Devo - "Uncontrollable Urge"

Happy birthday Danette!!!

Last year, I was back to picking a song that reminds me of Danette, independent of whether or not she actually liked it ("The Story").  This year, I'm picking a song she actually likes, while still being especially relevant to her.  

The song is "Uncontrollable Urge", from Devo's 1978 debut LP "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!".  Due to the unlikely and meteoric success of 1980's "Whip It", it's tempting to think of Devo as a one hit wonder, but a closer inspection reveals that's not even close to true.  They got a lot of MTV airplay back in the day, even if "Whip It" might have been the only song to make the radio.  Some minor hits they had include: "Love Without Anger", "Girl U Want", "Freedom of Choice", "Through Being Cool", "Peek-A-Boo", and of course, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", a cover of The Rolling Stones classic for which "Uncontrollable Urge" was the B-side (bonus: our shared love of B-sides was covered three years ago).  

I suspect it was similar for Danette: I always liked Devo since my exposure to them in 1980, but I was really too young to fully get the message: de-evolution, Bob & The Church of the SubGenius, etc.  The pre-teen me detected something more than just silly novelty songs, but it wasn't until college that the full context was exposed to me.  Like Danette, you can enjoy Devo on the surface, or you can take the time to really explore their deep point of view and aesthetic.  Or, preferably, both.  

But the reason for this particular song?  It's the opening theme song for the MTV series "Ridiculousness", a show that Danette is obsessed with.  MTV will run daily marathons of this show, and she'll watch them all.  The show consists of the hosts and the special guests reacting to short videos from social media, mostly people doing stupid things (frequently due to testosterone poisoning), making bad decisions, falling down, etc.  The videos are sometimes positive (cute animals, people avoiding catastrophe), but they're almost always silly.  "Low brow" is not what one thinks of when they think of Danette, but this guilty (?) pleasure for her allows her to disengage from the gravity of her normal circumstances, and nicely captures her duality: though not everyone knows it, she can be quite fun and silly.  Danette is like Devo wearing their energy domes and playing purposefully and awkward classic rock covers: it might appear silly on the surface, but it's 10X more mischievous, biting, and clever than you anticipated.  

Though the members of Devo are baby boomers, their music is more closely associated with GenX, and is part of the soundtrack of the misfit intellectuals, weirdos, lost souls, geeks, and punks of our generation.  If you are to understand us, you must understand songs like "Uncontrollable Urge".  

Devo: "Uncontrollable Urge"  

Previous birthday songs:

2023: Brandi Carlile - "The Story" 
2022: Plastic Bertrand - "Ça plane pour moi" 
2021: Adam and the Ants - "Christian D'or" 
2020: Walk Off The Earth - "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall"
2019: Nicki Minaj - "Monster"
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"  

The Boomtown Rats - "Rat Trap"

 

Garry Roberts, the lead guitarist and co-founder of The Boomtown Rats, died just over a year ago.  The Boomtown Rats were never really big in the US, but I recall a couple of their videos from the early days of MTV.  Their biggest hit, in the US anyway, was "I Don't Like Mondays", which is a fine song.  

But I'd rather remember Roberts & company for their 1978 single "Rat Trap", from their second LP "A Tonic for the Troops".  "Rat Trap" is credited as the first "punk / new wave" single to hit #1 on the UK singles chart.  Which is of note, but is it really punk / new wave?  To my ear, this sounds like it would be at home on Bruce Springsteen's 1975 LP "Born to Run".  I don't even mean that as a criticism, just an observation that saxophone, the storytelling, the song length -- this doesn't sound remotely "new wave" to me, much less "punk".  

Regardless, it's a great song, and Garry Roberts was an instrumental part of the band construction and sound.  The US audience is more familiar with frontman Bob Geldof, from his role in Live Aid, and playing the role of "Pink" the movie "Pink Floyd -- The Wall".  

The Boomtown Rats - "Rat Trap" (Live Aid, 1985-07-13)

Bonus link - "I Don't Like Mondays" 

Patti Smith - "Because the Night" (the song remains the same)

The final entry in my recent trilogy of autobiographies is Patti Smith's 2010 book "Just Kids" (the other two were Chrissie Hynde's "Reckless" and Kim Gordon's "Girl in a Band").   In "Just Kids", Smith lovingly details her tumultuous relationship with the late Robert Mapplethrope as they find themselves and their voices in the late 60s / early 70s Manhattan bohemian world of Max's Kansas City, The Factory, Hotel Chelsea, and CBGB.

