Rants
Woofers Go Wubble: Dubstep (Dec 10)
Analog Vs. Digital Redux (Dec 5)
2007 Reissues (Dec 3)
2007 End Of Year Lists (Dec 3)
The Next Great American Band (Nov 1)
Complete Home Theater Systems (Oct 1)
Criminally Underappreciated 90's Guitar Bands (Aug 1)
1987: 20th Year Reunion (Apr 20)
Pazz & Jop 2006 Results (Feb 7)
The Idolator 2006 Jackin’ Pop Critics Poll (Jan 8)
2006 Year End Summary & Fester's Lucky 13 (Dec 31)
How to use end of year lists (Nov 27)
Who's the best band of the 90s? (Nov 12)
The Spirit of ’76: Rediscovered, Reconsidered, Remastered (Nov 9)
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame 2007 Nominees Announced (Oct 31)
Curtis Mayfield: 1970s' Soul Man #1 (Oct 24)
Live Albums (Oct 19)
Thin Lizzy \m/ (Sep 26)
Sep 12 Releases Are Selling Like Hotcakes (Sep 21)
Farewell Tower (Sep 12)
Touch & Go 25th Anniversary – Hideout Block Party (Sep 12)
A History of Music Biz B.S. (Sep 9)
Hidden Treasures (Yar), Lost Classics & Favorite 1970s Albums (Sep 7)
Krautrocksampler (Sep 3)
Can there be a digital downloading model that’s not a rip-off? (Aug 30)
1994 (Aug 13)
Virgin's Captain Beefheart Reissues (Aug 8)
Cover Me (Aug 7)
Electric Light Orchestra (Aug 3)
James Blunt Banned! (Jun 1)
Never Mind the Pollacks & the Fast 'n' Bulbous Jacket (May 2)
20 Albums Everyone Should Own But Probably Don't (Apr. 24)
Up With Grups (Apr. 5)
Five Albums That Changed Your Life (Apr. 3)
What Were Your Most Anticipated Albums? Part Two (Mar. 27)
My speaker shopping odyssey (Feb. 22)
Happy Horny Werewolf Day (Feb. 14)
Village Voice 2005 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll (Jan. 31)
December 5, 2007
Analog Vs. Digital Redux
I thought the analog vs. digital debate ran itself into the ground over a decade ago, but apparently not. Part of the problem is people are confused by the variety of debates between compression codecs and compression during the mastering process, two different issues. The strange outcome is a return to vinyl fetishism (see Michael Fremer's comments) that really isn’t going to address these issues, unless you want to stop listening to new music, which is mostly not available on vinyl.
First of all, the only time vinyl is audibly better than digital is when the remastering job for CD is botched or taken from faulty masters, which was fairly common in 1984-1992, when engineers were on a learning curve. I've been researching this issue for a decade and I have NEVER found conclusive scientific evidence via double-blind testing that proved vinyl was superior to digital when using the same master. The so-called "warmth" of the analog sound is just the way the brain perceives a sound that's distorted in a certain way. Keep in mind that recordings have not been made directly to vinyl since the invention of magnetic tape in the 1930s. The tape, being non-linear, creates low-order harmonics that are perceived as "warm sound". That effect is quite easily achievable through electronic means in a (yes) digital environment. There are boxes that you can buy and insert in the digital stream that will add "warmth" to the sound through means of adding low-order harmonics (e.g. distorting the sound). This distortion is obviously not true to the original music. However, it is an effect that older generations are used to and nostalgic for.
PBS's Wired Science show addressed this issue, but it was disappointing because the science was pretty flimsy. They had engineers Colin Miller & Jean-Marie Horvat of Animal Records, and two members of the band Great Northern do one A/B listening test to just one song randomly flipped between analog and digital. The “big surprise” was that no one could consistently tell the difference. The engineers guessed which was which correctly 55% of the time (so much for their “golden ears”), the band 53%. It’s not clear whether they tried to judge which sounded better and failed, or didn’t bother to try. They also interviewed engineers Steve Albini and Ken Andrews. Albini is no dummy, and rather than get himself into trouble, he simply said analog was superior to MP3s (duh), and mentioned how digital mastering was screwed up when CDs were first introduced in the 80s. The only thing conclusive here is that host Ziya Tong is a total babe.
Then there’s the debate about sample rates. The bandwidth of CDs are 44.1 kHz sampling rate (44,100 samples) x 16 bits x 2 channels = 1.4 Megabits per second. With a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz you have an effective frequency response of up to 22.05 kHz (way above what most people will statistically be able to perceive as sound). HD-DVD/DVD-audio offers 9.6Mbps, with 128 kHz sampling rate at 24 bits. While the higher sample rates correct the distortion of high-end frequencies that occur in 1.4 Mbps CDs, those frequencies are only audible to dogs, cats and bats, who, when asked, would probably say they prefer CDs as they wouldn’t hurt their ears as much.
Additionally, the transducers on both ends of the audio chain are too limited to properly take advantage of 128 kHz, or even 96 kHz. Paul Lehrman, a composer, educator, and consulting editor for Mix magazine, points out that the frequency responses of most mics and digital musical instruments roll off at around 20 kHz. Thus, anything recorded above 20 kHz at a 96 kHz sampling rate "is probably junk," claims Lehrman. In response to the argument that it's the digital filter in 96 kHz systems, and not the extended frequency response, that's responsible for the improved sonics, Lehrman says that, in A/B tests, he has "never been able to tell, definitively, the difference between a well-constructed 44.1 or 48 kHz oversampling converter and a 96 kHz converter."
The practice of over-compression to make music sound louder is a whole different can of worms. Spreading the word on this issue will hopefully result in a very simple solution. Bands and labels that want to have an over-compressed loud mix for radio and MP3s can make an alternative mix available for purchase in lossless codecs such as Apple lossless .m4a and FLAC for people who care about good sound.
I can’t see buying turntables as a solution. Limited dynamics (vinyl’s 70dB vs. CD’s 96dB) and deteriorating sound quality issues aside, hunting for cheap vinyl can be fun. But only a small percentage of new releases are available on vinyl. There are three things, however, that can make a huge difference.
1) Improve your source. Lossless codecs are starting to become available for purchase, but at $1.50 a song, they’re a rip-off. Buy CDs instead. Rip them to Apple lossless .m4a or FLAC formats. Hard drives have nearly a 100% failure rate, so CDs are still the best available backup storage for digital data.
2) Use a better DAC (digital audio converter). The sound cards that come with most computers are crap. You can either buy a professional quality sound card, or an external DAC that can connect to your computer via USB2. Some high end headphone amps also include DACs. Yamaha, Harman/Kardon and Outlaw Audio offer receivers with USB inputs.
3) For the love of god, throw away those cheap headphones and computer speakers! This is where sound quality can be improved the most. Many people are shocked how much difference even a decent set of $200 speakers or headphones can make. Quality per value peaks at around $1,500, with diminishing returns after that. Many audiophiles will argue where the tipping point is to death. Ignore them and listen for yourself and go only as high as your budget will allow.
When most people can’t even tell the difference between MP3s and CDs on their computers or earbuds, this solution will be more than good enough. If you get sucked down the slippery slope of audiophilia and spend $20,000+ on your AV system, don’t blame me!
November 1, 2007
The Next Great American Band
Three weeks into the season and not a peep about this? I didn't plan to watch this, as I'd rather hammer nails into my brain than watch American Idol, but a friend who knows the Muggs got me intruiged. The first week was a little painful, as the judges were a little too obviously similar to the American Idol ones. We have washed up cheeseball rockstar Johnny Reznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, Aussie industry douchebag Dicko, and the alternatively scary and awesome Sheila E.
Part of the opening entertainment were the dozens of horrible bands that never make it to the first round. It started getting a little depressing, and the judges' tempers started running short in the desert heat. Unfortunately Zolar X suffered from their impatience and were cut off after only 20 seconds. It was kind of sad, you could almost see their antennae wilt. Yet it's unlikely that any of the winning bands would ever develop an interesting, awesome song catalog as theirs.
The first big surprise was Northmont. The singer gave this melodramatic sob story of how they're at the end of their rope and if they don't win they'll have to break up and get day jobs to feed their baker's dozen of bastard children or something. Their performance was embarrassingly overwrought, but professional sounding, with a song that had obvious commercial potential. Think Train or Creed, yuck. So the judges said the band sucked, but they had potential, and gave them another try. I thought, oh no, this is the band that's going to be groomed to win. But they didn't make it!
The other two most commercial bands were Hatch and Likes of You. Both were eliminated after last week's voting. Last week the twelve bands performed an original and a Dylan cover. Here the judges started lightening up on the hyperbole and offered more substantial criticism. Dot Dot Dot's arrangement of "Like A Rolling Stone" was lazy, and the singer was grating and didn't deliver on his vocals because he was out of breath running around the stage. There's something to be said for their exuberance though, and can see them being a crowd favorite. Rocket and The Muggs both suffered from weak vocals, and were advised to work on their delivery. Franklin Bridge seem to be big favorites, with the only criticism being Dicko's observation that they over-arranged their cover of "Tangled Up In Blue" to death. I agree. At first it sounded awesome and spare, like a Prince tune, but then there were too many keyboards and percussion fills. Overall I liked them the best, as they reminded me of Fishbone.
The other bands were pretty diverse and actually pretty enjoyable to watch, with good to amazing musicianship -- Tres Bien (retro mod rockers), The Clark Brothers (Christian folk/bluegrass), Light of Doom (13 year olds sounding like Iron Maiden), Cliff Wagner and the Old No. 7 (bluegrass), Denver and the Mile High Orchestra (big band) and Sixwire (country). Again, a surprising mix of styles coming from the cheesy Vegas karaoke tradition of the Idol franchise. I can't imagine being moved to buy an album of any of those bands, but they play well.
This week they covered Elton John songs. Dot Dot Dot again threatened to be too annoying, but their cover of "Your Song" was fun. Rocket truly bombed -- they sounded totally amateur, crucifying "Rocket Man." I'm not an Elton John fan, but I have to say most of the covers were pretty good. Franklin Bridge were impressive again, some nice guitar solos. Sheila E. advised the drummer to keep it simple, but they shrugged it off saying "the ladies love it." Though she's right, it's cool that they didn't kiss their asses like most of the other bands.
This next Friday they cover Billy Joel songs, heh. I predict The Muggs and Rocket will be the next to go. With at least five more episodes, I wonder who else they'll be covering? They should have the audience also vote for who to cover. I bet Cliff Wagner and the Old No. 7 could do a great version of "The Ace of Spades."
February 7, 2007
Pazz & Jop 2006 Results
It looks like the firing of Christgau has divided the ranks a bit. Only 494 critics voted in this year’s Pazz & Jop Poll compared to 795 last year. Most of the missing ones can be found in the Jackin’ Pop Poll, which had 497 ballots. Some, like Christgau and myself, voted in both. Pazz & Jop seemed to retain more of the older critics, which explains why Bob Dylan won, whereas he was only 6th in Jackin’ Pop.
