Sunday, 13. August 2006, 17:28:47
Chicago
Clearly I have been a bit obsessed with Touch and Go lately. If you didn't notice, most of what I've posted has come from this label. At first I was reluctant to post so heavily from basically the same source, but then I concluded that doing so is actually timely. T&G 25 is coming up in a few weeks, and has an amazing lineup. I am excited.
The participants were revealed awhile ago, but the schedule just recently:
More details at the website
here.
LINEUP
*not listed in order of appearance
Friday September 8 (5pm-10pm):
!!!
Girls Against Boys (all original members)
The Shipping News
Supersystem
Ted Leo + Pharmacists
Saturday September 9 (noon-10pm):
Big Black (a couple of songs)
Didjits (all original members)
The Ex
Killdozer (all original members)
Jon & Kat (Mekons and The Ex)
PW Long
Man... Or Astroman? (all original members)
Negative Approach (featuring John Brannon and OP Moore)
The New Year
Pegboy
Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen (Silkworm)
Sally Timms
Scratch Acid (all original members)
Shellac
Uzeda
Sunday September 10 (noon-10pm):
Arcwelder
The Black Heart Procession
Brick Layer Cake
Calexico
Cash Audio
CocoRosie
Enon
The Monorchid (all original members)
Pinback
Quasi
Seam
Tara Jane ONeil
Three Mile Pilot
Thursday, 10. August 2006, 23:43:54
Chicago, Punk
For the second cover of the day, here is Naked Raygun with Suspect Device from Jettison (1988). Suspect Device was one of the first punk rock songs I fell in love with, as played by Stiff Little Fingers on their 1979 Inflammable Material LP. (Here I go with what might be an ongoing deficiency of original versions: only having a cassette of Inflammable Material, I am stuck posting the cover.) But, hey, I was planning on making this a Naked Raygun post anyway. I’ve been listening to Jettison today. If it is not my favorite Raygun album, it is certainly the one I play most often. Both Jettison and Inflammable Material are worth finding if you don’t already have them. Touch and Go reissued the Naked Raygun catalog a few years back, adding plenty of bonus material. Even if you already have the albums on vinyl or tape (like I did), you should pick up the reissues, at least one or two.
Suspect Device is one of those perfect songs to listen to when pissed off. Especially when pissed off at the pieces of shit in charge of the US, running it into the dirt with seemingly reckless disregard for reason. “They make us feel indebted-For saving us from hell-And then they put us through it-It's time the bastards fell!” Written by some Irishmen in the late 1970s…repackaged by some Chicagoans in the late 80s…covered many other times as well…relevant still.
...Not to lose focus from Naked Raygun. A lot has been written about this band, so I won’t say much. Jettison is a classic, strong from start to finish, but Basement Screams, Throb Throb, All Rise are classics also. Check out Kill From the Heart’s
NR page for a crapload of information.
These aren't the best songs on the album. But they are great. So buy the album, and you will get even better songs.
BlightThe
MuleIf you like Naked Raygun, be sure to look into Pegboy. Strong Reaction is a good starting point.
Thursday, 10. August 2006, 18:08:57
Chicago
I am about to get off to a bad start. One should always share his or her most loathsome trait first. Keep expectations very, very low. I am a sucker for some 70s soft rock. While much of it falls somewhere between boring and godawful, there are also some really shiny gems. Popular ones even…I’m not talking about obscure, private-press record collector shit. I am talking about, say, Air Supply, Boz Scaggs, Fleetwood Mac. Records you should be able to find for less than a dollar at Goodwill (after sorting through many weird but typically uninteresting Christian records). With the exception of Scaggs’ stirring Lido Shuffle, it is typically the more melancholy numbers that are most magical. Without You is certainly one of my favorites. Harry Nilsson did not write it, although his version is perhaps most highly regarded. Badfinger are the geniuses behind this scorching motherfucker. I would love to post Nilsson’s impassioned version of Without You from Nilsson Schmilsson, but have not yet made the effort to transfer vinyl to mp3. This is the same reason that you will not find any highlights from Scaggs’ Silk Degrees here. Maybe someday.
So, that leaves us with a more modern performance. Bobby Conn: a man within whom greatness resides, but who sometimes likes to mix things up with some less gratifying offerings. I assure you, though, that
Without You is a success. Fuck yeah it’s great. If you like it, please seek out Llovessongs on Thrill Jockey (including an additional cover of the wonderful Caetano Veloso’s Maria B). I also recommend 1998’s Rise Up, on Thrill Jockey, but again, my copy is on vinyl, so I’m not posting a sample.
Finally, I have included the first Conn song I heard, many years ago:
Never Get Ahead. If you haven’t heard it before, please listen. Brilliant. This song reminds me of seeing Conn at Detroit’s Gold Dollar, now sadly closed, but one of the best venues I’ve had the pleasure of visiting.
As a bonus, here is a link to Nilsson performing Without You:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cad1z67082ESeriously, Harry Nilsson was a great performer.
