Horror soundtracks are more popular than ever. The same applies for music on vinyl, which has seen a major resurgence over the course of the last few years. Tons of specialty labels are either reissuing classic soundtracks, fully remastered with impressive new art and packaging. Some are clearly focusing on capitalizing on new properties or hit TV series. And in some cases, these labels are bold enough to put out vinyl for fictional horror movies that don’t actually exist!
Regardless, as a fan and consumer of physical media, we’ve seen some great Blu-Ray releases this year, and equally, if not more, great vinyl releases. It was tough to narrow them down to 10, so the following are not ranked, but listed in random order. Let’s see how many of these you guys already have!
For the first time ever, we got Carl Zittrer’s disturbing and slightly off-key score to Bob Clark’s 1974 “slasher” classic. (And by classic, I mean the one that started them all!) What’s interesting is it’s two long tracks, one for Side A as “Silent Night,” and Side B dubbed as “Evil Night.” I heard this played and discussed on an episode of The Damn Fine Cast earlier this year and they theorized that perhaps the reason it sounds so “off” is because we’re hearing these bits of music from the perspective of Billy, the film’s killer. With that in mind, it adds an extra sense of creepiness every time you spin this bad boy! While Waxwork Records did an amazing job with reissues of things like SALEM’S LOT, THE HOWLING and even their non-genre releases such as THE WARRIORS and TAXI DRIVER, BLACK CHRISTMAS is the one that stands out to me as their most special release of 2016.
This was one of my favorite new discoveries of the year. Repeated Viewing is the created composer on this release, and it’s the moniker of Alan Sinclair, who has been making soundtracks to fictional horror movies for years. This particular one was actually recorded back in 2011 and finally got a vinyl release in 2016 courtesy of the fine folks at Lunaris Records. FROZEN EXISTENCE looks like an old Italian horror movie from the late 70’s, courtesy of the authentic packaging and cover art by Adam Burke. The music itself is awesome! Have a listen below:
Here’s a soundtrack I didn’t know I needed in my life until I heard it and now I feel like I can’t live without it. I freakin’ love the documentary AMERICAN MOVIE, which follows Milwaukee filmmaker Mark Borchardt as he struggles to complete his short horror film COVEN. When the DVD of the doc came out, it included the final short film as a bonus feature. All these years later, the fine fiends over at Forever Midnight (which is a podcast!) have put out the epic soundtrack on vinyl, and filled the package with all sorts of goodies. If you want to hear a little sample of it, I played it before the interview section on episode 4 of Shock Waves! Begins at the 34:55 mark! (Embedded below!)
SYNCHRONICITY was the 2015 release of director Jacob Gentry’s super ambitious time-traveling epic. One of the standouts that truly makes this film feel much bigger than it’s budget is the score by Ben Lovett. Part John Carpenter, part Tangerine Dream, the lush melodies of this film’s music will wash over you and teleport you to another time and place. I find myself impulsively throwing on this record regularly. Have a listen below and hear what I mean.
THE MIND’S EYE, the latest film from Joe Begoes plays like a long lost sequel to David Cronenberg’s SCANNERS, and considering I’m a huge fan of those movies, in particular SCANNERS III: THE TAKE OVER, I had a blast with this one. The first title card that pops up on the screen instructs you to “play this movie loud.” And rightfully so! On top of the killer sound design, Steve Moore’s soundtrack has quickly become one of my favorite scores of the year. While most people know Steve from his band ZOMBI, I actually became familiar with his work when he did the main theme for the 2006 documentary HORROR BUSINESS! Between THE GUEST and this, it’s amazing to hear how prolific he’s become as a composer. Hear a sample for yourself below.
Not only have I always loved THE MONSTER SQUAD, but it’s impossible not to get excited anytime you hear tracks like the epic pop montage “Rock Until You Drop” or the closing credit Monster Squad rap. But, the score by Bruce Broughton is pretty terrific too! And thanks to Mondo and Death Waltz Recordings, we got a full vinyl release, sprawled out over 2 LP’s and in packaging that will pull on the heart strings of every one that grew up as a monster kid. Seriously, the recreation of the old monster magazine ads is perfect and as one of the many, many horror fans out there that have always loved this movie, this release was long overdue. Happy that the Mondo gang did it justice!
People can argue if David Lynch’s work can be considered “horror” all they want. I think some of the craziest images and scenes I’ve ever seen have come from his work, and in particular from TWIN PEAKS. So, I’m counting Death Waltz long-in-the-works TWIN PEAKS soundtrack release as one of my favorite picks this year. This is one of those albums I love just putting on repeat in the background while I work and write, and drink coffee, of course. And pictures of the actual packaging don’t do it justice. It’s gorgeous. Best of all, it comes in coffee colored vinyl. Damn fine indeed.
Since we’re talking about David Lynch, why not mention another album inspired by the man and his work that immediately became an instant favorite? THE MUSIC OF DAVID LYNCH is a double LP set of a live performance conducted with various musicians, all performing various songs and music from all his films and held with the goal of raising money and awareness to the David Lynch Foundation. Composer Angelo Badalamenti performs some of his TWIN PEAKS themes, and musicians such as Duran Duran, Lykke Li, Sky Ferreira, Moby and Zola Jesus do impressive covers of songs from his various soundtracks. The highlight for me is Lykke Li’s cover of “Wicked Game,” which I’d argue is better than the original! This was a vinyl only release, and the initial batch reported had skips in it, but I was lucky enough to snag one with no issues. It’s still readily available on places like Amazon or Discogs and gets my highest recommendation.
The world was not prepared for the juggernaut that was the Netflix original series STRANGER THINGS, but for a spell there, it was all anyone could talk about. It was amazing to see just how quickly The Duffer Brothers creation managed to infiltrate pop culture as strongly and impressionably as it did, and that’s because the show harnessed the best of the Amblin movies by way of a classic Stephen King novel and delivered something pretty darned cool and unique in it’s own right. Adding a groovy pulse to the whole thing was that terrific score by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, which was released first digitally, and then as part of an epic two volume collection of double LP’s from Lakeshore Records. It literally feels very 80’s, very John Carpenter-esque, but you know what? That’s just fine! Easily one of the best releases this year and something everyone can enjoy.
One of the great joys of this year was getting the opportunity to watch John Carpenter and his band go on their first tour to perform John’s classic movie themes live. Part of his set-list included tracks from last year’s LOST THEMES, but the thing that kicked this whole tour off was the release of LOST THEMES II. While I love the first album, I think this one is actually a stronger, more concise record. This project started as a cross country collaboration between Carpenter, his son Cody and his godson Daniel Davies. What’s apparent on LOST THEMES II is the three of them wrote and performed these songs in a room together. Basically, it sounds more organically like a full on band. And the fact that this has led to John’s new-found career as a rock star is just so awesome. I love this album! Below is the official live music video for the opening track “Distant Dream.” And for fun, their second narrative video “Utopian Facade” is below that!
Below is an interview I conducted with William Lustig on our mutual love of movie soundtracks. Enjoy!
Rob G.: Bill, thanks for joining me today! Mondo has just released another vinyl reissue of Jay Chattaway’s MANIAC score. And I listened to an interview with him recently on the Talkin’ Trax podcast via the Damn Fine Network where he mentions how when you both first met, you had him over and played a bunch of your favorite soundtracks for him. It got me thinking, and I wanted to know what it was you referenced and tried to turn him onto? I just thought in general it’d be fun to talk about movie soundtracks!
Bill Lustig: Well, originally, MANIAC was going to be scored by Goblin. And the deal with Dario (Argento) didn’t happen for various reasons, so we were finishing up the movie and we had no one to score the film. Jay Chattaway, at that time, had never scored a film before. I was introduced to him as a prolific jazz arranger/producer, but he had never done a feature soundtrack. I can’t recall what it was that made us higher him! Maybe it was because he was willing to do it for the money we had available, which was all of $10,000. That included everything. Jay was hired and when he was, I played for him all the John Carpenter scores, Goblin – everything I could think of to try to open him up to the kind of music I was looking for. Well, what was interesting was after going through all that, Jay disregarded it all! And he really came up with a much more interesting score than anything I had presented to him. And I think it was a major reason for the success of MANIAC; that he created a score that gave Joe Spinell empathy, and it was something that was very unusual. I sat in on all the scoring sessions at a studio in Connecticut, I was quite amazed at what he had done. I wasn’t sure at first, but as we were getting into it, I could see that he came up with something very interesting.
Rob G.: It’s amazing to me that not only did that MANIAC score start a long-standing working relationship between you and Jay Chattaway for several more films, but also the amount of times MANIAC has come out in multiple formats! My personal favorite is the CD shaped like Joe Spinell’s head! (Laughs)
Bill Lustig: That was my favorite. I was shocked it worked and actually played! (Laughs)
Rob G.: It was also the first Mondo vinyl release! In general, how important is movie music to you, not just as a filmmaker but as a movie watcher?
Bill Lustig: Oh, very. It’s very important. The major influence, for me, music-wise was Ennio Morricone. I was and still am a huge Morricone fan. And what always interested me about the European genre films was how often the music in those films are in the forefront. Especially in certain sections of the movie. You would see that in Dario’s movies where he’d have these interludes where the music was front and center, versus, when I came to California and worked for CineTel, they looked upon music as secondary. They looked at it as an after-the-fact thing you add to the movie to maybe create or enhance emotion. I always looked at music as being integral to the movie. When I worked with Jay, I worked with him while we were shooting the movie. The mentality I found was that most studios would hire a composer after they finished the film. So, the way I saw European films and the way they treated music was always a huge influence on me.
Rob G.: You mentioned Morricone before. What I love about him is how vast his library is. What are some of your personal favorites by him?
Bill Lustig: My favorites of his scores are usually because of the directors he works with. Anything with Sergio Leone, of course, are my number one. Number two would be the Dario Argento movies. In fact, what’s funny is regarding THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, I think it was the first soundtrack LP I ever purchased. I remember it like it was yesterday! There was a record shop in New York called Colony Records. It’s no longer there, but Colony Records was one of the few places that imported LP’s. And I bought the Italian LP of THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE at Colony Records for $20 bucks! And we’re talking about back in 1969!
Rob G.: In the last year, I’ve been rediscovering a lot of the Morricone stuff. I saw THE GREAT SILENCE at the New Beverly, and thankfully that great score by reissued on vinyl. Just this weekend, I saw ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, and was reminded how fantastic that score was.
Bill Lustig: Oh, I love that one. Every time I see ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST and there’s that scene where Claudia Cardinale arrives by train. There’s a cue that rises as the camera rises over the building; you don’t see her, she’s walking through the station and when the camera settles above the train station and she emerges into this town filled with people, it always gives me tingles! It’s sure fire. Every time I see it and hear that cue, it affects me.
Rob G.: It’s movie magic, man!
Bill Lustig: Yeah, it really is. It’s a great moment in terms of merging music with cinema. It’s just incredible with how beautiful it is. I agree, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST is a masterpiece. I’ll tell you, some of his lesser known scores, I’ve used. For example, there was a score for a not-very-good George Kennedy revenge film called THE “HUMAN” FACTOR. And I remember I was working on an action film, and I had the soundtrack to that in my Walkman. And when I was doing action scenes, I would play the score in my headphones. I’d watch this scene that I’m shooting, while listening to Morricone’s score for THE “HUMAN” FACTOR. (Laughs)
Rob G.: And if it worked with that score as you were watching it, then you knew it was going to work!
Bill Lustig: I’m always thinking about music while I’m shooting. I always think of music cues. It’s intuitive to me.
Rob G.: Do you keep up on modern soundtracks? Any composers these days that excite you?
Bill Lustig: Honestly, I can’t think of a contemporary film with music that really stand out to me. It’s interesting, because I’ve heard so many compliments about the score to the MANIAC remake, and yet I listen to the score and it sounds so ordinary to me. It didn’t feel like it had its own voice. But other people have given it raves, so that’s good. But I like the guy who does all of Nicolas Winding Refn’s films, Cliff Martinez. Well, what scores have you heard lately that have affected you?
Rob G.: I like Rehn’s guy Cliff Martinez. I love the stuff that Jeff Grace does. He scores a lot of the Glass Eye Pix movies and he did THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, THE INNKEEPERS, I SELL THE DEAD, COLD IN JULY. Joe Bishara does interesting, scary things with his scores for INSIDIOUS and THE CONJURING films. I like the BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW soundtrack a lot.
Bill Lustig: You know which one I really liked? The score for IT FOLLOWS.
Rob G.: Oh right, by Disasterpeace! That’s a great, great score.
Bill Lustig: I thought that was really, really good. It was a movie where I thought the music worked so, so well.
Rob G.: Bill, thank you so much for your time and for talking soundtracks with me! Really appreciate it!
The work week is tough. Life, in general, tends to be too. So, I'm a strong believer in keeping a delicate balance between all things and occasionally treating yourself to the sometimes surprising fruits of life. I adhere to one simple piece of advice gifted to me by the great Agent Cooper of TWIN PEAKS.
"Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it, don’t wait for it, just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair or two cups of good hot black coffee." "A present. Like Christmas!"
The daily coffee "present" is a given. I dropped the low-brand stuff a while back and only drink good quality coffee, because... well, life is short and you should never cheap out when it comes to coffee, cheese or toilet paper.
