Day 80: Ramones

Today's artist spotlight is the Ramones. Not much to say, other than the fact that the Ramones were on the forefront of the New York punk scene. Their 2-minute explosions of sound came to define the movement, paving the way for hundreds of future artists. On topics ranging from subversive political statements and social commentary to "Bird" being the "word," the Ramones looked right into the downtrodden but changing face of New York City; and then spit into it.

Hey ho, let's go.

YouTube:
(All songs by the Ramones)
01. Blitzkrieg Bop
02. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
03. Danny Says
04. I'm Against It
05. I Wanna Be Sedated
06. Judy Is A Punk
07. The KKK Took My Baby Away
08. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
09. Poison Heart
10. Rockaway Beach
11. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
12. Cretin Hop
13. Teenage Lobotomy
14. Howling At The Moon (Sha La La)
15. My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)
16. Something To Believe In
17. I Can't Give You Anything
18. Pet Sematary
19. I Can't Make It On Time
20. Street Fighting Man

imeem: External:

Day 80: Ramones

1-2-3-4!!
Erik

Videos!


And... :-(


(Image by Okada Shinoda, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Day 79: Adventure

Today is a special day! On this day in 1944 and 1952, respectively, acclaimed directors George Lucas and Robert Zemeckis were born. What I feel connects these two filmmakers is their sense of fantasy and adventure; Zemeckis being responsible for Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Forrest Gump; and Lucas obviously being responsible for Star Wars.

In honor of these two movie men I've put together a list of 15 songs that encapsulate a sense of adventure. It was a tough list to whittle down because, believe it or not, there are a lot of adventurous songs; mostly because adventures can be fantastic or commonplace. I tried to assemble a list that included some of the many types of adventures out there. If you have any suggestions, feel free to drop me a line.

(Note: This list probably could have been entirely prog rock and power metal, but where's the fun in that?)

YouTube:
01. Europe - The Final Countdown
02. Elton John - Rocket Man
03. Deep Purple - Space Truckin'
04. Styx - Come Sail Away
05. The Aquabats - The Wild Sea!
06. Crosby, Stills & Nash - Marrakesh Express
07. Simon & Garfunkel - America
08. America - Horse With No Name
09. Tom Waits - Hold On
10. The Decemberists - Mariner's Revenge Song
11. Beach Boys - Sloop John B
12. Genesis - One For The Vine
13. Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
14. Metallica - Wherever I May Roam
15. Dragonforce - Through the Fire and Flames

imeem: External:

Day 79: Adventure

Travellin',
Erik

Videos!


and


(Image by Nik Jones, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Day 78: Wildcard (16)

It's beat time! It's hop time! It's Wildcard time!!

YouTube:
01. The Monks - Monk Time
02. Spencer Davis Group - Gimme Some Lovin'
03. Kenny Loggins - Mr. Night
04. Black Crowes - Kickin' My Heart Around
05. Five Iron Frenzy - Pre Ex-Girlfriend
06. Public Image Ltd. - Swan Lake
07. Dirty Projectors - Stillness Is The Move
08. Junior Senior - Move Your Feet
09. M.I.A. - Galang
10. Pharrell - Angel
11. Aceyalone - I Think I Know Too Much
12. Blondie - Rapture
13. The Tubes - She's A Beauty
14. Interpol - NYC
15. Beach House - Apple Orchard
16. Coldplay - Don't Panic (I can't seem to escape this song; so I figured I'd just throw it on a list.)
17. The Beach Boys - Don't Worry Baby
18. Willie Nelson - Whiskey River
19. Tommy James & The Shondells - Crimson & Clover
20. Roy Orbison - In Dreams

imeem: External:

Day 78: Wildcard (16)

A Candy-Colored Clown,
Erik

Bonus!


(Image by Josh Harper, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Day 77: George Carlin

Today is a little bittersweet, for it marks what would have been George Carlin's 72nd birthday. Unfortunately, he passed away last year, leaving a huge hole in the comedy world. Being a Milwaukeean, I feel it my duty to personally make up for the fact that in 1972 Mr. Carlin was arrested in Milwaukee for disturbing the peace.

The act that got him arrested was his "Seven Dirty Words" routine. One of his legacies, of course, is his liberal use of profanity (and free speech in general). To commemorate Mr. Carlin, I've put together a list of 10 songs (some of which are short) that display my favorite use of profanity. There are a lot of songs out there that use a bunch of swears, but they come across as obnoxious to me (I'm looking at you, "My Neck, My Back" and "The Whisper Song").

Not to say some of these songs don't use profanity cheaply; they do. But, the difference is, they don't take themselves seriously, and I like that. And so should you.

YouTube:
01. Reel Big Fish - Another F.U. Song
02. Blink 182 - Happy Holidays, You Bastard
03. Tenacious D - Karate
04. Eminem - Kill You
05. N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
06. Pantera - Fucking Hostile
07. Dr. Dooom - No Chorus
08. Lil Jon feat. Ice Cube - Roll Call
09. Frank Zappa & Steve Vai - Fuck Yourself
10. Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit

imeem: External:

Day 77: George Carlin

Fuck,
Erik

Vid.


(Image by Thomas Roche, Licensed Under Creative Commons)

Day 76: RnB/Soul (2)

Originally this week's genre tour was going to not be the second part of the Soul list, just to build a little tension. But, I couldn't decide on genre for this week in time, so here we go. Commence with the soul!!!

YouTube:
01. Martha & The Vandellas - Nowhere to Run
02. Johnnie Taylor - Who's Making Love
03. The Spinners - Could It Be I'm Falling In Love
04. Sam Cooke - Twistin' the Night Away
05. The Stylistics - You're A Big Girl Now
06. Jackie Wilson - Lonely Teardrops
07. The Shirelles - Mama Said
08. The Dells - I Can Sing A Rainbow/Love Is Blue (N/A)
09. Donny Hathaway - A Song For You (N/A)
10. The Delfonics - La La Means I Love You
11. Diana Ross & The Supremes - Stop! In The Name of Love
12. Sly & The Family Stone - Runnin' Away
13. The Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman
14. The O'Jays - Backstabbers
15. James Brown - Try Me

imeem: External:

Day 76: Soul/R&B (2)

Have Mercy,
Erik

Video!!!


(Image By Soul Portrait, Licensed Under Creative Commons)