Audiography Collaborative Music Blog

drugs

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 04:20:13 GMT

Some background first with me and drugs. Kids at school were calling me straightedge before I even knew what it meant. I can't really say why I never did anything but I just didn't want to. It was funny to me that the other kids were telling me that they wished they could be more like me and didn't know how I did it (or didn't do it I guess) but then they acted like I judged them when I really didn't for the most part. I guess my purity reflected their impurities. My guess is that they were a bit ashamed of it because it was a form of escape for them. Maybe they just respected how I didn't do everything that people tried to get me to do.

I was at a friend's house the first time I saw someone do drugs. I wasn't paying much attention as my buddy started taping up the holes in a plastic bag. I was so naive that I thought he was going to put trash in it or something. It wasn't until after he had sprayed it full of tire cleaner a few times, breathed it in and was drooling all over the floor and himself while staring blankly at the wall that I started to piece it all together.

I guess some people think there is nothing better to do in a small town. I decided to call my mom to pick me up.

Some people use drugs.

Ben Harper- Burn One Down

BUY IT NOW

Some people need hugs.

Ween- Zoloft

BUY IT NOW

Some people are hooked.

Ministry- Just One Fix

BUY IT NOW

Some people never took.

Minor Threat- Staightedge

BUY IT NOW

Some people take pills.

Those Poor Bastards- Pills I Took

BUY IT NOW for $6.99

Some people seek thrills.

The Cramps- Let's Get Fucked Up

BUY IT NOW for $8.98

Some people search their souls.

Tool- Third Eye

BUY IT NOW

Some people rock and roll.

The Dandy Warhols- White Gold

BUY IT NOW

Some people take drugs to feel.

Marcy Playground- Opium

BUY IT NOW for $7.97! All the songs are great here on this, one of my favorite LPs not just Sex and Candy.

Some drugs just kill.

Alice In Chains- Junkhead

BUY IT NOW also $7.97. Does amazon have a sale going on? I had better check my wishlist!

Some people buy.

Cop Shoot Cop- $10 Bill

BUY IT NOW

And believe it or not, some drugs fly!

Reverend Horton Heat- Bales of Cocaine

BUY IT NOW

But most people just want to have fun.

The Warlocks- Dope Feels Good

BUY Phoenix now for just ten bucks!

Someone mentioned a quote from a wise man. Well here he is again. Mr. Bill Hicks!

Choose life?

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:34:35 GMT

As a wise man once said "If you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, then go home and burn all your records, all your tapes, and all your CDs because every one of those artists who have made brilliant music and enhanced your lives? Real fucking high on drugs. The Beatles were so fucking high, they let Ringo sing a few songs." And damn if it ain't true. Drugs are one of the greatest influences on modern music as we know it. It's called "sex, drugs and rock 'n roll" for a reason!

Drugs, their history and their cultural impact have always fascinated me. Did you know Bayer, the friendly company that makes lifesaving aspirin, was the company that first synthesized heroin? Cocaine was good for tooth aches and coughs. Hypodermic needles could be bought out of the Sears catalogue for two dollars.

While it's important to remember the lives and brilliant talent drugs have taken from us, it's equally as important to examine the valuable creative element drugs have been to our popular culture. From every speed-freak author writing a roadtrip novel in three days, to every self-medicating tortured soul, drugs became the avenue for creation.

Introduction: What Can I Get You This Evening?

We Are All On Drugs - Weezer: Rivers Cuomo always struck me as, yes, batshit crazy but also really clean and straight edge. To the effect, this song is more a damning of drugs then it is a celebration. But it seemed an incredibly fitting way to start this! [Buy Here]

The Perfect Drug - Nine Inch Nails: This song is a heady, gasping whirlwind. The music video is a green-tinted Victorian nightmare. Why yes, of course it's Trent Reznor! Who else could pull this off? He had a goatee! Anyway, the song is a slap to the face with intense vocals, shuddering guitars and vicious imagery. "My drug wants to say hello to you!" Trent hollers, so everyone wave and say hi! [Buy Here]

Alcohol: Have You Met My Friend, Jack Daniels?

Too Drunk To Fuck - Nouvelle Vague: Nouvelle Vague, a classy French outfit doing cover songs in completely new and different ways. Who can resist a French songbird purring innocently "too drunk to fuck!". It's overtly sexual but also somehow precious and cute. The music is a jazzy mix of different styles you have to hear to believe. Ultimately, it's adorable. How often can you say that about a song by the Dead Kennedys? [Buy Here]

Drunken Lullabies - Flogging Molly: Rancorous, spirited fun! The Celtic-infused drinking ode is a fast paced, foot stomping, gleeful sing-along you can't help but want to dance too. It's a pub song in it's finest form with fiddles frolicing with guitars and the earnest, loud chorus. It's irresistable and makes you want to stumble around a bar, pint in hand, slurring along. [Buy Here]

Drinking Song - Jason Webley: Another sing-along drunk song, this one slightly darker. It's still incredibly fun. Jason Webley uses this song to end his shows and makes the audience spin around a bunch of times, so they all feel and sound drunk and dizzy while they sing. Genius! It's a folky, rough yet rousing song with a catchy chorus that sounds like a toast over beers with your best friends. "When the glass is full, drink up, drink up! This may be the last time we see this cup. If God wanted us sober, he'd knock the glass over, so while it is full, we drink up!". Cheers! [Buy Here]

Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong - Against Me!: A heartwrenchingly raw song about love lost, death and ultimately living how you have to. I'm not a fan of the band at all, but I find this quirky, off-tune song to be somehow... beautiful. It's honest, simple and chocked full of emotion. You can hear the strain on the singing voices, coupled with the easy, steady strumming of the accoustic guitar. It's gutwrenching and utterly unmissable. [Buy Here]

Opiates: For a vegetarian, Rents, you're a fuckin' EVIL shot!

