Moron with a Record Collection

1900s

nobody@vox.com(Arlington Hynes) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:19:14 -0400

I raved incoherently about these guys six months ago, and my conviction that they are the greatest thing since sex has only grown stronger and more incoherent. Last time I was too lazy to post actual songs actually, like, here; but now I'm gonna post songs. Great ones. And you will listen, and then you'll be incoherent too.

There are very few records I can listen to and not think "Yeah, I could beat that". "Georgia" is one of them. I can't think how it could be any more a perfect thing of its kind; I'm not sure anything else of any kind approaches any sort of perfection so closely. Plus, the lyric is absolutely filthy. It's good stuff.

Georgia

The 1900s

Cold & Kind

The 1900s

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Slow Air

nobody@vox.com(Arlington Hynes) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:02:08 -0500

Paddy Keenan. No clue what it's called; one of the comments says it's one Keenan wrote for his late brother. Keenan, of course, used to play in the Bothy Band back in the 1970s. Creepy stuff here.

Paddy Keenan - Slow Air

He's pretty good.

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Archangel Thunderbird

nobody@vox.com(Arlington Hynes) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 17:21:19 -0500

...by Amon Düül II. Arguably the coolest band name and song title in the entire history of drug-addled German Marxist hippie prog-rock collectives circa 1970. And beyond!

Amon Duul II Archangel Thunderbird

But not very far beyond. Can't help liking the song, though. I think it was released on the Yeti album. I've got that one around here somewhere. As long as I don't find it, I'll be OK.

I think...

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Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

nobody@vox.com(Arlington Hynes) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:48:54 -0500

It's not clear to me how many times you need to hear this, but it appears to be an increasingly large number.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

UPDATE

I've been trying to Google the lyric to Great Plains' 1986 classic "Letter to a Fanzine", featuring the immortal couplet "Isn't my haircut really intense?/Isn't Nick Cave a genius in a sense?", but it's not out there. I did, however, learn that Dr. Demento latched onto the song. I am pleased, but not surprised.

What a great, great song that was. I could dig out the record, but I'd have to find my turntable too.

"'I like everything that comes out on 4AD
I like everything that comes out on Homestead' --
I like everything that comes in the mail for FREE,
How 'bout THAT?"

The musical question which made the song famous, "Why do punk rock guys go out with New Wave girls?", is too trivial to bother answering.

Homestead. Remember Naked Raygun?

UPDATE II

Great Plains were on Homestead themselves, of course.

But more to the point, one or two of them ended up, in the late 1990s, playing with two guys who'd been in The Reactions (of Cracked Marbles obscurity) around the same time. This outfit called itself Cobra Verde, and they were execrable beyond words. They've since gotten a great deal worse. But the point is, they're the backup band on Mag Earwhig. Which is a masterpiece.

UPDATE III

Maybe that poor clown in Cobra Verda wasn't from Great Plains at all. Maybe he was from Big Dipper. That'd sort of spoil the point there, wouldn't it?

Oh, fuck it...

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Sweet Mother

nobody@vox.com(Arlington Hynes) — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:07:39 -0500

Prince Nico Mbarga. Nigerian, I believe. Seems to have been hit in the 1970s. Fun song.

Prince Nico Mbarga - Sweet Mother

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This Can't Be Today

nobody@vox.com(Arlington Hynes) — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 12:16:01 -0500

The Rain Parade, from their first album, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip (1983). The video's from 1984. Holy Toledo, those guys were good. Looks like they made the video after David Roback left, but he was still in the band when they recorded the album. Kendra Smith sings in the background on this. I have a notion that she played additional percussion too, but I'm not sure why I think that, so discount it.

Rain Parade - This Can't Be Today

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