Hurple Hoopla

As If Anyone Cares... My Favorite Albums Of 2011

2011-12-22T22:03:00.002-06:00

1. The Black Keys - El Camino

This spot really was theirs to lose, this year. This album is what it sounds like when a band hits the height of popularity at the exact same moment that they reach the height of their abilities.

2. Wilco - The Whole Love (Deluxe Edition)

And I do specifically mean the Deluxe Version of this album. That edition contains a few bonus tracks that I think are essential to the overall feel of this album.

3. Tom Waits - Bad as Me

You can always rely on Tom Waits to put out a good album. This one, however, might be my favorite from him... ever.

4. Band of Heathens - Top Hat Crown & The Clapmaster's Son

I had never heard of these guys prior to this album. I won a copy from a local radio station. I also won tickets to see these guys perform at a local club, but couldn't make it. Still kicking myself over that. This album could be a love letter to New Orleans... And then comes the song about the Katrina disaster. Devastating. And the way the singers voices blend when singing about it can bring tears to your eyes.

5. Seasick Steve - You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

Another artist I was unfamiliar with until earlier this year. I read an article about this guy in a British music magazine and decided to check him out. I am very glad I did. Pure blues, played by a guy that truly deserves to be singing them. And dud can play the HELL out of his guitar, too.

6. Superheavy - Superheavy

A supergroup that actually deserves the title. This is some of the most interesting music made in 2011.

7. John Hiatt - Dirty Jeans And Mudslide Hymns

Welcome back Mr Hiatt. I missed you on those last few albums you released.

8. Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire

Welcome back Mr Adams. I missed you on those last few albums you released.

9. R.E.M. - Collapse Into Now

Welcome back R.E.M. I missed you on those last few albums you released.

10. Warren Haynes - Man In Motion

Great music from a great musician with a great pickup band. What more do you need?

Best historical release:

The Beach Boys - SMiLE

Oh. My. GOD!

Biggest Disappointment:

The Who - Quadrophenia (Deluxe Edition)

This could have and should have so much more than it was. From the only bonus tracks being Pete Townshend demos (with newly overdubbed drums) to only getting 7 songs on the DVD-A 5.1 mix supplemental disc, almost everything about this was 2nd rate compared to other "Deluxe Editions" released in 2011.

Speaking of which...

Special Mention:

Jethro Tull - Aqualung (40th Anniversary Edition)

If you are a fan of this band or this album GO BUY THIS NOW! The remixing / remastering is quite possibly the best ever done for a reissue, ever. Finally, this album sounds like it should. Listen especially to Clive Bunker's drums and how they now boom instead of thud. Amazing and revelatory!

Blame It On The Rain

2011-03-31T13:23:00.002-05:00

I wonder how long they'll continue to push their narrative until they start to understand that the public is no longer buying it? Fox Blames Weather For Weak Turnout At Tea Party Rally

Great Article at Daily Kos

2011-03-21T13:50:00.001-05:00

As I stand by in my support for the working people of Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, ant the rest, I present a link to a nice little article at the Daily Kos website.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/20/958123/-Never-forget-the-power-of-the-strike

If strike we must, strike we will. The only way to make the bigwigs listen is to hit them where it hurts the most... their pockets.

Dear Wisconsin

2011-03-09T19:23:00.003-06:00

I am sorry that today your state became a fascist dictatorship where democracy and liberty mean nothing and the will of the people is ignored.

http://crooksandliars.com/breaking-news/wisconsin-gop-senators-poised-ram-th

To the Wisconsin Rethuglicans: It's ON bitches!

The Speech

2011-03-07T09:06:00.004-06:00

Very good speech from Michael Moore, delivered on March 5 2011 in Madison Wisconsin. Go here to read how he wound up in Madison to deliver it.

The Smug Wealthy Have Gone Too Far -- And We're Finally Fighting
Back

America is not broke.

Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich.

Today just 400 Americans have the same wealth as half of all Americans combined.

Let me say that again. 400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer "bailout" of 2008, now have as much loot, stock and property as the assets of 155 million Americans combined. If you can't bring yourself to call that a financial coup d'état, then you are simply not being honest about what you know in your heart to be true.

And I can see why. For us to admit that we have let a small group of men abscond with and hoard the bulk of the wealth that runs our economy, would mean that we'd have to accept the humiliating acknowledgment that we have indeed surrendered our precious Democracy to the moneyed elite. Wall Street, the banks and the Fortune 500 now run this Republic -- and, until this past month, the rest of us have felt completely helpless, unable to find a way to do anything about it.

I have nothing more than a high school degree. But back when I was in school, every student had to take one semester of economics in order to graduate. And here's what I learned: Money doesn't grow on trees. It grows when we make things. It grows when we have good jobs with good wages that we use to buy the things we need and thus create more jobs. It grows when we provide an outstanding educational system that then grows a new generation of inventors, entrepreneurs, artists, scientists and thinkers who come up with the next great idea for the planet. And that new idea creates new jobs and that creates revenue for the state. But if those who have the most money don't pay their fair share of taxes, the state can't function. The schools can't produce the best and the brightest who will go on to create those jobs. If the wealthy get to keep most of their money, we have seen what they will do with it: recklessly gamble it on crazy Wall Street schemes and crash our economy. The crash they created cost us millions of jobs. That too caused a reduction in tax revenue. Everyone ended up suffering because of what the rich did.

The nation is not broke, my friends. Wisconsin is not broke. Saying that the country is broke is repeating a Big Lie. It's one of the three biggest lies of the decade: 1) America is broke, 2) Iraq has WMD, and 3) The Packers can't win the Super Bowl without Brett Favre.

The truth is, there's lots of money to go around. LOTS. It's just that those in charge have diverted that wealth into a deep well that sits on their well-guarded estates. They know they have committed crimes to make this happen and they know that someday you may want to see some of that money that used to be yours. So they have bought and paid for hundreds of politicians across the country to do their bidding for them. But just in case that doesn't work, they've got their gated communities, and the luxury jet is always fully fueled, the engines running, waiting for that day they hope never comes. To help prevent that day when the people demand their country back, the wealthy have done two very smart things:

1. They control the message. By owning most of the media they have expertly convinced many Americans of few means to buy their version of the American Dream and to vote for their politicians. Their version of the Dream says that you, too, might be rich some day -- this is America, where anything can happen if you just apply yourself! They have conveniently provided you with believable examples to show you how a poor boy can become a rich man, how the child of a single mother in Hawaii can become president, how a guy with a high school education can become a successful filmmaker. They will play these stories for you over and over again all day long so that the last thing you will want to do is upset the apple cart -- because you -- yes, you, too! -- might be rich/president/an Oscar-winner some day! The message is clear: keep you head down, your nose to the grindstone, don't rock the boat and be sure to vote for the party that protects the rich man that you might be some day.

2. They have created a poison pill that they know you will never want to take. It is their version of mutually assured destruction. And when they threatened to release this weapon of mass economic annihilation in September of 2008, we blinked. As the economy and the stock market went into a tailspin, and the banks were caught conducting a worldwide Ponzi scheme, Wall Street issued this threat: Either hand over trillions of dollars from the American taxpayers or we will crash this economy straight into the ground. Fork it over or it's Goodbye savings accounts. Goodbye pensions. Goodbye United States Treasury. Goodbye jobs and homes and future. It was friggin' awesome and it scared the shit out of everyone. "Here! Take our money! We don't care. We'll even print more for you! Just take it! But, please, leave our lives alone, PLEASE!"

The executives in the board rooms and hedge funds could not contain their laughter, their glee, and within three months they were writing each other huge bonus checks and marveling at how perfectly they had played a nation full of suckers. Millions lost their jobs anyway, and millions lost their homes. But there was no revolt (see #1).
Until now. On Wisconsin! Never has a Michigander been more happy to share a big, great lake with you! You have aroused the sleeping giant known as the working people of the United States of America. Right now the earth is shaking and the ground is shifting under the feet of those who are in charge. Your message has inspired people in all 50 states and that message is: WE HAVE HAD IT! We reject anyone who tells us America is broke and broken. It's just the opposite! We are rich with talent and ideas and hard work and, yes, love. Love and compassion toward those who have, through no fault of their own, ended up as the least among us. But they still crave what we all crave: Our country back! Our democracy back! Our good name back! The United States of America. NOT the Corporate States of America. The United States of America!

So how do we make this happen? Well, we do it with a little bit of Egypt here, a little bit of Madison there. And let us pause for a moment and remember that it was a poor man with a fruit stand in Tunisia who gave his life so that the world might focus its attention on how a government run by billionaires for billionaires is an affront to freedom and morality and humanity.

Thank you, Wisconsin. You have made people realize this was our last best chance to grab the final thread of what was left of who we are as Americans. For three weeks you have stood in the cold, slept on the floor, skipped out of town to Illinois -- whatever it took, you have done it, and one thing is for certain: Madison is only the beginning. The smug rich have overplayed their hand. They couldn't have just been content with the money they raided from the treasury. They couldn't be satiated by simply removing millions of jobs and shipping them overseas to exploit the poor elsewhere. No, they had to have more -- something more than all the riches in the world. They had to have our soul. They had to strip us of our dignity. They had to shut us up and shut us down so that we could not even sit at a table with them and bargain about simple things like classroom size or bulletproof vests for everyone on the police force or letting a pilot just get a few extra hours sleep so he or she can do their job -- their $19,000 a year job. That's how much some rookie pilots on commuter airlines make, maybe even the rookie pilot who flew me here to Madison today. He told me he's stopped hoping for a pay increase. All he's asking for now is enough down time so that he doesn't have to sleep in his car between shifts at O'Hare airport. That's how despicably low we have sunk! The wealthy couldn't be content with just paying this man $19,000 a year. They had to take away his sleep. They had to demean him and dehumanize him and rub his face in it. After all, he's just another slob, isn't he?

And that, my friends, is Corporate America's fatal mistake. But trying to destroy us they have given birth to a movement -- a movement that is becoming a massive, nonviolent revolt across the country. We all knew there had to be a breaking point some day, and that point is upon us. Many people in the media don't understand this. They say they were caught off guard about Egypt, never saw it coming. Now they act surprised and flummoxed about why so many hundreds of thousands have come to Madison over the last three weeks during brutal winter weather. "Why are they all standing out there in the cold?" I mean, there was that election in November and that was supposed to be that!

"There's something happening here, and you don't know what it is, do you ...?"
America ain't broke! The only thing that's broke is the moral compass of the rulers. And we aim to fix that compass and steer the ship ourselves from now on. Never forget, as long as that Constitution of ours still stands, it's one person, one vote, and it's the thing the rich hate most about America -- because even though they seem to hold all the money and all the cards, they begrudgingly know this one unshakeable basic fact: There are more of us than there are of them!

Madison, do not retreat. We are with you. We will win together.

Great Editorial

2011-03-06T11:19:00.001-06:00

I don't know who this guy is or where this was originally published. I found it on Democratic Underground and liked it so much that I wanted to pass it along.

WE TOOK CARE OF YOU TODAY, REPUBLICANS.

Your 'Right-to-work' son, who put in a 70-hour work week but was still classified as a part-time worker and who might lose his low wage job because he missed a day of work, or simply because the Chinese will work for less than he will no matter what his employer can afford pay him... we made sure he at least had the opportunity to stand up to the man getting rich from his daily toils.

We also cared for your youngest kid still in school - the shy one who was afraid to tell his teacher he didn't have a pencil, again, or didn't have lunch money, again, and who scored great on today's pop-quiz thanks to one dedicated teacher amongst all of the countless of other dedicated teachers you want to crucify in the name of 'patriotism' and 'laissez-faire capitalism' - we took care of him and got him through the day, too.

Your elderly dad, who put off going to the doctor time and time again because he had no health insurance, and now has to deal with a raging infection that almost killed him?

We took care of him, today, also.

Your twenty-something pregnant daughter who douched with cleaning fluid trying to terminate her pregnancy because she was afraid to ask you for help and afraid of what you would say... she and all the other countless sons and daughters whom you'd like to dispose of like yesterday's trash: we took care of all of them.

The one demand we made after making one sacrifice after another, one concession following another - for the good of the nation or the sake of our community - the right to simply have a seat at the table when decisions about OUR lives and OUR livlihoods were being made - that was just too much to ask for, that was too 'greedy,' that was a step 'over the line'.

It was a step over a line which you drew, Republicans - a line you drew because, even though we were there for you, today, you weren't there for us.

Del Wasso,
Rockford Coffee Party

The Battle For Wisconsin

2011-02-27T21:07:00.003-06:00

The big dogs are off the porch. I hope the Koch Brothers are scared. They should be. This should be good.

I hope this ends with them getting frogmarched straight to prison. And, Scott Walker, too.

It has come to our attention that the brothers, David and Charles Koch--the billionaire owners of Koch Industries--have long attempted to usurp American Democracy. Their actions to undermine the legitimate political process in Wisconsin are the final straw. Starting today we fight back.
Koch Industries, and oligarchs like them, have most recently started to manipulate the political agenda in Wisconsin. Governor Walker's union-busting budget plan contains a clause that went nearly un-noticed. This clause would allow the sale of publicly owned utility plants in Wisconsin to private parties (specifically, Koch Industries) at any price, no matter how low, without a public bidding process. The Koch's have helped to fuel the unrest in Wisconsin and the drive behind the bill to eliminate the collective bargaining power of unions in a bid to gain a monopoly over the state's power supplies.
The Koch brothers have made a science of fabricating 'grassroots' organizations and advertising campaigns to support them in an attempt to sway voters based on their falsehoods. Americans for Prosperity, Club for Growth and Citizens United are just a few of these organizations. In a world where corporate money has become the lifeblood of political influence, the labor unions are one of the few ways citizens have to fight against corporate greed. Anonymous cannot ignore the plight of the citizen-workers of Wisconsin, or the opportunity to fight for the people in America's broken political system. For these reasons, we feel that the Koch brothers threaten the United States democratic system and, by extension, all freedom-loving individuals everywhere. As such, we have no choice but to spread the word of the Koch brothers' political manipulation, their single-minded intent and the insidious truth of their actions in Wisconsin, for all to witness.
Anonymous hears the voice of the downtrodden American people, whose rights and liberties are being systematically removed one by one, even when their own government refuses to listen or worse - is complicit in these attacks. We are actively seeking vulnerabilities, but in the mean time we are calling for all supporters of true Democracy, and Freedom of The People, to boycott all Koch Industries' paper products. We welcome unions across the globe to join us in this boycott to show that you will not allow big business to dictate your freedom.
U.S. Product Boycott List
Vanity Fair
Quilted Northern
Angel Soft
Sparkle
Brawny
Mardi Gras
Dixie

European Product Boycott List
Demak'Up
Kitten Soft
Lotus / Lotus Soft
Tenderly
Nouvelle Soft
Okay Ktchen Towels
Colhogar
Delica
Inversoft
Tutto
To identify these brands, please look for the following logo anywhere on the packaging:

Anonymous.

We are Legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
Expect us.

War On The American Worker

2011-02-22T21:30:00.007-06:00

I have to say that I have been watching what is happening in Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio with a mixture of pride and fright. I am so proud of my fellow American workers for standing up to be heard when it seems that nobody wants to listen. I am so proud that they are standing up to fight for their rights and freedoms in an age when it seems all those rights are being chipped away piece by piece. These are rights that were fought for, hard fought for. Just as people died to ensure the freedom in America, people died to ensure the rights being fought for in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana… The right of collective bargaining, the right to Unionize, the right of a 40 hour workweek, the right to have health benefits, the right to receive overtime pay, the right to earn a minimum wage. Don’t be fooled, don’t be lied to, these rights were ought for, these rights were bled for. People DIED to ensure those rights for the American worker. Those people were honorable, brave patriots, just as patriotic as the most loyal American soldier.

(Teamsters vs police 1934, Chicago)

However, I am frightened, because it looks like the people in charge could not care less. In Ohio, the legislature seems to have locked itself away to do its business without. In Wisconsin, the Governor has said that the legislature will just wait for the protests to end and go on about its business of stripping away the rights of the workers. How dictatorial. Have they no shame? Have they no conscious? Do they live in houses with no mirrors? Or, if their houses have mirrors, how can they stand to look at themselves in them? These people who are demonstrating are human beings. They are mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, grandchildren, and, even more importantly… they are Americans! And they have every right to live and work and earn a living wage for their labor as any other human on the planet. How can anyone truly say they love their country and then strip away the livelihood of other Americans? They are not Patriots, they are not Americans, they are not even humans. They are Daleks. They want to subjugate and dominate their fellows and decimate all those who are different, through whatever means necessary; meaning economically and politically.

(Lawrence textile Strike 1912, Mass.)

Welcome to the American Oligarchy. Welcome to the America where the corporations control the legislatures. An America where the corporations (or the billionaires like the Koch Brothers) tell the legislatures, “kill the unions” and the legislatures do everything in their power to bend over and comply. And, as it seems to be building to in Ohio and Wisconsin, sometimes the legislature will even do things outside its power to get the job done. I fear that the situation in Wisconsin is building to the state legislature ramming the Governor’s bill through illegally, and daring anybody to stop them. Of course, it will then go to the SCOTUS, but as Citizens United proved, that is also a body that is now bought and sold by the corporations and billionaires, too.

As I said, I fear demonstrations won’t do the job. Not alone. Revolution? No. Nobody wants that. What we need, though, I believe, is a clear and ample demonstration of how powerful worker organizing can be. I think every union member, in every union, in every state in the country needs to strike. Immediately. Nationwide. And they should make it clear why they are doing so, and make it clear that they will continue to strike until all the states’ unreasonable demands are off the table. In addition, workforces that are not unionized should become so, as fast as possible. Computer Programmers, unionize. Wal Mart employees, unionize. McDonald’s employees, unionize. It will be painful, it will take sacrifice, it might take blood, but just as it takes sacrifice, blood and tears to keep this country free, it takes the same to guarantee your rights. The right to organize. The right to earn a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. The right to healthcare. The right to be heard. These are the rights that the American workforce is currently guaranteed. These are the rights that are being slowly destroyed. These are the rights that American PATRIOTS fought, bled and died for. How can anybody forget that? Do these people think that these rights just materialized out of thin air out of the goodness of the corporations’ hearts? “Oh, they gave us a 40 hour workweek and vacation time and got rid of the child labor laws because they love us.”

I would suggest the current situation, and what is asked of working class and middle class Americans versus what is asked of the ultra-wealthy or the corporations, is absolute proof that is an utter fallacy.

As the news trickles out, it is becoming more and more apparent that the Koch Brothers are at the root of this current anti-American-worker movement. It looks like it is their money that catapulted the issue into the state legislatures, and their pockets that will be seeing the most benefit from this Anti-American-worker movement. It would be delightful if Wikileaks or the hacker group Anonymous could do their work on these guys. I would love to see the emails that flew back and forth from them to Scott Walker, or to other Wisconsin Republicans. I wonder just how incriminating they would be, and how many years all involved would get themselves locked up as a result.

Perhaps all the protests and demonstrations are taking place against the incorrect target. Perhaps there should be protests against the ultra-wealthy, starting with the Koch Brothers. I wonder how they would react if those 70,000 working class citizens that are encamped in Wisconsin showed up on their front lawns, wherever that may be, and encamped there for a few weeks… or months. That would be a beautiful sight. Then, it could be followed by demonstrating against the Walton (Wal Mart) family. Then Rupert Murdoch. Etc, etc, etc…

With this situation, The Koch brothers, and their lapdog Scott Walker, sent a shot across the bow of the American working class with the attempted legislative changes in Wisconsin. A few other governors, probably also Koch lapdogs, have followed suit. In all those places the American public have stood up and taken notice. They have declared war on the American working and middle class with these actions. If they want war, they should have it. Protest, peacefully, protest, protest, protest, every place, every time, stand up and stay up, do NOT let them push you back down. Protest the state legislatures that are attempting to pass these horrible bills. Protest Scott Walker at home, at work, and everywhere he attempts to go. Do not let him have a moment of peace where he cannot hear the protest chants. Do the same with the Koch Brothers. Do the same with Fox News. Do the same to anybody that dares to push the working class down. Throughout this economic downturn the working class and the middle class have been asked to sacrifice over and over, and they have. But, what have the Koch brothers sacrificed? What have they offered other than misery for the typical American? What are they if they are not Un-American Oligarchs?

I keep hearing that the reason we’re having an economic crisis in this country is because all the jobs have moved overseas. That is true. I keep hearing that the reason all the jobs have moved overseas is because of American Labor Unions. That is also true. In a sense. In the same sense that Luke Skywalker’s father was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader. The reason the jobs moved overseas is because the workers overseas can be paid 30 cents an hour. Make no mistake, if the Koch Brothers (or the Walton family) could pay their American employees 30 cents an hour, they would. The reason they cannot is because of the Unions, and collective bargaining. People fought and literally DIED to make sure they had to pay Americans a decent wage. The problem is not that the Unions forced a better wage, but that the foreign countries do not have unions! Absolutely do not for one second think that this current movement among state legislatures is anything less than an attempt to completely dismantle everything the American Labor Unions have achieved for the American worker. If the bill in Wisconsin passes, then in the near future you can say goodbye to a living wage, say goodbye to a 40 hour workweek (if you haven’t lost that one already), and say goodbye to child labor laws. For a start.

(Great Railroad Strike of 1877, Baltimore)

How can anybody think that anyone speaking out AGAINST the unions are patriotic? The patriots are the ones out in the cold chanting, fighting for their livelihood. As I write this I am listening to excerpts of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck speak out against these thousands of hard working Americans. They are pigs. Unpatriotic, Un-American asshats. Why do they hate America? Why do they hate the American worker? Why do they want the American worker to be reduced to the same level of a Chinese sweat-shop slave?

