Marc Fagel's Blog: Jittery White Guy Music: The Blog

My Top 2000 Songs #1106: Egyptian Tomb

I talked a bit about Mighty Baby previously in the context of their fantastic 1969 eponymous debut. But quick refresher: The Action were a second-wave British Invasion act, some decent R&B flavored singles, before pivoting into psychedelia and recording an unfinished album that, even in its posthumously-released raw demo form, stands as one of the greatest records of the 60s. 
Following the departure of The Action's original frontman, the rest of the band morphed into the psych/prog act Mighty Ba...

My Top 2000 Songs #1105: Happy When It Rains

The Jesus And Mary Chain's 1985 debut, Psychocandy , was an absolute monster, its merger of sugar-sweet pop songs with an onslaught of reverb and distortion still being imitated today. And while they could have easily continued to milk the gimmick for a few more records, it was a pleasant surprise when the 1987 follow-up, Darklands, demonstrated they could deliver compelling material even with some of the wall of sound pared back. Not that Darklands didn't still wield some buzzsaw din; but for th...

My Top 2000 Songs #1104: Roll On Babe

Here's another entry where I'm going with the cover version. "Roll On Babe" began as a bluegrass number written by banjo player Derroll Adams, released in 1967. But the version I fell in love with was recorded by Ronnie Lane after his 1973 departure from the Faces, and included on his solo debut, 1974's Anymore For Anymore (with his band Slim Chance). Lane's version retains the original's folk/Americana flavor, with gentle guitar finger-picking, while adding a ton of melodic sweetness. It's one ...

2024: The Year In Review (Deluxe Edition)

One of the many facets of my musical obsession is spending an ungodly number of hours each year constructing a year-end best-of mix. I've got double-CD compilations dating back to 1966, the first year of my existence on this cursed plane. (Yep, I still remember being an infant when that first year-end rolled around, barely old enough to crawl, carefully cobbling together the finest of the Beatles and Byrds and Stones on my first CDR-burner.)

[You can find Spotify versions of all of them right her...

My Top 2000 Songs #1103: Return To Yesterday

My fixation on jangly guitar pop in the 80s was primarily centered around US bands, R.E.M. and the Connells and the Feelies and the like. A few non-US entries found their way onto my college radio shows--the Smiths, Housemartins, Go-Betweens--but I didn't listen to them nearly as much. Later on, I circled back and found a number of great British janglers. Chief among these was the Lilac Time, still active (and releasing solid new music) today, though I'm most fond of their first few albums. "Ret...

My Top 2000 Songs #1102: The WASP (Texas Radio & The Big Beat)

Another one of the handful of tracks that rise above my mixed feelings for The Doors. And I wish I could say why, but I can't. On the surface, "The WASP (Texas Radio & The Big Beat)," off 1971 swan song L.A. Woman, combines some of the things I like least about the band. The music is largely structured around a fairly mundane blues riff, not a lot to distinguish it from, say, the earlier "Roadhouse Blues." And the lyrics are the sort of ponderous Jim Morrison spoken-word poetry that I generally ...

My Top 2000 Songs #1101: Minneapolis

That Dog's 1997 indie pop gem Retreat From The Sun was bolstered by a pair of geographically-themed crush songs. We've already talked about the delightfully effervescent "Long Island." This time, we head to the Midwest for "Minneapolis," a more mid-tempo but equally charming novella. The meet-cute  happens in an L.A. club, but, alas, the Hallmark-ready affair is doomed from the start, as she's just not too keen on following him back to his titular home. But it was sweet while it lasted.Live 1997...

My Top 2000 Songs #1100: Garoux Des Larmes

Over their 40-ish-year run, Throwing Muses have largely been a vehicle for the intensely captivating Kristin Hersh. But the band's rhythm section, with her since the beginning, shouldn't be overlooked. They get a chance to shine (particularly drummer David Narcizo) on this brief rave-up off the 1987 The Fat Skier EP. Sure, Hersh is a dynamo here, as always (not that I have a clue what she's on about), but it's that percussive whirlwind that has made this a favorite of mine. (As was the case yest...

My Top 2000 Songs #1099: Never Mind

The Moon were a short-lived late 60s US pop-psych band. They didn't make much of a splash--if they got any attention, it was largely due to guitarist Larry Marks' earlier association with the Beach Boys--but their 1968 debut, Without Earth , had a handful of tracks worthy of later discovery on a nostalgic Nuggets-like compilation. Chief among these is "Never Mind," a jangly little gem that feels wedged somewhere between Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and the twee baroque pop of early Bee Gees. Plenty...

My Top 2000 Songs #1098: The Momur

For a period in the late 70s/early 80s, it seemed like guitarist Adrian Belew was literally everywhere. He played with Zappa, Bowie, Talking Heads... then helmed the revived King Crimson while simultaneously launching a solo career. And while his Crimson work gave him plenty of room to flex his otherworldly/elephantine guitar squeals and his quirky lyrical sensibilities, he could push this even further on his own. 

His 1982 solo debut Lone Rhino was all over the place (in the best of ways), from ...