Vital Pearl Jam

The first time I saw Pearl Jam was in 1992 in NYC with my best friend. We had no idea what to think. They shared the bill with Red Hot Chili Peppers and Smashing Pumpkins. Each band had a personal impact to me. This was the second time I saw the Chili Peppers and they were great. The Smashing Pumpkins were good too and I would see them two more times in the future. Pearl Jam though was a band that came out of nowhere. When they took the stage and played about an hour and half I was struck on how much energy that had. I heard their first CD and was in awe on how well these songs came off live. They had a lot to show off and I was hooked. I wanted to see them again. Well, during that tour I got my wish. I saw them one other time and it took four years to see them again.

Pearl Jam has many things going for them. There music is raw and full of energy. Even better is the fact that they mixed it up with really great fast songs and then some slow songs. They even did one cover of Neil Young. The way they played that made people think they wrote that one too. In the four years I did not see them they became the hottest ticket item. I had friends who went to later shows telling me how great they were. I kept on telling them that I already saw them and hope (with luck) to see them again. Even my father thought they were good. What he liked was Eddie Vedder's voice. He thought it was fresh and original. Something you don't hear is a good voice he told me. All these singers, you can barely make out what they are saying or screaming. He had a maturity about him my father said later on.



In the time that I did not see them for four years I picked up the albums and would closely listen to them. Each had expanded on the album before it. The song writing got better and the band really gelled. It was excitement every time they put something out. I would hear it on the radio and just love what they were doing. My friend told me one day that he liked the band because of Jeff Ament. Since my friend was a bass player he thought Jeff's playing was very good and above average for a rock bass player. I could not agree more. I liked the two guitar sounds and as a whole they were great.

I saw them a few more times and I have to say they were getting better every time I saw them. The music was getting better and more mature like a seasoned piece of meat. I liked the progress of of even the older songs. When they debuted a song from their early catalog they played it well, but later on that same song took a new life. It sounded like they re-arranged or even added a fuller sound to it. Songs that sounded simple, now sounded a bit more complex. Eddie's voice got stronger and the rest of the band got better and better. I was in awe with how they pulled it all off and made some new people Pearl Jam fans.



Now the hard part of all this was to pick a Pearl Jam album. The first three are very well done. They have a top notch quality of them. They keep Rock and Roll alive. I always have been a fan of personal growth in any band. My music love is a band that actually can show personal progress in anything they do. Pearl Jam is good at that. The music from Ten sounds wonderful and fresh, but they build on that fresh sound. The words of Eddie Vedder are clear and wonderful he makes it direct and to the point. My favorite part of him.

Restless soul, enjoy your youth
Like muhammad hits the truth
Can't escape from the common rule
If you hate something, don't you do it too...too...
Small my table, a sits just two
Got so crowded, i can't make room
Oh, where did they come from? stormed my room!
And you dare say it belongs to you...to you...
This is not for you
This is not for you
This is not for you
Oh, not for you...ah, you...
...scream...my friends...don't call me...
...friends, no they don't scream...
...my friends don't call...my friends don't...
All that's sacred comes from youth
Dedication, naive and true
With no power, nothing to do
I still remember, why don't you...don't you...
This is not for you
This is not for you
This is not for you
Oh, never was for you...fuck you...
This is not for you...
Oh, this is not for you...yeah, you...
This is not for you...
Oh, not for you...
Oh, you...



My choice was Vitalogy because of those great qualities. There is growth, and personal reflection and most of all a classic Pearl Jam. The music one minute could be great at rocking out or there could be moments of just wonderful controlled chaos. There darkness works great and should be listed to with great intent. I like that they show this kind of vulnerability and the fact they can now with this album not be put in a specific area. Thanks to its stripped-down, lean production, Vitalogy stands as Pearl Jam's most original and uncompromising album. Pearl Jam are at their best when they're fighting, whether it's Ticketmaster, fame, or their own personal demons.

I would recommend this album for the music and words. Every song has some kind of wonderful yarn that not many great bands can pull of. Sure songs like "Hey Foxymophandlemama, That's Me." and "Pry To" could be throwaways, but the rest of the album is just so great and fun. Take a listen to an artist who is beyond words a great band and when you have time even listen to the lyrics. Eddie tells the best stories. Enjoy!

American As Apple Pie CASH

My Johnny Cash listening started at an early age. The classic rock that my best friends mother loved was lightly salted with some rebellious Johnny Cash. She would yell out his lyrics at every chance she could. She told me once that Johnny Cash was an institution and should be taught in all the schools. I stupidly asked what subject matter and she quickly told me history. His story alone is the stuff of legend. She gave me a tape of some of his best music and I would put it in my tape player and listen with such intent. My mind did not what to think, but it sure made good conversation with her when I asked her about him.

I remember those ideas and thoughts about Johnny Cash when she died. I remember a lot of great things about the advice about music, people, things, life and anything she could tell me. She knew that I would listen without question. She knew I would carry that wisdom to my adulthood and if she was alive today she would love my eagerness to learn and fight back for the wrongs in the world. Johnny Cash did the same thing. He did this all his life. He wanted to know why and why not. His greatness was his voice and choice of words. That's what make Johnny Cash one of the best. American Recordings include five songs he wrote. Those songs have a great Cash feel to them. His stamp is pretty clear. Here is an example with a song called "Drive On"

I got a friend named Whiskey Sam
He was my boonierat buddy for a year in Nam
He said is my country just a little off track
Took 'em twenty-five years to welcome me back
But, it's better than not coming back at all
Many a good man
I saw fall And even now,
every time I dream I hear the men
and the monkeys in the jungle scream

Drive on, don't mean nothin'
My children love me , but they don't understand
And I got a woman who knows her man
Drive on, don't mean nothin', drive on

I remember one night,
Tex and me Rappelled in on a hot L.Z.
We had our 16's on rock and roll
But, with all that fire,
was scared and cold
We were crazy, we were wild
And I have seen the tiger smile
I spit in a bamboo viper's face
And I'd be dead , but by God's grace

Drive on, don't mean nothin'
My children love me, but they don't understand
And I got a woman who knows her man
Drive on, don't mean nothin', drive on

It was a real slow walk in a real sad rain
And nobody tried to be John Wayne
I came home, but Tex did not
And I can't talk about the hit he got
I got a little limp now when
I walk Got a little tremolo when
I talk But my letter read from Whiskey Sam
You're a walkin' talkin' miracle from Vietnam

Drive on, don't mean nothin'
My children love me, but they don't understand
And I got a woman who knows her man
Drive on, don't mean nothin', drive on



Rick Rubin simply set up some recording equipment in Cash's Tennessee cabin and recorded him singing a set of songs accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. The result is an album that captured the glorious details of Johnny Cash's voice and allowed him to demonstrate just how emotionally powerful an instrument he possessed.(AM) Even his covers, which are there are eight show that powerful statement that Rick Rubin set up. His version of Nick Lowe's "The Beast In Me" or Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire" make a mark like no other. They really do make some great image that I could never get out of my head.

