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You are here: Home / Music / Late night song of the week

Late night song of the week

by DougJ|  September 17, 201112:00 am| 34 Comments

This post is in: Music, Readership Capture

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Ray Charles, “Mess Around” (1953)
Crazy week here, hard drive meltdowns, computer to the indifferent shop, and offline for two long days. I realized, for better or worse, that online is basically where I live nowadays so I really felt lost there for awhile. But I can always put on something from The Birth of Soul and feel something like I have approximated coming home again. Maybe it’s like that for you too? Don’t miss the iconic moment here when Ray Charles drives the wedge of silence between the words “pit” and “barbecue” in the first line, and somehow launches the whole thing to high levels of excitement.

One more: “It Should’ve Been Me”
More stuff at Can’t Explain.

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Reader Interactions

34Comments

  1. 1.

    Omnes Omnibus

    September 17, 2011 at 12:09 am

    We got onto music in the last thread. I just discovered Anna Calvi today. She’s not Ray, but who is?

  2. 2.

    Omnes Omnibus

    September 17, 2011 at 12:20 am

    @efgoldman: If it isn’t, it is because it temporarily slipped someone’s mind.

  3. 3.

    The Dangerman

    September 17, 2011 at 12:22 am

    1953? OK, into the way back machines, laddies.

  4. 4.

    General Stuck

    September 17, 2011 at 12:23 am

    I miss Ray Charles, some folks should never have to leave us.

    B good Tanyas- The Lakes of Pontchartrain

  5. 5.

    Omnes Omnibus

    September 17, 2011 at 12:30 am

    @efgoldman: Christ, I am the young guy on this thread? Dig the Calvi. She’s something real.

  6. 6.

    The Dangerman

    September 17, 2011 at 12:35 am

    @efgoldman:

    I saw both Elvis’ and the Beatles’ Ed Sullivan Show premieres.

    I can vaguely recall “All You Need Is Love” on Sullivan; now, I look at the clips and see Jagger wiped out in the audience and I don’t think I even know who Jagger was…

    …and I was far from clear in my Tull; I was heading back to Year 1. The way, WAY back machine (but I love Tull and most all progressive music; give me Floyd, Tull, and Genesis (with some derivatives, meaning, solo Gabriel) and I’m a happy deserted castaway).

  7. 7.

    Gravenstone

    September 17, 2011 at 12:35 am

    Likely to get lost in the rest of things here, but I need to mention my newest addiction, Black Country Communion.

    Song of Yesterday

  8. 8.

    burnspbesq

    September 17, 2011 at 1:04 am

    New Jayhawks album, the first since 1995 with both Olson and Louris Involved, out next Tuesday. New Wilco the following Tuesday.

    Just ordered Sonny Rollins’ “Road Shows, Vol. 2”. It includes most of the historic 80th birthday concert, the first time Sonny and Ornette ever performed together. Can’t wait to hear it.

  9. 9.

    AA+ Bonds

    September 17, 2011 at 1:16 am

    Keep it classy, never change

  10. 10.

    Suffern ACE

    September 17, 2011 at 1:22 am

    @AA+ Bonds: LOL. So what was he doing there?

  11. 11.

    AA+ Bonds

    September 17, 2011 at 1:23 am

    lol

  12. 12.

    burnspbesq

    September 17, 2011 at 1:24 am

    Blackburn – Arsenal is the early match on espn2 tomorrow. Not worth getting up at 4:30. Chelsea – ManU on Sunday. That could be good.

    Australia – Ireland kicks off in about three hours. The lack of US teevee coverage of the RWC is unfortunate.

  13. 13.

    Martin

    September 17, 2011 at 1:28 am

    @burnspbesq:

    Not worth getting up at 4:30

    Dude, TiVo.

  14. 14.

    Jewish Steel

    September 17, 2011 at 1:46 am

    Looking through some amazon recommendations led me to a chap named Ioannis Anastassakis. He has a tremolo technique book. I could use some work on my tremolo for sure. It “gallops ” and I don’t really have that much control over it.

    Let’s see what this cat’s got up on youtube.

    Oh, dear.

  15. 15.

    CT Voter

    September 17, 2011 at 1:49 am

    LOVE this song. I have it on tape. Yes. Tape. Recorded from an actual vinyl album. And I have a car with a tape deck. So last century.

