On the eve of Valentine’s Day, this is the Man in Black’s version of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” OK, not exactly, but both songs share the same melody and tackle the same subject matter. While Dylan sounds like he’s trying to be diplomatic despite his bitterness, Cash is having none of it. Dylan says “Fare thee well” … Cash says “F–k off!” If you’re a fan of the Dylan classic, “Understand Your Man” almost seems like some kind of redneck parody, even though it isn’t. I think it stands up well on its own and one of the best “I’m out of here” songs ever recorded.
One of Elvis Costello’s best and …. arguably … least-regarded songs is “Battered Old Bird” from the 1986 “Blood and Chocolate” album. It’s a song you never hear on the radio or even discussed that much. Graham Thompson dismissed the song in less than a sentence (calling it “dreary” and “disjointed”) in his Costello biography “Complicated Shadows.” I had pretty much forgotten about the song myself until I heard it again today and it knocked the wind out of me.
From what I’ve gathered “Battered Old Bird” is about the building where Costello grew up as a young boy and the various people who lived there. The song almost sounds like Costello’s version of the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” only much sadder and more despairing. The song starts off quiet and builds in intensity and emotion, with Costello’s voice getting louder and cracking at various moments.
Some particularly memorable lyrics:
“But on the first floor there are two old maids
Each one wishing that the other was afraid
And next door to them is a man so mild
‘Til he chopped off the head of a visitor’s child
He danced upon the bonfire
Swallowed sleeping pills like dreams
With a bottle of sweet sherry
That everything redeems”
And another:
“Here’s a boy if ever there was
Who’s going to do big things
Guess that’s what they all say
And that’s how the trouble begins
I’ve seen them rise and fall
Been through their big deals and smalls
He’d better have a dream that goes
Beyond four walls”
Again, this song crept up out of nowhere on my iPod today and nearly left me shattered by the end of it. An immensely powerful song that should be a standard, even though I’m kind of glad it isn’t.
The most notorious live album of all-time “Metallic K.O.” was recorded 40 years years ago today. As a selling point back in the day, it was said you could hear beer bottles smashing against guitar strings. By this point, Iggy and the Stooges had worn out all of their good will and were drowning in a sea of heroin, booze, and “not playing nicely with others.” They were openly hostile with audiences and baiting them to beat the crap out of them …which often happened. Here’s the most infamous track from that legendary album. And, most importantly, Iggy is still alive to celebrate this milestone.
If you listen to 80s stations, you’d think there were only 200 songs recorded during that decade. As much as I love “Come on Eileen,” “Tainted Love,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” or “Billie Jean,” I’m totally burned out on these handful of hits. Which I why when I listen to 80s stations nowadays, I tend to listen to the Top 40 countdowns for a particular week during some random year in that decade. Here is where you get to hear a lot of songs that were hits, but for whatever reason, are shut out of the very tight programming of such stations. Some of these rarely played songs are terrible … some of them are great. “This Little Girl” by Gary U.S. Bonds is one of the great ones.
Gary U.S. Bonds was a rocker from the early 1960s who had a lot of seminal hits back in the day (“New Orleans,” “Quarter to Three”) and then faded away until Bruce Springsteen and the E. Street Band resurrected Bonds in 1981 with a hit album (“Dedication”) and this gem that made it all the way to #11 on the Billboard charts that year.
I don’t know about you, but where I lived at the time (Tidewater, VA area), you could not escape this song that year. This song was EVERYWHERE and then after a year, I never heard it again … until I happened upon one of those Top 40 countdown shows that replayed the most popular songs for a particular week in 1981. A great, great song that should be in heavy rotation on these 80s stations, but sadly isn’t.
In honor of the current Winter Olympics in Sochi, here’s the band DVDA doing a version of “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” from “South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut.” I don’t know whether to bang my head, start a fight, dance a jig, or do all three.
If you don’t know what the term “DVDA” means, you’ll have to look this up on Wikipedia. I mean, you’ll go to hell if you do, but it’s there if you follow Sam Kinison’s attitude of “My view of life is, ‘If you’re going to miss Heaven, why miss it by two inches?'”
My all-time favorite song from Sweet. Yes, the clothes and makeup are f–king ridiculous. But the 1970s glitter rock era produced a lot of great music. If the visuals bother you, just listen to the music. This is crunchy hard rock with pop hooks, not that far removed from the Sex Pistols which came two years later. It’s music you can bang your head and sing along to.
Unquestionably, this is one of the most f–ked up songs ever recorded. It’s a “cover” of the Trashmen’s legendary trash-rock classic “Surfin’ Bird,” only Wade Curtiss substitutes lyrics about a cat. I have no idea what Curtiss was on when he recorded this. But trust me, it’s something I want to avoid like the ebola virus.
From the tribute compilation “Wig in a Box: Songs From & Inspired By Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” comes Jonathan Richman’s cover of “The Origin of Love” from “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” I like Richman’s more upbeat arrangement here, but his earnest vocals indicate an appreciation for the power and beauty of the lyrics.
One of the highlights from the legendary double-LP hardcore punk compilation put out by Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles label in 1982. Yes, this song embodies several cliches about punk … especially U.S. hardcore punk circa 1982 … but I would argue that’s what makes it so charming. The earnestness may make you giggle … or roll your eyes … but I don’t doubt the band’s sincerity, which makes this fascinating 30+ years on.
James Brown is the undisputed Godfather of Soul. However, Brown’s quieter ballads tend to get lost in the thunder of his hard-edged R&B and funk. This is a shame, because Brown has an incredible voice and his ballads are among the best ever recorded. “Try Me” is a beautiful song and conveys so much in just 2 minutes and 30 seconds. An amazing performance that was James Brown’s first hit single (it allegedly saved Brown from being dropped by his label).
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