Aug 182009
I was recently accused of being the Townsperson with the worst taste in music by E. Pluribus (something that he even “respected” in some way)
This post will certainly condemn me to this “highest of honors” (and maybe a .38 Special Box Set?, some Billy Joel bootlegs? A picture disc of Mick Jagger’s She’s The Boss?)
Ok, here it goes…..
I PREFER this mash-up to either song on it’s own
Ignore the video after the 1st watch and then based on the MUSIC tell me why this sum is not greater than it’s parts.
I think EPG might have been onto something, both in his assessment of your taste in music and in how fascinating it is.
i know i am new here but are you even remotely serious?
I always have the same question about mash-ups: where do these people find the stripped-out vocals/instrumental tracks to do this?
Oh, and I actually always had a soft spot for that Astley song. In fact, if I were forced to choose between “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Never Gonna Give You Up,” I’d be on Team Astley.
That Rick Astley sure can dance.
I think some of these artists make the solo vocal track available for remixes. Some are just from studio guys who leak it I’m sure.
Hey buddywhelan!
I hope milk didn’t come out of your nostrils when you read my post.
I am semi-serious… I do prefer this mash up to the Rick Astley song
…I have been “overserved” on SLTS to the point of not needing to ever hear it again (I skip it when playing Nevermind)
…so in that respect I would rather hear the mash-up to the original Nirvana track at this point
This mashup smokes that one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7958669iFu0
My 14 year old son has been telling me for months about the various “Rick Rolling” on the internet. He had know idea who Rick was!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickrolling
jungleland2 –
OK, it might have been overplayed and you don’t need to hear it anymore, but isn’t this called “rock” town hall, not “crap” town hall? anyway, i don’t even know who that dude (and i use that term loosley) is in the video. and i do not even want to google his name.
recall that nevrmind was released in September ’91 when the top singles for the month were:
I Adore Mi Amor – Color Me Badd, Motownphilly – Boyz 11 Men, Things That Make You Go – C&C Music Factory/F.Williams,
Good Vibrations – Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch, Loleatta Holloway
and (Everything I Do) I Do For You – Bryan Adams.
that video is sacreligeous!
Jungleland2,
Don’t fret over Whelan. I don’t want to be too hard on the guy, but he’s probably one of the biggest dicks I’ve ever met in my life.
Many, many years ago, I was in a band with him called The Elvis Burgers. My brother was actually the lead vocalist. Like every band in the entire universe, we were having a difficult time finding a drummer. Regarding the type of drummer necessary for our particular outfit, Whelan suggested that I accompany him upstairs to hear some tracks by his idea of a “phenomenal” drummer. After flopping REM’s first EP on his turntable and cranking up the volume, he replied, “We need a drummer who can play like THAT!”
Forget Ringo, Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon, Mick Avory, hell, forget even someone as clueless as Carmen Appice. . . .This guy’s idea of the ultimate drummer was Bill Berry. Go ahead, say the name to yourself. . .Bill Berry. The megabland ring of his moniker more or less tells all what to expect when his sticks come out.
Right after the Bill Berry episode, Whelan tells me that I look hungry and asks if I’m interested in staying for dinner. He tells me that him and his old lady are going to cook up something special for the evening. Well, the big meal is served up, and it’s brought to the table as if one is preparing an altar for Holy Communion. Whelan and his wife kneel respectfully before placing each dish on the table. The big meal consists of a bowl of carrots, chick peas, and salad. I’m told that this incredible banquet is prepared frequently. Both sit down, say grace to gods of all western and eastern races, creeds and colors, serve themselves, eat about as much that would serve as a snack for a hamster, and call it quits.
I eat everything that’s left and have the runs for hours the following day because I’m not used to eating meals in which meat is a no no.
Don’t know about you, but my appetite is much like the Moderator’s, i.e starting with a large pizza as an appetizer is always a wise decision. My aesthetics are much like Orson Welles: those that take in as much as possible, be it art, food, whatever are more inclined to have better taste, period, simply because their digestive process has to work overtime to figure out the real differences between good and bad.
Whelan thinks he knows a whole hell of a lot, but the truth of the matter is that he knows very little, which is why I’ve been trying to spend as much time as possible with his younger sons who are frighteningly talented. Thanks to me, they are beginning to see the shallowness of their father’s tastes and beliefs. It won’t be long until both of them come around to my way of thinking, which is always the right kind of thinking.
jungleland, you’ve done nothing to change my views regarding your taste. It still remains incomprehnsibly horrifying. That said, you’ve got a lot of balls coming out and owning up to that industrial sized trash container. Know that you’ve got my two big Fonzie thumbs up for that alone.
Keep up the good work,
E. Pluribus
“starting with a large pizza as an appetizer is always a wise decision”
Words to live by indeed
A few ideas/thoughts…
I understand the need to NEVER hear a particular song again. It’s ingrained into our eternal hard drives that we can recall it note for note with little effort. This always makes me sad as I long for the thrill of hearing The Beatles fresh again. The very word “Beatles” used to give me goose bumps when I thought of that whimsical music. I still adore The Beatles, but I have spent so much time on their music, that it just doesn’t get me the way it used to: right in the heart. That’s why when Love was released, many purists probably screamed, “Heresy!” I welcomed it as it gave me a chance to hear Beatles music with fresh ears. In a new light. It doesn’t replace the originals, but it does give me the opportunity to love one of my very favorite bands in a new way.
An old friend in new clothes.
This may explain your preference to this mash-up (or any mashup for that matter). It makes eberything new again.
