From the 2004 album “Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?”, here’s the anti-LA song “California Songs”. Local H is from Illinois, but I swear based on the sentiment, they’ve lived in Washington or Oregon. Key lyrics: “Yeah, we know you love L.A … There’s nothing left to say … Please no more California Songs … And F–K New York, too!” Sorry to all my friends in the Empire and Golden states, but this is damn funny.
From New Zealand, here’s the Datsuns’ “MF From Hell” from their self-titled 2002 album … which went all the way to #1 in their homeland. I like Crowded House and Split Enz, but I love the nasty, aggro Datsuns. They remind me of the completely cool and disreputable gunk-punk auteurs Candy Snatchers from my old stomping grounds of Tidewater, Virginia. Except I’m getting whiplash from banging from head. As you can imagine, the title is not safe for work or little ones … because the Datsuns don’t abbreivate when they sing.
From 1970’s “Let it Be” album, this is another awesome Beatles song you don’t hear that much of because it’s not one of the 30 or so Beatles songs that’s played, with little variation, on most classic rock or oldies stations. At some point, I’ve been meaning to make an iTunes mix for myself of all the Beatles songs that you never hear on the radio. Why haven’t I done it? See my last entry…
This about sums it up these days … Fortunately, I’ve got good company on this one. From the Beatles “White Album” from 1968.
Battling it out are Tom Waits and the Ramones, doing separate versions of Waits’ “I Don’t Want to Grow Up.” First up is Waits’ folk-from-hell original single from his classic 1992 album “Bone Machine.” After that, you can watch the Ramones do their own take, which achieved greater commercial success in 1996 (from their last studio album “Adios Amigos”). I don’t know folks … they’re both pretty great.
Tom Waits:
The Ramones:
A fine rocker from 1980s “The River” that isn’t played that much these days. I had almost forgotten about it until I heard it the other day on Sirius Underground Garage. And thankfully, no glockenspiels on this one.
Time to wake up! This is the lead-off track from Lard’s “The Last Temptation of Reid” album from 1990 and was later featured in the prison riot scene in Oliver Stone’s 1994 “Natural Born Killers” (though, you’ll hear more of it in the director’s cut which features a longer, more violent version of the prison riot among other scenes). Lard was a collaborative side project consisting of Al Jourgensen of Ministry and Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys … as well as others, including other members of Ministry.
Here’s David Johansen’s famous Animals medley from the stellar 1982 live album “Live it Up.” This is a medley of the Animals’ “We’ve Gotta Get Out of this Place,” “Don’t Bring Me Down,” and “It’s My Life” and Johansen and his band pulls it off damn well.
Trivia note: I remember going to a (now-defunct) used record store in Norfolk, VA in 1989 and discussing the New York Dolls with a clerk or the owner (I can’t remember). The guy admitted a disdain for Johansen because of this Animals medley, because allegedly, his band did an Animals medley before Johansen did it, Johansen saw his band perform it when his band opened for Johansen, and then Johansen did the same thing and gained notoriety for it. OK, maybe this guy at the record store deserves a cheeseburger for Johansen’s alleged steal … but even then I thought, really? Your entire reason for “not making it” was because Johansen stole some idea of doing a medley of covers of some other band from you? Sweet lord, that’s THEE most single pathetic celebrity grudge I’ve ever witnessed. Johansen, God bless you for turning a medley of covers into a minor hit. Even if you allegedly stole the “original” idea of doing covers from another band.
Now THIS is a power ballad, folks! If the drum and bass sound don’t blow your speakers, the ear-shredding Pixies-like guitar freakout during the latter part of the song certainly will. Yet … it’s still a ballad. Scott Lucas has one of the best gravelly “I’ve seen hell” rock voices, ranking up there with Paul Westerberg and Kurt Cobain. From the immensely awesome 2004 album “Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles?” The accompanying video is practically a black screen, but this song doesn’t need any visuals.
Another legendary song from Tom Waits’ essential 1976 album “Small Change.”
Memorably used over the opening credits of Nicolas Roeg’s 1980 bad date-film classic “Bad Timing: A Sensual Obsession,” one of the most graphic and despairing looks at a toxic relationship ever put on film. Trust me when I say “Bad Timing” makes “Fatal Attraction” look like “When Harry Met Sally.” An executive for Rank Films, the UK studio that financed “Bad Timing,” called the film “a sick film made by sick people for sick people.” And it’s available to watch on Netlifx Instant to view with your honey … that is, if you and your honey are mentally unstable and/or are pill / booze addicts. Thanks champagne!
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