tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-168738892024-03-07T04:05:53.106-05:00It's Only Rock-n-RollPeter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-64472493467358509622021-02-07T16:05:00.003-05:002021-02-07T16:05:24.041-05:00Top Rock / Alt-Rock Artists and Bands - The Reviews<p>As promised, my first foray into reviewing artists and bands of every genre in pop music. After spending the bulk of the last ten years writing about politics, I thought it'd be a nice change of pace to get back to my first love. I haven't given up on politics, mind you, but let's just say I'm looking for a more constructive release of my energies.</p><p>Now before I go any further, it's worth noting that these are going to be critical reviews of each artist and band. If you're looking for non-critical reviews, I suggest you try Wikipedia. The opinions expressed here are my strictly my own and you are more than free to do with them as you will.</p><p>As one of my Facebook friends pointed out when he called me Peter Christgau, I've definitely been influenced by Robert Christgau. And with good reason. The former Village Voice critic practically wrote the book on rock criticism, so why reinvent the wheel? Still, since Christgau has never actually reviewed artists and bands, preferring instead to review their individual albums, this is new ground, as far as I'm concerned.</p><p>So what are the parameters? Well for starters, I have decided to break down the genres into four main groups: rock/alt-rock, R&B/funk, country/alt-country and jazz/fusion. While I do have some rap and hip-hop artists in my collection, I do not have enough to render a definitive opinion on any of them. Hence, they will not be included. I should also point out that I have a bias against progressive rock and heavy metal and have thus decided to omit any bands that fall into those sub-genres. I may make an exception for Yes and Rush if I have the time. </p><p>No artist or band was reviewed without at least two albums worth of music from which to render an objective assessment. Rest assured, with over 1,500 CDs and almost as many LPs in my collection, if it made the cut, it belonged here.</p><p>The grades: Like Christgau, I rate in letters from A plus to D. No one got an E or an F. See below for a legend.</p><p>A plus: These are artists or bands who are so integral to their respective genres that if you omitted them the house of cards would fall in on itself. Pure greatness.</p><p>A: These are essential artists or bands that over the years have brought consistent satisfaction to countless millions of listeners and have produced many outstanding and consistent albums.</p><p>A minus: Solid to very good artists or bands that have made several outstanding albums but have produced many more that are just very good.</p><p>B plus: These are artists or bands that are quite good but not excellent and whose work reflects that. They can also be artists or bands that have one or two outstanding albums but have basically underachieved throughout most of their careers.</p><p>B: These are average artists or bands that on occasion surprise but more often than not underperform.</p><p>B minus: Below average and borderline mediocre artists or bands that rarely hit the mark.</p><p>C plus: These are overrated and borderline pretentious artists or bands that may have a particular following but never come close to hitting their stride.</p><p>C: Pretentious and overbearing artists or bands that at times are painful to listen to, but may have a hit or two on an otherwise innocuous greatest hits album.</p><p>D: Proof positive that hell exists.