The Seeds' Sky "Sunlight" Saxon RIP

Sky Saxon of the Los Angeles band The Seeds passed away yesterday at age 63. The Seeds were late 60's Garage Rockers who really liked Marijuana, that is they professed as much perhaps more than other bands actively did (by having a song called "Rollin Machine" and naming themselves The Seeds for a start). They had hits with "Pushin' Too Hard" (which made an appearance in the film Desperate Teenage Lovedolls), "Can't Seem To Make You Mine" (which was covered by everyone from The Ramones to Alex Chilton) and "Mr. Farmer" (which was in the film Almost Famous). Their first two albums - The Seeds and A Web of Sound (both 1966) are absolute classics. If you've not heard The Seeds by all means check them out. They were a direct influence in Iggy Pop & The Stooges, New York Dolls and several others.

When The Seeds broke up in the late 60's Sky kind of lost touch with reality. He had an erratic, if creatively unsuccessful, solo career. He appeared in the flim Lovedolls Superstar (the sequel to Desperate Teenage Lovedolls). He formed the brief, wonderfully-named band Purple Electricity with Jeff & Steve McDonald of Redd Kross. In 1986 they released the improvised (i.e. unrehearsed) live album Private Party. Sky most recently recorded with Smashing Pumpkins. The cause of death is yet to be determined. He was 63 years old.

Adventureland Motion Picture Soundtrack (2009)

Adventureland is a new(ish) Teenage Romantic Comedy from Greg Molatta (Superbad). It's an autobiographical account of the wacky hijinks, romantic misadventures and employment experience he had in 1987 at Adventureland Amusement Park in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.

The movie stars Twilight phenom Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg (Roger Dodger) and Ryan Reynolds. More importantly, it contains the best soundtrack I've heard in a very long time. It's also very nice to see a soundtrack have legitimately good songs from the era as well (much like The Wedding Singer), and - good or otherwise - not the just the same songs that everyone has heard way too-many times.

It contains a few surprising classics: The Velvet Underground's masterpiece "Pale Blue Eyes", Big Star's ageless "I'm In Love With A Girl" and The New York Dolls' earnestly sleazy "Looking For A Kiss". A few singalongs and a guilty pleasure or two: The Outfield's politely sleazy "Your Love", INXS' "Don’t Change" (a top contender for their best song), and the you-think-you-like-it power of Crowded House's "Don’t Dream It’s Over", the better-than-it-has-any-business-being punch of David Bowie's "Modern Love", rounded out by Falco's deeply profound high-camp masterpiece "Rock Me Amadeus".

Also present and accounted for are several legitimate American college rock (as it was then quaintly referred to) classics in The Replacements' Byrds/Dylan-via-The Sex-Pistols angst of "Unsatisfied" and the post-hardcore power of Hüsker Dü's "Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely" (later covered to lesser effect by Green Day). Not to mention The Cure's first Top-40 hit "Just Like Heaven" (which was everywhere circa 87/88).

Several other songs in the film did not make the soundtrack however: The Replacements' "Bastards Of Young" (which is the first item heard in the film), Nick Lowe's "So It Goes", Rush's "Limelight", The Rolling Stones' "Tops" and the sore thumbs of Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law" and "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake.

Unfortunately the soundtrack was released for promotional-use-only in CD format (with liner notes from director Greg Mottola). There were also copies with various Adventureland T-Shirt giveaways. It is available for download from iTunes.

The awesome tracklisting:

1 Satellite Of Love - Lou Reed
2 Modern Love - David Bowie
3 I’m In Love With A Girl - Big Star
4 Just Like Heaven - The Cure
5 Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
6 Don’t Change - INXS
7 Your Love - The Outfield
8 Don’t Dream It’s Over - Crowded House
9 Looking For A Kiss - New York Dolls
10 Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely - Hüsker Dü
11 Unsatisfied - The Replacements
12 Pale Blue Eyes - The Velvet Underground
13 Farewell Adventureland - Yo La Tengo
14 Adventureland Theme Song - Yo La Tengo