Hair Band Friday - 8/30/19

1.  "Life Sentence" by Junkyard


2.  "When You Close Your Eyes" by Night Ranger


3.  "Gambler" by Whitesnake


4.  "Nobody's Fool" by Cinderella


5.  "Dirty Woman" by White Lion


6.  "Jet City Woman" by Queensrÿche


7.  "It's Not Love" by Dokken


8.  "Don't Wanna Let You Go" by Quiet Riot


9.  "Mississippi Queen" by W.A.S.P.


10.  "Action" by Gorky Park

Retro Video of the Week: "Supersonic" by Oasis

In this week's edition of "damn, that makes me feel old," this Friday is the 25th anniversary of the release of Oasis's debut album, Definitely Maybe.  It was an instant smash, going straight to #1 on the UK album charts and becoming the fastest-selling debut album in the UK at the time -- a title it would hold until the Arctic Monkeys came along in 2006.  The album has gone 7x platinum in the UK and platinum in the U.S., and has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.

Definitely Maybe has been heralded as one of the best albums of the '90s, as one of the -- if not the -- defining albums of the Britpop genre, and is generally regarded in the UK as pretty much the greatest album ever.

I'm going with the song that started it all for Oasis, "Supersonic," which was the band's debut single.  It went to #31 on the UK pop charts and #11 on the Billboard Alternative Rock Tracks chart.  There are two versions of the video, one from the US and one from the UK.  Because I fucking love you, I'm giving them both to you, with the UK version first.  Now get out there, get hammered, and punch your brother!

Hair Band Friday - 8/23/19

1.  "Bloodbath in Paradise" by Ozzy Osbourne


2.  "Lack of Communication" by Ratt


3.  "Crazy Nites" by Danger Danger


4.  "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses


5.  "Push Come to Shove" by Van Halen


6.  "Peacemaker Die" by Extreme


7.  "Till Death Do Us Part" by White Lion


8.  "Little Suzi" by Tesla


9.  "Give to Live" by Sammy Hagar


10.  "Ripping Me" by BulletBoys

Retro Video of the Week: "Ecstacy" by Rusted Root

Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the release of Rusted Root's major-label debut album, When I Woke.  Rusted Root was one of those strange bands that could only have existed in the mainstream in the '90s.  It was folk, rock, worldbeat, jam, and psychedelic all at the same time, and it worked, at least for a few years.  When I Woke was the band's most commercially successful album, eventually going platinum in the U.S.  It reached #51 on the Billboard album charts (only topped by their 1996 follow-up, Remember, which hit #38).  

When I Woke featured the band's most famous song, "Send Me On My Way," which has been featured in so many TV shows, movies, and commercials over the years that it's hard to believe it only got up to #72 on the Billboard Hot 100.

However, I'm going with the video for my favorite Rusted Root song, "Ecstacy."  It's a blistering tribal jam, with sometimes-indecipherable lyrics and a subtle referee's whistle every now and then.  If you were a college student in the Midwest in the mid to late '90s, you certainly remember this as a popular cover by Mike & Joe (or the full band, Michelangelo).  Also, the video is completely fucked up, presumably spawned by an acid trip while reading H.G. Wells's Time Machine in a field of sunflowers.

Tuesday Top Ten: Lollapalooza 2019 Edition

The first four days of August were the 15th edition of Lollapalooza at Grant Park here in Chicago.  It was my 15th Lolla overall (and 14th since it has been in Chicago).  Admittedly, I wasn't as excited about the lineup this year.  I thought the headliners were relatively weak, and there weren't a ton of the non-headliners that I knew.  But, as always, I had a fantastic time and discovered some great bands.

This was also the first time in a few years that I have been able to go to all four days.  Usually, I have a recruiting trip the Monday after Lolla, but that got moved back a week, so I made it to all four days.  That said, please Perry, make Lolla three days again, and not four.  The lineup gets watered down, the teenagers will get one less day to chug vodka on the Metra on the way in from Naperville, and I will have to take one fewer day off of work.

The "weekend" started off with a bang, as I saw Beck, Cage the Elephant, Spoon, and Wild Belle play a show the night before Lolla.  That was a great show, but that's a story for another post.

I enjoyed my Lolla experience, as I always do.  This was probably the nicest weather we've had for Lolla, ever.  It was in the mid 80s and sunny every day, getting down to the upper 60s at night.  Don't get me wrong, it was still hot as balls in the sun during the day, but at least I wasn't dripping sweat or, worse yet, getting doused with rain.

Other highlights included taking all three of my kids to the fest Friday afternoon (first time for Son).  Kids under either 10 or 12 are free, so it cost me nothing to get them in.  It cost me an arm and a leg in ice cream, sno cones, and t-shirts at the fest, but well worth it.  They had a blast, and I once again sing the praises of the Kidzapalooza area.  There are so many great (and free) things for kids to do.  All three of them got tats and their hair colored.  Suffice it to say, they're looking forward to coming back next year.

