Allman's at The Fillmore

Does anybody know why they are smiling?? I know three myths about their good mood. I was told this by a few people. One myth is that they know that the drugs are in and now they can have some. Another myth is that Duane spotted a dealer friend, raced over and grabbed a bag of contraband, then returned to his seat, discreetly clutching the stash in his lap. This cracked up all the members. The last myth is that someone farted and they all heard it and laughed as the camera work of Jim Marshall captured the moment. One day I asked Jaimoe one of the drummers from the Allman Brothers that same question. He laughed and told me it was a real simple answer to the question. "We were in a good mood." "none of us were fighting and the music was great and we were just having a good time."

Live at the Fillmore East was my first Allman Bros. album. I procured a tape copy from a friends father who told me that it was one of the best live albums ever. my friends father gave a few tapes that day. The other live albums he gave me were The Who's Live at Leeds, and B.B. King's Live at the Regal. I was excited to hear it all. He told me that I could keep them on the condition that I get him a copy of Live Dead by the Grateful Dead and that I continue giving him good music every chance I get. I made that promise and more.



When I left him to go home I grabbed the Allman Bros. and let it play in my Walkman. I went for a ride. I quickly went back in time to 1971 and put myself in the audience at the Fillmore. I was there for the first of many nights at the Fillmore and I went to the show as a suggestion of a friend. I heard some songs on the radio and wanted to hear more. When they came out on stage and just with one note I was hooked. I came home from the bike ride telling my father all about this new, great band called the Allman Bros. He just laughed and said, they are not new, and yes they are great. It was the slide guitar work and the organ that put me in another world. I was not sure what to think. How could a band this good, not get mentioned in a first breath sentence as the the Beatles, Stones or Hendrix.

The next day I went over my friends house and asked his father if he had anymore Allman Bros. He handed me a copy of Idlewild South. He told me to take a listen to that and he reminded me that this is just studio work and it's just as cool. I took that home and gave that a listen as well and still was just as impressed as the live album. I wanted more live Allman Bros. I wanted something more.



When you first listen to Live at the Fillmore East you wonder how much more magic was created on these nights in March of 1971 or for that matter every time they took the Fillmore stage. At the height of the Allman Bros career they were at the Fillmore more times than I can count. They were the definitive Classic Rock band. They played with and shared the bill with the Grateful Dead. It must have been a fun time to watch the Allman's in action.

I can listen to Live at the Fillmore East all the time and it could never get tired. Duane's guitar playing is amazing. Greg playing the organ sounded wonderful and fresh. The Allman's were one of the first bands to have two drummers too. I really think that made it cool as well. Each song has a moment that captures what the Allman Bros. did at their peak. There three really great extended jams too. Listen to "Whipping Post" one of the very few non Progressive Rock songs written in 11/8 and 12/8 time. It's a great way to end a great album.



I always tell you that you should listen to this or that and sometimes I tell you to buy this or that, but this is one you should rightly own in your collection. It definitely is a great conversation starter. I mean the seven songs on the album are a must listen. I love everyone of the songs on the album. I am not sure if I am going crazy, but I will go out on a limb and tell you that this is what Classic Rock is all about. After you pick this up find some of Duane's work with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Boz Scaggs, Derek and the Dominos to name a few. He was the best guitar player at the time. He could do no wrong and at 24 it was a very hard passing. Classic Rock lives here and now it's your turn to own it!!! Enjoy!!

Raincoats!!!!!!

The other day I was at my local record store talking music with a few of my friends who work there and we just happened to stumble upon the subject of Post Punk. For people who do not know what Post Punk is here is an explanation. Post Punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and Experemental. Post-punk laid the groundwork for Alternative Rock by broadening the range of punk and, underground music incorporating elements of Krautrock (particularly the use of synthesizers and extensive repetition), Jamaican dub music (specifically in bass guitar), American funk, studio experimentation, and even punk's traditional polar opposite, disco into the genre. Some of these bands include Wire, Gang of Four, The Fall, Television, Pere Ubu, The Cure, Devo,The Feelies, and others including The Raincoats.

I was a fan of this music without even knowing it. I would listen to this stuff and have some kind of immediate connection. I am not sure what was that click that got me all smiles, but each band was extremely amazing to me. Television was the first and I have already told you how great they were. Wire I will talk about in a upcoming post, but I will tell you that Pink Flag is one of the best albums period. The Fall is another and a band who really did not have a following here in the United States, but there are a few Fall fans who can tell you they were changed by them. Gang of Four is wonderful and Pere Ubu is just so off kilter that It's a wonderful acquired taste and worth to find.



Then you have the Raincoats. I remember reading the notes in Nirvana's Incestiside album and was like blown away by Kurt Cobain's wonderful praise. I just had to own the music. Sadly, it took a lot of searching, but I found it. The happiness was short lived because in the time to look for the CD or album it went out of print as quickly as it went in print. I did not get to discouraged because I knew someone who did own it. I asked if I could have a tape copy just so I can crank it in the car. He was nice enough to make me a copy, but the album being so short I played it over and over. Then one day the nightmare happened. I put the tape in the tape deck and got through one song and the tape broke. I was in shock. Why did this happened to me. It could have been any other tape, but not this one. I cursed the tape player. I was once again without a Raincoats to listen to.

Fast forward to the golden age of downloading. I found it on line. I held my breath I started to download it and it was working. It was not taking long at all. I got all the files and was soooo happy. I quickly put it to a CD and was transported back to when the album came out. It was really different for April of 1979 and most of all it was four females who wanted to add more then the three cents they were given. What was fun about the album and it stands out so well are the vocals and the violin. Yes I said violin. It's like an extra sound that no one in Post Punk thought of. Hearing these females play was great and really fun.



The real prize of the album is the fact they have a cover song on the album. It literally lifts me off my feet when I hear it. It is and I might be stretching, but a song that was meant for The Raincoats to sing. The song I'm talking about is "Lola" by the Kinks. We all heard the Kinks version, and yea it's pretty damn good. But have you heard a Post Punk female kick ass version.



