5-4-T: Holes In My Game

Obviously, I fashion myself to be a pretty astute music snob. Perhaps if I didn't, I wouldn't bother expressing my opinions here. I like to have an appreciation of all the great music that's out there in the world, but

These renowned acts that many would consider among the greatest of all time. For whatever reason, I've just never gotten into them. So here's my explanation and regrets. In today's Five for Tuesday, we explore the Top Five Holes in My Musical Experience.

Honorable Mention: Mudhoney, The Jesus Lizard
These bands perhaps aren't considered to be in the same caliber of those below. But I have always felt like I needed to pick up more of their work. Maybe there's still time, what with both bands back together and playing some shows.

5) The Velvet Underground
This almost didn't make the cut. I've never had any real interest in The Velvet Underground. Their music is just too lo-fi and sleepy for me. Like there's no passion in it. But every once in a while, I'll see a movie that perfectly inserts one of their tracks, and wonder if I've been missing out all this time. Can any Underground-enlightened person persuade me to press onward? Here's the best Youtube I could muster:

...even the announcer put me to sleep

4) Kraftwerk
I feel like Kraftwerk is the group I must have decided I'll always have time to come around to. I realize that they are apparently ridiculously influential and without them, many of my favorite bands and tunes would never have existed. But I honestly can't even name one of their songs. In fact, all I can really declare about Kraftwerk is that in The Big Lebowski, the nihilits' rock band was meant to spoof them. They played here in Argentina recently and I didn't make it to the show. We don't get a lot of European bands, so that's a pretty large "meh". Someone gimmie a foothold. Where should I begin? I really think I want to like these guys, but I have never bothered to give it a proper shot. Then again, here's part of the reason why:


3) Sonic Youth
If Kraftwerk was the band I simply never got around to, Sonic Youth is the one that somehow avoided me. I don't know how, but I am pretty sure I've never listened to a Sonic Youth album all the way through. One of my college roommates (and FtY frequent contributor, Biz) was a big fan, and had pretty much everything the band had recorded. Once again, I realize how important they are, and their peers such as Dinosaur Jr. and the Pixies I count amongst my favorites. I have no problem with indie-dissonance. Perhaps it's the fact that they never seem excited to be doing what they're doing, I can't get excited. Biz, any luck helping me out here?


2) Iron Maiden
Maybe I just like the idea of Maiden more than I like what I hear in practice. All the pieces are there. A devoted fan base, wailing vocals, great technical ability, and aggressive rawk. But despite all the morbid CD covers, there's just something about this band that falls flat for me. Like there's a little too much Ratt in their sound. Somehow, this is less compelling than it should be:


1) Neil Young
He's always been around, right? And in many forms. I have the greatest hits, but haven't taken the time to get beyond that. People I know who really know rock and roll swear by the man (once again, Biz included). He's got a great big box set coming out now. Maybe it's time I took the plunge. I'll tell you this much, this video sure is winning me over:

5-4-T: Smart Sci-Fi Pictures

Since Brad spent the two solid days last week excoriating me for not being a big enough nerd, even though I have spent far too much time with Mr. Schwarzenegger in this space, I'm taking the opportunity with this week's Five for Tuesday to give my love to the Science Fiction pictures that not only hold it all together, but manage to make you think about some shit, too. While these don't always show stuff blowed up real good, they're all movies I could watch again and again. So without further ado, on with the list:

5) Total Recall
I know. You think this movie has no business being on a list like this one. And to be sure, this is the one that is knocking out Metropolis and Gattaca, both of which are perhaps inherently "smarter." But I choose to have at least once crowd-pleaser in my list, and this one fits the criteria. I first saw this at age 16 and was blown away by the gleeful vulgarity of it. And while there are plenty of technicalities one can point to - would you really bloat to death so quickly if you were exposed to the martian atmosphere, and if you did, but were suddenly saved by an oxygen-laden blast, would you immediately go back to normal? - there's just enough nuance here to make it worth some rumination. The whole question of whether someone can trust himself - even if he inherently isn't himself, or rather isn't sure if he is. And of course, the final question - was it all a dream? - is fun to bandy about even if I think I got to the bottom of it.

