Original video located here. Accessed 24th June 2011
Song title: King of Vice
Artist: Ed Kuepper
Year: 1991
Why I like this song:
The opening to one of my favourite albums ever. It certainly is a gamble to open an album with a nine-minute epic but never once does this drag. So many things going on at once and none of it sounds out of place.
You wouldn't think this came out the same year grunge exploded as it sounds worlds apart but that's what make sit so compelling.
Original video located here. Accessed 4th January 2018
Song title: Spirit Got Lost
Artist: Mental As Anything
Year: 1983
Why I like this song:
Recently I got a hold of the Mental As Anything album Creatures of Leisure.
It's a fun listen however I can't deny it sounds remarkably similar to the Cats and Dogs album (both albums share the same producer). Guess one sticks with what works.
Is it their best? One would think so. Especially since it starts with the above being both freaky and jaunty at the same time.
Song title: Stuck in the Middle With You
Artist: The Whitlams
Originally Done By: Stealers Wheel
Year: 1995
Why I like this song:
A snappy cover that somehow has far more energy than the original. But what stands out for me is that even though this is a cover it somehow conveys the sense of camaraderie the original Whitlams had.
Original video located here. Accessed 27th May 2011
Song title: Jungle
Artist: Emma Louise
Year: 2010
Why I like this song:
The sound of a crumbling relationship...
Original video located here. Accessed 13th June 2015
Song title: Nights in Venice
Artist: The Saints
Year: 1977
Why I like this song:
Lately I've been listening to The Saints.
The Sex Pistols and the Ramones may have spearheaded the first wave of punk in the seventies but there was also these guys: the Saints. Not as wide renowned but no less important.
Really this is the punk blueprint being fed through an Australian filter: The guitars roar like no other, the rustiness is prominent and the whole thing sounds like it was recorded in one go.
So very much a punk band.
And it is utterly glorious. Still sounds fresh and fiery over three decades later. And, dare I say it, shows up a lot of recent punk bands.
Song title: Nothing Else Matters
Artist: Metallica
Year: 1991
Why I like this song:
I have an anecdote with this song: Like most schools, my primary school played songs to signal that break time was ending and everyone needs to return to class. Of course, I could say my school played Metallica and leave it at that. But I've a memory attached to this song.
Picture this: I'm in a hallway at my Primary school. The hallway in question has the lights turned off and the only light is through the sunshine coming in the window. I'm working on something. Then, this song comes on, I quietly pack up and head off to class.
Some songs require the right atmosphere.