I had a friend play Ash's first record, 1977, for me and I was instantly hooked. I had to wait five years, until 2002, to see them play live after that and I made up for it in bulk. I had the opportunity to see them five times over the span of six weeks. And I did. They were touring to promote the American release of Free All Angels after a year of solid touring elsewhere in the world behind the record. Needless to say, they were incredibly sharp and each set seemed to be better than the one I saw before. The last one of that run, in particular, was excellent. They had an amazing energy, which the crowd gave right back to them. It was the only time I'd ever been to that venue in Orlando, the House of Blues, and seen an opening act get such a big crowd response. It made sense; they played every one of the sets I saw as if they were headlining. And the set lists were jam-packed with some of their catchiest songs, all played a click or two faster than the recordings. That fifth set is still one of the Top 5 Shows Ever. And looking for videos for that last post, I got sucked into watching so much Ash stuff (about 90 minutes or so), that I figured they just deserved their own little entry today.
I'll start with "A Life Less Ordinary". The song was originally put out right around when Charlotte Hatherley joined the band, I believe. They have a bunch of great songs, but this one I could listen to ten times in a row and still not be sick of it. The pace they play it at here reminds me of those shows. Blistering tempo.
Maybe you should check out the video for the song as well. Good clip. I just said I can listen ten times in a row; you can listen to it twice...
And there's always "Lose Control", the song that opened all those sets, if my memory serves correctly. The aforementioned 1977 just got a remastered re-release overseas and this song kicks in the door right after the Tie Fighter soundbite blasts through your speakers. Excellent song.
And they had some big hit singles elsewhere that I always thought would make them more popular over here. Like "Burn Baby Burn"
Or "Shining Light".
Or "Girl From Mars" (US version of the video, mostly because it's the one I first saw and remember the most)
And some personal favorites, like "Clones"
"Envy"
I better stop before I just end up slapping every video I can find up here. Just go search around the web for more about this band. I like this band. A lot. Still do. Any record collection could do with some Ash.
Official site for Ash
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Denali, Helmet, the Rich Kids
I was thrilled that Denali got back together this year, but also bummed that none of their shows were an easy commute for me down here in Florida. But alas, I can still check how they sounded. Even better than I thought they would sound, it turns out. It's tough to pick just one here, but "Gunner", one of my favorite songs of theirs, will do.
Another gem from the old MTV show Jon Stewart once had. Some of my favorite bands of the time were on that show. I look for those clips a lot. This one from Helmet is classic. The tune is "Wilma's Rainbow" and this is one of the best band performance on TV that I've ever seen. One of the best heavy bands ever. And they sound amazing here.
And the Rich Kids, a band from the late 70's with ex-Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock. This is a clip from a TV perfomance of their song, "Ghosts of Princes in Towers".
Another gem from the old MTV show Jon Stewart once had. Some of my favorite bands of the time were on that show. I look for those clips a lot. This one from Helmet is classic. The tune is "Wilma's Rainbow" and this is one of the best band performance on TV that I've ever seen. One of the best heavy bands ever. And they sound amazing here.
And the Rich Kids, a band from the late 70's with ex-Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock. This is a clip from a TV perfomance of their song, "Ghosts of Princes in Towers".
Monday, December 1, 2008
John Doe and Kathleen Edwards
This pairing is just brilliant. I won't go on about their backgrounds, especially his (that would make this term-paper length), but Edwards sang on some songs on Doe's last record, the amazing A Year in the Wilderness, including the lead single, "The Golden State". All the way back to X, Doe has sounded excellent when matched with the right female vocalists. And all I could think is that the two of them just needed to do a whole record together.
I hope that day does come, but, for now, they just did a short tour together, which they dubbed The Hurtin' and Flirtin' Tour. The tour stopped nowhere near me, but thanks to this vast internet, I still get to see some of the results. I just spent a long, long time watching these videos and here some of the best.
This is them playing the aforementioned "The Golden State"
One of many clips I found of them playing Zankel Hall in NYC. This is a cover of "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes" by Gram Parsons, a song they sang together at a benefit a few years ago.
Another cover for good measure, this one is "When Will I Be Loved" by the Everly Brothers.
If you just search both their names, you'll turn up a handful of other clips, including one of Edwards' videos, "Back to Me", which featured Doe in an acting capacity.
John Doe on MySpace and official site
Kathleen Edwards on MySpace and offical site
I hope that day does come, but, for now, they just did a short tour together, which they dubbed The Hurtin' and Flirtin' Tour. The tour stopped nowhere near me, but thanks to this vast internet, I still get to see some of the results. I just spent a long, long time watching these videos and here some of the best.
This is them playing the aforementioned "The Golden State"
One of many clips I found of them playing Zankel Hall in NYC. This is a cover of "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes" by Gram Parsons, a song they sang together at a benefit a few years ago.
Another cover for good measure, this one is "When Will I Be Loved" by the Everly Brothers.
If you just search both their names, you'll turn up a handful of other clips, including one of Edwards' videos, "Back to Me", which featured Doe in an acting capacity.
John Doe on MySpace and official site
Kathleen Edwards on MySpace and offical site
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Thank you, Internets! - John Doe, Dean & Britta, GBV
I can spend hours just going through websites looking for new music, odd covers, whatever. Just want to hear something I don't have in my collection. Or find some new band to get into. Whatever. I find some things I think more folks should see. So...
Here's John Doe covering the Replacements' "Here Comes a Regular". One of the greatest singer/songwriters covering another at a Replacements tribute show in San Francisco at 12 Galaxies in May 2006.
And Dean & Britta covering New Order's "Ceremony" at Johnny Brenda's from February 2008. I think I say "wow" right around the same time you hear it in this clip.
And Guided By Voices on the old Jon Stewart talk show from March 1995. When Mitch Mitchell comes back in around three minutes in, it's a great moment in televised rock history.
Ok...I'm working on some more articles, I swear.
Here's John Doe covering the Replacements' "Here Comes a Regular". One of the greatest singer/songwriters covering another at a Replacements tribute show in San Francisco at 12 Galaxies in May 2006.
And Dean & Britta covering New Order's "Ceremony" at Johnny Brenda's from February 2008. I think I say "wow" right around the same time you hear it in this clip.
And Guided By Voices on the old Jon Stewart talk show from March 1995. When Mitch Mitchell comes back in around three minutes in, it's a great moment in televised rock history.
Ok...I'm working on some more articles, I swear.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Luna Tell Me Do You Miss Me (DVD)
I read some great reviews of the DVD release of the Luna documentary Tell Me Do You Miss Me and one night, I was just wandering around through a music and DVD section of a store looking for something new. Something I could take home that I didn't even think about buying when I walked into the place. I have my favorite artists, but every now and then, I want to find something new to get interested in. So I found this in the racks and remembered the good buzz I heard on it. I had missed on Luna through the 90's, being more enamored with pop/punk and discovering the Replacements at the time. I had the summer before actually picked up their swansong album, Rendezvous and liked it quite a bit, but did not really look back into their catalog to check more of it out.
I sat in a dark room and popped the disc in. After the first song, "Fuzzy Wuzzy", all i could think to myself is: how did I completely miss the boat on this band? The film begins with the end, with a performance from their last set of shows in New York city in February 2005, and then backs it up to the time of the release of Rendezvous, with three of the members discussing their break-up press release. From there, the global criss-crossing to promote the album leads you back to the place where the movie starts.
The music serves as both a soundtrack to the fantastic images and a best of covering the band's career. The filmmaker, Matthew Buzzell does an excellent job with letting his images, which in many cases are some of the best photography I have ever seen in a documentary, and the music tell most of the story. There are a few interviews conducted with a band member looking into a camera, but mostly, events are just observed and the band themselves just tell the story of the band, past and present. You're watching the farewell tour, but hear many many stories over the history of the band, combining with the music to present a bigger picture of what this band actually was.
