Motor City vs. White Dudes in Sweaters

If there was any doubt or confusion in your head that the end of the year is approaching, the oft-maligned "best of..." lists are starting to sprout like daisies all over the internet. God knows that much of the WFMU staff will be hitting you with their own versions soon enough. Consider yourselves warned.

Two rather ambitious lists were recently brought to my attention: Detroit's Metro Times alt-weekly offered up the "100 Greatest Detroit Songs Ever" and Blender.com compiled the more worrisome "100 Greatest Indie-Rock Albums Ever".

I'm always suspicious of these kinds of lists because I can't help imagining that numbers 5 through 100 are assigned completely at random, and then the top picks get argued over just before presstime. In the interest of fairness, it should be stated that I'm not from Detroit and I'm only peripherally interested in most of what gets called "indie rock". But I'm compelled to add that I was more inspired by the Metro Times' irreverence, shameless genre-hopping, and up-front admission that there was no science to their methodology. That's the kind of "best of..." list that I can get behind! The indie rock list mostly reinforced my fervent wish that people my age would knock it off with the ceaseless Pixies worship. Although they didn't take Blender's top position, the general vibe of their countdown is one I associate with people who regard the Pixies as my generation's Led Zeppelin. ("Pixies revisionists", a friend recently called them.) Lots of great bands, but when all grouped together as a "canon", not as much fun to think about. And really, if I thought it would make the slightest bit of difference, I would climb up to the roof right now with a megaphone and yell the following: [MP3]

Comments

[Fatherflot]

Ha! Did anyone notice that at number 4, they have the album that "invented college rock"----REM's masterpiece----"MUMU"!

[Brian Turner]

Bob Seger's 2+2=? on that Detroit list is killer

[Jeffersonicus Diatomaceous Skate-Key]

Hey, I like that thing you did.

[jenjen]

This reminds me of a video I ran across today: America Loves Lists.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9BfLMHNhxE

[jim]

I dunno, Pixies beat the shit out of...Pavement. Live, they are equally as boring, true. But those first few records are great. Steve Albini is our true Jimmy Page, but no one will admit it, or, are dumb.

I'm sure you've said you hated Aerosmith, which I defended!

[andy]

I saw the Pixies just a little earlier than you, also while I was in high school, and they truly did suck. Never saw them again. But so what? They're a record band, not a live band. I was let down for the day, but it never changed my opinion of the music. I don't expect an artist who paints a great painting to get onstage and do a great sketch of it every night, and I don't expect every music artist to provide an amazing show--I just consider it lucky if they do. I don't know if they're the end-all, or that we even have a "classic rock," exactly, but the Pixies were pretty big for me. Even with everything after Doolittle disappointing me at least a little. And I never even bothered to see Pavement live, due to bad word of mouth (although I do wish I had at least checked it out for myself), but I might even put them higher than the Pixies. Crooked Rain, Wowee Zowee...C'mon Pilgrim, Doolittle...not a whole lot of indie compares. You will be glad to know I don't "talk about it all the time," though. Well, Pavement, maybe, only cause a surprising number of people don't even have any idea who they are...

[Eep]

"New Oder"? C'mon, Blender.

[andy]

actually, no, it was 1989 for me as well, now that i think of it...and i've read more than once that that was a notoriously sucky tour due to inter-band hostilities. although i don't think they were ever much more than by the book, at least maybe the zulus wouldn't have blown them off the stage on an earlier tour...

[andy]

actually, no, it was 1989 for me as well, now that i think of it...and i've read more than once that that was a notoriously sucky tour due to inter-band hostilities. although i don't think they were ever much more than by the book, at least maybe the zulus wouldn't have blown them off the stage on an earlier tour...

[Mark D.]

Actually, I saw the Pixies on the reunion tour you spoke of, and I was impressed -- good energy, genuine enthusiasm, a cheerful and smiling Kim Deal, and David Lovering is a really great drummer. But yeah, they ARE overrated, and if they're supposed to be a "record band," the fact that two of their four albums are at best mediocre doesn't speak well of them, no matter how good "Surfer Rosa" and "Dolittle" happen to be. As for other great Boston bands, how about talking about Mission of Burma, who were indie rock before there was indie rock, and are still making astounding new music today?

[andy]

good point, i guess, but to me when you've made a fantastic record it doesn't matter what you do after that. a landmark record should clinch your status. what if big star had gone on to put out five horrible records--would they no longer be seminal? harry nilsson never put out consistently brilliant albums--not even one, for my tastes--but that doesn't mean i wouldn't rank him high in the pantheon of great songwriters for what can be found among his output.
mission of burma's first reunion show in ny was amazing. first half was a little uncertain, then they took a break and came back and killed it.

