As a result, posting by moi will be sporadic for a couple of days at least.
But in the meantime, here's a fun little project for us all:
Most Memorable Post-Elvis Song Referencing Members of the Animal Kingdom in the Title or Lyrics!!!
No arbitrary rules, you're welcome very much, and yes, I did more or less the same Listomania back in 2009. But since then I've lost countless brain cells and I'm reasonably sure my choices this time are totally different.
[Okay, if truth be told, I've only actually changed two entries. Are you happy now? Also, if you try to sneak a band named after an animal into the list I will come to your house and kill you. I'm serious about this. I mean obviously, this was inspired by Monkees Week. But just don't even try it.]
And with that out of the way -- my totally top of my head Top Seven is/are:
7. The Youngbloods -- Grizzly Bear
The most underrated American band of the 60s. And what I wouldn't give for a high quality live tape of these guys with the original personnel.
6. Al Wilson -- The Snake
"You knew I was a snake before you brought me in." You gals know the feeling, I'm sure.
5. The Fools -- Psycho Chicken
When this came out in 1980, I remember thinking it was a long-overdue skewering of David Byrne's pretentious anxiety attacks. In retrospect, it's basically just a sort of sophomoric Weird Al record, which is to say only moderately amusing or smart, and I'm somewhat more forgiving of Byrne's neuroses.
4. Bruce Springsteen -- Pretty Flamingo
A great song, obviously, but I've been looking for an excuse to post this particularly gorgeous 1975 live version (from the Roxy bootleg) again for ages. You're welcome.
3. Soupy Sales -- The Mouse
Rodent Mania. 'Nuff said.
2. The Hollies and Peter Sellers-- After the Fox
Even Burt Bacharach's joke songs are gorgeous. Seriously, that piano-riff-with-the-vocal-hisses is just a killer hook, isn't it?
And the numero uno musical ode to those below us on the food chain obviously is --
1. Gilda Radner -- Let's Talk Dirty to the Animals
Written by the late great comic genius Michael O'Donoghue. Since last I posted this, the concert film it derives from -- Gilda Live -- finally became available on home video. Act now
Alrighty, then -- what would your choices be?
19 comments:
In just the Beatles' White Album alone, you have Rocky Raccoon, Piggies, Happiness is a Warm Gun ("He went out tiger-hunting..."), Blackbird.....
White Bird by It's a Beautiful Day.
Dogs, Parts 1 & 2 by the Who.
Cliff Nobles - The Horse
Stu Daye - Foxes Owl
Byrds - Chestnut Mare
I Wanna Be Your Dog - Iggy Pop
Wild Horses - The Stones
Stray Cat Blues - Stones
(I'm a) Roadrunner - Jr. Walker
Ape Man - Kinks
Brontosaurus - The Move
Rock Lobster - B-52's
I Am the Walrus - Beatles
Bluebird - Bufflo Springfield
Albatross - Fleetwood Mac
Surfin' Bird - Trashmen
Ride Your Pony - Lee Dorsey
Cold Turkey - Plastic Ono Band
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
Bird On a Wire - Leonard Cohen
Dire Wolf - Grateful Dead
Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
Tiger By the Tail - Buck Owens
Little Red Rooster - Sam Cooke/Stones
Rattlesnake Shake - Fleetwood Mac
Barracuda - Heart
Boris the Spider - The Who
Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except For Me and My Monkey - Beatles
Rooster - Alice In Chains
Free Bird?
WORST: Bungle In the Jungle - Jethro Tull
VR - See You Later Alligator
The Move: Brontosaurus, Curly
The Beatles: Octopus's Garden
Bowie: Heroes ("I wish we could swim/like dolphins can swim")
Rolling Stones: Wild Horses, Bitch
Steve Miller: Fly Like an Eagle
Bob Marley: Buffalo Soldier
America: A Horse with No Name (I know- minus points)
Al Stewart: Year of the Cat
Bonzo Dog Band: Hunting Tigers Out in Indiah
The Kinks: Phenomenal Cat, Ducks on the Wall, Apeman, Animals in the Zoo
What jumped immediately to mind and is the only song that matters
Surfin' Bird by the Trashmen
The *only song that matters* -- ever!
Not exactly a "good" song, but for the bivalves, Elvis' "Do the Clam."
Meanwhile, great version of "Grizzly Bear." It was a real dance, would love to have seen and yelled it:
'The Grizzly Bear was first introduced to Broadway audiences in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1910 by Fanny Brice... The dance was rough and clumsy. During the dance, the dancers would yell out: "It's a Bear!" The genuine Grizzly Bear step was in correct imitation of the movements of a dancing bear...'
N.C.
