Frida - "I Know There's Something Going On" (forgotten song)

I could have told you that "I Know There's Something Going On" was a song from the 1980s -- I have a vague memory of the song from back in the day, even though I don't recall the video or remember hearing it on the radio --  but it's been only 72 hours since I learned these facts:

• Frida is actually Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA, who is also now a German dowager Princess and Countess and living in Switzerland.

• The song itself was written by journeyman song writer Russ Ballard, who also gave us songs like "Back In The New York Groove", "Winning", and "Since You Been Gone".

• Phil Collins was the producer, backup singer, and drummer for the entire LP, "Something's Going On".

Who knew?  Sure, "Who cares?" too, but I since I recently learned this hat trick of trivia I wanted to share it with you.  Of course, the drums have Phil Collins's signature gated reverb sound, but that was not uncommon in the 80s.  Also, I had no idea that ABBA members had solo careers. 

Frida -- "I Know There's Something Going On"

Roky Erickson - "For You (I'd Do Anything)" (forgotten song)

I'm pretty late getting to it, but on my birthday this year Roky Erickson died.  He was probably best well-known for his time in the 60s with The 13th Floor Elevators, but even they are all but lost to history, making Roky yet another installment in the "influential but not famous" category.  A song writer's song writer, his passing was noted by Rolling Stone, NPR, The New Yorker, and others. 

To say this life and career had many ups and down would be an understatement -- rather than rehash his troubles here I'll simply recommend the 2005 documentary "You're Gonna Miss Me", a documentary that is both entertaining, and then profoundly disturbing as it veers into Southern Gothic.

There are many parallels between Roky and Daniel Johnston, who died a few months after Roky.  One of the things they shared in common was a near universal respect from other artists.  As such, I'm choosing to mark his passing with a song I learned of from "Phases", Angel Olsen's excellent 2017 LP of covers, demos, and outtakes.  Angel Olsen is a tremendous song writer, and on "Phases" she covers a song by Bruce ("Tougher Than The Rest") as well as "For You (I'd Do Anything)" from Roky's 1995 LP "All That May Do My Rhyme".  There are about 100 reasons why I think Angel Olsen is incredible, and that fact that she does obscure covers from Bruce and Roky is one of those reasons. 

Roky Erickson - "For You (I'd Do Anything)", live version (IIRC, this is from the documentary)
Angel Olsen - "For You"*



Bonus link**: 13th Floor Elevators - "You're Gonna Miss Me"

Bonus bonus link: trailer for "You're Gonna Miss Me"


* So technically, Angel misnames her cover.  "All That May Do My Rhyme" has two different songs with similar titles: "For You" and "For You (I'd Do Anything)"; the song that Angel covers is actually "For You (I'd Do Anything)".

** By law, every article about Roky must mention this song. 

Gary Myrick And The Figures ‎- "She Talks In Stereo" (forgotten song)

I was listening to "Underground 80s" recently and heard the song "She Talks In Stereo" by Gary Myrick And The Figures, a single from their eponymous 1980 LP.  It sounded vaguely familiar, but I wasn't sure if I ever heard it on MTV (possible) or the radio (unlikely).  I asked Danette and some of my friends but no one remembered it.  Later I learned it was on the soundtrack of 1983's "Valley Girl" -- perhaps I remember it from there?  I saw the movie back in the day, and I know it's notable for helping launch Nicholas Cage's career, but otherwise I remember almost nothing from the film itself.

"She Talks In Stereo"

B-side bonus link: "Model"

The Cars - "Since You're Gone" (forgotten song)

Ric Ocasek, best known as the main creative force behind The Cars, died last month.  Although associated with the late 70s / early 80s new wave movement, it's hard to overstate the influence that The Cars had on modern music.  Much like the Beatles, the reason why The Cars do not sound dated today is because they directly and indirectly influenced everyone who came after them.  I will not attempt to replicate the many memorials that followed his death (for example: Weezer's tribute and this retrospective in Rolling Stone), but instead I'll offer my own perspective.

The Cars hit their peak popularity right at the time I was hitting the age where one really becomes aware of music.  I always liked what I heard on the radio (and at the time, you heard it a lot), but "Shake It Up", their fourth LP from 1981, is the first one I remember coming out as a "new" LP; prior to that their previous three LPs had always existed, represented both on the radio and in the record store bins that I would browse but seldom have the cash for purchasing.  I did get "Shake It Up" on cassette tape shortly after it came out.

