YE OLDE BLOG » mellow http://www.yeoldeweb.com/blog music from the collection of a quasi-retired vinyl dj Sat, 14 Apr 2012 02:54:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Musical Cousins: Kid Cudi & Paul Simon http://www.yeoldeweb.com/blog/2009/02/28/musical-cousins-kid-cudi-paul-simon http://www.yeoldeweb.com/blog/2009/02/28/musical-cousins-kid-cudi-paul-simon#comments Sat, 28 Feb 2009 18:53:43 +0000 -G. http://www.yeoldeweb.com/blog/?p=926 [...]]]> kidcudi  

Kid Cudi
50 Ways To Make A Record
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Album: A Kid Named Cudi (Mixtape, 2008)

paulsimon  

Paul Simon
50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
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Album: Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)

One of the benefits of sampling other artists’ songs is that I get to rediscover music that I haven’t heard in a while. Such is the case with this edition of Musical Cousins.

One of the many (too many) year-end “best of” lists I read was The 10 Best Mixtapes of 2008 (all free, by the way). Most of them were not of interest to me, but I checked out a couple. The freshest was from Kid Cudi, a Cleveland singer-rapper who, as a result of his mixtape, became a protege of Kanye West.

Cudi has a laid back flow and a respectable singing voice. But what really brought a smile to my face was a throwaway track, a semi-cover of Paul SImon’s “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” which he reworked as “50 Ways To Make A Record.” Yeah, the new lyrics are insidery and on its own, this track won’t move the needle for Cudi’s burgeoning career, but hearing that militaristic drum line took me back instantly.

I probably hadn’t heard Paul Simon’s version for at least 20 years, so after listening to Cudi’s track I downloaded the original immediately. Wow, what a great song (a 5-star classic, fo’ sho’). The song shifts — both musically and lyrically — from the wistful realization of dissatisfaction in the narrator’s relationship to the buoyant catharsis of letting go and finding relief through freedom. Simon is that rare artist who is equally skilled as a songwriter, singer, and musician and this classic is a testament to his talents.

Thanks, Kid Cudi, for shepherding me back to this song after all these years.

 

]]> http://www.yeoldeweb.com/blog/2009/02/28/musical-cousins-kid-cudi-paul-simon/feed 0 My Mixes http://www.yeoldeweb.com/blog/2009/01/05/my-mixes http://www.yeoldeweb.com/blog/2009/01/05/my-mixes#comments Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:00:06 +0000 -G. http://www.yeoldeweb.com/blog/?p=11 gsimpsons2   Da Ish
Hip Hop
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Heavy Vibes
Eclectic
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Liquefy
Mellow
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A few mixes I’ve made over the years, back when I had time to DJ

Da Ish track listing:

  1. Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg – Deep Cover
  2. The Notorious B.I.G. – I Got A Story To Tell
  3. KRS-One – Outta Here
  4. L.O.X. – Ryde Or Die, Bitch (Instrumental)
  5. Jeru The Damaja – Static
  6. The Roots – Distortion To Static
  7. Ultramagnetic MC’s – Poppa Large
  8. Main Source – Looking At The Front Door
  9. EPMD – So Wat Cha Sayin’
  10. The Phracyde (w/The Brand New Heavies) – Soul Flower
  11. The Jungle Brothers – Sounds Of The Safari
  12. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – Freedom
  13. Leaders Of The New School – Mt. Airy Groove
  14. De La Soul (w/The Native Tongues) – A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays (Remix)
  15. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – The Creator
  16. Brand Nubian – Ragtime
  17. Chubb Rock (w/Howie Tee) – Ya Badd Chubbs

 
Heavy Vibes track listing:

  1. (can’t remember)
  2. Jay-Z – Lobster & Scrimp (Instrumental)
  3. De La Soul – Baby Phat
  4. Alicia Myers – I Want To Thank You
  5. Sylvia Striplin – Give Me Your Love
  6. Montana Orchestra – Heavy Vibes
  7. (can’t remember)
  8. Fonda Rae – Over Like A Fat Rat
  9. The J.B.’s – (It’s Not The Express) It’s The J.B.’s Monaurail
  10. Young MC – Principal’s Office (Instrumental)
  11. Juicy – Sugarfree
  12. St. Germain – Sure Thing
  13. Soul II Soul – Jazzie’s Groove (Instrumental)
  14. Showbiz & A.G. – Next Level (Remix)
  15. Girlfriend – Alicia Keys (Ye Olde Remix)
  16. Tosca – Orozco
  17. Maze (w/Frankie Beverly) – Before I Let Go

 
Liquefy track listing:

  1. Walter Wanderley – Wave
  2. Latimore – Let’s Straighten It Out
  3. Bilal – Soul Sista
  4. Rose Royce – I Wanna Get Next To You
  5. Les McCann – Sometimes I Cry
  6. Stan Getz (w/Luiz Bonfa) – Saudabe Vem Correndo
  7. The Impressions – Gypsy Woman
  8. Earth, Wind & Fire – Reasons
  9. Sade – Is It A Crime
  10. Bob Marley – Running Away
  11. Bill Withers – I Don’t Know
  12. Al Hirt – Harlem Hendoo
  13. (can’t remember!)
  14. Kool & The Gang – Heaven At Once
  15. The Stylistics – People Make The World Go Round
  16. Carole King – So Far Away
  17. Erykah Badu (w/Stephen Marley) – In Love With You
  18. Gil Scott-Heron (w/Brian Jackson) – Winter In America
  19. Roberta Flack – Feel Like Makin’ Love

 

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