Sea, Cake in Nassau

When I went back to college I was looking for new music to listen to. I decided to go to the radio station and get that knowledge first hand. I heard music that I would not be normally exposed to. I also went to the local used record store and talked to people there. Eventually they knew me well enough that we can talk about all types and styles of music. Some of the people at the store told me about bands I don't remember hearing on my local stations back home. I took notes on what to listen to, after all I could more then likely hear them at the radio station and if I liked them, then I would pick them at the record store.

I really was open to many styles and genres of music. I remember doing my first show on the idea that I would devote half the show to bands or artists that people suggest. I trusted these people with their knowledge and welcomed it with open arms. In that time I got exposed to bands like Tortoise (which I knew very little at the time), Slowdive, Bright Eyes, Talk Talk and so many others. Most of the stuff I listened to had an attracted my attention in so many ways because of their unique sound. I grew to like all these bands and really appreciate the musical variety out there.



One semester I took a class on American Music. It was great class because we talked about Jazz, Blues, Rock and Roll and Classical. The teacher, like myself was a huge fan of Charles Ives. After class he and I would discuss Charles Ives at great length. It was fun, because each talked about artists that uniquely Americana. We did a segment on Miles Davis, Charles Ives, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and many other American greats. After class I came up to the kid who talked about Miles Davis. I asked if he was a fan. He told me he was and had most of his collection. I asked him what he was missing, and in return I would make him a copy. He appreciated that and told me for my kindness he would give me a few things he liked listening to. Little did I know that he was friends with these two girls that I was friends with who I had great respect for. The next day he gave me the Miles Davis he was missing and gave me three CD's of music that I would like. It was a unique art project and design and me with my simple burned CD's I felt kind of bad just being simple. He told me just enjoy the music and if their is any band that I like on these CD's to let him know.

When I got back to my place one of my female friends who knew him recognized the artwork that came with the CD's. She commented that only one person could do that artwork and that would be him. His artwork was talked about in art class because it was uniquely different then the rest of the class who were doing art in the class. I found it fascinating and told my friend that he was in my music class. So we sat down and listened to these CD's. One of the bands was The Sea and Cake. Their unusual indie-rock and experimental sound was very fascinating. The next time I saw this classmate I asked if he had more The Sea and Cake. He told me had all five of their records up to this point. I really wanted to hear them all and maybe play them on my radio show one day.



Sea and Cake are a wonderful band that I thank my friend for introducing me to. They are quietly making a great name for themselves and are great quirky music and have a wonderful sound. As of this post they have a new album out in the fall and are touring with Broken Social Scene. If Indie rock sounds this good, then they are well done and defiantly something that should be checked out. I can suggest a few songs; such as "I Will Hold the Tea Bag" and "Nature Boy." Both are filled with wonderful hooks and great breaks. If this is something that sounds good to you then I suggest this one. Enjoy!

Kick Out The MC5

Kick out the jams motherfuckers !
Yeah! I, I, I, I, I'm gonna
I'm gonna kick 'em out ! Yeah !
Well i feel pretty good
And i guess that i could get crazy now baby
Cause we all got in tune
And when the dressing room got hazy now baby

I know how you want it child
Hot, quick and tight
The girls can't stand it
When you're doin'it right
Let me up on the stand
And let me kick out the jam
Yes, kick out the jams
I want to kick'em out !

Yes i'm starting to sweat
You know my shirt's all wet
What a feeling
In the sound that abounds
And resounds and rebounds off the ceiling

You gotta have it baby
You can't do without
When you get that feeling
You gotta sock'em out
Put that mike in my hand
And let me kick out the jam
Yes ! Kick out the jams
I want to kick'em out
( guitar )

So you got to give it up
You know you can't get enough Miss Mackenzie
Cause it gets in your brain
It drives you insane
With the frenzy

The wigglin guitars girl
The crash of the drums
Make you wanna keep-a-rockin'
Till the morning comes

Let me be who i am
And let me kick out the jam
Yes, kick out the jams
I done kicked em out !!!



Imagine hearing those lyrics when you were in High School and wondering where the hell those came from. They were ahead of there time then and they are so true now. I mean they were really ahead of their time. The MC5 were a band that was full of Punk, Garage, Hard and Blues Rock and Roll. They were timely and also they were also very political in their own way. They were an influence on so many bands and artists. Here are some of a few; Jeff Buckley, Rage Against the Machine, Presidents of the United States of America, Henry Rollins, Pearl Jam and so many others. My influence was hearing them on a compilation that had an odd mix of music of 1969.

This compilation had Traffic, Procol Harum, Love, Deep Purple, Yardbirds and so many others. The odd mix of music was a welcome suggestion to a young kids (such as myself) to listen to. Each artist was an opportunity to listen to more music. I joined Columbia House Record Club and I saw this as a chance to get it. So one day I decided to get the CD. I always excited to get a new CD or tape in the mail. The day I got the MC5 I was a happy to get it. The notes inside the CD were fantastic and talked about a time where the band was the reason Detroit rocked so hard.



When I used to buy from Columbia House I used to get CD's that I thought I never thought I would like in the future. I picked up Love's Forever Changes, The Who's Tommy, and so many others. I liked all this music. I remember when I got the package that included the MC5
CD I was excited. I quickly put on the CD. The energy was raw and only could have done live. I cannot imagine an album such as this done in a lifeless studio with a man behind a window asking for another take.

Going back when I got this album in the mail I was so excited to get it I remember reading in a music book how this album like a few others was going to change my life. I got a couple albums that day but this stood out and in the few CD's I bought. I remember the description Columbia House gave. It described it as an album full of raw power and wonderfully live and is an essential. That was enough for me to get and I am glad I did.



