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4:29 p.m. - February 27, 2008
Smed's Top 200: #147-#134. And They Keep On Comin'
Before I get back into Smed�s Top 200, I need to print off this email exchange with my man Moose.

Smed: Dang, the first Montrose album ain't bad. Montrose, UFO....what am I turning into? Do I have to get a Camaro and start parting my hair in the center and grow a real skinny pornstache?

Moose: Better stock up on sleeveless t-shirts, Marlboros and cut-off jeans
shorts too.

I think I�m a sucker for a good riff. Or just a sucker.

++++++++++

Anyway, the Heart Mix from Heather shall wait. I feel a need, a need to post more of Smed�s Top 200. Again, these are the most played songs in my iPod as of 12/31/07. Yeah, at some point I�ll do a recap. What do you think this is, a VH-1 show? Do I look like a bored out-of-work comic/actor or one of those Modern Humorist guys?

Wait, don�t answer that�

So, let�s start where we left off.

147. She�s A Runaway � The BoDeans. When they first started, they had a conceit where everyone in the band was tagged with the surname �BoDean�, but soon, it wore off and it worked out that that BoDeans, at the core, were Sammy Llanas (he of the nasally whine) and Kurt Neumann, with a loyal bass player (nice work if you can get it.)

This song was the lead cut for their debut Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams which was a fabulous rootsy record. They moved away from that unadorned sound, had a couple of hits and are still a going concern. However, I think this may be their finest moment. It certainly got my attention when I first heard it.

146. Volume � Pylon. I got into Pylon at the time of their �comeback� in the early 90�s � too late for me to experience them live in their original go-round. Of course, I�d have to have gotten into clubs when I was like 14 to do that, ah well. Anyway, they�re like the American Gang of Four with arty lyrics and an arty style. They don�t make sense in a linear sense, really. Every once in a while they get together and play again. Why not? They still have it!

145. New Europeans � Ultravox. Ah, Ultravox. They�re always good for a mix or two. This is from Vienna, the first Midge Ure album and one where they were meshing the punk era and the synthesizer era and calling it �New Romantic� or something like that.

This has a kick booty riff (my weakness) and a very arty video. Well, I don�t expect anything else BUT arty videos from this icy cool bunch.

144. I Ain�t The One � Lynyrd Skynyrd. This band name always makes my spell check go hog wild. I commented to my man Moose that their debut album was close to brilliant, with the first side just solid back to front and then ending side two with �Freebird� (of course). This was the first cut on the first side and introduced the band to the world in a strong way, showing one side of their personality. The second cut, �Tuesday�s Gone� introduced another side. And �Poison Whiskey� introduced their socially conscious side. Yes, they had one!

143. I Just Want To Celebrate � Rare Earth. Thanks to Six Feet Under this song became a barnacle in my brain so I had to find it. (If you recall, it�s used with great effect near the end of the series when Nate was dead.) Rare Earth�s gimmick used to be recording side-long versions of Motown classics and then cutting the songs down a bit for a single. Then they released this which was pretty self-contained without going over the 5 minute mark. It�s got a great groove, and it IS a barnacle.

142. Rise Up With Fists!! � Jenny Lewis w/ The Watson Twins. Oh, man, I just lurrrrrrrrve this song. No ifs, ands or buts. And if you needed a mix from me during a certain time frame, this was sure to be on it! Of course, I loved the video as well, since I did watch Hee-Haw. Sometimes, even by choice! (In fact, in our cable system, we�d get three feeds of it that would be off by a second or two and so when flipping channels it was like deja-vu all over again.)

141. Impossible Space � Arson Garden. Another great cut from this long lost Indianapolis band. I fortunately grabbed their CDs before they went away, and now I have them in my hard drive for ever more. So that means when I mix, you�ll probably get �em too!

140. Glad I Don�t Know � The Lemonheads. Funny, this is on TWO records by the Lemonheads and not a single video clip is extant � at least in my searching. The version I mix often is from Hate Your Friends - their debut and it was still when they were more of a band and less an Evan Dando project. It�s a punkier version of the song than the one on Lick.

I know Dando sings the latter, but I�m not convinced that he sings on the former. It sounds like Ben Deily�s rasp, but they were all being �punk rock� so it could have been either one. Anyway, I don�t know left from wrong either, Evan.

139. Modern Love Is Automatic � A Flock Of Seagulls. �I Ran� and �Space Age Love Songs� were the hits and sounded great on MTV and the radio, but when I got the album, I flipped for side two, with �Telecommunication�, �DNA�, �Standing In The Doorway�, and this one. Because of that, I�ve felt the need to mix it a lot to tell the world that the Flock was not just a few-hit wonder band and had some depth. I said SOME depth, like maybe 1 � albums worth of depth. After that, you�re on your own. By the way, I am in need of �What Am I Supposed To Do� from their second record. Can�t find it.

138. Out Of The Blue � Roxy Music. I used to loathe Roxy Music. Then I really heard them. Now I heart them. This is from their 1976 tour . They still rock the oboe (as best you can on stage) and violin. Ferry has that nasty little thin moustache. I think that�s Rick Wills on bass before he joined Foreigner. BTW � Foreigner had former members of Roxy Music and King Crimson and they sounded like�well�Foreigner.

137. I Predict A Riot � The Kaiser Chiefs. They were ultra-hyped, as is normal with UK bands, but I thought they delivered. And their second album wasn�t SO bad, now.

136. Divorce Song � Liz Phair. Good Liz Phair. Liz Phair the way its supposed to be. Here�s someone�s unofficial video. And here she is herself!

135. Take It Off � The Donnas. This may be the peak of the Donnas, because you can only milk something like this for so long before you run out of ideas. Sadly, I think the Donnas have ran out of ideas. But this is still rad! And they�re great live, too!

134. What Do All The People Know � The Monroes. A sad, sad, story, this. This song was poised to break out nationally, and the record company went URP! I don�t know if this is the right video but the song is right, and you know what � that�s all that matters, eh?

Ah, my time here is done. Next time on Smed�s Top 200: The Captain, a WTF moment for a sunshine pop band, a WTF moment in general, and a loud bunch of Brits.

 

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