World (Cup) In Motion

Ah, the World Cup... that other sporting event that brings the entire world together every four years. There are a ton of traditions that happen with the event. The exchange of jerseys, the chants, the drinking. We Americans have a tradition too. Every four years we pretend to care about soccer.

Oh, I know, everyone was jacked up about Landon Donovan’s goal last week. And you can’t turn on a sports radio station without hearing someone say it could be a turning point for soccer in America, but that’s wishful thinking. Don’t get me wrong, I like soccer. I grew up playing it, and winning the league championship in my "rookie" season remains one of my favorite childhood memories (I still have the trophy). But it’s never going to catch on in the US the way it has in the rest of the world. I mean, we get excited about Olympic hockey every four years too, but that doesn’t mean the NHL is ever going to reach the popularity that MLB or the NFL enjoys. Let’s face it, we’re too hooked on our own brand of football to every really get on board.

So why I am talking about sports on a music blog? Well….

In 1990, New Order recorded "World in Motion" as England’s official anthem for that year’s World Cup. Surprisingly it was New Order's only number one single in the UK. I picked it up back in the days when I would buy anything that any band I liked put out. I'm not nearly the completist I was back in those days, which is probably a good thing, because this song never really grew on me. But with the whole planet caught up in World Cup fever, I figured it was a good excuse to dig it out, dust it off, and post it as a Monday Morning b-side.

New Order - "World In Motion (The B-Side)" (mp3)

Christmas Around The World - California

I spent Christmas in San Diego ten years ago. My dad's entire family met down there for the holidays, and I remember going to my Aunt's condo on Christmas Eve and thinking how weird it was that it was in the mid-70's and people were laying out on the beach. But despite the warm weather, it was one of the most memorable Christmases of my life. Watching the sunset from the boardwalk at the Hotel Del Coronado, and then heading into the lobby for a family picture in front of their absolutely massive Christmas tree was a lot of fun. And when you've got family together for dinner and presents, it really doesn't matter whether it's cold outside or not.

I absolutely fell in love with this song last year. The lyrics reminded me of the two holiday seasons I spent in Las Vegas, plus I was in the middle of falling in love with my fiance last December, so the almost overwhelming sweetness of the lyrics that aren't talking about fake snow and billboard lights fit my frame of mind perfectly. The original version features Simone White on the female vocals, but this acoustic version has Wedding Present bassist Terry de Castro singing with David Gedge. Whether you're under a blanket in front of a fireplace or on a blanket sitting on the beach, this is a perfect song for Christmas cuddling.

The Wedding Present - "Holly Jolly Hollywood (Acoustic)" mp3 from the Holly Jolly Hollywood EP

A Day In The Life

Friday afternoon I was listening to my ipod at work. In the space of an hour three different versions of "A Day In The Life" came up on shuffle, and not one of them was the The Beatles' original version. What are the chances?

This is probably my second favorite Fab Four song, so it didn't really surprise me that I had so many versions of it (I don't have any covers of "In My Life" in my collection, because anyone who does that song tends to make it overly sappy). All three of these are live versions, and two of them are much, much better than the third one... I'll leave it up to you to decide which is which.

Cheap Trick - "A Day In The Life" (mp3) from Sgt. Pepper Live
Robyn Hitchcock - "A Day In The Life" (mp3) from Live Death
Sting - "A Day In The Life" (mp3) from Demolition Man

Rearviewmirror

For part two of my series about artists that I didn't like at first but then came to love, we'll talk about Pearl Jam, who just released their ninth album, Backspacer, last week.

I was born in Seattle, and even though it's been 25 years since I've lived in Washington, I still consider it my hometown. So I've pretty much got an unequivocal love for just about anything that comes from the Pacific Northwest (most notable exception... this guy). Even my favorite soulless corporate conglomerates (Starbucks and Amazon) call the Emerald City home.

