If I ran a game store I would play the song Arthur Curry by Ookla the Mok.
Aquaman gets no love. His superpowers are misunderstood and people joke about them. He can't fly. His costume is dated. He was shirked by Wonder Woman. No one wants to make a TV show, movie, or song about him. Enter Ookla the Mok. They made Arthur Curry – a song about Aquaman complaining about how he gets no love. It's a fast-paced rock tune with a chorus featuring Aquaman telling everyone to step off. The song is post-Crisis and pre-New 52, so its information is dated – check out 10 Reasons Aquaman is a Badass – but the song is fun and really fits the memories of people who grew up with the Super Friends and stopped reading comics as they aged.
Arthur Curry is from Ookla the Mok's 1997 album, Less Than Art. They have a second version of the song, Arthur Curry 2007, on the same album.
Arthur Curry on Google Play
Friday, November 28, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Peter Parker
If I ran a game store I would play the song Peter Parker by the great Luke Ski.
While Sony Pictures was producing the movie Spider-Man, the great Luke Ski was producing the song Peter Parker. Spider-Man was released in theaters on May 3, 2002 and was the biggest movie of the year. Peter Parker was first played on the Dr. Demento Show on May 5, 2002 and was the show's most requested song of the year.
Peter Parker is a parody of Run-D.M.C.'s Peter Piper performed by Luke Ski and Devo Spice. It's a hip-hop song that nostalgically samples the theme song to the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon series. The song broadly tells the tale of Peter Parker's life and the villains he faces. It also outlines a number of other Marvel superheroes but ranks Spider-Man above them for greatness. It's a fun song for the lyrics Luke Ski wrote and the song he parodies, but his sampling really make the song what it is. Rather than going on about Sam Raimi's movie, Luke Ski looked to an early version of Spider-Man. This gives the song a longer shelf life and makes it accessible to a generation familiar with that version of the web head - even the first time you hear it you will know some of the lyrics. Peter Parker was released on the great Luke Ski’s 2002 album, Uber Geek.
Peter Parker on Bandcamp
While Sony Pictures was producing the movie Spider-Man, the great Luke Ski was producing the song Peter Parker. Spider-Man was released in theaters on May 3, 2002 and was the biggest movie of the year. Peter Parker was first played on the Dr. Demento Show on May 5, 2002 and was the show's most requested song of the year.
Peter Parker is a parody of Run-D.M.C.'s Peter Piper performed by Luke Ski and Devo Spice. It's a hip-hop song that nostalgically samples the theme song to the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon series. The song broadly tells the tale of Peter Parker's life and the villains he faces. It also outlines a number of other Marvel superheroes but ranks Spider-Man above them for greatness. It's a fun song for the lyrics Luke Ski wrote and the song he parodies, but his sampling really make the song what it is. Rather than going on about Sam Raimi's movie, Luke Ski looked to an early version of Spider-Man. This gives the song a longer shelf life and makes it accessible to a generation familiar with that version of the web head - even the first time you hear it you will know some of the lyrics. Peter Parker was released on the great Luke Ski’s 2002 album, Uber Geek.
Peter Parker on Bandcamp
Monday, November 24, 2014
Skullcrusher Mountain
If I ran a game store I would play Skullcrusher Mountain by Jonathan Coulton.
Every evil genius has their hidden lair full of scientific crimes against the animal kingdom and with a private army eager to destroy the world. There are memes built upon memes when it comes to the global supervillain character and their love interest. Jonathan Coulton takes a fresh approach by going inside the villain's brain while taking the target of his affections on a tour of Skullcrusher Mountain and surfacing his insecurities. The song is a folksy rock/country tune sung very mellow. The juxtaposition of singing a song of menace in a calm, easy-to-relate-to tone is a hallmark of Coulton, who uses it in a few of his songs for effect. He sings this one so calm that the word "yet" almost doesn't make it from the lyric sheet to the vocal track, giving the feeling that her expiration might be sooner than the villain can control.
