Songs Of The Week 2.0: 6/22-6/28

I Won't Stand In Your Way- Stray Cats
Cage The Songbird- Elton John
You'll Forget- Neil Diamond
Private Number- William Bell & Judy Clay
Take It So Hard- Keith Richards
Lock, Stock & Teardrops- Roger Miller
Tomorrow Never Knows- Dianne Reeves

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6 Second Record Review #7: POKEY LAFARGE

"June": THE WEEKEND MIX

It's been hot and sticky the last few days in NYC. This is what I came up with.

Enjoy...I hope.



TRACKLIST

Get Down With It- Little Richard
Jammin' Me- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Love For Tender- Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Gone Gone Gone- The Everly Bros.
Hold Back The Night- GP & The Rumour
Look-Ka Py Py- The Meters
The Things I Do For You- Jr. Walker & the All-Stars
Tulane- Chuck Berry
You're Doing It Too Hard- Charlie Sexton & The Mystics Knights Of The Sea
Find Me A Home- Detroit Cobras
Beans & Corn Bread- Louis Jordan
Consciousness Raising As A Social Tool- The Pursuit Of Happiness
Common People- William Shatner
Bold As Love- Jimi Hendrix

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6 Second Record Review #6: BLACK SABBATH'S NEVER SAY DIE

Beatles: Stereo Or Mono

Many ask. Take a look. Of course it is not complete, but fun to watch nonetheless.

For the record, Ringo prefers the stereo. And the stereo box does sound fantastic. I prefer the mono, which sounds fantastic-er, mainly because the bass and drums are right there, pounding your chest.

Mavis & Tweedy's "One True Vine": HUGE

Like Alfred Hitchcock & James Stewart or the Rolling Stones with Mick Taylor, it seems as if Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy have the potential to make history. While none of the artists I mentioned has anything to be ashamed of, the output while working together is arguably the finest work of their careers.

Mavis Staples and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy first made magic on 2010's "You Are Not Alone," a record that didn't necessarily have to work. When Prince got hold of Mavis Staples the output was essentially bad Prince music. But Jeff Tweedy understood who he was working with. He let Ms. Staples do what she does best without trying to make the legendary vocalist sound like she was guesting on a Wilco album. The end result was a beautiful collaboration of gospel, soul and country blues. Its strength lying naturally in the sound. Thank you, Jeff Tweedy.





The team is back with "One True Vine." There are no real surprises here and that's something for which we should be grateful. Jeff Tweedy knows what he has in Mavis Staples. He knew it wasn't broken, so he didn't try to fix it. Once again, this team delivers a record that will quite simply take your breath away.

I want to stress to those who instinctively shun gospel music that you needn't resist this record. The message is subtle. The delivery is blockbuster. From the haunting opener, "Holy Ghost" to the dreamy and uplifting "Far Celestial Shores," a tune penned especially for Mavis by the great Nick Lowe, to the gritty and personal thump of "I Like The Things About Me," "One True Vine" showcases all that's wonderful about music. It rocks in its own way and can at times, play with your heart. This record cares about us as much as it cares about itself. Jeff Tweedy's accomplishment here should not be taken lightly.

Bobby "Blue" Bland: 1930-2013

Bobby "Blue" Bland was performing live up until he just couldn't do it anymore.  He passed away yesterday at the age of 83.

Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Two Steps From The Blues" is the best rhythm and blues record ever recorded. There, I've said it. Others have said it too, but I'll guess not everyone reading has heard it. You've seen it in record shops, referenced in music bios, and talked about in interviews with musicians the record has influenced. Most, if not all, has been covered countless times by artists like Elvis Costello and Van Morrison and as recently as James Hunter. But have you heard it? All of it?

(This post was updated from a previous post from January of 2012.)







