COCA LEAVES AND PEARLS

Deeper cuts from classic rock legends. And how deep do the deeper cuts cut?

Cortez the Killer—Neil Young
Neil playing that long, slow river of a guitar. Paisley skirts twirl, puka shells gently grind, and I grow bored…

Bodhisattva—Steely Dan
These boys is smart, so their Orientalism is sly and knowing-- their Japan is a varnish before it’s a country, their China is a plate before it’s a place on a map.

Me and the Boys—NRBQ
Some bands seem fated to live on the margins, and it’s often hard to figure why. What was it with NRBQ? Bad timing? Lack of sex appeal?

Everything’s Coming Our Way—Santana
Sorry, I’m still thinking about NRBQ. And fortunately, this is not at all distracting…

Leave It—Yes
OK, this chipmunkery is distracting. Goodbye goodbye goodbye bad, goodbye goodbye goodbye bad…

White Punks on Dope—The Tubes
Sometimes even the unremittingly obnoxious can deliver the goods, whether by luck or by design. And as statements of upper middle class ennui go, “Other dudes are living in the ghetto/But born in Pacific Heights don’t seem much betto” is OK by me.

Some unexpected twists and turns here. Grade: B