I was having “the drummer discussion” with my bandmate this weekend. We both adore R.E.M. and are both huge fans of Life’s Rich Pageant, which is pretty rockin’ album. We both agree that Bill’s departure left a huge hole in that band that’s never been filled. Who knew that the drummer was such a major contributor to the band’s sound? We both also agreed that Bill is not particularly exciting, but he’s very precise. He plays the right fill/notes at the very right time. That’s what makes his drumming work so well (for me, at least). I’ll take a Bill Berry in my band anyday. A drummer who plays for the song.
The mash up is a weird phenomenon that will likely be around for a very long time. The question is this: when we will see the very first mash-up hit single? And who will it be?
TB
Pay no heed to the words of E Pluribus. He rewrites history like he was working for the Records Department of Minitrue. Years of massive consumption of National Bohemian have affected his mind(from the website: “Today, Natty Boh is brewed according to the strict traditions that made it the beer of choice.” That must be why it is $4.99 a case.)He always resorts to personal insult rather than facts. I refuse to stoop to that level. E Pluribus is one of the most generous people I know, both emotionally, and financially, and I don’t want to upset him. by the way, here is a video e pluribus showed me the other day which he LOVED:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPtWh5XjiH0
I got a weird email from Plurbie the other day, pointing me in the direction of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_i8COEeZJk&feature=related
Dude wouldn’t shut up about the “monster tone,” as he put it. He kept using the term “shredmeister” a lot, too. I’m starting to worry about him.
HVB
Hey Whelan,
Your opinion is needed on the following as soon as possible:
1) Captain Beefheart
2) The Faces
3) Hal Hartley
4) Pere Ubu
5) XTC
Consider this an initiation of sorts at RTH. Where you stand on these so called masters will determine the amount of respect you’ll receive from me during your infrequent visits to RTH.
And one more thing, don’t even for a minute think think that Hrundi would make for a good ally up here. His Holy Trinity of Pop, his idea of “as good as it gets” is a 1-2-3 punch of ZZ Top, ELO, and Prince.
Consider all that before making your next move.
Sincerely,
E. Pluribus
I’ll bite:
Your opinion is needed on the following as soon as possible:
1) Captain Beefheart — D-
2) The Faces — C
3) Hal Hartley — Incomplete (which is to say, ?)
4) Pere Ubu — D-
5) XTC — B+
This is just as often Crap Town Hall as it is Rock Town Hall, buddy.
And how can you not know who Rick Astley is?
I feel like I started some strange little war….
1) Captain Beefheart (I do own Trout Mask, I gave it a fair shake after reading Kurt Loder’s book..not really my kinda thing but I can appreciate it/him..and I am a huge Zappa fan)
2) The Faces – F’n LOVE em! My Fault is my unofficial theme song. Just found the live LP at a used record store for $4 and was going to listen tonight
3) Hal Hartley – no idea who this is
4) Pere Ubu – Don’t own a single record (but not for any good reason..maybe I should!)
5) XTC – Own everything they have ever done and the box sets, radio broadcasts etc. Some of the most perfect singles (that should have been hit singles) Life Begins at the Hop, Generals & Majors, Sgt. Rock, Towers Of London, This is Pop. Just recently gave English Settlement the attention that it deserves…damn good stuff. Black Sea would be my favorite though…
and just to be fair
Holy Trinity of ELO, ZZ TOP, PRINCE
ELO – B due to inconsistency
ZZ TOP – B+ due to inconsistency
Prince – C due to inconsistency
just downloaded Pere Ubu’s “Dub Housing”…will I be sorry?
Don’t know.
. . .but while you’re up here give me a list of 5 Replacements numbers I should check out, hallmarks of their so-called brilliance. I would love to be proved wrong.
You’re alright, my man.
One more thing about Whelan. He thinks Koyanisquatsi, or however the fuck its spelled, is one of the all time great cinematic masterpieces. Again, realize that this is the sort of person you’ll be dealing with in the future.
Sincerely,
E. Pluribus
Replacements
Hold My Life
Someone Take The Wheel
Here Comes A Regular
The Ledge
Sixteen Blue
Left Of The Dial
Unsatisfied
Alex Chilton
Can’t Hardly Wait
Bastards Of Young
EPBUS:
1) Captain Beefheart
probaly seriously insane
2) The Faces
boring
3) Hal Hartley
boring
4) Pere Ubu
got no idea about him and don’t care to. i don;t like the name.
5) XTC
soul-less
Koyannisquatsi is not on my current list which changes by the hour:
American Beauty
American Movie
The Big Lebowski
Bottle Rocket
Broadway Danny Rose
The Elephant Man
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Groundhog Day
Inland Empire
Jacobs Ladder
Midnight Cowboy
My Dinner with Andre
The Royal Tennanbaums
It’s a Wonderful Life
The Wizard of Oz
and I know I know The Last Picture Show
you and I agree about 10% of the time on movies
what else is new
Man, ePlurb. You sure got a lot to say today. I’ll happily go over your list, knowing that I essentially listen to crap anyway (I know because my wife tells me I listen to a lot of noisy crap).
1) Captain Beefheart – Really like Safe As Milk and I’ll get around to some Hall suggestions for more sooner or later.
2) The Faces – I like them usually. If I’m not in the mood for The Stones or Flamin Groovies.
3) Hal Hartley – Don’t know him. Bob’s funny as hell, though.
4) Pere Ubu – Being a Clevelander I have to like them at least a little. Rocket From the Tombs is more my speed, though. But these guys are pretty cool sometimes.
5) XTC – Never saw the attraction and the one I bought sucked hard enough to make me sell it back to the store.
I thought Rollerball was a good movie.
2000 man, jungleland2, and Whalen,
Thank you for your responses. I was expecting far greater distaste for those which are considered hallowed in the RTH hall, but again, I can live with your honest responses. Sincerity was there in spades.