This is also the LP that corresponds with the debut of MTV in 1981, and while they probably had videos prior to MTV, they were one of the bands that quickly embraced the medium and went beyond simple concert footage.  While the title track had a good video, my personal favorite was the melancholy "Since You're Gone".  I'm not 100% sure, but I believe those were the only two singles that received videos and radio airplay.  "Shake It Up" is not necessarily considered one of their "classic" LPs, but it's the first one that I bought and thus remains special to me.

Of course, one has to note that Ric Ocasek's contributions to music were not just through The Cars; his production credits alone would guarantee him a place in the hall of fame.  Although the list is a who's-who of alternative bands, I'm especially fond of his work on my two favorite Weezer LPs, "Blue" and "Green"; imagine how much better "Pinkerton" would have been if they had worked with Ocasek on that one as well.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one of my middle school crushes, Julie, who was a huge fan of The Cars (as well as The Police, well before they were popular) who even at the time could articulately explain the significance of The Cars and their impact on music. She was a year ahead of me, exotic, and infinitely cooler than I was (or indeed, cooler than entire neighborhood we shared).  She would later be a member of one of the many alternative bands our high school would produce. I would have eventually formed the same opinion of The Cars on my own, but I am indebted to her precocious insight and tutelage about which bands are truly innovative and why.


The Cars - "Since You're Gone"

Nicki Minaj - "Monster" (forgotten song)

"You could be the King but watch the Queen conquer"

Ok, technically "Monster" is a single by Kanye West, featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.  And no disrespect to Kanye and the others, but Nicki's verse is what Danette loves and is thus the reason why I'm choosing it for her tenth (!) installment of birthday songs.

While neither of us are necessarily fans of Kanye, and he's recently lost his way, we do respect him and I can build a pretty good argument that he's a hip-hop version of Brian Eno.  From his fifth (2010) LP,  "Monster" is one of many tracks where he conjures intriguing soundscapes that push the boundaries of the genre.    

Danette likes Nicki because she's fabulous, larger-than-life, and feminist AF (even if she hedges a bit, she's the embodiment of it).  Danette's the same, and as her career has hit new heights she's ran afoul of all kinds of misogynistic haters: her group's work "isn't that impressive", there are people that "wouldn't work for her for a million dollars", and one even accusing her and her colleague of plagiarism.   Only one of those things are true, and her detractors have since all been "driven before her".

I've already established that these birthday songs are ones that make me think of Danette and not necessarily songs that she likes, but in this case it is both.   Nicki is fierce in a male-dominated space, and so is Danette.  NASA doesn't really support using walk-up music for meetings and presentations, but if they did, she'd alternate between "Bad Reputation" and Nicki's verse in "Monster".

"I think big, get cash, make 'em blink fast
Now look at what you just saw, this is what you live for
Aaahhh, I'm a motherfucking monster!"

"Monster" - Nicki Minaj's verse only (live 2015)
"Monster" - full song
Bonus link: "Monster" - Adele's version in Carpool Karaoke

Happy birthday Danette!

Previous birthday songs:

2018: Bear Hands - "Giants"
2017: Alvvays - "Archie, Marry Me"
2016: Molly Hatchet - "Flirtin' With Disaster"
2015: Avett Brothers - "Kick Drum Heart"
2014: Ani DiFranco - "32 Flavors"
2013: The Green Pajamas - "Kim the Waitress"
2012: The Cure - "High"
2011: Blink 182 - "Josie"
2010:  Dead Milkmen - "Punk Rock Girl"

Eddie Money - "Shakin'" (forgotten song)

Eddie Money died this week.  A continuing staple of classic rock radio, I often wondered why he was famous.  I like his songs, always sang along when they come on the radio, etc.  But as this Rolling Stone article points out, he always seemed an unlikely rock star.  Why did he make it and not any of the hundreds of artists that toil in anonymity that are at least as good if not better?

After his death was announced, I put this question to my friends and Terry and Scott pointed to at least a partial answer: after he moved to San Francisco, he caught the attention of promoter extraordinaire Bill Graham.  Scott also revealed that he had a personal connection with Eddie Money (his wife's cousin married Money's niece). 

One of my first LPs was 1982's "No Control", which featured my favorite song of his, "Shakin'".  Many of his other songs remain more popular (e.g., "Two Tickets to Paradise"), but this one is arguably his heaviest, featuring great work from guitarist Jimmy Lyon.  I also fondly recall the cheesy video, which features drag racing and a pre-Purple Rain Apollonia (I did not realize that until this week).  The modish lyrics reflect an archaic attitude to drunken driving (see also: "Trashed"), but *he* didn't steal or drive the car, *Roseanne* did, so at least there's a feminist angle.  Right?  Regardless, it's still a fun song, and I'll still enjoy his other songs as well even though he'll always be an unlikely rock star.

Eddie Money - "Shakin'"

Scott, Eddie, Ro, 2013.

Daniel Johnston - "Speeding Motorcyle" (forgotten song)

Daniel Johnston died this week, and although his passing was marked by many major outlets (for example, NPR and Pitchfork), most people won't recognize his name.  I know him because Yo La Tengo covered "Speeding Motorcycle" on their 1990 "Fakebook" LP, but other people might know him from Kurt Cobain wearing a "Hi, How Are You" t-shirt, or Pearl Jam covering "Walking the Cow".  Combine that with the list of artists who contributed to his 2004 tribute LP "The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered" and you'll get an idea of how he was a songwriter's songwriter. 

Although for a while he had a deal with a major label, most of his early discography were home recorded tapes that he distributed in Austin and other places.  "Speeding Motorcycle" came from his 1983 LP "Yip/Jump Music", his fifth self-released LP and is one of his more "popular" songs due to Yo La Tengo's cover.

His child-like wonderment made him an icon in the lo-fi, DIY scene, similar to another Kurt Cobain favorite, Calvin Johnson/Beat Happening/K Records.  Although they don't explicitly claim an influence, the appeal of Johnston comes from the same lo-fi / garage source that makes "American Weekend" and "Dancer Equired!" mesmerizing to me.

Daniel Johnston - "Speeding Motorcycle"
Yo La Tengo - "Speeding Motorcycle"
Daniel Johnston & Yo La Tengo - "Speeding Motorcycle", 1990*


* Johnston sings over the phone from a mental institution in West Virginia while accompanied by YLT in a radio studio; from Jay Lustig: "Yo La Tengo had just recorded its own version of “Speeding Motorcycle” for its Fakebook album, and WFMU DJ Nick Hill arranged for the collaboration. So Johnston sang over the phone, Yo La Tengo played in the studio, and the results were pretty magical."  Johnston drew the cover art for the resulting single.

Thievery Corporation - Live KEXP 2016-10-05 (concert)

Two weeks ago Drew, Lian, and I saw Thievery Corporation in concert at the National in Richmond.  Drew had seen them many times, having lived in Adams Morgan some 20+ years ago, but it was a first for Lian and me.  It was also appropriate since I first learned of Thievery Corporation via Drew and the "Dubbed Out in DC" compilation LP, and I've been a big fan ever since.

I had often wondered how their DJ / electronic / studio focus translated into a live setting (for example, they did not do my favorite song "The Foundation", which perhaps is less suitable for live performance), but I was pleased with the result, with the changing cast of guest vocalists providing the necessary variety.  The bassist also high-stepped through the entire show, providing some on-stage movement to contrast with, for example, when the guitarist would sit on a couch and play the sitar.

The setlist for this show hasn't been posted, but this five song KEXP set captures the feel of what we saw two weeks ago, although in Richmond they did not have a horn section. In both shows Eric Hilton was not present and the best explanation I can find is this brief reference from the Phoenix New Times: "Hilton, who is not an enthusiastic live performer, opts to run his side of things from Washington..."




I need to eventually review "Dubbed Out in DC", "Sounds From the Thievery Hi-Fi", and some of their other classic LPs, but for now this KEXP sampler will have to do. 

DJ Shadow - "Rocket Fuel" (spotlight)

I recently received two promotional e-mails from DJ Shadow, the first alerting me that a new LP will come out in 2019, and the second providing a link to an advance single, "Rocket Fuel", featuring De La Soul.