CRY CRY CRY

I'M NOT ASHAMED

DON'T CRY NO MORE

Songs Of The Week 2.0: 6/15-6/21

I Just Want To Touch You- Utopia
Living- Alice Cooper
Nervous- Jo Ann Campbell
Trapped- Utopia
Reach Down- Temple Of The Dog
Seven Deadly Finns- Brian Eno
Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth- Neko Case

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6 Second Record Review #5: ALBERT KING DOES THE KING'S THINGS

Oofah Aoife

I know I listen to a lot of crap. Or I should say, some of what I listen to is considered crap to a lot of you. But really now, do we need to get all apeshit over Aoife (pronounced EEE-fuh) O'Donovan? I mean look at this:

I listened to half of this record and was ready for the gas pipe halfway through that half. It's not the style or genre I have a problem with. Aoife (pronounced ooo-FAH) O'Donovan has a fine voice. It's the deadly hype combo of "nothing really new" meets "greatest thing ever" that really gnaws at me.  Take a listen to Aoife (pronounced ay-OFEE) O'Donovan's lead track from "Fossils," and if you dare, a few more of the tracks either on Spotify or live on YouTube and tell me just what it is I'm missing, because this can't be a "must hear record of the summer." It can't be, damnit.

P.S.
No, I am not disrespecting the beautiful Irish name. 

Best Thing Lenny Kravitz Ever Did

From Tom Petty's "Playback" boxed set, please enjoy this gem from "Nobody's Children," Disc #6 which compiles some of TP's odds and ends. "You Come Through" is essentially Tom Petty on vocals and guitar and Lenny Kravitz on everything else. I don't recall if Kravitz produced it as well and I don't remember or most likely never really knew the initial intention of the collaboration. But I think it cooks.

6 Second Record Review #4: BOB DYLAN'S SHOT OF LOVE

For Those Who Still Actively Frequent Record Stores To Buy Or Sell Vinyl...

...though everyone is welcome to read and offer thoughts.



Vinyl this. Vinyl that. "I got it on vinyl." ON VINYL!!



While it seems like buying a record is the new Beatlemania, it really isn't. Yes, the record album has made a comeback, but not in the same way as say Aerosmith did in 1989, coming back from the skids where the Toxic Twins were living on smack and Slim Jims in cheap Herald Square hotels, only to conquer the MTV world with multi-platinum albums and million dollar tours. No. The comeback of the LP is more on a scale of say, Robert Forster in "Jackie Brown." Impressive, but what's next?

I can't speak for any other city than NYC, but every record store I visit is filled with a whole lot of nothing. Back before CDs took over the world, you would be able to go into any record store and find almost any record from the Tijuana Brass right on up to a Beatles' Butcher cover, with anything from average to rare jazz, death metal and good old fashioned rock and roll in between. Now, any record that has the potential to fetch $20 or more is saved for eBay. Every record store has become one huge budget bin with a roof and staff, less the budget price tags. Bin after bin in all of the record stores I patronize is filled with absolutely nothing. A LOT of nothing.

Go to the Beatles section...Ringo The 4th and McCartney's "Back To The Egg." Go to the Led Zeppelin section...Robert Plant's "Shaken And Stirred." Ornette Coleman section...nothing. Sparks? Nothing. Want a Clash record other than "Cut The Crap?" Forget it. Bowie? "David Live," if you're lucky. Beatles records are not rare. Ornette records are not rare. Bowie records are not rare. Certain ones, yes. But your standard original pressing of "Beatles VI?" No short supply...on eBay.

There is no short supply of anything, save the hundred or so holy grails of record collecting. Even big selling gems like Pink Floyd's "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" or the one time bane of my existence, Simon & Garfunkel's "Bookends" in mono are there if you want them. You just have to pay. I'd love to have that opportunity in say...a record store.

There is one store in Chicago that does indeed stock everything. All of it is offensively overpriced, but at least the option exists. If you did want to buy Dr. John's "Gris Gris" you could. They are asking $65 when it usually sells for $25. T-Rex "Unicorn" or "Beard Of Stars" are right up on the wall, for $50 instead of $15, but all are there if you want them badly enough. I haven't been to Amoeba in ages, so I don't know what is available. Oddly, I have never been to Princeton Record Exchange. But, all of the obvious and not so obvious places in Manhattan and Brooklyn, amidst all the fanfare and publicity, stock nothing classic, rare or worthwhile, saving all of the desirable goodies for the internet.

