THE BIG PAYBACK: Thank you, Greg

"I'm the Antenna
Catching vibration
You're the transmitter
Give information!"
- KRAFTWERK

This is a Spotify player. Join up for free here.

Someone always wanders into your life and changes everything. When it's for the better, we should thank them.

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G R E G

My friend Greg expanded my whole musical outlook. We were teenagers in a remote, conservative area circa 1980. Greg was a mischievous lunatic who would do anything without any qualms.

While I was recoiling from the slick corporate music scene into The Beatles and counterculture politics, Greg was the first to embrace Punk and New Wave. This seemed at odds, but Greg exposed to me to a range of new stuff that was advancing off of what I already loved.

Stephen, David, me, and Greg (in mock-Bowie-mannequin pose).

These were the real Indie years.

You could only see Rock acts on late night shows, sometimes. Magazines were few and cost too much. I taught myself the history reading back issues of Rolling Stone for free at the library. Verrry few Punk and New Wave acts were carried by major labels, and were promoted haphazardly at best. No college radio shows yet, no clubs, no tour circuit, no video channels, and almost no press, just obscure ads in fanzines and word of mouth. Bands were putting out indie records, but you had to mail-order them on pure faith, an impossible expense for most teenagers. Where I was, in the rural outskirts, everyone was still trying to process or erase the '60s, and this new '80s futurism stuff just seemed like evil alien shadows on the far horizon.

That's why Greg loved it. He went to all the little record stores and somehow ordered all of these. The few majors and many of the minor labels. He was ahead of the curve on everything. Whatever tore open the envelope, that's what he had to do.

The Clash. The Cars. The B-52's. Elvis Costello. Split Enz. Plastics. Gary Numan. Gang Of Four. The Jam. Talking Heads. Punk and New Wave and PostPunk and Psychobilly and Coldwave and Power Pop. Usually before they had been labeled.

We watched the new acts on maverick TV like "Saturday Night Live", the stellar "SCTV" from Canada, or most often on "Fridays", the L.A.-based competition. When Split Enz performed "I Got You" on "Fridays", it was the exact moment where my ambivalence faded and I was converted entirely to the new breed.

Sadly, my friend has passed on. To honor him on what would have been his birthday, this is a music playlist of all the wonderful music that Greg expanded my life with. When I hear these songs, Greg is eternal and as fearless as ever.

Thank you, my friend, for enriching our lives.

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"I wanna bite the hand that feeds me
I wanna bite that hand so badly
And the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools
Tryin' to anaesthetise the way that you feel"

- ELVIS COSTELLO


"She opened strange doors
that we'd never close again"

- DAVID BOWIE


"Electric angel rock and roller
I hear what you're playing"

- THE CARS


"By day we run, by night we dance, we do
I'm in love with the coming race
I've got the best, I'll take all I can get
I'm living for the Eighties"

- KILLING JOKE


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• Thank You, Greg!, with Music Player!

• MUSIC 101: The 1980s, with Music Player!


• "Girl U Want" - Devo > Soundgarden > Polysics > Boyskout

• LADIES FIRST: "Demolition Man" - Grace Jones > The Police > Sting

• "Nightclubbing" - Iggy Pop > Human League > Grace Jones > Nine Inch Nails > Oasis

• "Love Is The Drug" - Roxy Music > Chic > Grace Jones > Duran Duran


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Talk Talk!" - The Music Machine > Talk Talk

ROCK Sex is a talking head.

Today, giving you some backtalk about "Talk Talk".

_______________

Sean Bonniwell's band The Music Machine blasted out this furious fuzz in The Golden Year Of Our Garage Rock, 1966...

THE MUSIC MACHINE -"Talk Talk" (1966)



Not to be outsquawked, here's TALK TALK doing their song "Talk Talk" from their album Talk Talk!

TALK TALK -"Talk Talk" (1982)



Well, I guess they sure told told me.



© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• DON'T TREAD ON ME: The Original Punk of 1960s Garage Rock, with Music Player!

• "Don't Gimme Me No Lip Child" - Dave Berry > Sex Pistols

• "Girl U Want" - Devo > Soundgarden > Polysics > Boyskout


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: DOCTOR WHO Theme - Delia Derbyshire > Gary Glitter > KLF > Human League

ROCK Sex says "the Doctor is IN!".

