The Random Ten #13

Matt and I will again be sharing writing duties on this edition of the Random Ten. Let’s get right to it.

John #1) The Jayhawks – “Won’t Be Coming Home” – Music From The North Country: The Jayhawks Anthology (2009, song originally recorded in 1991)

Alt-country is supposed to be exactly what it sounds like; classic country music and alternative rock mixed into a hybrid, connecting and contrasting the best parts of each. One of the fascinating things about alt-country is that its players are often young, mixing the exuberance of youth and feedback-heavy alternative rock with the thoughtfulness and life lessons of country. The best alt-country bands are those whose musicians sound aged beyond their years; as a twenty-something listener, I identify with their position. They have one foot in adulthood and one in youth.

The Jayhawks have the genre’s youthful, intimate heart down cold. “Won’t Be Coming Home” moves at a quick but deliberate pace, with singer Mark Olson providing the rickety, yearning vocals that fit perfectly with the melody. This is textbook alt-country from one of the genre’s criminally underrated bands.

Matt #1) Green Day - “Pulling Teeth” - Dookie (1994)

“Pulling Teeth” was one of my favorite, oft-overlooked songs from Dookie back when I was in 5th grade. The song is a mid-paced rocker that owes more to Buddy Holly or Social Distortion than, say, the Sex Pistols, but it was very indicative of the more pop-oriented direction Green Day would take on later albums like Nimrod and Warning. Lyrically, it’s a love song to an abusive girlfriend. If you like Green Day, or if you bought CDs in 1994, you’ve probably heard this song.

John #2) Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit – “Good” – Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit (2009)

Jason Isbell is a former guitarist and principal songwriter of the Drive-By Truckers, whom he left in 2007 to pursue a solo career. “Good” is culled from his second album, and has a much different sound and vibe from the work he did in Drive-By Truckers. “Good” is much more in line with alternative rock than DBT’s mix of hard rocking and deep south earnestness.

I’m not sure it works, however. Isbell’s songs on the Truckers albums were often standouts, but he sounds like he’s hemming himself into a style of music that he’s a bit unaccustomed to. Unfortunately, “Good” moseys around without doing anything memorable. It’s just sort of a blank alt-rock track.

Matt #2) Probot - “Access Babylon” - Probot (2004)

Probot was essentially a Dave Grohl solo album featuring guest musicians from the underground (and not so underground) metal world, such as Lemmy from Motorhead, King Diamond from Mercyful Fate, Wino from The Obsessed/Spirit Caravan/The Hidden Hand, Lee Dorrian from Cathedral/ex-Napalm Death, and many others. “Access Babylon” is more of a hardcore punk track, and features Corrosion of Conformity bassist Mike Dean on vocals (who only sang on COC’s Four Songs with Mike Singing EP, fittingly enough). I’ve never heard much of COC’s earlier, more punk-inspired material, but I can imagine it sounded a lot like this song, which is a harmless, fun track.

John #3) Miles Davis – “Easy Minor” – The Complete In A Silent Way Sessions (2001, originally recorded 1968-1969)

I’m the first to admit I don’t know much about jazz. This was given to me by a coworker and fan of the genre a few years back. I’m certainly appreciative of the atmosphere Davis creates and the ease with which he seems to do it, but I’m not sure I could ever really get into this kind of music. I respect musicians who can create something all their own, which Davis has certainly done here. I guess I just need songs to take me someplace; “Easy Minor” is filled with fascinating sounds, but they don’t lead anywhere and nothing gets paid off. Cool but unsatisfying.

Matt #3) Judas Priest - “Love Bites” - Defenders Of The Faith (1984)

Not to be confused with the Def Leppard track of the same name, “Love Bites” is a mid-paced stomper from what might be my favorite Priest studio album, Defenders of the Faith. Opening with a synth-bass riff that leads into some start-stop riffing and Halford’s unmistakable voice, “Love Bites” really picks up when the whole band gets into things for the second verse. The lyrics are cheesy, and are most certainly about Rob Halford’s sexual exploits, but musically this track is a winner. Halford’s screams at the 3:37 mark are top-notch, even if the production is undeniably 1980s-sounding. Still, good song from a great album.

John #4) Common – “Thelonius” – Like Water For Chocolate (2000)

“Thelonius” is one of the best songs from one of my favorite albums ever. I urge any readers out there whose knowledge of Common extends only to Gap ads and his appearance in Smokin’ Aces to listen to this album. The song itself takes a mellow, subdued tone, with sharp but freely delivered lyrics accompanied intermittently by a piano piece that raises and lowers to accommodate certain rhymes. There’s really not much to say about it; it’s a really strong, no-frills rap song.

Matt #4) Testament - “Chasing Fear” - Low (1994)

Testament followed up two sub-par albums (Souls of Black was a lifeless, almost carbon copy of its predecessor, Practice What You Preach; The Ritual, on the other hand, tried to capitalize on the success of Metallica by going the cleaner, more commercial route, and yielded few good songs) with a new lineup and new vigor in 1994 when they released Low. A criminally underrated record, Low saw Testament reclaim their thrash metal roots, but also show that they could hang with the then-up-and-comers Machine Head, Fear Factory and the like. “Chasing Fear” opens with some typical Testament thrash riffing, before displaying some funk (!) influences about 0:26 in. Chuck Billy also displayed a more guttural, visceral vocal style at times on Low, which added to his already diverse repertoire. Testament went a little too far into death metal territory on 1997’s Demonic, which alienated some longtime fans, but on Low they had a great mix of styles working for them, and “Chasing Fear” displays almost all of them.

John #5) The Roots – “Water” – Live From Bonnaroo (2003, this is not an official release; “Water” originally appeared on Phrenology [2002])

This recording of the Roots’ live set from the Bonnaroo festival in 2003 was downloaded from the old Providence College network in my freshman year of college, before the school shut down our ability to take any album from anyone’s computer at the school. I only listened to this once before because the sound quality is quite atrocious. The band’s manic energy comes through on the recording, but it sounds like it was recorded underwater, tapering my enjoyment of the track. It’s not their fault; this recording is simply a mess. Good on Phrenology, not so good here.

Matt #5) Iron Maiden - “Run to the Hills” - Live After Death (1985)

This was Maiden at the height of their popularity in the US in the 80’s, performing a sold-out show at the Long Beach Arena, and this is one of their more popular tunes of the time. The band sounds absolutely on fire, although Bruce Dickinson’s voice was already showing signs of wear and tear, which is to be expected when one actually looks at the tour itineraries from this era. Either way, this is still a great performance, from one of the better metal live albums of all time.

