It’s 1982. This video appears on French television, as part of a French TV special starring Alice Cooper. Shouldn’t his act have expired about 12 days after he hit paydirt with “School’s Out”? How did Alice Cooper manage to stay in circulation to any degree? How does he manage to hold onto his current Elder Statesman of Hard Rock status? Most importantly, is this song even remotely decent? I’m confused. Maybe I’ve been in Paris for too many days.
Let’s try another 1-2 Punch, shall we? Top 10 lists are too much; Top 5 lists invite too many opportunities for throwing in a hipster, obscuro choice to distinguish oneself from the raging masses. What I’d like to know is what TWO (2) songs you would choose from an artist’s catalog to say as much about that artist that you believe represents said artist’s core as possible? In other words, if you could only use TWO (2) songs from an artist’s catalog to explain all that said artist is about to a Venusian, what TWO (2) songs would you pick to represent said artist’s place in rock ‘n roll?
I’ll pose two artists and you—love ’em or leave ’em—give me each artist’s representative 1-2 Punch. Dig? Here goes!
It started innocently enough: A friend was calling tech support and had been on hold for some time. He chronicled his wait on Facebook, I responded by posting a link to The Nerves’ “Hanging On The Telephone.” I know it’s a great song, but I had no idea there was such a vast array of cover versions of the song.
Here are the results of a little digging for covers of this song, and this is not including all of the videos of bands covering the tune in bars, parties and other gigs. This is studio versions only. Some stay close to the original (or to Blondie’s much more well-known version) and some stray away – often to their own peril.
So set aside some time and enjoy…
Sounds of the Hall in roughly 33 1/3 minutes!
In this week’s edition of Saturday Night Shut-In a vacationing Mr. Moderator shuts the eff up and let’s the music play. In fact, to celebrate a night without the Mod’s whining, we’ve programmed nothing but instrumental music. So kick back, do whatever it is you like to do while letting your mind run free, and enjoy.
[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/RTH-Saturday-Night-Shut-In-34.mp3|titles=RTH Saturday Night Shut-In, episode 34][Note: The Rock Town Hall feed will enable you to easily download Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your digital music player. In fact, you can even set your iTunes to search for an automatic download of each week’s podcast.]
Phoebe Snow and Linda Rondstadt cover The Roches‘ “The Married Men” on Saturday Night Live. I like how they take it upon themselves to introduce to the country a then-practically unknown band. This would have been around the time of the sisters’ breakthrough s/t album. I like how Snow and Rondstadt are appearing together just because they feel like it—as if they’d just happened to be doing lines in Lorne Michaels‘ office during the Not Ready for Prime Time Players’ final run through. Paul Simon and George Harrison made a similar non-promotional appearance. Could a national television show, not to mention artists’ managers, allow such an informal, generous appearance again? Thinking about this makes me feel twice my new age.
Whether you’re 24 or 48 or 96, what musical moment can you not imagine ever happening on national televlsion again?
I’m looking for the make and model of car in the lyrics of a song. The lyrics must contain both. Makes maybe reused but not models, so once Ford Mustang is taken, the Pinto is still up for grabs but all other Mustangs are off the table.
The usual rules apply: only one answer per entry please and if you are the current Last Man Standing, please wait until somene else claims the title before submitting another entry.
I will start with Ford Mustang from Bowie’s “Young Americans.”
First this, now this.
Despite his frequent lapses in musical self-awareness and taste, Paul McCartney‘s usually managed to maintain a respectable sense of personal style that plays up his everlasting cuteness while not succumbing to the eternally creepy cuteness of a Peter Noone, perhaps. (It’s just the way God made him!) McCartney managed to look good with his old shag hairdo, but a conflicted Paul awaits. I’m not a fan of hair dye for men and plastic surgery, but the man could do a lot worse.
The following clip, from 1974, is just such an example.
All we can see is Paul’s head, but a number of things are going wrong here. He seems stuck between Looks, and personally I find it discomforting.