Today, an "A + B = C" song chain, featuring the Doctor Who theme.

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One cool thing added to another another cool thing gives you a third cool thing. It's like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, the color spectrum, and babies.

Ron Grainger may have composed the theme for "Doctor Who" on paper, but everyone knows it was Delia Derbyshire who performed her sonic wizardry in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to make this Electronic classic what it is.

The true wielder of the sonic screwdriver is Delia.

DELIA DERBYSHIRE -"Doctor Who Theme" (1963)



As a flipside to his Glam Rock single "Rock'n'Roll", Gary Glitter did this epic instrumental. Long before it was massacred by your local sports event. (Gary made a handful of cool songs, but Gary himself...well, that's a sad story.)

GARY GLITTER -"Rock'n'Roll, Part 2" (1972)



And The KLF, under the alias The Timelords, combined the two in this dance club hit.

THE TIMELORDS/ KLF -"Doctorin' the Tardis" (12" version) (1988)


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The youth entranced in the '60s and '70s by Delia Derbyshire and the BBC radiophonic Workshop's eerie textural soundtracks grew up to become New Wave, EDM, and Industrial pioneers. Here's proof in what could have been an alternate theme for DOCTOR WHO, named after the Fourth Doctor himself.

THE HUMAN LEAGUE -"Tom Baker" (1980)





© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything!

• 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture, with Music Player!


• Kraftwerk > Trouble Funk > Afrika Bambaataa > New Order


• "Delia Derbyshire - Sculptress of Sound" documentary
• "The Delian Mode - Delia Derbyshire" documentary


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "We Can Beat Them, Forever And Ever!" - Question Mark + Mysterians > Redbone > Bowie

ROCK Sex wants to "steal time, just for one day".

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Okay, you're going think I'm crazy on this one, but what's new?

File this in the "A + B = C" category.

Combine the surging sway of the rhythm section in this song...

QUESTION MARK And The MYSTERIANS -"96 Tears" (1966)



...with the rhythmic intro riff of this song...

REDBONE -"Come And Get Your Love" (1973)



...and see if you don't hear them in this song: that sing-song sway, and the riff in the guitar figure...

DAVID BOWIE -"Heroes" (1977)



Maybe it's just me.



© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Fame" - James Brown > David Bowie > James Brown

• "Brand New Cadillac" - Vince Taylor > The Clash > Ziggy Stardust

• "Ziggy Stardust" - David Bowie > Bauhaus

• "You Can't Hurry Love" - The Supremes > Iggy Pop > The Jam > David Bowie

• "Let's Dance" - David Bowie > George Clinton > Craig David

• "I CAN'T EXPLAIN" - The Who > David Bowie > The Clash > Fatboy Slim > The Hives

• "Ground Control to Major Tom" - THE LONELY ASTRONAUT Movies, with Music Player!


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Girl U Want" - Devo > Soundgarden > Polysics > Boyskout

ROCK Sex is 'headed for the pleasure burn'.

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"She sends out an aroma of undefined lust
It drips on down in a mist from above.
She's just the girl, she's just the girl.
The girl you want."

Today's culture baton handoff evolves from devolution.

Devo starts it with the great Electro anthem "Girl U Want":

DEVO -"Girl U Want" (1980)



Later, Soundgarden slows it down to a grunge grind.

SOUNDGARDEN -"Girl U Want" (1991)



Devo, ever re-evolving, then remade it for the 1995 TANK GIRL soundtrack taking Soundgarden's cue.
TANK GIRL: DEVO WIth Jula Bell -"Girl U Want" (1995)



In turn, Devo's song has covered by Robert Palmer, Superchunk, Zombie Ghost Train, and CRX; and here in Spanish by Chancho en Piedra.
CHANCHO EN PIEDRA -"Calentón" (1998)



At this point the standard evolves into the abstract, with the riff interpolated into a new song by Polysics.

POLYSICS -"Each Life Each End" (2000)



Scouting for girls, the cool and underappreciated Boyskout admitted she's just the girl, she's just the girl, the girl they want:

BOYSKOUT -"Jesse James" (2004)



Continuing the 21st Century overwrite, here's a flip on the blips.

DEVO 2.0 -"Boy U Want" (2006)




"You hear her calling everywhere you turn/
You know you're headed for the pleasure burn"


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• Kraftwerk > Trouble Funk > Afrika Bambaataa > New Order

• LADIES FIRST: "Demolition Man" - Grace Jones > The Police > Sting

• "Nightclubbing" - Iggy Pop > Human League > Grace Jones > Nine Inch Nails > Oasis

• Cool Indie Band: BOYSKOUT


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

ROCK Sex takes you to the river and washes you down.

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Al Green had previously covered the song "Driving Wheel" by that fellow Memphis great, Junior Parker. When Parker passed away, Al dedicated his original composition "Take Me To the River" to his memory:

AL GREEN -"Take Me To the River" (1974)


Bryan Ferry, of Roxy Music, often covered soul songs he loved on his solo albums. In late '77 he recorded this homage to Green:

BRYAN FERRY -"Take Me To the River" (1978)


Meanwhile, by odd coincidence, his former partner in Roxy Music, Brian Eno, was producing Talking Heads' second album as they too covered Green's song. Though their version was recorded a few months after Ferry's it reached the market before his. To this day many people believe this to be their song.

TALKING HEADS -"Take Me To the River" (1978)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• SHAKE AND FINGER POP! Soul Music and the Interior Truth, with Music Player!

• "Time Is Tight!" - Booker T > The Clash > Elvis Costello > Squeeze

• "I Thank You" - Sam And Dave > ZZ Top

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo

• "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Tainted Love" - Gloria Jones > Soft Cell

Gloria Jones and Marc Bolan unveil Rolan.

ROCK Sex "gives you all a boy can give you".

_______________

The original "Tainted Love" was a Northern Soul song performed by Gloria Jones in 1964, responding to the Motown stomp of songs like The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love". Later, she became the partner and muse of T-Rex's Marc Bolan.

GLORIA JONES -"Tainted Love" (1964)



The song was remade in a pretty similar but more Disco fashion in 1975:

RUTH SWANN -"Tainted Love" (1975)



Shortly afterward Gloria Jones and Marc Bolan remade the song:

GLORIA JONES, w/ Marc Bolan -"Tainted Love" (1976)



Marc Almond of Soft Cell heard the original played in a dance club and made it into the Synthpop anthem of all time:

SOFT CELL -"Tainted Love" (1981)



The rhythm of the song (and the intro of James Brown's "I Feel Good") was refashioned into this song.

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS -"Good Thing" (1988)



From there it has been covered/exhalted/ruined (depending on your bias) by Coil, Inspiral Carpets, My Ruin, Marilyn Manson, The Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Danny Noriega, and Imelda May.



© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "You Can't Hurry Love" - The Supremes > Iggy Pop > The Jam > David Bowie

• LADIES FIRST: "Out In the Streets" - The Shangri-Las > Blondie


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: "Too Many Creeps" - Bush Tetras > Romeo Void > Sonic Youth

ROCK Sex would 'be warm in your coat'.

Here's another relay race...

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Many bands from the early '80s New York scene had varied takes on using funky rhythms with punky guitar, such as Talking Heads, James White And The Contortions, Defunkt, The Bloods, ESG, Liquid Liquid, Material, and Lizzy Mercier Descloux.

BUSH TETRAS kicked out the jams with this rebuke on urban living, propelled by the jarring jang of the deeply undersung guitarist Pat Place and bounding pound of bassist Laura Kennedy:

BUSH TETRAS -"Too Many Creeps" (1980)



Pat's guitar style had a strong impact on San Francisco band ROMEO VOID, who hit the big time with this poison pill, featuring the barbed lyrics of singer Debora Iyall:

ROMEO VOID -"Never Say Never" (1981)



Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth was responding to the misogynistic imagery in LL Cool J's "Walk Like a Panther" video with this next classic (featuring a raised fist of support from guest Chuck D of Public Enemy). But SY got their start in that same CBGB's scene of New York, and the "I don't wanna's" and rhythmic dissonance in this song really recall the Bush Tetras' song:

SONIC YOUTH -"Kool Thing" (1990)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" - X-Ray Spex > Free Kitten > Chicks On Speed > Pussy Riot

• LADIES FIRST: "Mind Your Own Business" - Delta 5 > Chicks On Speed > Pigface

• LADIES FIRST: "Kultes Klares Wasser" - Malaria! > Chicks On Speed


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

Read:
• • Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor, 1980–1983, by Tim Lawrence

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ROCK Sex: "Wordy Rappinghood" - Tom Tom Club > Chicks On Speed

ROCK Sex quickies are in one ear and then the other.

