I remember seeing The The's video for "This Is the Day" back in the mid-80's and was perplexed that it was not part of the official YouTube channel. Matt Johnson didn't like the way it turned out, but 40 years later he's made peace with it. I'm thrilled about that as I find the video's green screen backgrounds quite charming. "This is the day your life will surely change."
The The "This Is the Day"
I wanted to use a live video from the Moving Pictures tour of "By-Tor and the Snow Dog," but the jerk who posted it to YouTube won't let it be embedded so here's the studio track instead. The Smashing Pumpkins would use (Billy Corgan himself says they ripped off) the marching band style licks of the Professor (heard approximately at 3:54 of the song) for "Cherub Rock" so listen to that one right after.
RUSH "By-Tor and the Snow Dog"
Smashing Pumpkins "Cherub Rock
Names and addresses are easy to forget. Peter Hook's bass playing his the highlight for me. The video very clearly highlights Bernard Sumner instead.
It's another Monday so here's some tunes I've been digging over the last few days/weeks/whenever...time seems both maddeningly fast and slow these days.
First up is The Front Bottoms "Fairbanks, Alaska." They remind me of the Mountain Goats, but with a more pop bent. I think it was about a decade and a half ago that I became obsessed with Alaska. I read many books on the state and even subscribed to Alaska magazine for a year. It still fascinates me and I hope to visit there one day. Right now, this great song can take me there.
The Front Bottoms
Better Oblivion Community Center is Phoebe Bridgers and Conner Oberst and I really dig their tune "Dylan Thomas" for various reasons. It has this great mid-Nineties indy music vibe reminding me a lot of Bettie Serveert and I love the line "strapped into a corset, climbed into your Corvette." Plus my father was a big Dylan Thomas fan....I suppose poets can have fans, right?
Better Oblivion Community Center
Jefferson Starship's "Stranger" is a rocking tune from their 1981 Modern Times album.
Jefferson Starship
The Beths are a great band from New Zealand led by Elizabeth Stokes. The "Future Me Hates Me" video puts me in mind of a Wes Anderson movie. This dreamy pop kills me every time. I don't know if its the pure water in New Zealand, but so much great music comes from there.
The Beths
The self-titled Genesis album (often called "Shapes") from 1983 has been in high rotation the last week or so (a dirt cheap "target" West German cd pressing) and it blows my mind that the 4th single "Taking It All Too Hard" didn't really receive much of a push. Sure; you make a video that will offend loads of people years later (see "Illegal Alien" for reference), but this wonderful tune didn't merit one. I'm generally not that keen on fan made videos but this one featuring scenes from the movie Career Opportunities is quite good.
Genesis - Taking It All Too Hard
One of my favorite YouTube channels is the NewRetroWave one. If you like 80's style synth music check it out. Here's a nice short instrumental from Gab Manette which dropped a week or so ago. Plus, if you put a photo of 80's era Molly Ringwald as the thumbnail for your video I will probably watch it.
I'm sure I've posted this before (maybe just on my FB page...maybe not), but this is my blog so my rules. I'm not for shoplifting, but the moment at 4:02 in this video when she plays the purloined record is pure Wizard of Oz inspired magic. This is what music does for me. It turns the darkest day into technicolor.
