The Best Rock Song - 1989

ROCK955 Hosts Angi Taylor, Klinger, Marris, Maria Palmer, and Walt each pick the best song from 1997, talk about the prolific work of Rick Rubin, great covers, humping it out to girthy bass lines, and more. 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
It's the top five on Rock ninetyfive five. Welcome back. It is
time for another episode of the Rockninety five to five Top five Gang is
all here, and we're going topick a year we already have, and
we're gonna pick our favorite song fromthat year, and we're going to toss
it out to the room and we'regonna chew each other out on it.

(00:21):
Oh, we're a gang o cheweach other out, all right. So
the year is nineteen eighty nine,all right, So a lot going on
in that year. It was kindof like the end of one era.
Another one was just a couple ofyears from starting. So what do you
got We'll start clockwise around the room. Over here to my left, it's

(00:43):
Angie Hey, Walt, thank you. So yes, like you were saying,
end of one era, start ofanother, end of like hair bandish
era, maybe like going into thegrunge era. In between, there was
a lot of the industrial rocks,such as Stabbing Westward, but not back
in nineteen eighty nine. I lovedthe cult Firewoman. That was my for
this year. I am a firewoman. I don't know what that means.

(01:04):
I'm an air sign, but youknow you can't have a fire without
air. But I love the calls. I love that kind of music.
I love your kind of music.It was a great it was a great
record, and I mean I wasa big cult fan with She Sells Sanctuary
and the Love Album was a greatalbum. And then they followed that up
with Electric a Rick Rubin Special,and then Sonic Temple with and then it

(01:27):
was just like they just kept ongoing became becoming a really great rock band.
Yeah, and it's sexy, youknow. I love I love the
call And have you noticed that everyweek? I feel like Rick Rubin comes
up every month like he's producer dujour of some of our favorites. Yeahs,

(01:48):
Johnny Cash, everything that he's done. I love that he is.
He really is. I mean hegets a lot of credit, but well
deserved credit when you think about it. Yeah, I mean that dude was
humping it way way back in theday. Right, sorry, one more
time? What humping it? Whatis humping that mean? Why was he
you don't know what humping it means? Like on the gas doing his job?
Oh, like stopping on the gas. He was not, but he

(02:15):
had like a minus touch for Imean, didn't he work with like run
DMC way back in the day heworked with Yeah, but he's like he
created the Beastie Boys. Yes,yes, you know he like and just
think that melding right there still standsup forty years later, you know,
putting hip hop, rap and rockguitars together. I mean, drop the

(02:37):
mic. It doesn't get better.Do you know what his favorite song I
just read His favorite song that heever produced was Chop suey Oh. Yes,
System of a Down. And again, such a perfect reference point of
just working with all these different genresand if he can work with those guys
and that is his favorite song,I love that. I also love that
Chops that System of a Down said. We didn't like working with him though,

(03:00):
because because they would record their stuffand he'd be like, yeah,
it's good, that's fun, andthey didn't felt like they had a lot
of direction. He has a lotHe has a very zen yeah way of
doing things cross he actually like likeI've never worked with him, but I
know what I've heard is that he'lllike a band will be in the studio,
they'll do their thing, and thenhe'll come in later and kind of

(03:22):
like, uh, you know,check it out and see and then like
replace some pieces and then band hasto redo it with his direction on that
and you know that some bands,like myself, I'd be like, well,
I wish you were here so youcould tell me and I could do
it right the first time. Butit also allows bands to actually come to
that decision on their own. Hegives them a little bit of direction,
and then the band has to findthe right way and it doesn't impress himself

(03:45):
too much. It becomes honest andreal that way, as opposed to just
doing what one guy tells you todo so and there's a reason why they
hire him in the first place.Right process is different and yields some badass
music. Become the Rick Rubin LoveFast podcast. Great great has great start
though with the Cult and Firewoman fromany from nineteen eighty nine. That's a
great band, Clinger. What doyou got? Well, this band went

(04:05):
into the studio for the eighth timeand uh and I will tell you they
have a record prior to the oneI'm getting ready to talk about called head
on the Door. You know whoI'm talking about. My favorite band in
the whole wide world is a CureAnd in nineteen eighty nine, they released
Disintegration, and on that record somany but I'm gonna pick love Song because
it still has staying power in thisday and age, you still hear it.

