16 May 2013 - The Mighty Lemon Drops - Inside Out

Wow. It's almost like I'm trying to make 80s Thursdays here at Wicked Guilty Pleasures somewhat respectable. Last week we had an early single by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and this week I have probably the biggest hit by The Mighty Lemon Drops. Sure they are Echo and the Bunnymenesque, but is that necessarily a bad thing? I think not. A few years back I was able to "upgrade" my old Mighty Lemon Drops tapes to CDs through a long gone CD trading site. I was pretty lucky considering those cds were long out-of-print. I do see that they are now available again which is a good thing. If you miss that old late 80s, early 90s alternative sound, I strongly suggest checking those discs out.

15 May 2013 - The White Stripes - The Denial Twist & The Hardest Button To Button

I know my co-writer Scott would never, ever, ever write about the White Stripes.  He isn't a fan.  This is quite possibly our biggest musical disagreement, because I am a big fan.  Of course, I am a big fan of duos of all kinds - I've featured several of them on this blog.

This is my favorite song by them.  It's full of raw emotion and tells a great story.  And, with just a piano and drums, they make a lot of beautiful noise.



Here's an early great tune by the duo.  Jack went with guitar on this song, which is the right choice.  His multi-instrumental prowess are part of what made this band great.  The story of this song, though, is the bad-ass drumming by Meg White, who doesn't get enough credit for what she did with that group.  Truly, one of the greatest drummers I have ever heard.

Also, Jack has my hair from 1989.

14 May 2013 - Demi Lovato - Heart Attack

This site IS called Wicked Guilty Pleasures. X Factor judge Demi Lovato has a new record (Demi) out today. I think y'all can put 2 and 2 together. Here's her latest video. Not bad, but it's no Skyscraper.

13 May 2013 - Alan Parsons Project - Don't Answer Me

Let's forget about the song for a minute.  This video, which is clearly very Dick Tracy comic-inspired, is among the most beautiful ones I've ever seen. And Nick gets the girl in the end.  What more can you ask?!  So, before we talk about the music, let's enjoy the video.



The song itself, though, is not at all happy.  It's angry and depressed and sarcastic in the first verse.  The second verse keeps the anger and depression, but the sarcasm is replaced with hope.  I was always impressed with the way Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson kept the story going so far forward in such a short song.  And, let's be honest - music hadn't seen this much orchestral-style layering since Phil Spector!

10 May 2013 - Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love

It's almost the weekend, so I thought we needed a fun song.  What better fun song than this classic, performed by a side project of the Talking Heads?  Enjoy one of the most sampled songs in history.

9 May 2013 - Red Hot Chili Peppers - True Men Don't Kill Coyotes

I'm going to move away from the typical 80s Thursdays cheese today and instead present you with a video from the self-titled Red Hot Chili Peppers debut from 1984 (I suppose some of you will say it's an entirely different kind of 80s cheese). Hard to believe they've been around for almost 30 years. I wasn't too sure about their first couple records when I first heard them (shortly after Mother's Milk came out). I eventually came around (many years later). I doubt I'll ever say the same about their last two albums.

8 May 2013 - Kate Bush - Cloudbusting (with a Neil Halstead bonus)

Here in the Rochester, NY, area, where I write this blog, we sit today, with a thickening cloud cover and corresponding barometric pressure that I am quite positive is causing pain for many with nerve or joint issues today.

Thankfully, I am not one of those sufferers.

But, for them, perhaps Wilhelm Reich's research on his farm, Orgonon, would help open the skies.  Kate Bush's song, loosely based on Peter Reich's book - he was Wilhelm's son - is a beautiful, heartfelt tribute to not only rainmaking, but a close relationship between father (played in this video by Donald Sutherland) and son (played by... well, Kate Bush).



As a bonus, here is Neil Halstead's fantastic cover of the song, re-imagined as a lullaby.

7 May 2013 - Michael Penn - No Myth

I saw Michael Penn a few years back when he was touring for his fantastic Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947 record. Much like his better half Aimee Mann, he's a tremendous storyteller and performer. He's also very funny too, especially when he introduced this song -- surprisingly not called "Romeo in Black Jeans."

6 May 2013 (Part II) - The Darling Buds - Burst

So, while planning for Darling Buds Day 2014 - because, you know, this is a thing now - I will be petitioning to make this a national holiday in Wales - I started to worry.  What if I had found their only two videos?