This song is utterly amazing when done by The Raincoats. It has a quality that can only be expressed by listening and afterwords hearing a wow from your voice. It just makes all of shake our heads on how this band never got the credit it deserves. This is not the only song that will get me going. The song "In Love" is another gem that keeps the brain happy. It showcases the dissident guitar and the screeching of the violin. The vocals counter attack, and at some points are very overlapping, and the the drums just keep the beat like nothing is going wrong. Then it all gets chaotic and worth another listen so you can be at peace.

So as I always tell you about this album I suggest this one. It is a triumph and groundbreaking album that should be listened to again and again. It might be the quickest and loudest album that you have listened to. Take a chance and try something that is fun and what ever Kurt Cobain said just magnify it thirty times and I am sure you will find it one of the best listens in the world.

I Owe James Brown Plenty

In my lifetime I saw James Brown twice and each time was amazing. My only regret is if I could turn back time and see him in the early 1970's. It may sound crazy, but that would be the biggest dream in the world. I started listening to James Brown when I was to young to understand what music was, but I do remember that his songs made me dance. I more then likely payed more attention to his early stuff and ignored the stuff that was important. His early 70's music was the stuff of legend. I would listen to my friends James Brown Box Set Star Time and be amazed. I borrowed it one day to make a copy of the cassettes and playing them all the time. I would drive to school blasting my James Brown and feel proud that I loved his music.

One day I took the four tapes of James Brown and randomly picked a tape (or CD) to put in the car. I had this ritual, and I still do where I would put together about twelve musical selections to rotate in the car so I could hear something new. I grabbed the James Brown for my ride to school. I had class kind of late, but I needed to do research on a topic for class so I left a little early. I put the tape in. It happened to be tape four from the Box Set. I maybe was not paying attention or I just was in a good mood, but tape four had some power behind it. It was fun and really funky. What was even better was the extended solo's that each member of James Brown was doing. It was great.



I had to figure out where some of this 70's James Brown was unearthed. I always thought he had a few singles out and that would be that, but it was not to be the case. When I got back home I borrowed my friends Box Set and quickly looked at the notes. Some of these song's were singles, but others came from albums I never heard of like The Payback, Hell, Get On The Good Foot and There It Is. I had no idea if these albums were still around let alone some unreleased gem that this Box set found. I decided to look for myself at the local record stores I go to. I found them alright, but each record was like fifty to hundred dollars and was way out of my budget. Then my friend suggested that I go to the bookstore that I hang out at and ask if any of my friends have the albums and would be so kind to make me a copy. It turned out that no one had a copy, but one of them mentioned to me If I did come across one to make them a copy.

They did finally issue them on CD, but they were quickly bought. I had to wait until they showed up used somewhere. A few years passed and I was back at College and I went used CD shopping one day and there they all were. It was eight dollars each and all the ones I mentioned were there. I bought them all. I got home that semester and showed my friend that I found them. He was very pleased.



The reason I chose one of these albums from that period of the early 1970's is the fact that they have the most effect of my James Brown listening. The Payback is an amazing album that clocks in at 73 minutes and is covered in four sides of vinyl. It is an amazing filled album with heavy on the Funk and the extended solos. Each member of James Brown band has this telepathic sense of where to fit the music so well. It's pretty close to perfect. I suggest that you do listen to this album. It was James Brown's crowning moment and sadly one his last great albums.

You need this album more then anything. It's a great conversation starter as well as a album to make you and your friends do a little dance. With the shortest song just about six minutes in length and the longest at close to thirteen it is a must own. I like the fact no how many times I listen to it it still sounds fresh when I first heard it. Enjoy and "get on the good foot" and enjoy a piece of history and most of all an era of music that was just that some of the best music in the world.

Holy Modal Rounders Got Eatin' By Something

Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber obviously loved American folk music as much as any of the kids who had their head turned around by Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music in the 1950s, but unlike the many musicians who paid tribute to America's musical past by trying to re-create it as closely as possible, as The Holy Modal Rounders Stampfel and Weber opted to drag the music into the present, shrieking and giggling all the way. Even by the standards of The Holy Modal Rounders' first two albums, 1967's Indian War Whoop is a thoroughly bizarre listening experience; loosely structured around the between-song adventures of two seedy vagabonds named Jimmy and Crash, side one veers back and forth between neo-psychedelic fiddle-and-guitar freakouts and free-form (and often radically altered) interpretations of traditional folk tunes such as "Soldier's Joy" and "Sweet Apple Cider," while side two is devoted to like minded originals (including a couple songs from their friend Michael Hurley, who would later join the group). Most certainly a product of its time, Indian War Whoop sounds rather dated today, but its buoyant good humor and chemically-altered enthusiasm remains effective, even when the Rounders' reckless pursuit of inner space sounds like it was more fun to create than to observe on record. (AM)



In the mid- to late '60s you couldn't get much further underground in the ever-expanding world of rock music than the Fugs -- unless of course you were one of the Holy Modal Rounders, i.e. folk musicians Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber. The Rounders started out in the same early-'60s New York folk and jug scene as Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, and had crossed paths numerous times. Stampfel and Weber will be eternally remembered for "Bird Song," which was prominently featured in both the movie Easy Rider and its soundtrack. It's also the opening cut on The Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders, an album way beyond anything else considered to be "far out" at the time. Released in 1968 on Elektra, the 13 tracks are highlighted by such otherworldly compositions as "Werewolf," "My Mind Capsized," "The STP Song," and "Half a Mind." Unabashed in its own eccentricity, this set is similar to their 1967 ESP release Indian War Whoop in that it combines acoustic traditional American folk, blues, and hillbilly music regurgitated by crazed folkie acidheads experimenting with electric instruments. Following the disc's release, Stampfel said this album reflected producer Frazier Mohawk's musical taste more so than the band's. The Modal duo are assisted, in this case, by playwright Sam Shepard on tambourine, Richard Tyler on piano, and John Wesley Annis on bass and drums. As good luck would have it, the Water label unleashed this CD on the public for the first time in 2002 with two previously unreleased bonus tracks. Absolutely essential. (AM)

I could not say it better myself. I started to listen them about six years ago and then I did not even understand it. My friend who introduced me to Peter Stampfel (the man with the mustache in the photo above and the one with the short hair in the photo below) at a show in New York City and said if you have not ever listened to his stuff you should. I was honored to meet him but did not know about what band he was in. I felt embarrassed that I did not The Holy Modal Rounders. Peter asked for my address and I gave it to him. He wrote a note that said. "Dear Matt I am sure that this will satisfy what I did a long time ago and be prepared for some of the most original acoustic music ever placed on your turntable.



