THE SCARY CHILLING SOUNDS OF WOXY.COM

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! If you're not listening to WOXY internet radio right now, what are you waiting for? They've been doing a non-stop playlist of Halloween-y themed songs. Starting at around 9 AM, this is what they've played today:

Killing For Love - Jose Gonzalez
I Box Twenty - To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie
Wolf Like Me - TV On The Radio
Getting It Back - The Forms
Bloodletting - Concrete Blonde
Everyday Is Halloween - Ministry
Tight Black Rubber - Black Francis
Black Steel - Tricky
Vampire Racecourse - The Sleepy Jackson
Date With A Vampyre - The Screaming Tribesmen
To The Devil A Donut - King Of Woolworths
Monster Hospital - Metric
Ghost In The Sky - Sparklehorse
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) - David Bowie
I Know I'll See You - A Place To Bury Strangers
Duplexes Of The Dead - The Fiery Furnaces
Black Celebration - Depeche Mode
Black Flowers - Yo La Tengo
Ghost Under Rocks - Ra Ra Riot
The Killing Moon - Echo & The Bunnymen
Aisha - Death In Vegas
They Are Night Zombies! - Sufjan Stevens
Death On The Stairs - The Libertines
Ghost Highway - Mazzy Star
Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
Attack Of The Ghost Riders - The Raveonettes
Blood - Editors
Devil's Haircut - Beck
Dead Souls - Joy Division
Ghost Town - The Specials
Ghost Train - Experimental Aircraft
Ghost Town Land - The Turnbull AC's
Is There A Ghost - Band Of Horses
The Devil - PJ Harvey
Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus
Creepin' Up The Backstairs - The Fratellis
Death At The Chapel - The Horrors
Grimly Fiendish - The Damned
Lucifer Sam - Pink Floyd
From The Devil Himself - Viva Voce
Hunting For Witches - Bloc Party
Love Like Blood - Killing Joke
666 Conducer - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
All The Arms Around You - Halloween, Alaska
No One Sees You Like I Do - + / -
Pumpkin - Starlight Mints
Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead - XTC
Black Math - The White Stripes
Nightmares - Violent Femmes
Dead Man - Self
Dead Kid Kicks - The Muggabears
Dead Fingers Talking - Working For A Nuclear Free City
Witchcraft - Wolfmother
Surfin Dead - The Cramps
Cross Bones Style - Cat Power
Halloween - Matt Pond PA
I Put A Spell On You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo
The Killing Jar - Siouxsie And The Banshees
There Goes The Fear - Doves
I Think I'll Be A Good Ghost - Say Hi (To Your Mom)
Good Day - Jukebox The Ghost
_______________

A Daisy Chain For Satan - My Life With Thrill Kill Kult
Sun Red Sky Blue - Kenna
Don't Talk To Strangers - Prinzhorn Dance School
The Line Between The Devil's Teeth - Peter Murphy
Devil In My Car - The B-52's
Gang Bang Suicide - Kevin Drew
Set Yourself On Fire - Charlotte Gainsbourg
Down In The Valley - The Broken West
Mansard Roof - Vampire Weekend
Revival - Soulsavers
Jack The Ripper - Morrissey


Okay, that last one is stretching the theme a little, but there are some great songs in there.

ROCKTOBER: NIRVANA "BREED" (1991)

What more can be said about Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic? This is "Breed" from their 1991 Halloween concert (16 years ago today!) at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. That was the year they singlehandedly brought rock music back from the brink.



I hope you enjoyed ROCKTOBER. I know I did.

ROCKTOBER: THE BEATLES "LET IT BE" ROOFTOP CONCERT (1969)/LIVE AT SHEA STADIUM (1965)

ROCKTOBER could not be complete without The Beatles.

"Let It Be" is not currently in print, but these three clips from their famous rooftop concert in 1969 are the highlights (unless you prefer watching it in nine separate parts).

Part 1 ("Get Back"/"Don't Let Me Down")


Part 2. ("I've Got A Feeling"/"One After 909")


Part 3. ("Dig A Pony"/"Get Back")


Ah, screw it, here's one more clip, because it's ROCKTOBER and I fucking said so. Live from the (thankfully) soon-to-be-demolished Shea Stadium in 1965, named after Cuban guerilla leader Che Stadium. They just started cracking up during "I'm Down", because they knew no one could really hear them.

("Twist And Shout"/"Baby's In Black"/"I'm Down")


Some might disagree, but you can't name a more influential band in rock history. And they did it all in the span of about 7 years.

