Hot off the presses, here are the first two tracks from the forthcoming Black Crowes record, "A Pound Of Feathers" due in March.
If memory serves, we've got some readers who are fans and some who are not. I'm a fan and I dig both tracks. Plus, I am thrilled a new record is coming so soon after "Happiness Bastards," which was a fantastic return to form.
I knew the single, of course. We all know it. But I had never heard the entire record before yesterday. 1968's "Everlasting Love Affair" by The Love Affair is great fun, It's mostly covers, but all of them are convincing, even if the band can't decide who they want to be. Sometimes it's the Small Faces. Sometimes it's Deep Purple. Sometimes it's The Action. But it all works.
They cover Joe South's "Hush," or actually, they cover Deep Purple's cover of Joe South's "Hush," as well as a few other songs you probably think you don't need to hear covered anymore, like "Tobacco Road" or "Handbags & Gladrags." Except, there is something going on here and it's hard to nail down. But it's really good.
Steve Ellis's vocals are exceptional. The arrangements veer from a Tamla/Motown type pop to a psychedelic, occasionally mod feel. The version of "Tobacco Road" takes its time and that's fine with me. It gives you time to bask in its heaviosity.
I mean, rather than just continuing to toss off names and silly descriptions, listen to some of these tracks. Maybe you'll hear what I hear.
Kenny Buttrey is the subject of Chapter 6 in John Lingan's book, "Backbeats." As you may or may not know, Buttrey had been playing sessions in Nashville since he was in grade school, prompting John Sebastian to write the lines, "Nashville cats, been playing since they're babies, Nashville cats, get work before they're two." Along with Charlie McCoy, he appeared on Dylan's "Blonde On Blonde" and "John Wesley Harding," not to mention countless others records in your collection.
This chapter led me to "Harpoon Man," a 1968 single from Charlie McCoy's album, "The World Of Charlie McCoy," featuring Buttrey on drums, which then led me to "Turn On Your Love Light" from the same record.
The album is an average garage rock, occasionally psychedelic collection of covers of the hits of the day. The arrangements are mostly standard, but the playing is above standard on most of it, and both McCoy and Buttrey stand out, especially on these two tracks.
I am just about halfway through John Lingan's book "Backbeats: A History Of Rock and Roll In Fifteen Drummers." Each chapter is devoted to one drummer and Lingan's arguments for each. I've been enjoying it. I loved what he had to say about Hal Blaine and Al Jackson Jr., but was absolutely flummoxed about how much he got wrong in the chapter about Ringo Starr. It was infuriating, actually. When I say wrong, I mean, literally wrong. It's as if Lingan, a drummer himself, only just heard of The Beatles and Ringo a week before writing the chapter.
For starters, "How Do You Do It" was not written by "the group's masterminds, Lennon & McCartney."
"You Really Got A Hold On Me" is not from the film "A Hard Day's Night."
How about this?
Ringo "began emphasizing his drums on 'Beatles For Sale,' especially on the proto-Velvet Underground 'What You're Doing.'"
"Proto-Velvet Undergound?"
More stuff that's wrong:
"What
Goes On," was not on "Rubber Soul" and it was not "performed live, years
earlier in the 'She Loves You' era."
("She Loves You" is an era?)
"What Goes On" was never performed live. Not once. This
is all in the first seven pages of the chapter. I mean, jeebus, how hard
is it to look this shit up?
On page 65 he says "I'm Only Sleeping" has a "plodding, chunka-chunka beat." On page 66 he says "'I'm Only Sleeping' has a lethargic, loping swing." You can see both paragraphs at the same time, if you cross your eyes a bit. Make up your mind.
And my favorite:
"And then there is the towering b-side from that era, 'Hey Jude.'"
"Hey Jude!"
Towering b-side? Was that phrase burning a hole in Lingan's brain?
"I've got to use 'towering b-side. Anywhere!"
At least my book is intentionally funny.
The next chapter on Charlie Watts isn't much better, but he did get back on track for the Kenny Buttrey chapter and I'll have something to say about that tomorrow.
But first, I'm going to watch Irwin Allen's classic disaster film, "The Towering B-Side," starring John Lemon, Paul McCaffrey, George Harrassment and Richard Slackey, with Mal Evans as "The Mayor."
It's that time of year again.