They published two quotes excerpted from my year-end summary. Here’s one from God Grew Tired of Us:
“Some may still yearn to belong to a larger community like the Beatles/Stones/Dylan generation. But the direct effect of filesharing, music blogs, and customizable Internet radio (Pandora, Last.fm, Rhapsody) is that many artists have increased their audience. This decade, new artists who hadn’t even released a full-length album have been selling out small venues. This is in sharp contrast to the ‘80s and ‘90s, when many touring indie artists took it for granted that they would often play in front of a handful of people and not always earn enough to eat that night. A good show with a happy crowd of 100 to 500 is plenty of community for me.”
The other was under Politics, Provocations, Eulogies, which was a little too short and suffered from missing the rest of the paragraph (about the rebirth of the 90s’ Cocaine Rap Misogyny Special Olympics).
Aside from the full essays, I like seeing what individual critics voted for. Click on albums you like, click on a critic who voted for it, and see what else was on his list. I usually find something new that way. I still wish they’d give the option of a list of 20 or even 50 albums for each ballot rather than 10. I can’t see the list beyond 50, so looking at critics pics is the most interesting option.
November 12, 2006
Who's the best band of the 90s?
I picked up the double disc reissue of Pavement's 1995 album, Wowee Zowee this weekend. I would normally pass up reissues of albums made after 1993 (Bjork, Pulp), because they aren't in any need of re-mastering. However, given the strength of the bonus discs from the previous two Pavement albums, I couldn't resist. The recent Stylus review of it was interesting. Despite mentioning the album is "not without its faults," it rated it an A+, and went on to call Pavement the "unequivocal best band of the 90s," based on their "four great albums." I guess the writer didn't think Terror Twilight (1999) was too great.
It's funny, because although I liked all their albums, when I made my best artists of the '90s list in 2000, Pavement only came in 43rd. The reissues have gotten me to re-listen to and reconsider Pavement (I've had all five albums in the disc changer all afternoon). I was a big fan early on. When I bought their Perfect Sound Forever EP, released by Drag City in 1990, I felt I had found a new favorite band. They were the first band in a while to make overt references to some of my favorite post-punk groups like Pere Ubu, The Fall and Swell Maps. It was a noisy mess, but stood up to repeated listens, and "Box Elder" hinted at some potential melodic genius. Something like five months before it was released, Spin gave a rapturous review of Slanted And Enchanted (1992). I enjoyed it a lot, but felt something was missing, keeping them off my favorite band list. The album just made my top ten for the year, and Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (1994) barely made my top 50. At the time, Wowee Zowee didn't even make my top 100. I think at the time the album didn't click for me because it sounded kind of quaint compared to exciting, innovative albums from Tricky, PJ Harvey, Björk , Asian Dub Foundation, Dirty Three, Radiohead, Labradford, Cornelius, Chico Science & Nação Zumbí, and others. On re-listening, I think it'll move up top my top 25 at least.
But still, can Pavement be considered the best band of the '90s? Maybe, but they've got some worthy competition. I normally wouldn't say quantity necessarily reigns over quality, but the Stylus writer made a point to infer that no artist made four albums as great as Pavement. If nothing else, they were one of the quintessential bands of the '90s, from their first vinyl EP released in 1990, then bowing out politely in 1999 with their fifth and most polished album. But who was the greatest?
For the sake of this exercise I'm restricting it to bands, leaving out solo artists like PJ Harvey, Tricky, Beck, Tom Waits, Arto Lindsay, Nick Cave, The The and Smog. The bands should have at least five albums in the '90s, of consistent enough quality to possibly surpass Pavement. Bands that don't qualify because they only mustered four albums in the '90s include Mercury Rev, The Sea And Cake, Pulp, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Café Tacuba, Mano Negra, The Wedding Present, Sleater-Kinney, Soundgarden, Uncle Tupelo, Low, Pram, Seam, Walt Mink, Swervedriver, Built To Spill, Smashing Pumpkins, Primal Scream, Trans Am, Six Finger Satellite, The Blue Aeroplanes, Polvo, Dinosaur Jr. and Suede. The majority of their greatest work should be in the '90s, which would arguably exclude the likes of prolific artists like Sonic Youth, The Fall, and R.E.M., who's 80s albums no doubt helped define the '80s, though I have a feeling some will make their case, which is fine. Even the Rough Guide to Rock tried to make a case for A Thousand Leaves (1998) as Sonic Youth's best album.
So, on to the nominees. If I missed anyone, feel free to add them. Vote for just one, please. For the record, my vote goes to The Flaming Lips, despite the fact that I'm kind of sick of 'em right now. List includes the band, number of albums released in the '90s, and a few of their best albums.
The Flaming Lips – 6 (In A Priest Driven Ambulance ’90, Transmissions ’93, Clouds Taste Metallic ’97, Soft Bulletin ’99)
Royal Trux – 7 (Twin Infinitives ’90, Cats & Dogs ’93, Thank You ’95, Accelerator ’98)
Pavement – 5 (Slanted And Enchanted '92, Crooked Rain '94, Wowee Zowee '95)
Stereolab – 6 (Transient Random Noise-Bursts ’93, Mars Audiac Quintet ’95, Emperor Tomato Ketchup ’96)
The Afghan Whigs – 5 (Congregation ’91, Gentlemen ’93, Black Love ’96)
Yo La Tengo – 5 (Fakebook ’90, Painful ’93, I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One ’97)
Fugazi – 5 (Repeater ’90, In On the Kill Taker ’93, Red Medicine ’95)
The Magnetic Fields – 6 (Holiday '94, The Charm of the Highway Strip '94, 69 Love Songs '99)
The Jesus Lizard – 6 (Head '90, Goat '91, Liar '92)
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – 6 (Extra Width ’93, Orange ’94, Now I Got Worry ’96)
Rocket From the Crypt – 5 (Circa: Now! ’92, Hot Charity ’95, Scream Dracula, Scream! ’95)
Unwound – 5 (New Plastic Ideas ’94, The Future of What ’95, Repetition ’96)
Sloan – 5 (Twice Removed ’94, One Chord To Another ’96, Between the Bridges ’99)
Teenage Fanclub – 5 (Bandwagonesque '91, Thirteen '93, Grand Prix '95)
Gallon Drunk – 5 (You, the Night & the Music '92, From the Heart of the Town '93, In The Long Still Night '96)
Labradford – 5 (Prazision '94, A Stable Reference '95, Mi Media Naranja '97)
Luna – 5 (Lunapark '92, Bewitched '94, Penthouse '95)
Buffalo Tom – 5 (Birdbrain '90, Let Me Come Over '92, Big Red Letter Day '93)
The Grifters – 5 (One Sock Missing '93, Crappin' You Negative '94, Full Blown Possessio '97)
Guided By Voices – 7 (Propeller '92, Bee Thousand '94)
Blur – 6 (Parklife '94, The Great Escape '95, Blur '97)
October 31, 2006
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame 2007 Nominees Announced
And the nominees are: Van Halen, R.E.M., The Stooges, Patti Smith, Chic, Joe Tex, the Dave Clark Five, Grandmaster Flash, and the Ronettes.
Six weeks later than usual, only nine artists were nominated instead of the usual fifteen. The R&R Hall of Fame Foundation reduced the size of its nominating committee, currently chaired by Bruce Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau, to streamline the process. Hopefully they got rid of the ones who are probably too old to care anymore. The nominees certainly seem to reflect that. While there are usually six or seven actually inducted, I’m not sure how many of the nine will be. We’ll find out in December. Ballots are being mailed to an international pool of voters, including record company executives and previous inductees.
I certainly hope The Stooges, responsible for the greatest rock album ever made, make it. Patti Smith too. Of course, the usual reaction every year is a colossal amount of pissing and moaning about everyone’s favorite bands who were left out. A few years back when they made some questionable choices, I was one of them. But as long as the choices they are making are solid, why whine about it? In comparison to, say, the Grammys, the R&RHOF committee has exquisite taste. So what if not every deserving artist gets nominated? It may end up being some stupid plaques and artifacts for tourists to gawk at in a museum, but at least the ceremonies themselves are a celebration of rock ‘n’ roll. I’ve enjoyed watching a few of them in recent years (last year had Metallica, eligible for 2008, doing awesome Black Sabbath covers, Blondie and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sex Pistols were no show, but sent in a hilarious letter).
The Foundation’s nominating committee was founded in 1983, composed of “rock and roll historians.” It’s difficult to find out who exactly these people are, but they’re most likely middle aged white guys who wrote books about music. Jann Wenner is one of the founders, along with Dave Marsh. So the question is, will younger members be invited to join the committee or the pool of voters? Will there be Pitchfork/Stylus writers and MOGgers lurking amongst them? As more artists from the ‘80s become eligible, it’ll be a real culture clash of generations. Will they induct Mission of Burma, The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, The Minutemen, X, Sonic Youth, The English Beat, The Cure or The Jam? I think a few of them might, along with other previously passed-over artists like King Crimson, Captain Beefheart, Zombies, Small Faces, Tom Waits, Tim Buckley, MC5 , Big Star, Modern Lovers, etc. I previously wrote part of this as a comment a couple months back on someone’s post, and I predicted the Stooges and Patti Smith. Go go pre-punk pioneers!
With the Stooges reunited and slithering about Chicago as I write this, recording a new album with Steve Albini, you know the ceremony next spring will be awesome. Patti Smith, who just performed at the final night of CBGB ’s should also be great. And don’t forget the inevitable Diamond Dave reunion with Van Halen, aw yea.
October 24, 2006
Curtis Mayfield: 1970s' Soul Man #1
Listening to Curtis/Live! reminded me how much I love Curtis Mayfield. On a cold winter night in January 1971, Mayfield performed an intimate show at the Bitter End, a small New York City jazz club to an adoring audience. In between songs he'd rap about the songs, or whatever was on his mind. His soft spoken voice exuded a loving gentleness and humor, but just under the surface was a righteous anger and a little sorrow. His extensive history of socially conscious songs always seemed to hit hard with such authority that eclipsed anything by Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. And his spirituality is so natural and subtle that he would have made more sense as a reverend than Al Green, the conflicted, tortured hedonist who eventually gave up secular music, but never seemed to have as deep a grasp of spiritual matters as Mayfield. Which is why even though some of Green's exquisitely produced and performed albums rate higher than some of Mayfield's, Mayfield is my main soul man.
I'm a minority in this thinking, as Green, Wonder and Gaye were far more popular. Stevie Wonder's musical genius is often awe inspiring. But aside from his two definitive albums, he's often guilty of cloying overindulgence. I love Marvin Gaye's sixties singles, and What's Going On certainly deserves recognition as a landmark protest album. But musically his passion doesn't come across. The songs are meandering and noodly, the production saccharine and vapid. Gaye introduces a very bad habit of substituting vocal acrobatics for power and directness that continues to plague modern soul music to this day. And while I give him props for having the, um, balls to record a song called "You Sure Love To Ball," Let's Get It On inspires me to sleep more than get it on. I think his best album might be Here, My Dear (1978), an album he was forced to deliver in a divorce settlement with label boss Berry Gordy's daughter. It's a seething, vindictive mess, and the most honest music he's ever made.
I honestly can't find any fault with Curtis Mayfield. His work with the Impressions is impeccible. By 1968, in his second attempt (his first attempt was Windy C Records in 1966), he had established the first truly successful black artist-owned record label, Curtom with partner Eddie Thomas. After recording the Impressions' strongest albums, This Is My Country (1968) and The Young Mods' Forgotten Story (1969), Mayfield felt he needed to drop out from touring to work on his label and spend some time in his home town of Chicago with family. The respite was short lived. His creativity was burning bright, and without the restraints of writing for a harmony group and someone else's label, he was able to let his muse run wild. And wild it was.
