M Is FOR MASHUP - July 18th, 2012
Guest Column
You Can't Mash That - Volume 28 - note, news & nonsense
By DmR of AtoZ By DJ Useo
Over the summer of 2011, TjT enlisted DmR of AtoZ ( Dave Roberts - yours twirly ) beyond the first couple artworks he did for
compilations into a regular gig at it . . often sending track listings for the next 2 or 3 volumes in advance !
When the roster for a solo-Fabs set came ( Vol. 27 ), AtoZ couldn't help but whimper "oh crikey, I wish I'd known a solo-set was
comin' . . I've got so many in the works . . would'a gotten a couple ready !"
Tj's response was essentially "well then, what say you actually compile a volume then ? Gives me a little break to boot !"
What seemed like moments later, AtoZ released "I Want Winkies" just in time for Halloween, and soon proposed a spooky themed
Mash volume for next year's days of Ween.
This soon all coalesced into such a plan as :
Volume 31 - for October 31st.
and, "Now I'm Volume 32 . . . and All I Wanna' Do . . . Is Switcheroo !"
AtoZ continued work on both visionary sets, meekly seeking submissions, as the months tumbled by, and the Volumes trickled out :
25 . . .26 . . 27 . . .
By early June he realized TjT hadn't posted or emailed in a few weeks and "good heavens !! . . the last Volume went out in late
February ?!?"
Contacting TjT with this exaggerated crisis, TjT said he'd been fine, doing other real-life type stuff, and had been a bit creatively dry
just lately.
After AtoZ went into a typical schpiel about "well, sometimes you just have to stop and inhale . . . soon you'll be exhaling again and
you'll huff n' puff till you blow us all down !"
But both of these odd men decided to honor AtoZ's cute n' corny idea of getting Vol. 31 out for the 31st, so why doesn't he just helm
the next couple too and hush his whiny face about it ?!
"Oh . . ok . . very cool . . instead of slowly ramping up over a full year's time to assembling his first ever compilation of all the these
towering legends of mashness . . he'll simply change gears and get his first one out . . . say . . . NOW !!"
AtoZ had been having delightful phone-calls w/ DJ Konrad Useo for a couple months already, and when discussing this newest
foolhardy notion, it seemed natural to maybe alternate volumes between them.
TjT was everso pleased to hear that . . . afterall, Useo is a proven compiler and all `round MC who releases a wide-range of
collections about as often as the rest of us brush teeth !
And let us face it . . AtoZ hasn't yet proven himself in these tasks.
Sure . . let him take the wheel . . we may only end-up in a lovely and scenic ditch !
I am sure am proud and pleased with the whole package, I must say.
I did the artwork again for this one . . . cast my net into BRG & YouTube, and places TjT suggested that I hadn't explored yet, such
as GYBO . . found a selection of tracks I was thrilled with, and sequenced `em up right nice.
I know my strengths tho', and the whole world of EQs, compression and such ain't one of `em !
But Mr. Usey ? He a genius !
All tracks went to him in the highest quality and he tickled their waveforms and made `em all play nice together.
A general sonic balancement emanates from the whole thing at no extra cost to you.
Enough Hufflepuff ! --- Here's some track-by-track notes :
Volume 28 :
1- Speakerboxx Palace - DJ Cubanessence
Back in 2009, on BRG, "Loveless" posted a thread including "Speakerboxx Palace", which MP3J especially enjoyed --
( beatlesremixers.freeforums.org/post3859.html?hilit=Speakerboxx%20Palace#p3859 )
There's only a couple other search results for it too :
A YouTube video at right around the same time, uploaded by "rockawells", and a MySpace listing by DJ Cubanessence . . that's it.
So who does credit go to ? . . . are they maybe all the same guy ??
I went with "DJ Cubanessence" cuz I eventually realized it's not so much the moniker of a wanna-be salsa king, but a clever play on
Cabinessence !
If the rightful masher wants to straighten me out, I'd love to hear from you. . . all 3 of ya' !
Plus, I found no artswork anywhere for it, so I whipped this one up . . also for it !
2- and The Band Played Get Back
(( The Hills Where You Once Belonged )) - AtoZ
Original notes :
I'm thinkin' I've made a noticeable leap with this one, a satisfying leap in mash-craft !
It's tighter, . . . it's slicker . . and it just feels like it'd be one a' my "hit singles", if such a thing were applicable.
I don't remember the precise moment with this one of listening to the instrumental "Get Back" tracks and . . actually, wait . . . read
as I type and it comes to me. . . . .:
I had found the acapellas for The Temptations "Ball of Confusion" and in pondering what I'd do to do justice to this long-time fave, I
heard the loping beat of "Get Back" tune-in and "Get Behind" the vocals.
I sure do love my imaginative head !
