It's hard to remember now that there used to be a time without 200 cable channels and the internet and smart phones. Fifty years ago today, 70 million Americans crowded around their black and white TV's to watch four kids from Liverpool on the Ed Sullivan Show. The world literally changed that night. I'm working on the Beatles' chapter of my Sound Mind book right now and it's entitled "Beatles Exceptionalism". The Beatles were the perfect storm of talent, looks and personality to popularize rock music. They created the template for future rock bands. After a few years of playing covers and internalizing their influences, many of whom were American, they began writing their own songs. Prior to The Beatles, Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly were among the few artists who wrote their own songs, but they didn't make teenage girls scream and pass out. Before The Beatles, bands like the Crickets, the Comets and the Buckaroos were backups to a featured artist. The Beatles were an actual band with three (and sometimes four) singers who wrote their own songs. They popularized the band configuration of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and drums. After The Beatles' appearance on Ed Sullivan, kids began growing their hair and went to the garage to figure out the chords to "I Wanna Hold Your Hand". Sometimes I wish I'd been a teenager in 1964, but it would be a month after Beatlemania hit America before I was conceived.
In all the hype about the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' Ed Sullivan appearance, I found something preposterous and shockingly it was from Fox News. They put out a list of 11 bands better than The Beatles. I shit you not. I was only aware of this list because Rush is on it and it was featured on the Rushisaband site. Anyhow, I thought I'd share the list and comment on it's absurdity since that's how I roll. Peace.
1) Led Zeppelin- Great band, but they spawned Whitesnake, Kingdom Come and Bonham.
2) The Rolling Stones- While I've come around to The Stones, I'll remind you of my "I Wanna Be Your Man" argument. The Beatles' version was vastly superior and they even let Ringo do it.
3) Velvet Underground- Many bands I love cite them as an influence or are compared to them, but I don't get it. I can't stand VU or Lou Reed. I'd rather listen to a bag full of cats.
4) U2- Are they serious?! I love U2, but c'mon.
5) Radiohead- See my Radiohead post, but not better than The Beatles.
6) Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers- I love the Heartbreakers and on any given day I might argue they are the best American band, but not better than The Beatles.
7) Rush- You all know how much I love Rush, but this is laughable.
8) The Band- I couldn't even name you a song by The Band. Didn't they do something with Zimmerman?
9) The Clash- I mentioned The Clash in my post on Wire. I don't get the big deal.
10) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band- This is straight up New Jersey bias.
11) The Replacements- Great band and very influential, but I could argue GbV is better than The Beatles before The Replacements. And none of these bands, other than The Stones, would have existed without The Beatles. Can't something be done about Fox News?
A Living Will For My Music Collection
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
The Best of The Move
Hello again. Yes, I'm still alive and nobody has inherited my music collection yet. I could list a bunch of excuses as to why I haven't posted in almost a month, but they would just be excuses. I recently read an interview with Robert Pollard where he was asked if he ever suffers from writer's block. He simply replied, "Writer's block is for pussies". That is my new mantra for 2014. That being said, let's talk about The Move. My kids gave me a gift certificate to the record store for Christmas and one of the CD's I picked up was The Best of The Move. As you know, I'm a huge fan of the Electric Light Orchestra and Cheap Trick. Yet for reasons I can't explain I'm just getting around to checking out The Move.
I had never heard of The Move until a few years ago when I learned that "California Man" by Cheap Trick was actually a cover of The Move. However, that fact didn't spark my intellectual curiosity enough to check them out. Then even more recently, I learned that the Electric Light Orchestra was an offshoot of The Move. That finally put them on my radar, so when I received a gift certificate for the record store picking up a CD by The Move was priority #1. I went straight to the liner notes before I even listened to the CD. You may remember me complaining in the past about great UK bands that never get a sniff in the United States, such as Doves, Kasabian and Elbow. Apparently, The Move were one of the original bands to suffer this fate. They had several hit singles in the UK from 1966 to 1971, but couldn't make a dent in the States.
