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Album: Riviera
Avg rating:
6.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1143









Released: 2002
Length: 3:52
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Just a little bit gun-shy, with a criminal mind
She came in like an animal and left like an innocent child
Now I'm stranded on empty, across nation lines
Clear night like a rosary against a dashboard light
Driving to you, Riviera
How long can you run?
Now the moon and the pavement are like noon daylight
Smokestacks and the gambling signs along the black horizon line
I once had a sister like you, lost on the other side
You run because you have to, from the firing lines
Shot into you Riviera, how long can you run?
Ain't it strange how the ones you steal, they keep you alive
How she could make you feel like you never been high?
I can't remember what was real - like a killer in denial
Careful to conceal every last line leading to you, Riviera
I deliver to you- the Riviera! How long can you run?
Comments (122)add comment
I am bummed - this album and song  - are NOT available on Qobuz? As of this moment ...
Where have I been?  Where's this band been?  Why aren't they up there with all the terrific bands?

If it wasn't for Bill playing this track today I'd never have known they existed.  

Thanks to all at RP.  ❤️
 joejennings wrote:
Never heard them until here! ...Thanx RP! 



Same here!
Never heard them until here! ...Thanx RP! 
 gordondickie1416 wrote:

very early tom petty like



Get rid of the delicious guitar tone, delete the dynamics and simplify the arrangement considerably...then the statement might be true.
Todd Mohr Parks is totally in my top 10 fave guitarists !!!
Don't hear them enough. 
 ScottishWillie wrote:
As a rule, Big Head doesn’t ring my bell but this tune knocks lumps from the clapper!
 
I wrote this 7 years ago and since then I've come to love Big Head. I've bought 3-4 albums and lots of tracks. But this was the song where I really 'got it' for the first time.
Majestic Rock & Roll!
Sounds like "What If We Give It Away" (REM).

One of my favorite bands! Highly recommend seeing them live!


very early tom petty like
 kcar wrote:

Never watched MacGyver but I have to wonder whether these sort of Rube-Goldberg arrangements were the highlight of the show. Who needs a plot when you have a paperclip?

 
Ahh, Kyle MacDonald is my minor hero.

https://townofkipling.ca/visitors/red-paperclip-story/ 
One of my favorite bands!  They've got a lot of great songs!!  Glad to hear RP playing them...
 Krispian wrote:

Indeed! Nicely put.

 


This song just begs for a mash up with Rhiannon
 
Stop ya in yer tracks song. 
Great Colorado band they play small NYC venues highly recommend seeing them live.

thank you Bill. 
 TerryS wrote:

Ah, MacGyver thought of that long ago

MacGyver creates a distraction by building a mechanism in a church bell tower with two candles, a leather strap from the lady photographer's purse and some firecrackers. The strap holds a bell in the tower to one side. The clapper has a lit candle attached to it. The firecrackers are taped to the inner surface of the bell. The other candle is set up to burn through the strap. When it does, the bell is released, and the flame of the candle attached to the clapper contacts the firecrackers, igniting them. When they explode, the sound is amplified by the bell, and the guards in the street are distracte


Good story, but you do realise I was being figurative don't you ?!?

By the way what is MacGyver?


 TerryS wrote:

Ah, MacGyver thought of that long ago

MacGyver creates a distraction by building a mechanism in a church bell tower with two candles, a leather strap from the lady photographer's purse and some firecrackers. The strap holds a bell in the tower to one side. The clapper has a lit candle attached to it. The firecrackers are taped to the inner surface of the bell. The other candle is set up to burn through the strap. When it does, the bell is released, and the flame of the candle attached to the clapper contacts the firecrackers, igniting them. When they explode, the sound is amplified by the bell, and the guards in the street are distracte



 
Never watched MacGyver but I have to wonder whether these sort of Rube-Goldberg arrangements were the highlight of the show. Who needs a plot when you have a paperclip?
 ScottishWillie wrote:
As a rule Big Head doesn’t ring my bell but this tune knocks lumps from the clapper!