When I came to school with it my Journalism and Graphic teacher grabbed me by the arm and asked me where I got that. I told him through the record club. He told me he loved that album and thought it was lost forever. He wanted to borrow it and listen to it. I did let him as long as I can take the liner notes to read in class. I went to my history class and before the class began I was deep in reading. My classmate who had horrible taste in music and I bet she still does asked me about the album and I told her it was the best thing ever and should be cranked up to eleven. She scoffed at me and told me that the I was a fool. Yea, I was a fool for listening to some great stuff and she listened to something is more then likely never heard of again.

I will tell you this, that the MC5 were great and should be remembered for a lot of influence in music. They are talked about in great music circles. If you think this is great then you will be not alone. I would strongly suggest that you check out where it all started. This is an album that refuses to be played quietly. For many years, Detroit was considered the High Energy Rock & Roll Capital of the World, and Kick Out the Jams provided all the evidence anyone might need for the city to hold onto the title. Enjoy!

Pretty S.F. Sorrow

S.F. Sorrow is the title of a 1968 LP by the British rock group The Pretty Things. One of the first rock concept albums, S.F. Sorrow was based on a short story by singer-guitarist Phil May. The album is structured as a song cycle, telling the story of the main character, Sebastian F. Sorrow, from birth through love, war, tragedy, madness, and the disillusionment of old age.

Although the album is also a Rock Opera, it has been stated by The Who that it had no major influence on Pete Townshend and his writing of their album Tommy (1969). The songs were recorded over several months during 1967 at EMI's famous Abbey Road Studios in London, during the same period when The Beatles and Pink Floyd were recording Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The Piper Gates of Dawn respectively.

Working with noted EMI staff producer Norman "Hurricane" Smith (who had engineered the earlier Beatles recordings) and house engineer Peter Mew, the group experimented with the latest sound technology, including the Mellotron and early electronic tone generators, often employing gadgets and techniques devised on the spot by Abbey Road's technicians. (Peppermint Store Blogspot)



That being said I was a fan of The Pretty Things early on. I picked up this box set that had all kinds of Psychedelic music on it. I was about sixteen years old and I picked up this boxed set called The Psychedelic Years. It was the same boxed set that got me into Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Love, Tim Buckley, Spirit, Buffalo Springfield and so many others. I was on disc three of the box checking out the British Psychedelic Years and came across The Pretty Things. I mean there was a lot on disc three, but this was one that stuck with me. I looked them up in music books, but there was very general info about them. They mentioned they formed in 1964 as an R&B group and found some kind of idea to make a concept album and the rest was history.

This Pretty Things stuck with me for a while. I mean I would ask people who knew music better then myself about them and not many people heard of them. I was wondering if this was a one hit wonder that just escaped many people's ears. After a while I kind of forgot about them and then one day I asked my friend at the record store who was into Progressive Rock and Psychedelia about them. He was like quite impressed that I heard them. He told me that fans of British music love them and sadly here in the United States it's hard to find. He did have a nice mix at home that he would make for me of their whole career. I was excited to hear what else they had to say. Good thing I asked, because their music is quite amazing.



When I got home to listen to the tape I looked at the titles of the songs and just was in awe that most of this music was neglected by American critics or press. I mean why was this or was this what it really was a band that was lost in the shuffle of the Kinks, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Small Faces, and others. After I finished the tape I realized they were just as important as all them and maybe more. The Pretty Things were just like other bands of the time, taking American R&B and putting their spin on it. At some points they were piers to The Animals in their early years. Once they heard (like all bands) the Beatles, they changed with the time and created something different.

I am glad they did because they are extremely influential in what they did. I mean Pete Townshead took their concept even though he won't admit to it. It is really a great piece of work. I asked a friend from my concert going last year about them and he told me that they were a huge cult band in America, but they never talked to much about them only because there were so many other bands at the time that everyone wanted to hear and talk about. It was a flood of so much stuff that they were quickly forgotten.

The Pretty Things' early history in the studio featured the band with its amps seemingly turned up to 11, but for much of S.F. Sorrow the band is turned down to seven or four, or even two, or not amplified at all, and they're doing all kinds of folkish things here that are still bluesy enough so you never forget who they are, amid weird little digressions on percussion and chorus; harmony vocals that are spooky, trippy, strange, and delightful; sitars included in the array of stringed instruments; and an organ trying hard to sound like a Mellotron. (AM) That means really is get the album and enjoy! Impress all your music friends with this album. There are a few re-issues out there. The one with the four bonus tracks is great. If you can download the Mono mix even better. The one I own is a Japanese mini LP edition with seven extra tracks and that is awesome. I still love the mono colors so I am partial to that one.

The Good, The Bad and The Ennio Morricone

Beside being a music I consider myself a film buff. More like a Film lover who likes films that are either independent from the mainstream or classics. I also love my foreign films as well. I have to many DVD's to count, but I do have a great collection that would make any good film lover proud. My collection spans from the early years of film to films of the last five years. Every once in a while I will pick a film from present day to buy. Then their are films that are classics. I will pick those up. I don't buy films that are single DVD issues either I wait till they are special editions or two DVD versions.

This is the case of my Western collection. I have mostly classic westerns and of course the comedy western Blazing Saddles. I got turned on to great westerns by my father who always told me that Clint Eastwood invented the genre called Spaghetti Westerns. The reason they called it that is because most of these films were filmed in Italy for it's vast location spots that looked like the old west. They were great because, if you looked at the film it looked nothing like Italy but did have a resemblance of the old west very well, and you could not really tell where in western America it was. Since some of this area was unsettled it did have the look of that. I watched these films all the time when they were on. I really liked the music and the music did very well to fit the mood.