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Here's TOM TOM CLUB giving us the lowdown on the downlow:

TOM TOM CLUB -"Wordy Rappinghood" (1981)



And here's CHICKS ON SPEED relaying the message:

CHICKS ON SPEED -"Wordy Rappinghood" (2004)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

• "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

• "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo


• "APACHE", HipHop's Sacred Secret Beat! - Bongo Band > Bambaataa > EVERYONE EVER

• "Amen Break" - How 6 Seconds From 1969 Propel All Modern Music


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: A Music Player Checklist


Read:
• • Love Goes To Buildings On Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever, by Will Hermes

• • Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor, 1980–1983, by Tim Lawrence

• • Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984, by Simon Reynolds

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ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"

ROCK Sex Orgies are songs where everybody gets rewarded.

_______________
Here's another example of a song giving a giant shout-out to other musicians.

The rhythm section of Talking Heads, bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz, had more to say with their side project, TOM TOM CLUB. "Genius Of Love", their celebration of funk, soul, reggae, and dance heroes became a surprise dance hit in 1981 with massive influence.

Listen for the call-outs to James Brown, Bob Marley, Smokey Robinson, Hamilton Bohannon, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Sly and Robbie, and Kurtis Blow.

"Clinton's musicians such as Bootsy Collins/
Raise expectations to a new intention!"
Also beloved is the graffidelic video, based on the album art of James Rizzi.

TOM TOM CLUB -"Genius Of Love" (1981)


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"We met (Grandmaster Flash) and he said to us, 'You know this is a very cool beat. You're going to be hearing a lot of this.' I said 'Oh really?' He said 'Oh definitely.'"
-Chris Franz


The song was a perfect synthesis of the early '80s New York scene, where Disco, Punk, HipHop, Dub, and noizey Jazz were intertwined in the dance clubs, vinyl stores, art galleries, and indie films. Naturally it had an immediate impact in HipHop where responses were swift.

Here's are the first two HipHop responses made:

DR. JECKYLL AND MR. HYDE -"Genius Rap" (1981)


GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE -"It's Nasty (Genius Of Love)" (1981)



From there it became one of the most sampled songs of all time, popping up in tracks by The X-Ecutioners, Redman, Cam'Ron, 2nd II None, Fresh Kid Ice, Tupac Shakur, Mark Morrison, Busta Rhymes, Ant Banks, P.M. Dawn, Annie, Menajahtwa, and Eric Sermon. It also dreamt up Mariah Carey's huge hit "Fantasy".

"Genius of Love" is a shout-out song that got plenty of amen corners itself!


"There's no beginning and there is no end/
Time isn't present in that dimension..."


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Wordy Rappinghood" - Tom Tom Club > Chicks On Speed

• "Take Me To the River" - Al Green > Bryan Ferry > Talking Heads

• "Slippery People" -Talking Heads > The Staple Singers

• "Radio Head" - Talking Heads > Tito Lariva > Radiohead

• "Warning Sign" - Talking Heads > Local Natives

• "Crosseyed And Painless" - Fela > Talking Heads > Brazilian Girls > Angelique Kidjo


• "APACHE", HipHop's Sacred Secret Beat! - Bongo Band > Bambaataa > EVERYONE EVER

• "Amen Break" - How 6 Seconds From 1969 Propel All Modern Music


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: A Music Player Checklist


Read:
• • Love Goes To Buildings On Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever, by Will Hermes

• • Life and Death on the New York Dance Floor, 1980–1983, by Tim Lawrence

• • Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984, by Simon Reynolds

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ROCK Sex: "Sweet Dreams" - Squeeze > Eurythmics

ROCK Sex quickies are all about tit for tat.

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Pop wizards Squeeze recorded this synth-wave classic, featuring the chorus line "because dreams are made of this":

SQUEEZE -"Take Me, I'm Yours" (1978)


Whereupon Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were sparked to brilliance uniquely their own:

EURYTHMICS -"Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This" (1983)


"Sweet Dreams" has been covered in various styles by Sylvie Vartan ("Déprime"), Marilyn Manson, Yo La Tengo, Nouvelle Vague, Ministry, and Tracy Bonham; and sampled by Blondie, De La Soul, Nas, Tricky, and Faith Evans.