His brilliant concoction of psychedelic soul and bongo/conga-driven funk sparkle and bubble with a vivacious lust for life. Even his righteous indignation glows with his love for humanity. His no-bullshit, clear falsetto vocals may not be as accomplished as Al's, but the plaintive sweet tones are always spot-on, complementing the music that is often gritty, dark, and even menacing (hear "(Don't Worry) If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go," where his processed vocals at first sound like howls from the fiery pits before reverting to his more laidback falsetto). "The Makings Of You," "We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue," "Move On Up," it was all killer, no filler. Some called his debut, Curtis (1970) the Sgt. Pepper's of soul. That was before they heard his 1972 soundtrack album, Superfly. He fleshes out his concerns about drugs unraveling black solidarity, first expressed in the tune "Stone Junkie" he performed that winter night in January '71. The nursery rhyme style of "Pusherman" is an early influence on hip-hop, while the full orchestration accentuates the drama. My mother had the album and the rap was so effective that I had memorized it when I was five years old. I remember in school we were allowed to bring in records and sing along if we want. That's right, groundbreaking karaoke in 1974, yo. I played "Pusherman." "I'm your mamma, I'm your daddy / I'm that n***a in the alley / I'm your doctor, when in need / Want some coke, have some weed..." Imagine the teacher leaping for the record player in slo-mo, mouthing the word, "noooooooo." I was really upset that I was interrupted before I could get to the best part, "Ain't i clean, bad machine / Super cool, super mean / Feelin' good, for the man / Superfly, here i stand / Secret stash, heavy bread / Baddest bitches, in the bed." I didn't k
now what the words meant. My mother had to explain to the school that no, I didn't borrow the record with her permission and no, it doesn't glorify drugs and pimps, it's just urban realism. Curtis was the real deal alright. Rather than sermonizing, he just provided the harsh details of reality and let you decide. Superfly's influence was huge, inspiring dozens of copycats. But none could compare to this masterpiece.
Mayfield didn't stop there. His subsequent albums are full of amazing music, from the environmentalist "Future Shock" to the funky "Kung Fu" and "Sweet Exorcist," gorgeous love songs like "So In Love," and "Billy Jack," a hypnotically arranged song and powerful statement about gun violence that's become only more relevant over the years. Rhino stopped it's remastered deluxe reissues with Superfly. I hope they'll follow through and give the rest of his albums the treatment they deserve.
Here's 15 of my favorite 70s soul albums:
1. Curtis Mayfield * Superfly (Curtom) 72
2. Al Green * I'm Still In Love With You (Hi) 72
3. Al Green * Call Me (Hi) 73
4. Curtis Mayfield * Curtis (Curtom) 70
5. Stevie Wonder * Talking Book (Tamla) 72
6. Al Green * Let's Stay Together (Hi) 71
7. Curtis Mayfield * Sweet Exorcist (Curtom) 74
8. Al Green * The Belle Album (Hi) 77
9. Curtis Mayfield * Roots (Curtom) 71
10. Curtis Mayfield * There's No Place Like America Today (Curtom) 75
11. Al Green * Explores Your Mind (Hi) 74
12. Stevie Wonder * Innervisions (Tamla) 73
13. Bill Withers * Just As I Am (Sussex) 71
14. Bill Withers * Still Bill (Sussex) 72
15. Curtis Mayfield * Back To The World (Curtom) 73
Bill Withers shouldn't be overlooked either. With his hits "Lean On Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine," he should have been a big star. His first two albums were really strong, much better than, for example, the more celebrated Isaac Hayes and Donny Hathaway. Thanks to a 2003 two-fer reissue on Raven, his reputation has been somewhat revived. As his self-deprecating album titles suggest, he was a humble factory worker. The cover shot to Just As I Am was taken during his lunch break, lunchbox in hand. Of his next four albums, only Menagerie (1977) has been issued on CD, which just misses the top 15. Now if they would at least reissue 'Justments (1974). I do appreciate Isaac Hayes in all his over-the-top glory (Hot Buttered Soul (1969), Shaft (1971), Black Moses (1971), Joy (1973)...). His albums, among others, just can't compete with the mighty Curtis Mayfield.
October 19, 2006
Live Albums
I used to try to avoid live albums, because they usually gave me the "had to be there" feeling. Generally a live show is best experienced live, and studio recordings are best for albums. Many live albums feel like a lazy stopgap to sell product to fans in between real albums. It didn't help that a couple of my early choices were Styx and Duran Duran live albums. Even Rush's Exit…Stage Left sounded pretty superfluous and uninspired.
Kiss and Peter Frampton seemed to trigger the large proportion of live albums released in the late 70s. Nobody knew who Peter Frampton was until the quirky single, "Show Me The Way," taken from his double live album, made him a superstar. There were a lot of bad and unnecessary live albums released since then.
But inevitably, some artists are more in their element live, and playing songs repeatedly on tour can improve them from their original studio versions. Listening to Thin Lizzy's Live And Dangerous and UFO's Strangers In The Night for the first time ever reminded me of that. Along with MC5 and Kiss, they are definitive examples of good 70s bands that couldn't assemble albums as consistent as Led Zeppelin, but had enough for an amazing live show. Others are old soul and rock 'n' roll stars who are known for their live performances, and are captured on a particularly magical night.
Even though my favorite artists lean towards punk and post-punk, there's very few live recordings in those genres that sound decent. These bands generally played in small crappy clubs and didn't have good recording equipment at their disposal. Bootlegs aren't included. Here's 40 of my favorites:
1. The MC5 – Kick Out The Jams 69
2. The Who – Live At Leeds 70
3. Jerry Lee Lewis – Live At the Star Club, Hamburg 64
4. Curtis Mayfield – Curtis/Live 71
5. Thin Lizzy – Live And Dangerous 78
6. UFO – Strangers In The Night 79
7. Bill Withers – At Carnegie Hall 73
8. Bob Marley & the Wailers – Babylon By Bus 78
9. The Ramones – It's Alive 78
10. Fela Kuti & Ginger Baker – Live! 71
11. Jimi Hendrix – Band Of Gypsies 70
12. Santana – Lotus 74
13. Kiss – Alive! 75
14. Elvis Presley - From Elvis In Memphis 69
15. Johnny Cash - At San Quentin 69
16. James Brown – Love Power Peace 71
17. Jeff Buckley – Complete Live At Sin-E 03
18. The Velvet Underground – 1969 Live Vol. I & II
19. Laurie Anderson – United States Live 84
20. Sam Cooke – Live At the Harlem Square Club 63
21. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Live Seeds 93
22. Led Zeppelin – How The West Was Won (1972) 03
23. James Brown – Live At the Apollo 63
24. Bauhaus – Press Eject And Give Me The Tape 83
25. Nirvana – MTV Unplugged 94
26. Etta James – Rocks The House 64
27. Jimi Hendrix – Jimi Plays Monterey 67
28. AC/DC - If You Want Blood 78
29. Bob Marley & the Wailers – Live 75
30. Bad Brains – The Youth Are Getting Restless: Live In Amsterdam 86
31. Hawkwind – Space Ritual 73
32. Cheap Trick – Live At Budokan 78
33. Built To Spill – Live 00
34. U2 – Under A Blood Red Sky 83
35. Talking Heads – The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads 81
36. Rolling Stones – Get Yer Ya Ya's Out 70
37. Flipper – Blow'n Chunks 84
38. Judas Priest – Unleashed In the East 79
39. Bob Dylan – Live 1966
40. The Allman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East 71
Interestingly, this article popped up a couple weeks later: Stylus Magazine's Top 50 Live Albums of All Time
Here's more of varying quality that didn't make the list. What are your favorites?
Rush – All The World's A Stage 76
Motörhead – No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith 81
Neil Young – Live Rust 79
Neil Young – Time Fades Away 73
Yes – Yessongs 73
Husker Du – The Living End 87
Walt Mink – Goodnite 98
Nirvana – From the Bloody Banks of the Wishkah 93
Tabla Beat Science – Live At Stern Grove 02
The Clash – From Here To Eternity (1979-82) 99
King Crimson – Absent Lovers: Live In Montreal 84
Deep Purple – Made In Japan 72
Joy Division – Live at Preston Warehouse 80
Wishbone Ash – Live Dates 73
John Martyn – Live At Leeds 76
Ozzy Osbourne – Speak of the Devil 83
Scorpions – Tokyo Tapes 78
Van Morrison – It's Too Late To Stop Now 74
Ted Nugent – Double Live Gonzo! 78
Lynyrd Skynyrd – One More From The Road 76
Kevin Coyne – In Living Black And White 77
Peter Gabriel – Plays Live 83
Z.Z. Top – Fangango! 75 (half live)
Tim Buckley – Dream Letter, Live In London 1968
Radiohead - I Might Be Wrong 02
Black Flag – Who's Got the 10-1/2
Fred Eaglesmith – From The Paradise Motel
Tom Waits – Nighthawks At the Diner 75
Grand Funk Railroad – Live Album
King Crimson – USA 75
J. Geils Band – Blow Your Face Out
John Cale – Fragments of a Rainy Season
Genesis – Live 73
Stiff Little Fingers – Hanx 80
Neko Case – The Tigers Have Spoken
Talking Heads – Stop Making Sense 84
Humble Pie – Rockin' The Fillmore
Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails
Trouble Funk – Live
Lou Reed – Take No Prisoners 78
Primal Scream – Live In Japan
The Kinks – Live In Kelvin Hall 66
Aerosmith – Live Bootleg
Leonard Cohen – Live Songs
Replacements – The Shit Hits The Fans 83
Daft Punk – Alive
Tindersticks – Bloomsbury Theatre 95
Echo & The Bunnymen – Live In Liverpool 02
Wilco - Kicking Television 05
Free – Free Live! 71
The Orb – Live 93
Portishead – PNYC 98
The Birthday Party – It's Still Living 83
Big Boys – Live At Raul's Club 80
Mission Of Burma – The Horrible Truth About Burma 83
Television – The Blow Up 78
Plastic Ono Band – Live Peace In Toronto 69
Jimi Hendrix – Live at Woodstock 69
Otis Redding – In Person At The Whisky-A-Go-Go 67
Iron Maiden – Live After Death 85
Boogie Down Productions – Live Hardcore Worldwide 91
Big Star – Columbia: Live At Missouri University 4/25/93
Sunny Day Real Estate – Live 99
Ani DiFranco - Living In Clip 98
Ride – Live Light 95
Spiritualized – Live At Albert Hall 98
Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive! 76
Rush – Exit…Stage Left 81
Queen – Live Killers 78
Black Sabbath – Live At Last 80
September 26, 2006
Thin Lizzy \m/
Like a lot of people, I had written off Thin Lizzy for a long time, because “The Boys Are Back In Town” was one of the most annoying, overplayed songs of the 70s. Knowing that “Jailbreak” was a great song wasn’t quite enough to overcome the prejudice that Thin Lizzy were no better than Foghat, Grand Funk Railroad and Black Oak Arkansas (who all had a decent song or two, but were distinctly uncool). Old metal faves Iron Maiden cited Thin Lizzy as an influence on their twin guitar sound, but I didn’t think anytyhing of it. It wasn’t until the early 90s, when Urge Overkill (Saturation definitely had a nice Thin Lizzy flavor) and Billy Corgin (unfortunately none of Phil Lynott’s soulful charm rubbed off on him) were preaching the greatness of Thin Lizzy. I picked up a cheap vinyl copy of Jailbreak and agreed that it was indeed a classic. Yet it didn’t occur to me for several more years that they might have other great albums. Interestingly, Phil Lynott also haunted the backdrop of the history of punk. In reading interviews and oral histories, Lynott could be found lurking amongst punkers, metalheads and new wavers, inelegantly wasted. There must have been something to his music that would cause such a wide array of countercultural types to respect him.
