Adults Only

I came rather late to the adult alternative rock party (is it finally over?) since I spent most of the ‘90s immersed in indie, punk, and ‘60s and ’70s music and then spent the better part of the next decade trying to catch up with all those songs I had missed on the radio during adult alternative's worldwide reign. To me, the very best of adult alternative sheds much needed light on all those battered heroes and heroines doing their best to navigate a newer, rougher world where the old formulas don’t work but they will go down swinging, taking pleasure in the small victories, and praying their eternal souls eventually come to rest in that perfect place. Here are some of my favorite adult alternative songs. Hopefully, I’ll keep discovering more. Enjoy!

The Cranberries

01. Sheryl Crow – “If It Makes You Happy” (1996)

02. The Wallflowers – “One Headlight” (1996)

03. The Cranberries – “Linger” (1993)

04. Semisonic – “Singing in My Sleep” (1998)

05. Crash Test Dummies – “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” (1994)

06. Matt Nathanson – “Curve of the Earth” (Live) (2005)

07. Shawn Smith – “Wrapped in Your Memory” (2003)

08. Semisonic – “Closing Time” (1998)

09. When in Rome – “The Promise” (1988)

10. Matt Nathanson – “Curve of the Earth” (2003)

11. Sting – “I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying” (1996)

12. The Cranberries – “Ode to my Family” (1994)

13. U2 – “Window in the Skies” (2006)

14. Goo Goo Dolls – “Iris” (1998)

15. Butch Walker – “Stay Gold” (2016)

16. Howie Day – “Collide” (2003)

17. Daniel Powter – “Bad Day” (2005)

18. Sting – “Fields of Gold” (1993)

Semisonic

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U2 - Window in the Skies

Take No Prisoners

While most punks discovered his music through the Velvet Underground, as a kid growing up in a small town on Long Island the first Lou Reed songs I ever heard were from his later solo period. “Walk on the Wild Side” was a staple of classic rock radio during the '80s and every now and then Reed would make an appearance on MTV looking tough, bored, and mysterious. When I was a teenager New York and Songs for Drella were my two favorite Reed albums- until I discovered the Velvet Underground and then The Best of the Velvet Underground: Words and Music of Lou Reed became my tape of choice for all things Lou.

A true New Yorker (Brooklyn, Long Island, Syracuse, Manhattan), Reed is often called the godfather of punk or a punk pioneer although there is nothing really punk about his music. It is Reed's independence, experimental approach, and take no prisoners attitude as an artist which attracted all the punks and which inspired me in my own development as an artist. Lou Reed respected art and perhaps it was his time with Andy Warhol that taught Reed to view art as a job which not only pays the bills but also requires discipline. Good art, bad art, it didn't really seem to matter to Reed. He was making his music for personal reasons (and by most accounts he was a gifted guitar player).

Andy Warhol and Lou Reed

One wonders how much of Reed's public persona was just an act (he often played the role of a macho, street-smart curmudgeon and verbally abused audience members) and I actually find most of his solo albums to be unlistenable. Yet even if Lou Reed never reached his full potential as an artist- not many of us do- there is still no denying his influence on a generation of singers and musicians- including me. Here are some of my favorite Lou Reed songs from his long solo period. Enjoy!

01. Lou Reed – “The Day John Kennedy Died” (1982)

02. Lou Reed and John Cale – “Nobody But You” (1990)

03. Lou Reed – “I Love You, Suzanne” (1984)

04. Lou Reed – “Coney Island Baby” (1976)

05. Lou Reed – “New Sensations (Live)” (1997)

06. Lou Reed and John Cale – “Hello It’s Me” (1990)

07. Lou Reed – “Smalltown (Live)” (2003)

08. Lou Reed – “Perfect Day” (1972)

09. Lou Reed – “Vicious” (1972)

10. Lou Reed and John Cale – “Smalltown” (1990)

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Danny Says

Punk: Attitude

Folkies II

This is the second entry in my folk series and perhaps because this is Thanksgiving week my mind turns to folk music, a genre born of timeless story songs which came to America by way of England (more than four hundred years ago). Folk music can be a lot of fun- especially around a campfire- and I think folk runs the risk of being the butt of jokes when it takes itself too seriously. Yet folk remains one of the few remaining musical styles willing to tackle serious issues and to tell it like it is- and how it's always been- to be human. 

Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, and Arlo Guthrie

Folk aims to be timeless- to ring true- and cares not for what's hip at the moment. One wonders how many people today even know about the close historical connection between folk music, the civil rights movement, and the American Left- let alone folk's enormous influence on popular music. Here are some more of my favorite folk songs- for which I am very thankful. Enjoy!

