Monthly Archives: April 2014

My iPod #286: The Who – Doctor Jimmy

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Happy Easter everybody.

The first post today marks the start of the “Doctor” trilogy. This particular song is not about someone who is in that line of work. The second post coming later on today, and tomorrow’s are. Maybe tomorrow, ’cause I’ll be at my friend’s place. The next three songs all have the word ‘Doctor’ in them, basically.

“Doctor Jimmy” is the longest track on The Who’s album “Quadrophenia“, coming in at a hefty 8 and a half minutes. It only contains three verses and the “Is It Me?” segment that is meant to represent John Entwistle’s personality. Apart from that are some rather long instrumental passages where the band jam and play off one another.

In terms of the album’s concept, Jimmy – the main character – is pissed off with everything. The Mod life he believed in was all a lie. He starts drinking gin to see if it can ‘hold [him] down’, but instead the alcohol brings out the absolute worst. A bit like that story by Robert Louis Stevenson.

In the midst of it, he is still able to think about which one of the four personalities he possesses is actually his – hence the “Is It Me?” part. Overall, it’s all too much to take so he steals a boat, heavily intoxicated and sails off into the sea.

Dramatic stuff.  Very tense.

Instrumentally, so much happens in the track that I don’t think I could even describe it to you. It’s The Who really, what more do you need.

My iPod #285: Franz Ferdinand – Do You Want To

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After a year and a bit of waiting, “Do You Want To” was Franz Ferdinand’s ‘we’re back’ single in 2005, their first one from their then upcoming second album “You Could Have It So Much Better” with Franz Ferdinand. The band went on to shorten the name.

I remember the first time I watched the “Do You Want To” video well. And the second time…. and the third. And so on. That’s because (after, again, premiering the day before on Channel 4) it was repeated every hour on MTV2. The band pretend to be drunk, or just act really stupidly, at a casual gathering. It seemed that they were pleased that everybody’s favourite Scottish band had returned, after what seemed like a long, long… long year and a bit. It was very hard to hear the same thing over and over without getting a bit sick of it; fortunately it isn’t an annoying track.

The anticipation towards a night out is the subject of many songs. Take this one, for example. That is what “Do You Want To” is about too. But in this case, Alex has his eyes on someone that he wants to take out for a night in the town. That someone is the listener… and we are very lucky to be chosen. With the infectious “doo doo doos” and the memorable chorus, it’s very hard to refuse Alex’s offer.

My iPod #284: The Kinks – Do You Remember Walter?

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This is the second track from The Kinks’ 1968 album “The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society“, a collection of fifteen songs about living in the country, nostalgia, and general English culture. Without listening to the albums that came before it, I have come to the conclusion that the album was the group’s last best one. I’ve heard “Arthur” and “Muswell Hillbillies” but they were such a drag to listen to. The only song on “Village Green” that I can’t really listen to casually is “Last of the Steam-Powered Trains”, but the rest are light-hearted, carefree, sometimes tragic but still upbeat. “Walter” fits in with those last two adjectives.

Did you have a friend in primary school who you felt was like a brother to you? Were you inseparable? You thought you could take on the world together when you were grown ups? (Or at least keep in touch with each other every day at the start of Year Seven?) That’s nice. I had one of those friends…. We haven’t kept in touch so much. I actually haven’t spoken to him in about three years. He’s got new friends; I have mine. But the memories of our times in school stay strong.

That’s essentially what “Walter” is all about. I’m sure a lot of you will be able to relate to it.

There are more songs to talk about from this album. Their time will come. Have fun with this one for the time being.

My iPod #283: OK Go – Do What You Want

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This song has three official videos for it. Why, you might ask? I’m not particularly sure myself. But the one above isn’t the one I wanted up. This is the version I saw on the TV first so it has that extra sentimental value or whatever. The ‘tour’ version will have to do.
This is “Do What You Want”, a song by OK Go released as a single from their second album “Oh No” released in 2005. What a track this one is too. After seeing “A Million Ways” and being captivated by the band’s creative dance routine, I didn’t see anything from the band for a few months until this unexpectedly popped up in a random music chart on MTV2. It may have been in a “New Music” segment thing, but the memory’s a bit fuzzy.
I’ve never cared to think about what the song’s about. Not in a bad way; I’ve always liked the way it sounded. Really bright, with a clunky guitar riff and a smooth and deep bass line. Along with a nice positive message of doing what you want. It’s something to play at those parties where all you play is indie tunes. It’s bound to get some people on their feet. I’ve never been to any of those kinds of parties, so I wouldn’t know. Then the song was part of the soundtrack of Burnout Revenge, and it buried itself into my head that much more. Something about racing down the street and taking out cars at high speeds caused a proper adrenaline rush. This song, as well as the many others, made the experience so worthwhile. I should play that game again, I haven’t even completed it.
Enjoy the song.

My iPod #282: Super Furry Animals – Do or Die

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After coming downstairs in the early hours of the morning, switching on the television and changing it to MTV2, the video for “Do or Die” – the last single from “Guerrilla“, the third album by Welsh band Super Furry Animals – came on. It was over quickly because the song’s only two minutes long, but even afterwards I could slightly remember the melody of the chorus, even though I had no idea what Gruff Rhys was singing apart from the title phrase. That was in 2005 or so. I didn’t hear it again until roughly seven years later.

“Do or Die” wasn’t even supposed to be a single. Originally the band had chosen the album track “Wherever I Lay My Phone (That’s My Home)” for release, but the label meddled around and promoted “Die” instead. The band weren’t very pleased. I am though, “That’s My Home” annoys me a bit; it’s very repetitive and doesn’t really go anywhere. It one of those tracks that I think I would have liked when I was four, and then listened to it later on in life thinking “What was so good about this again?”.

The track’s cool, man. It’s got funny lyrics about riding camels and eating tomatoes and a simple, catchy riff that alternates between two chords. The track becomes louder and louder from the instrumental part onwards before coming to a complete stop whilst synthesizer noises carry on and eventually fade out.  Plus it has a really bubbly intro, helped along with those keyboards, that sounds like background music to the start of a Saturday morning children’s television show.