Yeah, we do!!!

Does anyone remember the Radio Hauraki New Rock Zone hosted by Dave 'The Green Man" Green in the late 90's?? 7pm til 11pm, then the computer took over till midnight.

Man, that shit was epic. I remember staying up late playing Star Wars FPS's or Syndicate listening to Faith No More and Foo Fighters, Eve 6 and Matchbox 20. I distinctly remember when Greenie called Everlong the most beautiful song he'd ever heard. I think that was a moment when I began to come to terms with the fact that rock music could be beautiful.

My brother and I really enjoyed it so when The Green Man made comment that it was his birthday and he hadn't gotten a present I grabbed Chris and we headed to Cook St where the studio was (is?). We stopped to buy a 6 pack of Speights because that was Greenie favourite.

I don't know what made us think that we could just waltz into a highly secure building, wander around and eventually amble into the studio. There was no way we were going to get in.

But we did. By some miracle the front door onto Cook St was unlocked. Unlocked!! So we just waltzed in through the front door. The security desk was vacant. Vacant!! So we just wandered around the offices, files strewn about, computers on and half drunk coffee cups on desks.
We eventually found the studio and banged on the soundproof door. OK, so banging on a soundproof door was probably not the worlds greatest plan, but blow me down, the DJ saw us through the window and a look of 'Who the fuck are these guys?' appeared all over his face.

And what a face. Sheesh, not a handsome man. Great voice (and face) for radio. Short, fat, bald (with what I can only describe as a very short, Mohawk coming off one side of his face only)

I guess he went to commercials and then came over and opened the door. "Who are you?"

"Steve and Chris. We brought you beer!"

"Beer? Cool. Wait, how did you get in?'

Shrug of shoulders. "The doors were unlocked."

"What, all of them?'

"Yep. Do you want a beer?"

And after that we were best mates. He took us into the studio and introduced us to the listeners as two crazy guys who broke into the studio on a beer mission. We debated Metallica songs on air, explained our break in, had a laugh and were on our way.

It wasn't long after this we somehow got invited to his Christmas party, which is still one of the best days of my life. But I will go into that another time.

Number 23
Song & Artist: Common People - Pulp
Album & Date: Different Class - 22nd May 1995
Nationality of band: English
Members at release: Nick Banks (Drums - English), Jarvis Cocker (Vocals/Guitar - English), Candida Doyle (Keyboards - Northern Irish), Steve Mackey (Bass Guitar - English), Mark Webber (Guitar - English)

YouTube:

My rant;

I am rather partial to BritPopRock. It must have the word Rock or we end up stuck with The Spice Girls and I have a little cry.

This song, much like Song 2 (Blur) is an archetypal and quintessential example of this wonderful genre that dominated the rock airwaves from the death of Grunge (circa April 1994 perhaps) until the post grunge/alternative revival emerged from America in the shape of Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind and bands like that.

I know that a Muppet like me throwing around words like quintessential probably seems a bit over the top, but how else do I say that it grabs you by the balls and wrenches you back to mid '90's England?

This track has certain parallels with films of the era such as Trainspotting, Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. I kind of feel that Renton could have been dancing with Diane listening to this track.

I know that I heard this track during its heyday, but as in most things I was probably still mourning Cobain and it would take me a couple of years to breach into any other BritPopRock than that of Oasis.

In actual fact, I only recently came across it on my iphone when I copied a 'Teen Spirit' compilation album across and this little gem was on it.

To the track itself, it is a haunting tale that we all know something about. Everyone has that girl or boy that something could have, should have, might have happened with. And generally there always is real reason why it didn't happen. In this case, slumming it didn't really work.

An upbeat start, a spoken start. A early laid back section until the brilliantly accented "I'll see what I can do" at 50s. The music steps up as they head towards to the super market. We're heading up-tempo as the accent kicks in and we discover that no one else is laughing.

Once we're done trying to figure out if she sure that she wants to sleep with common people, at 1:45 the song bangs up another level as the guitars slide in.

Then it's all about trying to fit in, something we have all struggled with at some stage and the realisation that this person is just not right.

Then the drums arrive in force and we are getting an idea of the disparity of two people lives. At 2:55, Cocker is literally pouring his heart and soul into the vocals and if you're not feeling it, give up.

I firmly believe that what makes this track excel is the combination of the heart wrenching lyrics and the undisputed brilliance of Candida Doyle on the keyboards. She makes the track mirror every word, every feeling and every undercurrent that Cocker is trying to slap us with.

At 3:45 the song becomes a desperate plea and ends on a sharp stop that always makes me long to hear it again.

The video clip is off the fucking map. Scroll back up and watch it. Even if you have seen it before, just check it out again.

