Thursday's Phil Lynott Moment

There is something so incredibly charming and heartbreaking in the simplicity of this song from Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak" album. I'm not sure anyone but Phil Lynott could pull it off, especially the "tra-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-las."

"Running Back"

I'm a fool now that it's over
Can you guess my name?
I make my money singing songs about you
It's my claim to fame

When they say it's over
It's not all over, there's still the pain

I'd come running
I'd come running back to you again
Oh I'd come running
I'd come running back to you again

If I said I was sorry
Would you still leave me?
I never thought you'd go 'till you did
Believe me

When they say it's over
It's not all over completely

'Cause I'd come running
I'd come running back to you again
Yes I'd come running
I'd come running back to you again

I miss that girl

The show is over
and we must all go home
Just leave me by myself
I'll be alright here on my own

If it's all over, it's all over
And I'm all alone

And I'd come running
I'd come running back to you again
Don't you know I'd come running
I'd come running back to you again

If It's Wednesday, It Must Be Street Date (At Least In My House)

Pretty strong week for new releases. Even Michael Bolton is back. My fave of the lot is the Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell record, "Old Yellow Moon." It's good to hear Emmylou in a country setting and not trapped in a Daniel Lanois or Malcolm Burn meets "Twin Peaks" echo mess. Crowell's no slouch either. This record is a winner. If you're a fan of either or both, "Old Yellow Moon" is exactly what it should be.

I wanted to like the Johnny Marr. I should, but I don't. It lacks melody, and his voice, though not as horrible as Morrissey's is to my ears, isn't much better. Mostly I can deal with it. But again, this is another one of those records with good ideas and nothing else.

Speaking of horrible, there's a new Atoms For Peace record out this week. I tried, but it was unpleasant. It got me all jittery and wound up. Patches of noise and beats and moaning and whining all sewn together in one textured aural root canal. (Yeah, I know. Greatest record ever. )

The Mavericks are back with "In Time." Great stuff. It's a formula and they don't mess with it. I realize I've complained about that in the past, most recently while discussing Richard Thompson. But The Mavs records are so few and far between, it's nice to hear anything. These boys, with the incomparable Raul Malo up front, deliver another solid effort.

After a five year absence due to the passing of his wife, James Hunter returns, this time with a Daptone producer and the result is the very hip and very soulful "Minute By Minute." Again, this is another artist who found his niche and stayed with it. Maybe producer Gabriel Roth had something to do with it, but "Minute By Minute" leans a bit more towards early James Brown than Hunter's previous releases. This is not a bad thing.

What I Discovered After Watching The New Eagles Documentary

• I still think their recorded output is fantastic

• Randy Meisner has morphed into Jackie Coogan

• I once thought Glenn Frey & Don Henley were assholes. I was wrong. They are fucking assholes

• Don Felder is one helluva guitar player

• Bernie Leadon has morphed into Jackie Coogan


Favorite moment:

Don Henley explaining he flunked music theory in college because he was an English major.

"I made an F."

Professor Henley, ladies and gentlemen.

"I made an F."

Thank you. As you were.

New Bowie: Part Two

It's All About The Frontman

Following two fantastic releases, "Diamond Head," his solo debut and "801 Live," the punk/prog masterpiece, Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera parlayed his new band 801 into a much bigger though not necessarily better project, the studio release "Listen Now."

All of the parts are there. The great drummers Dave Mattacks and Simon Phillips, Tim Finn & Eddie Rayner of Split Enz (who Manzanera would go on to produce), 5cc (Lol Creme & Kevin Godley), Roxy alum Brian Eno & Eddie Jobson, and of course Manzanera's nifty guitar work and unique musical mix that is equal parts rock, glam, funk, punk, classical, prog and jazz. (No really.)  One problem--Simon Ainley, a lead vocalist with about as much flavor and pizzazz as a mouthful of beach sand.