The "Get Tracks" are among the sterling Mogg files, yes . . but this Fab item was recorded more "live" then most, and the individual
tracks have more mic leakage to `em.
I knew I wanted Ringo's airy, galloping drums strong and swingin' in the mix, and the distant vocals & guitars we hear are indeed on
that track . . at's alright, I believe I've balanced out the overall arrangement quite nicely.
And as much time as I spent since starting it in mid-August of `11, polishing little moments over n' over, I'm so pleased and proud
that it generally plays quite naturally.
I mean, like . . . it sounds pretty much like a performance.
Back Peckings - MP3J
from MP3J's latest "WTF", #67.
You guys ever roll your eyes when you first hear someone having another bash at "Walrus" or "Back In The USSR" or "_________" ?
As many times as folks have used "USSR", I think this may be the best & most natural yet !
Come Together ( remix ) - TjT
From Tj's "Abbey Road Remix".
Apparently first released in 2005, according to BRG . . and then the entire disc was revised in 2010 once the RockBand Mogg files
were amongst us. ( I must soon compare the two )
This remix of "Come Together" belongs on the very first major-label foray into "presenting The Monsters of Mash-Ups" !
It is both professionally tight, and Terminus-type clever as always.
I was telling Useo that the single-track version was the perfect place for the back-cover as artwork . . a handy reference while
listening even ! . . but I had no track to which to attach the front-cover !
He volunteered his track here, but the Beatles vs Queen art certainly deserves it's proper place.
Wait a tic . . . what better track for the front-cover then for the guy who first suggested that the Fabtastic Four design was a better
back-cover, and that "Super-Fabs" should be the front ?!
Yeah . . the "Super-Fabs" originally had more room for titles n' such, and the Fabtastic idea had come first anyhoot.
However . . . thanks for the upgraded vision Mr. Executive Producer !
Don't Let Me Down On The Dancefloor - Fissunix
Scrolling / trawling back thru the months on GYBO, I found this from June, 2011.
How did this not even appear posted on BRG ? . . much less on no "You Can't Mash That" yet ??
Glorious pop-single simplicity.
That's why it inspired the "sticker-gag" on the cover.
"Damn label ! . . shipping our beautifully designed album with this dumb, crooked sticker stuck !! . . . they might be right, tho' "
I Wanna Be Your Man, One More Time - MP3J
It might be over a year ago now, I was diggin' thru MP3J's earlier works . . might've even been lookin' for something particular . . .
but I found this atmospheric little ditty. And I considered it for the currently upcoming Halloween Volume too, it's nearly spooky
enough.
Now MP3J has just gotta' go back to "Sandinista" and mash "Mensforth Hill" w/ "Revolution 9", and we've got a "Clash Mash" project in
the works.
Bicycle Race 64 - DJ Useo
From Konrad Useo's June 2012 release . . a full album-length mash of Beatles on Queen ( or vice versa ).
Several strong stand-outs, but this one's just perfect.
It works so well, section-to-section, that even the one moment which could sound like a shifty-clash of subtly off-timed editing . . as
Paul sings "I could be handy mending a fuse" and the guitars crash in ??
This does not sound like Usey going "ooh, forgot that change was coming" . . it sounds like Paul had a hair of a moment of catching
himself !
It's just that perfect.
Also --- I asked Useo about the title :
"Not really many variations between "When I'm 64" and "Bicycle Race" to come up with for a title, huh ?
"yeah . . it's just 'ok' "
"Well, if you not above slight word modifying, there's actually still "When Bicycles Race" or "When I Race".
"I like that first one . . go ahead, I don't mind"
"Yeah . . but I already flattened the artwork . .hmm"
So now it's a sub-title why not ?
Taxman On a Carousel - AtoZ
At the time of this compilation's assembly & release, this track hasn't yet debuted on it's own "out there".
The video's ready n' all . . I just got a bit busy w/ Vol. 28 here. Plus "Get Up" ( track 12 ) was due to debut ahead of it.
I was finally catching up with the Ocean's films : "Ocean's 11", 12 & 13, online.
About 2/3rds of the way thru "Ocean's 12" comes this part of the score - "Yen On A Carousel" . . . Geez !, what a natural fit for
"Taxman" !! And I wasn't the first to say so neither. There's even a "who sampled" site that claims David Holmes actually samples
"Taxman", but I'm not sure I hear it that directly . . . anybody ?
This is a real "daylight / daytime" piece from me, which is a bit rare.
Most of mine seem more suited to night-play. I drive a suburban-cab overnight, so most of my listening is in "the wee hours",
tooling around on night-streets. It's naturally when I'm working on stuff on my nights off as well . . and then I'm putting versionsin-
progress on the iPod to play over n' over and generate new ideas on those same night streets too.
But this one is bright and sunny enough that it can escape the vampire world it's brothers inhabit, and live round-the-clock.
