Vintage videos of the week

Here are some more video clips and full length concerts I found on youtube. Enjoy!

Here is a full length concert from Depeche Mode, live in Miami, Florida in 1993. This was on their Devotional tour in support of the album Songs of Faith and Devotion. Really cool to find this. I wish I could have been there but I was around 11 at the time!

Full length concert from the band Off! This was recorded at Berkeley, California in 2011 at the infamous Gilman where many Bay area bands got their start. It looks strange to see Keith Morris going bald but nevertheless, great show!

This clip is from the documentary Rage:20 Years of Punk Rock. It goes through the history of punk rock, it's meaning and it's influence. Really cool clips with Jello Biafra, Jack Grisham, Keith Morris and Gitane Demone. It even features bands like Christian Death and UK Bombs. A must see!

Another important documentary. This one features the band Fugazi. Born from the early DC hardcore band, Minor Threat, Fugazi really defined punk rock by always having cheap shows and sticking to their beliefs. This documentary is a testament to that. A must see!

Full length Siouxsie and the Banshees concert from 1983, featuring Robert Smith of the Cure on guitar. Great show and one of the best tours. I believe The Cure was also playing that same night. Check it out!

Song of the day: Duran Duran - The Chauffeur

Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the second Duran Duran album, Rio. It was and continues to be one of Duran Duran's best selling albums. Singles released from this album include the title track, Hungry Like The Wolf, Save A Prayer, and My Own Way. One of the best songs from this album is The Chauffeur. Although, there was no single released for this song, the video is one of their most famous. It was also released on the Rio single. It's a very sweet, almost seductive song about a chauffeur driving someone around. The person might be having feelings for the person they are driving around, the lyrics are very poetic. The video for the song itself is inspired by the 1974 film The Night Porter. The dance the blonde girl does at the end is clearly inspired by the Night of the Seven Veils dance in that movie. The song has a very dreamy feel. The Deftones have done a great cover of this song, as has Tre Lux, which features former Switchblade Symphony vocalist, Tina Root. Here is that legendary video and song, which to me stands as one of their best, or at least a top 5 song.

and the lyrics to that song:

Out on the tar plains, the glides are moving
All looking for a new place to drive
You sit beside me, so newly charming
Sweating dewdrops glisten freshing your side

And the sun drips down bedding heavy behind
The front of your dress all shadowy lined
And the droning engine throbs in time with your beating heart

Way down the lane away, living for another day
The aphids swarm up in the drifting haze
Swim seagull in the sky towards some hollow western isle
My envied lady holds you fast in her gaze

And the sun drips down bedding heavy behind
The front of your dress all shadowy lined
And the droning engine throbs in time with your beating heart
And the sun drips down bedding heavy behind
The front of your dress all shadowy lined
And the droning engine throbs in time with your beating heart

Sing blue silver

And watching lovers part I feel you smiling
What glass splinters lie so deep in your mind?
To tear out from your eyes with a word to stiffen brooding lies
And I'll only watch you leave me further behind

And the sun drips down bedding heavy behind
The front of your dress all shadowy lined
And the droning engine throbs in time with your beating heart
And the sun drips down bedding heavy behind
The front of your dress all shadowy lined
The droning engine throbs in time with your beating heart

Sing blue silver
Sing, sing blue silver...

Currently listening to: Week of May 7, 2012

I am posting this entry a little later than usual on account of being sick. I have a sore throat, and bad allergies. I'm starting to feel better now. Onward with this week's albums!

To really hear an artist's work, you must look past the hit singles. The entire album is worth hearing to truly get a glimpse of it all in one body of work. Here are some of the albums I am listening to this week.


OFF! - OFF! (2012)

OFF! was formed by former Circle Jerks/Black Flag lead vocalist Keith Morris in Los Angeles. This is their official first album which was just released this week. This album has the same feel as early 80s hardcore albums. Fans of Circle Jerks will love it. Every song is explosive, my only gripe is how short the songs are. The entire 16 track album is 16 minutes long! As soon as you get into a song it is over. The lyrics are pretty juvenile though there are references to Happy Meals and Darby Crash which make it enjoyable. Great energy, and great musicianship all around. It is so surprising that this just came out when it sounds like it came out of the 80s. Also, Off! is doing a few tourdates with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Here are some of the best tracks on this album.
King Kong Brigade:

Wiped Out:

Burrow and Bomb:

Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You (2011)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are another great band from Los Angeles who have been doing music since the early 80s with lead vocalist Anthony Keidis and bassist Flea being the only original members. John Frusciante was their main guitarist throughout most of their recent albums but left the band prior to this album. He was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer on this album. This album has some really great songs including Monarchy of Roses, Rain Dance Maggie has a pretty funky beat and includes some cowbell for good measure. I especially like the song Look Around, very catchy and while this might not be their best album, it's consistent and gets better with every listen.Here are some of my favorite tracks:
Look Around:

Rain Dance Maggie:

Brendan's Death Song:

Black Flag - Everything Went Black (1982)

Early compilation album featuring all three former Black Flag vocalists (Keith Morris, Ron Reyes, Dez Cadena) who were in the band before Henry Rollins took over before their debut album, Damaged. Really cool to hear some early demos of Black Flag songs interpreted by different vocalists. I personally like Keith Morris' voice the most. He sounds like someone whos has probably been kicked into a locker at some point and there is nothing pop about it. The other vocalists are great too, especially Cadena. Ron Reyes was one I never truly got into. A nice added bonus was some commercials advertising Black Flag shows at the end of this album. A definite must have for any fan of the band, especially those unfamiliar with their pre-Rollins lineup. I happen to like it more than First Four Years which is another compilation. I love Keith Morris doing Depression and Gimme Gimme Gimme. It gives a whole new perspective on it. I got into Black Flag way later than most people, this was the first I heard of them. I purchased this from a tiny record store in Brooklyn and immediately took a liking,. An early hardcore classic.
Clocked In (w/Ron Reyes)

No Values (w/Keith Morris)

Louie Louie (w/Dez Cadena)

Silversun Pickups - Neck of The Woods (2012)

Rounding out our Los Angeles list is Silverlake's own Silversun Pickups. At first they were branded as Smashing Pumpkins ripoffs but they have achieved a sound all their own on their latest release. There's some SP influence on the vocals but the band has added extra layers like industrial beats and shoegazer like guitars. The addition of producer Jacknife Lee (who previously worked with greats such as R.E.M. and U2) add an added layer of shine on this, their latest release on Dangerbird Records. This might be the album of the year. Songs like The Pit are a nice surprise, and sees the band venturing in an almost New Order sound. Check out the new single, Bloody Mary especially along with the following tracks.
Bloody Mary:

The Pit:

Here We Are:

Original and cover:Song To The Siren

 Song to the Siren was a song originally performed by Tim Buckley on his sixth album, Starsailor. The most famous performance of this song was on the Monkees' show in 1968. The song references Greek mythology. Sirens were dangerous creatures who lured sailors with their music and voices to shipwreck on their island. In early Greek art Sirens were represented as birds with large women's heads, bird feathers and scaly feet. Later, they were represented as female figures with the legs of birds, with or without wings, playing a variety of musical instruments, especially harps. They were later portrayed to look like mermaids, the spanish word sirena means mermaid. This song is hauntingly beautiful with a simple folk melody. Tim sounds very sad when he sings it here. It's a superb song. Here's the original song.

This song stands as a classic and is Tim Buckley's most well-known song. Many covers exist, though none is more famous than that from the band This Mortal Coil. As I have posted about in a previous entry, This Mortal Coil is a collective group of musicians more than an actual band. All revolve around the 4AD label. They include artists from bands such as Throwing Muses, Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance. On their debut album, It'll End In Tears, this song was covered by Elizabeth Fraser on vocals and Robin Guthrie on guitar, both from the band Cocteau Twins. This is one of the most beautiful recordings ever. As much as I like the original version, nothing compares to this. They made it more ethereal sounding and haunting. Robin's dreamlike guitar work, and Elizabeth's enchanting voice just make this one of the best recordings I have ever heard and it brings me to tears every time I hear it. This also spent 101 weeks on the UK Indie Charts in 1983-1984, it was the #4 longest run on the indie charts in the 80s, right behind Bela Lugosi's Dead by Bauhaus, Blue Monday by New Order and Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division. That's excellent company to be in. The song continues to live on most famously in the David Lynch movie Lost Highway and the Peter Jackson directed film The Lovely Bones in a lovely scene toward the end of the movie. Here is that classic version from This Mortal Coil.

This song was also covered by Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance on his last solo tour (with Robin Guthrie). Robin himself plays guitar on this. A good version but nothing like the one from This Mortal Coil.  I love Brendan Perry and Dead Can Dance and this is just beautiful. It's just hard to compare with the perfection that is the This Mortal Coil version. This song is just so great and I love all these versions. So heartfelt and real.

