Snap, Crackle, and Pop

I still enjoy listening to records. I am not a know-it-all audiophile who insists that vinyl sounds better then cds. That argument usually has something to do with sample rates; sound is a wave, analog equipment (represented below in grey) perfectly reproduces the wave, but digital audio (red) is only a rapid series of samples and your brain fills in the rest.

I don't care about that, and modern digital equipment uses such high bit rates that anyone who claims to be able to hear the difference is simply lying. No, I like listening to records because my parents listened to records. My grandparents listened to records. There's a sense or nostalgia involved with carefully placing the record on the turntable, inspecting the needle for dust, before gently setting it into the grooves, and listening to the hisses and pops until the music rises above the noise floor.

I haven't taken a head count in a while, but I think I have 40 or 50 albums.

My collection includes:

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

rare first pressing found at a local record shop $8

Linda Ronstadt with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra

thrift store $1 cheap

Rob Zombie - Dragula 7" 45 rpm

this was part of a promotional display at a music shop and was not for sale

Billy Joel - 52nd Street

white label promo copy for radio DJs $11 local record store

The Marx Brothers

family heirloom

Neil Young - Decade

3 disc greatest hits of early work $4 garage sale

Along with lots of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Van Halen, and Jimi Hendrix. I'm currently bidding on Fleetwood Mac - Rumors, and John & Yoko - Plastic Ono Band on Ebay. I like records because they are severely undervalued. Even now with downloading as the most common way to get new music, CDs cost an astonishing $17-$20!!! The most expensive record in my collection was maybe $12 and most were $2-$5.

The pops and crackles that flank the 12 minutes of music are almost as magical as the music itself. It's such a soothing sound. You can't get that from an iPod. But then again, you can't put a turntable in your pocket and jog around the block.

The Endorsement: Let It Be... Naked

Long before he was convicted, Phil Spector was a murderer. He slaughtered hundreds of healthy young pop songs with his "Wall of Sound." I, for one, am relieved that this monster has finally been brought to justice. One victim who finally received reparations is the Beatles album Let It Be. The Fab Four set out to make a simple record, a snap shot of a live performance, without all of the multi-tracked, overdubbed trappings of Sgt Peppers or the White Album. They tried to capture the raw sound of 4 musicians playing together in the same room.

However, by this point in their career they could hardly stand to be in the same room. When the recording was finished, none of them could bear the burden of the final mix. So they turned the miles of tape over to producer Phil Spector. Like an Iron Chef competitor Phil chopped, diced, mixed, mastered, blended in orchestras, and folded in choirs until the original vision for an album whose name means "leave it alone" was completely obstructed.

Finally, just a few years ago Sir Paul could stomach it no more, went back to Abbey Road and remixed to the original intent. "The Long and Winding Road" and "Let It Be" are the most significant changes. Those songs sounds great now. The whole album is alive and breathes, and the new track order flows better. If you haven't heard this yet, check it out. I think you'll find it refreshing.

Imaginos

While doing some research I stumbled upon this Wikipedia entry about the Blue Oyster Cult band. BOC is best know for the song "Don't Fear the Reaper" which famously, needs more cow bell. But the 1988 album "Imaginos" is a sci fi concept piece which blows the doors off of something I said in an earlier post. You might know one song on this album, "Astronomy" because Metallica covered it in 1998.

Just a few days ago, when blogging about guitar players who are better then John Mayer, I indicated that Coheed & Cambria were a unique entity in prog rock concept music; because the name of the band is taken from the story that unfolds in the music. Lo and behold, the Blue Oyster Cult beat them to the punch by at least seven years!

I, even I, dear reader, can be wrong. Perhaps I am wrong about the number of commas that belong in that sentence. Yes, Perhaps.

2003a

"Y'all don't wanna hear me, you just wanna dance"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xe9Ur0wEsY&feature=related

Runners up: Jay Z, T-Pain, Eminem, Lil Wayne, and Ludacris.

1994a

At the time I was too busy listening to the Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Weezer, Sonic Youth, and Pavement, to pay any attention to the Notorious B.I.G. I was so deep in my little alt rock world, that I was missing a bigger picture, ignoring some of the best music of the 1990's. I do remember when Hypnotize came out, and when he died, but I didn't really discover his music until more recently. Christopher seems like a cool guy. One question though... Why would you cheat on this with this???

Other notable artist of the decade include: the Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and 2Pac. But Biggie had a special talent for piling up rhymes on top of each other and making multi-syllabic rhymes sound silky smooth. I believe the young people call that "flow" ?

Amazon.com

1987a

In the early 80's Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Flash started the trend of hip hop with a social agenda. But in the late 80's Public Enemy, and NWA took it to a new level and showed suburban middle class America what life was like in the inner city.

Ice Cube reminds us that theres are some good times, but violence is always just around the corner.

1979a

Who ever posted this on youtube made an unfortunate typo...

That Rapper's Delight is the "first" rap song is total misnomer. However the Sugar Hill Gang did introduce rap to a wide (read: white) audience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Kool_Herc

Forgive me if this seems like an obvious choice. Tomorrow I promise to deliver something a little less predictable.