As you may have gleaned from these pages, I have tried for years to hear what you hear regarding Teenage Fanclub. Long time readers know, I don't go down without a fight. I had similar experiences with Robyn Hitchcock, as I tried to understand why I loved The Soft Boys but disliked much of his solo work. Then, lo and behold "Element Of Light," and suddenly I understood...well...at least some of the solo records. But, to this day, I still think "Bandwagonesque" is a bore, and the hit "What You Do To Me" is a second rate rewrite of better power pop songs that came before it. I also recall being somewhat excited at seeing TF open for Radiohead at the Hammerstein Ballroom in 1997, thinking, it's time they won me over. But even with the truncated opening slot, I was bored.
Still I tried again and again. I tried again this weekend.
Which brings me to Apple Music and the Teenage Fanclub "essential" playlist.
I loved it!
Why now?
Was it this particular tune stack? Or the sequencing? Was it my mood?
I haven't a clue.
I still don't like "What You Do To Me." But songs like "Sparky's Dream," "Don't Look Back" and "I Don't Want Control Of You" really knocked me out.
Some of the tracks didn't work, at times feeling more shoegazey than power pop, which is how I feel about "Bandwagonesque." But take a look at the tracklist below, and using your knowledge, skills and love of the band, tell me what TF album, as a whole, is most like the "essentials" compilation. Both "Sparky's Dream" and "I Don't Want Control Of You" are from "Grand Prix." How do you rank that record? Am I starting there?
Tracklist:
01 – Foreign Land
02 – The Concept
03 – Sparky’s Dream
04 – I’m in Love
05 – What You Do To Me
06 – Mellow Doubt
07 – Fallin’
08 – Ain’t That Enough
09 – Radio
10 – Star Sign
11 – Don’t Look Back
12 – Pet Rock
13 – About You
14 – Baby Lee
15 – Neil Jung
16 – I Don’t Want Control Of You
17 – The Cabbage
18 – Home (Single Version)
Big Bad Dreams- Bee Gees
Big Bad World- Cathy Saint
Boys- The Shirelles
The Tiger Pounced- Binky Philips & The Planets
Don't Cave- Ben Kweller
Road Foggy- Burning Spear
This Bitter Earth- Irma Thomas & Ellis Marsalis
Big Bad Dreams- Bee Gees
(I binged on some Bee Gees last week or so, hitting records I don't usually play. "To Whom It May Concern" was a pleasant surprise. This is from that.)
Big Bad World- Cathy Saint
(Miss Saint was one and done with this fine Wall of Sound single.)
Boys- The Shirelles
("Bop shoo wop, a bop bop shoo wop!"
The Tiger Pounced- Binky Philips & The Planets
(With a riff that won't quit, and a relentless back beat, get rocking with NYC legends The Planets!)
Don't Cave- Ben Kweller
(I haven't listened to much Ben Kweller, but a review of his most recent intrigued me, even if the subject matter seemed too heavy for pop music. "Cover In Mirrors" finds Ben dealing with the fluke death of his teenage son. It's both heartbreaking and musical and highly recommended. Here's a standout.)
Road Foggy- Burning Spear
("The road is so foggy so foggy, foggy/Guidance be with I and IGoing out and coming in/From all evil thing evil doers"
Damn straight, Mr. Spear.)
This Bitter Earth- Irma Thomas & Ellis Marsalis
(A stunner from Miss Thomas and the late, great Mr. Marsalis.)
Lower case good for 30 days.
Upper case is the old way for those who have luck on their side.
The "Now Playing" blog started out as nothing more than me writing down what I listen to everyday. I enjoyed doing it and it was another way to start a conversation. It took some time to take off but now has been getting a good number of hits and comments.
To be clear, Now Playing is NOT me grading records. It's me grading the listening experience.
I created a Pete Townshend playlist that consisted of 15 songs that I love, so why did it get three and a half stars instead of four? Maybe the sequencing. Maybe I wasn't in the mood. Who knows? Robert Palmer's "Drive" recently came out on vinyl for the first time and man, did it sound great! Four & a half stars! I still like five Robert Palmer albums more. Got it?
I am bringing this up again because Now Playing is now Now Playing 4.0. It seems like I am more inspired to write when I don't feel the pressure of coming up with new music to share on Burning Wood. So while we wait for the winter doldrums to disappear, and new records from bands we love start to appear, I'm going to be adding more content over at Now Playing 4.0.
There will be more videos, playlist suggestions, maybe a zip file or two.
I love talking music. I just don't love forcing myself to find some new artist out of Weehawken who might be the new Dawes just so it appears that I have the finger on the pulse of entertainment.
Burning Wood will remain the same. But Now Playing 4.0, I hope, will be just as interactive.
Just click on the pic along the right sidebar of The Wood.
