Monthly Archives: March 2017

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Song of the Day #3,172: ‘Gimme Some Truth’ – John Lennon

john_lennon_imagineJohn Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ (the song) is such a classic that it’s easy to overlook how great Imagine (the album) is, too.

In addition to the iconic title song, you have ‘Jealous Guy,’ ‘Oh Yoko,’ ‘Crippled Inside’ as well as the lesser-known ‘It’s So Hard,’ ‘I Don’t Want to Be a Soldier,’ ‘Oh My Love,’ ‘How?’ and ‘How Do You Sleep?’ That last one is a scathing takedown of Paul McCartney (“those freaks was right when they said you was dead”), which Genius.com calls one of the “first diss tracks” in pop music.

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Song of the Day #3,171: ‘Kool Thing’ – Sonic Youth

sonic_youth_gooSonic Youth belongs in a category of classic bands that are just too loud for me to ever get into. I’ve heard nothing but praise for the work of (one-time) married couple Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon but the music I’ve heard is just too damn noisy.

1990’s Goo, the band’s sixth studio album, is one of their most acclaimed (along with its predecessor, 1988’s Daydream Nation. Even so, I don’t hear a lot on it that grabs me.

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Song of the Day #3,170: ‘Been Caught Stealing’ – Jane’s Addiction

janes_addiction_ritual_habitualAfter Cocteau Twins and Ride, Jane’s Addiction feels downright conventional, in a good way. I was never a big fan of Perry Farrell’s alternative rock band but I could see the anarchic appeal.

The band’s second album, Ritual De Lo Habitual, was released in 1990 to critical acclaim and strong sales. It turned out to be their last album before their first breakup, as drugs and egos drove the band apart.

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Song of the Day #3,169: ‘Nowhere’ – Ride

ride_nowhereI certainly learn things doing these ‘Decades’ posts. For example, I’d never heard of the “shoegazing” genre, which began in the U.K. in the late 80s.

Named after the playing style of band members who stood motionless onstage staring at the floor while playing, but referring as well to the mix of distortion and feedback typical of their songs, “shoegazing” sounds like the soundtrack of Hell.

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Song of the Day #3,168: ‘ Heaven or Las Vegas’ – Cocteau Twins

cocteau_twins_heaven_vegasI’ve heard of the Cocteau Twins but this is the first time I’ve ever consciously listened to their songs. Two Scottish trio released their seventh, and most acclaimed, album — Heaven or Las Vegas — in 1990.

The band’s style is described as dream pop, which apparently means unintelligible lyrics over a bed of ambient sound.

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