The best rap video in the history of the known universe.
I'm always last to know with this kind of stuff, but when I first saw this about a month ago, I was stunned: the artistry, the wordplay, the beats, they're all there!
Married. Without children -- yet.
A huge thank you from Catherine and me to all who attended our wedding. We are now on our honeymoon in Palm Springs, which we chose because it's the one sunny place this time of year within driving distance of San Francisco (flying is still a migraine risk for Mr. Brain Damage, aka me).
The return of cerebellum blues. Literally.
I haven't written much about the progress on my album, but sadly, the reason is that there hasn't been any.
The last two recording sessions did not really go as planned. For both, I was busy fending off my cerebellum's masterful attempts to cause me extra dizziness, headaches and touch of nausea; in fact, in the second of the two sessions, I actually fell asleep, which is only rock and roll when excessive drugs are involved.
I was also working a bit last week -- I occasionally do some advertising writing to test how my brain holds up under 9-5 conditions -- and... what a disaster. Headaches, twitchiness, fatigue... sigh. I keep thinking I will awake one day, head off to work, do it again the next day and the next and all will be well. That day remains in the future.
These ups and downs are the hardest thing about my condition. I never feel "normal", though many days are certainly better than others. The problem is... I don't know when the good days will be. Worse, I've taken to worrying about everything I do. If I run, will that ruin my day? If I stay up late? Have an extra glass wine? Think hard about something? Miss a dose of one of the drugs I'm supposed to take? Forget to do my BrainPort therapy?
Argh.
But at least I have music, right? I mean, I can take all of this unpleasantness and write a song, can't I? Indeed I can. And I have. But is the process of channeling my discomfort into song form really all that therapeutic? Honestly, I'm not so sure. By forcing me to really focus on my issues, to try to understand them, to express them, to describe how they make me feel, the songwriting process forces me to spend more time with that which is screwed up in my life than that which is not. How can this be healthy?
Anyway, here's the tune I'm working on regarding my ever-changing health. I plan to have Josh Fix sing it, pending permission from my brain to have a good studio session.
Yo Yo
Life pulls me up
Then drops me down
And I can’t see any method to the madness
I try to be tough
I try to act like a clown
Because I don’t want to fall back into sadness
I take long walks
I try to meditate
And I talk and talk
But even drugs can’t change my state (of mind)
I am like a yo-yo
Rising and falling
I’m just a yo-yo
I don’t hold the string
I am like a yo-yo
Rising and falling
I’m just like a yo-yo
And these ups and downs make the world spin (to me)
Life gives me hope
Then leaves me twisting in the wind
And I can’t see the rhyme or the reason
I try to cope
I try never to give in
But it’s like trying to fight a change of seasons
And I play my guitar
I call a friend
I take a drive in the car
But the ups and downs they never end (for me)
And I walk the dog
And I sleep all morning long
I make things look alright
Even when they’re all wrong
‘Cause I know the tricks
Just like a childhood song
So rock me baby
Because there’s something wrong (with me)
I am like a yo yo, rising and falling
I am like a yo yo, I don’t hold the string
And I’m rising up, and I’m falling down (x2)
I’m rising, and I’m falling (x2)
TBD for outchorus...
I start to laugh, and then the tears come down
I feel hope, and then the sky falls down
And I think I’m going to be alright
And then day gives way to night
Welcome to the revved, revised, iterated, tested, tweaked Cerebellum Blues. Dang, I could use a drink!
After much head scratching, parsing of HTML code to no apparent good and several emails to various support folks, I have finally managed to post my song (soon to be songs!) in a way that makes them easy for readers to preview, download for free in low quality and download for a buck in high quality. Now I just need to sit back an let the money roll in!
Enjoy the music, and stay tuned for my return to posts about the music making process rather than the web building one!
This will have to do.
Okay, I'm going slightly nuts with site tweaks and I'm going to just leave things be for awhile. I think.
