Beautiful grunge may seem like an oxymoron to some, but in the hands of Smashing Pumpkins on their masterwork “Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness,” beautiful grunge is a reality. Case in point is this gorgeous, gentle melody – one of several that pop up on an album that Billy Corgan says was inspired by […]
Song Of The Day – “New World Rising/Ocean Breakup (Reprise)” by Electric Light Orchestra
By 1973 and the release of “On The Third Day,” ELO had literally rid themselves of all the Wood (Roy Wood, that is) from the lineup, and the band was firmly under the artistic direction of Jeff Lynne. The record was far more progressive in its arrangements, and the music acquired a melodic flair attributed […]
Song Of The Day – “African Reggae” by Nina Hagen Band
Hagen grew up in German and came from an artistic family. Her stepfather was Wolf Biermann, a radical folk singer and songwriter who influenced her individuality as a performer. Whe formed her first band, Automobil, in the 1970s and they quickly became one of the country’s premier rock bands. After leaving Germany, she settled in […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Head Over Heels/Broken” by Tears For Fears
There never was a “sophomore slump” for the duo of Roland Orzabel and Curt Smith, the ‘80s synth-pop duo better known to the world as Tears For Fears. While their debut album “The Hurting” topped the charts in their native UK, it was their second album “Songs From The Big Chair” that did the trick […]
Song Of The Day – “Mulberry” by Yoko Ono, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore
Yoko Ono — You either love her, or you so totally loathe her that you can barely put your hate into words. As for me, I think she’s about as original and daring as they come…in the best way possible. Yoko, of course, was the Fluxus artist who married John Lennon and got a raw […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Elephant Talk” by King Crimson
Well, here we are deep in the heart of Presidential debate season, and all we are getting is a bunch of “Elephant Talk.” No matter what your views are, one listen to this essential King Crimson track should put us all in agreement that it’s just “Talk…it’s only talk.” By 1981, King Crimson were coming […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “True Thrush” by Dan Deacon
Somewhere between the robotic synchronicity of Philip Glass and the electro-crunch of LCD Soundsystem that threatens to dance yerself clean, lies the sound of Dan Deacon’s latest record “America.” Some categorize it as electronica…others contemporary classical…I just listen and marvel at one of the truly original artists making music today. Case in point is this […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “The Descent” by Bob Mould
I was a huge fan of Husker Du and saw them many times during the 1980s. After the Du broke up, I saw Bob Mould acoustically on the “Workbook” tour and then again with his second power trio, Sugar. In my book, Mould could do (or is that “du”) no wrong…that is until I read […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “Dinosaur/The Red House/Wheezing/Eggs In A Briar Patch” by David Byrne
It was a creative peak for David Byrne. Talking Heads were coming off their hugely successful “Remain In Light” album and expanded band tour. Byrne had been collaborating more and more with Brian Eno, much to the chagrin of the rest of the band. By 1981, Byrne and Eno released their experimental “My Life In […]
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman – “2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)” by Flaming Lips with Ke$ha and Biz Markie
This one comes from a Record Store Day release “Flaming Lips And Heady Fwends.” The limited edition double album was released on two “hand-thrown” colored discs, and each one is uniquely colored. The album was also released in two versions defined by a version of this song. The more desirable version features a “Cybermen” sample […]
