Archives for September 2020

Certain Songs #1925: Rilo Kiley – “The Frug”

September 30, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Rilo Kiley EP
Year: 1998

. . .

While “The Frug” was the opening track on Rilo Kiley’s first self-titled EP, I first heard this song on the rkives compilation that came out in 2013, where it was the last song on the album, a nice piece of business, to say the least.

However, with a reissue of that first EP — also confusingly re-released in 2001 as (also out-of-print) The Initial Friend EP — coming out this very week, I might as well point folks to it. And point out that the original EP was financed by fellow Replacements fan Dave Foley, putting some of that sweet sweet Newsradio money to good use. (And I’m now fighting hard to not do a bit matching other Newsradio actors with the indie bands they initially funded. The point is that you should stop reading right now and watch a Newsradio episode instead.

Certain Songs #1924: Rikk Agnew – “Everyday”

September 29, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: All By Myself
Year: 1982

. . .

So the story goes like this: there was a hardcore band based out of Fullerton, CA called The Adolescents, whose self-titled debut album is still well-regarded today. One of the principal songwriters on that album was multi-instrumentalist Rikk Agnew, brought in by his brother Frank to play drums — he’d also been the bassist for Social Distortion — but who ended up on guitar. As you do.

In any event, despite the good reviews and (relatively) good sales, Agnew left the Adolescents and somehow had the good fortune to hook up with four other guys also named “Rikk Agnew.” Or at least that’s what the back cover of his debut album, All By Myself, would have you believe. I mean, what are the odds!?!?!

Certain Songs #1923: The Righteous Brothers – “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”

September 28, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
Year: 1964

. . .

How do you even approach such a towering landmark in popular culture?

“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” is one of those songs that is so ubiquitous — it’s literally one of the most-played songs of all-time — its nearly impossible to come up with any fresh spin on it.

Certain Songs #1922: Ride – “Leave Them All Behind”

September 26, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Going Blank Again
Year: 1992

. . .

It was one of those Saturday mornings in 1992 where I would wander down the street to Ragin Records, and peruse the CD stacks while talking to Paul or Jay, depending on who was working there that day.

And on that particular Saturday morning, they’d gotten in the second Ride album, Going Blank Again. And because I’d very much enjoyed the debut album, Nowhere, I figured I’d spend the $6.99 or whatever it was on the follow-up. So I walked back down the street, put Going Blank Again into my CD changer.

And. I. Was. Blown. Away.

Certain Songs #1921: Ride – “Vapour Trail”

September 25, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Nowhere
Year: 1990

. . .

Outside of My Bloody Valentine, of course, Ride was probably the most famous of all of the so-called “shoegaze” bands. So-called because the concept was that they’d spend their shows staring at their feet rather than at the audience. Which, of course, wasn’t the only criteria, because by that standard, New Order would have qualified.

In any event, most of these bands were distinguished via noisy-yet-shimmering guitar tones, big beats and vocals that were often buried by the aformentioned guitars and beats. Of course, that’s incredibly reductive, as we’ll see when we get to my favorite of those bands, Swervedriver, in a couple of years.

Certain Songs #1920: Rick Springfield – “Jessie’s Girl”

September 24, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Working Class Dog
Year: 1981

. . .

One of the weird ironies of power-pop was that a genre dedicated to short, snappy songs really never generated a lot of massive hits. And then, when the occasional power-pop song did sneak through — from “My Sharona” to “I’ll Be There For You” — there was usually always a backlash from the aficionados of the form.

(Oh, and speaking of “I’ll Be There For You,” it is now probably the most-heard power pop song of all time, isn’t it?)

Certain Songs #1919: Rick Derringer – “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo”

September 23, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: All-American Boy
Year: 1973

. . .

Before it became an unlikely hit single, “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” had been kicking around for a couple of years, with Rick Derringer having recorded the song with both of the Winter brothers, Johnny and Edgar.

The version with Johnny Winter was a studio version that came out in 1970 on Johnny Winter And, and then in 1972, Johnny joined Rick and Edgar to sing it on Edgar’s live album, Roadwork.

Certain Songs #1918: Richmond Fontaine – “Lonnie”

September 22, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like a River
Year: 2009

. . .

And now the case of Willy Vlautin, who turned from cult Americana bandleader to cult novelist. I’ll freely admit that I’ve haven’t read any of his books — though if someone wanted to tell me where to start, I would — and haven’t heard all of the albums he cut as the leader of the Oregon-based Richmond Fontaine, who started releasing albums in 1996, and as of 2018, were still doing it.

Richmond Fontaine came on my radar with 2004’s Post to Wire, and my favorite of their albums was 2009’s We Used to Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River, a brilliant and evocative title for an album with quite a few brilliant and evocative songs, like “You Can Move Back Here,” “The Boyfriends” and my favorite of all “Lonnie,” which encapsulates all of Richmond Fontaine’s strengths in a single song.

Certain Songs #1917: Richard Hell & The Voidoids – “Blank Generation”

September 21, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Blank Generation
Year: 1977

A supergroup in retrospect, derailed by Hell’s heroin addiction and the fact that he was basically an writer and a fashion icon first and a rock ‘n’ roller second, Richard Hell & The Voidoids made a noise on their debut album that pretty much has never been duplicated.

And nowhere was that noise better displayed than the title track, which floated on a classic r&b rhythm and yet also sounded like nothing ever before recorded, starting with opening conversation between Ivan Julian’s rhythm guitar, Hell’s bass and Robert Quine’s lead guitar, after which Hell started yawping.

Certain Songs #1916: Richard & Linda Thompson – “Shoot Out The Lights”

September 17, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Shoot Out The Lights
Year: 1982

I never know quite what to do in the case of a beloved cult artist of whose cult I’m not really a member. Take the case of Richard Thompson, who has been thrilling people with his guitar pyrotechnics for over 50 years, but I’ve never really connected with. And lord knows I’ve tried off-and-on over the years.

In any event, the only album that ever fully stuck with me was 1982’s bitter break-up album, Shoot Out The Lights, the final album Richard Thompson ever recorded with his ex-wife Linda. They ended up making a half-dozen in the decade after Thompson left Fairport Convention, and to me, Shoot Out The Lights is the best.