It's one more random than 10!
Man o’ man, I have been working for the weekend this week.
Speaking of which, last weekend The Lovely Becky’s parents were in town. We walked down to the lovely Marquette harbor to check out the Seafood Festival. The Festival was really just an excuse to pitch tents, fry whitefish, and drink beer. But the highlight was the band playing when we went down. They were the classic classic rock bar band, pounding through covers of songs that constantly pound out of stations called Rock 101.
They started playing Loverboy’s, “Turn Me Loose,” which I recognized in an embarrassingly short time. (I can name that guilty pleasure in two notes.) "Wow, bold choice to go with this over 'Working for the Weekend,'" I said to TLB. The band launched into Styx’s "Too Much Time on My Hands," which had the unexpected effect of making me pine for Tommy Shaw’s singing. But then what did I hear? The opening da-dada-dada-duh-duh-duh riff of "Working for the Weekend." Two Loveboy ditties in the space of three songs. I don’t even think Loverboy play their songs that frequently any more.
I also realized that Neko Case, who at one point was supposedly playing here this weekend, is not. However, who didn’t cancel? The lead singer of Warrant, conducting a solo tour/puppet show.
That's the music scene in da UP. Thank God for iPods...
1) “On the Bus Mall,” The Decemberists. The anti-Loverboy.
2) “Wish You Were Here,” Pink Floyd. One of the few Pink Floyd songs I really enjoy. Probably because it sounds like it was played by humans with beating hearts. A lot of their stuff is creative, but always feels a bit robotic to me. We understand how notes are put together to form music, but we can never understand this thing you call...soul. BOOP!
3) “Cicatriz ESP,” The Mars Volta. The return of the wank. It thrills me that the kids are digging guitar solos, time signature changes, and 10-minute songs again. There’s a little “space journey” at the end that’s begging for the Laserium treatment.
4) “Gospel,” The National. Like Spoon, another group that’s getting assloads of praise that they completely deserve. This is a delicate, melancholy closer from their latest album, Boxer. So good I have no jokes.
5) “Crawl,” Alkaline Trio. My favorite song that could be officially classified as emo. It wants to cry on someone’s shoulder and then punch it.
6) “If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day,” Robert Johnson. I think Satan added the extra “e” in Judgement when he gave Robert Johnson these songs in exchange for his soul. Terrible speller, the Devil.
7) “I’m Broken,” Pantera. It’s bad when you see Guitar Hero notes for songs that aren’t in Guitar Hero. I’m actually not a big fan of Pantera. Their music makes me think of piston lube and dirty fingernails.
8) “I’m Slowly Turning Into You,” The White Stripes. I dig the thump of Icky Thump. I’ll say this for Meg White: she plays to her strengths. She is the Oates to Jack White’s Hall, seemingly superfluous, yet completely essential.
9) “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” Def Leppard. Here's me bringin' on the ridicule: I love this song. Def Leppard always got lumped in with the hair metal bands, and they certainly had the split ends to join the club. But there really was a good rock band under those bangs.
10) “Ball and Chain,” Social Distortion. Jailhouse rock written by someone who has been in the jailhouse. When you've been shivved by life or beaten with a rolled-up bar of soap by love, this is the song to play.
11) “Love Reign O’er Me,” The Who. Luuuuvvvv! The triumphant closing of Quadrophenia, and a triumphant closing to any Friday 11.
I hope none of you have to labor too hard this Labor Day weekend.
11 comments:
Wow. That was too much like my random running play list today. Love Reign O'er Me is one of the best songs to run to - ever.
If you ever get a chance to see the Vh1 Behind the Music on Pantera, you should definitely watch it for the sheer drama of it all.
I totally agree with you on #2.
Two Loveboy ditties in the space of three songs. I don’t even think Loverboy play their songs that frequently any more.
LOL! In some ways, the world is getting better, isn't it?
I don't know why "Working for the Weekend" is such a robust ear-virus, but it is. I started humming it from the second line of your post.
What's worse, I can now see the video for the song, and I speak as someone who always avoided MTV like the plague. (Video killed the radio star, dontcha know.)
Re: #6 and #9: It's nice to know that I'm not the only person on the planet who likes both Robert Johnson and Def Leppard. Call the latter whatever you want (I usually say "power pop"), I never felt guilty about liking them. I guess part of this came from the band's reported refusal to ditch the lead singer when the record company wanted to put someone prettier in place. In any case, they wrote catchy songs.
I know that's on High 'n Dry, but I loved Pyromania, a critical album in my early development. I do not have any Def Leppard in my iTunes. It's time.
Also: If you like the proggy Mars Volta, I'm sure you've already got Coheed & Cambria. If not, knock me out or hit me one time or whatever the kids are saying and I'll "share" the "files" with you (wink).
true story: owning the tape of Def Leppard's Hysteria once won me 2nd place at an ultra-nerdy quiz contest. i don't even remember the question or answer but one of the clues was the cover of that album...
and amen on the national and spoon. just got into spoon a few days back, but i've been listening to the national on and off for about 2 years now. great stuff :)
Nice set. except for the Def Leppard, maybe. I agree that they were not a hair metal band, they were a pretty good pop-metal band. maybe in a different era I'd haver warmed up to them more. I liked Loverboy for about three weeks though. Go figure.
Mars Volta is good stuff though. I'm highly susceptible to the prog-wank.
ending with the who is a simple choice.
Per #6; He says "thenk q!"
You're right 'bout teh Leppard too, of course. :) I heard 'em on King Biscuit right as they'd released Pyromania and singer-dude said, it was their intent to be the most popular band in the world. Thanks god the amount of airplay they got helped me get feckin' sick of 'em, or I may not still have such an appreciation o' their stuff on those rare occasions that I hear it again.
Regardless of any o' that, their first two albums were Awesome (Dude!) relief post the Days of Disco.
Working for the Weekend is like Ebola: catchy and very deadly.
I think Def Leppard is like the UK Cheap Trick. They produced some terrific heavy pop songs and burned through all their good ideas in the space of about three albums.
Trevor, I am indeed hip to Coheed & Cambria. You have to love emo prog. Well, I have to love it.
Where'd my comment go?? :(
Did AG ban me over here? Or, was I half asleep and posted it under the wrong post?
I am not sure, Jennifer. There is no banning at CJSD. I have only ever deleted comments for spam and one guy who's avatar had full frontal male nudity. And that one was only out of jealousy.
I thought maybe the avatar didn't respect your boundaries. :)
My comment was not overwhelmingly brilliant and the world is not any worse off for the lack of it... I was merely asking where was the Foghat!?!? Does the UP revel in its Foghat as upper Wisconsin seems to?
You were totally banned, J-Lo. I love how every time someone is banned or a comment is deleted -- it was AG!!!
B-Unit, I'm no doctor, OK, Yes I AM!, but you have a serious gambling problem. Be sure to call that 888# on the bathroom stall door from one of the casinos in Vegas.
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