the left banke - "two by two" (from the history of the left banke lp, out of print.)
stories - "love is in motion" (from about us lp, also out of print.)

here is some rare, pretty music for the people who liked the montage track or just like the left banke in general.

i'm sorry. i'm really just working one note now, though i assure you every track i've posted is really worth hearing, personal attachments aside (another mixtape don't : don't ever include a track b/c of its title). i mean, i suppose i could mention how a woman had a seizure the other day as she left my store; how it left w/ me w/ legs of gelatin and wondering how i go about helping the next customer while my co-worked, trained in cpr, rushed out to help--oh, but only after calling 911 which, happily, i'd only done once before, when i was 7 years-old and woke to find that, at 10pm, neither of my parents were in the house and my grandparents, who lived next door, were also out.

but that's not my story to tell. yes, and another voice would probably say that the story i've been telling isn't mine to tell either. anyway. before the medication kicks in ...

"two by two," recorded by a reformed left banke though issued under the name of singer steve martin, was available as a 7" single or, ahem, on the soundtrack to what is described as an "early, high class porn" called hot parts, sort of a history of the blue movie in america (even as the ost is sort of a history of the left banke & their associates). even at this early stage (1972), the beatles were probably receiving multi-million dollar offers to reform; the left banke had to settle for this--let's hope they didn't have to beg. it's a beautiful song, much more spacious than their 60's work but w/ the same trademark backing vocals, and i have no idea what it'd be doing in a porno. the chorus has a refrain of "too bad, too bad," repeated over and over. make of that what you will.

oh, you know the reason i probably enjoy the work of michael brown so much is that he & i have the same dumb luck. in 1966, he leaves the left banke; the rest of the group finishes the sketch of "walk away, renee" he'd left behind; success comes calling. he forms a group called the stories; they have a little success on their first album, but he leaves before the second album is done; they go on to have a smash w/ a song called "brother louie" (penned by hot chocolate). "love is in motion" is gorgeous, gorgeous, like if early wings had recorded the bee gees' odessa album, which is ridiculously high praise coming from your humble correspondent. it's like opening a window on a spring morning and you're met by nothing but the best things and you're certain that your day will be charmed the rest of the way through.

i hope the new day greets you likewise.