The Go-Go's resurrect their new-wave Beat

Music Features

Me, myself, and I

Three ill-fated trios

By DANIEL BROCKMAN | September 29, 2009

Beauty in the beast: Dinosaur Jr. are much happier people now. By Daniel Brockman.

I have a theory that musical trios are as cursed as any non-musical threesome. Alliances of two against one and ego imbalances are inevitable. Dinosaur Jr. were able to reconcile, but here are three archetypical power trios who just couldn't keep it together.

CREAM [1966-1968] | Cream were three immense egoists who found a way out of dealing with one another by turning up the volume and loosening up the pop song. The result was, as they say, sheer heaviosity: the amps multiplied, the decibels climbed, and the song lengths crept into the 20-minute range while the audience watched each band member ignore the other two entirely. Their output may sound quaint today, but noise-mongering trios everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to the massive egos of Jack, Ginger, and Eric.

THE POLICE [1977-1984] | Sting, Stewart, and Andy upped Cream's ante in terms of being three self-centered assholes turning internal issues into #1 hits. Amid the punk class of '77, they stuck out as overachieving jazzbos secretly longing to write chart toppers while smuggling reggae undercurrents into the overground. But beneath the veneer of success was a deep unease, as Copeland's unwillingness to be controlled clashed with Sting's not-so-secret wish to go solo ? which, as we know all too well, he did.

MCLUSKY [1996-2005] | What rock trio have deconstructed the rock-band mythology as deftly as Cardiff's Mclusky? The bitterness and resentment that seep out of sneerfests like "Collagen Rock" and "To Hell with Good Intentions" made 2002's Mclusky Do Dallas (Too Pure) a Rosetta Stone for deciphering the modern rock unit. A disagreement after having their shit stolen during a 2004 US tour led to the perma-defriending of singer/guitarist Andy "Falco" Falkous and bassist Jonathan Chapple, leaving sad fans with nothing to do but read between the lines of "Fuck This Band."

Beauty in the beast
"When J switched to guitar [from drums], he wanted to feel that same power. and the only way he could do that was to be, like, super loud. . . ."
Photos: Dinosaur Jr. at the Middle East downstairs
Photos of Dinosaur Jr. performing on their 2009 reunion tour
Unextinct
The convo is already off to a bumpy start with one Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr., phoning in from his Los Angeles residence at 10:30 am PST.
October already!
Only 11 weeks and counting of Christmas shopping remain, so head out to some budget-friendly shows in the meantime.
Heavy flow
I was a little dismayed last week when I dropped into Doomstar!'s Central Square rehearsal space
This one's for the ladies
Girls scream and swoon when pop singer Jason Mraz takes the stage at the University of Rhode Island's Ryan Center.
The Big Hurt: Brand new Dio; same old Yoko; auguries of Creed
In the process of writing last week's column about hidden Satanic messages in pop music, I listened to a bunch of shit backward and discovered that the track "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga is much, much better that way.
Britney Spears and Michael Jackson fight it out
Cue up track six on the new Britney (Jive) and prepare yourself for the Technicolor disco flash-back of the year, swooning string section, chunky Nile Rodgers guitar riff, and all. The song's called "Anticipating," and it captures the most famous 19-year-old girl in the world at her guileless, sentimental best.
Odd men in
When Beyoncé, in a recent Guardian interview, pegged Georgia art weirdos Of Montreal as a group with whom she'd love to collaborate, the real weirdness was in how sensible it all seemed — as pop music has gotten skronkier and more fuzzed-out, indie rock has slowly molted its hatred of the mainstream and started to display the very flamboyance and hook worship it once held as anathema.
Photos: Mariah Carey at the Wang Theatre
Photos of Mariah Carey on her 2010 world tour
From the Office of Interdepartmental Cooperation
Hey, pal, where's the fire?
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Topics: Music Features , Entertainment, Music, Pop and Rock Music, More

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