Today’s Listening: Guns N’ Roses Greatest Hits

Posted on September 13, 2012 by admin

Guns N' Roses Greatest Hits CD coverI was at a yard sale recently and bought Guns N’ Roses Greatest Hits. I’m not usually a big fan of “hits” packages since I often find the popular songs to be my least favorite. I also don’t like paying again for songs I usually already have. Guns N’ Roses only had a few records and I have them all. So, I did not buy the hits disc when it came out in 2004. I waited and I was rewarded with a near-mint copy for one big dollar at a yard sale. While listening to it, I have been struck by a few realizations. One: I really don’t love a lot of the songs on it and some I don’t particularly like at all like “Don’t Cry,” “Yesterdays,” and “Live And Let Die.” Two: there are a lot of cover songs that were counted at Guns N’ Roses’ greatest hits, and three: a lot of the songs leaving me less than impressed are from Use Your Illusion I.

This last was no real surprise to me since I haven’t really cared for it ever since that beautiful autumn day I took a hasty break from my ever so exciting job at Children’s Palace to run across the street to Listening Booth inside the mall at 10 am to be the first in my family (only?) to get my guitar-string calloused paws on the new Guns N’ Roses albums. Yes, albums. These mad musical geniuses found a way to put out two double albums on the same day. Two! At the time I thought they were making up for taking 4 years to make a follow up to Appetite For Destruction but in hindsight, it seems more like a down payment on the next 10 years without an album of new music or even a working band. Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II did after all constitute four full vinyl records and if you consider that at the time, bands put out records about every two years, that’s eight years of new music and I had it all in my hands by 10:15 am that Tuesday morning in September 1991. Back then I was dumb enough to buy the cassette for my car and the CD for home. Those days are long gone. But ever since popping the first cassette into my glorious Spark-O-Matic cassette deck on the ride back to work I’ve not been a fan of Use Your Illusion I.Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion I CD cover

What really ruined my first impression of it was the over-blown pomp and bombast of “November Rain.” It may not have been so if not for a fabulous little bootleg I had called .44 Caliber Horticulture. Contained within the grooves of this illicit opus was the most beautifully haunting acoustic guitar driven song I had ever heard. It was downright mournful and touched a place buried inside my 20 year-old psyche that was probably best left undisturbed. Too bad for that. The song was “November Rain.” It clocked in around 5 minutes and it had an arrangement akin to “Patience.” It was slower, darker, and deeper. It was a million miles from the pop-slop string arrangements and electric guitar punchiness of the track I heard blaring from the mighty VW car speakers that day. I almost didn’t recognize it and kept wondering what they did to my song. You see, when you’ve barely escaped your teens and have a personal affinity for a song it becomes yours, regardless of copyright, publishing agreements or even who wrote the damned thing. I was a discerning Guns N’ Fucking Roses fan and that was my song! I had the bootlegs. I had the albums. I had the cassettes. I had the compact discs, as they used to be called. I had the posters on the wall. Izzy Stradlin’ was a god damned hero to me (he still is!). I had the song books for Appetite & Lies. I could play the songs man. I walked the walk. And they repaid me by turning the majestically dire “November Rain” into a fucking pop song. Shit.

I tried hard to like it any way but it never happened. The whole disc turned out to be a dud for me and to this day it is my least favorite of the Guns N’ Roses catalogue. I don’t count the W. Axl Rose Band’s Chinese Democracy. I only made it through two tracks on that steaming pile of cow dung and I was done. If you lead off your record with two shiny turds the rest can’t be any better. My feelings on that topic are best left for another post someday. Use Your Illusion I did give me a few of my favorite GN’R tunes though like “Dust N’ Bones” and “Double Talkin’ Jive” which just perpetuated my fascination with Mr. Stradlin’.  The last three songs on the UYI I are really quite good too. Bad Apples, Dead Horse, and closer Coma find the band hitting their stride and provide a perfect primer for the near perfect Use Your Illusion II.Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion II CD cover

I know this started off with Greatest Hits, and I really was listening to it. I was reminded of all the reasons I don’t like hits collections, especially when a lot of songs come from a record I really don’t like. Listening to Greatest Hits did pique my interest in GN’R again so there is a positive side to it and hell, “Paradise City” is a great song to hear while you’re getting ready for work in the morning. “Civil War” is on it, which I love, but most of it is just crap slapped together to make some cash from the last remaining vestiges of the Guns N’ Roses fan base. It has to be. They couldn’t have been looking for new fans with shitty covers of “Since I Don’t Have You,” or “Sympathy for The Devil.” Let’s face it, new fans are going for Appetite anyway, as they should, and once Jane’s Addiction covered “Sympathy For The Devil” there was no more need for another. Five of the 14 tracks on Greatest Hits are cover songs. My displeasure with UYI I not withstanding, I still think this band wrote some amazing songs and I seem to remember hearing a ton of them on the radio so there had to be some bigger hits than “Ain’t it Fun” and “Since I Don’t have You” which are dubious hits. I’m not even sure anyone but me and a few hundred others even knew about The Spaghetti Incident? album let alone enough people buying singles or demanding radio play to make a hit out of the crappiest of the crap on the disc.

