Losing My Edge was the world’s introduction to the post-punk-dance-rock sound of LCD Soundsystem. It’s the first song on the second album of LCD’s eponymous debut, and it’s essentially an 8-minute groove accompanied by James Murphy’s wry observations of the many ways the then 35-year-old was becoming progressively less cool.
Toward the end of the song, Murphy starts proudly cataloging his own record collection.
In the process, he name dropped almost every musical group, location, event or notable personality typically considered cool. Of the many, many references these are the 10 best things Murphy endorses.
10.PIL- John Lydon’s band that isn’t the Sex Pistols
9. The Germs- This seminal L.A. punk act’s original lineup included a pre-fame Belinda Carlisle
8. Lou Reed- The man fronted the Velvet Underground and is responsible for the masterpiece live album, Rock’n’Roll Animal, but he also helped make Lou Lou. If this list was based on cool instead of the total quality of the artsits’ bodies of works, Reed would be on top.
7.Joy Division– Universally considered one of the most influential bands of the ’80s. Ian Curtis was that decade’s Kurt Cobain.
6.Erik B. and Rakim- This legendary tandem produced some of Golden Era Hip-Hop’s best tracks, the sheer number of hits googling “Rakim best rapper ever,” yields is amazing.
5.The Modern Lovers– This Massachusetts band always exuded cool, their proto-punk sound was incredibly influential and they released their fair share of great songs too. The Modern Lovers obscurity actually makes them more popular, which makes them a go-to band for cool music aficionados.
4.Daft Punk– In Losing My Edge James Murphy claims to be the first person to show Daft Punk to his rockist peers. Although, they were well-established by 2005 Daft Punk’s stature has exploded almost a decade later. Two French robots rocked the Grammys and produced a song even the casual pop fan couldn’t ignore. Great find Mr. Murphy.
1.The Sonics– OK, this is a bit of a cop out, but Murphy does give them three consecutive mentions to close the song, and he’s absolutely right to do so. Stop reading this and go listen to Here are the Sonics. It’s a garage-rock masterpiece.
Honorable Mentions: The Swans, Gil Scott Heron, The Human League, Yaz, Captain Beefheart
Here’s a full list of all the bands and most of the locations or events referenced by Murphy during Losing My Edge according to RapGenius.
The Ear Regular 
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