A Live One- The Jam 5.26.1980 @ Pinkpop
If good looks was a minute/ You know that you could've been an hour- Smokey Robinson, 'The Way You Do The Things You Do'
The Jam at Pinkpop 05.26.1980 in 320 mp3
Paul Weller is my favorite British rock star. True. Not only am I head over heels with his music with the Jam and solo (eh, not so much Style Council), but I also love his taste in music. The compilation he made for Mojo last year provided K and I with our first dance song. I love the fact that his dad still manages him, even after all these years. His politics are dead-on working-class and sensible. Whenever you hear him interviewed he flashes the kind of sense of humor which would only get better after a few pints (even though Paul himself abstains). And last, but certainly not least, there is his sense of style. Sure, everyone wants to be a rock star, but Paul is the only one I want to dress like. I have to admit it. I have a man crush on Paul Weller. I’m OK with that.
Sphere: Related ContentA Live One- Bob Dylan 5.27.1989 @ Christinehofs Slottspark
I don't know Sven- Dylan or Golden Earring?
Bob Dylan Sweden 05.27.1989 in 320 mp3
Bob Dylan Sweden 05.27.1989 in FLAC
You can’t ignore Bob Dylan if you follow pop music. His work makes up a primary genetic strand in pop, recombining with other music to create entirely new pop genres. I fell in love with Bob at an early age, stopping whatever I was doing when ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ or ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ came on the radio. His music didn’t court you, like his peers the Beatles. No, it stood its own ground, aware that it sounded completely different than anything else of its time. Dylan’s music waits for everyone, and when you finally embrace it your world becomes all the richer. He is our modern Shakespeare- a poet of popular art whose work reveals universal truths which enlighten humanity. Like Shakespeare, he will always be out of time, sure to be heard and studied anew long after his last performance. His influence here can be seen at the top of every page. Bob Dylan will be with us forever.
Sphere: Related ContentA Live One – Elvis Costello & The Attractions 1.27.79 @ Sophia Gardens
This is how a real rocker plays with himself.
Elvis Costello & The Attractions Live ‘79 At The Sophia Gardens in 320 mp3
Elvis Costello was the first rock n roller to which I felt a personal connection. From his first album in 1977, Elvis was on heavy rotation in the Brett household. Elvis, Bruce, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, and Michael Jackson made up the musical Mt. Rushmore of my childhood. I enjoy all of them immensely to this day, but to a five- or six-year old the the rest of them were glitzy and alien. Elvis wore big, thick glasses, like I did. He stared back from his album covers uncomfortably, like a caged animal. His songs combined smart lyrics with a burning restlessness. His music was frustration. I ate it all up. To this day, I believe if I were to run into Elvis in a pub, we’d share a couple of pints and be the best of friends. Elvis is one of those top echelon pop artists who mastered the album form. From his debut, My Aim Is True, through ’82’s Imperial Bedroom, he released six perfect albums (and one very good one). Today, these albums have not aged one bit. When you hear me turn old fogey on you, and say, “They don’t make music like the old days” it is to Elvis Costello’s early work I’m referring.
Sphere: Related ContentYour Post-Game Bruce Medley
The Boss takes the stage in Tampa tonight at halftime of the Super Bowl. He will have twelve minutes and will do a medley of hits. I expect it to be pretty strong, pretty tight. Will it be as good as Prince a couple years ago? No. But he won’t embarrass himself, either. Bruce is not getting any younger, and it’s just not in him to perform at the same high intensity with which he earned his following. But we at Shambollocks! want to remind you of how high energy Bruce can be when he is on his game. Herewith, a few fantastic samples of the man and his mastery.
First, ‘Thunder Road’ from the mid-’70s. If this song was a philosophy, it would be one by which I’ve lived my life.
A Live One- The Smiths @ Hammersmith Palais 3/12/1984
Those charming men.
Last of the English Roses by the Smiths in 320 mp3
Today we feature a fantastic show from the Smiths’ first major tour in 1984. There is no way they can sound this amazingly good this early in their career?! Um, yeah way, it appears. There is no band in America right now that sounds this good three albums into their career. Highlights abound- for starters, check out ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’, ‘Barbarism Begins At Home’, or ‘Back To The Old House’. There are many who talk of R.E.M as the rock band of the ’80s, but the Smiths’ were the gun in that knife fight.
Sphere: Related ContentBorn To Run Through The Years (UPDATED)
NPR has an old appreciation of ‘Born To Run’ up. ‘Born To Run’ is not my favorite Boss song, but it is undoubtedly the song and sound which defines him. He needs to play it every show. How do you not get sick of something that’s become as big as you are? Here’s how the Boss has done it:
The first is the Boss in London, 1975. My favorite performance of the song because if there is any song that reflects youth, this is the one.
Now here he is, biggest rock star in the world.
Born To Run 1982 by Bruce Springsteen
This time, slowed down and acoustic in 1987. Even stripped down, this song wants to bust out.
Without the E Street Band in 1993. And it shows. Who IS that chick playing sax?
Finally, with REM in 2004. This is pretty much the sound and set you get when you see him right now. No word if Michael Mills asked Little Stephen afterwards how to get away from your frontman.
A 1 2 3 4!
- Yesterday’s Guardian contains an interview with the Boss and an exclusive download of a track, ‘Life Itself’, from his upcoming album Working On A Dream, out January 26th.
Snap Lead Single Judgement- Umm, Bruce. Pick a new first single. That one is lame. And not getting played at the Super Bowl, I imagine. 
O'Hare Arpt., IL
