Young Marble Giants//Final Day

I've been thinking a lot lately about technology. And the endtimes. Haven't we all?

I've especially been thinking about how in all the old Sci Fi movies and tv shows, everyone had some kind of personal communication device. These sleek little gadgets are not unlike the actual gadgets we have today. In fact, it seems like the modern smartphone is practically modeled on something imagined as "the future" and thrown onto the props table.

As if to confirm this, a rerun of Star Trek: The Next Generation came on last night. Anika and I watched as members of the starship Enterprise tapped their Communicator Pins in order to call each other.

Here's where I think this gets really funny: whether it's a Communicator Pin or a more complicated device that can pull information out of the air, characters on these fictional imaginings of the future never overuse their gadgets. Sure, if Character A needs to get in touch with Character B, they call. If a space explorer needs some important information on the quick, they'll use their retro equivalent of Google, get the facts and get out. Texting and email never got written into the script. Sci Fi didn't think to account for Facebook and Foursquare and Twitter and Blogs and Social Media, which is hilarious, really. If we were so interested in getting these magical little gadgets in the first place, why wouldn't we have trouble ungluing our eyes/fingers from them once we got them? If these mind-blowing little guys open up all kinds of new ways to interact socially and gather obscure information, why wouldn't we treat them like any new toy? Why wouldn't we simply move all of our human ways of being into the technological realm, instead of letting the technology be a helpful addition to our daily lives in reality? Sci Fi fail.

Which brings me to the endtimes...

I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I can barely even remember anything anymore, having outsourced all my information to the long-term receptacles of the web. Shit, guys. AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO FEELS LIKE THIS?

But, I also don't want you to take away Angry Birds.

This song is about the apocalypse. It comes complete with a scary theremin, analog synth and eerie lyrics, mainly because of how relatable they are to right now.

Also, I've exhausted myself with this technology rant, but you should really know more about Young Marble Giants. There, I saved you the search.



Final Day.mp3

When the rich die last,
Like the rabbits
Running from a lucky past
Full of shallow cunning
And the world lights up
For the final day,
We will all be poor,
Having had our say.

The O'Jays//Love Train

Well, OSSers, since last we spoke, I went to California and came back, worked a lot, frantically tried to prepare for moving, saw Jens Lekman play a weird free show at a hotel skybar and launched a Kickstarter project that I’m super, super stoked about. I wanted to take this opportunity to be extremely annoying about it here and hype for a moment, before returning to our sporadically scheduled program.

Here’s the idea:
In January, I will be moving cross country from NYC to California to be with my fiancé. I’m going to take Amtrak the whole way, which means about three days of riding the rails. As I travel, I'll be documenting my journey by writing, taking photos and writing songs.

My friends Sharon (expert animator and ornament entrepreneur), Dave (voice-over pinch hitter) and Julie (musical contributor) helped me make a really cool video about it, which you should check now:



If you think this sounds like a cool idea, go over to Kickstarter and become a backer of the project. The week it takes me to get to California is probably going to be a week without OSS, so if you think you might miss me, this could be a way for us to keep in touch. Similarly, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while (I have been writing it for over two years now) and you’ve enjoyed it, here’s a small way you can give back. Please go ahead and back the project now!

And just to keep it relevant, please enjoy the unofficial theme song to the project, a favorite wedding dance song for my Motown-lovin’ dad (and probably Motown-lovin’ dads across the country), "Love Train" by The O’Jays.

You also may remember the other song in the video from a previous OSS post. Check that out here.



Love Train.mp3

Please don't miss this train at the station,
'Cause if you miss it, I feel sorry, sorry for you.
People all over the world,
Join hands,
Start a love train, love train!

Joy Division//They Walked in Line

Ok. I am going to admit it. I am overwhelmed. It's 75% good overwhelmed and 25% bad overwhelmed. I'm leaving New York in January and trying to tie up numerous creative, logistic and relationship loose ends. CRUNCH TIME.

Whenever I feel desperation start to set in, I just listen to Joy Division, because that shit is seriously depressing...and it can't be as bad as all that, can it?

The jams are, of course, also seriously awesome. This song is from 1978's Warsaw (which was also an early name for the band, along with Stiff Kittens, which sounds like a great name for a grunge band from the 90s). Warsaw, which is rough and raw and more solidly punk then most of what came after it, is an incredible album top to bottom. There's a story behind the record, which was never actually released. It was meant to be Joy Division's first album, but the band was unhappy with the post work done by RCA, so the whole thing was scrapped. Even before the internet, that didn't keep it from being circulated as bootlegs and that's what this is. It wasn't commercially released until 1994. And that's also why this track, and the others on the album, sound kinda rough. More about the album here.