Опиум для Никого (Opium Dlya Nikogo/ Opium For Nobody) - Агата Кристи (Agata Kristi): Oh yeah, you see that Cyrillic? This is from Russia with love. Agata Kristi is an old Russian rock band that produces some fantastic stuff. This is my favorite; a sprawling, creepy synth wonderland. The song translates roughly to a man not wanting to share his opium or his cocaine with anyone else. It's got fascinating gothic elements (the first stanza is all about about getting ready to go out, about adoring the color black). It's a beautiful song, creative singing despite the language barrier. I can't speak Russian, I just have a handy copy/paste function on my keyboard. [Buy Here]

The Legionnaire's Lament - The Decemberists: This jaunty, anachronistic tale of a man stuck in the French Foreign Legion, gets included in this list for the fantastic line "Medicating in the sun, pinched doses of Laudanum". Laudanum is an old Victorian remedy made from an alcoholic herbal preperation of opium. Say that three times fast. Despite being a medical remedy for diharria, pain and coughing, it was easily abused because... hey, it's OPIUM. It adds to the period feel of the song. The song itself is a wonderful mix of old and new. The pitch perfect Decemeberists singing and musical stylings, along with a creative interruptation of a historical event and place. It also has a chorus that I can not, for the life of me, sing properly, "The sweetly sleeping sweeping of the Seine". [Buy Here]

Sister Morphine - The Rolling Stones: It's the Glimmer Twins. It's called "Sister Morphine. I... I really don't think I need to say much more, do I? [Buy Here]

She's Like Heroin To Me - The Gun Club: Jumpy punk tune from The Gun Club. It's fast and dirty and full of fun heroin metaphors. I love the way the lead singer shouts and the way the guitar sounds, like the noises are coming from your spine. "She can not miss a vein" he sings, and neither can this song. [Buy Here]

Lips Like Morphine - Kill Hannah: I always thought this guy had a very... Brian Molko voice. The high pitched, breathy way of singing that defies the usual lead vocals we find in rock today. This song is an eletrical shock of music. It's quick, loud, the vocals soar and the music purrs. Another song where a drug is personified as a love interest... and vice versa. I happen to like it, even though it's a bit on the junk food music side. I just can't get it out of my head. [Buy Here]

Black Balloon - Goo Goo Dolls: I know, you're thinking "What are the Goo Goo Dolls doing here?". When I was doing a paper last year about heroin and it's effect on pop cultural, I found out my favorite Goo Goo Dolls song was really a drug song! Color me surprised. The song, which is beautifully sad and maudlin, is about a woman struggling with heroin addiction and the lover who tries desprately to save her. When I learned that, the song grew so many more dimensions. It became epic for me. Johnny Rzeznik has a drop dead gorgeous voice and the chorus which I once thought was simply pretty became fiercely beautiful. Don't you love it when you find out a song has more depth than you realized? [Buy Here]

Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers: Anthony Kiedis had a well known problem with heroin and this song, quiet and powerful, details it in well wrought imagery. "Under the bridge is where I drew some blood" he sings, voice raw with remembered pain of addiction. It's a song that helps him confront the past, turning L.A. into a companion who shares his pain. It's a hope and prayer to stay clean. [Buy Here]

Heroin - The Velvet Undergound: I am frankly amazed, utterly gobsmacked, that the most iconic and epic of drug songs hasn't yet come up. Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground! This schizophrenic, high energy, crazed song is one of the finest examples of drug culture in music, of Lou Reed's brilliant ability to write what he says shooting up feels like, the dreamy, lulling beginning and the edge-of-your-seat end. It's BRILLIANT. It's a cacophony of noise, of feeling, the highs and lows... it's one of the best songs the Velvet Underground ever did. [Buy Here]

Leftovers: Tobacco, Weed and Everything In Between

Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright: Oh, Rufus... only you could make a song about giving into temptation feel so right and good. It's almost playful the way the song goes, the piano that's so coying. It's an ode for everything bad for you, from that cigarette to the unnamed "those other things". Wainwright struggled with a meth addiction that left him temporarily blind, so the song gets an added edge. [Buy Here]

Blues From A Gun - The Jesus and Mary Chain: Grungy stoner anthem. The guitars are rough and almost overpowering, the lyrics are fantastic. "I'm a stone dead tripper, dying in a fantasy". I always thought this song was interesting, the contrast of the lead's voice to the vastly different sound of the guitars. You gotta love juxaposition! [Buy Here]

