The Rolling Stones - Brown Sugar
video
I have a feeling that this song is about heroin. I have no idea why. That said, I think it's also about slavery, both literally and figuratively with respect to heroin addiction, something the Stones obviously know nothing about. It's also about sadomasochism and oral sex. Pretty much standard Stones fare then, especially when Mick Jagger describes it as a song about drugs and girls (ever the deconstructionist, our Mick). Reknowned rock journalist Robert Christgau describes it as "a rocker so compelling that it discourages exegesis". Perhaps I thus abandon my attempts to plumb the murky waters of analysis.
Not a chance. I have more grit than Christgau.
The song was performed for the first time at the infamous Altamont concert, which may or may not be an indicator of its effect on people. To be honest, it's pretty up-tempo but bog standard rock and roll in the Mick and Keith tradition of staccato guitar, funky bass and Mick alternately crooning, shouting and making the growly noise that Austin Powers makes, which I find slightly disconcerting. There's also, obviously, an acoustic guitar and electric piano in the mix, along with propulsive, cymbal-heavy drumming courtesy of the drummer voted most-likely-to-be-an-accountant- based-on-dress-sense, Charlie Watts. While I'm not really a huge Stones fan, working my way through the Rolling Stone list has made me appreciate exactly how good they were compared to their contemporaries (Boston, Jackson Browne, The Eagles, take note and stop being rubbish please). This song is far better than any of the other rock songs I've listened to on this mission so far, but is it good enough to take the coveted Best Song Yet title from Smokey Robinson?
Nope, it's good, and it's Rolling Stones down to the ground, but it's not that good. And it doesn't strike me as anything massively original from them, just another four to the floor rocker. Miss You was more original than this and more of a departure from their blues-rock direction.
Verdict: All Hail Keef
Tomorrow: Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
You shouldn't have to listen to this
Dusty Springfied - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
video, if you can be bothered to watch it
Good lord, is this the kind of dross they passed off as good music in the bad old days? Maybe I'm having a bad day, but this is terrible. I'm waiting for the obligatory verse sung in French to complete the picture. I can't listen to this anymore.
I'm staggered that this made the list. It starts with a french horn for the sake of all that is good and holy. That shouldn't be allowed unless Phil Spector is in charge. I can't even drag myself to research it. It's too awful.
Verdict: Kill. Me. Now... Please.
Tomorrow: Rolling Stone - Brown Sugar
Normal service resumes ASAP.
video, if you can be bothered to watch it
Good lord, is this the kind of dross they passed off as good music in the bad old days? Maybe I'm having a bad day, but this is terrible. I'm waiting for the obligatory verse sung in French to complete the picture. I can't listen to this anymore.
I'm staggered that this made the list. It starts with a french horn for the sake of all that is good and holy. That shouldn't be allowed unless Phil Spector is in charge. I can't even drag myself to research it. It's too awful.
Verdict: Kill. Me. Now... Please.
Tomorrow: Rolling Stone - Brown Sugar
Normal service resumes ASAP.
Middle of the Roadie
Jackson Browne - Running on Empty
This song sounds like it was written as the backing music for a beer commercial. You can almost picture three shiny white 30-something guys in cowboy hats sitting in the front of a pickup truck drinking beer and driving into the sun with this song playing in the background. They'd probably have guns too. It's not even a real song - it starts off pretending to be a live song and then sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom, which it probably was. Browne and his band recorded this road music(and their roadies) onstage, backstage, in various hotel rooms and on their tourbus. Thanks for the focus on production values, Jackson. That said, at least there's a song about a roadie masturbating to spice things up a bit
Country-tinged, soft focus guitar and piano, MOR vocals and even a slide guitar solo - this song (and album) has been described as the one album Jackson Browne's true fans don't own, and the one that everyone else does. Well, not me, obviously, because it sounds like Garth Brooks impregnated Boston. And, of course, this is an album that's been mythologised as the Odyssey of the tour band, a paen to the road musician, with Browne being compared to Gawain, of the Knights of the Round Table fame. So I suppose if Browne ever reads this he'll come and impale me with his lance (Ooo-er.. that said, I've heard it gets lonely on the road).