Because standing against those people is exactly that.

But, the saddest thing about the whole situation is that in the 1970's, I remember seeing signs like this all over the country, in almost every store I walked into:

Favorites of 2010

2010-12-12T10:54:00.005-06:00

Here it is, my annual favorite albums list for 2010. These are in no particular order.

Jason & The Scorchers – Halcyon Times

Yes, with this album making the list, I am probably showing my bias. Still, I am a Tennessee-born, Nashville (the town) loving rocker, and so I have to love these guys. I think it’s a law or something. When I first found out about this album, and the circumstances surrounding it, I was nervous. “There’s no way these guys can make anything as good as they did way back when,” was what I thought… “and without two of the founding members? Pah!” Boy, was I wrong. This is easily Jason and Warner’s best collection of songs since Lost & Found, and the new lineup is an amazing rock ‘n’ roll outfit. Plus, Perry Baggz IS on the album, just not playing drums. I hope this is not the last we hear from these guys. Welcome back, please don’t go away again.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Mojo

Live in the studio = Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers at their best. The songs are all good, too.

Elvis Costello - National Ransom

A special message to all those who had given up on Elvis Costello and his music as has-been material: You are all idiots.

Neil Young - Le Noise

Neil Young, an electric guitar, and an attitude. That’s all that’s on this album. That’s all it needs. Thank god for Neil Young.

John Mellencamp - No Better Than This

The sounds of a man travelling through time to his vision of the most important musical achievements of the 20^th century. Read about the lengths Mellencamp went to in order to make this album, and be amazed. Then, listen to it and you will realize that he didn’t just recreate a mood, he made music that would have fit in perfectly. An amazing accomplishment. This album, and the one before it “Life, Death, Love, Murder” are career highs for Mellencamp. He’s never made better music.

The Black Keys - Brothers

I discovered this band with this album. Well, this is the first album I listened to from them, anyway. I actually discovered them while visiting my family in Tennessee over the summer. I walked down into the basement where my brother was watching a live DVD from the band and liked what little I saw of that enough to check out this album. It’s just all-around good stuff.

Los Lobos - Tin Can Trust

To me, just about anything this band records will make this list. This album is no different. Just an all-around great band making great music.

Southern Culture On The Skids - Kudzu Ranch

This is, I think the most fun SCOTS have been for an entire album. And that’s why you listen to SCOTS, to have fun.

Carolina Chocolate Drops - Genuine Negro Jig

I don’t remember how I discovered these guys. But, I am glad I did. This is the most honest, heartfelt and real “old time” music being made today. And the subtext of an all-African-American band playing these songs, and reclaiming the heritage of the origins of this type of music strikes a much needed social message. I can’t wait for their next album, and the one after that… And the one after that…

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

I have never seen a crowd pogo to folk music, until I witnessed this band’s performance at Bonnaroo this past summer*. Powerful songs performed by a powerful band. Plus, I am amazed at how well this album has done on the charts. It’s always nice to see a deserving artist get the recognition they deserve.

Honorable Mentions:

The Avett Brothers - Live, Volume 3

Richard Thompson - Dream Attic

The Black Crowes - Croweology

Plus, here’s my favorite reissues of the past year:

Bob Dylan - Witmark Demos

What a pleasure to hear Dylan in all his early ragged glory.

The Promise – Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen’s cast-offs are better than most people’s major statements. Amazing.

The Who - Live At Leeds (Super Deluxe Edition)

Whenever a new prime-period Who concert surfaces it’s a revelation. After hearing the Leeds and the following night’s Hull shows back to back, I have to ask, “how could anybody play in a band in front of Keith Moon?”

Live At Hollywood High – Elvis Costello

Prime period Elvis Costello, pissed off at the world and naming names. Post-punk in all it’s glory.

On The Rural Route 7609 – John Mellencamp

Everything here is great… except the price.

The John Lennon Signature Box

I wrote all about this here

The Badfinger Remasters (Magic Christian Music, No Dice, Straight Up, Ass)

The most tragic story in rock ‘n’ roll history has got to be the story of this band. Here, though, are the Apple albums in all their Beatle-esque glory. Badfinger were a great band, and there’s more great music on these 4 discs than just about any other 4 disc collection that you could name. And, No Dice and Straight Up are two of the greatest albums in rock history. The sonics have been greatly improved from the 90’s CD releases of these albums, and so have the bonus tracks.

Done!

2010-12-07T07:05:00.002-06:00

That is it! I am done!

Obama breaks another promise; rich will get their tax breaks

This is ridiculous! I mean if I had wanted republican policies from the President, I would have voted for the republican! And so would have everybody else!

I give up. I am through offering support to this White House. If they can't stand up for this, then they have no backbone at all. I will not vote for Barak Obama again. If the only choices are him and a republican, I'll stay home.

Deluxe Edition

2010-12-05T01:08:00.003-06:00

So, what’s with the recent trend with such horrible quality archival releases on CD recently?

Let me explain the question. Over the past few weeks I’ve gotten the following archival “Deluxe Edition” CDs, with a short explanation of what’s “bad” about them.

Paul McCartney & Wings – Band on the Run – While the bonus tracks are nice, there’s only 9, 5 of which have been previously released (and the other 4 have Linda mixed loud enough to hear her off-key warbling, so that’s not good either). But it’s being released as a 2 CD set, and a “Deluxe” set at that, even though all 18 songs will fit on one disc and still leave over 5 minutes of room. I mean, if you have the space… USE it! Or don’t. Just don’t waste a second disc when everything fits on one. Oh, and they really frakked the edit between “No Words” and “Picasso’s Last Words.” I mean, wow, what was a nice seamless edit is suddenly horribly… off. Do they not have quality control anymore? Did nobody listen to the album before marking it “fini?”

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Damn The Torpedos – Same problem as the McCartney set. Good bonus material, but only a few items we’ve not heard before, and definitely not enough to use up a second disc. I’ve not listened to this one yet, but I bet it suffers from loudness issues (the McCartney did too) just from knowing what Petty thinks about the issue from interviews with him over the past few years. The CD will be mixed too loud, but the Blu-Ray version will be mixed “Audiophile.” OK, I’ve lestened to some of it now. It is mixed loud… and it also has some bad edits between tracks. What the…? Are they not getting people to check the tracking on these things before marking the project complete? What’s happening is that the mark between tracks is off, so that the previous song is not completely faded out before the player jumps to the next track..

The Monkees – Head – This is a Rhino Handmade, which means very limited edition, and expensive. This is the one that probably ticks me off the most. 3 discs, $60. One of the discs wasted on a 1968 radio interview with Davy Jones. That’s fine for a freebie bonus disc, but making me pay $20 for it as part of the set? Pah! Then there’s the fact that it’s Davy… the least interesting of the 4 guys. Ha! But, there’s also an issue with the extra cuts. We get the original album in stereo, and mono, then an “alternate version” of the album in stereo, and an “alternate mix” of the album in mono. That’s pretty much it. The only other extra is the “concert” that was filmed for the “Circle Sky” performance in the movie. That’s just 3 songs and the filmmakers getting specific reaction shots. Do we need 15 minutes of, audio only, a guy saying, “now let’s have everybody scream!” or, “Now, just this section, scream!”

Richard & Linda Thompson – Shoot Out The Lights – Another Rhino Handmade, this one just 2-disc and $40. Here’s my complaints about it. Disc 1 contains the original album, and nothing more. The original album is only 38 minutes long. And, every previous CD release of the album has had a bonus cut, “Living In Luxury,” that is not on the “Deluxe Edition,” at all, even on the 2^nd disc. The 2^nd disc is a 1982 live concert from Richard & Linda Thompson, one of the last they ever did together, before their divorce. So that’s nice to have and all, but where’s the missing song? ARGH!

Which reminds me, I have similar complaints with the recent Badfinger reissues. It’s nice to have them sounding better, and the new bonus tracks are great… But, they are completely different bonus tracks from the original CD releases of the albums, and those old bonus cuts are nowhere to be found in the new slate of reissues.

Okay. I am done whining now.

Fools Must Die

2010-10-15T17:06:00.004-05:00

I think somebody was having a bad day.

The Pretenders

Fools Must Die

fools must die
so it shall be
take your place
in history
show your face
don't be shy
the world rejoices
when fools die

they die, they must die
they die, they must die
everybody gather round
watch them falling to
the ground

fools must die
so it shall pass
bow your head
raise your glass
don't ask when
don't ask why
ask for mercy
cause fools die

they die, they must die
they die, they must die
everybody gather round
watch them stumble to
the ground

fools must die
one by one
indulge yourself
as i have done
as you are now
so once was i
prepare for death
cause fools must die

they die they must die
they die they must die
everybody gather round
watch them falling
to the ground.

Hear (some of) the song here:

Fools Must Die by The Pretenders

More The Pretenders music on iLike

Or, here's a low-rent way to hear the whole song.

Lennon

2010-10-12T23:29:00.003-05:00

As with the 2009 Beatles reissued CDs, I had to bust my budget and go out and get the recent John Lennon Signature Box. This will be the 3^rd time I have bought some of those CDs. But, not all of them. Thank goodness. The thing about this particular slate of CD releases is that this was supposed to be the first time the original 70’s mixes of these albums would be on CD. So, I broke down and bought the full package. After all, it comes with neato-keano box! I didn’t buy the single-disc “best of,” I figured I could put together my own CD off the regular CDs. And I have. I also didn’t buy the 4-disc set, even though it had a track or two exclusive to it, because I don’t care about those tracks. At all.

Also, supposedly, this new batch of John Lennon reissue CDs was remastered by the same team that did the Beatles remastering of 2009. Well, if it was, they sure didn’t take the same care with the John Lennon solo stuff. (Probably because they had to get to the McCartney solo stuff, and then the Harrison stuff, and then the Ringo stuff… bleh) That’s all I’ll say about that. No, it’s not a bad remastering job, just not as good. But, that Beatles set would be hard to beat, so no serious complaints there.

But, yes, I do have some complaints.

The first, and main one, is that, gah, those 70’s mixes are horrendous! I forgot just how horrid most of Lennon’s 70’s output sounded. Put me down in the column marked “prefers the 2000 remixes,” because I do. Wow. I mean, really? This is quite a step down from George Martin and Geoff Emerick. These things sound like amateur hour productions compared to the Beatles releases. And Paul’s solo releases. And then, there’s the post-Imagine albums. Holy… What the hell happened to Lennon’s ability to write a decent song? It’s like he moved to New York, stumbled into a studio where Elephant’s Memory happened to be recording, and then forgot how to write. That craptacular Some Time In New York City album has got to be in the running, along with CCR’s Mardi Gras, for worst album by a major-label act, ever! As for disc 2 of that album… Can someone just muzzle Yoko, already? Please?

Things get a little better on Mind Games, but, that’s where the over-indulgent excess 70’s period starts to kick in. That’s when Lennon moved out to LA and started living the wild Rock Star life with Keith Moon, Harry Nilsson, David Bowie and the rest. And. It. Shows. Walls And Bridges is even worse. These were recorded at a time, and in an atmosphere, when the studios were allowing the big stars to do anything and everything they wanted. No whim was denied. If Keith Moon wanted to rent a studio for 9 months to throw a 24-hour party, and maybe even record a solo album, even though he couldn't sing (at all) then, hey, that's cool. That's the atmosphere in which those last two albums were recorded. And if it weren’t for one good cover (Stand By Me), then Rock ‘n’ Roll would be in contention with Some Time In New York City for Lennon’s worst album.

Now, for complaint number 2. Why not throw us fans that shelled out enough for a second mortgage on our homes to buy the full-catalog box set and give us the new 2-disc version of Double Fantasy? Are you guys really going to hit us up for another $12.99 to get that? So, then, we’ll have 2 copies of the original mix of that album, and one copy of the new remix. Bite me! I am not going to buy the new mix. I’ll get it somewhere else, like borrow from a friend who did buy it and rip it to a CDR. And, you can blow me if you don’t like it greedy Japanese woman.

And, finally, I reach complaint number 3. The box, itself. It’s friggin’ HUGE! The CDs, themselves, take up a little bitty teensy slot in the middle of the thing, about the size of the Beatles Mono box. But, the entire box is the size of a small tractor. Okay, that’s over-doing it a bit, but the box is about 4 times larger than it needs to be. The rest of the room, that’s not taken up by the little CDs, if filled with foam rubber. Yeah, that’s cool that the box will probably protect the CDs if I happen to accidentally drop them off the roof of the Empire State Building, but… c’mon! Some of us have limited room and want what room we have filled with CDs, not giant foam rubber filled cardboard boxes, even if that foam rubber contains a tiny oasis of John Lennon.

Anyway, besides all that, Plastic Ono Band and Imagine are still amazing albums, two of the best ever recorded. And together, Double Fantasy and Milk And Honey are one good album. Guess which half isn’t good. So, not a major loss, I guess, well, except for shelf space. Or my wallet.

Southern Culture On The Skids - The Kudzu Ranch

2010-09-29T23:20:00.002-05:00

Sometimes a band releases an album that is just so quintessentially them that it becomes a defining statement. Such is The Kudzu Ranch for longtime southern kitsch kings Southern Culture On The Skids. Everything you could ever want while listening to SCOTS is here, the goofy tongue-in-cheek lyrics, the shredding guitar and good ole’ boy vocal stylings of Rick Miller, the thundering bass and gorgeous vocals of Mary Huff, and the swinging-est rock drums south of the Mason-Dixon Line from Dave Hartman. Sprinkle that with some surf instrumental, back porch goodtime country and add a dash of psychedelia and you get the definitive Southern kitsch album. The songs in this collection range from one about a drought, to one decrying how busy the road neighboring the studio is getting, to one praising “bad boys,” to one about a proselytizing neighbor who likes to burn trash so much she will “burn anything that can’t run away.” That’s the mixed-up, crazy world of Southern Culture on the Skids in all its pink flamingo, pickup truck (with gun rack), backyard BBQ goodness.

The only bad thing I can say about this CD is that it’s hard to find. But, luckily, you can get it straight from the Kudzu Ranch, itself, here.

You won’t regret it.

My 2010 Bonnaroo Adventure - Part 4

2010-08-19T20:15:00.006-05:00

I can tell by all the feedback that I’ve gotten that everyone has been waiting with bated breath for Part 4, so here it is, with all the attention and time taken that I feel it’s worth based on the hit count and feedback the previous three reports have generated.

We got up on Sunday, went to my parent’s, as had become our routine, to empty out the previous day’s refuse and clean up.

We got back to our campsite, packed a few things up, then hiked over to The Other Tent to see Canadian Ragweed. They were pretty good.

Then we went to see John Fogerty. The crowd started rather small, I thought, for a living legend of his status. I mean, he’s on the same level as Dylan or McCartney (and in my mind FAR FAR above Stevie Wonder) and here he was on a Sunday afternoon (not even headlining the day) playing to a ¼ full field. Bleh. It was nice to see the group of 5 or 6 guys, who wandered up about 15 minutes prior to Fogerty’s start time, get excited by, as one of them put it to all the others, “I can’t believe we found a spot this close for John FUCKING Fogerty!!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!!”

How old is he now? 70? Thereabouts? Couldn’t tell by watching him. He put on a more energetic show than most of the new, young bands we’d seen over the weekend. I do bet, however, that about 30 minutes into his set he started wishing his trademark was something other than a long-sleeved flannel shirt. Heh.

It was also fun watching the kids who wandered over without knowing who John Fogerty was. You could see the recognition dawning as Fogerty pulled out classic after classic, from CCR, his eighties comeback, and his nineties renaissance. Three decades, three separate and distinct series of hits. All amazingly wonderfully Fogerty. I am glad I finally got to see him live. I feel an important milestone has been passed in the phases of my life. Fogerty is one of the gods in my rock pantheon, and for that hour and a half, I was worshipping at his feet. And loving every minute of it.

But, if I ever see the guy with the stinking blow-up parrot that he kept waving around in front of me, happening to get it in the way of pretty much EVERY picture I took of Fogerty, I’ll kill him. Slowly. Painfully. Painful for him, not me.

I must have about 50 pictures ruined by that stupid inflatable parrot.

Then we went and packed up all our stuff. Unfortunately, between 2 hours of sitting in the over 100 degree Tennessee sun, and the adrenal rush of seeing (and dancing to) Fogerty, and the exertion of packing everything up, left us exhausted so we decided to skip the rest and just leave. Who wants to see Dave Matthews, anyway? We certainly cared not the least. Just about the only performer more dull and lifeless than Dave Matthews is James Taylor. Hell, I think I’d rather see even Barry Manilow than Dave Matthews. Okay, maybe not…

So, anyway, we left, went to my parent’s, got another shower, then went out to eat some real food instead of the concession stand crap we’d been having all weekend.

That’s it. If I decide to go through with it and write part 5, that will be the epilogue and fallout of the trip. And, trust me, all that is FAR more entertaining and funnier than anything that happened on the trip. Whether I feel up to it, though, is up to how much traffic, comments, etc, that my blog generates in the coming days/weeks. It’s tough to get motivated to write this stuff when no matter how much time and effort I pour into it, the most I’ve ever gotten is 20 hits in a week (and that was from reposting a Beatles bootleg story from Rolling Stone Magazine’s website.) Mainly, these days, I just write when I have something I want to talk to somebody about, but have nobody that wants to talk to me about it.

New Guitar

2010-08-10T23:01:00.002-05:00

I got a new guitar today.

A "limited edition" Danelectro Dead-On '67 Hornet. It sounds exquisite!

Alicia's First Video!

2010-08-10T22:39:00.002-05:00

So, I have a degree in Video Production... Fat lotta good it's doing me. Now my youngest daughter is showing me up. Bigtime. She entered a contest where she had to make a short video for a song from the newest Disney band, Allstar Weekend. Now, keep in mind she just turned 12, she shot ALL the footage herself, with her new cellphone, and she edited it all together all by herself, with no help from me or anybody else.

She did an incredible job! In fact, there's a few edits that she employs in the video that impressed me, so I asked her about them, and whether they were done on purpose... "Um, what? I didn't mean to do that," was her response. That's my kid!

The video is here

Share and Enjoy! And vote... and reload and vote again! And again! And again! And again!

Bonnaroo 2010 Map

2010-08-01T00:24:00.004-05:00

Here's a quick reference that I drew up on an arial photo of the 2010 Bonnaroo site, so when I mention Guest Camping, Guest Hospitality or the stage names, you can get a general idea of where we were. (Click on the photo to enlarge it)

My 2010 Bonnaroo Adventure - Part 3

2010-07-31T23:47:00.008-05:00

No hippies were injured in the writing of this report. However, three emus, a humpback whale, and a chickpee weren’t quite so lucky.

We woke up on Saturday at 9 a.m. when the tent again heated up to the approximate same temperature that you use to cook a frozen pizza in a toaster oven. Hmmmm, that would be a good experiment for next year, if I get to go again. I’ll plop a frozen pizza down in the tent and see how long it takes to cook.

So, we got up, got ready, and, again, left the grounds and went to my parent’s house for the morning S’s and breakfast. The best part of this is that, with one exception mid-day Friday when I just *had* to do a poo, we’d been able to hold our bodies together enough that it was timed just right that we could expel our refuse each morning at the house and not need another break until the next visit to the house. Well, mostly. I think my lovely wife had to stop at the Guest Hospitality portables once Friday night.

And, that is an important part of Bonnaroo, finding any way possible to avoid using the portable facilities. Those things can scar you for life.

Our plans for Saturday were to first catch Conan O’Brien in the comedy tent. Yeah, right. We got back to the site and walked the few yards that separated our campsite from the comedy tent (eat that, General pass holders!) and found a line that stretched on seemingly forever. We walked around a little, then noticed there was a *second* line, leading to another entrance that was just as bad. Uh-oh that didn’t look good. I stopped and asked one hippie-dude in line what was up and he said it was the line for ticketholders to get in. Ticketholders? What? Oh, they had people lining up at 8 in the morning, so they gave everyone who came by a little placard with a number on it. The guy I was talking to was number 2518. Okay, so no way we’d be getting in to see Conan’s show. (Unfortunate, too, because we heard the finale from our campsite, later in the day, and heard Jack White doing “Seven Nation Army!” Damn! Damn!! Damn!!!

Oh well, instead we went over to the What Stage and caught Big Sam’s Funky Nation. Our neighbor campers turned out to be that act’s booking agent and his, um, wife, girlfriend, something. I know he told us, but I forgot. They were nice people and we’d said if we got the chance, we’d go see the show. It was very good. Very, very good. Great stuff.

Then we hung around at the What Stage for the beginning of Jimmy Cliff’s set. He arrived onstage, to a bouncy beat supplied by his backing band, wearing leather pants and a bright yellow fireman’s jacket. It was easily over 100 degrees in that hot summer Tennessee sun. How could he take more than a few steps in that heat, in that outfit without keeling over dead from a heat stroke? Oh, that’s right, he’s from Jamaica, so 100 degree Tennessee heat probably felt like a frigid winter day to him.

Anyway, joking aside, his voice was still in fine form and the setlist for his performance was classic after classic. This was a legendary performer giving a legendary performance.

So, of course, we had to leave early.

Seriously.