Song of the day: Black Flag - Rise Above

Black Flag were the leaders in the Southern California hardcore scene. They played an aggresive form of punk rock. Originally called Panic, Black Flag had gone through several lead singers through their career, including Keith Morris (later of Circle Jerks and now leading the band OFF!), Dez Cadena (currently in The Misfits), and Ron Reyes. Greg Ginn was the primary songwriter and the band had released a few EPs with these singers. It wasn't until Dez Cadena had strained his voice and later went on to play guitar for Black Flag, they looked into fan and SOA member, Henry Rollins from the east coast to join the band. Rollins friend (and Minor Threat lead singer) Ian McKaye encouraged Rollins to join the band, and Rollins acted as roadie and later learned the songs Black Flag had written. On their debut album, Damaged, they chose to record it to sound more live than the previous EPs they had done with Cadena, Morris, and Reyes. Rollins brought in a whole new set of dynamics and he was a far better stage performer. What separated Damaged from other punk and hardcore records at the time was Rollins stage presence on record and Ginn's lyrics. Instead of just anger and nihilism, they had a sense of humor mixed with more personal lyrics. The album kicks off with the anthem Rise Above. The lyrics are above overcoming adversity and standing up for yourself despite the odds. An amazing song with a great message. Damaged has been named as one of the best albums ever, especially in the hardcore genre. Henry Rollins remains to this day as one of the best frontmen ever, through Black Flag to Rollins Band, he has always been himself, intense, personal, emotional, and pure. To this day this song remains a classic. Here it is in all it's glory, along with a great live version and the lyrics.

Rise Above:

 Live version:

Lyrics:

Jealous cowards try to control
Rise above
We're gonna rise above
They distort what we say
Rise above
We're gonna rise above
Try and stop what we do
Rise above
When they can't do it themselves

We are tired of your abuse
Try to stop us it's no use
Society's arms of control
Rise above
We're gonna rise above
Think they're smart
Can't think for themselves
Rise above
We're gonna rise above
Laugh at us
Behind our backs
I find satisfaction
In what they lack

We are tired of your abuse
Try to stop us it's no use

We are born with a chance
Rise above
We're gonna rise above
I am gonna have my chance
Rise above
We're gonna rise above

We are tired of your abuse
Try to stop us it's no use

Rise above
Rise above
Rise above
We're gonna rise above
We're gonna rise above
We're gonna rise above

Song of the day:Iggy and The Stooges - Search and Destroy

Search and Destroy is one of the most famous song from The Stooges (on this album Raw Power they were called Iggy and The Stooges). It has one of the most recognizable guitar intros and really awesome lyrics. Iggy Pop says he got the idea for the song title from a Time magazine article about the Vietnam War. This appears on their 1973 album, Raw Power. Raw Power was originally produced by David Bowie, but some have complained about it's sound, so Iggy Pop produced it himself later on, giving it a more loud sound by putting all the levels up to the "red", which means it was totally turned up! Many (like me) prefer the Iggy mix because I believe it's more of a real sound, distorted, ugly and pure. Bowie's mix is good, though not as loud so it misses a little something. This song has been covered by such artists as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Def Leppard, The Hives, Pearl Jam w/Mudhoney, Sex Pistols, Peaches and The Dead Boys. It's a pretty deep song, on the surface it's about Vietnam but it also hints at drug use. This was one of the first "punk" songs and Iggy Pop and The Stooges predated bands such as The Ramones, The Clash, Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and almost every other seminal punk band in existence. One of the more pure, rawest songs ever. Here are the lyrics and both the Bowie and Iggy mixes.


Bowie mix:

Iggy Pop mix:

lyrics:

I'm a street walking cheetah with a heart full of napalm
I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb
I am a world's forgotten boy

The one who searches and destroys
Honey, gotta help me please
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby, detonate for me

Look out honey, 'cause I'm using technology
Ain't got time to make no apology
Soul radiation in the dead of night

Love in the middle of a fire fight
Honey, gotta strike me blind
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby, penetrate my mind

And I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy
And honey, I'm the world's forgotten boy
The one who's searchin', searchin' to destroy

Forgotten boy, forgotten boy
Forgotten boy said hey forgotten boy

Currently listening to:Week of April 30, 2012

I have had this blog for over 2 months. It feels like a lot longer. I try to write something in it every few days. It helps me share my passion for music and it gives me something to do which I enjoy. I have almost 4,000 views on here so thank you for all that have checked it out. I love the feedback I receive on it and I will continue to try to post as often as possible. May is coming so expect some really cool summer concerts and news in the future. On to this week's albums!