Well, I'll do my best to make it quick - this song is so middle of the road it wouldn't offend a nun with a hangover (I'll bet that even the song about the roadie jerking off is so MOR as to be innoffensive). I don't like it. It's a power-ballad to driving a big truck while wearing a cowboy hat.
I think you need to be an American to get it.
This song sounds like it was written as the backing music for a beer commercial. You can almost picture three shiny white 30-something guys in cowboy hats sitting in the front of a pickup truck drinking beer and driving into the sun with this song playing in the background. They'd probably have guns too. It's not even a real song - it starts off pretending to be a live song and then sounds like it was recorded in a bathroom, which it probably was. Browne and his band recorded this road music(and their roadies) onstage, backstage, in various hotel rooms and on their tourbus. Thanks for the focus on production values, Jackson. That said, at least there's a song about a roadie masturbating to spice things up a bit
Country-tinged, soft focus guitar and piano, MOR vocals and even a slide guitar solo - this song (and album) has been described as the one album Jackson Browne's true fans don't own, and the one that everyone else does. Well, not me, obviously, because it sounds like Garth Brooks impregnated Boston. And, of course, this is an album that's been mythologised as the Odyssey of the tour band, a paen to the road musician, with Browne being compared to Gawain, of the Knights of the Round Table fame. So I suppose if Browne ever reads this he'll come and impale me with his lance (Ooo-er.. that said, I've heard it gets lonely on the road).
Well, I'll do my best to make it quick - this song is so middle of the road it wouldn't offend a nun with a hangover (I'll bet that even the song about the roadie jerking off is so MOR as to be innoffensive). I don't like it. It's a power-ballad to driving a big truck while wearing a cowboy hat.
I think you need to be an American to get it.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Phil Spector meets Goodfellas
The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me
Video
Enter Phil Spector, gnomic production genius and songwriter, notoriously egocentric and difficult recluse (he once, famously, scared the Ramones by locking them in the studio and threatening to shoot them) and accused wife/girlfriend murderer. Despite all of this, his contribution to music is staggering - the Wall of Sound, girl groups, The Beatles' Let It Be, The Ramones' End of the Century (a somewhat dubious honour) and the song that received the most airplay in the 20th century (and ever) The Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling.
Spector pioneered the girl group with group likes the Ronettes and the Crystals, working with Lieber and Stoller and songwriters from the Brill Building, creating his signature sound by putting together large groups of musicians playing orchestrated parts, often with more that one of the same instrument playing in unison, resulting in a Wall of Sound that was fatter and louder than his contempories' efforts.
This is evident in Then He Kissed Me, with it's galloping percussion, soaring strings, slightly distorted guitars, hurrumphing sax and the ubiquitous harmonised vocals. The result is the iconic 1963 song - a huge global hit and used to brilliant effect in movies like Scorsese's Goodfellas.
Like good Motown music, this is a timeless song - the fact that it sounds like it was recorded on a dirty tape player in someone's garage doesn't detract from what is, at it's essence, a beautiful love song sung with emotion and, in further keeping with the Motown essence, energy. The song seems to bounce along, propelled by the percussion and vocals. It never sounds particularly sweet or at all twee, something that a song like this would be pilloried for if it was released now. Basically, it's awesome, but not awesome enough to take the Best Song Yet award from Smokey Robinson.
Verdict: Classic
Tomorrow: Jackson Browne - Running on Empty
Video
Enter Phil Spector, gnomic production genius and songwriter, notoriously egocentric and difficult recluse (he once, famously, scared the Ramones by locking them in the studio and threatening to shoot them) and accused wife/girlfriend murderer. Despite all of this, his contribution to music is staggering - the Wall of Sound, girl groups, The Beatles' Let It Be, The Ramones' End of the Century (a somewhat dubious honour) and the song that received the most airplay in the 20th century (and ever) The Righteous Brothers' You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling.
