The 500 - #413 - Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 414

Album Title: Double Nickels On The Dime
Artist: Minutemen
Genre: Alternative Rock, Post Punk, Hardcore Punk
Recorded: Radio Tokyo Studios, Venice, California
Released: July, 1984
My age at release: 13
How familiar was I with it before this week: 1 song
Song I am putting on my Spotify Mix: History Lesson Part II

For help with this week's blog, I reached out to my chum Claudio Sossi. Claudio and I share a love of music, Pro-Wrestling and the comedy stylings of our mutual friend Oscar Macedo. I knew that Claudio was well versed in the US hardcore punk scene...so I suggested this album to him. I was thrilled when he agreed. I spent the last week listening to it and I can understand his passion. This is a great record and not at all what I was expecting. Imagine my surprise when I suddenly heard the signature guitar lick from the infamous Jackass television program blasting through my speakers. I am sure you will enjoy Claudio's connection with this band's eclectic sound.

I hope everyone has been enjoying Marc's 500 album project as much as I have! I was honoured to be asked to make a contribution and hope I'm worthy of the standard Marc's set here.

In the late 70s through to the early 80s, there wasn't anything to distinguish your musical tastes as "different" quite like embracing what was happening in the American hardcore punk scene. If you happened to find like-minded individuals, it made for a making great new friends. It also had the ability to clear a room in record time with the "classic rock set". 

I mean, it was Anti-Everything...yes? Certainly many of the trappings embraced by the world of classic rock.

Anti-progressive rock, anti-guitar solos, anti-drum solos, anti-self indulgence, anti-lyrics inspired by The Hobbit, anti-15 minute opuses.

Few bands captured that short, sharp burst of inspiration like Minutemen - a trio from San Pedro that blended punk with funk, jazz and poetry. They had a "lead" bass player in Mike Watt jamming along to the more rhythmic, treble-heavy style of guitarist D. Boon punctuated by drummer George Hurley's hyperactive rat-a-tat-tat. It was a working man's punk rock that said what it had to say -- typically in under two minutes.

Minutemen in 1982 (Left to Right) Watt, Boone Hurley

Which makes one wonder: What was with the decision, in 1984, to go where only classic rock (and jazz) dared to tread?  You know...that bloated beast called..."The Double Album!"

Credit must go to Husker Du and their two-LP Zen Arcade for coming up with the notion first. Although released simultaneously with Double Nickels On The Dime, it was the Minutemen hearing Zen Arcade in advance, through their kinship with SST Records, that gave them the noton to expand their already-recorded single disc into a double. 

Zen Arcade by Husker Du (1984)

But, come on man! What are we talking about here? That would be like 40 songs, right? 

Nope. 45!

I was obsessed with the record, buying it just before moving to London, Ontario. Each band member curated a side (the fourth, called "Side Chaff", were the leftovers after the band made their choices). Each side began with a car engine starting up and pals, such as Henry Rollins (Black Flag) and Jack Brewer (Saccharine Trust) popped in with a few lyrics. The band even chose to include a few cover songs. It was easy to read a comical irony in their 40-second burst on Van Halen's Ain't Talking 'bout Love, but...was that a reverential take on Steely Dan's Dr. Wu? It suited me fine -- a love for Steely Dan, an American jazz-fusion and soft rock band of the 70s, was one of my dirty little secrets as I tried to pass for a "punk rock guy".

There was also a camaraderie implied by this sequencing. Taking a page from Pink Floyd's 1969 record, Ummagumma, each band member was allocated a side of the record. Additionally, the car engine heard at the start of each side belonged to that member, Side D, Side Mike and Side George, respectively. This was a huge part of the album's appeal for me, it felt like a shared car ride. Singing about themselves on songs like Take 5, D. One Reporter's Opinion, and the sentimental History Lesson - Part II, made you feel that you were part of the gang, a Minuteman. 

With D. Boon, songs like VietNam and This Ain't No Picnic, you could get mad together at all the right things to get mad about. And, it was just fun to sing along with wordsmith Watt's songs like The Big Foist before delving into the more personal, Do You Want New Wave Or Do You Want The Truth. 

So many of my nights ended with the headphones on, listening to Double Nickels On The Dime. It rarely strays far from my stereo, making it a great way to remember the larger-than-life D. Boon, who died tragically in a car accident in 1985, just a few days before Christmas. A big loss. Sigh.

Double Nickels On The Dime is a spectacular ride -- and every listen makes me feel like I chipped in for gas.

Guest Blogger Claudio with his editing assistant.