An extremely cool hybrid of punk and soul. And what I mean by this is that it’s a soul song played with energy and some slicing electric guitar. But the spirit is pure early 1960s NYC cool. A great song to play while driving a convertible on a nice sunny day.
A terrific cover of the Crystals’ early 1960s classic “Little Boy” with the genders reversed. One of Mink DeVille’s finest.
Wow! New music by the Replacements, back together for a benefit EP for Replacements member Slim Dunlap who suffered a stroke last year and who will likely need round the clock care for the rest of his life, which his insurance doesn’t cover.
“I’m Not Sayin'” is a rockin’ cover of a terrific Gordon Lightfoot song, that was also covered by Nico in the 1960s (both versions were posted a while back on Dave’s Strange World). It’s nice to hear the Placemats back so strongly. And if you like what you hear, download the “Songs for Slim” EP from iTunes, Amazon, or from some other legitimate source. Proceeds are to help Slim. More details can be found below:
Easily one of the most despairing and devastating songs ever written, “Sail Away” is a song written from the perspective of a slave trader extolling the virtues of America to a group of Africans back in the 1800s to lure them aboard ships. As much as the lyrics present America as a land of endless fun and opportunity, the sad, plaintive piano arrangement speaks otherwise. One of Randy Newman’s best songs, “Sail Away” proves that satire doesn’t always have to be “funny” to be effective. It can sometimes make you shiver with fear and sadness.
Damn, this live version of “Once in a Lifetime” is so iconic of the first half of the 1980s. This played on MTV and USA’s “Night Flight” relentlessly for a 9-month period between 1984 and 1985. As much as I loved this, I got really, really sick of it at the time. But distance does make the heart grow fonder. And seeing it for the first time in several years makes me appreciate what a great job not only the Talking Heads did here, but what Jonathan Demme did with making the amazing concert film “Stop Making Sense” in 1984. Demme’s had some setbacks since his Oscar win for “The Silence of the Lambs,” but as “Rachel Getting Married” proved, don’t ever count Demme out. The man has made some great, great films.
I remember seeing this at least 4-5 times as a midnight movie at the Naro Theater in Norfolk, Virginia back in the 1980s. The theater was always packed and they always had to stop the movie at least 4-5 times due to multiple people dancing in front of the screen. Yes, there were THAT many people dancing in front of the screen that they literally had to stop the movie until people sat down … multiple times.
A stunning acoustic number by Graham Parker about hustling success in Hollywood … amidst a downward spiral of decreasing prospects with an unhealthy dose of boozing and drugs. Key line: “Things will get better soon … I’ve got a hunch.” From the 1989 album “Live! Alone in America.”
One could see this song as a decent Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music ripoff. However, it’s not quite a ripoff, despite the strong resemblance. “It’s My Life” is a great song and a terrific staple of 80s and New Wave stations. It’s my lack of taste over the years that failed to appreciate this track until recently.
My favorite extended Coltrane track. I remember hearing this one afternoon on a jazz station in Alabama one balmy Saturday afternoon and was completely floored. Unfortunately, you’ll need to listen to this in two parts, since no one has posted the entire 18-minute plus piece in its entirety. But this is what you get for “free”. If you love it, download the track and/or album.
One of my favorite new bands are the slammin’ but melodic punk / surf rock band the Hawaii Mud Bombers. “Sundelite” is one of my favorites and I encourage you to check them out immediately.
More Shangri-Las and doo-wop influenced hardcore punk from the Misfits. This sounds like a combination made in hell, but the Misfits made some of the most melodic and harmony-filled hardcore punk ever recorded. “Hatebreeders” is my favorite track off their classic 1982 album “Walk Among Us.”
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