Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The Theme From...



Dear Friends, it's Contrast Podcast time yet again, and this week our contributors are sharing their personal theme songs. Thank goodness no-one chose "Private Dancer" or "The Pina Colada Song..." Anyway, to listen to the words and music by which the CP nation lives its life, download the 'cast here, or subscribe using this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/ContrastPodcast.

(00:00) Chet Baker - Look for the silver lining
Tim from The face of today
(03:24) Getatchew Mekurya with the Ex - Musicawi Silt
ZB from So the wind won’t blow it all away
(08:19) Loney, Dear - I am John
Marcy from Lost in your inbox
(12:28) Bach - Sich üben im lieben
Cindy from Adzuki Bean Stash
(17:30) Julian Cope - I gotta walk
Chris from Phosphorous.net
(20:15) Kraftwerk - The man-machine
Mark from Cinema du Lyon
(25:40) Massive Attack - Unfinished sympathy
Ross from Just gimme indie rock
(30:40) Hole - Celebrity skin
Lyle from Mentok the Mindtaker
(34:39) The Smashing Pumpkins - Zero
James
(37:34) Ben Folds - There’s always someone cooler than you
Natalie from Mini-Obs
(42:14) The Wannadies - Might be stars
Crash from Pretending life is like a song
(46:20) The Jam - Going Underground
FiL from Pogoagogo
(51:43) Michael Storey - Another Country OST
Colin from And before the first kiss

To be perfectly honest, I actually went with my backup personal theme. You see, Dear SAS Radio submitted the song I live by a few podcasts ago as his favourite 45, and I didn't feel it right to trot it out again, even though it galvanizes me like nowt else can. The song? Why, it's "Public Image" by Public Image Limited. Yes, yes, I know, Metal Box was far more groundbreaking, but, oh, that thrumming bass, those yowled lyrics, and that clanging, circular guitar!! "You never listened to a word that I said, you only seen me for the clothes that I wear..." Indeed! And yes, FiL was derived a long, long time ago from PiL...

Public Image Limited - Public Image (buy here)
Listen, and ye shall understand FiL...

Now Going Underground was a close second, don't get me wrong. It still maps my general political outlook rather accurately, and every time I flip on CNN I see those braying sheep and I want to shout and scream. But while "Public Image" has remained wholy relevant, I sometimes wonder if I'm a bit too old (gasp!) for"Going Underground." It has a tinge of the angry, spotty, young man about it, and at the ripe old age of 38 I occasionally feel that I should put away childish things. But then at other times I listen to it and I think that just coz my acne has cleared up doesn't mean I can't and shouldn't get all pissy and indignant about the shite that's being shovelled...

I Am The World Trade Center - Going Underground (buy here )
OK, nowhere near as stunning as the original, but this electrosynthoparp version is rather groovy in its own way. It's sorta like Paul Weller snogging that chick out of Berlin on the warm leatherette in the back of a Ford Cortina with Ladytron squalling out of a tinny dashboard cassette player. Or something.

Next week's theme trots out the last question in the "who, what, when, where, why" series and asks us to contemplate "How?" So click here to find out how (nyuk, nyuk) you can contribute a song with that word in the title to the podcast.