All told though, I only like 6 of the 16 songs on Use Your Illusion I. I hate one: “November Rain,” and the rest are just inconsequential filler to me. There’s a bit of filler on II also. I bet I could whittle the two CDs down to one with a little work. Through the magic of digital music I could do that now. Hmmm. A Use Your Illusion playlist. What would yours look like? Here’s mine:

Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion Combo Cover

The combo cover for my playlist

1. Right Next Door to Hell
2. Dust N’ Bones
3. 14 Years
4. Bad Apples
5. Double Talkin’ Jive
6. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
7. Bad Obsession
8. Breakdown
9. Pretty Tied Up
10. Dead Horse
11. You Ain’t the First
12. So Fine
13. Estranged
14. You Could Be Mine
15. Locomotive
16. Civil War
17. Coma

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Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day

Posted on September 13, 2012 by admin

Led Zeppelin Celebration DayBelow is pretty much the standard press release for this announcement but I want to add that I have loved Led Zeppelin since I was about 12 or 13 years old, which unfortunately was a few years too late to see them live since they broke up before I was even 10 years old. Much has been made of Led Zeppelin supposedly stealing from the blues but if not for Led Zeppelin I might not even care about the blues, let alone love it so. Any student of blues history knows Robert Johnson’s blues were not all his, Son House’s blues were not all his, and Charley Patton’s were not all his either. By the time Willie Dixon was churning out tunes for Chess Records he had an even bigger pool from which to borrow. Led Zeppelin simply carried on the blues tradition of borrowing, bending, and reshaping the blues for the new audience. There is nothing new in Rock & Roll. That’s not the point of it. Anyway, I got chills and tears in my eyes watching the trailer for this film, especially when I saw a few seconds Robert Plant smiling at Jason Bonham; the seal of approval from one of his father’s closest friends. I’ve heard multiple versions of the performance and Jason did his father proud. This band was finally once again Led Zeppelin.

To find tickets at a theater near you, Led Zeppelin’s website has this handy tool: Find Tickets

Led Zeppelin Announces Celebration Day Concert Film

After a five-day countdown, Led Zeppelin has announced a new concert film titled Celebration Day. The film captures the band’s reunion show from December 10, 2007 at London’s O2 Arena. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham, son of the late drummer John Bonham, performed 16 songs including classics “Good Times Bad Times,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Rock And Roll,” “Kashmir,” “Stairway To Heaven” and “For Your Life” which was never before performed live. 20 million people applied for tickets but only 18,000 ticket holders, who secured seats through the worldwide lottery, saw the show. Countless bootlegs surfaced within hours of the show but now fans will be able to see the show in all its sonic and visual glory.

Celebration Day will see a worldwide theatrical release by Omniverse Vision on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories on October 17. The theatrical screenings will follow premieres in London, Los Angeles, New York, and other major cities. Tickets for the public screenings will be available on September 13 via Led Zeppelin’s website. Celebration Day will also be available in multiple video and audio formats on November 19 from Swan Song/Atlantic Records.

Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day

1. Good Times Bad Times
2. Ramble On
3. Black Dog
4. In My Time Of Dying
5. For Your Life
6. Trampled Under Foot
7. Nobody’s Fault But Mine
8. No Quarter
9. Since I’ve Been Loving You
10. Dazed And Confused
11. Stairway To Heaven
12. The Song Remains The Same
13. Misty Mountain Hop
14. Kashmir
15. Whole Lotta Love
16. Rock And Roll

 

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Testing mobile posting

Posted on July 19, 2012 by admin

This post is to test blogging from my phone. If you can see this it worked!

Posted in Official Blog Post |

Long Time Gone, But Not Forgotten…Or Abandoned.