You could argue that I couldn't possibly be in every record store at every minute of every day, so how do I know that these desirable items haven't come through and weren't immediately snatched up, and you will make a solid point...except...do a search for Led Zeppelin "2" or Iggy Pop's "The Idiot" on eBay, and you will find all of your fave shops selling them on their eBay marketplace page.

On a recent trip to a Brooklyn store to sell some records, I was put off a bit by the staff member who was appraising what I had brought in. Each record was propped up against his MacBook while he did research online, making what used to be a 5-10 minute job an eternity. (He was 24 years old, so obscure artists like Jackson Browne and the Lovin' Spoonful made his brain shift.) He'd look up Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," see that there were 200 copies available on eBay for three to five bucks, and turn it down, even though my copy was the original black rainbow MCA pressing in mint condition and he had not one copy in the Elton John section. (If I was that guy, I would have given me $2, priced it at $10, with a little sale sign that read, "Elton's classic/MINT ORIG" and it would have sold. I wouldn't have to look it up, either. Anyway...) This went on for 30 minutes or more. I didn't want to be "one of those guys," so I just took it like a man, all the time thinking, "What's the point of having a record store if you're putting all the solid stuff online?"

I am all caught up in vinylmania and its resurgence, and when NYCD was riding high, I all but laughed most of my collection right into the street. I regret it daily, but who knew? Now that it's all the rage again and I no longer have the brick and mortar venue to sell my wares, I do a lot of back seat driving. Most record stores are not as much fun as they used to be, at least for someone looking for something other than blue vinyl RSD 45s or 180gram reissues of the MC5 catalogue for $25 a pop. At least not in my hood.

Songs Of The Week 2.0: 6/8-6/14

Houses Of The Holy- Led Zeppelin
Slat Key Soquel Rag- The Doobie Brothers
Domino- Squeeze
Always Crashing The Same Car (BBC 2000)- David Bowie
Star-Crossed Lovers- Propellerheads & Martha Wainwright
Drunk In A Band- Del Amitri
Stariway To Heaven (Live Kennedy Center Honors)- Heart

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6 Second Record Review #3: PERSUASIVE PERCUSSION

6 Second Record Review #2: JOHN COLTRANE PLAYS THE BLUES

One More New Fave For The Week: Parquet Courts

I had my twice-yearly Ultravox lovefest last week. It never goes beyond the first three records with John Foxx, and rarely takes me further than the debut, which remains one of my all time favorite records. The band's 1977 debut still sounds as exciting as ever and my plan was to write all about it and possibly convert a few more people.

Then I found this post, which not only does what I had planned to do, but was actually a repost of sorts, meaning this new post would have been the third. Thankfully, the Parquet Courts came along.

From NYC, this band serves up a good lot of my 1977 wants and needs. "Light Up Gold" is Richard Hell, Television, Jim Carroll, Gang Of Four, and maybe even a little John Foxx-fronted Ultravox.

Check them out. I'm loving it.

6 Second Record Review #1 : THE WHO BY NUMBERS

Kim Richey: 8th Time's The Charm

Kim Richey's been making CDs since 1995. I have a vague memory of listening to her debut while manning the counter at my shop. The only thing I can recall for sure was that most of her CDs, from the debut forward, ended up in the budget crates. As for the music, I couldn't tell you a thing. It's been a long time.

She's just released her 8th record, "Thorn In My Heart," on YepRoc Records. I decided to go in after reading some nice reviews and seeing some interesting special guests, including Jason Isbell and Pat Sansone form Wilco.

This is some wonderful stuff. There is nothing groundbreaking here and to me, that is a refreshing change of pace. It's nice to hear a seasoned pro just writing some good songs and having great players sing and play them. Pure and simple. Words and melodies.

