Listening Post

It's rare that I post music clips shot from somebody's phone, but this one's pretty good quality and, besides, it's just too damn cool not to share.

This is the Sound City Players -- essentially Dave Grohl's new supergroup that includes him, Taylor Hawkins, Pat Smear and pretty much the rest of the Foo Fighters, members of Rage Against the Machine, Lee Ving of Fear, Stevie Nicks, Krist Novoselic, John Fogerty and a whole hell of a lot more -- with Rick Springfield up front doing a live version of Springfield's Jesse's Girl at Sundance a couple of nights ago.

It rules in so many ways.

Listening Post

Do you like Rick Springfield?

His early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet came out in '82, I think he really came into his own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Hall and Oates, but I think Rick has far more luxurious hair.

In '85, Rick released the soundtrack to Hard To Hold, his most accomplished album. I think his undisputed masterpiece is Bop 'Til You Drop, a song so catchy, most people probably don't listen to the lyrics. But they should, because it's not just about the pleasures of hard work and perseverance, and the importance of dancing in hot cities, it's also a personal statement about the man itself.

Plus there's the ubiquitous 80s dystopian sci-fi-themed video.