As per usual, the subject matter's dark, and about the Nazis.

The weather that's been occurring over the last few days has been an exact replica of British winter. Grey, a little damp, a subtle chill in the air. If you close your eyes and sip some tea, you can almost convince yourself you're in Manchester. Do that, for me, whilst I run around like a chicken with its head cut off.



They Walked in Line.mp3

Wearing the shame of all their crimes,
With measured steps,
They walked in line.

Al Green//Tired of Being Alone

I'm back, again, from California. I arrived yesterday on the red eye and was met immediately with cold grey sleet. Welcome home. No coincidence that my friend who works at the neighborhood coffee shop asked me, "are you gonna make it?" when I went in to order my afternoon cuppa.

I thought I'd let America's own soul reverend express this feeling for me, as only he can.

I've had many a sweet memory to which "The Rev." has provided the soundtrack--washing dishes at the co.op where many friends lived in Ann Arbor, slow dances at late night dance parties, silly evenings at home with my family, roadtrips, the list goes on...

Green got his start as part of the Arkansas/Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Gospel quartet, The Green Brothers. In a sort of bizzare twist, his own father kicked him out of the group when he was caught listening to Jackie Wilson. From there, he formed a group called Al Green & the Creations, which eventually lead him to R+B/Soul stardom. That said, his early Gospel roots never disappeared, and after a strange domestic violence incident in the mid-70s, he returned to the church and became ordained. He has gone back and forth a few times regarding his musical style, sometimes singing Gospel, other times R+B/Soul. Regardless, it's good.

This song, released in 1971, came in at #293 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. I do tend to believe that Rolling Stone is generally irrelevant to what's going on in the music world at this time, but, I do have to acknowledge that this list is pretty awesome. Although I wasn't aware of it when I started OSS, I agree with a number of their selections which have been independently featured here.



I'm So Tired of Being Alone.mp3

I'm so tired of being alone.
I'm so tired of on-my-own.
Won't you help me, girl,
Just as soon as you can?

Nick Lowe//Cruel to be Kind

Hope everyone had an awesome Labor Day Weekend!

I have absolutely no idea how this completely inane song got in my head, but at some point over my weekend, whether it was at the wedding I attended or the faux-swanky hotel I hung out at in DC with friends, it did.

I have absolutely never understood this song. If you’re being cruel, aren’t you just being…cruel? How is that kind? I also thought it was kind of cheesy, from the instrumentation choices to the tone of the lead singer’s voice…and yet, it’s completely stuck in my head and I can’t got it out. The hook is so infections. The harmonies are so RIGHT. The song is simultaneously annoying and great. And in that way, this song is kind of meta. It’s cruel. It’s kind. Omigod.

This song is written and performed by Nick Lowe, who also wrote, surprise!, “(What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding?,” another song that is both annoying and great at once. He also produced some of my favorite Elvis Costello albums, including the top-to-bottom stellar This Year’s Model.

When I actually read the lyrics all the way through, I realize that this song is about a relationship…and I totally get it. Being painfully honest is often better than being nice and not meaning it. Although, sometimes it’s hard to understand that.



Cruel to be Kind.mp3

Cruel to be kind, in the right measure,
Cruel to be kind, it's a very good sign.

Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers//Roadrunner

Well, hi. Hello! It’s been a while. I hope you had a good time with E. Isn't he a great host? In the meantime, we’ve got some catching up to do.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation:
Drove. A lot. Over 1,600 miles, to be exact. I also took trains, buses and light rails in lots of cities and states. I attended two separate family vacations in two idyllic northern locales. I ate lobster and almost swam to Canada. That pretty much sums it up.

I’ve always had a bit of an odd penchant for long solo roadtrips, which has only been made more palpable by living a largely carless life in NYC. Ever since an ex trained me to drive for ungodly stretches of time (over ungodly stretches of highway at ungodly speeds), I’ve been a little hooked. I’m one of those annoying “time-beater” types. “Oh, this is supposed to take 10 hours. I’m going to do it in 8.”

To me, the best part of a solo summer roadtrip is complete control over the music selection. There’s nothing better than singing along at the top of your lungs, completely out of tune, with whatever you’ve decided to play.

This song is the ultimate love song to both these things. It’s about the wonder and adventure of the road and the complete devotion to the soundtrack that accompanies it. It’s about these things intertwining in a magical way.

I, however, am not in love with Massachusetts. On the contrary, it ranks high on my list of least favorite states. Sorry, Jonathan Richman.