01. James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards – “Out Here in the Middle (Live)” (2003)
02. Ralph McTell – “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” (2011)
03. Peter, Paul, and Mary – “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright (Live)” (1967)
04. Joan Baez – “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (1971)
05. Dave Van Ronk – “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me” (1962)
06. Nic Jones – “Canadee-I-O” (1980)
07. Lindisfarne – “Run for Home” (1978)
08. Arlo Guthrie – “Coming into Los Angeles” (1969)
09. Judy Collins – “Both Sides Now” (1967)
10. Melanie – “Yankee Man” (1975)
11. Dar Williams – “The Babysitter’s Here” (1993)
12. Loudon Wainwright III – “The Swimming Song” (1973)

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No Direction Home

British Invasion: B-Squad

To me the British Invasion was the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, and the Kinks- in that order. Though I was born long after the invasion I still grew up on and benefited from the music. One can easily hear the roots of garage rock and punk in the sounds of the British Invasion bands especially those whom I lovingly refer to as the B-Squad. Though not as big as the Big Four during their initial invasion of America, B-Squad British bands held their own during the ‘60s and every few years I discover yet another B-Squad gem to add to my British Invasion collection. Here are some of favorites. Enjoy!

The Who

01. The Who – “My Generation (Live)” (1967)
02. The Zombies – “How We Were Before” (1965)
03. The Easybeats – “Good Times” (1968)
04. Small Faces – “Afterglow ” (1968)
05. Manfred Mann – “Pretty Flamingo” (1966)
06. The Zombies – “I’ll Call You Mine” (1968)
07. The Searchers – “Take Me for What I’m Worth” (1965)
08. The Who – “The Kids Are Alright” (1965)
09. The Who – “So Sad About Us” (1966)
10. Small Faces – “All or Nothing” (1966)
11. The Yardbirds – “For Your Love” (1965)
12. Them – “My Lonely Sad Eyes” (1966)
13. Peter and Gordon – “I Go to Pieces” (1964)
14. Small Faces – “My Mind’s Eye” (1966)
15. The Ivy League – “Tossing and Turning” (1965)

Small Faces

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One Love

I played a lot of cross-generational Scrabble with my family this past summer and this CD served as the perfect background music for many a match. 1 boasts all the Beatles’ U.K. and U.S. number one singles on one disc but, more importantly, the song sequence just flows and washes over your soul like a river of positive energy. These songs literally set the bar for popular music and may have done more for world peace than most world leaders. 

The harmonies and production are rich, warm and bright (the 2015 remastered version may sound even better) and the love, joy, and talent shine through all these decades later. As a person who grew up listening to the Beatles, who knows all their songs by heart, and who at one time or another has owned all their albums, I can honestly say this may be the only Beatles album any casual fan or first time listener needs- before, that is, they get hooked and want to hear everything else the Fab Four made. Grade: A+ 

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Let It Rock

Among our many gifts to civilization, the people of the United States gave the world rock & roll and of the best-known rock & rollers to emerge in the 1950’s most of them were from the South (which is also the birthplace of blues, jazz, and country). To me, rock & roll means freedom. Exercising freedom will often make those in authority uncomfortable and, in its early days, rock & roll had its share of enemies.

Chuck Berry

But though some people try to destroy it, rock & roll can never be extinguished as long as human beings desire freedom and are willing to stand up for their rights and the rights of others. John Lennon is reported to have once said, “Just say what you mean and put a beat to it” and every few years I find myself returning to the well of ‘50s rock & roll to see what can be found there. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Little Richard

01. Elvis Presley – “Jailhouse Rock” (1957)
02. The Coasters – “Charlie Brown” (1959)

03. Little Richard – “Long Tall Sally” (1956)

04. Bill Haley & His Comets – “Rock Around the Clock” (1954)

05. Chuck Berry – “Promised Land” (1964)

06. Buddy Holly – “Well…All Right” (1958)

07. Chuck Berry – “No Particular Place to Go” (1964)

08. Little Richard – “Good Golly Miss Molly” (1958)

09. Chuck Berry – “Let It Rock” (1960)

10. The Everly Brothers – “Problems” (1958)

11. Big Bopper –“Chantilly Lace” (1958)

12. Roy Orbison – “Oh, Pretty Woman” (1964)

Elvis Presley

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Chuck Berry Hail! Hail Rock 'n' Roll

Good Time Boys

Britpop emerged in the late ‘80s as a reaction against the anger and gloom associated with the decade long rule of the punk and post-punk music scenes in Britain. Britpop came as a breath of fresh air to a new generation of U.K. music fans hungering for happiness, silliness, and good times in the forms of guitar driven hooks, self-confident front men, and fist pumping alternative rock (and even a few love songs). There’s always been a healthy competition between American and British bands and while Britpop artists have at times made great strides in the U.S. they were always much bigger in Europe and rightly so since these lads didn’t give a toss about changing their sound (at least in the beginning) in order to appeal to a wider American audience.

