The new Swivek album EVERYBODY HATES YOU is in the mail and headed out to CD Baby as we speak. That means in just three short weeks the new Swivek album will be online and available to hear, buy and love. I know it's so exciting.
Also, the first single ROCK HARD is going to be released shortly after the album and it will include 3 smash remixes by some talented pals of mine (more on that to come) and we shot a video a few months ago and it's in the post production/production so get your lap tops ready cuz it's gonna be hot.
Until I get all the new Swivek stuff out there for you, here's a random little oldie to keep you going. One of my all time favs "Oliver's Army" by Elvis Costello!
I don't like to get too political - or at least not here on this little blog - but today I'm feeling a bit of an agenda - you see this morning I was listening to some news programs where a couple women were saying they were protesting all the sexism that went on during the Democratic debates of Obama and Hilary and so are thus supporting John McCain instead of the O - now I am all for protesting and the idea that sexism was involved seems important but do these women really think John McCain is less of a sexist than Obama? And do we all have to pay by having another Republican in office just cause Hilary wasn't the nominee?
Meanwhile news came out also that in some private confrontation in his home that John McCain called his wife a ... well I can't really say it... but in the words of Bette Midler, "it starts with a c ends with a t and it's 'cunt'" Now that seems a bit sexist to me... but whatever
Another meanwhile - my sister called me to inform me that our nephew is going into the Marines. My brother had told me Jared was thinking about it and I adamantly said I didn't think it was a good idea unless he really, really had a desire to be in the military - call me selfish but I'm terribly afraid they are going to ship his ass off to Iraq the minute he finishes basic training - but according to him he scored on the tests in the top 10% and the Marine dudes told him he had his choice of what he wanted to do - he wants to work on jets and planes so maybe we'll luck out. In good news about it all he will be in San Diego for training and that's only a couple hours from me - which means in even better news I practically have free passes to Fleet Week!
We are all proud of him but I can't help but be a tad scared as well though my bro insists Obama will be in office in January and the war will be over - since Jared goes in around February maybe we'll luck out.
Whew! All this politics talk got me going so for a cool down let's listen to one of MY favorite songs from one of MY favorite artists from one of MY best albums - Why it's Thursday's Swivek song - and this time we have a little sassy tune about politics from the Army Fatigue album (2005)
To download Swivek - Wasteland click here: WASTELAND
Today's walk to work was sponsored (not by Swivek) but by: Elvis Costello & the Attractions - Armed Forces
and we are back for some more fun and games as we look even further into those hot hits from the decade that was the 70's - and so let's take a look at today's entries shall we?
#30 – X Offender – Blondie (Deborah Harry/ Gary Valentine) Private Stock single #45,097 Released December 1976 – Not Charted Our third venture into the blonde world of Debbie and her boys, “X Offender” is the very first single ever released by the band that helped shape my life. Originally singed to Frankie Vali’s little Private Stock label, the single was released right as the album was coming out. An ode to 60’s girl groups with a whole message of 70’s sex, the song was originally called “Sex Offender” but they couldn’t get it past the powers that be, so they dropped the S-E which I always thought were dirty letters anyway. Beginning with a little chant straight out of a Shangri La’s opus Debbie coos, “I saw you on the corner/ you looked so big and fine/ I really wanted to go out with you/ so when you smiled I laid my heart on the line…” We get a little drum roll and all of the Blondies pump in with guitars and Jimmy Destri’s always driving keyboard before we get to the bust, “You read me my rights/ then you said ‘let’s go’ and nothing more/ I thought of my nights and how they were/ they were filled with/ I know you wouldn’t go/ you’d watch my heart burst then/ you’d step in/ I had to know so I asked/ you just had to laugh.” That’s right, Debbie isn’t the one being pursued in this gem, instead our girl is the actual sex offender trying to proposition the cop. The song changes melody a number of times from the chorus to the verses, to a great little bridge and onto my favorite lyric, “My vision in blue/ I call you from insiiiiide my cell/ and in the trial you were there with your badge and rubber boots/ I think of the time how I’m going to/ perpetrate love with you/ and when I get out/ there’s no doubt/ I’ll be sex offender to you/ oooooh….” And a brilliant fade out of a brilliant single that did absolutely nothing on the charts but remains one of the band’s most interesting and beloved songs.
