I reckon this particular musical coincidence is definitely a case of Spot the Difference.
I read a review on Powerpopaholic some time ago about a new album by The Telepathic Butterflies, a band I'd never heard of before. Powerpopaholic's enthusiastic revew piqued my interest. I then thought: "Hmm. Time to have a listen to some Telepathic Butterflies..."
I listened to the songs on offer at the band's MySpace page, and when one of their songs came on, my jaw dropped.
(I just noticed that the above paragraphs – and this one – all started with "I". How egotistical. Note to self: Talk about someone else for a change, you fool.)
Now, before we get to the song that made my jaw drop, here's the start of "I Want You Back" by the Hoodoo Gurus:
Today's song is by Australian band Icecream Hands and it's called "Dodgy". Now, depending on where you live, the title may mean something not entirely intended by the makers of the song:
If you live in Australia: "dodgy" means untrustworthy, very suspicious etc.
If you live in England: "dodgy" (especially the phrase "well dodgy", spoken with a Cockney accent) means extremely untrustworthy, incredibly suspicious.
If you live in America: "dodgy" could mean "related to Dodge automobiles"*.
And depending on how you personally feel about Dodge automobiles, all of the above may be applicable.
(*Not being American, I don't know what "dodgy" does or doesn't mean there. "Relating to Dodge automobiles" was the first thing I thought of. For all I know, "dodgy" could mean "fantastic" or "the best thing ever" or "oh, you wouldn't believe how great this is" etc.)
I was contacted by chap in the UK called Darren who is the chief songwriter and drummer of The Offbeat. He asked if I'd please, please, please (actually, he didn't use that many pleases) listen to his band's latest album, In Love Field (2010).
Mr. "I'll Listen To Anything New – Gimme Gimme Gimme!" (i.e., me) said "No problem." Darren then sent me a copy of In Love Field and I put my listening ears on.
After listening to said album, I sent Darren an email telling him what I thought, and then Darren sent me an email telling me what he thought of what I thought. This went back and forth a few times, and was rather enjoyable.
Instead of trying to come up with a sparkling and witty album review (something I'm not particularly good at), I thought I'd just present you with our email conversations...
Darren the drummin' dude from The Offbeat: Please could I mail you a copy of the new Offbeat album In Love Field?
Me: You certainly can. Thanks for the offer! I'm going to exercise some willpower and not listen to any of the album via MySpace (or elsewhere) so I can come to it fresh, fresh, fresh. Ah, the joys of discovering new music.
Darren: Won't find this on MySpace!
Me: Excellent. It saves me accidentally stumbling across it.
...two weeks later...
Me: Thanks for In Love Field. It appeared in the mail a couple of days ago, looking very pleased that it'd travelled across the ocean, arriving safe and sound.
I must admit that I had completely forgotten that you were going to send me the album, and when it turned up in the mail box I was completely mystified. I opened it, saw the album and wondered, "What on Earth is this? Do I know any band called The Offbeat? And who on Earth sent it to me? It came from England, but it doesn't say exactly who sent it. What's going on here?"
I was totally baffled until this morning when I was sorting out some emails. I spotted yours from a couple weeks ago where you mentioned The Offbeat.
Eureka!
Many apologies, Darren, for completely forgetting that you were going to send me The Offbeat CD.
OK. Now that that awkwardness is out of the way, I'll have a listen to the album. (I still don't know anything at all about the band or the album, so I'll be coming to it with incredibly fresh ears.)
Darren: Well I do hope you like it.
Me: I've now had a listen, and I'm happy to say that I do.
Darren: It's our second album, the first one being called, imaginatively enough, "The Offbeat"...
Me (interrupting): I guess when it's your first album, and you want people to notice you, there aren't too many options for naming your debut. (Hint: name it after your band.)
Darren: ...and would be fascinated to hear what you think of it.
Me: Here goes...
After studiously avoiding finding out anything about the band, its members, and its music, I put the CD in the drive, pressed "Play", and hoped for the best...
