Last weeks Top 5 may have been a little too much for some people, all that rudeness in one posting. I have decided to tame things down a little for this week, well not Tame as such but not really about making oneself go blind.
Today marks many things, the birth of a member of Brotherhood of Man, Tina Turner, Natasha Bedingfield but also the birth of John Mcvie, of Fleetwood Mac, there is quite a lot there to do a Top 5 with, but to be fair to John McVie he isn’t in particularly good company Bedingfield tends to soundtrack tampon ads, Turner only appears to release greatest hits albums, Brotherhood of man, well it’s Brotherhood of man. So if it came down to it I could if pushed do a Fleetwood Mac top 5, but I am not.
Todays Top 5 then. The Top 5 songs that someone who doesn’t really like or know anything about reggae may refer to as reggae but probably aren’t, but he does like.
Bit of a mouthful that.
The first one is a song from my distant youth, or more realistically, childhood. I spent a short period of time as a child in Trinidad, when my parents hear this song they tend to go all doe eyed and do that swaying that the elderly do to songs that have a beat that is more compromising than a Celine Dion song, I guess partly because my parents in 1982 were long off elderly. That song is quite a schmaltzy but rather perfect version of Send me the pillow by Cynthia Schloss. I guess this is best described as lovers rock.
Send me the pillow by Cynthia Schloss
Second is the song Sitting In Limbo by Jimmy Cliff. Taken from the soundtrack to the film, The Harder They Come and personally the stand out track from one of my favourite movie soundtracks.
I first heard Jimmy Cliff in the early eighties as my sister had the title track of this album on 7”, I really liked it and I never not once sneaked into my sisters room to play it, not once.
A few years ago I got hold of the album as I kept hearing snatches of songs and realised that I loved it, that’s when I heard the fantastic Sitting In Limbo and decided that one day when I am a pop star and have to fall back on a covers album to fulfil the tenth contractual obligation album, Sitting In Limbo will be on that album, that and Car Chase City by Tenacious D!
Sitting in Limbo by Jimmy Cliff.
Number three is a pretty well known song, it’s Uptown Top Ranking by Althia and Donna. I own this on 7 inch, it’s one I like for its music and beat as opposed to the singing. In the days of yore when Jupitus was on the breakfast show on 6 music, he used to play a fair old bit of reggae, soca, bluebeat, ska etc, I never listened to him mind as I was usually on a bus hurtling towards Telford cursing at the ne’er do wells playing 50 cent at ridiculous volume on mobile phones. I will come back to Jupitus in a moment, anyway, in the days of yore, the lofty wife told me that Uptown Top Ranking was based on a song with the refrain 3 piece suit and ting, my wife, no she knows an awful lot about 80’s pop but chuff all about the music of the West Indies so I poo-pooed her and said she was talking out of her arse. Turns out she was correct and after further prodding, it seems Jupitus had played said track earlier and furnished her with the trivia. That’s my Uptown Top Ranking tale. I can see you are mesmerised by it, you want to hear my Resurrection Shuffle tale?
Uptown Top Ranking by Althia and Donna
Onwards to number four in the Top 5, and that be Dillinger with the infectious Cocaine. A song bought to my attention as a 15 year old child by a teacher. You know however I say that it sounds dodgy, a teacher played me an LP by Dillinger that had the song Cocaine on it, still dodgy. I guess we went to an enlightened school but through some odd ITV telethon type affair for kicks we had a sponsored stay awake at the school, one of the teachers decided to set up what could only be called a sound system and one of his albums was the Dillinger album, it was biddly biddly bong, that’s a good enough description anyway, I later bought the album and appreciated it more as I got older, mainly as I saw a VU reference in a knife a fork a bottle and a cork. I don’t own the album anymore.
Cocaine in my brain by Dillinger
Finally we arrive at 5. I am going to write a glowing eulogy to Peel, I am going to do it now, so in all briefness, 5 is Lion Rock by Culture, he played, I heard it, I loved it.
Lion Rock by Culture
Showing posts with label top 5. Show all posts
Showing posts with label top 5. Show all posts
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Wednesday Top 5
Is it Wednesday? No actually it isn't Wednesday it's Tuesday, I write this a day early as I have to give serious thought to the top 5. I was considering doing a Prince top 5, mainly because the wee fella is in a bit of trouble for not flogging his scent as per a contract, but as he is rather particular about his copyright I think I would struggle to turn up the goods in Youtube.
