Another Texas-born badass, Roy Orbison scored a regional hit with “Ooby Dooby,” ventured to Memphis for a recording session at Sun Studios in 1957, and the rest, as they say, is history. Orbison became one of the pioneer musicians for the rockabilly movement, but ventured into more ballad-based territory (due to his sharp, distinct, wavering croon) as the years went by.
I was introduced to Orbison through my father’s dusty CD collection when I was probably 5 or 6 – once I heard “Pretty Woman” and “Rock House,” there was no turning back. Roy continued to make awesome music up until his death in 1988 from cardiac arrest. In fact, right up until: Orbison was on the verge of a comeback, scoring a hit with “You Got It,” releasing a new well-received album Mystery Girl, and becoming part of the best supergroup ever, the Traveling Wilburys.
After the jump is a heaping helping of some of Roy’s best songs. Educate yourself, ladies and gents.
Today I continue a series of posts dedicated to the best albums of the last decade, posting analysis of one album at a time.
44. Radiohead – In Rainbows
Released in October 2007 digitally (for a price of your choosing) and physically dropped on New Year’s Day 2008, In Rainbows was the end of the longest gap in between albums for Radiohead. Whether you agree or not, the album is generally credited with establishing a new business model for a crippling music industry, offering a “pay what you want” scheme for the digital copy, exclusively from the band’s website. It seems fitting that Radiohead would do this; they had just split with EMI, and In Rainbows was their first album not on a major label. This idea has been adopted by many independent artists since the media storm surrounding the inventive self-leak. But what In Rainbows is remembered for is not necessarily what makes it great – it is, for a group like Radiohead, quite shockingly amorous.
Thom Yorke once described the mood and lyrics of In Rainbows as “seduction songs,” and it’s hard to argue with that. For the most part, the album is softer, more down-tempo, and, well, more romantic (in a weird Radiohead kind of way) than anything they’ve ever done. Take the piano chords and easing texture of the sensual “All I Need,” or the creeping crescendo of “Videotape.” Even songs that channel the 21st-century electronic-noodling side of the British group, such as “15 Step” and “Nude,” are less raw and foreboding than the highlights of Kid A and Hail to the Thief. Meanwhile, the guitar-based Bends and OK Computer-era tracks, referring to “Weird Fishes” and “Reckoner,” show maturation, and, lyrically speaking, poetic contemplation.
With 2011 fast approaching, the talks from Johnny Greenwood are already aplenty regarding a follow-up to this fantastic disc, one of Radiohead’s best hands down. And as their track record shows, in terms of ingenuous marketing as well as growth in musicianship, we can expect something completely different and amazing all at once.
Today I continue my ongoing feature showcasing my personal picks for the best songs of the past decade, posting ten songs at a time.
80. The White Stripes – Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground
The opening track from White Blood Cells squeals to life, Jack White’s guitar screeching into a staple new-blues riff before Meg pounds in and all hell breaks loose. For many, it would be the first we would hear from this Detroit duo, and first impressions have a lasting impact. Jack and Meg needn’t worry – they certainly got our attention.
Music, Movies, Television, etc. Pop culture reviews for the short-attention-span Internet age.
Boardwalk Empire – Season 1
Since major plot points are more or less developed thanks to American history, the real joy of Boardwalk Empire is subtle character development. Buscemi leads a stellar supporting cast throughout 1920’s Atlantic City, at the beginning of the passage of Prohibition and the dawn of woman suffrage. The slow transformation of Nucky Thompson from a shady politician to a full-on killer is made slowly and surely, just as Jimmy predicted in the pilot it would. Meanwhile, characters like Agent Van Alden and Margaret Schroeder and their subtle mutations into insanity and independence, respectively, make this show evenly paced and yet captivating week by week. And the violence is pretty awesome too.
This past week, Aquarium Drunkard really put me in the holiday spirit and posted all the incredibly rare singles from the Beatles Christmas Singles Club. The Fab Four would release a new 7-inch every year exclusively to their fan club members, from 1963 to 1969. The early ones were usually the group ad-libbing with good humor, as well as thanking their fans for a successful year and wishing them a happy holidays and new year. They show the group in their early years as a rowdy, close-knit young bunch of boys having a good time fulfilling a contractual obligation.
As the years progressed, the singles’ content, as well as the cover art, predictably changed, along with the music, mood, and imagery of the 60’s. Album art, in correlation with the Beatles conventional, non-holiday records, transformed from photos of the four members in their mop tops to aesthetic collages and abstract photography. The sound of the singles, too, reflected the alterations in their packaging – the content changed from witty, collaborative banter to more avant-garde soundscapes, similar to “Revolution 9.” The projects became less collaborative, with the final 1969 single completely different from the first; it feature snippets of songs from Paul, spoken bits from George and Ringo (separately), and dialogue from John and Yoko recorded at their home.
While a lifelong Beatles fan shouldn’t be surprised at the change in content, album art, and collaborative spirit in the Christmas singles over the band’s short career (as it is in line with the general scene and spirit of the time, not to mention the well-documented history of this group), this collection of MP3s is a fascinating listen for Beatles complete-ists and rock music historians. Go grab them for yourself.
