My life continued on pretty much the same in 1994. We lived on Maitland St. and enjoyed living downtown with its easy access to the park and bars. Martina could walk to work and, before we got Aspen, she used to take Arden with her, where she would climb up on the peat moss bags and greet customers. Gord was also working part-time at Jenkins with her, where much of his time was spent killing the thousands of mice that inhabited the place. When Jenkins closed down, around 1998, it was turned into a swanky French restaurant, the name of which I can't remember, but Gord would always shudder when we went past the place and saw people eating $40 a plate dinners in the exact spot where he used to clean up mouse crap off the floor. Steve was now married to Lynne and living in North York, so we didn't see too much of each other, but we would get together whenever he came to London. Dave was a constant and welcome presence at our place, usually along with another buddy from Loeb, Chris Watt. In fact, Chris lived with us for a couple of months when his girlfriend gave him the boot, but he eventually moved in with a couple of other guys from work. Dave and Chris made a pilgrimage to New Orleans that year as well, and had a great time and regaled us with stories of their adventures, all the while listening to mixtapes I had created just for their trip, in order that I would be with them in spirit at least. Here's the list, which features many of the songs they were grooving to in the Big Easy:
10. Longview - Green Day
I am reminded of my buddy Mark Peesker whenever I hear the distinctive bass line that dominates this song. He once borrowed my bass and learned this riff. One day, the phone rang, and when I answered, I heard a perfect note for note rendition of this on the other end. He didn't even say hello, just burst into this song and I knew right away who it was. Taken from their album Dookie, which catapulted them to the top of the charts, it is the bass guitar of Mike Dirnt that surely drives this tune. But, it really kicks into gear when the soaring, savage guitars kick in on the chorus. For a song that is an ode to boredom, smoking pot and jerking off, it sure has a lively jump to it. Billie Joe Armstrong has just the right amount of punky sneer on the vocal as well, making this song part of our soundtrack that summer. It is still my fave song by them by miles, and it is one of those tunes that I never thought Martina would like, but she actually loves it. "Bite my lip and close my eyes, take me away to paradise. I'm so damn bored, I'm goin' blind and I smell like shit." Sounds nothing like my teenage years......
9. Say It Ain't So - Weezer
Here's another band that I was never a big fan of, but really liked a few of their tunes. This song would be at the top of my list where they are concerned. I love the quiet-loud dynamic here. They do a brilliant job of making the chorus explode, led in as it is with the squeal of feedback and then the crunch of those power chords. Singer Rivers Cuomo became an instant cult hero at this time, especially after the Happy Days-inspired video for the song Buddy Holly was played 40 times a day on Much Music. I love his inflection on this song. He makes it sound very personal and convinces the listener that he is living what he is singing about, which seems to be a diatribe about his Dad's drinking problem. The melody is catchy as hell too, so one listen guarantees an day long earworm. "Say it ain't so, your drug is a heartbreaker. Say it ain't so, my love is a lifetaker." Take my life, please.....
8. Cigarettes And Alcohol - Oasis
Oasis were a band that I adored for 2 albums. Then, they seemed to run out of ideas and become a self-parody, but the first time I heard this song, I was quite excited. I loved the Gallagher's dirty sound, Liam's snotty laissez-faire singing, and Noel's obvious gift for hooky melodies and guitar parts. They had that Faces swagger and the screw-you attitude of the early punks. The guitars growl here, lurching the song forward, while the rhythm section lays down a bluesy, slow groove underneath the maelstrom. The subject matter is once again bored youth looking for something other than the daily vices of the title, nothing earth-shattering, but they pull it off so well. "I was looking for some action, but all I found was cigarettes and alcohol." Sounds like a good t-shirt slogan....
7. Cornflake Girl - Tori Amos
I used to think Tori sounded a lot like Kate Bush. I don't hear that as much now, but when she launches into the chorus of "You bet your life it is", I can see where I might have got the idea. Her piano playing is as much of a draw here as her singing. The piano parts are brilliant, plinking and plonking their way into the listener's subconscious. Again, I've never been a huge fan, but this song is just so well crafted and interesting that it cannot be denied. Her backing band is full of studio pros who lay it down with an efficiency that allows Tori to do her thing and stand out. This song comes from her 2nd album, and biggest seller, Under The Pink. "Never was a cornflake girl, thought that was a good solution, hanging with the raisin girls." While I love the sentiment of the lyric, I despise raisins...
6. Feel The Pain - Dinosaur Jr.
At the risk of repeating myself, I must confess that I never really took to these guys until this record, their 7th album titled Without A Sound. What a fantastic album! Most of the time, when I like a band, I have everything they ever recorded. But, with Dino Jr., it only happened once. The rest of their output just doesn't cut it like this one. Feel The Pain is the first song on the record and is a great opener. The sound of a cork being pulled from a bottle ushers in a great guitar line and crunchy drums, with a perfectly syncopated bass line, then J. Mascis' weak but fitting vocals on top. Mascis is considered to be a guitar genius and he sure proves that on this song. But, the real highlight of this song (and album) for me is his drumming. He had fired his drummer just before making this record and decided to tackle the skins himself. The result is a true revelation as he is quite a good drummer, all rapid-fire rolls and big, thwacking snare parts. Anyone remember the video, with him and another guy playing golf from the tops of skyscrapers in Manhattan? "I feel the pain of everyone, then I feel nothing." Jean-Paul Sartre would be proud....
5. Crush With Eyeliner - R.E.M.
From their 9th album, Monster, this was R.E.M.'s big loud guitar record. Gone were the jangly sounds of their earlier work, replaced by distortion and reverb, which was helped along by the guest appearance of Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore on this track. Michael Stipe sings this song with an affected, artsy half-talk, tongue firmly planted in his cheek. The groove is quite sexy and dirty, especially for a band like them. The lyrics are fantastic, full of allusions and metaphors, with full marks to Stipe just for the use of the word "smitten" alone. "I know you, I know you've seen her. She's a sad tomato, she's three miles of bad road." Just drive she said....
