No tricks, only treats – gimme J. Geils Band for Halloween please!
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Cleveland peeps, pay attention to this one:
Last year, I found myself at the Beachland Ballroom for their Halloween shindig, featuring a ton of local bands reborn (some in costume) to each play a tribute set of tunes from their favorite musical influences. I was there with my friend Amy to see our two favorite Joshs recreate the entire Weezer Pinkerton album.
That my friends, was awesome.
I was kicking myself for walking in during the closing moments of a tribute to Cream that was dead on. Elsewhere in the night, there was a pretty questionable KISS tribute, and also a Ween tribute, I think.
The details for this year's Halloween extravaganza at the Beachland have been announced, and ya'll need to mark your calendars for Thursday, October 30th:
The lineup:
The Muttering Retreats (Beck)
Good Touch Bad Touch (The Kinks)
Devil Moto (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
co-headlining the evenings activities:
Helper T. Cells (The Flaming Lips)
and The Hot Rails doin' their very best J. GEILS BAND!
Hell-llllllllll-llllllllll-lllll YEAH!
Color me super-stoked. My first encounter with The Hot Rails came earlier this year on a Sunday night as I tracked briefly through their CD To Hell with The Hot Rails, preparing for an interview with the band. The CD was a fun game of "name that riff," with me listening to each song, mentally picking out the band's various influences, including one particular track that sounded like Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill had stopped by personally to put their Texas stamp on it.
The Hot Rails were in the studio that night, direct from a long journey back from Austin after performing at this year's South by Southwest festival. An evening of rock and roll conversation with frontman Ken Janssen and the rest of the Rails put a nice wrap on the night. Witnessing a live performance from the band later proved that their disc wasn't hype - they had the chops to back it up, and then some.
And that is why I am so excited to see The Hot Rails band name attached to the J. Geils Band portion of the evening - they're just the band for the job on this one! Which is why if you're in C-town, or within driving distance, you'll want to make your way to the Beachland on Thursday, October 30th for the festivities, which will cost you a mere five bucks. Not a bad price for the opportunity to revisit the collective catalogs of Beck, The Kinks, Creedence, The Flaming Lips, and J. Geils Band, all under one roof!
"Are you gonna get it crazy tonight?"
"I'll get down to it."
"Live" Full House was my introduction to the music of J. Geils Band. I was working in a record store during high school, and quickly I heard about a friend of my boss, who was refusing to buy a CD player until J. Geils' Blow Your Face Out was released on CD. At that point, it was definitely one of the few "classics" that remained unavailable on compact disc (it finally saw CD release in 1993.)
Being unfamiliar with J. Geils Band, I asked my boss for an introduction, and he pulled "Live" Full House off the shelves, opened it, and gave me the audio 411 on J. Geils Band. To this day, "Live" Full House is still one of the greatest live albums I've ever heard - perfection achieved in less than 40 minutes.
So why did I miss their reunion tour in 1999? Geez, I wish I knew - that's why I'll be at the front of the stage for The Hot Rails, and you should be too!
(It was pretty awesome seeing Geils frontman Peter Wolf with Kid Rock earlier this year - Wolf still sounds perfect and looks a-mazing!)
As a primer (and for everyone else that can't rock out at the Beachland with me,) here is some vintage live J. Geils Band for you all, recorded live at The Fillmore East in 1971, and broadcast live by WNEW-FM.
How good is it? C'mon, you know you don't even need to ask that!
And if for some reason you don't have a copy of "Live" Full House in your collection, take care of that problem pronto, and then ask yourself how it is that you survived so long without it!
Get down to it!
