Play It Again, Jean V – Part 3

“Paul was one of the most innovative bass players ever. And half the stuff that is going on now is directly ripped off from his Beatles period. He is an egomaniac about everything else about himself, but his bass playing he was always a bit coy about . . . He is a great musician who plays the bass like few other people could play it.” 

– John Lennon, 1980 

 

Paul McCartney

01. Funkadelic – “Can You Get to That” (1971) from Playlist: Soul by the Dozen

My introduction to Funkadelic came in the early ‘90s with a cassette version of Maggot Brain (probably through my friend Toast). After the terrifying opening title track, “Can You Get to That” was the second song on the LSD-drenched album and still holds up as some solid soul. 

02. The Beatles – “Penny Lane” (1967) from Playlist: In Search of Baroque Pop

A real place in the Beatles’ hometown of Liverpool and a symbol of childhood innocence, Penny Lane may as well be my hometown- or yours.

03. Kris Kristofferson – “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again)” (1971) from Playlist: Country Grab Bag

Ah, the golden age of singer-songwriter confessionals. Long hair, blue jeans, and long, dusty roads looking for freedom, sex, and mind altering substances. Maybe it will come back?

Clyde Stubblefield (center)

04. James Brown – “There Was a Time (Live)” (1968) from The Man Who Invented Funk

One of my favorite JB live performances of all time, I believe this was recorded in Dallas in 1968. It’s been said to death but as a performer Brown (from Augusta, GA) was a force of nature (and it didn’t hurt that he always had a killer band playing behind him). Drums: Clyde Stubblefield.

05. James Brown – “Funky Drummer” (1970) from The Man Who Invented Funk

One of the most sampled songs in the history of rap. Drums: Clyde Stubblefield.

06. Dizzy Gillespie – “No More Blues (Live)” (1962) from Playlist: Jean’s Jazz: Smells Good II

Love the way this song just gives itself room to stretch out and fly. Now that’s what I call jazz!

07. Dinosaur Jr. – “Watch the Corners” (2012) from Teenager Music to Save the Planet

J’s guitar solo starting around 3:26 is so intense- it’s almost otherworldly. I don't think he’s ever been able to repeat it.

08. John Gorka – “I’m from New Jersey” (1991) from Playlist: Folkies II

“They will try harder, they may go further.” No matter how many songs the poor guy has in his repertoire, you just know at every John Gorka show there’s going to be people in attendance who are from the Garden State and shouting at him, “I’m from New Jersey!” 

09. Jackie DeShannon – “Splendor in the Grass” (1966) from Playlist: Folk-Rock Explosion!

Jackie backed by the Byrds! No complaints. Favorite line: “The first time I felt shame.”

10. Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – “Brand New Friend” (1985) from New Faves 04/01/2022

“Jane was in a turtleneck. I was much happier then.” For many women, a simple black turtleneck can be such an attractive look. Why don’t more women wear them? I really like the way the studio back up singers here show total commitment to the lyrics. And really, who doesn’t need a brand new friend?

11. Heron – “Smiling Ladies” (1970) from Playlist: Folk-Rock Explosion!

While it almost failed to make my final cut, I then remembered this song was from Heron’s first album which they recorded entirely outdoors on an English farm (listen for the birds). Pretty cool.

Heron

12. Sammy Davis Jr. – “Mr. Bojangles” (1972) from Pipes and Thrills

Schmaltzy and over the top, there is also something genuine and comforting in Sammy’s performance here. Despite his talent, versatility, and large body of work, Davis is mostly remembered for his off-stage life which included a glass eye, conversion to Judaism, Rat Pack membership, and rumors of devil worship. I hope this and not “The Candy Man” will be the one song for which Davis is remembered. 

13. Superchunk – “On the Mouth” (1991) from Chapel of Unrequited Love – Part 1

“I’ve never even been to your new house- I bet I know exactly what it’s like.” Still sounds as passionate and intense as it did over 25 years ago. And they still play this one live!

