July 9, 2014

EP-iphanies: They Might Be Giants’ “Don’t Let’s Start” [U.S. 12″]

As you probably know by now, The Analog Kid lives for b-sides and non-album cuts. In this continuing series, I will share some of my favorite EPs and 12″ singles from over the years in their entirety. And since it’s digital, you don’t have to worry about correctly setting the turntable speed to  or 33⅓ or 45!

 

My college roommate (and lifelong pal) Brian brought home a vinyl copy of the first They Might Be Giants LP sometime in late 1988. I am pretty sure that he saw the video for “Don’t Let’s Start” on 120 Minutes, and he fell in love with the band immediately. We completely related to two geeky dudes making their own quirky music with a drum machine, as we happened to be doing the exact same thing at the time. Come to think of it, we didn’t even have the drum machine yet– we just had a couple of crappy microphones and a tape deck. That didn’t stop us from laying down classic originals like “Girls Suck” and “Rock And Roll Cheeze,” usually credited to the semi-fictitious Psychoduck & The Geese From Hell.

Let’s jump into Peabody’s WABAC machine, shall we?

wabac

“Rock And Roll Cheeze” (Miller/Maxwell)

 

You remember us from way back when

Released a couple of records, nearly broke the Top 10

It’s been so many years but it seems like yesterday

We keep putting out bad records– we just won’t go away!

 

We’re making rock and roll cheese (mediocrity rules!)

We’re making rock and roll cheese (cuz the public are fools!)

Rock and roll cheese!

 

[THE START OF THE SECOND VERSE ESCAPES ME– HELP ME, BRI! HELP!]

Our songs are really stupid but the high school girls dance

We’re livin’ on a prayer that we can get into their pants

 

We’re making rock and roll cheese (mediocrity rules!)

We’re making rock and roll cheese (cuz the public are fools!)

Rock and roll cheese!

 

Some call us heavy metal but our music’s really rust

We sing about dumb parents and about a primal lust

Our lyrics may be lousy but we think we’ve got the key

We’ve got monsters in our trousers that we want the world to see.

 

In case you’re crazy enough to actually want to hear our prehistoric recording of “Rock And Roll Cheeze,” I regret to inform you that I no longer have a copy. Brian might, though, so if you REALLY want to cause irreparable harm to your eardrums, just ask!

Anyway, back to the point: we LOVED They Might Be Giants. We loved the drum machine. We loved guitar solos played over the telephone. We loved that they set up a 900 number where you could hear a new song every day. John Linnell and John Flansburgh were doing what we were trying to do– they were just much, much better at it than we were. “Don’t Let’s Start” wasn’t even a hit on the charts or the radio, but it’s fair to say that it remains They Might Be Giants’ most popular song to this day. I’ve seen the Johns live multiple times over the years, and they have played “Don’t Let’s Start” at every single show I’ve been to.

You know what song They Might be Giants haven’t performed at any of my ten-plus shows? “We’re The Replacements,” the legendary b-side from the Don’t Let’s Start 12″ single. The ‘Mats were already one of my favorite bands by the time we discovered They Might Be Giants, and “We’re The Replacements” was the delicious cherry on top of the “Don’t Let’s Start” sundae. In a mere one minute and fifty seconds, They Might Be Giants managed to sum up everything that was great and mighty about the Replacements, and of course it was funny as shit as well. “We’re The Replacements” might just be my favorite b-side of all time– hey, where’s Tommy? Someone find Tommy and ask him if he agrees. Then we’ll have a party, but only if we can find the equipment.

HIIII–YIIIIII–YAHHHHHHH–YAHHHHHHHH.

Don't Let's Start [U.S. 12_]

They Might Be Giants: Don’t Let’s Start [U.S. 12″]

Bar/None Records, 1987

 

1. “Don’t Let’s Start [Single Mix]” (They Might Be Giants)

Don’t Let’s Start [Single Mix]

2. “We’re The Replacements” (They Might Be Giants)

We’re The Replacements

3. “When It Rains It Snows” (They Might Be Giants)

When It Rains It Snows

4. “The Famous Polka” (They Might Be Giants)

The Famous Polka

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Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Let It Be

The Replacements: “Favorite Thing” (Westerberg)

From the album Let It Be

Twin Tone Records, 1984

Favorite Thing

Tim

The Replacements: “Left Of The Dial” (Westerberg)

From the album Tim

Sire Records, 1985

Left Of The Dial

Posted by on July 9, 2014 in Alternative, Rock and tagged , , , , .