    And when I play this song, suddenly I find myself doing 80 on I-84. And singing along.

  16. 16.

    Yutsano

    September 17, 2011 at 1:52 am

    Can’t do too much night shifting this eve. They’re shutting off the power in my building and my laptop battery sucks. But I’ll do what I can.

  17. 17.

    Omnes Omnibus

    September 17, 2011 at 1:53 am

    @Jewish Steel: Not a fan… Quite talented but….

  18. 18.

    CT Voter

    September 17, 2011 at 1:54 am

    Can’t resist. Part of the same 20th century tape playing in my 20th century tape deck in my car: youtube.com/watch?v=Mrd14PxaUco

  19. 19.

    Jewish Steel

    September 17, 2011 at 2:01 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: The perils of virtuosity, Omnes. Just because you can play so many BPMs…

    Lucky for us mortals our feet are anchored firmly to the ground.

  20. 20.

    Mino

    September 17, 2011 at 2:02 am

    @efgoldman: First 45, Elvis Love Me Tender

    I missed Elvis, but saw the Beatles and the Stones. I think that qualifies as old fart.

  21. 21.

    AA+ Bonds

    September 17, 2011 at 2:02 am

    errybody buy this hat

  22. 22.

    Omnes Omnibus

    September 17, 2011 at 2:03 am

    @Jewish Steel: One of the things I have always liked about Mark Knopfler is that he does not push the notes/minute barrier.

  23. 23.

    Yutsano

    September 17, 2011 at 2:09 am

    All the lights on my street are off. Creepy.

  24. 24.

    Suffern ACE

    September 17, 2011 at 2:14 am

    @Yutsano: And no one is streaking yet?

  25. 25.

    Omnes Omnibus

    September 17, 2011 at 2:15 am

    @Yutsano: Watch out for zombies.

  26. 26.

    Jewish Steel

    September 17, 2011 at 2:20 am

    @Omnes: Right. David Gilmour, George Harrison were hardly speed demons. EVHalen was real monster, but I always wanted to hear 7 perfectly placed, artfully articulated notes from him. That’s the real challenge, I think.

  27. 27.

    Omnes Omnibus

    September 17, 2011 at 2:31 am

    @Jewish Steel: Exactly.

  28. 28.

    AA+ Bonds

    September 17, 2011 at 2:33 am

    Rep union shit everywhere, buy surplus Teamsters convention hats and wear them around, the season is starting, put on your colors.

    Point out to whiners that all that shit is guaran-goddamn-teed Made in America.

    The Democrats need to get out front on the labor issue now, because otherwise it will be the point of attack for Fox during the general.

  29. 29.

    AA+ Bonds

    September 17, 2011 at 2:41 am

    You think I’m lying? I told you, read Fox News everyday.

    This party line was rolled out on the Wall Street Journal Editorial Report on September 3rd. Expect to see this wedge driven hard.

  30. 30.

    burnspbesq

    September 17, 2011 at 4:40 am

    @Jewish Steel:

    “but I always wanted to hear 7 perfectly placed, artfully articulated notes”

    Robbie Robertson is your man.

  31. 31.

    burnspbesq

    September 17, 2011 at 4:43 am

    @Martin:

    “Dude, TiVo.”

    That is so three weeks ago. Replay on demand on iPad, courtesy of the Watch ESPN app.

  32. 32.

    burnspbesq

    September 17, 2011 at 7:01 am

    Upset city!

    Ireland 15, Australia 6.

  33. 33.

    tomvox1

    September 17, 2011 at 11:34 am

    Maybe I am a bit heretical but for good or ill this awesome Ray Charles song is also inextricably linked in my mind to the late, great John Candy in Planes, Trains & Automobiles:

    youtube.com/watch?v=EmpMqa89wx8

    And the sequence after the song ends might be one of the funniest in American film comedy… :D

  34. 34.

    Scott Supak

    September 17, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    OK, to trot out one of my backstage stories, which I hardly ever tell anymore, I was working as a prop man on the Joan Rivers show when Ray Charles was a guest. Being young (I later learned that we stagehands really shouldn’t ask for autographs) and a huge fan, I asked for Ray’s autograph, and his people shuffled him off, but one of his body guards stopped and told me that he didn’t sign autographs, but that I shouldn’t feel bad, because even President Reagan asked him for one.

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