 
Ah, MacGyver thought of that long ago

MacGyver creates a distraction by building a mechanism in a church bell tower with two candles, a leather strap from the lady photographer's purse and some firecrackers. The strap holds a bell in the tower to one side. The clapper has a lit candle attached to it. The firecrackers are taped to the inner surface of the bell. The other candle is set up to burn through the strap. When it does, the bell is released, and the flame of the candle attached to the clapper contacts the firecrackers, igniting them. When they explode, the sound is amplified by the bell, and the guards in the street are distracte


Missed it -Damn-living in Niwot at the time
 

coloradojohn wrote:
Confirmed: Todd's still rocking it sinister blues-style; jammin' some mighty fine Jaguars & Strats these days. Their new stuff's solid too!

 


 hayduke2 wrote:
that is some solid guitar man, bet they are killer live!  Rock on coloradojohn!!!

 
What you said. First time I heard this tune. There's a lot to be said for basic blues-rock, cleanly and artfully implemented. Like this!
that is some solid guitar man, bet they are killer live!  Rock on coloradojohn!!!
Confirmed: Todd's still rocking it sinister blues-style; jammin' some mighty fine Jaguars & Strats these days. Their new stuff's solid too!
 coloradojohn wrote:
Todd!  December 27th at The Boulder Theater, baby, yeah! Always a solid guaranteed BluesJamRock show since '86 or so; can't wait!

 
So, how'd it go??
Todd!  December 27th at The Boulder Theater, baby, yeah! Always a solid guaranteed BluesJamRock show since '86 or so; can't wait!
Riviera is a criminally underrated album. 
On the border between alt and pop but a good sound. 
Always good to hear Todd JAM IT the way he does...too bad Runaway Train from this isn't on the RP playlist (not the Soul Asylum one)...
 ScottishWillie wrote:
As a rule Big Head doesn’t ring my bell but this tune knocks lumps from the clapper!

 
Indeed! Nicely put.
 ScottishWillie wrote:
As a rule Big Head doesn’t ring my bell but this tune knocks lumps from the clapper!

 
Nice turn of phrase. {#Clap}
As a rule Big Head doesn’t ring my bell but this tune knocks lumps from the clapper!
I was thinking REM right away too.
 

cyesp wrote:


 


 And REM's "What If We Give It Away?" as well.  As mentioned by Proclivities below, a common enough chord progression on the intro, then it goes it own unique way.

pdhski wrote:
Actually it's "Dreams" and beginning? Hell - you can sing it right over the verses!! Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom.
Well, who am I to keep you down?
It's only right that you should play the way you feel it.
But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness like a heartbeat,
drives you mad in the stillness of remembering what you had and what you lost,
and what you had, and what you lost. Thunder only happens when it's raining.
Players only love you when they're playing.
Women, they will come and they will go.
When the rain washes you clean, you'll know.
 

Big Head Todd! playing to the home crowd in Boulder at The Fox tomorrow night!
 pdhski wrote:
Actually it's "Dreams" and beginning? Hell - you can sing it right over the verses!! Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom.
Well, who am I to keep you down?
It's only right that you should play the way you feel it.
But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness like a heartbeat,
drives you mad in the stillness of remembering what you had and what you lost,
and what you had, and what you lost. Thunder only happens when it's raining.
Players only love you when they're playing.
Women, they will come and they will go.
When the rain washes you clean, you'll know.
 
Yes, it does sound similar: the verse in both both tunes is a I - II progression (e.g. F - G or G - A), pretty commonly-used progression.  The chorus here is a different progression than that of "Dreams".
Great Album,  I currently have it in my car CD player.
Check out the "Last Summer on Earth" Chicago concert on AXS tv (used to be HDNET).  Haven't watched the whole show yet, but so far BHT&M are the stand outs.  Never new they were soooo GOOD! 
Sounds good coming after Smashing Pumpkins, and really sounds GREAT on a sunny Colorado day! Every time I saw Todd & The Monsters they blew me away, whether it was the old days at the Friday Afternoon Club at the CU UMC, Red Rocks, or on Letterman in the mid-90s or under the arch in St. Louis in '05 or so, and by golly TODD SURE CAN PLAY GUITAR! (the bass & drums are killer, too!)
Nice,,,,,
I went to school with Big Head Todd, even in a couple of my classes - actually a really nice guy, and yes they are definitely underrated.  They have ALWAYS been great - from the very beginning.  I remember seeing them in little college bars always to a packed crowd!
We manage to see them at least once a year in concert... always a great show!