And for that matter, continues to be. The day after I watched this for the first time, I spent the entire next afternoon driving all over my city, going to every place that sells music, trying to find as much of their catalog as I could. I could only turn up a best of from Rhino, which is a great place to start. Between ordering on-line and being able to hit good record stores in another town, I had their entire catalog in a month.
Now, the songs contained in this film have, over the last three years, become favorites. This film marked the first time I ever got to hear the hypnotic intro to "23 Minutes in Brussels". The first time I ever heard the riff from "Sideshow by the Seashore", which I heard thousands of times since. As soon as I could piece it together with my collection, I put together a soundtrack CD of most of the songs featured in the film and began listening to it as I walked to work or drove around the city and that disc is still in the CD player as I type this. As good as all of the recorded versions are, the versions in the film are even better in most cases.
It makes little sense to me how this movie meant to show a farewell became such a good introduction, but that's exactly what it was for me. I may have missed out on seeing them live myself, but at least I still eventually heard this. This is not the first time that's happened to me with a band either. As much as I listen to things, there are still a lot of bands either I never get to chance to hear or no one ever suggests them to me, thinking I wouldn't be into it (and probably, to be honest, at the time, I probably wouldn't have listened to it the same way I do now) and I eventually figure it out. I was able to see Luna members Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips play the music they make now in Atlanta, shortly after the release of their Back Numbers record, which I will write about on here very soon. It was the first time in a long time that I got really excited about going to a show. But more on their current stuff later.
Check out a couple of things here:
First, you can check out the trailer for Tell Me Do You Miss Me here, because my internet non-skills can't seem to get the image to imbed into my blog, like I just did with that Faces thing in the last entry.
Second, here's a miwxit tape of some Luna tracks that are a good mix of their originals and some great covers.
I sat in a dark room and popped the disc in. After the first song, "Fuzzy Wuzzy", all i could think to myself is: how did I completely miss the boat on this band? The film begins with the end, with a performance from their last set of shows in New York city in February 2005, and then backs it up to the time of the release of Rendezvous, with three of the members discussing their break-up press release. From there, the global criss-crossing to promote the album leads you back to the place where the movie starts.
The music serves as both a soundtrack to the fantastic images and a best of covering the band's career. The filmmaker, Matthew Buzzell does an excellent job with letting his images, which in many cases are some of the best photography I have ever seen in a documentary, and the music tell most of the story. There are a few interviews conducted with a band member looking into a camera, but mostly, events are just observed and the band themselves just tell the story of the band, past and present. You're watching the farewell tour, but hear many many stories over the history of the band, combining with the music to present a bigger picture of what this band actually was.
And for that matter, continues to be. The day after I watched this for the first time, I spent the entire next afternoon driving all over my city, going to every place that sells music, trying to find as much of their catalog as I could. I could only turn up a best of from Rhino, which is a great place to start. Between ordering on-line and being able to hit good record stores in another town, I had their entire catalog in a month.
Now, the songs contained in this film have, over the last three years, become favorites. This film marked the first time I ever got to hear the hypnotic intro to "23 Minutes in Brussels". The first time I ever heard the riff from "Sideshow by the Seashore", which I heard thousands of times since. As soon as I could piece it together with my collection, I put together a soundtrack CD of most of the songs featured in the film and began listening to it as I walked to work or drove around the city and that disc is still in the CD player as I type this. As good as all of the recorded versions are, the versions in the film are even better in most cases.
It makes little sense to me how this movie meant to show a farewell became such a good introduction, but that's exactly what it was for me. I may have missed out on seeing them live myself, but at least I still eventually heard this. This is not the first time that's happened to me with a band either. As much as I listen to things, there are still a lot of bands either I never get to chance to hear or no one ever suggests them to me, thinking I wouldn't be into it (and probably, to be honest, at the time, I probably wouldn't have listened to it the same way I do now) and I eventually figure it out. I was able to see Luna members Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips play the music they make now in Atlanta, shortly after the release of their Back Numbers record, which I will write about on here very soon. It was the first time in a long time that I got really excited about going to a show. But more on their current stuff later.
Check out a couple of things here:
First, you can check out the trailer for Tell Me Do You Miss Me here, because my internet non-skills can't seem to get the image to imbed into my blog, like I just did with that Faces thing in the last entry.
Second, here's a miwxit tape of some Luna tracks that are a good mix of their originals and some great covers.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Faces Five Guys Walk Into a Bar...
"Really? Rod Stewart?!?"
That phrase, or a variation of it, enters the conversation within the first 60 seconds almost every time I mention the Faces to anyone. With some of the things he's subjected the listening public to, I can almost understand that. Never mind "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?", even though I love the bassline to that song, anyone remember that horrible "Love Touch" song from the mid-80s? But I quickly can end any argument on Stewart's merits with one of two sentences: 1.) Yeah, he put out some cringeworthy stuff, but you cannot deny that "Young Turks" is one of the best songs from the 80s and 2.)Yeah, but he was in the Faces.
First, I have to say that you can have a great debate about this one at your own bar that you frequent or at work on a slow day, but I feel that the Faces are the most evenly talented band ever, all five of them together. You can definitely talk about other guitarists being better than Ron Wood (not many), but does that other guitarist have a bassist in their band half as good as the late Ronnie Lane? Probably not. Or a drummer as solid as Kenney Jones? Most likely not. They definitely don't have a keyboardist on par with Ian "Mac" McLagan because there is no one else with the feel that Mac has. Others may sound like him, but you have to him to get that feel. To each instrument, this band has some of the most amazing musicianship ever assembled.
And Rod? He sings the hell out of this stuff. Bluesy, soulful, powerful, raspy, it's all there. And he never sounds like a singer with a backing band. His phrasing and delivery make his voice just another important instrument to the whole formula. He's a force while being totally complementary.
I have a best of, Good Boys...When They're Asleep, that's a good place to start and readily available. The original albums are still in print as well. But this box set is the way this band was meant to be heard. There are remastered tracks from the originals that still sound great, but the Faces were reputed to be a storming live act. Their shows, with bar on stage, were said to be a party. A party that extended backstage, to the hotel, to the bus and on to the next town. Five Guys Walk Into a Bar... is a perfect title for this set. And there's a bunch of live BBC recordings and other live tracks that illustrate how they just started with the song and could take off in any direction they wanted.
And it's something you can easily hear in other bands. Just look at some of the folks that write testimonials in the booklet for this: Jeff Tweedy (you can really hear influences in the first two Wilco albums), Glen Matlock (who had Mac in his touring lineup of the Rich Kids in the late 70's), Paul Westerberg (in a lot of ways I've learned to love the Replacements more since I've heard the Faces), Rich Robinson (again, especially evident in the early Black Crowes records). But even with all these great musicians influenced by them, no one truly sounds like the Faces. They are the sum of these five excellent musicians that no other band lineup could ever match.
Not to mention the good luck they had to have three great writers in one band in the persons of Lane, Wood and Stewart. You can have all the chops in the world, but it wouldn't amount to anything without the riffs or the songs. And they are there. In the booklet, McLagan, who produced this collection, mentions that he originally set it up chronologically, but opted for a listing that flowed more like a live set. And it works. It doesn't matter that some songs appear twice, sometimes on the same disc. The live and studio versions all have their own quirks and charms and, as a whole, the four discs do play nicely on their own as a single record.