My first reaction was one of surprise. I must admit that, before hearing a note, a tiny part of me was thinking that the music was going to be the kind that's terribly popular at the moment which is simple garage rock à laThe Strokes, The Killers, The Hives, etc etc etc etc etc. To me, that music has a whole lot of attitude but not a lot of melody.
Although I usually listen to something at least three times before forming an opinion about what I've heard, here are my first impressions. I'll try not to provide a running commentary on each and every song (that can get boring real quick), but what's what you'll probably end up reading:
Track 1 ("She Can Make The Sun Shine"):
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When the track started my first reaction was "Beach Boys!". And my second reaction was "It's not horrible!". I was relieved to hear that it wasn't more Strokes, Killers, Hives et al.
Track 2 ("Someday Somehow"):
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I liked the out-of-tune guitar effect at 0:46. It made me laugh. I must admit that before I heard this track I had Marshall Crenshaw in my mind, only because the name of your song reminded me of Marshall's "Someday, Someway". I'm glad that "Someday Somehow" doesn't sound anything like "Someday, Someway". (For the record – no pun intended – I adore the music of Marshall Crenshaw. To me, he couldn't write a bad song if he tried.)
Track 3 ("Something About The Girl"): Nice harmonies.
Track 4 ("Blue Sky"):
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Even nicer harmonies. I liked the false ending, followed by that long outtro. I also liked the very end of the song where the instruments just sort of stop playing when they felt like it, instead of all at the same time.
The more I listen to this album, the more I think that I'm going to enjoy listening to it again.
Track 5 ("You And Me"): This sounds a little like John Lennon when John went all domestic in the late 70's. ("You And Me" reminds me of "Beautiful Boy".)
Track 6 ("Where Is The Girl"): Now we're back in Beach Boys territory. Boy, that singer* sure sounds like late-70's John Lennon. That, to me, is A Good Thing. The chorus has just started. Yum. I'm definitely going to enjoy listening to this album again. The arpeggiated ostinato guitar part in the later choruses reminded me of the magnificent guitar part in "I Want You (She's So Heavy)". It sounds like you guys like The Beatles as well as The Beach Boys. By the way, I liked the little mistake at 1:40 (the bass drum hesitates very slightly). I don't know why musicians try to make their music completely perfect, because I like little mistakes in recordings – it makes musicians sound human, not like machines. And I like this song. Truth be told, I like every other song I've heard so far. Next song, please.
(*Note to self: Find out the name of The Offbeat's singer.)
Track 7 ("When You Got Love"): An acoustic-y, down-home, rustic kind of track. A nice break from the previous songs. I like the guitars, but I especially liked the guitar that sounds to me like a 12-string that's had some audio processing to make it sound like a hammered dulcimer. (Well, that's what I'm hearing anyway.)
Track 8 ("Word To The Wise"): I like the loose background vocals (they sound relaxed instead of sloppy). Another false ending. I have a feeling you like false endings.
Track 9 ("A Love To Last"): The singer in this song reminds me of Graham Gouldman. (I'm a huge fan of 10cc, so someone sounding like Graham Gouldman is a big plus for me). This song had me nodding my head in no time.
Track 10 ("Jennifer Sometimes"): A nice, slightly trippy track. Very 60's. I liked it.
Right. That's what I first thought of the album.
(Update: I found out, courtesy of the CD booklet, that Nigel Clark does all the singing. Hi, Nigel! I also found out that you wrote all the songs. Thanks, Darren, for writing songs I like.)
Darren: If you would like to know more info then just ask away.
Me: Can do. Thanks.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to listen to the album again.
Darren: I maybe wrong, but I think you like the album?...
Me: Er, well, um, ah...
I've listened to the album my regulation minimum three times (so far, I've listened to it four times – and I'm about to play it again), so I'm now in a position to make a hideously pretentious announcement:
I officially Like This Album.
(I'll try not to be that pretentious again.)
Darren: Ha! spot on with the deliberate artistic fluffs!
Me: Thanks. I'm glad they were deliberate (at least I was hoping they were deliberate...).
Incidentally, in "Someday Somehow", was the bizarro chord somebody played in the right channel at 0:24 deliberate, too? (Just asking.)
(Update: I guess it was deliberate, considering it was played again at 0:32.)
Darren: Here are 5 facts you might not know:
1. All the songs are always recorded and mixed in one day.
Me: Wow.
Darren: 2. Blue Sky was written and recorded in less than 24 hours.
Me: Wow, Part 2.
(Although it does lead me to ask questions like "Why?", and "What's the hurry?", and "Is studio time very expensive where you are?".)
Darren: 3. The guitar solo on When You Got Love is a twelve-string with an effect added to it.
Me: Excellent. To me, it ended up sounding like a hammered dulcimer, but I suppose that's not the specific sound you wanted. You probably weren't looking for the "Hammered Dulcimer" setting on your Digital Signal Processor.
Darren: 4. The first album was called The Offbeat because I could not afford re packaging and used to send out the latest song under the same cover to record companies each time.
Me: Splendid. That's what's known as "thinkin' with yer noggin". I like a band that recycles.
Darren: 5. Your comments are very helpful!
Thanks. I'm happy to keep providing them until your band members start moaning "What? We got another email from him?"
Okey dokey. That was pretty much the electronic chinwag Darren and I had over the course of a few emails. By the way, Darren gave permission to reprint our conversations (His exact words were: "Please be my guest!"). Thanks, Darren.
And I've listen to the album eight times now. I like it.
POSTSCRIPT:
For making it all the way to the end of this post, you need to be rewarded.
Darren rashly sent me three copies of the album, which means I have two I can give away (I'm keeping one, 'cos I like it).
It's occurred to me that there may still be some power pop fans who have never heard today's song.
If you haven't heard "Counting The Beat" by New Zealand Australian band The Swingers, then you've been missing out on what Kylie Minogue once quite accurately described as "the coolest song ever":
(Gentle advice before playing the song: TURN IT UP)
Eric Carmen: "Tonight" was my favorite rock track that we ever recorded. There was a little magic happening in the studio on that one. We were smokin' that day. There was like flames coming out of the tape. I thought that was our most successful rock track. It was the one track where the band played and sounded on the record like what we sounded like live. That song captured what we sounded like live. If there was anybody in mind when we did that song it was The Small Faces. That was my version of "Tin Soldier". I think I incorporated every Steve Marriott lick that I had ever thought about into that song. It was written fairly quickly. It was a combination of "Tin Soldier" and "I'm Only Dreaming" and a record called "Nothing But A Heartache." It's a great old record if you haven't this. I don't remember the group that did it but it was a girl singer and it also had kind of the same rhythm part.
Wally Bryson: I thought "Tonight" was incredible. That's another one of intros that nobody knows how to play but me. I make up weird chords for different sounds. I thought we got a lot of balls on that record.
Jim Bonfanti: "Tonight" still stands up today. If it's played on the radio today it doesn't sound like a dated song.
Dave Smalley: That's definitely a Raspberry classic. Even thought I had an attitude by that time, I still loved the music.
Those comments came from the liner notes in the indispensable-for-power-pop-fans album, Power Pop Volume Two, which gathers up the Raspberries' third and fourth albums, Side 3 and Starting Over. Power Pop Volume One is just as indispensable (well, it has to be considering it contains the Raspberries first two albums, Raspberries and Fresh Raspberries.)
Link Mighty good. (I was going to use the word "splendid", but I think I've been using that way too often recently.) I was much more familiar with The Bay City Rollers version and only heard this (the original) a couple of years ago. For me, Tim's recording sounds like it could have easily been by The Records. (When I first heard it I actually thought it was The Records.) I like "Rock & Roll Love Letter" in either version, but I prefer the one by the Rollers, not because I've heard it more often but because: 1) The Rollers version sounds more 'glam' (I love glam); and 2) I much prefer Les McKeown's singing to Tim Moore's. I'll leave it up to other people to decide whether this song is good or bad (or neither... it could be a "Meh" song for some people), but I like it a lot. Incidentally, I'd never paid attention to the lyrics before, but now that I have, I'm not entirely sure that it was wise thing to do. I think they're monumentally silly. My favourite part was in the last verse:
"Cause I see an ancient rhythm In a man's genetic code Gonna keep on rock and rollin' Til my jeans explode"
Now, that's what I call silly lyrics. (Exploding jeans. Excellent.)
Link I remember a singer was once asked in an interview who he thought was the greatest entertainer who ever lived, and his answer was: "Sammy Davis Jr – without a doubt". From what I've seen and heard of Sammy, I wouldn't disagree. "Don't Shut Me Out" is the first regular pop song I've heard from Mr. Davis Jr. (or is that Junior Mr. Davis?), and to me it's weird. Enjoyable, but weird. That's because I'm so used to watching and hearing Sammy doing his lounge act, either in The Rat Pack or on his own. (By the way, if you think that the "greatest entertainer who ever lived" comment is a bit of a stretch, try this out for size. I find it astounding.) I like "Don't Shut Me Out" a lot. I really like the rhythm of it, and I really like the background vocals. Ah, those background vocals. Mmm. Cheesy.
Link I have a big problem with ELO. For me, there are two ELO's: the ELO I love and the ELO I despise. The ELO I love is the Electric Light Orchestra up to and including Out Of The Blue (1977). After that, ELO released Discovery (1979) (which my group of friends in high school called "Disco Very"). It appeared to me that Jeff Lynne had discovered the formula for a successful sound and proceeded to flog it to death. As far as my ears were concerned, Jeff ended up applying The Patented Jeff Lynne Sound Template™ to absolutely everything he came in contact with, including production work he did for others (Olivia Newton-John, Traveling Wilburys, and even – shudder – The Beatles Threetles). To me, everything Jeff Lynne did after 1978 sounds like self-parody because the songs he produced all sound the same. The tunes, lyrics, song structures etc are different, but the actual sound of each song, as well as the instruments Jeff puts into them (i.e., lots of acoustic guitars, lots of background vocals, lots of synthesizers, and a monotonously steady drum beat), is remarkably similar to me. Feel free to tell me that I'm completely wrong, but that's what I hear when I hear something from Jeff Lynne, post-1978. And while I'm burning some power pop bridges here, I might as well let you know that I found that recent all-star album, Alpacas Orgling (2006), annoying because it applied The Patented Jeff Lynne Sound Template™ to everything there, too. I know that power-pop lovers went into paroxysms of joy over Alpacas Orgling, but it left me cold because every song on it had The Patented Jeff Lynne Sound Template™ applied to it. Why, oh why, oh why? I know that imitation is supposed to be the sincerest form of flattery, but if I want to hear ELO I'll listen to ELO, not a group of power pop musicians pretending to be ELO. Rant over. Now, to "The Way Life's Meant To Be". I'm not overly fond of it, precisely because it has The Patented Jeff Lynne Sound Template™ applied to it. I think the song itself is a perfectly good one, but the production pretty much ruins it for me. One of the main reasons I dislike The Patented Jeff Lynne Sound Template™ is that Mr. Lynne applies that sound to any song regardless of what kind of song it would rather be. If I ignore the production and just concentrate on the music and the lyrics, I'm guessing that "The Way Life's Meant To Be" would suit a Fifties production more if given the chance (it sounds like a Fifties song to me). I can imagine enjoying it more with a lot less instruments, and without all those interjecting background vocals (boy, they're annoying!). And I can imagine Roy Orbison singing it. But no, Lynne-ardo Da Vinci, with the palette of musical colours available in his Patented Jeff Lynne Sound Template™, throws everything he has into the song and it ends up with an incredibly polished sound (it has a sheen to it that makes it sound so glossy). Ruined! Nowadays, if I hear about a new song that has been, or is going to be, produced by Jeff Lynne, my first thought is "Oh, no!".
Link An enjoyable version of a song by The Standells, played by a pub rock band from Britain. (I didn't know any of this until YouTube told me and then Wikipedia backed it up.) From what I've now heard of The Inmates (i.e., two songs), they remind me a lot of Doctor Feelgood. I can't really offer much in the way of penetrating commentary on this particular song, partly because I spent so much time venting my spleen on Jeff Lynne's production habits (see above), but also because there's nothing much I can say about it. For me, the song is what it is – standard Sixties R&B, played by an R&B-loving band but with a slightly more modern sound. It's the kind of song that I like only if I'm in the mood for it. It's a good thing for you I was in the mood for some updated Sixties R&B.
Link Funky! This is also the kind of thing that I can only listen to if I'm in the mood for it. I thought it was OK, but didn't light any Funk fires for me. I'd prefer to listen to something that was a bit livelier – such as Mezzoforte's "Garden Party" or Level 42's "Mr. Pink". But I'm glad you suggested "Saxafunk", if only for the drum beat. That's a great drum beat.
Both versions of "Tonight" appear on The Finkers' compilation, Epilogue (2008), a double-CD of the band's entire recorded output. You can buy that beastie from Off The Hip Records.
I have no idea why, but a couple of days ago Cheech & Chong's resplendent "Earache My Eye" popped into my head. I hadn't heard it in years, and Australian radio hadn't played since 1974, but it just appeared, unprompted, in my brain. I'm constantly amazed at the mysteries of the human mind.
As soon as "Earache My Eye" was lodged in my noggin I thought: "Now, that's gotta go on the blog."
In case you're wondering, the music – and the wonderfully demented guitar playing – was provided by Gaye Delorme, a virtuoso guitarist who can apparently play anything (well, that's what Wikipedia says). I must admit that I'd always thought it was Waddy Wachtel who played on the track (I thought I'd read that somewhere, but it's easy to get things wrong when you have a memory as faulty as mine). I've been doing Gaye a disservice all these years. Sorry, Gaye.
In 2003 there was a TV cartoon for grown-ups on VH1 called Hey Joel. It was a comedy about real-life Time magazine writer Joel Stein and his interviews with celebrities. (The interviews consisted mainly of Joel insulting his guests.) Only 13 episodes of Hey Joel were made, and it was apparently a disaster. (See Stein's article, "How I Nearly Killed VH1", for the gruesome details.)
However, good things can come out of TV disasters.
For me, the good thing here is that Fountains Of Wayne wrote some music for the show (as well as appearing in cartoon form on a few episodes). The music is basically little snippets of songs. There are six snippets to be precise. Although they're short, I think they're magnificent.
Because they're short (and magnificent), I'll play you all of them. They won't take up too much of your time (they add up to a grand total of 5:33).
I've also transcribed the lyrics because I think they're hilarious:
This is a show about a scrawny guy named Joel Stein In real life he writes for a magazine called Time But now he's got his own cartoon show on VH1 In which he works for a TV show all made of one
But even the show has got a standard sitcom feel All the interviews with famous people aren't for real Joel likes to ask them questions that'll make 'em squirm Sometimes he gets punched out, but Joel never learns
Hey Joel, whadda ya know You got your own show Try not to blow it 'Cos if you're not funny then you'll soon be gone And they can fill the time with some more Lenny Kravitz songs Then you'll be back in obscurity where you belong Hey Joel
Before we get to the next track, I just want to point out that, for some reason or another, the theme tune in the program itself (as opposed to the separate music track above) has slightly different lyrics. However, those lyrics are just as funny (I've italicised the differences in case you're as pedantic as I am):
This is a show about a Jewish guy named Joel Stein In real life he writes for a magazine sometimes But now he's got his own cartoon show on VH1 Which they hope will be a hit because they sure need one
And even though the show has got sort of a sitcom feel There's a band and some celebrities for more appeal Joel likes to ask them questions that'll make 'em squirm Sometimes he gets punched out, but Joel never learns
Hey Joel, whadda ya know You got your own show Try not to blow it 'Cos if you're not funny then you'll soon be gone And they can fill the time with some more Lenny Kravitz songs Then you'll be back in obscurity where you belong Hey Joel
Only six weeks left to go Until the big live prison show It'll be way beyond compare It's like a locked-down Lilith Fair For Joel it makes a lot of sense To have a captive audience
The crowd is tough, but never fear They haven't seen a chick in years Jewel will never be a flop As long as she wears her tank top There's nothing like a barbed-wire fence To ensure a captive audience
We'll stock the place with lots of hotties Somebody rent some Porta-Potties No criminal will want to miss it It's better than a conjugal visit So build a stage and pitch the tents We got ourselves a captive audience
We're going walking in a bad neighborhood The kind of neighborhood that's not so good It's a great place to try to get mugged You'll fit right in if you're a drug-addicted thug It's the part of town the brokers call "up-and-coming" It's not too safe to walk around, we might consider running We haven't got a clue exactly where we are We're just looking for some dude who knows how to clean guitars And we're, we're going walking in a bad neighborhood
Why don't we meet in the middle Why can't we just compromise Why don't we all give in a little I know we can do it, yeah we can do it if we try
R.E.M. and Sugar Ray No-one really listens to either one these days If we can all just calm our egos down We'll put our heads together, make a brand new sound Soon there'll be plenty of money to go around
Why don't we meet in the middle Why can't we just compromise Split the copyright right down the middle I know we can do it, yeah we can do it if we try
When none of the guys will look you in the eyes That's when you realise your chest has grown in size When all your friends suggest a wet T-shirt contest It isn't hard to guess they just want to see your breasts
When you become the dude whose mammaries protrude Men can be so rude because they're all picturing you nude
They'll never let you be, once you're a Double-D Oh, what's a busty lad supposed to do? What's a busty lad supposed to do?
If your ratings are descending Try a little gender bending You've got to keep them guessing With a little cross dressing
Androgyny, androgyny Is Joel a she, or is she a he? Androgyny, androgyny This could make for cutting-edge TV And lend his lame-ass show an air of mystery
I was amazed to learn that The Frowning Clouds are not only not American or English, but also not a band from the 1960's. They're from Melbourne Geelong*, and their debut album (Listen Closelier) was only released in March this year.
I found "She's Mine" quite by accident when it was but one of the many songs on a free sampler from Melbourne record label Off The Hip. (I don't know if they have any left, but you can email 'em and ask.) The label specialises in garage, beat, psychedelic music etc. Now, that's the kind of stuff I don't usually go for, but "She's Mine" really took my fancy. I was mightily impressed by how good the band was at evocating a strong – and, to me, authentic – sense of a completely different time and place. I reckon that "She's Mine" would fit quite comfortably on a Nuggets compilation.
And I really liked that the song was recorded in mono. That was a nice touch, lads.
I'm afraid that today will be another venture into folk territory. This is because I'm in love. Again.
Unfortunately, falling in love is something I do with alarming regularity. Just ask my charming companion (Hi, Renate!) – she'll tell you that I fall in love all the time*.
This time I'm in love with a Sydney folkie by the name of Caitlin Harnett. Here she is with the unutterably gorgeous "Throwaway" (2009):
I'm usually allergic to all that New-Folk* stuff – the kind of music that's full of scruffy artists armed with acoustic instruments and earnestness (there's only so much thrift-shop shirts and sensitivity I can take) – but I do like this:
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I've only ever known Robert Crenshaw as the drumming brother of Marshall Crenshaw in Marshall's backing band. I'm trying really hard not to compare Robert to Marshall (as Ian Dury once said to an interviewer, "Comparisons are odious, dear boy"), but it's almost impossible for me because Robert's song is in the same musical territory (the start of it instantly reminded me of Marshall's "Cynical Girl"), and his voice sounds similar. Unfortunately, I was put off by Robert's singing (I think it's weak, and a few too many notes are out of tune). Now, I don't want to get stuck into Robert's song and criticise it just because it's not by Marshall Crenshaw, so I'll try to think of something positive to say about it. If I divorce myself from all thoughts of Marshall Crenshaw and assess Robert's song on its own merits, I think it's an inoffensive, slightly anonymous song. After the third listen, I liked it a bit more than the first time. But just a bit.
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This was a huge change after the previous track. "Change Your Mind" reminds me of two songs: the chorus reminds me of the chorus in "The First Cut Is The Deepest"; and the verse reminds me of a Top 40 song from the US, but I can't quite think of exactly what that is at the moment. I'll try to figure it out by the end of this post.
(Update: I've listened to the song seven times now, and I still can't figure out what its verse reminds of – but it sure does remind me of something. It's the verse's acoustic guitar together with the drum beat that sounds like very much like something else to me. But what is it? Grrr.)
Anyway, I think that "Change Your Mind" is OK. It's not the kind of song that would have me shouting "Yeah!" and racing to put it on a mix tape, but it's listenable while it's playing.
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Splendid. I liked this enormously. I loved Rod's vocal delivery (that's some wonderful warbling there, Rod), and I was very pleased that the song was in stereo (not guaranteed in 1960), because I loved the strings in the right channel and the disembodied female backing vocals in the left. Yummy. The first couple of times I listened to "If I Had A Girl" I kept thinking of this, but by the fifth listen I stopped thinking of that and was humming along to Rod's tunes. Incidentally, Rod Lauren certainly had an interesting life.
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I'm very familiar with this, as it was played a lot on the radio here in Australia. Thanks for suggesting it, because I'd forgotten all about it. "No Myth" is what I'd classify as A Good Song. And the more I listen to it, the more I like it. (The only thing I didn't like about the song was the sound of the drums. To me, they were a little overblown.) As far as I know, this is the only song of his that I've heard, so I think it's definitely time for me to investigate some more Michael Penn...
I've always loved this track. (That main tune!) And I've always loved playing this on guitar. By the way, if you do play it on a guitar it doesn't matter what guitar you play it on, because it'll sound magnificent anyway. Thank you, Mason, for writing that main tune.
I feel compelled to give you a little background to prepare you for today's song.
Mclusky are a defunct punk band from Wales who released an album in 2002. It's called Mclusky Do Dallas and is, without a doubt, the most intense album I have. There may be more intense individual songs around by other artists (such as Killing Joke's "Seeing Red", for example), but not an entire album like Mclusky Do Dallas. It contains 14 songs that simply blast out of the speakers and smack you right in the face. This thing pins you to your seat when it's on, and when it's finished 36 minutes later you'll wonder what hit you.
Here's a taste. It demands to be played as loudly as humanly possible:
Today's song was requested by the 14-year-old in the household (Hi, Natalie!).
The other day I was asked by the aforementioned whippersnapper, "You like Aqua, don't you?". I responded with "I don't mind them. I really like 'Doctor Jones', though. I think that's a great pop song." The Brash One then said: "You should play that on your blog."
Natalie, I think you're right. I should.
So, for your possible listening pleasure here's my favourite Aqua song:
My favourite part is the bit just after the chorus where Lene Nystrøm sings "Eip-ee-eye-ooh, eip-ee-eye-eh..."* melody (first at 1:14). That's a great melody. (And that's wonderful falsetto, too.)
If you can ignore all the production nonsense (that horrid drum beat and all those synthesizers etc), what you've got here is a solid pop song.
(*Lyric sheets all over the Internet say "Ah-yippie-yi-yu, Ah-yippie-yi-yeah, Ah-yippie-yi-yu-ah" but that's completely wrong. It's not "Ah-yippie-yi-yu..." at all. It's "Eip-ee-eye-ooh". Anyone can hear that. Just who transcribes these songs?)
