Alternative Rock Nostalgia Buzz

The Year End List Well, another year has come and gone and once again, a lot of bitchin’ music has made it a great year. While it seems that popular music has gotten shittier and shittier, rock music came back stronger than ever. And thank God for that! On the personal side, new jobs have opened up and thinks have been looking up. But enough of me yakking, let’s get on to reviewing one of the heaviest years in rock! Records of the Year 01. Primus- Green Naugahyde It was a close one between the top three records but Primus pulled out at number one. Not only did they make the best album of the year, they made their best album in almost 20 years. And they were able to do it by not changing a damn thing about themselves or the music. Great bass riffs, amazing lyrics and a general attitude of ‘we’re not changing a damn thing!’ 02. Red Hot Chili Peppers- I’m With You Bouncing back from the second departure of John Frusciante, the band reemerged with stronger songs and catchier melodies. Some

The Worst Rock Albums Ever! It was while listening to a certain album not too long ago, I decided that the worst rock albums in the world needed their own list. Some people may notice that certain shit from the whole rap-rock era is missing, in particular albums by Limp Bizkit as well as forgotten bands like Twisted Method and Lifer, but the people who read this who’ve heard those records know they suck ass, so it’s time to introduce them to something new and even more excruciating. Now I don’t recommend tracking down these albums but if you must, be prepared to hear some of the worst rock music you could possibly think of. Be prepared for your ears to start bleeding! 20. Dance Club Massacre- Circle of Death (2008) [Not much can be said about this awful piece of shit except that it was one of many, many bands that tried to jump on the ‘deathcore’ wagon and failed miserably. The piece de resistance here is a twenty-seven minute version of “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall.” Don’t say I

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: GWAR Everyone looks at GWAR as just a goof with no real discernible talent behind them but if one looks behind the makeup and prosthetics, one will find one of the heaviest and loudest metal bands of the last twenty years. What better place to look than 1992’s “The Road Behind.” Starting off like an eighties power ballad, with acoustic guitar and whistling, Odorous Ungerus blasts in with only a voice a singer like him can possess, talking about life on the road and the rest of the band comes in behind, slowly but effectively. After thrashing around for a while, the chorus comes in with bassist Beefcake the Mighty taking the lead and doing it so well, it sounds like the band were actually trying to score on the radio. But alas, it was all for nothing and they’ve never been able to break into the mainstream. This song just proves that they still are one of the best no-nonsense metal bands around. Twenty five years down the line and they’re still going strong

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: Kix Kix are one of the most forgotten ‘hair metal’ bands of all time, but to call them ‘hair metal’ is a huge misnomer; they’re more like blues metal with a bit of sleaze. But that’s the best way to describe them, particularly on one of their best songs, the title track to 1985’s Midnight Dynamite . Building on a slow groove guided by Steve Whiteman’s dynamic vocals, the band explode into the instantly sing-along chorus. Hearing this song and all the double entendres, you can’t help but pump your fist in the air and scream along. The song is just so amazingly catchy, it should almost be a crime not to like it. But since Kix are only remembered for one song, 1988’s “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” a power ballad, it’s almost understandable why. But in the twenty-five(!) years since, time has been much nicer to Kix and has allowed their fanbase to expand and grow but that still doesn’t explain the lack of love given to “Midnite Dynamite” and it’s about damn time that

F orgotten Songs of the ‘60s: Badfinger Many of articles and books have been written about Badfinger and their unbelievable streak of bad luck: bad business deals, suicides, backstabbing and everything else one could think of. But going through their catalogue certain songs demand reevaluation because they’re absolutely amazing. One of those songs is “Carry On ‘Til Tomorrow,” off their first record, Magic Christian Music . The song begins like a lot of early Badfinger, with some light guitar chords and some beautiful harmonies courtesy of the entire band. Mining some lyrical territory that they would then strike gold with in the future, leaders Pete Ham and Tom Evans sing about coping with lost love and the necessary power to move forward. Ironically enough, both singer/songwriters ended up committing suicide bringing the band to a tragic and really unnecessary premature end. Despite all that, the songs and the musical legacy of Badfinger have only improved over the years, which is the