Roadrunner.mp3

I’m in love with the radio on.
It helps me from being alone late at night.
It helps me from being lonely late at night.
I don’t feel so bad now in the car,
Don’t feel so alone with the radio on,
Like a roadrunner.
The highway is your girlfriend as you go by quick.
Suburban trees, suburban speed ,
And it smells like heaven.
I say roadrunner once,
Roadrunner twice,
I'm in love with rock and roll and I'll be out all night!
Roadrunner,
That's right
Well now
Roadrunner, roadrunner,
Going faster miles an hour.

Neil Young//After the Goldrush

I had a magical weekend hanging out on a farm owned by some amazing and enterprising friends. In addition to emptying out a barn and burning its contents in a two-day long bonfire, gardening, checking out pigs, chickens, bees, geese and ducks (one of whom lost his life a little too early but in doing so provided us a delicious dinner) and looking happily out at the ever-beautiful Lake Michigan, we also listened to a lot of Neil Young, namely Harvest. It seemed like each time Erik got up to turn the stereo on, Neil’s voice followed.

I find Neil Young to be an acquired taste. As a kid, I did not enjoy him. I couldn’t figure out why he kept singing “like that.” Now, I can’t even begin to understand my younger thought process. Neil rules. And despite the anti-feminist implications of “A Man Needs a Maid,” he’s especially good for places like farms out in the country or old pickup trucks. You can always skip that one.

This is my favorite Neil Young song. I really enjoy that it’s some kind of hallucinogenic dream vision involving aliens and the environment, but beyond that, is rather hard to pin down. In fact, even Neil couldn't pin it down. Here’s a funny story about this song from Dolly Parton:

Dolly Parton once commented about the making of her version of the song; "when we were doing the Trio album, I asked Linda and Emmy what it meant, and they didn't know. So we called Neil Young, and he didn't know. We asked him, flat out, what it meant, and he said, 'Hell, I don't know. I just wrote it. It just depends on what I was taking at the time.'"



After the Goldrush.mp3

I was lyin' in a burned-out basement,
With a full moon in my eyes.
I was hopin' for a replacement,
When the sun burst through the skies.
There was a band playin' in my head
And I felt like getting high,
Thinkin' about what a friend had said,
I was hopin' it was a lie.
Thinkin' about what a friend had said,
and hopin' it was a lie.

Kevin Dunn//20,000 Years in Sing Sing

Prison Mail, Monday Mail:
What is Monday Mail?

About a month ago, this dude Brad from Casa Nueva Industries wrote to me about some guy named Kevin Dunn. Never heard of him, but I was intrigued. Read on:

On May 18, Casa Nueva is releasing our biggest project yet: No Great Lost: Songs, 1979-1985, a definitive anthology of new-wave/post-punk provocateur Kevin Dunn. Based out of Atlanta, Dunn was one of the most influential and innovative figures on the fertile southern new wave scene. He co-founded the legendary outfit The Fans, who were among the first new-wave bands in the southeast and a favorite of REM's Peter Buck. When the Fans broke up in 1979, he went on to a distinguished career as a solo artist and producer. He co-produced the B-52's seismic "Rock Lobster" 45, as well as the debut 45 and LP by the beloved Athens band Pylon. As a solo artist, he made demented art-pop of the highest order, blending thick slabs of processed guitars, analogue synths, and deliriously unstable bass lines to surprisingly hooky melodies and ingenious, multi-layered lyrics.

Upon hearing No Great Lost, Robert Schneider of Apples In Stereo enthused: "Snotty, literate pop from this underground master of the post-punk era, sounding like the missing link between Brian Eno circa Tiger Mountain, and XTC circa Drums and Wires – while also truly ahead of its time, like it could have been recorded by kids today. Oozing with angular hooks, synth bleeps and fuzz guitar wizardry, a compilation of songs that should be – and will be, and already are – classics.”

Well, first of all, "Rock Lobster" is one of my favorite B-52s jams. And second of all, excuse me, Rob Schneider? The missing link between Eno’s Tiger Mountain and XTC? This is such a borderline obscure reference that I barely understand what you’re talking about. Or maybe "obscure" is the wrong word. Eno and XTC aren't exactly terribly obscure. Perhaps the right word is specific. That's an awfully SPECIFIC missing link. Regardless, sounds cool, right? THIS ALL SOUNDS SO COOL!

And it does sound cool because cool is how New Wave is supposed to sound and this guy was obviously some kind of underground under-recognized New Wave pioneer type. No covered wagons here, folks. Just keytars. Yes.

