Piątek 13 Mar 2009, 1:43
I'm fighting a cold and feeling mildly stunned, and therefore this post blows tiny goats. If you're new to this series, you should read one of the other ones first. Or not. If you read this one first, be prepared to share my mildly stunned condition.
I've been in a really fun early rock n' roll/garage listening phase recently, which probably influences this list a lot. On the other hand, this length lends itself to that era and genre.
Intro
3:27
2:32
4:08
3:40
1:57/1:58
3:14
6:20-6:24
2:54
4:42/4:43
2:25
4:20
2:35
5:55-5:59
3:35
2:44
6:50-6:59
The Top Eleven Songs from 1:48 to 1:50
1) Rave On–Buddy Holly
For reasons stated in the intro to this series, I don’t want to get into “big and important” lists like “top 50 songs of the 50s,” but if I were to make such a list, this rocker would be a strong contender for the top spot. If you were to tell me that "Rave On" is the greatest song in rock history, I'd think you couldn't possibly have considered all the alternatives (you don't have enough time!), but I'd also think that you made a pretty good choice.
2) Come On–Chuck Berry
Early rock n' roll had an open-hearted joy that seems missing from most music today. I don’t think it’s entirely that simple; I think it’s the way we (I) read it. It's likely that I miss the undertones of older music, stuff that would be obvious to contemporary listeners. This song is about a frustrated lover; the emotional tone of frustration certainly hasn’t changed—it’s the way we express and read it.
Chuck's Let it Rock could have pretty easily made this list, too.
3) Heat From the Day–Blood on the Wall
Stabbing guitar, throb bass, reckless momentum. Sounds like Sonic Youth sloppily covering Wire, which is a winning formula.
4) Fell in Love With a Girl–The White Stripes
One great riff all the way through, but it doesn't last nearly long enough to get annoying. A mid-70s producer would have insisted on stretching it to three minutes, thereby ruining its trashy perfection.
5) Blue Suede Shoes–Eddie Cochran
Sloppy, alive, and full of grease in a way that, after the late 50s, wouldn’t much be in evidence (outside of garages) until punk reached back to revive those virtues. Elvis’s more popular version is pretty happenin’ too, but it sounds slick compared to Cochran’s original.
6) Guess Things Happen That Way–Johnny Cash
When Hank’s woman does him wrong, he gets really sad, and hopes she’s going to be sad too. When Johnny’s woman does him wrong, he gets all stiff-upper-lip and fatalistic about it. Or shoots her, if he feels like it.
7) There Goes My Gun–Pixies
Spaghetti western taking place in a dorm.
8) Big Machine–The Minders
It's a pastiche of 60s garage psych clichés: funhouse organ and distorted blues guitar, topped with marshmallow-sparkle pop harmonies. While not really original, this kind of Nuggets-style revival hits my sweet spot.
9) The Tiny Goat–The Gothic Archies
If this song had been a hit, we would be referring to social misfits as “tiny goats.” I bet there’s a subset of a sliver of hipsters in Boston or someplace who do just that. “A sliver of hipsters”: new collective noun?
10) We're The Replacements–They Might Be Giants
John Flansburgh has explained that "The Replacements" is "kind of a pun" about how bands follow each other on the road, and isn't necessarily about The Replacements except by example. But I prefer to think of it as the theme song to The Replacements' Saturday morning cartoon show, which was a cult hit in my imagination.
11) Koka Kola–The Clash
This piss-take on advertising would be preachy if it wasn't so full of dumb humor (e.g., sending your snakeskin suit to the vet instead of the cleaners). I love the way Mick Jones's so-smooth backing vocals sound like a soft drink commercial.
Almost Made the List
Love You More–Buzzcocks
Franks Theme–Tom Waits
If the trepanning gets the snot out of my sinuses, the next entry may be better. But I make no promises. Dude says he's never trepanned anybody before, and I'm like, whatever, man.