10 Songs That Could Last Forever
A List by Vandal Drummond
Being that this is the first list I'm posting on Stantheembryo.com, I want to dedicate this trivial piece to somebody who is anything but trivial. In 1982, I spent every Wednesday night with my buddies Anthony "The Ripper" Viviano, Phil Walsh, and Steve Schaening. We dubbed ourselves "The Confused Exhibitionists," and on these evenings we would carouse the suburbs of Fullerton, making mischief and small talk. One dose of small talk had Anthony remarking "I'm not a fan of The Doors, but I love the song L.A. Woman. if that song lasted forever, I could listen to it forever." Hence he is the inspiration for this list. That same year, I met his sister Elena, and little did I know that my friendship with her would spark into full fledged romance three years later, and little did I know that The Ripper would become my brother-in-law just two years later. So Anth, this list is for you---I love ya Bro, and am proud to call you my Bro-In-Law!
1. Noche de Estrellas - Ráfaga: I start off with this song because it is the most recent ode to pick me up and sweep me away. I caught this tune by pure chance watching the Argentinean coming of age flick Un Noche Con Sabrina Love. There is this totally boss nightclub scene where this pretty-boy tropical group called Ráfaga (Ráfaga is slang that describes machine gun fire) belts out the best song I discovered all year. Noche de Estrellas is an over-the-top romantic & sensual tune that would leave only the sourest cynic cold. The search for Ráfaga's albums was my first exposure to the tropical music domain known as cumbia; specifically, a fairly new offshoot of cumbia music called "Glamorous Cumbia," which contains more upbeat lyrics and tempo than traditional cumbia. Noche de Estrellas shines as one of those rare songs that radiates equal parts melodramatic romance and sheer sex; nothing in the "explicit lyrics" realm, but certain to stir your libido! You can find this tune on their album Fenómino Natural. This tune steals the show, but the entire album is awesome!
2. The Passenger - Iggy Pop: One of Iggy Pop's classics that many folks refer to as one of his "Heroin Hits." Make no mistake, Iggy Pop is every bit cool today as he was during his drug addicted years, but his finest recorded work was done during those dope-filled days. And I hate to admit that because I puke at the folks who think alcoholism and drug addiction equals art; true, there are some very talented drunks & junkies out there, but I think we've all met folks who equate drug addled artists with the confused notion that the addiction is the gateway to talent. Don't be deceived; you don't have to slug cough syrup, shoot junk, or sniff glue to be lulled into a dreamlike state via The Passenger. This classic by Iggy Pop is a ride unto itself.
3. Hardest Geometry Problem in the World - Mark Mothersbaugh: Premiere song on the soundtrack of the Wes Anderson/ Owen Wilson film Rushmore. This is the instrumental piece at the introduction of the film where Jason Schwartzman is scribbling out the formula to the elusive solution to the world’s hardest geometry problem. Mothersbaugh, former member of the group Devo, wrote this jingle specifically for the Rushmore soundtrack, which most likely explains why it runs only 1:29. Of all the songs I list here, this is hands down the tune that is way, way, way too short! Mothersbaugh has plenty of short tunes throughout this album. Music by luminaries like The Kinks, Cat Stevens, Yves Montand, Unit 4+2, Chad & Jeremy and John Lennon make this one of the most enjoyable soundtracks ever produced.
4. My Friend Jack - Boney M: If you are old enough to remember the original days of disco -I know I am, sigh- you may remember Boney M's hit Rasputin. I think Boney M's greatest song is their cover of My Friend Jack, originally performed by the 1960s flash-in-the-pan group Smoke. This is a mellow Disco-Bordering-on-Tropical musical ode to LSD proclaiming My Friend Jack Eats Sugar Lumps/ Sugar Man Hasn't Got a Care/ He's Been Traveling Everywhere. Like The Passenger, you don't have to get high to drink in My Friend Jack, because in true Daliesque fashion, My Friend Jack is the dope itself. Let this song spin forever, this is one to drift to sleep to.
5.Diamonds and Rust - Joan Baez: Do you get burned out easily on heavy folk tunes? I know I do! Joan Baez has a spell on me though, her voice bears so much power, so much beauty, that with it she could seduce me and bid me to obey her every command, even if she was only singing a cover of Space Truckin'. Diamonds and Rust is one of the few songs recounting a broken romance that I can spin over and over. The knock-out punch here is Joan Baez's vocals, but another factor is the beautiful haunting music. Plus I find this to be one of those rare "love gone sour" songs where the narrator comes out with power and wisdom rather than finding herself swept away by the charm of a former lover. Yes, deep songs I enjoy in small doses, but Diamonds and Rust is the exception.
