Music Milestones, 1985: The Jesus and Mary Chain – Psychocandy

Brothers Jim and William Reid struck gold when they formed the Jesus and Mary Chain. Combining the irreverent attitude of the Velvet Underground with the pop sensibility of the Beach Boys, and wrapping up their songs in a thick wall of sound akin to Phil Spector’s approach, the Jesus and Mary Chain brought the guitar back to the forefront of alternative music in the 1980s and helped to set the scene for the rise of noise rock and shoegaze. Followers such as Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine profited greatly from the Jesus and Mary Chain’s foray into noise-drenched music, and I doubt that these bands would sound the same without the release of Psychocandy. Indeed, Psychocandy shows the Jesus and Mary Chain at their noisiest, and follow-ups to this debut would see the band toning down their distortion pedals and venturing into more acoustic settings. The record opens with “Just Like Honey”, where the familiar drum line of the Ronettes’ hit single “Be My Baby” bolsters the melancholy guitars of brothers Reid marching through a great love song. Distortion is turned to ten in “The Living End”, a relentless tune that conjures up images of a motorbike rider dangerously speeding on the fast lane toward his fateful end. Despite the considerable amount of feedback in “Cut Dead”, this is perhaps the cleanest song in the record, while “Never Understand” is probably the messiest and bears resemblance to the music of the Ramones. “Just Like Honey” features prominently in the ending scene of Sofia Coppola’s movie Lost in Translation, enjoy:

Music Milestones, 1984: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – From Her to Eternity

Following the demise of the Birthday Party in 1983, former members Nick Cave and Mick Harvey teamed up with Blixa Bargeld, Barry Adamson and Jim Thirlwell to form the Bad Seeds. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds adopted the post-punk aesthetic of the Birthday Party, and further played with elements of blues, garage rock and industrial music throughout their career. The Bad Seeds hinge upon Nick Cave’s theatrical singing and literate lyrics, which are front and center in their approach to music. The debut record From Her to Eternity already showcases a dark and melancholy sound that the Bad Seeds would thereafter develop and refine. The record contains two excellent covers: the opener “Avalanche” features Cave singing Leonard Cohen’s classic in a monstrously subdued manner, and “In the Ghetto” is a somber reproduction of Elvis Presley’s original that calls Scott Walker to mind. Moreover, “From Her to Eternity” is a grim love song infused with a considerable amount of noise and distortion, while Cave’s visceral vocals and twisted lyrics in “Cabin Fever!” render this song a sort of deranged sea shanty. “Saint Huck” departs from the tale of Huckleberry Finn to yield a decadent story accompanied by galloping guitars. I leave you with a live performance of “From Her to Eternity” filmed by Wim Wenders for his movie Wings of Desire:

Music Milestones, 1983: R.E.M. – Murmur

Combining elements of folk rock reminiscent of The Byrds with a post-punk aesthetic that calls to mind bands such as Gang of Four, R.E.M. played a crucial role in laying down the foundations of alternative rock in the 1980s and became a huge influence on popular music throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Indeed, Peter Buck’s chiming guitars, Michael Stipe’s cryptic lyrics and the use of hauntingly beautiful backing vocals proved to be key ingredients that rendered the unlikely merger of folk rock and post-punk seamless and alluring. Following the releases of the single “Radio Free Europe” and the Chronic Town EP to wide critical acclaim, R.E.M. definitely hit their stride with the debut LP Murmur. “Radio Free Europe” sets the stage for the general atmosphere of the record, and constitutes an adept power-pop song with a fine accompaniment of jangling guitar. In “Pilgrimage”, the angular guitar in the verse and intricate backing vocals in the chorus emphasize the contrast between music styles within a single song. “Laughing” is perhaps the most straightforward folk rock song in the record and arguably refers to the mythological figure Lacoön, while “Talk About the Passion” deals with poverty and misery in a very biblical sense. Watch the videoclip of “Radio Free Europe” for a taste of Murmur:

