Night Music: Richard Hell and the Voidoids, “Walking on the Water”

This is a fabulous song that is about religion and faith, and all the richer because the Ur punk Hell is covering the Ur hippie band Credence Clearwater Revival.

What you need to know? Catchy as heck. With meaning. And a great guitar solo.

This is another song I can remember hearing the first time, though there really isn’t a story attached. But in those days buying an album, almost always at a tiny story on Second Avenue just south of Eighth Street, on the west side of the street, was an act of faith. I was working lots of hours to pay for school, and actually closing the deal on some vinyl was a little like sacrament.

I don’t know that anyone listens to The Blank Generation album today with anything more than academic interest, which is probably right. I don’t recall thinking that this was music for the ages, but I do remember the intense pleasure that came from Love Comes in Spurts and Down at the Rock and Roll CLub and Walking on the Water. And really every cut on the album was, if not perfect, it represented the imagined perfection of the time.

And at that point we were getting close to the end of the time when any of us would think that one good thought might solve all of us.

Night Music: Temple of the Dog, “Hunger Strike”

This is another tune that was on the birthday disc Lindsay burned for me in October.

As I listened, I kept thinking “man this sounds like Eddie Vedder.”

In fact on Christmas Day this year, we were sitting in the living room at Lindsay’s parents’ home (with Lindsay’s shuffle plugged in, of course) and Hunger Strike played and we both agreed it really did sound like Vedder.

Well, that is because it is Vedder.

Temple of the Dog were indeed a grunge band who released one disc in 1991, with Vedder, Mike McCReady, and Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, and Jeff Ament–who would collectively release big disc, 10, as Pearl Jam a year later–along with Soundgarden core Chris Cornell.

The album was a tribute to the late Andrew Wood, singer for Mother Love Bone out of whom Temple of the Dog was born, and then the evolution completed with Pearl Jam or Soundgarden, depending upon who you were and where you went.

As with the best of Pearl Jam, I would call this song haunting. And, I know there are those who really dislike PJ, and well, likes are subjective. I happen to really like them. If nothing else they are excellent musicians and songwriters, even if not your cup of tea.

 

Night Music: The Slits, “Heard It Through The Grapevine”

I had a memory yesterday of walking into the Woolworth’s five and dime in Smithtown, my home town, and hearing this song on the radio for the first time. It was as memorable as JFK being shot in that way. But then I tried to imagine whether what I heard was the Gladys Knight and the Pips version (that would be September 1967), which peaked at No. 2, or the Marvin Gaye version, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in October of 1968, and I wasn’t sure. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the Creedence Clearwater version, which I remember as a big hit, but which topped out No. 43 in 1970. And was 11 minutes long.

What’s for sure is it wasn’t the Slits’ version, which was the B side of their first single, Typical Girls, in 1979.

Night Music: Ann Peebles, “I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down”

Room by room by room.

I came to this from the Graham Parker cover, but as hot as that is, Ann Peebles brings a Dusty-like chill to the anger that makes it feel even more destructive. And more perfect, too, one for the pantheon. (I’d like to see a cage match between this and Heard It Through the Grapevine, not because Playhouse would win, but because both are the pinnacle.)

RIP: Pete Seeger (1919-2014)

Folk great Pete Seeger passed away today, ideally peacefully, at the age of 94.

Seeger might not be thought of as a rocker, but he represented the spirit and attitude that any serious musician–or artist, for that matter–held and spoke, unashamedly about any cause.

Seeger was a founding member of the Weavers–who recorded probably had their biggest hit in the 50’s with Goodnight Irene by Lead Belly–some of whom were blacklisted during the McCarthy era for their beliefs.

However, in the 60’s, with the emergence of Bob Dyan, Joan Baez, and Peter, Paul, and Mary, Seeger found company and even a mentor-ship as his songs If I Had a Hammer, Waist Deep in the Big Muddy, and Turn! Turn! Turn! found their way to radio play.

Seeger, who played with Woody Guthrie as well as Lead Belly (with whom he co-wrote So Long, It’s Been Good to Know You along with fellow activist and musician, Lee Hays) was a pioneer in roots recording, and equally important, the Civil Rights Movement that grabbed hold in the 60’s, and is really still going on.

Seeger was a great gentleman by all accounts, and a man dedicated to humanity and equality and freedom for all human beings: something I like to think all artists, and especially rockers, strive for.

But, in thinking about Seeger, I could not help but think of the clip of him in Martin Scorsese’s fabulous American Masters documentary about Bob Dylan, No Direction Home.

Seeger is so sweet and perplexed and definite about wanting the cables to the electric guitars of Mike Bloomfield and Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival, in 1965, that it is funny to think how we all as human beings have our limits and adjustments.

For, Seeger was indeed a progressive politically. And, as a guy who quit the Weavers because they had signed an agreement to perform a cigarette jingle, he was certainly principled. But, I guess some progress, like cranked up Mike Bloomfield blues licks were hard to take for a middle-aged banjo player.

The world was a better place with, and because of Pete Seeger. And, it is sadder with him gone.

I did try to find the clip from No Direction Home, but couldn’t (although I highly recommend the movie and soundtrack) but, I did find this lovely clip of Seeger performing Dylan’s Forever Young.

And, well, remember, attitude does not have to be in-your-face Ted Nugent. A quiet message is always the most powerful, and Seeger was the purveyor of just that.

 

Night Music: Modest Mouse, “The Whale Song”

Modest Mouse is a band I really like a lot, and yet I forget to listen to even more than I like them for some reason (I do own a couple of their CD’s).

Not so niece Lindsay, who keeps me honest and dropped this killer cut on the birthday CD she burned for me. In fact, that disc is so good it prompted me to create the “Lindsay Says” category which I tagged to this piece.

But, I figure I can share the stuff she turns me onto to:

  • Give credit where credit is due.
  • Show that she is keeping me current on new shit (and that I am trying to keep up).
  • Make sure the site covers some bands more on the College list, which is always more interesting that what they play on the standard formats.

Either way, I love this song all the way through.

 

http://youtu.be/iG4tkZUCIW4

 

Night Music: Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Catholic Schoolgirls Rule”

Thoughts of Freaky Styley led to this, a video with a little too much nudity for MTV. And if not MTV, where could you see it back in 1983? I’m sure I never did. In any case, we’ll see if some bare breasts and fake crucifixion scenes jack up our page views.

There’s plenty to get Tipper Gore worked up. Dan Rather, too.

New Rock: Gary Clark Jr., “Bright Lights”

The Grammy nominee for Best Rock Song who wasn’t a 60s artist and doesn’t sound like a harder-edge Bee Gees is Gary Clark Jr.

The song he was nominated for is from his okay debut album, Black and Blu, which shows off a variety of blues, soul, r’n’b and rock styles. It features a horn section and a wicked guitar solo, but suffers I think from a lack of real passion from Clark. He’s performing, but I couldn’t help think that if Dave Grohl was playing drums, driving him forward that he would have taken home the miserable little prize.

This older song, on the other hand, goes large. In other words, no accordions.