So where to go from there? OK, if you can't have Prince, what do you go for?
This weeks top five is the top 5 songs dedicated to wanking.
The first song is the rather splendid and future top 5 artist, Hello Kitten by Hefner. Hefner are normally coupled with the phrase Peel Favourites and it was Peel who once said it was always about sex with Hefner. He was absolutely right with this classic, with the refrain I'm gonna make myself go blind tonight, this ode to the joy of self was a fan favourite and when singer Darren Hayman trots it out at his solo shows these days it is met with a joyous reception. I used to have a website called hello kitten, it wasn't about masturbation, it was about hefner. Hefner came from the south, they released near perfect albums and then they split up, that's how it should be.
Darren Hayman and Jack Hayter performing Hello Kitten at Primavera Sound
Obvious number two is The Violent Femmes ode to the joys of fiddling with ones self, Blister in the sun. Lately used as the soundtrack to Fosters supping shade hunters, but historically the most well known of the wankthems. The Violent Femmes appeared in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and once cancelled a UK tour so they could go on a fag sponsored tour of the US, also Gano sold the advertising rights to this song to the US burger chain, Wendys. This song confirms them as wankers.
The Violent Femmes performing Blister In The Sun
Men who are not wankers but also sing about it, The Buzzcocks and the third best song about spanking the monkey is Orgasm Addict. I recall vividly the first time I heard and got The Buzzcocks, for ten minutes one summer whilst I was working at Butlins they were my favourite band and I still have a soft spot for them to this day, this is a million miles from their best work, but as What do I get isn't about self love, it will have to do.
The Buzzcocks performing Orgasm Addict at Shepherds Bush Empire in 2003
Which brings us neatly to Longview, the first time I heard Longview was the result of Kev T playing it a lot at the record shop we worked at, I say record shop, we could have been selling shoes, but prior to him playing Dookie, I knew little about them, other than they played that punk rock music. It was over a decade later before I realised it was essentially about onanism. Obviously Green Day weren't as in your face as Ivor Biggun.
Longview performed by Green Day
Finally we have Jackson Browne, I love Jackson Browne, Its a recent thing and I am unsure if it will be a fleeting love or I will be consumed, time will tell. Rosie is Jacksons tale, a rather sad tale of a roadie and his unluckyness in love, I say love, if it was love Jackson would be telling the tale of a roadie solitarily watching Sleepless in Seattle and not singing an ode to his hand.
Rosie performed by Jackson Browne in Maryland in 1975
So where to go from there? OK, if you can't have Prince, what do you go for?
This weeks top five is the top 5 songs dedicated to wanking.
The first song is the rather splendid and future top 5 artist, Hello Kitten by Hefner. Hefner are normally coupled with the phrase Peel Favourites and it was Peel who once said it was always about sex with Hefner. He was absolutely right with this classic, with the refrain I'm gonna make myself go blind tonight, this ode to the joy of self was a fan favourite and when singer Darren Hayman trots it out at his solo shows these days it is met with a joyous reception. I used to have a website called hello kitten, it wasn't about masturbation, it was about hefner. Hefner came from the south, they released near perfect albums and then they split up, that's how it should be.
Darren Hayman and Jack Hayter performing Hello Kitten at Primavera Sound
Obvious number two is The Violent Femmes ode to the joys of fiddling with ones self, Blister in the sun. Lately used as the soundtrack to Fosters supping shade hunters, but historically the most well known of the wankthems. The Violent Femmes appeared in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and once cancelled a UK tour so they could go on a fag sponsored tour of the US, also Gano sold the advertising rights to this song to the US burger chain, Wendys. This song confirms them as wankers.
The Violent Femmes performing Blister In The Sun
Men who are not wankers but also sing about it, The Buzzcocks and the third best song about spanking the monkey is Orgasm Addict. I recall vividly the first time I heard and got The Buzzcocks, for ten minutes one summer whilst I was working at Butlins they were my favourite band and I still have a soft spot for them to this day, this is a million miles from their best work, but as What do I get isn't about self love, it will have to do.
The Buzzcocks performing Orgasm Addict at Shepherds Bush Empire in 2003
Which brings us neatly to Longview, the first time I heard Longview was the result of Kev T playing it a lot at the record shop we worked at, I say record shop, we could have been selling shoes, but prior to him playing Dookie, I knew little about them, other than they played that punk rock music. It was over a decade later before I realised it was essentially about onanism. Obviously Green Day weren't as in your face as Ivor Biggun.