But now onto the music.  Here are the bands and artists for which I saw two or more songs over the course of the weekend:

Thursday:  Emily King; half-alive; Lennon Stella; Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers; Fitz & The Tantrums; The Strokes

Friday:  The New Respects; The Nude Party; IDLES; Japanese Breakfast; Maggie Rogers; Chevelle; Childish Gambino

Saturday:  Sam Fender; Fantastic Negrito; Jade Bird; Mondo Cozmo; Bad Suns; Gary Clark, Jr.; Lil Skies; Tenacious D

Sunday:  Just Loud; Slender Bodies; The Arkells; Yeek; G Flip; Illiterate Light; Perry Ferrell; The Revivalists; Diesel (aka Shaquille O'Neal); Sharon Von Etten; Kacey Musgraves; Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators; Ariana Grande

Here are my top ten shows that I saw over the course of the weekend:

Honorable Mention:  Hobo Johnson & The Lovemakers; Sam Fender; Mondo Cozmo, Gary Clark, Jr.

10.  Fitz & The Tantrums

I've seen them before at Lolla and thought they were great live.  My opinion hasn't changed.  I like their music, and they are good at creating a lot of energy for the crowd.

9.  Childish Gambino

I only stayed for about a half hour of this because I had to go to a Gary Clark. Jr. aftershow, but Donald Glover was excellent for what I did see.  At one point, he went into the crowd and took a guy's phone and took a selfie.  I love that kind of shit.

8.  Fantastic Negrito

I saw these guys open up for Gary Clark, Jr. at an aftershow at The Metro Friday night, but it was so crowded and late that I didn't get the chance to enjoy them all that much.  Thankfully, they were playing the next day at Lolla, so I saw them then, and they lived up to their name.  It was politically charged garage soul -- energetic, funky, and rocking all at the same time.

7.  Illiterate Light

I love a good blues-based guitar-and-drums rock duo (see White Stripes, Black Keys, Black Pistol Fire), so it's no surprise that I enjoyed Illiterate Light, a duo out of Virginia.  

6.  The New Respects

I caught the second half of The New Respects' set on Friday afternoon with my kids, and I'm glad I did.  They were fantastic.  It was three females up front on guitar, bass, and vocals, and a dude on drums.  The music reminded me of Sly & The Family Stone, which is high praise.

5.  Perry Farrell

This is kind of cheating because my buddy Daniel and I happened to be walking by Buckingham Fountain Sunday afternoon at about 4, and we saw a small crowd gathered around a little stage.  Thankfully, Daniel recognized that it was Perry Farrell on the stage.  He was playing an unannounced impromptu three-song set with an acoustic guitarist (Nick Maybury) and Etty, his wife/back-up singer.  They played "Pets" by Porno for Pyros, a Stooges cover ("I Got a Right"), and "Mountain Song" by Jane's Addiction.  There were maybe a couple hundred people gathered around, tops.  Most people were just walking by without any clue that the man singing was the founder of Lolla.  Fucking millennials.

4.  Just Loud

This guy might have been my favorite find of this year's Lolla.  I love it when up-and-coming artists play Lolla and are so happy and grateful for the experience.  His music was a blend of soul, pop, R&B, and rock -- and he covered Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell," which was cool.  And as if that wasn't enough, he came down into the crowd and danced and sang.  He certainly made a few hundred fans.

3.  Tenacious D

I have never seen Tenacious D before, and this was one of the acts that I was most excited about seeing.  They didn't disappoint.  They were hilarious, and they shredded.  Jack Black actually has an pretty damn good metal voice.  He looked like he spent a few too many weeks in a secluded mountain cabin, which is exactly how I would hope and expect he would look.

2.  Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators

I have seen Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators before, so I knew I was in for a good show.  For Christ's sake, it's Slash.  The rest of the band ain't too shabby either.  With the exception of "Nightrain," all of the songs were the band's originals, and while I would have liked maybe one or two more GNR songs, the set was full of energy.  I also got right up against the rail for this show, which added to the fun.

1.  The Strokes

I last saw The Strokes at Lolla in 2010.  They were great then, but I think they were even better this time around.  Of course, I came to the blinding realization that they are all in their late 30s or early 40s.  It's hard not to think of them as kids in their 20s, but a child born when their first album came out would now be able to buy porn and cigarettes in most states.