Regardless, you can now buy my tunes on iTunes by clicking on the button to the right. The iTunes files are very high quality, but if you want the true sonic bliss of maximum resolution, please use the Audiophile link, which is located right below the iTunes button.
If have any trouble, please tell me about it! I want to work out any kinks before posting more music.
Again, a huge thanks to my Dad, Sara Nash and Toby Germano, my first paying customers!
Progress! And a special thanks to my Dad, Sara Nash and Toby Germano.
The dust is still settling here at Cerebellum Blues, but I am making headway.
I think.
Truth be told, I'm still not crazy about my new top banner (I'll be working on it more), nor am I happy with the way the main link to my song(s) looks. However, if you'll notice, there is now an iTunes button for your buying pleasure. Even better, it links you to iTunes Plus, which is just like standard iTunes, but offers songs in higher quality and without DRM (the evil code that limits the number of copies you can make). Best of all, you don't need to jump through any hoops to buy from iTunes Plus; to your iTunes account, it's all the same. And the cost? Just $0.99!
Speaking of buying, A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY DAD, SARA NASH AND TOBY GERMANO AS MY FIRST CUSTOMERS, WITH MY DAD IN THE POLE POSITION. I really appreciate the business and hope to offer more songs for your downloading pleasure in the very near future.
Stay tuned.
Please pardon the dust.
I'm in the midst of making some changes to this site, but I'm also in the middle of a freelance ad project, so I'm upgrading the site in bits and pieces. Stay tuned!
The Cerebellum Blues shopping experience is already new and improved. Jeff Bezos would be proud.
Earlier, I posted about how Here Comes The Weather was now available for download. Foolishly, I only posted one download site, when there are, in fact, many.
As of now, you can click on the SHOP tab in the above navigation bar (the one with Blog, Posts, Archive, etc.) and then choose from several download sites.
SPECIAL ALERT: You can always just go to iTunes, search "My Shirt Is Cool" and download a decent quality MP3 for $.99.
SPECIAL REQUEST: If you're feeling your inner Hemingway, please write a review on Amazon or iTunes of the song. Gush, flame, whatever. Just be honest!
Here Comes The Weather, there goes your dollar!
Okay, here's the awkward moment where I ask you for your money. Not all of it, mind you, just a buck. In return, you can download a massively high-quality audio file of Here Comes The Weather. Or, if you're feeling the pinch of these hard times, you can download a crummy MP3. Really, don't feel guilty if you go for the MP3. It's totally okay.
In all seriousness, though, I would be flattered to have a few folks stop by and download my song, free or not. To do so, please click on the SHOP button on the above navigation bar. You will be taken to my page at bandcamp.mu, where you will see all you need to see in order to get your copy of Here Comes The Weather. Unfortunately, you will need a PayPal account -- a pain, I know, but it's all BandCamp allows right now.
Please note, Here Comes The Weather is blissfully DRM free, and, because it is licensed under Creative Commons, you can share it without fear up being hung by your thumbs at Gitmo. How great is that?
Again, not to beg... ah, screw it, I'm begging. Please download Here Comes The Weather and tell everyone you know to do the same!
San Francisco MusicTech Conference at the Hotel Kabuki.
True to my hermetic nature, I did absolutely no networking and shared not a word with another soul. If I had felt better, I might have, but I was feeling dizzy and a little twitchy, so I kept to myself. Here are the highlights.
• 9:00 to 9:30 AM, Opening Remarks: Pray tell, what kind of moron starts a music event before 10:00 AM? I missed this.
• 9:30 to 10:30, Policy, a panel on copyright/licensing/royalties et al that was educational, but confusing. The most interesting part was listening to a rep from Pandora talk about his company, which I now understand to be ad supported and likely to be shut down in the near term, because of royalty issues. My own opinion on Pandora is muddled; I just don't know enough about them to want them to succeed or to be shut down. The guy speaking on behalf of the company, Tim Westergren, however, did a good job presenting Pandora as a service that holds the artist's interests at heart.
