It's Time To Start Blogging Again.

All the music links to my blog are dead so maybe I'll start re-upping stuff. Or maybe I'll just start upping new and different stuff. Or maybe I'll wax poetic about bullshit. Or maybe I'll throw in a little Barack Obama here and there.

Something's going to happen.

Costello Nieve Disc 4: Boston

Let's keep it going ... this one includes an absolute must-have version of "The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes ...

The track list:

You Bowed Down
Distorted Angel
Red Shoes
The Long Honeymoon
Little Atoms
My Funny Valentine

Enjoy.

Costello/Nieve Disc 3: The Park West, Chicago

Part three of the Costello/Nieve five disc set has a cool, low key version of "All the Rage" from the underrated "Brutal Youth" album. You're going to like it, I guarantee it.

Full track list:

The Long Honeymoon
Starting To Come To Me
The Other End of the Telescope
All the Rage
Watching the Detectives

Enjoy.

Costello Nieve Disc 2: San Francisco

Here it is, for your added enjoyment. the tracklist is as follows:

Just About Glad
Why Can't A Man Stand Alone?
My Dark Life
All this Useless Beauty
Ship of Fools

Costello/Nieve Disc 1: The Troubadour LA

Quipitone presents a very special five CD set: The Costello Nieve live box set. For Costello fans, this thing is undoubtedly essential. A collection of great performances in smaller venues, this set is OOP and highly desirable, going on ebay for up to $250. Honestly I don't know why you'd ever sell it. I can understand, however, a desire to share it. So for my last five posts I will impart this great colelction to you all as a thanks for reading and sharing with me. A special thanks goes out to my man Steve for turning me on to this collection in the first place. There's no better way to finish a blog than with the greatest songwriter of my generation.

Enjoy Disc 1. The track listing:

Temptation
Poor Fractured Atlas
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
It's Time
Man Out Of Time
Shallow Grave

Disc 2 is coming soon ...

Quipitone says: Five more posts to go.

That's right, loyal readers. Quipitone is going to post five more CDs and then hit restart. I have given much music and have found great fun in blogging. After the next five posts, I will start anew. But I'm saving the best for last. I'm not closing down quipitone without a bang.

So in a few moments, bang.

Odds: Nest

For all of you incredibly intelligent individuals who downloaded Denzil's album Pub from this blog, here's another one you're going to like. From 1998 and now out of print, Odds album "Nest" is a killer slice of melodic pop; a strongly produced and performed CD that is without a dud. The song "Someone Who Is Cool" found minor radio airplay and is catchy as hell. And "Say You Mean It Wondergirl" is power pop at it's best.

It's fuzzy guitars, great harmonies and good riffs. And if that doesn't sell you, consider this: According to All Music Guide these guys were Sir George Martin's backup band for a show in Vancouver (where they're from).

Rock this, please.

Jellyfish Bootleg: Socrates, Paste and Plato

Jellyfish is a classic melodic pop band from the 90s. If you don't have their two official releases "Bellybutton" and "Spilt Milk" stop reading this and go out and buy them immediately. This post is a really high quality bootleg from some performances in 1993 and are a great example of their 70s tinged poewr pop. I personally thought they were better on record than live, but as a document of their live show this CD is great.

1. All Is Forgiven - Universal Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, CA 11/5/93
2. Sebrina Paste & Plato - State Palace Theatre, 11/15/93
3. That Is Why - Rockefellers, West Houston, TX, 11/13/93
4. New MisTake - Universal Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, CA 11/4/93
5. Joining A Fanclub - Universal Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, CA, 11/5/93
6. I Wanna Stay Home - Rockefellers, West Houston, TX, 11/13/93
7. The Ghost At Number One - Universal Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, CA, 11/4/93
8. The Man I Used To Be - Universal Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, CA, 11/4/93
9. Baby's Coming Back - Universal Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, CA, 11/4/93
10. The King Is Half Undressed - Universal Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, CA, 11/4/93
11. All I Want Is Everything - Universal Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, CA, 11/4/93
12. Glutton Of Sympathy - Universal Ampitheatre, Los Angeles, CA, 11/5/93

Bonus Tracks:
13. Ghost At Number One (alternate Take)
14. New Mistake (alternate Take)

By Req: Denzil-Pub

An astute quipitone reader alerted me to this phenomenal album from the mid 90s and I promised that I'd post it. So here it is.

But first, let me say Denzil's album Pub is an awesome example of great melodic pop from the 90s. At first listen you may find yourself thinking that Denzil's voice is very similar to Andy Partridge's. Here's what All Music has to say about it:

Singer/songwriter Denzil's sole album, Pub, is filled with engaging, lager-drenched ruminations on aging, stale romances, fatherhood, and drinking -- all imbued with a decidedly wry, English sensibility. The sad/funny tales are packed with poignant honesty, squalid working-class details, and a darkly self-effacing sense of humor. Based around Denzil's everyman voice and workmanlike acoustic guitar, the well-recorded tunes are usually augmented by drums, bass, jangly electric guitar, and other well-chosen instruments. This excellent album and artist were nearly completely overlooked.

