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Ear Shot
Top Five CD's by Bands I've Seen Live
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August 10, 2006
RADIOHEAD
TIE: "THE BENDS," "OK COMPUTER" AND "KID A"
I spent three grand last month to fly to California, just to see
them play. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Their onstage energy,
confidence and virtuosity were seared into my brain. These CD's include
a first in the history of music—three consecutive albums with not one
throwaway song. Do yourself a favor and go buy them. Right now. You can
finish reading this column later. Warning: music this good might not
have been made by humans.
LED ZEPPELIN
"LED ZEPPELIN"
Sure, technically I only saw Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. But I was
still rockin' the Huggies when John Bonham died. And they did hurl down
three hours of classic Zeppelin from the heavens. The hardest thing
about including Zeppelin is choosing just one album. Throw a dart at
any record and you'll hit one of about eight impossibly brilliant
songs. I picked the first album for no explainable reason, other than
that upon its release, it was annihilated by critics. But what the hell
do we know?
PRINCE
"THE VERY BEST OF PRINCE"
I was fortunate enough to see Prince at the MACC a few years ago,
and I've never had my world so thoroughly rocked. He basically ripped
my mind out by the roots. Maximum brain rototillage. I missed his
after-show performance at Hapa's with Willie K. though—my friend
insisted we go to a house party in Spreckelsville instead. I had no
choice, she was my ride. Unforgivable. Do I need a reason for this one?
How about the first nine tracks: "I Wanna be Your Lover," "1999,"
"Little Red Corvette," "When Doves Cry," "Let's go Crazy," "Purple
Rain," "I Would Die 4 U," "Raspberry Beret" and "Kiss." The guitar solo
at the end of "Purple Rain" alone makes omitting this impossible.
NEIL YOUNG
"DECADE"
I agonized the most over this spot. Would it be Young, Tom Petty or
the Violent Femmes? In the end, I went with the album that accompanied
me on many a long road trip across Northern California. It includes
"Cinnamon Girl," "Southern Man," "Ohio," "Old Man," Heart of Gold,"
"The Needle and the Damage Done," "Like a Hurricane" and one of the
most beautifully heartbreaking songs ever, "Cortez the Killer." No "Hey
Hey, My My" or "Rockin' in the Free World?" So what, how much do you
expect of one man in one decade? People booed when Eddie Vedder got
sick at a Pearl Jam concert and Young stepped in. I couldn't believe my
good fortune.
PEARL JAM
"NO CODE"
The sentimental choice, Eddie Vender & Co. was the first concert
I ever saw. An unforgettable initiation, complete with stage diving and
crowd surfing (sorry, but it was 1993). Ten was actually the album that
first awakened me to music other than Def Leppard and Milli Vanilli
(both of whom I loved), but this is their most underappreciated and
soulful work. "Hail, Hail" is classic rocking Pearl Jam and "In my
Tree" and "Smile" are among the most sublime songs ever recorded by
anyone. I'm sure all three were omitted from the lame "Greatest Hits"
collection. MTW
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