Parallel to the Policy panel were two other panels, Non Traditional Licensing and Custom Deals and Social Networks, the first of which would have seen me in attendance if i hadn't been confused about where to go.
• 10:30 - 11:30, three parallel conferences, Leveraging Data to Generate Revenue, Ethical Issues in Music Law and Building Social Networks around Music, the third of which had my semi-rapt attention. Panelists were Steve Jang, imeem, Josh Brooks, MySpace Music, Rachel Masters, Ning, Geoff Ralston, LaLa, and Anthony Batt, Buzznet. Honestly, they all seemed to be unsure of what was working in social networking, but their honesty was refreshing, as was their pioneer spirit.
• 11:30 - Noon, Steve Jenkins of Third Eye Blind, who started out seemingly completely unsure about what to say, which, to me, was pretty uncool, since he was supposed to the keynote speaker, but in the end he tossed out some decent content. Most interesting was the story about how his band had come up through the old system, but had "died" and been reborn in the newer system. As Jenkins explained, Third Eye was "discovered" the old fashioned way, in that they met with record company after record company before finally landing a deal. But Jenkins said he never felt much kinship with the image of his band, because, in his opinion, that image was created by the record company. Happily -- I guess -- the release of their third album coincided with their record company's demise, and without the record co's promo magic, the band's sales dried up and the new album languished. Then a new fan base grew organically out of file sharing, and Third Eye saw its ticket sales go up. Further, the fans showing up for gigs were REALLY into it. Jenkins surmised that this was because this time around the fans were defining the band for themselves, and as a result, had a deeper interest in the music and members than fans of yore. Going forward, Jenkins now feels much closer to his band and wants to engage with fans, To that end, Third Eye is releasing stem mixes of upcoming tracks for fans to play with and remix. Kinda cool. Jenkins then talked for a bit about albums, and how he hated the pressure they create; rather, he now just wants to do songs, release them, and when there are enough songs, make an album. Last, he talked about "spreading the bounty", by which he basically meant that if you make stuff available free to fans they will return the favor by attending gigs and buying t-shirts and the like.
1:00 - 2:00 PM, a bunch of product demos, Netpop, Josh Crandell, Apture, Tristan Harris, MixMatchMusic, Charles Feinn, Dysco.DJ, Ian Nieves, BandCamp, Ethan Diamond, WaZatSong, Raphael Abruz.
Netpop was just a bunch of research, Apture was amazing and worth a post, so stay tuned, MixMatch was a novelty, not for me, Bandcamp was great, I will be writing more about them, Dysco I missed most of, and WaZatSong I missed, because I was headed back upstairs to catch the Producers Panel.
2:00 - 3:00, Producers Panel, this was incredible, featuring Narada Michael Walden (photo below), Scott Matthews, Stephen Hart and Jim Greer, and moderated by Shiloh Hobel. Narada kicked things off with ridiculously long, but fun, intros, and when he was through, the crowd was pumped, but poor Shiloh was pressed for time to get her questions in. All producers agreed that today’s world was more about getting paid up front and less about royalties, all agreed that Pro Tools was awesome, but could kill even more time than it saved by allowing too many options, all agreed that a great producer puts the song first, works to realize the artist’s vision not his own and makes decisions.
After the Producers Panel, I bailed. Sitting in those horrible convention- style chairs had made me really dizzy (no head support) and sitting off the side with my head against the wall only made me realize how much I wanted to go home. Still, I forced myself to walk the few miles back to my apartment, then I crawled into bed and stayed put until 9:00 PM, when I was finally roused by the prospect of a grilled cheese sandwich served by a good looking waitress.
Looking to do a short run of CDs? Look no further than CDPRINTEXPRESS.
As a budding pop sensation, I have to start small with just about everything I do, especially printing CDs. Sadly, most every CD service out there that has been set up to help The Next Big Thing -- you know, people like me -- demands a minimum run of 1000. A few will do "only" 500, and fewer still will do 200, but at these low run rates, your set-up fee can be half your total cost. Not exactly a great deal, you know? More important, let's say you're feeling lucky and you go with the run of 1000. I hate to say it, but chances are you will end up with a closet stuffed with unsold CDs. Everyone I know has!
