HERMITOLOGY

Flashback Friday: Eddy Grant, “Electric Avenue” (1983)

This was the first piece of music that was ever “mine”. I fell in love with the song after hearing it on the radio, so my mom did me a solid and bought me the 7”. It was the first entry in what has grown to be a massive music collection, and almost thirty years later I still back the track. It’s gonna be stuck in my head all day (and now it’ll be stuck in yours).

Note: I don’t know what’s better; that Eddy Grant was doing the BWAAAAAAMP drops thirty years before Skrillex, or that he synced said BWAAAAAAMP up to a close-up of a guy revving his motorcycle for this video.

Flashback Friday: Beastie Boys, “Paul Revere” (1986)

I can’t be the only kid who pissed the hell out of his parents by playing every record backwards and screwing up countless needles by trying to scratch after I heard this song for the first time. Sorry, Mom.

Licensed To Ill was the first cassette I ever bought myself. Some Peer Records employee sold an 11-year-old kid (who probably looked about seven) a tape with a Parental Advisory sticker on it. I’m glad he or she did, because this album changed my life.

Buy it here.

Flashback Friday: Donuts N’ Glory, “Sirens” (1996)

I thought it might be nice to take a break from the damning evidence I’ve been finding in the boxes of cassettes and shame at my mom’s house, and share a record that I found that I don’t feel bad about owning in the least, Donuts N’ Glory’s When Pregnasaurs Ruled The Earth. I loved it when it came out in ‘96, and think it still holds up pretty damn well today.

In the mid-90’s, I caught these guys live as often as possible, got to sit in a live session at KUCI when they played a few songs from a “new record” that never came out, bought a 10” snare (Really?!) because their drummer played one and tried to play along to this record. I think I would have qualified for full-blown fanboy status. They were a big influence on my music writing back then, and while I don’t think they ever got the recognition that they deserved on a national level (partly because they only had one LP and were only around for a few years), they were local band that had a huge impact on me at an important time in my life. They inspired me to want to write, and record and tour, and I probably wouldn’t be where I’m at today if it weren’t for them 

Unfortunately, When Pregnasaurs Ruled The Earth is out of print, but there’s talk of a possible reissue. In the meantime, you can listen to the record here.

Flashback Friday: Young Black Teenagers, “Tap The Bottle” 

In 1993, these guys (none of whom were actually black) blew up with a song about how to open a 40. I can’t imagine they’d have as successful in doing so, if it weren’t for House of Pain paving the way for white rappers bouncing around and rapping about how awesome they were with “Jump Around” in 1992.

I owned both records, so it’s kinda my fault. Sorry.

Flashback Friday: Ralph Tresvant, “Sensitivity” (1990) 

This jam from the former New Edition frontman landed at #1 on the R&B charts back when I was a freshman in high school who wore Skidz overalls and Starter jackets in public. Despite Brandon Jennings’ best attempts to bring back the high-top fade a couple of years ago, it never really caught on again. I think we need a Ralph Tresvant revival if we’re ever going to make that happen. And it wouldn’t hurt to have Kenny “Sky” Walker, Charles Smith, and Kid from Kid ‘n Play onboard too.