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I Dig Your Wig: The Outsiders Collectively Sport the Worst Hair in Rock Prior to the 1980s

Apr 092010

Despite the fact that I’ve loved The Outsiders‘ “Time Won’t Let Me” since I was a kid, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of the band before today, let alone a clip on YouTube of the band in action. I can’t say I ever sought one, but now I know why images of the band aren’t flooding the web and showing up unexpected when I’m searching for topics like cool bands from the 1960s.

Prior to the 1980s, when bad hair suddenly was in style, has any band collectively sported worse hairdos than The Outsiders? In rock ‘n roll terms, there’s something wrong about every hairdo in that band.

The lead singer’s ‘do is obviously the inspiration for sports journalist/inspirational memoirist Mitch Albom‘s mannequin’s feathered rug Look.

The guitarist who first appears at the 16-second mark has the least-objectionable hair in the band. His hair simply grants him the anonymity of whichever rhythm section member of The Undertones whose name you most frequently forget.

What the hell is the guitarist who first appears at the 22-second mark aiming for? This is what I’d imagine Ray Liotta‘s character in Hannibal would like like if you tried to stick a wig over his leveled-off head.

At the 28-second mark we’re introduced to my favorite failed hairdo in The Outsiders, that of the bassist. You can be assured that the day actor Michael J. Pollard decided he should never grow a pompadour was the day he saw The Outsiders on whatever show broadcast this performance.

The producer of this television performance knew what he or she was doing by making the audience wait until a minute into the song to show a close-up of the most puzzling of all the hairdos in The Outsiders. It’s bad enough that the drummer has the beefy, bemused visage of Buddy Hackett, but he tops it off with the broken-bowl haircut of Jerry Lewis’ Nutty Professor.

The Supreme Court of Rock will hear no arguments as to why the makers of this brilliant single were not better known for their efforts.

Songs You Play in Music Stores to Test Out Instruments (and, let’s face it, impress other customers)

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Apr 092010

Here’s a personal favorite from a few years back. I’d never heard this song before it was mentioned by a Townsman. The resulting video that I uncovered is astounding on at least 25 levels. Plus I’m still fascinated – and intimidated – by the practice of playing a flashy song on an instrument in a music store. I’m way too clumsy and way too self-conscious to ever pull this off. I don’t even know what I’d play if I could play anything substantial and flashy. As it is I’m most likely to play the riff to The Kinks’ “Gotta Get the First Plane Home.” That’s easy, and it’s a good test of the low strings, which I favor.

This post initially appeared 3/29/07.

Very simple set up: Yesterday General Slocum mentioned a Stanley Clarke tune called “School Days” and the theme from Barney Miller than any bassist of a certain age felt compelled to play when testing out a bass in a music store. He likened this to guitarists playing the intro to “Stairway to Heaven”. What songs to you play on your instrument of choice when giving an instrument a test run in a music store? What do you play in hopes of turning on the other customers?

And while you’re at it, please see if you can’t help me list 25 things that are so wrong they’re right in this video.

I look forward to your responses.

Thrifty Music, Vol. 20.5: Relationship Advice From the Soul Generation

Posted by hrrundivbakshi

Apr 082010

From left: Townsmen mockcarr, hrrundivbakshi, Rick Massimo, chickenfrank.

“Super Fine,” The Soul Generation

Greetings, seekers of the rare, the weird and the incredibly cheap! Here’s today’s installment of Thrifty Music for your thoughtful consideration — a dynamic chunk of funk from The Soul Generation entitled “Super Fine.” In it — over one of the slammin’est, most groove-a-licious tracks you’ll ever hear — this four-piece vocal combo (seen above in their flyest of superfly pimp finery) offers you some sound relationship advice, to wit:

If you love a girl
(If you love a girl)
And she’s super fine
(super fine, super fine)
BLOW HER MIND!
(Why don’t you blow it — hey, hey, hey… YEAAHHH! WOOOOO!)

The next line concerns the need to also be sure to “know her sign,” and so forth.