Bands: (multiple band entrys ARE counted twice)

12 - America
11 - England

Band Members Country of Origin: (multiple band entrys ARE counted twice)

47 - England
45 - America
3 - Germany
1 - Tanzania
1 - Australia
1 - Japan
1 - Northern Ireland

Decade Released

14 - 90's
5 - 70's
2 - 60's
1 - 00's
1 - 80's

Year Released

3 - 1991
3 - 1994
3 - 1995
2 - 1997
2 - 1993
2 - 1971
1 - 1975
1 - 1965
1 - 1979
1 - 1968
1 - 2006
1 - 1987
1 - 1992
1 - 1970


Genre:
7 - Alternative
5 - Rock
4 - Grunge
2 - BritPop(Rock)
1 - Punk
1 - Glam Rock
1 - Post Grunge
1 - Hard Rock
1 - Metal/Rap

Number 22
Song & Artist: Instant Karma! - John Lennon
Album & Date: (Released as a single) - 6th February 1970
Nationality of band: Lets go with English, shall we??
Members at release: Mal Evans (Chimes/Handclaps/Backing Vocals - English), George Harrison (Lead Guitar/Backing Vocals - English), John Lennon (Lead Vocal/Acoustic Guitar/Electric Piano - English), Yoko Ono (Backing Vocal - Japanese), Billy Preston (Organ/Backing Vocal - American), Klaus Voormann (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocal/Electric Piano - German), Alan White (Drums - English)

YouTube:

My rant;

This is a rock song. This is a rock that highlights for me everything that is awesome about the genre I am in love with.

For all intents and purpose, it is supposed to be one guy, alone telling you somewhat angrily about his theory on Karma! But is in fact a myriad of people, from all over the globe getting together screaming a track that screams togetherness and patience and understanding.

It is a deceptively complicatied song and that for me, is its brilliance. If I were to try and describe it in any real detail I could damage the song itself so I won't bother.

What I will say is the "We all shine On" lyric he does during the track is (and bloody well should be) one of the most well known epitaphs in rock music and when you hear it, it should drag you from wherever you are right back to 1970 whether or not you were alive back then.

Without wanting to go on about this one for too long, this song will always remind me of a story my dad tells about the death of John Lennon in 1981. Apparently he was in the garden when our neighbour, Peter or Gwyneth (I can't remember which one), wandered past and told him that Lennon had been shot and killed. My old man is approximately as emotional as I am, so not realising the impact this would have on my mum, he just wandered through the house a little while later and mentioned it in passing. Of course, she cried. Beatlemania will never die, even though the band and half the members are long gone.

I have always thought that John Lennon was the most talented guy in the band and in addition to that, whenever I hear Civil War by Guns N Roses (a song that will not be on this list unless I die in a ball of flame and a complete dildo takes over) and this lyric comes up "Did you wear the black arm band when they shot the man who said: 'Peace could last forever?" I always think of Lennon. I know it was written about Martin Luther King, but my brain is plugged in a bit strangely....

Bands: (multiple band entrys ARE counted twice)

12 - America
10 - England

Band Members Country of Origin: (multiple band entrys ARE counted twice)

45 - America
43 - England
3 - Germany
1 - Tanzania
1 - Australia
1 - Japan

Decade Released

13 - 90's
5 - 70's
2 - 60's
1 - 00's
1 - 80's

Year Released

3 - 1991
3 - 1994
2 - 1997
2 - 1993
2 - 1995
2 - 1971
1 - 1975
1 - 1965
1 - 1979
1 - 1968
1 - 2006
1 - 1987
1 - 1992
1 - 1970


Genre:
7 - Alternative
5 - Rock
4 - Grunge
1 - Punk
1 - Glam Rock
1 - Post Grunge
1 - BritPop(Rock)
1 - Hard Rock
1 - Metal/Rap

I know, I know I should be posting on the list but an amazing thing happened to me this week thanks to my insane desire to pour my inane thoughts all over this little part of the Internet.

I made a post about my mum being a massive Beatles fan earlier in the week and received a Facebook message from my cousin David. He is my mums younger brothers son.

"Hey Stephen - how's things? I just read your latest blog and it reminded me of this... recorded in South Shields sometime around 1965/66 I think! Not sure if you'll have heard it before..."

There was a link to file called 'You've got to hide your love away'

So firstly I was amazed that someone who I only ever met once and lived on the other side of planet is reading this thing (Yay) (and also thanks to Jason H to just became a follower/member of the blog even though I've been giving him heaps about Tupperware)

Secondly I am probably a bit slow, but I thought David had sent me a rock song from some random North East band covering The Beatles. So I clicked the link and a little girl started singing. I was still on the rock song theory and figured that this was the intro.

60 seconds in and I clicked that this could be my mum at 12 or 13 y/o singing her little heart out to her favourite track.

I think it is fair to say that I generally have all the emotional range of a rubber duck but fuck me, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I have no fucking clue what emotion that I was feeling.

I bag the Internet hard a lot of the time, but this is one of the reasons why it has its place on our planet.

Anyone who knows me will also know that I only ever give effusive thanks on ridiculously rare occasions, but here goes.

Thanks David. You will probably never know what that 2 minute mp3 means to me. I have a hole in my life where my mum should be that will never be filled. Up until that moment I had absolutely no clue what she was like as a child and you helped filled a little gap that she never had the chance to.

