Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 23

The Pogues - "A Pair of Brown Eyes"



(Single Release: 1985)
It doesn't really add up on paper. The idea of mixing traditional Celtic folk with a punk rock aesthetic seems to be an impossible task, but then there was the Pogues. Shane McGowan's whiskey-soaked brogue drew me in, making me believe that Celtic punk was a viable genre. 1985 saw the release of the band's sophomore album, Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash, its title inspired by a quote from Winston Churchill, and produced by Elvis Costello. "A Pair of Brown Eyes" was the big single from the album, if reaching #71 in the UK equals big single. That's not to disparage the song, as chart positions aren't a barometer for my personal enjoyment. Rather, I love all the tracks from this album, and I particularly like this Orwellian video as directed by Alex Cox. There is something comforting about traditional song structures. This song's melody and chord progression reminds me of Wilco's rendition of Woody Guthrie's "Remember the Mountain Bed." But, despite the lean toward the traditional, in the world of pop music, this was unique. How many bands had accordions, tin whistles, fiddles, banjos, and uillean pipes?

Tuesday's Playlist 7-19-11

David Bowie – “China Girl”
The Boxer Rebellion – “Watermelon”
Eric B & Rakim – “Mahogany”
Pelican – “Pulse”
Fonda – “Summertime Flight”
Battles – “Inchworm”
Megafaun – “Volunteers”
Miles Davis – “All of You”
Yes – “I’ve Seen All Good People”
Marvin Gaye – “What’s Happening Brother”
Joy Division – “Heart and Soul”
Battles – “My Machines”
Fleet Foxes – “Quiet Houses”
R.E.M. – “These Days (Demo)”
D’Angelo – “Brown Sugar”
Vanity 6 – “Nasty Girl”
Scissor Sisters – “Do the Strand”
Menswe@r – “Daydreamer”
Ariel Pink – “House Arrest”
Frightened Rabbit – “Poke”
Jay-Zeezer – “Encore for Wayne”
The Cure – “Cold”
Duran Duran - "Tiger Tiger (Ian Little Remix)"
Kings of Leon – “Sex on Fire”
Sweet Apple – “Can’t See You”
Phoenix - "Fences"
Bee Gees – “Night Fever”
Little River Band – “Lonesome Loser”
Leonard Cohen – “Everybody Knows”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood – “Welcome to the Pleasuredome”
Fran Healy – “Shadow Boxing”
Laura Veirs – “Galaxies”
Michael Nyman – “I Clipped Your Wing”
Devo – “What We Do”

Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 22

OMD - "So in Love"



(Single Release: May 1985)

Not to sound like Billy Joel, but call it post-punk, new wave, 80s pop, synthpop, dance, or what have you, but 1985 opened up my ears to an entire wave of new bands. If I could sum up succinctly why 1985 is so important to me, its because I was introduced to more great music in that year than in almost any other. The dam had burst and the musical flood had overtaken me. OMD was one of those bands. Crush, the duo's sixth album, was their big breakthrough, and "So In Love" their big hit single, only to later be eclipsed by the big ballad from Pretty in Pink, "If You Leave." And, as all great bands and songs with a catalog are capable of, they sent me back into the past to unearth even more musical treasure. "So In Love" opened the door to other amazing tracks such as "Electricity," "Enola Gay," "Tesla Girls," "Talking Loud and Clear," "Joan of Arc," and probably my favorite, "Souvenir." I've been trying to pinpoint what it is I like about OMD. I wondered if it had something to do with the Depeche Mode-like dynamic of the deep voice and the falsetto, though with OMD they both emanate from the same person. I wondered if it had something to do (no DM pun intended) with the nostalgia of bus rides to junior high basketball games, singing their songs with a good friend. I wondered if it had something to do with middle school crushes and wanting to emulate the romanticism within their songs. In the end, I think they just created great music that still holds up today.

