It's Only Rock-n-Roll

The Best of 2002 The year after 9/11. Yes, the world went on after all! 1. The Mekons: OOOH! 2. DJ Shadow: The Private Press 3. Kimya Dawson: I'm Sorry That Sometimes I'm Mean 4. Northern State: Dying in Stereo 5. Cornershop: Handcream for a Generation 6. Sleater-Kinney: One Beat 7. Orchestra Baobab: Specialist in All Styles 8. Kasey Chambers: Barricades & Brickwalls 9. Spoon: Kill the Moonlight 10. Youssou N'Dour: Nothing's in Vain (Coono du reer) 11. Rhett Miller: The Instigator 12. Johnny Cash: American IV: The Man Comes Around 13. Steve Earle: Jerusalem 14. The Mountain Goats: Tallahassee 15. Tom Waits: Blood Money 16. Mr. Lif: I Phantom 17. Will Rigby: Paradoxaholic 18. Pretty Girls Make Graves: Good Health 19. Luna: Close Cover Before Striking 20. The Bottle Rockets: Songs of Sahm 21. Pretenders: Loose Screw 22. The Reputation: The Reputation 23. The Go-Betweens: Spring Hill Fair 24. Ryan Adams: Demolition 25. The ...

An admirer - OK it's me - writes: "Your style is reminiscent of Robert Christgau of the Village Voice. You mentioned his influence early on in your blog. Were there any other critics who impacted your style? More to the point, why was it so necessary to "borrow" from them in the first place?" Actually the first critic that I remember reading was Wayne Robbins in Newsday during the late '70s. For the first time I was introduced to music I had never heard before from artists such as Television, the Talking Heads, and Elvis Costello. I was fascinated that any one was actually writing about contemporary rock music in such an insightful way. I learned so much from reading these reviews that it made me hungry for more. I stumbled on to Robert Christgau quite by accident. I picked up an issue of The Village Voice one day in February 1982, and read the annual "Pazz and Jop" critics poll. All of a sudden there were all these different types of music th...

The Best of 2003. Now that I'm on a roll here, why stop? 1. Liz Phair: Liz Phair (Capitol). 2. OutKast: Speakerboxx/The Love Below (Arista). 3. Buck 65: Talkin' Honky Blues (WEA). 4. Fountains of Wayne: Welcome Interstate Managers (S-Curve). 5. James Carter: Gardenias for Lady Day (Sony). 6. Lucinda Williams: World Without Tears (Lost Highway). 7. The Libertines: Up the Bracket (Rough Trade). 8. The Wrens: The Meadowlands (Absolutely Kosher). 9. Missy Elliott: This Is Not a Test (Elektra). 10. Amy Rigby: Til the Wheels Fall Off (Signature Sounds). 11. Amy Allison: No Frills Friend (Diesel Only). 12. Warren Zevon: The Wind (Artemis). 13. Pretty Girls Make Graves: The New Romance (Matador). 14. Yo La Tengo: Summer Sun (Matador). 15. The Shins: Chutes Too Narrow (Sub Pop). 16. Belle & Sebastian: Dear Catastrophe Waitress (Sanctuary). 17. Drive-By Truckers: Decoration Day (New West). 18. James Blood Ulmer: No Escape From the Blues (Hyena). 19. Lif...

The 1990s. Lately I've been feeling like this is the most misunderstood decade in rock music. New wave, grunge, hip-hop, alternative, all these genres and more pervaded the decade. Unlike the '80s, it was not a very popular decade, and yet I found myself listening to more challenging and enriching music than at any time since I spun my first 45. Here is a list of some of the best albums. Those that do not have reviews will receive them in due time. 1. David Murray: Shakill's Warrior (DIW/Columbia, 1991). 2. Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (Mercury, 1998). See review, Sept. 2005. 3. Tricky: Maxinquaye (Island, 1995). See review, Sept. 2005. 4. Guitar Paradise of East Africa (Earthworks, 1991). 5. Iris DeMent: My Life (Warner Bros., 1994). See review, Sept. 2005. 6. DJ Shadow: Endtroducing . . . DJ Shadow (Mo Wax, 1996). 7. Freedy Johnston: Can You Fly (Bar/None, 1992). See review, Sept. 2005 8. Sonic Youth: A Thousand Leaves (Geffen, 1998). 9...

