Songs about...the radio

Listening to Sirius in my wife's care this evening got me thinking about the radio, how it's changed over the years and all the songs written about it. Here's a sampling of some of them. I'm sure there are a few great ones I missed.

The Selecter - "On My Radio" : The Selecter are a bit of a forgotten band from the second wave of ska, but this quirky track that I first heard on the This Are Two Tone comp is distinctively different from its peers.



Joe Jackson - "On Your Radio" : I'm the Man is perhaps Joe Jackson's most biting record of his new wave period and no song is more indicative of that than this.



The Clash - "This is Radio Clash" : I still need to get a copy of this 12". It's not their best work, but it still contains many of the elements of their greatness: politics, passion and a desire to push beyond the limits of punk without abandoning it.



Elvis Costello - "Radio Radio" : This is the one he wasn't supposed to play on SNL, but did anyway. It's a scathing attack on the bad guys.



Down By Law - "Nothing Good on the Radio" : It's a shame I could only find the live version, because the lyrics have some funny jabs at 90s pop/rock radio.

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The Ramones - "Do You Remember Rock n Roll Radio?" : The radio had more allure when I was a kid, but I really don't remember a time when it was really cool. Even though the answer for me is "no," I still love this tune.



Queen - "Radio Ga Ga" : In 1984, I didn't understand what was afoot in radio. This song was the first intimation that things were going sour.



The Blasters - "Border Radio" : I guess you have to live near the Mexican border to really get this one. Of course, Wall of Voodoo also wrote about border blasters and that one connects with me.



Wall of Voodoo = "Mexican Radio" : While I don't totally get it first hand, the imagery here is strong enough here that I understand and enjoy the song.



The Buggles - "Video Killed the Radio Star" : While I grew up in the music video generation (and still enjoy watching them), I think there's a lot of truth to this. Music has always been about image, but music videos amplified that terribly.



The Clash - "Capitol Radio" : Another great tune form the only band that matters.



Public Enemy - "How to Kill a Radio Consultant" : I bet a lot of people had wondered about this by the time it came out in 1991.



REM - "Radio Free Europe" : Does this have anything to do with the pro-democracy broadcasting aimed at Eastern Europe in the post-WWII world or did Michael Stipe just think it was a cool title?



Roger Waters - "Radio Waves" : This comes from Radio KAOS, Waters' concept album which features the voice of FM radio legend Jim Ladd.



The Ravyns - "Raised on the Radio" : While most best remember this from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the Ravyns were kind of a big band...for Baltimore. C'mon, the only other national acts we had were Kix and Crack the Sky. The Ravyns don't seem too bad now, huh?



Rush - "Spirit of Radio" : The lines they grabbed and twisted from Simon & Garfunkel are among the best on the subject.



Autograph - "Turn Up the Radio": Things go better with rock. Well, maybe so, but nothing goes well with this clichéd piece of AOR crap. Nonetheless, I was 13 in 1984 and I loved it. Today, I recognize that "turn off the radio" would be better advice if this comes on.

Video: Gaslight Anthem - Come Together

"Come Together" has always been one of the few Beatles' songs that just never connected with me, but Gaslight Anthem do a cool, stripped-down version. Check it out.

Video: Boh Runga - Be Careful

Review: Flying Machines

Label: Meteor 17

Released: September 22, 2009

Flying Machines recently won Converse's "Get Out of the Garage" nationwide battle of the bands contest. Their music has been featured on TV's Psych. They're a band on the way up. So, what's the hype? Well, their guitar driven pop rock (a la the Killers) fits in nicely with the current mood of the mass consumer music market. The well-crafted songs have solid hooks, yet don't get overwhelmed by their own catchiness. Sound good? Well, don't jump in too soon.

They churn out some solid arena rock on "Talk About It" and driving guitar pop on "I Can't Stop." Hints of ELO-slick Beatlemania haunt "On a Whim," while "I Don't Remember Why" is piano-less Elton John in its best moments (and Phil Collins-ish in its worst). When Flying Machines works Queen into the mix, it seems like things are taking a turn for the better...until it becomes clear that their Queen lacks the flamboyance and intense creativity of the original. "Gina Don't Call Me" does take off in places, boding well for there being a better band lurking under these thinly veiled stabs at commercial success, but their heads quickly wrest control of the album back from their hearts. The Queen-meets-power-pop finish on "Hopelessly Alone" and "Clearing the Boards" is almost catchy enough for willful suspension of disbelief to finally kick in, but it's too little, too late. Every song is technically very good, but poking holes in their paper-thin veneer isn't all that difficult.

Flying Machines' first offering dots all of its i's and crosses all of its t's. Every box on the checklist is checked off. What they don't realize though is that the things that make a great rock record aren't on any checklist and it's those things that are missing. Identity, intensity, soul. There's no formula for that and, thus far, Flying Machines hasn't found it on their own. They're okay as a short term fix, but, like their older peers, they won't take long to wear thin.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 4/10
Overall: 5/10

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Review: Ace Frehley - Anomaly

Label: Bronx Born Records

Released: September 15, 2009

Anomaly is the latest release from Ace Frehley, but it's also a good description of Space Ace himself in a sense. After all, he's the only member of Kiss to make any good records on his own. So, score one for Ace. On the other hand, it's been 20 years since he's released a studio album. A long layoff from recording alone raises questions, so it's hard to predict what we'll get.

