Weekend Plans
With the only thing to do this weekend being watching the NHL All-Star Game events, I decided to fill my time by watching musical documentaries. Here’s my list so far (all on Netflix Instant, btw):
- PJ20
- No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
- Rolling Stones Stones in Exile
- The White Stripes Under Northern Lights (on my DVR)
- Iron Maiden Flight 666 (on my DVR)
Your job, as my loyal followers, is the following:
- Support and confirm my choices
- Tell me one of my choices is awful and keep me from wasting my time
- Suggest other music documentaries/concert films I might like
Thanks.
“Crazy Hazy Kisses” by Flat Duo Jets from Athens, GA: Inside, Out
I just finished watching the music documentary Athens, GA: Inside Out from 1987 and rather enjoyed it (it’s on Netflix Instant View if you’re interested). While it was clearly a low budget film, what else would you expect from a film about one of the most seminal and influential regions in terms of indie music? Some thoughts while watching:
- I really enjoyed seeing how Athens was portrayed as an artistic community. This was achieved by showing poets, painters, a musical reverend, and even a Master of BBQ. As one of the performers referred to the music of Athens as primarily “art music,” I found this to be quite appropriate.
- It was interesting to see the B52’s and R.E.M. treated as “big rock stars” even though neither band had reached the height of their popularity or success. (For context, the B52’s released Cosmic Thing in 1989 which spawned their biggest hits “Love Shack” and “Roam” while R.E.M. was still four years from their breakthrough album Out of Time with the single “Losing My Religion.” Up until that point, the people who knew of them still saw them mainly as the band who took an ambivalent stance toward the end of the world and apparently really liked Leonard Bernstein.)
- There was a common recognition among the bands interviewed that much of the success of the bands was because of the fans who came out and supported the bands and therefore made it possible for the bands to make a living. The overall feeling was that the community was supportive of the bands not necessarily because they liked the music, but rather because they were doing something interesting and creative.
“Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground” by The White Stripes
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
“20th Century Boy” by T. Rex
(Words/Music: Marc Bolan, 7” single, EMI Records 1973)
Last week when I wrote about Them Crooked Vultures, I described the guitar sound as “an unholy guitar union of T. Rex and Black Sabbath.” Specifically, the larger-than-life guitar sound and simple riffs on “20th Century Boy” were exactly what I was talking about. The massive guitar that Marc Bolan achieves on this song set the standard for all other 70s glam bands and many of the heavy metal bands to follow, and the musical blend of hand claps, exuberant background vocals, and an aggressive drumming to compliment the enormous guitar sound would eventually influence bands like Primal Scream, The White Stripes, and The Stone Roses. And that mix makes it more understandable why I was first introduced to T. Rex by a drummer in high school and not a guitarist.
When Bolan changed the band name from Tyrannosaurus Rex to T. Rex, he also changed the musical direction of the band. Gone were the hippie acoustic ballads about mythological creatures and adventures and in were songs guided by a more primal and less intellectual force. What Bolan created around the guitar makes the guitar stand out even more than it normally would. Bolan’s prowess is featured in other songs like “Jeepster” and “Bang a Gong (Get It On)” but this song shows that he can orchestrate every aspect of a production and play just the right riffs for the effect he wants. It takes a great talent to play difficult guitar pieces but it takes a great musical mind to know when to limit yourself for the good of the song.
More T. Rex: AmazonMP3 – last.fm – AllMusic – eMusic
Previous Saturday Shred posts from shelterfromthenorm
