Heigh Ho, The Green Holly and not just another Nutcracker

For me, the best Christmas music covers the full spectrum of emotion. It's not all tinsel and candy; there are moments of reflection, reminiscence, and in Van Morrison's words, "a sense of wonder". "Heigh Ho, The Green Holly" captures those moments of the Christmas season in fine fashion, 

The Celtic instrumentation makes for a refreshing wintry blast of traditional carols and Irish/Scottish melodies. Flutes, pipes, fiddle and.. trombone (!) -- I'm a sucker for trombones -- this one is in the CD player a lot. I love the tunes, the variety of instruments, and the musicians -- this collection is compiled from 2 earlier releases, and despite the revolving cast of characters, the sequencing and pacing is masterful. Happy holidays!  

Transcribing orchestral music to the guitar is a monumental task, especially if you're dealing with Tchaikovsky, who is a master of instrumental color and melody. Tim Sparks is up to the task, and this is sure to be the definitive acoustic version of the Nutcracker Suite.

She Is Shelby Lynne

Shelby Lynne for me occupies the same territory as Lucinda Williams, Wynonna Judd, Cassandra Wilson, Christine Collister and Bonnie Raitt; they sound nothing alike (okay, Shelby does sound a bit like early Bonnie Raitt), but they all share a sense of unfettered choice in their material. They are not to be pigeon-holed, yet the record labels insist on cramming them into something easily marketable.

Shelby's early albums were slick country affairs, and she finally rebelled, reassessed, and released "I Am Shelby Lynne", her 6th album which won her a Best New Artist Grammy -- go figure. A greatest hits collection "The Definitive Collection" (not), features 7 out of 10 tracks from "I Am...", and the songs they didn't pick are good too. Initially, I was put off by the album, until last week, listening again, I realized she was putting out her resume. What I took for a grab-bag of styles was essentially her way of showing the world "I can do ALL of these things -- country, blues, soul...I have more to offer than what you've heard from me before."

But that can come back and confuse the public. Everyone loved "I Am...", but her next album "Love, Shelby" went all slickety again. Good songs, but...huh? Shelby zigzagged like this for a while; later albums featured powerhouses like Bill Payne (Little Feat) and Benmont Tench (Tom Petty), but still asked the question "Where's the Shelby we all love?"

I mentioned in an earlier post that her Dusty Springfield tribute "Just a Little Lovin'" is totally excellent. She's lately slipped into a groove with her last 2 albums. "Thanks" (more accurately an EP than an album) is Southern gospel/soul, and "I Can't Imagine" is a back-porch version of the country/blues vibe encountered in "I Am..." -- but the songs are not quite as memorable to me. Production is excellent, but the songs don't quite measure up.

Still, she's producing herself, making her own choices, and I'm positive there's more great work from Shelby in the future. 

David Grisman and Patty Loveless: Christmas Time's A-comin'!

Here's the thing with me about Christmas music: I really enjoy it, but I'm picky. I've left stores just because they've audibly assaulted me with Mariah Carey or Mannheim Steamroller or Trans-Siberian Express or [insert your choice here]. Really? It's not Christmas until someone's belting in a range only dogs can hear? 

 That said, we started early with the Christmas music this year; the weather's been particularly bleak lately, so we wanted to lighten things up. As much as my wife and I at Christmas time love to blast Phil Spector, we tend to listen to more acoustic fare. I had picked up the David Grisman album at Value Village a while back, so it was good to finally listen to it at length -- and what a treat! Grisman (and Tony Rice) have been favorites of mine for a long time; their brand of 'spacegrass' (Tony's term) or the more familiar 'Dawg music' is probably my favorite offshoot of traditional bluegrass. Grisman's version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" isn't just 6:47 of great Christmas music, it's plain great music. It smokes!

Ah, sweet Patty Loveless. She started out in a more traditional country vein, but for years now, she's veered off into Kentucky bluegrass, and this 2010 album is another fine example. The song selection was a slight disappointment at first-- the usual suspects, on most every Christmas album, including other country/bluegrass  albums like "Christmas Time with the Judds" and "Light from the Stable" by Emmylou Harris. But Patty's voice, the beautiful arrangements, and the original material ("Santa Train" -- what a hoot!) lifts this album above the pack. Add in Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs and more guests, and you've got a fine Kentucky mountain Christmas album

Celtic guitarist Daithi Sproule

I first heard guitarist Daithi Sproule years ago when I heard an album by Skara Brae, but the connection didn't register until I heard this 2008 collection ("The Crow in the Sun") of guitar instrumentals, which includes one of the pieces featured on the Skara Brae album.  I didn't realize how many people Daithi went on to play with (Altan, Liz Carroll and many, many more) -- the guy's an Irish institution.