So when I stumbled across CDPRINTEXPRESS.COM, I could hardly believe my eyes: print runs of as few as ONE!. Even better, CDPRINTEXPRESS will truly let you print only what you need, For example, I wanted four copies of the following: a label printed onto a blank disk, a CD cover and a tray insert, all of my own design. No problem! $20 and three days later, everything arrived, printed to perfection and cut neatly. The only thing about CDPRINTEXPRESS that I can find fault with is the online ordering process, which requires some archaic piece of code called Internet Explorer. Yeah, i'd never hear of it either, so i just emailed my files.
What does Hit Song Science think of my songs?
Yesterday, I wrote about Apple's Genius, then blathered on for a bit about Hit Song Science (HSS), another kind of web software that "listens" to music. Unlike iTunes, HSS actually looks at the music data, and then goes even further and judges the song's hit factor.
Well, I tried Hit Song Science last night, but before I share the results, a little background.
As near as I can tell, HSS is the brainchild of a company called Music Intelligence, which I first read about in the Economist. According to the article, Music Intelligence had a database of all popular music ever written -- from Beethovan to Beck -- and could run a new song through the database to judge the song's hit potential. The cost to run a song through Music Intelligence software? $100,000. Yeah, not exactly for me. you know? Anyway, the Economist article cited several Music Intelligence successes -- plus a few failures -- leaving me with the impression that the software has real merit.
So imagine by utter shock when I discovered that submitting a song to HSS was FREE. How cool! Naturally, I promptly loaded Here Comes The Weather and Money, and prepared to wait for several days for my results, only to discover that the results are posted pretty much right away. How did I do? Not bad!
HSS plots tunes in one of three categories -- Far, Average and Close. For my songs, Here Comes The Weather edged out Money, scoring 6.9 to Money's 6.76, and both songs scored on the very edge of Close, but still in the Average category. Also interesting to see are the 10 songs HSS calls "proximity hits", which are songs that plotted close to the submitted tune. For Here Comes The Weather, HSS coughed up Where Are You Going, by Dave Matthews, What If, by Baby Face and 8 other tunes I've never heard! Sadly, the report offers no real detail, only your number and the list, but my hope is that in the future HSS will still offer the base report for free, and add more detailed reports for a fee. I figure that this will be the case, since the FREE offer runs out October 31.
Anyway, if you're a songwriter, please go to HSS and submit your tunes and share what you think by leaving a comment.
Is Apple's Genius really a genius? The answer, plus brief thoughts on other software that "listens" to music.
Then I downloaded Apple's new iTunes 8, and hit on what I thought would be a great way to help me pick genres for tunes of mine that don't seem to be easily categorized. My idea was to run a tune of mine through iTunes' Genius feature, which builds playlists based around songs' characteristics, and then I planned to scrutinize the list for genre clues. Simple, right? Not so fast. Apple implies that Genius "listens" to your music and decides what would go well with it, meaning that you could theoretically put any song into it and get results. In fact, Genius is really nothing more than a brute force database, which, if it contains the song you want to build your playlist around, simply looks up that song's tags and presto, a playlist is made. Nothing magic or "genius" about it (except it is an ingenious marketing tool, in that it will point you to both songs you have and songs you don't have). Anyway, I ran Here Comes The Weather through Genius, waited expectantly for the playlist that would surely result and... nothing, nada, zip. The reason, of course, is that Here Comes the Weather hasn't been tagged for Apple's database, so Genius can't do a thing with it. What a disappointment. And what an opportunity! Imagine, if someone really did create some software that "listened" to music, then identified other music that was similar. That would be GENIUS.
Actually, there is something out there sort of like this, but rather than identify genre, it identifies hit potential. The company behind this AI effort is called Music Intelligence Solutions, and their service appears to be called Hit Song Sciencec. I write "appears" because it's clear from going to the two web sites that Music Intelligence Solutions remains somewhat in beta, at least to the general public. Stay tuned, though. I plan to try their service when I can, and I will offer up a full report.
