obscure classics

obscure classics at heathers wednesday night!!!

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:08:00 +0000

obscure classics returns to heathers this wednesday night!
its been a while so i have lots of new old stuff to play for you guys.

August 26th

506 E. 13th st.

between ave. A & B

10pm to 2am

in the mean time i'm still working on the streaming audio issues here. all of the live sets from heathers still work, but i'm going to re-post all of my other mixes soon.

See you Wednesday!

uh oh?

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:57:00 +0000

the web service that stored all of my mixes has gone offline! i thought it was a temporary thing but its been quite a few days now - apparently they are undergoing some changes? the website just says "metamorphosis underway"...huh. anyone know a good host for streaming audio?
in the mean time, leave me a comment or leave me a message at last.fm.
TCB and enjoy your summer! i'm working on more mixes so stay tuned...

ten little indie songs

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:48:00 +0000

james dean driving experience - sean connery - 1990
close lobsters - sewer pipe dream - 1987
the june brides - the instrumental - 1985
heavenly - tool - 1992
dolly mixture - side street walker - 1983
laugh - paul mcCartney - 1987
another sunny day - you should all be murdered - 1989
ultra vivid scene - special one - 1990
chapter house - mesmerise - 1992
the field mice - let's kiss and make up - 1989

seems that i have been obscure lately, my apologies. i've been busy with my band, hunters. we're playing a show july 9th at the knitting factory. its nothing like the music i play here at obscure classics... its kinda heavy. have a listen at myspace. i've been a huge fan of hunters since it formed. and fairly recently i was invited to play bass guitar for them, so it was a best case scenario, i'm pretty psyched!

so besides practicing my fingers off, i've been digging into a lot of indie and twee stuff. the first band, james dean driving experience, was apparently the next big thing in england in the late eighties, and i'm not sure what happened, they sort of trailed off or something. hearing their songs, i'm amazed and baffled that i'm just hearing about them now! and everyone i talk to is like "james dean who?" the happy ending is that they now have a myspace page, which says something about re-issuing their material on CD.

another one thats news to me is dolly mixture. having formed in 1979, their sound is kind of 10 years ahead of its time, considering the multitude of british indie bands in the late 80's that have a similar feel. these are the same girls that sing the backing vocals on captain sensible's wot, one of my personal faves. captain sensible being from the proto punk band, the damned - dolly mixture were girlfriends of the damned, or so the story goes. in 1995, bob stanley from saint etienne re-released dm's first untitled album as a CD on his label, renaming it "demonstration tapes", which features side street walker.

speaking of bob stanley, the song paul mcCartney, by laugh, is featured on a compilation he put together called CD86. i highly recommend it! its sort of an alternate version of the infamous C86 mixtape that NME magazine gave away in 1986. all of the bands on it were classic indie/twee pop and C86 became a genre tag of its own.

lets see, what else, i should mention that the backing vocal on the ultra vivid scene track, special one, belongs to kim deal of the pixies.

the last song, lets kiss and make up by the field mice, was later covered by saint etienne. for years i had thought saint etienne wrote it. hmm, why do i suddenly have a craving to listen to saint etienne? i'll have incorporate them into a mix at some point. until then.......

sunday obscure classics

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:50:00 +0000

a mix of some of my latest faves, enjoy!

vivian goldman - launderette

orange juice - falling and laughing

unrest - six layer cake

vic godard - outrageous things

the june brides - i fall

the triffids - beautiful waste

bubblegum splash - 18:10 to yeovil junction

the fall - hotel bloedel

felt - primitive painters

live set at Heathers December 27th

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:00:00 +0000

yes, i have been hibernating, but here is a little recording from Saturday Dec. 27th 2008 for you to listen to while i wait for my turntables to defrost. interesting night it was. i've never had so many requests! people were actually standing in line to ask me to play stuff i don't have. what am i, johnny jukebox? i did my best to appease. the crowd was one of the largest i've seen at Heathers. people were getting turned away at the door because we were at capacity. this recording picks up about an hour or so into my set, which started out with a long string of early nineties nostalgia. until next time, enjoy!

big audio dynamite - hollywood boulevard

the stone roses - i am the resurrection

chapterhouse - falling down

dinosaur jr. - freak scene

pj harvey - dress

the afghan whigs - turn on the water

u2 - desire

husker du - don't want to know if you are lonely

pixies - hey

r.e.m. - 1,000,000

pulp - do you remember the first time?