On 1975's "Diamond Head," Manzanera handed vocal duties over to Brian Eno, John Wetton and Robert Wyatt, three very distinct voices. On "Listen Now," it's all up to Ainley, with the superior singers Godley, Creme, and Finn relegated to background. (Ol' Phil must have heard what we heard and bumped up Tim Finn to lead for the next record "K-Scope.")

Musically, there is a lot to get excited about on "Listen Now," yet it too often gets sabotaged by the drab stylings of Ainley. But not the first single, "Flight 19." Released 35 years ago, and I am pretty sure that's how long it's been since I heard it, "Flight 19" should have been a hit. Maybe even for 10cc or Split Enz.

Songs Of The Week: 2/16-2/22

Liar Liar- The Castaways
Wonderous Place- Billy Fury
Party Doll- Bryan Ferry
You'll Never Do It Baby- The Lyres
Everything You're Breathing For- The Parlor Mob
Into Tomorrow- Paul Weller
Mean Ol' Wind Died Down- North Mississippi All-Stars w/Lucinda Williams

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"Late Winter Pop" : THE WEEKEND MIX

This all started because I felt like hearing "Doing It The Wrong Way" by The Candy Butchers. Then, things got out of hand.

Give it a try. I swear, it sounds good all together.


TRACKLIST

Day's Dawning- Peter Frampton
Guitars & Women- Rick Derringer
Obsession Of The Heart- The Raisins
Doing It The Wrong Way- Mike Viola & The Candy Butchers
Never Going Back- Lovin' Spoonful
I'm Looking Through You- The Posies
Guessing Games- Hall & Oates
Cold Feet- Liam Finn
Stuff & Nonsense- Split Enz
Somebody To Love- Dwight Twilley
Star- Stealers Wheel
Silly Thing- Sex Pistols
Just Like Me- Holly Beth Vincent
Foxy Foxy- Mott The Hoople
Imagine The Swan- The Zombies

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Jules Shear & Pal Shazar: A New Record And Brief Q & A

Occasionally, my obsessive-compulsive behavior pays off, like that random period in 2008 when I had been thinking how there hadn't been any new music from Jules Shear in some time, so I googled his name somewhere in the high 200 times over the course of a few weeks, and much like finally pulling three of a kind on a slot machine, dialed up a listing for "More," Shear's fabulous last record. No fanfare or press releases, just good old-fashioned neurosis on my part.
 
Well, you can all be grateful that 5 years later, I'm just as loyal to the musicians I respect and still a little bit crazy. This time the spin was huge. As quietly as "More" slipped into our lives in 2008, longtime partners Jules Shear & Pal Shazar have released their very first collaboration, "Shear Shazar."

JACKPOT!

This record is a beauty. 10 songs about love & life from two very distinct and very brilliant singer-songwriters, "Shear Shazar" is more than just a welcome surprise. It deeply satisfies.

Pal & Jules were kind enough to spare some time for me and my questions.

Take a look.



ME: The first time I heard your voice Pal, was on the track "Here S/He Comes" from 1985's "Eternal Return" LP, and I immediately thought, "These guys are perfect together." Now, almost 30 years later, we get a full album's chance to hear just how wonderfully your voices lock with each other. You & Jules have that Everlys quality, or more recently that Gillian Welch and David Rawlings quality where the voices become one. When did you guys realize this and what made you finally decide to get this joint effort together?

PAL: That's funny you mention them. Just recently, I was listening to Don McLean on the radio playing his fave 45's. I was never into Don's music, but his radio voice is like licking ice cream. I was never into the Everly Brothers either. He played "Cathy's Clown" and I just loved it. He helped break through my aversion to their super clean sound. I have no idea how I sound to others. I am just very happy that my singing on this new record pleases Jules. I credit the timing of writing and recording this record to something other than us. I think maybe the stars were aligned.

ME:  Jules, like your covers record "Sayin' Hello To The Folks" and more recently 2008's More," the "Shear-Shazar" record seems to have stealthily slipped out. Is this a personal strategy or just the nature of the beast that the music business has become?

