John Lyon, aka Southside Johnny, has retired from touring, citing health problems. I have friends who absolutely can't stand The Asbury Jukes. I also have friends who have seen Southside Johnny hundreds of times since their inception. I even know a guy who is very close to Lyon and tells him to his face how much he doesn't like his music.
Me? I think The Asbury Jukes made some fantastic records and one of my very favorites came 15 years after their debut. 1991's "Better Days" is a tour de force of record making, thanks to Steve Van Zandt's songwriting and production. It's a 60's Jersey Shore jukebox brought to life.
Maybe those detractors see The Jukes as E Street Band wannabes. Or maybe, they dislike Bruce just as much, so who needs more music that sounds like him? For me, I just hear great music.
John Lyon loved playing live, and so did his band. Retiring from the stage can't be an easy decision. The Stone Pony will never be the same. But, even if you think you're not on board with the Jersey Shore sound, check out these tracks from the criminally underrated "Better Days." They are absolutely infectious.
17 comments:
I’m a huge fan. Interviewed him once for SR, and he was one of the nicest, funniest guys ever.
Great record.
What a great record, and what a great performer. Saw him in 2016, he was just a delight. His passion for music just seeped out of every pore.
That is the one Southside Johnny record that I owned. Great album.
Better Days was (maybe) as good as Hearts Of Stone. Other later career highlights were Messin' With The Blues , a must hear stone classic from 2000, Into the Harbour 2005, and Pills and Ammo 2010.
Absolutely love Johnny and the Jukes. I was so sad over last year's news. May he be okay and may people continue to discover his music.
I've never heard a note of Johnny or the Jukes until this moment. "Coming Back" is playing and it sounds a lot like the "Bruce" alternative I've semi-avoided since "I Don't Want To Go Home". I grew up in SoCal, and am only a Springsteen fan when I'm in the audience, and he's on stage. "All I Needed Was You" is on now, and if I was a fan of this sound, I'd be all over it. "It's Been A Long Time" is good, too, but I'm going to look for a palate cleanser, and maybe play some Gene Clark.
You. Are. So. Right.
Anonymous is BBJ. I'm not sure how I got left off.
Now I know.
Sal: A couple of tracks from Better Days wound up on my wedding mixtape. Sorry to hear the news but hope Southside Johnny's health improves. 'The Jukes' and 'Love Is A Sacrifice' remain in my vinyl rotation. 'Trash it Up'; not so much. Cheers, Michael D.
Always loved Southside & The Jukes. R&B Soul band on steroids. Seems like it was where Van Zandt's heart and soul was too.
I dig the new rating system on Now Playing 2.1
One of my favorite performers of all time. I'm one of those guys who have seen Southside play on giant stages, at racetracks, at dinky clubs in the middle of the country (when he used to do that sort of thing), etc etc. He's never once not given it his all onstage. At least not when I've seen him. I'll miss seeing him a LOT but every time I've seen him in the last few years I thought that this might be the last time. I hope he's doing ok. He's a treasure.
Yeah, it's odd that WFMU has only played Johnny a page full of times according to the archive, and then mostly by Glen Jones
Saw him/them in a high school gym on Staten Island. Can't get better than that!
I've been delving into Steve Van Zandt since watching the documentary about him. I hadn't realized the extent of his involvement with Southside. "Better Days" is a gem.
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