I need not have worried.  We're so set for years to come that I felt it safe to post a SECOND video.  Whereas this and this were from their second album, the classic Crawdaddy, this one is from their debut, Pop Said.... The sound is slightly different - less pop, more rock - but three things are clear.

1. Their record label was hellbent on marketing them as a rock band with a blonde female lead vocalist.
2. Said blonde lead vocalist - Andrea Lewis - was really charismatic without showing too much boob (something that I would not say about Wendy James of Transvision Vamp, who was marketed the same way).  In fact, she was kind of modest.
3. This band is full of great musicians.

This song is fast-paced and will give you whiplash, much like most of their first album.  Probably why I love it so much.

6 May 2013 - The Darling Buds - Crystal Clear

I am thinking of making May 6th Darling Buds Day. After all, last May 6th, I posted a video of theirs under the Guilt-Free Sunday hashtag.

This song gets no such hashtag.  In fact, this was the song - and video - in which the Darling Buds had the exact opposite reaction to being lumped in with all the other vaguely rock-and-roll alternativesque British bands led by blonde lead vocalists - c'mon, I've told you about this before.  They ran right toward it.  They got poppier, less dark, and tried to be mainstream.  This pursuit led to the band's implosion, but that's another story.

As far as this song, from the great Crawdaddy album.... well, it's just poppy fun, and there's nothing wrong with that.  The video is a little odd, but hey. So, enjoy it.

5 de Mayo 2013 (Special Edition) - Liz Phair - Cinco De Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Mexico in the state of Puebla to celebrate the 5 May 1862 victory of the Mexican over the French in the Battle of Puebla.  It is not widely celebrated in Mexico outside of American tourist traps, and is not a Mexican federal holiday. So, let's celebrate the little-known Mexican holiday that is propped up by American retailers of Mexican beer by enjoying this jangle-pop classic, not about the battle of Puebla, but about a fizzled love, by Liz Phair.

3 May 2013 - Soul Asylum - Can't Even Tell

At one point in my life, I was a really big fan of Soul Asylum.  Hang Time was a fantastic album.  Fantastic.

Then they followed up that album with ....And The Horse They Rode In On.  Which wasn't all that good and was the beginning of the commercial success that would lead to me not being able to stand them.

Then came 1994.  The album I consider to be their comeback - Let Your Dim Light Shine - was still a year in the future.  Kevin Smith made a little movie called Clerks and commissioned Soul Asylum to do the song for the closing credits.

The result?  A nihilistic song about seizing the day that was an instant classic.  I've been a fan ever since.

2 May 2013 - The Soup Dragons - Divine Thing

I honestly can't remember the last time I put on Hotwired (or Lovegod for that matter) by The Soup Dragons. We used to listen to those albums all the time in college (I'm dating myself again here aren't I?). Heck, I actually saw them twice on their tour with James in 1992. Or was it 1993? It doesn't matter. It was a whole lot of fun . . . as is this video.

1 May 2013 - The Breeders - Cannonball / Safari

For most of you, this was your first and only meeting with The Breeders.   Which is all well and good.  It was a great song - still is.  It is a modern rock classic, with a great double guitar, a  very distinctive bassline by the under-appreciated Josephine Wiggs, and a catchy vocal by Kim Deal.


For me, it was a letdown.  I knew what they had been less than a year prior.

The Breeders were a modern rock supergroup, featuring the aforementioned Kim Deal (of The Pixies), Jo Wiggs (of The Perfect Disaster), and the woefully under-appreciated guitarist Tanya Donelly (at this point, of Throwing Muses).  Their first album, Pod, was a very dark, sparsely-produced (by Steve Albini) classic.  After that album, Kim's twin sister, Kelley, joined on guitar.  And, for one EP - Safari - they all stayed together.  And they rocked and rocked hard.



After the Safari EP, Tanya left to form Belly.  And her absence was noted by people who were in the know. I mean, don't get me wrong - The Breeders were still really good.  They just weren't the same band.  The band even went on to re-record one of the Safari songs for the Last Splash album - "Do You Love Me Now?" - and it was good..... but a little bit of a letdown.

30 April 2013 - Devo - Girl U Want

When the Wicked Guilty Pleasures mind goes blank, there's only one true way to snap out of it -- look to the 80s. So here's wacky Akron new wavers Devo with a video from their Freedom of Choice album from 1980. Of course the big hit from that album was Whip It, but Girl U Want is way cooler. See for yourself.

