My CD changer has a RANDOM setting, but insists on playing the following tunes far more often than any simple coincidence might explain away. Something is going on. So in an effort to take the curse off of it all, I'm writing about it here. Obviously, I like these songs, but someone somewhere seems to really be fixated on them. So this post is dedicated to the ghosts in my machine.
Syd Barrett - "Word Song"
In fact, the machine seems particularly slanted towards all of Syd's albums. But it does play this tune more often than any of the others. I used to really enjoy this number, but it's worn out it's welcome for the rest of the decade. A total of three Barrett discs out of a hundred and this much repetition suggest digital gerrymandering on an epic scale. Aside from this tune, I'm still cool with it.
Gallon Drunk - "Bedlam"
I love the hell out of this track, however many times it gets played. What a perfectly squalid, dreadful slab of saxophone noise! Whatever happened to these guys? I know one of 'em surfaced in The Flaming Stars. In fairness, the machine does take a run through "Not Before Time" from time to time. This is appreciated.
Television - "Elevation"
Am I the only one who thinks this is a Cardigans tune for the first few seconds?
Every single time … without fail. I don't even own that @#$%^&* Cardigans CD and I fall for it! I've always been highly biased towards the first side of
Marquee Moon but the repeated spins through this tune have done a lot to change my mind.
The Fall - "Pay Your Rates"
There are a half dozen Fall CDs in the player and this is nearly the only thing that ever gets played. What happened to "Lucifer Over Lancashire?"
Pavement - "Best Friend's Arm"
Same sort of piss-take approach to the vocals at the end as the Fall tune, which may or may not be a coincidence. To be perfectly honest, I'd be much happier with endless trips through "Kennel District."
Pink Floyd - "See Emily Play"
See what I mean about the Syd Barrett thing? Makes me pine for my old Plasticland LPs in a way that is very nearly beyond words. Funny how that works. At least the CD player doesn't seem hell-bent on repeatedly playing "Various Small Species of etc, etc, etc."
The Psychedelic Furs - "Susan's Strange"
Has to be my least favorite tune on the debut LP. Never "India." Never a trace of "Wedding Song." No "Sister Europe." Just endless
"Sha-la-la-la-la-la-lahs." If I wanted that, I'd buy a used copy of
Achtung Baby Hah!
Beck - "Black Hole"
I love the song itself … it's the endless miles of Intended-To-Annoy gobbledygook at the end of the track that finally drove me to replace the entire disc with another Beck CD.
"One Foot In The Grave, take me away!"
…
Given the pattern of repetition, there'll soon be nothing left to do but change all of these discs out. Damn it.
Conspicuous in their absence: Spacemen 3, House Of Love, The Chameleons, Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Modern Lovers, Viva Voce.
The discs are in there, but they never get played.
...
Yep. No sooner am I ready to post this than the player offers up "Sound Of Confusion." See? It's working.
