Monday Music List (Thursday Edition) -- Funeral Songs
What songs would you want played at your funeral? It is an interesting question. You want the songs to be representative of your life and interests. You also want to assure and comfort your survivors. Plus you have to be respectful. Even though it’s “your funeral,” you have to recognize that there will be many sad people there. If I had my druthers, I probably would like to have the Replacement’s Gary’s Got A Boner at my funeral. It’s a fun song, it rocks, and would be good representation of the music I love. It’s also extremely inappropriate for a funeral. Another example is It’s Time For Me To Fly by Reo Speedwagon. It may have some poignant lyrics, but would be way too cheesy for a funeral.
My brother requested that we play MLK by U2 at his funeral. It was a perfect funeral song. It was one of his favorite songs by one of his favorite bands, it set a somber but inspiring mood, and could be enjoyed by young and old, U2 fans and non-fans alike.
Given that criteria, here are the songs I would like to be played at my funeral (btw, I am not dying and don’t intend to invoke this request anytime soon).
Elvis Presley – Amazing Grace. It includes a nod to Elvis, which is important. It’s a religious song and Elvis just nails this rendition. This would be a good song to open the service. Elvis’ Peace in the Valley would be a good alternative. Heck you could just play Elvis’ Ultimate Gospel CD, have Mass and then send everyone to the reception. Now that would be a funeral.
Johnny Cash – Meet Me in Heaven. An absolutely gorgeous song about assuring loved ones that you will be up in heaven waiting for them. This one’s for the family. This could be played after the testimonials. Of course there are a bunch of other Johnny Cash songs I could request as well. I think I would make everyone read my treatise on Cash’s American Recordings series as part of their attendance however. Download file
Bob Dylan – Forever Young. I know this one is a little clichéd but it gives a little hope to the survivors. If you want to get high-tech, you could play this as a powerpoint with a bunch of pictures from my life showing on the screen. This would be played at the end of the service on the way out the door.
Of course there are many, many other songs that I would like to be played and would be appropriate. However, I have a theory – not fully formed – that Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan are the Father, Son and Holy Ghost of popular music. Playing these three songs would be a nod to the premise. Who knows, maybe by the time I need to invoke these songs at a funeral, I will have figured it all out and those who have read/heard my theory with will get the acknowledgment.
You know that image on the Minnesota State Quarter? The placid lake surrounded by majestic pines with a Loon in the middle? That’s where I was the last three days. 15 minute canoe paddle to the site, sitting around the fire telling bawdy stories, swatting mosquitoes and horseflies, and retiring to a tent and a cozy sleeping bag. Now back to the grind and only 9 days to NYC. Anyway, here’s your Friday top 10!
1. I’ll Cry Instead – The Beatles
2. Man Out of Time – Elvis Costello
3. Mother – Christina Aguilera
4. About You – Teenage Fanclub
5. I’ll Go Crazy – James Brown
6. Straight Time – Bruce Springsteen
7. Teenage FBI – Guided By Voices
8. God’s Children – The Kinks
9. If I Could – Simon and Garfunkel
10. Red Rain – The White Stripes.
Over 7,000 songs on my I-pod and the one Christina Aguilera song pops up. What are the odds? (actually 1 in 7,023). Don’t worry it’s from the John Lennon tribute/Darfur album. Other than that a nice little list. A broad scope of music. What’s your top 10?
P.S. Anyone see the VH1 Rock Honors of the Who last night? The Flaming Lips played a medley from Tommy that just kicked ass!
Music has been a mainstay of movies since the first talkie: The Jazz Singer. Although there have been a lot of poor movies about Rock and Roll (Streets of Fire) and some just plain weird movies (Magical Mystery Tour), there actually has been a number of very good rock movies both fictional and documentaries. Here some of the best:
Almost Famous (2000). One of my favorite movies. Much of the early film was shot on location in San Diego where Cameron Crowe lived this story. When the Cameron Crowe character finally gets in back stage and Yes is playing on the soundtrack gets me everytime. I’ve watched this movie 15 times and could easily watch 15 more.
Rock and Roll High School (1979). Goofy fun but the Ramones steal the show. The first scene with the Ramones is classic.
Filth and the Fury (2000). Documentary about the Sex Pistols that is both very well made and extremely interesting. The emotion in Johnny Rotten’s voice when talking about the death of Sid Vicious (“he was one of the Johns”) is palpable.
School of Rock (2003). Wears its love for Rock and Roll on it’s sleeve. The montage with the Jack Black character teaching about the history of rock and The Ramones playing in the background is fantastic.
Dont Look Back (1967). The classic documentary about Dylan in England following his “going electric” at Newport. This is Dylan unfiltered and a critical point in his career. My favorite scene is with Donovan in a hotel room. Donovan sings this song with some flowery Elizabethan lyrics sung to a Dylan tune. Dylan counters with a new song: It’s all over now baby blue and right there you know Donovan will never be “the new Dylan.”
Decline of Western Civilization (1981). Documentary about the L.A. Punks of the early 80’s including X, Fear, Black Flag. Hard to find these days but a perfect document of an important musical scene.
24 Hour Party People (2002). Fun, semi-accurate account of the Manchester scene as seen through the eyes of Tony Wilson. The scenes with Joy Division are fantastic.
I know there are a lot more out there. What have I missed?
It's hot and muggy and I get to paint this weekend. Oh boy!
1. I've Just Seen A Face -- Jim Sturges
2. So Much Love - Dusty Springfield
3. It is Divine - Guided By Voices
4. I Want to Hold Your Hand - T.V. Caprio
5. I Like Gumby - Jonathan Richman
6. Promise - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
7. Sons and Daughters - The Decemberists
8. I Fall to Pieces - Patsy Cline
9. Unsatisfied - The Replacements
10. Just the Other Side of Nowhere - Johnny Cash.
A little refelctive in today's list plus add a couple from the Across the Universe soundtrack and you have a so-so list. What's your top 10?
Monday Music List - Reunion Shows I will not be attending
Normally I stay away from and generally loathe reunion tours. But I do get the attraction. Bands love them because they get to re-live their glory years and make some nice coin, sometimes more than when they originally were recording and touring. Who knows, with enough Viagra they might even score a groupie or two along the way. Fans like the tours because they can relive their youth or those who were either not old enough or cool enough to see a band the first time around get to see and hear what the fuss was all about.
I guess I don’t need to experience things that I wasn’t part of. I don’t lament the fact that I never saw the Beatles or the Stones or Elvis live on stage just like I don’t mind that I didn’t experience V-E day or the golden spike for the trans-continental railway. Those events happened before my time and I’ve got to experience a lot myself like KISS’ Destroyer tour or Paul Westerberg singing Unsatisfied for the first time in public.
