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Rocktober Saturday Night Studio – 10th Floor Cibo Matto
Extra sugar, extra salt, extra oil and MSG with a few bad words if you’re delicate like that.
Shut up and eat!
Sixteen years ago, one day*
I was walking down the street
I was looking for music
You know what I mean?
And I picked up this CD
I kinda want to know her more
Are you made or broken by the birthday cake?
2 for 1, but 3 For 2!
She talks like American, she walks like Egyptian
*Ok, it might have been 15 years ago. Somewhere around there I picked up Viva! La Woman at a used CD place.
NightSky ClubRadio
I just discovered a site called NightSky Club Radio. “Best EDM & House Music,” or so it says. Has nothing to do with me.
First thing I heard upon listening was Maxi Priest’s “Close To You” –
Eh, not bad, I guess. The next couple songs were crap, but I kinda liked “HOT4EVA” by DJ Short-E (whoever that is). I probably shouldn’t admit to that in public, however.
I’m wondering if I should try to get a gig on there, but I don’t really know all that much about club music. But if they’re cool with kinda sorta electronica like Poe, we might get somewhere.
Rocktober – Saturday Night Shirley
Rocktober begins again, bringing the rain today after a stretch of nice weather, just in time for a Saturday Night Special Studio with Shirley Manson and Garbage –
The band is probably best known for two songs – the above and the radio mainstay “Stupid Girl” –
Shirley doesn’t hesitate to let people know where they stand, does she?
Have an entire concert from 20 years ago, when they were just starting out.
Saturday Night Studio – 1 Year & Monkeeing Around
This week is one year since I started Saturday Night Studio, which now has it’s own page. Every studio is listed there with a brief description and a link to the post.
Speaking of firsts and anniversaries, this year is the 50th anniversary of the first band I ever liked – the Monkees. Here’s the very first episode from September 1966 –
The first concert I ever saw was in 1986, and it was, of course, the Monkees on their reunion tour. I later picked up a tape (remember those?) of the tour,-
Apparently their influence reached to areas where one would not expect, judging from the story Davy tells at the start of this video…
“We touched a lot of musicians, you know. I can’t tell you the amount of people that have come up and said, ‘I wouldn’t have been a musician if it hadn’t been for the Monkees.’ It baffles me even now,” Jones says. “I met a guy from Guns N’ Roses, and he was overwhelmed by the meeting, and was just so complimentary.” – Chicago Tribune
So the 80s would have been quite different if not for the Monkees.
Other than influencing metal bands, the 80s also saw the debut of The New Monkees, which I’m sure you all remember fondly. I tried to watch an episode once back around 1988, and didn’t get very far.
I recently discovered that the Monkees released their newest album in 2016. They collaborated with several other songwriters and musicians. I found it on youtube, but sadly I can’t say I was all that impressed with most of it (although “Birth Of An Accidental Hipster” did amuse me a bit). However, one song did stand out, the second version of “Me & Magdalena” –
Really digging that tune.
As a kid, I never, ever, ever expected to be hearing new Monkees music in 20-bloody-16!
Saturday Night Studio – Getting Ahead with Lionel
Those of you who remember the 80’s can’t help but remember Lionel Richie, whether you want to or not. For you kids, here’s a quick rundown…
Richie was a member of the Commodores for years, with a number of hit songs. We’re gonna skip that and jump to the 80’s, when he went solo. He scored a string of hits, including “Running With The Night” –
Catchy tune.
Soon after came “All Night Long,” with a video directed by former Monkee and music-video-pioneer Mike Nesmith…
There were others as Lionel racked up hit after hit, such as “Dancing On The Ceiling,” which had a novel idea for the time. In true 80’s fashion, it also had keytar.* Another was “Say You, Say Me” (which I hope to never hear again).
But probably the most-remembered (and definitely most-ridiculed) Lionel Richie song was “Hello.” The song was already syrupy enough to supply every Waffle House in America, but the video just added so much more… you just gotta watch it –
Makes you wanna murder a kitten, doesn’t it? Still, he made hardcore bank off that one, adding more “Rich” to the “Richie.”
Jimmy Fallon, music fan unparalleled and former member of Blue Oyster Cult, actually polished that turd –
Brilliant. I am moved. As should you be.
*To be explored in another post soon.
Saturday Night Stereolab – A Spectacle That Rhymes
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane (guitar/keyboards) and Lætitia Sadier (vocals/keyboards/guitar), both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes blah blah read the rest here.
They’re known for experimental krautrock pop lounge music in space, or something. Space definitely figures into their work, what with songs like “Super Falling Star,” “K-Stars,” “Space Moment,” “Sudden Stars,” and “Space Age Bachelor Pad Music” (which, I suppose, is probably as good a description of their music as will ever be).
It’s been said that Stereolab lyrics are often Marxist or socialist, which the band denies. Half the lyrics are in French anyway, so it’s not like I would even know it if they starting singing socialist economic theory in mid-song. the song most notorious for alleged politicalisms is “Ping Pong,” a rather catchy tune –
Original studio version and video here.
Regardless of lyrical messaging, the band has always pushed envelopes out where the Post Office won’t deliver them. Such as “Metronomic Underground,” which I suspect most of you won’t care for but I rather like –
Studio version here.
Singer Laetita Sadier lent her voice to a rather mediocre song by Common for his song “New Wave” in 2002. Her vocals sounded great, but were unfortunately only relegated to the choruses. and yes, she does have a predilection for swearing
My favorite Stereolab song is Miss Modular, heard here live in 2000 –
And the studio version, to close things out with a nicely rhyming spectacle –
Radionomactivity
One for all you internet radio junkies…
So I’ve been listening to Radionomy for a while now. My default station is a stream called “Generic Male DJs – Ultimate 80s“, which plays ” 80s New Wave, Alternative, Synthpop and Dark Wave music.” Recent tracks include R.E.M., Devo, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Peter Gabriel, and Depeche Mode. Playing right now is the legendary supergroup Haircut One Hundred. That should give a basic impression of the station.
But what caught my interest is that one can start their own station through Radionomy. It starts out for free, but over time the station needs to get a certain number of listener hours or a charge will be incurred. If a station picks up enough listeners, the station can make some cash.
I’m kicking around the idea of starting a station. Inflicting my music on the world is only proper.
Used To Be In The Eagles
Mojo Nixon mildly cheered up but maintains it should have been the other one.
I liked a handful of Eagles songs, especially after Joe Walsh joined the band. I had a concert ticket for their 1994 tour, but it got cancelled due to Frey being ill. I did see them in concert when they finally resumed the tour in 1995.
I didn’t care much for Frey’s solo work – what I heard of it, anyway – but I always did like this song…
Happy New Year!
They say nothing changes on New Year’s Day. But this past year has me reeling. Remember when Bill Cosby was the family man and America’s Dad, and Steely Dan were the shady freaks singing about Bad Things instead of grocery store Muzak?
nightskyradio 