I also tend to have ice cream or milkshakes regularly, because if there's anything that can brighten any day, it'd be ice cream!
But, I'd say every other week, as soon as I'm finished with my weekly workload, usually around mid-day Thursday, I go record/movie shopping. I don't really have a wishlist. For me, I love the spontaneity of it all. I like the idea of leaving my apartment one afternoon, and having no idea what goodies I might possibly come home with later. The thrill of the hunt!
Another ritual I partake in while I'm out in the wild & skimming fast and furiously through record bins, is to text back and forth with my brother from another mother, and overall soundtrack expert/fellow enthusiast Tony Giles. For those of you that don't know him, he's the co-host (along with Scott Johannsson) of The Damn Fine Cast, one of my favorite podcasts on the web that specifically covers soundtrack releases on vinyl. And over the last few years, not only have we repeatedly guested on each other's shows, but we've become good buddies! So, I like vicariously taking Tony record shopping with me.
This week, I hit my usually Burbank spot Atomic Records and immediately stumbled upon this vinyl edition of VERTIGO. I had never seen this particular cover, and I couldn't tell if it was the original score or a performance of it, so I texted this photo to Tony for spiritual and financial guidance. Is this worth $15 bucks to me? Should I go for it?
Before he texted me back with the facts, I had already decided to put it back. Sometimes you just know. "It's a Dutch import reissue of the original version." You know.... if it were PSYCHO, I'd buy it because I buy anything PSYCHO related, but for now, this particular VERTIGO was going to be a pass.
Now, it's not an easy thing to put a record back anymore. I had the lovely opportunity to interview Henry Rollins last year for a documentary project I'm working on (and have vaguely alluded to repeatedly in this blog.... but DETAILS SOON, I SWEAR!), and there was one quote that has stuck with me ever since. He said (and I'm paraphrasing), "you never regret the records you buy, you only regret the records you don't buy." So, ever since he put that damned notion in my head, I've been inclined to act on instinct and just buy it! But alas, I did show some self control this time. So, no VERTIGO!
I mean, you never know what you're going to find on any given record store stop. For example, if you want to own a record from a total douchebag, Scott Baio's "The Boys Are Out Tonight" (no doubt about him and Trump) is available for a mere $3.99!
Nah, pass.
But then there's the random finds you just can't pass on. THE BANGLES "Hazy Shade Of Winter" on 12" caught the corner of my eye. Wait, what?! Multiple remixes? 4 versions of that same song? For $3.99? SOLD! Also, one of the few Scream Factory titles I neglected to pick up when it initially came out, RAVENOUS for $7.99.
I was just about ready to call it quits when I briefly thumbed through one more aisle and spotted this. "Spin The Wheel" by HI-TEK3 from the 1990 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES movie. For $2.99! This is most certainly a nostalgic buy. I already have the original motion picture soundtrack for TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES on vinyl, as well as the 12" single for "Turtle Power" by Partners In Krime. So, this seemed like a no brainer.
My final tally, which also included Jack Johnson's second album "On and On" came to $30 bucks total with tax. Not bad. For that amount, I came home with several records and a movie I didn't anticipate I'd want or need to own, and yet here they are. (RE: Jack Johnson, I actually love his first 2 albums and didn't realize they were on vinyl, so had to snag it!)
The thrill of the hunt.
A present to myself. At least that's how it feels to me.
Getting the chance to grow up as an impressionable teenager in the 90's was pretty darned awesome. Not even going to front. Especially considering the explosion of good music that was happening in the wake of Nirvana's success.
To give context, we were literally discovering new bands every week. Normally the artists that the big ones would cite as their musical influences, or bring along as opening acts for their tours would be the ones we immediately had to seek out.
But long before You Tube, the Internet or DVD's, there was something special about just catching a band live on TV. I'd wait up for 120 Minutes on MTV (back when they actually played music videos) or the MTV Music Video Awards, or David Letterman, or hell - the Jon Stewart Show! He had a great little talk show on MTV long before The Daily Show days where he'd get so many great up and coming bands to perform. Because they were always struggling to fill seats for the Jon Stewart Show, which filmed in New York City, my friends and I would go regularly for free. I got to see L7 on one episode in person. Maggie Estep on another. The luck of the draw was usually pretty strong for us in terms of musical guests when we went.
The unpredictable nature of live TV also added to the strange excitement of watching one of your favorite bands perform, as you'll see in some of my examples below. Now, I don't want this to come across as me reminiscing about the good ol' days or anything. Sure, I can distinctly remember seeing all of the below as they happened and still have them on VHS tapes in boxes in my closet. What I find amazing is how easily accessible these performances are these days on places like You Tube. Our natural inclination to tape them as they happened was because of a strange sense to preserve what was happening, not realizing in the moment that this stuff was destined to live on in future formats. I mean, there are gigs I remember being at very specifically, and 20 years later, I can watch a bootleg clip of it on You Tube from a completely different angle. It's truly amazing.
Nowadays, as soon as an act performs live on the Late Show, we can jump on You Tube or Hulu the next day and see it. That's why I like the low-fi quality of the following. It reminds me of a time when I felt like if you missed it, you missed out! I wanted to try to share that feeling with all of you. So from that era, here are some of my absolute favorite live performances from the 90's.
THE BEASTIE BOYS "Sabotage" Live from the David Letterman Show (1994)
I was sitting in the Chinese Theater earlier this summer enjoying STAR TREK BEYOND in 3D IMAX. And now with this new incarnation of Star Trek, The Beastie Boys most famous track "Sabotage" has become synonymous with the franchise. But quite frankly, the way they incorporated it into STAR TREK BEYOND is probably the best usage we'll ever get of the track! That, coupled with the recent interview I conducted with Money Mark for my new documentary project, put this particular performance back in my brain. They played a lot in support of "Ill Communication," but there's a vibrant punk rock energy & aesthetic to this David Letterman performance that has remained unmatched. They played "Sabotage" again a few months later on the MTV Music Video Awards, and it was good, but this is by far their best performance of this song. Check it!
NIRVANA "Rape Me/Lithium" MTV Music Awards (1992)
This is one of those examples of the unpredictable nature of live TV! All future airings of this particular performance were edited, but thankfully, it's on You Tube and a part of rock history. Nirvana had hit big with "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which was up for several award nominations here. And they'd already released music videos for "Come As You Are" and "Lithium," which had just debuted on the network. They wanted to come out and perform a brand new song "Rape Me." MTV apparently freaked and forbid them for doing so, threatening to pull the plug if they play anything other than "Teen Spirit" or "Lithium." After much reluctance, the band had opted to play their latest single. Behind-the-scenes, in the back stage area prior to the show, the members of Nirvana had gotten into an altercation with Guns N Roses. So when this originally aired, Nirvana played the first few chords of "Rape Me" before switching into "Lithium." I remember this was the first time I heard "Rape Me" and thought, "whoa, what song is THAT?!" At the end of the performance, Chris Novoselic did his infamous bass toss and for the first time in the band's history, missed and hit himself in the head, hard! Dave Grohl, still angry about their Guns N Roses scuffle, is pounding the drums harder than he ever has, and while Kurt destroys his gear, comes up to the mic to call out Axel Rose on live TV! All of this was cut out later, but watching it live was truly something else. Have a look for yourself.
