Friday, May 30, 2008

Weekend Listomania (Special Carpe Diem! Video Edition)

Well, it's Friday and you know what that means. Yes, my Oriental flunky Hop-Sing and I are off to Georgetown, Texas, for the third and final session of our Writer's Seminar with the great Allen Butler, the literary genius behind Why I Stopped Writing For Helium.com. Could be a hot one -- especially if a certain banned-at-Atrios Swiss nuclear phycisist/runway model shows up with her beard. (That's an actual beard, BTW, not an escort).

In any case, as a result, posting by moi will necessarily be somewhat fitful for a few days.

But until then, as always, here's a fun project for you all to contemplate:

BEST POST-ELVIS POP/ROCK SONG OR RECORD WHOSE TITLE REFERENCES TIME -- THE 4th DIMENSION!!!!

Completely arbitrary rule: The word "season" is allowed. Also days of the week.

Okay, that said, here's my totally top of my head Top Ten.

10. Six O'Clock (The Lovin' Spoonful)



For my money, their best record -- a great song, stunning production, and the crack in Sebastian's voice is almost a metaphor for their good time vibe running headlong into the heart of darkness of the late 60s.

9. Time of the Season (The Zombies)



I know, I know, I've never posted this song before.

8. Quarter to Three (Gary US Bonds)



Some of our younger readers (by which I mean those born between the invention of the blowdryer and the premiere of the television series Manimal) may not believe this, but back in the day, my buddies and I killed hours playing the opening few seconds of this over and over again in a fruitless quest to discern the rumored dirty words. Think of that as a sort of hormonal adolescent version of the myth of Sisyphus.

7. Twelve-Thirty (The Mamas and Papas)



A great song, I think, but mostly because I'm just sick to death of the more obvious "Monday, Monday."

6. A tie:

Yesterday (The Beatles)



IIRC this is the world's most covered song. Incidentally -- anybody ever seen that clip before? I haven't, and I'm wondering where the string section was. Off-stage? Or maybe on tape? (Although synching Paul live to a taped backing would have been a fairly complex technical feat back in 1966).

and

Yesterday's Gone (Chad and Jeremy)



I only found out recently that Chad actually played the cool acoustic guitar stuff on their records. Hey -- it was a big deal for me!

5. Yesterday's Papers (The Rolling Stones)



From "Between the Buttons," still the Stones least understood great album.

4. Another tie:

In The Midnight Hour (Wilson Pickett)



Sheesh, I'll bet this has been covered only slightly fewer times than "Yesterday."

and

After Midnight (Eric Clapton)



That's the song's auteur, the wonderful J. J. Cale, trading licks with EC, in case you were wondering.

3. Time Has Come Today (Chambers Brothers)



More cowbell!!! True sad story: My skinny tie band had a sort of year-long residency at a club in the Village in the 80s. It was several weeks before I realized that the maƮtre d' was the guy singing this song.

2. Business Time (Flight of the Conchords)



For NYMary, obviously, but also because I wanted something recorded in this decade. Plus it's a great song.

And the absolute coolest 4th dimensional ditty, it's so obvious why the frick are we even arguing about it, is --

1. She Don't Care About Time (The Byrds)



Genius songwriting by Gene Clark and Roger (nee Jim) McGuinn playing "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" on the break. It doesn't get any better.

Awrighty then -- what would your choices be?

Shameless Blogwhore: My companion movie Listomania is now up over at Box Office. As always, every time you leave a comment over there, an angel gets its wings.

[h/t Brooklyn Girl]

28 comments:

dave™© said...

Jeez. Steve - the orchestra's where it should be - the pit!

You'd think a guy your age would know that!

Anonymous said...

Somewhere In Time - Dave Alvin
The Times They Are A-Changin' -Bob Dylan
Time In A Bottle -Jim Croce
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times -Beach Boys
24 Hrs. From Tulsa -Gene Pitney
Long Time Gone -CSN
Time Will Show The Wiser -Fairport Convention
In My Hour Of Darkness -Gram Parsons

*My brain hurts.*

Ali said...

sixty minute man

time is on my side

no time (the guess who)

that's it for me.

steve simels said...


ali said...
no time (the guess who)



Yes!!! God, what a cool song....

steve simels said...

Oh, and on careful re-observance, I think Dave™ may be right -- there's something going in front of th stage...

Feral said...

