by Bill Pearis
Canadian rock greats Sloan, who released their 12th album back in the spring, start their late summer North American tour this Friday (9/7) at Jersey City’s White Eagle Hall (tickets) and head south, hitting Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Texas and Indiana before heading home. On this tour, they’ll be playing “Evening With Sloan” shows with two full sets. All dates are listed, along with a stream of their new album, below.
With a lot of time on the road, we asked Sloan what they’re currently listening to and all four members — Chris Murphy, Patrick Pentland, Andrew Scott and Jay Ferguson who all write and sing — all contributed three songs to the list. Listen to their picks, and read what they have to say about them, below.
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Chris Murphy’s picks:
Crass – “Punk Is Dead”
I never knew Crass except their terrifying record covers were always at Track Records in Halifax in the mid-’80s when I went in there not knowing what I liked. I heard this on a punk TV Instagram account and loved it. I’ve listened to it over 100 times. I know all the words.
Sweet – “Love Is Like Oxygen”
I love Sweet but I only ever knew “Desolation Boulevard” as a kid. My buddy, Jay Coyle gave me mp3’s of a lot of Sweet songs a few years back and they became my favourites.
Bad Brains – “Pay To Cum”
“Pay To Cum” I heard on the Let Them Eat Jellybeans compilation in the ’80s. The tiny amount of space between “Pay To Cum” and “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” on that compilation is the most exciting thing I can think of.
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Patrick Pentland’s picks:
The Vines – “Metal Zone”
I never gave the Vines much thought; they were an Australian band obviously influenced by Nirvana, that wrote catchy pop/punk tunes, and trashed everything at any given moment. But recently I’ve delved into their/his (Craig Nicholls) songwriting, and gained a new appreciation for his ability to write what I like to write.
Father John Misty – “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”
My wife got me into Father John Misty, basically by playing him all the time. Or maybe it was him and a bunch of other old-timey suit wearing, bearded guys in different bands. Either way, I like it.
David Bowie – “Aladdin Sane”
I have recently tried to convince myself, or refute my own claim, that the iconic piano solo by Mike Garson is in fact several tracks blended together. I’ve listened to this song for 35 years, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
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Andrew Scott’s picks:
Fairport Convention – “Throwaway Street Puzzle”
During my investigations of this insanely prolific group knowing that they’re mostly lumped in the “folk/rock” category I uncovered some of the dirty blues of the really early stuff and as a big Pretty Things fan, I can hear the crossover between the two and now call myself a big FPC fan.
Genesis – “In Limbo”
Again, very early work from another ridiculously busy band. Creepy, then not creepy, then creepy again. Always a good style cycle in my books.
Stephen Stills (Manassas) – “Bound To Fall”
I still can’t figure out the time signature to the main verses and have not given up trying yet. Stills was such a force to be reckoned with and I think Neil knew that pretty early on…
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Jay Ferguson’s picks:
Barry Gibb – “Grease (demo)”
Where has this been hiding since 1978? It came to light while we were on tour earlier this year. I think I played it anytime I had my hands on the bus stereo. Evidently it’s not a party starter. I’ve always been a big fan of the very-non-1950’s sounding original from the film soundtrack, but as evidenced by this piano and vocal demo by Barry, the song was already pure gold before Frankie Valli stepped up to the microphone.
Denise LaSalle – “Trapped By A Thing Called Love”
On tour this year, I bought this record for $1 in Cleveland…it looked cool, I thought I’d give it a try. It turned out to be super. A week later, we Sloans met Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell (son of the legendary Hi Records/Al Green producer, Willie Mitchell). While talking shop, he mentioned this very record as his dad had arranged the music and the horn charts. I told him about my purchase. By this point I just KNOW he must think I’m the coolest guy on the bus. Then, our lighting director “Lamps” Hilliard walks in wearing a bright neon kimono and green sun visor and I had to relinquish my crown.
The Guess Who – “Star Baby”
We Sloans had the good fortune to share the stage at a festival with Burton Cummings this past June. Wonderful show, great band and still in fantastic voice. I’d completely forgotten about this song and now it’s been with me all summer. He played mostly hits and still left some on the table. My favourite part of the show was him walking over to the monitor guy and yelling “Turn up the damn piano! Let’s live a little!”. He’s 70. (PS. I forgot to ask him about going to the Casablanca Records opening party in ’74 hanging with “Mary Tyler Moore’s” Ted Knight, KISS and Iggy Pop.)
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Heres a playlist with all of Sloan’s picks (minus Barry Gibb) plus a Sloan song from each of the four members…
--taken from: Brooklyn Vegan
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