John Lennon and Paul McCartney, 1967

14. Frank Chacksfield Orchestra – “J’Attendrai” (Unknown) from The Easy Way

Translated from French: “I will wait”. Not sure when this was recorded but it fits into that ‘50s and ‘60s era of easy listening music that uplifted listeners and took them to exotic locations, in this case France. Also reminds me of some of my favorite Technicolor movies of that era including Around the World in 80 Days and Fanny (both featuring Charles Boyer). 

15. The Beatles – “Here, There and Everywhere” (1966) from Playlist: Four Guys from Liverpool

Lennon’s favorite McCartney tune. McCartney’s, too! Backing vocals by John, Paul, and George.

16. The Zombies – “I’ll Call You Mine” (1968) from Playlist: In Search of Baroque Pop

A beautiful, realistic love song. Dig that piano. 

Well, that’s it for this year, folks. Hope you enjoyed this musical trip down memory lane. Take care, God bless, and see you next year? – The Jean

John 15:16-17: It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another. 

Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles by Duccio di Buoninsegna (14th Century)

 

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

Play It Again, Jean V – Part 2

“I used to go after a song, seek it out. But now, instead of going to it, I stay where I am and let everything disappear and the song rushes to me . . . What I’m doing now you can’t learn by studying; you can’t copy it.” 

– Bob Dylan, November 1965 

Bob Dylan

01. They Might Be Giants – “Tesla” (2013) from Playlist: What’s the Alternative?

I dig this two-minute musical biography. But why not a whole album featuring other historical figures?

02. 80 Drums Around the World – “Caravan” (1961) from The Easy Way

One of the first albums I recall listening to as a kid in our basement was Disney’s It’s a Small World. Ever since, I’ve had a thing for exotica, atlases, and dusty old records that can teleport me to other worlds.

03. Stephen Stills and Judy Collins – “Girl from the North Country” (2018) from New Faves 05/31/2021

Two ‘60s lovers (yes, that’s Judy Blue Eyes) reunite in their seventies to cover a Dylan song which sounds like it was written in the nineteenth century. No complaints. (Note: I thought Stills had followed Neil Young’s lead and removed all his music from Spotify.)

04. Bob Dylan – “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (1965) from Playlist: Blue Jean Rock Poets

Blues? Rock? Country? Folk? Imagine how mind blowing and confusing this song must have been for listeners in 1965. Perhaps the nearest I’ve experienced in my own lifetime was when I first heard Public Enemy’s “Bring The Noise” circa 1987. This song makes Beck seem like the Backstreet Boys.

05. The Beatles – “For No One” (1966) from Playlist: Four Guys from Liverpool

Not only were artists like Bob Dylan and the Beatles revolutionizing popular music (and the world) in the ‘60s, they were doing so at a fast and furious pace, working hard, writing, and churning out timeless songs in hours and days. Meanwhile, it takes today’s musicians months and even years to come up with just one good tune. What Dylan and the Beatles had in common was they paid their dues and honed their crafts for years in front of live audiences before striking gold. Are there any musical wunderkinds today breaking new artistic ground? Have we reached the end of human history?

06. Charlie Parker – “April in Paris” (1957) from Playlist: Jean’s Jazz: Smells Good II

The older I get the more jazz music relaxes my brain and body and helps remove stress- especially during traffic jams. 

07. Dinosaur Jr. – “Lost All Day” (2016) from Get Over It – Part 2

Of course one worries a new album from an old band is just a ploy to advertise their next oldies tour. The only song that caught my attention on 2016’s Give a Glimpse of What Yer Not, this song does that old DJ trick of being both heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Sounds almost country to me.

08. Stephen Malkmus – “Jenny & the Ess Dog” (2001) from Playlist: What’s the Alternative? III

A nifty, bittersweet May to December short story in under three minutes. Poor Ess Dog. Love hurts. More songs like this, please!

