Ok, by popular demand, here's what I really inflicted on you folks.
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Song List and Notes for Music to Strip By: A double-tape collection inspired by the elements of Stripcreator. In Tape 1, each song is connected to an individual character; in Tape 2, each one to a different background. Selecting the music was not trivial -- many SC elements could be tied to several songs I had access to, and many songs could be tied to several characters or backgrounds. Well, I tried to make an interesting collection, with some things you won't find familiar. I have rock, jazz, country and folk represented, as well as six decades (the 50s to the 00s). All running times approximate. Hope you enjoy!
Tape 1: Characters
[list=1][*]Asian Girl -- Beatles: Ballad of John and Yoko. 2:47
Shortly after the title couple met and fell in love, John Lennon wrote this autobiographical ditty. As far as Asian Girls go, Yoko Ono is most often described by the words "sucky-sucky."
[*]Cowboy -- Steve Miller Band: Space Cowboy. 4:45
This song explains the "space cowboy" and "gangster of love" stuff, but still leaves us dreadfully in the dark regarding Maurice and the pompatii.
[*]Feetforears -- Percy Sledge When a Man Loves a Woman. 2:47
Yes, I know. The first of several songs that make no sense without an SC inside joke. But the fact is, thanks to fuck, a bunch of us will never hear again in the same way this piece that inspired his work.
[*]Clown -- Everly Brothers: Cathy's Clown. 2:29
Topped the pop charts back in 1960. I got to see them live last year, and they haven't aged very well.
[*]Little Girl -- The Who: Sally Simpson. 5:13
from the Soundtrack of the movie Tommy
One of the lesser-known Tommy songs for sure; I find it to be a catchy tune, and prefer the movie version to the original.
[*]Dog ... -- The Singing Dogs: Jingle Bells. 1:40
A Christmas classic. It's a wonder no one's yet set up a site online where you can string together dogs barking different notes to create music. As you hear, this technology's been around 45 years.
[*]... on a Ball -- Weird Al Yankovic: The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota. 6:31
A tribute to the cheesy side of American Family travel. In a case of the tail wagging the dog, shortly after tourism to the site increased thanks to this song, they moved the Ball to a pagoda in the center of town. And started making souvenirs as described in the song. Also, all of the other attractions mentioned in the song really exist.
[*]Kid -- Blues Brothers: Messing with the Kid. 2:51
From their first album, back when Saturday Night Live was funny.
[*]Jesus -- Grateful Dead: And We Bid You Goodnight. 3:26
Harpur College, Binghamton, NY, May 2, 1970
Closing out the threereasons set with an adaptation of a traditional Ukranian lullaby. In my opinion, the concert this one's from was as a whole incredible, and this is how they brought the crowd back to earth.
[*]Clango -- Beatles: Maxwell's Silver Hammer. 3:39
Abbey Road Outtake version
Clango clango goes the hammer ... If you're familiar with the Abbey Road version of this song, you can probably hear the difference in the arrangement.
[*]Pants -- Guess Who: These Eyes. 3:34
Though I don't think they were singing about nine of them. Probably, along with "American Woman," the best known song from this band.
[*]Stickman -- Trini Lopez: If I Had a Hammer. 2:53
... I'd drive a nail right into my forehead.
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[*]Hooker -- Tom Waits: Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis. 1:37
Seattle, WA, October 7, 1978
They don't make song titles like this any more. Ho ho ho!
[*]Diablo --> Cthulhu -- Little Feat: Dixie Chicken --> Tripe Face Boogie. 18:09
with Bonnie Raitt and J.D. Sothern, Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA, May 23, 1975
Admit it -- you didn't think there were songs out there about Cthulhu, but who else could "tripe face" describe?
[*]Bird -- Al Biles Virtual Quintet: Lady Bird. 5:47
Why "virtual"? Because Al Biles (on trumpet), a professor at the University of Rochester, is the only human musician. The rest of the music is generated by computers trained to jam through genetic algorithms.
[*]Captain -- Elvis Costello: Ship of Fools. 5:09
Elvis Costello and Jerry Garcia comprised a two-man mutual admiration society. Here the former does one of the latter's songs.
[*]Geek -- Weird Al Yankovic: It's All About the Pentiums. 3:31
What can you say about a song that rhymes "AOLer" with "Helen Keller"?
