Weekly Mix Tape Pt 7

This is the latest in the Mix tape chapter. What can I say about this one? Life Is Sweet and White Riot both have sirens. Stop the Rock and I Try are two songs I never listen to anymore. She Sells Sanctuary is the Cult's best song. Oasis and The Beatles can go together so seamlessly it's embarrassing. Even though there are lots of hits and well known songs here I think this was a throw away mix for me, I would strip this one down and use the songs in future mixes if I things worked that way.
Just a reminder These Mixes all fit on an 80 minute CD.

1. I Try by Macy Gray

I'm not against soul and R&B. This doesn't prove anything because it was a huge pop hit. Macy was supposed to be the next big thing and while she was around for a few years she fell off the face of the charts after a couple albums.

2. She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult

Not much "alternative" music rocked like this back in the mid 80s. This is one f the all time greats of the era and genre. The psychedelic beginning that gives way to straight ahead rock is gorgeous; it seems to get better with age.

3. Gallows Pole by Led Zeppelin

This song grew on me as a lad and now I thoroughly enjoy the boys idea of American bluegrass and folk. It's one of the two poles I stay away from

4. Fashion by David Bowie

On the other end of things is Bowie. Who doesn't like Bowie? 

5. Life is Sweet by The Chemical Brothers

With help from Charlatans lead singer Tim Burgess, The Chemical brothers put out one of their best tracks. The Exit Planet Dust album was a huge change in my music appreciation. When I heard it I wanted to nothing but groove out and got to raves.

6. White Riot by The Clash

They were the only band that mattered

7. Drain You/Aneurysm (live) By Nirvana
Typically I stay away from using the same artist back to back but these two live versions are so killer together I had to do it!
9. I Am The Bullgod by Kid Rock
 He was kind of a badass back then or at least he fronted like he was. This song is great for feeling full of testosterone.
10.Another One Bites The Dust by Queen
One of the most famous bass lines in rock. One of the greatest bands ever with possibly the greatest front man of all time. We miss you Freddy.

 
11.Brick House by Commodores
Time to boogie!
12.Pump Up The Volume by M/A/R/R/S
This dance track changed my view on what type of music I listened. I heard it my freshman year of high school when I was defining myself as a rocker. Maybe if I was more obsessive I would have become a DJ after hearing this or started some weird teenage boy dance club.
13.Stop the Rock by Apollo 440
This dance number was British but it's sort of stupid and jock like now.
14.Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis
Noel Gallagher sang this track which was off the bands monstrously huge sophomore album, What's the Story Morning Glory album. Song after song after song was so enjoyable I didn't know if I was an idiot or not.

15. All You Need Is Love by The Beatles
Is this my favorite Beatles song? That's one of those questions that varies from week to week but for the sake of argument we will say yes.
16.Put Your Lights On by Santana
I am not a Santana fan, I am not an Everlast fan but these guys made a song that was one of my favorites of 1999. This is from that Santana album Supernatural that won like eight Grammys
17.Ex-Girlfriend by No Doubt
Back when Gwen had a band and wasn't some horrible pop product.
18.In Between Days by The Cure
When you talk about great bands, you must talk about the Cure. They aren't the sort of band that's in vogue but without them there's a lot that doesn't follow. This was the first Cure song I ever heard and when I did I thought it made me weird rather than cool. I should have just enjoyed it and gave the finger to everybody else.

A Top 5!

Why was I thinking about this? Why was I contemplating the end of the world? It's just one of those things that creeps in while riding public transit. Here are my top 5 end of the world songs. (in no particular order)

Ball of Confusion By Love and Rockets
I enjoy the cover more than the Temptation's original.
Eve of Destruction by barry McGuire
You can hear the faded drums in background as bombs exploding in the distance, haunting
When the Man comes Around by Johnny Cash
Biblical Revelations song
Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival
The most chipper song about everything going to hell. This song is not about werewolves.
World Wide Suicide by Pearl Jam
Angry at what the world is doing to it's self song

Top Five

So I recently went and saw, "The Runaways" a movie about the group of the same name and I came to the conclusion that I have so many other times: rock n' roll movies suck! I can only feel that Rock is so cartoonish that showing the story on the big screen just makes the infantile and self destructive behavior seem cliche. So are there any good rock n' roll movies? "Almost Famous" was nominated for best picture but I found it a bit flaccid. The allure of the rock n' roll ideal is the myth and the imagination that one has about it; the mystery is what makes it interesting. One assumes that the rock star has come form the gutter and has ascended to a place where they can have everything awesome they could desire which could be anything in the world from a pool full of fur coats and greased up bodies to a solid gold cock brace to a room that has flavored walls. Not Sugar Walls mind but that brings me to my next point, the top five rock n' roll movies. No rock operas, no concert films so this negates The Who and Led Zeppelin . . . so for good measure I won't allow Pink Floyd in this list either.



