Duration: 40 minutes
Equipment: Elliptical (setting four)
Calories: 750
Bob Mould "Black Sheets Of Rain"
It's a testament to how well your day is going that you can enjoy this song (Sample lyric: "Someone stop the sun from shining") without anti-depressants. It rocks hard. I had the privilege of seeing Husker Du on the "Warehouse" Tour when it stopped in Chapel Hill (probably '86). To see a balding, overweight, schlubby guy producing standing ovations with his Flying V gladdened the hearts of schlubby guys everywhere. I still don't believe the stories that he produced scripts for the Worldwide Wrestling Federation in the early '00s, but I kind of hope that's true, too.
The Pretenders "Private Life"
Taken from a live show during the very brief period when the awesome James Honeyman Scott and Pete Farndon were still alive, this song demonstrates how to rock at a pretty slow place with unbelievable intensity.
The Beatles "Revolution 9"
Were the Mop Tops over-rated? Well, this seven minutes of lysergic noodling--with the aid of a full orchestra--makes a pretty convincing case. You may call that heresy, but fans of the world's biggest boy band too easily forget some of the most self-indulgent crap in the band's catalog, this being but one example. I listened to all seven excruciating minutes of '9' simply because of the rigid rule against skipping. That rule may be revisited.
Pearl Jam "I Won't Back Down"
From the "Live at the Gorge" 7 CD set. This cover of the Tom Petty song is great in that it sounds almost nothing like its originator. It's pretty clear the band had the crowd in the palms of their hands that night.
Bruce Dickinson "Tattooed Millionaire"
The voice behind Iron Maiden does not want to be like all the other tattooed millionaires. Ahh, finally a spokesman bringing forth a message that dozens, possibly scores of well-to-do metal fans can relate to. Great chorus, though.
H.I.M. (His Infernal Majesty) "Wings Of A Butterfly" Sounds nothing like what you'd expect gloomy goths from Finland to sound like. A song about pulling the wings off a butterfly is an uplifting, hummable, feel-good confection. It may be the only H.I.M. I've ever heard. I might have to go digging for more.
The Beatles "I Will" From the 'White Album,' this is the starting point of the saccharine road that ultimately led to "Ebony & Ivory" and "The Girl Is Mine." It couldn't have been easy for Manson to get The Family to sit through this over and over again. Best thing about it is it's only two minutes long.
Savatage "Christmas Eve (Sarajevo)" The Metal Lite classic that kicked off the whole Trans-Siberian Express phenomenon. Took the family to see TSE in November, and, have to say, I really enjoyed it. I've seen impressive stage shows with explosive pyrotechnics, impressive lasers, scores of singers, but I've never seen all that presented at once. They pretty much packed the Coliseum, and nobody went home disappointed, aside from one geezer who dragged his family out by song three.
Liz Phair "Little Digger" Ever wonder how your relationship with super-hot Liz Phair is affecting her toddler? Liz helpfully tells you exactly how he's feeling about it in a way that suggests you're not viewed as a long-term participant in her little family drama.
Glyder "Gambler's Blues" Glyder are, I think, Irish and have been hailed as some sort of reincarnation of Thin Lizzy and bands of that era. I admire their technical proficiency and ability to sound like an arena-rocking band circa 1978, but it's clearly a facsimile lacking anything new to offer. The production's a little too polished for my tastes, too.
Showing posts with label Liz Phair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liz Phair. Show all posts
Monday, January 12, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Reggae, Pearl Jam Workout
Day Two
Duration: 30 Minutes
Equipment: Elliptical machine
Calories: 600 plus (more than 100 every five minutes!)
Pearl Jam "Baba O'Reilly"
Back in the '90s when Pearl Jam was new, I saw them doing a Who cover--and it might have been this song--on some show, and Eddie Vedder was not in very good voice that night. In fact, his voice and the whole song sounded like a shambolic mess. One of the most profound regrets in my life is that I dismissed PJ over that one performance. (I know, it has been a pretty cushy life). The other thing is, PJ's live albums show that they're about three to four times better 'live' than on the studio records, I think. The fact you can hear the same PJ song 20 times and not understand the mumbled lyrics any better than the first time is an extra bonus. Great kick start to the workout today. I started at a rapid rate and didn't really slow down.
Niney the Observer "Blood & Fire"
It's interesting that reggae, unlike, say, the Dead, still sounds great when you're not high, which I haven't been for years. I don't know much about Niney the Observer, but can make the observation that he's very tuneful and very pissed off. Here's a simple lyric: "Opresser... Let it burn, burn burn" Why a kid from the lily-white suburbs relates to that at all is beyond me.
