MetaFilter posts tagged with rock

LiveR Than You'll Ever Be

Joe Beese — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:59:33 -0800

40 years ago today, The Rolling Stones played two concerts at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. In the darkness of the audience was a man known to history only as "Dub"... [audio auto-plays] His recording of the later show was in stores by Christmas as LiveR Than You'll Ever Be. Reviewing it in Rolling Stone, Greil Marcus wrote: It is the most exciting record I have heard all year, fully the equal, in its own way, of Let It Bleed, and in some ways better. All qualifications aside, it is the ultimate Rolling Stones album. In addition to its unprecedented audio fidelity, LiveR made history by its influence on the Rolling Stones discography. Demand for the title pressured Decca into releasing an official live album from the tour - though some considered the eventual Get Yer Ya-Yas Out! spoiled by excessive overdubbing. Both the early and late shows can be heard in best-available sound here . And an extensive history of rock bootlegging can be found in Clinton Heylin's Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry. ( previously)

"Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound, funny, but it's folk/psych/prog/70s Korean rock to me

kkokkodalk — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:35:32 -0800

Boys dared to grow their hair and girls dared to wear mini skirts and in Korea indecency officers patroled the street with scissors and rulers, publicly cutting hair too long and checking if skirts were too short. Shin Joong-hyung, was there with his 70s hit, Beauty, as were other musicians and artists like Sanullim and the Key Boys. Shin's memorable hook from "Beauty" of "I look at her once, look at her twice, I want to keeping looking at her” matched with an addictive beat and guitar riff created the trend of "I _____ once, _____ twice, I keep wanting to ______" wordplay according to Jishik Shidae's E documentary on Shin (link to part two, giving video clips, photos and some of the music from the time). Shin was performing since the 50s, beginning his career entertaining US troops, and in the 60s in bands like Add4 and he continued to pump out popular hits that are still familiar to the ears of many Koreans today. For example, Beautiful Rivers and Mountains, topped the charts again in the 80s when it was covered by power vocalist Lee Sun-hee, and is now considered one of her greatest hits (song clip is actually from a 2003 performance in North Korea as part of a "Reunification Concert" where South Korean singers went to perform in North Korea). Shin, who is considered the godfather of rock and soul in Korea, was an influential guitarist and musician. He also wrote songs for and worked with other acts like the Pearl Sisters (1, 2). Another one of his great hits, Officer Kim Returning from Vietnam, was performed by Kim Chu-ja. Sanullim were also a force to be reckoned with. Even though they created progressive and psychedelic music, the trio were also responsible for many recognizable hit now part of the Korean pop music lexicon with hits and exploded onto the scene with "Oh, no! Already?" (linked above) from their first album. From Sanullim's first album: Restless Heart Open the Door Girl A couple of songs from Sanullim's second album: I Think It's Really Like That Dear One Leaving Me Lining My Heart With Silk The Key Boys were responsible for another one of the most recognizable Korean songs Let's Go to the Beach, a karaoke favorite and covered by numerous performers, including punk band No Brain in 2001. It wasn't just the boys who got to play, there were also female artists with a more pop sound like Kim Jung-mi and Yoon Si-nae Another song that most Koreans are familiar with: Song Gol-mae's 80s hit, You, Who I Accidentally Ran Into To see album covers read up some more info (including how much collectors are paying for some of these albums!) check out Belgian Psyche Van Het Folk radio show's collection of Korean psychedelic folk music and their labyrinthine links. Other folk-style acts to note: Yang Hee-eun Onions Kim Jung-ho One of Shin Jung-hoon's hits was One Cup of Coffee, (performed by the Pearl Sisters). Interestingly enough, one of the more current incarnations of Korean folk and psych tradition, Chang Ki-ha and The Faces, were able to escape unknown indie band status with another coffee-themed hit, Cheap Coffee. Chang Ki-ha and The Faces perform with an enigmatic, silent and stony-faced background dancer/backup singer duo named The Mimi Sisters," an obvious nod to the 60s-70s both in the naming convention and in their sometimes retro style of dress: Why Does that Man...? The Moon is Becoming Full Accept Me

Prisencolinensinainciusol - Ol Raight!

dunkadunc — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:25:34 -0800

Sung in incoherent pseudo-English, Adriano Celentano's Prisencolinensinainciusol (1973) could be thought of as an early example of rap.

