The 25 Greatest Books On Music

“To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the inner music that words make.” - Truman Capote

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The world of music is filled with vibrant characters and surreal situations that are nothing less than a pulp writer’s wet dream: drug overdoses, plane crashes, fist fights, drunken misbehavior, public failure, tainted ledgers, trashed hotel rooms, overbearing managers, underage groupies, and endless anecdotes about all of it.

However, the reality of rock journalism isn’t quite so simple. Like wild Himalayan Yaks, musicians undergo a fundamental change when they are observed in their natural environment. Therefore, capturing the essence of their experience often comes down to persistence, patience, and a keen critical eye. This might explain why so few rock books really get it right. So how do you find the gems among all those titles crowded into the music section of your local bookstore? Simply read on…

Jon Savage * England’s Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond

Savage thoroughly dissects the rise and ultimate fall of the Sex Pistols, as well as the spread of Punk through England. Unlike other chroniclers of Punk ephemera, Savage treats his subject matter like a sociological and culturally significant event rather than a car wreck to be gawked at. This 500+ page tome is comprehensively researched and its story is exceedingly well presented. When universities decide to start teaching Punk 101, this will undoubtedly be the textbook.

Jeff Chang * Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History Of The Hip Hop Generation

Can’t Stop Won’t Stop charts the birth of hip hop culture – from its tough gang roots through Kool DJ Herc’s block party spinning, to the inventiveness of Grandmaster Flash and beyond. Chang meticulously reconstructs the seventies NY gang scene (and truce) that ultimately enabled hip-hop’s birth. It’s both a necessary introduction to the roots of the genre and a thrilling recounting of a time and place where anything was possible. An essential and engaging read about the little genre that could.

Psychotic Reactions And Carburetor Dung: A Lester Bangs Reader (edited by Greil Marcus)

Lester Bangs is the most inspired and passionate music critic to ever put pen, porcupine quill, or IBM Selectric to paper. His manic, over the top voice, and love of everything hard and fast (ie Iggy et al) make him a predecessor to shock jocks everywhere. But Bangs had the brains and humor to match his bile, as his articles on and interviews with Lou Reed (highlights of this anthology) brilliantly attest. Bangs OD’ed in 1982 at age 33, and he remains the only critic to have a biography published on his life. With good reason – the guy was a rock star in his own right.

Legs McNeil & Gillian McCain * Please Kill Me

This “uncensored oral history of Punk” is told through a series of first-person quotes from the people who were there when the US version of the genre got its kick-start. The cast of characters includes Iggy Pop, Richard Hell, Joey Ramone, Patti Smith, and countless others. Everyone has their say, and the memories they share are usually priceless, brimming with the energy and conviction that were hallmarks of the genre. If you think you don’t like Punk music, this book just might change your mind.

Motley Crue with Neil Strauss * The Dirt: Confessions Of The World’s Most Notorious Rock Band

Either Neil Strauss is the most brilliant rewrite man in the history of biography, or the fellas in Motley Crue are a whole lot smarter than anyone ever thought possible. Vince Neil, Nicky Sixx, Mick Mars, and Tommy Lee come across as intelligent, self-aware, hard-working young men who happened to front one of the biggest bands of the 80’s. Of course, they were drug and female abusing, out of control train wrecks, but that’s what makes the story so much fun. This is one of the few groups who found more trouble – from Neil’s vehicular manslaughter to Mars’ debilitating health problems to Lee’s failed marriage to Pamela Anderson – as they matured. From start to finish, The Dirt is a debaucherous tale well told.

Nick Kent * The Dark Stuff

Longtime New Music Express columnist Kent collects some of his finest pieces about rock’s darker side. The two stories on the Rolling Stones anthologized here contain the most harrowing imagery committed to print of the brutal side of that group and their hangers-on. Kent also pries the lids off Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Syd Barrett, and many others to expose their ‘isms, issues, habits, and ghosts, and takes you down an autobahn filled with the human wreckage of rock dreams. A masterful expose of the human frailty at the core of every superstar.

Greil Marcus * Mystery Train

Professor Fancy Pants is (along with Robert Christgau) one of the few rock journalists that can make his topic seem as boring as trigonometry. But with Mystery Train, Greil Marcus rises to the topics of Sly Stone vs. Stagger Lee, the importance of The Band, and the continuing mystique of Elvis Presley. A critical tour de force, and – at 176 pages – fully digestible.

Woody Guthrie * Bound For Glory

The most refreshing thing about Guthrie’s autobiographical Bound For Glory is how little is has to do with his career as a musical performer. Sure, there are a few pages early on that describe him riding the rails and playing his guitar for the hobos, but by and large this is a book about Guthrie’s childhood, and the games and pranks that made it so memorable for him also make for a spirited and enjoyable read.