I try to tell as many people as possible about this band. Quite a few get thrown off by Rod, though I don't really get it. Their loss. The Faces packed a ton of great music into the five years they recorded together, 1970-1975. They are one of few bands that repeated listens don't wear you out on them; it just makes you hear different parts of the songs that you never heard before. They're the kind of band that you reach for when you want to hear something you always know you're going to be in the mood for. I could hear them every day and never get sick of them.
If you have one of those download internet jukeboxes where you drink, shoot pool, bowl, whatever, it's a terrible jukebox unless there's some Faces in it. But don't just take my word for it; click on what's below, a performance of one of their best known songs, "Stay With Me", from a TV show circa 1972, I think. They could've extended the end of this song for another five minutes and I'd still be riveted...
And then I also found this one. It's a performance of their cover of McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed"
That phrase, or a variation of it, enters the conversation within the first 60 seconds almost every time I mention the Faces to anyone. With some of the things he's subjected the listening public to, I can almost understand that. Never mind "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?", even though I love the bassline to that song, anyone remember that horrible "Love Touch" song from the mid-80s? But I quickly can end any argument on Stewart's merits with one of two sentences: 1.) Yeah, he put out some cringeworthy stuff, but you cannot deny that "Young Turks" is one of the best songs from the 80s and 2.)Yeah, but he was in the Faces.
First, I have to say that you can have a great debate about this one at your own bar that you frequent or at work on a slow day, but I feel that the Faces are the most evenly talented band ever, all five of them together. You can definitely talk about other guitarists being better than Ron Wood (not many), but does that other guitarist have a bassist in their band half as good as the late Ronnie Lane? Probably not. Or a drummer as solid as Kenney Jones? Most likely not. They definitely don't have a keyboardist on par with Ian "Mac" McLagan because there is no one else with the feel that Mac has. Others may sound like him, but you have to him to get that feel. To each instrument, this band has some of the most amazing musicianship ever assembled.
And Rod? He sings the hell out of this stuff. Bluesy, soulful, powerful, raspy, it's all there. And he never sounds like a singer with a backing band. His phrasing and delivery make his voice just another important instrument to the whole formula. He's a force while being totally complementary.
I have a best of, Good Boys...When They're Asleep, that's a good place to start and readily available. The original albums are still in print as well. But this box set is the way this band was meant to be heard. There are remastered tracks from the originals that still sound great, but the Faces were reputed to be a storming live act. Their shows, with bar on stage, were said to be a party. A party that extended backstage, to the hotel, to the bus and on to the next town. Five Guys Walk Into a Bar... is a perfect title for this set. And there's a bunch of live BBC recordings and other live tracks that illustrate how they just started with the song and could take off in any direction they wanted.
And it's something you can easily hear in other bands. Just look at some of the folks that write testimonials in the booklet for this: Jeff Tweedy (you can really hear influences in the first two Wilco albums), Glen Matlock (who had Mac in his touring lineup of the Rich Kids in the late 70's), Paul Westerberg (in a lot of ways I've learned to love the Replacements more since I've heard the Faces), Rich Robinson (again, especially evident in the early Black Crowes records). But even with all these great musicians influenced by them, no one truly sounds like the Faces. They are the sum of these five excellent musicians that no other band lineup could ever match.
Not to mention the good luck they had to have three great writers in one band in the persons of Lane, Wood and Stewart. You can have all the chops in the world, but it wouldn't amount to anything without the riffs or the songs. And they are there. In the booklet, McLagan, who produced this collection, mentions that he originally set it up chronologically, but opted for a listing that flowed more like a live set. And it works. It doesn't matter that some songs appear twice, sometimes on the same disc. The live and studio versions all have their own quirks and charms and, as a whole, the four discs do play nicely on their own as a single record.
I try to tell as many people as possible about this band. Quite a few get thrown off by Rod, though I don't really get it. Their loss. The Faces packed a ton of great music into the five years they recorded together, 1970-1975. They are one of few bands that repeated listens don't wear you out on them; it just makes you hear different parts of the songs that you never heard before. They're the kind of band that you reach for when you want to hear something you always know you're going to be in the mood for. I could hear them every day and never get sick of them.
If you have one of those download internet jukeboxes where you drink, shoot pool, bowl, whatever, it's a terrible jukebox unless there's some Faces in it. But don't just take my word for it; click on what's below, a performance of one of their best known songs, "Stay With Me", from a TV show circa 1972, I think. They could've extended the end of this song for another five minutes and I'd still be riveted...
And then I also found this one. It's a performance of their cover of McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed"
Monday, June 23, 2008
Here's a mixtape...
Thanks to the wonderful mixwit site, you can make a playlist and post it other places with a graphic of a mixtape. It's not quite the same as sitting in front of the stereo and creating a perfect mix, but it's close enough. The site does have some interesting songs, quite a few i didn't expect to find. And this is properly set up as a side a/side b 60-minute mixtape format, because that's all I know how to do; I still set up mix cds as the first half/second half. I guess I just miss flipping things over.
So, below is a track listing with a few words, again, just like I would if I was making a mix. The hyperlink on the artist's name will zoom you through the internets to a link of some of the live performances or videos. The graphic itself is how to work the tape. Just run the cursor over the tape and you can play, skip through songs, etc.
Please to enjoy...
Side A
1 "Swing Your Heartache" Young Galaxy
I absolutely love how this song builds through the first verse until that guitar riff into the first chrous just kicks the song widescreen. The swell works better in headphones, but I think even through computer speakers, you'll get the idea.
2 "This Isn't It" Giant Drag
I saw this band three times in a week during CMJ '04 and this song burned its way into my mind and hasn't gone anywhere since. I was kinda surprised that this record didn't make an impact when it came out; there was some major buzz overseas and some buzz over here. I tend to not dig the two-member (i.e. no bass player) line-ups, but it really works well for their overall sound, with the washy, distorted guitar not needing much more additional backup.
3 "Second Chance" Liam Finn
So far, his I'll Be Lightning is the best 2008 release I've heard. It's got a pop sensibility with a frantic, almost creepy melody thrown on top of it. The beauty of the record is that Finn, who usually plays most everything in concert himself with the aid of loops and pedals, makes the recordign should almost as immediate as the live performance. It doesn't sound like it has been fussed over and slicked up in a studio. It still has the fire. Click on his name above and check some of it out.
4 "Behave" Charlotte Hatherley
One of the best things I heard last year. Great hooks, catchy choruses, atypical song structure - this song is as good an introduction to Hatherley's music as any other. Both her records are only available as imports, but worth the money and time hunting them down.
5 "Words You Used to Say" Dean & Britta
And this was my favorite record of last year. And still up there this year. After becoming completely immersed in all things Luna in the summer of 2006. This was the first new music I got to hear after accumilating their entire catalog. So, there was quite a buildup in expectation. And this song and the whole album, Back Numbers far, far, far exceeded anything I expected. Driving four hours away to see them in Atlanta gave me a rush at a show that I haven't experienced in years. I was so hyped up, and it was amazing. Just simply amazing.
6 "Apartment Story" The National
The National are quite unique. Maybe because of that, this song was the huge breakout hit I thought it should have been. After one listen, you'll be repeating it in your head, or if you're more brave, singing it aloud.
7 "Come On/Let's Go" Paul Weller
I've already flashed my Paul Weller Fan Club credential on this blog with my effusive praise for Wild Wood, but couldn't find any of my favorite tracks from that on Mixwit. So here is a blazing tune from his 2005 record, As Is Now. Doesn't sound like a guy who's running out of ideas or spark. Cannot wait for the American release of his new one, 22 Dreams, that just came out in Europe.