John #6) Chris Robinson – “Silver Car” – New Earth Mud (2002)

“Silver Car” is by far the best song from Chris Robinson’s first solo record, New Earth Mud, and probably his best solo song ever. Like the album, the song is not terribly complicated, and lacks the ferociousness and cockiness of the Crowes’ hard-rocking work. In fact, the whole album really has an unmistakable sheen of “the lead singer of the Black Crowes trying to make a solo album”, rather than a forging of his own sound.

“Silver Car” comes closest to making an impression, due to its very simple and understated elegance. This mood is helped in no small part by strong piano work and a toned-down Robinson. A very nice and thoughtful song, albeit saddled with a meaningless “A Day In The Life”-type crazy ending which nearly ruins all the good that came before it.

Matt #6) Katatonia - “Nowhere” - Brave Murder Day (1996)

Brave Murder Day was the turning point for Katatonia, where they stepped out of the doom/death genre and into a more gothic metal with death metal overtones (before dropping the death metal overtones on follow-up Discouraged Ones entirely). The album featured Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt doing the harsh, screaming vocals, while Jonas Renske, who also played bass and drums on the album, took over the lead melodic vocals, a role he still occupies today as the band’s frontman. The melancholy music on “Nowhere” wouldn’t have been out of place on later albums like Tonight’s Decision or Discouraged Ones, but Akerfeldt’s vocals give it a harsher, more extreme vibe. Earlier Katatonia relied on the riffs and arrangements to invoke depression and angst, whereas the vocals would take that role on later releases. Great lead guitar melodies throughout, “Nowhere” is a great song from an incredible album.

John #7) Phish – “Mike’s Song” – Live: Camden, NJ 7/31/03 (not an official release)

Well, you knew it had to happen sooner or later. I actually have a Random Ten cutoff of twenty minutes. Anything over that length of time is being skipped. Luckily for us, this version of “Mike’s” only clocks in at nine.

I feel like I’ve heard and seen this song so many times that there is a “Mike’s Song” archetype to which each version of the song needs to live up to. This edition bounces along like it’s supposed to and the harmonies are there. A tight jam is included (obviously) that keeps the tune chugging along through its conclusion and melding into the next track. A very solid version, followed in the show, as is customary, by “I Am Hydrogen” and “Weekapaug Groove”.

Matt #7) Metallica - “Sad But True” - Metallica (1991)

What do I really need to say about this? If you haven’t heard this song before, you probably didn’t listen to hard rock radio at all in the 1990s. It’s one of 5 hit singles from Metallica’s self-titled breakthrough, aka The Black Album. Lars Ulrich joked that this would be the “’Kashmir’ of the 90s” when the band was recording it, and he wasn’t far off, as both songs still receive a tremendous amount of airplay to this date. Featuring one of Metallica’s heaviest riffs, “Sad But True” was catchy enough for rock radio fans, but heavy enough to not completely turn off Metallica’s fan base (that wouldn’t happen until 1996’s Load). Also features some great, bluesy soloing from Kirk Hammett, and some great vocal overdubbing in the bridge section, something Metallica hadn’t really experimented with at all until the inclusion of producer Bob Rock on this album. Still a live staple to this date, the song honestly sounds best in the studio, where they keep the tempo slow, emphasizing the heaviness of the riffs. That, and James Hetfield hasn’t really matched the intensity of his vocals on this album ever since.

John #8) Widespread Panic – “Jack” – Live: Boston, MA 9/22/06 (not an official release; “Jack” originally appeared on Ain’t Life Grand [1994])

Hey, more jamming, although this time with a band that I know much less about! Widespread Panic actually has always reminded me of a country-infused moe., if that makes any sense. The songwriting isn’t very impressive, but it works, and their songs lend themselves to being played live, much like moe.’s output. John Bell has a great voice for this kind of material, and the musicianship is certainly here. “Jack” also contains a really cool piece in the middle, which gets a bit darker and then opens up into a lighter guitar part and then back into the original riff. Nice, if forgettable, stuff.

Matt #8) DMX - “I Miss You” - The Great Depression (2001)

I only own one DMX album, and for some reason it’s one of his lesser known releases that spawned only moderate hits like “Who We Be” and “We Right Here”. I think I had burned copies of the first 2 albums at one point in time, but I thought I’d actually buy the 3rd one. Big mistake. “I Miss You” is a terrible, God-inspired song that I couldn’t even make it all the way through. This album didn’t immediately strike me as awful, but I can’t get through a lot of the songs, this being one of them. Not recommended.

John #9) Ben Folds – “Side Of The Road” – Songs For Goldfish (2005)

“Side Of The Road”, originally a Lucinda Williams song, is expertly and beautifully done by Folds on his 2005 odds and ends collection, Songs For Goldfish. I’ve never heard the original, but from the sound of this the song fits right into Folds’ wheelhouse of undying sentimentality and his unheralded ability to create somber moods in addition to the fun and goofy ones he’s known for. The song, about a woman who leaves her lover to see what else the world has to offer, probably hit close to home for Folds (he’s been divorced several times). This might explain how clear he sounds on the recording and how powerful it is. A lot of people chalk Folds up to being a little too cutesy and zany for his own good, but songs like this show how talented he really is.

Matt #9) In Flames - “Jotun” - The Tokyo Showdown (2001)

One of my favorite In Flames songs of all time, this live performance is energetic, maybe a little too fast, but solid nonetheless. The production on this live album has always baffled me, as the drums are clear, yet they sound almost distant or too clicky. I can’t quite pinpoint what doesn’t work about the sound on this live album, but something never sat with me as quite right. It could be the guitar tone, too, which sounds not nearly as thick and full as their studio releases. If you want a better performance of this song, check out their live DVD In Live We Trust, which, despite the stupid name, contains a club performance (as well as some arena shows in Europe) in which the band performs the entire Soundtrack to Your Escape album (boo!), but then follows it up with an entire set of classics including “Jotun” (awesome!). I’m sure the clips are on YouTube *cough*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYM2ngWz0JE*cough, so you’ll hear and see what I mean.

John #10) Andrew Bird – “The Supine” – Armchair Apocrypha (2007)

“The Supine” is a minute-long stringed instrument piece that serves as an interlude in his 2007 album, Armchair Apocrypha. It’s very beautiful and quite moving for a song of one minute in length, but it’s too short to make too much of an impression on its own.