J Geils Band
June 27th, 1971
Fillmore East, New York, NY
broadcast on WNEW-FM/ New York City
Peter Wolf - voc
J. Geils - g
Magic Dick - harp
Seth Justman - key, voc
Daniel Klein - bg, voc
Stephan Bladd - dr, voc
Download high quality FLAC files of this show @ Dimeadozen
Bill Graham Intro/New York City Breakdown (Sno-Cone)
Wait
First I Look At The Purse
Whammer Jammer
Homework
Pack Fair and Square
Cruisin' For A Love
Serves You Right To Suffer
Hard Drivin' Man
Staff + Bill Graham Thank You/People/It Ain't What You Do, It's How You Do It/Outro Jam
Relevant Links:
Beachland Ballroom official website
The Hot Rails Myspace page
J. Geils live photo from www.jgeils.com
Peter Wolf official website
Purchase Houseparty Anthology from Amazon - CD
Greatest Hits - CD or MP3
Blow Your Face Out - CD or MP3
"Live" Full House - CD or MP3
moreNow that I see Daphne Zuniga’s picture, I’m kind of sorry we never met…
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
My co-worker Michael brought up the name of actress Daphne Zuniga yesterday, which met with a few blank stares and then my reaction, "Who's that?"
A funny bit of conversation followed that, and then things moved on, until later in the day when Michael and I had the following conversation via IM:
M - Dude, you seriously don't know who Daphne Zuniga is? C'mon, Spaceballs!
Me - Never heard of her.
M - And yet you own everything that Billy Vera has ever recorded.
Me - I just got an email from him this morning, actually.
M - You're hopeless.
Billy Vera & The Beaters - At This Moment
zeroBruce Springsteen + Super Bowl confirmed + related Boss items
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
This post is a little bit late going up tonight, but I have a good explanation for that that I'll share before we get to the main subject matter. I was wrapping up work last week, when I saw a Twitter update from acmaurer about bacon cinnamon rolls!
I immediately jumped to the link, and knew that I had to make them! I sent the link to several co-workers, all of whom reacted quickly with immediate disgust.
By the time I got to hanging out with my friend Pat this past weekend, I had talked to about 10 people, and all of them had said "no way." Knowing that Pat is quite a foodie, I was curious for his reaction, and he immediately said "oh YEAH!" and proceeded to tell me about a place that serves bacon ice cream.
I'll draw the line at bacon ice cream.
Can't do that one.
But I was on board with bacon cinnamon rolls - got the supplies tonight, and made up a batch. I'm not going to say that it was the best thing I've ever eaten, but it wasn't gross, and I dug the combination.
People eat pancakes and sausage together, so bacon and cinnamon rolls should be no problem, right?
That's my thought.
Anyway!
I've had some Bruce related items building over the past few days, and I'll share them all with you guys right here, right now:
First up, good wishes to E Street guitarist Nils Lofgren, who announced that he is having double hip replacement (Yow!) surgery tomorrow (9/30) in New York City:
Due to a long, beautiful life on the road (40 years) that's included back flips with guitars, dive rolls, leaping off drum risers and trying to break stage floors with pounding legs due to the amazing energy I gratefully continue to get from you, the audience, in addition to thousands of hours playing aggressive basketball, (my favorite sport to play) on mostly cement, city courts, I have finally destroyed both of my hips and they are both bone on bone with no cartilage left. Thus , I am headed to NYC with my fabulous wife Amy to have bi-lateral hip replacement this Tuesday, Sept. 30th (both hips completely replaced). Although I am understandably nervous, it is a hugely successful surgery and I have a great surgeon in a great hospital so I should come through it fine. We certainly would welcome your prayers and positive thoughts and will keep you posted. Amy's offered to work with Linda in getting updates of progress to you as I go through this. God willing, it will all go well and I'll recover completely. I hope to be back home in AZ. to continue rehabbing by late October and start more guitar lessons and writing. If all goes well, I hope I can start doing my acoustic show touring by early Spring. Anyway, right now I'm just focusing on the immediate future and would welcome your kind thoughts and prayers.
Lofgren also has a tribute to Yankee Stadium that he co-wrote with his wife Amy available for free download here.
