Radcliffe! The Musical

1. Frank Black & The Catholics: Billy Radcliffe
2. The Posies: I May Hate You Sometimes
3. Rank and File: I'm An Old Old Man
4. The Hoodoo Gurus: The Generation Gap
5. The Sonics: Psycho
6. Wanda Jackson: Mean, Mean, Mean
7. Dave Allen & The Elastic Purejoy: I Feel The Comfort In The Ruin Of It
8. The Awkward Stage: I Love You, Hipster Darling
9. Llloyd Cole: Holier Than Thou
10. Ed Kuepper: So Close To Certainty
11. Peter Perrett: Nothing Worth Doing
12. Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance: Don't Try And Change My Mind
13. The Pyramidiacs: I Know What I Know
14. Bob Segarini: Don't Believe A Word I Say
15. The Deathray Davies: Bitter Old Man Blues
16. Roy Loney: I Couldn't Spell #@%!
17, Honeycrack: I Hate Myself And Everybody Else
18. Blues Explosion: Fed Up And Low Down
19. Robyn Hitchcock: Uncorrected Personality Traits
20. Steve Wynn: Crawling Misanthropic Blues
21. Yesterday's Kids: The Shithead
22. The Muffs: I'm A Dick
23. Compulsive Gamblers: Negative Jerk
24. Rev. Beat Man & THe Unbelievers: Fuck You Jesus, Fuck You Oh Lord
25. The Beat Farmers: Happy Boy

1. Frank Black & The Catholics: Billy Radcliffe - one of my favorite Frank Black or Pixies songs. Great way to kick this bitch off, but could it really start any other way? 5/5.
2. The Posies: I May Hate You Sometimes - I'm a pretty big Posies fan and love this tune...one of my favorites. Pop perfection. 5/5.
3. Rank and File: I'm An Old Old Man - nothing spectacular here but a solid and fun tune. Never heard this band or this song but sounds like I would like it. 3/5.
4. The Hoodoo Gurus: The Generation Gap - love this. Another band I've heard of quite a bit but never really listened to. This is right up my alley. Great vocal, great riff. Love the keys as well...nearly always a nice touch. 5/5.
5. The Sonics: Psycho - I don't know much about this song (a continuing theme through all these reviews) but this kicks much ass. Sounds like a 50s song. Being a northwesterner I should know more about this band. 5/5.
6. Wanda Jackson: Mean, Mean, Mean - you are always talking about Wanda Jackson, guess I know why. She has a cool if a bit odd voice/accent. Great placement after that last song. Doesnt really grab me as the last few songs have but I think I need to hear more Wanda. 3/5.
7. Dave Allen & The Elastic Purejoy: I Feel The Comfort In The Ruin Of It - this is pretty good but nothing stands out. 3/5.
8. The Awkward Stage: I Love You, Hipster Darling - I straight out love this song. I wish I had this on my mix, you bastard. Whats the rest of this band's output like? In any event, fave so far. 5/5.
9. Llloyd Cole: Holier Than Thou - I've just started getting into Lloyd Cole but so far what I've heard I really like. He says he is "taller than Jesus." I wonder how tall Jesus really was. I mean he did get stretched out a bit, but still. This song is pretty damn good, reminds me of Mojave 3. 3/5.
10. Ed Kuepper: So Close To Certainty - who the F is Ed Keupper? I think Ed Kuepper might have been my shop teacher in 8th grade. I like that fiddle part - duh duh duh duh. Quite enjoyable/mellow. 3/5.
11. Peter Perrett: Nothing Worth Doing - who? I dont really like the start of it but it picks up towards the middle but then gets a little too heavy into the guitar solos. Kind of a weak vocal. 2/5.
12. Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance: Don't Try And Change My Mind - just when the mix was hitting a little lull this song comes along. Any musician named Ronnie has to be cool, right? This is a cool little song. 3+/5.
13. The Pyramidiacs: I Know What I Know - kind in the Posies vein here, which is always good in my book. Good driving song, I imagine. This needs to be played loudly. Reminds me of Portastatic a bit. 4/5.
14. Bob Segarini: Don't Believe A Word I Say - another 50's sounding tune, in a way. Makes me swing my head back and forth. I like the spoken vocal part with the harmonizing in the back. Cool. 4/5.
15. The Deathray Davies: Bitter Old Man Blues - of course I've heard a lot about these guys on Obner but never checked 'em out. Probably a mistake. Kind of like that time with that tranny prostitute...nevermind. This reminds me of something but I am drawing a blank...its been a long day. Flaming Lips mixed with Mark Lanegan if that is even possible, perhaps. I think I like the idea of this better than the execution. It gets a little boring towards the end. 2/5.
16. Roy Loney: I Couldn't Spell #@%! - This guy has a great rock voice...nice to see you include some songs with some humor here. After listening to a lot of songs I feel like slitting my wrist, but your songs have a lot of fun to them. Sounds like a song you'd hear at the dive bar down the street from my house. Thats always good. 3/5.
17, Honeycrack: I Hate Myself And Everybody Else - I think I have a lesbian porno called Honeycrack. Maybe not. But anyway, where the fuck do you find all this stuff? This is ok but doesn't blow me away. 2/5.
18. Blues Explosion: Fed Up And Low Down - at least this isnt Blues Traveller. Unique song...but they pull it off pretty damn well. Your mix makes me want to drink. 2/5.
19. Robyn Hitchcock: Uncorrected Personality Traits - wow that's really British. One lump or two, love? An a cappella entry, eh? Bold move, Rads. Bold move. I kind of like it but won't want to listen to it ever again, most likely. 2/5 just for the audacity.
20. Steve Wynn: Crawling Misanthropic Blues - nice song title. I generally just don't ike this type of thing and don't think I'm really in the mood for it on a Saturday afternoon. 2/5.
21. Yesterday's Kids: The Shithead - nice. Remember how in The Jerk that Navin's dog was called Shithead? Well, thats a non-sequitor, isnt it? This is pretty cool. A little poppy and a little punky. Punky? Wtf is my problem? I might check out some more from this band. 3+/5.
22. The Muffs: I'm A Dick - obvious joke - wonder if The Revolting Cocks ever had a song called I'm a Pussy? I'm really dumb, I know, sorry. I've actually never heard The Muffs but I like this. Kind of like the last song but better. The 1:38 length makes it even better. This is more than good. 5/5.
23. Compulsive Gamblers: Negative Jerk - this mix is ending strongly. I am now crowd diving off my couch, onto the ottoman and the dog. I just headbutted my cat. Oh fuck the pain. 3/5.
24. Rev. Beat Man & THe Unbelievers: Fuck You Jesus, Fuck You Oh Lord - you're goin straight to hell for this one. I want to sneak this into a church audio system and see what happens. Well if there was an acoustic version I would try it. Where the shit did you find this song? Very odd. Unrateable as I try to preserve my eternal soul here, Rads.
25. The Beat Farmers: Happy Boy - novelty song that they used to play on the radio around here...I remember it from when I was a kid. Any song that says "hubba hubba hubba," has a gurgling dude, and has a kazoo is unrateable as a matter of principle.

