One thing I’ve noticed in my musical listening lately is that when listening to music of a certain age, for example from the late 60s or 80s, I’ve been avoiding merely keeping to the hits—or those albums and artists that are super well known and associated with that time. I have a couple of examples that illustrate the point.
Take the late 60s. Rather than listen to Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, or The Kinks et. al., I’ve been moving a bit farther afield. I must admit I was inspired a bit by the documentary “Summer of Soul,” which is currently streaming, to pick up an album by the Chambers Brothers, even though their screen time in the documentary wasn’t even a full song. I liked what I heard.
And I like what I bought even more. This isn’t what I’d normally expect to listen to given my history. A mixed band originally from Carthage, MS, they opened the musical portion of the documentary. In search of more, I got the album, New Generation, without any research into which album to grab. So I ended up with New Generation.
And the album is fantastic, and it doesn’t even have their biggest hit, “Time has Come Today”. It does, however, feature the guitar riff that was eventually sampled for A Tribe Called Quest’s “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo.”
This album is well worth your time. Most of it sounds timeless—most of the songs could have been released at any moment from then until now.
Zooming forward to the late 80s for example the second. This is probably more in the wheelhouse of all of my (admittedly few) readers. Sure, I could listen to Echo & the Bunnymen, The Clash, R.E.M., or the Replacments again, and trust me, they all get their share of time on my turntable. Instead, I spent the better part of the last couple of evenings while plunking away on the computer in the office listening to a couple of bands that most people either 1) have forgotten all about or 2) may never have heard of.
The first is the Woodentops. I picked up their album Giant on whim back in the day because I liked the cover. Remember when that was a thing. There are quite a few artists that I love from then that I first encountered that way (or on 120 minutes, but that’s another post entirely). Later when I was working as a DJ at WLUR college radio in Lexington, VA (feuding with the actual school at the moment, so no link), I managed to grab a duplicate promo copy of Wooden Foot Cops on the Highway.
Both of these albums are great fun. The band itself has a sound that seems to be uniquely their own, and it makes for very catchy, upbeat music by and large. I can’t help but bop along in my chair listening to it. My favorite song may be “Maybe it Won’t Last“, and you can find Giant on Spotify as well as their other music, save the other release above. Some of the songs, however, are still there.
The second it Hunters & Collectors, an Australian band that somehow got caught in the cracks between Men at Work and Midnight Oil. To my mind, Hunters & Collecters are the closest down-under analog to an R.E.M. type band. They had a similar aesthetic and where on IRS here in the U.S. to boot.
Seriously, if you are a fan of the whole mid-80s college rock sound, definitely check this band out.
So, what is my point in all of this? Sometimes some of the most interesting music—the music that really represents a time and era—isn’t necessarily what is most remembered or deemed classic by the chattering classes and critics. I don’t think I would have ever found either of these bands without a bit of help or adventurousness. In the case of the Woodentops, it was the willingness to take a flier on something unknown based on the design of a cover. For Hunters & Collectors it was definitely a recommendation from a friend, who found them the way I had found the Woodentops. So, the lesson, even today or in a record store, don’t be afraid to take a chance on music. Will there be misses? Sure. By the hits will more than make up for the clankers.