The majority of The Move's songs were written by eccentric co-founder and multi-instrumentalist Roy Wood. I assumed that a band which would one day become the Electric Light Orchestra would be heavily influenced by The Beatles. However, it seems the only influence they had on Wood was to inspire him to start his own band and perform original songs rather than playing in cover bands that had no interest in his songs. Just from what I can tell from a Best of collection, the Beatles influence enters the band with the arrival of Jeff Lynne in the 70's. I also had no idea that Roy Wood bailed on E.L.O. early on to start the band Wizzard. I had never heard of Wizzard, so I checked them out on You Tube. Apparently, they did that now famous Christmas song, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday". The video is awesome. Roy Wood is dressed up like a glam Santa. Wizzard consisted of two drummers and horn players and guitars. I checked out a few videos and they seemed like a fun pop band. Their wardrobe, however, was crazy. Wood looked like a combination of Tim the Enchanter from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Ozzy from the Diary of a Madman album cover. One of the guitarists was dressed as a "gumby" from Monty Python's Flying Circus. Between Wizzard and The Move, Wood was responsible for more than 20 UK hit singles and he's virtually unknown in America.
As I listened to the CD, I was struck by a few things. Cheap Trick's version of "California Man" is actually a combination of two songs by The Move, "California Man" and "Brontosaurus", the later which provides a guitar riff that Rick Nielsen uses and builds upon. The song "Chinatown" which was written by Wood and sung by Lynne is straight up George Harrison, complete with slide guitar. For me, the most interesting song is The Move's version of "Do Ya", which would later become a hit for the Electric Light Orchestra. I think Christopher Walken produced this track, because somebody had a fever for more cowbell. This version doesn't include one of favorite lyrics, "I heard the police playin' with their guns". It also sounds like Lynne says "long black veil" instead of "long black hair". They also had a couple fantastic Who inspired songs, "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" and "Lemon Tree".
The Best of The Move is a great collection of songs by a tragically unknown band. The music runs the gamut of late 60's rock from The Who to The Stones to The Zombies to Syd Barrett Floyd. Based on this collection, Roy Wood seems like a very gifted lyricist and songwriter. I intend to investigate his catalog further. I definitely recommend that my kids listen to The Move, as well as all my Electric Light Orchestra. Peace.
I had never heard of The Move until a few years ago when I learned that "California Man" by Cheap Trick was actually a cover of The Move. However, that fact didn't spark my intellectual curiosity enough to check them out. Then even more recently, I learned that the Electric Light Orchestra was an offshoot of The Move. That finally put them on my radar, so when I received a gift certificate for the record store picking up a CD by The Move was priority #1. I went straight to the liner notes before I even listened to the CD. You may remember me complaining in the past about great UK bands that never get a sniff in the United States, such as Doves, Kasabian and Elbow. Apparently, The Move were one of the original bands to suffer this fate. They had several hit singles in the UK from 1966 to 1971, but couldn't make a dent in the States.
The majority of The Move's songs were written by eccentric co-founder and multi-instrumentalist Roy Wood. I assumed that a band which would one day become the Electric Light Orchestra would be heavily influenced by The Beatles. However, it seems the only influence they had on Wood was to inspire him to start his own band and perform original songs rather than playing in cover bands that had no interest in his songs. Just from what I can tell from a Best of collection, the Beatles influence enters the band with the arrival of Jeff Lynne in the 70's. I also had no idea that Roy Wood bailed on E.L.O. early on to start the band Wizzard. I had never heard of Wizzard, so I checked them out on You Tube. Apparently, they did that now famous Christmas song, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday". The video is awesome. Roy Wood is dressed up like a glam Santa. Wizzard consisted of two drummers and horn players and guitars. I checked out a few videos and they seemed like a fun pop band. Their wardrobe, however, was crazy. Wood looked like a combination of Tim the Enchanter from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Ozzy from the Diary of a Madman album cover. One of the guitarists was dressed as a "gumby" from Monty Python's Flying Circus. Between Wizzard and The Move, Wood was responsible for more than 20 UK hit singles and he's virtually unknown in America.