(04:27):
Of course three eleven's cover of itwas awesome. I feel like everybody's
covered love Song, but I lovethree version of it. I do too,
Yeah, And I love it becausethat song wound up on the record
as Robert Smith's birthday gift to hiswife. He wrote a song and it
just turned out to be such acool song, and I feel like many
of us Cure fans. Again,when we were listening to Head on the

(04:47):
Door, I remember thinking, there'sno fucking way that they're ever gonna top
this record. And then kiss Me, kiss Me, kiss Me, which,
as you and I talked about,is such a great record. A
lot of singles on that one offsright, and then they come out with
Disintegration, and I just remember innineteen eighty nine lighting incense and trying to

(05:08):
capture my inner goth coming off ofthe mid eighties, which I was super
gothy, and then I kind ofgot out of the look of goth,
but it's always stuck with me andI love that record. And then you've
got Fascination Street on the record GodPictures of You, I mean as Pictures
of You that is fuck. Ilove that and I was so torn.
I was so torn to pick one. It's so hard for me on a

(05:29):
record like that. Why is Robertso scary looking? Now? Oh God,
he looks like an old grandmother?Well, well they do not,
they do not. Okay, greatsong, keep it to myself. Good
one though, hold on say it, You're not You're not Robert Smith old.
I was gonna say it kind ofreminds me of Grandpa from the Monsters,
but yes, total or a grandmothertoo, because he's starting to look

(05:53):
like an old lady. Yet Isaw a Fascination Street and Love Sung on
the list of albums that you andI thought about it. I'm like,
it's an awesome care record, oneof my favorites. It's either between Head
on the Door and then that one. But somebody, somebody in those five
stole my song that I wanted today. I'm dying to find out who it
was. All right, next up, maris, what do you got?

(06:16):
It wasn't me, Angie. Iwent with a cover, and one of
the big things with any and allcovers, you either have to do justice
or make it your own in sucha way. Dog sits right next to
it, and it's comparable, andyou do them the honor and with higher
ground from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They really Chef's Kiss Stevie Wonder's original

(06:40):
song, and you know, youcome in with that fat bass line and
it just does something to you.Man, I could just hear the waw
on the on the bass and thedrum. It's so great. You have
a nice, thick, girthy bassline, you know, like a fat wall.
What are we talking about. We'rejustumping it out of it out on

(07:09):
the gags. You know. It'sjust one that really stood out to me
when you're looking at that and justyou know, love the Chili Peppers for
how many times we did you everwatch American Idol and somebody tried to cover
Stevie Wonder and you're like, yeah, why did you do that? Because
it never works out, it's nevergood. Yeah, that is a case
where it is awesome and perfect.And I feel like the Peppers are funky

(07:30):
in that way. Though you're talented, you're super funky, so they kind
of can. Yeah, when you'vegot somebody like Chad Smith, who can
hold down the groove. I mean, that's where it comes from, Chad.
Between Chad Flee and then John Freuchant, I mean, you've got the
battery, You've got the goods rightthere. Who can make it happen for
him to for that song to startwith Flea's incredible riff of Stevie Wonder with

(07:53):
that bass. That's the first thingI think of when I hear it's just
so badass. And I love whatyou said because there are so there are
two ways to cover a song identical, which I think three eleven did with
the Cures Love song, which Ido like. But I'm a fan also
of turning something upside down to whereyou don't necessarily even know it's the same

(08:13):
sound. And if you're going todo a cover, make it your own.
And we've heard Randy Jackson say thatfor years and it's so true.
It doesn't work. Sometimes it doesn'twork all right, But if you take
somebody like Stevie Wonder, people getvery protective. Sometimes it doesn't work.
Maybe one of these years, oneof these episodes will have to go off
the yearly path and do cover songs. I love that that, Oh my

(08:35):
God, Yeah, because there's becauseyou could debate some good ones. There
are some good ones you've heard fallingin reverses cover of Last Resort. It
doesn't sound anything like it, butit's equally as powerful. Greed agreed,
and then I would always point tosmooth crimical, smooth Criminal being better than
the original for Michael jos a lotof alien a farm like that. Everybody

(08:56):
thinks that's better. Yeah. Soall right, well we're back in the
year nineteen eighty nine and Maria,is it time for the Thief? Did
I take your song? And Imust have well great minds and all that?
What song? Depeche Mode? Yes, you took it personal Jesus personline,

(09:22):
love it so good. Fun fact, I didn't know this until I
did a little research on the song. Did you know that it was inspired
by Elvis and Me? The bookby Priscilla Presley? No, it's about,
well, it's not about It's inspiredby Priscilla Presley and Elvis Presley's relationship
personal Jesus because he was like theJesus like mentor thing to her, and

(09:46):
depeche Mode was like that happens alot like in relationships, you look for
someone else to be like everything toyou and like that's not balanced, that's
not a c They should have calledit problematic Jesus because she was like she
was fourteen, he was like twentytwo. Yeah a little. I love
this song. It's an amazing song. That was my pig to Maria,
and it really like it started offa rock era for depeche Mode, introducing

(10:11):
heavier guitar. Guitar yeah, Martinhad done in the past, but it
really was like they came out ofthe box swinging with that one from the
Violator album So Good, and thatwas that crossed all of the genres too,
because I remember like top forty stationsplaying that song and it was kind
of like everywhere I love that song. You know who did a cover?
Not Marilyn Manson. We don't talkabout him problematic, but you know who

(10:33):
did a our stations play him.So just to circle this bet you,
well, we don't. We don'tknow. Rock does not does not,
but all the active rock stations aroundthe country do, which is way better.
That's very better. But no,Johnny Cash did a cover of it.
You know who suggested he do thatcover? Rick Ruber seven Wait,

(10:56):
six Degrees of separation. Like sixDegrees of Rick, everything goes back to
Rick Rubin. Truly, isn't thatthe session where he just set up a
microphone in Johnny Cash's living room andthey hit record and he just did all
these songs. I mean it werelike hurt oh time cover. I feel
like that is the better version itis. I Love You, I visceral.

(11:20):
You can hear his breath and theemotions you can feel, like the
suffering, you could feel it.It's so painful to hear. It's the
pain in his voice. Yes.Also changing that line from crown of ship
to crown of thor and yeah,adding the biblical algebory and there just yeah,
puts a whole other on it.It does. Yeah. But anyway,
personal Jesus man, we're not talkingcover songs this episode. We fucking

(11:43):
are personal. Jesus is awesome.Love it that all of these are really
good records. But I went withLiving Color Cult of Personality. I mean,
think about it. We're in nineteeneighty nine and you've got Cory Vernon
Reid, Will Calhoun on the drums, who just graduated Berkeley at the time,

(12:05):
Berkeley School of Music, and thenDoug Wimbish on bass. What an
amazing lineup right there, and theyjust dropped a ton of bricks when they
dropped this song. That album Vividhits so hard it still sounds amazing thirty
five years later. And then theyget on lallapluz. I mean it was
just like it was, you know, before Rage, before any of that.
Right, You've got living Color,and so I have to give my

(12:28):
hat off to those guys. Yeah, and that's my pick for the year
nineteen eighty nine because that song culta personality just from the very opening lick.
But yeah, no, no,no, it's just like, what
the fuck is this? When thatdropped it sounded so different from yes it
did, and then it still standsto the test of time because we still
play playing it. It's so hard, it's so it gets and it's got

(12:52):
energy right off the bat and themessage like all of it. It's amazing.
Yeah, so how to go withthat one? For this one,
it was like I saw that,I'm like, no brainer, that's that's
my song. There are so manygood records and songs in nineteen eighty Yeah,
this is so much fun. Ilove doing this roundtable and picking these
songs and hearing everybody's reasons why thisis uh. I hope you everybody enjoys

(13:13):
listening to it as much as weenjoy talking about it. It's it's a
great time to get into the studioaltogether and do this. So so fine
the five brought to you by RickRubin. That could be one we should
do. So you want to startdoing themes, we can start. We
can start doing things, all right. So we're gonna come up with something
for the next one, and it'llbe ad let's do you want to do

(13:37):
the covers. Let's do covers next. We'll do it. We already kind
of hit it a little bit,so let's come back with our favorite cover
songs next time. I love that, all right, So thanks again for
listening to the Rock ninety five fiveTop five. Enjoy it, and we'll
be back next month with another one. Vote now on Instagram for your favorite
top five songs search Rock ninety fiveto five Chi