Music Day
Monday, October 15, 2007
Jonathan Richman – New England
I listened to this song at least three times while traveling home from Montreal this week. (Yes, I consider New York to be part of New England.) Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg that is my recent Jonathan Richman obsession, but this captures his combination of sincerity and childish playfulness that I find so irresistible.
This band is what happens if you take everything I love about The Fucking Champs, subtract the geeky metal fixation, and add it to a Yo La Tengo slow jam. And we’re floating.
Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues (San Quentin version)
Most people are familiar with Johnny Cash’s famous performance of this song at Folsom Prison, which is a shame, because the version he recorded at San Quentin blew the roof off the place. The beat is so propulsive that Cash couldn’t stop singing if he tried; the energy is simply infectious. The real highlight, though, is the guitar solo, which still sounds fifteen years ahead of its time. “Oh, how sweet!”
Emily wrote:
dude, you are so wrong. As a New Yorker you should know that New York is definitely not part of New England.
Posted on 15-Oct-07 at 8:33 am | Permalink
Adam wrote:
Yeah, I know, technically it’s not. But considering that upstate New York has the same landscape (beautiful mountains, sprawling deciduous forests), climate (summers that make you sweat, winters that make the pipes freeze), and people (farmers and college professors, living together!), let’s just say it’s “New England-y”. The point is that this song is about the part of the country I grew up in, give or take a state, and reminds me of home.
Posted on 15-Oct-07 at 9:01 am | Permalink
Tougi wrote:
How extensive is your Jonathan Richman obsession? I’m a long-time fan, myself.
Posted on 16-Oct-07 at 1:04 am | Permalink
sarah hayley wrote:
oh man. oh man. that hd link you posted. it’s like a hole in my screen with happiness pouring out of it. (also, the videos are less choppy when you watch them within their individual posts)
Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 4:44 pm | Permalink
Adam wrote:
Tougi — it’s just getting started, but I’m filling it out nicely — I recently got heavily into “Jonathan Goes Country”, if that gives you a benchmark of any kind. (It’s much better than you’d guess from the title.)
Posted on 17-Oct-07 at 7:01 pm | Permalink
Tougi wrote:
I’ll have to take your word for that. I haven’t heard a single one of those songs. I have an aunt who introduced me to Jonathan through “The Beserkley Years: The Best Of Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers” and I ended up getting completely hung up on Ice Cream Man and Abominable Snowman in the Market. They’re so good that I just listened to those two songs over and over again. I haven’t even heard every song on the CD and I sadly don’t have a copy of my own. It’s crazy how just a few songs can completely endear you to someone. I’ve found a few songs for download since, but this is a great reminder of how much I need to buy a CD. I’ve been listening to New England almost constantly since you posted it, to the point that I’m neglecting other music, like the excellent tunes below it. The only reason I’m writing this rambling message now is so I’ll have an excuse to stay on your Website and click on it again and again. Serj Tankian’s new album is coming out in a a little under a week, so I’ll have a new obsession soon, but until then I’ll listen to this forty times a day.
Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 1:08 am | Permalink
Adam wrote:
Ha! That’s pretty impressive — but yeah, I have had that same experience with Richman, the difference being (I suppose) that I’m addicted to a few more songs than you. (And come on, Jonathan vs. that Serj guy? How can you compare?)
Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 12:44 pm | Permalink
Tougi wrote:
Oh, no, I wouldn’t dare compare. Like I kind of said, I wasn’t writing for your benefit; I was just going on about whatever because I had the song playing and I didn’t want to navigate away from your site. The two are unrelated in almost every way. The only commonality is that they both make ridiculously good music. Liking one has no correlation to liking the other. I would, however, consider my taste pretty eclectic, and from the few songs I’ve heard, I can guarantee that I’ll be sticking that thing in my CD player and hitting repeat until my ears bleed. If I could find a Jonathan Richman CD or convince myself to order one online, I’d do exactly the same thing. I know I’m making things difficult for myself and probably ensuring that Jonathan gets a smaller cut, but there’s something I like about going into a shop and physically selecting a disc. If I don’t support the dying record store industry, needlessly spending excess time and money, who will?
I’m, uh, listening to the song again.
Posted on 18-Oct-07 at 12:59 pm | Permalink
gus wrote:
Jonathan Richman (and the Modern Lovers) ROCK! They ROCK! Like that!
Posted on 05-Nov-07 at 3:55 pm | Permalink
Tougi wrote:
Ken Swizzle is very much on the Check Mii Out Channel. There are also about forty Bald Sopranos. Actually, I don’t know if that’s true, but there are a bunch of bald, Female Miis with the initials B.S. who like singing, so I’m going to assume that the are.
Posted on 12-Nov-07 at 1:19 am | Permalink