 HonduranRed wrote:
This band is underrated
 

I agree, You never hear anything about them!
REALLY NICE!
This band is underrated
 Det wrote:
sounds  good - keep it rocking Bill.{#Guitarist}
 
Yes! June 11 @ Red Rocks....I'll be there to see Guster, but you are spot on !

sounds  good - keep it rocking Bill.{#Guitarist}
Sounds a lot like a tune on Byrne's Rei Momo, Make Believe Mambo
love big head todd- check out the tune "Cruel Fate"- be nice to hear that on this station.
It's a good thing the band name has nothing to do with the quality of their music!  I love Big Head Todd.  They're just ragged enough to be endearing, but accomplished enough to be irritating.{#Lol}{#Dancingbanana}
 anotherlistener wrote:
Yet another group I was barely aware of.  But I'm diggin' on 'em now!!!! Thanks for the intro, Bill.
 
Check out the video "Live at Red Rocks."  You'll surely dig that.

Nice to hear a song from their more recent CD's. Their sound has evolved a lot!
Yet another group I was barely aware of.  But I'm diggin' on 'em now!!!! Thanks for the intro, Bill.
 horstman wrote:
I heard the name had to do with a performance act rather than size, actually.
 
Actually, Todd loves blues and was thinking of Eddie Vinson, whose nickname is Cleanhead, when they came up with the name. And "The Monsters" is sort of a send up to all the silly rock band names of the time.

But he is a tall guy!

See the history here: https://bigheadtodd.com/news/?view=timeline. You can listen to almost all their music for free on that site, too. {#Hearteyes}
I always jump outta my seat when I hear that first rif. {#Jump}