Gear Review: Line6 Variax 700.
(To my legions of readers: I posted a review of the guitar before, but accidentally deleted it -- the review not the guitar.)
For all of you songwriter/recording enthusiasts out there who live in apartments, you know all too well the perils of acoustic guitars. Irate neighbors, irate spouses/roommates, irate pets, eviction. Yup, even though a well played acoustic has a mellifluous, somewhat soothing tone, it's sill too damn loud for apartment living, especially if you're primarily a strummer like me. But there is an answer. It's called a Variax, and it's a guitar that models several acoustic guitars reasonably well and tons of electrics very well. There are three basic designs: the 300, the 700 and one that looks like an acoustic. Mine is the 700 Hardtale (no tremolo) and since buying it (with my parents' help, thank you mom and dad!) I have used it even more than I thought I would. In fact, I dare say it's become my main recording guitar because it just makes the whole process so easy. Need a Martin? Turn the dial. Need a Guild? Turn the dial again. Need a Telecaster? Yup, it's on the dial. But all these cool tones wouldn't be nearly as much fun if the guitar were poorly made. Thankfully, my Variax is a beauty, crafted in Japan of carved mahogany, maple and rosewood, and blessed with stellar workmanship and a nicely shaped neck. Combined with Amplitube, the Variax is truly like having a roomful of amps and guitars all in one instrument. Man, I wish this thing had been around when I was younger!
Quick note: The Variax does NOT model amps, just the output signal of a slew of electrics; it model acoustics, though, so wheh you plug it in direct, it sounds like a Martin or whatever else you dial up (more or less, truth be told, the acoustic models are clearly models). Also, the guitar requires power.You can load it up with batteries or use the pedal with a special cord.
BOTTOM LINE: If you want to record acoustic-like sounds silently, get a Variax. The acoustic sounds might not be radio ready, but they're surely good enough for a demo. The electrics are killer. As for which model to buy, I'd go with one of the higher end Variaxe, if you plan to really use the guitar; if you just need to lay down an occasional acoustic track or experiment with electric tones, get the cheapo 300.
Gear Review: Carr Mercury 1 X 12".
A my friends Toby and Cory I am amp-obsessed. Or I was. Then I bought a Carr Mercury and for the first time in ages I felt sated in a tubular way. But first, a little history.
Over the years, I have owned a Marshall Super Lead, a Marshall combo thing that I barely remember, a Hi-Watt, a Lab Series, a Music Man, a Fender 75, a Fender Concert, a Fender Bandmaster and a Mesa/Boogie MKIIB Simul Class. The only amp I still own is the Boogie. Of the amps I sold, the only one I wish I still had is the Bandmaster (It was a beauty, pre-CBS, totally clean, a piggyback design that was just damn cool).
Despite its status as sole survivor, however, my Boogie has spent most of the last 20 years in regal retirement, ensconced comfortably in a closet, no long nights of rawk to busy its mind. Why? Because the amp is just heavy and too loud to be anything but a serious amp for a serious gigging musician who can afford a roadie, or for a really well insulated recording studio. Also, despite my love for the Boogie, I confess that its sound is a little brittle and thin (less so now since I had Boogie mod it a bit). Plus, to make it sound decent you need to turn it up, which, even at the 15W setting can peel paint.
So several years ago, when I first started contemplating playing again, I wanted a much lighter, much lower-power amp that could still achieve the harmonic complexity of true tube distortion that I so crave. Sadly, most so called low-power amps aren''t really that low power. Trust me, go ahead and crank up a 20 Watt amp; you'll swear it's as loud as anything else you've heard, just maybe not as "big" sounding. Sadder still, most low power amps ship with no master volume, so the ONLY way to get some grind is to crank 'em up. Sure, you could use a distortion pedal, but, well, I'm too much of a purist. Plus, I'm too forgetful to have to remember to bring my pedal, bring a battery, recall a setting. Forget it. Literally.
