28 April 2013 (Day 118) – Gig # 702 Aerosmith

Today is the day I finally cross off another act from my concert bucket list.  But first I have to manage the day so some last minute disaster doesn’t occur to deprive me of the privilege of seeing Aerosmith.  My solution is a simple one and I pull out a few Aerosmith albums, starting with:

(# 321) Aerosmith – Rocks (1976)

This is a solid hard rock album but not quite the classic it’s been touted in some quarters.  Back In The Saddle and Last Child are great tracks as well as the closers Lick And A Promise and Home Tonight.  But much of the remaining tracks sees them attempting to outdo The Rolling Stones (a criticism made frequently at the time) with tales of rock’ n’ roll excess and its consequences.

(# 322) Aerosmith – A Nite In The Ruts (1979)

This album is as underrated as Rocks is overrated. No Surprize is an absolute beauty, a hard driving number that is the perfect opener. Chiquita, which follows it, is almost as good, sounding very much these days as the prototype for Dude (Looks Like A Lady).  Cheese Cake is almost as good, Reefer Head Woman a convincing blues number and Bone To Bone (Coney Island White Fish Boy) has a solid jam feel.  The album ends with Mia, one of their better early ballads.

(#323) Aerosmith – Get A Grip (1993)

Pump was always going to be a tough album to follow.  Half of this album is great.  Eat The Rich, the title track, Fever and Shut Up And Dance are all great rockers and Living On the Edge and Cryin’ added to their impressive catalogue of slower numbers.  The rest is fairly forgettable but some tracks might have passed muster if the band kept the album to the shorter running times of its predecessors.

At 6 o’clock I said goodbye to “M” and headed into town.  There was only ever going to be one album that was going to blast out of the car stereo:

(#324) Aerosmith – Pump (1989)

Hard rock perfection.  An absolutely streamlined, immaculately produced and played album without a dud track.  The opening salvo of Young Lust/F.I.N.E/Love In An Elevator and Monkey On My Back pass by in a rush.  Janie’s Got A Gun memorably slows the tempo and the album has already reached its midpoint before you’ve realised it. The second half pales a little in comparison but still contains tracks of the calibre of The Other Side, Don’t Get Mad Get Even and What It Takes.  Little details such as 60s style keyboards on Elevator, Monkey and What It Takes add to effect and even the little instrumental segues work perfectly.

With a huge crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for a twilight AFL game and Tool fans headed for a second night at Rod Laver Arena, I knew parking would be at a premium and settle for a spot at the Casino.  (Not that this mattered much; I 'm competing in a walking challenge at work and the extra distance is good for the pedometer.) 

I arrive at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl having missed the Dead Daisies, Spiderbait and Grinspoon but in time for a little bit of music history – the final concert performance by Wolfmother.  It doesn’t mean the current version of the band is to split.  Rather, as Andrew Stockdale is the sole surviving original member, he has decided to retire the band name and go under his own.  As usual they perform a tight 45 minute set incorporating their best known material and a couple of new tunes.

Gig # 702 – Aerosmith – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne

A lengthy visual extravaganza ends with an explosion, the formation of the famed wings logo and lots of smoke.  Steve Tyler and Joe Perry emerge from the mist, larger than life.  Perry heads to the walkway extending into the audience and doffs his hat whilst Tyler counts off the band into the opener, Love In An Elevator.  The sound is mightily impressive and the famed guitar interplay between Perry and Brad Whitford is already apparent even though they barely cross each other’s path during the entire show.  Yet the true momentum of the band ultimately rests with Joey Kramer whose massive beats come with seemingly little effort.  He has a different partner on bass as Tom Hamilton is sadly absent, presumably as he recovers from another bout of cancer. Tyler, a true rock star, is in fine form and his voice shows no real signs of age.

Elevetor immediately gives way to a frantic version of Toys In The Attic setting the tone for a show neatly balanced between the pre and post comeback catalogues.  A solid version of Jaded from Just Push Play is followed by Oh Yeah! from the latest album which is received well by the crowd. 

The first of the bands mega ballads – Cryin’ and Livin’ On The Edge, both the only tracks from Get A Grip – are next and each is consumed by the audience in a mass communal sing-along.    Rocks’ Last Child is a canny inclusion only for the audience to erupt when the first lines of Janie’s Got A Gun begin.  This is followed by another intriguing inclusion, a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Stop Messin’ Around which gives the band a chance to play the blues “as they do in Boston”, for Tyler to have a break and for Perry to exercise his vocal cords.   It is very impressive.

Tyler returns for the cheesy ballad I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing.  Yet the reaction this provokes is absolutely massive.  Any man with a girl and a beer seems to be singing along with his other arm around his beloved (i.e the girl, not the beer).  Even the members of the support acts, perched in the VIP area above me seem to be singing along.  No More No More from Toys In The Attic proves to be another canny inclusion.  Pump’s What It Takes starts awkwardly with Tyler acapella but evolves into a fine band performance.

Then comes arguably the performance of the night in the guise of their wonderful cover (originally recorded for the disastrous Bee Gees/Peter Frampton Sgt. Pepper’s movie) of The Beatles Come Together.  Tyler’s vocals are spot on and Perry’s guitar work is full of the menace that characterised the original recording.  Dude (Looks Like A Lady) and Walk This Way provided a memorable end to the main set, with the latter distinguished by a couple of kids the band found earlier in the day performing outside their hotel, performing 80s style breakdancing that provided a nod of sorts to Run D.M.C.

The encore was reserved for magnificent renditions for their two biggest ballads – Dream On and Sweet Emotion.  The latter had Tyler playing a piano over a sea of fog and the latter built up nicely into some fine guitar work.  The show was supposed to end at this point, but Perry pointed out that 5 minutes remained until the 10pm curfew and it would be a shame to waste it.  The band then cranked out a brutal version of Train Kept A Rollin’ – knowing exactly how to cut it short to fit the time limitation - to send all the diehards like me home very happily indeed. 

It was a damn fine show and worth the 23 years of grumbling about missing the 1990 tour.   Although that show showcased the Pump and Permanent Vacation albums, this was probably the one for fans of their entire history to have seen.  I probably wouldn’t have gone this time round if I’d seen that show, so I guess I was ultimately rewarded by fate.

Oh yes, and another act off my concert bucket list.

27 April 2013 (Day 117) – Gigs and Fate

Most of the time, I attend gigs because I’m a fan of the act.  Occasionally, I’ve gone out of curiosity, most recently a couple of years back to see whether the staging of the U2 360  Degrees Tour could possibly outdo ZooTV (musically, a definite and surprising yes; stagewise, almost but not quite).  Sometimes I’ve gone because I had an inkling the act might be a completely different proposition live compared to on record, which definitely was the case with Extreme.   On rare instances I’ve been persuaded to see an act of which I’d never heard.  Many thanks are due here to my mate Mulder for persuading me to see a “Texan bluesman” on his debut Australian tour who turned out to be Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble.  

