Center Of The Universe #15
Welcome to the Center Of The Universe! Once we arrive, we'll hear a deep cut from Usher's 8701 produced by Jam & Lewis, far gentler a track than its title would imply. Sinead O'Connor's politicized break-up rock setting the stage for Alanis five years later, and All-4-One, thirty years ago, covering a then-thirty year old song by The Tymes. This hushed wedding jam was actually a Top 5 hit, even though it's those chintzy, later singles twinned up with John Michael Montgomery's that the quartet is most associated with now.
Giant Sand, “Center Of The Universe”
Usher, “Twork It Out”
Sinead O’Connor, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”
All-4-One, “So Much In Love”
Superchunk, ruing which "Reagan Youth" wound up holding office, on their fantastic 2018 album What A Time To Be Alive. They're followed by The Go-Go's - whose singer married a Reagan advisor - with an album track from their rather underrated 1982 album Vacation. Otis Redding covering a Chuck Willis R&B hit on the back half of Dictionary Of Soul, and 1961 one-hit doo-wop wonder The Blue Jays with "Lovers Island." The doo-wop quartet was dunzo a year later.
Superchunk, “Reagan Youth”
The Go-Go’s, “I Think It’s Me”
Otis Redding, “You’re Still My Baby”
The Blue Jays “Lover's Island”
Odyssey's breakthrough hit may have been named "Native New Yorker," but they were so much more successful in the UK they wound up moving there. Then former Edgar Winter bassist Dan Hartman feelin' himself on a Bond Fantasy ("amore casino!") from his disco classic Instant Replay. Guitar solo by Vinnie Vincent! A slice from Augustus Pablo's legendary King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown comes after, and then an "Eric B. & Rakim" single written by Rakim, produced by Rakim and featuring Rakim on live drums.
Odyssey, “Native New Yorker”
Dan Hartman, “Double-O-Love”
Augustus Pablo, “Frozen Dub”
Eric B & Rakim, “Know The Ledge”
"Happy Endings" is oddly the penultimate song on The All-American Rejects' self-titled debut album, probably because it's followed by..."The Last Song." Belly's second version of the song "Dusted," on Spotify despite their wishes. Travis Morrison's ballad of a bad visit home, from his criminally underappreciated solo debut Travistan. And one of Ella Fitzgerald's many excellent Cole Porter renditions.
The All-American Rejects, “Happy Endings”
Belly, “Dusted”
Travis Morrison, “Any Open Door”
Ella Fitzgerald, “I Concentrate On You”
The Bob Mould Band is headed back on the road, and I eagerly await a follow-up to 2020's Blue Hearts - maybe his best album since the '90s? Hard to imagine any Velvet Underground song being called "obscure" these days, but if you've never explored the 1969 outtakes, here's a great one. Early Smog, like this anguished number from 1994's Wild Love is almost unrecognizable from Bill Callahan's 21st century bandleading. But it shouldn't be forgotten. And neither should this disco number from the Scissor Sisters' second album, so rapturous a valentine to the power of music that I have a hard time imagining it's actually about Paul McCartney (whose name is never actually sung).
Bob Mould, “When You Left”
Velvet Underground, “Foggy Notion”
Smog, “It’s Rough”
Scissor Sisters, “Paul McCartney”
While I knew Can's pulsing epic "Mother Sky" was from their album Soundtracks, I never imagined I'd actually see one of the movies the songs appeared in. Then one night more than a few years back, flipping through movies I DVR'd off TCM, I put on an erotic thriller from 1970 starring Jane Asher called Deep End. Not particularly invested as I played with my phone, I was truly unprepared for when "Mother Sky" came bounding out of the TV, scoring an extended stalking sequence. I doubt they played the entire 14 minutes of it, but they played more than I expected.
Can, “Mother Sky”
The Cribs! It's been a long-ass time since I checked out what they're up to, which I should probably correct. Their 2007 album Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, producing by the Franz Ferdinand dude, was nice. Twenty years earlier, Alexander O'Neal helped make a Jam-Lewis song sound nastier than "Nasty," taking it to #1 on the R&B chart. And then a song from Robyn Hitchcock's solo debut, because why not? And that's the Center Of The Universe for you. Thanks for your time!
The Cribs, “Our Bovine Republic”
Alexander O’Neal, “Fake”
Robyn Hitchcock, “Acid Bird”