PEARL JAM "Animal" MTV Music Awards (1993)
Pearl Jam were in a similar situation as Nirvana the year prior where they wanted to play their cover of The Dead Boys "Sonic Reducer" and were forced by MTV execs to instead perform "Jeremy," their big hit at the time. A whole lot can change in the span of a year! By 1993, they were given carte blanche to do whatever they wanted, so they debuted a brand new song from their upcoming album "Five Against One," which was at the last minute changed to VS. As soon as they wrapped "Animal," they brought out Neil Young and performed "Rockin' In The Free World" with him. While that's cool too, I was more blown away by the furiosity of this "Animal" song! Plus, Mike McReady plays a completely different solo here than what ended up on the official studio recording, and I like this solo better, especially when the final chorus kicks in. This actual performance was released as the B-side to a cassingle (that'd be a cassette single for you youngans out there), but I can't recall the A side, and I've since sadly lost that tape. This still remains one of my favorite by the band from this era.
L7 "Pretend We're Dead" Live From David Letterman (1992)
There's something hilarious about watching David Letterman's band, led by Paul Shaffer, play along with the riotous L7 on their hit single "Pretend We're Dead." I mean, very few bands at that time rocked as hard as L7 did. And I saw them several times, so I know! But this in particular always stood out as my favorite performance by them, complete with Letterman's quirky jokes about hoping that "the girls aren't neglecting their studies." Don't worry, Dave! They weren't. I've gotten to know Jennifer in the last year and a half and she's one of the smartest, most well-versed people I've ever been friends with. Oh, and her and the girls rock harder than just about everyone.
HUM "Stars" Howard Stern Show / 120 Minutes (1995)
This is a two-parter because they go hand in hand and are both just beyond awesome. I remember first hearing HUM's single "Stars," and just being blown away by it. I also remember speculating with my friend (and bandmate at the time) Pete that there's no way they could sound as good live as on the recording. We figured there would be feedback galore, and the heaviness would get lost in distortion. And boy were we wrong! I caught them playing the track on 120 Minutes (below) and they were the real deal! But also strange and of note, their biggest fan was Howard Stern! I listened to Howard in those days and his tastes were always a bit puzzling, but I loved how much he loved this band, and in particular the song "Stars." So he had them on his morning talk show, and although it was not even remotely set-up for a proper live performance, he insisted they play "Stars" live on the air. So below is that performance, with the members of HUM literally scattered throughout different rooms of the studio. It's a bit messy considering their set-up, but the heart is all there. So below are both the Stern appearance and 120 Minutes performance.
OASIS "Live Forever" at Glastonbury (1995)
Ah, Oasis! I've always loved them. From the moment I read about them and heard the track "Supersonic," I knew this was right up my alley. They came across as The Beatles meets The Sex Pistols and had tremendous attitude before they were rock stars! I bought the "Supersonic" single before "Definitely Maybe" came out, and also on that CD5 was the track "Live Forever," which immediately became one of my all time favorite pop rock tunes. With the exception of their first NY gig at the Wetlands, I caught every single one of their New York shows and watched them outgrow The Academy, then Roseland, then Jones Beach and ascend to Madison Square Garden. They really hit their peak when they released "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?" and got a new drummer. The first single before that 2nd album came out was "Roll With It," and the B-side was this live version of "Live Forever" from Glastonbury. Now, I'd never seen this performance until putting together this blog, but I used to listen to it over and over, because the way drummer Alan White elevated this track and turned it into an arena rock anthem is astonishing. Just listen to his drum roll fills leading into each chorus! Magnificent. They were always a stellar live band, in particular when you got to hear an entire audience belt out "Don't Look Back In Anger," but this recording of "Live Forever" is my personal fave.
THE TOADIES "Possum Kingdom" Live on 120 Minutes (1995)
Despite being considered a "one-hit wonder" from the grunge era for this particular song, The Toadies were so vastly underrated. Hell, they are probably the only band I've seen live that could cover "Where Is My Mind?" by The Pixies and give the original song a run for it's money! I also loved bassist Lisa Umbarger, a bad-ass that usually would wear a hockey Jersey and just rock the F out. To see just how good they were, here they are performing "Possum Kingdom" on 120 Minutes. (Side-note: ever notice how darned creepy and weird the lyrics are? Pretty sure it's from the perspective of a serial killer. Just sayin'!)
JAWBOX "Savory" Live on 120 Minutes (1994)
One of those bands in the mid-90's that never got their proper due, and yet were so highly influential, let's give it up for Jawbox, shall we? And although "Savory" was their "single," there were so many epic tracks between their 2 Atlantic Record releases that I liked more. However, in recent years, I've grown to appreciate this as a perfectly written and executed post-hardcore "indie" song. Members of The Deftones and FAR later did a kick-ass cover of this, but really, you can't top Jawbox! I also recall a performance of "Motorist" from this same live studio session, but sadly it's nowhere to be found on You Tube. One of these days, I'll transfer all of my VHS tapes to digital and share. But until then, check out this version of "Savory" live!
SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE "In Circles" 120 Minutes / "Seven" The Jon Stewart Show (1994)
The forefathers that were credited with inventing "emo," nothing compares to the original incarnation of Sunny Day Real Estate!!! I used to order random 7 inch singles from the Sub Pop store, even if I'd never heard of the band, because I figured a few bucks to sample 2 tracks from an up and coming band was a low-risk gamble. And I'll never forget when "Thief Steal Me A Peach" by Sunny Day Real Estate showed up at my door. It came with an elaborate booklet, and the tracks were simply titled "Song #8" and "Song #9." There was a raw intensity to the band that I immediately called over my friends and told them, "you have to hear this!" We were lucky enough to see them a few times during their initial run. And although they got back together with the original line-up a few years back, it was a whole different animal in 94-95. The energy in the room was intense. It felt like a band, seething with all this animosity for each other, barely able to keep themselves together. Let alone, in tune! And yet, it hit the audience like a ton of bricks when they actually played. Below are two examples, "In Circles" live from 120 Minutes and then "Seven" live from the Jon Stewart Show.