Having laid that out, here are five real and imagined rock and roll reunions I want no part of :
1. Nirvana featuring Courtney Love or Frances Bean Love. This would just be plain creepy. Also since Courtney Love is known to hate the other two guys in Nirvana, it would be obvious that they were in it solely for the money. A show like this would be my worst nightmare.
2. Public Enemy. Flavor Flav is just a clown now and they would probably film the whole thing for his next “reality show.” Plus given the fact that we are on the edge of electing a black president, some P.E.’s political songs have lost their punch.
3. Boston/Journey/Styx/Foreigner. I know variations of this line-up has toured or is touring to this day and it just makes me sick. I hated these bands over 25 years ago why wouldn’t they be even worse now that each band member has 60 extra pounds, less hair (which wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing) and slower movements? If someone told me in 1983 that 25 years from now we would still be hearing Journey in public I probably would have rented room from Ted Kacszinsky.
4. The Who/Rolling Stones. O.k. not officially a reunion as these bands have really never broken up and they even tour every couple of years but come on. Going through the motions so that you can sell $50 t-shirts and give someone the opportunity to see a band with their kid and grandkid is no reason to tour. Both bands’ legacies have been severely tarnished with their unwillingness to just stop and retire to the villa on St. Moritz. People need to realize that watching these bands from the 37th row of a dome stadium in 2008 is not the same as seeing them in a nightclub in 1968.
5. The Replacements. Loved the Mats. Saw them 50 times at least, both the good and bad shows during their hay day. But those last two albums were really bad and you can’t recreate drunken brilliance 25 years later. It’s just not possible.
So what about you? Any reunion shows you’ll be avoiding like the plague?
Back in April I wrote that the Feelies had decided to get back together and were scheduled to play at Battery Park with Sonic Youth. That day has finally arrived and I lament the fact that I couldn’t find a way to abandon the family for the holiday and get myself to NYC to see the concert scheduled for July 4th.
As a warm up for the big July 4th event, The Feelies played a couple of shows at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, New Jersey and the reviews with pics and/or video can be found here and here. Also here is a blog by drummer (and Yung Wu vocalist) Dave Weckman’s percussionist Stan Demeski's 18 year old daughter. Of course a comeback wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory New York Times article. Which can be found here. The upcoming nostalgia tour hasn’t been confirmed, but definitely hinted at.
So why does it matter? The Feelies were never that big of an act; (sadly) none of their albums are going to rank high on any best of the 80’s list: they don’t have a signature, recognizable song that if you hummed a few bars, someone would say “oh that band, yea they were kinda cool, whatever happened to them?” It was basically music embraced by a relatively narrow slice of music hipsters who could enjoy a little hypnotic guitar work to complement their Husker Du, Pogues, and Minutemen.
Of course part of the appeal is nostalgia. Listening to The Feelies brings back those simpler days when curing hangovers and juggling girlfriends reigned supreme whereas today concerns about mortgage payments, high cholesterol, and work deadlines seem to take over. But I think it’s more than that. There’s something about the permanence of music. It’s always there, it doesn’t change and sure it can bring you back to your care free days but it also evokes emotions that lie within you, that need to be expressed somehow, regardless of whether gasoline is over $4.00 a gallon and the trim on your house needs to be scraped and repainted.
That, in a nutshell, is what’s important about the Feelies getting back together. The fact that those shimmering guitars can still swirl around you and bring you someplace else even though your life is completely different in 2008 than in 1988 proves that you are still alive, you still care, you really aren’t just going through the motions waiting for it all to end but that you have deeply felt moods, senses, emotions and that they aren’t gone, they just need to be felt.
Torii and Johan who? Twins rocking the National League, bring on the Brewers!!!!! Back after a 1 week a Friday Random Top 10 hiatus. Hope you missed me. Here’s your top 10:
1. To be Someone – The Jam
2. Are You Lonesome Tonight – Elvis Presley
3. September Morn’ – Neil Diamond
4. Southern Rock Opera – The Drive By Truckers
5. Afraid of Being Wrong – Husker Du
6. Aginst Th’ Law – Billy Bragg and Wilco
7. Send a Picture of Mother – Johnny Cash
8. Carnival of Sorts – R.E.M.
9. Chasing Heather Crazy – Guided By Voices
10. Aphrodisiac Jacket – The Cult
Weird. Those song titles look like they could make up the chapter names of a James Frey novel. What's your top 10?
Everyone has their favorite rock song and of course there is some consensus on the great ones: Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin, Satisfaction by the Stones, Shook Me All Night Long by AC-DC, Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. But there are a number of great rock songs by familiar artists that for some reason or other have been ignored. These songs definitely rock and should be mainstays on stations like KQ or 93X or on hard rock compilation albums. So in no particular order….
Rearview Mirror – Pearl Jam. From the album Versus, this song is a classic slow build to an over the top rev-up. The guitar solo at the end is killer and Eddie Vedders’ vocals are of course top notch.
Turn on the News – Husker Du. From Zen Arcade, this is song is a great album closer and includes a component of all good rock songs: The shout out. “turn on (turn on) turn on the news…” Again great guitar work and meaningful lyrics.
Hash Pipe – Weezer. This one is a little different with the falsetto verses but the bass line is so crunchy that you have to consider it as one of the best. This song actually gets played from time to time on 93X.
One – Metallica. Creepy story about a grossly maimed war vet. The guitar solo at the end is so mind blowing stupendous you can’t ignore it.
Common People – William Shatner and Joe Jackson. O.k. Don’t laugh but this song rocks! Shatner’s reciting the lyrics over Joe Jackson’s singing them destroys me everytime. One of the best songs released in the last five years, easily. Gary’s Got a Boner – The Replacements. From Let It Be, if it wasn’t for the goofy subject matter this song would probably be considered a classic. With enough guitar hooks to supply a local cover band for a year, it is a shame this song is so criminally overlooked.
Jesus Christ Pose – Soundgarden. From Badmotherfinger, Chris Cornell’s vocal work is amazing and the bass is massive. Add about three layers of guitars and you have a song that will jump start anyone who listens to it. I once threw like 5 strikes in 7 balls once bowling after this song came on the jukebox.
Everyone knows the drill… band comes out with an awesome album that critics and fans both love, sells mega-copies, and is a cultural touchstone. Now comes the follow-up album. Everyone’s expectations are sky-high. Can they do it again? What will they do next? Will it sell as many copies? The label’s marketing department goes into hyperdrive as the band is on magazine covers, TV, singles are released early, I-Pod commercials are cut. Then the album comes out. Disappointment. Maybe the band went into a different direction and the new fans are turned off. Or the band tried to recapture what they did on the last album and it's too similar, or they just missed the mark.