Under My Thumb - Stones
When Doves Cry - The Dead Artist Formerly Known As Prince
Crawling King Snake - Hooker/Doors/Everybody
Dogs On the Run - Tom Petty
Snakes On Everything - Little Feat
Walking the Dog - Rufus Thomas/Stones
Hey Bulldog - Beatles
Too Much Monkey Business - Chuck Berry
She Caught the Katy (and left me a mule to ride) - Taj Mahal
Norwegian Wood - Beatles
Fox On the Run - The Sweet
Death On Two Legs - Queen
Wharf Rat - Grateful Dead
Tube Snake Boogie - ZZ Top
One Eyed Trouser Snake Rumba - Humble Pie
Twentieth Century Fox - Doors
Sting Me - Black Crowes
Medicated Goo - Traffic
79th and Sunset - Humble Pie
Choke My Chicken - Lyle Lovett
WORST: Karn Evil #9 (Seven virgins and a mule. Keep it cool. Keep it cool)
VR - Cookin' chicken fried in bacon grease
Pete Townshend, "Greyhound Girl", a song from "Lifehouse" that as far as I know the Who didn't record. Saw Townshend perform this solo (on a 12-string acoustic) at La Jolla Playhouse in 2001; moving, beautiful song. And speaking of Townshend and the Who, saw the current incarnation of the Who - or as they sometimes are waggishly called, "The Two" - in San Diego last week; terrific, terrific show. I know it's not really the Who in many respects, but even if you want to call it "Daltrey and Townshend play songs of the Who", it was goddamned good, and Zak Starkey could almost make you forget Keith Moon. Almost. And lest you think that the contradiction of it all escapes the two leads, during "I'm One" just before the final verse, Townshend ad-libbed "you must believe, you MUST believe, you MUST BELIEVE - that I'm seventeen..."
Warren Zevon, "Porcelain Monkey" - the only song I'm aware of to successfully rhyme "gold lame" (pretend there's an accent over the last e; my HTML-fu is weak today) and "sobriquet".
James Gang, "The Bomber" (lyric - "I can't sleep / the big-eyed peep steals cattle off my ranches") - saw Joe Walsh a few weeks ago and that was an excellent show too; Walsh and second guitarist Waddy Wachtel really went to town on this one.
Chris Whitley, "Bordertown" (lyric - "the Naugahyde law and the liquor shark") - Whitley was one-of-a-kind; this one is off his stunning debut, "Living with the Law".
WTF, how'd I forget these:
Horses - Patti Smith
Wildfire - Michael Murphey
I Ain't Superstitious - Howlin' Wolf/Jeff Beck Group
Long Snake Moan - PJ Harvey
Old Shep - Elvis Presley
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp - Led Zeppelin
Cherry Bomb - The Runaways
Tiger - Fabian/Fleetwood Mac
Diamond Dogs - David Bowie
Martha My Dear - Beatles
Honky Cat - Elton John
Catfish John - Johnny Russell/Jerry Garcia
Dancing Days - Led Zeppelin
Birds of Fire - Mahavishnu Orchestra
Too Many Fish In the Sea - Marvelettes/Mitch Ryder & Detroit Wheels
Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo - Rick Derringer/Johnny Winter
Cat Scratch Fever - Ted Nugent
Fish Heads - Barnes and Barnes
Prodigal Son - Stones
Tennessee Stud - Jimmy Driftwood/Doc Watson/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Dolphins - Fred Neil/and a cast of thousands
Stormy Monday - T-Bone Walker/Allman Brothers
Joy To the World - Three Dog Night
Birdland - Patti Smith
Jet - Paul McCartney & Wings
Stray Cat Strut - Stray Cats
Lady Samantha - Three Dog Night/Elton John
Three Cool Cats - Coasters/Beatles
Bitches Brew - Miles Davis
No Quarter - Led Zeppelin
Crocodile Rock - Elton John
King Kong - Zappa/Mothers/Jean-Luc Ponty
Freedom For the Stallion - Lee Dorsey/Three Dog Night/Hues Corporation
Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller
Old King - Neil Young
Does NIN - Closer count?
How about Werewolves Of London?
VR - a pink donation to the dragon of your dreams
WORST: Me and You and a Dog Named Boo - Lobo
VR
Warren Zevon - Gorilla, You're A Desperado
Damon Fox- Black Widow Spider (great, obscure 60s soul single on the same label, Crimson, that had a massive hit with the Soul Survivors' "Expressway To Your Heart")
J. Lag
I'm sure he's not very popular here, but from his pre-Ambiance days...
Brian Eno : Mother Whale Eyeless, Needles In The Camel's Eye, Taking Tiger Mountain, Little Fishes, Sombre Reptiles,The Lion Sleeps Tonight,& The Fat Lady Of Limbourg ("Well we checked out this duck, Quack...")
