Archives for June 2017

Certain Songs #923: The Len Price 3 – “Rentacrowd”

June 30, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: Rentacrowd
Year: 2007

I think it was Kirk who turned me onto the Len Price 3, as they turned up on the hard drive that he, Tim & I used to pass music to each other during the first decade of the millennium. That was a great method of checking out new music, and I almost instantly loved the sound of The Len Price 3.

Why, because they sounded just like The Who circa 1965 or The Jam circa 1977. Rickenbacker guitars, “whoo-whoo” backing vocals, short smart snappy songs.

Certain Songs #922: Lemonheads – “My Drug Buddy”

June 28, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: It’s A Shame About Ray
Year: 1992

No seriously, exactly how weird was it in 1993? Not only did a major record company let a next Next Big Thing make a song about his drug-taking the centerpiece of his breakthrough album, they even funded a video for it.

And while they changed it to the more innocuous “Buddy” for the reissue that they appended “Mrs. Robinson,” that was a formality that probably fooled exactly noone, because from the organ-driven, languorous vibe of the music to the emotional truth of the lyrics, “My Drug Buddy” was an gorgeously chilling cry for help.

Certain Songs #921: Lemonheads – “It’s A Shame About Ray”

June 28, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: It’s A Shame About Ray
Year: 1992

And then there was the hot second where Lemonheads were the next Next Big Thing.

This would be early 1993, of course. You know, that weird post-Nevermind period that spawned all sorts of unlikely hits from all sorts of unlikely places. And while Lemonheads had been recording since 1987, Evan Dando had only recently perfected his punk-pop songwriting chops, and was convinced — or got convinced — that maybe he could ride those chops (and his insane good looks) to Cobain-esque heights.

Certain Songs #920: The Left Banke – “Walk Away Renee”

June 27, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: Walk Away Renee / Pretty Ballerina
Year: 1966

On the short list of Prettiest Songs Ever Recorded, Baroque Pop Division, “Walk Away Renee” is one of those songs that can inspire an equal amount of chills and tears, depending on whether you’re fixating on the gorgeous melody or the heartbreaking words.

It’s also, for some reason, one of those songs that I’ve never dug that deep into, like somehow understanding would ruin the beauty. So there were a whole bunch of things I never knew about “Walk Away Renee” until just now.

Certain Songs #919: Lee Michaels – “Do You Know What I Mean”

June 26, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: Fifth
Year: 1971

Yes, while Lee Michaels had another top 40 hit — his cover of “Can I Get a Witness” got to number #39 on the coattails of this one — he really was the quintessential one-hit wonder.

And you know how you can tell he’s a one-hit wonder: you can’t name a single other song by Lee Michaels — and in fact, you didn’t even know he covered “Can I Get a Witness” until I just told you (and I sure as hell didn’t know until I read it on Wikipedia 10 minutes ago) — but if you listened to the radio at all in the early 1970s, you know every single word of “Do You Know What I Mean.”

Certain Songs #918: Led Zeppelin – “Kashmir (Knebworth, 1979)”

June 25, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: Led Zeppelin DVD
Year: 1979

This is really a quick little postscript capping a month or so of Led Zeppelin posts. For the longest time, “Kashmir” was the one Certified Led Zeppelin Classic that I just couldn’t get behind.

On Physical Graffiti it was, as needs be, too perfect. It was like an impenetrable tank that was impossible to get inside of, every attempt at understanding its deep dark mysteries beaten back by a phase-shifted drum roll. So it wasn’t like I skipped it, or even changed the channel when it came on, I just didn’t love it, even though I could hear how amazing and groundbreaking it was.

Certain Songs #917: Led Zeppelin – “In The Evening”

June 24, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: In Through The Out Door
Year: 1979

So what if John Bonham hadn’t died? What if, instead of being Led Zeppelin’s last studio album, they continued to record — ever more sporadically, of course — for the next couple of decades instead?

How would In Through The Out Door be looked at then? Obviously, it’s now seen as The Last Led Zeppelin Album, with all of the psychic weight that entails. Added to that is the fact that In Through The Out Door is clearly their weakest studio album, continuing the decline that some detected (wrongly!!!) in Presence, and some folks might even assume that it was a good thing they had an excuse to break up before further tainting their legacy, like other ::coughs:: The Who ::coughs:: bands didn’t do.

Certain Songs #916: Led Zeppelin – “Nobody’s Fault But Mine”

June 23, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: Presence
Year: 1976

See that’s the thing about Presence: it’s got three of my top 10 — hell, practically three of my top 5 — Led Zeppelin songs.

I’ve already written about the grandly epic “Achilles Last Stand,” and the sleazy, dirty “For Your Life,” so now it’s time to tackle what’s probably my favorite of all of their songs, the upside-down blues of “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.”

Certain Songs #915: Led Zeppelin – “For Your Life”

June 22, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: Presence
Year: 1976

Working much of the same lyrical territory as “Sick Again,” the sticky, sweaty, sleazy, stomping “For Your Life” is one of the those songs that chronicles the backstage excess that made Hammer of The Gods such a salacious success.

With Robert Plant alternating between resisting temptation and succumbing to temptation, knowing full well the risks he was taking, “For Your Life” utterly captured the those moments where you know you shouldn’t be doing any more drugs or having any more sex . . . but you keep thinking maybe you should.

Certain Songs #914: Led Zeppelin – “Achilles Last Stand”

June 21, 2017 by Jim Connelly

Album: Presence
Year: 1976

If a band that sold eighty gazillion (that’s an estimate) albums in its career could be said to have a cult album, then Presence is absolutely Led Zeppelin’s cult record.

From the moment it was released, Presence was kind of underrated, and I think it’s for the same reason that I love it: it’s their most straightforward and uncomplicated record, bereft of any kind of extraneous instrumentation whatsoever.

Just Jimmy Page on guitars (and more guitars), Robert Plant on vocals (and harmonica), John Paul Jones on bass and John Bonham on drums.