Skullcrusher Mountain was originally written to be included as part of a lecture series in 2003. It wasn't until October 2004 that it was available on an album, Jonathan Coulton's Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow.
Skullcrusher Mountain on Google Play
Every evil genius has their hidden lair full of scientific crimes against the animal kingdom and with a private army eager to destroy the world. There are memes built upon memes when it comes to the global supervillain character and their love interest. Jonathan Coulton takes a fresh approach by going inside the villain's brain while taking the target of his affections on a tour of Skullcrusher Mountain and surfacing his insecurities. The song is a folksy rock/country tune sung very mellow. The juxtaposition of singing a song of menace in a calm, easy-to-relate-to tone is a hallmark of Coulton, who uses it in a few of his songs for effect. He sings this one so calm that the word "yet" almost doesn't make it from the lyric sheet to the vocal track, giving the feeling that her expiration might be sooner than the villain can control.
Skullcrusher Mountain was originally written to be included as part of a lecture series in 2003. It wasn't until October 2004 that it was available on an album, Jonathan Coulton's Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow.
Skullcrusher Mountain on Google Play
Friday, November 21, 2014
Pencil Neck Geek
If I ran a game store I would play the song Pencil Neck Geek by Fred Blassie.
"Pencil neck geek" was the nickname that old time pro wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie festooned upon his opponents. The song was drafted by some musician friends who coerced him into a recording booth and told him he didn't have to sing, that he could just speak the lines. The result is the classic Pencil Neck Geek, released in 1976 and made famous by play on the Dr. Demento show. In the song, Blassie paints a picture of a town plagued by geeks that seem to multiply without reason and bring ill fate wherever they roam. He uses the plague as an excuse to hurl two fistfuls of insults at geeks everywhere. The song is novelty from beginning to end based upon the language, the subject, the singing style, and the instrumentation (wrestling manager Johnny Legend plays the harmonica on it!). It plays a little like a country or folksy ballad. As the title of "geek" was transferred from actual geeks to those who can pass as normal and eventually to those who can pass as cool the word as an insult has been lost. The word "geek" has been empowered now, which makes Blassie's use so much the better. The nice thing about gamers is that there is a cultural memory of the word as a weapon and Pencil Neck Geek is a fun reminder of where the word started.
Pencil Neck Geek was released on an a 7" vinyl album in 1976, titled Nothin' But a Pencil Neck Geek. The A-side has both No Bout Adoubt It and Blassie, King of Men and the B-side has both U.S. Male and Pencil Neck Geek. The song was included on a 1983 album entitled I Bite the Songs, and has been included on Dr. Demento compilation albums.
"Pencil neck geek" was the nickname that old time pro wrestler "Classy" Freddie Blassie festooned upon his opponents. The song was drafted by some musician friends who coerced him into a recording booth and told him he didn't have to sing, that he could just speak the lines. The result is the classic Pencil Neck Geek, released in 1976 and made famous by play on the Dr. Demento show. In the song, Blassie paints a picture of a town plagued by geeks that seem to multiply without reason and bring ill fate wherever they roam. He uses the plague as an excuse to hurl two fistfuls of insults at geeks everywhere. The song is novelty from beginning to end based upon the language, the subject, the singing style, and the instrumentation (wrestling manager Johnny Legend plays the harmonica on it!). It plays a little like a country or folksy ballad. As the title of "geek" was transferred from actual geeks to those who can pass as normal and eventually to those who can pass as cool the word as an insult has been lost. The word "geek" has been empowered now, which makes Blassie's use so much the better. The nice thing about gamers is that there is a cultural memory of the word as a weapon and Pencil Neck Geek is a fun reminder of where the word started.
Pencil Neck Geek was released on an a 7" vinyl album in 1976, titled Nothin' But a Pencil Neck Geek. The A-side has both No Bout Adoubt It and Blassie, King of Men and the B-side has both U.S. Male and Pencil Neck Geek. The song was included on a 1983 album entitled I Bite the Songs, and has been included on Dr. Demento compilation albums.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Viva Del Santo!
