The Long Ryders - I Want You Bad

This is the second appearance on ERV for The Long Ryders; the superb "Looking for Lewis and Clark" was posted on our little blog in October, 2013.

Regular readers will recall that The Long Ryders were a roots rock act associated with the LA Paisley Underground scene.  They made a bit of a ripple on the college radio scene in the middle part of the 1980s, but never quite found their audience.

"I Want You Bad" was the lead single of the group's 1987 LP, Two Fisted Tales.  It is a cover (more on that below), but highlights the band's style and musicianship.  Unfortunately, we don't believe that either the LP or single charted.

While The Long Ryders remained well-regarded by critics, their big breakthrough never happened and in 1987 and the strenuous touring schedule finally did the band in.  Bassist Tom Stevens and guitarist Stephen McCarthy left the group by year end, and the remaining members (vocals/guitarist Sid Griffin and drummer Greg Sowders) chose not to continue.  However, the group did re-form in 2014, and plans to tour and perform some more as of this writing.

As mentioned above, "I Want You Bad" is a cover of an NRBQ song, below.  NRBQ is an influential and eclectic rock band who are known for their live shows.

Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot

Readers who aren't big time eighties or alternative music fans may not know much about Sonic Youth, but the alternative cult act is hugely important in the development of both the grunge and industrial  scenes.  The band formed in New York City in the early 1980s, and was comprised of guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, along with bassist Kim Gordon. (Sonic Youth went through four drummers in their early days, though Steve Shelley has held this role since 1985).

Musically, the band is often associated with the noise rock scene, and early releases were somewhat experimental in nature.  Not unlike earlier experimental bands (like the Velvet Underground) this resulted in critical acclaim but only modest record sales.  Over time, Sonic Youth's sound evolved and songs incorporated more traditional rock structures and sounds, though they maintained a bit of an experimental feel.  This music was loved by alternative musicians and helped lay the groundwork for the 1990s.  [As an aside, if this sounds like Sonic Youth took a similar path to Hüsker Dü, well ... they did.]

"Teenage Riot" was the song that blew the lid off Sonic Youth in the emerging college rock scene.  Although the song is still edgy, it also has a more traditional structure and sound, which found a new and larger audience for the band.  While Sonic Youth never became mainstream stars, they did become heroes in the college rock community, and provided an inspiration to countless 1990s bands -- everyone from Nirvana to Nine Inch Nails.

Sonic Youth remained together and relatively vibrant until  Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore divorced in late 2011 (after being married for 27 years).  While no official announcement has been made, it appears that this marked the end of the band.

Cool trivia fact: Rolling Stone rates Daydream Nation (the LP with "Teenage Riot") at #171 on their list of the 500 greatest albums ever.

The Stone Roses - She Bangs the Drums

By the end of the 1980s, the music industry seemed to be at an inflection point.  The trends that had held for much of the later half of the decade seemed to have run their course, and many critics (and even some fans) were looking for something new and fresh.  (This eventually led to the grunge scene of the early 1990s, though that was not on anyone's radar in 1989).

In Britain, the trend that seemed to have the best chance of being "The Next Big Thing" was the Madchester scene.  Based in Manchester (of course), this music was a combination of 1960s power pop and electronic dance, with elements of rock thrown in for good measure.

While there were several bands thats became associated with the Madchester scene, the Stone Roses were the poster children.  They formed in 1983, and by the late 1980s the lineup had become settled with Ian Brown (vocals), John Squire (guitars), Mani (bass), and Reni (drums).  The group's debut album was released in 1989, and slowly gained traction during that summer.  By 1990, the band had become a bonafide sensation in the U.K., with 4 top 40 hits, and a #5 album.  In contrast, the  Stone Roses never really broke through in the U.S., as neither their singles nor their album broke the top 40.

Sadly, after their breakout in the U.K., the band slowly fell apart.  Egos, lawsuits and the rock lifestyle delayed their second album until the end of 1994.  Although the appropriately named Second Coming did well in their home market, it was viewed as a weaker album by critics.  The strains of touring in support of their second LP proved to be the nail in the coffin and the group officially broke up by the end of 1996.  However, the group did re-form in 2011 and appear to be together as of this writing.

For the blog, we went with "She Bangs the Drums."  The song was released in July 1989 and became the group's first top 40 hit.  It remains as our favorite (favourite if you are reading this in the U.K.) song from the band.

