First thing's first: I'll be the first to admit that we have pretty eclectic tastes around here. We don't like just one kind of music. Just like we don't eat just one kind of pizza, or skate just one kind of board. Variety is the spice of life, y'know what I'm sayin'...?
That means: We like all kinds of stuff. If you're not down for that program? Well, that's just too damn bad. Deal with it.
Here, we're gonna review some of my all-time faves. Check 'em out. -Ed
The Big Pink, A Brief History of Love (4AD)
I think that I actually "discovered" this album floating around inside the cluttered confines of Pandi's car. Right when I saw the "4AD" on the sleeve, I knew this was gonna be good. That label just does not screw around; those people have got super good taste. They did, after all, sign The Pixies... and, The Pixies are the best ever, right? So: Onto The Big Pink. As soon as I saw the sleeve, I put it in, turned it up, and immediately got blown away. This shit is soooooooo good... imagine if you took some older Nine Inch Nails, and had Trent sing a couple keys higher... then, made the subject matter a bit more "romanticized" (but, not much!), and added a bunch of etheral and haunting backup sounds and vocals... you'd have something pretty close to The Big Pink. I think, at least. But, what the hell do I know?! It's not like I'm a music critic or anything. I just know what I like. And, I'm liking this one a lot these days. So much so, that The Pandinator just might not get it back for awhile. Yeah: It's so good, that it's definitely steal-able. And it's even totally buy-able, if she ever decides to up and demand its immediate return.
The Stone Roses, The Complete Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are legandary amongst true musicians, as well as fans. For good reason: They're pretty fucking incredible. This catch-all collection of 21 tracks spans the group's entire history, and it's a good, comprehensive introduction to their rich legacy. For my part, I tend to skip the first few tracks, as well as the last few on this disc. Which leaves a balance of about 15 or so tracks that are just absolutely killer. I'm not sure who I could even begin to compare The Roses to; I'm not even that sure that a comparison to anyn other group is even possible. I'd guess that, if you're fond of The Charalatans UK, The Smiths, Oasis, or the early Cure... you'll probably be pretty fond of this, too.
The Pixies, Doolittle and Trompe Le Monde (4AD)
The Pixies. Best band ever, in my book. My ex-girlfriend liked them so much that, upon breaking up with me, she actually made a special point of swooping my entire Pixies collection. The nerve...! Thankfully, The Pandinator was kind and lovely enough to get them for me as a gift. And for that, she will always be my truest love. Of these two albums, most die-hard music-geek-types swear that Doolittle is the better of the two. Many even claim that it was the Pixies' shining moment, and their crowning achievement. Yeah, well, hmmm. "Alec Eiffel", "Head On" (A cover that was done so well, I've heard that even The Jesus and Mary Chain preferred the Pixies' version over their own original...), "Palace Of The Brine", "Letter To Memphis", "Subbacultcha", "Motorway To Roswell"... the whole album is nothing short of pure jubilation. It's like, a must-buy for non-retards everywhere. As for everyone else that is a retard...? Well, they can just suck it, now can't they...?
Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music, Volume One (Blue Note)
This isn't anything that I'd normally go skating to. But, it's pretty great stuff for when I'm doing "other" stuff. Like cleaning up the apartment, or making the sweetie a romantic, gourmet dinner. Miles Davis is always a good pick, too. Anything old and classic will basically do the trick. Wanna get laid, and get laid often? Learn to cook, and pick some of this stuff up. It works every time. Shit like Kenny G... that isn't really jazz in my book. I don't care what anyone else in the world says, there ain't one damn dude anywhere that's either gotten laid,or is currently getting laid, to the soundscapes of Kenny G. Now: Miles and Thelonious are jazz legends, in the truest and purest sense of the word. Like I said, that's why it's pretty good for getting the girls. Or, cleaning. Or, whatever.
A Tribe Called Quest, Anthology (Jive)
Speaking of jazz, I've always dug the way Quest fuses classic hip-hop with smooth jazz cuts and loops. Most of the cuts off this comp are from Quest's breakthrough albums, the underground-legendary The Low End Theory, and their critically acclaimed follow-up, Midnight Mauraders. Let's face facts here, kids: Modern hip-hop sucks. It used to be "the people's" music, and it used to stand for something, mean something, and promote something. What that "something" was, was elevating people above and beyond their current situations, and onward to a wiser, more knowledgeable, and more enlightened tomorrow. This was way back in the '90s, before people in general became total dumbasses and losers. De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Digable Planets, and Arrested Development all played the same "mellow" cards, while groups like Public Enemy was a bit harder, more up-front, and kind of in-your-face. None of them used casual sex, huge rims, exotic cars, cigars, or your favorite vodka to sell CD's, because they all had something better: Good shit to say. So, they all said it, and they all said it well. But Me, Myself, and I all say that A Tribe Called Quest was the best of the bunch. Personal opinions, there.
Jane's Addiction, Nothing's Shocking (Warner Brothers)
I remember the first time that I saw and heard this album. It immediately struck me as incredibly dangerous. I was dead sure that my parents were probably gonna hate it, and probably hate me as well for having it. Starting with the flaming, naked-female-twins on the front cover, to Perry Farrell's Indian-Boy-George-on-acid aesthetics, to the screaming guitars (the whole album being perpetually cranked up to "11" on my stereo, of course...), to the subject matter of the songs... yeah. I was a dead dude walking, that was fer certain. This, is what punk rock and rock-and-roll should be.
Incidentally, this is also a super-classic album that also provided the soundtrack for a lot of great skateboarding history. Ed Templeton famously spent a lot of his first pro-royalty checks going to Jane's Addiction shows. If it's cool with The Tempster, then it's more than cool with me. After this, the Janes went on to release "Ritual De Lo Habitual" (which is also great, in its own right), "Kettle Whistle" (which is totally unnecessary, assuming that you're brainy enough to already own the good stuff worth owning...), and "Strays" (no comment on that one). Perry's later effort, Porno For Pyros, is also well worth mentioning... but, this album is probably the one to have, out of everything. Danger sells.
Danzig, Danzig (Self-titled album)
Now, here's something that's pretty good to wreck shit to, right here. YouTube "Mother" and "Twist of Cain" for a fright-night sampler of what this album has to offer... then, get your wussy ass right out to your local vinyl store, and get the whole shebang. Overtly satanic in places, unapologetically sexist in others, with a smashing overtone of wanton violence churning everywhere... yeah, this is some really good stuff for all of those over-hormonal, under-medicated, and fully fucked-up teenage boys in Amerika today. This ain't the happy shit that your hippie parents smoked pot to back in the '60s, that is fer damned sure. As for me, I'm totally off the hook with the whole Satan shindig: Jews don't believe in a "hell", or any sort of doomsday "Lucifer"-type figure. I just think of it as kick-ass rock music, while I leave the weirded-out Jesus Freaks the heavy-handed and tedious task of praying for everyone else's souls.
We'd like to thank Luna Music in Indianapolis for always helping to steer us toward the best new music around, as well as ferociously tracking down the albums that have provided the soundtracks to some of the best days of our lives. You guys are the best. Thanks- The Editors
