OK, my love for Family Guy is widely known. I know, too much barf, too many farts, and sometimes there are routines and the producers simply cannot let go (Syrup of Ipecac barfing, Peter fighting the chicken, eg), but when they nail it, Family Guy nails it better than anyone. As in up there with Mad Magazine, The National Lampoon, Monty Python, SNL, you name it.
This particular selection is Stewie’s love video for Susie Swanson.
It’s awful (so is the song).
OTOH, these guys so nail sappy crappy MTV songs and videos in animated form, that what can I say?
Judge for yourself (keep the Syrup of Ipecac hand, however).
Simple Minds are a band I discovered via word of mouth. I had never heard anything of theirs for some reason (this was some time before Don’t You Forget About Me was a hit) so I bought the album, Sparkles in the Rain which is competent enough, however, this song, Waterfront, just cranks.
I remember when I was first learning to play guitar, and my friend Alan Freedman (a tremendous musician and bass player) asked me to pick out some stuff I wanted to play in a small band setting, and Waterfront was one of my requests.
Alan listened to it once, said it was a great song, and then said I would never be able to play it.
I now understand he did not mean ever, but surely vamping on a D sus4 as an A barre chord for five minutes was much too abstract for my simple band of beginners to even try to approach.
In fact, now I actually can play the guitar and bass parts (well, that is not saying much, though the time of the bass player is dead on throughout and since he plays the same riff for five minutes, that is no simple task from Simple Minds) and could probably hold my own, but I completely understand how Alan meant that it takes some musical sophistication to play something so simple effectively.
This is the Minds a year ago, and they blast it out pretty well 25-years after the release of the album.
Speaking of which, lead singer, Jim Kerr, was married to Pretenders head Chrissie Hynde, and her song, 2000 Miles features the line “sparkles, in the rain” so I always wondered who lifted the line from whom, or it was just fortuitous?
Irrespective, we need to give Ms. Hynde some virtual ink here, but for now, here are the Minds. Tell me if this song does not rock the shit out of your speakers?
When Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville was released in 1993 I could not get enough of it. Much like the recently favorited Hans Condor’s Sweat, Jizz, Piss & Blood, which was so evocative of the early Stones, so was Phair’s disc whose title simply screams response to Exile on Mainstreet.
Phair’s label, Matador, pushed a second disc (Whip Smart) out quickly to cash in on the success of Guyville, but it wasn’t till album three, WhiteChocolateSpaceEgg that Phair cemented herself in my brain as a serious artist, rocker, songwriter, and performer.
Unfortunately, for me Phair peaked with that third, album, and has never come close to equaling the power or beauty of that pair of records.
But, the other day, while trolling through my discs, looking for something to listen to as I drove to meet my pal Eric for Sunday golf, Phair and Exile jumped out, and on it went, and it still sounded pretty good.
This tune, Mesmerizing, clearly shows just how much Liz garnered from Jagger and Keef et al.
It is Tout Wars Week, as Peter so aptly documented, meaning the core Remnants will be in Manhattan through the weekend, playing, drafting, drinking, eating, smoking and goofing off together (though technically, Spring will attack us all sometime on Saturday, leaving the Winter of 2015 behind).
It is great, so in honor of this, here is my favorite New York band (ok, so they are from Jersey), with a tune I hope Steve, who is riff oriented, likes.
This song is an instrumental, just based upon one very simple arpeggio. And, it builds and takes off like fire to become this oddly dissonant and yet beautiful tour de force number.
BTW, all the Tout activities are open to the public. Go to ToutWars.com for the itinerary and details.
Another Steve Gardner fave, mostly based upon the wonderful tone invoked by Mike Campbell as the Heartbreakers axe-man channels Chuck Berry.
I was a huge fan of this band (seen them ten times) based upon fine lyrics (by Petty) and such a tight and clean sound of the band. In this cut, listen to Stan Lynch and his stellar drumming, in particular, though again not at the expense of Campbell’s fantastic guitar sound.
Damn the Torpedoes was the bands third album, BTW, and in my view, that is the one that seals the deal for a new and promising band. In this instance, the deal was closed with profit and great riffs for all.
I am such a sucker for a killer pop tune, and this song is certainly one of those.
Delivered among the great waves of great numbers from the the Punk and New Wave bands across the pond, Why Sugar fits right in with a lot of other gorgeous songs/bands–Breathless (The Motors), and Starry Eyes (The Records) also come to mind–with vocals and guitar riffs and bouncing pianos coupled with deep bluesy growling vocals.
I bought No Dice’s album based upon the strength of No Sugar, but the rest of the disc didn’t hold up so well for me.
I guess that makes the band fall under the aegis of one-hit wonders, which is ok with me, as the one hit was a killer.
See for yourself (it is even better with headphones on).