It sounds great -- and exactly like what you'd expect a 2019 collaboration between DJ Shadow and De La Soul to sound like.  My only complaint would be "why did it take them this long to work together?"   My primary complaint about "The Outsider" is that many of his guests were beneath him, but that's obviously not the case here. 

DJ Shadow and De La Soul - "Rocket Fuel"

2019-08-08 update: I received another email with the backstory of how DJ Shadow came to discover the cover of "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by The Belmonts that provided the sample for "Rocket Fuel".  

The Belmonts - "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye"

Tranquility Bass - "They Came In Peace" (LP review)

In celebration of Apollo 11, today I'll feature one of my favorite songs that's relatively hard to find.  "They Came In Peace" by Tranquility Bass first appeared in 1991 on the "They Came In Peace" EP.  I don't actually have that EP, but I have the title track on both on the Mo' Wax "Headz" compilation (1994) and the 1993 Exist Dance sampler "Transmitting From Heaven".  The former is excellent (I have Herbert to thank for first introducing me to "Headz"), the latter less so, but here I'll feature the original four song EP.

I've always said that we can forget velcro and Tang, the real benefit of the US space program was its providing endless samples for electronic music.  I'll eventually get around to The Orb's "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" (see also: "Rival Dealer"), but for now the most literal recognition is Tranquility Bass (get it?) and their looping of Buzz Aldrin saying "they came in peace for all mankind" over a languid beat and crickets.  I realize that sounds weird, but this is an excellent track and you should give it a listen.  The other three tracks on the EP are representative of electronic / trance music ca. 1991, and they're neither bad nor good. 

1. "They Came In Peace"
2. "They Came In Peace (Lunar Dub)"
3. "Lucifaze"
4. "Lucid Beats"

I'm giving the EP a score of 6/10 -- I'm not sure the EP is essential, even though the title track is.


Bonus link: "Cantamilla" from 1994's "Broadcast Standard Issue No. 1" is Tranquility Bass's other essential track. 

Joan Jett - "Crimson and Clover" (the song remains the same)

In honor of Pride Month, I'm featuring Joan Jett's 1981 cover of "Crimson and Clover" (from her second LP).  Joan hasn't actually come out, but she's an LGBTQ icon regardless.  Even though I didn't know about that in 1981 (who did?), I remember liking this song immediately.  I'm pretty sure I heard her version before the original, 1968 version from Tommy James and Shondells but I'm not certain.  And, sure I like the "underwater" / psychedelic original too, but Joan's version rawks, with those delicious power chords.

Why this song for Pride Month instead of others from her?  First, unlike in her cover of "I Love Rock and Roll"*, she does not change the gender of the love interest ("Ah, now I don't hardly know her / But I think I can love her).  Why did she keep the gender in one cover song but not the other? In retrospect, perhaps this was a clue.

Second, it's not like she was a purist; she did change the lyrics in C&C, and in the process made it 100X better.  Tommy James and The Shondells:

Yeah, my mind's such a sweet thing
I wanna do everything

What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover, over and over

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts:

Yeah, I'm not such a sweet thing
I wanna do everything
What a beautiful feeling
Crimson and clover, over and over

Perhaps TJ&TS couldn't get away with that line in 1968, but can we all agree that Joan's change of that one improves the rest of the stanza?

Tommy James and The Shondells - studio LP version, studio single version, live 1995,

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts - studio version, 1983 (live?, probably lip-synched), 2007(?) live version




* As per my previous post, "I Love Rock & Roll" is still a stupid song that even Joan can't redeem.


Bonus images: quick, name a rock artist other than Joan Jett who looks better, and not just by a little bit, some 25+ years after they first made it big.  Swapping the big hair for a buzz cut and ditching the one-piece coverall is a big part of it, but still...

Joan ca. 1983, as New York Dolls refugee:

Joan ca. 2007, as punk matriarch:

Any questions?

The Comet is Coming - Live 2019-03-18

This entry is courtesy of Mat Kelly, who sent me a link to the London-based trio The Comet is Coming.  I had not heard of them before, but I really liked what I was able to hear via YouTube clips.  This is a live, in-studio recording presumably captured before their NYC show later that day.  This clip features songs from their (then upcoming) 2019 LP "Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery":

1. "Blood of the Past"
2. "Birth of Creation" 
3. "Summon the Fire" (official video for the studio version)

The sound is engaging and evokes the sci-fi, space-jazz sound of artists like Sun Ra, as well as the irreverence of bands like Art of Noise.   It also reminds me, in aesthetic if not exactly sound, of the the band Algiers that Herbert recently turned me onto. I'll cover Algiers later, but in the mean time I wanted to draw your attention to this tip from Mat. 