Music Milestones, 1982: The dB’s – Repercussion

Hailing from North Carolina and based in New York City, the dB’s are a great pop band that unfortunately never broke through to the mainstream. The dB’s drew inspiration from prime power-pop acts of the 1970s such as Big Star and the Flamin’ Groovies, and released two landmark records in the early 1980s that paved the way to the rise of jangle pop, a musical style later popularized by R.E.M. While the debut record Stands for Decibels already hints at the dB’s’ knack for playing catchy tunes, their sophomore effort Repercussion constitutes a true treasure trove containing several pop gems. The record kicks off with “Happenstance”, a song that addresses the troubles of emancipation in the face of the possibility of a love affair. ‘’Living a Lie” deals with the dissatisfaction one experiences when building on an illusion, and displays a very suitable brass section and backing vocals that work like a charm. “Ask for Jill” tells a tale about the pains of a quest for said Jill, while “Neverland” includes a very addictive guitar riff that provides the song with a distinctive signature. In “Amplifier”, the story of a suicide is told in a most entertaining manner, where a bluesy piano line concludes the song in high spirits. Have a look at the videoclip for “Amplifier”, which was regretfully turned down by MTV and may have hindered the dB’s from reaching a wider audience:

  

Music Milestones, 1981: Glenn Gould – Goldberg Variations

A virtuoso pianist with eccentric personality, Glenn Gould was one of the great performers of classical music of the 20th century and also a noteworthy contributor to the scholarly debate on music theory and philosophy. Gould garnered international acclaim in 1955 with his seminal recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations, a piece that he would curiously revisit in 1981 shortly before his death. The story goes that Bach’s Goldberg Variations were composed in the 1740s to be performed by the young harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, arguably at the behest of the sleepless Count Kaiserling who longed for music to soothe him during his long nights. Bach decided to compose 30 variations on an aria in a ternary pattern, where every third variation of the aria is called a canon, followed by a genre piece and an arabesque. The result is outstanding and Gould’s performances of 1955 and 1981, while both brilliant in their own right, are rather different in nature. The 1981 version of Goldberg Variations somewhat lacks the vivacity of its 1955 counterpart, and displays a more toned down and pondered interpretation of Bach’s masterpiece. Have a listen to a segment of Goldberg Variations, which includes my favorite variation 14 and should constitute a fine introduction to Gould’s virtuosity:

Music Milestones, 1980: The Durutti Column – The Return of the Durutti Column

Misnamed after Buenaventura Durruti’s anarchist group that fought in the Spanish civil war, the Durutti Column is a music project devised by Factory founder Tony Wilson and revolving around guitar prodigy Vini Reilly. Although Reilly started playing music on the piano at an early age, he soon became interested in the harmonic possibilities of electric guitar. Reilly therefore made use of his solid background in classical music to produce atmospheric soundscapes, which were based on unconventional melodies novel to popular music. The Return of the Durutti Column was Reilly’s first effort, where Martin Hannett’s sparse production rendered the record instrumentals hazy and ethereal. “Sketch for Summer” starts off with the sound of chirping birds reminiscent of a warm summer afternoon, while Reilly’s guitar adds to the joyous feel of the piece. “Katherine” is the longest track in the record and contains a fine blues segment, whereas “Conduct” evolves from a calm and peaceful start toward a more turbulent ending. “Jazz” is self-explanatory, embracing elements of jazz music and preceding by a decade the emergence of post-rock. “Sketch for Winter” is somewhat darker than its summer counterpart, and boasts Reilly’s guitar mournfully proceeding unaccompanied. I leave you with “Collette”, one of my favorites from The Return of the Durutti Column:

Music Milestones, 1979: The Clash – London Calling

Famously dubbed as “the only band that matters” by Columbia Records, the Clash were arguably the most accomplished group rising from the British punk rock movement of the late 1970s. While the music in their first two records, The Clash and Give ‘Em Enough Rope, was fierce, loud and straightforward, it already hinted at an eclecticism that would bloom in their third effort, London Calling. Despite being a sprawling double album and a true melting pot of musical styles, London Calling is remarkably cohesive and focused. It is therefore quite a task to highlight only a few songs from this record, given the superlative quality of the material at hand. The record begins with the anthem “London Calling”, where the apocalyptic lyrics of a devastated London are well accompanied by a rhythm section reminiscent of reggae and a guitar line owing to punk aesthetics. In “Spanish Bombs” and “The Right Profile”, the band pays tribute to poets who fought in the Spanish civil war and to ill-fated actor Montgomery Clift, respectively. “Clampdown” constitutes a merciless critique of young idealists who end up “working for the clampdown”, while “The Guns of Brixton” is an autobiographical song by bassist Paul Simonon about his troubled home district in London. Moreover, “Death or Glory” embodies another rant against the establishment, and “I’m Not Down” deals with persistence in the face of adversity. For your listening pleasure, here is the closer “Train in Vain”, a fine and only love song in London Calling:

