Today in crappy news: Jet Black, the founding drummer of U.K. punk OGs The Stranglers, has died at 84. Yep, 84. They might have said punk was a young man’s game, but Jet (born Brian Duffy) proved them wrong: He was nearly 40 ā at least a decade older than his bandmates ā when The Stranglers released their essential debut Rattus Norvegicus in 1977. Jet’s drumming ā crisp, tight and minimal but always creative and spot-on ā was the glue that sealed their dark, aggressive sound. I was lucky enough to see them in the early ā80s, when they were arguably at their peak ā and when Black was pushing 50. He stayed behind the kit (at least part-time) for three more decades, which seems like a life well-lived to me. Do yourself a favour and spend the evening in his musical company. But first, check out these 104 singles, videos, cover tunes, remixes, oldies, live clips and holiday songs ā including a few dozen you won’t find anywhere else. Your Tinnitist-approved tracks are tagged with a āļø. Buckle up:
