Author: mystro2b

(I can’t get no) Satisfaction by DEVO. 2/15/20

Quirky tribute or mocking derision of this Stones classic? Answers can be found here: THE STORY BEHIND DEVO’S ICONIC COVER OF THE ROLLING STONES’ “SATISFACTION”

Devo had recorded an odd cover of the band’s hit “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”—so odd that their label said they needed Jagger’s blessing to release it. Mothersbaugh put the tape in a boom box and pressed Play. As the sounds of the cover filled the room, Jagger sat stone-faced. What he was hearing didn’t sound much like the “Satisfaction” he’d written. Keith Richards’s iconic riff was gone, and the original melody was nowhere to be found. Was this a homage, Mick must have wondered, or were they mocking him? “He was just looking down at the floor swirling his glass of red wine,”

Story behind DEVO’s cover…

*In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” in the second spot on its list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time“. The song was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2006.
*Wikipedia

Session at Pete’s Pad by Henry Mancini.

At the 1st Annual Grammy Awards in 1958, this was Album of the Year. My friend’s folks had this album in their collection and we could listen to it on the family Hi-Fi. This was a big deal because the stereo was located in a well appointed, not kid friendly, living room with perfectly matched curtains, sofa, and over stuffed chairs. We spent most of our time in the back of the house in my buddy’s room listening to rock albums on his stereo. But one day I we got permission to play this album on the family stereo in a beautiful wooden cabinet that seemed to say “adults only!”

While not as memorable as the Peter Gunn Theme this track is just as fun. Mancini is the king of extremes: extreme tempos, extreme tessitura, extreme dynamics, pitch, rhythm, articulation- nobody gets a break. From the swinging walking bass line, the vibraphone solo with mallets flying, szforzando trumpet lines and that crazy face melting horn section at the end, it’s ridiculous and over the top, but it’s soooo good! It makes you smile and if you close your eyes, you can smell the smoke and see the band working it on the stage at the club.

Daft Punk is Playing at my House by LCD Sound System.

I don’t know many songs that start and end as abruptly as this: James Murphy starts this crazy chant about a house party, adding layer upon layer to primitive beats that make you want to dance. And the agogo bell solo at 2:51 is priceless. Don’t judge, just listen!

Cross Road Blues by Robert Johnson.

Part Two of your Blues Education. Like so many blues tunes rediscovered and recorded by a host of blues guitarists, this version of Cross Road Blues is the original from 1936. I don’t think many folks are aware of the influence Johnson’s music had on blues and rock music. Now you know.

Africa by Toto.

Your indulgence please: from 2007 to 2014 I directed the Seattle Pacific University Men’s Choir. We grew the program from 12 guys to over 40 at the choir’s max enrollment with an eclectic repertoire of men’s choir music and some really fun programs.
You can listen to my guys sing an arrangement of Africa by Philip Lawson below from a 2014 concert. Not bad for a group of mostly non-music major guys. I had a great time conducting these young men, and even had the privilege of having my own son sing in the group. Check out the concert program here to see if you recognize anyone.

All Apologies by Nirvana.

I have a confession to make now that I live in Seattle: when this album first came out, I was not aware of Nirvana or the burgeoning grunge music scene in Seattle and the Northwest. I was a middle school music teacher in Southern California. One of my students came in wearing a Nirvana t-shirt and I asked “Who’s Nirvana?” He gave me a rolling eyes look: “Really Mr. P.? You don’t know who Nirvana is? Man, and I thought you were cool…” He proceeded to give me the 5 minute School of Rock lecture on the great Seattle Grunge bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and others.

This is the live version from MTV’s Unplugged that aired in 1993, and the first time I saw the band and became an instant fan; not too long after I was shamed by that 8th grader. All Apologies to you my former student.

I Melt with You by Modern English.

If you ask me why I think that song has lasted so long, and is liked by so many people, I think the words are one reason. It’s a love song, even though it’s a twisted love song. I think the feel of the song sort of glides – the acoustic guitars just propel it forward. That’s what the enduring quality of it really is.

Robbie Grey from Modern English about “I Melt with You”

There is this question I ask people who I am introduced to at social gatherings: What year did you graduate from high school? I only ask this after several minutes of conversation, and if I have made some connection with them over a favorite band or food and if I think they are somewhere in the five year vicinity of my age. Why not just ask them how old they are? Not appropriate for one. And two, you make more of a connection with the person when you have the same life experienced tied to a momentous event such as graduating from high school when all your memories are faded just enough to be good memories. This song came out the year I graduated from high school, and when some conversation finds this song mentioned as a favorite, I will then ask “WYDYGFHS?”

West End Girls by the Pet Shop Boys.

This track came out in 1985 when I was going to school in Los Angeles. I think I heard it almost every Thursday night on the walk back from campus to my apartment. My route would take me past Greek Row and the parties blasting this club jam from speakers precariously balanced on frat house balconies. Plenty of beer and crowds of students dancing on the lawns. I always found it odd that Thursday was the designated party night for the Greek crowd. I never did rush, but I was a hasher at the Tri Delta house. Free meals and serving pretty college girls at their weekly formal dinner was interesting. Fun fact: The Pet Shop Boys are listed as the most successful duo in UK music history by The Guinness Book of Records.

Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash.

We are so lucky to have one of the best independent radio station right here in Seattle: KEXP. The good news is you can stream the fantastic programming online anytime or through their iPhone or Android app. And today is KEXP’s take on International Clash Day:

What began as a tribute to The Clash’s music and legacy has evolved into a banner celebration of the issues and message they stood for…That’s why in 2020 we’re using the holiday to Clash For Climate. 

KEXP International Clash Day

I also love this song because it’s a standard cover song for a band I play in with my wife and other fellow teachers’s from my school called “Rainy Day Recess”. I play bass, sing lead and channel my Mick Jones…

Can’t Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan.

So many great tunes on this album but that sweet tenor voice of David Palmer is the only Steely Dan album to include Palmer as lead vocalist. Donald Fagen was not comfortable singing lead in the early days and recruited Palmer to sing on this track and lead vocals in concert. Producer Gary Katz convinced Fagen to sing lead vocals on all future projects. I think that is why this track stands out to me. I probably didn’t recognize it as a Steely Dan track when I first heard it.

In 2014, Palmer filed suit claiming he was owed royalties from the song as an original member of the band. The album cover art was also banned in some countries. In the liner notes for Steely Dan’s fifth studio album The Royal Scam, Becker and Fagan give their commentary on the cover:

…before long we find ourselves staring into the maw of the most hideous album cover of the seventies, bar none (excepting perhaps Can’t Buy A Thrill).

Liner notes from The Royal Scam