Wall of Voodoo "Mexican Radio" vs Adam & the Ants "Dog Eat Dog"

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(Flat vox + lyrics re quest for signified) vs (comb. rough vox + lyric signifiers negates signified) both w/ rhythm pattern equal parts (blowback from French covert involvement in former colonial possessions)/('Herb Alpert Does the Ubangi Stomp!'[out of print])

― dave q, Tuesday, 25 February 2003 11:11 (twenty-one years ago) link

Jaoan "Visions of China" inverts "MR" by using flat affect-less instrumental work but then they go and cheat by putting the signifiers all over the LP cover. (btw, remember when ppl used the word 'multimedia'? hahahahaha)

― dave q, Tuesday, 25 February 2003 11:12 (twenty-one years ago) link

above should read 'Japan' goddammit

― dave q, Tuesday, 25 February 2003 11:13 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Dog Eat Dog" is better.

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 25 February 2003 13:50 (twenty-one years ago) link

Ah, now THIS is a question!

And a toughie at that. However, while I so adore "Dog Eat Dog"...."Brush Me, Daddy-O!"...., I'm going to have to go with "Mexican Radio," as it still sounds a truly bizarre today as it did way back when. R.I.P Marc Moreland.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 14:11 (twenty-one years ago) link

I'll take Celtic Frost's cover of "Mexican Radio" for $500, Alex

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 14:41 (twenty-one years ago) link

Nobody fronts Adam Ant. NOBODY. Not on my watch.

― Ally (mlescaut), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 14:41 (twenty-one years ago) link

I REFUSE TO CHOOSE.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 15:05 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Mexican Radio." No contest. "Dog Eat Dog" is just a little too frilly.

― Matt Maxwell (Matt M.), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 15:07 (twenty-one years ago) link

If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice!

― Geddy Lee, Tuesday, 25 February 2003 15:07 (twenty-one years ago) link

I CHOOSE BOTH.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 15:08 (twenty-one years ago) link

"Dog Eat Dog" is just a little too frilly.

And down below your dandy clothes you're just a shade too white. (Don't get mad, MM, I'm just quoting for no reason.)

"Dog Eat Dog" by several million miles. This has less to do with the fact that I always thought "Mexican Radio" to be the most overhyped radio song of my high school days than it does with the fact that I loved and still love Kings of the Wild Frontier and all its twisted bullshitty thumpy ridiculous wonderful songs.

Stan Ridgeway can bite it. Free Stuart Goddard!*

*Oh, he's out. But will he ever be truly FREE?

― Neudonym, Tuesday, 25 February 2003 15:11 (twenty-one years ago) link

Meican Radio is annoying. Dog Eat Dog is brilliant.

― Sean (Sean), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 16:02 (twenty-one years ago) link

The `Frost's cover of "Mexican Radio" does indeed rock the bells (as Uncle L -- the future of the funk -- used to say), seconded only by Dead Horse's cover of "Rock Lobster".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 16:22 (twenty-one years ago) link

I love both, but I'd have to give the nod to "Mexican Radio." It really does fulfill its goal of sounding like it's coming in from a crappy border station. "Dog Eat Dog," despite its great Burundi beat, is a little too self-absorbed (but then, what else would I expect?).

Wall of Voodoo did a great, spooky cover of "Ring of Fire" as well.

― mike a (mike a), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 17:10 (twenty-one years ago) link

so did Devo!

anyone who lives in NYC and likes these bands should go to Gimme Gimme Records on E. 5th St, they're only open on Fri Sat Sun afternoons - they have EVERYTHING

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 17:18 (twenty-one years ago) link

Both great, of course. So I'm with Dan. Again!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 17:21 (twenty-one years ago) link

Is Gimme Gimme strictly vinyl, Tracer?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 17:42 (twenty-one years ago) link

I'm siding with "Mexican Radio", unfairly I might add. It has been one of my favorite songs since age 9, whereas "Dog Eat Dog" I've only heard 3 times at most.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 17:46 (twenty-one years ago) link

Choosing both choices = dud.

