He isn’t just a living legend, he’s an active one. From his time in Buffalo Springfield (who may reunite for a tour in 2011) to this year, Neil Young rarely, if ever, stops creating. He has created one of the most impressive bodies of work in rock history, mixing accessible roots based music with some of the dirtiest, grimiest music ever committed to tape. He has also dabbled in film and theater, experimented with many styles (remember Trans? Or Everybody’s Rockin’?) and influenced tons of musicians. Today is the great Neil Young’s birthday. Let’s celebrate by getting out the ol’ iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.
- The Features — The Beginning (Week One)(The Beginning): This is a bashing number from the Tennessee band. Musically, it sounds a little bit like a faster Elvis Costello & The Attractions (Armed Forces era), with tinny keyboards and busy drums. This song does a good job contrasting between a cacophony and more controlled sounds.
- New York Dolls — Chatterbox (Too Much Too Soon): A typically energetic track from the Dolls’ second album. David Johansen takes a back seat to Johnny Thunders on lead vocals on this track. While this song is rooted in blues rock, the playing and attitude clearly show why the Dolls were a major precursor to punk.
- The Blasters — Common Man (Hard Line): One of two songs on the The Blasters’ fourth album that show how big of an influence John Fogerty was on David Alvin. Alvin plays some swampy guitar over a nice groove, while brother Phil sings a stinging indictment of Ronald Reagan. This predates What’s The Matter With Kansas? in pointing out how politicians get people to vote against their interests by appealing to things that distract them from real issues.
- Maximo Park — The Kids Are Sick Again (Quicken The Heart): On their third album, Maximo Park plays better than ever and has their formula down pat. This is a blessing and curse. The songs sound great, but they are less thrilling. Hence, this album took a number of plays to sink in. But it eventually did. This is one of those building song which ebbs and flows and only reveals the big chorus in the end. So it builds tension as you keep waiting for the song to peak. An odd choice for a first singe.
- The House Of Love — Christine (1986-88: The Creation Years): This band wasn’t quite a shoegazer band, and they were catchy, but not quite poppy enough to be classified as Britpop. Forget subgenres — for a few years, they cranked out a lot of great singles and albums tracks with big guitar sounds and melodies that were somehow both ethereal and sinister. This was one of their best known songs.
- Robert Gordon — Someday Someway (Are You Gonna Be The One?): This Marshall Crenshaw classic was first waxed by rockabilly revivalist Gordon. His version is just a bit peppier and punchier and nearly made the Top 40 (which Crenshaw’s version just grazed in 1982). Gordon was a great interpreter of Crenshaw’s songs, as his confidence is a contrast to Crenshaw’s constant wistfulness. I remember seeing Gordon perform this on SCTV.
- The Monochrome Set — Expresso (Tomorrow Will Be Too Late): The Monochrome Set are an underappreciated post-punk pop band from the early ’80s. Fans of Orange Juice, Josef K, early XTC and any sort of music with herky-jerk rhythms and oddball guitar lines should check them out. This is a jaunty shuffle that, for some reason, reminds me a bit of the Bonzo Dog Band. The mix of strumming and jangly guitars is sublime.
- Fastball — Fire Escape (All the Pain Money Can Buy): When “The Way” became a smash hit, this veteran power pop band got a well-deserved moment in the sun. Whereas their big hit had a bit of early Costello drama, this song is more in the vein of The Gin Blossoms or Tom Petty, jangling about until they hit the utterly professional hook. Give them an A for craftsmanship.
- Fuzzbubble — Same Time, Same Place (Demos, Out Takes & Rarities): This L.A. power pop band fell somewhere between the glossiness of Jellyfish, the fizzy energy of Redd Kross with a bit of guitar edge similar to School of Fish. This tune has big guitars and a robust lead vocal. Cheap Trick would do a fine job covering it.
- Neko Case — This Tornado Loves You (Middle Cyclone): The thing about Neko Case is that she outgrew any genre descriptions. Yes, country is the foundation of her songs, but she has developed a wide, spacious sound that can incorporate folk, soul, rock or anything else she may think of. And, of course, she’s a marvelous singer — it’s not just the quality of her voice but how she invests herself in her always worthwhile lyrics. This is a breathtakingly brilliant song.
Seeing “Jailbait” and “Bangover” listed as the names of two available singles by Chicago quartet Rabble Rabble, you start to get a sense of their intentions. Low-end Stooges sleeze with a yelpy punker in the front and reverbed psychedelia in the back give this heavy rock a mature swagger.
This summer, Rabble Rabble recorded a session with Coach House Sounds and the result was an amplification of their vinyl-friendly bass, warmth only an analog recording could bring out. The band insisted on democratic answers to my interview questions; below is their group effort.
Rabble Rabble’s CHIRP and Coach House Sounds Live session is streamable at coachhousesounds.com starting Tuesday, November 9th!
What the dumbest thing you’ve ever done in a basement?
We were doing a photo shoot for our album at Ottoman Empire (R.I.P) over the summer and they had a show the previous night so the basement was still pretty trashed. One of the bands that played had a giant cardboard/plastic vagina as a prop that was sitting in a corner and was covered in olive oil (yes, olive oil) to create a “wet” visual effect.
Being the young, innovative, individuals that we are, we all climbed into this giant wet vagina and did a Beatles-esque stack-up. It was pretty gross. Those pictures might not surface for awhile… Also Salvia…
Tell me about a coach you had as a child. What did you learn from them?
Rabble Rabble never went to school. We all coach each other and help each other out when we’re having life or other problems. Got have each others backs in a band like this, you never know when a fight is gonna break out.
For instance, we played at Mortville in January and there were some crust punks that were starting some shit with us. They were trying to grab our microphones and getting all up in our shit when Matt started strangling one of them and fighting him.
Kaylee saw what was going on and got out from behind her drums and started fighting these punks too and then Ralph and Todd joined in. It was an all out Band Vs. Audience brawl for a minute.
What do you like about Chicago, and what makes it special to you?
Chicago is a city of diversity. If you get sick of hanging out in Wicker Park getting wasted at the Flat Iron with a bunch of post-art school cats, then go to Pilsen and get mugged. Now that you don’t have a wallet, go to Lincoln park and peddle outside of the Pita Pit so you can get enough money to catch the 74 bus back to your apartment in Logan Square. Safe and sound!
Never a dull moment. Keeps you tired at the end of every day. Plus the sense of camaraderie and general love that is developing in the music community is a breath of fresh air compared to New York or L.A.
Tell me about your CHS session—what did you like about it? Was there anything that surprised you or was spontaneous that came out in the recording?
We recorded our set sometime in June just before Radar Eyes did. It was brutally hot. In fact it might have been one of the sweatiest one hour periods of our lives, and we have played many a sweaty basement shows. That day was exceptional hot however.
Also, our session includes two songs that at the time happen to be very new. “Why Not” and “Long Hook”. We are quite certain that both songs have grown a lot since then but it’ll be nice to hear the early stages of our first steps into new territory after recording our first LP “Bangover.”
What’s happening? What are your current/upcoming shows or releases?
We are doing a radio program on December 15th for Vocalo 89.5 FM. Then we have the Chicago Music Blogger Showcase at the Sub-T with White Mystery, Hollows and Radar Eyes on December 18th. That’s all that’s confirmed as of now. But we may be doing a few out of town gigs and a DIY space or two. November is gonna be filled with a lot of experimentation and new song writing.
As for releases, we are actually gonna release a full studio-recorded single of those two new songs that are on the CHS session, “Why Not” and “Long Hook” sometime early next year. We are also hard at work on new material for our next album and things are sounding EPIC!
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.