I am totally digging on your mix! Totally digging.
—B.

It’s rad.
—Jane

NO YOU DIDN’T!
—jrunty

I must agree with track 14 “Kites are fun” because Kites are fun and that song is awesome I had to listen to it 3 times today. Not since Mary Poppins has there been such an enthusiastic song about kites.

KITES ARE FUNNNNNN!!

—C.

you’re a master at the mix tape.
—Jenny

We put on the disc, open the windows and get down.
—Drummerboy Greg

Here is a song that didn’t make the final cut of the Spring Mix:

• Howlin’ Wolf’s “Down In The Bottom”
  Chess 1793 (1961) reïssued on Chess LP 1469 Howlin’ Wolf AKA the Rocking Chair Album (1962) and subsequently slapped on a ceedee wrapped in an ugly package (MCA CHD-5908 1986) along with Chess LP 1434 Moanin’ In The Moonlight, comprising most all of Wolf’s essential 50s Chicago material. For the Memphis material (my favorite!), see Bear Family CD 15500.
  
  Seedy Chicago blues at its upbeat best, on the popular subject of jumping out the window to avoid a wrathful husband. Hubert Sumlin on the git tar.

the new paragraph I added to the Fuck Yeah Spring Mix writeup, below, about the last song.  Thanks. 

I had so much fun making a spring mixtape last year, I decided to do it again (and in a more timely manner this year).  Collected a bunch of songs that make me happy.  “Yay happy spring” as my friend Jane once said.  This time I had the bright idea to arrange the disk in sides.  That helped.  I call them sections since they arnt really sides.  (It’s all one long side.)  As always, available only on a shiny polycarbonate circle.  No playlist, no social media widget, no download.  If you give me your address, I’ll totally send you a copy.

FUCK YEAH SPRING MIX – O TEN
Rolled by M. Elias Hiebert
April O-ten
TRT: 73m59s

Section A – Starting up (25ʹ32ʺ)

1. Nina Simone’s “Here Comes The Sun”
   (Harrison)
   From Here Comes The Sun (RCA 1971)
   
   Bought this album on a cheap 2fer ceedee along with To Love Somebody (RCA 1971).  I like her late 60s/early 70s RCA albums.  They used some rockin bands, altho she didnt always seem to gel with them.  This arrangement may be a little overdramatic, but I like the nice quiet start it gives the mix.


2. Stereolab’s “Peng ! 33”
   (Tim Gane/Lætitia Sadier)
   From Peng (Too Pure 1992)
   
   Such a beautiful album.  Warming it up a little here…


3. Talking Heads’ “The Good Thing”
   (David Byrne)
   From More Songs About Buildings And Food (Sire 1978)
   
   …And a little more.


4. Mingus’ “Bird Calls”
   (Charles Mingus)
   From Ah Um (Columbia 1959)
   
   What a classic album.  The title of this tune pretty much tells you what to expect, and it is appropriate for obvious reasons.


5. Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks’ “Cheaters Don’t Win”
   (Hicks)
   From Last Train To Hicksville…The Home Of Happy Feet (MCA 1973)
   
   The Hot Licks sound a little birdcallish too.  I remember driving with Z., both of us maniacally singing along with the girls, “Watch out for cheaters don’t win, watch out for cheaters don’t win, watch out for cheaters don’t win, watch out for cheaters don’t win, watch out for cheaters don’t win, watch out for cheaters don’t win…givin you, givin you, givin you, givin you, givin you, givin you, givin you, givin you, givin you, givin you, givin you, givin you, givin you…”
   Over the frantic vocals, out of nowhere is this out-of-time Velvet Underground guitar riff, just for a couple measures.  This is truly one of the craziest songs I’ve ever heard.  (And I have heard literally dozens of songs.)


6. The Memphis Jug Band’s “Memphis Shakedown”
   Okeh 8960 (1934) reïssued on Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music, Volume Four (Revenant 2007)
   
   Wow that’s some impressive jug playing.


7. The Beatles “Don’t Pass Me By”
   (Starkey)
   From The White Album (Apple 1968)
   
   If you remember this record, you know it won’t sound weird following a jug band tune.
   Ringo’s bound to make you smile, right?


8. [5ʺ silence]

Section B – Kicking ass (17ʹ33ʺ)


9. The Apples in stereo’s “Tidal Wave”
   (Robert Schneider/Chris Parfitt)
   From Fun Trick Noisemaker (spinART 1993)
   
   Just a kick-ass pop rock sawng.  The single may have been the Apples’ very first release.