Tony Fletcher * Moon: The Life And Death Of A Rock Legend

Like Don Quixote before him, Keith Moon had a mad genius for entering a scene of relative peace and calm and quickly leaving it strewn with carnage, bodies, and damage in all directions. Fletcher does a fine job of not letting the anecdotes outstrip the story, and even deflates a few myths along the way (ie, Moon never drove his Rolls into a swimming pool). In the end though, this is the sad – and terribly, terribly funny – story of another rock star caught up in, and undone by, a hell-raising reputation.

John Lydon * Rotten: No Irish – No Blacks – No Dogs

Rotten’s cantankerous, hilarious, and brilliant autobiography is some of the finest writing to be found on Punk generally and the Sex Pistols specifically. Of course, he’s got plenty of venom for former manager Malcolm McLaren, but even when he’s not taking the piss, Rotten’s stories and ideas are engaging and thought-provoking. A must read for even non-Punk fans.

Michael Azzerad * Our Band Could Be Your Life

Both uplifting and depressing, Our Band charts the history of 13 bands, as well as the birth of indie rock. The sheer joy of just playing music comes through in the stories of Minor Threat, Minutemen, and Butthole Surfers. However, this infectious thrill is more than offset by the walk through the industry minefield slash burnout on the road slash failed jump to a major label that seems to be each of these bands’ fate (Sonic Youth excepted). The chapter on Dinosaur Jr should be required reading for anyone foolhardy enough to think about starting a band.

Bob Dylan * Chronicles Volume 1

Chronicles Volume 1 is everything one could hope for in an autobiography by someone of Dylan’s stature: it’s highly entertaining, well-written (and clearly self-penned), and truly enlightening about the man himself. The passages that describe Dylan’s self-doubt and hard work during the 80’s is an inspiring look inside the mind of a musician who will never be satisfied with his own work and is destined to always walk the knife’s edge of his art.

Papa John * John Phillips with Jim Jerome

‘Papa’ John Phillips was the de facto leader of the Mamas & Papas, and one of the organizers of the Monterey Pop Festival. But his life entered a dark spiral during the 1970’s as he slowly lost his fame, quickly gained a heroin addiction, and began misbehaving in ways that would nearly land him in federal prison. Papa John is his unflinching look at his life and where it all went wrong. A surreal look at the dark side of the ‘California Dreamin’ promise of the 60’s.

33 1/3 Series * Continuum Publishers

With nearly 50 titles (and counting) the 33 1/3 series is a brilliantly written collection of pocket takes (100 or so pages each) on some of the greatest albums of all-time. The series follows no strict format, so each book is up to the whim of its author. There are many highlights (Music From Big Pink, Forever Changes, and Piper At The Gates Of Dawn are particularly great), few duds (Led Zep IV and Village Green Preservation Society) and one big question: Abba Gold is one of the all-time greats?

Michael Thelwell * The Harder They Come

This is one of the very few times in popular culture that a book based on a movie takes its subject into new and unexpected places and actually bids to outdo the original. Thelwell builds on the 1972 movie of the same name, and takes a much deeper look at Ivan Martin (played by Jimmy Cliff) and the relationship between music and the ghettos of Jamaica. Thelwell also extends the narrative in the other direction, giving historical weight to Martin’s character and making it clear that this is a role that has been enacted so many times in the history of the island (poor farm boy goes to city to become music star) as to have become almost stereotypical. An enriching read that will help you appreciate the film – and reggae music – in a whole new way.

Harry Shapiro & Caesar Glebbeek * Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy

The bible for hardcore Hendrix fans, Electric Gypsy traces the life of Jimi, day by day, week by week, year by year. It includes rare photos, timelines of his life and performances, and a second-to-none discography that meticulously numbers and lists all of his recordings, including a messy tangle of bootleg titles. Authors Shapiro and Glebbeek avoid hyperbole and focus on the substance of Jimi’s life, and that’s more than enough to make a great story. If you were to only sit through one Hendrix bio, make it this one.

Jerry Hopkins & Daniel Sugarman * No One Here Gets Out Alive

Constantly bordering on (and wandering into) hagiography, this is still the best read out there on Jim Morrison. The self-styled Lizard King led a life well worth chronicling, and Sugarman seemed fated to be his biographer. He founded and ran the Doors’ fan club and ended up working his way into the group’s organization, which gave him first-hand insight into the workings of the band, as well as membership in Morrison’s inner circle of friends. Yet Sugarman’s perspective is both enhanced and narrowed by this ground floor view. A terrific – yet essentially flawed -portrait of one of the great icons of the Sixties.