6. Speed Lovers - Billy Lee Riley : This is the rockabilly legend's finest -and most elusive- tune. For those of you unfamiliar with Billy Lee Riley, he is a way-out veteran rockabilly musician who was way-out years before the whole Psychobilly craze took hold. Featured as the opening track of the 1967 film The Speed Lovers (one of Something Weird Video's many cool & clunky releases), one reviewer best summed the song Speed Lovers up as "part rockabilly, part Secret Agent Man." There is currently no CD release for this tune, but you just might find a copy of Speed Lovers on Riley's 1968 LP "Twist & Shout" by hunting through used/rare LP stores. I have looked, and it is one tough find.
7. What Do You Want From Life? - The Tubes: Talk about a band ahead of their time! When Talking Heads were all the rave in the 1980s, I felt like I was watching a watered down version of The Tubes. The Tubes' stage show was shocking for the mid 1970s, sweetly rife with chainsaws and full frontal nudity. Their lyrics were satirical scorn at its finest, yet somehow maintained a playful ambience. Yes, I know there existed naked! shocking! sardonic! artists in that era, but The Tubes had something most shockers lacked: musical talent and quality songs. These guys were no run-of-the-mill performance art. Fee Waybill & Crew were great performers. I love this particular tune because it is powerful in every aspect: lashing out at consumer consumption, both the lead and backup vocals belt out the lyrics with clarity and passion, and that alone helps make the histrionic pitchman's hype during that last minute stand out so proudly. This song captures the TV ad atmosphere of the 1970s, throwing in references to the timely Madison Avenue hits of the day (A Dyna-Gym!), traditional religions that were the current pop-religion fads of the day in the U.S. (An Indian Guru to show you the inner light), and fly-by-night TV stars (A personally autographed picture of Randy Mantooth!) So awesome! What Do You Want From Life? is dated in its specific references, yet timely as ever in its message!
8. Jumping At Johnny's Wake - Teddy & Darrell: Okay, if finding a copy of Speed Lovers is tricky, finding a copy of Jumping at Johnny's Wake is near impossible. As of this writing, the only way to experience this piece is to buy a copy of Robert Carl Cohen's way-cool 1967 documentary Mondo Hollywood. Of all the songs I've listed here, this contains the shortest set of lyrics, so short and sung sweetly: Jumping at Johnny's wake/ Light your candle with a shake/ Neat, clean/Strut this scene, Jumping at Johnny's wake! The lyrics are repeated over and over like a 20th Century Pop-Mantra, rendering the song almost as grand as surf instrumentals for meditation. The creators of Jumping at Johnny's Wake are Theodore Charach and Darrell Dee, whose work is featured on the Mondo Hollywood soundtrack as well as their own LP release These Are the Hits, You Silly Savage. Sadly, Jumping at Johnny's Wake was omitted from both these albums. The Mondo Hollywood soundtrack was released on Mike Curb's Curb Records, and These Are the Hits, You Silly Savage on the Mira label; if any clean copies exist on tape, it is most likely in one of these tape vaults. I know this is a huge shot in the dark, but if anybody has even a half-decent mp3 of this song, please e-mail me at Vandal@stantheembryo.com! An interesting side note: After his days as one half of Teddy and Darrel, Theodore Charach went on to be best known as the creator of the critically acclaimed 1972 film The Second Gun, where he investigates the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy (Charach was at The Ambassador Hotel that evening and witnessed the tragic event).
9. K39 - The Challengers : I would not go as far to say that K-39 is my favorite surf instrumental, but it's the one surf instrumental that leaves me longing after just one spin. The Challengers did more than one take on this tune; for my money the best is the original version they did on the same named album. It is savage, rawer than the better known version that you find on most "Best Of" compilations. This song has the perfect pace to have lasting power were it to spin non-stop; edgier and faster than Walk, Don't Run, but not as explosive as Miserlou. Both these latter tunes are awesome surf classics, but two or three listens is enough for one evening.
10. I'm Walking Through the Door - The Savage Rose: One of the finest tunes from Savage Roses 1968 release In the Plain, which is one of the ten greatest albums I have ever heard. The Savage Rose is headed by Annisette and Thomas Koppel, and while they are a household name in Denmark, most folks in the U.S. and Canada are missing the boat. I happened across this album by pure chance in a used record store nearly twenty-five years ago, and it has been one of my audio holy grails ever since. Until the Internet era, The Savage Rose's LPs & CDs were near impossible to find. Annisette and Thomas have recorded dozens of albums, and by pure luck I landed their greatest work at first sight. I'll confess: it was the psychedelic LP cover with the members of the group pow-wow-ing upon a foggy meadow, cute little frizzy haired Annisette in the foreground, looking like the quintessential spaced-out hippie chick. She has a beautiful voice too: best way I could put it is combine those wild high notes that Kate Bush belts out with Janis Joplin's raspy-bluesy vocals. I pick I'm Walking through the Door as the primary example of a never-ending song from this album, but I gotta say, I could listen to the entire In the Plain album forever.