The Donnas "Better Off Dancing"
The world would have been a whole lot better off if it paid more attention to The Donnas' "Bitchin" CD last year. A solid return to form after the equally unsuccessful "Gold Medal," which was very obviously an attempt to get on the radio.
Gregory Isaacs "Don't Let Me Suffer" This song and the aforementioned Niney the Observer come from a U.K. magazine giveaway CD dedicated to Trojan records. Almost every song is excellent. That's a surprise since every giveaway CD I've had since sucked.
Pearl Jam "Alone" Taken from the excellent "Live at the Gorge." The seven-CD set documents three concerts at the same venue, and they played almost none of the same songs on those three nights. Again, the live albums, to me, sound much better than the studio stuff.
Liz Phair "Divorce Song" You just have to love Liz Phair.
Foo Fighters "Aurora" If there's a better band than the Foo Fighters out there right now, I don't know who they'd be. I'm not sure I've ever even heard this song before. It's not one of their best, but it's still real good.
The Donnas "Kids In America" If life here fair, this would have been a No. 1 song (for The Donnas as well as Kim Wilde). One of the most under-rated bands out there.
Rush "Cygnus X-1" I feel compelled to say I'm not That Rush Guy who prattles on endlessly about Neil Peart being the best drummer in the world (which he isn't) or the depth of his lyrics. In fact, I threw out the 1981 tour t-shirt I found during a cleaning mission a couple of weeks ago. It was in perfect condition. Still, some of their best stuff is still damned interesting to to listen to and this 18-minute trilogy can make 18 minutes go by real fast. Too bad, I didn't have time to hear all of it today. Next time.
Duration: 30 Minutes
Equipment: Elliptical machine
Calories: 600 plus (more than 100 every five minutes!)
Pearl Jam "Baba O'Reilly"
Back in the '90s when Pearl Jam was new, I saw them doing a Who cover--and it might have been this song--on some show, and Eddie Vedder was not in very good voice that night. In fact, his voice and the whole song sounded like a shambolic mess. One of the most profound regrets in my life is that I dismissed PJ over that one performance. (I know, it has been a pretty cushy life). The other thing is, PJ's live albums show that they're about three to four times better 'live' than on the studio records, I think. The fact you can hear the same PJ song 20 times and not understand the mumbled lyrics any better than the first time is an extra bonus. Great kick start to the workout today. I started at a rapid rate and didn't really slow down.
Niney the Observer "Blood & Fire"
It's interesting that reggae, unlike, say, the Dead, still sounds great when you're not high, which I haven't been for years. I don't know much about Niney the Observer, but can make the observation that he's very tuneful and very pissed off. Here's a simple lyric: "Opresser... Let it burn, burn burn" Why a kid from the lily-white suburbs relates to that at all is beyond me.
The Donnas "Better Off Dancing"
The world would have been a whole lot better off if it paid more attention to The Donnas' "Bitchin" CD last year. A solid return to form after the equally unsuccessful "Gold Medal," which was very obviously an attempt to get on the radio.
Gregory Isaacs "Don't Let Me Suffer" This song and the aforementioned Niney the Observer come from a U.K. magazine giveaway CD dedicated to Trojan records. Almost every song is excellent. That's a surprise since every giveaway CD I've had since sucked.
Pearl Jam "Alone" Taken from the excellent "Live at the Gorge." The seven-CD set documents three concerts at the same venue, and they played almost none of the same songs on those three nights. Again, the live albums, to me, sound much better than the studio stuff.
Liz Phair "Divorce Song" You just have to love Liz Phair.
Foo Fighters "Aurora" If there's a better band than the Foo Fighters out there right now, I don't know who they'd be. I'm not sure I've ever even heard this song before. It's not one of their best, but it's still real good.
The Donnas "Kids In America" If life here fair, this would have been a No. 1 song (for The Donnas as well as Kim Wilde). One of the most under-rated bands out there.
Rush "Cygnus X-1" I feel compelled to say I'm not That Rush Guy who prattles on endlessly about Neil Peart being the best drummer in the world (which he isn't) or the depth of his lyrics. In fact, I threw out the 1981 tour t-shirt I found during a cleaning mission a couple of weeks ago. It was in perfect condition. Still, some of their best stuff is still damned interesting to to listen to and this 18-minute trilogy can make 18 minutes go by real fast. Too bad, I didn't have time to hear all of it today. Next time.
Rokchix
To me, there's nothing sexier than an attractive woman playing guitar, except if she plays bass. Even better, is Meg White and a couple of other female drummers (Karen Carpenter, R.I.P). So, here's one of my favorite--and oft-repeated playlists. It's one that's constantly being added to, so I welcome your suggestions. As good as Genius is, I don't think it can yet limit recommendations to hot women.