The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion * Edited by Jim Irvin & Colin McLear

Compiled by the editors and staff of Mojo magazine, this comprehensive guide takes a year-by-year look at some of their favorite albums. Each album gets a one page write-up, and all genres are represented. This is definitely not your standard ‘greatest albums of all-time’ book, and includes lots of quirky choices like Essra Mohawk and Honeybus. But the editors make a solid case for every selection, and share a lot of great stories along the way. It’s a book that is sure to expand your record collection in plenty of interesting directions.

Nick Hornby * High Fidelity

How does an obsessive music fan interact with the rest of the world? Nick Hornby’s debut novel sets out to answer this question. Main character ‘Rob’ and the music store he runs ‘Championship Vinyl’ are fictitious in name only – anyone who’s been around (or been) a music geek will instantly recognize the list-making, name-dropping, crate-digging cast featured here. An uproariously good time, but beware: its conclusion will leave you re-evaluating your attachment to your record collection.

Stephen Davis * Hammer Of The Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga

This saga is pretty much overrated, but in terms of Zep bios, it’s the best we’ve got. On the scale of pure debauchery, it rates a 3.5 out of 10, and doesn’t hold a candle to books like Motley Crue: The Dirt – even Papa John Phillips runs circles around these guys in the dirt department. That said, John Bonham was an out-of-control party monster, Jimmy Page a wanna-be dark lord of the guitar, Robert Plant a star-crossed troubador, and John Paul Jones was technically proficient and along for the ride. Hammer Of The Gods is a good book, but it doesn’t quite live up to the perceived excellence of its brand name.

Clinton Heylin * Bootleg: The Secret History Of The Other Recording Industry

A fascinating look at the history of the blackest of markets, Bootleg follows the hustlers, con men, and genuine music fans who identified a niche in the market and came together to create an underground industry to rival the mainstream music business. Heylin wrote this book right before the advent of MP3s and file-sharing, but this often whimsical – and always interesting – tale of bootleggers is a sympathetic portrait of a bunch of music fans who can’t always get what they want.

David Kamp & Steven Daly * The Rock Snob*s Dictionary

Subtitled “An Essential Lexicon Of Rockological Knowledge”, this truly essential reference material illuminates the meanings of such oft-used music terms as “plangent” “skronk” and “jangle” and little known totems like Fred Neil, Gene Clark, and Alex Chilton. The book defines rock snobs as “individuals, usually young men of argumentative tendencies, who have lorded their encyclopedic musical knowledge over others” and sets out to enable non-Snobs to hold their own in such company. One of my good friends found a better use for it: he claims it helped him and his wife hold a conversation.

Henry Rollins * Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag

Rollins’ diaries of his early days with Black Flag are harrowing tales of a man, a van, a band, and a plan. Rollins is intense like the Great Wall Of China is imposing – he’s a mass of nihilistic conflict and Neitzchian philosophy, topped off with a wickedly self-critical eye. Throughout this book, his utter belief in the power of Punk is constantly put to the test by aggressive fans and abusive police, but Henry is, was, and always will be drinking the Kool Aid. The title of this book isn’t a request, it’s an order…

Dori Hadar * Mingering Mike: The Amazing Career Of An Imaginary Soul Superstar

‘Mingering’ Mike Stevens was one of the most prolific and gifted soul artists of the early seventies. Not bad for a guy who never released an actual album. Instead, he hand-painted the covers for more than 50 imaginary LPs, 45′s, and 8-tracks that were the bedrock of his “career” in music. Flash forward 30 years, when a couple of collectors stumbled across some of his pieces at a Washington DC flea market. The story of how they came about this discovery – and tracked down Mingering Mike himself – is compelling drama. But the art work represented here is breathtaking – the very essence of music fandom. Make no mistake, he may have never released a single song, but Mingering Mike is one of the biggest superstars the music industry has known.

Chuck Klosterman * Fargo Rock City

Chuck Klosterman loves heavy metal and has some funny ideas about it. He thinks that Motley Crue’s Shout At The Devil is the greatest concept album of all-time. He thinks Metal is misunderstood and has been misappropriated by a bunch of louts. It’s hard to tell whether he’s serious about any of this, but he backs his arguments passionately and professionally. Fargo Rock City may not change your mind about the merits of hard rock, but it will leave you in stiches.