The thought suddenly occurs to me - might Lofgren's surgery put the Bruce/Yankee Stadium rumors on permanent ice? I guess there's no reason why Bruce couldn't do it with some of his traditional Jersey pals (i.e. Jon Bon Jovi, Southside, etc) but for me at least, closing down Yankee Stadium would be a lot cooler with a Bruce / E Street Band show.
Bruce @ Super Bowl
This much we know - the rumors you've been hearing are all true for next February: Super Bowl time will be Boss Time! If you've paid any attention to the news over the past 24 hours, chances are that you already know this. For the eight or nine of you that are still in the dark, here's the word from the official press release:
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND will perform in the BRIDGESTONE SUPER BOWL XLIII HALFTIME SHOW on NBC Sports at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Sunday, February 1, the NFL announced today.
The Super Bowl halftime show is annually the most-watched musical performance. More than 148 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year's show. The Super Bowl and halftime show will be broadcast worldwide in more than 230 countries and territories.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band join an esteemed list of recent halftime acts that includes the Rolling Stones, U2, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
My thoughts - eh, 8-12 minutes of Bruce is a cruel tease! I like the idea though that a Super Bowl appearance could be a launching pad for a 2009 Bruce tour - especially since they allegedly recorded two albums worth of material when they recorded the Magic album.
The Ghost of Tom Joad, Akron style:
captain's dead serves up a show that I've always thought was one of the finer boots from Springsteen's Ghost of Tom Joad tour, and it just happens to be a show from Springsteen's 1996 Akron performance at E.J. Thomas Hall.
I'll admit that I wasn't a fan of The Ghost of Tom Joad. Skipped the Akron show, and also skipped the tour dates for Devils & Dust. Since then, I've come around a bit on Devils & Dust.
It's not an anti-acoustic Springsteen thing, those two albums/tours just didn't hit it with me, at the time.
And yet, on the right day, I really enjoy this Akron show.
Hopefully you will too!
P.S.
While we're hanging out at captain's dead, I'll share another favorite show with you guys - The Grateful Dead and The Beach Boys on stage together in 1971 at the Fillmore East.
It's every bit as good as it sounds!
The Promised Land of Legos:
Final bit 'o Bruce for today comes via Pete @ Blogness:
This one is a very special version of "The Promised Land" for all of you Springsteen nuts that also grew up playing with Legos. Even if you grew up before they made Legos, you still need to watch this!
Be good, ya'll!
moreGood Watch: Fountains of Wayne – The Girl I Can’t Forget
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Fountains of Wayne fans, dig this fan-made Sims video for "The Girl I Can't Forget," a tune from the stellar Out-of-State Plates collection.
And I wondered what I did or said
That I might soon regret
It was the night I can't remember
With the girl I can't forget
I love Youtube!
zeroSarah Silverman hits another one outta the park
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Whatever side you're on, take the politics out of this one, and enjoy some good comedy from Sarah Silverman.
Thought ya'll could probably all use a smile or three on a Friday!
The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.
For some previous Sarah Silverman greatness, there was of course this video which contains lots of NSFW language.
Also, it looks like The Sarah Silverman Program will be returning in a couple of weeks on Comedy Central, with new programming set to debut on October 8th. Set your DVRS!
oneLefsetz on AC/DC + the new AC/DC video
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
AC/DC says that you can only buy their albums as a complete package, not track by track.
Lefsetz says that's crap.
My blood started to boil when I read the quotes. Because these rich motherf*ckers, who happen to have made some great music, are living in the nineties and ONLY care about money. There’s this lip service to creating albums that must be heard this way, but if that’s the case, why don’t they put out records that are one giant cut, so we’re FORCED to listen to the whole damn record. Like everybody’s got an hour to sit down and listen to your irrelevant opus
Gotta love AC/DC. Do they even make videos anymore? Or do they just compile new ones from previously shot footage?
The new video for "Rock and Roll Train" is rock and roll times ten. Funny, I just noticed today that the chorus is actually "Runaway Train," and then heard that apparently they changed the title to "Rock and Roll Train" after the song was written. Did top brass get cold feet that people might think that AC/DC was doing a Soul Asylum cover?
Ha.
"Rock and Roll Train"
zeroMy DVR is crushing me + I read books, and watch videos on Youtube
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Greetings from the homestead.
Things have been kind of weird here recently. The other night, I got a knock on my door, and the man at the door randomly asked me if I was selling my house. With his family sitting in the van across the street. It was a little bit unsettling the more that I thought about it.
Tonight, I came home and got a "welcome to the neighborhood" pack in my mailbox from the city, despite the fact that I moved in here nearly a year ago. Better late than never?
Anyway, let's dig in:
The new television season is killing me. There is quite a bit of fine television programming that I know I would probably enjoy, but keeping up with my favorites that have returned with new episodes is keeping me plenty busy.
But that doesn't mean that I'm not falling behind on the programs that I do enjoy. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is unwatched so far, stacking up on my DVR. I finally watched last week's season premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, which was great as always - nice to see Danny Devito back in the limelight with this show, in a very funny role - a nice career resurrection that is similar to what 30 Rock has done for Alec Baldwin.
(p.s. - 30 Rock wins lotsa awards at the Emmys - YES!)
As a huge Six Feet Under fan, I'm very interested in True Blood, but I think I'll probably end up having to catch that one on DVD. Sons of Anarchy looks like the one new show that I might commit to this year. I haven't watched it yet, but it's sitting on my DVR, waiting. I've heard quite a few people say good things about it, so I am looking forward to checking it out.
I'm stoked for the return of Californication this weekend with David Duchovny, and speaking of Six Feet Under, you can bet that I'll be watching when Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, etc. return with Dirty Sexy Money next week.
What else? Well - Friday Night Lights - new episodes airing first on DirecTV. GRRRRR.
And yeah, I'm still watching Gossip Girl. XOXO, ya'll.
(Thanks to Mel, I know I'm not alone.)
P.S. - I didn't watch the new Knight Rider. Did anyone catch it? Thoughts?
I'm reading.
I began digging into the new Andy Taylor book Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran this week. The Stuck in the '80s crew caught up with Taylor for a podcast chat that runs one hour and twenty minutes. The podcast is on my list of things to listen to, but I'm guessing that anything you've ever wanted to know about Andy Taylor is in this podcast. Everything else, is in Andy's new book.
Taylor will also be stopping by to talk to Chicago radio personality Cara Carriveau on a future episode of Cara's Basement. Recent interviews on Cara's Basement include Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren, Rik Emmett from Triumph, and David Draiman from Disturbed. Cara's always up to something cool, so if you haven't heard any of her interviews, surf on over and take a listen!
Also on my reading list for the future is a book that I mentioned late last week, Bumping Into Geniuses: My Life Inside The Rock and Roll Business, by music industry vet Danny Goldberg. Goldberg has quite a colorful history in the music business that includes a period working for Led Zeppelin in the early years of his career, and also artist management with a roster that included Nirvana at the peak of their success.
I finally got around to listening to Goldberg's interview on the Chicago-based radio show Sound Opinions, which I wrote about here previously. The conversation focuses mainly on Zeppelin and Nirvana - I was hoping to hear some chat about Warren Zevon, but no dice on that. Further incentive for me to read the book, and soon! Highly recommended for fellow music geeks that want to hear some good chat about Zep and Nirvana. Here's the info on Goldberg's interview with a download link.
Still listening....
I haven't picked up the new Bill Champlin yet - I'm still waiting for it to pop up in Amazon MP3, so that I can grab MP3s that are DRM-free. Still no Kathleen Edwards Itunes live session yet either, what the heck is up with that??