I’ve always maintained that it’s unfair to expect a band to come out with two mind-numbingly good albums in a row and the second album often suffers from expectations. But we shouldn’t dismiss the follow-up just because it’s not as good. In fact here is a list of much-maligned follow-ups that deserve a second (or third, fourth, fifth) listen.
Weezer – Pinkerton. The classic example of a follow-up album disappointing new found fans. After the engaging Weezer, Pinkerton didn’t have any quirky hit like The Buddy Holly Song. What it did have is cool rock songs that would establish the Weezer sound for years to come. The criticism this album generated practically broke Rivers Coumo. Today Pinkerton is considered (rightly so) a misunderstood classic.
Radiohead – Kid A. After recording one of the best albums in the last 20 years with OK Computer, expectations were through the stratosphere for Kid A. Unfortunately for its fans, Radiohead decided to go for a Pink Floyd-influenced electronic freak fest. The reaction was so strongly negative that Radiohead quickly released Amnesiac which contained more accessible songs from the Kid A sessions. Even today Kid A divides fans. Some think is was a classic, others believe that it’s a bunch of mindless drivel. I fall into the first camp.
Nirvana – In Utero. After Nevermind, Nirvana could never meet expectations for In Utero so they didn’t even try. Sonically mushy, much harder rocking, a song called Rape Me. It almost seems like Nirvana was trying to turn off all but its most avid fans. And it did. Its reputation still is pretty sully, but the songs rock. If it had preceded rather than followed Nevermind, it would be considered a classic that presaged what was to come.
Albums that deserve their bad follow-up reputation:
R.E.M. – Monster. After Automatic For The People, a switch to hard rockin’ songs that just didn’t work.
U2 – Vertigo. A couple of good songs, but not even in the same league as All That You Can Leave Behind.
Any others that I missed? What are some of your favorite albums that have a bad reputation?
K.G. one game away from a Championship. Couldn't happen to a more deserving guy. Here's your random top 10:
1. Sons of Apollo - Guided by Voices
2. Humph - Thelonious Monk
3. Films - Gary Numan
4. You Belong to Me - Elvis Costello
5. West of the Fields - R.E.M.
6. Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen
7. I Love You Because - Elvis Presley
8. Marmora Pig - Washboard Hank
9. Mexico City Blues 149 - Jack Kerouac
10. My Shining Hour - John Coltrane
A little jazz, some Kerouac, both Elvi, Bruce, R.E.M. and GbV. Kinda weird, not sure if it works. What's your top 10?
You’re either a batter or pitcher at the Major League level and you’ve just been called to bat/pitch. What’s the next important thing to happen? Go over the scouting report in your mind? Check the dugout for the sign? Touch yourself? While all three are important, first you gotta make sure that your intro song is really cool.
If you’ve been to the ballpark you know that practically every player has an intro song. Some are chosen by the player, some by the stadium P.A. There’s certain criteria of course. They have to be “high energy” and they have to be well known, perhaps somewhat related to your skills. An Elliot Smith or Nick Drake song just wouldn’t do. The song for Mariano Riveria - Enter Sandman - is probably the perfect intro song. Also classic songs are Cannonball by the Breeders, Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones, Helter Skelter by the Beatles, Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC and Welcome to the Jungle by GnR. Also they have to start off fast and recognizable as only a few seconds of the song is even played.
With that here are some of the songs that I would like as my intro song:
Rock and Roll – Led Zeppelin. It’s cliché I know, but it’s a classic, everyone would be shaking. Territorial Pissing – Nirvana. One of the greatest opening ever. Pump It Up – Elvis Costello. Classic. Sabatoge – Beasty Boys. Great opening. Suffarage City – Bowie
All those are pretty standard and recognizable. If I wanted to go a little more obscure, I’d make sure these were also included:
Memphis, Egypt – Mekons Hey Day – Replacements Tool Master of Brainerd – Trip Shakespeare The Wait – Pretenders Seven Nation Army – White Stripes Rise Above – Black Flag
Last night we hosted 45 just-graduated 7th grade boys and girls at our house. The house is still standing, the mud is mostly in the porch and to the best of my knowledge, all had a good time. We started a fire in the pit and the kids torched their homework and they burned a sacrificial uniform shirt. With that, this week’s top ten:
1. Armalite Rifle – Gang of Four
2. Oliver’s Army – Elvis Costello
3. Cheap Reward – Elvis Costello
4. Handshake Drugs – Wilco
5. Tesla’s Hotel Room – The Handsome Family
6. Old Dan Tucker – Bruce Springsteen
7. 500 Miles – Peter Paul & Mary
8. C’est Si Triste Sans Lui – Cleoma Breaux
9. To Be A Killer – Wes Houston
10. Two Hears Beat As One – U2
Well, after a martial beginning, that list went hard folk. What’s your top 10?
Elvis Presley gets a bum rap these days. Mocked as an overweight has-been at the time of his death and propagator of bad 60's movies, Elvis has probably fallen pretty far in pop culture radar these days. As an unapologetic Elvis fan, I wanted wear my allegiance on my sleeve and provide a list of my favorite Elvis Songs. Here you go.
1. That's All Right (Mama)- The first, the greatest. Pop culture changed forever when this song was recorded.
2. Blue Moon Of Kentucky - A shot across the bow of old-timey music. If Elvis could rev up this bluegrass standard, then there was nothing he couldn't do.
3. Trying To Get To You - Talk about obsession.
4. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You - This song reminds me of a couple in a 55 Chev, up on lovers lane.
5. Jailhouse Rock - Elvis' best vocal work, a true rocker
6. One Night - Truly a reach for deliverance, for salvation even.
7. It's Now Or Never - Elvis' first single after returning from the Army. A sign that he was all grown up.
8. Are You Lonesome Tonight - Here's a fantastic write-up of this song.
9. Little Sister - Nice little rockabilly number with cool, cool lyrics.
10. Can't Help Falling In Love - Sentimental value as this was the second song played at our wedding dance.
11. She's Not You - Classic love lost song.
12. In The Ghetto - A little cheesy yes, but pretty good description of late 60's urban travails.
13. Suspicious Minds - A classic, who doesn't love this song
14. Burning Love - Exemplified mid-70's Elvis.
15. Amazing Grace - Great version of this song, with backing gospel choir. This will be played at my funeral.
It's summer and what best to kick it off with a random top 10:
1. TV II - Ministry
2. Soft Ground - Mott the Hoople
3. A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall - Pete Seeger
4. Pulling Teeth
5. Opportunity - Elvis Costello
6. Keep the Car Running - The Arcade Fire
7. A Dream That Must Last - Neil Young
8. I Love You - Nat King Cole
9. Uptown - Roy Orbison
10. Any Colour You Like - Pink Floyd
How many times to you see Ministry, Mott the Hoople, Nat King Cole, and Pink Floyd together in one place? Probably one of my most random lists ever. What's your top 10?
