NO FUTURE (SLIGHT RETURN)

You know what? The whole Jubilee thing bugs me. I can't believe that kind of sucky tradition still exists. With or without the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen," it gets under my skin, as does everything that doesn't really have a common sense purpose. (The Jubilee is right below neckties on that list.) That said, when "God Save the Queen," came out, I wasn't even cognizant of the Silver Jubilee. Though not written specifically about, or for, the Jubilee, it coincided with the event. The Sex Pistols just resented the monarchy. Regardless, they just gave me one more thing to be annoyed about. The lasting effect, though, was that it reinforced the mindset, of questioning not necessarily just authority, but anything that doesn't make sense.

Here's some stuff. The Sex Pistols version, a cover, and a few other odds and ends added as filler. I definitely recommend the Pistols' stuff, including the clip from The Filth and the Fury. After that, you're on your own. The Queen Haters thing (at the very bottom) is kind of stupid, but I did get a chuckle from the lyrics.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Sex Pistols - God Save The Queen mp3 at Clones Project
Nouvelle Vague - God Save the Queen mp3 at Cover Me
Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant mp3 at Review Stalker
Sex Pistols - EMI (from Spunk) mp3 at This Is Fil
Sex Pistols - Satellite (Suburban Kid), unreleased version mp3 at Dalston Oxfam Shop
Sex Pistols - Seventeen (Wessex Studio outtake) mp3 at Sibling Shot on the Bleachers
Bonus oddballs:

Le Anarchie Pour Le UK (in French) mp3at Stillerman.com (From the film The Great Rock n' Roll Swindle)

Anarchy in the UK (as read by computer) mp3 at Internet Archive
Bananarama - No Feelings mp3 at Cover Me
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Pretty Vacant mp3 at Cover Me
Video:
Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen at YouTube From The Filth and the Fury
Motörhead - God Save the Queen at YouTube
The Queen Haters - I Hate the Bloody Queen (from SCTV) at YouTube
Visit:
God Save the Queen - Song entry at Wikipedia

I JUST CAN GET ENOUGH

Here's a handful from the "are they still doing this?" basket. Nouvelle Vague: swell concept. But, how long can they keep it up? Is it already old? Are they just Sha Na Na for hipsters? Who cares? Ever heard them do the Cramps' "Human Fly"? Or the Dead Kennedys' "Too Drunk To Fuck"? Sick of questions? Do you have the attention span left to hear them do the Clash's "Guns of Brixton"? Seriously, some of their covers stink, but these are good. One per mix, tops.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Nouvelle Vague - Human Fly mp3 at Cover Freak
Nouvelle Vague - Too Drunk To Fuck mp3 at Le Blog de la Grande Chose
Nouvelle Vague - Guns of Brixton mp3 at Motel de Moka

FIGHT ROAD RAGE

The man, João Gilberto, and first lady, Astrud Gilberto

It all started with a hunt on BandCamp, a site that lets bands can sell their own music via download or CD. As you might guess, this lets all sorts of hack amateurs in, so a hunt for good stuff is random at best. Thankfully, Maylee Todd had an interesting album cover. That prompted a sample listen, and it was some good stuff; bossa nova, as if Stereolab had crashed the recording session. Before I knew it, I was pulling the first Nouvelle Vague CD for my daily drive. As I listened to it, it occurred to me that bossa nova always has a calming effect, it makes it seem like you're on a sunny beach. I figured some of you may be freezing your ass off right about now, so here's some a little sumpin' sumpin' to warm you up.

Maylee Todd, the kid

First, about the instigator, Ms Maylee Todd. As much as I dug her "Summer Sounds," the imaginative video for the song is really good clean fun; switching gears mid-song before ascending into an intergalactic dance party. Then there's Nouvelle Vague, whom some of you may be familiar with. Their first album was bossa nova themed, and, like their subsequent releases, all covers; specifically new wave, post-punk and punk covers. It featured singers from France, Brazil and New York, all selected for their unfamiliarity with the original versions. Nowhere is the juxtaposition more intriguing than their take on the Dead Kennedy's "Too Drunk to Fuck." Next up is the Mosquitos, a band consisting of two New Yorkers and, literally, a girl from Ipanema. (Not sure if they're still at it, their site seems to be dormant.) Following them is Smokey & Miho, an unlikely collaboration between a guitarist for Beck, and a singer from Japan's Cibo Matto. And after them, three cuts from bossa nova royalty, the Gilberto clan. João Gilberto is of course, the Chuck Berry of bossa nova; the dude created it. That's huge; like inventing reggae or something. Astrud, his wife, had never sung professionally before being coaxed by Stan Getz, into trying the vocals for "The Girl From Ipanema." And then there's daughter Bebel, holder of the Gilberto torch.

The Mosquitos

Just a couple more. There's Quincy Jones' take on the sound in "Soul Bossa Nova," if only to illustrate that when the band gets too big, you lose the necessary simplicity. The most ill-informed of the bunch is a cover from a hokey concept project, Bossa n' Ramones. It's rather tacky, even when compared to Nouvelle Vague, but it's a curiosity nonetheless. The last link is to the top eleven bossa nova songs, past and present, as selected by Caipirinha Lounge. This is a no-brainer. I will humbly defer to their picks, as they know eleven bona fide bossa nova artists and I had to pad my picks with a bunch of newer artists. Plus they've got a very cool site, and must know what the hell they're talking about.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Maylee Todd - Summer Sounds mp3 at I Love T.O.
Nouvelle Vague - Too Drunk to Fuck mp3 at Town Full of Losers
Mosquitos - Boom Box mp3 at Kick Kick Snare
Smokey & Miho - Consolacao mp3 at Salon.com
Astrud Gilberto - Berimbau mp3 at Too Much Happiness
Bebel Gilberto - Chica Chica Boom Chic mp3 at Panic Manual
João & Astrud Gilberto w/Stan Getz - The Girl From Ipanema mp3 at Caipirinha Lounge
Bossa n' Ramones - Blitzkreig Bop mp3 at Music For Maniacs
ESSENTIAL: Top 11 Bossa Nova Songs, Past & Present at Caipirinha Lounge