album Remain In Light. Robert Palmer is credited with percussion on that album. So, from it, this is Crosseyed And Painless.
Crosseyed And Painless / Talking Heads (1980)
Now, that just about brings us to the end of episode 99 of The Music Labyrinth, save for our final track which will end this episode AND take us over to the start of episode 101 of the program. What?! I hear you say. What about episode 100? Well, yes, good question. In two weeks we will broadcast episode 100 of the show and I thought we should do something a little different. So, for that special episode of the program I will be asking my collaborators, the Music Labyrinth Elves and Rob From Buderim, to assist me in compiling and presenting the one hundredth episode and we will have a slightly different format. We will be focussing on eight of the great recording studios associated with contemporary music, and each of us will bring you selected tracks recorded within those hallowed walls. For example, Music Labyrinth Elf Mollie will be taking us through selected tracks from the legendary Abbey Road Studios, and Music Labyrinth Elf Ella will do the same with the sanctified studios of Trident. Others to be revealed on the night. So, please join us for episode 100 of the program, which should be fun. But, we are not there yet. We need to conclude episode 99 and find a bridge to take us over to the rest of our journey. The track we just listened to, Crosseyed and Painless by Talking Heads, is from their 1980 album Remain In Light. That album was one of the first to embrace African rhythms into contemporary rock music. With that in mind, in 2018 the great champion of African music, Anjelique Kidjo, re-recorded the entire album in her own style. And from her cover album of Remain In Light, this is the track The Great Curve. Thanks for listening.
The Great Curve / Anjelique Kidjo (2018)
Feels Like Summer / The Shaun The Sheep Band (2015)
That was The Shaun The Sheep Band, from the 2015 Shaun The Sheep feature film, with Feels Like Summer. A co-writer of that song, and member of The Shaun The Sheep Band is Tim Wheeler, who’s day job is with the Northern Irish alt-rock band Ash. You will remember them for this tune.
Girl From Mars / Ash (1996)
From their 1996 album, confusingly titled 1977, that was Ash with Girl From Mars. In 2008 Ash released a remastered version of that album which included bonus tracks. Amongst them, was Ash’s cover of this 1970 tune. This is Get Ready by Rare Earth.
Get Ready / Rare Earth (1970)
That song, Get Ready by Rare Earth, is the band’s most successful single. But in Australia the highest selling song be Rare Earth was this one.
I Just Want To Celebrate / Rare Earth (1971)
I Just Want To Celebrate by Rare Earth appeared in the last episode of season 5 of the TV show Six Feet Under. There is also a soundtrack album from that TV series called Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends, and it includes this track, which appeared in the Season 4 episode, Terror Starts At Home. This is Death Cab For Cutie with Transatlanticism.
Transatlanticism / Death Cab For Cutie (2003)
That was Death Cab For Cutie with Transatlanticism. Now, something that I have learned this week is that The Monkees were still releasing albums right up until 2018, and I know that because I discovered that Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie wrote this tune for The Monkees, which was included on their 2016 album Good Times - and its quite lovely! This is Me & Magdalena.
Me & Magdalena / The Monkees (2016)
From their 2016 album Good Times, that was The Monkees. The album was released for the 50th anniversary of the band and, by the time of its production, Davy Jones had dies, but the album does include posthumous contributions from Davy Jones. A couple of the albums’ songs were written by Mickey Dolenz and Michael Nesmith but, as we just heard, there are also songs by more contemporary songwriters and performers. And such a contribution was made in the form of this tune written by Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher. This is Birth Of An Accidental Hipster.
Birth Of An Accidental Hipster / The Monkees (2016)
From the 2016 Monkees album Good Times, that was Birth Of An Accidental Hipster, a track written by Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher. Those two lads formed a productive songwriting and performing collaboration in the 1990s and it seems that they enjoy each other’s company and musical talents. In 1995 they made a contribution to a fundraising album for the charity War Child. The project was called The Help Album, and it involved a number of tracks by a variety of artists. For the project Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher put together a band which included Sir Paul McCartney. They called the ensemble the Smokin’ Mojo Filters and the track they contributed to The Help Album for War Child was this one.
Come Together / Smokin’ Mojo Filters (1995)
That track formed part of a fundraising album called The Help Album: Music For War Child. All the songs were recorded in a single day (4 September 1995) with artists such as Paul Weller, Noel Gallagher, Sir Paul McCartney, Sinead O’Connor, Radiohead, Blur and our next band all converging on multiple studios on that day to record tracks for the album, which was available for sale 5 days later. One band who contributed to the album were the Stone Roses, who re-recorded a version of their own song from their 1994 album Second Coming. This is Love Spreads.
Love Spreads / The Stone Roses (1994)
In 2003 Love Spreads by The Stone Roses appeared in a season 4 episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation called “Invisible Evidence”. In 2002 a soundtrack album for the CSI TV series was released, called CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Original Television Soundtrack, and that album included this song. This is the Liverpool band Clinic with Come Into Our Room.
Come Into Our Room / Clinic (2002)
From their 2002 album Walking With Thee, that was the Liverpool band Clinic with Come Into Our Room. That song appeared as a cover version on the soundtrack album Music from The O.C (Mix 6). On that album, which is made up of cover versions of well known songs, the track we just heard, Come Into Our Room, was covered by The Ms. That same mix also included Lady Sovereign performing a cover version of this song. With the original version, this is The Sex Pistols.
Pretty Vacant / Sex Pistols (1977)
In their short and tumultuous carer the Sex Pistols only released a single album, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols, and from it, that was track 9, Pretty Vacant. In 1978, one year after the release of that album, it all fell apart for the Sex Pistols. Johnny Rotten reverted to his birth name of John Lydon and went on to form the band Public Image Limited. In 1986, they released this song.
Rise / Public Image Limited (1986)
That was Rise by Public Image Limited. If you listened closely (and who didn’t?) you will have heard the sound of violins on that track, which were played by Lakshminarayana Shankar, who is better and more conveniently known by his professional name, Shankar. Shankar is an Indian born musician who moved to the United States where he studied ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He is highly regarded in the music scene and has played with Elton John, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Yoko Ono, Stewart Copeland, Sting and also with John McLaughlin of the Mahavishnu Orchestra (keep that name in mind, its coming back later). AND, Shankar’s violin can also be heard on this track.
Blood Of Eden / Peter Gabriel (1992)
From his 1992 album Up, that was Peter Gabriel with Blood Of Eden. On that track the Great Man is joined in vocals by Sinead O’Connor, who also appears on this 2003 tune by Massive Attack. This is Special Cases.
Special Cases / Massive Attack (2003)
On The Music Labyrinth we just listened to Special Cases by Massive Attack from their 2003 album 100th Window. We’re going to stay with Massive Attack for our next track, which was a massive hit for them in 1991, and then we will double-play our way straight into the next track which was the source of a significant sample in the Massive Attack song. So, to begin our double-play, here is Massive Attack with Unfinished Sympathy.
Unfinished Sympathy / Masssive Attack (1991)
Planetary Citizen / Mahavishnu Orchestra and John McLaughlin (1976)
From 1971 that was the Mahavishnu Orchestra and John McLaughlin with Planetary Citizen, and if you were paying attention earlier you may have heard me flag their involvement in this episode when we were talking to the violinist Shankar, who has played with the orchestra. The group was a vehicle for the prodigious guitar playing of John McLaughlin in the 1970s and 1980s. In just a couple of weeks John McLaughlin, at the age of 80, will appear and perform at the Jeff Beck Tribute Concerts which have been organised by and around Eric Clapton to honour the output of Jeff Beck who died in January this year. John McLaughlin and Jeff Beck were both virtuoso guitarists who explored the application of the electric guitar to musical genres other than rock, and they shared the stage on many occasions. So it seems appropriate to hear from Jeff Beck after playing John McLaughlin. Here, at the height of their powers from 1969, are the Jeff Beck Group with Spanish Boots.
Spanish Boots / Jeff Beck Group (1969)
In the later years of his career, before his death earlier this year, Jeff Beck engaged the services of the Australian born bassist Tal Wilkenfeld. Tal Wilkenfield is something of a musical prodigy, and her career has seen her employed as a bassist for Jeff Beck, Prince, Eric Clapton, Toto, Sting, Jackson Browne and Mick Jagger. In 2014 she was engaged by Ryan Adams to play on his 14th album. From that album and featuring the bass of Tal Wilkenfeld, this is Gimme Something Good.
Gimme Something Good / Ryan Adams (2014)
That was Ryan Adams with Gimme Something Good, In addition to featuring the bass guitar of Tal Wilkenfeld, that track also included the talents of Benmont Tench who is credited on the album with “organ and piano weirdness”. Benmont Tench is perhaps best known as a long time member of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and in that capacity, he played on this track from Stevie Nicks’ 1981 album Bella Donna.
Stop Dragging My Heart Around / Stevie Nicks (with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) (1981)
On 19 February 2005 the song we just heard, Stop Dragging My Heart Around, was performed as duet at the end of episode 4 of season 1 of the SBS TV show Rockwiz. the guest performers who covered the song were Rebecca Barnard and Tim Rogers. So, lets stay with Tim Rogers for our next link. In 2020 he joined up with former Cat Empire member Daniel Farrugia to record this cover of a Robert Palmer song.
Looking For Clues / Daniel Farrugia (feat. Tim Rogers) (2020)
That was Looking For Clues by Daniel Farrugia and Tim Rogers. That song was written and originally recorded in 1980 by Robert Palmer for his 1980 album Clues. Also from that album, here is Robert Palmer with Sulky Girl.
Sulky Girl / Robert Palmer (1980)
From his 6th studio album, recorded in 1980, that was Robert Palmer with Sulky Girl. By the time that album was released Robert Palmer was already a reasonable-sized wheel in the music industry, which makes it a little surprising that he popped up as one of a handful of musicians engaged by Talking Heads for their 1980 album Remain In Light. Robert Palmer is credited with percussion on that album. So, from it, this is Crosseyed And Painless.
Crosseyed And Painless / Talking Heads (1980)
Now, that just about brings us to the end of episode 99 of The Music Labyrinth, save for our final track which will end this episode AND take us over to the start of episode 101 of the program. What?! I hear you say. What about episode 100? Well, yes, good question. In two weeks we will broadcast episode 100 of the show and I thought we should do something a little different. So, for that special episode of the program I will be asking my collaborators, the Music Labyrinth Elves and Rob From Buderim, to assist me in compiling and presenting the one hundredth episode and we will have a slightly different format. We will be focussing on eight of the great recording studios associated with contemporary music, and each of us will bring you selected tracks recorded within those hallowed walls. For example, Music Labyrinth Elf Mollie will be taking us through selected tracks from the legendary Abbey Road Studios, and Music Labyrinth Elf Ella will do the same with the sanctified studios of Trident. Others to be revealed on the night. So, please join us for episode 100 of the program, which should be fun. But, we are not there yet. We need to conclude episode 99 and find a bridge to take us over to the rest of our journey. The track we just listened to, Crosseyed and Painless by Talking Heads, is from their 1980 album Remain In Light. That album was one of the first to embrace African rhythms into contemporary rock music. With that in mind, in 2018 the great champion of African music, Anjelique Kidjo, re-recorded the entire album in her own style. And from her cover album of Remain In Light, this is the track The Great Curve. Thanks for listening.
The Great Curve / Anjelique Kidjo (2018)