So I picked up Fighting, Johnny The Fox and Bad Reputation, and realized they’re all great. Thin Lizzy had it all—Dylan’s lyricism, Van Morrison’s Celtic, mystical soul, Springsteen’s working class romanticism and storytelling, Led Zeppelin’s pomp and grandeur, and even Judas Priest’s ass-kicking twin-guitar attack. The last album I picked up was Black Rose: A Rock Legend, and it became my favorite, with a great one-two kick off in “Do Anything You Want To” and “Toughest Street In Town.” More great storytelling and guitar solos throughout, it’s at least as consistent as Jailbreak. With Tony Visconti producing, it’s also their best sounding album. The only tune I don’t like is “My Sarah,” written for his daughter.
While listening to Hold Steady recently, I started craving more Thin Lizzy. So I did some digging and found that their third and fourth albums have also been unjustly ignored. I downloaded Vagabonds of the Western World and Night Life and was particularly blown away by the former. Thin Lizzy already had their style nailed back in 1973. It opens with “Mama Nature Said,” an environmentalist rocker with some great slide guitar. “The Hero And The Madman” was a little too ridiculous and overblown, but was also great fun. “The Rocker” totally shreds, while “Little Girl In Bloom” is Lynott’s first great ballad. His ballads have always been underrated, but they make up some of his greatest songs. There’s a few misses, but overall the album measures up to any of their best. Night Life is more mellow and doesn’t have any truly killer tracks, but still maintains a high level of quality.
My favorites roughly in order of preference:
1 Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979)
2 Jailbreak (1976)
3 Vagabonds of the Western World (1973)
4 Fighting (1975)
5 Bad Reputation (1977)
6 Johnny The Fox (1976)
7 Night Life (1974)
September 21 , 2006
September 12 Releases are Selling Like Hotcakes!
It annoys me to no end that Nielson SoundScan and Billboard hide some very basic sales information from the public. You have to be an industry insider or pay for a $240 subscription to get the info. Screw that. I gots me a little birdy to fill me in.
This may be the biggest new release week of the year, in terms of quality. Of 13 good to great releases that came out on September 12, 8 made the Billboard Top 200, selling a total of 829,850 albums! All the new releases in the top 200, including crap like Barenaked Ladies, Everclear, Bob Seger, Lionel Ritchie, Papa Roach and John Mayer, totalled 1,704,867 albums sold. Timberlake’s sales of 684,461 might be some kind of record. Who says people aren’t buying albums?
Billboard Rank, Album, Metacritic Score, Sales:
1, Justin Timberlake – FutureSex/LoveSounds, 68, 684,461
9, The Mars Volta – Amputechture, 66, 59,078
32, Mastodon – Blood Mountain, 85, 24,199
41, TV On The Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain, 87, 20,806
66, Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass, 86, 14,491
95, The Black Keys – Magic Potion, 75, 10,647
113, The Rapture – Pieces Of The People We Love, 80, 9,204
142, Los Lobos – The Town And The City, 6,964
Junior Boys – So This Is Goodbye, 81
Xiu Xiu – The Air Force, 77
Basement Jaxx – Crazy Itch Radio
The Brazilian Girls – Talk To La Bomb, 71
Mouse On Mars – Varcharz, 75
I bought about half of these, and heard them all. TV On The Radio and Mastodon are fighting it out for my top position. I just saw Mastodon last week, and they were on fire. Fire, I tell you! I don’t know why it hasn’t sold more—everyone’s raving about it – it’s already received four perfect 10 reviews (Pitchfork basically said it was flawless, yet only gave it an 87) with silly ol’ Guardian messing up the curve.
Pitchfork did give Junior Boys a 90, yet it sold less than 4,180 copies. Perhaps their influence isn’t so strong. Brazilian Girls, Black Keys and Basement Jaxx are all decent, but relatively disappointing. I like the Los Lobos, Mars Volta and Yo La Tengo tons.
Here’s the first-week sales totals for other recent releases:
Beyonce – B’Day, 9/5, 541,196
Christina Aguilera – Back To Basics, 8/15, 341,988
Outkast – Idlewild, 8/29, 196,137
Bob Dylan – Modern Times, 8/29, 191,933
Lamb Of God – Sacrament, 8/22, 62,990
The Roots – Game Theory, 8/29, 61,097
Kelis – Kelis Was Here, 8/22, 57,917
Iron Maiden – A Matter Of Life And Death, 9/5, 55.722
Razorlight, 8/22, 4,320
Last year Rolling Stone published a list of 500 of the greatest albums according to their grizzled critics. They listed total sales figures for those albums. Here are just some of the ones that were listed as selling under 500,000. I don’t understand how the industry can whine about album sales when Beyonce can sell more albums in a week than any of these revered, classic albums listed below.
The Stooges * Fun House (Elektra) 70
Talking Heads * Remain In Light (Sire) 80
The Velvet Underground * The Velvet Underground & Nico (Verve) 67
Television * Marquee Moon (Elektra) 77
Joy Division * Closer (Factory) 80
David Bowie * The Rise Of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars (RCA) 72
Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band * Trout Mask Replica (Reprise) 69
Jimmy Cliff * The Harder They Come (Mango) 72
The Sex Pistols * Never Mind the Bullocks (WB) 77
Bob Marley & the Wailers * Natty Dread (Tuff Gong/Island) 74
David Bowie * Low (RCA) 77
Ramones * Rocket To Russia (Sire) 77
New York Dolls * New York Dolls (Mercury) 73
My Bloody Valentine * Loveless (Sire) 91
The Who * My Generation (MCA) 65
Velvet Underground * Loaded (WB) 70
The Kinks * The Village Green Preservation Society (Reprise) 68
Dr. John The Night Tripper * Gris-Gris (Atco/Rhino) 68
Kraftwerk * Trans-Europe Express (Capitol) 77
The Replacements * Let It Be (Twin/Tone) 84
MC5 * Kick Out The Jams (Elektra) 69
The Meters * Look A-Py Py (Josie) 69
Love * Forever Changes (Elektra) 67
Ramones * Ramones (Sire) 76
The Jesus & Mary Chain * Psychocandy (WB) 85
R.E.M. * Murmur (IRS) 83
Otis Redding * Otis Blue (Stax/Atlantic) 65
Nick Drake * Bryter Layter (Island) 70
Otis Redding * Dictionary Of Soul (Stax/Atlantic) 66
September 12 , 2006
Farewell, Tower
For the second time since 2004, Tower had declared bankruptcy. This time, they’re probably being sold to one of two potential buyers, and may not be open for long.
I had a love-hate relationship with Tower. Living in the Twin Cities from 1987-92, I was spoiled by all the great stores like Garage D’or, Oar Folkjokeopus, Cheapos, Positively 4th Steet and others. I expected even better from Chicago, but it was a huge disappointment. A much bigger city, it had roughly the same number of stores, but almost none were as good as the TC’s stores. Many times the indies wouldn’t have what I was looking for, but Tower would. I grew to appreciate Tower for that, and the fact that they were open until midnight seven days a week.
Sunday nights often bum me out. After 6:00, nearly everything is closed, and the work week is looming ahead. There’s been many a late night Sunday run, walk or bike ride, when I’d end up at Tower, dependably open when no one else is. Even when I don’t have the cash for an impulse buy to boost my mood, it’s just soothing to be surrounded by a hundred thousand albums. Sometimes I’ll just check for good deals on albums I want for later, or just randomly browse and soak it all in, or skim reviews in their well-stocked magazine section.
Many blame Tower’s second bankruptcy on the decline in CD sales and downloading, but that’s all bullshit. Businesses close all the time, even when conditions don’t seem adverse. The truth is that Tower has been obviously mismanaged since at least the 80s, from what I’ve heard from former employees. It’s a miracle it made it this long. Even though it’s had an online store for about a decade, and started doing MP3 sales recently, the execution was half-assed. Not to mention the wildly inconsistent pricing. By employing a smarter online strategy and learning from successful independents like Amoeba, Tower could have lasted longer. As it is, I’m guessing one of the two interested buyers is Virgin. It’ll be interesting to see what happens, but I doubt the changes will be effective. Corporate chains have simply lost touch with what music consumers want.
But dang, I’ll miss those late hours. This excludes the downtown Chicago location, which was good for a few years after buying out Rose Records’ inventory. The Lincoln Park Tower had a vastly underrated Imports section. For the last couple years, Paul Kennedy, the Imports Coordinator, has written blurbs about great bands like The Associates, Section 25, Dome, Scriti Politti, Mark Stewart, Gang of Four and punk poet John Cooper Clarke. They get some of the UK releases about a week or so after their release. Some of the albums seem to be permantly on sale for five dollars under the normal price (then again, some are inexplicably $35). They even imported and displayed Simon Reynolds’ Rip It Up And Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984, nearly a year before it was issued in the U.S.
I went to Tower last night, possibly for the last time, depending on how long they keep their doors open. The current sale was typical of their odd sales—in addition to the usual discount bins, all albums priced $12.99 were on sale for $9.99. For that price, I found these, all in the import aisle:
Soft Machine – Fourth and Fifth
Sparks – Indiscreet
Strawbs – Ghosts [Remastered]
Ultravox! [New remastered version]
Ultravox! – Ha! Ha! Ha!
Farewell Tower, R.I.P.
September 12 , 2006
Touch & Go 25th Anniversary – Hideout Block Party
A friend came down from Minneapolis to see this, but wanted to do other activities for part of the weekend, so just went on Saturday, by far the most action-packed day. The first thing that struck me on the nearly chilly, gray day in the grease-stained industrial parking lot, is how haggard and old everyone looked. Finally, an audience that makes me feel young! It makes sense, the two flagship bands broke up in 1987, right when I was graduating from high school. So the average age of those fans was probably between 39 and 46. Hooray for aging, ugly music geeks!
The Ex: I caught the last 20 minutes of their set and they were on fire. Totally driving, hypnotic, transcendent. I mostly have their early albums and don’t listen to them much, but they’re a piledriver of a live band.
Killdozer: Fond memories of these guys, many laughs. What was that cover, Canned Heat or Z.Z. Top? Albini was right in front of me and was having a blast. He was totally loving it. Glad to see him in the front row with us lumpen, while the VIP turds were segregated to the other side of the fence, apparently feeling superior that they could stare at the band’s asses. I have to say I was satisfied with my dose of Killdozer after 25 minutes and wandered over to the food—it’s a thrill even to have them in the background as I eat Jambalaya.
Didjits: I had a couple of their records but was never a big fan, aside from a couple great songs on each album. I prefer the Dickies. I have to say Rick is a better performer and guitar player than last time I saw them 13 years ago, but to me they’re still just a minor, but essential, player on the T&G roster, alongside early Urge Overkill.