</p><p>So who goes first? Since I have more rock artists and bands in my collection, it was only natural I start with this genre. There's no particular order here; I went with whatever popped into my head first. After the review, I will list the two best albums of each artist or band followed by the overall grade.</p><p>Assuming the motivation is there, I'll do between 10 to 15 reviews per post and at least three posts per month. At that rate, it should take me about a year and a half to get through most of my collection. As you can see I'm not in any hurry. The objective here is to have fun.</p><p>So, without further ado,</p><p><br /></p><p><b>ROCK/ALT-ROCK</b></p><p><b>The Stooges:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm5lSWhGsIeBRWBTJVvjtSROYXdNTKDd27z6ZhFW1llxMppwKZ8wtXqkPg1zy_RQVKwp3o-YGG4LBOdpzDKKmm5aCuVcas3GlvvDIQfi9-S-3ePMnaOZnvuWOWQgX73GwxlGJ/s1080/stooges.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm5lSWhGsIeBRWBTJVvjtSROYXdNTKDd27z6ZhFW1llxMppwKZ8wtXqkPg1zy_RQVKwp3o-YGG4LBOdpzDKKmm5aCuVcas3GlvvDIQfi9-S-3ePMnaOZnvuWOWQgX73GwxlGJ/w338-h257/stooges.jpg" width="338" /></a></div><p></p><p>Along with the MC5, they were the inventors of punk rock. Raw, unleashed and untamed, they were a cross between the Sex Pistols and the Ramones years before either existed. At a time when most rock bands opted for the big arenas - see Led Zeppelin - their audience was smaller and far more concentrated. <i>The Stooges, Fun House.</i> <b>Grade: A minus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Rolling Stones:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVugx1Hb1fUjBBVOlYWmcdDGJmOkvuuyrwuvAALEvNzfrG4N5IirpKo5_ZLrj4mB7KDUfRg1Or-MS93vd4tMevw3JAEzTUF_Vn_yTn6GEaK2_fNxaFxqd_6SAfwrvU1RKMtrDe/s1600/The-Rolling-Stones-Bill-Wyman-Keith-Richards-1964.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1432" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVugx1Hb1fUjBBVOlYWmcdDGJmOkvuuyrwuvAALEvNzfrG4N5IirpKo5_ZLrj4mB7KDUfRg1Or-MS93vd4tMevw3JAEzTUF_Vn_yTn6GEaK2_fNxaFxqd_6SAfwrvU1RKMtrDe/s320/The-Rolling-Stones-Bill-Wyman-Keith-Richards-1964.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>To refer to them as the greatest rock and roll band of all time would be like referring to the Atlantic ocean as wet. It goes without saying. Apart from <i>Their Satanic Majesties Request</i> and <i>Goats Head Soup</i>, their entire '60s and '70s catalogue would be the envy of any band. <i>Beggars Banquet, Exile on Main Street.</i> <b>Grade: A plus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Kinks:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZi3Y2wLLNsdScW-cutRfXLtPzzuebPbtknEehAJARRKHIoQ-ioHSHMulC_ERAJL57fU3wWugOLgvZbErRu5QAumOthNEPaH98Rw3AhBnht5MBvryfmgcMoOTEI7dtmDWZL1Vc/s2015/the-kinks.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1343" data-original-width="2015" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZi3Y2wLLNsdScW-cutRfXLtPzzuebPbtknEehAJARRKHIoQ-ioHSHMulC_ERAJL57fU3wWugOLgvZbErRu5QAumOthNEPaH98Rw3AhBnht5MBvryfmgcMoOTEI7dtmDWZL1Vc/w320-h226/the-kinks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>The most underrated rock band of the '60s would end up being the most disappointing rock band of the '70s. Though not in the same class as Lennon/McCartney or Jagger/Richards, Ray Davies was nevertheless an accomplished writer who always managed to get the most out of his talents, such as they were, until they eventually dried up on him. <i>Face to Face, Arthur.</i> <b>Grade B plus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Beach Boys:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliEnWNlUTgx4LZNjugPfOFJrYoBxf9WF-mTyuv5TSGJcVu74r_P89UGe2nGaXyWVr3QTsmFUvq775Adbm4P_Gzp2gvpONP32N7HG1RuzfM3Yaox15AJprli9TYyiBitQCxpLG/s544/beach+boys.