CMU Playlists

Playlist: Adam Buxton

By | Published on Saturday 27 March 2010

Adam Buxton, of course, needs no introduction, but this space isn’t going to fill itself, so let’s have one anyway. He first appeared as the presenter of Channel 4’s ‘Takeover TV’ in the mid-90s, before teaming up with school chum Joe Cornish for ‘The Adam & Joe Show’, a world of TV and movie spoofs made with soft toys and ‘Star Wars’ figures, expertly crafted comedy songs, pranks and general silliness.

More recently, Adam and Joe have been found presenting the Saturday morning show on BBC 6music. Although the show is currently on hiatus while Joe directs his first feature film, ‘Attack The Block’, from next month Adam will be back on the station every Sunday with his own show, ‘Adam Buxton’s Big Mix Tape’.

With the help of a guest and his listeners, he will take a weekly topic or theme and make a compilation tape full of relevant songs for all us 6 fans to enjoy. The first Mix Tape is called ‘Øddens’ and is based around the theme “weird yet accessible music”. The Mighty Boosh’s Julian Barratt will join Adam for half the show to add his contributions to the mix.

You can hear that between midday and 2pm on 4 Apr, aka Easter Sunday. But to get you in the mood, we asked Adam to create a sneaky little mixtape as part of the CMU Weekly Powers Of Ten feature. And he only went and bloody did it!

ADAM BUXTON’S TEN
Subscribe to this playlist on Spotify, and then read on to find out more about his selections.

01 Guided By Voices – Echos Myron
It took me a while to get into get into GBV but when it happens, it’s a strong bond! It’s no wonder people get evangelical about them. This is a fairly conventional one for them but so tight and punchy.

02 Scott Walker – The Old Man’s Back Again

‘Scott 4’ was another album that I had to wait for the right time in my life to enjoy, but now it feels as though it’s always been there. Check out the bass, winding and grooving about on this song!

03 Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Hysteric

This sounds almost like something from the Bangles or their ilk, so silky and 80s is the whole production, and there’s something unpalatable about the lyrics: “flow sweetly, hang heavy, you suddenly complete me” …urgh! Despite all that, really lovely, I think.

04 Talking Heads – The Great Curve

I’ve loved this song for most of my life but every time I hear it there’s something new there. Complex rhythmic and melodic patterns interconnecting thrillingly. An amazing band at their best.

05 Chuck Berry – Nadine

You almost ignore this because it feels so simple and so effortless, but the lyrics! The delivery! It’s poetry, innit.

06 Suburban Kids With Biblical Names – Seems To Be On My Mind

Young Swedes sounding pleasingly like The Monochrome Set and taking their name from the lyrics to ‘People’ by The Silver Jews (which would be on here if Spotify had it).

07 Van Morrison – St Dominic’s Preview

Despite apparently being one of those songs in which Van bollocks on about how shitty the music industry is, this is a peach from a very underrated album of the same name. It’s a great, country rock epic that you could imagine Scorcese using for some gangster montage.

08 Spoon – Black Like Me

I like a lot of their stuff, very tuneful and straightforward on the one hand (almost Stones-ish to start with) but surprising and oddly structured on the other. Not a long song but one that feels like a journey nonetheless. There’s a video I shot of lead singer Britt Daniel playing this on YouTube. I was so excited I could barely keep the camera still. Every time I watch it I get the chills! I love this band.

09 Neil Young – Birds

A masterpiece of concision and understatement. Like the best sad songs this leaves you completely uplifted. Fun fact: If I were to arrange my death like Edward G Robinson in ‘Soylent Green’, I’d have this playing as I checked out.

10 The Fall – Dr Buck’s Letter

Mark E Smith is one of the few genuinely funny people in rock and is on good form on this track in which he reads out sections from an interview with Pete Tong, featuring a list of things the house record playing genius never leaves home without. Smith starts to chuckle at one point, apparently amused by the banality. “I was in the realm of the essence of Tong”, he concludes winningly.



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