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25 More Worth Putting Your Nose In…

Bill Flanagan * A&R
Simon Reynolds * Rip It Up & Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984
Marc Spitz & Brendan Mullen * We Got The Neutron Bomb: The Untold Story Of L.A. Punk
Barney Hoskyns * Waiting For The Sun: Strange Days, Weird Scenes, and The Sound Of Los Angeles
Nick Hornby * Songbook
Clinton Heylin * Babylon’s Burning: From Punk To Grunge
Myra Freidman * Buried Alive: The Biography Of Janis Joplin
Egotrip’s Book Of Rap Lists
The Beatles Anthology
Kurt Cobain * Journals
Nicholas Schaffner * Saucerful Of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey
Mikal Gilmore * Night Beat: A Shadow History Of Rock & Roll
Nik Cohn * Triksta: Life And Death And New Orleans Rap
Danny Sugarman * Wonderland Avenue: Tales Of Glamour And Excess
Rolling Stone: The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time
Jim DeRogatis * Let It Blurt: The Life & Times Of Lester Bangs, America’s Greatest Rock Critic
The Sound And The Fury: 40 Years Of Classic Rock Journalism (edited by Barney Hoskyns)
Bob Dylan * Lyrics: 1962-1985
Victor Bockris * Keith Richards: The Biography
Reading Jazz (edited by Robert Gottlieb)
Neal Pollack * Never Mind The Pollacks
Johnny Green & Garry Barker * A Riot Of Our Own: Night And Day With The Clash
Clinton Heylin * From The Velvets To The Voidoids: The Birth Of American Punk Rock
Ben Fong Torres * Not Fade Away: A Backstage Pass To 20 Years Of Rock & Roll
Yes Yes Y’all: The Experience Music Project Oral History Of Hip Hop’s First Decade (edited by Jim Fricke & Charlie Ahearn)

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Eye Candy…

Rolling Stone: The Complete Covers
The Art Of The Fillmore: The Poster Series 1966-1971
Annie Liebowitz * American Music
The Art Of Rock/The Art Of Modern Rock
Guy Pealleart & Nik Cohn * Rock Dreams
Blue Note: The Album Cover Art
Hatch Show Print
The Bob Dylan Scrapbook
Storm Thorgerson & Aubrey Powell * 100 Best Album Covers
Michael Ochs * 1000 Record Covers

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15 Non-Music Books That (nonetheless) Rock…

Jack Kerouac * On The Road
Hunter S. Thompson * Hell’s Angels
Tom Wolfe * The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test
George P. Pelecanos * King Suckerman
Bill Buford * Among The Thugs
Iceberg Slim * Pimp
Ron Kovic * Born On The 4th Of July
Edward Abbey * The Monkey Wrench Gang
Armitage Trail * Scarface
Russell Banks * Rule Of The Bone
Charles Bukowski * Ham On Rye
Raymond Chandler * The Big Sleep
Thom Jones * The Pugilist At Rest
Tom Shales & J.A. Miller * Live From New York: An Uncensored History Of Saturday Night Live
Alex Haley * The Autobiography Of Malcolm X

On The Fence: Thriller

Is Michael Jackson’s Thriller one of the great albums of all-time, or the work of a nutty fruitcake? I’ll present both sides of my thinking, and then let your comments decide my future listening habits:

THUMBS UP: The second best selling album of all-time (26 million copies and counting) featured an astonishing seven top ten hits. But numbers alone only hint at the cultural phenomenon that was Thriller. It’s hardly exaggeration to say that everybody had this album, and there was certainly something for everyone within its grooves. From the tough/scared funk punk of ‘Beat It’ to the paranoia of ‘Billie Jean’ to the good-natured sparring (with Paul McCartney) of ‘The Girl Is Mine’ and the Halloween jam of the title track, this was an album that continually took chances that paid huge dividends. Jackson used the muscle he gained from this album to force MTV into airing videos by black artists, but that fact doesn’t make Thriller sound one iota better. Nothing could.

THUMBS DOWN: At some point it becomes impossible to separate the artist – or more specifically, the behavior of the artist – from the music. Michael Jackson passed that point about 300 million miles ago. From befriending chimpanzees to dangling babies over balcony railings to much, much worse misdeeds, Jacko has been a human sideshow for the last decade and a half. And it’s a show that lost its appeal – even that lowest common denominator, shock appeal – long ago. The stains on Jackson’s personal life have tainted his music to the degree that any right-thinking person couldn’t possibly enjoy his songs without reflecting on the man himself. And really, who wants to go there?

[My turntable is standing by. Let me know what you think and provide immediate influence on my musical rotation...]

Masterpiece: Abbey Road

[Today: the perfect swan song from the perfect group...]