Born Slippy - Underworld: Techno love from the Trainspotting movie, which is an awesome movie. Early Ewan McGregor! How can you go wrong? The book is also great if you can get past the parts written in a Scottish dialect. This song plays at the end of the movie, during a very pivitol moment in Rent's life. While not usually a fan of techno, I think this song goes above and beyond. Maybe it's just because I have the movie attachment to it, or maybe because it's simply good in it's own way. I love the way the song plods along slowly and smoothly until it ramps itself up and becomes much harder. I daresay it's an essential. [Buy Here]

Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue - The Ramones: Lords of the Under Two Minute Long Song, the Ramones have several songs concerning drugs, but this one I find to be plain silly and outrightly awesome. It's unrefined and just perfect Ramones. [Buy Here]

Special K - Placebo: I fucking LOVE Brian Molko's voice. There is just something about it. I've sure I've waxed poetic about it before, but I truely believe he sounds like an oversexed angel. It's so hard to explain, but it makes every single Placebo song a joy to listen to, especially when such a sweet voice is singing drug-ridden, sex-drenched lyrics. Hell yes. This song, about ketamine, which is basically horse tranqs. It's another song that explains love as an elaborate, visceral drug reaction and addiction. [Buy Here]

Logic - The Sisters of Mercy: What would a list be from me, without some good old Andrew Eldritch? I'll never exhaust this band, ever. This song, off their first full album, was supposed to be called "Amphetamine Logic", but their record company wasn't too fond of that. I wonder why? The song is brooding, dark and comes with Eldritch's trademarked gravely voice. The lyrics are the usual brew of violence, bleakness and hissed disent. "Give me one good reason! Give me more amphetamine logic!" Hey, Eldritch, why don't you give us one more album while you're at it? [Buy Here]

Champagne Supernova - Oasis: Wistful, lush... this song from Oasis is full of nonsensical lyrics and passion. "Where were you while we were getting high?" asked Liam, voice sad and heavy. It's a classic song, one of Oasis' best. Although... what the hell IS a "champagne supernova" anyway? [Buy Here]

Absinthe Party - Minus the Bear: Absinthe, famous bright green drink of famous Impressionist painters and goth kids everywhere, known for it's supposed hullcinagenic properties... well, that sure sounds like it should be included here to me! This song is a travel wishlist, all the amazing things to do overseas, getting some culture. It's a simple song. Good, clean fun. They describe everything they'd do overseas, from sitting in a park on a bench older than their country, to the various semi-illegal things they'd imbibe. It's romantic and dreamy. [Buy Here]

Soma - The Strokes: Raise your hand if you've read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley? If you have, then you know what soma is. In the book, it's a dream-inducing drug that everyone in the entire society takes. It's a real drug too, from India as far as I know, sort of like a liquid peyote type thing, used in rituals. I'm pretty sure good old Julian Casablancas read good old Aldous Huxley and the song is based on THAT soma. Either way, it's a great song from their first album, feedback laden and right on the cusp of what would eventually become a new "retro" sound. [Buy Here]

Recovery: And If My Daddy Thinks I'm Fine...

Rehab - Amy Winehouse: After the liquor and coke and heroin, what do you do next? Rehab, of course! Poor Amy Winehouse, what a voice! What a look! What a crazy, fucked up bird. While everyone is quick to dismiss her after her various shortcomings and run ins with the law, I want to embrace her more. I think she's unique, as well as completely batshit crazy of course. This song displays both her jaw dropping vocal abilities, the smokey retro singing style, as well as her love affair with all things chemical. It's a complete "fuck you" to every magazine that begged people to get clean (Spin, why send a letter to Pete Doughtery? You think he can see straight enough to read it?), every noisy photographer and bitchy blogger. [Buy Here]

Clean: For Now

Goody Two Shoes - Adam and the Ants: Well, now that you're back on the straight and narrow, what's next? Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do? [Buy Here]

Drugs

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:30:34 GMT

I had what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity when I saw just how many songs I have about drugs. Thankfully, I got over in time to post couple of my favorites.

First up, my all-time favorite song about drugs (well, other than Insane in the Brain *g*). I could never not dance to this at the club. Heavy beat, funky electro, and screaming. Yep. Sounds like an acid trip. D/l just for the line: "I'm the White Rabbit"
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult - A Daisy Chain 4 Satan
Buy Confessions of a Knifehere.

If you are ever in need of a shopping list, you can count on this song. LOL I love the driving beat, the repetition and that it lists seven drugs... one for each day of the week. Also, bonus Rob Halford.
Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit of the Summer
Buy Rated R here

I love The Dandy Warhols best when they are mocking their scene and this is a fine example.
"shouldn't you have got/
A couple piercings and decided/
Maybe that you were gay"?
Ouch! ...and also, Hee!
The Dandy Warhols - Not If You Were the Last Junkie on Earth
Buy ...The Dandy Warhols Come Down here

Drugs

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:37:05 GMT

Nate Bucklin is a wonderful, talented man who brings the snark disturbingly well. Herewith some intoxicating fun:

Nate Bucklin--Resolutions 07 I Pop Pills.mp3
http://www.sendspace.com/file/l9kiob

Nate Bucklin--Resolutions 15 Poor Little Silver Girl.mp3
http://www.sendspace.com/file/9911xn

You can buy Nate's albums [along with those of lots of other talented folks] from http://www.filk.com/ .

drug-drenched...