I wanted to get back to That Tent in time to catch a new British folk band named Mumford & Sons. That may sound like a strange thing to want to see bad enough to leave a Jimmy Cliff performance early, but only to those who’ve never heard the Mumford & Sons album, “Sigh No More.” We got to That Tent about 15 minutes before Mumford & Sons were scheduled to take the stage to find… the crowd was HUGE! Seriously, it was FAR larger than I expected it to be for a new British band that had only one album out so far. The crowd was a surprise for the band too, apparently, as after the first song, all Mumford said was, “There’s a lot of you.”

I wonder what it’s like for a band that’s used to playing to, at most, a few hundred people to walk out at Bonnaroo and find themselves staring at a few thousand?

Luckily, Mumford & Sons were the last band we wanted to see for awhile. The next thing on our agenda was a few hours’ break followed by Weezer in the early evening. So, we would be able to spread our blanket, sit outside the main crowd, and enjoy the band’s performance. Or, at least, we could have if it hadn’t started raining. ARGH!

Now, the rain shouldn’t have messed up that plan at all, and it didn’t for 99.9% of the rest of the audience. But, I had a brand new $200 video camera that I had won from Wired Magazine, and a $350 digital camera that I paid for out of my own pocket with me, and no waterproof case for either. So, we fleet footed it back to our tent with me doing everything I could to protect the electronics.

I guess it worked, as both devices are still functional.

But, we missed the Mumford & Sons performance of Wagon Wheel with the guys from Old Crow Medicine show and Dave Rawlings.

Boo rain!

Oh yeah, and as soon as we got back to the tent, the rain stopped.

Boo rain!

We grabbed some waterproof baggies and stuffed them into our backpacks, just in case, then headed over to Guest Hospitality to grab some food. Yummy!

Then, it was out to the Guest Seating area for the Which Stage to wait for Weezer.

We arrived about 40 minutes early and watched the crowd gather. It was a fun show. Weezer has a sort of odd, hyperactive nerd coolness about them that serves the band, and their material, well in a live setting. But, mostly, I was there, missing both Jeff Beck and John Prine, I might add, because my wife is a huge Weezer fan and I wanted her to get to see her favorite of the weekend’s acts, too. I mean, I’ve gone 42 years without seeing Jeff Beck or John Prine live, I guess I can go 42 more.

After Weezer, we traversed through the backstage area back over to the main stage to grab seats for Stevie Wonder. But, as we exited the gate into the crowd, we decided to turn around and just head back to Guest Hospitality, which was right behind the main stage, and just watch Wonder on the monitors. You see, the Weezer performance ended at the same time that Stevie Wonder was supposed to be starting, so our usual routine of arriving 30 minutes or so early to avoid the last minute crush of crowding was not an option for Wonder’s performance. And let me tell you, that 30 minutes or so makes a HUGE difference in navigating the space. Neither of us wanted to fight through that crowd to try to find somewhere to sit and see the show, especially when we had an air conditioned tent with video monitors just a few steps away from us.

After Stevie Wonder, we went back to our tent and took a nap. We had absolutely no interest in Jay Z, at all. In fact, I’m still even wondering how he even got asked to perform at Bonnaroo. I guess the invitation to a real artist with real talent got lost in the mail or something. Man, U2 would’ve been amazing to see in this slot. Hell, even Barney would be better at Bonnaroo than a no-talent wannabe loser like Jay-Z. He has no business appearing anywhere within 100 miles of anybody who has any actual musical ability or talent, because he sure ain’t got none himself.

Anyway, we slept through that, so that we could get up at 2:00 a.m. to see GWAR! They were entertaining, but the lead singer needs to get over his preoccupation with raping babies. That seems to be all he would talk about between songs. Also, guys, when Tenacious D does a routine just one night earlier as a joke during their set, it’s not wise to do the exact same thing as a supposedly serious set-piece, even if you guys have had it as a regular part of your act for years. Oh wait, that’s right, when you beat the giant robot, yours sprayed goo out into the audience. The robot that Tenacious D beat didn’t do that.

Sorry, I guess it’s not the same routine at all.

Fun show, though.

My 2010 Bonnaroo Adventure - Part 2

2010-06-30T23:44:00.011-05:00

No hippies were harmed in the typing of that last blog entry. Two were this time. Sorry guys, but you had it coming.

On day two, my lovely wife and I awoke promptly at 9:00 a.m. in a 1,000,564,665 degree oven. What type of odd phenomenon is it that causes tents in Tennessee to suddenly heat to unbearable levels promptly at 9:00 a.m. in the summer? It must be tent-heating fairies, or something. We stumbled out of our tent and into the nuclear wasteland that used to be civilization. All around us were the mutant dregs of a once thriving society. Oh, wait, no. That’s not right. That’s another something I am writing about.

Ahem, so we get up and head outside. The heat is already bad… and it’s just 9:00 a.m.! At about 9:30 my cell phone buzzes. It’s a text from the liaison from Wired. He’s at the Holiday Inn and wants us to stop in to pick up our media credentials, and the video camera that I also won. Sure thing! We jump in the van and head on out. On the way, we pass by the shower area, and the line to get in is 34,403,234,223 people long. Well, maybe not, but it sure looked like it. And, most of the people in the line were standing ankle deep in mud, as the leaky showers were still leaking and slowly creating the 2010 version of Lake Guest Camping.

As we passed through the final checkpoint out of Bonnaroo, which we were already familiar with since we’d been through it once already on the previous day… grumble, mutter, gripe… my phone buzzed again. It was my liaison, again, asking us to wait an hour or so before coming to get the stuff. So, now we’re ass-end out of Bonnaroo and the reason we left is saying to stay put for awhile. Typical. I asked Melissa if she’d like to run by my parent’s and get a real shower, during that hour. Her response was interesting, she pulled out a knife, held it to my throat and said, with menace, “I’ll cut you.” Oh, no, wait, wait… Actually, she jumped at the suggestion so strongly that I am still surprised she wasn’t out the door running ahead of the van.

We get to my parent’s house and go in. My mom is there, watching TV in the kitchen (yeah, they have a TV in the kitchen, deal with it) and asks what’s up. We explain that we have an hour to kill, and a multi-hour wait in line, in mud, for showers at the site and thought we’d stop by and use theirs. Oh, and we wanted to use a real toilet, instead of the already mostly full porta-potties that were on-site. And, that’s what we did, finishing just in time for a wonderful home-cooked breakfast that filled us nicely and probably saved me $50 in food costs at Bonnaroo that day.

Then, we went to the Holiday Inn and picked up the rest of my winnings. Yay!

We got back to the campsite, parked, packed a day bag, and got away from there just in time to make it to That Tent to catch the last 15 minutes, or so, of the Punch Brothers. Man, those guys can PLAY! Wish we’d seen the whole set, now, but, oh well, we were getting media passes instead.

We were there, actually, to see The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Thanks to the audience changeover after the Punch Brothers, we got to get right up close and personal to the stage for the CCD. What a GREAT performance from a GREAT band. Buy their stuff! You know you want to.

After that, we got a bit of a break prior to the next act we wanted to see. Actually, it was the next THREE acts we wanted to see, as they were all scheduled to overlap horribly. ARGH! To pass the time, we went and hung out in the Guest Area where there are shady spots, and chairs, and, sometimes, celebrities! Oh, and they have video feeds from all the stages set up and running. Sweet. It was during this time that I finally found the media compound and stumbled into a press conference. (And, just to be snarky, the Rolling Stone Magazine wrap-up of Bonnaroo has quotes taken from this press conference.)

So, the next three acts we want to catch are The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, at 5:30, on That Stage; Tenacious D at 6:30 on What Stage, and Steve Martin at 7:30 back on That Stage. Believe it or not, we caught all three! Thank you guest pass and media credentials and you magical abilities to move in the “back” areas and access to “private” seating! We started with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and stuck with them until the magic words, “We’ve got a new album,” and the information that they were going to “play a few numbers from it right now.” Thank you for a natural, “Let’s get out of here,” point in the show, guys. (I kid, I kid, I’m sure the new stuff is great, but we were just there because they’re LEGENDS, and it’s not because of their new stuff.)

We fleet-footed it over, backstage, to the What Stage area, and got some of the last open seats in the guest bleachers, just in time to catch Conan O’Brien introducing Tenacious D, as only Conan can. (That sounds like a song. Get writing it, Jack Black!)

We left there, and again fleet footed it through the backstage area, just in time to catch the beginning of Steve Martin’s set. He’s a great banjo player, and the band he had with him was amazing, but all the amazing levels charisma he has as a stand-up comedian and actor is exactly how much he does NOT have as a musical performer. The music was GREAT! And, it was Steve FUCKING Martin, LEGEND! But, wow, the man has no presence as a musician, without the jokes. What I mean by that, is, oddly, when they fired up the “Atheist Hymn” or a bluegrass version of “King Tut,” suddenly Martin had that amazing charismatic presence about him, again. I guess it’s just a sign of how uncomfortable he is as a musician, and how comfortable he is as a comedian.

Here’s a personal not for Mr. Steve Martin, should he read this: Dear Mr. Martin, you are a fabulous musician. I mean anybody who can stand toe-to-toe in a “banjo duel” with Earl Scruggs can’t be a slouch. Not at all. So, you have no reason to be so insecure onstage. None. Don’t let it happen again. Thank You. (Oh, and thanks for the “Wild And Crazy Guy” sketches on SNL. I love those!)

After Steve Martin closed out his set with “King Tut,” we grabbed some food, went back to the Guest Hospitality area, and hung out and rested for awhile. We had absolutely ZERO interest in Kings of Leon. None. Nada. Ziltch.

About 10:30 p.m. we walked back out into Centeroo and over to the Which Stage to grab a seat in the Guest stands for the Flaming Lips performance that would be starting at midnight. It’s a good thing we went out there that early and grabbed a spot, because the Which Stage area was already starting to get busy, and the steady stream of people leaving the Kings of Leon show to stake a claim for a spot for the Flaming Lips show was growing by the minute. Seriously, the growing stream of people leaving Kings of Leon was impressive. I’m sure it would have been harder to navigate through than the little trickle of people going into the venue that we had to navigate after Steve Martin’s set. By the time 11:15 rolled around, in fact, the Which Stage area was absolutely packed, and even more people were trying to roll in. I wonder if Kings of Leon ended their set with more than 50 people in their audience. Seriously. It was that bad.

It was at that point I turned to my wife and remarked, “I think they got these guys on the wrong stage,” and was answered by a chorus of “You got that right” from the other patrons sitting around us in the stands.

The performance started at midnight, and was a mind-blowing experience. In hindsight we should have braved the crowd and set down roots for the show up close to the stage. It was a very fun and entertaining way to spend a few hours. I would recommend anyone reading this to rush out and see the Flaming Lips, if they ever get the opportunity.

We couldn’t think of a better way to end the night, so we didn’t try, and just went back to our tent and fell asleep. And, I can’t think of a better way to end part two…

My 2010 Bonnaroo Adventure - Part 1

2010-06-23T21:16:00.008-05:00

Well, I said that I'd write about this, and here it is. You've been warned!

I’ll begin the great Bonnaroo 2010 saga where most stories begin, at the beginning. Duh!

I saw an interesting headline in one of my RSS feeds a couple of months ago. It was from Wired.com and was simply, “Bonnaroo Needs You: Win 2 Tickets to Music Fest.” I followed the link and read the article. The contest winner would get two tickets to the festival, and a Flip Ultra video camera and was supposed to get some footage for the website while attending the festival. To enter all one had to do was leave a comment explaining why you should win. So, I did. To sum up what I wrote, it was, “I was born and raised in that town, and have had broadcasting experience.”

I don’t know how I was chosen, but I was. A few days after the end of the entry period, I received an email from Wired.com congratulating me. I read it a few times, and, honestly, thought it was some kind of phishing scam sent out to people who left comments for that article at Wired (it did ask for some of my personal info, after all, and there ain’t no way anybody in my household when win something that cool, our luck just doesn’t run that way.) About the 53^rd time that I read through the email, I decided that I was being silly and answered. A few days later, I got a phone call from Wired to give me more details.

Okay, fast forward here because there’s no need to bore you all with the details about our games of phone tag or the tickets initially getting shipped to the wrong address (to Wired, not my house) or any of that other stuff. Let’s just say there were not many leprechauns involved and move on.

The drive down from my home in Illinois to my hometown of Manchester, Tennessee was fun, and uneventful. We got the chance to catch up on lots of good Big Finish Doctor Who audio adventures, and had a few really great sing-alongs. (okay, anyone who reads this and knows either me, or my wife, will know that last part of that last sentence is not true… not even likely.) At one point, travelling down I-24, somewhere in Kentucky, we passed a big, old, bus painted in bright swirly psychedelic colors, with “BONNAROO” painted in big purple letters down the side. It was pulled over on the side of the road, surrounded by 4 or 5 police cars, and the officers could be seen in the bus through the windows, searching. There was also an officer standing at the open rear door, talking to a guy, who was not a policeman, inside the bus. Not sure if those guys made it to the festival, or wound up in the tank for the weekend, but, geez, maybe they should have just painted “DRUGS ONBOARD” on the side of their bus. Or, taken a route that would’ve bypassed Kentucky.

Now, for the sake of the story, I’ll let you all know that my parents live just across a bridge from the Bonnaroo site. In fact, when the music is pumping, you can hear it at their house, INSIDE their house. Here's a photo that gives you an idea:

We arrived at their house on Wednesday night, around 8:00 p.m. By that time, the line to get into the Bonnaroo site was already backed up as far as we could see from the bridge near their house.

We knew that we wouldn’t have to get in that snarl of traffic. Our instructions were to enter through the KOA campgrounds on the opposite side of town from the entrance used by the ‘general population.” Cool. So, we slept well, in a bed, and awoke to have a nice breakfast and a hot shower, knowing that we wouldn’t have to be subjected to the fabled 8-hour wait in line to get into Bonnaroo. Sure enough, we stopped off at the Holiday Inn to get our camping passes and “Guest” passes, the wait was about 30 minutes. And, the traffic to get into the Guest Camping Area of Bonnaroo? What traffic? Heh.

I do have one funny story about getting to our camping spot. We went in the back, and followed the directions of Bonnaroo security and traffic facilitators as they waved us into the backstage area, through the Guest Camping Area, through the vendor parking area, and back out onto the highway just outside Manchester. What the? They actually waved us ALL THE WAY THROUGH the grounds and back out! Okie Dokie! That sure made us feel welcome. Ha Ha!

Second time through, though, we got directed where we needed to be and got a campsite. It was a nice one too. It was far enough away from the leaky portable showers that “Lake Guest Camping” didn’t have to concern us all weekend, and we had a shade tree! Well, we did until another group set up their tent right underneath it. Grumble, mutter, gripe. Interesting fact, right after we arrived and started setting up our tent, another little group of three people arrived and set up a shade shelter in the space next to us. After they finished setting that up they got back in their car and left. That was the last we saw of those three people, or their car, for the entire time we were there. I think they were kidnapped by sasquatches (sasquatchi?)

That's a photo of the shelter that was set up next to us. Oh, yeah, that's their tent, too.

We finished setting up, and then went off to explore Centeroo and the Guest areas and see a few of the Thursday bands. We caught The Manchester Orchestra, and, sorry fans of that band, I thought they were pretty bad. I didn’t like the singer’s voice, at all (and I’m a guy that loves Bob Dylan’s voice… go figure) and thought the guitarist was shite. Oh, and the 5 or 6 songs we heard, I thought were kinda sucky, too. We also caught some of the other bands, but, to be honest, nobody else playing that first night seemed to be our thing. So, we went back to our tent, tried out the showers, which were already leaking and causing the area around them to puddle up pretty bad. Then, we went back to our tent and slept.

Here's some images from Centeroo:

I’ll end part one here, and get around to part 2, 3, 4 and 5 later… hopefully. I want to note, before I go, that no hippies were harmed in the typing of this report. Not this one.

If any magazines, newspapers, or websites would like to use any photos that I post as part of this series of posts, please contact me. We'll talk.

Bonnaroo 2010

2010-06-03T07:09:00.002-05:00

I'm going to be covering this event for Wired.com. I just found this out last night. I am excited! And nervous. I was so sure that they would not select me from all the choices they had, that I have not even looked at the line-up for this year's show, yet.

Silly me.

I'll try to write something up here, after the event, documenting what a wild, crazy time I have doing this.

It's going to be a busy summer...

Top 10 Favorite Albums of 2009

2009-12-22T19:20:00.003-06:00

I know you've all been waiting with baited breath for my end-of-the year favorite albums list. Both of you. And just why you've been sitting there munching away on worms while waiting, I'll never understand. (Get it? Baited? Worms? Bwah-ha-ha... oh, nevermind)

In no particular order:

21st Century Breakdown - Green Day
Secret, Profane and Sugarcane - Elvis Costello
Before The Frost... ...Until The Freeze - The Black Crowes
Backspacer - Pearl Jam
Working on a Dream - Bruce Springsteen
By A Thread - Gov't Mule
Wilco (The Album) - Wilco
Together Through Life - Bob Dylan
Electric Dirt - Levon Helm (Yeah, I know. I'm shocked, too)
No Line on the Horizon - U2

And, for fun, my favorite compilations, anthologies, and reissues, in particular order:

THE BEATLES!!!!!!!! EVERYTHING!!!!!! MONO & STEREO!!!!! (eat that, bitch!)
Live Anthology - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
The Complete Buddy Holly - Buddy Holly
Archives, Volume 1 - Neil Young
Walking On A Wire - Richard Thompson
Keep An Eye On The Sky - Big Star
Sign of The Three-Eyed Men - 13th Floor Elevators
Woodstock: 40 Years On - Various Artists
Live At Madison Square Garden - Jethro Tull
You Never Can Tell - The Complete Chess Recordings 1960-1966 - Chuck Berry

And, lastly, a few things I will never, ever, ever listen to again, I promise... unless I forget how bad they are:

Get Lucky - Mark Knopfler
Sunrise In The Land of Milk And Honey - Cracker
Graffiti Soul - Simple Minds
Sgt Pepper Live - Cheap Trick
Christmas In The Heart - Bob Dylan

Everything else falls somewhere betwixt all these lists. (Even Los Lobos Goes Disney)

Crisis Tapes

2009-12-09T23:58:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite podcasts just started a series they call the "Crisis Tapes." It's an issue by issue in depth look at the 80's DC Comics event Crisis on Infinite Earths. One of the hosts actually wrote his College Thesis on that series, so they should have plenty to talk about.

They claim that they'll release new episodes monthly. That's not fast enough. They should do daily episodes until they get it all covered. Pussies.

DVD Collection

2009-11-10T21:49:00.002-06:00

Horrible formatting. And, not the way I would arrange them alphabetically. But, now you, yes even you, can look at my DVD collection online... here.

Trick or Treating

2009-11-05T22:47:00.002-06:00

During Trick or Treating this year, I saw a kid dressed up as Aquaman. What kind of sick, demented, sadistic parents would dress their kid up as Aquaman? Stupid fish-talking, water-breathing hybrid freak!

Of course, I am kidding. Not about the kid dressed as Aquaman, but how stupid Aquaman is. That would be the Sub-Mariner. What kind of power is flight for a water-based superhero? That's idiotic. At least Aquaman's powers make sense. And his costume is cooler too. Even if it is ORANGE!

Life During Wartime

2009-11-03T19:15:00.004-06:00

Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself more concerned with the sound quality of various albums than I have been previously. I think reading all the concerns from Beatles fans, prior to the remastered CDs release, that their favorite band would be another victim of the “Loudness Wars” sparked that flame, and the sighs of relief when the CDs finally came out and everybody could hear that their concerns had been, largely, unfounded.

If you don’t know what the “Loudness Wars” are, the Wikipedia article, linked here, is a good launching point into further studies. The Rolling Stone article linked at the bottom of the Wikipedia entry is especially good.

So, I was at work one day, listening to one of the Rhino Records Elvis Costello CDs, and about halfway through, after getting hit in the head over and over by the ball peen hammer of over-limited, over-compressed, distorted “Loudness War” shit sound, I’d finally had enough! I went home that night and pulled the old 1993 Rykodisc Elvis Costello remasters out of the box I’d been storing them in (even as I replaced them with the Rhino releases, I knew they sounded superior to my ears but couldn’t place exactly why) and restored them to the rightful place as the versions of Costello’s catalog that I listen to by default. But, I gotta keep the Rhino releases for the cool, new bonus material. Bleh! And, I’ve bought a few of the, even newer, Hip-O released Elvis Costello remasters that used the Rhino releases as a benchmark and then limited and compressed the music EVEN MORE! ENOUGH ALREADY!

As for the Rolling Stones, don’t even get me started. I had the original ABKO/Columbia releases, then upgraded to the Virgin UK SACD hybrid releases in 2002, and not only have not bothered with the NEW 2009 Universal remasters, but won’t even acknowledge their existence because those new CDs fully engage in the “Loudness Wars.” The 2002 Virgin remasters were perfect. I’ve even been going back, now that those are out of print and looking for the few CDs I missed getting in 2002 from used CD sources, just so I have a complete collection.

Yeah, even “Undercover.” What can I say, I’m a masochist, I guess.

This is where the new U2, Talking Heads, and Beatles remastered CDs get things just right, I think. Those series are not horribly over-compressed, and the volume is pushed up to the point where the sound bumps up against the digital-zero threshold without having such a horrible flatline at that point. If you want to see what that looks like, rip the last REM CD “Accelerate” and look at the opening track in Cool Edit Pro, or whatever your audio editing program of choice may be. (If you don’t have one try Audacity, it’s freeware.)

And, that’s another issue. REM should know better than to engage in this whole “Loudness War” crap! If ever there was a band that relied on the fluctuations of a wide dynamic range, it’s them.

