Edition: February 24, 2010
Rock-n-Roll Exhibition: KEKE TUMBUAN
My Magical Music Trippy Trip!
:: Playlist & notes, handpicked and written by Keke herself ::
…Ceritanya kompilasi gwe ini isinya musik-musik yang outer worldly kerennya sehingga bisa bikin lo terbang tanpa pake sayap.
Kebanyakan fokus ke suara-suara gitarnya. I love guitar sounds so much it’s not even funny (cuz I can’t play it!).
Yang gwe tampilin kebanyakan adalah musisi dan bands yang gwe suka,
dan ada beberapa juga yang gwe anggap membuat gwe suka musik rock tapi not necessarily a band that I still listen too.
Gwe harus berterima kasih kepada kakak cewek gwe yang jauh lebih tua dari gwe umurnya,
plus temen-temen cowoknya, yang dulu sering meninggalkan majalah-majalah musik di rumah gwe.
Okay, here goes
The Playlist:
01. Sleeping Pills – Suede
The most beautiful piece of music I’ve heard so far. It’s numero uno in the compilation just to give everybody a feel of what’s to come. I’s mysterious, full of guitar magic from the one and only Bernard Butler, and melancholic with a touch of sexy. Follow the guitar and you’ll have an idea why I can’t live without this song. Suede was also the first band that I truly love because of me, not cuz I heard my sister’s boyfriend talking about it. Their sounds in the first 2 albums (Suede and Dog Man Star) are my kinda sounds. Remember, the guitars…
Album/Year Released: Suede/1993
02. All Things Must Pass – George Harrison
George is my favorite Beatle and will always be one of my favorite musicians of all time. Some of his contributions in The Beatles (While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Taxman, and Something) are my favorite Beatles’ songs. As a Beatle geek I’ve learned a lot about their music and personalities, and George is, for me, the best of them all. Not too crazy as John, not too ‘Mr. I-Know-Everything’ as Paul, and not too useless as the guy with the rings. He’s quiet, but such a powerhouse. I heart George.
All Things Must Pass/1970
03. Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny
First heard it in the 80’s in that film La Bamba about Ritchie Valens. The scene was when the brother found out he died and it just gave me goose bumps all over. It’s such an eerie atmosphere but at the same time so lovely. I wish people still makes sounds like this. It scares me a bit, but puts me to sleep.
1959
04. Spoonful – Howlin’ Wolf
My dad owns a pub with live shows and ever since I was tiny I loved the blues they played there. Yup, I was hanging out in bars since I was 5. It was the gateway to a life filled with Rock ‘n’ Roll. Howlin’ Wolf was so powerful and always gives such a sexy character to the songs he sang. Willie Dixon wrote this one—Chess Records rock! The Blues influence stirred me and didn’t let me fall to the hippie and world music shit, even though I’m in love with George Harrison and Hair – The Musical.
Howlin’ For My Darling B Side/1960
05. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) – The Beatles
My favorite band of all time, The Beatles. This song is pretty sexy for The Beatles, who’s more into fun, witty, psychedelic shit at that time. Plus they were breaking up at this point, so it was great to hear that that didn’t affect their creative genius musical brains. Abbey Road is such a dear album for me. It was released in September so, as a Virgo, it’s a plus.
Abbey Road/1969
06. When the Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin
First recorded by husband and wife Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929, it then famously re-worked by Led Zeps. The guitar sounds great but the drumming sounds spectacular. It was pretty much sampled in Beastie Boys’—another band I love, mind you—Rhymin & Stealin (album: License To Ill). Again, the bluesy sound got to me. Plus there are some backwards harmonica, backwards echo, phasing, and there’s also flanging, and at the end you get this super-dense sound, in layers, that’s all built around the drum track.
Led Zeppelin IV/1971
07. Rumble – Link Wray & His Wray Men
This instrumental masterpiece was so sexy it was banned from radios at that time. It sounds like the guitarist was playing around using distortions and feedbacks, which was pretty genius at that time. It’s a classic. No wonder you hear it so much in great films.
1958
08. Beast of Burden – The Rolling Stones
Another band I love, of course. You can never go wrong with The Stones (The Rolling Stones or The Stone Roses!). This song is so mellow and relaxed and it’s kinda like me. Plus, I love the “…Pretty, pretty girl…” part.
Some Girls/1978
09. Comfortably Numb (The Doctor) – Pink Floyd
The opening grabs you and lifts you up to the skies. The guitar solo is amazing. There’s not a lot of guitar solos in songs that much nowadays. I pity that. This song also tells a story, a part of the whole conceptual album. It’s the battle of the protagonist, Pink, who was forced to turn to drugs to cope with his problems. He should’ve just listened to Pink Floyd.