You should see it performed live.

Based on my second listen, first with tracklisting:


Radcliffe! The Musical

1. Frank Black & The Catholics - Billy Radcliffe
I'm not familiar with a lot of Black Francis' solo work but this is good. I didn't know it was him at all on the first listen, though. The voice doesn't sound like him. 8/10

2. The Posies - I May Hate You Sometimes
I thought for sure this was a sixties band. Then I looked up The Posies and discovered that I've already got a bunch of mp3's from them and they're on my shopping list. But that group is a power-pop band. This isn't. So even though I'm positive they're the same band, I still feel a tiny bit doubtful about it. 8/10

3. Rank And File - I'm An Old, Old Man
I don't like this but there's nothing specific I can pinpoint as to the cause. I guess the vocals are kind of iffy. 3/10

4. The Hoodoo Gurus - The Generation Gap
Are these bands related? Same members or something? Because this sounds like a sequel to the last one. So the same statements stand. 2/10

5. The Sonics - Psycho
Songs with that kind of screaming and that kind of guitar work just bother me. 3/10

6. Wanda Jackson - Mean Mean Man
This is okay. I'm assuming it's from the fifties as it has traits that remind me of Elvis or The Animals. 5/10

7. Dave Allen & The Elastic Purejoy - I Feel The Comfort In The Ruin Of It
This is good, but nothing about it feels unique or interesting. I like it well enough when I listen but it leaves no lasting impression. 5/10

8. The Awkward Stage - I Love You, Hipster Darling
I just downloaded this and a couple other songs by this band two days ago. I haven't listened yet but it sounds like I'll like them. 7/10

9. Lloyd Cole - Holier Than Thou
I have heard songs from Lloyd Cole that I like. This isn't one of them. 3/10

10. Ed Kuepper - So Close To Certainty
This is another in a string of songs here that have just been there. They have no variety or hook to them and I just get bored and forget they're on. 2/10

11. Peter Perrett - Nothing Worth Doing
5/10

12. Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance - Don't Try And Change My Mind
I can't believe this mix isn't even half over yet. 5/10

13. The Pyramidiacs - I Know What I Know
This woke me up slightly from the sleep of the last eleven songs. Points for persuading me not to turn off the mix. 7/10

14. Bob Segarini - Don't Believe A Word I Say
Meh. 4/10

15. The Deathray Davies - Bitter Old Man Blues
I haven't heard them before. This isn't what I expected they'd sound like but, if the Frank Black and Posies songs are any indication, this could very well be the sole song in their catalogue that sounds nothing like anything else. 7/10

16. Roy Loney - I Couldn't Spell #$&!
Two seconds in and I know I'll hate this. No need to keep listening. 1/10

17. Honeycrack - I Hate Myself And Everybody Else
I don't know. 5/10

18. Blues Explosion - Fed Up And Low Down
I was pretty sure I didn't like them. This confirms it. 2/10

19. Robyn Hitchcock - Uncorrected Personality Traits
I don't know how to rate novelty songs.

20. Steve Wynn - Crawling Misanthropic Blues
Well, at least it's energetic. That's a change. 6/10

21. Yesterday's Kids - The Shithead
Unmemorable. 6/10

22. The Muffs - I'm A Dick
Closest song on the mix that would be considered in-line with my music taste. 8/10

23. Compulsive Gamblers - Negative Jerk
This sounds like one of those new rock bands that just play fast and mumble. 2/10

24. Rev. Beat-Man & The Unbelievers - Fuck You Jesus, Fuck You Oh Lord
This is pretty much the epitome of the kind of music I assumed you listened to. 1/10

25. The Beat Farmers - Happy Boy
One point because this signals the end of the disc, thus making me happy. 1/10


Final Thoughts:
That was so long. It felt like two hours, at least. I found eighty percent of it to be really boring and uninteresting. But there were about five songs I'll probably rip and file into my music folder so I guess it wasn't a total loss. And a bonus point for only choosing songs with titles that reflect your personality.

