Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Jars of Clay
Normally, one does not find Christian music on this site but that’s just because I am not a fan of some of it. For me to like this it has to immediately catch my ear and that’s exactly what Jars of Clay did in the mid nineties when “Flood” hit the airwaves. When the band returned to the studio to craft their second album, 1997’s Much Afraid, they had to prove themselves not just to the Christian market but to the pop market as well. One of the songs that grabbed both markets by the collars and said ‘listen to me!’ was “Frail.”
The song had been played around with by the band since their formation and they even included a reference to it in the liner notes of their self-titled debut. But it wasn’t until the second record that the song fully bloomed. It begins with a beautiful and restrained orchestral intro that leads into a quiet acoustic guitar and the lyrics that are just some of the most beautiful words ever heard in a modern Christian song.
After continuing on for another four minutes, the song begins to build to its climatic finale. Once it ends, the band is at full tilt acoustically and everything ends up sounding so great and poignant. Much Afraid ended up debuting in the top ten but “Frail” was never meant to be a single and so its poignancy has been relegated to their live shows. So go find this song and be prepared to be swept away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxUssgnRltQ
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Forgotten Songs of the '60's: Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
Forgotten Songs of the ’60s: Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich
This was one of a handful of songs by the British quintet with the weirdest name of the time: Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich. The song was only a hit in the U.K. and the only way I had even heard of it was because it was featured in a fifth season episode of “Futurama” and was later turned into a music video for Bender the robot on the DVD. Hearing this song, I was immediately struck by how catchy it was and just how cool the band looked in the process.
The song starts off with a jaunty mandolin riff before Dave Dee begins singing in a tone that is vaguely reminiscent of Eric Burdon of the Animals. By the time the song is getting to the end of the first verse, the vocals become faster as does the music. The song’s tongue in cheek lyrics caused a bit of a sensation in the U.K. but that was part of the group’s charm which is found all over this track.
Although the song was only a British hit, the band’s legacy still endures to this day. Dave Dee passed away in 2004 but some of the original members still tour to this day, pleasing the fans of a time in British pop when it was okay to be risqué or tongue in cheek and still have some success.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq-hNuOFHeQ&feature=watch_response
This was one of a handful of songs by the British quintet with the weirdest name of the time: Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich. The song was only a hit in the U.K. and the only way I had even heard of it was because it was featured in a fifth season episode of “Futurama” and was later turned into a music video for Bender the robot on the DVD. Hearing this song, I was immediately struck by how catchy it was and just how cool the band looked in the process.
The song starts off with a jaunty mandolin riff before Dave Dee begins singing in a tone that is vaguely reminiscent of Eric Burdon of the Animals. By the time the song is getting to the end of the first verse, the vocals become faster as does the music. The song’s tongue in cheek lyrics caused a bit of a sensation in the U.K. but that was part of the group’s charm which is found all over this track.
Although the song was only a British hit, the band’s legacy still endures to this day. Dave Dee passed away in 2004 but some of the original members still tour to this day, pleasing the fans of a time in British pop when it was okay to be risqué or tongue in cheek and still have some success.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq-hNuOFHeQ&feature=watch_response
Monday, June 13, 2011
Forgotten Songs of the '90s: Morphine
Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Morphine
Morphine were one of the greatest power trios of the ‘90s, without a doubt. The fact that they consisted of bass, saxophone and drums were enough for them to stand out but because they wrote great songs ensured that their legacy would outlive them. Most people remember them for their individual albums but the songs contained on many of them could be looked at as their own entity. In this case, that song is “In Spite of Me,” from 1993’s Cure for Pain.
Starting off with a lovely mandolin played by frontman/bassist Mark Sandman, the song is built around just the mandolin and the power of Sandman’s rough, but extremely soulful vocals. The song is about the girl who got away who achieved everything she has because of the relationship and how it ended. The narrator still sounds broken over what happened but let’s on that he is happy regardless. The fact the song consists of one instrument and one voice and can be haunting and absolutely beautiful at the same time is just remarkable.
This song got a lot of attention when it was used in the 1994 indie comedy “Spanking the Monkey,” but Morphine ended prematurely five years later when Sandman was felled by a heart attack on stage in Rome. The band may be gone but the songs still live on and it’s amazing that “In Spite of Me” hasn’t been heard in other films or commercials because it is the perfect track to be used in love scenes and the like. So go and listen to the track and then spread it around so that word continues to grow on this band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egqI84zsnYw
Morphine were one of the greatest power trios of the ‘90s, without a doubt. The fact that they consisted of bass, saxophone and drums were enough for them to stand out but because they wrote great songs ensured that their legacy would outlive them. Most people remember them for their individual albums but the songs contained on many of them could be looked at as their own entity. In this case, that song is “In Spite of Me,” from 1993’s Cure for Pain.
Starting off with a lovely mandolin played by frontman/bassist Mark Sandman, the song is built around just the mandolin and the power of Sandman’s rough, but extremely soulful vocals. The song is about the girl who got away who achieved everything she has because of the relationship and how it ended. The narrator still sounds broken over what happened but let’s on that he is happy regardless. The fact the song consists of one instrument and one voice and can be haunting and absolutely beautiful at the same time is just remarkable.
This song got a lot of attention when it was used in the 1994 indie comedy “Spanking the Monkey,” but Morphine ended prematurely five years later when Sandman was felled by a heart attack on stage in Rome. The band may be gone but the songs still live on and it’s amazing that “In Spite of Me” hasn’t been heard in other films or commercials because it is the perfect track to be used in love scenes and the like. So go and listen to the track and then spread it around so that word continues to grow on this band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egqI84zsnYw
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