JULES: It's just not having a big front to let people know that it's coming. On the "Shear Shazar" album, we just recorded the album, then made it available. Seems pretty simple, huh? 

ME:  Speaking of "More," is it true that that record was supposed to be a "Jules & The Polar Bears" reunion album? If so, is that something that may still happen?

JULES: I don't plan on doing any "J&PB" albums in the near future. That is, we're not talking about it. If there was any thought about the group recording "More," it didn't get too far.


ME: Pal, how did the writing process take place for the new record? Did you both have songs written, or was it a true joint effort?

PAL: I told Jules I would give our dogs away if he didn't write new songs with me. That did the trick. He has a superior work ethic and once we decided to do this, we sat facing one another every day, guitar on his lap and me intensely staring at his hands as if I were trying to drag it out of him. We hummed and strummed and the songs came forth. We did that till we had too many songs for one record.

ME:  Can we expect any live dates in the NYC area?

PAL: We will be taping a "Live at The Living Room' for the XM series "The Loft' on Saturday, March 16.

 



ME: Jules, any chance of a "Demo-Itis 2?" Seems like a perfect project in this digital age. I can think of some unreleased gems I've heard over the years--- the Tommy Keene co-write "I'll Wait," "Within Myself," and that Marshall Crenshaw co-write the two of you performed at the Bottom Line for the "In Their Own Words" series that I still think about 25 years later and still don't know the name of.

JULES:  Well, I always had 25 or so songs for every album, then I let A&R people and producers argue about which ones we'd do. I've still got demos of a lot of those songs. I don't know who would be interested in them, but I could let them slide out for people who want to hear them. Both of them.










Well Jules and Pal, if you're ever in the mood to "slide out" some of those unreleased gems, please slide'em this way. My forum is your forum.

"Shear Shazar" is available directly from Jules & Pal.  Please, do yourselves a favor and pick it up HERE.   

And tell them, Burning Wood sent ya!

Test Run #2

The Wrong Turn At Albuquerque

I listened to Bryan Ferry's 1977 release "In Your Mind" this weekend. Wonderful. Probably the last Ferry solo record I really loved before the release of the brilliant "Jazz Age" last year. "In Your Mind" still had that sound of post-Roxy, post-Glam and new wave before his follow-up "The Bride Stripped Bare" served up a more lush and percussive collection of tunes. It felt less organic, as if suddenly, Bryan Ferry became more concerned with Bryan Ferry and less about the band on his albums.


This is not to say I didn't like "The Bride Stripped Bare." (I didn't, but that's not what I'm saying.) Since then, Bryan Ferry has released some great records. 1987's "Bete Noire" and 2002's "Frantic" specifically float my boat. But something did happen with the release of "The Bride Stripped Bare." Bryan Ferry's sound changed and he never looked back. Occasionally, a taste of Roxy or a Chris Spedding-inspired guitar riff will pop up on a solo record, but mostly, those days were over post-"The Bride Stripped Bare."

This got me thinking of other artists who had turning point records. The first that came to mind was Joe Jackson's "Jumpin' Jive." Fun now, but in retrospect, not really what JJ fans were hoping for. And yes, the follow-up "Night & Day" is still a classic and 1986's "Big World" remains my favorite of Joe's output, big and sprawling and absolutely musical. But it's not difficult to see. The change, though more gradual than Bryan Ferry, began with 1981's "Jumpin' Jive."

A more drastic transformation came on the heels of Queen's huge disco hit, "Another One Bites The Dust." Fan or not, the difference between pre-"The Game" and post-"The Game" is like the difference between shooting a bullet or throwing one, as the saying goes.

So I ask of you, dear Woodies, for other records that drew the line between what was and what is. The idea could also work the opposite way, if you'd like, like say John Hiatt's "Bring The Family," bridging Hiatt's uneven 70s and early 80s' material with the records that put him on the map as one of America's greatest singer-songwriters.

