29 April 2007
She Was a Punk Before You Were a Punk
This is for those few who were grousing at the A.V. Club not too long ago when someone reviewed Aretha's "Live at the Fillmore West" (I still have the Record Club of America vinyl) complaining about her covering of Bread's "Make It With You," and other popular songs of the time. For those who'd complain about Sid's singing "My Way." For those who think that somehow a song can be so full of intrinsic goodness/badness that any performance of the song can bring neither disgrace nor redemption to that piece, a point of view that sometimes seems pervasive, if not perverse.
For those who think that way, here's your sign (courtesy of Matt Welch. And you really need to go there for "the rest of the story"):
Let's hear it for Patti Smith, an American original, a universal (and I don't use that word lightly) treasure.
For myself, the trick is deciding what you like on your own terms, having been open-minded enough to know that those terms are honestly yours, not someone else's or what someone else has told you to think. That trick is the trick of freedom.
For those who think that way, here's your sign (courtesy of Matt Welch. And you really need to go there for "the rest of the story"):
Let's hear it for Patti Smith, an American original, a universal (and I don't use that word lightly) treasure.
For myself, the trick is deciding what you like on your own terms, having been open-minded enough to know that those terms are honestly yours, not someone else's or what someone else has told you to think. That trick is the trick of freedom.
Labels: music, music history, patti smith, punk
11 February 2007
Superstar, the Compleat Video History
Here, at Matt Welch's place. With Bette Midler, Burt Bacharach, Rita Coolidge, Leon Russell (I still <heart> Leon Russell (just last night listened to him sing "Crystal Closet Queen" about Little Richard), Sonic Youth, and starring Bonnie Bramlett. Featuring Karen and Richard Carpenter.I don't know Bramlett's work well. Beyond the Delaney & Bonnie stuff, the single performance of hers I'm most familiar with is an exquisite backup vocal on Lowell George's performance of "Heartache" on his underrated solo album Thanks, I'll Eat It Here. Beautiful voice.
Welch's piece is based on the link to this Wikipedia entry that he saw in this post at Scott MacMillan's blog.
I guess I'm surprised that anyone who's listened to that song for most of our lives wouldn't know that it was about groupie sex, even if Richard Carpenter did change "sleep with me" to "be with me." I guess I just took it for granted that people understood that "Superstar" and "What's Your Name" were two sides of the same story.
Extra credit: Find the secret Lowell George tribute in the opening paragraph!
Labels: bonnie bramlett, carpenters, matt welch, music, music history, pop culture, superstar
