Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Stiv Bators Edition

He was one of The Dead Boys, an underrated slab of brute force American punk from Ohio. The band’s first album was Young, Loud and Snotty, and a picture of Stiv from those days would conjure up all three of those words. An expressive front man, he was never a star, but always someone who everyone noticed. After leaving the band, he showed promise as a power pop artist, but never caught on. He then fronted another cool band, the gothy Lords Of The New Church. Sadly, he passed away after being hit by a car. In Stiv’s honor, please grab your iPod or MP3 player, hit shuffle, and share the first ten tunes.

1. Joy Division — Heart And Soul (Permanent): One of the leading lights of the post-punk era, under the guidance of producer Martin Hannett, Joy Division mastered the use of sonic space on their moody, rhythmic songs that throbbed with tension and menace. On this track, skittish snare fills and Peter Hook’s flowing bass lines keep things grounded, with a measured vocal from Ian Curtis and swirling psychedelic guitars that come in after a couple of minutes.
2. Rank And File — I Don’t Go Out Much (Sundown): The loping rhythms and twanging guitar signify country music, but there was something different about Rank And File’s take on this classic American style. They did a great job of tipping a hat to tradition while not sounding imitative or slavish. This is a fun little bopper.
3. Electric Light Orchestra —- Ticket To The Moon (Time): The first line of this song is “Remember the 1980s” which is in keeping with this futuristic sort of concept album from ELO. On this track, Jeff Lynne sings like John Lennon on a Paul McCartney solo track, before the bombastic chorus comes in…bombastically?
4. Prince — Ronnie, Talk To Russia (Controversy): This is a simplistic new wavey nursery rhyme directed at President Reagan, complete with the sound of rifles in the background. Perhaps this level of political discourse influenced M.I.A. Despite the inanity, this brief ditty fits in well on the second side of Prince’s fourth album.
5. My Dad Is Dead — Deja Vu (For Richer, For Poorer): There should be a special rock hall of fame for artists who manage to make the most of a limited voice. Mark Edwards would belong on the first ballot. His midwestern sincerity oozes out of every syllable, as he sing-talks his way through his Velvet Underground/Joy Division inspired rockers. Given his limitations, Edwards has found a way to inject a lot of melody into his songs over the years, and this is a very thoughtful tune with typically stellar guitar work.
6. The Morells — Waitin’ In School (Morells Anthology Live): A basic rockabilly shuffle with D. Clinton Thompson on lead vocals. More importantly, Thompson is also playing guitar and he corks off some really nice solos on this one.
7. Cliff Hillis — So Much to Tell You (Better Living Through Compression): During the late ’90s, the relative success of Matthew Sweet, The Posies and The Gin Blossoms fueled the dreams of thousands of aspiring power pop acts. A surprisingly substantial percentage of those hopefuls were very good. Hillis, who was in the Baltimore band Starbelly, is a good example of this. This is a very well constructed song, well played and topped off with Hillis’ friendly vocals. This would sound great on the radio, which, without megabucks for promotion, doesn’t mean much.
8. Eddy Current Suppression Ring — Isn’t It Nice (Rush to Relax): This Australian band flows from a great tradition of in-your-face rock from The Saints and Radio Birdman, to The Scientists and The New Christs and many others. It’s raw guitar rock that sometimes shows off a bit of a blues rock vibe. This short burst of rock could also appeal to fans of Art Brut and The Len Price 3.
9. The Fall — Why Are People Grudgeful? (The Infotainment Scan): A Fall rarity: a playful ska cover of a Lee Perry tune. The bass playing seems out of place with the rest of the band, who seem to throw themselves fully into the more traditional elements. There are some creative dub touches in the production too. It’s a shame The Fall hasn’t turned to ska or dub more often. The latter would fit well with the band’s Krautrock leanings.
10. Tommy Keene — You Can’t Wait For Time (Ten Years After): Before there were artists like Cliff Hillis, there were folks like Tommy Keene, keeping power pop viable in the ’80s. This is from his first full length for Matador, which showed that after a bit of a lay off, he still had the chops. This has a 1964 Merseybeat gloss on it.