| It is the age old question: If you were stranded on an island, what essential items would you bring with you? For Jim and Greg, the answer is definitely music. As often as they can on the show, Jim and Greg choose a track they can't live without and add it to the Desert Island Jukebox. |
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Show #148 - 09.26.08
Greg's DIJ
The Desert Island Jukebox pick this week marks another passing of a musical great. Legendary drummer Earl Palmer passed away this week at the age of 83. Like Buddy Harman who was discussed on the show a few weeks ago, Palmer was an unsung hero. Greg credits him with establishing the sound he defines as rock and roll. You can hear this primitive, brutal style of early rock in the Little Richard track “Ready Teddy.”
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Show #146 - 09.12.08
Jim's DIJ
Jim is more excited about this next segment. He thinks there are a number of bands from the alternative era that don’t get their due, including Zuzu’s Petals. Lead singer Laurie Lindeen recently wrote a book about her life on the road called Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story. Jim recommends it, but mostly likes to remember the band through its music. That’s why their track “Cinderella’s Daydream” gets added to the Desert Island Jukebox this week.
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Show #144 - 08.29.08
Greg's DIJ
Buddy Harman, one of music’s great drummers, died this week at the age of 79. Greg explains that Harman was to Nashville what Benny Benjamin was to Detroit or what Hal Blaine was to Los Angeles. He helped define that sound and played on over 18,000 albums. Drumming wasn’t even a major part of country music prior to Harman’s residency. Just consider what “Pretty Woman” would be without that drum beat. In honor of Harman’s passing, Greg chooses to add Elvis Presley’s “Little Sister” to the Desert Island Jukebox this week. In addition to proving that Presley still had the chops after his stint in the military, the song showcases Harman’s terrific drumming.
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Show #143 - 08.22.08
Jim's DIJ
While Jim doesn’t dig the Jonas Brothers, he’s certainly not anti-bubblegum pop. His favorite band in the genre is The Monkees, a group who was manufactured as an “American Beatles,” with their own TV show. “Head”, their self-made movie, presented a different image from the cute, harmlessness one their TV show portrayed. At the time they made the movie, the band members were experimenting with psychedelics and a little more musically inspired. The opener is “The Porpoise Song”, a classic, albeit drug-inspired, bubblegum pop song, and it is Jim’s latest Desert Island Jukebox pick.
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Show #134 - 06.20.08
Greg's DIJ
Greg’s DIJ selection this week was inspired by his discussion with Professor Lawrence Lessig. Thinking about fair use, free culture and digital copyright law got this rock critic downright nostalgic for the days when great art was made using other people’s art. “Eggman” by the Beastie Boys is a perfect example of this. The song was released Paul’s Boutique, the hip hop trio’s follow-up to their successful, albeit frat boy-ish, debut License to Ill. The group linked up with production team The Dust Brothers to create a sonic collage of samples, beats, loops and raps. In “Eggman” alone, astute listeners can hear parts of the songs Superfly and Bring the Noise, bits of dialogue from Taxi Driver and E.T., as well as the film scores to Jaws and Psycho. Sadly, shortly following the release of Paul’s Boutique, a series of lawsuits made sampling on this level too risky and too cost-prohibitive. Listening to “Eggman” is enough to send a music fan into mourning. Thankfully the Desert Island Jukebox will keep it safe for posterity.
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Show #131 - 05.30.08
Jim's DIJ
It’s rare that Jim and Greg look to their children for critical expertise, but Jim was recently impressed by his 11-year-old daughter. While practicing for her school’s Broadway revue, she noted that The Coasters’ version of “Yakety-Yak” is far superior to that in Smokey Joe’s Café. And indeed, she is right. Jim chooses to add the 1958 song to the Desert Island Jukebox. He explains that songwriter Jerry Leiber of the team Leiber and Stoller thought of the song as “a white kid’s view of a black person’s conception of white society.” Pretty heady for a doo-wop song, and perfect for desert island contemplating.
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Show #129 - 05.16.08
Greg's DIJ
This week Sound Opinions welcomed a new station—WHDD-FM, in Sharon, CT. Hotchkiss School in nearby Lakeville produced John Hammond, one of the most important music industry figures in the 20th century. So Greg decided to take his turn at the DIJ as an opportunity to honor the man who discovered Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, and even Bruce Springsteen. But it was his signing of Leonard Cohen at Columbia Records that Greg wants to highlight. It was brave of Hammond to bring the Canadian poet to the label. His first album Songs of Leonard Cohen, never achieved much commercial success, but it served as inspiration for Robert Altman’s 1971 film McCabe and Mrs.Miller. Greg chooses to add that album’s track “Sisters of Mercy” to the Desert Island Jukebox.
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Show #128 - 05.09.08
Jim's DIJ
Jim uses his turn with the Desert Island Jukebox to pay homage to a man who changed the face of rock and roll. Albert Hofman, the Swiss chemist who discovered LSD, died last week at the age of 102. After LSD hit the music scene, bands that were once R&B and pop, became experimental, psychedelic acts. One of the best examples of rock’s psychedelic era is Tomorrow. Jim always interpreted their song “My White Bicycle,” as a tribute to Hofman’s famous bike “trip,” and he thinks that listening to the tune is the best way to remember the scientist. Read Jim’s obituary here.
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Show #124 - 04.11.08
Greg's DIJ
The Breeders’ home state of Ohio inspired Greg’s Desert Island Jukebox song choice this week. One of his favorite bands to emerge from the “fly-over territory” is Pere Ubu. Greg describes their unique sound as avant garage—art rock combined with garage rock. But, the band created their own scene and didn’t care what categories they did or did not belong to. In fact, even though they set a template for punk and post punk music, front man David Thomas denies the band has any relationship to punk. According to Greg, the best example of their sound is in the song “Final Solution,” this week’s DIJ addition. When the band was on Sound Opinions they also performed “Final Solution” live. You can listen to that performance and their entire interview here.