It's tough to pick just one album of Johnny Cash. I picked American Recordings for the reason that was the first Johnny Cash I bought new. I had the classics on album that I found at tag sales and record stores. I remember when I got the cassette and played it in the car all the time. It never left the car for about six months and every time I heard it i realized how powerful the guitar and voice really are. Take the time and hear a man who's one of the most important people in American music. His story is amazing and his music is more amazing.



American Recordings became a critical sensation and a commercial success, though it was overrated in some quarters simply because it reminded audiences that one of America's greatest musical talents was still capable of making compelling music, something he had never stopped doing even if no one bothered to listen. (AM) Still, American Recordings did something very important -- it gave Cash a chance to show how much he could do with a set of great songs and no creative interference, and it afforded him the respect he'd been denied for so long, and the result is a powerful and intimate album that brought the Man in Black back to the spotlight, where he belonged. (AM)

There is Bad Sign When Albert King Plays Guitar

I have an old book that does a great job of recommending albums from the 1960's. I used to read it all the time and figure what I needed to save my money for next time I went to the record store. This was good for everything from a Moody Blues album to a Jefferson Airplane album to a Beatles album. I would check off the album when I bought it and then rate the album compared to the book. I wanted to see how accurate their overview of the album compared to mine. I was looking in this book for some sixties blues albums. They devoted a chapter to this era and mentioned all the important finds. They mentioned the British Blues of John Mayall and Cream. They mentioned the Paul Butterfield, Johnny Winter and Electric Flag. Then they mentioned the true blues of the 60's. They mentioned the Son House and B.B. King's Live at the Regal and Mississippi John Hurt and then they got to Albert King. I did not know much about his music. I actually heard only his cover of "Born Under A Bad Sign." Further research even he did not right it.

I read the review in the book and really thought that I must own it. I wanted to hear it from a true blues person. What got me on this blues collection was the Robert Johnson box set. It made me realize that there is more music out there that I have not really listened to. Blues was something I needed to hear. It would be a a shame that I did not explore that genre fuller. I mean Eric Clapton talked about it as one his favorite musical genres. Even artists like Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Rolling Stones and countless others admitted their love of the Blues. I needed to seek out some of that stuff. I wanted to see what was so damn good.



I only had a few blues albums growing up. I had the Robert Johnson Complete Recordings Box Set and also had the B.B. King Live at the Regal. I knew I needed more to round out the collection. After a few record store visits I added Paul Butterfield's East West and The Best of John Lee Hooker. It did not look like I was going to add any more. I wanted to find the essentials. The book did a good job, but I wanted to see what else was out there. I decided to watch the PBS Special on the blues. After watching the special I bought the book that went along with it. The book did a good job of helping me fine other music to listen to. I went back to my old standby and looked in there. There were two albums I wanted to hear. The Son House Father of the Delta Blues and Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign. Sure there were many others, but the book mentioned these two as must listens for now.

It became pretty tough to find both. I was about to give up when a friend at the record store made me a tape copy of both. He had the Son House on record and a copy of the Albert King on tape. He told me to judge for myself. I loved both because they were honest and very good. Each listen brought out a better appreciation for what I needed to listen to and what to expect from the Blues genre. The Albert King had a who great band backing him and later on I found out it was none other then Booker T. and the MG's. It was fun and exciting. The Son House had a very young Ry Cooder and was very Delta Blues sounding. I was happy that I got to hear both of these classic Blues albums.



A few years ago I picked up the re-issue of Born Under A Bad Sign and it was as fresh as I remember hearing the cassette. It brought back a lot of memories. This album brought a ton of respect to the modern rock world. It is still considered the album that got many people like Eric Clapton, SRV, and others into the world of Blues or even Blues Rock. Few blues albums are this on a cut-by-cut level; the songs are exceptional and the performances are rich, from King's dynamic playing to the Southern funk of the MG's. It was immediately influential at the time and, over the years, it has only grown in stature as one of the very greatest electric blues albums of all time. An album that should be part of your collection too. Enjoy this wonderful gem!

The Quest of Michael Brecker!

The first time I heard Michael Brecker was when I first started at my community college. I became friends with a classmate in class who loved Jazz. He did not really listen to a lot of popular music. He loved Jazz because he had a saxophone and he said there really was no reason to listen to pop music. We both became friends and we still are to this day. His music world was not much different then mine. He stayed away from pop music for a number of reasons. It was crap was one response I got from him. Another was that he really did not see any artist out there that really was worthy of his attention. I on the other hand got rid of all my notions what to listen to after High School. I took the stuff I listened to and decided to leave them on the side of the road. I still listened to some Classic Rock, but I started listening to Jazz, Classical, Avante-Garde and Experimental music. All the ideas what I should be listened to was not in my range of hearing. I was in a new part of my life and rightly so I should turn the chapter on what I should hear. This friend got me into a bunch of Jazz and for that I thanked him.

Later on in our friendship I asked him why he dug Michael Brecker? He told me that he had this Electronic thing called a Ewi and to him that was a marvel. It was like a saxophone synth sound that when blown has a signature sound. He gave me a few of his albums that had this sound to them. I was amazed how it did sound and the fact that he used it in good taste with the music. It did not sound like it did not belong. It was done with class. He took me to see Michael Brecker perform twice and each time I was shaking my head on how great he was.



