Probably the most femme of artists that I enjoy, when I first heard her album Cruel Inventions way back in the early 90's at the music store I was working in, it stayed in our cd player for six straight months. Sam has beautifully seductive and enchanting vocals that for me embody deep longing and passion. Over the years I've found that her music has continues to have great staying power, whether it ranges from beatlesque pop to sparse folky acoustic guitar strumming. Although she was a huge success initially as a Christian artist and later was nominated for a grammy in 1994, her work has mostly avoided the reaches of the top 40 charts depite critical acclam from music critics and such luminaries as Brian Wilson and Elvis Costello, who she has collaborated with. I'm very pleased to share with you a collection of my very favorites, enjoy.



22 tracks in one 124MB .zip file, no password.
all songs transferred to mp3 from the actual compact discs at 192kbps though EAC/LAME encoding

1. The Turning from the album The Turning (1987)
2. I Don't Want To Fall In Love from the album The Indescribable Wow! (1988)
3. I Can't Stop Crying The Indescribable Wow! (1988)
4. Out Of Time The Indescribable Wow! (1988)
5. What You Don't Want To Hear The Indescribable Wow! (1988)
6. I Don't Know How To Say Goodbye To You The Indescribable Wow! (1988)
7. What Do I Do The Indescribable Wow! (1988)
8. Lying from the album Cruel Inventions (1991)
9. Cruel Inventions Cruel Inventions (1991)
10. Standing Still Cruel Inventions (1991)
11. Tripping Over Gravity Cruel Inventions (1991)
12. Now I Can't Find The Door Cruel Inventions (1991)
13. Where The Colors Don't Go Cruel Inventions (1991)
14. I Need Love from the album Martinis and Bikinis (1994)
15. Baby I Can't Please You Martinis and Bikinis (1994)
16. Love and Kisses Martinis and Bikinis (1994)
17. Black Sky Martinis and Bikinis (1994)
18. These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (Nancy Sinatra cover) from the Pret A Porter soundtrack (1994)
19. Entertainmen from the album Omnipop... (1996)
20. Wasting My Time from the album Fan Dance (2001)
21. Fan Dance Fan Dance (2001)
22. Red Silk Five from the album A Boot and a Shoe (2004)

I almost did this one...the former Mrs. T-Bone Burnett has always captivated me, and I saw her open for Buffalo Tom in 94...great show. Thanks for this.

hey, thanks south pacific.
d'lding now.

Not nearly enough from Martinis and Bikinis, an album almost as Beatlesque as the Rutles.

Which is exactly why I didn't include more tunes from that one. I wanted to feature more of the songs that sound like her rather than McCartney/Lennon copies, a style she does admirably well but is not some of her best work I think.

Anyways, 5 songs here is not enough for you?

What a woman. Thanks.

I loves me some Sam.
This is a good day for SendSpace!
Thanks a bunch!

Loving this!
Thanks!

Now somebody needs to do this for Kirsty MacColl...
any takers?
Lump?

Dammit! Now my office is wondering what I'm laughing at.

[insert ayah joke here]

Todd, "all my MacColl is belong to cassette" though I do love her.
I'll scout around for a boatload of mp3 and get a mix up sometime the next few days.

Note to Ayah:
If you're not familiar with MacColl's work, I highly, highly recommend her to you. Glorious voice, massive melodicist, piercing but lovely lyricist, great, great lady.

Example:

Innocence
(Kite,1989)

It wouldn’t take a long time
To explain what lies between us
And it wouldn’t take a genius
To work out what the scene is
It might just take a pilot
To give you a natural high
But you’re sending off those bottletops
For your ’free piece of mind!’
And are you just waving or drowning?
It’s so hard to tell when you’re so far away

Oh innocence has passed you by
A long long time ago
I was the fly upon your wall
And I saw what you know
Your pornographic priestess left you for another guy
You frighten little children and you always wonder why
Always wonder why

The mercury is rising
And it’s not all that surprising
In the land of milk and honey
Where you make ’big money’
And it always keeps the rain off
And it always keeps you dry
But back home the people hate you
And you never did know why
But I think I’m going to tell you
Just give me fifty thousand lire for my thoughts

Oh innocence has passed you by
A long long time ago
I was the fly upon your wall
And I saw what you know
The supermarket checkout girl
Once smacked you in the eye
When you eat no one else does
But you always wonder why
Always wonder why

It would take a gunshot
Just to clear your head awhile
And after all this time
How can you stand there
Look at me and smile?

Now are you just waving or drowning?
It’s so hard to tell when you’re so far away

Oh innocence has passed you by
A long long time ago
I was the fly upon your wall
And I saw what you know
Degeneration suits you, now I’m going home to cry
You won’t be seeing me again
But you’ll always wonder why
Always wonder why

(Kirsty MacColl/Pete Glenister)