Bastards of Young

Bastards of Young by the Replacements

Pros: They rocked. They didn't give a fuck. They played drunk and were rowdy. They were silly and fun. And they gave us four great albums in a decade that people usually consider a music waste land (the 1980s)... They wrote songs about drinking at the bar! How great is that?!?!?! "I Will Buy", "Here Comes a Regular", "Beer for Breakfast" what's not to love there? Most bands claim to live the rock'n'roll life style. These guys did... Look in the 80s when hair and heavy metal was the it non-it music and the 'live the rock style' was in, these guys did it (tragically in the end... I mean how many guys die because they just partied too hard for 15 years? Sadly that is Bob Stinson)... they understand/understood irony, a must in my book in order to be the Greatest American Band... The idea of the Replacements has always been as big or bigger than the band itself. In America, this is a good thing... have been a huge inspiration for many and most good bands over the last 25 years.

Cons: Some people will say putting them up here is a stretch. 'The Mats weren't around all that long (tad over 10 years) and no one knows of them' they'll say, 'They're not even unknown but known like the Velvet Underground.' True, but when the 'Mats hit, there was nothing like them out there. And they influenced so many bands: pretty much any decent alternative, rock, or indie band of the last 20 years listened to the Replacements and you can hear that in so many songs... you might argue that they sound dated, but I think that's unfair... again, can a band that's pretty much unknown and underrated by the general population be considered the Greatest American band?... Are they too American or too real? Because they were so 'regular' didn't they fuck up just too much (they were banned from SNL for example)? Can the Greatest American Band really be guys who blew it more often than they should have? In a country were the Wizard of Oz was made and is probably the first or second piece of pop culture that we consume, doesn't the Greatest American Anything have to be a bit like the Wizard of Oz (and the illusion of) himself? There was no curtain with the 'Mats. They just were... Or could you say that since they always seemed to blow it some how, they were a bit like the underdog... I'm not sure.

Best Album: Flip a coin between "Tim" and "Let it Be".

Best Song: Bastards of Young -- "We are the sons of no one!" That's it. Done. They win.

Rock With You

Rock With You by Michael Jackson

I know I write a lot of these with "maybe" but I like it... it works... so I'm doing it again.

Maybe it's the drums. Maybe it's the smoothness. Maybe it's the bass. Maybe it's Michael's voice. Maybe it's the kick ass chorus. Maybe it's the hand claps. Maybe it's the amazing bridge...
I don't know what it is exactly about this song, but when you put it all together it's one of the all time greats.

"When you feel that beat, We're gonna ride that boogie"

This was Michael at his best. A perfect blend of late 70s yacht rock, disco, pop, rock, and R&B. Michael is never over the top--a rarity for him--hitting each note almost subtly and flawlessly. It's a damn near perfect song.

Editors Note: I've covered Michael enough for the time, so I'll be moving on. I honestly thought I'd dive deeper into his cultural impact, but the music end up taking over. I'm sure a Michael song will come up from time to time from here on out... but for now, Bye Michael and thanks.

I Want You Back

I Want You Back by the Jackson 5

I've already written about this song, so I'm not going to talk about the great bass line or 11 year old Michael nailing this song like no one has really nailed a song ever since--and I'm dead serious about this... take a second and think of songs that the singer nails. And I'm not talking about Neko Case signing Star Witness, I'm talking Neko Case in "Letter From an Occupant" nailed. And honestly... I think Neko's performance in that song is one of the few that can compete with Michael in "I Want You Back." He owns this song. He doesn't miss a note, it's perfect (what he does with 'girl' is flat out unfair), and sings it with a desperation that is down right amazing.

And this is what makes this song, well, weird. Michael Jackson was 11 years old when he sang this song to the world. ELEVEN. He didn't know heartbreak. He hadn't been in love. Yet here he is singing a song that is all about that stuff, and he doesn't sound ridiculous in the process. He wants her back and you believe it... as unnatural as it is when you really think about it.

How will we remember Michael Jackson? It's far too early to say, but if it's anything like Elvis, then most of us will remember Michael as sort of a joke who made some great songs. But that will be unfair... Michael Jackson was always in the public eye. He didn't have a childhood. We made him a star and in the process took his childhood away. When I was eleven, I was playing baseball in the backyard. If Michael Jackson did that, even he knew he wasn't really playing baseball in the backyard like any other 11 year old.

I'm not saying that we, society, caused Jackson to become a freak... to become a joke -- we didn't. It was his parents that put him out there to entertain the world. And Michael was really really good at entertaining people with his dance moves and voice. But since he started so young and became famous at such a young age, we robbed him of anything 'normal' or 'typical'.

I know a bunch of people have pointed this out, but it's worth rehashing. Michael was probably always trying to get back to that age that they/we took away from him. And that age was 10. His success allowed him to do everything possible to try and get back to being 10. He ended up living a life that is the dream of almost every 10 year old boy.

But Michael could never go back. His path was made for him. And he didn't complain (at least publicly) in stead he took his opportunity and ran with it. Within 10 years of him singing "I was wrong to let you go" he had produced one of the greatest pop albums of all time AND what would become the biggest selling album of all time. By the time he was 22, Michael Jackson had, for all intents and purposes, conquered pop culture. No one before or since has come close.

Man In the Mirror

Man In the Mirror by Michael Jackson

"You can't close your... your mind!"

Michael Jackson songs were a lot of things: some were dance songs, some were love songs, some tried to save the world and others attempted to bring racial peace, but no matter the message his songs were, for the most part, fun. You could (and you wanted to) dance to them. Black or White, a song that I assume was trying to bring racial harmony to the world (and probably a bit biographical), in the end was just a fun song that made you want to move.

And that's what's so different about Man in the Mirror. A self help song if there ever was one, the lyrics can hit home if, say, you can't catch a break. Listen to this song, and you can't help but think, 'Hey, maybe it's me... I need to make a change!'

Man in the Mirror is an unbelievably well crafted song, starting off slow and letting Michael's voice shine with little background or arrangement help. It's a simple and subtle start and while the song builds a little bit over the first 2:30 or so, it also sounds a bit dated (a bit 80s if you will). But then at 2:52 the choir jumps in and pushes this song to another level... and Michael pretty much goes off doing Michael Jackson things with his voice.

However, no matter how well the song is arranged and how enjoyable the lyrics* are... the unintentional comedy scale hits near record highs when at the very end of the song as the music dies down and you think it's over Michael says/whispers, "Make that change." Never fails to crack me up... for all the obvious ironic reasons.

*even if it's obvious and cliche; the lyrics hit home.

ABC

ABC by the Jackson 5

Seriously people... do we actually realize what kind of voice this boy (and man) had? I can't get over it. Throw in Motown arrangements and it was a can't miss.

And look at him move! Look at this kid! Look at him dance and the joy and the energy... this is pure pop bliss. This is music at its most fun. You have to smile when you hear this... you have to dance. There just isn't another way to take this in other than succumb to the joy of him singing.

No matter what happened after these young years -- no matter what Michael ended up looking like or what he did or even his music after his young years... those songs with the Jackson 5 -- ABC and I Want You Back especially -- are like nothing out there. Both songs are amazingly fresh and unbelievably fun. Pop music has few moments that ever reach the heights that these two songs reach. And sure, they're damn well written, but it's young, little Michael with his infectious energy and that voice. That voice of God. Ahhh, it's moments like when he sings "It's like counting up to three!" that I enjoy with a joy that makes my heart skip a beat.