Song in My Head

"Dreamin" by Twerps

This Melbourne band is totally a Sirius XMU find. I really dig the interplay between the jangly and the surf-rock sound in their guitars on this track.

The 1970s Video Vault - My Response

I am enjoying your year-by-year run-through of the 1970s and now that you're halfway through, I feel like it's time I posted my response. Here are my choices for the first half of the decade - 1970-75.

1970 - "After the Gold Rush" - Neil Young
Dreams, visions, hallucinations and UFOs. That's what I think of when I think of the 1970s. I'm certain I heard the Prelude version of this song from the 1980s before I discovered the original, and Young's emotions really come through. Even if he has no idea what he's singing about. Dolly Parton tells the story of when she covered the song with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris: "When we were doing the Trio album, I asked Linda and Emmy what it meant, and they didn't know. So we called Neil Young, and he didn't know. We asked him, flat out, what it meant, and he said, 'Hell, I don't know. I just wrote it. It just depends on what I was taking at the time. I guess every verse has something different I'd taken.'" Exactly.

1971 - "Life on Mars?" - David Bowie
Is there a more beautifully uplifting melody in the Bowie catalog? The lyrics are utterly surreal, quite like Bowie himself at the time. And the video is actually Bowie's fourth --pretty amazing considering this is 1971!

1972 - "Pink Moon" - Nick Drake
If you're of a certain age, you first heard this song thanks to a stirring Volkswagen TV commercial. Nick Drake's quiet beauty - and his melancholy - will probably never be matched.

1973 - "Do the Strand" - Roxy Music
This might be the most fertile year, musically speaking, of the early half of the decade. I could have easily gone with "Search and Destroy" by Iggy and the Stooges (and run the risk of being branded a Wes Anderson devotee what with Iggy and "Life on Mars" from 1971.) And while I always loved the song "Future Days" by Can, I have to give the nod to Roxy Music. They were far ahead of their time, taking glam to new levels of artistry and bringing experimentalism to the mainstream. They were also hugely influential -- on the punks and the New Wavers that came along a few years later. And they were visual pioneers as well, preoccupied with style and glamor.

1974 - "Autobahn" - Kraftwerk

This was music that the world hadn't yet heard. And it changed the shape of music for decades to come. Kraftwerk spawned new wave, electro, even hip hop and techno. Theirs is an enormous legacy -- and easily one of the most lasting and most diverse of any single artist. Plus their video paved the way for one of our all-time heroes Gary Numan.

1975 - "Make Me Smile" - Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel

1975 was a tough choice. It seems to be a particularly barren year, musically. Sure, Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" is an easy way to go. And Dylan released Blood on the Tracks. But from there, it's a big drop. "Low Rider" by War? Foghat's "Slow Ride"? Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" ("Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston" are far better songs) Or "Jive Talkin'" by the Bee Gees? (No offense to the late Robin Gibb.) But this glam rock classic was covered by over 100 other artists, including Duran Duran, Erasure and The Wedding Present. Perhaps the best thing about 1975 are the terrific years that come after it, which we'll get to in future posts.

Video Vault - 1975

Yes, 1975 was the year of Born to Run, but to ruffle feathers, I went with Three Dog Night's "Shambala."  3DN covered the song, but theirs is the one most known to all.  The song really stuck with me after watching one of the only "feel-good" episodes of Lost, as Hurley, Charlie, Jin & Sawyer get the VW bus working again.

Here are the boys in their heyday (bell bottoms, feathered hair,etc) with the feel good song:

RIP Doc Watson

Another day, another obituary. Doc Watson, the legendary blind folk, bluegrass and bluesman, is dead at the age of 89. Watson mastered the electric guitar at a young age, teaching himself how to play fiddle tunes on his Les Paul. By the 1960s folk revival, he ditched the electric and focused exclusively on the acoustic and the banjo, a move that launched his career.

I always liked his version of "Shady Grove". It features Doc's spectacular picking on the banjo along with his unassuming vocals.

Video Vault - 1974

If I were to build a Mt. Rushmore of Canadian musicians, I would have to pick Neil Young, Rush & Gordon Lightfoot (sorry Bryan Adams, Triumph, April Wine, etc.)  Gordon Lightfoot is a cool dude.  In college, I bought a used copy of Gord's Gold in a dollar bin.  After going away one weekend, someone stole my copy.  The secret society of Gord fans exists!  I think I saw him perform in Colorado, but I'm not really sure.  he looked like him, and sang his songs, but I walked in late and randomly sat at the bar.  In Aspen, many people look like Gord. 
To me, "Sundown" is a classic 70's song.  Smooth guitar, and great lyrics that really fit the era: "I can see her lookin' fast in her faded jeans/She's a hard lovin' woman, got me feelin' mean."  Good stuff Gord. 