THE REST OF THE BEST Stevie Wonder: A Time To Love (Motown, 2005). By the time he was 27, yes 29 years ago, he had managed to grip the music industry by the short hairs. Few of his contemporaries could even dream of such accomplishments, yet alone live them out. Among the singer/ songwriter crowd only Dylan surpasses him. But as quickly as his star rose, his decline came just as quickly. 1979's Hotter Than July and 87's Characters were the highlights of a dwindling career that had even his most ardent of admirers wondering if the boy Wonder had packed it in. Like Springsteen before him, this album was his catharsis; a journey out of the past and into a relevant present. The melodies, always his strength, don't disappoint. And his politics, never fearful, are biting. On "If Your Love Cannot Be Moved" his words are a haunting warning: "You can't free the slaves to enslave them differently / You can't see the right only from your sight / You can...

IT'S YOUR TURN! Now that the site has been up and running for four months now, I thought I'd give those of you at home a chance to chime in with your questions about rock-n-roll, assuming, that is, that there's any body out there reading my stuff! Just place your question in the comments section, or if you prefer you can email me at feego1@optonline.net. I'll do my best to answer every question that comes my way. And while I don't profess to be an expert on any particular genre, as you can plainly see, I am opinionated. My opinions come from listening to loads of music since my childhood. Anxiously awaiting contact!

THE BEST OF 2004. Nothing like burning the candle at both ends, I say. While I'm not bailing on the completion of 2005's reviews, I thought I'd take a ride through the "Wayback Machine" and see what albums did it for me the year Bush did it to the country! 1. Kanye West: The College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella). 2. The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll 1946 - 1954 (Hip-O). 3. Jon Langford: All the Fame of Lofty Deeds (Bloodshot). 4. Todd Snider: East Nashville Skyline (Oh Boy). 5. Madvillian Madvilliany (Stones Throw). 6. The Mountain Goats: We Shall All Be Healed (4AD). 7. Ray Charles: Genius Loves Company (Concord/Hear Music). 8. Nellie McKay: Get Away From Me (Columbia). 9. The Reputation: To Force a Fate (Lookout). 10. The Arcade Fire: Funeral (Merge). 11. Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous (Brute/Beaute). 12. Thelonoius Monster: California Clam Chowder (Lakeshore). 13. Automato: Automato (Coup de Grace). 14. Northern State: All City (Columbia). 15....

IT’S INDEPENDENTS DAY! Three indie albums by three independent bands; who did it all by their lonesome, without the help of big brother to guide them. Let the bloodletting begin. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, 2005). Now let me see if I get this straight. I clap my hands and say, what? Wise ass comments aside, to call this Brooklyn’s answer to the Feelies would be too simple, though the first 20 seconds of “Is This Love” is a dead ringer for the lead in on The Good Earth’s “ The High Road.” Actually the number one indie-alternative, MP3 blogger’s choice for statement of the year actually owes its sound to any number of influences from early Talking Heads to Yo La Tengo to Television. In fact singer Alec Ounsworth could pass for Tom Verlaine in my book any day. On “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth” the “trebly” guitar is pure Marquee Moon. But while I don’t want to rain on their parade of accolades, t...