Matt #10) Green Day - “Scattered” - Nimrod (1997)

I honestly don’t remember this song at all. I’ve probably only listened to this entire album two or three times, and those were back in 1998. This song features harmonized vocals throughout, and is an example of the more melodic, pop-rock approach the band first flirted with on “Pulling Teeth,” although the pace is a little more upbeat on this track. Surprisingly not a bad song, although I don’t recall liking a great deal of the rest of the album.

Matt Steele/John Lacey

Eulogy For A Friend

The following was printed in the September 18, 2009 edition of the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune.

HAVERHILL — Stephen R. Landry Jr., 26, of Haverhill, passed away unexpectedly at his home.

Stephen was born in Lawrence on April 20, 1983 to Allyson (Engels) Senee of Haverhill and Stephen R. Landry Sr. of Bradford.

Stephen was the cherished grandson of Cecelia Landry of North Andover, Garrett Engels of Malden and Alice Engels of Seabrook, N.H. He was predeceased by his grandfather, Reginald Landry.

It is with tremendous sadness that I write today’s blog entry. Steve Landry, one of my great childhood friends, recently passed away. I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of my thoughts and memories of Steve.

Steve enrolled at Thomson Elementary School in North Andover sometime in third or fourth grade, and though I don’t remember the impetus behind us becoming friends, we hit it off fairly quickly after his arrival. Steve lived on Beverly St., two streets away from my home on Middlesex. The families of Thomson students lived in pretty close quarters, and Steve quickly became a fixture in the neighborhood and in my group of friends at the time. Steve and I remained close through middle school and freshman year at North Andover High School, after which he moved to New Hampshire. I saw him sparingly from that point.

Steve had a rather legendary temper. More often than not, he was pleasant to be around. But certain things would happen that would set him off and he’d go into a rage. To be fair, his temper and mood swings could be somewhat frightening, but he would never direct them at me or our other friends. Steve acted as a sort of protector; he had the gumption to say what was on his mind and he never backed down from anyone. If he perceived that he or any of us were being slighted, he had no problem getting in the offender’s face. It didn’t matter if it was a peer or a teacher. Sometimes this would get us into a bit of trouble, but Steve felt it was his duty as a friend to help us if we ever had any issues. We admired and respected him for that.

As a child, I (and probably most kids back then) had self-esteem issues. At Thomson, I was young enough to put those thoughts out of my mind by playing a video game or riding my bike or something. When I arrived at North Andover Middle School, however, those issues became magnified. I started becoming worried about girls. I worried about coming off as “cool”. It was a confusing and often troubling time. Steve wasn’t just protective muscle. He became a confidante, and we would talk about these childhood problems. He gave me an outlet to vent about my situation, and I provided the same for him. I felt like we worked through our problems together, and without that, my experience in middle school undoubtedly would have been much worse.

Of course, Steve was also hysterical. He loved mischief and he loved a good laugh. I mentioned previously that he’d say anything to anyone. In seventh grade, we had a science teacher named Ms. McMillen. None of my classmates much cared for her at the time, and we’d often interrupt her classes with idiotic questions guised as serious inquiries. Two of my other classmates and dear friends, Matt Steele and Jeremy Cote, still talk about a time that he interrupted Ms. McMillen, mid-sentence, to ask, “I know astronauts can go up. But can they go down?” It was such a stupid question, asked with a perfect tone of sincerity. We all had a good laugh. Another time, Ms. McMillen had had enough of Steve’s antics for one day, and kicked him out of the class. Steve protested and asked specifically why he was being kicked out. When Ms. McMillen said they would discuss it later, Steve asked with incredulousness, “Forget that. Why don’t we get it out in the open now?” Of course, in a group of thirteen year olds, all looking to ruin the class, this comment inspired complete lunacy; one of those sublime moments where the teacher completely loses control of the class.

In eighth grade, we had an English teacher named Ms. Erickson. We were reading detective novels and Ms. Erickson, doubling as the drama teacher at the middle school, had arranged “crime scenes” in the back of her classroom based on the books we were reading. Steve, Jeremy, and another friend of ours, Chris Weller, would break all of the crime scene props daily. Each day, Ms. Erickson would set everything up again, and each day everything would be broken and smashed. Eventually, she turned to gluing everything down as a way to prevent this. It didn’t work. I remember nearly peeing myself laughing as Steve yanked chess pieces off of a chessboard they were glued to and stomped them on the floor. Sure, it was immature, reckless destruction, but we were fourteen, and that kind of stuff was hilarious to us then.

I think what I’ll remember the most about Steve is simply being a kid with him. When I think of what childhood was like growing up near the Lawrence border of North Andover, Steve is one of the first people that pops into my mind. He and our other friends played baseball at Carl Thomas together, we went to each other’s birthday parties, we watched Saturday morning wrestling, and we bought candy at Frannie’s and Joe’s. It sounds really corny, but he really will live on in those memories forever.

Though I hadn’t seen Steve for many years, the idea that I won’t see him again is one that fills me with sadness. For those that knew him well and counted him as a friend, he was one of the best. So long, pal. Death comes for us all; but it shouldn’t ever come this soon.

John Lacey

Phish - Joy

Phish
Joy (2009)
JEMP Records

Phish’s new studio album, Joy, shares many similarities with their previous album before this one, Undermind. I had written in my Forgotten Records column on the Undermind album back in May that the album was quite peculiar because its release was completely overshadowed by Phish’s farewell tour in the summer of 2004. At the time, Undermind marked the first instance I noticed where a new studio album by a band was not only considered an afterthought, but an outright nuisance. No one wanted to hear those songs played on Phish’s final tour because there was only so much time with the band left (and the songs weren’t very good, either). So Undermind was quickly forgotten about until I dragged it out of mothballs a few months ago.

But in Joy we have an album that follows the exact same trajectory as Undermind. Released in conjunction with Phish’s comeback tour of summer 2009, Joy marks another slate of songs that no one wanted to hear live and that no one, including hardcore Phish fans, cares much about. With the release of Joy, Phish albums have officially become companion pieces to the tours, and not, as is customary, the other way around. I guess that’s not automatically a bad thing, if the music is good enough to stand out, but it’s generally not good for an album’s sales and legacy for it to be forgotten about as quickly as it arrives. Additionally, Joy is a boring and awful name for an album.

But what of the music? Things start out pretty well, actually. “Backwards Down the Number Line” is a nice little galloping pop song that mixes a solid chorus with a well-done jam piece towards its conclusion. If Phish actually cared about selling this record, they would have opened with this every night, because it works as a heralding of the return of the band and would have gotten crowds excited about one of their new songs right off the bat.

