Early in the Morning, I'm Callin' YouTube, Vol. VIII

I've proclaimed my liking of the Jackson 5 on Five Best before, and I'm backing it up with evidence: "Lookin' Through the Window." It's one of their most mature songs, and sounds like it belongs on the Superfly soundtrack. This version is from the Sonny & Cher Show, and has some terribly awkward dialogue between Sonnny and Michael Jackson, but once the song begins, it sounds really good--even if they're clearly lip syncing.

Sometime next week, I'll post my Rock 'N' Roll Revisited about Sam Cooke's Live at the Harlem Square Club, which appears in the New School Free Press next Tuesday. There's a sad lack of Cooke videos on the Internet, but here's one of him singing "Everybody Loves to Cha Cha" to a bunch of white kids.

Want to see fantastically corny? Look no further than David Bowie dropping by his friend's house, only to find Bing Crosby is there! But, of course, Bowie doesn't know it's Bing, and for one reason or another, they're soon singing a duet to "Little Drummer Boy." 'Tis the season, indeed.

In my last "Early in the Morning," I posted a video of Billy Bragg singing "Superstar" by the Carpenters. This week, I'm posting one of Sonic Youth doing the same song--but, because it's Sonic Youth, it sounds like nothing else.

This is still one of the funniest videos I've ever seen on YouTube: it begins with Lawrence Welk talking about a song being "high on the popularity charts," and you expect to hear some schmaltzy piece of junk; instead, we hear "Sister Ray" by the Velvet Underground (maybe the least popular song ever) being "performed" by the band. It's hilarious and genius.

Five Best...'Purchase' Songs

#5. “Demolition” by The Kinks

I spy with my little eye
Anything here that I can buy.
I see a little thatched cottage
Looking so neat
With compulsory purchase we can buy it up cheap.

#4. “Sea Weeds” by Captain Dan and the Scurvy Crew

Mateys hoist the sails ‘cause it’s time to run
Before my customers figure out the deed I’ve done
But that’s the way it goes
Let the buyer beware
Especially when your purchase could have washed up anywhere

(I just appreciate the name of this group)

#3. “Bad Liver and a Broken Heart” by Tom Waits

I ain't sentimental, this ain't a purchase,
It's a rental, and it's purgatory,
And hey, what's your story, well I don't even care
Cause I got my own double-cross to bear

#2. “86” by Green Day

Exit out the back
And never show your head around again
Purchase your ticket and
Quickly take the last train out of town

#1. “The Gift” by the Velvet Underground
It was a New York company. You could go anywhere in the mails. Then it struck him. He didn't have enough money to go to Wisconsin in the accepted fashion, true, but why not mail himself? It was absurdly simple. He would ship himself parcel post, special delivery. The next day Waldo went to the supermarket to purchase the necessary equipment. He bought masking tape, a staple gun and a medium sized cardboard box just right for a person of his build. He judged that with a minimum of jostling he could ride quite comfortably. A few air holes, some water, perhaps some midnight snacks, and it would probably be as good as going tourist.

The picture on top is what SUNY Purchase looks like after it snowed Sunday morning. Before meeting a friend for lunch, I walked around the campus, listening to the MC5 and taking pictures of the place where I used to be a student.

Rock 'N' Roll Revisited, Vol. III

As appears in Tuesday's issue of The New School's newspaper, the New School Free Press. This article was co-written with Kyle McGovern.

There are some great debut albums out there—Marquee Moon, The Clash, My Aim is True—but none as good as The Velvet Underground and Nico.

The first song, "Sunday Morning," was the last song recorded for the album, which gives it a sort of hindsight. Lead vocalist Lou Reed sighs more than he sings: "Early dawning, Sunday morning/ It's just the wasted years, so close behind." "Sunday" captures the strange partnership between feeling elated about what you did last night and fearing the consequences.

The Velvets never dressed anything up, and with "I'm Waiting for the Man" and "Venus in Furs," they're leaving everything in plain sight. "Twenty-six dollars in my hand /Up to Lexington, 1–2–5/ Feel sick and dirty, more dead than alive." The piano's percussive shuffle on "Waiting" lends to the sense of urgency and paranoia that can't help but be felt when waiting for your man.

One of the most impressive aspects of the album is the way the VU could go from scenes of grime and desperation in "Run, Run, Run," (allegedly written on the back of an envelope on the way to a gig) to hiding the seduction of "There She Goes Again" behind a hook that could have been written by the Beatles.

German singer/model Nico, forced upon the VU by Andy Warhol, lends her ghostly voice for lead vocals on three songs, "Femme Fatale," "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "I'll Be Your Mirror." "Fatale" reveals itself to be a heartbreaking pop song; its cold delivery is just a ruse. The last twenty seconds, when Nico simply sings, "Oh oh, oh, oh," exposes her vulnerability.

It's not often that a song can scare the shit out of you, but try listening to "Heroin" in the dark, and not feel like John Cale's screeching viola is piercing your skin while Moe Tucker's drumming is following the heartbeat of someone on the title drug.