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July 7, 2014

The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums (“Max Q”)

“The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums” gives you exactly what the title implies: a rare or out-of-print album from the ’80s in its entirety. Some will be from CD, but most will have been lovingly transferred from pristine vinyl culled directly from the Analog Kid’s vast collection. Whatever album I choose, it will be one that you can’t easily find a physical copy for sale on Amazon or in your local record store (if you even have one anymore). Death…by stereo!

Don’t remember Max Q? You’re not alone. INXS was one of the biggest bands in the world in 1989, but for some reason this Michael Hutchence side project received very little notice at the time. Hutchence’s main collaborator on the album was fellow Aussie Ollie Olsen, and the two combined to write all of the songs on Max Q. The album’s existence came as a bit of a surprise to Hutchence’s INXS bandmates, who apparently knew nothing about the record until after it was released. They weren’t too happy about it, either– perhaps that explains why Max Q never played any live shows to support the album, and why Atlantic Records spent very little to promote it. Hutchence immediately returned to the INXS camp to begin work on 1990’s X, and the one and only Max Q album began its slow drift into obscurity.

It’s a shame that more people haven’t heard Max Q, as it really is a great little record. “Way Of The World” was a minor hit on alternative radio, and certainly could have been huge with the right promotion. The chorus is an absolute monster, and it’s still one of my favorite songs of the late ’80s. “Sometimes” is another great track that was only noticed by those lucky enough to live in a city with a great alternative radio station. Thank you, 94.5 The Edge!

Max Q has been out of print for years, so the Analog Kid hopes this entry in “The Lost Boys” series will help a few more fans discover this lost gem.

Max Q

Max Q: Max Q

Atlantic Records, 1989

 

1. “Sometimes” (Olsen)

Sometimes

2. “Way Of The World” (Olsen)

Way Of The World

3. “Ghost Of The Year” (Olsen)

Ghost Of The Year

4. “Everything” (Olsen/Hutchence)

Everything

5. “Concrete” (Olsen/Hutchence)

Concrete

6. “Zero-2-0” (Olsen/Hutchence)

Zero-2-0

7. “Soul Engine” (Olsen/Hutchence)

Soul Engine

8. “Buckethead” (Olsen)

Buckethead

9. “Monday Night By Satellite” (Olsen)

Monday Night By Satellite

10. “Tight” (Olsen/Hutchence)

Tight

11. “Ot-Ven-Rot” (Olsen/Hutchence)

Ot-Ven-Rot

________________________________________________________________

Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Suicide Blonde [U.S. 12_]

INXS: “Suicide Blonde [Earth Mix]” (Hutchence/Farriss)

From the U.S. 12″ Suicide Blonde

Original version from the album X

Atlantic Records, 1990

Suicide Blonde [Earth Mix]

 

 

Posted by on July 7, 2014 in Alternative, Punk, Rock and tagged , , , , , .

1 Comment

July 3, 2014

One Is The Loneliest Number: Christie

The Analog Kid’s iTunes music folder contains almost 95,000 songs, so you may think that I own everything by everybody. Not so fast, my friends– even a collection that large is bound to have some true one-hit wonders and/or obscurities mixed in with the 1,298 Bruce Springsteen songs. In this continuing series, I will feature an artist that has exactly one song in my entire digital library.

“Yellow River” was the only U.S. hit for Christie, a British rock band led by bassist/vocalist Jeff Christie. Christie originally wrote “Yellow River” for fellow Brits The Tremeloes, and they recorded their version in early 1970. The Tremeloes weren’t happy with the results, so producer Mike Smith wiped the vocal and replaced it with Christie’s voice. The resulting single topped the charts in the U.K., and went as high as #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November of 1970.

I had forgotten all about “Yellow River” until 2001, when I first heard R.E.M.’s b-side cover version. Bassist Mike Mills sang lead on the track, as he often did whenever R.E.M. covered ’60s and ’70s pop songs (“Love Is All Around” and co-lead on “Superman,” for example). I tracked down Christie’s original version on a Rhino Super Hits Of The ’70s compilation, and it remains the only Christie track in my entire library. It feels just a little bit lonely next to the 1,210 R.E.M. songs…

Yellow River

Christie: “Yellow River” (Christie)

From the album Yellow River

Epic Records, 1970

Yellow River

__________________________________________________________

Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Even The Bad Times Are Good_Silence Is Golden

The Tremeloes: “Silence Is Golden” (Crewe/Gaudio)

From the album Even The Bad Times Are Good/Silence Is Golden

Epic Records, 1967

Silence Is Golden

R.E.M._ Singles & B-Sides

R.E.M.: “Yellow River” (Christie)

B-side of the CD Single All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star)

Warner Brothers Records, 2001

Yellow River

Superman [U.K. 12_]

R.E.M.: “Superman” (Zekley/Bottler)

From the album Lifes Rich Pageant

I.R.S. Records, 1986

Superman

I Shot Andy Warhol

R.E.M.: “Love Is All Around” (Presley)

From the soundtrack album I Shot Andy Warhol

TAG Recordings, 1996

Love Is All Around

Posted by on July 3, 2014 in Alternative, Pop, Rock and tagged , , , , .