I've got time for a few...

Obviously, Pink Floyd - Time
Cream - Sleepytime Time
Easybeats - Friday on My Mind
Kris Kristofferson - Sunday Morning Coming Down
Chairmen of the Board - Give Me Just a Little More Time

Anonymous said...

There's another song called Six O'Clock -- it's on the Ringo album, and it was written by Paul McCartney.

Honorable mention to Patti Smith's version of Time is on My Side, just for the "tick-tock-tick-tock-FUCK THE CLOCK!" rap that opens the song.

Tomorrow is a Long Time - Bob Dylan

New Morning - Dylan

Saturday Afternoon -- Jefferson Airplane

Six Days on the Road - every country band in the universe

Does "In the Year 2525" qualify?

steve simels said...

gummo said...

Does "In the Year 2525" qualify?


Yes, although I'm not sure as what.

I believe it was Robert Christgau who famously said that Zager and Evans made Simon and Garfunkel sound like Marx and Engels.

Anonymous said...

Rolling Stones: "Midnight Rambler", "Ruby Tuesday", "Let's Spend the NIght Together"

Beatles: "Eight Days a Week", "Any Time At All", "A Hard Day's Night"

Boomtown Rats: "I Don't Like Mondays"

INXS: "Need You Tonight"

Blues Project "No Time Like the Right Time"

The Allmans: "Midnight Rider"

Kinks: "All Day and All of the Night"

U2: "Beautiful Day"

FOW: "Please Don't Rock Me Tonight"

Doors: "End of the Night"

Springsteen: "Glory Days"

Outsiders: "Time Won't Let Me"

Yardbirds: "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago"

Talking Heads: "Once in a Lifetime", "Life During Wartime" (okay, maybe those are a bit of a cheat ... )

Anonymous said...

Haven't seen anybody suggest Five O'Clock World by The Vogues yet.

David said...

11:59: Blondie
12:51: The Strokes
4:48 Psychosis--Tindersticks
and just to annoy I have to include "25 or 6 to 4" which refers to...very late in the morning.
....Steve, crazy and kind of sad about the Chambers Bros. singer having to resort to the culinary arts. The song was seriously memorable in the freaked-out party sequence in Shampoo. Where was your residency, pray tell?

Anonymous said...

A gem from my youth:

Lovin' Spoonful - Six O'Clock

B Northcut said...

Does Anybody Really Know what Time it IS? - Chicago

Who Knows Where the Time Goes-Fairport Convention

The Thousand Days, Morning in Myra's Room, Any Time of Day - Green Pajamas

Time- Tom Waits

April 14th (parts I and II), Honey, Now - Gillian Welch

It's Only Time- The Magnetic Fields

1 p.m. Again-Yo La Tengo

YOu and Me in Time-Broadcast

100 Days, 100 Nights- Sharon Jones and Dap Kings

Come Down in Time — Elton John

ms. rosa said...

'midnight to six man' - the pretty things

'rock around the clock' - bill haley &co.

'bummer in the summer' - love

hoo, boy! gonna stop right there. 'bummer in the summer' makes me wanna run out and jump in a kiddy pool full of ice-cold, purple-tinted lemonade!

steve simels said...

David said...
Where was your residency, pray tell?


Kenny's Castaways. We actually were one of the house bands there for a couple of years. We used share bills with the Smithereens alot. They were our heroes....

TJWood said...

I'm going to try to make it ten this week:

1. Today--Jefferson Airplane

2. Two choices here, both Beatles-related:
a. Tomorrow Never Knows (the Beatles, from Revolver, of course)
b. Tomorrow (Paul McCartney, from the first Wings album. I know, but this is one of his best "slight" songs, IMHO)

3. To get yesterday in there, Yesterday Girl--The Smithereens

4. This Year's Girl--Elvis Costello

5. Ruby Tuesday--The Rolling Stones

6. Dancing Days--Led Zeppelin

7. This Will Be Our Year--The Zombies

8. 11 O' Clock Tick Tock--U2

9. In The Wee Small Hours of Sixpence--to finally get a Procol Harum mention

10. In honor of today, Friday--Joe Jackson

Unknown said...