If you watched as much Law and Order SVU as I do, you’d know that 20,000 years in Sing Sing is a long, long time. Hard to say what exactly landed the narrator of this song in that particular upstate correctional facility for so long, but whatever it was, it was caught on tape.

Apparently Mr. Kevin McFoy Dunn is still alive and well, although no longer making music. Learn more about The No Great Lost project here.



20,000 Years in Sing Sing.mp3

20,000 years in Sing Sing,
Do you think you can last?

James Brown//Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine, The Flying Lizards//Sex Machine

Dear OSS,

It's beautiful and I've got two very dear friends in town. Thus, I'm going to post a few tracks today and be done for the week. I hope you can forgive me. My girlfriend is bagging disgusting dead leaves in our backyard and I'm typing this! See how dedicated I am!

This is a classic James Brown funk song from the 70s. It's pretty self explanatory. It's about being a sex machine.

Here, also, is an amazing cover by the British post punk outfit The Flying Lizards (best known for another cover, of the song "Money"). Their take is, no doubt, a bit flatter.



Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine.mp3



Sex Machine.mp3

Get up,
Get on up!

Love,
G

The Steve Miller Band//Jet Airliner

This is one of those songs that you know really well without knowing exactly why or how. It plays in malls, rest stops. It probably played a lot on a radio station you listened to at some point in your youth. You know, one that plays the hits of the 60s, 70s, 80s and today (because when you were listening, "today" was the 90s).

Like all songs you know without knowing, you know the words to the chorus and the era (from the production values), but probably can't name the band. I took some guesses before going to Google and The Steve Miller Band was definitely on my list, along with those bands named after US states and cities, like Kansas and Chicago. What's up with that, by the way?

Anyway, turns out The Steve Miller Band has done a few songs in this vein that I actually like, including "Take the Money and Run" and "The Joker." You know, "some people call me the space cowboy, some call me the gangster of love." Ah, but that's another post. Of course, The Steve Miller Band is also responsible for one of my least favorite songs ever, "Fly Like An Eagle." Space Jam, anyone? Time keeps on slippin slippin slippin into the future.

Because there are constant generational taste wars occurring in the home I grew up in, I actually called my mom to tell her that I found out that I like The Steve Miller Band. I usually tend to side with my dad on the fact that the 70s weren't exactly the best time for music (or maybe anything?). My mom also implored me to go find "Jungle Love." Apparently she did her routine to try out for the high school pom pom team to it and she totally made the cut. I just went ahead and downloaded a Greatest Hits compilation. Karen wins this one, dad.

The two best things about this song are the chorus, which is repetitive but incredibly catchy, and the riff, which I think is a little too tough for the song it's part of, like a dog whose bark is bigger than his bite. The chorus is a statement you can get behind (and could be as much about staying in the right state of mind as the right place, I've come to believe) and the riff makes you feel like you've really conquered something with the power of rock and roll, even if it is just kind of a glorified lightly country fried heartland pop song you're listening to.

Also, I saw Greenberg over the weekend. I'm not going to get into that movie (again, that's another post) but it opens with Greta Gerwig driving around LA while this song plays in the background. It was strangely effective.



Jet Airliner.mp3

Big old jet airliner,
Don't carry me too far away.
Big old jet airliner,
Cause it's here that I've got to stay.

The Clash//White Man In Hammersmith Palais

While doing a bit of research on yesterday's song, I learned that The Clash sang a snippet of the lyrics from "54-46" in the song "Jail Guitar Doors."

Of course, this got me thinking about The Clash and "White Man in Hammersith Palais," which is my favorite song by the group. I first heard it on a mixtape given to me by a girl who I had a giant crush on in high school in 1999. The tape also included songs by Bikini Kill, Heft, The Specials, Archers of Loaf and Tori Amos. It was one hell of a mixtape. It was called "Tape 4 U." I still have it and I still listen to it.

When we were on tour last week, my longtime friend and bandmate Kenny and I had a long conversation about this girl. She was a junior when we were freshmen and we were both totally head-over-heals in love with her. Actually, I've only experienced the kind of crush I had on her a few terrible times. You know the kind I'm talking about. You're completely dizzy and unable to hold any kind of normal conversation whenever the person appears. It's not fun and you feel like a total dope.

At the end of our senior year, she came up to me and told me that Kenny and I were the only freshmen she thought were worth a damn. Swoon, swoon, swoon. Looking back on it, I'm sure we blew the whole phenomenon out of proportion, but when you're 14 and stuck in a boring suburb with limited options, a cute girl who listens to hip pseudo-underground music and wants to read your tarot cards in French class instead of, you know, actually learning French, kinda knocks your socks off.