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July 2, 2014

The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums (Cheap Trick’s “One On One”)

“The Lost Boys: Hard-To-Find ’80s Albums” gives you exactly what the title implies: a rare or out-of-print album from the ’80s in its entirety. Some will be from CD, but most will have been lovingly transferred from pristine vinyl culled directly from the Analog Kid’s vast collection. Whatever album I choose, it will be one that you can’t easily find a physical copy for sale on Amazon or in your local record store (if you even have one anymore). Death…by stereo!

“Can you honestly tell me that you forgot? Forgot the magnetism of Robin Zander, or the charisma of Rick Nielsen?”

damone

Mike Damone may have been a little prick, but he was 100% right about Cheap Trick. Fast Times At Ridgemont High came out in 1982, the same year that Cheap Trick released One On One. Could it really have been only three years since Cheap Trick took the nation by storm with a searing version of “I Want You To Want Me” from Live At Budokan? Was Cheap Trick really already considered “kid’s stuff,” as the victim of Damone’s ticket-scalping prowess insists?

Like many, I fell in love with Cheap Trick during that summer of 1979. My family packed up all of our belongings and moved from Los Angeles to Dallas that summer, and Mom’s 1976 Pinto station wagon had only an AM radio. Even at the age of eleven, I was in charge of the music– it was a self-appointed position, of course, and one that I took very seriously. I made sure to find the best pop stations I could find on that little AM dial, no matter where we happened to be on Interstates 10 and 20. “I Want You To Want Me” seemed to follow us for the entire 1450 miles– I would estimate that the Maxwell clan heard it at least once an hour for the duration of our three-day trip. I never got tired of hearing “I Want You To Want Me,” and I’m still not tired of hearing it today.

Live At Budokan made Cheap Trick into rock and roll stars, but three years was an eternity in the pop music scene of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Dream Police kept the momentum going when it was released in the fall of 1979, but the experimental All Shook Up (released in 1980, and produced by George Martin!) didn’t really produce any hits. Another year and a half passed before One On One was released, and it really did seem like many had completely written Cheap Trick off by that point. The band responded with a return to the brash rock of their earlier material, and the result was one of their best albums. “If You Want My Love” only reached #45 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it received constant airplay on MTV during the summer of ’82. It’s a brilliant pop song, and Rick Nielsen often lists it among his favorites.  “She’s Tight” was also a staple on MTV, and these two songs ensured that Cheap Trick had once again returned to the top of the Analog Kid’s playlist. They have stayed there ever since, even if the rest of the record-buying public seemed to tune the band in and out on a whim.

Cheap Trick finally scored that elusive #1 hit with “The Flame” in 1988, and they continue to put out great records and play loud rock and roll shows to this day. It is my hope that Robin and Rick and Tom and Bun will soon join Rush and KISS as long-overdue inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. C’mon, committee– Cheap Trick have earned their place with plenty of room to spare…

Oops! I almost committed a huge party foul. Dudes of my generation are not allowed to mention Fast Times At Ridgemont High without at least one reference to Phoebe Cates– it is the law.

Phoebe

Phoebe, I can say only this: “If you want my love, you’ve got it. When you need my love, you’ve got it. I won’t hide it. I won’t throw your love away.”

 

One On One

Cheap Trick: One On One

Epic Records, 1982

 

1. “I Want You” (Nielsen)

I Want You

2. “One On One” (Nielsen)

One On One

3. “If You Want My Love” (Nielsen)

If You Want My Love

4. “Oo La La La” (Nielsen/Zander)

Oo La La La

5. “Lookin’ Out For Number One” (Nielsen)

Lookin’ Out For Number One

6. “She’s Tight” (Nielsen)

She’s Tight

7. “Time Is Runnin'” (Nielsen)

Time Is Runnin’

8. “Saturday At Midnight” (Nielsen/Zander)

Saturday At Midnight

9. “Love’s Got A Hold On Me” (Nielsen/Zander/Carlos)

Love’s Got A Hold On Me

10. “I Want Be Man” (Nielsen)

I Want Be Man

11. “Four Letter Word” (Nielsen/Zander)

Four Letter Word

_____________________________________________________________

Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

She's Tight [U.S. 7_]

