The Last 10 CDs We've Listened To: The Cars to Cold War Kids

Before we get this entry underway, we want to express our condolences to the families of Alison Parker of Martinsville, Va., and Adam Ward of Salem, Va. The reporter-video photographer team was murdered while on assignment for WDBJ-7 (CBS, Roanoke, Va.) in the Smith Mountain Lake town of Moneta, Va. Parker was 24; Ward was 27.

Roanoke is our hometown, and the area is still in mourning five days after the shooting incident which occurred at 6:45 a.m. The assailant lead state police on a wild chase which ended with his suicide en route from Front Royal, Va., to the Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC, on I-66, some four hours north of the scene of the homicides.

Kimberly McBroom, the morning anchor when the shooting occurred,  stayed on-air to report breaking news updates throughout the day. Nadia Singh anchored the weekend morning show which Parker had anchored. And, former "Roanoke Times" journalist and book author Beth Macy wrote a heratfelt piece in "The New York Times" about the community's devastation.

Now, here is our top ten Last Ten CDs We've Listened To list, which includes some hip bands from this decade, such as Cold War Kids (we are using the center image of Misha the Bear in their honor), who will perform in Houston, Tex., Sept. 12th, and Fitz and the Tantrums who will perform Sept. 4th and 5th in Aspen, Colo.

The list also includes some older bands including INXS (pict. top), Talking Heads, and The Cars (we use the Jaguar car, pict. bottom, for them) as well as New Order!

Here is the list:

1. Fitz and The Tantrums, Pickin' Up the Pieces, 2010

2. INXS, Kick, 1987

3. Cold War Kids, Loyalty to Loyalty, 2008

4. Talking Heads, Speaking in Tongues, 1983

5. The Cars, Candy O, 1979

6. Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks, 1974

7. Josh Ritter, The Animal Years, 2006

8. Weezer, Make Believe, 2005

9. Peter, Bjorn and John, Gimme Some, 2011

10. New Order, Republic, 1993

http://www.wdbj7.com

http://www.fitzandthetantrums.com

http://www.coldwarkids.com 

Ten Songs Heard on Steve-FM; Roanoke, Va: Today's Tom Sawyer

Here are ten songs we heard in consecutive order from the 7:00-8:00 p.m. hour on Steve-FM (106.1-Roanoke,Va.); most of the songs were from the 1980s, including "Tom Sawyer" from Rush, which was NOT a top 40 hit and became popular mainly through MTV (back in the day), "If You Leave..." a hip new wave ballad from OMD for the Molly Ringwald film "Pretty in Pink," and "Need You Tonight" from INXS.

Also from the '80s, we heard Talking Heads' "And She Was," which was a cool pleasant surprise.

The image of the yesteryear boxing bout is in reference to Christina Aguilera's "Fighter," a 2003 hit that we were completely oblivious to when it came out!

Here is the list:

1. "Tom Sawyer," Rush. 1981.

2. "If You Leave....," OMD, 1989

3. "Long Run," The Eagles, 1979

4. "Need You Tonight," INXS, 1987

5. "Fighter," Christina Aguilera, 2003.

6. "And She Was," Talking Heads, 1985.

7. "The Joker," Steve Miller Band, 1973.

8. "Honey, I'm Good," Andy Grammer, 2014.

9. "Funky Cold Medina," Tone Loc, 1989.

10. "When I Come Around," Green Day. 1995.

http://www.1061stevefm.com

http://www.rush.com

http://www.inxsonline.com

http://www.greenday.com

The Last Ten CDs We've Listened To: Nothing Goes Together Like Rush and The Go-Gos

For those of you in France, the land of Lucky Luke (who is called Red Kit in Turkish) and Asterix, we want to take a moment to remember the 17 people who senselessly lost their lives this week in various terrorist attacks across Paris, including the ten who were killed at Charlie Hebdo headquarters. Je Suis Charlie. Je Suis Ahmed. Of course, we are now realizing that using an image of a Volkswagen Beetle, a German car, instead of an image for a Fiat is perhaps a bad idea.