Posted on July 19, 2012 by admin

It’s hard to believe it’s been over a year since I added material to my site. Last year was a mess in many ways, least of all was my status as an unemployed American thanks to Siemens out-sourcing our division to Manila. So after a year on unemployment and taking Microsoft, VMWare and Cisco courses I was back in the job market and spent most of my free time finding a job. Thankfully it worked out and I am again gainfully employed. I write about music as a hobby and as a way to feed my inner writer, keeping him alive and well. I did plenty of writing last year but I somehow never found the time to update my website. I survived the first and so far only Bluestock Festival. I say survived because hurricane Irene extended herself to the Catskills of New York State and practically washed away the town in which we were staying. Luckily our hotel was at a higher elevation than the rest of the town. We headed down the street Sunday morning to go home and found the bridge knocked out by a house and the main road under 4 feet of water. As we made our way east to the NY Thruway the road was washing away before us so we turned around and holed up at a storm shelter, played cards with some fellow stranded blues fans and after some recon we found a way to get home. It was a very long day. The day before was about 12 hours of continuous music at Bluestock as nearly every band scheduled to perform on Saturday and Sunday was crammed into the schedule on Saturday. Robert Cray and then Buddy Guy were first performers of the day and after their sets, they promptly got the Hell out of there. My article about the show can be found here: Bluestock

I actually spent a lot of time at Blues Festivals last year and had a great time. The festivals are a wonderful way to see an eclectic mix of blues styles all in one setting. I made it to Briggs Farm Blues Festival, Chenango Blues Festival, PA Blues Festival, and Blast Furnace Blues Festival. I wrote an article about the Festival experience for American Blues News and it can be found here: Festivals. There are tons of photos from the festivals that I posted on the American Blues News Facebook page so check them out. The Blast Furnace Blues Festival had an amazing backdrop since it was held in the shadow of the now abandoned Bethlehem Steel mill. The community is revitalizing the area and so far is doing a wonderful job. Pictures from Blast Furnace can be found here: Blast Furnace

Any way, it was a busy year and I did plenty of writing and reviewing, job hunting all the while. So, I’m back, for now, and hopefully for a while. I learned one thing doing blues reviews all this time: Although I can find positives in all kinds of blues, I don’t really like them all. I’m an electric guitar freak and my favorite blues are always going to have more to do with Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan than Mississippi John Hurt or Fred McDowell. When it comes to Blues I prefer to let it rock. I blame that on Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix…

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Today’s Listening – Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Posted on May 15, 2012 by admin

Ward One CD CoverBill Ward – Ward One: Along The Way
This past Sunday I went to a Flea Market and found a guy selling a bunch of metal and hard rock CDs, most of which were from the late 80′s/early 90′s. They were 2 bucks each or 3 for $5 so being no fool, I went for the 3 for $5 deal. I spent 30 bucks! No fool, yeah, right. I only listened to a few so far. I picked up CDs by Riot, Savatage, Child’s Play, Baton Rouge, Witchery, Gypsy Rose, and several others. In the stack was Bill Ward’s Ward One: Along The Way.

I am a Black Sabbath fan. I’m not just an Ozzy-years fan or a Dio-era fan, or a Tony Martin fan – if there is such a thing – I like the whole output of the band for the most part. There are some great albums without Ozzy or Dio singing like Headless Cross, Eternal Idol, Born Again, and Cross Purposes. As long as Tony Iommi was writing the riffs, the albums were usually good and I think Tony Martin did a great job handling the Dio & Ozzy era material in concert. Bill Ward is a big factor in my appreciation of Black Sabbath. His drumming was very jazzy. Even though Black Sabbath was the original doom and gloom band, many of the fast passages had really swinging drum patterns. Some songs like “Children Of The Grave” have a swinging tempo and Ward’s drumming drives the song. He was inventive and put a lot of thought into his parts. He wasn’t content to be a snare/hi-hat drummer. He used a wide palette of drum tones and kept things interesting. Still, I had no high hopes for Ward One. In fact, I remember thinking when it came out in 1990 that despite appearances by Ozzy & Jack Bruce it couldn’t possibly be good. I stand by that thought.

Albums by drummers are often suspect unless by jazz or fusion artists like Art Blakey or Billy Cobham for instance. Phil Collins and Don Henley were both vocalists and songwriters as well as drummers and as such had an identifiable sound and style to carry a solo album. As Bill Ward showed on Sabbath albums Technical Ecstasy and Never Say Die, he shouldn’t sing. And although he appears in the writing credits on Sabbath albums, he really has never been a songwriter. Iommi wrote the riffs, Ozzy came up with a melody, Geezer Butler wrote the lyrics and Ward came up with drum patterns. Drum patterns can make or break a song but rarely form the basis for a memorable tune.

