The Beach Boys, “Wouldn’t It be Nice” (Capitol, 1966)

Check out the Beach Boys getting all Monkees at the beginning of this clip. Well, it’s not like the Monkees invented walking funnily in unison; they were ripping off the British Invasion bands. But given the consistent critical blush for the Beach Boys — and how dearly their music is held by folk types and indie dudes for its intellectual hotness — it’s cool to see them clowning around. And then the performance footage at the end. Look at those stage moves! — Thomas Rooker White

Olivia Newton-John, “Physical” (American TV, 1981)

To avoid controversy in the early 1980s, all you had to do was shift the focus of your little sex pop song to the bright synthetics, bunchy leg warmers, and happy-go-lucky headbands of the burgeoning workout movement. That’s what Olivia Newton-John did, as she displays on this episode of “Solid Gold.” Not only did\ the marketing gag guarantee multiplatinum rack-ups of the Physical album, but Newton-John was now a part of a movement. If she was still releasing music in the mid-1990s, she would’ve found a way to do a swing music album. — Johnny Loftus

Van Halen, “Hot for Teacher” (Warner, 1984)

Detour is too busy redesigning its Twitter page to study the why’s and how’s of it, but there’s a real problem in this country with teachers “having their way with” their students. It’s part of a larger social trend, to be sure. But rather than theorize, or even trot out a few experts to spout their theories, most news outlets just use a reference to this, the iconic 1984 single from Van Halen. Every joke, every shot, every Diamond Dave “WHOOOAAA” – it’s burned in the brains of those who lived through it, or even better, grew up with it. It didn’t make us hot for our teachers in real life, because we went to school when the instructors were either old or nuns. – Thomas Rooker White

If you were a kid in 1984, you went one of two ways: you either followed the Daniel LaRusso path and jumped into karate lessons, or you channeled your inner pimp and started break dancing. I spent that entire summer banging my nut sack on my hot-as-fuck blacktop driveway as I repeatedly tried to learn “the caterpillar.”

– Harry Caul

It’s the Fourth of July! Let’s Party!

We’ve got to admit: We’ve been on a pretty ridiculous Stiff Records kick as of late — the London label started up in 1976 by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera, and responsible for launching the careers of dudes like Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. Characterized by a roster of bands that sported angry, rebellious lyrics, crunchy, melodic guitars, and cheap production techniques (and, at times, some ska, and even Motorhead and Stryper, if you can believe it), Stiff is right up there, along with Factory and Creation, as being one of the most solid and influential the rock world has ever seen. So while we could merely service you with a clip of Wreckless Eric bashing out “Whole Wide World” on some weird TV show (or Will Ferrel singing it to Maggie Gyllenhaal in Stranger Than Fiction, for that matter), we thought it’d be cool to throw up a bunch of takes from the Stiff Records crew, including Lowe, Costello, and lesser knowns like the Adverts and the Feelies. There’s no rhyme or reason to why we picked what we did; these are just some monster jams. So get familiar (there’s a lot more out there than you’ve got time for), and while you’re at it, check out the late, great, Exploding Hearts — 3/4ths of which tragically died in a van accident in 2003 — and their album Guitar Romantic for an essential update on an essential sound. — Ryan Allen (more…)

Liz Phair, “Supernova” (Matador, 1994)

Oh, Liz. Not only is this song still the one where you can wait for that double-kick snare and tunnel vision guitar effect, but the lyrics. “Your lips are sweet and slippery like a cherub’s bare wet ass,” “Your kisses are as wicked as an F-16/And you fuck like a Volcano and you’re everything to me” — she wasn’t writing about how hot her boyfriend’s ringtone was, or even that she’d be his umbrella. This was some adult shit. Also: It’s awesome how disinterested/hotter than Hanoi she looks throughout. No thanks on the cheeze “supernova” effects, however. — Johnny Loftus

Tad, “Grease Box” (Giant, 1993)

From its album art, to their snap-up signing, to their eventual drop from major label sight, Tad and their lone Giant record — Inhaler; seriously, check out its placeholding, corpo art dept., “this is alternative” cover art — are one of the best anomalies in rock-n-roll history. Tad Doyle, grunge confidant and sometime butcher, is so all over “Grease Box,” his hair in his face and his giant head nodding back and forth like he’s making a decision on how to lay waste to you. And the song’s grunge rattle is in place, with Mudhoney in there but more metal, and Alice in Chains in the chorus. It’s still a great jam, and seeing this video — as 90s as the cover art of Inhaler — is kind of fun now. Spinning hands at 2:07! — Johnny Loftus

Suicide, “Ghost Rider” (Live, 1977/1978)

We can see it: Liars, Peaches, Primal Scream, and Nick Cave are all big fans of Suicide — the 70s art/synth-punk duo fronted by Alan Vega and Marin Rev. But Bruce Springsteen? That’s a new one on us. Indeed all of these artists — including the Boss — as well as Vincent Gallo, the Horrors, Spiritualized, and many more, will pay tribute to the no-wave legends on limited edition 10″ singles, to be released in year-long installments, starting this July. Here, we bring you live Suicide, screaming and whooping their way through their classic “Ghost Rider.” With Rev engaged in some bizarre interpretive dance amongst the always-badass-looking Vega’s haunted keyboards and minimal drum machine beats, we encourage you to watch, listen, and ponder how Bruce went from getting into this to writing “Born in the USA.” — Ryan Allen