“It doesn’t matter what we go through as individuals on the bullshit level, when it gets to the music you can see that it’s really cool, and we had all put in one thousand per cent.” So said Ringo Starr about the making of the last album The Beatles recorded together (Let It Be was released after – but recorded before – Abbey Road).

By all accounts tired of fame, wearying of each other, and suspicious of their management, The Beatles managed to pull one last glorious trick out of their collective bag. The music is very cool indeed – the song suite that comprises side two effortlessly stitched together fragments of a dozen incomplete songs from their past, and the whole album maintains a weightless gravity that musicians are still chasing nearly 40 years later.

More than the psychedelic tapestry of Sgt. Pepper’s or the eclectic virtuosity of The White Album, Abbey Road is The Beatles album that still sounds like it was recorded last week.

Buried Treasure: Spirit Of ’76

[Today: Spirit puts the stars and stripes through the psychedelic rinse cycle...]

As America stumbled towards its Bicentennial, the country was fraying at the seams. The Watergate scandal had torn the government down, the country was still heavily involved in Vietnam, and the general mood of its citizenry was not hopeful. Recorded in 1975, the songs on Spirit Of ’76 reflect this weary outlook. Album opener ‘America, The Beautiful/The Times They Are A’Changing’ is a forlorn plea – a love letter filled with bitter disillusionment – and melds these inherently American songs into a medly of stinging rebuke. The effects layered upon the music suggest serious struggle and conflict. It could all be so beautiful, if not for the strife.

The album includes a number of cover songs that sadly harken another time. ‘The Times They Are A’Changin’ and ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ nod to Bob Dylan while ‘Hey Joe’ and ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ pay homage to Jimi Hendrix. Spirit’s versions are low-key, bummed out odes to the squandered promise of the flower power generation. The purple haze of discontent hangs low over Spirit Of ’76.

All of which makes it about the most topical album out there. We’ve come full circle to a place where fuzzed out songs that reflect a general distrust of the government, disappointment in one’s country, and apprehension about its future are merely the soundtrack for another day at the office.

Some Broken Romance – The Cover Art

Here is the cover art for my mix ‘Some Broken Romance’ – a sound spectacular that celebrates the desolation of the broken heart. Or some sorry shiznit like that…

Here’s the front cover:

[Please note: I physically burned the bottom right hand corner of each cover with a Bic lighter to carry through on the fire theme.]

Here’s the inside front cover:

["Love is a fire. But whether it will warm your hearth or burn down your house, you can never tell." - Joan Crawford]

Here’s the inside back cover:

[Please note: this panel is for use in a clear jewel case.]

And here’s the back cover:

Here’s the track listing:

My Morning Jacket – Bermuda Highway
Josh Ritter – Roll On
Bright Eyes – Land Locked Blues
Ryan Adams – Why Do They Leave?
Beck – Lost Cause
Slaid Cleaves – Another Kind Of Blue
Bob Dylan – If You See Her Say Hello
Iggy Pop – Motorcycle
Willie Nelson – Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
The Black Crowes – Nonfiction
Ween – Baby Bitch
The Velvet Underground – Who Loves The Sun?
Lynyrd Skynyrd – One More Time
Little Feat – Dixie Chicken
Led Zeppelin – Hey Hey What Can I Do?
The Rolling Stones – Dead Flowers
M. Ward – Outta My Head
Def Leppard – Bringing On The Heartbreak
Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion

10 Albums That Will Finish Your Party

We’ve all been there. It’s two-thirty in the morning, and you’ve had a successful party that, for the most part, ended an hour ago. Except for the few guests lingering on, refusing to take your yawn-and-stretch hints. This is where a particular type of music can – when properly deployed – play a vital role in your life.

One day, way back when, I had a hilarious conversation with my (then) roommates Josh and Ben about the best albums and songs for clearing out those lingering partygoers. Ben vigorously supported Neil Young’s ‘Down By The River’ as the ultimate party-ender. Here are ten albums that I believe are even more effective than Neil’s 17-minute, off-key murder fantasy at driving off stubborn guests who won’t take GO for an answer…

Lou Reed * Metal Machine Music – The granddaddy of all party poopers. This double album (!) of howling feedback, electronic wailing, and unlistenable noise will not only finish off the last vestiges of your party, it’ll scare your pets away for a week. Lester Bangs famously described this album as “the all-time guaranteed lease breaker” and encouraged every tenant in America to buy a copy.

Various Artists * Songs In The Key Of Z - A nails-on-the-chalkboard compiliation of ‘outsider’ music that is guaranteed to drive party guests well outside your front door.

Captain Beefheart * Trout Mask Replica – The good Cap’n is plotting a steady course towards the bitter end of your shindig. Aye aye and avast ye mateys!

