Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Yeah, probably about the fiftieth time you'll see that headline, but Syd is supposed to have inspired the words...
Syd is Syd Barrett, founder of THE Pink Floyd [not just PF], who passed away some time last week it was announced Monday.
I have to agree with my friend Casey on this. People are acting like this was David Gilmour or Roger Waters or Rick Wright or Nick Mason of the Dark Side of the Moon/ Shine On You Crazy Diamond / The Wall Pink Floyd passing and it ISN'T.
People throw around phrases like 'acid damaged genius' and I have to take exception. Barrett made 1 and 1/2 albums with The Floyd [The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and I believe he played on and/ or wrote about half of Saucerful of Secrets, plus a handful of singles which appear on The Floyd's Relics] and two solo albums. Now Piper is a very very intersting album, even more so with a head full of what have you. But LOTS of bands make one grand album and go into the dumper... we don't know what history would have charted for a Barrett lead band. Maybe they'd have burned out like the Jefferson Airplane did, maybe they'd have become some cult thing like the Grateful Dead... we just don't know.
If Syd hadn't been dosed and re-dosed and lost control of himself and his band, Roger Waters never would have taken control and lead the others to the DSotM period. Probably. And remember there were a lot of missed steps on that road. Some people love Atom Heart Mother, but I can't stand it or anything on it; Saucerful is muddling and bad in places, Ummagumma just excessive and ego fulfilling to members and their 'suites;' the sountrack to More has its moments like Cybaline, The Crying Song and Green Is the Colour, but it's merely okay.... Meddle is a step forward and the of course, DSotM.
But anyway, Syd Barrett is a mere footnote in the history of music, a one of the first casualties of the era of excess, only Syd didn't lose his life, he lost his MIND. But don't pretend like the one great album made with Barrett in the band is an excuse to celebrate The Pink Floyd [whom Gilmour has now declared dead after releasing his latest solo album] like you when when Roger Waters or Gilmour starts pushing up the daisies. This isn't Jerry Garcia, this is Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan!
What pisses me off the most is the insinuation and arrogance of the Baby Boomers. "It came from the 60's, it was cool. We were the coolest generation ever and the rest of you can wish you were us. We had Woodstock and JFK and RFK and MLK and it's been all downhill since then." Awww, screw off you old geezer. You're bumming me out with your nostalgia trip. Enjoy it while you can before you're pushing up the daisies, too.
Monday, July 10, 2006
If You Love Something Set It Free?
Sounds like a contradiction doesn't it? A Friend of mine unfortunately got the "I love you but I can't give you what you need and I don't want to see you unhappy" speech [a/k/a "Break Up Speech Number 7" - Now THAT'S a title for a song if I've ever uttered one! And it's MINE MINE MINE!].
Is it better to let someone hang onto a dream or tell them the awful dirty truth that you're not happy or you can't meet their needs and you think they should look for someone who can? This was not the infamous "I love you but I'm not IN LOVE with you," but this was someone saying "I can't give what you need from me" after months of trying to make something come together.
No, it's no fun getting that and she's going to smart for a while. I personally am of the opinion that you should cut your loss as soon as possible so the other person can get on with the grief and the healing - but from experience, I can also say it needs to be stated in PLAIN ENGLISH, not cryptic letters from snow covered distant lands -- but I digress.
And if you're the one doing the cutting off, you have to stand by it, not be wishy washy about it. Yes, you also invested of yourself and you need to heal and yes there will be lonely nights you're tempted - DON'T DO IT. Neither of you will heal if you keep re-opening the old wounds.
Don't worry my friend they said
It will all work out in the end
But the pain in your heart feels like death...
Don't worry about it tonight
Everything will turn out all right
But it's so dark when you put out the light....
HANG IN THERE KID!
What Are They Booing For?
I caught part of the No Direction Home/Bob Dylan thing on PBS again this weekend LATE LATE at night [or EARLY EARLY in the morining if you prefer] and they were showing him being booed at the Newport Folk Festival and booed opn the '65 English tor...
Seems silly to me to pay your money and go see someone and BOO what they're doing [unless it's like the Dallas Stars 5 on 3 in the third period of the playoffs and they're out there passing instead of shooting]. What was the crime? Oh, he's playing an ELECTRIC GUITAR and 'Rock and Roll.' PFHEWW.
Now I understand I am looking back at it [irony: What was the title of the film of the '65 tour? Don't Look Back] 40 years [forty? 4-0?] years after the fact, but the transistion was made on the Bringing It All Back Home album and continued on Highway 61 Revisited - there was just no going back to one guy and his guitar [for a while anyway]. There has to be some growth. He DID the Woody Guthrie thing, now it was time to move on.
Think about this: If the Beatles kept churning out She Loves You yeah yeah yeah for five years instead of seeking out new sounds like they did on Rubber Soul and Revolver, they would just be a footnote in history, not the Greatest Rock and Roll Band Ever.
Dylan heard the sound in his head and he said - I've never heard a record like that, so he made Like A Rolling Stone. And don't kid yourself, there is NO record like Like A Rolling Stone. It's still a unique record and still one of the top 25 songs in the world. Of course the musicians, especially Mike Bloomfield on guitar and Al Kooper on organ added so much and the producer Tom Wilson had the sense to just let it roll...
There is also the footage some press conferences at the end of that that is just a riot. People asking Dylan about hidden meanings and messages in his songs, asking him questions like he knows some answer to the Great Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. The guy is a musician, a songwriter! We ask questions of our artitst like they have answers, when their job is really to reflect what they see or to open some door to a possibility and make you think for yourself. But we,as an audience, want to skip the thinking part and have the artist TELL us what he wants us to see or hear or feel. Man I used to absorb those Rolling Stone Interviews like the Gospel Truth, but after a while I realized I was short changing myself. What if the artist said something I didn't like or popped my idealistic balloon about his art?
Can you imagine if we had the Pop Culture fascination two hundred years ago? Can you imagine Lewis Carrol being asked about Alice in Wonderland and "Who's is the Cheshire Cat Supposed to be?" Can you imagine asking Van Gogh about the Starry Night painting, what does it represent? Is it a statement about pollution? "Hey Picasso, what's up with these cubes, man?"
In the words of the man himself: Don't follow leaders /Watch the parkin' meters!
Get born, keep warm, short pants, romance, learn to dance, get dress3ed, get blessed and try to be a success, please her please him, buy gifts, don't steal don't lift, 20 year of schooling and they put you on the day shift - Look out kid, they keep it all hid, better jump don the manhole, light yourself a candle, don't wear sandals and try to avoid the scandals - don't wanna be a bum, you better chew gum, the pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!
For Betty Lou-
What did she do
All alone in a room
Watching TV,
Listen to the radio
Holding on
Waiting around to die
Walk down to the shops
Not shopping or browsing
Just stretching her legs
Keeping the body working
Blood pumping
Hanging on
Waiting around to die
Once in a while the phone rings,
See the kids or the grandkids
Go out for lunch
Then back to her four walls
The TV, the radio and her memories
The same old same old again
Hanging on, holding out
Waiting around to die
Sounds like a contradiction doesn't it? A Friend of mine unfortunately got the "I love you but I can't give you what you need and I don't want to see you unhappy" speech [a/k/a "Break Up Speech Number 7" - Now THAT'S a title for a song if I've ever uttered one! And it's MINE MINE MINE!].
