Song of the Day 5/4/10
The best 666 songs of alltime countdown continues every day, all the way to #1. Tuesday’s song is #86:
The Sex Pistols – Holidays in the Sun
The original Holiday in Cambodia – “I never asked for sunshine, and I got World War III!”
Song of the Day 3/18/10
The best 666 songs of alltime countdown continues every day, all the way to #1. Thursday’s song is #133:
The Sex Pistols – Pretty Vacant
“And we don’t care!!!!” With all those layers of guitar, Chris Thomas’ production turned the band into a punk orchestra. The link above is a live clip from their 1996 reunion tour.
Song of the Day 7/25/09
Every day, our top 666 songs of alltime countdown gets one step closer to #1. Saturday’s song is #368:
Public Image Ltd. – The Order of Death
Brooding Italian movie theme from 1983 with layers of synth over a drum loop, John Lydon intoning the mantra “This is what you want, this is what you get,’ which ended up serving as the album title after guitarist Keith Levene either quit the band or was fired depending who you believe. Some fans prefer the more poignant but less ominous acoustic guitar version from the Commercial Zone lp released by Levene as retaliation in 1985.
Song of the Day 7/23/09
Every day, our top 666 songs of alltime countdown gets one step closer to #1. Thursday’s song is #370:
Public Image Ltd. – Acid Drops
From the surprisingly good and final PiL cd That What Is Not, 1992. Listening to the sample of John Lydon intoning “No future, no future, no future” from God Save the Queen at the end of the song around the time the album came out – during Bush One’s gulf war – was nothing short of scary. Somehow we survived and we have this blistering, multitracked guitar firestorm as a memento. And in the intervening years the Sex Pistols actually got back together. Who would have predicted it. Mp3s are everywhere.
Song of the Day 7/20/09
Every day, our top 666 songs of alltime countdown gets one step closer to #1. Monday’s song is #373:
Public Image Ltd. – The Flowers of Romance
The Flowers of Romance were Sid Vicious’ first, short-lived band (he was the drummer – they never recorded anything). This macabre, sketchily chromatic masterpiece, a sort of tribute from his best (and apparently only) friend in the Sex Pistols is the 1980 title track to PiL’s best album. The best version out there is actually the screechy live take on the 45 RPM Live in Tokyo lp from 1985 (click the link above), journeyman Louis Bernardi fighting to replicate Keith Levene’s corruscating, overtone-laden guitar part.
Song of the Day 6/11/09
Every day, our top 666 songs of alltime countdown gets one step closer to #1. Thursday’s song is #412:
The Sex Pistols – No Lip
Another iconic band who occupied much more space on this list than they do now, before we cleaned house and replaced most of the obvious suspects with some less obvious ones: after all, you don’t need us to tell you how great the Pistols were, do you? But this is a less obvious treat, Steve Jones turning Dave Berry’s old 1964 British R&B song into fiery, fractured pseudo-funk. From the Great Rock N Roll Swindle soundtrack (and a million bootlegs); mp3s are everywhere. Here’s a youtube clip; this is the original.
Song of the Day 6/10/09
Every day, our top 666 songs of alltime countdown gets one step closer to #1. Wednesday’s song is #413:
Public Image Ltd. – Think Tank
After Keith Levene left the band, John Lydon’s post-Pistols project floundered, the noise-rock pioneers running through a forgettable series of guitarists that included Steve Vai for one album! But toward the end, former Banshee John McGeoch did some time in the band, and it’s his ferocious, distorted chords and completely unhinged solo that make this anti-fascist anthem so brutally potent. Kiss this, Heritage Foundation. From their surprisingly good swan song That What Is Not, 1992; mp3s are everywhere.
Song of the Day 5/2/09
OK, trying this in firefox, hold on, this could be a disaster…Every day, our top 666 songs of alltime countdown gets one step closer to #1. Saturday’s song is #452:
The Sex Pistols – No Feelings – This one you know. Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a justification for rightwing selfishness – it’s just a raised middle finger at conformity. “I kick you in the brains when you get down to kneel and pray, you pray to your god!!!” This link is to the version from their last-ever show with Sid Vicious, Winterland, 1977. In case you’re unfamiliar, Bananarama’s deadpan 1981 cover – from when they were still ostensibly punk girls – is hilarious.
Song of the Day 1/26/09
Every day, our top 666 songs of alltime countdown gets one step closer to #1. Monday’s is #548:
The Sex Pistols – New York
The way Chris Thomas produced all those layers of Steve Jones’ guitar is one of the great studio achievements ever. Except that it left the grand total of two tracks for Johnny Rotten, who blew out his voice on the first take of the first song…and then had to do the rest of the album. And maybe sounded better for it. “A kiss, a kiss, sealed with a kiss, kiss this,” he snarls, dismissing his old tourmates the New York Dolls. Sweet pickslide by Jones to wind up the song. At all the mp3 sites; you may have to sift through several dodgy live versions.
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