The Undertones - Get Over You (live)

I was looking for a good recording of Get Over You to share with a friend, and I found this great live version:



I love how Beach Boys they look here. Nothing against the Beach Boys, they're one of my favorites. It's just you don't think "Irish 70s punk" and "sweaters," or I least I didn't.

I first heard this song long ago, right after breaking up with someone in a messy and heartbreaking fashion. And I told everyone about this great song. I figure they must have seen it as a cry for help or a disguised message. It wasn't - I just loved the song, the chord progression, the raw and jangly notes, and Feargal Sharkey's voice. I only heard this, Here Comes the Summer, and Gotta Getta, and out of the three this is the best one. So I had little else to go on or to play for other people to show them what the band was like.

Le Tigre - Deceptacon / My My Metrocard

I discovered Le Tigre thanks to airplay on WFMU, on the Cherry Blossom Clinic with Terre T. Her show also introduce me to Puffy and to Peelander Z.

I was never into Bikini Kill, I've mentioned that before. I recognize they are good, but they aren't for me in general. Le Tigre, though, I just liked. The first two songs I heard by them were these two:

Deceptacon



My My Metrocard



Catchy.

Rancid - Ghost of a Chance (Live on Conan)

Rancid played on Conan O'Brien's show last night:



Short, loud, and awesome.

Polysics - I Me My Mine

This band and this song were introduced to me yesterday by my new friend Eh-chan, who described them as the weirdest Japanese band she knew.

She's not wrong about weird.

She likes punk, especially Rancid and Green Day, so I introduced her to Ken Yokoyama. I featured him on this blog, so what the heck, here is Polysics. I think weird fits. Catchy, though.



Just keep checking out Polysics videos if you want more of the same kind of thing. It's not a one-off oddity from this band. They've got just enough Devo going to suck me in.

Dead Boys / Ramones at CBGBs

Thanks to my friend Ed for finding this and sending this along:

The Dead Boys and The Ramones live at CBGBs in 1979.



The Dead Boys song is Caught With the Meat in Your Mouth; as Joey says The Ramones play Loudmouth.

Too bad it's a little bit rough, but it's good to see them live back in the day.

Speaking of the Dead Boys and CBGBs is a whole set:

Foxboro Hot Tubs - Mother Mary

Just some music I'm listening to right now:

I really like this Green Day side project.

Joey Ramones & the Dictators - The Kids are Alright

Distorted, but really good - The Dictators with Joey Ramone on vocals covering The Who's "The Kids are Alright."



They're at Coney Island High, which if I recall correctly was managed by Lindsay Anderson of The Kowalskis.

The Criminals - Parlez Vous F*** You

This isn't the best track ever recorded by The Criminals, but it's got the best title and it's really awesome.



There is a good live version up on Youtube, too, plus one as part of a whole show including a "cover" of a Blatz song. Nice! I've only managed to see them live once, at Coney Island High in NYC, opening for Voodoo Glow Skulls* and another band whose name escapes me at the moment. (Editing later - it was Zeke)


* Who I've seen at least three times, and it might be more like five or more. I've seen three shows were they were headlining (went to see the opening band) or where they opened, and they played at a festival show I went to and I can't recall if I stopped to see their set. They've popped up a lot of shows I've been at not to see them and got to see them anyway. Kind of how I got to see H2O, actually.

Hi-Standard - Another Starting Line

I'm off to visit some old friends, back in the city where I was first introduced to Ken Yokoyama's and Hi-Standard's music. So here is a recent one, from their long-awaited reunion release.



I still need a "FUCK KEN" t-shirt, but I doubt I'll ever find one.

I think I've said this before, but I've had a running argument about Ken Yokoyama's English. I think his accent is very, very thick - but his English is correct, idiomatic, and smooth. It sounds very Japanese, but you don't get a lot of "Let's Fighting Love!" errors in his songs. Check out Ricky Punks III for what I mean:



Here is a bonus track, as well - Ken Yokoyama, "Ten Years From Now."



I think that's Fat Mike from NOFX and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on the bass.