Is it better to let someone hang onto a dream or tell them the awful dirty truth that you're not happy or you can't meet their needs and you think they should look for someone who can? This was not the infamous "I love you but I'm not IN LOVE with you," but this was someone saying "I can't give what you need from me" after months of trying to make something come together.
No, it's no fun getting that and she's going to smart for a while. I personally am of the opinion that you should cut your loss as soon as possible so the other person can get on with the grief and the healing - but from experience, I can also say it needs to be stated in PLAIN ENGLISH, not cryptic letters from snow covered distant lands -- but I digress.
And if you're the one doing the cutting off, you have to stand by it, not be wishy washy about it. Yes, you also invested of yourself and you need to heal and yes there will be lonely nights you're tempted - DON'T DO IT. Neither of you will heal if you keep re-opening the old wounds.
Don't worry my friend they said
It will all work out in the end
But the pain in your heart feels like death...
Don't worry about it tonight
Everything will turn out all right
But it's so dark when you put out the light....
HANG IN THERE KID!
What Are They Booing For?
I caught part of the No Direction Home/Bob Dylan thing on PBS again this weekend LATE LATE at night [or EARLY EARLY in the morining if you prefer] and they were showing him being booed at the Newport Folk Festival and booed opn the '65 English tor...
Seems silly to me to pay your money and go see someone and BOO what they're doing [unless it's like the Dallas Stars 5 on 3 in the third period of the playoffs and they're out there passing instead of shooting]. What was the crime? Oh, he's playing an ELECTRIC GUITAR and 'Rock and Roll.' PFHEWW.
Now I understand I am looking back at it [irony: What was the title of the film of the '65 tour? Don't Look Back] 40 years [forty? 4-0?] years after the fact, but the transistion was made on the Bringing It All Back Home album and continued on Highway 61 Revisited - there was just no going back to one guy and his guitar [for a while anyway]. There has to be some growth. He DID the Woody Guthrie thing, now it was time to move on.
Think about this: If the Beatles kept churning out She Loves You yeah yeah yeah for five years instead of seeking out new sounds like they did on Rubber Soul and Revolver, they would just be a footnote in history, not the Greatest Rock and Roll Band Ever.
Dylan heard the sound in his head and he said - I've never heard a record like that, so he made Like A Rolling Stone. And don't kid yourself, there is NO record like Like A Rolling Stone. It's still a unique record and still one of the top 25 songs in the world. Of course the musicians, especially Mike Bloomfield on guitar and Al Kooper on organ added so much and the producer Tom Wilson had the sense to just let it roll...
There is also the footage some press conferences at the end of that that is just a riot. People asking Dylan about hidden meanings and messages in his songs, asking him questions like he knows some answer to the Great Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. The guy is a musician, a songwriter! We ask questions of our artitst like they have answers, when their job is really to reflect what they see or to open some door to a possibility and make you think for yourself. But we,as an audience, want to skip the thinking part and have the artist TELL us what he wants us to see or hear or feel. Man I used to absorb those Rolling Stone Interviews like the Gospel Truth, but after a while I realized I was short changing myself. What if the artist said something I didn't like or popped my idealistic balloon about his art?
Can you imagine if we had the Pop Culture fascination two hundred years ago? Can you imagine Lewis Carrol being asked about Alice in Wonderland and "Who's is the Cheshire Cat Supposed to be?" Can you imagine asking Van Gogh about the Starry Night painting, what does it represent? Is it a statement about pollution? "Hey Picasso, what's up with these cubes, man?"
In the words of the man himself: Don't follow leaders /Watch the parkin' meters!
Get born, keep warm, short pants, romance, learn to dance, get dress3ed, get blessed and try to be a success, please her please him, buy gifts, don't steal don't lift, 20 year of schooling and they put you on the day shift - Look out kid, they keep it all hid, better jump don the manhole, light yourself a candle, don't wear sandals and try to avoid the scandals - don't wanna be a bum, you better chew gum, the pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!
For Betty Lou-
What did she do
All alone in a room
Watching TV,
Listen to the radio
Holding on
Waiting around to die
Walk down to the shops
Not shopping or browsing
Just stretching her legs
Keeping the body working
Blood pumping
Hanging on
Waiting around to die
Once in a while the phone rings,
See the kids or the grandkids
Go out for lunch
Then back to her four walls
The TV, the radio and her memories
The same old same old again
Hanging on, holding out
Waiting around to die
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Free Agents Don't Realy Play for Free....
Well, let's see, almost a week into the NHL free agent period - though you'd never know it by Sportscenter or anything- and this is the year of the shuffling defensemen - Pronger traded [per his request] to Anahiem for great young winger and Av killer Joeffrey Lupol, Dallas losing Willie Mitchell to Vancouer who lost Ed Jovonovski to Phoenix [who need someone big and respectable to anchor that D], then Dallas picks up Daryl Sydor from Tampa Bay, who also lost Pavel Kubina but picked up the youger Sydor started kit in Andy Delmore and Phillip Kuba from Minnesota, for a draft pick giving them 8 NHL level defensemen, but no second line center with Jason Arnott off to Nashville... sorry, Jeff Halpern from the Caps DOESN'T impress me, but they still have someone to trade - bye bye Janne Niinimaa!
Buffalo loses Jay KcKee as expected and brings in Jaroslav Spacek from the Oilers, who suddenly need someone with Pronger and Spacek gone [forget it - Dallas doesn't trade with Edmonton], Carolina loses Aaron Ward to the NY Hockey Rangers... Joe Corvo out in LA, Rob Blake back in in La-La land; Ottawa chooses Wade Redden and lets BIG [6'9" without skates] Zedno Chara go to Boston [good luck!], Minnesota picks up Keith Carney from Vancouver, Kim Johnsson from Philly [and resigns Matin Gaborik and trades for oft injured but dynamic Pavol Demitra] making a run at respectability; Tampa adresses their goal tending issues with Marc Dennis from Columbus and lets John Grahame become the backup in Carolina, where Martin Gerber is out [to Ottawa]...
Surprises? Look for Washington picking up Brian Pothier from Ottawa to help that defense a lot. Dallas bought out BillGuerin as expected, but they didn't want to see him sign in St Louis, who picking up veteran Jay McKeeand returning Doug Wieght [I STILL say he's OVER-RATED] are showing signs of wanting to be a real team this year; it helps to have owners and a good hockey guy like John Davidson in the front office - I WILL miss JD on TV, but it's a great opporitunity for him. Matt Cullen jumping ship from Cup champs Carolina to the NY Rangers. Boston has made a splash signing Chara, former Atlanta Thrasher Mac Savard and fast but streaky scoring Shean Donovan from Calgary; it's still going to come down to team chemistry and I don't knowif this group has it.
Pittsburgh? Uh, we signed steady defenseman Mark Eaton from Nashville - not much impact in their last season in Big P.
More to come ...
The Old Man Is Down the Road
Wish my Dad a happy 60th when ya run across him out there! And don't believe his wife when she says the girls won the Water Baloon fight: Cory and I hit hard, hit first and hit with water balloons that had been iced down for maximum cold, along with our super shooters loaded with ice cold water - AND we stole their balloons before they could even fill them up! Barbara's smart though, she will not make the same mistake next year.