A lack of memorable tunes plagues Ward One: Along The Way. The songs seem like experiments in soundscapes more so than actual attempts at writing songs. The muddy production doesn’t help either. It seems like there is an abundance of synthesizer/keyboard noise or accents everywhere and the vocals are highly processed even on the Ozzy and Jack Bruce tracks. Jack Bruce’s talents are horribly wasted on this album. Jack Bruce and Bill Ward could have done some stupefying bass & drum jamming that would have made this album worthwhile but instead they concocted some ridiculous ethereal pastiche of bloated psychedelic electronica underscored with metal riffery buried in the mix, almost too embarrassed to be heard. Jack Bruce’s voice is almost unidentifiable. He probably wanted it that way. Bill Ward must have some good dirt on ol’ Jackie to get him to lower his musical standards this way. It’s tragic.

There are 30 musicians listed on the back. That may account for the listless, directionless music contained within. 30 people mucking about with songs and sounds will not result in a cohesive, clear musical statement. Then again maybe they really wanted to sound like a heavy version of a really shitty Pink Floyd Ummagumma cover band. Ward actually takes credit for the lyrics and musical arrangement in the liner notes, so no matter what this fiasco is his fault. It’s his fault anyway since it bears his moniker, but if it was a bunch of lousy pop music it might be possible to blame the record company for pushing that direction but no record exec wanted this. I may have found the only copy sold.

I’m a bit of a completist when it comes to bands I really like so I’ll probably keep it. I have most of the peripheral Black Sabbath albums like Tony Iommi’s solo albums, G/Z/R, Ozzy, Dio etc. Now I have this magnificent piece of junk to put on the shelf next to masterpieces like Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Heaven And Hell. It will keep those records grounded. They could have sucked this much too. I’m glad I passed on this all those years ago. At the time I probably would have yanked it out of the player and threw it out the window. I’m older now and I don’t litter.

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Today’s Listening – Thursday, May 10, 2012

Posted on May 10, 2012 by admin

Michael Burks I Smell Smoke CD CoverMichael Burks – I Smell Smoke
I was sad and surprised by the passing of Michael Burks. I first learned about it from Jimmy Thackery’s post on Facebook this past Sunday night. As many people do when a favorite musician dies, I pulled out a few of his CDs. I used to manage a record store and I was amazed how many records an artist would sell in the days following their demise. I always thought “where were you people when they were alive and could enjoy the rewards of their work?” It bugged me more than a little bit. Well, Michael, I bought your CDs while you were still here and I’ve been enjoying them over the years. I suppose discovering his talent late is better than never. If you keep his music alive, in a sense, you keep him alive, which is why I’m spotlighting him in today’s listening.

I Smell Smoke is his disc on Alligator Records from 2003. I’m pretty sure the smoke is from his fretboard. He burns up and down that guitar like a wild fire devouring Hollywood homes. From his Gibson Flying V Michael Burks unleashes volley after volley of molten liquid heat, his ideas flowing forth like a volcano of blues. He’s one of those artists like Hendrix, SRV, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter, Walter Trout or Jimmy Thackery that it doesn’t matter what song he’s playing, because his playing will grab your attention and you might even forget all about the song. It’s irrelevant. He was a master blues guitarist, sang like a cross between Albert King and Buddy Guy and brought immeasurable energy to the music. He felt it and made you feel it too.

I never got to see Michael Burks live and I was hoping to see him at a festival this year. I know I missed out on a powerful performance, not to mention copping a few licks and tricks to add to my own guitar playing. I love his tone and his unabashed willingness to just let it rip. His songs are punctuated with searing, soaring, sizzling and roaring electric euphoria that will capture your ears, invade your mind, and move you from head to toe.

Michael Burks Iron Man CD CoverMichael Burks – Iron Man
Well, this is called “Today’s Listening” and as I write this I’m listening to the Iron Man CD. That’s not to say I wasn’t actually listening to I Smell Smoke. It’s over and I was in the mood for more. On Iron Man, Burks whips out some slide guitar on this 2008 album. Not a lot mind you, but enough to get your attention on “Strange Feeling.” I had a strange feeling I was hearing slide guitar…

Michael Burks knew how to squeeze the most from a note and build a solo. That’s what I was getting at above when I mentioned his flow. It doesn’t seem like he’s thinking about it. He feels it and it comes out, building and building to a natural conclusion. Beyond Burks’ fret works and powerful voice is a top-notch backing band. The keyboardist Wayne Sharp adds perfect accents and flourishes to the tracks. I like swirling and percolating organ almost as much as I like electric guitar, and Sharp has his fingers on the pulse of the songs, layering chords, and pushing the solos to greater heights.

Iron Man also has a pretty interesting reworking of Free’s “Fire And Water.” If you’re a purist Free fan and think Paul Kossoff was the be-all/end-all of blues rock guitar then you might not appreciate the difference but Burks turns this hard riffing classic rock song in a more down home and funky urban blues direction. It’s a reminder of the blues tradition of borrowing, changing, copying and converting keeping the music fresh by incorporating disparate ingredients into a unifying mixture.

