The Shelia Divine - "Hum" (forgotten song)

I was driving in the convertible tonight, listening to a mix CD (ca. 2002) I keep in the car that I hadn't played in quite a while. Of course, it is entirely sing-along, road-trip music: Juliana Hatfield, Weezer, The Smithereens, Beck, Frank Black, etc. On came a song that I had entirely forgotten about: "Hum", a single from the 1999 LP "New Parade" by The Sheila Divine. Clearly it's a great song or it would not have made the road trip CD.

TSD were a 90s alternative band based in Boston that generated a buzz on college radio, but never quite turned the corner to mainstream success (or even sustained alternative success, for that matter). After 2 more LPs, they eventually broke up in 2003, but reformed in 2010.

I learned of them from "Hum", which received a bit of radio airplay in 1999. I bought "New Parade", but as I recall the rest of the LP did not measure up to the strong hooks of "Hum". I suppose I should give it a listen again (it has been a long time), but in the mean time see if you recall this excellent song. Sure, it sounds like most other 90s alternative bands (expertly working the soft-loud-soft formula in a way that would make the Pixies proud), but that's alright by me.

Hum: studio version, 2001 live version

Pink Floyd - "When the Tigers Broke Free" (forgotten song)

I'll just assume that everyone has seen The Wall at least a dozen times and spare you the exposition on the cultural impact of the LP and film. I'll remind you that most of the songs on the 1979 LP and the 1982 film are slightly different, with many versions re-recorded, Bob Geldof (who played Pink in the film) singing lead on some, etc.

But do you remember "When the Tigers Broke Free", the only non-LP song in the film? It is split in two parts and interpolates "Another Brick in the Wall Part 1". The death of Roger Waters' father in WWII and his subsequent absence during his youth influences a lot of Waters' music, but this song is the most detailed and provides significant historical detail. For example, we can deduce that his father died in Italy during Operation Shingle. I don't often reproduce entire lyrics, but in this case they succinctly motivate the entire franchise that is "The Wall":

It was just before dawn
One miserable morning in black 'forty four.
When the forward commander
Was told to sit tight
When he asked that his men be withdrawn.
And the Generals gave thanks
As the other ranks held back
The enemy tanks for a while.
And the Anzio bridgehead
Was held for the price
Of a few hundred ordinary lives.

And kind old King George
Sent Mother a note
When he heard that father was gone.
It was, as I recall,
In a form of a scroll,
With gold leaf and all.
And I found it one day
In a drawer of old photographs, hidden away.
And my eyes still grow damp to remember
His Majesty signed
With his own rubber stamp.

It was dark all around.
There was frost in the ground
When the tigers broke free.
And no one survived
From the Royal Fusiliers Company C.
They were all left behind,
Most of them dead,
The rest of them dying.
And that's how the High Command
Took my daddy from me.

WTTBF was released as 7" single entitled "The Wall -- Music From The Film". As the name suggests, the single was supposed to be from a soundtrack LP for the film, to complement the 1979 LP. That soundtrack LP never materialized, but instead morphed into the 1982 LP "The Final Cut" (which did not contain WTTBF), the LP that pretty much ended Pink Floyd as we knew it. The 7" single was the only release for the song until the 2001 greatest hits compilation "Echoes" and then the 2004 re-release of "The Final Cut". Despite these belated re-releases, I'm guessing that most of us have only heard the song in the context of the movie.

While musically simple, it is a good song and suits the storyline of the movie/LP well. It also hints at the direction that the solo work by Roger Waters would take in the mid-80s.

When the Tigers Broke Free: (parts 1 and 2 from the film, spliced together): YouTube.

When the Tigers Broke Free, the B-side alternate version of "Bring the Boys Back Home": YouTube.


N.B. In case you did not know, a "tiger" was a formidable German tank from WWII.

K's Choice - "Not An Addict" (forgotten song)

In case you ever wondered what the Indigo Girls would sound like if they played shoegazing, I'm pretty sure it would sound like K's Choice since lead singer Sarah Betten's voice is at least as husky and breathy as the Indigo's Emily Saliers. I remember when I first heard the song, I thought it was a new Indigo Girls song.

K's Choice hails from Belgium and scored a good amount of radio airplay in the US with their 1995 single "Not An Addict", from their second LP "Paradise in Me". Although they continued off and on since then with occasional hiatus and solo project, to my knowledge "Not An Addict" was the only radio play they received here. Discogs shows several different mixes and running lengths depending on the country where it was released. The link below is marked "European Version", but this is the version I recall hearing on the radio.

Although its sound is very much of its time (note the similarities to contemporaries like Smashing Pumpkins (the guitars in "Today") and Alice in Chains (the drums in "Would?")), this song still rawks in my book.

Not An Addict: YouTube. A surprisingly good audience recording (05/16/10).