Anyway, I still listen to that tape and think back fondly on how young and stupid I was. Plus, did I mention that this song is a jam? It was written about a disappointing reggae concert that some members of The Clash attended in Hammersmith/Shepard's Bush. Ultimately, this song is a comment about selling out, playing music for the wrong reasons and using counter culture for profit. The lyrics also touch on a number of hot button social issues at the time in the UK, including racism and poverty.

In 2004, the song was put on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. One last little tidbit about the song: it was one of Joe Strummer's favorites and he kept playing it with his new band, The Mescaleros, until his death. It was also played at his funeral. Badass.



White Man In Hammersmith Palais.mp3

White youth, black youth
Better find another solution.
Why not phone up Robin Hood
And ask him for some wealth distribution?

Punk rockers in the UK,
They won't notice anyway.
They're all too busy fighting
For a good place under the lighting.

The new groups are not concerned
With what there is to be learned.
They got Burton suits,
Ha, you think it's funny?
Turning rebellion into money.

The Cardigans, Black Sabbath, Four Tet//Iron Man

I can’t resist doing this. I’m going to be doing taxes tomorrow, so please accept today’s song, tomorrow’s song and a bonus song for your troubles…and the fact that you are going to have to do your taxes too.

Yesterday’s eulogy for Mark Linkous made me think of The Cardigans (he often worked with Nina Persson). Remember First Band on the Moon? I kind of loved that album, all full of sugary Swedish pop, including the single, “Lovefool,” which was featured in everyone’s favorite onscreen version of Romeo and Juliet. I remember reading an article about them (probably also in Rolling Stone—oh, high school) and how even though the band played 60s-inspired pop music, they were secretly all super metal nerds! That explains their fantastic cover of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man”.

Then, I thought, if I was going to give you The Cardigans version, I should probably also give you the original, because of how I feel about covers. A little background, from Wikipedia:

The title of the song was conceived by Ozzy Osbourne. Geezer Butler took to writing the lyrics around the title. To avoid copyright infringement involving the superhero of the same name, he made it the story of a vengeful villain instead of a hero…
The lyrics tell the story of a man who time travels into the future of the world, and sees the apocalypse. In the process of returning to the present, he is turned into steel by a magnetic field. He is rendered mute, unable verbally to warn people of his time of the impending destruction. His attempts to communicate are ignored and mocked. This causes Iron Man to become angry, and have his revenge on mankind, causing the destruction seen in his vision.

After reading that, I really felt like “Iron Man” was the right song to post here as I prepare to do my taxes. Hopefully my frustration with my W2s won’t render me mute and then force me to bring about massive revenge on mankind in the form of complete destruction.

To solve that potential problem, I wanted to include a decidedly mellower version of the song here as well. I stumbled across this really beautiful instrumental cover by electronic musician Four Tet and thought he might help The Cardigans balance out the METAL DESTRUCTION. If tax time is getting you down, consider listening to the covers. If you already got your refund, crank up the original and thrash about thinking of how you have destroyed that which has spurned you (the government?).

Also, you might want to one check out of the (many) other covers. Why so many versions of this iconic heavy metal song? Probably because it’s got one of the best, most memorable lead guitar riffs ever. If a measure of greatness is directly correlated to the number of YouTube videos spawned, eat your Goddamn heart out, darling little British kids. Metal has destroyed you.



Iron Man.mp3 (Cardigans)



Iron Man.mp3 (Black Sabbath)



Iron Man.mp3 (Four Tet)

Nobody wants him
He just stares at the world
Planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfurl

Television//Venus De Milo, Friction

Homeboys and homeboyettas, I have a confession to make. My confession is that I am going to abandon you. It won't be forever. I would never do that to you. But it will be until Monday. See, way back in December, I got a present from my girlfriend for our anniversary. The present was spending a night out of the city in a quaint bed and breakfast in the country with fireplaces. And at last, that day has come.

I know it's not cool to walk away from my one-a-day promise, so now I'm giving you two extra good songs by an extra good band to make up for it. That band is Television and they are amazing.

Of course, I think Ali introduced the band to me. From the almighty:

Television is an American post punk band, formed in New York City in 1973. Although Television have never had more than a cult audience in their American homeland, they have achieved significant commercial success in Europe. Today, they are widely regarded as one of the key founders of new wave music and seminal influences on punk rock.

Television was a part of the early New York underground rock scene, contemporary with bands like the Patti Smith Group and the Ramones. In contrast to the Ramones' focus on rock 'n' roll minimalism, Television's music was much more technically proficient, defined by the dueling guitars of Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd.

Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd actually ran away from school in the 70s and "moved to New York to be poets." If that isn't a solid foundation on which to form a band, I don't know what is.

Although it is my understanding that they have some less-than-stellar albums, in my opinion, Marquee Moon is an all-time classic. Not a bad track on it. It's tough like punk but the musicianship is extra proficient. Tom Verlaine's voice comes across with the perfect mix of sensitive-guy contemplation and I-don't-give-a-fuck rock and roll sex appeal. The guitars are extra jamming, leading some critics to call them The Grateful Dead of punk. They used the comparison positively and negatively, but the title track is almost 11 minutes long. That's kinda jammy, guys.

The band got back together for a show in Central Park in 2007 on my birthday. I was there! It was awesome. DUH.

Have a wonderful weekend. Fall into the arms of Venus De Milo. See youse on Monday.



Venus De Milo.mp3

Friction.mp3

Richie said,
"Hey man let's dress up like cops, look at what we can do!"
Something, something said
You better not.

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes//Satisfaction Guaranteed (Or Take Your Love Back)

Monday Mail: A Letter from Dad
What is Monday Mail?

How was your weekend? Mine was busy, but good. On Saturday I had a recording session in NJ, so I decided to stop at my parent’s house afterwards to say hi to my family, have dinner and play two rousing games of Scrabble.

When I got home, my dad started in about how I should definitely post a song to commemorate the life and passing of Teddy Pendergrass, who died on Wednesday. He reminded me that I had grown up listening to this album (I was raised with a strong allegiance to "Philly Soul") and then proceeded to play it through three to four times over the course of dinner and Scrabble (to be fair, by Scrabble we had mostly moved on to The Stylistics and The Supremes).

From the deep eye-rolls of the rest of my family (especially my younger sister, who seems to be particularly wounded by dad’s music jags), I could tell that since “Teddy Bear’s” passing, Harold & The Blue Notes had been in heavy rotation in the house.

“All his songs go on about three minutes too long” –my sister.

And so, from a true HM&TBNs enthusiast who continues to show unwavering support in the face of mild familial disapproval, at my request for song suggestions, dad writes:

You wanted Satisfaction Guaranteed and you can't go wrong with that one. Or any of the others. Personally, on reflection, the one that truly reflects the band's skills, Teddy's skill and the Disco Age is Don't Leave Me This Way. But if you use, note that the popular one that the woman turned into a big hit was a cover of the Blue Notes and not the other way around. Baby please!

Pendergrass had a rather amazing story. He started as a drummer and quickly became a very successful heartthrob of a lead singer (girls threw panties, he sometimes performed to female-audience-only shows). In 1982, a car accident left him paralyzed, which led him to do much charity work for spinal chord injuries. He died of colon cancer.

RIP Teddy. Your masculine voice and sexy live shows will be missed.



Satisfaction Guaranteed (Or Take Your Love Back).mp3 *

You ain’t got no reason to be nervous
Cuz Teddy Bear's gonna give you the best of service.

*This file skips a little. I am sorry about this. All the more reason to go buy the aforementioned album.

Patti Smith//Gloria

I would like to introduce a brand new tag to the OSS tag universe today. Joining the ranks of such classics as Animal Band Names and Superlative Band Names, please welcome Classic Rock/R+B Songs Covered by Punk/Post-Punk Girls. There are more of these then you'd think there'd be.

From my perspective, Patti Smith is the crown jewel of New Jersey cultural exports (move over, Bruce). There's been quite a resurgence of interest in this poet/musician/artist/activist/general queen-of-the-downtown-scene recently thanks to a new documentary about her.

When I first got Horses, I listened to it obsessively on repeat. It is a beautiful, beautiful masterpiece of an album that sounded completely different than anything that had come before it at the time. Additionally, Smith is an incredibly influential songwriter/musician, especially to other female artists, with a legacy that stretches from Cat Power to REM to Kate Bush to Tori Amos to The Smiths to (no matter how much she denies it) PJ Harvey.

Smith has also worked with a to-die-for list of collaborators and punk greats, including John Cale (see: yesterday), The (aforementioned) Boss, Alan Ginsberg, Michael Stipe, Robert Mapplethorpe and Tom Verlaine (of Television; look forward to that post, guys). She was also married to Fred "Sonic" Smith of the MC5. OK. I'm totally done now. Patti Smith is basically the coolest person ever. Over.

This song was written by Van Morrison for his band Them...but honestly, who even cares? It's not that it's bad, but the sheer energy of this version knocks the original out of the park.



Gloria.mp3

Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine.

