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11-19-10 Footnotes
Show 260: Teenage Fanclub, Kanye West Review, Jim's DIJ Pick
Listen to the MP3 Stream of this show: (link)
Download the Podcast: (Download the MP3)
1 The wait is over…The Beatles have come to iTunes. The famous holdout between Apple Corp and Apple has come to an end, and the Fab Four’s entire catalog will be available for digital download. As Greg explains, both singles and albums will be available, but for premium prices. Because of this, Amazon immediately brought their album prices down. This marks the 6th incarnation of the Beatles catalog being reissued, not including their first foray into the digital world: Rock Band. Perhaps because of this, Greg thought the announcement was rather anticlimactic. Jim’s response is outrage. He can’t believe The Beatles estate is asking fans to re-purchase their music yet again. And he notes that the list of artists still not on iTunes is pretty small: AC/DC, Kid Rock and Garth Brooks.
2 Few bands from the early ‘90s are still going strong. But Teenage Fanclub is an exception. The Scottish power pop band formed in 1989, and, for most of its existence, has maintained the same lineup: guitarists and songwriters Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, Gerard Love and Francis McDonald. They’re also now joined by keyboardist Dave McGowan. Jim and Greg talk to the band about their roots, their longevity, and the rarity of having three chief songwriters. They also ask them about the recording and reception of Bandwagonesque, the band’s third record and the one that brought Teenage Fanclub its first taste of success in the States. In fact, Spin Magazine voted Bandwagonesque the #1 album of 1991—favoring it over Nirvana’s Nevermind, REM’s Out of Time and My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless. Teenage Fanclub performs songs from its new album Shadows, plus an oldie from 1995’s Grand Prix. Listen here
3 Kanye West knows how to get headlines. He’s bumped heads with everyone from Matt Lauer to Taylor Swift to President Bush. But, it’s important not to forget: he also knows how to make music. Jim says – ok he’s a jerk…John Lennon could be also have been a jerk. But what Kanye West achieves on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is nothing short of amazing. He combines Iron Maiden with King Crimson, with robotic humming and what Greg calls “classical opulence.” Greg compares West to ambitious artists like Brian Wilson and Marvin Gaye, but notes that what separates him is his inability to censor himself. That gives his music both bravado and vulnerability. Both Jim and Greg give My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy an enthusiastic double Buy It.
4 The life and death of John Lennon has been on a lot of our minds these days, Jim included. He recently watched Nowhere Boy, which depicts Lennon in his teen years. And one of the scenes shows Lennon first discovering a vinyl record by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. As Jim explains, Hawkins was one of the first people to bring “fear and loathing” to rock and roll. His 1956 track “I Put a Spell on You” is a classic. It was banned from a number of radio stations at the time, but if it was good enough for John Lennon it’s certainly good enough to add to the Desert Island Jukebox.
Songs Featured in Show #260
The Beatles, “The Long and Winding Road,” Let It Be, Apple, 1970
Teenage Fanclub, “About You” Grand Prix, Creation, 1995
The Boy Hairdressers, “Golden Shower,” Golden Shower 12’’, 53rd & 3rd, 1987
Teenage Fanclub, “Everything Flows,” A Catholic Education, Paperhouse Records, 1990
Teenage Fanclub, “Eternal Light,” A Catholic Education, Paperhouse Records, 1990
Teenage Fanclub “Baby Lee,” “Baby Lee,” Shadows, Merge, 2010 Live On Sound Opinions
Teenage Fanclub, “Today Never Ends,” Shadows, Merge, 2010
Teenage Fanclub, “Star Sign,” Bandwagonesque, Creation, 1991
Teenage Fanclub, “What You Do To Me,” Bandwagonesque, Creation, 1991
Teenage Fanclub, “Like A Virgin,” The King, Creation, 1991
Teenage Fanclub, “Don’t Look Back,” Grand Prix
Teenage Fanclub, “Near To You,” Howdy! Columbia, 2000
Teenage Fanclub, “The Past,” “The Past” Shadows, Merge, 2010
Teenage Fanclub, “Is This Music?” Bandwagonesque, Creation, 1991
Kanye West, “All of the Lights,” My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Roc-A-Fella/DefJam, 2010
Kanye West, “Hell of a Life,” My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam, 2010
Kanye West, “Runaway,” My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam, 2010
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, “I Put A Spell On You,” At Home,Okeh/Epic, 1958
Blondie, “Call Me” Autoamerican, Chrysalis Records, 1980
Soulive, “Doin’ Something,” Doin’ Something, Blue Note Records, 2001
Brian Eno, “I’ll Come Running,” Another Green World, Island, 1975
Cee-Lo Green, “Fox News,” live on the Colbert Report , 11/9/2010
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