Steve–as in Gardner–and I were discussing our favorite guitar solos/riffs/songs during a particularly fun breakfast or ride to a spring training game or something.
My list is usually five songs, plus a couple that bounce around the top five, and that is that.
Steve tried to think of some of his faves, but drew a blank; however, that evening, my esteemed bud sent me a list of 25 or so tunes that fit his top axe numbers.
So, I thought I would load some of them from time-to-time, starting from this song by the Outlaws, Green Grass and High Tides.
The reason this song grabbed me from Steve’s list is that I remember the first time I heard it, on the Marin county low wattage alternative station, riding around in an old BMW 2002, I suppose. At the time, the song caught my attention: I went out and bought the vinyl that very afternoon.
The Outlaws were certainly a cranking guitar-based band in much the same vein as Lynyrd Skynyrd, save one was more rock-blues based, while the other more rock-country based (not strange that the Skynyrd made Steve’s list, too).
But, especially since Peter was noting that he was into some rockabilly–not that this is rockabilly, as the guitars are on steroids–let’s go with this!
Just a week and all the Remnants will be in New York for Tout Wars, world! Come by the drafts at City Crab in Manhattan and say hi!
It is the League of Alternative Baseball Reality (LABR) weekend in Phoenix, and that means time with my bestest industry friends.
Later today I will see fellow Remnant Steve Moyer, but for the most part this week I have been traipsing from ballpark-to-ballpark with my running buddy Steve Gardner.
Steve and I always have so much to talk about: baseball, food, and especially music.
As we ate breakfast the other morning, we were talking about country and alt-country, and I remembered this anecdote from my youth.
When I was eight or so–so this is 1960-61–and was a cub scout, our little pack got tickets to the local NBC affiliate’s Saturday afternoon variety show. Remember that at that time there were just three TV networks, and nothing like cable. In fact I am not sure if PBS had a presence as of yet.
I remember the show was hosted by the news anchor, who also hosted the kids Saturday morning/weekday afternoon kids cartoon show, along with that variety thing (which was that period’s time of local cable access filler).
Well, when I was in the audience, the musical guest was Buck Owens, and he sang his new hit, Tiger by the Tail.
It was just Buck, though he surely had a shiny suit and flashy guitar (at least to an eight-year old), so no Buckaroos. And, I am pretty sure Buck had an electric (not as cool as the metalflake vintage Tele being played below) but was not plugged into anything.
Furthermore, this was my first exposure to lip syncing, in its most rudimentary form.
On the floor, in one corner of the little studio, was a little plug-in Admiral, much like the phonograph we had at home, and someone dropped the .45 single on the turntable at the right time, dropped the tone arm, turned up the volume, and the race was on (ok, George Jones reference) so to speak.
Funny how we remember. Before Buck was big stuff, for sure.
Photos, Tout Songs, Obituaries, Name That Tune? OK, enough.
Let’s get back to what we really do best: uncover/present killer songs, past, present, and even some future.
I know there are those who dismiss Pearl Jam, but I think such critics are elitists.
Pearl Jam cranks, and probably wear the tough mantle–especially with the death of Kurt Cobain and demise of Nirvana–as the band from the grunge/Seattle environ.
There are a bunch of other great bands that did evolve from that scene (I am at least thinking Soundgarden) but when push comes to shove, Pearl Jam kick it, song-wise, songwriting-wise, and musicianship-wise.
I present, then, the following, among my favorite from the band’s catalog.
It does seem Eddie Vedder’s voice is not quite so powerful as it was 20 years ago, but the rest of the band certainly smokes. And, Mike McCready again shows that when push comes to shove, a great guitar player cranking through a Marshall stack via a Telecaster is probably the best sounding “axe” confluence there is.
So Leonard Nimoy was not so much rock’n’roll, but he did release eight (yes, eight) albums.
Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock’s Music From Outer Space.
Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy
The Way I Feel
The Touch of Leonard Nimoy
The New World of Leonard Nimoy
Space Odyssey
Outer Space/Inner Mind
Highly Illogical
Who knew? Who even heard?
Of course, we all remember William Shatner’s kitchy cover of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.
But, the pair also cut a disc together, as you can see.
Still, there is no question of the influence of Star Trek and its characters on us boomers, and the cottage industry it spawned (I watched Next Generation and Voyager in addition to the original series).
There was also some music on the actual original Star Trek show, most of which was awful.
In honor of the life of the esteemed cultural icon, Spock, here is part of what was perhaps the worst episode, with some of the worst music. I do remember watching this when I was 16, and being half embarrassed, while half laughing my ass off.
But, Nimoy was indeed a mensch, as witnessed by his final message/Tweet, earlier in the week: “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory.”
Irrespective, Live long and prosper, Nimoy. You were a good egg.