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:19:04 GMT

drug-drenched music!

from Artanker Convoy

myspace.com/artanker Convoy

"...raw, ferociously funky stuff that nods toward 70s Miles, with Artanker driving the whole train from behind his kit." -Time Out New York

"Artanker Convoy played a heavily psychedelic, dub-inflected set. The Brooklyn six-piece channeled Can and Spacemen 3 with their dense sound, and differentiated themselves from like-minded contemporaries with the prominent use of hand drums and a saxophone." -Spin

FREE MUSIC DOWNLOAD!
Artanker Convoy -- Black Dauphin

buy buy buy

myspace.com/deathbyaudioshows

L train to Bedford Ave or J/M/Z trainz to Marcy Ave
cheap beer & wine bar
all ages
$6

Topic: drugs

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:16:15 GMT

Is anyone else loving this theme? Because I like reading all the descriptions and information

So I guess I will offer up a few of my own choices.

You Were the Last High- The Dandy Warhols. i mean a multitude of the dandys songs would have worked for this theme and I chose this one because its my favorite. Most likely about a guy trying to get over a girl but using the metaphor of drugs. the dandy warhols are amazing and i cannot wait for their new album. Buy

Ganja Babe- Michael Franti and Spearhead. I know someone is going to chastise me for my description on this song so just know. I heard it on Weeds and just listen to it. buy

Baby You Make Me High- There's A Why in Andy. Artist out of Austin, TX. not really very big but its one of my favorite songs. Simple and to the point and very romantic. no buy link so heres the myspace page

Topic: Drugs, a short reprise.

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:17:40 GMT

So, in my other post on this topic, I mentioned an argument I had with my high school French teacher about the drug-related implications of a particular song. By my estimation, the only thing that could be construed as a drug reference in the song was a sideways nod to the Land of the Lotus Eaters in The Odyssey.

Today, I finally got around to Nick Cave's most recent album with the Bad Seeds, Dig, Lazarus, Dig (buy it!). I haven't totally absorbed it yet, but one song jumped out at me and asked to be posted for this theme.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Night of the Lotus Eaters

I'm actually a little surprised that Nick Cave hasn't shown his face yet for this topic. Cave, in addition to having a rather healthy addiction to old-school storytelling, is also known for his history with much less healthy addictions, most notably heroin. As the mythical Land of the Lotus Eaters likely refers to some other sort of opiate (I always equated these lotus flowers with opium poppies, and heroin is a relatively recent entry, developed in the late 1800's as a "less-addictive" alternative to morphine.), it seems a fair bet this song is tied into that period of his life somehow. Looking at the lyrics and listening to the gritty, darkly hypnotic basso continuo at its core, I have a suspicion that it's a withdrawal narrative. Hey, if anyone can mythologize heroin withdrawal, it's probably Nick Cave.

Buffalo Killers and some Neil Young

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:41:48 GMT

I have been meaning to post this for a few days now, and oddly enough the theme right now is as appropriate as any.
Here a couple of tunes from my boyfriend's band's new album. It just came out yesterday and they hit the road this morning for a US tour. Check out tour info and buy at buffalokillers.com.

Let It Ride

If I Get Myself Anywhere

I leave you with one of my favorite songs, Neil Young's Homegrown. BUY

THEME: DRUGS

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:48:08 GMT

Talking Heads - Lifetime Piling Up

This song starts off with a line about how he's afraid of marijuana because it makes him paranoid, and then continues into an almost ridiculously senseless song that was apparently written from the point of view of someone that's high as a kite.

I can see my lifetime pilin' up
Reaching from my bedroom to the stars
I can see the house where I was born
When I was growin' up... they say that
I could never keep my trousers up
I remember days and crazy nights
Are there any pirates on this ship?
And if they sober up - they’ll have us
Home by morning

Buy Talking Heads' Popular Favorites 1972-1992/Sand In The Vaseline. (And I really do recommend you do, it's brilliant.)

Drugs, sex, and rock'n'roll

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:20:51 GMT

I Wanna Be Sedated, by The Offspring from We're A Happy Family; A Tribute to The Ramones A song that gremlins in my head sing incessantly when I've got a migraine.

From the movie 'Across The Universe', we have Joe Cocker singing Come Together, The 2-disc soundtrack. Not from their...drugged days...but...Hmmm, this may be the Beatles singing this. I've got both versions.

From the Mediaeval Babes, we have Omnes Gentes Plaudite (The Drinking Song) from Unrentide.
I'm not too blasted sure what they're singing, but it's a fun song nonetheless.

And why hasn't anyone posted some Led Zepplin? From Led Zeppelin I, we've got Dazed and Confused. Probably one of the songs anyone in my family thinks of when told of this theme. It's amusing to see a six-year-old bop his head along to the song.

Now, who's gonna post 'Magic Carpet Ride'? One more question. I've got close to eighty mp3 files that I can't find the blasted record they hail from. Amazon and the like haven't been much help. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

~~Frak it, posting as is until I can figure out what LJ doesn't like....~~ Fixed!

topic: drugs

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:11:08 GMT

Beck -- MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack

Nuff said.

[buy the split 7" single if you care to.]

