So different, so soothing, so fantastic from a band with a new skew. (LM)
Monthly Archives: June 2013
Essential Remnants: #39. Chuck Berry, Chuck Berry Is On Top
The first guitar hero at his best. Rock’s most underrated lyricist. (MS) “As I was motorvating over the hill, I saw Maybellene in a Coup De Ville.” (CB)
The Very Short History Of Supershit 666
“Supershit 666 or Super$hit 666 were a European rock supergroup consisting of Ginger from The Wildhearts on vocals and guitar, Nicke Andersson from the Hellacopters on vocals and drums, Dregen from the Backyard Babies on vocals and guitar, and Swedish producer Thomas Skogsberg on bass.”
I copied that from Wiki.
I got what is supposed to be The Wildhearts’ best album “Earth Vs. The Wildhearts” and was very disappointed (too poppy and stupid-punk, kind of like something like Rancid at times). The Backyard Babies are very inconsistent as well and I think Dregen is crazy for choosing BB over the Hellacopters, because the Hellas were best when Dregen was around. (For a great example, dial up BB’s version of “Star Wars” and compare it to Supershit’s “Star Wars Jr.” In this case, junior beats the crap out of senior.)
Nicke Andersson is a god. He’s the main force behind The Hellacopters, as a guitarist and main vocalist. With SS666, he plays drums, where he originally began with the thrash band Entombed. And play the drums he does. For me, SS666 is a rock drum clinic, especially on the use of the snare. Nicke’s drumming could be what puts the whole thing over the top.
I don’t know Thomas Skogsberg very well, but he’s supposed to be a legendary producer.
Legend has it that this band wrote and recorded everything in one day. They never performed live. Does it get any more rock ‘n’ roll than that?
You can hear it in the recording, with just enough sloppiness to keep things interesting and the producer and other band members talking to one another throughout.
Maybe the whole one-day thing is contrived and they really recorded it in two weeks or something, but, even if that’s the case (hopefully not), it’s still a cool concept.
If you don’t already know, it’s my favorite piece of music of all-time. I can listen to it every day.
Thank you and goodnight.
Some Light Summer Reading
I’m going to be away from Saturday to Saturday and away from the computer as well. I found what I think is a brand new book (yes, a book, not a download of a book) called “Detroit Rock City – The Uncensored History Of Rock ‘N’ Roll In America’s Loudest City” by Steve Miller (no, not THAT Steve Miller).
It’s one of those oral history books – just tons of little quotes from people who were there (I love that format). Of course, Iggy and MC5, but also Alice Cooper and even Ted Nugent, who I liked a lot before he shaved off his beard and eventually morphed into the world’s biggest asshole.
If this paragraph from the Introduction is any indication, I’m going to like it a lot:
“We all read Creem magazine in high school, learning about the real deal in a way that effete bullshit like Rolling Stone could never conceive of. Creem was Detroit; the rest were from, well, somewhere else. Creem wrote about the Stooges more than anyone else. When it came down to Mick Jagger vs. Iggy Pop in the rock-star idolatry sweepstakes, Iggy came out on top every time. He was Detroit. I would puff furiously on my Newport at the notion that anyone outside Iggy could be any more badass. Starting at age fifteen, we listened to the Stooges as we drove in cars on back roads and cradled bottles of Mad Dog 20-20.”
I loved Creem magazine. The first thing I did to my first very own brand new car (1982 Volkswagon Scirocco) was put a Creem Stars Car license plate on the front.
I also will finally write a review of the new QOTSA album when I get back. Meanwhile, enjoy the ride while 40 of pretty much “The Albums You Always Expect On A Greatest Albums Of All-Time List” pass by.
Essential Remnants: #40. Sam Cooke, Portrait of a Legend
Stellar voice with amazing songs. Gospel, rock, soul, pop, protest, country, dance, folk, Sam Cooke embraced and mastered them all. (PK)
Essential Remnants: #41. Stevie Wonder, Innervisions
Perfect songs perfectly played. What’s that genre? (PK)
QUOTE: Rick Rubin
“The thing is, when you’re a fan from the outside of something, you can embrace it in a different way than when you’re a fan from the inside. Run-D.M.C. could be sort of gangstery in their own way, pre-gangster rap, because they were suburban kids. Kurtis Blow, who was from Harlem and really around gangsters, he didn’t want to be a gangster. He wanted to look above it and wear leather boots and be more like a rock star. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were really inner-city, hard-life guys, and they wanted to be from outer space.”
Essential Remnants: #42. The Kinks, The Kinks Kronikles
I love the Kinks and Ray Davies’ writing, but this hodge podge of a collection better represents the range and grandeur of the band better than the concepts that drove most of the albums. Muswell Hilllbillies is the better record, but doesn’t come as close to expressing the range of the band. (PK)
Essential Remnants: #43. Supershit 666, Self-titled
Not a bad second to be found. Best ever six songs in a row. Perfect. Expensive. Worth every penny. (SM)
Essential Remnants: #44. Big Star, #1 Record
Inspired a thousand bands. Power pop at its post-Beatles best. (MS)