But I’ve never really thought about those occasions where I’ve chosen not to see an act I love.  In the years since my marriage the reason has been fairly obvious; I didn’t want to leave “M” alone at home.  She hasn’t exactly told me not to go, but I do feel guilty on the occasions I’ve gone nonetheless.  And yet on the times I have gone, one of the comments I’ve frequently made after getting home was, “You know what, I think you would have liked that.”  Of course, that’s being wise after the event, but I’ve always regretted not taking her to see Randy Newman with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra a couple of years back and only God knows why I didn’t take decisive action last year and get tickets for us to see Lyle Lovett.

Before “M” entered my life there were basically only four reasons why I’ve decided not to see an act.  Rising ticket prices only became a factor in the year or two before I met her, and even then not many acts suffered, with the exception of k.d Lang whose shows had been fairly pricey.  Strangely enough, the time I saw her two years back was with “M” lying on the grassed area at the Myer Music Bowl and the ticket price turned out to be cheaper than her previous tours.   As I’ve gotten older, I also started to shy away from midweek shows in pubs as the relatively late starting times were beginning to adversely affect me at work the following day.  And then there have been some acts that I feared might be too sterile live and deliver performances that might not vary much from their recorded versions.  I know that this was my major reason for not seeing Steely Dan and, after years of yearning for them to come, Roxy Music. 

But the major reason has been fate of which there are two manifestations. The first is the dreaded cancellation, such as changing travel plans in Europe to get to the San Siro in Milan to see the Stones in 1998 only to discover the gig had been postponed that morning until months afterwards due to, I think, a Mick Jagger sore throat (or was it the time Keith fell at home returning a book to his library?).  Back home, I've twice held tickets on different tours to Willie Nelson shows that were cancelled and I also had to get a refund on a Camper Van Beethoven gig in 1990 because the band broke up.  (They've since reformed and still haven't made it here.)  And, of course, there has been times when I've  bought tickets and had to cancel due to ill health or other factors including a Beasts Of Bourbon gig at the Punters Club that was recorded, Los Lobos' return to Melbourne a few years back after a 20 year absence and Bob Dylan's fine Rod Laver Arena show in 2001. 

Then there are those terrible instances where an act you love comes and something prevents you from going.  There have been some terrible clashes; the night I attended the aforementioned the sole k.d Lang gig (and a very enjoyable one it was, by the way) clashed with the first Harvest Music Festival with Portishead, Mercury Rev, Mogwai and many more.   In 2006, (I think) I missed a Dylan/Patti Smith double bill, in 1990 a Lonnie Mack gig and, last year, The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary tour with Brian Wilson due to overseas travel.  Almost every one of the acts I've missed due to overseas travel has been overcome with the passage of time and a return tour by the act in question with the exception of Mack and one other act.  (I'm assuming here The Beach Boys tour was a one off and will never be replicated; I have no interest in seeing them without Brian.)

That other exception has been American hard rock icons Aerosmith.  Their first Australian tour was in 1990 in support of the mighty Pump album.  Cruelly, their final night at Rod Laver Arena was whilst I was airborne on route home at the end of a three month backpacking odyssey.   But time did not heal this wound because they never returned.  So you can imagine how I felt earlier this year when an Australian Tour was announced ……. only to find that the Rod Laver Arena date clashed with an engagement I could not cancel.  I thought it was fate, but about 3 weeks ago I received an email at work indicating a presale for a Music Bowl performance on 29 April.  I quickly logged on and got a tenth row seat.  (Naturally fate mocked me a week ago when I received another email with a special offer to get seats at half price but that’s another story.)

And so tonight I’ve off to the footy curious to see if my Doggies could compete with a rampant Geelong.  No one gives us a chance.  They perform bravely but some truly bizarre umpiring decisions and a lack of composure by some youngsters at key points deny us victory.  The night’s stadium playlist is:

1.       Silverchair – Straight Lines (pre game)
2.       MUSE - ?? (pre game)
3.       AC/DC – It’s A Long Way To The Top (pre game)
4.       The Church – The Unguarded Moment (quarter time)
5.       Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Pump It Up (half time)

On the way to and from the ground, I excitedly, ahem,  pump out:

(# 320) Aerosmith – Permanent Vacation (1987)

Very few bands have managed to pull off as spectacular a comeback as Aerosmith.  Although Done With Mirrors came beforehand, this was the album which made everyone stand up and take notice.  It was set up by an opening trio of hard rock gems – Heart’s Done Time (with an intro that gives each member a chance to (re)announce themselves), Magic Touch and Rag Doll.  The since omnipresent Dude (Looks Like A Lady), Girl Keeps Coming Apart, the title track and a killer version of The Beatles I’m Down continued in this vein, Hangman Jury provided a good mid tempo number and Angel was a solid though slightly cheesy ballad.  But, even more importantly, it set the scene for Pump, worldwide domination and, two and half decades later, a gig it turns out I was fated to see after all.

26 April 2013 (Day 116) – Albums By Living Heritage Acts

As expected, it was a very quiet day at work.  Fortunately Jack is in to prevent complete isolation and we put our respective heads down and have incredibly productive days.  

When I look back at today’s listening, I realise that every act I played is on the touring circuit today and have been in existence for at least 25 years.  For this reason I regard them as heritage acts. I don’t intend this to be a derogatory term implying an act now well past its prime.  Indeed two of the artists here are producing music as every bit as vital as those works for which they’ll be forever remembered.  Instead I see the term as suggesting these are acts which today have a tangible connection back to, and thus can evoke, a particular time and place in music history.

I’ve never had a problem with acts pursuing a lengthy career.  After all, most of the forms of music I like are no more that 60-80 years of age and in some fields, especially rock, I think the rule book as to what’s appropriate is still evolving as the industry changes.  (Although I do wish on occasion that 60+ year old heavy metal rockers stop wearing spandex.) In any case, slagging off a band as being too old in the tooth was basically one of the early record industry predatory practices.  Industry pioneers saw rock and roll primarily as something that could only appeal to a) teenagers with disposable incomes who, b) they could exploit through promoting a never ending parade of sweet, young and easily exploitable (financially  and sexually) things before c) they got wise to the world and d) their supposed limited shelf life of popularity ended. 

Whilst it is true that some acts, then and now, have had short spans of popularity, a fortunate few have, for varying reasons, been carried along by the fans of their generation for lengthy and ultimately profitable careers.  In many instances, a number of these acts are seen as survivors in having overcoming exploitative record and publishing contracts, substance abuse problems, possible personality conflicts (for bands obviously) and periods of either record company or audience indifference.  Indeed the great bulk of these acts have learnt to survive without needing to be wholly dependent, if at all, on a record company.  These are the acts that have learnt there is far more money to be had by ignoring record companies and their mantra of the record – release – tour every x years or so by going on the road every year and recording only occasionally.  After all, the whole point of being a musician is to play music publicly and far greater money can be reasonably expected to be generated that way as well.  Put another way they have learnt the simplest lesson of all – that the recording of music and the releasing of albums is something that should be subservient to the act of playing live and not the other way round.  And if the band has some form of world wide following, there will always be any number of places in the world were a healthy concert turn out can be guaranteed in any given year.  No doubt it is this realisation that has resulted in so many bands reforming over the last 5 years or so.