Longview performed by Green Day
Finally we have Jackson Browne, I love Jackson Browne, Its a recent thing and I am unsure if it will be a fleeting love or I will be consumed, time will tell. Rosie is Jacksons tale, a rather sad tale of a roadie and his unluckyness in love, I say love, if it was love Jackson would be telling the tale of a roadie solitarily watching Sleepless in Seattle and not singing an ode to his hand.
Rosie performed by Jackson Browne in Maryland in 1975
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Wednesday Top 5
Another week and another top 5.
As mentioned last week Ben Folds it will be.
Many many years ago whilst working in a certain Telford music megastore I was entrusted twice and only twice to deal with a rep and buy music, on one of those occasions I was cajoled by said rep into buying a number of Farley Jackmaster Funk CD singles, that remained in the store unsold until its refurbishment many many years later, the other time was a single by Ben Folds Five, Underground. Its fate wasn’t as negative as Farley Jackmaster Funk, however the amount ordered far outweighed the amount sold.
I cursed Ben Folds Five, for they had damned me to a life of servitude in the record shop business and my record buying career was dead in the water. I was a dab hand at putting out CD’s though and knew my folk from my bluegrass, usually involved if the person on the sleeve was wearing a Stetson.
That all said, subminally Ben Folds, Five and Fiveless was always in the back of my mind, I kind of liked subsequent singles I heard up until I heard a track of his being used on a Channel 4 documentary and then I decided that it was time to investigate further, and further investigation was had.
I realised relatively recently that Ben Folds is perhaps one of my favourite artists, in the same way that Eels are, it kind of snuck up on me.
So today’s top five is Ben Folds’ 5.
Easily his best track and the song that I heard on the Channel 4 documentary is Brick. The story of an abortion and you think how can a song about abortion be beautiful? I don’t know, maybe its because maybe it’s Ben and a piano, maybe because you believe what he is saying, maybe its because you get to dip in and hear the vast majority of the story. I wonder if it is autobiographical, and if so, the lady involved, what her thoughts are on having such a private experience being made so public.
Brick by Ben Folds Five
Following that is a track from the album Songs For Silverman, and that track is Late, a tribute to Elliott Smith. Folds clearly is a fan and it is from a fans perspective, drawing touring parallels and the impact that Smiths life and indeed death had on Folds, and how much his music meant to him. Songs for Silverman is a consistently good album and Late is by far the best work on there.
That is what would be number two if I had the video to back it up with, as I haven't here is a video of Ben doing Smoke.
Smoke by Ben Folds
Lightening the mood somewhat after those two is a song from a later EP called, There is always someone cooler than you. Wise words. If you had a virtual pot of Ben Folds songs and they were arranged in tempo, I would wager there are very few of the more uptempo songs that I would listen to prior to something such as Brick, or Smoke or any of the more down beat, slower songs, There is always someone cooler than you is an exception, initially getting a limited release until the ep’s were collected and released in a longer form.
There is always someone cooler than you by Ben Folds.
Number 4 is a track from the Ben Folds Five era, and its Philosophy from the debut album, Ben Folds Five. This took on a life of its own when I saw it performed live, totally different feel to it and certainly a fan favourite if not THE fan favourite.
Philosophy by Ben Folds Five.
That is if it wasn’t for number 5, Rock this bitch is to Ben folds what Suburban Rhythm is to Reel Big Fish, I feel guilty for putting it on this five as he has a million songs better, but it sort of highlights the juxtaposition between something like Brick and this. Rock this bitch alters on any given night, only to be sampled live.
Rock this bitch with WASO by Ben Folds.
Rock this bitch by Ben Folds
As mentioned last week Ben Folds it will be.
Many many years ago whilst working in a certain Telford music megastore I was entrusted twice and only twice to deal with a rep and buy music, on one of those occasions I was cajoled by said rep into buying a number of Farley Jackmaster Funk CD singles, that remained in the store unsold until its refurbishment many many years later, the other time was a single by Ben Folds Five, Underground. Its fate wasn’t as negative as Farley Jackmaster Funk, however the amount ordered far outweighed the amount sold.