Thanks for playing the best band ever!
Nice guitar
Another band I'd only been peripherally aware of before RP. This is a very cool song.
wow. never heard this one before.
i believe i really, really like this!!
this is rock n roll after all horstman wrote:
I heard the name had to do with a performance act rather than size, actually.
pdhski wrote:
Actually it's "Dreams"
So it is. I still like it though.
OldFrenchie wrote:
So exactly how big is Big Head Todd's head? I would expect it to be fricken titanic to name a band after it.
No! You've got it all wrong! His first name is Head, Last name Todd, and he's just a big guy!
Somehow these guys remind me of Graham Parker, if he'd gone grunge. I like! Mark it a 7, maybe even an 8 later.
pdhski wrote:
Actually it's "Dreams" and beginning? Hell - you can sing it right over the verses!!
i kept waiting for the chorus, thinking this was a cover!!!
OldFrenchie wrote:
So exactly how big is Big Head Todd's head? I would expect it to be fricken titanic to name a band after it.
I heard the name had to do with a performance act rather than size, actually.
real good sound....somehow I've missed these guys...
a great band that was pretty much ignored.
My thoughts exactly....and I wondered why they were playing the cut from Rumors as opposed to The Dance. Then I turned up the volume a bit....and heard these strange vocals to a tune I know so well. Hmmmmmm pdhski wrote:
Actually it's "Dreams" and beginning? Hell - you can sing it right over the verses!! Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom. Well, who am I to keep you down? It's only right that you should play the way you feel it. But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness like a heartbeat, drives you mad in the stillness of remembering what you had and what you lost, and what you had, and what you lost. Thunder only happens when it's raining. Players only love you when they're playing. Women, they will come and they will go. When the rain washes you clean, you'll know.
nate_pitzer wrote:
Trivia: In high school years back, one of my teachers mentioned that she went to high school with BHT at Columbine. What a small world.
He was "little head' back then.
So exactly how big is Big Head Todd's head? I would expect it to be fricken titanic to name a band after it.
SCprof wrote:
You really need to see BHTM live. They're absolutely one of the best live bands you'll ever experience.
seeing them next month (again)!!!!
Just saw BHTM in Charleston last week. Outstanding show as always, and to a sold-out audience. They had Hazel Miller with them as an added treat.
rhw wrote:
The beginning of the song is a Fleetwood Mac ripoff...."Rhianon," to be precise.
Actually it's "Dreams" and beginning? Hell - you can sing it right over the verses!! Now here you go again, you say you want your freedom. Well, who am I to keep you down? It's only right that you should play the way you feel it. But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness like a heartbeat, drives you mad in the stillness of remembering what you had and what you lost, and what you had, and what you lost. Thunder only happens when it's raining. Players only love you when they're playing. Women, they will come and they will go. When the rain washes you clean, you'll know.
Roverfish wrote:
Try as I might (and I have tried), I simply cannot bring myself to like and appreciate these guys. Too much strained vocal with tenor harmony and power chord guitar...time after time after time. It seems like once you've heard one tune, you know the formula for all others. Barely acceptable, and that's generous.
I agree.
You really need to see BHTM live. They're absolutely one of the best live bands you'll ever experience.
debpolster wrote:
I would like to hear more from this band. This is the first song that I heard from them. Thank you for introducing me to them through RP!
Wow! and they've been around for 20 some odd years...you better catch up with them...they're a great live band.
Try as I might (and I have tried), I simply cannot bring myself to like and appreciate these guys. Too much strained vocal with tenor harmony and power chord guitar...time after time after time. It seems like once you've heard one tune, you know the formula for all others. Barely acceptable, and that's generous.
going to see bhtm tomorrow night at the lincoln park zoo in chicago. sweet! saw keb mo there last year, so they have a lot to live up to.
I would like to hear more from this band. This is the first song that I heard from them. Thank you for introducing me to them through RP!
amcallis wrote:
You're in Kanazawa? I studied there in 2001 for the summer
Do they celebrate Christmahannakwanzaakah there?
missjanuary wrote:
I was in Fairbanks about 18 years ago! I just wanted to say that. Love it marycrichards, it'll be even more f***ed ever so soon. Alaska should be independant, what a great place. Oh yeh, if you say say this song's good then it's good.
You're in Kanazawa? I studied there in 2001 for the summer
Big Head Todd says it all...A head way too big....What do you find so special about this music..I have really try to appreciate it but I just can't...
remlap77 wrote:
First I thought it was Bruce, then Paul Westerberg. It's so hard to sound different these days. Good track though.
What? You have difficulty distinguishing between Springsteen/Westerberg and Big Head Todd? Good god...
The show in Chicago this past Saturday at The Riv was fantastic, keep it up RP, more BHTM!!!! ~Robin
so good, so good! Can't wait to see them in Chi-town next month!!
Drunkenlilacwine wrote:
sort of sounds like "dreams" from fleetwood mac. Nice tune.
Not only does it "sort of sound like 'Dreams', you can sig Dreams along to it with nary a bobble. Try it. Makes me a little sad, that.
The world would be none the poorer if there were no Big Head Todd.