Right. That is that, back to the fucking rock next time, alright???? Alright.

One of my key music moments was at 13 years old. It was 1991 and I was in my first year at Westlake Boys High School, hereafter named somewhat affectionately as 'Homo-Hill'.

Firstly, I was probably the smallest guy in the school. I had fuckoff huge glasses (thanks for that parents), a massive bright yellow school bag (thanks again) and I was particularly nervous and annoying. (I can't blame my parents for that).

Secondly, I was almost clueless about modern music except Blood Sugar Sex Magic by RHCP which had been on my cassette player for about 3 and a half months by that time. I slept with it on every night and woke up to it every morning.

Thirdly, I lived out of zone and caught a bus everyday to and from school. And of course my bus was last giving all the older kids plenty of time to steal my bag, pick on me and generally make that 40min wait a total bag of nails.... (incidentally, I'm over it. It helped make me who I am now and as I'm pretty damn stoked to be me, I can't complain about the things that got me here)

So when a ginormous 7th form guy approaches me in the line I'll admit I was not exactly over the moon. But he just said to me something along the lines of "Hey kid, do you like music?'

(Key squeaky voice) "Yes"

"Have you heard of Smashing Pumpkins?'

Now, ladies and Germans, I'll admit I thought that this dude was taking the piss. The Smashing what now? A whole number of things flew through my mind. Am I the 'pumpkin'? Am I going to get the shit kicked out of me whatever I answer? Am I going to go the music shop and ask for the Smashing Pumpkins and be laughed at or given Madonna's new album?

But it turned out the dude was legit. He probably just loved music. Once I squawked out 'No,' he rattled on about the band, the lead singer with the amazing, yet strange voice. Gish had been out for 7 or 8 months by then, and he was well into it.

I think what sticks with me is (a) I completely ignored the band until I saw their next album on a stand in Sounds music store at which point I remembered the conversation some 14-15 months earlier and bought it on the spot and (b) as I listened to it I came to the realisation that that dude had clearly been passionate enough about music to want to talk to a nerdy, unpopular and random kid 5 years younger than him about it.

Number 21
Song & Artist: Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine
Album & Date: Rage Against The Machine - 3rd November 1992
Nationality of band: American
Members at release: Tim Commerford (Bass Guitar - American), Zak de la Rocha (Vocals - American), Tom Morello (Guitar - American), Brad Wilk (Drums - American)

YouTube:

 

My rant;

Metal/Rap?? Rap Metal?? I'm pretty damn sure that we're not talking about grunge here, even though the fact that this track was released during the good ole days when grunge was king. I think that my fascist view on anything and everything rap made me avoid this track like the plague back in the day. I remember Kane had it playing in his Ford Capri in '95 and to be fair it sounded to 'rappy' for me then. I was, as some would say that I still am, caught up in the purity of the grunge sound and this one just didn't click.

Ironically enough, my other passion, PC gaming helped me find my way into this track. Thank you Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. There is something special about driving around South Central Los Santos, running people over and being chased by the LSPD listening to "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me".

On a separate note, this PC game also got me into Pretend We're Dead  by L7, Rusty Cage by Soundgarden, and amongst other tracks, Been Caught Stealing by Jane's Addiction.

On another separate note, if I was lost on a desert island (which luckily enough had enough power to run electronic gear) and I could only choose one media, it would always be music.

To the track itself. This is a ball busting tryst with racism and other drama circa 1992. It starts off with heavy and slow guitars. It doesn't take long to figure out something desperate and dramatic is coming.

The track uses a lot of repetition, but uses it well. Every time a set of repetition comes up, it is delivered with more rage than the last, building inevitably to the point where a wickedly sharp guitar riff attacks you around 3:50 and lasts until 4:10 where the signature of this track takes over "Fuck you, I won't do what tell me" and builds and repeats until 4:30 when de la Rocha just explodes all over the track.

The drums in this track add a level that not many other tracks can brag they have. Simple, puncuating and perfect.

It is simply a great track. No one should ever call it a beautiful song, but it epitomises a time when people felt like the lyrics say.

I occasionally feel aggrieved that I did not get into this track only, but that is life.

Bands: (multiple band entrys ARE counted twice)

12 - America
9 - England

Band Members Country of Origin: (multiple band entrys ARE counted twice)

44 - America
39 - England
2 - Germany
1 - Tanzania
1 - Australia

Decade Released

13 - 90's
4 - 70's
2 - 60's
1 - 00's
1 - 80's

Year Released

3 - 1991
3 - 1994
2 - 1997
2 - 1993
2 - 1995
2 - 1971
1 - 1975
1 - 1965
1 - 1979
1 - 1968
1 - 2006
1 - 1987
1 - 1992


Genre:
7 - Alternative
4 - Grunge
4 - Rock
1 - Punk
1 - Glam Rock
1 - Post Grunge
1 - BritPop(Rock)
1 - Hard Rock
1 - Metal/Rap