You can't go wrong with Nilsson, and retarded as in, 'delayed in progress' which isn't always a bad thing.

Oh yeah, we gots the Easybeats on vinyl filed right next to the Artwoods and The Master's Apprentice. Dig it. I'm going to purchase some Nilsson. (The world according to Ray. . .) Jonathan Richman is retarded? Electricity comes from other planets you know. Thanks

Points well taken. Elvis Costello screams ‘Whitman’ to me as well. In fact, The Crazy 8’s are the only other band that might have a stronger association with those days in my mind. It’s interesting that 8-tracks credit the song to Elvis, when he recorded it under the name ‘The Imposter’. Further pretension from the man who once famously called Ray Charles a ‘blind, ignorant nigger‘. I think the ‘Imposter’ label may have been his escape clause because the songs spine bares more than a little resemblance to something by Grand Master Flash and Melle Mel (hence the mix’s bookends, but more on that later).

Flash In The Pan were Australia’s finest in 1979. A studio project from what was left over after The Easybeats broke up (you might remember them from 1966’s ‘Friday on My Mind’ so faithfully covered by David Bowie) Harry Vanda and George Young also produced the first few albums for George‘s little brother‘s band, AC/DC. Musically it is easy to feel the jump from Elvis’ anti-Thatcher Grand Master Flash screed to Flash In The Pan, which is also the stem that took me to Nilsson.

The Point is still one of my favorite children’s albums, but I guess competing against The Wiggles and radio Disney that really isn’t that much of an achievement. “Jump Into The Fire” is, however. Nilsson usurped Clapton’s ‘Derek and The Dominos’ rhythm section for his backing band and kicked out the jams in his own Nilsson way. The song also makes me think of GOODFELLAS, which also brings me back to Whitman.

The Easybeats (which gave birth to Flash In Pan) were Australia’s answer to the Beatles. Nilsson was credited by Lennon as his favorite artist and my McCartney as his ‘favorite American group’ in 1968 and Harry was John’s drinking partner during the infamous ‘lost weekend’, so it only seem right to move on to the next Lennon and McCartney, Difford and Tilbrook.

I’ll put ‘Up The Junction’ up against ‘Hey Jude’ any day of the week, but I felt it was time to get happy. What can put a smile on your face quicker than ‘Cool For Cats’? Three and a half minutes of pure pop with a rare Difford cockney warble on lead vocals. Jools Holland’s keyboard style always brings me to the great Billy Payne.

It’s common for Little Feat to get lumped in with ‘Southern Rock’, but they are actually ‘Southern California Rock’ and veterans of that rarefied air that surrounded Frank Zappa and The Mother’s of Invention in the late 60’s and ‘Dixie Chicken’ is just a real nice groove to help your body fight off the sugary effects of Squeeze, and the spelling of Feat is Lowell George‘s tip of the hat to The Beatles.

Of course, the Monkees were always there before The Beatles and one of the first groups to recognize the brilliance of Nilsson’s song writing but I’ve always had a soft spot for their self-penned material rather than the journeyman work of others. Like Mike says, man, ‘just listen to the band‘.

Nick Lowe may be one of the great crimes of the pop world. Truly the Jesus of cool, he never got his due. From the failed super group Little Village to his day late and a dollar short pub rock of Brinsley Schwarz always just missed it by that much. He even failed at marrying his way into Country music’s royal family.

It all comes back around to that southern California rock of The Beat Farmers. Ah, the stories I could tell you about hanging with Country Dick Colorado back when I was working for Barry Fey just after Whitman. He truly was a Happy Boy, hubba hubba hubba hubba hubba.

Todd Snider should have been the last track on the mix. Simple and child-like without entering into that ‘is he mildly retarded?’ realm of Jonathan Richman, and great philosophy for finishing up, which of course, is why we must bookend with ugly truth of The Ghetto Boys. I had wanted to use their ‘Read My Nikes’ instead, but had to settle for this.

And there you have it. Enjoy.

First track: Elvis's voice always makes me think of Whitman, even if it is hoity toity soundtack posture or his current bluegrass. But still, this is an era that I don't listen to anymore because I am lazy. Kinda like the Talking Heads.

Second track: I like to listen and see if I am familiar with the songs and then make my observations. I was not familiar with this track and couldn't really put a date to it even. I thought of Jim Carrol Band and other sort of talky poet acts like Looper. I see it is Flash And the Pan. But the "collection" year is 94. I wonder when this really came out?

Track 3: I have been sooooooo curious about Harry Nilsson lately. MOJO wrote a fascinating article about him the past year and we own "The Point". I have never heard this and am curious why it dates 2007 here? I can't believe I am saying this, but I rather enjoyed the noodling that they faded out.

4) Hah! Talk about pushin' the state dependent learnin' button. Weren't Difford and Tillbrook the next Lennon and McCartney?

5) I have a total and prejudiced feeling towards southern rock like this Lynard Skynard shit. oh . . . wait . . . Little Feat? Does this mean I should listen to Kings of Leon now too?

6) If was trying to receive a Phd in Cultural Studies, I think I would write and essay that started with typewriters, moving to the invention of "white out", and then to the Monkees, and then to 8track mixes. I am finally coming to terms with how much Peter Tork and his mates influenced me.

7) This song was new to me but while I was painting I guessed "either Dave Edmonds or Nick Lowe". . . which is interesting, one would think that I would enjoy Nick Lowe. I keep trying. He is almost too pretty? Glib? No. . . no smokin' chops. Poor Nick, he should be a household name. But I never listen to him, and yet I "know" him.

8) "happy boy" weird that I didn't wax nostalgic for the beat farmers but for KCMU the University of Washington radio station that I remember played this often.

9) "Enjoy Yourself". . . a home hitter. Would have been a perfect end track, but no, you had to put a cap in it with

10) Die Mother Fuckers Die. Something that Public Enemy had, Ghetto Boys never transcended to me.