“Fat Albert” Theme Song
by Dig (originally by Fat Albert)
from the album Saturday Morning Cartoons’ Greatest Hits
1995
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Dig had an alterna hit of some kind in the 90s but hell if I can remember what it was. And I pretty much only watched Fat Albert when I stumbled across it. So you wouldn’t think there would be much to draw me towards this cover by a mediocre band of a mediocre cartoon theme song but there’s something about this track that just kind rocks.
“Summerland”
by Everclear
from the album Sparkle and Fade
1995
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I’m not sure how I feel about Lance’s theme for the month, but that’s mostly because it’s been cold and miserable here the past few days, which made it feel like the awful winter is truly never going to leave. Hopefully throughout this month I can get into the right summer song mindset. Regardless, onward.
“Summertime Rolls”
by Jane’s Addiction
from the album Nothing’s Shocking
1988 Warner Bros.
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Chris gave me the honor of picking this month’s theme on MNP and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. I’m in NYC on business, I’m way behind on work for my second job, I missed a good party in Austin this week and my shoes are still soaked from a freakish monsoon that hit NYC yesterday. But this morning the clouds parted and Manhattan was just gorgeous, bathed in sunlight and warm. I was mulling over the theme when I had lunch with an old friend who always reminds me of Jane’s addiction. “Summertime Rolls” came to mind and in my mind that’s a perfect summer song.
“Turn My Way”
by New Order w/ Billy Corgan
from Get Ready
2001
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The final entry in #AprilDuets (though I certainly have more I could post) comes from New Order. This was a bit of a comeback album after they hadn’t released anything in 8 years, and though I never gave it enough of a proper listen, this song pretty immediately jumped out.
Ten by Pearl Jam
1991 Epic Records
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In my mind, a perfect album is one you can start playing at track one and go all the way to the end without wanting to hit skip. That’s no small feat in my book. Ever since random access became possible with CDs, I developed a serious case of music ADD. I’ll start a song I like, get to the chorus and want to skip ahead to hear another chorus. Back in the day of vinyl and cassette you pretty much had to let an album or at the very least a side play through to completion. For me, Ten is the prime example of a perfect album. You can set and forget it. Bonus points because it sounds even better cruising down the highway with the windows rolled down.
“Time After Time”
by Cyndi Lauper w/ Sarah McLachlan
from The Body Acoustic
2005
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Cyndi Lauper, or at least my appreciation of her, is in the fine wine/better with age category for me. I didn’t have MTV growing up, but this song is one of the songs I associate with the times I got to watch it at a relative’s, and it was always my favorite of her hits.
“Oh Sherrie”
by Steve Perry
from the album Street Talk
1984
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This was inspired by Lance’s selection for the day, in that it also falls firmly in the category of “I randomly heard or thought of this song one day and remembered how awesome it is and holy crap I can totally hear myself singing this and I’m going to bust this out at karaoke next time!”
“Your Love”
by The Outfield
from the album Play Deep
1985 Sony
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I tried to sing this song a couple of times at karaoke and completely botched it. The song has such a high register, even for me. I had given up all hope until I heard a buddy sing it a couple of octaves lower. It took on a completely different vibe – almost sinister. I’m still trying to master it, but it’s so fun giving it a shot.
“Hello Goodbye”
by Suzanna Choffel & Alejandro Escovedo
from the album All ATX (Volume 1)
2013
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I guess I’m not big on duets, or I just can’t remember any that stand out in an obvious way. I dig on harmonies, but does that count as duets (e.g. most Alice In Chains songs from the Dirt era)? However, this track has been making the rounds in my playlist lately. It’s a modern track (gasp!). Continue reading April Duets: “Hello Goodbye”
“Judy Staring at the Sun”
by Catherine Wheel w/ Tanya Donelly
from Happy Days
1995
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Lance posted a Catherine Wheel song, and it made me realize that though we know much (far, far too much) about each other, there are still things to be learned. Like the fact that we’re both big Catherine Wheel fans, which has never once come up in conversation.