As I listened to the CD, I was struck by a few things. Cheap Trick's version of "California Man" is actually a combination of two songs by The Move, "California Man" and "Brontosaurus", the later which provides a guitar riff that Rick Nielsen uses and builds upon. The song "Chinatown" which was written by Wood and sung by Lynne is straight up George Harrison, complete with slide guitar. For me, the most interesting song is The Move's version of "Do Ya", which would later become a hit for the Electric Light Orchestra. I think Christopher Walken produced this track, because somebody had a fever for more cowbell. This version doesn't include one of favorite lyrics, "I heard the police playin' with their guns". It also sounds like Lynne says "long black veil" instead of "long black hair". They also had a couple fantastic Who inspired songs, "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" and "Lemon Tree".
The Best of The Move is a great collection of songs by a tragically unknown band. The music runs the gamut of late 60's rock from The Who to The Stones to The Zombies to Syd Barrett Floyd. Based on this collection, Roy Wood seems like a very gifted lyricist and songwriter. I intend to investigate his catalog further. I definitely recommend that my kids listen to The Move, as well as all my Electric Light Orchestra. Peace.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Rock Hall Class of 2014
For the second straight year, the crack Rock Hall induction team has silenced another rabid fan base. Last year it was the induction of Rush that finally got us Rush-ians to stop our whining and petitions. In 2014, the hottest band in the world (in the 70's), KISS, finally get their due and the KISS Army get their validation. They will be joined by first ballot slam dunk Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Linda Ronstadt and Yusef Islam. I, for one, can hardly wait to see this motley crew jam to "Crossroads", "Peace Train" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit". If there's a God, maybe they'll at least perform "Tumbling Dice". Where do I even start with this class? I did vote for Nirvana, KISS and Peter Gabriel, so I'm happy for them. I would have voted for Hall & Oates if there hadn't been a five vote limit, so I can go for that. Unfortunately, Dave Grohl, Gene Simmons, Peter Gabriel and Daryl Hall will be forced to share this moment with Yusef Islam and Linda Ronstadt. Every year there is at least one head-scratcher, and this year there are two. At least there should be intrigue a-plenty with KISS and Nirvana. Will the human dumpster fire that is Courtney Love somehow manage to insinuate herself into this honor for her late husband? Will Dave Grohl get a restraining order on her, so she can't get within 500 yards of the ceremony? Will Sir Paul reprise his role of lead singer and left-handed guitarist of Nirvana? Will Gene Simmons not be a douche and play with Ace and Peter? Will Gene insist on inducting his own band into the Rock Hall? Will KISS wear their makeup? Will there be an appearance by a hologram of Kurt Cobain? Will Yusef Islam be inducted by Salman Rushdie? Will Yusef Islam kill Salman Rushdie while singing "PeaceTrain"? Will Peter Gabriel show up wearing a dress and fox head mask? Will we finally get the Hall & Oates vs. Simon & Garfunkel cage match that we've all been dreaming of? Now I kind of wish it was Cleveland's turn to host in 2014.
Seriously, the top of this class is great. Nirvana may be the last band to get in on their first ballot for some time. Radiohead and The White Stripes are the only other bands I can think of that have a chance, but I doubt it. Cobain's music touched millions of people because they felt like he was someone who understood them. There's been some revisionist history since their nomination, but go back and listen to those albums. Listen to the studio version of "About A Girl". Watch Nirvana on MTV Unplugged. They did what The Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. couldn't do; bring alternative rock to the mainstream. They may not have been the best band, but they were one of the most important bands in the history of rock music.
KISS were long overdue for induction. I had the great fortune of growing up during their heyday. I drew them on my notebooks. I watch their horrible movie. I was glued to MTV when they removed their makeup. I played the hell out of Alive II. I wanted to be Ace Frehley. They are truly one of the most influential bands ever.
I have to admit, in the 80's I hated Hall & Oates. I was into metal and prog rock. They represented everything I despised about mainstream music. In my middle age, I've grown to appreciate their music and I even own a greatest hits CD. I'm still surprised they were inducted into the Rock Hall. Maybe groups like Duran Duran still have a chance some day.