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Fastball When Fastball broke out from the Texas underground in 1998, most people assumed they’d just be another one hit wonder when “The Way” became one of the biggest hits of the year. By the end of the year, when they released the second single from their sophomore album, All the Pain Money Can Buy , they were almost correct. But “Fire Escape” is a song that deserves to be remembered for what it really is: a fantastic pop song. Right off the bat, the odds were against the song becoming a hit, because for one thing, guitarist Miles Zuniga wrote and sang the song as opposed to bassist Tony Scalzo who’d sang “The Way.” Zuniga’s voice has a little more gruff to it and doesn’t really sound as radio friendly as Scalzo’s but that’s one of the song’s biggest charms. By the fall of 1998, you wanted to hear a song that was a little darker than everything else because it all sounded so dandy and sweet. As a result of the song being about wanting to hang around your

The 100 Best Songs of the 2000’s ATTN: This list is in response to VH1’s shitty list of the ‘greatest songs of the 2000’s’ which included songs by Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Britney Spears. Where were all the good rock songs, one might ask? Well, they were missing because VH1 is trying to appease all their viewers. This list is not out to appease anyone. If there is a song that you think is missing, well, tough luck. I and all the other voters carefully went over this list and made sure that all the songs met the criteria that we set. So, enough with the bullshit, let’s get on with the list. 100. Weird Al Yankovic-“White & Nerdy” (2006) 99. John Mayer-“No Such Thing” (2001) (Suggested by Aaron Enright) 98. Dave Matthews Band-Where are You Going? (2002) (Suggested by Aaron Enright) 97. Fountains of Wayne-“Mexican Wine” (2003) 96. Cake-“Short Skirt/Long Jacket” (2001) 95. Coldplay-“Viva La Vida” (2008) 94. Drowning Pool-“Bodies” (2001) 93. Uncle Kracker-“Follow Me” (2000) (Suggest

Addendum to the 100 Worst Songs of All Time First off, some people may be wondering why I am trying to add more songs to an otherwise almost perfect list and, well, there are several reasons why. 1. I forgot some songs the first time around because there are so many, it’s rather hard to keep track of them all and 2. Some newer songs have entered the mix and they are frankly so shitty that they deserve inclusion. So without any further delay from me, let’s get to numbers 101-110! 110. Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera-Moves Like Jagger (2011) [Brought to you by “The Voice.” Clearly Maroon 5 are running out of ideas and are becoming a dance band now. Of course, this song became a huge hit.] 109. Michael Monroe-Dead, Jail or Rock & Roll (1989) [The singer of Hanoi Rocks finally getting some help from his famous friends in Guns ‘n Roses and this was the best he could do? No wonder he’s still pretty much unknown in the U.S.] 108. Eddie Murphy & Michael Jackson-Whatzupwitu (1993)

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

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

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

Forgotten Songs of the ‘60s: Jefferson Airplane Released in November of 1969, Jefferson Airplane’s fifth album Volunteers was a landmark of psychedelia and rock and blended these styles together so seamlessly that many songs aside from the classic title track got overlooked. The first song on the record, “We Can Be Together” is one of those songs that deserve a second chance. Starting off with the dual guitar work of Paul Kantner and Jorma Kaukonen, the band comes together rather quickly and begins to harmonize musically in a very early kind of punk rock kind of way. Then the voices of Marty Balin and Grace Slick come together and everything ends up sounding fantastic. Coming together for a call to arms and peace, the band makes its message exceptionally clear and while there is that notion of peace and coming together, they also don’t want the cops to get too close. The best line of the song and the most remembered, “up against the wall, motherfuckers!” is very clear about what they

The 100 Worst Songs Ever! This is a personal list of a bunch of the shittiest songs ever known to mankind, in my opinion as well as some very knowledgeable friends. Some people may wonder why songs like "Rico Suave" and "I'm Too Sexy" are not on this list and the reason is that everyone knows those songs suck; why not create a list of songs that some people have never heard or might not think are shit and that's what I did. So, after reading this list, please go and download all these songs or view them on YouTube and let the debating begin! 100. D.I.-Pervert Nurse (1985) (Suggested by Casey Clabough) [A simple, but yet quite filthy pop punk song from second generation Hardcore punk band.] 99. Dan Fogelberg-Run for the Roses (1981) [A song about the Kentucky Derby, how much more saccharine can you get?] 98. Serj Tankian-The Sky is Over (2007) [A chorus that makes no sense at all from one of the more inventive lyricists of the whole post-KoRn era.] 97. Dus