To Sir With...Uh...Uh...LOVE!

It's hard to believe that Lulu's appearance on Saturday night at B.B. King's was her NYC debut. How is that possible? I guess I have to believe her as she's never lied to me before. Backed by the core of The Fab Faux-- Jimmy Vivino on guitar, Will Lee on bass and Rich Pagano on drums, and augmented by the always entertaining Paul Shaffer on keys, as well as four back-up singers which included the great Elaine Caswell, this 64 year-old, 15 year-old British sensation pretty much blew the packed house away.

It was a night of American music, as Lulu finds British music to be "rubbish." The singer and her band made their way through R&B classics such as "Unchain My Heart," "I'm Tore Down," "Cry To Me" and "Try A Little Tenderness," all of which were sung and played as if this group has been touring together for ages. I have to admit, I was grinning like an idiot for most of the show. It was that good, and quite frankly, I couldn't believe I was 20 feet from Lulu. I also had no idea that Lulu wrote "I Don't Wanna Fight," that huge hit for Tina Turner. She did that one, too. Also, fantastic.

The two moments though, that left me weak at the knees and a bit ferklempt, were the absolutely stunning version of "Oh Me Oh My" and the surprise reading of Derek & The Dominoes "Bell Bottom Blues." Hole E. Crap!

Now here's where it took a slight turn into Annoyingville.

It's fair to say that the capacity crowd was there to hear "To Sir With Love," yes? I mean, not just "To Sir With Love," but you know what I'm saying. Are there any more frightening words uttered on stage by a famous rock star than, "We'd like to do a new arrangement of....?" Oh really Lulu? You mean, you'd like to do your most famous hit as a samba? OH GOOD! That's why we are all here.

Well, it wasn't that drastic.

The band did the Al Green arrangement of "To Sir With Love" and kept the legendary intro from the original single. It would have worked and been another highlight in an evening of highlights except Lulu forgot the lyrics. Luuuu LUUUUUU! How could you? I hate when that happens.

That slightly more than minor annoyance did not ruin what was a truly special night.

I was searching YouTube for a version of either "Oh Me Oh My" or "Bell Bottom Blues," and I came across this:




This was filmed on February 1st at NYC's Highline Ballroom. I guess Lulu did lie to me.

Songs Of The Week: 2/9- 2/15

Real Love- Sutherland Bros. & Quiver
Johnny Appleseed- Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
Little Darlin'- Dave Edmunds
It's About Time- The Beach Boys
Infrared & Ultraviolet- Utopia
Susan's House- Eels
Mini-Skirt Minnie- Wilson Pickett

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"What About These?" : THE WEEKEND MIX

My first exposure to Al Stewart was "Year Of The Cat" and then "Time Passages." Back then, I hated both songs.  It was by chance recently, that I acquired his entire catalogue on vinyl and noticed one record featured Jimmy Page on lead guitar. I listened to that record, "Love Chronicles," and that was it. It was nothing like the two hits, so I started from the beginning and now I love Al Stewart. I still don't love the aforementioned hits, but I mind them less. I also didn't mind giving these records a shot. I mean...if you haven't heard it before, it's new to you, right?

This same sentiment is what prompted yesterday's pro-Foreigner post. If "I Want To Know What Love Is" is all you've got, then you just don't have a fighting chance...according to the naysayers. (For the record, I like that sappy Foreigner ballad with the choir more than I like "Year Of The Cat.")

And so we have The Weekend Mix. Some tunes you may or may not know by some artists you may or may not like.

I love them all.

You can't judge a book...blah blah, so dig in to some under the radar shit, including the fab Harry Connick Jr. backed by some Meters, my fave Black Crowes b-side, a Dennis Wilson classic...I think, a McCartney gem from a McCartney lemon (thanks AWITW for the reminder), and Phil Spector's Wall Of Sound via Queen, among others.

It's all better than the ferkakte Lumineers.

(Spotify playlist is edited because not everything is on Spotify.)

