Short but Sweet & Craig Finn Review
Short but Sweet – Proving that great things do come in small packages, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot run down some of rock and roll's best under 2 minute tunes.
Music News
Every year it's interesting to look at what albums took the top slots on the Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll. This is a much more accurate barometer of any given year in music than the Grammy Awards. However, this year Jim and Greg actually gave negative reviews to a lot of the Pazz & Jop winners including Watch the Throne and Let England Shake. But they were happy to see Tune-Yards' Whokill at #1.
Members of the Velvet Underground including John Cale and Lou Reed have filed a lawsuit against the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts over the famous banana featured on their 1967 album cover. Warhol served as producer of the album and gave the band the image, however it was never copyrighted. And now the Velvets want to prevent the banana from going Apple.
Jimmy Castor isn't a household name, but chances are you've heard his music, or at least samples of it. He had a pop-funk hit with "Troglodyte (Cave Man)" in 1972, but also a string of funk and soul gems that ended up being sampled by hundreds of hip hop acts. Castor died this week at age 71, so to honor the late musician, Jim and Greg play one of the often-sampled tracks, "It’s Just Begun."
Short but Sweet
Today's episode highlights the short, but sweet. Jim and Greg have chosen their favorite tiny tunes that clock in at two minutes or under. There are some musicians and fans that believe that the longer the composition, the more important (Prog rockers we're talking to you), but it is possible to pack all the elements of a successful song-verse, chorus, bridge, even a solo-into a petite punch. So here are the best Short But Sweet tracks. But don't blink or you'll miss 'em.
Greg
- The White Stripes, "Fell in Love with a Girl"
- Maurice and the Zodiacs, "Stay"
- Aimee Mann, "Just Like Anyone"
- Eddie Cochran, "Summertime Blues"
- Janis Joplin, "Mercedes Benz"
Jim
- Wire, "Three Girl Rhumba"
- Nick Drake, "Road"
- The Rock-a-Teens, "Woo-Hoo"
- Leadbelly, "Black Betty"
- The Bongos, "Glow in the Dark"
Clear Heart Full Eyes Craig Finn
Craig Finn has achieved a fair amount of mainstream success with his indie band The Hold Steady. So why would he venture out on his own at this point? According to Jim and Greg, Finn wanted to go a little less rock, a little more country on his solo debut Clear Heart Full Eyes, inspired, of course, by Friday Night Lights. He also went for less bombast and more mature lyrics. Those lyrics deserve an A+, says Greg, but the music falls flat. He says Burn It. Jim doesn't understand why Finn is stepping outside of The Hold Steady, which is a perfect vehicle for his songs. The lyrics are strong when they are funny, but otherwise this is a Trash It record.
Featured Songs
- tuNe-YaRdS, "My Country," w h o k i l l, 4AD, 2011
- The Velvet Underground, "I'm Waiting For The Man," The Velvet Underground & Nico, Verve, 1967
- The Jimmy Castor Bunch, "Troglodyte (Cave Man)," It's Just Begun, RCA, 1972
- The Jimmy Castor Bunch, "It's Just Begun," It's Just Begun, RCA, 1972
- Harry Chapin, "Short Stories," Short Stories, Elektra, 1973
- The White Stripes, "Fell in Love With a Girl," White Blood Cells, Sympathy, 2002
- Wire, "Three Girl Rhumba," Pink Flag, EMI, 1977
- Blink-182, "All the Small Things," Enema of the State, MCA, 1999
- Spoon, "Small Stakes," Kill the Moonlight, Merge, 2002
- Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, "Stay," Stay, Herald, 1960
- Nick Drake, "Road," Pink Moon, Island, 1972
- Aimee Mann, "Just Like Anyone," Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo, SuperEgo, 2000
- The Rock-A-Teens, "Woo-Hoo," Woo-Hoo, Roulette, 1959
- Blur, "Song 2," Blur, Food, 1997
- Louis Armstrong, "Short But Sweet," Hello Louis: The Hit Years (1963-1969), Verve, 2010
- Eddie Cochran, "Summertime Blues," The Eddie Cochran Memorial Album, Liberty, 1960
- The Bongos, "Glow in the Dark," Drums Along the Hudson, PVC, 1982
- Janis Joplin, "Mercedes-Benz," Pearl, Columbia, 1971
- Lead Belly, "Black Betty," Negro Sinful Songs Sung by Lead Belly, Musicraft, 1939
- Craig Finn, "No Future," Clear Heart Full Eyes, Vagrant, 2011
- Craig Finn, "New Friend Jesus," Clear Heart Full Eyes, Vagrant, 2011
- Too Short, "Blow the Whistle," Blow the Whistle, Up All Nite, 2006
- Chromeo, "Call Me Up," Fancy Footwork, Turbo, 2007
- The Jayhawks, "Waiting for the Sun," Hollywood Town Hall, American, 1992
- JVC Force, "Doin' Damage," Doin' Damage, B-Boy, 1988
- Miles Davis, "Flamenco Sketches," Kind of Blue, Columbia, 1959
- The Music Machine, "Talk Talk," (Turn On) The Music Machine, Original Sound, 1966
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