I have always been hugely into music. By the age of 8 I had a decent sized record and 8-track collection. Yeah I hear you snickering about the 8-tracks.
Now all the following songs,unless noted, I discovered thanks to a great friend of mine Thomas. Our father's worked together. And at least one weekend a month we would go visit. He was always into all kinds of music. Usually each visit he had a new 90 minute cassette of stuff he thought I might like.
5.Velvet Underground-Heroin
This is one I didn't discover thanks to Thomas. My much older cousin, who back then was kind of a biker, was babysitting me. And he put on "The Velvet Underground and Nico" album. I was 13 and the changes in style and tempo of the song called out to me. I made him copy this one song to a cassette for me. And I listened to it over and over again for weeks. At the time I kind of knew what heroin was. This song,along with Cheech and Chong films is what introduced me to the drug culture. Weirdly that cousin is now a fairly well known youth minister on the coast. This song totally changed my mind about music that was made before I was born. Before hearing this any band from before my birth I considered "Old stuff that only my parents listen too." Thanks to my cousin playing me this song I started going back and discovered so many great bands.
4.Dead Kennedys-Pull my strings
Thomas handed me a cassette one day. And like always he had on the paper insert listed all the bands and the songs. I looked and saw Dead Kennedys. Then thought to myself what a strange name for a band. When I got home that night I was playing some Nintendo game. Threw the tape in the portable cassette player I kept in my bedroom window for years. Once this song started something in my brain told me "Stop the game and pay close attention." I did and was blown away. Here was a band giving a huge FUCK YOU to the corporate music industry. Sure before hearing this I had heard the Sex Pistols-EMI. But the anger and vitriol in EMI had nothing on Pull my strings. I started thinking about how bands had to answer to the record labels they worked for. And how the only way to truly put out the music you wanted was to DO IT YOURSELF.
3.Black Flag-Rise Above
I am pretty sure this song was on the same cassette as Pull my strings. But where as Pull my strings was kind of radio friendly,well as radio friendly as a Dead Kennedys song can get, Rise Above was 2 1/2 minutes of pure raw anger. Here was this band telling me "Guess what you don't fit in. FUCK THAT. FUCK ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT FUCK WITH YOU CAUSE YOU DON'T CONFIRM TO THEIR STANDARDS." This song made me realize it was much better to stop trying to fit in and just be myself.
2.Dead Kennedys-Stars and Stripes of Corruption
I got my first copy of Frankenchrist on vinyl. And it was one of the early pressing that came with the infamous Giger poster. And while it is a good album. This song which is the final track is the one that stood out to me. I was 13 or 14 when I got the album. And really not that much into politics. Back then cause I had a Walkman, which fuck those things were huge and ate batteries so fast, I would take albums and put my favorite songs off each onto cassettes. This song was quickly added to a cassette. Listening to it over and over I started to realize that it is my job as a citizen to question the government. And how much horrible shit happens cause people are too complacent to not pay attention to what is happening.
1.Bad Religion-Fuck Armageddon this is Hell
I mentioned on my top 10 bands list how I discovered Bad Religion. And to be honest my Jr High years were hell. The first Jr High I went to was mostly made up of ultra rich snobby as fuck kids. At the time my family wasn't well off. Most of my clothes were hand me downs from my older cousins. And I got picked on daily because of this. So when I got the "How can hell be any worse" album this song became a personal anthem to me. The opening riff still sends tremors all over my body. And I realized that those others that were judging me based on what I wore meant nothing to me. That no matter what I wore or did they would still not like me. Because I wasn't like them. Fuck fitting in,fuck making sure I kept up with whatever the newest fad in clothing was. Wear what I wanted. Do what I wanted. I have since learned that 3 of the ones that treated me the worst,well one is serving 20 years in jail,one has been married 3 times had 2 kids and is stuck working the counter at Mcdonalds. And the final one actually got in touch with me and apologized for how she treated me back then.
The other day I was out in the yard doing some yardwork. And I was trying to think of some more Top 5 lists. Well I was listening to music and thought "Shit Newt do your Top 5 bands." So as I was stacking bamboo shafts I was trying to hash out my top 5. I realized I love too many bands. So it has morphed into a top 10 list.