4. People Of The Sky - Sloan
This song is taken from their great 2nd album, Twice Removed, which has been voted in one poll I saw as the best Canadian album of all-time. I don't know if that is my feeling, but this song is truly one of their best. I love the way it starts out all low-fi with the slight acoustic guitar, before breaking into full Power Pop flower. It is sung by drummer Andrew Scott and was always one of my fave parts of their live show as the band members would trade instruments and Scott would come out front to sing and play guitar. Speaking of guitars, they jangle brightly on this track and the "ba-ba-ba-da-ba" backing vocals will have you singing along like a champ. "But she's there for the two with her bias undone." I never go anywhere with my bias undone....
3. Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots
Their debut album was a smash success in the Grunge boom, but it paled in comparison to their 2nd record, Purple, in my books. This song is from Purple and is one of many great tunes on that record. But, this is the standout for sure. Scott Weiland sings the words with an understatement that went missing by a lot of the Grunge bands. The guitars ring out with purpose and the bass bubbles along, but it is the solid, if unspectacular, drumming of Eric Kretz that holds it all together. He must have loved laying this one down, as it features a huge snare, lots of ride cymbal, and tons of great rolls and breaks. I certainly always love to play along with it! "Waiting on a Sunday afternoon for what I read between the lines" Words, between the lines of age....
2. Corduroy - Pearl Jam
From their 3rd, and most original, album, Vitalogy, this song has really stood the test of time. I love the way the bass noodles around at the start before the guitars just come charging in on that memorable riff. Eddie Vedder is at his best here too, sounding angry as hell and spitting out the words with a vitriol that sounds close to the bone. Bassist Jeff Ament plays maybe his finest bass part as well, providing a solid bottom and then almost soloing high up on the neck of his bass. This song is a true epic for me, usually sending me bouncing around the room and singing along with Vedder like a middle-aged lunatic. "I'll take the varmint's path, oh and I must refuse your test, push me and I will resist." Hey Mickey, get this in your head at work...it's empowering as hell....
1. This Is A Low - Blur
Back in '94, if someone asked me who the best Brit-Pop band was, I would have said Oasis. I was wrong because Blur were truly the best of the bunch. Their songs are indeed timeless, sounding as good today as the day they were released. This tune is probably my favourite of theirs, a swirling tour de force from their 3rd album, Parklife. It was never a single, but remains perhaps their most popular song amongst fans. Damon Albarn puts in such a moving, brilliant vocal, full of feeling and life. Graham Coxon's guitar is great throughout, but really kicks in on the solo and is one of his finest moments in my opinion. The lyrics reference many places in England, keeping with the band's Brit-centricness at the time. Just a gorgeous tune, no matter how you slice it! "On the Malin Head, Blackpool looks blue and red, and the Queen, she's gone 'round the bend, jumped off Land's End." Take me back to dear old Blighty.....
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Listomania! - 1993
I turned 33 in November of '93 and my big line was that I was now as old as Jesus. I grew a full goatee and moustache combo and my hair was quite long, so I even looked the part. I never quite mastered the healing of lepers and walking on water part though. I came home from work one day to find our apartment was flooded. It was not just regular water though. It was a burst sewage pipe that left me ankle deep in other people's crap - literally. Poor Arden was up on the couch looking very perturbed and scared. When I went to the superintendent to complain, they basically shrugged their shoulders and did nothing. We also lost a month's rental deposit because we didn't give 2 month's notice. They actually expected us to keep living in that shit-infested apartment! Martina and I decided it was time to move, so we went looking for a new place. We found the upper floor of an old house on Maitland St. in downtown London in record time and moved within about a week. It was fun living there, but the place was quite tiny and the biggest problem was the infestation of mice. We put traps under the kitchen sink and our TV watching would be frequently interrupted by the snap of the traps. But, we decided mice were better than poop all over everything. During this time, we added another dachshund to the gang, Arden's half-sister, Aspen. She was a very cute and happy pup, who tormented her sister constantly and bullied her with great relish. We made the acquaintance of our next-door neighbour, Sarah, who was a 19 year-old who would lie out in the back yard in her bikini. Gord was 15 at the time and he really liked having her as a neighbour. One of his favourite activities that summer was to sit by the window and ogle her as she tanned. Personally, I never once looked at her.....We would often barbecue with Sarah and her boyfriend Jeff and we would have the tunes cranked up while we ate and drank and made merry. Here are some of the songs we were listening to back then:
10. Locked In The Trunk Of A Car - The Tragically Hip
This song comes from their fourth album, Fully Completely, which most people would consider their best record. I like it a lot, but their next one, Day For Night, is my personal fave. This tune has a brilliant groove that the band kicks into and rides right through the song. They were one of the best at that as they had a way of settling in and rocking in such a cohesive way. The guitars ring out with such a great riff, laying a solid foundation for singer Gord Downie, who once again is the master here. He sings a creepy set of lyrics about a serial killer, building the tension and urgency like a true pro. When he goes up an octave and then starts screaming "Let me out", the mental picture is complete. This is an undeniable Canadian classic. "Then I found a place it's dark and it's rotted. It's a cool, sweet kinda place where the copters won't spot it. And I destroyed the map, I even thought I forgot it. However, everyday I'm dumping the body." Grab a Canadian and pump your fist.....
9. For Tomorrow - Blur
On their debut album, Blur were more aligned with The Stone Roses and that ilk as far as their sound was concerned. For the 2nd record, Modern Life Is Rubbish, they took a left turn into traditional British pop music. They had really disliked their first trip to America and singer/lyricist Damon Albarn retreated back 'ome and came up with a record that put their influences out there for all to see. This song is a Kinks-style romp with a singalong chorus that must have made Ray Davies proud. It is so whimsical in melody, but the lyrics comment on the difficulties of day-to-day life in London. The orchestration is great too, providing a lush background for all the "la-las." Albarn's rant at the end makes areas like Primrose Hill come alive for the listener. "She's a twentieth century girl, hanging on for dear life. So we hold each other tightly and hold on for tomorrow." Jolly good!