29 April 2013 - The Juliana Hatfield Three - Spin The Bottle

I remember the last time I saw Juliana Hatfield.  

September 15, 1995.  Water Street Music Hall.  Rochester, NY.

Why do I so clearly remember a date in a random club on a random Friday night nearly 18 years ago?  Well, that, my friends, is an interesting story.   I was married on September 16, 1995.  This show was the closest thing I ever had to a bachelor party.  My friend Jim was there, as was my friend Mike.  (As it turns out, someone I met 16 1/2 years later was also there, but that's another story I'm not telling today).

Jim was fond of telling everyone that I was getting married the next day.  There was one young lady - who I think was taking a shining to me - who was quite adamant that I was far too young to be getting married.

The show itself was pretty good.  I wish she would have done more early stuff - she did one Blake Babies song ("Nirvana", which also appeared on her first solo album in a different form) - but it was pretty good.  After the show, Jim grabbed one of the setlists off the stage and was hell-bent on meeting Juliana and having her sign it.  I, having met Juliana in the past and not finding her all that congenial, wasn't so keen on that, but we did it anyway.

And Jim told her I was getting married the next day.

Her reply.  "Aren't you a little young to be getting married?"

Sigh.

She wasn't wrong, sadly.

This song is a cute little diddy from the Reality Bites soundtrack, with a lot of guest stars in the video.  The subject matter - playing Spin The Bottle with a semi-famous person - is a little strange, but it makes for a cute song.  With a guitar hook that builds as the song builds momentum..... the whole tune just oozes excitement.  So, get excited!

26 April 2013 - The Monkees - Valleri & Mary Mary

Despite the fact that The Monkees were a manufactured group, built specifically for a television show, these four gentlemen were serious, solid musicians.  A lot of people slag on them for being the Pre-Fab Four - a play on the nickname given to The Beatles - but they all had some chops.

Take this song.  Davy Jones takes the lead vocal on the song.  The verses are short, jangle-pop, but the chorus is 60's-level bombastic.  The performance is full of emotion from all four members.



On this song, Mickey Dolenz takes the lead vocal, but I want you to pay attention to the serious guitar chops brought by Michael Nesmith.  That gentleman was - IS - a fantastic guitarist, and few songs highlight his skills better than this song.  Pay attention to that and the harmonies provided by bassist Peter Tork.

25 April 2013 - Aimee Mann - That's Just What You Are

I'm really excited to be seeing Aimee Mann perform again tonight (it's either my 5th or 6th show . . . I've lost count over the years). I still get a chuckle when I think that the first time I heard her as a solo artist was this song off of the Melrose Place Soundtrack (it later appeared on her I'm With Stupid album). I Never really thought of Melrose Place to be a musical taste-maker (unlike Beverly Hills 90210), but just taking a quick glance at the soundtrack I see some pretty cool 90s bands on there (Dinosaur Jr., Paul Westerburg, James, Letters to Cleo and Urge Overkill).

24 April 2013 - Veruca Salt - Number One Blind, Seether, All Hail Me, Seether, & Spiderman '79

Veruca Salt are the worst band I have ever seen live.  They were drunk... or high.... or something.  They were out of tune and bored.

For example, this song, a hard-driving catchy slow jam.... full of energy and feeling in the video.... all sorts of angst..... completely emotionless live.


And still, this song, a straight-ahead rock song that got pigeonholed as "alternative" in the mid-90's,  didn't suck.  Even a terrible live band, or at least one having an off day, could not screw up the high energy and excitement of this song.



Disappointingly, they also failed me on this song, which was flat.  Pity - the song is a throwback to the light metal of the 80's, and is just as full of energy as their biggest hit.



Ultimately, I think it was just that show.  Here, they were really really good live. They reinterpreted "Seether" but it still kept the emotion and energy.



And here is my favorite song of theirs, again live.  And again, good here.  Just not when I saw them.

23 April 2013 - Beck - Sexx Laws

I wasn't sure what to think about Beck's Midnight Vultures album when it came out. Sure, there were some fun songs like Nicotine & Gravy, Milk & Honey, Mixed Bizness and of course today's song Sexx Laws, but there were also some real stinkers that ruined it for me like the too-kitschy for even Beck R&B send-up Debra (I don't even want to get into the ridiculous live performance of that song where he descends from the rafters on a heart-shaped bed). Over time I grew to appreciate Midnight Vultures. Sure, it's not as good as Mellow Gold, Odelay and his classic break-up album Sea Change (which was certainly an unexpected follow-up to the party that was Midnight Vultures), but it wasn't nearly as bad I had initially thought.