Reuse, Recycle, and ROCK

ocherdraco — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:07:59 -0800

Electric Junkyard Gamelan is the brainchild of bandleader and composer Terry Dame, and fuses Dame's passions of composing, inventing and building. Originally inspired by traditional Gamelan music from Bali, the group recycles and repurposes everyday objects into musical instruments. While some of their songs do indeed resemble the hypnotic percussive melodies of a Balinese/Javanese gamelan orchestra (The Nutbutter Challenge), other tunes strike out into new, distinctly urban American directions (Ode to Fred Beans). Following the band's motto, "Reuse, Recycle and ROCK," instruments are fashioned from coat hangers and rubber bands, bed frames, old farm equipment, turntable platters, clay pots, saw blades and truck springs. The "Big Barp" rubber-band harp makes a particularly unusual sound. Watching the band play is a fundamental part of enjoying their music:

At the Cleveland Bridge Project (Part 2, Part 3)
"Cark Nogg" and "Big Barp" in Baltimore at the Metro Gallery
At the Chicago World Music Festival in Daley Plaza

Brooklyn Independent Television interviewed the band, with lots of great description about how they play; there's another great interview (with lots of great music) with David Garland on WNYC's Spinning on Air (where I first heard of the band). You can find photos of the band on Flickr to get a closer look at their instruments. Electric Junkyard Gamelan has three albums (Life on Marz, Live from HERE, and the self-titled Electric Junkyard Gamelan). Live in New York? They're performing tonight at Joe's Pub. Sources for the descriptions in the main part of this post: EJG's about the band page, this post on Music for Maniacs, and yesterday's epsiode description at Spinning On Air.

"Heroin Makes Him Evil"

msalt — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:25:58 -0800

Dig! Destroy The System. The entire film about the Brian Jonestown Massacre's rivalry with the Dandy Warhols (after a 30 second ad). One week only on Pitchfork TV.

Friday Night, 1974, and there's nothing going on

philip-random — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:34:10 -0800

Here’s a cool concept. Top breakthrough bands of the day playing LIVE on TV late every Friday night. Such was The Midnight Special - from 1972 - 1981 (though the glory days were the early to mid 70s, that lost decade somewhere between the meltdown of the hippie dream and the coincident eruptions of PUNK + DISCO upon planet rock). Burt Sugarman was the man behind it all. You name ‘em. They played it. From the sublime to the ridiculous ... ABBA Argent Badfinger Bee Gees (pre disco) Earth Wind + Fire Electric Light Orchestra (again) Guess Who Manfred Mann's Earth Band Curtis Mayfield The Steve Miller Band Ted Nugent Billy Preston Todd Rundgren T-Rex Thin Lizzy War Gary Wright All apologies for the hairstyles but, as some wise guys said, those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

Wild Wanda, Queen of Rockabilly

Jon_Evil — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:49:16 -0800

Fifty years ago, those decrying rock 'n' roll as devil music that would crumble the morals of America needed to look no further than Wanda Jackson for evidence. Her raspy, brassy voice, suggestive lyrics, and sexual energy were almost unbelievable for the Eisenhower years. Coaxed into singing rockabilly by her then-boyfriend, Elvis, she had a string of rock hits, before marrying and IBM programmer and switching to more traditional, conservative country music.

A whole freaking bunch of classic rock performance videos

Kattullus — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:55:36 -0800

My Beat Club has a whole ton of classic rock perfomance videos, mostly from old German TV shows Musikladen and Beat Club. Among the videos on offer are Small Faces' Tin Soldier, Chuck Berry's School Days, Ike & Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High, The Who's My Generation, Country Joe McDonald's I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag, The Everly Brothers' All I Have to Do is Dream, The Ramones' Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Mungo Jerry's In the Summertime, T. Rex's 20th Century Boy, New York Dolls' Looking for a Kiss, The Byrds' So You Want to Be a Rock n' Roll Star, Thin Lizzy's Whiskey in the Jar, Slade's We'll Bring the House Down, The Jimi Hendrix Experience's Purple Haze and so much, much more!