Man, I’m reading a really good book entitled “Pictures at a Revolution.” It’s a thoroughly detailed look at the making of five pictures that were all filmed around the same time: Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and Dr. Doolittle (which is an example of what can happen when everything that can go wrong does indeed go wrong).
It’s a real page turner.
I won’t be bothering with another revisiting of Dr. Doolittle, but In the Heat of the Night definitely needs another look, especially after reading about its genesis in the book. I haven’t seen it in years, and I’m hoping it’s as good as I originally remember it. Have any of you seen it recently? If so, does it still pack a whallop?
Hope to hear from you soon,
E. Pluribus
P.S. jungleland2, I’m making it my project to listen to those Replacements songs this week. A fully analysis of the work will follow. Thank you for the list.
Got through Pere Ubu’s “Dub Housing” … It kinda made my brain leak out of my ear, but in a good way. I prefer Talking Heads or XTC early stuff (as far as this general style) but I could see myself playing this record a few more times this week… worth the 10 credits on emusic for sure.
So I started a very strange conversation that started with Rick Astley and ended (for now) with Pere Ubu
Jungleland2,
I just finished listening to a Replacements track entitled “Bastards of Young”. Here’s my take on what I heard: if Joe Strummer decided to write and sing the worst thing he could possibly come up with, something devoid of any insight whatsoever, something thrown together in about 5 minutes for a John Hughes like picture, something that was produced in Sam Ash like environment (albeit played sloppily), it would most probably wind up sounding something similar to “Bastards of Young”.
Excluding the London Calling LP (an objective grand slam), The Clash really do nothing for me. That said, they’re much better than The Replacements. If one is going to listen to that type of thing why settle for something so lousy, when a better alternative is clearly at hand. I don’t get it.
Paul Westerberg is a genius? This guy’s an Econobuy Strummer for those
who struggle to get through a chapter book and have problems finding their own country on a map.
You’re not hearing that? Pinpoint the one track out of the 10 listed that may change my mind. “Bastards of Young” does nothing but strengthen my belief that The Replacements may indeed be the most overrrated band of all time.
(That said, I recently picked up a Rhino comp of the so called “San Francisco Sound”. Featured on the first disc was an hour and a half (it was actually 10 minutes, but it seemed to go on at least that long) take of Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love” by Quick Silver Messenger Service. It was hands down thee worst version I’ve ever heard of the song and more wonderbread than one can possibly imagine. For those that need a good belly laugh, I strongly urge a download of the aforesaid bowlfiller).
Again, pinpoint that track. I’ll be up for a while.
Hope to hear from you soon,
E. Pluribus
Why listen to music at all? Let’s just pick five records, claim they are ‘objectively’ great, and dismiss everything else ever recorded as falling below that standard. And we might as well leave those five records in their shrinkwrap. Like Nigel Tufnel’s guitar, they ‘can’t be played.’ Don’t point!
I mean, I think the Replacements are over-rated too, but claiming that their main deficiency is that they don’t do London Calling as well as the Clash is missing a lot, to say the least. The Replacements are a two guitars bass & drums band too, but beyond that I don’t see that much intersection in what they were doing.
I’m missing a lot? Like what? Feel free to be as specific as possible.
Hope to hear from you soon,
E. Pluribus
The desperate sense of humor for one thing. The whole attitude of the Clash, the super-serious, ambitious, romantic idealism is quite different. There’s not a lot of laughs with the Clash and not a lot of hope with the Replacements.
Touche!
I wanna play, too!
1) Captain Beefheart – I have a few of his records and I appreciate them more as I get older. I still don’t know if I can call him a genius or anything. He’s interesting, though.
2) The Faces – 2000 Man is gonna hate my guts, but at one time I proclaimed that I liked The Faces better than the Stones. I don’t kbnow that I can say that now, but they have something that just workes for me. I love ’em.
3) Hal Hartley – Beavis, you don’t know who that dude is and neither do I.
4) Pere Ubu – I honestly don’t know enough to weigh in.
5) XTC – This band has yet to hit home for me. I really want to like them. I got a whole pile of their records used. Maybe it was overload. Getting all those XTC records at once.
TB
Big Steve,
As far as their desperate sense of humor is concerned, let’s just say that whatever I heard failed to put even a grin on my face.
And your DEAD WRONG about The Clash. Granted, most of their stuff is serious as hell, but the humor is there in spades, and its nearly ALWAYS clever as hell. Go back and listen to the records. You need to do more homework.
E. Pluribus
EPG,
I gave you a list of Replacements songs in a thread a few weeks ago. I can’t locate it right now but I liked it better than jungleland2’s.
I would recommend that you listen to Can’t Hardly Wait, Favorite Thing, and When It Began. Those three songs contain most of what I like about the Replacements. I would also give a listen to It’s a Wonderful Lie by Westerberg. If you don’t like any of those, then you’ve done your due diligence and can assuredly say that you don’t like the Replacements.
Don’t listen to the much praised Unsatisfied. It’s not necessarily bad, but it ain’t good. It really just kind of goes nowhere. I don’t know why it is so well regarded by Replacement fans.
I recently heard a version of Mona by Quicksilver. What a stone cold turd. I couldn’t listen to the whole thing. And my deadhead friend highly praised it. This was right after I played the original for him too. Despite having attended about 30 Dead shows in my younger days, I will never understand Deadheads.
1) Captain Beefheart _ I’ve only heard one song. I think it was called Abba Zabba. It was killer. Right up my alley. I’ll probably get the album that has that song sometime.
2) The Faces – Pretty good execution of a great idea.
3) Hal Hartley – I know he’s a director so I assumed I would know a bunch of his films. I looked up his filmography and didn’t recognize a single title.
