Now this is my kinda Scooby flick.

Scooby Doo (Hey! Demo)-MF DOOM (alt link)

I know I’ve already written about this, but now that we’re almost in The Heroic Age, I thought I’d revisit who is appropriate for the main Avengers title.  I mean, who would best represent what the team is supposed to be: The best of Marvel, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, protectors of our world from cosmic threats like Thanos, The Collector, Baron Nefaria and the Masters of Evil (and Egghead)?  More importantly, who do I want to see Brian Michael Bendis write about?  That’s the key part of this.  After all, having multiple, interlocking Avengers titles just wouldn’t have worked during Dark Reign without a single vision guiding the ship.

I know this isn’t the lineup—that’s already been announced, pretty much–but this is who I’d go for on the main team.  I’d make the team big, like it was back in its heyday, so that we could have multiple simultaneous missions.  Hell, if this was the team, I’d probably read it if it came out weekly!

1.  Captain American and Iron Man. Obviously.  It will be great to read Bendis’ take on how Tony and Steve re-forge a relationship of trust and respect.  But I wouldn’t include Thor.  I like him out on his own, being all Godlike and aloof.

2.  Hawkeye. Bendis has handled the return of Marvel’s archer with superlative skill.  Clint is a fan favorite, even if he doesn’t have powers, and he’s always been a major part of the team.

3.  Yellow-Jacket/Giant-Man or -Woman/Wasp/Ant Man. Or some variation thereof.  They need a size-changer.

4.  Vision. Even if he’s a robot, he was always part of the soul of the team.  Part of that was due to his marriage to Scarlet Witch, and that obviously can’t happen again, but I’d love to see how Bendis could engineer a comeback here.  Maybe the Young Avengers’ version?

5.  Ms. Marvel. Her solo series sucked.  Someone’s got to maintain her rep.

6.  Storm. She needs to get back in the mainstream, and this is a good way to do it.  Black Panther could come in once in a while, too, but I don’t see him as a regular.  Or if she’s unavailable, how about Psylocke?

7.  Hercules. First of all, we all know he isn’t really dead.  Second of all, he would provide some much-needed levity to the proceedings.  Third, this is the heroic age, and who likes being a hero more than Hercules?  I’d say that The Beast could add jokes, but Hank hasn’t been jovial in a long, long time.  If they don’t go with Herc, how about Valkyrie?  They need some Godness on the group.

8.  Quicksilver. I’ve lost track of the character and I’m not sure what he’s up to nowadays, but I always like it when he was on the team.  ‘Cause he’s such a jerk.  He provides the Guy Gardner ingredient.

9.  Amadeus Cho. He could be their Martian Manhunter (or “Chloe” on Smallville)—the genius behind the scenes who keeps it all together.

10.  She-Hulk. Nuff said.

11.  Puck and Shaman (from Alpha Flight).

Note the omissions: Wonder Man (enough already with this reluctant hero); Dr. Strange (borrrring); Sentry (more borrring!).

SIDE TEAMS!

Side teams could include:

1.   Luke Cage, Spider-Woman, and Wolverine. I really enjoyed them on New Avengers, but Wolverine is over-exposed and they never really made good use of him on the team—he never really got a chance to shine.  And Cage and Spider-Woman already got too many chances to shine—he’s not really a “cosmic challenge” type of guy, and she’s certainly not one of Marvel’s “mightiest heroes.”  And both of these qualifiers apply to Spidey, too, who is terrific in Bendis’ hands, but it’s time to let the boy go.

2. And how about Dazzler for some Bendis rebooting?  I always liked her.

3.  Power Pack/Young Avengers. This seems like a potential crew on its own—a young team that needs a solid mentor.  (Maybe this is what “Avengers Academy” will be about?)  Luke and Jessica Jones, perhaps?  Or maybe Bucky Cap and Black Widow?  Anyone but Nick Fury.

4. Speaking of Nick Fury, I could see him in charge of a SHIELD Avengers team—some kind of strike force for special, Earth-based missions, with a group of stealthy and/or hard-to-control fringe types like Ghost Rider, Deadpool, Nightcrawler, Mystique, Elektra, White Tiger, Taskmaster or Bullseye (don’t know where they’ll end up after Siege), the now-reformed Silver Samurai, and Iron Fist.  With Wolverine as a hanger on.  Fur will fly.

5.  War Machine! (That’s a gimme and a given, I think.)

What do you all think?

Bettie Serveert have been around since 1986, coming up with the likes of Superchunk, Pearl Jam, and Belly, and forming the basis for bigger (but less talented) bands like Garbage. Their 2010 release, “Pharmacy of Love,” is a testament to why this band is better than all the other bands who sound like them. It’s the talent, stupid. Their songs are tight, and their musicianship is top notch. The drumming on “Love Lee,” for example, is relentlessly upbeat, while the chopping guitar and bassline come through in waves, making the heart race and the head bob and weave. And then, of course, there’s Carol van Dyk’s vocals. Van Dyk has always had solid range, but she’s not prone to acrobatics. That’s part of what made this band less “pop” than Shirley Manson’s soundalikes–van Dyke is steady and even, not selling the song on the chorus alone.

