The Random Ten #17

John #1) Masta Ace – “Last Rights” – Disposable Arts (2001)

“Last Rights” is the penultimate track from Masta Ace’s absolutely magnificent Disposable Arts album. This song is really a skit, serving to wrap up the story of the album (Ace leaves the tough streets behind and goes to rap college, or something). Nothing happens in this “song”, but everything that precedes it is terrific. Masta Ace is unlike most rappers I’ve heard. He still boasts and brags, but he’s coming from a place of bitterness and anger because he’s not famous or rich but considers himself much better than his contemporaries. He may have a point. There’s angst in his songs, towards the record industry, other rappers, and himself. It’s a fascinating and sometimes transcendent listen, and a much different take on the “look how much money I have” style of hip-hop.

Matt #1) Metallica - "The Call Of Ktulu" - Live: Cleveland, OH, 12/18/83 (not an official release; the song originally appeared on Ride The Lightning [1984])

This is one of the earliest live performances of this classic Metallica instrumental, although I find it weird that they played it live at all. An 8-minute instrumental of epic proportions, this didn't exactly fit in with the Kill 'Em All tunes the band was playing at the time. Regardless, this was an early sign that Metallica were not ever going to try to live up to expectations, and they would continue to progress and do whatever the fuck they wanted, when they wanted. Cliff Burton's bass acrobatics are more prominent in the mix on this bootleg than on Ride the Lightning, so it's great to hear the late bass legend tear it up on this one.

John #2) Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – “Games” – Jacksonville City Nights (2005)

Jacksonville City Nights represents one of my favorite album titles, if that counts for anything. “Games” is a standard light and airy Adams tune. It’s compact and brief, with a memorable harmonious chorus and some nice slide guitar work throughout. It’s a nice song, but it’s not long enough to develop into much.

Matt #2) Bruce Dickinson - "I Will Not Accept the Truth" - Skunkworks (1996)

An underrated solo album that's often unfairly labeled as Dickinson's attempt at grunge, Skunkworks really is a fine piece of work. "I Will Not Accept the Truth" is a fine hard rock song, with Dickinson's ear for melody and catchy hooks very apparent throughout. Much different than Iron Maiden, sure, but still a great performance from one of metal and rock's greatest vocalists ever.

John #3) Drive-By Truckers – “Moved” – Southern Rock Opera (2001)

“Moved” is culled from DBT’s two-disc concept album, Southern Rock Opera, about a Lynyrd Skynyrd-type rock band and their formation, trials, tribulations, and disintegration. Southern Rock Opera is much more ambitious and sprawling than it might initially let on, and its completion and subsequent success helped to put the band on the map. “Moved” features sparse instrumentation, with rough and tinny vocal accompaniment. “Moved” is truthfully not one of the band’s finest moments, but it’s meant more to move along the story of the album than to rock out. It’s just kind of a grungy country song.

Matt #3) Probot - "Dictatosaurs" - Probot (2004)

Probot was Dave Grohl's metal side project that featured vocalists from King Diamond to Cronos (Venom) to Lemmy, to even Jack Black on a secret track. "Dictatosaurus" features Snake, of Voivod fame, and not surprisingly, it sounds a little like Voivod. I was a huge fan of the Probot project when it was first released, as it contained Max Cavalera's best song since his appearance on Deftones' "Headup," "Red War," and also featured some great riffs and songs throughout. "Dictatosaurus" is a good tune if you're a fan of Snake's unique vocals, which I am.

John #4) The Flaming Lips – “She Don’t Use Jelly” – Transmissions From The Satellite Heart (1993)

Though the Flaming Lips had already been around for about ten years releasing a multitude of albums prior to this, “She Don’t Use Jelly” was their first pseudo-hit and the first true nationwide exposure for the band. According to the Flaming Lips documentary Fearless Freaks, without “She Don’t Use Jelly” the band either would have been dropped by Warner Bros. or would not have been given the artistic freedom to blossom on their subsequent releases.

The song is also fucking awesome. The lyrics are simple, but fun and charmingly bizarre; weird but inviting. A raucous guitar part enters with the chorus and really makes it difficult not to like the song. “She Don’t Use Jelly” is a staple of lo-fi indie/garage rock, and a song worthy of notice.

Matt #4) Brutal Truth - "Everflow" - Kill Trend Suicide (1996)

I'm normally not a huge grindcore fan, as most songs sound the same and are just blasting away for 30 seconds before the next track, but Brutal Truth are pioneers that know how to write an actual song, even if it's only 45-seconds long. "Everflow" is a punishing track that gets right to the point and leaves you feeling beaten and abused, like most good grindcore should.

John #5) The Black Crowes – “Oh Josephine” – Warpaint (2008)

This is timely! The band recently announced that they’re breaking up yet again at the conclusion of this calendar year. They had broken up once before, in 2002, and returned a few years later with this album.

I have traditionally been a huge Black Crowes fan, but Warpaint struck me as banal Americana/country from a band that was rusty and relying on their old bag of tricks to get by. I haven’t listened to the record since, but “Oh Josephine” is not a bad song. Banal Americana/country can still sound pretty, but this isn’t particularly memorable or exciting, and probably doesn’t need to be 6 ½ minutes. There’s no urgency, and the indelible Black Crowes stamp is not here. It’s a song I’ve heard a thousand times, often done better. A really nice cascading ending helps things, but it’s a bit of “too little, too late”.

Matt #5) The Rolling Stones - "Miss You" - Forty Licks (2002; song originally released on Some Girls [1978])

The "woo-hoo-hoo-ooh-hoo-hoo" vocal hook of this song will now be in my head all day. Thanks a lot, Mick. One of the Stones' most instantly-recognizable tracks, this is one of their bluesier, soulful numbers, that is catchy as hell. Great song from a legendary band.