That's it. I like the whole record. I like these two songs a lot.

Valerie June, Where Have You Been All My Life?

Already out in the U.K., with an August release date for the U.S., Valerie June's "Pushin' Against A Stone" has been quietly knocking me out for the last two days.

With three records already under her belt, two of them recorded in her birthplace of Memphis at the legendary Ardent Studios, and none of them coming close to my radar before this weekend, Valerie June may be on the verge of something huge with this new release, co-produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and Kevin Augunas of Florence & The Machine fame.

Get inside this record. These songs, the arrangements and the attack, are big. "Pushin' Against The Stone" is full of heart, soul and sadness, and simply fantastic.

Country blues, folk, gospel and Memphis soul are all represented here and Valerie June sounds like she's been doing them all for her whole life.

Take a look.

Bri-Ola

As you may have read on the interwebs, Brian Wilson is working on a new record along with the other two boys fired by Mike Love, Alan Jardine and David Marks. Okay, I don't really care, but great. You see, I absolutely love the Beach Boys, and I'm happy that Brian Wilson is alive and working. And fuck Mike Love. And...well... I couldn't possibly listen to Brian Wilson's new record. Oh no! I mean, how could anyone at this point?

We've been down this road before, the same road that offers the pros and cons of the Rolling Stones. Mike Campbell on the Dangerous Minds blog nailed it with this-

"Rolling Stones, you’ve managed to wipe out your own fucking legacy. You’ve stomped it into the ground and turned it into something that no longer remotely resembles the rock ‘n’ roll you once made that changed my life. Go fuck yourselves!"

He was referring specifcally to the misguided abomination that was Mick Jagger and Taylor Swift's duet on "As Tears Go By," though I think this entire 50th Anniversary tour is a misguided abomination. But I digress.

What I didn't mention in the first paragraph is that Brian Wilson's new record will feature Jeff Beck and Beck's current rhythm section, Tal Wilkenfeld and Vinnie Colaiuta on half, and a rhythm section of Don Was and Jim Keltner, on the other half of an album that Wilson promises will "rock."




Aside from Brian Wilson, who wants this? Beach Boys fans? Jeff Beck fans? Does Don Was have any fans?

I guess at this point in Brian Wilson's career, he should be afforded the luxury of anything he damn wants. I can't and won't argue that. But as a fan and an obsessive, I don't understand the people...and I have already encountered more than I expected to...who are excited over this ridiculous pairing. Just as I don't get the people who claim to love music and the Rolling Stones, going to a ga-ga over some of the most horrific sounds the Stones have ever made. Loyalty is one thing. Denial is another.

Songs Of The Week 2.0: 6/1-6/7

Uptown- The Chambers Brothers
Nightclubbing- Iggy Pop
You Were On My Mind- Susanna Hoffs
Somebody To Love- Dwight Twilley
My Pet- Matthew Sweet
Give Me Back My Man- The B 52's
The Bed's Too Big Without You- Sheila Hylton

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"PP 2": THE WEEKEND MIX

Has it really been almost three years since I posted a power pop mix? That post from October, 2010 wasn't your standard collection of jangly guitars and mellifluous harmonies. It was inspired by a previous discussion over at Simels' place. Check it out. Link is above.

This week I was inspired by our discussion on Teenage Fanclub and again what I've pieced together may or may not be considered power pop proper, but I think it comes closer than the first compilation from October.

As for TF, I want to thank you all for the suggestions. I created a mix using your favorite Fannie tracks. 21 songs, to be exact. Result? No change. Pleasant music, yes, but in one ear and out the other. I did really enjoy "Sparky's Dream" and "I Don't Want Control Of You."  Quite liked "If I Never See You Again," sounding a bit like Alex Chilton fronting Buffalo Springfield. Overall, TF is just not for me.

Enjoy this.

