The Current Music Blog: September 1, 2007 Archive

The Sandinista! "Project" - Side 4

Posted at 2:09 AM on September 1, 2007 by Mac Wilson (1 Comments)

"Police on My Back" -- No introduction necessary. The band recorded the album at New York's famed Electric Lady Studios -- legend has it that the band swore that Jimi Hendrix' ghost laid down an extra guitar track on the album. Nowhere is this mythical guitar more evident than on this roaring Eddy Grant cover. Although I could write a book about why this song is so wonderful, all the more I'll say is that I think "Police on My Back" (along with possibly "Somebody Got Murdered") is the consensus choice for everyone's imaginary single-album distillation of Sandinista!.
"Midnight Log" -- With its raw drums and saloon piano, it sounds more like something from Elvis Costello's Get Happy!! album (also released in 1980). A nice little crack at rockabilly that deals with the horrors of the workplace.
"The Equaliser" -- Violin-driven dub about corporate wealth and the serfs.
"The Call Up" -- One of my personal favorites, in which one of the great fears of any young man -- the military draft -- is scored to tinkling xylophones. If anyone tries telling you that Topper Headon wasn't a great drummer, direct them to this song to tell them why they are wrong.
"Washington Bullets" -- I may have been a political science major in college (insert joke here) but I'm not going to get into deconstruction of the revolution in Nicaragua and the conflict between the Sandinistas and the Somozas. But think about the guts that went into writing this song, in which the band basically throws its support behind the Sandinistas because they were part of a high-profile coup that was not bankrolled by the U.S. government. A searing indictment of American, British, and even Soviet foreign policies.
"Broadway" -- Never been that hot on this one, but it's not a bad song. It's just never been a standout (I have a feeling I'm going to feel some heat over this one). I'm really excited that one of my favorite artists, Stew, covers "Broadway" on the real Sandinista! Project that our friend Jimmy from Massachusetts has been working on. And don't forget about the "hidden track".......

It's late at night and maybe I'm just a little burned out. Maybe one of you can summarize what makes "Broadway" so great? As always, if you missed a previous installment, trackbacks here to Side 1, Side 2, and Side 3. On Saturday night, we dive into the heart of darkness and take on the third and final record of Sandinista!, beginning with progressively weirder Side 5...

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