11 July 2013 (Day 192) – Jason Molina

After work last night we stopped off at the local supermarket to do some catch up shopping.  I took the opportunity to pop off to an adjoining newsagent to obtain the most recent edition of English music magazine Mojo.  This is their June 2013 edition which was probably published in May.  After dinner and writing that night’s posting, I sat down for a read.

There are many features in Mojo that I really like or, for which I’m at least grateful.  Definitely fitting into the latter are obituaries of individuals who have died since publication of the previous edition.   Now, I’m not one of those people who seeks out obituaries in the daily press and since the Australian mainstream media only tends to highlight music related deaths if the individual concerned was extremely well known (as it was for Ray Manzarek of The Doors recently), a local icon (such as Chrissie Amphlett) or anyone unfortunate enough to die in circumstances (i.e drugs, drink, suicide, etc) allowing for the publication of sensationist reports about the rock and roll lifestyle.  Consequently, I miss out on hearing about the deaths of many worthy acts or figures at the time these occurred and this feature in Mojo keeps me up to date.

And so it was the case last night.  Of all the individuals noted in Mojo, the ones I could recall previously reading in the media here was that of former Mickey Mouseketeer, Annette Funicello and, strangely, original Yes guitarist Peter Banks.  Among others, whose deaths I now discovered were the producer Andy Johns, music critic and Dylan expert Paul Williams and the producer whose surname inspired a band name, Phil Ramone.  But I groaned when I read that Jason Molina had died on 16 March.

Jason Molina was a singer/songwriter who specialised in a folk/country/rock setting, in some respects similar to Neil Young without going to the latter's abrasive extremes, especially when it came to rock.  His songs were often intense and personal, sometimes dark and unsettling but also bright and full of hope.    He had released 18 albums in his lifetime, only three of which were under his own name.  What especially upset me was that he had toured Australian a few years back.  I’d skipped these shows then as they were on rather inconvenient dates, assuming he’ll return.  But now all that’s left are the albums and I knew that I have four on my iPod that forms today’s playlist.

(# 522) Songs:Ohia – Axxess & Ace (1999)

Songs:Ohia was Molina’s first recording entity, basically himself with whatever musicians he surrounded himself.  This album comprises mostly comprises country tinged acoustic tunes augmented by the judicious use of electric instrumentation.  Come Back To Your Man adds mournful violin to brilliant effect and the poignant closer Goodbye Lover is superb.

(# 523) Songs:Ohia – The Lioness (2000)

The Mojo obituary describes this album as “one of the greatest love song/rebound albums of its time” and I’m not going to disagree.  The electrical instrumentation is slightly increased with understated keyboards added to the mix.  Being In Love is a beautiful tune that seems to draw inspiration from some of Will Oldham’s work from the same era and which simultaneously anticipates Bon Iver.  The last few tracks are sparse gems, especially Back On Top and Just A Spark.

(# 524) Songs:Ohia – Magnolia Electric Co. (2003)

The final album released under the Songs:Ohia moniker, this is a very highly regarded album.  It was produced by, of all people, Steve Albini who deftly enables Molina to integrate the full range of traditional country instruments.   The last three tracks are particularly effective.  Peoria Lunch Box Blues is a duet with a female vocalist with a voice quite similar to Joni Mitchell’s, John Henry Split My Heart is dramatic and Hold on Magnolia is a sprawling number that travels at a leisurely pace and reveals much with repeated listening.

(# 525) Magnolia Electric Co. – What Comes After The Blues (2005)

Magnolia Electric Co. was Molina’s other identity, a rock band with a pronounced country influence. Again produced by Albini, the album builds on Magnolia Electric Co (the album.)  The opening track The Dark Don't Hide It notably channels Crazy Horse and Hammer Down is a great ballad that Neil Young could have written or performed.    Leave the City adds a horn making the band sound very similar to Calexico. 

10 July 2013 (Day 191) – The Album Before The ‘Big One’

think I’ve discovered a nice method to determine my playlist for the day.  Pick an album, play it and then find other albums on my iPod that I haven’t played so far this year that can fit a theme.

So far it’s been a relatively simple task.  Buried in my brain are a large number of themes both conscious (i.e the theme has occurred to me but I haven’t acted upon it) and unconscious (i.e the theme dawns on me with the selection of the album).  Today’s theme is a representative example of the latter. If I sat down at a kitchen table with pen and paper and were to write down as many ideas for playlists purely off the top of my head, this one would probably not emerge.  However, once I had to think about a theme to accompany today’s starting point, the theme emerged within 10 – 15 seconds.

