Hi I'm Tommy Stinson and you're watching What's in My Bag.
Today's 'What's in My Bag' is this record here: 'Pet Sounds.'
What makes this record incredible is not just this record but
the actual version of the record that's just the vocals only. It's incredible listen.
If you've had ever heard these songs or heard this record at all
you'll know that the background vocals and all that stuff are really gorgeous
but just to hear just the vocal takes alone
is a whole other revelation about The Beach Boys, and it's a fantastic pick.
My second pick here: James Luther Dickinson.
Can't speak enough about this guy.
He went on to do many great things.
One of them was a Replacements record, one of them was Perfect record of mine
What's funny about it, our tour manager friend Aaron over here
was looking at the back, he's looking at all these names and he goes, Who's Sid?
because our guitar player's Steve Selvidge, and I go, that's Steve's dad
and he didn't know that he thought, who's Sid Selvidge? It's Steve's dad.
This lady, Lana Del Ray. I saw her play at Austin City Limits a few years back
and I really wasn't crazy familiar with any of her stuff but I liked some of the stuff I'd heard
and she came out and played, and I remember being just mesmerized.
My fourth pick, 'Bluebell Knoll' by the Cocteau Twins.
So when this record came out it was a super-soothing, beautiful kind of background music to me.
I mean, I listened to it, y'know in earnest when it first came out and liked it a whole lot
but really it became background music for when I had my first kid.
When Ruby had been born, this was played all the time.
She recognized the record from when she was in the womb, in fact.
Funny story, The Babys. The Babys.
They had a few songs back in the 70s that were y'know kind of minor hits and all that in the States
but the cool thing is, I met John Waite once
at a crazy... it was this bizarre kind of show, they only did one of them in New York
It was called the 'Rock n' Roll Awards Show' whatever
It was us and Keith Richards, Tin Machine played, Tina Turner...
and he was there, I got to chat with him.
One thing I never realized about John Waite was he is really fuckin' tall
and a sweetheart of a guy.
'Blonde on Blonde,' my go-to record when I'm thinking of...
when I'm trying to get lyrical things happen in my head
I'll put this baby on and just kind of let it seep in
and what it does to me, for me actually is
it helps you kind of remind you of all the different things that he was able to put in a lyric
to describe a moment, a sound, a day, a place...
One of my favorite Bob Dylan songs is 'Sad Eyed Lady of The Lowlands.' It's just a gorgeous song.
Always loved that, in all of its 11 minutes.
Gang of Four. This record here
There was a 12 inch that came out that had the song off here called 'I Love a Man in a Uniform'
it was a 12" dance mix, it had also 'To Hell With Poverty' on it.
When they played Minneapolis, when I was that big, I was 17
I couldn't get into the show, 'cause I was too young so in order to get into the show
I had to move PA gear. Cut to we're loading in
and I'm trying to pull down a massive bass cabinet
and I'm by myself and my little Chucks, and I'm going down the ramp of a semi, all by myself
and the thing consumed me, and I started to slip and I'm about to go fully back
and someone grabs me just as I'm falling, grabbed the thing, much bigger guy obviously
but that was one of my favorite shows. They came out and they did both those songs
and I'm just sitting there going, oh my god this is the coolest thing I've ever seen.
Right there, The Jam 'Setting Sons'
Growing up, listening to punk rock and stuff, this was one of mine and my best friend David Ross' favorite bands.
This has this great song called 'Thick As Thieves' on it that kinda always reminded me of him.
because we were thick as thieves as kids, but this is sort of our
y'know, kind of our favorite growing up punk rock record and
Paul Weller, I mean, can't say enough about this guy. He's a fantastic songwriter, fantastic singer.
'Chelsea Girls' eh, 'Chelsea Girl' I should say.
Some of the best songs by some of the writers on this record, that's their best bit.
Jackson Browne I'm not a huge fan of.
I think he wrote 'Fairest of the Season' and 'Somewhere There's a Feather' I think.
Great songs. This is quintessential alt-rock beginnings as far as I'm concerned.
Everyone that I know that's a songwriter of any note lives by this record.
Thanks for shopping with us today.
Yeah. What's in my bag could be what's in your bag.