It's become such a cultural touchpoint that Eurythmics referred to it themselves in their reunion song, "17 Again".

EURYTHMICS -"17 Again" (1999)




© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Time Is Tight!" - Booker T > The Clash > Elvis Costello > Squeeze

• Kraftwerk > Trouble Funk > Afrika Bambaataa > New Order

• "Don't Bring Me Down" -The Animals, The Beatles, Neil Young, WAR, McCartney, ELO


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: Beach Boys > Gary Numan

ROCK Sex cues you to how one song jumpstarts another.

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Listen to the metallic echo beat that counts in this song by The Beach Boys...

THE BEACH BOYS -"Do It Again" (1968)


...and then listen to what New Wave pioneer Gary Numan did with it...

GARY NUMAN -"Metal" (1979)



Now listen to how that crunchy rhythm takes on new textures in these very different songs...

AIR -"Remember" (1998)


VERBENA -"Submissionary" (1999)



© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• Shock Waves: How SURF MUSIC Saved Rock'n'Roll!, with 2 Music Players!

• BRIAN WILSON-esque: All The Songs Imitating His BEACH BOYS Music Styles!, with 3 Music Players!

• Chuck Berry > Beach Boys > Plastic Bertrand > The Damned


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: The Shangri-Las > The Damned > Joe Jackson

ROCK Sex is about how culture cavorts and entangles.

Here's an example of how a single lyric can pull together unusual bedfellows.


THE SHANGRI-LAS recorded the biker love anthem "Leader of the Pack", which opened with the line "Is she really going out with him?"...

THE SHANGRI-LAS -"Leader Of The Pack" (1965)



Perversely, in the very first recorded British Punk single "New Rose", THE DAMNED opened with a quote of the same line...

THE DAMNED -"New Rose" (1976)



Shortly after, British tunesmith JOE JACKSON turned the phrase into a huge pop hit...

JOE JACKSON -"Is She Really Going Out With Him?" (1979)




"Is she really going out with him?/
"Well, there she is, let's ask her."

© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• YOU DON'T OWN ME: The Uprising of the 1960s GIRL GROUPS, with Music Player!

• SHE'S A REBEL: Decades Of Songs Influenced By The GIRL GROUPS, with Music Player!

• WOMEN OF ROCK: The 1960s, with 2 Music Players!


• LADIES FIRST: "Out In the Streets" - The Shangri-Las > Blondie

• LADIES FIRST: "Remember (Walking In The Sand)" - The Shangri-Las > The Beatles > Aerosmith > Amy Winehouse


-The Real History of Rock and Soul!: A Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: The Kinks > Sex Pistols > The Kinks

ROCK Sex is about the surprising trysts of culture and what comes from them. Today is an example of how a band inspires another band who re-inspires the first band.

THE KINKS are one of those British Invasion bands -like The Who, The Yardbirds, and The Animals- whose more aggressive riffs predicted the coming shift from pop rock to hard rock. They did it with tough hits like "You Really Got Me", "I Need You", and this one...

THE KINKS -"All Day and All of the Night" (1965)



THE SEX PISTOLS mutated the attitude of '60s Garage Rock into a whole other level with Punk music. You can still spot their influences, such as the reused Kinks riff in this grinder...

SEX PISTOLS -"Submission" (1977)



Inspired by the exhilarating/threatening energy of Punk and New Wave, The Kinks responded with this wry rewrite of their own song...

THE KINKS -"Destroyer" (1981)



Inspiration is cyclical and inclusive. Do as thou wilt, everything is permitted...


© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• DON'T TREAD ON ME: The Original Punk of 1960s Garage Rock, with Music Player!

• ROCK Sex: Rock Revolution = Busted Amp! - Ike Turner > Burnette Trio > The Kinks > The Beatles

• LADIES FIRST: "I Go To Sleep" - (The Kinks) > Peggy Lee > Cher > The Pretenders

• "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" - Paul Revere > The Monkees > Sex Pistols

• "Don't Gimme Me No Lip Child" - Dave Berry > Sex Pistols


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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