The Wall, 1979
10. I Found a Reason – Velvet Underground
It’s written by Lou Reed, who was still with the Velvets then. I just love the tempo and the attitude of this song. And the talking in the style of 50’s love songs bit just adds the Underground flavor to it. It’s like a beautiful love song with a joke. I love all Velvet Underground songs.
Loaded/1970
11. Blind – Deep Purple
Wasn’t really a big fan of the band, but I probably listened to this song a million times in high school. I love the lyrics. It’s the same like Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, as in I love the song and the lyrics but I wasn’t listening to the band. “…But the season’s changed so fast, leaves us all behind, blind…” A bit like how I’m feeling lately since time goes by so fast.
Deep Purple III/1969
12. Five to One – The Doors
I seem to going backwards in time… Anyhow, The Doors, one of the sexiest bands of all time, and this song screams it. This is one of the best albums for me personally, since it has Hello I Love You, Love Street, Wintertime Love, The Unknown Soldier, and Not to Touch the Earth, plus this one. I used to listen to a lot of The Doors. And was in love with Val Kilmer.
Waiting For The Sun/1968
13. Tom Cat – Muddy Waters
Wow! The combination of all the instruments playing in this song is like a tiger waiting to catch its prey. It seduces and excites you with its psychedelic bluesy kicks. This is why Muddy Waters’s so loved by Rock bands until now. It’s pretty funny, cuz they influenced a lot of psychedelic bands, and with Electric Mud they’re the ones who were influenced by the psychedelic bands…
Electric Mud/1968
14. Eyes Without a Face – Billy Idol
Besides looking good he also has the best cheesy name. Fortunately, he can also sing and his voice sounds hot. Along with some really good rockin’ songs, it’s a combination that made him a star. Eyes Without a Face is one of my favorite songs of all time. I love how it goes from a really slow song to a rockin’ beat in the “Steal a car and go to Las Vegas” part. Wooh! The guitar in that part is great.
Rebel Yell/1983
15. Psycho Killer – Talking Heads
Just like Eyes Without a Face, it has some French lyrics and that’s always sound sexy for me. This song is about a psycho killer and it sounds like a song about a psycho killer, maybe a genius Dexter-like one. I love the rhythm and the vocals in this song and it’s been one of my favorite songs of all time. The White Stripes’ The Hardest Button to Button (album: Elephant, 2003) reminds me of this song. That’s another band that I like.
Talking Heads: 77/1977
16. Lullaby – The Cure
For quite some time I was haunted by the song’s video clip because I’m terrified of spiders, but the song itself is amazing. I love hearing every part of it, cuz it’s like watching a Tim Burton’s movie. All the songs in this compilation have to be heard loudly with a headphone, including this one. Such a great album as well.
Disintegration/1989
17. Rooster – Alice In Chains
Almost all Alice In Chains’ songs are good but I particularly was in love with this song, maybe because it’s a slow powerful one. I like songs about soldiers, which is what Rooster was about. It’s just like Metallica’s One which was also slow but powerful. Layne’s vocals in Rooster are so filled with despair. Then, the angry guitars kick in, and it just throws you over the top. Amazing.
Dirt/1993
18. You’re Crazy – Guns n’ Roses
The only thing I like about G N R was Izzy Stradlin and he wrote most of their best songs. He was the silent musical genius one, just like George Harrison in The Beatles. Stradlin wrote this song and it’s a fabulous acoustic guitar song.
G N R Lies/1988
19. Garden – Pearl Jam
One of the best songs in one of the best albums ever. Written by guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament, it’s a ballad with a beautiful guitar sounds plus an amazing vocal by Eddie Vedder. I love all of Ten, but this one got a bit of magic in it.
Ten/1991
20. She Talks to Angels – Black Crowes
I love Black Crowes and this song is one of the reasons why. If there’s ever a song that made me literally weep inside, this was one. This is the sweetest culmination of what anyone goes through when they hit the bottom, and have no one to tell about their inner pain, hanging onto a past she can never bring back, and never forget. Wow, and the way the song goes from slow guitar sounds to… Bang! The drums start… Loves it!
Shake Your Money Maker/1990
21. Nightclubbing – Iggy Pop
A powerful slow-rhythm song which has a bit of sensual tone in it, which is no surprise since Pop collaborated with David Bowie in the album. This Krautrock influenced song is describing what it’s like to hang out with David Bowie almost every night when you’re Iggy Pop.
The Idiot/1977
22. Andy’s Chest – Lou Reed
Another great album that was produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson who were both strongly influenced by Reed’s works in Velvet Underground. This album is one of my favorite albums of all time as well. I love this one particular song, besides the other amazing songs in the album, because the lyrics remind me of a children’s book. I love how it begins quietly, and then the drums start the song. I also love the “Swoop, swoop, oh, baby, rock, rock” part, where you can hear Bowie in the background. As you probably can tell now, I love David Bowie.