Well, let's see, almost a week into the NHL free agent period - though you'd never know it by Sportscenter or anything- and this is the year of the shuffling defensemen - Pronger traded [per his request] to Anahiem for great young winger and Av killer Joeffrey Lupol, Dallas losing Willie Mitchell to Vancouer who lost Ed Jovonovski to Phoenix [who need someone big and respectable to anchor that D], then Dallas picks up Daryl Sydor from Tampa Bay, who also lost Pavel Kubina but picked up the youger Sydor started kit in Andy Delmore and Phillip Kuba from Minnesota, for a draft pick giving them 8 NHL level defensemen, but no second line center with Jason Arnott off to Nashville... sorry, Jeff Halpern from the Caps DOESN'T impress me, but they still have someone to trade - bye bye Janne Niinimaa!
Buffalo loses Jay KcKee as expected and brings in Jaroslav Spacek from the Oilers, who suddenly need someone with Pronger and Spacek gone [forget it - Dallas doesn't trade with Edmonton], Carolina loses Aaron Ward to the NY Hockey Rangers... Joe Corvo out in LA, Rob Blake back in in La-La land; Ottawa chooses Wade Redden and lets BIG [6'9" without skates] Zedno Chara go to Boston [good luck!], Minnesota picks up Keith Carney from Vancouver, Kim Johnsson from Philly [and resigns Matin Gaborik and trades for oft injured but dynamic Pavol Demitra] making a run at respectability; Tampa adresses their goal tending issues with Marc Dennis from Columbus and lets John Grahame become the backup in Carolina, where Martin Gerber is out [to Ottawa]...
Surprises? Look for Washington picking up Brian Pothier from Ottawa to help that defense a lot. Dallas bought out BillGuerin as expected, but they didn't want to see him sign in St Louis, who picking up veteran Jay McKeeand returning Doug Wieght [I STILL say he's OVER-RATED] are showing signs of wanting to be a real team this year; it helps to have owners and a good hockey guy like John Davidson in the front office - I WILL miss JD on TV, but it's a great opporitunity for him. Matt Cullen jumping ship from Cup champs Carolina to the NY Rangers. Boston has made a splash signing Chara, former Atlanta Thrasher Mac Savard and fast but streaky scoring Shean Donovan from Calgary; it's still going to come down to team chemistry and I don't knowif this group has it.
Pittsburgh? Uh, we signed steady defenseman Mark Eaton from Nashville - not much impact in their last season in Big P.
More to come ...
The Old Man Is Down the Road
Wish my Dad a happy 60th when ya run across him out there! And don't believe his wife when she says the girls won the Water Baloon fight: Cory and I hit hard, hit first and hit with water balloons that had been iced down for maximum cold, along with our super shooters loaded with ice cold water - AND we stole their balloons before they could even fill them up! Barbara's smart though, she will not make the same mistake next year.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
WHEEEWWWWWWW! Oh.... DAMN.
Well, the Stanley Cup has been awarded again. I thought for a few days I jinxed myself by buying that Brind'Amor jersey [on sale with Stanley Cup Patch!] instead of the Ryan Smyth [and make no bones about it, Smyth is one of the top forwards in the league and I WILL have either an Oiler or a Team Canada jersey for Smyth].
I have to say the Edmonton Oilers played the best hockey in the finals that I have seen all season long - and since I had the NHL Package, that is saying a lot. They have NOTHING to hang their heads about after that run. A lot of teams losing their starting goalie would have folded like cheap lawn furniture, but these boys held their heads high, hit everything that moved, got a couple lucky breaks and one AWFUL LAZY clearing pass from Cory Stillman and came within a few inches of winning the Cup. HATS OFF FELLOWS!
I could have made a strong argument for Chris Pronger winning the Conn Smythe MVP award. He was just AWESOME playing 30 minutes a game - power play, penalty kill and even up. Fernando Pisanni was also great in the finals when his team needed someone to just....
Anyway, congratulations Rod Brind'Amor, Glen Wesley, Frank Kaberle... some long time coming. Doug Weight, though I still think he is over-rated. Mark Recchi adds to his 91-92 Cup with the Pens. Erik Cole just for stepping out onto the ice after missing so much time with a fractured vertebrae - and then he goes out hitting everything in a white sweater in game 7. Brass balls, baby!
Cam Ward coming in cold into game three of the first round and winning all of those games... wow, for a 22 year old kid to show that poise and composure. It reminds one of Marty Broduer.
But, that means the season is OVER. You all know how that makes me feel.
But I have a pile of books to keep my mind occupied for a while. Anyone else read James Frey's A Million Little Pieces? I am about 2/3 of the way through it now. Forget is was an Oprah Book Club Selection and read it. It moves quickly. It's about drug addiction and recovery and it gets pretty graphic. But so far it's a good read.
I also have CDs coming, the best of the Replacements with 2 new tracks and one I've read about for so long, Bill Evans' Sunday at the Village Vanguard. A little jazz to go with those excellent Jimmy Smith and Grant Green CDs I picked up a few weeks ago.
Re-re-re-re-dedicating to the gym. Want to be pumped up for the Clark Family Fourth of July festivities... rules changed, huh? "No Innocent Bystanders," eh? You may be sorry when the cooler truck full of snowballs arrives. Remember, Barbara, YOU ASKED FOR IT!!!! No using the baby as a shield, either!
All right, laundry should be dry shortly. I miss summer vacation. So a short list of summer songs for the CD player. Send more: chazg66@yahoo.com
1. Magic - the Cars [summer 84]
2. Photograph - Def Leppard [summer 83]
3. Anything from Huey Lewis and the News' Sports [also summer 83]
4. I Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick [summer 78]
5. Jet - Paul McCartney and Wings [summer 73]
6. We're An American Band - Grand Funk Railroad [summer 73]
7. The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy [summer 76]
Well, the Stanley Cup has been awarded again. I thought for a few days I jinxed myself by buying that Brind'Amor jersey [on sale with Stanley Cup Patch!] instead of the Ryan Smyth [and make no bones about it, Smyth is one of the top forwards in the league and I WILL have either an Oiler or a Team Canada jersey for Smyth].
I have to say the Edmonton Oilers played the best hockey in the finals that I have seen all season long - and since I had the NHL Package, that is saying a lot. They have NOTHING to hang their heads about after that run. A lot of teams losing their starting goalie would have folded like cheap lawn furniture, but these boys held their heads high, hit everything that moved, got a couple lucky breaks and one AWFUL LAZY clearing pass from Cory Stillman and came within a few inches of winning the Cup. HATS OFF FELLOWS!
I could have made a strong argument for Chris Pronger winning the Conn Smythe MVP award. He was just AWESOME playing 30 minutes a game - power play, penalty kill and even up. Fernando Pisanni was also great in the finals when his team needed someone to just....
Anyway, congratulations Rod Brind'Amor, Glen Wesley, Frank Kaberle... some long time coming. Doug Weight, though I still think he is over-rated. Mark Recchi adds to his 91-92 Cup with the Pens. Erik Cole just for stepping out onto the ice after missing so much time with a fractured vertebrae - and then he goes out hitting everything in a white sweater in game 7. Brass balls, baby!
Cam Ward coming in cold into game three of the first round and winning all of those games... wow, for a 22 year old kid to show that poise and composure. It reminds one of Marty Broduer.
