Further Chastain

Chasing leads and refining list, forever discover overlooked bike songs. Can hardly keep up. Don’t only use internet, which can be unreliable, but also find corroborations in books, CDs, magazines and other sources focused neither on bicycling culture nor songwriting craft. With a billion humans thereby propelling selves, bicycles are bound to come up routinely as a matter of fact. However, beginning to believe that ever fewer songs have escaped notice, though whoever continues to look may encounter those newly recorded, if any. Will make latest list available once it surpasses 1,900 entries, which it probably will soon.

An interesting aspect of this decade long yet not very complicated search is how difficult it has been to carry it out comprehensively. Can imagine what it must have taken to derive animal/plant taxonomies, DNA genomes, or the periodic chart of elements. Took mankind eons to master simple tools and weapons, and unique individuals to come up with such core concepts as the scientific method. Recognition merely begins journeys to understanding. One can extrapolate on just how few things have ever been fully explored to conclusion or what exciting discoveries await.

List compilers often act as arbiters and excluders not only because of personal bias but often simply to limit magnitude of task. People are still living their lives according to ancient codes of conduct and old wives’ tales, searching for ghosts, and wondering whether their efforts are worth such endless frustrations. No point chastising anyone for whatever road they choose to ride, because all lead to an equivalent destination.

Aidonia, Bicycle [Jamaican explicit reggae], Dance Will Never Die, Germaican Records, 2005.

Airborne Toxic Event, Gasoline [no bike ref.], video [with bicycling throughout], Airborne Toxic Event, Majordomo, 2008; through Midnight Ridazz's website, they invited Hollywood locals to join their video shoot, then handed out CDs of their eponymous first album and spoke cards.

Airborne Toxic Event, What’s in a Name, Such Hot Blood, Island Rec., 2013; “We were running through the halls of the middle school writing our names on the sides of the public pool, like two ghosts in flight on a sleepless night, we were alive… so I parked my bike outside your house. You said, 'There's nothing you could do to make me come out,' because your daddy said I was the worst one yet, it was a lie… ‘Cause I always loved the way you looked in the firing line just dancing around in some old sweater of mine.”

Al Day, The Rusted Bicycle Song, single, 1973.

Alexander L’Estrange, Cycle-babble [+ 7 other originals and 3 covers, jazz choral], Song Cycle: Vive la vélorution!, Andagio, 2014; “Whirl and click of sprocket and chain, shimmer and flash of steel, throb of pedal and saddle creak… This is the song of the wheel. A draisienne, a Lauf maschine, velocipede, and iron steed!”

Big Matt Hurter, Bicycle Bill [South Africa country], single, 1969

George Rosey, Rosey’s Scorcher, no known period recording, 1897.

Jim Chastain, Ride the RABRAI, single, Defamation Records, 2013; good example of spontaneous songs that arose during last half century of week-long challenge (Des Moines) Register’s Great Annual Ride Across Iowa. Already indexed, Pumptown’s “Bicycle” further mentions, though Steve Chastain’s virtuoso guitar solo “My Bicycle” doesn’t.

Jim Post, Bicycle Wheel, Rattlesnake, Fantasy, 1973.

John Philip Sousa’s Band, The Scorcher March, single, Berliner Gramophone, 1899.

My Flag is on Fire, White Bicycle, Europa Song, self, 2011.

Norwegian Arms, Soviet Bicycle, Wolf Like a Stray Dog, self, 2013; album recounts an extended visit to Siberia. “Oh how the wheel spins all those itty bitty bits of metal, work in a lattice and make the tiny teeth all go in circles. Soviet workers assembled you by hand, a perfect being. Now is the time to saddle up and get that feeling! No one can stop you when you’re speeding!”

Robin Moore, aka MC SpandX, produced a third Youtube bicycling video, Get Dirty, previously overlooked. Portland native Moore has morphed from comic to crusader for environmental issues.

Small Axe Band, Bike [reggae], single, Soca Music, 2010.

The Gasoline Brothers, There it goes (for Koos Moerenhout), single, self, 2009.

US Naval Academy Band, The Scorcher, Heritage of the March, Vol. 62, Robert Hoe Foundation, 2011; unsure whether this is Rosey’s Scorcher or song of another composer; if motivated, one could download the sheet music then listen to link.

Vélo Vélo, Casertelli, Vélo Vélo, self, 2008; in memory of fallen racer Fabio Casertelli, who, it’s said, probably would’ve survived his 1995 Tour de France crash had he been wearing a helmet.
Vélo Vélo, Hématocrite [jazz instr. + 5 others not mentioned here], Vélo Vélo, self, 2008.
Vélo Vélo, Rolf Sørensen, Vélo Vélo, self, 2008; for Dutch champion.
Vélo Vélo, Roubaix, Vélo Vélo, self, 2008; for Paris-Roubaix race.
Vélo Vélo, Silvio Martinello, Vélo Vélo, self, 2008; for Italian champion.

Vybz Kartel (Adidja Azim Palmer), Bicycle [Jamaican explicit reggae], Pon Di Gaza 2.0, Tad’s Record, 2010; announces his obsession with ladies riding bicycles for its sexual suggestion.

Vybz Kartel (Adidja Azim Palmer) feat. Bunji Garlin, Bicycle Ride [Jamaican explicit reggae], single, Dunwell Productions, 2016; not the same as previous title but similar in lurid content, several remixes exist.