So why did it take me so long to embrace Pearl Jam? I guess there were a couple of reasons. For one, Eddie Vedder just seemed too damn serious. And despite the fact that Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament had been part of the Seattle music scene for years, I kinda tagged them as bandwagon jumpers (the fact that Vedder had previously fronted a San Diego funk band helped this misconception). Mostly though I think it was Ament's stupid hats that turned me off. Whatever the reason, I just wasn't digging them when Ten first came out. My mind first started to change with the release of Vs. I absolutely loved "Animal," and the rest of the album just seemed a little more raw and real than their debut. And their ultimately futile battle against Ticketmaster proved that they weren't the hucksters I originally pegged them as. But it wasn't until I saw them live in Las Vegas, on what was the tenth anniversary of their first ever show, that I fully realized what a awesome band they were. They opened with a cover of Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive," and within the first three songs, it was obvious that I had been selling these guys short for years. Anyone who's seen them in concert can probably agree that they truly are among the great bands of our time.

If I had to list my three favorite Pearl Jam songs, they'd be "Animal," "I Got Id," and this one. The original version was on the soundtrack to Singles, but this live version is from Disc 2 of the 3 disc Dissident:Live In Atlanta single.

Pearl Jam - "State of Love and Trust (Live)" (mp3)

Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Sometimes your first impressions aren't the lasting ones. Last week I was having a conversation with my fiance about bands that I didn't/couldn't/wouldn't get into at first, but then later came to love. And since a couple of these bands are recently in the news for various reasons, I figured it'd be a great excuse for a mini-series of monday morning b-sides. We'll start with U2, who just kicked off the North American leg of their 360° tour Saturday in Chicago.

I remember when I was 12 and we first got cable TV, "Gloria" was one of the videos that MTV used to show in heavy rotation. I hated it with a passion. Every time I'd hear that drumbeat, and see the band's reflection in the rippling water, I'd immediately reach for the remote and change the channel before Bono could bark out "Two three four!" I have no idea why I hated it so much. Maybe it was Bono's douchey dancing, or Adam Clayton's ridiculous blonde afro. Whatever the reason, I wasn't having it. But evidently I'm not the only one who wasn't a fan... neither the song or the video have appeared on any of the various compilations U2 has released over the years.

I wish I could say I changed my mind before 1987, but I'd be lying. My position did soften though... I remember watching the Live At Red Rocks concert in it's entirety when MTV used to show concerts every Saturday night, and the videos from The Unforgetable Fire didn't inspire the same kind of remote grabs that "Gloria" did. But it wasn't until The Joshua Tree that I really got onboard. Now they are definitely one of my favorite bands. I've seen them live four times, and the 1987 and 2001 concerts would both rank among my top five concerts ever.

The original b-side of "Gloria" was a live version of "I Will Follow" recorded March 6 ,1981 at The Paradise in Boston. This version of "Stories For Boys" is from that same show, and was released on the "Sweetest Thing" single in 1998.

U2 - "Stories For Boys (Live)" (mp3)

The End of an Ego

When I first read about Noel Gallagher quitting Oasis this weekend, my first thought was "Again?" After reading more about it, and seeing that this time it's all official like and apparently permanent, my thought changed to "What took him so long?"

The battles between the Gallagher brothers are familiar to even the most casual of fans. Both Liam and Noel have taken leave from the band at various points. Liam famously sat out the taping of the band's MTV Unplugged episode, something that arguably made the show more memorable. Hearing the band's hits straight from the mouth of the guy who wrote them made for a much more unique experience. And during the band's 2000 European tour, it was Noel's turn to split. In fact, at the time he announced his intention to make like Brian Wilson and no longer tour overseas. It was a threat he ended up not following through on, but given the tumultuous nature of the brother's relationship, the current split is hardly a surprise. Of course, it remains to be seen whether it is permanent or not. It could be he's taking a page from the Paul McCartney playbook and announcing his departure in order to promote his upcoming solo album. Of course, the Beatles never reunited after that.

If he does mean it and is done with Oasis forever, I can't imagine the band going on without him. Despite the fact that Liam, guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell have all been contributing songs over the past couple of albums, Noel is definitely the creative heart of the band. The friction between the brothers has always been a big part of the band's appeal, and without it Liam would probably become an insufferable twit. Of course, some might say that's the problem that led to this situation in the first place.