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

nebulawindphone — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 10:51:03 -0800

"She was a rock star," recalls Ira Tucker Jr., who grew up watching Tharpe with his father's gospel group in the 1940s and '50s. "You know, like Beyonce today and people like that. That's what Rosetta was to us." Sister Rosetta Tharpe wasn't the first one to bring black popular music into the church. (Here's the great Arizona Dranes playing barroom honky-tonk piano on the gospel side I Shall Wear a Crown in 1927.) But her fierce stage presence and her original blend of gospel, boogie-woogie, swing and smoking hot blues guitar was a crucial forgotten influence on what we now recognize as rock and roll. (Many more recordings inside. Enjoy!) If you're here for the electric guitar action, you'll want the Red Foley duet and the '60s TV appearances. My personal favorites are the stunning acoustic duets she recorded a decade or two earlier with the Sanctified gospel shouter Marie Knight — try "Up Above my Head" and "Daniel in the Lion's Den." But her range was incredible, everything she recorded was excellent, and comparing her late electric recordings with the earlier versions is a hoot if you're into that sort of thing. Early success with Lucky Millinder's big band: The Lonesome Road (scantily clad dancing girls at 0:45!), Four or Five Times, Trouble in Mind Mid-40s boogie-woogie gospel mega-hit: Strange Things Happening Every Day With Marie Knight in the late '40s: Up Above My Head, Beams of Heaven, My Journey to the Sky, Daniel in the Lion's Den [scroll down to the 7th set] With jubilee singers The Dependable Boys: Everybody's Going to Have a Wonderful Time Up There, My Lord's Gonna Move This Wicked Race, Down By the Riverside Her SCANDALOUS! return to blues in the '50s: Don't Leave Me Here to Cry Duet with country and rockabilly star Red Foley: Have a Little Talk with Jesus Straight-up church choir gospel from the '60s: I Do, Don't You, Seeking for Me, Lily of the Valley TV appearances from the '60s blues revival: Didn't It Rain, Trouble in Mind, Up Above My Head, Down By the Riverside Bonus — the Harmonizing Four singing at Tharpe's stadium-concert-slash-wedding in '51: Mighty Long Way. Sadly, no video. But how rock-star is that?

I'll do it as long as someone will publish it for me

Potomac Avenue — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:46:17 -0800

Greil Marcus writes Real Life Top Ten for the Believer Magazine, in which he lists "anything that remotely has to do with music, a dress Bette Midler wore at an awards show or a great guitar solo in the middle of a song that otherwise wasn't very interesting." But he's been writing this column online for just about 10 years. Not to mention the previous incarnation in Artfourm, some collected at Bnet. Not to mention that he started writing the lists in 1978: "The point was not to just be a list of records, but anything that remotely had to do with music, a dress Bette Midler wore at an awards show or a great guitar solo in the middle of a song that otherwise wasn't very interesting. At some point, Doug Simmons, the music editor at The Village Voice, said, "What if you made that into a real column, annotated each item?" I'd never thought of that. So I made it a monthly column for The Village Voice in around '86.... It's not a central focus, but it's a kind of organizing principle. I do it for fun. It keeps me looking, keeps me listening, keeps me alert. " Powells interview. "If I have an argument to make for the Top Ten, it's that you can find culture everywhere. Culture is always at work, it's always changing or manipulating or exploiting our perceptions and prejudices--what we want and what we're afraid of--and you can find very smart, dedicated people working on those premises in shopwindows, in advertisements, in painting and sculpture, in records, in performances. It's like being at an amusement park with these incredible surprises happening all the time. That's the sensibility, I suppose, that this column invoked when I was doing it as I should have." Artforum 2003 Greil's most recent book is "The Shape Of Things to Come" (video excerpt). Previously

Our Band Could Be Your Comic

interrobang — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:42:18 -0800

Metafilter's own COBRA! has been producing a great comic about a rock band for quite awhile; and now it's been released as a book! Get to know the Awesome Boys in Nowhere Band.

