Category Archives: I Like This Song

Night Music: Warren Zevon, “Accidentally Like a Martyr”

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It’s Hall of Fame time and yesterday I signed up for Facebook group trying to elect Warren Zevon into the RnRHoF.

Which is stupid. It’s stupid to worry about who is in any Hall of Fame, and the RnRHoF is particularly silly.

But I’m in favor of Warren Zevon becoming immortal.

Oh, he’s dead? Well fuck that then.

This is a great song. It may be a perfect song. Even though it definitely qualifies as LA Rock. Woah!

Late Night Music: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “Bad Reputation”

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I know we had some Bad Reputation chatter here recently, but I’d never seen this video until tonight.

It’s not a great video, but it does take on EMI and Virgin, the way the Sex Pistols did. What’s more important is that this is a fantastic song, burnished in my head from watching Freaks and Geeks (you should!).

Night Music: The Runaways, “Cherry Bomb”

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Controversially voted into the rapidly expanding rock ‘n’ roll Hall of Fame today, Joan Jett wrote this one with the band’s colorful manager, Kim Fowley. In the movie Fowley is brilliantly played by Michael Shannon. I remember hearing Cherry Bomb the first time, in the music transfer room at the film school I went to. My work study job was to rip songs from vinyl to 16mm film for students to use in their projects. Nothing more need be said.

Afternoon Snack: The Numbers Band, “The Animal Speaks”

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The Animal Speaks was written by Akron bandleader of The Numbers Band, Robert Kidney, and recorded for the band’s first album in 1975. Earlier versions of the Numbers Band had Chrissie Hynde’s brother and future members of Devo on board, but by the time they recorded their first album, a live one, they had a different lineup.

They went on to make three albums over the next ten years, popular success didn’t find them the way it did Pere Ubu, let’s say, and for a while Robert Kidney toured with the Golden Palominos.

Late Breakfast Blend: The Animal Speaks

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The second Golden Palominos album is an all star affair. Not everyone plays on all tracks, but you get the idea.

Anton Fier – drums, DMX, percussion
Bill Laswell – bass guitar
Jody Harris – guitars, slide guitar
Richard Thompson – guitars
Mike Hampton – guitar
Henry Kaiser – guitars
Nicky Skopelitis – guitars
Arto Lindsay – guitar, vocals
Chris Stamey – guitar, piano, vocals
Bernie Worrell – Hammond organ
Carla Bley – Hammond organ
Syd Straw – vocals
Michael Stipe – vocals
Jack Bruce – vocals, harp
John Lydon – vocals

Lydon sang vocals on this song. The record was produced by Anton Fier, for Laswell’s label, Celluloid.

An alternate version with Jack Bruce singing was released on a 12″ single b-side.

Been Gone Too Long

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Played Cream Of The Crap Volume 1 on my flight from Chicago to Philly tonight. This song makes me want to hijack the plane every time. First the orig, then the Hellas. Notes:

1) The Victims has a clever vocal (guy from Hoodoo Gurus – never knew that) and a cool guitar sound. Hellacopters rocks it exponentially maniacally (as usual). “Rocks like a moose” says a youtube comment (Provocative Moose perhaps?).

2) If you’re not sick of this chorus by the end of these two plays, you’re a better man than I.

3) Old people music.

4) Guy next to me started watching the football game tonight on his tablet, which was extra good along with Cream. Then he switched to Food channel. Really?

There’s a party in my head, and no one is invited

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It’s been a while since my last post. I know you’ve missed me and my young people music. The band I want to share with you all today is Tame Impala. When my friend first showed them to me about 4 years ago, he described their sound as “psychedelic Beatles.” I could definitely hear that in their music, though it is much more modern with use of synthesizers and such on top of their instruments. What I like most about them is probably the lyrics, though the music sounds really good to me as well.

Pretty cool video, too.