Both of these discs were released by Alligator Records. I have discovered more great music through Alligator Records than by any other means. Pick up any of their anniversary collections and you’re in for a treat. But don’t stop there. Investigate the artists you like and see who they liked and try those too. You’ll be amazed at the variety you’ll find and the common thread that runs through the vast tapestry of music.

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Today’s Listening – Wednesday May 2, 2012

Posted on May 3, 2012 by admin

Pocket Full Of Kryptonite Cd CoverSpin Doctors – Pocket Full Of Kryptonite (Anniversary Edition)
I recently went to a record show and picked up this double disc anniversary edition of Spin Doctors‘ debut studio album. I haven’t listened to the original in quite some time, but I heard this was out and the band has been playing the whole album in concert to promote it and it piqued my interest. I immediately fell in love with this album all over again. 20 years ago I over-played it, as did Radio and MTV, and I got sick of it. I’ve picked up their subsequent releases and I listen to their Homebelly Groove…Live album most often. They are one of the funkier “jam bands” to emerge in the early 90′s and the combination with their pop-songwriting abilities makes for an infectious groove (somebody should use that as a band name -Ha!).

The “doctors of spin” came out of the NYC music scene with Blues Traveler. Singer Chris Barron and Blues Traveler’s John Popper were high school friends and Pocket Full Of Kryptonite has Popper guesting on a few songs. You don’t have to read the liner notes to know which ones either, since Popper’s tone and Yngwie J. Malmsteen approach to harmonica give him away.

The lead off track “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues” has been stuck in my head for a week. It’s so damned catchy. I hate it and love it. It has a great premise for a song – Jimmy Olsen in love with Lois Lane keeps a pocket full of kryptonite so Superman can’t interrupt him if he gets his chance with the fiery journalist.

I also forgot how crunchy their guitars are. The music and lyrics have an irresistible whimsy that hides the grit lurking beneath the surface. Guitarist Eric Schenkman plays bluesy fills and uses a variety of chord voicings to keep even the simplest riffs fresh. His methods are in full display on disc 2, which is full of demos and a few live tracks highlighting the progression of the songs that made the final cut for the album. A few of the songs turned up on later releases – “Big Fat Funky Booty” and “Hungry Hamed’s” ended up on Turn It Upside Down (1994).

All together, I’m enjoying the Hell out of this disc. Hopefully I won’t get sick of it again by over-playing it. I’ll have to temper it with some live shows from archive.org.

Live Phish 15 CD CoverPhish – Live Phish 15, 10.31.96
Someone in the Allman Brothers forum on Hittin’ The Web posted about how much they hate Phish and that prompted a strangely polite debate on the virtues of Phish. It got me thinking about them and since someone suggested this Halloween show I thought I’d take it off the shelf and give it a spin. Phish wears a musical costume by performing the Talking Heads album Remain In The Light. Of all the Halloween shows featuring Phish in “costume” I enjoy this one the least. I just don’t like the Talking Heads and Phish covering them doesn’t really make it any better for me. However, “Remain In The Light” makes up only one of four discs and that leaves plenty of room for wild Phish jams and quirky musical moments. The spirit of Halloween is alive in other covers too, like AC/DC’s “Highway To Hell” and Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein.”

“You Enjoy Myself” clocks in around 23 minutes and features some vocal acrobatics from the band. One of the complaints on the ABB forum was that Phish vocals are no good. I always found their vocal talents quite pleasing and their harmonies are especially good. They occasionally employ fugue and round vocal forms, painting dense harmonic landscapes with just their voices. For guitar junkies like me there is always plenty of six-string workouts at a Phish show and although Trey Anastasio can occasionally meander and “noodle” (as a few people have called it), he usually finds his way and comes up with some inspired solos. In a 23 minute jam it is unreasonable to expect it all to be stellar, and it usually is not but the band is going for it, hoping and working for that transcendent moment when it all comes together. You can’t get there without trying and the guys in Phish keep pushing onward time after time.

What are you listening to?

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Today’s Listening – Friday, April 1, 2011

Posted on April 1, 2011 by admin

Again this has turned into a weekly post, but it is oh so worth the wait. I will now spend the next 5000 words professing my love for Michael Jacks… I can’t even type it out for an April Fools Day joke. Oh well, how about some Justin Bieber?