SMILE "Jack Shrimp" Live at Brownies, NYC (1995)
Now we're delving into bands that I sadly never got to see, but later got to vicariously enjoy via the magical world of You Tube! For example, SMILE! I was only 19 years old when they performed in NYC in support of their epic debut album "Maquee." And Brownie's was a NYC bar with a very strict "21 and over" only policy. So I was crushed that I never got to see SMILE until only a few years ago on their reunion tour opening for OZMA. Alas, I stumbled upon this video from the very show I remember being so bummed I had to miss, and nothing quite matches the manic energy of "Maquee." They went "surf rock" for their follow up album "Girl Crushes Boy," which I don't really like nearly as much as their first record, but I mean, look at them. This drummer is insane! And they were one of the biggest influences on my band at the time Pretty Polly.
FAILURE "Smoking Umbrellas" Live 1997
Another band I completely missed out on was Failure. "Fantastic Planet" was this amazing concept album from start to finish filled with dreamy, catchy rock songs. It also became a huge influence on myself and my bandmates because it was beyond what anyone was doing at the time. I got to see them perform that album last week as part of it's 20th anniversary celebration, but before that, I had to watch the below clip in awe. So glad they're back together. If you don't know them, seek out "Fantastic Planet" asap. A Perfect Circle covered the track "The Nurse Who Loved Me," and we can thank Maynard from TOOL for getting them back together. He apparently asked them to reform and play at his 50th birthday bash.
THE MUFFS "Agony" Live at CBGB's 8/23/95
For everyone, there are probably 5 or so shows that will forever stand out in your mind as the most epic things you've ever been able to experience as a music fan. For me, one of those gigs will always be the first time I saw punk-pop trio The Muffs at CBGB's. I was up front when the drummer Roy McDonald asked me if I'd run across the street and pick them up a few bottles of bottled water, in exchange for a T-Shirt. I complied! And the thing is this, I loved The Muffs on record. But I had no idea just how raunchy and punk rock they would be live! So when they took the stage, lead singer/guitarist Kim Shattuck was spitting all over the place and screaming like a banshee. Bassist Ronnie Barnett fell backwards into the crowd during the 2nd track. I will never, ever forget the experience of standing there and being blown the F away by the sheer punk rock power of The Muffs. Cut to 20 years later, I'm prepping for an interview with Kim for my doc, and going down the You Tube rabbit hole. Low and behold, I find the exact show I was at, only from a different angle! And it's so surreal to have this memory for 2 decades and then to get the opportunity to relive it all these years later when the thought never crossed my mind that you could do that. Below is that entire show, but I'd recommend at the very least watching the first 2 songs from the set list, "Agony" and "Lucky Guy."
THE BREEDERS "Cannonball" MTV Studios 1993
Really, what can I say about The Breeders? I came to them thanks to constant mentions from Nirvana. Loved their first album "Pod." Loved "Last Splash" even more. And forever had a crush on Kim Deal from the moment I first caught the music video for "Cannonball." She reminded me so much of my friends older sister that I also had a crush on, and I think that's basically who she was to a lot of impressionable teenagers in the 90's. That cool older sister your friend had that everyone was in love with. Here's their 2 singles "Cannonball" and "Divine Hammer," the perviest single to ever play on MTV!
CONCRETE BLONDE "Heal It Up" Live on The Jon Stewart Show
This is top of my list in terms of performances. I loved Concrete Blonde, but sometimes, you come across a voice that just makes your soul ache because it's that great. Johnette Napolitano was that voice. From the moment I heard her belt out the chorus to "Heal It Up," I knew I had to up my game as a singer, and then realized I just suck compared to this amazing woman. "Heal It Up" could be in my top 5 songs of all time and it's all because of Johnette's emotional performance. See for yourself!
STABBING WESTWARD "Shame" Live at the MTV Studios 1996
I literally can go on and on and on with examples of more live performances from this era, but I've got to try be productive with my day in other areas! So I'm going to wrap it up with a slightly off-kilter choice. And who knows? Maybe I'll do a "Part Two" to this eventually. Stabbing Westward were kind of a Nine Inch Nails knock-off in the mid 90's. They were pretty darned good, even if now in retrospect, the lyrics are a bit silly and immature angst-ridden non-sense. But I'll tell you one thing, they were amazing live. I got to see them do a tiny club gig at Coney Island High (RIP) in NYC in celebration of their 3rd album "Darkest Days," and when they got to their encore of "Shame," the place was pure pandemonium. I recall distinctly a guy jumping up on stage and headbanging along with singer Christopher Hall before joining him in screaming the chorus into the mic. I wish a video of that gig existed somewhere but sadly it does not, unless someone shot it and is holding out! But instead, here they are performing "Shame" on 120 Minutes.
Hope you enjoyed this stroll down memory lane, and perhaps we'll do it again! I still get lost occasionally in the You Tube rabbit hole, so if there are any performances you remember from this time period that had as profound an impact on you as some of these did for me, please feel free to comment them below so I can check them out! Until next episode...
In the great words of Roger Murtaugh, "I'll too old for this shit."
At least that's how I feel these days when it comes to going to concerts, which is why I rarely go! But alas, somehow, because of my naivety in planning, I managed to purchase tickets to two shows that happen to fall consecutively two nights in a row.
I mean, I went to a lot of shows in my youth. I've seen just about everyone I've ever wanted to see. I saw Nirvana, both electric and at their infamous MTV Unplugged show. I got to see David Bowie perform all his greatest hits at Queens College. Members of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson playing Twisted Sister songs with Dee Snider at the Elbow Room in Manhattan. Portishead's legendary Roseland show that became their live album. The Ramones. Morrissey in Central Park. Not to mention all the amazing shows at CBGB's: The Melvins, The Muffs, Vision Of Disorder.
So, it's rare I'd feel the need to see shows these days, because I've already seen it all. But when these two came up, I couldn't pass them up.
First up, SURVIVE, the electronic act that I first discovered for their music in the 2014 flick THE GUEST, were doing a gig at the Echoplex. And several months back, my buddy Mike Williamson alerted me to the return of 90's grunge prodigal sons FAILURE, who would be playing in it's entirety, their album "Fantastic Planet" from start to finish in celebration of it's 20th anniversary. Failure is not only one of my favorite bands that inspired me back in my late teens / early 20's, but "Fantastic Planet" in particular is essential listening. There were a handful of albums that became so indelible and influential to me as I was learning to hone my own craft of songwriting. (That's for another blog!) And for whatever reason, Failure always alluded me live. I don't recall them coming around to New York that often, if at all, during the height of my fandom for them. So up until now, I'd never seen them.