I returned the favor one cold and snowy January day in 1997. I called him up and told him that I am going to a concert about an hour away and I want him to come. I told him I got tickets for Brecker and I want someone else to come along. My friend remembered the album that he was promoting. It had a great cast of musicians. These people included Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, McCoy Tyner and the great percussionist Don Alias. On the way up on this day we ran into a snow storm. At that time I was not good in snow nor was I about to take a chance, but a promise was just that a promise. We got into town and I went to the box office to see if this concert was still going on. They told me that the band was still in town. They told me that they could not give away who was playing with him, but the guy at the ticket office told me that he was doing a private solo thing at the record store in town. He handed me a few passes to that. We decided to go. We braved the weather. We got there and Michael came to the front of the store and made an announcement. He told us that the band is here, and we will be taking requests for tunes and he also announced the band for the evening. That night in a small 150 seat club was the same lineup on the album. We looked at each other and were in shock that the high caliber of musicians we heard on the CD were going to the stuff live.

The funny part of the solo show was that Michael told all of us that he found out that the 10pm band canceled so he was informed that he could play a longer set. The three hour show was one of the best shows I heard in my life. The ride home felt like it would have been our last show ever, but we still went, and it was worth every penny for a small price of $25.00. My friend thanked me for the best show he saw. Little did he know that in the future we saw other artist like Ornette Coleman, Charles Lloyd, Bill Bruford Earthwork's, Pat Metheny, and so many other Jazz greats. The Brecker show proved an all star band does not need to get in the way of egos.



On the way to work one day in 2006 I was listening to the radio and they mentioned that Michael Brecker had Leukemia. I was a bit heart broken. A man of such great importance has this disease. This cannot be true. When I got home from work I called my friend who I went to the show with and told him the bad news. He took it pretty hard. Brecker meant a lot to us. He played on some great albums. He was on a great Pat Metheny album called 80/81. He had his own albums that really defined a Jazz world that needed his music. The DJ told us the listeners that Michael is working on a new album with another all star cast. This included Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Brad Mehldau, John Patitucci, and Jack DeJohnette. It was sad to see him go through this.

In January 2007 Michael Brecker passed away at the age of 57. He has been heard on over 700 albums and guests on artists like Steely Dan, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Aerosmith, Frank Zappa, Frank Sinatra and so many others. His album Pilgrimage is his last and one of his best. With the all stars in place they made an album that to this day sound so fresh that it could be put out ten years from now and still sound so great. With only nine songs on the album the album is just about 80 minutes long. My only wish is to hear what they threw away. The song "Tumbleweed." Most of the rest of the program consists of uptempo and medium-tempo burners that swing with a powerful sense of urgency and life, and precious little foreshadowing of the tragedy that all involved knew was soon to come. This is a brilliant and inspiring album -- and would be whether or not it had anything to do with the death of one of the great figures in American jazz. is still the highlight of the album. Enjoy!

Beachen With Neil

The day I became a Neil Young fan is the day my uncle took me aside when I was in 8th grade and told me that I should be listening to him more then anything. I was listening to Beatles, Stones, Pink Floyd and King Crimson. He told me I have to listen to someone with heart. That heart tells the truth. The truth of life, love and a person who knows and talks about pain. A person who been through a lot in life. My uncle handed me a few Neil Young albums and I remember taking out Everybody Knows This is Nowhere from the library. I would sit down and really listen to him. His music was not fantasy like Pink Floyd or King Crimson. His music was not bright or cheerful like the Beatles. His music was truthful and to the point.

Neil Young was a person I knew I could see live and when he came with Crazy Horse. My uncle would tell me stories how great he was to see live. He told me he saw Neil with Crazy Horse in 1975 and how speechless he felt after the show. He told me it was like being hit by a Mac truck. I took that praise when I saw him in 1991. I took my father because he did not want me get around Hartford all alone. Three of my friends went with us. My dad who told me he too went with my uncle to see Neil. I asked him if he felt the same way. Sadly, my dad told me it was great but a bit loud. All in all, that night my father once again had the same feeling. He hated the opening acts, but thought Neil was great. That was my first of over a dozen times seeing Neil Young.



I hear some people
been talkin' me down,
Bring up my name,
pass it 'round.
They don't mention
happy times
They do their thing,
I'll do mine.
Ooh baby,
that's hard to change
I can't tell them
how to feel.
Some get stoned,
some get strange,
But sooner or later
it all gets real.
Walk on, walk on,
Walk on, walk on.
I remember
the good old days,
Stayed up all night
gettin' crazed.
Then the money
was not so good,
But we still did
the best we could.
Ooh baby,
that's hard to change
I can't tell them
how to feel.
Some get stoned,
some get strange,
But sooner or later
it all gets real.
Walk on, walk on,
Walk on, walk on.



When choosing what to write about for Neil Young's first blog was easy, because that was the first album I ever heard of Neil Young. What made it tougher was the rule I had with the blog from the start. The rule was one album, one artist. I decided to change that rule slightly. I decided that if an artist is in another group, like Neil was in CSN&Y or had another group he was with, like Crazy Horse, then I would find solo work to talk about. I did that with Skip Spence from Moby Grape and I also did it with Gram Parsons. Neil is tough because there are so many great ones to talk about.

I chose On The Beach for a reason, This album was one of the last album of his collection I bought. It took me years actually to understand it. I had on LP when I was in High School, but I actually never listened to with such seriousness or with open ears. I had two songs on my Decade album that were from On The Beach, but I just passed them up as another song. They were great, but they did not hit me. Songs that made an impression were "Like a Hurricane," "Cortez the Killer", "Down By The River", "Southern Man" and others. Then one day that changed when I picked up the copy of On The Beach. I was doing my radio show. I decided to do a four song set of obscure Neil. I had two already picked out, but I needed two more. I selected "Round and Round (It Won't Be Long)" The next track I chose was "Pocahontas" then I decided to go deeper. I grabbed my Time Fades Away and put on "Last Dance." I looked everywhere for the last song, but it was starring me in the face. I grabbed On The Beach and picked "See The Sky About To Rain." After the set I went on to other things, but what struck me funny was the phone calls with people asking me to play more obscure Neil Young. So for a few weeks I decided to have fun.



Well you know I mention all the time on what albums to buy and I keep telling you how good they are, but this one is a classic. It's Neil Young at one of his best. Neil is a great musician. His lyrics are great and On The Beach is no exception. He was in a difficult period in his life, but this album is quite good. The barbs were mixed with humor and even affection, as Young seemed to be emerging from the grief and self-abuse that had plagued him for two years. But the album was so spare and under-produced, its lyrics so harrowing, that it was easy to miss Young's conclusion: he was saying goodbye to despair, not being overwhelmed by it. (AM) Check it out. Enjoy!