8 "Me & Joe Drove Out to California" Drag the River
The two vocalists in the band, Chad Price and Jon Snodgrass, are two of my favorite writers ever. And how they have slipped under the radar for so long is beyond me. They take everything I like about rock and everything I like about country and make damn good music. As do pretty much every other band they're associated with, All (Price) and Armchair Martian (Snodgrass) chief among them.
9 "Suffering" Shawn Smith
Smith sang this song in Satchel on their 1994 debut, EDC, and this one is a live version done solo with Smith at the piano. Satchel changed the way I listen to music and got me out the tunnel-vision I was in around that time listening to a lot of pop/punk and hard rock. It showed me that you can rock with more than just speed or volume (not that there is anything wrong with either of those).
Side B
1 "The Good in Everyone" Sloan
Do you like 70's power-pop? Like a band that can deliver the goods live? Then you probably already know this band. Or should. Some very smart, tasteful people I know insisted I go check them out live some years back before I even heard a single song. And I just stood there in front of the stage, with my mouth hanging open like an idiot, just in awe of how incredible all four of these musicians are. They all write, they can all sing and nothing extra is there. The songs never drone on, they're just right. Always.
2 "Teenage Wristband" The Twilight Singers
Black out the windows, it's party time. This song sounds huge just with the intro, never mind that chorus. Hearing a room full of people singing this at the top of their lungs is the recommended way to hear this song, but this here will do. This revolving lineup, led by Greg Dulli, has a consistent mood and swagger to them that makes the records and show consistently good. And most of the Singers are currently touring as...
3 "Idle Hands" The Gutter Twins
Just add vocalist Mark Lanegan and some other folks and while you think it may be dark and bleak, it's not nearly as apocalyptic as I thought it would be. The full-length, Saturnalia, may require a few spins to take, but it will.
4 "Motor Away" Guided By Voices
I made the mistake of taking a flyer on GBV throughtout their career, only listening to them right after they broke up and missing several opportunities to see their legendary live shows. I've tried to repent for this by collecting as much of their immense catalog as possible and a good number of DVDs as well (the Austin City Limits show is one of the most gloriously unhinged shows I've ever seen). They have a good deal of tunes that sound like a greatest hit the first time you hear it. I would be hard pressed to just select 90 minutes of their music to put on a tape as "the best GBV songs". I couldn't imagine the agony over deciding what to leave on and what to leave off.
5 "Mexico" Billy Reese Peters
And I feel quite the same way about these guys. They have less than 20 songs recorded, but they're all classic in my mind. Anytime I see them play, it's some of the most fun I have hearing live music. The lyrics are permanently memorized and not going to fade away no matter how much scotch or beer might try to wipe them away. No mix I make would be complete without them.
6 "Unsatisfied" The Replacements
Or this band. There are a ton of musicians who are heavily indebted to this band, and I am one of them. No matter what different things I check out musically, I always go back to the Replacements.
7 "Helpless" Sugar
This was fairly popular when it was out, but I'm surprised that more people today are listening to this 90's band led by Bob Mould. It was a college rock staple, but always seems left out of any mention of music from that era. I still listen to both records (and the stellar live CD that was a limited bonus with their B-sides disc) quite a bit.
8 "The Golden State" John Doe
The legendary John Doe (from X) gets better and better with each release. I've thought after this last couple of records that he couldn't improve on the next one. And he repeatedly does. I used to automatically hear Exene from X whenever I hear John's voice. Their singular sound is one of X's cornerstones, but the last few records have seen John singing with many other vocalists and Kathleen Edwards may be the best match in the bunch. This is from his latest, A Year in the Wilderness, one of the songs Edwards appears on. And the beauty here is after being utterly bewitched by this tune, I started checking out Edwards' own records and now have some more great music to listen to as a result. And to see a fantastic covergence of one talented writer covering another click here.
9 "Message of Love" The Pretenders
I almost forgot about how much I love the Pretenders. Almost, until Rhino reissued their first four records with a slew of bonuses. I started out played drums in the late 70s and Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers was one of my idols. He had a sound unlike anyone else in that era and a feel that no one could reproduce once he left the band before the recording of their fourth record in 1986 (returning in the mid-90s). This track from Pretenders II has been a favorite of mine since the first time I heard it. And I spent hours playing along to it, first as a young drummer, then years later when I switched to bass.
So, below is a track listing with a few words, again, just like I would if I was making a mix. The hyperlink on the artist's name will zoom you through the internets to a link of some of the live performances or videos. The graphic itself is how to work the tape. Just run the cursor over the tape and you can play, skip through songs, etc.
Please to enjoy...
Side A
1 "Swing Your Heartache" Young Galaxy
I absolutely love how this song builds through the first verse until that guitar riff into the first chrous just kicks the song widescreen. The swell works better in headphones, but I think even through computer speakers, you'll get the idea.
2 "This Isn't It" Giant Drag
I saw this band three times in a week during CMJ '04 and this song burned its way into my mind and hasn't gone anywhere since. I was kinda surprised that this record didn't make an impact when it came out; there was some major buzz overseas and some buzz over here. I tend to not dig the two-member (i.e. no bass player) line-ups, but it really works well for their overall sound, with the washy, distorted guitar not needing much more additional backup.
3 "Second Chance" Liam Finn
So far, his I'll Be Lightning is the best 2008 release I've heard. It's got a pop sensibility with a frantic, almost creepy melody thrown on top of it. The beauty of the record is that Finn, who usually plays most everything in concert himself with the aid of loops and pedals, makes the recordign should almost as immediate as the live performance. It doesn't sound like it has been fussed over and slicked up in a studio. It still has the fire. Click on his name above and check some of it out.
4 "Behave" Charlotte Hatherley
One of the best things I heard last year. Great hooks, catchy choruses, atypical song structure - this song is as good an introduction to Hatherley's music as any other. Both her records are only available as imports, but worth the money and time hunting them down.
5 "Words You Used to Say" Dean & Britta
And this was my favorite record of last year. And still up there this year. After becoming completely immersed in all things Luna in the summer of 2006. This was the first new music I got to hear after accumilating their entire catalog. So, there was quite a buildup in expectation. And this song and the whole album, Back Numbers far, far, far exceeded anything I expected. Driving four hours away to see them in Atlanta gave me a rush at a show that I haven't experienced in years. I was so hyped up, and it was amazing. Just simply amazing.
6 "Apartment Story" The National
The National are quite unique. Maybe because of that, this song was the huge breakout hit I thought it should have been. After one listen, you'll be repeating it in your head, or if you're more brave, singing it aloud.
7 "Come On/Let's Go" Paul Weller
I've already flashed my Paul Weller Fan Club credential on this blog with my effusive praise for Wild Wood, but couldn't find any of my favorite tracks from that on Mixwit. So here is a blazing tune from his 2005 record, As Is Now. Doesn't sound like a guy who's running out of ideas or spark. Cannot wait for the American release of his new one, 22 Dreams, that just came out in Europe.
8 "Me & Joe Drove Out to California" Drag the River
The two vocalists in the band, Chad Price and Jon Snodgrass, are two of my favorite writers ever. And how they have slipped under the radar for so long is beyond me. They take everything I like about rock and everything I like about country and make damn good music. As do pretty much every other band they're associated with, All (Price) and Armchair Martian (Snodgrass) chief among them.
9 "Suffering" Shawn Smith
Smith sang this song in Satchel on their 1994 debut, EDC, and this one is a live version done solo with Smith at the piano. Satchel changed the way I listen to music and got me out the tunnel-vision I was in around that time listening to a lot of pop/punk and hard rock. It showed me that you can rock with more than just speed or volume (not that there is anything wrong with either of those).