But, back to Elvis Costello. The Hip-O release of “My Aim Is True” is so bad, it’s unlistenable.

It used to be I always looked forward to my favorite artists’ catalogs getting remastered and rereleased. It was a pleasure to go back and listen to those familiar old tunes and hear something new and exciting. Now, I approach each one warily. I try to seek out news about the quality of each, and find out whether they are players in the “Loudness Wars’ or if they sit it out. I have not bought the new remasters of the Creedence Clearwater Revival albums because I’ve not been able to find out what they’re like, yet. Well, that, plus I’m perfectly happy with the 2000 releases that pretty much got everything just right.

Oh, yeah, back to the Talking Heads SACD hybrid releases. Have you HEARD them? HOLY F’N GAH! Amazing sound, amazing recordings. If you don’t have any, buy “the Brick” (all their studio albums in one big plastic box) and then sell “Naked.” You can use the space where it used to be to hold “The Name of This Band is Talking Heads” or “Stop Making Sense” instead.

Or, feel free to send the “Naked” disc to me and I’ll dispose of it properly (and save a few pennies on the cost of heating my house this winter.)

And, just an aside here, what’s the deal with Bob Dylan releasing a freakin’ Christmas album? What a way to bring an amazing late-career resurgence to a screeching halt, there, Bobby.

The only Christmas album that matters, or that anyone should own, is the Los Straitjackets Christmas album. In fact, do yourself a favor and buy all their albums, here, NOW! (Hi, Eddie! Thanks for reading my blog. It was always fun talking Who with you at Phonoluxue!)

Okay, I seem to be circling the drain on this subject, now. It’s taken long enough to write all this that I’ve forgotten what point I wanted to make in the beginning.

I hear they’re about to rerelease the Jimi Hendrix catalog, again, remastered again. Gee, the world was begging for that. Please, guys, can we drop the reissue of his catalog down to just once per year, please?

Anyway, at what point do we stop caring? At what point do we, as consumers or music lovers, finally say, “screw it.” I know in most cases, I’m well past that sell-by date. Whenever somebody starts a remastered reissue series (and I am looking at YOU Bruce Springsteen, get on it, your catalog is the last major one that I can think of that needs it, desperately), I hit the Steve Hoffman message board to see what the audiophiles say about it and whether the sound is good or screwed up.

Screw it. I’m even tired of writing about it. I’m gonna just sum up the important parts of this post and call it a day.

Remastered CDs are good
Unless they sound like crap
REM should know better
I’ve quit acknowledging the existence of the Rolling Stones
Send me copies of “Naked”
Christmas albums SUCK!
Except Los Straitjackets’ because everything they do is cool
Hi Eddie!
I forget things
Enough Jimi Hendrix already!
Bruce Springsteen is a lazy bastard
Screw it, I’m tired.
Somebody buy me this! I'll be your bestest friend!

Beatles - Favorites List

2009-10-31T23:45:00.002-05:00

And, here, because so many people were clamoring for it (HA!), is the list of songs for my Beatles “Favorites” collection:

I Saw Her Standing There

Please Please Me

Twist and Shout

Thank You Girl

She Loves You

I'll Get You

It Won't Be Long

All My Loving

I Want To Hold Your Hand

This Boy

Long Tall Sally

I Call Your Name

Slow Down

A Hard Day's Night

I Should Have Known Better

If I Fell

I'm Happy Just To Dance With You

And I Love Her

Tell Me Why

Can't Buy Me Love

Any Time At All

I'll Cry Instead

You Can't Do That

I'll Be Back

I Feel Fine

She's A Woman

No Reply

I'm A Loser

I'll Follow The Sun

Eight Days A Week

Every Little Thing

I Don't Want To Spoil The Party

What You're Doing

Bad Boy

Yes It Is

I'm Down

Help!

The Night Before

You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

I Need You

Another Girl

You're Going To Lose That Girl

Ticket To Ride

Act Naturally

It's Only Love

I've Just Seen A Face

Dizzy Miss Lizzy

Day Tripper

We Can Work It Out

Drive My Car

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

You Won't See Me

Think For Yourself

The Word

What Goes On

Girl

I'm Looking Through You

In My Life

Wait

If I Needed Someone

Run For Your Life

Paperback Writer

Rain

Taxman

Eleanor Rigby

I'm Only Sleeping

Yellow Submarine

She Said, She Said

Good Day Sunshine

And Your Bird Can Sing

Dr. Robert

I Want To Tell You

Got To Get You Into My Life

Tomorrow Never Knows

Penny Lane

Strawberry Fields Forever

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

With A Little Help From My Friends

Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds

Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite

Lovely Rita

Good Morning, Good Morning

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

A Day In The Life

Magical Mystery Tour

The Fool On The Hill

I Am The Walrus

Hello, Goodbye

Baby You're A Rich Man

Lady Madonna

Hey Jude

Revolution

Back In The U.S.S.R.

Dear Prudence

Glass Onion

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

Martha My Dear

I'm So Tired

Blackbird

Piggies

Don't Pass Me By

I Will

Julia

Birthday

Yer Blues

Mother Nature's Son

Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey

Sexy Sadie

Helter Skelter

Revolution 1

Savoy Truffle

Hey Bulldog

Get Back

Don't Let Me Down

Old Brown Shoe

Two Of Us

Across The Universe

I Me Mine

Let It Be

I've Got A Feeling

The Long And Winding Road

For You Blue

Come Together

Oh! Darling

Octopus's Garden

I Want You (She's So Heavy)

Here Comes The Sun

Because

You Never Give Me Your Money

Mean Mr. Mustard

Polythene Pam

She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

Golden Slumbers

Carry That Weight

The End

Her Majesty

Free As A Bird

Real Love

I’ve been thinking about adding “Something” to the list to make it an even 140 songs. I might, but, then again, I might not.

And the Answers to my clue riddles, in the previous post, are as follows:

Only one song from the “Yellow Submarine” Soundtrack album, “Hey Bulldog,” although I also have the song “Yellow Submarine” in the tracklisting, I took it from “Revolver.”

There are only 2 tracks from “With The Beatles.” Those are “It Won’t Be Long,” and “All My Loving.”

There are only three tracks from “Please Please Me.” Thos are “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Please Please Me,” and “Twist And Shout.”

“Martha My Dear,” is the damn sheepdog song.

Again, I would like to point out that The Beatles recorded no songs about homosexual gerbils. Not one. Assholes.

The Beatles, Circa 2009

2009-10-23T23:54:00.002-05:00

I’ve not said much, here, about the new Beatles remastered releases. Those that know me have probably been scratching their heads and wondering why. After all, the Beatles are the Alpha and Omega of my musical universe. My complete obsession with music started with the first Beatles album I bought (Reel Music, for those keeping score at home) and their music will always be a major part of my life. It speaks to me in a way very little else does.

Well, I’ve been sitting back, enjoying these new releases, reading the countless reviews, and biding my time, trying to get my thoughts in order. I’ve bought the sets, listened to them many many times, compared them to the original 1987 CD releases, ripped them to my Zune, and even created a “Heath’s Favorites” CD/MP3 compilation of, well, my favorite songs (not much of a distillation as my collection sits at 139 songs out of 215). I think now that I’ve had some time to digest the CDs (no, I didn’t EAT them, although they look like they’d be tasty dipped in a nice holinday sauce), I think I can finally jot down some coherent thoughts.

I find it amazing that these CD releases have garnered the attention that they have. From “Uncut” magazine and their self-proclaimed “definitive” review to “Sound & Vision” devoting almost half of their latest issue to their review, the press, both online and traditional have been universal in their praise. For a band that broke up 40 years ago, that’s amazing.

My own story with the Beatles starts at Westwood Junior High School, in Manchester, TN. One of the guys I knew there was a kid nicknamed Doobie (after the “Doobie Brothers” band, not the recreational supplement… although that’s what the BAND was named after, so… anyway). He was a music freak and record collector, already, and plastered every available surface in his locker and on his notebook with magazine photos of various musical acts. The most prominent of them all was always, The Beatles. I took note of that, although I still am not sure exactly why that was so. Down the street from where I lived there was a “Big K” general store. Even though there was a highway between my house and the store, occasionally I was allowed to walk there to spend my allowance. One day, I walked into the store, with that week’s $5 bill burning a hole in my pocket, and noticed new signage. “Going Out Of Business,” it proclaimed, “All Merchandise 50% off,” it continued. I was heartbroken. And then I noticed what was in the front display of the small record section. Yes, It was the aforementioned “Reel Music” Beatles album. Wow! At 50% off its 9.98 retail price, I had enough to buy it! Forget the silly Star Wars action figures this week, I’m getting THAT!

I ran home and ripped the plastic off the album jacket, pulled the big black vinyl disc out of the cardboard sleeve and plopped it down on my little toy record player. Before this moment, the record that got played most on that thing was probably some “Electric Company” or “Muppets” disc. But, as I dropped the needle down on my very first actual music disc, my world turned upside down. The very first thing I heard from that “Reel Music” collection was the unbelievable first note of “A Hard Day’s Night.” It was love at first “BLAM!” With that grand first note, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr suddenly became an indelible part of my life, forever.

For the people that love to hate on that album, “F-off!”

That was 30 or so years ago. Because of that moment, I have grown and discovered so many new things. I have tried and tried to find more music that speaks to me the way The Beatles do. Others have; Buddy Holly has become, as I have stated before, my pivot point of all my musical journeys; I never could have survived the loneliness and isolation of my college years without The Beach Boys “Pet Sounds,” and The Who have become a bit of an obsession. But, still, no music artists speak to my complete being as do The Beatles. I mean, I distilled 215 of their songs (this includes the two “new” recordings done for the 1990s “Anthology” releases) down to a 139 “favorites” compilation. Any other band, I’d throw out far more than half their catalog to make the same type collection. In fact, I think the 4-disc Who box set “Maximum R&B” is overkill.

Whenever you claim to be a Beatles fan, one of the first things people tend to ask is, “which one is your favorite?” My usual response, “All of them.” It’s not the Beatles without all four of those distinct personalities. And, in reality, it’s not even The Beatles without George Martin either.

Yeah, I’ll probably throw silly little asides like that in through the entire blog post. Get over it. Just be glad I don’t have another leprechaun story to tell.

Now, all the above being said (written), I do not and would never consider myself a Beatles fanatic. I’m not, as a friend who runs a local used CD shop calls them, “a Beatard.” I’m not the type of person who would buy a complete used quad sound system just to hear an 8-Track tape quad mix of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” like I was told one fellow Beatle-fan in town did recently. I also can’t tell the difference between the “real, actual, true” mono mix of the American pressing of “Rubber Soul” and the “fold-down” mix that was accidentally included on “The Capitol Albums, Volume 2” a few years ago. The owner of the previously mentioned local used CD shop (North Street Records in Normal, Illinois) had to tell me about that Capitol Records gaffe. And, actually, I don’t care. That’s minutiae that really does not matter to me. What speaks to me is the music, the lyrics, the production, and the performances, and the way all those are blended together in a way that reaches into my very soul.

Gee, that’s a pretty long post already, and not one word, so far, about the quality of these new releases. Sigh. Get over it.

You might think, after that last aside, that at this point I’ll start discussing the quality of these releases. If you do, then you really don’t know me. Instead, I’ve got something else to write about first.

That something is this, how mind-bogglingly idiotic is the brain trust at EMI? These CDs should have been EVERYWHERE on the day of their release. Nobody, that wanted a copy, should have had any problems finding a copy. 10,000 copies of the Mono Box? Insanity! I read later in an interview, with one of the men responsible for that decision, that EMI considered the Mono Box as a set that would only sell to Beatle fans who were there when the album came out in the 60’s. Clearly, these people in charge of making these decisions are as out of touch with the music-buying public as the Republican Party is with mainstream America in regards to public healthcare.

Yeah, I had to throw that aside in there. Bite me if you don't like it.

In my case, I planned on getting both the Stereo and Mono boxes, from Best Buy, on release day. I planned on just popping out during lunch, hitting the local store and grabbing copies of both, paying for them with a credit card (to get cashback points) and using my Best Buy Rewards Card (to get later in-store credit). Then, about 2 weeks prior to the release date, I happened across an online news story that the Mono set was already selling out, as a pre-order, all over the place. Uh-oh. I immediately went online and checked the Best Buy website. Yup, sold out. And, so was the Stereo box. Oh no! So, I rushed over to Amazon.com. Sold out of both as well. Um… How about DeepDiscount.com? Sold out.

Everywhere I went, every iteration of the upcoming Beatles releases were listed as “Sold Out.” I finally found a little mom and pop record store website for a place in California that still listed both as available, so I placed an order there. It was canceled a few days later, with a note of apology that they just hadn’t kept the site updated and they were sold out, too.

ARGH!

Well, I knew I could, eventually, get the Stereo Box, since it was not “limited edition.” But, what about the Mono Box? There, I knew somebody, somewhere, would post image files of the discs online, so at least I’d be able to hear them and make copies for listening to. That wasn’t good enough, though! I wanted these things on factory-pressed discs! Oh well, I guessed that just wasn't to be.

Then came release day! I took off for lunch to the local Best Buy. At least I could still get that blasted Stereo Box. The store, however, did not get any copies. When I asked why, the manager explained that they shipped web orders to customers first, before allocating any to ship to stores, and the web store had sold out weeks ago. But, he added, “the store will get some in soon. I hope.” Insane. Was the demand really that much higher than had been expected? Or had EMI, Best Buy, Amazon, etc, just underestimated the demand for this product that severely?

The weekend after the releases, my family had to take a quick trip down to my hometown of Manchester Tennessee. It was a quick jaunt for a family member’s wedding, one day drive down, sleep, go to the wedding, hang out a little, sleep drive home. Zoom, zoom, zoom. While there, though, I talked my wife into stepping into a local Hastings, just to look around a little, after all, I still hadn’t even seen one of the Stereo Boxes yet. We walked in and right up front there was a big Beatles display. Cool.

There were four Stereo Boxes sting in the display rack. I grabbed one to look over. I was still planning on waiting to get the Stereo Box at Best Buy to get the reward points, but at least I could look at one there. As I am looking at the gorgeous black box, checking it out and wishing I could pick one up right then, my wife says, “What’s the white box?”

“Oh, the Mono Box is white. The Stereo one, here, is Black.”

“Ah,” she nods, “They have a Mono Box.”

“Those are sold out everywhere, I doubt they have one here.”

“No, they do,” she pointed, “I’m looking at it, there. It’s behind those two Stereo Boxes.”

I was thinking, “Yeah, right, it’s a cutout or some marker showing where the real set would be sitting, if they had one.” I looked where my wife was pointing. Oh. My. God. She was right, they did have a Mono Box. Well, they did have one until that moment, because at that moment, I picked that one up and did not let go of it again, until it was in my car. (Yes, I wouldn’t even let go of it at the checkout stand, the lady had to swipe the bar code with the box in my hand.)

So, I got my Mono Box. Before I got the Stereo Box.

And there were no leprechauns involved.

The next weekend, my local Best Buy had the Stereo Box in stock, so I got that, then. No muss, no fuss.

First, let’s compare the packaging in the two sets. The Mono Box is a gorgeous cardboard brick containing mini LP sleeves housing the CDs. Each album is contained in smaller replicas of the original releases from the 60’s. And, each of those comes housed in a protective mylar resealable pouch. The box also contains a booklet explaining the importance of these Mono Beatle albums. Perfection.

The Stereo Box contains all the individual albums exactly as they’re sold individually every day. It also includes a separate DVD of all the Quicktime mini-movies contained on those CDs. That’s it.

In case you couldn’t tell. I prefer the packaging of the Mono Box. It is a beautiful set; clearly intended for the serious collector. The least they could have done with the Stereo Box is enclosed a special booklet, or even just put the CDs in little protective mylar pouches, like the Mono Box. But, those are minor quibbles.

Now, as for the sound…

Start by listening to “Because” off of Abbey Road. Yes, those are tears of joy streaming from your eyes. The Beatles have NEVER sounded better… ever. Period.

Follow that up by listening to “The End” also off Abbey Road. See, Ringo played an actual, real, honest-to-goodness drum set. Now, it sounds like one, boom, thump, boom, thud, crash; rather than a tinkie little toy, tikki, tikki, chink, plonk. Who knew?

Now, when Ringo yells that he’s “got blisters on my fingers,” you’ll believe him.

Had enough snarky comments, yet? Cool. Then lets’ get to a little more meaty details.

Honestly, I’ve heard the complaints about the sound on the 1987 CDs for years. I just ignored those people and wrote them off as pedantic fanboy types. Are these new CDs all that remarkably improved? Well, yes and no. There was definitely more care taken in these digital transfers. The old CDs were just the original mixdown tapes dumped to digital masters. Nothing wrong with that, they sounded good for their day. But, there has been 20 years worth of technological improvements in the equipment used to make digital masters. That alone makes these new remasters sound better, but not remarkably so, for the “average” listener.

True, the highs are crisper, and the lows are boomier. Like I wrote earlier, Ringo finally sounds like he’s playing a real drum kit, rather than pie tins. His drums boom and thud the way a real, wooden kit should, and his cymbals ring and wash the way they should. No more chinka, chinka there.

There’s also a great improvement in the precision and clarity of the mixes. Now, when John and Paul sing together, you can tell it’s John and Paul singing together, rather than it seeming like some weird double-tracking thing. Listen to the voices in “Yes It Is.” Follow that up with “I’m Down,” and listen to John’s attempt at singing the bass vocal parts. So clear, so crisp. It sounds like he’s right there in the room with you. And, now, in that same song, for the brief electric piano freak-out, you can hear the musician’s fingers (is that John, Paul or George Martin?) thud the keys as he slides up and down the keyboard more maniacally than Jerry Lee Lewis could ever dream of doing.

It’s in those type of details that these newly remastered discs far outpace the original CD releases. Because of that, I’ll argue that if you don’t have a dedicated high-end stereo system, then you probably won’t hear enough of a difference to care about the new CDs.

And, besides, if you don’t have a system like that, you should, anyway. You’re missing such a big part of every song you listen to, Beatles, or anyone else.

Listening to these over and over, it strikes me again and again how achingly, beautifully gorgeous the Beatles’ voices were, all four of them, for what they’re worth. And, when they sing in harmony, whether just John and Paul, or john and Paul and George, or all four of them, it’s the perfect convergence of vocal timbre, ability and phrasing. I sit in wonderment, every time, at how these four men wound up together, paired with a producer as sympathetic to their artistic vision and talented enough to match those visions as was George Martin. And, on top of that, to then gain the services of an engineer with the abilities and inventiveness as Geoff Emerick, just as they were growing into a style that needed that inventiveness… fate weaves a wonderful web, sometimes.

Take away one piece of that puzzle, and everything falls apart.

Back to these CDs, specifically.

Of course, this amazing improvement with the precision and clarity of the mixes is not without drawbacks. In particular, it, badly, highlights the primitive stereo mixes in tons of places. For example, “Girl,” and “Day Tripper” stood out as particularly egregious in stereo, now. Through headphones, these two have become almost unlistenable, even though they use the exact same mix found on the 1987 CDs.

And do not even get me started on why anyone would EVER want to listen to the first two CDs in stereo, ever. If you find anyone who prefers the stereo mixes of those albums, to the mono, just shoot them. The rest of us will thank you later.

Who knew “Lovely Rita” had so many fiddly bits tossed in the mix? I never did until these CDs. pop! What was that? Where did that come from? Is someone behind me making silly mouth noises? Oh, it’s in the song? Since when?

And the horns in “Good Morning,” and “Savoy Truffle,” that’s how horns should sound all the time!

In “Back in the U.S.S.R.” you can now hear previously buried background vocals that highlight the true depth to which McCartney went to make this Beach Boys pastiche. Dear Prudence shines with new brilliance as the layers of sound now explode around one of Lennon’s most powerful vocal deliveries.

Really, because of the improved sound on these CDs, there are new details that emerge from the mix of just about every song in the catalog.

Okay, not really. That is a little bit of over-hyping hyperbole. But, it is closer to the truth than not.

I thought that, after listening to each album in both Mono and Stereo, I would have a clear choice as to which I preferred for each album. Ha! I thought wrong. My plan was to pull out each CD, make an image file on my PC, scan the CD art, and make jewel case copies to listen to, so I could pack away the original CDs in their inferior cardboard packaging for safekeeping.

Yeah, that’s what I thought before I bought both sets.

I decided, instead, to rip both the Mono and Stereo sets to my PC, scan in the artwork and then burn BOTH Mono and Stereo sets. I ran out and bought a few double CD jewel cases, and put the Stereo set in front and the Mono set in back for each album. Oh, except for the first two albums, “Please Please Me,” and “With The Beatles,” which should NEVER be heard in stereo, EVER. If you accidentally do ever hear them that way, seek counseling, immediately, and maybe, just maybe, you can still salvage at least a small part of your sanity.

Now, the last question remaining, for me, is what do I do with all the old CDs? They were the first CDs I ever bought, and they are the very reason I bought a CD player to begin with. So, they hold a special place in my memories. But, I can promise, I’ll never actually play them again. Not anymore.

And, one last thing. Now, how about EMI commission a “Modern Mix” box set? Every track, except the two German duds, in chronological order, 76-80 minutes per disc, mixed like the tracks from “Yellow Submarine Songtrack,” or “Let It Be… Naked.” Don’t worry about dividing the CDs by album, EP or singles. That would be, what, a 6 or 7 disc collection, so not prohibitively expensive, and would be a nice “gift.”

Oh, yeah, they could feel free to leave off “Revolution 9” too, if they want. Bleh!