This monday b-side is a rerun, but it seemed appropriate under the circumstances.

Oasis - "One Way Road" (mp3) from the Who Feels Love single

And In Black and White

or, How an Unplanned Trip to Dollar General Made My Night



On the way home from work tonite, the fiance announced that we needed to stop by Dollar General to pick up a couple of things. A couple of things turned into several things, and we ended up being there much longer than planned (in fairness, we had planned to be there for two minutes, so fifteen minutes wasn't that long). It wasn't the way I envisioned kicking off my Monday evening, but in wandering the aisles, I found a copy of Cheap Trick's second album, In Color, for a mere five bucks. And not the old busted original pressing. No, this was the remastered version with bonus tracks. Score!

Cheap Trick is one of those bands I've loved forever, but for whatever reason never became a completist about them. My collection of their stuff started when I was ten and I bought the single of "Stop This Game" at the University Mall in Spokane (I've still got it in a box somewhere around this place). My first album of theirs was One On One, the purchase of which was surely inspired by countless viewings of the "She's Tight" video on MTV. It won't go down as one of the greatest videos in rock history, but God, that riff!!! In the years since then, the collection has grown to half a dozen or so CDs, so obviously there are still some holes to fill.

Anyway, if you find yourself at a Dollar General with Lincoln burning a hole in your pocket in the next few weeks (or online with a couple bucks more in your wallet), I strongly suggest you pick up In Color. "Hello There" is one of the greatest rockers to ever open an album, "Downed" is pure pop perfection, and it also has the surprisingly wussy studio version of "I Want You To Want Me." And among the bonus tracks, you'll find this...

Cheap Trick - "Southern Girls (Demo)" (mp3) from In Color

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to what I was doing before I started this post... plotting my trip to Las Vegas next month to see Cheap Trick do Sgt. Pepper live.

Alright Yeah

Tonite Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 will be performing at the Exit/In in Nashville. For the uninitiated, the Venus 3 is comprised of Peter Buck and R.E.M. touring members Scott McCaughey and Bill Reiflin. Although they've been backing up Hitchcock for three years now, the connection between Robyn & R.E.M. goes back over twenty years. Peter Buck has been a regular contributor on Hitchcock's albums ever since 1987's Globe Of Frogs, and Robyn & The Egyptians opened for R.E.M. on the Green tour in 1989.

In honor of tonite's show, I figured I'd dust off the old Monday morning b-side feature for a double shot of Hitchcock/R.E.M. related rarities. "Dark Green Energy" was the b-side to Robyn's 1991 single "So You Think You're In Love," and features Michael Stipe on vocals. "The Arms Of Love" is a song from Hitchcock's 1993 album Respect, but R.E.M. covered it a year earlier on their "Man On The Moon" single.

Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - "Dark Green Energy" (mp3)
R.E.M. - "The Arms Of Love" (mp3)

Fall On Me

A few months ago I finally upgraded my cable tv service to digital. Not only did this solve my reception/interference issues on the local channels, but it also finally introduced me to the wonderful world of on demand television. The first thing I did was watch the entire first season of Mad Men over the course of a week, prior to the start of the second season. Then I started finding out what I had been missing by catching up on the awesomeness that is Coupling.

My most recent on demand discovery has been Concert.tv. A few weeks ago I caught a fantastic Sigur Ros performance that was filmed at the Museum of Modern Art last summer. And last week they were showing a 1985 R.E.M. concert that was originally televised on the German television show Rockpalast. The concert was heavy on Fables Of The Reconstruction tracks, but they also played an embryonic version of "Fall On Me." The musical structure, chorus, and bridge of the song were already fully intact, but the lyrics for the verses are completely different than what ended up in the final product. Of course, the clip has been available for quite some time on youtube, so check it out above.