4) Pere Ubu – I’ve only heard one song (Final Solution) and I like it a lot. I’ll probably check out some more eventually.
5) XTC – I know about 4-5 songs. An anglophile band mate lent me an album of theirs once. I don’t remember any songs from it but I remember being genuinely offended by its blandness and its lack of soul. These guys are one of those musical conundrums for me. A lot of people whose tastes I like (or at least find interesting) rank these guys pretty highly. As with Pet Sounds and the Pixies, I used to feel like I was missing something. More and more though, I think that the Emperor has no clothes.
ePlurb, I don’t hear much humor in The Clash. It’s all fist raising and plitical. Mick Jones’s pants were pretty humorous in Big Audio Dynamite, but I think that was wholly unintentional. I think The Clash wanted to be taken seriously, and I think they were.
The Replacements did songs like “Gary’s Got a Boner” and a Kiss cover. I think they wanted to be taken as anything BUT seriously, and they weren’t. Westerberg’s genius stuff I think is in his solo career where he’s writing simple rock songs about simple things that happen to him, and kind of wondering how he continues to make the same mistakes. I dunno, I just think it’s kind of personal, and I realize he’s a pro and he wants that, but I think he’s good at it.
When was The Clash funny, though? Sandinista? Stretching a ten minute idea into three lp’s sounds funny, but in reality I think it would have been a much stronger 10″. Maybe that’s the joke? “Watch us turn our 10″ into 36″ in about an hour and a half?”
Oh yeah, Jungleland – I made it to 1:11 of that mash up. I’d say it sucked, but that’s awfully insulting to a lot of suckish things.
Last night at Applebee’s (it was late and it’s a long story) I heard a bunch of 80’s remixes where it was just like Huey Lewis singing over some whomping, out of time drum beat. They must have played three of these in a row, then all of a sudden they played “Left of the Dial.” I don’t think I’ve ever heard the Replacements at a chain restaurant, and it made my hamburger actually taste better. I think my beer got colder, too.
cdm, check out Rocket From the Tombs’ version of Final Solution on Rocket Redux. It’s a great album. It’s a lot like their concerts in that if you play it loud enough it’s like standing in front of a jet engine. It’s very cool.
Abba Zabba is on Safe as Milk, and Zig Zag Wanderer is on there, too. Those two songs alone are worth the price of the album, and it’s a quality recording, too. I say go for it. I think you’ll like it.
I will put Safe as Milk on the list.
As for RFTT, I’ve heard their name for years but isn’t there also a band called Rocket From the Tombs? What’s up with that?
RFTT is Rocket From the Tombs, which is the Cleveland band that predates The Dead Boys and Pere Ubu. Both of those bands played songs that were staples of the short lived Rockets sets, like Final Solution and 30 Seconds Over Tokyo by Pere Ubu, and Sonic Reducer and What Love Is by The Dead Boys. It’s a pretty amazing collection of songs for a band that only lasted about six months. to hear the original lineup there’s a cd called “The Day the Erth Met The Rocket From the Tombs,” and it’s pretty rough, but if old scratchy bootlegs never bothered you, then it’s totally kick ass.
Maybe you were thinking of Rocket From the Crypt? I think they’re some d-bag emo kind of band that took their name in honor of RFTT to try and get some credibility. I think they managed a real hit record, but I turned off what little I heard of them.
You are correct, I mis-typed. I meant Rocket From the Crypt.
Alright, I’ll try to track some of that down as well.
I have a pretty high tolerance for listening through sub-par recordings, if there is something worthwhile underneath. But I should start with the Redux album, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnhKPw2NXIw
i’ve probably posted this before, but it’s my favorite mashup of all. i think it’s just great!
I think Hal Hartley’s first 3 movies are also great, after that, he kinda lost me. They’re still cool, but maybe like a 1 trick pony?
jungland2, I thank you for having slightly worse taste than me.
epg, I thank you for being slightly more abrasive than me.
HVB, I thank you for not describing your feces in this thread(yet)
also: LOTS of accapellas are available on youtube.
Definitely start with Redux. Richard Lloyd and Steve Mehlmann add nothing but goodness to the sound, and it doesn’t sound like some nostalgia cash in at all. It’s right up there with The Woods for me as far as pure sonic assault goes. It’s the kind of music that makes my volume knob feel more like a gas pedal. I think it also tames some of the weirdness of Pere Ubu and punches up The Dead Boys’ weakest link, which was Stiv if you ask me. I’d be surprised if you didn’t like it.
I prefer the Ubu version of Final Solution, but the Redux album is certainly worth a listen. Just be aware that Ubu evolved very quickly and very far from the Final Solution sound, so don’t expect there to be much else like it. Jungleland made a wise choice starting with Dub Housing, but other Ubu albums are very different.
And I didn’t say there was no humor in the Clash. I said there were no laughs. Their humor may be clever, but it’s always pointed. My point was that the Replacements’ humor is more like “we’re fucked up and the world tells us we’ll never be anything but losers so let’s have a goof.” The sensibility is very different, as are the musical reference points, though it’s impossible to get that after listening to one song.
1) Captain Beefheart — I know his music like the back of my hand, and I can’t imagine life without it.
2) The Faces – Damn they were fun live, but the legacy has been seriously tarnished by history. I can enjoy their sound (slide guitar!) now, especially if I can forget temporarily that Rod Stewart was their singer.
3) Hal Hartley – I saw Trust in the theater. I didn’t get it. I actually watched it again on TV, and I figured it out — the leading man is not alienated, he’s just an asshole.
4) Pere Ubu – Not for everyone, but definitely for me. I’m really looking forward to the imminent release of their album based on the play that their name is taken from.