It's an informative and entertaining book, and Smith is an engaging story teller.  Of course I knew a bit about Patti Smith -- everyone with even a passing interest in punk knows of her.  But she was less contemporary for me than Chrissie Hynde or Kim Gordon, so I learned a great deal about her early life, career, and contributions.  For example, I was unaware of her lyrical contributions to Blue Öyster Cult, via her relationship to BOC's keyboardist Allen Lanier, and  I also did not know of her brief relationship with the recently departed Sam Sheppard (see Patti's eulogy in the New Yorker), which culminated in the semi-autobiographical play "Cowboy Mouth" (which would later inspire a band of the same name).  And while it's only briefly mentioned in this book, I also did not know that she later married Fred Smith of MC5. 

But despite the many positive aspects of "Just Kids", it fails in one critical area: Patti can't rehabilitate Mapplethorpe.  Occasionally I see him as the Byronic hero that she sees, but mostly he comes off as selfish and cruel. Julia Felsenthal, in her article "Patti Smith, Where's Your Critical Distance?", quotes Tom Carson's New York Times book review:

Peculiarly or not, the one limitation of "Just Kids" is that Mapplethorpe himself, despite Smith’s valiant efforts, doesn’t come off as appealingly as she hopes he will. When he isn’t candidly on the make - "Hustler-hustler-hustler. I guess that’s what I’m about," he tells her - his pretension and self-romanticizing can be tiresome.

On the other hand, perhaps the discomfort Carson, Felsenthal, and I feel is because late 60s / early 70s Patti isn't yet the iconic, feminist badass that we demand of her.  Maybe it's simply disappointing to learn they were "just kids".

I do get the impression that without Robert's extensive encouragement and support, Patti would have never pursued a musical career.  An unkind reading might be that he directed her then unfocused artistic energy into an area that would not compete with him (she found success well before he did); or perhaps he just legitimately assessed the locus of her true talent.

I could choose to highlight some of her early work, like "Horses" or "Piss Factory", but instead I'll highlight her biggest hit, 1978's "Because the Night", from her "Easter" LP.  It was partially written by Bruce Springsteen, recorded but unfinished during the "Darkness on the Edge of Town" sessions, and based on Bruce and Patti sharing the same studio and studio engineer, "Because the Night" was given to Patti for her to record.   

This song is interesting me because it's only partially a cover -- in addition to releasing it first, Patti reworked the lyrics significantly from Bruce's version, to the point where her version is considered canonical, with Bruce even occasionally performing in concert Patti's version.   In the image below, Patti's lyrics are on the left and Bruce's original lyrics (as released on his "Live/1975-85" LP) on the right. 

This is one of the few times you can say "boy, someone really improved on Bruce's version". 

Patti Smith - "Because the Night", live 1978, live 2002, Patti explains the story behind the song
Bruce Springsteen - "Because the Night" (live 1985?), live 1978.
U2, Bruce, Patti: "Because the Night"

Bonus cover: 10,000 Maniacs - "Because the Night"

LCD Soundsystem - "No Love Lost" (the song remains the same)

LCD Soundsystem's SNL performance last weekend reminded me that I had recently uncovered their 2007 cover of Joy Division's "No Love Lost".  To mark their 2007 tour, Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem released a split 7" single to sell at concerts.  LCD Soundsystem's contribution was a cover of "No Love Lost", which first appeared on Joy Division's debut 1978 EP "An Ideal for Living".  My first exposure to the song was on their 1988 compilation LP "Substance", where this song captured my attention because it illustrates Joy Division's early, post-punk influence.  I've written earlier about Joy Division's influence on LCD Soundsystem, and this song is a nice tribute from James Murphy and company.

LCD Soundsystem - "No Love Lost"
Joy Division - "No Love Lost" (with footage from "Control") (live)

B-Side (?) Bonus links:
Arcade Fire - "Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son" (2007 live)
France Gall - "Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son"

The Allman Brothers Band - "Dreams" (the song remains the same)

The Allman Brothers Band are the link between the southern rock sound and Grateful Dead style jam bands, and one of the similarities between TABB and the Grateful Dead is they both had two drummers.  For TABB the drummers were Jaimoe Johanson and Butch Trucks, who I was disappointed to learn died recently.

Songs like "Whipping Post" or "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" would be a more obvious tribute, but I'm choosing the slightly less popular "Dreams" from their eponymous 1969 debut LP.  I've already established the cultural importance of Molly Hatchet for Danette and me, so it won't come as a surprise that I first learned of this song via Molly Hatchet's cover, which they retitled "Dreams I'll Never See", from their 1978 debut LP.   They do a good cover, and though I first heard their cleaner and streamlined version, over time I've come to appreciate the fuzzy/groovy original more. 

