Beat The Devil ...

I already own a freebie CD from a British music mag that titled the collection "The Devil's Jukebox." Pretty sure it was MOJO.

It's so-so. The CD, that is.

So when I snagged the latest copy of MOJO and saw that the theme for that issue's giveaway CD ("Highway To Hell" - to go with the AC/DC cover story, naturally) was Similarly Infernal, it occurred to me at once that this board's lurking denizens would be much better at compiling a CD's worth of hellish tracks than the editorial board of any magazine. At least we won't have to worry about satisfying copyright laws and seeing that the appropriate parties get their pound of flesh.

I guess they went with "Devil In The Woods" by The Gun Club over "For The Love Of Ivy" (which brims over with references to Hell and is a much more superb track) because the latter apparently violates the Current Usage Restrictions regarding the use of The Dreaded N-word (See? Even as I type, I am prevented from using the word). If that's the case, I suppose they'll have to be granted some slack. They have a magazine to run, after all. But it is the better tune.

My list of potential tracks might start something like this:

"For The Love Of Ivy" - The Gun Club
"Hellhound On My Trail" - Robert Johnson
"New Face In Hell" - The Fall
"Demons & Fiends" - Robyn Hitchcock
"Hayride to Hell" - Hoodoo Gurus
"Lake Of Fire" - Nirvana
"Down Down Down" - Tom Waits


Just a start. Of course, the sleeve art is still up in the air as well.

And I love the lyrics to that Tom Waits tune:

He went down ... down ... down. And the Devil said "Where you been?"

May I wallow in the obvious and state again that Tom Waits is a @#$%^&* genius? Good.

...

Another thing ...

I'd nearly forgotten how excellent "Up Jumped The Devil" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds sounds. If anything, I like the track better having let it lie fallow for over a decade … at least. My only copy of Tender Prey is on cassette if that reveals anything. The off-kilter, lurching piano bit is especially satisfying. A great track!

Call the makers of the Stanley Knife and see if they'd like to feature the tune in an upcoming television advert! Given Nick's lyrics, at least this one would make some kinda sense.

"The Devil's Chasing Me" - Reverend Horton Heat
"Sympathy for the Devil" - Rolling Stones
"Ring of Fire" - Johnny Cash
"The Devil Came From Kansas" - Procol Harum
"Don't Shake Me Lucifer" - Roky Erickson
"Race with the Devil" - Gene Vincent
"Devil Got My Woman" - Skip James

the devil n mrs jones- mike ness
devils haircut-beck
devils right hand- steve earle
angel is the devil- supersuckers/stve earle

"Lake Of Fire" - Meat Puppets original version pleeze!

"Me And The Devil," Cowboy Junkies [Robert Johnson]
"The Devil's Train," Hank Williams
"Satan Is Real," The Louvin Brothers
"Johnny Be Gay If You Can Be," Terry Callier
"The House Carpenter," Bob Dylan
"Hell Is Chrome," Wilco

The complete ouevre of The Devil's Blood.

Hilariously bad metal, from that real-life-Spinal-Tap, Mercyful Fate:

[www.youtube.com]

"Hail SAAAATTTAAAANNNN!"

Quote

"Lake Of Fire" - Meat Puppets original version pleeze!

I was thinking about that. Somehow, hearing Cobain sing the tune resonates more, given the context. But the Puppet's version will be a central pillar of the "Popularized By Nirvana" mix ... which is pending.

Which Circle of Rock and Roll Hell do wasters of talent by suicide end up in, anyway?



Post Edited (06-07-10 20:44)

"Devil Shootin' Dice" by the Senders
"He's Waitin'" by the Sonics
"Born with a tail" Supersuckers



.....

RockandRollTribe.com, The Social Network for Veteran Rockers

POST-HELL ADDENDUM

- The MOJO thing already had a version of "Don't Shake Me, Lucifer" on it.

- Beck's best song in this vein might just be "Satan Gave Me A Taco," which stands as an all-time classic as far as I am concerned. No ... screw the "might be." It is the best of his songs that deal with the Devil. It's one of his best under any circumstances.

- The Stones tune would work if I could find a a decent version by anyone but The Stones. Repeat.

I'd like to get any CD with Anton LaVey on it. I heard he played a pretty mean organ.

Evil Superstars – Satan Is In My Ass.