But, that means the season is OVER. You all know how that makes me feel.
But I have a pile of books to keep my mind occupied for a while. Anyone else read James Frey's A Million Little Pieces? I am about 2/3 of the way through it now. Forget is was an Oprah Book Club Selection and read it. It moves quickly. It's about drug addiction and recovery and it gets pretty graphic. But so far it's a good read.
I also have CDs coming, the best of the Replacements with 2 new tracks and one I've read about for so long, Bill Evans' Sunday at the Village Vanguard. A little jazz to go with those excellent Jimmy Smith and Grant Green CDs I picked up a few weeks ago.
Re-re-re-re-dedicating to the gym. Want to be pumped up for the Clark Family Fourth of July festivities... rules changed, huh? "No Innocent Bystanders," eh? You may be sorry when the cooler truck full of snowballs arrives. Remember, Barbara, YOU ASKED FOR IT!!!! No using the baby as a shield, either!
All right, laundry should be dry shortly. I miss summer vacation. So a short list of summer songs for the CD player. Send more: chazg66@yahoo.com
1. Magic - the Cars [summer 84]
2. Photograph - Def Leppard [summer 83]
3. Anything from Huey Lewis and the News' Sports [also summer 83]
4. I Want You to Want Me - Cheap Trick [summer 78]
5. Jet - Paul McCartney and Wings [summer 73]
6. We're An American Band - Grand Funk Railroad [summer 73]
7. The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy [summer 76]
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Repost - REVIEWS - Superchunk
Foolish [1994]
This was my first taste of Superchunk, a friend of mine bought this and played it over and over again until it was so burned into my brain that I had to buy it.
The slow, chiming opener Like A Fool is not indicative of the rest of the album, but the second cut, The First Part is. The verse and choruses build to a big melodic hook then thump you over the head a few times hit you with a second hook and thump you a couple more times before letting go with a big buzzy chord. Water Wings continues the quick assault with a merciless snare drum that doesn't let up. The turnaround in the chorus and coming out of the chorus is great DIY rock and roll. Driveway to Driveway slows the pace, but features some of those great chiming chords I love [the Pretenders Chrissie Hynde is great with these]. Saving My Ticket kicks things back up, Kicked In is an okay chugging riff, Why Do You Have to Put A Date on Everything is probably the bust mix of power chords and chiming guitars and most ambitious song on the record with shifting accents and riffs and is probably the blueprint song for the album that follows, Here's Where The Strings Come In.Without Blinking is a return to the wall of noise so prevalant on previous 'Chunk albums. Keeping Track is another slow track but listen how all the instruments blend together and compliment each other! The only real clunker of the set is the closer In A Stage Whisper, but the rest of the set alows for one and it is the last cut...
What's the appeal? Well it's not grunge, which in 1994 was big appeal. What it IS is good old American power chord almost pop. There's some faster songs, a couple slower tunes, crunchy guitars, hooks a plenty and almost indeciferable lyrics. What are they singing about? Who cares!
Here's Where the Strings Come In [1995]
As soon as you put the needle on this one you're going to get greeted by a happy noisy record that occasionally slows down but doesn't really let up for about 45 minutes or so.
First the 'Chunks discover Angus Young's secret to great guitar sound: loud and overdriving doesn't have to sound like a danged Metallica record. The sound of 'Chunk records continues getting clearer and one can hear the actual drums and bass notes [and backing vocals] as opposed the wall of sound [much as I love it] on the early records. This way when they want to hit you over the head, they kick in a louder fuzzy guitar like they do on Silverleaf and Snowy Tears or Eastern Terminal.
Second: Mac has come up with a another great batch of songs with a pile of hooks that would do any Cars record proud. And again, you can actually sometimes make out what Mac is singing. Most of the time he's singing about a screwed up relationship [keeping in mind this was after he and bass player Laura Ballance fell out] but he's more sad than bitter.
This record also contains the very pretty Green Flowers, Blue Fish and the greatest "yeah yeah" chorus this side of She Loves You on the driving It's Beautiful Here, Too.
Really it's hard to describe this record if you're not familiar with the touch points. It's not as hard as the Foo Fighters, but it has all the elements that make that "accessable power pop. [And Mac seems to mention airplanes a lot in his songs] If you're looking for a first Superchunk, this would be a good one. If you own earlier 'Chunk it's a good record to catch a band maturing.
Indoor Living [1997]
Coming two years after the exciting and energetic Here's Where the Stings Come In, Indoor Living kicks off in a slower gear immediately and never really kicks back up the the level of Strings or 1994's Foolish.
Which is not to say that it's a bad record, just different. History has shown this is a key record in 'Chunk's transition from a scream to a whisper that would make Come Pick Me Up such a GREAT record.
First the highlights: the band SOUNDS great, guitars chime when the need too and fuzz when they need to and Mac's vocals aren't buried in the middle of all the guitars and things. There is space between the instruments which makes this record breathe a little more [kind of like the difference between inhaling a dinner and relaxing and enjoying a meal.] Even on the fast and slightly noisy Nu Bruises you can hear all the instruments pretty clearly. The band also uses synthesizers and uses them tastefully.
The album kicks off with the very good duo of Unbelievable Things and Burn Last Sunday, a little more calm than the last record, but two very good tracks none the less. But then Marquee grinds the first side to a crawl when the side really needs a kick in the behind and it sounds like a half finished idea. The side is rescued by the next tracks, Watery Hands, THE prototypical post wall of noise Superchunk single, eminently catchy and featuring a great cheesy synth hook, setting the stage for the next two albums, and the afforementioned Nu Bruises but they slide into the slow REM-like arpeggiating again on Every Single Instinct. And Under Our Feet three songs later sounds like another Life's Rich Pagent era toss off. And the album ending Martinis on the Roof is one of the most under-realized tracks in the 'Chunk catalog in spite of some interesting vibraphone playing in there [think the Stones Under My Thumb.]
There are some really good songs here like Things, Hands, Bruises, the noisy European Medicine and the two center tracks of the album Song for Marion Brown and The Popular Music but some of the songs sound only half finished. If you're looking for good 'Chunk, I still recommend Here's Where the Strings Come In, Foolish or No Pocky for Kitty before exploring this one.
Come Pick Me Up [1999]
Initially picking up Superchunk's Foolish because my other music snob friend played it until it was worn into my brain (first side only... long story), I continued following the 'Chunk through the beautiful noise of Here's Where the Strings Come In and the less noisy, uneven Indoor Living. So of course, when Come Pick Me Up came out, I rushed to it.
Two years and a new album later I still rate this as their best. I had always enjoyed the noisier albums, but I still loved the acoustic tracks and demos that would show up as B-Sides and compilation CDs. And this album is the perfect of BOTH. No longer just screaming lyrics and loud guitars (not that there's anything wrong with that), the band seems to have reached a new maturity with this album that was just hinted at on Indoor Living. Now you can HEAR Laura Ballance's wonderful bass playing and Jon Wurster's FANTASTIC drum accents. Mac McCaughan continues writing some of the best hooks this side of the Cars and Jim Wilbur continues adding tasty guitar parts behind Mac. There's also the addition of strings to the sound [on Hello Hawk]. On this album they seem to have found the right mix of when to be loud and when to lay back.
