My favorite musical finds on the big wide internet this week start with Keely Smith singing the Lennon & McCartney songbook. Instead of being just another Fab Four knock-off for a confused older generation, this is a truly great album of reinterpretations that turn the Beatles' songs into the classic lounge hits they always wanted to be. Way better than when McCartney tried a similar reinvention.
mp3s: Do You Want to Know a Secret | And I Love Him | A Hard Day's Night
Get the whole album at Record Robot.
Lotti Golden's 1969 album Motor-Cycle is a psychedelic soul trip produced by Bob Crewe. Not yet on CD, it is certainly a crate digging masterpiece. My favorite track is "A Lot Like Lucifer", a sprawling epic that starts out soulful, turns ragtime, leads into a stomper, throws in some fuzz guitar, goes for the Memphis sound, and then tosses in the kitchen sink. Come to think of it, pretty much every song on this album is like that.
mp3s: Motor Cycle Michael | A Lot Like Lucifer
Get the whole album at Play It Again Max.
Now that the crappy new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is coming out, why not re-live their crappy 1990 concert tour via a Pizza Hut promo cassette. While you're at it 
don't forget to nab the soundtracks to the previous two crappy films (TMNT, TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze). And just to get you in the mood, here's the truly surreal, painful, and - dare I say - crappy "Ninja Rap" by Vanilla Ice (mp3). "Go Ninja, go ninja...rap!"
And speaking of "rap", I guarantee you won't be able to stop watching Oliver Laric's alphabetical remix of Grandmaster Flash's "The Message".
More mp3 and music video finds after the jump.
Remember the Guardian Angels? Remember their funk anthem???
Rockabilly madman Ray Campi is on the New Jersey Turnpike.
Moe Tucker meets the Sun City Girls: the whole album by Paris 1942.
In case Giorgio Moroder isn't cheesy enough for you, there's always Gino Soccio.
Controversial German punk from KFC. No, not the Colonel, but the Kriminalitats-Forderungs-Club ("Criminality Encouragement Club").
Just when I'm about to give up on Jefito blog for inundating me with the likes of Mark Isham, Kenny Loggins, cassingles from Breathe, and daily Van Morrison posts (Dear God, make it end!), there comes this balls-out tribute to Slayer.
Hopefully, this is part of the next Daniel Craig Bond film: Bjork covers "You Only Live Twice".
Seriously, an album by 80s dance-cheese band the Re-Flex selling for $400? Someone is taking crazy pills.
Esquivel goes Mono.
Cold Crush Brothers vs Fantastic Romantic 5 live MC battle from 1981.
Two full albums of nothing but the Peter Gunn theme.
Oh, baby, did I used to be in love with The Pandoras: It's About Time, Stop Pretending.
The Unusual Classical Synthesizer.
And now for some videos:
George W. Bush sings John Lennon's "Imagine".
If there were still justice in this world, specials like The Smokey Robinson Show would still be on TV.
Check out Thomas Truax's homemade instrument, the Hornicator. He is proud, and yet seems to disavow this early recording.
Amy Winehouse butchers "Beat It", as Charlotte Church stares daggers. Is she drunk or does she just not give a fuck? Either way, it makes for great TV.
Suspiria fan video, set to Goblin's gorgeous and creepy soundtrack, of course.
Wham!, "Young Guns (Go For It)". Faaaaabulous!
U.T.F.O. rock the Homecoming Dance with "Beats and Rhymes".
And finally, I've had a massive session of playing catch-up this week over at Mr. Dante Fontana's Visual Guidance LTD, the premiere music video blog. Here's what I found:
Wire, "Heartbeat" - amazing live version.
Bowie, "Space Oddity" - amazing hair-do, and live version.
Kraftwerk, "The Model" - amazing German audience.
Bitch, "Be My Slave". 'Nuff said.
All eight parts of The Carpenters' bizarre 1978 TV special "Space Encounters" - featuring Suzanne Somers, Charlie Callas and John Davidson.
And let's not forget Swede Week! Start with Little Gerhard's "Rockin' Ghosts" for your 50s rock mojo, move into Britt Dahlen's "Love Me Forever" for 80s cheese, try on "Det Borjar Verka Karlek, Banne Mej" for a bit of Eurovision action, then chill out with Pluxus' "Caravelle" (my favorite).
My favorite musical finds on the big wide internet this week start with Keely Smith singing the Lennon & McCartney songbook. Instead of being just another Fab Four knock-off for a confused older generation, this is a truly great album of reinterpretations that turn the Beatles' songs into the classic lounge hits they always wanted to be. Way better than when McCartney tried a similar reinvention.
Lotti Golden's 1969 album Motor-Cycle is a psychedelic soul trip produced by Bob Crewe. Not yet on CD, it is certainly a crate digging masterpiece. My favorite track is "A Lot Like Lucifer", a sprawling epic that starts out soulful, turns ragtime, leads into a stomper, throws in some fuzz guitar, goes for the Memphis sound, and then tosses in the kitchen sink. Come to think of it, pretty much every song on this album is like that. 
don't forget to nab the soundtracks to the previous two crappy films (TMNT, TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze). And just to get you in the mood, here's the truly surreal, painful, and - dare I say - crappy "Ninja Rap" by Vanilla Ice (mp3). "Go Ninja, go ninja...rap!"
I feel your love and I'm glad I am in a position of spreading some audio visual gems from my part of the world.
"Premiere" ... Bah! :O
/Z aka mrdantefontana
Posted by: Sebastian | March 21, 2007 at 06:21 PM
Ugh, I have that Ninja Turtles concert tape, you would buy it directly at Pizza Hut. I even went to the concert! (Cut me some slack, I was five)
Posted by: Eric | March 24, 2007 at 12:45 AM
Any chance you can post the entire Keely album? The download link at Record Robot no longer works. Thanks so much.
Posted by: Steven Vitale | August 23, 2007 at 10:55 AM
Could you please post that Keely album as someone else requested? I had the same problem with the Record Robot link. Thanks!
Posted by: Marie | September 29, 2007 at 08:34 AM