Dire Straits ExtendeDancEPlay coverDire Straits – ExtendeDancEPlay
This is a fun little EP that came out while their previous studio album Love Over Gold was still in the charts and contains a hit single of its own with “Twisting By The Pool.” It also features “Two Young Lovers” which would become a concert staple for a few years. The tunes on this 4-song collection are fun and whimsical, offering some levity after the heavy subject matter and extended songs found on Love Over Gold. “Twisting By The Pool” seems a bit tongue-in-cheek but the beat and guitar riffs will find even the most dour among you feeling the groove like Chubby Checker at a Saturday night hootenanny and jamboree. “Two Young Lovers” is another upbeat “dance” track with a traditional rock & roll beat emphasized with saxophones in a classic 50′s style.

“Buttons, Posters, Stickers & T-Shirts” are not just available at the band’s merchandise table, it’s also a song on ExtendeDancEPlay. Mark Knopfler is adept at many guitar styles and here he shows his jazz-chording abilities while he comments and makes observations about people and performers he seems to be watching or even competing with on the local music scene. Alan Clark’s low-end piano rhythm is a stellar counterpoint to Knopfler’s chords and solos. It is mixed in a way that is not over-powering, as deep piano notes can often be. It is unobtrusive and exquisitely powerful yet restrained. “If I Had You” closes the EP in upbeat, but slightly subdued style. You may not twist to this one but dancing is not out of the question. Knopfler, in fact, pleads with his lover to “dance with me, don’t let me go.” This is a fun EP, great for a drive on a sunny day or to enjoy while you lounge around the pool, or twist, if you so desire. Please, no running, surfaces may be wet. Remember, there’s no “P” in our “ool” and don’t bite the bubbles.

Led Zeppelin Presence CoverLed Zeppelin – Presence
This is a truly under-appreciated album in the Led Zeppelin catalog and it is one of my favorites. It is frantic, dark, moody, passionate, desperate and filled with pain. It was recorded during a forced break – the cancellation of the second half of the 1975 tour. The band finished the first half with 5 nights at Earl’s Court in London and went on holiday. Jimmy & Robert went to the Mediterranean where Robert Plant and his family were in a car accident. Plant was seriously injured and had to spend the next several months in a leg cast and often a wheel chair. The band were tax exiles from England and so Robert could not recuperate at home with his wife and children without turning over a huge chunk of his income to the taxman. Instead he spent most of the time in southern California but his attitude was anything but sunny. He missed his family, which was also recuperating from the accident. His life choices weighed on his mind and has often said he started to wonder if he should continue with the band. On the other hand, Jimmy Page was desperate to keep the Zeppelin juggernaut moving and pushed to write and record a new album since the band was unable to tour. Led Zeppelin was Jimmy’s pride and joy, rightfully so, but in hindsight, perhaps he should have allowed Robert to heal. I firmly believe that Robert Plant’s refusal to reunite with Zep for a tour stems from that summer spent focusing on the band instead of what was most near to his heart at that moment – his recovering wife and children. It was the first in a serious of tragic events that to this day make his return to the band improbable at best.

But back to 1975/76 and Presence. It is the only Led Zeppelin album without an acoustic based song and the only one without keyboards. Led Zeppelin was deeply entrenched as a power trio plus singer for this outing. The guitar tones are dark, the percussion is aggressive and the Hellhounds are on their trail. “Achilles Last Stand” is an epic in every sense, from the sheer length to the galloping beat and orchestra of guitars. Plant sings of struggles and the joys derived from overcoming the conflicts. It seems at times a song of longing to be at home instead of being the brave warrior (traveling musician) battling with his army (Led Zeppelin). Maybe he found the Achilles heel of the band – his emotional turmoil, which his mate John Bonham often felt as well while spending many months away from home. For all the legendary debauchery of the band, these two men from the Black Country of England felt the powerful pull of family life and after 6 years on the road they both wanted to be home enjoying the spoils of their hard fought campaigns.

The topic of choice is also prevalent in “Royal Orleans” which is ostensibly about a night John Paul Jones spent in New Orleans accompanied unaware by a transvestite. However, some of Robert’s deeper feelings emerge in the line: “And if you take your pick, Be careful how you choose it. Sometimes its hard to feel it bite.” Although “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” is essentially a major overhaul of the traditional blues song of the same name, Plant’s feeling are again reflected in the lyrics. He could stop the ride any time but chooses not to do so. Led Zeppelin feels like the monkey on his back.

The lack of acoustic instruments and the dense wall of electric guitars and percussion keep this album from ever feeling light. The dynamics are here though and the band is tight, playing for their lives. It’s not as accessible as Led Zeppelin II or the untitled fourth album and it’s not as far reaching as Physical Graffiti but it doesn’t have to be. It perfectly reflects the state of a band on the edge of collapse, but they are fighting it with every fiber of their being. It makes for compelling music.

I heard this album for the first time while in high school in the mid 80′s. I received it as payment from a fellow student for writing his journals for English class. I got a few great records that way. I’ve really enjoyed this one ever since. If you’ve never heard this album or haven’t listened to it in a long time, do yourself a favor and give it a spin. Strangely enough, I can still say “give it a spin” and be apropos. If your music is on a hard drive, CD, or DVD, all those things spin! You folks with flash memory music players will just have to live with it.

What are you listening to?

Posted in Today's Listening |

Today’s Listening – Friday, March 25, 2011

Posted on March 25, 2011 by admin

It seems I’m only getting to this once a week but I’m keeping the name of the feature! Every day is Today at some point.

Buckcherry Time Bomb CD coverBuckcherry – Time Bomb
I liked a few songs on Buckcherry’s eponymous first album and at that point in the 90′s when grunge and depression riddled musicians ruled the rock world and hip-hop was well on it’s way to suburbia a band like Buckcherry was the perfect antidote. They played fast guitar riffs, weren’t afraid to play guitar solos and weren’t shy about partying and having a good time. They are everything rock and roll should be: rude, crude, & obnoxious. They combine the spirit of 70′s Aerosmith & Ted Nugent with open tuned riffs like Keith Richards’ and the debauchery of the Sunset Strip. The music has a lot of positive energy even though it occasionally sounds angry and bitter. Time Bomb is still my favorite Buckcherry album but I thoroughly enjoy all their albums. They fill a gap in the musical landscape that has been missing since Guns N’ Roses broke up mid 90′s (the current band is NOT Guns N’ Roses – it’s the W. Axl Rose Experience).

The original rock and roll was fast and made the kids want to dance and touch each other. It scared parents. Buckcherry would scare the Hell out those parents. These guys would have been lynched. It’s a beautiful thing. Time Bomb, in one sense, is a misnomer for this record because it explodes immediately with “Frontside” and doesn’t let up. “Ridin’” is one of the best (or worst if you get pulled over) driving songs ever. It’s a song about getting wasted against all odds. Angst? Try some drugs. Mom & Dad don’t like it? Too bad. We’re gonna find a way. It’s the modern day American experience. People aren’t using drugs to free their minds or expand consciousness like in the Sixties. These days the kids want to suppress their consciousness. Life sucks. The priests and teachers are pedophiles, Mom & Dad struggle to make ends meet, school is boring, athletes are liars and doped up on steroids, jobs are gone to Asia, the future is bleak and it ain’t getting any better. “Ridin’” and many of Buckcherry’s songs capture this need for escapism and for even the purest among us provides 45 minutes of sonic escape. You can be in the glamorous gutter with your buddies, getting trashed, joy-riding and indulging in meaningless sex with wasted wide-eyed starlets in Hollywood. “We’re gonna find a way.” Indeed.

I generally don’t like gratuitous profanity in songs. I prefer the lyrics of earlier times when writers had to be creative and allude to carnal acts in imaginative ways. There is no substitute for a great double entendre – “squeeze my lemon,” “walk this way,” even the term “rock & roll” was originally used as a euphemism for sex. However, some bands sing it like they live it and their life is profane, sleazy and dirty. Jane’s Addiction comes to mind and Guns N’ Roses as well. Buckcherry captures that menacing, trashy lifestyle – that point of living on the edge of a precipice with little hope for being pulled back. They’re going to say “fuck” a lot. And they do. Josh Todd is possibly the only singer out there who could sound angry about being a “big dick motherfucking porno star.”

Buckcherry – they are not for the feint of heart. But if you want to rock out with your… You get the idea. Go debauch for an hour. You’ll feel better after a shower.

Robin Trower King Biscuit CD CoverRobin Trower – King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Robin Trower
The music on this disc was recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show that presented artists live in concert. In the 90′s, through some stroke of genius, they decided to release many of these performances on CD. There has been some amazing music captured for the show and this Robin Trower set is a gem. It was recorded at the New Haven Coliseum on October 18, 1977. I was seven when this was recorded. I was definitely born too late. At least I get to enjoy the show over and over again thanks to the Biscuit and this tremendous series of CDs.

There are the popular tunes like “Bridge Of Sighs,” “Too Rolling Stoned” and “Day Of The Eagle” but the highlights are all over the place. Trower is a master guitarist who sometimes get slammed as a Hendrix clone but in reality, he was a contemporary of Hendrix. Trower was exploring psychedelia with Procul Harum around the same time Hendrix was getting Experienced. They both played Fender Stratocasters, loved the blues, experimented with tones and enjoyed a good jam session. They are similar but far from the same.

