I know, I know--this is a questionable conceit. It all started when I discovered that there was once a band called Compost. They existed for a few seconds in the early '70s, and there's really no reason to learn anything about them or listen to their music. But you could if you really wanted to, I suppose. (The record sleeve says they have an "organic" sound, dig?) I like the song because A, it's called "Country Song" (and it sure ain't country!), and 2, it sorta reminds me of Sesame Street--you can imagine one of those short films of kids running around in a field and then watching a farmer milk a cow or something, with the song playing in the background. I can't remember ever listening to Garbage until recently, when my slightly better half revealed that she "loved" them. "What th'...?" I asked myself silently. "Oh really? I'll have to give 'em a listen," I said out loud.
After doing so, I came to the conclusion that they had one pretty good song. You can really hear a Chrissie Hynde influence in Shirley Manson's vocal stylings, and you'll notice that she name-checks "Talk of the Town" towards the end, in case you didn't pick up on the obvious. Nothing to write home about, but it's still an enjoyable few minutes of pop-rock. (Now that I think about it, I probably never listened to them because I kept confusing Marilyn Manson with Shirley Manson. Hey, it was the '90s, man).
Of course, I had to include the Trashmen. (Yeah, there's Edgar Winter's White Trash and Trashcan Sinatras and others I'm sure, but you gotta draw the line somewhere). Before Prince, before the Replacements (but after the Andrews Sisters), this is what Minneapolis gave the world, musically speaking. For some reason, it never seemed to bother anyone that this "surf" band's turf was about a thousand miles from the nearest ocean (or that the Rivingtons were eventually credited with composing their biggest hit). It's really more amusing than anything else, I guess. Let's face it, though, "Surfin' Bird" is great, raw fun. The vocal break is just brilliant--profound gibberish. If I was forced to make a top ten list of the greatest rock 'n roll songs of all time, it would probably be number 7.
1 comment:
That Compost song might actually be the No. 1 song of all time. I almost felt like I was wearing Tough Skins while listening to it.
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