Video Vault

Last week I posted about the return of the dB's. That got me thinking about all those bands from the 80s that put towns like Athens, Georgia and Winston-Salem, North Carolina on the indie music map.

One of the more luminary figures of the era was Mitch Easter, a childhood friend of dB's bassist Chris Stamey. Easter is best known as the producer of bands like R.E.M., Pavement, Marshall Crenshaw and Suzanne Vega. But he also fronted the band Let's Active. And in 1984, they released their debut album Cypress, which features a gem called "Every Word Means No." Here's the video:

Cypress also includes "Easy Does", another great jangle pop tune.

Song In My Head

"Black and White" by the dB's.

The quintessential early-80s jangle-pop band are back together: they played SXSW this year and are due to release a new album - their first since 1987 - next month.

And lest you question their pedigree and legacy, consider this: Bassist and songwriter Chris Stamey played with Alex Chilton, guitarist Peter Holsapple was essentially the fifth member of R.E.M. during their heyday, and their debut Stands for Decibels is considered a crucial album in power pop, influencing the likes of Yo La Tengo, Teenage Fanclub, and the aforementioned R.E.M.

Their first single, 1981's "Black and White", shows them off in full jangle pop glory. Enjoy a classic American tune this Memorial Day.

Songs of Summer

Memorial Day weekend is here... time for a look at some of the all-time best Songs of Summer.

And I'm intentionally excluding anything by the Beach Boys or anything older than me.

Let's start with a song that puts all of us Philly people in the right frame of mind -- Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's 1991 smash "Summertime". It was destined to be a true Song of Summer, and despite some funny styles and outmoded dancing, it still holds up. Although Will Smith's rhymes at times seem a bit forced ("As I think back makes me wonder how/the smell from a grill can spark up nostalgia"?)

Last Summer, the world couldn't escape "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People. Even Weezer was bitten by the bug -- here's their version, live from August 4, 2011 in Costa Mesa. It's pretty true to the original.

(By the way,: Foster the People actually returned the favor a week later, covering Weezer's "Say it Ain't So" in Brooklyn and again in San Francisco and here. Total props to FTP for that classy move.)


This year, Gotye seems to have the inside track to Summer Supremacy with "Somebody I Used to Know".
But I'd argue that it's been ubiquitous all Spring so it may have peaked too soon.

Peter, Bjorn and Jon's "Young Folks" was everywhere in the summer of 2006.

But to me, the greatest summer song of all time remains "Steal My Sunshine" by the Canadian hip-hop band Len. Each year, Summer truly begins when I put the windows down and play this one.

Video Vault - 1973

"Reeling in the Years" is one of my all-time favorite songs.  Back in 1986, when I got my first CD player, A Decade of Steely Dan was one of the first CD's I ever purchased.  I enjoyed the whole disc, but I would put this song on repeat, and listened to it over, and over, and over...I never got tired of it, but I know the rest of my family surely did.

There is something about Donald Fagan's nasally tone that I always loved.  Maybe it is the snide, sarcastic, yet sincere tone he uses when he sings.  I don't think I would like him as a person, but I love his songs. 

Elliot Randall's guitar work in the original, studio version is incredible.  Jimmy Page declared that it was the best guitar solo of all time.  David Palmer's & Walter Becker's  harmonies with Fagan are spot on.

The video itself is priceless.  It comes from television series, The Midnight Special. Host Bill Cosby, with a great afro, porn-stache, and vinyl jacket, chomping on a cigar are priceless. He even gives a great "Cosby face" to end his introduction. 

The camera work is awful.  They focus on the wrong guitarist during the leads and solos.  Guitarist Danny Dias looks like a serial killer, while Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, better known as a Doobie Brother (remember when they were on What's Happening?) gets into his groove during the song.  Better yet, check out the teeth on David Palmer - yikes!  Enjoy.

Video Vault - 1972

When I was a kid this was one of the songs I remember from my childhood.  My parents had one of those gigantic stereo/furniture pieces in our living room.  My mom always loved music and one of the records she use to play was Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze."  I still remember the water color album cover with the one guy (not sure if it was Seals or Crofts) with the beard and the hat.  I use to run around the house while "hummingbird" played.  I was usually exhausted afterwards, and would mellow out to the title track. 