Ra Lanquidity

Of all the jazz musicians, Sun Ra was probably the most controversial. He did not make it easy for people to take him seriously, for he surrounded his adventurous music with costumes and mythology that both looked backward toward ancient Egypt and forward into science fiction. In addition, Ra documented his music in very erratic fashion on his Saturn label, generally not listing recording dates and giving inaccurate personnel information, so one could not really tell how advanced some of his innovations were. (AM)

My Sun Ra experience was as an impressionable 18 year old kid hearing him on the radio on the way home from school. I heard this DJ play his music. It happens to be that DJ worked at the record store I used to go to. I pulled into the store and asked my other friend about our mutual friend who moonlights as a DJ. My friend told me that he has been DJing for years and I should take notes on what he plays because that is the stuff I should be buying. This friend who was a DJ played all kinds of stuff that I now admire or listen to. He was a big fan of Fela Kuti and all the time he would play his music on his show. My friend would play stuff I would need to have in my collection.



The next time I saw my friend who did the radio show I asked him about all the stuff he played. He was surprised that there was a listener. He said when he does his show he usally gets a college kid call and ask for something stupid or he gets someone from the public asking what crap is he playing. My friend could not remember everything he played, but he went over to a unique section at the record store called Out To Lunch. He told me that this is the area where he gets most of his music. In this section were artist like John Zorn, Magma, Fela Kuti, Anthony Braxton, and one Sun Ra. He told me that he wanted to grab a large group of artists from this section because this is the music he likes. He mentioned to me that If I like that stuff then I should check out his band. He gave me a list of dates and places. Two other people I knew played with him and told me that the band is a mix of Fusion, World, Experimental, Rock and Soundtrack music. The lineup had two keyboard players, two drummers, Upright or Electric Bass, Guitar, and once in a while a horn. It was as promised a really great show.

The next time I saw him he was grateful for me coming to see him and told me to listen to his show because he is going to be playing a lot more Sun Ra. The reason was simple he told me that the next time he was going to do a show it fell on Sun Ra's birthday. The music on his show was everything I could dream of for great music and the day he did Sun Ra was a great introduction to a great musician. That day he stuck to a later period of Sun Ra. Most of the music as he told the audience listening was from 1970-1990. It was some of the most interesting choices of music I ever heard.



One day my friend played some more some more Sun Ra from that time period and this time it struck a thought. I need to buy some. I tried to find out what he played but he did not go on the air and tell us. I asked him about the music the next day and he told me that most of the Sun Ra he played was very out of print and hard to find. I asked him how I could get a copy and he nicely and politely told me that it was hard to get and told me hope for the best if they ever got issued. He did offer to make a me a few Sun Ra tapes and I did take him up on it. The music I heard of Sun Ra was great. He split up four 90 minute cassettes into decades. Each tape was nicely represented with a wealth of Sun Ra music. I asked him for the music he played that day and the only thing he could remember was an album called Lanquidity. It was the first stuff I really did hear of his music. The four tapes I got from my friend were only the tip of the iceberg. In the age of burned CD's and MP3's I am sure I would have a lot more at my disposal.

So out of the 100 plus albums Sun Ra put out it's hard to pick just one. Even harder is he self released some stuff too. Those get lost in the shuffle. Even the album I recommend Lanquidity an original copy sells for anywhere between $150 and $300. It is easy to get in re-issue form and the CD is easy to get as well. It is one of the three albums that Allmusic considers his best work. Try this one on for size. It's a good way to start your Sun Ra collection and I am sure that this will get you more curious. Enjoy!

Beyond The Valley of the Cool Movie

When I became a movie snob it was quite early in my young adult life. I had a father who loved the classics. I started like them too. I went to my community college falling in love of the films that we mention that changed the way Western Cinema was done. Films like Bullitt with Steve McQueen. Another film that was my favorite was Manchurian Candidate. It's classic and dark black and white just would send shivers down my spine. Even better was the 60's Westerns. The movie Once Upon A Time In The West was what got me in to film music. There are so many movies to name that have a huge influence on what I watch or go see. I think film is one of my other favorite things to study.

"This is my happening and it freaks me out!" one of the many colorful quotes from the film called Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. I saw that one day a pay cable station was playing it and I taped it. I knew about it briefly from a film professor, but I did not know much. When my friend taped it he told me that he wanted to watch with me. He too had the same brief encounter. I am not sure what we got ourselves into, but we did one night. After the movie we were speechless and I really thought I stepped into a hole where I was not going to get out of. I loved the film, with the flashing music and the two B's. (Boobs and Babes). I decided to try this film on a few friends who never saw it, but were film majors. This time we spiced it up with some booze and some drugs. I stuck to the booze, and my friends stuck to the drugs or was it I stuck to the drugs and my friends stuck to the booze. I cannot remember Even this time was a little trippy for taste, but once again I had the same positive reaction.



Around the same time I saw that another Russ Meyer film was playing at the local Art-House cinema. I went with one of those friends and a film professor I knew. We loved it again, but this time I wanted the same cool music that I got when I saw Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. I sadly did not, but I did get Russ Meyer and his signature B's. As I continued my film studies I realized that these films are just wonderful, campy, and nudity. As I tried finding more of the Russ Meyer films it became more and more harder to go back to the wonderful feel of the Valley of the Dolls. What was even more of interest was the fact that film reviewer Roger Ebert was the screenwriter.

Over a few years I went back to school. This time I was more then a film buff, but a film love. I had the love of classics, new and old. I had a list of ten films that would be part of any person who took film seriously would understand. I often spoke about these classics to people who were in the film major at school. One day to break the ice at the radio station I invited a few people over for film night at my dorm. It was going to be a midnight showing of a few films. I decided to show a few of my favorite classics. This included Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. By the time 4am rolled around we were just about finished with the film. We all looked at the TV with anticipation of the ending. I won't give it away, but at 4am it sure came to a surprise to all of us. The film had a campy feel, but it also had a a great indelible stamp at 4am.



