I have no idea why I was thinking of Love Tractor today. They are one of the Athens, GA, bands that should have been bigger than they were. I was fortunate enough to see them open for the B52s in the early 90s and they did put on one hell of a show, which went mostly unnoticed by the folks around me who wanted to do some dance to "Love Shack."
Random trivia: Love Tractor's original name was Fuck Truck.
Something I was listening to the other day reminded me of the Flat Duo Jets and a quick search unearthed this video which reminded me of a time when MTV was, well, decent. Anyone else remember The Cutting Edge?
If you've never picked up a Pylon album, you're missing out on something truly amazing. And plenty of you have...
My little piece of Pylon history: I saw them open for REM on the Green tour. It was in Tallahassee. They made it through about half the set when we saw the drummer disappear behind his set. Come to find out, he broke a bone and couldn't finish the set. Probably an urban legend, but I know that they only played about three songs before they were done.For some reason, rainy days (thankfriggingod!) reminds me of driving around the hinters of south Alabama for no other reason than to listen to my radio, and in particular bands like North Carolina's Let's Active, featured here in a Canadian TV interview. Too bad this cuts off before we get to hear all about Rick Springfield.
Partially thanks to Ken Burns's WWII documentary (more on The War later), I've been thinking a lot about a former favorite band. Unfortunately, YouTube doesn't have a lot of Guadalcanal Diary to offer, but I did find this early video from MTV's old "Basement Tapes" show. If you really want to hear these guys at their peak, pick up 1987's 2x4.
I did manage to see these guys live back in the late 80s. It was at what was once known as SpringFest on Pensacola Beach. I don't remember much about the show itself, but I did end up with a nasty case of sun poisoning which in turn led me to swear off all future concerts held on beaches in the middle of the day.
I've been thinking a lot lately of the bands that made up the core of my early music listening. Not the primitive days when Def Leppard was actually something I could tolerate. I'm talking about the point in my development when something approaching taste happened, my taste, when I evolved from liking anything that played on the Top 40 station and began to actively seek out music that wasn't easy or accessible. And living in small town Alabama in the 80s, this wasn't always easy. But there was 120 Minutes and a low-watt FM station in Pensacola and a late-night Sunday radio show on the album oriented station. I'm not sure what the catalyst was, I'm not sure what age it happened, it just did. My taste. That's why I've decided to start a new irregular feature, pretty much a nod to the music that I listened to in the late 80s/early 90s, some songs and bands that I think of only occasionally these days but whose tapes and eventually CDs made up the bulk of my collection back then. Sometimes there may be a memory attached or a reason for remembering the band. Other times, I might just post the video. But if nothing else, we'll get to see just how expansive YouTube's video collection is.
The other night I heard an Echo & the Bunnymen song on XMU Fred and it reminded me of another band from the good old days, the Screaming Blue Messiahs. Technically, they were the first "alternative" band that I saw live. They opened for Echo & the Bunnymen on a tour circa 1988 I think. I didn't know much about SBM at the time but I remember having to conceal their name from my parents; when you live in the Bible Belt you have to be careful what adjectives you attach to the Lord's name. Anyway, I think the SBM's were known for one song, but tonight while in the fit of my nostalgia I had my doubts as to whether or not YouTube would have the video. Well, as Richard Marx would say, I should have known better.