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Lightning Seeds When the Lightning Seeds covered the song “You Showed Me” in 1997, it already had a storied history. Originally written by Roger McGuinn and recorded by the Byrds, it was covered by the Turtles, who ended up having an even bigger hit with it. Then the Turtles’ recording was sampled by De La Soul in 1989 and ended up changing the course of hip hop history with the lawsuit that followed. But the Lightning Seeds version is different and that’s what so unique and special about it. As opposed to other Lightning Seeds tracks, this one had more of a trip-hop feel and was more subdued than say “The Life of Riley.” Leader Ian Broudie’s vocals flow along with the beat in a way that should’ve been a hit considering how hip trip-hop was in 1997. As the song loops along, the vocals become stronger and breezier and really envelop the listener in the track. Even though the song was included on the soundtrack to the first “Austin Powers,” it flopped, as di

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: Psychedelic Furs Everybody knows Psychedelic Furs because of “Pretty in Pink” but before that song became huge due to the movie, they were an atmospheric post-punk band that sprung out of London and released their self-titled debut in 1980. One of the moodiest songs on the record has also become one of the most revered: “Sister Europe.” Beginning with a drum intro courtesy of Vince Ely, the rest of the band slowly come in, building an atmosphere of weird introspection until frontman Richard Butler starts singing and then it immediately becomes a classic. The power and depth of his voice makes it one of the most recognizable voices of the eighties. The lyrics, talking about his sister coming home continue to remain some of the most haunting lyrics of their career, just because of the way he delivers them. The band ended up becoming one of the most influential alternative bands of the eighties and rightfully so and it all starts here. While some other single

Forgotten Songs of the 21st Century: Clutch Clutch are one of those bands that have been around for an eternity and it’s only been recently that they’ve started to get any real attention at all. This new and long overdue recognition began to gather steam in 2004 with the release of Robot Hive/Exodus and the fantastic single “Burning Beard.” Kicking off with probably the quickest intro to a song since their 1995 self-titled album; frontman Neil Fallon immediately gets things off to a rockin’ start with vocals that could have only come from the southern bayous; ironically, the band is from Maryland but you would never tell from what you hear. The combination of Jean-Paul Gaster’s dynamic but restrained drumming, Tim Sult’s powerful guitar and the organ playing make for one hell of a racket behind Neil all the way through but Clutch fans were already used to this type of power but were just waiting for more of a mass audience to tune in. By the time the song is reaching its climax, the b

Forgotten Album of the Month: Travis Tooke This is going to be the final post for the Forgotten Album of the Month so I decided to make the final entry the newest one; in late 2007, former For Squirrels/Subrosa guitarist Travis Tooke released his first solo album after a ten year hiatus from the music business. When Artichoke was first released, one could only obtain it via his record company’s website using PayPal. As a result of it’s tiny release, it didn’t even start getting much attention until the summer of 2008 when major publications like Billboard started checking him out. What they discovered was an experimental record but one that was obviously a labor of love. The first thing one notices when they listen is that his voice has not changed at all but the music has gotten a bit moodier. His ironic wordplay that was all over the Subrosa record is still in full effect on tracks like “Lonely and Not Alone.” For the most post, tracks sound like alternative rock that would’ve been

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Corrosion of Conformity Corrosion of Conformity (C.O.C.) are a band that have gone through many phases: a thrash band, a hardcore band, a stoner metal band and a regular heavy metal band. It was the latter phase that yielded the band their biggest success in the nineties. With the release of their fifth album, 1996’s Wiseblood , the band got the heaviest they’d been since the eighties. One of the standout tracks on the album was also one of the strangest singles they ever released: “Drowning in A Daydream.” Kicking off with one of the most monstrous riffs ever yet heard, Pepper Keenan and company immediately get things in a groove that refuses to subside. When drummer Reed Mullin isn’t beating the hell out of everything in sight, Pepper Keenan is singing in a baritone that quickly establishes himself as one of the best frontmen in all of metal. The sense of fear and dread that comes across in the lyrics is one that stays with you long after the song is over

