5 songs on repeat in my head (April 4, 2025)
TL;DR -- I don't just listen to Phish and old folk music. These days, I've been listening to some very funky gospel music, and some old favorites by the Dead Kennedys, Chip Taylor, and Bob Dylan.
When I decided to write on Substack, I knew I was going to write about the Anthology of American Folk Music, but I also wanted to write shorter pieces about music as well. This is one such piece, and I shan’t bother with any further introduction… these are simply five tracks that are on repeat in my brain these days.
Idiot Wind - Bob Dylan - This isn’t the official “Blood on the Tracks” version of this song. It’s an outtake from the New York City sessions for the album. To my ear, (which has listened to many hours of Bob Dylan performances), it is one of the most incredible Dylan performances captured on tape. It’s utterly perfect. Tony Brown, the bassist on this track, passed away last month, and since I read the news, I’ve been revisiting the New York Sessions, and I swear, this performance leaves me speechless every time.
Fuck All the Perfect People - Chip Taylor and the New Ukrainians - We live in peculiar times. You were probably well aware of this fact and my observation comes as no surprise. I share it just in case you think you’re the only one who feels that way.
This song, written by the legendary Chip Taylor (the same guy who wrote “Wild Thing” and “Angel of the Morning”), and released over a dozen years ago, is a fitting song for these peculiar times, at least it is to me. But, I’m the kind of person who says “fuck” a lot. So, there’s that. Efforts to curb my use of the word are short-lived, because sometimes, nothing gets the job done like a good old fashioned F-bomb.
While I was writing this article for you good people, I went to YouTube to get the official video for this magnificent song, but I can’t embed it here because there’s a dirty word in the song and YouTube wants you to verify your age before you hear it. Here’s a link to the official video, and I do recommend watching the video. But, if you wanna hang around and see what the other 3 songs are, listen to what’s on this video (with the exact same audio as the video I can’t embed… remember how I was saying we live in peculiar times?? yeah… peculiar.)
This Could Be Anywhere - Dead Kennedys - This is the penultimate song on side one of the band’s 1985 album Frankenchrist. To be completely honest, the entire first side of the album has been in my head a lot lately, but I wanted to pick just one song to share, so I made it this one.
If you’re not familiar with the album, I would suggest giving it a few spins. The songs on side one are sequenced beautifully, exquisitely playing off of one another and enhance the dystopian vibe. Side two didn’t age quite as well as side one, but it’s still potent stuff.
Like a Ship · Pastor T.L. Barrett & The Youth For Christ Choir - This song has experienced a renaissance over the past decade or so. I don’t even recall the first time I heard it, but I was immediately struck. Listen to that rhythm section. That bassist is setting the place on fire!
Walking On - The Relatives - Brothers Gean and Tommie West of Dallas, Texas formed the Relatives in 1970, a band made some seriously funky, psychedelic gospel music, the likes of which you may have never heard before. They made a few recordings, but weren’t terribly well received at the time, and they called it quits in 1980. Fortunately for all of us, the Relatives reunited in 2009, and went on to record two albums, The Electric Word (2013) and Goodbye World (2016).
The song is so funky that I’m sharing two different recordings. This first one was originally released in 1971 on the Lewis Records label out of Shreveport, Louisiana.
The second selection is live performance from 2013. The song’s title is different, and the instruments are less prominent in the mix, but the Relatives deliver the goods.
If you want to learn more about the Relatives, their Wikipedia page is the easiest place to start.
‘til next time.
~Rodney