The growth of internet has also been a factor as many acts have also realised that they can record and release music to the hard core fans without even needing a record company.  If a self produced album takes off via this way of marketing so much the better as the record companies can then fight amongst themselves for the privilege of promoting and distributing the recording, which is probably what they should have been limited to doing in the first place.  (How the record industry ever convinced acts that it was their own responsibility to finance records, videos, etc – in other words, take most of the financial risk – is a book I’d love to read.  I mean, if a Hollywood studio botches the selection, production or advertising of a blockbuster, does it demand its lead actors to repay their fees?) The real canny acts, such as Pearl Jam or Metallica, also make recordings of all their live shows for internet sale as aural souvenirs and as a means of overcoming bootleggers.

And so onto my first act;

(# 315) The Meters – Fire On The Bayou (1975)

The Meters reformed in 1989 and during the 90’s renamed themselves as The Funky Meters.  This is easily the best of the 5 Meters albums I bought recently, a sophisticated mix of New Orleans sounds and a no frills Allen Toussaint production.  Instrumentals have been largely ditched except for the lengthy and largely featureless jazz/music of Middle Of The Road (the title really says it all), the album’s sole low point.  The rest of the album, with Cyril Neville joining Art Neville in the band, contains the smooth funky sounds of what ultimately evolved into the mighty Neville Brothers.  The title track (destined to be reworded as the title track of a Neville Brothers album),  Out In The Country, Liar and Mardi Gras Mambo all stand out.

(# 316) The Meters – Kickback (recorded 1975/6; released 2000)

Although a sticker on the jewel case spruikes this as “the great lost Meters album”, the liner notes appear to point out that this is a compilation of previously unrealised tracks recorded around the time of Fire On The Bayou and its successor Trick Bag.  With the exception of the seriously funky He Bite Me, a case probably could not be made for the inclusion of any of the original tracks on these albums.  The area of greatest interest here is the raft of cover versions that have been included.  The Beatles Come Together has a nicely judged Rolling Stones Black And Blue era feel to it, as is Honky Tonk Women.  A “Rock And Roll Medley” including Rockin’ Pheumonia is fun, Hank Williams Jambalaya is extremely funky and Love The One You’re In is fine depending on how you view the lyrics. (I think the lyric is meant to mean "love thy neighbour" but it literally sounds like "fxxk" thy neighbour".)  A full length version of Neil Young’s Down By The River is more problematical.  The slickness here rather puts it at odds with the rawness of its author’s interpretations.

(# 317) Bob Dylan – Tempest (2012)

Bob’s voice these days is increasingly sounding more like Tom Waits’ than his own.  I can only image the strain it’s placed under by these incredibly wordy songs.  (The gruesome vocal start to Pay In Blood in particular almost defies description.) Having said that, this is probably Bob’s best album since Oh Mercy! in terms of matching his songs to music and overall production values. Duguesne Whistle, Soon After Midnight and Pay In Blood all have brilliant melodies and performances to match.  Scarlet Town is a superior ballad, Early Roman Kings is effectively a rewrite of Mannish Boy and Tin Angel sounds like a cheap crime novel gloriously put to music. Unfortunately the title track, about the Titanic, is probably a bit too long to sustain either the story or the music.

(# 318) Robert Plant And The Strange Sensation – Mighty Rearranger (2005)

This is a glorious album in which Plant, for the first time, was truly able to reconcile his interests in new world music against his hard rock past.  The epitome of this is Tin Pan Alley, easily the high water mark of his solo career which achieves the perfect 50/50 balance.  The title track has some nice rockabilly touches whilst Another Tribe and Let The Four Winds Blow are wonderfully constructed. Unbelievably, the successor, Band Of Joy is even better which makes his decision to largely forego tracks from either album in favour of reworked Zep numbers at his recent going here all the more mystifying.

(# 319) The Charlatans – “Live It Like You Love It” (2002)

Easily the most underrated of all the Britpop bands, and just about the only one that hasn’t broken up at some stage, The Charlatans have carved out an impressive catalogue with their version of British alternative rock.  I see them as a sort of Oasis wrapped up in dense keyboards.  This is their live album which is aptly subtitled “The Best Of The Charlatans Live”.  None of the versions here stray too much from their studio originals but with tracks such as Love Is The Key, The Only one I know, Impossible and North Country Boy there really is no need to do so.  A magnificent version of Sproston Green from the first album caps things off nicely. 

25 April 2013 (Day 115) – ANZAC Day

Try as I might, I find it difficult to conceive of playing music on this day.  When I do, I hold true to the general spirit of the day and wait until after Midday.  But by then, “M” and I decide to take advantage of the absolutely glorious, when will this ever end weather and go on a long stroll.

By the time I get back, I don’t feel like doing much and listen to a couple of albums before drifting off for a nice nap starting with;

(# 313) Ann Peebles – Original Funk Soul Sister. The Best Of Ann Peebles (2006)

Ann Peebles was on the same label, Hi Records, during the glory years of label mate Al Green.  As the liner notes for this compilation points out, she was the undisputed Queen to Green’s King.  And it’s easy to see why.  This compilation contains a  number of absolutely first rate soul numbers including the tracks which made her reputation -  I Can’t Stand The Rain, 99 Lbs and I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down.  The rest is of a pretty high calibre with the wonderfully heartfelt I Still Love You, Crazy About You Baby and Come To Mama standing out.

(# 314) The Doors – L.A. Woman (1971)

I have never been able to decide on a favourite Doors album seemingly unable to decide between their debut, Morrison Hotel or this.  One thing that I’ve always been clear about is the power of their music especially when Jim Morrison sings straight forward rock songs rather than enunciating poetry set to music.  For an album frequently acknowledged as a classic, only the magnificent title track , the single Love Her Madly and the splendid Riders On The Storm, are routinely acknowledged as among this band’s best work.  The status of the album comes from the consistent high quality of the remainder.  The Changeling is a very effective opener; Been Down So Long and their cover of John Lee Hooker’s Crawling King Snake are convincing attempts at the blues and Cars Hiss By My Window is suitably atmospheric.

But in the main, today has been one to reflect and take things easy especially with a return to work tomorrow.

24 April 2013 (Day 114) – Defying Expectations

One of the hardest days to navigate during the work year is the day before a mid-week public holiday.  I usually give into the temptation to push very hard - after all l‘ve got the following day to recover - but not so hard that the holiday itself is wasted.  Making things harder is that, unlike a significant proportion of my colleagues, I’ll be returning to work on Friday rather than converting it for an extra long weekend.  Given that the public holiday is Anzac Day, Australia’s day for remembering our war dead, I’ve formed the view this is inappropriate, cheapening the reason for the day off in the first place.

