Song of the Week 3/27/09

Morrissey - "Something Is Squeezing My Skull"



This might be the best song released in '09 to hear very early in the moring right after getting out of the shower. Moz's inflection on the chorus hits the spot after a rough night of (or lack thereof) sleep. When he sings "skull" it's in the exact grasping-at-straws tone that all my thoughts seem to inhabit before I have the first chai of the day. I heard this song Wednesday morning and it was perfect for my state of mind.

And how could I not write about the ex-Smiths singer when he played four shows in town this week. Oh, and that this happened to a funny guy I know.

Song of the Week 3/20/09

Supertramp - "The Logical Song"



Until I announced I was going to play a lot of Supertramp at the Vinyl Vault at Last Exit Friday, I had no idea how many people I knew really liked Breakfast in America.

Nothing like closing a long, frustrating, yet at times fun night night by spinning all four hits off this album over and over.

The Return of Steve's Vinyl Vault 3/20/09

Thanks again to all who came out to Last Exit--and once again watched me battle equipment problems. Next time, more CDs, a little less vinyl. Here's what you heard (besides me cursing the equipment):

Thin Lizzy - "Jailbreak"
T. Rex - "Bang a Gong (Get It On)"
Cheap Trick - "Dream Police"
Heart - "Barracuda"
Van Halen - "Intruder/(Oh) Pretty Woman"
Blue Oyster Cult - "Godzilla"
Scandal - "The Warrior"
Blondie - "The Tide Is High"
Quarterflash - "Harden My Heart"
The Go-Go's - "Turn to You"
Foreigner - "Double Vision"
The Clash - "I'm So Bored With the U.S.A"
The Figgs - "Favorite Shirt"
Dead Milkmen - "Punk Rock Girl"
The Charlatans UK - "The Only One I know"
Depeche Mode - "Personal Jesus"
World Party - "Ship of Fools"
Echo & the Bunnymen - "People are Strange"
Men at Work - "Who Can It Be Now?"
Joe Jackson - "Is She Really Going Out with Him?"
J. Geils Band - "Centerfold"
The Kinks - "Come Dancing"
Hall & Oates - "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)"
Nick Lowe - "Cruel to Be Kind"
Nada Surf - "Always Love"
The Smithereens - "A Girl Like You"
Asia - "Heat of the Moment"
Billy Squier - "My Kinda Lover"
Yes - "Leave It"
Outfield - "Your Love"
Styx - "Mr. Roboto"
Duran Duran - "Rio"
Madonna - "Holiday"
Toto - "Africa"
Supertramp - "The Logical Song"
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - "I Love Rock n' Roll"
Def Leppard - "Photograph"
Kiss - "Love Gun"
Judas Priest - "Living After Midnight"
Ratt - "Round and Round"
Social Distortion - "Ball and Chain"
The Undertones - "Teenage Kicks"
Ramones - "Needles And Pins"
Spoon - "I Turn My Camera On"
My Morning Jacket - "I'm Amazed"
Old 97's - "Bird In a Cage"
Wilco - "Jesus etc."
Faces - "Ooh La La"
Squeeze - "Black Coffee in Bed"
Thompson Twins - " Hold Me Now"
Stray Cats - "Stray Cat Strut"
OMD - "So In Love"
Modern English - "I Melt With You"
Madness - "Our House"
Tina Turner - "Whats Love Got to Do With It"
Katrina and The Waves - "Walking on Sunshine"
Bangles - "Manic Monday"
Hall & Oates - "Kiss On My List"
Toto - "Rosanna"
The Go-Go's - "Our Lips Are Sealed"
Prince and The Revolution - "Raspberry Beret"
Pat Benetar - "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"
Michael Jackson - "Billie Jean"
Rick Springfield - "Jessie's Girl"
Cyndi Lauper - "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"
The Cure - "Just Like Heaven"
Til Tuesday - "Voices Carry"
New Order - "True Faith"
Big Country - "In A Big County"
Soft Cell - "Tainted Love"
Hoodoo Gurus - "Death Defying"
Power Station - "Some Like It Hot"
Pete Townshend - "Let My Love Open the Door"
Boz Scaggs - "Lido Shuffle"
Doobie Brothers - "What a Fool Believes"
Stevie Wonder - "Superstition"
Bee Gees - "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)"
Simple Minds - "Alive and Kicking"
INXS - "The One Thing"
The Replacements - "Can't Hardly Wait"
38 Special - "Caught Up In You"
ELO - "Living Thing"
Pilot - "Magic"
Todd Rundgren - "I Saw the Light"
ABBA - "Waterloo"
The Beach Boys - "Sail On Sailor"
Ace - "How Long"
Supertramp - "Take the Long Way Home"
Supertramp - "Goodbye Stranger"
Supertramp - "Breakfast in America"

Song of the Week 3/13/09

Steely Dan - "Rikki Don't Lose That Number"



Holy shit, I heard a lot of Steely Dan this week. On WFUV. On CBS-FM. At work. On WFUV's HD 2 stream. And then Saturday at the Princeton Record Exchange, where they played the Greatest Hits album (at least what i think was) in its entirety. My goodness, did I listen to that piece of vinyl a lot in high school. I think I heard "Rikki" at least three times this week, maybe four. In the midst of this Steely Dan orgy, I plumb forgot to count.

Song of the Week 3/6/09

The Robert Cray Band - "Right Next Door (Because of Me)"



I'll send out props to my friend Eric Holland for inspiring this week's song of the week. Eric was filling in on WFUV Tuesday during the midday shift and he unearthed this gem just before noon. I had totally forgotten this track about being the third member of a love triangle. My favorite part of the song (as well as Eric's, which he said backsold the tune) is during the last chorus where Cray breaks into the third person to sing "it was because of me, young Bob!"

I ended up loading the whole Strong Persuader album into my iTunes on Wednesday and was surprised to hear how dated it sounds. The drums on some songs are marred by that tinny linn drum sound (it's especially brutal on a couple of fills) which was so popular in 1986. The keyboards sound very out of place now, especially for an album that was heralded for bringing back the blues to mainstream America. At least Cray's solos (especially on "Smoking Gun") still sound crisp and biting.

Alas, I can't find an embeddable version of the "Right Next Door" video, but you can click here to check it out.

Song of the Week 2/27/09

The Bears - "Trust"



Oh, I love when a holy grail is finally available. I've been wanting to get The Bears self-titled debut album for about 14 years now. The "hit" single "Fear Is Never Boring" is one of my favorite songs of the 1980s (and maybe ever). Yet it's been out of print for a long, long time. Finally EMI has dug through their vaults this year and released a bunch of out-of-print stuff from I.R.S. Records digitally. So you better believe I marked down on my calendar the exact date this album was going to be available on iTunes. (Actually, I bought it on Amazon, but who's counting.) And it's just as much of a pop masterpiece as I remembered. Singer-guitarist Adrian Belew and Rob Fetters create some excellent harmonies, and both lay down some fantastic solos in the context of these great pop tunes.

I must admit I had totally forgotten that "Trust" was the very first single from The Bears. And damn, what a great song. See for yourself: