It's National Women's History Month. If Suzi Quatro was the queen of rock & roll, then Patti Smith was the leader of the female punk insurgency that redefined the genre. The 30th anniversary addition of Horses includes a bonus disc of the album recorded live in 2005 with Tom Verlaine (Television) on guitar and Flea on bass and trumpet. Tucked at the end of the disc is a sublime, nearly seven minute rendition of The Who's "My Generation." Whereas Roger Daltrey's version looked towards the possibilities of the future, Smith's looks back, exuding regret and anger. "My generation. We had dreams... We had dreams, man! And we fucking created George Bush! New generations! Rise up! Rise up! Take to the streets! Make change! The world is yours! Change it! Change it!"
Black Lives Matter. Women's March. #MeToo. #Enough. #NeverAgain. This one's for the people in the streets! Change will come.
Definite Door is the Posies' final single from 1994's Frosting On The Beater . With it's psychedelic and fatalistic lyrics, matched with sugary sweet grunge guitars, the song stirs up a mix of somber, yet mystical bliss. It is the pinnacle of power-pop meets grunge. The Posies, like Nirvana were part of the 90s Seattle music scene. Since Kurt Cobain died on April 8, 1994 and Definite Door was released shortly after (April 27), we can rule out the idea that the band was directly addressing Cobain's suicide. Music journalists at the time perceived the song as a statement of psychedelic escapism. Still, with lyrics like "Say goodbye to your friends and family Pack your promises silently Funny how they forget to tell you This is all you will ever be" it's easy to interpret the song as a commentary on suicide's power to eclipse all of our memories of one's lifetime. Ultimately, there is no literal meaning provided for this tune. We are left t
Clocking in at nearly 23 minutes, Supper's Ready was the first extended composition that Genesis attempted in the studio. It appeared on 1972's Foxtrot . With Steve Hackett's ornate and chiming guitars, Tony Banks classical sounding keys, Phil Collins' athletic drumming (hitting 9/8 in section VI) and, of course, Peter Gabriel's dramatic voice -- lifting from an ethereal hush to a fantastic shriek throughout, it's a prog-rock masterpiece. This was Genesis firing on all cylinders. They were in their formative stage as a band and in love with composing together. Ultimately, the tune would provide a perfect opportunity for Gabriel to develop costumes and portray a host of fanciful characters, including a giant daisy (pictured here). Lyrically, the song is expansive, dealing with themes of good and evil, particularly allusions to the Book of Revelations. Gabriel based the lyrics for the first section, Lover's Leap, on two otherworldly experiences. On one occ
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