July 20, 2007
More Food About Songs and Buildings
It's Friday. Who wants some instructions and computer programming nostalgia at the same time? 10 BEGIN // 15 FOR y = 1 TO 10 // 20 SHUFFLE (VIDEO JUKEBOX) // 30 PRINT (SONG TITLE) // 40 FIND VIDEO FOR (SONG TITLE) // 50 LINK TO VIDEO // NEXT Y // 60 END. Please correct me if my BASIC is wrong, and enjoy these videos (click on the corner of one of the tiny boxes to get the full version). Please do not enter the preceding program into your TI-994A computer; it will blow up with extreme prejudice.
1. Radioactivity (short version) by Kraftwerk: They were totally ahead of their time, which I think means 1985 when they made this video. Why couldn't school safety filmstrips be like this?
2. Take This Hammer by Leadbelly: The songwriting pioneer himself (in color!); don't be disturbed by the initial lack of a moving picture, it kicks in at about the 35 second mark. I have no idea where this footage comes from... a movie?
3. 1976 by RJD2: A very innovative video and photocollage, although I'm unsure what the song title has to do with the year (apart from its sounding like a 70s cop show) or Cuba. Maybe if I spoke Spanish...
4. Another Girl Another Planet by THe Only Ones: An interesting band, kind of mixing the sound of roots rock with punk energy and unique vocals (supplied by Peter Perrett). Unfortunately, the comments to the video devolve into a "Did Blink 182 do a better version?" discussion. Although I've never heard the cover, let me venture a guess: no fucking way. Another influential band who had a 2007 reunion.
5. Panis Et Circenses by Os Mutantes: I can't believe this is the first time the legendary Brazilian band has come up in the video shuffle. They give off a very Velvet Undergroundish vibe in this clip, mainly due to the half-Nico, half-Marianne Faithfull vocals of Rita Lee.
6. Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition: Feathered like the wings of a majestic bird! Six tambourines at once! Bittersweet lyrics! Osmond Family cast-off costumes! This rules!
7. Uncontrollable Urge by Devo: Maybe 100 times the people know about this song because of that Mazda commercial, but so what? An interesting live clip that some of the commenters seem to indicate is from the seminal Urgh! A Music War documentary/video compilation.
8. Lebanese Blonde by Thievery Corporation: I'm a fan of this duo's worldwide musical sampling, even if it does sound like video game background music half the time. Unfortunately, the video looks like a 3-minute plug for some high-end vodka or a financial services corporation. Enjoy the highly processed sounds of the Middle East, in any event.
9. Groovy Train by The Farm: Slowly but surely, I am being haunted by every CD single I impulsively bought during my hazy college days. These guys are like the Happy Mondays, but without the drugs. Suffice it to say that I didn't see any street scenes like this in 1992 London, apart from the Notting Hill Festival.
10. Vibe Boogie by Lionel Hampton: Off of a 1955 movie, this is described as a "jam." This would be good news, except we're talking about Lionel Hampton and a top-notch jazz band, not the fucking String Cheese Incident... so one would wish it went on a little longer.
Now for some bonus footage: (1) my hamster Merle [other videos here] isn't all that talented in many areas, but he can suck down (unhusked) sunflower seeds with the best of them. Enjoy some behind-the-scenes footage of my harsh training regimen; (2) an interesting clip courtesy of Boing Boing of a talented double-guitar player:
Now drop something music-related in the comments (capsule reviews of new releases, that one ABBA video you've found after all these years, or slagging other people's tastes), or it's going to be all sunflower seed-eating, ALL THE TIME! As an additional, comment-generating question: the Simpsons Movie is nearly upon us (next Friday, I believe). Anybody jazzed about it? Mixed feelings? What, as they say, is up?
You are a harsh hamster task-master, my friend.
Posted by: Clio Bluestocking at July 19, 2007 09:10 PMClio: Some might say that I'm living out my own competitive eating dreams through him; or maybe it's a recognition that he doesn't have a lot of time left on this Earth. You see... he suffers from being a hamster, and they give him only another 12-18 months to live. So, by gum, I'm going to develop his only talent to its fullest!
