Some of you dear readers may know that one of my favorite bands is XTC (learn more, web site, awesome fan site). I’ve collected hundreds of items by them and I like it all: the early faster stuff, the not-quite-as-early new wave and beyond, the middle more difficult stuff, the return  to pop stuff, the live stuff, the unreleased demos, and the later independent pop-rock-folk stuff. Did they ever do a bad song? Well, that could be debated, but they have always had a unique sound and did what they wanted (much to the chagrin of their record companies who would have loved more easy hits).

Well, today’s video is a later one and a very nice pop song. It actually had mild airplay as a single. So maybe the record company liked this one for a change. But seriously, every record collection (ok, CD collection) should have a copy of their English Settlemenet, Drums And Wires, Skylarking, Black Sea, and probably Oranges And Lemons, Nonesuch, Wasp Star, White Music, and, well, hell, just buy them all! Some will take a couple listens but it’s not them, it’s you. 😉

I couldn’t decide which video to use and really wanted an earlier one with more bite but after watching this  one, I decided that it did show their clever lyrics and keen sense for melody and harmony. I’ll probably use them again down the road and it might be a jumpy, quirky new-wavy number, which they are masters of. But for now, this one is really good and the video is kind of fun too. Watch:

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Today’s Terrific Tune is from an album that was a collaborative effort from vocalist Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and producer Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel, Headset and Figurine. It’s by The Postal Service (learn more, web site) from their album “Give Up“. Why are they called The Postal Service? From Wikipedia:

The band’s name was chosen due to the way in which it produced its songs. Tamborello wrote and performed instrumental tracks and then sent the DATs to Gibbard, who edited the song as he saw fit (adding his vocals along the way), sending them back to Tamborello via the United States Postal Service.

And there’s this amusing bit too:

United States Postal Service sent the band a cease and desist letter, citing its trademark on the phrase “postal service”. After negotiations, the USPS relented, allowing the band use of the trademark in exchange for promotional efforts on behalf of the USPS and a performance at its annual National Executive Conference. Additionally, at one point the USPS website sold the band’s CDs. In 2007, “Such Great Heights” appeared in the background of the “Whiteboard” advertising campaign for one of the federal establishment’s private competitors, the United Parcel Service.

It’s a good CD, full of innovative indie electro-pop. You should buy it if you don’t already own it. In the meantime, here’s the video for “Such Great Heights“. Check it out…

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Today’s Terrific Tune comes from the glory years of English punk, the late seventies and early eighties. But don’t let that punk word scare you. The Clash (learn more, web site) burst on to the music scene with a self-titled first album featuring a bunch of great punky tunes. But a few things set them apart. For one, they always had an interest in reggae and it crept into their music. And as they progressed, some pop touches crept in too, along with some jazzy touches, world music and a taste for experimenting. Their biggest experiment (with mixed results), the 3-LP “Sandinista“, was a sprawling affair that had more musical genres than ten normal bands. They had a few pop hits over the years (Train In Vain, Should I Stay Or Should I Go, Rock The Casbah) , but their body of work is much deeper than that. The first album, “The Clash“, is still a classic and their cover of “I Fought The Law” sets a high standard for cover songs. That album’s “White Man In Hammershith Pallais” brought in the reggae influence and still sounds fresh.

That first album caught on quick, and the record companies didn’t know what the hell was going on. The UK and US versions of it contained numerous different tracks based on what the US company thought we should like. As a result, the import version was widely sought after and sold very well even in the US. But it was their third album, the double-LP (sold for the price of one) “London Calling“, that was their high point and still remains a classic must-have album today. The single, “Train In Vain” wasn’t even listed on the jacket, being a hidden track at the end of side four. “London Calling” is a tour-de-force of an album, not just punk, but pop, jazz, reggae, dub, rock, what have you. And it works!