Unfortunately, “Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan” brings about an extended malaise from which the album does not recover. What follows are a multitude of saccharine, blasé pop songs with bad lyrics and none of Phish’s childish but endearing charm. The lyrics on “Joy” are especially painful (“when we were young we thought life was a game / but then somebody leaves you and you’re never the same”); like something I would have excitedly scribbled in a notebook when I was fifteen. Trey’s lyrics were fine when he was singing about “the foggy cavern’s musty grime” or being “stranded for a moment on the ocean of Osiris”, even though they were nonsense, because they were imaginative, they worked, and because they were lyrics all his own. Joy is filled with forced lines, painfully obvious references and tired metaphors.

Additionally, if Phish wanted to make a pop record, they would have been better off just going for it and dropping all pretense of jamming. I realize that’s their MO, but they can always add the jams in later live. On “Backwards Down the Number Line”, the jam works at the end because the song is good and because they successfully built up to it; the jam served as a payoff. But in “Stealing Time from the Faulty Plan”, the song isn’t very good, and the jam at the end feels undeserved, almost like a cop out.

Joy moves through a series of tracks that are more inspired than what’s on Undermind, but truthfully not much better. “Sugar Shack” is a reggae-infused Mike-sung track (yikes) whose ultra-bright verses sound like an amalgamation of Phish and any number of pop divas currently blighting the musical landscape. “Ocelot” was a fun song live that doesn’t do a whole lot on the record, but at least it’s not actively bad. “Light” has an awesome intro that I wish they would have stuck with instead of delving back into more of the same crap we’ve been hearing for 35 minutes. Joy is just so neutered; nothing stands out.

Until “Time Turns Elastic”. The thirteen minute album centerpiece is not the greatest song either, but it at least breaks the spell of bad songs and does some interesting and often pleasant sounding things. Even though it’s thirteen minutes, it never loses steam, unlike some of the streamlined pop songs on the first half of the record. This is definitely Joy’s best song.

Joy is simply bad. If Phish continues to write songs like this, they’re honestly better off becoming a nostalgia act and forgoing new studio albums. I can only recommend the album’s first track and “Time Turns Elastic”, and even those are mild recommendations. See them live; avoid this.

D+

John Lacey

The Boston Sports List #2: Most Hated Teams continued

5) Los Angeles Lakers

I considered putting the Montreal Canadiens in this spot, but the Lakers aren’t even in the same conference as the Celtics so I had to go with them. The Lakers are probably the fiercest historical rivals of the Celtics. The two teams have played each other eleven times in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics winning nine of the eleven meetings. The dichotomy between the two teams is so evident even Spike Lee referenced it in Do the Right Thing. In the 80s, the Celtics were the blue-collar, hard working white team. The “Showtime” Lakers were the flashy and flamboyant black team. Each year, the NBA season became a lesson in race relations.

Of course, the rivalry between the Celtics and Lakers dates back to the days of Russell and Chamberlain, with Russell’s Celtics teams always beating the Lakers. Chamberlain may have been the more prolific scorer and possibly the better player, but Russell was the better winner, and he proved it year in and year out, often at the expense of Los Angeles.

Perhaps the greatest memory of the rivalry for Celtics fans was the 1969 NBA Finals. Boston had just snuck into the playoffs as the final team into the Eastern Conference, and 1969 was Russell’s final year in the NBA. The Lakers were heavily favored, but the Celtics managed to bring the series to seven games. In the deciding game, played in Los Angeles, balloons waited in the rafters to be showered upon celebrating fans. Unfortunately for them, the Celtics won the game and the championship and the balloons never came down.

The Lakers are an interesting rival because they’re not even in the same conference as the Celtics and because regular season games between the two teams really aren’t a big deal around here. The sheer number of times the teams have met in the NBA finals and the fantastic battles that have occurred between them make this a great rivalry.

4) Montreal Canadiens

I’ll admit I don’t know as much about hockey as the other major sports, but I do know that the Canadiens hail from a dirty French city and their dirty fans flood Boston nearly every year for playoff games. I also know that the Canadiens have routinely beaten the bag out of the Bruins in nearly every important game the two teams have played since the dawn of time.

Because I really don’t know a lot about the rivalry and the players involved, I’ll leave you with something my father told me many years ago. The Bruins and Canadiens played each other in the semifinals of the 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs, and the series went to seven games. In the final game, in the game’s final minutes, the Bruins were penalized for having too many men on the ice. The Canadiens scored near the end of regulation to tie the game, and went on to win the game in overtime. My father was none too happy. In a daze, he went to take a shower, and not looking, slipped on a bar of soap. Needless to say, he spent the night in the hospital. So the Canadiens nearly killed my father. Fuck them.

3) Pittsburgh Steelers

I’ve been privy to some fantastic moments as a Boston sports fan. The ALCS comeback against the Yankees. The three Super Bowls. The 2008 NBA championship. To me, my favorite moments were the 2002 and 2005 AFC Championship games. There is no greater feeling I’ve ever had as a sports fan than the Patriots waltzing into Pittsburgh and beating the bag out of the Steelers in those games. I hate their fans, I hate most of their players, and I used to hate their coach. They’d actually be higher on the list if it weren’t for the two even more odious teams in front of them.

Steeler fans carry themselves with this absurd sense of self-entitlement and accomplishment, even though they have the highest body fat index of any fan base of the NFL (it makes sense that their stadium is named after a brand of ketchup). Their signature is waving a bunch of yellow towels around for three hours every game. These people make me sick. Watching Brady torch them in 2005 was one of the more gratifying games I’ve seen, just behind game seven of the aforementioned ALCS, especially since the Steelers had snapped the Patriots’ 21 game winning streak.

To top it off, Hines Ward is an ever-smiling crybaby who takes cheap shots at opposing players and somehow always seems to make huge plays. Their former coach, Bill Cowher, is another dim-witted buffoon who never would have won a title was it not for Seattle’s atrocious clock management in Super Bowl XL. And Ben Roethlisberger, affectionately known to every jock-sniffing play-by-play man as just “Ben”…well, I just don’t like him. Here’s hoping the Pats get another shot to send these fat dopes hope unhappy.

