Song of the Week #101

Australia is in the grip of election fever! Well not really. The truth is that the gap between the two major parties is so slim that it is hard to tell the red from the blue. Really the only thing that I have found of any interest is the “Family First Party” (conservative Christian) calling up the “Sex Party” (you can work that out) in an attempt to do a preferences deal. I can’t imagine these two parties are anything other than the complete opposite of each other!

Personally I am totally disgusted at the amount of time a lot of the media and some of the politicians are spending on the private lives of the two leaders. For me, I would much rather we had a leader capable of the job and with some credibility rather than spending time worrying about whether they are married or not or if they have religion. Get a grip.

Here’s a tune from a few years back. And a local Canberra band to boot. The Falling Joys were indie pop darlings I guess back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Great voice, great song. If you liked The Clouds or Frente then this might float your boat.

The Falling Joys – Jennifer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNGzjZC8dxQ

Quite a few songs have been totally murdered as cover versions. This is one of them. The original is so much better than the other couple I have heard recently.

Cyndi Lauper – True Colors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK2RwFEegms

Now, in 1994 I bought the album that this next song was on as a result of just hearing the single. Huge mistake. This is a fantastic song with so much going for it. The rest of the CD was dull in my opinion and that is me being generous.

Dave Graney & The Coral Snakes – I’m Gonna Release Your Soul: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJG6LtwgNZk

A few years later I saw Dave as the support act for Billy Bragg here in Canberra. He spent so much time trying to look cool (and failing) that he put most of the crowd to sleep. He’s probably got a good fan base but seriously I am not sure why.

Time for a quick word from the Godfather of Soul….ladies and gentlemen, Mr JAMES BROWN!!

James Brown – Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0Lc8dGnv00

Check out those moves, that is totally awesome!

This week marks 30 years since the biggest rock album ever was released. AC/DC’s “Back in Black” was a tribute to dead singer Bon Scott. Almost 50 million copies have been sold and the only album with more is Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. Incidentally, “Thriller” has sold more than double the amount of “Back in Black”. Wow. And I don’t have a copy (of “Thriller” that is)!! I was hoping that AC/DC might release a special commemorative edition with some studio outtakes or demo versions but no. All there is available is a pack with a t-shirt, the CD and a beer glass. Whoopee. I am totally underwhelmed.

I like this next song for a couple of reasons. First of all, the way the lyrics are sung have an insistence that sounds cool to me. Also, I was a BIG radio fan when I was younger. I would stay up at night searching for different stations from interstate and overseas. I can’t wait until we finally get digital radio in the nation’s capital and there is hopefully something worth listening to!

The Sports – Who Listens To The Radio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xISHXN2X7vs

Time for a comedy spot. This is from Irish comedian Jimeoin. I always loved the escalator gag. Small things amuse small minds! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rv_AVExcis

But I think I’ll finish off this week the way I started, with some indie pop. This is Liz Phair from 1994. Quite often her poppy music and voice belie the lyrical content. Sorry, she would drop the “f” word at about 1:26 but the censors got to her! Also, check out the HUGE line of guitar pedals in the clip!

Liz Phair – Supernova: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM60GAPIXTY

Avagreatweegend!

DJ Rob