We Didn't Start The Fire

The last musical guest and last song on Letterman.

 

I'd have a lot of difficulty choosing between that, "American Girl", and "Don't Do Me Like That".

 

The latter, by a mile. Yes, I liked everything Petty until Full Moon Fever, but I worked as a weekend radio DJ the year that came out and it was in constant rotation, like at least once every shift in a four- or five-shift day. I've never been so tired of an album as that one, and that definitely colors the way I look at that album today.

I'll take a shot of Refugee, please.

 

"Refugee" is a great song with a sinuous beat, but my beautiful day driving and singing along song needs to have a driving 4/4 beat to it. It's just how I'm wired.

 

This would probably be my pick, because it always pushes my button and gets me up and moving. Not a common pick by any means, a lot of you have never heard it. I prefer the Dave Edmunds version over Nick Lowe's, mostly for the sheer beat.

I could make a strong case for "Runaround Sue" as well.

 

My favourite version too. I also prefer Edmond's "Queen of Hearts" to Juice Newton's remake.

 

Same here, though Newton's is good, too.

Edmunds/Nick Lowe/Rockpile are always good with me,
and this one has been my favorite through all the years:

 

I love Edmunds. "IKTB" is great. He also has a tremendous version of "From Small Things Mama (Big Things One Day Come"), and "Run Run Rudolph." His "country" album (DE&th) is outstanding.

Thunderbyrd, a Roger McGuinn Byrds reincarnation band, has a super cover of "American Girl," complete with a Tom Scott sax solo in the middle.

 

Dave is really really good at a specific rockabilly/twang rock 'n roll niche. When a song is in his wheelhouse he nails it.

 

I tried so hard to see them on that tour. They played a small club in Houston and it was a hard sell-out. I went on down there on spec but there was no way in hell I was going to get in.

That's in my top three "missed shows" list, along with Queen with Mott the Hoople, and the Sex Pistols, which was another show that I went down to try to get into, already knowing that it wouldn't happen. It was the Pistols U.S. debut date and the club was slammed and the entire area was overrun with fans and people who were there for the freak show. That was the first time I saw a man with pierced nipples - in 1978. The piercings were connected with a piece of chain so heavy it hurt me just to glance at him. It was a helluva scene. They played the Great Southeast Music Hall, which seated maybe 500 people. There were at least twice that many outside milling around. Leather, mohawks, tats, piercings. A lot of hard core punks were out there, and a bunch of glam rook people as well.


HIGH FREQUENCIES: Anarchy In the City | Creative Loafing

 

I can't take credit for it but I remember somebody made the case that "I Knew the Bride" was the best Chuck Berry song Chuck never wrote

 

Incredible.
Love the back story with it.