8. Sunflower - Paul Weller
Weller put away the Curtis Mayfield records and pulled out some old Traffic records, and the product of that is his 2nd solo record, Wild Wood. This is very guitar-oriented, still soulful, but much more folk and rock influenced than his 1st album. This is built around a stinging, groovy guitar part, which is augmented by long-time drummer Steve White's brilliant work on the ride cymbal and floor toms. Just to make sure the Traffic-ness is pounded home, Weller even employs a flute solo here, which was a favourite ploy of Traffic in their late 60's-early '70s heyday. This album helped influence the next wave of British bands during the Brit-Pop revolution of the next few years. "Along winding streets we walked hand in hand, and how I long for that sharp wind to take my breath away again." Nothing better than a sharp wind, right Mickey?
7. Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins
Siamese Dream is probably the album that I listened to the most in 1993. I was enamoured with the sound that they got from their guitars. They must have had a stack of pedals at their disposal, and they used every last one of them. On this song, the guitars buzz like a swarm of bees, they roar, they grind, and I still can't believe what a wonderful sound they make. Jimmy Chamberlain is his usual nimble self on the drums, and Billy Corgan's voice can be grating, but this is all about the guitars. The solo is so killer, twisting and screeching its way into your consciousness, making you useless to resist its power. This was the record that turned Gord from a backward-pant-wearing rapper wannabee into an alt-rocking, hair-dyeing maniac. "Freak out and give in, doesn't matter what you believe in." Sign me up!
6. Jimmy's Fantasy - Red Kross
I never really knew much about this band, other than they were from L.A. and they had a fetish for '70s TV shows and sounds. This is one of the catchiest songs you will ever hear. The riff is bludgeoning and heavy, yet the song is about as perfect a slice of Power Pop as you will ever find. One listen leads to another, until it is burned into your head. It is futile to deny the greatness of the melody, and you will be singing it for days on end. The album was called Phaseshifter, but, again, I know next to nothing about it. I recall hearing it once or twice, but this song is so brilliant that it renders anything else they ever did moot. I see platform shoes and long hair and Kiss t-shirts when I hear this. For some of you, that may not be a good thing, but for me, it feels like home. "Howlin' Wolf will never understand Doty Crips, the Bloods or Zeppelin." I get Zeppelin, but I'm with Mr. Wolf on the others....
5. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
From their 2nd album, So Tonight That I Might See, this is another slow, psychedelic charmer from Hope Sandoval and company. The slide guitar is fantastic, colouring the song in shades of blue and adding to the feeling of sadness and resignation that comes across in the lyrics and delivery of Ms. Sandoval. She sings in an almost disengaged way, like she's throwing off the vocal in between filing her nails. It makes one think of a smoke-filled basement club, much in the same way that Billie Holiday's best ballads did. This is folk and country with a side of the blues and one of their finest tunes. Taylor and Martina will be very happy to see this song on the list. "Some kind of night into your darkness colours your eyes with what's not there." Black is the colour....
4. Jimmy Still Comes Around - The Loud Family
This is from the first album by former Game Theory frontman Scott Miller's next band. It is their best album, in my opinion, probably because it sounds the most like a Game Theory record. Produced again by longtime cohort Mitch Easter, it has all the usual touchstones of their albums - great melodies, jangly guitars, humour and tongue-in-cheek paranoia. This song about a wannabee mover and shaker is loaded with hooks and you will find yourself tapping a toe along to the beat. This was the last great song Miller ever wrote, but what a way to go out! "Jimmy makes a big deal of the deep things he feels. Imagine his shock when he learns it isn't real." We all know at least 1 Jimmy.....
3. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town - Pearl Jam
For a song that clocks in at just over 3 minutes, it sure has an 8 minute title. This is my favourite Pearl Jam tune. It evokes a feeling of sentimentality in me like few songs can, not for the time it was out necessarily, but for the fact that it causes me to reflect on my life each time I hear it. Cope and I used to play this at our jam sessions back in the day. He didn't know all the words, so I was chosen to warble away while he played his guitar along. This was one of the tunes we used to sing during our lunch breaks at Loeb, making it even harder to be motivated to go back into the freezer and pick orders. Eddie Vedder really hits home here and his voice is so perfectly suited to this song, it may be his finest moment. "I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate, perhaps that's what no one wants to see." I was born in a small town....
2. Sister Havana - Urge Overkill
From their breakthrough 4th record, Saturation, these guys may have put down on record one of the dirtiest and finest guitar riffs of all time. I love the way the song comes in with a ringing sound and then the guitars come roaring in, accented by the tom-toms, and then we're away to the races. This song is feverish and scorching, riding that guitar hard, kicking ass and taking names. It has a brilliant melody, a chunky, big sound, and such an amazing energy to it that I still tend to crash about the room when I hear it. Nash Kato belts out the vocal like a true blue stadium rocker and I'm inclined to join him and break eardrums for miles around. "Everyday just like a vacation with you, when I'm watchin' you and Fidel Castro in the sand, kissin'!" Viva la revolucion!
1. Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
I know I bang on endlessly about guitars on this blog, but this song might just take the cake. Producer Rick Rubin somehow got it so right! You must put on headphones and turn this up! The dual-channel guitars of Petty and the outstanding Mike Campbell are freaking amazing. forget the leads, which are cooking, but the rhythm lines are blinding! Then, add in Petty sounding so American, sounding so cool, and you've got the best song he ever recorded. There's harmonica, bass, drums - all so perfect! The sound is massive and I never tire of it. While I was writing about it, I played it 6 times in a row and it would have been 7 but for Howie whining and wanting to go for a walk. There are few songs that sound as great as this does! I must mention the ultra-creepy video that accompanied this as well, starring the luscious Kim Basinger as a good-looking corpse and Petty as the creepy dude. "Oh my my, oh hell yes, you got to put on that party dress. It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone, I hit my last number, I walked to the road." It's my party and I'll cry if it..... warms up?