I'm still not sure this should be anyone's FIRST Superchunk album. I think one should experience the noise before the mature band, i.e. Foolish, No Pocky for Kitty or the first singles collection Tossing Seeds but it wouldn't be BAD if it was.
Here's To Shutting Up [2001]
Here's To Shutting Up finds the Chunks continuing a maturing process that started with Come Pick Me Up, walking a line between geeky art band and loud college radio darlings. This means turning off the distortion on the guitars, separating instruments in the mix [both of which lead to a much greater appreciation of each member's playing, especially the ever inventive Jon Wurster on the tubs] and adding acoustic guitars, keyboards and strings... and not shouting the words ALL the time.
From the kick off of the strum and cheesy keyboard line and dreamy lyrics that power Late Century Dream to the power chords and driving drum work of Rainy Streets to the pedal steel and acoustic guitars and harmonica of Phone Sex to the pop of Florida's On Fire [featuring some fantastic work by guitar work by Jim Wilber]and Act Surprised to more cheesy keyboards, acoustic guitars and random noises and spoken lyrics that drive What Do You Look Forward To and Drool Collection this is an excellent piece of work. The lyrics reflect distanced lovers trying to keep relations going by phone calls, plane crashes, the eroding American Dream and when you can make them out are very thought provoking.
Should this be anyone's first Superchunk album? Probably not. Just as I would the Replacements, I'd point to a noisier cut of 'Chunk, probably 1994's Foolish, and let the listener explore the maturing process if they so wished. Is it their best? No, Come Pick Me Up is (so far) their masterpiece.
Still, there's a lot of interesting textures, and enough hooks and crunch to make a lot of current bands dream of writing songs this good. You will find yourself humming melodies and banging out drum patterns on your desk at work LONG after you've turned the CD off. Seems to get better with repeated listening. One of the top five of 2001...
Foolish [1994]
This was my first taste of Superchunk, a friend of mine bought this and played it over and over again until it was so burned into my brain that I had to buy it.
The slow, chiming opener Like A Fool is not indicative of the rest of the album, but the second cut, The First Part is. The verse and choruses build to a big melodic hook then thump you over the head a few times hit you with a second hook and thump you a couple more times before letting go with a big buzzy chord. Water Wings continues the quick assault with a merciless snare drum that doesn't let up. The turnaround in the chorus and coming out of the chorus is great DIY rock and roll. Driveway to Driveway slows the pace, but features some of those great chiming chords I love [the Pretenders Chrissie Hynde is great with these]. Saving My Ticket kicks things back up, Kicked In is an okay chugging riff, Why Do You Have to Put A Date on Everything is probably the bust mix of power chords and chiming guitars and most ambitious song on the record with shifting accents and riffs and is probably the blueprint song for the album that follows, Here's Where The Strings Come In.Without Blinking is a return to the wall of noise so prevalant on previous 'Chunk albums. Keeping Track is another slow track but listen how all the instruments blend together and compliment each other! The only real clunker of the set is the closer In A Stage Whisper, but the rest of the set alows for one and it is the last cut...
What's the appeal? Well it's not grunge, which in 1994 was big appeal. What it IS is good old American power chord almost pop. There's some faster songs, a couple slower tunes, crunchy guitars, hooks a plenty and almost indeciferable lyrics. What are they singing about? Who cares!
Here's Where the Strings Come In [1995]
As soon as you put the needle on this one you're going to get greeted by a happy noisy record that occasionally slows down but doesn't really let up for about 45 minutes or so.
First the 'Chunks discover Angus Young's secret to great guitar sound: loud and overdriving doesn't have to sound like a danged Metallica record. The sound of 'Chunk records continues getting clearer and one can hear the actual drums and bass notes [and backing vocals] as opposed the wall of sound [much as I love it] on the early records. This way when they want to hit you over the head, they kick in a louder fuzzy guitar like they do on Silverleaf and Snowy Tears or Eastern Terminal.
Second: Mac has come up with a another great batch of songs with a pile of hooks that would do any Cars record proud. And again, you can actually sometimes make out what Mac is singing. Most of the time he's singing about a screwed up relationship [keeping in mind this was after he and bass player Laura Ballance fell out] but he's more sad than bitter.
This record also contains the very pretty Green Flowers, Blue Fish and the greatest "yeah yeah" chorus this side of She Loves You on the driving It's Beautiful Here, Too.
Really it's hard to describe this record if you're not familiar with the touch points. It's not as hard as the Foo Fighters, but it has all the elements that make that "accessable power pop. [And Mac seems to mention airplanes a lot in his songs] If you're looking for a first Superchunk, this would be a good one. If you own earlier 'Chunk it's a good record to catch a band maturing.
Indoor Living [1997]
Coming two years after the exciting and energetic Here's Where the Stings Come In, Indoor Living kicks off in a slower gear immediately and never really kicks back up the the level of Strings or 1994's Foolish.
Which is not to say that it's a bad record, just different. History has shown this is a key record in 'Chunk's transition from a scream to a whisper that would make Come Pick Me Up such a GREAT record.
First the highlights: the band SOUNDS great, guitars chime when the need too and fuzz when they need to and Mac's vocals aren't buried in the middle of all the guitars and things. There is space between the instruments which makes this record breathe a little more [kind of like the difference between inhaling a dinner and relaxing and enjoying a meal.] Even on the fast and slightly noisy Nu Bruises you can hear all the instruments pretty clearly. The band also uses synthesizers and uses them tastefully.
The album kicks off with the very good duo of Unbelievable Things and Burn Last Sunday, a little more calm than the last record, but two very good tracks none the less. But then Marquee grinds the first side to a crawl when the side really needs a kick in the behind and it sounds like a half finished idea. The side is rescued by the next tracks, Watery Hands, THE prototypical post wall of noise Superchunk single, eminently catchy and featuring a great cheesy synth hook, setting the stage for the next two albums, and the afforementioned Nu Bruises but they slide into the slow REM-like arpeggiating again on Every Single Instinct. And Under Our Feet three songs later sounds like another Life's Rich Pagent era toss off. And the album ending Martinis on the Roof is one of the most under-realized tracks in the 'Chunk catalog in spite of some interesting vibraphone playing in there [think the Stones Under My Thumb.]
There are some really good songs here like Things, Hands, Bruises, the noisy European Medicine and the two center tracks of the album Song for Marion Brown and The Popular Music but some of the songs sound only half finished. If you're looking for good 'Chunk, I still recommend Here's Where the Strings Come In, Foolish or No Pocky for Kitty before exploring this one.
Come Pick Me Up [1999]
Initially picking up Superchunk's Foolish because my other music snob friend played it until it was worn into my brain (first side only... long story), I continued following the 'Chunk through the beautiful noise of Here's Where the Strings Come In and the less noisy, uneven Indoor Living. So of course, when Come Pick Me Up came out, I rushed to it.
Two years and a new album later I still rate this as their best. I had always enjoyed the noisier albums, but I still loved the acoustic tracks and demos that would show up as B-Sides and compilation CDs. And this album is the perfect of BOTH. No longer just screaming lyrics and loud guitars (not that there's anything wrong with that), the band seems to have reached a new maturity with this album that was just hinted at on Indoor Living. Now you can HEAR Laura Ballance's wonderful bass playing and Jon Wurster's FANTASTIC drum accents. Mac McCaughan continues writing some of the best hooks this side of the Cars and Jim Wilbur continues adding tasty guitar parts behind Mac. There's also the addition of strings to the sound [on Hello Hawk]. On this album they seem to have found the right mix of when to be loud and when to lay back.