The soundtrack is really nothing new, but it does have a wonderful effect of remembrance if you saw the film. The music, like all soundtracks put you in a place where you see the film and and listen for the music and it fits quite well. The tattoo in the brain of the film does help. It's a movie that will stick with you like glue. Even if you are not a film guy watch it and just remember how this film really changed the course of American Cinema. Just listen to the soundtrack and laugh at the classic feel. It is a soundtrack of the time period. It's no Easy Rider, but hey it's great moment of 1970. Enjoy this wonderful trip to the past. Below are two wonderful quotes and a link to a page that has a great discussion on the film. Enjoy!



"In a scene like this you get a contact-high!"
"You're a groovy boy. I'd like to strap you on sometime."

http://www.gotterdammerung.org/film/russ-meyer/beyond-the-valley-of-the-dolls.html

Ode to the Man! Rock and Fuckin' Roll

If you see Stevie Wonder tell him i hear
If you hear Stevie Wonder tell him i see
I don't want no songs for plants
I want songs for me
I don't want no songs for plants
I want liberty living in the city

If you see the doctor tell him he's king, Dr. Martin Luther
If you see the doctor tell him he's still king, you too Muhammad Ali
But this bad black boy won't be blown away by anything
Yes this bad black boy won't be blown away by anything

There are people in this town
That try to put me down
They say i don't give a damn
But the people in this town
That try to put me down
Are the people in the town
That could never understand a black man
Don't take it no more
Don't take it no more
Don't take it no more

There are people in the town
That try to put me down
They say i don't give a damn, damn
But the people in the town that try to put me down
Are the people in the town that could never understand a black man
Don't take it no more

If you see Robert Johnson, you too Robert Marley, Robert Mugabe
Now tell him i hear
If you see Malcolm tell him i'm next, vexed
If you see Jimi, Jimi Hendrix
If you see my brothers tell them it's clear
I've been living on the wrong side
Now i hear
Don't take it no more
I don't take it no more
Mr. joshua nkomo
Don't take it no more
Jomo kenyatta, oh no
Don't take it no more
Haile selassi, rastafarian
Don't take it no more
Professor longhair
Don't take it no more



The new best song I heard lately, It's a cover of Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott from Thin Lizzy. The original had non other then Huey Lewis and Mark Knopfler on the album called Solo in Soho. The album is an essential and beneficial listen to all. It's concerned a wonderful album for for fans of Thin Lizzy or good ole rock and roll. The cover by the Dirtbombs includes two yes two bass players, two drumers and a guitar player and a great vocal sound by Mick Collins. Since I saw the Dirtbombs before I think this really explains how well they make it loud and very proud. A post from where this song came from will be be ready soon. If you own any Dirtbombs, then you know what I am talking about. A+ to Mick and the boys finding a great song to cover. Enjoy and remember to play at high volume.

There are people in this town
That try to put me down
They say i don't give a damn
But the people in this town
That try to put me down
Are the people in the town
That could never understand a black man

Eat it folks! It's really got something to say! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Something Kinks

My fascination for the Kinks happened early on. Remember that odd 8-track I found in my dads music collection? There was a Kinks song on that 8-track too. I did not play it over and over like the Deep Purple or the Eric Burdon and The Animals, but I waited for it to be on. I loved the fact they were loud and noisy and I could sing along to. The Kinks were a band that everyone seemed to like. All through my life I had friends who liked them. I had of a lot of their tapes. I had the old Kinks Kronikles and used to play that too many times.

Even in high school I would make mix tapes for my Walkman and put a Kinks song from Kronikles and it would be so much better mix because of that one song. I tried to buy some of the Kinks albums, but that was a problem because even then some of the ones I wanted were high in price. I went to tag sales and found two albums of the Kinks. One was a greatest hits package and the other was Lola Vs. the Powerman & the Moneyman Goaround. Both were great, but did not have enough Kink's material for me. Over the next few years I bought three different greatest hits collection. None of them really went to deep for me, but then again I was happy on what I got.



My Kinks love was shown some light in 1998. Ray Davies was on VH1 Storytellers. A few months after that I picked up the CD of that night. It was a lot longer then the TV show I watched, plus their were more great Kink songs. Also around that time he was touring. Since I never saw the Kinks, I figure this was a great time to see him. It's a good thing I seized that moment to see him. It was not the last time I saw him. I saw him a total of five times and each performance was great. I do wish I was around in the 60's to see the full band play, but I was happy with this. Each song was great and was an eager flashback to the time when the Kinks were a great Rock and Roll band.

Around the same time I tried to get some Kink's albums. I wanted the 60's classics. I could only find the straight issues. I knew I could find better editions. It was a good thing, because do to the Storyteller and a Kink's live special, the CD's were getting re-issued. I was in luck, I picked up a few and was very happy with what I got. Then I realized later on that I made an error. I forgot to get some of the important ones. On the other hand some of the important ones did not even get re-issued. The ones I wanted to get I forgot to get. I told myself that I would pick them up when I had the time. I never did till this year. I do regret it, but on the other hand I might have missed a few things along the way.



Just this year I did miss some great gems, but not the gem of Something Else. A great album. In the year 1967 when there was so much great music around. The Kinks slid into the radar with a classic. It maybe the one that very few Kinks fans go to for an album, but the album had three classic Kinks songs. The music was great and the album as full of wonderful pop gems. I always felt their albums as a whole was the prize. There music was always wonderful to hear. They sadly did not play a lot of their album songs on the radio. I wondered if I would have been a Kinks fan if I lived during that time period?

With so many albums to talk about I chose Something Else for the reason of it's time it came out. With so many great albums of 1967 the Kinks made a bold and wonderful statement. I mean for me I could have easily chose Village Green or Face to Face. Each are great classics, but the with a starter album I would chose Something Else. Songs like "Death of a Clown" and "David Watts" are true gems. The classic cookie as it were is "Waterloo Sunset." "Love Me Till the Sun Shines" does not even feel like a Kinks song. Full of Bluesy rock and is quite a treat. The Kinks never rock very hard on the album, preferring acoustic ballads, music hall numbers, and tempered R&B to full-out guitar attacks. Part of the album's power lies in its calm music, since it provides an elegant support for Davies' character portraits and vignettes. Ray Davies songwriting becomes more refined, he becomes more nostalgic and sentimental, retreating from the psychedelic and mod posturings that had dominated the rock world. Enjoy the classic that is mostly overlooked. This album, like myself got me to become the great Kinks fan. Have a blast!

