The Day They Freed The Noise

[StrayLamb]

A song to share, still relevant 50 years after it was recorded by Doug Ashdown.

https://youtu.be/3DyKHfPoSKU?list=PL6-3 ... dG4Z8PLYOW

[Col_Fury]

Not relevant at all, but possibly my favorite song (top three, absolutely) from my (definitely) favorite band ever. But first, the set-up.

The Cramps were known to do covers in addition to originals, but their covers were very clearly *their* versions of the song. I mean, listen to their version of "Fever" and tell me I'm wrong. Anyway, they would sometimes take the tune/melody of an existing song and then put their own lyrics over it. For example, they took Link Wray's instrumental "Switchblade," added their own lyrics and produced "Sunglasses After Dark." Brilliant! ANYway...

"Inside Out and Upside Down (With You)" by the Cramps is one of my favorite songs, period. And on top of that, it was a transformation/cover song, which makes it even better because they totally flipped the original.

The original, "Bitter Feelings" by Larry Lee Phillips, a song about neverending heartache and tears (which is great on its own!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-876Gokw0Zc

And the Cramps' version, "Inside Out and Upside Down (With You)" by the Cramps, transformed into a song about neverending love and desire:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HujCt2fKT-o

Come on, "The vision of your love factor "F";" how great is that? To be fair, I would be a VERY different person without the Cramps (and Benny Hill, and James Bond, and Spider-Man, and etc.).

[Col_Fury]

Here's a relevant one.

Another transformation song, a classic, probably most popularized by the Carter sisters, "It Take a Worried Man" (or sometimes "Worried Man Blues"). But this time by DEVO! They took a song about finding faith during hardship and turned it into a song about falling into despair.

(it's from the Neil Young movie "Human Highway," so you can probably skip the minute-and-a-half intro)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHUnBRwkSHM

"People just don't seem to care about their fellow man." "Do you feel it, comrades?"

[StrayLamb]

Well that's hard to top! This one's just an 80's feel good song from local Perth band, Eurogliders. Grace and Bernie still get together sometimes. I used to go see them in the 80's when they were a pub band. Saw them again recently - they still have a lot of fun on stage.

[chrissy]

Since the topic is "transformative songs" I feel compelled to mention that last night when I was watching Don Lemon on CNN, he mentioned this song by the Buffalo Springfield. As relevant today as it was back then.

[StrayLamb]

I wondered if someone might put that one up. For What It's Worth is one of the best protest songs of all time, and one of my personal favorites. Stephen Stills is an amazing song writer. The song was recently covered by one of my favorite singers, Eric Burdon, in response to a young fan asking why no one writes protest songs any more. He felt you couldn't do better than For What It's Worth.

This one from 1971 is a little different in tone, and never gets played around here, but right up there for relevance today.

[Col_Fury]

Here's one that only exists because people had a conversation and actually listened to each other. Good job, Johnny Cash!

(also, you have to love the audience reaction)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDd32K-mOVw

Johnny never stopped wearing black, in case anyone was wondering.

[StrayLamb]

Johnny Cash is classic. I grew up listening to my dad's Johnny Cash records, and sent him and my mom to the Johnny Cash concert in Perth around 1980.

Here's one from one of favorite Australian song writers, Mark Seymour. He's also one of my brother's close friends. This clip is just Mark and his guitar, which works well for this song.

[Col_Fury]

Johnny Cash is the best! I routinely wear a t-shirt with an image of him from his show at San Quentin prison, giving the camera "the bird." (I also wear one of Willie Nelson doing the same thing, but he's smiling)

I remember when Don Lemon was on channel 5 news (sweet home, Chicago(-land area)!) before he "hit it big" at CNN.

In my youth I used to go to shows/concerts all the time. I was lucky enough to see the Cramps *once* (at the House of Blues in Chicago, a last minute decision), what a show! Ivy was in a see-though green bodysuit with leaves over the important parts. Lux celebrated a good show during the encore in his usual way, which I can't detail in polite company (let's just say it was… vigorous). I've seen James Brown, Weird Al, Southern Culture on the Skids, the Reverend Horton Heat, Blues Explosion, They Might Be Giants, the Untamed Youth, etc. I've lost count. Too bad for the shutdown; They Might Be Giants were supposed to tour through Chicago celebrating the anniversary of their album "Flood" last month, which of course didn't happen. Damn you Coronavirus! I had tickets! ANYway…

While not as good a movie as the first, I've always loved the ending to Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey: future Bill & Ted bring about world peace through Rock 'n Roll! Yes, it's actually by Kiss, but I like that after sixteen months of training Bill turns into Billy Gibbons (of ZZ Top) and Ted turns into Dave Navarro (of Jane's Addiction). The only thing missing from this clip is Bill & Ted's mantra:

"Be Excellent to Each Other!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q93IT_f0uaQ

[chrissy]

Since we're talking Johnny Cash, I'll add my two cents. As a kid, I got a big kick out of A Boy Named Sue, and to this day, I think I can still recite all the lyrics with only one or two flubs along the way.

More recently, I found this band Small Town Titans, with an AWESOME lead singer, and this is their cover of Folsom Prison Blues:



I think Johnny Cash would approve.

[StrayLamb]

Very cool. I'm sure Johnny Cash would have approved. The Man in Black recorded versions of everyone from the Rolling Stones to Bruce Springsteen. He was far more diverse than a lot of people realize.

Here's a classic from 1970. Ah, 1970, i remember you fondly.. Two clips - One with the band, and one because it evokes memories of my schooldays, with the girls in their short skirts and boots..





Also, Let's Work Together was playing on the radio immediately before the announcement of John Lennon's death. I know exactly where i was, what i was doing, and what was playing on the radio.

[Col_Fury]

Stumbled across this and it got a chuckle out of me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBGOQ7SsJrw

[StrayLamb]

Here's one from immensely popular and squeaky clean '70's Oz glam rock band, Skyhooks - both a fun song and relevant..

[Col_Fury]

This makes me think of what a slightly higher budget glam rock version of what a Rocky Horror Picture Show touring band might look like. By higher budget I mean more spandex and less lingerie, of course. And I say this as a massive Rocky Horror fan.

[Col_Fury]

A fable of being cautious of where you travel (because of who you are), by one of the greatest of all time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfe-HeJSuSY

and of course Johnny B. Goode is great as well, but for some reason I prefer Promised Land.

Chuck Berry continued to play live performances (in St. Louis) basically up until the day he died. I never saw him live.