Slant 6

Slant 6, “Semi-Blue Tile”

Why do we make songs longer than a minute? What’s the point?

Weezer, “Smile”

OK, this track is from something called Blue / Green / Red, and I swear to you, I did not get this album from anywhere. I wouldn’t do that to myself. One hypothesis is that if you have a few Weezer albums stored together, they’ll begin reproducing. Left to their own devices, eventually a pile of Weezer records will produce self-titled records named after colors not even known to mankind.

Minor Threat, “Filler”

The first Minor Threat song ever released, and the birth of harDCore. From the very beginning, Minor Threat was absolutely killing it. And, as a bonus, this is still one of the very best rock band names ever.

Skinnerbox, “Help Me”

This song comes from Special Wild 1989-1994, a compilation pulling together non-album tracks from the band. There are really a couple different ways comps can go. Some bands just put out their best material all over the place, and the comps become essential for pulling all that stuff together instead of trying to piece things together from the singles and EPs (the Belle & Sebastian/Superchunk route). Others clearly save their best material for the albums, and the comps then are something of an afterthought and spotty. Skinnerbox, alas, falls in this second comp. This is a record only for the serious fan.

Throbbing Gristle, “Beachy Head”

Industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle’s third album, 20 Jazz Funk Greats, is their best and most influential album. Ranging widely around the musical map, the restlessness is part of what makes it great. This song, for instance, is just a bit of atmospheric disquiet named for Beachy Head, a notorious suicide location that the band is actually pictured standing on for the cover. It’s easy to forget that this is from 1979.

One of the most important songs in my personal history today.

Run-D.M.C., “Walk This Way”

Run-D.M.C. had already declared themselves the Kings of Rock before 1986’s Raising Hell was ever released, but it took “Walk This Way” being a massive hit on both the radio and, more importantly, MTV for Run-D.M.C. to really actually take that throne. This crossover song not only brought rap into countless homes in America for the first time, it also was responsible for resurrecting Aerosmith’s career, so it also has a lot to answer for.