ROCKTOBER: QUEEN "BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY" (1982)

Quite simply, the greatest rock voice of all time: Freddie Mercury. Here's Queen performing "Bohemian Rhapsody" live at Milton Keynes Bowl, June 5, 1982.



I still have this 45 that I bought when I was 5 years old. Believe it or not.

ROCKTOBER: BUILT TO SPILL "STOP THE SHOW" (1999)

Doug Martsch is a guitar god. However, I didn't really appreciate him until seeing B2S (yeah, that's my cool shorthand) live in 2002. "Stop The Show" is from their essential Perfect From Now On album from 1997. This live video with mostly tight shots of the guitars is very interesting.

ROCKTOBER: SONIC YOUTH "TEEN AGE RIOT" (1988)

Great song from the Daydream Nation album. Great video, too: a short-attention span, 80s pop-sub-culture feast. See how many you can spot! Patti Smith! Pee Wee! Harvey Pekar on Late Night With David Letterman! I just wish it wasn't so grainy, it sucks even for YouTube.



Sonic Youth set the tone for every shaggy haired slacker indie band to come out of the 90s, for better or worse.

ROCKTOBER: STEVIE NICKS "EDGE OF SEVENTEEN" (1981)

I realized that women are horribly underrepresented here during ROCKTOBER, so what better female rock singer to choose than Stevie Nicks? In the 80s, every rock fan wanted to either be Stevie or be with her, or both. Here she is singing "Edge of Seventeen" on Dec 12, 1981, the last night of her first solo tour before returning to record with Fleetwood Mac.



(I love the comment, "Is something wrong with Stevie?" Yes, SHE'S HIGH! She's a rocker in the 80s, probably on a heroic amount of cocaine. Helloooo?)

There's a commentary version here that's very interesting. She wrote the song about John Lennon, which I never knew.

ROCKTOBER: SPOON "JONATHON FISK" (2002)

From the fantastic Kill The Moonlight album, here's the Austin, Texas band Spoon with "Jonathon Fisk".



"Religion don't mean a thing, it's just another way to be right wing."

ROCKTOBER: THE CULT "SHE SELLS SANCTUARY" (1985)

The Cult live at the Ritz in New York City singing their classic "She Sells Sanctuary", from the essential 1985 album Love.



These guys are back out there touring again with a new album, but this was the Cult in their prime before they convinced themselves they were rockstars.

ROCKTOBER: BLACK KEYS "YOUR TOUCH" (2006)

The Black Keys performing "Your Touch", live at Grimey's Records in Nashville, TN, 2006.



I can't get enough of these guys. There were about 145 videos I could have chosen, but this is one is just down home and dirty.

ROCKTOBER: U2 "OCTOBER/NEW YEARS DAY (LIVE AT RED ROCKS)" (1983)

Today's ROCKTOBER entry can be found over at Open Hockey blog: U2 "OCTOBER/NEW YEARS DAY (LIVE AT RED ROCKS)".

ROCKTOBER: FOO FIGHTERS "BEST OF YOU" (2005)

I would be remiss if I didn't include the Foo during ROCKTOBER. Dave Grohl is my rock hero. Here's the great video for 2005's "Best of You".



They just put out another album Echoes Silence Patience & Grace, and although it might not be their best, it predictably rocks. That's hard to come by on today's album charts.

There goes my hero, watch him as he goes.

ROCKTOBER: TENACIOUS D "KICKAPOO" (2006)

There was no way I could resist a Tenacious D video during ROCKTOBER. This clip kicks off the movie Pick of Destiny and includes a side of Meat Loaf, singing in his first movie since Rocky Horror Picture Show's "Hot Patootie". Here is "Kickapoo" featuring a hilarious young JB.



DIO!

ROCKTOBER: THE HIVES "TICK TICK BOOM" (2007)

These Swedish dudes sure are strange, but they are no stranger to the rock, no? Here's their interesting video for the first single off of their "Black and White Album" album, "Tick Tick Boom" (2007).



They built their own studio in Sweden called "Hive Manor". How zany. I bet it's furnished completely by IKEA.

ROCKTOBER: THE WHITE STRIPES "FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL" (2002)

From the album White Blood Cells, this is a good use for those old LEGOs you might have around the house. This "brickfilm" (didn't even know that was a term) was directed by Michel Gondry.