Here’s a very funny review of the Wii Fit. The reviewer also hooked up a 12-pac of Heineken to the Wii to see how well it would do. Funny stuff. Here’s your Friday Random Top 10…
1. Skinhead Symphony – Special A.K.A.
2. Featherbed – Cannon’s Jug Stompers
3. Billy Hunt – The Jam
4. Tinfoil – The Handsome Family
5. Diane – Trip Shakespeare
6. Trip Through Your Wires – U2
7. Bell Boy – The Who
8. On the Tundra – Guided by Voices
9. If I had the World to Give – Grateful Dead
10. 5:45 – Gang of Four
Begun with some 2nd wave Ska and ended with Gang of Four. All over the map in between. Somehow it works. What’s your Top 10?
Last week I listed my most memorable concert experiences. I hope to hear more of your favorite experiences in the comments. In light of fair conversation, below are some of my least favorite concert experiences. This may not be a complete list as I probably forgotten some of the worst experiences.
Styx – Met Sports Center (Summer 1981). This has to be the worst concert I ever went to. It was the Paradise Theater tour and was some sort of concept show. I sat on my seat the whole time with my arms crossed just hating it. I went with a girlfriend (who loved the show) and our relationship was never the same after that, even though she had two very good reasons for us to stay together.
Romeo Void – First Avenue (Fall 1982). This was before MTV really took off so I didn’t know that the lead singer of Romeo Void was like 300 pounds. I missed my bus back to the U and got a ride with this girl I was dancing with and her two male companions. The two guys asked if we wanted to have an orgy and, not liking the 3-1 male-to-female ratio, I politely declined and purposely gave the girl a wrong phone number.
Slickee Boys – 7th Street Entry (Summer 1984?). Ramped up beach music by a band dressed in outrageously garish clothes (look em up on youtube, it’s positively cringe-worth). I got clubbed in the head by a guy with a cast and needed 5 stitches to close my opened-up eyebrow.
R.E.M. – George Washington University (Summer 1987). The show was decent actually but I went with a girl who I thought I was going to hook up with. She got sick about 3/4 of the way through the show and we had to leave. Never did hook up with her.
Bob Dylan – Harriet Island (Summer 1990?). This was when Dylan was not really putting in effort into his shows and was changing up his songs, etc. You literally couldn’t tell what song he was singing until about midway through when you would pick up a lyric or two. We stood on our folding chairs the whole time feeling underwhelmed.
Throwing Muses – The Cubby Bear (Fall 1992?). Me and my friend Timmy B. got tickets to this show in Wrigleyville. We didn’t know it was an early show so as we head to the bar to get inside, everyone was shuffling out, having already experienced the show. Later, in the basement bar, after a lot of alcohol, I was trying to set on fire the sawdust that was spread all over the floor and a waitress ripped us off.
Rifle Sport – 7th Street Entry (February 2005). I was really excited about seeing Rifle Sport back together after many years. Unfortunately I went to a school party beforehand and had a bunch of wine, then went to First Avenue and had a bunch of cheap beer. Wine and beer is not a good mixture for me and the band was ear-bleedingly loud. Being over 40 at the time, this was too much and I had to sit outside and wait for my friend Pete until the show was over. I swear this experience took 3 years off my life.
First time this year the weather was nice enough I could ride my bike. It was glorious. Social Distortion blasting in my ears, almost got by hit by a car only once, sun shining in my eyes, trees are green. Perfect day.
If you want to read my 8-page paper on the movie Cloverfield and representations of September 11th, click here: Download file.
Can’t forget this week’s top 10:
1. Shakin’ All Over – The Who
2. Ask – The Smiths
3. Bleed – Jack Logan
4. Judy is a Punk – The Ramones
5. Fight Test – Flaming Lips
6. Do Lord – Johnny Cash
7. Credit in the Straight World – Hole
8. Sometimes Good Guys Don’t Wear White – Hypstrz
9. Let’s Get Married – Al Green
10. I Love Living in the City – Fear
Now that’s what I call a random list. How many times does a gospel song follow the Flaming Lips or Fear follow Al Green? What’s your top 10?
What’s your favorite concert? It’s actually a hard question. It depends on where you are in your life, who you went with, how you were feeling. Below are my top concert highlights in descending chronological order. Question marks after a date means that I think it happened at that time but I could be wrong. What are some of your favorite concerts?
Green Day – Xcel Energy Center. September 2005. Billy Joe Armstrong introduced Holiday as a “big Fuck You to George W. Bush” and the crowd full of 10-15 year old boys and their parents went nuts. They played this song so aggressively that if Billy Joe had asked the crowd to storm the capitol we would have done it.
Rock for Change – Xcel Energy Center. October 2004. The last song was Rockin’ in the Free World with Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, R.E.M., John Forgerty, Conner Obst, and others. Pete Buck’s smile was so big, I could see it from across the arena.
Fred Eaglesmith – St. Peter, MN. September 8, 2001. Fred was in fine form at a free concert in a park in St. Peter. He played every song you wanted and I heard Big Ass Garage Sale for the first time. He told a story about a Dar Williams making a hit of one of his songs by making it into a lesbian song. At first he was uncomfortable about it but after getting the royalty checks, he was “writing lesbian song after lesbian song.” Three days after this show the world changed.
Jonathan Richman – First Avenue. September 1996(?). We saw Jonathan watching the warm up act and my wife went up to him and said we were celebrating our anniversary and could he sing My Love is a Flower for us. About mid-way through the show Jonathan started one song, stopped a few bars in and said, I am suppose to sing this for Elaine and Dean, celebrating their anniversary. He then sang My Love is a Flower.
Johnny Cash – Orpheum Theater. June 1995. Touring in support of American Recordings, the Orpheum was full of punks, guys in cowboy hats, and old duffers. I went with my dad and we sat in the 9th row. Johnny’s voice was perfect and I was blown away by the songs and the show. Oh the Jayhawks opened with an acoustic set.
Metallica – Target Center. Summer 1991(?). We were in the upper bowl and at one point during the show, the lights illuminated the lower bowl and all you could see were thousands of heads banging in unison, it was an amazing sight.
Meat Puppets – First Avenue Summer 1988(?). The Puppets absolutely jammed! By the end they were playing covers and you couldn’t keep up. They played a version of Rock and Roll that would put Zeppelin to shame (sorry Shane, but it’s true!).
U2 – RFK Stadium. September 1987. I think this was U2’s first big stadium tour but they still were connecting with the audience as if it were a 500 seat theater. They finished with “40” and the crowd kept singing “how long will we sing this song.” We sang it after U2 left the stage, we sang it filing out of the stadium, we sang it in the parking lot, we sang it in the subways and our cars going home. Truly inspirational.
