7 February 2020 - Pylon - Crazy

Pylon were an influential band in the Athens, GA scene in the 1980s.   You've probably never heard of them.  That doesn't matter.  What matters is that they were cool and influential.  Their lo-fi punky sound did greatly guide the direction of the entire scene.

This song, remarkably simple and famously and faithfully covered by R.E.M., is probably their best known, and the one everyone wants to hear when they reunite, as they did for this show in 2008.  It sounds as good as it did in 1982.

4 February 2020 - Duran Duran - A View To A Kill

From the 14th James Bond film, 1985's A View To A Kill, this is, in my opinion, the greatest Bond theme ever.  It's exciting - lots of keyboard riffs to punctuate the excitement.  It's time-period appropriate - Duran Duran were at the height of their fame in 1985.  Even the video plays out like a spy caper, with scenes from the movie. 

It also remains the only Bond theme to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.... and Duran Duran's last #1 (although far from their last hit). 

3 Febuary 2020 - Berlin - No More Words

One of the first songs I remember hearing and liking was this one.   It was never their best known, and I certainly did not understand its deep meaning when it was released - but I sure do now, and I appreciate it more now than I did then.   Enjoy!

1 February 2020 - BLACKPINK - Kill This Love

Welcome to 2020.  Korean girl groups are starting to own the music industry.  And their English is getting better. Enjoy!

 

7 November 2019 - Liz Phair - Jealousy

This song, originally on the album Whip-Smart, was released as a single, which took the form of an EP called Juvenilia. 

The song encapsulates well those irrational feelings - which it makes clear - of, well, jealousy that might pop up at the beginning of a relationship.  It gets more heated, but still stays quiet and cool. Enjoy.

  

5 November 2019 - Status Quo - Pictures of Matchstick Men

Status Quo hit the top 20 in the States with this song in 1968, their only Stateside hit.  Named for L.S. Lowry's painting style, the song's mono version has a great "wah-wah" guitar between verses - the lesser known stereo version omits it, so we will omit THAT!  Also featuring a four note intro, this was one of the first songs to use phasing, which gave that very simple four note riff a very electronic sound.



The band famously reformed recently to redo the song for the BBC, a little gentler and with strings, perhaps as an homage to the famous Camper Van Beethoven cover of the song that was a modern rock classic and replaced the "wah-wah" guitar with a violin.

23 September 2019 - Terry Bush - Maybe Tomorrow & Nighingale Cummings - Maybe Tomorrow

My American fans will likely have never heard this version of this song before today.  Because I am in Canada for an extended period, I figured I would post this today.

The best way for me to describe The Littlest Hobo to an American audience is this - imagine Lassie got loose and decided to roam from town to town, helping out those in need wherever she went.   Also, she's a German Shepherd.

Terry Bush, best known for his commercial jingles, wrote a gem of a theme song for the 2nd version of the series in the late 70s and early 80s.  It's a sweet song about roaming and friendship.



Those who are fans of the TV show Trailer Park Boys might have heard this version of the song. It is a cover by Nightingale Cummings, and it is a much less happy reading.