09. The Neon Philharmonic – “Morning Girl, Later” (1969) from Playlist: Oldies: Pass the Fritos

Another love affair that didn’t work out- but resulted in some great music. This song always makes me a bit misty eyed. Such is the power of love- and strings. Listen to that bass! This is baroque pop gold.

10. Antônio Carlos Jobim – “Antigua” (1967) from Latin Lite

I first heard this album through fellow Peace Corps Volunteers in Bulgaria. I like the mix of Latin and baroque pop stylings. The creepy harpsichord reminds me of those late ‘60s and early ‘70s NBC television shows like Columbo and Night Gallery. Pour yourself a drink.

11. Peter, Paul, and Mary – “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963) from Playlist: Bob’s Birthday Bash

Another “timeless folk song” from Dylan. I recently read the latest biography, The Double Life of Bob Dylan, and found it mildly entertaining bedtime reading. As Dylan has said about the period in New York when he wrote and first performed “Blowin’ in the Wind”: “They were trying to build me up as a topical songwriter. I was never a topical songwriter.” PP&M made some great music- and made Dylan rich.

12. Superchunk – “Learned to Surf” (2010) from Teenager Music to Save the Planet

Superchunk tackles the climate crisis and that moment in life when one gets tired of being pushed around- and finally starts pushing back. Mac is on fire in this one!

13. 2002 – “Summer of 300 Years” (1998) from Whales, Wizards, and Angels

Time to bring things down a notch. This song makes me feel like I am floating underwater in the bluest ocean. I stopped swimming- and learned to float.

14. Kate Wolf – “Across the Great Divide (Live)” (Unknown) from Playlist: Folkies II

I love Kate Wolf’s singing and I give permission to have this song played at my funeral. Recorded live in Mendocino in the  late ‘70s or early ‘80s, it just makes me feel happy and alive and brings back pleasant memories of a road trip some Peace Corps buddies and I took through Northern California in 2011 to attend a friend’s wedding. 

15. The Beatles – “Let It Be” (1970) from Teenager Music to Save the Planet

While in the Peace Corps, I taught this song to my Bulgarian students who then performed it in front of our entire summer school. It was not until later that a Bulgarian teacher told me “Let It Be” has great historical significance for Bulgarians as it was used as an anthem by the democratic forces trying to overthrow decades of Communist oppression. Well, they did it!

16. Robert Knight – “Everlasting Love” (1967) from New Faves 04/01/2022

Having grown up knowing only the Carl Carlton and U2 versions, I then discovered the awesome Love Affair version a few years ago. Now, I have this- the original recording. The song has been a hit for different artists through four decades. Anyone want to record an updated version?

17. The Beatles – “Good Day Sunshine” (1966) from Playlist: Channeling AM Pop

A musical genius and songwriting machine, Paul McCartney could compose a bleak, universal breakup number like “For No One” and then minutes later roll out a happy, little love song about summertime. No wonder the other three Beatles grew to resent him. By the time of the recording of “Let It Be”, McCartney was running the show.

Leonard Cohen

18. Adiemus – “Hymn” (1995) from Whales, Wizards, and Angels

A friend turned me onto Adiemus years ago. Makes for great, soothing body massage music.

19. Leonard Cohen – “Passing Through (Live)” (1972) from New Faves 05/31/2021

A folk song to please the theologian and historian in me. Favorite line: “I was at Franklin Roosevelt’s side on the night before he died. He said: ‘One world must come out of World War 2.” Leonard Cohen in the ‘70s looks a lot like my maternal grandfather!

20. Katia Buniatishvili – “Bach: No. 9, Schafe können sicher weiden (Arr. for Piano)” – (2014) from Playlist: Classical Faves

Translated from German: “Sheep May Safely Graze”. No matter how much classical music I discover, I always seem to come back to Bach.

FDR and Fala

“The truth is found when men are free to pursue it. ” 

– Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

 

Play It Again, Jean V – Part 1

Well, it’s that time of year again when I look back at my favorite songs from the past year and try to make sense of it all. Five years on and I’m still blogging if for no other reason than thinking and writing helps keep back the cobwebs that come with age. So come join the Jean as we a take a meandering, musical journey through my mind and soul and see where we come out. Enjoy the trip!