Early on, the album is a much heavier hard rock offering than I expected. If anything, Ace has developed a chunkier, meatier and somewhat darker sound over the last two decades. It's not until his cover of Sweet's pop-glam classic, "Fox on the Run," that things lighten up a bit. At that point the album becomes a bit of a mixed bag. "Genghis Khan" dabbles in mild trippiness with some success. At the same time, the well-meaning "Change the World" is lyrically and musically inarticulate (even by the standards of Kiss alumni). The instumental "Space Bear" has some solid parts that would have worked well in regular songs, but is inconsistent at best on its own. Even so, there are enough songs here like "Foxy & Free," "Pain in the Neck" and "Sister" that mix a heavier approach with the glammy swagger that always influenced Ace's playing. Heavy-handed production does rob the guitar of some of that sound that always made Ace fun to hear even though he wasn't techincally a great guitar player, but it's not entirely absent.

As it stands, the album is better than expected (and better than his former band mates' latest). There's enough solid hard rock here to satisfy fans, but probably not enough songwriting to win over anyone new. At this point though, I doubt expanding his fan base was at the front of his mind anyway. The lyrical references in "Outer Space" make it quite clear that he's in no mood to break with his past. It's not a great offering, but also doesn't leave the door open for any current or former Kiss members to usurp him as that band's best solo artist. To be fair, Ace plays with some heart in a genre that is often sorely short of it and, in the end, delivers well on his past promise.

On rare occasions, CD packaging is actually pretty cool. This is one of them. While I would never steer anyone away from buying vinyl, I will say that the pyramid foldout on the CD is very cool and packaging does matter. It isn't a substitute for crappy tunes, but here it doesn't have to be, because the album wouldn't disappoint Ace's fans even if it came in a jewel case.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 5/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 6/10

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Review: Girl in a Coma - Trio BC

Label: Blackheart Records

Released: June 2, 2009

Coming two years after their promising debut, Trio BC shows a young band that has done some significant maturing as musicians. The album maintains their early punkish edge, but expands the sound well beyond that. Nina Diaz elevates herself to a rough-around-the-edges Patsy Cline, particularly on the yearning, tender melancholy of "El Monte." They dabble a bit in T Rex's glammy boogie on "Slaughter Lane" before moving into more straightforward punk. "Joanie in the City" dips deep into the well of the Buzzcocks and the Jam so successfully that vocal help from Joan Jett herself doesn't overpower the band's sound. They even find interesting common ground between the Shangri-Las and the Smashing Pumpkins on "Trail". All of this is mixed with explorations of their own Mexican-American background that will surely draw comparisons to Los Lobos and the Plugz. But don't be fooled, because GIAC are paving their own road to the destinations previously visited by those bands.

The end result is a very good, comprehensive rock n roll album that draws from many things, but maintains a strong identity. It stems from growth in both songwriting and musicianship that doesn't compromise on the heart and soul that is the basis of the band. Girl in a Coma has adapted well to this musical growth, making Trio BC a sophomore album that's really good in the moment and also leaves open great possibilities for the future.

It's probably best to pick this one up on LP, because it'll be easier for the tattoo artist to copy it onto your body after you spend some time listening. Seriously though, the tattoo style artwork looks great on the 12" LP.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

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GIAC has also made two really cool videos from this album, so check 'em out:





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Review: Rapid Cities - Machinery Saints

Label: Love/Hate Records

Released: May 2009

In some cases, albums where a band knows exactly where they're going and how they'll get there deliver a level of perfection that earlier albums hadn't. However, there is an urgency that blossoms from the creative free-for-all of a band finding their way as they go. There's a visceral energy that perfection just can't achieve. Rapid Cities may not be conscious of this fact, simply because they're in the thick of it.

Machinery Saints flows with the wild abandon of creativity that can't be restrained. They travel the roads of post-hardcore without regard for safety, attacking the sharp angles and starts and stops and stutters with more rage than plan. Oddly enough though, they remained focused, probably by sheer inertia, and their creativity delivers even as it evolves. While there is more than a hint of math rock throughout the album, the band does their math in their heart, not just their head. Feeling their way rather than planning it doesn't dispel their confidence, but rather bolsters it by simple force of will. Amazing.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 9/10
Overall: 8/10

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Review: The Slits - Trapped Animal

Label: Narnack Records

Released: October 20, 2009

Trapped Animal is the first studio album from the Slits since 1981 and comes 30 years after the seminal punk/reggae fusion of their debut, 1979's Cut. The passage of time and only returning with two-thirds of the band's core (Ari Up and Tessa Pollitt) certainly give reason to be skeptical of a new album in 2009.

Even going in with doubts, the new album quickly establishes a winning presence. It retains the Slits' natural mix of punk and reggae, but this time the former is a bit more angular and the latter closer to dub, giving things a tighter, more agitated energy. Occasional electro-pop and R&B infusions expand the album beyond the earlier albums' limitations, few as they seemed to be at the time, yet Trapped Animal is possibly their most cohesive record. Most importantly though, the Slits maintain the straightforward lyrical honesty that has always made their songs easy to hold onto.

Worst case scenario would surely have been to simply go through the motions of rehashing their past. Not much better would have been to completely overhaul their sound, producing something that, while new, had little connection to their own roots. What the Slits have produced, however, is an album that shows that they hadn't reached the end of the road when they broke up in 1982. In fact, Trapped Animal is very much on par with the now-acclaimed Cut and one of the best reunion albums I've heard.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

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Video: Pictures of Then - Wicked Sea

Check out this creepy coolness from Pictures of Then: