VIRTUAL MIX TAPE: "13 Wonderful Will Songs, Vol. 12"

Yes, that’s right, it’s time for another installment of songs that I love and that I hope you’ll love, too. And if you don’t, well, it ain’t like this thing is behind the paywall, so what’d you pay for it, anyway?

In conclusion, listen or don’t, but if you do, I hope you dig it…and if you really dig it, consider upgrading to a paid subscription!

1. Guadalcanal Diary, “Litany (Life Goes On)” (1987 - 2X4)

This band landed on my radar right as I was discovering the glory of jangly guitars from down south, and upon being introduced to songs like “Watusi Rodeo” and “Trail of Tears” from their debut album, Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man, I was hooked. By the time I’d heard those songs, however, the band had just released their third album, from which this song hails. Arguably one of the best opening tracks of any LP released in the late ‘80s, so there was no other place that I’d put it than at the top of one of these volumes.

2. Electrafixion, “Lowdown” (1995 - Burned)

If you weren’t paying a great deal of attention to Echo & The Bunnymen during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, then you might not have been aware of a few things about the band, including the fact that a) lead singer Ian McCulloch left the band and released two solo albums, b) the band continued without McCulloch and released an album (Reverberation) with new singer Noel Burke, and c) after the band finally broke up, McCulloch reunited with guitarist Will Sergeant to form a new band called Electrafixion. This track was co-written by McCulloch, Sergeant, and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, and it’s one of two songs on the album (the other being “Too Far Gone”) which were rescued from an album that McCulloch and Sergeant had begun working on in 1992. Unfortunately, the master tapes were in a van that was transporting them from Johnny’s house in Manchester to Ian’s house in Liverpool, and when the van was hijacked, the tapes disappeared with it and have never resurfaced. Un-fucking-believable. But at least we’ve got this song and that other one. I always wished that McCulloch and Sergeant would’ve done another album as Electrafixion, but I can’t fault them for deciding to bring back the Bunnymen. It’s far more marketable, after all.

3. Kate Bush, “Babooshka” (1980 - Never for Ever)

The kids today, they sure do love their Kate Bush, don’t they? If Stranger Things has done nothing else, it’s served to introduce a whole new generation to this British treasure. Setting aside “Running Up That Hill,” however, this has always been my other favorite Kate Bush song, and I swear on the life of my child that I loved it years before I ever saw the video.

4. Graham Gouldman, “Pamela, Pamela” (1968 - The Graham Gouldman Thing)

I remember stumbling on this CD in a bargain bin years ago and picking it up for one reason: I’d always loved the Yardbirds’ “For Your Love,” and Gouldman—who wrote the song—did a version of it on this album. I quickly realized just how many other wonderful tracks were on here, including “The Impossible Years,” but this song, which happens to be one of my other favorites, fits better.

5. “Weird Al” Yankovic, “Pancreas” (2006 - Straight Outta Lynwood)

Everyone knows our man Al for his parodies of popular songs, but those of us who’ve bought his albums over the years know how great he is at writing parodies of other artists’ sounds. This is his homage to the Beach Boys, and it’s astounding.

6. Cyndi Lauper, “Into the Nightlife” (2008 - Bring Ya to the Brink)

Over the years, Cyndi Lauper has flirted with a variety of different sounds, but this is arguably the most unabashed dance floor filler she’s ever delivered. The verses are good, but the choruses dare you to try and keep still…and you can try, but you’ll fail.

7. Def Leppard, “Paper Sun” (1999 - Euphoria)

I’ve been a Def Leppard fan since first seeing the videos for “Photograph,” “Foolin’,” and “Rock of Ages” on MTV back in the day, and although I’m not as big a fan of their albums as a whole as I once was, they almost always deliver a few tracks that remind me just why I love them. This is probably my favorite song that they recorded during the ‘90s, and the fact that it continues to feature in their sets even now would seem to indicate that they know just how good it was, is, and always will be. It’s big, bombastic Def Leppard at their finest.

8. Utopia, “Maybe I Could Change” (1983 - Oblivion)

The first song I ever heard by Utopia was “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now,” which the aforementioned “Weird Al” Yankovic played during one of his Al TV takeovers of MTV. That led me to pick up a cutout copy of their best-of cassette, Trivia, after which I was able to pick up a few of their other cassettes in cutout bins, including this one. This was never released as a single, but I always loved the unique structure of the verses as well as the catchiness of the chorus.

9. Paul McCartney, “Mr. Bellamy” (2007 - Memory Almost Full)

Paul’s always been my favorite Beatle, and while I’ll happily listen to other people explain why I’m wrong, it’s far too late to change my mind on this matter. He’s a master of the pop song, and even on the albums that I love less than others, he’s always got a few winners in the mix. I try not to actively use the phrase “Beatle-esque” when describing Macca’s solo work, but I really do feel like that applies here. It’s as quirky as it is catchy.

10. The Monkees, “Terrifying” (2016 - Good Times!: Deluxe Edition)

I will never, even understand why this songwriting contribution by Zach Rogue (of Rogue Wave) ended up on the deluxe edition of the Monkees’ 2016 comeback album rather than on the regular version. There’s a lot of competition for Best Track, but this is easily in the top three songs to be found on any version of the album. The chorus makes me swoon.

11. Marvelous 3, “Freak of the Week” (1999 - Hey! Album)

Nowadays more people know Butch Walker for his work as a producer, a songwriter, or as a solo artist in his own right, but I first came to know him as the lead singer of The Marvelous 3, a kickass power pop band who never got nearly as much love as they should’ve. Of course, he’s probably keeping himself warm at night with all the money he’s made since then, but it doesn’t make this track any less underrated.

12. Billy Joel, “Surprises” (1982 - The Nylon Curtain)

I almost put “Pressure” here, but if you know Billy Joel, then you probably know “Pressure.” On the other hand, you might not know this album track from the same LP, which is definitely Billy’s attempt to write a latter-era Beatles song…and a damned fine one, I dare say.

13. Seal, “Back Stabbers” (2011 - Soul 2)

Ah, you thought I forgot the obligatory cover, didn’t you? Not a chance! We close out this volume with Seal’s version of the classic O’Jays track, and while I’m not usually a fan of artists doing entire albums of songs from a particular genre—I’m sorry, but Rod Stewart ruined it for everyone—I can’t think of a better pairing of artist and cover in recent memory. Seal absolutely slays it.