A wonderful 12 minute take on “Daydream” captures the essence of Trower’s style. He doesn’t go for the bombast Hendrix often employed. Robin Trower is comfortable in the mid-tempo jam. He can draw sounds out of his instrument without haste. He mesmerizes the crowd and captures the imagination. His solos are like journeys – carefully plotted and planned, expertly executed yet amendable and not without twists, turns, and unexpected happenstance. His style is at its mind-bending best on a sprawling nine minute version of “Bridge Of Sighs.”

James Dewar often played bass for the band but on this recording he is listed only as vocalist and does a remarkable job. His voice is a perfect match for Trower’s guitar tones and he captures the essence of each song. Many vocalists in bands featuring or named for the guitarist don’t have the sensibility or personal fortitude to support the guitarist without trying to capture the spotlight or entwine themselves in every moment of the performance. James Dewar was a pro. He knew his job and did it well. He passed away in 2002.

What are you listening to?

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Today’s Listening – Friday, March 18, 2011

Posted on March 19, 2011 by admin

It’s March Madness time and for Allman Brothers Band fans like me, that means the Beacon Run in New York City is underway. I’ve been watching the shows as they happen via Moogis and I had the pleasure of attending the March 12th At Fillmore East anniversary show. We waited outside the Beacon after the show to meet the band as they left and we were not disappointed. Gregg Allman signed a picture my wife had taken of him at Penn’s Peak back in January and I got pictures with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. They were all very friendly and seemed genuinely happy to greet the fans. Unfortunately for me, the March Madness usually lasts well into summer as I revisit Allmany albums and live shows as I come down from the stratosphere where the band regularly abandons me on the final night of the Beacon shows. Thankfully I have a library full of recordings to cushion the blow as I fall back to Earth.

Of course, yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day so I couldn’t let the day pass without listening to Rory Gallagher. Of all the Irish musicians I enjoy, I admire Rory most. He seemed like a solitary man, introverted and only truly alive on stage. He was a musician and a music fan. He was steeped in the blues but had a keen sense of pop and rock music that made his songs distinguished, powerful and above all memorable.

Allman Brothers Band At Fillmore East CD CoverAllman Brothers Band – At Fillmore East
I haven’t closely listened to this one in a while but after witnessing the anniversary show last Saturday I just had to dust it off and give it a spin. It is still as magical as it was when I first heard it back in 1984. I truly wish I could have seen the band in 1971, alas I was not even six months old and probably would not remember any of it but my parents didn’t even try! Oh well, at least the band had the good sense to capture the performances on tape. These recordings should be but on exploratory space craft as a gift to the aliens. Just to clarify, I am referring to the original version of the At Fillmore East album. There have been a few permutations of the album including 1992′s Fillmore Concerts which added in “Mountain Jam,” “One Way Out,” and “Trouble No More” from Eat A Peach, “Drunken Hearted Boy” from the Dreams box set and “Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’” from Duane Allman – An Anthology. Recently there has been a Deluxe Edition of At Fillmore East which added only “Midnight Rider.” It should be noted that “Midnight Rider” and “One Way Out” are not from the March 1971 shows. Those tracks are from the June 27, 1971 concert marking the closing of the Fillmore East.
For more of my feelings about At Fillmore East check out this recent post.

Rory Gallagher Stage Struck CoverRory Gallagher – Stage Struck
Of all the Rory Gallagher albums, I listen to this one most. It is highly energetic with some of Rory’s most furious playing and most of my favorite songs. Many have a harder edge and aren’t as directly bluesy as his previous live albums. Many people point to Irish Tour ’74 as the Rory Gallagher document and while I agree it’s a remarkable album, I disagree. Mostly because I don’t think there can be a definitive Rory Gallagher album. He was a many faceted musician. He played Irish folk songs, delta blues, hard rocking anthems, and exquisite ballads. I just happen to like the more upbeat rocking Rory best. Stage Struck literally kicks off with “Shin Kicker” and never looks back. “Wayward Child” and “Brute Force And Ignorance” continue full speed ahead into “Moonchild.” All these songs are frenetic and Rory’s voice is strong but there always seem to be a lurking sense of loss and melancholy. There is a longing in his voice that is tangible. Rory never married and dedicated himself to the life of a traveling musician and the frustration of a solitary life seeps into every note he plays and sings.

Stage Struck was released on LP in 1980 but in 1999 Rory’s manager and brother Donal Gallagher reissued the album on CD and included two extra tracks: “Bad Penny” and “Key Chain.” The CD sounds fantastic. Rory’s energy is indomitable and by the time “Shadow Play” ends you finally get to catch a breath and wonder how Rory did that every night. Stage Struck is a perfect album for fans of blues rock and kinetic, soulful guitar playing.

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