sweet - ballroom blitz

phil wilson - love in vain

dexys midnight runners - breaking down the walls of heartache

simply red - i want you to want me [live]

any trouble - yesterday's love

the cars - let the good times roll

roxy music - both ends burning

david bowie - modern love

go go's - this town

the vaselines - son of a gun

L7 - pretend we're dead

joan jett & the blackhearts - i love rock & roll

nikki & the corvettes - just what i need

ramones - blitzkrieg bop

bruce springsteen - out in the street

the plimsouls - a million miles away

the outfield - your love

social distortion - ring of fire

the smihereens - behind the wall of sleep

modern english - i'll melt with you

the cure - boys don't cry

the feelies - moscow nights

violent femmes - prove your love

madness - our house

stevie nicks - stand back

new order - blue monday

talking heads - once in a lifetime

tom tom club - genius of love

gary numan - cars

breakfast club - rico mambo

squeeze - take me i'm yours

yazoo - situation

depeche mode - leave in silence

grace jones - love is the drug

suicide - rocket USA

can - one more night

shriekback - my spine is the bassline

the bloods - button up

the au pairs - set up

the lines - house of cracks

pylon - functionality

a certain ratio - do the du

casino music - viol af dis

public image ltd. - public image

the fall - totally wired

eyeless in gaza - ever present

echo & the bunnymen - angels and devils

let's active - horizon

pretenders - louis, louis

inxs - what you need

the psychedelic furs - blacks/radio

the patti smith group - so you want to be

ian hunter - once bitten, twice shy

david bowie - panic in detroit

Live at Heathers Nov. 18th Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:05:00 +0000

The podcast of my Nov. 18th set at Heathers is up - here's the link to the mp3.
here's the setlist...

echo & the bunnymen - fuel

j.j. burnel - triumph [of the good city]

young marble giants - brand-new-life

the vaselines - son of a gun

the jesus and mary chain - just like honey

the feelies - moscow nights

eyeless in gaza - ever present

artery - the death of peter x

crispy ambulance - come on

lowlife - big fat funky whale

soul - tribes

wake - make you understand

the sun and the moon - speed of life

the the - this is the day

felt - my face is on fire

china crisis - feel to be driven away

the dream academy - the edge of forever

prefab sprout - bonny

yaz - nobody's diary

tones on tail - lions

depeche mode - leave in silence

nu shooz - you put me in a trance

kleeer - intimate connection

the jets - private number

reflex - the politics of dancing

prince - let's pretend we're married

real life - send me an angel

stephen tin tin duffy - kiss me [with your mouth]

liquid liquid - optimo

mathematiques modernes - disco rough

james white & the blacks - contort yourself [august darnell remix]

a certain ratio - shack up

gang of four - damaged goods

adam & the ants - cartrouble, parts 1 & 2

echo & the bunnymen - all that jazz

pretenders - mystery achievement

the smiths - shakespeare's sister

the psychedelic furs - we love you

killing joke - eighties

suburban lawns - janitor

the clash - this is radio clash

the english beat - rotating heads

the specials - little bitch

katrina & the waves - walking on sunshine

the jam - town called malice

happy mondays - step on

big audio dynamite - hollywood boulevard

talking heads - born under punches [the heat goes on]

altered images - happy birthday

china crisis - african and white

madonna - lucky star

the b-52's - give me back my man

michael jackson - p.y.t. [pretty young thing]

cameo - candy

fun boy three - our lips are sealed

plastics - ignore

our daughters wedding - she was someone

silicon teens - you really got me

depeche mode - dreaming of me

david bowie - modern love

squeeze - another nail in my heart

simple minds - alive and kicking

the passions - runaway

kim wilde - chequered love

split enz - i got you

the smithereens - blood and roses

the replacements - can't hardly wait

stevie nicks - stand back

casino music - the beat goes on

eurythmics - sweet dreams [are made of this]

captain sensible - wot

sugarcubes - hit

new order - temptation

kirsty macColl - walking down madison

big audio dynamite II - kool-aid

devo - working in the coalmine

abc - when smokey sings

china crisis - no more blue horizons [fool fool fool]

book of love - book of love

obscure classics at heathers saturday night!!!

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:34:00 +0000

2008 has only one more Saturday night left.

We've got to make this one count!!!

This Saturday at the East Village mainstay Heathers, fill your ears with some carefully selected classics from in and around the 80's. Post punk, new wave and indie rock. Obscure favorites and underplayed classics with a healthy dose of old standby's.

Come early for a free mix CD, limited supply...

See you there!

http://going.com/obscureclassicssaturday

new order confusion video

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:59:00 +0000

this 1983 hit for new order was co-written and co-produced by arthur baker [the long haired guy in the video] who became famous for his work on afrika bambaataa's soul sonic force hit, 'planet rock'. blondie and the clash had already done the crossover bit, but these pastey boys from manchester's moody existential legacy peaking at number 5 in the US dance club chart is kind of a milestone. a slightly different flavor of crossover, subtle but definitely unique. and the video is a nice little slice [no pun intended] of new york nightlife at the time. [thank you ross, for recommending this and giving me a little history lesson!]

sunday afternoon mini mix

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 12:01:00 +0000

the sound ~ new dark age
simple minds ~ boys from brazil
a flock of seagulls ~ nightmares
midnight oil ~ power and the passion
tears for fears ~ mothers talk
electronic ~ tighten up

i was going to make this mix longer, but i decided short and sweet was the way. plus i had somewhere to go : ) all about BIG drums and orchestra hits, enjoy!

wednesday night at my place

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:19:00 +0000

10,000 maniacs ~ pit viper
eyeless in gaza ~ two
r.e.m. ~ 9 - 9
echo & the bunnymen ~ a promise
u2 ~ the electric co.
the names ~ floating world
the passions ~ runaway
the psychedelic furs ~ highwire days
sad lovers & giants ~ alice {isn't playing}
crispy ambulance ~ a sense of reason {session}
the dance society ~ these frayed edges
gary numan ~ tracks

here's some of the stuff i've been listening to lately, and more particularly, tonight. some lesser known songs by better known artists in there, plus some more obscure artists.
i've been digging into my old 10,000 maniacs collection lately. i forgot how much i like it. for a while it was a bit of a guilty pleasure i'd only play every now and then. i think because the band became famous for their later stuff, and they had this pop folk stigma. just not my scene. their early 80's material [like pit viper] was much edgier, and natalie merchant's lyrics weren't so club-you-over-the-head-obvious-what-the song-is-about. her early lyrics were sometimes on the cryptic side, more poetic in my opinion. i actually like when i can't tell what the song is about. i like to make my own interpretation. the same can be said for r.e.m.'s early stuff [like 9-9 which is off of murmur], who knows what michael stipe was singing about. in interviews, he says that a lot of it was just made up off the top of his head because it sounded nice.
speaking of singers, my latest obsession is eyeless in gaza. martyn bates' spastic vocal style is the cats pajamas... to me. best slept-on band i've heard in a while. not all hits, but i've been finding some gems in their collection... okay, enough opinions.
here's a couple facts:

1. my friends' new band is pretty rad. their called hunters and they are playing at a new york indie showcase with a lot of other rad bands this friday at 8pm sharp. info and songs here.

2. i have another DJ gig coming up very soon, so stay tuned!

about last night

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:38:00 +0000

ps - there really was absinthe! [and i had some] a thousand thankyou's to everyone who came last night, i had fun! hope you enjoyed it.

i tried to play mostly old gems that were kind of off the radar back in the day [circa 80's], and just a dash of classic standby's for good measure.

hearing all classics is tiring, to me, like being on a hamster wheel, not that i've done that, but i can sympathize. feels like your not getting anywhere, not breaking new ground. too much nostalgia is annoying that way.

on the other hand, hearing all obscure tracks can be tiring as well, more like treading water in the middle of an ocean. nothing to hold on to. you may hear something you like, but it gets lost among all the other songs you've never heard before.

but when you hear something like "once in a lifetime" by talking heads followed by a post punk band like orange juice instead of the van halen song that usually followed it on the radio, it makes sense. it sounds fresh now, because its in its natural habitat, free to roam blah blah blah...

anyways thats my little snippet of dj theory for the day.

some requests that i missed last night [its always the one thing i didn't bring] : old magnetic fields, oingo boingo, and i flaked again on the gary numan/pleasure principle... next time, i promise.

stay tuned...

synths and absinthe at heathers tuesday night

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:46:00 +0000

another installment of obscure classics!
fave new wave, classic post punk & indie rock circa the 80's
at heathers bar
this tuesday nov.18th
9pm - 2am
506 E. 13th st.
between A & B

add 3john as a friend at going.com:
http://newyork.going.com/synthsandabsinthe

Coat Drive at Heathers Bar tonight

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:23:00 +0000

From 8-10 tonight I'll be mixing some classic 80's post punk and new wave at Heathers for the Annual Coat Drive. Come before 8 for free drinks! Bring a coat and I'll give you a mix CD! See you there!

new wave mixtape volume I side II

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:29:00 +0000

side II

yaz - ode to boy
gary numan - i sing rain
pet shop boys - west end girls
prefab sprout - when love breaks down
thompson twins - if you were here
omd - souvenir
modern english - hands across the sea
the passions - i'm in love with a german film star

punk movie series at BAM

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:06:00 +0000

i'm psyched i just found out about this.
all kinds of punk rock related movies are playing at the brooklyn academy of music in november. 24 hour party people, the joy division documentary, the joe strummer one, rough cut & ready dubbed [really, really want to see this one], depeche mode 101 and a bunch more... let's go!

details here:
http://bam.org/view.aspx?pid=667

pre-synth madonna

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:44:00 +0000

so, madonna had a brief stint in a rock band before her career took off. the daily beast just released an exclusive recording that has a few clips of her earliest work. one of them is the first song she wrote. its kinda refreshing to hear her voice in a different format. it would be sooo cool to hear finished versions of these songs. but it goes without saying that she made the right move when she switched to the new wave sound.

read the full story here.

new wave mixtape volume I side I

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 22:31:00 +0000

new wave's been sounding nice lately. that and concise little mini mixes...

heaven 17 - let me go
depeche mode - lie to me
icehouse - hey little girl
japan - quiet life
the comsat angels - not a word
modern english - chapter 12
new order - the perfect kiss

new wave soundtrack

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:33:00 +0000

a little selection of some of the more theatrical or "soundtracky" new wave songs in my collection. i tried to compile this mix in such a way that tells a story, that is, it has a beginning, middle, and end. that doesn't really account for the lyrical content - i don't know what this story would be about exactly. but i'm sure you can dream up something. enjoy...

omd - messages [peel session]
the human league - dreams of leaving
simple minds - fear of gods
gary numan - stormtrooper in drag
romeo void - going to neon
depeche mode - waiting for the night
wang chung - dancing
thomas newman - st. marks place
tears for fears - the working hour
wang chung - don't let go
b movie - nowhere girl
real life - exploding bullet
ultravox - vienna

Echo & the Bunnymen at Radio City

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:05:00 +0000

Echo & the Bunnymen played Radio City Music Hall last night and of course i had to go. all in all, i was satisfied. i was feeling full of doubts during the first half. they played a sampling of songs from different albums and some covers, like "people are strange" by the doors and "a walk on the wild side" by lou reed. i wasn't so thrilled about the covers as some of the crowd. but there were some classics that i was pleased to hear live, like "dancing horses" and "cutter".

it was a little odd sitting down while they played what i feel is one of their most rambunctious {and best} songs "all that jazz". my friend commented that it made her feel geriatric to sit while this upbeat danceable music was playing. which brings me to another point, the crowd was surprisingly older than i imagined, and button-down, literally. the dress code for men [way more men to women ratio than i imagined as well] was close cropped hair, light colored oxford shirts and khakis. very few people were under 30. there were pockets of the crowd that looked like happy hour in the financial district. no offense, its just surprising is all. but i thought there would be more savvy young ones. it could have been the price, 60 clams after ticketmaster's filthy fingers take their 10 dollar "got you by the short and curlies" fee from your wallet, eh-hem... sorry, money is a sensitive spot these days, no pun intended.

okay, what made the show worthwhile and then some was the second half. this is where they did the 11 piece orchestra Ocean Rain album thing. the orchestra began and the band rowed out in a little boat just like on the cover of the album! actually the boat part didn't happen. the set was impressive though, the songs "nocturnal me" and "ocean rain" sounded amazing with the lush arrangements they...arranged. and were particularly and comfortably stuck in my head on the way home. the sitting-down aspect started to make sense, it was more than a rock show. the second half made the first half seem like they were just messing around, warming up or waiting for the orchestra to arrive. even so, and even without an encore [yep, crazy right?], it was still worth it for me.

the moral of the story is; i don't know when they're playing around here again, but if they have the orchestra with them, you should go see them before they are completely absorbed into music history.

heartbeat city radio

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:49:00 +0000

hello, hello again
another mix for you. unlike the non-live mixes i've posted so far, this one is completely spontaneous. so it might ramble off in different directions. all in all, its a bit more like a live set, or no, like a radio program, or a podcast. no, a radio program. i'm calling it heartbeat city radio, named after the epic album and song by the cars. if there was a real place named heartbeat city, i would move there, probably. anyways i'm going to try to post these types of sets more often.

my hope, as always, is that it might introduce you to a few new[old] songs by artists you know already... or even some new artists. enjoy!

martha and the muffins - echo beach
wake - talk about the past
the chameleons - looking inwardly
the the - this is the day
wake - favour
the cure - primary
echo & the bunnymen - my white devil
U2 - a day without me
the psychedelic furs - president gas
modern english - someones calling
talking heads - artists only
pixies - is she weird
the cramps - green fuzz
young marble giants - choci loni
the db's - amplifier
the times - i helped patrick mcgoohan escape
the freshies - i'm in love with the girl on a certain...
the golden dawn - george hamilton's dead
the primitives - stop killing me
the sea urchins - day into day
saint christopher - all of a tremble
my bloody valentine - cigarettes in your bed
henry's dress - "A" is for cribbage
unrest - teenage suicide
thr wedding present - my favourite dress
ultra vivid scene - lynn marie #2
the breeders - no aloha

chapterhouse - summer chill
the sugarcubes - regina
the cars - heartbeat city
love & rockets - i feel speed
suicide - cheree

new old favorites

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:50:00 +0000

been a while, i know!
hope you're enjoying the warm months as much as i am.
i haven't been mixing so much lately, but i've been digging into
and outside of my collection, seeking new old
favorites and obscure classics nonetheless. i mixed up a few of them here for
y'all to listen to:

the jam - start! - 1980
television personalities - world of pauline lewis - 1981
vic godard & the subway sect - split up the money - 1980
the smiths - death at one's elbow - 1987
orange juice - poor old soul (part 1) - 1981
dexys midnight runners - geno - 1980
elvis costello - the beat - 1978
the boomtown rats - rat trap - 1978
cuddly toys - join the girls - 1980
david bowie - the jean genie - 1972
pretenders - up the neck - 1980
the saints - know your product - 1978

if you're interested in getting this mix on to your mp3 player, read this. keep in touch, leave a comment. until next time, enjoy your summer!
<3john

live recording from June 4th

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 06:20:00 +0000

a recording of my set at Heathers is available at heathersbar.com

here's the set list so you can read along at home:

the lines - cool snap
suburban lawns - baby
polyrock - #7
devo - praying hands
the b-52's - there's a moon in the sky [called the moon]
the cars - getting through
the vapors - prisoners
the clash - train in vain
the db's - spy in the house of love
talking heads - once in a lifetime
xtc - earn enough for us
elvis costello - whisper to a scream
the smiths - panic
the police - fall out
suburban lawns - boyfriend
buzzcocks - fiction romance
adam & the ants - car trouble, pts. 1 & 2
warsaw - the drawback
ramones - rock'n'roll highschool
r.e.m. - radio free europe
the patti smith group - so you wanna be
nikki sudden - channel steamer
the dancing cigarettes - pop doormat
the b-52's - devil in my car
tones on tail - go
thompson twins - could be her, could be you
tom tom club - genius of love
the human league - love action
depeche mode - new life
omd - bunker soldiers [peel session]
yaz - state farm
madonna - think of me
squeeze - annie get your gun
our daughters wedding - lawnchairs
sigue sigue sputnik - love missile f1-11
sparks - angst in my pants
the human league - sound of the crowd
mathematiques modernes - disco rough
devo - girl u want
casino music - viol af dis
elton motello - queen
echo & the bunnymen - no dark things
delta 5 - triangle
gang of four - not for great men
glaxo babies - who killed bruce lee?
esg - moody
the clash - the magnificent seven
the flying lizards - sex machine
the waitresses - bread and butter
the b-52's - 52 girls
ramones - slug
the misfits - hybrid moments
blondie - xoffender
the cramps - goo goo muck
the revillos - rev up
hoodoo gurus - i want you back
pretenders - mystery achievement

if you have any questions about any of the songs i play, please leave a comment!
i'm no music snob. this blog isn't just for people who already know about all of this music. i'm still discovering a lot of it myself. so raise your hand if you have something to say. now put that hand down, onto your computer mouse, and click the comments button below.