[Holland Oats]

a friend and i saw the pixies before they had a record out (i think) - opening for throwing muses at the paradise in boston, circa '86-7? we hated them, and to this day we discuss whether or not we were wrong for doing so. all i can say is that guitarist banging on his fender twin to get that cheesy reverb crash sound, and the fat guy doing a cover of a song from eraserhead, it all gave me the worst doosh chills of my life... comparing that to pavement, who i first saw in '92, when Gary was still in the band, and were so, so great. no contest.

[Odiepayne]

I was at that Pixies Paradise show with Holland (we were on guest list because my friend and co-worker Leslie was the bass player for that horrible band Throwing Muses). I still think we may have been wrong about how bad it was -- but I agree they are way overrated and never wanted to buy or revisit any of their records. Mainly because that singer's voice reminds me of an even dooshier Gordon Gano. That said, whenever "Here comes my man" or whatever it's called comes on the radio here in the Midwest, I leave it on. I guess that chick in the band was ok.

[Norm Loman]

These lists are pretty terrible... I'd never put pavement #1 on a "best indie rock records" list, and REM would just not be on the list period. Rem Sucks. And pixies? They had two good records and an ep. Thats it. All the others suck.

As bad as these two lists are, they are not as bad as Rolling stones "100 greatest albums" which puts artists like Nirvana, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones very high on the list. Let me just say something: Nirvana Sucks. Bob Dylan sucks. The Rolling stones Suck. The Beatles and Led Zepplin are just okay bands - not great. Aerosmith sucks. Rolling Stone Magazine sucks. Blender sucks. And I know it has nothing to do with the article, but I should mention that the Grateful Dead, The Sex Pistols, Bruce Sprinstein, and ACDC all suck, and you should stop telling me how great they are or how I should start listening to them more. And stop telling me to get a haircut! I'm getting one next week for crying out loud! You get a haircut, a'ight?

Pitchfork sucks.

[The Music Director, WWIB]

What a "supreme"-ly asinine list. Even discounting my aversion to most Motown, any such review without-- somebody wake these chumps up-- "Detroit City" in either its Bobby Bare or George Jones (from his awesome "Some Hits I Missed... And One I Didn't" cd) version (preferably BOTH but the George one is all-time) is NULL upon arrival.

I Wanna Go Home,

The Music Director
WWIB Community Action Radio

p/s: it's 2007 & ya'll are arguing-- even thinking about, except to wish they would go away, again-- the Pixies? ok, if you were a kid & that was what your local mall store HAD... the rest of us winced after the "Surfer Rosa" hype and at least that record sounded decent (at the time). Wake me for the Big Dipper revival (oops, THAT one is really happening). Wake me for the Buckpets reunion, or BoDeans, or Edie Brickell, or ...

[Holland Oats]

Odiepayne just pointed out that the guitarist was playing through a PEAVEY amp. I think that just about says it all.

[andy]

I myself was so over Thinking Fellers after their first crumpled-up flex-disc, especially since I saw their guitarist started using a pic with "Fender" on it--oh wait. What were we talking about?
Seriously, I can accept that someone might find a love of Pixies and Pavement lame/ conservative/ whatevs, and I suspect it may have something to do with age. I know most of my favorite records are things I discovered in the last three years of high school and first three years of college, and suspect this is true for many if not most. If I was 35 when the Pixies hit, I would probably have liked it, but certainly not in the same way. Not sure I would have graded them on coolness of equipment, though...but I am just a dumb motherfucker (hits self in face).

[rey]

no room on that list for Minutemen? I'd a thought they be in the top 5

[Vic Perry]

"Mumu." With the famous cover picture of the fabric that is slowly choking the south.

[noisejoke]

Minutemen? If you dig the Minutemen, how do you even give two about a Blender list? Why does anyone reading the FMU blog give any amount of crap about a friggin' Blender list? What's Blender? What's a list? What?

[Righteous Rat]

lol Wow, is that jealousy I sense? What kind of loser bases his opinion on a band off of their live performances anyways? It seems to me that you aren't a big Pixies fan so you cavil over the trivial things about them that no one else seems to care about. And regardless of what you think, The Pixies were one of the most influential bands of the '80's/early '90's. Their music is classic and will always be regarded as such, deal with it and grow up.

[dude]

the pixies issue is unresolved, kinda like a cursed object, which is why it will continue to lurk until.. then.

[Diane]

I listened to your "stop talking about the Pixies" thing, and I do love the Pixies, but I saw them twice and I agree they were not compelling live performers at that time (late 80's, early 90's), at least not as a group. It seems that the studio sound doesn't transfer to the live show, and I found that to be true for several bands of that time frame. I would give them another chance, though, because I still love them, even though I'm slightly over 40.

But apparently they have inspired many bands since, so keep rockin', you Pixies!