For Absent Friends

One for Blue Girl:



Even if THIS is the one she sent me.

So this Friday's random Random goes out to BG and Zelmo- I feel bad that you guys weren't able to enjoy the show as much as we did.


Pulling offa the iPod today:

1. Feel The Benefit. Genesis-style long, multi part song by 10cc. But it mentions ganja, so it's a bit hipper. Banks of massed violins, reggae guitar, hooks all day long. Blistering guitar solo to finish the song. Stewart and Gouldman are such superb tunesmiths. Great, great song. Good way to start the day.
2. Without A Trace. Live track from Soul Asylum. SA are back on the road and back in form on their latest release, The Silver Lining. They still put on a blazing live show, and Pirner/Murphy still sing together like "fallen angels on a bender". This is from a benefit show they did for a Nebraska high school that had their Prom flooded.
3. Sodajerk. Buffalo Tom, from their first Great album, Big Red Letter Day. I hope their recent reunion is not a one-off; they've always been one of my favorites. Again, the punk harmonies (who'd ever thought those two words would make sense together?) between the two singers work in unexpected ways.
4. Party Girl. Old live track from U2. Under a Blood Red Sky was a constant party soundtrack when we were in college, and this was one of the oddball tracks the band always threw out there.
5. Firth of Fifth. Ha. I didn't plant this one; but it was pretty much a given it was going to happen, wasn't it?. It's the studio track from Selling England By The Pound, with the full piano intro. Beautiful. Sublime. It includes the word undinal. That Guitar Solo. Excuse me while I turn this up all the way, hearing be damned.
6. Fear of Germs - George Carlin. Profane. Foul. Truth.
7. Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her. XTC, of course. From the Skylarking album. I've loved this band for so long, I really wish I'd had the chance to see them before Andy Partridge couldn't tour anymore. One of my friends saw them open for the Police in Madison, and said they made Sting and the boys look like pretenders. Pop music in weird and wonderful transformations and new flavors.
8. All The Critics Love U IN New York. Prince, from back before he became huge- JUST before. What a twisted boy. 6 minute funk rave-up.
9. Nobody. I love the Replacements. I've seen 'em like three times, including one when Westerberg was still drinking. Raggedy punk genius. But this is from the last album, a de facto Westerberg solo show, and just a bit....lackluster. The grimy sparks flying off Pleased To Meet Me are missing. The raunchy unpolished bliss of Tim and Let It Be are long gone. It's still pretty damn good.
10. NYC Ghosts And Flowers. Latter Day Sonic Youth. Sy are one of my favorite bands, this is some of their more trancy stuff, from the album of the same name.
11. Leave The Planet. Long ago droning popsters Galaxy 500. They only put out three albums and a disc of odds and ends, and still sound fresh.
12. Which Side Are You On... winding up today with a totally appropriate tune from Billy Bragg's rabble-rousing days. One man with a guitar carrying on the Clash's legacy. Punk DIY at its finest.

Regardless of what Jennifer says, I think I'm done Genesisblogging. For now. Zelmo and I hashed it out to the fine hairs last night, so I think we got the marrow of the truth of it, now. How's that for a ragged batch of metaphor mixing?

Next week I'm seeing Yo La Tengo in a small venue, semi-unplugged and Storytellers mode. That oughta be interesting.