Bill Fay's Time

In the March 2005 Issue if Wire magazine I read an wonderful article about a man names Bill Fay. I knew nothing about his previously. By the end of the article I wanted to hear all the great praise that they were giving him. I heard one of his song's on one of many Jim O'Rourke projects and if he did an accurate re-make then I liked what I heard. The music was very mellow and the lyrics where very interesting. My only problem was to find Bill Fay's original. I looked everywhere for the records that he put out. He put out only two so ho hard could it be to find them. Looking on the internet the price was out of my range. I am sure that it was worth it at $100.00 but I did not have that kinda loot.

Then one day it all changed. I was on my downloading program that I always use looking for something other then Bill Fay when I decided to browse the host that had this Incredible String Band album I was looking for. I saw that this user had the Bill Fay. I felt like a young kid at Christmas time getting exactly what they asked for from Santa. When I noticed that he had two Bill Fay albums I grabbed them both. I mean I needed to find all the Bill Fay I could find. I quickly burned two copies of this. One went into the car and the other was for a friend who needed to hear this. I loved her opinion on some of the music I listen to and if she liked it, the disc was a free chance to hear something fresh and wonderful.



On the way to see my friend I was liking song after song. At this point I had no idea what album this was of Bill Fay's but it was well done. His lush vocals, and his simple and it was new to me. The Wire magazine mentioned how really influential he was to people, like Wilco, Jim O'Rourke, and others. When I got to my friends house I handed her the CD and told her to listen to it and quickly tell me what she thought. I needed to have somebody else listen to it to one, tell me I am not crazy liking this stuff, and two, to really get someone who does not know a clue about this style or genre of music. I let my friend listen and immediately she wanted to have a copy. She loved his wonderful voice. She liked his sound and really though this music was contemporary. She told me how he had a lot of uneasiness in his voice, but had so much to say. She wanted to know if there was any more music then what I gave her. I was not sure, but I was bound to find out.



About a year later I found a Bill Fay CD and I picked it up. The rich sound that I heard was making me smile. Wire magazine told me one thing. It told me that he was a gem in the ocean. His lyrics too are just so wonderful. If you got some time just listen to "Pictures of Adolf." I caught wind of the cover by Jim O'Rourke and it to this day still blows me away. I am a completest and trying to find this on original LP was even harder. I still to this day cannot find it. I did some research and one sold for about $1165.00. For me that is too much.

So my recommendation is to pick the CD for about $15.00. It's well worth it. The music is wonderful and it's a lot different then some of my other picks, but it something you can tell your music friends that you found something great and different and actually listenable. Try it and I am sure you will like it. Enjoy! By the way, enjoy the music below.

Nina's Blues

The first time I heard Nina Simone was in 1996. I was on my way to work and heard a Jazz show play some of her stuff. I did not know much, but then my experience in female jazz and blues vocals was a little weak. I liked what I heard, but would love to hear more. At the library I worked I told my co-worker to find me a few Nina Simone albums through the libraries inter-library loan service. I told him what I heard was from the middle 1960's. He came to me when we were going to lunch and told me that he sent out for four CD's of her work. When they came in I was transfixed on this wonderful music.

I got home and asked my father about her. He knew a little, but he told me about the wonderful voice she had. Doing a little research I found out that Jeff Buckley also loved her stuff. His song "Lilac Wine" is a direct tribute to her. He channeled her so well. Even in interviews when he was alive he used to tell the story how he was turned on to Led Zeppelin and Nina Simone. He mentioned many others, but he really thought those two changed his view of music. It was quite touching. Something I will always remember is when I picked up the re-issue of Live at Sin-e He covered Nina's "Be My Husband." He retitled it "Be Your Husband" but still had the same effect and it tore me to pieces.



A few years later a female friend and I went to go see Thomas Crown Affair. I was a little reluctant because I was a huge fan of the old version with Steve McQueen, but I decided to go because I wanted to see if their was any differences. There is a scene in the film where Nina Simone's music was used. I was quite alert when I heard this and put this in the back of my head to look for it. After the movie my friend asked me if I liked the film. I mentioned that I thought the film was very good, and the Nina Simone song blew my mind. She asked me if it was during the theft scene. I nodded my head and quickly replayed that in my head. She asked me if I had any of her music. I told her I had a few CD's that she might like.

With Nina Simone on the mind I decided to listen to her more and more. Every time I did it reminded me of the scene in Thomas Crown Affair. I became more and more of a fan of her when I went back to school. Her music was not only inspirational, but it was also controversial and at the radio station I used to Disc Jockey at had a few songs that were banned because of their content. Of course music with swears was one of the many things that we could not play, but none other then Nina Simone had one of her songs "Mississippi Goddam" was one of the few challenged songs we could not play. Something I did not know going into the Disc Jockey field. Her music was so great, why was this song so different. I never found out why, but I am sure it did spark something when it was first played.



Nina had a great career and her music was wonderful, not only that but you ever hear her versions of popular songs written by Dylan, Bee Gees, Leonard Cohen, Hall and Oates, and so many others. They are actually quite unique and fun to listen to. Her voice had incredible range and character to it. Her unique music should have been appreciated more. Her name should be in same breath as Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald.

This is not her best album, but at least at has two wonderful gems in "Sinnerman" and also "Be My Husband." Both are wonderful songs and should be anyone's musical collection. Her music changed the way people look at females singers and gave people like Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins and countless others hope to sing and do what they do. She helped people like Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, and others today use the wonderful voice they have today. And for me I love her music because of a dear friend and one Jeff Buckley who was not afraid to keep her legacy alive with such great passion for her. Nina is a true genius and is very important in any music conversation that you have. Enjoy! She is a classic. A recent biography gives a great story about her that should be checked out.

Egberto

Back in the early 1990's I used to buy a ton of tapes. I would come home with a bag of used cassettes and play them in my stereo or in the car or even in my Walkman. I would go to the used record store and just pick up a few tapes because I wanted to listen to something durning study hall or when I would go for a bike ride. When I bought records I would have a stash of blank cassettes to fill those up. I would use the blank cassettes for taping songs of radio or Monday night a local radio station from 7-9pm would play a BBC concert or a live archive concert from the 70's. That is how I heard about Deep Purple In Concert from. If you remember that post.