Then...
John Cale : Buffalo Ballet
Elvis (the Costello ...not the Presley) : King Horse, Fish 'n' Chip Paper, Psycho ("I just killed Johnny's pup...")
Elton John : High Flying Bird, Grey Seal
Mountain : The Animal Trainer And The Toad
Nick Drake : Black Eyed Dog
Procol Harum : A Salty Dog
Todd Rundgren : King Kong Reggae, Dogfight Giggle, Zen Archer, Drunken Blue Rooster, Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel, ("Today I saw a car crush my little dog under it's wheels...")
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra : Penguin Cafe Single
The Police : Behind My Camel, Canary In A Coalmine
Barenaked Ladies : Bull In A China Shop
Mary Hopkins : The Puppy Song
John Hiatt : Buffalo River Home
Bob Dylan : The Mighty Quinn (Quinn, The Eskimo) ("Ev’rybody’s ’neath the trees
Feeding pigeons on a limb...")
Ambrosia : Nice, Nice, Very Nice (via Kurt Vonnegut) ("Or the Lion Hunter in the jungle dark...")
Cream : Cat's Squirrel, Pressed Rat & Warthog, Tales Of Brave Ulysses,White Room ("Yellow tigers crouched in jungles in her dark eyes..."), Toad (please don't kill me!)
Clearly I've been reading this blog too long, as I remember getting snark for submitting Kitty's Back by Bruce. There was also Thank ya for lettin me be mice elf again by Sly and the Family Stone.
I do remember seeing Bruce in '75 doing Pretty Flamingo. Just sticks in the memory.
Too late and too tired to remember what else I entered before.
Raindogs - Tom Waits
Battered Old Bird and King Horse - Elvis Costello
Bird on a Wire - Leonard Cohen
Bunch of stuff by Rufus Thomas, including Do The Funky Chicken and Can Your Monkey Do The Dog.
Big Hat, No Cattle - Randy Newman
Catfish - Bob Dylan
Can I request a Plant Kingdom Listomania at some point?
Los Lobos - "Will the Wolf Survive?", off of How Will the Wolf Survive?. Again, these guys should be in the Rock Hall of Fame, no question. At least they were nominated this year.
Courtney Barnett - "Dead Fox", off of Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. I love this woman's music. IMHO, best current evidence that rock and roll is not dead (yet).
R.E.M. - "Wolves, Lower", off of Chronic Town. A youthful, pre-Murmur R.E.M. - unfortunately, the video sound quality is not the greatest.
Guadalcanal Diary - "Watusi Rodeo", off of Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man. Zebras, pythons, elephants, monkeys, rhinos, cows & water buffaloes. This band was popular in Athens GA in the early 80's, & quite fun live - I still quite like this album and its followup, Jamboree. Unfortunately, I don't think they ever really broke out beyond the South. (Bonus: Nick Lowe sighting at about 20 s.)
Sleater Kinney - "The Fox", off of The Woods. One of my go-to albums when I want it LOUD!
XTC - "Jason and the Argonauts", off of English Settlement. Beasts, exotic fish, and 'manimals'. And sheep parts.
And, under the broad, biological definition of Kingdom Animalia (beyond 4 legs):
Neko Case - "Outro with Bees", off of Blacklisted. Ms. Case has a large number in this category, I chose this short tune as I think it really works with her voice. Second choice is "City Swans", off of her most recent, The Worse Things Get….
Prince - "Starfish and Coffee", off of Sign O' the Times. A gorgeous, weird pop tune. Fits in with the Muppet video.
Squeeze - "Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)", off of Argybargy. On ToTP, with a bonus Top 20 countdown to remind you what was popular in Britain in the early 80's. Maybe you don't want to know.