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="544" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliEnWNlUTgx4LZNjugPfOFJrYoBxf9WF-mTyuv5TSGJcVu74r_P89UGe2nGaXyWVr3QTsmFUvq775Adbm4P_Gzp2gvpONP32N7HG1RuzfM3Yaox15AJprli9TYyiBitQCxpLG/w379-h220/beach+boys.jpg" width="379" /></a></div><p></p><p>Contrary to popular opinion - and myth - <i>Pet Sounds</i> was not a great album, no matter how long Brian Wilson locked himself in his room and listened to <i>Rubber Soul. </i>And these boys of the summer were not the trail blazers they were made out to be. The truth is they had more in common with Jan and Dean than they had with the Beatles, and their specialty was making catchy hit singles that have endured the test of time. AM radio at its best, nothing more. <i>Endless Summer, Wild Honey.</i> <b>Grade: B plus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Beatles:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczhuD-pFrEXmyVpHf_XoI6O_9PPJTjteMUHdFFNbVHa8DffQ7guHxKfHoxQUZiWYjLdXv-xo_7CEGBdoh7k4EDCQ7S5l_DlZJDuKfD__hXyPjTzf02RVeZQLf94Ii3rjBt-J0/s1000/The-Beatles-GettyImages-1183628511.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczhuD-pFrEXmyVpHf_XoI6O_9PPJTjteMUHdFFNbVHa8DffQ7guHxKfHoxQUZiWYjLdXv-xo_7CEGBdoh7k4EDCQ7S5l_DlZJDuKfD__hXyPjTzf02RVeZQLf94Ii3rjBt-J0/w400-h240/The-Beatles-GettyImages-1183628511.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>You'd be hard pressed to find a group with a more prolific career than the Fab Four. A strictly singles band that evolved into an albums band that eventually established an entirely new genre of music, all in six years. Lennon and McCartney fed off one other brilliantly. And with George and Ringo picking up the slack with the odd tune or two, they set a standard that to this day has never been matched. And though the forces which made them who they were would inevitably tear them apart, it doesn't take away from what they achieved. <i>Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road.</i> <b>Grade: A plus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Band:</b> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3yDYVfP8EWNPzavoIMQpmzhoxogV2qQ6MGGwelCt11lGpvd6fvzvpJiXLL1UuTwr8aC-TUMaATq5XwQD8f-Oj_lEwJbbYZQ0VIy8a5ksvmS_DKdGKk3BU-KQGA47FJ90OqC2/s864/The_Band_3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="864" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3yDYVfP8EWNPzavoIMQpmzhoxogV2qQ6MGGwelCt11lGpvd6fvzvpJiXLL1UuTwr8aC-TUMaATq5XwQD8f-Oj_lEwJbbYZQ0VIy8a5ksvmS_DKdGKk3BU-KQGA47FJ90OqC2/s320/The_Band_3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p><i>Music From Big Pink</i> and <i>The Band</i> are undeniably two of rock's best albums of the '60s. The former owes its name to a house in West Saugerties, New York where, with Bob Dylan, they cut <i>The Basement Tapes</i>. But like so many bands of their time, they were unable to sustain their creative juices. Several average to above average albums ensued, followed by an overwrought, if disappointing, live album that was supposed to be their grand finale from a business that to a man they insisted had worn them out. Frankly, they should've called it quits when they were ahead. <i>Music From Big Pink, The Band.</i> <b>Grade A minus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>The Clash:</b> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6UUDijkE5ofTOQfi2-_6C5lPxj1AtGWTot6bDskvzsSmUIQp_dvYFI_E0ggjanttg1ClaHOvzWY56A53CCKDWUgPveibs1IlIbTAL1KqFh3dZpZ-TZakGXKJpNJ4pf0Q9mRE/s1908/the+clash.