I suppose all of mine can, some are just more comfortable in the night-realm from which they came.
You Won't See Me Looking Through You - BDJ
Let's let BDJ speak for himself, ey ?
"There's a lot of seeing and looking on Rubber Soul. These Macca songs bear a strong resemblance, both in music and lyrics.
So here's a mash of You Won't See Me with I'm Looking Through You. Both songs express rather angry feelings towards Macca's
( ex ? ) lover, a sentiment Lennon also used on various occasions.
This mix is almost a 1 on 1 overlay of one over the other, just a semi-tone adjustment of the pitch. Co-incidence ? "
Ticket To The Sun - BRAT
BRAT is someone else I discovered while traipsing thru GYBO.
The first piece of his I encountered is "I am The Mashup", and that was the early candidate for this collection . . but it didn't "fit"
quite as well as "Ticket To The Sun" does here.
"I am The Mashup" is likely slotted for Vol. 30, and I can't hardly wait !
Breathe Eleanor, Breathe Damn It ! - 9b - Mashed and Confused
The download of Mashed and Confused's track here ( also from GYBO ) had the title tagged with "- 9A".
I'm sure that must be from his work-versions . . I know how often my versions-in-progress are called "11b" or such.
The only reason I've called it "9b" here is out of respect, & to denote a minor variation :
His track, as is, ends with a slow minute-long fade-out of Pink Floyd's track, unadorned. As lovely as that is, here we are crossfading
into the final track and a minute of Floyd, Pink or otherwise, is a bit of a mood-breaker.
The new ( for this comp only ) fade also works rather nicely under The Fabs on the single-track version !
Get Up - AtoZ
Had enough with the 'reading my written' yet ? . . or awhile ago ?
Here's comes a meaty-one, but we're nearly done !
Volume 28 originally ended with a piece from TjT. His "Aerial Tour Instrumental" . . named for the the predominant source track, but
so full of other cool stuff that I repeatedly pestered him to call it "Lady Akrore's Yellow Aerial Home" or sumthin'.
I emailed to run that idea by him ( again ), but the point was mootilated by the fact that it had already appeared on other BRG
comps . . . twice in fact !
Oh what to do ?
"Hmm . . well I was only gonna' appear on this twice myself, but "Get Up" is, like, 99% finished . . . . wonder if that's a nifty disccloser,
and this is the path I was headin' for all along ?"
Useo assured me that as a final-track, it was spiffy, as well as nifty !
Here's the production-notes & "setting", as written for it's eventual video-info :
If you haven't yet downloaded one of my Mashy mp3s and played it during a nice uninterrupted night-drive, now would be the time.
Find a nice deer & high-beam free stretch of favored roadway ( immediately let me know where this is ) . . begin a state of inner
dazzle, organic or natural . . and play 3 times, for starters.
I'd sure love ya' for it . . . and you might just love me !
A listen to Tom Wait's "Step Right Up" caught my relentlessly creative ear, and I started again with the hearing of ideas !
That bass-line, which I recently read others calling "hypnotic", certainly moves n' grooves. Propulsive it is !
The first thing I heard for it, the birth of this alleged Mashterpiece, was a line from "I'm So Tired" --- "give you everything I got for
little peace of mind"
Well that line nearly didn't work . . . lifting the tempo got it into place, but there's no isolated tracks for "I'm So Tired" that I know of,
so a cloud of reverb and a low level in the mix . . . and the instrumental touches all get blendy.
Matter-a-fact, it has a nice "from the back of the club" setting to it.
And that's how this piece found itself.
It's an ad-hoc performance in a little smokey beatnik cafe somewhere.
Around the time The Fabs were wrestling with what path the "Get Back" project was going to take, it is now apparently a reality
I've created where Paul indeed convinced them to make a surprise appearance somewhere in a small venue.
They proceed to perform a sort of "Live Stars On 45" medley of various songs and off-the-cuff reactions. It may begin a might
ramshackle, but the band behind them soon gets well into it. Horns and guitars each appear tentatively . . . warming up, then wailing
out.
"A small crowd of a few dozen break out in civilized applause as "The boys arrive at BBC House".
John is already heard in a long croon as he approaches the stage, giving a sputtering Orbison from "Slow Down" as he reaches his
mic . . . George leans in and gives a subdued but appreciative "nice to be back" as Paul looks toward him, nodding -- "Hey, man . .
" . . and the "Hello Bongo !" from "Morecambe and Wise" would be a stage manager signaling "ready boys ?"
And then it certainly locks in and begins to take off from there . . . . ."
Anywhee, that's how I sees it now.
I didn't set out with any contrived "storyline" or such. Instinct leads . . choices are found and recognized . . . things take shape. . .
destiny is found.
I know most fellow Mashers & Fab fanatics can identify just about every sample used, 'cept maybe that weird twitchy "eht-urt-oot"
behind George, twice during his "I love you, but" section.
