I was watching a great documentary last night about pioneering radio station WLIR on Long Island -- they're the ones who broke plenty of New Wave and Alternative bands in the early 80s and paved the way for MTV and a whole new youth culture. Check it out on Showtime.
In any case, the documentary used the chorus of Killing Joke's "Eighties" to mark the changing decade and musical styles. When I went back to listen to "Eighties" in full, I noticed an eerie similarity, right from the off:
Yep. That opening guitar riff sounds a whole heckuva lot like this:
In fact, when Nirvana was trying to decide which song to release as the second single off of Nevermind, Kurt Cobain worried that the guitar riff from "Come As You Are" was too similar to "Eighties". As Nirvana biographer Everett True writes, the head of Nirvana's record label Danny Goldberg pushed for the more commercial sound of "Come As You Are" over runner-up "In Bloom".
After "Come As You Are" was released, members of Killing Joke recognized their riff. But they didn't file a lawsuit for copyright infringement. And there are conflicting reports about why: Rolling Stone reported they didn't sue because of "personal and financial reasons" but Kerrang! reported differently.
It didn't take long for the two sides to bury whatever hatchet they might have had. After Cobain's death in 1994, Dave Grohl and his band Foo Fighters recorded a cover of Killing Joke's song "Requiem" as the B-Side for their 1997 single "Everlong". And in 2003, Grohl took a break from Foo Fighters to record drums with Killing Joke.
And yet... both Killing Joke and Nirvana might have been borrowing that guitar riff from an earlier source -- Captain Sensible. Here's "Life Goes On" by the Damned.
The most recent Rolling Stone magazine came up with their 25 best live albums (in no particular order.) They did a decent job covering a pretty wide spectrum. Before looking, I tried to come up with my five favorite (not saying best) live records. I specifically took into account some that were major influences to my musical tastes, or that I still listen to live. Great records like "Live at the Fillmore," "Kiss - Alive!" "Live at the Apollo" or "Stop Making Sense" do not make the cut for these reasons. Feel free to post whatever you feel is deserving or was omitted.
Neil Young - Live Rust.
A favorite of mine. So many great songs. Much like many great live records (Cheap Trick's Live at Budakon, or Frampton Comes Alive comes to mind), the performance of these are better than their studio versions. CD's might not do this record justice, as it came out with side A being acoustic, and side B being electric. So many great performances. "Powderfinger," "Like a Hurricane," and even "Lotta Love," just make this record such a classic.
Grateful Dead - Live Europe '72
You cannot discuss live music without including the Dead. I know, with all the Dick's picks, and vast catalog of liver recordings, to go with this one makes me look like a poser. This record turned me on to so many great Dead songs. Dead worlds collided on this record as it was the last one with Pigpen, but also the first to feature the Godchauxs. A true classic.
Bruce Springsteen - Live '75-'85
This one is kind of a cheat, but I must include it. Christmas 1985 my parents bought me a cd player. I was the first kid I knew to have one. With it I received this box set. I wasn't a hug fan of Springsteen at the time, but my parents (my mom, who helped form my musical tastes) felt it was an essential set to have. I must have listened to it in its entirety and shuffled for a few years. I can still do Bruce's "rap" before the River" or "Growin' Up." Cannot say I play much off of it anymore, but boy, did they create a serious foundation for my musical tastes.
Nirvana - Unplugged
Never has an album, so stripped down, shown the true talents of a band like this "unplugged." Kurt Cobain was struggling with drug withdrawal and nervousness at the time, and things were very tense going into that performance. What made this special and different than all the other "unplugged" shows, Nirvana did these song sin one take, like a true live show. I love that Nirvana shied away from the "hits" and played 6 covers. The songs with the Meat Puppets really showed the talents of the group.
Not a true, live concert performance, but a live recording, none the less. The Stones put out various live recordings, but this 1968 Jagger-based concept is something most causal Stones fans have never seen. Based off of a circus theme, the Stones gathered up some strong acts such as the Who, Jethro Tull, and the Dirty Mac to perform. The performance was supposed to air on the BBC, but the Stones felt it was substandard and fought its release until 1996. Their performance of "Sympathy for the Devil" alone is worth this recording.
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