Drug Songs

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:57:47 GMT

I was actually sort of exited when I saw this topic, since there are a few songs I know of that I'm sure few others have heard, and I'd like to share them. But there's also some that I can't believe no one has beaten me to posting yet!

Janis Joplin - What Good Can Drinkin' Do
Most of us probably know of Janis's two vices, heroin and alcohol. She once remarked that she practically owned Southern Comfort with all of the whiskey she bought from them, and a combination of the two (another Janis song) eventually killed her. This is one of her earliest recordings (1962, making her about 19), from back when she was still attending the University of Texas and trying to find success as a folksinger in various bars. Janis often said that her unique vocal style was basically acquired by trying to sing like Bessie Smith and failing. This recording basically proves that- if I didn't know it was Janis, I would definately think it was a black singer like Bessie or Odetta. Furthermore, this song, which Janis wrote, has a melody similar to Bessie Smith's "Me and My Gin." Buy Love, Janis.

Johnny Cash - The Ballad of Ira Hayes
Ira Hayes was one of the men shown raising the flag on Iwo Jima in this famous World War II photograph. After the war ended, he became very uncomfortable with the fame that the photograph had given him, and often turned to alcohol. Eventually, this led to his death. This song tells the story of his tragic life. I first heard it years ago, when my cousin called to say that she needed background music to play while she read a poem about seeing America from a train window in school. For whatever strange reason, my dad suggested this song. While my mom and I looked at him with WTF expressions, he rushed over and pulled out his old copy of Johnny Cash's Greatest Hits and played it. At that age, I hated all of my dad's music, and it had become a kind of joke in the family to make fun of my dad's love of Johnny Cash, so I can distincly remember rolling around on the floor, covering my ears, and saying "Make it stop, make it stop!" while this song played. Now? It's not that bad. lol.

Edith Piaf - Quand Même
I don't speak a word of French, but I saw footage of Edith singing this song in the first movie she appeared in, "La Garçonne," and it soon became stuck in my head, so one day I copied all the lyrics into Google Translate to see if I could get a general impression as to what the song was about from the mangled translation that I knew would come up. It seems like the song is about extreme drinking binges. If I'm wrong, well, whoops. Perhaps someone here speaks French and could more accurately translate? Anyway, if that's what the song is about, then it makes the film clip even more interesting, because although Edith was about 20 years old at the time, she looks more like eight. So, seeing such a young character sing about something that dark is pretty shocking. Buy L'intégrale.

Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss - Whiskey Lullaby
Grouping all the drinking songs together... lol. One of those classic "broken-hearted" country songs. A woman and a man end their relationship, but each remains secretly in love with the other for the rest of their lives. They try to "drink their pain away," and eventually both die of alcoholism and are buried next to each other. Aw, how sweet. Buy Mud on the Tires.

U2 - Running To Stand Still
A story about a girl who is addicted to heroin, and decides to break the habit. However, the lyrics are general enough that it can speak to you no matter what type of situation you're in, or even if you're not in a situation at all. I usually use it as "fall asleep" music. Buy The Joshua Tree.

Queen - Don't Try Suicide
On a lighter note, here's a fun little song that portrays suicide as a drug and informs people "you're just gonna hate it," "when you do it all you do is get on my t*ts," and other humorous reasons why you shouldn't try it. Fans of the radio show Nights with Alice Cooper should recognize that a short segment of this song is played nearly every night to accompany the "you're listening to Nights with Alice Cooper" blurbs. Buy The Game.

Donovan - Mellow Yellow
In the 60s, almost any word of any song could be taken and hyped as a drug reference. In this song, "Mellow Yellow" was supposed to refer to smoking dried banana skins, which were thought to have hallucinogenic properties. However, Donovan didn't actually hear about this rumor until after the song was already recorded, and information on the song's Wikipedia page suggests that it might actually be about a vibrator. Well, whatever the subject, it's still quite a funky song. Buy Mellow Yellow.

Bob Dylan - Rainy Day Women #12 & 35
A lot of people who have heard this song probably won't recognize it by the title. A friend and I were in Disney World a few months ago and we started singing the most famous line: "Everybody must get stoned!" (don't ask how that started), but she didn't know that the song wasn't just called "everybody must get stoned." This is another song which isn't necessarily about drugs, but was banned from radio nonetheless. Some of the verse seem to indicate that the "get stoned" that the song is talking about is the old-fashioned way- getting hit by stones. However, the random shouting in the background and the general sound of the band suggests that the other kind of "stoned" was involved as well. Buy Blonde on Blonde.

Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit
WHY has this not been posted yet??? It's one of the greatest drug songs of all time. Basically, it compares Alice in Wonderland to an acid trip, which I love, because it's hilarious when you grow up and look back on all of those "kid's movies" you watched and notice just how adult they can sometimes be. Like that Riverboat scene in Willy Wonka. How did that ever pass as a kid's movie??? Also, if anyone's ever read the drug-diary book Go Ask Alice, this song is where the title comes from. Buy Surrealistic Pillow.

That's all I've got. So, until next week, turn on, tune in, and drop out. ;)

dot, dots, dots, dots....

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:01:04 GMT

And all I see is little dots
Some are smeared and some are spots
Feels like a murder but that's alright
Somebody said there's too much light
Pull down the shade and it's alright
It'll be over in a minute or two.

