C90: I Am I Said

 


Making compilations is a bit of a hobby for me. Most of them I make for myself, to listen to when driving, working or cooking; when given the opportunity, I make them for other people too. I do make an effort to spend some time listening to complete LPs in the right order (as a quirky little new year's resolution, I did nothing but that throughout January and February this year), but it does seem that people do so less and less these days. As Paul Hanley said to me when I interviewed House of All, 'nobody listens to albums any more, do they?'

Often, my compilations focus on a specific artist, genre (e.g. jazz or prog) or era. But I also enjoy compiling based on set criteria, especially something linguistic. For example, I have spent many an hour constructing playlists where the last word of each song title is the first word of the next one (there'll undoubtedly be a post or two in the future taking this approach). This might seem like a rather pointless and random endeavour, but the randomness is the joy of it: it throws up interesting and surprising combinations of songs, often encompassing a range of genres; it also leads me to tracks that I own that I haven't heard in years or sometimes even ones that I have never actually got around to listening to before.


The inspiration for this compilation came from a recent trip to the garage to pick up my car. They had some nostalgia-focused commercial radio station on (Absolute 70s or some such) which was playing Neil Diamond's 1971 single 'I Am I Said'. I am, for the most part, pretty ambivalent about his work: I only know the big hits and in general find them not unpleasant to listen to even if I have never done so through choice (although when and how did 'Sweet Caroline' become such a de rigueur crowd sing-along?)

Anyway, this set me thinking, as I waited for the paperwork on my car to be completed: how many songs do I own where the title begins with 'I am...' (or 'I'm')? The answer - as was the case with life, the universe and everything - is 42. From which I have selected 24.


Spotify playlist
YouTube playlist
Side 1
Iggy Pop - I'm Bored
An entertainingly nihilistic grumble from 1979's New Values.
The Microphones - I Am Bored
The 45-minute 'Microphones in 2020' is, for me, by far their greatest piece of work, but it's hard to see how that's ever going to work in a C90 context. However, they do also have a line in endearing blurry, lo-fi vignettes such as this.
Silver Jews - I'm Getting Back Into Getting Back Into You
Beautifully understated indie/country jangle: 'Then the world turned / time got away / we fell out of touch'.
X-Ray Spex - I Am a Poseur
'Yes, we're very entertaining / overtones can be betraying.'
Fat White Family - I am Mark E Smith
The inevitable Fall reference. Sleazy, listless glam.


King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard - I am not a Man Unless I Have a  Woman
A band that are prolific to the point of absurdity, but when they're good they're very good.
Dr Feelgood - I'm a Hog For You Baby
Nobody turns to Dr Feelgood for lyrical insight ('One little piggy ate a pizza / One piggy ate potato chips / This little piggy's coming over you house / I'm gonna lock up those sweet lips') but they can't be beat for snappy, taut R 'n' B. 
Lee 'Scratch, Perry - I am a Madman
Dreamy dub from the maestro. I love this line in his Wikipedia entry: 'Lee left school at age 15 and lived in Hanover where he did not have much regard for working, and preferred to play dominoes and live according to his own desires.'
Cowboy Junkies - I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry
I first heard Cowboy Junkies on Radio 1 on a Saturday afternoon, being interviewed about The Trinity Session. Margo Timmins was talking about how a studio improvisation had led to 'Blue Moon Revisited', which at the time I thought was simply the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard. This Hank Williams cover, like most of the album, is so gossamer thin it feels as if it might float away on the breeze.
Chrissy Zebby Tembo - I'm Not Made of Iron
Nearly all of my random compilations have a spot of Zamrock in them - more of this on a future C90, no doubt.


Mastodon - I am Ahab
My eldest son is a bit of an expert on the bewildering array of metal sub-genres; I am not, but I do like a touch of the heavier stuff on this type of playlist.
Nuyorican Soul - I am the Black Gold of the Sun (4 Hero Remix)
The sound of joy: for me, possibly the most uplifting song in existence. The way it evolves from gospel-tinged soul into dreamily psychedelic drum & bass is sublime.


Side 2
Joe Jackson - I'm the Man
An unfairly overlooked songwriter, in my opinion, whose first two albums were packed with sharp, well-observed melodic power pop.
Guided By Voices - I am a Scientist
GbV's immense back catalogue is daunting, and you have to work hard to unearth the gems. I still have work to do.
The Lemonheads - I am a Rabbit
From the days before the band became the Evan show; a cover of a track by NZ punks Proud Scum.
Wilco - I'm the Man Who Loves You
From the (quite rightly) acclaimed Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (although I'd argue A Ghost Is Born is better).
Mogwai - I am not Batman
A comptemplative moment from the Ten Rapid compilation album.
Paul Revere & The Raiders - I'm Not Your Stepping Stone
There are, of course, numerous recordings of this Boyce & Hart tune, many of which are very good (although PJ & Duncan's pop-ska version is probably best forgotten) - but this one remains my favourite.


The Saints - (I'm) Misunderstood
Australian punk band who released a single ('(I'm) Stranded') before The Clash, The Damned or the Sex Pistols did. Their inclusion marks another Fall reference, as they covered The Saints' 'This Perfect Day' on The Marshall Suite. 
The Animals - I'm Going to Change the World
Apart from 'House of the Rising Sun' and 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood', The Animals seem to be largely forgotten these days, which is a shame, as they produced a shedload of cracking blues-rock tunes in the late 60s.
The Prisoners - I am the Fisherman
A criminally overlooked garage rock band (with James Taylor on Hammond organ who went on to form the acid jazz outfit James Taylor Quartet) who released three outstanding albums in the early 80s. 
Smudge - I am not the Cosmos
Australian purveyors of melodic lo-fi/slacker/indie punk-pop whose guitarist and vocalist Tom Morgan was a long-time collaborator of Evan Dando (they co-wrote much of C'mon Feel The Lemoheads, for example). 


Worriedaboutsatan - I am a Crooked Man
We've had lots of different genres so far, but now it's time for 11 minutes of sparse and atmospheric glitch-techno. Worriedaboutsatan are Gavin Miller and Tom Ragsdale, who I met a few few times back in the 00s and are both lovely chaps. I did a remix of 'You're in my Thoughts' for them that used to be on Spotify but has now sadly disappeared.
Lael Neale - I am the River
The point at which I realise that we've reached the final track before getting anything contemporary - Star Eaters Delight, from which this comes, was released in April this year. Lael Neale is great - like a less mannered and far more interesting Lana Del Rey.


I hope you enjoyed the compilation. If you want to point out any worthy 'I Am..' songs that I've missed, send your own compilation or suggest a topic for a future C90, then there's a C90 Facebook group or you can contact me on Twitter or email: thefallinfives@mail.com








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