Heck Yes! - 02/14/05

Okay, so I've decided my radio blog is more interesting when I talk about the songs, so that's what I'm going to do today. But I've realized it is going to be a VERY long blog, so you might want to get a pillow so you can take naps..

I've started to begin my show with Dice because I always thought it was cool to have a song to start your show with but I never really found a great one (well, maybe Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get by The Dramatics, but I never got around to it) but now I have. I really like this song and it generally fits in well with my show (maybe I'll use that Dramatics song for the soul shows).

It took me a little while to find that AC/DC song. I'm a big old AC/DC fan and when I heard that song in Empire Records I knew it was the Aussie lads but I had no idea what song it was. I have the If You Want Blood album and shockingly that song is not on that album. It's on Dirty Deeds. The opening drumming is on like all the lights in my apartment.

Land of 1,000 - This was another song I had to hunt down. CMT played The Great Outdoors over and over this weekend and aside from being a comic classic (lips and assholes, anyone?) with the late great John Candy and Dan Aykroyd it features a great duet from the two of them on this tune at the end. It was so good I had to hunt the original down.

Breathing - I just read an "article" in Blender where Chloe Sevigny was talking about how much she loves Kate Bush. I've always dug that track she did with Peter Gabriel so I got myself her greatest hits album and this was the first song I've played. It was really, really quiet but lush at the same time.

Icebox - I've got this buddy - the inimitable Chris Chaplin - who lives and works in L.A. As part of his job, apparently, a myriad of CDs of dubious merit come across his desk and end up - it would seem - in a box. This box usually, eventually, finds its way to my house. This was not the best thing he's sent me but it isn't even close to the worst either. I'm going to give it more chances though.

Devil Inside - I've always been a bit of a New Wave geek (actually, it's not just a bit and it's not limited to New Wave either) and I've been an INXS fan from way back. It was either this tune or Original Sin but I've heard that one too much lately.

Purple Rain - EWeekly did a list of the best love songs of all time this week and this was on the list. That kind of surprised me, although I can't tell you why. It is a great song. Prince is so completely the shit.

Pressure Drop - If this hadn't been introduced by "The Donald," I could have nearly died happy. One of my favorite songs with three of my favorite musicians.

The Wasp - The Doors and I have a love/hate relationship. I was pretty into them for a while early on in my college career (thanks to their biggest fan - James Lainsbury) and then I kind of got sick of them, but this has always been a cool tune.

Miss Me Blind - I'm such a big fan of VH1 Storytellers. I wish they'd bring it back. Or at least release all the performances from it. And while they're at it they could get out all those VH1 Unplugged things too. And I'd like to see some of those Today Show performances too, since I'm rarely, if ever, up when they are on.

Late In The Evening - In the live version from the Central Park concert there are two spots in this song where the crowd goes crazy. The first is when he says that line about New York City and the second is the line about stepping out to smoke a J. When I hear this song, I am always waiting for that crowd reaction and when it doesn't come I am always a little bummed. Not because the song is any less good, but just because I'm not getting what I expected.

Little Dreamer - I love that line in Bowling For Soup's tune 1985 when he says "and who is that new guy singing in Van Halen?" Because everybody knows that no one did VH like Diamond Dave.

Wild Thing - I can still remember the first time I realized that he was referring to this song as the American national anthem. No one has ever or will ever play guitar like Jimi. I read something recently where someone was saying that it was as if whatever Jimi thought, he could play. If he could imagine the sound, he could make it.

Renegade - I've never had a big car stereo with the boomin' system, but one summer this song - and pretty much anything by Bob Marley - made my rearview mirror bounce like crazy.

Rooms On Fire - My cousin Liz was always a really big Stevie Nicks fan and I still can't listen to anything with Stevie in it and not think of Liz. And I really like Stevie Nicks (alone, with Fleetwood Mac, with Tom Petty - however).

