Monday, June 23, 2008

Slippy




























Hey all. We've got a special guest post today, from Ray at the super swell site Testify. He'd like to share with you a modern classic drinking tune. We think Ray's spot-on with his evaluation.

Take it away, Ray:


In his 2002 book Black Vinyl, White Powder, Simon Napier Bell wrote of Underworld:
“Working with keyboards and computers, painting with sound and rhythm, they could create an aural collage that could be considered on a par with the best contemporary art of all sorts. Like all seriously considered art the imagery contained in it was often obsessive and personal.”


In 1996 Young British Artists (YBA’s) were central to a new self confidence in British cultural life, which together with Brit Pop and the promise of a new Labour government, led to a lot excitable chatter about a neo-Swinging London. Though originally released in 1995, as an anonymous b-side Born Slippy (NUXX) achieved prominence when featured on the soundtrack of 1996’s Trainspotting , in the language of the time, a great Brit flick. So, by extension, Born Slippy (NUXX) became a part of the soundtrack of those times, the drinking song du jour of the Hirst’s and Emin’s that Napier Bell was doubtless thinking of when he talked of the “best contemporary art”. It poured out from the bars of newly fashionable Hoxton and Shoreditch as well as everywhere else like the bottles of lager it apparently hymned.

So, yes, it would be easy to mistake Born Slippy (NUXX) for contemporary art but for all its modernist tropes Born Slippy (NUXX) belongs to a much older British Art tradition than the YBA partys it soundtracked. Born Slippy (NUXX) is positively Hogarthian.


Like Hogarth’s Gin Lane or Night, Born Slippy (NUXX) is both reportage and a sneering lampooning of that which it reports on. Karl Hyde's lyrics are often called stream of consciousness, but to me they sound utterly authentic. Hyde isn’t delving into his subconscious rather he, is channeling the life around him, simply repeating the sounds of Britain at play: “Lager, Lager, Lager …shouting…” however his deadpan delivery drains it of life, it implicitly comments on it and ultimately rejects it. As the music changes from sombre piano to pummeling beats it is perhaps possible to hear the city and its playful inhabitants crushed, at least in the febrile imagination of the songs protagonist.

At this point in there career Underworld featured DJ Darren Emerson and were aligned with the rave scene. Since the late eighties Rave, in the UK at least, had been the latest flowering of rock ‘n’ roll’s Dionysian promise of a good time all the time, of one nation under the groove getting down etc etc.

Of course there were dissenters, a disgruntled clubland elite who found a voice in the Boys Own fanzine. As early as 1990 Norman Jay bemoaned in Boys Own, the fact that rave was no longer the preserve of “London’s style and fashion conscious, flat top trendy and clued up clubber” and poured scorn on ‘Joe Public’ who “boogies on down in the raves convinced he’s a trendy (silly cunt)” One assumes those people in New Labour who bestowed an MBE on Jay for "deejaying and services to music" on 12th November 2002 didn’t read Boys Own.

The Boys Own clique despised what they saw as johnny cum lately “acid teds”, that huge section of society that had been turned onto rave not by cool tastemakers such as themselves but rather read about it in the tabloids and wanted a slice of the action.
Boys Own founded their own record label, Junior Boys Own, which included on its roster...Underworld!

Born Slippy (NUXX) turned out to be well named however as it slipped its trendy moorings and found itself at number two in the charts Underworld found themselves no longer simply detached observers of Saturday night excess, they were now an integral part of it, for by then even the least trendy most revolting pub was singing along.

All together now…”Lager, Lager Lager…”

Underworld: Born Slippy (NUXX) (mp3)

Lager is almost as good for you as gin.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Regular





















Have you got a favorite drinking establishment? A place where the bartender's got your beer and shot ready the moment you crack the door? Where you've got your own stool, the shape of your ass cheeks permanently pushed in the cushion or worn into the wood, and the bar is bowed to accommodate your elbows? A place where, erm, well...everybody knows your name? Well then, my friends, you are a Regular.