Chip and Tony Kinman were the leaders of a late '70s L.A. hardcore communist punk band called the Dils (first single: "I Hate The Rich"), so it was a bit of a curveball when their very next move was to form a country band. Rank and File's debut was 1982's Sundown, but this song is from their slightly less successful folowup Long Gone Dead.

Their only album so far is called Heaven is for Easy Girls. It's surprisingly good - and I recommend it. I'll probably post the title track on the board later, because I think this is something that people might want to consider for their Shmoo poll.

Ed Kuepper was the guitarist/co-songwriter in the Saints, then the mainman in postpunk pioneers the Laughing Clowns. He's released about a gazillion solo albums, but this song is from Character Assassination.

Peter Perrett was the singer/songwriter of the Only Ones, responsible for "Another Girl, Another Planet". This is from his solo album Woke Up Sticky. If you listen to this song enough, that guitar solo build-up becomes the godhead.

Roy Loney was the frontman for the best era of the Flamin' Groovies (which wasn't "Shake Some Action", for anybody playing the home game).

Sometimes fate just finds its way to my cd player.



Thanks for the review, r - glad there's a few things in there that you liked!

hahahaha

i can't wait to get home and get this. lots of dirty stuff stuff i just love. i should have made my mix with a similar theme, so we could both agitate alongwaltz.

cover art:

[img][468:500]http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q209/roypearl/RadSthemusical.jpg[/img]

tracklist:

Radcliffe! The Musical

1. Billy Radcliffe Frank Black & The Catholics
2. I May Hate You Sometimes The Posies
3. I'm An Old Old Man Rank and File
4. The Generation Gap The Hoodoo Gurus
5. Psycho The Sonics
6. Mean, Mean, Man Wanda Jackson
7. I Feel The Comfort In The Ruin Of It Dave Allen & The Elastic Purejoy
8. I Love You, Hipster Darling The Awkward Stage
9. Holier Than Thou Lloyd Cole
10. So Close To Certainty Ed Kuepper
11. Nothing Worth Doing Peter Perrett
12. Don't Try And Change My Mind Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance
13. I Know What I Know The Pyramidiacs
14. Don't Believe A Word I Say Bob Segarini
15. Bitter Old Man Blues The Deathray Davies
16. I Couldn't Spell #@%! Roy Loney
17, I Hate Myself And Everybody Else Honeycrack
18. Fed Up And Low Down Blues Explosion
19. Uncorrected Personality Traits Robyn Hitchcock
20. Crawling Misanthropic Blues Steve Wynn
21. The Shithead Yesterday's Kids
22. I'm A Dick The Muffs
23. Negative Jerk Compulsive Gamblers
24. Fuck You Jesus, Fuck You Oh Lord Rev. Beat-man & The Unbelievers
25. Happy Boy The Beat Farmers

This mix confirmed what I know about radcliffe – he is old and curmudgeonly with a cream-filled center.