Cool trivia fact: Rolling Stone ranks The Stone Roses debut LP at #319 on their list of the 500 greatest albums ever.

Hüsker Dü - Makes No Sense At All

Hüsker Dü was one of the most interesting and influential bands of the 1980s.  No less a source than Allmusic believe that they and R.E.M. changed the direction of rock and roll.  At a bare minimum, Hüsker Dü has to be considered one of the acts that laid the groundwork for the alternative music scene.

The group formed in Minneapolis in 1979 and were originally a quartet called Buddy and the Returnables (seriously).  Eventually Grant Hart (drums/vocals), Bob Mould (guitar/vocals), and Greg Norton (bass) booted keyboardist Charlie Pine out of the band and transitioned to a hardcore punk act.

While the band's first few indy records were strong, over time Hüsker Dü began recording material that sounded like melodic punk songs -- punk pop, if you will.  This was groundbreaking and innovative stuff.  Unfortunately, although the band built a strong cult following, they never became a mainstream success.

"Makes No Sense At All" is a great example of the punk pop sound, and comes off the superb 1985 Flip Your Wig LP.  This was the last record on the SST label, as the group had just signed to major label Warner Bros. (who apparently wanted to release Flip Your Wig, but the band declined).  The video includes "Makes No Sense At All" and "Love Is All Around" (the theme from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) which was the B side.  The result is somewhat odd, but still impressive.

Hüsker Dü would go on to release two additional records on Warner Bros. before breaking up in 1987, due to the creative tension between Bob Mould and Grant Hart (the two songwriters for the band).  Mould and Hart remained in the industry, while bassist Greg Norton has sporadically played in the intervening years (he has spent most of his time in the restaurant business).

Cool trivia fact:  Neither "Makes No Sense At All" nor Flip Your Wig charted in the U.S.

Note that Bob Mould's "See A Little Light" was previously featured on ERV.

Bob Mould - See A Little Light

Best known for his work in the influential alternative band Hüsker Dü, guitarist Bob Mould continued recording and performing after Hüsker Dü's demise in 1988.  His work as a solo artist and in the band Sugar showed that his artistic growth, which began in Hüsker Dü, continued long after that group broke up.

For readers who  are unfamiliar with Hüsker Dü, they are simply one of the most important alternative artists of the 1980s.  Specifically, their migration from hardcore punk to a more melodic punk/rock sound laid the groundwork for the 1990s and influenced bands as varied as Nirvana, The Replacements and The Pixies.

"See A Little Light" is off Mould's first solo album, 1989's Workbook, which is a well-crafted and surprising record.  While Hüsker Dü's punk/rock songs had a definite pop sensibility, many listeners were probably still unprepared for the indie approach taken here.  The pop sound is front and center, with some strong folk influences added in.  Sadly, the song and album deserved better results than they achieved -- the song did not break the top 100, and the album peaked at #127.

After two softer solo records, Mould founded Sugar in 1992 and returned to a more alternative rock sound.  Sugar broke up in 1995, but Mould has remained active in the industry (with some extended breaks) to the present day.

By the by, Hüsker Dü's "Makes No Sense At All" was posted on ERV in March 2014.

The Pursuit of Happiness - I'm An Adult Now

Many years ago, when I was in college, I had a really cool friend -- Catherine Alice, though she went by Ali.  Ali's two favorite expressions were: "Bodacious ta-tas" (originally from the movie An Officer and a Gentleman) and "Cheese-eating high school boy" from The Pursuit of Happiness song, "I'm An Adult Now."  It is slightly amazing that hearing this song recently (while working on the blog) reminded my of Ali and her expressions, 25 years later.

At any rate, The Pursuit of Happiness (TPOH) was a Canadian independent band fronted by Moe Berg.  Although Berg was from Edmonton, the group formed in 1985, when he moved to Toronto.  TPOH released a few independent singles (including "I'm An Adult Now") before signing with Chrysalis Records.  Their first LP, Love Junk was produced by Todd Rundgren (who appeared on ERV back in March), and was released in 1988.

TPOH crafted some clever college rock material, but they never broke through in the U.S.  Love Junk peaked at #93 on the album charts, and "I'm An Adult Now" did not chart, although it did generate a little bit of airplay on MTV and college radio.

