Tim I'm just giving you crap. I know you have a pretty well rounded taste in music.Now that’s darn rude. I like punk. I don’t love it but I like it.
Here are my top ten punk rock bands:
1. Early Clash
2. X
3. The Dickies
4. The Buzzcocks
5. The Undertones
6. Stiff Little Fingers
7. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
8. The Dead Kennedys
9. The Vandals
10. The Circle Jerks
Dear Music Thread,Osaurus said:Oh no. That’s punk. Such a great soundtrack though. Pablo Picasso
That is awesome.80s Weekend, Downtown LA, Microsoft Theater, 2-15/16
Violent Femmes, Wang Chung, A Flock of Seagulls, The Romantics, Big Country, Missing Persons, Heaven 17 , Farrington + Mann Original Members of When in Rome UK, Dramarama, Josie Cotton, China Crisis
interesting that they don't list Big Country up in the "and featuring original members of" list ... Stuart Adamson drank himself to death some 20 years ago ... he pretty much was the band80s Weekend, Downtown LA, Microsoft Theater, 2-15/16
Violent Femmes, Wang Chung, A Flock of Seagulls, The Romantics, Big Country, Missing Persons, Heaven 17 , Farrington + Mann Original Members of When in Rome UK, Dramarama, Josie Cotton, China Crisis
Precious is my favoriteMessage of Love was the first video I ever saw on MTV, so it is my sentimental choice for this list.
Looks like we've consummated the Kent State class of 1970 reunion.zamboni said:One of my favorite music trivia items is that Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald Casale, and Chrissie Hynde all attended Kent State in 1970 at the time of the tragedy there.
Huge fan of all of these songs.Mystery Achievement for me.
Oh my my
This was the other band I was talking about yesterday. I wondered if tim would include them.80. “Talk of the Town” The Pretenders (1980, from The Pretenders II)
https://youtu.be/99svrFj-G_g
I was 15 when this video came out and so was so in love with Chrissie Hynde. She was sexy, cool, she had a voice and presentation so different from anyone else I was aware of on the radio- it was all just so fresh.
She’s always claimed she wrote this about a fam who came to several of the shows that she never actually met, but the rumor is it’s about her boyfriend of the time, Ray Davies of the Kinks.
hmmmm.This was the other band I was talking about yesterday. I wondered if tim would include them.
Maybe some Irene Caraeagerly awaiting the Laura Branagan/Pat Benetar/Joan Jett run ...
From the NYT review of Pretenders 2 albumhmmmm.
i don't think they belong here, but ... #### it - EVERYONE IN THE POOL!
that said, if they coming to this dance, "Talk of the Town" would not be one of my choices for them ... gorgeous tune, and i really dig it, but i could go prolly 10 deep pre '85 that i'd prefer to see representin' ... i'm sure we'll see a few more ... but, for the love of god, NO "BRASS IN POCKET" PLEASE!
ty.
I remember a Phil Donahue episode where they spotlighted hardcore punk. Pretty sure Jimmy G from Murphys law was there and the Cro Mags.Two part segment about New Wave on Tomorrow with Tom Snyder , October 77 . They open with “it starts with a new wave Jam and an organization called the Runaways in concert” , great background work by Tom . Kim Fowley the Runaways manager Svengali etc is a guest. This is a great example how new wave/punk was looked at by the mainstream and parents etc back then. It was like it was a threat to society
Part 2
it was called "Hardcore Kids", and let's just say they were far from "PC" - i saw it when it originally aired, circa '85, iirc.I remember a Phil Donahue episode where they spotlighted hardcore punk. Pretty sure Jimmy G from Murphys law was there and the Cro Mags.