Long Distance Winners

ageispolis — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:36:44 -0800

Before Fleetwood Mac, there was Buckingham Nicks. Their seminal s/t album (1973) has never been released on CD. "So Keith [Olsen] and I started working together. This was in like ‘68, ‘69 probably. And that’s - from then on that’s when things started happening. That’s where Keith one day came and said, 'I’m bringing this couple down from North California, named Stevie and Lindsey. And I want you to play on their record.' I played on the Buckingham Nicks record. The three of us became very tight, tight friends. We were always together. And then I got my record deal, and they got theirs. And we all got mutually screwed at the same time." - Waddy Watchel Buckingham Nicks (1973) mp3s donated by Tom Moncrieff, former bassist for Buckingham Nicks. 1. Crying in the Night (S. Nicks) 2. Stephanie (L. Buckingham) 3. Without a Leg to Stand On (L. Buckingham) 4. Crystal (S. Nicks) 5. Long Distance Winner (S. Nicks) 6. Don't Let Me Down Again (L. Buckingham) 7. Django (J. Lewis) 8. Races Are Run (S. Nicks) 9. Lola My Love (L. Buckingham) 10. Frozen Love (S. Nicks, L. Buckingham) More music of Buckingham Nicks, including two live sets donated by Gary Hodges, former drummer of the band. (/index) And for some counterbalance, Fleetwood Mac before Buckingham & Nicks.

Now I Wanna Be Your Insightful, Respectable Rock Icon

Jon_Evil — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:57:42 -0800

You wouldn't expect Iggy Pop to be the poster boy for rock stars who age gracefully, but he seems to be doing a pretty good job of it. At the age of 62, he's released Preliminaires, an album steeped in French Literature and containing jazz standards, hardscrabble blues, and the Louis-Armstrong-meets-Tom-Waits hit, King of the Dogs. NPR's Fresh Air has this interview with a thoughtful, avuncular Iggy Pop

Jeff Mangum: Starlight Crypt

msalt — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:23:31 -0800

In 1997, reclusive Neutral Milk Hotel mastermind Jeff Mangum performed a now-legendary set at Athens, Ga. coffee shop Jittery Joe's. One week only on Pitchfork.tv Previously 1 2 3 In the Aeroplane Over The Sea: Pitchfork review (10.0) Youtube: - 14 song playlist - Holland, 1945, live 10-14-97 - Song against Sex, live 4-12-98

クレイジーケンバンド!

ardgedee — Mon, 25 May 2009 09:25:56 -0800

The Crazy Ken Band! Cool and Hot! Swinging horns! Groovy chicks! Fast cars! Danger! Crazy! CRAZY! Respect! Otosan A fan's Apple iTunes commercial parody, plus a cat jumping out of an orange For a dozen years they've been mining rich veins of rockabilly, jumping jive, Henry Mancini's jazz soundtracks, Detroit muscle cars and trad Japanese music. But nevermind that right now. Even their product endorsements are cool: Hallelujah Xmas! Hemi Hemi Dodge Cruising! Crazy Ken even digs hip-hop: m-flo loves Nomiya Maki & Crazy Ken Band Cosmic Night Run! (and again, live!) Apologies for my not knowing the slightest bit of Japanese. Hover over the links for whatever info I could make up.

Literal lunacy.

myopicman — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:15:02 -0800

Back in 2002, 4 interns pulled off an unusual heist: they stole a quarter tonne of moon rocks under NASA's nose, which reads like a surreal pulp. [via jwz] It's a mix of social engineering and bizarre science, handy on the off-chance you're looking for an extra-terrestrial gemstone.

Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man!... Say "Cheese!"

jonp72 — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:53:38 -0800

Dr. John Rudoff is a cardiologist in Oregon, but before he entered medical school, he was the staff photographer at The Main Point, a coffeehouse in Bryn Mawr, PA associated with the early 1960s folk revival in the Philadelphia area. His photographs of the Philadelphia folk scene include unidentified local folkies, but also touring folk singers such as Dave van Ronk and John Hammond. Eventually, Rudoff got a press pass to the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where he took photos of Mary Travers sharing a moment with Mimi and Dick Fariña and Joan Baez with a pre-psychedelicized Chambers Brothers, but the most amazing discovery of all are the photos of when Bob Dylan "went electric." And now you can see Rudoff's whole collection, thanks to the magic of Flickr.