Billy Bragg – 930 Club. Summer 1987. At the height of the controversy over funding the Nicaraguan Contras, Billy Bragg had a very political show in a very political City. Afterward he invited anyone from the audience to come backstage and discuss politics with him.
Ramones – American University. Fall 1986. They played in an old gymnasium with folding chairs. When they came out with the gabba gabba hey signs, they had me. The best I could describe it was the Beach Boys on crack.
Replacements – 7th Street Entry. November 1985. Part of their 5 night stay to celebrate the release of Tim. At the end of the show as they were being showered with quarters, dimes, and dollar bills, Paul Westerberg uttered the greatest concert closing I ever heard: What’s this shit, we don’t need it, we’re made of the shit. Keep your money, fuck you, good night.
Minutemen – 7th Street Entry. November 1985. They put on an awesome show and D. Boon slipped and fell down dancing in his own puddle of sweat. One month later he was dead in a car accident.
Urban Guerrillas – Williams Pub. New Years Eve 1984(85?). A beer and sex fueled musical party that crossed over two years. I think everyone who went to this show got laid that night.
Black Flag – Duffy’s. Summer 1984. This was the height of Henry Rollins as lead singer of Black Flag and he was in a word powerful. My friend Pete had a religious experience that night (partially thanks to Nigel the bus driver).
Soul Asylum – Whole Music Club. Spring 1984(?). Long before they were famous they were amazing in concert. This show wasn’t my first or last, but was particularly memorable for pure unadulterated rock and roll.
Suburbs – Cabooze. Summer 1983. Their first show back after a successful California tour. The bassist Michael Halliday came back with a buzz cut which was all the rage with the California punks at the time. They then proceeded to tear the Cabooze apart, with Beej, climbing the lighting scaffolding all over the bar.
Replacements/Husker Du – First Avenue. Summer 1982. My first show at First Avenue, my first Replacements and Husker Du concert. I went by myself. I was never the same and doubt that I’d even be writing something like this if it wasn’t for this show.
I am sure there are others that I will remember. So check back to see if I add anything.
Grand Theft Auto 4 sells $500 million worth of video games in a week, Iron Man sells $100 million worth of tickets in a weekend, it's a comic book world we live in. What's your Avatar?
This week's top 10:
1. In the Mouth of a Desert – Pavement
2. 21 Days in Jail – The Blasters
3. Modern Farmer – Young Wu
4. Words Fell – Lucinda Williams
5. Buddy’s Bolden Blues – Jelly Roll Morton
6. Elephant Stone – Stone Roses
7. Drummer Like Me – Trip Shakespeare
8. James Riot – Guided By Voices
9. June Salutes You – Guided By Voices
10. Hard Time Killing Floor Blues – Chris Thomas King
A little something for everyone. Some Pavement and GbV for you indie rockers, some blues, country, and something from Manchester's Factory. Wow!
So the kids have started to make movies and put them on youtube.com. This is one of their better efforts.
Also, here’s your random top 10:
1. Wigwam – Bob Dylan
2. Polly – Nirvana
3. Everybody Thinks I am a Raincloud – Guided By Voices
4. Senor – Jerry Garcia
5. High & Dry – Radiohead
6. I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash
7. Cool Blues/52nd Street – Charlie Parker
8. Drunk by Noon – The Handsome Family
9. Casey Jones – The Grateful Dead
10. Company In My Back – Wilco
I kind of like the vibe of this list. Introspective, quiet, a little slower. Nice way to open a Friday. What’s your top 10?
Sure I could use this space to talk about the “sexy” Miley Cirus pics and the need to tart her up to transition the billion dollar Miley brand to one that appeals to teens and moves her away from pre-teens, but that would be puerile. Or I could mention that now Hilary Clinton has offered the economically questionable idea for a gas tax holiday and is now so desperate that she’s willing to offer crass policy initiatives that appeal to base instincts but actually do more harm to the American public than good. But I’m sick of politics. Heck I could even rave about Jared Allen but that would mean I would have to talk about the Vikings.
Instead, in these days of lame cultural irrelevancy, it is still good to know that Prince once again demonstrated that, if he stays away from the weird stuff, can pretty much blow the rest of us away with his ability to rock. In case you weren’t there or didn’t see the reviews, Prince absolutely tore up Coachella on Sunday night. It was a two hour set that included a 20-minute show with Morris Day and The Time, a bunch of hits, a cover of Creep, and of course an earth shattering rendition of Purple Rain. Much like he did at the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, “Prince reigned supreme” and gave the rest us of hope that maybe, just maybe, rock and roll is still alive and can provide transcendence. Well that or at least a good time for a couple of hours.
You Tube has a couple of videos of the show but most of them have the sound removed. Prince’s version of Creep is still available and is below. The camera work is pretty bad but the sound is great. Also at about the 5:45 mark, Prince tears into an amazing guitar solo. Worth it just for that.
For my class Monsters, Robots, and Cyborgs, I am writing a 10-page research paper on the Cloverfield Monster and representations of 9/11 in cinema. Do you know of any academic journal articles that have looked at this same issue? If so, let me know.
Here’s this week’s Top 10:
1. Whip It – Devo
2. Teenage Depression – Eddie & the Hot Rods
3. I Can’t Stand It – The Underbeats
4. Long Black Veil – Johnny Cash
5. A Punch Up at a Wedding – Radiohead
6. Alcohol and Pills – Fred Eaglesmith
7. Oh, Me – Nirvana
8. Sweet Jane – Cowboy Junkies
9. Thank the Lord for the Nightime – Neil Diamond
10. Have You Ever Been Lonely – Patsy Cline
Whoa, after getting my “new wave hits of 70’s” on, this list gets pretty dark pretty fast. Even thanking the Lord for the nighttime feels sinister amidst Long Black Veil and Have You Ever Been Lonely.
Replacements first four albums remastered plus 20 unreleased demos and outtakes coming out Tuesday. Are you buying them or not? I’m on the fence. Here is this week’s Top 10:
1. UFO – Dudley and the Doo-Rytes
2. Blood & Roses – The Smithereens
3. Sand in my Joints – Wire
4. And your Bird Can Sing – The Beatles
5. Senses Working Overtime – XTC
6. Why Can’t I Be You? – The Cure
7. My Name is Jonas – Weezer
8. Skyway – The Replacements
9. House of Cards – Radiohead
10. Nobody’s Lonesome for Me – Hank Williams
Nice list again. That XTC song is one of my faves and would be one that I would put on my early 1980’s life soundtrack. Apparently John Lennon hated Bird Can Sing, but I think it’s a great song. Then again, what do I know?
