It ends all too abruptly at four minutes; you wouldn't expect Davis' trumpet to enter for another six or seven minutes.
Mat Brewster: “California Stars” from Mermaid Avenue by Billy Bragg and Wilco
I spent most of this past week lying on my back, with a nasty stomach virus. My mind was too fuzzy to read, and daytime television makes me nauseated on healthy days, so I spent some very quality time with the iPod.
The entire Billy Bragg/Wilco collaboration is a marvelous, eclectic thing And with it’s dreamy lyrics and bright pillowy music, how could I not listen to “California Stars” ad repetum? It just makes you feel better.
Lisa McKay: "(I Love The Sound Of) Breaking Glass" from Basher by Nick Lowe
I first became aware of Nick Lowe via his role as producer of some of Elvis Costello's best albums (including the flawless This Year's Model) and the author of "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding", one of Costello's signature tunes that remains a staple of his live performances. In his own right, Lowe, with his roots in Brit pub rock, is a master of the three-minute pop song. This album is a really nice survey of the highlights of Lowe's career from the mid-'70s through the '80s. Full of brisk, incisive, and often humorous lyrics hung on catchy hooks, this is pop music at its unsentimental and uncomplicated best. Basher contains a whopping 25 tunes, and there's not a loser among them. This track is one of my favorites.
Tom Johnson: "I See You" from Hereby Adrian Belew
A coworker of mine has a band that has set out with a specific goal: to avoid the influence of the Beatles. Obviously, he can't be the first musician to attempt such a thing, but it's a noble effort. I just wonder if it really matters.
It doesn't matter to my daughter, that's for sure. Driving along one day, with Adrian Belew's 1994 masterpiece Here playing, I looked in mirror to find her gently swaying to this oh-so-Beatlesesque tune. In her big car seat, she rocked from side to side while gazing out the rear windows to the sound of Adrian and his spot-on Lennon imitation.
So, no, I'm not convinced it matters if a band is obviously copping from the Beatles – and, in fact, sometimes the world just needs more of that.
Michael Jones: "Nothing Left Inside" from My War by Black Flag
Article comments
1 - Pico
"Future Games", now there's a blast from the past. But not quite that far back.
You see, I picked up Bob Welch's fine, overlooked 1979 solo release The Other One when it came out and he remade that song for this album. I've since heard the original, but I'm still partial to the later rendition. It just sounds a bit more developed to me. But regardless, a good song.
2 - Pico
Oh, and where's that slacker Saleski?? ;&)
3 - DJRadiohead
"Hypnotized" might be my favorite Fleetwood Mac song ever, and it will never be included on any compilation.
4 - Glen Boyd
Future Games and Hypnotized are both amazing songs. I stil prefer the original on Future Games though, though the remake is also good. That whole era gets really overshadowed by the Nicks/Buckingham era (as do the Danny Kirwan and Peter Green eras). Too bad too--lotta great music there thats been mostly undiscovered by most who weren't around to hear it the first time.
-Glen
5 - Holly Hughes
Lisa, I'm with you on "Basher." I came late to Nick Lowe and that was my introduction. I have since bought every album the guy ever made (including all the "unofficial" Rockpile albums released as Dave Edmunds LPs) -- and that has meant hunting for a lot of out-of-print CDs, which I (ahem) was compelled to acquire from some less-than-strictly-legal sources.
I still hang on to "Basher" for sentimental reasons, but I now notice that it selected the more popular, more commercial, safer tracks from his albums. Lowe's range is incredible, everything from folk rock to punk to R&B to alt-country, and as I delved deeper, some of the most obscure tracks have become my favorites, and you won't find them on "Basher." Still, that's the usual "greatest hits" issue -- with some artists it's a useful winnowing of the material, with others it's like a movie trailer that gives away all the best lines.
For somebody who never set himself up as an artiste, the quality of Nick Lowe's output over the years is astounding. The fact that he's not more well-known is just criminal.
6 - DJRadiohead
I had never heard "Hypnotized" until I was working at a classic rock station in college. Great song.
7 - DJRadiohead
I know it's a little off topic, but every time I see the band name Black Flag I think of the Kings' X song of the same name.