It had a bit of a resurgence with Jason Mraz and Peter, Bjorn, & John covering it.  Even basketball star Wayman Tisdale covered it - probably because it's a great song .

Video Vault - 1971

Ah, 1971, the year I was born.  For today's selection I had a hard time deciding which song to go with.  Originally, I was going with the Isaac Hayes classic "Shaft," but wasn't sure about the video.  My favorite Rolling Stones song, "Brown Sugar" came out in 1971, but still, too common.

Ultimately, I decided to go with a little known one from Neil Diamond.  For many, Neil Diamond is "Sweet Caroline" or that lame ET song "Heart light." For others he is the idol loved by Steve Zahn & Jack Black in Saving Silverman.  To many others he is the drunk, crazy man portrayed by Will Farrell in a SNL "Behind the Music" spoof.  

In reality, he was a successful hit machine without a true genre.  Is he pop?  He is not considered rock?  I couldn't tell you where he fits.  "Cracklin' Rosie" was released in late 1970, but was a radio hit in 1971.  Songs just don't sound like this anymore. 

Video Vault - 1970

The 70's were an amazing, and overlooked time in popular music.  I don't think musically any other decade covered such a vast spectrum of music: rock, disco, & pop ruled the airwaves.  Punk and new wave began their origins.  Reggae was exposed to the American public, so was classical with a twist, and even jug bands.  It was also an era pre-MTV where looks didn't play as big of a factor int eh success of a band. 

Here is year one of the decade than spans the musical spectrum.  For the beginning of the decade, I went with one of the most upbeat, kitsch, one-hit wonders of the decade, "In the Summertime" by Mungo Jerry.  Lead singer, Ray Dorset looks like he should be Andre the Giant's gay brother.  Also, the focus on the jug & use of fish-eyed lens help make this what it is.  Funny thing, I bet you can't stop yourself from singing along.

Mitt Romney, Auto-Tuned

My day job is all about politics, but when I came across this little gem, two worlds -- politics and music -- collided. It's the Gregory Brothers' take on Mitt Romney -- and all of the things he tells us he likes. And it's laugh-out-loud funny.

What Were They Thinking?

Here's a new category of posts about bad decisions in music history. We'll call it What Were They Thinking, and we'll start with this utterly forgettable pile of crap from 1983 by sixties hucksters Three Dog Night. They heard the future at the dawn of the 80s -- ska -- and put their best spin on it with this track "It's a Jungle Out There". Which, in turn, paved the way for 1985's classic "Tarzan Boy" by Baltimora. Listen:

Look, I'm not defending earlier decisions by Three Dog Night -- their entire catalog is pretty much garbage. But this one just happens to stink the worst.

And while we're at it, here's the full "Tarzan Boy" video... I just can't resist.

This may be the single-most useless post I've ever written.

I'm bad, I'm universally compatible

Somehow I missed out on the joke.  I was on YouTube watching a video when I saw another video, Port O'Brien's "I Woke Up Today" listed.  I clicked on it to watch it, and I loved it.  I thought how humorous and ironic that they would use some old footage from something else to make this video (truthfully, it is better than the "official video" which makes me like the song a little less after seeing it.)

When reading about this beauty, I learned that the footage was from Tommy Seebach, a Danish musician, with his version of the classic "Apache."  He looks like Howard Stern circa 1982 with bad hair and mustache.  The video is considered to be universally compatible with almost any song. Needless to say, I found an incredible amount of songs that have been put to Seebach's amazing video.  Interesting enough, he covers several genres.  He does hard rock & metal with Marilyn Manson, Disturbed, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Audioslave,etc. The one from this category I like best is the Darkness' "I Believe in a Thing Called Love."

He also does the White Stripes, Chemical Brothers, & Prodigy.  He also covers Snoop Dogg, the Beatles, "Sexyback," "Surfin' Bird," "Misirlou" among others. 

I also like when he delves into new wave & pop.  He does Right Said Fred, Duran Duran and my favorite from this group, a-ha!

There's even a Punjabi vesion.  See if you can find anything else interesting.  I will leave you with this...

Step Up to the Plate - Sweep the Series

We have discussed in previous posts(1) & (2) about the music that is best suited to be played when coming up to bat.  The website, The At Bat Music Project has done a real nice job compiling a list of songs players use before coming to bat. 

