Hello dear listeners and fellow music lovers. I am writing this from Washington DC on a night off between shows. As I told you in last week’s letter, I pre-taped tonight’s show rather than have Engineer X broadcast re-runs. The internet connection here is a slow dial up so I won't be able to access sites and get to all the information I would like so tonight’s notes will be somewhat less informative than I would like but here goes.

Harmony in My Head for 10-04-04

Dr. Mix and the Remix – Can’t Control Myself: Recently re-released with extra tracks. We’ve played these guys before, remember their version of No Fun? The very cool Acute Label has released this collection recently and it’s got a few extra tracks than the one I bought in France many years ago. If you like songs like Sister Ray with a hard, electronic edge, this is a great band. I have been playing this band for over twenty years now.

Jimi Hendrix ‚ Johnny B Good: This is Hendrixí live version of the classic Chuck Berry song. I first heard it on a Hendrix soundtrack a long time ago and used to play it all the time in my motherís basement not a few blocks from where Iím writing this. Itís on the long deleted In the West album which is the version that I used tonight. Thereís another version of this song on another Hendrix CD, same version but with an edit at the top. 10-06-04 update: One of our mighty listeners just wrote in to remind me that this track is on that big Hendrix box that came out a couple of years ago. It's been awhile since I played that. Well, now you know where to go for this track and it's probably mastered way better on that box anyway. Thanks!

Generation X – Shakin' All Over: The B Side of the Valley of the Dolls single. I always thought this was a great cover version of this song. I still listen to Generation X, as you have heard a lot of their songs on this show. As you can tell by now, we’re listening to bands covering songs. One more to go.

Tom Waits – Sea of Love: This is off the Sea of Love movie soundtrack. I bought this CD just to get this track. Waits really does a great job on this one. You don’t hear this one all that often and I don’t know if he put it on any of his records.

Del Swade - Lonely Man: I don’t know anything about Del Swade. This cut was taken off the Compated Cats CD comp. I saw this CD in the Tower Records at Piccadilly Circle in London. Sounds pretty cool. Sometimes I buy comp. CDs when I don’t know anything about the bands of genre of music. I have a handful of old rock CDs like this and there’s always something good on them.

Rowland S. Howard – Breakdown: Good ol’ Rowland. You know this guy, he was the guitar player in the Birthday Party and Crime and the City Solution. This song is from his Teenage Snuff Film Soundtrack album. He does a great version of Billy Idol’s White Wedding on here but my favorite track is this one here. What a great tone on that guitar.

Henry Thomas – Fishin’ Blues: We listened to Henry Thomas before when we played Bulldoze Blues. This is just another track from his very cool complete recordings CD. My other favorite song on this record is called Railroadin’ Some. We’ll get to that one for sure.

Laurie Anderson – Sharkey’s Night: From Laurie’s Mr. Heartbreak album. This track features a great vocal from William S. Burroughs. I like all of her albums but this one, Red, the Ugly Girl with the Jewells are my favorites. Live, it’s even more amazing. If she ever comes to your town, that’s a great night out.
The Very Things – Mummy You’re a Wreck: Another Very Things track! I was conversing with vocalist The Shend via e-mail last night and offered to help with his Cravats CD project. The Cravats was his previous band and almost all of their catalog is out of print. I hope we can change that.

Eddie Hazel – California Dreamin’: Finally this has come out on CD. A long out of print LP on Warner Bros. Dames Games and Guitar Things is a P-Funk must have. It’s guitar god of Funkadelic out front with a strong showing of P –Allstars on all the other instruments. Rhino did a limited edition release of this. I don’t know if it will hit retail. I got the info off the Rhino site and got the CD off Amazon. Mastered perfectly. Really great stuff.

Cornell Campbell – Mash You Down: I turned Steve Jones onto Cornell and now he’s playing that song I Shall Not Remove. I reckoned it’s time to kick it up a notch so I’m playing this one tonight. Another great CC track.

Amen – Room of Ruin: If I was ever in a band, I would want to be in Amen. This album, We Have Come for Your Parents will rip your head off. Casey Chaos, the band’s singer is amazing. He sang on our Rise Above album. He killed the track Depression. What a man, what a band.

Wayne Shorter – Footprints: From the Adam’s Rib album. Wayne did this tune again with Miles Davis on the Miles album Seven Steps to Heaven. I have spent a lot of time checking Wayne Shorter’s Blue Note label releases. Ju Ju, Speak No Evil, really great stuff. He’s all over the Miles Davis catalog and shows up on many Bluenote label releases. He’s strong.

Devo – Bamboo Bimbo: From one of the Hardcore Devo CDs. I think it’s on Vol. 2. I don’t have it with me but I think I’m right. I think the Hardcore series are out of print but if you get the chance, check these out as they are insane.

Jesse Belvin – I’ll Mess You Up: Wonderful track, right? I have wanted to play this track for a long time, it’s so messed up. This CD was given to me a long time ago and this song stuck out. Most of the other tracks on the record are more ballads than up tempo but this one sticks out. Thought you might trip on this one.

Mick Harvey – Intoxicated Man: The great Mick Harvey of Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fame. He did a couple of CD of Serge Gainsbourg’s material. There’s The Intoxicated Man CD and one called Pink Elephants. I don’t know much about Serge and my excuse is for that is lame. I have read interviews of hipster bands who are really boring who worship him and it was an indicator to stay away. I should check him out sometime.

PJ Harvey – Working for the Man: From her album To Bring You My Love. She’s amazing and I have most of her records but this is my favorite one. Very interesting production work on this one that makes a lot of her other records seem almost normal. She’s really something.

Sleep – Dragonaut: From Sleep’s Holy Mountain album Great stoner rock from Northern California. Great stuff. Also, check Al from Sleep’s next project High on Fire CDs, really strong.

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Thanks for listening.