I may need to do some searching to see if I can find it
This launches me into a fun part of Memoryland. I quit the world in '77 & headed for a commune in the mts of northern NM. Year or so there, down to Santa Fe and Albq found out there was no money in radio where there weren't any rush hour and, much as i was enjoy8ing the mellow, i started to get itchy. My agent getting me an audition for the 2nd SNL starting me thinking about rejoining the world and i was living in Manhattan by the end of '80. Thing is, i'm still in my 20s and my hippie act no longer played w the ladies of the big city (outside the Chelsea Hotel anyway). The dance floor was where i always closed, but i was anachronism out on the floor at Mudd Club and other joints. Now, i am as organic in my behaviors as anyone i've ever known but, for the first & only time, i had to practice something to be current. Watched a lot of people dancing on TV, all the pop/lock/breakin' type #### and likat, made coupla mix tapes of happenin' tunes and wore out the floorboards of my cousin's little apt getting caught up. This song was a big part of that embarrassing episode.timschochet said:81. “Mirror in the Bathroom” The English Beat (1980, from Just Can’t Stop It)
https://youtu.be/KOY8Zs-CeQw
The Beat, or English Beat as we knew them here, were the best ska band ever, mainly because, IMO, they knew something about melody. This was one of their more infectious dance songs. Oh, did I mention that I like Saxophones?
I was at that Bowie/Giants stadium show as well. Maybe we ran into each other there. Cozy venue
not me baby. i'm too preeecious#### off.
I would consider the Pretenders straight up Rock but agree at this point the list is what it is - basically MTV 80s playlist. I always and still do like this band so not upset they made the list and agree a few more need to be on it since Tim broke the seal.hmmmm.
i don't think they belong here, but ... #### it - EVERYONE IN THE POOL!
that said, if they coming to this dance, "Talk of the Town" would not be one of my choices for them ... gorgeous tune, and i really dig it, but i could go prolly 10 deep pre '85 that i'd prefer to see representin' ... i'm sure we'll see a few more ... but, for the love of god, NO "BRASS IN POCKET" PLEASE!
ty.
can't think of a band that's more New Wave, so there's that80. “Talk of the Town” The Pretenders (1980, from The Pretenders II)
https://youtu.be/99svrFj-G_g
I was 15 when this video came out and so was so in love with Chrissie Hynde. She was sexy, cool, she had a voice and presentation so different from anyone else I was aware of on the radio- it was all just so fresh.
She’s always claimed she wrote this about a fam who came to several of the shows that she never actually met, but the rumor is it’s about her boyfriend of the time, Ray Davies of the Kinks.
Im pretty sure youtube is the greatest web site ever inventedit was called "Hardcore Kids", and let's just say they were far from "PC" - i saw it when it originally aired, circa '85, iirc.
Obviously, Tim is loose with his New Wave boundaries since the Pretenders are just a rock band but it is a great song by a good band.I would consider the Pretenders straight up Rock but agree at this point the list is what it is - basically MTV 80s playlist. I always and still do like this band so not upset they made the list and agree a few more need to be on it since Tim broke the seal.
Here tisDear Music Thread,
If you don’t know more that this song by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, go out and find some to listen to. He goes from post-punk to calypso to country, while always being light hearted, quirky and sincere. One of the most inspirational singer/songwriters in my life as a (recreational) musician and songwriter. Taught me to lighten the eff up.
than the Kinks, right?can't think of a band that's more New Wave, so there's that
They (the Kinks) were mentioned in the blurb so was making a joke about tim's very broad interpretation of New Wave.
And Ray was married to Ms. Hynde.They (the Kinks) were mentioned in the blurb so was making a joke about tim's very broad interpretation of New Wave.
ahhhh, Bach!They (the Kinks) were mentioned in the blurb so was making a joke about tim's very broad interpretation of New Wave.
Awesome album, song and band . David Robinson of the Cars and Jerry Harrison of the talking headsHere tis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc2iLAubras
Pablo Picasso
The Modern Lovers
Well some people try to pick up girls
And get called #######s
This never happened to Pablo Picasso
He could walk down your street
And girls could not resist his stare and
So Pablo Picasso was never called an #######
EC was quite the wordmaster.79. “Oliver’s Army” Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1979, from Armed Forces)
https://youtu.be/LrjHz5hrupA
Don’t start Elvis talking; he could talk all night. This was one of his most melodic tunes, with lyrics almost Dylanesque in their obscurity (though some are quite politically incorrect: “London is full of Arabs” as a complaint hasn’t aged well and wasn’t a good sentiment in 1979- but it may be deep satire ala Randy Newman.) Nonetheless quite brilliant.