One thing that I did forget to mention about the Champlin disc, is that it features a reunion of Champlin and former Chicago lead vocalist Peter Cetera. Cetera lends background vocals to a track on the new album, reuniting the pair for the first time since Champlin contributed background vocals to "Wild Ways," off of Cetera's 1992 album World Falling Down.
Randomly, I pulled out the latest B-52's album Funplex for the first time in a while. As we pull towards the end of the year, Funplex still holds up, and is on track to wind up on my list of favorites for the year. The B girls sound SO good on "Eyes Wide Open."
I don't wanna clash
I don't want to rehash the past
I just want release
I just want some peace
I went on Youtube, curious to find a possible live version of the above, and found some of the coolest fan-made videos I've ever seen, for a number of tracks from the new album. Check out the videos for "Eyes" and "Hot Corner" in particular. FUN! I am such a sucker for retro.
Brady Bunch fans, make sure you check out "A Very Deviant Brady." All of the vids are the work of DJ Tom Yaz. Cool stuff.
"Eyes Wide Open"
"Hot Corner"
"A Very Deviant Brady"
"Deviant Ingredient"
"Juliet of the Spirits"
While searching for that elusive B-52's live version (which I never found,) I stumbled upon some Paul Carrack greatness on Youtube. Today's dose, live stuff from 1988 with Paul Carrack and Nick Lowe in a band lineup that also featured Clapton sideman Andy Fairweather-Low as well.
You can always charm me with ANY version of "Tempted."
"Tempted"
"Don't Shed A Tear"
Nick Lowe makes me think of "Cruel to be Kind." "Cruel to be Kind" makes me think of one of my favorite female covers, the Letters to Cleo version of "Cruel to be Kind."
Letters to Cleo - "Cruel to be Kind"
and from the same film (10 Things I Hate About You)
Letters to Cleo - "I Want You To Want Me"
Great soundtrack that also had "FNT" by Semisonic, another favorite...
"FNT"
Ah, Semisonic. Why do all of the good bands that rhyme with "onic" go away? Semisonic, Tonic....
That's enough Youtube mischief for one night. I'm going to go watch Cloak & Dagger now courtesy of my Netflix delivery today.
Yay!
Be good, ya'll.
Relevant Links:
Andy Taylor - Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran - Purchase from Amazon
Danny Goldberg - Bumping into Geniuses: My Life Inside the Rock and Roll Business - Purchase from Amazon
The B-52's - Funplex - CD
moreJackson Browne on The Colbert Report
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Thanks to Dan passing this one my way - Jackson Browne made a great appearance on The Colbert Report last night to promote his new album Time The Conqueror. Browne chats it up, and also performs "Going Down To Cuba," from the new album.
Click here and check it out.
moreRandom thoughts on Bruce, The Rock Hall, Yes, and a buncha other stuff
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Hey kids, Happy Tuesday to ya. We're almost at hump day - Burgo is actually already there, and he tells me that it is great.
Let's talk about sex...
I realized courtesy of a comment from Allison and Twitter updates that the regular female readership of this blog is taking a big hit today, because the entire female pop is either watching the newly released Sex and the City DVD, or trying to make up their mind whether or not they should spring for the special Best Buy exclusive "steel book" edition of the DVD.
And here I was thinking that the "steel case" BB exclusive for Live Free or Die Hard was special. Apparently in a Best Buy marketing meeting somewhere, someone said "remember that steel case edition we did for Die Hard? That would be PERFECT for Sex and the City!"
On the singles charts:
Mel clued me in that this week is apparently National Singles Week, brought to you by the fine folks at Unmarried America (I swear, you can't make this stuff up.)
Mel shared the following link:
Being single has its ups and downs, but today, in the spirit of kicking off our coverage of National Singles Week, I thought it would fun to embrace our single-hood! Sometimes you don't miss something until it's gone so make sure you don't forget these five great things about being single.
