Bold self-reliance. That's what Alex Chilton was channeling when he penned The Ballad of El Goodo. It's one of those tunes that I try to include on any mixtape or CD that I ever make. Tonight, the melody emerged from the back of my mind as I was strumming my guitar. It moved me to find the chords and learn to play it. Striking the chords and whispering Alex Chilton's lyrics unleashed a powerful feeling inside -- like uttering some magical incantation. My spirits were immediately lifted. That's the power of rock & roll. True and simple.
Big Star was a huge influence on many of my favorite groups: The Replacements, Wilco, The Posies and R.E.M. The Ballad of El Goodo has been covered by countless artists. Here are two of my favorite covers;
Evan Dando's sublime version from the Empire Records Soundtrack (1995):
Matthew Sweet's version from Big Star Small World (Tribute to Big Star).
By the end of 1981, prog rock was in deep trouble. Punk rock's offspring had traded in guitars for synthesizers and learned to write catchy pop songs. Prog pioneers who had redefined rock and roll's sound throughout the 70s, with their bold use of Moog and ARP synthesizers (Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, etc.), now stood on the sidelines scratching their heads as Adam Ant lookalikes scored hits with their own brand of synthesized music. The new wave had arrived and proggers were beached. The only prog group that had managed to successfully make the jump to the 80s was Genesis. With Phil Collins out from behind the drums and singing love songs, the group scored hits with "Follow You, Follow Me," "Turn It On Again," and "Misunderstanding." Genesis wasn't new wave, but they had successfuly shed the odd time signatures and existential lyrics of the 70s and attracted a mainstream pop audience. But Genesis was just the beginning. Following the...
Jonathan Richman 's I Was Dancing In A Lesbian Bar reminds me of last night. Yesterday was my birthday. In typical fashion, after my responsibilities as husband and father were lovingly fulfilled and the sun had set on the quiet suburbs of Portland, I drove straight into the city for some karaoke. Throughout the evening I sang three songs and danced harder than I have in years. In Richman's song, the protagonist finds himself feeling like an outsider at a night club. The clientele is too cool to dance and less than welcoming. Soon he is invited to go dancing in a new spot by some kind strangers. They lead him to a lesbian bar that is the polar opposite of the first club. Everybody's dancing and having a good time. Richman has found a place of belonging in the most unlikely setting. That's how I felt at the karaoke club last night. I've been in literally hundreds of karaoke bars in a handful of countries. As a first-timer, singers can be met with indifference,...
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