The Connells - "Scotty's Lament" (forgotten song)

The Connells were a band from Raleigh NC that had a string of minor hits from the mid 80s to early 90s. Their biggest hit was probably 1989's "Fun & Games", and while that is a great song the rest of their work should not be overlooked. Unfortunately, nearly their entire catalog is owned by the now defunct TVT Records. As a result, their LPs are out of print and their songs are not available through outlets like iTunes. The band's website gives some information about their catalog's status and is hopeful that the LPs will be reissued on Ryko.

The band's sound was squarely in the mid 80s college radio scene, with a bit of a Byrds-like, jangly sound courtesy of both guitarists often playing 12 string Rickenbackers. "Scotty's Lament", the first song on their 1987 LP "Boylan Heights", is probably my favorite song by The Connells in part because of its great chorus and the contrast between lead and backing vocals. You can't listen to this song and not sing along. The song is a lyrical tour de force as well: "I delight in my despair" -- you'd be hard pressed to come up with a better five word summary of the entire genre*. Robert Smith and Morrissey should be proud.

Despite some success at the time, The Connells are probably less well known today than some of their contemporaries. Having their catalog embroiled in a legal dispute clearly does not help. Here's hoping that situation is resolved and The Connells regain their due recognition.

Links: YouTube and Rhapsody.


* Honorable mention: "Robert Smith is still sad" -- Kurt Loder.

Blacktask - "Blacktask" (LP Review)

This one goes out to my friend Scott, who was extremely well connected in the mid 80s demo tape trading scene when we were in high school. Scott turned me on to all kinds of good stuff (including this EP) back when finding out about music you did not hear on the radio required you to have knowledgeable friends. In the days before the Internet, MySpace, etc. it was all about word-of-mouth, fanzines and tape trading.

I listened to a lot of metal back then. Today some of it I enjoy for just the nostalgia, and most of it seems like just a quaint and unintentionally humorous soundtrack for 1980s white-suburban-teen-angst. However, a small percentage of it remains quite good, often for reasons that are hard to express.

Blacktask was a thrash metal band from Philadelphia. They released a 3 song demo tape in 1984 ("Spikes to the Wall") that was pretty good, but their self-titled 1984 EP (released on the tiny label Damnation Records) was the high water mark for this band. The four songs on the EP were titled "Sex and Destruction", "Kill Your Enemies", "Firestorm" and "Smash Your Face". That should pretty much tell you all you need to know.

On this EP they managed to combine the best elements of early Slayer (esp. the opening riff on "Sex and Destruction"), Venom (the opening of "Kill Your Enemies" sounds like Cronos to me), Motorhead (check out the Lemmy-esque bass on the "Smash Your Face") and hardcore punk. The punk influence is especially notable -- the entire EP is 10 minutes long with the songs clocking in at 1:28, 2:40, 2:08 and 3:47. This is in sharp contrast with most metal bands that were doing longer, more heavily-structured songs that were due to the NWOBHM influence. For most metal bands a 1:28 track is a "spooky intro", not a full song.

The production quality is typical for the era -- which is to say almost non-existent. But that's part of the appeal, of course. Sure, it sounds a lot like AM radio static, but how else would you capture the fury of these songs? Polish that out and they're just not as good. This is the same reason that 1950s era blues sounds the best -- some things are not meant to be cleaned up. Sadly, the band did not realize this and their 1986 LP "Long After Midnight" was polished and it s-u-c-k-e-d. Don't waste your $ on that LP (I have a vinyl version somewhere, played just once or twice). It's best to just pretend that Blacktask only released the demo + the EP. Add these songs to your "exercise" playlist on your iPod and if they don't help you get that last mile, set, or whatever then nothing will.

Standout tracks: all -- "Sex and Destruction", "Kill Your Enemies", "Firestorm" and "Smash Your Face"

Skip 'em tracks: none.

Final score: 9/10

P.S. Why just a 9? Two reasons: 1) I've been reserving 10/10 for genre-defining releases and while this is a nearly perfect 4 song EP it synthesizes the influences listed above; and 2) its "just" an EP; a 10 song LP in this vein would have earned a 10/10. In contrast, Slayer's "Haunting the Chapel" EP would earn a 10/10 because of its genre-defining influence.

P.P.S. The above links are to YouTube versions of the song, but an entry on "bounded by metal" has a link that ultimately leads you to MP3 versions.

P.P.P.S. Yes, I know this is an EP and I've labeled it an LP review. I've decided against separate labels for reviews of singles and EPs.

