Three 80s tracks presented in descending chronological order.
Public Enemy – Night of the Living Baseheads
The second rap/hip-hop act that caught my interest – Run DMC, as with a lot of listeners unfamiliar with the scene at the time, was the 1st. A musical college of sorts – even Bowie’s Fame is used – with a jarring horn that you can’t ignore. As if to say: listen here, this is important, you should be alarmed (yeah, maybe I have a flare for the obvious). Let that cocaine be. (I hear some of what Beck did early on coming out of this style.)
Split Enz – Take a Walk
On the other side of the world we get a track that bounces & swirls along for a walk. Neil Finn paints the picture & there’s just the right amount of the wackiness that separates the Enz stuff from the Crowded House & Finn brothers’ solo & duo stuff. Light up the jaunt.
The Jam – Boy About Town
This was one of the tracks on a mixtape of The Jam I was given that was my 1st introduction to the band & highlighted their poppier side. Built on the strength of the rhythm section of Foxton & Buckler, this is a quick, enjoyable walk. There are a lot of nice production touches – wisely-used horns, some whoo-ing background vocals and just a touch of tambourine. Perfect.
Split Enz – “Take A Walk”. The only song I could previously name from them is “I Got You.” This one has a reggae-ish feel I didn’t expect, some very 80s guitar (or is that synth?), and a nice rollicking piano-fueled middle part. Quite enjoyable.
The Jam — “Boy About Town.” Always like The Jam and their sketches of moddy urban life. The invariable Weller way with a melody. Very concise, packs a lot in in 120 seconds, including those kinda triumphant horns in the middle bit.
Maybe it was OFL’s comment about these all being 80’s songs that did it, but I could not help but hear this group as both a set and as elements to be compared.
Public Enemy- Wow. This was a jam. You could go to school on this song for a whole semester. Chuck’s articulate delivery (you can hear every word clearly) is amplified by his masterful, rhythmic parsing of the lyrics. The rhythm section cooks and the hypnotic toll of the horn pushes you along. The use of samples also elevates this tune–spoken word, drum breaks and a little Bowie too. And not too much Flav.
Split Enz- In contrast to PE, this tune left me a little flat. Like musically flat. Except for the twinkling of the pie-anny later in the song, everything sounded like it was all in one EQ band. It’s a shame because I think there is a catchy tune in there with some interesting complex chords and cool dissonant runs.
The Jam- Getting to this tune, it felt very loose, laid back and, well, punkish. I love a song under 2 minutes though this struck me as even a tad long, oddly enough. I think I like a little more furled lip with my Jam, but this was pleasant nonetheless.
And I’m still working my way through that Iton Maiden song from a few weeks ago. Ok, wait, here comes the albatross…..
Take A Walk: Absolutely love this one…..so much interesting content….on each listen I pick out some new production tweak that inspires my own song creation interests. Love the keys, the thick (perhaps a tad too thick) body of instrumental layers, and the weaving in of cool sound textures and harmonies all wrapped in to a cool arrangement and strong overall song….AND with an odd, very subtle, pulsing vibe that I can’t quite put my finger on (compression synched to the rhythm? or more likely just in my own brain) …..Enjoyed this one for sure!
Boy About Town: Clocking in at a mighty 1:57 I am thinking this must be our shortest offering to date. Very organic “live” feel to this one. The “na nah na”…verse I am guessing was left in during the “what the fuck” should we write for this verse phase and just stayed because it worked. This song feels very familiar to me and I think it’s a great overall romp of a song.
Night of the Living Bassheads: This group has a coolness and badass genuineness to them that draws me in. I am not a big fan of the style despite my best efforts and can only take in small doses BUT having said that I did dig in closer on this one and I am glad I did. I suspect this one is about drugs and the culture that surrounds it but it is hard to tell even after I listened close. Some of the sound textures grow tedious to my ears (that horn.. ahh) but the ENERGY kicks butt and very creative. Prob a real fun band to experience live back in the day.
PE-
This album lived on my turntable when it was released. Still think it holds up today. What PE and the Bomb Squad came up with was a continuation and update of themes from the Last Poets and Gil-Scott Heron. Great choice.
SE-
A fun pop song from the gang from New Zealand. The craft of Neil Finn really shines through. In retrospect, I can see where his work in Crowded House was headed.
The Jam –
A positive song from Weller? They do happen on occasion. Even when he’s positive he seems to have a chip on his shoulder. I am transported back to high school and being one of three Jam fans in the school and this was an unofficial theme song for me.
Three 80s tracks presented in descending chronological order.