Look, like a lot of tunes from this era, the lyric is a bit silly, but the sheer enthusiasm of the vocal performance — and the way you can really feel the band sink their gold teeth into that mighty, mighty groove — well, it makes for a Great artefact of a bygone musical era, sez me. I just love this song.

But here’s my probing Thrifty Question: I think we’d all agree that if you love a girl, and she’s super fine, you really ought to blow her mind. But is there any other lyric that contains what you’d sincerely consider good relationship advice? I know we make a lot of fun of the loincloth-wearing misogyny of a lot of retardo-rock — but there must be some good bits of advice that rock has to offer, as well. Share your favorites.

I look forward to your responses.

HVB

The Music of Lester Bangs

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Apr 082010

From what I’ve read music critic Lester Bangs was a frustrated musician. I believe this is not an uncommon phenomenon. For every Patti Smith, David Thomas, and Chrissie Hynde who’s graduated from writing record reviews to writing records that get reviewed there must be a thousand frustrated rock critics. I’ve been told this even extends to music bloggers.

It had been years since I checked out the music of Lester Bangs. In fact, I’d forgotten that recordings of his music existed until I read the Joey Ramone memoir, I Slept With Joey Ramone, written by Joey’s brother, Mickey Leigh, who is a bit of a frustrated musician himself and who played in Bangs’ band for a while. I believe Leigh is the guitarist on this track. [NOTE: I was wrong about this belief.]

I found this track surprisingly strong. I still haven’t gone back to check out his other recordings, but had this been better recorded it would sit nicely alongside some of the jazz-poetry workouts of Patti Smith and a side 2 track from Pere Ubu‘s Dub Housing.

What do you think? Yourself excluded, who’s your favorite critic/frustrated musician?

All-Star Jam

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Apr 082010

What do you take personally when you’re in Mill Valley?

Feel free to take this space personally and post the musically relevant thoughts inside your head that need to come out.

Artists You Wish People Could See for What They Are, Not for What Most of Their Fans Wish They Could Be

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Apr 062010

I’m excited to see the new documentary on The Doors, When You’re Strange, which is playing for free in Philadelphia this Friday night, April 9. My excitement is for a range of reasons, from the fact that it’s directed by Tom DiCillo, who’s first three movies (Living in Oblivion, Box of Moonlight, Johnny Suede) were indie joys for me in the ’90s, to the fact that I like my share of Doors music as well as get a great deal of laughs out of the band’s pretensions and their even more incredibly pretentious diehard fans. I’m sure this film’s narrator, Johnny Depp, for instance, is going to match Ray Manzarek for jive-ass references to “shamen” and other mystical “native” nonsense that no white man who’s not a professor of anthropology should be caught dead talking about.

I’m suspect this film will only perpetrate the mythology around The Doors and Jim Morrison, but I wish more people could see The Door for what they really were, not for what most of their fans wish they could be. For instance:

The Doors were a solid psych-pop group with tight production, not groundbreaking avant-garde visionaries!
The Doors were a tough, little blues-rock combo, not the house band for the Weimar Republic.
Jim Morrison’s lyrics were usually pretty funny and only worked in the context of his committed approach to desiring transcendence within the confines of his solid, little psych-pop/blues-rock combo. He was no American Poet!
Jim Morrison’s not alive; he’s dead.

I’m not trying to degrade the work of The Doors. There’s so much to like over the course of their brief career that reasonable rock ‘n roll fans can’t be bothered to hear for what it is for the risk of letting any of the wacko cult-worshipping leak into their lives. I’m trying to uncover the true and meaningful legacy of The Doors. For those Doors fans who use the band as a means for compensating for their empty spiritual lives, get a practicing shaman to guide you!

Is there an artist you wish people could see for what they are, not for what most of their fans wish they could be?

Please Explain: What Do You People Hear in All Mod Cons That Makes It Your Most Beloved Jam Album?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Apr 062010

Please explain.

I dig The Jam as much as most of you. Sure, I’ve got my beefs with drummer Rick Buckler, but I have given him props for his running skills. I can’t stand The Style Council, but that doesn’t color my views on The Jam or Paul Weller’s solo career. I’m not a fan of bassist Bruce Foxton’s bass tone, and that does factor into what I’m about to say.
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