Side B
1 "The Good in Everyone" Sloan
Do you like 70's power-pop? Like a band that can deliver the goods live? Then you probably already know this band. Or should. Some very smart, tasteful people I know insisted I go check them out live some years back before I even heard a single song. And I just stood there in front of the stage, with my mouth hanging open like an idiot, just in awe of how incredible all four of these musicians are. They all write, they can all sing and nothing extra is there. The songs never drone on, they're just right. Always.
2 "Teenage Wristband" The Twilight Singers
Black out the windows, it's party time. This song sounds huge just with the intro, never mind that chorus. Hearing a room full of people singing this at the top of their lungs is the recommended way to hear this song, but this here will do. This revolving lineup, led by Greg Dulli, has a consistent mood and swagger to them that makes the records and show consistently good. And most of the Singers are currently touring as...
3 "Idle Hands" The Gutter Twins
Just add vocalist Mark Lanegan and some other folks and while you think it may be dark and bleak, it's not nearly as apocalyptic as I thought it would be. The full-length, Saturnalia, may require a few spins to take, but it will.
4 "Motor Away" Guided By Voices
I made the mistake of taking a flyer on GBV throughtout their career, only listening to them right after they broke up and missing several opportunities to see their legendary live shows. I've tried to repent for this by collecting as much of their immense catalog as possible and a good number of DVDs as well (the Austin City Limits show is one of the most gloriously unhinged shows I've ever seen). They have a good deal of tunes that sound like a greatest hit the first time you hear it. I would be hard pressed to just select 90 minutes of their music to put on a tape as "the best GBV songs". I couldn't imagine the agony over deciding what to leave on and what to leave off.
5 "Mexico" Billy Reese Peters
And I feel quite the same way about these guys. They have less than 20 songs recorded, but they're all classic in my mind. Anytime I see them play, it's some of the most fun I have hearing live music. The lyrics are permanently memorized and not going to fade away no matter how much scotch or beer might try to wipe them away. No mix I make would be complete without them.
6 "Unsatisfied" The Replacements
Or this band. There are a ton of musicians who are heavily indebted to this band, and I am one of them. No matter what different things I check out musically, I always go back to the Replacements.
7 "Helpless" Sugar
This was fairly popular when it was out, but I'm surprised that more people today are listening to this 90's band led by Bob Mould. It was a college rock staple, but always seems left out of any mention of music from that era. I still listen to both records (and the stellar live CD that was a limited bonus with their B-sides disc) quite a bit.
8 "The Golden State" John Doe
The legendary John Doe (from X) gets better and better with each release. I've thought after this last couple of records that he couldn't improve on the next one. And he repeatedly does. I used to automatically hear Exene from X whenever I hear John's voice. Their singular sound is one of X's cornerstones, but the last few records have seen John singing with many other vocalists and Kathleen Edwards may be the best match in the bunch. This is from his latest, A Year in the Wilderness, one of the songs Edwards appears on. And the beauty here is after being utterly bewitched by this tune, I started checking out Edwards' own records and now have some more great music to listen to as a result. And to see a fantastic covergence of one talented writer covering another click here.
9 "Message of Love" The Pretenders
I almost forgot about how much I love the Pretenders. Almost, until Rhino reissued their first four records with a slew of bonuses. I started out played drums in the late 70s and Pretenders drummer Martin Chambers was one of my idols. He had a sound unlike anyone else in that era and a feel that no one could reproduce once he left the band before the recording of their fourth record in 1986 (returning in the mid-90s). This track from Pretenders II has been a favorite of mine since the first time I heard it. And I spent hours playing along to it, first as a young drummer, then years later when I switched to bass.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Replacements Let it Be (reissue)
For me, writing about the Replacements is difficult. It's next to impossible to for me to sound objective or have some kind of detached perspective. I heard "I'll Be You" on MTV and the radio when it was originally out, but in my world, they didn't really come to life for me until college. My roommate Jeff introduced me to the albums themselves and they ceased being a band I had heard of and became a band that hardly ever left my stereo.
My favorite Replacements (from here on referred to as "the 'Mats") record changed a bit over the years. I like the early, noisy garage racket of the first two releases when I first started playing in a band. I liked the latter day, major label stuff more earlier in my life, when I was college radio. But a few years ago, it became Let It Be and it's stayed that way ever since.
And that's really where what I have to say about the 'Mats stops to matter much. The story of why they are so good and why you need to hear their stuff is in the songs. Over the last almost 20 years, they've become like old friends, which is how most fans of the 'Mats think of their catalog. When you hear most people talk about the band, they talk about them like their a local band and they hang out drinking at the local bar with these guys. But I've yet to meet anyone who accurately describes the band without sounding like they're overthinking it. The music says it perfectly.
And, thankfully, Rhino Records have begun releasing the catalog with some unreleased material tacked onto each album, after years of rumors of their impending release. They started this week with the quartet of records originally put out by Minneapolis label TwinTone, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, the EP Stink, Hootenanny and Let it Be. There are merits and virtues to all of them, but I'll focus on the last TwinTone release.
It opens with the song that everyone should know, but probably doesn't, "I Will Dare". To borrow an overused music critic phrase and mean it for once, it's the hit that never happened. The greatest hit that never was. The monster hit from a parallel universe. Whatever makes you happy. Those kinds of phrases seem overused to me because it lessens the meaning of it when you need to use it. Like here. A killer riff. Great bassline. An incredible hook of a chorus. Mandolin. It's a classic pop song. An amazing song written by one of the best songwriters in music history, Paul Westerberg. He has tons of them and this could arguably be his best.
And I could take a paragraph to talk about each and every track from the original release. To gush over every second would make you doubt my sincerity. There's some great ragged rockers. Some incredible lyrics. Choruses that never leave your head. Excellent guitar playing. A drummer that expertly ties everything together in a way that just can't be imitated; believe me on that one...tons of bands almost sound like the 'Mats, but can't quite get there because it's really hard to play like drummer Chris Mars.
And it also has a Kiss cover. And "Sixteen Blue". And "Unsatisfied".
It's a classic.
So thanks to Rhino for also adding such things as a stellar cover of T. Rex's "20th Century Boy", some home demo stuff, a couple more covers. Getting all four reissues constitutes another new album or two, reason alone to go and shell out the money to buy them all over again. I've got two of them and need the other two. And listening to these songs makes me feel like I'm 18 and just discovered them all over again. Like I need to go pick up my guitar and write some songs. Even though I've most of all of this before, sometimes it can still sound like the first time again. Only some of the greatest music ever made can have that effect.
A couple of great interviews about the reissues and reunion rumors with Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson from Billboard magazine.
My favorite Replacements (from here on referred to as "the 'Mats") record changed a bit over the years. I like the early, noisy garage racket of the first two releases when I first started playing in a band. I liked the latter day, major label stuff more earlier in my life, when I was college radio. But a few years ago, it became Let It Be and it's stayed that way ever since.
And that's really where what I have to say about the 'Mats stops to matter much. The story of why they are so good and why you need to hear their stuff is in the songs. Over the last almost 20 years, they've become like old friends, which is how most fans of the 'Mats think of their catalog. When you hear most people talk about the band, they talk about them like their a local band and they hang out drinking at the local bar with these guys. But I've yet to meet anyone who accurately describes the band without sounding like they're overthinking it. The music says it perfectly.
And, thankfully, Rhino Records have begun releasing the catalog with some unreleased material tacked onto each album, after years of rumors of their impending release. They started this week with the quartet of records originally put out by Minneapolis label TwinTone, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, the EP Stink, Hootenanny and Let it Be. There are merits and virtues to all of them, but I'll focus on the last TwinTone release.