James Brown

01. Superchunk – “If You’re Not Dark” (2022) from “Do You Feel Like Dancing?”

There is enough pain and misery in the world- especially these days- to make any reasonable person despair. Yet, despite the setbacks, most people find a way to get up each morning and try again. The difference is in how each person deals with our broken world. Some scowl, grumble, and complain while others smile, bubble, and gush about how wonderful life is. I don’t like to be around the former and can’t stand the latter. I guess, like most people, I am somewhere in the middle. The world is both a beautiful and broken place. To state otherwise would be to miss the obvious.

For Christians, despair is not an option. We are called to help alleviate suffering, carry our individual crosses, and have faith in Jesus Christ’s (God’s) guarantee that everything is going to be okay in the end. Catholics are the ultimate realists because we do not fool ourselves with delusional thinking about life and our place in it. We call it as we see it, especially when it comes to human nature. Perhaps that is why I am drawn to fellow pilgrims who recognise and admit the darkness but do not let it control them. Kierkegaard- to whom I gravitated in college after suffering anxiety- called these people knights of faith- individuals who may appear unburned on the outside but who have been through the fire, are sensitive to existential suffering, and are strong enough to share their pain, learn from it, and help others. 

Søren Kierkegaard

Sounds like Superchunk has had it up to here with perpetual optimists, does not trust them, and what a refreshing message that is. The world needs more knights of faith and fewer people with their heads in the sand. “If you’re not dark, I don’t believe it!”

“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” 

– Søren Kierkegaard

02. Supergrass – “Moving” (1999) from Playlist: Good Time Boys II

This Britpop tune has a little bit of everything to please everyone. It was big when I was living in Bulgaria at the turn of the century- unsure if it ever made a big splash in America. I doubt it. 

03. The Peppermint Rainbow – “Pink Lemonade” (1969) from Playlist: In Search of Baroque Pop

This psychedelic/bubblegum/sunshine/baroque pop gem reminds me of childhood, including scary stories of wicked witches, magical forests, and houses made of candy. 

James Brown

04. James Brown – “Introduction/Brother Rapp/Ain’t It Funky Now (Live) (1971) from The Man Who Invented Funk

In the mid to late ‘90s, I was listening to a lot of James Brown whose early ‘70s period with The JB’s (with Bootsy Collins on bass) was all too brief but gave the world the most hardcore funk music ever created. Recorded live in Paris in 1971, this opening medley is what I used to crank when I wanted to energize my soul. All these years later, it still lifts the spirit. And this is just JB and the band warming up!

05. Laura Sullivan – “Love’s River” (2013) from Whales, Wizards, and Angels

As I get older and my body begins its inevitable decline, I am becoming increasingly dependent on new age music to soothe and heal the rough edges. There are worse drugs.

Superchunk

06. Superchunk – “Set It Aside” (2022) from “Do You Feel Like Dancing?” 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18: Therefore, we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

One positive result of the pandemic has been the downgrading of “big” things we once thought so important, and a refocusing on the “little” things which, it turns out, mean everything.

07. David Arkenstone – “Arwen and Aragorn” (2001) from Whales, Wizards, and Angels

When it comes to new age music, I’m still a newbie. I had originally selected George Winston’s “Love Song to a Ballerina” but decided to bump and replace it with this ode to Middle Earth romance. The last thing I want is to wade into or foment any new age controversy, but one must admit Arkenstone’s melody here sounds suspiciously similar to Winston’s recorded seven years earlier. Yet I’m going with David since whereas Winston’s song is sparse, Arkenstone- ever the showman- provides listeners a more lush, imaginative, and pleasurable palette that really transports one into a fantasy world. Sorry, George.