ROCKTOBER: THE CLASH "POLICE ON MY BACK" (1983)

There will only be ONE music festival and that's the US Festival.

Here's The Clash, live at the US Festival in California in 1983, doing "Police on My Back".

ROCKTOBER: JANE'S ADDICTION "THREE DAYS" (1997)

I actually attended the show at the Hammerstein the previous night (Oct 30, 1997) featuring Flea on bass, and I might have even smoked something. It was sort of an accident; I had gone to Filene's in Danbury to buy Devils hockey tickets, and the cashier asked if I wanted to buy them since he had printed out tickets for the incorrect date for someone else.

Here's the fantastic "Three Days" (in Two Parts).

Part I:


Part II:


I'm going watch this and try to forget that ESPN featured Perry, Kelly Rowland and 50 Cent on some NCAA college football game night song last Saturday night.

ROCKTOBER: THE CURE "NEVER ENOUGH" (1990)

I think The Cure's Robert Smith must have listened to a lot of Jimi as a kid.



(I'm two weeks into this and not one person has commented. Oh well, fuck it. I kinda knew I was doing it for my own entertainment anyway.)

ROCKTOBER: PIXIES "WHERE IS MY MIND?" (1988)

I saw them open up for Love & Rockets and The Cure back in 1989 in Giants Stadium. That seems like a long, long, long time ago now.

ROCKTOBER: DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 "ROMANTIC RIGHTS" (2005)

These guys were only around for a few years (2002 - 2005), but they knew how to rock.



"I don't want you, I need you."

CONTROL MY DISGUST

I'm looking forward to seeing Control, as I stated earlier. But after I saw this on the official site, and I'm voting it for the Worst Movie Poster of the Year:

Poster art for "Control."

Almost as bad as the Velvet Goldmine DVD US artwork vs. the European one.

This design is even worse when you consider über-photographer Anton Corbijn directed it. What, is he James Dean? I had no idea cigarettes killed Ian Curtis, I thought he hanged himself. And pink letters? PINK??? I even hate the rakish angle of the cigarette--it's barely in his mouth! It's so prominent and unnecessary, it's as if it was Photoshopped in by RJR Nabisco at the last minute. Thank You For Smoking!

In fact, just about any still frame taken from the trailer would have been better than that.

Or this:

Or anything else would have worked.

My friend Phil had this to say about the about the "selling" of this film in the US: "You'll like this: the American distributor of the film tried to get JOY DIVISION to play at the premiere. Think about that. That must - MUST - mean that the US distributor of the film doesn't know how the film ends." Oh sweet fancy Moses, I hope he's kidding--but I know he's not. Actually, I heard the original ending didn't test well with American focus groups, so they "tweaked" it and now he drives off into the sunset with that replicant chick. No, wait, how about Ian Curtis eating onion rings at a diner, listening to Iggy Pop on the jukebox--and then the screen goes black. (I would have picked "Don't Stop Believin'" as the song, but it hadn't been written yet.)

UPDATE: Nope, he wasn't kidding. Here's an excerpt from the article.

Losing Control: America forgets Ian Curtis is rather R.I.P.
Shortlist magazine has revealed that distributors in the US, working the new Anton Corbijn film Control, asked if Joy Division could perform live at the US premiere. Says Joy Division and New Order bassist Peter Hook: "Someone from the film's US distributor's office phoned up saying that the New York premiere was on 25 September and would Joy Division play?" I replied, 'Well, the last I heard, the lead singer was dead but I'll give them a ring and see if anything has changed'."

Wow, that's shitastic. Man, do I want to slap one of those douchebags in the face. Still, it's nice to see the NY Times put a few articles in the Sunday edition about Joy Division, even though it's a bit of revisionist history at its best.

Music to Brood by, Desolate and Stark By SIMON REYNOLDS, October 7, 2007, NY Times
The Cult of the Lads From Manchester By DENNIS LIM, October 7, 2007, NY Times

Back in 1987, Jon Pareles wrote off the entire genre as being "mope-rock" (GLUM ROCK: MOPE AROUND THE CLOCK), a term he's apparently proud of since he's trotted out for the last 20 years, up to and including the latest Interpol concert last month (Glum as Can Be, but Those Suits Sure Are Natty). Yes, I never forget a douchebag's name.

ROCKTOBER: RUSH "TOM SAWYER" (1981)

Today's ROCKTOBER entry features one of the best live bands ever, doing what they do best. This video has the most hockey hair on display than all the others. It's the Exit Stage Left version, even.