10. Locked In The Trunk Of A Car - The Tragically Hip
This song comes from their fourth album, Fully Completely, which most people would consider their best record. I like it a lot, but their next one, Day For Night, is my personal fave. This tune has a brilliant groove that the band kicks into and rides right through the song. They were one of the best at that as they had a way of settling in and rocking in such a cohesive way. The guitars ring out with such a great riff, laying a solid foundation for singer Gord Downie, who once again is the master here. He sings a creepy set of lyrics about a serial killer, building the tension and urgency like a true pro. When he goes up an octave and then starts screaming "Let me out", the mental picture is complete. This is an undeniable Canadian classic. "Then I found a place it's dark and it's rotted. It's a cool, sweet kinda place where the copters won't spot it. And I destroyed the map, I even thought I forgot it. However, everyday I'm dumping the body." Grab a Canadian and pump your fist.....
9. For Tomorrow - Blur
On their debut album, Blur were more aligned with The Stone Roses and that ilk as far as their sound was concerned. For the 2nd record, Modern Life Is Rubbish, they took a left turn into traditional British pop music. They had really disliked their first trip to America and singer/lyricist Damon Albarn retreated back 'ome and came up with a record that put their influences out there for all to see. This song is a Kinks-style romp with a singalong chorus that must have made Ray Davies proud. It is so whimsical in melody, but the lyrics comment on the difficulties of day-to-day life in London. The orchestration is great too, providing a lush background for all the "la-las." Albarn's rant at the end makes areas like Primrose Hill come alive for the listener. "She's a twentieth century girl, hanging on for dear life. So we hold each other tightly and hold on for tomorrow." Jolly good!
8. Sunflower - Paul Weller
Weller put away the Curtis Mayfield records and pulled out some old Traffic records, and the product of that is his 2nd solo record, Wild Wood. This is very guitar-oriented, still soulful, but much more folk and rock influenced than his 1st album. This is built around a stinging, groovy guitar part, which is augmented by long-time drummer Steve White's brilliant work on the ride cymbal and floor toms. Just to make sure the Traffic-ness is pounded home, Weller even employs a flute solo here, which was a favourite ploy of Traffic in their late 60's-early '70s heyday. This album helped influence the next wave of British bands during the Brit-Pop revolution of the next few years. "Along winding streets we walked hand in hand, and how I long for that sharp wind to take my breath away again." Nothing better than a sharp wind, right Mickey?
7. Cherub Rock - Smashing Pumpkins
Siamese Dream is probably the album that I listened to the most in 1993. I was enamoured with the sound that they got from their guitars. They must have had a stack of pedals at their disposal, and they used every last one of them. On this song, the guitars buzz like a swarm of bees, they roar, they grind, and I still can't believe what a wonderful sound they make. Jimmy Chamberlain is his usual nimble self on the drums, and Billy Corgan's voice can be grating, but this is all about the guitars. The solo is so killer, twisting and screeching its way into your consciousness, making you useless to resist its power. This was the record that turned Gord from a backward-pant-wearing rapper wannabee into an alt-rocking, hair-dyeing maniac. "Freak out and give in, doesn't matter what you believe in." Sign me up!
6. Jimmy's Fantasy - Red Kross
I never really knew much about this band, other than they were from L.A. and they had a fetish for '70s TV shows and sounds. This is one of the catchiest songs you will ever hear. The riff is bludgeoning and heavy, yet the song is about as perfect a slice of Power Pop as you will ever find. One listen leads to another, until it is burned into your head. It is futile to deny the greatness of the melody, and you will be singing it for days on end. The album was called Phaseshifter, but, again, I know next to nothing about it. I recall hearing it once or twice, but this song is so brilliant that it renders anything else they ever did moot. I see platform shoes and long hair and Kiss t-shirts when I hear this. For some of you, that may not be a good thing, but for me, it feels like home. "Howlin' Wolf will never understand Doty Crips, the Bloods or Zeppelin." I get Zeppelin, but I'm with Mr. Wolf on the others....
5. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
From their 2nd album, So Tonight That I Might See, this is another slow, psychedelic charmer from Hope Sandoval and company. The slide guitar is fantastic, colouring the song in shades of blue and adding to the feeling of sadness and resignation that comes across in the lyrics and delivery of Ms. Sandoval. She sings in an almost disengaged way, like she's throwing off the vocal in between filing her nails. It makes one think of a smoke-filled basement club, much in the same way that Billie Holiday's best ballads did. This is folk and country with a side of the blues and one of their finest tunes. Taylor and Martina will be very happy to see this song on the list. "Some kind of night into your darkness colours your eyes with what's not there." Black is the colour....
4. Jimmy Still Comes Around - The Loud Family
This is from the first album by former Game Theory frontman Scott Miller's next band. It is their best album, in my opinion, probably because it sounds the most like a Game Theory record. Produced again by longtime cohort Mitch Easter, it has all the usual touchstones of their albums - great melodies, jangly guitars, humour and tongue-in-cheek paranoia. This song about a wannabee mover and shaker is loaded with hooks and you will find yourself tapping a toe along to the beat. This was the last great song Miller ever wrote, but what a way to go out! "Jimmy makes a big deal of the deep things he feels. Imagine his shock when he learns it isn't real." We all know at least 1 Jimmy.....
3. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town - Pearl Jam
For a song that clocks in at just over 3 minutes, it sure has an 8 minute title. This is my favourite Pearl Jam tune. It evokes a feeling of sentimentality in me like few songs can, not for the time it was out necessarily, but for the fact that it causes me to reflect on my life each time I hear it. Cope and I used to play this at our jam sessions back in the day. He didn't know all the words, so I was chosen to warble away while he played his guitar along. This was one of the tunes we used to sing during our lunch breaks at Loeb, making it even harder to be motivated to go back into the freezer and pick orders. Eddie Vedder really hits home here and his voice is so perfectly suited to this song, it may be his finest moment. "I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate, perhaps that's what no one wants to see." I was born in a small town....
2. Sister Havana - Urge Overkill
From their breakthrough 4th record, Saturation, these guys may have put down on record one of the dirtiest and finest guitar riffs of all time. I love the way the song comes in with a ringing sound and then the guitars come roaring in, accented by the tom-toms, and then we're away to the races. This song is feverish and scorching, riding that guitar hard, kicking ass and taking names. It has a brilliant melody, a chunky, big sound, and such an amazing energy to it that I still tend to crash about the room when I hear it. Nash Kato belts out the vocal like a true blue stadium rocker and I'm inclined to join him and break eardrums for miles around. "Everyday just like a vacation with you, when I'm watchin' you and Fidel Castro in the sand, kissin'!" Viva la revolucion!
1. Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
I know I bang on endlessly about guitars on this blog, but this song might just take the cake. Producer Rick Rubin somehow got it so right! You must put on headphones and turn this up! The dual-channel guitars of Petty and the outstanding Mike Campbell are freaking amazing. forget the leads, which are cooking, but the rhythm lines are blinding! Then, add in Petty sounding so American, sounding so cool, and you've got the best song he ever recorded. There's harmonica, bass, drums - all so perfect! The sound is massive and I never tire of it. While I was writing about it, I played it 6 times in a row and it would have been 7 but for Howie whining and wanting to go for a walk. There are few songs that sound as great as this does! I must mention the ultra-creepy video that accompanied this as well, starring the luscious Kim Basinger as a good-looking corpse and Petty as the creepy dude. "Oh my my, oh hell yes, you got to put on that party dress. It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone, I hit my last number, I walked to the road." It's my party and I'll cry if it..... warms up?
Monday, November 8, 2010
Listomania! - 1992
Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have been having trouble with my damn speakers and it's pretty hard to write a music blog without listening to the songs one wishes to blather on about. The problem has been fixed and so I intend to try to catch up.
1992 was the year when I settled in at the Loeb warehouse and started making some new friends and became more comfortable working there. It was back-breaking work, but there were enough good people and laughs to get me through the day. I met some fantastic co-workers, such as Mark Peesker, Scott Coupland, Flipster, Dunny & Tunny, and became close buddies with one Dave Elmore. I met Dave in 1991, but we became good friends in 1992. Speaking of our first meeting, I was picking orders and needed someone to pull a skid of mason jars down from the top shelf for me. The boss sent Dave over to do it as he was driving a forklift that night. There were large and small skids in the warehouse and different forklifts for each. Dave came over on a short-forked machine and proceeded to try to pull down a skid which was for a large-forked machine. The skid of mason jars toppled over and crashed all over the floor and in between the racks. As I was the new guy, Dave suggested I stand on the forks and he would lift me up and I could pull the spilled boxes out from the racks. There was only 1 kinda huge problem: I am deathly afraid of heights. Oh, wait, 2 problems: It is totally against safety regulations to have someone stand on the forks and lift them 30 feet in the air. It turned out it was a bigger job than Dave had thought, so he got me another skid of jars down and said he'd clean up himself. It wasn't until much later that I told him of my fear of heights and we have laughed about that incident many times since, both of us cracking up at the sight of me shitting myself as he raised me in the air on those forks. Dave is a great guy, giving and quite sensitive, who would agree with me if I said he is his own worst enemy at times, but he and I remain friends to this day.
The other big development of '92 was Martina going and getting a dog. Arden the dachshund was named after Shakespeare's forest and she was Martina's pride and joy. I didn't know, yet, that I was a dog person, but Arden, or Marv as I called her, was a funny, neurotic little dog who thought she was #2 in the pecking order, just a bit behind Martina and well above me. I have lots of stories about her that would take too long to type, but she was our first doggie and introduced me to the joys, and headaches, of dog ownership. Here's the music that Arden and I listened to in 1992:
10. Somebody To Shove - Soul Asylum
These guys formed in 1983 in Minneapolis, coming out of the same scene as Husker Du and The Replacements. They had a much harder-edged punk sound at first, but by 1992, they had morphed into a band with great chops, led by singer-guitarist Dave Pirner, who had a great knack of writing catchy tunes like this one. Taken from their biggest record, Grave Dancers Union, this is still punk rock, but with a melody that sticks in your head all day long. It is urgent and loud and fast, with the guitars charging along at breakneck speed. This album was a big favourite in our house and got played endlessly, as it featured lots of great songs, including Martina's fave, Black Gold. Pirner said he used "shove" instead of "love" because "that (love) has already been done." This is a fine slab of rock 'n' roll! "I'm waiting by the phone, waiting for you to call me up and tell me I'm not alone." You're never alone when you're schizophrenic.....
9. Creep - Radiohead
This song was the world's introduction to the wonders of Radiohead. I read about them in the NME and took the bus down to Dr. Disc to buy the CD single on import. While taking the bus back home from downtown, we had stopped at the stop sign at Pall Mall and Wellington. I looked out the window of the bus and saw a guy in a green pickup truck with a big smile on his face. My first thought was to wonder why he was so happy, when I noticed that he had no pants on. I then found out why he was so happy when I saw what his right hand was doing. Remember, I had just bought a song that contained the lines "I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo." Everyone on the bus was startled as he drove off and then myself and another guy started cracking up laughing. That is still one of the strangest and funniest things I've ever seen in my life. Anyway, this song is from their debut album, Pablo Honey. It bounces along on the bass line, with Thom Yorke and his gorgeously expressive voice lilting on top. I love it when the guitar threatens to kick in just before the crunch of the chorus. "I want you to notice, when I'm not around. You're so fuckin' special, I wish I was special." The guy in the truck wanted us to notice too.....