1. This Is Spinal Tap
2. Sid and Nancy
3. Purple Rain
4. The Decline Of Western Civilization
5. Hype

Most Rock movies fail partly because the lack of understanding that the music is supposed to be gritty, dirty and horny; that is the base for the genre, the beginning of it all. The movies often portray the whole experience as glamorous, shiny and crisp. The musicians portrayed as idols rather than the dirt bags they typically are. Additionally the sense of humor that flows in rock generally seems to be missing, if you've ever spent any time with a band you know that there's more joking than anything else; the songs never recorded but played in jest would be the funniest album ever. There's also a lot of beer and pizza and gas; it's not all sex and drugs. Maybe the trick to making a film on the subject is to make it all make sense.

Other Thoughts:
Rockstar was a huge failure.
I never saw Rock n' Roll High School.
Was Streets of Fire any good?
24 Hour Party People sort of fell short, too much about business
Truth or Dare fails because of Warren Beatty and Kevin Costner



The Doors was almost on the list and there is an argument even within my self that it should be, Val Kilmer was great Kyle McClaughlin was goodbut in the end it gets stupid too often and Meg Ryan.

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 6

Obviously not all mixes are created equal and this is one of the lesser ones. I would like to harvest about 60% of the songs on here and create a new mix. I guess I made this one in 1999. I hope you enjoy making attempts to listen to it.

1. Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash 
Amongst other things they really knew how to rock and be tough sounding even

 2. Memphis Hip Shake by The Cult
The Cult tried to be  an American band in 1987 and be more ballsy with their rock. Rick Rubin helped them jam.
3. Velvet Roof By Buffalo Tom
Not heard outside of New England, Buffalo Tom were groovy, loud band from Boston. This is my favorite rocker of theirs.

4. #1 Crush by Garbage
Is this even a song? It's as much of a song as Madonna's Justify My Love and has that same sexiness to it. You can find it on The Romeo and Juliet soundtrack.
5. Five Fathoms by Everything But The Girl
They  got into sounding like a club band after Missing was remixed by a DJ and made them a lot of money.
6. Waiting For Tonight by Jennifer Lopez
No Comment

7. Mixed Bizness by Beck
Midnight Vultures was Beck's attempt to make a dance and R&B album. Some of it worked well while other songs were just ludicrous.
8. Sex-O-Matic Venus Freak by Macy Gray
No shame sometimes makes a good song. She tells us how her man makes her behave like a porn star and it's a good thing.
9. Always on the Run by Lenny Kravitz
So god damned cool was Lenny back in the day. All the white kids wanted to be like him. Slash wrote the guitar  for this song and then played with Lenny. 

10.Got Let It Out by Oasis
Not the boys best effort but it's not in retrospect.
11.Made Of Stone by The Stone Roses
The band that was Oasis before Oasis. Only if they had toured in the States . . .
12.Verse Chorus Verse by Nirvana
The Secret track from the, No Alternative album. It's in my top ten Nirvana songs.
13.Porcelain by Moby
Moby was huge for a bout a year and this was one of the reasons why.
14.Kissing A Fool by George Michael
Smokey bars and whiskey were made for this song. This song was back when the former lead singer of Wham! was the brightest star on Mtv and his album, Faith was a genre crossing phenom.

15.Suffragette City by David Bowie
The Spiders From Mars, Ziggy Stardust, they were amazing
16.Guerilla Radio by Rage Against the Machine
I love when a band stays angry!
17.Ain't No Right by Jane's Addiction
Another example how the coolest band in the world in their prime.
18.Fire by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Classic rock exemplified in one great song by the greatest rock guitarist ever.

Dead Stars: Peter graves

Peter, with you comedy would never have been the same, the tough questions would never have been asked. Thanks for the entertainment!

Are You Coreyfused

So it's come to my attention that some people are a little confused about which Corey actual passed away so lets get everything settled!