The images are of 1) the Canadian rock band Rush, 2) a postcard from Ocean City, Maryland, for the Go-Gos' album "Vacation," and 3) the VW bug for the band The Cars.

Here are the last ten cds we've listened to:

1. Interpol. Antics. 2004.

2. Rush. Signals. 1982.

3. The Go-Gos. Vacation. 1982.

4. Talking Heads. Remain in Light. 1980.

5. The Pretenders. Learning to Crawl. 1982.

6. The Cars. Candy-O. 1979.

7. The Rolling Stones. Let It Bleed. 1969.

8. Peter Gabriel. Us. 1992.

9. Frank Zappa. Waka/Jawaka. 1972.

10. Blur. 13. 1999.

http://www.gogos.com/

http://www.talking-heads.nl/

http://petergabriel.com/latest/

Last Ten CDs We've Listened To: Folk, Indy and Jazz

Greetings to our blog readers in Ireland, Uruguay and South Africa.

Here are the last ten compact discs we've listened. Yes, we have based this on our regular Last Ten Films We've Seen series, an idea we got from "Film Comment" magazine, as they frequently ask movie directors, such as Quentin Tarantino or Sofia Coppola, what are the last ten films they have watched.

Here's is our list; Bruce Piephoff, a Greensboro, NC, singer featured on this list, is a good friend of our's, alas, we have never met David Bowie. The top image is of the late rock singer Alex Chilton, a song about him was on The Replacements' cd "Pleased to Meet Me" (1987) and the bottom image is of folk singer Sufjan Stevens:

1) Bruce Piephoff. Soft Soap Purrings. 2014. Folk

2) The Replacements. Pleased To Meet Me. 1987. Indy

3) David Bowie. Hunky Dory. 1971.Rock

4) Steely Dan. Countdown to Ecstasy.1973. Rock

5) Pink Floyd. Animals. 1977. Rock

6) Sufjan Stevens. Illinoise, 2005. Indy/folk (the recording features a ballad about a notorious serial killer!)

7) Superchunk. On the Mouth. 1992.Indy/punk

8) Talking Heads. Face the Music. 1979. New Wave/rock/punk

9) The Police. Regatta de Blanc. 1979. New Wave/rock/punk

10) Pat Metheny Group. Letter from Home. 1989.  Jazz.

http://www.reverbnation.com/brucepiephof

http://thereplacementsofficial.com/pages/home

http://www.davidbowie.com

http://sufjan.com/

http://www.superchunk.com/

Casualties of Modern Technology (12 of 12)_ Mixed Tapes

 

The hard part for this particular entry, as in quite often the case, was finding the right image to hotlink; this one does seem to illustrate what audio cassettes looked like for those who were born after Foo Fighters were formed (in 1994, for those of you lost track of music after The Ramones).

According to Wikipedia, a mix taped or mixed tape is a compilation of songs recorded on an audio cassette which reflect the often eclectic tapes of the person doing the recording of the tape. 

Mixed tapes were the subject of "Rolling Stone" writer Rob Sheffield's touching, excellently written memoir "Love in a Mixed Tape" where he talks about how mutual love in music help him meet the love of his life while he was residing in Charlottesville, Va. Sheffiled's memoir has this great line, which all of us of his generation (I am four years younger than Sheffiled myself) can relate to: "According to the great Western philosopher Pat Benatar, love is a battlefield."