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Show #123 - 04.04.08
Jim's DIJ
For his Desert Island Jukebox pick, Jim wanted to play a song by an artist that epitomizes “high fidelity.” He looked to a member of his holy triumvirate of rock—Pink Floyd, Genesis and Yes. This week it’s Yes’ turn. Jim describes their version of “America” as a “headphone classic.” While you won’t be able to hear the original vinyl audio fidelity on the radio or podcast, Sound Opinions H.Q. hopes you enjoy this cover of a classic Simon and Garfunkel song.
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Show #122 - 03.28.08
Greg's DIJ
Greg’s Desert Island Jukebox pick this week was inspired by the odd, but successful, pairing of Gnarls Barkley members Cee-Lo Green and DJ Danger Mouse. He believes that the tension between opposites can often make for great rock music, even if it doesn’t lead to longevity. An example of this good tension can be heard in the music of the Pixies. Black Francis’ “serial killer vocals” mixed with Kim Deal’s beautiful harmonies created a sound that was both punk and pop. And one of Greg’s fondest concert memories is of the band reuniting in 2004 to perform “Where Is My Mind.” That’s why he decided to take the original version with him to the Desert Island Jukebox.
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Show #118 - 02.29.08
Jim's DIJ
While Jim was home sick last week he gave some thought to great songs about fevers. He came up with “Burning For You,” by Blue Oyster Cult and decided to add it to the Desert Island Jukebox this week. Jim describes Blue Oyster Cult as the thinking man’s heavy metal band of the ‘70s. In fact, the lyrics to this song were written by rock critic Richard Meltzer. There are a number of interpretations, but for Jim it was the perfect antidote to his ills.
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Show #117 - 02.22.08
Greg's DIJ
It is Greg’s turn to pop a quarter into the Desert Island Jukebox, but this week he had a hard time choosing just one song. According to our host, hip hop star Missy Elliott is the top singles artist of the last 10 years. Along with producers like Timbaland, she makes truly avant-garde music, but does so in a really fun, accessible way. Therefore, it’s no wonder that her songs are hits critically and commercially. For this week’s show, Greg went with the song “Work It.” The song demonstrates Missy’s novel approach to sounds and words. It isn’t really about anything new, but the lyrics, beats and sounds (note the elephant’s wail) couldn’t sound fresher. In fact, only Missy Elliott could get away with having the hook to a Top 40 hit be sung backwards. So, you may not be able to sing along to this week’s DIJ, but you’ll certainly want to.
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Show #115 - 02.08.08
Greg's DIJ
Night Ripper is one of Greg’s favorite albums of recent years, but it wasn’t his first exposure to sample-based music. There has been a long tradition of collage music, and one of the artists taking it to the “nth degree” is Osymyso. The UK DJ create a mind-blowing, 12-minute composition called “Intro-Inspection,” which is completely full of unauthorized samples. The song isn’t available for sale anywhere, but you can check it out on the web and on the Desert Island Jukebox.
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Show #114 - 02.01.08
Jim's DIJ
Jim gets to add a track to the Desert Island Jukebox this week, and he decided to pick a song from an art school band that got it right. The Talking Heads were the originators of this style, and their song “Life During Wartime,” is one of the first times they incorporated African rhythms and instruments into their New Wave sound. There are layers of percussion and a funky bass line, but the lyrics also deserve to be highlighted. Many listeners probably know the song as a catchy pop track, but it’s also got a heavy message about race riots and a society in trouble.
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Show #111 - 01.11.08
Greg's DIJ
Greg gets the first Desert Island Jukebox pick of 2008. Inspired by the collaboration between Marketa and Glen, he started thinking about other songwriting teams in rock history. Most bands have one central songwriter, or perhaps a team, but very few have more than one person contributing their own songs. One of these exceptions is the band Lush. The U.K. band came out of the shoegazer scene of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, but didn’t get as much attention as their peers. Songwriters Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson created a sound that Greg desribes as falling somewhere between My Bloody Valentine and the Cocteau Twins. The fragile female vocals paired with a cyclonic gust of guitars can be best heard in the track, “De-Luxe,” from the band’s 1990 album Gala.
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Show #103 - 11.16.07
Jim's DIJ
This week it's Jim's turn to drop a quarter in the Desert Island Jukebox. Jim was inspired by a news story that broke this week, in which the seminal UK band, My Blood Valentine announced that they were reuniting. Valentine put out a record in 1991 that Jim called simply "one of the best songs ever." The warbling vocals combined with the ectasy inspired song makes My Bloody Valentine's song, "Only Shallow", this weeks DIJ pick.
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Show #100 - 10.26.07
Greg's DIJ
According to Greg, Jim hit the nail on the head with his Led Zeppelin III reference. That’s exactly where he went for this week’s Desert Island Jukebox pick. The band was often misunderstood and merely a hyper-masculine rock act. They had a substantial reflective side, and that’s evident on III. Plant was also wrongly categorized as simply a “banshee screamer.” He could also be subtle, conversational and moving. You can hear the softer side of Zeppelin in Greg’s DIJ choice, “Tangerine.”
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Show #99 - 10.19.07
Jim's DIJ
Jim took his turn at adding a track to the Desert Island Jukebox as an opportunity to hear more Neil Young. He chooses “Powderfinger” from Young’s 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps. As Jim explained in the review segment, many of Young’s best songs were on the original, never-released Chrome Dreams, and “Powderfinger” is one of those songs. He considers it a standout in the musician’s career for two reasons: the powerful, emotional guitar-playing and the fascinating, albeit enigmatic, lyrics. However you interpret the song, Jim is certain it’s one you’ll want with you on a deserted island.