While The Pursuit of Happiness never officially broke up, they more or less stopped recording after 1996, though they did record two new tracks for a 2005 greatest hits collection.  Moe Berg remains in the music industry as of this writing, working primarily as a producer.

Note that we have two videos for the song -- the 1986 original independent video:

And the 1988 version:

The Long Ryders - Looking for Lewis and Clark

"Looking for Lewis and Clark" is another reader suggestion and a mighty fine one at that.  The song is by the Long Ryders, a really interesting LA-based band who deserved a lot more success than the pittance they received.

Guitarist/singer Sid Griffin founded the band in the early 1980s.  Named after the 1980 Walter Hill western film of the same name (but with a more traditional spelling), the group quickly gathered a following.  They released their first EP in 1983, and the band's rocked up country sound and political lyrics endeared them to critics and fans alike.  We think of the Long Ryders as sounding like a more rocking version of 1980s R.E.M.; readers who enjoy that music would be well served to check out the band's catalog.

While The Long Ryders were loosely associated with the Paisley Underground scene, many critics (correctly, in our view) consider them more of a roots rock or country rock band.  [As an aside, the term Paisley Underground refers to an LA-based style of roots rock that had strong 1960s (Byrds) and psychedelic influences.  Artists associated with the scene include The Dream Syndicate, The Bangles, Rain Parade, and The Three O'Clock.]

"Looking for Lewis and Clark" was the lead single off the group's major label debut, 1985's State of Our Union.  The song charted in the U.K. (#59) but did not hit the U.S. charts.  It did generate a bit of college radio play, but we do not recall ever seeing the video on MTV.

After a few more years of struggling to break through, the Long Ryders broke up at the end of 1987.  Sid Griffin moved to London a few years later and founded The Coal Porters, a bluegrass act.

We particularly love the call-outs of  Tim Hardin and Gram Parsons in the song.

The Long Ryders' cover of "I Want You Bad" was posted on ERV in March, 2016.

Michelle Shocked - Anchorage

It's hard to imagine a more extreme transition than from Accept to Michelle Shocked, and it underscores the diversity of eighties music.  [I'm not sure how many readers will actually listen to the two songs, but they are both good ... in very different ways.]

Michelle Shocked (given name:  Karen Michelle Johnston) is an indy folk artist who became a musician almost accidentally.  Her first album (The Texas Campfire Tapes) was a bootleg recording of her made on a Sony Walkman performing an impromptu set at 1986 Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.  The recording (released without her permission) became a hit in the UK and led to a recording contract.

Her next album, 1988's Short Sharp Shocked reached #73 on the album charts, while "Anchorage" hit #66 on the singles chart, making her a bona fide indy folk star.  Shocked followed this up with a 40s style swing album (1989's Captain Swing) and a folk / old time country album (1992's Arkansas Traveler).  When she recorded a gospel album next, her exasperated label dropped her, and she has continued to record interesting music in a variety of genres (mostly folk based) since then.

"Anchorage" is a pretty, slightly sad song sung as if it were a letter.  While the lyrics are straightforward, there is a beauty to them -- and more than a hint of feminism and nostalgia.  As with many great songs, it is open-ended enough to allow many interpretations.

Note: As folks can see below, Michelle Shocked has asked that we pull the video, and so we have. 

Peter Murphy - Cuts You Up

Regular readers of ERV may remember a post about Love and Rockets from July 2012, which mentioned that the band formed after a failed Bauhaus reunion (lead singer Peter Murphy did not show up).  Although Murphy did not attend the rehearsal, he remained active in the music industry, and carved out a solo career as an independent artist.

Curiously, in the aftermath of Love and Rockets big hit ("So Alive"), Peter Murphy has his biggest commercial success.  Perhaps it was karma, or possibly his record label made an extra effort to promote the single, knowing that his former bandmates had just scored a hit.  In any event, "Cuts You Up," from the 1989 album Deep became an unlikely hit -- reaching #1 on the U.S. Modern Rock charts and peaking at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100.  [As a fun aside, Deep was released on December 19, 1989, making it one of the last albums of the eighties.]

Deep would go on to peak at #44 on the album charts.  While Murphy had other small successes, and released some critically acclaimed material, "Cuts You Up" was his only charting U.S. single.

In spite of the first failed reunion, Bauhaus would reform several times, starting in 1998, and they actually released a new album in 2008.  However, they do not appear to be together as of this writing.

