(September 2002) Episode 438 is NEW YORK DOLLS. Proto Punk + glam = should be in my wheelhouse. But for some reason they’re not, and I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s because Johansen annoys me. They were a phenomenon, that’s for sure.
Favorite album: New York Dolls
Favorite song: Trash
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: the first album is all you need to know
(May 2022) Episode 404 is DEATH (the proto-punk band, not the death metal band). My primary interest is in their role as a proto-punk band, although they didn’t make a mark outside of their native Detroit until rediscovered decades later. Also unusual in that they were a trio of Black brothers who started out in funk but got turned on to hard rock, with political and later Christian themes. Their sound is like mixing MC5, Love, the White Stripes and Glass Harp in a blender.
Favorite album: …For the Whole World to See
Favorite song: Politicians In My Eyes
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: only of interest to those exploring the roots of punk
(July 2017) I have completed episode 133 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: MC5. Hard rockers out of Detroit (MC5 = Motor City Five, get it?) in the late 1960s, whose sound later became identified as proto-punk.
Favorite album: Back in the USA
Favorite song: Kick Out the Jams
Compared to expectations: same
(June 2016) I have completed episode 88 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s full discography. This edition: TELEVISION. Glam proto-punk, or something like that. Give ’em a spin!
Favorite album: Marquee Moon
Favorite song: Marquee Moon
Compared to expectations: same
(October 2015) I have completed episode 62 of my “opus project,” in which I listen to a band’s complete discography. This episode: THE STOOGES. Amazing that I didn’t discover this music until about 5 years ago. Such great, ahem, raw power. This is what rock ‘n’ roll is supposed to sound like.
Favorite album: The Stooges
Favorite song: 1969
Not bad: the two “reunion” albums of recent years.
Compared to expectations: ↑
Opus Project 