Completely overlooked is an understatement. I stand guilty as charged. But part of starting this blog for me was to share and learn as well. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I do.

DGC Rarities Vol. 1

Alright, here's a cool new one. This compilation from 1994 was a nice surprise for everyone into melodic pop. It's also the rare compilation that garnered a minor hit; Einstein on the Beach by Counting Crows. It's got great b-side gems from The Posies, Weezer, Beck and Teenage Fanclub. It also features an early track from Sloan, a band at the time was still trying to find themselves. Thank God they did. I'll post something from them later.

Rumor has it that the Posies track, Open Every Window, is from the album they shelved after the classic Frosting on the Beater. I wish the stuff I shelved was as good as this. If anyone knows of bootleg copies of that fabled Posies album, I'd love to hear about it. In the meantime, enjoy the post. Here's the tracklist:

1. Mad Dog 2020: Teenage Fanclub
2. Pay to Play: Nirvana
3. Jamie: Weezer
4. Never Too High: Cell
5. Beautiful Son: Hole
6. Compilation Blues: Sonic Youth
7. Grunge Couple: That Dog
8. Einstein on the Beach: Counting Crows
9. Open Every Window: The Posies
10. Stove/Smother: Sloan
11. Wild Goose Chasing: St. Johnny
12. Allegory: Murray Attaway
13. Don't Tell your Mother: The Sundays

Mayfield

In 1989 the two Tears for Fears guys, Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal, had a huge fight following the release of "Seeds of Love." Going their separate ways, Curt Smith all but dropped out of the music business. In the mid 90s he started writing songs again and based on the quality of what he heard put a band together and called it "Mayfield." The name, according to the All Music Guide, came up as a joke (Curt-is Mayfield, get it?). The subsequent release, the self-titled "Mayfield" strips away all the production and over the top posturing of Tears for Fears and delivers a rock solid and at times Beatlesque pop record that is instantly hummable and pretty catchy. If you never liked Tears for Fears you'd like this. If you liked Tears for Fears, it ain't "Shout." Smith reunited with Orzabal for 2004's "Everybody Loves a Happy Ending," which is pretty poppy. I think it was heavily influenced by Mayfield.

The Three Little Bops

I remember seeing this cartoon when I was a kid and never forgot it. It had a profound impact on me. It's an awesome, beatnik swinging hepcat version of The Three Little Pigs that is downright cool. Check it out.

Matthew Sweet: Son of Altered Beast

Every time you meet or talk with a fan of melodic power pop, Matthew Sweet's name inevitably comes up. His record "Girlfriend" defined power pop in the 90s and his album 100% Fun is still one of my favorites of all time. Usually when speaking of people like Matthew Sweet the word "underappreciated" comes up -- but in Sweet's case aprpeciation has never been a problem. Until recently of course, when his career has taken him to places like doing a covers album with Susanna Hoffs and being a part of The Thorns trio.

As this out of print EP will attest -- hey Matthew, just rock, please?

Quipitone Presents Propaganda, rare 1979 Compilation Side 1 plus bonus.

Last week I dove into a vinyl one dollar blowout and came out with this rare gem from 1979. I remembered owning it on cassette and now I have it back. What's more, I get to share it with all of you. This was a compilation that I believe was created by A&M Records. Side One is the keeper, featuring rare live performances from Joe Jackson, Squeeze and The Police. These live performances were recorded at smaller club gigs and are unbelievable examples of these three seminal post punk/pop bands at their rawest brilliance.

Side Two is kind of a throwaway but it did have one plus side, a previously unreleased Squeeze song called "Wrong Way," which kinda rocks. I include that song in this post.

The tracks posted are as follows:

1. Squeeze: Goodbye Girl (live)
2. Joe Jackson: Throw it Away (live)
3. Joe Jackson: Come On (live)
4. The Police: Landlord (live)
5. The Police: Next To You (live)
6. Squeeze: Wrong Way

As I said, the rest of the album isn't nearly as special as these tracks. If anyone is interested in the rest let me know and I just might post it.

Blur: Live at Wembley, Dec. 12, 1999

Aw heck, let's do another live music post. This time it comes from Blur, a brilliant british band soemtimes credited with starting the whole britpop movement. Their album "Parklife" is a britpop masterpiece, infinitely better than Oasis's Definitely Maybe. Oasis gets all the pub though. There was in fact a big feud between Blur and Oasis in the mid 90s which became the most boring and meaningless battle ever. But hey, what do I know, I'm an American.

This live set came out as part of a limited edition Best of Blur 2 disc set. It's got a nice range of their music from all different eras of their career.

It's still available on Amazon as an import for over 50 bucks. If anyone has a problem with this post (especially Damon Albarn, who can e-mail me directly anytime), I'll gladly take it down. If Noel and Liam Gallagher have a problem with this post, well, they can go to hell.

Enjoy.