I cursed Ben Folds Five, for they had damned me to a life of servitude in the record shop business and my record buying career was dead in the water. I was a dab hand at putting out CD’s though and knew my folk from my bluegrass, usually involved if the person on the sleeve was wearing a Stetson.
That all said, subminally Ben Folds, Five and Fiveless was always in the back of my mind, I kind of liked subsequent singles I heard up until I heard a track of his being used on a Channel 4 documentary and then I decided that it was time to investigate further, and further investigation was had.
I realised relatively recently that Ben Folds is perhaps one of my favourite artists, in the same way that Eels are, it kind of snuck up on me.
So today’s top five is Ben Folds’ 5.
Easily his best track and the song that I heard on the Channel 4 documentary is Brick. The story of an abortion and you think how can a song about abortion be beautiful? I don’t know, maybe its because maybe it’s Ben and a piano, maybe because you believe what he is saying, maybe its because you get to dip in and hear the vast majority of the story. I wonder if it is autobiographical, and if so, the lady involved, what her thoughts are on having such a private experience being made so public.
Brick by Ben Folds Five
Following that is a track from the album Songs For Silverman, and that track is Late, a tribute to Elliott Smith. Folds clearly is a fan and it is from a fans perspective, drawing touring parallels and the impact that Smiths life and indeed death had on Folds, and how much his music meant to him. Songs for Silverman is a consistently good album and Late is by far the best work on there.
That is what would be number two if I had the video to back it up with, as I haven't here is a video of Ben doing Smoke.
Smoke by Ben Folds
Lightening the mood somewhat after those two is a song from a later EP called, There is always someone cooler than you. Wise words. If you had a virtual pot of Ben Folds songs and they were arranged in tempo, I would wager there are very few of the more uptempo songs that I would listen to prior to something such as Brick, or Smoke or any of the more down beat, slower songs, There is always someone cooler than you is an exception, initially getting a limited release until the ep’s were collected and released in a longer form.
There is always someone cooler than you by Ben Folds.
Number 4 is a track from the Ben Folds Five era, and its Philosophy from the debut album, Ben Folds Five. This took on a life of its own when I saw it performed live, totally different feel to it and certainly a fan favourite if not THE fan favourite.
Philosophy by Ben Folds Five.
That is if it wasn’t for number 5, Rock this bitch is to Ben folds what Suburban Rhythm is to Reel Big Fish, I feel guilty for putting it on this five as he has a million songs better, but it sort of highlights the juxtaposition between something like Brick and this. Rock this bitch alters on any given night, only to be sampled live.
Rock this bitch with WASO by Ben Folds.
Rock this bitch by Ben Folds
Wednesday, 5 November 2008
Wednesday Top 5
Its a momentous day today, a day that perhaps will never be forgotten, perhaps even never forgotten by our children. Today marks the changing point for a lot of people.
Yes its the second Wednesday top 5!
I have spent most of my commute thinking what will I plunder Youtube for? Obama related? Maybe something else? Its difficult not to post a change is gonna come, its an easy choice.
But no, todays top 5 is...
Top 5 Hip Hop songs covered by non Hip Hop artists.
To kick things off is a rather splendid version of NWA's Straight Outta Compton, its fair to say that all of the songs pretty much aren't safe for work.
But anyway, this version is a rather beautiful version by Nina Gordon, formerly of Veruca Salt. She did a fair few covers, notably One More Night, 18 and Life etc, but this is the best by a fair chalk.
Straight Outta Compton by Nina Gordon
Nina Gordon
Second best Hip Hop cover I ever heard is covered by future Top 5 artist, it is Bitches Ain't Shit, a Dr Dre tune that is perhaps lost in transalation when it gets into the hands of Ben Folds. But it really does take on a life of its own and I challenge anyone who has heard the original not to listen to this and not think of this whenever they hear the Dr Dre original.
Bitches Ain't Shit by Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Following that is Jonathan Coulton, I know nothing about this man but he loves "open source" music and gives a lot of his music away for free, embarrassingly I only have his gorgeous version of Sir Mixalots, Baby Got Back. Maybe I need to get a lot more.
Baby Got Back by Jonathan Coulton
Jonathan Coulton
How to follow that, well, a few years ago I went to see the side project of the non Jack Black half of Tenacious D, Kyle Gas's band Trainwreck. I saw them in Los Angeles and they were OK, I guess, however the support band, The Evangenitals became very quickly one of my favourite bands, they are better than any cover, but this beautiful plaintive version of Outkasts Hey Ya really shows off their sound, the video is not much to look at but the sound is worth it.