The film that for me fit a great mood was The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. This film was always on and every once in a while would keep my attention very well. I studied it's film making for quite some time. One of my teachers in High School was a fan of this genre as well. He told me that these are the reasons he got into liking film to begin with. This all came to a head when I decided that I wanted hear the music. Back then I did not realize that there was one man responsible for some of this music. That man was named Ennio Morricone. Not only did effect me this way but many others like Mike Patton, John Zorn, and countless others who knew he was the master of his craft.

When I first started listening to Ennio Morricone I had a simple compilation of his work. It was not very well represented of everything, but in a good way it had stuff from each era of his soundtrack output. It was only forty-five minutes long and scratched the surface that it needed and made me go out for more. I was not the only one on this Ennio obsession. I had a friend at the bookstore I go to with the same quest. He heard this John Zorn project called Big Gundown which had some music from the Ennio Morricone catalog. These were interpretations of some Morricone's classic material. It was a bit dated from the early 90's, but it got it's point across that there were other musicians who shared the same love.



Then in 1995 I saw this two CD retrospective of his work. I kept on looking at with awe and was wondering if I should pick it up. My friend did and told me how great it was. I sadly did not pick it up while it was in print. It was at that time a whopping $39.99. Then in fall of 2000 I picked up the John Zorn Re-Issue of The Big Gundown and that got my interest back in getting that two CD retrospective. I saw it on line for over $100.00. I knew that was crazy so what I did is just buy some of Ennio's soundtrack stuff. I picked up a nice single CD for eight dollars, but I was still obsessed with that two CD set. After college I went to a used CD store and picked up one of my favorite re-issues. I picked up The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly soundtrack with a slew of extra tracks. This made my day.

The soundtrack to a classic film is always great and when it's one with extra stuff it's even better. I am very proud to talk about how great the soundtrack to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. The soundtrack is wonderful and brings back great memories of a wonderful film. Something with Morricone who has scored over 500 films and television it's an amazing catalog of material to go through. When you listen to this you know that you have an important item in your hand. It's like listening to a Beethoven Symphony or a Miles Davis album. It is great piece of work. Oh yea by the way I did pick up the two CD set that was selling for $100.00. I got for a reasonable $20.00. It was a copy that was in mint condition and even came with the book. Enjoy or Blondie below will shoot you and ask questions later! Classic film, and classic music go hand and hand.

High Above The Clouds

In my younger music geek moments I used to purposely try to find something that I had no idea what it was all about. I was quickly saved by some friend who had far greater knowledge then I on the album I was picking. One day I went through a few LP's at a used record store in Mass with a friend when another friend from the record store I frequent came in. I quickly pretended that I was looking something highbrow when he spotted me from afar. He asked what I was looking for and I quickly and mistakenly said nothing. I looked like the kid who got caught cheating on the test. He saw I was in Jazz, but he knew I was in the wrong area for that. He asked me if he could make a suggestion. While looking for it he asked me if I liked that Gateway trio album with John Abercrombie, Jack DeJohnette, and Dave Holland. I told him that I thought all three musicians were stellar. I think he was searching for clues. Looking back he could have gone with more John Abercrombie albums or he could have taken the route of Miles Davis electric period.

He asked other questions to narrow his search for me. I still was wondering where he was headed with these questions. When I saw that he passed through all the Miles Davis albums I knew he was up to somewhere else. We could not find what we were looking for. I bought a few things and he told me to come see him at the record store he works at on Monday. He said he would have a tape for me to listen to and if he found the LP he would give me that to keep and also listen to.



When I brought this tape home I expected it possibly to sound like world music. After all sitar and tabla were included in this album. What I did not know was it was more like a World Jazz with some great signature ECM sound. It was something that was not typical for 1976 or for that matter in regular music. The Gateway trio like I discussed in one of my early blogs is amazing and the way they can do things like no one can is quickly shown here. They do their very best at many things and hear them support Collin Wallcott is extraordinary.

The album bookends with Collin and Gateway playing together. I really wish there was more of these fruitful collaborations. But what makes the album great is the fact that some of the albums feature with Collin playing with John Abercrombie or Dave Holland. Some of them feature Sitar and upright bass or Tabla and upright bass. Some are guitar and sitar or tabla. There is even one with Guitar, upright bass and Tabla. These pieces more then likely will never be played like this again. This is not to say these are bad, but because Collin was such a visionary. Really how many can you say put Sitar in Jazz. He added some unique sounds to Miles Davis's On The Corner LP.


(above photo is Collin Walcott in the center and Don Cherry on the left and Nana Vasconcelos on the right otherwise known as Codona trio)

Once again I pick a unique one out of the bag. You should as well, this album is full of great surprises and stuff that any world music and Jazz music fan would enjoy! It's too bad that he died in 1984 because he surely would have been more famous in the World Music genre or in Jazz. His talent for me is one of the greatest musicians out there. If you get this CD make sure you hear the influence on some great musicians today. Enjoy!

Electric Madness

In early May of 2003 I was going to graduate at college when I got a phone call from my friend who owns a record store in New York City. He mentioned to me that he wanted to congratulate me on finishing school and wanted to know if I wanted to help with a birthday party for John Zorn. I knew John a little a bit. I met him at my friends store when he would drop off CD's of his own Tzadik records. I even shared my birthday month of September with John so it was the least I could do. I told my friend that I had one more semester at school, but I was willing to help on weekends if need be. He gave me a list of show ideas for the big birthday. My friend was mentioning to me that all these shows were going to be at The Tonic in the city and he needed some help recording and just general helping out at these shows. He also told me that what his plan was to have a few dates of all the John Zorn projects to perform and wanted to know what ones I would like to see or help out at. I told him I e-mail the list and also asked him to give me the calendar of what he had in mind for the shows and I would get back to him.

