Heart Beats Slow
38. Angus & Julia Stone, Live, Love, Bryan Ferry, Rain Tree Crow, Dijon feat. Mk.gee, The Bahamas, David Gray, Spooky Tooth, The Record Company
Once a week or so, I share a 10 song playlist of grooviness… My idea is to highlight music I love and to post sweet performances, outstanding videos and great audio recordings which tickle the ears and leave a lasting impression. Play just the ones you want or play dj, lining them up to listen to in succession. An index of all of john’s jukebox songs is here.
Heart Beats Slow by Angus & Julia Stone
2014 Angus & Julia Stone (Deezer Session)
Lightning Crashes by Live
1994 Throwing Copper
Little Red Book by Love
1966 Single (their first)
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door by Bryan Ferry
2007 Dylanesque
Blackwater by Rain Tree Crow
2009 Rain Tree Crow
Big Mike's (Live) by Dijon feat. Mk.gee
2021 Big Mike’s
Lost in the Light by The Bahamas
2012 Barchords
Say Hello Wave Goodbye by David Gray
1998 White Ladder
I Am the Walrus by Spooky Tooth
1970 The Last Puff
Off The Ground by The Record Company
2020 - Live from the Backyard
"Heart Beats Slow" reminds me a little of some of my favourite Michael Kiwanuka tracks. Julia's high notes remind me of a singer I can't put a name to at the moment. Superb track, thanks for the introduction.
I was going to say the opening of "Lightning Crashes" reminded me of a song I know, then realized it was this song! I didn't realize until looking it up that it was a tribute to a high-school mate killed by a drunk driver. Oof.
I've heard "Little Red Book" before, catchy track.
There are very few times Bryan Ferry has missed the mark for me, and this was not one. I first heard his cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" on the David Marsden's show on NYtheSpirit... divine!
Follow that up with another fave, the 1981 Japan lineup reunion project, Rain Tree Crow with the inimitable David Sylvian, my oh my. Coincidentally, yesterday I posted "Every Colour You Are" from this same album, without ever having seen it here; the song had been recommended to me by a friend who knows I'm a Sylvian admirer. I just love the development of their sound that got them to this point.
Dijon is new to me, quite an interesting performance piece that seems like it would defy classification. Bahamas: another new one for me. Beautiful in its simplicity. Oh, how the backup singers can lift a song up…
I’ve heard David Gray before; he comes up fairly often in my Apple Music personalized stream. His music (or at least what I’ve heard of it) has a kind of anthemic ballad quality. Great voices. Lovely song.
Spooky Tooth’s “I Am the Walrus” is a very interesting take on the original. Mike Harrison evokes for me a bit of Steppenwolf’s John Kay. My most potent memory of this song was from my childhood home. Parents were out, two of my older brothers were home, and playing this record and when the song came on they ran around shutting off all the lights and cranked it way up. I was under ten at the time and remember being terrified. This version probably would’ve had me running out into the street screaming. The female chorus is an ethereal touch. Whew. Powerful cover.
“Off the Ground” was a good comedown from the previous track. Nice bluesy number and I was getting slight hints of George Thorogood’s “Who Do you Love?”.
Thanks, John. Another fine list, wonderfully curated and I played the songs one after another, cueing them up post-ads for continuity. They flow well together!