MP3 of the Day

Today we have the very first song I ever wrote and recorded. The song is called "Knee-High Susan" and it was the first of about 20 songs I recorded under the name Six Cents and Natalie. I never released any of these initial recordings, but I did dub a few cassettes and mail them to some fanzines hoping to receive a review... I never got one that I know of. Here is Knee-High Susan by SIX CENTS AND NATALIE.

Some time later, "Knee-High Susan" became a Crayon song and it appeared on the album Brick Factory. Here is the CRAYON version of Knee-High Susan.

TULLYCRAFT TUESDAY

Shortly after the release of the third Tullycraft album, Beat Surf Fun, we made an appearance on the Seattle radio show Audio Oasis on KEXP. We chatted with host, John Richards and performed live in the studio. The short set included the song "Glitter & Twang" - this was the one (and only) time we attempted to play this song live (outside of our practice space). Despite many requests, "Glitter & Twang" never became part of the Tullycraft set. Jenny pushed to play it live a number of times over the last couple years, but for one reason or another it just never happened. Today we have a portion of this recording from KEXP, including a brief interview with John Richards and the song Glitter & Twang performed live.

MP3 of the Day

As promised, all this week we're going back to the vault (aka the basement) to dig up Tullycraft & (pre-tullycraft) rarities. I apologize in advance, I realize these may only interest a handful of people. Some of these MP3s may not be for the weak of heart, so consider yourself forewarned.

We're kicking off the week with a true rarity. In November 1996, Jen Abercrombie (from the L.A. band Rizzo) and I recorded a song together on her VS-880 portable 8-track. We completed the song in a single evening, and we agreed to call our "band" Cosgrove. Today we have the one and only COSGROVE song, They're There. This track appeared on the 1997 Motorcoat Records compilation Never Kept A Diary.

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful comments left on Friday's post. I want to be clear, I'm not quitting, I'm just taking a few weeks off. I'll be posting this week (starting tomorrow), and I think I'll do a few posts next week before my break begins. Thanks again for all the kind words and well-wishes!

- Sean

I've decided to take a few weeks off from the "MP3 of the Day" posts in October. I'm actually not sure if anyone even reads this blog, so my absence may go completely unnoticed. Before my sabbatical I'm going to dedicate next week to Tullycraft (and pre-tullycraft) rarities that I recently unearthed in my basement. Have a great weekend!

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson ran the 100-meter dash in 9.79 seconds and won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. However, Johnson was stripped of the medal three days later when he tested positive for steroids. Today we have the song The Stars of Track and Field by BELLE AND SEBASTIAN recorded live on the BBC.

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1993, Jeff and I were on a West Coast tour with our first band, Crayon. We were driving north (from L.A.) on Highway 101, on our way to a show we had booked in San Francisco on Sept 25th. Today we have an excerpt from the journal that Crayon guitarist/vocalist, Brad Roberts was keeping on the trip. How do I have Brad's journal? Portions were printed in a fanzine after our tour. (For those of you keeping track, Ken was our driver/merch guy). Today we have the CRAYON song All The Stars - Brad sings this one. This song appeared on the One Last Kiss compilation on spinART Records.

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1986, the television sitcom ALF premiered on NBC. The show was about an extraterrestrial named ALF (Alien Life Form), who crash lands into the garage of a Riverside, California suburban middle class family. The show ran for four seasons, and in the series finale, ALF is about to be rescued by a ship from his home planet, but is instead captured by the US military. Viewers were left to ponder ALF's ultimate fate, when the original airing ended with a "To Be Continued" message. The producers of the show supposedly had a verbal agreement with NBC to produce at least one more episode to resolve the cliffhanger. NBC never made good on the deal, and the series was cancelled. Today we have the song Anxious and Worrying by DEFIANCE OHIO.

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1999, The Magnetic Fields played at the Crocodile Café in Seattle, WA. The 69 Love Songs album had only been released in the US two weeks prior to this performance, so the album's impact hadn't been fully felt yet. I've seen The Magnetic Fields a number of times since this show, and the opening notes of "Papa Was A Rodeo" are always greeted by audience applause. At this performance, the album and song were still so new that this didn't occur. It's strange to hear how quietly this recording begins. Today we have Papa Was A Rodeo live at the Crocodile Café in 1999.

MP3 of the Day

Founding member of the The Ramones, Dee Dee Ramone was born on this day in 1951. Though nearly all of the Ramones' songs were credited equally to all of the band members, Dee Dee was the group's primary lyricist and songwriter. He was the bass guitarist for the band from their formation in 1974 until he left the group in 1989. After he quit the Ramones, Dee Dee continued to write songs for them, contributing at least three songs to each album. Dee Dee struggled with drug addiction for much of his life, especially heroin. He began using drugs as a teenager, and continued to use for the majority of his adult life. On June 5, 2002, Dee Dee died of a heroin overdose in his Hollywood, California apartment. Today we have the ultimate tribute to Dee Dee with the song, Rockaway Beach For Me, Heartbreak Hotel For You by HELEN LOVE.

Happy Birthday Curt!

Curt (from Magic Marker Records) is celebrating his birthday today. We have two songs on this Thursday, Happy Birthday by ALTERED IMAGES, and I Was The Drummer In Altered Images by BOYRACER. Happy Birthday Curt!