Total non sequitur, but we have always thought of Peter Murphy as a modern, new wave version of David Bowie.

Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.

Although Lou Reed had only modest commercial success, he was an important and influential musician who reshaped the language of rock.  In particular, he approached songs in much the same way that a novelist would, leading to lyrics that touched on adult and even previously taboo topics in a mature way.

For readers who are unaware, Reed got his start in the Velvet Underground.  Much has been written about them; suffice to say that they were an enormously influential band who laid the foundation for punk and new wave.  The famous quote about the VU was that "the first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band."  [This quote has been attributed to both Brian Eno and Peter Buck.]

In 1989, Reed released his 15th solo album, a concept album titled New York.  Although it was well-regarded by critics (who appreciated the back to basics approach), it was not a huge commercial success.  The album peaked at #40, and "Dirty Blvd." did not chart on the main charts (it did hit #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks).  We don't think that the video was played much on MTV, though it was played on 120 Minutes (the alternative video show running at the time).

At any rate, "Dirty Blvd." is vintage Lou Reed -- he does his talk/sing thing over a catchy guitar hook, telling a story with provocative lyrics.  We have to say, this is a guy who was creating solid rock songs 25 years after his first band started.  Impressive.

Sadly, Lou Reed died on October 27, 2013.

Cool trivia fact:  Rolling Stone rated the New York LP as the 19th best album of the 1980s.

Concrete Blonde - God is a Bullet

Concrete Blonde came out of the post-punk LA scene and became an influential alternative rock band, one of several who drove indy rock's explosion in the early 1990s.  In this regard, they loosely fit in with The Pixies.  However, Concrete Blonde also had a distinct sound with thoughtful lyrics that made that somewhat unusual.  And as you'd expect, this led to more popularity among music critics and college students than the general public.

The band was led by singer/bassist Johnette Napolitano and guitarist James Mankey, who had worked together as Dream 6 in the early 1980s.  By 1986 they had generated enough buzz to be signed by I.R.S. records, where label-mate Michael Stipe (of R.E.M.) suggested their name.  The term Concrete Blond was a derogatory term referring to the bleached blonds of the LA hair metal scene, but in interviews the band claimed that they just liked the term, as it had both hard and soft connotations which seemed to suit their style.

In typical ERV fashion, we are going to skip over the band's big hit, "Joey" (which is from 1990, anyhow) and present "God is a Bullet" from 1989's Free LP.  The song did not chart on the main charts (it did hit the Modern Rock Tracks) and we don't recall seeing the video at the time. However, it is a really solid, driving rock song -- perfect for the blog.

Concrete Blonde would have major success with their 1990 album, Bloodletting (which contained "Joey") and released a few additional albums in the early 1990s before breaking up.  They re-formed in the early 2000s before breaking up again in 2006.

10,000 Maniacs - Like the Weather

Few bands have as much of a disconnect between their name and their sound as 10,000 Maniacs.  The inspiration for the band's name came from the 1964 Herschell Gordon Lewis splatter film, Two Thousand Maniacs!, which is about as far from folk-pop as you can get.  As an aside, the band may not have remembered exactly how many maniacs were involved when they picked their name.

10,000 Maniacs' first big commercial success was their 1987 album, In My Tribe, and "Like the Weather" was their first charting single.  Although it did not break the top 40, it reached a respectable #68.  The band would go on to have seven additional charting singles, including two top 40 hits (but only one after lead singer Natalie Merchant left the band in 1993).  With their mellow sound and socially-aware lyrics, they became a staple of the "coffeehouse sound" and enjoyed significant success on college radio.

The video is pretty standard fare, although it almost seems to be a song by Natalie Merchant with a backing band.  To be fair, she did write the song, though.

As most readers will know, both 10,000 Maniacs and Natalie Merchant remain active in the music industry as of this writing.

Cool trivia fact:  Rolling Stone views In My Tribe as the 65th best record of the 1980s.

Love and Rockets - So Alive

Love and Rockets emerged from the ashes of Bauhaus, an early and influential goth rock band that formed in 1978.  Bauhaus broke up in 1983, but the members stayed in touch and in 1985 agreed to a joint rehearsal.  Lead singer Peter Murphy didn't show up, but the other musicians -- Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins did and jammed together.  The jam session went so well that they decided to form a band, which became Love and Rockets, named after a comic book series by Los Bros Hernandez.