Great Songs from My Favorite Year in Music: 1985, Part 21

Oingo Boingo - "No One Lives Forever"



(Album Release: October 1985)
Growing up in Southern California has its share of great memories: amazing weather, Dodger Stadium, and more than anything else, Oingo Boingo. I've always said that Oingo Boingo was the biggest local band that ever existed. By 1985, they had finally broken through to the mainstream in several ways. They penned the title track to the film, Weird Science and appeared in the Rodney Dangerfield film, Back to School, playing what would be the title track to their landmark album, Dead Man's Party. But, at heart, Oingo Boingo was always a SoCal band and they rewarded their massive horde of fans in that area every year by playing a Halloween show, making it a must-see tradition. Boingo's blend of new wave, funk, ska, and gothic imagery made for one hell of a unique presentation, and I was captivated from their debut EP. I remained a fan all the way to their break up and then beyond, holding on to cherished memories. Though there are many great songs on Dead Man's Party, "No One Lives Forever" has to be my favorite. The alternating lyrics of cheating death and ultimately not being able to escape its inevitable grasp is universal, but Boingo does what others can't with this material, they make it a party. "Let's have a party, there's a full moon in the sky. It's the hour of the wolf and I don't want to die." Of course, I've already posted "Fly on the Windscreen" in an earlier post, which means that I'm well on my way to creating a 1985 mixtape based on Death.

P.S. I thought this video was well put together and kind of cute considering the topic, but the song was never released as a single and thus had no official video.

Films of the 60s, Part 5: What if the enemy isn't in a distant land?

The above quotation, from Ani DiFranco’s “Roll With It,” is just one part of a larger idea. The rest of the song continues, “What if the enemy lies behind the voice of command?” This is what social justice means to me. Sure, social justice has a lot to do with prevailing attitudes, but when those attitudes are supported, encouraged, and endorsed by a governing body, they become not only dangerous, but justifiable reasons for revolution. The following three films of the 60s speak to that concept in different ways, all effectively. Not only that, they are simply great movies.



Victim (1961, Basil Dearden)

British director Basil Dearden deserves kudos for this brave film, as does every actor who chose to appear in it. While today a film featuring homosexuality is near commonplace (after all, The Kids Are All Right received an Academy Award Best Picture nomination), but in 1961, it was not only unheard of, but homosexuality was illegal. The film centers on a successful barrister who is targeted for blackmail, along with several of other homosexual men in England. Some of the targeted men pay the blackmail money, while some die, either by their own hand or through shock-related heart attack, but Melville Farr, the barrister, decides to stand up and fight. Unfortunately, as some of us liberals usually do, people have blasted the film for using a single instance of the word, “invert,” not being able to look past it at the larger picture of civil rights and social justice. I had a friend at one time who used to call films like this part of a pattern of “smear the queer,” citing films such as American Beauty as examples.

The argument comes with systematic and incremental change versus larger, loftier, hopeful, and commendable goals. I am not often pegged as a realist. Rather, I am usually seen as a dreamer, as one who votes for social change, who teaches multiple perspectives, and embraces diversity. However, I see Victim as being a dramatic example in the quest for progress. Though a policeman, who helps Melville Farr with his fight against the blackmailers, says he has no feelings, he also claims that the anti-gay laws are a problem and only fodder for blackmailers. With every social cause, we may never reach 100% satisfaction across the board, but eventually, progress always prevails. Even with racial hatred rampant in this country, we have an African-American President. Gay marriage now has over 50% support among the population. Change happens, but sometimes it happens slower than some of us would like.

Dirk Bogarde is brilliant in his portrayal of Melville Farr, and his supporting cast is equally terrific. One aspect of Victim that I applaud is his avoidance of stereotype. In fact, Dearden reserves the stereotypical qualities of homosexuality for the blackmailer, in an ironic twist. The blackmailer, usually seen with motorcycle goggles on, is catty, coy, and feminine, while Farr and the rest of the blackmailed are everything but. The blackmailer further is seen throwing a wild punch at a speed bag to overtly show his “machismo,” which could be seen as a cover-up, and has a framed representation of Michelangelo’s “David” on his wall. Within six years, British Parliament decriminalized homosexuality, and I would guess that Victim played no small part.



I Am Cuba (1964, Mikhail Kalatozov)

Just a few short years after the Cuban Revolution, Russian filmmakers partnered with the Cubans to produce a film promoting Socialism. I Am Cuba is the result, a spectacular film with amazing visuals, striking messages, and a strong social conscience. Interestingly, both the Russians and the Cubans were dissatisfied with the result, and it’s difficult to see why, considering the remarkable finished product. The film deserves far more credit than it gets, only having recently been given more cachet by Martin Scorsese and his support for it. The first noticeable thing about the film is its astounding photography. The opening shots, with the camera sitting low in a boat, is only the first of a series of unbelievably artful shots. As we travel downriver, we see the peasants of Cuba, working and struggling. This is then immediately juxtaposed with an affluent, rooftop party, complete with rock and roll music, swimsuit models, high-class hotels, swimming pools, and a masterful elevator shot to go along with it. The effect is not only stunning visually, but emotionally, as we see the stark gap in wealth. Sound familiar?

So far, several of the shots in I Am Cuba have been extraordinarily long takes, rivaling Hitchcock’s work in Rope and Scorsese’s later opening to Goodfellas. Seconds later, we are introduced to the stereotypical “Ugly American.” A trio of visiting businessmen reveal their hubris, amorality, and lack of sensitivity as they hold court in a Cuban bar. They indulge in prostitutes, one of whom is a poor innocent, forced into the trade due to poverty. The resulting actions of the Americans are representative of American policy toward Cuba as a whole. They come in, violate its people, and dismiss its values and religion in the name of greed. The second vignette only reinforces that idea, showing Pedro, a peasant farmer, who loses everything when the plantation owner sells the land to United Fruit. A third story gets more at the heart of the revolutionary ideal in following a student who wants to contribute to the cause. As an added bonus, this story has the most striking visuals of all, even featuring camera movements that seem absolutely impossible, going seamlessly up into the air, onto roofs of buildings, in through a window of a cigar factory, then out another window and hovering over a crowd, all without cutting. Even after hearing how they did it, it still seems impossible.

There is an intensity to I Am Cuba, an intensity that some would call propaganda, but I would call artistic representation of ideas. Is there a difference? Debatable. Regardless of your politics, I Am Cuba is an effective and striking film that deserves to be seen. It is not easy to speak truth to power, and I Am Cuba does it with flair and impeccable style.



Closely Watched Trains (1966, Jiří Menzel)

This beautiful film, based on a book by Bohumil Hrabal, is a revelation. At its heart a coming-of-age story, it is also a story of revolution and of resistance. From the very beginning, this movie is captivating. Every shot is efficiently chosen and immaculate. One can’t help but notice how clean and beautiful every shot truly is. We are introduced to Milos, the naïf we will be following through his journey. He comes from a long line of people who were able to get by doing very little and retiring early, who all shared the ignominious trait of dying early as well. Milos purposefully chooses a profession that will allow him to avoid real work, that of a train signalman. Milos is in love with the female conductor and longs for an adult, romantic life. All this is set amongst the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, but finds economy and humor amidst such terrible times. One example is the scene of the stationmaster’s wife suggestively forcing food down a goose’s gullet as she is asked about sex.

Milos is given advice by his coworker, the more experienced Lothario-like Hubička. Hubička, in particular, provides several humorous scenes provide lightness to balance the fear, angst, and uncertainty. But, the seriousness breaks through. Despondent over a premature incident with his love, Máša, Milos attempts suicide. The balance of economic language and imagery, pathos, humor, and stark reality remind me of Wes Anderson. Closely Watched Trains is almost a prototype of Anderson’s eventual oeuvre. There is even one more filmic hallmark that seemed to be taken from this movie, which is the “walking / gliding dolly shot” that is now a trademark of Spike Lee’s films. This can be seen in Milos’ trip to the doctor.

Hubička inspires Milos to become part of the underground uprising against the Nazis. Máša is understanding of Milos’s problem and wants to give their relationship another try. In other words, things begin to look as if they will work out for our young hero. I won’t give away the ending, but it is at once heroic, tragic, devastating, glorious, heartbreaking, and miraculous. Throughout the film, an aging signalman echoes the sentiment that church bells are the most beautiful sound in the world. The last scene, that seems to bookend nearly every stray literary idea, makes the older signalman’s statement a reality, and in truly emotional fashion. Closely Watched Trains is now easily one of my favorite films of all time.

Highlights from My Vinyl Collection, Part 5

This is the fifth installment of "Highlights from My Vinyl Collection," an appreciation of great music, not necessarily rare finds or expensive imports. This is not about "deleted Smiths singles and original, not rereleased - underlined - Frank Zappa albums," as Rob Gordon so eloquently put it, though a small select gems might appear every now and again.



Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush the Show

Public Enemy's debut album wasn't my first experience with hip-hop, not by far. It is, however, what I would consider my first introduction to what I would consider one of the premier albums from one of the premier hip-hop groups ever to grace wax. Vinyl is how hip-hop was born, so it seems more than appropriate to obtain the masters of hip-hop on that medium. Yo! Bum Rush the Show is one of those albums in which the purchase of it is forever lodged in my memory. I was on a college tour. The town was Chico, California. It was an unforgivable hellhole. Yet, I will forever cherish my time there because I was able to buy this album in a record store there. At that point, vinyl was already outdated. CDs hadn't quite made the scene, but cassettes were the wave of the present. They had a very short future, as it turned out, but I opted for vinyl. Of course, we still had a week to go on the trip and I had to figure out how to keep it safe. Luckily, it is still in my collection, the iconic debut of a force to be reckoned with in the genre. Chuck D and Flavor Flav proved to me to be immediately recognizable as the most dynamic duo in hip-hop. Chuck D was powerful, political, and inspiring. Flav was exciting, madcap, and ebullient. Together, they complemented each other in ways that were unimaginable to that point. To come out of the gate with a song called "You're Gonna Get Yours" took balls, and PE had them. I don't know if I can say that my passion for social justice was spawned by Public Enemy, but they sure played their part. Everything about the album appealed to me: the album cover with its feel of an underground secret meeting, the teletype font on the cover saying "...The Government's Responsible...," the sleeve liner notes with lyrics, dense with allusions and ripe for analysis, the concepts of militancy and protest, a new perspective, and finally the songs themselves. Every track on this debut is stellar. From "Miuzi Weighs a Ton" to "Terminator X Speaks With His Hands," Public Enemy had me in their collective grasp. I'm still there.

Sunday's Playlist 7-17-11

Explosions in the Sky – “With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept”
Women – “Narrow with the Hall”
Fountains of Wayne – “Sink to the Bottom”
Wye Oak – “Two Small Deaths”
Mötley Crüe – “Kickstart My Heart”
Depeche Mode – “In Chains (Tigerskin’s No Sleep Remix)”
Baroness – “Bikeage”
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass – “This Guy’s In Love With You”
The Psychedelic Furs – “Love My Way (Acoustic)”
Depeche Mode – “Nothing (Justin Strauss Mix)”
A Flock of Seagulls – “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You) (Extended Version)”
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – “40 Day Dream”
Cut Copy – “Hanging Onto Every Heartbeat”
The Killers – “All These Things That I’ve Done (Peter Hook Remix)”
Alice in Chains – “Down in a Hole”
U2 – “Spanish Eyes”
Christopher O’Riley – “Everything in Its Right Place”
Paul Young – “Everytime You Go Away”
The Flowerpot Men – “Beat City”
The Maldives – “Cold November”
Depeche Mode – “Only When I Lose Myself (Dan the Automator Mix)”
Ritchie Valens – “In a Turkish Town”
Was (Not Was) – “Wheel Me Out”
Shudder to Think – “No Rm. 9, Kentucky”
Clearlake – “Don’t Let the Cold In”
James Brown – “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”
Deltron 3030 – “Love Story”
John Williams – “Star Wars Theme”