Liz Phair - "whitechocolatespaceegg" (LP Review)

When I last talked about Liz Phair, I was kicking around her 2003 self-titled LP, which is so universally reviled that it was a pretty cheap shot on my part. To make it more interesting -- and roughly working backwards through her discography -- I'd like to discuss her often overlooked third LP, 1998's "whitechocolatespaceegg".

This LP is frequently considered the beginning of the end -- it did not attract the commercial or critical attention that her two previous LPs did. Interestingly, whereas they featured numerous (re-recorded) songs from her Girlysound demo tapes, this LP features only two: "Shitloads of Money" and "Polyester Bride". Not coincidentally, they are two of the best songs on whitechocolatespaceegg.

Was Liz running out of ideas? As a thirty-something, was she no longer able to crank out the angst-filled anthems that came so easy when she was a twenty-something, no longer channeling her inner Corey Flood? Or, more likely, she had fallen to the bane of all female rockers: marriage & children. Seriously, that's when Pat Benatar lost her edge too. In fact, the title "whitechocolatespaceegg" is in reference to her child's head crowning during birth. Corey Flood would never use that as the title for her LP.

Whatever the reason, the song quality on this LP varies greatly. The best songs are as good as any of her earlier material, including the new material: "Girls' Room" (which perfectly captures the politics of middle school girls), "whitechocolatespaceegg" (a nice plodding song that sounds like Liz Phair meets Black Sabbath) , "Big Tall Man", "Perfect World" (how did this song not end up on Sex and the City?), "Johnny Feelgood", and "Uncle Alvarez". Only one song is really bad: "Baby Got Going" (her skiffle tribute). The rest of the seven songs are slightly boring and fail to engage, shock, or find a clever or catchy phrase / chorus. Liz (I pretend I'm on a first-name basis with her) has never been about technical proficiency; instead she writes terribly clever songs and packs them with attitude. If one or both are missing, they just don't work.

For example, "Perfect World" sets the bar pretty high:

I wanna be cool, tall, vulnerable and luscious
I would have it all if I'd only had this much
No need for Lucifer to fall, if he'd learn to keep his mouth shut
I would be involved, be involved
Be involved, be involved, I would be involved with you

She also nails it in "Girls' Room":

Here comes Tiffany, my best friend Tiffany
Wearing a size-too-small sweater
Me and Tiffany, dressing up pretty
We love to ride, we love to canter
My best friend Tiffany, she is so popular
We're going from site-to-site and pool-to-pool tonight
And we hear Terri say that Trisha's okay
But she ought to learn to shave her bikini line better
And Tauren was born, like her mother, in a storm
And Tracy's been away forever

In fairness, some of the "rejected mixes" are better than the more "radio friendly" versions that appear on the LP (this is also where the record labels start meddling with her LPs). For example, the rejected mix of "What Makes You Happy" is much better than the LP version.

So while some of the songs are great, as good as the material on her celebrated earlier releases in fact, whitechocolatespaceegg never quite comes together as a solid collection. It would have worked much better as a 30 minute EP (easily scoring a 9/10) rather than a 50 minute LP.

Standout songs: "Shitloads of Money", "Polyester Bride" (official video, 2003 live, solo version), " Girls' Room" (2010 live version), "whitechocolatespaceegg", "Big Tall Man", "Perfect World" (studio version, 1999 live version), "Johnny Feelgood" (studio version, 2010 live version), and "Uncle Alvarez".

Skip 'em songs: "Baby Got Going"

Final score: 6/10. Good, but not essential for casual fans.

Bonus Link: Liz in the studio, working on the LP.

P.S. I will eventually get to her first two LPs.

Gil Scott-Heron - "Me and the Devil" (the song remains the same)

I didn't know that much about Gil Scott-Heron; sure I knew some of his more famous spoken word stuff, like "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" & "Whitey On The Moon", but I didn't realize he was a legitimate singer.

Herbert recently turned me on to GSH's 2010 LP "I'm New Here", which is a mix of songs and spoken word tracks. I'll review the LP later (edit: it took nine years), but the center piece of the LP is GSH's version of the 1937 Robert Johnson classic "Me and the Devil Blues" (the title here is reduced to just "Me and the Devil"). Musically, instead of a standard blues arrangement, it is given the doom stomp treatment that reminds me of Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down", albeit with more of a synth/electronic sound. Vocally, GSH's leathery voice compares favorably with Robert Johnson.

As you surely know, this is Johnson's second song dealing with Faustian themes, the other being "Cross Road Blues", which is generally associated with him selling his soul for his guitar proficiency (of course, this is a great theme for musicians; see also: the 1986 film "Crossroads", Paganini, Tartini, etc.)

There have been countless covers of Johnson's song... Two more notable versions are Eric Clapton's, from his 2004 LP "Me and Mr. Johnson" and the Cowboy Junkies from their 1986 debut LP "Whites Off Earth Now!!". I'm a big Cowboy Junkies fan (even though this is their first mention here), but I think Gil Scott-Heron might have done a better version of this song.