sort of sounds like "dreams" from fleetwood mac. Nice tune.
Great tune. I've been a fan a for a long time. There are however even better cuts on this CD such as "Gary Indiana Blues" or "Juliana" which IMHO is the best tune they've done since the 'entire' Sister Sweetly CD. The boys are a model band for others. You young musicians out there ought to check out their business model. Truly inspiring.
Trivia: In high school years back, one of my teachers mentioned that she went to high school with BHT at Columbine. What a small world.
Originally Posted by mucre: big head todd takes me back to boulder colorado in the late eighties and early nineties at the university of colorado... hanging out in the sun on the deck of the university memorial center on thursday afternoons drinking 3.2% beer purchased with the fakest of fake id's listening to the up-and-coming bht and the monsters for free (bht also played frequently with other 'big' boulder band at that time, the samples)... good times
Me too -- I used to run monitors for those FAC's (so for me, the 3.2 beer was free.) Todd, Brian and Robb were always the nicest, most low-key and professional group I met in my time running sound. :)
So much better than anything Green Day ever did.
Originally Posted by marycrichards: Every time I hear this I think its a remake of Fleetwood Macs Dreams...the intro sounds just like it. Crazy.
I was in Fairbanks about 18 years ago! I just wanted to say that. Love it marycrichards, it'll be even more f***ed ever so soon. Alaska should be independant, what a great place. Oh yeh, if you say say this song's good then it's good.
Originally Posted by MKW: Has a drifty Replacements - like riff throughout . Reminds me of late 80s , early 90s alternative before grunge / angry poseur rock displaced it.
Wow. You pegged it. I read all the REM/Fleetwood Mac comparisons and didn't hear the connection. But Don't Tell A Soul-era Replacements. Yep that's it. Too bad Don't Tell, and All Shook Down are lousy records. :p Still, that comparison brings this song up a notch for me.
I\'ve been waiting to get sick of this, but in all honesty, well most, it\'s pretty damnably good. I\'ve no idea even what they\'re on about, which means it must be good, if I haven\'t even got that far. I look forward to our continued relationship, but be warned that I am notoriously flighty. Love the grindy guitar especiously.
Every time I hear this I think its a remake of Fleetwood Macs Dreams...the intro sounds just like it. Crazy.
groooooooooooooooovy beat. neat to dance to. yummmmmmmm :D
The beginning of the song is a Fleetwood Mac ripoff....\"Rhianon,\" to be precise.
Ok, Not only is this song AND this album awesome, their Concert on a Sunday night in DC was one of the most energetic that I have seen in a LONG time. These guys rock. After 6 proper albums and a live disc, these guys are not only still important musicaly, but they still kick a$$!!! If you have the opportunity to go see a live show, DO IT!!! They aren\'t playing with an opening band, they are just playing extra long sets.
big head todd takes me back to boulder colorado in the late eighties and early nineties at the university of colorado... hanging out in the sun on the deck of the university memorial center on thursday afternoons drinking 3.2% beer purchased with the fakest of fake id's listening to the up-and-coming bht and the monsters for free (bht also played frequently with other 'big' boulder band at that time, the samples)... good times
I really like this band, have for years, however this is the first song, and first time I\'ve heard anything from the new album, hard to get any good music locally here. However, I will be seeing BHT New Years Eve in Denver!! Woohoo!! Hope they play some old stuff!
I like this me.... :)
At the first guitar chords, this sounded a LOT like REM in the good-ol' pre-Green years.
Specifically, 'Why don't we give it away,' from Life's Rich Pageant?
Originally Posted by ce: At the first guitar chords, this sounded a LOT like REM in the good-ol' pre-Green years. On second thought, it still does sound a bit like REM, but just not as good. Ah well, it's OK.
REM would wish they could generate a vibe as deep and groovy as this..
Originally Posted by Milo: I really like this song, though some BHT stuff seems a little boring to me. I do wonder though...is there somebody who can tell me if he does in fact have a big head or not? :P
It seems reasonable big: check this to see for yourself https://www.bigheadtodd.com/index.shtml
I really like this song, though some BHT stuff seems a little boring to me. I do wonder though...is there somebody who can tell me if he does in fact have a big head or not? :P
At the first guitar chords, this sounded a LOT like REM in the good-ol\' pre-Green years. On second thought, it still does sound a bit like REM, but just not as good. Ah well, it\'s OK.
For anyone remotely interested in their sound, their older live disk is a must. Saw them in a small club many a year ago and the live show was lack luster, much to my surprise. Probably just a bad night. Still a wonderful band. Dot
As the DJ on our local station said recently, \"And that was Big Head Todd and the Monsters, and I\'m as suprised as you are.\" Good stuff!
Yes...Yes! \"We\'ll light up the world if you give us the room\" TPM
Frankly, I\'d never heard of BHTM until just recently. Even more frankly, I just didn\'t get it at first -- why did people like them? But the more I listen, the more I like. This song is fantastic. Bring it on.
I really dig this band, great grooves...
Didn\'t realize they were still playing and had something new Cool.
This is the first BHTM song I have heard that I actually think is okay.
Has a drifty Replacements - like riff throughout . Reminds me of late 80s , early 90s alternative before grunge / angry poseur rock displaced it.