Elvis Costello//You Belong to Me

I was DJing on New Year’s Eve at a restaurant in Park Slope, which was actually really fun. I spent a lot of the night talking to a group of people who had stopped in after the Dean and Britta show at Southpaw. They were kind of a DJ’s dream in terms of moral support—they kept cheering me on and asking questions about my selections.

At one point, one of the women in the group asked that I not play any Elvis Costello. I told her that I was thinking about playing “Watching the Detectives,” because it’s so awesome. But generally, I understand the pushback. I think This Year’s Model is one of the best albums ever Ever EVER, but I’ve also played it roughly 88 million times and may have played it out. Also, once you’ve got a talkshow (even if it is on Sundance), it’s over.

That said, GOD, I love this song with such abandon that I can’t resist putting it up here. Costello (whose real name is Declan Patrick MacManus—good move on that change) is one of the original school of punks—the kind featured in this essential book (a must read if you haven’t yet). He also pranked SNL in 1977, a stunt for which he should be lauded.



You Belong to Me.mp3

What are you girls gonna tell your mother?
I don't want to hear another word about young lovers
Or hiding your boyfriend in the cupboard.
She's been to see the doctor, so you hope that she recovers.

Plastic Bertrand//Ca Plane Pour Moi

I woke up this morning with this song in my head and thought, "this would be a great song for OSS today. It follows The Monks well and it kicks away the Wednesday blues." The problem? I had no idea what it was.

When it comes to figuring out little puzzles like this, I always assume that the internet will know, provide and generally have my back. However, decoding this song was a formidable challenge. I didn't know much about what it was besides the fact that:

1. it was in a foreign language. I assumed it was Western European and had a hunch it was a French song, although I thought it also might have been German.
2. it sounded kind of 60s, but then again, it could have been a later era copying the 60s.
3. it had a surf feel about it.
4. I had definitely heard it in the company of my friend Cara before, although I couldn't remember who had put it on. Also I had heard it many other places, possibly on a soundtrack. I frequently asked what it was and never remembered the answer.

After sifting through dozens of not-it Serge Gainsbourg tracks on Hype Machine and LastFM, trying that stupid site where you can tap out songs on your keyboard (which doesn't work--they kept telling me this was a Guns and Roses song) and searching "French Surf Hit," French Rock Hit 60s," "German Surf Hit" and "What is this song in my head?!?!" to no avail, I finally turned to a trusty old friend.

All Music Guide, based in Ann Arbor (rep!), might be the best music resource on the entire internet. Although their site is outdated and slow in terms of interface, you absolutely cannot beat the information they have. I went to the International section, then to the Foreign Language Rock section, then to the French Rock section, which spit out a list of top songs. Even though Plastic Bertrand was Belgian, this song was number two on their list.

Of course, AMG also has everything you need to know about it.

And so, I am pleased to present to you, the perfect song for today. I hope you find it as satisfying as I do.



Ca Plane Pour Moi.mp3

OOOOooooOOOOoooooo!
Ca plane pour moi!
(This life's for me!)

Harry Nilsson//Me and My Arrow, Think About Your Troubles

We interrupt your regularly schedule program for: two sweet songs and more to follow.

These songs/this album has been coming up a lot in my life. Also, I was thinking about it and these tracks will provide enough fuel for an entire week of jams, running the gambit from retro pop to hip hop and touching on two of my favorite (cultish) films in the process. Pair this with the fact that I’m out of town starting Thursday, and I think this means it’s time to run with it, even though the usual routine for today is Monday Mail…but hey, doesn’t this all sound exciting?

As you may know, I recently got my ability to play records back (sort of). This record is one of my favorites. The Point! is an animated children’s movie that was released in 1971. The animation is very much in the style of Yellow Submarine. It touches on themes of racism and existentialism and (shock) was my favorite movie as a kid.

Emily happened to have the record as a kid, but was totally unaware of the movie. I went out and tracked down the DVD in college, so we watched in one night. Actually, I have forced many of my friends to watch this movie over the years, sometimes while…ahem…intoxicated, with varying degrees of success in converting them to Point cultdom. Speaking of intoxication, this is what inspired it all:

I was on acid and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the little branches came to points, and the houses came to point. I thought, 'Oh! Everything has a point, and if it doesn't, then there's a point to it. – Harry Nilsson

Yes. Anyway, I brought this record out with me to my DJ gig a few weeks ago and played “Me and My Arrow” (about main character Oblio’s love for his dog) and “Poli High” (about the movie's competitive game, Triangle Toss) with some narration between. A guy came up to me expressing his extreme love for The Point. He told me that he never expcted to hear the song at the bar and that if I wanted this David Bowie record his dad had just given him, I could totally have it, because, hey, I was a DJ and he didn't even have a turntable. Did I mention that he was drunk? Still, this is what this movie does to people—compels them to profess love and to give random gifts to people they barely know.

It just so happens that Emily and I have also been covering “Think About Your Troubles” FORever (there’s embarrassingly old YouTube footage to prove it). We got to do it again on Sat. at The 50/50 with two ukes!

Final note: why didn’t’ anyone tell me about this?!

All the music on this album is oozing with extremely amazing pure wonderful catchy goodness. Please enjoy both of these tracks and expect another related and awesome song tomorrow.



Me and My Arrow.mp3

Think About Your Troubles.mp3

You can take your teardrops
And drop ‘em in a tea cup.
Take it down to the riverside and
Throw it over the side
To be swept up by a current
And taken to the ocean to be eaten by some fishes
That were eaten by some fishes
Then swallowed by a whale
Who grew so old,
He decomposed.

Unrelated: Darcy Turenne, a pro freeride mountain biker/TV host, gave us an awesome shout-out in her blog. Thanks for reading, Darcy.

Dolly Parton//Jolene

I like only a very specific brand of country. I like old, tough, raw, awesome country. I like roots of American folk. I like alt country and cowpunk. I like the country music of other countries. I like Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and Hank Williams. I like The Carter Family. I like Lucinda Williams and the Old 97s. I'm predictable. I'm a parody of myself.

Now that you know where I'm coming from, Dolly Parton fucking rules!

I went to Dollywood a few times as a kid with Karen, Deb and Dr. Bob, during our NC family vacations. It's everything you'd imagine from a theme park owned by a country music megastar. There, Karen made me eat a corndog for the first time ever. It made me vomit.

Another funny story: a family friend recently worked on the 9-5 musical. He reported back that, in addition to being a completely snappy dresser EVERYday, Dolly Parton is the best human being ever, personally thanking the firemen who inspected the theater and making her homemade fudge for the cast and crew.

Nice as she may be, I would not fuck around with her. From wikipedia:
Parton has said that the inspiration for the "Jolene" character was a tall, red-headed bank teller who Parton believed was flirting with her husband, and her husband's apparent vulnerability to the teller's charm as indicated by his sudden interest in making frequent trips to the bank. In her live performances of the song, Dolly often states she fought this woman tooth and nail for her husband. However, Parton has also stated that the name "Jolene" was taken from the name of a little red-headed girl with green eyes seeking an autograph after a concert.

"Jolene" hit number one when it was released, was #217 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and has been covered by everyone from The White Stripes (who's version is awesome, live and recorded) to Paula Cole (where HAVE all the cowboys gone?).



Jolene.mp3

Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
Im begging of you please don't take my man.
Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene,
Please don't take him just because you can.
Your beauty is beyond compare,
With flaming locks of auburn hair.
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green,
Your smile is like a breath of spring.
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, Jolene.

Delta 5//Mind Your Own Business

SO here I am with another post, since two people told me what they wanted to be when they grew up in the last post (not a grown-up and a studier of dinosaurs). Thanks, guys.

Today I did a little free association to get here. Here's a rough sketch: Talking Heads->Tom Tom Club->Covered by Chicks on Speed->who also covered this song.

From Wikipedia:

Combining feminist politics with a two-bass funk-punk sound (much in the style of another, more famous Leeds band, Gang of Four), they released in 1979 their debut single, "Mind Your Own Business"...Delta 5 were also important figures in the Rock Against Racism movement, and were the subject of a highly-publicized assault at the hands of a right-wing group affiliated with rival movement Rock Against Communism.

Rock Against Racism and Rock Against Communism? Seriously? Apparently these were two opposing 70s-era UK music coalitions about ending racism and white power, respectively.

This song is a good way to kick off the weekend after a particularly annoying week for me. Is "mind your own business" just a slightly more polite way to say "fuck off"? Yeah, I think so.

I actually saw CoS play this at the Majestic in Detroit, which was pretty amazing. For some reason, they were throwing colorful sponges into the audience. I should also note that this was the same show where Kot and I actually bashed our heads into a table through the entirety of Peaches set--but that is a story for another post--most likely the inevitable upcoming post featuring Tracy and the Plastics. While the live version was pretty incredible (kitchen cleaning accessories and all), I don't think they have anything on this amazing original version.



Mind Your Own Business.mp3

Can I have a taste of your ice cream?
Can I lick the crumbs from your table?
Can I interfere in your crisis?

No, mind your own business!