The stunning lead-off track of Lone Justice’s underrated and nearly forgotten 1985 self-titled debut. I would argue that lead singer Maria McKee got better as she got older, but damn if this early material from McKee doesn’t make the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
I’ll quote Greil Marcus on this one: “(Lead singer Ian) Hunter must have smiled when he saw the punks of the late seventies reach the audience he was sure had to be out there somewhere – smiled, and wondered if anyone remembered ‘I Wish I Was Your Mother,’ a shatteringly beautiful horror story that no punk has ever touched on record, though Sid Vicious may well have lived most of it out.”
Another gem of a song thrown away on a movie soundtrack. This was a minor hit around 1996, but is almost never played anywhere anymore. That’s Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsay Buckingham on background vocals.
Another gem I heard recently on Sirius’s Little Steven’s Underground Garage. Proof positive that terrific, heartfelt rock and roll is still alive and kicking!
Dave’s Strange World just had its 1,000th visitor. For all of those who have chosen to follow the blog, thrown up a like, or have just chosen to lurk, thank you for all of your support.
I wish I had a cool tune to express my gratitude, but I already posted Sam and Dave’s “I Thank You.” Zeppelin’s “Thank You” is a little too corny, so please enjoy the Frogmen doing their classic rockin’ surf tune “Underwater” which filmmaker John Waters put to good use in 1974’s “Female Trouble.”
Holy s–t! Stokes is well into his senior years, but he can kick the living crap out of any younger, heavier bands out there. True blues from the bowels of hell. I guarantee that this violent revenge song is one of the most intense tunes you’ll ever hear. Stagger Lee was a p—y. This has a lot of graphic and disturbing language and is not recommended for younger or more sensitive souls.
Arguably, Social Distortion’s best-known and most beloved song. I remember hearing it on a Walkman when I was walking to work one morning during the summer of 1990 and knew this song was an immediate classic. Mike Ness’s love for Johnny Cash is obvious here.
However, when I returned to college in the fall, I was chagrined to see how popular this song was for the wrong reasons. Don’t get me wrong. I was glad to see Social Distortion (one of the standout bands of the 1980s California hardcore punk scene) getting some hard-fought mainstream success and love from the masses. However, this harrowing song about addiction somehow got adopted as a drinking song for preppie frat boy idiots. Probably the same dolts that thought Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” was a patriotic song (except Bruce would have had to have known that simply having an anthemic song called “Born in the USA” with an album cover that has the American flag in the background during the height of Reganism would have picked up a lot of buyers who weren’t really listening to the lyrics … but I digress). Anyway, despite the bad taste of seeing jock dickheads, who would have beat the snot out of Mike Ness if they saw him on the street, singing his very personal song, this song is still a classic and still has power.
Metal parody may not be the most original of comedy genres, considering that Spinal Tap and GWAR cornered the market on it 20 years ago and director Penelope Spheeris demonstrated metal was kind of beyond parody with her classic documentary “The Decline of Western Civilization Part II.” However, here’s a couple of bands that are keeping the genre alive quite well.
The first clip from Steel Panther has been kicking around for a few years, which of course as a 40-something suburban Dad, has completely escaped my radar. However, this is really funny stuff, though quite profane, so not safe for work.
The second is from a DC area band called Rattler and is the best metal ballad parody I’ve ever heard. Like Steel Panther, this is hilarious, but not safe for work due to language and substance abuse.
Just heard this on Sirius Underground Garage and it reminded me of a mid-late 1960s Kinks, with a touch of the Monkees.
I don’t mean to influence any undecided voters in any way … but if you haven’t voted yet, this is a voice that needs to be heard before you make your decision.
Dave's Strange World 