40 Comments

1. I’m thinking it’s gotta be either “Around the Dial” by the Kinks, or maybe “Money” by Pink Floyd. Then again, “Life’s Been Good” by Joe Walsh is pretty cool. Oh, and what about “The Last DJ” by Tom Petty. Hmm … so many …. 🙂

2. How about “The Big 3 Killed My Baby” by the White Stripes?
   And there’s the absolutely haunting “Angeles” by Elliot Smith, which I have always assumed to be about the music industry.

3. “The Rap Game’s Hijacked” – Ice T
   “Unsigned Diva” – Young MC

4. Fuck this Town – Robbie Fulks

5. Carl Perkins’ Cadillac – Drive-By Truckers

6. How about this one called “What Happened to the Songs about Outlaws” It takes a pretty good stab at todays country music scene.
   http://www.charliechamberlain.com/whathappenedtothesongsaboutoutlaws.mp3

7. I like the Robbie Fulks “Fuck This Town” suggestion…I also really like “When All Of Us Get Famous” by Neil Cleary.

8. Radio, Radio by Elvis Costello.

9. “Out Come the Wolves” by Rancid
   “Cumberland River” by Dan Baird

10. “Dinosaurs Will Die” – NOFX

11. “working for MCA” skynyrd

12. “Hey Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal” by They Might Be Giants. Brilliant.

13. Forgot an obvious one: “EMI” by the Sex Pistols

14. Matthew Sweet “Write Your Own Song”.

15. How about “Mercury Poisoning” from Graham Parker?
    “I gotta dinosaur for a representative
    It’s got a small brain and refuses to learn”
    Ouch!

16. Have a Cigar is another good one from Pink Floyd.

17. Dire Straits “Money for Nothing”

18. Weezer’s “Pork And Beans”

19. Immortal Techniques got a lot of choice words for the old music industry, especially “Freedom of Speech”:
    “Intelligent plans, f*** a record deal, I want development land, with my benevolent clan
    And that’s the reason that I only trust my fam
    40,000 records sold, 400 grand
    F*** a middle man, I won’t pay anyone else
    I’ll bootleg it and sell it to the streets my self
    I’d rather be that than signed and stuck on a shelf
    And because of this executives try to diss me?
    Racism frozen in time like Walt Disney
    And now they say they wanna get me signed to the majors
    If I switch up my politics and change my behavior
    Try to tell me what to rhyme about over the beat
    Bitch n****s that never spent a day in the street
    But I repeat that nobody can hold my reins
    I put the truth on tracks n****, simple and plain”
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWKGbbeMtWA

20. “Paint a Vulgar Picture” – The Smiths

21. Murder On Music ROW

22. Top Of The Pops – The Kinks

23. And this one:
    The Byrds – So You Wanna Be A Rock And Roll Star

24. Here’s a couple of classics on life in the lower depths of the live scene:
    Greg Brown – Mose Allison Played Here
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDgT60WzjwA
    I Ludicrous – We’re The Support Band
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEBOwHeyYoo

25. Got to be Cake’s Comfort Eagle. Pure class, all the way…
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p99a6K81zqM

26. “Plantation Radio” by The Family Stand”

27. Around the Dial is a good call. Give The People What They Want is a long-time favorite.
    I’ll throw in “Industry Shakedown” by Freddie Foxxx, too:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsNSFhVB_zo
    I have nothing at all against Ron but you have to give it to Spoon for the “Agony of Laffitte” b/w “Laffitte Don’t Fail Me Now” 7″.
    http://lala.com/zZFcI
    Oh one more, “Pull My Strings” by Dead Kennedys.
    http://lala.com/zzTyI
    ian

28. I like and respect Geoff Travis an awful lot, and it may not be about him/Rough Trade, but “Frankly, Mr. Shankly” is pretty great.

29. “I Love My Label” by Nick Lowe
    http://s0.ilike.com/play#Nick+Lowe:I+Love+My+Label:1764957:m13109067

30. Mos Def’s The Rape Over http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srx-Wf5KrzQ has got to be my favorite.
    So much imagery and insight in ~90 seconds. Every time I hear this song I’m not the same for the next few hours.

31. The Load Out – Jackson Brown

32. Masta Ace – The Ways
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_ITYV60vtc

33. “Garden of Allah” – Don Henley

34. Kill your mother and rape your fucking dog by Dying Fetus. Seriously funny.

35. The Kinks, “Money Go ‘Round.” Also “Celluloid Heroes” which could be about the music business

36. Don’t mean nothing…Richard Marx

37. “gholdiggers” by Ministry

38. “unprotected sex with multiple partners” by Against Me!
    “Bitches” by KMFDM.

39. The Big 3 Killed My Baby is about the motor industry.

40. Stiff Little Fingers:
    Record boss said, “We would be a smash
    Yeah, go straight to number one”
    He talked of hits and tours and lots of cash
    And all the time it wasn’t on
    And I believed every word he said
    And I swallowed every line
    Yeah, I believed every word was true
    And I didn’t find out in time
    We were betrayed, betrayed, betrayed
    Betrayed, betrayed by Rough Trade lies
    Betrayed by lies

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