Once a friendly stranger said to me,
Hippies call it STP
You're a friendly stranger, I can see,
Baby, take a whiff on me
Have a revelation, the first one's free
Soon you'll be addicted to eternity
We'll be pushers, cosmic style
It's too late to stop now,
You're a Nova Cop now
Hippies call it STP

Look at all them hippies do their thing,
Hippies call it STP
Trying to be the next week ripoff king,
Take a whiff on me
Seems he was a flower child just last week
Now he's got the clap and he's a needle freak
Good thing love's all you need
Brand new generation,
Brand new explanation
Hippies call it STP

Meanwhile in a headshop in Provincetown,
Hippies call it STP
A gentle, soulful cat's putting soldiers down,
Take a whiff on me
Soldiers getting salty, but the cat don't mind
Getting soldiers salty helps the cat unwind
He's a narc on a lark
Busy as a beaver
Just a gay deceiver
Hippies call it STP

(refrain, both parts done simultaneously)
Going to the country where everything's free
Going to the country, and you can't catch me
I can't stand that bad city
All I do there is shoot junk
(and)
Gong around, gong around
Keep on kicking that gong arond
Tears me up, brings me down
But I gotta keep kicking that gong around

Be my flower child, little girl, Hippies call it STP
Lemme be your guru for awhile,
Take a whiff on me
'Splain dat to me Kingfish, it ain't too clear
King it to me, 'splainfish, said the engineer
Now you know why I veer
Yummy yummy yummy
Sucking off a mummy
Hippies call it STP

I grew to like it more and more. The lyrics above is for a song called "The STP Song." Very odd, but definite owing to their counterparts The Fugs. The Fugs were more of a fuller band, but the oddities as a duo is what made The Holy Modal Rounders.

If you are looking for the odd music to add to your collection that will have your friends second guessing your sanity then this is the one for you. Enjoy!!

Eels are Freakish (In A Good Way)

The first time I saw the Eels was on PBS. It was the TV show Sessions at West 54th. It was a great show. They only played half the show, but they were different. They added cute little sound effects to a few songs and I knew what they were doing was magical. They were quirky and odd, but that made it all the better. I found them like a mix of Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. The lyrics and odd musicianship was a good match. It was odd for it's time. The titles were very cool and most of all just downright negative.

I did not buy the album when it came out. It was about six months after I picked it up. I heard them once again on the college radio station. It was hip and catchy and just addictive. The little snippets of voices or sounds mixed with the general melody of the song. The lyrics were just what I wanted to hear. If you hear "My Beloved Monster" you could get the jest of what Mark Oliver Everett was talking about.

My beloved monster and me
We go everywhere together
Wearing a raincoat that has four sleeves
Gets us through all kinds of weather

She will always be the only thing
That comes between me and the awful sting
That comes from living in a world that's so damn mean

My beloved monster is tough
If she wants she will disrobe you
But if you lay her down for a kiss
Her little heart it could explode

She will always be the only thing
That comes between me and the awful sting
That comes from living in a world that's so damn mean

La la la la la la la la
La la la la la la



The use of celeste, organ, upright bass, banjo and other exotics made the song a perfect match for his lyrics. Even though they were short songs, they did accomplish what they need to say in the time they had. The Eels are a great because in some ways it's only one person. When they first started out they were a trio. This trio included none other then Butch Vig. If you don't know who he is in the band Garbage and most importantly he produced Nirvana's Nevermind and Smashing Pumpkins Gish. So there was some great influence on the first couple albums.

Over the course of the Eels career I got more and more into them. I finally saw them in 2000. I thought the live show was quite intense. I liked the shows so much I again saw them in 2001 and 2002. I did miss the 2003 tour, but I made up for it for a few 2005 shows where they added strings and really acoustic instruments like upright bass and beat box. It was one of the best shows. He covered Dylan, Prince and Daniel Johnston. It was a blast.

So what can I say about Beautiful Freak that has not been said. It's a totally different album from 1996. It maybe be an odd thing to listen to, but the reward is great. It's different and fun and most of all has a little more to offer then other albums. It's not straightforward like general albums. It's layered with good stuff to make you play it again and again. Enjoy! I am sure by the end of the CD you too will be humming these tunes.

It Felt Like A Hit By A Wrecking Ball

Back in the mid 1990's I be caught dead listening to anything that resembles new country. I just thought the people I should be listening to were Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, and others. I even said there would be no way I would explore my interest in stuff that was going to resemble any kind of "hick music" in my collection. That quickly changed when I started listening to the Country Rock of Gram Parsons, some Byrds, and various Jerry Garcia projects. I had a friend who was a DJ at the local radio college radio station. She used to specialize in folk, rock and mostly woman's music. She was a fan of the band I was working with at the time and she asked me to come to the show one day to listen to the new Emmylou Harris. I was a little speculative but I decided to come see her.

When I walked into the station she handed me an Emmylou Harris CD. She told me it's a new album that has not country feel to it and she is backed with members of U2, Steve Earle and Neil Young. She also mentioned that she will be playing songs from the album and wanted me to pick the songs. As I looked over Wrecking Ball I was amazed at the songs that Emmylou covered. I told my friend that I wanted to hear her version of Jimi Hendrix and I also wanted to hear her Lucinda Williams cover. I was not sure what I got myself into, but she agreed and smiled. She told me that she has played the album all the way through and loves it. She also warned me that it has no country feel at all and it's as modern as when it came out.