Hey Ya by The Evangenitals
The Evangenitals
Finally Blackeyed Peas' My Humps, as covered by Alanis Morrissette, hmm, its an odd one and unsure if it really is out and out Hip Hop, that said I like the juxtaposition.
My Humps by Alanis Morrissette
Alanis Morrissette
Yes its the second Wednesday top 5!
I have spent most of my commute thinking what will I plunder Youtube for? Obama related? Maybe something else? Its difficult not to post a change is gonna come, its an easy choice.
But no, todays top 5 is...
Top 5 Hip Hop songs covered by non Hip Hop artists.
To kick things off is a rather splendid version of NWA's Straight Outta Compton, its fair to say that all of the songs pretty much aren't safe for work.
But anyway, this version is a rather beautiful version by Nina Gordon, formerly of Veruca Salt. She did a fair few covers, notably One More Night, 18 and Life etc, but this is the best by a fair chalk.
Straight Outta Compton by Nina Gordon
Nina Gordon
Second best Hip Hop cover I ever heard is covered by future Top 5 artist, it is Bitches Ain't Shit, a Dr Dre tune that is perhaps lost in transalation when it gets into the hands of Ben Folds. But it really does take on a life of its own and I challenge anyone who has heard the original not to listen to this and not think of this whenever they hear the Dr Dre original.
Bitches Ain't Shit by Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Following that is Jonathan Coulton, I know nothing about this man but he loves "open source" music and gives a lot of his music away for free, embarrassingly I only have his gorgeous version of Sir Mixalots, Baby Got Back. Maybe I need to get a lot more.
Baby Got Back by Jonathan Coulton
Jonathan Coulton
How to follow that, well, a few years ago I went to see the side project of the non Jack Black half of Tenacious D, Kyle Gas's band Trainwreck. I saw them in Los Angeles and they were OK, I guess, however the support band, The Evangenitals became very quickly one of my favourite bands, they are better than any cover, but this beautiful plaintive version of Outkasts Hey Ya really shows off their sound, the video is not much to look at but the sound is worth it.
Hey Ya by The Evangenitals
The Evangenitals
Finally Blackeyed Peas' My Humps, as covered by Alanis Morrissette, hmm, its an odd one and unsure if it really is out and out Hip Hop, that said I like the juxtaposition.
My Humps by Alanis Morrissette
Alanis Morrissette
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Wednesday Top 5.
I don't know about you but Wednesdays are are a limbo day for me, and no I don't mean the practice of going under a stick on ones holiday to the Dominican Republic. That point where the weekend is a distant memory and and the next one is not within easy grasp. I feel the yearning fro Friday to come around is a distraction from my work and so a perfect time to distract myself with lists. I like lists, Kev likes lists, people, normally boys, like lists.
When we were bandying about names for this blog, it was trying to meet the criteria of a musical reference related to someone we like, the only stipulation from my side is that it didn't come from the Satanic Pentalogy of U2, Radiohead, Muse, Coldplay and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Bands who I thought were totally without merit.
This morning though I thought, every band has at least one track, one track at the very minimum that could be considered passable, so this Wednesdays top 5?
The Top 5 Tracks by The Bottom 5 Bands!
U2 kick things off, and with a huge back catalogue surely its easy? People who I know that like U2 (and I know a lot of people that like U2) say well how can you not love Beautiful Day, my reply is a withering stare that says "how can you not love that I am going to stab you in the eye"? Others try to appeal to my sense of musical history and say "Well you have to admit New Years Day and Pride are fantastic tunes", I would rather admit to have relations with my cat. So you see I struggle, bear in mind I have gone on record many times as saying, If you like U2, you have essentially declared to the world that you no longer like music. So the number one song by a bottom five band is.......
Angel of Harlem by U2.
My mate Dave or was it Jon, had the album this is from, I want to say Rattle and Hum, but as it is not worth the research so I wont check this fact. Or the fact that it was either Dave or Jon, although its not important at this juncture, lets say it was Dave. Dave used to play it a lot and the only single song on the album that raised an eyebrow was the paean to Billie Holiday, Angel of Harlem. This was Bongo's cowboy boots wearing phase and The Hedge started wearing 10 gallon hats to hide his balding pate. I would like to think that Larry Mullen Jr bought a horse and Adam Clayton started talking in a Texan accent and insisted that the rest of U2 called him Bucky Bob. Unfortunately this wasn't true, Bono started talking about world poverty, whilst accepting millions off Livenation as well as quite a large share in the company and putting all his cash in a Dutch bank account, to avoid all that tax nonsense. Nice one.
