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Youtube faves of mine.
Youtube is a great thing, isn’t it? I got to thinking about some of the magical performances and goodies that can be found. This list is in no order, really—and I could have easily thought of a zillion other clips.
Though boo to Rod Stewart’s “people” for getting the Faces’ superb “Bad ‘n’ Ruin” performance (complete with toilet seat guitar) taken down!
Meat Loaf: “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” (Live on Old Grey Whistle Test)
Like him or hate him, Meat Loaf is a consummate performer, and this eleven-minute version performed shortly after its release is one of the most intense performances I’ve ever seen. You probably haven’t seen this unedited, uncensored version. Worth your time!
Public Image Ltd, “Poptones/Careering” (Live on American Bandstand, May 1980)
This is a performance of total lore; the band is at their snottiest, brattiest best, and Lydon is in hilarious form. But you know what? This is a GREAT show, and it becomes absolutely clear that though Lydon is being a brat, he—and the audience—are having total fun doing it. Dick Clark one said this was perhaps one of his all-time favorite moments of the show.
Brian Jonestown Massacre “That Girl Suicide” (Live at Emo’s, Austin, Texas, 2009)
I make no secret about BJM being one of my favorite bands. This live performance from the band’s most recent US tour finds the band just firing away full-throttle, classic lineup, and, if you notice, an mysteriously increasing number of guitarists. Hey Anton, find the guy who shot this video and work out some sort of deal to release the show in full—if the gig is as great as this and “Not if You Were the Last Dandy on Earth,” then it deserves to be seen by the general public. (If I recall correctly, the mysteriously-appearing guitarists are members of The Black Angels)
Throwing Muses “Bright Yellow Gun,” (Live on The Word, 1995)
The only thing better than the band’s performance is the utterly insane audience.
John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and friends “Lucille” (From A Toot and a Snore in ’74”)
This is an infamous performance. The only session known to exist of John and Paul recording after the band’s break-up, the vocals are by Harry Nilsson—who, well, ruptured a vocal cord while singing this song. His voice was never the same. This is not an easy listen, but it is important.
The Kinks “Lola” (Live on Top of the Pops 1970)
I have to confess that while I like some of The Kinks’ more well-known fare, I don’t know the band all that well. This video, of their bizarre yet funny gender-bending hit, has served to help pique my interest in their later period material.
Nico, “All Tomorrow’s Parties”
This video, from a bootleg recording taken from the early 1980s—which is available for purchase from Cherry Red, as you see in the intro—really helps to serve as a nice setting for James Young’s hilariously funny book about this time in Nico’s life, Songs They Never Play on the Radio. And yet, there’s a haunting beauty to her performance; the tear that she cries as she looks blankly into space makes me wonder if she realizes that she was once the beautiful woman that the song is about. It’s a powerful image, really.
The Verve, “Gravity Grave” (Live in Chicago, 1993)
One of the band’s most captivating songs, captured in the live setting—The Verve were something special.
Throwing Muses, “Rabbits Dying” (Live in Providence, 1987)
“The Throwing Muses were fuckingscary!” — Lou Barlow told me this, and this video captures the magic of the band, and falls nicely in line with Kristin’s wonderful memoirs, Rat Girl.
Grandaddy, “Nature Anthem”
How could you not love this adorable children sing-a-long?