AN ACCIDENT AND A DISASTER MAKE FOR TWO REMARKABLE RECORDINGS AND TWO LATE PICKS FOR 2005. Thelonious Monk Quartet: Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall (Blue Note, 2005). Discovered accidentally in an unmarked box by a Library of Congress engineer and beautifully restored, this 1957 performance of these two legends is what the term classic was intended for. Both men were at their peak that night and it is nothing short of astonishing to note that prior to this recording being unearthed, there were only THREE studio tracks of these two genius’s playing together. Though it’s primarily Monk’s album, Coltrane’s playing portends bigger things to come for him. Like his recordings with Miles Davis, most notably Kind of Blue, he was the perfect accompanist. This is music that demands and rewards repeated listening. A+ Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast (Nonesuch, 2005). Loath though I am to buy into the whole benefit album concept – the last such...

ALL THE WORLD MUSIC'S A STAGE! A play on words, perhaps, but 2005 was the finest year for world music in over a decade. Enjoy. I know I did! The Rough Guide to the Music of the Sahara (World Music Network, 2005). Did you know that the Sahara by itself is bigger than all of Europe? Neither did I. Encompassing countries like Mauritania, Algeria, Libya and Mali, this compilation pays tribute to the diversity of the region's musical culture. Far from being the typical "sampler" so many lesser albums would've settled for, Andy Morgan insisted on getting it right. While I certainly can't claim any profound understanding of the area's musical heritage, there's no denying the brilliance of the music - a cross between blues and funk, the likes of which haven't hit these shores in quite some time. And then there are the haunting chants, mostly by women, which in this culture is still thought of as risqué. A wonderful album! A+ M.I.A.: Arular (Interscope, 2...

2005 list Revised. As stated previously, changes with any critic are inevitable. However, I believe this is finally it. P.S.: the deletions of Danger Doom and Franz Ferdinand do not represent a change in status; both remain A- albums. It's just that I wanted to keep the number at a respectable 30 to make things simple. 1. Gogol Bordello: Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike (Side One Dummy). 2. The Rough Guide to the Music of the Sahara (World Music Network). 3. Thelonious Monk Quartet: Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall (Blue Note). 4. Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast (Nonesuch). 5. The Go-Betweens: Oceans Apart (Yep Roc). 6. M.I.A.: Arular (Interscope). 7. Kanye West: Late Registration (Roc-A-Fella). 8. Sufjan Stevens: Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty). 9. The New Pornographers: Twin Cinema (Matador). 10. Ani DiFranco: Knuckle Down (Righteous Babe). 11. The Hold Steady: Separation Sunday (Frenchkiss) 12. ...

I know what you're saying. Peter, how can you have a top albums list when you haven't reviewed all of them in print? Hold your horses. All good reviews come to those who wait. I promise all 30 will be out by EOM. Kanye West: Late Registration (Roc-A-Fella, 2005). While no one reasonably expected a repeat of last year's brilliance, with even some predicting a sophomore jinx, there's no denying his greatness on effort two. Call this his Sticky Fingers to last year's Exile on Main Street. Where with the former one had to play through several times to immerse one's self in the underlying rage and his conceptualizing lyrics, here, simplicity rules the day. He's going straight for the hook and the mob. I particularly like the song where he pays tribute to his mom; nice to know he has some of his priorities straight. And then there's "Gold Digger," one of the top songs of the year. Unlike College Dropout , this is a record everyone will want to bu...

A BLAST FROM MY PAST: The following are some reviews I'd written and published on Amazon a while back. Paul Simon: Graceland (Warner Bros., 1986). I've gone both ways with Simon. Too often his efforts are at best sophomoric (see Hearts and Bones) and unworthy of his talent. Then there are times when his reach equals his grasp - Paul Simon. This is hardly the world music album his fans think it is, but it does, nonetheless, appropriate superbly those things world music albums are supposed to have, namely a great R&B band. He is what he is, a profound pop artist, who knows a thing or two about making hits, as You Can Call Me Al , will surely attest. Not even Sun City scab Linda Ronstadt can dampen the moment. A Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run (Columbia, 1975). Springsteen is that rarest of characters. He's scared but hopeful, indignant but steadfast. How else to explain contradictions like "maybe we ain't that young anymore" with "we gotta get out wh...