Rancid - Radio Radio Radio EP

This is the second of two Rancid EP's. This one features the classic four-piece Rancid line-up and you can tell that the band is gelling into the punk rock juggernaut they would eventually become.

I didn't know this before today but the title track of this EP was co-written by Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day fame. They were trying to lure him into the band and he did play some shows with them before deciding to stick it out with Green Day. How different is the punk rock landscape if Rancid had sniped Billie Joe? Oh, and it's good to note that the only song on the EP with a Billie Joe credit is the most pop-punkish song of the bunch. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Rancid - Rancid EP

Now here's something you don't see every day: a 7" record that you play at 33 RPM. Not only do you play this thing on the slower speed, it has more tracks than I have ever seen on a single 7" record.

This tiny wonder features Rancid in their early days before Lars Frederiksen joined the band. The sound on this EP is understandably rougher and more punkish than Rancid would eventually become. Even though this EP represents a more punk (in the true sense of the word) Rancid, I still prefer the ...And Out Come the Wolves era. If you listen to Op Ivy and then this EP before listening to Rancid's studio albums, you'll see that they oscillated from ska/punk to gutter-ish punk and finally settled on good ol' right up the middle Social D-ish garden variety punk. I own this EP for historical purposes only. I don't pull out out and spin it much.

'68 Comeback - Flip, Flop & Fly b/w He's My Everything

Now this is garage rock in its purest form: raw, noisy, and continually nodding to the greats that came before. '68 Comeback's name is an obvious reference to Elvis Presley's famous comeback special, and the first track on this 45 is a Big Joe Turner cover (that has also been covered by Elvis himself). Apparently Jeffrey Evans (lead guitar, vocals) is a musicologist and is wont to go digging through old tunes and resurrecting them. They do a fine job of that here.

The b-side on this 45 is "He's My Everything" which I suppose is an original (no songwriting credit is included). From front to back this little 45 is solid garage rock gold. It has plenty of what the boys over on the reranch message boards (for all you guitar finishing needs link here) call "squonk factor."

Patti Smith- Two More

Patti Smith is too important to be taken down by a schmuck like me. I have the highest esteem for her influence in the punk movement and for the fact that she is an artist in the truest sense of the word and is much smarter than me.

That said I don't like her covers album Twelve. Patti Smith has such a distinctive voice and style that performing covers seems to be a bad choice for her. This 45 entitled "Two More" has two extra covers that didn't make the cut of Twelve. The two songs she covers are "Perfect Day" by Lou Reed and "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect" by The Decembrists. Both songs are excellent in their original versions and somewhat surprising choices as are the other 12 tracks she covered. The real value of Twelve and "Two More" is the knowledge of the songs Patti Smith considers to be good/important. The covers themselves aren't as good as I would hope, especially when considering how much I love/respect Patti Smith.

There are two and only two versions of "Perfect Day" that I consider to be canonical. They are 1) The original Lou Reed version and 2) The Kirsty MacColl/Evan Dando cover. I own the Duran Duran version as well but generally disregard it. Patti Smith's version is nice but non-canonical.

Her cover of "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect" did nothing but solidify my desire to sit down with Patti Smith and talk music for an hour. Her performance of the song is not particularly moving. I know it sounds like I'm dumping on her, but I'm really trying not to. Of all the things Patti Smith has done, her cover album is the one I care for the least (which is meant to imply that I care for her other work a great deal more).

The Zutons - You Will You Won't b/w Nightmare Part 1

"You Will You Won't" is my favorite Zutons track. It just has a certain semi-funky groove that I find charming. I tried to put it on a garage rock mix once, but it didn't fit. I suppose the problem with the track (and The Zutons in general) is that their sound is too clean for garage rock audiences and too clean for mainstream audiences (unless you happen to live in the UK in which case they're probably just right). Either way they didn't make my mix and thereafter I was left scratching my head at what exactly to do with them. This may be a common problem or I might be the only person who gives them this much thought. Either way "You Will You Won't" is a good song and this will not be the last time I listen to it (can't say that for The Coral now can I?).

The Coral - In the Morning b/w Gina Jones

I hate The Coral. This is a well-established fact. They have one good song ("Dreaming of You") and the rest of their catalog is a steaming pile of rubbish. I got this 45 as a giveaway when I bought that awful Coral album that I was led to believe would have decent songs like "Dreaming of You" but instead featured aural feces.