TRACKLIST

She- Harry Connick Jr.
Might Just Take Your Life- Deep Purple
Angel Come Home- Beach Boys
Ordinary Dream- Electric Light Orchestra
Idol- Elton John
Beyond & Before- Yes
Steal Your Heart Away- Bonnie Raitt
Grows A Rose - The Black Crowes
Some People Never Know- Wings
Coming Apart- Bread
Summer '68- Pink Floyd
Grounds For Separation- Hall & Oates
Funny How Love Is- Queen
Lost It- Boz Scaggs
Black Muddy River- Grateful Dead

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5 Songs You May Not Know By A Band You Should Hate Less Than You Do

Little Bit Of Soul (Test Run)

A Few More Words About Richard Thompson's "Electric" (And Fandom, In General)

After spending a week with the new Richard Thompson, I've come to the conclusion that "Electric" is a solid record with masterful production by Buddy Miller, some of RT's finest guitar-playing and some truly brilliant songs. This is a record that will probably end up a favorite of the year, the three or four songs I find unpleasant, notwithstanding. But something else has been on my mind, and though "Electric" is not the best example, since it is an excellent piece of work, the sentiment behind some of the comments posted is. And the best example of what's been on my mind would be the positive comments regarding Prince's latest third-rate single "Screwdriver."

Here's something my ex-business partner and I had written for the NYCD blog back in 2007, that will hopefully set the stage.

About 1972, people began to realize that the Beatles, who made some of the greatest music of all time when together, also had the ability to make some of the worst records since the invention of the cylinder as solo artists. So for every Band On The Run or All Things Must Pass, we got stuck with a Wild Life or Dark Horse. We dealt with it -- tried to ignore the lesser records, loved the good ones, and hoped against hope that they'd come to their senses and get back together.

Beginning in the early '80s, when we all found out the hard way that Beatles can get older and even die, and that a reunion was no longer possible, there arose a curious breed of music fan called Beatle Apologists. Their job was to find the minutes of brilliance or even competence amidst the forty minutes of dreck that made up most Beatle solo albums, and use them to justify the whole sorry mess.

It seems like a large percentage of Beatle apologists have become record reviewers over the years. That's why records like Off The Ground, Gone Troppo, and Stop And Smell The Roses (by Paul, George and Ringo, respectively) received respectful, even mildly encouraging reviews upon their release. The bar was set so low that all a Beatle had to do was put any sort of garbage on a piece of plastic to prove he hadn't joined John Lennon in the great beyond, and by golly, that was good enough for the apologists.

Along with Beatle apologists emerged a somewhat more cynical group, the Beatle realists. They loved the Beatles too, and dutifully bought all the solo records out of some strange sense of loyalty. The difference between the realists and the apologists was that the realists were able to hear just how bad most of these records were. Conversations between realists and apologists usually go something like this:

APOLOGIST: You know, there are a couple of really good songs on this new Ringo Starr CD.
REALIST: No. There aren't.

One of the worst cases of fanaticism has to be the subsect of people who find pleasure and beauty in even the most unlistenable moments in an artists career. I've experienced this unpleasantness for 40 years as a Todd Rundgren fan, an artist who, as you all must have gleaned by now, is a favorite of mine, and yet an artist who continues to baffle and disappoint me with certain decisions and performances. Personally, I wouldn't have it any other way. How can you respect what's good if you won't recognize what isn't?

Yet, there is that subsect of fans who will sing high-praise regardless of what the man does. I have heard it all and it is not all good. I have seen the man perform more times than I've visited my mother, and trust me, it is not always a happy ride...unless of course, you are part of that fanatical subsect who thinks it's "cute" to forget lyrics, sing off key, forget chords and fuck up piano parts in concert.