Corey Haim
Was: 80's teen actor with drug problems
Now: Dead
Highlight: Lost Boys






Corey Feldman
Was: 80s teen actor, Michael Jackson impersonator
Now: total freak
Highlight: Stand by Me








Corey Hart
Was: 80s pop singer
Now: Canadian citizen
Highlight: Sunglasses At Night




Corey Hart
Was: Milwaukee Brewer
Now: Milwaukee Brewer
Highlight: 24 Home Runs in 2007






Corey Glover
Was: Singer of rock band Living Colour
Now:Singer of rock band Living Colour
Highlight: Cult of Personality








Corey Taylor
Was: Singer of rock band Slipknot
Now: Singer of rock band Slipknot
Highlight: Wearing a scary mask








Corey Miller
Was: The only male tattooist on L.A. Ink
Now: The main male on L.A. Ink
Highlight: Some rad ink







Some perspective; in the 80s the name Corey meant as much as the name Zach meant to the 00s

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 5

There are more awesome tunes on this mix than you should be able to handle so listen with caution. We have many huge hits like "Sweet Emotion", The Beautiful People" and Wonderwall. and a couple lesser known gems like Morphine's "The Night" which was written just before singer and bassist Mark Sandman passed away on to the eternal B-side. Also Izzy Stradlin showing why he was so important to G'n'R with the frantic "Double talin' Jive"
In addition this mix has one of top 5 favorite love songs of all time, "Everlong"; I'll disclose the others at some point. Speaking of Top Fives, "Bedtime Story" is one of my top Five favorite Madonna songs, did you know that?
Lastly I think this ends the Buzzcocks appearances on my mixes.

1. 20th Century Boy by T. Rex
Sometimes I think T. Rex is the coolest band ever but then I listen to their songs and I feel I've been duped. This is one of Marc Bolan and the boys better efforts. It's cool. 

2. Ever Fallen In Love by The Buzzcocks
Is this their best song or is it Orgasm Addict? So many bands have taken what the Buzzcocks did in the late 70s and made much more money than they ever did. Green Day
3. Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith
There are good songs, there are great songs and then there are songs that take on a life of their own, transcending everything, this is one of them.

 
4. Swallowed by Bush
I was never a huge Bush fan as they were just a grunge clone but I really liked this first single from their second album, Razorblade Suitcase.
5. The Night by Morphine
Posthumously released music is always eerie and often sad, this song is no different. A cool Boston band with a singer who once got stabbed in the chest while driving his cab but he didn't die then.
6. I'm A man by The Spencer Davis Group
Groovy British teenagers singing about being a man, brilliant.
7. Everlong by Foo Fighters
One of my ten favorite love songs . . . EVER!
8. Territorial Pissings by Nirvana
When people say Nirvana was punk I guess this is what they were talking about.
9. Rabbit by Lemonheads
Catchy punk songs about wanting to shag. Awesome!
10.Egg Man by The Beastie Boys
This is the rap reworking of their old ass song, Egg Raid on Mojo. It's on the album, Paul's Boutique which critics have a major chubby for but didn't sell as well as License To Ill.
11.You Should Be Dancing by Bee Gees
You want to know about disco? This is a good place to start. It's not as goofball as some of the genre but it definitely fits. 

 
12.Push It by Garbage
"Make the beats go harder" Shirley sounds great on this track. Once Garbage was a band that mattered but then they began to suck it.
13.Natural One by Folk Implosion
Creepiness comes in all forms including this song off The Kids soundtrack.
14.Sleep Now In The Fire by Rage Against The Machine
Maybe they stopped being the only band that mattered by this point but it was the my favorite song off, The Battle for Los Angeles
15.Just by Radiohead
You Do it to yourself
16.Wonderwall by Oasis
Greatness of pop is right here.
17. She Bangs The Drum by Stone Roses
NME said The Stone Roses debut album was the best album ever, maybe they exaggerate but it is a beautiful collection of songs.

 
18.Words by the Monkees
I'm sure if I was in my twenties in the sixties I would have hated these guys but seeing as I wasn't even born then so I guess that's why I like them.
19.Double Talkin' Jive by Guns N' Roses
Izzy Stradlin' sang this one about the bands early days.
20.Bedtime Story by Madonna
Björk wrote this, can't you tell?

 
21.The Beautiful People by Marilyn Manson
This is the song that put him over the top and not just a one hit wonder with a cover as his most known song. Industrial and crazy Marilyn Manson sings about being angry even though it's not real, nothing he did was.

Nomar Garciaparra Retires

One time Red Sox Great and husband to Mia Hamm, Nomar Garciaparra has officially retired. What can I say that hasn't been said or thought? It's a shame. Those are oddly the first words to come to mind as he was a Boston favorite from the beginning of his career in 1996 when he played on some Red Sox teams that didn't go anywhere only to be traded to the Cubs during the 2004 season. He should have been on that team when they won the World Series; it was a sad echo following the screams and cheers of the victory parade.

