I’m reading Our Band Could Be Your Life, and I love it! One chapter each on various underground indie bands of the 1980s — from Black Flag to Dinosaur, Jr. As Porter says, it’s candy for almost-music-nerds. Learn about the bands you’ve heard of, but never really heard. Enjoy these samples I’ve dug up:
Uber-dude anger: Black Flag, “Rise Above”
Likeable marxists: The Minutemen, “This Ain’t No Picnic”
Tape loop muscianship: Misson Of Burma, “Academy Fight Song”
Straight Edge Hardcore: Minor Threat, “Filler” (theme to Citizen Nuts) -
Fun.
I graduated high school in 1988, and I remember the very coolest and most select of punks mentioning these bands. The frontman for “Youth of Today” went to my high school, but I never knew him. Some band called “Aware” existed while I was there, but I never listened to them or anything underground. The most indie I got was a Billy Joel concert bootleg or maybe, just as I was graduating, Elvis Costello. With my more refined ear twenty years later, I’m digging these stories and the songs.
On my iTunes now:
Child Star by The Unicorns from "Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?"
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Oct 4th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Good times. I’ll throw a few more in there (if that’s cool):
Big Black - L Dopa
Replacements - Color Me Impressed
Also, Please Kill Me is a great read as well.
Oct 5th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
MAN that book is good!
Also: I have The Best Of Mission Of Burma, if you wanna burn it.
Also also: is it just me, or are the Minutemen no ways as good as they’re made to sound in the book?
Oct 5th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
(Although that said, their story is amazing and the doc that came out about them last year, “We Jam Econo,” is good watchin’. Mike Watt played on Kelly Clarkson’s last album! No joke!)
Oct 5th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
I think for most if not all of the bands in the book, their stories are better than their music. In general, there’s a reason that none of these guys broke through to major labels and that’s because they weren’t writing pop hits — and many didn’t have the muscianship/voices to carry off pop hits if they did.
Yeah, Husker Du had some pop hits. But like — SOME. And they DID get signed. Same with The Replacements.
The Minutemen DID show enormous growth in a short time. Whereas Black Flag seemed to have two modes for their whole career.
But yeah — the Minutemen are a better story than a collection of songs.
Oct 5th, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Cool. I’ll have to check this book out. I’m just about finished with “Love is a Mix Tape” by Rob Sheffield. It is really good. I highly recommend it.
Oct 9th, 2007 at 11:43 am
you guys are crazy. the minutemen rule it. hard.
Oct 9th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
their stories are better than their music
I haven’t read the book yet, but that’s not going to stop me from disagreeing with you here. We wouldn’t even be hearing their stories if not for the music. Black Flag put out some of the most intense music I’ve ever heard. Minor Threat, Big Black, The Replacements, Minutemen - all of this was amazing “other” music I grew up with, so I guess I’m biased, but for me it was always about the music. The stories are nice additions. Watching Behind the Music proved to me that just about any band’s story is fascinating.
there’s a reason that none of these guys broke through to major labels and that’s because they weren’t writing pop hits — and many didn’t have the muscianship/voices to carry off pop hits if they did.
Seems like apples and oranges to me. Why even mention pop hits when talking about punk? It just had nothing to do with it. Nor was it about getting a major deal.
That said, pop hits ain’t everything, even to a major label. I think fan base comes into the picture too. Sonic Youth’s signing comes to mind.
As far as pop musicianship - an isolated example, but Mike Watt played on Kelly Clarkson’s last album! Also, I’d argue that all these bands paved the way for Nirvana to change pop music. I’m sure you’d at least agree with that if nothing else.
Oct 24th, 2007 at 11:01 am
What?! Of COURSE The Minutemen are as good of a “collection of songs” as they were a band. What is this madness? Double Nickels on the Dime is one of the best and most influential albums from the SST era. Mike Watt also played on the sloppy turd that is the new Stooges album.
Oct 24th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Could just be a question of taste — but when I listen to Mission of Burma I think “This music sounds cool” and when I listen to The Minutemen I think “These guys seem cool.”
There rep will likely withstand my withering assessment.