VIRTUAL MIX TAPE: "13 Wonderful Will Songs, Vol. 11"
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. R.E.M., “Bandwagon” (1987 - Dead Letter Office)
I can’t remember who introduced me to R.E.M. for the first time, but I’m pretty sure it was someone in my high school journalism class. What I know for certain, however, was that it came courtesy of this person playing Lifes Rich Pageant in their car, and I dug it enough that I went straight to Mother’s Records and Tapes at Greenbrier Mall and picked up a copy of what was then their latest release, Dead Letter Office. I didn’t know that it was arguably a really terrible way to discover the band—it was a collection of B-sides and rarities—but leave it to me to be completely charmed by what I heard, particularly this track, which turned out to be an outtake from Fables of the Reconstruction. In the liner notes, Peter Buck wrote, “This song was originally called 'the fruity song' because of all the stupid chord changes. Still one of the funniest songs we've written.” Agreed. And I still love it.
2. Hoodoo Gurus, “Good Times” (1987 - Blow Your Cool)
I saw these Australian rockers play the Boathouse in Norfolk, Virginia on this tour, which is probably why this remains my favorite of their albums…although it’s perpetually on the cusp of shifting to another one, just because I love their work so much. This is one of the poppiest song in their catalog, thanks in no small part to the great backing vocals provided by the Bangles, who can also be spotted in the video.
3. Acid House Kings, “(I’m In) A Chorus Line” (2011 - Music Sounds Better With You)
I suppose I’ve technically been a sucker for Swedish pop since the first time I heard an ABBA song, but it wasn’tuntil the mid-1990s that I really began to understand just how many amazing pop groups were coming out of Sweden. I’d heard about how good this group was supposed to be for awhile before I finally got around to checking them out, and this was the song that sealed the deal in terms of my becoming a fan.
4. Silver Sun, “Mustard” (1998 - Neo Wave)
I remember reading about how great the self-titled album by this British band was, only to be majorly bummed upon discovering that it wasn’t getting a release on this side of the pond. As such, I didn’t end up picking up a copy until several years after its release, and the same went for this album, too, which I picked up when my wife and I were on our honeymoon in the UK in 2001. The keyboards on this track are what won my heart. Perhaps they’ll have the same effect on you, too.
5. The Damned, “Grimly Fiendish” (1985 - Phantasmagoria)
As with so many of the bands that emerged from the UK in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, I didn’t know anything by the Damned until they’d already released a best-of collection. In this case, the collection in question was the two-disc set The Light at the End of the Tunnel, a sprawling affair which took me from their punk beginnings to the pomp of “Eloise.” I’ve always loved this goofy number, which showed that the band had a sense of humor…and I thought that even before I saw the video!
6. This Picture, “Naked Rain” (1991 - A Violent Impression)
If I’m to be honest, I didn’t love This Picture’s debut album in its entirety, but between the swirling strings and the dramatic vocals, I loved this single from the first time I saw the video on MTV and still do.
7. Matthew Sweet, “Devil with the Green Eyes” (1993 - Altered Beast)
I know that Matthew Sweet was around for a few albums before he broke big with Girlfriend, but that’s the LP where I first became a fan, doubtlessly because I was working at Tracks at the time and listened to the albums more times that I could count. As such, I was excited to hear what his next album was going to sound like, and…I didn’t entirely love it on first listen, but it’s certainly grown on me over the years. This track, however, was my favorite from the very beginning.
8. The Bats, “Dancing As the Boat Goes Down” (1991 - Fear of God)
These New Zealanders are another one of those bands that I was fortunate enough to see at the Boathouse in Norfolk, although I can’t remember who they opened for. I think it might’ve been Belly…and having checked, I can now confirm that I was correct! I don’t know what it says about me that I remembered that bit about the show but forgot that the other band on the bill was Radiohead, but that was indeed the case. Go figure. Anyway, this is a classic jangle-pop number that featured on many a mix tape over the years, so it’s only appropriate that it’s found its way onto one of these virtual mix tapes, too.
9. SAS Band featuring Tony Hadley, “Hey Jealousy” (1997 - SAS Band)
Obligatory cover song! The first time I heard this cover, it was in a live performance, and I thought, “Holy shit, I never would’ve thought about pairing the lead singer of Spandau Ballet with a Gin Blossoms song, but this is fucking PERFECT!” See what you think, but most people tend to agree.
10. The Lilac Time, “American Eyes” (1989 - Paradise Circus)
I remember buying this British band’s self-titled debut CD at the Music Man, a record store in Military Circle in Norfolk that used to be my favorite mall record store in the Hampton Roads area. (I clarify that it was in a mall because my favorite non-mall record store was Electric Smiles in Virginia Beach.) You may remember that I featured a song by Stephen Duffy on an earlier volume, and if you do (or if you don’t), this is his band. This is a much more glossy pop production than the more pastoral work that preceded it, but I have no complaints.
11. Tears for Fears, “Call Me Mellow” (2004 - Everybody Loves a Happy Ending)
When Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith reunited as Tears for Fears after Orzabal had recorded a pair of TFF albums on his own, I was as giddy as a schoolgirl, but for whatever reason, the LP in question failed to take off. My personal belief is that it would’ve done much better if they’d released this as a single in America, but as far as I know, they never did, which is just a crying shame.
12. The Devlins, “Alone in the Dark” (1993 - Drift)
This is another one of those albums that I discovered while I was working at the record store, and although I love the LP as a whole, this is a song for the ages. In fact, I’ve described it as one of the most romantic / erotic songs I’ve ever heard, and you may feel free to disagree, but if you turn out the lights and let it wash over you, you may reassess your opinion.
13. Warren Zevon, “Keep Me in Your Heart” (2003 - The Wind)
There are only a few songs that I’ve heard over the years that made me think, “I’d like this played at my funeral.” The first one ever to hit me that way was “Heaven Laughs,” by the Hooters, but that one didn’t hit me nearly as hard as this one. Of course, that’s probably because it was written and sung by a man who knew he was dying even as he was recording it. Goddamn, I miss Warren Zevon…