 For me, personally, as of today, my 'perfect mixed tape side,' presuming I get one of those 90-minute tapes as opposed to the dreaded 60-minute tapes would include these songs: 1) "Kiss Me on the Bus" by The Replacements (1985)  2:48;  "Redneck Friend" by Jackson Browne (1973) 3:56; "Shake It Up" by The Cars (1981) 3:32; "Distant Early Warning"by Rush (1984) 4:56; "Simarik/Spolied" by Tarkan (1997) 3:10; "I Remember Asheville" by Bruce Piephoff (2007) 4:56; "The Harder They Come" bu Jimmy Cliff (1972) 3:45; "Station to Station" by David Bowie 10:56; "Hello Darlin" by Conway Twitty (1970) 2:56; "Take Me to the River" by Talking Heads (1978) 5:00.

Tarkan is a Turkish pop singer. Bruce Piephoff is an acclaimed singer/song-writer from Greensboro. For the rest of the bands and artists, go to bing.com; Wow! This was way too much work for one entry.

From the Record Collection (5 of 8)_ U2 "The Unforgettable Fire"

Since we are discussing U2's album "The Unforgettable Fire" (1984) today, we send out special greetings to everyone in Dublin, Ireland, where the band originally formed in 1976 when lead singer Bono was just 16 years old. The band's first album "Boy" (1980) was released four years later.

This record is my personal favorite from U2, though fans of the band said on Twitter that the recently re-released "Achtung Baby" (1991) was the best album from the band. For many years, that distinction also belonged to U2's major commercial break-through record "The Joshua Tree" (1987).

But, for me, the fourth studio album from U2 will also be the most special one. It was released in October of 1984, which is a bit ironic because U2's second record (released in 1981) was called "October."

With a running time of 42:38, "The Unforgettable Fire" refers to an art exhibit about the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, on Aug. 6, 1945.

There are two songs dedicated to African-American Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., including the landmark song "Pride (in the Name of Love" and "MLK."

The record was produced by Brian Eno, who is also known for producing many exceptional Talking Heads records, and Daniel Lanois, who worked with Peter Gabriel. In more recent years, Lanois has also worked with Willie Nelson, Neil Young and Bob Dylan.

"The Unforgettable Fire," which also includes my personal favorite U2 song "A Sort of Homecoming" a song about the contradiction between rock and roll and spiritual life, was partially recorded at Shane Castle in Ireland, and footage of the album's recording is included in the video for "Pride (in the Name of Love)."

The title track, which was the record's second single, features a stirring use of a guitar solo from The Edge.

In a recent documentary about U2's recording of "Achtung Baby," it was revealed that for that album's popular song "One" that The Edge came up with music for the song first and then Bono figured out some lyrics that would match it.

The band is widely considered to be the most prolific active band behind The Rolling Stones, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a band this year. But, unlike The Rolling Stones, U2 has maintained its lineup which also includes Adam Clayton (bass) and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums) since the band was founded.

From the Record Collection- (4 of 8) "More Songs..." by Talking Heads

It is a busy night for sports and politics here in the United States, as Virginia Tech and the University of Michigan, my late father's two alma maters are playing in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Meanwhile, Republicans are holding the Iowa Causes. NPR and "USA Today" have both projected that Mitt Romney has the leading going into tonight.

But, even at busy times like these, it feels like there are few things better than listening to old, vintage vinyl records. And, amongst the ones I have, few of them are played as often as "More Songs About Buildings and Food," the second studio album by Talking Heads which was released in 1978.

The album, which runs 41:32, includes the single "Take Me to the River," which is a cover of a version that rhythm and blues singer Al Green released in the early '70s. Other great songs on "More Songs..." include "Thank You for Sending Me an Angel" and the catchy tune "The Girls Just Want to be With the Girls."

"More Songs..." marked the first of three collaborations between Talking Heads and legendary producer Brian Eno, who has also worked with David Bowie and U2. The album got critical praise, but it didn't sell well upon initial release.

But, "Take Me to the River" made it to number 26 on the charts, and strangely enough it lead to Talking Heads appearing on "American Bandstand." Given that the band is an artsy New Wave punk band, one might sooner expect to see Toby Keith on "Austin City Limits" today.