100 Best Icelandic Pop & Rock Albums

Kattullus — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:14:58 -0800

100 Best Icelandic Pop & Rock Albums all streamable in full for free. Icelandic state broadcaster RÚV and Icelandic subscription music website tónlist.is have published what they, their team of experts and the Icelandic public consider to be the 100 best Icelandic rock and pop albums of all time. Björk, Sigur Rós, Múm and The Sugarcubes don't need much introduction but below the cut there are short description of the other artists. [via RÚV] 200.000 naglbítar: Name means 200000 Nippers (as in the tool for removing nails, this is a Halldór Laxness reference). Rose to fame in the mid 90s with an anthemic pop song about a woman who's hiding the fact her husband beats her up called Hæð í húsi (A Floor in a House). Their second biggest hit was Brjótum það sem brotnar (Break That Which is Breaks, as in the nihilist idea that nothing that can be broken should be left unbroken). They made an album with Lúðrasveit verkalýðsins (The Laborers' Marching Band) who also featured in Heima, the recent documentary about Sigur Rós. Ampop: Starting life as an electronic duo, they added a drummer to the line-up and became more melodic. Apparat Organ Quartet: The world largest quartet, comprised of four organists and one drummer. The band's main songwriter is Jóhann Jóhannsson started out as the keyboard player in goth-rock band Ham (see below) but has now become a respected composer. Baggalútur: The band version of Icelandic comedy website Baggalútur, which is the Icelandic equivalent of The Onion. Bjartmar Guðlaugsson: Folky singer-songwriter who was incredibly popular in the late eighties. He started out as a lyricist for others, including Björk at one point. Björgvin Halldórsson: A popstar in Iceland since the late sixties, with countless hits. His only album in this list is an album of children's music he made with guitarist Gunnar Þórðarson (see below). His son, Krummi, is the lead singer of Mínus (see below). Botnleðja: Started out as a catchy pop-punk band in the vein of the Buzzcocks, they went to write more complicated rock songs. Toured abroad under the name Silt, which is a direct translation of their name. Bragi Valdimar og Memfismafían: Bragi Valdimar is a member of Baggalútur (see above) and Memfismafían (The Memphis Mafia) is a collection of various other well known Icelandic musicians, including members of The Sugarcubes, Hjálmar (see below) and many others. The album Gilligill is a collection of humorous children's songs. Bubbi Morthens: The Icelandic Bruce Springsteen. Started out as a singer-songwriter whose songs were about life as a working class Icelander but he's since explored countless different musical styles. He founded Utangarðsmenn (see below) around the time he was first becoming popular as a solo artist. He later went on to found new wave bands Egó (see below) and Das Kapital. He later formed GCD (see below) with Icelandic sixties rock legend Rúnar Júlíusson, member of Hljómar (see below) and Trúbrot (see below). He's also worked extensively with singer-songwriter Megas (see below) as well as releasing a great number of solo albums. Dikta: A tuneful indie rock band. Dr. Gunni og vinir hins: Dr. Gunni is a long-time fixture on the Icelandic music scene, having been one of Iceland's premier alternate rockers in the late eighties and into the mid nineties. Abbababb! is his best selling album, a collection of children's songs, the breakout hit being Prumpufólkið (The Fartpeople). Egó: Iceland's premier New Wave band, founded by Bubbi Morthens (see above). Ellen Kristjánsdóttir: Sister of KK (see below), she's mainly an interpreter of other people's songs. The album on this list, Sálmar (Hymns), is a collection of traditional Icelandic Christian songs. Elly Vilhjálms: Sister of Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson (see below), who she sings with on the one album she has on the list. Iceland's premier female singer of pop and jazz standards in the sixties and seventies. Emilíana Torrini: Probably best known in the Anglophone world for singing Gollum's Song over the end-credits of The Two Towers, Emilíana Torrini has had a long solo career and has co-written a number of songs for other recording artists, including Kylie Minogue, and collaborated with Paul Oakenfold, Gus Gus (see below) and Thievery Corporation. Ensími: An alternative rock band. One of their albums, not on this list, was produced by Steve Albini. FM Belfast: Electro band with three singers. Features Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason of Múm. On the album How to Make Friends they cover old school techno smash Pump by Snap. Fræbbblarnir: Iceland's first punk band. For some reason their selected album, Viltu nammi