The 5 great things about being single linked above are mostly girl-oriented, so here's a brief thought from one guy's perspective: After being in a longterm relationship for a long time, the single life isn't so bad, although it's very possible that your mom might keep you on constant suicide watch, because there's apparently no way that you can possibly be single and be happy!! 
Sure, that happy lovey-dovey relationship can be tons of fun, but if you're lacking that right now, enjoy all the good that IS around you. Anything else that is going to come along, will come along in good time.
Extra bonus - in the single life, the movie choice is always yours on movie night when you're home. No competition, and Molly Ringwald film festivals can be spontaneously scheduled for any weekend (the same goes for Andie Macdowell fest, Meg Ryan fest, etc.)
The Boss celebrates a b-day:
Happy birthday to my number one musical love, Bruce Springsteen. Hopefully while blowing out the candles today, he was wishing for a show at Yankee Stadium, because I've been wishing on that one for a while now! Grab some live Bruce tunage right here.
Rock Hall Induction Nominees for 2009:
Metallica are among the nominees, and it looks like their huge comeback year will probably culminate with a Rock Hall induction nod in 2009.
Are you looking for Rush or Yes on that list? Keep looking...
Thanks to Jeremy for the above image!
My buddy Brian @ Broken Headphones has the full list of inductees for anyone that might not have seen it yet.
The Lost Turntable is one of many sites with a rundown of several of the many groups that have been passed over repeatedly in the induction process.
On a positive note, the induction ceremonies are here in Cleveland in 2009. 'bout time!
Yes, they're calling it Yes:
So much for thinking that maybe, MAYBE, they wouldn't call the band Yes. I got the press release last night for the Cleveland date that has just been announced for Yes at the House of Blues.
Yes
featuring Steve Howe, Chris Squire and Alan White, plus introducing Oliver Wakeman and Benoit David
Tuesday, November 25 * doors 7:30 PM
Tickets: $49.50 in advance
Ages: All
On sale Friday, September 26 @ 10 AM
Albums like Fragile, Close to the Edge Tales from Topographic Oceans and 90125 and singles such as “Roundabout,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart” and “I’ve Seen All Good People” are just some of the enduring classics that have made YES one of the most influential and groundbreaking groups in rock & roll. Now, the classic YES line-up of guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White will launch the "In The Present" tour starting November 4th in Hamilton, Ontario, marking yet another chapter in the art-rockers’ amazing, 40-year career of legendary live performances. The three will be joined by keyboardist Oliver Wakeman, the son of YES’ Rick Wakeman, and vocalist Benoit David, a Montreal, Quebec, native and vocalist in several YES tribute groups, who was discovered by the band on the Internet, to perform the group’s classic repertoire in live spectacular.
I have no doubt that this will be a good show, I just wish they weren't using the Yes name. Although I understand the reasoning - if they don't call this project Yes, attendance will be dismal, just look at the failure and subsequent cancellation of the More Drama tour several years back.
Jon Anderson issued the following statement via his official website:
"Not Yes"
September 18, 2008
Disappointed, and very Disrespected
Disappointed that, with the exception of one phone call from Alan, none of the guys have been in touch since my illness, just to find out how I am doing, and how we will foresee the future for YES. And disappointed that they were not willing to wait till 2009 when I’m fully recovered.
And I feel very disrespected, having spent most of this year creating songs and constant ideas for the band, spending time with Roger Dean creating a stage design, also working with VH1 and Sirius and XM Radio to help promote the welfare of YES.
Getting sick was not "on my radar”, and I thank my own angel Janeee and my family for helping me through this difficult time, and the many well wishers, friends and fans alike, for understanding that ''things happen''.
Of course I wish the guys all the best in their 'solo' work, but I just wish this could have been done in a more gentlemanly fashion. After all YES is a precious musical band.
This is not YES on tour...
