Center Of The Universe #25

Giant Sand, “Center Of The Universe”
Marvin Gaye, “Love Party”
Paul Revere & The Raiders, “The Great Airplane Strike”
Prince, “Shockadelica - 12” Long Version”

Welcome to the Center Of The Universe! After our introductory theme comes a Side B slice of Marvin Gaye’s trippy disco dancefest In Our Lifetime, then Paul Revere & The Raiders toss out a great bit of fuzzed out, post-Dylan garage humor about airplane travel. While “The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker” remains my official Favorite Prince Song, “Shockadelica,” especially in its extended 12-inch mix, might run a close second. Story is the guy couldn’t believe Jesse Johnson was going to release an album named Shockadelica without a title track, so he came up with one that Johnson then declined. Prince instead gave it to “Camille,” his attempt to self-svengali by pitchshifting his voice. It came out as the b-side to “If I Was Your Girlfriend,” as it might have been redundant on Sign O The Times - a cross between the A-side and “Housequake.” But I could listen to this slinky, one-man band silliness for a half hour (please don't remind me of Ween’s version). Best song to ever feature the word “doopie”?

The Beach Boys, “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”
Wilco, “Hotel Arizona”
Eagles Of Death Metal, “High Voltage”
Kate NV, “slon (elephant)”

Dennis Wilson sings one of three Beatles covers on Beach Boys’ Party!, easily my favorite of their albums. Don’t get me wrong, Pet Sounds is good, but the casual hootenanny vibe on Party! is just magical, if secretly as arranged as a Wrecking Crew performance. Then we've got Wilco with one of the grander climaxes on their Being There album. It wasn't their debut album, but their first blessed with four stars in magazines. Eagles Of Death Metal not covering AC/DC’s song of the same name - though they did that too! - but offering their finest moment of self-objectification: “I want to be the showpiece of the nasty boy collection.” And some all-synth barely-pop from the latest album by Russia’s Kate NV.

Sly & The Family Stone, “Time For Livin’”
Charlie Parker, “Merry-Go-Round”
Funkadelic, “Take Your Dead Ass Home (Say Som’n Nasty)”
Sloan, “I Was Wrong”

I get why Sly & The Family Stone’s Small Talk disappointed people amidst various controversies and after There’s A Riot Goin’ On and Fresh, but it sounds gorgeous now -  a perfect example of critics not realizing how good they had it. If you're of a certain age & temperament, you might recognize these lyrics as hollered by Mike D on The Beasties’ Check Your Head. He wasn't really covering the song, just using the liner notes for inspiration. Then we hear Charlie Parker and band (including Miles Davis) spin around in circles before Funkadelic shares some bawdy limericks. Sloan’s 2004 album Action Pact wasn’t the commercial powerhouse they hoped for when letting Tom Rothrock produce, but it certainly wasn’t for a lack of quality radio rock.

Siouxsie & The Banshees, “Israel”
Sister Sledge, “Lost In Music”
Mission Of Burma, “Max Ernst”
Bauhaus, “Mask”

Let’s do a goth-adjacent block! I have Kaleidoscope, Juju and Twice Upon A Time by Siouxsie & The Banshees on the shelf. “Israel” is my favorite song by the band not included there. I didn’t realize what a big deal Sister Sledge is in Europe until I saw the Spotify numbers for the songs that didn’t go Top Ten stateside. “Lost In Music" actually made the UK top 20 in three different decades, thanks to multiple remixes. The Fall’s cover was never released as a single, but I bet it would have gone Top 40, at least. The ominous tone (“caught in a trap/ no turning back”) and jagged, spartan funk arrangement always reminds me of the dancier side of post-punk, of which the b-side of Mission Of Burma's “Academy Fight Song” certainly qualifies. “Max Ernst” ends with intensifying chants of “dada,” which is an easy segue to fellow European art movement enthusiasts Bauhaus. If you’ve never seen the video for the title track of their second album, get ready for some serious spooky!

Tom Waits & Bette Midler, “Never Talk To Strangers”
Cheap Trick, “Oo La La La”
Teenage Fanclub, “Shock And Awe”
Half Japanese, “Poetic License”

Never forget Tom Waits recorded a romantic duet with Bette Midler in 1977, the year punk broke. While the song was on my Anthology Of Tom Waits cassette as a kid, it’s been taken off the version currently streaming online. Lol. Cheap Trick’s One On One is one of my favorite ‘80s cyborg-rock albums, with “Ooo La La La” featuring the robots on faux-horns (I think? If they're real, nobody's credited!). I’m bummed enough about the departure of Gerard Love and their drummer revealing himself as transphobic to bother with Teenage Fanclub’s latest, but I’m still spinning 2010’s awesomely autumnal Shadows. “Poetic License” is the last song on Half Japanese’s Charmed Life if you have the LP, with another ten tracks to go if you have the CD. I’ve had that since I found it on a trip to NY around 9th grade. The SPIN Alternative Guide raved about it, and a Bloomington, Indiana arts weekly said you shouldn’t bother with Violent Femmes when you could have this instead. Today, I’ll take both!

The Hold Steady, “Most People Are DJs”
Vic Chesnutt, “Chinaberry Tree”
Merle Travis, “So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed”
Beck, “Die Waiting”

Some quality aughts indie drama from The Hold Steady and Vic Chesnutt, then Merle Travis celebrates a love surprisingly devoid of drama considering his taste in metaphor. Afterwards, Beck sweetly saunters around a synthscape on 2019's Hyperspace, also devoid of ‘00s indie drama. Though I’m under the impression barely audible guest Sky Ferreira is considered both dramatic and indie.

Chubby Checker, “The Hucklebuck”
They Might Be Giants, “Hello Mrs. Wheelyke”
Meat Puppets, “Two Rivers”
Tracy Chapman, “Be Careful Of My heart”

Chubby Checker using the word “sacroiliac.” They Might Be Giants showing the youth an interesting way to give lyrics a double meaning on their 2015 kids’ album Why? The two Johns covered a different Meat Puppets song about a body of water than “Two Rivers,” but that’s O.K. And then, naturally, a tender song by Tracy Chapman that may have been alluded to on that "This Is What You Came For" song. And so it goes in the Center Of The Universe. Thanks for your time!