Transformer/1972
23. She’s Lost Control – Joy Division
Martin Hannett, as the genius eccentric producer, obsessively pursued clean drum sounds in this song and it really worked. I love Joy Division and this song really sucks you in a world of that time, of Ian Curtis and his voice, of the magic that was happening in the music industry then. It’s the echoes that did all that.
Unknown Pleasures/1979
24. Home – Depeche Mode
It’s a ballad with haunting strings and other arrangements, and as a Martin Gore vocal track it’s one of my favorite. This song has so much elements in it and everything works well with each other. It’s a perfect example of a great mash up of rock, strings, and industrial electronic sounds. Very sexy. I also love the lyrics.
Ultra/1997
25. This Is Hardcore – Pulp
Another very seducing sexy song, with extra sexy from the vocals of Jarvis Cocker. I also love how the background music sounds like a soundtrack out of a movie. I love the lyrics and how the song went from the orchestral soundtrack type to a very moving and powerful alternative rocking sound in the “Oh this is hardcore” part. Then you can hear the sax in the background at the ending part, followed by the other brass instruments at the very last part, and that’s hot.
This Is Hardcore/1998
26. PDA – Interpol
They’re probably the only new-ish band that I truly love, alongside Franz Ferdinhand, maybe. I love almost all their songs and it was a bit hard to choose one, but then again who can beat the ‘middle of song guitar extravaganza’ this song has? When I used to DJ, I always turn the volume way up in the guitar part and everybody just went nuts. It completely brainwashed everybody, in the best possible way. Interpol also has the coolest band name.
Turn On The Bright Light/2002
27. Eye in the Sky – Alan Parsons Project
I just got to have a song by Alan Parsons Project in this compilation cuz I love them so much. I got to know them via Time, a brilliant ballad, and then I got to know this song. I like it when Eric Woolfson does the vocals cuz he has such a good ‘flat’ voice, like he doesn’t feel anything. The song is in part a reference to George Orwell’s classic novel 1984, regarding a possible future in which individual privacy is virtually non-existent due to the ever-watching eye of Big Brother. In the novel, citizens are constantly monitored by hidden video recording equipment, an ‘Eye In The Sky’.
Eye In The Sky/1982
28. Biological – AIR
AIR’s always made beautiful songs, and they really hit the mark for me with this particular one. It’s a song about sexual science, and it’s just such a cool and forward kinda love song. It so belong to this compilation. It’s dreamy, mysterious, and lifts you up sky high. I also really love how they use the quaint banjo sounds in the refrain. It’s such a contradiction to the other hi-tech equipments used in the making of this song.
Talkie Walkie/2004
29. Earthquake Weather – Beck
This album sounds more like his Odelay (1996) album rather than the last one he did before this. Which is good cuz I love Odelay. I also love everything about this album, especially this special song. It’s slow but loud, with a really great sound and melody. There is this synth sound in the chorus that went from low to really high—sounds like a guitar—and it’s just hypnotizing.
Guero/2005
30. Like a Rolling Stone – Johnny Thunders
I just have to put Johnny Thunders in the compilation cuz he’s a guitar god and I’m a fan. He’s also the cutest one in the New York Dolls. It’s great that he did this song cuz another one of my favorite singer-songwriter wrote it in 1965. The directness of the question in the chorus: “How does it feel?” is so powerful, and that is very hot indeed.
Sticks & Stones: The Lost Album/2009
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Note: Keke is—I think she’s the editor—of Free magazine. She’s a photographer—with attitude, mind ya. She’s obsessed with guitar-driven songs. With her partner, she’s been doing this cutting-edge concert series: Superbad.
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» If you wanna download the whole playlist please click here
Upcoming exhibitions*:
– March 24, 2010: Otong (Vocalist of Koil)
– March 31, 2010: Ricky Siahaan (Axeman & Rock writer)
– April 07, 2010: Indra Ameng (Urban art cognoscenti, Band manager)
– April 14, 2010: Felix Dass (Writer, Band manager)
– April 21, 2010: Dedidude (Graphic designer)
– April 28, 2010: Firman Prasetyo (Music Director – Solo Radio)
See y’all again next Wednesday!
Boozed, Broozed, and Broken-boned,
RUDOLF DETHU
*subject to change
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The Block Rockin’ Beats
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The Beat Radio Plus – Bali, 98.5 FM
120 minutes of cock-melting tunes.
No bullcrap.
Zero horse shit.
Rad-ass rebel without a pause.
Shut up and slamdance!