Finally, Peter Gabriel is a musical genius. He completely reinvented himself as a solo artist and became one of the world's most iconic performers. I crap on the Rock Hall voters quite often, but I congratulate them for inducting Peter Gabriel. It almost makes up for Yusef Islam. I gotta go. It's Cold Gin time again. Peace.
Seriously, the top of this class is great. Nirvana may be the last band to get in on their first ballot for some time. Radiohead and The White Stripes are the only other bands I can think of that have a chance, but I doubt it. Cobain's music touched millions of people because they felt like he was someone who understood them. There's been some revisionist history since their nomination, but go back and listen to those albums. Listen to the studio version of "About A Girl". Watch Nirvana on MTV Unplugged. They did what The Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. couldn't do; bring alternative rock to the mainstream. They may not have been the best band, but they were one of the most important bands in the history of rock music.
KISS were long overdue for induction. I had the great fortune of growing up during their heyday. I drew them on my notebooks. I watch their horrible movie. I was glued to MTV when they removed their makeup. I played the hell out of Alive II. I wanted to be Ace Frehley. They are truly one of the most influential bands ever.
I have to admit, in the 80's I hated Hall & Oates. I was into metal and prog rock. They represented everything I despised about mainstream music. In my middle age, I've grown to appreciate their music and I even own a greatest hits CD. I'm still surprised they were inducted into the Rock Hall. Maybe groups like Duran Duran still have a chance some day.
Finally, Peter Gabriel is a musical genius. He completely reinvented himself as a solo artist and became one of the world's most iconic performers. I crap on the Rock Hall voters quite often, but I congratulate them for inducting Peter Gabriel. It almost makes up for Yusef Islam. I gotta go. It's Cold Gin time again. Peace.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Cheap Trick: 1977-79 Vinyl Box Set
What is it about the United States that someone comes up with a great idea, then it gets co-opted by The Man and ruined? I am speaking of Record Store Day. The original concept was great; have one day each year where bands release limited edition records so people will patronize local record stores. Over the past couple years, there's been a revival in vinyl record sales and I'm sure Record Store Day is partly responsible. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before the success of RSD would attract the attention of free market capitalists. Now it has been lumped into Black Friday and most of it isn't very exciting. Hopefully the Walmart cretins don't find out about it. I don't want to be shot over the last copy of the latest re-issue of Kind Of Blue. As you know, I work in retail and therefore have to work Black Friday every year. However, I have refused to take part as a shopper...until now. When I found out that the first five Cheap Trick albums were being released on 180 gram vinyl in a box set for Black Friday RSD I abandoned my principles. I would like to thank Dave and Mike for hooking me up with copy 0875.
You're probably thinking to yourself, "Didn't he already have all these albums on vinyl?". Actually, I didn't. The first Cheap Trick album I bought was Budokan. From there I went to Heaven Tonight and Dream Police. Then I bought their 80's stuff on cassette. For some reason, I never went backwards from Budokan. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I bought In Color on used vinyl and the first Cheap Trick album is impossible to find used. So, I mainly wanted this collection for the first album and the 180 gram vinyl. I did notice something funny on the box set that may make it more valuable (or not). On the slip case, they list the song "Downed" as "Drowned". I'll probably still keep my old copies for sentimental reasons. I strongly recommend all five albums to my kids, with the caveat that the In Color songs are better on Budokan than the studio album. Anyhow, here's a quick breakdown of each album. Peace.
Cheap Trick- This is the most overlooked, brilliant debut album of all time. How is it the Japanese could figure this out and we couldn't? "He's A Whore" is amazing and if I had a band I'd do a cover of it. Other standouts are "Elo Kiddies" and "Oh Candy".
In Color- Includes killer songs "Downed", "Southern Girls" and "Oh Caroline". It also has the horrible studio version of "I Want You To Want Me". They only played it on Budokan because it was a hit in Japan. Thank you Japan.
