I already posted a stellar live acoustic version of this song on Dave’s Strange World. Here’s the awesome original from the 1967 album “Goodbye and Hello.” That unearthly emotional voice, which sounds like he’s seen something unspeakably horrific, always puts a chill up my spine.
A very primitive, but charming punk music video for Black Flag’s “TV Party”. Yes, that’s Henry Rollins on vocals … and in the video with the short black hair … I think.
More highlights from New Wave Theater, this is the band Killer Pussy with their song “Pocket Pool.” You may not believe this, but their most famous song is called “Teenage Enema Nurses in Bondage” … which was actually a hit on LA’s KROQ-FM back in the early 1980s.
I discussed watching this seminal punk cable TV show in a previous Dave’s Strange World entry … along with the impact of seeing the Dead Kennedys doing “Holiday in Cambodia” on the show had on me personally. If you haven’t read it, you can catch it at the link below. You will not only see the performance, but the post goes into more detail about the show and host Peter Ivers:
“Holiday in Cambodia” – Dead Kennedys (from “New Wave Theatre”)
However, since then, someone generously uploaded an entire episode of “New Wave Theater” broadcast sometime in the first half of 1984 from the legendary late-night USA cable network show “Night Flight.” This was broadcast right after host Peter Ivers’ untimely murder. For better or worse, commercials from the day were not edited out, so you can reminisce … or drag your mouse along the bottom of the visual to fast forward. To get the proper perspective of this, imagine watching this at 1:30 am, a little sleep deprived. To say it was mind-blowing back in the day is coming up short.
This acid-rock cover of “House of the Rising Sun” reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Pop Charts in 1970 and sold over a million copies … and then went into oblivion. Why this hasn’t been resurrected in some indie crime film is the hipster God’s private mystery … Immensely cool s–t!
AKA “California Uber Alles Part Deux” … Only this time focusing on Ronald Reagan, instead of Jerry Brown. This is some really cool studio footage of the Dead Kennedys performing this classic from “In God We Trust, Inc.” 30+ years on, it’s easy to forget what an authentically provocative and dangerous band the Dead Kennedys were back in the day. But this brings it all back in spades.
One of my favorite Tom Waits songs. The imagery evoked in this song is vivid and amazing. From Waits’s 1985 classic album “Rain Dogs.”
FYI, Tori Amos recorded a very nice cover in 2001 for her “Strange Little Girls” album, which I posted about here:
F–k yeah! From Norway, here’s a sublimely perfect mix of power pop melodies / harmonies and layers and layers of thick, crunchy guitars. I just heard these guys today and I’m giving them a major thumbs up. If you love Matthew Sweet, but thought he could have used more guitars and louder drums, this is right up your alley. From their album “Whatever Rhymes With Baby.”
One of my favorite tracks from the famous “Beserkley Chartbusters” compilation album from the mid-1970s is this very cool, rockin’ cover of Jonathan King’s “Tall Order for a Short Guy.”
The band Earth Quake had been around since the mid-1960s, recorded two albums for A&M Records, and then later joined the fledgling independent label Beserkley in the early 1970s, where they achieved greater success. While Beserkley is better known as the home of Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, the label was formed by Earth Quake’s manager Matthew King Kaufman, when Kaufman received compensation when Earth Quake’s music was used against their knowledge or permission in Sam Peckinpah’s “The Getaway.”)
One of the earliest and best examples of what later became known as power pop in the late 1970s.
Yet again, I’m catching up on a great song long after its shelf date. Hipsters may see this as sad. I, on the other hand, am always ecstatic to find an awesome song, no matter the age. This time, it’s only 5 years years old … and it’s from an old favorite. I heard this amazing, lo-fi, rockin’ song from the Pretenders the other night on Sirius Underground Garage and it sounds tailor-made for that station. This is “Boots of Chinese Plastic,” released in 2008, from their album “Break Up the Concrete.” Chrissie Hynde was 57 when this came out. The lady can still kick ass!
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