TRACKLIST

Not Where It's At- Del Amitri
And Your Bird Can Sing- The Beatles
Deep Six Saturday- Tommy Keene
Ecstasy- Raspberries
Fight It (If You Want)- The Posies
Tell It To Carrie- The Romantics
An Ocean Between Us- the Galaxies
All Over My Head- Matthew Sweet
My Before & After- Cotton Mather
Alone In My Room- Dwight Twilley
Walkin' Around- Marshall Crenshaw
Lysistrata- Utopia
Forget About You- the Motors
Since I Found You- Michael Carpenter
Louise- Swag
Getting Over Delusion- Myracle Brah
The Things You Do- Shoes
She Sheila- The Producers
The Night I Heard A Scream- 20/20
It's Like I Never Learned A Thing- Larry Tagg
The Girl I Can't Forget- Fountains Of Wayne
Better Things- The Kinks

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So Much For That

If you haven't heard by now, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and the drummer from Rage Against The Machine are set to release the first new Black Sabbath music in...I don't know...whatever. Rick Rubin's big head and beard were there to oversee the proceedings. Bill Ward, the Sab's original drummer declined to take part in the reunion because of something he didn't like with the contract, though my feeling is at this point he probably plays the drums like Little Ricky.

Why am I being so snarky about all of this?

Because I was really looking forward to "13." Really. I'm a fan, and stupidly had high hopes. It's awful. Funny, awful. Like, "HAHAHAHAH, I can't believe this shit" awful.

I'm thinking it went down like this--

Rick Rubin:
Write a song that sounds like "War Pigs." And maybe one that sounds like "Black Sabbath." No Ozzy, the song, not the band. And maybe one that sounds like "Into The Void." They don't have to be as good, just do it. Okay? Come back Ozzy, not this second. I mean, for the new record.

I understand wanting to recreate the original magic, and would I have been happier if the new Sabbath record was a techno/dance record? Of course not. But there is nothing here at all. The Rutles would have written better Black Sabbath songs.

Damnit.

Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned

I just don't get what's so wonderful about Teenage Fanclub.

My goal today was not to start some controversial discussion or get all of your backs up. I like the band...a little. It all started with this, a comment made last week by our good friend A Walk In The Woods--

"I'm a huge T-Fanclub fan. Surprised to not see them a little more in your mixes, knowing your Todd Rundgren fixation."

I don't hear that at all, AWITW.

What I have always heard in Teenage Fanclub's music is a band who can write some good songs, sing some nice harmonies, and emulate some of my very favorite bands but never quite knock one out of the park. Sacrilege to some of you, I know. I'm sorry.

Before I decided to write this post, I listened to "Bandwagonesque"...again. I think I do this once a year, usually after I make a passing comment about not loving TF and hearing it from someone about how crazy I am. (I used to do this with "Blade Runner." See HERE.) By track 5, it all started to sound exactly the same to me. I also put "Grand Prix, " "13," and "Howdy" in a playlist and listened on shuffle. Again, all very nice. But if I was being waterboarded, I couldn't tell you what I had just listened to.

Another frequent discussion I have, this one with our friend Jeff K., is what makes a power pop band good. Our pal Steve Simels will have plenty to add to this, I'm sure. For me, it can't just be the ingredients. I think back to the early days of Oasis and all of the comparisons to The Beatles. I wanted to beat every British music journalist to a pulp for making those comparisons. Ending a song on an Amaj7 chord does not make you sound like The Beatles anymore than playing a 12-string Rickenbacker makes you the new Byrds.

That being said, I ask you, Teenage Fanclub fans, please if you're up for it, suggest a Top 5 for me. Give me your 5 best TF songs. I want to know what I'm missing. And AWITW, give me three that you think sound like Todd Rundgren.

Um...Wow!

Songs Of The Week 2.0: 5/25-5/31

It's All Too Much- Steve Hillage
Son Of Mr. Green Genes- Frank Zappa
Cool Head- Kelly Osbourne
Alice- Mott The Hoople
Two Of Us- The Beatles
It's Just A Thought- CCR
I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried- Rodney Crowell

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