1965a

Whatever James Brown did, he always did it cool. The man wore funky like an overcoat, and tied his shoes with soul. James Brown didn't need a belt. He was so hep his pants stayed up without assistance. So of course his music is groovy.

Some consider his 1962 live album the birth of the break beat. I had to choose a song from the 60's but he got REALLY funky in the 70's. Check him out.

1950a

In alternate 1955 the piano of Little Richard trumps the guitar of Link Wray. He certainly is an energetic performer. Unfortunately, this is from one of those TV shows in the 50's where you would lip sync to your record instead of performing live. So the band looks a little lethargic here.

What was Richard really saying? "I got a girl named Sue... I got a girl named Daisy." Tutti Frutti means multi fruit flavors. "All rooty" was hep cat slang for "it's all right." So what's really going on here is; Little Richard is bragging about all the different ho's he slept wit!

These lyrics were famously cleaned up because the original words are so filthy I can't type them here. While guys like Little Walter and Muddy Waters were singing about girls they had lost, Little Richard was singing about all the girls he had bedded, and that's why he's my pick to kick off the alternate musical timeline.

2000's

It was difficult to pick the song that had the most effect of the world since Y2K. Arguably, because there hasn't been one. Already, at 29 years old, I catch myself starting a sentence with "these damn kids today..." Many Gen Xers feel that rock died with Kurt. Could that be true? Isn't anyone making music that shows respect to the blues of the 30's and 40's , without getting bogged down by grunge and alt rock?

Jack White - almost single handedly carrying the rock torch into the new millennium. In the limited release film "It might get loud" Jimmy Page totally passes him the baton. Fell in love with a girl was a breakout for the Stripes, but it doesn't end there. Icky Thump rocks harder then anything else on the radio. My Doorbell is my personal fave. You Don't Know What Love Is might bring you to tears, and the video for Denial Twist will blow your mind!

Honorable mention should go to Blink 182; the young folks seem to identify with them. Wolfmother can lock into a sweet groove that is sure to make you bob your head. Coheed and Cambria are taking "concept album" to a new dimension. Yes, rumors of rock n rolls death have been greatly exaggerated.

So, my friends, never doubt that four chords can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. Although, Margaret Mead would disagree.

1990's

This list is not about favorites. This list is about cultural impact. Todays song embodies everything we've been discussing; a catchy melody, senseless lyrics, and a strait 4/4 beat played with the passion and intensity that can (and did) change the world. Take a moment here to watch that video, even if you've seen it a million times before. Right click "open in new tab" and watch it, it's ok, I'll wait...

Teen Spirit changed us. We started wearing flannel and Chuck Taylors. Alienation was the new identity. Alternative was the new mainstream. Teen Spirit was the Louie Louie of the nineties - it wasn't ABOUT anything, but some how it spoke to us. At the same time, however, it was destroying us. After Nevermind, anyone who played a pop melody on a fuzzy guitar, was just a Nirvana copy cat. Kurt took a cliché to the top of the charts. Who could fill his Doc Martins?

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" has to be THE song of the 1990's. Beck's "Loser" was good. White Zombie's "More Human Then Human" was good. "Enter Sandman" was all over the MTV. Not owning a copy of Weezer's "Blue Album" was up there with covetousness and idolatry. The Smashing Pumpkins were a force to be reckoned with. But battle cry of Generation X is

"a mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido."

For the comments: Where were you, who were you with when you first heard this song?

1980's

AC/DC - the name means raw power. The Young brothers, Malcolm and Angus had already been making music under that name for almost a decade when this song hit the charts. (Sorry that it has to be a link, embedding is turned off for some reason.) I really feel that this song is in line with the 12 bar strophic roots of rock.

AC/DC is still churning out 4/4 rock songs with provocative titles, their sound hasn't changed much in 36 years.

Runner up: Van Halen - Hot for Teacher

Tomorrow we explore the decade when I was a teenager; the 1990's. What do you think the song will be?

1970's

One band totally pwnd the 70's.

One song totally dominated the airwaves.

This is not my personal favorite Led Zeppelin song. It is, however, the most requested song in FM radio history.Plus it made THIS possible.

1960's

A lot, I mean, a lot of great music came out in the 60's. The Beatles, the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Aretha, Ike & Tina... but if I had to pick one song to carry the rock & roll torch, to bridge the gap between the 50's and the 70's I choose Satisfaction. "He can't be a man cause he don't smoke the same cigarettes as me." Mick's strut, Keith's fuzz tone - guitars were starting to get distorted now thanks to Link Wray.

It really was a close call between this and the Who - My Generation. Of course the Beatles were important and influential, but just try to pick just ONE Beatles song to represent the decade of the Kennedy assassination, the moon landing, civil rights, and the war in Vietnam. Go ahead try, I tried, and I tried, and I tried, but I can't get no satisfaction.

1950's

I picked this song because it was so influential, not to say that other songs weren't important. Elvis, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins; all important rock stars of the 50's. But Link Wray took four chords and played them with such attitude, such conviction, that this song was banned from some radio stations! That's right, banned, even though it's and instrumental, the name "Rumble" implied gang violence and the sound was just too wild. So, who was influenced by this song? Well for starters...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_Wray_and_his_Ray_Men

1940's

1930's

It all started here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_Road_Blues