Judas Priest - Old Grey Whistle Test 1975-04-25

Drew, Terry, and I went to see Judas Priest in Washington DC a few weeks ago, and they did not disappoint.  It's almost two years since Drew shared his renewed Judas Priest appreciation with me, and he set up the trip to DC so we could reenact our own version of "Heavy Metal Parking Lot", some 33 (!) years later.  At this point only bassist Ian Hill and more importantly singer Rob Halford remain from the classic lineup (guitarist Glenn Tipton remains a member of the band but has retired from touring due to Parkinson's).  But as long as Halford's there, it's still Judas Priest and they still rawk.

They had a good set list that featured most of their "hits" and none of their stupid songs, so I was pretty happy.  Furthermore, they dug deep in their catalog to come up with early, less well-known tracks "Killing Machine", "Starbreaker", and "Victim of Changes".  This inspired me to share what is probably their earliest TV performance, from the BBC's "Old Grey Whistle Test" in 1975, which is in between their forgettable debut LP "Rocka Rolla" and right before their tremendous sophomore LP "Sad Wings of Destiny".  For this performance they played the title track "Rocka Rolla", which will give you an idea of why they no longer play songs from that LP, and "Dreamer Deceiver / Deceiver", which is a good representative track from "Sad Wings of Destiny" as well as revealing their musical debt to Black Sabbath.  It also shows their hippie fashion debt to Black Sabbath, since this is before they adopted their renowned biker / punk / leather look ca. 1978.






While they may have aged since then, it's a good thing we haven't.  Here we are looking like teenagers...

 Heavy Metal Parking Deck!

  Heavy metal pre-concert tacos! (Dave joined us for dinner but not the concert)

Very metal game faces.

One of many wardrobe changes for Rob Halford.

The concert isn't over until the Harley comes out.

Slowdive - Live in London, UK 2017-03-29

Even though I've only mentioned them here a few times so far, I'm a big Slowdive fan and I was ecstatic when they reformed in 2014 and then released an excellent new LP in 2017.  Until I make the time to review their 2017 LP, I offer this 2017 concert featuring three songs from their then forthcoming LP.  There are several good Slowdive concert videos on the web, but this 90 minute set is one of the best that I've found.  The only thing that would have made it better is in they included "Shine".

Julee Cruise - "Industrial Symphony No. 1" (concert)

Continuing for Women's History Month, we return to Julee Cruise, one of my college-era favorites.  I already reviewed "Floating Into the Night" many years ago and while I should eventually cover her other LPs, I wanted to revisit her first LP by highlighting an even rarer entry in her catalog.  "Industrial Symphony No. 1" is concert/play and a continuation of David Lynch's work with Angelo Badalamenti and Julee Cruise.  It begins with Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern effectively reprising their roles from Wild at Heart, and then enters a dream sequence featuring songs and characters from Twin Peaks where Cruise lip syncs to studio versions of her songs.  The opening song, "Up in Flames", would be released on her 1993 LP "The Voice of Love", but otherwise "I Float Alone", "Into the Night", "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart", and "The World Spins" all appear on her 1989 debut "Floating Into the Night".  There are additional interstitial instrumental tracks that as far as I know only appear here.

I love Julee Cruise, and her work with Badalamenti and Lynch is amazing, but unfortunately their collective output is pretty limited.  So if you're a fan, you'll want to watch this video.  If you're not a fan, I'm not sure it will make you a fan.  For me, "Industrial Symphony No. 1" is simultaneously engaging and indistinguishable from a parody of an art film: smoke, strobe lights, a half-naked woman furtively scurrying about the stage, Cruise singing from the trunk of a car, Michael J. Anderson sawing on a log and then doing spoken word, a person on stilts, and for most of the time at least one cast member in the air.