4) Blade Runner
I always like the idea of Blade Runner more than the movie itself. Every time I watch it it's a bit more drawn out and slow. But there's some real magic in the future Ridley Scott created here. Between the Oriental scenery and decadent options for the citizenry, it feels like a real place. And while the film generally only flirts with its most interesting ideas (the most prominent one being the question of what makes us human in the first place), it still does a good job of bringing them up. And at least the director's cut doesn't beat you over the head with them.

3) Contact
There is one tremendous flaw in this movie. There's also a one minor one named Jake Busey. The tremendous flaw occurs at the very end when the film chooses to take sides, inherently making the viewer's mind up for him. While this movie is surely a science fiction piece, its overarching theme is about personal faith. One's faith can be a religious one, a scientific one, or just faith in the beliefs of certain characters in a movie. The fact that the filmmakers didn't choose to have enough faith in the audience to choose its own path is regrettable, but doesn't take away too much from an interesting piece that takes viewers along for the scientific ride. Rather than beat us over the head with already known facts, we're put in the position of Jodie Foster's character. Her desires, goals, and of course her doubts. The lofty ideas come along naturally and give us the opportunity for a bit of wonder.

2) Solyaris
This is probably the most unsettling movie I've ever seen. The über-short summary: bizarre things happen on a space station near a planet. I still don't really understand what it's ostensibly all about, but so far I've only given it one viewing. It's probably the most tedious film I've ever liked. And while I don't totally get it, it's because the movie something so transcendent that I just let it unfold and tried to figure out the individual moments. The big picture is elusive. But it invokes a power greater than man, something we should be afraid of and fascinated by. I look forward to future chances to dig into this one.

1) 2001: A Space Odyssey
Not just an example of accurate physics, it's a mind-blowing concept that somehow works. From the opening scenes, I realized I was watching something more ambitious than any other film I'd experienced before. And when I walked out of the theater, I was impressed but puzzled. Impressed by all the detail and proper physics involved. I think there's only one scientific flaw in the whole thing. But beyond that, even though this film is clearly a fantasy, it forces us to think about the nature of our existence. Why we're here, and how we came to be. It's one idea, but it opens your mind to the fact that there are countless options. Maybe the best-made movie ever.

So what's your favorite "smart" Sci-Fi that I didn't mention?

5-4-T: Underrecognized Gangster Movies

We try not to be negative here on Tuesdays, but a few weeks ago, we went with the downer approach of noting five overrated gangster films. At Josh's suggestion, today we're flipping the coin and going for the underrecognized. As mentioned here previously, "underrated" is always hard to measure, so we have to instead opt for films that people may never have heard of or at least not lauded frequently enough. So, without further ado, let's get on with today's Five For Tuesday. Honorable Mention:
Miller's Crossing - the too oft forgotten Coen Bros. masterpiece is just a little too recognized to make this list, but it's a damn fine film.

5) Killer's Kiss
The first movie directed by Stanley Kubrick rarely gets the attention of his later work as it plays more like a straight crime drama than the creative and bizarre stories he would give us further down the road. Yet it's an excellent straight crime drama told in flashback and centered on a young boxer who gets entangled with some bad characters. Someone has put the entire thing up on Youtube, which is surely illegal, but worth your time nonetheless.

4) Thief
The first thing Michael Mann ever did to be released in movie theaters plays like a a character study in advance of his wildly successful film, Heat. James Caan is a talented jewel thief who has his sights set on retirement and a lifestyle closer to Ozzie and Harriet. He's just going to do one last heist for the mob. That may sound cliche, but Mann presents the scores with great detail and clarity, and Caan gives one of the best performances of his career.


3) Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
Jim Jarmusch films can only be taken so seriously. That this movie makes no realistic sense is one of its charms. The mobsters are intentionally ridiculous, and Ghost Dog's existence in New York City appears completely surreal. But the overarching themes of honor and responsibility, tied perfectly in with the Samurai warrior's ethic give the movie a unique center. There's a lot of meat to sink your teeth into, even if the bone tying it all together is fragile. Besides, watching an aging Cliff Gorman throw down some of Flavor Flav's best rhymes in his bathrobe is a scene impossible to forget.