22 April 2013 - Julee Cruise - Rockin' Back Inside My Heart

I must open this post with a statement of explanation.  In my humble but correct opinion, Twin Peaks is one of the ten best television series of all time, and one of the eight best American series.  The pilot might be the most perfect piece of television ever produced (TVGuide ranked that #45 - I rate it higher).

Angelo Badalamenti worked with David Lynch on the music for his defining television series, much as he had on the movie Blue Velvet.  In each case, they went to Julee Cruise, with her haunting voice, to provide vocal talent.  In the case of Twin Peaks, she even appeared on a few episodes as a bar singer.  Of course, I've never been to a bar anything like that one.

This song, which did make it into the series, was the 2nd single from her album Floating Into The Night.  Not only does it retain a disturbing cool, it's got a neat but jarring saxophone solo in the middle.  Enjoy.


I first heard this song on the Canadian radio station CFNY.  The version I heard sounded vastly different.  It was a dance remix.... and it strangely worked.  More bass and drum heavy than the original, sure, but the beat matched the song.... while giving it a much different, upbeat feel.   And it didn't lose the awesome sax solo.

No video, but here's that remix.  Enjoy.

19 April 2013 - Pixies - Here Comes Your Man

24 years ago yesterday, the Pixies 2nd full length album, Doolittle, was released.

This song, the 2nd single from that album, was by far the biggest hit the band ever had.  They were - still are - a clearly underground band, so hits were not their driver of success.  However, this song.... this song was a little poppy, and a lot of fun.  I dare you not to sing along.

They had fun with the video, too - even doing a little Talk Talk tribute (the whole "we'll just open our mouths instead of lipsync" thing), and making the video with a fisheye lense and stretch imagery.

18 April 2013 - The Lightning Seeds - Pure

Well here's a flash from the Alternative Nation past. I get this song stuck in my head A LOT. Not sure why, but it could certainly be a lot worse (I don't even want to name a bad song here for fear of getting it into my head . . . and yours too . . . I suppose). Oddly, I kind of hated Pure when it was all over MTV's 120 Minutes. Obviously, as the years progressed I got over it (I actually picked up Cloudcuckooland and their second album Sense which featured The Life of Riley . . . another 120 Minutes back-in-the-day mainstay). So sit back, pretend Dave Kendall just gave some long-winded and over-dramatic introduction and click on that play button.

17 April 2013 - Frida - I Know There's Something Going On

Anni-Frid Lyndstad was one of the A's in ABBA.  She more commonly went by Frida.  She still does, I suppose - she's not dead.

She also had one of the biggest post-ABBA solo hits of anyone from the group.  Clearly, she made a clear break from ABBA by finding a harder rock sound.... with the help of Phil Collins.... which probably explains the heavy drums.  Frida, to her credit, had a huge voice and could easily carry the rock sound just as well as she harmonized with her former bandmates.


As a bonus, here is Frida... er, "live"... performing the song on Swedish television from 1982.  I tried to find an actual live performance, but all I could find was lipsynched. Enjoy.

16 April 2013 - Moby w/Gwen Stefani - Southside

I haven't heard this song off of Moby's mainstream breakthrough album in quite some time. I may have to dig out Play this weekend and relive the summer of 99 when I listened to it non-stop. I actually saw him play a modern rock festival shortly after this record broke. He put on a killer show which was made even more fun for me because he was acting kind of surly about the frathouse mentality of the pit (it was at a college with Green Day, Disturbed and Good Charlotte playing, what did he expect?).

15 April 2013 - Public Enemy - He Got Game & Bring The Noise (both versions)

Heavily sampling the Buffalo Springfield classic "For What It's Worth", Chuck D and Flavor Flav bring us a song on the slow tip.  From the 1998 movie of the same name, the song represented a comeback of sorts.  Sure, it wasn't as angry sounding as earlier PE tunes, but lyrically, it still packed a bite.

And yes, that is Stephen Stills - of Crosby, Still & Nash (and Young), and, of course, Buffalo Springfield - reprising his vocal in this video and on the single.