Some quick highlights:

• Eric O' Flaherty of Atlanta uses Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen."  ???
• Kevin Youkilis of Boston comes out to Biz Markie's "Just a Friend." 
• The Yankees' Mark Teixeira uses Run-DMC's  "It's Tricky."
• Arizona's Jason Kubel's two options are both Beastie Boys songs
• Two players use Bob Marley songs.
• Three players use the Outfield's "Your Love."

The Dodgers Andre Either is an old school rap fan using Snoop Dogg's "What's My Name," or, one of my personal favorite's Ice Cube's "Check Yo Self (remix)"
The Phillies & ex-Phillies seem to use the craziest collection of songs.

• Chooch has switched songs to Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight."
• Raul Ibanez uses Rush's "Tom Sawyer."
• Catcher Rod Barajas uses Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' but a G Thing"
• Jason Bartlett uses Kris Kross' "Jump." 

It's a fun list that I'm sure you can find something amusing.

One final note; the new organist of the Chicago White Sox has been playing "Ghost Town" by the Specials since attendance has been  down.  Awesome!

"I got a peg leg at the end of my stump-ah..."

After playing my b-boy cd's all weekend long, I  found some of the best of Yauch.  Popdust listed the 10 greatest Adam Yauch moments. Stereogum upped them and gave the 20 greatest.  I thought it would be fitting to go through a few of the best Yauch lines of all times.  Metrolyrics already did, so did Billboard and diffuser. So along those line, I will leave you with this:

M.c. for what I am and do The a is for adam and the lyrics; true  
So as pray and hope and the message is sent  
And I am living in the dreams that I have dreamt  
Because I'm down with the three the unstoppable three  
Me and adam and d. were born to m.c.  
And my body and soul and mind are pure  
Not polluted or diluted or damaged beyond cure 
Just lyrics from I to you recited  
Arrested, bailed but cuffed and indicted  
Enter the arena as I take center stage  
The lights set low and the night has come of age  
Take the microphone in hand as that I am a professional  
Speak my knowledge to the crowd and the ed. is special  
For I am a bard but not the last one I'm my own king and this is my castle  
Dwell in realms of now but vidi those of the past  
Seen a glimpse from ahead and I don't think it's gonna last  
And you can bet your ass

I drop the l. when I'm skiing  
I'm smoking and peaking I put the skis on the roof almost every single weekend  
Can't stop the mindfuck when it's rolling along  
Can't stop the smooth runnin's when the shit's running strong  
Broke my bindings the lion with wings  
Preaching his word in the b. boy sing 
I am one with myself as I turn to the 
I prefer the dreams to reality  
I prefer my life don't need no other man's wife 
Don't need no crazy lifestyle with stress and strife  
But it's good to have turn to be a king for a day  
Or for a week or for a year or for a year in a day  
Come what may

I'm fishing with my boat and I'm fishing for trout  
Mix the bass ale with the guiness stout  
Fishing for a line inside my brain  
And looking out at the world through my window pane  
Every day has many colors 'cause the glass is stained  
Everything has changed but remains the same  
So once again the mirror raised and I see myself as clear as day 
And I am going to the limits of my ultimate destiny 
Feeling as though somebody were testing me  
He who sees the end from the beginning of time  
Looking forward through all the ages is, was and always shall be  
Check the prophetic sections of the pages

