Certain Songs

Certain Songs #289: Dead Kennedys – “We’ve Got a Bigger Problem Now”

August 22, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: In God We Trust, Inc EP
Year: 1981

“California Über Alles” is a helluva song and a hardcore landmark, but as satire, it felt a bit off. Like there was any chance of Jerry Brown becoming President in 1980 (or 1992) (or any year, really), as the ill post-malaise winds were already beginning to blow.

Which I why I’ve always preferred the sequel/update, 1981’s “We’ve Got a Bigger Problem Now.” It was all very well and good (and funny) to attack Jerry Brown from the Left for being a fascist hippie, but when the Gipper was elected, it was all hands on deck.

Certain Songs #288: Dead Kennedys – “Holiday in Cambodia”

August 21, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables
Year: 1980

I’d heard of Jello Biafra before I’d ever heard a note of the Dead Kennedys’ music.

Back in 1979 — as an early indicator of his lifelong comittment to being a provocateur — he ran for mayor of San Francisco. And as we had a subscription to the San Francisco Chronicle, I followed the news of this punk rock guy running for political office with great interest.

He didn’t win, sadly — that would be Dianne Feinstein, sigh — but I’ve always liked that he did it, and the both the clearly ironic and the clearly serious points of his platform felt equally well thought out and impossible to execute.

Certain Songs #287: The dB’s – “Today Could Be The Day”

August 20, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: The Sound of Music
Year: 1987.

I somehow doubt the two things are related, but just as the Rolling Stones ended the mostly lyrically downbeat side two of their classic Out of Our Heads with the upbeat, optimistic, harmonica-driven “One More Try,” the dB’s end the mostly downbeat side two of The Sound of Music with the upbeat, optimistic “Today Could Be The Day.”

Which is just as well, because after songs like “Think Too Hard,” “Never Before and Never Again, “A Better Place” and “Looked at The Sun Too Long,” it was clearly a great call to end on a note of hope.

Certain Songs #286: The dB’s – “Looked At The Sun Too Long”

August 19, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: The Sound of Music
Year: 1987.

Please excuse me. I think that I said that a song other than “Looked at The Sun Too Long” was my favorite song from The Sound Of Music.

But I was clearly wrong. “Looked At The Sun Too Long” is yet another one of those Peter Holsapple songs that is a) about a relationship ending and b) sounds like a lost Chris Bell song.

And as such, it moves at a crawl, is full of strings and harmonies, and is on the short list of “Prettiest Song Ever Recorded (Power Pop Division).

Certain Songs #285 – The dB’s – “Think Too Hard”

August 18, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: The Sound of Music
Year: 1987.

if you wanna narrow it down, side two of The Sound of Music is why it’s one of my favorite albums of one of my favorite years. Side one is great, but I literally could have chosen any one of the six songs (and I’m definitely choosing more than one) on side two about which to write. Every single one of them means something different and something special to me.

And so it’s impossible to choose a favorite song on this side — or this album — which is really rare for me, but if the aliens came down and forced me at laserpoint to choose it, I’d probably go with “Think Too Hard.”

Certain Songs #284: The dB’s – “Change With The Changing Times”

August 17, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: The Sound of Music
Year: 1987

1987 was a helluva year for music. To this day, it remains one of my all-time favorites. R.E.M. broke through into the mainstream while U2 broke through into the stratosphere.

Prince reminded everybody why he’s the greatest musician of our generation while Bruce Springsteen scaled down beautifully. The Replacements and Hüsker Dü made the last of their great records while Public Enemy, Guns n’ Roses & Sonic Youth made the first of theirs.

Certain Songs #283: The dB’s – “Amplifier”

August 16, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: Like This
Year: 1984

Of course, I realize that “Amplifier” was originally released on Repercussion in 1982, but I’m going to write about the re-recorded (or “re-recorded”) version that is on Like This for reasons that I hope become somewhat clear as I go on.

1984’s Like This is probably the first dB’s album that most people heard. While both Stands For DeciBels and Repercussion were released on the tiny Albion label, Like This was released on Todd Rundgren’s Bearsville records, which — while still not a major label — had a distribution deal with WB, meaning there was some major label clout behind it.

Certain Songs #282: The dB’s – “Nothing is Wrong”

August 15, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: Repercussion
Year: 1982

I’ve mentioned The Who as a big influence on The dB’s, which might not seem intuitive to any of you, but I stand by it. The other big influence is, of course, Big Star. To the point where it only made sense that Chris Stamey has curated the Big Star’s Third live performances (the one in L.A. last year was fantastic) over the past few years.

That said, it was Peter Holsapple who wrote my favorite dB’s Big Star songs. Like “Nothing is Wrong,” a slow burner that comes across like a lost Chris Bell song.

Certain Songs #281: The dB’s – “Happenstance”

August 14, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: Repercussion
Year: 1982

“Happenstance,” the lead track from the dB’s second album, the stellar Repercussion, doesn’t blast from the speakers in the same way that “Black and White” took off, but it’s the most early-Who-like song in their catalog.

But not the noisy early Who. More like the version found on A Quick One or even parts of Tommy, where the guitars clang but never ring and the drums build and build but never explode.

Certain Songs #280: The dB’s – “Black and White”

August 13, 2015 by Jim Connelly

Album: Stands For Decibels
Year: 1981

Fuck yeah, “Black and White!”

This is how you kick off your career. With a crash of drums and guitars and before you can even catch your breath Chris Stamey is playing Townshend-esque power chords on the acoustic while Peter Holsapple kicks out a jitterly hooky lead guitar.

Meanwhile, drummer Will Rigby is building and crashing underneath these guitars like he’s just been possessed by the spirit of Keith Moon, and damn straight there’s also handclaps and shimmering organ fighting to be heard as well.