Rock Hard Times: DJ's Required Listening

Today In Rock History

April 25th . . . 1918 - Legendary jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald is born in Newport News, VA . . . 1923 - Blues guitarist Albert King is born . . . 1933 - Jerry Leiber is born in Baltimore. With Mike Stoller, he’s written witty rock hits like “Yakety Yak” and “Jailhouse Rock” . . . 1945 - Bjorn Ulvaeus of Abba is born in Gothenburg, Sweden . . . 1945 - Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival) is born this day . . . 1950 - Steve Ferrone, drummer with the Average White Band and Eric Clapton, is born in Brighton, England . . . 1956 - Elvis Presley reaches top of US chart with Heartbreak Hotel, his first No. 1 . . . 1961 - Elvis Presley makes his last stage appearance for nearly eight years at Bloch Arena in Hawaii . . . 1964 - The Beatles have an amazing 14 singles on the American chart . . . 1967 - The Beatles perform “All You Need Is Love” during a global satellite broadcast . . . 1974 - Jim Morrison’s widow, Pam, dies in Hollywood at the age of 27. Police suspect heroin use may have played a part in her death . . . 1977 - Elvis Presley makes his last-known recordings during a live concert at the Saginaw (Mich.) Civic Center . . . 1981 - Wings break up after Denny Laine leaves the band. Paul McCartney says he will carry on as a solo artist . . . 1987 - Crowded House had their biggest U.S. hit when “Don’t Dream It’s Over” peaked at #2; U2 replace Beastie Boys at top of US LP chart with The Joshua Tree . . . 1990 - The Fender Stratocaster on which Jimi Hendrix played “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock sells at a London auction for $295,000 . . . 1994 - The Eagles played the first of two shows where they recorded their ‘Hell Freezes Over’ album . . . 1994 - A judge sentences Beastie Boy Adam Horowitz to 200 hours’ community service after he beats up a TV cameraman during River Phoenix’s funeral . . . 1994 - A judge determines that Michael Bolton’s “Love Is a Wonderful Thing” sounds a little too similar to the Isley Brothers’ “Love Is a Wonderful Thing.” Ya think? . . . 1997 - Warren Haynes and Allen Woody quit the Allman Brothers Band to tend to their careers as Gov’t Mule . . . 1999 - Funk star Roger Troutman, 47, dies in a hospital in Dayton, Ohio, after being shot several times . . . 2000 - Eric Clapton is reunited on a TV stage in London with his former Derek & the Dominos keyboard player Bobby Whitlock, for their first performance together in 29 years . . . 2002 - Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, the effervescent, sometimes volatile rapping member of the Grammy-winning R&B trio TLC, is killed in a car crash in Honduras . . . 2003 - The late jazz great Nina Simone is laid to rest in Carry-Le-Rouet, France . . . 2004 - Piano man Billy Joel drives his car into a house in Long Island. Nobody is seriously injured. It’s his third car crash in two years . . . 2007 - American singer Bobby “Boris” Pickett died of leukemia at the age of 69. He scored the Halloween anthem ‘The Monster Mash’ in 1962 . . .

Sunday, March 15, 2009

DJ's Required Listening - Kim Deal

So last night I took my boys out for ice cream (actually it cost me 2 dips of Superman to get out of a birthday reception early) and while driving wondered what I'd post on today. As luck would have it as we strolled into the ice cream joint we ran into Goose, one of RHT's BFFs. Didn't talk long, but Goose did get out some what I perceived as "pent up" frustration by chastising this site for allowing Michael Jackson to win the Best Artist of the '80's poll, and not promoting the likes of The Replacements or Pixies. I could not disagree, mainly because I respect Goose & he knows his shit. I did hear a little "ding" go off in my head (or was that the bell on the ice cream shop door?) but I thought "Pixies it is this week folks."

Now, I really like Pixies. Very much so - "Gouge Away" might be one of the best songs ever in terms of just giving me cold chills & an adrenaline rush. Hell, Pixies were a 120 Minutes staple on MTV back in the day, and they've been credited by Kurt Cobain himself as an influence, and that's enough for me. But I thought later, "what is it you like so much about them?" The answer is two words: Kim Deal. Don't get me wrong, I like Black Francis too, but I find myself craning to hear Deal the most in any Pixies song, and revel any time she sings lead. Don't know what it is, I mean she's not unattractive but not a beauty queen either. She's just got this dead-pan delivery that's sexy as hell & cuts to the bone. You can tell she's got an intellect & a biting wit, plus you can tell she's rolling her eyes at you while cooing in your ear. As a result, you can only imagine my delight when Kim partnered with her sister Kelley in The Breeders during Pixies long sabbatical. Two Deals for the price of one - what a bargain! I think her contributions to alternative music are equal to those of Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, and paved the way for females in the alternative genre. Hell, you ain't got a band unless you got a sexy female bassist (ask Smashing Pumpkins & Silversun Pickups)! Lisa Loeb owes everything to Kim Deal as a vocalist. Therefore, without further adieu...Kettering, Ohio's finest...Kim Deal (check this out! ha ha)

1. "Gigantic" from Pixies' Surfer Rosa (1988). Deal's first lead vocal performance. OK, it's a song about a sexual encounter with a rather large, eh-hmm, black gentleman. So what? It's Kim Freaking Deal!

2. "Here Comes Your Man" from Pixes' Doolittle (1989). Only one phrase in this song for Deal, plus backing vocals. "So long, so long..." never sounded so nice, so nice. Also, what a smart-ass video!

3. "Cannonball" from The Breeders breakthrough Last Splash (1993). Kim & Kelley Deal take over the world! Well, maybe for a few months...but I still absolutely LOVE this song! Video also directed by the aforementioned icon, Kim Gordon.

4. "New Year" from The Breeders Last Splash (1993). Great song...not for the vocals just the tempo. Kicks off the Last Splash album in a big way...

5. "Doe" from The Breeders Pod (1990). This album heavily influenced Cobain - Deal's first collection of songs out on her own.

6. "Safari" from The Breeders Safari (1992). Notable in that this was The Deal sisters first recording together.