I saw a few minutes of P.W. Long, but am not too interested in his solo stuff. Why didn’t Mule play? They were a great live band. Saw three Negative Approach tunes, and felt compelled to secure a good spot for Scratch Acid. Sally Timms set was really short but she was charming and lovely, autumnal and even a little spooky. At least until Langford came on and hammed it up. As dusk was settling in and the grey clouds and grimy skyline darkened, it was a great mood setter. Made me want to listen to some Comus and Fairport Convention.
Scratch Acid: I’m not sure if Yow still drinks. They opened with “She Said” and for a while I thought he was not only drunk, but positively insane—at one point it seemed like he was attacking an audience member. I’m not sure what was going on there, but he seemed as dangerous and unpredictable as some of my favorite highlights of the dozen Jesus Lizard shows I’d seen. If he doesn’t drink anymore, he did a great job of whipping himself into a frenzy. Other times when he wasn’t moving around as much, he looked more small and frail than he seemed back in the early 90s in the small clubs. The band was great, and incredibly loud. I was a little too close to the left speaker stack, even with earplugs. While they’re no match for the rhythmic juggernaut of the J.L., I wasn’t too disappointed that Jesus Lizard didn’t play, as Scratch Acid had a lurching, woozy quality that I had always wished I could have witnessed live, and finally have. I can die in peace now. Oh, not yet, there’s Big Black. Man Or Astroman are great, but no one was budging from their hard-fought spots, so I didn’t get to hear them up close.
Big Black: It’s frustrating that they had such a short set. Shellac are touring, and they usually play a couple times a year, so I’d rather have had a full Big Black set. But with Shellac duties, they just didn’t have time to rehearse a full set, understandably. It’s too bad, I think the Big Black material is far better than Shellac’s. Even with the venerable Roland drum machine, they sounded fresher than ever, especially compared to the twee mixes of the albums (a friend remixed them for himself to sound more appropriately brutal. I told him he should have brought a copy and given it to Albini). That “knife” guitar sound combined with those crazy, angry lyrics, totally fucking classic.
Shellac were a bit of a letdown after that excitement. My ears and feet couldn’t take anymore, so we headed to Ear Wax for some dinner. Kind of wanted to see Arcwelder and Seam on Sunday, but it was rainy, and anything after Saturday would be anti-climactic.
September 9 , 2006
A History of Music Biz B.S.
In the 60s, consumer tape technology became cheap enough that kids started taping songs from the radio. I’m sure there was some industry grumbling that radio was killing music. Actually, radio almost did kill music when, by the late 70s, AOR radio stopped playing new music and only played moldy oldies. When people stopped hearing new music on the radio, they stopped buying new music because they didn’t know what the hell to buy, and record sales plummeted. The geniuses in the industry decided to blame it on home taping, and responded with the Home Taping Is Killing Music ad campaign. Then came MTV and people realized new music still existed. Some, not a lot, of radio programmers adjusted and at least played a little new wave, soul, pop, hip-hop and metal, and record sales recovered. Yet more people were home taping more than ever, with the proliferation of inexpensive double tape decks and boom boxes.
The music industry grew and grew. MP3 codecs and CD burners were quietly introduced in the early 90s. A significant number of consumers owned burners by 1996. Yet albums sales kept on growing. Between 1990 and 2000, album sales doubled. That’s the fastest growth in the history of the music industry. Most artists didn’t see much of that money. Greed and corruption grew in turn. The music industry is notoriously one of the most corrupt ever. Napster arrived in July 1999 peaking with 40 million users in 2000, and shut down in July 2001. Sales continued to rise when Napster started. There is siginificant evidence that Napster helped album sales due to its promotional power. A key test case was Radiohead’s Kid A. Despite its critical stature, OK Computer never made the top 20 in the U.S. Kid A was leaked to Napster in July 2000, three months before its release. The band was supportive of this. Millions of people downloaded it. The music industry was assuming it would bomb. Instead, Radiohead’s most experimental album debuted at number one, beating out artists like Madonna and Eminem. In fact, album sales did not go down until after Napster was shut down. The use of other decentralized P2P systems is miniscule compared to Napster.
Then there was September 11 and our economy crashed. You’d think unemployment and a recession would have something to do with a dip in entertainment sales, yet the hysteria simply escalated, despite the drastic drop in filesharing. And it amazes me that ANY consumer would take the side of the music industry. Look at this ridiculous, bullying campaign,
You Can Click But You Can’t Hide. What other industry could ever get away with treating its best customers like criminals or prey? And yes, the biggest downloaders are also their best customers. I download more than anyone, and I also buy more music than probably anyone you know – hundreds of CDs a year. The industry’s biggest problem were kids and moms who they used to rely on buying the latest blockbuster at Walmart. So the casual downloaders who decide to buy some tuna or socks instead of Coldplay, Mariah Carey or 50 Cent because they already have the MP3s, are the ones who may actually affect label profits. Because blockbusters just aren’t as plentiful and profitable as they once were. The fact that Napster showed people the vastness and variety of available music was of particular annoyance to label heads. If they had their way, they would only have to release 100 albums a year, and half of them would be multi-million sellers. If people would just narrow their god damned musical tastes, then music industry weasels and executives can get back down to the business they were groomed for—rolling in cash, vacation homes in Grand Cayman, and snorting coke off the asses of prostitutes.
You’d never know that sales were actually up in 2005, because the RIAA and the music industry are BIG FAT FUCKING GREEDY LIARS .
September 7 , 2006
Hidden Treasures (Yar), Lost Classics & Favorite 1970s Albums
I like to alternate between absorbing new releases (currently liking the new Rapture) and digging back into old favorites to avoid burnout. But sometimes I crave something I haven’t heard that’s old. For some of us obsessives who’ve heard almost everything, this is a dilemma. Obviously no one can hear “everything,” but when you dedicate a significant part of your life to tracking down candidates for all-time favorites, it gets harder to dig up something amazing, beautiful, strange or powerful that you’ve never heard.
I haven’t been able to uncover anything completely new to me lately, but there’s always hope. Here’s a few albums that I was aware of, but previously passed over because they were kind of written off or ignored critically.
Sly Stone, High On You (Epic) 75
Wondering when the heck they’ll ever do a decent remaster of There’s A Riot Goin’ On, I read some discussions about how Stone’s post-Fresh (1973—itself fairly underrated) work was unfairly panned. Indeed, while they aren’t quite at the level as his peak work, it’s certainly strong, funky stuff, just as good as anything by later Funkadelic or James Brown. I was excited to hear that “Loose Booty” was the sample I’d been looking for years for, from The Beastie Boys’ “Shadrach.” Awesome. High On You is actually the better of the two.
Popol Vuh, Letzte Tage – Letzte Näche (High Tide/SPV) 76
During my recent Krautrock kick, I had ordered a two-fer from Wayside with Einsjäger & Seibenjäger and Letzte. I was familiar with the former, but the latter really surprised me with its blistering, serpentine guitar solos by Daniel Fichelscher, which sometimes sounds like Television (the band)! This may become my favorite Popol Vuh.
Here’s more in “The Search For Lost Classics” I wrote a couple years ago, including stuff from Cedric IM Brooks, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Euphoria, The Passage, The Boys, The Only Ones, Kalo Kawongolo & Seke Molenga, The Fall, Roy Harper and The Rich Kids.
Before my collection got out of control, I used to use lists and polls to sniff out stuff to check out. As far as 70s stuff goes, the I Love Music 1970s Poll is good reading. Though I have problems with many of Pitchfork’s writers, they also did a good job with their Top Albums of the 1970s.
Here’s my current top 100:
1. The Stooges * Fun House (Elektra) 70
2. The Modern Lovers (Beserkley/Rhino) 73
3. The Congos * Heart Of The Congo (Blood & Fire) 77
4. Television * Marquee Moon (Elektra) 77
5. The Buzzcocks * Singles Going Steady (Restless) 79
6. Fela Kuti * Zombie (Universal) 77
7. Joy Division * Unknown Pleasures (Factory) 79
8. The Rolling Stones * Exile On Main St. (Rolling Stones) 72
9. Brian Eno * Another Green World (EG) 75
10. Gang of Four * Entertainment! (WB) 79
11. The Raincoats (Rough Trade) 79
12. Public Image Ltd. * Metal Box/Second Edition (Virgin) 79
13. Wire * 154 (Restless) 79
14. Talking Heads * Fear Of Music (Sire) 79
15. The Clash * London Calling (Epic) 79
16. Wire * Pink Flag (Restless) 77
17. Sly & the Family Stone * There’s A Riot Going On (Epic) 71
18. Toots & the Maytals * Funky Kingston (Mango) 73
19. Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band * Lick My Decals Off Baby (Straight) 70
20. Bob Dylan * Blood On The Tracks (Columbia) 75
21. Curtis Mayfield * Superfly (Curtom) 72
22. T. Rex * Electric Warrior (Reprise) 71
23. David Bowie * Hunky Dory (RCA) 71
24. Tim Buckley * Starsailor (Straight) 71
25. Brian Eno * Here Come The Warm Jets (EG) 73
26. David Bowie * The Rise Of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars (RCA) 72
27. Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band * Clear Spot (Reprise) 72
28. Roxy Music (Reprise) 72
29. Junior Murvin * Police & Thieves (Mango) 77
30. Nick Drake * Pink Moon (Island) 72
31. Al Green * I’m Still In Love With You (Hi) 72
32. Lee Perry & The Upsetters * Super Ape (Mango) 76
33. Rico * Man From Wareika (Island) 76
34. Iggy Pop * Lust For Life (Virgin) 77
35. Cedric Im Brooks * The Light Of Saba (Total Sounds/Honest Jon’s) 76
36. Al Green * Call Me (Hi) 73
37. The Stooges * Raw Power (Columbia) 73
38. Max Romeo & the Upsetters * War Ina Babylon (Mango/Hip-O Select) 76
39. Fela Kuti * Roforofo Fight (MCA) 72
40. Junior Byles * Beat Down Babylon (Trojan) 72
41. Yabby You * Conquering Lion (Prophets) 72
42. The Mighty Diamonds * Right Time (Shanachie) 76
43. Justin Hinds & The Dominoes * Jezebel (Island) 76
44. Jimmy Cliff * The Harder They Come (Mango) 72
45. Bob Marley & the Wailers * Catch A Fire (Tuff Gong/Island) 72
46. Brian Eno * Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy (EG) 74
47. The Sex Pistols * Never Mind the Bullocks (WB) 77
48. Bob Marley & the Wailers * Natty Dread (Tuff Gong/Island) 74
49. The Clash (Epic) 77
50. Pere Ubu * Dub Housing (Rough Trade) 78
60. Richard Hell & the Voidoids * Blank Generation (Sire) 77
61. George Faith * To Be A Lover (Black Swan/Hip-O Select) 77
62. Patti Smith * Horses (Arista) 75
63. Pere Ubu * The Modern Dance (Blank) 77
64. Van Morrison * Moondance (WB) 70
65. David Bowie * Low (RCA) 77
66. Can * Ege Bamyasi (Spoon/Mute) 72
67. Neu * Neu! 75 (Brain/Astralwerks) 75
68. Tom Zé * Estudando O Samba (EW) 75
69. Burning Spear * Marcus Garvey (Mango) 75
70. The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari * Tales Of Mozambique (Dynamic) 75
71. Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band * Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (Enigma) 78
72. Talking Heads * More Songs About Buildings And Food (Sire) 78
73. X-Ray Spex * Germ-Free Adolescents (Caroline) 78
74. The Buzzcocks * Another Music In A Different Kitchen (Restless) 78
75. Bim Sherman * Love Forever (Tribesmen/Century) 78
76. The Slits * Cut (Island) 79
77. David Bowie * Lodger (RCA) 79
78. Stiff Little Fingers * Inflammable Material (EMI) 79
79. The Ruts * The Crack (Virgin) 79
80. Dennis Brown * Visions (Shanachie) 77
81. Dennis Brown * Wolves And Leopards (Blue Moon) 77
82. The Rolling Stones * Sticky Fingers (Rolling Stones) 71
83. The Who * Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy (MCA) 71
84. Ramones * Rocket To Russia (Sire) 77
85. New York Dolls * New York Dolls (Mercury) 73
86. Can * Soon Over Babaluma (Spoon/Mute) 74
87. David Bowie * Aladdin Sane (Rykodisc) 73
88. Betty Davis (Just Sunshine/Aztec) 73
89. Betty Davis * They Say I’m Different (Just Sunshine/Aztec) 74
90. The Maytals * Monkey Man (Trojan) 70
91. Can * Future Days (Spoon/Mute) 73
92. Lee Perry & the Upsetters * Blackboard Jungle Dub (Upsetter/Trojan) 73
93. Charles Mingus * Mingus at Carnegie Hall (Atlantic) 74
94. Funkadelic * Maggot Brain (Westbound) 71
95. Elvis Costello & the Attractions * This Year’s Model (Columbia) 78
96. Soft Machine * Third (CBS) 70
97. Ash Ra Tempel (Spalax) 71
98. Steve Reich * Music For 18 Musicians (ECM) 78
99. Curtis Mayfield * Curtis (Curtom) 70
100. Black Sabbath * Paranoid (WB) 70
Plenty more are listed on my Best Albums Since 1965 list. Yeah, I like lists. Which is why MOG , with all the widgets in their listy glory, drew me like a moth to a flame…
September 3 , 2006
Krautrocksampler
Eno, Bowie, PiL, The Fall, Stereolab, Orb, Sonic Youth, Th’ Faith Healers, Cul de Sac, Tortoise, and many many others were profoundly influenced by Krautrock. For years, the albums were nearly impossible to find, and I was only able to play a smattering of Can and Neu! on my radio show, Uncle Fester’s Bucket O’ Nasties from 1987-92. A slew of reissues came out, thanks partly to The Teardrop Explodes’ Julian Cope’s book, Krautrocksampler: One Head’s Guide to the Great Kosmische Musik , first published in part as an article titled “Kosmische Echoes” in the December 1994 issue of The Wire. It was hard to tell which his overall favorites were, because nearly everything got the same level of hyperbole, even the ridiculous Cosmic Jokers, while he dismisses key Can albums. It took a decade for the majority of the albums to become available. I even gave an ex-girlfriend a shopping list for when she lived in Berlin to do dissertation research.