It opens with the song that everyone should know, but probably doesn't, "I Will Dare". To borrow an overused music critic phrase and mean it for once, it's the hit that never happened. The greatest hit that never was. The monster hit from a parallel universe. Whatever makes you happy. Those kinds of phrases seem overused to me because it lessens the meaning of it when you need to use it. Like here. A killer riff. Great bassline. An incredible hook of a chorus. Mandolin. It's a classic pop song. An amazing song written by one of the best songwriters in music history, Paul Westerberg. He has tons of them and this could arguably be his best.
And I could take a paragraph to talk about each and every track from the original release. To gush over every second would make you doubt my sincerity. There's some great ragged rockers. Some incredible lyrics. Choruses that never leave your head. Excellent guitar playing. A drummer that expertly ties everything together in a way that just can't be imitated; believe me on that one...tons of bands almost sound like the 'Mats, but can't quite get there because it's really hard to play like drummer Chris Mars.
And it also has a Kiss cover. And "Sixteen Blue". And "Unsatisfied".
It's a classic.
So thanks to Rhino for also adding such things as a stellar cover of T. Rex's "20th Century Boy", some home demo stuff, a couple more covers. Getting all four reissues constitutes another new album or two, reason alone to go and shell out the money to buy them all over again. I've got two of them and need the other two. And listening to these songs makes me feel like I'm 18 and just discovered them all over again. Like I need to go pick up my guitar and write some songs. Even though I've most of all of this before, sometimes it can still sound like the first time again. Only some of the greatest music ever made can have that effect.
A couple of great interviews about the reissues and reunion rumors with Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson from Billboard magazine.
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Gutter Twins Saturnalia
I've been listening to whatever Greg Dulli has been doing for years. The Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers, guest spots on other people's records, almost all of it. Through all of Dulli's work, there's a soulful, wounded heart to his rock. He plays his own songs and cover others all in his own unique style. And we also have Mark Lanegan, a man who has a deep, powerful voice that sounds perfectly weathered, whether it's with Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, his own stuff, that record he did with Isobel Campbell (you should hunt that one down, Ballad of the Broken Seas) or as a special guest on the last Twilight Singers tour. So, word that Dulli and Lanegan were just going ahead and doing a record together and calling the project the Gutter Twins (a perfect band name for them), I figured I knew exactly what it would sound like.
Sorta. It is dark, which I expected. It's got some sinister vibes to it, again, which I expected. But it also has some quieter moments and other aspects that kinda surprised me. It took me a couple listens to totally wrap my head around it. It did not initially knock me out like I thought it would. But I spent some time, giving Saturnalia more than just an initial listen or two and now I like it more than I thought I would.
The first half has a familiar feel to it, harnessing a sinister, shadowy sound not far removed from what you would hear on a film soundtrack, something I've always felt about Dulli's best work. It sets a mood and pulls you in from the first second with opening track "The Stations" and running straight through to the fifth track, the first song they let folks here on the internet, "Idle Hands". This part fits together very well and rock with a dark edge to it. From there, it shifts gears a bit from song to song and incorporates more strings and a loop here and there, as on "Seven Stories Underground", "Each to Each" and another Dulli masterpiece "I Was in Love with You".
The songwriting styles of the two mesh incredibly well together; it doesn't sound like they simply pitched in a few songs each called it a band.. The recording approach Dulli has been using for the last few years works for the Twins as well. The current line-up of the Twilight Singers all appear as do a cast of other musicians, among them Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age), Petra Haden and Martina Topley-Bird (whose "Too Tough to Die" was previously covered by the Twilight Singers). It's an approach that has definitely worked before for Dulli and it works just as well here. It feels like a band playing every note together on each track.
While I thought this disc was going to be one sound over and over, and that wouldn't be a bad thing, its diversity threw me a bit at first. Now that it has sunk in, I like it, as a whole, even more than I thought I would. I like that some musicians I've been listening to for years, still have it in them to make great music and still keep it interesting.
The Gutter Twins on MySpace.
The Gutter Twins playing "Idle Hands" on The Late Show with David Letterman.
Sorta. It is dark, which I expected. It's got some sinister vibes to it, again, which I expected. But it also has some quieter moments and other aspects that kinda surprised me. It took me a couple listens to totally wrap my head around it. It did not initially knock me out like I thought it would. But I spent some time, giving Saturnalia more than just an initial listen or two and now I like it more than I thought I would.
The first half has a familiar feel to it, harnessing a sinister, shadowy sound not far removed from what you would hear on a film soundtrack, something I've always felt about Dulli's best work. It sets a mood and pulls you in from the first second with opening track "The Stations" and running straight through to the fifth track, the first song they let folks here on the internet, "Idle Hands". This part fits together very well and rock with a dark edge to it. From there, it shifts gears a bit from song to song and incorporates more strings and a loop here and there, as on "Seven Stories Underground", "Each to Each" and another Dulli masterpiece "I Was in Love with You".
The songwriting styles of the two mesh incredibly well together; it doesn't sound like they simply pitched in a few songs each called it a band.. The recording approach Dulli has been using for the last few years works for the Twins as well. The current line-up of the Twilight Singers all appear as do a cast of other musicians, among them Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age), Petra Haden and Martina Topley-Bird (whose "Too Tough to Die" was previously covered by the Twilight Singers). It's an approach that has definitely worked before for Dulli and it works just as well here. It feels like a band playing every note together on each track.
While I thought this disc was going to be one sound over and over, and that wouldn't be a bad thing, its diversity threw me a bit at first. Now that it has sunk in, I like it, as a whole, even more than I thought I would. I like that some musicians I've been listening to for years, still have it in them to make great music and still keep it interesting.
The Gutter Twins on MySpace.
The Gutter Twins playing "Idle Hands" on The Late Show with David Letterman.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Young Galaxy Young Galaxy
I had read about Young Galaxy on a few websites and in a couple of magazines and it sounded like something I would want to check out. Could not turn up a copy of the CD anywhere in this town, so I asked my girlfriend to order it through the store she works for. It comes in, I go to pick it up, look at the cover. And was instantly won over.
The cover's graphics make it look like a 5-inch version of a 12-inch vinyl album. An old one. That's been played a ton and refiled into the middle of a huge shelf of records. It has that faded ring around it in the perfect round shape of the platter housed within. A lot of my old records look like that. I flipped through gatefolds and read liner notes like a spaz (how else would I still know who engineered the Power Station record?).
Young Galaxy have a familiarity about them without sounding like any one band from any one time. But they sound like someone I've been listening to for years. I hear elements of shoegaze. I hear a lot of college rock from all eras between 1981 and 1994. Even a hint of the lazy, sun-drenched California rock from the 70's. But at no one time do they sound exactly or solely like any one of them. I think the sunny sounds make the cold, angular aspects sound warmer and more organic. This sounds like it's a huge room full of actual people playing actual instruments together. It may have been pieced all together, but it sure doesn't sound like it.
"Swing Your Heartache", the opener, kind of ruined me for this record for awhile because it is such a good song. It opens with a cold, almost detached feel before a golden guitar riff make the song completely fill the room. It was all I could remember. But repeatedly listens were needed to fully appreciate all it had to offer. Now I know the first six tracks by heart, and totally dig the whole thing. The strong choruses, the male/female vocals, the guitar hooks, things like that make this one stand out from a lot of the really good rock that's been coming out on smaller labels.
Some bands I hear and appreciate the musicianship, can tell the songs are well-written, but they don't bowl me over and become one of the bands I have to put on every mix CD I make. They don't come up in conversations at the bar over a few beers. But Young Galaxy does. "Swing..." has been echoing in my head the entire time I've been typing this. I had to go to into my library and play it because it was driving me nuts. But any song here works. Track it down and check it out. And give it time. It deserves many, many listens, but it's worth it.