5) XTC — Bought every album as it came out. It’s true they never pretended to be black, and perhaps they haven’t aged well. Neither have I. The guitars still sound great.
I’m sure plurbie will revise his opinion on my taste now.
Here’s my take:
1. Captain Beefheart: I have Safe As Milk (which I first got when I was a mere lad of 16) & the Rhino anthology. Prefer him over Zappa.
2. The Faces: Like them a lot, not as much as the Small Faces. I enjoyed that little Stones v. Faces thingie that RTH had a couple of yrs. ago.
3. Hal Hartley: Never heard of him.
4. Pere Ubu: Have heard of them, but never listened to them.
5. XTC: Was one of my fave raves 10 or so yrs. ago. Still OK by me. Puzzled why Mr. Mod doesn’t like Skylarking.
Captain Beefheart: I have promo copies of two latter-day albums. Only listened once: interesting, but not necessarily my bag.
The Faces: Like ’em in limited doses. The seven-or-so Faces songs Mr. Mod posted here a while back are arguably all you need.
Hal Hartley: Liked Trust; Henry Fool was just okay. Bit of a has-been now, isn’t he? Getting angry about him is like still getting angry about Dan Quayle.
Pere Ubu: Only have Dub Housing, I think. Not really interested, which for some reason befuddles some of my fellow Townsmen. I find David Thomas’ Curly Howard-possessed-by-demons-from-hell routine to be laughable, and not in a good way.
XTC: Obsessed with them in my 20s. Not anymore, but they were seminal force for me and I still love what they did. Uptight nerds need rock gods too, you know. (Is that what Pere Ubu is for?)
BigSteve says:
My point was that the Replacements’ humor is more like “we’re fucked up and the world tells us we’ll never be anything but losers so let’s have a goof.”
My take on their modus operandi is somewhat like yours, but with a twist: “We recognize the fact that we’re multiuntalented and dumb. That recognition is nothing to scoff at. It’s a time saver. It’s gonna take way too much effort to learn how to play instruments and write decent songs so let’s just forget about all that. Let’s focus on being the coolest band around. The bar is set so low around here (Minneapolis or wherever the fuck they’re from) that cool in and of itself will suffice for the morons around here who don’t know any better.”
You’ll wanna write all of that off as typical Puribus shenaningans, but I don’t think it’s all that far fetched.
I’ve listened to some more of their stuff and watched some of their performances. No talent, no charisma, no nothing.
E. Pluribus
Hey, Plurbie —
I’m sittin’ here, finally putting all my thrifty 45 RPM finds into a spreadsheet so I actually know what I have, and I’m listening to various tunes as I plod away at this menial task. Up pops “Let’s Go” by the Cars.
I know you have a soft spot for this band, as I have, in their finer, more straightforward, hookier moments. (“Let’s Go” is a classic example. How can you not dig that synth melody? Bow-bow-bowww, Bow-ba-bow-bowww… Bow-bow-bowww, Bow-ba-ba-bowww, etc.)
Anyhow, I wondered, as I thought of you diggin’ this tune: where’s the “animality” in The Cars? I know you see “animality” as a key component of good rock and roll, and I generally agree with you. I reckon the Cars are about the least “animal” band in the history of rock and roll. Yet they don’t suck!
Wondering what your thoughts are on this issue,
Your pal and biggest fan,
HVB
The Cars started off great and perfect for radio + video (although the early singles burned me out on the radio back then). The last two records fell apart thanks to weak songwriting (Heartbeat City had 2-3 good songs) and that 80’s production – digital drums and all.
I love Let’s Go, especially the Alvin & The Chipmunks version from Chipmunk Punk!
I don’t think The Replacements ever tried to be cool, they were “dope smokin’ morons” who accidentally found out that their lead singer was a good songwriter 1/2 way into their 3rd record. Let it Be, Tim and Pleased to meet me are the ones that hold up the best, but I like Don’t Tell A Soul. All Shook Down is a Westerberg solo record that the label convinced them to release as Replacements. The band members are guest musicians on some songs but don’t ever play together much.
EPG, I think you either “get” them or you don’t. One song won’t change your mind…. well maybe “Left Of The Dial”
There’s a small dose of animality in “Just What I Needed”. Amimality + Chops + a passable chunk of brainpower = something that might be worthwhile popwise.
Call me crazy, but I think “Just What I Needed” is one of the all time great pop singles. It’s the ultimate car song. You can’t help but crank up the volume if you’re lucky enough to have some FM DJ give it a spin.
Gonna try “Left of the Dial” for 2000 man as well today. Maybe its me. I’ve been way too much of an asshole up here lately, and I think it might be screwing up my taste mechanism.
Talk to all of ya soon,
E. Pluribus
EPUS
“lately” ?
They saved the animality for their album covers.
jungleland2,
This one’s for you and all your buddies who I can’t relate to musicwise but have brought something new to the table, regardless of the fact that it smells, a lot of the time, like fresh dogshit.
I’m looking forward to your responses on the following areas of interest:
1) Roadhouse or Tango and Cash?
2) New Barbarians or Keith’s X-Pensive Winos?
3) RCA Scorpions of Mercury Scorpions?
4) Style Council or Culture Club?
5) Rolling Rock or Yuengling?
And by the way, I’ve still got that VG Hot Tuna LP for the one soul that can intelligently field #3.
E. Pluribus
Roadhouse or Tango and Cash?
Roadhouse by a landslide. Probably my all time favorite so-bad-it’s-good movie.
New Barbarians or Keith’s X-Pensive Winos?
New Barbarians if only because it had the Meter’s drummer instead of Steve Jordan.
RCA Scorpions of Mercury Scorpions?