Cheap Trick: “All I Really Want To Do” (Nielsen)

B-side of the U.S. 7″ She’s Tight

Epic Records, 1982

All I Really Want To Do

Cheap Trick_ Singles & B-Sides

Cheap Trick: “I Want You To Want Me [Live]” (Nielsen)

From the album Live At Budokan

Epic Records, 1979

I Want You To Want Me [Live]

Dream Police

Cheap Trick: “Dream Police” (Nielsen)

From the album Dream Police

Epic Records, 1979

Dream Police

All Shook Up

Cheap Trick: “Stop This Game” (Nielsen/Zander)

From the album All Shook Up

Epic Records, 1980

Stop This Game

Lap Of Luxury

Cheap Trick: “The Flame” (Mitchell/Graham)

From the album Lap Of Luxury

Epic Records, 19988

The Flame

 

Posted by on July 2, 2014 in Power Pop, Rock and tagged , , , , , , , .

5 Comments

July 1, 2014

Groovy Tuesday: 1972 (Part Two)

Every Tuesday, the Analog Kid blog goes back in time and features some of the best groovy R&B/soul songs from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Sometimes you’ll hear songs from individual artists or from a specific year, and other times you’ll get an entire full-length classic LP ripped directly from the Analog Kid’s vast vinyl vault. Warning: by R&B/soul, I also mean disco. I could go all Peter Brown on your ass at any given moment, so just be ready!

Groovy Tuesday: 1972 (Part Two)

From A Girl's Point Of View We Give To You...Love Unlimit 1

Love Unlimited: “Walkin’ In The Rain With The One I Love” (White)

From the album From A Girl’s Point Of View We Give To You…Love Unlimited

Uni Records, 1972

Walkin’ In The Rain With The One I Love

Barry White has one of the most distinctive voices in soul, and he used it for the very first time on this #14 single from 1972. White wrote and produced “Walkin’ In The Rain With The One I Love” for Love Unlimited, and yes– that’s Barry on the telephone. White’s empire would soon expand to include solo releases as well as albums from the Love Unlimited Orchestra, but this is the song that started it all.

Bitter

The Main Ingredient: “Everybody Plays The Fool” (Bailey/Clark/Williams)

From the album Bitter

RCA Records, 1972

Everybody Plays The Fool

Everybody knows and loves “Everybody Plays The Fool,” but did you know that Cuba Gooding, Sr. was the lead singer of The Main Ingredient? We will assume that Mr. Gooding was indeed provided with a substantial opportunity to examine large quantities of currency when “Everybody Plays The Fool” reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October of 1972.

Love Jones

Brighter Side Of Darkness: “Love Jones” (Murph/Eskridge/Johnson)

From the album Love Jones

20th Century Records, 1972

Love Jones

It may creep you out a bit to learn that Daryl Lamont, the lead vocalist for Brighter Side Of Darkness, was only twelve years old when “Love Jones” was recorded. His falsetto helped push the song to #3 on the Billboard soul chart, and it was the only hit for the short-lived teen group. The song also inspired the classic Cheech & Chong song “Basketball Jones,” and for that we should all be grateful.

I Love The Way You Love

Betty Wright: “Clean Up Woman” (Reid/Clarke)

From the album I Love The Way You Love

Alston Records, 1972

Clean Up Woman

Betty Wright was only seventeen when she recorded “Clean Up Woman” in 1971. The song would eventually reach #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 (#2 on the soul charts), and Wright would go on to write and record a string of hits throughout the ’70s. She won a Grammy for Best R&B song for 1974’s “Where Is The Love,” and even provided the female voice on Peter Brown’s 1977 disco classic “Dance With Me.”

 

Across 110th Street

Bobby Womack: “Across 110th Street”

From the soundtrack album Across 110th Street

United Artists Records, 1972

Across 110th Street

Rest in peace, Bobby. You were one of the greats.

_________________________________________________________

Bonus Tracks!

The first rule of The Analog Kid blog is that if you write about a song on the Analog Kid blog, you share the song on the Analog Kid blog.

Los Cochinos

Cheech & Chong: “Basketball Jones” (Marin/Chong)

From the album Los Cochinos

Ode Records, 1973

Basketball Jones

Danger High Voltage

Betty Wright: “Where Is The Love” (Wright/Casey/Finch/Clarke)

From the album Danger High Voltage

Alston Records, 1974

Where Is The Love

Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me_

Peter Brown: “Dance With Me” (Brown/Rans)

From the album A Fantasy Love Affair

Drive Records, 1977

Dance With Me

Posted by on July 1, 2014 in Soul/R&B and tagged , , , , , , , , .

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