For the cost of your e-mail, SPIN magazine* will let you download an MP3 compilation with track-by-track coverage of Nirvana's Nevermind, which was released 20 years ago. (Oddly, it seems older than that to me.)
*which I haven't really read since Charles Aaron stopped writing his "Singles" column a dozen-plus years ago**
**Yes, I missed the Klosterman years.
The results vary widely, but two are worth the inconvenience of having to unsubscribe after you get the first unwanted e-mail, and a two more are interesting:
1. Meat Puppets "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Almost sounds like it could be a well-recorded acoustic demo. Curt sounds a lot like Kurt, or actually, I'm first realizing how much Kurt was sounding like Curt. If ever a story came out that Kurt had Curt co-write his songs for him, I could now totally believe it. "With the lights out, we're less dangerous... I feel stupid, and contagious": Totally Puppets lyrics.
2. Titus Andronicus "Breed". I've tried listening to TA before, and I just haven't been able to get into them at all. But this sounds great, the vox are all treble and aren't aping Kurt, yet still get some of the intent across.
3. Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band "Stay Away". James-Brown-type funk with some Summer-of-love distorted guitar for color. Reminds me of Sharon Jones' Janet Jackson cover, which made it sound like Janet was actually covering a long-lost classic. Only this "Stay Away" is clearly the cover.
4. EMA "Endless Nameless". This is the noisy hidden track. EMA does alright, but I think she could have done better on one of the actual songs than some of the other jokers did. And this just makes me miss Dave Grohl's drum thump at the end of the original, over which Kurt's guitar squealing staggers. It's here, but it doesn't feel like it should go on forever.
Not all of the other tracks are necessarily worthless, and I haven't listened to them that carefully. Some are really bad though, even worse than Tricky's cover with incorrect lyrics of "Something in the Way". A better list of contributors could have helped, but I really don't know where SPIN is right now or which bands who would have done well.
OK, that's not true. Bobby Bare Jr.*, Ha Ha Tonka, and Will Oldham definitely could. And I'd love to see what these folk could do: Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Low, Rocky Votolato, Grinderman, The F--- Buttons (only for Endless, Nameless for them though).
*He did a fantastic cover "Ocean Size" from Jane's Addiction for a complilation.
Anyways, those are my thoughts for today. What's randomly running to your ears?
WMP decided I needed to start out with a couple tracks by the Eno brothers — who am I to argue?
1.“Voices” – Roger Eno, Voices
2.“An Ending (Ascent)” – Brian Eno, Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks
3.“The Journey/Recollection” – Rick Wakeman, Journey to the Centre of the Earth
4.“Knife Edge” – Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer
5.“Ancestors” – Lisa Gerrard, Whale Rider soundtrack
6.“Schwarze Augen” – Klaus Doldinger, Das Boot (The Director’s Cut) soundtrack
7.“Sonatine III – Be Over” – Joe Hisaishi, Sonatine soundtrack
8.“Let Your Hair Hang Down” – They Might Be Giants, Join Us
9.“Show Me Mary” – Catherine Wheel, Chrome
10.“Vishnu” – E.S. Posthumus, Makara
'Crazy' - Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere
'Suzannah's Still Alive' - The Kinks Something Else by The Kinks (bonus track)
'Act Naturally' - The Beatles Help!
'Money & Corruption/I Am Your Man' - The Kinks Preservation Act 1
'Grace' - U2 All That You Cant Leave Behind
'Come and Get It' - Badfinger
'Dreams' - Fleetwood Mac Rumours
'The Imposter' - Elvis Costello and the Attractions Get Happy!
'B.Y.O.B.' - System of a Down Mezmerize
'Swayin to the Music (Slow Dancin)' - Johnny Rivers Anthology
We were watching movie trailers before the Harry Potter movie, and some typical chic flic trailer was playing. Mrs. Runner and I were rolling our eyes, and when at the very end of the trailer it said "Featuring new music by Elvis Costello", I turned to Mrs. Runner and said, "The only thing worthwhile with that movie."
First of all I want to assure everyone that I do own some music that is not from the '90's, regardless of how this list might appear.
Curmudgeon - Nirvana - With the Lights Out
Disarm - Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Floyd the Barber - Nirvana - Live at Pine Street Theater: Bleach (Deluxe)
Whitfield - Atomship - The Crash of '47
Milk It - Nirvana - From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
Soil - System of a Down - (self-titled)
Electra Made Me Blind - Everclear - Sparkle and Fade
Get On Top - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
Please - Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile
Minus Degrees, Bare Feet, Tickles - Vladislav Delay Quartet - (self-titled)*
* See?
Is all that Nirvana on purpose with my lead mini-review?
