Listomania! - 1999

I have not written much on this blog about my maternal Grandmother, who I called Nan. Her influence on my life is far too immense to document here. She was born in 1914 in Burnley, England, up in coal country where life was hard and her family were poor. Her Dad was in World War I in the British Infantry and saw action in Africa and France. In 1921, they decided to emigrate to Canada for a chance at a better life. They took a boat over from Blackpool and ended up in the frozen tundra of St. Joe's Island in Northern Ontario. Her Dad got a job with CN and they moved to Capreol. She married Pop in 1938 and had my Mom, her only child, in 1939. She always wanted more kids, but biology only allowed her one. She was a housewife,as most women of her era were. She was active in the United Church and was always keeping busy with the "Church Ladies" as she called them. She had always wanted a boy, so when her first Grandchild came along (yours truly) and was a male, she was thrilled. She spoiled me all to hell, at least as much as my family's limited budget would let her. It wasn't so much gifts and toys that she lavished on me, but unconditional love and indulgence that bordered on ridiculous. I was the golden boy and no matter what, she always stuck by me and thought I was perfect. Everyone should have someone like that in their lives, so I count myself as very fortunate. She was as patient as anyone I have ever known. She would spend hours with me, whether it was playing hockey in her kitchen - me with a badminton racquet for a goalie stick, defending the stove (my net) against her wicked shots taken with a broom - or cutting out sports pictures from the newspaper and making homemade glue to stick them in a scrapbook, or listening to my new Beatles 45 without a single word of complaint. She did much the same for both of my sisters and they had the benefit of her love as well, although they would claim that I was always her favourite. She taught me what it means to treat people well and that you only get what you give. My Mom was moody and loud and quite self-centered, so Nan provided a nice shelter from the storm that my Mom could be. A few years after Pop died, she moved to London because she was all alone up in Capreol and wanted to be close to all of us. I used to take her a Tim Horton's coffee every Thurday before work and sit all afternoon with her and talk. In 1999, doctors discovered that she had a rupture in her aorta and advised her to have surgery. I was living in Peterborough at the time, but I drove to London to be there when she had the operation. I had to go back home right after, thinking she would be OK. She never did recover though and I didn't make it back in time before she passed. The funeral was up north, so we all made the trip. Martina and the kids and I stayed in a hotel in Sudbury, all together in one room. I used to sing to Nan all the time on my Thursday visits and one song I would sing was The Jam's English Rose. I got the guitar chords for Taylor and she learned them in one night and I sang it, accompanied by Taylor, at her funeral. I hardly remember the funeral at all. I just remember the horrible feeling of grief that overwhelmed me. I wanted to run out the door of the funeral home before it started and I could barely stand. Martina was ready to tackle me if I tried to bolt and she was a tower of strength. It was definitely the saddest I have ever been in my life. I think of Nan every day and I am so thankful that I had her loving presence in my life. We should all be so lucky. Musically, 1999 ends off the weakest decade of music in my lifetime. This list has some great songs on it, but it was difficult to come up with a solid 10 songs for it. Here they are:

10. Testify - Rage Against The Machine

Right from the start, with Tom Morello's guitar sounding like a threatening storm, this song goes for the jugular. From their 3rd album, the Battle Of Los Angeles, this is a powerful political statement from a band who have made working class causes their muse. Zack De La Rocha doesn't so much sing as scream and half-rap, but the message is clear. He's not happy with the state of things and he's not going to be quiet about it! Tom Morello really is an amazing guitarist, as anyone who saw him play with Springsteen at the Rock 'n Roll Hall Of Fame show last year would attest. I always have a soft spot for angry Marxist polemics and this is one of the finest examples I can think of. I love the lyrics when they refer to Orwell's 1984 and "The Party" slogan: "Who controls the past now controls the future. Who controls the present now controls the past. Who controls the past now controls the future. Who controls the present now?" Meet the new boss.....

9. Heartbreakin' Man - My Morning Jacket

This is the lead track from their debut album, Tennessee Fire. These longhairs from Louisville, KY are always lumped in with Southern Rock or Alt. Country bands, but they actually have a variety of styles in their music. The verses of this song are driven by acoustic guitar and an almost march-time drum beat. Singer Jim James uses his falsetto to great effect, giving a soaring quality to the beginning and middle of the tune with his "oohs" and "aahs" especially since there are only 4 lines worth of lyrics in the whole song. Guitarist Carl Broemel uses his instrument sparingly, but colours the song with some inventive licks. "2o times I wish you'd understand, that you're breakin' the heart of this heartbreakin' man." You broke my heart, so I busted your jaw......

8. Sour Girl - Stone Temple Pilots

This song may seem a little out of character for STP. I mean, it's positively quiet, both in mood and sound, compared to most of their rave-up rockers. But, this song is quite good in every way. I love the chord progressions, the lead runs, the syncopated bass and Scott Weiland's melodic croon, augmented by some gorgeous harmony vocals. Weiland apparently wrote it when his marriage was breaking up and the feeling is not so much one of sadness, but of regret and resignation. this is from their 4th album, appropriately titled No. 4. "What would you do if I followed you?" Ummm...get a restraining order.....