Mercury. Metal is bombastic, cheesy and cartoonish so you might as well go for broke.
Style Council or Culture Club?
I only like two songs by either band so split decision.
Rolling Rock or Yuengling?
Yuengling. Rolling Rock is a horrible tasting beer that was on par with Scmidt’s until a bunch of yuppies started drinking it in the mid 80’s. The only beer I can think of with a more disproportionate taste-to-reputation ration is Stroh’s.
How’d I do?
ePlurb, what’s all this “talent” and “chops” bullshit? We’re ROCK Town Hall, right? No one needs talent or chops to bring The Rock. In fact, I think too much talent or too many chops brings us crap like Emerson Lake and Palmer or Asia, and you can’t tell me that your listening to Bastards of Young wasn’t far more enjoyable than anything like Heat of the Moment or the last time you leaned over to change the station when Lucky Man came on.
I’ll still love ya if you don’t like The Replacements, but I’ll still think they’re super cool. And I’ll still think cool means way more in the land of Rock than talent or chops. Keith Richards said the first thing he practiced when he got a guitar was looking in the mirror and looking cool with it, so that says something, eh?
I’d love a shot at the quiz. I suppose I could use some psychoanalysis.
1) Roadhouse or Tango and Cash?
Roadhouse. I see turning off the TV in either case.
2) New Barbarians or Keith’s X-Pensive Winos?
Winos. New Barbs were better on paper, but Keith’s two solo albums are really good.
3) RCA Scorpions of Mercury Scorpions?
RCA. I like Michael Schenker.
4) Style Council or Culture Club?
That’s just nasty.
5) Rolling Rock or Yuengling?
Used to be Rolling Rock was my old standby until Bud bought the recipe and moved it from Latrobe to New Jersey (where nothing good comes out of the water). It tastes terrible now, and I’d know because I started drinking it when I was a teenager in the 70’s. Yuengling is good stuff, though. How come it tastes better in cans?
And yeah, I’m one of those Ohioans that drives to PA to get a few cases of Yuengling’s every now and then. I like the Porter a lot, too. That Lord Fontleroy Ale is quite sucky, though.
Hey ol’ 2000 man,
This is really gonna get your goat, but I’d take Asia over The Replacements in a heartbeat, I really mean that. Granted, I’d never piss my money away on either, but if push came to shove. . .
And I’m with ya on the whole cool thing . Nobody is cooler than Keith era 1968-1972. Keith NEVER had to work at it. He came with it out of the womb. Anyone who has to work hard at it, like The Replacements, never had a smidgin’ of it to begin with.
I did not know that Budweiser bought Rolling Rock. That’s probably the worst news I’ve heard this summer. When I was in elementary and junior high, Rolling Rock was delivered to our house, via the local booze distributor, a case a week, in those little 7 oz. bottles. Dad loved the stuff. I recall those days fondly because that was the beginning of my mild ongoing alcoholism.
Rolling Rock was always a superdelicious drink. During college,
I’d always end my day of Friday classes at a local bar where Rolling Rock was served on tap. Trust me, there’s nothing better than Rolling Rock off the tap with a bowl of snapper soup. The idea that Budweiser bought the company is revolting, not unlike Michael Jackson owning half of the Beatles catalog, or whatever the actual fractional amount is.
Yuengling is delicious as well. To compare the two is really a cases of apples and oranges. I was just curious to see what anyone’s take was on either.
Always good to hear from you,
E. Pluribus
I’ve always thought talent was a meaningless concept. And I don’t think the Replacements were ever cool, or they were only cool in the sense of being anti-cool.
1) Roadhouse or Tango and Cash?
I’m a movie snob. I would never waste my time watching stuff like that. I like trashy pop music, but when it comes to the movies I watch ‘films.’
2) New Barbarians or Keith’s X-Pensive Winos?
Winos. I agree with 2k, Keith’s two solo albums are really good.
3) RCA Scorpions of Mercury Scorpions?
I have never knowingly/willingly listened to anything by the Scorpions.
4) Style Council or Culture Club?
Style Council should have stopped after their first couple of records. Then they could have issued a best-of as good as Culture Club (the one that includes Crying Game). CC had a better singer too.
5) Rolling Rock or Yuengling?
Yankee beers. Unmemorable. Anymore all I drink is the local brew, Boulevard.
BigSteve,
Congratulations! You’re at the top of the ladder once again!
E. Pluribus
“This is really gonna get your goat, but I’d take Asia over The Replacements in a heartbeat, I really mean that.”
I just threw up in my mouth a little…
ePlurb, I believe that I too have just thrown up in my mouth, a little.
The Rolling Rock story is a sad one. Bud bought the name, the recipe and the rights but not the brewery. No one does it like that, but they did. They then took it all out of Latrobe and gave their third shift something to do in Jersey. The back of the bottles should now say:
From the Beechwood aged tanks of
Old Newark
we mass produce this beer
as a tribute to American conglomeration.
It comes from the condom and needle filled waters
of New Jersey to you
But it doesn’t and if you look closely it says something like “In the tradition of this fine beer we repeat these lines.” Then ImBev did a hostile takeover on Bud.
BigSteve, Bud’s a Southern beer, right? I haven’t had many. Their distribution up here is pretty bad. Shiner gets some beers through, and I love that stuff. I haven’t had Boulevard, though. Have you had Cleveland’s Pride and Joy, Great Lakes? It’s expensive but it’s as good as anything on the planet.
2000man writes
“From the Beechwood aged tanks of
Old Newark
we mass produce this beer
as a tribute to American conglomeration.
