Changing opinions about an artist happens very infrequently for me. I've decided that my defining personality trait is that I'm a synthesizer -- in all aspects of my life, I seem to gather information and don't form opinions for a long, long time. But once I decide, that's usually it. So it is rare that a band can overcome my initial conception of them.

But it has happened. Sometimes it's the band that changes, not me, but it's never really that black and white.

I'm listening to PJ Harvey right now. I never much liked her at all to start with. I always thought that, as a rule, her songs were too simple. The album that changed it all for me was _Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea_ -- it is just brilliant. Her songs still do seem simple to me, but now that aspect of her music fascinates me; how can she come up with so many good ideas based around two chords?

I would have to include Radiohead in the list of bands I changed my mind about. After hearing their first album, I had them pegged as one-hit wonders, and wrote them off. I really thought there was no chance of them writing anything after that that I would be interested in hearing. As you probably know, though, they followed it up with _The Bends_ and _OK Computer_, and the rest is history.

The biggest change of opinion ever for me, though, has to be the Beastie Boys. I heard their first album back in college, where it was practically anthemic to idiot frat boys, and I despised it. It took years before I could even listen to them. But years later, I was hanging out at a friend's house and he had put on _Paul's Boutique_, and I just remember thinking, man, how good is this? Now I have all their albums. Even their first one, which I hated, and still hate parts of, but it's still worth owning, at least for "She's Crafty" and "No Sleep Til Brooklyn".

Here's an interesting thing I found recently: it's all the songs that are sampled on Paul's Boutique. By consensus, you could not make this album today, due to licensing restrictions, but at the time, the legal ramifications of sampling had not all been worked out:

To All the Girls

• "Loran's Dance" by Idris Muhammad

Shake Your Rump

• "Holy Ghost" by the Bar-Kays
• "That's the Joint" by Funky 4+1
• "8th Wonder" by the Sugarhill Gang
• "Jazzy Sensation" by Afrika Bambaataa
• "Dancing Room Only" by Harvey Scales
• "Funky Snakefoot" by Alphonze Mouzon
• "Tell Me Something Good" by Ronnie Laws
• "Unity" by James Brown and Afrika Bambaataa
• "No Matter What Sign You Are" by The Supremes.
• "6 O'Clock DJ (Let's Rock)", "Born to Love You", & "Yo Yo" by Rose Royce
• "Super Mellow", by Paul Humphrey, Willie Bobo, Shelly Manne, & Louis Bellson

Johnny Ryall

• "AJ Scratch" by Kurtis Blow
• "Sharon" by David Bromberg
• "Mr. Big Stuff" by Jean Knight
• "One of These Days" by Pink Floyd
• "Momma Miss America" by Paul McCartney
• "Magnificent Sanctuary Band" by Donny Hathaway
• "Military Cut (Scratch Mix)" by DJ Grand Wizard Theodore
• "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)", & "The New Style" by the Beastie Boys

Egg Man

• Jaws
• Aliens
• Psycho
• "Sport" by Lightnin' Rod
• "Superfly" by Curtis Mayfield
• "Pump it Up" by Elvis Costello
• Cheech & Chong's Next Movie
• "Jaws Theme" by John Williams
• "I'm Ready" by The Commodores
• "Shower Theme" by Bernard Hermann
• "Drop it in the Slot" by Tower of Power
• "Dance to the Music" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "Bring the Noise", & "You're Gonna Get Yours" by Public Enemy
• The lyrics in the song's middle right (starting with "We all dressed in black...") are interpolated from the Beastie Boys' earlier punk rock song "Egg Raid On Mojo."

High Plains Drifter

• "Those Shoes" by The Eagles
• "Cheap Sunglasses" by ZZ Top
• "Suzy Is a Headbanger" by The Ramones
• "Your Momma Don't Dance" by Loggins & Messina
• "Put Your Love (In My Tender Care)" by The Fatback Band

The Sounds of Science

• "Don't Sniff Coke" by Pato Banton
• "Walk from Regio's" by Isaac Hayes
• "My Philosophy" by Boogie Down Productions
• "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" by James Brown
• "Back in the USSR", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)", "The End", & "When I'm Sixty-Four" by The Beatles

3-Minute Rule

• "Feel Good" by Fancy
• "Brave and Strong", & "Poet" by Sly & the Family Stone

Hey Ladies

• "Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet
• "Party Time" by Kurtis Blow
• "Holy Ghost" by the Bar-Kays
• "Shake Your Pants" by Cameo
• "Pumpin' It Up" by P-Funk All Stars
• "Jungle Boogie" by Kool & the Gang
• "Machine Gun" by The Commodores
• "Jazzy Sensation" by Afrika Bambaataa
• "Change Le Beat/B-Side" by Fab 5 Freddy
• "Come Let Me Love You" by Jeanette "Lady" Day
• "Dance Floor", & "So Ruff, So Tuff" by Zapp & Roger
• "Ain't It Funky Now", & "Funky President" by James Brown
• "Hey DJ" by Malcolm McLaren & the World Famous Supreme Team
• "High Powered Rap" by Disco Dave & the Force of the Five MC's (Crash Crew)

5-Piece Chicken Dinner

• "Shuckin' the Corn" by Eric Weissberg

Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun

• "Time" by Pink Floyd
• "Mississippi Queen" by Mountain
• "Last Bongo in Belgium" by the Incredible Bongo Band
• This track is the only track on the album to feature live instrumentation in the form of electric guitar played by Adam Horovitz, and bass played by Adam Yauch, as seen in the music video for this track.

