What Are You Listening To Right This Very Second?

[Alex_from_the_woods]

I love the sound of breaking glass.

I made an American squirm.

A long time ago I read somewhere that the Squirming American in question was none other than Chrissie Hynde. This was before in internet so maybe it's true.

[dudep]

Just got this at the new Green Noise shop:



I was actually buying something else, but in the process of searching through the shelves to find the right disc for my jewel case, the clerk triggered a cascade in which almost every used cd in the shop ended up on the floor.  So much for alphabetical order.

(I offered to help clean up the mess, but he opted to go for lunch instead. Can't blame the guy.)

[methanolcereal]

I'm hearing Rich Hazelton talk about a free Prince Rama show that also involves a 300 lb pile of dirt on WFMU.

[hardweek]

[Key Loser]

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Comedy Bang Bang 119, with Gillian Jacobs and Andy Daly.

[buffcoat]

Louis CK goes off on Hecklers on YouTube.  Part of a long stretch of Zach Galifanakis/People going off on hecklers journey into the maw of YouTube.  And College Football.

[Dan of Orange]

The Ramones - Spiderman (Rare Video Clip)

[Steve of Bloomington]

Snow Dog! Is victorious!

[sharktopus]

Anyone listen to The Ms?

Big Sound

[masterofsparks]

After years of being perplexed by this band, I've recently turned the corner. Still haven't heard everything yet, but I'm making my way through the catalog.

London Calling is a good, but overrated album. Not their best work, IMO.

I don't think they ever topped their debut album, personally.

Of the three I've heard so far, this is how I'd rank them in terms of preference:

1. London Calling
2. Combat Rock
3. s/t (UK version, in case you're wondering)

The rootsy sprawl of London Calling really puts me in mind of Exile on Main Street, which is also the sound of a band mastering its own influences and really making them a part of the band's sound. Despite the wide range of sounds being pulled into the stew, it sounds tight and coherent and like the work of a single band. There are a couple of misfires (The Card Cheat is a swing and a miss at Born To Run-era Springsteen, and I don't know what the hell Koka Kola is), but it's pretty hard to complain when you look at what surrounds them.

The straight punk of the debut, on the other hand, sounds a bit toothless to me in comparison with some of my favorites from the era. Maybe it's because I heard the later albums first, but this sounds to me like a band struggling to find an identity. "White Riot" in particular just sounds like a semi-finalist entry from a Ramones cover competition. There are some great songs on here, don't get me wrong. It's possible I'll warm to it later.

In any case, I look forward to hearing the other 2. Is Cut The Crap even worth tracking down? I know its poor reputation, but I don't know if it's earned.

[cavorting with nudists]

If it means anything to ya, Johnny Ramone said that when he first heard "White Riot" he thought this was the only band that did what the Ramones did as well as the Ramones. But you know, if you think other punk bands sound less like they're still in search of an identity, it could be that a lot of that search had already been done for them, by the Clash.  (Depends on which bands, I guess--I feel like the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, and X-Ray Spex probably would have sounded like they did whether or not the Clash had existed.)

I wouldn't bother with Cut the Crap, though "This is England" is worth getting on its own. A movingly desperate-sounding cri de coeur from a Joe Strummer badly in need of a break.

[break]

You've got to also hear the US version of the debut (or the Singles compilation), you can't miss out on "Complete Control" and "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais". 

[buffcoat]

I like The Card Cheat:


From the opium den to da Cry-ME-A...

[cavorting with nudists]

Hey, lookit what I found:

this is england - the clash with banksy