46. Slammin’ Watusis, Kings of Noise

Some bands try to cultivate an air of mystery, intentionally remaining cryptic about the inspiration for their songs and sounds, insisting that they don’t want to influence the interpretations of individual fans or simply asserting that the music should speak for itself. Then there are those bands that are happy to announce who they are, planting their flag in the music world’s silty, shifting firmament. Slammin’ Watusis are clearly the latter. For one thing, they made a point of thanking no less than The Damned in the liner notes of their self-titled debut. Their sophomore effort made things ever more clear. They titled the album Kings of Noise, a boast they’ve long made about themselves. Of course, it’s a boast that’s been backed up by those who’ve seen the band play live, at least those who still had their hearing intact after the experience. The music on the record backs up the clai, as well. It’s a admirable relentless barrage of powerful guitar rock that should sufficiently dissuade any pretenders to Slammin’ Watusis’ self-claimed throne.

45. The Call, Let the Day Begin

In the words of lead singer Michael Been, “The Call is a band for people who feel things extremely. We’re not for people who are extremely cool, for whom cool is the ultimate expression.” That earnest approach to big sounds and bigger emotions was in full evidence on Let the Day Begin, the band’s first outing for MCA Records. From the pulsing rhythms of the lead track, which is also the title cut, the record is suffused with a bright, almost bombastic optimism seemingly built to fill arenas. It’s maybe not surprising that the band’s world seemed a little bigger to them as they crafted the record, given that lead singer Michael Been had recently made his big screen acting debut in Martin Scorsese’s controversial The Last Temptation of Christ, playing no less exalted a figure than John the Apostle. The band long had the burden of living up to Peter Gabriel’s famous proclamation that they were “the future of American music,” but then some Divine expectations were added as well? Well, maybe not, but at least the experience gave Been another avenue to use in recruiting guest performers for Call records. He wrangled his Last Temptation costar Harry Dean Stanton to play harmonica on one of the tracks on Let the Day Begin.

Previously…
— Introduction
— 90 and 89
— 88 and 87
— 86 and 85
— 84 and 83
— 82 and 81
— 80 and 79
— 78 and 77
— 76 and 75
— 74 and 73
— 72 and 71
— 70 and 69
— 68 and 67
— 66 and 65
— 64 and 63
— 62 and 61
— 60 and 59
— 58 and 57
— 56 and 55
— 54 and 53
— 52 and 51
— 50 and 49
— 48 and 47