I'm still not sure this should be anyone's FIRST Superchunk album. I think one should experience the noise before the mature band, i.e. Foolish, No Pocky for Kitty or the first singles collection Tossing Seeds but it wouldn't be BAD if it was.
Here's To Shutting Up [2001]
Here's To Shutting Up finds the Chunks continuing a maturing process that started with Come Pick Me Up, walking a line between geeky art band and loud college radio darlings. This means turning off the distortion on the guitars, separating instruments in the mix [both of which lead to a much greater appreciation of each member's playing, especially the ever inventive Jon Wurster on the tubs] and adding acoustic guitars, keyboards and strings... and not shouting the words ALL the time.
From the kick off of the strum and cheesy keyboard line and dreamy lyrics that power Late Century Dream to the power chords and driving drum work of Rainy Streets to the pedal steel and acoustic guitars and harmonica of Phone Sex to the pop of Florida's On Fire [featuring some fantastic work by guitar work by Jim Wilber]and Act Surprised to more cheesy keyboards, acoustic guitars and random noises and spoken lyrics that drive What Do You Look Forward To and Drool Collection this is an excellent piece of work. The lyrics reflect distanced lovers trying to keep relations going by phone calls, plane crashes, the eroding American Dream and when you can make them out are very thought provoking.
Should this be anyone's first Superchunk album? Probably not. Just as I would the Replacements, I'd point to a noisier cut of 'Chunk, probably 1994's Foolish, and let the listener explore the maturing process if they so wished. Is it their best? No, Come Pick Me Up is (so far) their masterpiece.
Still, there's a lot of interesting textures, and enough hooks and crunch to make a lot of current bands dream of writing songs this good. You will find yourself humming melodies and banging out drum patterns on your desk at work LONG after you've turned the CD off. Seems to get better with repeated listening. One of the top five of 2001...
Lotta issues
And we're not just talking about commitmentphobia for a change! I am in the midst of 12 days on in 13 days run at work - yes it sucks until one sees the four digit paycheck. Visa will be ecstatic. So there's a lot to post today.
1. What's Wrong with 'Classic Rock' Radio [or 'Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?!?]
It finally hit me a couple days ago watching VH1 'Black Music Month' or whatever it is this time - there is NO BLACK ARTISTS on Classic Rock Radio.
Think about it: if you grew up on Top 40 like I did, you heard all KINDS of stuff: Badfinger, the Beatles, Bread, Captain and Tennile, Earth Wind and Fire, Al Green, Barry White, the Bee Gees, Elton John, ELO, Hall & Oates... you get the idea. Even in the 80s you had the Gap Band, Parliament, the Jackson 5/ Jacksons [then Michaels Off The Wall album], Pointer Sisters and eventually Prince and the Time in addition to Tom Petty, Journey, Styx, et cetera. AOR [Album Oriented Radio] was the fore runner of this 'Classic Rock' format, and it was dominated by the white boys - Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, the Who, Cheap Trick, Eric Clapton, et al.
All I'm saying is that it's not classic rock if it doesn't do all of that. Oldie Goldies like KLUV in Dallas is too heavily weighted to Pop [i.e. Captain and Tennile, the Beach Boys and the Association, not the Who, not even My Generation or I Can See for Miles] and ignores the 70's funk entirely [Isaac Hayes and most of Stax records]; now granted, KLUV didn't even used to play Motown, so we're moving a little to the left here, but you know what I mean.
Now there's 'Smooth Jams' or whatever dedicated to 70's and 80's Soul and Funk - but that's the other extreme. Where's the middle ground?
The JACK format is a little better, but it's not really close. Just think about it.
2. Celebrity Obsession
'Screw Up your Life, I mean People magazine...' [bonus points for recognizing that quote] pay 4 MILLION dollars for 6 photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jollie's baby.
I don't care who's baby it is, I don't care [much] that the parents are going to donate the money to charity, this is the proof that our society is obsessed with celebrity to the point where it is just fucking stupid. The fact that there's a lawsuit out about some internet site posting the pics before People got their exclusive is even worse.
You know what? They're just PEOPLE - they eat, sleep, shit, have families, grow old and die just like the rest of us. Enjoy their WORK, leave them alone when they're not on stage.
3. A Few Hundred Words on the Faces with a Sidebar on Ron Wood
So me and Nate spend a day hanging out and he drags me to the Virgin Megastore, which is closing. Since they are one of the BAD retailers who sell everything at list price [18.99 for a CD? Where's those 'lower prices we were promised in 1987?], I can not lie and say I am sorry to see them go, especially since everything was 50% off. In addition to new CDs by Chris Whitley and Daniel Lanois, I picked up a couple of Blue Note jazz CDs, one by Jimmy Smith called Cool Blues that just smokes and Grant Green's Green Street which has not made it into the player yet...
So I am down in the DVDs seeing if there is anything worth checking out, and there it is : The Faces box set, Five Guys Walk Into A Bar...Was someone trying to stash it or was this just my lucky day?
Now I own a Faces best of, Good Boys... When They're Asleep, which I love. My Godfather, Michael Leone boycotted it saying it was incomplete because it didn't have the showstopping Maybe I'm Amazed. Leone had been after me for a while to check it out, but I was hemming and hawwing; the band put out 4 albums and one double LP live record plus a handful of singles in 5 years - is that worthy of a 4 CD box set? Sure Capitol keeps putting out box sets by the Band with about the same basis of material, but the Band falls off after their first three years / albums. Anyway, Nate saw what I had and said, "yeah, you've got to get it." So I did.
It may just be the best $ 30.00 I've spent this year. This four disc set is HANDS DOWN the best set of rock and roll I've purchased in a LONG time. I mean old school Rock and Roll, not Heavy Rock or Psychedelic Rock or Top 40 Pop Rock, but good old fashioned Little Richard / Elvis / Beatles / Sam Cooke inspired Rock and Roll. There's so much good stuff here it's just ridiculous. The majority of discs 3 and 4 are just so outstanding, it leaves one yearning for more. Just to hit some highlights: If I'm on the Late Side and Richmond from Ooh La La, On the Beach from Long Player - the last featuring great slide from Woody, great blueprint for the Faces, five guys stepping up the a mike in a pub... a live take of Stewart's Maggie Mae with the late Ronnie Lane's great melodic bass playing [best this side of McCartney!] and great organ from Ian 'Mac' McLagan, of course, the live BBC and the single mix of McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed, both great examples of how powerful this band was. Any band that can do this power ballad, something as rocking as Stay With Me, Miss Judy's Farm or Pool Hall Richard and something as purely fun as Lane's Last Orders Please or You're So Rude is a band to be admired and praised and WORTHY of a 4 CD box set.
There's a lot of examples oh how soulful Rod Stewart used to be: Open to Ideas, Come See Me Baby, covers of If Loving You Is Wrong [I Don't Want to Be Right] and I Wish It Would Rain. And the opening track of disc 4 is a white hot smoking cover of one of Rod Stewart's favorites - Free's The Stealer. That song in itself is almost worth the price of the set! Of course the band was just more than Stewart. Ron Wood is a fantastic guitarist - lead, rhythm, slide, dobro, acoustic, you name it, he can play it! Ronnie Lane as previously noted was a wonderful bass player and an under rated song writer, Mac played lots of tasty organ and piano and Kenny Jones just held it all down so wonderfully on drums. Two instrumental tracks here show off the band - Skewiff [Mend the Fuse] and Rear Wheel Skid, but they're wonderful on all the tracks.