Over the summer I looked over the schedule of events and I had about a half of a dozen shows I wanted to see and watch. I looked at my school schedule and some of them did work out well. I went to the city in early in July to see one of those bands. The band was called Electric Masada and I figure what the hell I should check these guys out. I knew most of the musicians in the group and I wanted to hear what they had to say. My friend told me that I strongly should wear earplugs at this gig. I usually don't listen to the ear plug thing, but this time I took my friends recommendation. I handed him also the list of shows I was going to help out and go to in September. I counted nine shows I could help with. He was excited and told me to be prepared for a birthday cake on my birthday weekend. I told him I could only do the Thursday night before my birthday because my friends are throwing me a party the weekend of my birthday.



While at the show he told me that Electric Masada was like a Jewish Heavy Metal band, but louder. All the loudness came from mostly everybody including my guitar hero Marc Ribot (pictured below). With two drummers, a percussionist, guitar, bass, keyboards, laptop, electronics and saxophone, Electric Masada was a monster. It was like a steam train making runs across the country in record time. Most of the music was not other peoples material, but John Zorn's take on Jewish hymns or spirituals. Some of these songs were played in other ensembles, but with more forcefulness. John would be conducting the band using hand signals to tell them what to do. It was quite a sight to see. Each piece was carefully put in a position for the most noise or use of these hymns as possible.

I told him that I was excited to see all these projects that Zorn had put together and see them done live. Some of these projects were going to make their world debut in September and also be recorded for future release. My excitement was made more happy when my friend sent me a copy of a live show of Electric Masada of the show we were at. I popped it my car stereo and loved it. The sound was so great it shook the car and made my passengers deaf. I could not believe how much this "party" was going to take place. I also realized that only at the Tonic and in New York City could this be done.



After all these wonderful September shows I went to I called my friend to thank him for a great time and an experience like no other. He told me that some of the show's recording will be put out on John's Tzadik label. After the shows in late October I got a package at my house. It had rush order on the box and had my friends address on it. At about the same time I got the package I had a phone call. My friend was calling me to tell me that beside the regular stuff I get from him I also got copies of all the shows I was at during the party for John Zorn. It was like a dream come true. I was in awe on what to think. I told him thanks and I would do any favor if he needed it.

When I got back to college I used some of these CD's to play on my show. It was a great experience to be part of a music appreciation and then seeing the end result in a music CD. It was great fun. I put this CD up because all of them are great, but this is the one that makes the most cool noise. It's a sold group all the way around and each of the band members is very good on what they do. I would strongly suggest that you start with this one. Enjoy and make sure you have headphones for this one!

Waltz For Bill

When I told you about Brad Mehldau and how it evoked my friend thinking of Bill Evans it got me thinking how important Bill Evans is. Bill Evans is one of my favorite Piano players and hearing him on Miles Davis's Kind Of Blue you can hear why I like him so much. Over the course of my first year at my community college I heard more and more Bill Evans. My Jazz teacher talked about him like he was a god. To me I knew very little of this "god" and wanted to find out more about him. He would play for us Bill Evans music all the time and describe the effortless sound that he would play the piano. It was like we were floating on air. I took out a compilation of his music from the college library and listened with serious intent.

I heard a lot more I wanted to hear without the teacher telling us about him. I read the notes inside on how they described Bill Evans as a pianist that all others would talk in high regard. Even reading other people's CD's they would talk about Bill Evans as the man that inspired them to pick up an instrument or play the piano. Tony Bennett was once interviewed and was asked about Bill Evans and was said that he was the best piano player he ever worked with. Well that got me thinking I should listen to him more and more.



I bought a few of his CD's and brought them home to listen to. My father told me that he thought Bill Evans was one of the greatest out there, but I should ask my uncle the Jazz buff about him. My dad said he saw him play a few times in his career. A moment If I could go back and ask more about Bill Evans to him I would. Now I know a lot more about his groups, his playing with Miles Davis and Tony Bennett and the great Jim Hall and of course his classic trio of Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro. Of course the tragedy of his career being a heroin addict. Those are the questions I would ask my uncle. I did have a chance to ask my uncle about Bill Evans, but never got those serious questions answered. I did ask the simple question of what he thought of Bill Evans. My uncle told me that Bill Evans by far was the piano player that every piano player should be and more. That pretty much answered what I needed to hear.

I would listen to him pretty religiously and always wanted to hear more of his material. Just before I went back to school in 2000 I bought a copy of his Biography. This book went in better detail then anything else I have ever read about him. It was one of the more interesting musical biographies in my collection. It tells the story not only of his life, but about his session work with Miles Davis and his solo material and why his choice of Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro. He once was interviewed and he said those are his favorite people to work with. The most intriguing fact about Bill was about his drug use and the fact that he knew he was going to die from it. He would play a song we all know called "Suicide is Painless" and it drew some attention to him and his use of drugs. Once in a while I hear him playing it on a CD that I own and it get's me thinking if he was still around playing what would he be listening to or performing.



If you are wondering if this is a Jazz CD that you should own; it is an essential album in everyone's collection. Bill Evans was a great piano player that is talked about by every Jazz buff there is. He is a piano player I tell people that in the same breath as Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill and Brad Mehldau and of course many great others. Since I am a fan of Bill Evans work I have more then enough of his stuff. Bill is someone that had a great piano career and I hope this is the start of your Jazz collection or just added to a good Jazz collection you already own. Enjoy!