Today’s theme acknowledges the album released by major acts that immediately preceded the one that launched the act in question (or, in one instance, a version of an already veteran group) into the stratosphere.  Invariably but not always, the fate of these albums is that they’ve overlooked or, more often, undervalued in appraisals of its merits to the big one and there are certainly some instances of that occurring here.  Some examples of albums that would have fitted this criterion had I not already played them this year include Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger (the one before Superunknown), Nirvana’s Bleach (Nevermind’s screaming baby brother), Talking Heads’ Fear Of Music (the predecessor to Remain In Light) and Pink Floyd’s Meddle (next stop, The Dark Side Of The Room).  In fact, it could almost be argued that Pink Floyd have two candidates, the other being Animals, the often overlooked little brother to The Wall.

Pink Floyd apart, not everyone would necessarily agree with these examples or today’s playlist.  Just looking over the aforesaid examples, I know some would nominate Soundgarden’s Louder Than Love as it was Badmotorfinger that really brought the a measure of popularity.  And some would argue that Fear O Music provided Talking Heads with their first real meal ticket.  I wouldn’t disagree with either view, hence, my concept of the act being launched into the stratosphere.  What I’m getting at here are albums that have established the firm base for the act both commercially and critically; the ones that left them on the precipice of the truly big time; the one before literally the world caught on.

And this leads to some problems in selecting good examples.  Some bands don’t meet the criterion because they hit the bullseye with their debut, The Beatles, The Doors and Pearl Jam, being great examples here.   But what is more problematical are acts which experienced a steady climb to superstardom with any real massive leap in sales.  It is often said, for example, that each R.E.M album up to and including, I think, Out Of Time, doubled the sales figures of its predecessor.  So which was the big one?  Other acts that posed similar problems to me included, The Rolling Stones, U2, Roxy Music, Steely Dan and a great many others.

But I did include:

(# 517) The Red Hot Chili Peppers – Mother’s Milk (1989)

Album number four was their first with both John Frusciante on guitar and Chad Smith on drums.  It is very much a transitional album but which at least moved them away from being regarded as a cult act. Some tracks, especially Subway To Venus, Magic Johnson and Punk Rock Classic are reminiscent of the previous good time party boys.  But the album’s highlights – their wondrous cover of Stevie Wonder’s Higher Ground, the infectious single Knock Me Down, the furious Taste The Pain and their take on Hendrix’s Fire – pointed the way to mega stardom that they were to achieve with the next album BloodSugarSexMagic.

(# 518) Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac (1975)

The first four tracks of this album announced what was in effect the debut of a new band.  Opening track Monday Morning and third track Blue Letter introduced fans to the sunny Californian sounds of new member Lindsey Buckingham and the fourth track, the unforgettable Rhiannon, provided the world with an introduction to Stevie Nicks.  Fortunately for any confused listeners, Christine McVie was still around to provide soothing reassurance with her contribution of the classy trio of Say You Love Me, Over My Head and Warm Ways.  But it was the way the band clicked together on World Turning and the final track I’m So Afraid that one can hear elements The Chain, the track that would provide the glue that held their next album – the multimillion selling Rumours – together.

(# 519) Radiohead – The Bends (1995)

Planet Telex, the title track and High And Dry provided the solid start that indicated Radiohead had already made great strides from their debut album Pablo Honey.  But it was the superb Fake Plastic Trees that raised the album to another level and really made people sit up and listen.  Remaining tracks including the propulsive Bones, the intriguing Just and the effective closer Street Spirit (Fade Out) made listeners realise that something special was brewing.  Peppered throughout the album are many of the touches that would emerge fully blown in its successor, OK Computer.  Whilst that album was to massively outsell this and jag unanimous critical acclaim, I still favour The Bends as it seems to contain an emotional pull which OK Computer lacks.

(# 520) Split Enz – Frenzy (1979)

And now to a local example.  Prior to the release of this album, New Zealand’s Split Enz, were regarded here as an eccentric act that was too quirky to obtain any level of mass success.  Examples of this can be found on this album, especially on Master Plan and Hermit McDermitt, but this a much greater emphasis on melody started to pay dividends here.  The frantic I See Red was a deserved hit and tracks such as Give It A Whirl, The Roughest Toughest Game In the World, the title track and She Got Body (She Got Soul) all garnered airplay.  The following album, True Colours, took this new found directness and gave the band its first major success in Australia and ultimately overseas.