Midwestern Eavesdropping

Thirtysomething female, futilely attempting to use chopsticks:  "Now I know why Asians are so skinny.  They can't get half the food off their plate."
--Chicago, Duck Duck Goat, 857 W. Fulton Market
Eavesdropper:  GMYH

Fortysomething divorced male at a baseball game:  "Lotta good looking preggos here. (pause) And you know they're puttin' out."
--Chicago, Guaranteed Rate Field, 35th and Shields
Eavedropper:  GMYH

As always, if you overhear something funny or ridiculous (or that can be taken completely out of context), email it to gmyhblog@yahoo.com, along with the location you heard it and your preferred eavesdropping handle, for inclusion in the next exciting edition of Midwestern Eavesdropping.

Hair Band Friday - 8/16/19

1.  "When the Walls Came Tumbling Down" by Def Leppard


2.  "So Tired" by Ozzy Osbourne


3.  "Without the Night" by Winger


4.  "Huge" by BulletBoys


5.  "The Threat" by Skid Row


6.  "Love Lies" by Bon Jovi


7.  "You'll Never See Me Cryin'" by Trixter


8.  "Source of Infection" by Van Halen


9.  "Little Girls" by Extreme


10.  "Here Comes Trouble" by Dangerous Toys

Retro Video of the Week: "Knock Me Down" by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of the release of The Red Hot Chili Peppers' fourth studio album, Mother's Milk.  This was the album that put the Chili Peppers on the precipice of superstardom that awaited them with their next album, 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik.  Mother's Milk was the first of their albums to go gold in the U.S. (though it eventually went platinum), and it was the first to crack the top 100 of the Billboard album charts, reaching #52.

It's somewhat of a bittersweet success, as it's the first album the band released after the death of their original guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died of a heroin overdose in June 1988.  Slovak's death and lead singer Anthony Kiedis's struggles with drugs prompted drummer Jack Irons to also leave the band (he would later join Pearl Jam from 1994 to 1998).  Kiedis and Flea thought about hanging it up, but thankfully, instead, they recruited 18-year-old guitarist John Frusciante and drummer (and Will Ferrell lookalike) Chad Smith to replace Slovak and Irons, and the new foursome soon recorded Mother's Milk.

The band's excellent cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" is probably the best-known song off the album, but I'm going with "Knock Me Down" -- a song about Slovak's addiction that perfectly melds funk, punk, and rock as only they could.  And the video features Alex Winter, better known to you and me as Bill S. Preston, Esq. 

Tuesday Top Ten: Songs at Woodstock

I'm a day late on this, and I'm going to have to postpone my Lollapalooza Tuesday Top Ten for another week because tomorrow through Sunday morning will mark the 50th anniversary of arguably the generation-defining concert of the '60s and the baby boomers:  Woodstock.  It was deemed "3 days of peace and music," although due to some delays, it stretched into the fourth day, and Jimi Hendrix ended up closing things out on a Monday morning with his now-legendary performance.  A half a million people my parents' age got to experience it, and given the unbelievable lineup, it had to be one of those things none of them will ever forget, regardless of the amount of brown acid they might have ingested.  Thank God and music for a dairy farmer named Max Yasgur who allowed his farm to be used for this iconic event.

If you get chance, watch the documentary.  It's long, but it's a fascinating look at some amazing music and the general "peace and love" vibe that was supposed to have been the calling card of the boomers.  I remember the 20th anniversary and watching a lot of specials about it on MTV at my buddy Jeremy's house (you see, I did not have cable as a child).  I witnessed some amazing performances that immediately wowed me and have stuck with me since then.

On that note, here are my ten favorite songs performed at Woodstock, in no particular order, other than that "Soul Sacrifice" has been my number one since the first time I saw the footage of it.  I'm just going to go in chronological order of when the artists performed at Woodstock.

1.  "Freedom (Motherless Child)" by Richie Havens
I may never have known about Richie Havens were it not for this performance.  Just a man and an acoustic guitar wailing out an old Negro spiritual.


2.  "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag" by Country Joe & The Fish
One of the defining moments of Woodstock is Country Joe McDonald imploring 500,000 people to spell "fuck" and then playing his anti-Vietnam anthem.  "Whoopee, we're all gonna die."


3.  "Soul Sacrifice" by Santana
Santana was pretty much an unknown band until they played Woodstock.  They killed it, and this song is a phenomenal live performance.  Drummer Michael Shrieve is fucking purple, presumably because of lysergic acid diethylamide.


4.  "Going Up The Country" by Canned Heat
This is another one of those bands that I almost exclusive associate with Woodstock, and this song especially.


5.  "For Yasgur's Farm" by Mountain
Best known for their gritty guitar-heavy rocker "Mississippi Queen," Leslie West's Mountain is a sneaky underrated rock band.  This song was untitled at the fest, but eventually was released on the Climbing! record as "For Yasgur's Farm" -- obviously an homage to the festival and its host.  