I sat there listening to her show and half way through it she decided to do a set of music that included people like Lucinda Williams, Indigo Girls, Joni Mitchell and lastly the Emmylou Harris. I was so impressed with her cover of Lucinda Williams I was completely floored. Then she opened up a new set of songs of other female artists who covered Hendrix. She again ended the set with her Hendrix cover. I was flabbergasted. I did not know what to think. It was done so well. I looked at the CD again and noticed that the great Daniel Lanois produced this gem.

Each song had it's own space and controlled by Daniel to figure out what fits like a glove for Emmylou. It was amazing. I asked my friend about the album and what she thought of it. She told me it might be the best album she has ever listened to. I was about to leave when she threw me a a copy of the CD. I told her that this was the stations. She quickly dismissed that and said to me that she called the record label and had them send about 10 copies to her as giveaways. I quickly got home and threw it on the CD player. I was very impressed. My parents were like who is this beautiful voiced female singing. When I told my father that it was Emmylou Harris he was telling me the time he saw her in 1975. She did sound country then and she sure does not sound like country now.



Every time I play this album it brings back the memories of when I was not open to anything that resembled country music. When I went back to college I met a friend who was an Emmylou Harris fan. He told me that Wrecking Ball had the same effect on him as well. It truly is a great album. She would put out an album two years later, but it was not the same. I did get to go see her though and she played most of the album and thanked the crowd for the wonderful support for the album. She played for a little over two hours and she was amazing. I was glad I did check it out. Well if you wanted to try something new out and listen to a non-typical album by a great musician and singer then I would check this out. Enjoy!!

Dire Love

If you watched to much MTV in the 80's like I did you more then likely saw the Dire Straits video about 3 trillion times. It was technically Dire Straits second breakthrough. Their first was for the song "Sultans of Swing" and that too is played a trillion times. I actually got sick of both Dire Straits songs so much I would cringe when I heard them on the radio. I even stopped listening to them for about a year. While in high school they played at the Civic Center while promoting a new album. I went to the show and bought the album. It was different from that 80's stuff and actually had some quality to it.

I decided after the concert I would go back and listen to some of their other albums. What i realized I did not have any other albums except Brothers In Arms and the Alchemy the live album from the 80's that I borrowed from the library too many times. I was on a mission. I told my friend who also went to Dire Straits that I needed to do a record store run sometime during the week. He did not have many Dire Straits albums as well so in a way we both had to go beef up our collection.



We both looked for albums that we did not have. I went for the first two and my friend went for the live one I heard and anything else we could find. At the same time we stumbled on Love Over Gold. There were two near mint copies on record. So we both grabbed them and went home. We created our own homework assignment. Listen to the album and write a one page response. When I got home I decided to start my response by talking about the artwork and songs. The titles had a feel of Progressive Rock even the length of the songs felt like the same way.

The first side was very atmospheric and very much like a Progressive Rock album from the 70's. It was great to hear lengthy passages and atmospheric like songs. With only two songs on side one they were not looking for anything the 80's had to offer. It was a nice departure on what they played previous albums. Even the acoustic guitar parts on "Private Investigations" were amazing. This was a great album. Why did they not play anything from this album at the show.



I turned the record over to side two. If there was a single for the album the opening track was the one. "Industrial Disease" is a killer song. It rocked like their early stuff and gave hint of what was to come. Again, the songs were and it was quite enjoyable. I gave it my all and at the end of the response I mentioned that Dire Straits was one of the best bands in the world. I liked the non typical 80's sound that they would do next. I mentioned how great the guitar playing by Mark Knopfler was. I mentioned the lyrics too. I mean here take a reading of the cool song "Industrial Disease"

Warning lights are flashing down at Quality Control
somebody threw a spanner and they threw him in the hole
there's rumors in the loading bay and anger in the town
somebody blew the whistle and the walls came down
there's a meeting in the boardroom they're trying to trace the smell
there's leaking in the washroom there's a stink in personnel
somewhere in the corridor someone was heard to sneeze
'goodness me goodness me Industrial Disease?
The caretaker was crucified for sleeping at his post
refusing to be pacified, it's him they blame the most
the watchdog's got rabies the foreman's got fleas
and everyone's concerned about Industrial Disease
there's panic on the switchboard, tongues in knots
some come out in sympathy some come out in spots
some blame the management and some the employees
everybody knows it's the Industrial Disease
The work force is disgusted downs tools and walks
innocence is injured, experience just talks
everyone seeks damages and everyone agrees
that these are 'classic symptoms of a monetary squeeze
on ITV and BBC they talk about the cuts
philosophy is useless theology is worse
history boils over there's an economics squeeze
sociologists invent words that mean 'Industrial Disease'
Doctor Parkinson declared 'I'm not surprised to see you here
you've got smokers cough from smoking, brewer's droop from drinking beer
I don't know how you came to get the Betty Davis knees
but worst of all young man you've got Industrial Disease'
he wrote me a prescription he said 'you are depressed
I'm glad you came to see me to get this off your chest
come back and see me later - next patient please
send in another victim of Industrial Disease'
I go down to Speaker's Corner I'm thunderstruck
they got free speech, tourists, police in trucks
two men say they're Jesus, one of them must be wrong
there's a protest singer he's singing a protest song - he says
'they wanna have a war to keep their factories
they wanna have a war to keep us on our knees
they wanna have a war to stop us buying Japanese
they wanna have a war to stop Industrial Disease
they're pointing out the enemy to keep you deaf and blind
they wanna sap your energy, incarcerate your mind
they give you Rule Brittania, gassy beer, page three
two weeks in Espana and Sunday striptease'
meanwhile the first Jesus says 'I'd cure it soon
abolish Monday mornings and Friday afternoons'
the other one's on a hunger strike he's dying by degrees
how come Jesus gets Industrial Disease?