Indianola Mississippi and King Seeds

The first time I heard Riley B. King was when I was in High School. I just picked up the Robert Johnson box set and fell hopelessly in love with it. That was until my uncle told me that there are other blues recordings you should listen to. He gave me a bunch of cassette tapes and told me to listen to those. In this pile was John Mayall, John Lee Hooker, Reverend Gary Davis, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Albert King, Jimmy Reed, Mississippi John Hurt and so many others. The one that stood out for me was B.B. King. He had a few cassettes of him. Plus there were two B.B. King live albums were in there. One was Live at the Regal and the other Live at County Cook Jail and they both looked way overplayed and beaten.

I asked him about this and he told me that the best thing about the blues is the live albums because they do a spoken word about themselves and it reveals a lot about them. I was impressed. I kept the tapes and every once in a while I would pull them out and listen to them. In High School I would give them a listen and hear what made them so good. I popped in John Mayall. I loved it and thought it was well done. Great British Blues he told me. I knew I would save that for later. I went through all the tapes. The B.B. King albums were fresh and it did sound like I was at a show where beside playing he would tell us his upbringing. They were the greatest tapes to listen to on bad days after school.



One day one of those tapes broke. I felt so bad that I broke my uncles tape. He was in good humor about it. He told me that it was bound to happen and he handed me a CD version of that same tape. He also handed me a copy of another B.B. King album. He told me that this is not true blues album, but still a very good one none the less. It was called Indianola Mississippi Seeds. I liked the album it was like a simple pop album, but still expressed the blues like nothing before. I started buying blues albums when I went to the record stores. I still have a very good collection, but what draws me back in is the B.B. King albums. I like hearing the blues because they are very good and the musicians on the albums are great. Somehow I forgot about this album when I moved on to other blues albums or other types of music. The other day while cleaning out some CD's I found it. It took me a bit to remember about the album, but I decided to play it again.

I realized I loved listening to this very easy going album for a number of reasons. It was not typical blues album. It was more straight rock with some blues roots. The reason I loved it is because, the guests on the album. There is Joe Walsh, Leon Russell and some great piano playing by Carol King. It is a very good addition to anyone's collection. His mix of Blues and Rock make it a very good album to hear. Each of the nine songs have an identity all their own. The album holds up well in this time of 2010. Check it out when you can!



Even though I have two Blues album on this blog that does not mean I don't like the blues. I love the blues and trying to find great albums and talk about them is tough, but stay tuned because I will be putting some up on John Mayall, Robert Johnson, Albert King, Savoy Brown, Mississippi Fred McDowell and many others. This album is accessible because of the way B.B. King can put this genre in any other and make it sound great. It's a considered one of the Top 100 albums of all time and rightly so. A classic that should be bought and listened with great study. Enjoy!

Ladies and Gentleman We Are Spiritualized

I first heard Spiritualized in 1992. I heard enough to know they were something. I did not know about the project that Jason Pierce was in before Spiritualized called Spacemen 3, but something tells me that I would have loved to see them when they were around. A mix of Velvet Underground, Steve Reich and lush symphonies Spiritualized is amazing. I know I might have picked their best album to report in this blog, but all their albums are amazing and should be heard. I always thought they were really ahead of the curve that we know about music. Each album is got it's greatest highs. I always was a fan of music that can make sounds like lush broad sounds that make the album sound like there is forty people on it.

Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating In Space is full of this beautiful, lush sound. I like that it the album just does not have to be the general basic guitar, bass and drums and occasional keyboard. Spiritualized makes it sound so great with these full arrangements. Some of the music is so well done that it even crosses genres like Gospel, Blues, Soul and Electronica. The music just flows so well together. The music is so great with headphones and makes you feel like you are in a dream.



One thing you notice about this album is the fact that their are horns, organ, bass, keyboards, guitar, harmonica, drums and heavy vocals. You put that in a blender and you have a masterpiece. Even better it does not really fit the music of the era of when it came out. It feels like something more from the future. The date says 1997 on the CD, but it is no way from that time. Even though it was released the same day as Radiohead's OK Computer it makes the case on how wonderful two great pieces of music can take over the musical spectrum. They even toured together and had the pleasure of seeing them both and it blew my mind how this stuff is created by humans. This stuff is what legends are made of.

Each song is got something that Rock and Roll never head before it. I mean sure the Beatles had lush sounds. The stuff Spiritualized do is full of stuff that thanks to the Beatles they can do it too. Every song has a great twist and requires a bit more of listening the average one or two. I mean I will pick a few songs and tell what I hear. One called and greatly titled "No God, Only Religion" has horns, cello, guitar, strings, and spacey keyboards and that's just on one level. It is a great piece of work. All instrumental and it gives the listener a trip like no other. Another song it's the last one on the album is seventeen minutes of just about everything you heard on the rest of the album. It includes Dr. John on Keyboards. It includes some lyrics by the great John Prine.



If you need an album that makes you want to take a trip out of your head this is the one for you. It's full of wonderful goodies that just scream all kinds of thoughts and ideas. It will make you want to hear more Spiritualized and beg for more. A band that once you hear in the studio, you want to hear live. I have seen them a few times and hopefully get to see them next week and they are and will be one of the best shows to see. If you want true headphone music then you can start here. Listen to a band that is still crossing boundaries. This album will definitely be one that will be talked about for it's great sound and more for it's not quite so simple thoughts and ideas. Enjoy! This will lead you to floating in space quicker then you can think. Repeated listening's is the way to go.