In this sense, it could be said that I’m defying Australian expectations by refusing to take the long weekend. This doesn’t bother me in the slightest.  After all, all Australian business and services, will be operating on Friday and will need to complement of staff to do so.  Yet, by the time I’ve written this introduction, I’ve realised the music I listened to throughout the day – chosen primarily because I needed something contemplative to assist in a variety of writing tasks -  all defy musical mainstream expectations in some form or other.  I started with an act with a long history of defying the expectations of his audience even if they haven’t realised it:

(# 309) The Fireman – Rushes (1998)

Expectation: Since the breakup of The Beatles, Paul McCartney has travelled down the middle of the road revealing John Lennon to be the true visionary in the band.

The Fireman is a duo comprising McCartney and former Killing Joke bassist and present day record producer Youth.  This was the second album together and consists of largely instrumental ambient electronica interwoven, at times, over some of McCartney’s sound collages.  McCartney’s name does not appear anywhere on the package and only a few snatches of his unmistakeable vocals in a couple of the tracks gives his involvement away.  It is an exquisite album full of tracks whose titles usually provide an accurate description as to its contents.  Opener Watercolour Guitars takes delicate guitars and bleeds them brilliantly into the following Palo Verde.  Bison effortlessly evokes the sound of these animals in the wild and 7 a.m. has a very Germanic feel.  Most critics over the years have praised Fluid, but after years of listening, it is still to make an impression.  Perhaps this might be the reason why the track has been often remixed by The Fireman and Others.

(# 310) Serge Gainsbourg – Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971)

Expectation:  How can anybody not fluent in the language receive a concept album in French?

Well, quite easily actually.  All you need to know is the album tells a Lolita story that occurs after Serge’s middle aged character crashes into teenager Melody Nelson’s bicycle.  Then treat it is as though you’re listening to a real, albeit short (27 minute), opera and the experience should be more or less the same.  (And yes, it has a big finish.) Even if you have no interest in the entire work, the opening cut, Melody, is simply staggering. A mixture of lush orchestration, slashing guitar lines, a jazzy rhythm and Serge’s unmistakeable voice it should be heard at least once by anyone with an interest in modern music.  You’ll also be able to hear in it sounds that emerged 30 years later in acts such as Portishead and Air.

(# 311) Various Artists – So Frenchy, So Chic (2005)

Expectation: Surely you cannot produce a great compilation of French pop music?

Of course you can …… and please stop calling me Surely.  This is the original release of what has become an Australian record industry tradition; the annual release of a compilation of French pop tunes somehow connected to a French film festival.  This first attempt was massively successful and, judging from some of successors which I’ve heard, is undoubtedly the best.  This starts with a lovely ballad by Helena called Nee Dans La Nature. A couple of tracks along comes Qui De Nous Deux by M (not the M of Pop Muzik fame) featuring some terrific guitar work.  It directly leads into spoken word/otherwise instrumental Tu M’Intrigues by General Electric which sounds to these non-French speaking ears, exactly what the title appears to describe. Of the remainder, Daniel Darc’s La Pluie Qui Tombe and Kana’s Plantation (the latter an attempt at French reggae) stand out although the quality of the tracks overall is consistently high.  The album ends on a wonderful note with Sebastien Tellier’s La Ritournelle, a smooth drums and piano instrumental that is reminiscent of some of Bruce Hornsby’s earlier work.

(# 312) Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother (1970)

Expectation: It’s after Syd and before Meddle and so it must be rubbish.

Sure this sort of holds for some of the albums they released during this period (have you listened to the second disc of Ummagumma recently?) but not this one.  The album released before Meddle, this contains traces of the direction they would locate on its successor.  For the most part, it’s quite an enjoyable album, provided you’re prepared to broaden your notions of what to expect on a Floyd album.  The main item here is the 24 minute title track on which the main musical element is a choir.  Richard Wright’s keyboards, the dominant Floyd element, are intricately woven around this and David Gilmour’s guitars, largely muted, are allowed a couple of minutes around the middle of the track.  Of the remainder, Roger Water’s If is an OK ballad and Gilmour’s Fat Old Sun even better. (A version of this appeared on his Live In Gdansk album a few years back.) Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast is a curio that could only have been recorded at that time; music played by Floyd punctuated with breaks for consuming breakfast.

23 April 2013 (Day 113) – Chrissy Amphlett

I wake up this morning and find every major media outlet is reporting on the death of Chrissy Amphlett.  Every report I see or hear is overwhelmingly positive about her talent and overall contribution to the Australian music industry.  "M" had only known her through the I Touch Myself single, which was a hit in her homeland, and I spent breakfast explaining to her why this is a great loss.  

Make no mistake Amphlett is the only female rock singer of any consequence this country has produced.  As the lead vocalist of the Divinyls she was, with just a couple of exceptions, almost the only female of any consequence during the great pub band explosion of the 1980s.  None of that era’s major acts – Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel, INXS, Hunters & Collectors, The Hoodoo Gurus, Split Enz, The Church, The Sports, Mental As Anything, Died Pretty, The Beasts Of Bourbon, Mondo Rock, Men At Work, Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls/Messengers, Dragon, Mi-Sex among many others – had women in their bands.  (Moreover, only INXS used female backing singers, and even then on occasion, in live performance.)  Bands with female members – The Go-Betweens, The Triffids and The Moodists/Dave Graney and The White Buffaloes – spent the great bulk of the decade in London where mixed gender, or indeed all female bands were more plentiful.  Back home, the Divinyls and Chrissy basically had only Do Re Mi (led by Deborah Conway), The Eurogliders (with Grace Knight) and I’m Talking (with Kate Ceberano) for company.  Every other mixed gender band – The Clouds, The Hummingbirds, The Baby Animals, Magic Dirt, even the version of The Black Sorrows with Linda and Vika Bull, and many, many others – were formed in the wake of these bands. 

But with the greatest respect to Do Re Mi, whose Conway penned songs were then too confrontationally feminist to attract sustained mainstream success, The Eurogliders, a more traditional pop band that lasted only for a few years in its original incarnation and I’m Talking, a pioneering funk/dance band in era when Australians wanted to rock, it was the Divinyls and Amphlett in particular that was able to win over and sustain a mass audience.  Chrissy did this by constructing a persona, the wild rock chick dressed in a school uniform which punters immediately associated with another wildman, AC/DC’s Angus Young.  But this would not have succeeded without her voice –strong and breathy and reminiscent in some ways of Renee Geyer, just about her only available local role model – which suggested a confident and assertive yet, at times, vulnerable woman.  The liberal deployment of a sneering tone and “oy’s” simultaneously suggested that she could be accepted on equal terms as one of the boys.

This might partially explain why she never made a solo album.  The Divinyls were less a band but more a duo between Chrissy and Mark McEntee on lead guitar.   They made for an intriguing combination on stage – Chrissy usually projecting far more menace than her on stage foil – and as such they were a phenomenal live act who could more than hold their own against any other act.  I never missed an opportunity to see them live with the exception of their final reunion tour and never saw a dud show.  They were one of the few – if not the only – local band I ever saw who never shared a double bill with another major local act from the era.  Perhaps other bands realised the futility of doing do.  Joan Jett And The Blackhearts gamely gave it a try for one Australian tour but, at the show I saw, were comprehensively blown off the stage by the main act.

And yet, despite the overwhelming positive nature of the reportage about her legacy, it would appear that the merit of The Divinyls catalogue is not so clear.  The compilers of The 100 Best Australian Albums a couple of years ago, for example, could not find a spot for any of their albums, an extraordinary decision considering Amphlett’s status in Australia’s music history and McEntee’s brilliance as a guitarist.  In some respects I can understand this as their albums weren’t always sequenced all that well;  the first three albums are all frontloaded by the successful singles from it making them sound a bit like singles compilations plus filler.  Even more incredibly has been the failure of the industry to release a live recording that comes even close to documenting their live work.  Divinyls Live is a slipshod affair marred by an appalling sequencing of tracks which in no way reflects a typical gig.

But the day demanded I pay my respects and whilst I would have preferred to listened to a primo live performance, settled for their first three albums;

(# 304) Divinyls – Desperate (US edition) (1983)

The first Divinyls release was the Music From Monkey Grip mini album.  The original Australian relase of Desperate did not include these tracks.  The US version which I have currently brings together some tracks from both releases.  Whoever did this deserves to be shot.  Elsie – a superb vehicle for McEntee’s guitar playing – does not contain the instrumental reprise from Monkey Grip and Desperate’s original – and wholly appropriate – opener, a cover of The Easybeats’s I’ll Make You Happy, is inexplicably relegated to the final track at the expense of explosive Don’t You Go Walking.  The frontloading of singles began here with the albeit magnificent combination of Boys In Town, Only Lonely (both from Monkey Grip), Science Fiction and Siren (Never Let You Go).  Hopefully, there will be a reissue one day that places Monkey Grip and Desperate on the one disc which would automatically become the definitive Divinyls studio release.

(# 305) Divinyls – Temperamental (1988)

This was their third full length album, and probably their best album, front loaded this time with the title track, Back To The Wall, Hey Little Boy (a cover of a 60’s American hit called Little Boy) and the tough ballad Punxsie.   There are some gems buried in the remaining tracks, including Fight which has a feel not unlike that found on Keith Richards’ solo albums, Better Days, the sleazy Dirty Love and Runaway Train on which McEntee gets his guitar to sound like bagpipes.

(# 306) Divinyls – What A Life! (1985)

Although this was their second full length album, I kept it till last.  It’s led off by the wonderful Pleasure And Pain (the title of Amphlett’s 2005 autobiography), Sleeping Beauty, Good Die Young and the magnificent Guillotine Day, a reliable highlight of their shows from this point onwards. My Diary ends the album today on a poignant note but it’s In My Life that is the standout.  In my view the absolute high water mark of their career, it contains the perfect match of a never better Amphlett vocal over a careening McEntee guitar what is practically a solo from most of the last two minutes of the tune.  Remember them this way.

After that I tried to think of artists directly inspired by them and, completely forgetting about The Baby Animals until I started writing this posting, landed on:

(# 307) Magic Dirt – Friends In Danger (1996)

In my mind, Magic Dirt’s Adalita Srsen is the modern version of Chrissy Amphlett.  Like Chrissy, Adalita was born in Geelong, formed Magic Dirt with a male (bass) guitarist Dean Turner with whom she was romantically involved for a while and whose first release was also a mini album.  Also a dominant presence on state to the exclusion of her band mates, Adalita exudes the same type of confidence and vulnerability but without needing to go to the extremes that Amphlett probably needed to go.  The similarities end there.  Their first full length album, Friends In Danger, is an uncompromising alternative album featuring a number of tracks with slow and loud guitars and songs like that summed up on the aptly titled Heavy Business.  The highlight is the 8 minute dirge Bodysnatcher which appears to deal with child abuse allow with the much more accessible Sparrow. 

(# 308) The Go-Betweens – Spring Hill Fair (1984)

I played this largely in tribute to the band’s Lindy Morrison who was the drummer on all of their key albums in their first stint up to their first break up in 1989.  This was their third album and the one which immediately foreshadowed the magnificent albums that were to follow – Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express, Tallulah and 16 Lovers Lane.   More, importantly, this was the first Go-Between album I purchased having been taken largely on the strength of its singles Bachelor Kisses, and Man O’Sand To Girl O’Sea as well as You Never Lived and the beautiful Draining The Pool For You.

22 April 2013 (Day 112) –Black and White

With my one day weekend over, I returned to work in need of a pep up. Making things worse, today marks the start of a work walking challenge where we all try to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day.  I had intended to start in a blaze of glory and arrive armed with a significant figure on the pedometers with which we’ve been supplied.  Instead, I arrive bleary eyed and wanting more sleep. 

I look to my iPod for solace and scroll through my options and settle on:

(# 300) Long Beach Dub Allstars – Right Back (1999)

This band was formed by the remaining members of Sublime after the death of their frontman Bradley Nowell.  Considering that band’s brilliant mix of punk, ska, reggae and dub, few would have predicted much for this offshoot.  And yet this is a far more accessible and musical album than anything Sublime ever produced.  The same mix of styles is present but the key ingredient was in inviting a number of guest artists to perform vocal duties including reggae stars Barrington Levy and Tippa Irie and Bad Brains’ H.R.  Levy’s two tracks Righteous Dub and Saw Red (She’s Mine) bookend the album which is further consolidated by the clever deployment of non musical samples throughout.

(#301) Wingless Angels – Volume 1 (1997)

I had never heard of this band until I read about them in Keith Richards’ autobiography.  Basically, he met reggae musician Justin Hinds who introduced to a number of other musicians resulting in this very relaxed album.  Most of the tracks appear to be Rastafari songs/chants with a couple of additional well known tracks (an almost unrecognisable We Shall Overcome and the best version I’ve ever heard of that Jamaican standard, Rivers Of Babylon) thrown in.  All of the musicians involved contribute to the vocal work creating a sort of Rastafarian choir.  Keith’s voice is recognisable in the midst of this along with the crickets chirping in the background on some of the quieter cuts.

(#302) Damien Marley – Welcome To Jamrock (2005)

Damien is the son of Bob Marley and his girlfriend Cindy Breaksphere, a former Miss World.  This album, his third, is the one which put him on the map musically and is generally regarded as one of the finest reggae albums released since the death of Damien’s father.  Seemingly aware of this, Damien samples Bob’s Exodus to great effect on Move!  He also keeps things within the (step)family with a number of telling contributions by Stephen Marley and a spoken word intro by Bunny Wailer on opening cut Confrontation.  The title track, which addresses his crime riddled home country, is a powerful political statement.

(#303) Sly & The Family Stone – The Woodstock Experience (recorded 1969/released 2009)

It took 40 years for the band’s finest 45 minutes – their performance at Woodstock – to be finally granted a complete release.  (My version is a two disc affair with the second disc being the Stand! Album.) Actually, make that their finest 30 minutes; the show takes a couple of tracks to really get going although this might be due to the poor sound that Sly complains about at one point.  By the time they get to Everyday People, they’ve hit top gear.  Dance To The Music, Music Lover/Higher, I Want To Take You Higher and Love City create an momentum which simply never lets up and has the audience eating out of their hand.  An encore of Stand! – great though it is – seems scarcely appropriate.

This selection certainly did the trick and kept me going through the day.  After I got home, I wrote up my post and after publishing it decided to catch up on the news.  It was then I heard about the death of Chrissy Amphlett, undoubtedly the greatest female rocker this country has ever produced. 

I go to bed knowing, for once, what I’ll be listening to tomorrow.

20 & 21 April 2013 (Days 110-1) – Work and Charro!

It was the weekend that wasn’t.  I worked on Saturday in circumstances that made listening to music impossible.  By the end of the day all I wanted to do was curl up in bed but “M” and I headed off for dinner at her sister’s.  I didn’t have much of an agenda for Sunday other than to spend it with “M”.  Fortunately, the AFL came to the party and scheduled The Bulldogs to play interstate.  So I took “M” off to town for church and an equally heavenly seafood platter for lunch.

Eventually we made our way home and I settled in to watch the game.  It became fairly obvious, fairly early that we were going to cop a hiding.  With “M” dozing off, I flicked stations and came across the last 30 minutes of the Elvis Presley flick Charro!

Ah! Entertainment at last!  My father’s love of the big E had ensured that I’d seen just about every Presley film in my youth.  I hadn’t seen Charro! probably because it was just about the only film of his in which he didn’t sing during his performance.  (He apparently sings the song that played over the opening credits.)  I watched the film through to its conclusion and felt none the wiser as to what I’d just seen.  The plot went something like this:

Elvis appears to be a Sheriff who has a dude locked up. The dude’s brother has a canon which his mates are firing on the town in a bid to have him released. I know this because the dude's brother is also in town making the same demand.  The townsfolk are also making the same demand unhappy their homes and businesses are being blown to smithereens. But Elvis doesn’t release the dude.  He also doesn’t arrest the brother who leaves town without being attacked by the townsfolk.  Elvis then takes the dude to the gang and cannon and, under the cover of darkness with only a split rock for cover, manages to kill off the rest of the gang except for the brother.  The dude, who Elvis had handcuffed to a bush, is killed by the runaway cannon, as you do.  The following morning, Elvis, the canon and the brother leave town together, waved off by grateful townsfolk and, it would appear, the town’s madame for whom Elvis will send. 

Afterwards I hit the net and found the plot of the movie.  Apart from being a deputised Sheriff, I find that my description holds up pretty well.  But I did discover the role Elvis played was originally meant for Clint Eastwood and was supposed to be an American version of a spaghetti western.  Armed with his chiselled good looks and block of wood acting style, Elvis would have been the perfect choice.  Unfortunately the script changed dramatically between signing up and the start of production with lots of violence and sex cut out.  It’s a pity.  Given that the movie was made around the same time as his 69 comeback special, I suspect he thought this was going to reclaim his image.  I think it was Peter Guralnick in his two volume bio who made the claim that the 69 Special was all Elvis' idea and had to fight his manager Colonel Tom Parker tooth and nail to get his way.   I wonder whether The Colonel was at work behind the scenes and used his influence to neuter the film.

Having confirmed that The Doggies had been embarrassed with Adelaide winning by 52 points and keeping us to a very small score, there was time to play a couple of albums by acts I’ll be seeing at the ATP gig in October:

(# 298) Sleep – Holy Mountain (1992)

Apparently this album is regarded as a landmark album in the development of the stoner rock movement.  It contains the mighty rhythm section of Al Cisneros and Chris Haikus who would go on to form acclaimed doom rockers Om augmented by the guitar work of Matt Pike.  Together they make an unholy racket underpinned by strong thick audible bass lines.  This is heard to great effect on the opener Dragonaut, the epic Evil Gypsy/Solomon’s Theme and the 10 minute From Beyond.  My version also contains a suitably heavy and respectful cover of Black Sabbath’s Snowblind.

(# 299) The Jesus Lizard – Show (1994)

Noise + rhythm + crazed frontman = The Jesus Lizard, a band from Texas that has produced some of the most enjoyable confrontational music ever produced.  The key is charismatic frontman David Yow whose unhinged stage persona is the perfect match for their similarly demented tunes.  The best way to experience and appreciate the band is live and Show, recorded at legendary CBGBs in New York, is an adequate document.  Essentially a best of set drawn from their first four albums, it commences with the memorable one-two punch of Glamorous and Deaf As A Bat delivered with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.  Later on, the crazed country number Nub gives way to Elegy – the closest thing they have to a tender moment on record – which Yow dedicates to his parents in the audience which is inappropriately followed up with a nice ol’ditty called Killer McHann.  The run home, Fly On The Wall with its sleazy bass line, Puss, Gladatior, Wheelchair Epidemic and Monkey Trask  is a white knuckle ride.  It’s just a shame they couldn’t fit in Destroy Before Reading.

By the end I get an idea.  David Yow as Elvis Presley in Charro!.  Now THAT's entertainment!

19 April 2013 (Day 109) – Waiting For All Tomorrow’s Parties

So there was I having my morning coffee and going through The Age’s Entertainment section thinking about nothing in particular.  Then my eyes caught the headline -  Television To Play Marquee Moon At ATP.  I stopped in tracks as I read it again.  Television To Play Marquee Moon At ATP.

My pulse quickened.  “Hold on .Youth” I said to myself, “It might not be here.”  Gripping the paper so tightly that I nearly tear it, I read on.  It will be in Melbourne.  In October.  At the Grand Star Reception Centre (and Bingo Hall) in North Altona, no less.  I start to smooth out the paper whilst my paroxysms of joy almost cause me to choke on my coffee.  A colleague asks me what’s happening.  I say, almost in tears,  scarcely believing the words coming out of my mouth.  “Television are coming to play the Marquee Moon album in its entirety”.  My colleague’s response – “Who?” - couldn’t have bought me down to earth faster if I’d tried. 

