1. Bill Withers – Hope She'll Be Happier
2. The Chambers Brothers – So Tired
3. Janet & The Jays – Without A Reason
4. Tarheel Slim & Little Ann – It's Too Late
5. Larry Davis – The Years Go Passing By
6. Reuben Bell & The Casanovas – It's Not That Easy
7. Diamond Joe – Screamin' and Moanin', Pt. 1
8. Bobby "Blue" Bland – I'll Take Care Of You
9. Dee Clark – Blues Get Off My Shoulder
10. Little Ceasar – (Going Down To The) River
11. Billie Holiday – Gloomy Sunday
12. Percy Mayfield – The Voice Within
13. Koko Taylor & Willie Dixon – Insane Asylum
14. Vernon Green & The Medallions – Shedding Tears For You
15. The Supremes – Tonight
Download: Gloomy Sunday
I probably should have posted this when it was both gloomy and Sunday. Oh well. A mix of haunting, minor-key soul, blues and doo-wop, with more than the odd moment of extreme melodrama. Anyone else got a penchant for songs with fake weeping? Or spooky organ arrangements, epic key changes, heartfelt vocals that verge on the ridiculous? I had a whole bunch of other stuff to add – ethereal doo-wops like The Vibrations' So Blue, modernish bits like Deep Shadows by Little Ann, and stuff in the pop spectrum like the classic Leiber-Stoller tune On The Horizon, as performed by Ben E. King, etc. – but ended up going with what flowed. Inspiration drawn from theMississippi Records mixtapes, Funky 16 Corners, Dave Godin as always, plus more I've forgotten. I think my friend Arianne started it all when she sent me the Koko Taylor and Willie Dixon track Insane Asylum, which was posted on WFMU's Beware of the Blog some years back. Chuck this on your iDevice and listen as you wander the backstreets alone, after dark, in the rain, without an umbrella. http://casualradio.blogspot.com/