Radiohead. This band perplex me, and the people that listen to and appreciate Radiohead perplex me even more. The songwriting process must be an odd time.
Johnny Greenwood: I have come up with a right good riff, it's a little poppy, a little punky, its in 4/4 and the chords are A, D, E and back to D, have a listen Thom, I welcome your thoughts. Its called "I love a girl."
Thom Yorke: I likes it, its catchy, can you just make a few minor changes?
JG: Minor?
TY: Minor!
JG: OK, Rock on Tommy.
TY: First off, the chords, 4 chords.
JG: Yeah, I like its simplicity, 4 chords and the truth!
TY: 4 chords is for Sigur Ros, not for us sonny jim, you need to add a few more, and by few I mean ten, and by more I mean instead of and if there ain't #, 7m, diminished or 9ths after the name, give it to the Sugababes as you are clearly barking up the wrong tree.
JG: Tree?
TY: Tree!
JG: O…..K….so you want me to change a few chords, well OK, it's a learning process, I can do that, lets hit the studio!
TY: Not so fast Greenwood. The style, a bit poppy? A bit punky? You been listening to MTV2 again, we don't do poppy, we don't do punky, we do avant garde noise fuelled Stockhausen influenced minimal beat poetry combining the best aspects of Garbarek with elements of Bolivian folk songs, mixed by Photek. You dig Greenwood.
JG: B..b..but I have been listening to a lot of Green Day recently, Dookie in particular, I thought we could go off in a whole new direction, expand our fanbase.
TY: You ain't paid to think, you are paid to weave sounscapes to my tortured ramblings, you are paid to play in 2/36 time, you are paid to do that CHU-CHUG noise in creep, if you don't like it, I can get Mark Knoffler to fill you boots like that!
JG: Mark Knoffler?
TY: The Knoff!
So whats good then in a sea of shite, what floats?
Faithless The Wonderboy by Radiohead.
I bought Anyone can play guitar by Radiohead when I lived in Kent, I quite liked the A-side and the B-side was a tune called Faithless The Wonderboy . It turned out to be a lovely track rather reminiscent of Creep, but probably better. I have quite a defined line in the sand with Radiohead, I was actually a fan at one point, then OK Computer came out and it undid every single thing that had gone before it. That pattern continued up to the present day.
Muse are a tricky one, my daughter loves Muse, I cry at this thought of her liking them, I also cry at the fact that an ex member of The Senseless Things helped out on bass a few years back. When I am king, that will be a crime punishable by something less exciting than death but as equally distracting.
Muse for too long have been allowed to make rambling modern prog rock opuses (is that opii?) that mimic Radiohead. They are a band that sneakily and without warning ending up headlining festivals but people can't understand how they got there. (See also The Killers, Kings of Leon and The Offspring).
I view listening to any of their albums as a torture akin to waterboarding.
Plug In Baby by Muse.
I own this on single, I bought it from a place that me and Kev both used to work at, it was sold to me by a man that we both consider to be our friend, still he sold it me though and to be honest I like it. I like it quite a lot actually, maybe as it isn't a noodling prog rock opus. I have even danced to it on occasion, and by dance I mean move my body with the rhythmic nuances of a toddler throwing a strop. I throw shapes. People throw fish.
Coldplay, ah sweet little Coldplay, sweet indie Coldplay. I recall Coldplay before Chris started writing on his hand and lecturing me. They played Yellow on Jo Whileys show. I had just been for an interview for the job that I was made redundant from earlier this year, I popped home to change out of my suit and me and my short on stature wife listened intently to Yellow on the radio. But time is a mean sparring partner and her punch nary feels like a kiss. Pomposity and belief in ones own press will inevitably turn a band into the indie G4, an indie G4 that doesn't really need to try to hard as people will buy anything no matter what the quality is like.
The Scientist by Coldplay.