It’s amazing that the band is still on fire after all these years. The sound is a little dated, sure, because noone is making music like this any more. But if you can get your ’90s chick groove on, this album is a treasure.

Semaphore

Deny All video:

I know, I know.  About a third of what The Game spits is nothing but name-drops and shout-outs.  And another third is just lame attempts to sound like everyone else. But when he’s on his game, The Game is pure fiya.  When Game hits the mark, he crafts perfect bangers that recall the best hip hop has to offer.

Not sure what’s on this mixtape yet–if it’s the former or the latter–but if it’s got his name on it, I’ll certainly give it a try.

The Link!

Thou Shall Not Fall-Joe Buddens

1993 might not (definitely was not) the best year to see the Grateful Dead.  Health issues plagued the band, and Bobby’s songwriting skills were not peaking, either.  What makes this show so cool, though, is the widely varied setlist.  There’s the last Casey Jones ever played, and in set one no less, a rare recording of Broken Arrow, and then old favorites like Eyes, Corinna, and Cassidy.

So, without further ado, The Dead, March 27, 1993, 3/27/93, Albany, N.Y.  Enjoy.
SET 1:
01.  Hell In A Bucket
02.  Bertha
03.  Same Thing
04.  Peggy-O
05.  Queen Jane Approximately
06.  Broken Arrow
07.  Loose Lucy
08.  Cassidy
09.  Casey Jones (last time played . . . Ever!)

SET 2:
01.  Eyes Of The World
02.  Estimated Prophet
03.  Comes A Time
04.  Corinna
05/6.  Drumspace
07.  The Wheel
08.  All Along The Watchtower
09.  Days Between
10.  One More Saturday Night

ENCORE:
I Fought The Law

ZIP FILE

DO UPLOADS

In our last episode we left you at M.  Picking up where we left off . . .

M is for Josh Milland’s take on O Superman (Laurie Anderson cover).  Laurie was one of those weird thoughtful chicks that girls with hairly legs liked.  And Peter Gabriel liked her.  For a while at least.

M is also for mash up: To the Taxmobile!-Beatles vs. Batman.

N is for No One Likes Superman Any More-I Fight Dragons. I just love the name of this band. And the name of this song.

N is also for New World Symphony’s Theme from Wonder Woman. Maybe the greatest campy theme song of all time.

O is for one hit wonder (sort of).  Superman’s Song-The Crash Test Dummies. This song was released independently in Canada before a major label picked the band up. It was a minor hit. Then they released that hugely popular “mmm mmm” song, and went to shit. The rest of their catalog is Godawful. I hear they’ve got a new record coming out soon, but I haven’t heard the music.

P is for Paramore’s cover of “My Hero” by The Foo Fighters.

P is also for Pocket Full Of Kryptonite-Spin Doctors (live-direct link)

Q is for nothing. Sorry. I got zero here.

R is for Red Krayola’s Portrait of Wile E. Coyote. This is just weird. Not superhero, cartoon. But ok.  And really, with all his devices from Acme, he’s kinda like the Looney Tunes version of Batman.

S is for Da Superfriendz-MF DOOM. The Masked rapper draws his name from Victor Von Doom, so you can always count on him. His “Hey!” song samples Scooby Doo, he’s got tons of cartoon soundbytes and drops . . . And then there’s this typically esoteric, conceptual song about a battle that has little to do with the Superfriends, other than it’s name and the last two words of the songs. Instead, there’s references to JLA, Doomsday, Inspector Gadget, G.I. Joe, The Little Rascals . . . Lots of folks. A terrific rap, featuring Vast Aire.

S is also for Sub Mariner. One of a few classic themes I’m tossing in here: Namor, The Submariner.

T is for Time Loves a Hero-Little Feat (live version).

T is also for Libby Johnston’s “Twenty Superheroes.” Her new album, Perfect View, is a nice collection of female singer-songwriter folk, on Wrong Records. For more information, go to her site.

U is for the umlaut I can’t type in Husker Du’s bandname. They, like a bunch of people, covered Donovan’s “Sunshine Superman.” In the zipfile, you’ll find the Husker Du version along with Bob Walkenhorst, The Films, and Charlie Hunter’s jazz jam version.

V is for versus: Jukebox Hero versus the 1980s, by DJ John. One of my favorite extended mashups. Is a jukebox hero a superhero? I guess not. But it’s fun anyway.

W is for probably my favorite true Super Hero rap ever. I’ve posted it here before. Who’s a Hero?-MF DOOM and Trunks. I have no idea where you can find the EP it’s off of, “Unicron,” but if you can, I highly recommend it. Haven’t heard of this Trunks chap before or since, but dude spits fiya.

W is also for Will Power’s “Spider Man” song. From that great old TV show, The Electric Company.

X is for the X in Coxon. A Time for Heroes (Libertines cover)-Graham Coxon.

Y and Z are for Your Zip file! Hoo-rah!