Oh Canada!

ROCKTOBER: PEARL JAM "PORCH (UNPLUGGED)" (1992)

When I heard they were doing MTV Unplugged I thought it wouldn't work, but Pearl Jam proved you don't have to be plugged in to rock.

ROCKTOBER: RADIOHEAD "PARANOID ANDROID" (1997)

Why are there so many blog posts about In Rainbows? Instead of spending any more time on the new Radiohead album that I just downloaded today (it's very good, and even better considering I only paid £1.45, or roughly $37.50 US), here's a clip of them just flat out rocking: a performance of "Paranoid Android", live on the Jools Holland show in 1997.

ROCKTOBER: ALICE IN CHAINS "WOULD?" (1993)

Excellent performance video from the "Later with Jools Holland" show in 1993.



And no, YouTube, I refuse to click on the "Live 2006 with Sebastian Bach" video ("Man in the Bach"?).

ROCKTOBER: THE POLICE "MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE" (1979)

Originally released in 1979, The Police played this song to kick off their 2007 show and you could hardly tell what year it was--they sounded fantastic. I was going to post an amateur video of them from Bonnaroo 2007, but I decided to post this since I'd never seen it before.

It's from a BBC series from 1978 - 1981 that showcased up and coming rock bands called "Rock Goes To College". This is the first time they performed the song live, on Feb 21, 1979.



BONUS: Here's the Sting version from "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball" (1982). Great music and Monty Python: what more do you need?

ROCKTOBER: THE WHO "BABA O'RILEY" (1978)

I remember seeing this video on an almost daily basis in the early years of MTV. Man, is Pete Townshend LIT UP for this show. I thought he was going to break his hand hitting that tamborine.

ROCKTOBER: JIMI HENDRIX "VILLANOVA JUNCTION" (1969)

There was only one Jimi. Here he is at Woodstock in 1969 playing "Villanova Junction", which features some of the sickest guitar work committed to film.

ROCKTOBER: THE SMITHS "WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?" (1983)

This month (well, Sept. 29, to be exact) marks the 20th anniversary of The Smiths final (and weakest) studio album, Strangeways, Here We Come. Although there are some great songs, weak maudlin tracks like "Paint A Vulgar Picture" and "I Won't Share You" seem to mark a band falling apart at the seams.

Before all that happened, and the Smiths reunion rumors began flying over the past year or so ($75 million? BULLSHIT), they played some fantastic live shows (or so I've heard; the one show of theirs that I was planning to see was cancelled due to Andy Rourke getting stung by a sting ray, or some such nonsense).

Here's "What Difference Does It Make?" performed live at the Hacienda in Manchester, England on July 6, 1983.

ROCKTOBER: SOUNDGARDEN "FELL ON BLACK DAYS" (1995)

Here's the video for Soundgarden's "Fell On Black Days". This is a great live in studio version, not the Superunknown album version.



Whatever happened to Kim Thayil? And does he do weddings?

Since it's cliche to say "remember when MTV played videos", I'll say instead: "Remember when MTV2 was created just to play videos?" So much for that.

(Another blow for music video: cable channel The Tube went belly up this week. Oh well.)

ROCKTOBER: STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN "VOODOO CHILE (SLIGHT RETURN)" (1983)

ROCKTOBER. STEVIE RAY. 'NUFF SAID.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble perform Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" live at the El Mocambo in 1983.



A song passed down from one guitar god to the next. The part at 2:47 where he plays with one hand just blows my little mind. If I had 7 hands I'd still never be able to play that great.

ROCKTOBER: TOOL "SOBER" (1993)

I missed Tool when they played on the second stage at Lollapalooza in 1993. At least I didn't miss Alice in Chains, Primus, or Rage Against the Machine. Or Arrested Development (no, not the show, the band).

Here's a clip from that tour of Tool performing "Sober".

ROCKTOBER: AC/DC "LET THERE BE ROCK" (1977)

Amidst all the indie rock nonsense that I'm surrounded by (and willingly listen to), I realized that we really need some more rock up in this piece. I'm sick of sensitive singers like Feist, St. Vincent, Arcade Fire, and Sufjan Stevens. It's ROCKTOBER so let's kick some ass.

To start it off, here's some classic Bon Scott-era AC/DC from 1977, performing "Let There Be Rock".



I was never a huge AC/DC fan, but this kicks. Can't get enough of Angus Young in those disturbing shorts. Plus it looks like they're performing in a high school gymnasium.