So, finally, today’s Terrific Tune is song one, side one, from that outstanding album. It’s the video for the title track “London Calling”. It’s more of a straight-ahead rocker with some punk sensibilities too. Watch the video a few times, then click the link below it to shop for some music by The Clash. Buy “London Calling” (at least)! I wouldn’t steer you wrong. That being said, now, for your viewing pleasure…

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I’ve wanted to use a David Bowie (learn more, web site) video for my Tuesday Tune for a long time now. I had a few videos in mind but I couldn’t find versions that would give me permission to embed them into my blog. Plus, he has some forty years of video floating around, so which one to choose? I think I will feature him again in the future, and maybe then I will use a more current video. But today I’m using a BBC appearance from way back in 1972 (though it was not actually broadcast until 1982). But in those early days of 1972 he was just getting ready to take off for the big time with his Ziggy Stardust album and tour.

However, this song originally comes from his Hunky Dory album, a year or two earlier. It’s a pretty good album. Of course, you should buy almost all his albums, he is so talented. Today’s tune is a live vesion of “Oh, You Pretty Things“. Interesting fact: according to Wikipedia, the song was first released by Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits, on a single on which Bowie played piano. More about that strange twist and it’s “success” is located here. Anyway, in this video, the song is very direct and you can easily see that Bowie has talent and charisma and is headed for much bigger things. Enjoy…

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One of these days I’ll get around to compiling a list of Ten Artists Who Should Be More Famous. It may be hard to keep it to ten. Nowdays, there are so many great artists who barely get heard, if they get known at all. And yet so many pop tarts, crap rappers, boy bands, and sludge rockers seem to be around for way too long. But just imagine a different world, a world where new wavy edgy folk-rockers write great, intelligent songs with clever lyrics and biting and slightly sarcastic vocals. Yeah, Elvis Costello lives there some of time and Joe Jackson rented there for a while.

But in that different world, a once-almost-famous British guy named Graham Parker (learn more, web site) has lived there for over thirty years now, churning out loads of albums over the years. Granted, not every song is perfect but there are so many great ones. His album Squeezing Out Sparks is a classic that every modern rock fan should own, along with five or eight of his other albums too. Ask me for suggestions if you want. And he keeps plugging away. Another new album is underway and due in 2010. Today’s Terrific Tune is a killer track from that Squeezing Out Sparks album but performed live a decade or more later on the David Letterman show. It’s the closer for side one (yeah, it was a record!), called “Passion Is No Ordinary Word”. Reminds me a little of when we saw him not long ago at The Palms. But that’s another post, lol. For now, watch this video. This is what the singer-songwriter genre should be!

Graham Parker “Passion Is No Ordinary Word” on Letterman.

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Clicks And Pops talks about Squeezing Out Sparks

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Leave me a comment below. Squeeze out some sparks!

Today’s Terrific Tune for Tuesday is from moody English rockers The Cure (learn more). They have been putting out unique and intersting music since the late seventies and are still doing it. I’m a big fan and have a small collection of their music and other items. I’ve always loved their album “Disintegration“. It spawned a bunch of singles and “Lullabye” was one of them. It’s a slow, almost sing-songy tune about Spiderman “having me for dinner tonight”. It’s gloomy, gothy fun and to take it just a little further, I’m featuring the “Lullabye (Acoustic)” video. The original video has lead singer Robert Smith about to be devoured by a spider, but this version is more of a performance video. Nicely strange, so check it out:

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Leave me a comment below. Hurry, before Spiderman has me for dinner!

Today’s Terrific Tune for Tuesday (view all) is an example of indie sensitive charming offbeat singer songwriter music. What? You don’t know that genre? Oh, it is such hella good stuff! There are so many good examples but today’s is Ingrid Michaelson and I am featuring the video for her song “Breakable” from her first CD “Girls And Boys”. She just released her third CD and I suggest you buy them all. There’s even an easy link below the video 😉

I just love her voice, her catchy songs, and her lyrics. I wanted to use the video for her sort-of hit, “The Way I Am”, but YouTube didn’t allow embedding it into my site. Check it out here on YouTube. What a great song. And I almost used her latest video for Maybe (again, YouTube). What a catchy pop song (even if she does have better songs). BTW, I would recommend her live show too. We saw in 2008 at the Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival and we both really enjoyed her show. There, she threw in a great cover version of Death Cab For Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into The Dark”, one of my favorite songs. The whole show was warm, cute, charming, fun, upbeat, and really enjoyable. Go see her.

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Leave me a comment below. Have a (non-breakable) heart!

