I’d like to try a new, quick-hit topic that might lead to a useful, occasional series: 1-2 Punch. Top 10 lists are too much; Top 5 lists invite too many opportunities for throwing in a hipster, obscuro choice to distinguish oneself from the raging masses. What I’d like to know is what TWO (2) songs you would choose from an artist’s catalog to say as much about that artist that you believe represents said artist’s core as possible? In other words, if you could only use TWO (2) songs from an artist’s catalog to explain all that said artist is about to a Venutian, what TWO (2) songs would you pick to represent said artist’s place in rock ‘n roll?
I’ll pose two artists and you—love ’em or leave ’em—give me each artist’s representative 1-2 Punch. Dig? Here goes!
The Clash
Pink Floyd
Not necessarily my favorite tracks by either band but:
White Riot and Spanish Bombs by the Clash. The former shows their basic punk roots and latter shows their musical ambition and interest in making Big Political Statements.
For the Floyd: Time and Shine on you Crazy Diamond. Both songs showcase the spacey and slightly sophisticated music that is the most important element of PF’s music, and the armchair philosophy/psychology of the lyrics.
the clash – white man in hammersmith palais and clampdown
pink floyd – echoes and dogs
Clash: Complete Control & Clampdown
The Pink Floyd (taking my cue from the photo, I will assume this refers only to Syd-era Floyd): Arnold Layne & Lucifer Sam
Actually the photo was meant to encourage songs from any era, since both Barrett and Gilmour are included. Your call when the Venutians land.
Clash – magnificent seven & rock the casbah
Pink Floyd – pigs & Time
Clash: “Armagideon Time” (because it foreshadowed everything that would suck about them after LONDON CALLING) and “Janie Jones” because it signifies everything that made them a cut above all other punk rockers in 1977.
Pink Floyd: “Interstellar Overdrive” (because it could be the very definition of 70s psych) and “Brain Damage” because it’s the real reason DSOTM stayed on the Billboard charts longer than any other album.
Ooh you’re crazy! “Armagideon Time” is fantastic. One of the best white guy reggae trax out there, even if it is a cover. The orginal by someone I can’t recall right now, is even better!
I still like Sandinista. Sure I skip two thirds of the tracks at any given spin, but name a triple album in which that’s not the case.
The Clash — White Man in Hammersmith Palais (because it has the reggae influence and also the idealism cut with self-doubt) and Train in Vain (because you need Jones to balance Strummer and also because it shows their pop smarts, without which we wouldn’t be talking about them).
Pink Floyd — Meddle (for the spaceyness) and Wish You Were Here (because it’s a good song and it’s about Syd).
Funny, just this weekend I was thinking about a topic on the old listserve about the best faux/cod/whiteguy reggae song.
In fact, if memory serves me correct, it was the topic that HVB used in the inaugural Battle Royale contest. And he claimed the winner was Give It To Me by the J Geils Band.
I was listening to Dreadlock Holiday by 10cc at the time, thinking it might be a worthy contender.
Indeed, Armigideon Time is flat-out great.
I’ll bet you skip “Thanks for the Pepperoni” when you listen to All Things Must Pass, you cad.
I’m probably too close to The Clash to select a representative 1-2 Punch, but let’s say “White Riot” and “Death or Glory,” both of which capture their “band of brothers” and personal politics ethos, or something like that.
Pink Floyd I’m not so close to. I prefer the first album to the rest of their stuff, but I don’t think it represents all that they would become. I’ll go with “Comfortably Numb” and “Us and Them.”
This is probably gonna sound totally ridiculous to all, but the one title, for me at least, that sums up the essence of the Stones is “The West Coast Under Assistant Promo Man”. Most probably recorded to kill time, the song is a collage of all the things that make the Stones great: sloppy perfection (masterful blending of animalism, songwriting chops, and playing technique), a nod to their heroes, their nasty sense of humor, and a gigantic fuck you to all, even those that helped them loads of money. Back in ’65, you had to have huge balls to cut a track like that and not give a shit if so and so was going to find it offensive. I can easily picture the Stones in the studio smiling at each other, laughing while they play or listen to the playback, enjoying the fact that the target of their abuse will wind up listening to the thing relentlessly to try and figure out why anyone would choose to be so utterly nasty. And the very idea that all this is going to bother someone that much, just makes the Stones laugh even harder.
God almighty, I LOVE THE ROLLING STONES !