I don't actually have a copy of "Industrial Symphony No. 1", but Terry had a VHS copy (2020-10-18 edit: turns out I have a copy).  Since I'm a completist I'll eventually get a copy and probably pay too much, but Julee Cruise is a treasure and we should celebrate her entire canon.

Tammy Wynette - "Stand By Your Man" (the song remains the same)

A special topical Women's History Month installment: Kellyanne Conway standing by her man.  Perhaps more accurately, standing by her other man.

"Stand by your man" is the single (released in 1968) from Tammy Wynette's 1969 LP of the same name.  What can I say about this universally recognized song that hasn't already been said?  I'll just point out that in 2010 the Library of Congress selected it for preservation because it is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".  Obviously, that's the highest honor I can think of...

There are more covers of this song than I could possibly address, so I'll choose just one: the 1982 duet by Lemmy and Wendy O. Williams. 

Tammy Wynette - "Stand by your man"
Plasmatics & Motorhead - "Stand by your man"

Sometimes it's hard to be a woman
giving all your love to just one man.
You'll have bad times
And he'll have good times,
Doin' things that you don't understand.

 Right, Kellyanne?

Waxahatchee - Live in Berlin 2015-03-22 (concert)

Continuing with Women's History Month, I'd like to feature this nice four song set from Waxahatchee.  Why?  1) Katie Crutchfield is awesome, and 2) this takes place in the Ramones Museum in Berlin -- who knew there was a Ramones Museum in Berlin?!

I need to get around to reviewing "Ivy Tripp" and "Out in the Storm", but in the mean time this set features "Grass Stain" and "Swan Dive", which are easily in my top 10 favorite songs of hers. 

Fiona Apple - "Across the Universe" (the song remains the same)

For the second installment for Women's History Month, Danette recommended that I review one of her favorites, Fiona Apple's debut LP "Tidal".  I'm not familiar enough with that LP to give it a proper review, so instead I offer Apple's 1998 cover of The Beatles' "Across the Universe". 

It appears as a bonus track on her second LP, "When the Pawn...", but I think it first appeared on the soundtrack for "Pleasantville".  I recall seeing the film with Danette at the Commodore Theatre in Portsmouth, and the "pleasant" surprise of her cover during the closing credits. 

"Across the Universe" is one of my favorite songs and if the Beatles's version is fantastical, then Apple turns in a sounds-like-3am version.

Fiona Apple - "Across the Universe"
The Beatles - "Across the Universe"

The Head and the Heart - "The Head and the Heart" (LP Review)

SXSW is underway, and at this time of the year I always think about Lee Dirks and my trip there in 2012.  Lee and I always talked music, and one the recommendations he gave me at SXSW and repeated in email was about Seattle-based The Head and the Heart:

... They burst on the scene in 2010 and then full-on exploded in 2011.  If you listen to their stuff, I think you'll definitely pick-up the multiple style similarities.  Their album is awesome - well worth picking up.  I'm clearly biased towards them as I saw them in small clubs here long before they blew up...and I told friends to watch out for them, as I *knew* they were going to blow up.   I'd like to think I had some great sense or insight here, but it was pretty obvious they were head and shoulders above the other local bands on the scene.   Check them out...

Based on his recommendations, I picked up their 2011 self-titled debut LP.  Official reviews are mixed, for example the Pitchfork review is rather unforgiving ("Conceptually, they're close to Mumford & Sons: opportunistic in their borrowings, yet entirely unimaginative in the execution. Theirs is a thoroughly timid, tentative take on Americana: roots music without the roots.").  My assessment of the LP is more in line with Lee's than Pitchfork's: I find the execution inspired and grounded.

I'm also choosing this LP to kick-off Women's History Month.  The band had six members for their fist LP, and while I don't wish to minimize the contributions of the other five members, the secret weapon here is violinist and vocalist Charity Rose Thielen.  They have three primary singers (and other other three sing backup), but my enjoyment of their songs is directly proportional to how much she is a featured vocalist.  The LP starts off mildly, but the last half closes strongly, and Charity is a big part of why. 

Standout songs: River and Roads (exemplary live version), Honey Come Home (live KEXP), Lost in My Mind, Winter Song (live version), Sounds Like Hallelujah, Heaven Go Easy On Me (live version).

Skip 'em songs: none

Final score: 8/10.  Thanks Lee for turning me on to these guys.