Wooly Bully - Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs
Rockin' Robin - Bobby Day
China Cat Sunflower - Grateful Dead
Dixie Chicken - Little Feat
Sloth - Fairport Convention
Cock In My Pocket - Iggy & the Stooges
Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix
Walk This Way - Aerosmith
The Cuckoo - Everybody and then some - old English Folk song with mostly post Elvis versions
Live With Me - The Stones
May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose - Little Jimmy Dickens
Rocking Horse - Gov't Mule/Allman Brothers
Baby Ice Dog - Blue Oyster Cult
High Flyer - UFO
You Shook Me - Led Zeppelin
Cerdes (Outside the Gates Of) - Procol Harum
Seagull - Bad Company
Hummingbird - Leon Russell, Bob Seger
When I Get Home - Beatles
Lizard - King Crimson
Mr. Bojangles - Jerry Jeff Walker/NGDB
Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat - Bob Dylan
Precious - Pretenders
Where Ya At Mule - Dr. John
21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson (or Cat Food or Elephant Talk)
Mistress of the Salmon Salt (Quicklime Girl) - Blue Oyster Cult
Bad Little Doggie - Gov't Mule
Sick As a Dog - Aerosmith
The Farm - Jefferson Airplane
Under Pressure - ZZ Top
Imagine the Swan - Zombies
Birds - Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt
Mud Shark - The Mothers
Cobra - Quicksilver Messenger Service
The Revenge of Vera Gemini - Blue Oyster Cult
Space Monkey - Patti Smith
The Monkey Time - Major Lance
Dog Days - Atlanta Rhythm Section
Down To Seeds and Stems Again - Commander Cody
House at Pooh Corner - Loggins & Messina
Poor Little Critter In the Road - Knitters
Dead Skunk - Loudon Wainwright
Little Bird - Jerry Jeff Walker
Birds and the Bees - Jewel Akens
Money (That's What I Want) - Barrett Strong, Beatles
All About You - Stones
Tennessee Jed - Grateful Dead
Tight Rope - Leon Russell
WORST - Dominic the Impotent Bull - Elvis Presley
Does "Starfucker" count?
VR - I love you baby but I can't ball when I see those ducks on the wall
http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a535/VanessaStone/Alta%20Loma/7th%20Inning%20Stretch_zpsgv2geuvq.jpg
Looks like everyone's got most of them.
But I dodn't think anyone called out Jonathan Richman's "Abominable Snowman in the Market", or "Hey There Little Insect".
What about The Cramps "Human Fly"?
Wire-"I Am The Fly"
Pink Floyd- "Lucifer Sam"
The Kinks- Animal Farm
There's never enough when ... your pussy can do the dog:
7 and 7 Is - Love ( ... my dog lies hypnotized)
Orange Skies - Love (Nightingale, prettier than anything in the world ..)
Maggot Brain - Funkadelic
Song For Europe - Roxy Music (though the world is my oyster it's only a shell full of memories)'
Songbird - Fleetwood Mac
Montana - Zappa/Mothers (me and the pygmy pony over by the dental floss bush)
Stranglehold - Ted Nugent ( ... like a dog in heat)
New Pony - Bob Dylan
Formentera Lady - King Crimson(snuff brown walls where Spanish lizards run ...ringed by ants and musing over man
Pony In the Stable - Richard Thompson
War Pigs - Black Sabbath
Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - Genesis
Little Bird - Beach Boys
Pigs In Zen - Jane's Addiction
Spinning Wheel - Blood, Sweat & Tears
All the Wild Horses - Ray Lamontagne
Earlybird - Eagles (I don't give a fuck if you like it or not, it's a Bernie tune. Coulda picked Nightingale but it lacks huevos)
Cheepnis - Zappa/Mothers
My Rifle, My Pony & Me - Dino, Rick Nelson & Walter Brennan (Rio Bravo):-)
WORST: You're So Sweet Horseflies Keep Buzzin' 'Round Your Face - Neil Diamond
VR - whippin' up some dragon lotion
Totally bitchen and notably missed: (until now)
And Your Bird Can Sing - Beatles
Woman From Tokyo - Deep Purple (she is what moves in the soul of a dove)
Without Expression - Terry Reid
Moonage Daydream - David Bowie
London Homesick Blues - Gary P. Nunn and the Lost Gonzo Band
Feathered Fish - Love/Sons of Adam/Other Half/Baby Lemonade (got a story 'bout this but not now)
Leave My Kitten Alone - Little Willie John/Johnny Preston
Three Little Birds - Bob Marley & Wailers
Billion Dollar Babies - Alice Cooper (look it up if you don't know)
Cracked Actor - David Bowie (but since he pinned you baby you're a porcupine)
Belda Beast - Iron Butterfly (I know) plus their Theme - I saw these guys a bunch - loved Danny in the 1st incarnation - what a cutie, he was super flash
Does Raped and Freezin' count? (felt like I was hit by a diesel or a greyhound bus) (judges?) (that song got me kicked out of school when I stripped to it for the shop class guys. But I think I mentioned that already. At any rate, it was a win-win all the way around)
HONORABLE MENTION because he was the 5th Beatle and 6th Stone: Will It Go 'Round In Circles - Billy Preston
WORST: I Am .... I Said - Neil Diamond
INSUFFERABLE - Tarkus - Emerson, Lake & Palmer
DEATH PENALTY FOLLOWING SEVERE TESTICULAR ELECTRO-SHOCK, BARBED WIRE UP THE URETHRA AND SUBSEQUENT DISEMBOWELMENT: Who Let the Dogs Out - Baha Men
VR - we just ball and play and move like tigers on vaseline
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