7. Coffee & TV - Blur

On their 6th album, called 13, Blur tried to move away from the Brit-Pop sound that had defined them. This song is still like the old sound, very english and poppy. The very underrated Graham coxon not only plays his usual brilliant guitar, especially on the feedback-drenched solo, but also sings lead on the verses, leaving Damon Albarn to put his stamp on the choruses. The video was memorable as well, featuring an animated milk carton called Milky. "So give me coffee and TV easily, I've seen so much I'm going blind and I'm braindead virtually." Amen, brother.....


6. Come For A Ride - By Divine Right

This past summer, while we were camping, Jose Contreras of By Divine Right and his family came to visit the people we were campimg with, Jason and Catherine. We had a good time and he was a very nice guy. Well, I have been charged by my family with having a horrible case of hero worship, and I must plead guilty with an explanation. It's not every day that one gets to meet somebody that they admire and that object of said admiration turns out to be worthy of admiration. I have been the object of endless jokes since, so go ahead and laugh it up! this was the first song I ever heard by his band, which has featured ever-changing members over the years. This particular incarnation included guitarist/vocalist Leslie Feist and bassist Brendan Canning, who went on to bigger fame with Broken Social Scene and, in Ms. Feist's case, as a solo artist. This song just has a trippy, happy little melody and is impossible to resist, especially if you see the super-cute video. "Come for a ride, ya'll, come feel alright. I'm getting high, ya'll, come for a ride." No ride involved, but we did go for a walk in the woods with his lovely wife, Lily.....

5. Moving - Supergrass

The thing I like best about Supergrass is that all their best songs are easy to sing along with. This particular song may just be ny fave by them. Taken from their eponymous 3rd album, I love the dreamy opening with the strummed acoustic guitar and then the way the chorus just washes over the listener. It is about the tedium of daily life, in this case probably the grind of touring, but it is applicable to any sort of repetitive lifestyle. I do love Gaz Coombes' voice on this as well, all smooth and youthful sounding. "Moving, just keep moving, till I don't know what's sane. I've been moving so long, the days all feel the same." Allied Van Lines should get the rights to this.....

4. Even Less - Porcupine Tree

I'm not a huge fan of these Brit Prog-Rockers, but this song is ace. It builds quietly, from a wash of synth to a nice lead line with a clanging ride cymbal and you know something big is coming around the bend. well, you'd be right. The guitars are massive and the drums crash and bang and the synths noodle and twiddle. The verses are softer, with flourishes of acoustic guitar, bringing to mind the Moody Blues. Singer Steven Wilson has a beautiful voice and the vocals are probably the best thing about this band.The heavy parts are more in the vein of Tool, providing a sharp contrast. this is from their 5th album, Stupid Dream, and is really the only song I love by them. "And I may just waste away from doing nothing, but you're a martyr for even less." Wasting away again in Martyritaville.....

3. Learn To Fly - Foo Fighters

The Foo's 3rd album, There Is Nothing Left To Lose, sees them become a real band for the first time. Taylor Hawkins is now firmly in place on the drums and it seems to have allowed Dave Grohl to put more energy into crafting the songs. he got tired of living the wasted rockstar lifestyle and bought a ranch in Virginia, where he built a studio and recorded this record. He has claimed that this album was his favourite recording experience of all, which is saying something when one considers the records he has been a part of. on this song, the guitars still rock, but the sound is poppier and more melodic than ever before. the kicker is the anthemic chorus, which just begs the listener to belt it out along with him. oh yeah, the video is hilarious, with each band member playing several characters. "Hook me up a new revolution 'cause this one is a lie." You say you want a revolution....

2. Red Dragon Tattoo - Fountains Of Wayne

This song is so cute, so cheesy and so good. It is straight up Power-Pop played by a band with their tongues firmly in cheek. The whole 2nd album, Utopia Parkway, is like this, full of hooks and jangly guitars. The melody is so familiar that you are trying, while listening, to figure out who should be suing them, but it turns out to be their own after all. For me, this is pure ear candy, so sugary sweet, like a big bale of cotton candy at Coney Island, which is name-checked in the song. The story in the song is witty as hell, about a guy getting a tattoo to impress that special girl. "Will you stop pretending I've never been born? Now I look a little more like that guy from Korn." He must look pretty scary then....

1. Summer Teeth - Wilco

From their 3rd album of the same name, Wilco made their most accessible and sound-conscious record yet. This was the height of multi-instumentalist Jay Bennett's (RIP) powers and his fingerprints are all over this album. Tweedy was going through personal crises in his marriage and with an addiction to painkillers, so he relied heavily on Bennett to write most of the music and handle the production chores. The other band members were none too happy about this situation as they saw things becoming less democratic and more a 2 man show. the song has a bit of a Velvet Underground influence to my ears, with that great lead guitar line running through the whole of the song. The sound is clear and gorgeous, with that insidious melody entrenching itself in the listener's ears upon just 1 listen. One of my top 5 Wilco songs of all, for sure. "And every evening when he get home to make his supper and eat it alone, his black shirt cries while his shoes get cold." Damn black shirt, always crying about something....