08. Bob Seger – “Against the Wind” (1980) from Teenager Music to Save the Planet

It seems like yesterday

But it was long ago

Janey was lovely, she was the queen of my nights

There in the darkness with the radio playing low

And the secrets that we shared

The mountains that we moved

Caught like a wildfire out of control

‘Til there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove

Enough said. 

09. Billy Bragg feat. Johnny Marr – “Walk Away Renee” (1986) from New Faves 04/01/2022

Finally, a cover version that improves on the Left Banke’s original.

10. Dawes – “Somewhere Along the Way (Live)” (2020) from New Faves 04/17/2022

I saw L.A.’s Dawes perform live at the Iota Club and Cafe in Arlington, Virginia back in 2010 and even then I knew these guys were not just another bar band. Now one of the biggest and most respected rock groups in America (not sure if that means anything anymore), I still keep my ears open for new Dawes material and this live L.A. rooftop jam is pretty epic. I seem to be softening up to long rock jams in my old age. So be it. Long live the spirit of Laurel Canyon!

Dawes

11. Superchunk – “Digging for Something” (2010) from Playlist: What’s the Alternative?

The Chapel Hill quartet somehow blend old school and new school Superchunk sounds to forge a visceral air guitar party anthem for my generation. Mac’s vocals have the perfect growl in this one.

12. The Beatles – “The Fool on the Hill” (1967) from Playlist: Four Guys from Liverpool

“And nobody seems to like him. They can tell what he wants to do.” When I was a teacher, I used this song to teach English to my immigrant high school students. 

“Paul then went back to his guitar and started to sing and play a very slow, beautiful song about a foolish man sitting on the hill. John listened to it quietly, staring blankly out of the window, almost as if he wasn’t listening. Paul sang it many times, la la-ing words he hadn’t thought of yet. When at last he finished, John said he’d better write the words down or he’d forget them. Paul said it was OK. He wouldn’t forget them. It was the first time Paul had played it for John. There was no discussion.” 

– Hunter Davies, The Beatles (1968)

The Beatles

13. Ween – “Object” (2007) from Playlist: What’s the Alternative? II

Ween- always good for a laugh, a tear, or a thrill during my college years- were kind of my generation's Frank Zappa or Captain Beefheart. This song- from their strongest and what turned out to be final studio album, La Cucaracha- is a sort of a Ween version of the Beatles’ “The Fool on the Hill”. “I’m gonna do something wrong. Nobody’s gonna like it.” 

14. James Brown – “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine” (1970) from The Man Who Invented Funk

Want to get people out on the dance floor at your next funk party? This song will do nicely.

James Brown

15. The New Christy Minstrels – “Cotton Fields” (1965) from New Faves 04/17/2022

Whoa. This is some hard-driving folk music. Move over, Creedence Clearwater Revival!

16. Bettye Swann – “Angel of the Morning” (1969) from New Faves 04/17/2022

I remember hearing the 1981 Juice Newton version as a kid but never paid attention to the adult lyrics before. “I see no need to take me home, I’m old enough to face the dawn… Maybe the sun’s light will be dim and it won’t matter anyhow. If morning’s echo says we’ve sinned, well, it was what I wanted now.” Ouch. 

17. Esquivel! – “Misirlou” (1959) from The Easy Way

Whenever you are feeling burned out on music and you just need a jump-start, there is always Esquivel! 

18. Book of Love – “Modigliani (Lost in Your Eyes)” (1986) from New Faves 04/01/2022

People make fun of ‘80s new wave music as silly and dehumanized, but I love how so much of it took itself seriously enough to attempt some really far out poetry: 

Your glance felt like a knife

So clear, so blue

I was swimming inside

I was swimming inside

You'll always be

Real to me

Well, if you are going to take the time to make art, then you might as well go all the way (and for the jugular), right? I think this song’s title may be a tribute to Italian painter and sculptor Amaedo Modigliani who died of tuberculosis (on my birthday) in 1920.