<3john

drive-in saturday

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:28:00 +0000

This is a mix of punk and pop from the 70’s and 80’s influenced by doo wop music.

Doo wop’s vocal harmonies had a big influence on 1950’s rock’n’roll like Buddy Holly, and later 1960’s girl groups like The Ronettes. It's easy to see how it could influence pop music, but punk? Pretty much all of the elements found their way into punk at some point. The simple lullaby melodies, the “shoo be doo”s, the "oooh wah oooh"s, the "sha la la"s, the saxophone solos, the call and response, the dramatic spoken-word intros... Slow it down to half speed and replace the electric guitar with a crooning bass vocalist and you've got doo wop.
I've been compiling and distilling this for a while now and I think I've got most of the major players covered, obvious ones like the Ramones, and not so obvious ones like Richard Hell. In my opinion, this is one of the most fun forms of music.
"its a crash course for the ravers..."

Blondie ~ Denise

-a cover of a doo wop song by Randy and the Rainbows [you gotta love the names of doo wop groups! Which is another way doo wop influenced punk, almost all doo wop groups had names that began with “The”. ] from the album Plastic Letters.

The Cars ~ Slipaway

-Ric Ocasek wrote this and gave it to Ian Lloyd. I like The Cars’ version better, which wasn’t an official release, but can be found on Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology.

Buzzcocks ~ Everybody’s Happy Nowadays

-always been my fav Buzzcocks track. From Singles Going Steady

Ramones ~ Do You Wanna Dance?

-originally written by Bobby Freeman in 1958, The Beach Boys version was probably the most popular, but its been covered by T. Rex, John Lennon, and The Mamas & The Papas too.

Plastic Bertrand ~ Le Petit Tortillard

-a little known classic by the guy who became famous for “Ca Plane Pour Moi”, more about him in a minute...

David Bowie ~ Hang On To Yourself

-from The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars. Bowie originally wrote this song even before Hunky Dory and gave it to a band called Arnold Corns, who released it on a single with Moonage Daydream [another Bowie song]. The single was a failure. Bowie was testing some of his material and concepts out on Arnold Corns, but when the Ziggy character started to gel, this song fit in nicely on the album and he reclaimed it. Rise and Fall wasn’t the complete concept album that everyone thought it was. Some of it was written before the Ziggy character existed. [paraphrased from Strange Fascination by David Buckley]

Marshall Crenshaw ~ Rockin’ Around In NYC

-I think of Crenshaw as the Buddy Holly of the 80’s. Holly was definitely one of his influences. Not to de-emphasize his originality - Crenshaw was an extremely talented songwriter. Check out his album Field Day, kind of a lost gem. This song is from a compilation of early stuff called The 9 Volt Years.

Ramones ~ Let’s Dance

-the Ramones can’t seem to go wrong with the cover songs. This one was a huge hit for Chris Montez in the early 60’s. The Beatles covered it and The Silicon Teens gave it the new wave treatment in the early 80’s. It’s on the Ramones first, self titled album.

The Misfits ~ Hybrid Moments

-as a kid I always thought the Misfits were straight-forward hardcore punk, and at a glance they are. But if you go back to their earlier recordings, theres more stuff like this song. [Go even further back and they had a synthesizer!] Turns out Danzig was a huge Marilyn Monroe fan and named the band after her last movie. Fifties nostalgia and hardcore punk don’t sound like they would mix well, but the Misfits pull it off.

Nikki Sudden ~ Channel Steamer

-Sudden was originally in the post punk outfit Swell Maps. This is the single from his first solo record in 1982.