Spector pioneered the girl group with group likes the Ronettes and the Crystals, working with Lieber and Stoller and songwriters from the Brill Building, creating his signature sound by putting together large groups of musicians playing orchestrated parts, often with more that one of the same instrument playing in unison, resulting in a Wall of Sound that was fatter and louder than his contempories' efforts.
This is evident in Then He Kissed Me, with it's galloping percussion, soaring strings, slightly distorted guitars, hurrumphing sax and the ubiquitous harmonised vocals. The result is the iconic 1963 song - a huge global hit and used to brilliant effect in movies like Scorsese's Goodfellas.
Like good Motown music, this is a timeless song - the fact that it sounds like it was recorded on a dirty tape player in someone's garage doesn't detract from what is, at it's essence, a beautiful love song sung with emotion and, in further keeping with the Motown essence, energy. The song seems to bounce along, propelled by the percussion and vocals. It never sounds particularly sweet or at all twee, something that a song like this would be pilloried for if it was released now. Basically, it's awesome, but not awesome enough to take the Best Song Yet award from Smokey Robinson.
Verdict: Classic
Tomorrow: Jackson Browne - Running on Empty
Desperate for it to end
The Eagles - Desperado
It may be considered a mark of success to be covered by 'Weird' Al Yankovic, as this song was (as Avocado). To be brief, this song was written by the Eagles' brains trust of Glenn Frey and Don Henley, was never released as a single, but still managed to become a live favourite and has been covered by half of christianity (but never by Yusuf Islam, meaning that the middle east market has been sadly unexploited). And it's absolutely rubbish. It sounds like Blue Valentines-era Tom Waits covered by a toothless hick, drunk on cheap bourbon, warbling on about the lonely spiritualism of an outlaw (in a bad way). Henley even rejected the cod cowboy-mysticalism of the song and it's eponymous album, saying that "'In retrospect, I admit the whole cowboy-outlaw-rocker myth was a bit bogus,' Henley said in 1987. 'I don't think we really believed it; we were just trying to make an analogy.'" (Rolling Stone).
I must be missing something, because I couldn't listen to it the whole way through, despite trying a few times. And yet, it's had the stamp of greatness bestowed upon it by Johnny Cash, who covered it on American IV: The Man Comes Around, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, on Love Their Country, and Tori Amos (Who must have been high). It's also been covered by George Michael, Westlife, Linda Ronstadt and on American Idol. Maybe I'm not missing anything after all.
In short, this song is as bad as More Than A Feeling, our previous Worst Song Yet award holder, but it's not even as catchy. It's just.. completely arbitrary. Putting it above Shop Around is an insult to music everywhere. I can't even carry on writing about it.
Verdict: Absolute rubbish
Tomorrow: Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals
It may be considered a mark of success to be covered by 'Weird' Al Yankovic, as this song was (as Avocado). To be brief, this song was written by the Eagles' brains trust of Glenn Frey and Don Henley, was never released as a single, but still managed to become a live favourite and has been covered by half of christianity (but never by Yusuf Islam, meaning that the middle east market has been sadly unexploited). And it's absolutely rubbish. It sounds like Blue Valentines-era Tom Waits covered by a toothless hick, drunk on cheap bourbon, warbling on about the lonely spiritualism of an outlaw (in a bad way). Henley even rejected the cod cowboy-mysticalism of the song and it's eponymous album, saying that "'In retrospect, I admit the whole cowboy-outlaw-rocker myth was a bit bogus,' Henley said in 1987. 'I don't think we really believed it; we were just trying to make an analogy.'" (Rolling Stone).
I must be missing something, because I couldn't listen to it the whole way through, despite trying a few times. And yet, it's had the stamp of greatness bestowed upon it by Johnny Cash, who covered it on American IV: The Man Comes Around, Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, on Love Their Country, and Tori Amos (Who must have been high). It's also been covered by George Michael, Westlife, Linda Ronstadt and on American Idol. Maybe I'm not missing anything after all.