Portrait of Madame Survage
by Amaedo Modigliani

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

 

New Faves 04/17/2022

For me, the era of English language popular music began with the death of Hank Williams on January 1, 1953 and ended sometime in 2012 or 2013 with Mumford & Son’s worldwide smash hit “I Will Wait”. That’s a 60 year run- not bad, but still just a drop in the bucket of civilization. The common era- when the best were the best and even diehard political opponents could come together and enjoy “Sweet Child o’ Mine” - has ended. Thanks to the Internet, home recording, and the death of both the radio and the music industries, such a musical golden age will never happen again- at least not in our lifetimes, friend.

Paul McCartney

I’ve tried my best to find new musical favorites from the current decade, with mixed results. Midlake is no Manassas; Anaïs Mitchell is no Joni Mitchell; Porridge Radio is no Velvet Underground; and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2022 are no Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1992. A thousand years from now the popular music may get a paragraph in the Earth encyclopedia, and, with a little luck, Bob Dylan and the Beatles even a sentence or two. But even masters Dylan and Sir Walrus would be the first to admit they are no Hank Williams. Here are some more of my new musical faves. Enjoy- and Happy Easter!

Manassas

 

01. Rosita Kèss feat. Valerie June – “The Life I Used to Live” (2021)

02. Bettye Swann – “Angel of the Morning” (1969)

03. Hothouse Flowers – “I’m Sorry” (1988)

04. The New Christy Minstrels – “Cotton Fields” (1965)

05. Porridge Radio – “Back to the Radio” (2022)

06. Red Hot Chili Peppers – “White Braids & Pillow Chair” (2022)

07. Teenage Fanclub – “I Left a Light On” (2022)

08. Sting – “We Work the Black Seam” (2010)

09. The Czars – “Paint the Moon” (2004)

10. Anaïs Mitchell – “Bright Star” (2022)

11. The Divine Comedy – “Home for the Holidays” (2021)

12. Paul McCartney – “Women and Wives (Studio Outtake)” (2020)

13. Manassas – “Witching Hour”(1971)

14. C Duncan – “The Wedding Song” (2021)

15. Midlake – “Bethel Woods” (2022)

16. The Killers – “The Getting By IV” (2022)

17. The Staves – “Careful, Kid (Be Kind Version)” (2022)

18. Jake Xerxes Fussell – “Washington” (2022)

19. Cherry Ghost – “Mathematics” (2007)

20. Dawes – “Somewhere Along the Way (Live)” (2020)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

 

Get Over It – Part 2

Compared with ‘80s Dinosaur Jr.’s angst-ridden expressions of unrequited love and depersonalization- themes I would later experience during my own battles with anxiety and the ensuing depression- the ‘90s version of DJ was slicker, funkier, and more marketed toward the burgeoning (lame) alternative mainstream. Perhaps this explains why ‘90s DJ albums like Green Mind, Where You Been, and Without a Sound have not aged well. Yet Hand It Over- the last DJ album of the ‘90s- remains my favorite of the era (J Mascis agrees) and I was one of those 34,000 American consumers who purchased it.

After years of Barlow talking shit about Masics, fans were surprised when the original DJ reunited in 2005 and began touring and recording. Older, wiser, and tougher, this third and most recent version of DJ sounds like that familiar, unstable sludgetrain barreling straight at you, and the New England trio has settled on thick, ground shaking dino-grooves to carry them through upcoming oldies tours and beyond. The world is still a scary place, but the members of DJ have decided to stop worrying about going crazy, get over it, and start living. And, just like the old days, J still permits Lou to write and sing a couple of songs on each album (“Rude”, ”Lightning Bulb”) which makes long time DJ fans feel just a little bit better about the universe. Here are some more of my favorite Dinosaur Jr. songs. Enjoy!

