Sound Opinions Halloween Special & Opinions on Pearl Jam
Hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot get grisly with their favorite Murder Songs for Halloween. They also review Lightning Bolt by Pearl Jam.
Murder Songs for Halloween
With Halloween looming large, Jim and Greg are feeling a bit morbid. They've got Murder on the brain. Here are their favorite "killer" tunes:
Greg
- Ike & Tina Turner, "Stagger Lee"
- Eleventh Dream Day, "The Death of Albert C. Samson"
- Snoop Dogg, "Murder Was the Case"
- The Adverts, "Gary Gilmore Eyes"
Jim
- Iron Maiden, "Murders In the Rue Morgue"
- Violent Femmes, "Country Death Song"
- Dixie Chicks, "Goodbye Earl"
- Neil Young, "Down by the River"
Listener Picks
Of course, Sound Opinions wants to hear from its listeners, as well. Some more murderous melodies:
- Greg from Oswego, NY: Warren Zevon, "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner"
- Kristen from Chicago, IL: Fairport Convention, "Matty Groves"
- Camille Hunt from Raleigh, NC: Dwight Yoakum, "Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room"
- Fahad from, Bordentown, NJ: The Beatles, "Maxwell’s Silver Hammer"
Lightning Bolt Pearl Jam
Grunge rock stalwarts Pearl Jam are back with their tenth studio album called Lightning Bolt. It comes 22 years after their landmark debut Ten. Jim and Greg would happily trade Ten for this tenth release. Nonetheless, Greg does find some interesting experimentation in Lightning Bolt, noticeably on songs like "Pendulum" and "Yellow Moon" which show enough growth in the band's sound to earn the record a Burn It. Jim, however, thinks those same tracks are some of the weakest with their misguided allusions to the U2 and Elton John ballads. He prefers the faster pace of songs like "Lightning Bolt," which combined with a few others, might make for a decent EP. Therefore this LP gets a Burn It.
Featured Songs
- Goose Island Credit Music: Pure Sunray, "Caramel," Pure Sunray, 2013
- Iron Maiden, "Murders in the Rue Morgue," Killers, EMI, 1981
- Ike & Tina Turner, "Stagger Lee and Billy," Stagger Lee and Billy (Single), Sue, 1965
- Violent Femmes, "Country Death Song," Hallowed Ground, Slash/Rhino, 1984
- Dwight Yoakam, "Buenos Noches From A Lonely Room (She Wore Red Dresses)," dwightyoakamacoustic.net, Reprise, 2000
- The Beatles, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," Abbey Road, Apple, 1969
- Johnny Cash, "The Long Black Veil," Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison, Columbia, 1968
- Eleventh Dream Day, "Death of Albert C. Samson," Prairie School Freakout, Thrill Jockey, 1988
- Dixie Chicks, "Goodbye Earl," Fly, Monument, 1999
- Snoop Dogg, "Murder Was the Case," Murder Was the Case, Death Row/Interscope, 1994
- Fairport Convention, "Matty Groves," Liege and Lief, Island, 1969
- Warren Zevon, "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," Excitable Boy, Asylum, 1978
- Neil Young with Crazy Horse, "Down By the River," Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Reprise, 1969
- The Adverts, "Gary Gilmore's Eyes," Gary Gilmore's Eyes, Anchor, 1977
- Talking Heads, "Psycho Killer," Talking Heads: 77,
- Pearl Jam, "Mind Your Manners," Lightning Bolt, Monkeywrench/Republic, 2013
- Pearl Jam, "Pendulum," Lightning Bolt, Monkeywrench/Republic, 2013
- Eprom, "Vogel," Vogel (Single), Rwina, 2013
- Blondie, "Hanging on the Telephone," Parallel Lines, Chrysalis, 1978
- Elvis Costello and The Roots, "Wise Up Ghost," Wise Up Ghost, Blue Note, 2013
- Haim, "The Wire," Days Are Gone, Columbia, 2013
- Willis Earl Beal, "Everything Unwinds," Nobody Knows, XL Recordings, 2013
- Willis Earl Beal, "Nobody Knows (Live on Sound Opinions)," Nobody Knows, XL Recordings, 2013
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