There are times where a potential theme for a show pops up out of nowhere. This week’s episode of The Ledge is a perfect example. This past Wednesday afternoon I was on my way to a local record store, accompanied by a great power pop playlist on Spotify. Suddenly, a song came on that I hadn’t heard in many years. The tune was “I Need That Record” by Tweeds, a great under-appreciated 70’s power pop band Besides the fact that this title was exactly why I was in my car at the time, it lit up a little light bulb in my head about a show devoted to songs about my favorite objects, records.
It didn’t take long to put together the playlist. Wilco’s “Boxful of Letters” was an obvious pick. As were tunes by Todd Snider, Supersuckers, Nick Lowe, and Elvis Costello. iTunes searches came up with a vast majority of the rest of the tracks.
But it was the discovery of an old Wreckless Eric track that secured the idea of this show. “33s + 45s” deals with the aftermath of a breakup, and the inevitable splitting of the music library. These lines hit me hard:
“My dismantled living room full of your home
Packed up in cardboard boxes
Spaces in the record shelves where you’ve taken what was yours
And possibly some of mine”
After going through a list of some of those great records that were the soundtrack of fantastic memories, Eric adds the perfect explanation for those that don’t understand the mentality of the record nerd:
“This might be so much fucking plastic to you or anybody else
But to me it’s everything
This is my life
Thirty-threes and forty-fives”
Or, as the Guinea Worms sang in the concluding song of the show, “(There’s really nothing better than a) Box of Records”!
After listening, please go purchase those tracks you enjoy! These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs. And if you buy these records directly from the artist or label, please let them know you heard these tunes on The Ledge! Let them know who is giving them promotion!