Did you feel that? A slight tremor in the space-time continuum was experienced over the last few days as thousands of 40-something former music hipsters heard the news that the original line-up of The Feelies were going to play once again. This being 2008, the announcement came on the Feelies’ MySpace page:
The Feelies, the legendary and influential rock band, will reunite to perform at Battery Park in NYC on July 4th, opening for Sonic Youth. The classic Feelies lineup of Glenn Mercer, Bill Million, Dave Weckerman, Brenda Sauter, and Stanley Demeski will perform their first show since 1991. Formed in Haledon NJ in 1976, The Feelies released 4 albums- including their critically acclaimed and influential debut Crazy Rhythms, which was voted 49 in the top 100 albums of the 1980s by Rolling Stone magazine and chosen by Spin Magazine as 49 of the best alternative records of all time.
This weekend guys all over the country were asking the wife: “Honey, how about NYC for 4th of July? It’s been years since we’ve been to the City and the kids are old enough to really get the City’s vibe. Plus doesn’t your Uncle Carl live on Long Island? We haven’t seen him since the wedding.”
The Feelies were one of those “Indie Bands” that existed long before the term was even invented and had a near cult like following, meaning they didn’t sell a lot of albums. After releasing 4 very cool albums and a couple of off-shoot albums that were near classic (Yung Wu – Shore Leave), they broke up after one of their band members had a nervous breakdown and went to work at Disney World (true story look it up). Now after years of rumors of getting back together, Yung Wu back in the Studio(!) And Glen Mercer releasing a solo album, the Holy Grail – a reunion show – is now official. If there is an actual tour, look for mid-life crisis' and crying in the streets, or at least a bunch of guys seeing if that paisley shirt in the back of the closet still fits. (Of course we all know the wife threw it out long ago).
An inch of slush on the ground, the North Dakota Fighting Englestads annual choke in the Frozen Four, Timberwolves battling for more ping-pong balls, and potholes big enough to swallow a Kia mean only one thing: It’s Spring! Here is this week’s top 10:
1. Crazy Baby – The Blasters
2. Apology Song – The Decemberists
3. Abraham – Jack Kerouac
4. Police Story – Black Flag
5. I’m Lucky – Joan Armatrading
6. Something – The Beatles
7. Men 2nd – Wire
8. Bad Days – The Flaming Lips
9. High Time – Paul Westerberg
10. Tall Dark Stranger – Buck Owens
I like this list. If you listen closely to Crazy Baby, you can hear a dog bark in the background about 2/3 of the way through – to the beat no less! Apology Song is the greatest “I am sorry your bike got stolen” song ever written and there’s nothing like a little Buck Owens to kick off your Friday morning!
Wow, 40 years since MLK assassination. You wonder whether MLK would be thrilled or disappointed that it’s taken until 2008 to have credible black candidate for President. It’s hard to say, I don’t think anyone ever asked him the question.
Battlestar Gallactica final season starts to tonight, more next week on that momentous occasion.
R.E.M. has a new album out, which actually sounds good. I might have to check it out.
Finally after a long, long winter I played catch for the first time yesterday. After about 20 throws, my arm actually felt pretty good. Couldn’t get my sinker working yet, need more work.
Justin Morneau, umm, now that the Canucks have been eliminated from the NHL playoffs, maybe you could start thinking about getting a hit or two. Just sayin.
After a two week hiatus due to I-Pod troubles, I am back with a random top 10.
1. Johnny Strikes Up the Band – Warren Zevon
2. Flamenco Sketches – Miles Davis
3. Midnight Blues – Detroit Cobras
4. Restless Summer – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
5. Fat Bottomed Girls – Queen
6. Eat to the Beat – Blondie
7. Wrecking Now – Guided by Voices
8. People Have the Power – Patti Smith
9. Sugar Mountain – Neil Young
10. Anthrax - Gang of Four
I’m really embarrassed by that Queen song. Otherwise looks like I had kind of a rockin’ 70’s vibe going with that list (even if some of the songs were recorded much later).
Last Friday I went to the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul to attend The Current's Fakebook session with author Greil Marcus and the historic band Mekons. Although it was a Friday night and the Wild were playing at the X, I still was able to get a free on-street parking spot about a block from the Fitz, which in a nutshell describes St. Paul.
Peter Scholtes at the City Pages has a review of the event here which is pretty damn good so I won't repeat but he says (also check out the cool pics by Daniel Corrigan). Mary Lucia also has a comment at the end of the post, which adds some nice background.
Here are some additional thoughts:
I was taken in by the age of the audience. At 45, I was probably on the young side of the median age which surprised me. Were these oldsters here for Greil Marcus? patrons of the Fitz? Mekons fans? If 50 is the age cohort for the Current, they might be in trouble.
Mary Lucia is a gas. The Scholtes post has a couple of good pics of her. She has a rapier wit, even making (slight) fun of GM's glasses in her introduction. She also changed her boots between interviews going from cowboy boots to knee-high black boots. Nice touch.
Griel Marcus can be maddening. Sometimes his books blow me away, as he can be a fantastic writer. Othertimes he is so oblique it feels as though he's taking a jackhammer to make his point. These traits were on exhibit Friday night.
Finally the Mekons were oh so cool. They truly are a treasure. Sally Timms voice is angelic and she has the dry British wit down to a T. Jon Langford is a hoot and the spiritual leader of the band. I wished they had played Memphis, Egypt but other than that no complaints.
From time to time I want to use this blog to talk about certain artists that have really spoken to me. Who’s talent and body of work make me glad to be alive. Of course, like hopefully many readers of this blog, Mariah Carey will always top that list.
Mariah Carey made her recording debut in 1990 under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, and became the first recording artist to have her first five singles top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993, a series of hit records established her position as Columbia's highest-selling act. According to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States.
Able to hit eight octaves with her voice, Carey has demonstrated it’s not so much the song as the voice that is important. Glamorous, multi-ethnic, omni-talented as a successful recording, film and TV career has demonstrated, Mariah Carey is well positioned to continue to be a 21st Century mega-star. But not only is she talented, she is smart and has her head on straight. There is strong evidence that Mariah Carey could taken on Bono-status as a champion of middle class debt relief, or the use of compact florescent light bulbs.
The ying to Bob Dylan’s yang. The Sigfried to Johnny Cash’s Roy. The Penn to Paul Westerberg’s Teller. Mariah Carey is one of those artists who’s talent, grace, and beauty will always move me.
Instead of clapping, people start blogging at the end of each song - Michael Stipe at SxSW.
Here's your Top 10
1. 23 Beats Off - Fugazi
2. Bouncing with Bud - The Amazing Bud Powell
3. Sun of a Gun - Nirvana
4. Freddie the Freeloader - Miles Davis
5. Shore Leave - Yung Wu
6. Divorce Song - Liz Phair
7. Atlantis to Interzone - Klaxons
8. Generals and Majors - XTC
9. Perfect Circle - R.E.M.
10. Fatman - G. Love and Special Sauce
After starting off with an epic punk v. jazz battle, the list settles into a cozy alternative music vibe. Bring on Friday! What's your top 10?