In his day, Paul Westerberg was surely a regular himself. He and his band The Replacements, who we consider the greatest American rock'n'roll band of all time (we dare you to prove us wrong), were certainly known for their exceedingly inebriated live shows, all drunken swagger and whiskey rebellion. Some would call these performances a sloppy mess. We prefer to refer to them as the essence of Rawk.

About mid-way through their career, The 'Mats traded in a bit of the loud, fast, and out of control tomfoolery for the occasional turn on reflection. With their song "Here Comes A Regular", which placed at a very pleasing #13 on our Top 100 Drinking Songs, The Replacements (Westerberg alone?) crafted a modern tear-in-your-beer tune to rival those of Mr. Waits and Mr. MacGowan.

A master lyricist, with a genius for a turn of the phrase, Westerberg could break your heart while spitting in your drink behind your back. With "Here Comes A Regular", he found the heart of sadness in the spinning neon bar signs. Suffused with regret and defiance, the song floats on a simple guitar line, Westerberg alone in the dust-moted spotlight on the stool. A good bar has few windows. It's the barest skiffle of a song, with the weight of the glass balanced by the changing of the seasons, viewed from the perch of the pint of no return.

Well a person can work up a mean mean thirst
after a hard day of nothin' much at all
Summer's passed, it's too late to cut the grass
There ain't much to rake anyway in the fall

And sometimes I just ain't in the mood
to take my place in back with the loudmouths
You're like a picture on the fridge that's never stocked with food
I used to live at home, now I stay at the house

And everybody wants to be special here
They call your name out loud and clear
Here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one here today?

Well a drinkin' buddy that's bound to another town
Once the police made you go away
And even if you're in the arms of someone's baby now
I'll take a great big whiskey to ya anyway

Everybody wants to be someone's here
Someone's gonna show up, never fear
'cause here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one who feels ashamed?

Kneeling alongside old Sad Eyes
He says opportunity knocks once then the door slams shut
All I know is I'm sick of everything that my money can buy
The fool who wastes his life, God rest his guts

First the lights, then the collar goes up, and the wind begins to blow
Turn your back on a pay-you-back, last call
First the glass, then the leaves that pass, then comes the snow
Ain't much to rake anyway in the fall



The Replacements: Here Comes A Regular(mp3)

The Replacements: Here Comes A Regular (LIVE)(mp3)

Please support your local "local", ya know.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Blue Ribbon
















Ulp...sorry, you caught me taking a quick nip.

One of our biggest regrets in the Top 100 Drinking Songs list was how poorly Mr. Johnny Russell performed, particularly his seminal rendition of Mountain favorite "Rednecks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer".

"Rednecks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer" is the quintessential working-man's bar tune, a joyous shout out to camaraderie amongst those whose fingernails get a little dirty, and the aches and pains of a day's hard labor are assuaged by the popped top on a cold one, the jukebox, the ball game on tv, and the racked balls on the pool table. No pretense on this one.

It doesn't hurt that Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer is a highly favored brew here at the Mountain.

As a bonus, we've got another fine little drinking tune from Russell, "Drinking a Beer and Singing a Country Song". If you were ever curious about the connection between Country music and the consumption of tasty beverages, this should spell it out for you pretty (ever)clearly. There is no Country without a drink, and there is no drinking without a little sip of the good stuff.

Barstool Mountain approved! 200 proof!


Johnny Russell: Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer (mp3)

Johnny Russell: Drinking a Beer and Singing a Country Song (mp3)

Please support your local "Old Man" Bar.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Down To The Stillhouse


















Took a break. We're back now. Lift yr glasses.

The New Lost City Ramblers were part of the big Folk Boom back in the late 50's into the early 60's. While most of that movement, musicians and audiences alike, was made up of white folks playing at authenticity through theft, The 'Ramblers approached the songs and subject matter of their performances and recordings with a reverence and playful spirit. Plenty of banjos, fiddles, kazoos, and whatnot, and an obvious appreciation for the Appalachian culture from which the majority of their material sprung from. They continue to tour sporadically, in various incarnations, to this day, and have served as an influence to much of the Backwoods revivalists we appreciate today.