Well, while searching the isolated tracks of the moog files for instrumental phrases to use, I discovered that "I'm Looking Through
You" is one of many to have a track that's a digital artifact of the software the RockBand "extraction team" used.
So it's odd, yes ... it is manipulated, sure .... but it IS essentially them.
And that, by me, is what counts.
And as to the "single-track version", I'm am especially pleased with it.
Our Fab host-moments / link-bits all come from a source newly discovered by me . . and nearly all of which I ain't heard none a'
you'se other lugs use yet neither !
The moment towards the end of "Get Up" which has all four Fabs breaking up into a laugh which runs for awhile ? . . I went Googling
for some new "Beatles laughter", where a YouTube piece featuring many well-known bits from the Christmas Collection and such.
But when John shouted "that's the attitude of a defeatist like me !!" . . now there was something I'd never heard before !
Googling John's phrase itself, I soon discovered the "1965 Christmas Message Outtakes", which I read had only been unearthed, or
escaped, in 2008 or so. And had slowly made the rounds since then I'd guess.
The 3 YouTube "videos" stitched together seamlessly, and became a nearly 13 minute treasure-chest.
I created about 40 new samples myself, and I shared the whole blessed thing here
( www.mediafire.com/?s602ush0p9423nl )
Big effervescent thanks to Terminus J. Threnody for his blessings and advise . . .
to Useo for hours of chat, and hours of his own sonic evaluations and work . . including uploading bug-a-boos too !
Hope I wasn't too darn wordy or cutesy for too many of ya'.
I love to read every detail I can find on a project I cherish, and seem to like sharing them too on ones I create.
And if you don't care for that level of it all, there's always another listen!
Album found here
( beatlesremixers.freeforums.org/you-can-t-mash-that-volume-xxviii-28-t1319.html )
Mashup Tip : Get up right now & go mix while you're motivated.
Latest Useo Thing
Mashup For Demonstration Purposes Only.
Alice Cooper singing 'no more mr. nice guy' over Smashing Pumpkins 'bullet with butterfly wings'.
( www.groovytimewithdjuseo.blogspot.com/2012/07/alice-cooper-vs-smashing-pumpkins.html )
Podgornio, The Mashup Psychic Predicts
Bono will frown when he hears a particularly lousy U2 mashup. Probably around late September.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Farmer creates heart-shaped meadow in memory of wife (Telegraph)
A devoted farmer created this touching heart-shaped meadow as a tribute to his late wife - by planting thousands of oak trees.
Aaron Carroll: Let's try to stick to the real world when we talk about Medicaid
I get a bit annoyed when people claim that we can't "afford" more government intervention or, god-forbid, single-payer. That kind of statement willfully ignores the fact that every country that has MORE government intervention spends LESS.
Sam Allpour: Will you still medal in the morning? (ESPN)
The real games in the Olympic Village will not be televised.
Eddie Wrenn: A yarn of Olympic proportions... Mystery knitter attaches 50-yard-long scarf featuring woollen athletes to pier (Daily Mail)
The impressive garment features woollen athletes competing in various Olympic events, from synchronised swimmers to rowers and cyclists, and has delighted young and old alike as the town discusses the good yarn.
Annie McCarthy: "Experience: I inhaled a pin into my lung" (Guardian)
'I spent the rest of the day assuming the pin I'd swallowed would eventually find its way out. I was so blasé, I went out that night and forgot all about it.'
Meredith Woerner: Behind-the-scenes look at 'Hunger Games' shows how Gary Ross tried to light Katniss on fire (io9)
We can't wait for 'The Hunger Games' DVD to come out on August 18, mostly for any deleted scenes of Gale and Peeta rubbing mud on each others chests - you know that's in there. Until then, behold this amazing clip in which the crew diligently attempts to not kill Jennifer Lawrence with fireballs.
James Rainey: 'A Prairie Home's' longtime host shows it's still a prime time for him (LA Times)
Not a single public opinion survey would have hinted at it in the mid-1970s, but it turns out that stories about Norwegian bachelor farmers, mock ads for the American Duct Tape Council and musical sets mashing together bluegrass and bossa nova have a bit of staying power.
David Bruce: Wise Up! Illnesses and Injuries (Athens News)
While umpiring a Pittsburgh Pirates game, Ken Burkhart saw a woman fan being carried out on a stretcher, so he asked the Pirates third-base coach, "What happened to her?" The third-base coach replied, "You called one right, and she fainted."
David Bruce has 42 Kindle books on Amazon.com with 250 anecdotes in each book. Each book is $1, so for $42 you can buy 10,500 anecdotes. Search for "Funniest People," "Coolest People, "Most Interesting People," "Kindest People," "Religious Anecdotes," "Maximum Cool," and "Resist Psychic Death."