After researching small amps on the Web for weeks, I finally came across Carr Amps. I think I first read about them on Harmony Central, but once I had hit on the name, Carr info suddenly popped up everywhere -- all of it glowing. To Carr's credit, the Carr site has lots of audio samples, and I clicked away to my heart's content. At first, I wanted a Hammerhead, but after writing to Carr, they suggested I look at the Mercury again. I did, and what I read, and listened to, so impressed me that when I found out I could buy one here in the Bay Area I simply went out and plunked down my cash. A LOT of cash. Sigh. But. Oh. So. Well. Spent.
The Carr Mercury is the best amp I have ever heard for my purposes, which is home use, recording and the occasional gig. Here's why:
TONE
For higher-gain settings, imagine a Fender's warmth and shimmering highs and blend 'em with a Marshall's crispy crunchiness, and you can start to get an idea for what my Merc sounds like. For cleaner tones, just imagine a classic Fender Deluxe and you're there, albeit with a touch less warmth and roundness.
FLEXIBILITY
Being a picky bastard and forever dissatisfied, I want my amp to be quadraphenic -- or worse. I want the thing to be Sybil-like in its ability to change personalities. The Carr Mercury delivers in spades. It's secret is a unique range of controls, which read from left to right (facing the amp) as follows: VOLUME, BOOST, BASS, TREBLE, REVERB, OUTPUT. There is also a CUT swtich.
VOLUME controls the volume of the power-amp, not some wimpy pre-amp tube.
BOOST makes three levels of gain possible, with the lowest topping out at a crunchy Bassman-esqe tone, and the highest giving you gritty, snarly Marshallness.
BASS and TREBLE are self explanatory, except that they actually work when engaged, and get taken out of the circuit at higher BOOST levels.
REVERB means what it says, and delivers gorgeous, lush sound.
OUTPUT is what really sets the Merc apart, by allowing you to switch the total power output of the amp from 1/10 Watt, to 1/2 Watt, to 2 Watts to 8 Watts. For godlike tone past midnight, just set the BOOST to 3, VOLUME to 10 and OUTPUT to 1/10, and rock till you drop. So cool.
CUT switch reduces highs, to rid the amp of "ear needles".
BUILD QUALITY
If you can find one, go look at a Carr amp. They are the best made amps out there. Others might be as good, but I seriously doubt any of them outdoes Carr. The Tolex is perfect, the knobs tight and smooth, even the power cords are special given that they are hospital grade. Remarkable. In fact, the one time I've had my Carr worked on (needed to replace a tube) the guys a the shop were all trying to be cool, but they could not hide how impressed the were with my Carr.
WEIGHT
I've had it with granite amps. The Carr is light but not ever flimsy feeling. Perfect for lugging on stage.
LOOKS
Hey, call me shallow, but looks matter, and the Carr's retro-cool is just badass.
BOTTOM LINE: If you're looking for a low-power tube amp and you can afford the Carr, get it. Go ahead, try a Dr. Z, a Top Hat, a Bad Cat, a THD, a Rivera, try 'em all. The Carr Mercury will win your heart. Even better, once you own a Carr amp, the company takes care of you, answering emails, solving problems (unlikely!), just acknowledging and appreciating your joy.
I will say it again. The Carr Mercury is the best amp in the world for home use, recording and even gigging (with a good monitor mix).
Smoke on the water. Angel Island lights up S.F.
Last night, Catherine and I were watching a bit of TV, when I looked out the window and remarked on the "light show" happening on what I thought was Alcatraz. Yup, I figured somehow the blazing orange, lava-like goings-on were some sort of Fleet Week finalé. A quick check on sfgate.com revealed the truth: Angel Island was on fire. Being an upstanding citizen always ready to do the right thing, I grabbed my camera and snapped away.
For a less glib account of the fire, click here!
Introducing Gear Reviews: The Variax 700 guitar.