It comes from the condom and needle filled waters
of New Jersey to you”
THAT was absolutely priceless. Go ahead and love post Exile Stones, The Replacements, and Glenn Hughes era Deep Purple. As long as ya keep sendin’ in stuff like the above, you’ll always be AOK in my book.
Easily the best laugh I’ve had in the last week or so!
E. Pluribus
People here in Missouri have issues with Budweiser. It was a St. Louis company, and locals took it personally when it was bought by Belgian megacorp InBev. It’s still the same swill, and Bud Light is still the best selling ‘beer’ in America, around these parts you hear people swear they will never buy Bud ever again. I guess they’ve switched to something more upscale, like MGD.
I don’t think Boulevard ships outside of this area. Probably the same is true of Great Lakes, which I think would also be described as a regional craft beer. It just makes sense not to ship things thousands of miles if they can be produced locally.
It’s defintely have to be the “heat of the moment” for me to drink one of those pisstastic beers. Rolling Rock was never very good, but at least it used to be cheap. Once they started selling it at Bud/Coors prices, it’s not worth complaining about- you may as well drink Milwaukee’s Beast Light, if you’re splitting hairs about which corn and rice beer to have. Or go the other direction and drink malt liquor. Save those dollars for whatever else you’re doing, because you don’t actually like beer.
I had an uncle from southern Illinois who swore off Bud products fifteen or so years ago, but then drank headache Milwaukee light beer as the gesture of defiance.
Mockcarr,
I’m somewhat surprised at your somewhat hostile responses.
If preBud Rolling Rock was so bad (which I strongly disagree with) what’s your idea of an acceptable low priced beer with no qualifiers?
Hope to hear from you soon,
E. Pluribus
There are always qualifiers. What are your choices? You have to be able to try different beers to know any better. Rolling Rock was the best beer widely available for less than 10 bucks a case in the 80s in DC. You could get the Yuengling porter for around that price for a while too, but only one liquor store near the White House had it because the owner was part of the family, I think. You had to hike all the way over there for that, and it wasn’t convenient. RR also came in cans, which was really useful during softball season when you’re toting a cooler around, and have at least one moron on your team who would have to break a bottle every game, so you also have to allow for that (but of course, some euro-snob third baseman on my team always had to have an oilcan of Fosters, like it was a rider in his contract. To me, that’s not any better than Rolling Rock). I’ll admit, I drank a lot of tap Bud, because that’s all there was at a bar a bum like me would frequent. You could ask for a tap beer, and not have to explain what kind you wanted except that it NOT be a light. There was no really local beer until Old Heurich brewery reopened for a few years, and also the excellent, short-lived Chesbay came about, but the micro revolution never really turned tap beer around here until the well into the 90s. I think there have always been a lot of overrated import beers like Corona, Becks, St Pauli Girl, Molson, and Heineken though. I bet I bought O’Keefe as much as Rolling Rock, because it was the same price for a few years and roughly similar. There’s was no reason for brand loyalty. When you can scrape a few bucks together, and you have a wide variety of good beers to choose from, you just stop doing that crap to your stomach and find something you like to drink.
I guess if I lived in NY/NJ, I would probably have had Genessee Cream Ale as my cheap choice. I’ve heard good things about Grain Belt from the upper plains, but never had any. I think there was a year where Olympia was the in beer, but that’s northwestern stuff, again not a local. The closest thing was Natty Bo. My neighborhood liquor stores didn’t stock that one often either.
Nirvana was my real experience with revisionist rock history. I remember them playing in and around Vancouver in the early 90’s. I didn’t really like “grunge” but I thought Nirvana was about equal to Mudhoney, no better no worse.
A few years after he dies Kurt Kobain gets the Bob Marley/John Lennon treatment; he could do no wrong, he was pure, he left us too soon, the world never understand his pain and talent, blah blah blah.
This made me look suspiciously at the 60’s after that. I realized The Doors etc. were complete crap.
As for Nirvana =pretty good band
Death =the greatest career move
Mockcarr is conveniently skipping over the cases and cases of Schaeffer, Wiedemann’s, Milwaukee’s Best and (God help me) Carling Black Label we drank during those lean years.
I was never more beer-disappointed than the time I first drank Carling Black Label in the States. In Swaziland, it was absolutely delicious — the classy beer, even better than Lion or Castle Lager. I couldn’t wait to turn my new college chums on to this ambrosia from my high school years. It was absolute piss. Undrinkable. I was full of shame. And we were camping at the time — it was all we had!
Mockcarr kicks ass.
Period.
E. Pluribus
I need to state that one more time:
Mockcarr rules.
Right on!
E. Pluribus
Your only downfall, my friend, is that we never put a band together. If that would have happened, the world would have been ours.
Again,
Mockcarr rules.
‘Nuff said.
E. Pluribus
Hey Mockcarr, no mention of “The Weed”?
When we were freshman, Chickenfrank and I used to buy Wiedmann beer. That was the cheapest/nastiest thing. Used to get that at the liquor store at 21st & Pennsylvania
Ah – i see that HVB mentioned that too.
Velv, that post was long enough without
going into all the crap beers we’ve had. Just the other day when someone was talking about wrestling, I brought up those Tuesday nights of Schlitz and waking up with hoofprints on our scalps from where the bull had run over us.
HVB, I think Tuborg was worse than Carling. I couldn’t even keep that in my stomach via a beer bong. When you start thinking, you know, that Busch wasn’t so bad, you’re in trouble.
Weidemans’ is the only beer I can remember that tasted better in cans. It actually acquired a metallic flavor that evened out a tiny portion of it’s nastiness. The legend with that beer was during the 49ers-Dolphins Super Bowl that had the huge Montana-Marino hype and hours of pregame shite, me and Hardrock each drank a case of that piss before the fourth quarter started.
