Thanks to Townsman Al, the MC5 has been back in heavy rotation for me lately. They were groundbreaking in a lot of ways, but let’s putting aside all of their musical contributions for the moment and just discuss their Look. They are the coolest looking band of all time.
Here’s a short list why:
Dueling guitarists who look like their both having a great time and saving the world.
Perfect mix of cheesy showbiz razzle-dazzle and Big Rock Poses.
Rob Tyner’s ‘fro. No disrespect to folks like Sib Hashien and Magic Dick but Tyner was there first.
Sure, there is no lack of cool looking bands, but are there any other serious contenders the Coolest Looking Band Of All Time (tm)? Please show your work.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen live footage of these guys before! I know I won’t be scoring any Cool Points for sharing this find, but this Brinsley Schwarz tune was always a favorite among my bandmates and I.
E. Pluribus Gergely and I had a brief but productive discussion earlier today on the correct tone settings for your home stereo. Leaving out fancy EQ settings that no lover of rock ‘n roll really needs to be concerned with, “Plurbie,” as both friends and detractors (often one and the same) have been known to call him, suggested the following:
Balance: center Treble: 7.5 Bass: near 10
He may be onto something. Before we definitively announce the correct tone settings for your home stereo, we feel it’s important to run this proposal by you. Please share your current settings, as follows:
Balance: Treble: Bass:
Remember, leave the fancy-pants, scientific EQ settings for your friends on Audiophile Town Hall.
I pit these guys against each other…I’m not sure why…something to do with late-’70s AOR in Phoenix maybe…
What gets me is the respect that Aerosmith gets and the lack of respect that Van Halen gets. Can I hear an Amen!
We just got Guitar Hero Aeorsmith over here, which was worth the price just so I could play Complete Control by The Clash. (The first person who can post the appropriateness of this Clash tune for use in this game wins a patented RTH No-Prize.)
Anyhoo, in listening and “playing” the Aerosmith songs I got to thinking how much they suck. By the time I was finished with the game I realized that by owning Toys in the Attic (which is pretty great), I had more than enough Aerosmith, with the possible exception of Dream On.
Van Halen on the other hand ripped out 6 great (but flawed for sure) albums from ’78-’84. These guys kicked it, and evidenced by the videos, if not by their lyrics, had a sense of humor about themselves. Plus they were relatively original in both sound and Look. Aerosmith just comes off as a K-Mart Zeppelin-come-by-Stones schtick, right down to the lips, scarf, and lead guitarist initials.
Is it the birthright of every English guy named Mick to be in a band? Or, conversely, is it some sort of English law or regulation requiring that every band have a guy named Mick?
I recently caught a few minutes of a random documentary about a British punk band comprised of middle aged mentally handicapped guys, and even those guys had at least one Mick in the band.
So, name an English band with a guy named Mick in it. I’ll start: Heavy Load (the aforementioned middle aged mentally handicapped punk band).
“Fifty years from now you’ll wish you’d gone ‘wow’.”
– Captain Beefheart, conscious of his visionary powers, in a 1980 NME interview.
As I read through and participated in Townsman Sammy‘s candid Bullshit On: Captain Beefheart thread, I sensed some members of Rock Town Hall willing to give this admittedly difficult artist a fair shake. It’s a new day at Rock Town Hall – Your Rock Town Hall – so I’ve put together mix of decreasingly accessible Beefheart songs that may allow those of you who are getting anxious with only 22 years left on that 50-year “wow” clock that’s quoted above to find a way into this guy’s music. Do you get what I’m saying? Have a listen, and say “wow,” somebody!
First, a recording that makes me wonder why anyone wastes their time on ZZ Top, even at their best. I like my boogie refried.
Next, an uncharacteristically tender Beefheart song that you probably know from The Big Lebowski. Close your eyes and think of Julianne Moore‘s translucent skin if you start finding yourself troubled by this naked sound file.
I know you like hearing a guitarist cut loose now and then. On this next track, Beefheart steps aside, shuts up, and lets his guitarist do the talking.
Now steel yourself for a plodding, grumpy tale of devolution. This is the point where we oh-so-slowly head way back toward Mirror Man, where it’s just a few turns across the border to Trout Mask Replica.
The following Clear Spot song is a good example of the benefits of Beefheart picking up on his fractured blues approach from Trout Mask Replica with more accomplished musicians and a fairly conventional studio sound. Plus it’s funny. I’m surprised, when I read of a Townsperson’s inability to dig Beefheart, how often folks fail to appreciate the man’s humor. I know, I’m sounding like The Great 48🙂
Now, let’s shift ahead to 1980’s Doc at the Radar Station, where I think Beefheart and/or his label once and for all gave up on the idea that he’d ever be a regular rock artist and sell more than 2000 albums and, instead, made an entire album as focused on his vision as was anything since the primitve Trout Mask Replica. (Maybe Lick My Decals Off Baby was the last one made with as much integrity and focus, as Geo suggested, I don’t know. I get a cold feeling from that album whenever I spin it. I’ll have to listen to it again.) This album opener always gets me dancing in my head. As a lover of dry recordings, this album can’t be beat. Place me between a sandwich of Doc and Gang of Four‘s Entertainment and I won’t ever grimace over some insecure use of reverb.
Here’s another one that recommits to Beefheart’s old Trout Mask Replica approach while still rocking. The imagery in the lyrics is pretty cool, too, for those of you who can closely follow that stuff.
Here’s a little ditty I’ve always loved. General Slocum and I had some really deep discussion over this track about a hundred years ago, if memory serves, although I can’t recall what wisdom we’d culled from the tune. If you happen to have similar deep thoughts, feel free to claim our forgotten insights as your own.
With the recent turmoil over who’s RTH this is I thought I’d offer myself up as a sacrificial lamb in an effort to bring everyone together…against me.
Trust me, I realize that I may very well be committing some sort of rock nerd harikari (spelled correctly, looked it up.) Beefheart is god! Right? Continue reading »