væna? (Do you want candy dear?) is not playable. GCD: One of many popular bands founded by Bubbi Morthens (see above) this time as a collaborative project with bass guitarist and singer Rúnar Júlíusson, former member of Hljómar (see below), Trúbrot (see below) and many other bands. The name comes from what are supposedly the three most common chords in rock songs. Grýlurnar: New wave all-girl band. Made Iceland's all time most popular movie Með allt á hreinu (Everything Clear) with the band Stuðmenn (see below). The movie featured both bands on a tour of Iceland competing for popularity. The lead singer of Grýlurnar, Ragnhildur Gísladóttir, went on to join Stuðmenn. Gunnar Þórðarson: Former member of Hljómar (see below), Trúbrot (see below) and many other bands. Primarily a guitarist and songwriter his solo works have been collaborative, such as Himinn og jörð (Heaven and Earth), which features a number of singers, such as Björgvin Halldórsson (see above) and former Hljómar and Trúbrot singer Shady Owens. GusGus: Started out as an artistic collaborative, with music only being one part of what they did, but soon the band aspect became the main focus. Countless people have at one time or another been members of GusGus, including Emilíana Torrini (see above) and Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson lead singer of Nýdönsk (see below). Through the years their music has progressed from trip-hop to electro. Ham: Iceland's foremost goth rock band. They never quite managed to record a proper full-length album, but their defining statement as the live recording of their final concert, released as Ham Lengi Lifi! (Long Live Ham!) The principal songwriter was Sigurjón Kjartansson, who was also one of the two main singers (singing in an operatic style), the other being Óttar Proppe, who growled. They were fiercely loved by their followers (including Björk) while they were active but never widely popular. Sigurjón Kjartansson later went on to become one half of Iceland's most popular comedic duo, Tvíhöfði (Biceps or Doublehead). Ham always had a streak of humor in them, covering Abba's Voulez-vous and The Motors' Airport. Hjaltalín: An indie pop band whose cover of Þú komst við hjartað í mér (You Touched My Heart) by Páll Óskar (see below) was a huge hit in Iceland last year. Hjálmar: Iceland's finest reggae band. Members of Hjálmar later went on to back Megas (see below) as Senuþjófarnir (The Scene Stealers). Hljómar: One of countless Beatlepop bands which sprang up around the world in the early sixties. Singer and bassist Rúnar Júlíusson had the distinction of also being in Iceland's national soccer squad and dating, and later marrying, Miss Iceland. Hljómar featured under the name Thor's Hammer on the second volume of garage rock compilation series Nuggets. Hrekkjusvínin: A supergroup of folk and rock musicians who came together to make a children's album in 1977, starting an Icelandic tradition of serious rock musicians making children's music in Iceland. All lyrics on their only album, Lög unga fólkins (The Young Folks' Songs), were by novelist and poet Pétur Gunnarsson, all music was by Valgeir Guðjónsson of Spilverk þjóðanna (see below) and later of Stuðmenn (see below) and Leifur Hauksson of folk group Þokkabót. The lyrics were quite subversive and anti-capitalist but despite that (or perhaps because of that), the album instantly became a classic of Icelandic children's music. Jeff Who?: Icelandic indie rock band. Jet Black Joe: Rock band whose music has often been compared to grunge. They were very popular in the early nineties before disbanding. The lead singer, Páll Rósinkranz, went on to be a singer of Christian spiritual music before reforming the band in this decade. KK: Folk and blues musician. Real name Kristján Kristjánsson, he's the brother of Ellen Kristjánsdóttir (see above). Lay Low: Stage name of Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir. She's a singer-songwriter who plays slow, atmospheric music. Magnús Þór Guðmundsson: A long time fixture of the Icelandic music scene, first as a member of the band Change. He released a number of solo albums, including the one on this list, Álfar (Elves). Mannakorn: Seventies rock band. Maus: Indie rock band popular in the nineties and into this decade before they disbanded. Roger O'Donnell, keyboard player of The Cure, played with Maus on the album Lof mér að falla að þínu eyra (Let Me Fit Your Ear). Megas: His public image in Iceland is some combination of Bob Dylan, George Bataille and a bum. Starting out as a folk singer with an eponymous album in 1972, he would later explore a number of musical styles. He is also considered one of the Iceland's best poets. His lyrics are written according to traditional Icelandic poetics, but his subject matter is routinely