10. Yo La Tengo’s “Nothing To Hide”
    (Yo La Tengo)
    From Popular Songs (Matador 2009)
    
    This is my fuckin power-pop-fuzz-emo^* anthem of the year.  No matter how loud this song is I want to turn it up.  Harder not faster.


11. Weezer’s “The Good Life”
    (Rivers Cuomo)
    From Pinkerton (Geffen 1996)
    
    Shakin booty makin sweet love all the night.  It’s time I got back to the go-od life. 
    I definitly sing along with the guitar riff in this song.


12. EPMD’s “Strictly Business”
    (EPMD)
    From Strictly Business (Fresh 1988)
    
    This record has aged well.


13. The Kinks’ “You’re Lookin’ Fine”
    (Ray Davies)
    From Face To Face (Pye 1966)
    
    The train chugs to a halt, closing out the (fake) side.


14. [5ʺ silence]

Section C – Coasting (13ʹ38ʺ)


15. The Free Design’s “Kites Are Fun”
    (Chris Dedrick)
    From Kites Are Fun Project 3 Total Sound 1967, reïssued by Light In The Attic 2003
    
    Signature song by obscure folky 60s vocal groop that suddenly became hip in the Ohs.  They could sing.  In fact they could give the Hot Licks a run for their money.


16. Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians’ “So You Think You’re In Love”
    (Hitchcock)
    From Perspex Island (A&M 1991)
    
    This is as sugary as Robyn Hitchcock gets and probably his biggest charter.  JRunty and I have long had a soft spot for it.  I remember seeing him sing this song when it was new, on Letterman, behind a grand piano, tellin me what I am and what I probably ain’t.  Robyn, remind me—am I in love?  Am I high?  Probably?


17. Belle & Sebastian’s “Roy Walker”
    (Stevie Jackson)
    From Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Rough Trade 2003)
    
    Stevie’s magnum opus.  You give me fe-ver…*snap*…*snap*…*snap*…*snap*.  I like the ping-pong ball sound at the end.


18. Saint Etienne’s “Nothing Can Stop Us”
    (Bob Stanley)
    From Foxbase Alpha (Warners 1991)
    
    I can’t resist this song.  It has my number. The flute riff.  The way the melody rises up in the chorus.  Tension and release, that’s th name uv th game.  A muted trumpet doesnt hurt.  It’s a big, beautiful pile of electric schlock.


19. Mike Doughty’s “More Bacon Than The Pan Can Handle”
    (Doughty)
    From Golden Delicious (ATO 2008)
    
    Oh, M. and his sampler.  There’s a little give to it, mm, there’s a little give to it, mm, there’s a little.


20. [5ʺ silence]

Section D – Winding to a close (16ʹ15ʺ)


21. James Brown’s “The Popcorn”
    (Brown)
    King 6240 (1969), recently featured on Diddywah Daht Blahgspaht Daht Cahm.
    
    Slick instrumental complete with shrieks.


22. Ray Charles’ “Doodlin’”
    (Horace Silver)
    Atlantic 5005 (1960) reïssued on The Best Of Ray Charles (Atlantic 1970)
    
    Really mellowing down now.  If this doesnt make y’ smile, I just don’t kno what to tell y’.
    The Best Of Ray Charles is a cool little compilation of instrumental records from here and there.  Get a copy and keep it in the car.


23. Jack Logan & Bob Kimbell’s “Marchin’ With The Saints”
    (Logan/Kimbell)
    From Little Private Angel (Parasol 1998)
    
    Well my grandfather’s fune’ral was in New Orleans, was a big brass band like you never seen, the people dressed up like clowns and snakes, the funeral procession was a big parade.
    I can’t praise Little Private Angel enuf.  The partnership of these two men was so perfect, and this album excels far above anything either of them did separately.


24. Louis Armstrong’s “Skokiaan” part 1 (instrumental)
    with Sy Oliver’s Orchestra
    (August Musarurwa/lyrics by Tom Glazier)
    Decca 29256 (1954) – Stoled from the internet
    
    From the fake New Orleans jazz of the previous cut to a real, classic N.O. jazz tune (tho it was recorded in New York with an NY band, at least a tune by a real (the realest), classic (the classic-est) N.O. jazz guy), whose subject is the novelty of an idealized Africa just as the subject of the previous tune was the novelty of an idealized New Orleans.  Boom. 
    This song came to mind becuz I heard a version of it on the first episode of Treme (which series itself promises to consider deeply the issue of fake vs real New Orleans music…actually, you know, the fetishization of the “real” is something I have kind of a problem with).  What a great melody. 


25. Part 2 (vocal)
    
    Happy happy Africa.  Ending on an up note. 


26. [44ʺ silence]