There's a few things I could have lived without of course - the cover of Love In Vain copied right off the Stones Let It Bleed, the three songs from the '69 rehearsals - the sounds of a band coming together but not ready yet, a take of John Lennon's Jealous Guy, three appearances of Cindy Incidentally [two was fine, the regular mix and a live take - lose the 'Alternate Mix!'], the live '75 recording of the band doing two of Ron Wood's solo tunes could have been left off. Cut some of the other repeats [live BBC takes and studio versions duplicates appear for Stay With Me, Cindy, Amazed, Miss Judy, Flying and Bad 'N' Ruin] of the band takes of Stewart's solo hits Maggie Mae, You're My Girl [I Don't Want to Discuss it] and CCut Across Shorty and you're down to a 3 CD set.
Ron Wood may never be recognized in the mainstream for his contribution to rock and roll from 1969 to about 1982, but if that's the case, it's his own fault. He seems to be comfortable being the second or third banana and letting his contributions go uncredited and unappreciated. He was okay playing bass with Jeff Beck, letting Rod Stewart and Ronnie Lane take credit for the Faces and everyone KNOWS he's third in the Stones, maybe even forth behind Mick and Keith and maybe Charlie.
On the Faces set, Wood works out with Lane, Jones and McLagan, often overdubbing multiple guitar parts that sound eerily similar to what the Stones would sound like when he came on full time. [See Debris for a great example.] And the Faces having McLagan on organ sounded so much different from the Stones twin guitar steeped in blues over the extremely tight rhythm section. The Faces [and on Stewart's first three solo records which he played all the guitars - Every Picture Tells A Story being a standout track for me, but the work on Gasoline Alley, Jo's Lament and Maggie Mae is not to be taken lightly!] sound like they're having fun while Mick Jagger was singing about Sister Morphine and Monkey Men and 'not getting what you want.' McLagan states in the liner notes that both Stewart and Lane needed Woody to be the foil, the guy who could aid when you were stuck. Stewart's credibilty nosedived after he moved to California and ended his working partnership with Woody... don't believe it? Listen to ANY of the Warner years of Rod Stewart albums. They're so corporate rock formula it's pitiful!
Of course Ronnie joined the Stones after STEWART left the Faces in December 75 [Wood's appearance on the 75 Stones tour was merely a guest gig after Mick Taylor quit - neither Wood nor Jagger wanted to see the Faces split, but Stewart opened the door...] and he gave that band a shot of energy. Jagger credits Wood with teaching him to play guitar, this giving Jagger another way to communicate with Richards and giving that relationship some new blood. Both of the Glimmer Twins credit Wood with brokering compromises between bickering parties and bringing an energy to the stage that had been lacking for years.
Woody's first two solo records, I've Got My Own Album to Do [74]and Now Look [75] feature Richards and McLagan and Now Look has the soulful Bobby Womack on a handful of cuts and Woody stretches out exploring a more R&B / funky / raggae style than I'm sure the Faces would have done. While not ESSENTIAL, they are also fun records to hear. Later 70s albums Gimme Some Neck and 1234 are merely okay, more formula rock albums. Still I sing the praises of probably one of the most talented and under rated guitar players of the rock era. Cheers, Ronnie!
And we're not just talking about commitmentphobia for a change! I am in the midst of 12 days on in 13 days run at work - yes it sucks until one sees the four digit paycheck. Visa will be ecstatic. So there's a lot to post today.
1. What's Wrong with 'Classic Rock' Radio [or 'Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio?!?]
It finally hit me a couple days ago watching VH1 'Black Music Month' or whatever it is this time - there is NO BLACK ARTISTS on Classic Rock Radio.
Think about it: if you grew up on Top 40 like I did, you heard all KINDS of stuff: Badfinger, the Beatles, Bread, Captain and Tennile, Earth Wind and Fire, Al Green, Barry White, the Bee Gees, Elton John, ELO, Hall & Oates... you get the idea. Even in the 80s you had the Gap Band, Parliament, the Jackson 5/ Jacksons [then Michaels Off The Wall album], Pointer Sisters and eventually Prince and the Time in addition to Tom Petty, Journey, Styx, et cetera. AOR [Album Oriented Radio] was the fore runner of this 'Classic Rock' format, and it was dominated by the white boys - Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, the Who, Cheap Trick, Eric Clapton, et al.
All I'm saying is that it's not classic rock if it doesn't do all of that. Oldie Goldies like KLUV in Dallas is too heavily weighted to Pop [i.e. Captain and Tennile, the Beach Boys and the Association, not the Who, not even My Generation or I Can See for Miles] and ignores the 70's funk entirely [Isaac Hayes and most of Stax records]; now granted, KLUV didn't even used to play Motown, so we're moving a little to the left here, but you know what I mean.
Now there's 'Smooth Jams' or whatever dedicated to 70's and 80's Soul and Funk - but that's the other extreme. Where's the middle ground?
The JACK format is a little better, but it's not really close. Just think about it.
2. Celebrity Obsession
'Screw Up your Life, I mean People magazine...' [bonus points for recognizing that quote] pay 4 MILLION dollars for 6 photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jollie's baby.
I don't care who's baby it is, I don't care [much] that the parents are going to donate the money to charity, this is the proof that our society is obsessed with celebrity to the point where it is just fucking stupid. The fact that there's a lawsuit out about some internet site posting the pics before People got their exclusive is even worse.
You know what? They're just PEOPLE - they eat, sleep, shit, have families, grow old and die just like the rest of us. Enjoy their WORK, leave them alone when they're not on stage.
3. A Few Hundred Words on the Faces with a Sidebar on Ron Wood
So me and Nate spend a day hanging out and he drags me to the Virgin Megastore, which is closing. Since they are one of the BAD retailers who sell everything at list price [18.99 for a CD? Where's those 'lower prices we were promised in 1987?], I can not lie and say I am sorry to see them go, especially since everything was 50% off. In addition to new CDs by Chris Whitley and Daniel Lanois, I picked up a couple of Blue Note jazz CDs, one by Jimmy Smith called Cool Blues that just smokes and Grant Green's Green Street which has not made it into the player yet...
So I am down in the DVDs seeing if there is anything worth checking out, and there it is : The Faces box set, Five Guys Walk Into A Bar...Was someone trying to stash it or was this just my lucky day?
Now I own a Faces best of, Good Boys... When They're Asleep, which I love. My Godfather, Michael Leone boycotted it saying it was incomplete because it didn't have the showstopping Maybe I'm Amazed. Leone had been after me for a while to check it out, but I was hemming and hawwing; the band put out 4 albums and one double LP live record plus a handful of singles in 5 years - is that worthy of a 4 CD box set? Sure Capitol keeps putting out box sets by the Band with about the same basis of material, but the Band falls off after their first three years / albums. Anyway, Nate saw what I had and said, "yeah, you've got to get it." So I did.
