I did one of these some months back. Here's another one finishing off some old notes and adding some new words.
# Basket Case (Green Day) Of course I was an ignorant 14 year old. I had been raised on a steady diet of Beatles, piano men like Billy Joel and Elton John, country music on the radio, and a few "modern" acts I'd gotten into like R.E.M. Green Day on MTV was a revelation. Sure, with time comes perspective, and I now see them for what they are -- more pop than punk, good songwriters for sure, but wearing their Clash and Stiff Little Fingers influences on their sleeves. That doesn't mean that seeing Billie Joe throwing dirt clods back at the crowd at the otherwise pathetic, history-raping Woodstock '94 didn't give me a thrill. Seeing ramshackle versions of Basket Case and When I Come Around on SNL one lonely teenage Saturday night made me think "perhaps I need to expand my view". Green Day, while far from being the end-all be-all, provided my gateway to bands like the Clash, Sex Pistols, Bad Religion, Descendents, and others. Good on' em. And by-the-by, pick up Green Day's "Warning" LP. It's not much faux-punk anymore, but it's probably their best album & proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mr. Armstrong sure can write a tune.
# Six (Mansun) Punk rock supposedly killed prog rock, as well as the excesses of stadium rockers like Led Zep. Since then, progressive rock has become a dirty word; admitting you like some of what the genre has to offer is tantamount to announcing yourself the president of the Yanni fan club. On their sophomore album "Six", Mansun dared to play with fire. In the manner that exposing sodium to oxygen sets it ablaze, the boys from Chester decided to conduct an experiment of their own. What would happen if you mixed prog rock with punk? What apocalpytic horror would be birthed from the copulation of these antithetical art forms? If "Six" is any indication, you get pure, utter madness. Raving lunacy, puncutated with cryptic lyrics, hapsichords, brilliant, epic guitar solos, Tom Baker giving a dramatic reading, and huge, fabulous slabs of raw punk rock. Really, the entirety of "Six" was doomed to obscurity, for neither prog fans nor punk fans would ever truly embrace its bizarre hybrid. Though for the people who enjoy both, "Six" remains a weird little treat, and its title track is simply the icing on the crazy cake.
# Between Two Islands (Pet Shop Boys) Why do great artists often condemn some of their greatest songs to languish and die as forgotten b-sides? More importantly, what makes them choose inferior songs to release in their place on full length albums? There have been many great modern bands with great b-sides: The Smiths, Pet Shop Boys, Manic Street Preachers, Mansun, Suede, and Radiohead to name a few. Each of those acts are capable of releasing a b-sides compilation that would rival any of their best LPs. But why marginalize great songs? Perhaps as a reward system for die hard fans? Maybe it is a generational effect -- their musical heroes did it, so now they will too. It's difficult to say. In any case, the discovery of a trove of great songs tucked away on expensive, hard to find singles is both exhilarating, and maddening. You almost resent the artist for making such goods so rare. Oh, and yes, the song. Between Two Islands is a spiralling mass of strings, Spanish guitar, sputtering horns, and a disco beat straight out of 1976. This is organic disco, the good stuff before it was ruined by mechanical house music. Why the PSB would choose to include average-to-cringe-inducing songs like Birthday Boy or E-Mail on their latest LP instead of this, or another standout b-side like Always is beyond me. Regardless, it's always been a pleasure to be allowed to find the "leftovers" on my own.
# Lost Horizons (Gin Blossoms) I feel rather guilty about saying that a song that's clearly about the alcoholic singer's alcoholism is also a great song to put on the bar jukebox. There's a certain perverse attraction to the tune's fatalism, though I'm sure the driving rhythm and jangling guitars also do the trick. Perhaps what it really comes down to is that the emotion in the vocals feels real and urgent. The song really just wouldn't work if the pain felt painted on.