R.E.M. - "Fall On Me (Live)" (mp3)

Apparently 17 years later Stipe still hadn't quite worked out his lyric issues on this song. This version was recorded on November 19, 1992 in Athens, GA at a benefit concert for Greenpeace, and was released on the Crush With Eyeliner single three years later.

One Way Road

The new Oasis album, Dig Out Your Soul, comes out tomorrow. I should be writing about it right now, but despite the fact that I've had a copy of it for a week and a half, I haven't listened to it yet. I have heard the first single, "The Turning," and I quite dig it's almost prog rock groove. I guess the rest of the album will make for a nice soundtrack for my flight to Philly on Thursday.

So in lieu of an album review, here's a Monday morning b-side from the Manchester lads, from the Who Feels Love single.

Oasis - "One Way Road" (mp3)

Shirley Manson Takes The Piss

I'm usually not a big sci-fi fan, but last spring I got hooked on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I think it was because of one if not all of the following reasons:

1. Due to the writers strike, none of my other favorite shows were on.
2. Nostalgia from watching the original movie as a kid.
3. Summer Glau is ridiculously hot.

Season two started a couple of weeks ago, and one of the new characters they've introduced is a Terminator played by Shirley Manson. And not just any Terminator, one of those cool Robert Patrick style shapeshifting ones. Granted, the visual isn't nearly as awesome as it was in 1991 when the second movie first came out, but you gotta admit that having one of the 90s finest frontwomen play a urinal is kinda cool. Anyway, this seemed like a good excuse to post a monday morning b-side from Garbage. This song was released in 1996 on the Only Happy When It Rains single.

Garbage - "Girl Don't Come" (mp3)

Anniversary Song

Tomorrow is Page 300's two year anniversary. I'm not going to wax nostalgic like I did last year, but I figured it was a good excuse for a birthday themed Monday morning b-side. You might assume listening to this song that it's from the Replacement's end of the road, mellowed out All Shook Down era, but it actually dates back to 1987 . It sat unreleased until the All For Nothing/Nothing For All compilation in 1997, and it's being dusted off again for the reissue of Pleased To Meet Me that Rhino is putting out on September 23. All four of the band's Warner Brothers albums are being re-released that day, with a generous helping of b-sides, demos, outtakes and alternate versions.

The Replacements - "Birthday Gal" (mp3)

Bingo Hand Job

I had meant to post this song last month when I was doing the acoustic b-sides series, but due to vacation and being preoccupied with other things, I didn't. So I'm extending the series by a week. R.E.M. knocked out this impromptu version of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner" during an acoustic show at the Borderline in London with Billy Bragg in March of 1991. Some of the references are a bit dated now, but still pretty damn funny. Originally released on the Near Wild Heaven single, it saw a wider release later that year on the Tom's Album compilation. For that project, it was retitled "Tom's ?" and credited to Bingo Hand Job.

R.E.M. - "Tom's Diner" (mp3)

photo by Wally Gobetz

Summer Rain

When I started this month long series of acoustic b-sides, I figured I was going to stick to stripped down alternate versions of album tracks. Posting this song breaks that guideline on two counts... one, there is no album version of this song, it's purely a b-side, and two, it's not entirely acoustic. Oh well, rules are made to be broken. I really like this song, and I wanted to post it while it's still actually summer. And since it looks like it's going to be a rainy day here in Nashville, it seems appropriate enough.

U2 - "Summer Rain" (mp3)

In addition to being the b-side to Beautiful Day, this song was released on the Target exclusive EP 7, and was also included on a limited edition of All That You Can't Leave Behind as a one song bonus disc. So it might be U2's least rare b-side.

Change Begets Change

So for last week's monday morning b-side, I posted a song that I initially thought was an acoustic mix of the album version, but it was actually a completely different recording entirely. This week I'm absolutely positively one hundred percent sure that this is an alternate mix of the album recording. Sugar originally released this version on the Changes single, and it was later included on the Besides compilation.

Sugar - "If I Can't Change Your Mind (Solo Mix)" (mp3)

Sorry to be so brief today, but I'm in Montana right now, and it is too beautiful a day to spend any more time sitting in front of a computer.

Old Lady Shopkeeper Yada Yada

It took me a while to get into Pearl Jam. Part of it was that Ten struck me as a little too slick, but mostly I think it was the hats that Jeff Ament wore in the early 90s... those things were ridiculous. I started coming around when Vs. was released, but it really wasn't until I saw them in concert that I fully realized what a great band they were. Their show in Las Vegas in 2000, on the tenth anniversary of their first show together, was easily one of the best concerts I've ever seen.

I had always thought that today's b-side du jour was just an acoustic mix of the album version. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized it was a different take entirely, complete with slightly different lyrics. Apparently the length of the title was a reaction to the fact that up until then all of their song titles were simply one world. It's was released on the Go single, which is now out of print.

Pearl Jam - "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town (Acoustic)" (mp3)

Return of the Monday Morning B-side

One of my most popular features when I first started this blog was the Monday Morning B-Side (you can read the introductory post for the feature here). Last year I stopped doing it because I got kinda burned out on it. Well, that and my new job didn't allow me the luxury of writing the posts at work. I got quite a few emails lamenting the loss, and honestly I meant to fire it back up a lot sooner, but... well, I'm lazy. But I figure that after a year, I've had enough of a break that I can start squeezing a few minutes into my weekend to do a post for Monday mornings.

To get things started again, I'm going to do a month long series of acoustic versions. And since listening to this track last week was what got me started thinking about doing this again, it's an appropriate place to start. The original recording of this song (from Here's Where The Strings Come In), is probably my favorite Superchunk tune. It was originally released on the Hyper Enough single, and is now available on the Cup of Sand rarities album.

Superchunk - "Detroit Has a Skyline (Acoustic Version)" (mp3)

Art Carney, Hip Hop Pioneer

Saturday night was my annual Christmas party, and as I usually do, I threw an assortment of Christmas compliations into the CD player to serve as the evening's soundtrack. When this track came on, one of my friend's asked if it was some kind of 1940's rap. I've heard this song a lot over the last several years, but his question inspired me to try and track down exactly where it came from. Turns out that in 1954, Art Carney released a single on Columbia called "Santa And The Doodle-Li-Boop," and this song was the b-side (you can hear the a-side at Musical Fruitcake). Becuase it predated Clarence "Blowfly" Reid, Fatback, and the Sugar Hill Gang, you could make the argument that Carney released the world's first rap record.

Art Carney - "Twas The Night Before Christmas" (mp3) from Jingle Bell Swing

Instant Karma

As a general rule, I'm not a big fan of political music. More often than not, whenever a band has a strong political bent, the music suffers in favor promoting of the message. Of course there are exceptions; The Clash and Public Enemy immediately come to mind. But for me, the biggest exception is Midnight Oil. Not only were they one of the most staunchly political bands ever, but many of their songs were about very regional Australian issues. But they overcame my prejudice by wrapping their messages in great songwriting, and then presented it with one of the best live shows I've ever seen. So in honor of Earth Day yesterday, I figured we'd dip into their catalog for today's monday morning b-side.

Midnight Oil - "Instant Karma (Live)" (mp3)

This cover of John Lennon's "Instant Karma" was recorded on May 30, 1990 in New York City. The band set up on the back of a flatbed truck and played a lunchtime set in front of the Exxon building on 6th Avenue, fourteen months after the Valdez disaster. It was released on Best Of The B-Sides, a 1997 promo CD used to promote their greatest hits album 20,000 Watts R.S.L.

Get Down, Make Love

I haven't listened to Nine Inch Nails much in the last couple of years, but with Year Zero coming out tomorrow, I figured it was a good time to pillage through my old NIN singles for today's monday morning b-side. Most of their b-sides are remixes, so my choice is their cover of Queen's "Get Down, Make Love" from the Sin single. Trent always seems to go a great job when he raids other people's catalogs (his covers of Adam Ant's "Physical" and Joy Division's "Dead Souls" are equally stellar), and this song is no exception.

Nine Inch Nails - "Get Down, Make Love" (mp3)