Started the whole world living

I had a convergence of two musical favorites this last week.

The first started on it's collision course last Saturday, when, over at Adam's before the baseball game, gorging on beer, brie and pork loin (and plenty of jokes about being "full of loin"), we were listening to music on Adam's Wii. Because it was on shuffle, he warned us that something embarrassing could pop up.

"So if the Bee Gees come on, don't judge me," he said.

"But I would judge you," I said. "I would judge you as a man of fantastic music taste."

When I got home later that night, I put on the Bee Gees double-disc Greatest Hits. Now, while I love "Jive Talkin'" and "Night Fever" as much as anyone, it's the early stuff that gets me. This may have been the 1960's version of adult contemporary, but it's exactly what I love about the '60's: even the stuff that's trying to be glossy and safe can't help but sound gritty and human. It's the only way they could record music. So you get the gorgeous melodies with nothing blocking their way to you.

The Bee Gees, "To Love Somebody"


The Bee Gees, "Don't Forget To Remember"


The first disc of that comp kept me occupied until I found out that the Lucksmiths were releasing a rarities/b-sides comp, and would be here in DC late this month.

God, I love the Lucksmiths. Nine years after picking up A Good Kind of Nervous in the snobby record store in Chapel Hill on Christian's recommendation, I still think that they're one of the greatest bands that's ever been. They embody everything that's right about indiepop and fix everything that's wrong about it. Marty Donald's perfect combination of heartbreak and humor never cease to amaze me, and neither does Mark Monnone's bass playing (as well as his songs, which though occasional, are no less brilliant).

And even with everything they have underneath, to have (and I can't emphasize this next part enough) one of the best male vocalists of all time fronting their band puts them in a league that few others can compete with. It all adds up to a sound that I could never not want to hear. The Lucksmiths always sound perfect to me. Always.

It seemed too right to be reminded this week that the Lucksmiths had covered "I Started A Joke", a recording that had ended up as a b-side that I'd never gotten around to seeking out. But when I heard one of my favorite bands cover a song that'd I'd been listening to on repeat for a few days...it all seemed too much; scripted almost.

The Lucksmiths, "I Started A Joke"


When the Lucksmiths play at DC9 at the end of this month, I'll probably be re-introduced to Marty, and I'll tell him again how I think that the Lucksmiths are brilliant, and he'll blush and say, "Aw, thanks", like he has the previous four times I've told him that. I can't wait.