8. It's A Shame About Ray - The Lemonheads
I had never heard of these Bostonians until this, their 5th album. Led by the famously drugged-up Evan Dando, this title tune is built around a fantastically simple acoustic guitar strum and a beautiful melody. The lyrics are quite touching and wistful and easy to sing along with. I'm always reminded of a guy named Rudy who was the cleaner at the Loeb warehouse. He and I struck up a friendship over music and pot-smoking, which were my 2 favourite pastimes back then. He used to come over and play guitar while I hacked away on the bass and sang, and this was one of our staple tunes. He was also a very heavy drinker who would not leave until the last drop of booze was gone. A friend, Dan Crandles, had a party one night that we all went to. Rudy got just wasted on Irish whiskey and started going on about how he should have brought his guitar. He then said he was going to drive home and get it. I told him he was too drunk, but Rudy wouldn't let a little thing like that stop him. I thought that he would get picked up by the cops and that would be the last of him, but about 1/2 hour later, there was a pounding at the front door. I opened it and there stood Rudy, proud as a peacock and holding his guitar. He came in and sat beside me on the couch. He asked what song he should play and wanted me to sing it. I suggested this one and he launched into it, playing like a seasoned pro, while I warbled the lyric. What surprised me was that everyone stopped talking and listened to us and clapped loudly when we were done. Rudy then went outside and threw up in the driveway and headed for the bedroom, where he passed out face-down until morning. The guy was a champ! He's one of those people about whom one wonders from time to time - did he end up in jail? is he still alive? "I've never been too good with names, but I remember faces." You know, old what's-his-face.....
7. These Are Days - 10,000 Maniacs
This album, Our Time In Eden, was the band's last record with singer Natalie Merchant. It is a true song of hope which makes me feel lucky to be alive whenever I play it. The melody is great, the band can really play, and Merchant tops it all with a heartfelt vocal. It was a big family fave back then as well, often sung and played at get-togethers at Martina's Mom and Dad's house. Martina, Shannon, her friend Annette and I went to see them at Canada's Wonderland that summer and they were great. We had been sitting in the parking lot before the show, listening to tunes and smoking a ton of pot. When we came out of the show, we heard someone's car stereo just blasting away. I mentioned that it sounded like somebody was having a good time. Much to my horror, it was only when we got closer that I realized it was our vehicle with the tunes blasting out. We had all got out and locked the doors, with the keys inside and the stereo blaring! We were in the park for about 5 hours! We had to get a park security guy to come and open the locked door and I think I was a shade of scarlet never seen before or since. "These are the days you might fill with laughter until you break." Yes indeed....
6. Kosmos - Paul Weller
Weller had taken a couple of years off after disbanding the Style Council in 1989. He returned with his self-titled first solo record in '92. This song ends the album off just perfectly. During his hiatus from the music biz, he had been listening to a lot of Curtis Mayfield records and the results can be heard here. It is soulful and jazzy in that Mayfield way, with a great wah-wah guitar part and jazzy flute solos. He had left behind the political lyrics and gone for a more personal bent here, questioning life in general and his place in the grand scheme of things. His wife, Dee C. Lee, adds some great "flying high" backing vocals and I love the false ending that fades out and then back in again. All in all, it is a very powerful re-entry into music for Weller. "Take a ride into the soon, be the first one on the moon." Umm...ever hear of Neil Armstrong?
5. Fait Accompli - Curve
Taken from their debut album, Doppelganger, this song is the bomb on the dancefloor. It defies labelling, but I would say it is Gothic, druggy, shoegaze dance music. The music is swirling and noisy, with lots of synths and machine-treated guitars buzzing around. The real draw here though is the seductive vocals by Toni Halliday. Yes guys, she looks as good as she sounds, all black eyeliner and sex appeal. I bought this album on our trip to Montreal, along with the first Lush album. This is an early forerunner of the Dream Pop movement of the 2000s. "'I've come to crush your bones, I've come to make you feel old, I've come to mess with your head, Cos it'll make you feel good." You do make me feel old - this was almost 20 years ago......
4. Leave Them All Behind - Ride
This song is a gigantic tour de force. It begins with almost Who-like keyboards and then the song crashes in with a kick-ass drum beat and monstrous bass riff. The guitars come in riddled with psychedelia, riding that bass riff like a surfer in Malibu, then take off on a solo that leaves you breathless. The drum rolls all through the song are to die for. I would give my left arm to sit behind the kit and play like this just once! This song is so atmospheric and the sound is gorgeous. The vocals are typical of the shoegaze genre, a bit muffled and buried, but still quite effective. This is from Ride's 2nd album, Going Blank Again, and it is much louder than the 1st record. Just a blindingly great tune! "I don't care about the colours. I don't care about the light. I don't care about the truth." You can't handle the truth.....
3. Would? - Alice In Chains
This song first appeared on the "Singles" soundtrack and then was tacked on to the end of the band's 2nd album, Dirt, when the soundtrack was so successful. I love the growling bass lick that starts this off, with the drums coming in with their off-kilter tom-toms and big snare sound. This is written in a minor key, giving the tune an air of hopelessness and despair. These guys were big into the heroin thing and this song is full of that drugs' side effects of gloom and angst. The guitars just roar on the chorus and the ill-fated Layne Staley has a big, full-throated metal howl to put the dark words across. Jerry Cantrell could write heavy tunes like this with huge hooks in them. This is a classic in my books and by far their best song. "Into the flood again, same old trip it was back then." And the monkey on my back, won't stop laughing.....