John #6) R.E.M. – “Wendell Gee” – Fables Of The Reconstruction (1985)

Early R.E.M. is often either frantic or sonically strange and powerful, which is why “Wendell Gee” was quite startling to me. It’s a straightforward slow-paced tune with banjo accompaniment, and the type of song that’s perfectly suited to gazing out of a train window (which is what I’m doing as I write this). Perhaps that low-key contemplativeness is appropriate for the album with lead single “Driver 8”, about a tireless, lonesome engineer. This is a really nice song.

Matt #6) Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - "A Kiss Before I Go" - Live: Boston, MA 9/7/08 (not an official release; the song originally appeared on Jacksonville City Nights [2005])

Sound quality isn't top-notch on the bootleg I have from this show, but this is a great song, nonetheless. Firmly located on the country side of the country/rock spectrum that Adams so frequently resides in, "A Kiss..." combines two of his favorite lyrical topics -- lost love, and alcohol. A catchy tune and a great performance from a show I attended a couple years back.

John #7) Neil Young – “Bite The Bullet” – American Stars ‘N Bars (1977)

“Bite The Bullet” is a criminally underrated track from Young’s American Stars ‘N Bars album. It features tremendous guitar work and structure, strongly foreshadowing Young’s grungier tendencies over the last twenty or so years. It doesn’t deviate from the mean too much; there’s no fifteen minute feedback section here like there are on so many of Young’s 1990s albums. “Bite the Bullet” is just a seldom heard, kick-ass rock song.

Matt #7) Rage Against The Machine - "Testify" - The Battle Of Los Angeles (1999)

The opening track from Rage Against the Machine's last original studio album, "Testify" was also a rock radio staple of the early 2000s. A great opener for the album, as it just builds up on Tom Morello's muted picking while the drums and bass increase in volume, the main riff and chorus are undoubtedly catch and heavy, something that all of the best RATM songs are.

John #8) Ben Folds – “Zak And Sara” – Ben Folds Live (2002; the song was originally released on Rockin’ The Suburbs [2001])

I cannot seem to stop writing about this guy. Anyway, this is a live performance of a song that had initially appeared on his solo breakout album, Rockin’ The Suburbs. The crowd is amped up for this and sings along with it, which sounds great. On the original, “Zak And Sara” features full instrumentation, and the song works much better there than here, where Folds is alone with a piano. Certain pieces scream for a snare hit or bass fill, and though this is a faithful and strong rendition, I’d recommend tracking down the studio version.

Matt #8) In Flames - "Murders in the Rue Morgue" - Subterranean (1994)

A bonus track from the re-issue of In Flames' Subterranean EP, this Iron Maiden cover sounds great, musically, but Mikael Stanne's vocals don't do the original justice. Still, an energetic cover from a band that would not have existed were it not for Iron Maiden, so it's nice to hear them pay respect where it's due. If you're a fan of Iron Maiden but not too big into death vocals, this cover might not do the trick for you, but if you want something on the heavier side, this is a good cover.

John #9) Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Here Comes My Girl” – Greatest Hits (1993; song was originally released on Damn The Torpedoes [1979])

Ever since a friend of mine referred to Tom Petty as “darts music” (aka you should only listen to him when drinking and playing darts), I have a hard time taking the man seriously. His Greatest Hits album is fun (it’s probably the quintessential greatest hits album from any artist ever), and I love his Wildflowers record, but there is something about him that, while not quite cheesy, is very simplistic. In ways, he strikes me as a much better Stone Temple Pilots, another singles machine whose entire body of work can largely be summed up by a greatest hits album with no need for further exploration (again, save for Wildflowers).

“Here Comes My Girl” is a nice song, just like everything else on his Greatest Hits compilation. I’m all ears for an older album from Petty I really need to listen to, so please share, but for now I’ll have to stick with this compilation whenever I feel the need to listen to some Petty, or play darts.

Matt #9) Dave Matthews Band - "Fool To Think" - Everyday (2001)

This album got shit on by hardcore DMB fans upon its release. Personally, I like a lot of tracks from this album, as they're short, to-the-point, and pretty catchy overall. Unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of "Fool to Think." It's not awful, it's just not that catchy, and the timing of the riff and beat just seems a little off, but not in a good way. I had to skip ahead to the next track, I'll be honest.

John #10) Sufjan Stevens – “Come On! Feel The Illinoise!” – Illinois (2005)

I’d describe much of what Sufjan Stevens does as a sonic collage, one I truly like and appreciate. He just sounds so different, and yet so inviting. That’s a winning combination.

We have that here with “Come On! Feel The Illinoise!” Horns, backing vocals that play off each other, and Stevens with his strange song structure and strange timing. Often times bands or artists strive to be different and end up creating something off-putting or unlistenable. Stevens has largely avoided that pitfall, and in the process has created some strong, memorable music. Kudos to him.

Matt #10) Anthrax - "Time" - Persistence Of Time (1990)

...and I'm glad I skipped to the next track, because this is one of my favorite Anthrax songs. The opening track from 1990's Persistence of Time, "Time" is an epic, mid-paced thrash song that builds and builds one great riff after another. Even the usually-effeminate Joey Belladonna sounds monstrous on this one, and the lyrics are pretty great. Dan Spitz's solos could be very hit-or-miss at times, but he nails the one on this track. Great song from Anthrax's last album with Belladonna (well, until he rejoined the band AGAIN just a week or so ago, and is apparently recording an album with them now. Color me indifferent.)

Matt Steele/John Lacey