35 years after much of this stuff was recorded, it still sounds fresh. Imagine—in 1970, 35 year-old music was from 1935. Here’s some recommendations to start your collection:
1. Can, Ege Bamyasi (1972)
By far the most canonized (yar) of the Krautrock bands, and for good reason. Two students of Stockhausen (Holger Czukay and Irmin Schmidt) were shaken out of their avant-garde snobbery and introduced to leading-edge pop music (“I am the Walrus,” Hendrix, Mothers of Invention, Captain Beefheart, Velvet Underground) by Czukay’s 19 year-old student, Michael Karoli. Black American sculptor and teacher Malcolm Mooney applied his untrained vocals with utter abandon. Monster Movie (1969) was an excellent debut that built upon their influences, taking the first step towards defining their sound. Mooney freaked out and left the country, land Can found a new singer in Japanese street busker Damo Suzuki. Soundtracks (1970) features the often-covered “Mother Sky.” Tago Mago (1971) is considered by many as their peak. Chaotic and tribal, it can be difficult listening. Ege Bamyasi is to Tago Mago like Beefheart’s Lick My Decals Off, Baby was to Troutmaskreplica—more focused, concise, better. Plenty of people prefer the more crystalline, symphonic sounds of Future Days (1973) and the space rock of Soon Over Babaluma (1974). Pink Floyd fans should be sure to check these out. The entire catalog was remastered and reissued 2005 and this year.
2. Neu!, Neu! 75 (1975)
Neu! was an offshoot of Kraftwerk. Ralf Hunter temporarily left the band before a scheduled TV performance, and Florian Schneider recruited Klaus Dinger and Michael rother, and they performed “Truckstop Gondolero.” Without Florian, they recorded Neu! (1972) and totally eclipsed Kraftwerk with a new, spare, motorik rhythm that would influence countless bands. Even the cover art was classic, with the band’s name spray-painted on white in day-glo pink. Neu! 2 (1973) is slightly disappointing in that the second side is two singles, “Neuschnee” and “Super” replayed at varying speeds. I prefer the third album, which starts with some lovely spacescapes, and then blows its top with some crunchy, punky guitars on “Hero.”
3. Amon Düül II, Yeti (1970)
Grown like fungus from a harry, hippie commune, the first incarnation managed one decent album in Paradieswärts Düül. However, it’s the offshoot that produced the most awe-inspiring music, starting with Phallus Dei (1969), translating to “God’s Cock.” Yeti is even better, both heavier (lurching psychedelic guitar freakouts) and prettier (“Sandoz in the Rain”). Dance Of The Lemmings (1971) is more fragmented and contentious. Some think it’s their best, Cope thinks it’s a “pile of pedestrian shit.” I’d say it’s their fifth best and leave it at that. Carnival In Babylon and Wolf City (1972) are much different, with acoustic guitars and slightly more structured songwriting. Some swear by these as their best. Repertoire reissued the first three, remastered with bonus tracks, and are available at Wayside for only $11 each.
4. Ash Ra Tempel (1971)
Just two long tracks, “Amboss” is a massively heavy guitar freakout, while “Traummaschine (Dream Machine)” is all floaty afterglow. Cope calls it “one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll LPs ever made.” No doubt. Schwingungen (1972) is nearly as great, and was reissued in 2003 as a deluxe edition by Cleopatra. For fans only is 7Up (1973), their collaboration with acid guru Timothy Leary.
5. La Dusseldorf (1976)
Continuing in his more energetic, punky side two of Neu! 75, Klaus Dinger recroded three stunning albums as La Dusseldorf, including Viva (1978) and Individuellos (1981) all remastered and reissued on Warner’s German label, and available at Wayside Music. With his singing and relatively catchy melodies, some might argue that these albums have as much to do with Krautrock as Kraftwerk’s late 70s synth albums. However, La Dusseldorf has too long been ignored, and have enough in common with Neu! to merit inclusion here.
6. Popol Vuh, Einsjäger & Siebenjäger (1974)
Unlike Tangerine Dream’s bland new-age music of the late 70s, Popol Vuh are often considered to be at their peak in the late 70s. With over 20 albums to choose from, I think this one is a good representation of both their early and later sound. Affenstunde (1970) features founder Florian Fricke on Moog synthesizer, the first and last all electronic Popol Vuh album. After that, he becomes a sort of cosmic music archeologist, investigating ancient Eastern music and applying it to soothing music perfectly suited to soundtracks, particularly Werner Herzog’s films. It’s a deep pool, so don’t be afraid to dive in. Wayside has a combo <Einsjäger & Siebenjäger and Letzte Tage – Leizte Nachte (1976) CD.
7. Harmonia, Deluxe (1975)
A Krautrock supergroup, Neu!’s Michael Rother collaborated with Cluster for two albums, including Music Von Harmonia (1974). Somewhat similar to Eno’s Another Green World, Bowie was a big fan of these albums.
8. Cluster, Zuckerzeit (1974)
Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius changed their sound quite a bit from their first two albums. Pure electronic sugar (the title means “Sugartime”), the melodies and textures are sweet and tasty. Eno listened to this quite a bit while composing Another Green World, and he would later collaborate with them
9. Faust (1971)
This is a strikingly original debut, from it’s brilliant clear x-ray cover to the insane cut-up tape manipulations inside. It’s definitely one of those groundbreaking albums that took the world over two decades to catch up with. Even now, it’s awe-inspiring. And like many works the teeter into avant-garde territory, it’s not exactly easy listening.
10. Tangerine Dream, Zeit (1972)
Hard to imagine, but these New Age giants used to rock. I can’t say I’ve listened to them as often or as passionately as many of the bands listed above, but this album seems to be the most elegant and affecting of their consistently good other efforts, including Electronic Meditation (1970), Alpha Centauri (1971), and Atem (1973).
Here’s some goodies for you: Krautrocksampler.zip (436 MB)
August 30, 2006
Can there be a digital downloading model that’s not a rip-off?
Regarding the reported 20% drop in CD sales, it’s really hard to discuss this stuff when everyone takes for granted the data presented by the RIAA . They distort their data and often just lie, and they get away with it because hack journalists take their spoonfeedings without any fact checking.
Here’s a couple articles that investigate this problem:
Nielsen Rating System At Odds With RIAA ’s Claim Of “Lost Sales”
RIAA says sales are down. Soundscan says “Wha..?” Who should you believe?
RIAA an undemocratic, unelected, overpowerful regime
Regarding the future of digital music, I still buy a lot of CDs. I will never pay a dime for downloaded music until the following things happen:
1) The industry agrees upon a new standard codec. Right now the most universally supported codecs in hardware are MP3 and WMA . MP3 is over 15 years old, and is not very good. WMA is better, but there’s many good reasons not to want to rely on a Microsoft codec. Apple’s MP4 AAC and lossless codecs are decent, but only for iPod and iTunes users (I’m not one of them. There are so many better values out there—check out anythingbutipod.com). Plus, I’m not down with Apple’s DRM (my files should not disappear!). Were I to pay money to download an album, it would have to be available in a usable lossless codec along with uncompressed .wav files. Why pay unless I can get a pristine, master copy?
2) It would have to be a reasonable price. I would not pay more than $5 for an album, and no more than 50 cents for a song, because it’s cutting out manufacturing, printing, distributing and retail costs. After 20 years of being raped over inflated CD prices, consumers should benefit from those savings, not label executives. If I bought directly from an artist or their indie label, I might be willing to pay an extra dollar or so, knowing they’ll actually see the money.
3) They need to make up for the fact that you’re not getting anything to store the music on. Meaning, not just being cheaper than CDs, but offering extra value. Each downloaded album costs the consumer extra money for hard drive space and backups. So what about the art, lyrics and liner notes? A password/key should be provided to access all that online, so we don’t have to store that crap ourselves.
4) I’m tired of paying for the same album more than once. Once I buy an album, I should have the right to acquire new versions at a very low cost. For example, I bought Are You Experienced three times, because it was remastered at least twice. I should have been able to download the new version free by providing the UPC code of the original one I bought. And if I wanted the new disc and liner notes, I should pay only a dollar or two for the materials. If it’s a deluxe reissue with more extras, I’d pay maybe $5. But not $18, not $25, not $32.