#2) New York Yankees

Protocol dictates the Yankees have to be here somewhere towards the top. And though I did used to seethe with rage when I’d see Johnny College in a Posada jersey or watch highlights of dickhead Paul O’Neill running his mouth during yet another Yankee win, my feelings have largely cooled towards them. Certainly, the Red Sox winning the 2004 championship, defeating the Yankees in stunning fashion along the way, contributed greatly to this. I think it was Bill Simmons who wrote, “The Red Sox and the Yankees are just two baseball superpowers who will always be in each other’s way”.

And he (or whoever said it) is right. The Sox aren’t the plucky underdog anymore. They’ve conquered the demon and added another championship and another ALCS appearance to their recent resume. They’re expected to be in the World Series every year. One could argue that the Red Sox are the class and envy of Major League Baseball, not just because of their storied history and recent success, but because of the way they are able to build their team. Not only can they sign just about any free agent they want, but they also have a tremendous farm system and a very strong coaching staff and front office. These aren’t the Red Sox who lost the heartbreakers in agonizing fashion; they’re not even the underachievers of earlier in this decade who hated playing with each other (the “25 players, 25 cabs” Red Sox of 2000-2002). This team is different, and will forever be different. Because of that, we’ve been spoiled. And because of that, I can’t hate the Yankees as much as I used to. They used to be the toast of the league. Now the Sox are.

Obviously, I don’t care much for the Yankees. I wish that old bastard Steinbrenner would expire already and that his loudmouth idiot son would follow him. A-Rod’s “what did I do” routine after slapping the ball from Arroyo’s glove in 2004 made me forever hate him. My friend and I equate Mark Teixeira’s perennially puzzled-looking face to that of a meathead college lacrosse player (no offense if any of you are reading). I don’t understand how Mariano Rivera has one pitch and no one can figure out how to hit it. I think it’s hilarious that they tore down one of the most hallowed arenas in the world for nearly an exact duplicate, and the tickets closest to the field cost so much money that no one will sit in them. Also, the Yankees have taken more time off of my life than any other franchise in any other sport, so I don’t like that, either.

But the Red Sox season would not be as fun without the Yankees. We wouldn’t have yearly tight pennant races, we wouldn’t have half the drama in the season that we get when the two teams square off, and we simply wouldn’t be Red Sox fans without the Yankees around. The Yankees’ mere existence provides me with too much excitement to hate them more than any other team. I’m afraid that honor goes to…

#1) New York Jets

Remember earlier, when I wrote that I respected Derek Jeter because I expected him to come through in big situations, and I didn’t respect A-Rod because I know he’ll fail? I respect the Yankees because of their history and because I know they’re a formidable opponent and that the Sox are in for a dogfight when they play each other. I don’t respect the Jets because they’re a gaggle of crybabies who never come through. That and their fans are sub-human.

They won a Super Bowl sixty years ago and still expect people to care. Since that time, Joe Namath, the hero of that Super Bowl, embarrassed himself forever on live TV. They haven’t won a meaningful game in ages. They swiped head coach Bill Parcells away from the Patriots on the eve of Super Bowl XXXI, providing a completely unnecessary distraction right before the (then) biggest game in Pats history. He then took a flight back to New England by himself, cleared out his office, and joined the Jets right after. Shithead.

Their big attraction is “Fireman Ed”, a bald moron who sits atop a fat moron and leads a “J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets” chant that the delusional Long Island/Jersey Jets fans lap up. Jets fans are brilliant because they’ll constantly tell you about how much Brady sucks or how the Jets are going to win the division with whatever retard they have at quarterback/head coach. They have no evidence to back anything up and then act aghast when the team inevitably goes 6-10. They turned on Chad Pennington before he even turned bad, though he was probably the best quarterback they’ve had in ages. Amazingly, the Jets dumped him for Brett Favre and Pennington ended up winning comeback player of the year for Miami last season (and leading the team to an AFC East title).

The most egregious sin the Jets created was unleashing Spygate on the world. What was a fairly trivial matter eventually exploded into a media circus that threatened to overshadow the Patriots’ undefeated season and caused another needless distraction right before the Super Bowl against the Giants. I can ignore the idiocy of Jets fans and the endless string of bad decisions and poor play that has plagued the franchise for years. But I can’t ignore the fact that the Jets attempted to tarnish the legacy of my favorite football team, and the great accomplishments I’ve seen them achieve. For that, they get the top spot.

John Lacey

The Dailies 8/31/09: Welcome to Forest Whitaker's House!

Welcome to the latest edition of the Dailies. I went to the local cinema since the last column and viewed a couple of films through the magic of Netflix. Let’s take a look.

Trailerz

The Conversation (1974) – Dir: Francis Ford Coppola. Principles: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Harrison Ford

The Conversation features Gene Hackman in one of his finest roles, that of surveillance expert Harry Caul. Hackman’s character is tasked with recording the conversation of a young couple, and he soon realizes that his work may bring them into great danger. The Conversation has some tremendous scenes of great power, including a memorable finale, and Hackman’s performance as the low-rent spy alienated from pretty much all human interaction is more than a winner. It’s a bit too obtuse, however. It’s very slow and the material between the film’s stronger scenes isn’t very captivating. A lot of people whose opinions I trust love this film, so perhaps I need to see it again, but outside of Hackman’s performance nothing jumped out at me as being very special. B-.

Inglorious Basterds (2009) – Dir: Quentin Tarantino. Principles: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Melanie Laurent, Eli Roth

This summer’s foremost revenge fantasy film (the one where the Jews turn the tables on the Nazis) is a bit of a departure for its auteur, Mr. Tarantino. His customary over-the-top violence and scenes of squirminess are largely replaced in Inglorious Basterds with more scenes of sharp dialogue. This dialogue is often brilliant, and when it fires on all cylinders, the film benefits greatly. An opening scene of a French farmer being quizzed by an SS officer about the Jews living under his floorboards is incredible. Tarantino has a gift for creating tense moods and uses his words to create uneasy feelings of foreboding between various sets of characters. The acting is very strong, as well. Brad Pitt continues to be likable as Lt. Aldo Raine, a Southerner with Apache blood who lives to kill Nazis. Christoph Waltz plays the aforementioned SS officer to perfection. The problem with Inglorious Basterds is the same problem that affected The Conversation. There are many great scenes, but the material in between them cannot sustain the momentum. Add in a nearly three hour length and there are extended periods of relative boredom which hurt enjoyment of the film greatly. B.

Feature Presentation

The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Principle Actors: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Simon McBurney

Movies about ruthless dictators are way too easy. They usually take place in some godforsaken corner of the world, where the masses live in squalor and dead bodies line the streets. The dictator is usually demented and paranoid, and his subjects completely powerless to stop him. Obligatory scenes of the dictator performing some horrid act on a woman or child set the tone of the film: he’s a bad guy.