And the song about the homosexual gerbils with attitude problems. Nobody needs to hear that song ever again. Okay, just kidding, The Beatles never recorded a song about homosexual gerbils. They recorded songs about a freakin’ sheepdog and raccoon but homosexual gerbils, no. Bastards.

That was a joke. Please don’t send me angry emails, all you sheepdog and raccoon lovers. Or, if you are a homosexual gerbil.

Finally, here’s a fun party game for those that are entertained by idiotic pedantic musings; try to guess which 76 songs I left off my “Favorites” compilation. I’ll give you a few hints: “You Know My Name, Look Up The Number,” the two German pieces of crap, the silly “show tunes” on the first few albums, and the damn raccoon song (But, I do love the sheepdog song). And, here’s another hint; there’s at least one song from every album, but only one album which, technically, I pulled just one song from, even though there are two songs from that album in my compilation. Otherwise, there is only one other album in their catalog from which I pulled just two songs. In addition, there’s only one album from which I pulled just 3 songs. From every other album, I pulled 4 or more songs.

Have at it.

My favorite online reviews of the new Beatles CDs are:

My review of the remastered Beatles CDs

2009-09-09T09:43:00.001-05:00

OH! MY! GOD!

Chris Whitley - Reiter In

2009-02-17T23:28:00.002-06:00

I have no excuse. There is none that could possibly be valid. I just heard, for the first time, Chris Whitley's "Reiter In" album.

Now, all I can say in my defense is that his usual output is so eclectic that the listener never knows what to expect when purchasing one of Whitley's albums, and, since money is always tight, I want to hear his work before purchase, so I can know if I'd enjoy it. And, I don't know what it's like where you might live, but around here Chris Whitley gets about as much radio airplay as the old Bloom County Billy & The Boingers flexi-disc... That is to say, none. So, I'm just now getting around to finding a way to hear the album.

I should have known better. So far, I have not heard one of his albums that I have not enjoyed, and "Reiter In" is definitely no exception. In fact, this might have pushed "Rocket House" out of the #2 favorite spot for his albums, with me.

Want to know a little more about what this collection sounds like? Think a grunged up "Living With the Law" and then throw some jazzy rhythms in the mix.

Now, if someone could throw a copy of "Weeds" my way...

Remembering Buddy Holly

2009-02-03T18:00:00.005-06:00

February 3, 1959. 50 years ago. 9 years before I was even born. It was a day that changed my life. It was the day one of my greatest inspirations died.

Buddy Holly means the world to me. His songs touch my soul the way few other artists' could ever hope to do. In the pantheon of music I can listen to over and over and over and never tire, and can study and digest and find new meaning or new inspiration each and every time I hear it, Holly's songs rank second to nobody's. Sure, The Beatles, The Who, Tom Petty and a few others have reached that same pinnacle of adulation from me, but out of them all, Buddy Holly reigns supreme.

It should be obvious. Look at the music that I am drawn to the most. The Beatles, Webb Wilder, Tom Petty, John Hiatt, etc, etc. Do you see a pattern emerging? Everybody, each and every musical artist I listen to in glee, is a direct descendant of Buddy Holly's musical pedigree. He is the Alpha of my musical alphabet. He is the great Zeus among my particular pantheon of musical gods.

His lyrical skills mesmerize me. The love songs all have a dark underside that can be hard to fathom through his trademark exuberant delivery. His lyrics have layers of meanings that continue to unfold hidden meanings even after hundreds of listens, a trait picked up by Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, Richard Thompson, Scott Miller and Webb Wilder, among others.

The performances, whether on a rocker or a ballad, is always exhilarating and fervent. Even Holly's saddest songs can make me smile, just as his sunniest rockers can make me cry. He's an amazing vocal stylist, with the way sings the lyrics conveying just as much meaning as the words in the lyrics. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and Mick Jagger certainly learned that from him.

And what can I say about the music? Holly was an amazingly advanced arranger and musician. Those trademark staccato Stratocaster riffs... what fantastic technique. The mirroring of the style with his other trademark, the hiccup vocal delivery, was as ingenious as it was original. The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and way too many others have copied this to the point that it has become rock 'n' roll cliché these days.

Sometimes, I go months without listening to any Buddy Holly music. Then I get that urge and throw a "hits" collection on my Zune. Always, without fail, less than two songs in, I'm wondering why I ever decided to go so long without listening to anything from him. It's impossible to listen to anything with his name on it without tapping your feet and bopping your head.

I read somewhere, while digging for news about this anniversary, from some commentator, that if Holly had not died in that plane crash, that he would not be as fondly remembered as he is today. I call bullshit on that. The commentator backed up that assertion with the facts that Holly used strings on his last recordings and was an admirer of Paul Anka. So? The Beatles covered several show tunes in their early days and were admirers of Cliff Richard. Plus, they used strings on "Yesterday" and other tunes. Yet they never turned in pop crooners. The solo acoustic tracks that Holly recorded at home shortly before his death contain multiple songs that, if recorded with his then band, would have rocked as much as anything Buddy Holly ever recorded. How can anybody listen to "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" and hear a pop crooner in front of an orchestra?

I'm also not going to claim that Buddy Holly would never fade to irrelevance. That happens to every artist over time. However, knowing about his passion for experimentation and self reliance in the studio, it's clear that he would constantly push to reinvent himself and would never be content to just lay back and rest on past achievements. Johnny Cash was another musician who shared that drive, and even though he faded to irrelevance briefly through the 1980's, he pulled himself back up and became more relevant than ever through the late 1990's until his death. I honestly believe that would be the same path down which Holly would have travelled, if he had the chance.

He was arguably the first self-contained musical artist. One could almost say the same about Chuck Berry, except Berry never took the initiative to produce his own recordings. Plus, at the time of his death, Holly was making the moves to start his own publishing company and record label.

My mind boggles thinking about what else he could have accomplished had he lived past 22.

If I had a time machine, I wouldn't go back in time and beg Holly not to get on the plane, but I would most definitely go to see that final night's concert.

Sorry this post is dis-jointed and rambling. It probably could have used some editing and clean-up. But, it really is just a stream of consciousness rant that I wanted to get it posted today, on the day it matters.

The man named Charles Hardin Holley might have died on February 3, 1959, but Buddy Holly lives forever in the souls of the lives his music touched.

Top 10 Albums of 2008

2008-12-21T20:52:00.002-06:00

Yet another end of another year, and yet another time to look back and reflect on the best albums of the past year. My criteria for choosing this list is simple, these are the CDs that were released over the past year, that I've purchased, and listened to the most.

My top 10 is:

10. Marah - Angels of Destruction - I first heard these guys playing in the courtyard of an amphitheatre prior to a Who concert in 2000. What I heard, I enjoyed. They were better than the band that actually "opened" for the who that night, the since forgotten Unamerican. I liked Marah enough that I went and bought their current album, "Kids in Philly." I liked that one, but it didn't sound much like the band I'd heard playing in that courtyard. At this year's "Used Music Sale" that local NPR radio station WGLT holds each fall, I found the station selling their promo copy of this CD. Out of curiosity, I bought it (it was just $3.00) and gave it a spin. WOW! Now THIS was the band I heard playing in 2000! This is a band I want to hear more from... Much, much more.

9. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cardinology - See, instead of putting every thought out on an album, and releasing 6 over 2 years, this is what Adams can do if he edits it all down to just one release.

8. Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun - Speaking of amazing career resurgences. Since finally confronting the demons of "Smile" Wilson has been on a streak.

7. REM - Accelerate - Finally, REM goes back to being REM.

6. Old Crow Medicine Show - Tennessee Pusher - More of Old Crow doing what Old Crow does best. And, they're better than anyone else at doing it.

5. Bob Dylan - Tell-Tale Signs - What an amazing career resurgence Dylan has had over the past 15 years such that even his cast-offs are better than most others' albums.

4. The Black Crowes - Warpaint - From start to finish, probably the BEST Black Crowes album ever.

3. John Mellencamp - Life Death Love and Freedom - A very tough album to listen to all the way through in ne listen. But, in this case, since it's an emotional rumination on mortality, that's a good thing.

2. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely - Jack White should abandon The Whte Stripes for this band immediately.

1. Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch - Petty at his best with a band every bit as good as the Heartbreakers (well, 3 of the 5 members ARE Heartbreakers, so...)

Honorable Mention: Elvis Costello - Momofuku and Lenny Kravitz - It Is Time For A Love Revolution - Both of these guys tap into a voice they haven't used in a long time and taking a look at the first decade of the 21st century. True to their personalities, Costello is angry while Kravitz is hopeful.

November 4, 2008

2008-11-05T00:05:00.000-06:00

Footage

2008-10-08T22:10:00.002-05:00

Here's some amazing hidden camera footage of John McCain And Tom Brokaw getting ready backstage in Nashville before the October 7, 2008 Presidential debates.

$700 BILLION Bailout???

2008-09-22T18:35:00.003-05:00

So, how's the last 8 years of the Republican economy working out for you?

8 years of deregulation, 8 years of Republicans controlling the White House, the Congress and the Courts... and it leads to this.

Of course it did. This is EXACTLY what us crazy liberals have been screaming that it would lead to for... oh... about 8 years.

You reap what you sow.

Unfortunately, you have also dragged the rest of the country down with you. Assholes.

And... let me get this straight... We can't have universal healthcare because it will cost too much (at 1/3 the cost of this bailout) but we have the money to prop up these fatcat pussies? Assholes.

Somebody please explain to me how McCain / Palin polls with even 1% support...

Email

2008-09-14T10:42:00.001-05:00

This email is making the rounds. I like it:

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."

* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach teach children about sexual predators, you are irresponsible and eroding the fiber of society.

* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America 's.

* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that hates America and advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

Repiglicans

2008-08-30T00:27:00.002-05:00

I have two comments to make about the Repiglican run for the White House so far:

1) I will sum up their arguments against Barak Obama as simply as possible:

He's black... Booga Booga!

2) Somebody did tell John McCain that once he announces his VP pick on national TV, there's no take-backs, right?

And one bonus thought:

McCain should have nominated a silver platter to run as his VP.

Carlin

2008-06-24T22:15:00.005-05:00

I've spent the last few days trying to think of the correct words to write to eulogize one of my heroes. Today, I think I finally thought of them:

shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, tits

Bo Diddley

2008-06-07T10:27:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to wrap my head around the fact that this man no longer walks among us here on this earth. It's hard to fathom that he is gone. But, it is impossible to conceive what this world would be now if he'd never been. Few people change the world forever, even in a minor way. Some people may think the "Bo Diddley Beat" is a minor accomplishment. I disagree.

Honestly, I've been waiting to read in the music press that Bo had been signed by a label and was working on a new album over the past few years. Mainly, I was simply wishing that, after all this time, somebody would finally give him the chance to gain the riches he's long deserved but never had. But, I was also hoping against hope that someone, anyone, would let us get to hear this master at work again, especially after this Rolling Stone Magazine article. It saddens me that it will never happen now.

Robert Asprin 1946-2008

2008-05-27T00:03:00.006-05:00

I just read that Robert Asprin died on May 22. Count me in as a fan of the series of "Myth" books that he authored. Each chapter of each book opened with a humorous fictional quote. In tribute, I'll post some of them here.

ANOTHER FINE MYTH (1978)

"There are things on heaven and earth, Horatio, Man was not meant to know." - Hamlet

"Things are not always as they seem." - Mandrake

"The only thing more reliable than magik is one's friends!" - MacBeth

"Careful planning is the key to safe and swift travel." - Ulysses

"Only constant and conscientious practice in the Martial Arts will ensure a long and happy life." - B. Lee

"Attention to detail is the watchword for gleaning information from an unsuspecting witness." - Insp. Clouseau

"Is there anything in the universe more beautiful and protective than the simple complexity of a spider's web?" - Charlotte

"In times of crisis, it is of utmost importance not to lose one's head." - M. Antoinette

"To function efficiently, any group of people or employees must have faith in their leader." - Capt Bligh (ret.)

"Man shall never reach his full capacity while chained to the earth. We must take wing and conquer the heavens." - Icarus

"One of the joys of travel is visiting new towns and meeting new people." - G. Khan

"First impressions are of major importance in business matters." - J. Pierpont Finch

"The secret of winning the support of large groups of people is positive thinking." - N. Bonaparte

"A little help at the right time is better than a lot of help at the wrong time." - Tevye

"Anyone who uses the phrase 'easy as taking candy from a baby' has never tried taking candy from a baby." - R. Hood

"Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless." - T. Edison

"The wonders of the ages assembled for your edification, education and enjoyment - for a price." - P. T. Barnum

"No matter what the product or service might be, you can find it somewhere else cheaper!" - E. Scrooge

"By perserving over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination." - C. Columbus

"With the proper consideration in choice of allies, victory may be guaranteed in any conflict." - B. Arnold

"One must deal openly and fairly with one's forces if maximum effectiveness is to be acheived." - D. Vader

"This is another fine myth you've gotten me into!" - Lor L. and Har D.

"Since prehistoric man, no battle has ever gone as planned." - D. Graeme

"Ya gotta be subtle!" - M. Hammer

"Just because you've beaten a sorcerer, doesn't mean you've beaten a sorcerer." - Toth-Aamon

"A woman, like a good piece of music, should have a solid end." - F. Schubert

Myth Conceptions (1980)

"Life is a series of rude awakenings" - R.V. Winkle

"First impressions, being the longest lasting, are of utmost importance" - J. Carter

"Ninety percent of any business transaction is selling yourself to the client" - X. Hollander

"If the proper preparations have been made and the necessary precautions taken, any staged event is guaranteed success" - Ethelred the Unready

"...Eye of newt, toe of frog..." - Believed to be the first recipe for an explosive mixture... The forerunner of gunpowder

"That's entertainment!" - Vlad the Impaler

"Numerical superiority is of no consequence. In battle, victory will go to the best tactician" - G.A. Custer

"Anything worth doing, is worth doing for a profit" - Teresias

"There is more at stake here than our lives" -Col. Travis, Alamo Pep Talk

"One need not fear superior numbers if the opposing force has been properly scouted and appraised" - S. Bull

"Should old acquaintance be forgot..." - Count of Monte Cristo

"This is no game for old men! Send in the boys!" - W. Hays

"Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce" - Henry VIII

"We're looking for a few good men" - B. Cassidy

"I'll worry about it tomorrow" - S. O'Hara

"Myth-conceptions are the major cause of wars!" - A. Hitler

"Diplomacy is the delicate weapon of the civilized warrior" - Hun, A.T.

"Just before the battle, Mother, I was thinking mos of you..." - Sonny Barker

"What if they gave a war and only one side came-" - Lucifer

"Chain of command is the backbone of military structure and must be strictly obeyed" - F. Christian

"It takes a giant to fight a giant" - H. Prym

"Hell hath no fury like a demon scorched" - C. Mather

"What is this, a Chinese fire drill?" - Sun Tzu

"...and then I said to myself, 'Why should I split it two ways-'" - G. Mouser

"Is everybody happy?" - Machiavelli

"All's well that ends well" - E.A. Poe

Myth Directions (1982)

"Dragons and Demons and Kings, Oh my!" - The cowardly Klahd

"When old friends get together, everything else fades to insignificance." - War, Famine, Pestilence and Death

"That's funny, I never have any trouble with service when I'm shopping." - K. Kong

"'Weird' is a relative, not an absolute term." - Baron Frank N. Furter

"Noting is impossible. Anything can be accomplished with proper preparation and planning." - Ponce De Leon

"Now you see it, now you don't." - H. Shadowspawn

"A friend in need is a pest." - Fafhrd

"Once more into the breach..." - Zarna, the human cannonball

"War may be hell ... but it's good for business!" - The association for Merchants, Manufacturers and Morticians

"Old heroes never die; they reappear in sequels" - M. Moorcock

"What do you mean, 'You've got a little job for me'?" - Hercules

"Out of the frying pan, into der fire." - The Swedish Chef

"If you can't dazzle them with dexterity, baffle them with bullshit!" - Prof. H. Hill

"As any magician will tell you - Myth Directions is the secret of a successful steal." - D. Henning

"--Or was it unlock the safe then swim to the surface?" - H. Houdini

"...and then the fun began." - N. Bonaparte

"I'm sure we can talk things out like civilized people." - J. Wayne

"What's the point-spread on World War III?" - R. Reagan

"Why should I have to pay a troll just to cross a bridge?" - B. G. Gruff

"What are friends for?" - R. M. Nixon

"We've got an unbeatable team!" - Sauron

"No matter what the game, no matter what the rules, the same rules apply to both sides!" - Hoyle's Law

"Life is full of little surprises." - Pandora

"This contest has to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen." - H. Cosell

"If you can't win fair, just win!" - U. S. Grant

"Winning isn't the most important thing; it's the only thing!" - J. Caesar

"Ask not for whom the bell tolls --" - M. Ali

Hit or Myth (1983)

"There's something to be said for relatives...it has to be said because it's unprintable!" - A. Einstein

"When things are blackest, I just tell myself 'cheer up, things could be worse!' And sure enough, they get worse!" - Skeeve

"Once a knight, always a knight, But once a king is once too often!" - Sir Bella of Eastmarch

"Duty: A fee paid for transacting in good(s)." - U.S. Dept. of Commerce

"The only thing worse than a sorcerer is a sorcerer's apprentice." - M. Mouse

"Good information is hard to get. Doing anything with it is even harder!" - L. Skywalker

"There is no counter for a spirited woman except spirited drink." - R. Butler

"Choose your friends carefully. Your enemies will choose you!" - Y. Arafat

"I don't know why anyone would be nervous about going to see royalty." - P. in Boots

"Superior firepower is an invaluable tool when entering into negotiations." - G. Patton

"Tell you what. Let me sweeten the deal a bit for you...." - Beelzebub

"I'm making this up as I go along!" - I. Jones

"Marriage, being a lifelong venture, must be approached with care and caution." - Bluebeard

"Some farewells are easier than others." - P. Marlowe

"In a war against organized crime, survival is a hit or myth proposition." - M. Bolan

"It's always easier to destroy than create." - Any general, any army, any age.

"The best laid plans often go fowl." - Wile E. Coyote

"Life can be profitable, if you know the odds." - Ripley

"These blokes need to be taught to respect their superiors." - Gen. Cornwallis

"Figure the last thing you would expect the enemy to do, then count on him doing precisely that!" - Richelieu

"Stayin' alive! Stayin' alive!" - V. Dracula

Mything Persons (1984)

"Reputations are fine up to a point. After that they become a pain!" - D. Juan

"Success often hinges on choosing a reliable partner." - Remus

"Reliable information is a must for sucessful planning." - C. Columbus

"It is useless to try to plan for the unexpected . . . by definition!" - A. Hitchcock

"To survive, one must be able to adapt to changing situations." - Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"An agent is a vampire with a telephone!" - Any editor

"I don't see anything thrilling about it!" - M. Jackson

"My colleauges and I feel that independents like ElfQuest are nothing but sheeps in wolves' clothing!" - S. Lee

"What's wrong with a little harmless crime once in a while?" - M. Blaise

"Nice jail. Looks strong." - H. Houdini

"For the right person, the impossible is easy!" - Dumbo

"I've never seen so damn many indians." - G. A. Custer

"Relax, Julie. Everyone will understand." - Romeo

"Everybody needs a career manager!" - Lady MacBeth

"Don't be fooled by appearances." - Malloy

"The trail's got to be 'round here somewhere!" - D. Boone

"I didn't come all this way to sit out the fight!" - R. Balboa

"All right, pilgrim. This is between you and me!" - A. Hamilton

"There's no accounting for taste!" - Colonel Sanders

Little Myth Marker (1985)

"The difference between an inside straight and a blamed fool is callin' the last bet!" - B. Maverick

"Kids? Who said anything about kids?" - Conan

"I'm doing this for your own good!" - Any establishment executioner ... or any parent

"A doll is a doll is a doll." - F. Sinatra

"Such stuff dreams are made of." - S. Beauty

"Bring the whole family ... but leave the kids at home!" - R. McDonald

"There's a time to fight, and a time to hide out!" - B. Cassidy

"What did I do wrong?" - Lear, Rex

"They never let you live it down. One little mistake!" - Nero

"A Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!" - L. Borgia

"I belive we're under attack." - Col. Travis

"No one should hide their true self behind a false face." - L. Chaney

"Your Majesty should pay attention to his appearance." - H. C. Anderson

"Sometimes luck isn't enough." - L. Luciano

"I need all the friends I can get." - Quasimodo

"I thought we were friends!" - Banquo

"Shut up and deal!" - F. D. R.

"Cast your fate to the winds." - L. Bernstein

"Can't you take a joke?" - T. Eulenspiegel

"Sow what else is new?" - W. Cronkite

M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link (1986)

"Petty crime is the scourge of business today." - D. Lorean

"It all hinges on your definition of 'a good time'!" - L. Borgia

"It's all a matter of taste." - B. Midler

"If you're too busy to help your friends, you're too busy!" - L. Iacocca

"What fools these mortals be." - Smaug

"Not everything in life is funny." - R. L. Asprin

Myth-Nomers and Im-Pervections (1987)

"Nobody's seen it all!" - Marco Polo

"They don't make 'em like they used to!" - H. Ford

"It's not even a nice place to visit!" - Fodor's Guide To Perv

"Taxis are water soluble" - G. Kelly

"I just need to pick up a few things" - I. Marcos

"There's no place like home!" - H. Johnson

"...On the street where you live" - Quote from an anonymous extortion note

"There's never a cop around when you need one!" - A. Capone

"...You gotta start somewhere" - S. McDuck

"All financiers are not created equal!" - R. Corman

"How come I get all the hard questions?" - O. North

"HOLY BATSHIT, FATMAN! I mean..." - Robin

"Who? Me, Officer?" - J. Dillinger

"Parting is such sweet sorrow" - Figaro

"Easy credit terms available..." - Satan

"You can judge the success of a man by his bodyguards!" - Prince

"Bibbity... bobbity..." - S. Strange, M.D.