I've listened to this CD at least a dozen times so far, and it reveals its subtle charms over time. Daithi's liner notes point out a Bert Jansch influence on a few tracks (more apparent in the Skara Brae album), so that gives you somewhat of an idea what "Crow" sounds like, but beyond the slight Bert-isms, there's a truly delicate blend of Celtic and early music. 

Check it out on the label website newfolkrecords.com My old boss Ken owns the label; he's gotta be proud.  

Technical Difficulties, Again

Just a short post; my internet service is in limbo. Will post this weekend when things get sorted out.

Bootlegs Back in the Day

This is a bad photo of the first bootleg album I owned  (and no, I no longer own it -- this image came from the interwebs.) It's a live recording of Frank Zappa and the Mothers with Zubin Mehta (and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Pauley Pavilion? Details are fuzzy, both in the photo and in my brain.) They're performing music from what was eventually "200 Motels", and Frank kicks things off with "Hit it, Zubin!"

The record wasn't very good (surprise!) A.: because it's an audience recording, and B: only very late in his life could Frank afford enough rehearsal time for an orchestra, so the performance is a little rough too. But still! A bootleg! Totally unvarnished and unofficial!

As I mentioned in my post about Dylan's Basement Tapes, long before file-sharing, downloading and the internet, bootlegs were the only way to hear unreleased performances, either live recordings, demos or songs recorded in studio sessions but never released on LP. For me, live recordings were dicey, because early on they were recorded by someone sneaking a cassette player into a show. (Later releases were recorded from the soundboard or via radio broadcasts. Since the copyright laws are looser overseas, many late '60s /early '70s radio concert broadcasts are now coming out on CD.) 

Bootlegs also took advantage of arcane record company policies -- many British bands never had their early singles released in the States, so boots filled that need.

There were many famous bootlegs, and naturally they featured the most popular bands: the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who..., you know, any band with a 'the' in front.  Although the Beatle's Get Back sessions (from the filming of "Let It Be") were eye-opening in a behind-the-veil kind of way, it wasn't something you'd slap on the old turntable for fun, For example, check out the officially sanctioned Beatles "Anthology" series. Sure it's fun the first time you hear Take One of "Strawberry Fields Forever", but the thing is, the Beatles really crafted their final product. Outtakes just don't make it.

Many stores didn't carry bootlegs, and if they did, it was in a special section near the back of the store. Early boots were basically white sleeves rubber stamped with the titles (and I still maintain that the cover of "The Beatles" (the 'white album') was supposed to look like a common bootleg album.)

Things got a little better in the CD era, but not much. 

We used to carry bootlegs at Northern Lights, usually displayed up front where we could keep an eye on them (yes, ironic that we didn't want anyone to steal what was at heart stolen merchandise itself). I still have a few Pink Floyd discs (early singles since released as bonus tracks) and a few Radiohead discs (once again, early singles collected, and a radio concert broadcast or two), and my prize possession is the collection of Beatle's fan club Christmas releases.1963-1969.

We had one guy who'd buy every Neil Young boot we could get in stock, and we sold lots of Pearl Jam and Nirvana; Dylan not so much by then, but still a market for Beatles material.  As was typical of the Northern Lights purchasing strategy, we'd buy, sparingly, whatever artist was popular at the time, so I remember some Tori Amos boots that gathered dust.       

Record labels seem to finally realize the value of rare and/or unreleased material, as box sets are packed to the gills with what once was the mainstay of bootleg culture. And then there's the internet...
Frank Zappa even released the 'Beat the Boots' series, basically re-releasing already existing boots under the official Zappa banner, not as a way of bestowing legitimacy but instead taking the product back from the pirates and cashing in. Too bad my Zappa/Zubin boot wasn't included. Think I'll check YouTube....

Bob Dylan: Down in the Basement and the Whole Bootleg Thing

I've had a complicated relationship with the music of Bob Dylan. Never understood how Peter, Paul and Mary found the melodies in Dylan songs. (The versions I heard sung by Dylan seemed like just rants).  Actually, I was kinda glad I never developed a taste for Dylan -- or Elvis, for that matter. I'd have to take out a loan to just to buy the 'essential' collection of each.

  But along the way, I heard some Dylan I actually enjoyed: versions of Dylan songs by Fairport Convention, a bootleg of "Bear Mountain Picnic Massacree", the Byrds' Roger Mcguinn's version of "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere".

And slowly over the years, I developed a grudging respect for Dylan's massive talent, and began cherry-picking songs I enjoyed. As I get older, I find that the unvarnished versions hold up best for me, thus we get to "The Basement Tapes". I think the first major bootleg of the rock era was "The Great White Wonder", which had a sizeable chunk of the basement tapes, music Dylan recorded with
the Band in Woodstock. The songs weren't intended to be released officially, but instead were a 'sound catalog' of songs Dylan hoped other musicians would record.

There was a version of "The Basement Tapes" released officially, but it was more of a Frankenstein's monster: bits spliced and re-recorded, songs from other sessions, and songs featuring the Band more prominently than as was originally recorded.

Now there's an official, complete Basement Tape collection (Volume 11 of the Bootleg Series) -- 6 CDs and 2 lavish books. Way more than anyone needs, but that's what libraries are for, and even to these ears, it's a fun trawl through the most famous 'unheard' music ever (right up there with the Beach Boy's "Smile"). There's also a 2CD set that's probably as much as most people need.

Listening to this collection got me thinking of the whole bootleg phenomenon of the '60s and '70s, another fascinating slice of history that the internet has made obsolete. Another story for another time...

Gerald Menard, RIP

My father had been diagnosed with Parkinson's for quite a while, and after some falls, he spent most of September in and out of the hospital and Fidalgo Rehabilitation in Anacortes, finally passing away on October 1, with the funeral on October 16. Even though we'd been expecting this with his failing health, it still takes the wind out of your sails for a while.

So why is Gary Lewis here? When I was still in high school, my parents allowed me to pick music to play during Sunday dinner, and it was tricky to find something that everyone could enjoy, or at least tolerate. Glen Campbell's early albums worked, same with Tijuana Brass -- and for some reason, Gary Lewis and the Playboys. We recently watched the DVD about The Wrecking Crew, the stellar collection of studio musicians who played on not only the Gary Lewis albums, but EVERYTHING. No, really, when the session list scrolls at the end of the movie, it is truly astounding how much they shaped the sound of radio in the early '60s. My father was into Barbra Streisand, and later, Celine Dion, so we didn't share much of a musical diet, but I remember fondly those dinners and I think Gary Lewis was a part of that. So, thanks Gary and Crew; rest well, Dad.

More blog posts to come soon.

Trying to Understand Captain Beefheart

I bought "How to Write About Music" because I needed help. Turns out it's actually a textbook for a college-level course in Music Criticism -- who knew? And as in any textbook, there are assignments.
The first is to listen to an artist "you are completely unfamiliar with" and write a review. Well, okay, I figured rap/hip-hop is out of my comfort zone, let's start with that. Oops. I remembered some Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre videos from back when MTV actually showed videos, so my son went through his collection and made me a "Best of Death Row" (the label) based on the songs I remembered liking.

Yikes! MTV of course played the scrubbed clean versions. I listened to the uncensored versions in my car on the way to work and felt like I was being assaulted. I liked the musical aspects, but kept coming up hard against the lyrics.

Okay, so Attempt Number Two: Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone sang the praises of "How to Pimp a Butterfly" by Lamar Kendrick (or Kendrick Lamar -- I'm always getting it wrong) so I gave that a try. Made it through the first few songs...

So. Captain Beefheart. This really was cheating: I've heard Captain Beefheart before, even liked a few of his songs. Heck, I even owned a copy of "Clear Spot" which was issued in a clear plastic sleeve! But I never listened to it much, mostly only the song "Too Much Time", which frankly sounds the least like Captain Beefheart than any of his other songs. But I just didn't "get" Beefheart.

Sometimes when I'm exposed to something touted as 'great' and I don't understand it, my initial reaction is "this artist is pulling a fast one" (Yoko One is another example for me.) What am I missing?

My father is currently in a managed care facility after a series of falls at home. With physical therapy, we hope he'll be able to come home eventually, but that seems like a long road. On my days off, I go to see him, and lately I've been listening to Captain Beefheart during the half-hour drive. Why? You'd think I'd listen to something soothing because these visits are sad and disappointing. But the good Captain gives me something to wrestle with, and darned if he isn't starting to make sense. I'll give him a few more listens and see if I can crack this case. (And I hope this will still count for my homework assignment!)

Alison Krauss, Revisited

I've spent the last few weeks listening again to most of the Alison Krauss catalog, from her first solo album to the latest ("Paper Airplanes") with Union Station. Hearing them in sequence allows you to follow her developing style, not that it needed 'developing', because she was fully-formed on the very fist album (when she was something like 14 years old?)

Alison's been able to rely on various band members over the years for great songs, and she has a knack for finding other songwriters' material that she interprets in her own style. It takes a truly talented performer who can make a Beatles song sound like their own. I'd bet that after her first few albums, word got out and and songwriters were beating down her door.

It was quite a hoot to hear how Alison's vocal style changed over the years. She had a clear, ringing tone at the beginning, perfect for bluegrass, but by the 3rd or 4th album, she added more breath to her voice; she'd found the coo that she still employs today.

I'd mentioned in an earlier blog post how we'd seen Alison Krauss and Union Station in the early days (Wednesday, November 10, 1993) and how much fun they seemed to be having on stage. Cut to the official AKUS live album from 2002 and it's all business. I'll have to watch the DVD of the concert again -- maybe with the longer playing time of the DVD, we get more glimpses of band interaction. And man, I'd like to know the background story of Union Station. She employed them on her second album, and slowly (like Wilco) members left until by 1998 or so, she had the band that she still performs with today. "Paper Airplanes" is the latest album, and my wife and I both agree that it's good, it just sounds like they're on autopilot. They've got their style down pat. James Taylor has admitted in interviews that he's more of a craftsman these days that an "artist", and maybe that's what's going on with Alison. Of course, I haven't followed the whole story -- didn't really like the "Raising Sand" album she recorded with Robert Plant, and the subsequent tour meant Union Station was on hiatus for a while, so maybe "Paper Airplanes" is a tentative step back into the saddle.

Joni Mitchell

With the recent news about Joni Mitchell's medical woes, I was reminded of the early Joni albums where I was first introduced to her vast canon. I suppose most people think of "Blue" and "Court and Spark" when Joni's name comes up, but the very early albums established her songwriting chops.

"Songs to a Seagull" was the first Joni Mitchell album, 'produced' by David Crosby (depending on which interview you read, David either was totally hands-off, or he flattened the sound). It's too bad that the CD doesn't add "Urge for Going", one of her very first recordings (you'll have to buy "Hits" to get that truly wonderful song). "Songs" and the several albums that followed feature Joni's bright flutey (piercing?) high register that significantly lowered over the years, and as such, has been known to be off-putting to some listeners. I liked "Songs" because it mirrored so much of my vision of what my life could be like in the years ahead, post-high school, moving to the city, finding love and finding a purpose.

"Clouds" followed, and by now I was imagining myself as the one who would rescue Joni from the shallow and deceitful men that featured in some of her songs. Yes, me, the White Knight. Listening to Joni helped me be more sensitive, but really, looking back now I realize I've only recently begun to be the man I had hoped I was then. (And there's so much more to go...) I guess my point here is that I very much internalized these songs in those days, and hearing them again, I get a glimpse of the person I was then. Joni's music offered a promise of hope and a yearning to explore the larger world.

By "Ladies of the Canyon", more of the songs were piano-based, and I like them slightly less than the acoustic guitar songs --- her guitar chords sound more quirky to me, the piano ones more earthbound, if you will. Still a fine album, though.

These days my favorite Joni albums are the ones that saw her popular appeal dip. I find it hard to believe that albums like "The Hissing of Summer Lawns" and "Hejira" weren't hailed as the masterpieces they are back in the day. But then, I sorta dropped out after "Mingus", so maybe I'm clueless too. I do want to tackle "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter" again -- maybe I'm finally ready to hear it.

A Brief History of the Future, Firesign Theatre Style

Hearing the Firesign Theatre for the first time was a life-changing event for me. But I struggle to explain it because there's so much cultural and historical baggage attached; I worry that someone new to FT would need an annotated transcript to get 60% of the jokes. Here's the deal: Firesign wrote comedy material specifically for the LP medium, meant to be listened to multiple times. Unlike comedy albums of the time, they weren't just recordings of live performances but (again) specifically crafted to be multi-layered -- I STILL find jokes I missed every time. And they were funny, really funny.

Sometimes the FT gets lumped in with Monty Python, two comedy troupes from (relatively) the same era. But I'd suggest there are vast differences: while I can watch MP skits again and again, there's rarely anything new to hear (other than an obscure-to-me British pop culture reference). I love the familiar, and wait for my favorite lines. And there are times when I can be amused by the concept of a sketch rather than the actual sketch itself. MP were much better presented on screen; FT never seemed comfortable on screen (or even sometimes live), so their best presentation is in audio. Hard to cross over there. Firesign, stuck in radio in a TV world.

Finally, FT wrote long-form pieces, each one 20 minutes plus. Who listens to anything like that in one sitting anymore? The sad thing for me is that FT wrote stuff way ahead of its time, and yet now, when we can actually understand and appreciate their prescience, their audience has, for the most part, disappeared.

But enough handwringing. For the initiate, the 2 CD compilation "Shoes for Industry: The Best of the Firesign Theatre" is a good collection, and it contains the complete Nick Danger sketch, which is most people's introduction to Firesign World.