10.Death
Just discovered them recently. But they have quickly become one of my favorite bands. Formed in the early 70s in Detroit Michigan. They were 3 brothers. And have this great protopunk sound. All they ever released as a single. But 4 or 5 years ago they got resdiscovered and the master tape of their unreleased album got released. If you are a fan of Alice Cooper,The Stooges,The Who or The MC5 check this band out.
9.The Distillers
Fronted by the gorgous Brodie Dalle, this punk band had a great raw sound. I discovered them pretty late in their career. What caught my attention at first was Brodie's voice. It is that rough ,gravely smoking 4 packs of cigs a day voice. They broke up and Brodie went on the sing lead vocals in the short lived band Spinerette.
8.The Stooges
Another great protopunk band from Detroit. Iggy has an amazing stage presence. It was their raw sound that caught me. Thanks to a friend I discovered the Stooges band when I was 12. Since then I have been a huge fan. I still hate that I missed them when they played Voodoo Fest a few years ago.
7.The Misfits
By the Misfits I mean only the Danzig era. I do enjoy a couple of the songs from when Graves was doing lead vocals. But the Danzig era is the best stuff. This is another group I discovered in my pre-teen years.I just wish Jerry Only and Glenn Danzig would settle their differences and we can get a proper Misfits reunion.
6.The Descendents
All the pop punk bands that hit it big in the late 90s/early 2000s owe so much to the Descendents. Loud,Fast and with amazingly clear and intelligent vocals. I actually first heard them when I was 8. Their song Weinersnitzel was lip synched on some TV talent show. My buddy told me that it was a Descendents song. Then he made me a copy of Milo goes to college. That copy found a permanent home in my walkman for years.
TIE 5. Bad Religion
I was about 14 when Suffer came out. I was in Record Bar looking for a new album to buy. The cashier had gotten to know me and knew what bands I was into. "Look little dude buy this album. If you don't like it bring it back and I will refund your money." I took a chance and HOLY FUCK. Then next week I was back and buying all their previous albums. And as good as their albums are it doesn't even compare to how great they are live. Seen them 2 times now. Rumors are flying that the current tour is their last tour. I would love to see them one more time.
TIE 5.NOFX
This was another band I discovered thanks to the great cashier at Record Bar. He told me to buy "White Trash,two Heebs and a Bean." I was back in the store the next day buy every NOFX album they had. I like how they can blend serious topics with comedy.
4. Guns N Roses
It seems with the generation after me it has become the thing to hate Guns N Roses. Not really sure why. I was in Jr High when Appetite for Destruction hit. For about a year everyone was listening to them. It is an almost perfect album. I got to see them on the ill fated Faith No More/Metallica/Guns N Roses tour. Thanks to various issues the bad is a shell of what it use to be. With only Axl remaining out of the core group. But at least we got 2 great albums and one decent EP.
3.Helmet
I was shopping at Record Bar again. And saw "Helmet-Strap it on" I bought it on a whim. And feel in love with the band. The start/stop of they music. The jazz influences. All made them stand out from all the other early 90s metal bands. Seeing them live was great. But the best part was getting to sit at the bar and buy Paige Hamilton a drink.
TIE 2.Alice in Chains
They are really the only band I ever discovered through MTV. I caught Man in a box airing on Headbangers ball and was hooked. And I do love their album Facelift. But Dirt was the album that stuck with me. The raw pain and emotion Layne Staley brings to each song is haunting. Once I got that album it didn't leave my stereo for years. So happy I saw them 4 times before Layne's OD. I know they are still putting out music and touring. But with out Layne it just isn't Alice in Chains to me.
TIE 2.The Pixies
One of the few good things about one of my ex's is she introduced me to the Pixies.I still don't understand why there were not huge in the States. Almost everywhere else in the world they hit it big. But here they were at the most an underground sensation. They just recently reformed and released a new album. But they don't have Kim Deal and her vocals were a vital part of their sound.
1.The Ramones
No big surprise if you know me. I first heard them on Sha Na Na's weekly tv show. Then a few weeks later heard them on the radio. It started a obsession that has never ended. I own every album and so many bootleg concert recordings. The first time I got to see them they were opening for Pearl Jam. After the Ramones finished their set my ears were ringing so much I could barely hear. I got to see them two more times a few years later. Sadly over the past 13 years 3 of the 4 original members have died. But their music is one of the things that helped me survive the hell that was high school.