File under sexist pig: I can’t figure out of Cindy McCain is scary hot (for her age) or just scary. She’s like one of those vision pictures: at first glance it looks like a vase, then looks like two faces looking at each, then a vase again. Anyway, here’s your Friday Top 10...
1. Unscathed – Jack Logan
2. Tame – Pixies
3. Highway Patrolman – Bruce Springsteen
4. In the Time it Takes – X
5. Christ for President – Billy Bragg and Wilco
6. Explain it to Me – Liz Phair
7. Passenger Pigeon – Handsome Family
8. Prime of Life – Neil Young
9. Conclusion of the Railroad Earth – Jack Kerouac
10. Where Have All the Flowers Gone – Peter Paul and Mary
O.k. A little mellower this week. Christ for President is appropriate given the election season upon us. A nice vibe to chill to, especially since Winter refuses to leave the Upper Midwest. What’s your top 10?
After spending most of 2007 on this blog discussing my favorite albums, this year I want to spend time with my favorite musical artists. Instead of starting with an obvious choice like Bob Dylan, Paul Westerberg, or Johnny Cash, I want to start begin with Gram Parsons, the artist pretty much credited with the birth of County-Rock and the grandfather of alt-country.
I recently finished reading 20,000 Roads – The Ballad of Gram Parsons and His Cosmic American Music. This book takes a pretty straight-forward, unsympathetic biographical look at Gram Parsons, his art, and his controversial death. I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in the life of Gram Parsons. In addition I rented the documentary Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel which is a slightly more sympathetic look at Grams life and is basically a shorthand version of the book in video form.
I’m not going to go into a lengthy recap of what’s in those two sources, but just to say that Gram was born in a quite wealthy family headed by a Florida orange baron. Growing up in Florida and southern Georgia, Gram was exposed to country music and hit NYC in the mid 60’s with a musical vocabulary that was closer to George Jones than John Lennon. Parsons eventually found his way to Los Angeles to pursue a musical career. What I found most interesting about Gram Parsons is that when almost all of his cohorts were into psychedelia and blues-based rock, Gram was into the Louvin Brothers and Buck Owens. Remember this was in the late 60’s when there was a wide cultural chasm between conservative, racist, Nashville and free-love, dope smokin’ L.A.
After creating a classic country album with the International Submarine Band, Parsons was hired by the Byrds, at the time one of the most popular bands in the country, to record an album. From this collaboration in 1968 came Sweetheart of the Rodeo. While at the time not well received or a big seller, its influence has grown exponentially over the last 40 years (ranked 117 by Rolling Stone’s top 500 albums) and is cited by many as the ur-text behind such musical movements as Country Rock, New Traditionalism, and Alt-Country. Interestingly Grams’ lead vocals were removed from the original album release. At the time it was revealed because of contract issues with Parsons’ label. Since then Roger McGuinn has admitted that he chose not have Parsons’ vocals on the album because he didn’t want to share the spotlight with GP. Today you can get the album with both the originally released and Parsons-sung tracks. Listening to both versions, one can understand McGuinn’s concerns. Parsons’ versions are much richer than the McGuinn sung songs.
The Byrds with Gram Parsons played the Grand Old Opry (almost exactly 40 years ago 03.13.68). The Byrds were the first long-haired rock band to play the Opry and were not received well. Parsons in his typical self-promoting, iconoclastic manner, substituted at the last minute his own song -- Hickory Wind -- as the second performed song instead of a Merle Haggard cover, much to the consternation of the Opry powers. It caused a big stink at the time, but today the Opry lists the performance as number 33 out of the 80 greatest Opry performances. (An event completely passed over by the Gram Parsons documentary. I don’t know why, it’s a pretty compelling chapter of the Parsons mythology).
Parsons hung out with the Rolling Stones a lot during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s and definitely wanted to be part of the band. There is some proof that he at least collaborated on the song Honky Tonk Woman (if not exactly wrote it) and Gram’s influence on the Stones, especially Keith Richards, is all over Exile on Main Street. At this time Parsons was in a band called The Flying Burrito Brothers and released a minor classic album Gilded Palace of Sin.
It was at this time that Parsons came up with what he called his Cosmic American Music which is a cross between country, southern boogie, and psychedelica. It was a hybrid sound that was too country for mainstream rock, too psychedelic for country. During his time with the Flying Burrito Brothers, Parsons also went out and got the band members Nudie suits which were garish suits worn by many of the country stars of the day. Parsons’ was a white suit with every conceivable drug imprinted on the jacket, flames at the bell bottoms, and a huge southern cross on the back. Jeff Tweedy wore a similar Nudie suit on SNL over the weekend (03.01.08) – an obvious homage to Gram Parsons. At the end of this post is a You Tube video from the Flying Burrito Brothers that shows quite clearly the Nudie suits and a pretty good example of Cosmic American Music.
In the early 70’s Parsons released two solo albums: GP and Return of the Grievous Angel which typically can be purchased on one CD today. At was at this time that Gram “discovered” Emmy Lou Harris and their duets are the high points of each album. Both albums have original songs written by Parsons and covers of classic country songs. Each album, along with Sweetheart, should be in the library of any country music fan (and by country I don’t mean what’s being passed off as country on K-102).
Parsons was a big druggie and his music suffered greatly because of it. It’s really sad, who knows what else he could have created if he wasn’t so fucked up all the time. Parsons died of a drug overdose in 1973 before Return of the Grievous Angel was released. His body was stolen by some friends before it could be shipped back to his family in Florida. They took Parsons’ body and burned it at Joshua Tree National Monument in a drink and drug-fueled fiasco. His unfortunate cremation only added to the mythology and Parsons’ influence has grown exponentially since his death. Without Parsons it is unlikely we would have had Uncle Tupelo and Whiskeytown and countless other kick-ass beer soaked country rock bands.
Must Have Albums: Byrds - Sweetheart of the Rodeo (with bonus tracks); Parsons - GP; Return of the Grievous Angel.
For Fans: International Submarine Band – Safe at Home; Flying Burrito Brothers – Gilded Palace of Sin.
For Completists: Flying Burrito Brothers – Burrito Deluxe; Gram Parsons – Early Years; Live 1973.