01. Dinosaur Jr. – “Lightning Bulb” (2007)

02. Dinosaur Jr. – “Friends” (2009)

03. Dinosaur Jr. – “I Don’t Think” (1997)

04. Dinosaur Jr. – “Watch the Corners” (2012)

05. Dinosaur Jr. – “Pieces” (2009)

06. Dinosaur Jr. – “Raisans” (1987)

07. Dinosaur Jr. – “Over It” (2009)

08. Dinosaur Jr. – “The Lung” (1987)

09. Dinosaur Jr. – “Keep the Glove” (1988)

10. Dinosaur Jr. – “Lost All Day” (2016)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

... or check out the playlist on YouTube

(To open music in separate window, click title bar at top of video box)

Recommended Links:

Dinosaur Jr - Freak Scene

Dinosaur Jr. – “Over It”

Watch Dinosaur Jr. Rate Weed, Emojis and Crocs

Get Over It – Part 1

Formed as Dinosaur in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1984, Dinosaur Jr. had a huge influence on American indie/alternative music, including grunge. The band has three distinct periods: the Lou Barlow years (1984–1989); the J Masics years, after J fired Lou (1990–1997); and the reunion years with the reformed original line up of Lou, J, and Murph (2005–Present). It was circa 1989, on Long Island, when I first heard DJ’s cover of the Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” on the radio and was entranced. Not until my college years did I get my hands on You’re Living All Over Me, the album that accompanied me to Europe in summer 1994; was a mainstay in my car that fall while working at a health food store in my hometown; and inspired me to purchase every DJ album I could find (which was not easy to do back then). 

The only thing worse than going insane is the fear of going insane. At the end of my junior year in college, I suddenly felt like I was going crazy. Thankfully, it turned out to be anxiety and with proper diagnosis and counselling I was able to learn effective coping skills without the need for medication. During my recovery over the next year or so, I listened to a lot of second period DJ which was basically the J Mascis solo period. While the cryptic lyrics about insanity and heartache were still there, without Lou’s misanthropic vibes and his tension with J, the ‘90s DJ was like a ray of guitar sunshine. The major label suits were hoping J Mascis would be the next Kurt Cobain- he was not- and this second incarnation of DJ (along with Nirvana) soon went extinct. Here are some of my favorite DJ. songs. Enjoy!

01. Dinosaur Jr. – “Rude” (2012)

02. Dinosaur Jr. – “Crumble” (2007)

03. Dinosaur Jr. – “Kracked” (1987)

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

05. Dinosaur Jr. – “I Know Yer Insane” (1997)

06. Dinosaur Jr. – “Freak Scene” (1988)

07. Dinosaur Jr. – “Nothin’s Goin’ On” (1997)

08. Dinosaur Jr. – “I’m Insane” (1997)

09. Dinosaur Jr. – “Almost Ready” (2007)

10. Dinosaur Jr. – “Pick Me Up” (2007)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

       

... or check out the playlist on YouTube

(To open music in separate window, click title bar at top of video box)

Recommended Links:

Dinosaur Jr - Feel The Pain

Chapel of Unrequited Love – Part 2

I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

– Alfred, Lord Tennyson

 

While my childhood buddy, Toast, preferred the earlier, harder edged Superchunk music such as No Pocky for Kitty (and had a crush on Laura), I kept faith with the band through all their phases (though I admit some albums like On the Mouth and Foolish have not aged well). At the turn of the century, Toast and I attended a couple of Superchunk shows in New York City where I got to chat with some of the band members (one of whom may have been drunkenly hitting on me). Being a Superchunk fan means not having to explain to other Superchunk fans why you dig the band, and for those who do not, well, maybe they’ve just never experienced the thrill of moshing to live, punk influenced music in a crowded, sweaty club with like minded misfits- or the roller coaster ride of mad, passionate unrequited love. 

Especially in the early years, Superchunk’s music was all about catharsis for Gen X romantics and these four unassuming music fans loved nothing better than shredding and blowing the walls off clubs (though I hear Laura is now dealing with hyperacusis). Unrequited love and its subsequent heartache, forced introspection, and bitterness is a young person’s game; we gray haired folks have overcome our youthful anxieties and are now more concerned with joint pain, climate change, and saving for our retirements. Right? But Superchunk always had a healthy sense of humor that has only improved with age. Looking around at the fractured musical landscape, I worry about today’s young people. Do they have a Superchunk to provide emotional release and grow old with? Here are more of my faves. Enjoy! 