And after Mountain played, it was an unbelievable run of bands playing from 10:30 p.m. Saturday until 9:40 a.m. Sunday.  Seriously, look at this:  Grateful Dead, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin, Sly & The Family Stone, The Who, and Jefferson Airplane.  I can't include a song from everyone, so I'm just going with a couple favorites.

6.  "Born On the Bayou" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
One of my favorite Woodstock stories is from CCR's set.  They didn't go on until 12:30 a.m., and the crowd was mostly asleep.  The band was feeling a little down about it, and then there was one guy in the crowd with a lighter who yelled "We're here for you, John!" to lead singer John Fogerty.  That got the band energized, and they played eleven songs.


7.  "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin
I'm including this because I'll never miss an opportunity to showcase this song.


8.  "Volunteers" by Jefferson Airplane
By the time they went on, it was eight in the fucking morning.  You can tell.  Grace Slick looks like she's about to fall asleep standing up.  I suppose that may have also been the drugs.  Other members of the band are yawning.  But they still brought it.  "Volunteers" is what I consider the band's most anti-establishment anthem and their most Woodstock-appropriate song.  "One generation got old / one generation got so old."  They're talking about my grandparents.


9.  "With a Little Help From My Friends" by Joe Cocker
Spasmodic.  Charismatic.  Freaky-looking.  That's Joe Cocker.  This transformed The Beatles' song into Cocker's own creation.


10.  "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
This was the second show ever performed by the band.  They didn't even know where Woodstock was.  Their set started at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning.  CSNY is now such a known commodity that it's hard to imagine that there was a time when it was just some unknown supergroup, featuring that guy with the mustache from The Byrds, the guy with the harmonies from The Hollies, and those two guys from Buffalo Springfield.  This is one of my favorite songs, and I realize it's technically CSN and not CSNY on this one, as Neil Young was undoubtedly fathering grunge on the side of the stage.


11.  "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Jimi Hendrix
For the former member of the 101st Airborne, playing the national anthem for a then-diminished 200,000 or so people left on Monday morning must have been surreal.  Whoever stayed got a blistering set of blues and guitars and rock and roll, including this now-legendary rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Hair Band Friday - 8/9/19

1.  "Plenty of Love" by Britny Fox


2.  "Winds of Change" by Cinderella


3.  "Rock & Roll Over" by Mr. Big


4.  "I'd Die for You" by Bon Jovi


5.  "Shout at the Devil" (demo) by Mötley Crüe


6.  "Blue Murder" by Blue Murder


7.  "14 Years" by Guns N' Roses


8.  "Rest In Peace" by Extreme


9.  "Cathedral" by Van Halen


10.  "She's Evil But She's Mine" by Lynch Mob

Retro Video of the Week: "Little Fighter" by White Lion

This Saturday marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Big Game, the third studio album from Danish/American rockers White Lion.  After the success of their sophomore effort -- 1987's double-platinum-selling Pride, which featured Top 10 hits "Wait" and "When the Children Cry" -- Big Game was only a slight letdown.  It reached #19 on the Billboard album charts and went gold in the U.S.

While Big Game didn't have any of the big hits that Pride had, it is still a very solid album.  White Lion is undoubtedly a member of the hair band genre, but what those of us familiar with their music know is that the subject matter of White Lion's songs was not typical of the hair band genre.  Don't let the perfect teeth, teased hair, rhinestone-studded jackets, and yellow leather pants fool you into thinking these were just vapid rockers signing only about booze and trim. Many of the band's songs have politically and socially charged undertones, including "Little Fighter" off of Big Game.

"Little Fighter" is a great, catchy rock song, which peaked at #52 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It is about a Greenpeace boat called Rainbow Warrior, which was used by Greenpeace to campaign against nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean, including testing by France.  It was in Auckland, New Zealand on July 10, 1985, when two French secret service agents set off two explosive devices on the hull of the boat, sinking it and killing one of the people on board.  France was eventually ordered by an international tribunal to pay Greenpeace over $8 million, and the remains of the boat were moved to some islands in New Zealand and now serve as a dive wreck and artificial reef.

Midwestern Eavesdropping

I am way too busy right now to provide you with my annual Tuesday Top Ten Lollapalooza edition, but I'll do that next week.  In the meantime, here's some Midwestern Eavesdropping.

While attending a Major League Baseball game on the South Side of Chicago, while several nearby fans yell a common chant: 
Thirtysomething female:  "Are they saying 'let's go cyclops'?"
Fortysomething male:  "White Sox."
--Chicago, Guaranteed Rate Field, 35th and Shields
Eavedropper:  GMYH

As always, if you overhear something funny or ridiculous (or that can be taken completely out of context), email it to gmyhblog@yahoo.com, along with the location you heard it and your preferred eavesdropping handle, for inclusion in the next exciting edition of Midwestern Eavesdropping.