If you're reading this, then you no doubt know that horror is my business, for better or worse. And being that I write about horror movies on a daily basis, October becomes somewhat of a problematic month in terms of properly rationing my time. But again, I bought these concert tickets ages ago, and didn't think about how they'd fallen directly at the beginning of the busy Halloween season.
Another sting was that I had to attend both shows on my own. I normally don't care about that sort of thing. I go to movies by myself all the time, but I'm a little anxious when it comes to going to shows. You have to time it out so perfectly. You have to plan for expensive parking lots, unless you're lucky enough to stumble upon an open street parking space. A damned rarity for Hollywood. I've sat through enough opening acts in my day that I just don't have the energy, patience or stamina to stand in the same spot for hours on end anymore.
So, with SURVIVE, I tried to arrive as late as possible in the hopes I'd make it just in time. My date for the evening was feeling ill, and had to bail last minute, which was OK, because then I could just wing the entire evening. After a few strolls around the sketchy neighborhood that harbors the Echoplex, I miraculously found free parking in a small outdoor lot! It was already just past 9PM as I arrived and that was exactly when the parking time was up! I walked into the packed venue to learn that my timing wasn't nearly as spot on as I'd hoped. I would have to sit through one opening act before SURVIVE took the stage. I managed to find a predominantly uninhabited spot to the right of the sound board, which was in the center of the venue. As I got settled leaning up against the booth, MAJEURE took the stage and settled up behind a full drum kit.
I don't have any problem with electronic music, but it's a bit weird to see it performed live because for the most part, all you're going to see is some really, really high guys standing still behind a laptop and keyboard occasionally bopping their head, and maybe someone in the audience will actually dance to it rather than foolishly just staring at a guy playing a loop. But alas, you never know what you're going to get, and in the case of MAJEURE, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise! MAJEURE is actually Anthony Paterra, whom along with Steve Moore make up the prog-y band ZOMBI. Here, he played live drums over a series of synth programmed samples and selections. So, although it was something that required a laptop and a keyboard, it benefited greatly from watching this guy pound along on the drums the entire time too. He was wrapped before I knew it, and I patiently waited for SURVIVE to make their 11PM call time. (Is it me, or is is it... yawwwwn... getting late?)
As the minutes went on, of course my safe haven spot had been invaded by crowds of people trying to get a closer look. A couple next to me got a little too close for comfort, but I was already up against the wall of the sound booth, so there really wasn't anywhere else I could go. And then directly next to me, a large 6 and a half foot man suddenly appeared who would periodically cough aloud, as the neurotic in me started freaking out that I hadn't taken enough Vitamin C that day.
It was a bit late, but finally SURVIVE took the stage and my excitement immediately waned. It was 4 dudes, behind 4 keyboards that were cranked really, really loud, not doing much else except occasionally sipping at a beer. The energy level was low, and no one around me was really dancing. The second track in the set was "Hourglass," one of my personal favorites and most well know as the song playing in the bar scene of THE GUEST. And... it sounded kind of puny in comparison to the album version. I mean, it was loud, for sure. But it just didn't sound... right.
Regardless, I stuck it out, and the next song was both equal parts loud and drastically out of tune. Look - maybe I was already in a bad mood coming into the venue. It was late. It was an inconvenient time. I not only had to eat the 2nd ticket I paid for for this show, but a few weeks back, I ate an additional ticket to see DJ Christian James Hand perform his shtick. And later this month, I have to miss a special charity screening of CARRIE that I already paid for. So I guess I wasn't in the best of moods, but these guys weren't blowing me away either. At all. At least with John Carpenter's band it was a full on band, all playing their respective instruments and making each track sound even better live than it ever did on record. Here, it was the opposite. It made me want to go home and just crank my SURVIVE LP's. So halfway through the set, that's exactly what I did. I went home.
I started to wonder, is something wrong with me? Have I seen too many shows? Have I finally hit the age where this doesn't excite me anymore? Am I too old for these hip young electronic acts? I don't know. All I knew was I was still going to see the mighty FAILURE, even though I had to brave that show alone as well.
The ticket for that show said 8PM doors and 9PM show time. There were no opening acts listed anywhere online, including The Roxy's webpage. And since this was advertised as the band playing one of their fairly epic albums from start to finish, I assumed I wouldn't have to make it there until just before 9, and I was right. I bit the bullet and paid for the $10 dollar parking in the lot next door, which coupled with the hefty $45 ticket price brought this evening up to a $55 dollar street value. The venue was tiny, and already pretty full, but even being in the far back as I was, wasn't too far from the main stage and would be totally suitable to enjoy the performance. It didn't help that literally all of the tallest guys in Los Angeles had decided to attend this gig, and felt their height had earned them the right to be closer to the stage than the other mostly vertically challenged patrons.
At about 9PM, we were treating to a 20-some-odd-minute short film produced by the band to coincide with their 20th anniversary. It had some pretty spacey visuals including a close up of a couple lying on a blanket in the park as the camera view pulled back and back and back until we were in the vast emptiness of cold space, millions of meters away. Then some random movie clips started playing, some with subtitles that were impossible to see because this tiny venue was packed and the screen was stage level. THE SPY WHO LOVED ME opened credits played inter-cut with members of the band in the montage sequence, followed by a few creepy moments of HAL in 2001. And then, finally... FAILURE took the stage.
Again, I had never seen this band live before. And they were among my biggest musical heroes. I had waited a long time for this moment. I hope I was ready for it. And then, the first few chords of album opener "Saturday Savior" began. Ken Andrews voice couldn't have been crisper, cleaner or more perfect. And when the distortion and drums kicked in for the chorus, a wave of sound hit me head on, and I was truly swept away. They were amazing. And the power of a good live act was well in tact, after the previous night's disappointment.
That's not to say there weren't the usual obstacles present when it comes to sharing confined space with large groups of sweaty, beer guzzling people. I had already mentioned the over population of tall people, right? Well, yet again, there was a rather large gentleman standing directly next to me with long shoulder-length curly hair. As the band rocked the pillars, he was headbanging furiously and on the first head swing, his sweat hit the side of my face. Sure, it was kinda gross, but after all this is a rock show. And when a few minutes later in between songs, he cried out, "this is the best thing of ever and I'm loving it!" His like-minded enthusiasm won me over.
I usually hate when people spend an entire show with their phone in the air documenting the whole show, and I didn't want to be one of those assholes. But fuck it. I paid $45 bucks. And I was standing pretty close to the back. I wanted to at the very least document a few seconds of my favorite tracks off the album. So I tried to time it for a chorus here, or a guitar solo there, very sparsely through out the show. But again, those tall peeps. So I had to put my arm up pretty high to get the decent quality video you see here in this blog. After this one from "The Nurse Who Loved Me," some semi-drunk guy behind me with a beer in his hand yelled at me to put my phone away, man. I promised him it was just for that solo, and he still gave me a dirty look. Shrugs. Screw you, man. I'm 40. And this is my first time seeing FAILURE!!!
Joke's on both of us, I guess! I noticed they were in fact taping the evenings gig, so maybe there will be a live DVD or Blu-Ray of this sucker coming out in the not-too-distant future. And against all better judgement, the merch table has something I couldn't pass up. Original vinyl copies of "Fantastic Planet" for $50 bucks. I know, I know. That's steep. But jump on Discogs and you'll see the lowest it is on there is usually in the $160 dollar range. These were brand new sealed copies of one of my favorite albums of all time! I had to have one as I left the venue.
And that's when all these random thoughts from the previous two nights began swimming around in my head, and inevitably were destined for this blog. Because one night I thought I was too old for this shit. And the next, I'd witnessed one of the best shows I'd ever seen in my life. In the top 10 and one I'll always tell people about.
I guess you're never too old for this show going thing. For all the follies that surround them, including parking and the people around you, the reward is sometimes a life long memory to cherish forever.
By the time Pearl Jam had released their third single and video from their debut album, TEN, in late 1992, they were already on the cusp of super stardom, following in line with a long list of Seattle-based bands that the media and record labels were hoping would be “the next Nirvana.” They’d already successfully made two well-received live music videos for their previous singles “Alive” and “Evenflow.” But “Jeremy” marked the first (and only) time they delved into narrative storytelling to enhance their music visually. It was a long & turbulent road to make the “Jeremy” music video a reality, but when the dust settled, the video clip ended up winning 4 MTV Video Music Awards, opened up the floor to serious discussions about the troubles of our youth and simultaneously catapulted the band into the stratosphere of rock fame.
In the summer of 1991, frontman and lead singer Eddie Vedder struck up a friendship with photographer Chris Cuffaro and invited him to direct their next music video based upon whichever song he wanted off of TEN. Cuffaro chose “Jeremy,” but Epic Records was against both the song as the next single and Cuffaro as the helmer. Hence, Cuffaro raised the money himself and shot the original video version of “Jeremy” in a warehouse in Los Angeles in October of 1991. The clip featured the band performing the song on a circular moving platform, cut with quick sections of Jeremy, played by Eric Schubert, being pensive in his room.
The video was rejected by Epic, but they had a change of heart regarding “Jeremy” being the 3rd single & suggested another attempt with Mark Pellington at the helm. Vedder hopped on the phone and had a conversation with the up-and-coming director, and immediately, the two were on the same page about the vision for the short. The Pellington version would primarily focus on Vedder singing the main parts from the song, while cutting to a narrative story featuring the inner turmoil of teenager Jeremy, played by Trevor Wilson. Ignored by his parents, and shunned by his teachers & classmates, Jeremy lives in his own world, until that burden becomes too much. At the close of the video, Jeremy enters his classroom, throws an apple at his teacher, puts a revolver into his mouth and takes his own life in front of his peers. The powerful story from Vedder’s lyrics became fully realized in a commercial pop music video that was intended to air to the masses on MTV.
Although the music video was cut by Bruce Ashley, a veteran in the professional editing world, the biggest challenge came in properly articulating the ending. Due to MTV’s strict restrictions and personal issues with a gun physically being seen on screen, the conclusion of the short as it aired on the network has become confusing. It’s something that has frustrated the director and editor ever since its release. Closing on a shot of fellow students covered in blood, people assumed that Jeremy had raised his gun and killed his fellow students, when in actuality, they filmed the young boy putting the gun into his mouth; a shot which had to be zoomed in on to meet airing regulations. The intention is that his blood is literally on their hands. (The original uncensored director’s cut is above.)
Regardless of people’s interpretations of the video, the lyrics themselves are clear, and the message, potent. “Jeremy spoke in class today.” The one time everyone finally listened. “Try to forget this. Try to erase this. From the blackboard.” His last act of desperation, forever embedded into the psyche of these kids. And the saddest revelation was that the story of Jeremy was in fact based on a real teenager that Vedder had read about in the newspaper.
Jeremy Wade Delle was a shy 15-year-old sophomore at Richardson High School in Richardson, Texas; just outside of Dallas. His parents, Joseph R. Delle and Wanda Crane were divorced. Jeremy lived with his father and was described by his fellow classmates as “real quiet,” yet funny. Classmate Sean Forrester told The Dallas Morning News, “He never looked like he had anything wrong with him. He always made a joke over everything.” He also frequently passed notes with Lisa Moore, whom he’d often see in detention. “He signed all of his notes, ‘Write back.’ But on Monday he wrote, ‘Later days.’ I didn’t know what to make of it,” she said. “But I never thought this would happen.”
On the morning of January 8th, 1991, Jeremy Wade Delle walked into his classroom late. His teacher insisted he go get a tardy slip. He returned at 9:45am, said aloud, “Miss, I got what I really went for,” put a .357-calibur Magnum into his mouth, and killed himself in front of his class. The stunned students and teacher didn’t have any time to react. He died instantly.
What really happened to Jeremy to drive him to suicide? Was it incessant bullying from his classmates? A broken home? Or depression? Although unconfirmed, it’s said that Jeremy wrote several hand-written suicide notes to close friends, along with recording an audio cassette outlining his plan, but none have ever been made publicly available, nor do any give much insight into why he did it. His suicide was no doubt intended to traumatize his classmates, some of whom may have been the bullies. Sheryl Pender, a counselor with Willow Park Hospital in Plano told The Dallas Morning News that the witnesses will likely never get over this ordeal. “They are going to go through a ton of sadness, anxiety and fear.”
What’s more shocking than Jeremy’s death is that this wasn’t an isolated incident or the first time this had happened there. The history of suicides in Richardson is a strange one. Prior to Delle’s 1991 suicide, three Richardson students took their lives during the first half of 1988. In 1985, a 17-year-old Arlington student had shot himself in front of his drama class. Eight youths killed themselves in Plano between 1983 and 1984. In 1982, the year prior, 28 suicides were reported.
With “Jeremy,” Pearl Jam had tapped into something in the public subconscious and brought to the surface issues that no one wanted to talk about. Bullying. Depression. Suicide. Gun Violence. “Nobody was talking about kids and guns then,” Pellington told Smashbox Studios in a recent interview. “This was seven years before Columbine.” I think what “Jeremy,” both the song and video, show is that anyone could easily become Jeremy.
The middle section of the song is actually inspired by another teen that Vedder knew in junior high school. In a 1991 interview, Vedder talked a bit about a kid named Brian he knew in San Diego and would often get into fights with in the halls. Brian brought a gun to school one day and shot up the oceanography room, thankfully not hurting himself or anyone else. “A lot of people interpret it different ways and it’s just been recently that I’ve been talking about the true meaning behind it,” Vedder said in this vintage interview. “I hope no one’s offended and believe me, I think of Jeremy when I sing it.”
