CHIRP: The Chicago Independent Radio Project

Michael Bennett writes

Friday iPod/MP3 shuffle -- Happy Birthday Charlie Christian

Let’s pay tribute to Charlie Christian. Who is he? Merely one of the earliest, if not the earliest, innovators on the electric guitar. He is the man who turned the guitar into a solo instrument, getting his start in 1940, playing with Benny Goodman. But his legacy isn’t just about being the first prominent electric guitarist. Some say his distinctive playing was a precursor to bebop. He is certainly a figure who should be remembered. So let’s salute Mr. Christian by getting out your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 tunes that come up.

1. Robyn — In My Eyes (Body Talk, Pt. 2): You’ve got to figure that some day, Robyn will be back topping the pop charts. Her three records last year were brimming with melodic dance floor fare, sometime with pretty decent lyrics. One thing I appreciate about her music is that she seems to take inspiration from a wide swath of electronic pop music, so her albums play like the best of the ’80s to now in the various trends in synthesized stuff. This is a mid-tempo number with a particularly urgent vocal, with some wise mulit-tracking in spots.
2. Bill Moss — Sock It To ‘Em Soul Brother (Eccentric Soul: The Capsoul Label): This is from the first ever Numero Group compilation, which chronicled this Ohio label. Moss, the founder of the label, was a singer who liked positive messages. This song has a light funk groove, somewhere between James Brown and Sam and Dave as Moss lists famous black people and emphasizes that African-Americans need to work hard and they can make it. Of course, Moss never would have anticipated that O.J. Simpson would later not be much of a role model.
3. Doleful Lions — Ocean Stars (The Rats Are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here!): A bouncy tune from the Lions’ second album, finding Jonathan Scott trading in jangly pop that would fit well in between The Smiths and The Housemartins. Hearing his angelic voice sound quite playful on this fairly simple tune is a real pleasure. Fun song.
4. Guided By Voices — Everywhere By Helicopter (Universal Truths And Cycles): A slicing, riffy tune from GBV. This song seems somewhere between ’60s freakbeat with a bit of punk rock snarl. I could actually hear The Smithereens covering this, though it would be a bit cuddlier.
5. The Byrds — Hickory Wind (Sweethearts Of The Rodeo): A weepy country ballad from this seminal country rock effort. Gram Parsons caused a major shift in The Byrds’ sound, as they suddenly purveyed classic country sounds. The sincerity is evident, but I find this album to be overrated, as the band is often too measured and the vocals aren’t that strong. One would be better off with a contemporary Buck Owens or Merle Haggard album.
6. The Wonder Stuff — The Animals And Me (The Eight Legged Groove Thing): If you like melodic British guitar pop, you can’t go wrong with the Stuffies’ debut album. Great riffs, strong melodies and hooks out the wazoo. The Wonder Stuff managed to incorporate some creative rhythms (not just 4/4 stuff) while not sacrificing the great pop song structure, as on this excellent tune.
7. Superchunk — Certain Stars (Here’s Where The Strings Come In): This song fades in on some feedback before hitting stride in a galloping rhythm. The bouncy drums and lockstep guitar chords always get to me. Everyone from The Clash to Big Dipper has a song like this in its repetoire, and it always works for me.
8. The Boo Radleys — One Is For (Giant Steps): An interlude from the Boos second and best album. They straddled the border between Brit pop and shoegazer music, eventually heading more to the pop side. They could be pretty arty, as this brief snatch of chamber pop illustrates.
9. Split Enz — Titus (Second Thoughts): A Phil Judd number from the second Split Enz album, which is produced by Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music. This is a twee psychdelic number with Judd’s compelling, quivering voice. A lot of early Enz sounds like a mix of The Beatles, Tyrannosaurus Rex and Genesis. This short number has a great instrumental break with stately horns.
10. Freda Payne — Band Of Gold (Have A Nice Decade: The ’70s Pop Culture Box): A classic slice of ’70s pop-soul. A lot of retro soul heads right to the ’60s, but I wish someone could revive the sounds of Payne, Honey Cone, The Spinners and other of the early ’70s.