2. Helpless - Sugar
After releasing 2 records under his own name, Bob Mould decided to go back to his roots and form a power trio. The album Copper Blue was the result and it is maybe the best record he was ever involved with. Now, that's saying a lot since he was a member of the seminal punk band Husker Du and his solo work has generally been top-notch, but this album is one of those that can be played all the way through without skipping a single track. This song is so catchy and melodic, but still has the bracing punk attack of guitars and machine-gun drums. Mould sings it with gusto in his Midwestern accent and hopelessness has never sounded so good! "I wish that I could help you, but you seem less than helpless." There is a town in north Ontario.....
1. My Morning Song - The Black Crowes
This is their best song from their best album. They are still a great band, but the Crowes hit their peak with The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion way back in '92 in my opinion. Marc Ford plays a mean slide guitar and they were never as good without him. This is so bluesey, just so balls-out, enveloping the listener with such a force that one feels moved with the Spirit after just one listen. Chris Robinson is at his Rod-with-Faces best here, just so soulful, like a southern preacher come to save us all. The band is just so killer and the addition of the gospel-tinged backing vocals put the cherry right on top. This song can be played anytime in our house, and we will all stop what we're doing and let ourselves be taken away by its feel and sound. One of the all-time all-timers for sure! "If your rhythm ever falls out of time, you can bring it to me and I will make it alright." For those who ask what Kate Hudson saw in him, give this a listen....
1992 was the year when I settled in at the Loeb warehouse and started making some new friends and became more comfortable working there. It was back-breaking work, but there were enough good people and laughs to get me through the day. I met some fantastic co-workers, such as Mark Peesker, Scott Coupland, Flipster, Dunny & Tunny, and became close buddies with one Dave Elmore. I met Dave in 1991, but we became good friends in 1992. Speaking of our first meeting, I was picking orders and needed someone to pull a skid of mason jars down from the top shelf for me. The boss sent Dave over to do it as he was driving a forklift that night. There were large and small skids in the warehouse and different forklifts for each. Dave came over on a short-forked machine and proceeded to try to pull down a skid which was for a large-forked machine. The skid of mason jars toppled over and crashed all over the floor and in between the racks. As I was the new guy, Dave suggested I stand on the forks and he would lift me up and I could pull the spilled boxes out from the racks. There was only 1 kinda huge problem: I am deathly afraid of heights. Oh, wait, 2 problems: It is totally against safety regulations to have someone stand on the forks and lift them 30 feet in the air. It turned out it was a bigger job than Dave had thought, so he got me another skid of jars down and said he'd clean up himself. It wasn't until much later that I told him of my fear of heights and we have laughed about that incident many times since, both of us cracking up at the sight of me shitting myself as he raised me in the air on those forks. Dave is a great guy, giving and quite sensitive, who would agree with me if I said he is his own worst enemy at times, but he and I remain friends to this day.
The other big development of '92 was Martina going and getting a dog. Arden the dachshund was named after Shakespeare's forest and she was Martina's pride and joy. I didn't know, yet, that I was a dog person, but Arden, or Marv as I called her, was a funny, neurotic little dog who thought she was #2 in the pecking order, just a bit behind Martina and well above me. I have lots of stories about her that would take too long to type, but she was our first doggie and introduced me to the joys, and headaches, of dog ownership. Here's the music that Arden and I listened to in 1992:
10. Somebody To Shove - Soul Asylum
These guys formed in 1983 in Minneapolis, coming out of the same scene as Husker Du and The Replacements. They had a much harder-edged punk sound at first, but by 1992, they had morphed into a band with great chops, led by singer-guitarist Dave Pirner, who had a great knack of writing catchy tunes like this one. Taken from their biggest record, Grave Dancers Union, this is still punk rock, but with a melody that sticks in your head all day long. It is urgent and loud and fast, with the guitars charging along at breakneck speed. This album was a big favourite in our house and got played endlessly, as it featured lots of great songs, including Martina's fave, Black Gold. Pirner said he used "shove" instead of "love" because "that (love) has already been done." This is a fine slab of rock 'n' roll! "I'm waiting by the phone, waiting for you to call me up and tell me I'm not alone." You're never alone when you're schizophrenic.....
9. Creep - Radiohead
This song was the world's introduction to the wonders of Radiohead. I read about them in the NME and took the bus down to Dr. Disc to buy the CD single on import. While taking the bus back home from downtown, we had stopped at the stop sign at Pall Mall and Wellington. I looked out the window of the bus and saw a guy in a green pickup truck with a big smile on his face. My first thought was to wonder why he was so happy, when I noticed that he had no pants on. I then found out why he was so happy when I saw what his right hand was doing. Remember, I had just bought a song that contained the lines "I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo." Everyone on the bus was startled as he drove off and then myself and another guy started cracking up laughing. That is still one of the strangest and funniest things I've ever seen in my life. Anyway, this song is from their debut album, Pablo Honey. It bounces along on the bass line, with Thom Yorke and his gorgeously expressive voice lilting on top. I love it when the guitar threatens to kick in just before the crunch of the chorus. "I want you to notice, when I'm not around. You're so fuckin' special, I wish I was special." The guy in the truck wanted us to notice too.....
8. It's A Shame About Ray - The Lemonheads
I had never heard of these Bostonians until this, their 5th album. Led by the famously drugged-up Evan Dando, this title tune is built around a fantastically simple acoustic guitar strum and a beautiful melody. The lyrics are quite touching and wistful and easy to sing along with. I'm always reminded of a guy named Rudy who was the cleaner at the Loeb warehouse. He and I struck up a friendship over music and pot-smoking, which were my 2 favourite pastimes back then. He used to come over and play guitar while I hacked away on the bass and sang, and this was one of our staple tunes. He was also a very heavy drinker who would not leave until the last drop of booze was gone. A friend, Dan Crandles, had a party one night that we all went to. Rudy got just wasted on Irish whiskey and started going on about how he should have brought his guitar. He then said he was going to drive home and get it. I told him he was too drunk, but Rudy wouldn't let a little thing like that stop him. I thought that he would get picked up by the cops and that would be the last of him, but about 1/2 hour later, there was a pounding at the front door. I opened it and there stood Rudy, proud as a peacock and holding his guitar. He came in and sat beside me on the couch. He asked what song he should play and wanted me to sing it. I suggested this one and he launched into it, playing like a seasoned pro, while I warbled the lyric. What surprised me was that everyone stopped talking and listened to us and clapped loudly when we were done. Rudy then went outside and threw up in the driveway and headed for the bedroom, where he passed out face-down until morning. The guy was a champ! He's one of those people about whom one wonders from time to time - did he end up in jail? is he still alive? "I've never been too good with names, but I remember faces." You know, old what's-his-face.....