1. Frank Black & The Catholics: Billy Radcliffe
I did assume that our Radcliffe was the first boy born in space; song is nice and rocky but a tad on the tedious side but I can’t hate on the Black so 3/5
2. The Posies: I May Hate You Sometimes
My sentiments exactly -- I love well-crafted pop songs and this delivers with a 4/5
3. Rank and File: I'm An Old Old Man
This reminds me a bit of a tune that is on the Jane Fonda low-impact tape of the 80s but the lyrics to this are much better and, on the whole, this is better than any steakhouse advert so it’s a 2/5
4. The Hoodoo Gurus: The Generation Gap
Solid rocky and fun-ish but sorta sounds a bit like a 1,000 songs; still it garners a 3/5
5. The Sonics: Psycho
Ok, this is definitely another sound alike song but the lyrics make me laugh and the song makes me shimmy my hips in a slow but purposeful movement (and way better than Uma) so it’s a 3/5
6. Wanda Jackson: Mean, Mean, Mean
Her voice is feckin’ brill and it’s really fun, fun rockabilly so it’s a 4/5
7. Dave Allen & The Elastic Purejoy: I Feel The Comfort In The Ruin Of It
I’m really loving this so I’ll not kill you now and deliver a 4/5
8. The Awkward Stage: I Love You, Hipster Darling
This is a bit of a surprise on here and if the rest of their stuff is like this then I’m going to buy it all; a whole-hearted 4/5
9. Llloyd Cole: Holier Than Thou
Great, great song which gives me the same feeling I get when I see orange skies at dusk; a serene 4/5
10. Ed Kuepper: So Close To Certainty
Another surprise, the strings are mesmerizing and vocals are nice (sorta kinda Tindersticks-ish), a mesmerized 4/5
11. Peter Perrett: Nothing Worth Doing
Nice sentiment; I only tend to like the chorus of this song, the rest is sleepy; I’ll yawn out a 2/5
12. Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance: Don't Try And Change My Mind
I like this song all around, I like the slow choppy guitar and the walking bass line; my mind won’t change about a score of 4/5
13. The Pyramidiacs: I Know What I Know
This reminds me of 80s “college rock” – pleasant enough but nothing spectacular and therefore only scores a 2/5
14. Bob Segarini: Don't Believe A Word I Say
More sound alike stuff – I like the low-resonance here and some of the lyrics are funny but still only gets a 2/5
15. The Deathray Davies: Bitter Old Man Blues
I don’t like anyone much either and this is one of the better of their songs (this starts off a lot like a Los Halos song, btw); me likey at a 3/5
16. Roy Loney: I Couldn't Spell #@%!
Ok, this is just plain silly and makes me think of silly songs from the 70s which in turn makes me think of 18-wheelers and c.b. radios – I’ll ermm out a 2/5
17. Honeycrack: I Hate Myself And Everybody Else
S’ok if not a bit School-house rock’ish; I like their name so they can have a 2/5
18. Blues Explosion: Fed Up And Low Down
This isn’t at all what I thought Blues Explosion sounds like – I really like this! Does all their stuff have this vibe? [Have you heard Celebration – they came out on 4AD last year, this song reminds me of them a bit]; this scores an exploding 5/5
19. Robyn Hitchcock: Uncorrected Personality Traits
People who breed should be given a manual on how to take care of their children and these lyrics should be in the preface; I’m a fan of his so I’m going high again with a 5/5
20. Steve Wynn: Crawling Misanthropic Blues
Another ok song but I get how it fits into your theme so I’ll give it a 2/5
21. Yesterday's Kids: The Shithead
I like this well enough but don’t have much to say about it; not solid gold but a good 3/5
22. The Muffs: I'm A Dick
This is a great song to have stuck in your head and sing aloud to yourself in a full elevator; 3/5
23. Compulsive Gamblers: Negative Jerk
Another ok song; I’ll thump out a 3/5
24. Rev. Beat Man & The Unbelievers: Fuck You Jesus, Fuck You Oh Lord
Not as good as the Cramps but fun enough; I’ll give it a heathen’s score of 3/5
25. The Beat Farmers: Happy Boy
Cute ending hubba hubba hubba; 3/5

This is what mixes should be about – nicely themed with a variety of music and peaks and valleys. All around this flowed so wonderfully, song to song, that I would rate it as a whole much higher than I would rate a number of the individual songs. That is, if a good number of these songs existed outside of the confines of this mix, I may not give them a second chance. As it happens, I’ve now listened to this mix 5 times and expect to keep spinning until my next Obner mix appears in my mailbox. Game on y’all.