This 45 is less offensive than most of The Coral's discography in that it fails to be a complete affront to all senses at once. The fact that I have not used this record and the CD I bought with it as clay pigeons is a testament to how few shotguns I own.

a-ha - The Sun Always Shines on TV b/w Driftwood

I have been a longtime horn-tooter for the fact that a-ha's greatness extends beyond "Take on Me." This song is exhibit A for that fact. It was the second single from Hunting High and Low and was released as a single a mere two months after "Take on Me." I know "Take on Me" was bolstered by a classic video (that I have never seen, oddly enough) and I have no idea what the video for "The Sun Always Shines on TV" was or if it even had a video. The song itself is great and doesn't need the aid of MTV to make it better.

"The Sun Always Shines on TV" features soaring Morten Harket vocals and a great Pål Waaktaar melody. It's classic 1980's a-ha. The b-side "Driftwood" is less remarkable than the a-side. It's exactly the sort of b-side that begs no question as to why it didn't make the album.

The White Stripes - There's No Home For You Here b/w I Fought Piranhas/Let's Build a Home

I love The White Stripes despite not liking Jack White as a person. Remember when Jack White did that movie with Jimmy Page and The Edge and he was asked what he thought would happen when the three of them got together? Jack White said he thought it would turn into a fistfight. What a cocky/ridiculous thing to say. Apparently his version of a fistfight is blowing smoke up your own butt and playing "The Weight" with two new buddies. He has talent out the wazoo but let's please not let anyone tell him. Remember the scene where he makes a homemade guitarlike contraption and then tells the kids at home, "Don't let anyone tell you that you have to buy a guitar." Even when he's ostensibly saving people money he seems like he's full of himself.

Anyway, "There's No Home for You Here" is standard White Stripes fare. It's a bluesy fuzzed-out garage-rockish song that fits in with everything else The White Stripes have ever done. I love the b-side however. It just turns psychobilly crazy in the middle and really rocks the socks off itself. It's the sort of music that makes me wish I knew less about the guy who wrote it.

R.E.M. - It's the End of the World as We Know It b/w Last Date

If you were making a list of songs with long stream of consciousness lists in them, this song would go at the top. The other song on the list would be "We Didn't Start the Fire." It would go lower on the list if there were more songs like this in the world (are there? I would like to know).

I probably own more physical copies of R.E.M. albums than albums by any other band. It makes sense because they were the first band I took a real shining to and they have had an astonishingly long and effective career (it's odd to think we live in a world where R.E.M. is no longer a band. They'll probably have a reunion tour at some point, but the canonical R.E.M. career is over).

"It's the End of the World as We Know It" is a fantastic R.E.M. song. I'm sure you knew that and I'm sure you didn't need me to explain that to you. The b-side is a wistful Floyd Cramer cover. The a-side to this 45 will surely get a lot more play than the b-side, but that's to be expected. I love R.E.M. and this single is a perfect explanation of why.

The Zutons - Pressure Point b/w Zutonkhamuun

Remember The Zutons? If you live in the UK you probably do, but we here in the US of A really knew them for one song and the a-side of this single is it. You may not think you remember it, but the moment you hear that "ow-oo-hoo-hoo" that opens and permeates the song you'll know you've heard it before.

I really like The Zutons. They have exactly the retro garage rock-ish sound that I was really rooting for when I first started collecting records. I really wanted that sound to take over the world and I suppose it did a bit with The White Stripes (and to a lesser extent The Hives).

Anyway, the a-side of this single is still a great song provided you didn't blow it out when it was getting significant airplay. The b-side sounds like something from the soundtrack of Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It's just that the b-side is an extended version which really didn't need to be extended. Other than that, this is a dandy of a 45.

The Wildebeests - She Lives in a Time of Her Own b/w Monkey Loving Girl

When I first started hanging out at Eastside Records (the former greatest vinyl spot in the world. It sadly closed its doors last year) and was introduced to the concept of garage rock, The Wildebeests were the first band I really took to. I bought up every single Wildebeests 45 and LP I could get my hands on. I think this may have been my first purchase.

"She Lives in a Time of Her Own" is a cover the 1960s psychedelic cult heroes The Thirteenth Floor Elevators original. They decided to cover this song when they discovered that their bassist could do the odd vocal runs you hear in the background of so many Thirteenth Floor Elevators tracks. Having heard both versions of this song (are there others? I'd love to hear them) I actually prefer The Wildebeests over the original.

