Max's Song-a-Day Blog

Help me pick next week's theme

2008-08-18T12:25:30-07:00

Normally I'd be starting some weekly theme today, but I'm drawing a blank. So, I'm just gonna make some random picks for now, but in the meantime, make some suggestions in this comments thread. Suggest some unifying trait, or a particular artist or album.

Of course, if you choose the latter, you should at least know me well enough to suggest an artist or album I actually like. Any "Def Leppard Week" solicitations will be jettisoned with extreme prejudice.

"Organic Anti-Beat Box Band" - Red Hot Chili Peppers

2008-08-21T11:41:45-07:00

I heard "Behind the Sun" this morning on Fred. Good song, but it's not my favorite from Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987). "What is?", you may be asking?

OK, you're not asking. Just humor me for a minute.

My fave track from that record is... well, you're lookin' at it.

Hear "Organic Anti-Beat Box Band" on YouTube

"Lie in Our Graves" - Dave Matthews Band

2008-08-20T12:03:58-07:00

Dave Matthews Band sax player LeRoi Moore passed away yesterday from complications related to an all-terrain vehicle accident that occurred last June. So, I am posting a huge favorite from what is probably my #1 DMB album, 1996's Crash.

I discussed this group in more detail here. I don't like everything about them, but I do like them in general. And under the circumstances, this song seems appropriate.

LeRoi Moore
1961-2008

Hear "Lie in Our Graves" on YouTube

Watch a live performance

Wikipedia article

"Paint It, Black" - Rolling Stones

2008-08-19T12:20:30-07:00

In doing today's post, I went to YouTube specifically to look for AudioSurf videos, hoping to find one that featured a song I liked, and I just happened upon one for "Paint It, Black." Not a big Stones guy, but I've always liked that track, so here it is.

AudioSurf looks cool. I should try it. Maybe then I could post my own YouTube clips and show the world my lack of coordination. All hail teh Intarwebz.

Watch an AudioSurf video for "Paint It, Black" on YouTube

Read about the song on Wikipedia

"Ska Sucks" - Propagandhi

2008-08-18T12:26:54-07:00

When I first heard this song on Fungus (XM 53), I just cracked up. The "F**K YOU RUDY!" line had me absolutely rolling.

I don't necessarily agree with the sentiments expressed in the tune, but I will admit that I only like ska in small doses. It keeps coming in "waves" - what, they're saying the "fourth wave" is on its way? Well geez, maybe if the genre wasn't so one-dimensional and had some real staying power it wouldn't have to come in "waves." I mean, have you noticed that every time ska becomes "cool", it doesn't stay cool for very long?

Sure, I can listen to an entire Toasters CD, or some old Aquabats or Let's Go Bowling. But generally not consecutively. I usually like to follow it up with some Anthrax or something. Of course, I don't think I can listen to thrash metal for extended time periods either, but that's a debate for another day...

Watch yet another AudioSurf video on YouTube.

"Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah (Means I Love You)" - Violent Femmes

2008-08-17T12:29:51-07:00

Yeah, I know I just posted a song from this same album of cartoon covers. But I really felt like posting Violent Femmes' terrific version of this whacked-out tune from The Jetsons.

So, if all that gibberish means "I love you", how do you translate "I hate you so piss off"? Just curious.

Hear "Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah" on YouTube

Watch the original segment from The Jetsons

"Peaches" - Stranglers

2008-08-16T12:57:29-07:00

The English-borne Stranglers have been around for over 30 years and have undergone some pretty major style shifts. They started out as essentially a punk band, and gradually transformed into more of a synth pop band over time.

"Peaches" comes from their 1977 studio debut Rattus Norvigicus, so it's surely one of their more raw-sounding tracks. If you listen to the Fred channel on XM, you may view the Stranglers as more of a New Order clone, so hopefully posting this song will dispel that myth (although, to be fair, Fred has played this song as well).

BTW, he's saying "clitares", which is a French swimsuit. Perv.

Hear "Peaches" on YouTube

Wikipedia blurb

"YYZ" - Rush

2008-08-15T12:42:14-07:00

During our aforementioned family hoedown, amongst the morass of blues rock standards, no matter what instrument I was on, I kept trying to bust out "YYZ."

Me on drums: "OK, YYZ!! 1-2-3-4!" BASH ba BASH BASH BASH ba BASH BASH BASH BASH bubba BASH ba BASH BASH BASH...... (dead, awkward silence)

Me on bass: "OK, YYZ!! 1-2-3-4!" (plays flat-fifth intro riff, stops, more dead awkward silence)

Fine. We'll do "Mustang Sally"... again.

Hear "YYZ" on YouTube.

Watch a live performance.

Watch the entry into the popular YouTube "Shreds" motif.

"Crossroads" - Cream

2008-08-14T12:27:44-07:00

A lot of my relatives are musicians. During my recent family gathering, a bunch of us got together for a little informal jam session, and Cream's "Crossroads" (based on the Robert Johnson song "Cross Road Blues") was one of the tunes we played. It's been stuck in my head ever since.

Seriously, I can not get it out of my head. Help.

YouTube fanvid for "Crossroads"

YouTube fanvid for Robert Johnson's original "Cross Road Blues"

Hear Rush's version for good measure

"To Hell With Poverty" - Gang of Four

2008-08-13T13:19:49-07:00

OK, I was out of town for a while to see some relatives I hadn't seen in a great many years, but I'm here now to assimilate myself back into my ho-hum life. Hooray!

I like to refer to Gang of Four as "Gene Loves Jezebel with testicles." Until about two hours ago, I had never heard of this song. But it be rockin'. Werd. Chalk another one up for the Fred channel (XM 44).

Watch yet another one of those AudioSurf videos on YouTube.

Watch a live performance.

"Me Wise Magic" - Van Halen

2008-08-10T05:00:00-07:00

After Van Halen parted ways with Sammy Hagar in 1996, they briefly reunited with David Lee Roth to record two new songs for a compilation CD called Best of Vol. 1, and "Me Wise Magic" was one of them.

Does it hold up well when compared to their early catalog? Maybe not. But it's still a pretty cool track.

Watch a fan-made video for "Me Wise Magic" on YouTube.

This is part of a week-long series on David Lee Roth-era Van Halen.

"Hot for Teacher" - Van Halen

2008-08-09T05:00:00-07:00

(inserts 1984 CD)

(selects track 6)

(THUNDEROUS DRUM INTRO)

Woohooooo! Go Alex, go! Beat those skins! Tame those traps! Bash the living hell out of those, um, cylindrical things! Whack those shiny metal doohickeys for good measure! Ooooh, yeah! Get down with your bad self! Pound those drums like there's no...

(WAAAARRRRHHH weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley weedley)

Oh, great. Who let Alex's alcoholic brother into the room to wank all over everything?

Make no mistake about it, I loved Van Halen's rhythm section. More than anything, what first turned me on to the band were those great solo breaks in many of their early songs, but it had nothing to do with the actual solos - it had everything to do with the groovetacular playing of Alex Van Halen and bass player Michael Anthony. Even with all the flash and the lightning speed and the ooh-aah factor of Eddie's soloing, I just never really took to it. To me it's the quality of notes that make a guitar solo, not the quantity. I liked the solo breaks because I could just IGNORE all the seemingly random guitar diddling and focus on what Alex and Mike were doing. And way more often than not, I loved what they were doing.

And this "Hot for Teacher" solo break is a perfect example. When the solo starts, in my "mental jukebox" as it were, it just gets pushed aside and I go nuts for that groove Alex and Michael are laying down. Great, great stuff. No other 80s hard rock band could even touch that.

You know you want it. Watch the T & A-laden video for "Hot for Teacher" on YouTube.

This is part of a week-long series on David Lee Roth-era Van Halen.

"Intruder/Pretty Woman" - Van Halen

2008-08-08T05:00:00-07:00

The instrumental-laden and cover-heavy Diver Down (1982) has generated some pretty mixed reviews among casual listeners and dedicated fans alike. Some consider it to be underrated, much like Fair Warning, while others knock it's lack of focus and conviction.

Well, they can say whatever they want, I can only speak for myself, and I will say - I like it. Is it my favorite? No. But there are some gems here, including the raucous instrumental "Intruder", which segues right into the Roy Orbison cover "Pretty Woman."

And it may be just me, but ever since my high school marching band days, I've thought that "Intruder" would be a kickass song for a band to play from the sidelines at a football game. Can you imagine how such an arrangement would sound with a well-oiled percussion section, some booming tubas and tenor saxes and a few wailing trumpets? Wouldn't that just rule?

OK, maybe it is just me. But it would sure be better than that lame fight song the USC band plays FIFTY BILLION TIMES a game.

Hear "Intruder/Pretty Woman" on YouTube

This is part of a week-long series on David Lee Roth-era Van Halen.

"Unchained" - Van Halen

2008-08-07T05:00:00-07:00

You could probably think of several bands or artists that each had that one album - you know, that one that not as many people bought, didn't get as much airplay, and was relatively ignored by the music press, but is still widely revered by that particular fan base?

Fair Warning (1981) is one of those albums. It's probably the darkest and least festive of all the DLR-era albums, and as such, it was the least successful release of both the Roth and Hagar eras in terms of sales. None of the tracks got an obscene amount of radio airplay, and since MTV still didn't exist, they had yet to become the poster boys they would be later in their careers.

But none of that means that Fair Warning isn't any good, because it is. And none of that means that tracks like "Unchained" don't rock the proverbial hizzouse, because they do.

Hear "Unchained" on YouTube

Watch a live video that MTV played sparingly once it DID come into existence.

This is part of a week-long series on David Lee Roth-era Van Halen.

"Everybody Wants Some" - Van Halen

2008-08-06T13:03:58-07:00

If you've seen Better Off Dead, then you are already familiar with this face-melting track from Women and Children First (1980).

Great, now my face has melted. I have face all over my keyboard. Time to call the cleaning crew. Wait, we don't have a cleaning crew. I AM the cleaning crew. Damn.

YouTube fanvid for "Everybody Wants Some"

Watch the aforementioned segment from Better Off Dead

This is part of a week-long series on David Lee Roth-era Van Halen.

"Outta Love Again" - Van Halen

2008-08-05T12:19:26-07:00

It happens a lot. You release a debut album, and then not too long afterwards - you release a very similar sounding sophomore album. I guess it's a record company thing, they want you to stay fresh in people's minds when you're just starting out. You can't really afford to take any kind of extended break because you'll be totally irrelevant when you finally get around to recording again.

Of course, in this day and age, you could easily fit Van Halen and Van Halen II (1979) on a single CD and you'd never know the difference. But hey, if you're consistently putting out kickass tracks like "Outta Love Again", it's all good.

Watch a YouTube fanvid for "Outta Love Again"

This is part of a week-long series on David Lee Roth-era Van Halen.

"Atomic Punk" - Van Halen

2008-08-04T12:51:57-07:00

All it took was for my brother to bring home a copy of Van Halen (1978). After that, all bets were off.

Yes, it has "Runnin' With the Devil", that Kinks cover and that "Eruption" solo that some guitarists actually make fun of today. But I've always been partial to "Atomic Punk."

Man, I can't even imagine trying to scream like that. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH (cough) (cough) (hack) aw crap, I'm never doing that again.

Hear "Atomic Punk" on YouTube

This is part of a week-long series on David Lee Roth-era Van Halen.

Diamond in the fluff

2008-08-04T12:51:40-07:00

I never wore a mullet. I never owned a muscle shirt or a muscle car. Hell, I've barely ever owned a muscle. And I've never felt compelled to consume large amounts of alcohol while standing in a parking lot.

None of that has prevented me from loving early Van Halen. I've never been a big devotee of David Lee Roth per se, but no one can deny what he brought to that band while he was in it. Diamond Dave was a rock star in every sense of the word, but in addition to the charisma, the stage presence and the showmanship, he was a pretty damn good singer to boot. So DLR-era Van Halen is getting the week-long MSaD treatment.

"Stray Cat Strut" - Stray Cats

2008-08-03T12:44:43-07:00

Stray Cats bassist Lee Rocker turns 47 today. I've always kinda liked "Stray Cat Strut." So, here ya go.

Watch the video for "Stray Cat Strut" on YouTube.

"Radio Song" - R.E.M.

2008-08-02T12:35:37-07:00

Earlier today, Woordenaar posted a track he doesn't like from R.E.M.'s 1991 release Out of Time, which just happens to be yet another one of those albums I only liked one song from. Never cared much for "Shiny Happy People"* or "Losing My Religion." In fact, I found the whole record pretty dull....

...(wait for it)...

...with one glaring exception. I really dig the album's opener, "Radio Song." It's groovin'.

*I loved hearing Denis Leary talk about "Shiny Happy People." "HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY!!! Pull that bus over to the side of the pretentiousness turnpike, OK? I want the shiny people over here, and the happy people over here! I represent angry gun-toting meat-eating f**kin' people!"

Watch the video for "Radio Song" on YouTube.

"Heading for the Disco?" - HorrorPops

2008-08-01T12:25:42-07:00

I had never even heard of the HorrorPops until Niveous posted something of theirs a while back. I could not help but be drawn to this band, and this song (from Kiss Kiss Kill Kill, released in February of this year) in particular.

See, this is why we do these song blogs. Every once in a blue moon, people actually like the stuff we post.

You may wonder why I would be so high on a song that makes fun of 80s music? Simple. It's making fun of very specific 80s music that's very worthy of scorn.

Watch the video for "Heading for the Disco" on YouTube.

"Jonny Quest/Stop the Pigeon" - Reverend Horton Heat

2008-07-31T12:39:09-07:00

In 1995, a nifty little compilation CD was released called Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits. Nineteen rocking versions of (mostly) old TV cartoon themes. You've got the Ramones doing "Spider-Man", Helmet busting out "Gigantor", Butthole Surfers rocking the "Underdog" theme, Liz Phair does that Banana Splits song, and many more.