2) True Romance
That one scene gets all the pub, but the rest of this movie is equally sparkly, and absolutely loaded with top notch actors and performances. The Quentin Tarantino penned script is one of his most quotable, with loads of memorable scenes and snappy dialogue. Yet, I feel like thsi one has slipped through the cracks. That could be because Christian Slater's star has ceased to shine, or because Patricia Arquette hit the wall. Or perhaps it's because Tony Scott's output keeps getting cheesier (yes, the man who directed Top Gun). But either way, this is a chestnut worth digging up if you haven't yet had the pleasure.


1) Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
I would have never heard of this movie if it weren't for its inclusion in Roger Ebert's Great Movies. Well, that and Fletch drops Alfredo's name at one point, but that's a movie for another Tuesday. This film is far to over the top to be made these days. It has a little bit of everything, but mostly a whole lot of every kind of violence. In sum, I will never forget this movie.

5-4-T: Permanent Pod Selections

My I-pod doesn't have the capacity it really needs. 20 gig is about 5,000 songs, but many times I find myself lacking the space for a new album or other recent acquisition. Removing tunes from the I-pod is always a moment of minor anguish. What if I need those songs when I'm out of the house sometime??? In today's Five For Tuesday, we look at five tracks that will be with me wherever I go, no matter what I need to add. These are live versions, but you know what to do. Get the heck down!

5) Stevie Wonder - Superstition


4) Toots and the Maytals - Funky Kingston


3) Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)


2) The Stooges - Loose


1) Modest Mouse - Float On

5-4-T: R.I.P. Louie Bellson

I can't remember the first celebrity I ever met. It may have been the punter for the USFL's Chicago Blitz. I can't quite recall. But when I was 14, my high school jazz program put together a show with some famous musicians, just like they do every year. Visiting the school were trumpeter Clark Terry and drummer Louie Bellson. I played the French Horn, not exactly the most prolific instrument for jazz, but came to the workshops to see what all the fuss was about. I can't remember anything he said, but was immediately impressed by just how freaking cool Bellson was. He was already an old man, but captivated every young mind in attendance. This was a real musician, a craftsman who didn't even need sticks to wow us on the drum kit. He met with each young musician in the room, and couldn't have been any nicer. Needless to say, learning that he passed away Saturday at the age of 84 was sad news to hear. Bellson was still pounding the skins right up until his death. So for today's Five For Tuesday, we turn control over to Louie and his frenetic hands. And if your neighbors ask you to turn down the racket, tell 'em to cool out.*

1) 1950


2) 1957


3) 1960-ish?


4) 1980


5) 1988 *If you can only watch one of these, this is the one:

*special thanks to whoever richcapo is since he put most of 'em on Youtube.

6) UPDATE - 'cause this one turned up later and is also worth sharing:

5-4-T: Elevator Action

I've been riding in elevators a lot lately. It got me thinking about the most memorable elevator scenes in movies. There are many. Some that didn't make the cut today but could have: Pulp Fiction, Die Hard, Gremlins 2, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Hudsucker Proxy, Terminator 2, Top Gun, What About Bob, The Blues Brothers, The Departed, Rain Man, Liar Liar, Metropolis, The Doors, and Mission: Impossible solely because they killed off Emilio Esteves in the first ten minutes of the movie, and we never heard from him again. Are we sure they didn't actually kill Emilio???

5) Who Framed Roger Rabbit
When I was a kid, my friends and I tried to reenact this scene all the time. It was impossible. Droopy is more lithe than he lets on...


4) Total Recall
In our Schwarzenegger Sunday Roundup, we deemed this the most severely brutal killing of a rough and tumble henchman in Arnold's esteemed career of delivering rough and tumble henchmen severely brutal deaths they so richly deserve. (photos from Moviedeaths.com)


















3) Borat
Unfortunately, the correct picture was unavailable. Borat actually features two memorable elevator scenes, but the second one pretty much makes us forget all about the first. For the unitiated, Borat chases his girthy partner Azamat into a public elevator while both are completely nude. He chases him with a rubber fist. Azamat's breasts are huuuuge.


















2) The Matrix
The end of this scene left an indelible impression. Someone used Bowie here. I dug it.


1) The Silence of the Lambs
There's no picture anywhere on the net. There's no Youtube. And maybe that's just as well. For those who've seen the film, you remember it all too clearly. One of the most tense scenes ever put to celluloid, and it made me a little creeped out every time I boarded an elevator for the next two years.