Pretty damn good lyrics from a damn fine album. If you think Dire Straits was totally 80's you be correct. But if you listen to their albums before they were 80's you might be surprised. Find this album and you will be very impressed. Enjoy what an group can to when they try Progressive Rock! Enjoy!

Jeff's Dad is Happy!!

I started liking Jeff's father way before Jeff was on the music scene. I was about 15 years old and I picked up this Psychedelic Box set and Tim Buckley was on it. I did not buy the box set for him, but for the songs by the Byrds, Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Chambers Brothers, and Iron Butterfly. There were many others on this box that I had no idea who or what they were. It was a nice box set with very little information, but that information was enough to get me started on each artist that was represented on the box. It got me to understand what was around to listen to and where each period of the Psychedelic Movement did each song represent. It was fun and I was always looking forward to listening to it.

Over the years of listening to that box I started liking artist on there that I would have otherwise neglected. Those artists included Incredible String Band, Moby Grape, Pretty Things, Tomorrow, and lastly Tim Buckley. I am not sure what caught my attention with Tim Buckley, but I know that he was not like the other bands on the CD. He had a mix of Jazz, and folk. His voice too was very interesting. It sounded like I was on some island without a care in the world. I could never figure out how no one caught on to his music.



It was after I heard the Tim Buckley song on this box set is when I went out searching for the album. I was sure that what I heard was going to sound like that song I went everywhere to look for it. When I went to my two local record stores they did not even have any Tim Buckley. I found that odd. I even went to the book store where I hung out and asked my friend if he had any Tim Buckley. He was lucky to find some, but then came the bad news. He was able to get the album the song I had on my CD, but it was going to take about a month to get it. I was cool with that because it was able to be found.

It was a really long month and when I received that phone call I was psyched. I quickly got it home and put on my stereo. It was a hit in the house because it was mellow enough for my mother and cool and hip enough for my father to like too. What makes Happy Sad different then his other albums is the fact that he sheds his folksy feel for a more laid back Jazz style. He even makes the songs longer too. It may have only six songs, but each song is a meal and really tells a tale. Beside the song that I have on the box set, "Buzzin' Fly" is amazing. The big song that I still go back to is on here too. "Sing a Song For You" is one of his best written songs. That song ends the album and it is a perfect ending to ab album.



The album started to lean towards experimentation and from this album on he would be come more and more experimental. He would sadly lose fans as well. Overall I do suggest you start here and work your way back. Jeff Buckley I am sure listened with this album and from there his ideas grew of the endless possibles that his father created on this album. If you don't own any Tim Buckley and love Jeff Buckley you should start listening and see what you missed. This is one of the finest albums from the 60's. Enjoy!!!

Nick's Quiet Gem

It may be the shortest of classic albums, but by no means it should be neglected. It was the last album that Nicholas Rodney Drake ever made. We call him Nick Drake and like Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith who died to young. Nick Drake is one of my favorite people to listen to. It's only Nick Drake who plays on this album which is full of lush acoustic guitar and a few sprinkles of piano. It is a classic like no other. It's influence is wide through the people I mentioned above to jazz piano great Brad Mehldau who told me that his music is somewhat simple but full of lush sounds and his voice is a match to those lush sounds.

The remainder of the album follows the same general path, with Drake's elegant melancholia avoiding sounding pretentious in the least thanks to his continued embrace of simple, tender vocalizing.(AM) Joe Boyd the producer found something in Nick Drake no one will ever understand, but his recording this album shows how powerful both Nick and Joe were. I still listen to this album pretty closely. I search for the hidden meaning of a man who must have had some pain to talk about. His title song was featured in a VW advertisement and I had no idea what for. I don't think the selling of the product had anything to do what Nick was feeling, but the soft voice and the lush acoustic music must have.



I first heard about him in about 1994 when I was looking for something new to listen to. My friend who worked at the book store pointed to the staff picks and told me that a friend of his picked Nick Drake and suggested to listen to it. I did not find a flaw in his statement. I quickly picked it up and was happy that I made the choice. I came back the next day and bought his other two albums. Each had a uniqueness about them I have never heard in an artist. My friend told me that his guitar tuning was kinda odd too. After buying those three I was quite impressed. I wanted more and sadly the only thing left was an album of outtakes and session leftovers. It was good, but there had to be more. There was none and I was sad. A man who could pour his heart out and empty it so quickly.

I bought an introduction to Nick Drake when I returned to college and that certainly made a stamp on people who did not hear of him. I let a few of my friends I made at college listen to him and they were transfixed as much as I was. They were hooked and was just as curious about him as I was.

His influence is far and wide. So many people who I listen to describe Nick Drake as an icon like no other. They express that his quiet way of playing was so peaceful and was not charcteristic for it's time. He had a musical touch that no one really had. He was extremely mature in his sense of place. These songs would take any musician more then a few years to figure out, but with Nick Drake he did them before anybody else and he was 24 years young.



I know I mention how important is to own most of the music I talk about, but this is one of the most power behind my words. It will make you feel sad, happy and most of reflection on our world. He had that power. He was and still is a person I would put in my influences. Enjoy this album above all others. Nick Drake was a tragic hero and man who express some things more then words can say. Enjoy!

Prince Among Men!!

Go on, make a joke that I like Prince I will retort by telling you that he has more talent then any pop performer of the 1980's. He could easily blend Pop, Rock, Funk, and R&B and make it sound like a gem of a tune or an a great album. I must admit though if you asked me to get into Prince back in early high school days I would have thought you were crazy. I took a chance about midway through my High School years and bought the soundtrack he did for Batman. It was good, but not enough to warrant me going out and buying his music. It was not till right after High School I started to listen to his music. The album I am talking about is his Love Symbol Album. This album is the most diverse and the some of the innovative music of his career.

As I mentioned above, I started liking Prince in 1992 or so. I always heard him on the radio and thought he was just a novelty act. I mean I saw my friends with his albums and thought that he was not even a performer. I thought he was this pop guy that just was so much the definition of the 1980's. in 1992 I took a chance and actually bought an album of his. I bought Diamonds and Pearls and was actually quite impressed. I must have been more impressed because I started buying his early albums too. Those were full of Funk, Soul, Rock and any other creation that he made.



He was actually talented then I thought. His early albums were a lot more on the less commercial side, but they were very well done. Then I picked up Purple Rain, and it all changed. I was very impressed. Not many people could make a concept album like that. It was done so well. Around the time of collecting these albums he put out a new album. I quickly picked up. I was impressed by The Love Symbol Album because it had sixteen tracks and each seemed to be complete of what made Prince. If I recall there was video for one of the songs. It was very eccentric and it was full of Prince style. I bought the album thinking it was going to be typical Prince. I was wrong on the first note. This album was full of complex pop songs, funk (and heavy funk too), Rock and Soul. It was not what I was used to, but going in you cannot think Prince will act like himself.

At this point he made a point that he was not called Prince, so that was something non typical. While he was saying that he mentioned his name really was Prince on the first song. He yells out MY NAME IS PRINCE . In typical fashion he proclaimed all that hoopla surrounding him was just that. The song is full of hard edged rock, hip-hop and funk. That would be enough for one person, but with prince he was just getting started. The next song had a short hand for a title. Good think because the whole world would have been in an up roar. It's called Sexy M.F. in short for Sexy Mutha' Fucker. This song is full of Funk, Soul and some R&B. It has the styling of a James Brown original and a Prince classic. It has horns and cool organ.



I could go on and on about how great these songs are. Sadly though, this was the last of his great work for a while. He put out Gold Experience and that was great and it was more Rock and Roll. People call it the Purple Rain of the 90's. It still has one of my favorite Prince songs on it. "Endorphinmachine" a song of Hard Rock, Funk and good old Prince. I will still go back to The Love Symbol Album . Some of his B-sides from this album deserve a chance too. The B-side to "My Name is Prince" was called "Peach." It still is one of the best non album tracks Prince has ever done. Prince's guitar work is the best and stakes claim that he can actually do something.



I suggest if you want to start digging on Prince go with the early albums, but they all lead to his last fling at Warner Bros. The early 90's Prince is amazing and some of the music he put out was some of the best ever. I am glad to listen to him I thought he was wonderful and has the ability to be. The Love Symbol album is a full album with a lot of gems and I am sure, like me, you will be hooked. Listen closely to a man who still is a contender. I bet when you hear some of these songs you will put them in your most played on your Ipod.

Enjoy a man who may be odd and different then most, but he is an amazing, and you have to give him credit for that. I have seen him three times and he put's on one hell of a show. He to me is the reason they create live performances for. Enjoy!!

Rage's Empire

While Hound Dog Taylor made feel the Boogie, Rage Against The Machine makes me feel like a man on a mission to save the world. The sound of Hound Dog is primal and most of all a natural sound. Rage's sound is a sound that is loud, blinding and deafening. Rage also makes music to make you get up and change the world. Tom Morello who's guitar god status is worthy of anyone out there. His playing is a sight to see. My Rage Against The Machine following started in 1993. I just picked up the first album and saw the striking image of the Buddhist Monk on Fire to to protest the war in Vietnam. It was enough of an image to get my and many others attention. This band was like that Buddhist Monk in many ways.

One way was the protest music that Rage talked about and the other was it was like the music was on fire. It's amazing catchy and Zack's vocals/rapping was pretty awe inspiring. I went to a small club to see them promoting there first album. Not headliners, but opening with another somewhat revolutionary rap act called Cypress Hill. Rage only played for about 45 minutes, but that is all I really needed to be convinced.



While watching Rage on stage I realized that the band was extremely talented. The drummer did better drumming fills then I have ever seen. The bass was loud, but not to overpower vocals or guitar parts. The guitar player was spot on with solos and using his imagination to make some sound I have never heard before. Lastly, the lyrics were very good and political and made you think. I walked out of the club thinking how great they were, but still thinking that they would not make it famous. I was dead wrong. I mean who wants to hear this kind of music now, 1993. We still never got over Pearl Jam at this point and moreover did we need more kind of music to listen to. Well, MTV made us reevaluate everything we heard or needed to hear. The golden age of what was out there was now on MTV lap and they made Rage famous.

MTV carried Rage till the next album came out. It was more loud and less of what MTV wanted to hear. MTV carried one song if I recall from the second album and sadly it was to late, Rage had a bigger fan base. Myself, on the other hand I wanted to see them with more maturity and most of all just how great they sounded. I bought the second album with so much excitement. My friend and I listened to it and were blown away. This time when they toured they were headliners. They played with none other then Wu-Tang Clan a Hip-Hop group with incredible skill at rapping and huge giant hooks.



Evil Empire to me is their best. There are a few reasons behind this. If you listen closely everything is magnified. It's like they just enlarged them to a billion times of what they were and added a bunch of smart food. Listen closely on how Tom's Guitar, Zak's vocals, Brad's Drums and Tim's Bass. How great it sounds as a whole. Everything is miked so well, and is so amazing they are at their best. The second is their influence is so pronounced on this album. You may ask what is their influence. Look at the booklet on Evil Empire. Pay attention to all those books in the spread. Each is a book of protest or some kind of influential literature. My friend and I studied that part of the booklet and tried to pick up every book that was showcased.

I won't tell you what song to go after and listen to, but I will tell you that every song is a gem. I like them all, and I listen to the album once every six months just to hear how it makes sense that it is never outdated. It probably is the most rebellious album since Kick Out The Jams by MC5.

At this point I tell you reason to listen, but I won't tell you anything except this; If you don't own it, get it. If you do own it, play it loud and play it proud. If you know someone who plays this album ask them if they know what they are talking about on Evil Empire. Enjoy a loud crash, and in the immortal words of Zak..."Fear is your only god"

Theodore Roosevelt Taylor's Natural Boogie!!

The picture above is the hand of Theodore Roosevelt Taylor. To the common folk he goes by the name of Hound Dog Taylor. He has six fingers, try to figure that one out. Hound Dog Taylor is one of my favorite blues guitar players. I tell people that if you don't groove to his playing then you have no soul. Every time I play the album my body is just in tuned with what he is doing. He is an amazing slide guitar player and his bluesy voice is a great hook. He has people who sight him a huge influence and one of them is George Thorogood.

