Song Of the Day: August 9, 2005
In 1987 a number of my friends, alerted by a review in The Bob, became smitten by Died Pretty's excellent Free Dirt LP (What Goes On Records). Besides having an elaborate gatefold jacket, a luxury virtually non-existent to most indie labels at the time, it had a little bit of everything that was considered cool at that moment: Great pop songs like "Blue Sky Day," revo-garage moves like "Stoneage Cinderella," and one of my favorite feedback moan 'n' whine noise solos of all time on "Just Skin." (Brett Myers remains one of the most underrated rock guitarists in the world in my book.) Naturally, I started snapping up all of the singles including the 12" of "Mirror Blues" which I'd initially thought to put up here, but while it is devastatingly cool, it is 12 minutes long, and I wasn't sure that was a good idea. "Winterland" was the first single from the second LP, Lost, another excellent record. I can vouch for the third album, Every Brilliant Eye, as well, but after that I sort of lost track. I'd be glad to be enlightened...
The boys like this record because singer Ron Peno appears to be coughing up a hairball just before the song begins. "That's so cool..." says Mickey with wide-eyed awe.
9 Comments:
"devastatingly cool?"
Darn,I like hearing devastatingly cool songs,,, whether it's one minute or twelve.
yea, Jon,
...bring on the twelve.
OK, I'll save that one for when school bogs me down in November or so.
best,
Jon
Thanks Jon.
And if you want to save the one minute devastatingly cool Residents' Commercial Album cut for December, I'll be waiting for that one too!
Ralph
Oh! Oh! I love "Shut Up!" Was that on Commercial Album? Am I thinking of something else.
Commercial album is naturally my fave Residents LP.
Jon
Im surprised you did'nt post "Out of the Unknown" an early, epic single by these guys. Btw they were a fantastic live band-caught them at the Rat in Boston ('85).
Very Cool. Make sure to track down the last Beggars Banquet album "Doughboy Hollow" its all "devastatingly cool". I bought every record up to the end but Doughboy was the last great one. Check out "Doused" and "D.C.". I g
I'll second the nod to Doughboy Hollow, one of my favorite albums and a great listen from to back. The follow up, and their last, as far as I know, Trace, had its moments, but seemed like an odd, ill-time stab at the big time. There's a good import comp whose name escapes me that is worth picking up, too.
Hey, Jon! Longtime fan and first time post!
"Doughboy Hollow" is great. I like "Trace" a lot too. "Using My Gills as a Roadmap" came out in the late 90s I think - VERY different.
One thing you forgot to mention about "Winterland" was the cool reference to the Screaming Tribesmen song "Igloo": "I live in an igloo in a polar zone... And tonight I dream."
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