(# 521) AC/DC – Highway To Hell (1979)

AC/DC were always superstars in Australia, especially in Melbourne.  But the rest of the world was another matter.  By dint of hard work, Angus Young’s inspired guitar work, a rock hard rhythm section and the tales of excess from charismatic lead vocalist Bonn Scott, they had begun to be recognised elsewhere, particularly in Great Britain.  This success was consolidated by Highway To Hell, their finest and last album with Scott which still provides a number of tracks in their live set today.  The title track, Girls Got Rhythm, Walk All Over You, Shot Down In Flames and If You Want Blood (You Got It) are among the numbers that left the band primed for world domination that was duly achieved, sadly without Scott, on their next album, an album you might have heard of called Back In Black.

9 July 2013 (Day 190) – Ignoring ARIA’s 30th Anniversary

I woke up this morning to a piece of inconsequential music news.  It is that today marks the 30th Anniversary of the compilation of music charts by the Australian Recording Industry Association. 

Now I have no axe to grind with ARIA which presumably does a lot a good work in the local industry.  Indeed, I would regard induction into the ARIA Hall Of Fame as the highest honour any local act can receive.  Rather, my lack of interest in this anniversary stems from two factors.

First, the last 30 years has seen a marked by my increased lack of interest in listening to the great quantity of music that gets documented by it.  Of the albums in this week’s top 50 album chart, for example, there are no more than 5 albums that I would be interested in obtaining and there isn’t a single album there that I own.  Black Sabbath’s comeback album 13 is probably the only album I’m certain to eventually purchase.

But the other factor is far more significant.  It is my belief that the charts now are probably no longer an indication of popular trends.  We all know that a lot of music is illegally downloaded these days, and radio airplay is excluded, so how representative is a sales chart of current popularity? Indeed so many of the entries in this week’s chart can be explained by as short term reactions to recent events, suggesting that it can now be as easily manipulated as an Australian Idol winner.   For example, Pink’s Greatest Hits album (#12) has re-entered the chart almost certainly on the strength of her Australian tour opening; John Fogarty’s Wrote A Song For Everyone (#16)  has been backed by a TV advertising campaign; Harrison Craig’s album (#2) is still riding his victory in  The Voice final; ex ABBA member Agnetha Faltskog’s new album (#5) charted only after a one hour program aired on prime time TV and reason for the inclusion of The Great Gatsby original soundtrack is self evident.   Even more damning is Bliss N Echo’s debut at #1 with Circus In The Sky.  Apparently this was achieved on the sale of just over 20,000 units which represents nothing more than their hardcore audience purchasing it in the week of release. 

And so, I was hit by an idea over breakfast.  Why not “celebrate” the milestone by playing music by some of the acts on my iPod least likely to obtain an Australian chart listing.  However, with my luck, chances are everyone I’ve played has charted, but it’s the concept rather than the reality that is significant here.  

(# 513) Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out (2000)

A great three piece from New Jersey USA, Yo La Tengo essentially produces noisy, squalling guitar epics that can include feedback, quirky instrumentals and minimalist numbers.  This album is dominated by the latter; mainly low key atmospheric tracks with understated vocals.  Our Way To Fall and You Can Have It All are the best of these with only Cherry Chapstick to torment unsuspecting listeners thinking they’ve latched onto a chill out classic.  But then again they could lull themselves to sleep by the wonderful 17 minute closing instrumental, Night Falls On Hoboken.  If the Kaplans really wanted to be perverse, they should have begun the album with this, just as they did the first time I saw them live.

(# 514) The (International) Noise Conspiracy – Armed Love (2004)

Insurrectionary garage rock from Sweden anyone?  The (International) Noise Conspiracy create garage rock complete with cheesy organs and political intent.  On this Rick Rubin produced album, the lyrics of just about every track is capable of being interpreted as a call for a worker’s revolution.  And if you’re too dense to understand the message there is always the rather more direct Communist Moon and it’s relentless chorus of “let’s all share our dreams, let’s all share our dreams, under a communist moon”.  (I dare you to listen to the track and stop yourself from singing along by its end.)  Ordinarily I would have no interest in such blatant sloganeering……but the music is just so damned catchy.  My advice?  Never mind the polemics, just enjoy tracks such I Feel About You, Black Mask, the horns assisted Like A Landslide and, yes, Communist Moon.