He goes by the name of disco dave

 ~"A Year & A Day - from B-Boys Bouillabaisse

The Beastie Boys press release

Adam Yauch | 1964-2012
It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam “MCA” Yauch, founding member of Beastie Boys and also of the Milarepa Foundation that produced the Tibetan Freedom Concert benefits, and film production and distribution company Oscilloscope Laboratories, passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Yauch taught himself to play bass in high school, forming a band for his 17th birthday party that would later become known the world over as Beastie Boys.
With fellow members Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Adrock” Horovitz, Beastie Boys would go on to sell over 40 million records, release four #1 albums–including the first hip hop album ever to top the Billboard 200, the band’s 1986 debut full length, Licensed To Ill–win three Grammys, and the MTV Video Vanguard Lifetime Achievement award. Last month Beastie Boys were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Diamond and Horovitz reading an acceptance speech on behalf of Yauch, who was unable to attend.
In addition to his hand in creating such historic Beastie Boys albums as Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and more, Yauch was a founder of the Milarepa Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and activism regarding the injustices perpetrated on native Tibetans by Chinese occupational government and military forces. In 1996, Milarepa produced the first Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, which was attended by 100,000 people, making it the biggest benefit concert on U.S. soil since 1985′s Live Aid. The Tibetan Freedom Concert series would continue to stage some of the most significant benefit shows in the world for nearly a decade following in New York City, Washington DC, Tokyo, Sydney, Amsterdam, Taipei and other cities.
In the wake of September 11, 2001, Milarepa organized New Yorkers Against Violence, a benefit headlined by Beastie Boys at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, with net proceeds disbursed to the New York Women’s Foundation Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Association for New Americans (NYANA) September 11th Fund for New Americans–each chosen for their efforts on behalf of 9/11 victims least likely to receive help from other sources.
Under the alias of Nathanial Hörnblowér, Yauch directed iconic Beastie Boys videos including “So Whatcha Want,” “Intergalactic,” “Body Movin” and “Ch-Check It Out.” Under his own name, Yauch directed last year’s Fight For Your Right Revisited, an extended video for “Make Some Noise” from Beastie Boys’ Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, starring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride and Seth Rogen as the 1986 Beastie Boys, making their way through a half hour of cameo-studded misadventures before squaring off against Jack Black, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as Beastie Boys of the future.
Yauch’s passion and talent for filmmaking led to his founding of Oscilloscope Laboratories, which in 2008 released his directorial film debut, the basketball documentary Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot and has since become a major force in independent video distribution, amassing a catalogue of such acclaimed titles as Kelly Reichardt’s Wendy and Lucy, Oren Moverman’s The Messenger, Banksy’s Exit Through The Gift Shop, Lance Bangs and Spike Jonze’s Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak, and many more.
Yauch is survived by his wife Dechen and his daughter Tenzin Losel, as well as his parents Frances and Noel Yauch.

"You Owe Me a Goat"

Yauch never failed to make us laugh. And his hijinks as Nathanial Hornblower always do the trick. In 2004, The New York Times gave his video for "Ch-Check It Out" a negative review, and Yauch let them know about it -- demanding that they send him a goat.

Read Hornblower's letter to the editor here. And don't miss his prediction that one day, the Times reviewer would be shouting of Hornblower "He is the chancellor of all the big ones!"

We're all shouting it today.

h/t Gawker

RIP Adam Yauch

I don't think a celebrity death has ever touched me as much as today's loss of one MCA, Adam Yauch.  Yauch and the Beastie Boys were a seminal part of my musical history.  I spent several summer listening to my green cassette of Paul's Boutique over and over, that I can still recite so may great lines.  As my writing partner in crime just said to me over the phone, "this is our Kennedy.  We won't forget where we were when this happened. "

I always wondered who the Mt. Rushmore of the Discordants would be.  We both agreed that the list starts with Adam Yauch.  From Nathaniel Hornblower, to Cookie Puss, to beards like a billy goat, we embraced all that our favorite b-boy spoke about.  From making out with Madonna, to singing about going gray, we ate up whet ever he was dishin'. 

I'm sure we will continue to post what we loved most about Yauch, show look at some clips and some of his greatest lines, but I just needed to say something at the moment.  RIP MCA - "That's right, my name is YAUCH!" ~ Sounds of Science.

Adam Yauch, 1964-2012

This is devastating news. Adam Yauch -- one of this blog's absolute favorite figures in music -- has died. We'll be paying tribute to Yauch by compiling his best lines from Beastie Boy songs and posting videos of his finest work, starting with the unforgettable moment he crashed the MTV Video Music Awards as his alter ego, Swiss filmmaker Nathaniel Hornblower, starting at about 2:40.

Song in My Head

There's a new movie out called "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen". It's an English film, starring the great Ewan McGregor, and it made me wonder why Brits use the definite article the ahead of countries like Yemen, Gambia, Sudan and Lebanon.

And that's when the Human League got in my head and stayed there. Ugh. Suffer with me (but enjoy Philip Oakey's mullet) -- here's "The Lebanon".

Rock you like a ...xylophone???

The xylophone is the cowbell's uncool cousin.  Much like the classic SNL skit "Cowbell" , there aren't too many songs that feature the xylophone.  I know one of my favorite current bands, Man Man uses it, but I have to go back to the new wave era with bands like ABC, OMD, and the like that feature it.  So I was wondering, what is the greatest xylophone rock song of all time?  I have pitted what I feel are the best two.  Take a pick.

1.  Violent Femmes - "Gone Daddy Gone."  This song features a xylophone solo.  A solo!

2.  The Rolling Stones - "Under My Thumb."  The song is carried by the xylophone melody.  Brian Jones, was the master of random instruments.