The Underground of Happiness

The human voice. Singers. Vocalists. Solo. In groups. Harmonies. Dissonance. A capella. Sotto voce. Screeches. Swoops. Croons. Devotional. An attack. A glide. A growl. A swoon. A yearning. Jazz. Blues. Folk. Pop. Psych. Electro. Classical. Doo Wop. Whatever. Sometimes the simple effect of massed voices. Sometimes singing just for the joy of it. Sometimes a voice not technically great but still with something great about it. Intonations are involved too. Maybe not even words. A voice below the brain. Giving breath to feelings. Backing vocals. Sometimes so crucial and innovative they are the true heart of a song. Backing vocals that don’t deserve to be called backing. Some of my favourite singers and vocal arrangements and performances. Enjoy. ************************************************** Playlist Cocteau Twins – Cherry coloured funk (4AD) Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares – Pilentzee Pee (4AD) Julianna Barwick – The magic place (Asthmat...

A playlist for summer. Sunshine. Heatwave. (We've been having that around this neck of the woods.) When the heat does things to you. Changes your brain. Makes everything blurry. So it shimmers. Enjoy. Kacy & Clayton – The light of day (New West Records) Gene Clark – Why not your baby (A&M Records) The Byrds – Wild Mountain Thyme (Columbia) Jess Williamson – I see the white (Mexican Summer) Naim Gabriel Amor – Just before revelation (Vacilando ’68) Kamasi Washington – The Space Traveller’s Lullaby (Young Turks) Esquivel – My blue heaven (RCA) Ennio Morricone feat. Edda Dell’Orso – Una spiaggia a mezzogiorno (from the soundtrack of the film Vergogna Schifosi) (Ariete) LWW – CTP (radio edit) (The Leaf Label) Szun Waves – Constellation (The Leaf Label) Kody Nielson – Bic’s birthday (Flying Nun) Os Mutantes – Bat macumba (Polydor) Malena Zavala – If it goes (Yucatan Records) Tenniscoats – Ende (Alien Transistor) The Saxophones – Aloha (Full Ti...

A little spiritual music for Easter week... ...ranging from the meditational to the flippant, the playful to the otherworldly, gospel to kosmische. Enjoy. 7 Susanna & The Magical Orchestra – Hallelujah Homer Quincy Smith – I want Jesus to walk with me Edward Williams – Japanese macaques: Warm baths in a snowscape (from the soundtrack of the tv series Life on Earth) Scott Walker – Angels of ashes Cluster – Sowiesoso (So not so so) Silver Apples – Seagreen serenades Bruce Haack – Cherubic hymn The Beach Boys – Transcendental meditation Dirty Projectors & Bjork – On and ever onward Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – The road (from the soundtrack of the film The road) Howe Gelb – Paradise here abouts Gospel Artistics – Lord is it The Velvet Underground – Jesus Dylan Thomas – Do not go gentle into that good night John Cale – Do not go gentle into that good night (live) Nina Simone – I shall be released Richard Osborn – Monastery Alela Diane & Ryan France...

Just in case it gets lost in the Christmas haze, the promised podcast for the recent Smile Special is now available. The special guest for the show was my UCC 98.3FM colleague Stephen Purcell and you can read Stephen's accompanying article on the background to the Smile sessions, as well as plenty of other Beach Boys and Brian Wilson related discussion, on this link. Enjoy and compliments of the season. http://www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com/2011/12/beach-boys-smile-special.html Smile Pod by Underground of Happiness3

The Underground of Happiness uplifting pop music of every creed www.theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/theundergroundofhappiness Playlist 201 - A Special on The Beach Boys' Smile album, with guest Stephen Purcell Tues Dec 13 2011 11.00am-12.00pm (repeated on Tuesdays 8.30pm) UCC 98.3FM listen live on the web at www.ucc.ie/983fm *no podcast this week due to a technical hitch, but check out Stephen's superbly detailed accompanying blog piece here http://theundergroundofhappiness.blogspot.com/2011/12/beach-boys-smile-special.html Playlist The Beach Boys - Our prayer (Smile 2011; also 20/20 1969) The Beach Boys - Gee (Smile 2011) The Beach Boys - Heroes & villains (Smile 2011; also Smiley Smile 1967, different version) The Beatles - Tomorrow never knows (Revolver 1966) The Beach Boys - God only knows (Pet Sounds 1966) The Beach Boys - Cabin essence (Smile 2011; also 20/20 1969, different version, as Cabinessence) The Beach Boys - Chi...

This week's show (the last of the year before the Christmas break) was another special (after last week's Christmas extravaganza , which, not surprisingly also featured The Beach Boys ), dedicated to The Beach Boys and in particular the Smile album, which was finally officially released this year. I was joined on the show by guest Stephen Purcell , who is a colleague at UCC 98.3FM . After meeting for the first time recently at the station, we quickly established a love of The Beach Boys as something we had in common. However, whereas I would call myself a big fan of the band, Stephen is "hardcore". So, to mark the end of the year when the original Smile recordings were finally released, we decided to devote a show to talking about the album, the band and Brian Wilson as a creative force in popular music. And Stephen also kindly agreed to contribute a superbly detailed background to the album, giving a great insight into the personalities involved in these landmark...

Over the summer, in among the piles of great new music arriving, I became more than slightly obsessed with one song from 1972. It was contained on the great compilation Our lives are shaped by what we love: Motown's Mowest Story 1971-1973 , brought out by the wonderful Light in the Attic label. The song in question is the first track on the album, You're a song (that I can't sing) , by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons . Unfortunately, I haven't been able to track down a video or full listening link for it, but you will find a 30 second sample on the LITA website here (there's some other top class tunes on it too, from the likes of Odyssey, Sister Love and G.C. Cameron ). http://lightintheattic.net/releases/572-our-lives-are-shaped-by-what-we-love-motown-s-mowest-story-1971-73 As you'll see on that page, the label was the brainchild of Berry Gordy , the Motown boss, an idea to transfer the Detroit operation to the west coast, and launch a west-coast ver...

I've been meaning to put down a few thoughts for quite a while about Van Dyke Parks . He's one of these Zelig-like characters, appearing at many crucial junctures in pop music history. This much I knew. I knew he played keyboards on the title track of The Byrds' 1966 album 5-D (I can hear that sunburst organ on the playout now - actually so can you, here). I knew about his association with Brian Wilson , co-writing several songs with him for the lost Smile album. Including this absolute classic, Heroes and villains . What a great lyric - I'm fit with the stuff To ride in the rough And sunny down snuff I'm alright He was also involved in plenty of other Beach Boys compositions, co-writing with Brian mostly, not always with the approval of the other 'Boys (Mike Love in particular, I think). And I notice he crops up on backing vocals on one of my all-time favourite Beach Boys songs, A day in the life of a tree from Surf's up , 1971. Mmmm. ...