For our purposes today, we want to take a look at our favorite album of theirs, "American Moonshine and Prohibition Songs". As you can surmise from the title, the record is comprised of drinking songs. Mostly in the moonshine whiskey and bootlegging vein, a fine topic we think. Loves us some moonshine. Every song on this album reels, jigs, and fiddles it's way through a boozy haze of law-breaking and bad behavior. Highly recommended for all you inebriates out there.

The following songs are best heard with a whiskey (preferably of the "homemade" kind) in yr claw.


The New Lost City Ramblers: Goodbye Old Booze (mp3)

The New Lost City Ramblers: The Old Home Brew (mp3)

The New Lost City Ramblers: Down To The Stillhouse To Get A Little Cider (mp3)


The New Lost City Ramblers: Kentucky Bootlegger (mp3)


Please support your local moonshiner and bootlegger. If you don't, who will?

Monday, March 17, 2008

The Craic and the Porter Black






















Happy St. Patrick's Day!

You didn't think we'd let the day pass without comment did you?

We've got a busy day ahead of us, the pub(s) await our presence, so let's get right to the point.

Below please be pleased to find a keen and green Barstool Mountain St. Patrick's Day mix for your celebratory enjoyment. We've got Top 100 Drinking Song tunes, more than a little Shane MacGowan(with no apologies), American punks who want to be Shane (slight apologies), traditional pub fare, songs of the Nation, whiskey songs, drinking songs, drinking songs, and more drinking songs. We've even got a couple of shout-outs to our Celtic brothers and sisters in Scotland.

Raise a glass, then, to the non-Irish gentleman who chased the Pagans from the Isle.

This post is dedicated to the memory of Brendan Behan. Raconteur, rebel, author, and consumer of many a fine beverage.

Link to Mp3 follows the track listing
.

Slainte!

The Craic and the Porter Black Mix (83:42)

1. Amhran Na Bhfiann (Band of An Garda Siochana)
2. All For Me Grog (Dublin City Ramblers)
3. Streams of Whiskey (The Pogues)
4. Whiskey You're The Devil (The Clancy Brothers)
5. The Humours of Whiskey (Andy M. Stewart)
6. Nancy Whiskey (Irish Rovers)
7. Drink It Up Men (The Dubliners)
8. A Nation Once Again (Paddy Reilly)
9. The Wild Rover (Dropkick Murphys w/Shane)
10. Rocky Road To Dublin (The Young Dubliners)
11. Finnigan's Wake (The Clancy Brothers)
12. Sally MacLannane (The Pogues)
13. The Pub With No Beer (The Dubliners)
14. Scotland The Brave (The Pipes and Drums of the Royal Tank Regiment)
15. The Rare Oul' Times (Flogging Molly)
16. Good Rats (Dropkick Murphys w/Shane)
17. The Real Old Mountain Dew (Patrick Clancy)
18. Carrickfergus (Van Morrison w/The Chieftans)
19. Seven Drunken Nights (The Tossers)
20. Alternative Ulster (Stiff Little Fingers)
21. The Craic and the Porter Black (Dublin City Ramblers)
22. Whiskey In the Jar (The Dubliners)
23. The Leaving of Liverpool (The Clancy Brothers)
24. St. John of Gods (Shane MacGowan and the Popes)
25. The Holy Ground (The Dubliners)
26. The Parting Glass (Liam Clancy)
27. Danny Boy (Shane MacGowan and the Popes)


The Craic and the Porter Black Mix (mp3)

Does anyone actually use the word "blarney" un-ironically? Didn't think so. Have a good day.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Bad Livers




















Well, golly. Apologies to those who ended up here looking for the band The Bad Livers. They were a mighty fine band. But, no, this is not a post on them. It's the name of a brand spankin' new Barstool Mountain mix made especially for...you. Yes, you, with your can of of Hamm's Beer sittin' by the computer screen.

There's a vague theme running through the following mix, but it's not really important. What's important is that this is but a very small portion of some of our fave rave drinking songs, not found in any Top 100 list (you know which one we're talking about).

So click on the link following the track listing, download the mix, and pop a top again and again. And again. Who needs a liver anyway?

Shucram!


The Barstool Mountain Bad Livers Mix (66:07)
(mp3 file follows track listing)


1. Loser's Cocktail (Dick Curless)
2. I'm Gonna Tie One Tonight (The Wilburn Brothers)
3. Hey Bartender, Give That Man A Drink (Jumpin' Joe Williams)
4. Soft Lips and Hard Liquor (Charlie Walker)
5. Wine Women and Whiskey (Papa Lightfoot)
6. My Baby Got Drunk (Paul "Wine" Jones)
7. Sorrow On The Rocks (Porter Wagoner)
8. Bar Exam (The Derailers)
9. Drinkin' Buddies (The Railbenders)
10. I Can't Go Home Like This (Ray Price)
11. Eight Weeks In A Barroom (Ramblin' Red Bailey)
12. Sittin' Here Drinking (Blind James Campbell)
13. Hey Brother, Pour The Wine (Dean Martin)
14. Drinkin' Thing (Gary Stewart)
15. Sangria Wine (Jerry Jeff Walker)
16. Head Happy With Wine (Stick McGhee)
17. Whiskey River (Johnny Bush)
18. Rye Whiskey (Blue Mountain)
19. Big Rock Candy Mountain (Harry McClintock)
20. One More Beer (Big Bill Lister)
21. Night Life (Willie Nelson)
22. Drink Up and Go Home (Jimmy Martin)
23. Cemetery Row (The Minus 5)
24. More Pricks Than Kicks (Shane Macgowan and the Popes)


Bad Livers (mp3)



Yes, we've got some Saint Patrick's celebration on the horizon. Keep your tab open.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Too Drunk To Dream






















Another fine drinking song for y'all today.

I've long maintained that Stephen Merritt of Magnetic Fields is a Country musician. If Hank Williams had teamed up with Cole Porter, that is. The Cole Porter comparison has been used ad nauseum when describing Merritt, and it's an apt comparison, but too often is overlooked the Country and Western underpinnings of his songs, both in lyrical content and construction, and in the tone and arrangement of the music, whether done on a shitty keyboard in his bedroom or with a full backing band, as in recent years. Look no further than the album "The Charm Of The Highway Strip"
for the best proof of Merritt's Country cred.

On their new album, "Distortion", The Magnetic Fields has produced one of the finest drinking songs in years, and, while it's still quite early, maybe the best single of the year. "Too Drunk To Dream" will sit easily on your playlist next to "There's A Tear In My Beer" and "Misery and Gin". If this had been released a year ago, it would easily have made our Top 100 Drinking Songs list. It's that good. Check out the lyrics:

Sober, life is a prison
Shit face, it is a blessing
Sober, nobody wants you
Shitfaced, they're all undressed
Sober, it's ever darker
Shitfaced, the moon is nearer
Sober, you're old and ugly
Shitfaced, who needs a mirror?
Sober, you're a cromagnum
Shitfaced, you're very clever
Sober, you never should be
Shitfaced, now and forever!

I gotta get too drunk to dream
'cause dreaming only makes me blue
i gotta get too drunk to dream
because i only dream of you

i gotta get too pissed to miss you
or i'll never get to sleep
i gotta drink wine not to pine for you
and god knows that ain't cheap

i know you think i'm insane
i know it's not appealing
but til i'm feeling no pain
guess what i'll be feeling?


I gotta get too fried to cry,
or i'll be crying all night long
i gotta get too high to sigh
oh my god where did i go wrong?

So why do i get plastered?
and why am i so lonely?
it's you, you heartless bastard
you're my one and only!

i gotta get too pissed to miss you
or i'll never get to sleep
i gotta drink wine not to pine for you
and god knows that ain't cheap
and god knows that ain't cheap!


Yep. Makes me wanna crack one open.

Cheers!