The b-side on this record is "Monkey Loving Girl." It's a merseybeat-ish garage rock tune that tells you everything you need to know about The Wildebeests. I only wish I could ever see these guys live. Next time I'm in the UK I suppose (I'm never in the UK).

The Promise Ring - Falsetto Keeps Time

The promise ring fills a spot on the 1990's indie scene that falls somewhere between Pavement and Cap'n Jazz. You can tell that they understand how to play a straight up rock song, but they choose to tip it on its ear just a bit. This 45 is pressed on grey marbled vinyl which just looks fantastic. That's a thought I just had to throw in there.

I love The Promise Ring, especially the Nothing Feels Good/Very Emergency years. As I stated previously, I went through a phase where I was actively searching out the strangest/least trod music I could find and I came across some real great things along the way (as well as a truckload of unlistenable garbage that I pretended to enjoy in order to look smart. That's college for you).

This record has three songs. The two on the b-side ("Saturday" and "Scenes From Parisian Life") are both pretty good, but I prefer the a-side "A Picture Postcard." It's exactly the delicately tragic sound that needed in college and yet it still sounds amazing to my ever-aging ears. It's very Built to Spill/Sunny Day Real Estate-ish. I recommend it to fans of any of the bands I have mentioned in this post.

The Police - Roxanne b/w I Can't Stand Losing You

This may very well be another jukebox single although it does not have the title slip. The b-side of "Roxanne" is not "I Can't Stand Losing You" or vice versa. This might even be a promo or radio station copy.

After "Every Breath You Take" the two songs on this record may very well the next two best/most popular Police songs. When you think about it, The Police tackled a lot of dark subjects in their music. We've already covered stalking and murder on the "Every Breath You Take" single, and this record covers prostitution and suicide (the cover of the normal "I Can't Stand Losing You" single features a picture of a man who has hung himself. Needless to say it was a bit controversial). Somehow The Police manage to cover dark material and not only does it not seem dark, it seems perfectly normal. Tipper Gore should have given up on chasing down the Judas Priests of the world and let Sting have his day in court (maybe he did. My knowledge of those hearings is limited to what VH1 told me. Apparently Twisted Sister and Frank Zappa were there).

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Jackson

MF and the GG's are the preeminent punk cover band. I own most of their albums and have seen them in concert more than once. The bring both a silliness and a musical talent to their covers that make them much better than any other punk cover outfit I can think of (That's right Manic Hispanic).

Jackson is so named because both tracks on this record were performed by Michael Jackson (technically "I'll Be There" is a Jackson 5 song, but Michael still sung it). The two tracks covered are "Ben" and "I'll Be There." Both songs benefit from the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes treatment. If a song can withstand being sped up and rocked out in the MF and the GG's formula and still be moving, it's a great song. I love both songs on this record.

Kiss - Detroit Rock City b/w Beth

If ever there was a classic Kiss single, this is it. Let me state right off the bat that I am not a Kiss fan. I have tried and tried to add them to my repertoire, but it just hasn't taken. I am a fan of just about every band in the "If you're a fan of [insert band here], you'll love Kiss" category and yet Kiss fandom eludes me. I think it's due to two factors: 1) you sort of have to be in the right age group for Kiss. If you were of an age where the Kiss army was at its zenith and you were looking for inclusion and a chance to be cool, Kiss provided that. Being born in 1979 makes me a little young for that age group. 2) I have never seen the spectacle. I know there's blood and fireworks and jewish men in makeup flying on cables and all that, but having never seen the spectacle, most of the music fails to move me.

I feel like a bit of a jerk because every time I listen to Kiss I wish they rocked even as hard as, say, a Warrant or a Faster Pussycat. The music seems like it doesn't quite rock hard enough to justify the costumes and pageantry of Kiss. I know this will not sit well with the hardcore Kiss fans, but please remember that I'm not old enough for Kiss to have the effect on me that it did on you.

Anyway, "Detroit Rock City" is one of the better and harder-rocking Kiss songs. We all know the story of "Beth" which was included as what the band though was a bit of a throwaway track (why else would you let the drummer sing it?). Then magically people took to the b-side just as much if not more than the a-side. I do like "Beth," but even so I can think of power ballads I like more. I'm not a Kiss hater, I'm just a guy who doesn't get it. As such I can give this single no more than