Joan Jett ~ You Don’t Know What You’ve Got

-this is from her self titled solo debut album. That’s the one that had Bad Reputation and Do You Wanna Touch Me on it

Ramones ~ Slug

-one of my favorite Ramones songs. Not sure what the lyrics are about really. [A girl who turns into a slug?] I would imagine Joey got the idea from some horror movie he saw. If anyone knows please leave a comment.

Suburban Lawns ~ Anything

-my favorite obscure 80’s band. Sounds like if Olive Oil [Popeye’s girlfriend] started a punk band. Their most recognizable song is called “janitor”. This one is SO doo wop! This is the song I had in mind when I said slow it down and take out the electric guitar…

Elvis Costello ~ Welcome To The Working Week

-from My Aim Is True, his 1^st album. Brief and to the point, catchy and clever, a perfect Costello moment.

Richard Hell & The Voidoids ~ The Kid With The Replaceable Head

-lately this is my fav Hell song. It was featured in Susan Seidelman’s first film called Smithereens. Richard Hell himself plays a character in the film. There are some other great songs in it too. If you’re young and rebellious and moving to the big city [or ever have been] you should see this. Seidelman later directed Desperately Seeking Susan.

Misfits ~ Last Caress

-doo wop horror punk, amazing.

Elton Motello ~ Sha La La La Lee

-originally by The Small Faces, Plastic Bertrand also covered this song.

Plastic Bertrand ~ Ca Plane Pour Moi

-Roger Jouret, aka Plastic Bertrand, played drums in Elton Motello for a bit, which explains why Bertrand and Motello played many of the same songs. This one has the same exact backing track as Motello’s infamous “Jet Boy Jet Girl”. Its rare that 2 bands will share the same recording, each with different lyrics. It’s like the bizarro opposite of a cover song, where two songs share the same lyrics and the backing tracks differ. The title of this one means “this life’s for me” and the lyrics are interesting to say the least. Many [Americans] of my generation [including me] first heard this song in National Lampoon’s European Vacation.

Le Volume Était Au Maximum ~ Nian!

-Le Volume is from Quebec and fronted by a guy called Johnny Love. This one is a wild card, as it’s not from the 70’s or 80’s, but I am invoking my creative license here. It plays so well with Plastic Bertrand! Yes, I could have told you that these guys hung out with Bertrand and Motello as well and you probably would have believed me. But I’m not shiesty like that :)

Blondie ~ XOffender

-apparently, this one is about a prostitute who falls in love with a cop. But how do you ask a cop on a date when you’re a prostitute? Tricky situation. This song will walk you through it.

The Nerves ~ Hanging On The Telephone

-I was surprised the first time I heard this. I always thought Blondie’s version was the original, but The Nerves wrote it. The Nerves only released one EP [ever] in 1976 and this song was on it. The other songs are good too, shame they broke up.

Marshall Crenshaw ~ Run Back To You

-also from The 9 Volt Years compilation. Love the chord progression in this one.

Pretenders ~ Kid

-one of their first singles to hit the charts. Released in 1979 before their first [self titled] album.

David Bowie ~ Drive-In Saturday

-this is another song that Bowie gave to another band before taking it back and putting it on his own album. He gave this one to Mott the Hoople, but they never released it. Its tells of a dystopian future where people have forgotten how to make love and resort to watching vintage “video-films” for guidance.

wednesday and the lines

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:35:00 +0000

thanks everyone who came out wednesday! i had fun, i hope you did too. good crowds make for good sets. i don't plan my sets. i just sort of divine them from the room and, well, i can't wait to hear the recording on the Heathers Podcast when it gets posted. hope to see you folks next time.

the first song i played [which got partially trimmed due to a technical difficulty] was "cool snap" by The Lines, a brilliant post punk band that somehow never got off the ground. they had a lot of potential. check out some of their music here. there are recordings on the right of the page, i'm partial to the "radiobass" tapes, which are unfortunately not released, yet. Bass solos with minimal drum machine beats, pretty badass.

lets see, what else... i'm working on a new mix for you. i'm psyched about this one. sort of a punk rock tribute to doo wop music. putting the finishing touches on it.

<3john

this Wedneday at Heathers Bar

noreply@blogger.com (3john) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:29:00 +0000

Wednesday, June 4th 9pm - 1ish

Heathers

506 e. 13th street

btwn Ave A & B