To really hear an artist's work, you must look past the hit singles. The entire album is worth hearing to truly get a glimpse of it all in one body of work. Here are some of the albums I am listening to this week.

Marilyn Manson - Born Villain (2012)

This album was just released at the time of this writing, May 1. I have been a huge fan of Marilyn Manson in the past. My interest in the band has waned since 2000 or so. I'm not sure whether I have changed or the band has. A mixture of both perhaps, but I loved the band, in some ways it has shaped me as a person, but ever since 2000's Holy Wood, they have changed direction and the lyrics became ridiculous. I still have love for the past and the controversy the band attracted and I have heard every album since but have not had the interest. This brings us to this release, Born Villain. After the disappointing sales of their previous album The High End of Low, Marilyn Manson was dropped from their record label, Interscope and are now on the label Cooking Vinyl, which now includes bands such as Prodigy, Counting Crows, The Cult, and The Cranberries to name a few. Marilyn Manson claims this album is a return and there are some really good tracks here. Mr. Manson said ""On the last two records ["Eat Me, Drink Me" and "The High End of Low"], I think I started to write songs to make people feel like I was feeling rather than to make them feel something. And I was feeling like s***, so that was a really stupid thing to do,"  There's some great songs on here especially Hey, Cruel World, the first single No Reflection, which is a great hardrocking song, and Children of Cain. Pistol Whipped is one of the worst songs I have ever heard, unfortunately so it's a mixed bag. Not their best work, but a return to form, so bravo.. Here are some good songs from the album.

Hey, Cruel World

No Reflection:

Children of Cain:

Tori Amos - Scarlet's Walk (2002)

I've been on a bit of a Tori Amos obsession after my last entry. Scarlet's Walk remains one of my favorite albums from this incredible artist. The album is a concept album about a girl who goes on a journey around the United States called Scarlet and is heavily influenced by the world after the events of September 11. Tori Amos has always challenged her audience but with this release I think it's an easier listen than an album like From The Choirgirl Hotel, which I feel was all over the place. There's a narrative here and it forces you to really listen closely. There are references to Native American history, pornography, and womanhood and her place in the world. I find it a very sweet record, and very melodic. It is fast becoming a favorite of mine. As the terrible events of September 11 took place, we had to look a cold, hard look on ourselves and our history. Our history, our country, is beautiful, yet we have such a dark history, especially in respect to how we treat people we view as "the other", this includes Native Americans and our attitudes toward other nations. This album comes out of those questions and attitudes. I applaud Tori for making such a great record, which I return to often. Here her influences seem extremely apparent. She is an artist whose work is influences by greats such as Stevie Nicks, Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell and these are songs which shine as brightly. Amber Waves references the movie Almost Famous and the character of the same name. A Sorta Fairytale talks about the famous highway 101 going across the west coast of America, and Virginia talks about the first state admitted into the nation and Native Americans and our great land. Here are some of my favorites.

Amber Waves:

Strange:

Carbon:

Neuroticfish - Gelb (2005)

Neuroticfish were one of the most important bands in electronic music. They broke up shortly after this album was released but it stands as their best album. If you're a fan of bands like Depeche Mode, or Fad Gadget, this one should fit right in. Sacha's melodic vocals are very reminscent of Dave Gahan, yet are unique on it's own. I loved the cover of They're Coming To Take Me Away. This music doesn't have to be serious all of the time. It's not overproduced, it doesn't just rely on heavy beats. It's very synthy and soothing without being too corny, which happens for a lot of bands from this genre. The song Waving Hands is all about going into the wilderness as a way to reconnect with your own self is one of their best songs. I haven't really heard this album in a while but I was reminded of it recently while looking up EBM groups online. I really should be hearing more the EBM bands I used to love. The song The Bomb is apparantly about cell phones, it's super catchy too. A must hear! Some good songs from this album as as follows:

The Bomb:

I Don't Need The City:

Waving Hands:

Stone Temple Pilots - Purple (1994)

Stone Temple Pilots second album sees them going a different direction than their debut album, Core. Core was more of a rock/grungeish album and Purple sees the band going a more psychedelic route. Vasoline remains a favorite of mine, with it's catchy chorus and sorta-nonsense lyrics. Pretty Penny is another song which sees a blues influence and did receive some radio play when it was first released. Scott Weiland's voice really shines on this song. This album as a whole is perfect driving music, with soothing melodies, psychedelic and glam influences and it's just a great all around record. Unglued was another song which was a huge radio hit, yet never released as a single. A must hear. Here are some great tracks:

Interstate Love Song:

Vasoline:

Unglued: