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!