Thursday, February 14, 2008

My Rock 'N' Roll Favorites - the 'I's, 'K's, and 'L's

In going through the lists of rock artists on Yahoo, I've found that an unusual number of significant rock groups seem to start with the letter 'J'; therefore, I'll skip over the 'J's and do them separately.
Idol, Billy: "White Wedding" - What a great, creepy-sounding song! It sounds like the soundtrack to someone's worst nightmare.
INXS: "The One Thing" - I first remember hearing this tune on American Bandstand back in 1982, well before INXS became a phenomenon in the U.S. It has one of those cool-sounding guitar riffs (another is "All Right Now" by Free) that require two guitars because the chords are voiced too closely for just one. I liked some of the group's later material, but nothing came close to "The One Thing" for me.
Iron Butterfly: "Unconscious Power" - No one remembers Iron Butterfly today for anything besides "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida," but I really liked their first album, Heavy, which my brother Jeff brought home one time. (Except for the drummer and the keyboardist, the band's lineup completely changed by the time they recorded In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida, their second album.) "Unconscious Power" is the clear highlight of Heavy, having an irresistible guitar/bass hook -- and then the bass line takes flight through the chorus, which still makes me wonder if some studio pro didn't sub for the group's bassist on that cut.
Kansas: "Opus Insert" - I think of Kansas as a band that tried to be America's answer to Yes; however, they never quite had the musicianship to pull it off, as complex as some of their music was. I did own Leftoverture on 8-track when I was in high school, however, and I still love the synth intro to "Opus Insert," as it somehow reminds me of a sunrise over the Sandia Mountains during my childhood.
KC and the Sunshine Band: "Please Don't Go" - Not having been much of a disco aficionado, I can't say I was ever a fan of this group, but "Please Don't Go" reminds me of Ñuñoa, a comuna of Santiago, Chile where I lived and worked from December 1979 through January 1980.
Kiss: "Cold Gin" - This song, off Kiss's very first studio album (issued in 1974), still has the best hook of any Kiss song I've ever heard, although the lyrics are pretty silly. Let's face it -- but for the Kabuki-style makeup and the stage theatrics, Kiss would never have made it out of the NYC bar scene. (I was conned into working security for a Kiss/Aerosmith concert at the Journal Center in Albuquerque a few years ago, and, given that some pimple-faced kid kept yelling at me not to watch the concert, I really only heard it; simply put, in terms of musical ability, Kiss couldn't carry Aerosmith's underwear.)
Knack, The: "Baby Talks Dirty" - I can't say I care much for the subject matter of this tune, but I list it here because it, also, reminds me of Chile (in this case La Cisterna, another comuna of Santiago where I lived and worked from February to June 1980). I remember hearing the song one time on the Chilean version of American Bandstand (the name of which escapes me now); I think they translated the title as "La nena no dice obscenidades," which essentially means "Baby Doesn't Talk Dirty." (I guess it's a good thing they couldn't understand the words.)
Led Zeppelin: "Ramble On" - I read somewhere recently where some critic had put this song on his top ten list of worst rock lyrics. I guess the Tolkien references do seem pretty trite nowadays after the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings movie trilogy; however, the mention of Gollum and Mordor in a rock song in 1969 was a novel concept to say the least. Having first heard the song when my brother Kelly bought Led Zeppelin II in 1970, and associating it with many events of my childhood, I can't help liking it -- it always has been, and always will be, my favorite Zep tune.
Lightfoot, Gordon: "Sundown" - I guess Gordon Lightfoot is a little more folksy than rock 'n' roll, but I've always liked his songwriting and understated vocal style, of which "Sundown" represents the pinnacle in my opinion.
Loverboy: "Notorious" - I absolutely love the keyboard intro to this song, and, as I remember, the video for it was great; however, it was released just about the time the Seattle grunge-rock thing started breaking, and I think that was the last I heard of Loverboy. (I remember seeing Mike Reno, Loverboy's singer, on VH-1 talking about how Kurt Cobain killed his career, but I don't think history will have much regard for grunge-rock.)
Lovin' Spoonful, The: "Summer In the City" - I tend to like "edgy," and "Summer In the City" was about the edgiest thing the Spoonful ever recorded.
Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Saturday Night Special" - I don't think I ever owned a Lynyrd Skynyrd record, so I only know them from the six or seven songs of theirs that I've heard on the radio. "Saturday Night Special" has some pretty cool instrumental parts -- the drums, bass, and guitar (especially with the slapback echo added) all impress -- and I regard it as Ronnie Van Zant's best vocal performance as well.