Damien Rice - "Cold Water"

This is simply ridiculous. "Cold Water" is a song from Damien Rice's amazing four-year-old debut, O, but it was never one of my favorites (those would have been "Cannonball," "Volcano," and the nihilistic hidden-track "Silent Night").

He has a new album out entitled 9, but a friend of mine sent me a link to this performance. You need to listen to the whole thing. If you're familiar with this song, you might be tempted to move on... but do that at your own risk: the song moves from empty ethereal longing to a cacaphonous and chaotic, yet hypnotizing siren's call that gives me goose bumps as I type.

Don't say you weren't warned.

Live, From New York...

In the spirit of my last post, I thought I'd share another little Top 5 List. I was ruminating about the most jaw-droppingly captivating performance I'd ever seen on television (see #1), when I started thinking about the best musical performances in the history of Saturday Night Live.

Some are memorable for the performance itself, some for the whole spectacle of it all, and some for the controversy surrounding the gig. I've attached links to YouTube, so you can judge for yourself. Enjoy... and debate.

5. Beck, "Clap Hands" - This clip is from the current 2006 season, and makes the list simply because it's unlike anything else you've ever seen. I know they do this in concert, but I couln't stop watching... and I don't even like Beck.

4. Sinéad O'Connor, "War" - The voice... the porcelain skin... the innocence mixed with rage... then, Holy Crap!... what was that?!? I remember watching this live and thinking, "What has she just done?" She's just ruined her career. That's what she's just done.

3. Nirvana, "Territorial Pissings" - (Couldn't find the link. If you do, post a comment.) Hot on the heels of taking over the music world by ripping the #1 song crown from Michael Jackson's creepy, formerly-gloved hand, Nirvana appear on SNL. They play the requisite "Smells Like Teen Spirit" earlier in the show, then rip throug this one. Chaos ensues after the final note - Kurt attacks the Marshall stacks with the neck of his guitar, Dave knocks over the drum kit, and Krist throws his bass about 15 feet in the air. When it comes down, he misses it and it hits him on the forehead, and drops him to the canvas.

2. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, "Less Than Zero/Radio, Radio" - Costello and band begin with the first song, but eight seconds in, he calls it off: "I'm sorry ladies and gentlemen, there's no reason to do this song here..." Live [and unpredictable] from New York, it's Saturday Night.

1. Radiohead, "National Anthem" - All I can say is that when I first saw this, I was awestruck. I had never seen anything like it, and doubt I ever will. They also performed "Idioteque" on the same show - and it was probably better - but I was ruined... everything else would be judged by what I had seen that night.

I'm still waiting for a compilation DVD/CD of these myriad performances, but it'll never happen. Until then, check out what I've got, and comment and add your own.

Thank you, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Greatest of All Time

Last weekend, I caught a viewing of a new ESPN special called Ali Rap. The creators of the show - and the subsequent DVD and hardcover release (just released Dec. 12... order now, in time for Christmas) - postulate that Muhammad Ali invented rap as we know it.

While I'm sure the Sugar Hill Gang and Grandmaster Flash would beg to differ, for the sake of my point, we'll go with it.

The show is narrated by Public Enemy's Chuck D, and there are numerous appearances by rap luminaries who are all too eager to quote one of Ali's classic insults/wisecracks/politically charged provocations.

But really, all this got me to thinking... like any other white kid who grew up in the suburbs, I'm an expert on the subject of rap music. So to that end, I've come up with my definitive list of the top 5 MC's (Master of Ceremonies, Mic Controller, main rapper guy) of all time. In order:

5. Snoop [Doggy] Dog - Impossible to list the top rappers without mentioning Snoop D - O - Double - G. No other rapper is so smooth. Even as he speaks of committing a "187 on [an] undercover cop," it somehow makes you want to sit back on a cool night and sip a tall cool glass of Gin and Juice.

4. Jay Z - Not really sure on this one, but this is what all the kids tell me.

3. Ice Cube - 3 words: "Straight"... "Outta"... "Compton." If you didn't rap it, it would be 4 words. But if you didn't rap it, you'd be a dork.

2. DMC - Darryl McDaniels made every white kid "Proud to be Black."

1. Rakim - He of "Eric B and Rakim" fame. If you doubt, listen to "Paid in Full (Seven Minutes of Madness)" from the Colors soundtrack. Simply the greatest flow of any rap song.

Ever.

He somehow rhymes "money's spent," "...up with lint," "residence," and "dead presidents." And if that's not enough to win you over, Snoop himself covers this song in the ultimate ode-to-wannabe-rapper-cool movie Old School.

There really can be no debate about this list. They're the greatest of all time. I was in NYC three months ago, and I felt like a pre-pubescent schoolgirl at an N'Sync concert (or at least how a pre-pubescent schoolgirl at an N'Sync concert in 1998 felt). As I looked across Broadway, I saw DMC as he was walking into the House of Blues for a show. I had a flutter in my heart, and a tear down my cheek.

Thank God it wasn't Rakim.

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Editor's Note: I can't believe I forgot Chuck D! He was the inspiration for the list in the first place. "Fight The Power" might be the single greatest rap song in history.