America, America Is Killing Its Youth: The Great First Tracks, v. III--"Ghost Rider" by Suicide

Alas, the version on yonder player (track #38) is only a 30 second clip. Hence, this helpful YouTube link to the real deal: http://youtube.com/watch?v=a224CkygvR4

If you thought the Ramones must have sounded like something new-yet-familiar when their first album came out, I wonder how people reacted to Suicide. Many of their songs could have been recorded in 1958, but they're sparse, electro, weird...and lest I forget to mention it, Alan Vega seems kind of--how to put this in order not to disrespect artists--well, offputtingly insane.

As they often like to say, nobody ever liked Suicide, but they seemed to influence everybody. Even Bruce Springsteen was supposedly a fan.

Track 1, Side 1, 1977's self-titled debut album: "Ghost Rider." This song always rids me of those inconvenient annoyances known as feelings, as all sparse, dark, synthie numbers are known to do. The needle hits the vinyl, and your greeted with something that sounds like an evil, sociopathic, futuristic version of doo wop and 60s boy bands (edit: actually, I don't know what I was talking about. That may be true of other Suicide songs, but not this one. I'd prefer to say it's like a cyborg Eddie Cochran writing the themesong for that bad guy in The Terminator). I don't know in what other way to describe it. I should mention, as hard as it is for many people to understand, that "Ghost Rider" is one of my favorite songs. I listen to this on my headphones as I go about my day and I feel badass. And I'm really, really, really not. Odd, maybe.

The first and most famous of the New York No Wave bands, and pretty much the only one I ever liked. To which people say, but the Liars are kind of No Wave! To which I say: exactly. No Wave is way too New York, way too arty, and way too dumb. But hey, Suicide were pretty good! Have you ever heard "Cheree"? It's kind of like if Frankie Valli was German, got addicted to heroin, and sang a 4 Seasons song in an alley behind ABC No Rio for a couple of quarters. Quarters with which to buy smack.

Which reminds me: enjoy "Ghost Rider"!!! This song is--to demonstrate how articulate I can be about music--really intense. Again, try the Youtube version, imeem screwed me: http://youtube.com/watch?v=a224CkygvR4

Ghostrider, motorcycle hero

Bebebebebebebe he's lookin so cute

Sneakin round round round in a blue jumpsuit

Ghostrider motorcycle hero

Bebebebebebebe he's a-blazin away

Packing stars stars stars in the universe

Ghostrider motorcycle hero

Bebebebebebebe he's a-screaming the truth

America, America is killing its youth

Bebebebebebebe he's a-screaming away

America, America is killing its youth

America, America is killing its youth

Ghostrider

Ghostrider