"'M' is for many things she taught me..." - Oedipus

"I am not a crook!" - Any crook

"Were you looking for me?" - Dr. Livingstone

M.Y.T.H. INC. IN ACTION (1990)

"What am I doing here?" - Any recruit, any army

"What do you mean my characters talk funny?" - D. Runyon

"We want to make you feel at home!" - L. Borgia

"Just a little off the top!" - A. Boleyn

"Squeeze, don't jerk, the trigger" - R. Rogers

"When I travel, nobody knows me ... and I like it that way!" - S. King

"Boards don't hit back!" - B. Lee

"To Serve and Protect..." - Traditional motto of protection rackets

"It takes one to know one!" - Jack D. Ripper

"Manners are acquired, not inherited!" - S. Penn

"Now, here's my plan!" - R. Burns

"That's why the lady is a tramp!" - B. Midler

"It sure looks to me like a big night tonight!" - Arthur, Rex

"Weren't you expecting me?" - J. Rambo

"You countermanded me on whose authority?" - Pope John

"An army travels on its paperwork!" - J. Carlson

"So what's wrong with following established procedures?" - M. Gorbachev

"Ya gotta speak the language" - N. Webster

"Has anybody got a plan?" - G.A. Custer

"We must hurry... It's almost over!" - P. Fogg

"I want a rematch!" - M. Tyson

Beatles Heaven

2008-05-12T23:13:00.002-05:00

I have to admit that I am, and always have been, a Beatles fanatic pretty much since hearing the first note of their music. I have to admit, also, that occasionally I forget to be a fanatic. I mean, it's been since the mid-90's since anything new and exciting came out of their camp (that would be the Anthology stuff.)

Then I read this in the last issue of Rolling Stone Magazine:

The Beatles' albums came out on CD in 1987, but fans have long complained that the early digital technology used to remaster the recordings left them sounding hollow and thin — and that the official remasters are way overdue. That's where Purple Chick comes in — a secretive fan (or group of fans) who has been quietly remastering classic discs like Revolver and A Hard Day's Night, and releasing the digital files for free online. How is this possible? The Beatles' CDs sound so bad that carefully digitized tracks from pristine vinyl copies are noticeably better — with crisper highs, a fuller soundstage, and more realistic reproduction of instruments and voices. And the Purple Chick editions are superior to the originals in other ways, too: The Sgt. Pepper collection contains the original record in mono and stereo, and four discs' worth of studio outtakes; the White Album comes in a whopping twelve-disc version, including alternate takes, studio chatter, demos and fascinating jams. So how do you get this stuff? Google is your friend: Try searching "purple chick and megaupload" to get started.

Well, I did the search and found the CDs... And I am a fanatic again. I must say these DO sounds remarkably better than the official releases. Very much so. Very very much so. So much so it revelatory.

In fact I love the sound so much more than the official CDs that I have since gone in search of the source files used to make these CDs (to eliminate one layer of copying), the Dr. Ebbett's Sound Source releases.

I own every Beatles CD, DVD, vinyl and videotape release, so I have no qualms in obtaining these until EMI sees fit to re-release their albums all remastered and decked out with bonus material (like that's ever gonna happen). Once EMI does that, I'll buy those, too. Gladly. But, until then I'll be in Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab Beatles vinyl release (transferred to CD) heaven!

Mudcrutch

2008-04-29T19:43:00.003-05:00

When you listen to this CD what you'll hear is the sound of an artist reinvigorated. This album is, so far, an easy pick for "the best album of 2008." Just... WOW!

For those not in the know, Mudcrutch is Tom Petty's pre-Heartbreakers band. They're the group he traveled with to California to become "rock stars." Unfortunately, that dream ended badly and the group disbanded. Two former members of Mudcrutch later became the Heartbreakers (along with two non-Mudcrutch transplanted Floridians), while the other two returned home and got on with their lives.

in 2007, for whatever reason, Tom Petty decided he wanted to record an album with Mudcrutch. So, he called up the 2 "missing" members and re-formed the band. It had only been 30 years since they last played together, what could go wrong?

What could have gone wrong is everything. What did go wrong, apparently, is nothing.

The re-formed Mudcrutch is an amazing band, much tighter and cohesive than the current Heartbreakers (with Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell the only original members left... and they're both in Mudcrutch, too). The songs that Petty wrote for the group are the best he's written since 1989. Together, that makes this the single best Petty-related project since the 1st Traveling Wilbury's album.

There is a rollicking, festive, inventive country-rock vibe running through this album that, while reminiscent of the Heartbreakers, suits Petty perfectly.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this collection of material. And, at this point, as much as it pains me to say it, it seems like time for Tom Petty to retire the Heartbreakers "brand" and stick with the re-formed Mudcrutch.

Top 10 Albums of 2007

2008-02-24T14:00:00.001-06:00

Well, here it is, finally. My list of favorite CD releases of 2007. Because it took so long for me to narrow the field down to these, I shall refrain to make comments about each. Suffice it to say that I'd be giving each of these glowing reviews, if I did.

My top 10 (in no particular order):

John Fogerty: Revival

Bruce Springsteen: Magic

The White Stripes: Icky Thump

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Raising Sand

Richard Thompson: Sweet Warrior

Steve Earle: Washington Street Serenade

Nick Lowe: At My Age

Los Lobos: The Town & The City

Ryan Adams: Easy Tiger

Wilco: Sky Blue Sky

Superhero Fun!

2008-02-24T13:58:00.000-06:00

Just for fun, I made a Crossword Puzzle. The clues are all superhero secret identities. You simply fill in the spaces in the puzzle with the hero name that corresponds to the 'civilian' identity. Some are a bit tricky, with multiple known Flashes and others, and several people having appeared under several different hero names, you never know which 'civilian' identity I linked with which hero name. Bwah-ha-ha!

Find it here

Just for fun, if you want to post your results, I promise not to make too much fun of you.

EMI Distribution Center Annual Deleted Items Sale

2007-11-14T22:13:00.000-06:00

Today, I went to the annual EMI distribution center deleted items sale at the EMI warehouse in Jacksonville IL. I've gone on this journey every year since I discovered the sale's existence. This is the fourth year that I've gone. How it works is like this, they move all the pallets of returned items into an empty warehouse and then open the doors and allow everyone to dig through the boxes and pick up whatever they want at $3.00 per disc (i.e. 2-disc sets cost $6.00 but it's usually so busy at the check out counter that they only count the sets that look like they have multiple CDs as 2-disc sets).

Every year I go thinking, "I've got most of the stuff they're going to have so it'll be a waste of time." But, every year I come away with a nice new stack of new music. It seems every year they throw out tons of stuff from some artist or another that I enjoy. The first year it was an entire table packed with every Beach Boys CD (the HDCD two-fer sets) so I nabbed what I didn't already have. Last year it was the Rolling Stones turn, and this year it was David Bowie. Alas, I arrived about 10 minutes after the doors opened and that seems to have cost me one of the two "holy grails" of this year's sale... The Band: A Musical History 6-disc box set. There were only 6 or 7 available and I saw one person walking around with 2 and a second person with the rest. I curse them! I did, however, manage to nab one of the precious few Misfits box sets available. Yay me!

Let's take a look at my haul this year:

CDs

David Bowie:

"Heroes"
Let's Dance
Never Let Me Down
Young Americans
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)
Hunky Dory
Pinups

(All the above are Japanese import pressings)

The Best of Bowie (single CD + DVD version)

Jethro Tull:

A Passion Play
A Little Light Music
Roots To Branches

(The 2006 remasters)

Monty Python:

The Life of Brian
The Meaning of Life

The Beach Boys:

Pet Sounds (40th Anniversary Limited Edition Collector's Edition + booklet and DVD)
The Warmth of the Sun

The Stooges:

The Weirdness

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes:

Love Their Country

Radiohead:

Airbag / How Am I Driving? (EP)

The Band:

The Best of A Musical History (single CD collection of rarities from the box set)

Ben Harper:

Both Sides of the Gun

Grand Funk Railroad:

Greatest Hits (+ DVD)

The Misfits:

Coffin Shaped Box

DVDs

Live 8
REM: When The Light is Mine (The Best of the IRS Years Video Collection)

Plus I picked up a few various and sundry CDs and DVDs to hand out as Christmas presents that I will not name in case someone on the receiving end happens to read this post. Nyah nyah!

The big surprise, for me, this year is that the place was not crammed full of CDs since between this years sale and last year's sale Tower Records shut down (and shipped all their remaining EMI stock back to EMI). Well there was and entire big section of nothing but "Tower Exclusive" CDs, but those were all cheapie best of compilations that still had Tower's $4.99 price stickers on them.

Oh, and for those wondering, certain artists are exempt from the sale (The Beatles) and any titles from those artists that slip through and wind up in the sale are confiscated at checkout.

The Apple iRack

2007-03-15T23:18:00.001-05:00

Ingenious!

Better Late Than Never

2007-03-07T17:42:00.000-06:00

Are you a John Hiatt fan? Did you try to get a copy of the infamous Live At The Hiatt in 1993 just to have your check returned along with a note that the limited edition CD was "sold out?"

Yeah, me too.

There's good news, though, because 14 years later, Hip-O Select comes to the rescue here.

If you are a Hiatt fan, you MUST own this.

Southern Culture on the Skids - Countrypolitan Favorites

2007-03-04T10:44:00.000-06:00

It seems like a "can't miss" prospect. Take a band like Southern Culture on the Skids and turn them loose on an album of cover songs. In the past, the band has proven, time after time, that they're wonderful at adapting the right cover material into the signature SCOTS sound. So, what happened with their first-ever full length album of nothing but covers? Maybe it's the choice of some of the material. Do we really need Mary Huff singing "Rose Garden?" Maybe it's that the band sometimes stick way too close to the original arrangement rather than adapt it to their own sound, as in The Kink's "Muswell Hillbilly." Also, quite a number of SCOTS fans say that Mary Huff, who has a wonderfully evocative, beautiful voice, does not get to sing anywhere near enough on their albums. But, does she really need to echo Rick Miller on, roughly, 75% of the vocals on the album? And, really, should she sing at all on the Creedence Clearwater Revival covers ("Tombstone Shadow" and "Fight Fire"), especially when Rick Miller can channel John Fogerty in both sound and style so perfectly?

Now, don't get me wrong, when the concept works, it's as great as anyone could imagine, like on "Funnel of Love," "Te Ni Nee Ni Nu," "Tobacco Road," and even the wonderful bluegrass take on "Happy Jack." However, on an album with 15 tracks, 4 standouts is not really a good batting average, especially from such a singular band as Southern Culture on the Skids.

Conan - Meet The Press For Idiots

2007-02-20T21:21:00.001-06:00

'nuff said.

Snow Day

2007-02-14T13:28:00.000-06:00

Here's some photos of my house and yard taken at 1:00 p.m. on February 14, 2007. It started snowing at 6:00 p.m. on Monday February 12, 2007 and did not stop until 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday night.

Disclaimer: The little girl in the photo would like it to be known that she does NOT share the sentiment that her daddy so carefully crafted in the cold stuff.

Bonepony - Lonely

2007-02-05T00:11:00.001-06:00

Great band out of Nashville, TN.

Webb Wilder Promo

2007-01-28T11:53:00.001-06:00

Watch this. 'Nuff said.

New York Dolls - Dance Like A Monkey

2007-01-16T23:52:00.001-06:00

Great song, better video.

2007-01-01T13:08:00.000-06:00

My Favorite CDs of 2006

Please notice that I did NOT call this a "Best Of" list, but rather a "Favorites." It irks me that critics always refer to their year-end favorites lists as "the best releases of the year," like they have some mandate from a higher power to determine everybody's tastes. I'm not playing that. In determining my list, I simply picked all the releases of the past year, that I bought, then remembered back to which spent the most time in my player. Following that, I simply ranked the final 10. Enjoy!

10. Neil Young "Living With War"

As he did before with "Ohio" Neil has channeled what a large percentage of the population is thinking, about a political situation, and put it to song, with great results. While it's a bit wordy and rambling in places (and what modern Neil Young album isn't?), it's still the strongest statement he's made in a decade, both lyrically and musically.

9. Cheap Trick "Rockford"

After the horrid mis-step of 2003's "Special One" the boys from Illinois come firing back with an album that is fun, furious, and actually sounds like a Cheap Trick album. Imagine that. It helps that it also sounds like a very good Cheap Trick album.

8. Brian Setzer "13"

Never before would I have placed a Brian Setzer a lbum on one of my year-end favorites list. But, this album is quite the wonderful surprise. Setzer is an amazing guitar player, but too often he gets trapped in rockabilly cliches. While there is some of that this time around, too, most of the album is a guitar-shred workout that shows just how lean and mean a slinger Setzer really is. In addition, the man's voice is improving with age, and the performances on this album are riviting. While Setzer has never been a great songwriter there are several songs on this album that rank among his strongest, ever ("Rocket Cathedral" "Really Rockabilly" "Everybody's Up To Something" and "Don't Say You Love Me"). All this adds up to, easily, the single best disc Brian Setzer has ever created.

7. Los Lobos "The Town & The
City"

Just another amazing album from just another band from LA.

6. The Legendary Shack Shakers
"Pandelerium"

A little band from Paducah Kentucky that bases their schtick on a traveling revival show, this album finds them mixing their messge and music in an overwhelmingly po werful manner. For three albums they've blown everyone who's heard them away. The schtick may become tired after awhile, but for now it's still fun and exciting.

5. Old Crow Medicine Show "Big
Iron World"

See my review here.

4. Ray Davies "Other People's
Lives"

See my review here.

3. Bob Dylan "Modern Times"

Dylan continues to deliver during a late-career resurgence.

2. Johnny Cash "American V - A
Hundred Highways"

See my review here.

1. Bruce Springsteen "We Shall
Overcome - The Seeger Sessions"

See my review here.

It's a Sign

2006-10-05T20:48:00.000-05:00

I couldn't have said it better myself.

New Photos

2006-09-08T14:54:00.000-05:00

I'm still playing with my new camera. And, I'm still trying to take photos as good as those taken by my friends Mike and Anand. Here's my latest attempts. All these were taken around Kenney IL, most at Henson Stables.

New Camera

2006-09-06T22:39:00.000-05:00

I just got a new camera and decided to try my hand at some artsy photography. While I'm nowhere as good at it as my friends Mike or Anand, I hope these are at least decent. You can see them, here

Old Crow Medicine Show: Big Iron World

2006-09-06T22:05:00.000-05:00

For a bunch of young'ins these guys sure do sound old. In fact, they sound as old as the hills. That's a compliment. From their fist self-released CD, Greetings From WAWA, OCMS has been the best string band revival act in the world. That CD was a breath of fresh air in a stagnant traditional-bluegrass market because, while it was faithful and reverent to the classics, the band played the music with such an enthusiastic burst of energy that you couldn't help but be swept up in the fun. For their first major label release, 2003(?)'s OCMS, unfortunately, that energy was oddly missing. Why sign a band that plays early 20th century style string band material with a modern punk style energy and then record them in such a way as to suck every bit of that energy out of the results? Sometimes my mind boggles at the thought process of major label executives. (From refusing Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Cheap Trick's "Twisted Heart," the trail of amazing recordings (and the best of the bands' output in those examples) left in the trash bin because they're not "market friendly" is stupefying. And that's not even bringing up the label troubles of Neil Young in the 80's or John Fogerty in the 70's).

This time, though, I am happy to report that the amazing energy of the self-released OCMS CDs is back on Big Iron World. While none of the songs on this CD could be called "punk bluegrass" like those on some of their earlier CDs, the more energetic performances go a long way in rehabilitating their style, especially in their 21st century update of the 1920's jug-band classic "Cocaine Habit" where they name-check Karl Rove and Elijah Wood. As wonderful as that song is, all the songs are infectious and spirited, even the requisite ballads. For any band, on any album, that is quite an accomplishment. It is even more so when the band in question is a retro-revival band. (Well, unless that band was organized by Brian Setzer, who seems to be the world's foremost expert on reviving long dormant musical styles.) As such, the best compliment I can possibly give to this CD, and, indeed, to any in this band's catalog, is that it is impossible to tell, without referencing the liner notes, which of the songs are originals and which are covers.*

If you're a fan of old-style country, or, if you're a fan of music, at all, you owe it to yourself to check out this album.

* - for your reference, the covers are: "Down Home Girl" "Cocaine Habit" "Minglewood Blues" "Union Maid" and "Let It Alone"

** - Also of note, the following disclaimer is from the label that released this album, from their website: "Litigation is destructive, it must stop .... as per Nettwerk copyrights, we have never sued anybody and all our music is open source to encourage fans to share it with others and help us promote our Artists. As per those Artists we manage on other labels (Majors), we take issue with those labels claiming that litigating our fans is in our interest, as it clearly is not."

Jethro Tull - Thick As A Brick

2006-07-19T22:04:00.000-05:00

I will state right up front that this album is pretentious, overwrought, and completely ridiculous. Of course, that's exactly what the band wanted it to be. As a result, it is also more fun, start to finish, than any other pretentious, overwrought and ridiculous seventies concept album. Let me explain. Upon the release of the Aqualung album in 1971, Jethro Tull was labeled a "progressive" rock band, and the album was derided by critics as a "concept album," something which Ian Anderson, the lead singer/songwriter/instrumentalist of Jethro Tull, never meant it to be. As he claims in interviews, his natural reaction was, "If they think that was a concept album, I'll show them what a real concept album is like." So, developed as a response to critics who were calling his band pretentious and, more specifically, as a response to critics who continually referred to Aqualung as a 'concept album,' this album is completely over the top.

How Many Songs?

The entire album is just one song. The lyrics are meandering, confusing, overwrought and ridiculous, and were meant to be. The record came packaged in a full newspaper, as if it were an insert in a weekly paper. The story, as told by the paper is that the band recorded an epic poem, written by a 12-year-old boy, Gerald Bostock, which won a local poem writing competition. And that it was indeed an insert in that edition of the newspaper. In the first line Ian Anderson admits the entire thing is all a joke, "I really don't mind if you sit this one out / My words but a whisper / your deafness a shout / I may make you feel / but I can't make you think."

Ian Anderson describes the album as being the equivalent to concept albums what Airplane was to disaster movies.

Every Part is Pretentious

Even the album's title is in on the joke, Thick as a Brick being a derogatory term thrown at anybody who takes this at all seriously. It is just music. As for the music, this is some of the best this band has ever created. As if it were a serious classical piece, themes are introduced in the opening 'overture' and later re-appear and are evolved. As musicians, few have ever faulted the members of Jethro Tull, they are all excellent instrumentalists, and it's this facet that is pushed to the forefront on this album. Organs, guitars, and flute weave in and out of each other, picking up melodies started by one of the others and continuing it while the original instrument weaves off on another direction. Themes pop up, expand and disappear into a new theme, only to fight back up through the mix later in the song.

And just to make sure the overwrought pretensions of it all is extremely clear to the listener... There is even a drum solo in the later half of the song.

The Concept: The Final Analysis

Overall, this is one of the better albums in the entire Jethro Tull catalog. Mainly, this is because the thematic joke of the album parodies the pretensions of other progressive rock music so deftly. It does this so well, in fact, that the joke is lost on most listeners, who instantly lump this album in with other seventies excesses like those of Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Of course, those are the same listeners who believe Spinal Tap is a real band.

But What About The Packaging?

Sound quality on the remaster is excellent, better than any other CD release of the same material. All instruments are precise and easy to pinpoint in the mix. The stereo separation is wonderful, instruments sliding all over the soundscape, or appearing in one place for one note, and somewhere else for the next. This new CD release is a definite 'headphone album'. In addition, the new release comes complete with copy of the entire newspaper as well as the CD, all packaged together in a cardboard sleeve. The CD also comes complete with bonus tracks, the first being a 12-minute live performance of the piece from Madison Square Garden in 1977. The album closes with an interview with Ian Anderson, Martin Barre (guitar), and Jeffrey Hammond (bass) in which it is explained, among other things, that it took longer to put together the album packaging than to write and record the material.

Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick (1977)

2006-07-14T17:44:00.000-05:00

The year is 1977. The most popular thing going, musically, is disco; the punk 'revolution' has already started to crumble under it's own weight, and rock 'n' roll has sold its soul to the corporations. Then, thrown into the middle of all this is the first album from one of the most interesting American bands ever formed. Founded in Rockford, Illinois in the early seventies, Cheap Trick is a strange beast. Drawing on his past experience in other bands, Rick Nielsen finally decided to form his own group. His band, he decided, would be made up of the absolute best instrumentalists he could find. Enter Bun E Carlos (drums), Tom Petersson (bass) and Xeno Hogan (vocals). Xeno? Well, it turns out that Xeno was a mistake, his heart was not in playing rock 'n' roll, he just wanted to meet chicks. Exit Xeno, enter Robin Zander (vocals). Now, this was a band to be proud of. After playing whenever and wherever they could for a few years (one of my best friends has a picture of them playing at his high school prom), they were finally asked to step into a studio and make an album. That album was Cheap Trick.