#29 – Alison – Elvis Costello (Elvis Costello) Columbia/Stiff single #10641 US/ Stiff single BUY14 Released May 1977 UK/ June 1977 US Not charted I am simply appalled that “Alison” never hit the chart either here or in the UK. What’s even more appalling is the fact that Linda Ronstadt who I love and who can usually do no wrong recorded a version of this song and actually had a hit in the UK. She’s done several Elvis songs and in almost all those cases they’ve worked just as brilliantly as anything else she ever covered but either I love this original so much or she just sucked it because I hate her version of it. But we’re not here to talk about cover versions anyway, we’re here to talk about the brilliance that was 1970’s Elvis Costello. He released a number of great singles through out his tenure as the unflappable bespectacled new wave kid of the late 70’s including another of my favs, “Oliver’s Army” and “Radio Radio” but his signature song would have to be “Alison.” A little ode to a former love who has the habit of driving everyone around her crazy, “I wish I could stop you from talking/ when I hear the crazy things that you say…” and what’s more apparently the chick is doing his pal, “I hear you let that little friend of mine/ pull off your party dress…” Oh Elvis, nothing like being bitter. But that’s what makes him so great – his bitterness, his slyness, his ultimately cool quirkiness. Alas, even Elvis can’t get over Ms. Al as he tells her over and over again, “Alison/ I know the world is killing you/ oh Alison/ my aim is true/ my aim is true…”
#28 – Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone) – Tanya Tucker (David Allen Coe) Columbia/CBS single #45991 US / CBS single #2285 UK Chart Debut: US Pop 02/16/1974 #46 / Country 02/02/1974 #1 Tanya Tucker was a little spitfire even at the age of 15 when she recorded this rather racy little ditty. After a successful run on the country charts with two albums and four singles, Tanya opted to up her image even further by recording David Allen Coe’s sexual opus, “Would you lay with me in a field of stone/ if my needs were strong would you lay with me?/ would you go away to another land/ walk a thousand miles in the burnin’ sand/ wipe the blood away from my dyin’ hand/ if I give myself to you?” That’s right, she’s all about knowing what the man will go through should she you know spread ‘em if you will; and I think she will. A tad racy for country and pop radio in the early 70’s and even more controversial when you realize Tanya was about 15 years old. Of course without the knowledge of her age you would never guess it by the vocal. Tanya from the very first line she ever sang came off at least 20 years older than she actually was, which is why she was able to pull off more mature songs than some of the women twice her age. The single was a huge hit in both country and pop radio making Tanya one of the very first cross over artists and the whole thing landed her on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine – the very first country artist ever to do that – with the neat tag line, “Hi, I’m Tanya Tucker, I’m 15, You’re gonna hear from me.” And so we have.
#27 – Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen (Freddie Mercury) Elektra single #46579 US / #5001 UK Chart Debut: US Pop 12/22/1979 #1 / UK #2 “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” was such a throw back to the 50’s rockabilly movement many people believed it to be a cover song but it’s a full on original written by the incredible Freddie Mercury. It’s one of those songs that you can’t help but bopping to from the minute that first chord hits, you’re on a trip through fun. “Well this thing called love/ I just can’t handle it/ this thing/ called love/ I must get round to it/ I ain’t ready/ crazy little thing called love..” It’s a karaoke staple from me and though I’m not Freddie Mercury I’m not half bad at it. By the time of the release of this single many new wavers and punks felt Queen were ultimate rock dinosaurs but the boys proved everyone wrong with the 1979 album The Game which included not only this rockabilly single but the bass pulsed dance rock of “Another One Bites The Dust” (which made our top 100 of the 80’s) giving them two huge hits in a new medium no one thought they’d be in.
#26 – Brass In Pocket (I’m Special) – The Pretenders (Chrissie Hynde/ Honeymoon-Scott) Sire single #49181 US / Real single #11 UK Chart Debut: US Pop 02/16/1980 #14 / UK 11/17/1979 #1 One more strange little chart anomolie, The Pretenders’ incredible single was a huge hit in the UK months before ever making it over to the US which lucky for us makes it into the top 100 of the 70’s. Pissy Chrissie is one of the greatest achievements in rock history, her no holds barred approach to everything from music to her personal convictions leaves admiration in her wake. Of course it’s all about the music and nowhere has she proved herself than on this somewhat sad little love song. How many times have I told people that they need to love me because umm hello I’m special and there isn’t anyone like me. Luckily, Chrissie made this song and it just gave me the vindication that I needed to present my case. It’s also one of the first videos I ever remember seeing on the then fledging little channel known as MTV.
and there we have numbers 30 through 26; a few classics from a few classics and next time we venutre even further down the list as we make our way to the very best singles of the 70's...
Location: West Hollywood, California, United States
SHORT VERSION: Bradley Jacobson is a singer/songwriter, sometime actor, sometime writer, audio engineer and producer, and all around happy dude. He was the singer/songwriter of the electronic trashy punky pop band Swivek, but is now a "solo" artist releasing music under his own name.
