Spend more than a few minutes browsing RTH during springtime, and like as not you’ll run across somebody either busting on American Idol or trying to explain to the naysayers why it’s worth watching. I’m firmly in the latter camp, and, at Mr. Mod’s prodding, I thought I’d take a moment to share the reasons why. Hopefully, I’ll manage to steer clear of any yawn-worthy defenses of “pop” music (how many times do we have to go down that road?), as well as the temptation to get all catty about the frankly awful performances that can certainly still be found on Fox every Tuesday night at 8:00 pm.

Because there are some awful performances to be found there. I suspect it’s these awful performances that cause folks like Mr. Mod to get all tight-assed about the show — and the pepole who tune in for the train-wreck cheesefest, then breathlessly blog about how bad Sanjaya Malakar‘s version of “You Really Got Me” was, make it easy for folks like Moddy to “take the high road” by simply never watching. I don’t exactly understand how it’s easier to spend an hour pondering sides three and four of “The Best and the Rest Of Be Bop Deluxe” than watching 10 kids sing their hearts out for America, but whatever.
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Here are some tracks from the most-influential bootleg/radio concert of my youth: Elvis Costello & The Attractions with Martin Belmont (Graham Parker and The Rumour) subbing on guitar for injured keyboardist Steve Nieve. This is half of a King Biscuit Flour Hour concert that I taped off the radio when I was however old I was the year my favorite album of all time, Get Happy!!, was released.

I love the way the band steamrolls through these songs. I love the way the recording actually sounds like someone stuck a mic up in the middle of the club (ie, rather than a dreadful “board mix”). I love the material. I especially love the way the band takes command of the material and makes it work be sheer force of will (and the strength of rock’s finest rhythm section ever). No slight to Steve Nieve, because the full-strength Attractions back then could also pull this off, but as a youngster in the process of forming a 2-guitar band – without organ – getting to hear one of our favorite artist’s music performed in this configuration was a godsend. I can’t tell you how many times we sat around the bong and played the cassette of this concert, detailing all that was right about this approach. We might as well have been studying Ted Williams‘ swing.

So without further ado, here are some tracks to study over the weekend!

“Temptation”

“One More Heartache”

“Secondary Modern”

“High Fidelity”

“Lipstick Vogue”

“Oliver’s Army”