7. These Are Days - 10,000 Maniacs
This album, Our Time In Eden, was the band's last record with singer Natalie Merchant. It is a true song of hope which makes me feel lucky to be alive whenever I play it. The melody is great, the band can really play, and Merchant tops it all with a heartfelt vocal. It was a big family fave back then as well, often sung and played at get-togethers at Martina's Mom and Dad's house. Martina, Shannon, her friend Annette and I went to see them at Canada's Wonderland that summer and they were great. We had been sitting in the parking lot before the show, listening to tunes and smoking a ton of pot. When we came out of the show, we heard someone's car stereo just blasting away. I mentioned that it sounded like somebody was having a good time. Much to my horror, it was only when we got closer that I realized it was our vehicle with the tunes blasting out. We had all got out and locked the doors, with the keys inside and the stereo blaring! We were in the park for about 5 hours! We had to get a park security guy to come and open the locked door and I think I was a shade of scarlet never seen before or since. "These are the days you might fill with laughter until you break." Yes indeed....
6. Kosmos - Paul Weller
Weller had taken a couple of years off after disbanding the Style Council in 1989. He returned with his self-titled first solo record in '92. This song ends the album off just perfectly. During his hiatus from the music biz, he had been listening to a lot of Curtis Mayfield records and the results can be heard here. It is soulful and jazzy in that Mayfield way, with a great wah-wah guitar part and jazzy flute solos. He had left behind the political lyrics and gone for a more personal bent here, questioning life in general and his place in the grand scheme of things. His wife, Dee C. Lee, adds some great "flying high" backing vocals and I love the false ending that fades out and then back in again. All in all, it is a very powerful re-entry into music for Weller. "Take a ride into the soon, be the first one on the moon." Umm...ever hear of Neil Armstrong?
5. Fait Accompli - Curve
Taken from their debut album, Doppelganger, this song is the bomb on the dancefloor. It defies labelling, but I would say it is Gothic, druggy, shoegaze dance music. The music is swirling and noisy, with lots of synths and machine-treated guitars buzzing around. The real draw here though is the seductive vocals by Toni Halliday. Yes guys, she looks as good as she sounds, all black eyeliner and sex appeal. I bought this album on our trip to Montreal, along with the first Lush album. This is an early forerunner of the Dream Pop movement of the 2000s. "'I've come to crush your bones, I've come to make you feel old, I've come to mess with your head, Cos it'll make you feel good." You do make me feel old - this was almost 20 years ago......
4. Leave Them All Behind - Ride
This song is a gigantic tour de force. It begins with almost Who-like keyboards and then the song crashes in with a kick-ass drum beat and monstrous bass riff. The guitars come in riddled with psychedelia, riding that bass riff like a surfer in Malibu, then take off on a solo that leaves you breathless. The drum rolls all through the song are to die for. I would give my left arm to sit behind the kit and play like this just once! This song is so atmospheric and the sound is gorgeous. The vocals are typical of the shoegaze genre, a bit muffled and buried, but still quite effective. This is from Ride's 2nd album, Going Blank Again, and it is much louder than the 1st record. Just a blindingly great tune! "I don't care about the colours. I don't care about the light. I don't care about the truth." You can't handle the truth.....
3. Would? - Alice In Chains
This song first appeared on the "Singles" soundtrack and then was tacked on to the end of the band's 2nd album, Dirt, when the soundtrack was so successful. I love the growling bass lick that starts this off, with the drums coming in with their off-kilter tom-toms and big snare sound. This is written in a minor key, giving the tune an air of hopelessness and despair. These guys were big into the heroin thing and this song is full of that drugs' side effects of gloom and angst. The guitars just roar on the chorus and the ill-fated Layne Staley has a big, full-throated metal howl to put the dark words across. Jerry Cantrell could write heavy tunes like this with huge hooks in them. This is a classic in my books and by far their best song. "Into the flood again, same old trip it was back then." And the monkey on my back, won't stop laughing.....
2. Helpless - Sugar
After releasing 2 records under his own name, Bob Mould decided to go back to his roots and form a power trio. The album Copper Blue was the result and it is maybe the best record he was ever involved with. Now, that's saying a lot since he was a member of the seminal punk band Husker Du and his solo work has generally been top-notch, but this album is one of those that can be played all the way through without skipping a single track. This song is so catchy and melodic, but still has the bracing punk attack of guitars and machine-gun drums. Mould sings it with gusto in his Midwestern accent and hopelessness has never sounded so good! "I wish that I could help you, but you seem less than helpless." There is a town in north Ontario.....
1. My Morning Song - The Black Crowes
This is their best song from their best album. They are still a great band, but the Crowes hit their peak with The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion way back in '92 in my opinion. Marc Ford plays a mean slide guitar and they were never as good without him. This is so bluesey, just so balls-out, enveloping the listener with such a force that one feels moved with the Spirit after just one listen. Chris Robinson is at his Rod-with-Faces best here, just so soulful, like a southern preacher come to save us all. The band is just so killer and the addition of the gospel-tinged backing vocals put the cherry right on top. This song can be played anytime in our house, and we will all stop what we're doing and let ourselves be taken away by its feel and sound. One of the all-time all-timers for sure! "If your rhythm ever falls out of time, you can bring it to me and I will make it alright." For those who ask what Kate Hudson saw in him, give this a listen....
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