When I slammed that Prince single, I received defensive comments that read something like "Better than the other crap on the radio" and "It's fun and simple. Hardly his best, but it's okay."  Talk about damning with faint praise. Are we afraid to hurt Prince's feelings? Is saying "Damn, you've been putting out shit for 15 years," going to get us knocked off the guest list? We can still listen and anticipate with high hopes even if we admit that the music has gone from brilliant to awful. I don't believe it is being "too critical" to dismiss music from a long time favorite artist if said artist has lost his mojo. Why is it so difficult for so many to just say it? I can't be the only one who feels it.

As I said earlier, the new Richard Thompson is not a good example. This is an exceptional piece of work. But I don't think a criticism such as "writing from a template" is a terrible thing. I'm also of the mind that one artist shouldn't be compared to the other, as in, "You like Foreigner, but you don't like the new Richard Thompson?" Well, I do like Foreigner, and if I didn't like the new Richard Thompson, my answer would be "Yes, that's right."

Songs Of The Week: 2/2-2/8

Please, Please- Stories
God's Children- The Kinks
Goin' Through The Motions- Blue Oyster Cult
Achin' (Orig. 7" Mix)- The Plugz
Alchemy- Richard Lloyd
Debris- Faces
There She Goes, My Beautiful World- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

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"Flog & Poke" : THE WEEKEND MIX

As promised, a mix of two recent obsessions, prog and folk.

I thought of keeping it one or the other until the I saw my prog compilation only had three songs. (They run long, you know.)

I imagine this collection won't be for everyone, but I do wish you'd give it a shot even if you're usually of the mind that acoustic music has no place in your world. It's not all lutes, lyres and fairies.

SOME QUICK NOTES

For years I've seen, held, browsed, and flipped over Caravan's catalogue without ever hearing a note of their music. I finally got around to it and man, those first two or three records are keepers.

There was so much John Martyn and Al Stewart I wanted to use, and I'm not sure the two songs I chose are the best representation, but I do love them both. The Martyn track is produced by Phil Collins and it is really quite lovely. The Al Stewart track is from one of my favorite albums of his, "Love Chronicles." It also happens to feature Jimmy Page on lead guitar for all of it.

Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band who has nothing to do with the band Heron and all of whom are included here, released and outstanding solo record "Smiling Men With Bad Reputations." This track features the band "Tommy & The Bijoux," that is, Pete Townshend, Ronnie Lane and Keith Moon. Duncan Browne and John Cale happen to be on there, as well.

I want to thank BuzzBabyJesus for the Davy Graham track, which has been on heavy rotation since the e-mail arrived.

Okay you folkies and proggers, dig in!

 It'll be good for ya!

TRACKLIST

Ride- Caravan
Angie- Bert Jansch
First Girl I Loved-Incredible String Band
Sweet Little Mystery- John Martyn
Life & Life Only- Al Stewart
John Brown- Heron
Sat'd'y Barfly- Family
Matty Groves- Fairport Convention
Fool- Trees
Warm Heart Pastry- Mike Heron
Both Sides Now- Davy Graham
Gresford Disaster- The Albion Band

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The 20 Worst Bands Of All Time, According To Some Annoying People

12. Fleet Foxes
A good band should be like Frosted Mini-Wheats, a substantive cereal loaded with fiber and whole grains made edible by delicious sugary coating. Fleet Foxes, unfortunately, are more like Weetabix, a healthful, bowel-movement-inducing breakfast option that skimps on taste. There's undoubtedly genuine musicianship behind this Seattle outfit, it's just wholly unpalatable, lacking even the most basic hooks and melodies necessary to sustain most listeners. Of course, white people aren't like most listeners, and will tolerate almost anything they're told is good for them; hence the group's popularity. Unlike Weetabix, however, there's not a shred of evidence suggesting Fleet Foxes prevent colorectal cancer. -Ben Westhoff


This ran last year in the L.A. Weekly. You can read it all here.

It's an odd list with some obvious selections and hilarious reasons for their inclusion. But then there are some that seem to be included just for contrary hipster sake, which for me of course, disqualifies the whole list. Wings? Really? Or Rush?