1. Frank Black & The Catholics: Billy Radcliffe
I've actually never been much of Pixies fan (though i haven't listened for years), and thus never really delved into Frank's solo stuff. This song is good, and parts of it are fantastic, but it doesn't excite me a shit ton. But it's still a pretty excellent song. 6.5/10
2. The Posies: I May Hate You Sometimes
The Posies are more or less at the top of bands I need to check out in 2007, once I wrap up this 2006 mess. The overall beat and guitar of the song I like, but also don't catch me as I want them too. The little breakdown though about 2/3 through is super awesome. (7/10)
3. Rank and File: I'm An Old Old Man
I love the music of this track, but not particularly fond of the vocals I guess? I think if it went a little more honkey tonk it would be super excellent. (6/10)
4. The Hoodoo Gurus: The Generation Gap
The song before this does sound basically like the precursor which is cool. I like the idea of this song, never really listened to the band much. I don't know if I like the song or not. Not really (4.5/10)
5. The Sonics: Psycho
One of my absolute favorite bands. Gerry has some of the most awesome vocals of all time. There was like a month this year where all I listened to were the two Sonics albums I swear. Just so much fun. (9.5/10)
6. Wanda Jackson: Mean, Mean, Mean
Also one of my favorite acts. Wanda is so great. What a fucking voice. This is actually one of my favorite songs of hers too. Great choice. (9.5/10)
7. Dave Allen & The Elastic Purejoy: I Feel The Comfort In The Ruin Of It My junior year of high school, I met Dave Allen at my school's career night. He was talking about Advertising and his online company which promoted newer bands. He was like "I'm Dave Allen" and I was like "Holy Shit Gang Of Four!" Pretty surreal moment. I didn't know he did this record, but I like this song well enough. Nice simple groove. Would work well in a cool movie or something. (7/10)
8. The Awkward Stage: I Love You, Hipster Darling
I have checked out this bands album due to your talking about it. It's pretty good, and this one is just excellent to sing along to (yes, already). The first time I listened to the mix, I thought this song was so ridiculous, but 3 hours later when I was singing it still, I realized it was a gem. (8.5/10)
9. Llloyd Cole: Holier Than Thou
It's ok. But this is where the mix starts to lose me a bit. (4/10)
10. Ed Kuepper: So Close To Certainty
I do like the strings for the most part. But I was rocking out so hard. Variety is great and stuff. But this song is just there. I would like this more in a different context I think. (4/10)
11. Peter Perrett: Nothing Worth Doing
Reminded me of that old Sneaker Pimps song or something. I feel young and stupid I don't know this. I can't say I really care about it, but at least it goes somewhere and doesn't stay at that slow pace the whole time (5/10)
12. Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance: Don't Try And Change My Mind
I've been meaning to check this album out for so long. I love the Small Faces. I love the Faces. Song is just a good time. His little growl is pretty excellent too. (7.5/10)
13. The Pyramidiacs: I Know What I Know
Pretty standard late 80s/early 90s college rock/indie pop stuff. I like the song, but don't know if I would like a whole lot of this bands other stuff? Or care enough? Some nice guitar work that really makes the song. (6.5/10)
14. Bob Segarini: Don't Believe A Word I Say
I would play this on a jukebox everytime I went to the place that had it in their jukebox. Perfect for that. Kind of out of place otherwise. Love the feel, but would probably not listen to it a whole ton. (6.5/10)
15. The Deathray Davies: Bitter Old Man Blues
Well now I have to finally add them to my list of bands to check out just because I loved the lyrics and song a lot. Song doesn't really go anywhere, but it works really well at what it is supposed to convey. Count it! (8/10)
16. Roy Loney: I Couldn't Spell #@%!
Haha, its ok. I like this kind of stuff a lot. As track 16 on Radcliffe! The Musical, it makes a whole ton of sense. I sort of wish it was rougher though. Can I say that? (5/10)
17. Honeycrack: I Hate Myself And Everybody Else
Holy great song. Real head bobber. (9/10)
18. Blues Explosion: Fed Up And Low Down
I fucking love Jon Spencer something fierce. Ok maybe that's not true, but he does a lot of shit that is just so awesome and sounds the way things should be. This song is one of them. I think the main problem I've always had with this song is the turntable scratches. But that's sort of what makes it so unique too. (8/10)
19. Robyn Hitchcock: Uncorrected Personality Traits
Haha, what great lyrics. (8/10)
20. Steve Wynn: Crawling Misanthropic Blues
Yes Yes Yes Yes! (9.5/10)
21. Yesterday's Kids: The Shithead
The mix gets so good during this section. This song I thought was going to be some lame-o song, but it is like so great. The actual vocals could be found on MTV these days, but the music is super great. The way they slow it down. The lyrics. The constant beat. Not perfect, but it gets a perfect score anyway. (10/10)
22. The Muffs: I'm A Dick
Haha, another silly one that I guess I shouldn't like, but I do because I'm so lame. Rock N Roll Rads. (9/10)
23. Compulsive Gamblers: Negative Jerk
Absolute highlight for me. I'm trying to start a band like this but I don't play anything or write music. But it's more or less my favorite music. (10/10)
24. Rev. Beat Man & The Unbelievers: Fuck You Jesus, Fuck You Oh Lord
I actually don't like this as much as I thought I would. Love this crazy old shit, but this song just isn't really my cup I guess. Even if I support the message. Haha. (4/10)
25. The Beat Farmers: Happy Boy
It couldn't end any other way. The Kazoos. (not going to rate)

All in all, fantastic mix. My scores are pretty middle of the road on a lot of tracks, and I do feel that way. Individually most of these tracks wouldn't do a whole lot for me, but put in this sequence, with this mix. Knowing who made it, and trying to find a theme. It's great. I wish I would've been smart enough to do something like this rather than piece together that random mix. Will check out some bands, but congratulations on creating the mix that I am guessing will be my most listened to I will receive this exchange.

I can sing the entire damn song from memory.
And I can see hating it every bit as much as I love it.
Just one of those songs.

Radcliffe! The Musical

1. Frank Black & The Catholics: Billy Radcliffe – Great kick off to the musical. If I was in the audience right now, my hands would be clasped together in fevered anticipation of what I would experience through the course of the show. Having just seen Frank Black here in SK, I’m still riding that enjoyment. He never played this song. Too bad. 4.5/5

2. The Posies: I May Hate You Sometimes – This isn’t bad. I’ll be honest and say that I’ve never really listened to much Posies. I think the most I know about them is they backed up the remaining Big Star members for that Columbia University show back in the ‘90s. Sad that it’s all I know about them, really. This is pleasant, but probably won’t stick around in the ol’ noggin for very long after the end of the tune. But I do appreciate the sentiment a great deal. 2.5/5

3. Rank and File: I'm An Old Old Man – This is fucking cool. I’ve heard of the band, but this is my first actual exposure. I dig this because I’m a pre-old man, too. 3/5

4. The Hoodoo Gurus: The Generation Gap – My roommate in first year university used to play this band constantly. Two songs in particular ‘What’s My Scene’ and ‘Good Times’ got lots of play, usually at about 3am when he got home from the bar. So I always think of Johnny whenever the Hoodoo Gurus come on. Good guy, he always had pot to share. The song is good too. 3/5

5. The Sonics: Psycho – Shit this is good. This guy screams brilliantly. 4.5/5

6. Wanda Jackson: Mean, Mean, Mean – Oh man. Hoooooo! I’ve never even heard of Wanda. I imagine insane hillbillys play this before going out to get some viddles and some rapes. 4/5

7. Dave Allen & The Elastic Purejoy: I Feel The Comfort In The Ruin Of It This really reminds me of Pixies for some reason. It’s got kind of propulsive thing going, which I enjoy. I have no idea who this band is either, which I also enjoy. 3/5