Car Thief

• "I'll Bet You" by The Jackson 5
• "Hurdy Gurdy Man" by Donovan
• Woodstock (Max Yasgur speech)
• "Drop the Bomb" by Trouble Funk
• "Rien Ne Va Plus" by Funk Factory

What Comes Around

• "Moby Dick" by Led Zeppelin
• "It's Hot Tonight" by Alice Cooper
• "Put on Train" by Gene Harris & The Three Sounds

Shadrach

• "Say What" by Trouble Funk
• "That's the Joint" by Funky 4+1
• "Do Your Dance" by Rose Royce
• "Never Let 'Em Say" by Ballin' Jack
• "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
• "Hot and Nasty" by Black Oak Arkansas
• "Sugarhill Groove" by the Sugarhill Gang
• "Loose Booty" by Sly & the Family Stone

Ask for Janice

• Ad from a Jamaican music show on a New York radio station

B-Boy Bouillabaisse

01. 59 Chrystie Street

• "Here We Go" (Live) by Run-DMC
• "Rocket in the Pocket" by Cerrone
• "Buffalo Girls" by Malcolm McLaren
• "Burundi Black (Pt. 2)" by Burundi Black
• "Are You Experienced?" by Jimi Hendrix
• "Change Le Beat/B-Side" by Fab 5 Freddy
• "My Philosophy" by Boogie Down Productions

02. Get on the Mic

• "At the Fever" by Lovebug Starski

03. Stop That Train

• "Draw Your Brakes" by Scotty
• "Save the World" by Southside Movement

04. Year and a Day

• "Ebony Jam" by Tower of Power
• "When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin
• "That Lady, Pt. 1 & 2" by The Isley Brothers
• "High Powered Rap" by Disco Dave & the Force of the Five MC's (Crash Crew)

05. Hello Brooklyn

• "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash

06. Dropping Names

• Bob Marley interview.
• "Into the Night" by Sweet
• "Hey Pocky A-Way" by The Meters
• "The Well's Gone Dry" by The Crusaders

07. Lay It on Me

• "Let the Music Take Your Mind" by Kool & the Gang

08. Mike on the Mic

• "At the Fever" by Lovebug Starski

09. A.W.O.L.

• "Good Times" by Chic
• "Good to Go" by Trouble Funk
• "Loran's Dance" by Idris Muhammad

Ever change your mind about a band?

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Not being blessed with a singing voice, I have a soft place in my heart for artists who can't sing.

There are many who sneer at bad singers. But to me, the song is more important, and there are many, many songs that are among my favorites that I probably never would have heard if the rules were still the same as they were in the early twentieth century, where only the best singers could get a recording contract.

The man to thank for the change has to be Bob Dylan. His voice is much ridiculed, though some of his stalwart fans will insist that he has a great voice. I don't know -- sometimes it sounds great to me, and sometimes it sounds awful. But whatever you think of his voice, there's no denying that the quality of his songs made people forgive whatever failings his voice had. And truly, inspired a lot of people who thought, okay, my voice isn't that great, but if I write good enough songs, I can be a rock and roll star too. It opened the door not only for not-so-great singers, but good singers with untraditional, character-laden voices. This to me is among Dylan's greatest contributions to music.

Here are some other artists that I think have less-than-stellar voices. Your mileage may vary:

Brian Ferry. He carries it off, though, by convincing everyone he's a big sexy rock star.

Billy Bragg. Many singers lose their accents when they sing, but for some reason Billy doesn't. But he belts it out, and I love him for it.

Bernard Sumner. I was never a fan of New Order but one must give him credit for making hit songs without being able to sing.

Billy Corgan. Truly a bad singer. His ego and general assholishness make me less forgiving, though. As Kim Deal said, "I wish I some of those pills that [Billy Corgan] takes. The ones that make you so fucking important."

Ron Sexsmith. He's an acquired taste, to be sure; it took me a long time to even notice that sometimes his voice does enhance some of his songs. But his songs are so good that I'm always willing to put up with it.

Nick Cave. Like Bryan Ferry, though, he sells it well.

The important thing, obviously, is to try. And believe in yourself. And to write good songs.

Who are your favorite bad singers?

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