I heard this tune recently during a commercial on HBO advertising their original programming. It’s soulful, moody electronica, guest starring Sia and her considerable vocals. If you liked “Breathe Me,” you’ll probably dig this one as well.
Listen to a sound clip here.
Sponge was one of those bands that emerged post-grunge, attempting to take the mainstream version of that sound – as most popularly interpreted by the Stone Temple Pilots – to the top of the charts. They didn’t entirely succeed, but their 1995 debut album, Rotting Pinata, had a few choice moments, including the title track as well as the single, “Plowed.” By the time their second album, Wax Ecstatic, emerged the following year, however, it became evident that Sponge had already soaked up as much success as they were ever going to. Unfortunately, this meant that the alt-goth track, “I Am Anastasia,” wouldn’t get noticed…and that’s too damned bad, because it featured an absolutely perfect guest vocal by none other than Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler.
When asked about his cameo in an interview with NineVolt Magazine a few years later, Butler spoke pleasantly of Sponge’s frontman, Vinnie Dombrowski. “Whenever we’d play Detroit, Vinnie would always come down and he’d say, ‘I love your voice! I’d love you do to the backing vocals on this song; would you do it?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’ So he sent me the DAT, and I recorded just the background track at home. It was just a favor, really; I never saw the guys while I was doing it!”
If you ever spot Wax Ecstatic in a bargain bin, pick it up. Trust me, it’s worth a few bucks just for that one song alone.
This song slipped by me in 1998, when it was originally released on Mezzanine, but I heard it during an episode of “Cold Case,” and now I’m hooked. It’s a moody, ethereal track that features the Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser on vocals.
Listen to a song clip here.
Written by Steve Wamsley
Queen is one of those bands that probably haven’t gotten the credit they deserve, both musically and lyrically. Let’s face it, Freddie Mercury is one of the best vocalists we will ever hear, bar none. The man even recorded an opera album with Montserrat Caballe. Brian May is one of those guitarists that has an immediately recognizable sound, the main source of which is his self-made Red Special, a guitar he built with his Dad when he was 16. The one-two punch of Roger Taylor on drums and John Deacon on bass gives you a rhythm section to be reckoned with. The fact that three of them sing both lead and backup (Deacon’s the odd man out), and all four of them write, just adds to the dynamic of the group. But all of this doesn’t mean JACK SQUAT when compared to their live shows. This is the best, band, everrrrr to perform live. It’s no secret that they owned Live Aid after they took the stage. I challenge anyone to watch “Queen: Live at Wembley ’86” and not think, “DAMN, that’s how you put on a rock concert!!”
My approach to this was to create a 2-CD set of Deep Cuts from the band. I’ve listed them in chronological order, but included a track listing at the end for any enterprising souls that would like some sequencing to their music. I will say, after doing this piece, I rediscovered the band and gained a greater appreciation for their body of work.
“Liar” – Queen, written by Mercury
Some would say that this song is a precursor to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the lyric a classic “boy who cried wolf” theme. You can hear the beginnings of the signature Brian May guitar sound, Freddie’s vocal prowess and the steady rhythm section of John Deacon and Roger Taylor. I would argue that Queen was one of the first heavy metal albums recorded.
“Father to Son” – Queen II, written by May
The boys followed up quickly with Queen II, an even heavier album than their debut. The sound was much more lush and extravagant…a sign of things to come. This song sounds like Brian May had been listening to the Who’s Tommy.
“Some Day One Day” – Queen II, written by May
May takes lead vocals on this song. A much mellower song when compared to the rest of the album, this one stands out in its acoustic simplicity.
“Seven Seas of Rhye” – Queen II, written by Mercury
While this song first appeared on Queen in instrumental form, the Queen II version now included vocals. The piano intro leads to the vocal harmonies that would soon become commonplace amongst future Queen songs. Evidently, the liner notes in The Platinum Collection state that “it’s a wonderful song with nonsensical satanic lyrics.” Just an aside…while most diehard Queen fans will probably want to hang me by my thumbs for saying this, the Freddie Bastone remix of this song that is included on the Hollywood re-release of this album is quite good. It doesn’t compare to the original in that it is more of a dance version. I guess it’s a re-imagining (a la Tim Burton’s “Planet of The Apes”) of the song, taking samples of the band’s voices from other songs (i.e. “Ready Freddy” from “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”), as well as the original vocal track, and laying it over one of those typical 90’s dance grooves.
To read the rest of the article, click here, and don’t forget to come back to ESDMusic to sound off on your favorite Queen cuts.
Okay, now hear me out.
It’s easy to mock Al for his occasionally sophomoric and obvious parodies of popular songs…but the thing is, it’s only once in a blue moon that anyone ever hears his original songs. This particular track, which appears on 2003’s Poodle Hat, features backing vocals and piano from none other than Ben Folds…a favor Al returned when he provided background vocals on Songs For Silverman‘s “Time…could just about have fit in on an adult alternative station, so radio-friendly is it, with a chorus that – although he didn’t – Folds himself could’ve written. Yeah, the lyrics go a little over the top in the last verse, but, prior to that, it’s actually a pretty funny take on the self-obsessed:
I was watching my TV one night when they broke in with a special report
About some devastating earthquake in Peru
There were thirty thousand crushed to death, even more were buried alive
On the Richter scale it measured 8.2
And I said, “God, please answer me one question?”
“Why’d they have to interrupt ‘The Simpsons’ just for this?”
What a drag, ’cause I was taping it and everything
And now I’ll have to wait for the rerun to see the part of the show I missed
Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?
Why does this always happen?
Why does this always happen to me?
There’s also a song on the disc (“Genius in France”) that’s more or less a Frank Zappa stylistic tribute…but that’s a story for another day.
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