Touch It Real Good If You Want a Piece

Come on, no whammies! No whammies!



“Conventional Wisdom,” Built to Spill
Built to Spill are still touring in support of You in Reverse. They recently announced that they’ll be appearing at the Langerado Music Festival on the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in southern Florida this March. Here’s a live version from a gig in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Doug Martsch is apparently a big hoops fan. You can challenge him to a game of one-on-one right here.

“Parachute Woman,” The Rolling Stones
OK, pointless debate time. Here’s a thorny question for you? What band, generally speaking, are you more in the mood for: The Beatles or The Rolling Stones? I think this was the mysterious fifteenth question that the Buddha refused to answer. I’ve got to go with the Stones on this one. The short explanation is that I lean towards music that comes from the gut more than from the head. The Stones are more visceral than The Beatles and that’s just more attractive to me.

“Vicious,” Lou Reed
Featuring a guitar hook that never gets old, this is the lead-off track to Transformer. Here he is doing an extended live version in Paris in 1974. The band plays it extremely tight as Lou attempts to break the land speed record! A mellower Reed later explains Andy Warhol’s role in the creation of the song.

“Burnt Out Car,” Saint Etienne
This English trio is probably best known for their dance treatment of Neil Young’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart.” Sarah Cracknell has said the group plans to release a best-of disc later this year. Considering they put out a singles collection just three years ago, I’m not sure the world is quite ready for another one.

“Hollywood Freaks,” Beck
Nooooo! Just when I thought I’d escaped him, Beck drags me back into his funky clutches. Midnight Vultures is such a ridiculously over-the-top album. Which is exactly why it’s so enjoyable. “Hot like a cheetah, neon mamacita”? “Hollywood Freaks” was the song where I actually began questioning Beck’s sanity. He does know how to bust a move, though.

What popped up on your player?