What makes Hound Dog Taylor so great is his wonderful past that he soaked up in the blues. He and his trio make great music together and what is more fascinating is the fact that the trio is two guitars and drums. The second guitar playing of Brewer Phillips is sounding like a fuzzy bass. The drummer keeps up with both of them so well he makes it sound so perfect. Brewers playing can be described like this. His backup work behind Hound Dog Taylor's trio with no bass player -- finds him alternating between the icepick-in-your-ear sheet-metal lead tones produced from his battered Telecaster to comping bass lines while simultaneously combining chords, all of it executed with a thumbpick and bare fingers. (AM)



With all that being said, this album, Natural Boogie took two nights to record. I would love to hear some of the outtakes and jams. Each song has a stamp of good ole fashion boogie. His drummer hits the skins like nobody. It's not powerful drumming, but it is damn' good playing. The song's sound like each one is a classic. It maybe a hard album to track down, but well worth the effort to listen to. I thought I knew Blues pretty well, but this album is amazing and is a must own.

I have a few of his albums and each is unique. I have some live studio stuff from 1971 and even that is got some kick to it. I cannot really describe an album that I know has a feel that will touch you in ways you will be a lover of boogie music. I am sure that if you listen to it you too can stake claim to an album with amazing influence. All the great blues people owe a huge debt to Hound Dog's playing and his tight and fun sound.

Sneakin' Robert Palmer Out To You

We have all scene the video with Robert Palmer and the ladies playing the instruments. I mean at one point that was the only video on MTV that was on. I think they used to play that video about 10 times a day just to get your attention. If I recall the video was even done in a Weird Al style too. Nevertheless, it's Robert Palmer's early albums that I like. He was taken away to soon and a man full of R&B and Soul was greatly missed.

I think I started liking Robert Palmer around the time of that video, but it was Classic Rock radio in the car that turned me on to him. The radio never played that song, but they played stuff from his 1970's period. They play song's from his late 70's early 80's albums. The albums that led him to this height in popularity. One day that all changed for the better. I used to listen to a radio station that used to play the top 1006 songs of all time. Each year they would pick the best songs ever. The order was never different which was great because every year they added new surprises. One years surprises was even earlier Robert Palmer.



When the DJ pointed out before playing the song that was dated in 1974 I got excited. I said finally something else from this man (Robert Palmer) that I never heard. He also mentioned there are 2 more songs from this album on the countdown. He played it, and I was floored beyond belief. It was funky and soulful and most of all it was a Robert Palmer I never heard. I was hooked. I called the DJ and asked him what song numbers on the countdown are the other songs. He told me that they are in the top 200 so I would have to listen closely. After hearing "Sailing Shoes" I was hooked. The other two song I did catch and they were awesome.



So if I had to pick the album that defined me as a Robert Palmer fan then I would pick Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley. It is a wonderful introduction of the Soul, Funk and R&B that Robert Palmer was known for. It even has a really good back up band as well. He has Lowell George from Little Feat on Guitar and the rest of the band is The Meters. They are an amazing band if you have never heard them. Robert Palmer's voice works very well with the band that does a great job of being funky. Sometimes I wish that Robert Palmer was still alive because he sure would have made some more great music. Enjoy a great 1974 classic.

The Tao of Mad Steve Coleman

Hanging around in New York City in the early 90's had it's advantages. I mean I have met and hung around some pretty cool people. I met John Zorn, Matthew Shipp, Branford Marsalis, and others. I became friends with people like Marc Ribot, Don Byron, Thomas Chapin, Ron Miles, and my favorite cool dude and fellow birthday man Steve Coleman. Steve is one of the coolest cats in the world. He is full of energy that just is very addictive and is also a man with great respect.

Here is a cool story about Steve and I. Back in my community college years I took a class on the Harlem Renaissance. We went to New York for a visit of Harlem. I got to see what Harlem was famous for and how it impacted our United States. A period of wonderful creativity that should be talked about more in our history books. I passed the class with flying colors. Two years later the same professor was teaching my mother and her best friend. The trip came up again, I wanted to go. The professor called me and told me that I should go, because the areas I knew from the first time I could take some of the group to those areas while the other half of the group could go to other locations and we could meet up. I was honored and flattered. We were in New York just getting off the bus and coordinating or plan for the day. I was telling the teacher that I have two musician friends who live in Harlem when I said that I remember calling one of them the day before our trip telling him that I should be in the area around 10am. "We are meeting at the Shomburg Center on Malcolm X Blvd so if you want to meet up that's where I will be." The bus dropped us off right in front of the center. I looked around and walking down the street was none other then Steve Coleman. He waved and came running toward the bus.

My professor was asking if I knew him. She was a bit nervous thinking that the man running was looking for a bus to catch to go uptown or something. I told her not to worry he is a friend from way back. He came over and introduced himself. He told the class that he was a musician here in Harlem and wanted to give us a tour of the area. After the tour he told us that some of the musicians he plays with will meet up and they will play for a bit at the center. I was quite impressed. Steve has done cool things in his life but nothing ever like this. He invited me to the studio once for rehearsals for a four night stand in Paris, but this was great because everyone could hear his talent.



Let me tell you more about Steve Coleman the musician. He is a talent and a wonderful sax player who started the M-Base collective which includes people like Cassandra Wilson, Greg Osby, Robin Eubanks (yes Kevin brother from Leno's band) M-Base stands for: macro-basic array of structured extemporization. It was popular in the mid-80's to early 90's. I got turned on to him from a friend who recommend the album I am going to talk about. The Tao of Mad Phat is one of the funkiest albums in the jazz. Steve himself played on a Dave Holland album with Kevin Eubanks so his credentials were all there.