BLUE = WOW

Just before I went back to school in 2000 I decided to be a groupie one more time. Yes, I said groupie. My friend and I were die-hard King Crimson fans. I mean we would go see any King Crimson members other projects anywhere. I think we saw Robert Fripp solo like ten times. We saw Bill Bruford Earthworks about six times. We saw the Tony Levin Band maybe more then we can count. Then we got some information about a band called BLUE. BLUE was really called Bruford Levin Upper Extremities. I knew all about the group except a young trumpet player Chris Botti. Chris Botti is now very well known and is making a killing on his soft jazz playing, but before he did that he was in a genre crossing band called BLUE. His trumpet playing was amazing.

We got word of BLUE through a King Crimson pre-order mailer we got as an e-mail. My friend called me up and told me that this really looks exciting. Since he was a fan of another band that was also with a trumpet player and featured Bill Bruford and Tony Levin and a wonderful and hugely gifted guitar player named David Torn. That project was called Cloud About Mercury. My friend saw that tour in 1987. He told me it was very unusual for it's time, but I understood that because the album was on ECM. I did not expect it to be straight forward, and simple.



When the CD arrived in the mail I quickly put it on. Later in the day my friend who also bought this CD called me. He told me that he loved this CD and cranked it up to full volume in the house. He worked second shift and invited me over to listen to it with him the next day. Since I had the next day off I agreed. I could not get it off the CD player and I too cranked it to full volume. The music was wonderful. I won't call it fusion because it really is not that, but I will call it ballsy. It took more chances then a lot of artist do. I mean three of the four members know they can create something great. Levin, Bruford and Torn take these risk very well. Botti was new to the game, he played exceptionally well for a trumpet player.



The album was a success with me because I like this stuff. I like the experimental and progressive side of things. Torn's guitar riffs are exactly what I like to hear. Bruford's drumming could not be any better. Levin's bass and Chapman stick could not be full of power. Botti made it sound fun and less forced then I thought. He did not put himself on Miles Davis or any other trumpet player, he played like he just does, very good and kicked ass.



I gave it more credit when I saw the first show they played on the east coast. A place called Toad's Place. The reputation there is amazing and to watch this with fans like me. The two hour show was great. After the show there was a meet and greet and talking to the band I felt like they really wanted to do this. They had fun, and so did I. This was not that last time we see this project. In the course of their tour we went to see them about twelve times and each night brought out magic out of all of them. My most favorite night was the Knitting Factory shows. Watching them blast through the first show was great, but the late show had so much magic and the improv was amazing. Even in the liner notes on the live CD Tony Levin even speaks about how the first song of the second set was all improv and would like a copy if someone had one.



I mean we went to a lot of shows from Rochester New York, to Philadelphia to Chicago and every night it was great. Looking back this band was really ahead of their time. It's too bad that they might never get back together because if they did it would be magic all over again. Every written piece on the album has a great touch. The live album they put out for is also very good and you can hear them feed off the energy of the crowd. They played for two hours, but there was no sense they rehearsed some of these pieces. It was a top notch effort by a top notch super group. Enjoy something they may never come across our ears again. "You Got it Torn" as Chris Botti says in "Original Sin." You got it, is right!

Brad Live!!!

The first time I heard Brad Mehldau was in 1995. I was at the University of Hartford with a friend to see a Jazz quartet that included Christian McBride on Bass, Brian Blade on Drums, Joshua Redman on Saxophones and Brad Mehldau on Piano. This is one of the most classic line-ups in Jazz that has ever been assembled. I mean I have seen others, but this is like the new generation of great musicians.

Watching this two plus hour show I realized that I should like the piano a lot more then I do. I mean I love Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Fred Hersch, Geri Allen, Paul Bley, and others. Somehow, I realized I should been paying more attention to them with their groups they are in. There was a few moments in the concert that made it clear of this attention when Joshua Redman would step back and let Brad do a solo. The person next to me who I came with was in awe. He could see it even before I did. The notes that Brad was playing were so great, that the skill was amazing and effortless. My friend told me on the way home how much he liked Brad Mehldau's playing.



I asked my friend (who was much older then myself) what his piano playing reminded him of. He did not hesitate to tell me he reminded him of Bill Evans. I said really, since I never saw Bill Evans perform and if I could go back in time to 1962-1964 for all over again to watch him. My friend did in the early years of Bill Evans with his classic lineup of Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro. Both amazing musicians and both legacy far beyond the jazz world. Scott in his short time on earth was the musicians, musician and was talked about as a future great if his life was not cut short at an early age.

Brad's playing left a great impression on me. It was not the only time he did. I went to see him again two years later and this time it was with his own trio. This show was in New York City. I was like a giddy school kid getting kissed by a girl for the first time. When I got to the show they said that this show was being recorded for an album. I was wondering if he was going to play lives versions of some of the stuff off his first album. After all, it was actually pretty good on it's own.



Of the course of the night he played standards of John Coltrane, Cole Porter, Richard Rogers and Duke Ellington. All these songs were great, but he did not stretch out like I thought he would. Most songs where like six to seven minutes. Then he nodded to Jorge Rossy and Larry Grenadier take a small break. They diserved it, they were working too hard this night. He got on the microphone and told the crowd he was going to play two pop songs. Some of the Jazz purists got a little nervous, and myself I was wondering what he was going to do. The first song was a Nick Drake song. Since I was still a little unfamiliar with his material I could not figure it out. He told us the title and I quickly wrote it down. Then he explained to the crowd that there is a band that is taking Rock and Roll by storm and they are called Radiohead. He explained that they are one of his favorite bands. Then he sat back down and played "Exit Music (for Film)." After the song ended he got a great ovation.

