It's one more random than 10!
I got a couple rated tunes today. Maybe we’re on the way to shuffle détente.
1) “In the City,” The Jam. The first song I ever heard from them. They had me at the opening riff. I am a hopeless Anglophile.
2) “Asphyxiated Circle,” Guided by Voices. Even my favorite American band is one that goes out of its way to sound British. No one titles their songs like GbV. I could say they have a song called, “The Conspicuous Pecan Log of Mr. Wombat, Esq.,” and even GbV fans would have to stop and double-check the catalog.
3) “Summer Babe,” Pavement. Ten years from now, there will be a commercial with a guy in a flannel shirt going, “Hey, is that Slacker Rock? Well turn it up!” This will be the lead song. It gets megakudos for being about summer, which is nice considering it’s been 10 degrees Kelvin here all week.
4) “Polly,” Nirvana. This acoustic version fits the creepy, claustrophobic lyrics better, but I like the big rock version they would play live. I wish I hadn’t gotten that “Kurt Lives!” tattoo, though.
5) “Crosstown Traffic,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Has anyone playing in a band named after one guy (or gal) ever gone on to be more famous than that person? I can’t think of an instance. Take poor Mitch Mitchell, one of the great rock drummers who delivers an absolutely monster beat during the verses of this song. He’ll always be Jimi’s drummer because the band was named after Hendrix. If Nirvana had been Kurt Cobain and the Flannels, there’s no way Dave Grohl becomes huge later. Keep that in mind when joining a band.
6) “Hazey Jane I,” Nick Drake. Despite sounding so sad, Nick Drake always takes me to my happy place, full of sunny meadows and bubbling brooks and giant televisions with football and video games, with The Lovely Becky bringing me plate after plate of her insanely delicious cookies.
7) “T.N.T.,” AC/DC. Can I get an “Oi!”? How about 16 of them?
8) “It’s Only Natural,” Crowded House. This is from Woodface, the Official Album of the Brando-TLB College Years. It’s a good thing we had the CD because we would have worn a hole in the vinyl. One of our Super Bowl party guests this year was surprised to learn we were big Crowded House fans. We were like, “Dude, we built this city on Crowded House.” The city of us, that is.
9) “Hate to Say I Told You So,” The Hives. And the Grammy for Best Song That Tricks Us Into Buying an Otherwise Mediocre Album goes to...The Hives!
10) “Steamer Trunk,” Alkaline Trio. Yes, they’re emo. Yes, I have all their albums. Yes, I’m about 20 years older than their target audience. Let’s move on.
11) “14 Years,” Guns N Roses. It’s been 14 years of silence, it’s been 14 years of pain. It’s been 14 years that are gone forever and I’ll never have again. It is amazing that Axl wrote a song about the recording of Chinese Democracy before he started recording it.
10 comments:
Last year at this time, my daughter was super into Jimi Hendrix, and even after overplaying him as many times as only a thirteen year old will, I still love "Crosstown Traffic". I'm completely over "Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire" though - maybe because it's in Verizon commercial now.
I almost put "Summer Babe (Winter Version)" on Creekside's January Mix. This isn't a plug.
That's MY favorite Hives song that tricks me into trying to listen to the rest of their output!
AG, don't be using the P-fork hate speech here! Although I understand the GnR comment and don't blame you.
Churlita, that is cool. Much better to overplay Hendrix than, say, The Black Eyed Peas.
Trevor, The Hives would join The Breeders' Last Splash and The Walkmen's Bows and Arrows in that race. I've even come around a bit on the Arctic Monkeys.
Oi!
I don't have any Crowded House and I really think that's like not having any The Cars; not recommended.
Crosstown Traffic is a classic, but I lean more towards Voodoo Chile, eh. I found the groove on that riff and love riding it.
.. if you enjoy Nick Drake you may enjoy visiting this posting on my own blog entitled, "From the Morning"
http://electrochron.blogspot.com/
If you do call by be sure to leave a comment!
best regards
electrofried (mr)
Thought of a counterexample to your assertion in #5, although hardly one whose later career I admire.
Nonetheless, the original lead singer from the old Jeff Beck Group, featured on that group's best known single, "Ain't Superstitious," is arguably better known to the brain-dead listeners of soft rock radio than is Jeff Beck himself.
This singer? Rod Stewart.
"Brain-dead" was probably uncalled for. No reason for me to pass judgment on matters of taste.
Even if mine are superior.
"Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" is probably my favorite Hendrix tune. "Hey Joe" and "Manic Depression" are my other two faves.
Brendan, good call on Rod Stewart and The Jeff Beck Group. It is a shame that he went the maudlin route, because his early stuff was really terrific.
AG may be getting tickets for Fenway for Sting tomorrow!
Shayera will be jealous.
Bossy can't process this new list yet because she is still recovering from the last -- and the tune Bossy downloaded from that list that surprised her in her jogging headphones the other day: Lover's Spit.
You're probably right that it's about a blow job. Either that or drugs. Possibly religion. Or anyway isn't that always what us dull whiteys like to think.
Post a Comment