For all of its strong tracks, I have an easy favorite: Horton Heat does the most absolutely badassed version of Jonny Quest you will ever hear. And he throws in that "Stop the Pigeon" song from Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines for good measure.

Did I say badassed? Yeah, damn right I did. BAD!!

Watch a YouTube fanvid for "Jonny Quest/Stop the Pigeon"

Watch the original Jonny Quest opening.

Watch the original Dastardly and Muttley opening.

Full track listing for Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits

"Frame By Frame" - King Crimson

2008-07-30T12:24:31-07:00

This is post #400. This makes my article-to-reader ratio about... 100/1. Woo-hoo!

Anyway, chalk another one up for the Fred channel (XM 44... wait, is this officially a Sirius channel now, after the whole satellite radio Frankenstein's Monster merger dealie? My head hurts...). Before 9:15 this morning I had never heard this track from King Crimson's 1981 album Discipline. But now that I have, um, well OK it was hardly a life-altering experience. But I thought the song was cool, and now I have a song to post today. Yeah!

King Crimson is often mentioned during discussions of "prog." They've existed off and on over a near-40 year period, with about 25 years of combined activity. So here's to another 25 years of irritating the hell out of music critics.

Hear "Frame By Frame" on YouTube.

Watch a live performance.

"Tunnel of Love" - Bruce Springsteen

2008-07-29T12:37:40-07:00

After trashing one of Bruce Springsteen's songs a few weeks ago, I think it's only fair to the Boss that I post a song of his I actually like.

He's just so much more effective when he seems less concerned about how he looks in his jeans.

Watch the video for "Tunnel of Love" on YouTube.

"Flame of the West" - Big Country

2008-07-28T12:32:25-07:00

I've talked before about my favorite Big Country album, 1986's The Seer. And of course, we've all heard the song they were best known for, their 1983 hit "In a Big Country."

Well, between that song and that album they released Steeltown in 1984. I'm not nearly as high on that record, mainly due to its subpar sound quality. Perhaps the version I have is simply a poor mastering job, but it just does not sound good at all.

But still, its opening track, "Flame of the West", quite simply rocks so amazingly hard it totally transcends its production flaws.

YouTube fanvid for "Flame of the West"

"Seven and Seven Is" - Love

2008-07-27T10:41:22-07:00

I posted that Damned cover of a Love song a while back, but I am concluding this numbers thingamacallit with an actual Love recording.

Some people may think I'm stuck in the 80s. Fine. Here's a song that's two decades older. Nyaah.

A YouTube fan-made video for "Seven and Seven Is", featuring some of the worst white person dance moves you will ever see.

A live performance

Read the Wikipedia article. The B-side of this single was called "No. Fourteen." Hee-hee.

Oh, Rush did a pretty cool cover.

This is part of a week-long series on "numbers."

"Six Pack" - Black Flag

2008-07-26T12:36:06-07:00

If nothing else, songs like "Six Pack" helped establish a market for playing redundant bass guitar notes. Really fast.

No, I am not saying it like it's a bad thing.

Hear "Six Pack" on YouTube.

Watch a live performance.

This is part of a week-long series on "numbers."

"Take Five" - Dave Brubeck Quartet

2008-07-25T12:13:05-07:00

I was first exposed to this 1959 Dave Brubeck Quartet piece at a fairly young age, because - you guessed it - Dad had it. Or maybe it was my brother? I can't remember which.

Later on, I would play it in my school's jazz band, either junior high or high school, I can't remember which.

Damn, is my memory fading that badly? I'm old. Where the hell did I put my shoes?

YouTube live performance of "Take Five"

Wikipedia blurb

This is part of a week-long series on "numbers."

"Four Sticks" - Led Zeppelin

2008-07-24T12:11:20-07:00

The numbers dealie continues with a song from OMG OMG OMG LEDD ZEPLIN IV GRAETEST ALBUM EVAR OMG WTF PLAY IT FOURTY MORE TIMES MISTER CLASIC ROCK DJ PLEASE PLAESE PLEASE!!!!1111

I'm still trying to come up with my own "symbol":

Man, I'm bad at this.

YouTube fanvid for "Four Sticks"

This is part of a week-long series on "numbers."

"Three" - The Cure

2008-07-23T10:23:39-07:00

This Cure track from Seventeen Seconds (1980) is kind of "out there." Pfft, well duh, it's early 80s Cure. That pretty much goes without saying.

I may have used "Seventeen Seconds" instead if I had taken this motif far enough. But I'm way too impatient for that, so here's "Three."

Hear "Three" on YouTube.

This is part of a week-long series on "numbers."