Wow. Didn't even occur to me that Elvis Costello would be on this list. Not saying he shouldn't - just didn't think of him.79. “Oliver’s Army” Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1979, from Armed Forces)
https://youtu.be/LrjHz5hrupA
Don’t start Elvis talking; he could talk all night. This was one of his most melodic tunes, with lyrics almost Dylanesque in their obscurity (though some are quite politically incorrect: “London is full of Arabs” as a complaint hasn’t aged well and wasn’t a good sentiment in 1979- but it may be deep satire ala Randy Newman.) Nonetheless quite brilliant.
Back in the 80s a friend went wild over the lyric 'I shot my mouth off and you showed me what that hole was forrrrr.'"Tattooed Loves Boys" is filthy delicious ... my top choice outta their catalog ... "Mystery" and "Precious" for the trifecra.
This song is about the sexual assault committed by a biker gang against Pretenders leader Chrissie Hynde. While hanging out with a friend, she was asked to go to a "party" with some guys from a local biker gang. Her friend declined, but Hynde went along with the bikers.
She takes full accountability for the attack. In her book Reckless: My Life as a Pretender, she wrote: "Now let me assure you that, technically speaking, however you want to look at it, this was all my doing and I take full responsibility. You can't f--k around with people, especially people who wear 'I heart rape' and 'On Your Knees' badges."
While she was being attacked, one of the assailants said, "Shut up or you're going to make some plastic surgeon rich!" She paraphrases that threat in the lyrics:
You know what they say:
"Stop snivellin', you're gonna make some plastic surgeon a rich man
>>
This frantic track makes a sudden stop at the 1:22 mark before going into a wild instrumental breakdown, then ending at a hard 2:59 with a cold ending when Hynde sings, "You are that."
Like most Pretenders songs, Hynde wrote "Tattooed Love Boys" on her own and worked it out with the band, doing it by feel. Without much structure, it made for some unorthodox musical moments like the false ending. She developed a kind of telepathy with her drummer, Martin Chambers, who was able to follow along.
"I can understand her way of doing it," he told Sounds in 1980. "Take 'Tattooed Love Boys' where there's a gap. Normally you'd count the beat through the silence so you can all come back in together. But not with Chrissie. No count, no way. It lasts as long as she wants it to last."
There is no chorus in this song, and the title is mentioned just twice in the lyric. That's not the formula for a hit, but it is classic Pretenders. The song has appeared off and on in their setlists throughout their career.
This was part of the first Pretenders album, which many count among the greatest debuts in rock. It was most successful in the UK, where Hynde formed the band after moving there from America in 1973. The big hit from the album was "Brass In Pocket," which went to #1 in the UK and became a mainstay in America, thanks in large part to the video. The album also hit #1 in the UK.
Chrissie Hynde waited until 2016 to explain this song, which is understandable considering the subject matter. She typically stayed away from interpreting her lyrics, leaving that task to the listener (she also wanted to limit inquiries into her personal life). This song proved especially vexing, especially the line, "I shot my mouth off and you showed me what that hole was for."
This first appeared in June 1979 on the B-side of "Kid," which was the second Pretenders single in the UK. The album was released in January 1980.
Drops the n word in relationship with the Irish . Kind of politically incorrect is putting it mildly79. “Oliver’s Army” Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1979, from Armed Forces)
https://youtu.be/LrjHz5hrupA
Don’t start Elvis talking; he could talk all night. This was one of his most melodic tunes, with lyrics almost Dylanesque in their obscurity (though some are quite politically incorrect: “London is full of Arabs” as a complaint hasn’t aged well and wasn’t a good sentiment in 1979- but it may be deep satire ala Randy Newman.) Nonetheless quite brilliant.