August 13, 2006
1994
I was trying to respond to an I Love Music thread, but it’s down, as usual. It was interesting reading the parts from 2001, talking about seven years ago as if it was a long time ago. Now, 1999 was seven years ago. Does it feel that long ago? I reckon only if you’re under 23. 1994 was an interesting year. Personally, I was emerging from a three year lost weekend. After graduating from college, I moved from the Twin Cities, where I had a radio show, friends, lots of cheap rock shows, and outlets for my writing, to Chicago, where I knew almost no one other than my girlfriend’s old and bitter grad school cronies. I stopped writing, had no Internet access, and didn’t have a lot of money. I was managing a small desktop publishing business and wondering if I should still go to graduate school, teach and write articles for academic journals that would be read by about three undergrads looking for something to plagiarize for their papers.
The new World Wide Web presented more intruiging possibilities. I saw early on the potential of publishing online and having immediate access to a worldwide community. Within a year my site would be up and running. That spring my relationship ended, I moved into my own apartment, and immediately started meeting friends and doing interesting things, like modeling in a whacky fashion/hair show that was set up as hilariously pretentious performance art where I was the devil (in flaming red hair and yellow hair extension horns), leather pants and punk rock industrial boots. The women were in gaudy, flowing goth dresses. The cultural scene in Wicker Park was still stuck in an Industrial rut, worshipping Al Jourgeson and Trent Reznor. Yuck. I preferred going to see bands like Polvo and the newly formed Shellac. But there were signs of indie rock getting out of its stylistic straight jacket.
Just as the Internet was on the verge of making global cultural exchange happen more quickly and easier, a few bands were already getting drunk on the riches of reissued treasures from the seventies, like Krautrock and Jamaican dub. It helped that a lot of this was just starting to be reissued on CD for the first time. Tortoise, for example, was talking up that stuff along with Tito Puente and obscure electronica and musique concrete. You could hear Can, Popol Vuh and Neu! in new bands like Laika, Sabalon Glitz, Labradford, Main, Flying Saucer Attack, Stereolab, Bark Psychosis and Jessamine. Godflesh, Scorn, and soon Techno Animal were mixing metal with dub and electronica/dance. Hip hop, funk, dub, soul, Arabic music, Latin rhythms, Indian classical, Afrobeat and more were being incorporated into the music of Cornershop, Massive Attack, Cafe Tacuba, Mano Negra and Transglobal Underground. Not all of it would be timeless, but it was fun, giddy times. Orbital, Autechre and Oval were starting to do interesting things with armchair electronic dance music.Disco Inferno, Portishead and `O’rang sounded like no one else.
Compared to the above bands, Jeff Buckley’s music was pedestrian, but at the two shows I saw that year he sang like a supernatural chartreuse-banshee. Significantly, after the first show I took my date home and discovered what truly mindblowing sexual chemistry was for the first time. I got to see Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Pakistan), Femi Kuti (Nigeria), and Baaba Maal (Senegal) at the Hot House. I also remember blazing performances by Dog Faced Hermans, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Rodan and Unwound. Shellac curated a big show including the likes of MX-80 that anticipated Intonation. Not a bad little year, 1994.
August 8, 2006
Virgin's Captain Beefheart Reissues
I was browsing AMG ’s massive, unreliable listings (why aren’t The Cure deluxe reissues listed for today?) and was surprised to find the entire Beefheart catalog on Virgin TV (what’s the TV about?) was reissued today. I investigated and it’s true, six remastered albums, including a live album from 1974.
I’d be curious to hear from anyone regarding how they sound. Shiny Beast was the best sounding to me, while Ice Cream For Crow sounded weak and brittle. I’m not that excited about the ‘74 live, because that was during his career lowpoint. Wasn’t the band just a bunch of hack backup musicians?
Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974)
If this album was done by any other artist, it would be considered a lost treasure. It’s odd hearing such straightforward melodies and lyrics coming from the Captain, but I like it.
Bluejeans & Moonbeams (1974)
This was supposedly scraps from the sessions of the previous album. I’m afraid to hear this.
Live In London (Drury Lane 1974)
Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) (1978)
They really blew an excellent opportunity to include a bonus disc from the original 1976 sessions to justify the album’s subtitle. As it is, I still love its relatively glossy, elastic production, even the odd “Love Lies” and “Harry Irene.” “The Floppy Boot Stomp” and “Tropical Hot Dog Night” (slyly referenced by PJ Harvey in “Meet Ze Monster”) are two of Beefheart’s most joyous, playful songs, while “Bat Chain Puller” is sheer genius.
Doc At The Radar Station (1980)
The new Magic Band at its peak, this could compete with Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970) and Clear Spot as the most focused, consistent album. Beefheart and band are on fire here, perhaps stepping up the intensity in reaction to punk—“Hot Head,” “Sue Egypt,” and “Making Love to A Vampire With a Monkey On My Knee” are highlights. Definitely more prickly and less accessible than prior albums.
Ice Cream For Crow (1982)
This has a singular, autumnal tone that’s appropriate as Beefheart’s last album. Beefheart at his least tuneful but most melancholy. It features some great guitar playing by Gary Lucas. Too bad it didn’t include the fabulous video for the title track. It does include the bonus track “Light Reflected Off The Oceans Of The Moon.”
August 7, 2006
Cover Me
Covers are tricky beasts. Few artists have taken a classic song and made it better. Only a few have completely owned it. Such as Aretha Franklin’s cover of Otis Redding’s “Respect,” or Jimi Hendrix’s blazing cover of Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower.” The best most artists can hope for is to do a great song justice by redefining it in their own style. Husker Du’s version of The Byrds’ “Eight Miles High” doesn’t eclipse the original. But it’s certainly an awesome statement of purpose that’s held up.
In attempting an album full of covers, there’s a fine line between making a statement and coming off like a bar band. Metallica, for instance, made that balance by paying homage to their influences while still maintaining their original sound. A few months ago, Def Leppard released Yeah! in tribute to their 70s glam influences. Coming from a band that hasn’t released anything great arguably in nearly 20 years, it could seem like a desperate attempt to revitalize sales during a creative slump. Slump or not, the selection and performances are pretty great. The diverse covers of songs by T. Rex, Thin Lizzy, Badfinger, Tom Petty, Electric Light Orchestra, Blondie and the Kinks convincingly come off as affectionate homages. The band occasionally loses its own voice and sounds a bit too similar to the originals, but they really come alive in the clever arrangments of “Waterloo Sunset” and ELO ’s “10538 Overture.” A bonus disc includes some kickass versions of The Stooges’ “Search & Destroy,” Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and Jobriath’s “Heartbeat.” Overall, there are more great songs here than any of their original albums.
Huun-Huur-Tu and Yat-Kha founder Albert Kuvezin shows that one can maintain impeccible taste even in the isolated mountains and plateus of Tuva. If you’re not familiar with the majestic power of traditional Tuvan throat-singing, Yat-Kha’s Re-Covers might inspire giggles as it could resemble a bizarre hybrid of the Cookie Monster and Killdozer. Covers of Led Zeppelin, The Stones, Hank Williams, Santana and Bob Marley are solid but predictable. But the more inspired choices seem to ignite the most passion, from Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” to Kraftwerk’s “Man Machine,” Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” Motorhead’s “Orgasmatron,” and Captain Beefheart’s “Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles.” You certainly won’t mistake them for the originals.
Nouvelle Vague are different in that they do nothing but covers. Bande A Part is the second album of post-punk and new wave songs. There’s no doubt that it’s gimmicky. They use a variety female singers and set the tunes to laid back Brazilian bossanova rhythms. Of the three albums here, it’s the most throwaway. But it also probably has the widest appeal, as its breezy, summery feel works great for background music for cocktail parties. No doubt you’ll be hearing it on the PA while shopping soon enough. The “Killing Moon” (Echo & the Bunnymen), “Dancing With Myself” (Billy Idol), “Blue Monday” (New Order) are predictable choices after their previous album. But you’ve got to smile at the demented versions of “Human Fly” (The Cramps) and “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” (Bauhaus). The highlight is probably the sexy, almost Prince-like arrangement of Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass.” The biggest pleasant surprise is the underappreciated “Escape Myself” by The Sound.
None of these albums are essential. But as entertainment value, they should have at least as much staying power as Pin Ups or Chipmunk Punk.
August 3, 2006
Electric Light Orchestra
I was a closet ELO fan. By the time I was in high school in the 80s, I figured my relationship with ELO was over. They were the ridiculously uncool band with bad haircuts, overblown production and spaceship concert stages destined to be a forgotten relic of my childhood. Little did I know that they would resurface twenty years later in the form of a commercial and a couple movie soundtracks (Donnie Brasco and both Buffalo 66 and Eternal Sunshine On A Spotless Mind featured “Mr. Blue Sky” in their trailors). The Delgados also covered that song. Suddenly it seemed everyone came out of the closet as ELO fans, and their influence was heard from The Flaming Lips to Super Furry Animals. Even Pitchfork gave a recent ELO compilation a good review.
Out of the Blue (1977) was the first album to totally blow my nine year-old mind. ELO edged out Queen as my first obsession, inspiring me to scrounge for money like a crack addict to buy more of their records. In a case of accidental good taste, the first two albums I ever bought were Gary Numan’s The Pleasure Principle and Talking Heads’ Fear Of Music, based on the singles “Cars” and “Life During Wartime.” However, the albums’ coldness and paranoia were a little over my head. Out Of The Blue was perfect for a kid my age, with cartoonish imagery of spaceships and jungles, a big sound that wasn’t too dissonant, with simple Beatlesque melodies. And the animals sang, “Wonderous is our great blue ship that sails around the mighty sun and joy to everyone who rides along.”
A New World Record (1976) was more concise and catchy, but less ridiculously joyous. I had a compilation of their first five albums, Ole ELO and Face the Music (1975), but they seemed drab in comparison. Just today I picked up the 2001 remaster of Eldorado (1974) and heard it for the first time in its entirety. It holds together fairly well as a concept album, and the orchestral arrangements sound fabulous. It’s ELO at their most serious, and almost tasteful, but it’s not their best, as some have said.
I remember being disappointed by the Bee Gees disco style of Discovery (1979), aside from the rocking single, “Don’t Bring Me Down.” It seemed to be the beginning of their decline. But to my surprise and delight, ELO proved me wrong on the soundtrack to Xanadu (1980). In this awesome movie about the daughters of Zeus and Hera in velour shorts and rollerskates (hey, I was going to Skate Country almost every week!), the muse sisters emerge, disco-skating, resplendent with rainbow light trails from a mural on a brick wall, electrifyingly set to ELO’s “I’m Alive”. The guy smitten with the Olivia Newton John muse then pursues her to Mount Olympus to the tune of “The Fall.” “All Over The World” wipes the floor with KC & the Sunshine Band’s “Celebration” as the ultimate joyful party anthem. “It’s A Lie” and the title track complete one of ELO ’s most consitently great album sides. ELO were still at peak powers.