In a desperate effort to attract more traffic to this blog, I'm now doing gear reviews! 90% of my focus will be on music gear, but every now and then I will sneak in something else. And, yes, while my fervent hope is that this new section will help draw in readers, I'm also doing it because I appreciate it when others write reviews for me to read. I just find the humble opinion of a non-pro to be really helpful. Hope you do too.
My first review is of my Variax 700 Hardtail. You can read it here or just click on the REVIEWS tab above. Please let me know if you like the review and why; also, give it to me straight, if you think the review is useless, well, I need to know that, too.
Nashville, please, and step on it!
Today -- or possibly tomorrow, since I am supremely gifted in taking forever to do even the most simple of things -- I will be mailing a DVD of stem mixes to The Man In Nashville, so that he can croon lead vocals on Coming Together (By Falling Apart). Being a greedy bastard, I am including one other tune, as well, in the hope that TMIN figures, "Ah, what the hell, might as well sing 'em both." Stay tuned. As Robert Plant once said, "All will be revealed."
Jesus H. Christ, becoming a pop senstation is a pain in the ass.
I kid you not, I spent the ENTIRE day screwing around with all the stuff I need to prep for the company that has selected "Here Comes The Weather" to pitch to movie/TV types.
First, I had to fill out all the forms, always tough for me. I don't know what my problem is, but somewhere in the sad, twisted mess that is my DNA, I am missing key chemicals that influence one's ability to follow instructions and not be a complete f__k up.
Then I had to design my CD artwork. Now, I might THINK I know InDesign. but apparently I do not, since putting together very simple CD artwork took FOREVER.
Then I had to label my CDs. Gawd, what a hassle. First I printed out the labels wrong, not once, but several times. Then I flubbed adhering them to the discs. Then the discs wouldn't play. Argh.
Tomorrow, I will pick up my cover art from Staples, and I am sure that it will be ALL screwed up, not because of Staples but because of ME.
Hard to believe I held a job once.
And what the hell does the H stand for in Jesus H. Christ?
If you had to choose six songs to capture all of rock and roll, what would they be?
I'm reading a KILLER book right now called "This Is Your Brain On Music," by Danieil J. Levitin, and in chapter one, which sports the ambitious title "What Is Music," Mr. Levitin describes the time he was asked by John R. Pierce, the man who supervised the Bell Labs team that who built and patented the first transistor (Pierce also named the new device) to come up with six songs that capture all that is important about rock and roll. Pierce neither paid attention to nor understood the stuff, and he was curious, just, well, just because. The list Levitin put together was as follows (Elvis Presley is not on the list because Pierce had heard him):
1) "Long Tall Sally," Little Richard
2) "Roll Over Beethoven," The Beatles
3) "All Along The Watchtower," Jimi Hendricks
4 "Wonderful Tonight", Eric Clapton
5 "Little Red Corvette," Prince
6) "Anarchy in the U.K.," The Sex Pistols
Not bad. Mr. Levitin fully admits it was a hopeless task, but I can't resist taking on this hopeless task myself. So, here goes, with one per decade, since i think pop culture is such a part of rock and roll. Also, like Mr. Levitin, I'm trying very hard to do only rock and roll songs, which pushes a lot of cool pop music to the sidelines, as well as choose tunes that were truly seminal for their time.
1) "Johnny B. Good," Chuck Berry in the '50s
2) "A Day In the Life", The Beatles in the '60s
3) "London Calling", The Clash in the '70s
4) "When Doves Cry", Prince in the '80s
5) "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Nirvana in the '90s
6) "Beautiful Day", U2 in the 2000s
Whew, that was hard. Where's Iggy? Lennon solo? Def Leppard? Argh, so many, but for me, my list is reasonably tight. It's got the roots of rock in Chuck Berry, rock's avant garde tendencies in the Beatles, punk in the Clash, synth rock done right by Prince, grunge with Nirvana and a return simple, powerful, perfect songwriting with U2.
Please weigh in with your own lists!