Heaven Tonight- Probably my favorite CT studio album. Side A is outstanding with "Surrender", "On Top Of The World", Move cover "California Man", "High Roller" and "Auf Wiedersehen".
At Budokan- The greatest live album of the "Live Album Era", which is saying something. The highlights, for me, are the live version of "Come On, Come On" and the cover of Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame", which featured Bun E. Carlos on drums. I also have the CD box set of At Budokan, which has a DVD and the entire show for both nights on CD. It's outstanding.
Dream Police- Dream Police is my favorite CT song and if I ever did karaoke this would be my jam. Other great tracks are "Way Of The World", "I'll Be With You Tonight", "Voices" and "I Know What I Want".
You're probably thinking to yourself, "Didn't he already have all these albums on vinyl?". Actually, I didn't. The first Cheap Trick album I bought was Budokan. From there I went to Heaven Tonight and Dream Police. Then I bought their 80's stuff on cassette. For some reason, I never went backwards from Budokan. It wasn't until a couple years ago that I bought In Color on used vinyl and the first Cheap Trick album is impossible to find used. So, I mainly wanted this collection for the first album and the 180 gram vinyl. I did notice something funny on the box set that may make it more valuable (or not). On the slip case, they list the song "Downed" as "Drowned". I'll probably still keep my old copies for sentimental reasons. I strongly recommend all five albums to my kids, with the caveat that the In Color songs are better on Budokan than the studio album. Anyhow, here's a quick breakdown of each album. Peace.
Cheap Trick- This is the most overlooked, brilliant debut album of all time. How is it the Japanese could figure this out and we couldn't? "He's A Whore" is amazing and if I had a band I'd do a cover of it. Other standouts are "Elo Kiddies" and "Oh Candy".
In Color- Includes killer songs "Downed", "Southern Girls" and "Oh Caroline". It also has the horrible studio version of "I Want You To Want Me". They only played it on Budokan because it was a hit in Japan. Thank you Japan.
Heaven Tonight- Probably my favorite CT studio album. Side A is outstanding with "Surrender", "On Top Of The World", Move cover "California Man", "High Roller" and "Auf Wiedersehen".
At Budokan- The greatest live album of the "Live Album Era", which is saying something. The highlights, for me, are the live version of "Come On, Come On" and the cover of Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame", which featured Bun E. Carlos on drums. I also have the CD box set of At Budokan, which has a DVD and the entire show for both nights on CD. It's outstanding.
Dream Police- Dream Police is my favorite CT song and if I ever did karaoke this would be my jam. Other great tracks are "Way Of The World", "I'll Be With You Tonight", "Voices" and "I Know What I Want".
Thursday, November 28, 2013
2nd Annual Things I'm Thankful For Post
Last Thanksgiving I mailed it in and posted about the things I'm thankful for. Well, I've decided to make it an annual tradition. When I was a kid, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday. All the men would sit in the living room complaining about the Detroit Lions while the women cooked. Turkey. Mashed potatoes. Sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie. Cherry pie. Apple pie. My grandma's amazing apple salad. My mom's amazing dinner rolls. The only time I saw most of my cousins was Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then we all grew up and started having our own families and everyone went their different ways for the holidays. Since we moved to Ohio, Thanksgiving is just me, my wife and our kids. I feel bad for my kids that they don't get to visit with their extended family, but I work in retail management and only have Thanksgiving day off. Sadly, that's more than most retail workers get these days. Anyhow, here's my list for 2013. Peace.
* The Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. It's the one day of the year everyone has to share in my pain. People wonder why the Lions play on Thanksgiving every year. The answer is Ford money talks and you know what walks:)
* My place of work being closed today.
* The Cheap Trick 180 gram vinyl box set.
* Bacon
* My wife making me Tom Collins' when I come home.
* The Tom Baker cameo on the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special.
* Lucky Records. Thanks for all the hook ups; especially Fly By Night.
* The return of MST3K's Turkey Day marathon on the interwebs.
* Austin, Texas (and Denton). How do they produce so many great bands?
* 2nd row seats for Toad The Wet Sprocket. I know I said I'd post about it, but I haven't come up with a good take yet. It was a great show in an intimate venue and I'd never seen them before.