On days I did not go to the used record store to buy tapes I would go to the regular record store and rummage through the cheap tapes. For a cheap price of $3.99 and lower I would find all kinds of cassettes for what I needed. I found most of the King Crimson catalog there. I also found a big pile of ECM tapes. I did not know much about what ECM was all about then, but the guy I knew at the record store told me that I should at least take one or two home and listen. One of the first tapes I picked up was a Keith Jarrett. I liked what I heard and then I went back to get another. One day I took my $20.00 and bought all the tapes I could get with that. They were all ECM. The friend at the shop told me next time I come in he would have some more ECM for me. He was not kidding, he called me at home and told me to bring my backpack . I strolled in on my bike and he handed me about twenty ECM titles. He had all kinds of ECM artists that I listen to. He pointed out three cassettes I should listen to. These were Steve Tibbetts Safe Journey (which I talked about in a previous blog October 29th 2009). Chick Corea Return to Forever and Egberto Gismonti Sol Do Meio Dia (which translates to Midday Sun).



I grabbed all three cassettes and decided that I would devote one tape a day to listen to. I knew very little about ECM then and I did not know much about what they had on their record label. This is about the time I started to broaden my musical spectrum. It was ECM that taught me that you don't have to be listening to Rock and Roll all your life. After the three days of listening to those tapes I decided to listen to the others that he gave me. He had more then one album with Egberto Gismonti on it. I continued listening to those. His guitar playing was quite impressive. Everything he put his hands on had a feel of wonderful and lush world type music. My fascination with ECM continued. I would buy more and more tapes and then I graduated to CD and LP. I look at my collection now and I have about 300 ECM label albums. Every once in a while I pull one out and play it.

The Egberto Gismonti stuff is quite different then any other guitar type album either on ECM or otherwise. In some respects it sounds like a classical guitar and in other albums it sounds like a solo instrument that has it's own unique sound. Egberto's sound on a album called Folk Songs with Jan Garbarek and Charlie Haden(also an ECM album), It does not sound like it's just there for background, lush instrumentation. It has a sense of place where all other people who play guitar. It's like a World Fusion album. There is no question though when you hear his guitar, that he has a incredible signature sound like no other. Even Charlie Haden and Jan Garbarek put their own stamp on it.



With Sol Do Meio Dia he grabs Jan Garbarek for some lush and beautiful passages that only he could do. Ralph Towner who I plan to talk about in a later blog lends his 12-String guitar playing to this mix plus the wonderful Colin Walcott and Nana Vasconcelos in their element of Tabla and Percussion round out a wonderful rich sound. The side long Suite is the a very good piece of music. It has everyone playing on it. My personal favorite is a song called "Raga." The song features Colin Walcott and Nana Vasconcelos at what they do so well. Egberto's wonderful Django style guitar playing while Colin and Nana just do something that is hard to describe, but with their talent they do it with such ease and perfection. Another song that shows how great Egberto Gismonti is, "Baiao Malandro" This does not even feature his guitar playing. This features his piano playing. This song is part of the side two suite and is the last song in that part. His piano playing is a sound of a classical concert pianist. Truly great to hear and be in shock.

Given that this came out in 1978 it feels like way out of place for that time period. It is an album only ECM could put out. Enjoy this world fusion album and take it from me it is a must own. It sadly is out of print and with ECM it will slowly come back in print and see the light it so richly deserves. There are other Egberto Gismonti album to check out as well, but this is a great place to start. Enjoy!

Chocolate, Cheese and Ween = A Wonderful Meal

Freedom of the body
Freedom of the mind
A ho on South Street hired for tricks
Little girls pickin' up sticks
Freedom of '76

Wastee little weasel
Wants cheap tricks
Liberty bell cracked in half
A bacon steak
A perfect match
Freedom of '76

My girl Sasha
Lookin' good on the street
"Mannequin" was filmed at Woolworth's
Boyz II Men still keepin' up the beat, yeah
Freedom of '76

Fairmount Park in the summer
Lookin' good on the street
"Mannequin" was filmed at Woolworth's
Boyz II Men still keepin' up the beat, yeah
Freedom of '76, nah yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Ohh, baby, yeah yeah, yeah



Does Humor belong in music? That was the question Frank Zappa asked all of us one day. Well it does, and it's not Weird Al or Monty Python or Bonzo Do-Da Band. All these work well and should be talked about. The music I am talking about is the music of Ween. If you know Ween well then you know they take nothing seriously, and no matter what they do they still make us laugh. Ween does it with such dead pan humor that we laugh no matter what they do. It could be a song about AIDS, or an Irish drinking song or even stage fright. They make fun of Ennio Morricone too. Whatever Ween does, Ween does it well.

When I first heard Ween it was in 1992 at a party. I was talking to a friend when someone put their CD on. I started to laugh at the stereo. My friend must have thought that I was crazy. She asked me if there was something wrong with our conversation. I told her to listen carefully to the music that is being played on the stereo. After a while we both started to laugh. This humor was nothing to do with parody type stuff like Weird Al or even stand up humor like Richard Pryor. This music was funny because it' lyrics and just funny thoughts and words made it funny.



Their subject matter was childhood, or a parody of Philly Soul in the 70's. This shows up in the album that I am talking about here called Chocolate and Cheese. They even make stabs at people like Prince on a song called "Roses Are Free." It's funny themes and even making the music sound like it's of that artist. A good example is an album called The Mollusk. The whole album is a tribute to a genre of music. They make fun of us for liking Progressive Rock. It's not there to offend us. It just shows that Ween makes sure we all laugh at their expense.

Ween are very good at taking silly things seriously and serious things lightly. That's exactly what makes Chocolate and Cheese such a fun, exciting album. Ween explore virtually every permutation of pop, rock, soul, and funk, and that's what makes them exciting. Ween do it so well that very few others come close. If you want the same then I suggest that you try this on. Ween is something I am sure will be a great conversation starter once it's on the stereo at your party. Enjoy!