The first album "Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him" has its moments, but they really hit their stride with the next 3 classic albums ("How Can You Be In Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere At All", "Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers", and "I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus"). There were still fine albums ahead; my favorites include "The Tale of the Giant Rat of Sumatra" (probably their most pun-filled album), "Everything You Know Is Wrong", even their much later Rhino albums like "Give Me Immortality or Give Me Death" and "Boom Dot Bust", but a lot of the albums after the classic 3 were spotty (but the good spots were great -- our family is always quoting from "Ben Bland's All-Day Matinee" from the much maligned "Just Folks ---A Firesign Chat" -- initially released on Butterfly, a disco label!)

Firesign were and are great, and great fun too. Consider listening to some on your next road trip ('on the freeway, which is already in progress') -- who knows where you might end up?

RIP Phil Austin

Phil Austin, "lead guitarist" with comedy troupe Firesign Theatre, passed away Friday. Soon I'll do an overview of the Four of Five Crazy Guys, but here I just want to pass along my condolences to Phil's wife Oona. Phil was a warm and generous guy; he will be missed.

Cassettes Clinging to Life?

I still have way more cassettes than I need; can't listen to them in the car anymore, so why do I keep them? Yeah, thought about replacing them with CDs, but...well, here's an example. My Bruce Cockburn tape would require buying 4 CDs to replicate the track list. So I spent $5.99 at Goodwill and bought a decent boom-box. The tape's still in good shape -- why replace it?

Here's the deal with cassettes: for most of us music enthusiasts, cassettes were all about control. For the first time, I could pick and choose the songs, the sequencing, and even the cover -- I was a producer! (Reel-to-reel tapes were a whole 'nother thing, and the only people I knew with reel-to-reel were in the Navy. I'd love to see a socio-economic profile of entertainment hardware users; who bought reel-to-reel, or Beta tapes, or laserdiscs?)

I'm proud to say that the mixtapes I made for friends (or girlfriends -- or potential girlfriends!) were always enthusiastically received. I really put some good collections together. But later...I don't know, maybe I was too budget conscious, but I'd do stuff like splice in new songs to replace the ones I got tired of -- and it was either too long (bad edit!) or muffled or just a  mess. But even though many of these old tapes aren't sequenced very well, I still enjoy them because I can remember where I was (physically, emotionally) when I put them together.

I recently read an article on CollectorsWeekly.com about the whole burgeoning indie cassette label scene. (Urk, I just wrote 'scene'!) Cassettes are cheap compared to vinyl, and you can record yourself or your band for a lot less money than a studio session. They're easy to mail, and you can pass them around chain-letter style.

The major labels (what, are we down to 3 now, each one gobbling up as much musical real estate as they can) try to keep the lid on things pretty tight, so I find it amusing that an old discarded technology can still survive, like Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest, to give The Man a little competition.

Santana: Is This Jazz?

As much as I truly enjoy the first 3 Santana albums (and I'd wager those albums are all most people think of when they think of Santana), the next phase was a major leap forward for the band. "Caravanserai" through "Welcome" may have confused early Santana fans (where's the vocals? where's the guitar??) but Carlos and company added so much more color to the Santana palette with these albums.

In the middle of all this experimentation, Carlos Santana recorded an album with jazz guitarist John McLaughlin (they both shared a guru -- don't ask). The result. "Love, Devotion and Surrender", was a head-scratcher for me. The first track is a cover of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", both guitarists blasting out of the gate at full strength. Huh? Is this supposed to sound like an argument? Where's the love?

I was better acclimated when I got to what was at the time Side Two, which opened with "Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord". That track starts out quiet and builds in intensity, which my ignorant ears could follow. Another Santana/McLaughlin track "Flame Sky" (from "Welcome") follows the same template with excellent results.

And I got to hear this album again thanks to Freegal, the library service which allows you to download 3 tracks a week -- for free!

Final note: my brother and I went to see Carlos and John in concert when they toured together, which was unfortunately marred by John's amplifier problems. He'd launch into a solo, interrupted by SKRONK!! and then silence as he and a roadie attempted to fix the problem. Meanwhile, Carlos gamely carried on until John could rejoin, but once again SKRONK!! Sigh...

New Brian Wilson -- "No Pier Pressure"

The Beach Boys reunion album from a couple of years ago was much better than expected, so hopes were high when Brian announced he'd wrapped up his new album, featuring some "special guests" such as Kacey Musgraves and Zooey Deschanel. Uh, oh. Some fans took to the interwebs, complaining about an album they hadn't heard yet. Brian responded, saying essentially "I've earned the right after 50 years of music to make my own choices -- don't judge it until you hear it!"

I don't know how many of these songs were intended for the second post-reunion Beach Boys album (Mike Love pulled out, saying he'd promised to do the album and 1 tour only) -- Brian's supposedly also has some tracks for a more 'rock 'n roll' album, tributes to Paul McCartney, Elton John (?), etc.

So using social media, Brian posted excerpts from the song "The Right Time", and it was an excellent PR move because it's a great song, with those lush Beach Boy harmonies we love. There are a few more BBoy-sounding tracks on the album -- the ones featuring former Boys Al Jardine and David Marks -- but even with the duets, it's definitely a Brian solo album.

If the last Beach Boys song you heard was "California Girls" or even "Good Vibrations", you might be  confused by what passes for Brian Wilson material these days, but those of us who followed them in the '70s, slogged with them through the '80s, and kept our distance in the '90s and '00s can still follow the plot. I've heard the new album maybe 4 times, and so far, it doesn't seem to have the depth of "That's Why God Made the Radio", but it just may be more consistent.

"Whatever Happened", "Tell Me Why", and "The Last Song" share some of the themes of TWGMTR -- nostalgia for places no longer there, hope that there's still time ahead, but "On the Island", the song featuring Zooey and M. Ward ('She and Him') is just plain fun, a bossa-nova variation, and "Guess You Had to Be There" is also fun, with the slightest hint of pop-country. I missed it the first time through, but "Somewhere Quiet" adds lyrics to the instrumental "Summer Means New Love" from way back on the "Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!" album. All in all, a very pleasant album that I'm sure we'll be spinning in our CD player a lot this summer.

One more note about marketing: in addition to YouTube clips, there's also some multi-level purchase points. The regular CD has 13 tracks, the Deluxe addition adds 3 bonus tracks, and the exclusive to Target edition adds 2 more bonus tracks. The first batch of Deluxe bonus tracks are pretty good, the Target version includes those and remakes of "In the Back of My Mind" and "Love and Mercy". "In the Back" was awful when Dennis Wilson recorded it for "The Beach Boys Today", and Brian's new version is just as much of a struggle to listen to. "Love and Mercy" is okay (it's of much more recent vintage). Target's super-Deluxe version is the same price as Best Buy's regular-Deluxe version, so Target has the very slightest bang-for-your buck edge.

Bjork, Working Through the Pain

Well, holy crap, Bjork just upped the ante on the break-up album! I'm not making light of Bjork's personal tragedy, but, damn, the brutal soul-baring on display here just forces a nervous reaction.
I mentioned to my dear wife that all break-up albums must be compared to Joni Mitchell's "Blue". She disagreed, but if you want her side of the story, read her blog (oh yeah, there isn't one. First point to me.)

And "Blue" isn't really a "break-up album" -- maybe 3 songs are specifically about a broken relationship. But the songs that were are fierce in their nakedness.

And now we have Bjork's "Vulnicura", detailing the break-up of her marriage. Sounds just what you want to listen to on the commute, right?

I love me some Bjork, but the last 2 albums left me confused and uninterested. So this one, as bleak as it sounds, reasserts Bjork's musical mastery. The string arrangements are subtly evocative, the instrumental backing has all the force of a moving glacier, the lyrics are personal and yet universal,  and there are melodies again! Too bad she had to go through so much pain to get there.

Not Quite So Big Ol' Box of Wilco!

I'm white, male, of a certain age, so...yeah, I'm required by law to be a Wilco fan. And I am, I'm not fighting it, but I'm not a super fan. Example: there's a 2 CD best-of Wilco comp out, and I'd bet I only know half of the songs. The box posted above is even more obscure to me: 4 CDs of live tracks, demos and one-offs that surfaced on various EPs and bonus discs over the years. It's a bit of a conundrum to me that there are so many of these songs that I like better than the tracks that made up some of the official albums. The liner notes indicate that some tracks didn't play well with the other album tracks, but Jeff's never had a problem throwing a spanner in the works and just piling noise onto Americana (as I noted very much earlier, faithful reader.) But there are album tracks that just aren't that good (to my ancient ears) and I mentally beg Jeff to put the guitar down and take a break. And then THIS comes out, and this collection of cast-offs sounds so much better than some of the official tracks -- what's up?     

Jeff recorded a 'solo' album last year with his son on drums, and they're touring a bit in support.

I don't know, the 2 CD best-of, this 4 CD box -- it sure sounds to me like a "summing up", but maybe they're just taking a break for other projects. And there are tour dates this summer to celebrate 20 years of Wilco, so maybe they are just clearing the decks for the next 20 years.

Anyway, this box contains a lot of great music, and I think it might have the only officially-released-on-CD live version of "Impossible Germany" which has become (for me) Wilco's "Dark Star", the Grateful Dead song that Deadheads couldn't get enough of. Maybe it's because it was the first live version I heard, but for me, the version on the DVD "Ashes of American Flags" is still the one to beat.

And finally, props to the library for buying this so I could check it out!

Big Ol' Box o' Beatles

 

 

Streaming media gets bigger and bigger, and someone's always ready to pronounce the compact disc dead, so I gave in and bought the mono box when I had the chance. Thing is, as much as I loved the Beatles growing up, eventually I got burned out on them. Of that era, I still enjoy listening to the Beach Boys, but I kinda cooled on the Beatles for a while.

Well, I guess enough time has gone by, because it was fun to hear the old albums again, with the added bonus of the audible kick from the mono mixes. And these are the original British versions, not the truncated US versions, though it is weird to listen to "With the Beatles" (US: "Meet the Beatles") and not hear "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You". (Those tracks and other British singles are rounded up on a special 2-CD compilation in the box.)

These were remastered in 2009, and remastered again last year for vinyl. There are a few subtle differences I hear -- "Fool on the Hill" is shorter, for instance, and the liner notes point out how the stereo mix is different from the mono mix, but for the most part these are the albums I remember growing up with. I mentioned once when I was book-talking to middle school students years ago, and how they all complained about waiting for the latest Harry Potter book. Ah yes, I said, I felt the same way waiting for the latest Beatles  album back in the day. (Whatever, Gramps!) I tried to explain that the anticipation was actually part of the fun -- when you can walk into a bookstore now (what's that again, Gramps?) and pick up every single HP book in paperback at one go, it's just not the same.

And we really did anxiously await each new Beatles album, each one the latest dispatch from the coolest band in the world.

Spring Cleaning

 

 

 

Got an early start to spring cleaning this year, as if I actually DO any spring cleaning. But this year I decided to lighten the load and clean out a closet or two. A few years ago, my wife and I were very close to chucking everything and moving into an apartment above a record store (which we were in negotiations to buy.) It didn't pan out, so finally I decided that all the books, magazines and ephemera I'd been saving for "the store" were no longer needed. Got rid of 3 boxes of magazines and two boxes of books, and they all went to a fellow collector. I think the fact that they went to a good home helped make the transition pain-free. And now I don't identify myself as a "collector" (not that I ever really did) -- AND when my wife and I eventually move, everything we own can fit inside a small U-Haul truck!   

Sex Pistols versus the Knack

 

 

When, in 1976, the Sex Pistols arrived via import singles in the United States, there were those of us who were convinced they were the shot in the arm that rock needed at the time, and others who thought they signaled the end of music (poor Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull never seemed to warm up to punk). For me, hearing the single "God Save the Queen" brought me back to when I was a teenager -- THIS is how music should sound, grab you by the throat and toss you around. It felt like I had a second start at adolescence; I wasn't about to get rid of my Genesis records, but darn if the energy of punk made me feel like a kid again.

So, no, I never thought that the Sex Pistols were The End of Music As We Know It. The fact that they even covered songs like "Roadrunner" indicated they perceived the value of music BP (Before Punk).

But I also worked at a record store when the Knack album came out, and to me, THEY were the ones who invoked the apocalypse, simply because they seemed so cynical. Sure, try to get "My Sharona" out of your head -- I'm not saying they weren't capable of writing a catchy tune. But the way they were marketed seemed like they were trying latch on the Beatles' early look. Not as a tribute, but just crass, cynical marketing, and if you want to destroy something, you first devalue it. The Sex Pistols certainly weren't expert musicians, but they did have passion, and while they likely didn't seem to value record companies, I always thought they DID see music as a valid way to express a point. The Knack on the other hand seemed more like outsiders pillaging and looting. Yes, I know that sounds ridiculous, but still...think of the bands that you instinctively know are just hucksters trying shamelessly to get into your wallet. For me, the Knack epitomizes that attitude, and it's a far more destructive thing than a handful of spotty British kids saying rude things.

Brazill 66: Stepping into the same river twice

 

When I first heard Brazil 66 in, you guessed it, 1966, they seemed to my naïve ears to be very kitschy. Faux Brazilian versions of "Scarborough Fair" and "The Fool On the Hill" --are you kidding me??

 

So when the library bought the Greatest Hits, I checked it out just for laughs. Well I'm certainly glad I did. Guess what? I was SO wrong. Yes, a Brazilian version of "Scarborough Fair" IS loungey, but that's what so great about it, and I'm not being facetious. Why did I think in 1966 that songs by the Beatles or Paul Simon were holy writ, not to be tampered with? Turns out that Sergio Mendes had the bona fides back in the day, lots of Brazilian studio work and albums.