Fall of 2000 came around and I was back at school. By this time I have seen Brad Mehldau about six times. My friends informed he was going to do a solo show at this place that holds between 150-175 people. I decided to go. He once again came out and told the audience that he was going to standards and pop cover songs. The crowd was anticipating what he would do. He opened up with a few Monk tunes and I was in awe, since I am a fan of Monk it was a great treat. Then midway through the show he decided to pull a rabbit out of his hat. He started hitting the piano keys. I recognized the piece. It was "Paranoid Android" by Radiohead. He played this for a total of like twenty minutes. It was amazing, even my friend where speechless. At the end of the show I cam up to him and asked him to sign my CD and I thanked him. He told that one day that version will be on a CD.



In 2004 I went shopping for my birthday. I saw a new Brad Mehldau. I picked it up. Sure enough he kept his promise. A solo piano album with "Paranoid Android" on it. I bought it and quickly put it in my car. It was amazing, it even brought back memories of what I remember on that night of 2000. I strongly recommend this one Live In Tokyo is awesome. Solo Piano music has been always wonderful and this is no exception. Anything is great by him, but this is my personal favorite. Enjoy!

All The World Must Know About Death

I only recently discovered the band Death. What I mean by recently I mean is last year in 2009. I heard about them from a friend who told me I should really listen to some great new old music. I kinda of shrugged it off because his musical influences were Hardcore and Punk. Nothing against those two genres, but I am sure I heard most of this stuff in my younger years. In a way I thought I out grew it as well. I still listen to some of it an love it, but most of it has been been the same way. He handed me this CD. Death, ...For All The World To See. I was reluctant to pick it up. I said to him that I would give it a listen. I also picked up the newest Wire magazine. The first thing I did was put the CD in the car. Not know the really great review of Death was in the issue I bought. As I drove away from the store I was in shock how this sounded so great and everyone back in 70's totally did not get it. It was jaw dropping and required more then one great listen. Even though it was less then a half hour in length. It was amazing. These guys evoked Bad Brains and other bands that I used to listen to when I was younger. I mean you hear moments of The Stooges and MC5. It was great and I am glad he told me about this.

When I got home I called my friend to thank him for turning me on to this short but awesome CD. I asked him if there was anymore to listen to. He told me I am holding their only release. Well it was amazing and I wanted more. I think If I could wear out the grooves of a CD I did. This CD was played all the time. I even told my friend about this. They thought I was crazy as always. But this is not to be missed. The review below will tell you more then I know, but it is a great listen. Enjoy!



Every time a reissue of a remarkable, lost record comes out, it’s difficult to resist the temptation to compile an amazed laundry-list of bands it mysteriously prefigures. Death’s …For the Whole World to See provokes such a response. Some licks sound like Husker Du. Some quivery vocals evoke H.R. of Bad Brains.

But better, perhaps, to view Death’s seven-song oeuvre as the logical bridging of a lacuna rather than a before-its-time aberration. Of course it makes sense that, in mid-’70s Detroit, three black brothers (Dannis, Bobby and David Hackney) might have gotten as into the Stooges and MC5 as into Funkadelic, that they might have synthesized the sounds of FM rock radio just as their white peers ransacked soul and funk. The Hackneys released a single, recorded and shelved an album, and then moved to Vermont with their family. They morphed into a reggae band. Time passed. The EP slowly acquired a cult record-collector following. Tapes were unearthed, and here we are.



Death’s music falls somewhere between ’70s hard rock and the more stripped-down, straightforward garage rock one might deem proto-punk. Obviously influenced by Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, most of their songs span multiple parts and time signatures. “Let the World Turn” even features a drum solo. With the exception of that song, a reverby slow-jam, the album stays uptempo. It’s replete with wonderful, memorable moments, like “Freakin’ Out,” which mixes a classic-sounding garage riff with an unexpected chorus that sharply repeats the title phrase over a snare beat. “Rock-N-Roll Victim” avoids hard-rock cliché by augmenting the drums with hand claps.

There’s not a bad song in the bunch, but the songs from Death’s only official release are the clear highlights on …For the Whole World to See. “Keep On Knocking” is a simple, catchy rock song that gets all the elements right, particularly Bobby Hackney’s urgent vocals and David’s spot-on guitar solo. “Politicians In My Eyes,” the EP’s A-side, is masterful. Form meets content as Bobby alternately spits out and wails lyrics decrying hypocritical politicians. David’s guitars and Dannis’ drums, similarly, sound angry, accusatory. Fiercely energetic, it sounds so rooted in such a particular time and place that it has a kind of canonical familiarity, like something that’s been played on the radio for years. (Talya Cooper)



I hope that was helpful. Like all my posts this is required listening and since they are coming to this area twice, once this summer in New York City and this fall in Boston I figure I would tell you about it. I hope you, like myself will listen to this again and again. Have fun with this and tell all your friends.

No More Angel Dust

In 1991 I was witness to a band that started out small and went big. Before the word hype MTV created what we now know as hype. When I saw Faith No More they were close to nobody. I mean they were heard by a few hip people by in my High School. I was introduced to them by one of those hip people. One of those hip people took me to see then at the student center at the University of Connecticut. I walked out of that show so blown away that I wanted to see them again. I was reassured that one day I will and you will reflect that they quite possibly be an inspiration for so many other to follow. Well... he was right.