TMBG "Four of Two"
Belaire "Midnight Waltz"
Baskervilles "A Little More Time" and "Where Did My Summer Go?"
Bruuuuuce "living in the future"
Double Dan "Dead in December" and "Time is on my side"
Imperial Teen "21st Century"
Mendoza Line "30 Year Low"
Mitch Easter "Time Warping"
RHPS "Time Warp"
The Honeydrips "Here Comes the Future"
Heavenly "I Fell in Love Last Night"
Glenn Mercer "Days to Come"
VU "Sunday Morning"
B-52's "Love in the Year 3000"
Joe Jackson "Night and Day"
Dream Syndicate "Days of Wine and Roses"
Los Campesinos "My Year in Lists"
Friday Bridge "The 21st Century"
Lucksmiths "The Year of Driving Langourously" and "After the After Party"
Young Marble Giants "Final Day"
Bangles "Manic Monday"

Anonymous said...

steves said...
A gem from my youth:

Lovin' Spoonful - Six O'Clock


Doh!!

What can I say? I'm a maroon.

Anonymous said...

Turtles - Somewhere Friday Night

Spongetones - Where Were You Last Night

The Pezband - Stop! Wait A Minute

Richard X Heyman - Palace Of Time

Sam Phillips - She Can't Tell Time

Television - Days

Matthew Sweet - Day For Night

Camper Van Beethoven - One of These Days

Wondermints - Time Has You

Spirit - Morning Will Come

Los Lobos - Good Morning Atzlan

Los Lobos - This Time

Sagitarius - Another Time

Chad and Jeremy - Morning

Guadalcanal Diary - 3 AM


Jim

Anonymous said...

Did anyone say:
"Time and Love" (Laura Nyro)
"Midnight Train to Georgia(Gladys Knight)
"I Believe When I Fall in Love With You, It Will Be Forever" & "Love's in Need of Love Today", and of course, "Yester-me, Yester-you, Yesterday" -
Stevie Wonder

Anonymous said...

5.15 - the who (and counts double as a mode of transportation for last week!)

another tricky day - the who

just who is the 5 o'clock hero - the jam (and yes, they do a couple of 'midnight' songs, too)

clock goes round - kirsty maccoll

she can't tell time - sam phillips

at the chime of a city clock - nick drake

time is on my side - irma thomas (the stones based their version on hers - it's a must)

time after time - r.e.m. (stephen malkmus's least favorite song, but i always liked it)

endless night - graham parker

this time tomorrow - the kinks

days - the kinks

time tough - toots and the maytals

the night's too long - lucinda williams

what time is it - the jive five (the marshall crenshaw is the one i know, tho)

David Rasmussen said...

25 o'clock, Dukes of the Stratosphere

Who Am Us Anyway? said...

when's the next bus to oswego? said ... “This Time Tomorrow – Kinks”

Reminded me that this fine song was included in the soundtrack of Les Amants Reguliers, a movie I haven’t seen (& which got terrible reviews), but which resulted in this nice video, which I found oddly moving.

david said ... and just to annoy I have to include "25 or 6 to 4" …

Yes, Chicago could be very annoying indeed but I have to say Terry Kath could play some cool lines, & his solo in that song is one of those deals where, you hear it once, you don’t forget it. I don't know who Tom the Guitar Instructor from St. Louis is, but his note-by-note rendition of Kath’s moment in the (late morning) sun is nice to watch.

dave™© said...

So did anyone mention "8:05" by Moby Grape?

It's in here somewhere...

dave™© said...

Tomorrow (Paul McCartney, from the first Wings album. I know, but this is one of his best "slight" songs, IMHO)

I'm a big fan of 4/5 of "Wild Life"... "Tomorrow" is a really great overlooked number, and I also like "Some People Never Know" and "Love Is Strange" a whole bunch... could do without the title track and "Dear Friend", though (apparently, "Friend" was actually cut during the "Ram" sessions)...

Anonymous said...

All Tomorrow's Parties - The Velvet Underground & Nico


Phil

steve simels said...

who am us anyway? said...
when's the next bus to oswego? said ... “This Time Tomorrow – Kinks”

Reminded me that this fine song was included in the soundtrack of Les Amants Reguliers, a movie I haven’t seen (& which got terrible reviews), but which resulted in this nice video, which I found oddly moving.


More recently it was also on the soundtrack to the amusing/poignant "Darjeeling Express."

Anonymous said...

I just realized-nobody mentioned "Out of Time" by the Stones, did they? Great use of that song in the movie "Coming Home".