Posted by: norbizness at July 19, 2007 09:15 PMI don't think a year has gone by without some Devo song being in some commercial (or even bastardized, a la Swiffer) ever since the mid-90s. There's been so many I've lost count. Sometimes I wonder if it's the ultimate in corporate devolution.
Or maybe it's just some middle aged guys wanting money. We've all been/will be there. Art is fine and dandy until you can cash in; then it's gold, Jerry. It's gold.
Posted by: ChrisV82 at July 20, 2007 12:47 AMI can't wait for the Simpsons movie. Though, to be fair, the whole thing could just be 90 minutes of spider-pig (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XQ_GWKvDE0) and I would love it.
spider-pig, spider-pig.....
yeah, I'm ready for the movie
Posted by: terry at July 20, 2007 02:20 AMI had to buy The Farm from iTunes because my cd single got too scratched. Heh. What else do you have in your 90s CD single pile? PM Dawn? Hee.
Oh, Norbiz, I got a Moog Classical Sampler LP from the sweet, sweet 70s in your honor the other day from the biggest ripoff record store I've ever been to. They had some John Anderson Double LP gatefold fantasy concept albums too, but I wonder if you already have those.
Posted by: Pinko Punko at July 20, 2007 03:18 AMI haven't heard Another Girl, Another Planet in ages. So Blink 182 did a cover? Who's Blink 182?
Here's a suitably nostalgic video: Underpass (John Foxx, who was the good part of Ultravox).
Posted by: Tom Hilton at July 20, 2007 09:45 AMThey used "Uncontrollable Urge" for a Mazda commercial?!
This sort of thing will infuriate me right up until the moment they work out a way to use "Mongoloid". At which point I will switch to being grudgingly impressed.
I'm building up my expectations for the Simpsons movie by telling myself the last few seasons' suckiness was because they were saving all the good jokes for the flick.
Posted by: RobW at July 20, 2007 09:52 AMthe replacements often covered "Another Girl" in concert, too.
my contrib to 80's one-hitters, i haven't been able to part with the 12" to Well Well Well. i have no idea if they did anything else worthwhile.
Posted by: paperpusher at July 20, 2007 01:47 PMthe Coyne bros do the Krays (unfortunately, no intro riff, nor are there videos for This Damn Nation or Unsatisfied) and one of their last passable songs, STB.
as for Urgh, anybody know the story on its unavailability? only recently have some portions made it to utube.
Posted by: paperpusher at July 20, 2007 02:11 PMI *like* sunflower seed-eating hamsters.
Posted by: D. Sidhe at July 20, 2007 05:39 PMYou got me wondering about Peter Parrett and sent me to his website:
Lack of any real success following lack of any real success led to The Only Ones inevitable disintegration following a disastrous American tour during which Perrett had (and still has) a warrant put out for his arrest for attempted murder, with a Hertz rental car. The narcotics had really taken hold by now. ...
...it was all looking good....when all of a sudden it went wrong again. The band split, they'd had enough of Peter's 'unpredictability' and Peter retreated back into Perrett Towers, where he resides to this very day.To have this on one's own website is as loserish and beautiful a piece of Beautiful Loserism as I've ever seen. Thanks for the ugly memories!
Also, check this reunion performance. "Old-time rock 'n' roll" is mainly a synonym for "shitty sound system and 5 x 7 dressing room." Indie rockers: gaze into the face of fear!
Posted by: roy edroso at July 21, 2007 11:57 AMApologies for the misplaced close-BLOCKQUOTE tag.
Posted by: roy edroso at July 21, 2007 11:58 AMI'm with D. Sidhe. You should do a feature length film.
As for the Simpsons movie, I'm worried it will suck.
Posted by: Nancy in Detroit at July 21, 2007 12:52 PMthe wiki answers the Urgh! question - the rights have been irrevocably "misplaced" due to numerous corporate transfers in which the transferee had no interest in the material. Miles Copeland can license it for tv use but that's about it, leading to only bootleg copies being available.
I love the Only Ones albums, but I hold Parrett responsible for introducing the whine to the lexicon, descendants being gordan gano and morrissey. for awhile i thought morrissey was parodying gano.
Posted by: paperpusher at July 22, 2007 02:16 PM