Music Milestones, 1978: Kraftwerk – The Man-Machine

Kraftwerk were probably the most popular band to emerge from the German krautrock scene of the 1970s, which spawned other great acts including Can, Neu! and Faust. Kraftwerk’s sound was somewhat more plastic than that of its peers, due to the heavy use of synthesizers, vocoders and computer-speech software. They were therefore pivotal in laying the foundations of electronic music, and played an important role in the development of other music genres ranging from new wave to hip-hop. The Man-Machine is my favorite Kraftwerk record, and it neatly encapsulates their mechanistic approach to music. “The Robots” opens the proceedings with a praise to the machines, where the lyrics “Я твой слуга / Я твой работник” (“I’m your servant / I’m your worker”) help to give a Soviet tinge to the song. “Spacelab” and “Metropolis” are mostly instrumental tracks, where the song titles are repeated in what amounts to a haunting mantra. In “The Model” and “Neon Lights”, Ralf Hütter briefly abandons his vocoder and thereby renders the songs more human and appealing. “The Man-Machine” concludes the record as it started, that is, with a laudatory stance for all things mechanic. Have a listen to “The Model”, perhaps the closest that Kraftwerk ever got to playing a conventional pop tune:

Music Milestones, 1977: Talking Heads – Talking Heads: 77

One of the many successful acts born of the burgeoning mid-1970s punk scene from New York City, the Talking Heads adopted a literate yet funky approach to their music that heralded the birth of new wave. Although the lyrics of songs by the Talking Heads are generally sophisticated, they broach rather prosaic topics revolving around various aspects of life routine and human relationships. Thus, the mundane subjects of songs by the Talking Heads are effectively elevated to an extraordinary level by their worldly take on music. While the sophomore record of the Talking Heads was aptly titled More Songs About Buildings and Food, such simple topics were originally addressed in their first record Talking Heads: 77, which I chose to review here. “Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town” opens the record with a catchy tune, where the band resorts to the use of steel drums to accentuate the tropical feel of the song. Exotic sounds are also present in “Tentative Decisions”, which deals with boys and girls concerned with decisiveness. In “Don’t Worry About the Government”, David Byrne personifies the U.S. government and pays tribute to its civil servants, while “Pulled Up” reminds us that the road to success in life is built with the help of our loved ones. Here’s a stripped-down version of “Psycho Killer”, filmed by Jonathan Demme and included in the highly recommended documentary “Stop Making Sense”:

Music Milestones, 1976: Ramones – Ramones

While earlier bands such as the Stooges and the New York Dolls may have laid the foundations of punk, the Ramones were arguably the first punk band in the strict, three-chord sense of the term. Their musical formula was simple and straightforward, and consisted of playing crude songs about lowbrow topics that were powerfully performed at fast pace and in minimal fashion. Unsophisticated as this recipe may seem, it not only lent itself to easy listening, but also provided a lasting staple to rock and roll during 20 years since its inception. The Ramones steadfastly adhered to this musical formula throughout their career, so I think that their eponymous first record is the most relevant and appropriate for review. “Blitzkrieg Bop” opens the hostilities with an indelible call to arms interspersed with lyrics “about kids going to a show and having a good time”, as Tommy Ramone once put it. ”Beat on the Brat” constitutes a brutal critique of the spoiled New York City upper class that Joey Ramone witnessed during his youth, while “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” is the softest and mellowest tune in the record. Toward the end of the record, two songs stand out: “53rd and 3rd” tells the probably autobiographical story of Dee Dee Ramone “turning tricks” in Midtown Manhattan, and “Let’s Dance” is a faithful yet accelerated cover of Chris Montez’s composition. For a condensed sample of Ramones, listen to “Judy Is a Punk”, which is the shortest song in the record lasting a mere minute and a half:

And for a didactic rendition of “Judy Is a Punk”, check out this video: