As and Bs
As I’ve started to go through my CD collection in alphabetical order, I rediscover many gems that I hadn’t listened to in a while. This list consists mainly of these gems along with a few other things.
They were just fantastic. This was one of my favorite sets in recent memory.
At the time of its release in 2000 with their career on the rise and a deal with the now defunct BEASTIE BOYS imprint Grand Royal, no one could’ve predicted that the stress and pressure of success would lead to their breakup, oddly similar in fashion to that of fellow post-hardcore stalwarts QUICKSAND six years earlier, who imploded after headlining the very first Warped Tour in 1995. Well at least they went out with a bang because this baby rocks from start to finish like a caged animal being let out into the wild. Equal parts FUGAZI, JANE’s ADDICTION and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, they later splintered into the similar-sounding SPARTA and the prog-rock leaning MARS VOLTA.
This classic 1983 Lp has been long out-of-print. This is simply some of the best punk rock ever made, so if you can find or download a copy of it, do it! In the meantime, if you’ve never heard them, you can download several tracks here.
One of their absolute best and the first record in a brilliant trilogy with 1989’s No Control and 1990’s Against the Grain following it, this 1988 Lp started off the second and much more successful portion of their career.
Having not liked much of their post- Generator material, I was taken aback at just how good this 2002 album was at the time of its release. Guitarist and co-songwriter BRETT GUREWITZ, who had missing from the fold for their previous three albums, came back for this one and the difference is apparent from the onset as their trademark harmonies and Gurewitz’s sharp songwriting skills are in full force here. When I revisited it, I not only marvelled at pop delights like singer GREG GRAFFIN’s “Broken”, but at its timeliness with songs like “Kyoto Now” in light of the recent film An Inconvenient Truth and the U.S.’s refusal to sign the Kyoto treaty.
This is the first full-length record released by former FRACTURE member ADAM GOREN in 1996 as Atom and His Package, a project that he’s recently disbanded. Instead of a full band, this is just Goren and a very cheesy-sounding sequencer, so if you’re put off by that concept, look elsewhere. With Goren’s whiny voice, cracked melodies and even more cracked sense-of-humor, this record pleases me immensely. Sure, it’s full of in-jokes of the “you had to be in the hardcore/emo scene at the time” variety, but since I was there, this takes me back to the mid ‘90s. Moreover, I still see “My Kid Belongs to the Punk Rock Academy” (a reference to “Punk Rock Academy”, the first track on this album) bumper stickers on people’s cars, especially here in his hometown of Philadelphia, so that means that ten years later this record still hits a nerve with people.
In celebration of their show here tonight, I’m putting this excellent compilation on the list. This is pure, angry, blues-soaked Texas punk rock in a time when it was a little dangerous (song titles include “Dicks Hate the Police”, which got the New York City Police department to shut down a “Rock Against Reagan” show they played in 1983 with BAD BRAINS), highly political (song titles include “No Fuckin’ War” and “I Hope Ya Get Drafted” and both are unfortunately more pertinent now than they were when they were written in the early ‘80s) and in their case (much like Texas compatriots THE BIG BOYS) a little bit gay as well. This compilation includes tracks from their sadly out-of-print first album Kill from the Heart as well as their also unfortnately out-of-print, legendarily great split Lp (with The Big Boys) Live at Raul’s, and their lesser, more hard-rock oriented final Lp These People.
Clerks 2 (R)
I have to post a disclaimer here. In college, I was a huge fan of director KEVIN SMITH’s first three films (affectionately known as the “Jersey trilogy”), including his first film Clerks, and so it’s an understatement to say that I was looking forward to the sequel. Although I was worried given that I don’t think that Smith’s more recent efforts have been anywhere near as strong, fortunately I wasn’t disappointed. In fact it may be the most enjoyable, if not the best, movie that I’ve seen all year! It’s both laugh-out-loud funny almost all the way through and yet hits home with a sobering, grown-up message that doesn’t feel preachy or patronizing. Nevertheless, I’m happy to say that as Smith ages, his embrace of vulgarity hasn’t lessened one bit! I can’t wait for the DVD!
This is a nifty, single-disc guide to the career of The B-52’s which balances brilliant early songs like “Planet Claire” and “52 Girls” with the more commercial (though no less satisfying) offerings on 1989’s Cosmic Thing (their real breakthrough album due to the massive success of the single “Love Shack”) and (unfortunately) 1992’s misguided follow-up Good Stuff. Still, the fact that it includes every song on side one of their debut as well as “Song for a Future Generation” makes it essential for those looking for a single-disc B-52’s fix.
After receiving it as a gift recently, I’ve finally gotten around to reading this book and I’m about halfway through now. Although the chapters are long, they breeze by very easily as Dylan pulls you in, proving that he’s just as effective of an author as he is a songwriter. Thus far, chapters on his early years playing folk clubs in Greenwich Village and the recording of the “contractual obligation” album New Morning have been very fulfilling as I look forward to finishing the rest of the book.
