The Weekly iPod Shuffle: 4/7/07

1. "Grace, Too," The Tragically Hip
The first song I ever heard by the Hip, when they played it on SNL oh-so-many years ago. While they're a fantastic live band, this song is probably the one that translates to the stage best -- at the show at Scout Bar, this led off the encore, and the crowd was practically screaming the lyrics back at Gordie.

2. "Sympathy for the Devil," The Rolling Stones
Continuing on a theme, sorta, this is the first song I ever liked by the Stones -- I grew sick of "Brown Sugar" and "Satisfaction" long before I was at an age where I could appreciate them. But "Sympathy" sounded so different from everything else that it managed to grab my attention. The Guns N' Roses cover from Interview with the Vampire isn't half-bad, either.

3. "I'm Talking to the Women Here," Bill Hicks
A short snippet from the posthumous Rant in E-Minor, this is the conclusion to a piece about COPS, which ends with Bill in disbelief over women who put with drunken rednecks who beat them. He then references an earlier slam against then-popular country star Billy Ray Cyrus, saying, "You know what, I know you like Billy Ray Cyrus, don't lie to me." The crowd boos, and Bill clarifies, "No, I'm talking to the women, here." The woman scream back, and Bill answers, "Bullshit. Fuck you, you do. Oh, yeah, he sold five million albums, and all the guys here bought 'em. Fuck you! ...No wonder this country's becoming like Dogpatch if that's who you want to rut with."

4. "Let Down," Radiohead
One of the most gloriously emotional songs ever recorded. Allegedly (and I can't remember where I read this), singer Thom Yourke recorded two takes of the vocal, then collapsed on the floor of the studio and cried. I'd believe it, listening the last verse and chorus.

5. "Save the Planet," The Tragically Hip
The only Hip song to feature a flute solo, to my knowledge. That's all I can say, really. Not one of my favorites.

6. "Adversity," René Alvarado
Hey, René made it. My iPod likes you. One of your better pieces, too -- it's nice and grandiose, which I like. There's also a considerable feeling of menace (or malice, if you prefer) that I quite enjoy, and I love the ending. The strings arrangement you did doesn't quite do it for me, but hey, that's just me.

7. "Fakin' It," Simon & Garfunkel
You know, I love Simon & Garfunkel, but dammit if most of their material doesn't sound exactly the same. This song has drums -- not all of their songs have drums. It's good, yeah, but it's no "The Boxer" or "The Only Living Boy in New York." Or "Baby Driver," for that matter.

8. "Pulling Teeth," Green Day
Hey, remember when Green Day was just a trio of snot-nosed kids from Berkley, back before they were rock opera composers that could honestly say they were screwed out of Album of the Year? Junior high school was awesome. No, it wasn't. But this song is.

9. "Amazed," The Offspring
One of two power ballads off of Ixnay on the Hombre, which was the last record on which the Offspring were really any good at all. Despite the fact that it sounds like a long-lost Whitesnake b-side, it's not a bad track.

10. "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party," The Beatles
You could always count on the young John Lennon to write a bouncy, snappy pop song that will depress the shit out of you if you listen too closely to the lyrics. Hell, the first Lennon song on the first Beatles album was called "Misery," so you can't say you're surprised. This is one of my favorite early Beatles songs, and one of the many that got name-dropped during the infamous Beatles song titles scene in Revolver.