I resent films that simplify these situations so much because there are actual people like this that have existed and continue to exist. Showing the dictator cutting a child’s ear off takes the thought out of the film; I’m much more interested as to why he’s compelled to do that. Most films are content to show us that warlords and dictators are psychopaths by their actions and expect us to instinctively loathe that character without really getting their motivation. This type of approach can indeed be effective; Lord of War took this approach and worked quite well. In The Last King of Scotland, however, it was nice to finally see a film that tried to tackle the man and not just his deeds.

The man is former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin (played with gusto by Forest Whitaker), and The Last King of Scotland follows the relationship between he and his Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (McAvoy), who comes to the position largely by happenstance. It’s loosely based on a true story, but that’s not important. The film volunteers to show us what a man like Amin is like, whether or not he actually was like how he is portrayed here.

For a film about 1970s Uganda, The Last King of Scotland isn’t very violent. Reprisals and consequences for those who dare oppose Amin are carried out behind closed doors and in dialogue between the dictator and his doctor. The film doesn’t feel the need to delve into the customary shots of mountains of dead bodies or kids being gunned down. Only once do we see a particularly brutal image, of a corpse with all of its limbs severed, and that is done at the perfect time and to great effect. The film doesn’t rely on shock value and works much better because of this.

Whitaker won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Amin. He plays him straight. He’s not an over the top nutcase. He’s friendly, polite and generous, though we sense there’s something lurking under the surface that isn’t so nice. McAvoy plays a good foil for him and never gets swallowed by Whitaker’s huge performance. The film follows their relationship as it moves from initial highs to total disintegration; Amin’s gradual lunacy and Garrigan’s guilt and feelings of complicity toward Amin’s atrocities make up the brunt of the film.

I’ve always been interested in colonialism and African history. Though The Last King of Scotland takes liberties with real events, it was refreshing to watch something that at least attempted to give me a view of the psyche of a man like Amin. It’s not a terribly complicated film; it’s easy to follow and the important themes are right there to see. But it’s truthful, and it takes a unique approach to an interesting subject. I can’t fault it for that.

B+

John Lacey

Shit from the 90s #4: British Knights!

British Knights was a popular line of footwear that was almost as omnipresent as the first Gulf War, Crystal Pepsi and Jesus combined in the early 1990s. If you were a child or adolescent growing up at that time it’s a given that you either owned, or desperately wanted, a pair of British Knights.

If I had to compare British Knights to something more contemporary, I would point to Sketchers from earlier in this decade. Both were trendy lines of footwear that turned heads, were poorly made by sweatshop labor in some godforsaken corner of southeast Asia and sold at incredibly inflated prices. I suppose the same could be said of Nike or Adidas, but at least those brands have an above average track record of performance at all levels of organized sport around the world.

Founded in 1980 by Jack Schwartz Shoes Inc. of New York, British Knights (or BKs as they were commonly called) were first released in the United States in 1986. The brand didn’t begin to garner recognition though until the early 1990s when the shoes and related apparel were prominently displayed in hip-hop music videos by the likes of Public Enemy and MC Hammer(yes, those two acts were just mentioned in the same sentence.) In fact, Hammer did several commercials for British Knights at the pinnacle of his career and earned $138 million for troubles. This may help to explain how he could afford the ostentatious home and wardrobe that were the hallmarks of his image.

In addition to the commercial spots from Hammer, BKs were an ever-present prize for contestants on several Nickelodeon game shows of the period including Double Dare, GUTS, and Nick Arcade. They were essentially the door prize for goons that couldn’t complete Double Dare’s famed obstacle courses, or the almost impossible series of challenges that concluded each episode of Nick Arcade. I can only assume that several children were greeted by Nickelodeon producers following the tapings of these shows with words along the lines of, “Hey kid, your lack of athletic ability cost you that trip to space camp. But chin up! Here’s a pair of British Knights!”

British Knights reached the apex of its popularity with the release of the Dymacel line in early 1992. The shoes were memorable because they had a cushion of green silicon embedded in the sole that was visible through diamond shaped windows. Dymacels were intended to compete with the Nike Air and Reebok Pump lines. Much like those shoes, the Dymacel “technology” provided no degree of increased functionality whatsoever. Despite this, they looked really cool and as an eight year-old kid you wanted a pair almost as much as an ice cream truck to jackknife in front of your house.

The executives pushing Dymacels even went so far as to pay professional athletes to endorse the line, a first for British Knights. But whereas Nike had Michael Jordan and Reebok had Shaquille O’Neal, British Knights had Derrick Coleman (one of the biggest flops in the history of the NBA draft) and Xavier McDaniel. Although Dymacels sold marginally well, the stature of these spokesmen correlated nicely with the later failure of the Dymacel line.

The decline of British Knights began in the mid-1990s when one of America’s foremost street gangs, the Crips, adopted the shoes as part of their wardrobe and the BK logo itself to indicate “Blood Killer.” As a result, schools and universities banned British Knights shoes and apparel in an attempt to curb gang violence amongst youths. In 1996, Jack Schwartz Shoes licensed the British Knights trademark to a German consortium that marketed the brand as a discount skate shoe sold in department stores. Once one of the top-five selling shoe brands in America, BKs had fallen from that lofty perch to become something akin to Keds.

In 2008, Jack Schwartz Shoes brought British Knights back by re-releasing their incredibly successful 1989 shoe line with such models as Leader, Ultra and Kings SL. The shoes are currently being sold at British Knights official website as a novelty shoe for collectors. So if you have $100 dollars, an old pair of Zoobas and a copy of “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em,” you too can kick it like it’s 1991 all over again.

Matt McDonough

The Random Ten #12

Yes, it’s a dual Random Ten today, which actually makes this a Random Twenty. Matt and I both put our iTunes on shuffle and listened to the first ten songs that came up, just for you. I assume his list will be a little more metal-centric, but you never know what you’re going to get on shuffle! Let’s take a look.