A year later that same friend handed me The Real Thing and told me that the "hype" started. we saw them at a place called Toad's Place. Toad's has a lot of history with me in my musical listening and concert going. The show was great and they kicked a lot of ass. I also learned something that night, that the music I need to listen to is happening right in front of me and I need to catch it. It did not take much to be ahead of this curve. We enjoyed the show and thankfully their next show in New York was during the weekend. I called up my best friend who also was catching on to this band. He told me that he needed someone to go with and I was willing to go with him.



Once again in awe of the power of Faith No More I was happy to see them again. Told my friend when I got back to school that they were so great. He laughed and told me the he was excited that he introduced me to a "new" band and was also excited to listen to something that we already knew before it happened. The "hype" lasted for about 2 years. By the end of it I was excited to be a fan of a band that mixed Heavy Metal, Hip-Hop, Funk, and Prog Rock. By the time I graduated high school their new album was in my hand. I felt like a little kid getting a toy before Christmas. I would drive around to my friends houses blasting the music and of course my friends thought I was crazy. Angel Dust was the name of the new album and I thought it was much better then The Real Thing an I loved every minute of it. Again they toured in the area. I of course saw them again and the funny thing was my friend who introduced me to them was a groupie. He handed me a poster and told me he felt good for once loving a band people are still trying to figure out.

I think I saw them three times that tour and loved to see the progress. Mike Patton's voice was better then before and the influences that he had were showing through. His love of film music showed through. Even the talent of the whole band was tight and extraordinary. This at one point was the album that got played way too much. I was okay with that because they were that good.



When you listen to Angel Dust you can hear the bands that were influenced by them. Sadly those bands cannot hold a candle to what Faith No More can do so well. One problem with Angel Dust is the fact that this is the last album they ever did with the core group. I can only imagine what they could have achieved if they kept it together. Patton's other band Mr. Bungle is also a recommend listen. I talk about them in a previous blog. I am sure that might be have been the direction that Patton wanted to do. The twisted music is a must own in anyone's collection. It shows that bands don't have to follow the highway. They can take an exit here and there and still go where they need to go. They are a wonderful reflection on doing something that was not typical for its time. I have heard good things about the new reunion tour, just wish I could go and say I was there when it started getting popular. Enjoy! This total classic and judge for yourself.

Gram Is My Angel

I knew I was born during the wrong time. I figured it out that 1973 was not the best year in the world. One problem with being born in 1973 was the fact the new Mustang for that year was a total flop. It basically looked like a small car of today. The size of maybe a Toyota Corolla. Also in 1973 Watergate happened and some guy named Nixon got impeached. In Sports Ken Norton beat Mohammad Ali. The DH rule starts in Major League Baseball. Also, in that year the battle of the sexes between Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs in a tennis match that should have happened long before to show that both sexes are equal. In music news Jim Croce died on my birthday and the Rolling Stones issue Goat Head Soup a week after I was born. In one of the most important death's near my birthday (not that Jim Croce is) was Gram Parsons. The man who changed the music world as we know it. The man who fused Country Music with Rock and Roll and Folk. This is otherwise called Country Rock. He did this in the summer of 1968. He changed the music world upside down. Somehow a bit of his spirit came over to see me. I am a pretty good Gram Parson's fan. I have a few of his CD's, a couple live shows and a 2CD set of live and a CD of out-takes.

Gram Parson's was a genius for a few reasons. He was a genius writer for one. For two, he came up with the fusion of County and Rock and made it sound great. I mean the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield did a good job, but he just polished it and made it more better. I do have a soft spot in my heart for this stuff. I mean I think if I was not for Gram then we would have no Wilco or Son Volt, The Jayhawks or Ryan Adams. I mean Mick Jagger and Keith Richards thought he was on of the most important people of his time. The song Wild Horses was basically about him. Gram was the first to record it for the Flying Burrito Brothers. Gram Parson's was a great inspiration to a lot of people. Emmylou Harris was a huge fan and had the opportunity to work with him and you can see his influence on her.



What I like about Gram is his influence on the music he loved and the influence on other people. Beside Jagger and Richards, Chris Hillman and The Byrds thought he was great and the album Sweetheart of the Rodeo is considered a classic. If you don't own that, then you should really pick it up. His lyrics are amazing and should be considered classic and really interesting for their time. Gram knew what he was doing. He was extremely intelligent and even for a short time went to Harvard. Sadly he clashed with Roger McGuinn and his tenure with the band was short lived. He moved on to bigger and better with the Burrito Brothers and finally went solo.

I started liking him in High School because I was a Byrds fan by then and one of my teachers told me that I should listen to his stuff. My teacher was not a fan of his period with the Byrds, but told me he thought he was quite important. I believed him and when I listened to Sweetheart of the Rodeo I could see why. Took a bit to catch on with me, but I loved it after a while.



When I went to check on his solo stuff the only thing back then and now is the two albums. GP and Grievous Angel they were released separately back in 1973 and 1974, but they come together as one CD now. They are both wonderful examples of his work. Both had that mix of Country, but he added a bit of Southern Soul to and it sounds wonderful. Even his voice was great. His expression was wonderful and showed he could have been a force not to be messed with. Both albums have aged very well. They would hold up very well in both Country music and in Rock and Roll camps if they came out today.

If you are looking to not impress your friends with music, then this is the album. I don't mean that in a bad way I think they would not understand how important this album is. I mean every time I play this stuff, my friends think I put on some wrong album on and thought it was my mothers or something. If you start talking about Gram you too might turn into some music geek. This stuff is great and it's influence is a mile long take a listen and I am sure you will feel the same way I do. It's got classic written all over it. Enjoy!