[*]Rocker -- Bob Dylan: Like a Rolling Stone. 5:56
Everybody sing along: Warnce ippoawn a tahm noo drissed so fahn. Yoo trew tuh booms a dahm een noor prahm... Needent Noo?
[*]Kaufman -- John DuRant: The Cat Came Back. 3:31
This singer performs in costume at local Ren Fairs and the like, and also can do a full Irish pub repertoire. This is from an album of his "kids' songs".[/list]
Tape 2: Backgrounds
[list=1][*]Diesel -- The Folksmen: Blood on the Coal. 2:59
From the Soundtrack of A Mighty Wind
So many good truck and train songs to choose from, but this one is so comical and obscure, I had to go with it, even if it meant taking some liberties (the train runs on coal, not diesel).
[*]Wall -- Pink Floyd: Hey You. 4:40
This song is perhaps overshadowed by some of the other songs from The Wall. Be thankful I couldn't find the wife's Luther Wright version of this song -- then you'd have gotten it in C&W glory.
[*]Apocalypse -- Grateful Dead: Morning Dew. 10:21
Ventura (CA) Fairgrounds, July 22, 1984
Remake of a folk song portraying a parent-child conversation from a shelter after a nuclear holocaust.
[*]Graveyard -- Crosby Stills and Nash: Cathedral. 5:03
I find this one haunting and pretty. This was from their 1977 or so "reunion" album, after they'd spent some time on solo projects.
[*]Prison 1 -- Johnny Cash: Folsom Prison Blues. 2:35
"I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die."
[*]Spaceship -- William Shatner: Rocket Man. 4:10
Recorded live, 1978
"On second thought, Captain, I think I prefer the agony booth."
[*]Moonscape -- The Marcels: Blue Moon 2:10
Bom-bom-bom-bom, Bom-bom-bom-bom, Bom-bom-bom-bom, Danga-a-dang-dang, Dinga-dong-ding ... Maybe I should have filed this under "bombs". This standard must have been recorded hundreds of times, but this one stands out.
[*]Hell -- Flash and the Pan: Hey St. Peter. 4:18
Probably the biggest hit of this early 80s group who lived up to their name.
[*]Field -- Bruce Hornsby: Fields of Gray. 5:50
The Paramount, Springfield, MA, November 24, 1993
A typical show-closer on the '93 tour, as Bruce was moving to a jazzier sound.
[*]Police -- The Clash: Police on My Back. 3:15
"I've been punning Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, ..."
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[*]Bombs -- Country Joe and the Fish: The Fish Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin-To-Die-Rag. 3:33
At Woodstock, they didn't spell "fish" at the beginning.
[*]Clouds -- Traffic: Rainmaker. 7:04
I have no clever comment to make here, so I'll just do my impression of a mime trapped in a glass box ...
[*]Planet -- Frank Zappa: Cozmic Debris. 4:28
Blossom Music Theater, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, August 12, 1984
By the way, this is one of Mr. Zappa's more mainstream songs.
[*]Rocks -- Grateful Dead: Throwing Stones. 9:24
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA, July 8, 1990
That rarest of birds: An 80s protest song.
[*]Motion Blur -- Jefferson Airplane: 3/5 of a Mile in Ten Seconds. 3:38
For those of you too lazy to do the math, that comes out to 216 mph, 96.56 meters per second, and 580,608 furlongs per fortnight.
[*]Bedroom -- Linda Ronstadt: We Will Rock You. 1:27
Ms. Ronstadt did a whole album of similar adaptations for her baby. Things like "Be My Baby" and "Dedicated to the One I Love." And this one. You probably never thought this Queen anthem would be remade as a lullaby.
[*]Prison 2 -- Big Brother and the Holding Company: Ball and Chain. 8:48
Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco, CA, July 12, 1967
Janis had a couple great lungs. I love the way she screams her heart out in this version.
[*]Green -- Booker T. and the MGs: Green Onions. 5:05
From the Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH, 1995
Lively rendition of an instrumental standard to close out the song list. But wait, there's more ...
[*]"Hidden" Outro -- Joe Loss & His Orchestra: The Stripper. 2:11
From the Soundtrack of The Full Monty[/list]
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