Matt #1) Arcturus - "Ad Astra" - La Masquerade Infernale (1997)

Arcturus received a lot of hype within the metal underground back in 1997 when La Masquerade Infernale came out. They were lumped in with the black metal scene, due to many members being from Norway and having done time in bands such as Borknagar and Ulver, yet one listen to “Ad Astra” reveals a far more complex band than what was expected of black metal at the time. The tune opens with mostly classical instrumentation and drum machines, creating a very sinister, low-key ambience. In fact, the song is hardly metal, although it does feature some nice lead guitar melodies in its first 4 minutes. The strings take a back seat to a piano at about 4 minutes in. The vocals finally start 5:15 into the song, and they are also set back in the mix. The drums take on a very metallic style, yet the music is still dominated by the classical instruments. This was groundbreaking stuff to come out of the metal world, and it still holds up today. The band only releases albums every 6 or 7 years it seems, but I look forward to hearing from Arcturus again.

John #1) The White Stripes – “Union Forever” – White Blood Cells (original issue 2001, reissue 2002)

The White Stripes are one of my favorite bands, and I always enjoy listening to them, but I never actually think to put them on. This track from their third album has a riff that sounds like it comes from a bad old horror film, with brief periods of musical explosion for punctuation. This is certainly not the brightest song ever; it basically features Jack White moaning about love being a crock of shit or something like that. It eventually inexplicably devolves into White reciting (without musical accompaniment) one of the numbers from Citizen Kane (the “there is a man, a certain man…” song everyone sings about Charles Foster Kane in that film). It’s oddly cool, but it really isn’t much of a song.

Matt #2) Judas Priest - "Genocide" - Unleashed In The East (1979)

Upping the speed and intensity of one of Sad Wings of Destiny’s best tracks, “Genocide” sounds absolutely rocking on this version from Priest’s first live album, Unleashed in the East. The guitar work of Tipton and Downing sounds crisp and dangerous, as opposed to the muddy and sterile sound on the studio version. I had the pleasure of seeing frontman Rob Halford’s solo band, Halford, perform this Priest classic in 2000 when they were opening for Iron Maiden (a show which my fellow blog collaborator John Lacey also attended), and it still sounded great. This song goes overlooked in Priest live sets today, but it’s got some great riffs, and an absolutely classic vocal performance from Halford himself.

John #2) Chavez – “Flight 96” – Ride The Fader (1996)

This album was given to me by my good friend Brendan Leonard at our Providence College alumni weekend nearly two years ago, and this is the first time I’ve ever heard any of it. “Flight 96” truly sounds mid-90s. Its guitar riff is really good and sounds similar to what a lot of great alternative/indie bands were doing at that time. Like many of those same bands, Chavez features fairly abrasive guitars, fairly clean vocals, and an interesting theme repeated a number of times (perhaps too many). We get a twist in the middle with a Wilco-like guitar solo, one of those that sounds like it’s going to fall apart at any time (similar to the one in “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” from A Ghost Is Born). After four minutes the riff and song take a heavier and darker tone that punches things up a bit, but everything eventually sounds a bit monotonous and boring.

Matt #3) Audioslave - “Out of Exile” - Sessions @ AOL Music (2005 bootleg)

Audioslave debuted in 2002 with a solid self-titled effort that I quite enjoyed. I was less impressed with their second effort, Out of Exile, however, I did like a few songs from the release. The title track was one that I enjoyed. This live-in-the-studio rendition showcases how great the 3 guys from Rage Against the Machine are at performing in any setting; unfortunately, it also showcases how Chris Cornell is not too much of a live vocalist these days. He struggles through the choruses mightily, but the band sounds great. The best thing about this Sessions… performance is when the band tackles Rage’s “Sleep Now in the Fire.” If you haven’t heard Chris Cornell attempt rapping, it’s hilarious. I envy anyone who got to see Audioslave perform “Killing in the Name” live at any point in time. It must have been comedy gold.

John #3) The Beatles – “Any Time At All” – A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

I still have a hard time coming around to the early work of the Beatles. It has its moments, but it’s too steeped in the big smile lovey dovey pop crap of the 50s for me to warm up to. A lot of early Beatles songs, like this one, have some great pieces that are compromised by on the nose sentimentality and an endless procession of “baby”s. There’s just too much sheen to it, though I can understand why people lost their minds about them at the time. To the song’s credit, there is a nice guitar/piano dual bridge about ¾ of the way through.

Matt #4) Nine Inch Nails - “31 Ghosts IV” - Ghosts I-IV (2008)

Ghosts I-IV was an ambitious project that Nine Inch Nails released in various forms, from a free download to a 4 CD box set that cost around $50. Long story short, Trent Reznor recorded 4 CDs worth of instrumental tracks and released them to his fans via the internet only. It was a bold move, but the surprising thing was that a lot of the tracks were good, some even great. “31 Ghosts IV”, one of the last tracks on the entire set, is one of the best. It is driven by a heavy synth and bass riff, reminiscent of something from the Broken EP, and also features some inventive soloing, not something NIN was ever really known for. The great thing about Ghosts was that most of the songs were in the 2-3 minute range, so they never really wore out their welcome. It works great as background music, which Trent himself sort of described the set as, but it also works if you sit and listen closely.

John #4) Lou Reed – “Oh Jim” – Berlin (1973)

It’s amazing how clearly you can hear Lou Reed’s influence on punk bands just by listening to one of his songs. “Oh Jim” features minimalistic drumming and bass and Reed’s signature nonchalant delivery. About half of the punk and post-punk bands I’ve heard have borrowed Reed’s vocal style. “Oh Jim” gives us a really strong guitar solo that intertwines with a horns section and gradually fades into an acoustic finale dedicated to some guy named Jim. Another interesting oddity.

Matt #5) Mastodon - “Circle of Cysquatch” - Blood Mountain (2006)

Opening with a high-pitched, dissonant riff, “Circle of Cysquatch” was one of the few tracks on Blood Mountain that would have fit okay on Mastodon’s debut Remission. The band had evolved tremendously by this, their third album, but they hadn’t lost their edge or intensity by any means, as the crushing riffs starting at 2:18 will showcase. This song is fairly short and might not hold up against some of their other heavy classics, but it’s a solid track nonetheless.

John #5) Grateful Dead – “Big River” – One From The Vault (recorded 1975, released 1991)

FYI: this was the album playing the first time I ever got “lifted”. But, uh, I never touch the stuff anymore.

Anyway, this kicks ass. Great harmonizing, great guitars, and a great old-timey feel. People make fun of Deadheads, often justifiably, for their appearance, shabby clothes, smell, social status, idiocy, etc. But I don’t understand how anyone can make fun of their dancing after hearing a song like this. It’s impossible not to dance when something like “Big River” comes on. Classic Dead; great stuff.