I send best wishes to one and all,
Jon Anderson
September 2008
Could fans get the best of both worlds? Discussion on The Velvet Rope says it's very possible:
one comment:
Never underestimate just how pissed the "Little Napoleon" (Jon) may be, as their are enough YES alumni about to reform as did "Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman and Howe" in the 80's. Chris Squire owns the YES name and trademark, so any version of Yes without Chris, cannot be called YES.
I would be much more interested to see these versions of YES, or some permutation thereof.
Jon Anderson- original vocalist
Bill Bruford- original drummer
Tony Kaye- original keyboardist
Peter Banks- original guitarist
Trevor Rabin- guitar/vocals
Rick Wakeman- keyboards
Patrick Moraz- keyboards
Geoff Downes- keyboards/vocals
not to mention YES sidemen-
Billy Sherwood- bass, guitars, vocals
Igor Korshev- keyboards
Tom Brislin- keyboards
Jimmy Haun- guitars
Tony Levin- bass (ABWH)
Jeff Berlin- (ABWH)
I'll go see the Anderson-less Yes in the more intimate surroundings of House of Blues here in Cleveland, and I would DEFINITELY go see Anderson and any group of players that he might assemble, ESPECIALLY if Trevor Rabin was in the mix!
Pollstar has the following dates listed for Yes
Be good, ya'll!
zeroNew Release Watch: Golden Smog, Jackson Browne, The Replacements, Bill Champlin, and more!
Written by: Matt Wardlaw
Thought I'd shine the light on a few things that are hitting stores on Tuesday that you'll probably want to be aware of.
The first item on my list is the new Golden Smog anthology Stay Golden Smog: The Best of Golden Smog - The Rykodisc Years.
I've been living with an advance copy of this for a couple of weeks now, and you'll enjoy this one, even if you have both of the Rykodisc albums like I do.
The details are lost in a fog of one-night, one-off, one-gig combinations, but the double helix of Golden Smog's DNA encircles the abiding friendship and periodic career frustrations of Soul Asylum's Dan Murphy, The Jayhawks' Gary Louris and Marc Perlman, Run Westy Run's Kraig Johnson, and Wilco/Uncle Tupelo's Jeff Tweedy. Mutating strands over time would include Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner, Big Star's Jody Stephens, The Replacements' Chris Mars, The Honeydogs' Noah Levy, and a cast of tens, all of whom could really play.
excerpted from the liner notes of Stay Golden Smog
They could certainly play, and as someone who hadn't listened to either of the Ryko albums (Down By The Old Mainstream and Weird Tales,) in a while, Stay Golden Smog is a nice reminder of how much fun those first two albums were. As Wilco's profile has continued to rise over the years, I've always been a bit surprised that more people aren't aware of Golden Smog. Perhaps the release of Stay Golden Smog will help with that, a bit. There are a couple of unreleased tracks on Stay Golden Smog including an early version of Louris' "Until You Came Along," which could be described as the "playout" version, featuring a couple of extra minutes of the Smog jamming out on the tail end. I'm most excited by the inclusion of a studio version of the Brian Wilson song "Love and Mercy," sung by Tweedy, which was always an awesome moment anytime it popped up in the live set. Both tracks are a nice compliment to Stay Golden Smog, which is already mighty fine, a perfect Cliff's Notes version of all of the necessary cuts from Golden Smog's time on Rykodisc. Add in great liner notes from author Norman Sherwood Forest-Drive, and Stay Golden Smog should convince you to do just that until the collective members of the Smog find their way back into the recording studio for another chapter.
The Replacements:
We'll stay in the Minneapolis zip code for the next bit - A new batch of Replacements reissues are finally in stores on Tuesday, covering Tim, Pleased To Meet Me, Don't Tell A Soul, and All Shook Down. Here's a review of the reissues, and also the original liner notes written (and later replaced) for the reissue of Pleased To Meet Me. What's next on the Replacements schedule? How about some live stuff - there is certainly plenty of stuff out there to choose from!
