Author Archives: Jon Martin

Tom Waits / Bruce Springsteen, “Jersey Girl”

Posted on by
1

In an earlier conversation about the Counting Crows cover of The Psychedelic Furs’ “The Ghost in You,” I said that a cover version should do these things: “…present an alternative viewpoint, invoke the sensibility of the original, and leave you with a newfound appreciation for the genius of song.” And, I suppose, that’s pretty much how I feel about it. Cover songs are remarkably tricky animals, as the best you can hope for is to distinguish yourself from the original artist in a way that is both interesting and insightful, and, yet, avoids being truly ignoble. Which is to say that there’s a fairly long distance on the continuum between Flying Lizard’s cover of “Money (That’s What I Want)” and Nirvana’s version of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” Occasionally, if a band is quite lucky, they find a way to truly make another artist’s art their own. In this category, you might place Pearl Jam’s rendition of “Rockin’ in the Free World,” or “Winterlong” by the Pixies. (Seems Neil Young gets all the love, tonight.) Continue reading →

Genesis, “Home By The Sea”

Posted on by
Reply

Images of sorrow, pictures of delight
Things that go to make up a life
Endless days of summer, longer nights of gloom
Waiting for the morning light
Scenes of unimportance like photos in a frame
Things that go to make up a life

 

 

The very first concert I ever went to was one given by John Denver at the Worcester Centrum in 1982. I don’t really remember a lot about this particular concert, as I was about three, except for this strong mental image of the lights going dark, and then coming up over the stage as John made his way through the crowd. Now, there aren’t a lot of ways I can spin this experience as cool, and, to be honest, it really is incidental to the story. Suffice it to say that this was the first time I’d ever seen so many people in one place, and it has come to mind at every concert that I’ve attended since. Really – even at Nine Inch Nails concerts. (How’s that for street cred?) I suppose, though, that the reason I was there in the first place was that my mother’s albums had largely consisted of singer-songwriters from the 60s and 70s. People like Don McLean, Joan Baez, and so on. I will admit that I still know the words to almost every John Denver song I’ve ever heard, though. And, between you and me, I even like some of them. Continue reading →

Peter Gabriel, “Mercy Street”

Posted on by
Reply

Late at night, when almost everyone is asleep and my mind wanders over the width and breadth of my life, those thousand sordid images, I find myself drawn to certain songs. It’s an instinct that I’ve had since I was very little, and I’m sure my father, and the music he lulled me to sleep with, has everything to do with it. This song has ever been one of the late-night songs. I first heard it when I was about ten. My uncle Troy had the “Sixteen Golden Treats” disc, and he would let me borrow it from time to time. I remember staying up in the small hours listening to it over and over. Over the years, I’ve really come to admire Peter Gabriel’s originality. His fierce, and often impossible, integrity as an artist. I don’t really intend to go too deeply into it, as I’m really only here to share this brief moment with you. (Never fear, though: Peter will certainly be along soon enough in the “Songs” series.) Continue reading →

Radiohead, “Fake Plastic Trees”

Posted on by
4

And if I could be who you wanted…
If I could be who you wanted…
all the time.
All the time…

 

 

The first time I ever heard this song was when Andy performed it for me in my basement room in the Fall of 1997. I know it seems like a late date, but I had been avoiding Radiohead since “that creep song” became so overwhelmingly popular in 1993. I suppose that the impulse to avoid popular things is a product of the nineties, or perhaps the alternative scene that predated it. In either case, it’s hard to avoid. (I suspect that there was also a bit of pride, being in possession of a great many recordings, thanks to friends like Mike, that very few of my friends had really spent much time with. What can I say? I was young.) Indeed, to this very day, I often have to be dragged into things that are generally considered clever. I have some weaknesses, these mostly manifesting through television, but there we are. So, it was no surprise that I would have paid little attention to Radiohead’s first three albums until Andy hit me over the head with “Fake Plastic Trees.” Now, of course, this wasn’t the original, but Andy’s stamp of approval really meant a lot in those days. He had been a member of my ill-fated band, and I’d gotten to see his quirky genius at work on a regular basis. To this day, I remain full of a mix of admiration, affection, and trepidation when I approach Andy. I suppose I’ll always carry that around when I listen to this song. Continue reading →

The Econo Mix

Posted on by
5
Side 1 – What Makes a man Start Fires? Side 2 – The Politics of Time
The Smiths – Bigmouth Strikes Again Violent Femmes – American Music
NIN – Terrible Lie Social Distortion – Story of My Life
Descendants – Suburban Home R.E.M. – Texarkana
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – Happy Pavement – Here
Bad Religion – Entropy Minutemen – Do you want new wave…
Lemonheads – It’s A Shame About Ray Pixies – Planet of Sound
Sex Pistols – EMI Fugazi – KYEO
Firehose – Caroms Jane’s Addiction – Ocean Size
Dead Kennedys – Trust Your Mechanic The Cure – Inbetween Days
Replacements – Unsatisfied Smashing Pumpkins – Siva
Nirvana – In Bloom Teenage Fanclub – December
Joy Division – Disorder New Order – Perfect Kiss
The Clash – (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais
Throwing Muses – Him Dancing Made: August 13th, 1992

Continue reading →