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1908" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6UUDijkE5ofTOQfi2-_6C5lPxj1AtGWTot6bDskvzsSmUIQp_dvYFI_E0ggjanttg1ClaHOvzWY56A53CCKDWUgPveibs1IlIbTAL1KqFh3dZpZ-TZakGXKJpNJ4pf0Q9mRE/w400-h240/the+clash.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>From 1977 to 1981, unquestionably the best punk-rock band in the world. Equal parts Ramones, equal parts Sex Pistols - sometimes it's hard to tell them apart. The American release of <i>The Clash</i> (1979) is generally considered to be among the greatest rock and roll albums of all time, though I much prefer <i>London Calling</i>, the best double album this side of <i>Exile on Main Street.</i> Like every other band of that era, their flame went out way too quickly. <i>The Clash, London Calling.</i> <b>Grade: A plus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Sonic Youth:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_GEAR2HiO08R3ubCHSYHqPeGX9ePU1u826gbgK5Bd6_RvEZAg5jUxDu9I7Wh87rx8tHRZci5D3AkEQGZu35t6lJaHdXYN9GnkTlHvXaod6d9O2m7nX6FKeCm9KxEcyikMyc6/s460/Sonic-Youth-007.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="460" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_GEAR2HiO08R3ubCHSYHqPeGX9ePU1u826gbgK5Bd6_RvEZAg5jUxDu9I7Wh87rx8tHRZci5D3AkEQGZu35t6lJaHdXYN9GnkTlHvXaod6d9O2m7nX6FKeCm9KxEcyikMyc6/w400-h240/Sonic-Youth-007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>With the exception of Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, no couple has had more influence on an entire genre than Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon. Their reign spanned three decades and 15 albums. Calling them avant-garde would be putting it mildly. They practically invented the term. They were to R.E.M. what Springsteen was to Buddy Holly. Think Velvet Underground only more arcane, if that's even possible. <i>Daydream Nation, A Thousand Leaves.</i> <b>Grade: A plus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Eric Clapton:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6g7Fawv6XrU5pKQ-fKOES_u7enFcOlyEk04aI0hJjk4GU3AHbRVP9Et7gOZxT_fIjri0AvmhsoTdOFqZkThUG2OlXlqVAqkbJyg-REmWfwI1ort4MVnIy-NxdJd1xeGmj2d2x/s2048/Eric-Clapton-Credit-Michael-Ochs-Archives-Getty-Images%25402560x1707.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6g7Fawv6XrU5pKQ-fKOES_u7enFcOlyEk04aI0hJjk4GU3AHbRVP9Et7gOZxT_fIjri0AvmhsoTdOFqZkThUG2OlXlqVAqkbJyg-REmWfwI1ort4MVnIy-NxdJd1xeGmj2d2x/w400-h266/Eric-Clapton-Credit-Michael-Ochs-Archives-Getty-Images%25402560x1707.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>His Yardbirds and Cream days notwithstanding, were it not for two admittedly brilliant solo efforts, this overrated excuse for a rocker would be consigned to the bargain basement where he belongs. No one has done less with more than Clapton. No one. The man's been running on his reputation since '77. And the only reason why this grade isn't lower is because of those two solo efforts. Jesus, even the Mets made it to the World Series more than twice. <i>Layla, 461 Ocean Boulevard.</i> <b>Grade: B plus.</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwA_SKLqFV88gXXYP-U6uaq1W25RyVe4AkbjcHoCpu2-iWgMMj79CuEuIL-EA788-OswHf5Ci0PU9cRu3J3nR1oXT43U5-oSe3mPlQYAozUqLp3Va_nx-j8dkSQkUhOZE8fj9t/s2048/Eric-Clapton-Credit-Michael-Ochs-Archives-Getty-Images%25402560x1707.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUx3KlxR880zijTdqaCrrhy_byABi_tzXoLx66IM8DSqEL8W6Ld9xkcXiFfpmsi9ztOklXxUsWCxlxe8zDUCtDEzAxI0MSU-ZPbJM5HZKHiXsO6Katji3CNCIShJHqz9mJ3SDw/s1125/eric-clapton-nj22feb83mb-04.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><p></p><p><b>Warren Zevon:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKa14AaWUhVvKu2M_Lx9fvgNzud0IE8CxDYaEwW-hN7fel5iOtvm5-wQ7BeYtUTj5Ps-fSLepWNM3LOnd-1Fw_8FJyhrwQuWWep9ZmNvHd7M_UAkZ3_B7gOyykVrGLmnLbwKtR/s980/zevon-Michael-Ochs-Archives-Getty-Images.