All Together Now, One More Time!

Artwork by Andy Parrish

I think maybe those dastardly scoundrels Simon and Garfunkel didn't appreciate me posting their cheery, clap-heavy hit, "Cecilia," and so Handclaps Part 1 was completely removed. Can anyone help me figure out how to make the track downloadability temporary? I'll post the playlist and, for now, you'll have to email me if you want to hear any of those tracks. The playlist might still be available for a listing via the Hypemachine.

Nothing says good times like handclaps, and boy, are there a lot of good times to be had. This is part one of the handclap series which harkens back to the days when everyone was so much cooler than they are today.

Big Joe Turner - Shake Rattle and Roll
Joe Turner is the man. He's always ordering his women around and threatening them with baseball bats and perving out on their transparent frocks, but he does it all with such lively enthusiasm!

The Routers - Let's Go (Pony)
The origin of ubiquitous stadium stomps revealed.

The Dixie Cups - Iko Iko
Blast this on the boombox during Mardi Gras.

Martha & The Vandellas - Jimmy Mack
Either Martha is just a faithful little sweetheart, or this Jimmy must be something really special.

Jimmy Soul - If You Wanna Be Happy for the Rest of Your Life
Sage advice for the gentlemen with dreams of marrying supermodels.

Irma Thomas - Break-A-Way
If you want to hear an awesome version of "Time Is on My Side", check out Irma's, which was released the same year as the Stones'.

The Angels - My Boyfriend's Back
Perfectly snotty fun.

Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
Oh man, Cecilia must be one of those pretty women Jimmy was talking about. She gets around.

Chicken Band

Now, I'm not saying you should go out and copy this guy, but you should feel a little disappointed in yourself that you didn't think of this idea and try and make a go of it. Anyone who starts a band with chickens named Patsy Cline and Kitty Wells deserves more than a little credit. And guess what? They might be making a comeback.

Here's to a More Epic Wednesday

I recommend closing your eyes for these six minutes.

Andre Ethier - Pride of Egypt Ethierspace

I wonder if Dodgers' Andre Ethier likes this song.

Dance Crazes Not Yet Discovered

I knew someone would come through with a fabulous follow-up to Dance Crazes That Never Caught On. Actually, I knew it would be Yetsko. Welcome to Undiscovered Dance Crazes. Let's get down:

Traveling Wilburys - Wilbury Twist Buy It
This dance sounds totally hard but totally worth it. And if you know nothing about the Wilburys, try and pick out the vocals of what are surely some of your favorite rock and roll stars.

Hasil Adkins - Chicken Walk Buy It
Hasil is such a bad-ass down-n-dirty original. Would this dance come off as completely goofy or strangely sexy?

Charles Sheffield - The Kangaroo
I'm guessing this dance fell the way of the Peanut Duck, but it's smooth, swingy and danceable nonetheless.

Les Sexareenos - Everybody Sexareeno! Buy It
Where did these guys come from? Did they materialize from all the weird shit collecting in Geetz Romo's garage?

The Real Kids - Do The Boob Buy It
Another incredible, incredibly obscure band I would have never known about if not for the fact that I have incredibly cool friends.

Roger & The Gypsies - Pass The Hatchet Buy It
It's time for a little funk.

J. Hines and the Boys - Funky Bumblebee
And, maybe, just a little more.

Monday Mix: Doing the What?

Dance Crazes That Never Caught On

A good dance craze, ideally, has an eponymous song to go with it. But only a few have stood the test of time and have been retained in the hearts and, well, soles of the American public. A good dance-craze party (e.g. wedding) should include a few fab hits like the Twist, the Locomotion, The Walk Like an Egyptian, and, yes, probably the Chicken Dance. Avoid the Macarena unless your party is full of nerds who would be totally into that sort of thing. But, after you've twisted, ponyed, boogalooed and watusied, play a few of these not-so-popular dance crazes:

The Tammys- Egyptian Shumba Buy It
Holy Shit. Have you ever heard girls freak out like this before? Goes best with uncontrollable convulsions.

Chubby Checker- The Mess Around Buy It
I know Chubby says this is a dance, but I'm not so sure. The originator of the Twist sounds like he's ready to skip the dancing and get down to business.

Kilima Hawaiians- Hula Samba Buy It
Dutch+Hawaiian+Hula+Samba. A marvelous mash-up. (Thanks, Y)

The Goodies- Sophisticated Boom-Boom Buy It
It would be awesome if every time you got stood up for a date, a group of enthusiastic teens were there to teach you a new dance so you could heal your bruised ego.

Marsha Gee- Peanut Duck Buy It
Nice try, Marsha. It's hard for a nation to be swept by a song about duck that sounds like it's choking on a peanut. But hey–it's fun, wacky, and worth trying out.

The Dirtbombs- The Thing Buy It
It's a little vague for a dance, don't you think? I highly recommend The Dirtbombs' Ultraglide In Black, a fabulous mix of infectious soul and funk covers. If I wake up to this record, I will dance myself out of bed.

The Frenchmen- Shake the Baby (A Dance)
Never attempt with a real baby. For real. Like how when you lasso-dance, you're not actually using a lasso on your partner.

Roxy Music- Do The Strand Buy It
How?? Tell me how!!

Got any awesomely unpopular dance crazes that should be added to this tiny sampling? Let me know below.

Please Read Me

I checked out Please Kill Me from the CU library my freshman year of college on a friend's recommendation. You should check it out too. It's set up as a pastiche of narratives from all the key players in the 60s-70s New York punk scene, and it's priceless. Lou Reed, Joey Ramone, Iggy Pop, Andy Warhol, Richard Hell, Nico, and all their tragically hip, drugged-out pals and bandmates contribute.

If you're still not ready to commit to a library trip and the inevitable overdue fines you're going to rack up, go ahead and get a feel for it at Google Books.

The Stooges- 1969

Kick-Ass Fabric Store Soundtrack Alert

The fabric store in closest proximity Hypercorrect Headquarters is the Hancock Fabrics located on 42nd and Wadsworth. Last Wednesday, I found myself wandering around there in a sort of morose and bewildered stupor after a very distressing week.

But that’s not at all the point of this posting. The big news that Hypercorrect needs to share is that the Hancock Fabrics on 42nd and Wadsworth plays KICK-ASS MUSIC, like, ALL THE TIME. Hypercorrect finds themselves at Hancock rather often, usually when our combined super brain power is needed to make critically important craft- and sewing-related decisions. Every time we’re there, whatever corporate satellite station they pump over the speakers is always playing a really marvelous mix. It’s the kind of mix that would be on the jukebox if Hypercorrect owned a cool dive bar (It goes without saying that it would be a cool bar if it was owned by Hypercorrect). Or if Hypercorrect were DJs at a snooty club. I get so distracted by the playlist at Hancock that I can’t even focus on matching buttons with rickrack with zippers with thread.

Here’s just a small excerpt of Hancock Fabrics’ Fab Wednesday Afternoon Soundtrack:
Break it to Me Gently - Brenda Lee
Mr. Pitiful - Otis Redding
Tossing and Turning - Bobby Lewis
Where Have all the Good Times Gone? - The Kinks
Everybody’s Talking at Me - Harry Nilsson
Bring it on Home to Me - Sam Cooke

Listening to lyrics like “Well, once we had an easy ride and always felt the same/Time was on our side and I had everything to gain/Let it be like yesterday…” makes the search for sewing supplies in a sad, fluorescently-lit suburban store seem really evocative and important. And Hypercorrect always loves it when the events of everyday life seem really evocative and important.