It has to be Drugs, from Fear of Music by Talking Heads. This angular, disjointed, jarring music came out in 1979; it was the perfect soundtrack to late night ravings in London squats, getting to know just how messed up you can feel after a couple of days on cheap sulphate.

Buy Fear of Music here

HAVE A SAFE TRIP

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:06:54 GMT

Turn off your mind, relax
and float down stream
It is not dying
It is not dying

Lay down all thought
Surrender to the void
It is shining
It is shining

The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows

There's a lot I like about the track; the backwards guitar and samples, the vocal effect, but I absolutely love, love, love the drum beat, to me it sound like very early breakbeat electronica, except this was recorded 1966. Check out the wikipedia entry on this song for some interesting facts.

Buy Revolver

Drugs are bad

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:50:22 GMT

White Knuckle Sandwich - Bugs Not Drugs

Despite their name making them sound like a punk band or something, WKS is a eclectic pop trio that was from New York. I figured with all the pro-drugs songs that are sure to be floating around here, I should represent the anti-drug scene.

Buy: White Knuckle Sandwich on Amazon

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:58:02 GMT

i had loads of weather songs all in my head last week, a post already prepared mentally but no time at all to do anything about it. i've no time this week either, i'm getting ready to head off to the secret garden party tomorrow, so apologies for the short post!

but i just had to post this song, it was screaming out to be shared. it was put on a mix given to me earlier this year by a boy & was definitely one of the standout tracks. so without further ado i give you drugs by adam green.
buy jacket full of danger here.

Topic: Drukqs

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:59:21 GMT

A coworker of mine passed along this column from ESPN's website by Chuck Klosterman, examining the idea of performance-enhancing drugs in sports by comparing it to the expecations and concept in music. It starts in on music by looking at when Bob Dylan smoked up The Beatles as a turning point in the history of pop music. I figure someone else will come up with more insightful choices from both of these artists, but I couldn't help share this column. It's mostly about sports, and I don't know that I wholly agree with Klosterman's total dismissal of ethics and drugs in music, but it's an interesting perspective, to be sure.

Aesop Rock - The Greatest Pacman Victory in History Aesop Rock's own "Lizard King" of an acid-trip epic: a blipping, neon, verbose as always stumble through mad hatters and puzzle-pieced slacker despondency. Contains an entire verse of words beginning successively with L, S, and D. Clever bastard.
There was a part of me that wanted to limit myself only to songs related to legal drugs, i.e. caffeine, tobacco, and teh booze (Anyone know any songs that reference being hopped up on cold medicine? If so, you win, and I'll mail you a giant fucking Q). If so, Aes was still going to be my leadoff hitter, with "Coffee," the song from his recent album which puts him in an eyebrow-raising pairing with the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle.
Buy Bazooka Tooth

Beirut - Cliquot (live, w/Ed Droste) Ok, so champagne is a regulated legal intoxicant these days, but the history lesson this song leads into is so interesting that I had to throw it into the mix. The song references the origins of the Veuve Clicquot champagne dynasty. At the onset of the 19th century, the Clicquot family was an established wine-making family when the young heir married. He died a few years later, leaving his young widow (veuve in French) at the head of the operation. Under her hand, the winery developed a system of storing the ripening champagne bottles that helped the yeast settle into the neck, leaving a cleaner product, as the sediments were propelled out with the cork. The enabled them to produce high-quality in larger quantities and so she brought the Clicquot family business to worldwide prominence. Pretty badass for a woman in the early 1800s. However, this song profiles la Veuve Clicquot at the time of her husband's death, before all that went down. This version is a good-quality rip from the video on flyingclubcup.com which features Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste on vocals. As much as I like Owen Pallett's voice, I'm of the opinion that this was one song done more justice by the live treatment.
Buy The Flying Club Cup

Nick Drake - Been Smoking Too Long Nick Drake, writing in the late sixties and early seventies, was surely no stranger most of the smokeables namechecked in this song, though the song was actually written by a friend, Robyn Fredricks. The song has a somewhat grittier, bluesier feel to it, channeling the sentiments of waking up after a long night: the raspy throat, the dry, grainy eyes; as if somehow your entire head, inside and out, had grown stubble. Even the quality of the recording sounds a little like it hasn't had enough sleep. And, somehow, it works, wearing that dark, fragile appeal that so much of Drake's music had. The story ends, of course, with Drake's death at the age of 26 from an overdose of antidepressants, of all things.
Buy Time of No Reply

Nina Simone - Lilac Wine I know we all know and love Jeff Buckley's version of this song, but before he made us all swoon with it, Nina Simone totally owned it. Come to think of it, I don't know who actually wrote it. A quick search tells me it was written by one James Shelton. Anyone know anything else about him? Anyhow, Nina's voice is as striking as ever, sitting on minimal instrumentation. The bass that comes in with the chorus is so subtle that you have to be listening for it, but I swear that if you turn up the bass high enough on this song it sounds like it's breathing.
I always interpreted "lilac wine" to be something a little heavier than just a little wine, and it always put me in the mind of old-school opium-laced wine, especially with all the imagery of things being unclear and hazy. Though, who knows, love can be a powerful enough opiate sometimes. Maybe that's enough to qualify it for this list.
Buy Wild is the Wind

