Random Sample

Welcome back to the random sample culled from my record collection. This week I wanted to do all vinyl, but one of the selections wouldn’t cooperate (i.e., the track kept skipping no matter how many adjustments I made), so it’s a straight mp3 without the vinyl scratches. Sorry if you like that old timey feel of pops, scratches and more pops.

Sade “Killer Blow” (Download) As I was hunting for LPs in the so-called “vault,” I happened across this soundtrack from a film that, truth be told, I don’t think I’ve ever seen. I had a friend who was working at Tower Records back in the day and she was able to sell me the record at the employee rate, but I probably played it all of 10 times and just kind of threw it to the back of my collection. Fast forward to 2008, and as I’m looking at the track listing, I notice that the LP contains a song by Sade that’s not easy to find. It’s not the greatest of songs, but it’s kind of full on jazzy (which is where Sade seems like she would fit best). I can only presume that she had a role in the film (probably performing this song), so just for kicks I included a photo from the back cover of the LP. Now you can see what Sade would look like with short hair:

Wow! Was she trying to audition for David Lynch in case he made Blue Velvet II?

Tom Waits “Jockey Full of Bourbon” (Download)The first time I heard this song was during the opening credits for Down By Law — the decent, but not great, film from 80s indie film wunderkind, Jim Jarmusch. I went out and bought the LP after seeing the film and it’s been a favorite since.

David Byrne “Eggs in a Briar Patch/Poison (Download) An impulse buy because I was going through a Talking Heads obsession and was buying anything they were selling in the early to mid 80s. It took a few listens before I was able to get into this album, but after listening to these tracks again, I was struck by how contemporary it sounds. This was recorded in 1981 and even though there’s a lot of strange synth on the second track (“Poison”), I think the use of acoustic drums and back up singers works to give the song a more timeless quality. Oh, and by the way, this is the straight mp3. This record kept skipping and I wasn’t able adjust the needle enough to stop the skipping.