very subversive and has been from the very first. His life has been just as controversial, having often been on the brink of death from ODing on drugs. Á bleikum náttkjólum (In pink nightgowns), which he made with Spilverk þjóðanna (see below) in 1977, is widely acknowledged to be his masterpiece, a caustic punk-influenced rock album that routinely tops Icelandic album best-of lists (along with Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Rós, Homogenic and Debut by Björk and Lifun by Trúbrot (see below)). Referenced in the song Iceland by The Fall. Mínus: Hardcore punk band fronted by Krummi, son of Björgvin Halldórsson (see above). Mugison: Experimental singer-songwriter from Ísafjörður in the Westfjords. Nýdönsk: Pop band who were very popular in the nineties. Olga Guðrún Árnadóttir: Though she later went on to be a playwright Olga Guðrún Árnadóttir is to this day most famous for her 1975 children's album Eniga Meniga. All the lyrics were written by novelist Ólafur Haukur Símonarson. Páll Óskar: Brother of Sigrún Hjálmtýrsdóttir, singer of Spilverk Þjóðanna (see below). Páll Óskar is most famous as a singer of disco songs but he's done all kinds of other music. Shocked some Icelanders in the early nineties by being very open about his homosexuality. He also had a long-running Dr. Love type show where he educated a generation of Icelanders in matters of the heart and pants. Pétur Ben: Singer-songwriter and trained composer. Purrkur pillnikk: Early Icelandic punk band, fronted by Einar Örn Benediktsson, later singer of The Sugarcubes. Purrkur pillnikk's motto, það skiptir ekki máli hvað þú getur heldur hvað þú gerir (it doesn't matter what you can but what you do) became the call to arms of a whole generation of Icelandic punk bands. Bass player Bragi Ólafsson would also found The Sugarcubes with Einar Örn. Quarashi: Icelandic rap band who had a minor worldwide hit with Stick'em Up. Sálin hans Jóns míns: A pop band that has been very popular for the last twenty years. Spilverk þjóðanna: Folk-rock band. Stuðmenn: Iceland's all-time most popular pop band. Originally started as a joke by Valgeir Guðjónsson of Spilverk Þjóðanna (see above) and Jakob Frímann Magnússon in 1970. The name Stuðmenn was their idea for the worst possible bandname, stuð meaning both shock (as in electroshock) and good times and menn meaning men. A translation of the name would be something like The Good Time Guys. Valgeir and Jakob fleshed out the joke with members of Spilverk Þjóðanna (see above) and put out the album Sumar á Sýrlandi in 1975 which they performed anonymously in animal masks. After releasing a follow-up to the unexpectedly popular Sumar á Sýrlandi the band was shelved for a while as Valgeir focused on Spilverk Þjóðanna. In 1982, after Spilverk þjóðanna had quit, Valgeir wrote an album's worth of songs that he thought would fit Stuðmenn. Instead of just releasing an album the band decided to make a movie about a fictional band, called Stuðmenn, who would tour Iceland in competition with the all girl new wave band Grýlurnar (see above). The movie, Með allt á hreinu (Clear on Everything), became a massive hit and remains to this day Iceland's all time most popular movie. Stuðmenn went on to release a slew of popular albums and is still playing, after a hiatus in the nineties. Sykurmolarnir: The Icelandic name for The Sugarcubes. Todmobile: Popular rock band in the nineties. Trúbrot: Sixties rock supergroup, made up of members of Hljómar (see above) and Flowers. Lifun was their masterpiece, a concept album about the human lifespan that is unusually short for a prog rock concept album. Lifun routinely tops Icelandic rock album best-of lists. Utangarðsmenn: Very popular punk band founded by Bubbi Morthens (see above). Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson: Popular singer in the seventies. He died shortly after releasing his most popular album, Hana nú, in a car crash in Luxembourg. The song Söknuður (Sorrow) has become a standard at funerals. Þeyr: One of Iceland's best punk bands. One of the many bands to have members later go on to found The Sugarcubes. The band worked with Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke but the resulting material was never released. For some reason the album that's on the list, Mjötviður mær, is not playable. Þursaflokkurinn: A folk-rock band fronted by Egill Ólafsson of Spilverk Þjóðanna (see above) and Stuðmenn (see above). [Full disclosure: One of the guitarists in Maus is a friend of mine, Valgeir Guðjónsson is my first cousin, once removed, Baggalútur once made fun of me, I once worked in a bookstore with Ham's Óttar Proppe and I once worked with Höskuldur Ólafsson of Quarashi and Árni Vilhjálmsson of FM Belfast doing groundskeeping and MeFi's own svenni is in FM Belfast.]