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Show #98 - 10.12.07
Greg's DIJ
The Annie Lennox review prompted Greg to think about other UK soul singer. Of course there’s Amy Winehouse now, but the mother of them all was Dusty Springfield. Many people know Dusty for her song “Son of a Preacher Man,” which was featured in the movie Pulp Fiction. But, the track Greg wants to take with him to the desert island is “The Look of Love,” which was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. For Greg it highlights Dusty’s subtle sexy voice, one that is almost doing a duet with the saxophone. And it also summed up, at one time, what Greg thought marriage was going to be all about – lust, romance and glamorous hair.
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Show #94 - 09.14.07
Jim's DIJ
It’s Jim’s turn to pop a quarter in the desert island jukebox. Mr. Kot is pleasantly surprised as Jim reveals his choice - “Credit in the Straight World” by the Young Marble Giants from their 1980 album Colossal Youth. Elements from this late 1970’s post punk band are heard in orchestral pop bands such as Belle and Sebastion. Even Courtney Love’s Hole covered this song on their 1994 release Live Through This The Young Marble Giants consisted of female vocalist Alison Statton and brothers Philip and Stuart Moxham. They went against the English punk grain at the time by choosing to be quiet and minimalist. The band reunited this past May at England’s Hay festival for the first time in 27 years.
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Show #93 - 09.07.07
Greg's DIJ
The Mekons 30-year run is an impressive one, especially when you consider that the dominant story in rock is one of instant and fleeting fame. An example of this is the Johnny Burnette Rock ‘N Roll Trio, the band behind Greg’s Desert Island Jukebox pick this week. The Memphis trio comprised of the Burnette brothers and their friend Paul Burlison only had one recording session in the mid-50s, but for that brief period they were all the rage. Johnny Burnette was Elvis and then some, and Burlison had a completely unique and groundbreaking guitar style. You can hear this on the song “Train Kept A-Rollin',” a Tiny Bradshaw-penned tune, that has since been covered by everyone from Led Zeppelin to Aerosmith to Motorhead. But it’s The Johnny Burnette Rock ‘N Roll Trio version that deserves a slot in Desert Island Jukebox.
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Show #89 - 08.10.07
Jim's DIJ
It’s Jim’s turn to pick a track for the Desert Island Jukebox. Still on a high after seeing Daft Punk perform at Lollapalooza, he chooses a song by the French electronica duo. In fact, if you haven’t heard the group’s original, you may have heard it being sampled in Kanye West’s new single “Stronger.” The track is “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” and it’s also based on a sample—“Cola Bottle Baby” by Edwin Birdsong.
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Show #88 - 08.03.07
Greg's DIJ
Greg chooses a Desert Island Jukebox track this week. Taking inspiration from the Effigies’ visit, he picked a song from the Chicago punk scene of the 1980’s. Naked Raygun was one of the band’s that really got national attention, partly because of their intense live set, and partly because of their emotionally charged songs. Greg chooses one such song, “Home of the Brave,” to take with him to the deserted island. In the song, the band plays three terse verses about the outrage they experienced during the Reagan administration. The song asks the listener to think about what it really means to be the “home of the brave,” and both Jim and Greg are amazed at how appropriate the song’s lyrics still are today.
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Show #85 - 07.13.07
Jim's DIJ
To conclude this week, it’s Jim’s turn to drop a track into the Desert Island Jukebox. Jim becomes a bit nostalgic and recalls fond teenage memories of the thriving music scene of Hoboken, New Jersey, the hometown of classic power-pop outfit, The Bongos. Taken from the seminal album, Drums Along the Hudson, which has just been reissued, the track “The Bulrushes” connotes a “messianic” rock and roll coming of age. Jim calls this “The Catcher in the Rye” of power-pop, and an essential choice in his Desert Island Jukebox.
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Show #77 - 05.18.07
Greg's DIJ
A lot of people, including Jim and Greg, have brought up Bob Dylan’s The Basement Tapes when discussing Sky Blue Sky. Dylan and The Band recorded those songs in upstate New York in 1967 after Dylan retreated from music. The musicians gathered in the basement of a house they called “Big Pink” and started jamming, much as the men of Wilco did in their practice space on Chicago’s Northwest side. Dylan describes the kind of music they played as something you can sit down to play, but also something that makes you lean forward a little. It’s subtle an intimate, but not without a sense of urgency and passion. You can really hear this in the song, “This Wheel’s On Fire,” making it Greg’s Desert Island Jukebox pick for this week.
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Show #76 - 05.11.07
Jim's DIJ
This week's show concludes with Jim’s Desert Island Jukebox pick. Reviewing Tori Amos’ new album got Jim thinking about other artists who have used characters in their performances and albums. One of the people who has done it best is Peter Gabriel. Gabriel assumed different identities throughout his time with Genesis. But it was on his third solo album that Gabriel really let the schizophrenia rip. In the song, “No Self Control,” Gabriel sings from the perspective of an insane man in an asylum. We don’t know what crime he’s done, nor do we know violent act he’s poised to do, but the lyrics as well as the music definitely give the listener a sense of chaos and paranoia. Part of that atmosphere can be attributed to the innovative drumming. Gabriel enlisted former Genesis mate Phil Collins and Jerry Marotta to give the drums a heavy bottom and not use any cymbals. Instead they used a Gate, an electronic device developed by Hugh Padgham. The sound was incredibly influential, and for that reason the drum geek in Jim wants it with him on the deserted island.