David Gilmour:
After last year's DVD release, David Gilmour wraps up the On An Island story with Live in Gdansk, a new live DVD and CD release that is available in a number of formats including a Best Buy exclusive 5 disc set, and there also is a vinyl release. The latest info and full details on the many different configurations for this release, can be found on Gilmour's official information blog. The vinyl edition includes an exclusive track, "Wot's...Uh The Deal" (originally on Pink Floyd's Obscured by Clouds.) The track is also available as a CD bonus from select indie retailers as well.
Good luck, your head will probably be spinning if you try to sort through all of the different versions that are available for Live in Gdansk.
On a somber note, Live in Gdansk of course features one of the last recorded performances from keyboard player Richard Wright, who was part of Gilmour's band throughout the touring cycle for On An Island.
Jackson Browne:
1993
2008
Time the conqueror, indeed.
I'll admit to being completely in the dark on the new Jackson Browne album Time The Conqueror, which is in stores on Tuesday. I haven't heard a note of it yet, although there is a live audience recording featuring several of the new tracks that just popped up on Dimeadozen. Time The Conqueror is personally the release that I am looking forward to the most on Tuesday. The new album has been in the pipeline for quite a while now, and I'm excited to finally hear it. Rolling Stone has a review here that says good things.
Jackson rarely disappoints, although I'll be quite disappointed if Cleveland doesn't pop up on his touring schedule soon!
Bill Champlin:
Longtime Chicago member and Sons of Champlin founder Bill Champlin quietly slips back into record stores on Tuesday with No Place Left To Fall, his first solo studio release in 13 years (purchase on Itunes). Like Browne, Champlin has been working on this new solo album for a while now, sharing a number of demos via his website, with plenty of interesting details about the origins and personnel for each one. No Place Left To Fall will be available digitally as of tomorrow from Itunes and Amazon.com, with a physical release coming later that will include a bonus documentary DVD that focuses on the making of the album.
Champlin gives insight on four tracks from the new album including the album opener, "Total Control:"
This song was written by Jay Graydon and me around 11 years ago. We cut it way slower on the demo back then, with just a drum loop, key bass and one or two piano parts. It sounded a lot like a Hall and Oates kinda' thing, which, at the time, wasn't a bad way to go. The basic vocal parts were similar to this version, but that's where the similarities end. I am opening the new album with this one because it may be the most basic 4 piece song on the CD. It was all about grooving with the basic band and it just felt good to let that be without a million overdubs, just a little Mark Eddinger rhodes overdubs on the bridge and tag. Mark is the co-producer of the whole album. This version is almost all about the vocals and the band. Straight ahead to kick off the album with a bang.
Click here to read more about the album, hear four sample tracks, and also see some video previews from the DVD documentary. Champlin's last semi-solo excursion Hip Lil Dreams, recorded with Sons of Champlin in 2002 was great - I'm expecting good things from this one, from the demos I've heard leading up to the release. No Place Left To Fall, the new album will be available on Tuesday via Itunes and Amazon MP3.
Bill, ya've been away way too long. Welcome back!
Kathleen Edwards:
Oh Kathleen, how I love thee. Kathleen Edwards has a live session available via Itunes in both America and Canada on Tuesday. Not sure if it is going to be a straight up live session, or one of their Itunes Originals, but I'm guessing that it will probably be a live set, the standard 6-7 tracks. That's what I'm hoping for anyway. I'm scheming, trying to work out a way to get to Columbus or Athens, OH next week to see Kathleen open for the Indigo Girls. As much of a fan as I am, I haven't ever seen the Indigo Girls.
That should be enough to keep you all busy for a while.
Is it time for that new Silversun Pickups CD yet? Please please please!
Relevant Links:
Jackson Browne - Time The Conqueror - CD or MP3
Golden Smog - Stay Golden Smog - CD or MP3
Purchase Bill Champlin's No Place Left To Fall from Itunes - purchase link
The Replacements - Pleased To Meet Me, Don't Tell A Soul, All Shook Down, and Tim
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