In contrast, here is one of their earlier songs - "Bring The Noise" - which has a lot more energy..... and a lot of anger.  This is the original version, with just Chuck D and Flavor Flav on the vocals....  mostly Chuck D, but Flav is so full of energy and amped up the volume.

A lot of people see Flavor Flav as just a goofy guy.  He is far more than that.  He was the energy of the group - a yin to the yang that was Chuck D's intelligent hip hop.



Of course, once Anthrax got involved, the volume went waaaaaaaaay up.  This is the version most people know.  It's not bad, but it isn't my favorite version.  The collaboration grew out of the New York city metal and hip hop scenes, which were closer than a lot of people thought they were.... I mean, until Aerosmith met Run DMC.... but that's a story for another day.

12 April 2013 - The Primitives - Crash & Rattle My Cage & Lose The Reason

In 1988, music changed for me.  I had been listening to music at the fringe of mainstream for a couple of years, but that year, the year I turned 16, so many of my favorite albums of all time were released.  One of these days I'll chronicle all of those - probably somewhere else, because most of them are decidedly guilt-free.

The single that defined that year for me was released by Coventy, UK band The Primitives.  The lead single from their great album Lovely, it was a #5 hit there, and a #3 Modern Rock hit in the US.  The band was sadly defined by its lead vocalist, Tracy Cattell (who went by Tracy Tracy at the time), mostly because of her blonde hair and its similarity to the hair color of Andrea Lewis (The Darling Buds, who released my favorite album of 1990 and who were featured here last May) and Wendy James (Transvision Vamp, who released my favorite album of 1989 and who I have planned for an epic post in the near future) - excellent bands in their own right, but unfairly lumped together.

I mean, any band with a blonde female lead vocalist and a power pop sound MUST be ripping off Debbie Harry, right?  God forbid that the hair color choices (in Andrea's case, I'm pretty sure it was natural) of these women be separate from their musical influences.

In 1995, it got an awful remix for the movie Dumb and Dumber, which I did not enjoy (the movie OR the remix), featuring musicians and vocalists who were not and never were members of The Primitives.  Here is the original version, in all its power pop goodness.

(edit: the original video is gone, so here's a video of the band lipsyncing to the song when it was new for a TV show in Spain)

 

(edit: 14 Jan 2021):  The video is back. 

Happily, The Primitives are back together.  And still play this little song.

They're even making new music!  Here was their first comeback single, released in 2011.  They've become a tighter band, truly embracing the power pop sound that was their strength.  It has fast become one of my favorite songs...

.

....and here's their latest single.  PJ Court shares the lead vocal with Tracy on this one - they never really harmonized like this in the past, although PJ took lead on some earlier songs.  I hope they don't stop - they're brilliant together.  And this video - very self-effacing, complete with a nice S.A.W. reference.

11 April 2013 - The Outfield - Your Love

I swore I posted a video by The Outfield recently for 80s Thursday. But it was The Hooters. I guess the 80s were a lot like the 00s. Lots of "The" bands that all kind of sound the same. All kidding aside, I always liked this song when I was a youngin' shooting hoops in the driveway. What? You expected me to say playing baseball. Yeah, just when you think I'm gonna zig, I zag.

10 April 2013 - Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend

I cannot believe it took us this long to post this.

Matthew Sweet's biggest commercial hit was this 1991 pop/rock wonder, featuring a video with scenes from the anime film Space Adventure Cobra.  It's instantly catchy, and you'll be singing it to yourself for the rest of the day.  You're welcome.

9 April 2013 - Paramore - That's What You Get

Well, well, well . . . It seems Paramore (what's left of them) have a new self-titled record out today. I'm sure I'll get it soon as I've been into them since I first heard their 2005 debut All We Know Is Falling. And while I could easily post their latest video, I thought I'd go with an old favorite of mine from 2007's Riot -- plus I can save the new video for Your New Favorite Song.



As a special bonus, go to Totally Covered to hear Paramore playing my favorite Jimmy Eat World song.

8 April 2013 - Queens of the Stone Age - 3's and 7's

I never thought a video game would introduce me to a song, let alone one that would become a fast favorite.  But that's exactly what Guitar Hero did.

I was familiar with, and even liked, Queens of the Stone Age prior to owning Guitar Hero.  Somehow, I had missed out on this song.  And there it was, in the game.  The song is a fantastic straight-ahead driving rock song - a little bit of a throwback to an older era, but still with a modern sound.

What pushes this song over the top into Wicked Guilty Pleasure is this video, an homage - parody? - of 70's grindhouse chicksploitation movies.  Brilliantly done, complete with the guy with a hook for a hand! Oh, and the buckets of fake blood.

And yes, I checked.  The actors seem to be  properly credited in the video.



By the way, an uncensored version of this video exists.  I didn't post it, because I could not embed it, but here it is, if you want to see it.

5 April 2013 - Kelly Willis - I Don't Want To Love You (But I Do) & River Of Love

I wasn't in the mood for anything truly guilty today, although, as far as this artist goes, these are about as guilty as they get.

I saw Kelly Willis at the Iron Horse Cafe in 1991.  I went with my mother.  Don't judge.  It's the only time I ever sat in the balcony there.  By the way, no better place to see live music.  She was touring in support of her 2nd album, Bang Bang, which was  not a bad album - at all - but her weakest, in my personal opinion.  Her record label, MCA, didn't really market her well.

Anyway, this song was from her 1st album - this performance is from Austin City Limits.  She very clearly states that this is her favorite song to perform.  Having seen the song performed live, I can testify to the fact that she does, indeed, enjoy performing this song, and it shows.



This song, also from her first album - Well-Traveled Love, which qualifies as my favorite country album of all time - wasn't exactly as much fun to perform, I imagine.  It's beautifully sung and performed - by now, you all know I'm a sucker for a lapsteel.  Lyrically, the song - written by the great Paul Kennerley - speaks to a subject matter we all know well - falling for the wrong person.  Kelly was married to her drummer at the time.... she divorced him the next year, so her rendition of the song was.... well, poignant.

4 April 2013 - Howard Jones - Things Can Only Get Better

It's 80s Thursday. So here's a Howard Jones video. Because really, when was the last time you actually thought about Howard Jones?

3 April 2013 - Len - Steal My Sunshine / Andrea True Connection - More, More, More

It was 1999.  Limp Biskit were the toast of the world.  Hip hop and metal were crashing into each other.  It took a bunch of Canadians slacking off in SoCal to take the metal back out.

That's right.  Len isn't a California band.  They are a Toronto band, built by Marc Costanzo (ex of Sum 41) and his sister Sharon - the two vocalists on this song, their biggest hit to date. It's chill and fun.  I'm sure you're all humming the song already.



Of course, this song would not exist if not for the fact that... "blue" movie star Andrea True (her real name) didn't take a trip to Jamaica in 1975 and decide to sing a song about her day job.

That's right.  The song is about porn, people.

The song is a disco classic - it's fun, it's energetic, and it has a great wood block beat and a fantastic bassline.  I know Marc Costanzo agrees - he chose it for his song as well.  And now, these two great, fun song are linked forever.

2 April 2013 - Dido - No Freedom

Admit it, at one point, you liked Dido's hit song Thank You (and not just because Eminem used it in his song Stan). Heck I did. I even bought her second record, but for the life of me I can't seem to name one song on it (that's not entirely uncommon for me, I do remember liking the album). Anyway, her latest record, Girl Who Got Away, came out last week. Here's the video for the first single. Sounds good to me in that Beth Ortonesque kind of way.

1 April 2013 - Colin James - Just Came Back

No April Foolin' here.  Instead, we give you the biggest US hit by Canadian superstar Colin James.  Of course, it's about a man who's being played for a fool by his lady, so maybe it IS an appropriate song.

You're hearing this song because I heard it yesterday for the first time in about 15 years.  Now, you can enjoy it, too.

29 March 2013 - All Saints - Never Ever

All Saints were an all-girl group consisting of members from the UK and Canada. In the US, All Saints are essentially one-hit wonders. In the UK and elsewhere, they're much better known for a cover they did that I'll have to put on Totally Covered one of these days.  They were one of the most successful groups of the late 90's there.

This is the one US hit.  It starts as a typical R&B ballad, which in itself would not make it a Wicked Guilty Pleasure.  Actually, that's not 100% true.  It starts off really quiet, spoken-word, and really sad.  But it gets stronger and louder as the song winds on. It also is the rare song that specifically speaks both to a US ("The alphabet runs right from a to zee") and a UK/Canadian ("The alphabet runs right from a to zed") audience.  As someone with a zed in his name, I appreciate that.  All in all, the song is well crafted and well performed.

