I won't claim to big the biggest expert on Mark Lanegan's extensive body of work. I've got a Screaming Trees collection I haven't devoted the right amount of attention to, but I was taken with his solo work whenever I heard it and was especially fond of his collaborations with Isobel Campbell, updating the Lee & Nancy aesthetic for a 21st Century audience.
Still, at only 57, he's another one gone far too soon...
Unable to cope with a Zero edition of the Hot 100 myself, I put the idea out to tender. First to jump at the opportunity was Charity Chic, who spend a large part of his working week compiling the excellent Top Ten below. He didn't supply a Zero band though, so I chose Remy Zero, who once recorded the theme tune to young-Superman-based TV show Smallville. Remy Zero - Save Me I'm running this Guest Post today - rather than on Thursday - because it leads it nicely into the final edition of the Hot 100 tomorrow. Join me then for the full countdown. In the meantime, take it away, Charity Chic...
Top 10 - Zero Songs
By way of
appreciation for Rol’s epic Hot 100 series, I give you a Top 10 of Zero Songs...
Taken from “the
difficult third album “ 1979’s The Fine Art of Surfacing, it pre-dates Band Aid, meaning that St Bob was slightly less annoying than he later became.
TV21 were a post punk
band from Edinburgh. Named after a Gerry Anderson comic. Another
impressive piece of trivia is that guitarist Ally Palmer is responsible
for curating the Scottish football magazine Nutmeg. I suspect Rol
will be aware of the first trivia reference but totally oblivious to the
second. (How right you are. - Rol.)
Yes, there were two.
The original was John Lee Curtis with number two who is featured here being
Alex Miller or Aleck Ford. All very confusing. (Yeah, you lost me. I'm going to ask George to explain that sentence to me. - Rol.)
Nine Below Zero is
also the name of an English Blues band who formed in 1977 and who I saw play on
a couple of occasions at Strathclyde Students Union.
A lovely song from
the album There Is No Other, the first solo album for 14 years from the former
Belle and Sebastian chanteuse and Mark Lanegan collaborator. A welcome return.
The title track from
the 2011 debut solo album by Paisley lass and former Speedway frontwoman Jill
Jackson, an artist who I know that Rol has a bit of a soft spot for. (Indeed. - Rol.)
A splendid racket and
a splendid diatribe by Public Enemy from their seminal album It takes a Nation
of Millions to Hold Us Back. As topical now as it was on its release in 1988.
A seriously
underrated artist . A track from her eponymous 3rd album from 1976 which also
contains the brilliant Love and Affection. The compilation album Track Record
is an ideal introduction to her work.
No shocks, no
surprises. None of the others come close.
I suspect that from
the get go most of you would have had this down as the number one
The 1977 debut single
from the debut album My Aim is True which introduced the world to the
prodigious talent that is Elvis Costello.
Thanks for taking up the baton, CC. You get no argument from me on any of those, especially not the worthy (and only!) Number One. Of course, that's not to stop anyone else coming up with a second list of Zero Songs, if they think they've got 'em. The doors are always open...
It's A Beautiful Day. You're at Home. You're Feeling Good. There's a picture of Michael Bublé on your computer screen and you're trying to pretend you're so cool that you don't even know who he is. Stop trying so hard to be cool and embrace the Bublé. You know you want to.
It was a full-on battle between Charity Chic, Lynchie and Walter first thing yesterday morning. Lynchie looked set to take the trophy with 3 points to CC's 2 and a half... until a last second equalizer from CC clinched the draw. Thanks, as always, for playing.
10. Mucking about leads to romance for sprite-like creature and chess piece.
A sprite-like creature would be elvin. (Elfin or elvish?)
1. Prince's house is the Pitts. All things must end.
Prince lived at Paisley Park, but not with Brad Pitt.
Congrats to Chris for getting "the hard one". (Although Mr. Paisley is a favourite of mine.) I'll have a dig around for some Toby Keith in future week, just for Lynchie. Who says I don't do requests?
This video must be watched right until the end... for the full Hoff.
Saturday Snapshots will be back next week. Michael Bublé may not be.
One of those GnR stroppy songs where Axl gets all sweary and slags off his critics and anyone who ever let their dog crap on his lawn. But not half as good as Get In The Ring. I like the end though.
I
should be against adding artificial vinyl crackle to a song recorded in
2008, but this just sounds so old, nasty and dirrrrty, I can see why they did it.
Even The Fonz must be afraid of what lies beyond Even Steven Seagal must wake up in a cold sweat sometimes Pondering the nature of time... How it only seems to disappear One day you're born And the next you're hearing voices from the corner of the old folks home Was that a burglar? Or something much more sinister? Like the ghost of someone you used to know? Maybe an ex-husband or wife, I dunno But what they're saying is there's no room for you up there in heaven You did those ouija boards when you where young And you brought one or two records by Iron Maiden
A superb gunslinging western showdown between Smackwater Jack and Big Jim The Chief (not to mention Carole King and her lyrical partner Gerry Goffin), possibly my favourite song from Tapestry... I love a good story.
You can't talk to a man With a shotgun in his hand
Possibly not about a shogun, though it does have both in the title.Wonderful early Costello song though with some amazing piano playing from Steve Nieve.
On your marks, man, ready, set Let's get loaded and forget
Roy C gets marched up the aisle by an angry father when "the baby makes three". Later covered by Rod Stewart, who no doubt has been threatened with similar reprisals once or twice in his life.
There was a moment when I considered making this Number One. I do love me some classic Billy Idol. And you can't beat the bit in the video where he's singing with a tea towel on his head. Plus, without Billy, we probably would never have had Spike, my favourite character from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Also interesting to see Dexys, Tracey Ullman and the cast of Flash Gordon among the wedding guests. Billy certainly had some interesting friends. Then the bride starts wrecking her lovely red MFI kitchen with her bad dancing and Billy drives a motorbike through a stained glass window. Videos were so much more interesting in the 80s. (Bonus "sad old man" comment for this week.)
Hey, little sister - SHOTGUN!
1. Jr. Walker & the All-Stars - Shotgun
Classic Motown, with a cool Hammond organ and Walker's amazing sax playing. Doesn't get much better than this.