5-4-T: Movies that Beat the Book

Conventional wisdom dictates that movies based on books can be great, but pretty much never surpass the quality of the book. And that makes sense. A book has a more captive audience and can take all the time it needs to tell its story. But every once in a while, a skilled director manages to take us on a journey even better than the author originally hoped. Generally, the conventional wisdom is right, and you're going to be let down by the film. But here are five that managed to make an improvement. Here are some honorable mentions: Blade Runner, Psycho, Dr. Strangelove, Apocalpyse Now.

5) About a Boy
It's becoming increasingly clear that Nick Hornby's never going to write a book that's better than High Fidelity. And that's probably OK because it's friggin' hilarious. About a Boy is a far more plodding tale that has its high points, but lacks a bit in terms of enthusiasm from its characters. Still, it's a sweet story and worth the read. Directors Chris and Paul Weitz along with screenwriter Peter Hedges manage to fix the biggest problem (the Kurt Cobain worship, an easy deus ex machina if there ever was one), change the ending, and tailor everything to Hugh Grant who gives one of his better performances.

4) The Silence of the Lambs
Thomas Harris' first book, Black Sunday, was apparently ahead of its time. It focused on a terrorist attack at the Super Bowl. He followed that with Red Dragon in which he created the character of Hannibal Lecter before giving Lecter a bigger role in The Silence of the Lambs. It's a good read to be sure, but the movie delivered by Jonathan Demme transcends anything that Harris put into his work. One of three movies to sweep the "big five" Academy Awards, it sets remarkable tone that hits the viewer on multiple levels. It's hard to imagine a better crafted movie.

3) The Godfather
Mario Puzo published The Godfather in 1969, introducing themes and lingo to the reading public which would remain indelible. Words like consigliere, Cosa Nostra, and omertà became instantly recognized, and the book was a huge hit. But it doesn't compare with the film made by Francis Ford Coppola. Until the Dark Knight fanboys started messing with the system, it was always atop the IMDb's Top 250, and is lauded by critics and fans alike. I don't know anyone who doesn't have the movie in their personal top 50, and most have it in the top 5. It's #2 on the AFI top 100 list. In sum, the book is fine, but Copolla's work took it to the highest imaginable level.

2) Goodfellas
Somehow, Martin Scorsese stayed true to the source material in Nicholas Pileggi's non-fiction account of mobster Henry Hill's life and times, and yet made a more compelling, artistic story. I can't think of a movie more consistently liked by everyone who's seen it. Men, women, old, young. It has something for everybody. Everyone who acted in this movie gave the performance of their life (except DeNiro, but everyone else). Despite its length and desperate ending, it's one of the most rewatchable movies ever made. Put simply, Scorsese has never made a better film.

1) Fight Club
One could argue that Fight Club is all gimmick and no story. The premise is so far-fetched that the whole thing can be dismissed out of hand if the viewer wishes. But somehow this movie resonated, particularly with men. It's #22 on the IMDb's list and developed a cult-like connection to younger men who were drawn to the new-world message. You are not your fucking khakis. Furthermore, director David Fincher presented a highly stylized look and feel alternately pensive and frantic with a gloomy hue that nonetheless had a certain crispness to it. Chuck Palahniuk's book is pretty much all premise. An easy read that's not that well written, and has a goofy ending, it still connected to certain readers. Maybe it was a story meant more for film, but Fincher and screenwriter Jim Uhls were able to take a used Toyota Corolla and turn it into a Porsche (and then blow it all up just for shits and giggles).

So which movies that beat the book did we forget?

5-4-T: Overrated Gangster Movies

It sometimes seems that nothing can warm the heart of the moviegoing public more than a gangster with a conscience. A well-crafted story with this theme will almost always garner box office success, if not critical acclaim. In today's Five For Tuesday, we look at gangster films that have been overly-lauded. Some of these are actually good, just not deserving of the fawning attention they tend to receive. NOTE - some spoilers here.

5) The Sting
Though it starts off with a rather serious tone (what's more serious than a murder?), The Sting takes a steady descent into cheekiness as it progresses. Whatever tension and seriousness they try to build goes away when everything comes off as a big joke. That's not to say the joke isn't a good one, but is it 7 Oscars and 94th movie of all time good? Watch it once and that will be enough for you. Sure, it's fun, and Robert Shaw's performance as the cranky, buffoonish opposition is kind of a trip, but can you imagine Ocean's Eleven winning best picture?