Young Galaxy on MySpace. "Swing Your Heartache" is there as of today. And so are three other excellent songs.
Young Galaxy on Arts & Crafts (label) website. Has some more video clips that the MySpace doesn't have.
The cover's graphics make it look like a 5-inch version of a 12-inch vinyl album. An old one. That's been played a ton and refiled into the middle of a huge shelf of records. It has that faded ring around it in the perfect round shape of the platter housed within. A lot of my old records look like that. I flipped through gatefolds and read liner notes like a spaz (how else would I still know who engineered the Power Station record?).
Young Galaxy have a familiarity about them without sounding like any one band from any one time. But they sound like someone I've been listening to for years. I hear elements of shoegaze. I hear a lot of college rock from all eras between 1981 and 1994. Even a hint of the lazy, sun-drenched California rock from the 70's. But at no one time do they sound exactly or solely like any one of them. I think the sunny sounds make the cold, angular aspects sound warmer and more organic. This sounds like it's a huge room full of actual people playing actual instruments together. It may have been pieced all together, but it sure doesn't sound like it.
"Swing Your Heartache", the opener, kind of ruined me for this record for awhile because it is such a good song. It opens with a cold, almost detached feel before a golden guitar riff make the song completely fill the room. It was all I could remember. But repeatedly listens were needed to fully appreciate all it had to offer. Now I know the first six tracks by heart, and totally dig the whole thing. The strong choruses, the male/female vocals, the guitar hooks, things like that make this one stand out from a lot of the really good rock that's been coming out on smaller labels.
Some bands I hear and appreciate the musicianship, can tell the songs are well-written, but they don't bowl me over and become one of the bands I have to put on every mix CD I make. They don't come up in conversations at the bar over a few beers. But Young Galaxy does. "Swing..." has been echoing in my head the entire time I've been typing this. I had to go to into my library and play it because it was driving me nuts. But any song here works. Track it down and check it out. And give it time. It deserves many, many listens, but it's worth it.
Young Galaxy on MySpace. "Swing Your Heartache" is there as of today. And so are three other excellent songs.
Young Galaxy on Arts & Crafts (label) website. Has some more video clips that the MySpace doesn't have.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Tin Machine Tin Machine
Yup, Tin Machine. Now, the only time I ever even hear this name anymore is when some music writer wants to disparage some other musician's side project. And I am one of the very few who don't laugh at the jokes. Because I like Tin Machine. I would go as far as saying that I love all three of their records.
But I can start with this one. It's probably the most solid and definitely the one that grabbed my attention. I remember watching this thing on ABC called the International Rock Awards and seeing the debut of David Bowie's new band. They played this album's opening track, "Heaven's In Here", and I recall it so well because I watched it with my jaw in my lap. Once the song reached the solo and guitarist Reeves Gabrels laid into his solo, I was in. Not too long after a 13 minute video with a medley of most of this record popped up on MTV and I had to have this record.
It's aged just fine with me. Brothers Hunt and Tony Sales, on drums and bass respectively, had worked with Bowie before on some of the music he did with Iggy Pop, including playing on "Lust for Life", which let's face it...that track has one of the best rhythm section performances ever. With Tin Machine, their playing provides the perfect grounding for Gabrels to soar over with some of the most unorthodox rock playing I've ever heard. Bowie, at the time, seemed content to just be one of the guys in the band. It put a lot of casual Bowie fans off, but me, not a big Bowie fan at the time it came out in 1989, I got more interested in Bowie because of it.
And the songs are there, regardless of what you may have heard otherwise. "Amazing" would probably find its way into my Top Album Tracks Ever conversation over some drinks one night. "Under the God" sounds like a punk song after all these years. The studio recording off the aforementioned "Heaven's In Here" has some excellent soloing on it. "Crack City" rides a great lazy riff. All of it is delivered by a truly great group of musicians.
On paper, the straight-forward, muscular rock power of the Sales brothers and the avant-garde explorations of Gabrels should be a mess. And most people think it is. But I don't. And I know a handful of others who agree. Henry Rollins gave the track "Prisoner of Love" some love in his book, Fanatic!. A couple of other musicians I've met over the years have told me they love the Tin Machine records. Some of the good folks at the record store I shopped at for years (and worked at for awhile) had my back on this one, too. I know this record lives in the cheap bins at most used record shops. Actually, it's really easy to find either one of their first two records, this one and the cleverly titled follow-up Tin Machine II. Your collection would really benefit from either of them. Now, if you really want to go over the edge and lose your cred with your friends, get the live one, Oy Vey, Baby. It opens with one of the best covers ever: their live version of Roxy Music's "If There Is Something". There's a studio version on II, but the live one smokes it.
Okay, so it's a punchline for most music fans. But most of the people who drop that reference probably never even listened to a whole record. And if, they did back then, a second listen now would probably surprise most. They only lasted three or four years, but long live Tin Machine!
Here's the video for "Under the God" on YouTube.
Here's that performance of"Heaven's In Here" from the International Rock Awards, also from YouTube. The fifth person on stage is Kevin Armstrong, who played some additional guitar on the first record.
But I can start with this one. It's probably the most solid and definitely the one that grabbed my attention. I remember watching this thing on ABC called the International Rock Awards and seeing the debut of David Bowie's new band. They played this album's opening track, "Heaven's In Here", and I recall it so well because I watched it with my jaw in my lap. Once the song reached the solo and guitarist Reeves Gabrels laid into his solo, I was in. Not too long after a 13 minute video with a medley of most of this record popped up on MTV and I had to have this record.
It's aged just fine with me. Brothers Hunt and Tony Sales, on drums and bass respectively, had worked with Bowie before on some of the music he did with Iggy Pop, including playing on "Lust for Life", which let's face it...that track has one of the best rhythm section performances ever. With Tin Machine, their playing provides the perfect grounding for Gabrels to soar over with some of the most unorthodox rock playing I've ever heard. Bowie, at the time, seemed content to just be one of the guys in the band. It put a lot of casual Bowie fans off, but me, not a big Bowie fan at the time it came out in 1989, I got more interested in Bowie because of it.
And the songs are there, regardless of what you may have heard otherwise. "Amazing" would probably find its way into my Top Album Tracks Ever conversation over some drinks one night. "Under the God" sounds like a punk song after all these years. The studio recording off the aforementioned "Heaven's In Here" has some excellent soloing on it. "Crack City" rides a great lazy riff. All of it is delivered by a truly great group of musicians.
On paper, the straight-forward, muscular rock power of the Sales brothers and the avant-garde explorations of Gabrels should be a mess. And most people think it is. But I don't. And I know a handful of others who agree. Henry Rollins gave the track "Prisoner of Love" some love in his book, Fanatic!. A couple of other musicians I've met over the years have told me they love the Tin Machine records. Some of the good folks at the record store I shopped at for years (and worked at for awhile) had my back on this one, too. I know this record lives in the cheap bins at most used record shops. Actually, it's really easy to find either one of their first two records, this one and the cleverly titled follow-up Tin Machine II. Your collection would really benefit from either of them. Now, if you really want to go over the edge and lose your cred with your friends, get the live one, Oy Vey, Baby. It opens with one of the best covers ever: their live version of Roxy Music's "If There Is Something". There's a studio version on II, but the live one smokes it.
Okay, so it's a punchline for most music fans. But most of the people who drop that reference probably never even listened to a whole record. And if, they did back then, a second listen now would probably surprise most. They only lasted three or four years, but long live Tin Machine!
Here's the video for "Under the God" on YouTube.