(# 515) Shellac – At Action Park (1994)

Does the name Steve Albini mean anything to you?  He is the producer of such uncompromising albums such as Nirvana’s In Utero, the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa and multiple albums by acts such as The Jesus Lizard and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.  True, many of these albums have charted and he has also produced number quieter acts, but his own music is something else.  Prior bands Big Black and the appallingly named Rapeman are very much acquired tastes as is Shellac.  They emit quite a metallic sounding guitar din which is applied to music with jerky rhythms, strange time signatures  and heavy unyielding drumming.  Melodic it is not, but it does create a momentum all of its own.  At Action Park was their debut album and Dog & Pony Show is emblematic of their approach.  You will either like it (as I do) or more likely loathe it.

(# 516) Sunn O))) – Monoliths&Dimensions (2009)

Sunn O))) (essentially 2 Californians) play extremely heavy metal drones extremely slowly usually with screamed vocals and little if any percussion.  Live, band members wear robes and play their guitars shrouded in fog incredibly loudly.  This is regarded as their masterpiece containing just 4 tracks stretched out over 53 minutes.  In it they utilise a number of additional musicians and a choir that are simply swallowed into the overall sound but add intriguing bits to the overall texture.  The opening track Aghartha is long (17 minutes), very loud and contains lyrics that infers the apocalypse is coming. Big Church and Hunting And Gathering (Cydonia), both 10 minutes long are even heavier.  But it is the final track Alice, supposedly a tribute to harpist Alice Coltrane, that is the undisputed highlight.  It is a 16 minute heavy instrumental into which a number of horns have been applied and the overall effect of the meeting is a grand and stately track that rewards repeated listening.

8 July 2013 (Day 189) – Accidently Heavy

II returned to work after a weekend and a work day away from my desk and started to go through Friday’s emails.  For some reason, I’d scrolled through my iPod during the weekend and left it at a particular mini album.  As I’d always loved the opening track I started playing it thinking that, by its end, I would have gone through my emails.  However, this took much longer than anticipated and, by the time I’d finished the task, had nearly finished the album, resulting in today’s unexpected playlist.

(# 509) Deftones – Back To School (Mini Maggit) (2001)

I first heard of the Deftones in 1998 when they performed on the main stage of the Pukkulpop Festival in Belgium.  I was initially bemused more than anything else; whilst the band worked up a commendable racket it seemed ill focused and lacking in variety.  They eventually harnessed that power into proper songs and two years later released the extraordinary Block Pony album.  Full of great material, the most intriguing track was the final track Pink Maggit.  On this lead singer’s Chineo Moreno’s powerful voice is reduced to a painful whisper as the entire band gamely attempts to stop the track from exploding for most of the track.  Even when it did, it was a supressed dirge like muffled explosion that eventually give way to a single heart beat drum pattern that simply added to its power.    Despite this achievement, the band’s record company subsequently convinced it, apparently against its wishes, to re-record the track with full vocals and power.  The resultant track, Back To School (Mini Maggit), contains a suitably massive sound and powerful vocal work that works in its own way.  This mini album includes the track, a mighty live version and Pink Maggit.  Strong live versions of White Pony’s Feiticeria and earlier tracks Nosebleed and Teething as well as an acoustic version of White Pony’s first single, Change (In The House Of Flies) round out the package.

(# 510) Korn – Follow The Leader (1998)

I’m not generally a fan of nu metal, nor of most of Korn’s catalogue.  This album’s predecessor Life Is Peachy was a pretty good effort but is miles from this album, Korn’s undoubted masterwork.  The opening 5 tracks are simply awesome; the fascinating It’s On! a track that keeps threatening to break out but never does, segues into Freak On A Leash which seems to do the same thing until the release valve is hit.  The marvellous, and supremely melodic, Got The Life comes next before giving way to the very, very heavy Dead Bodies Everywhere which, it turn gives way to a rap from Ice Cube that heralds the slow/heavy Children Of The Korn.  It is metal of a very high standard that few bands could hope to succeed, let alone sustain, and it does tend to overshadow the remainder of the album.  Despite that, B.B.K does it’s best to maintain the heavyosity, All In The Family likewise and Seed provides some much needed relief.