4) Scarface/Carlito's Way/The Untouchables
Brian DePalma gets a triple-entry here for repeatedly trashing promising screenplays with his sledgehammer approach to filmmaking. Each of these films feature annoyingly superfluous slow-motion scenes and various other moments when DePalma announces his presence at the expense of the story. Between the baby carriage scene in the Untouchables (yes, I realize it's a Battleship Potemkin reference - doesn't mean it belongs in the movie), Tony Montana's bizarre freakout moments whenever another man is in the same room as his sister, and the ridiculous Joe Cocker moment in Carlito's Way, we can only lament that the movie studios didn't hire someone more competent.

3) The French Connection
There is that one really kick-ass car chase. And that alone makes this picture worth seeing. Unfortunately, that alone is the only reason to see this picture. Hackman has a few over the top sequences that somehow earned him the Oscar for Best Actor, and the movie also garnered Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. But aside from there not being much of a story, the majority of this film is just people walking around the city.

2) The Road to Perdition
I cannot accurately describe the contempt I had for this movie upon watching it. To be sure, it is great looking. The cinematography is amazing and deservedly won the Oscar. But aside from that, there is so much to hate about this movie. A story that is overtly violent for the sake of the violence, yet feels as though it was made up as the movie was filmed eventually leads to an absolutely preposterous climax. Basically, this film comes off as a ripoff of the Coen Brothers' Miller's Crossing, but without the interesting characters, dialogue, story, and point. Yet it has a 7.8 on IMDb. The awful ending is made all the worse by the most astonishingly bad superfluous voiceover ever recorded. If you can stomach it, watch the finish here.

1) The Usual Suspects
Don't get me wrong. There is a lot to like about this movie, provided you don't mind the fact that none of it actually happened. That's right, the "surprise" ending is that everything you just spent two hours watching didn't exist. Yet, the IMDb voters have seen fit to name this non-story the 21st greatest movie of all time! Seriously, if you knew the film ended like this, you wouldn't have gone to see it, right? Basically, I found myself in agreement with Roger Ebert before I saw his review. And if that's not enough, how about: "Starring Stephen Baldwin."

5-4-T: Thanks for Nothing, Georgie

In this week's Five For Tuesday, we present five songs inadvertently written with today in mind, the last day in which George W. Bush can willfully harm America or the rest of the world. His damage will last decades, but today, let's just be glad that sonovabitch is gone. If these songs come across as angry, well, that should be pretty self-explanatory, right? In sum, screw that prick.

Honorable mentions:
Go Away - Living Colour
Radio - Alkaline Trio
Ruiner - NIN
Thorn in My Side - Quicksand
Career of Evil - Blue Öyster Cult

5) Super Stupid - Funkadelic


4) Hit the Road, Jack - Ray Charles


3) The End Of Our Road - Gladys Knight & the Pips


2) Glad That It's Over - 12 Rods


1) You Can't Bring Me Down - Suicidal Tendencies

5-4-T: Believe it or not, I found five worthwhile Christmas songs!

And they're all originals, how you like 'dem chestnuts?

Fishbone - It's A Wonderful Life


Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis


James Brown - Soulful Christmas


Ramones - Merry Christmas Baby


Marvin Gaye - I Want to Come Home for Christmas


And one for all the members of the tribe out there:

5-4-T: Colorfully Colorless

There are some people I know that refuse to watch black and white movies. It isn't simple prejudice. Generally it's because they don't want to watch anything older than the 1960s. Heck, maybe most of them won't watch anything older than the 1990s, but whatever the reason, the lack of color turns them off right away. In today's Five For Tuesday, we examine modern movies left intentionally colorless, and the impact of that decision.

Honorable Mention) Clerks
Really, I just wanted to include the below scene. Obviously this was done for cost reasons, but if the movie were in color all the amateur acting would have stood out that much more, right?


5) Good Night and Good Luck
When they showed test audiences screenings of George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck, they felt the actor portraying Joseph McCarthy was overdoing it, stretching the bounds of believability. Unfortunately for history's sake, that was no actor, but actual footage of the senator from Minnesota. Had this film been in color, all verisimilitude would have gone right out the window. To correctly place the events in their time in history, B&W was the only way to go.