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Show #72 - 04.13.07
Greg's DIJ
This week Greg drops a track into the Desert Island Jukebox. Coming off of the Kings of Leon discussion, he goes back to Southern rock’s roots and chooses a song by the real kings of the genre—Lynyrd Skynyrd. He describes them as one of the most misunderstood bands of all time. Dismissed as just that bunch of yokels who sang “Freebird,” Greg doesn’t think they get the credit they deserve. Ronnie Van Zant, the original lead singer, and other members of the band died in a plane crash in 1977. But before that, he was able to lend a subtle sophistication to Skynyrd that other, blusier southern rock outfits didn’t have. The track that best illustrates this is “Saturday Night Special.” The song is an eloquent bit of social commentary about the dangers of guns—not the sort of thing you expect these folks to sing about. And unfortunately, not the sort of song that gets requested at live shows.
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Show #71 - 04.06.07
Jim's DIJ
It’s Jim’s turn to select a song to take with him to the desert island this week. His DIJ pick was inspired by the two albums reviewed in the show. Amy Winehouse considers herself a modern day Nina Simone, and Timbaland uses a Nina Simone sample in his song “Oh Timbaland.” Jim is in favor of referencing the past, but wanted to go back to a band that was able to bring a hip hop attitude to classic 60s soul and jazz much more successfully than Winehouse ever could. That band is Portishead. Portishead came out of England during the 1990’s as part of the “trip-hop” movement. While their tenure was short (though word is they are making music again), Jim is still impressed by the group’s ability to merge American hip hop with British psychedelia with early soul and R&B. The album he urges listeners to go back to is 1994’s Dummy, and the track he wants to add to the Desert Island Jukebox is “Sour Times.”
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Show #66 - 03.02.07
Greg's DIJ
Now it’s time for Greg to add a track to the Desert Island Jukebox. Inspired by last week’s Oscar Awards, he chooses a song by film score composer Ennio Morricone. As a music critic, he’s always baffled by the songs that are honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But, he was happy to see that the broadcast featured a tribute to Morricone. The composer is best known for providing scores for “spaghetti westerns.” While he was based in Rome, with no knowledge of the Old West, Morricone’s music was still evocative of that time and place. Greg credits the fact that many of these films were similar to Italian operas—biblical stories with larger than life characters. Morricone’s music is definitely theatrical, and more importantly, cinematic. Indeed if you listen to the theme to the classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, you can picture the landscape and understand the story without even opening your eyes.
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Show #65 - 02.23.07
Jim's DIJ
Jim’s Desert Island Jukebox pick is an act of punk rebellion. One of his favorite singles, “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” by the Buzzcocks, has been co-opted by AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) for their recent ad campaign. AARP has been trying hard to attract younger people, but they seem to have missed the point of the song. It’s an ironic statement on how crummy life can be, rather than a celebration of getting older and retiring. In an effort to reclaim this great track, Jim steals it away to his deserted island.
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Show #62 - 02.02.07
Greg's DIJ
It’s Greg’s turn to pop a coin into the Desert Island Jukebox this week. He recently saw a performance by Chicago band the Chamber Strings, and was reminded of how great the band is. They released two great albums in 1997 and 2001 before frontman Kevin Junior’s decent into drug addiction and eventually, homelessness. After working with a doctor, Kevin eventually started on the road to recovery, and now, Greg reports that the band is working on new material. But, our host cannot wait that long, and wanted to hear some Chamber Strings on the deserted island as soon as possible. He chooses, “Make It Through the Summer,” from their album Month of Sundays.
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Show #58 - 01.06.07
Jim's DIJ
For his first Desert Island Jukebox pick of 2007, Jim makes a surprising choice. Inspired by Nas’ use of the song in his latest single “Hip Hop is Dead,” Jim decides to go with the epic rock track “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly. Not many music critics will defend this song, but Jim stands by it—the single version that is. He can’t defend the 17-minute album version with an unnecessary drum solo. There are rumors that “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” was supposed to be “In the Garden of Eden,” as interpreted through…LSD. Then some say it refers to the Bhagavad Gita. The most common explanation is that it was a lack of communication between band members and their headphones. However the song got its name, Jim is looking forward to sitting on his deserted island and rocking out to the classic guitar and bass riff, or ostinato.
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Show #53 - 12.02.06
Greg's DIJ
It’s Greg’s turn this week to pop a quarter in the Desert Island Jukebox. With such great guests as Andy Summers on the show, Greg explains that he feels like the legendary BBC radio host John Peel. Mr. Peel had every band under the sun perform on his show up until his death in 2004. One the artists Mr. Peel embraced throughout her entire career was Polly Jean Harvey. John first had her on the show back in 1991 when she was only 20 years old and fresh from a sheep farm. Greg chooses a song from that original session entitled, “Sheila Na Gig” which has been compiled into a new album, PJ Harvey – The Peel Sessions 1991 – 2004. The title, “Sheila Na Gig,” is a reference to the Irish fertility goddess. The symbol was commonly represented in stone carvings. The meaning of the symbol is debated. Some argue it was meant as religious instruction to warn women from the sins of the flesh, while others argue it was meant to protect people from evil. In her song, PJ Harvey reworks the symbol’s misogynist meaning via a war of the sexes dialogue which turns the symbol’s negative denotation upside down.
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Show #51 - 11.18.06
Jim's DIJ
It is Jim’s turn to drop a song into the Desert Island Jukebox, and he wants listeners to hear some “freak folk” that is truly freaky. He chooses to add “The Minotaur’s Song,” by the Incredible String Band. This ‘60s folk act played at Woodstock, but, as Jim explains, was too freaky to be included in the movie. Like Bert Jansch, band members Mike Heron and Robin Williamson fused Scottish and Celtic folk music with Eastern European drones and the newer folk music of people like Bob Dylan. The Incredible String Band also had an incredible lifestyle, and that too affected their sound. Jim thinks that freak and folk never combined so well, and that’s why he’s going to bring it with him to the desert island this week.