Everything about this band was different. Where punk was going so far out of its way to be the antithesis of radio-rock, and was becoming a self-parody as a result, and 'regular' rock was becoming ever more bombastic and boring, Cheap Trick took elements of both and became neither. They took the over the top showmanship of "stadium rock" (these guys looked like living cartoon characters), the instrumental prowess of "progressive rock" and the power and attitude of "punk rock." Their songs are pure fun, and in these early days sometimes even contained powerful messages. Their style was pure adrenelin fueled rock 'n' roll. As an introduction to the band, their first album was perfect.

Opening with ELO Kiddies the album roars into life with a lopsided drum part that trots along a few bars before being joined by a guitar and a... phone... ? The guitar merrily trails along with the drums for a few bars while the phone rings, and rings, and rings in the background. Soon, the bass joins in on the merry trip. This is music to skip to, which is exactly what Nielsen does when playing this song on stage. Finally, the vocalist jumps into the fray, "'ello kiddies, 'ello kiddies what you gonna do when the lights start shining? / ello kiddies, 'ello kiddies what you gonna do when your head's exploding?" This is a song about growing up. As he sings, Zander's tone is mocking, containing the line "You know school's for fools" sung with such bitterness that you know Zander is zeroing in on the kids that would rather party than learn. Immediately, you know this band is not your typical band. As the song progresses, the momentum builds, sound effects whip in and out, the drums become more furious, less about keeping the beat and more about accenting the attitude. And then, with a final scream from Zander, it's all over. There is only a few seconds respite though, because the next song Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School, pick up right where the previous song ends. Opening with a brief bass guitar flourish, the lead guitar soon joins in. In the background, children can be heard playing on a playground. This song rolls along, quoting Chuck Berry's Reelin' and Rockin' as it goes. Special effects are all over this number, as voices are phase-shifted, drums are distorted and odd sounding guitar flourishes zoom from speaker to speaker. I think there's even a kazoo in there somewhere. It's hard to tell with all the noises laid on top of this track. This is definitely a headphone song.

Taxman will seem familiar to any Beatle fan that hears it. no, it is not the song written by George Harrison and released on their Revolver album, although it quotes it several times, both musically and lyrically. Rick Nielsen penned this track, like most of the band's material. By the time it wound up on this album, this song had been a Cheap Trick staple for years, but not in this arrangement. According to Nielsen, the band was constantly being compared to the Beatles, so this song was rearranged to play up the resemblance. The result is the most overtly Beatles-sounding track Cheap Trick ever recorded. But, this is the Beatles with their amps turned up to eleven! The next track Cry, Cry is the closest Cheap Trick ever came to playing pure blues. Much like the previous track, though, this is blues with the amps turned up to eleven. Nielsen plays blues licks during the song, but he also mixes in his typical Pete Townshend style power chording, jerking the song back and forth between pure blues styling and the band's typical hook-laden power pop.

Oh Candy is a powerful anti-drug song written for one of the band's roadies who had recently died of a heroin overdose. Over a driving guitar/bass bed the singer simply asks why the victim never tried to get help until it was too late. Hot Love returns the band to more familiar ground. A full-out, high-speed rocker whose topic is exactly what the title implies it will be about. Great music, trite lyrics is a description that pretty much sums up this track.

The band follows up this mis-step with one of the most powerful numbers on the album. Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace is a long, instrumental showcase. Opening with Tom Petersson's thundering bass, the other instruments join one at a time, until the entire band thunders through five minutes of almost simultaneous soloing. The title is clichéd, but it is also a joke. The lyrics are inconsequential, more an excuse for Zander to show why he's known as "the man of 1,000 voices" than to actually have any meaning. During concerts, the band has been known to stretch this song out to fifteen minutes. That kind of treatment suits this song. Even at five minutes it seems like it's just getting started as it crashes to a halt.

He's a Whore is about selling out. The singer goes through all the things he can do with the money he would do with the money he could make by selling out. Revealing the entire scenario is just a daydream, several times the singer moves from chorus to verse with the tag "And so the story goes..." The music is driving and heavy, pushing Zander to sing the lyrics so fast they sometimes stumble over themselves coming out of his mouth, as if he's so excited by his dream that he can barely contain it. This is a very effective song, and quite a contrast to the one following. Mandocello is named after an instrument Rick Nielsen found in his father's music shop. It is a combination of Mandolin, Cello, and piano, and according to Nielsen there are only half a dozen left in existence. Using that instrument as a backdrop, the song is a mid-tempo love song in which the singer tells his lover, "Look at me, like I look at you / think of me, like I think of you / speak to me, like I spoke to you / dream of me, how I dream of you." This song deftly shows another side of Zander's vocal ability, that of pop crooner, as he deftly flies above the instrumentation, reining the song in whenever it threatens to become too thunder out of control.

The Ballad of TV Violence is a scary song. It's the type of song that will give you nightmares. Originally entitled The Ballad of Richard Speck the band decided to change the name at the last minute because they did not want to look to be celebrating a man who did not deserve celebrating. Containing such frightening lyrics as "I need a knife to get me a wife," the song definitely sows seeds of being an uncomfortable listening experience. As the song crashes to and end, though, with Zander screaming his lungs out over a thunderous guitar/bass crescendo, the truth wins out. The song, like the man it was originally named after, is a monster, and it is put out of its misery with a single gunshot.

The original album ended here, the remastered version has several bonus tracks, including a version of I Want You To Want Me recorded during the sessions for this album. As with all the other studio versions of this song, this one is weak. The muscle and power of the live reading is completely missing. While it is an interesting curiosity, it is clear why the band saved it for a later album. There is also an early version of You're All Talk that is much more powerful than the later recorded, and released, version. This recording is faster than the later recording, and is pushed along by a booming, extremely loud, bass drum, which keeps a steady 4/4 beat. Lovin' Money is another bonus track. This one finds the singer wondering why everybody else seems to have a better life than he does. I Dig Go-Go Girls closes the remastered version of this album on a comedic note. It is an inconsequential, albeit hilarious, tune about, well, about exactly what the title implies.

Taken as a whole, this album is a lot of fun, and a perfect introduction to Cheap Trick. It contains examples of their instrumental prowess, their comedic value, their ability to rock the house while still teaching important lessons (sadly, a style they would turn their back on in later years, when in search of that ever elusive "hit".) This album is loud, bombastic, obnoxious, scary, and very, very funny. It is a great introduction to a great band.

Song List
1. ELO Kiddies
2. Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School
3. Taxman, Mr. Thief
4. Cry, Cry
5. Oh, Candy
6. Hot Love
7. Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace
8. He's A Wh*re
9. Mandocello
10. Ballad Of TV Violence (I'm Not The Only Boy), The
11. Lovin' Money - (outtake)
12. I Want You To Want Me - (outtake)
13. Lookout - (previously unreleased, outtake)
14. You're All Talk - (previously unreleased, outtake)
15. I Dig Go-Go Girls - (previously unreleased, outtake)

FeedBlitz

2006-07-14T17:35:00.000-05:00

Don't forget, you can sign up to get my blog by email, for free. I'm using a service called FeedBlitz, and you simply sign up with your email address and you'll get one email in the morning whenever I post anything in the previous 24 hours. It really is a great way to read the past 24 hours of of posts each morning, or to download the site, so to speak, via email and read it with your email instead of having to surf the Web. Just enter your email address in the text box on the right-hand side of the page to get started.

Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways

2006-07-13T23:24:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am one of the multitude that pushed this CD to the top of the Billboard charts on the week it was released. Since then I've listened to it over and over again. It has rarely left my CD player. This is an amazing album. Sure, Cash's voice is a little ragged and some of the songs sound unfinished, but that's all part of its charm. The main reason this album is so good, though, is the raw, unfiltered emotion that Cash pours into every syllable that comes out of his mouth. This is a career-defining performance from a man who's best years were long passed.

Just how powerful is this album? Well, one morning, last week, at work, I let a friend borrow the CD to give it a listen. That very same day, over lunch, that guy travelled to Best Buy and bought ALL the Cash American Recordings CDs, including the Unearthed boxset, and the Legend boxset.

Johnny Cash was a wonderful man and an incredible artist. There is a catalog of work stretching back 50 years that proves that time after time. American V easily stands shoulder to shoulder with the very best of the past work.

Top Ten Catalog Reissue Campaigns

2006-07-01T20:16:00.000-05:00

10. Paul McCartney (Polydor) (England and Europe only)

For whatever insane reason, this reissue campaign never made it to America. Through good fortune and long tireless hunting, I've managed to collect the entire series. The albums reissued start with his first post-Beatles album McCartney and run through his most recent at the time, Flowers In The Dirt. All are superbly remastered and contain bonus tracks. However, none have historical essays. These are better than the standard American pressings, and well worth hunting down. Although his best years were definitely behind him, McCartney still did some wonderful work in the seventies and eighties. And while every album in his Wings and solo years is a must have, the ones that are should be had in this form.

9. Creedence Clearwater Revival (Fantasy)

These reissues boast incredibly improved 20-bit remastered sound, and long, detailed, insightful historical essays. They come packaged in standard jewel cases inside cardboard sleeves. None of them have bonus tracks or song lyrics, which is a shame because that is the only thing keeping these from being the perfect reissues. These CDs are hard to find at the moment, since rather than recalling the old CDs and replacing them with the newer copies, the record label is just sending the new remastered copies to stores when they reorder the titles. If your local store does not have copies of these, ask them to order copies for you. Creedence Clearwater Revival was not a typical late-sixties band. While other acts were jamming endlessly or freaking out, they played solid, steady, blues based rock 'n' roll. Probably because of this, their albums stand the test of time better than most other sixties artists. Their music would not be so out of place on current rock-oriented radio station play lists.

8. The Beach Boys (Capitol)

With this entry, I specifically mean the two-fers of the early years of the Beach Boy's career. While they produced some great music during the "Brother Records" years, it's hard to find it amongst the other junk they recorded. During their early years, however, it's hard to find the junk amongst the great music. These reissues are wonderful, featuring two full albums AND bonus tracks on one CD, as well as detailed historical essays, track notes, and greatly improved 20-bit remastered sound.

7. The Kinks (Castle & Velvel)

I'm slightly breaking the rules I set for myself on this one, as this is actually two reissue campaigns by two different record labels. Castle reissued the band's sixties albums concurrently with Velvel reissuing the seventies and eighties albums. While a case can be made that only the sixties Kinks material is essential, all their albums have something to recommend them to rock 'n' roll fans. As for the reissues themselves, the Velvel series is superior, boasting vastly improved 20-bit remastered sound, extensive historical essays and bonus tracks. The Castle series, on the other hand, while also featuring improved sound, bonus tracks and historical essays, suffer from "convention." Let me explain, the Castle reissues were readied in England, by an English audio engineer. In England convention is to use the No-Noise system, which eliminates tape hiss. However, this system is also known to cause other audio problems, most notably a 'watery' effect in the high end of the audio spectrum. It can also cause other distortions, when used incorrectly. These audio problems are abundant in the Castle Kinks reissues. In America, where the Velvel series was readied, it is convention for No-Noise not to be used. So, while there is more tape hiss on the Velvel releases, there are none of the other sonic artifacts that plague the Castle releases, resulting in better overall sound quality. Another problem with the Castle series is that some of the early Kinks album's master tapes are in very poor quality. Because they can only work with what they have available, this also limited the final sonic quality of those releases. All this is very sad, because the Kinks deserve better than they got. But, not much could have been done to improve matters.

6. The Band (Capitol)

The Band started out in the early sixties as the backing band for Screaming Jay Hawkins. Later they were the backing band of choice for Bob Dylan, most notoriously on his first "electric" tour. In the late sixties, they started recording their own albums as a fully contained group. Made up of four Canadians, and one American, they strangely became the most notable "American roots rock" group ever. The reissues of their material are probably the absolute best-sounding remastered material so far. The sound quality of their original recordings have been so vastly improved that they sound like they were recorded on modern digital equipment. There are nuances and instrumentations in the music now that have been impossible to hear in any previous release. Each CD also boasts very long and very detailed (sometimes even TOO detailed) historical essays. Each CD also boasts ample bonus material. These discs set a new benchmark for judging all remastered reissues. The sole reason they are not higher on this list is that the group's material suffered a serious drop in quality after their fourth album, and soon they were just going through the motions.

5. Elvis Costello (Rhino)

This is the second time Elvis Costello's catalog has been remastered and reissued. The first time was by Rykodisc, and their reissue campaign was perfect, with each release having upgraded sound, lavish new packaging and extensive liner notes penned by Elvis Costello himself. To be honest Rhino in no way improved the sound quality of Costello's work any more than Rykodisc. However, Rhino did manage to improve on the Rykodisc reissues significantly. The Rhino releases contain even longer, more detailed liner notes, again written by Elvis Costello himself, plus they've all been expanded to TWO discs! In fact, since most early Costello albums were close to thirty minutes long, most of the Rhino reissues contain more new, bonus material than original. In addition, while the Rykodisc reissues ended with the last Attractions album Blood & Chocolate, the Rhino releases continue through All This Useless Beauty. And, lastly, the Rhino reissues managed to do something I've long thought impossible... They made Kojak Variety listenable, even enjoyable (just ignore the album itself and listen to only the bonus tracks).

4. The Byrds (Columbia)

This is the full catalog of the seminal folk-rock band. Although they were plagued by an ever-rotating line-up, they still managed to record some of the most notable music of the late sixties. They deserve a first-rate reissue campaign, and that's exactly what they get. The albums have all been 20-bit remastered and sound perfect. Each CD features historic essays and many bonus tracks. In addition, as a bonus for dedicated fans, their rarities collection Untitled has been expanded to two discs and a previously unreleased live album has been added to their catalog. Wonderful stuff indeed!

3. Talking Heads (Rhino)

Boasting the most significantly improved sound quality of any reissue campaign anywhere, ever, earns this set the number 3 spot on my list. Not only has the sound been upgraded, but each album now includes DVD-Audio 5.1 mixes too! In addition, each release features bonus songs, and videos. In fact, to me, the only drawback is the crappy cardboard sleeves in which the sets are packaged.

2. The Who (MCA)

Finally, one of the "big three" British-invasion bands (along with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones) becomes the subject of a major catalog reissue. For fans, the Who catalog has long been in disarray, with various countries getting various vastly different versions of each album with various levels of audio quality. For example, while Germany released the true stereo version of A Quick One, America released only the mono version with two tracks replaced with recent single b-sides. With this reissue series that changed. All countries would now receive the same albums with the same sonic qualities. In some cases, this was good, in others, not. While, in most cases, this was a good thing, now the entire world must suffer through the inferior American version of A Quick One. Also, all the various best-of and greatest-hits collections the band released through the years were consolidated into just two packages, a box set for die-hard fans, and a 2-disc greatest hits collection for the casual fans. The last problem with the reissues is that the later in the band's career the albums were released, the less care was taken to insure the reissue was of top quality. While the early albums featured many, many bonus cuts, the last album featured just three, and they were nothing new or special, just a few tracks from the last show of the band's 1982 tour… which was broadcast on radio as part of the King Biscuit series all the time anyway. It may seem that I placed this reissue series too high on this list after reading about all the complaints, but here's what the releases have to recommend them… As stated earlier, the early albums have many, many truly rare and surprising bonus tracks. All the releases, except the last album, It's Hard, have extensive and informative historical notes. And, lastly, the majority of the releases have such vastly improved sound quality that they sound almost like different albums, except for Odds & Sods, but this is due to MCA having to hire a different engineer to redo this album because it was originally not due to be reissued. This is mainly because most of the releases have not only been remastered, but also remixed, most notably Tommy, to great effect. So, even though there are flaws, this is quite nearly the best reissue campaign so far… Except for…

1. The Monkees (Rhino)

How did these guys' reissues rate inclusion in the number one spot? Well, let's go over the releases and see. Every reissue has greatly improved remastered sound. They all have very extensive historical essays and very detailed track-by-track breakdowns. They each feature a great many bonus tracks that are interesting, new and fit the time period of the album's recording. In addition to the band's entire original catalog, Rhino has also released three full CDs of other unreleased material, none of which is repeated on the reissues. Also, the label has consolidated all the band's various greatest hits collections into two new collections, a single disc for casual fans and a two-disc set for die-hard fans. Even more, they have released a box set, and even two MORE sets (one three-disc and one four-disc) of previously unreleased material as limited edition collections for very serious die-hard Monkee fans. Whew! This band got the royal treatment, and from the revelations about them that this campaign has brought forth, they deserve it.

Summary

There you have it, my list for the top ten catalog reissues in rock 'n' roll. It's quite a varied list overall. There are several artist's catalogs that could have made the list but for various reasons:

Cheap Trick

The label has done an excellent job on the titles released so far, but that has only been the first six albums. The first 4 in 1999, and the last two just a few months ago. Come on guys, sometime this century, please.

David Bowie

Sound could be MUCH better.

Rolling Stones

No bonus material, no liner notes.

Jethro Tull

Great, but slow release schedule. I debated putting them in the top 10, but the fact that the campaign started in 2000 and is still not completed in 2006 lost them the ranking.

As time goes on, more and more bands will be receiving this special treatment. As time goes by, the level of quality expected by fans rises as each newer reissue campaign is a little more fancy than those before. As customers, we should be grateful. As fans, we should be ecstatic!

The Perfect Summation of a Perfect Band

2006-07-01T20:07:00.000-05:00

Tracing the career of a band as eclectic as Los Lobos is no easy task. Every few years they manage to reinvent themselves, while at the same time, maintaining a solid foundation in the roots rock that they admittedly love so much. In addition, while they began their career in East Los Angeles as a traditional mariachi band, there are still many remnants of that humble beginning in their most recent works. Amazingly, El Cancionero: Mas y Mas touches on every period in the band's career and, because of this, is a perfect summation of what has been called "the best band in America".

The collection is spread across 4 discs, arranged chronologically, from their first, extremely rare, album through their latest release, "This Time". It includes many previously unreleased tracks, most notably the bands live version of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows," recorded for a PBS Beatles "tribute" concert. The discs are housed in a book-like box with a cover that emulates a Spanish b-movie poster. The booklet contains a long and in-depth history of the band, along with notes on every track included in the set. Overall, the packaging is wonderful, among the best of any box set released so far.

And the song selection is worthy of such lavish packaging. Opening with what has to be the definitive recording of the seminal mariachi song, "Guantanamera" (known to jokesters as "One Ton Tomato"), the set weaves through their early years, through the "hit" period of Will The Wolf Survive and La Bamba and the "critically acclaimed" period of Kiko and Papa's Dream, and ends with an amazing live version of the Marvin Gaye's classic "What's Going On" which includes Sheryl Crow on guest vocals. Along the way, side trips are taken to include all the tracks the band has supplied to movie soundtracks, tribute albums (including a killer version of the Disney classic "I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" from The Jungle Book) and solo and side bands such as The Latin Playboys and Los Super Seven.

All that being said, I still have one minor complaint with this collection. A few years ago the band released a 2-disc collection titled Just Another Band From East L.A. which acted as a mini-box set, containing all the hits, important songs and quite a few unreleased, rare and live songs. This collection contains all the same hits, all the same important songs, but few of the unreleased and rare songs from the 2-disc set, thus making it necessary to have both albums to have a complete Los Lobos collection.

Other than the above complaint, this is as close to a perfect summation of a band's career as has ever been assembled for any band. After listening to this collection, anybody would agree that this band deserves nothing less.

Song List

DISC 1
1. Guantanamera
2. Sabor A Mi
3. We're Gonna Rock
4. Let's Say Goodnight
5. Anselma
6. Why Do You Do
7. How Much Can I Do?
8. I'm Sorry (live 1984)
9. Los Ojos De Pancha (live 1984)
10. Don't Worry Baby
11. I Got Loaded
12. Matter Of Time, A
13. Corrido #1
14. Evangeline
15. Lil' King Of Everything
16. Will The Wolf Survive?
17. Quatro Vicios - (featuring Ry Cooder)
18. I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday
19. One Time One Night
20. Shakin' Shakin' Shakes
21. Is This All There Is?
22. My Baby's Gone
23. River Of Fools
24. Set Me Free (Rosa Lee)
25. Tears of God

DISC 2
1. La Bamba
2. Come On, Let's Go
3. Goodnight My Love
4. Rip It Up
5. Volver, Volver (live 1987)
6. I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)
7. Estoy Sentado Aqui
8. La Pistola Y El Corazon
9. I Can't Understand
10. Someday
11. I Walk Alone
12. Angel Dance
13. Little John Of God
14. Down On The Riverbed
15. Till The Hands Fall Off The Clock
16. Be Still
17. Neighborhood, The
18. Bertha
19. Beautiful Maria Of My Soul
20. Christmas Song, The - (live)

DISC 3
1. Dream In Blue
2. Wicked Rain
3. Angels With Dirty Faces
4. That Train Don't Stop Here
5. Kiko And The Lavender Moon
6. Saint Behind The Glass
7. When The Circus Comes
8. Peace - (previously unreleased, demo)
9. Rio De Tenampa - (previously unreleased, demo)
10. Try Me - (previously unreleased)
11. Alone In A Crowd
12. Tomorrow Never Knows (live 1993) - (previously unreleased)
13. Forever Night Shade Mary - Latin Playboys
14. Same Brown Earth - Latin Playboys
15. Down Where The Drunkards Roll
16. Route 90
17. Lonely Avenue
18. Midnight Shift
19. Mariachi Suite
20. She's About A Mover (live 1996)

DISC 4
1. Revolution
2. Mas Y Mas
3. Maricela
4. Can't Stop The Rain
5. This Bird's Gonna Fly
6. Pepe & Irene - (with Money Mark)
7. Lonesome Tears In My Eyes - (with Paul Burlison)
8. Me Estas Matando
9. El Canoero - Los Super Seven
10. La Sirena - Los Super Seven
11. El Pescador - Los Super Seven
12. Little Heaven - Cesar Rosas
13. Soul Disguise - Cesar Rosas
14. Angelito - Cesar Rosas
15. Lemon 'N Ice - Latin Playboys
16. I'll Change My Style - Houndog
17. Cumbia Raza - (English version)
18. Oh Yeah
19. Viking
20. This Time
21. What's Going On? - (with Sheryl Crow)

Oldies That ROCK!