Morrissey

I think what I like best about these Britpop artists (besides their accents) is their playfulness, sense of humor, and ability to pack stadiums. So what happened to Britpop, you ask? Well, it seems to have gone the way of the Labour Party and vanished some time around 2010. But at least we'll always have some splendid memories, mates. Here are some of my favorite Britpop songs. Enjoy!

Snow Patrol

01. The Stone Roses – “I Wanna Be Adored” (1989)

02. The Verve – “Bittersweet Symphony” (1997)

03. Radiohead – “High and Dry” (1995)

04. Manic Street Preachers – “Autumnsong” (2007)

05. Teenage Fanclub – “Ain’t That Enough” (1997)

06. Snow Patrol – “Chasing Cars” (2006)

07. Pulp – “Disco 2000” (1995)

08. Morrissey – “Irish Blood, English Heart” (2004)

09. James – “Laid” (1993)

10. Morrissey – “Suedehead” (1988)

11. Oasis – “Champagne Supernova” (1995)

12. Morrissey – “The Last of the Famous International Playboys” (1989)

13. The Stone Roses – “Going Down” (1989)

14. Snow Patrol – “Open Your Eyes” (2006)

15. Coldplay – “Viva la Vida” (2008)

16. Keane – “Crystal Ball” (2006)

17. Snow Patrol – “Run” (2003)

18. Haven – “Say Something” (2002)

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What’s the Alternative?

What many call indie/alternative music can still be found these days though much of it has become either too sweet or too harsh for my ears. When I was growing up in the ‘80s it was simply known as college radio and included artists like R.E.M., the Replacements, and the Smiths- bands who released their music on small, independent record labels and offered fresh, offbeat sounds as an alternative to mainstream radio. In the early ‘90s, “alternative” music finally broke into the mainstream and bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Red Hot Chili Peppers became the face of a movement which had been simmering under the pop/rock landscape for over a decade. 

R.E.M.

Some of indie/alternative's sub-genres can sound quite exotic- jangle pop, neo psychedelic, New Zealand pop, dream pop, shoegazer, and baroque pop- but, despite the variations, it’s all basically indie rock. It's not uncommon for indie/alternative artists- especially the earliest indie bands- to credit '60s music (British Invasion, oldies, garage rock, psychedelic) as their primary influence. After all, that's the music they grew up listening to along with '70s power pop, glam, rock, and punk.

The Smiths

The Replacements were my first college radio band- I literally stumbled across one of their cassette tapes when I was in middle school- and I can still remember the night I first heard Dinosaur Jr.’s “Just Like Heaven” on a college radio station in New York. It felt exciting- and a little dangerous- to hear these strange sounds from the underground and, unlike many of my punk heroes at the time, these indie kids were much more willing to take chances and wear their insecurities on their sleeves. 

The Replacements

I came along at the end of the golden age of indie/alternative music and I am grateful for the experience. I have fond memories of lonely nights, cassette tapes, and the thrill of mystery and discovery. Every teenager should be so lucky. Today the indie spirit marches on though most of its trailblazing veterans are now grandparents and many of the new kids on the block don't seem up to the task. But isn't that the way it always goes? Here are some of my indie/alternative favorites from the past 30 years or so. Enjoy!

01. XTC – “Dear God” (1987)

02. The Smiths – “Asleep” (1985)

03. The Magnetic Fields – “The Book of Love” (1999)

04. The Replacements – “I’ll Be You” (1989)

05. Superchunk – “Everything at Once” (2010)

06. Evan Dando – “Hard Drive” (2003)

07. The Dream Academy – “Life in a Northern Town” (1985)

08. The Smiths – “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” (1984)

09. Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – “Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?” (1984)

10. The Divine Comedy – “Tonight We Fly” (1994)

11. The Replacements – “Can’t Hardly Wait (The Tim Version)” (1986)

12. R.E.M. – “Imitation of Life” (2001)

13. They Might Be Giants – “Tesla” (2013)

14. The Magnetic Fields – “Very Funny” (1999)

15. R.E.M. – “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” (1987)

16. Dinosaur Jr. – “Just Like Heaven” (1989)

17. The Dream Academy – “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” (1984)

18. The Divine Comedy – “Absent Friends” (2004)

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Our Band Could Be Your Life

R.E.M. – "Imitation of Life"