This funny but rather annoying song popped into my head the other day, probably because I heard the word “geezer.” I heard it numerous times on the radio in England in the 80’s and was surprised to learn it had made it into the top 10 over there in the early 70’s. By The Piglets, likely a group of whatever studio musicians were on hand, as is often the case with novelty songs.
Malort…I’ll have another!
“Like being picked on in 5th grade.”
Some other descriptions from around the web: like “earwax, bandaids, and burnt hair.” My favorite: “like swallowing a burnt condom filled with gasoline.”
Forty years later…
…this song has potential relevance.
Watusi Rodeo
Low-budget early-80’s fun from Athens’ Guadacanal Diary. Features infamous midtown character Dancin’ Jimmy doing his thing outside the Antenna Club at about 0:25. Hilarious dance sequence during the instrumental break. Makes me nostalgic for the days when bands all over the south (most notably REM) were cramming their stuff into station wagons and U-Hauls and hitting cities and college towns, playing at whatever dumps would have them.
Cults
Someone recently put me on to these two songs. Pretty good. They’ve been around for a while. I guess you know you’re old when bands have run their course when you first hear of them. Seems to be the trend with me recently (which means the last twenty years, more proof that I’m getting up there).
Friday Parade of Zombies
These three great songs have been stuck in my head the past couple of days. That’s a good thing, because usually my brain torments me with annoying songs, some of which I haven’t heard in decades. Someone needs to study just what makes a song catchy in a good or annoying way.
The Resemblance Is Uncanny
In the 80’s, Mick Jagger was clearly struggling to find a niche outside of the Stones. He should’ve tried visiting Mayberry.
These Guys Again
That horrible sound isn’t your hangover, it’s The Portsmouth Sinfonia mauling the opening of Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, better known as the opening theme of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Almost as bad is Elvis’ band’s unintentionally comic version, featuring botched, out-of-tune horns and cheesy background vocals (The Jordanaires, I assume):
Stuck in My Head
These guys came up on this here blog recently, which I guess is what put this song in my head. Back in the late 70’s, I occasionally took some flak for liking these guys from people trying a little too hard to be cool. Whatever. For me the only valid criteria are: can they write, and can they play & sing? I think their hits proved they could write, and this polished and disciplined live video shows that they could fucking play. These are guys at the top of their craft, making it look easy. Note how they nail the Abbey Road-like vocal harmonies near the end, all while playing instruments and enduring the various discomforts of a live show. Anyway, Alex Chilton once told me he liked them too, so there.
That said, although I love the verses and chorus of this song, I’ve always had a problem with the instrumental break. To my ears it’s too busy, and the good-timey dixieland clarinet clashes with the pensive mood of the song. I guess if you have a dedicated woodwind player, you’ve gotta let him do his bit. But overall, it’s still a great song. And of course everyone who plays an MM Stingray is a badass.
Education At Its Finest