Plus, there are LOTS of explosions in the video.



As is often the case, the group made a special video just for the US and Canada.  Who knows why, but here it is.  There aren't as many explosions, but there's a car on fire.

28 March 2013 - OutKast - Hey Ya!

Yeah, I bet y'all never thought I'd be posting an OutKast video. It seems about as likely as me rooting for the Red Sox or turning down a free beer. And I likely wouldn't have posted this video if it wasn't for me waking up from a dream at 4:30 this morning with this infectiously catchy song stuck in my head (must have been a party dream). To be honest, I really do like this song, and I'm kinda shocked that we haven't posted this one already.

27 March 2013 - Steriogram - Walkie Talkie Man

By now you know we're fans of songs used in iPod commercials.  Here's another one.

Steriogram are a bunch of goofballs who make some pretty good rock and roll music.  They haven't had too many hits - this was their biggest one.  Thanks to Apple.  The song is energetic and fun pop/punk music.  Here is the commercial, which should give you a good idea as to what the song is all about.

 

But the video for the song - which is the only knitted video I've ever seen - makes the song all the more interesting.

26 March 2013 - The Hooters - And We Danced

I've been staring a blank screen for the past two hours trying to think of a video to post today. Mind blank. Absolutely nothing was inspiring me. Feeling like a true failure I did what any good writer would do, I whined like a little kid to Tony that I couldn't think of anything to write about. His sage-like advice, "go 80s." So obvious, yet so right. So let's go back to a much simpler time with a video by The Hooters.

25 Marzo 2013 - Shakira (feat. Alejandro Sanz) - La Tortura

De vez en cuando, me gusta mostrar de que una vez que hablaba español. Tengo que admitir que no es tan fuerte como solía ser.  Además, es un dolor en el culo para escribir en español con un teclado QUERTY.

Pero lo hago por ti.

Esta noche, Shakira hace su debut como jueza en "The Voice".  Vamos a disfrutar de la canción en español más exitoso lanzado como descarga digital en los Estados Unidos.  La cancíon tiene un toque de reggae claro, sin embargo, mantiene tradionales sesibilidad latina y de la música pop.



From time to time, I like to show off the fact that, at one time, I spoke Spanish.  I have to admit it's not as strong as it used to be.  Also, it's a pain in the ass to write in Spanish with a QWERTY keyboard.

But I do it for you.

Tonight, Shakira makes her debut as a judge on "The Voice"  Let's enjoy the most successful Spanish-language song released as a digital download in the United States.  The song has a clear reggae feel, but maintains traditional pop music and Latin sensibilities.

22 March 2013 - Human League - Don't You Want Me (with a Sassy bonus)

This is the first song I can remember being my favorite song.  I outgrew it for a little while, but the song still endures for me.

The song itself is heavily electronic from a musical standpoint, but it isn't terribly sparse, like other electronic songs from 1982 were.  Human League were able to keep a deep sound, almost like a full band (more on that in a minute).  What made this song really intriguing, though, was the dual lead vocal.  It wasn't a traditional call-and-response song - the two vocalists each get a separate verse, with the male lead taking the chorus - but you still got both sides of the story, including a very dark and sinister possessiveness.

This song has been covered several times.  My personal favorite cover isn't going to wait for Totally Covered. It was done for a 1992 covers compilation that benefited Planned Parenthood.  Chia Pet's members included Christina Kelly on vocals, Jessica Vitkus Weeks on bass, Mary Ann Marshall on drums and Jane Pratt on violin.   Those names might ring a bell, if you were a fan of the magazine Sassy - Jane Pratt was the founding editor, and the others were writers and editors for the magazine.

This version was 100% NOT electronic, and didn't have a male lead vocal (there is a 2nd woman singing), but, because the song was so well-written, this still worked! Also, Christina Kelly was kind of bad-ass - still is - which helped pull off the sinisterness of the vocals.

21 March 2013 - G Love - Shooting Hoops

Awwww yeah . . . The NCAA Basketball Tournament really starts today (those play-in games do not count). For me, filling out my brackets and the first weekend of games are better than Christmas, my birthday and St. Patrick's Day combined. And even if I'm forced to miss the late afternoon games today and tomorrow due to my own tennis coaching responsibilities (would it kill y'all to pray for rain for me so I can cancel practice?), my three TVs in my basement bar (I refuse to call it a "mancave") will be working overtime for the next four days.