8. The Awkward Stage: I Love You, Hipster Darling – Hmm, this is the first time I think I’ve said this about a song on a Radcliffe mix, but I really started to hate this song and it didn’t change at all. I don’t exactly know what it was specifically but the middling music and breathy, whispery vocals made me want to punch something. I realize that those who know my musical tastes might say ‘Hey DJ, you like a lot of shitty music that sounds like this, what makes this different?’ And I will answer ‘I don’t know, sometimes a cat doesn’t know why he hates the mouse, but he can feel the hate and it is enough.’ 0.1/5

9. Llloyd Cole: Holier Than Thou – This doesn't bode well. I really, really hate Lloyd Cole as well. 0.5/5

10. Ed Kuepper: So Close To Certainty – I was almost certain that I was in a movie with all those strings playing at first. Except when this music is on-screen, our protagonist is usually doing something interesting. Perhaps in the musical version something is happening? Either way, it’s not bad song, his voice is kind of interesting and the strings are somewhat unusual, but it’s not bringing that quality to elevate me. 2/5

11. Peter Perrett: Nothing Worth Doing – This pretty cool. I should dislike his Geddy Lee voice, because I fucking hate Rush, but it works here for me. I like the spare music and lyrics. 3/5

12. Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance: Don't Try And Change My Mind – The first few times I heard this song, I wasn’t feeling it, but it got me in the end. I don’t even know why, there isn’t inherently special about it, but sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 3.5/5

13. The Pyramidiacs: I Know What I Know – This didn’t not rise up to what it could have been. I was reminded of times of Sloan and Fountains of Wayne. That’s not to say I hated it or anything. I think I’d like this song more on a brighter day. Maybe I need sunlight or something. 2/5

14. Bob Segarini: Don't Believe A Word I Say – Do-wop? I think this would be a really funny scene in the musical. I mean, really funny. 2/5

15. The Deathray Davies: Bitter Old Man Blues – “I don’t like anyone, in the world, I don’t care if they don’t like me, I’ll be fine on my own, I’ll be fine all alone’. Awesome, that is all I can say. This is a great song by a band I've always wanted to hear more of. 4/5

16. Roy Loney: I Couldn't Spell #@%! – I really dislike humour or explicit goofiness in songs for some reason, so I can’t rate this objectively. n/r

17. Honeycrack: I Hate Myself And Everybody Else – This is fucking cool. It’s being ripped and put on the ipod immediately. 5/5

18. Blues Explosion: Fed Up And Low Down – I really tried liking this band, but they’re lost to me. There are moments I do enjoy, but then it gets outweighed by this nonsensical rambling. The director should be screaming ‘FOCUS, DAMNIT, FOCUS’. 1.5/5

19. Robyn Hitchcock: Uncorrected Personality Traits – I hate this, completely and unequivocally. 0/5

20. Steve Wynn: Crawling Misanthropic Blues – This is going on the ipod, too. This is excellent scronk. Nobody’s perfect. Maybe it’s contrast enhancement relative to the previous auditory abortion, but I love this song. 5/5

21. Yesterday's Kids: The Shithead – This is a good stomper as well. I’m toe tapping and head bobbing. It’s got a beat like something off of a latter period Queens of the Stone Age album, but this is looser and more fun. It even pushed the 5 min mark and I didn’t give a shit. 4.5/5

22. The Muffs: I'm A Dick – I think the only reason I know this band is because they covered ‘Kids in America’ on the Clueless soundtrack. She’s got an awesome voice. And at a end time of 1:31, it works for me in a big way. 3.5/5

23. Compulsive Gamblers: Negative Jerk – This is asskicking fun. Great band name, too. It sounds like every note was crammed into the smallest listening space and expelled outward at a massive rate of exchange. 4/5

24. Rev. Beat Man & The Unbelievers: Fuck You Jesus, Fuck You Oh Lord – How can I not like this song? He’s got a crazy, good scream of the insane or possibly formerly religious. I’m not certain. This was great. 4/5

25. The Beat Farmers: Happy Boy – This, I hate. If there’s a hell and it’s personalized to you, I’m gonna hear kazoos. n/r

Well, overall I did enjoy the show you've presented. As a musical, I feel as if I'd be entertained by this but think the visuals would probably contribute more to my personal enjoyment than the music as a stand alone. But more importantly, would it, as a biographical piece succeed in telling the Radcliffe story? Well, it's aim was true and it is a success, despite some low points, in this reviewers opinion. I will use the Entertainment Weekly grade and encourage others to see this musical. B-

Awesome.

[img][213:319]http://www.symphony-homes.com/boy%20thumbs%20up.jpg[/img]

Radcliffe! The Musical

1. Frank Black & The Catholics: Billy Radcliffe – I've never listened to much solo Frank Black. This is a pretty good song, but I just can't help thinking about how it just isn't as exciting as it might have been with the Pixies. (3/5)

2. The Posies: I May Hate You Sometimes – This might be my first time hearing The Posies. I like the vocals during the verses, but the chorus is just too… cheesy I guess. This just doesn't do it for me overall. (2/5)

3. Rank and File: I'm An Old Old Man – This seems only ever so slightly removed (lyrically & musically) from the pop country of 10 or so years ago. And yet I don't really mind it. I just can't say that I like it much. (2/5)

4. The Hoodoo Gurus: The Generation Gap – Pretty good trad-rocker. Works well as a ramp up for the next song. (3/5)

5. The Sonics: Psycho – Can't go wrong with this one. I would like to hear some other Sonics songs sometime. I mean, I have, but this is the only one I can remember, probably because it's the only one that ever gets played anywhere. (4/5)