4) The Man Who Wasn't There
The Coen Brothers have long traded in the world of Film Noir, but in their purest homage to the genre yet, they chose to limit Roger Deakins' considerable talents to blacks, whites and grays only. That didn't harm Roger at all as he won the AFI award for cinematography and was still nominated for an Oscar. Given Billy Bob Thornton's bland main character, removing all the color from the film put all of his minimal actions (mainly just sitting there and smoking) in stark relief. It also effectively placed the film in 1950s America.


3) Manhattan
One of Woody Allen's most acclaimed features, Manhattan is part ode to his city and part lament for all the humanity residing there just trying to get through it all. The opening montage shows off the city in glorious fashion, but when the characters are forced to deal with one another and their own failings, the lack of color makes it seem all the more personal and intimate. After all, "we're just people."


2) Schindler's List
Putting the film in black and white not only effectively entrenched its place in historic terms, it made it more palatable. Because had all its gruesome details played out in color, it would have been far too much for most filmgoers to take. Black and white in this case allowed viewers to witness the film as the episode in history it was intended to be and be detached enough to make their way through it.


1) Young Frankenstein
Mel Brooks has plenty of fans. I'm honestly not one of them. But in Young Frankenstein, he struck gold. His most hilarious movie from start to finish, it's one of the best spoof pictures ever made. In color, the film would have failed to adequately set up the gags. In an oblique way, the movie feels like it could have been made right after the 1931 classic.


So what's your favorite modern-day B&W movie?

5-4-T: Underrecognized Albums of the 1990s

It's easy to look back fondly on the music of the 1990s. Firstly, for me, it was my high school and college years, which made gave every musical note more weight. But more significantly, it was a time when the fans began to exert their power over the radio station programmers and record companies. They had no idea what hit 'em. And yeah, we had to endure Collective Soul and Creed piggybacking on the alternative boom, but after the thin decade that was the 1980s, we were bestowed a wealth of innovative and powerful music. Still, some have slipped through the cracks of history. I've never liked the term underrated, because it all depends on who's doing the rating. So, in this week's Five For Tuesday, we look at the five most underrecognized albums of the 1990s - the albums that may not have influenced an army of indie rawkers, but nonetheless were brilliantly of their time

Honorable Mentions:
Antenna - Sway
12 Rods - Split Personalities
Mr. Bungle - California
Blinker the Star - August Everywhere

5) Pond - Rock Collection
Pond is a band whose career lasted the entire decade and then abruptly stopped. After a somewhat flat second release, their third album, Rock Collection, was their quirkiest with various unnamed, bizarre tracks and an opening song that starts before you're even ready, surprising the listener immediately. Whether you’re into quirks or not, the album remains brilliant. It lopes along in a casual way, but has hooks buried beneath the surface of nearly every tune. Surpassed in the mainstream by bands doing similar things in far less compelling ways like PUSA and Weezer, when Rock Collection failed to sell (I still see this record at used CD stores all the time), the band called it quits. Chris Brady went on to form Audio Learning Center and released another solid record, but I’ll always look back at what might have been had people been paying more attention.

4) Quicksand - Slip
Walter Schreifels has reunited his bands The Gorilla Biscuits and Rival Schools, but unfortunately the reunion that would be truly exciting has yet to be announced or even hinted at. Many bands are labeled post-punk, a term that means many things to many people. But nobody in the genre ever put together a record as loaded with songs both punchy and brainy. To this day, and despite many solid efforts, this album has never been surpassed. Between Alan Cage’s thick but precise drumming and the powerful wall of fuzz on every track, it’s a record that still cooks. In the summer of 1993, they opened for Anthrax and White Zombie. That lineup made no sense, but in its day somehow existed. But really, who else was Quicksand going to open for?