Books: 20,000 Roads – David Meyer
Movies:Gram Parsons: Fallen Angel (Stay away from Grand Theft Parsons, it's trash)
Musical Influences: Buck Owens - Greatest Hits; Ray Charles -- Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music; Louvin Brothers – Satan is Real; George Jones - Essential George Jones
Musical Progeny: The Eagles, Poco, Uncle Tupelo, Whiskeytown, Lucinda Williams
I went to a Timberwolves game this past week. Al Jefferson needs to learn how to box out. Here’s your Friday Random Top 10:
1. Moods for Moderns – Elvis Costello
2. My Back Pages – Bob Dylan
3. Hooked on a Feeling – Blue Suede
4. Ooh Las Vegas – Gram Parsons
5. The Gash – The Flaming Lips
6. Good Lovin’ – Grateful Dead
7. You Won’t See Me – The Beatles
8. Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1 – Luther Wright and the Wrongs
9. Shot in the Arm – Wilco
10. De Clare Guerre Nucleaine – The Hives
For a limited time only at Starbucks: Deep Cuts a 10-song CD of lesser-played songs from your favorite artists. Act now, or you may only hear these songs on your I-Pod’s shuffle feature.
I just love how Cindy McCain has called her husband"a man of great character." She then went on to say that she and their children "know he would never have done anything to disappoint not only our family but ... our country." Funny coming from the woman with whom John McCain was having an affair with that basically broke up his first marriage.
Here's the Top 10:
1. How to Disappear Completely - Radiohead
2. When I Come Around - Green Day
3. You're a Soldier - Husker Du
4. Run On - Elvis Presley
5. Aspiration - Yung Wu
6. Wild Cats of Kilkenny - The Pogues
7. You Don't Know My Mind - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
8. Just Like Anyone - Soul Asylum
9. Down My Block - Trip Shakespeare
10. Marching Bands of Manhatten - Death Cab for Cutie
I like this list. Just think if you were in your car this block of 10 songs came on the radio? Nice. What's your top 10?
Down in Wabasha a 5th Grade Catholic School teacher was summarily fired because she got pregnant and isn’t married. The Principle and the Priest trotted out a sheet of paper that the teacher signed saying that basically she will be a morally upstanding person. Apparently pre-marital, procreating sex goes against that paper she signed.
My nephew goes to this school and I know a little more than what’s been in the paper or on the news. The school community is really torn up about this. Teachers are going to quit, some families are going to leave the school, and a young single mom-to-be will have no means to support her coming child. Now the Priest and principle are well within their rights to fire the teacher. But is it right? What kind of pre-natal care will this child now get? How will this young mother be able to raise a child without health insurance or money for rent, groceries and diapers?
Sometimes it seems like our leaders and institutions are more worried about the theory or principles behind their actions than the how those principles are carried out in the real world. It’s why there is so much cynicism these days. Don’t you wish you could go up to the Priest and Principle and say “how can you be pro-life when you are going to deny a mother the means to make sure she has a healthy baby?” I would then follow up by asking “In this time of Lent, when we read and study the Beatitudes in our Masses, how can you act in such a manner that is contrary to Jesus’ teachings?” I wouldn’t hold my breath for a decent answer.
With that, here’s this week’s top 10:
1. Whiskey Marijuana (live) – Supersuckers
2. Black Wave – The Shins
3. I Can’t Get Next To You – Al Green
4. Watch Your Step – Elvis Costello
5. Ornithology – Bud Powell
6. Just – Radiohead
7. Family Tree – Loretta Lynn
8. Ballad of a Thin Man – Bob Dylan
9. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry – Cowboy Junkies
10. My Best Was Never Good Enough – Bruce Springsteen
O.k. O.k. So Timmy Brewster can recruit. Rating services rank the Gopher's incoming football class from 16 to 25. Now let's see if he can coach!! This week's top 10:
1. In the Jungle - The Hives
2. Strawberry Fields Forever - Jim Sturges
3. Can't Seem To Make You Mine - Alex Chilton
4. I Don't Like Mondays - The Boomtown Rats
5. You Make Me Feel So Young - Frank Sinatra
6. Shake Shake Shake Your Booty - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
7. Holiday Song - Pixies
8. St. Swithin's Day - Billy Bragg
9. Delta 88 - X
10. New England - Jonathan Richman
Wow! Now that's what I call a divese list. Not sure what to make of that. what's your top 10?
Over the past year I’ve been hitting the library hard, listening to CD’s that I don't own. It’s a lot cheaper than buying CD’s and I am able to experiment with bands I’ve always been interested in but not willing to invest the $$$ and going back and re-visiting albums I always loved but never converted from LP to CD.
Recently I accomplished the latter by tracking down Graham Parker’s Squeezing out the Sparks and Like This by The dBs. Both were albums that I loved in the early to mid-eighties. (Graham Parker even earlier). Both albums were full of hook-filled pop songs that for some reason got classified in the “punk rock” or “new wave” genre. Both albums are critically acclaimed but not huge sellers (Squeezing Out the Sparks is 335 on the Rolling Stone top 500 albums). I never got either album on CD and I would say it’s been over 20 years since I heard Like This and probably closer to 25 years since I’ve heard Squeezing Out the Sparks. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song on The Current, movie soundtrack or Wendy’s commercial either.
What I found interesting is that even though it’s been more than 20 years since I heard these songs, I knew them note-for-note as if I had listened to them every day! I knew exactly the chorus, the beat, the hooks, and what the next song would be. It got me thinking about music and memory and how our brains can remember some things quite easily and others, not so much. I think if I looked at a text book or course syllabus from a college class I took at the same time I was listening to these albums, much of it would seem like new.
I did a little research on music and memory and found out that music definitely helps with memory. Research has indicated that simple melodies get “stuck” in our heads easier than more complex ones. Evolutionary biologists theorized that simpler tunes helped the ancient profession of the bard sing and remember oral histories. It has been shown that the more predictable the tune, the easier it is to get stuck in the head. When subjects are asked to remember a song in their heads, the same parts of the brains light up except fainter and the primary auditory cortex is not activated as much. In fact there is an interesting anecdote of a woman with chronic dementia who could not remember integral portions of her life such her place of birth, her place of residence for the majority of her life, or if she had had a short career singing on the radio. Despite this extreme dotage, she could remember every song she had sang perfectly!
Just when I was all smug in my music and memory research I came across another example that threw everything back into the mixer. The band Buffalo Tom was in town this weekend and although I didn’t go, it was a band I always kind of liked. I remember an early song by the band called Birdbrain which I thought was really cool. I’ve always meant to track down that song because I thought it was so good and would lament when KOUM or The Current would play a Buffalo Tom song but not that song. So anyway, the visit to First Avenue finally motivated me to hit the library looking for some Buffalo Tom music. I picked out a greatest hits type album and immediately found Birdbrain. Talk about your disappointment. It was not at all how I remembered it and couldn’t believe I’ve pined for that song over so many years. Just shows how sometimes your memory can deceive you.
Anyway, any songs out there you thought you liked but after hearing it you don’t know why?