The band consisted of lead singer David Byrne, who also designed the amazing art work on the album's cover which consists of many tiny Polaroid photos, drummer Chris Frantz, his wife and bass player Tina Weymouth and keyboardist/guitar player Jerry Harrison, who has since become a successful music producer since the band's split in 1991.

Perhaps If You're in the Area and Have Time

I must profess that I envy not only people in the Washignton, DC, metro area, which is relatively close to my zip code, but folks in the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, NC) area. There seems to be an unholy amount of things to do there and each of those three zip codes in themsevles has more happening than most places in North Carolina, with some major exceptions.

On Wednesday night at the Regulator Bookstore in Durham, author Gary Shyteyngart, who is still not quite 40 (I am two years older than him, and I just turned 41 recently), will speak at 7:00 p.m. Amazingly enough, I forgot to put the author of the awesome novel "Absurdistan" on the long, difficult names list we posted last week. But, hopefully, I will remember Gary, who was born in Russia but now lives somewhere in America (I think it's San Francisco), when I hope to post a similar list later this month.

That same night in Chapel Hill, the Nashville, Tenn-band Same As It Ever Was, which is a group that covers Talking Heads songs (the original band from the late '70s and '80s is pictured here), will perform at 9:00 p.m. at Local 506. I wonder if they will sing "Television Man," an obscure, but awesome song from "Little Creatures," one of my favorite Talking Heads records.

And, lastly, on Saturday, May 7, which is Free Comic Book Day, Chapel Hill Comics, which is in (you guessed it!) Chapel Hill, will offer free sketch drawings from Thomas Boatwright, a comic book artist based in North Carolina, who is known for his comic book series "Cemetery Blues." Boatwright will be at Chapel Hill Comics from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

There are actually even more things going on in that area than we can list here. If you live or are a new resident of that area, I strongly recommend picking up a copy of the alternative newspaper "Independent Weekly" so you will be hip to what's going on in the Triangle area.

The Last 10 CDs I've Listened To

Here are the last ten cds I've listened starting with Turkish pop diva Sezen Aksu's "Bahane." Aksu (pictured) was the subject of an NPR features piece entitled "The Voice of Istanbul," which aired last week on April 12. I happened to actually catch it before my sister in Nepal* told me about it.

Bruce Piephoff is a Greensboro, NC, folk singer and poet who performs in North Carolina regularly, and I caught him at the Grove Winery over the weekend. My favorite song of his is "I Remember Asheville." It is not actually on the cd from him that I listened to, but you can hear it on his web site: www.brucepiephoff.com

Sonic Youth was a punk band from my the eighties and nineties that are miracolously still around and relesing albums.

Tarkan is Turkey's other pop-singing superstar. (Well, there is also Mustafa Sandal, but I'm really not a fan of his music!).

The Clash cd I listened to "Super Black Market Clash" is really a compilation of the bands songs from 1977-82. The band only released five or six records, but the NPR show "Sound Opinions" recently profiled the band's "London Calling" record which has been considered a rock classic.

The Replacements were a rock band from the eighties which was deeply inspired by the recently-deceased Alex Chilton.

I imagine everyone is probably familiar with the rest of the bands on this list, which includes Talking Heads, Guns N Roses, The Cure and Rush. If not, perhaps we are on the brink of societal collapse as the late Joe Strummer (lead singer of The Clash) once suggested........more or less!


1. Sezen Aksu "Bahane" (2003)
2. Bruce Piephoff "Fools Get Away with the Impossible" (2006)
3. Sonic Youth "Goo" (1990)
4. Rush "Grace Under Pressure" (1984)
5. Tarkan "Karma" (2001)
6. The Cure "Disintegration" (1989)
7. The Replacements "Don't Tell a Soul" (1989)
8. Guns N Roses "The Spaghetti Incident" (1993)
9. The Clash "Super Black Market Clash" (1993)
10. Talking Heads "More Songs About Buildings and Food" (1978)