A's Musical Daily Driver
(Newest On Top)
Feb 11 - 16, 2025
Feb 16, 2025
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"Isis"
From: Desire - 1976
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The inimitable, mind-blowing Mr. Dylan is very arguably the best singer-songwriter in musical history. He's definitely on that mantle in my estimation. I believe that the lyrics he wrote during his early career are among the very best in American poetry. There really is no other musician who's even close for my money.
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For the first 30 years or so of my life I wasn't into Dylan at all. For many, he's an artist whose material isn't very accessible, especially at first. I was definitely among the aforementioned many; I just didn't get it. Sadly, he was a pearl before a swine. When I was about 30 I somehow went back to his well and gave it another shot. For whatever reason, I got it and was completely overtaken with the guy's greatness.
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There's one particular song of his that I believe, lyrically, is the finest tune of all his work. This isn't that song. This one, however, is damned good. It tells a pretty amazing story and is so colorful. Beyond the lyrical content, I love this tune musially as well.
One thing I discovered in this tune after a few listens was an extremely unique rhyme structure. Taken four lines at a time, the first rhymes with the third and the second rhymes with the fourth. To illustrate:
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"I came to a high place of darkness and light
The dividing line ran through the center of town
I hitched up my pony to a post on the right
Went in to a laundry to wash my clothes down"​
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If you want to take a gander at the lyrics, you can find them on his site here. Do take a look.​​
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That sort of thing requires an unbelievable level of lyrical ability. I remain flabbergasted. Take a good long listen. I hope you appreciate it.​​
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- A
Feb 14, 2025
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Hüsker Dü
"Could You Be The One?"
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This one is for my dear friend Hannah in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin. Hugs.
Studio Recording
From: Warehouse: Songs & Stories
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Live: Oct. 7, 2005 (Bob Mould solo band)
9:30 Club
Washington D.C.
(Released as both video and audio-only on Bob Mould's "Circle of Friends" album and dvd.)
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Hüsker Dü was a Punk band formed in 1979 at the University of Minnesota by Mr. Bob Mould along with Greg Norton & Grant Hart. (They took their name from a Danish 70's board game called Hüsker Dü, meaning "Do You Remember?" in English.) This was the band which would usher in a new era of Punk.
They started with a style that was very akin to the typical Punk sound of the day. They would shortly make a seismic shift to a completely unique, new sound that had never before been heard in Punk music. The band began to write music which was definitely Punk but was blended with heavy doses of melody and a lyrical storytelling entirely new to the genre. Bob Mould would be the one to initiate this historic musical shift.
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Ultimately the band dissolved due largely to Grant Hart's heroin addiction which had run completely off the rails. The details of the situation are known but I'm not going to go into them here.
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Perhaps the true legacy of this band, (and of Bob individually), was the very long list of musicians and bands they heavily influenced which led to the era of "alternative rock" and Grunge as well. Bob continues to gain big-name fans to this day.
Among those bands and artists they heavily influenced were Henry Rollins and Black Flag, R.E.M., The Pixies, The Replacements, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic & Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Mark Lanegan and The Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, and Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains and many others. Notably, one of Bob Mould's biggest fans today is Mr. Pete Townshend of The Who.
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This song is a favorite of mine from
Hüsker Dü's catalogue. I love both versions presented here and wherever possible on this site I present live versions of songs. I really do hope you love this one.
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- A
Feb 12, 2025
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​Little Feat
"Over the Edge"
Studio Recording
From: Hoy Hoy!
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These guys were a bona fide Southern (U.S.) Rock n’ Roll, Soul & Blues band. Their sound was absolutely one of a kind, and they were truly a musician’s band. Unfortunately, we lost founding member, rhythm guitarist & lead vocalist Lowell George to a heroin overdose in the early 1980’s. They continued to perform with guitarist Paul Barrere taking up the mantle of lead & rhythm guitars as well as lead vocalist in the wake of George’s untimely demise.
Tragically, we lost Paul on October 26th, 2019. With Lowell having died decades ago, and now with the loss of Paul, the band finally decided to hang it up after a career of over 40 years.
Paul wrote this tune in the early 1980’s. It’s a song about living with troubles, confusion, emotional pain & uncertainty. I hope that you, like me, will find commonality & the solace of knowing you’re not alone in these thoughts & feelings. Enjoy.
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- A