(# 511) Slipknot – All Hope Is Gone (2008)

I made the mistake of dismissing this band as a gimmick based on nothing more than their masks and band names (each is identified only by a number).  It was only after I cut a deal with one of my cousins at a Big Day Out (I’ll watch System Of A Down and Slipknot with him, provided he watch the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and The Polyphonic Spree with me) that I allowed myself to be exposed to the band.  Although this album hadn’t yet been released, I was stunned by how tight and inventive the band was live.  I eventually obtained their live album and then his which is simply one the great metal albums released to date this century. A short instrumental opener, .execute., gives way to the fearsome Gematria (The Killing Name) a 6 minute epic that marshals the bands various percussionists and guitars into an impressively suffocating aural apocalypse.  In comparison the incredibly catchy though still heavy Psychosocial and Dead Memories come across almost as pop songs.  Vendetta covers the same fallow ground as Gematria,  Gehenna and Snuff slows the pace down with impressive results and  Wherein Lies Continue and the title track show they’ve learnt a few tricks from listening to Metallica.

(# 512) Body Count – Body Count (1992)

This is the heavy metal band that was formed by rapper turned actor turned realty TV star, Ice-T.   Essentially it is a metal album constructed along the lines of a rap album.  There are numerous linking skits, including an opening one that portrays Ice-T as a cop killer, and just about all of the lyics, except for the impressive The Winner Loses, are of the type you’d expect on a gangsta rap album.  In expressing the realities of gang life, Ice is presumably trying to revamp the supposed horror fantasy themes of heavy metal with the true horror of (Californian West Coast gang) real life, but I suspect this limits the material's chances crossing over big time.  Having said that, the music on this is quite impressive; Body Count’s In The House and the Body Count Anthem are great themes, the title track smokes, Bowels Of The Devil could have easily slotted onto a Black Sabbath album and the controversial Cop Killer spoils a killer tune and a serious theme (police brutality on Afro-Americans) with trite lyrics. (The album’s chief weakness.)  The overall package was sufficient for me to see the band when they toured behind this and its follow up, Born Dead.  The tracks got even better live and Ice-T proved to be a most charismatic frontman.  

6 & 7 July 2013 (Days 187/8) – Catch Up Viewing

It was a strange weekend.  “M” and I did a lot of things around the house we’d been putting off for a while, did shopping, went to Ikea and watched both of Robert Downey Jr’s Sherlock Holmes flicks.  I was obviously aided by the Bulldogs playing in Canberra (an underwhelming  4 point win against cellar dwellers Greater Western Sydney) but it doesn't explain how I was able to fit in watching a number of DVDs.

(AV 19) The Black Crowes – Who Killed That Bird Out On Your Window Sill…The Movie (1992)

This is really clever movie.  It gives fans an idea of the band of the height of its fame through combing a number of different sources including documentary type footage, an MTV Unplugged appearance, video clips, news footage, concert footage, montages and live in studio footage.  Collectively these cover all of the best tracks from their classic first two albums.  Their best known tracks, Hard To Handle, She Talks To Angels, Thorn In My Side,  Remedy and Sting Me are all represented by their official videos and so the surprises come elsewhere.  The studio performances of Black Moon Creeping which starts the movie and Sometimes Salvation are pretty impressive but the absolute standout is a live performance of Stare It Cold.  Shot at, presumably a festival, before a huge crowd on a sodden field in Moscow, the band to rises to the challenge of winning over both the crowd and the armed soldiers deployed as concert security.

(AV20) The Black Lips – Live In Israel (2007)

This is a DVD shot in a Tel Aviv club that was included as a bonus “Australian Tour Edition” disc with my copy of their studio album Good Bad Not Evil.  Reputedly an outrageous live act, any antics are kept on the cutting room floor, keeping the emphasis firmly on their take on garage rock.  Three of the five tracks, I Saw A Ghost (Lean), Cold Hands and a storming O Katrina! come from Good Bad Not Evil.  (The other tracks are Boomerang ad Dirty Hands.) The performance is a suitably sweaty one that is lapped up by the Israeli audience.  But, as all of the cameras are kept firmly on the band and up close, any advantages that could derive from filming in the relatively exotic location are lost.  Indeed the gig could really have occurred anywhere at any time.