Here's that performance of"Heaven's In Here" from the International Rock Awards, also from YouTube. The fifth person on stage is Kevin Armstrong, who played some additional guitar on the first record.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Liam Finn I'll Be Lightning
Liam Finn is a fantastic live performer. Guitar lines loop over each other through an array of pedals. The swirling sounds of the multiple guitar and bass parts fully color in the songs as he sings instantly catchy pop melodies over the top of it all. Sometimes towards the end of a song, he'll sit down and accompany the wall of guitar sounds with a drumkit. As he flails away on the kit, it provides the perfect release to all the energy that song already has. The songs have to go somewhere and the drums help them get there.
The danger, of course, lies in whether or not that can translate to the record. And I'll Be Lightning, Finn's solo debut after his work with his former band Betchadupa. Finn plays almost every note on the record. It sounds a bit like it as well, in a very good way. Bits and pieces flow in and out of the mix, lending itself to a bit of a bedroom recording kind of sound. But it also has impressive arrangements sounding like a solid five-piece group.
And it grabs you quick. It opens with "Better to Be", a nice tune bolstered by noisy guitar blasts and sunshine harmonies. Then, it's followed with first single, "Second Chance", with a tick-tock drum program that alternates between sounding too slow and too fast before the live drums come in and the whole song just explodes out of the speakers.
By then, the record should have already have your attention. And the quality level stays very consistent. Finn's voice has much more sides to it than most one-man bands. I'll Be Lightning is a solid and promising debut for an artist that should have much more up his sleeve.
Liam Finn on MySpace
"Second Chance" (Live) on YouTube from the Beacon Theater in New York, August 2007. You can also probably find his performance of that song with vocalist Eliza-Jane Barnes on the Late Show with David Letterman there as well.
The danger, of course, lies in whether or not that can translate to the record. And I'll Be Lightning, Finn's solo debut after his work with his former band Betchadupa. Finn plays almost every note on the record. It sounds a bit like it as well, in a very good way. Bits and pieces flow in and out of the mix, lending itself to a bit of a bedroom recording kind of sound. But it also has impressive arrangements sounding like a solid five-piece group.
And it grabs you quick. It opens with "Better to Be", a nice tune bolstered by noisy guitar blasts and sunshine harmonies. Then, it's followed with first single, "Second Chance", with a tick-tock drum program that alternates between sounding too slow and too fast before the live drums come in and the whole song just explodes out of the speakers.
By then, the record should have already have your attention. And the quality level stays very consistent. Finn's voice has much more sides to it than most one-man bands. I'll Be Lightning is a solid and promising debut for an artist that should have much more up his sleeve.
Liam Finn on MySpace
"Second Chance" (Live) on YouTube from the Beacon Theater in New York, August 2007. You can also probably find his performance of that song with vocalist Eliza-Jane Barnes on the Late Show with David Letterman there as well.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Paul Weller Wild Wood (Deluxe Edition)
A couple of friends whose opinions on music I take seriously told me a few years back to pick up a live record by Paul Weller. I was familiar with Weller from the Jam and the Style Council from years ago, but had never really checked out any of his solo work. That disc was Days of Speed, which is brilliant and well worth tracking down. It led me into an investigation of the solo stuff working backwards and forwards at the same time. The records he put out since Speed, especially Illumination and As Is Now, are big favorites of mine. But I haven't really come across many of the earlier discs.
I was familiar with some of the songs on Wild Wood through the comps and live stuff I've heard, but it's been tough trying to find copies of his earlier albums in the stores around here. I know, the internet has many places for music fans to buy things, but I like finding them and buying them. The instant gratification of going out, buying a disc and bringing it home is still one of my favorite things about being a music fan.
So, Yep Roc has made my patience pay off by releasing this two-disc Deluxe Edition of Wild Wood stateside after its late 2007 release elsewhere. Now I get the full experience of what many call one of his career highlights. And experience is the correct word. With 28 bonus tracks beyond the actual record, it's a lot to take in; not because of the volume of tracks, because of the quality of them.
Let's start with the 15 track original release. Wild Wood is a fantastic mix of the mod and soul influences of a good deal of Weller's work with an added nod to some mellower acoustic music from the 70's, which is talked about a bit in the liner notes as well. According to those notes, Weller spent some time playing records for everyone assembled at the studio working on the album.
Whatever vibe or influence Weller was looking for with those listening sessions would mean nothing without great songs. And Wild Wood has them. Opening track "Sunflower" builds itself upon an addictive spiral of a riff with a knock-out off-beat bridge. The title track is a beautiful acoustic gem. "The Weaver" has this insanely catchy chorus that's been in my head all week. "Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)" sports such a good groove that its later reprise feels entirely essential.
That album alone would be enough, but those bonus tracks make it seem like amazing music was just simply flowing out of Weller around the time of recording. The demos sound close to their fully realized counterparts. B-sides, other singles and some covers (including songs by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Tim Hardin and Small Faces, among others) sound anything but filler, as some bonus tracks can be. Everything here sounds just as good up against the original release and demonstrate just how good Weller and his assembled band - bassist Marco Nelson and drummer Steve White primarily, with some guests along the way, were at the time.
With thirty years of recorded output, catching up on all of Weller's catalog can be tough. But when you hear how much great stuff he put down on tape during this period alone, I can't help wanting to go search for more. But I don't just have to go back. Weller promises a brand new double album later in 2008. Which is good, because I may need a few months to finish listening to this.
Official site for Paul Weller
Yep Roc site(American label) for Paul Weller. There's a link to stream this album.
I was familiar with some of the songs on Wild Wood through the comps and live stuff I've heard, but it's been tough trying to find copies of his earlier albums in the stores around here. I know, the internet has many places for music fans to buy things, but I like finding them and buying them. The instant gratification of going out, buying a disc and bringing it home is still one of my favorite things about being a music fan.
So, Yep Roc has made my patience pay off by releasing this two-disc Deluxe Edition of Wild Wood stateside after its late 2007 release elsewhere. Now I get the full experience of what many call one of his career highlights. And experience is the correct word. With 28 bonus tracks beyond the actual record, it's a lot to take in; not because of the volume of tracks, because of the quality of them.
Let's start with the 15 track original release. Wild Wood is a fantastic mix of the mod and soul influences of a good deal of Weller's work with an added nod to some mellower acoustic music from the 70's, which is talked about a bit in the liner notes as well. According to those notes, Weller spent some time playing records for everyone assembled at the studio working on the album.
Whatever vibe or influence Weller was looking for with those listening sessions would mean nothing without great songs. And Wild Wood has them. Opening track "Sunflower" builds itself upon an addictive spiral of a riff with a knock-out off-beat bridge. The title track is a beautiful acoustic gem. "The Weaver" has this insanely catchy chorus that's been in my head all week. "Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)" sports such a good groove that its later reprise feels entirely essential.
That album alone would be enough, but those bonus tracks make it seem like amazing music was just simply flowing out of Weller around the time of recording. The demos sound close to their fully realized counterparts. B-sides, other singles and some covers (including songs by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Tim Hardin and Small Faces, among others) sound anything but filler, as some bonus tracks can be. Everything here sounds just as good up against the original release and demonstrate just how good Weller and his assembled band - bassist Marco Nelson and drummer Steve White primarily, with some guests along the way, were at the time.
With thirty years of recorded output, catching up on all of Weller's catalog can be tough. But when you hear how much great stuff he put down on tape during this period alone, I can't help wanting to go search for more. But I don't just have to go back. Weller promises a brand new double album later in 2008. Which is good, because I may need a few months to finish listening to this.
Official site for Paul Weller
Yep Roc site(American label) for Paul Weller. There's a link to stream this album.
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