What do you think of the VDQ? I d/led it a few nights ago, and I really haven't formed any opinions. From what I've heard of all of Ripatti's projects, Luomo is my favorite, so this is pretty far from that.
The Nirvana was a happy coincidence. Having just got the SPIN tribute, I'm listening to it now. Of the songs I've heard so far:
1. Lithium - The Vaselines
2. Breed - Titus Andronicus
3. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Meat Puppets (I think I was expecting more)
Really wasn't into 'Come As You Are' or 'In Bloom' (didn't make it all the way through those two).
VDQ is difficult for me, I like moments from it (more from the song listed above than any of the others), but the overall album isn't something that I really look forward to listening to.
More thoughts on the tribute album.
Polly (Amanda Palmer), Territorial Pissings (Surfer Blood), On a Plain (Telekinesis) are fine, nothing special.
Drain You (Foxy Shazam) is interesting in a "what the hell is going on?" kind of way. Where it ended up was not where I was expecting it to go. Not sure I like it, but it certainly kept my attention.
Lounge Act (Jessica Lea Mayfield) - liked this one.
Stay Away (Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band) - what AMR said.
Something in the Way (JEFF the Brotherhood) - I kind of like the louder, distorted version here.
Endless Nameless (EMA) - She throws herself at this one admirably. This has never been one of my favorite songs, and I have a hard time envisioning why this would need a cover version (particularly one that is just as harsh and noisy as the original).
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01. Judas Priest - "The Ripper", Sad Wings Of Destiny
02. Running Wild - "Fight The Oppression", Branded And Exiled
03. Agalloch - "In The Shadow Of Our Pale Companion", The Mantle
04. Sonata Arctica - "Misplaced", Reckoning Night
05. Michael Romeo - "MJF #13", Dark Chapter
06. Hammerfall - "Imperial", Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken
07. Blind Guardian - "Sadly Sings Destiny", A Night At The Opera
08. King Diamond - "Meet Me At Midnight", The Graveyard
09. Nightwish - "Creek Mary's Blood", Once
10. Opeth - "Harvest", Blackwater Park
Howard Shore, "Many Meetings", The Fellowship of the Ring (Soundtrack)
The Apples in Stereo, "Tidal Wave", Fun Trick Noisemaker
The Tim Malloys, "Running to Stand Still", Wrecked
U2, "North and South of the River", Best of 1990-2000
Smashing Pumpkins, "Thru the Eyes of Ruby", Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Beatles, "Here, There, and Everywhere", Revolver
Howard Shore, "The Hornburg", The Two Towers (Soundtrack)
Evanescence, "My Immortal", Fallen
The Beatles, "The Long and Winding Road", Let It Be
Caroline's Spine, "Deep in Your Wake"
Oh man, what ever happened to Evanescence? I haven't thought of them in forever.
As of a month ago when I left the business of selling music, they were still doing okay sales numbers in my area. They've released two (or three?) albums since the big one, and they've done alright, though they certainly didn't do what the debut did.
Apparently, they're still around and making albums. I only have Fallen, but according to Wikipedia, they released another album, The Open Door, in 2006 and are planning on a third album this year. I think I have some itunes bucks floating around - maybe I'll take a look at them again...
Wow, just the one more? Well, it sold nicely where I was working, and was still selling when I transferred to Washington.
Rusted Root -- Drum Trip
Stormy Blue -- By Your Side
Frank Sinatra -- My Way
REO Speedwagon -- Take It On The Run
Mark Chesnutt -- Thank God For Believers
Bon Jovi -- I'll Be There For You
Bon Jovi -- Runaway
Dwight Yoakam -- What Do You Know About Love?
Brad Paisley -- The World
Russell Watson -- Faith of the Heart
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Lou Reed - "Lady Day" Berlin
Uncle Tupelo - "Criminals" March 16-20, 1992
Coldplay - "Fix You" LeftRightLeftRightLeft
Less Than Jake - "Short on Ideas" Pezcore
Korn - "Open Up" See You On The Other Side
The National - "Racing Like A Pro" Boxer
Velvet Revolver - "Illegal I Song" Contraband
Johnny Cash - "Daddy Sang Bass" 16 Greatest Hits
The Ramones - "Rock n Roll Radio" Mania
Johnny Cash - "Jackson" At Folsom Prison
Man, Reed's Berlin album has to be one of the most depressing albums of all time.
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1. Jeannie C. Riley Harper Valley P.T.A.