Bonus connection: Dog-n-Burger, a local dining institution, is closing next week after 50 years in the same spot.  DnB reminds me of various BBQ places Lee took us in Austin, and the Redwood Smoke Shack that will replace it is a Texas-style BBQ place.  They're thinking about adding live music, so maybe we can catch the next up-and-coming indie-folk band there. 

The Monkees - "Words" (forgotten song)

I read that Peter Tork, bassist for The Monkees, died today.  I have fond memories of coming home from primary school (maybe even middle school) and watching The Monkees TV show in syndication.  I was too young to understand that they weren't a quite a "real" band -- the music was catchy, the TV show was funny and did crazy things like break the fourth wall, which I realized was unusual even if I did not have the words to describe it.  This was pre-MTV, so seeing music on television was amazing.

Later I learned that they were the proto-boyband, assembled to mimic The Beatles and films like "Hard Days Night".  The Monkees were no longer cool.

Sometime after that, I learned that The Monkees eventually evolved into a real band, or at least pretty much a real band, songs like "Pleasant Valley Sunday" were back in rotation on the radio, Tone Deaf  covered The Sex Pistols covering "Steppin' Stone", and Michael Nesmith helped give us classics like "Repo Man" -- The Monkees were cool again.

I failed to blog about the death of Davy Jones in 2012, but I can't let Peter Tork's death go by without note.  It just so happens that my favorite song by them was 1967's "Words", the B-Side to their more famous "Pleasant Valley Sunday" (from their fourth LP "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd."), although it did have a video from their TV show.  I'm not sure I've ever heard it on the radio, but it made an impression on me as a very young viewer: the chimes, Peter Tork's echoing co-lead vocal (he was the featured vocalist on only a few of their songs), the soft-loud-soft structure -- all of that was a lot for my uninitiated brain to process.

Yes, it's tempting to dismiss The Monkees as just a pale imitation of The Beatles, but is their sound any less modish than other contemporary "serious" bands, like Jefferson Airplane?  Songs like "Words" take me back to the 5th grade or so, coming home after school, and having a portal to the craziest, most irreverent sounds and images imaginable to me at the time.   Not long afterwards I would see and hear things like "Eleanor Rigby", and nothing looks or sounds the same after that, but The Monkees, because they were regularly on TV, was as good as it got in the days before MTV.

The Monkees - "Words"

Goodie Mob - "Dirty South" (forgotten song)

Super Bowl LIII concluded yesterday, and while many might say it was a "boring" game because it was the lowest-scoring Super Bowl in history, as a Va Tech fan I've learned to appreciate defensive struggles.  The halftime show, on the other hand, well... that was pretty boring.  Not necessarily bad, but stiff and uninspired. 

It certainly had all the individual pieces: a bland, popular, corporate rock band ("we want someone like Coldplay, but not quite as edgy...") with two guest appearances by rappers with regional ties as well as underground cred, a SpongeBob interlude, a drumline, a choir, a 70s Cadillac convertible, lasers and fireworks, and lots of Adam Levine beefcake.  It's like a machine learning algorithm had processed all the previous halftime shows and then synthesized the best elements into a whole that filled the requisite 14 minutes, but lacked a unifying vision or theme.  In trying to appeal to all and offend none, the result was a sterile simulacrum of a halftime show.

The NFL had trouble lining up performers, given the ongoing situation with Colin Kaepernick.  Maroon 5 was a safe choice, and the choice of Big Boi and Travis Scott for guest spots (neither of which was particularly well-integrated with the Maroon 5 set) was the smallest possible nod to Atlanta's burgeoning music scene.

With that, I choose Goodie Mob's song "Dirty South" as this year's Super Bowl song.  "Dirty South" is from their 1995 debut LP "Soul Food", and is the first known use of the phrase "Dirty South", a sub-genre of hip hop, with Atlanta at its epicenter, that emerged in the early- to mid-90s as separate and distinct from NYC-based and LA-based hip hop.  Big Boi, then a member of Atlanta-based Outkast, guested on both "Dirty South" and last night's appearance, thereby provided the tie in to something more substantive than Maroon 5.  Goodie Mob is still active, with four members also involved in other projects, of whom Cee-Lo is the most recognizable to general audiences. 