6. Wanda Jackson: Mean, Mean, Mean – This is pretty awesome. I don't know if I've ever heard her before. Without looking this up, I have a really hard placing it time-wise, and that's pretty cool. That's just a great voice. (4/5)

7. Dave Allen & The Elastic Purejoy: I Feel The Comfort In The Ruin Of It – Cool. I was wondering if this was the GoF Dave Allen, and sure enough, it is. I like this. I'd really like to hear Clutter of Pop. Everything in this song is just done right. (5/5)

8. The Awkward Stage: I Love You, Hipster Darling – Well this is an unfortunate shift. I mean, he really is singing to hipsters. He's got that modern indie pop sound down pat, but he's not doing a very good job of making me care. (2/5)

9. Lloyd Cole: Holier Than Thou – I've seen this name mentioned around here a lot. It's a bit Adult Contemporary for me although there are a few touches here and there that kinda set it apart from that. I'm just not feeling it at all. (1/5)

10. Ed Kuepper: So Close To Certainty – I must've had to listen to this song like six times to try to muster up any feelings for it either way. He sounds a little like Mark Sandman, but the music is much lighter and more polite than Morphine. There's a nice spaciousness to it, and it's certainly pleasant enough. That little string "riff" gets a little old after a while, though. (3/5)

11. Peter Perrett: Nothing Worth Doing – I was kinda hoping this would maintain the crawling, seedy feeling in the verses. The way it picks up in the chorus and bridge doesn't really bother me, but I feel like it could have been better based on the way it started out. (3/5)

12. Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance: Don't Try And Change My Mind – I just don't have much to say about this. It isn't bad, but it doesn't really grab me in any way. (2/5)

13. The Pyramidiacs: I Know What I Know – This has that mid-'90s pop/alt-rock sound that I feel like I'm constantly deriding in everybody's mixes. Musically, it's just too bland a hodgepodge of classic rock sounds with vocals that are begging for emotional weight. It all just sounds very by-the-numbers, even the doo-woppy little bridge section. (1/5)

14. Bob Segarini: Don't Believe A Word I Say – The lyrics to this are pretty funny. I don't imagine it would be worth a whole lot of repeat listens, but it works really well here. (3/5)

15. The Deathray Davies: Bitter Old Man Blues – Another one I'm having a hard time forming any solid opinions on. I guess it's decent enough. (3/5)

16. Roy Loney: I Couldn't Spell #@%! – Just too silly and not really funny. Not really bad, either. Just sort of OK. (2/5)

17. Honeycrack: I Hate Myself And Everybody Else – This sounds like it would work for a Mountain Dew or Extreme Doritos ad or something. Of course it would be awesome if some pseudo extreme sports, mall punk dudes in a commercial were running around saying "I hate myself". Or maybe it wouldn't. (2/5)

18. Blues Explosion: Fed Up And Low Down – I guess I like this band alright, but this isn't one of the better songs I've heard by them. It's all over the place and not in way that I like. (2/5)

19. Robyn Hitchcock: Uncorrected Personality Traits – This succeeds where a lot of stuff like this fails. I don't know how exactly, but he pulled this off really well. (4/5)

20. Steve Wynn: Crawling Misanthropic Blues – This kinda reminds me of some of the faster Sparklehorse songs. Nothing really remarkable about it, I like it well enough. (3/5)

21. Yesterday's Kids: The Shithead – To me this is dime-a-dozen pop punk, and I just can't see what makes this the least bit special. (1/5)

22. The Muffs: I'm A Dick – Pop punk, but with a little more character or something. Not really my thing, but it's a lot better than the previous track. More melodic, and it's got brevity on its side. (3/5)

23. Compulsive Gamblers: Negative Jerk – This is good. I love amped-up wild abandon like this. I suppose there must be some corner of garage/punk with a bunch of stuff like this, but I feel like I've only skimmed the surface. I could stand to hear a lot more. (4/5)

24. Rev. Beat Man & The Unbelievers: Fuck You Jesus, Fuck You Oh Lord – Here we've got more mania, but it's kind of plodding compared to the last track. The retarded keyboard thing is charming at first but quickly becomes maddening. Should have been at least a minute shorter. (2/5)

25. The Beat Farmers: Happy Boy – This is just completely great. "Unrateable"? Fuck that, this is genius. Great way to close out the mix. (5/5)


This is, overall, the best of the (3) mixes I've gotten so far. Even if I wasn't crazy about a lot of the songs, it held together and moved along really well. Also a decent amount of good stuff that I was unfamiliar with. It's not all the kind of down and dirty rock I was expecting, but there was a decent amount of variety and some stuff I wouldn't have thought you'd be into.

The "novelty" songs, as some people called them, were some of my favorites. Head and shoulders above the kind of stuff that usually gets that label. Humor doesn't automatically make a song novel.

Nice cover, too.

Thanks for the mix.