End of the Century The Story of the Ramones
2005
Rhino DVD
I have been a huge fan of the Ramones for over 30 years now. And was lucky enough to see them 3 times before they broke up. Well a few years back 2 different documentaries about the band came out. The first one I saw was "Ramones:Raw" which was made up of behind the scenes footage Marky "Monkey boy" Ramone filmed during the years he was touring with the band. I found this one very disappointing and kind of worthless. Then there is End of the Century. Which is almost perfect.
We get a great history of how and why the band was formed. Turns out most of the core members all grew up together and formed the band cause well they really had nothing else to do. There is plenty of interviews with people who knew the guys before they became famous. And we get to know the Ramone's real personalities.
The next section of the DVD deals with them starting to tour and the recording of their first album. And WOW this section had info that I had never heard before. Which is strange cause I have done a pile of research of the Ramones.
Next up we get all kinds of interviews with the surviving members. Sadly before this was done Joey had died. But at least we got interviews with Johnny and Dee Dee. Now I had always heard that Johnny is kind of a right wing asshole,and his interviews proves this. Dee Dee sounds and looks like a drugged out Carol Channing. Which always makes me laugh.
One part I really enjoyed is the interviews with all the people that were part of the band for short periods of time. Like Richie,Elvis and CJ. The interview with Richie confirms the stories I have always heard about why he left the band. It seems he wasn't getting his fair share of the money they made off the t-shirt sales. This really sucks,cause he was IMHO the best drummer they ever had.
The DVD has a plethora of extras. Mostly parts of interviews that got cut from the final film. But the best part is a part where Tommy Ramone sits down and tells us who wrote what on the first 3 albums. End of the Century The Story of the Ramones gets an A.
I have always since I was about 10 been a fan of punk rock. And of course I love horror stuff. So bands like The Misfits I have loved. Well about 2 years ago on a horror podcast I use to listen to the host played an acoustic version of a song off this album. I loved it. So I did a quick search and got this album.We get 13 tracks plus a hidden track at the end of the album.
The first track is Lady Stay Dead. Which is one of the few that I can't figure out which horror movie/TV show this is based on. But it is a nice combo of a Ramones style song with horror lyrics.
Second track is Reggiemania. A song about Reggie Banister. The song seems to be coming from Mike from Phantasm's point of view. Great upbeat song that is fun to sing along with.
Track 3 is Emmanuelle. Based on the various Emmanuelle movies,that I used to watch the fuck out of late at night on Showtime. This is a slower song. That isn't bad.
Fourth track is Torso. I must assume this is inspired by the Italian film of the same name. Now I have never seen the movie So I have no idea if the song has much from the movie in it.
Track 5 is Ghoulita. It doesn't seem to be based on any one horror film. But it is about a guy who has a new girlfriend. Nice punk rock love song.
Sixth track is Wolfmobilemania. This is a great fast paced song about a car. Lots of catchy hooks and one I love to blast loudly while I am driving.
Track 7 is American Werewolf in Calgary.This is my favorite song on the entire album. It is about a guy trying to figure out how to explain to his girlfriend that he is a werewolf.
Eighth track is Blood sucking freaks. With lyrics describing the infamous Blood Sucking Freaks movie. One of the fastest songs on the album.
Track 9 is Silent Night Deadly Night.Now I do love this song,but there is a acoustic version that I think is better. This is about how Santa is pissed off that someone didn't leave milk and cookies out for him.
Tenth track is The Corpse Grinders.And is my least favorite songs on the album.The lyrics don't make a bit of sense.
Track 11 is Tura. This is a great tribute song to the late Tura Satanna.The lead singer talks about Tura is dream girl.
12th track is House of Whipcord. Based on the British horror film of the same name. This is a slower song but has a great bass line that will stick in your head.
Track 13 is the last real track on the album. It is titled Last House on the left. It is about a girl inviting a guy over to have sex,and of course she lives in the last house on the left. Amazing song to sing along with.
Then there is the hidden track. It starts up about 10 minutes after track 13 ends.And it is a live recording of Last house on the left with the band interacting with the audience.
Now I have heard that The Browns have broken up. And with them being from Vancouver Canada there was really now way I could have seen them live. I wish I could have. From the research I have done it seems they only put out 2 full length albums. And this was their second one. I would give the album a A-.
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