Matt #6) Soundgarden - “Fell on Black Days” - Superunknown (1994)

This could be my favorite Soundgarden song, although they have so many great ones to choose from. I can’t believe a song so bleak and bluesy was such a big hit, but I guess that just shows the power of a great song by a great band. Chris Cornell sounds absolutely perfect here – smooth in the verses and menacing and vulnerable at the same time in the choruses and bridge. Kim Thayil also lets it rip with the wah wah pedal on his leads, and the rhythm section laid down by Cameron and Shephard is some of the best interaction they’ve ever recorded. If you don’t know this song, you’re missing out on not just one of the best rock songs of the 90’s, but of all time.

John #6) Neil Young & Crazy Horse – “Safeway Cart” – Sleeps With Angels (1994)

Alright, 90s Young; we’ll see how this goes. If I’m not mistaken (and I choose to guess even though I have the Internet at my fingertips), I believe Neil dedicated this album to Kurt Cobain.

Young’s always good at setting a mood, and the mood here is decidedly melancholy, using a rusty and distant harmonica to involve railroad/hobo imagery. The problem with a lot of Young’s 90s output is that the songs constantly meander around and never really go anywhere. Often they have strong riffs or good ideas that are either not elaborated on or are wasted entirely (“Loose Change” from Young’s Broken Arrow (1996), which is actually a pretty good album, is a prime example of this wastefulness). “Safeway Cart” is really 6 ½ minutes of not much going on, which was par for the course in those days for Young Neil.

Matt #7) Metallica - “The Memory Remains” - Reload (1997)

People might remember this song more for the innovative video which involved the band playing in a revolving room and a guest appearance by Marianne Faithful, but I think it’s a pretty solid, grooving hard rock track from a time when Metallica did not exactly produce a lot of quality tracks. I’m still an unabashed Metallica fanboy, so of course I like it, but I can understand why the band’s thrash metal fanbase would have vomited upon hearing a track like this. They still bust it out live occasionally to this day, usually resulting in some great crowd participation during the Marianne Faithful sections. You either like this era of Metallica or hate it. I like the good tracks such as this, but acknowledge that they also released some steaming heaps on this album and its predecessor, Load.

John #7) The Afghan Whigs – “Debonair” – Gentlemen (1993)

Gentlemen was the would-be breakthrough album from The Afghan Whigs, a band pegged to be the next Nirvana in the early 90s but never quite made it there. The album is shockingly dark for an early 90s alternative record, perhaps more so than Nirvana or even Alice in Chains. Singer Greg Dulli is constantly in self-loathing mode, and his sleazy whining combined with the quick and desperate guitar work combine to form a dark monument to the 90s alternative/grunge scene. “Debonair” is like a wave of anguish intensified each time the chorus kicks in. Awesome.

Matt #8) Nirvana - “Been a Son” - Incesticide (1992)

A majority of Incesticide is punky songs that were recorded before or after Nevermind, some good, some not so good. “Been a Son” is very good, with a really catchy riff and chorus, and some great distorted bass playing in the middle section from Krist Novoselic. The song’s only about a minute and forty seconds, but it stays in your head for much longer than that.

John #8) Muddy Waters – “Got My Mojo Working” – The Best Of Muddy Waters (1999, song originally recorded in 1957)

I’m not very familiar with blues music; I got most of this stuff from my dad. I’m wise enough to know a good thing when I hear it, however. Blues singers always have the most amazing voices. It makes me wonder why they always complain about not getting laid all the time. What woman wouldn’t want to bang a guy that plays guitar and sings like Muddy? Additionally, “Got my mojo working but it just don’t work on you” is a quintessential blues lyric, and I think one we can all identify with.

Matt #9) Testament - “Musical Death (A Dirge)" - The New Order (1988)

Despite the idiotic song title, “Musical Death” is a great instrumental from Testament, off what many believe to be the band’s best album (I’d say 1999’s The Gathering holds that honor, but from their classic era, this is by far their best). It blows my mind that lead guitarist Alex Skolnick was only about 19 when this album came out, because his technical ability, as well as his melodic phrasing and melody-crafting ability, was off the charts. A lot of bands shredded without crafting many memorable lead hooks (Megadeth), or had great melodies in their lead guitar playing but not great technical ability (Metallica), but Testament had a great way of combining shredding leads with instantly identifiable melodies. Skolnick shines on this, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Eric Peterson’s beautifully clean rhythm parts. Once Skolnick left the band in 1992, Peterson showed he was no slouch on the lead guitar as well, and now with Skolnick back in the present-day lineup, they have an even more cohesive two-guitar attack. The acoustic solo in this song’s middle section is one of my favorite that the band has ever recorded. Great for guitar enthusiasts and fans of instrumental metal, but not for everyone, obviously.

John #9) Jerry Cantrell – “Chemical Tribe” – Degradation Trip (2002)

I’ve never listened to this, Jerry Cantrell’s second album, though his first (1998’s Boggy Depot) honestly sounded to me like Alice in Chains without the soul and dirty majesty that band’s albums had. I’ll always like Cantrell due to his work in Alice in Chains, one of my favorite bands ever, but I find his solo stuff really dull. This song, like most of his, features a standard solo Cantrell cheesy pseudo-metal riff that doesn’t do anything for me, and actually bores the shit out of me. The song is also 6 ½ minutes long. I can handle a long song, but when nothing happens, like in the earlier Neil song, it’s really maddening.

Matt #10) Halford - “Electric Eye” - Live Insurrection (2001)

Fitting that the aforementioned Halford band would show up on this, playing another Judas Priest classic, “Electric Eye”. This was another track that I saw them perform back in 2000, and it sounds more like the classic Priest recording than any Halford-less version that Priest performed live. This was recorded in front of a rabid crowd in Rio de Janiero, so they sing along with not only the words, but the riffs and solos, as well. Absolutely insane energy from the band and from Halford on this recording, but it sounds fantastic. One of the best classic heavy metal tracks of all time, and this is a great version of it.

John #10) David Bowie – “Sweet Thing” – Diamond Dogs (1974)

I’ve never heard this either, and I’d like to thank my friend and one-time contributor to the blog, Mike Keefe, for passing it along to me recently. I’ve actually never really given Bowie much thought before and know close to nothing about him. He’s a completely unconventional rock star, who compensates for his decidedly mediocre voice with his intriguingly weird theatrics, strong and engrossing compositions and really good ideas. This song uses piano and backing vocals triumphantly, especially in the chorus. I suppose I’ll need to investigate this Bowie character a bit further.