Honestly, I listened to the track about five times today, and I still can’t get over how great it is, even in electronically reprocessed stereo!
Maybe you have a better choice. If so, I’d love to know what it is.
Sincerely.
E. Pluribus
Elvis: My Best Man, by George Klein with Chuck Crisafulli. I’m sure you’ll dig all the “dark moods” passages as much as I am digging them.
For the Clash: “Total Control” – top punk tune with Mick Jones adding some pop vocals, “Radio Clash” good representation of their funk, reggae side, lots of Joe Strummer jive and a B-side as well (they made great B-sides).
Pink Floyd: “Echoes” – long, spacey jam with very accessible moments, Is there a live, stadium version of “Run Like Hell” to show how Floyd without Waters is this giant, classic rock phenomenon? I like Syd but think his stuff is an aberration in the history of Floyd.
ePlurb, you know I love ya, and I love The Stones even more, but their 1-2 starts with Jumpin’ Jack Flash and you can pick the second song, but it’s not the one you chose. That’s a hell of a track, but c’mon. Tomorrow you won’t feel that way.
For my picks – The Clash – White Riot. Man, that got this white suburban American kid FIRED UP about these guys. Their second song should be as BigSteve says. Train In Vain just brought everyone into that tent.
For Pink Floyd, much as I think they mostly suck, I’ll go with Lucifer Sam and I think I’m going with Sheep for the dreaded right hook. That’s a hell of a song.
One of my fave Clash numbers, is “Armagideon Time.”
London Calling
Guns of Brixton
Echoes (part 1)
Time
CDM says: “I was listening to Dreadlock Holiday by 10cc at the time, thinking it might be a worthy contender.”
I say: you want to go on a man-date?
Speaking of the Stones, I watched an HD concert film of theirs from Wembley in, like, 1989 or 90 or something, and it was pretty sad. At least Mick still saw the need to actually *sing* in it. But otherwise it was pretty depressing.
The Clash: “Revolution Rock” and “Lost in the Supermarket.”
Pink Floyd: “Biding My Time” and “Summer ’68.”
Maybe, what was your favorite Billy Joel song again?
For the Clash, I will go with “Safe European Home” to show how HARD they could be & to highlight Strummer’s MC5 influence, and “Straight to Hell” which I admit has flaws, but in a perfect world, it shows where they could have gone if’n Mick hadn’t been sacked. I recall reading with a tinge of sadness, how Joe said something to effect that the Who handed them the torch & they fumbled it badly.
As for the Floyd, I will go with “Summer ’68” to show that they are soooo much more than DSOTM, and “One of My Turns” as a perfect example of what fame & Rock stardom will get you.
Excuse my French, but I FUCKING LOVE “SAFE EUROPEAN HOME!” Same goes for “Straight to Hell,” especially the original vinyl version (I’ve also got a CD version in some box set that adds a couple of extra ad libs by Strummer that BLOW – something about “Hey, Chico…”)
For the Clash I’ll say Clampdown (I think its the Clashiest Clash song) and Police On My Back (because the Clash were such a brilliant covers band).
I’m not well versed enough about Pink Floyd to answer the other half of your question.
You don’t need to be well versed in either band, Hank Fan. It’s you and a Venutian, who’s likely much less versed in Pink Floyd than you are. Do you best.
I’ll do Big Country, ok? Um… In A Big Country.
‘night!
OK. Forgot the Venutian thing. I guess I’d say Wish You Were Here and Comfortably Numb. I think those songs would be popular on other planets, at least for awhile.
Awesome! You should see those Venutians scrambling to download those songs from iTunes.
I almos’ went with “Police On My Back” for that very same reason.
Funny!
I’m not the most thoroughly-versed Clash fan, I’ll go with “Clash City Rockers” and “London Calling”. The former being nice and raw and sneering and imperfectly played and sung, yet manages to be very catchy. The latter because it seems so perfectly Clash to me and the apocalyptic anthemic feel is wonderfully chilling.
For Pink Floyd, I’m most well versed in the post-Barrett, pre-ex-Waters era. As much as The Wall has lots of great stuff, I sort of feel like the earlier two albums need to provide the 1-2 punch. Hard to pick from Dark Side but I think “Us and Them” covers a lot of musical ground and is a good proxy for the whole album. I’ve got to select “Wish You Were Here” which is beautiful and sad, and nicely demonstrates the expert segues.
The Stranger.