01. Superchunk – “Detroit Has a Skyline” (1995)

02. Superchunk – “Lying in State” (1992)

03. Superchunk – “With Bells On” (1997)

04. Superchunk – “FOH” (2013)

05. Superchunk – “Void” (2013)

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

07. Superchunk – “Pink Clouds” (1999)

08. Superchunk – “Digging for Something” (2010)

09. Superchunk – “Learned to Surf” (2010)

10. Superchunk – “Misfits & Mistakes” (2009)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

... or check out the playlist on YouTube

(To open music in separate window, click title bar at top of video box)

Recommended Links:

Amplified: Lunch with... Superchunk

Growing Old with Superchunk

Superchunk – “Digging for Something” (2010)

Superchunk “Void” (Official Music Video)

Superchunk - What's In My Bag?

Superchunk - Wild Loneliness (Official Video)

Chapel of Unrequited Love – Part 1

I first heard Superchunk (from Chapel Hill, North Carolina) in the early ‘90s after purchasing the cassette version of their fiery singles compilation Tossing Seeds from my local independent record store on Long Island- Middle Earth Records. From their start in the late ‘80s- when the American punk and hardcore music scenes were all but dead- Superchunk followed the indie, do-it-yourself aesthetic and the band’s founding members, Mac and Laura, still own and operate their own independent record label, Merge Records, which over the years has released nearly every Superchunk album (and, in one form or another, I have purchased all of them- over a dozen). Support independent labels and record stores!

Superchunk’s philosophy and music fit the bill for what I was experiencing in my late teens including partying in the underground while also suffering the exquisite sting of unrequited love. As I entered my 20s, college life became a real drag for me and I spent many nights alone in my room reflecting and trying to express myself through writing while listening to Superchunk. As the ‘90s came to a close, Superchunk’s music grew more daring, including horns, but by the early ‘00s I had moved on. After the misfire of 2001’s Here’s to Shutting Up, the band went on a decade long album hiatus before returning in 2010 with the triumphant Majesty Shredding, a gift to long time fans confirming we had been right all along to like Superchunk- and they are still going! Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy! 

01. Superchunk – “My Gap Feels Weird” (2010)

02. Superchunk – “Under Our Feet” (1997)

03. Superchunk – “On the Mouth” (1991)

04. Superchunk – “If You’re Not Dark” (2022)

05. Superchunk – “Crossed Wires” (2010)

06. Superchunk – “Lost My Brain” (2018)

07. Superchunk – “100,000 Fireflies” (1992)

08. Superchunk – “What a Time to Be Alive” (2018)

09. Superchunk – “Pulled Muscle” (1999)

10. Superchunk – “The Popular Music” (1997)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...

... or check out the playlist on YouTube

(To open music in separate window, click title bar at top of video box)

Recommended Links:

Superchunk - Erasure (Official Music Video)

Superchunk - Hyper Enough

Superchunk "Me & You & Jackie Mittoo" (Official Music Video)

Playlist: What’s the Alternative? III

A continuing celebration of my favorite indie/alternative songs. Updated. Enjoy!

The Raincoats

01. The Raincoats – “In Love” (1979)

02. Sonic Youth – “Wish Fulfillment” (1992)

03. Daniel Johnston – “Fish” (2003)

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

05. The Lemonheads – “Luka” (1989)

06. The Soft Boys – “I Wanna Destroy You” (1980)

07. U2 – “One” (1991)

08. Superchunk – “If You’re Not Dark” (2022)

09. Dinosaur Jr. – “Watch the Corners” (2012)

10. The Flaming Lips – “With You” (1986)

11. Stephen Malkmus – “Jenny & the Ess Dog” (2001)

Listen to the playlist on Spotify...