Jolie Holland - Old Fashioned Morphine And while we're on the subject of old-school and opiates, Jolie Holland would like to give a shout out to some of the great morphine-heads of history, including William S. Burroughs, Isabelle Eberhardt, and, as the song would have it, her grandpa. Holland shares a label with the likes of Tom Waits and Nick Cave, and does not disappoint that line, weaving music suited for a late-night basement jazz hole full of beatnik pirates, dressed in rumpled black with sedately boozy trumpets, light-brushed snare work, and barely-there guitar.
Buy Escondida

Moxy Früvous - MorphéeI had an argument with my French teacher in high school about this song. She maintained that it was a creepy song about morphine. I maintained that it was a cute, sleepy folksong laden with references to the mythological figure Morpheus, the king of dreams who, in The Odyssey, rules the Land of the Lotus Eaters (which, to be fair, is its own drug reference of sorts). She certainly knew more French than I did, but I had read The Odyssey more recently and was in the process of working my way through the Sandman comics, which center around Morpheus. We took it at a draw. The lyrics are here if you care to weigh in on the subject.
Buy Bargainville

Theme For The Week: Week 177 (July 20 - July 26)

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:39:50 GMT

Drugs as a concept have created an interesting dichotomy in the world of art. While most anyone with sense would argue that drugs aren't particularly good for your health, are they good for music(ians)? This week, Audiography gets controversial with...

SONGS ABOUT DRUGS

Quality over quantity, kids.
When in doubt, Google!
State your reason for choosing each song. Everyone here likes details.
Buy-me links are mandatory.
Make sure the theme is pasted on the subject of your post.
Themes are non-restricting.