I'm most offended by the inclusion of Foreigner, but maybe we should save that discussion for another time.

Two For Wednesday: UPDATE

The minute I found out that Richard Thompson was recording a record in Nashville with Buddy Miller I plotzed. I certainly did not see that coming and I could not wait for it to drop. Well, it did. Yesterday. I don't love it. Not yet, anyway. Not after my first half-assed pass last week courtesy of NPR and not after two more serious passes. I do like it very much, though, and I expect my feelings will grow the more time I spend with it. At the moment, I only like it as a friend.

My one and only issue with "Electric" is the same issue I usually have with a Richard Thompson record. The songs tend to resemble not only each other, but other RT songs. It's as if Thompson writes with a template. There's the ballad, the blues, the pop single, the Celtic epic. It's a strange complaint, I know. I prefer RT's music to sound like RT and not say...Shakira., and you can be sure I'd bitch if Thompson released something radical like a funk record or his last release, the bizarre "Cabaret Of Souls."  But the way Thompson's guitar playing never ceases to surprise, move and amaze me, and boy does it ever on just about every song on "Electric," I'd like to feel that occasionally with the songs themselves. Right now, that is not happening.

Still, the marriage of Buddy Miller and Richard Thompson is a success. The sound of "Electric" is thick but not busy and really, my quibbling is minor. This is a fine record that I expect to find finer in days to come.

UPDATE: 

I've just completed another two passes through "Electric." Two very solid passes, with few distractions.

This record has some clinkers and they are all top-loaded. The guitar playing saves what, for me, would have been 5 pretty hokey songs to open an album. I actually find "Stoney Ground," Salford Sunday," and "Stuck On A Treadmill" unpleasant. It's hard to explain, but the first thing that comes to mind...and forgive the weird analogy...is mayonaisse on pizza. Something is not working. Chord changes, riffs, guitar flourishes and clumsy lyrics that don't seem to go well together.  And yet, as I said, I can't turn these songs off because I know what's coming via RT"s guitar.

Just like "Dream Attic," the record doesn't begin for me until Track 6. If someone had never heard a note of RT's music and was first introduced to his music with "The Money Shuffle" and "Among The Gorse, Among The Grey," the two songs that open "Dream Attic," I wouldn't blame them for never returning. This is what I'm feeling with the opening 5 of "Electric." But then, it all falls together beautifully.

Frank Bango has been quietly releasing some truly fine pop records for awhile now. He started work on "Touchy/Feely" back in 2008, but only got around to finishing it this year, after dealing with some serious health problems. Friend and BW supporter Stivseed made a very subtle suggestion in the comments section last week about this record. I'm not sure how many of you saw it and decided to give it a whirl, but I implore you to do so now.

"Touchy/Feely" is a collection of hooks and harmonies that will make all of you power pop lovers swoon.

Please, listen for yourself, and then do the right thing and show Frank some love and purchase a copy.
This record is HUGE!

Hard Sell Of The Week

I am 75% of the way through Rod Stewart's autobiography and boy am I loving it! Probably, the most entertaining of all the recent rock and roll memoirs. He's smart, self-deprecating and hilarious. All these years of thinking what a lazy, preening waste of talent he's become have suddenly disappeared. Mind you, I am not about to defend the dreck Stewart has passed off as music for the last 20 years, but thanks to his own words leading up to it all, I've come to terms with it.

Absolutely wonderful stories about his family, Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood, Elton John, Freddie Mercury and Scotland's football team are all there and at no time do any of those stories feel anything but human. Even when Rod Stewart talks about dropping thousands upon thousands on clothes and boats and art, it feels like something that any of us would do if we had the cash and not the frivolous spending of some diva.