* The 12 string Rickenbacker 350. I hate to imagine how music would have evolved had this guitar not been invented.
* My wife.
* My kids.
* All my friends and co-workers who keep me sane in an insane world.
* All my peeps back in Michigan.
* Rush. Enjoy your year off in 2014!
* The Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. It's the one day of the year everyone has to share in my pain. People wonder why the Lions play on Thanksgiving every year. The answer is Ford money talks and you know what walks:)
* My place of work being closed today.
* The Cheap Trick 180 gram vinyl box set.
* Bacon
* My wife making me Tom Collins' when I come home.
* The Tom Baker cameo on the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special.
* Lucky Records. Thanks for all the hook ups; especially Fly By Night.
* The return of MST3K's Turkey Day marathon on the interwebs.
* Austin, Texas (and Denton). How do they produce so many great bands?
* 2nd row seats for Toad The Wet Sprocket. I know I said I'd post about it, but I haven't come up with a good take yet. It was a great show in an intimate venue and I'd never seen them before.
* The 12 string Rickenbacker 350. I hate to imagine how music would have evolved had this guitar not been invented.
* My wife.
* My kids.
* All my friends and co-workers who keep me sane in an insane world.
* All my peeps back in Michigan.
* Rush. Enjoy your year off in 2014!
Monday, November 18, 2013
Clockwork Angels Tour Blu-ray
I promise I'm not going to turn Sound Mind into a Rush blog, but 2013 has been a big year for the boys. Rock Hall induction. Awards. Band recognition. Individual recognition. Thousands of interviews. Magazine covers. A successful two year tour with strings. Blah blah blah:) Friday, I picked up their new concert Blu-ray for the Clockwork Angels tour and it made me feel like a real dick for not going to see them. There are several reasons I didn't attend this tour. First, I didn't want to see them with a string ensemble. For me, a rock band touring with an orchestra or strings is a "jump the shark" moment. After watching the Blu-ray, I was completely wrong. The string ensemble sounded great and it was fun watching Rush feed off their energy, as well as that of the audience.
The other major reason I didn't see this tour was the set list. One of the great things about Rush is they aren't a nostalgia act. They still write new, vital music and I like to see them perform it live. However, there were rumors that they would play Clockwork Angels in it's entirety. It turns out they played 10 songs from the album. Then they revived a bunch of songs from the mid-80's, which is the much hated keyboard era of Rush. So, when you factor in 10 new songs, a bunch of Power Windows songs, an intermission and goofy videos of Geddy, Alex and Neil as gnomes, there's not much show left. Consequently, they didn't play "Limelight", "Freewill", "Closer To The Heart", "Working Man" or "La Villa Strangiato". I know I'm being a hypocrite, because I wish McCartney would drop "Let It Be" and "Hey Jude" from his set. But, imagine what would happen if The Rolling Stones put out a new album and played 10 new songs on their tour and dropped "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Satisfaction", "Gimme Shelter" and "Shattered". The arena would be torn down. If Rush are going to cut those songs, I want to see "Fly By Night" or "Jacob's Ladder" or other songs they never play live. The other obnoxious thing they did was change the set by a few songs each night. Now, when I saw them on back-to-back nights in 2002 in Detroit it was cool that they changed it up for a couple songs. But for a whole tour? And what if the show I went to had the crappier set list. So I took a pass. After watching the Blu-ray, I have to admit the set was pretty good. They did several of my favorite songs like "The Analog Kid", "Force Ten", "The Pass" and "Middletown Dreams". I was also pleasantly surprised by the amazing quality of the video and sound. I had been very disappointed in the quality of the R30, Snakes and Arrows and Time Machine concert videos.
There were also a couple petty reasons I didn't see this tour. First, it's getting too expensive to see them live when you know they will put out a Blu-ray of the show eventually. Also, I was pissed that they skipped Cleveland and Detroit on the first North American leg of the tour. By the time they came around on the second leg, I didn't care anymore. Anyhow, the Clockwork Angels Tour Blu-ray is fantastic and has lots of extras, unlike the Time Machine Blu-ray. Not that I'm bitter. In closing, here's my favorite part of "The Analog Kid". Peace.