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1996, Elliot Smith opened-up for Sebadoh at Gibson's in Tempe, Arizona. He played a 35 minute set that ended with a cover of The Kinks' song "Waterloo Sunset." Today we have a live version the song Division Day and a brief interview with Elliot Smith recorded in 1997 at KCRW FM in Santa Monica, CA.

TULLYCRAFT TUESDAY

Today we have another installment of Tullycraft Tuesday (i.e. a band or artist covering a Tullycraft song). On this Tuesday we have the Portuguese band, MAMMIES & KIDS performing the song Superboy & Supergirl live in Lisbon, Portugal.

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1959, after a 33 hour flight, radio signals from the Soviet space probe Luna 2 abruptly ceased, and it crashed onto the surface of the Moon. The probe became the first man-made object to ever reach the Moon. Today we have the song, Hit the Ground by The DARLING BUDS.

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1995, BLUR released their fourth album, The Great Escape. The record received glowing reviews and it was a huge seller on its initial release, reaching #1 on the UK album chart. Despite this, Damon Albarn stated in 2007, "I've made two bad records. The first record, which is awful, and The Great Escape, which was messy." Today we have a live recording of The Universal, a song from the The Great Escape album. This was recorded at a concert in London, England (February 1997). Happy Friday!

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1982, R.E.M. played a show in Reseda, CA. They were the second band on a three band bill. Following the upbeat Untouchables, R.E.M. came on and started their set with a couple slower tempo songs. The crowd started booing by the second song, and by the third song they started throwing cups of beer and small objects at the band. When a cup of beer hit Michael Stipe in the face, R.E.M. quickly left the stage. The English Beat came on shortly thereafter and restored dance music to the venue. Today we have a live recording of the Mamas & the Papas' classic California Dreamin' performed by R.E.M..

Locke and the Monster... together again!

At the Bumbershoot music and arts festival in Seattle last weekend, three writer/producers of the show LOST sat on a panel and discussed the series. In addition to hints to about the sixth and final season, they revealed plans for a Saturday morning spin-off cartoon called Locke and the Monster, in which Locke and the Smoke Monster teach kids lessons and build things together. Which begs the question: What's the deal with John Locke?

Today we have the song Lost by THE MARY ONETTES.

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 1997, Cornershop released their third album, When I Was Born for the 7th Time on Wiiija/Warner Bros Records. Today we have the Mucho Mucho Bolan Boogie Mix of the international hit single Brimful Of Asha by CORNERSHOP.

A Tale of Two Sleeves

I was attempting to organize my basement this past weekend and I stumbled on some old Magnetic Fields 7" sleeves that I had forgotten about. This discovery gave me the idea to share the story behind the sleeves.

In September 1991, the Magnetic Fields debut 7" 100,000 Fireflies b/w Old Orchard Beach was released on Harriet Records, out of Boston. The cover of the single was a painting by Linda Smith that Stephin Merritt had on display in his apartment. The original painting had been painted in color, but the record sleeves were initially printed one color (silver). In April 1992, Tim Alborn from Harriet Records, wanted to do a special run of the single with a full color sleeve, but the cost was prohibitive. At the time, I had a job at Kinko's and I told Tim I could get him "a deal" on color copies if he wanted to go that route. With this deal presenting itself, somehow Tim talked Stephin into sending his original painting to a kid at a Kinko's in Washington state. When the painting arrived I printed 500 sleeves in full color, hand folded each of them, and then shipped both the painting and the sleeves back to Boston. Shortly thereafter the limited edition 100,000 Fireflies 7" w/ full-color sleeve was released. That's how the "alternate cover" (as it is sometimes referred to) came to be.

Today we have both 100,000 Fireflies and the b-side Old Orchard Beach from this debut single. For what it's worth, in 2004, Glide Magazine (?) ranked the song 100,000 Fireflies, #2 on its list of the 20 Top Modern Rock Songs Of The Past Decade (1994-2004) right behind Oasis' Wonderwall. Happy Friday! Have a great long weekend.

MP3 of the Day

I caught Fishboy this past weekend at the Vera Project (here in Seattle) and they were terrific as always. If they happen to come thru your town don't miss them! In fact, they are playing tomorrow night at the Replay Lounge in Lawrence, Kansas. Today we have the song Gabe Saucedo Hates My Guts by FISHBOY from the Nom EP.

MP3 of the Day

On this day in 2003, Okkervil River released their second full-length album, Down The River Of Golden Dreams. The album was recorded with engineer Scott Solter at Tiny Telephone in San Francisco. Today we have the song War Criminal Rises And Speaks from the album, Down The River Of Golden Dreams.

TULLYCRAFT TUESDAY

Today we have another installment of Tullycraft Tuesday (i.e. a band or artist covering a Tullycraft song). On this Tuesday we have a song that we received out of the blue. Last week MATHEW BELL sent us his terrific, accordion-filled version of Christine, ND. Mathew is originally from Fort Walton Beach Florida, but he is currently a student at the University of Florida in Gainesville. If you're like Mathew, and you happen to record a Tullycraft song on a "hand-me-down accordion" (or any instrument), send it our way and we'll feature it on the site. Happy Tuesday!