The 5,6,7,8s "The Barracuda." The band was in a Quentin Tarantino movie. I think Kill Bill, which is great, and this song is my favorite for their mis-pronounced Rs in the spell-it-out chorus.
Cherie & Marie Currie "Since You've Been Gone." Cherie, the most attractive member of The Runaways by far, tackles my favorite Rainbow song and actually improves upon it. How Cherie didn't become a major star, I'll never understand.
Belly "Feed The Tree." One of the highlights of the golden age of female-led bands, the 90s.
ABBA "Knowing Me, Knowing You." Guilty pleasure. I kind of enjoyed "Mamma Mia", the movie, too. I did not enjoy the airport bus in Vegas that took me to my hotel about a year ago. It had a 12-minute promo video for the "Mamma Mia" playing continuously, and, since the Flamingo, was the last stop, I saw and heard it at least three complete times as we worked our way down the strip. I had Abba playing in my head for a month.
Melissa Etheridge "I'm The Only One." I thought I'd enjoy this like I did in the early 90s when Melissa first came out of the closet with the hot girlfriend she stole from the actor who played the "La Bamba" guy. I usually skip over it now, for whatever reason.
Divinyls. "I Touch Myself." What a wonderful song. Christina Amphlett seems like a great person. They had other equally good songs. "If Love Was A Gun," for one, but they'll only be remembered for this one. And, only in discussions about '80s music.
Katy Perry "Hot 'N Cold." Even better than "I Kissed A Girl," which is pretty good in itself, but isn't in my iPod. Yet.
The Donnas "Kids In America." There was absolutely nothing wrong with the Kim Wilde song, but The Donnas do it better. While I've never understood what compelled people to follow the Dead around and live out of a van for a year, I would do that for The Donnas, if I had the chance.
4 Non Blondes "What's Up" Memories of Columbia, S.C., circa 1990 come flooding back for the entire duration of this song. Love it.
Meredith Brooks "Bitch"
Liz Phair "Perfect Misfit" I loved Liz as an alterna-rock critics darling. I loved it when she tried to become a Pop Princess at a ridiculously advanced age. Hell, I even liked her last album.
Bjork "Army of Me." Oh yeah, she's weird. Who isn't?
The B-52s "Planet Claire." There's a little girl at church named Claire. Cool Name. I think of this song every single time I hear the name.
Kelly Clarkson "Since U Been Gone." Not the Rainbow song. Still excellent. The best thing that karaoke show has ever produced.
Lykee Li "I'm Good, I'm Gone." I'm almost always disappointed when I download a song based on a review of some music magazine hype. Not so with this Swedish songstress.
The Breeders "Cannonball." No matter how many times I've heard this song, and I'd venture to guess we're into hundreds at this point, I still kick it up a notch when I'm on the elliptical machine, and I here that awesome bass line.
Marianne Faithfull. "Broken English." Seductive older woman with a British accent woh was once a naked participant in a police raid on Keith Richards' house. What more needs to be said.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "Bad Reputation" It's inclusion in "Shrek" did nothing to diminish the rocking-ness of this song. Also, a pleasant reminder of the time my friend Wobblehead puked during a free concern Jett headlined at Kenan Stadium in 1981-ish? Maybe they'll be another occasion to tell the story of how Wobblehead got home.
Metallica w/Marianne Faithful "The Memory Remains." See "Broken English"
P!nk "So What" I didn't realize until the other day that P!nk spells her name with an exclamation poing. Has she always done that? She deserves extra punctuation for this song.
Liz Phair "Supernova."
The Gits "Absynthe." Is the girl in the Gits dead? I think I saw something about it a long time ago on E's "True Hollywood Story."
Fiona Apple "Criminal." The fact she's so nutty makes me think we'd get along. In "Rolling Stone," I think it was, she explained that she'd spent most of the three years ahead of her long-delayed last album in her back yard smoking a lot of weed and making some kind of pine cone handicrafts. This song paid for all that.
Sheryl Crow "Steve McQueen" May have been inspired by the not-radio-friendly song of the same name by the Drive By Truckers. She may also play bass on this one, which I think is awesome.
Santogold "L.E.S Artistes" Another song some magazine's "Songs of the Year" inspired me to download. Much better than the other supposed Songs.
The Donnas "Gimme My Radio" I came pretty late to The Donnas party, but, it seems, in beginning, they played Ramones songs, only with slightly different lyrics. Nobody did it better.
Stevie Nicks "Gold" Weird that FM stations once played this non-stop, but now don't play it at all. Also odd, that it's a Stevie Nicks song since some guy sings lead while she occasionally adds some background. I wish I knew of other Nicks stuff that rocked like this.