But what if my clothes aren't frilly? Am i still too white? And you've misspelt, "Ridgway", Neudonym.

A cool name, but "Menudonym" would be even cooler.

― Matt Maxwell (Matt M.), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 18:04 (twenty-one years ago) link

Stan Ridgeway's is so irritating, he's horrible. They always sounded so great till he opened his mouth. I wish they'd gotten Andy Prieboy sooner. "Dog Eat Dog"--well, everything they did back then was brilliant. Of course, I'd pick "Dog Eat Dog".

― Arthur (Arthur), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 18:37 (twenty-one years ago) link

I am Menudonym now and forever.

I am sorry that I made that lame joke about Matt M.'s color/clothing. I got carried away on the Antmusic tip. Plus, it wasn't funny.

I am not really all that sorry about misspelling what's-his-name's name, but thankful for the correction.

--Neudonym, confessionally

― Neudonym, Tuesday, 25 February 2003 18:50 (twenty-one years ago) link

Gimme Gimme is strictly vinyl. They have the Gen X "Dancing With Myself" 12" with bonus beats. Germ-Free Adolescents and Lester Bangs records and on and on. It's obscene.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 20:56 (twenty-one years ago) link

* shoots self for telling of secret Narnia-like record shop *

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 20:57 (twenty-one years ago) link

Ah, I don't have a turntable anymore. Your secret is safe.....from me, at least.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 21:00 (twenty-one years ago) link

I'll pick "Mexican Radio." Though I would never pick Wall Of Voodoo over Adam Ant.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 21:15 (twenty-one years ago) link

You just did.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 21:19 (twenty-one years ago) link

I meant Taking Sides on the artists' entire work.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 21:20 (twenty-one years ago) link

haha i have just realized that if it is in fact Narnia-like, then any who seek it (including me, possibly) will be confronted with an old woman on her stoop reading the paper who looks up with eyes a bazillion years old and says "no, there was never any record shop here"

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 22:55 (twenty-one years ago) link

Or she'll send you to the 11th floor, which doesn't actually exist. It is populated with mannequins who keep coming to life

― Ally (mlescaut), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:06 (twenty-one years ago) link

and recreating Adam Ant videos!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 25 February 2003 23:09 (twenty-one years ago) link

I'm with Dan Perry on this one: what's with these threads? I mean, they're stumpers, yeah, but only because they're all great songs/artists! Give us something to hate!

― matt riedl (veal), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 00:30 (twenty-one years ago) link

Mexican Radio just sounds like a fairly bad Primus song to me. Are there cultural associations that I'm missing or something?

― Dan I., Wednesday, 26 February 2003 00:47 (twenty-one years ago) link

The game is in the choice. If the choice is a no-brainer, then the game is about as much fun as your average sitcom. Granted, for Dan L, the choice sounds pretty easy.

Primus? Don't think so. It's missing the wanky bass parts. And i doubt that explaining any cultural context wouldn't help Dan like it anymore than he aleready does.

― Matt Maxwell (Matt M.), Wednesday, 26 February 2003 01:14 (twenty-one years ago) link

seventeen years pass...

Reviving because I'm reading ancient threads as distraction from -- you know.

Sign me up as one of the crowd who chooses both. "Dog Eat Dog" is my favorite Adam and the Ants song and I find it exceptionally addictive, and I have to listen to "Mexican Radio" every dieciséis de Septiembre, or Mexican Independence Day (September 16), as a celebration of my people from an alternative (but still respectful) perspective. Why choose between the two when you can enjoy both?

― We Live as We Dee, Alone (deethelurker), Saturday, 19 September 2020 03:14 (three years ago) link

looked up the cover of "Ring of Fire" mentioned 17 years ago on this thread and the noisy finale is pretty great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FyTfLAlASU

― turn the jawhatthefuckever on (One Eye Open), Saturday, 19 September 2020 13:50 (three years ago) link

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