Coldplay are though, the easiest to think of one good track, up until Livin La Vida Loca, I possibly liked one track on each album, this isn't a good thing though, I could possibly listen to every Screwdriver album and feel that at least one track had a good beat. (Curse their nazi politics!!). The Scientist is chosen though as I am a sucker for sentimentality and it takes little more than Bradley off Eastenders frowning to send me into tears. The video is the telling in reverse of a car accident, Chris and his on screen lady, not Gwyneth, (she was probably busy), recreating a public information film on why its best to wear a seatbelt. You may also recall the follow up single, "During the summer holidays, stay off that building site".
For every Coldplay, there is a Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Rather unfortunately, where it was easy to think of a redeeming Coldplay song, it's a real struggle to do the same with RHCP. Do I cheat and go for Higher Ground, but then it isn't their song is it. You see the Chilli Peppers certainly have their fans but I really can not think of a more lumpen, dull band creating music today. They make Oasis seem cutting edge, the Klaxxons seem like geniuses, they even make The Kooks sound good.
Cabron by Red Hot Chilli Peppers
So it is Cabron, I think it is from the album By The Way, it reminds me in part of For Spacious Lies by Beats International. I first heard it trying to pretend I was young, and down with the kids watching Tony Hawks Boom Boom Huckjam, a skateboarding film. (I do not skateboard, my one and only foray into the sport ended up with me losing 5 seconds, splayed on my back on the floor and "friends" trying their best not to laugh) The skaters in it were singing along to the song, Cabron, it fitted perfectly. I think I really like the song, maybe because it doesn't sound like RHCP, maybe. I think Cabron means something rather rude in Spanish.
When we were bandying about names for this blog, it was trying to meet the criteria of a musical reference related to someone we like, the only stipulation from my side is that it didn't come from the Satanic Pentalogy of U2, Radiohead, Muse, Coldplay and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Bands who I thought were totally without merit.
This morning though I thought, every band has at least one track, one track at the very minimum that could be considered passable, so this Wednesdays top 5?
The Top 5 Tracks by The Bottom 5 Bands!
U2 kick things off, and with a huge back catalogue surely its easy? People who I know that like U2 (and I know a lot of people that like U2) say well how can you not love Beautiful Day, my reply is a withering stare that says "how can you not love that I am going to stab you in the eye"? Others try to appeal to my sense of musical history and say "Well you have to admit New Years Day and Pride are fantastic tunes", I would rather admit to have relations with my cat. So you see I struggle, bear in mind I have gone on record many times as saying, If you like U2, you have essentially declared to the world that you no longer like music. So the number one song by a bottom five band is.......
Angel of Harlem by U2.
My mate Dave or was it Jon, had the album this is from, I want to say Rattle and Hum, but as it is not worth the research so I wont check this fact. Or the fact that it was either Dave or Jon, although its not important at this juncture, lets say it was Dave. Dave used to play it a lot and the only single song on the album that raised an eyebrow was the paean to Billie Holiday, Angel of Harlem. This was Bongo's cowboy boots wearing phase and The Hedge started wearing 10 gallon hats to hide his balding pate. I would like to think that Larry Mullen Jr bought a horse and Adam Clayton started talking in a Texan accent and insisted that the rest of U2 called him Bucky Bob. Unfortunately this wasn't true, Bono started talking about world poverty, whilst accepting millions off Livenation as well as quite a large share in the company and putting all his cash in a Dutch bank account, to avoid all that tax nonsense. Nice one.
Radiohead. This band perplex me, and the people that listen to and appreciate Radiohead perplex me even more. The songwriting process must be an odd time.
Johnny Greenwood: I have come up with a right good riff, it's a little poppy, a little punky, its in 4/4 and the chords are A, D, E and back to D, have a listen Thom, I welcome your thoughts. Its called "I love a girl."
Thom Yorke: I likes it, its catchy, can you just make a few minor changes?
JG: Minor?
TY: Minor!
JG: OK, Rock on Tommy.
TY: First off, the chords, 4 chords.
JG: Yeah, I like its simplicity, 4 chords and the truth!
TY: 4 chords is for Sigur Ros, not for us sonny jim, you need to add a few more, and by few I mean ten, and by more I mean instead of and if there ain't #, 7m, diminished or 9ths after the name, give it to the Sugababes as you are clearly barking up the wrong tree.
JG: Tree?
TY: Tree!
JG: O…..K….so you want me to change a few chords, well OK, it's a learning process, I can do that, lets hit the studio!