The Magnetic Fields: Too Drunk To Dream (mp3)

The Magnetic Fields: Love Is Like A Bottle Of Gin (mp3)


Please support your local liquor store and/or grizzled moonshiner.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Crooning In Yer Beer

















Well, never let it be said we ain't fair here at the Barstool Mountain. Sure, we're gonna have us plenty of that there Country and Blues, more than a fair share one might argue. But we're concerned with the entire breadth of great drinking songs, and it seems to us that pretty much any genre can stake a claim to having a decent amount of classic boozers. So we're gonna step away from the Country and Blues for the next couple of posts. Don't fret, though, all will be well (or top shelf, if you prefer, and your budget can accommodate). We're here for you, and your sudsy needs.

So, a little something for the garage punks.

The New Bomb Turks were Columbus, Ohio's greatest band (we love our broad pronouncements) for a period of years in the 90's(with apologies to Gaunt, Scrawl, The Thomas Jeffeson Slave Apartments). Buzzsaw trash guitar, two minutes and done songs, and the snottiest Midwest vocals this side of Great Plains. The kind of band Crypt and Sympathy for The Record Industry wet themselves over. They even recorded a couple of songs with Thee Billy Childish. Live, they were a sweaty mess of boozed-up rock'n'roll.

Here's one of our favorite "night in the gutter" drinking songs. And for us older folks, we've got an "alternate" version where the lyrics are a tad more decipherable.

Yeghes da!

New Bomb Turks: Crying In The Beer Of A Drunk Man (mp3)

New Bomb Turks: Croonin' In The Beer Of A Drunk Man (mp3)

Thanks.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Yesterday's Wine




















George Jones. Do I really need to say more? This is the man who drove his lawn mower to the liquor store because his wife hid the keys to his car so he wouldn't, well, drive to the liquor store. That's dedication, my friends.

'Course, old George is a Country legend whose range runs far and wide topically. And we give all due respect to The Possum. But this is Barstool Mountain, so we're interested in his more consumptive nature.

Jones placed 3 songs on the Top 100 Drinking Songs list ("White Lightning", "If Drinking Don't Kill Me..", and "The King Is Gone"). Since this round is, as always, on the house, we're gonna pour you a few more shots of George Jones inebriation to go along with your chasers. Or call it a Little Kings 8-pack.

Cheers!

George Jones: White Lightning (mp3)

George Jones: If Drinking Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will) (mp3)

George Jones: The King Is Gone (mp3)

George Jones: Tennessee Whiskey (mp3)

George Jones: Yesterday's Wine (mp3)

George Jones: Bartender's Blues (mp3)

George Jones: Drive Me To Drink (mp3)

George Jones w/Merle Haggard: Must've Been Drunk (mp3)

Please support your local John Deere retailer. You never know when that tractor may come in handy.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Quiet Whiskey
























Back to the Big Rock Candy Mountain Top 100 Drinking Songs, and we've got a special one for you today.

Wynonie Harris.

If they had a hall of fame for artists who've perfected the drinking song, Harris would be one of the first inductees, placing 4 songs in the Top 100 ("Don't Take My Whiskey Away From Me", "Quiet Whiskey", "Bloodshot Eyes", and "Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well"), with several more just missing the cut.

Harris was a master Rhythm and Blues shouter, swinging through a litany of vices-sex, gambling, boozing, and general all-around partying, with crack bands wailing behind him. We think he's one of the great artists of the 20th Century.

Below you can find all four of his Top 100 songs, plus a few more besotted numbers for your enjoyment.


Iechyd da!

Wynonie Harris: Don't Take My Whiskey Away From Me (mp3)

Wynonie Harris: Quiet Whiskey (mp3)

Wynonie Harris: Bloodshot Eyes (mp3)

Wynonie Harris: Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well (mp3)

Wynonie Harris: Wine Sweet Wine (mp3)

Wynonie Harris: Drinkin' Sherry Wine (mp3)

Wynonie Harris: Whiskey and Jelly-Roll Blues (mp3)


Wynonie Harris: Drinkin' By Myself (mp3)

Please support your local, independent gin mill.