Phenomenal Handclap Band
might be the quintessential New York act these days. An eight headed collective – led by the producers and DJs Daniel Colls and Sean Marquand – that melds the sounds of prog rock revivalism, proto disco, psychedelica, soul rave-ups and the occasional hand clap into a heady mix that transports the heritage of the Big Apple’s dancing days into the here and now.
D: It’s the version I heard way before I had even heard of Big Star. My friend’s older brother had that first Squire album, the one with «It's A Mod Mod World». It was heavy stuff to us at the time. Whatever happened to Squire, by the way?
S: My bus driver in 1st grade would sing along with it. Later I realized it didn’t have a vocal chorus. What a huge step (or misstep?) for pop music.
S: Or the entire second side of Abbey Road? I don’t know.
S: Crash Worship is my favorite ever. Roman candles aimed at the audience, a band wearing only white powder, a sousaphone bell connected to an electric guitar, and a bunch of red wine poured over the audience. It was a descent into hell.
D: At Coney Island, summer of 2007. Without question.
D: I’m gonna go with «Tell Me When My Light Turns To Green». It’s not like I put that on every time I get drunk, but it is great, and it wouldn’t really fit as an answer to any of these other questions.
S: This has made me cry countless times.
S: I still don't have a copy. AND it’s one of my favorite albums ever.
S: I was convinced it was a new song and it sounded like the love I was feeling for a girl I was dating. I played it for her and she thought it was just okay. The relationship was doomed.
S: When I was little I was really bummed that the record didn’t have a spoken story. The images in the album were so incredible and perfect for a child and the fact that it was just music really disappointed me. But as a consequence of having this be my first album, «Blue Jay Way» is not a throwaway song for me as it is for many a Beatles fan. It’s actually one of my favorites.
D: I actually had one ready for this. «Comes The Cajun». It’s this obscure sound library piece I found on a Trunk compilation.
S: I was 12! The song seemed to really stick though because I remember hearing the song at a church sleep over where a girl surprised me in the middle of the night when she got into my sleeping bag with me. Jr. High scandal!
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S: This is incredible. I don’t feel too guilty about it though.
D: I would have to say «Hello It’s Me». It’s way more fragile and plaintive than Rundgren’s later solo version.
D: I have this feeling he was singing about this city as much as he was singing about any woman.
S: It really reminds me of «Do it Any Way You Wanna» by People’s Choice.
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S: The «Xanadu» Soundtrack. The photo of her on the back elongates her legs to cartoonish extremes. I stared at that one forever.
D: «This Are Two Tone». It’s this great compilation that has The Specials and The Selecter and even Madness and The Beat, while they were briefly associated with that label. Life changing stuff. I was 12. I still have it around here somewhere. «On My Radio» by The Selecter is still one of my favorite left-field disco cuts.
S: The phased out bridge from «Life’s Been Good To Me So Far» by Joe Walsh. Runner up: the intro to «Benny And The Jets» by Elton John.
S: The phased out bridge from «Life’s Been Good To Me So Far». Runner up: the intro to «Bennie And The Jets» by Elton John.
D: I had this old phone that had these great digital instrumental versions of «Genius Of Love» by Tom Tom Club and «Good Times» by Chic. It got to the point where I didn’t want to answer my phone because it sounded so good. Later on, the phone eventually broke and I tried to download the same ringers to my new phone, but it just wasn’t the same.
D: I had this old phone that had these great digital instrumental versions of «Genius Of Love» and «Good Times». It got to the point where I didn’t want to answer my phone because it sounded so good. Later on, the phone eventually broke and I tried to download the same ringers to my new phone, but it just wasn’t the same.
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