Too many hands on my time,
Too many feelings,
Too many things on my mind.
When I leave I don't know what I'm hoping to find.
And when I leave I don't know what I'm leaving behind.
The other major reason I didn't see this tour was the set list. One of the great things about Rush is they aren't a nostalgia act. They still write new, vital music and I like to see them perform it live. However, there were rumors that they would play Clockwork Angels in it's entirety. It turns out they played 10 songs from the album. Then they revived a bunch of songs from the mid-80's, which is the much hated keyboard era of Rush. So, when you factor in 10 new songs, a bunch of Power Windows songs, an intermission and goofy videos of Geddy, Alex and Neil as gnomes, there's not much show left. Consequently, they didn't play "Limelight", "Freewill", "Closer To The Heart", "Working Man" or "La Villa Strangiato". I know I'm being a hypocrite, because I wish McCartney would drop "Let It Be" and "Hey Jude" from his set. But, imagine what would happen if The Rolling Stones put out a new album and played 10 new songs on their tour and dropped "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Satisfaction", "Gimme Shelter" and "Shattered". The arena would be torn down. If Rush are going to cut those songs, I want to see "Fly By Night" or "Jacob's Ladder" or other songs they never play live. The other obnoxious thing they did was change the set by a few songs each night. Now, when I saw them on back-to-back nights in 2002 in Detroit it was cool that they changed it up for a couple songs. But for a whole tour? And what if the show I went to had the crappier set list. So I took a pass. After watching the Blu-ray, I have to admit the set was pretty good. They did several of my favorite songs like "The Analog Kid", "Force Ten", "The Pass" and "Middletown Dreams". I was also pleasantly surprised by the amazing quality of the video and sound. I had been very disappointed in the quality of the R30, Snakes and Arrows and Time Machine concert videos.
There were also a couple petty reasons I didn't see this tour. First, it's getting too expensive to see them live when you know they will put out a Blu-ray of the show eventually. Also, I was pissed that they skipped Cleveland and Detroit on the first North American leg of the tour. By the time they came around on the second leg, I didn't care anymore. Anyhow, the Clockwork Angels Tour Blu-ray is fantastic and has lots of extras, unlike the Time Machine Blu-ray. Not that I'm bitter. In closing, here's my favorite part of "The Analog Kid". Peace.
Too many hands on my time,
Too many feelings,
Too many things on my mind.
When I leave I don't know what I'm hoping to find.
And when I leave I don't know what I'm leaving behind.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
The Black Angels and Other Random Stuff
I needed some record store therapy yesterday, so I took some of the money I'd been saving for the Cheap Trick vinyl box set and headed out. I picked up three CD's and decided to lump them into one post, rather than posting on them separately.
A few weeks ago, a co-worker asked me if I had ever heard The Black Angels. I had heard of them, but hadn't gotten around to checking them out at that time. Shortly after that, I was at the record store and saw an orange vinyl 7" by The Black Angels that came with a download for a cover version of The Zombies "She's Not There". Needless to say, I bought it and gave away the download card because I don't do downloads:) However, I did check out the cover of "She's Not There" on You Tube. It was really good and I started to check out some of their other stuff. They sound like a British 60's psychedelic band, but they're actually from Austin. By the way, how is Austin part of Texas? Anyhow, imagine The 13th Floor Elevators, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Rod Argent's organ playing and Syd Barrett's vocals and you have The Black Angels. So, yesterday I bought their latest CD, Indigo Meadow. I highly recommend it if you are into trippy, psychedelic rock with a splash of Black Keys bombast. The standout track is "Don't Play With Guns". "War On Holiday" sounds eerily like Piper At The Gates Of Dawn Pink Floyd. I know this makes them sound derivative, but they do manage to translate their influences into a unique sound.