(AV21) The Who – At Kilburn 1977 (2008)

I love some of the things written on DVD covers.  In some ways they’re like descriptions of houses up for sale which are flagged as has having “great renovation potential” when it has practically collapsed.  The cover of this DVD states this “…is a holy grail for fans after decades of anticipation”.
Hmmm! I suspect what should have been written that for true fans of The Who, this is the release they’ve been dreading for decades.  It captures Keith Moon’s second last appearance with the band, the show being put on to allow concert footage of key songs to be filmed for inclusion in their The Kids Are Alright documentary.  Rather than trying to explain what actually happened, I’ll let The Who’s biographer Dave Marsh tell the story:

“The Kilburn show was a disaster.  Moon hadn’t practiced “in three years” (in John’s [Entwistle] words), and he was a nervous wreck, distraught at having to face a public appearance in such gruesome physical condition.  For the first time, there was no way to conceal his weaknesses: They showed in his potbelly and in his playing.

The rest of the band was almost as nervous…….”That was the first time I can remember being drunk before a show”, said Entwistle.  Between their ragged playing and the necessity of stopping and starting while camera angles and lenses were changed, the show was such a negative experience that no one could have blamed them if none of The Who ever took a stage again.”

(Dave Marsh, Before I Get Old. The Story Of The Who. First paperback edition 1983, page 494)

Some of the band are certainly nervous; Moon frequently speaks between numbers seemingly using his renowned charm as a form of apology for his appearance and performance and Pete Townshend is a ball of nervous energy.   Despite Moon, the DVD starts off OK, mainly because the producers cut out all of the between numbers guff.  I Can’t Explain, Substitute, Baba O’Riley and Entwistle’s marvellous My Wife are good enough, although I’ve seen and heard these tracks done better elsewhere. An attempt at a medley of Tommy tracks is such a disaster that Townshend cuts it short only for Moon to beg the band into playing, of all things, Tommy’s Holiday Camp.  Shakin’ All Over and My Generation are, at best, passable, but Who Are You is a complete mess probably due to a dramatic rearrangement.  Won’t Get Fooled Again starts off fine but seems to lose momentum as it proceeds. (The same can’t be said of the awesome version capture at a subsequent performance – Moon’s last appearance – that ends The Kids Are Alright.)

But there is a very positive reason for buying this.  There is a second disc that captures a live performance of the band at the Coliseum, a London opera venue, towards the end of 1969.  Unfortunately the picture quality is nothing better than adequate (which probably would have prevented a release on its own) and the producers have been clever enough to include it here.  Watch this awesome performance – split evenly between tracks from Tommy and earlier tracks – and you can see and hear just why the Kilburn performance is so disappointing.  And Keith Moon is so astonishing here that you’d swear they had changed drummers.  Remember him this way.

(AV 22) The Gun Club – Live At the Hacienda 1983/84 (2006)

This DVD contains footage of two shows at the legendary Manchester venue taken a year apart and shows this legendary cowpunk band at full throttle.  The footage is nothing more than adequate and is focused once again just of the musicians; I suspect the tapes were probably made by venue staff.  Collectively, the band powers through some of their best material.  The 83 show, featuring Jeffrey Lee Pierce seated at the edge of the stage for much of the gig, comes out swinging with the lethal combination of Fire Of Love followed by their cover of Creedence’s Run Through The Jungle.  Fire Spirit,  Death Party and Sex Beat are among the remaining tracks but the relentless nature of the playing does become a bit wearying by the end. 

The 84 show, which appears to have previously seen the light as a standalone video called Preachin’ The Blues, is a better paced show and all the stronger for it.  Pierce this time is not seated and plays guitar on a number of tracks starting with the brilliant opener Hey Juana.  Sex Beat and Fire Of Love get another run and Preachin’ The Blues is inspired, arguably the best track on the entire disc.  The closing trio of Goodbye Johnny, Give Up The Sun and Sleeping In Blood City is magnificent.

5 July 2013 (Day 186) – Catch Up Listening

For the second Friday in a row, I sat at my kitchen table and worked whilst waiting for my central heating unit to be repaired.  Naturally, this didn’t occur until around 2 pm but at least it was successful and I can now write in something approaching heated comfort. 