If I ran game store I would play the song Viva Del Santo! By Southern Culture on the Skids.
Santo is a champion luchador wrestler, a masked super hero, a secret agent, movie star, fashion icon and sex symbol – and Viva Del Santo! is a song about him. Southern Culture on the Skids actually released an entire EP devoted to the star named Santo Swings. This song is mostly musical. It starts with a slow prose describing the exciting life Santo leads, then someone yells "Viva de los Santo" and the song kicks into high gear. It's a rockabilly surf tune full of grito Mexicano, trumpets, a lady cheering "go, go Santo," and a wrestling ring bell. There are few lyrics in this song and those that do exist mix with the beat and the sound effects to create the illusion of a superhero wrestler living life in the fast lane. The other songs on the album do an incomplete job of capturing the spirit of Santo and while they are enjoyable they do not need to be played in my fictional game store.
Viva Del Santo! was released on the album, Santo Swings. Santo Swings was released in 1992 on one label and again in 1996 on a new label.
Vive Del Santo! on Google Play
This video is of the entire 18 minute EP. Viva Del Santo! is the first song played and lasts until the 3:50 mark,
Santo is a champion luchador wrestler, a masked super hero, a secret agent, movie star, fashion icon and sex symbol – and Viva Del Santo! is a song about him. Southern Culture on the Skids actually released an entire EP devoted to the star named Santo Swings. This song is mostly musical. It starts with a slow prose describing the exciting life Santo leads, then someone yells "Viva de los Santo" and the song kicks into high gear. It's a rockabilly surf tune full of grito Mexicano, trumpets, a lady cheering "go, go Santo," and a wrestling ring bell. There are few lyrics in this song and those that do exist mix with the beat and the sound effects to create the illusion of a superhero wrestler living life in the fast lane. The other songs on the album do an incomplete job of capturing the spirit of Santo and while they are enjoyable they do not need to be played in my fictional game store.
Viva Del Santo! was released on the album, Santo Swings. Santo Swings was released in 1992 on one label and again in 1996 on a new label.
Vive Del Santo! on Google Play
This video is of the entire 18 minute EP. Viva Del Santo! is the first song played and lasts until the 3:50 mark,
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Rocket & Groot
If I ran a game store I would play Rocket & Groot by Insane Ian.
Songs about Guardians of the Galaxy are in short supply, but since the release of the movie artists have been hard at work trying to meet the demand. One of the first songs that they naturally chose to parody is Rocky Raccoon by The Beatles, seeing as how the song was the inspiration for Rocket Raccoon's name. In this age of YouTube and internet stardom there is a competition among artists towards being both the first to release a song and to have the best song. With regards to Rocky Raccoon parodies Insane Ian didn't win "first" but he did win "best". The song Rocket & Groot follows the path of the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, placing the characters into their scenes from the film. It is adeptly done, keeping a close comparison to the lyrics of the source song. Rocket & Groot was released on The FuMP a couple of weeks after GotG opened. It is available on The FuMP Volume 46.
The other notable GotG song is The Ballad of Rocket Raccoon by The Super Funnies. It was released during San Diego Comic Con 2014, putting its release before the release of the movie. This is also a parody of Rocky Raccoon, but it details how Rocket joined the Guardians in the Marvel Comic Book Universe, beginning in The Incredible Hulk #271 (May 1982). Lyrically, I find this song to really be a treat, but the musical accompaniment doesn't meet my expectations. I wanted something closer to McCartney's guitar and the honky-tonk vibe of Rocky Raccoon. If I ran a comic book shop I would play The Ballad of Rocket Raccoon, but since I am running a fictional game store here I would play the version based upon the movie.