It may just be the best $ 30.00 I've spent this year. This four disc set is HANDS DOWN the best set of rock and roll I've purchased in a LONG time. I mean old school Rock and Roll, not Heavy Rock or Psychedelic Rock or Top 40 Pop Rock, but good old fashioned Little Richard / Elvis / Beatles / Sam Cooke inspired Rock and Roll. There's so much good stuff here it's just ridiculous. The majority of discs 3 and 4 are just so outstanding, it leaves one yearning for more. Just to hit some highlights: If I'm on the Late Side and Richmond from Ooh La La, On the Beach from Long Player - the last featuring great slide from Woody, great blueprint for the Faces, five guys stepping up the a mike in a pub... a live take of Stewart's Maggie Mae with the late Ronnie Lane's great melodic bass playing [best this side of McCartney!] and great organ from Ian 'Mac' McLagan, of course, the live BBC and the single mix of McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed, both great examples of how powerful this band was. Any band that can do this power ballad, something as rocking as Stay With Me, Miss Judy's Farm or Pool Hall Richard and something as purely fun as Lane's Last Orders Please or You're So Rude is a band to be admired and praised and WORTHY of a 4 CD box set.
There's a lot of examples oh how soulful Rod Stewart used to be: Open to Ideas, Come See Me Baby, covers of If Loving You Is Wrong [I Don't Want to Be Right] and I Wish It Would Rain. And the opening track of disc 4 is a white hot smoking cover of one of Rod Stewart's favorites - Free's The Stealer. That song in itself is almost worth the price of the set! Of course the band was just more than Stewart. Ron Wood is a fantastic guitarist - lead, rhythm, slide, dobro, acoustic, you name it, he can play it! Ronnie Lane as previously noted was a wonderful bass player and an under rated song writer, Mac played lots of tasty organ and piano and Kenny Jones just held it all down so wonderfully on drums. Two instrumental tracks here show off the band - Skewiff [Mend the Fuse] and Rear Wheel Skid, but they're wonderful on all the tracks.
There's a few things I could have lived without of course - the cover of Love In Vain copied right off the Stones Let It Bleed, the three songs from the '69 rehearsals - the sounds of a band coming together but not ready yet, a take of John Lennon's Jealous Guy, three appearances of Cindy Incidentally [two was fine, the regular mix and a live take - lose the 'Alternate Mix!'], the live '75 recording of the band doing two of Ron Wood's solo tunes could have been left off. Cut some of the other repeats [live BBC takes and studio versions duplicates appear for Stay With Me, Cindy, Amazed, Miss Judy, Flying and Bad 'N' Ruin] of the band takes of Stewart's solo hits Maggie Mae, You're My Girl [I Don't Want to Discuss it] and CCut Across Shorty and you're down to a 3 CD set.
Ron Wood may never be recognized in the mainstream for his contribution to rock and roll from 1969 to about 1982, but if that's the case, it's his own fault. He seems to be comfortable being the second or third banana and letting his contributions go uncredited and unappreciated. He was okay playing bass with Jeff Beck, letting Rod Stewart and Ronnie Lane take credit for the Faces and everyone KNOWS he's third in the Stones, maybe even forth behind Mick and Keith and maybe Charlie.
On the Faces set, Wood works out with Lane, Jones and McLagan, often overdubbing multiple guitar parts that sound eerily similar to what the Stones would sound like when he came on full time. [See Debris for a great example.] And the Faces having McLagan on organ sounded so much different from the Stones twin guitar steeped in blues over the extremely tight rhythm section. The Faces [and on Stewart's first three solo records which he played all the guitars - Every Picture Tells A Story being a standout track for me, but the work on Gasoline Alley, Jo's Lament and Maggie Mae is not to be taken lightly!] sound like they're having fun while Mick Jagger was singing about Sister Morphine and Monkey Men and 'not getting what you want.' McLagan states in the liner notes that both Stewart and Lane needed Woody to be the foil, the guy who could aid when you were stuck. Stewart's credibilty nosedived after he moved to California and ended his working partnership with Woody... don't believe it? Listen to ANY of the Warner years of Rod Stewart albums. They're so corporate rock formula it's pitiful!
Of course Ronnie joined the Stones after STEWART left the Faces in December 75 [Wood's appearance on the 75 Stones tour was merely a guest gig after Mick Taylor quit - neither Wood nor Jagger wanted to see the Faces split, but Stewart opened the door...] and he gave that band a shot of energy. Jagger credits Wood with teaching him to play guitar, this giving Jagger another way to communicate with Richards and giving that relationship some new blood. Both of the Glimmer Twins credit Wood with brokering compromises between bickering parties and bringing an energy to the stage that had been lacking for years.
Woody's first two solo records, I've Got My Own Album to Do [74]and Now Look [75] feature Richards and McLagan and Now Look has the soulful Bobby Womack on a handful of cuts and Woody stretches out exploring a more R&B / funky / raggae style than I'm sure the Faces would have done. While not ESSENTIAL, they are also fun records to hear. Later 70s albums Gimme Some Neck and 1234 are merely okay, more formula rock albums. Still I sing the praises of probably one of the most talented and under rated guitar players of the rock era. Cheers, Ronnie!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
I finished re-reading a copy of High Fidelity for some light reading, I thought. [And to whomever has made off with my previous copy, make sure you pass it on or the wrath of karma and people named Ian will get you!]
I had to reflect at the end though how it seems a LOT [not all] of us want to be something or someone other than who we are. I find the time I spend here tapping at the keys pretending to be the idiot bastard son of Hunter Thompson and/or Lester Bangs more exciting than anything I have going on right now, which is admittedly my fault for not being out there finding some adventure for myself.
I spoke a while back about losing innocence, which is sad looking back and seeing it slip away, but where do dreams disappear to? Can you look back to one day or series of days where you just see yourself tossing a spadeful of dirt over your dream, but thinking 'it's just a minor setback, I'll get back to this shortly...' and then suddenly it's a year or five or ten and you're looking in the mirror going 'What's happened to me?'
The things that springs immediately to mind are things like someone turning down a marriage proposal, a divorce or the death of a parent or partner, but while I think things like that throw large bucketfuls of dirt over one's dream, I think it's more throwing in a spoonful every week that just cuts you off from it. And I think this is the hole in a lot of people that they try to fill, but of course the cure becomes worse than the symptom, etc., etc.
Just me rambling, I think.
I had to reflect at the end though how it seems a LOT [not all] of us want to be something or someone other than who we are. I find the time I spend here tapping at the keys pretending to be the idiot bastard son of Hunter Thompson and/or Lester Bangs more exciting than anything I have going on right now, which is admittedly my fault for not being out there finding some adventure for myself.
I spoke a while back about losing innocence, which is sad looking back and seeing it slip away, but where do dreams disappear to? Can you look back to one day or series of days where you just see yourself tossing a spadeful of dirt over your dream, but thinking 'it's just a minor setback, I'll get back to this shortly...' and then suddenly it's a year or five or ten and you're looking in the mirror going 'What's happened to me?'
The things that springs immediately to mind are things like someone turning down a marriage proposal, a divorce or the death of a parent or partner, but while I think things like that throw large bucketfuls of dirt over one's dream, I think it's more throwing in a spoonful every week that just cuts you off from it. And I think this is the hole in a lot of people that they try to fill, but of course the cure becomes worse than the symptom, etc., etc.
Just me rambling, I think.