As I am wont to do when reading about music, I get a soundtrack going of what I am reading about. Now there has never been any doubt in my mind about how amazing the Jeff Beck Group, the Faces, or the first five Rod solo records were. (I like "Smiler," too.)  But, I know I never gave mid to late 70s and 80s Rod a chance. Thanks to this book, I am finding some really terrific stuff. For example, read AMG's review of "Blondes Have More Fun." You wouldn't be caught dead listening to "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy," am I right? But after reading Rod talk about it, and then reading the review, I realized about half that record is pretty damn fantastic. The fusion of rock and disco works in a big way thanks to big rock and roll bashing of Carmine Appice on drums. (The band absolutely cooks on the arrangement of the Four Tops' "Standing In The Shadows Of Love.")

When was the last time you listened to "Atlantic Crossing" or "A Night On The Town?" Forget "Tonight's The Night." Listen to "The Killing Of Georgie," which moved me to tears for the first time after years and years of hearing it but not listening to it. Or his very smart arrangement of "Pretty Flamingo." I'll even take it further with 1995's "A Spanner In The Works," which is really no different in style than "Gasoline Alley." It's just made by an older man.

I've said many times that Stewart's "Great American Songbook" series is some of the crappiest music ever committed to tape and I am not about to take that back. But "Rod/The Autobiography" is such a pleasant surprise, it seemed only fair to give the guy behind some of my favorite records of all time one more chance for old times sake.


Here are a few forgotten gems.

Songs Of The Week: 1/26-2/1

Stone Cold Sober- Rod Stewart
Couldn't Love You More- John Martyn
Maybe You're Right- Cat Stevens
You Said That- The Easybeats
If You Let A Man Kick You Once- Henry Butler & Corey Harris
(I Don't Want To Love You) You Got Me Anyway- Sutherland Bros. & Quiver
Classical Gas- Mason Williams

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"Not-So-Random February" : THE WEEKEND MIX

I know many of you are waiting for the next Kinks installment and some of you are waiting for the British folk/prog mix. Both are coming. But for this weekend, please attempt to enjoy a not-so-random selection of tunes that have been making a home in my head for the last week.

SOME QUICK NOTES:

Led Zep fans will recognize the Ritchie Valens song as yet one more song appropriated by one James Patrick Page. (You know I love Jimmy, but man that list never ends.)

The Ruben Blades track was written by Elvis Costello, but that's not why I love it. It's that monster chorus.

Why the Midnight Oil track wasn't a huge hit is beyond me? It wasn't released that long after their MTV success, so...a big "hmmm" from me on that one.

Sacrilege I guess, to prefer Katy Moffat's cover over John Hiatt's original, but I do.

I'm a big fan of Peter Bogdanovich's film "The Thing Called Love" with River Phoenix. As a matter of fact, Peter was a semi-regular at my shop for a short time. Nice enough guy, but a bit cool for my tastes, especially on my turf. Until the one afternoon I said, "You know, it's always bothered me that the River Phoenix version of Blame It On Your Heart didn't make the soundtrack." (Clip up top) His eyes lit up and suddenly we were best friends. "Isn't he amazing in that film?" We discussed the movie, how he was preparing a special edition for DVD (which did indeed get released) and from that point on, he remembered my name when he came into the store. Anyway, Deborah Allen's version of "Blame It On Your Heart" is here and I love it, too.


The rest...well...you know...it all sounds good together.

TRACKLIST

Lola Stars & Stripes- The Stills
World Shut Your Mouth- Julian Cope
It Don't Come Easy- George Harrison
Chalk One Up For Albert's Side- Jim Boggia
Ooh! My Head- Ritchie Valens
The Stroll- The Diamonds
The Miranda Syndrome- Ruben Blades
Precious Love- Bob Welch
Half Man Half Wrecking Ball- Umajets
Outbreak Of Love- Midnight Oil
Baby Baby- The Vibrators
It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night, That Chewed Your Ass Out All Day Long-
The Notorious Cherry Bombs
Human- The Pretenders
Blame It On Your Heart- Deborah Allen
The Good Part- Wilco
We Ran- Katy Moffat
Working Girl- The Members
Till I Hear It From You- Gin Blossoms

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