I didn’t know how to respond.  How to explain that the seminal influence of the New York Punk scene of the late 70s, a legendary live act and the creators of one of the single greatest albums in my collection (i.e Marquee Moon), tracks (i.e Marquee Moon, the title track) and live album (take your pick from The Blow Up or Live At The Old Waldorf) is coming to my humble city  FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER.  Finally a chance to hear the strangled vocals of Tom Verlaine and his spiralling, dizzying guitarscrapes as it duels against that of Richard Lloyd’s or anyone else that Verlaine deigns to be In the band. (I subsequently checked Wikipedia which confirmed that Jimmy Rip has replaced Lloyd in the band.)  But I know that such an explanation wouldn’t clarify matters and so I did the only thing I could do.  I finished my coffee went to my office and, although a busy day awaited, cued up the only album I wanted to hear;

(# 296) Television – Marquee Moon (extended) (1977)

This is the single greatest album of the New York Punk scene.  Today, this is not regarded as an opinion, but accepted wisdom.  Although the great strength of the early releases of the Ramones, Blondie, Richard Hell’s Blank Generation and even Talking Heads ’77 was that anybody could reproduce them, no one even 36 years later has come even close to recreating the intricate magic that resides within the grooves of this album. A simple uncluttered production places the emphasis firmly on the guitar interplay between Verlaine and Lloyd and at the heart of just about every number is illuminated by playing so fiery that it obliterates everything in its path.   The centrepiece is the awesome 10 minute title track with magnificent support from See No Evil, Friction, Elevation, Prove It and Torn Curtain.  My extended version of the album contains alternate versions of a number of tracks but, more importantly, the Little Johnny Jewel single.

Whilst I was playing this, it dawned on me that I hadn’t read the rest of the original album.  On doing so I discovered that not only was this to be Television’s only Victorian show but that admission was  limited to  just 5000 tickets.  Then I noticed who else was on the bill.  The Breeders playing the Last Splash album (only Victorian show), the reformed Jesus Lizard (ditto), Australian alt legends The Scientists, stoner rock originators Sleep, The FXXk Buttons, Lightning Bolt, a tribute of Rowland S Howard curated by Mick Harvey among others with more to be added.  Not bad. 

Within the havoc of the rest of the day, I managed to buy a ticket and play just one more album:

(# 297) The Breeders – Last Splash (1993)

The Breeders was originally a vehicle for the Pixies’ Kim Deal and Throwing Muses’ Tanya Donnelly.  The latter had left to form Belly by the time this album was released and a couple of tracks betray her influence even though Deal wrote all the tracks.  Opener “New Year” is a track full of Pixies lie wonder which segues into the wonderful Cannonball.  With its memorable guitar and bass lines, percussive attack and Deal’s vocals, it was a well deserved global hit.  Divine Hammer was a more than worthy follow up.  The latter tracks on the album are reminiscent of the relatively sparse sound of their debut album Pod. 

18 April 2013 (Day 108) – Artists Only

I’ve never been one for pigeon holing music into genres.  Mainly its because I don’t understand what is meant by most of them.  Sure I’ve used the word “genre” in this blog but only in its broadest application to the basic 20^th century popular music forms.  In plain English, I’m happy for the word “genre” to include: rock, pop, blues, jazz, punk, post-punk, reggae, ska, dub, hard rock, heavy metal, thrash, rap, electronic[a], trance, dance, disco, funk, soul, folk, Americana, country, bluegrass, goth, industrial, prog[ressive], Krautrock (although I despise the term), world and a handful of others. 

These are all genres where I can articulate a difference between them.  If I can’t articulate a difference, I don’t use the term.  Take, for example, hip hop.  Can anyone really explain to me the difference between it and rap?  As I understand it, rap is the musical expression of hip hop culture so why do some parties tag acts as hip hop?  

I also appreciate that there are sub genres but very few are meaningful to me.  Take for example heavy metal.  From what I can understand, thrash is a sub-genre of heavy metal as is death metal, hair metal and the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal.  I use the term thrash because it is basically heavy metal played at a faster tempo with a greater emphasis (or at least it seems to me) on twin guitar attacks and drums.  The other sub-genres mean nothing more connecting acts with something meaningless to me they have in common whether they are Scandinavians preoccupied with death (death metal), British bands that emerged in the late 1970s/early 80’s (the NWoBHM) or crap bands from the American West Coast (hair metal).  Let’s face, irrespective of where they come from or how good they are, they’re still playing metal.

It was against this background that I selected my first album to play today and I noticed a sticker on the cover which read “The 1979 Art-Punk Classic”.  Art-punk? What the hell was that?  It was bad enough that I’d never understood the term Art-Rock.  (I mean what did these acts do to attract such a label? Sculpture while they play? Use cans of paint for drums?  Record the sound of chalk scratching on footpaths whilst reproducing the works of Michelangelo?)  And now there’s a punk version of it. What, did the sculptor bands smash the statues after the gig and sell the limbless remains to the Louvre? Did the chalk artists on Swanston Street or Southgate spit on anyone donating coins for their works of art?  What have I missed?

And so I went on to play the aforesaid classic art-punk album:

(# 292) Tin Huey – Contents Dislodged After Shipment (1979)

Tin Heuy came out of the same Cleveland & region scene that spawned acts such as Pere Ubu, The Dead Boys, etc.  To these ears they sound like a classic punk/new wave act from the 1970s.  Opening track, I’m A Believer is a good piss take of The Monkees original.  Second track, The Revelations Of Dr. Modesto reminded me very much of early Roxy Music.  Third track, I Could Rule The World If I Could Only Get The Parts, reminds me of Devo or Oingo Boingo.  I could go on but you get the idea – a good album of experimental music with humor that appears to be much in the same mould as another contemporary act from that era…

(# 293) Devo – Devo’s Greatest Hits (1990)

For a brief moment in circa 1983/4, Devo became the most popular act in Australia mainly due to their inspired videos for Whip It, Beautiful World and Freedom Of Choice, all great tunes and all accounted for on this compilation.  Even better are the earlier experimental numbers – their awesome reconstruction of The Rolling Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, Jocko Homo, Smart Patrol/Mr DNA  and Gut Feeling.  Add this to other relatively more well known material such as Gates Of Steeel, Girl U Want, Through Being Cool and their reworking of Working In A  Coalmine and you have one unbeatable package.  Keyboards and odd instrumentation are very much to the fore which spurred me on to:

(# 294) Roxy Music – Roxy Music (1972)

Their debut album contained songs by fine arts university graduate Bryan Ferry and unusual instrumentation courtesy of Andy Mackay’s oboe and synthesiser that Brian Eno worked out how to play. This album seems to fit a definition of art rock at least (at least in Devo terms) but, despite the at times unusual instrumentation, the songs have stood the true test of time.  Re-make/Re-model, Ladytron, Viginia Plain and Sea Breezes are all bone fide classics with the band eventually maturing in time to receive mass success in much the same way as:

(# 295) Talking Heads – More Songs About Buildings And Food (1978)

Now we’re getting somewhere.  Three of the four members of the band (leader David Byrne, his nemesis Tina Weymouth and her husband Chris Franz) are graduates from the Rhode Island School Of Design and on this, their second album, they roped in as producer one Brian Eno.  But aren’t they a punk/new wave band?  Anyway, this was the album that really set them on their way to the big time, including their first substantial hit, a marvellous version of Al Green’s Take Me To The River.  The opener, Thank You For Sending Me An Angel was still good enough years later to make it into the Stop Making Sense tour and movie.  The criminally underrated I’m Not In Love was to provide the first hint of the rhythmic structures that were to be unleashed on Remain In Light and other great tracks abound such as The Girls Want To Be With The Girls, The Big Country and Artists Only.