The 5,6,7,8s "The Barracuda." The band was in a Quentin Tarantino movie. I think Kill Bill, which is great, and this song is my favorite for their mis-pronounced Rs in the spell-it-out chorus.
Cherie & Marie Currie "Since You've Been Gone." Cherie, the most attractive member of The Runaways by far, tackles my favorite Rainbow song and actually improves upon it. How Cherie didn't become a major star, I'll never understand.
Belly "Feed The Tree." One of the highlights of the golden age of female-led bands, the 90s.
ABBA "Knowing Me, Knowing You." Guilty pleasure. I kind of enjoyed "Mamma Mia", the movie, too. I did not enjoy the airport bus in Vegas that took me to my hotel about a year ago. It had a 12-minute promo video for the "Mamma Mia" playing continuously, and, since the Flamingo, was the last stop, I saw and heard it at least three complete times as we worked our way down the strip. I had Abba playing in my head for a month.
Melissa Etheridge "I'm The Only One." I thought I'd enjoy this like I did in the early 90s when Melissa first came out of the closet with the hot girlfriend she stole from the actor who played the "La Bamba" guy. I usually skip over it now, for whatever reason.
Divinyls. "I Touch Myself." What a wonderful song. Christina Amphlett seems like a great person. They had other equally good songs. "If Love Was A Gun," for one, but they'll only be remembered for this one. And, only in discussions about '80s music.
Katy Perry "Hot 'N Cold." Even better than "I Kissed A Girl," which is pretty good in itself, but isn't in my iPod. Yet.
The Donnas "Kids In America." There was absolutely nothing wrong with the Kim Wilde song, but The Donnas do it better. While I've never understood what compelled people to follow the Dead around and live out of a van for a year, I would do that for The Donnas, if I had the chance.
4 Non Blondes "What's Up" Memories of Columbia, S.C., circa 1990 come flooding back for the entire duration of this song. Love it.
Meredith Brooks "Bitch"
Liz Phair "Perfect Misfit" I loved Liz as an alterna-rock critics darling. I loved it when she tried to become a Pop Princess at a ridiculously advanced age. Hell, I even liked her last album.
Bjork "Army of Me." Oh yeah, she's weird. Who isn't?
The B-52s "Planet Claire." There's a little girl at church named Claire. Cool Name. I think of this song every single time I hear the name.
Kelly Clarkson "Since U Been Gone." Not the Rainbow song. Still excellent. The best thing that karaoke show has ever produced.
Lykee Li "I'm Good, I'm Gone." I'm almost always disappointed when I download a song based on a review of some music magazine hype. Not so with this Swedish songstress.
The Breeders "Cannonball." No matter how many times I've heard this song, and I'd venture to guess we're into hundreds at this point, I still kick it up a notch when I'm on the elliptical machine, and I here that awesome bass line.
Marianne Faithfull. "Broken English." Seductive older woman with a British accent woh was once a naked participant in a police raid on Keith Richards' house. What more needs to be said.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts "Bad Reputation" It's inclusion in "Shrek" did nothing to diminish the rocking-ness of this song. Also, a pleasant reminder of the time my friend Wobblehead puked during a free concern Jett headlined at Kenan Stadium in 1981-ish? Maybe they'll be another occasion to tell the story of how Wobblehead got home.
Metallica w/Marianne Faithful "The Memory Remains." See "Broken English"
P!nk "So What" I didn't realize until the other day that P!nk spells her name with an exclamation poing. Has she always done that? She deserves extra punctuation for this song.
Liz Phair "Supernova."
The Gits "Absynthe." Is the girl in the Gits dead? I think I saw something about it a long time ago on E's "True Hollywood Story."
Fiona Apple "Criminal." The fact she's so nutty makes me think we'd get along. In "Rolling Stone," I think it was, she explained that she'd spent most of the three years ahead of her long-delayed last album in her back yard smoking a lot of weed and making some kind of pine cone handicrafts. This song paid for all that.
Sheryl Crow "Steve McQueen" May have been inspired by the not-radio-friendly song of the same name by the Drive By Truckers. She may also play bass on this one, which I think is awesome.
Santogold "L.E.S Artistes" Another song some magazine's "Songs of the Year" inspired me to download. Much better than the other supposed Songs.
The Donnas "Gimme My Radio" I came pretty late to The Donnas party, but, it seems, in beginning, they played Ramones songs, only with slightly different lyrics. Nobody did it better.
Stevie Nicks "Gold" Weird that FM stations once played this non-stop, but now don't play it at all. Also odd, that it's a Stevie Nicks song since some guy sings lead while she occasionally adds some background. I wish I knew of other Nicks stuff that rocked like this.
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