Ropeadope

In one track, Chrissie Hynde defines what rock should, no MUST be. Unabashed sexuality, raucous and yet perfectly in time. If this song does not make you move, I guarantee you are deceased. sorry about that, and good luck with the rivers of honey and the 72 virgins.

ahh, The Clash - what can you say about a band that forced their record label to put out a 3 LP set for $ 5.00? Fucking Brilliant.

In the ongoing war between rich and poor, the voice of the intelligent pauper is the strongest. I appreciate the Pete Seegers and Billy Braggs of the world, but you can feel their intellectual background at every turn. Not so with The Clash. …

Amen, Brother - the track responsible for what is now know as 'drum and bass' was a B side. This was the A side, and it was, is, and will forever be a hit in my book. To all the Dads out there who hold their real stories close and do what has to be done every day - thanks from Ropeadope, you embody the term 'Stand Strong'.

because they'll try anything. of course, as long as they can do a good drum or lead guitar intro to set the mood. Mick will sing any song, any genre, he just has no shame at all. and that's a good thing, because he knows what the fuck he is doing. this one is a seventies classic - they just had to have a go at the style i guess. sure, …

Feeling pretty sad today. looking at this broken world, the pieces of a life that doesn't make much sense anymore. What were those dreams, just illusions? Oil in the water, humans crying for revenge while sucking up energy with their big cars and little gadgets. I cue up this track - 'the birds they sing, at the break of day. Start again, I seem to hear them say'. And I pull …

When the 'Some Girls' Record came out, The Stones were under great pressure to perform. Sid and Johnny had proclaimed them dead - 'your Dad's rock & roll' was the derogatory term used. Well, Keith and Mick not only kicked ass and took names - they released an album of all singles. Seriously, almost every track on the record makes you think - 'this one is the hit!'. But this track …

From the first note you are hooked. The recording is perfect; space, contrast, a beat that won't quit. The vocals have the edge that pop music so desperately needed to sound legit. And the words, the words! The expression of confidence and rejection of love that defined The Stones for then and for ever. Every man wants to be singing this song. This is The Rolling Stones in 1967, as pure …

Greil Marcus claims that Bob Dylan and The Band brought 'Weird America' back from the forgotten annals of history. I believe him. This song sounds like no other in popular music of the time. Of course, there are countless bands since that have reconnected with the other, forgotten,  America - from Leon Russell to Nirvana to Devendra Banhart.No matter how many times the marketing squad tries to whitewash our country, music …

Nico delivers a brooding mood on this classic track, her smoky voice drifting above the guitar picking of one Jackson Browne. Browne wrote the song, and it just might be his best.

1970 something, when I was 14, I went to the high school dance.not at my high school, where they played YES (Roundabout) over and over, but at the nearby Catholic High School where they were spinning George Clinton and Sly Stone. It was odd to me then and it still is, but I suppose the Lord works in mysterious ways. This song - well we all knew that it was not …

A beautiful version of the Bob Dylan song. I was a serious Dylan fan in the seventies (still am) and got the chance to attend a couple of his shows during his Christian 'phase'. To me it was no stretch at all - Bob was always singing about religion really. Songs like 'Gates Of Eden' and 'A Hard Rain's A Gonna Fall' - no one freaked out about those! Anyway, Bob …

Man, what can you say about this. The Seventies have a sound, and this is not it. Yet I remember the day this record came out. David Bowie producing Lou Reed! We were flipping out. Get the record, sit down with your friends and let the needle hit the crackly groove. See what the world has to offer outside our home town. And oh what a groove. we didn;t need to …

OK, I am cheating here. I just love this track from the upcoming segment on ropeadope radio (The Kenmore Tapes). This cat is right on, and this track is proof...Great lyrics, rolling slow, strong message.

A perfect song for a rainy day, take me away to Cantelope Island. a classic played by a legend. Hugh Masekela's perfect rendition of the Herbie Hancock masterpiece.

Found this one in a box at the fake offices, and got this commentary from our fearless leader Andy - 'way back in the way back, the mockingbird foundation was doing a benefit and they asked logic to pick a phish tune to interpret. at the time logic was all into paige (long story) so he went with cars, trucks & buses. the band (casey benjamin on horns, mike weitman on …

Every song should be this good, this deep, this meaningful. 'What is love and what is hate? and why does it matter?' just listen, sit and chew on that thought for a minute and you'll be all the better for it. I'm serious, do what Wayne says, he is waaay ahead of us. and behind us at the same time. Buddha in your ears. with a drum kit.

More buddha, this time with piano and violin. can't really say anything about this song except the title is proven to be true upon listening. take that atheists.

I remember the first time I heard beck hansen. it was on an LA radio station, he did a song called 'mexico' that told the story of american youth like i know it. i bought stereopathetic soul manure and one foot in the grave right away. they were strange records, and you couldn't tell if he was 'good' or not. I just knew i liked it, because it was weird and …

gotta play a silly love song for Valentine's Day.... This one from the Serge Gainesbourg revisited record. Cat Power crooning her best croon.

David Bromberg - another often forgotten and often missed hero of the golden days of music. It was not uncommon to hear Bromberg on fm radio in between The Stones and Led Zeppelin - a true testament to the diversity of early fm.

What can you say about the Kinks? Next to The Band, I think they are the most true to the music of all rock bands. Driving hard in '65, they let others follow and switched gears to a British version of alt-country just for kicks. Then they went honky tonk, only to come back around to hard rock just to prove to the punk world who the pioneers really were. Saw …

This from our psychedelic friends in the UK. I met Damian while he was on tour with James Hunter here in the US. Dig Akasha - They're groovy. Check the band here.

One of the finest bands ever, often forgotten and then sorely missed. One track on this record begins with a noticeable scratch, perhaps the first time an artist used the technique?

And here's another beautiful piano cover courtesy of our own Marco Benevento...enjoy.

I love piano versions of great songs. Remember when Brad Mehldau did Blackbird? Here's Jason Domnarski with Neil Young's 'Old Man'. Play it at bedtime, or now.