Ziggy really sang, screwed up eyes and screwed down hairdo

fire&wings — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:53:06 -0800

Of all the pretenders to the throne of "British Elvis" in the pre-Beatles UK music scene, none had the swagger or moves quite like Vince Taylor. His stylings, pitched halfway between Gene Vincent and Pressley, found success in the early 60's, especially in France. The man who Joe Strummer described as "the beginning of British rock'n'roll," was on the verge of stardom in 1963, but already hooked on a cocktail of Preludin, speed, LSD and alcohol, he instead fell apart. Believing himself to be the apostle Matthew or the son of God, he gave sermons on stage while wrapped in a white sheet, ate only eggs, and carried around a map of Europe, trying to point out to people where the UFO's would land. David Bowie, living in London in 1966, met and was transfixed by this already burnt out, drug addled heartthrob who had "fallen into a chasm too deep to ever climb out of." Inspired by the rock star who "thought he was some composite between the Son of God and an alien," he put pen to paper. The song? Ziggy Stardust. From the late 1960's it was all downhill, and although Taylor emerged sporadically for various comebacks, a few albums (including 1972's "Vince is alive, well and rocking in Paris") his later years were for the most part a blur of incoherent performances on small scale tours and periods spent in religious communes and psychiatric wards. He died in 1991 after a short period working as an aircraft mechanic in Switzerland. --- Vince Taylor: * There's a Whole Lotta Twistin' goin' on * Shakin' All Over * Peppermint Twist * Too Much * 20 Flight Rock * What I'd Say * Brand New Cadillac (audio only)

KISS Burger

Joe Beese — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 20:57:13 -0800

KISS Burger. Our Meat... Your Mouth.(via)

The Year of Led Zeppelin

Joe Beese — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:56:45 -0800

The Year of Led Zeppelin: A (completed) quest to listen to every Led Zeppelin concert in a year

The Hero of Canton, The Man They Call Jayne: the Rock Remix

WCityMike — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:20:38 -0800

The Hero of Canton, The Man They Call Jayne: the Rock Remix (SLYT), by the Browncoats.

The Green Manalishi with a two prong crown

445supermag — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 11:48:26 -0800

Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, formed with some former members of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers played some amazing blues-rock from 1967-1970 (long before Fleetwood Mac's descent into '70s wuss-rock). "Like it this way", "Oh well", "Rattlesnake Shake", "Shake your moneymaker" and the original version of "Black Magic Woman". Peter Green struggled with drugs and mental problems, penning "The Green Manilishi with the two prong crown" shortly before leaving the band. From the wiki entry on "Green Manalishi": Green has explained that he wrote the song after experiencing a drug-induced dream, in which he was visited by a green dog which barked at him. He understood that the dog represented money. "It scared me because I knew the dog had been dead a long time. It was a stray and I was looking after it. But I was dead and had to fight to get back into my body, which I eventually did. When I woke up, the room was really black and I found myself writing the song." He also said that he wrote the lyrics the following day, in Richmond Park. Supposedly, he was unable to record Robert Johnson's 'Hellhound On My Trail' following the incident; having conflated Johnson's hellhound with Green's demon. This is supported by his discography, in which Green's sole post-Manalishi cover of 'Hellhound' was sung by band mate Nigel Watson. Tragically, Peter Green's fellow Fleetwood Mac guitarist Danny Kirwan also suffered from alcohol and health problems, leaving him homeless in the '80s and '90's. "The Green Manalishi" was famously covered by Judas Priest (many Priest fans probably have no idea it's a Fleetwood Mac song), but also the Melvins. If you haven't had enough blues, here's Peter Green and the Bluesbreakers, "World keep on turning", Danny Kirvan with Tramp.

this is going to be a regular thing? i just wasted 5 minutes of my life.

ND¢ — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:41:24 -0800

We Got The Tweet: The Week's 50 Best Rock Star Twitters. I think it is safe to say that all of us unreservedly love three things: indie rock, twitter and Ryan Adams. That's a given. Well this Stereogum post has them all! The weeks best tweets from all your favorite indie rock stars, including Ryan Adams hijacking his new wife Mandy Moore's (no I can't let that go) twitter account to make a bunch of tweets until she has to take the computer away from him. lol! The obvious standout.

1969

Joe Beese — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 08:52:41 -0800

"Proud Mary". "Born on the Bayou". "Green River". "Bad Moon Rising". "Lodi". "Fortunate Son". (previously) If Creedence Clearwater Revival wasn't the greatest American band, they probably had the greatest year of any American band.