Rocket & Groot on The FuMP
The Ballad of Rocket Raccoon on Google Play
Songs about Guardians of the Galaxy are in short supply, but since the release of the movie artists have been hard at work trying to meet the demand. One of the first songs that they naturally chose to parody is Rocky Raccoon by The Beatles, seeing as how the song was the inspiration for Rocket Raccoon's name. In this age of YouTube and internet stardom there is a competition among artists towards being both the first to release a song and to have the best song. With regards to Rocky Raccoon parodies Insane Ian didn't win "first" but he did win "best". The song Rocket & Groot follows the path of the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, placing the characters into their scenes from the film. It is adeptly done, keeping a close comparison to the lyrics of the source song. Rocket & Groot was released on The FuMP a couple of weeks after GotG opened. It is available on The FuMP Volume 46.
The other notable GotG song is The Ballad of Rocket Raccoon by The Super Funnies. It was released during San Diego Comic Con 2014, putting its release before the release of the movie. This is also a parody of Rocky Raccoon, but it details how Rocket joined the Guardians in the Marvel Comic Book Universe, beginning in The Incredible Hulk #271 (May 1982). Lyrically, I find this song to really be a treat, but the musical accompaniment doesn't meet my expectations. I wanted something closer to McCartney's guitar and the honky-tonk vibe of Rocky Raccoon. If I ran a comic book shop I would play The Ballad of Rocket Raccoon, but since I am running a fictional game store here I would play the version based upon the movie.
Rocket & Groot on The FuMP
The Ballad of Rocket Raccoon on Google Play
Monday, November 17, 2014
Godbomb
If I ran a game store I would play the song Godbomb by Adam WarRock.
This is an angry song, told by Thor the God of Lightning as he stands over his defeated foe, proclaiming that he is too mighty to be stopped by a punk like Gorr the God Butcher. You can hear the testosterone flowing swiftly through Thor's veins as he taunts his downed opponent and walks back to the locker room. That's the song Godbomb. It chronicles the events of Thor: God of Thunder #2 – 11 (also found in Thor: God of Thunder, Vol. 1: The God Butcher) in a nerdcore rap driven by a metal guitar lick. Adam WarRock released the song on his website in May 2013 during his "Marvel NOW! week", amid a bunch of other songs worth playing in a game store.
Godbomb on Adam WarRock's website
This is an angry song, told by Thor the God of Lightning as he stands over his defeated foe, proclaiming that he is too mighty to be stopped by a punk like Gorr the God Butcher. You can hear the testosterone flowing swiftly through Thor's veins as he taunts his downed opponent and walks back to the locker room. That's the song Godbomb. It chronicles the events of Thor: God of Thunder #2 – 11 (also found in Thor: God of Thunder, Vol. 1: The God Butcher) in a nerdcore rap driven by a metal guitar lick. Adam WarRock released the song on his website in May 2013 during his "Marvel NOW! week", amid a bunch of other songs worth playing in a game store.
Godbomb on Adam WarRock's website
Monday, November 10, 2014
Talk Nerdy to Me
If I ran a game store I would play two versions of the song Talk Nerdy to Me. I would play one version by Possible Oscar and I would play the version by K-Face Rules.
Possible Oscar staked their claim in the song title first. Their version of Talk Nerdy to Me is a parody of the 1986 song Talk Dirty to Me by Poison. Possible Oscar not only parodied a twenty-year-old song, but they did it twice by releasing two versions of their take. The first version is from their 2007 album, The Wrath of Con, and they copied the sound and style of the original very tightly, so it still has some hair band vibe to it. The second version is from their 2011 album, The Long Overdue EP, and it's an acoustic version that plays very throaty and dusky. It's the better version. The lyrics are slightly dated with mentions of IRC, chat rooms, and Farscape, but it still plays well. It's a moody tune about a geeky guy courting a geeky gal over the internet and in meat space. It sounds like he might even stand a chance.