 

Funny thing is, in retrospect, I hear a lot of Stereolab in Brazil 66, and of course it's the other way around. Listening now, I find Mendes' arrangements to be clever -- and fun. Just goes to show that an old coot like me can still be humble enough to admit he was wrong, and glad of it.

Technical Difficulties

The family laptop is having issues. I'll post again when and if the matter is resolved!

Kottke vs Fahey

 I've been looking forward to hearing Leo Kottke's first album again when I noticed the library had purchased a copy. When it was originally released, it was a great leap forward for acoustic guitar playing, but it never resonated with me. I was curious why, and I hoped hearing it again would give me some clues.

There's no question that Kottke is an amazing guitarist, and technically, he has Fahey beat. But I respond to Fahey's music, and though I can appreciate the mastery of Kottke, I get no emotional connection. 

I recall on a Zappa album, Steve Vai is credited with "stunt guitar", and that's how I think of Kottke, and then I thought of the perfect metaphor: Kottke is Superman, and Fahey is Spider-Man!

There were two camps back in the early '60s era in comics: you were either DC (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, etc.) or Marvel (Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, etc.) Me? Make mine Marvel all the way. DC comics were like puzzles: how will the superhero defeat the villain THIS time? Whereas with Marvel, the plot was usually secondary to the whole presentation. The hero's personality, motivation (and self-doubt!) were just as important as the villain's arsenal and dreams of world conquest (and sometimes, even the villain had some deep-seated personal fears and doubts that ultimately motivated him, unbeknownst to him but not to us).

So, as a Spider-Man fan, I was naturally in the Fahey camp. And as much as I can appreciate Kottke's skill and talent, it's all too much cape and blue tights for me. As the Simpson's Comic Book Guy might say, "Best. Analogy. Ever!"

Not Really about Taylor Swift

I'm certainly not the demographic that Taylor Swift is aiming for, but having actually never heard TS before (yes, I live in a cave that doesn't have access to the internet), I was curious about her latest album, her daring dive into pop. Lots and lots of hooks here, but for me (again, not intended to be for me), it's like a Twitter version of an album: short hooks, repeated (re-tweeted) a LOT. What I was most curious about was the collaboration on one track with Imogen Heap.

Imogen Heap first came to my attention via her band Frou Frou, who had a song on the soundtrack to the film "Golden State". I've described her before as 'Bjork Lite', and in fact, she's worked with Bjork. What I like most about her work is that even though it's piled high with synthesized sound, there's a warmth to it, especially in her voice.

I was slightly disappointed with the Swift/Heap Collaboration (now there's a band name for you!). Missing for me was the warm vocal sound and instead we get what currently rules the charts -- reedy, thin voices dwarfed by oppressive production glitz. (Yeah, I know -- this isn't meant for you, Grandpa).

So I wondered if maybe I'd mis-remembered the Frou Frou album and on listening again, it might not hold up.. Well I'm pleased to report that for me, it holds up very well. I like every track, and there are at least 5 that I like A LOT.

Funny how out of step it is with the current charts. Who would have guessed that a 2002 album would be Old School?

Boz Scaggs -- Still Great!

I've never really followed Boz' career. Of course, if you listened to pop radio in the '70s, you couldn't miss his string of hits, so I was certainly familiar with him, but I never bought any of his albums, though I did tape "Loan Me A Dime", the blistering l-o-n-g song featuring Duane Allman. Fast forward to 2003, and my wife gets a copy of "But Beautiful", Boz' album of standards like "Sophisticated Lady" and "What's New". Hmmm, very nice. Fast forward again, and in 2013, Boz released "Memphis", recorded in the same studio that Al Green used. Wow! It's subtly great, so subtle that at first listen you might think there wasn't much going on. But the band (studio guys like Willie Weeks and Steve Jordan) is fine, and the album is full of unlikely covers ("Love on a Two Way Street", "Can I Change My Mind", Mink DeVille's "Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl", Steely Dan's "Pearl of the Quarter" -- that was the song the piqued my interest in the album). Boz does a fantastic version of "Rainy Night in Georgia", but you have to be content with a far distant second or third with that song -- Brook Benton OWNS it.  I don't know if there are any Boz originals because the library copy has no booklet, so I got zip for songwriting credits, other musicians (had to read info in the library catalog to find out the little I did).

A little more than half-way through, there's a very simple and powerful version of the blues/folk staple "Corrina, Corrina" that's one of the stand-out tracks for me. All-in-all, a very good album by some who proved their talent over 40 years ago -- amazing!