All posts by freealonzo

World Party – Ship of Fools

R.I.P Karl Wallinger. Formally of the Waterboys but really came into his own in late 80s/early 90s with his band World Party. This song has specific resonance with me because I had broken up with a girl and we were driving in the same car after the breakup happened and this song came on the radio. We both sang the chorus at the top of our lungs and then laughed at the absurdity of it all when the song finished.

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MC5 – Ramblin’ Rose

Wayne Kramer guitarist of MC5 passed away this past weekend, he is also listed as a co-writer of most of the MC5 catalog. With his passing the only original member still alive is the drummer Dennis Thompson. Coming out of Detroit, MC5 had a short but fiery stint in the late 1960s and definitely could be considered proto-punks. Their live acts were incendiary and the band got in a bunch of trouble for their revolutionary views. Kick out the Jams is definitely a must hear album.

I actually had a one degree separation to Kramer, as a good friend of mine did a documentary on the MC5 that was getting good reviews in the film festival circuit. However, when they wanted to have a more widespread distribution, Kramer wouldn't release the rights to the music without more $$$ and the movie/DVD release languished. My friend and his wife won all court battles but the movie was never released. So he was kinda a dick too. He also threatens Dave with a gun on camera, so that was (not) cool.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MC5:_A_True_Testimonial

Btw, I actually have one of the few non-bootleg copies of the MC5 - A true Testimonial DVD if anyone is ever interested in seeing a copy. The band is quite fascinating and the story was fair and well done.

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5 Favorite Things 2023

Racket Magazine asked their readers to list their 5 favorite things from the year. Any topic. There were a lot of cool lists so I thought we could do one as well. I'll start:

Freealonzo's five favorite songs performed live in 2023 (out of 60 plus live shows)

Young Til I Die - 7Seconds. Seeing 60-something punks singing this in front of a venue full of 50- and 60-something old punks was really cool. Talk about living the words of a song.

Precious - Pretenders.
Seeing Chrissy Hynde sing this 5 feet in front of me at the 7th Street Entry will be long-held memory. I couldn't believe I was there seeing it.

All I Do - Bully.
Great first song of the album. They led with this song at their show at First Avenue and started playing while the screen while the screen rolled up.

Where Were You - Mekons/Eleventh Dream Day.
Two iconic bands playing an iconic punk song on a warm friday night at a streetfest in Chicago. I was appropriately buzzed.

Game of Pricks - Guided By Voices. This was at the GBV 40th anniversary celebration in Dayton, OH. I had never experienced such love between a crowd and band before. Every single person singing at the top of their lungs and then we gave each other bro hugs afterward.

What are 5 favorite things for your from this past year?

Ratboys – Making Noise for the One You Love

2023 saw a lot of excellent new albums from bands with a female lead and dudes playing indie rock. Bully, Wednesday, Blondeshell all had amazing albums (and local shows). Bully and Wednesday also made the 2023 Summer Mix. Ratboys also had a great new album and I really like this opening song.

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Rolling Stones – Shattered

Some Girls was probably the last great Rolling Stones album and being the Stones, it had a mix of standard rock, disco, and even punk with the song Shattered. This version absolutely rocks and really shows how much of a showman Jaggar was and that the Stones could still throw down. There’s a lot of crappy, drug addled live versions of this song (including on SNL which I remember watching) from this time period but this performance is sublime, I’m glad I found it.

That's a wrap on 1978, or at least a taste. Hope you all enjoyed.

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Elvis Costello – Pump it Up

Elvis Costello’s second album This Year’s Model and I’ve probably listened to this album more than any other (or close to Abbey Road and Bee Thousand). Pump it Up has a definite punk sensibility and showed that one can still rock out with an organ. I could have chosen from a dozen great live versions of this song.

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Talking Heads – Warning Sign

Ok, now we are moving into a more arty not, necessarily rock direction. I love this video in that the crowd seems to be surrounding the Talking Heads. Also, David Bryne throws down some crazy licks on the guitar. The album More Songs About Buildings and Food was a sign that there was something different out there that was really interesting musically.

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Bruce Springsteen – The Promised Land

Coming off of Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen was a genuine rock star and while I think Born to Run created tons Bruce fans, Darkness on the Edge of Town turned that crowd into life-long adoring fans that still exist to this day (did you know Joe Pos once wrote about this album?). I love that the lyrics are screened on the video. Probably my favorite Springsteen song.

This verse is just magic:

There’s a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I’m heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain’t got the faith to stand its ground

Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted

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