2. Billy Joel Just The Way You Are
3. My Morning Jacket Instrumental
4. Alice In Chains No Excuses
5. DMB Say Goodbye
6. Jurassic 5 Game
7. Cake Wheels
8. Smashing Pumpkins Perfect
9. Third Eye Blind Anything
10. Foo Fighters In Your Honor
Bonus: Eddy Arnold Tennessee Stud
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01. World Party - Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues
02. Surrey With the Fringe on Top - Miles Davis Quintet - Steamin'
03. Living in the Future - John Prine - Great Days
04. Shadow Cabinet - the Church - Under the Milky Way
05. Dub Revolution, Pt. 1 - Lee "Scratch" Perry - Arkology
06. Labelled With Love - Squeeze - Greatest Hits
07. Cindy - Johnny Cash/Nick Cave - Unearthed
08. Tres Palabras (Three Words) - Charlie Haden/Gonzalo Rubalcaba - Nocturne
09. Natural Mystic - Bob Marley - The Best of
10. Greystone Chapel - Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison
This is tangentially related to the Friday music post - apparently, the google music beta allows a few invitations to be sent out, so if any citizens are interested in getting into it, let me know. I don't know how many invites I have, but if you have an android phone and unlimited data and want in, let me know and I'll see what I can do.
i suppose i'd be interested in that. i've still gotta figure out a way for my computer to recognize my android though so i can update the software...
Shoot me an email with your address and I'll send you it. rpz3.14 is the name which proceeds the at and the gmail.
1. Jagged -- Old 97's
2. Ain't No Easy Way -- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
3. Don't Cry Daddy -- Elvis Presley
4. Gimme the Car -- Violent Femmes
5. Gangsters & Pranksters -- Pavement
6. Willie Moore -- Richard Burnett
7. Kizza Me -- Alex Chilton
8. The New Pollution -- Beck
9. For All the Cows -- Foo Fighters
10. I Thought I Saw Your Face -- She & Him
Bonus: She Loves You -- The Beatles
Ain't No Easy Way -- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Love the harmonica in this one; really drives the song. How's the rest of the album?
Howl is pretty easily my favorite BRMC album. If you like bluesy rock with more than a touch of gospel, I'd suggest checking it out.
Sweet. I'm in.
That's what they sound like?! Alright, I have my recommendation for the week.
Just a warning, some of their early albums don't sound like that.
We used to play "Six-Barrelled Shotgun" on our radio show all the time. I never really got into them beyond that song.
CH nailed it. Easy the best BRMC album and a great one at that.
It is probably their "best" album, although it's not my favorite of theirs.
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1. R.E.M. - I Took Your Name / Monster
2. Queens of the Stone Age - Feel Good Hit of the Summer / R
3. Thievery Corporation - From Creation / The Richest Man in Babylon
4. Bill Frisell - Lazy Robinson / History, Mystery
5. Steve Earle - Rake / Townes
6. Robbie Fulks - Away Out on the Old Saint Sabbath / Revenge
7. The Murder City Devils - Dear Hearts / Empty Hearts, Broken Bottles
8. Dr. John - Huey Smith Medley / Dr. John's Gumbo
9. Danger Mouse - Encore / Grey Album
T. Low - Death of a Salesman / The Great Destroyer
Pretty light on rap this week.
01. The XX - "Islands" from XX
02. Stone Temple Pilots - "Interstate Love Song" from Purple
03. Iceage - "Collapse" from New Brigade
04. Queens of the Stone Age - "Hangin' Tree" from Songs for the Deaf
05. UGK - "Something Good (Pimp C's RMX)" from Too Hard to Swallow
06. Scarface - "The Suicide Note" from Made
07. The Black Lips - "Time" from Arabia Mountain
08. The Raveonettes - "Wine" from In and Out of Control
09. Times New Viking - "No Good" from Dancer Equired
10. The Field Mice - "A Heart Disease Called Love" from Skywriting + Singles
BT. Young Jeezy - "U Know What It Is" from The Inspiration
1. Audio Adrenaline -- Down in the Lowlands
2. White Heart -- Draw the Line
3. Bleach -- Drive
4. Count Basie -- Duet
5. Kutless -- Dying to Become
6. Thousand Foot Krutch -- E for Extinction
7. The Imperials -- Eagle Song
8. Casting Crowns -- East to West
9. Hawk Nelson featuring tobyMac -- Eggshells
10. White Heart -- Eighth Wonder
1. “peach, plum, pear” – joanna newsom – the milk-eyed mender
2. “impossible germany” – wilco – sky blue sky
3. “city hall” – tenacious D – tenacious D
4. “closer” – low – things we lost in the fire
5. “seal my fate” – belly – king
6. “V.I.P.” – by divine right – all hail discordia
7. “whiskey river” – willie nelson – shotgun willie
8. “please please please” – shout out louds – howl howl gaff gaff
9. “wowa” – namie amuro – queen of hip-pop
10. “paris is burning” – st. vincent – marry me
bonus: “powa” – tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l
I've been listening to Jethro Tull all day. There's my list.