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Show #50 - 11.11.06
Greg's DIJ
Greg is choosing not to hold Sir Elton’s recent bad behavior against him. He wants to think back to a kindler, gentler time when John wasn’t just a diva, but also wrote good songs. One such song is “Where to Now St. Peter,” off of the Tumbleweeds Connection album, and Greg adds it to the Desert Island Jukebox this week. He thinks Tumbleweeds Connection is John and writing partner Bernie Taupin’s strongest beginning to end concept album, as opposed to the commonly named Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Greg explains that both men were at the top of their games: Taupin at conjuring up the “Wild West” in his lyrics and John at composing great songs, as opposed to great outfits.
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Show #49 - 11.04.06
Jim's DIJ
A couple of classic rock reunions made the news recently. First was Black Sabbath sans Ozzy Osbourne. The second was Genesis sans Peter Gabriel. Jim is a self-professed “prog rock nerd” and wanted take turn dropping a tune into the Desert Island Jukebox as an opportunity to defend Genesis, even in the days after Gabriel (and according to some, the band’s credibility) left. He goes with “One for the Vine,” which our host explains may have been written by Tony Banks as a companion to “Salsbury Hill,” written by his Gabriel, his friend and former band mate. Jim believes the song is about a messianic leader who brings his people into a war fought in his name, and then gets pulled up into heaven…or something like that. Regardless of its content, Jim thinks it’s a beautiful song. Greg scoffs, but you be the judge.
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Show #44 - 09.30.06
Greg's DIJ
While the remaining members of The Who appear to be looking forward, Greg decided to look back for this week’s Desert Island Jukebox pick. He went with what he believes to be the ultimate Who track—“I Can See For Miles.” This track, which was the only Who song to have cracked the U.S. top ten chart, perfect encapsulates what the band were about. Although all its members—Roger Daltry, Pete Townshend, John Entwhistle and Keith Moon—were integral to the group, it was Townshend’s arranging that really allowed each member to shine. It was Keith Moon’s drumming that was really the lead instrument, and despite being the chief songwriter and guitar player, Townshend knew enough to showcase that rhythm. This relationship is highlighted in “I Can See For Miles,” and therefore Greg wants to take it with him to that eternal desert island.
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Show #42 - 09.16.06
Jim and Greg's DIJ
This week listeners get a rare treat—double Desert Island Jukebox picks. Both Jim and Greg pick their favorite drum tracks. Jim goes first and explains that if you asked any drummer to pick out his favorite, they’d most likely point to John Bonham of Led Zeppelin. Bonham is known for his amazing power, but Jim notes that he is also remarkably subtle and soulful. This is particularly evident in the song “Dancing Days.” During the song, listen to where Jim points out what makes Bonham so special. And then check out his own drumming abilities.
Greg moves away from the rock arena for his pick. He loves soul, R&B and funk drumming, specifically that heard in James Brown’s music. Brown doesn’t ask everyone to “give the drummer some” for nothing. You’ll hear that command, not one, but six times, is “Cold Sweat.” Greg explains that the song also marks a turning point in Brown’s music where everything became focused on the groove. The horns, guitar, and even Brown’s voice mimicked the sound and rhythms of the drums. The drummer in this case is Clyde Stubblefield, who is one of the most sampled drummers in music history, and for good reason. Stubblefield’s drum solo in “Cold Sweat,” is not just rhythmic, but melodic, and is one of the only drum solos that you can actually dance to. And for that reason, Greg takes it with him to the desert island.
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Show #40 - 09.02.06
Jim's DIJ
In true rock and roll style, Jim makes an cheeky Desert Island Jukebox this week. As discussed above, this week marks the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. So, many people would have gone with a solemn, or even political track. But, as listeners know, Jim is not many people, and he can’t resist choosing R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”. Jim likens the Dadaist song to Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” which has a similar surreal expression of social discontent. The song also comes from REM’s pre-major label era, which Jim believes is their best time period. He also offers bit of insight into one of the song’s most famous lines: “Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs. Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly bean, boom!” Jim wrote the biography of rock critic Lester Bangs, and learned that this line was written after Michael Stipe and Peter Buck attended Bangs’ birthday party. Hungry and poor, the young band members were hoping to get a meal out of the event, but were only offered birthday cake and jelly beans. Then an over-served Bangs insulted his fan Stipe and started a food fight. Make sense now?
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Show #38 - 08.19.06
Greg's DIJ
Both of the albums reviewed this week claim to draw inspiration from the music of the ‘30s and ‘40s, though Greg is not quite sure what music the men of Outkast and Christina Aguilera are hearing. He decides to step away from their rather cartoony depictions of the era and put some of the real thing into the Desert Island Jukebox this week. “Strange Fruit,” by Billie Holiday has exactly the kind of authentic sound these contemporary artists should be striving for. The song began as a poem that Jewish schoolteacher Abel Meeropol wrote after witnessing a photograph of a man being lynched in the South. (Meerepol is also known for having adopted the orphaned children of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. The writer brought the song to Holiday at one of New York’s only integrated night clubs. Holiday’s label refused to record the song, the singer insisted on performing it and went to a specialty label instead. The song has became an anthem for the anti-lynching movement and is thought of as one of the great protest songs of the century, but Greg wants listeners to pay attention to the performance as well. While Holiday certainly had the chops to trill as good as any pop diva, the singer restrains herself and opts for a more understated tone, making the lyrics even more chilling. She not only can sing, but knows how to sing. For this reason, Greg is going to take “Strangefruit” to the desert island.
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Show #37 - 08.12.06
Jim and Greg's DIJ
Last week Arthur Lee, the singer and guitarist for the psychedelic rock band Love, died of leukemia at the age of 61. Jim and Greg explain how Lee was one of the most important figures of the psychedelic era. He influenced bands like The Doors, The Byrds, and even the other great African-American psychedelic rocker of the day—Jimi Hendrix. His masterpiece, Forever Changes, also influenced contemporary “orchestral pop” artists like The Arcade Fire and The Polyphonic Spree. Lee was a pioneer, but was largely unheralded. This may have been the musician’s own doing, since he was a rather dark, eccentric figure. But, while Lee certainly had many troubled years, Jim and Greg believe his music deserves to be celebrated. Therefore, to pay tribune to Arthur Lee, our hosts choose to highlight a song off his great album, Forever Changes. They both add “The Red Telephone” to the Desert Island Jukebox.