Gil Scott-Heron: "Me and the Devil" (the official video incorporates ~1:45 of GSH's "Your Soul and Mine" from "I'm New Here")

Robert Johnson: "Me and the Devil Blues"

Eric Clapton: "Me and the Devil Blues"

Cowboy Junkies: "Me and the Devil Blues"

Air - "Cherry Blossom Girl" (LP Review)

I hadn't planned to review this, but it came up in my iTunes playlist today... I really like Air and I absolutely love Hope Sandoval, so the combination of the two can't go wrong, right? Well, that's pretty much true. "Cherry Blossom Girl" is a single from Air's 2004 LP "Talkie Walkie", one of the few Air LPs I don't have. But as much as I like Air, I bought this single because of their collaboration with Hope Sandoval.

The CD single released on Astralwerks has four versions of the "Cherry Blossom Girl": a "radio mix" by Air, a version with Hope Sandoval, a mix by Simian Mobile Disco, and a demo version by Air.

I'm not sure what differentiates the radio mix from the LP version, but it is a typically good song by Air: smooth, airy, non-offensive, pop electronica. The version with Hope Sandoval is different enough to be an entirely different song: all the electronics are stripped out and Hope turns in a typical quiet, dreamy, breathy performance.

The Simian Mobile Disco version is entirely skippable. I really like nearly all the acts on Wichita Recordings, but SMD is one of their biggest artists, along with Bloc Party, and I just haven't liked anything I've heard from either of them. As far as the demo version... it is interesting to compare it with the final version, but it is skippable too.

So, whether or not you need this single depends on if you are a Hope Sandoval completist. Obviously, I am.

Standout songs: radio mix by Air, Hope Sandoval version

Skip 'em songs: Simian Mobile Disco mix, "Fanny (cbg demo)"

Final score: 6/10. Good, but necessary only for Sandoval fans.

Foo Fighters - "Best of You" (the song remains the same)

In honor of tomorrow's quasi-national holiday, Super Bowl XLV...

"Best of You" was the first single of the Foo Fighter's highly successful 2005 LP "In Your Honor". The song is excellent: it has hooks, emotion, power -- everything you want in power pop. Dave Grohl has a great rock/punk voice: raspy, powerful, and with range.

I'm always amazed at the success and longevity of the Foo Fighters: I would not have believed you if you told me in 1994 after Kurt Cobain's death that Grohl, Nirvana's drummer (insert Spinal Tap reference here), would 1) switch to vocals & guitar, and 2) have a 15+ year run of commercial and critical success.

This story really begins with the Foos doing a cover of Prince's "Darling Nikki" on the B-side of their 2003 single "Have it All". In fact, the B-side was originally available on only foreign versions of the single (Australia & UK), but it gained some airplay in the US. The story goes that although Grohl did the cover because he was a Prince fan, Prince was not too happy that the Foos covered his song ("No! I don't like anyone covering my work. Write your own tunes!"), and Grohl later apologized and asked radio stations to stop playing their cover of "Darling Nikki".

Fast forward to 2007 and Super Bowl XLI and Prince is the halftime show. How does one of the most prolific and influential artists of our times fill a 12 minute slot? It begins with the marching band doing "We Will Rock You"; ok that's surely some kind of marching band law, so that doesn't really count. He then does two songs from the Purple Rain LP: "Let's Go Crazy" and "Baby I'm a Star". Then two covers (a medley, really) of "Proud Mary" and "All Along the Watchtower" -- covers, but so well known that they're standards.

We were watching the Super Bowl at Terry's house, and I still remember my total surprise when Prince segued from "two riders were approaching / and the wind began to howl" to "are you gone and onto someone new?" -- was Prince really singing "Best of You"?! That's a rather obscure, recent, and heavy song for a Super Bowl halftime performance. Given all the songs Prince could have chosen, using ~2:15 of a 12 minute slot to cover a Foo Fighters song was a pretty bold decision. From "Best of You", Prince closed the show with the song "Purple Rain".

Some people seemed to think Prince's cover was a dig at the Foos, but that just doesn't make sense: you don't skip over your own songs like "1999", "Little Red Corvette", "When Doves Cry", "I Would Die 4 U", etc. just to insult another artist. I prefer to think of it as a peace offering from Prince, realizing that he had been a bad sport about the whole "Darling Nikki" affair. For the record the Foo's were flattered, their reaction is covered in this story from mtv.com.

Is it too much to hope the Black Eyed Peas have a similar surprise in store? (edit: turns out it was too much to hope for -- I don't think it was the disaster that some claim, but it wasn't very good).

Foo Fighters: studio version, live version, live on Jools Holland, acoustic version

Prince: audio only version, full halftime show ("Best of You" begins at ~6:00).

"Darling Nikki" Bonus links:

Prince: studio version, "Purple Rain" movie version

Foo Fighters: studio version, live version