Because of the massive success of the video, which helped push Pearl Jam to the top of the billboard charts, the band slowly began withdrawing from their public persona. They decided to stop making music videos for MTV to promote their albums (with the one exception of the 1998 animated video for "Do The Evolution"), and picked battles with corporate giants like Ticketmaster over monopolizing the monetization of the concert going experience. For a few years there, they even tried to omit “Jeremy” from their set list or play alternate versions of it live. As a fan, I initially felt a bit of disappointment that they ran from the attention that video & song garnered as opposed to embracing it. If anything, it showed the power that a piece of art can have on the general public, and it opened up discussions that otherwise wouldn’t have been brought up.
Then again, maybe there was more to it than not wanting to play their “big hit” anymore? There comes a certain responsibility with putting out any art into the world, and perhaps “Jeremy” was too much, too soon for the band. In my research for this article, I stumbled upon this letter drafted by Jeremy Delle’s father that made me take pause and look at both the song & story slightly differently.
For director Mark Pellington and editor Bruce Ashley, they’ve maintained their working relationship and continued to collaborate on things that raise awareness, like this Coalition To Stop Gun Violence public service announcement video.
Nearly 25 years later, “Jeremy” is still just as powerful a song & video as the day it was released, and if anything, should continue to elicit & inspire conversations. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. If you or anyone you know is suffering from depression, there is always help and there is always someone to talk to. There are several great organizations linked below, or you can chat anonymously with someone at this link.
Whew! It's been a while, hasn't it? And apologies. For those of you that don't follow my exploits outside of this music related blog, about a year ago I was hired to be the senior editor of the Blumhouse.com website. A place where you can find articles on horror toys, retrospectives on classic and contemporary movies, music, true crime, real life scares and beyond! Basically, Blumhouse.com is "a celebration of all things scary."
And it's been great thus far! But also time consuming and a lot of work to maintain. But alas, in between that gig, I've still been trucking along, slowly but surely making great progress on my new documentary project with the great Buz Wallick and Joe Maddrey. And I've still got music on the brain every single day. My 40th (!) birthday just passed earlier this week and as I've grown accustomed to doing, I decided I wanted to yet again gift all my friends with a new mix CD.
2 years ago, I kicked it off with my epic "80's Movie Music Mix." (Read the full details on that one here.) Last year, I waited until October to unleash my "Halloween Hits!" mix. This year, I set my sights on a sub-genre that is near and dear to me. Oldies! Primarily, the majority of my selections are from the late 50's with one minor exception. (More on that in a minute.)
This all came to be a few short months ago when I got together with my buddy Robbie Ikegami. Robbie and I used to work together at Amoeba Music over in Hollywood and our constant back & forth banter amused most of our fellow co-workers. Enough so to inspire the collective nick name of "The Rob Couple," a play on "The Odd Couple." We both embrace our similarities and differences, and play up to this comedic persona. Every couple of months, we'll get together for a catch up session. Last time he picked me up in his convertible, I believe he had an Amazon Playlist set to all oldies music. Jackie Wilson's "To Be Loved" came on, we cranked it while cruising on Ventura Blvd with the top down, and I was reminded of just how great of a pop song it really is.
From that afternoon on, I became obsessed with re-discovering all my favorite "oldies" artists and songs. A big part of it plays into the music I myself have been writing over the course of the last year. I used to be so used to starting with a guitar riff or musical idea, building on that, and my last step would be to figure out melodies and lyrics. But because of this oldies kick, I instead have reverse engineered all my latest songs, starting first with the catchiest melody I can think of and working backwards to figure out what chords or music should compliment it.
In doing so, I started really analyzing and breaking down some of my favorite late 50's hits. They're so simple, straight forward, rather brief and often build these gorgeous harmonies between several singers. While this style and academic breakdown have influenced my songwriting as of late, it also inspired me to collect the best batch of feel-good songs. Literally, a new CD mix filled with non-stop good vibes. And after months of testing, I think I finally got it!
If I bumped into you in the last week or so, then you would've been treated to my latest:
"Oldies But Goodies: A Rob G Mix Vol. 3"
Track listing:
1. Hound Dog by Elvis Presley
2. Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets
3. Come On Let's Go by Ritchie Valens
4. Be My Baby by The Ronettes
5. Wouldn't It Be Nice by The Beach Boys
6. Oh Boy! by Buddy Holly
7. Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) by The Penguins
8. Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry
9. To Be Loved by Jackie Wilson
10. Tutti Frutti by Little Richard
11. Danke Schoen by Wayne Newton
12. Twist And Shout by The Beatles
13. Lollipop by Chordettes
14. Come Go With Me by The Del-Vikings
15. Yakety Yak by The Coasters
16. Respect by Aretha Franklin
17. Do You Love Me by The Contours
18. December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
19. Stand By Me by Ben E. King
20. Great Balls Of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis
21. Shout, Pts. 1 & 2 by The Isley Brothers
I can think of no better way to kick off an "oldies" mix than with "The King" himself, Mister Elvis Presley. "Rock Around The Clock," believe it or not, has been floating in my mind for a potential mix ever since I made the 80's Movie Music one. It's on the soundtrack of THE KARATE KID PART 2 and I always had it in the back of my mind for one of these collections eventually.
Can't have an oldies mix without some of the absolute greats like Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. I, of course, have a few movie-themed/inspired selections through out. The original version of "Earth Angel," followed immediately by Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" is of course an homage to BACK TO THE FUTURE. I was debating between the Beatles version of "Twist & Shout" and The Isley Brothers one, but while driving around and testing this mix with my buddy Dave Parker, he suggested "why not Danke Schoen, then the Beatles version?" Of course! A perfect nod to FERRIS BUELLER.
Also, did you realize that "Danke Schoen" was originally performed by Wayne Newton? And that Wayne Newton has the voice of a woman?! I had no idea!
Tracks 13-15 were not on my first version of the mix, but then I revisited STAND BY ME on Blu-Ray in honor of that film's 30th anniversary and knew I had to cull some tracks from that soundtrack.
The one cheat is "December, 1963," which technically is a single from the 70's. BUT, the Four Seasons have a ton of late 50's oldie classics including "Walk Like A Man," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Sherry." And they're often associated as an "oldies" act. I just love that song, and think it fits perfectly among these other selections. And how else can you close an "oldies" mix out than with "Shout?"
I'm pretty proud of this particular mix and absolutely encourage you to either draft up your own, or make a Spotify playlist! Sometimes it just feels good to rock out to some old-school positive tunage! Enjoy. And I promise I'll be back on here much sooner rather than later.