The final two songs, "The Black Angel's Death Song" and "European Son" end the album on a disappointing note. Both feel a bit thrown together, and rely more on making noise than being a good song—something that would be rectified on their second album, White Light/White Heat.

There's a saying that although only 100 people bought this album, those 100 went on to form their own band. This is the kind of influence that the VU had on music, and with albums like The Velvet Underground and Nico, it's easy to see why.

Five Best...Songs from Loaded by The Velvet Underground

#5. "Rock & Roll"

Despite all the amputations
You could just dance to a rock 'n' roll station

#4. "Who Loves the Sun"

Who loves the sun
Who cares that it makes plants grow
Who cares what it does
Since you broke my heart

#3. "Sweet Jane"

Well they're gonna tell you that everthing is just dirt
You know that women never really faint
And that villians always blink their eyes
That children are the only ones who blush
And that life is just to die

#2. "New Age"

Something's got a hold on me and I don't know what
Something's got a hold on me and I don't know what
It's the beginning of a new age

#1. "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'"

Say a word for Jimmy Brown
He ain't got nothing at all
Not a shirt right of his back
He ain't got nothing at all
And say a word for Ginger Brown
Walks with his head down to the ground
Took the shoes right of his feet
To poor boy right out in the street

Another Side of Spanish Harlem

I find songs that do not sound remarkable by themselves but are when you’re speaking of terms of a full album interesting. The kind of songs you’d never find on a greatest hits album but, let’s say, My Aim is True by Elvis Costello wouldn’t sound right without “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes.”

This idea really struck yesterday when listening to “Spanish Harlem Incident.” While it happens to be the favorite Dylan song (and possibly favorite song of all-time?) of my soon-to-be editor-in-chief of Inprint, it’s a track that to me only sounds great when listening to the full of Another Side of Bob Dylan with it being wedged between a bad song, “Black Crow Blues” and a fantastic one, “Chimes of Freedom.” However, by itself, it’s good but nothing spectacular. I have the same feelings towards “My Back Pages,” which, even in 1964, Dylan could never have performed again and been fine, while the same could not be said about The Byrds.

And yes, I did just ridicule The Byrds.

Dylan, maybe more than other artist, really succeeds in terms of the album, not specific songs. I mean, you could put together an amazing two disc set of just his love songs (more on that in another post) but to splice up Blonde on Blonde or Blood on the Tracks would be downright tragic to the listener.

The only other artist that sticks out in terms of the concept of the album is The Velvet Underground, because it has to be looked upon in terms of full career, not just one or two albums. Otherwise, The Beatles would top the list, but you can chop up Please Please Me or The Beatles’ Second Album and you’d be fine.

But to get back to “Spanish Harlem Incident,” Dylan has only performed the song once, which actually happens to be at a concert in 1964 that is now The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6. The performance is quite similar to that of the album version, and it’s a mystery to me as to why he’s never performed it again.

We know the song deals with a palm reader Dylan meets in Spanish Harlem (as one of my professors, Ben Hedin, says, “Who else but Dylan would write a song about that 5 minute moment?”) but that’s pretty much where the firm grasp of knowledge gets slippery and we head towards speculation.

“Gypsy gal, you got me swallowed.
I have fallen far beneath
Your pearly eyes, so fast an' slashing,
An' your flashing diamond teeth.
The night is pitch black, come an' make my
Pale face fit into place, ah, please!
Let me know, babe, I got to know, babe,
If it's you my lifelines trace.”

The images of “pearly eyes” being “fast an’ slashing” is one of my favorites of pre-Highway 61 Dylan, and possibly even further. And so, with lines like that, it really doesn’t matter the song is about as long as it’s a good song…albeit one that fits nice and snug into Another Side of Bob Dylan and not anywhere else.

Five Best...Songs about the Sun

As appears in today's issue of The New School newspaper, Inprint:

Five Best… Songs about the Sun

5. “Sunny Afternoon” by The Kinks

The Kinks were masters of irony, and this song, which appeared on Face to Face, is one of their best examples of it. It tells of a rich man who is getting taxed heavily and has to rely on nothing but “this sunny afternoon.”

4. “House of the Rising Sun” by Duran Duran

Although the song was written in the 1930s, it didn’t become a Top 10 hit until, after hearing Bob Dylan’s version, The Animals covered it. Years later, Duran Duran would take a stab at it—and add a bitchin' guitar solo. And yes, I realize it has nothing to do with sun other than its title, but ain’t that enough?

3. “Who Loves the Sun?” by The Velvet Underground

Not everyone.

2. “The Sun Never Sweats” by Spinal Tap

I’m so pumped about Tap reuniting in July that I would have fit them onto any list. Too bad this Five Best isn’t “Best Album Titles About Smelling Inanimate Objects,” because Smell the Glove would have topped it.

1. “Here Comes The Sun” by The Beatles

I’ve written about The Beatles before in this column, but this is the ultimate song about the sun bringing brighter and happier times. It’s also one of the most literal songs ever, because George wrote it in Eric Clapton’s garden as the sun came out.