The Allman Brothers Band - "Dreams"
Molly Hatchet - "Dreams I'll Never See"

Neil Young and Devo - "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" (forgotten song)

 Bob Casale, or "Bob 2", of Devo died this week.  Devo unfairly gets labeled a one hit wonder because of the success of 1980's "Whip It", but they actually had a surprising number of minor hits on MTV and even radio, including: their cover of "Satisfaction", "Freedom of Choice", "Through Being Cool", "Love Without Anger", "Girl U Want", and "Peek-A-Boo".  The fact that they were popular at all is nothing short of amazing, since the band itself is a mix of a long-running joke (see also: "Church of the SubGenius"), discordant anti-music, and biting social commentary. 

But arguably their weirdest video is one that you probably haven't seen...  "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" is a Neil Young song from his classic 1979 LP "Rust Never Sleeps", and one you still here on classic rock radio.  What you probably don't know is that the first version was recorded in 1978, with Devo, for Neil Young's movie "Human Highway", that wasn't released until 1982.  Mark Mothersbaugh, in his Booji Boy persona, sings the lead vocals.  Bob 2 is one of the guitarists (I'm not sure which one) behind Neil in the picture above.

To the best of my knowledge, this version is not available outside of the movie itself.  There's so much that can be said about Devo, but I'll mark the passing of Bob 2 by acknowledging their role in reinvigorating Neil Young in the late 70s.

Devo & Neil Young: "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)"



Edit:  Apologies for missing the passing of drummer Alan Myers in 2013.

The Brains - "Money Changes Everything" (the song remains the same)

Last night Danette and I went to see Cyndi Lauper at the excellent Portsmouth Pavilion.  Neither of us were huge fans of hers but being children of the 80s, when our neighbor Steve offered us free tickets we couldn't say no.  Cyndi Lauper put on a good show and with "Kinky Boots" she's enjoying a second wind.  But last night's show was about revisiting track-by-track "She's So Unusual", her 1983 breakthrough LP.

The LP (and thus the concert) opened with "Money Changes Everything", which if I had a favorite Cyndi Lauper song, it would probably be this.  But last night I discovered this was actually a cover, and the song was originally done by a little-known Atlanta-based new wave group called The Brains.  "Money Changes Everything" was their initial 7" single released in 1978, and then appearing again on their 1980 debut eponymous LP.   Releasing two LPs and an EP, The Brains never enjoyed much success as a band, and aside from Cyndi Lauper covering their song, their next biggest footnote was upon breaking up one of their members joined The Georgia Satellites. 

Random thoughts:

1. While I love the late 70s garage sound on original version, Cyndi's version might actually be better.
2. I'm certain that I'll have immediate recall of the fact that "The Brains are the original artist for `Money Changes Everything'".  This piece of trivia has surely overwritten something important in my memory, like my work phone number, the names of long-term colleagues, places I've lived, etc.  But surely I'll hold on to this fact like my life depended on it...
3. Does that opening keyboard riff sound familiar?  It reminds me of the guitar riff in "Pretty in Pink" by The Psychedelic Furs; the original 1981 version, not the more polished 1986 soundtrack version.  Our friend Joy asked for more "Pretty in Pink" references, so there you go.

The Brains: "Money Changes Everything"

Cyndi Lauper: "Money Changes Everything"

Psychedelic Furs: "Pretty in Pink" (1981), "Pretty in Pink" (1986)

Damian Marley - "Welcome To Jamrock" (spotlight)

In this post, in my best James Burke impression, we'll go from Bob Marley to "My Fair Lady". 

Riding around in the car earlier this week, 96.1 played a song that I had never heard before.  It was crossover of dub/reggae/rap, but with a hard enough sound to warrant play on an alt rock station. After parking, I pulled out my iphone and discovered that it was Damian Marley's  "Welcome To Jamrock" ("Jamrock" being used as an umbrella term for reggae, dancehall, and other Jamaican musical genres).  Although I had never heard it before, I discovered that it came out in 2005 and its YouTube video had 25M+ views, so clearly it had been important somewhere, but just not on the local alt rock radio.  So why did 96.1 play it:  experimenting with their playlist?  recognition from Damian performing at the 2013 Grammys (even though this song was not featured)?