♣ ARCHIVE
Week 1: SONGS TO START A GIG WITH
Week 2: THE '90S
Week 3: YOUR GUILTY PLEASURES
Week 4: 2 0 0 4
Week 5: MY THEME SONG
Week 6: THINK OUT OF THE BOX
Week 7: LIVE!
Week 8: CLOSE TO HOME
Week 9: GATEWAY BANDS
Week 10: THE SEXIEST SONGS
Week 11: SOUL
Week 12: FUNK
Week 13: WOMEN IN MUSIC
Week 14: HOUSE PARTY
Week 15: "THE BRITISH ARE COMING!" c/o eldritch00
Week 16: "TURN THAT SHIT DOWN!" c/o eldritch00
Week 17: THE BLUES
Week 18: COLLABORATIONS
Week 19: TOP 5 ATM
Week 20: TRACKBACK
Week 21: ELECTRONICA/AMBIENT
Week 22: RAP/HIPHOP
Week 23: THE MOVIES
Week 24: BIG BAND
Week 25: COVERS
Week 26: NEW ORLEANS/CLASSIC JAZZ
Week 27: THE '70S
Week 28: POST-ROCK
Week 29: FUSION
Week 30: FLIPSIDE c/o ingole & whiskeypants
Week 31: HAIR METAL/GLAM ROCK!!! c/o cathedralheat
Week 32: THE END OF THE WORLD
Week 33: NONFICTION c/o muruch
Week 34: O, CANADA!
Week 35: SONGS FOR SUMMER c/o marseverlasting
Week 36: EXPERIMENTAL ROCK
Week 37: PERCUSSION
Week 38: B-SIDES AND RARE TRACKS c/o a_little_afraid
Week 39: TOP 5 ATM II
Week 40: SONGS ABOUT LEAVING
Week 41: WORLD SMOOTHIE c/o courvidae
Week 42: THE '60S
Week 43: SONGS ABOUT AUTUMN
Week 44: METAL
Week 45: JOHN PEEL WEEK
Week 46: FIRST ALBUMS
Week 47: HALLOWEEN
Week 48: GRIME c/o cio
Week 49: JAPAN
Week 50: LAST YEAR
Week 51: JAZZ
Week 52: POST-PUNK
Week 53: FRANCOPHILIA
Week 54: BRASS & WINDS
Week 55: THE HOLIDAYS
Week 56: 2 0 0 5
Week 57: SONGS ABOUT BEGINNINGS
Week 58: TOP 5 ATM III
Week 59: YOUR PARENT'S RECORD BIN c/o cathedralheat
Week 60: PRODUCERS c/o cio
Week 61: RECORD LABELS
Week 62: HOUSE c/o cio
Week 63: THE SEXIEST SONGS II
Week 64: STRINGS
Week 65: BOOTLEGS
Week 66: LATIN AMERICA
Week 67: FOLK/COUNTRY
Week 68: KEYBOARDS
Week 69: HAND CLAPS
~~Week 70: YANNI~~
Week 70: PUNK ROCK c/o cio
Week 71: POWER POP
Week 72: GOSPEL c/o cio
Week 73: NEW WEIRD AMERICA c/o cio
Week 74: NOISE ROCK c/o cio
Week 75: SCOTLAND
Week 76: COVERS II c/o everyone
Week 77: STONER ROCK c/o cio
Week 78: TOP 5 ATM IV
Week 79: MOTOWN c/o cio
Week 80: THE '80s
Week 81: AUSTRALIA
Week 82: IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY c/o cathedralheat
Week 83: PSYCHEDELIC
Week 84: ROAD TRIP c/o cio
Week 85: BRAZIL c/o cio
Week 86: NOVELTY
Week 87: NAME-DROPPING
Week 88: PROTEST!
Week 89: SOLOS c/o cio
Week 90: QUIRKY SONG NAMESc/o purple_snitch
Week 91: BASS c/o cio
Week 92: SOUTHEAST ASIA
Week 93: NEW YORK
Week 94: BEDROOM DANCING c/o cio
Week 95: SHOEGAZE
Week 96: SOPHOMORE ALBUMS c/o cio
Week 97: LAST 3 ALBUMS YOU ACQUIRED c/o cathedralheat
Week 98: COMEBACK ALBUMS
Week 99: DEATH
Week 100: 100 WEEKS OF AUDIOGRAPHY THEMES
Week 101: TOP 5 ATM V
Week 102: CHICAGO
Week 103: LATE NIGHT MUSIC c/o cio
Week 104: AM POP c/o cio
Week 105: WINTER SONGS c/o cio
Week 106: THEREMIN
Week 107: HOLIDAY SONGS c/o cio
Week 108: 2 0 0 6 c/o cio
Week 109: NAMES
Week 110: THE '90S c/o cio
Week 111: SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR LIFE c/o cio
Week 112: WORDSMITHS c/o cio
Week 113: JAZZ c/o cio
Week 114: THE SEXIEST SONGS
Week 115: SONGS ABOUT INSANITY
Week 116: REMIXES c/o cio
Week 117: WEDDINGS
Week 118: MOVIES II c/o cio
Week 119: TOP 5 ATM VI
Week 120: WORKOUT
Week 121: LOS ANGELES
Week 122: POLITICS
Week 123: COLORS
Week 124: 3/4 TIME
Week 125: LO-FI c/o cio
Week 126: GERMANY c/o cio
Week 127: BREAK-UP
Week 128: THE '50s
Week 129: COLLABORATIONS II
Week 130: VIDEO GAME MUSIC c/o cio
Week 131: SPANISH
Week 132: WASHINGTON D.C.
Week 133: ANIMAL FARM
Week 134: METAL II c/o cio
Week 135: RAINY DAY SONGS c/o cio
Week 136: YOU'RE LIVING ALL OVER ME c/o cio
Week 137: MAKING SOMETHING OUT OF (ALMOST) NOTHING c/o cio
Week 138: DEMOS c/o purple_snitch
Week 139: TOP 5 ATM VII
Week 140: BACK TO SCHOOL
Week 141: BIRTH YEAR
Week 142: SLEEP SONGS
Week 143: UNREQUITED
Week 144: MM FOOD c/o cio
Week 145: REUNIONS
Week 146: IF I WERE A DJ... c/o cio
Week 147: THE BLUES II c/o cio
Week 148: HALLOWEEN
Week 149: SINGLES
Week 150: 4/4 TIME
Week 151: COVERS III
Week 152: INDIA
Week 153: UNPLUGGED
Week 154: LONG-DISTANCE LOVE
Week 155: HOLIDAYS
Week 156: 2 0 0 7
Week 157: DUETS
Week 158: TOP 5 ATM VIII
Week 159: JEALOUSY
Week 160: THE SEXIEST SONGS IV
Week 161: SEVEN DEADLY SINS
Week 162: FRANCOPHILIA II
Week 163: LITERARY SONGSc/o smu
Week 164: THE BEATc/o cio
Week 165: THE '70s IIc/o cio
Week 166: SEATTLE
Week 167: LOATHE THY NEIGHBOR
Week 168: HIP HOP c/o cio
Week 169: CHAMBER POP c/o cio
Week 170: SONGS ABOUT BODY PARTS c/o cio
Week 171: TOP 5 ATM IX
Week 172: INSTRUMENTALS
Week 173: SONGS FOR SUMMER II
Week 174: DRIVING MUSIC
Week 175: LAZY SONGS
Week 176: SAMPLE THIS/SAMPLE THAT
Week 177: WEATHER SONGS
Week 178: SONGS ABOUT DRUGS

Weather songs

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:26:02 GMT

Songs for:

Enjoying the sunshine - nothing more, nothing less: The Lucksmiths, T-Shirt Weather ($)

Sitting inside with your lover because it's raining out: The Lovin' Spoonful, Rain on the Roof ($) and Chris Bergson Band, Rain Beatin' Down ($)

Sitting inside alone because it's raining out, and you have nothing else to do but feel bad for yourself: Whiskeytown, Sit And Listen To The Rain ($)

Sitting in your car alone while it slowly gets snowed in, just because you can and it's beautiful in its own way: The Handsome Family, Stalled ($)

Driving fast and looking for a familiar song (or two) to sing along with: Counting Crows, Rain King/Thunder Road (live track; buy something else!)

Driving until sunrise and trying to figure out what's going on with that relationship you left behind: Ani Difranco, Cloud Blood ($)

...the sun comes up and you know it's over, and you feel a lot better now: Cyrcle, Red Rubber Ball ($)

Looking back at your past love: Girlyman, Fall Stories ($)

Looking back at the past year: Low, Last Snowstorm of the Year ($)

Looking back at last summer and last summer's fling and last summer's music: Johnny Rivers, Summer Rain ($)