Keepin’ the Faith: Thorogood as Rock’s Sacrificial Lamb

 Posted by
Dec 042007
 

Doin’ the job Fogerty was too proud to do

It’s going to be extremely difficult for anyone under the age of 43* to properly feel the stinging blows that Team Destroyer will deliver in support of George Thorogood’s Steel Cage Match against ZZ Top and Team Top, but we’ll do our best. Truth be told, it’s going to be only slightly less difficult for the older heads of Rock Town Hall to see the dim stars that will result from our sure-footed jabs, but victory will be all the sweeter.

Before we get into the music, let’s start with the original Look of a young George Thorogood. Take a good look at that cover shot that kicks off this thread. Can you handle what you see?!?!

Now, those of you nerds who remember, circa 1977, high-fiving over the back cover shot of Talking Heads in their little plaid shirts; those of you who discovered Jonathan Richman in his simple, little shirts; those of who were sickened by what rock had become following the age of KISS and other overblown, tarted up arena rockers, look inside your hearts and give Thorogood some respect for his initial choice of simple stage threads. Compare it with that of UK roots rockers like Dave “Saint of Roots Covers” Edmunds, and tell me Thorogood’s not working the same angle, that is Rock of The People.

Now listen to this song while I continue. Listen to it!

George Thorogood, “Move It On Over”

*As of December 4, 2007.
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Handicap Match! ZZ Top “Deep Cuts” vs the Best Thorogood Has to Offer

 Posted by
Dec 032007
 

Please!

Puh-leez.

Sorry to hijack this thread, Mod, but come on: this “best of the Zeez versus best of Thorogood” concept was dead on arrival. Why? Because the Reverend Billy G and company are so far superior to General George and his band of frat-boy blooz abyoozers that it just ain’t fair to throw them both in the steel cage at the same time. Now, a Handicap Match — *that* might be a little more balanced. So here’s what I propose: I’ve gathered a choice selection of tracks — six, as you requested originally — from across ZZ Top’s career, and they’re making their way to the ring. But note: these are tracks few may have heard; they’re some of the deepest of ZZ’s Deep Traxx. No hits, but, as always, huge chunks of funk and tons of Texas ‘tude. I feel certain they’ll still mop up the ring with the *best* your lame-ass, stogie-chompin’, Mid-Atlantic has-been can offer. Bring it on!

In chronological order, then, here are the members of ZZ Top’s six-man tag team of undeniably rockin’ obscurities:

Salt Lick — from ZZ Top’s first single. Just wanted to prove that this band *always* had what it takes to stomp a mud-hole in Thorogood’s ass.

Move Me On Down the Line — from ZZ Top’s Texas nationalist masterpiece “Tres Hombres.” Smokin’!

Have You Heard — also from “Tres Hombres,” but this time a deep, blue testament to the band’s abiding love for red-state, colorblind, gospel preacherman music.

Moving forward a year or two, from “Fandango!”, a live track that documents just what a monster rock machine these guys were live: Thunderbird. The actual performance, while fun, is sloppy as all hell, but that entrance — POW, right between the eyes!

From the underappreciated “Tejas” album, Arrested for Driving While Blind. I’m assuming you’re bringing one of those jive-ass Thorogood drinkin’ songs to the ring. Be my guest, SUCKER — here’s mine.

Lastly, to prove I’m not stacking the deck, here’s a track from the first of the processed 80s albums, “Eliminator.” If I could Only Flag Her Down proves that you can’t hide good music behind crappy production, no matter how hard you try.

So there you go, Mod. I urge you to simply hand over the belt, right now.

Accompanied to the ring by the greatest boogie rock band of all time,

HVB

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Steel Cage Match: ZZ Top vs George Thorogood

 Posted by
Dec 032007
 


Townspeople,

This is not a throwdown I can promote and take part in with even the slightest bit of pride, but upon hearing about 8 seconds of George Thorogood’s “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” while flipping channels on the drive in this morning, I feel compelled to book the following Steel Cage Match, pitting ZZ Top against the Delaware Destroyer. Hear me out.

Let’s throw out all notions of Critical Acclaim, Authenticity, Cool, and Self-Respect. Let’s line up Team Top vs Team Destroyer, and throw in a half dozen examples of “best” songs by each artist, as chosen by each team of relative, possibly reluctant supporters, against the other in terms of Listenability.

We will ask ourselves – and debate – which artist’s best songs are easiest to listen to, if forced to do so.

Also, each team will have the option of choosing three “skeletons” from the other artist’s catalog. There may be a need, if your team finds itself “winning” this debate by positive means, of embarrassing the other team’s artist.

Let me know what you think about this. Today we can start lining up in support of one artist or the other. Maybe we start developing the list of 6 “best” songs and 3 skeletons. Then we’ll gather those audio examples and see how this plays out in the Steel Cage. Are you game?

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Feel Like Kicking a Dead Horse?

 Posted by
Jun 182007
 

Been away some time? First-time visitor? Some threads continue to have life in our collective mind long after saner heads would turn out the lights and hit the hay. For instance:

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The Greatest Prock Artist You’ve Never Heard: Tamio Okuda

 Posted by
May 312007
 

Feeling somewhat humbled by the lack of novelty in my last Thrifty Music installment, I was very pleased to have made a major score on my last 80-cent LP purchase: the album Crache Ton Venin, by French punk/hard rockers Telephone. I’d certainly never heard these guys before, and I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer rockin’ excellence of this disc.

But then my guilt got to me. See, I’ve been meaning to introduce you folks to another non-Anglophone rocker for months now, and I keep putting it off. But no longer! In the interest of clearing the decks for a Telephone post yet to come, today is the day I finally share my enthusiasm for Japanese procker Tamio Okuda.

I was introduced to Okuda second-hand, by reputation, back when I was going through a bit of a Jellyfish phase a number of years ago. While searching for the whereabouts of main Jellyfisher Andy Sturmer, I kept reading that he had teamed up with some Japanese pop star, writing music for the guy. I found this curious; most J-pop I knew was awful, treacly stuff — though it had been many, many years since I really followed it much.

This was back in the early days of the InterWeb, and these tantalizing name-drops were all I had — until I took a trip to Japan to visit my brother in 2001. Armed only with a name, I took my pidgin Japanese to the local wrecka stow and asked the clerk if he had any Tamio on the shelves. He looked at me in the same way an American clerk might stare down a Japanese tourist who asked if please there might be any Rolling Stones for purchase in your fine music disc shop please — i.e., like I was mildly retarded. He then guided me back to the T.O. section and let me go hog wild. I bought everything I could get my hands on, knowing there was no way to get this stuff back home.

When I got back to the hotel, I popped open my discman and plopped Tamio’s album 30 in it, cueing up the one song I knew Sturmer had co-written: “Coffee”. It satisfied all my deepest, darkest prock urges, delivering a song that sounded like Badfinger, Wings, XTC, and all the best Jeff Lynne hook-craft one could wish for. There was a part of me that felt somewhat ashamed by the music’s total lack of novelty, but the excellence of songcraft was undeniable, and, well, you get the idea.


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