I’d set myself a set of work tasks that didn’t require much in the way of full concentration and so it was a good day for catching up on some recent additions to my collection, starting with another bona fide Australian rock legend originally from New Zealand;

(# 503) Spencer P. Jones & The Nothing Butts – Self Titled (2012)

Spencer P. Jones has a mighty pedigree having been a member of The Johnny’s, the Beasts Of Bourbon and a couple of Paul Kelly’s bands among others.  He has also released a number of solo albums over the last decade but nothing approaching the anticipation that surrounds this one.  The drummer in the Nothing Butts is James Baker, previously also of the Beasts Of Bourbon and also early Scientists and Hoodoo Gurus.  On guitars and bass is Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin from The Drones.  As you can imagine, between them they make quite a gritty yet melodic racket on songs that lyrically run the gambit of human emotions.   Jones’s and Liddiard’s guitars dominate proceedings on each track especially on the suitably titled Freak Out and the epic closer When Friends Turn.

(# 504) King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – 12 Bar Bruise (2012)

As the title of this album sort of implies, King Gizzard, produces dirty but highly effective 80s style alternative rock along the line of early period Beasts Of Bourbon or, even more appropriately, the inspired insanity of  Sixfthick.  Certainly, the title track here is compulsory listening for anyone who ever wanted to hear what the Beasts would sound like with a female vocalist.  Garage Liddiard is clearly homage to The Drones Gareth Liddiard of sorts interspersed with busts of demented harmonica playing.  High Hopes Low introduces a hint of country to their overall chaos and the hilarious closer Footy Footy is a wild punk thrash.  It’s not for the faint hearted but it is loads of fun.

(# 505) The Drones – I See Seaweed (2013)

Given I’ve named checked Gareth Liddiard in the previous two albums, its only fair that I should play the latest album by his band.  The Drones are arguably Australia’s most vital band; they create an inspired cacophony to accompany Liddiard’s long narratives that demand repeated listening and this is going to require a few more plays before I’ve completely digested it.  As it is there is more than enough material here to keep one thinking should the band take another 4 years or so to bring out their next release; Nine Eyes is supposedly about Google Street View, The Grey Leader similarly about leaders such as Tony Abbott, Laika about the dog the Russians shot into space and Why Write A Letter That You’ll Never Send? appears to have the holocaust industry in Liddiard’s sights.

(# 506) Tim Rogers – Rogers Plays Rogerstein (2012)

You Am I’s front man and lynchpin Tim Rogers has released a number of albums under his own name to supplement the band’s work.  This album is supposedly has him performing songs co-written by an American he meet called Shel Rogerstein, although many of the lyrics, notably Part Time Dad, appear to be addressing elements of his own life.  For the most part, the songs are delivered in the same easy going gait that characterised You Am I’s Deliverance album.   I Love You Just As You Are Now Change, bucks the trend musically thanks to what sounds like a fuzz bass and the closing number, Let’s Be Dreadful, sounds like a long lost Kinks number. 

(# 507) Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits (2012)

This is a solid album produced by a group that includes former members of Spoon, The Handsome Furs and The New Bomb Turks.  I’m only familiar with the latter and so can’t really judge as to these influences.  But for the most part, the songs remind me of The Killers (especially on What Gets You Alone) crossed with elements from quirky acts such as Sparks and They Might Be Giants.  (Check out The Salton Sea with its Sparks like construction.)  Of great interest to these ears is the presence of a cover version of The Boys Next Door’s Shivers which is fairly respectful of the original.

(# 508) Teenage Fanclub – Songs From Northern Britain (1997)

I was initially disappointed by this album when it was originally released.  These days, I know this was because it had the misfortune of being the follow up album to that great trio of albums, Bandwagonesque, Thirteen and Grand Prix.  Whilst it is not as good as those three albums, there are considerable number of tracks that would more than hold their own on the tracklisting of any of those. Start Again. I Don’t Want Control Of You, I Don’t Care and, especially, the irresistibly catchy Take The Long Way Round and the superb Mount Everest are all prime examples of the band’s way with jangly guitars and strong songwriting.

4 July 2013 (Day 185) – Albums That Pay Homage

It’s American Independence Day.  I’m not going to do something so obvious and construct today’s playlist based on some form of American theme. The reason, I think, is fairly straight forward.  Rock music after all is an American music/cultural form and along with the Hollywood movie probably its most enduring and loved twentieth century cultural export.  Some might disagree with this given that jazz, country, blues, swing, Americana, cajun, zydeco, rap, hip hop, tex-mex, chicano, alternative/indie, do-wop and probably a few others are also American forms.   Just about the only forms I’d rule out would be reggae (obviously), heavy metal (essentially developed by British acts such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc,  although Americans did eventually develop their own offshoots such as those hair metal bands of the 1980s, thrash and grunge),  most experimental streams (notably electronica) and, of course, world music.  Punk music, of the sort that exploded in the late 1970s, is probably a three way tie with the Ramones in New York City, The Sex Pistols/The Clash in London and The Saints in Brisbane more or less arriving at the same spot simultaneously.

