VIRTUAL MIX TAPE: "13 Wonderful Will Songs, Vol. 5"

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. The Fixx, “Two Different Views” (1998 - Elemental)

When I put together these playlists, I always try to use the YouTube clips that come straight through the label, and I successfully did so for this track, but you may note that the album showing on the video is not the album cited above. For some reason beyond my ken, the band’s Elemental album comes and goes from Spotify, and whatever that reason might be, it also seems to match up to when you can’t find the official label-sanctioned videos. There are a couple of different versions of this song floating around in the band’s discography, but this is the original album version, and it’s the one I love most. If you ever get a chance to catch The Fixx live, don’t miss it. I saw them when they were touring behind Elemental—they did a free show at Town Point Park in Norfolk, Virginia—and they pointedly played virtually the entire album before ever venturing into their substantial collection of hit singles. It was a ballsy move that I’ve never forgotten, and it’s probably also why I’m so partial to that particular album.

2. Buffalo Tom, “Rachael” (1998 - Smitten)

I will forever associate this band with my sister from another mother, Christine Becknell Field, but for what it’s worth, I was actually a fan of them before I started to associate them with her. This is from one of their later albums, and I don’t know that I’d necessarily say that it’s truly representative of their sound, but I sure do love that chorus.

3. The Greenberry Woods, “Oh Janine” (1995 - Big Money Item)

Not long after I graduated from college and had started writing regularly for local alt-monthly RockFlash, I was pitched on these guys by their label, and it was just love at first listen. In fact, they’re probably one of the biggest reasons that I found myself falling in love with power pop as a genre. Alas, the group split up after two albums for Sire, at which point the brothers Huseman moved onto start a new and equally poppy group called Splitsville, who you’ll almost certainly hear on a future volume, but this is arguably the best track on the Greenberry Woods’ sophomore LP. Epic pop goodness.

4. Mull Historical Society, “This Is Not Who We Were” (2001 - Loss)

I discovered this band while my wife and I were on our honeymoon in the UK in 2001, and they’ve been on my radar ever since. To this day, my wife may not remember the name of the band, but when I play the song, she immediately shouts, “DOG IN A WIG!” (I later found a greeting card that featured the same image, or at least some approximation thereof, and she put it on her desk at work.)

5. The Twang, “Barney Rubble” (2009 - Jewellery Quarter)

When Spotify first became a thing, I started scouring its contents in search of whatever Britpop bands I might find, since I hadn’t had much of a budget for music buying in the wake of having a kid in 2005. One of my discoveries was this band, and although they’ve got a lot of great singles in their catalog, this is the one that really caught my ear and made me continue to seek out their work.

6. Jenny Morris, “You I Know” (1987 - Body & Soul)

I don’t think there’s any legally binding document which says that all singer/songwriters in New Zealand are obligated to record at least one song written by a Finn brother, but Morris did indeed record this Neil Finn track, and if you’re a fan of his work with Split Enz and Crowded House, then you can almost certainly hear his sound in its grooves.

7. Al Stewart, “Red Toupee” (1988 - Last Days of the Universe)

Yes, this is the same gentleman who ruled the airwaves in the ‘70s with such hits as “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages,” but his sound evolved over the course of time, and by the ‘80s he wasn’t afraid to go full synthpop at times. This track has earned a certain degree of recognition for its backing vocals, which were provided by a young Tori Amos, but it’s that keyboard hook that really sticks to your ribs.

8. Clifford T. Ward, “Wherewithal” (1973 - Home Thoughts)

The British landscape is littered with singer/songwriters whose careers at home never translated across the pond to the U.S., and Clifford T. Ward certainly falls into that category. In fact, he really never set the world on fire at home, either, but he’s a cult hero for fans of folk-pop, and this is among the catchiest ditties he ever recorded.

9. Tom Waits, “Martha” (1973 - Closing Time)

For many, many years, I was convinced that I would never, ever be a Tom Waits fan, and I could not for the life of me understand why anyone would be. Finally, however, I decided to go all the way back to the beginning and listen to his debut album, at which point I got a glimpse into why there’s been all this passion for his work. I don’t know that I’ll ever get to the point where I’m threatening to get into a smackdown over someone not appreciating the merits of, say, Bone Machine, but I will happily defend this album—and in particular, this song—with great enthusiasm.

10. Smoking Popes, “Pure Imagination” (1997 - Destination Failure)

Obligatory cover time! If you didn’t immediately recognize the song from its title… Well, actually, it’s not like you really had a chance, since you were also smacked in the face with that video below, which clearly reveals that it’s the song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Smoking Popes rock it up just the right amount.

11. John Cale, “Paris 1919” (1973 - Paris 1919)

It was long after I’d picked up a copy of The Velvet Underground and Nico that I delved into the solo work of John Cale, and as I sit here and think about it, I think it may not have been until around the time that he and Lou Reed released the Songs of Drella album that it even occurred to me to investigate his back catalog. Many people say that this LP is the best thing that he’s ever released as a solo artist, and while I don’t mean to give the remainder of his discography short shrift, I have to say that I kind of agree. But if you want, you can blame it on the fact that it was the first thing of his that I ever owned.

12. Ben Folds, “Time” (2005 - Songs for Silverman)

I’ve been a Ben Folds fan since the release of Ben Folds Five’s self-titled debut album, but even though I picked this up instinctually the moment it hit stores, it took me a little while to really delve into it because it came out while my wife was pregnant with our daughter, and let’s just say that my focus was a bit scattered at the time. Funnily enough, what drew me specifically to this track—and, in turn, led me to really sit down and listen to the album as a whole—was the realization that it featured backing vocals from none other than “Weird Al” Yankovic. The two musicians had become friends and guested on each other’s albums, and although I’m not including it in the Spotify playlist, I’m posting Ben’s contribution to Al’s Poodle Hat album below. Trust me: you can absolutely hear Ben on “Why Does This Always Happen To Me?”

13. Love Spit Love, “Fall on Tears” (1997 - Trysome Eatone)

I’ve been a Psychedelic Furs fan since… I mean, it almost feels predictable to say “since Pretty in Pink,” but it’s probably true. That movie was responsible for introducing a lot of American teens to the band, and as a result of finding them on the radar of more potential listeners and record buyers, it led to better sales and chart placements for subsequent singles like “Heartbreak Beat.” In the mid-1990s, however, frontman Richard Butler stepped away from the Furs and started a new band called Love Spit Love, releasing two albums in this guise. While it’s inarguable that they found their longest-lingering success with their cover of the Smiths’ “How Soon Is Now?” for the soundtrack of The Craft, they also released a few great singles of their own, including this one. In closing, I’ll just note that the video below is actually a live acoustic performance of the song, and while I can’t swear to it, I really think that this was recorded at a show that I actually attended. Or maybe I’m just misremembering what Mitty’s in Newport News looked like. Either way, it’s still a great version and a great way to close things out.