A daily miasma of frivolity by two wanna-be cultural critics. Or: just, like, some good links, dude.

Tag Archives: AMERICA’S BIRTHDAY

Jul 05 2011
Mark Twain, probably

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgAchWF1is

There’s no possible way we can end this day without posting some Zappa, so it’s time for “Montana (Whipping Floss)” from You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2.

This was recorded at a concert in Helsinki, Finland in 1974. Someone in the audience requested “Whipping Post” by The Allman Brothers Band, which Zappa joked as not knowing. After more joking, he and the band went on to play “Montana,” but with a bizarre fusion of lyrics from “Whipping Post.” This is some of Zappa’s humor at its finest.

Oh and then at the end there’s six minutes of guitar soloing. How much is too much? Certainly not this much.

Happy Independence Day, all you U.S.’ers. And to all of you who aren’t: I hope you enjoyed the rockage anyway.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jul 04 2011
Mark Twain, probably

Steve Earle performs Woodie Guthrie’s classic “This Land is Your Land” which always gives me goosebumps.

Trivia: Guthrie wrote the song as a “fuck you” to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”. Telling off the people that you disagree with is an essential American value. I approve.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jul 04 2011
Mark Twain, probably

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CMyxB-CKMs

To make up for the shocking lack of patriotism in the previous post, here’s Jimi Hendrix playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jul 04 2011
Mark Twain, probably

Yes, I know that this video — Be Bop Deluxe performing “Maid in Heaven” on Old Grey Whistle Test in 1975 — has nothing to do with America, but it’s so fucking good it doesn’t even matter.

First off, there’s so much damn song just jammed right in here — it just doesn’t seem possible that the song is only two minutes long.

Warping time with the power of their rocking? CHECK

This particular video, well, there’s something extra special about it. The inimitable Merlin Mann noticed that during the opening section, Bill Nelson goes nuts with the whammy bar and ends up throwing his G string out of tune. And then totally fucking routes around that, effortlessly. Merlin:

This is about knowing your shit so deeply, and so inside and out, that you can not only route around a potential catastrophe, but you can do it while looking like you’re getting a surprisingly B-plus handie from your pal’s stepmother. And, in a white blazer and red pants, no less.

I highly recommend Merlin’s post for a guitar nerd’s rundown of exactly what’s going on in the video, but seriously, the important part is that Bill Nelson is an incredible badass.

I think we can let it slide that he’s British. Just this once.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jul 04 2011
Mark Twain, probably

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoR6YQ1V8ks

In 2004, George Harrison was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. During the induction ceremony, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Dhani Harrison, and a few others performed “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” The rendition isn’t anything to write home about through the first three and a half minutes.

But then at 3:32 is when Prince magically appears on stage out of nowhere and obliterates the song, building, planet, and universe with a three minute guitar solo. The rest of the performers reprise the chorus five times during it. It’s an awe-inspiring performance.

And after he’s finished? He throws his guitar in the air, where it undoubtedly exploded into a flock of doves, and then walks off the stage. No bow, no staying for the applause, no nothing. He knows he rocked the faces off of everyone there; he doesn’t need to hang around for acknowledgment.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” is an awesome song written by an awesome Brit, but this is all-American master shredding.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jul 04 2011
Mark Twain, probably

Going back even further now with Link Wray’s iconic “Rumble.” Short and simple, but there aren’t many pieces that strut as much as this does. It has so much attitude that it was banned by radio stations, even though it has no words.

“Rumble” was released in 1958, when gang violence in New York was high, the greaser subculture was at its peak, and so on. The song’s title was slang for a gang fight, so that and the song’s harsh swagger led people to think it was glorifying or inciting gang activity.

“Rumble” captured a big part of the American spirit of the ’50s, and both it and Wray were hugely influential on rockers to come:

Nevertheless it became a huge hit, not only in the United States, but also Great Britain, where it has been cited as an influence on The Kinks, The Who, and Jimmy Page among others. Jimmy Page cites the song in the Davis Guggenheim documentary It Might Get Loud and proceeds to play air guitar to the song in the movie. Pete Townshend stated in unpublished liner notes for the 1970 comeback album, “He is the king; if it hadn’t been for Link Wray and ‘Rumble,’ I would have never picked up a guitar.” In other liner notes in 1974, Townshend said, of “Rumble”: “I remember being made very uneasy the first time I heard it, and yet excited by the savage guitar sounds.”

Jeff Beck, Duff McKagan, Jack Rose, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Cub Koda, Marc Bolan, Neil Young and Bob Dylan have all cited Wray as an influence. (Wikipedia)

Made in America.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jul 04 2011
Mark Twain, probably

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8BBipmqKxg

Jimi Hendrix. “If 6 Was 9.” No further introduction necessary. Just sit back and listen to that guitar fucking scream.

But if you’d like some further reading material, check out these production notes from the Wikipedia article:

Compared to the other tracks on Axis: Bold As Love, “If 6 Was 9” suffers from an unusually large amount of tape noise, dropouts, and overall “rough” sound quality. According to Hendrix biographer John McDermott, the master tape used for the album was a quarter-inch open-reel tape belonging to bassist Noel Redding, containing an early rough mix of the song. This technically inferior copy (intended for a home tape player) had to be used at the last minute since the album’s final stereo master tape had been accidentally lost, and “If 6 Was 9” was the one song that Hendrix and engineer Eddie Kramer could not satisfactorily remix. They reportedly had to use a clothes iron to remove wrinkles in the badly mishandled tape, copied it onto new studio-quality tape, and inserted it into the final album master with no further modification.

Cowboy production at its finest.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jul 04 2011
Mark Twain, probably

The Bloodhound Gang cover Weezer’s “Undone (The Sweater Song)” and throw in some of Wu-Tang Clan’s “Shame on a Nigga” and “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta Fuck Wit” during the spoken word sections for good measure. Two for the price of one!

I personally love this video. No, The Bloodhound Gang can’t really sing, and their efforts are even further hampered by some honestly poor mixing from the folks in the booth. Doesn’t matter. They’re up there with their bad teeth and ugly hair and poor-even-by-90’s-standards outfits and having a motherfucking blast. America.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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Jul 04 2011
Mark Twain, probably

It’s a full day of rock and roll here on Nullary Sources to celebrate the 235th anniversary of America’s birth.

Let’s start things off with The Flaming Lips and The White Stripes doing some celebrating. Technically they’re celebrating New Year’s Eve but we all know they were cheering for Freedom in their hearts.

The video starts off chill with a performance of “We’re Going to Be Friends” featuring Flaming Lips multi-instrumentalist Steven Drozd. But be sure to stick around for the NYE countdown (with what sounds like Ligeti’s Atmosphères playing in the background) and the Lips covering “Seven Nation Army”. Rock.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
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