Slapp Happy - "Blue Flower" (the song remains the same)

This installment of "the song remains the same" is based on a suggestion from Danette. The focus is on the song "Blue Flower" which first appeared on the 1972 LP "Sort Of" from Slapp Happy. Haven't heard of them? Well, don't feel bad because nobody else has heard of them either. In fact, although this entry is about Slapp Happy's song, I've never actually heard the original. I can't find any trace of the song online and I'm unwilling to spend the money to purchase the LP. last.fm has some of their material online and you can get an idea of what it might sound like, but they don't have "Blue Flower". (edit: via crescentius, there is a version on blip.fm).

However, most people probably have heard the Mazzy Star version from their 1990 debut LP "She Hangs Brightly". Despite being best well-known for their lazy "dream pop", Mazzy Star gives a jangly, straight ahead version that is probably close to the original. There is a good live version on YouTube as well as the studio version.

In 1992, Pale Saints also covered the song on their "Throwing Back the Apple" EP (and at least one version of the "In Ribbons" LP released on Warner Brothers). The Pale Saints cover the song in the typical early 90s style of fellow 4AD artists: lush and epic -- very much in the shoegazing style. The studio version can be found on YouTube (a 1991 live version is also available).

A great song regardless of arrangement.

Toots & the Maytals - "Pressure Drop" (the song remains the same) (forgotten song)

This is the first in a new series I'm calling "the song remains the same" in which I look at cover versions of songs. Why? Because I love covers. One of the unfortunate side effects introduced by the popularity of The Beatles, The Kinks, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and other contemporary artists is the mythologizing of the singer-songwriter. Individuals and groups were held in higher esteem if they played original music as opposed to the music of others. In contemporary use, to be called a "cover-band" is considered a great slur.

That's unfortunate, because there are far more talented musicians than there are talented songwriters -- by at least one, maybe two, orders of magnitude. The truth is there are a lot of great singers, guitarists, etc. that have nothing to say. To hear their craft, we have to endure aimless songs with dreadful lyrics. If your group has a budding John Lennon or Ray Davies, by all means, write a lot of original material. If you don't (be honest), please consult the catalog of, say, Tom Waits or Husker Du for an appropriate vehicle to showcase your skills. Their songs are 100X better than yours and most people still won't recognize them so we all win.

Prior to the mid-60s, "cover" songs were the norm in blues, jazz, country and even rock. Sure, there would be a handful of originals, but reworking standards and traditional songs was expected. You proved your mettle by your arrangement of proven material. Enough history; I recommend "Freedom of Expression" by Kembrew McLeod if you are interested in this and related topics. On to the music...

"Pressure Drop" is a 1969 song from Toots & The Maytals. TATM are one of the progenitors of reggae, even going so far as to invent the term "reggae" itself. Despite their longevity and centrality, they don't enjoy the mainstream recognition of artists such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Lee "Scratch" Perry, etc. Fortunately, other musicians know about TATM and have covered many of their songs, the most popular of which is "Pressure Drop". While the various artists listed below have more or less kept it within the original vein, they each find a different aspect of the song to make it their own. The song is fun to sing along with regardless of the version. Given the relative obscurity of the original TATM version (earning it a "forgotten song" label as well), we can be thankful that so many artists have also enjoyed this song.

Links:

Toots & The Maytals: YouTube, last.fm. I'm not sure on which LP this originally appeared. They have a 1969 release entitled "Sweet and Dandy", but that is also the name of one of their greatest hits compilations.

Robert Palmer: YouTube, last.fm. Palmer even titled his 1975 second solo LP "Pressure Drop". He plays this one close to the original, but with the tempo nicely slowed down.

The Specials: YouTube. An obvious choice for one the 1996 revival LP "Today's Specials" from the one of the original ska bands. This version extends the original with additional lyrics and a ska arrangement.

The Clash: YouTube, last.fm. First released as the B-side for the 1979 single "English Civil War" and then again on their 1980 compilation "Black Market Clash", this continues The Clash's (and in general, punk's) interest in reggae music.

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros: YouTube. Strummer's interest in this song did not end when he left The Clash. I think they only performed this song live.

Izzy Stradlin & The Ju Ju Hounds: YouTube. From their eponymous 1992 LP. Not my favorite version, but they get points for doing something outside their GnR repertoire.

If you're asking where you've heard this song before, you probably remember The Clash version from the Nissan Rogue commercial from a few years ago.

DJ Shadow - "The Outsider" (LP Review)

Where to begin? First, I have to say DJ Shadow is one of my favorite artists. I have worked hard to collect a good portion of his varied discography (the few studio LPs he's released represent only a small bit). Second, I don't want to sound like I'm down on this release because it's not just a rehash of "Endtroducing...." (or even "Psyence Fiction"). "The Private Press" has already established that he can continue to innovate and not just mine the same ground over and over.

Therein lies the problem... While "The Outsider" is a grab-bag of different styles, there is almost no new ground and no central theme or vision that unites them. I won't mention most of the 13+ guest artists on this LP because, frankly, most of them aren't good enough to carry Shadow's crates.

The train wreck begins with a spoken word intro that's too long ("Outsider Intro") and a lounge-inspired track ("This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way)") that proves Thievery Corporation has nothing to worry about. Then there are two hyphy tracks ("3 Freaks", "Turf Dancing") that have big beats and silly lyrics. Ok, so it's DJ Shadow doing hyphy, but is he adding anything new? I don't know the genre all that well, but it sounds indistinguishable from the other examples I've heard. I liked it better when Shadow invented genres instead of just participating in them.

There are three dreadful rap songs: "Keep 'em Close", "Backstage Girls" and "Dat's My Part". The rappers are awful and the lyrics puerile (in the "bitches and hoes" style). Those songs actually make me cringe. There are two Katrina-inspired songs: "Seein' Thangs" and "Broken Levee Blues". The former is not bad, and the latter is a simple but effective instrumental. "Artifact" is an instrumental that sounds like a hip-hop interpretation of a Metallica song. There's a novelty appeal I guess, but no staying power.

"Triplicate / Something Happened That Day" is interesting, mostly because it sounds like it could have been included on "The Private Press" (and the fact that it is based on John Cage's "In a Landscape"). Similarly, "The Tiger" and "Erase You" sound like outtakes from "Psyence Fiction" -- not bad, but not new either. "What Have I Done" is a spoken word, new age song that is inadvertently funny (ex. "I am your healing spirit" -- really?! this is the kind of thing that you sample to be ironic (cf. "Blood on the Motorway"), not the kind of thing you actually create). "You Made It" sounds like the theme song for a yet-to-be-created sitcom. Listen to it, listen to Sonny Curtis, and then tell me I'm wrong.

"Enuff" is a good, commercial song and features Q-Tip and former Solesides / Quannum colleague Lateef the Truth Speaker. I can understand Shadow's desire for commercial success. If he really wants to be commercial (and I don't hold that against him, he's earned it), I'd like to see him work more with the Quannum crew: Blackalicious, Latyrx, et al. They deserve to be on the same stage with him. His new guests are beneath him and are holding him back.

Standout tracks: "Enuff", "Triplicate / Something Happened That Day", "Broken Levee Blues".

Skip 'em tracks: All except the 3 mentioned above. Don't believe me? Listen to them at last.fm. You were warned.

Final score: 2/10

2010-11-21 Edit: This post has been identified as violating DMCA, which of course is completely false. All music links are to YouTube & last.fm. I've also changed the image.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - "So In Love" (forgotten song)

Before their 1986 smash hit "If You Leave", Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) had a minor hit in the US with "So In Love" from their LP "Crush". Although I did not realize it at the time, OMD had 5 critically acclaimed LPs prior to the more commercially oriented "Crush". I recall this song receiving minor airplay on MTV, but then all trace of it was removed when the Pretty in Pink soundtrack juggernaut rolled through. It has a nice hook and Andy McCluskey certainly has a distinctive voice, but what does it for me is the mid-80s synth pop meets Wall of Sound production quality. What's not to love?

Links: YouTube.

The Highwaymen - "Highwayman" (forgotten song)

What's cooler than Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson (collectively known as "The Highwaymen") singing together? How about them singing "Highwayman", a Jimmy Webb song that is: 1) a literal account of reincarnation, 2) an objectivist paean to heroic individualism, or 3) an example of Nietzschean eternal recurrence. Take your pick, but it's a cool song.

It is a single of the 1985 debut LP "Highwayman". Cash, Jennings, Nelson & Kristofferson are four of the main figures in "Outlaw Country", which is a lot more fun than the lifeless, corporate- & RNC-approved pablum that currently passes for country.

Link: YouTube (live 1993)

Bonus Links #1, studio version: last.fm, YouTube (cheesy video alert!).

Bonus Links #2, Jimmy Webb version: last.fm, YouTube.

Bonus Link #3, Glen Campell: live 1992.  

(Thanks to Joy for the updated links: 2015-03-07)