THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS ADVANCE TO THE NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES!

As is tradition in Dodger Stadium upon a Dodger win, Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." plays over the PA system.

Onward to the NLCS! Let's go, Dodgers!

I love LA! We love it!

Happy Independence Day!

In celebration of our independence, I am sharing with you readers a most very special video of Marvin Gaye performing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the 1983 NBA All-Star game at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, California. He is accompanied with a drum machine and the occasional "whoos" from members of the crowd. It is quite an emotional performance.

Enjoy. And stay safe tonight.

Late Night Music Video: "Peek-A-Boo!" by Devo

Oh no, it's Devo!

With the release of the third album, Devo were on the verge of bubbling to the mainstream. Oh No, It's Devo!, produced by Roy Thomas Baker (who produced albums for the Cars), was Devo stripped of its angularity, featuring tracks destined for mainstream radio and MTV play. Yes, all of the tracks were highly polished, informed by the New Wave synths of the period. But through it all, Devo manage to be Devo. No chopping of the edges would hide that.

"Peek-A-Boo!" retains the quality that made Devo, well, Devo: a spastic chorus, a memorable instrumentation, and those biting lyrics sung by Mark Mothersbaugh.

The video that accompanied the track may seem dated now, but it perfectly showcases the quirks and spectacles that made Devo one of the best bands of the late '70s and early '80s.

Long Forgotten Albums: "Bootsy? Player of the Year" by Bootsy's Rubber Band

"Roto-Rooter" by Bootsy's Rubber Band



When he wasn't providing the groovy booty-shaking bass for George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic, Bootsy was laying to record his own funk gems. Bootsy did not go it alone as he was aided by the Rubber Band. Together, Bootsy's Rubber Band released a one-two-three punch with Stretchin' Out Bootsy's Rubber Band, Ahh...the Name is Bootsy, Baby!, and Bootsy? Player of the Year. Forgotten to all except connoisseurs of funk.

Bootsy? Player of the Year is Bootsy's Rubber Band in top form. The album see the band stretch its chops from twitchy funk ("Bootsy What's the Name of this Town") to celestial groove ("Bootzilla") to hazy soul ("As In I Love You"). "Roto-Rooter" is a funk stomper; one can't help but dance along with the bubbly bass lines.

There is a wide depth to this album showcasing the songwriting talent of Bootsy Collins. His use of the Rubber Band to achieve is version of funk is of great reward to the listener.

It may be the best album Parliament/Funkadelic never recorded.

Covers: "1970" by Mission of Burma and "I Feel Alright" by the Damned

The Stooges' "1970," as covered by the Damned


The Stooges' "1970," as covered by Mission of Burma



Tonight's edition of "Covers" is a double wallop of Stooges inspired punk rock, featuring two very different takes on a scorcher of a rocker. "1970" by the Stooges.

The original, as recorded by the Stooges, is a tight number, menacing in its restraint yet still loose.

The version recorded by the Damned is a blistering and sloppy number, the instruments played in a state of frenzy.

Mission of Burma's take on the song, here recorded live, is transformed into a chaotic noise rocker, screeching along, almost primitively.

Both end, as any cover of a Stooges' song should, in crazy crashing crescendo.

10 Most Dangerous Albums of All Time (Entry Six)

"I Heard Her Call My Name" by the Velvet Underground



1967.

A year that changed the musical landscape. The emergence of psychedelia affected nearly every major recording artist performing at the time; even the macho swaggering Rolling Stones were not immune to this new scene. Much of the music steeped in pyschedlia and produced that year resulted in soulless records, bland and boring.

Fortunately, one band would release an album full of life; one that challenged the musical landscape.

The Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat

Upon the formation of the Velvet Underground, the subject matter of sex and drugs was nothing new in rock and roll. It was how the subject matter was addressed that made the Velvet Underground, their debut album in particular, different. More importantly, though, their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico hinted at the shearing sheets of noise that would mark the follow-up album

White Light/White Heat introduced an element of music seldom used in 1967: sheets of noise. Abrasive while retaining their pop sensibilities, the Velvet Underground blazed forward with an urgency. Each instrument created its own sharp, churning sound. The title track introduced these elements to the listener; every subsequent track upped the ante.

But the Velvet Underground relied on much more than noise, although that was the unifying element of the album. Listen to John Cale's spoken word piece on "The Gift." And typical of the Velvet Underground, their love of bubblegum pop is present in "Here She Comes Now" and the scorching "I Heard Her Call My Name," with its feedback and noisy wallop throughout. This is the Velvet Underground challenging traditional music conventions and the musical landscape at large.

The album closes with the mammoth "Sister Ray," a dangerous eighteen minute exercise in the melding and destruction of a simple riff. The track's influence is easily recognizable in many of today's noise rock artists. And, while it may have been record over forty years ago, the track is still every bit as abrasive, dangerous, and antagonizing as it was in 1967.

Don't believe it? Play "Sister Ray," or any cut off this album, on the local jukebox and revel in the patrons' reactions.

Late Night Music Video: "Nick the Stripper" by the Birthday Party

Before the Jesus Lizard, there was the Birthday Party.

The Birthday Party summoned all that is primitive about rock music then deconstructed it, only to piece it all together in a manner evocative of spiels belonging to a demented prisoner. "Nick the Stripper," like many of the songs off the album Prayers On Fire, is a culmination of pummeling rhythms accompanied with the occasional noises and howls of the band.

The video for "Nick the Stripper" visually captures the aural craziness of the Birthday Party. From the melee to the fires, the impact of the song is not lost on film. It only accentuates its power, beating those rhythms into the ears . . . all while Nick Cave wears a diaper.