In short, this song is as bad as More Than A Feeling, our previous Worst Song Yet award holder, but it's not even as catchy. It's just.. completely arbitrary. Putting it above Shop Around is an insult to music everywhere. I can't even carry on writing about it.
Verdict: Absolute rubbish
Tomorrow: Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals
Monday, February 16, 2009
Supermarket for the future of music
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles - Shop Around
Video
Written by Smokey Robinson and Mr Motown himself, Berry Gordy, and produced by Gordy, Shop Around was released in 1960 and became the first Motown song to reach #1 on the US Rhythm and Blues charts, and the first to sell over a million copies. Obviously this is one iconic Motown song and, ironically, it was almost completely different as "Robinson initially thought Barrett Strong [who?] should do 'Shop Around', but Gordy convinced Robinson that he was the right man for the song. After they recorded and released it, Gordy heard it on the radio and found it way too slow. So he woke Robinson at 3 a.m. and called him back to the studio to re-cut it, faster and with Robinson more prominent. That one worked." (Rolling Stone)
As for the song, it sounds like it was recorded on acetate, given the quality (it may have been, for all I know), but there's that classic Motown groove - bouncy bass, harmonised doo-wop backing vocals, swinging horns and brassy piano, all overlaid with Smokey's awe-inspiring high tenor. At points in the song you can hear how it's influenced music in the past 49 years (it's hard to believe that this song is almost 50 years old) - from being covered by countless artists through the years (not sure how much street cred you get from being covered by Captain and Tenille and Georgie Fame, but anyway) to the backing vocals (everywhere from the Motown sound to the pop-punk movement of NoFX and Blink 182) to the outro vocal leap on "I know you can my son" at 2:40, a technique stolen wholesale by Frank Black in the Pixies.
Basically, this song influenced almost everything, directly or indirectly, and it's a telling testament to why Motown is still so damn listenable these days - the songs were honest, energetic and emotive and when you listen to them you pick up subtle cues, hindsight being 20/20 of course, as to where music was headed. This was rock and roll and soul and disco and boy bands and Amy Winehouse and hip-hop, and we have Motown to thank and curse for all of it.
Verdict: Stone Cold Classic, Seminal
Tomorrow: The Eagles - Desperado
Video
Written by Smokey Robinson and Mr Motown himself, Berry Gordy, and produced by Gordy, Shop Around was released in 1960 and became the first Motown song to reach #1 on the US Rhythm and Blues charts, and the first to sell over a million copies. Obviously this is one iconic Motown song and, ironically, it was almost completely different as "Robinson initially thought Barrett Strong [who?] should do 'Shop Around', but Gordy convinced Robinson that he was the right man for the song. After they recorded and released it, Gordy heard it on the radio and found it way too slow. So he woke Robinson at 3 a.m. and called him back to the studio to re-cut it, faster and with Robinson more prominent. That one worked." (Rolling Stone)
As for the song, it sounds like it was recorded on acetate, given the quality (it may have been, for all I know), but there's that classic Motown groove - bouncy bass, harmonised doo-wop backing vocals, swinging horns and brassy piano, all overlaid with Smokey's awe-inspiring high tenor. At points in the song you can hear how it's influenced music in the past 49 years (it's hard to believe that this song is almost 50 years old) - from being covered by countless artists through the years (not sure how much street cred you get from being covered by Captain and Tenille and Georgie Fame, but anyway) to the backing vocals (everywhere from the Motown sound to the pop-punk movement of NoFX and Blink 182) to the outro vocal leap on "I know you can my son" at 2:40, a technique stolen wholesale by Frank Black in the Pixies.
Basically, this song influenced almost everything, directly or indirectly, and it's a telling testament to why Motown is still so damn listenable these days - the songs were honest, energetic and emotive and when you listen to them you pick up subtle cues, hindsight being 20/20 of course, as to where music was headed. This was rock and roll and soul and disco and boy bands and Amy Winehouse and hip-hop, and we have Motown to thank and curse for all of it.
Verdict: Stone Cold Classic, Seminal
Tomorrow: The Eagles - Desperado
Saturday, February 14, 2009
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