Time (1981) was the first album I nearly had heart failure in anticipation. Even the dorky clerks at the record store/headshop The Asteroid were excited about the new ELO album. As soon as I saw the cover, I was fluffed. The liquidy art resembled the science fiction books I’d been reading. I sensed it would be the most groundbreaking, futuristic album ever. Hearing the robot voice introduce the record (“I have a message from another time”) send shivers of excitement down my spine as intense as anything I’d experience (at least while I was still a virgin). The ringing synthesizer and drumroll that introduced “Twilight” got my heart pounding. It would be one of my favorite songs for months to come. The cool, burbling computer sounds that introduced “Yours Truly, 2095” were mindbending. It was about a love affair with a robot, which coincidentally parallels the theme of Rudy Rucker’s early cyberpunk classic “Software” that was also published in 1981. “She has an IQ of 1001/She has a jumpsuit on/She’s also a telephone.” Three tracks in I’d decided Time was the most awesome album ever. In fact I think I wrote my first ever review saying as much, in order to convince friends to check it out. While the rest of the album didn’t really hold up and I quickly outgrew ELO, I remember attending a hipster party about eight ago at Steve Albini’s old house and discovering Time in the collection. I hadn’t heard the album in over 15 years, and put it on. It sounded pretty great! Half the guys at the party ended up bonding over ELO. A friend from college obsessively performed and recorded the album in its entirety with his band.
Since then, I picked up the first album, No Answer (1972), which is weird and creepy in a good way, but sounds like a different band. A New World Record is scheduled for a reissue in September, remastered with bonus tracks. Out of the Blue should follow later in the year.
June 1 , 2006
James Blunt Banned!
I usually do a pretty good job in keeping my mouth shut about music I hate. I don't like to spoil other people's enjoyment of tripe. We all have our guilty pleasures, and I'm no snob. But sometimes an artist is so overly ubiquitous, that I can't escape it, and I reach boiling point
I fucking hate James Blunt. His songs are scientifically calibrated to be devoid of any signs of passion, fun, wit, or intellect. It's music for people who don't like music. I am shocked and dismayed at how Back To Bedlam sold over seven million copies. Which means everyone who don't normally buy albums bought it. These people are sick and they need help.
At least one radio station had mercy and banned James Blunt from its playlist. At the Ivor Norvello songwriting awards ceremony last week, Blunt said: "To all those bastards who don't like my music - you're all adults, you can switch your radio off."
Now a radio station has gone one better by banishing him from the airwaves. Essex FM is responding to listeners who say they are sick of hearing Blunt's hits "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover" everywhere they go. "Quite often there will be popular artists that people are starting to grow weary of. This time, the number of specific comments about James Blunt were more than we have ever seen for one particular artist," Chris Cotton, the programme controller, said.
"It was quite staggering. People said, 'Can you get rid of him?' 'Can you ban him?' Even people who say they are fans of his songs go on to express that they're sick of it."
"We don't have anything against James Blunt and we're pleased he has been so successful, but we really need a break," said program controller Chris Cotton.
Asked if he ever got sick of his music, the former Household Cavalry officer said: "I don't have to listen to it. I'm the one who sings it. And it's continued to get me laid."
"While his songs have been very popular, there is a tremendous amount of industry pressure to play certain artists frequently. Often this can be out of step with the audience's tastes, which results in songs being overplayed.
"We're happy to stand up to this pressure and follow the strong message listeners have given us. We encourage other radio stations to take the same step."
I really hope this becomes a trend. Give us a break from James Blunt, for the love of god! And I have nothing against sensitive male singer-songwriters, if they're good. I like Rufus Wainwright, Patrick Wolf, Andrew Bird, Richard Hawley, Antony, Joseph Arthur, Andrew Morgan, Sam Prekop, Joe Henry, Benjamin Biolay and Nicolai Dunger. Maybe radio could kick Blunt and Daniel Powter to the curb for a bit and give these blokes a chance at fame.
By far my two favorites are Hawksley Workman and Ed Harcourt. They've shat turds with more talent and depth than James Blunt. Both are prolific, having released about ten albums between them since 2000. The Canadian Workman started out the strongest with his flambouyant debut, For Him And The Girls, showing varied influences like glam and Harry Nilsson. (Last Night We Were The) Delicious Wolves expanded his sound and strengths. While he's quite popular in Europe, Workman has been unable to get a grip on the U.S. His last two albums show him striving for mainstream success, and are not as strong as his first two. But any song randomly picked from his weaker albums would be far, far better than "You're Beautiful."
English songwriter Ed Harcourt just keeps getting better on every album. At 23 he already had a backlog of 300 songs. As he matures, his music only gets deeper and richer. Harcourt's new album, The Beautiful Lie, comes out on Monday in the UK. On first listen it might be his best yet.
May 2 , 2006
Never Mind the Pollacks & the Fast 'n' Bulbous Jacket
This book came out over two years ago and for some reason I ignored it. Probably because of all the snarky, dismissive reviews. But the other day I was reading Brendan Halpin's blog (author of Donorboy and Long Way Back) where he said it made him laugh, so I picked it up. I love this book! I guess the problem is you have to be a big enough music geek to catch all the jokes.
It's the story of the love-hate relationship between rock critic and academic blowhard Paul St. Pierre, and the "world's greatest rock critic," Neal Pollack. St. Pierre is a thinly veiled parody of Greil Marcus, author of Dead Elvis : Chronique d'une obsession culturelle, Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the 20th Century (where he emasculates punk by trying to elevate its meaning to the level of avant-garde French art movements like the Lettrists and Situationists), Mystery Train : Images of America in Rock-n-Rol, Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes, Like a Rolling Stone: Bob Dylan at the Crossroads, The Old, Weird America : The World of Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes, and Bob Dylan: The Band and the Basement Tapes. No joke, he really, really likes Dylan. And has a bizarre fetish for the "authenticity" of "old, weird America."
Pollack is an exaggerated version of Lester Bangs. He and Bangs actually meet in the book, which is pretty funny ("He took a great chug of cough syrup. 'I'm the King of Rock Critics!; Bangs said. 'No,' Pollack said. 'It is I!"). Pollack dies in 1994 a few days before Kurt Cobain, and St. Pierre gets to work on his biography. For his research, he travels to Memphis to interview Pollacks' friend Sam Phillips, to Woodstock to interview Dylan, to New York to interview Lou Reed, Detroit, and Bruce Springsteen in New Jersey. Here's an encounter with Dylan:
"Hey," he said, cryptically. "How've you been, Paul?"
"You remembered me!" I said
. "Of course. Man doesn't forget a guy who's written three books about him, now, does he?"
"Do you like me?" I said. "I mean my books? Do you like my books?"
"Yeah," he said, "They're pretty good. I see what you're getting at when you talk about me. Hey. Wanna hear a song I just wrote five minutes ago?"
'Oh, yes, Please," I said.
I thought to myself, Bob Dylan wants to be my friend!
We learn that young Norbert Pollackovitz was haunted by the first blues he heard, from Clambone Jefferson at Chicago's Maxwell Street Market in 1949 ("Sing it Clambone!" shouted an old woman. "You know ah will you sexy bitch," said the man). The rest of his life was spent chasing this muse and its meaning, becoming neighbors with Elvis Presley, who accidentally runs over his music-hating, racist father, wanders the southwest as a folk troubadour called "The Singin' Fishin' Cowboy," cockblocks Bob Dylan for Joan Baez's affections (only for Dylan to block him right back), becomes depraved drug buddies with Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, sleeps with St. Pierre's wife, and gets amnesia, finding himself roadying for Bruce Springsteen.
Throughout the book, Neal Pollack (the actual author) makes up several original lyrics of fictional songs by the fictional Clambone Jefferson and Pollack, Elvis, Dylan, Lou Reed, a George Clinton style alien named P. Amazing Frankenbooty, Springsteen and god knows who else (haven't quite finished it yet). Some are tedious but mostly hilarious.
*switch gears from literature to fashion*
I've been looking for a certain type of jacket for years and it just does not exist. So I thought, why not just design one, and pay a designer friend to make it?
This is kinda fun. Maybe I'll quit my job and be on "Project Runway"!
April 24, 2006
20 Albums Everyone Should Own But Probably Don't
I was inspired by a thread of similar name (I replaced "you" with "everyone") in the Audioholics forum. It interested me because while it used to be fun to make recommendations years ago because people appreciated them, I almost never bother anymore because everyone in the music discussion forums are know-it-alls like me now. There's a glut of information on the Internet and available mp3s, so even the most obscure albums are no secret. Audioholics is different than, say, I Love Music in that they are older, and generally spend more money on their gear than music. I reached a transition where I'm currently maxed out on space for CDs, and my 14 year-old Sony system and Infinity speakers died. I figured it was time to upgrade and enjoy all the music I have with a new sonic clarity. Audioholics provided an amazing wealth of information as I sought out the best gear for my budget. Aside from those who only use their systems to watch movies, there's a lot of music lovers on the site, but with far different tastes than the hipster boards. And it's refreshing.
They seem to have the strongest knowledge of classical, jazz, 70s prog and classic rock. Rather than argue against suggestions like a live Dave Matthews Band disc, I thought it would be fun to think of favorite albums that are less obvious than Bowie, Beatles, Van Morrison, Talking Heads, Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, Velvet Underground and The Clash, but more accessible than The Minutemen, Joy Division, Chico Science, Cedric Im Brooks and Pere Ubu. Here's what I came up with. Nothing I pick could possibly be universally loved. Otherwise they'd probably have actually sold more millions of copies. But any relatively open minded music lover should find much to admire here, and maybe something revelatory. I got the distinct feeling , however, that none of the people on the forum could care less what this weird Bulbous guy had to recommend, but it was a fun exercise regardless.
The Modern Lovers (Beserkley/Rhino) 72
Jonathan Richman was such a fan of the Velvet Underground, he practically stalked them, between Boston and NYC. Like the Velvets, Richman bristled against the conventional sounds of the time of meandering hippie psychedelia and pompous prog rock (not that I don't like a lot of that stuff myself). His songs were angry, terse, lovelorn, rejected drug culture and espoused the benefits of health food, driving fast on highways, and modern art. VU's John Cale recorded some demos, as did Kim Fowley, and after a couple attempts of recording, the results were shelved and not released until 1977, long after the band broke up and Richman disowned his darker songs and pursued a more child-like direction of novelty songs. A recent remaster with bonus cuts reveals the Modern Lovers as a cracking band, with keyboardist Jerry Harrison moving on to play in the Talking Heads, and David Robinson in The Cars.
The Congos * Heart Of The Congo (Blood & Fire) 77
It's ironic that Lee "Scratch" Perry's greatest achievement was the hardest to find for a while. For those of you who don't know, Perry has been involved with pretty much every phase of Jamaican music. He worked with Coxsone Dodd during the Soundsystem days and later at his Studio One label, finding talent and writing songs. He began recording his own songs, and worked with other producers like Joe Gibbs. His crack band The Upsetters were like a Jamaican MGs, and put out loads of Memphis Soul-influenced rock steady and early reggae tunes. He worked with Bob Marley and the Wailers, helping him develop his voice and transform from an unpolished rude boy to an icon synonymous with reggae. In fact, Marley's voice began to sound uncannily like Scratch's. He was one of the first inventors of dub music, and his early 70s productions earned him enough money to build his own studio, Black Ark, widely considered his peak era. Indeed, during Perry's Black Ark period, he was on fire, coaxing sounds into a little Teac four-track that others couldn't cram into sixteen tracks in productions with Junior Byles, Max Romeo, Heptones, Jah Lion, Junior Murvin, George Faith, and the Congos. "It was only four tracks written on the machine, but I was picking up twenty from the extra terrestrial squad. I am the