Recently, my power pop bona fides were called into question because I didn't have Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend, so I picked it up. I did buy 100% Fun when it came out, because I LOVED "Sick Of Myself", but that was the only Matthew Sweet I owned. Girlfriend is one of those albums that I've had in my hand to buy several times, but then I'd see something else and put it back. Obviously, it's a great CD and there were a few things about it that I didn't realize. I didn't recall that it was released in the epic year of 1991. 1991 is to album releases what the 1983 NFL draft class was to quarterbacks. Nevermind. Loveless. Automatic For The People. Bandwagonesque. Achtung Baby. Ten. Blood Sugar Sex Magik. In The Presence Of Greatness. And apparently Girlfriend. Speaking of Velvet Crush, I didn't know Ric Menck played drums on some of this album. One of these days I'll get around to posting about Mr. Menck.
Finally, I stopped being a contrarian jerk and bought a used copy of Pet Sounds. Yesterday was literally the first time I've ever listened to it. It was alright and I'm sure it was ahead of it's time, but I still love the songs about surfing and cars on their early records. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Sloop John B", needless to say, are amazing and I also liked "That's Not Me". However, I don't agree with McCartney that "God Only Knows" is one of the greatest songs ever written. I know it's not Brian Wilson's fault, but I also hate how lazy music critics compare every album that's not straight up vocals, guitars, drums and three chords to Pet Sounds. Is it possible to impose a moratorium on this practice?
One more random thing, I'm going to see Toad The Wet Sprocket tonight. Look for a Toad post soon. Peace.
A few weeks ago, a co-worker asked me if I had ever heard The Black Angels. I had heard of them, but hadn't gotten around to checking them out at that time. Shortly after that, I was at the record store and saw an orange vinyl 7" by The Black Angels that came with a download for a cover version of The Zombies "She's Not There". Needless to say, I bought it and gave away the download card because I don't do downloads:) However, I did check out the cover of "She's Not There" on You Tube. It was really good and I started to check out some of their other stuff. They sound like a British 60's psychedelic band, but they're actually from Austin. By the way, how is Austin part of Texas? Anyhow, imagine The 13th Floor Elevators, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Rod Argent's organ playing and Syd Barrett's vocals and you have The Black Angels. So, yesterday I bought their latest CD, Indigo Meadow. I highly recommend it if you are into trippy, psychedelic rock with a splash of Black Keys bombast. The standout track is "Don't Play With Guns". "War On Holiday" sounds eerily like Piper At The Gates Of Dawn Pink Floyd. I know this makes them sound derivative, but they do manage to translate their influences into a unique sound.
Recently, my power pop bona fides were called into question because I didn't have Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend, so I picked it up. I did buy 100% Fun when it came out, because I LOVED "Sick Of Myself", but that was the only Matthew Sweet I owned. Girlfriend is one of those albums that I've had in my hand to buy several times, but then I'd see something else and put it back. Obviously, it's a great CD and there were a few things about it that I didn't realize. I didn't recall that it was released in the epic year of 1991. 1991 is to album releases what the 1983 NFL draft class was to quarterbacks. Nevermind. Loveless. Automatic For The People. Bandwagonesque. Achtung Baby. Ten. Blood Sugar Sex Magik. In The Presence Of Greatness. And apparently Girlfriend. Speaking of Velvet Crush, I didn't know Ric Menck played drums on some of this album. One of these days I'll get around to posting about Mr. Menck.
Finally, I stopped being a contrarian jerk and bought a used copy of Pet Sounds. Yesterday was literally the first time I've ever listened to it. It was alright and I'm sure it was ahead of it's time, but I still love the songs about surfing and cars on their early records. "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Sloop John B", needless to say, are amazing and I also liked "That's Not Me". However, I don't agree with McCartney that "God Only Knows" is one of the greatest songs ever written. I know it's not Brian Wilson's fault, but I also hate how lazy music critics compare every album that's not straight up vocals, guitars, drums and three chords to Pet Sounds. Is it possible to impose a moratorium on this practice?
One more random thing, I'm going to see Toad The Wet Sprocket tonight. Look for a Toad post soon. Peace.
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