But this did get me thinking.  There are quite a few great albums out there where acts pay homage to other acts.  Some of these are intended to draw attention to larger causes, others as a form of memorial for a recently departed musician and others which serve as an “In memoriam” and raise funds for the act’s family.  And there are also albums where an established act will release an album of cover versions all written or recorded by another act.

And, as it turns out, all of the acts or musical forms celebrated in today’s curtailed playlist are American starting with;

(# 500) Temple Of The Dog – Temple Of The Dog (1990)

Temple Of The Dog (the band and the album) was a one off put together in 1990 by Soundgarden’s lead vocalist Chris Cornell as a tribute to his roommate Andrew Wood.  Wood, in turn, was the lead vocalist of Seattle band Mother Love Bone, who were on the cusp of stardom and, before that, local heroes Malfunkshun.  Cornell brought together Soundgarden’s drummer Matt Cameron, Mother Love Bone members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament and local guitarist Mike McCready.  A newcomer to the Seattle scene named Eddie Vedder also ended up contributing some lead and back up vocals.  In other words, Temple Of The Dog was Chris Cornell fronting the present day Pearl Jam. 

Apart from being a musically appropriate tribute to Wood this album is fascinating because it, more or less, documents the birth of Pearl Jam.  Say Hello 2 Heaven is a long and emotional ballad featuring magnificent vocals from Cornell.   Reach Down starts off as a typical Soundgarden tune from that era before mutating into a PJ jam.  Vedder and Cornell share the lead vocal duties on Hunger Strike and Four Walled World is the track that really does demonstrate how PJ would have sounded had Cornell become their singer.

(# 501) John Hammond – Wicked Grin (2001)

Hammond (Jr.) is the son of the legendary music producer John Hammond.  An accomplished blues musician with a wonderful voice and casual guitar style, he has not been a prolific songwriter.  But this was never an issue for this record which consists almost completed of covers of songs originally written and recorded by a friend of his, Tom Waits.  Waits not only gave his blessing for the album, he also produced it and plays assorted instruments as well. This is a great introduction to the Waits songbook, particularly if you find his ragged voice annoying.  Also, the tracks have some of the trademark Waits rough edges smoothed and, along with Hammond’s voice, allow you to truly appreciate the genius behind these songs.   Heartattack And Vine, 16 Shells From A Thirty-ought Six, Get Behind The Mule, Big Black Mirah and Murder In The Red Barn among others are handled superbly and the album, fittingly, became one of the best selling albums of Hammond’s long career. 

(# 502) The Blues Brothers – The Blues Brothers Original Movie Soundtrack (1980)

I really should have included this album in my posting about bands to which I owed a debt.  Simply put, the movie and then this album made the blues sound palatable to me, but more importantly, pointed me towards a number of blues and soul legends even before George Thorogood.   Not only that, but the movie was definitely the first time I’d ever seen footage of either John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway and James Brown.  On top of that, I spent a few enjoyable Friday nights at the original Valhalla cinema in Richmond at the over the top midnight screenings of the movie and even better was going to the Palais Theatre to see the movie followed by a performance by the actual band.  That gig in turn was the only time I got to see Steve Cropper and the late Donald “Duck” Dunn live (and yes, they played Green Onions during the show) but the band also brought Eddie Floyd with them too.

And the soundtrack album still has a lot to recommend.  There are three reasons for this.  First is the obvious love that John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd for the music which does not end up sounding like another celebrity vainly trying to convince they’re a legitimate serious artist album.  Indeed Belushi’s vocal, in particular on She Caught The Katy, are one of the album’s strong selling points.  Another is the authentic music from the pro’s in the crack band and the other is the inclusion of some of the tracks with the music legends.  Aretha’s update of Think, James Brown gospel number The Old Landmark, Ray Charles’ blistering Shake A Tail Feather and, best of all, Calloway’s Minnie The Moocher all mesh well with covers.