The redemption came when he signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox so he could retire in a Sox uniform, I almost wept.

Dead Stars: Corey Haim

Corey Haim is dead and so do the fantasies of millions of middle aged housewives trying to hang on to their youth. Mr. never meant more to me than that guy who all the girls liked instead of me, some Hollywood pretty boy that my junior high coed classmates thought was an attainable goal while I sulked in the hallway wondering if I should frost my hair. Because of that I was darkly apreciative to see his career go down the tubes and find out he was addicted to . . . I don't know, heroin?
Corey gave us one half of the Corey team along with fellow freak Corey Feldman. To be a sport I will say that Corey Haim was in, "The Lost Boys" which was a high point in vampires as homosexuals metaphor.

I actually saw him in person once at a comic book convention; he looked like somebody wearing burlap after they'd been wearing silk. He looked like an old boy, not a man.

RIP Corey Haim

Singer Down

Mark Linkous, the man behind Sparklehorse, shot himself in the chest with a riffle in Tennessee. He was 47. Honestly I don't know much about the man and though I own a couple Sparklehorse CD's I'm really only familiar with two of the songs, "Some Day I will Treat you Good" and "It's A Wonderful Life", the latter appeared as the # 10 song of the 00s on my countdown. So for at very least I am grateful for those two bits of music.
So what killed Mr. Linkous, the music or the gun?

RIP Mark

Academy Awards Hangover

So the Oscars happened as planned and there wasn't really anything too shocking or wacky; there was singing and dancing and jokes, there were speeches and commercials.
The Hurt Locker won best picture and best director and I still don't want to see it.
The thing I kept wondering was when do movies like Avatar become animated movies but then I would get tired of that thought and think about the tacky set that seemed very remincent of the late 70s idea of class.

Weekly Mix Tape Pt 4

This weeks mix has a some moments that are directly stolen form a mix tape I made in the late 80s, see if you can figure out which part. I really like those 3 songs together.

1. Stacked Actors by Foo Fighters
A good hate song is great, especially when it's about Courtney Love
2. Ocean Size by Jane's Addiction
This was really my first introduction to Jane's Addiction and I loved them, I thought they were amazing and they scared me. Weird, sexy and kick ass!

3. Paranoid Android by Radiohead
Some people say this was the last good album Radiohead ever did and some people say this was the end to their beginning. I don't know, they have got boring.
4. Where is My Mind by Pixies
Some bands were bigger than they were, The Pixies is one of them. They influenced everybody but never got much bigger than the Alternative music scene at the time would let them. This song is great, trippy and and real cool.
5. Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses
Yes, this is one of the greatest rock songs of all time and if you can't accept that than you are just fool. It's tough sounding but sweet, the lyrics are nice but Axl's voice was so perfect in the late 80s there was nothing anybody could do about it.
6. The One I love by R.E.M.
I kinda' liked R.E.M. up until this point but when I heard this song I went nuts for them
7. Desire by U2
They took a riff from Bo Diddly and got very American
8. Then by The Charletons UK
I wasn't a big fan of these Manchester guys but suddenly they got into my veins and I really started to dig the whole scene. rock organ with a dance beat and undeniably English vocals. Yes they sound a lot like The Stone Roses but I'm okay with that.

9. Jean Genie by David Bowie
"New York's a go-go and everything tastes nice" Such groovy song.
10.Fast As You Can by Fiona Apple
Fiona isn't as creepy on this song as she was on Criminal but she's just as insane. This is a little bit of a hyper song for her and I like it.
11.Cecelia by Simon and Garfunkle
Feel good song, sort of.
12.Posthuman by Marilyn Manson
Wicked sounding rock for the future which Marilyn brought to us here.

13.March Of The Pigs by Nine Inch Nails
Crazy anger from Trent and his band. This was the first single from his huge Downward Spiral album and recorded where Sharon Tate was murdered Charles Manson's minions
14.Still The Same by Bob Seger
 Man, this song is a good song to relax and think about, especially after you rock out to Hollywood Nights.
15.Orgasm Addict by The Buzzcocks
Great band that deserved more credit than they ever got. You can here where all power pop punk bands got there influence. 

16.My Favorite Game by Cardigans
This one sounded so different from  their previous stuff and had a video not played on Mtv because it was too destructive. Nia Pierson and the boys did good with this one.

17.Sexx Laws by Beck
I thought that this would be it for beck but he did make some good tunes after this one as he entered the 21st century.
18.Private Idaho by The B-52's
Classically weird rock from Athens Georgia
19.This is Your Life by The Dust Brothers
You are not your Fucking khakis!