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: The Reddings This is going to be the most interesting post I’ve ever done because the song in question is an instrumental; but it’s also one of the funkiest instrumentals any one will ever hear. The Reddings were led by Otis Redding’s sons and one of their cousins. When “The Awakening” came out in 1980, they were still in their teens but they knew exactly how to separate themselves from their famous father. Dexter and Otis III on drums and bass respectively set the tone right from the beginning. At first, you’re not sure if what you’re hearing is a knock-off of the theme from “Shaft” but Otis immediately lays down the funkiest bass riff ever heard and his brother falls in behind him with the simplest of intros. But then they kick in to the main idea and it’s impossible to believe that playing this perfect and expertly done is coming from a bunch of teenagers. To show how funky the bass is here, Les Claypool of Primus has taken it on himself to reintroduce t

Forgotten Songs of the ‘70s: Cheap Trick You can do an entire blog about Cheap Trick but this band was just cursed with so much misfortune, one can’t help but keep going back to them to talk about different songs or records. One of my top five favorite tracks is “Heaven Tonight,” which can be found on their classic 1978 album of the same name. Beginning with one of the best intros in the history of rock, the band creates one hell of an environment with strings and a haunting riff courtesy of Rick Nielsen before Robin Zander comes in with a tour de force performance with creepy, mood building vocals that greatly enhance the entire song. By making the lyrics a bit of a double entendre, the band makes the clearest case as ever’s been heard as to why they’re one of the best pop bands ever. By continuing to build the intensity of the strings throughout the track until the very end when they come crashing down into a fadeout, the band made this one of the spookiest songs of the seventies but

Forgotten Album of the Month: Fear of a Black Hat soundtrack This is an interesting post because I’ve never written about a soundtrack before, let alone as Forgotten Album of the Month, but “Fear of a Black Hat” is just one of the funniest damn films I’ve ever seen and the songs are so catchy and stupid that they need to be remembered. The story of “Fear of a Black Hat” centers on a controversial rap group, N.W.H., or N****** with Hats. The film is a parody of hip hop from the eighties until the time it was made in 1993; another film, Chris Rock’s “CB4” had already come and taken away this film’s momentum but over time the film has enjoyed a rapid cult audience that continues to grow. The songs parody everything from Snoop Dogg (“Ice Froggy Frog”), to Public Enemy ("Wear Yo Hat (Buried and Bald))" to Run-D.M.C. (“My Peanuts.”) The film’s funniest tracks are without a doubt, “Fuck the Security Guards,” which pokes fun at rent a cops in a way that Das EFX or Da Lench Mob could

Below is a list of all the CD's and Vinyl that I own!!!!! This is also the 100th post so boo-yaa! CD’s 1. AC/DC-Back in Black 2. AC/DC-Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 3. The Afghan Whigs-Gentlemen 4. Alice in Chains-Sap EP 5. Alice in Chains-Unplugged 6. Alice in Chains-Music Bank 7. Alice in Chains-Live 8. America-The Complete Greatest Hits 9. American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock 1980-1986 10. Anthrax-Attack of the Killer B’s 11. Anthrax-Sound of White Noise 12. Anthrax-Anthrology: No Hit Wonders (1985-1991) 13. Ass Ponys-Grim 14. Ass Ponys-Electric Rock Music 15. Ass Ponys-Lohio 16. Avail-4 am Friday/Live at the Bottom of the Hill 17. Badfinger-The Very Best of 18. Bad Brains-Banned in D.C.: Bad Brains’ Greatest Riffs 19. Bad Brains-Rise 20. Barenaked Ladies-Stunt 21. Barenaked Ladies-One Week single 22. Barenaked Ladies-Maroon 23. Barenaked Ladies-Disc One: All Their Great