ID: DJ Charming aka the "Woodman"

ARTIST: Eric Burdon and War
TITLE: Spill the Wine b/w Magic Mountain
LABEL: MGM

Embarassingly enough, I first found out about this song through "Boogie Nights," with that sustained shot of Jack Horner's pool party. A year or two later, I hunted it down on eBay and it still sounds fresh. The 7" version has an extra two lines that the regular version doesn't, and to this day, "Spill the Wine" is still the warmest and self-contained five minutes of stoned-out hippy joy that I can imagine. The much-sampled B-side sweetens the whole affair.

TITLE: From The Choirgirl Hotel
ARTIST: Tori Amos
LABEL: Atlantic 1998

What I like most about this album is the fact that she somehow manages to integrate a larger band with her sound, but doesn't lose any of the intimacy or drama that characterized her earlier releases. In fact, the intimacy and drama are heightened to a new level that I don't think she's matched since. Written and recorded after her miscarriage, the songs are intensely emotional, but are articulated through snippets of seemingly unrelated images and wordplay. When the sound and the image intersect, they punch you in the face.

TITLE: Tristeza on Guitar
ARTIST: Baden Powell
LABEL: MPS 1972

(By the way, the program director at my college radio station let me have this record because they had doubles; don't think I jacked it.) My late uncle had a bunch of random CDs that I picked through, and that's how I came to discover this Brazilian guitarist. Some mellow acoustic jazz that's perfect after a big party, or when you're squatting half naked in the shower chain-smoking and contemplating existentialism. Everyone needs to hear the song "Invencao Em 7- 1/2" before they die.

TITLE: Sonds for Swingin Lovers
ARTIST: Frank Sinatra
LABEL: Capitol

Now here's a white man with flava. Sinatra sweats more style and finesse than most pimps with blaxploitation films named after them. Nelson Riddle's orchestration and Sinatra's voice will steal away your significant other.

TITLE: To the Good Life
ARTIST: Various Artist
LABEL: Columbia 1973

I used to be a big thrift shop hound, and sometimes bought LPs based solely on the cover, because I figured that if the record sucked, I ended up with a $1 poster. Such is the logic that made me get "To the Good Life." I never even got the record inside it, just the picture sleeve. This picture is as if I were a wealthy businessman on the Virgin Islands and my mistress was emerging from the water, looking for a Martini. Plus I have a hat made out of diamonds.

TITLE: Super Bad
ARTIST: Various Artists
LABEL: K-Tel

I'm normally dubious of comps, especially since the cover on this one is pretty unimpressive, but all the songs on here are good. It's all 70s soul and funk, and you can almost imagine a scene from Reservoir Dogs for each song.

TITLE: London Calling
ARTIST: The Clash
LABEL: Epic 1979

I hate it when people describe an album you love, and don't address or don't get any of the reasons why you love it, so I'm not going to say anything about this album other than the fact that I wish I was a 17 year old when it came out.

TITLE:Bust A Move
ARTIST: Young MC
LABEL: Delicious Vinyl 1989

Early Dust Brothers production was phenomenal. Half the time it didn't even matter what the MCs were saying because each instrumental was a work of art. Nonetheless, the A-side never fails to move the drunk people, and the B-side never fails to please the stoned people. Art direction by Haze to boot.

TITLE: Club Guerilla
ARTIST: Shantel
LABEL: Infracom 1995

Listening to this music and looking at the cover art, I thought for the longest time that Shantel was some beautiful fiercely independent European chick who you would love to have notice you while you were DJing some pretentious trip- hop at a gallery in Manhattan. You would be dressed in all black and everybody in the place would be on some kind of drug, with the exception of you and Shantel. She would say something in a vague European accent to the extent of “I am enjoying your set. Let us come to my loft on the Upper East Side where we will discuss the thing at which you are most skilled in discussing.” Turns out Shantel is some German dude.

TITLE: Rebore Volume 1
ARTIST: U.N.K.L.E. vs BOREDOMS
LABEL: Warner Japan 2000

I found this at Tower Records in Taiwan. It's James Lavelle remixing the Boredoms and it's aggressive as hell. I've listened to this on headphones while maneuvering my way through large crowds and felt like I was Robert Deniro in a video game. This is my obligatory rare Japanese record for this record check.