TY: Not so fast Greenwood. The style, a bit poppy? A bit punky? You been listening to MTV2 again, we don't do poppy, we don't do punky, we do avant garde noise fuelled Stockhausen influenced minimal beat poetry combining the best aspects of Garbarek with elements of Bolivian folk songs, mixed by Photek. You dig Greenwood.
JG: B..b..but I have been listening to a lot of Green Day recently, Dookie in particular, I thought we could go off in a whole new direction, expand our fanbase.
TY: You ain't paid to think, you are paid to weave sounscapes to my tortured ramblings, you are paid to play in 2/36 time, you are paid to do that CHU-CHUG noise in creep, if you don't like it, I can get Mark Knoffler to fill you boots like that!
JG: Mark Knoffler?
TY: The Knoff!
So whats good then in a sea of shite, what floats?
Faithless The Wonderboy by Radiohead.
I bought Anyone can play guitar by Radiohead when I lived in Kent, I quite liked the A-side and the B-side was a tune called Faithless The Wonderboy . It turned out to be a lovely track rather reminiscent of Creep, but probably better. I have quite a defined line in the sand with Radiohead, I was actually a fan at one point, then OK Computer came out and it undid every single thing that had gone before it. That pattern continued up to the present day.
Muse are a tricky one, my daughter loves Muse, I cry at this thought of her liking them, I also cry at the fact that an ex member of The Senseless Things helped out on bass a few years back. When I am king, that will be a crime punishable by something less exciting than death but as equally distracting.
Muse for too long have been allowed to make rambling modern prog rock opuses (is that opii?) that mimic Radiohead. They are a band that sneakily and without warning ending up headlining festivals but people can't understand how they got there. (See also The Killers, Kings of Leon and The Offspring).
I view listening to any of their albums as a torture akin to waterboarding.
Plug In Baby by Muse.
I own this on single, I bought it from a place that me and Kev both used to work at, it was sold to me by a man that we both consider to be our friend, still he sold it me though and to be honest I like it. I like it quite a lot actually, maybe as it isn't a noodling prog rock opus. I have even danced to it on occasion, and by dance I mean move my body with the rhythmic nuances of a toddler throwing a strop. I throw shapes. People throw fish.
Coldplay, ah sweet little Coldplay, sweet indie Coldplay. I recall Coldplay before Chris started writing on his hand and lecturing me. They played Yellow on Jo Whileys show. I had just been for an interview for the job that I was made redundant from earlier this year, I popped home to change out of my suit and me and my short on stature wife listened intently to Yellow on the radio. But time is a mean sparring partner and her punch nary feels like a kiss. Pomposity and belief in ones own press will inevitably turn a band into the indie G4, an indie G4 that doesn't really need to try to hard as people will buy anything no matter what the quality is like.
The Scientist by Coldplay.
Coldplay are though, the easiest to think of one good track, up until Livin La Vida Loca, I possibly liked one track on each album, this isn't a good thing though, I could possibly listen to every Screwdriver album and feel that at least one track had a good beat. (Curse their nazi politics!!). The Scientist is chosen though as I am a sucker for sentimentality and it takes little more than Bradley off Eastenders frowning to send me into tears. The video is the telling in reverse of a car accident, Chris and his on screen lady, not Gwyneth, (she was probably busy), recreating a public information film on why its best to wear a seatbelt. You may also recall the follow up single, "During the summer holidays, stay off that building site".
For every Coldplay, there is a Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Rather unfortunately, where it was easy to think of a redeeming Coldplay song, it's a real struggle to do the same with RHCP. Do I cheat and go for Higher Ground, but then it isn't their song is it. You see the Chilli Peppers certainly have their fans but I really can not think of a more lumpen, dull band creating music today. They make Oasis seem cutting edge, the Klaxxons seem like geniuses, they even make The Kooks sound good.
Cabron by Red Hot Chilli Peppers
So it is Cabron, I think it is from the album By The Way, it reminds me in part of For Spacious Lies by Beats International. I first heard it trying to pretend I was young, and down with the kids watching Tony Hawks Boom Boom Huckjam, a skateboarding film. (I do not skateboard, my one and only foray into the sport ended up with me losing 5 seconds, splayed on my back on the floor and "friends" trying their best not to laugh) The skaters in it were singing along to the song, Cabron, it fitted perfectly. I think I really like the song, maybe because it doesn't sound like RHCP, maybe. I think Cabron means something rather rude in Spanish.
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