In 2013, Jason Derulo released the song Talk Dirty. The song was swiftly parodied by a handful of groups all calling their versions Talk Nerdy to Me. Most of the batch isn't designed for repeat play – some are school assignments – but there is some quality to be found here. Of the short list of good versions, the K-Face Rules version is the only one that I would play in a game store. It stands apart from the rest by using a quality recording, quality instrumentation and sound effects, and quality lyrics. It's a poppy hip-hop tune about a geeky guy courting a geeky gal by paying respect to her fandoms. The song drops a lot of the current pop geek culture names and lingo and fills in the breaks with sounds from familiar video games. While it overlaps with the Possible Oscar version in being a boy-meets-girl story, it is a different creature altogether. X Marks the Beat has reservations about putting two songs with the same name on a playlist, but listeners won't have any trouble distinguishing the two songs.
For a list of other versions of Talk Nerdy to Me parodying Talk Dirty, see Gaby Dunn's article: The Battle of the "Talk Nerdy to Me" Parody Videos.
Talk Nerdy to Me (accoustic) on Possible Oscar's site
Talk Nerdy to Me by K-Face Rules on Google Play
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Electric De Chocobo
If I ran a game store I would play the song Electric De Chocobo by Careless Juja.
There are plenty of chocobo songs and there are plenty of covers of those songs, but this is the strongest version of them. The song was originally composed by Nobuo Uematsu for use in Final Fantasy II, but each version of the game includes a remix of the song set to fit a different style of music. Electric De Chocobo is the surf music version from Final Fantasy VII. In the game, the song plays whenever a chocobo is near. The Careless Juja version is so pleasing because it's a very tight cover of the original. Even fans of the Final Fantasy series who haven't heard Electric De Chocobo will be able to identify it as being a chocobo tune, which makes it a great song for all ages.
Electric De Chocobo is from Careless Juja's 2014 album, Professor Layton & the Bay Harbor Butcher.
There are plenty of chocobo songs and there are plenty of covers of those songs, but this is the strongest version of them. The song was originally composed by Nobuo Uematsu for use in Final Fantasy II, but each version of the game includes a remix of the song set to fit a different style of music. Electric De Chocobo is the surf music version from Final Fantasy VII. In the game, the song plays whenever a chocobo is near. The Careless Juja version is so pleasing because it's a very tight cover of the original. Even fans of the Final Fantasy series who haven't heard Electric De Chocobo will be able to identify it as being a chocobo tune, which makes it a great song for all ages.
Electric De Chocobo is from Careless Juja's 2014 album, Professor Layton & the Bay Harbor Butcher.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Yo Ho Ho
If I ran a game store I would play the song Yo Ho Ho by Captain Dan and The Scurvy Crew.
Everybody likes an occasional pirate ditty, but this isn't that. Captain Dan and The Scurvy Crew are hardcore rapping pirates. They mix modern slang with pirate slang and modern gangsta rap themes with pirate lifestyle themes to create a very unique take on both genres. Yo Ho Ho is a play on the old "yo ho ho and a bottle of rum" song we all heard back in the day, with the "yo ho ho" turned into an audience call and response. It features Captain Dan, Quarter Master Sea Dawg, and Gunner Scott Free rapping about their criminal exploits while DJ SyKo spins the beats. The song's lyrics take no prisoners, covering all of the vile behavior for which pirates are known and sung in boastful manner. The lyrics cover enough deplorable acts that the song is more of a PG-13 song, even though most listeners would be hard pressed to hear the worst of the language.
Yo Ho Ho is from Captain Dan and The Scurvy Crew's 2007 album, Rimes of the Hip-Hop Mariners. They also performed the song on the TV show America's Got Talent. It was season 7 and they didn't get past the audition phase. It's clear that Howie Mandel, Sharon Osbourne, and Howard Stern had it in for the group pretty quickly by buzzing them out and then insulting them. The band has a considerable amount of talent if you're willing to buy into their premise of being rapping pirates, though. There will be a few other songs from Captain Dan and The Scurvy Crew on X Marks the Beat in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)