Public Enemy – Night of the Living Baseheads
The second rap/hip-hop act that caught my interest – Run DMC, as with a lot of listeners unfamiliar with the scene at the time, was the 1st. A musical college of sorts – even Bowie’s Fame is used – with a jarring horn that you can’t ignore. As if to say: listen here, this is important, you should be alarmed (yeah, maybe I have a flare for the obvious). Let that cocaine be. (I hear some of what Beck did early on coming out of this style.)
Split Enz – Take a Walk
On the other side of the world we get a track that bounces & swirls along for a walk. Neil Finn paints the picture & there’s just the right amount of the wackiness that separates the Enz stuff from the Crowded House & Finn brothers’ solo & duo stuff. Light up the jaunt.
The Jam – Boy About Town
This was one of the tracks on a mixtape of The Jam I was given that was my 1st introduction to the band & highlighted their poppier side. Built on the strength of the rhythm section of Foxton & Buckler, this is a quick, enjoyable walk. There are a lot of nice production touches – wisely-used horns, some whoo-ing background vocals and just a touch of tambourine. Perfect.
Split Enz – “Take A Walk”. The only song I could previously name from them is “I Got You.” This one has a reggae-ish feel I didn’t expect, some very 80s guitar (or is that synth?), and a nice rollicking piano-fueled middle part. Quite enjoyable.
The Jam — “Boy About Town.” Always like The Jam and their sketches of moddy urban life. The invariable Weller way with a melody. Very concise, packs a lot in in 120 seconds, including those kinda triumphant horns in the middle bit.
Maybe it was OFL’s comment about these all being 80’s songs that did it, but I could not help but hear this group as both a set and as elements to be compared.
Public Enemy- Wow. This was a jam. You could go to school on this song for a whole semester. Chuck’s articulate delivery (you can hear every word clearly) is amplified by his masterful, rhythmic parsing of the lyrics. The rhythm section cooks and the hypnotic toll of the horn pushes you along. The use of samples also elevates this tune–spoken word, drum breaks and a little Bowie too. And not too much Flav.
Split Enz- In contrast to PE, this tune left me a little flat. Like musically flat. Except for the twinkling of the pie-anny later in the song, everything sounded like it was all in one EQ band. It’s a shame because I think there is a catchy tune in there with some interesting complex chords and cool dissonant runs.
The Jam- Getting to this tune, it felt very loose, laid back and, well, punkish. I love a song under 2 minutes though this struck me as even a tad long, oddly enough. I think I like a little more furled lip with my Jam, but this was pleasant nonetheless.
And I’m still working my way through that Iton Maiden song from a few weeks ago. Ok, wait, here comes the albatross…..
Take A Walk: Absolutely love this one…..so much interesting content….on each listen I pick out some new production tweak that inspires my own song creation interests. Love the keys, the thick (perhaps a tad too thick) body of instrumental layers, and the weaving in of cool sound textures and harmonies all wrapped in to a cool arrangement and strong overall song….AND with an odd, very subtle, pulsing vibe that I can’t quite put my finger on (compression synched to the rhythm? or more likely just in my own brain) …..Enjoyed this one for sure!
Boy About Town: Clocking in at a mighty 1:57 I am thinking this must be our shortest offering to date. Very organic “live” feel to this one. The “na nah na”…verse I am guessing was left in during the “what the fuck” should we write for this verse phase and just stayed because it worked. This song feels very familiar to me and I think it’s a great overall romp of a song.
Night of the Living Bassheads: This group has a coolness and badass genuineness to them that draws me in. I am not a big fan of the style despite my best efforts and can only take in small doses BUT having said that I did dig in closer on this one and I am glad I did. I suspect this one is about drugs and the culture that surrounds it but it is hard to tell even after I listened close. Some of the sound textures grow tedious to my ears (that horn.. ahh) but the ENERGY kicks butt and very creative. Prob a real fun band to experience live back in the day.
PE-
This album lived on my turntable when it was released. Still think it holds up today. What PE and the Bomb Squad came up with was a continuation and update of themes from the Last Poets and Gil-Scott Heron. Great choice.
SE-
A fun pop song from the gang from New Zealand. The craft of Neil Finn really shines through. In retrospect, I can see where his work in Crowded House was headed.
The Jam –
A positive song from Weller? They do happen on occasion. Even when he’s positive he seems to have a chip on his shoulder. I am transported back to high school and being one of three Jam fans in the school and this was an unofficial theme song for me.
But did you have an OFFICIAL theme song?
Yes. That’s Entertainment from the same album