Alvin & The Chipmunks * Christmas With The Chipmunks – Christmas music played at the wrong speed. Case closed. If you don’t have any Chipmunks records, just put on any old Christmas album and crank the RPMs up to 78. Your rapidly departing guests won’t know the difference…

Ornette Coleman * Free Jazz – The micro-miniature addendum to the title of this album should read “FREE yourself of all those unwanted houseguests with this album of completely unlistenable JAZZ”.

Nine Inch Nails * Fixed – If NIN’s Broken isn’t violent, troubling, or aggro enough for you, then check out this re-mix that doubles as the soundtrack for a bad day at the slaughterhouse. To give it some perspective, I know a few longtime NIN fans who are even put off by this one.

Insane Clown Posse * The Great Milenko – Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope – Christian rockers disguised as necrophilic clowns – eagerly want to end your party, and they’ve got the songs to do just that. [Please note: if you happen to roll with nothing but Juggalos, then any James Taylor or Sammy Davis Jr. album should do the trick...]

Wesley Willis * Feel The Power - Produced by the Dust Brothers, nearly every song on this album contains the same beat structure, with Willis – a blind schizophenic – ranting about riding the bus, famous people, and advertising jingles. I personally love it, but your party guests won’t. Like the guy selling cheap suits says, I guarantee it.

Pat Boone * In A Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy – One of the few albums in existence that will greatly anger both fans of lite pop and fans of metal. And pretty much everyone in between.

Throbbing Gristle * Second Annual Report - Music made with drills is bound to set off a stampede for your front door. Save your ears the trouble and just loudly announce that you’re about to put on a Throbbing Gristle album. People – even those who haven’t heard the band before – will take the hint and hit the road. If they don’t, you have the means to make them pay dearly through both earholes for overstaying their welcome.

Buried Treasure: Youthquake

[Today: Pete Burns and company hit that button...]

All the world was a dance floor for Dead Or Alive, as their song titles – ‘DJ Hit That Button’ ‘You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)’ and ‘Big Daddy Of The Rhythm’ – so gloriously attest. Idiosycratic frontman Pete Burns was more than over-the-top – he was a cartoon geisha version of Boy George (who Burns claims stole his schtick) singing hedonistic arias in 8/4 time. This recipe for disaster is rescued by Burns’ steel-belted radial delivery and grooves that shimmer like a bowl full of glitter.

Dead Or Alive are one of the missing links between disco and rave. They had the attitude and style of the former and the beats per minute and subject matter of the latter. It’s easy – and fun – to picture Disco Tex, Pete Burns, and Daft Punk, hand-in-hand, forming an unbroken chain of party fun right up to the present day. Is this an important album? Not a chance. But it is a great milepost from a decade that constantly sacrificed substance at the alter of style. Youthquake will do little for your head, but it works wonders on the hips.

Masterpiece: Pink Moon

[Today: Nick Drake's majestic and moving swan song...]

Nick Drake had become a mere footnote in the history of music for many people when the title track from this album was picked up for a VW ad in 2000. This small push started a resurgence of interest in this long dead folk singer who passed away in 1974 and released but three frail, gorgeous albums during his short life.

These 11 songs combine to take up just 28 minutes that feature Drake, alone with his guitar, baring his heart and soul in calm and simple terms. Despondent at the commercial failure of his first two albums, Drake stripped his sound to the bones, and produced this chilling slice of melancholy. Just 26 years old at the time of these recordings, he sounds like a man weary with life and old before his years. His elegant and underappreciated guitar makes the perfect bed for his woe-drenched lyrics to lie down in.

The irony of Drake’s life and death (an overdose of antidepressents that led many to believe he’d commited suicide) is that he is many times more appreciated today than he was in his own time. Had he received anything approaching this kind of approval during his life, the man might still be with us, but then he may have never descended into the gorgeous depths of Pink Moon, either.

Random Propaganda VI

The P’s away on business, I’ve got a six pack of beer, and I just flipped on the cd changers (two Sony 400 disc changers hooked together on the ‘continuous play’ option). I’m going to try out a running diary of what I’m hearing. Let’s see what we get:

6:40pm – Albert King * Born Under A Bad Sign – Excellent, we’re off to a good start with this one. I definitely think the changer gets on ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ streaks. Sometimes it’ll pick the absolute worst song off every album in constant succession, and other times it just gets on fire. I know this is assigning human emotions to a machine, but anyone with an iPod probably feels this way at some time or other.

6:43pm – Moby Grape * Moby Grape – One of the real underrated bands of the 60′s, in my opinion. If not for several bad breaks, these guys would’ve been huge. Great harmonies, and they had like four songwriters in the group. Their debut is amazing – I need to devote some column inches to this one in the near future. [Also note the middle finger on the album cover...]

6:45pm – Nicky Siano * The Gallery – My friends, we’re officially on fire here. Nicky Siano was one of the DJs of the 70′s/80′s New York club scene. If I’m not mistaken, he was the DJ on the ones and twos when Bianca Jagger rode into Studio 54 naked on a white horse. I’ve probably messed up all the facts of the previous sentence (it was Mick on the horse, etc) but that’s the beauty of editing. Anyway, this album (a Soul Jazz compilation, and these people know what they’re doing) is one of those that will make people repeatedly ask “Who is this?”

6:52pm – MC5 * Babes In Arms – A collection of outtakes. I’ve gotta admit – I like the Five, but don’t love ‘em. They’ve always sounded a little too rough around the edges to my ears, and the album Kick Out The Jams is a disaster – especially as a debut album. HUGE cojones there, and that definitely earns them points, but still…

6:56pm – Jackie Mittoo * Showcase – One of the real underrated talents in the Reggae scene. Mittoo is a first rate organ player who handled all kinds of material – from the typical Reggae fare to pop standards and funk jams. It sounds like an elevator in Kingston, and I mean that as an Irie compliment…

6:59pm – Smokey & Miho * The Two EP’s – Beck’s sometime guitarist Smokey Hormel lays down exotic grooves while Miho sings in Japanese. A perfect mellow album for the changer.

7:01pm – A Tribe Called Quest * The Love Movement – One of the Tribe’s overlooked gems, this album from 1998 holds its own against their best work. Great track here – the ‘Scenario’ remix featuring Busta Rhymes – that sounds like 20 different MCs rapping in turn. And here’s our featured guest Busta – has this guy done anything to get famous besides having a dope name? Anyone got an album recco on this guy? Anyone? Bueller??

7:09pm – Ben Vaughn * Presents Designs In Music – Ben Vaughn is a funny dude. The P and I heard his radio show as we were driving out to the desert for Coachella last year, and she noticed a write up on this album in the New Yorker later in the year. Most of this album sounds like the music for a TV sitcom in the 60′s or 70′s, when the characters would go to the park or have a day on the town. The track I’m hearing now features whistling. Good fun.

7:15pm – Bad Brains * Black Dots – Bad Brains were way ahead of their time in the way they rammed Hardcore and Reggae together and made it sound like the most natural combo in the world. These guys also are the most awesome opening band I’ve ever seen in my life. They opened for the Beasties at the Oakland Coliseum in ’95 – one very hectic show.

7:17pm – Van Morrison * Magic Time – The last three songs highlight the one downside of the changer system – no control over sequencing. This is below-average Van, but I’ve been trying to give it a chance. I see Willie Colon or Zeph & Azeem hitting slot #389B pretty soon. Actual lyrics: “Carry on doctor/Carry on nurse/carry on ’til you get what you’re after/carry on ’til it can’t get much worse.” Now he’s chuckling. I feel like I’m being messed with here…

7:23pm – Badly Drawn Boy * One Plus One Is One – We have definitely cooled way off here. Why is this in my changer? If you can answer that, please leave a comment below. On the upside, BDB is encouraging me to find my holy grail (over flutes), so that’s a nice thought… and now we’ve got a choir. This song is threatening to spin off into a medley and I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed that we’re just approaching some kind of kooky apex near the end. We’re fading out, erm ah no. More feedback and fading back in at the 6:40 mark… only for a volcanic eruption of feedback at the seven minute mark. Nothing more I’d rather do right now than listen to Badly Drawn Boy’s guitar rumble for a minute.

7:31pm – Candi Staton * Anthology – A great soul belter, Candi is busy discussing the relative merits of old and young men. Since I’m sitting in the middle (37) I can enjoy both sides of this argument. Time for another beer. Anyone know what the ‘Camel Walk’ means? This is apparently what young men do.

7:33pm – The Blues Brothers * The Definitive Collection – Eugene, OR legend has it that the Blues Brothers were birthed during the filming of Animal House, when local blues legend Curtis Salgado played John Belushi a bunch of old Blues records. At any rate, this is definitely a guilty pleasure for me. Belushi’s a below-average singer, but he makes up for some of that with sheer presence, and their band was a first rate outfit featuring a number of established legends.

7:36pm – John Lennon * Acoustic – A really good Lennon album, my friend Cordell pulled this off of iTunes and passed it along. ‘Working Class Hero’ is the track I’m hearing and this is a terrifically powerful song. Most of Lennon’s 70′s stuff is kind of beyond my ken (Shaved Fish excepted) but this album is like his Unplugged, and I think we can all agree that – had he lived – that would have been a great show.

7:41pm – iMix * Disc 2 – This is a compiliaton of favorite songs that I’ve pilfered from my work’s music server, but this is a really crappy Flaming Lips B-Side, so I’ve no idea how it wound up here. I’m punishing myself. La la la, la la la la – those are lyrics. I could put little quotes around that. We’re ice cold aqua blue here. I’m drowning – help me…

7:45pm – Wynton Marsalis * Baroque Music For Trumpets – A true palette-cleanser. This is Marsalis at his Classical finest, and an album I’ve loved since back in college. If there’s better music to study to, I haven’t found it. It is currently inspiring my brain to forget the Flaming Lips track I just endured for the sake of bloggery.

7:49pm – Left Of The Dial (Box Set) * Disc 3 – This box set collects the best alternative/indie music of the 80′s. I’m currently riding an unidentifiable wave of thrash…

7:50pm – Run DMC * Raising Hell – Hearing Run-DMC rapping about perfection is, well, perfect. I love Raising Hell – my all-time favorite Hip-Hop album for those of you scoring at home. My big bang moment with the genre was when my best friend Bobby rapped along word-for-word with the title track of this album. Heady stuff in 1986…

7:53pm – Fleetwood Mac * Tusk – I’ve heard a lot about this as their ‘lost classic’ and it does much to deserve that billing. I’ve always loved the title track – it and Outkast’s ‘Morris Brown’ are the best songs to feature marching bands… ever. I’m giving the thumbs up to Tusk, but this one might be the future subject of an ‘On The Fence’ column.

7:56pm – Cee-Lo Green * …Is The Soul Machine – Anyone following Cee-Lo’s solo career couldn’t have been the least bit surprised by his success with Gnarls Barkley last year. All of the crazy cool eclecticism that was featured on that album was apparent much earlier – and especially on this gem. The man can rap like Ice Cube and sing like Al Green, and that’s some range.

8:00pm – Junior Kimbrough * You Better Run: The Essential Junior Kimbrough – This one was on the verge of cracking my Blues list, but I just hadn’t had enough ear time with it to give it the nod. It’s amazing that Blues this down-n-dirty are still being made. This is the kind of music that I can really enjoy – raw, ragged, and full of piss & vinegar.

8:05pm – Various Artists * Mojo Presents… Mod Club Party – This is one of the ride-along CDs that come with Mojo magazine each month. In this edition they focus on ‘Mod’ music, which has always cracked me up. Everything I’ve read about the Mods makes them sound like well-dressed, amphetimined-to-the-gills, scooter fetishists who fought ‘The Rockers’ (I think I would have been one of these) at every opportunity. Yet the music on this compilation sounds like the score to a Benny Hill episode – which sort of makes perfect sense, I guess…

8:09pm – Lee Perry * Voodooism – Lee Perry has dropped an incredibly diverse array of music on the world in the last 40 years. The man is a producer/musician/shamen of the first order, and almost every album he’s created is entirely enjoyable. For those of you in the Bay Area, he’s playing at The Independent in a few weeks, and this is a show not to be missed. The man is in his 60′s and he’s in better shape than you or I. Plus his mirrored clothing and coconut bong are fun…

8:13pm – The P is calling in, so this is probably as good a time as any to wrap this up. Thanks for playing along…

On The Fence: Journey’s Greatest Hits

Is Journey’s Greatest Hits a pop/rock masterpiece, or pure cheese? I’ll present both sides of my thinking, and then let your comments decide my future listening habits:

THUMBS UP: Journey didn’t set out to make music to change the world, but they did create a bunch of great songs. Nearly every track on this compilation is an actual ‘hit’ – a rare feat for any Best Of – and many are instantly recognizable, sing-along anthems. When they weren’t doing love ballads, this was one excellent group. Certainly good enough that one of those anthems (‘Don’t Stop Believin’) was chosen for the climactic scene of The Sopranos’ finale. If there’s higher praise than that, I’m not sure what it is…

THUMBS DOWN: Much of music fell down a well in the 80′s and Journey are the poster children for all that was wrong with the decade. Their light-as-air compositions were as lacking in substance as they were overloaded in production. This wouldn’t have been so hard to swallow if they hadn’t been plastered all over MTV and the Top 40 for most of the decade. When you think of the 80′s, this is one of the first groups that comes to mind, and I’m not sure if there’s more damning praise than that.

[Your opinion counts! Let me know what you think and provide immediate influence on my musical rotation.]