Here Comes A Regular....

"All I know is I'm sick of everything that my money can buy. A fool will waste his life, God rest his guts."

This 1985 song didn't come to me until college. But, it quickly became my midnight tear-in-my-beer song. An absolute underground gem!

Paul Westerberg was already known to me. I'd had his early 90s solo albums since middle school, but had yet to really devour The Replacements. He was also featured on the soundtrack to my favorite teenage movie, Singles.

My brother and his friends were fans and that's how The Replacements came to me. I knew a few of the rowdier Replacements songs, but "Here Comes A Regular" shined a brand new light on them for me.

This is as good a story as any of the period. Better, in fact, than most. Every time I hear it I am transported to the dark corner of a dank bar where a nostalgic tippler sits in a cloud of smoke muttering to himself of the departed good old days before his sunken frame wanders out into the deep, dark, frozen night...

Black Francis

Recently, a student asked me if I liked the Pixies. Seriously? Do I "like" them? No. My fascination with Pixies is far beyond "like".

The first time I saw one of their records was in 7th grade (1991). It was their final release, Trompe le Monde, from the same year. This (relatively) odd girl that sat next to me in English had several of their albums one day and we were checking them out. It was one of those weird moments where "you know something's happening, but you don't know what it is!"

I listened to them all and found them strangely exciting. I had never heard anything like it before. Trompe le Monde is a stunner! Not a bad song from start to finish. Nothing even resembling a bad song. There are plenty of hands-down standards: "Planet of Sound", "Alec Eiffel", "The Sad Punk", "U-Mass", "Subbacultcha", etc...

Their previous record, Bossanova (1990), opens with an instrumental cover called "Cecilia Ann". It is full of energy, but the next song is an absolute shredding masterpiece simply called "Rock Music". After blowing your hair back with both openers, they simmer down with a sort of epic called "Velouria". This was the initial standout. Of course, the two songs that follow are even better.

"Is She Weird" was the song that proved I was listening to something that no one else was listening to. With plenty of starts and stops as well as a bit of shouting and screaming, many of my friends said it was "too weird". Perhaps, that was the message.

After devouring these two seemingly flawless albums, I went back to the beginning. The first EP released by Pixies was titled Come On Pilgrim. It came out in 1987. The top three songs that year were by George Michael, Heart and Whitney Houston. Needless to say, this flew under the radar!

Come On Pilgrim opens with the seductive "Caribou". Then, Black Francis quietly begins speaking Spanish. After the band catches up he switches back to English. "Vamos" is a great, fast-paced little ditty. However, once they draw you in they smash your head with "Isla de Encanta" sung nearly all in Spanish. "The Holiday Song" is anthemic, but "Nimrod's Son", with it's declaration that the subject of the song was born of incestuous union, is unparalleled. Still, I prefer "I've Been Tired". Great!

Obviously,  fans and critics agree that Doolittle is their best. I say this... Do I like Pixies? Very very much. Where to start? Doesn't matter! Just start!

Black Freedom

That is the translation (from Swahili) of the name of the ineffable roots group Black Uhuru. I knew about the group long before I actually knew the group. I really only knew two songs: "Sinsemilla" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". Both are good. Neither are amazing.

When I lived in Prague, I found a music store that carried primarily English-speaking music from the US & UK. It was overpriced, but the selection was shockingly good.

I was in island mode, for some reason, for most of my time there. I was on a mission for the late-70s bands of the second wave of roots music. Black Uhuru is easily the best of the bunch.

I happened upon their 1981 release, Red. It was about $10 (75 Czech Crowns at the time). Too much. But, I was in dire need of new tunes. I bought it, took it home and proceeded to have my mind absolutely blown! This is a stellar record! The energy on this album is infectious. Impossible to pick favorites, but the following are standouts: "Youth of Eglington", "Sponji Reggae", "Sistren" and "Utterance".

They followed Red with the more club-friendly Chill Out in 1982. Also a good record with hardly a dud on it, but very different from Red. But, I shouldn't forget the record that preceded Red, Sinsemilla. This has a more relaxed feel than the later records.

This was the record that brought them out of Jamaica. It solidified them as the new sound. Michael Rose's voice is unique and is complimented perfectly by Puma Jones. Yet, the essential sounds of Sly & Robbie are what give the early 80s records of Uhuru so much power!

You will not be disappointed with any of the following records: Sinsemilla, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Red, Tear It Up: Live or Chill Out. All of these came out in a three year period (their best!).