Radcliffe! The Musical

1. Frank Black & The Catholics: Billy Radcliffe – I'm a big fan of Mr. Black, and this is a fine example of his songwriting talents. 5/5

2. The Posies: I May Hate You Sometimes –Posies are one of those bands I've always wanted to check out but never really got around to. Not really what I was expecting at all. The songwriting kind of reminds of the Mama & the Papas. I think anyone whose been in a relationship can relate to this. Cool track. 4/5

3. Rank and File: I'm An Old Old Man – Never heard this band before or heard of them but I LOVE it. HONKY TONK. You might love my mix. 5/5

4. The Hoodoo Gurus: The Generation Gap – This song is okay but I'm not sure it really does anything to stand out in crowd of similar minded songs. 2.5/5

5. The Sonics: Psycho –What's not to like? Reminds me of everything great of 50's rock'n'roll. Soulfull vocals, driving r&b beat, and great horns. 5/5

6. Wanda Jackson: Mean, Mean, Mean – Proving that rockabilly was not just for male adolescents, Wanda Jackson matches her male counterparts in every capacity and is as much rock'n'roll as anybody. 4/5

7. Dave Allen & The Elastic Purejoy: I Feel The Comfort In The Ruin Of It My favorite find of this mix. Kind of quirky but in all the right ways. This song sounds like so many things and yet nothing at the same time. Good reminder of the almost unlimited possiblites within the standard limited "normal" rock. 5/5

8. The Awkward Stage: I Love You, Hipster Darling – In case you thought Radcliffe had a limited definition of rock, there's this song. Well I guess it's good to know that Rads has varied taste. But this song sucks. It's really hard to see you make fun of Belle & Sebastian and like this at the same time. 1/5

9. Llloyd Cole: Holier Than Thou – I love this song in context with Radcliffe's board personality. It's perfect in that aspect, really. While I enjoy the lyrics, it's kind of boring. 2.5/5

10. Ed Kuepper: So Close To Certainty – I hate this. Hate the somewhat unusual strings. I like the songwriting aside from that though. Wish I could hear a stripped down remix without it cause I think I'd love without it . But I can't ignore it. 2/5

11. Peter Perrett: Nothing Worth Doing – And we're back. I know nothing of this band but I'd figure it was released in the late 80's or early 90's. Love the way it picks up at about the 2:30 minute mark. 3.5/5

12. Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance: Don't Try And Change My Mind – I like this. Actually the songwriting reminds me of The Coral at their poppiest moments, which is when I like the Coral. 3.5/5

13. The Pyramidiacs: I Know What I Know – Good song but nothing terribly special. This could have been sung by the One-ders in that Tom Hanks movie. 3/5

14. Bob Segarini: Don't Believe A Word I Say – I've always had an affinty for this type of song. My dad always played this type stuff when I was growing up. 3.5/5

15. The Deathray Davies: Bitter Old Man Blues – I 've loved this band for some time. One of those bands how I don't understand how they've never gotten any hype. In a fair world, this would be played on the radio or at least get hyped enough for everyone to hate on the next album. 4.5/5

16. Roy Loney: I Couldn't Spell #@%! – Not sure how I feel about this. Like it except for #A%! part. It's hard for me to openly want to listen to guy making a fart sound. 2/5
17. Honeycrack: I Hate Myself And Everybody Else – I'm assuming this is your official theme song? It's great and lots of fun. 4/5

18. Blues Explosion: Fed Up And Low Down – Love the vocals but I've always felt that way about his vocals. I like this alot. Lots of fun and a great song to drive to. Off tune instrumentation that works when alot of time this type of stuff doesn't. But I think the vocals really keep it together.4/5

19. Robyn Hitchcock: Uncorrected Personality Traits – I'll probably never willingly listen to this again. It's fun on first listen but it's defintely not something I'd want to come back to, which is how I feel about most schticks. I see how it works within the contexts of the "musical" but it's unneccessary to listen to more than once. 2/5

20. Steve Wynn: Crawling Misanthropic Blues – Really cool track. I love songs that keep changing the pace like this and I like the rockabilly guitar. 5/5

21. Yesterday's Kids: The Shithead – I'm gonna steal DJ's review of this cause he says it better than I can. "This is a good stomper as well. I’m toe tapping and head bobbing. It’s got a beat like something off of a latter period Queens of the Stone Age album, but this is looser and more fun. It even pushed the 5 min mark and I didn’t give a shit. " 4/5

22. The Muffs: I'm A Dick – Love the guitar. I can totally relate to this song. 5/5

23. Compulsive Gamblers: Negative Jerk – This sounds like what the Dead Boys should have sounded like if they were a better band. Everything that's great about rock'n'roll is in this track. 5/5

24. Rev. Beat Man & The Unbelievers: Fuck You Jesus, Fuck You Oh Lord – I've always been upfront about my beliefs, so this song is kind of hard for me. On one hand it's great. Love the jazzy piano and the fuzz. Love the song in all capacities. Love that's it's dangerous and offensive. But at same time I still find it hard to listen to and not feel a little guilty, which I guess is the point. 3/5
25. The Beat Farmers: Happy Boy – The Tennesse Two lives but I don't like the way this song is sung. Not much on schticks as previously mentioned but I get the humor of putting this last on the mix. Points for the contexts of this mix but I'm not really a fan of the song. 2/5

Great mix and I made alot of discoveries of stuff I hadn't heard. In fact this mix more than anyone elses, illuminated the most discoveries of any of the mixes to date. However, I like the mix more out of the context of "Radcliffe the Musical". The theme is fun but it makes for song skipping. Still I'd rather sift through the crap in the mix to find the gems more than listen to alot of the other less inspired mixes I recieved.