Mockcar nails the problem with Rolling Rock. It is a beer on par with all the other bottom feeders but somehow it was inexplicably elevated to the level of Bud, Miller and Coors. Granted that’s not much of an elevation but still, it’s nasty. In high school we drank Rolling Rock or Gennie Cream Ale simply because they were the cheapest.
I’ve always liked PBR. I know the hipsters have co-opted it but it was a reliably cheap, decent tasting option. It’s still only $10 for a 30 pack of cans in Jersey.
For about 15 years after college, I drank nothing but Bud. During some of those years, I was a bartender at a café in San Francisco. On tap, we had Bass, Rouge St Red, Anderson Valley Wheat, and about 4 other fancy micro-brews. In bottles we had any number of fancy micro brews and imports. I was allowed to drink on the job and I didn’t have to pay. I still chose the Bud 99% of the time. When I’m on my deathbed, this will still probably be my greatest regret.
I think you can usually explain drinking cheap beer — when you don’t have to drink it — by looking at the human tendency to prefer doing things solely because you’re used to doing them. There’s nothing wrong with that, as far as it goes, and beer snobbery is a Very Sad Thing for sure. But beer bloke-ism (“Why you gotta drink all them fancy beers? What’s wrong with Natty Bo, ya goddamn yuppie?”) is just as bad, and I venture to say the trucker-hat fashionability of PBR is even worse. Drink whatcha like.
And I’ll add: there is something genuinely satisfying and good about a yellow fizzy beer on a day when it’s so hot your hair feels like it’s going to catch on fire. Why anyone would want to drink a big, fancy ale on a day like that escapes me. Folks often forget where beers were invented — i.e., their “native environments.” Barely-cool, thick English ales are great in barely-warm, drizzly England — but would suck ass in a hot, dry Texas summer. That’s what Lone Star is for.
My favorite drink recipe: pour an ice-cold Budweiser in a tall glass. Drop in a peanut. A South Carolina Martini!
I first had Rolling Rock in Boston in the late 80’s. You can’t get it in Canada, so sometimes I drive over the border to Bellingham, WA and buy it -12 cases at a time. I know a border crossing that is lenient, otherwise the duty is equal to the price of the beer. Which, subsequently makes it equal to the price of buying a dozen cases in Vancouver!
I have to say I hate heavy beers, I prefer the light ones and I find Rolling Rock to be perfect and refreshing. Or I did, I don’t have it around enough to notice a difference since the sale.
Does anyone ever look at the tour riders on thesmokinggun.com? They have tons of them up there now. U2’s says something like “4 cases of good local beer or Rolling Rock”…
Unless they’ve got an enlightened venue manager, they are drinking a lot of Rolling Rock. But are they still playing it? Like a lot of trends, the microbrewing bubble has burst. If you like the premium lager/pilsner style of whatever you call straw-colored American beer, there’s less of the cheap versions too. So you’re screwed on both ends. Drinking what sucks while getting buggered in the wallet. But there are a lot more choices in styles than there used to be if the store hasn’t caved into lame distribution, so there’s really no harm in giving the lil’ local brewers a chance at your beer bucks, they might even make a lager. If they do, it’s sure to be fresher and tastier and not go into some secular Belgian’s pocket. I remove those Abbey Belgians from scorn, because they make a fine product which is sadly marked up in an exorbitant fashion by the time we can drink it.
HVB, would you believe that South Carolina has the highest excise tax on beer in the continguous states at 77 cents a gallon? Hawaii and Alaska charge more. Every pint you drink there is another 10 cents in the coffers.
Tales of stockpiling cheap beer, part 2.
While in San Francisco, my roommate and I noticed that Safeway supermarkets were having a sale on PBR. It was $6 a case. We went to three different Safeways and bought all they had. We had the cases stacked up in our kitchen. About a week later, that big earthquake hit (the one that interrupted the 1989 Word Series and collapsed the Bay Bridge). It knocked out our electricity so we sprang into action. We bought a crapload of ice and some pretzels and hunkered down.
BigSteve said: “Anymore all I drink is the local brew, Boulevard”
My wife says she never heard anyone use the word “anymore” as BigSteve uses it here until she met me. She insists it must be a Philly thing. I assumed she was correct but looks like it is used elsewhere in the same way.
I’m not sure where that ‘anymore’ comes from. I checked and the OED says it’s two words not one, and that the use of it to mean ‘nowadays’ is ‘Chiefly Irish English and N. Amer. colloq.’ They do give one example of it at the beginning of a sentence, but it’s from a 1973 Madison WI newspaper (‘Any more, the difference between a white collar worker and a blue collar worker is simply a matter of shirt preference’), so I guess it’s not a Philly or New Orleans usage. The Irish apparently also use it to mean ‘from now on’ — “A servant being instructed how to act, will answer ‘I will do it any more’” is the example they give.
The other day someone was amused when I said ‘neither me’ instead of ‘me neither.’ Do they say that in Philly?
Me neither never heard neither me.
But I like it; I think I’ll start using it that way.
Fascinating. I’m just beginning to catch up after a week away, and this thread is golden! I haven’t watched the mash-up yet, but I will. jungleland2, nice move in taking on E. Plurbs. There’s no better way to gain his respect than to show him what you’re made of. That said, there are some who would say there’s little to be gained by gaining his respect. I’m glad that Pere Ubu’s Dub Housing got off to a good start for you. That’s my favorite album by them and maybe one of my Top 10 albums of all-time.
When I get some time I’ve got a brief thread to launch that ties in nicely with the Bill Berry discussion.
By the way, that mash-up was pretty good. I’m known for making a lot of time to come up with silly ideas, but who’s got enough time to think up a mash-up?