This week, let’s pay tribute to a cornerstone of the Chicago music scene, Leonard Chess. Over 60 years ago, he and his brother Phil launched Chess Records, the label that launched the careers of Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, among others, releasing some of the most vital records in blues and rock ‘n’ roll history. Sure, Leonard may have engaged in questionable business practices, but the list of honest record executives starts (and may end) with Corey Rusk (NOTE: this is an exaggeration). But Chess is simply a seminal label that changed the face of music — and it happened here in Chicago. So pay tribute to Leonard and the Chess roster by grabbing your iPod/MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 tunes that come up.
Nada Surf — Blonde on Blonde (Let Go): This Anglophile band managed to shake their novelty one-hit wonder status and make some really good albums in the vein of The Bends-era Radiohead. Unlike their British contemporaries, such as Coldplay and Keane, Nada Surf is not about overkill. Indeed, there’s a distinct measure of ’80s college radio rock in their sound, meaning that even when the band ups the drama, they don’t go over the top. This is a low key mid-tempo tune that reminds me a little bit of The House Of Love.
Simon & Garfunkel — The Dangling Conversation (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme): What’s amazing about S & G is how their many hits, for the most part, only reveal a few aspects of Paul Simon’s amazing songwriting talents. The duo added a pop lushness to folk-rock and combined with Simon’s acute lyrics and sense of grandeur, this made for some of the best music of the ’60s. Since they were such a major pop act, I think they aren’t considered with the more conventional rock acts of the period. This is a shame. Their music may have been softer, but Simon is right up there with Ray Davies when it comes to observational songwriting.
Ohio Players — Sweet Sticky Thing (): While best know for their funk hits “Fire” and “Love Rollercoaster”, the Ohio Players had their softer moments too. This is a mid-tempo number that appears to have been an attempt to ape The Isley Brothers’ loverman shtick. It’s not as good as the Isleys, but it has such a winning soft vibe and some cool saxophone work.
Slow Jets — Dreams Come Out (Remain in Ether): A Baltimore band who followed down the path blazed by bands like The Embarrassment. This is off-kilter indie rock, catchy but not straightforward. This song has a bit of a Pere Ubu touch with spacey keyboard noises and tones augmenting the guitar based song. Good song.
Ross — LaughCream (Supersonic Spacewalk): Ross is a Spanish power pop artist with a wavering command of the English language. His songs are laden with guitars and sweeping harmony vocals. This song has a bit of an Electric Light Orchestra vibe with some psychedelic pop tricks.
The Cars — Moving In Stereo (The Cars): A great nocturnal driving track from one of the great debut albums of the ’70s. The Cars were considered a new wave band when they began, and with their wide variety of influences, including the Velvet Underground and Roxy Music, that was as a good a spot for them as anywhere. This is such a great piece of mood music, with Greg Hawkes’ gloomy keyboards and Elliot Easton’s atmospheric guitar work. And producer Roy Thomas Baker should get credit for the mechanistic drum sound, which fits the rest of the track so well.
Kid Creole & The Coconuts — Things We Said Today (To Travel Sideways): A nifty take on the well known Beatles song. Kid Creole finds a way to fit the tune into his patented supper club funk/salsa mix, while not messing with the classic haunting melody.
Supergrass — Cheapskate (In It For The Money): While the first Supergrass album is probably the favorite of most fans, its on the brilliant second album where Gaz Coombes’ songwriting fully flourished. Indeed, when this came up, I had to check which album it was off of, since the band has generally been so consistent from this point forward. This song has a great R & B rhythm base and is a fine example of how good pop-rock songwriting often involves building up tension in the verses and then releasing it with a wide open melody in the chorus.
Merle Haggard — I Made the Prison Band (Branded Man): Has anyone done a compilation of Merle Haggard songs about being in prison, committing a crime or getting out of prison? It would cover at least two CDs. During the late ’60s, Haggard was bursting with great honky-tonk tunes, especially on this fantastic album.
Real Cool Killers — Something’s Wrong (The Violence Inherent In The System): French band rocking out on a track from a stellar compilation of European bands put together by Steve Gardner, who used to publish the Noise For Heroes fanzine and later wrote for The Big Takeover. The songs on this compilation are inspired by the Stooges, New York Dolls, The Cramps among others. This song could be passed off as the work of some Aussie punk band of the early ’80s.