Stronger - I bought this compilation disc at Eddie Bauer a couple of years ago and gave it it's first real listen on the way to P.I. for Christmas this year. It's mostly country (or alt-country) and anyone who knows me at all knows I hate country but her song A Little Bit Lonesome made me one of her biggest fans. I just can't get enough.

Hurts So Good - Back when John Mellencamp went by the decidedly cooler moniker Johnny Cougar.

White Wedding - I bought Billy Idol's greatest hits recently and with the exception of Mony, Mony (funniest thing I heard about Billy Idol was when he was doing VH1 Storytellers the EWeekly review of it said that it contains rare insight into the song process like when Billy said "Hey. How about we do a cover of that Tommy James tune?") I listened to it all the way through without stopping. I haven't been able to say that about an album - much less a greatest hits package - in a VERY long time.

I Can't Get Next To You - If there is a better singer out there than Al Green I don't know who it is. The next time I pass through Memphis I'm going to his church. Yeah, you heard me right, I'm going to church. The Rev. Al Green, ladies and gentlemen.

Are You Gonna Move It For Me - These girls absolutely rip and if all is right with the world I will get to see them live in Austin during the SXSW film/music festival in March. I'm so excited. I'm going to scream like a little schoolgirl.

Night Time Is The Right Time - A friend of mine sent me a list of songs he'd like to hear on my radio show and he included a little CCR (not this tune but still). One of these days I'll play the whole set but for now I give him a little CCR every once in a while. Even though I can't really take too much of there "start-fast-then-get-slow-then-speed-up-again" playing style. For me, if your looking for vintage southern classic rock (and you can't stand hearing Saturday Night Special again), ZZ Top is the way to go. La Grange is probably among my top five favorite songs of all time (which is why that "immediately come to mind" caveat is on my other blog).

Refugee - There are so many really great Tom Petty & The Heartbreaker songs that I could do a whole show of only them. I might, now that I mention it.

Chinese Rock - The Ramones definitely were a key part of my musical learning curve. Four guys playing songs that only last a couple of minutes but it changed the world.

I Drove All Night - If you haven't listened to Cyndi Lauper lately, pick up any of her albums and listen to it. Her voice is angelic.

Girls On Film - More than anything else I like the sound of the camera at the beginning.

Hammer To Fall - It's always a toss up between this or Radio Ga-Ga or Under Pressure or Stone Cold Crazy or Crazy Little Thing Called Love or I Want It All, well you get the picture.

And so that was this week's radio show. Come back next week for another one. I know I will.

As usual, look below for the list.


Finley Quaye & William Orbit - Dice
AC/DC - If You Want Blood (You've Got It)

CD1
Wilson Pickett - Land of 1,000 Dances
Floetry - Floetic (live from Floecism "Live")
Kate Bush - Breathing
Nada Surf - Icebox
INXS - Devil Inside (Australian Single version)
Prince - Purple Rain
Toots & The Maytals w/ Ben Harper & Jack Johnson - Pressure Drop (live from Saturday Night Live w/ introduction by Donald Trump)
The Doors - The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)
Culture Club - Miss Me Blind (live from VH1 Storytellers)
Paul Simon - Late In The Evening

*Talk - PSA - AIDS Awareness (with Michael Douglas)

Van Halen - Little Dreamer

CD2
Jimi Hendrix - Wild Thing (live from Live At Winterland)
STYX - Renegade
Stevie Nicks - Rooms On Fire
Kasey Chambers - Stronger
John Cougar Mellencamp - Hurts So Good
Billy Idol - White Wedding (Part 1)
Al Green - I Can't Get Next to You
The Donnas - Are You Gonna Move It For Me
Credence Clearwater Revival - Night Time Is The Right Time (live from CCR the Concert)
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Refugee
The Ramones - Chinese Rock
Cyndi Lauper - I Drove All Night
Duran Duran - Girls On Film
*Talk*
Queen - Hammer To Fall