Let's be honest: a Goodie Mob / Outkast halftime show, opening with "Dirty South", including radio hits like "Hey Ya!" and "Forget You"), with Maroon 5 as the guest artist, say with a reinterpreted, rap-crossover version of "Harder to Breathe" plus a duet with Cee-Lo on "Crazy" would have been edgy... and great.

Goodie Mob - "Dirty South"

Maroon 5,  Travis Scott, Big Boi - "Full halftime show"

Sidney Gish - Live WGBH 2017-10-19

This tip comes from friend and colleague Alexandra, whose SO manages Sidney Gish.  She's generated a good bit of buzz recently (Billboard, Fader, Pitchfork) and the best way I can think of to describe her is occupying the charming, quirky, lo-fi triangulation of Courtney Bartnett, Lisa Loeb, and Times New Viking (with an honorable mention to the fictional Corey Flood).

I need to explore her catalog further, but in the meantime this live, four song set at WGBH is a great place to start, with "Hexagons and Other Fun Materials" and "Presumably Dead Arm" the stand out songs.  Her first LP is "Ed Buys Houses", her second and most recent LP is "No Dogs Allowed", and it would not surprise me to learn that she has an unreleased demo tape called "65 songs about Joe".

Queen - "Get Down, Make Love" (the song remains the same)

I'm still not the biggest Queen fan, yet I saw "Bohemian Rhapsody" again this weekend.  This time it was the "sing along" version at the Naro.  The previous time I took the opportunity to introduce you to Laibach, and this time I'll introduce the freaky side of Freddie Mercury that the movie hinted at but did not dwell on.

Everyone has heard of Nine Inch Nails (NiN) now, but when "Pretty Hate Machine" came out in 1990, it was revolutionary -- the first of industrial music that went mainstream and was accessible while still being menacing.  It sounds dated now, overtaken by the genre it helped create but in 1990 it was amazing.  Being a super collector, I got the "Sin" CD single  not long after the LP came out.  Aside from the three different version of "Sin" was the B-side of Queen's "Get Down, Make Love", from their 1977 LP "News of the World".  Not being a fan I never had this LP, and thus had never heard the song -- you certainly won't hear it on classic rock radio.

I was immediately struck by the NiN version and it was in high-rotation during many a 1990s party.  While it clearly sounded like NiN, it had an extra dimension that many of their songs did not.  Turns out, that's the Queen contribution (and Al Jourgensen/Ministry too!).

And as crazy, raw, dungeon-esque as the NiN version is... it's all there in the Queen version too, albeit with a sparser, non-synth instrumentation.  It's still pounding, steamy, and intimidating.  It's also the type of song that few performers could can pull off without sounding like a hollow parody of a rawk song.  Led Zeppelin (there are obvious similarities to "Whole Lotta Love"), Prince, maybe a few others... and Trent Reznor.

If you want to take a detour from the uplifting, Live Aid elements of the film and focus on BDSM elements they hinted at, then listen to both versions of "Get Down, Make Love". 

Queen - "Get Down, Make Love"
NiN - "Get Down, Make Love"


If we see the film again I'll have to blog about "Stone Cold Crazy", and although it's cool that Metallica covered it I'm sad to say I don't love it.  If we see it a fourth time, then I've got nothing.

Bonus link (just in case the BDSM link was not clear): 

NiN - "Sin"

(somehow this video snuck through the Youtube censors)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps" (forgotten song)

Early this morning I was driving and head a song on 96X I had not heard before.  I Shazam'd it and discovered it was "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  I half-recognized the band name, but then I was out of pocket all day and didn't get a chance to investigate until now. 

I now find out this song came out in 2003!  How did I not know about this song / band until some 15+ years later?!

The best way I can describe it is if The Cribs had a female lead singer.  But checking the date, the first LP by The Cribs came out in 2004, so I suppose they sound like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.  A quick google search reveals articles with titles like "How The Yeah Yeahs' 'Maps' Helped Change the Way We View the Relationship Between Pop and Indie", "The MTV Movie Awards' Best Musical Moments", and "Karen O – ‘Maps’ video tears were real".   I've got to work my way through their discography now to discover if all their songs rawk like this one does... right after I stop listening to "Maps" on repeat.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps" (official video, 2004 MTV Movie Awards).