Oh. My. God. There was a whole video for the theme song, and Jan Hammer is tucking and rolling…

Capitalism is dumb

I gotta get this off my chest.

I’m going to describe a thing.

This thing is systemic, it absorbs and reuses all it sees with disregard for its host, and its only goal is unchecked growth.

I’ve just described cancer.

I’ve also just described capitalism.

In addition, becoming a successful capitalist almost always seems to involve a total disregard for others, particularly those you cannot see. This would possibly explain the woman texting while going through an intersection in her pearl-white Mercedes SUV as an ambulance on its way to save someone’s life stopped and waited for her to drift through.

She didn’t even look up.

The Faces, “Bad n’ Ruin”, live at the Paris Theatre, 13 May 1971. (I wanted to post the LP version, but it’s not up, and this live performance is surprisingly tight and great).

This song epitomizes the controlled slop of the Faces, and it’s departure from traditional verse-chorus structure allows it to roll out like a car down a freeway—untrammeled, it threatens to derail, but never does. You wish the pulse could go forever. I almost wish they didn’t even solo, but just rolled on for like five minutes and died.

2:58—they almost lift into the air.

It’s too bad the rest of Long Player is pedestrian.

Haircut One Hundred: “Evil Smokestacking Baby” (1984).

Wire, “Outdoor Miner”, a slightly different version than the one that appeared on 1978’s Chairs Missing.

Otis Redding and Carla Thomas: “Tramp”, (1967) (written by Lowell Fulson and Jimmy McCracklin). From King and Queen.

Some observations: 1) at 0:10, I love how Otis says “It makes me feel good to know one thing” in time with the beat. I think he may have accidentally invented hip-hop in those three seconds;

2) the Stax band is in 100% rock-solid form here. They prove on this track over and over that the most important thing for any ensemble is coming in EXACTLY together on entrances. Volume is 20% loudness and 80% timing, my old band teacher always said, and he’s exactly right;

3) This song is the best.

Dylan and The Band, “Yazoo Street Scandal”, from The Basement Tapes.

This is 1967. As someone points out in the comments on the youtube video, for 67, these were almost unprecedented approaches for rock musicians to take on each of their instruments. Danko’s bass is incredibly elastic, for one thing. Garth Hudson was always insane, so that works.

But god, Levon. His voice, still fresh, still pristine, so fucking STRONG—this is a vocal performance par excellence, even by his lofty standards.

Personal and the Pizzas, “I Don’t Feel So Happy No More”, from Raw Pie.

Taj Mahal, “Leavin’ Trunk”, 1968, at the Rolling Stones’ Rock n’ Roll Circus. The singular live Mahal. Jesse Ed Davis destroys.

“Farewell Transmission”, by Songs Ohia, from Electric Magnolia Company.

Prompted the following gchat today:

11:14 AM me: THE WHOLE PLACE IS DARK11:15 AM EVERY LIGHT ON THIS SIDE OF THE TOWNNNN  SUDDENLY IT ALL WENT DOWNNN  NOW WE’LL BE BROTHERS OF  THE FOSSIL FIRE OF THE SUNNNN  NOW WE WILL ALL BE SISTERS OFFF  THE FOSSIL BLOOD OF THE MOONNN  SOMEONE MUST’VE SET EM UP  NOW THEY’LL BE WORKIN IN THE COLD GREY ROCK Eric: NOW THEY’LL BE WORKING IN THE COLD GRAY ROCK  GREY me: NOW THEY’LL BE WORKIN GIN THE HOT MILL STEAM Eric: :)  NOW THEY’LL BE WORKING IN THE CONCRETE11:16 AM me: NOW THEY’LL BE WORKIN IN THE CON, CRETE  god dammit  lol  fuck.11:17 AM Eric: I WILL BE GONE  BUT  NOT FOREVER  I WILL TRY me: I WILL TRYYYYYY Eric: REAL TRUTH ABOUT IT IS  NO ONE GETS IT RIGHT me: NOONE GETS IT RIGHT Eric: REAL TRUTH ABOUT IT IS me: REAL TRUTH ABOUT IT IS  W’ER ALL SUPPOSED TO RYYYY11:18 AM Eric: WE’RE ALL SUPPOSED TO TRYYYyyYYYyyYY me: THERE AIN’T NO END TO THE SANDS I BEEN TRYIN TO CROSS  REAL TRUTH ABOUT IT ISSSS  MY KIND OF LIFE’S NO BETTER OFF  IT’S GOT THE MAP  OR IF IT’S LOST  WE WILL TRYYYYYYYY11:20 AM Eric: FAREWELL TRANSMISSION  slide guitar me: LONG DARKKKKKK  BLUEEESSSSS  LISTEN