2006-06-29T22:52:00.000-05:00

Maybe I was born too late. Maybe I just love studying the past, I'm also very much into archeology. Maybe it's just that early rock 'n' roll sounded (and still does) so fresh and invigorating. These were artists doing something new, and they knew it. The songs always felt ready to explode from the sheer energy contained within, it was like the artist was holding back uncontrolled chaos instead of throwing every ounce of energy he had into the performance. The music was new, it was exciting. There were no corporations putting together bands of pre-teen pretty boys and then giving them music lessons, there were no artists taking other artists' already-recorded tracks, cutting them up and re-arranging them into new songs. It was real people with minimal instrumentation cutting tracks, essentially live in the recording studio. And these are the best of those:

(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock - Bill Haley & His Comets

Of course, this one is on this list. Not the first rock 'n' roll record ever recorded, as some historians will try to tell you, but by far the best of the pre-Elvis rock 'n' roll songs. Bill Haley started his career playing cowboy music, then moved on to big band swing, later deciding to make an attempt at standing out from the crowd by performing rhythm & blues in that format. This was his third song mixing all those styles, the others being Shake, Rattle And Roll and See You Later Alligator, both also worthy of being included in this list.

Ain't It A Shame - Fats Domino

This was a hard choice. I wanted to limit the songs on this list to just one per artist, but Fats Domino was way too good to limit to just one. This song was picked over I'm Walkin', I'm In Love Again, Whole Lotta Loving, and of course Blueberry Hill. The seminal New Orleans rock 'n' roller, Domino's sound was energetic and infectious. You cannot listen to his music without fighting the urge to get up and dance. This is the one song from Domino that has probably outlasted all others, due in part to amazing covers by Paul McCartney and Cheap Trick, among many, many others.

C'mon Everybody - Eddie Cochran

Eddie Cochran is the forgotten great of rock 'n' roll. He wrote great songs, and played guitar better than almost anybody (we'll get to the one early rocker who was better than him later), but now, if not for The Who, Brian Setzer and Paul McCartney covering some of his best songs, he'd be completely forgotten. With all the legends and myths surrounding the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, the car crash that killed Cochran and left Gene Vincent unable to record anymore has been overlooked, and that's a shame. This song is one of Cochran's best, and it is the perfect representative of his style, twangy guitar, driving beat and stilted vocals.

Maybellene - Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry's personal habits aside, he is truly the father of rock 'n' roll. He invented the guitar licks, he developed the lyric style, he created the look, and he defined the style. This was his first attempt, and it's the moment rock 'n' roll was born as its own style. All the pieces were already in place, all it needed was a kick-start, which this song provided. After this song, the floodgates were opened. As for the song itself, it flat out rocks. There is so much energy in its two minutes that it feels like it ends before it even begins.

Be Bop A Lula - Gene Vincent and The Blue Caps

Restraint. This song, like most everything Vincent recorded, sounds like it wants to explode. Energy is coursing through this song, it pushes to break free, it wants to run wild, and, except for a few controlled screams in the background, Vincent fights to keep it under control. You can hear the strain in his voice. A few times it seems like the song might get away from him, but always Vincent pulls it back under his control. An Amazing performance. If you don't like this song, you don't like rock 'n' roll.

Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins

And here is the one early rock 'n' roller who played better guitar than Eddie Cochran. This was also the toughest choice for inclusion on this list. Carl Perkins had to be on the list somewhere, but his songs were the strongest overall of anybody's. This is his best-known song, mainly recognized for an inferior cover by Elvis Presley. Perkins' version is better in every way. This song was selected over Honey Don't, Boppin' The Blues, Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby, Matchbox, Glad All Over and Gone, Gone, Gone.

Tutti Frutti - Little Richard

Well, at this point I'm thinking that my self-imposed rule limiting myself to one song per artist was a mistake. This song is pure energy. Above I discussed Gene Vincent holding back the frantic energy that wanted to explode from Be Bop A Lula, Little Richard has no such concerns. He let's everything go on this song. He's singing is so frantic that he can't get all the words out without them stumbling all over each other. The band has a hard time keeping up with his pace, but somehow they do. This is a two-minute explosion, and it's all good. This song chosen over Long Tall Sally, Rip It Up, Lucille and Good Golly Miss Molly.

Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly

Naturally, Buddy Holly has to be somewhere in this list. Modern rock started here. Buddy Holly was the first wholly self-contained artist. He wrote the songs, he played great guitar, he experimented, and he even produced alot of his later material. Now, everybody does all that, in rock's early years, nobody did, except Holly. He was a true visionary. Another frantic song, Peggy Sue is constant momentum. The drumming drives this track. The song sounds like somebody running. And well it should, since the singer is declaring his love for his best friend's girl. Other Holly songs that almost made the cut, That'll Be the Day, Not Fade Away, Oh Boy!, Maybe Baby, Rave On and Well, All Right.

Blue Moon of Kentucky - Elvis Presley

Why this Presley song over everything else? Simple. This was recorded before he was restrained by RCA, and it's Elvis doing what he did best, reinterpreting other people's material. In this case, and old bluegrass tune is turned into a blistering rock number. Elvis's voice pushes the tune into overdrive. This song had never been speeded up like this prior to this recording. It's never been slowed back down since in any subsequent recordings. Other great pre-RCA Elvis recordings are That's All Right, Good Rockin' Tonight and Mystery Train.

The Train Kept A-Rollin' - The Johnny Burnette Trio

Johnny Burnette is better known for his sixties turn as a pop crooner. This is one of his early recordings. If you haven't heard it, it cannot be described in adequate detail. It sounds like a train wreck. And in this case, that's a good thing.

La Bamba - Ritchie Valens

With this song Valens does the same thing Elvis was good at doing. He takes an old standard and re-interprets it as a blistering rock 'n' roll number. The twin guitar attack of this song is blistering. At points the two instruments diverge into separate patterns. Over the bubbling bed of music Valens shouts the lyrics, just trying to be heard over the noise. He does not always do a good job. The song is better because of it.

Who Do You Love - Bo Diddley

"I use a cobra snake for a necktie," "I got a brand new chimney on top, made out of a human skull," "tombstone hand and a graveyard mind / just 22 and I don't mind dying." Any questions?

Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis

If there are any questions about whether or not piano is a percussion instrument, listen to this song. The way Lewis attacks his keyboard, he must think he's a drummer. The lyrics are just there to be outrageous, ribald and risqué. They succeed on all counts. This song picked over Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On.

Last Word

At just 37, I am way too young to have been around for the first appearance of any of the songs above. My love for music and history combined to make me want to search where the sounds I heard on the radio came from. The list above is a minor part of that history. When all is said and done, those songs represent not only he birth of a new musical genre, but also the best of that genre. Anybody that says that the music is no good because it's old is flat-out wrong. Age does not determine greatness, but neither does it deny it. If you're ever planning a 50's party make sure the above songs are on your tape and it's guaranteed to be a success.

Who's Next in Context

2006-06-29T22:33:00.000-05:00

So far, I've written mainly reviews of new CDs. I have decided to do something completely different this time around. In this review, I am going to take a look at one of the greatest, most well-known rock albums ever recorded, Who's Next by the Who. However, since I am an avowed, card-carrying, Who fanatic, I do not think a straight "review" of the album will be fair, since I am biased. Also, the whys and what’s of this album have already been explored in tons of other reviews written by others. I do not feel it necessary to rehash or rewrite what they’ve already written. So, what I will do for this review is use this album as a springboard to outline and explain the band and the things that make them unique.

It's All About Attitude

Start with the cover. One of the primary traits of The Who becomes evident, just from a glance. They are irreverent. They are crude. They are rude. And they are funny. The Who's Next album was released in 1971, when the film 2001 was still vividly in the minds of the public. In that film there is a huge alien monolith, which, although ambiguous in the movie, seems to serve the purpose of guiding and inspiring mankind from its "birth" through its momentous achievement of space travel and beyond. According to Pete Townshend, guitarist, songwriter and main mouthpiece of the band, the cover was influenced by the movie. The story told is that the band happened to have a photographer with them as they were driving between gigs in England and passed a slagheap. The photographer saw the huge concrete slabs sticking up out of the heap (they are put there to keep the slag heap from "shifting") and thought it the perfect backdrop for a photo shoot. He convinced the band to stop and pose for photos. Outtakes from the photo shoot reveal that it started out as expected, with the band striking poses similar to those seen in the movie 2001, bowing down and worshipping the stone slab. As the shoot progresses, the members of the band appear more and more restless and upset, until the photo used for the cover emerges. And the band shows just what they think about the "guiding force of mankind" by what they have obviously just finished doing on the monolith. According to Townshend, the statement was intentional, and, in fact, the "stains" on the monolith are real too. It may be strange that fanatics love a band because of their irreverent and rude attitude, especially when the band is just as likely to take out their aggression on those same fans. For example, after hearing one too many screams for Magic Bus at a concert in 1977, Townshend responded with, "there's a guitar up here on stage, if one of you big mouth little gits want to come up here and fucking take it off me." There is a lighter side to the attitude, however, as evidenced by the fact that immediately after delivering the diatribe the band played Magic Bus.

What About The Music?

Ultimately, any band must be judged on the quality of the music. The Who are no different in that respect. Their music, however, is very different from most other "conventional" rock 'n' roll. The instrumentation used by the Who is no different than that of any other band, guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, and voice, but the role each instrument plays in relation to the other instruments is very different. As the very first note of this album begins that difference hits the listener like a slap in the face.

The song Baba O'Riley opens with a wash of synth. Playing a single-note pattern in repetition, it establishes a hypnotic, circular pattern before being joined by any other instrumentation. The first instrument to join in with the synth is Pete Townshend's piano. Simply establishing the beat, the piano plays simple chords to accent the synth pattern. Next, Keith Moon's drums come thundering in, as they often do, and cements the beat of the song. Once that task is accomplished, John Entwistle's bass slides into the sound. Unlike his usual role in the Who's music, in this number Entwistle simply echoes the piano, solidifying and strengthening its sound. Roger Daltrey jumps into the song next, his vocals a barely contained scream as he sings the opening line, "Out here in the fields / We fought for our meals." Finally, after the first verse Pete Townshend's guitar slices into the song with blistering power chords.

Differing remarkably from the usual Who formula, during this number the piano, drums, bass, and guitar all fill out the song just keeping the beat, echoing the original piano part, and allow the synth track to carry the tune. Although, typical to Who formula, this song does contain a bridge in which all instrumentation alters. After a huge crescendo of power chords, every instrument, except the synth, drops out completely, while Townshend sings the line, "Don't cry, don't raise your eyes, its only teenage wasteland." From a listening standpoint, it seems as if the revelation in the bridge has freed the band, for when they power back in, the playing is louder, more forceful, and even has a few added accents which were absent prior to the bridge.

The song continues to build momentum with the band notching up with every note until the song reaches a crescendo, and everything changes. A violin, played by Dave Arbus, joins in at the last of the crescendo, as all the other instruments, except synth, fade away. The violin finds an alternate melody among the synth part and begins following it. As the other instruments join back into the song, in reverse order of how they exited, they also pick up the new melody, turning the end of the song into a synth-led, futuristic square dance. Several key elements to a fanatic's love of the band can be found in this song. In this song, for example, the band members play a simple "time keeping" role. However, even then, Keith Moon cannot help but throw in constant fills, rolls, and other bits of quickie drum pyrotechnics. Likewise, Entwistle throws in a few instances of fancy bass-work.

Bargain, the next song on the album, is different. It is formula Who all the way. The song opens with simple guitar strumming, with backwards guitar accompaniment. After a few bars of this, setting the chord progression and melodic foundation, everything breaks down. The drums roll in, followed by a tremendous explosion of sound from the rest of the band. As a single-note synth part trails along, marking the chord changes, the bass guitar carries the melody of the tune while the lead guitar accents the beats with power chords. Meanwhile, the drums fill in the space left between the bass melody and the guitar chords. Notice, especially, the bass drum work. Moon does not simply hit 'boom-space-boom-boom," he uses the bass as another tom and plays a spectacular pattern, "boom-space-roll-boom, boom-roll-space-boom." Amazingly enough, on top of this he also plays a spectacular series of fills concurrently on the rest of his kit. Overall, this is a stunning display of skill.

As stated above, the bass is the main melodic force within this song. It carries the tune, which is traditionally the role of the lead guitar. The bass swoops and bounces along. Listen to it especially during the bridge, as it is the sole instrument heard behind Townshend's voice as he sings, "I look around / I look at my face in the mirror / I know I'm worth nothing without you / and like one and one don't make two / one and one make one / I'm looking for that free ride to me / I'm looking for you." And to hear a perfect example of how The Who's sound is really defined by the bass and drums, listen to the bass/drum break immediately following the above vocals. Strummed acoustic guitar set the beat and present the chords in the deep background. A single-note synth pattern sweeps across the top of the music. It is, however, the space in between those two instruments where the song is really taking shape. The bass plays the melody, while the drums fill in the spaces left by the bass' fingerpicked sound. As the song reaches its conclusion, all the pieces start to break free. The guitar starts playing a choppy melody, the bass flies off in its own direction. The synth slides in and out of the music. The drums tie all this madness together with a bass drum roll. The song builds, and builds, until there is nothing left for it to do than just end, which it does.

Love Ain’t For Keeping shows another side of the band. Far from being a hard-rock showstopper like the track before, it is very close to being a real country number. This is a great example of the genius of the album’s producer, Glyn Johns, he knew there would be no way to top the performance contained in the previous number, so he shifted gears on the music entirely. This song is driven by a twin acoustic guitar attack. One acoustic guitar is strummed while the other is fingerpicked. The bass bubbles along underneath, playing an alternate melody. Because the rest of the instrumentation is already so busy, Moon uses the drums to simply keep time. Of course, saying Moon does anything with the drums "simply," is a bit of a misnomer, but this is one of his most conventional drum parts. On top of all this, Roger Daltrey sings the lyrics. The song contains some nice alliterations, but is otherwise lyrically unexceptional. This is a fun tune that effectively breaks the pattern and shifts the mood of the album thus far.

The next song on the album is the only one in the collection not written by Pete Townshend. John Entwistle’s My Wife is a funny song about a man on the run from his wife because “She thinks I’ve been with another woman.” When the truth was, “all I did was have a bit too much to drink / but I picked the wrong precinct / got picked up by the law and now I ain’t got time to think.” Bass guitar carries this tune. Because this song is written and sung by Entwistle, the band allows his bass to be the loudest instrument in the mix. For this number it acts as lead guitar. Keith Moon follows the bass line with a complicated pattern, throwing in fills whenever the mood strikes. In this number Townshend’s guitar is barely audible, reduced to playing time-keeping power chords in the background. A horn section, actually Entwistle himself overdubbed multiple times, appears at the end of each chorus to accent the beat, then disappears. This song totally turns the listeners typical expectations upside down. Earlier in the album, the band used the bass guitar as the main instrument in the tune, but always did so with the instrument slotted into its usual position in the mix. On this number, that has changed. The bass is in the space usually reserved for lead guitar, and the lead guitar has been shunted into the bass guitar position. The unusual sound field caused by this can be disconcerting to some listeners, but it does create an unusual, chilling atmosphere, which befits the dark humor of the material, a trademark of Entwistle-written songs.

Just as every song so far has been driven by a different instrument, guitar, bass, or synth, The Song Is Over is driven by piano. Piano, echoed by guitar, opens the tune. Townshend sings the first verse over this sparse accompaniment. For the chorus that follows, Daltrey takes over vocals and sings in front of the entire band. This is the case with the rest of the song too. Townshend and piano on verses, Daltrey with full band of choruses. This is a beautiful, uplifting tune about rediscovering yourself after losing the love of someone else.

Getting In Tune begins with a nice, quiet, elegant piano melody. Entwistle plays a light bass line behind the piano as embellishment. Daltrey begins the song with the chorus, singing it over this sparse arrangement. After the last line, however, the full band thunders in, with Keith Moon leading the charge. The bass guitar carries the tune, playing the melody, while the lead guitar marks the beat and throws in the occasional embellishment. The drums thunder through this track, pushing it forward.

Goin’ Mobile is a cute little ditty about life on the road. It opens as a cute little country tune, with acoustic guitar, bass and drums. Bass and guitar carry the tune with the drums keeping a complex, and heavy beat. After a few verses, the entire song changes, though. The acoustic guitar changes to an electric, fed through an ARP synth. Right after the introduction of this new, and incredible sounding, new “instrument,” the song flies of into the stratosphere. Townshend plays an incredible solo, the drums go wild, and bass begins swooping and zooming all over the soundscape. If you are a fan of guitar, this song is a must-hear, as no description can adequately describe either the sound or the ability displayed by the ARP-guitar and Townshend. Taking a guess, I would imagine that this song was written simply to show off the new technology of feeding a guitar through a synth. It works. The song is fun, and, even today, will cause your jaw to hit the floor in disbelief.

Behind Blue Eyes opens with the Who formula in reverse. Acoustic, fingerpicked guitar plays the melody, while bass marks the beat. On the first chorus, the song reverses. Bass takes over the melody, while the guitar switches from being fingerpicked to strummed, as it also takes over time keeping. The instrumentation continues switching through the choruses and verses of the song. Until, that is, the last chorus, when drums join in and the song becomes a heavy-rocker, before finally reverting back to the gentle tune it was in the beginning. This is a brilliant song of redemption and understanding, with Daltrey delivering one of his strongest vocal performances ever, and music that perfectly captures the conflicting emotions of sadness, and rage, studied in the lyrics. This song really highlights the Who’s skills as individual musicians, as collective musicians and as performers. Very few other bands could have pulled off the switch from delicate acoustic tune to heavy rocker in a single note as the Who does in this number. Also, very few bands contain the technical musical ability to play around, and with, each other the way Townshend and Entwistle do in the acoustic passages in this number. Once the heavy portion of this song starts, pay extra attention to Keith Moon. In what could have been a typical heavy-rock break, he ignores the places where a “typical” drummer would have placed fills and accents, performing his before or after the “typical” placement, and delivers an unusual and uncanny performance.

Won’t Get Fooled Again has earned its place as perhaps the greatest showcase of the Who’s tremendous talents. It is a warhorse of a song. Clocking in at nearly nine minutes, it runs the gamut of sounds and styles inherent in the delivery of the band. Opening with a tremendous power chord which fades into another of Townshend’s hypnotic synth patterns, it makes an immediate impact. The band thunders in and then goes silent allowing the drums to establish a beat before they all return to power through the song. The bass carries the tune, with Entwistle swooping and diving through the music as Townshend ingeniously keeps beat and deliver an unbelievable power-chord laden lead guitar line. After each chorus, Entwistle moves into a holding pattern, keeping the beat, allowing Townshend to deliver an amazing guitar break before returning to the next verse, where they reverse places again. Meanwhile the drums careen through the song, half keeping time, half delivering what could best be described as a drum solo. And through it all, buried deep in the background, the hypnotic synth line can still be heard. Over all the madness of the instrumentation, Daltrey delivers a powerful, growling vocal performance. His voice is angry and biting, as he yells his way through the lyrics, trying to be heard above the racket. The song gets a bit further out of control with each chorus, the guitar breaks becoming wilder and less restrained, the drums careening further and further away from any resemblance of keeping a beat and the bass swooping longer and louder. Then suddenly it all stops. After one last, crazy, guitar break the instruments drop out, leaving behind just the synth line. The synth continues alone for a time, flowing and bouncing in a trance inducing performance. Finally, the monotony of the synth is broken as Moon dives back into the song with a drum solo. Short and succinct, it is not as impressive a “solo” as the vast majority of his regular drum parts, but it suffices to reintroduce the band to the song. The band crashes back into the song at the end of Moon’s solo led by a blood chilling scream from Daltrey. They thrash through one final vocal line, “Meet the new boss / Same as the old boss,” before slashing through the finale of the song. The break has allowed the band to regain their composure. The end of the song is much less out of control than the song had grown by the time the instruments dropped out for the synth break. The song ends cold, the band delivering a few coordinated power chords before finally disappearing.

The Final Word

The question may still remain, what makes the Who different? The answer can be found by examining this album and studying its contents. The instrumentation that the Who used was ordinary, the same as any other band. However, the roles of the instruments were very different within the Who. The group plays with incredible power and ability. They interact with each other, musically, almost instinctively, providing a collective ability well above most other bands. The group is also innovative. In a recent interview Daltrey noted that the album Who’s Next was very experimental for its day and in fact, “it still sounds very innovative today, thirty years later.” The songwriting is strong, Townshend showing an uncanny ability to tap into the emotions and heartbreak of ordinary people in everyday situations and turn them into extraordinary lyrics. Overall, this album earns its reputation as one of the most distinctive and important rock albums ever recorded. It also is the perfect representation of the band that recorded it, and showcases, effectively, what makes the Who a unique and distinctive group.

I took the leap!

2006-06-22T00:07:00.000-05:00

I put together a MySpace page. Visit it here!