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Show #36 - 08.05.06
Greg's DIJ
Greg wraps up the show in true Sound Opinions style by picking a classic MTV moment for his Desert Island Jukebox pick. He highlights “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” which Nirvana performed live as part of MTV’s Unplugged series. If Greg had to choose a single performance by the band, it would be this one. The late Kurt Cobain pours his heart and soul into it, and the band’s backing is incredibly empathetic. Of course, Cobain did not pen this tune. It was originally recorded as “In the Pines” in the late 1930s, and Jim and Greg discussion its evolution as part of a conversation with cyberlaw and free culture guru Lawrence Lessig. Check out those footnotes and listen to a montage of its many incarnations.
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Show #35 - 07.29.06
Jim's DIJ
In order to remove the bad taste left by the New York Dolls recent showing, Jim decides to return to a happier time for this week’s Desert Island Jukebox pick. Even after the Dolls broke up, lead singer David Johansen never failed to deliver. This was particularly the case live, as Jim found out after attending a 1982 show (illegally). The then underage critic was mesmerized by Johansen’s energetic performance of songs like this week’s DIJ track, “Frenchette.” While most of the Dolls songs were short, classic punk tunes, “Frenchette” clocks in at over five minutes and is more in tune with the stadium anthems of the era. The song is a witty play on the notion of something being not quite what it should be: not love, but lovette; not leather, but leatherette; not French, but frenchette. The song was written by Johansen and fellow Doll Sylvain Sylvain. This proves that the two men were capable of doing great work post-Dolls, prompting Jim to wonder why they can’t create the same magic today. Therefore, both Jim and Greg put an open invitation out there for the Dolls to come in and get some medicine from the rock doctors.
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Show #34 - 07.22.06
Greg's DIJ
As a nod to Peaches’ irreverent, gender-bending ways, Greg digs deep down in his music collection for this week’s Desert Island Jukebox. He chooses a track by ‘70s and ‘80s model/pop star/diva Grace Jones. Before Peaches, or even Madonna, shocked and awed people with their controversial lyrics and style, Grace Jones was crossing lines between genders and musical genres. She was beautiful, but also masculine. Her music was rock, but also disco. So, like David Bowie, Jones had audiences questioning the idea of identity. But, it wasn’t until she collaborated with Island Records founder Chris Blackwell and his Compass Point (house band that she made music that could be taken seriously. Greg chooses to play her cover of Joy Division’s song “She’s Lost Control.” In Jones’ version, she assumes the role of the woman on the verge of a losing her mind. And after listening to the song, you may find that this role wasn’t such a stretch.
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Show #33 - 07.15.06
Jim's DIJ
Just as Rhymefest was inspired by The Strokes song “Someday,” which he sampled in his track “Devil’s Pie,” Jim too was inspired to choose it as his Desert Island Jukebox song. While the Strokes don’t have a typical hip hop sound, Jim explains that their rhythms, which echo a New York subway train, have a very hip hop beat and momentum. The man largely responsible for that sound is drummer Fabrizio Moretti, who Jim admires for being a masterful, simplistic drummer, if not for a few other reasons.
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Show #32 - 07.08.06
Greg's DIJ
All girl indie rock group Sleater-Kinney recently announced that following their performance at Lollapalooza this year, they’d be taking an indefinite hiatus. Essentially, this means that the Portland group is breaking up, but reserving the right to reunite should they be inspired (or in debt). Sleater-Kinney is one of Greg’s favorite groups. He loves all seven of the group’s albums, but thinks they really hit their stride on their third effort, Dig Me Out. This is because singer/guitarists Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein were joined by powerful drummer Janet Weiss. Also, there’s an inherent tension in the music, which Greg imagines was caused by the demise of Tucker and Brownstein’s romantic relationship. So, to say goodbye, Greg is choosing the title track, “Dig Me Out,” as his Desert Island Jukebox pick this week.
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Show #30 - 06.24.06
Jim's DIJ
Jim’s Desert Island Jukebox pick this week is inspired by his conversation with Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. The band uses live performances as opportunities to explore and expand tracks they work on in the studio. This reminds Jim of the touring tactics of another great British band—Pink Floyd. They too would road-test songs for months at a time before taking them to the studio. And the result is similar. Both Radiohead and Pink Floyd are simultaneously experimental, avant-garde and also successful and mainstream—a rare thing in the music industry. So, the track Jim decides to adds to the jukebox is one Pink Floyd experimented with live, then later recorded in a different format. The song fans know as “Sheep” from their 1977 album Animals, was originally performed live as “Raving and Drooling.” Listen to the studio version, then compare it to this rare DIJ pick.
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Show #27 - 06.03.06
Greg's DIJ
Taking his inspiration from the earlier discussion with Ernesto Lechner, Greg chooses Beck’s “Tropicalia” as his Desert Island Jukebox pick. The notion that people were ever jailed or sent into exile for playing Tropicalia music in Brazil got this host all fired up. Especially because this music, pioneered by artists like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, has remained such a formative influence on contemporary artists. Beck displays his love for the tropicalistas in this song from his 1998 album Mutations (a nod to fellow Brazilians Os Mutantes). Beck combines the Bossa Nova chords and gentle singing of Tropicalia music with art rock guitar and synthesizer. The result is a perfect example of Beck’s pop collage style and a perfect homage to his Brazilian heroes.
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Show #26 - 05.27.06
Jim's DIJ
Jim’s drops a coin in the Desert Island Jukebox this week which features a Twin Cities rock band. Before they were the Jayhawks, Gary Louris, Marc Perlman and Mark Olson backed up a fellow Minnesota singer named Lori Wray. While Wray has not achieved a lot of success outside of Minneapolis/St. Paul, He explains that she adds a Lulu-like 60s pop sensibility to her singing, making her voice perfect for heartbreak tunes like his DIJ pick, “True Love in a Day.”
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Show #25 - 05.20.06
Greg's DIJ
It is Greg’s turn to pop a quarter into the Desert Island Jukebox, but this week he had a hard time choosing just one song. According to our host, hip hop star Missy Elliott is the top singles artist of the last 10 years. Along with producers like Timbaland, she makes truly avant-garde music, but does so in a really fun, accessible way. Therefore, it’s no wonder that her songs are hits critically and commercially. For this week’s show, Greg went with the song “Work It.” The song demonstrates Missy’s novel approach to sounds and words. It isn’t really about anything new, but the lyrics, beats and sounds (note the elephant’s wail) couldn’t sound fresher. In fact, only Missy Elliott could get away with having the hook to a Top 40 hit be sung backwards. So, you may not be able to sing along to this week’s DIJ, but you’ll certainly want to.
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Show #24 - 05.13.06
Jim's DIJ
The opportunity to play Desert Island DJ goes to Jim this week. Inspired by his earlier discussion with Eddie Argos from Art Brut, Jim chooses a song by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers to add to the Desert Island Jukebox. The Modern Lovers, who were hugely influenced by the Velvet Underground, would all go on to be a part of great projects: David Robinson started drumming for The Cars, Jerry Harrison played keyboards with the Talking Heads, and Ernie Brooks went on to play with a number of bands, including Rhys Chatham’s guitar army which was discussed a few weeks ago. Richman took some bizarre turns, promising to only play music fit for a baby’s ear, but the band’s 1976 self-titled debut remains a masterpiece, according to Jim. He understands why Argos was so inspired by Richman’s songwriting. Both men salute the “everyman dweeb” who struggle with getting girls and getting respect. While “Roadrunner” is perhaps the band’s best known song, Jim decides to go with “She Cracked” as this week’s DIJ pick.
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Show #23 - 05.06.06
Greg's DIJ
Greg’s gets to add a track to the Desert Island Jukebox this week. His choice was inspired by the passing of Phil Walden. Walden was a major figure in the southern rock scene, and co-founded Capricorn Records, home to The Allman Brothers and Charlie Daniels Band. Greg, however, will remember Walden as the man instrumental in propelling the career of soul singer Otis Redding. He was Redding’s manager up until the singer’s tragic plane crash in 1967, and helped expand his career into the mainstream. One savvy decision was to put Otis Redding and all of the key Stax Records players on the road in Europe in the summer of 1967. The competition between Redding and Stax acts like Sam & Dave fueled the performer’s fire. The result was a high energy, high-impact performance the one he gave of “Can’t Turn You Loose”—this week’s DIJ pick.
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Show #21 - 04.22.06
Jim's DIJ
 This week it is Mr. DeRogatis’ turn to drop a quarter in the DIJ. He ties the show up nicely with his selection from the band Dumptruck. One of Dumptruck’s founders, Kirk Swan, played with Steve Wynn during the segment. He and his partner, Seth Tiven, put out their debut album, D is for Dumptruck, in 1994 and were very influenced by what Paisley Underground bands like The Dream Syndicate were doing on the west coast. Dumptruck incorporated more folk rock and power pop into their music, however, and were also influenced by Big Star, Fairport Convention (who also count Greg Kot and Sound Opinions guest Colin Meloy as fans), and the band Television. Like Dumptruck, Television was also comprised of two guitarists and vocalists—Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. Jim explains that other than Television, he has never seen two guitarists work so well together as they did in Dumptruck. A great example of this is Jim’s DIJ pick—“Alive.”
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Show #19 - 04.08.06
Greg's DIJ
 This week Mr. Kot makes a Desert Island Jukebox pick. He chooses “Fever” by Peggy Lee. Fever is a rare example of a white singer covering a song by a black artist and actually bringing something positive to it. “Fever” was originally recorded by Little Willie John. Greg points out that Peggy Lee is the last person you’d imagine covering a testosterone-fueled R&B song like “Fever,” but she certainly was up to the task.
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Show #13 - 02.25.06
Jim's DIJ
 Jim picks a song to add to the Desert Island Jukebox this week. All that talk about Canada got him thinking about one of his favorite bands—Rush. This band might not always get a lot of respect, but Jim believes they gave virtuoso prog rock performances. He chooses not to go with one of Rush’s epic songs, which could take up half a show, and instead picks a track called “Trees.” This song, released on the band’s 1978 album Hemispheres, tells the story of a battle of the wills between maples trees and oak trees. If that doesn’t convince you of the band’s greatness, listen for drummer Neal Peart’s woodblock solo!
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Show #12 - 02.18.06
Greg's DIJ
 Greg’s DIJ selection this week was inspired by his discussion with Professor Lawrence Lessig. Thinking about fair use, free culture and digital copyright law got this rock critic downright nostalgic for the days when great art was using other people’s art. “Eggman” by the Beastie Boys is a perfect example of this. The song was released Paul’s Boutique, the hip hop trio’s follow-up to their successful, albeit frat boy-ish, debut License to Ill. The group linked up with production team The Dust Brothers to create a sonic collage of samples, beats, loops and raps. In “Eggman” alone astute listeners can hear parts of “Superfly,” and “Bring the Noise,” bits of dialogue from “Taxi Driver,” and E.T., as well as the film scores to Jaws and Psycho. Sadly, shortly following the release of Paul’s Boutique, a series of lawsuits made sampling on this level too risky and too cost-prohibitive. Listening to “Eggman” is enough to send a music fan into mourning.