And so am I any wiser?  Not really.  All I can say is that Art-Rock appears to be experimental music played by musicians with a background in art which, therefore, must mean that Art-Punk is Art-Rock played by punks…………

……and which also goes some way to explaining why I hate anything other than the broadest of genre titles.

17 April 2013 (Day 107) – Born With A Tail

I appreciate that the title of today’s posting is a reference to the dark lord Satan.  I am also aware that as I write this post the funeral of Margaret Thatcher has begun in London.  These two statements are not related.

My choice of listening matter today was determined by a package I received in the mail yesterday containing my most recent internet purchase.  It is a double CD set, the first of which I played last night;

(# 290) The Supersuckers – Live At The Hammersmith Apollo & Indigo2, London 2011 (err, 2011)

It is the proud boast of frontman Eddie Spaghetti that The Supersuckers are “The Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the World”.  If you ever seen them on a good night with all guns blazing you wouldn’t dispute it.  This is a classic 4 piece straight ahead rock ‘n roll band (with nods to punk, rockabilly and country) that performs songs almost exclusively about the things true R.O.C.K bands care about – sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, drinkin’, gamblin’ and drivin’, all preferably indulged in the course of a one night stand in your home town when you least expect it.  And it if you don’t like, they don’t care.

But this package doesn’t find them on home turf.  Instead, it finds them on successive nights in London third on the bill behind headliners Thin Lizzy.  If the band is unhappy with this turn of events, they don’t show it; given they cover Lizzy’s Jailbreak live, they probably regarded the gigs as a great honour.  (The set is released by a label called Concert Live which appears to have gained the rights to release a rather eclectic selection of live performances in the UK over the last few years.)

On both discs the band gives it full throttle with little let up in tight 45 minute sets of 11 tracks.  Both shows are constructed – like gigs by most artists these days– around a core of tracks.  These include the kick ass triple threat of Rock & Roll Records (Ain’t Selling This Year), Rock Your Ass and Luck, a newer track called Go!, and set closers Pretty F**ed Up and Born With A Tail.  The remaining tracks varied each night providing other great tunes including The Evil Powers Of Rock ‘N’ Roll, Coattail Rider, How To Maximise Your Kill Count and Creepy Jackalope Eye.   It’s all deceptively simple in its brilliance.

Not that the crowd at The Hammersmith Apollo appear to appreciate it given they are practically silent on the disc.  The Indigo2 crowd, on the other hand, appeared to get it and you get a sense of their reaction improving over the gig.  It really seems to affect the band’s performance; you get a slight sense of the band’s enthusiasm sagging during the first set and gaining strength during the latter.   But, if you want the true Supersuckers live experience get your hands on Live At The Magic Bag Ferndale, Michigan.  I played the first few numbers of this on a rare solo drive home tonight.  I had to switch it off after about 5 tracks because I know I’ll want to play it in full at some point later in the year.   

After I heard the last version of Born With A Tail at work, I decided that my next album should be:

(# 291) Danzig – Danzig (1988)

Danzig’s debut album appears to have been unfairly laboured with associations with the dark side, seemingly based on the cover image and the biblical inspiration accorded to some of the tracks.  A parental advisory sticker on my copy says “STRONG IMPACT coarse language and/or themes” although I do not remember hearing any swearing and didn’t find anything in the lyrical content that would be that confronting.  It only serves to obscure that this is a damn fine album marrying early AC/DC and Metallica sensibilities (the latter’s James Hetfield apparently contributed backing vocals to a couple of tracks) to Glen Danzig’s rough Jim Morrisonesque vocals and Rick Rubin’s sterling production.  In an album without a duff track, Not Of This World, Possession and The Hunter stand out.

And with that, I’m now off to ignore the Thatcher funeral.

16 April 2013 (Day 106) – Uno, Dos, Tre ……..

We woke up this morning to the news of the explosions at the Boston Marathon.  “M” and I barely touched our breakfasts as we took in the news.  But we had to go to work, speculating about the likelihood of terrorism as we went.  The prospect of another frantic day at work basically banished all thoughts of the attack.  I needed shortish albums to accompany my endeavours and I'd taken Green Day’s recent trilogy with me.

I’ve been an on/off Green Day fan over the years.  I was impressed by the youthful brand of punk on Dookie which led me back to a couple of their predecessors.  Whilst they hadn’t attempted anything particularly new, they did so with a verve and style that was admirable.  I then lost track until the release of American Idiot which is a truly great album and one which has possibly not reaped the full range of critical plaudits it deserved.  But, once again, I lost track with subsequent albums until now. 

I have “M”’s teenage niece to thank for reconnecting me to the band.  She had bought the recent albums and, in a moment of bravado whilst listening to her lament a likely inability to see them in concert, I promised to take her to their next gig here.  This will almost certainly be towards the end of this year but dates have yet to be announced. 

And I have a bit to catch up on.   Three albums in a few months by the same act is a reasonably rare occurrence although there have been a number of acts – Guns ‘n’ Roses, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds and Lamchop among others – that have released two albums on the same day.  Personally, I’m not sure why the acts simply didn’t release double albums  - I could discern a justifiable musical distinction between the two Springsteen and Cave discs but not the others -  but I’m pretty sure record company “logic” has something to do with this.  And so to Green Day starting, naturally, with;

(# 287) Green Day – Uno! (2012)

If this album had been released immediately after Dookie, critics would have complained that this was the sound of a band repeating a successful formula.  Since it’s come out more than 15 years later, it can be safely regarded as welcome throwback to less carefree days.  Nuclear Family, Let Yourself Go and Troublemaker are all classic Dookie era sounding Green Day tunes, the band simply thrashing out for the sheer enjoyment of it.  Great pop/punk hybrids like Stay The Night and Oh Love complete the package.

(# 288) Green Day – Dos! (2012)

The best and most ambitious of the tree albums, Dos employs a wide variety of styles.  Wild One and Makeout Party are great straight ahead punk numbers; Baby Eyes contains echoes of The Stray Cats buried just beneath the surface and Wow! That’s Loud contains psychedelic touches of the type that adorns The Hoodoo Gurus best work.  Amy is a nice pop tune to end matters.

(# 289) Green Day – Tre! (2012)

The final album sounds like an outtakes album of the tracks not considered for inclusion in the first two.  Walkaway and Dirty Rotten Bastards are OK.  On the whole it feels slighter in tone and sounds slightly tinnier to the others, suggesting either that it wasn’t fussed over that much.

Now that I’ve finished this posting, I’m going to switch on the television and reconnect with Boston.