Mister, would you please help my pony?
He's over there behind the tree
He's down in the dirt, would ya help him?
I think it's his lung

Mister would you please help my pony?
He's chewin' bark and not the leaves
He's cryin' like a baby, would you help him?
I think it's his lung

Mister, would you please help my pony?
He's down and he ain't gettin' up
He coughed up snot in the driveway
And I think his lung's fucked up

In The Land of Caravan

There are many types of Progressive Rock out there. These different avenues of Progressive Rock can range as Orchestral type Prog, to heavy metal type. There is so much out there that it sometimes gets to be a blur. King Crimson did a great job of creating all kinds of sounds in their albums. One album had Jazz feel to it and the next one had elements of Classical. It was clear that Progressive Rock could reach different roads and still have some Rock sense ability. There is so much to talk about when you talk Prog with somebody because each person likes their own style. While at Nearfest I was at that same question. What Progressive Rock do you like?

There is also a scene that I enjoy listening to that was created around the time King Crimson ruled the roost. Some of this music was clearly defined as something called the Canterbury Scene. These bands fused a jazz feel with heavy psychedelic. A fraternal collective of musicians clustered around the Kentish tourist town that is home to the Church of England's Archbishop, the Canterbury Scene provided the cradle for a half-dozen of the most freewheeling British bands of the post-psychedelic era.(AM) The band that came out of this scene are quite impressive and some of my favorite of this type of genre. These bands include, Gong, Hatfield and The North, Soft Machine, Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, Egg, National Health and lastly Caravan. These band fused the Jazz elements with the Psychedelic music quite well.



Caravan I got into later then all the Progressive Rock bands. It was not because I did not know much about them, it was because the there stuff was a bit hard to find in retail shops or at good used record stores. I found one but the price then was way to much for my blood. I had a friend who gave me most of their albums on tapes so I really listened to those. They nicely fit on a side of a 90 minute cassette. Each title was also quite a play on words. For example, For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night, If I Could Do It All Over Again I Do It All Over You, and Cunning Stunts. My favorite album was a simple Progressive Rock title, In The Land Of Grey and Pink. These tapes kept me happy because I could see how well Caravan made the use of Jazz, and Rock I also liked the length of Caravan songs. On In The Land of Grey and Pink one song takes up the whole side of a LP. This has been done before with Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Rush and others, but this song was full of multi-chord changes and wonderful lyrics.

In 1994 I decided to pick up the 2Cd retrospective of Caravan. I liked it because now I could hear all the albums. I could even listen to stuff I did not even have. It was cool to listen to this stuff now, but I can only imagine what this stuff would have been like in 1971. Caravan was quite good at doing great music to just zone out to. It was my friend who suggested that these albums featured on this retrospective are damn good albums too. The stuff that was not part of this set should be listened to also. It was not until 2001 many of these albums got re-issued with much improved sound quality and really good extra bonus tracks.



I picked up most of the Caravan CD's with bonus materiel to them and when trying to figure out what to write about for this post, it was hard to figure out. You might just need to hear them for yourselves. I do promise you this, that they are as important as any other Progressive Rock band from the 70's. A fine example is the twenty-two minute song "Nine Feet Underground." The song has wonderful examples of their Canterbury influence and the genre itself. Check them out and you too will enjoy what this music has to offer and maybe get you to Nearfest like me and know what makes my yearly get away so special. Enjoy!

Urban Chicago

After I finished my community college studies I told myself I was going to work, travel and enjoy myself. I wanted to go on road trips to Baseball Hall of Fame, Chicago, and other great points of interest. I did a few of these travels and had some fun. In the case of work, I needed to find full time work to do these ventures. I had a part time gig, but that was not paying my bills nor was it making me save any. I would use some of that money to buy music. I applied at a few places and finally found a place that would (I thought) make me happy. I liked the long days because it kept me out of trouble. But on the other hand I did not really have time for myself or for that matter my girlfriend. I am surprised that we stayed together during this time.

When I decided to work at a copy cat Borders Store I was excited to put my music and book knowledge to use and help people find cool music and great books to read. After a few weeks of helping the store get in shape, it came to the conclusion of the big boss that my knowledge would be useful in the Cafe. I kinda laughed and shrugged it off and decided that maybe one day I would be rewarded. After a few weeks I got tired of the mess and the last straw was hearing a person complain about why should could not find a Mozart CD and her husband could not find a good Jazz CD to listen to. I left the desk and found both what they were looking for. Sadly, the person in charge that night saw it and told the big boss and the next day I was dismissed from my job.



Over the time I worked their I was able to get music at a good price. I would see things that were different or odd and I would save my check (or what was left of it) and buy CD's. One day a group passed my hands while looking for something else. I told the friend in the music department to hold on to it for me while I asked my friend the musical questions. "What Do You know about Art Ensemble of Chicago?" He told me that I should get most of the stuff to pick up and he told that that if the CD was a ECM Art Ensemble of Chicago release then I should really get it.

I decided to pick it up and with my discount it turned out to be a great price. The album called Urban Bushmen and I was up for the challenge of a 2CD set. I really thought maybe it was like a retrospective of their work. I had no idea that it was a live recording and that it was a hard album to understand, but that was okay by me because I welcomed it with open ears. The mix of multiple genres helped me understand where they were going musically and stylistically. I really did not know what to make of the music then, but I learned a lot from it. I liked the percussion on it and also the sense of tribal type music. It was something that I am sure would have not been in my collection if I did not ask the questions.



When I first saw the CD I thought the cover art was a bit odd, but I have chosen music before with different art work. The music of Art Ensemble of Chicago has been around for decades and each time they put something out, they stretch their creative musical ideas and influence. The fact that Art Ensemble of Chicago collectively changed the Jazz landscape. Each member in the band too has done some amazing work. Lester Bowie is an amazing Trumpet player. His solo stuff is worth seeking out. Roscoe Mitchell is the only one of the group I have seen live. His music has always been associated with the importance of the Jazz scene in Chicago. Roscoe and Anthony Braxton are some of the most important people from the AACM. (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians)

In the late '60s and early '70s, the Art Ensemble helped pioneer the fusion of jazz with European art music and indigenous African musics. It also fused jazz with itself; that is to say, the band combined elements of jazz history and pre-history -- for instance, music from the sanctified church services, minstrel shows, and bawdy houses of late 19th and early 20th century America -- with a modernist spirit of experimentation. (AM) The album I chose was the first of many great albums I bought by them. Check this one out and tell me what you think. Enjoy something different and I am sure you will pick more up! Enjoy!