Ranking songs each year is a subjective, arduous task that, in our case, is best summarized as a simple playlist. So, in lieu of some arbitrary review of songs that’ll just get lost in the year-end shuffle, I’ve put together a condensed list of songs released in 2019 that’ll hopefully be on repeat into 2020 and beyond. At the end of this post, be sure to check out the embedded Apple Music playlist to get the party started.
Desert Daze has added even more bands and artists for their already stacked line-up for 2017. Iggy Pop is now headlining, but it is interesting to note that John Cale is also playing the festival. Crossing fingers that Iggy and John Cale will reconnect out in Joshua Tree and relive the glory of “1969”.
Full line-up poster below:
Iconic photographer, Mick Rock, is the subject of a new rock n’ roll documentary coming out, SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra Of Rock.
The film is likely to feature the stories behind some renown photo shoots with David Bowie, Lou Reed, Queen, Iggy Pop, and countless others. Check it out.
Mick Rock in SHOT! THE PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL MANTRA OF ROCK, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed in SHOT! THE PSYCHO-SPIRITUAL MANTRA OF ROCK, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. PHOTO © MICK ROCK 2017.
Bobby and I both agreed that Bowie unquestionably had best output of 2016, but having memorialized his unfortunate death earlier this year and giving “Lazarus” top honors for the best song of 2015. This year’s playlist has been curated to a different theme, mixing significant emerging talent with surprising comebacks from established rock / pop veterans. One pleasant common thread for 2016 is that we see a major dominance of talented female vocalists and musicians, featuring fantastic releases from The Kills, Warpaint, Bleached, Kino Kimono, GOAT, Sunflower Bean, Carla del Forno, etc. On a different note, being that this list is comprised of songs, versus albums, one notable ommission was the album, The Glowing Man, released by the reformed, eponymous group, Swans, led by Michael Gira. Given the controversy surrounding The Glowing Man and its conclusion of this particular iteration of the group, the expectations were high, but solely in terms of composition and songwriting the album is certainly worthy of acclaim, but its long-form structure is not really suitable for this list. However, condensing these songs to a narrower focus has resulted in an eclectic, high-energy mix to try inspire some semblance of hope in 2017, hopefully extinguishing the dumpster fire, 2016.
When seeking out 1960s-era Stooges, scouting for artistic talent requires a super-human senses, especially amongst a sterile, yet expansive musical climate. The task is even more commendable if one isn’t intimidated by Iggy Pop’s raucous, extreme stage performances. More than just being in the right place at the right time, Danny Fields’ tastes were not only shaped by being immersed early in the New York City Warhol / Velvet Underground scene, but his extensive career has been accentuated by respectively informing the entire history of rock n’ roll. Behind the scenes, yet always a focal point, Danny has been significantly involved in the musical careers of Jim Morrison, Nico, The Stooges, and of course, the Ramones, just to name a few. Danny’s history in trendsetting and shaking up counter-culture is well documented in Brendan Toller’s recent documentary, Danny Says, as well as Jim Jarmusch’s Stooges documentary, Gimme Danger. However, in order to understand the history and plethora of urban legends amidst the early punk rock circles, as well some of the mind-boggling circumstances, we taken a deep dive in our exclusive interview with Danny Fields.
In preparation for our upcoming interview with music business visionary, Danny Fields, we checked out the recent documentary, Danny Says, which chronicles Danny’s career in working with some of the most quintessential music groups in the history of rock and roll. Directed by Brendan Toller, the film recounts some memorable stories behind such groups as The Velvet Underground, Nico, The Doors, Iggy Pop, MC5, and The Ramones. The film is out now in select theaters, On Demand, Amazon Video, and iTunes.
Trailer for the Iggy Pop and the Stooges documentary, Gimme Danger, directed by Jim Jarmusch. This film will be must-see. Also, stay tuned for our upcoming interview with Danny Fields, who helped get the Stooges signed to Elektra Records back in 1968.