Oh yeah . . . music. Here's some G Love to get you in the mood.

20 March 2013 - Young MC - Bust A Move

I always thought the lyrics in this tune were so absurd.

"Food is served and you're stone cold munchin'"

Seriously?!!  Seriously?!?!

Still, this was, and still is, a fun, mindless dance jam... and Young MC had serious hip hop chops.  I want you to seriously listen to this song, but ignore the lyrical content.  He's not just lazing through the tune.  This is a high speed, high tempo song, with four verses (which isn't common in this day and age).  And he used a lot of big words not commonly used in hip hop, even in old school days.

Plus, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers plays bass on the song and appears in the video.  So, bonus.

19 March 2013 - They Might Be Giants - Icky

I'm fairly certain that everyone at some point in their high school days was a They Might Be Giants fan. Most of us made it through those years with fine memories and can probably still recite every lyric on records like Lincoln and Flood. Many of those fans though, likely moved on. I know I certainly did. I do think it's cool that they are still making fun music that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Their new album Nanobots came out earlier this month and while I likely won't be picking it up, the first song fits quite nicely in their extensive catalog. Check it out.

18 March 2013 - The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love

A song written expressly for the point of being a guilty pleasure?  Well, why would it not be on this blog?

Formed in a post-grunge era - in the year 2000! - The Darkness were a glam rock band and a throwback to an earlier era.  And these guys really understood glam rock, with the over-the-top guitars, the screaming vocals, and the sweet-ass costumes!

Here's their biggest hit.  Enjoy!



The band reformed in time to do a Super Bowl comercial in 2012..... They hadn't lost their touch.  Or their glam rock sensibilities!

15 March 2013 - Swedish House Mafia - Don't You Worry Child

And with this, we complete our Swedish trilogy, with our Neneh Cherry and ABBA posts. It's fortunate that this one also happens to be a big current hit.

This is a little different than other music we've heard out of Sweden in the past.  Sure, we've had dance music, but such electronic sounds normally come from the New York, LA, Toronto, and London clubs..... not Stockholm.  But these three DJs indeed did meet in the clubs of Stockholm, and together have developed a huge following and interesting, progressive yet mainstream music.

This has been their biggest hit so far worldwide - currently at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, after a peak position on #6 - but they are on their last tour together.  Here's hoping these three gifted DJs bring us more exciting music individually.

14 March 2013 - Kate Bush - Pi

Today is Pi day. I was going to post about the significance of pi, but I can't really explain what it actually means (I think it has something to do with circles . . . math is hard). Needless to say I scrapped that idea. Then I thought about going with a dessert joke and posting a Cake video. But I really don't like dessert (or Cake for that matter). So instead, here's a fan-made video (that's actually pretty good) for Kate Bush's song Pi off of her Aerial album.

13 March 2013 - ABBA - Gimme Gimme Gimme (with an Amanda Seyfried bonus)

It just occurred to me that we haven't featured enough ABBA on this blog.  And who doesn't love ABBA?

Sure, lots of people don't love ABBA, I know.  I do love ABBA.  I love typing ABBA.  I love listening to ABBA.

And this song, which is a little darker fare than you might be accustomed to from ABBA, is my favorite ABBA song.  Frida and Agnetha (who takes lead vocal on this with her huge voice) harmonize so perfectly, and Benny and Björn provide an energetic musical background.  Even though the band was starting to implodie by this point, you can still see the significant chemistry that they all still had on stage.



Anni-Frid.  Her name wasn't really Frida.  That's the other A.

This song is so good, it even sounds good when actresses (who have significant singing talent - let's be honest) perform faithful covers.  By the way, I strongly recommend the movie Mamma Mia for those of you who love ABBA's music as I do.



(Yes, loyal readers of Totally Covered, we did feature this song over there in October 2012. We just needed an excuse to post Amanda Seyfried again)

12 March 2013 - Britney Spears - Oops!...I Did It Again

So last year I had the awesome idea (aren't they all?) of sending Tony a special birthday video treat here at Wicked Guilty Pleasures. I thought it was brilliant and very tasteful. Or not. Whatever. Well today, Tony's one year older, so he gets another Britney video which was incidentally a year older than the one I sent last year. Happy Birthday Tony, hopefully within the next year Brit will make a curling related video!