The band had somewhat of a cult following prior to their breakout 1989 hit "So Alive."  While their music was more driving and upbeat than Bauhaus (which is not saying much), it was still definitely indie rock, with a strong psychedelic vibe.  "So Alive," with its T-Rex and Lou Reed influences, is a bit of an aberration and caused some controversy among the bands' supporters, with some predictably calling it a sell-out.

In any event, the song became a big hit in 1989, ending up at #3 on the charts.  While Love and Rockets continued to make music until their eventual break up in 1999, they did not have another hit, leaving them as a one-hit wonder.  In the years since, there have been periodic reunions of both Love and Rockets and Bauhaus, although both bands appear to be on hiatus at the moment.

The Church - Under the Milky Way

A lush, haunting song, "Under the Milky Way" almost did not make it on to The Church's 1988 album, Starfish.  When bassist/singer Steve Kilby first played the song to the band, they were unenthusiastic, although the drummer and manager liked it enough to push for its inclusion on the LP.  The band eventually came around enough to release it as a single, and it went on to become a huge hit.  In fact, The Church are a classic one hit wonder in the U.S. -- one hit single (in the top 40) and no other charting songs.

While "Under the Milky Way" was ostensibly written about Kilby's then-girlfriend, Karin Jansson, it was really about nothing, according to Kilby.  He wasn't terribly bothered about the lyrics, instead working on the song to create an atmosphere, which he did exceedingly well.  The 12-string acoustic guitar (which starts the song) and the Ebow solo (providing a strange, bagpipe-esque sound) all combine to make this an unusual, and interesting song.

The Church remained successful through the mid-1990s in their native Australia, and continue performing to this day.  "Under the Milky Way" would go on the be voted the best Australian song of the past 20 years (in 2008) by The Australian newspaper.

Cool trivia fact:  The song's title comes from the English translation of the Amsterdam music hall called the Melkweg, which is still around.

The Replacements - I'll Be You

The Replacements were an influential alt-rock band whose popularity never matched their impact.  This is at least partly due to their behavior -- they refused to promote their albums, and their drunken, sloppy live shows are the stuff of legend.  They also did not concern themselves with videos until the end of their career, effectively cutting themselves off from the MTV audience.

While the Replacements seemed to be almost gleefully ignoring the business part of the music business, they also wrote some great music during the 1980s, and became trailblazers for the emerging indie rock scene.  This can be clearly heard in "I'll Be You," the band's only charting single (#51), from 1989's Don't Tell a Soul.  Although frontman Paul Westerberg has stated he views the song as over-produced, it still sounds like a stripped down rock song to me, with pop, rock and punk influences.  In other words, it was ahead of its time and sounded different from what was on the radio at the time.

Unfortunately, by the time Don't Tell a Soul came out, the band was already fraying, and they broke up in the early 1990s.  Westerberg continued to sporadically make music (most notably for the Cameron Crowe movie "Singles"), though it seems like his heart wasn't in it after the Replacements broke up.

Lastly, pay attention to the lyrics; Westerberg is one of the great rock lyricists, in my opinion.

The Pixies - Here Comes Your Man

Although they were only around for a few years, the Pixies had a disproportionate impact on rock and roll.  Their sound was a conglomeration of alternative college rock, punk and California surf rock, put together in way that was greater than the sum of the parts.  As a result, they laid the groundwork for the grunge/alternative surge of the early 1990s.  Bands as varied as Nirvana, Radiohead, Weezer, and U2 have all stated that the Pixies had a huge influence on their sound.  Kurt Cobain, in fact, stated that "Smells Like Team Spirit" was his attempt to write a Pixies-esque song.

The Pixies formed in Boston in 1986, though "Here Comes Your Man" was from their 1989 Doolittle album (and was never released as a single).  Interestingly, this song was written by frontman Black Francis years earlier (when he was 14 or 15), but the band was reluctant to record it, as they viewed the sound as too commercial.  Critics have since come to view "Here Comes Your Man" as one of the most melodic and accessible alternative songs ever written.

Unfortunately, the Pixes were not able to hold it together past early 1993, as the tension between Francis and bassist Kim Deal (who would go on to form The Breeders with her sister), tore the band apart.

Cool trivia fact:  Rolling Stone ranked Doolittle at #141 on their list of the greatest 500 albums ever.