Tuesday, August 16, 2016

It's Canadian Content Week: Première Partie !

As you may have heard, a certain Shady Dame and I are off for a three day vacation with our neighbors in the Great White North.

So in celebration of this milestone in cross-cultural pollination, from 1977, please enjoy Toronto's pride and joy The Diodes and their fabulous punk deconstruction of The Cyrkle's "Red Rubber Ball."




More canucklehead rock on the morrow.

6 comments:

Billy B said...

Nice cover. I always liked the original. And, I didn't realize Paul Simon wrote the tune. Cool. Changing the subject, yesterday was Jimmy Webb's 70th birthday. Heard him in an interview on WXPN last afternoon. I knew he had written several hits recorded by Glen Campbell, but had no idea hoe many more tunes for others he had written. Again, cool.

Anonymous said...

BillyB: In reference to Jimmy Webb: Completely unique. A treasure. He went to San Bernardino Valley College and wrote a #4 regional Christmas hit for Otto's Organization. This was a twelve member group and an offshoot of the college choir that he wrote and performed with.

Local radio station KMEN was giving hot air balloon rides to contest winners. This inspired Webb to write Up, Up and Away. Johnny Rivers really launched Webb's career. Check out the 5th Dimension's Magic Garden album to get a full dose of prime early Webb.

As for the Diodes, maybe they were better live. They sound like neutered Ramones in the studio.

VR

MJConroy said...

Not a bad cover. Every time I hear the Cyrkle, I wonder how if they would've had hits without Brian Epstein managing and Paul Simon writing and John Simon producing. Certainly not the best vocal chops in the business.

Alzo said...

I saw the Diodes open for the Ramones in 77. Word was that they were Video Art students- just like us! They ripped it up really well. Their LP was excellent, with a definitive take on Mann/Weill's 'Shape of Things to Come.' They sanded down their edges to craft a nice 45, 'Tired of Waking Up Tired' and then ... ?

Mark said...

Today, this Red Rubber Ball covers sounds great. But back when it came out, it sounded to me like some manager suggested to an up-and-coming band to do a revved-up version of a 1960s popsicle to get some airplay. So I went over to Spotify to listen to a Diodes comp, TIRED OF WAKING UP TIRED, and now regret not listening to the band in its time.

I blame myself.

mistah charley, ph.d. said...

the cyrkle were an opening act for the beatles at dc stadium in 1966

also opening - bobby hebb - "sunny"

this was in the days before ticketron etc and the tickets were printed with a picture of the beatles - not only did i save mine, but it was autographed after the show!

so i carried it around in my wallet for twenty years, and repeatedly told the story of how i saw the beatles live and the ticket was autographed after the show, while i took the ticket out of my wallet and handed it to the person i was talking to -

who, when they looked at the back, saw that the autograph was MY autograph

i stopped doing this after i lost my wallet with the ticket in it

i still have the story