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Show #10 - 02.04.06
Jim's DIJ
 This week Jim gets to choose a Desert Island Jukebox track. He brings the show full circle by choosing a song by another witty British pop group—The Kinks. “David Watts” is a song where Ray Davies sneers at Watts, a member of the English upper-crust. Davies takes the gentleman to task for being too gentle. But, one shouldn’t be too quick to label the songwriter a homophobe, however. His 1970 hit song “Lola” was a loving portrait of a transvestite. Whatever the lyrics are about, “David Watts” is a great sing-along song. And we encourage all the Sound Opinions listeners to do so.
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Show #9 - 01.28.06
Greg's DIJ
 Greg gets to pop a quarter into the Desert Island Jukebox this week, and his choice is Sandy Denny’s cover of “I’ll Keep it With Mine” by fellow folk rocker, Bob Dylan. Greg explains that Denny is best known for her appearance on the Lord of the Rings-inspired Led Zeppelin track “The Battle of Evermore.” That’s a shame, according to Greg. In addition to her work British folk-pop outfit Fairport Convention, Denny composed and performed many great solo songs, including this week’s DIJ.
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Show #8 - 01.21.06
Jim's DIJ
 This week, it’s Jim’s turn to pick a Desert Island Jukebox track. He goes with “Acknowledge” by Chicago punk band Screeching Weasel. For Jim, Screeching Weasel is key to understanding the current pop/punk explosion of bands like Blink 182, Sum 41 and fellow Chicagoans Fall Out Boy. In addition, this band has one of the most highly documented histories in rock. A few years ago Ben “Weasel” Foster put highly autobiographical novel that alludes to his time in the band. Recently, his Weasel partner John Jughead Pierson released his fictional response called Weasels in a Box. Despite their great influence on rock, many people have not heard of the band. One of the reasons for this, Jim notes, is that Foster suffered from agoraphobia, preventing the band from doing a lot of touring. They were highly prolific, however, and recorded almost an album a year for 13 years. “Acknowledge,” was released on Screeching Weasel’s last album before disbanding. In the song, both Weasels sing about agoraphobia and substance abuse, but without losing their punk rock sense of humor or catchy, Ramones-style 3-chord structure. It’s this combination, according to Jim, that makes Screeching Weasel one of the best bands Chicago has ever produced.
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Show #7 - 01.14.06
Greg's DIJ
 This week it is Greg’s turn to choose a song for the Desert Island Jukebox. He goes back to the period during the late 70s and early 80s when rock and dance music merged. This period has been referenced a lot during discussions of contemporary bands like Franz Ferdinand and LCD Soundsystem. For his pick, Greg goes to one of the sources—ESG. This South Bronx group, made up of four sisters, worked with Martin Hannnett, best known as the producer of Joy Division. While not skilled musicians, the Scroggins Sisters had a unique sound that greatly influenced house and post-punk bands. Their track “UFO” is actually one of the most heavily sampled songs in music history. But for his DIJ, Greg chooses to play “Moody,” which is both atmospheric and danceable. Listen for the conga solo by the sisters’ friend Tito.
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Show #6 - 01.07.06
Jim's DIJ
Jim puts the quarter in the Desert Island Jukebox this week. His pick is the Rolling Stone’s track, “2000 Man” off their 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties. Jim chose this song after watching Wes Anderson’s Bottle Rocket, which features it during the climax of the movie. Many people overlook t his album, however, which was made during a hectic time for the Stones. The band was being criticized for appearing like they were trying to imitate their chief competetor. In addition both Brian Jones and Keith Richards were busted for drug possession during the making of the album, which Ian Stewart refers to as “That damn Satanic Majesties.” The Stones fallibility here is what Jim likes though. For him, the album holds up better than later, more well-received records, and “2000 Man” is something he’d love to see live.
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Show #5 - 12.31.05
Greg's DIJ
 Greg Kot’s DIJ selection for this week is “A Woman Needs to be Loved” by Tyrone Davis. Greg notes that three great soul singers died in 2005; Eugene Record, Luther Vandross, and Tyrone Davis, with Tyrone being the most overlooked and versatile of the three. Greg points out that you can hear the resentment and pain in Tyrone's voice, over the knowledge that he was wrong, and this pain, sets this track aside as the standout in his discography.
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Show #3 - 12.17.05
Jim's DIJ
Jim’s Desert Island Jukebox pick for this week is “Mink Coat” by Plasticland. The song is one of many psychedelic tracks found on Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era - 1976-1996. This Rhino compilation is one of many Nuggets installments, the first being the 2 vinyl set compiled by Lenny Kaye in 1972. While there are some gems on the most recent collection, it is pretty much a mess according to Jim, a huge fan of the psychedelic genre. “Mink Dress” is one of the standout tracks. Plasticland was started by Glen Rehse and John Frankovic in Milwaukee in the 80s. Despite their Midwestern roots, Rehse and Frankovic were drawn to the colorful 60s era British Psychedelia . Their song follows in the tradition of “Arnold Layne” by the Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and explores the songwriter’s fascination with women’s clothing—in this case, a mink dress.
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Show #1 - 12.03.05
Greg's DIJ
This week, Greg dropped a quarter in the Desert Island Jukebox, and brought the heavy lumber. His choice, was Gloria Jones's, Tainted Love. That's right, Gloria Jones, not Soft Cell. Soft Cell covered this "Northern Soul" classic, and received loads of cash and airplay, but this version is where it all started. Greg also blew Jim's mind, when he told Jim that Gloria was the wife of Marc Bolan, of T-Rex fame. Bolan died in a car crash, and Gloria was the driver in the car.
Greg Kot's Desert Island Jukebox pick: Tainted Love by Gloria Jones
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