Regular readers already know about my love for the best cover songs ever. For me, it’s about taking a really well-known song and making a new, fresh, and interesting version of it. And that’s what is happening with today’s tune. A little background: The Rolling Stones, a pretty decent band in their own right, had a huge hit with “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” back in 1965 or thereabouts. Everyone knows that song, probably note for note! But then, in the late 70s, a new group came along with a quirky and far-out concept about how the human race is undergoing “de-evolution” (the opposite of evolution), that we’re getting dumber and dumber. They turned music upside down, especially at first, with their classic album “Are We Not Men? We Are Devo“, produced by Brian Eno.

And Devo they were (learn more, interesting facts about Devo). No other band was like them at the time and few still venture into that territory. They started to resemble a parody of themselves after a while, what with the radiation suits, the flower-pot hats, etc. But I always liked them and I admire the fact that at least they did something clever, unique, catchy, and different. So, to make a short story long, today’s Terrific Tune is their cover version of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”. For my money, it outshines the original and is one of the high points of the weirdness called “Devo”. It’s also a great example of a cover song that truly stands on it’s own.

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Today’s Terrific Tune features a well-known band. A really well-known band. It’s the Irish band U2. Heard of ’em? I thought so. If not, (what planet are you from?), learn more here. Anyway, I’m not using one of the big hits. Maybe this one was a small hit? I’ve found over the years that many of my favorite U2 songs are not the big hits. In fact, both of their “best of” CDs are available with a second disc of lesser-known versions, b-sides, remixes, covers, etc. And those discs might even be better than the actual “hits” discs. There’s a lot more to this band than what you hear on the radio.

And the same four people have been in the band for over thirty years. How many bands can say that? But you can read about the fame, the awards, the glory some other time. Right now, this is the video for one of my favorite U2 songs, “Electrical Storm”. The video is done by Anton Corbijn, known also for Depeche Mode videos amongst other things. He loves black-and-white and stark images. So turn up the volume, set your video size to full-screen, and check it out. Then let me know what YOU think.

If the sky can crack
There must be some way back
To love and only love

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Last night I went to a concert and saw “anti-folk”, “folk-punk”, “folk-funk” (whatever!) singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco and her band. The show was good, which will come as no surprise if you have ever seen her live. We’ve seen her live four or five times and it has always been good. She obviously loves performing and no one writes the type of songs that she does, at least not as well. So, today I feature a video of her and her recent band in the studio. It is from a couple years ago, but they are remaking her old song “Both Hands” (early nineties?).

The remade version is for her best-of, 2-CD set “Canon”, and if you don’t own anything by her that set is a pretty good place to start. Then go from there are get Dilate, Little Plastic Castles, the live Living In Clip. and the 20-odd other albums she has put out, not counting all her live bootlegs that she sells on her site and at her shows. In fact, I just picked up a copy of the 2003 Sacramento show that we saw six years ago! Very smart of her to sell CDs of her shows. Anyway, this video shows her having a good time rerecording this song. Is it her best song or best performance? Maybe not. But it’s still cool. Check it out.

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Leave me a comment below. Use both hands!

Today’s Terrific Tune is a rock ballad by a group that doesn’t do many ballads. It’s Green Day and the video for their current big hit “21 Guns”. The song is from their latest CD “21st Century Breakdown”. This album is great! They’ve grown so much with the last couple albums. There’s more variety and depth and so far I’d say this is easily one of the ten best albums of the year. As for this song, you may have heard it too many times on the radio, or maybe not, but give it another listen and check out the video. It ties in with the concept storyline of the album. And is singer Billie Joe Armstrong about the coolest looking guy? He looks awesome to me…

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Leave me a comment below. Don’t be an American Idiot…

George Harrison is dead and gone, may he rest in peace. When he was a Beatle, he was always in the considerable shadow of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. And he sometimes wanted more of his own songs on their albums. But once they broke up, he put out plenty of albums with plenty of songs. Most of the albums were a bit uneven but all had some good songs on them. Then, in the 90s, on his “comeback” album Cloud Nine, he took a musical look back at his time in the “Fab Four”. This song, “When We Was Fab”, is the result. The video has his characteristic clever humor and the song is pretty darned catchy too. He was fab.

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Leave me a comment below. Don’t be the quiet one…