It was recorded mostly live in the studio. You can hear him talk with some friends and rest of the band when they are creating this wonderful stuff. It's very funky improvisation. I got it as a suggestion from a friend who liked him too. I heard about his stuff with Dave Holland right after High School. That stuff was amazing and did not sound like jazz at all. I am sure that's where he got his ideas from.



What makes this album my pick is the fact as I said he was live in the studio and since I am a friend of his I might as well share a story about him as well. The album is full of funk and jazz. It's also a hard to find album. If you do get I suggest you listen to it start to finish. In a way there is a story because he tells it his way. It is a treat to hear and after hearing it I am sure you will be a Steve Coleman fan too.

Vroom Soul Coughing

I used hangout in New York City a lot. I would open up the Village Voice and see if something got my attention. I would look at all the clubs in the city to see what acts were where and if it looked good I would call the best friend and hang out and do a show. Most of the time I would stay with him on long weekends and find something that would be great to see. The clubs that did spark my interest were Roseland, Knitting Factory, CBGB's Irving Plaza, Village Vanguard and others that were small and name forgetting places.

I was in the heat of the popular New York City Jazz scene too. I was at the Knitting Factory more then I could count. Every weekend there was a show that had an artist I really liked. Some of these artist included Thomas Chapin (who happened to be from the next town over from where I grew up), Don Byron, Wayne Horvitz Matthew Shipp, Tim Berne, Matt Darriau, Marc Ribot, and so many others. I would look at the line up of Knitting Factory and go crazy because if I was in town for one show the next best show was the night I was not. I knew how to get to 74 Leonard St. I could be blindfolded and all I asked was to shout out street names and make sure I was on the sidewalk and I could get to it.



One day at the Knitting Factory I met up with some friends for eats and music. They barely heard of this band called Soul Coughing, but me being in New York City I had a copy of their first CD and also saw them perform. They were not super popular, but they were going to play the main stage at Knitting Factory. For people who people who wonder what is the Knitting Factory is, I will tell you. It was the most cutting edge music spot of it's time. Beside the musicians I mentioned above. Any artist who wanted to get known or who were cutting edge themselves would come and play. They had three stages and the main stage is where they had to be to get noticed. I have to say I saw some cool people when they were starting out there. Soul Coughing
was one of the coolest most original artist I saw.

When they first hit the stage back in early 1994 I was impressed by every part of what the band was doing. Each member had added an important ingredient that add a wonderful mix of hip-hop, funk, indie rock, jazz sampling and a bit of avant-garde. I mean how many bands of the 90's have an upright bass player grooving with hip-hop style drums and the keyboards are sampling people like Raymond Scott and old jazz from our grandparents time. I think I saw them at the Irving Plaza about five times in that first year. They never made it to Connecticut during their first few years and that annoyed me. I had to go to New York City just to see them again and again.



I picked their first album because it's where you see all these mix of musical genre's that I talked about. It's mostly at it's peak here because of the fact that all those cool samples that Mark De Gli Antoni uses are used here the most. The originality of M. Doughty is also present. It is fresh and new and amazing representation of the New York downtown music scene. Just listen to "Screenwriter's Blues" it's sample of orchestral horns and Raymond Scott is amazing and unique. There are samples of Monk and Howlin' Wolf and the Andrews Sisters. It is really a site to hear.

I do recommend this album for other reasons too. I think it's just a must own, and lost treasure of indie rock from the 1990's. I would tell you more, but the music really does speak for its self. There are many original artists of the 90's, but they take it a step farther then anybody. Have fun and I am sure where ever you listen to this you will be hooked.

Red Blood Sugar Hot Chili Magik

Back in 1989 I had the pleasure of seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers with my best friend in New York City. I cannot remember much about the place or who opened or even if they opened for somebody but they were promoting an album called Mothers Milk. I do remember thinking how cool they were mixing Rap, Funk, Rock and Roll, Punk and any other musical genre. I also remember that they had more energy then I have ever seen. I walked out of that show wondering how much can they do and still sound so unique and original.

Then 1991 came and this time was another chance to see The Red Hot Chili Peppers in action. At this point I was ready. I saw they were on a triple bill. This triple bill included Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins. My best friend at college in New York told me, that if I can get to where he is at school he and I will go and see them. They had 3 dates in the New York area and we had tickets for all three. One of these dates included of all things his college. He did not tell me that until I got there. I was just learning how to drive and his father gave me a lift to see him. I spent 3 days with my best friend. I was soaking up the college life that would soon be mine. I met all kinds of cool people and people who loved music like I did.



After those 3 shows in 1991 I came home thinking The Red Hot Chili Peppers could do no wrong. The album was still relativity new. I played that album to death. I thought it was the most funkiest album in the world. I could not imagine how four people could sound like seven. The singles from the album were okay. The only one I really liked was "Give It Away." The black and white video directed by Gus Van Zant was fun. I also liked the fact like The Black Crowes album I talked about is that the songs were continuous.

The album was produced was by one of my favorite producers Rick Rubin. Rick brings out the best in most artists he has his hands on. He did very well with Mick Jagger solo album and he did well with Johnny Cash. He gives an artist a feel of relaxing and enjoy the art they just created. I have a video of them creating Blood Sugar Sex Magic and you can see Rick have fun with them and encourage their creativity. It is amazing that this album was never the album that got me into them. It is also amazing that the Red Hot Chili Peppers cannot make an album this good. You may disagree, but if listen to any of their albums after Blood Sugar Sex Magic, you really struggle to find something this engaging from them.



I am a fan of creative music. This album was and still is one of the most creative albums in 1990's rock. It maybe the best and shining moment in the Chili Peppers. Listen for yourself and really get into this album there are layers of greatness. Listen to "Breaking the Girl" the layers of guitars and mellotron's and bass is amazing. In the video you see them make some wonderful percussion sounds for the song too. It's so great to hear.

1991 had some really great moments for Rock and Roll. This is proof that some of it was amazing and fun. If you do own this album listen closely on how great this really is. I assure you that you will rediscover a wonderful gem that should be praised like any classic rock album. Have fun with some good old fashion Sex Magik!!!!!!