3) Digable Planets - Blowout Comb
This jazz-hop group scored a surprise mega-hit with 1993’s Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat). On their second album, they ratcheted up the atmosphere and pumped in more intricate rhythms, leading to rave reviews. When shopping at Dr. Wax records in Evanston one day, I asked an employee what he thought of the new album, “It’s the best hip-hop record I’ve ever heard.” “Really?” “It’s the best hip-hop record I’ve ever heard.” He was emphatic, and he was pretty close to right. The lyrics may not be profound or as clever as on their first album, but the musical innovation easily makes up for it. But with the hip-hop world being drawn to the gangsta style of Tupac and Biggie and no catchy single akin to Rebirth of Slick, few paid the record any attention. Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul weren’t exactly burning up the charts anymore either and their mainstream relevance was also lost to the cultural trends. I was lucky enough to snag 2nd row seats to a Digable Planets show around that time, and while the Dr. Wax guy may have been overrating the album just a bit, I can safely say it was one of the best sets I’ve seen by any band in my life.


2) Swervedriver - Mezcal Head
I’ve already written somewhat extensively about Swervedriver here this year. I covered their entire output and then reviewed their Metro show. But if any band was more underrecognized in the 1990s, I haven’t heard of them. Mezcal Head races out of the gates and doesn’t relent until Track 9, the slow groover Duress. With Adam Franklin displaying mastery of his guitar, the 90s fuzz pours out of the speakers on every track, but pops with an energy that no other “shoegazers” could match. It’s an album I’ve listened to probably a thousand times and still feels fresh as the day it hatched. Swervedriver never made the big time, nor did anyone from their specific style of indie fuzz rock, but the style of clamor was borrowed for multi-platinum records for bands such as Smashing Pumpkins, The Verve, and Foo Fighters. Of all the bands doing it, nobody did it better than Swervedriver done did it on this album.


1) Blind Melon – Soup
Blind Melon will always be known for two things. First, for their smash hit single, “No Rain.” Second, for the heroin overdose of lead singer Shannon Hoon. The single that spawned their success could easily be labeled cute, and the video, complete with dancing bumblebee girl, would be, uhhh… double cute. Instead of resting on their laurels and putting out a record with more cute singles, the band put forth a far more creative effort, lyrically, vocally, and musically. Genre-bending roots-rock with real soul and fat production, the album grows on you with each listen. This was music that nobody else was making at the time, with only occasional hints of grunge guitars and flashes of the spookiness that showed up on so many other albums. The record was delayed due to Hoon’s stint at a rehab facility. He died just months after it hit stores. Adding to an already tragic story, Soup remains generally undiscovered by fans and critics alike. Incidentally, Greg Prato of AMG agrees with me. Give this one a spin if it's been a while.



So which great underrecognized 1990s albums did I forget?

5-4-T: Because They Can

In honor of the release of Oliver Stone's W., in today's Five For Tuesday we look at the rich and powerful villains in the history of cinema who have no qualms about stepping on the little guy in pursuit of greed and lust for power. Now, Stone's film paints a more dunderheaded, sympathetic character then the scoundrels we'll see here. But he fits the profile nonetheless. So, without further ado, let's check out some evil-doers.

5) Bob Gunton as Warden Norton - The Shawshank RedemptionWarden Samuel Norton: I'm sure by now you've heard. Terrible thing. Man that young, less than a year to go, trying to escape... Broke Captain Hadley's heart to shoot him, truly it did. We just have to put it behind us... move on.
Andy Dufresne: I'm done. Everything stops. Get someone else to run your scams.
Warden Samuel Norton: Nothing stops. Nothing... or you will do the hardest time there is. No more protection from the guards. I'll pull you out of that one-bunk Hilton and cast you down with the Sodomites. You'll think you've been fucked by a train! And the library? Gone... sealed off, brick-by-brick. We'll have us a little book barbecue in the yard. They'll see the flames for miles. We'll dance around it like wild Injuns! You understand me? Catching my drift?... Or am I being obtuse?
Warden Samuel Norton: [to Hadley] Give him another month to think about it.

4) Klaus Kinksi as Aguirre in Aguirre, der Zorn GottesDon Lope de Aguirre: I am the great traitor. There must be no other. Anyone who even thinks about deserting this mission will be cut up into 198 pieces. Those pieces will be stamped on until what is left can be used only to paint walls. Whoever takes one grain of corn or one drop of water... more than his ration, will be locked up for 155 years. If I, Aguirre, want the birds to drop dead from the trees... then the birds will drop dead from the trees. I am the wrath of god. The earth I pass will see me and tremble. But whoever follows me and the river, will win untold riches. But whoever deserts...

3) Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be BloodDaniel Plainview: I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people.
Henry Brands: That part of me is gone... working and not succeeding- all my failures has left me... I just don't... care.
Daniel Plainview: Well, if it's in me, it's in you. There are times when I look at people and I see nothing worth liking. I want to earn enough money that I can get away from everyone.

2) Ronny Cox as Vilos Cohaagen in Total RecallTechnician: Sir, the oxygen level is bottoming out in Sector G. What do you want me to do about it?
Vilos Cohaagen: [as if obvious] Don't do anything.
Technician: But they won't last an hour, sir.
Vilos Cohaagen: Fuck 'em. It'll be a good lesson to the others.

1) John Huston as Noah Cross - ChinatownNoah Cross: See, Mr. Gitts, most people never have to face the fact that, at the right time and the right place, they're capable of... anything.

5-4-T: Break in to get down

I am no fan of musicals. This is because the music is almost always awful. But even a hard case like me has some soft spots. So, in this Five-For-Tuesday we track down on-screen musical interludes that are wholly welcome breaks in our ongoing narratives.

5) Aimee Mann - Wise Up - Magnolia (Jarmsusch on steroids)


4) Linda Scott - Every Little Star - Mulholland Dr. (positively dreamy)


3) Kecak Natives - doin' their thing - Baraka (these boys are really into character)


2) Norman Blake - A Man of Constant Sorrow - O Brother Where Art Thou? (bonafide)


1) Ray Charles - Shake a Tailfeather - The Blues Brothers (Kanye wishes he could shake a tailfeather like Brother Ray)


So what did I forget? I mean besides Pink Floyd: The Wall.

5-4-T: Kickass Covers That You Forgot On Your Stupid List

There have been a ton of lists published in the last few years containing the "top cover songs of all time". In this week's Five For Tuesday, we include songs that belong in high esteem in any discussion of covers, but were not mentioned on hardly any of those lists. So have at it!

5) Faith No More - War Pigs


4) Alkaline Trio - Exploding Boy


3) Otis Redding - A Change Is Gonna Come


2) Jimi Hendrix - Like a Rolling Stone


1) Stevie Wonder - We Can Work It Out


What overlooked covers did we forget???

5-4-T: Memorable Taxicab Conversations

As I was returning home from a bar, yammering with my roommate about things I'm sure our driver found wholly uninteresting, it got me thinking about the great taxicab scenes in the movies. So, today's Five-For-Tuesday runs down five truly memorable movie conversations that took place in cabs.

5) Pulp Fiction - "What does it feel like?"


4) Taxi Driver - "My wife is in there."


3) Breakfast at Tiffany's
Paul Varjak: You know what's wrong with you, Miss Whoever-you-are? You're chicken, you've got no guts. You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, "Okay, life's a fact, people do fall in love, people do belong to each other, because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness." You call yourself a free spirit, a "wild thing," and you're terrified somebody's gonna stick you in a cage. Well baby, you're already in that cage. You built it yourself. And it's not bounded in the west by Tulip, Texas, or in the east by Somali-land. It's wherever you go. Because no matter where you run, you just end up running into yourself.
[takes out the ring and throws it in Holly's lap]
Paul Varjak: Here. I've been carrying this thing around for months. I don't want it anymore.

2) Night On Earth - "Fresh hat!"


1) On the Waterfront - "Let's face it..."


What's your favorite Taxicab Conversation?

54T - White Dudes Who Hired Chicks Who Can Wail

It's high time for a new feature 'round these parts. Until further notice (i.e. when I change my mind), we're going to be doing a Tuesday Five-fer. Each Tuesday, we'll throw out a unifying theme and the top five examples we can think of. Today, five British acts who hired some women who can really wail and made it work. Not much commentary needed on this one, but plenty of Youtubes to go around.

5) Spiritualized - Come Together (The London Community Gospel Choir)
4) Basement Jaxx - Good Luck (Lisa Kekaula)
3) Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from My Friends: (Madeline Bell, Sunny Weetman, and Rossetta Hightower)
2) Pink Floyd - The Great Gig in the Sky (Clare Torry)
1) The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Merry Clayton)

So tell me, which ones did I forget?