Los Angeles/Wild Gift

It's Who You Know

Unheard Music

Adult Books

"White Girls," but, wow, what a lineup.

Ditto.

sex and dying in high society, but really too many great choices

house that I call home. I think the whisky a go go live album is the best.

"The World's A Mess, It's In My Kiss"

"Some Other Time" Damned if I understand what it's all about but I love the part that goes: "someone always interupts us when we talk so i'm gonna draw this evening's line before my wash hangs on it for everyone to see"

I expected "We're Desperate" to win in a landslide.

"the once over twice" (pretty much tied for tops with "white girl" in my book, but i figured "once over twice" needed more love)

Toss-up between Unheard Music and White Girl. Sex and Dying too...or maybe Johnny Hit and Run Pauline...I CAN'T DO THIS!

"Los Angeles" means quite a bit to me.

Sheeeeeeeeeeee had to leeeeeeeeeeeave

http://www.musicman.com/00pic/3068.jpg

It's between "Sex & Dying," "Nausea," "It's Who You Know," "Universal Corner," "Los Angeles," "In This House that I Call Home," and "Some Other Time."

Umm. Shit.

"The World's a Mess, It's in My Kiss"

"Johnny Hit and Run Pauline"

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"White Girl" by a wide margin

Eh I object to both albums being smooshed together like this. So best song off the debut is the title track. Best song off Wild Gift is "We're Desperate." "We're Desperate" gets the vote.

"White Girl" was a contender. But I've never been 100% certain what it was about. 90% certain but not 100. And "Adult Books" always eluded me. The singles scene clearly repulsed them, esp. the one at The Masque. But what's with the Tomata Du Plenty reference?

"Some Other Time" I get, esp. this great line: "This midnight I will/Turn into a beer I will." Perfect way to get John's attention.

Not being sure what a song is about would never keep me from voting for it (unless I suspected it was about something that I just found so offensive that I would have to keep my distance). I'm not saying it's the best way to listen to things, but I like X's lyrics for the lines that pop out here and there, without feeling the need to figure out how all the lines fit together. (I've always had trouble even understanding what a lot of the words are anyway.)

It's not a rule I apply across the board, e.g. I couldn't care less what MBV are singing on Loveless (assuming they're singing any words at all), Mick (and Keith) on Exile or Bernie in most New Order. And I gave up on Wu-Tang Inc. long ago (even though I adore 'em/it). But the lyrics on these albums beg interpretation despite, yes, the great lines that "pop here and there."

Same with The NY Dolls.

pop UP

OUT even

How to pick one.

another band whose real goodness was badly threatened by Hilburn's cloying daily insistence on their GREATNESS YES REAL GREATNESS GREAT AMERICAN ROCK AND ROLL BLAH BLAH.

"Los Angeles" for the line about the clock on Hollywood Blvd.

"Nausea" was my gut choice, but really any one of these can take it

We're Desperate.

LANDLORD LANDLORD LANDLORD CLEAN UP THE MESS

"In This House That I Call Home"

We're Desperate is so good that Pennywise covered it (w/ Exene but still) without ruining it

Johnny Hit and Run Pauline

Right now, could be any of many others.

I almost voted for that one.

I've had "We're Desperate" playing in my head on an endless loop since about September of 1985.

That explains all your maniacal comments over the years.

Though some may say "We're Desperate" shits all over it from a great height (and possibly with some sort of runny or splattery consistency), I had to go with "The Once Over Twice" if only for how Doe sings the chorus. Never got the love for "White Girl" and haven't listened to it all the way through in probably twenty years.

Well, if we were talking about X's entire oeuvre, I'd go for "Hungry Wolf" (which -- as the estimable Mr. Snappin' would agree -- does shit all over other contenders from a great, brown, splattery height).

anyone else up for a copy of Los Angeles w/ Manzarek's organ stripped out of the mix?

OUR WHOLE FUCKING LIFE IS A WRECK

anyone else up for a copy of Los Angeles w/ Manzarek's organ stripped out of the mix?

No, of course not! Manzarek's organ gives us a glimpse of what The Doors might have sounded like had Jimbo lived to grow so disillusioned as a fixture at The Sands after hearing The Sex Pistols (it'd have to be The Pistols; the New York bands wouldn't have meant much to him, except maybe Blondie).

Plus it just adds to the rotten glamour of L.A.'s most accurate musical description.

"to grow disillusioned"

Well, if we were talking about X's entire oeuvre, I'd go for "Hungry Wolf" (which -- as the estimable Mr. Snappin' would agree -- does shit all over other contenders from a great, brown, splattery height).

Most definitely. That predatory guitar riff alone can invoke incontinence when played at high volume.

Goddamn. This thread inspired me to re-listen to "Wild Gift." I'm not sure if a better rock and roll album was ever made.

once over twice
so much excellence to consider

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Ok all you lovers of "Adult Books" - explain what you think the song means, particularly the second verse.

oooh "The Once Over Twice." I totally forgot about that one!

Kevin, I've just assumed "Adult Books" is about John or Exene staring at Jacqueline Susann covers and imagining what it would be like to be single and enact the Pretenders' "Tattooed Love Boys."

biggest surprise - no votes for "Soul Kitchen" or 'Your Phone's Off The Hook"

ha, i scrolled down just to be surprised about yr phones off the hook at 0.

(I've always had trouble even understanding what a lot of the words are anyway.)

but they certainly made the effort to let you know what they were, what with the printed lyrics and the cool calligraphy and the exene book/journal projects and whatnot.

but they certainly made the effort to let you know what they were

Yeah, but my original exposure was: radio, taped copies of friends' vinyl, and the legitimate cassette copies. I don't remember looking at the lyrics for the first couple albums until I bought the CD twofer reissue within the last decade. I never owned the vinyl.

Probably if I had had the lyrics sheets from the beginning, I would have been more interested in sorting them out.

i totally get that, rockist. i've just always found it interesting how much they seemed to see themselves as lyricists/poets first, as opposed to other bands of their era and their ilk. i think their los angeles amigos the blasters were also very self-conscious of themselves as lyricists. which is perhaps one of the things that attracted them and dave alvin to each other.

That reminds me, has anybody else ever seen those interviews with Billy Zoom where he complains about the sound of the records?

6666

"The World's a Mess, It's in My Kiss" is such a ridiculously amazing closer. Simple, Blondie-esque first verse and chorus that goes into another gear with the syncopated organ in the second verse ("Pull it out! Pull it out! Pull it out!"). Then the chorus before the organ solo when Exene's yelling "Go to hell, see if you like it!" and "Goodbye my darling!"