DMP's Aural Pharmacy

This song is an onion. A wonderful, ethereal onion. Those who are familiar with Brian Eno already know what I'm talking about. LAYERS, man. The layering on this collaboration between innovators Brian Eno and John Cale is crafted masterfully, resulting in a pillow of dream-like harmonies that carry the listener's sleepy head into a setting sun. Off the lauded 1990 album Wrong Way Up, "Spinning Away" details a scene in which the narrator sits atop a hill, drawing as day turns to night. Eno's vocals etch line by line, exaggerated like pencil strokes as the motor rhythm of the drum machine lulls with steady hypnosis. At 3:12 a gorgeous coda emerges and slowly sails into the darkness.  Such is the work of the geniuses who have spent the past five decades blessing us with The Velvet Underground, the Berlin Trilogy, drone and ambient music, and My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. So please, do peel away. 

Almost a year and a half after Patti Smith's Horses saw its release, Television debuted their first contribution to the NY punk scene, Marquee Moon. Considered a seminal work of the era, the record was a deviation from the punk sound established by contemporaries like The Ramones and Blondie, while still carrying traces of influence from The Velvet Underground and improvisation elements of jazz. Perhaps most known for its then-unparalleled guitar texturing, Marquee Moon is credited with influencing the emergence of post-punk acts, such as England's Joy Division. "Friction" features the type of interplaying guitar work the record is hailed for, perhaps most evidently in the erratic solo section beginning around 2:35, and in the subsequent verse. Marquee Moon has stood the test of time as an imaginative, gritty work of art, earning a re-release in 2003 which features alternate takes as well as an untitled instrumental. 

This heavy metal supergroup features members of prominent American and Norweigan bands such as Pantera, Darkthrone, Satyricon and Necrophagia. Fenriz (of influential black metal band Darkthrone) previously played with Satyricon's Satyr in the folk metal band Storm while Phil Anselmo (of Pantera) and Killjoy played together in Necrophagia, one of the first American death metal bands. Formed in 1999, Eibon has yet to come to true fruition, never releasing any EPs or full lengths. This song is from a compilation released through a Moonfog Records (who currently house Satyricon, Isengard, Thorns and Dødheimsgard) compilation in 2000. The end result is an unbranded, anti-commercial blend of extreme metal that definitely deserves a full release. Hopefully these very busy dudes find some time to work on something but even if they don't, this song kicks ass. 

A burnin' version of Cash's 1958 classic featuring a shared lead vocal. In typical Dylan fashion the tune is accentuated and sped up, giving the melody a shot of adrenaline. These two troubadours of their respective eras collaborated often (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s_KYywhd_8, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KlkN1y7-2o) and here we are in 2012 to reap the benefits. 

Timber Timbre is a perfect band for the autumn months. They're, of course, just as good at any time of the year but there is something in their...well, timbre that is associable with crisp weather, falling leaves and the eerie atmospheric phenomena that seems to pervade the Halloween season. The band has a knack for melodic "oh"s (further evidenced here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fteLdUAIFXY), minimalist percussion, deep, wailing organ lines, baritone guitar, hauntingly pleasant vocals and rich, emotive lyrics that envelope the listener within the song's temperament. Truly one of the most original and outstanding acts of the last decade, Timber Timbre deserve more attention than they will probably ever recieve. 

Not enough can be said about Victor Wooten. If his five Grammys and three Bass Player of the Year awards don't state enough already, Victor Wooten has the ability to exceed the limit for potential on his instrument. This video, as stated in its description, is from a clinic at a music school in Virginia. With just his bass and a looper, Wooten accompanies himself on a truly one of a kind rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely". Try not to groove. 

"On the dusky side of evening we saw a figure dressed in black. And we don't mean to sound like we're trippin', but we swear to God we saw Lou Reed cow tippin'."

This soul diamond comes from the heyday of Stevie Wonder's classic period, off Fulfillingness' First Finale. Driven by Stevie's clavinet and an early appearance of a drum machine, "You Haven't Done Nothin'" was an open shot at then President Richard Nixon. The Jackson Five provide the background vocals (DOO DOO WOP!). 

Just six months prior to the Beatles' break-up and nine months following the release of their final album, George Benson took to Van Gelder Studio (where numerous major label jazz albums were recorded, including Hank Mobley's Soul Station and A Love Supreme by John Coltrane) to reimagine select numbers from Abbey Road for the aptly titled The Other Side of Abbey Road. The record features a strong cast of sidemen with Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock and Bob James splitting the piano and organ, Ed Shaughnessy on drums and the legendary Ron Carter playing bass. Much can be said about this version of "Oh! Darling" but even more can be heard. Very few Beatles covers sound as natural as this one. 

Duane Allman is featured on the lead guitar. While the Allman Brothers Band released their first LP the same year Duane Allman was still doing studio work due to the album's limited success. Boz Scaggs had spent two years with the Steve Miller Band prior to recording his eponymous second record and assembled a cast of top tier studio musicians which also includes Eddie Hinton, Roger Hawkins and other members of The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. This epic rendition of Fenton Robinson's "Somebody Loan Me a Dime" clocks in at just under 13 minutes and at no point does it drag on. It's a master class of musicianship. 

The Everly Brothers worked well with Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, the writing team that gave them a number of hits including "All I Have To Do is Dream", "Wake Up, Little Susie", "Bye Bye Love" and the song featured here, "Poor Jenny". Among other things, this song showcases Don Everly's fantastic rhythm guitar playing. It takes chops to deliver those syncopated rhythms during the verse at such a high tempo. 

This song is a B-side to "Hash Pipe", the worldwide hit that Geffen Records tried to keep from being the Green Album's main single. The Green album would be the second Weezer record produced by The Cars' Ric Ocasek, the first being the Blue Album in 1996. Between Ric's production and Rivers Cuomo's Cobain-influenced knack for writing pop melodies over less than pop instrumentals one can very easily recognize the Green Album as the record most indicative of how Weezer's sound would pan out over the years. Less guitar solos, sadly, but songs that remain stuck in your head for years to come. 

The truth is usually seen and rarely heard, what's more dangerous than hatred is the word.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

One of the premiere British R&B groups of the 1960s, GBO features quite a storied cast. Graham Bond himself, who was the first British musician to record using a mellotron, leads the band with his vocals and Hammond organ. Dick Heckstall-Smith provides tenor and soprano saxophone and went on to play with The Bluesbreakers and Colosseum.  On bass and drums, respectively, are future Cream bandmates Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. John McLaughlin, one of the world's most important guitar players to ever live, played with GBO before moving to America to begin working with Tony Williams and Miles Davis. The result is a pretty unadulterated rhythm & blues band with serious, serious chops.