I'm not sure why they played it, but I liked it.  Sampling the 1984 Ini Kamoze song "World a Music (Out In The Streets They Call It Merther)", the lyrics (slang and Patois delivered in a thick accent) were all but undecipherable, but upon reading the meaning is clear: Jamaica is gripped with poverty, violence, and despair.  Damian is the son of Bob Marley, and whereas his father had a hopeful, spiritual message for Jamaica, the son's message is one of bleak, gritty realism, e.g.:

C'mon let's face it, a ghetto education's basic
And most ah de youths them waste it
And when dem waste it, that's when dem take the guns replace it
Then dem don't stand a chance at all

What made my belated discovery of "Welcome To Jamrock" more interesting is that it was only a few days after really discovering "Safe European Home" by The Clash.  I've written a lot about The Clash, but I (and most others I believe) have overlooked their 1978 sophomore LP "Give 'Em Enough Rope".  It's not a bad LP, but it doesn't really have any memorable singles and is overshadowed by their first LP (by virtue of being first) and their third, 1979's iconic "London Calling".  The first song on the LP is "Safe European Home", and it is arguably the best song on the LP.  But the lyrics are nearly as indecipherable as "Welcome To Jamrock", so only last week did I really sit down and study them.  I've mentioned before where The Clash spearheaded punk's interest in reggae, but "Safe European Home" is the story of their bad experiences on an early trip to Jamaica, the reality of which did not match the tourism image:

Wasn't I lucky n' wouldn't it be loverly?  
Send us all cards, an' have a laying in on a Sunday  
I was there for two weeks, so how come I never tell  
That natty dread drinks at the Sheraton hotel?  

Now they got the sun, an' they got the palm trees  
They got the weed, an' they got the taxis  
Whoa, the harder they come, n' the home of ol' bluebeat
Yes I'd stay an' be a tourist but I can't take the gun play     

So despite both "Welcome to Jamrock" and "Safe European Home" existing for quite some time, I somehow managed to "discover" them both in the space of a few days.  Apparently little has changed in Jamaica in the nearly 30 years between The Clash's initial visit and Damian's dirge. 

The connection to "My Fair Lady"?  Danette pointed out the sly "wouldn't it be loverly" reference in "Safe European Home", "loverly" reflecting Joe Strummer's adopted Cockney, blue-collar focus.   How many punk songs do you know that sneak in a Broadway reference?

In addition to the "My Fair Lady" reference, the last minute of "Safe European Home" also gives us a preview of a song to come: note the the "Rudie, Rudie, Rudie, ... Rudie Can't Fail" lyrics, which would become a song of its own on "London Calling" ("Rudie" = "Rude Boy").  

Damian Marley: "Welcome To Jamrock"

The Clash: "Safe European Home" (studio), "Safe European Home" (live from the 1980 "Rude Boy" film; note that Joe Strummer often improvised lyrics during live performances)

Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros: "Safe European Home"

Ini Kamoze: "World a Music (Out In The Streets They Call It Merther)"

Audrey Hepburn: "Wouldn't It Be Loverly"

Julie Andrews: "Wouldn't It Be Loverly"

Kate Bush - "Wuthering Heights" (the song remains the same)

Simply put, Kate Bush is an amazing song writer and more artists should cover her songs. To make this point, my next few entries will cover Kate Bush songs and exemplary covers by various artists. We'll begin with "Wuthering Heights", the first single from her 1978 debut LP "The Kick Inside".

The song is from the point of view of Catherine Earnshaw from the novel "Wuthering Heights", covering her tempestuous relationship with Heathcliff. Using Emily Bronte's novel as a song topic might seem unusual, even pretentious, but for late 1970s British progressive rock that was par for the course.

In 1980, Pat Benatar would cover "Wuthering Heights" on her second LP "Crimes of Passion". And as much as I like Kate Bush, I have to confess that I like Pat's version better: it is less modish and more conventional. As far as I know, Pat never released this as a single or made a video for it. The Kate Bush videos on the other hand... well, remember it was 1978 and interpretive dance was considered good. Regardless, the song is excellent.

Kate Bush: YouTube (red dress version); YouTube (white dress version); YouTube (live 1978).

Pat Benatar: studio version, live 2005

And just for fun, Monty Python's semaphore version: YouTube (about 1:20 in).

Barnes and Barnes - "Fish Heads" (forgotten song)

"Fish Heads" is a 1978 single from Barnes and Barnes (it can also be found on their 1980 LP "Voobaha"). The only way you'd hear this on the radio is if you were listening to Dr. Demento. This is a silly (but fun) novelty song, but I'm presenting it here only because I realized that in many of the "forgotten song" entries, I've waxed nostalgic about the early days of MTV and the fact that they would play just about anything that had a video, including some alternative material that otherwise would not be played on the radio (at least in the Hampton Roads region). At that time, MTV had so few videos (and no other programming) that they would have to play "intermissions" (as far as I recall, just image montage videos set to instrumental music) because they had nothing else to show! I must be one of the few that actually remembers this, because I can't even find a clever page to link to describe it (the best I can do is this list of Day 1 Programming for MTV).

So instead of the regularly scheduled modestly successful pop songs, this MTV nostalgia moment features "Fish Heads", with lyrics like "ask a fish head anything you want to / they won't answer, they can't talk". But hey, it had a video so it was put in rotation.

Link: YouTube.