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Monday, January 28, 2008
Random Mondays
Okay, I've tried something new so that the hyperlinks work in the RSS feed. If you're reading this through an RSS feed and the links to the mp3's still don't work just click on to the blog itself and they'll be there for you. So yeah, I ripped off the A.V. Club (and will always give them credit in case you haven't noticed yet), set my iPod on shuffle and post about what I find here. Let's start listening!
The Clash, "Groovy Times" from Super Black Market Clash Listen here! Buy here!
This is from The Clash's odd n' sods collection. The first thing I notice about this song is how much it sounds like Springsteen even though I doubt that would be a conscious influence for Mick Jones and Joe Strummer. Things just work out that way because The Clash and Springsteen both inhabit that corner of the rock 'n' roll universe that houses "Earnest Political Whiteboys." Ted Leo, Elvis Costello and some U2 also occupy this space. It's a category I love and for my money The Clash play this role the best. Strummer sings like every syllable will change the course of human history. I'm also impressed that within this rockin' song Jones decides to add an acoustic, sort of Spanish sounding guitar solo. That's the reason why The Clash is my favorite punk rock band. They were always willing to break away from the punk rock orthodoxy.
The Ronnettes, "Be My Baby" from Back to Mono Listen here! Buy here! (actually that's out of print but if you listen to any oldies station for an hour you'll hear it)
What can I say, this is one of those perfect pop songs. Brian Wilson calls it a "teenage symphony to God." If you wanted to listen to the best representation of Phil Spector's "wall of sound" this or The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody" is where you go. Hal Blaine's drum intro announces the epic feel of the song. The rest of the song follows suit with the classical strings melding with guitars and pianos. Spector's sound was based around the idea that a three minute pop song should be treated like a Mozart symphony, which in the early 1960's must have sounded insane. Honestly, it still does but you can't argue with results. Ronnie Spector's voice is this great contrast to the music behind her. She doesn't have a big booming voice. But that miniature sound her voice has works so well because she's singing like she means every word and you're won over by how she holds her own against the orchestra.
Placebo, "Pure Morning" from Without You I'm Nothing Listen here! Buy here!
This is another band that was quite popular for me and my friends in high school. In my sophomore year when I walked home from school this was almost always the CD I had on my Discman. I saw the band live as well that year. I was already a fan of Sonic Youth and Placebo was talking SY's alternative guitar heroics and combining them with a healthy dose of Morrissey's dour wit and sexual politics. I wasn't yet The Smiths fan I am now so I was more impressed by Brian Molko's persona than if I was a better student of rock 'n' roll's history. No matter your rock 'n' roll knowledge I think this song holds up. Every instrument on the track seems to be treated so it sounds artificial and futuristic, perhaps in reference to Placebo's glam influence where "artificial" meant sleek and cool (this is early Roxy Music's whole m.o.). For Placebo the sound is meant to be the aural representation of the decadence on display as Molko sings of a "A friend with breasts and all the rest/A friend who's dressed in leather." Gee, I wonder why I loved this song so much when as a teenager.
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