New York Songs

Although it seems to have been around forever, after first being played on the radio as the best track on the latest album and then as the forthcoming single, The Strokes You Only Live once still sounds great. It's clipped guitar and drum intro sounds like Blondie's Heart of Glass and the main riff reminds me of Altered Images I Could be Happy. The brilliant thing about the record though is the way that it floats. U2's Pride has the same feeling in the bits where Bono isn't yelping. (We shall not talk of U2 again)

You only live once also has strangled cat guitar playing, which I've been partial to since deciding that I Don't Mind by Buzzcocks has everything I need in a pop song, (including strangled cat guitar behind the "I used to think you'd hate me when you called me on the phone, Sometimes when we go out, well I wish I'd stayed at home" middle 8)

The Strokes used a mix and match Mr Potato Head approach to turn themselves into a modern retro New York group with Television, Blondie influences, skinny ties and great hair. The template for previous generations though was Ronnie Spector. The Ramones chose their name because it sounded like a New York 60's girl group and Blondie's original approach was equal parts Girl group to New York Underground.

Ronnie Spector released Last Of The Rock 'n' Roll stars last year and her career was both started and smothered by Phil Spector. He projected all his production skills and pop visions onto her voice and then married her. Success, royalties and Phil Spector's paranoia kept her in a mansion but she had to drive with life size replica of him in her car. Then there was alcoholism and marriage to Steve Van Zandt (Bruce Springsteens' guitarist turned Sopranos actor who swapped a bandana for outrageously coiled hair that looked like it had been styled by Mr Whippy.)

The songs have been chosen to reflect her life, struggles and place in pop history. She does a really good version of Johnny Thunder's You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory. The best track though and also the single is All I Want.

It sounds like a mid pace girl group song and the lyrics work really well because they not only sound like mid paced girl group lyrics should (The formula = regret, life's been unfair, boy done me wrong, don't need jewellery just the love of my man) but they also work for anyone who's feeling domestically miserable, even if they weren't married to a paranoid pop producer with a big bang hairstyle currently on trial for murder. Her voice still sounds fantastic.

"I don't need flowers or fancy things

I gave up on diamond rings

Just want a little pat on the back from you

Not just another little subtle attack from you

Just a little something to show me that you care"

Lou Reed is the ultimate New York artist and chronicler of the city. A musical Samuels Pepys.

Romeo Had Juliet is the opening track from 89's excllent New York album and it's one of his observational songs where he's identifying a list of characters and describing their stories, ethnic backgrounds and hairstyles. After 25 years of song writing he was still (luckily) describing what New York looks like. You've got a job for life son.

"Manhattans sinking like a rock

Into the filthy Hudson, what a shock

They wrote a book about it

They said it was like ancient Rome"

The sound of the record is fantastic. It's got one of my favourite intros as the tape rewinds the previous take, before the version proper starts…then (like it says on the sleeve notes) bass, guitar and drums…it's all you need. Two guitars, one on each side of the mix, you can hear what they're doing and the playing is stripped down to the necessary. And it's got a strangled cat guitar.

"Something flickered for a minute

Then it's gone"