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="653" data-original-width="980" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKa14AaWUhVvKu2M_Lx9fvgNzud0IE8CxDYaEwW-hN7fel5iOtvm5-wQ7BeYtUTj5Ps-fSLepWNM3LOnd-1Fw_8FJyhrwQuWWep9ZmNvHd7M_UAkZ3_B7gOyykVrGLmnLbwKtR/w400-h266/zevon-Michael-Ochs-Archives-Getty-Images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Why he's not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is beyond me. So what if he burned more bridges than Rommel? He was one of the best rock artists of all time; one of the few to emerge from the '70s with his dignity and abilities still in tact. And had cancer not taken him, I suspect he'd still be making significant music to this day, along with pissing off his critics, as usual. <i>Excitable Boy, Sentimental Hygiene.</i> <b>Grade: A.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Elton John:</b> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xtQVYc1i4w8XKy68f1Ob-A6H3RIjG7yTw0E3jz8Koyx09QtLmjWykjtV0Xojjll-WrBpo9FP9ySyxG4wJVsjICZDGSAMx8XmREkGz4pbpXdAI8t-OCRUko6nLgDM5PhcE1mP/s225/elton.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0xtQVYc1i4w8XKy68f1Ob-A6H3RIjG7yTw0E3jz8Koyx09QtLmjWykjtV0Xojjll-WrBpo9FP9ySyxG4wJVsjICZDGSAMx8XmREkGz4pbpXdAI8t-OCRUko6nLgDM5PhcE1mP/w320-h320/elton.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Throughout his long career, John was one of the few artists who enjoyed both critical and commercial acclaim. His albums always chartered well and often drew rave reviews from rock critics. Working with lyricist Bernie Taupin, he managed to straddle the line between pretentiousness and significance that so many lesser artists were unable to. <i>Honky Chateau, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.</i> <b>Grade: A minus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Tom Petty:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMos-7571p90UCL5C2WQ6n1u4YvaGOUgHp6UTYUMuinMXiqMM_TWQADOKKG5CRNgdfnZs9xx7KS8uaFyhJP2srZz44wnJJ4-kFeZMLh1WJD_2ruZ1TcUFWbjmTha7I0NFB8z6V/s1200/tom-petty-201299-1-402.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMos-7571p90UCL5C2WQ6n1u4YvaGOUgHp6UTYUMuinMXiqMM_TWQADOKKG5CRNgdfnZs9xx7KS8uaFyhJP2srZz44wnJJ4-kFeZMLh1WJD_2ruZ1TcUFWbjmTha7I0NFB8z6V/s320/tom-petty-201299-1-402.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p>I caught hell when, after Petty died, I remarked that he was overrated. My timing or lack of sensitivity notwithstanding, I stand by my remarks. It's not that he wasn't an accomplished guitarist or that he didn't have talent; he was and he did. It's just that Petty, for all his potential, never pushed the envelope more than he had to. Even on his best album - <i>Damn the Torpedoes</i> - everything falls off the cliff after the third track. He wasn't so much the second coming of Springsteen as he was a doppelgänger of Mark Knopfler. <i>Damn the Torpedoes, Greatest Hits.</i> <b>Grade: B plus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Pink Floyd:</b> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLWKa0s56VeJ8cfLMa7GehygyF2GI4YwyjN-iyWcExmUKyBoqFLBUXBNRedK_THmZtdMsbFbYYxi6pGnycjCscWuyzXECmznzCCKFkkunUPxbwZBLkV68vy0TtHGn8epQSZ4s/s600/Pink-Floyd-publicity-shot-007.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoLWKa0s56VeJ8cfLMa7GehygyF2GI4YwyjN-iyWcExmUKyBoqFLBUXBNRedK_THmZtdMsbFbYYxi6pGnycjCscWuyzXECmznzCCKFkkunUPxbwZBLkV68vy0TtHGn8epQSZ4s/w400-h240/Pink-Floyd-publicity-shot-007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>Among loyal devotees, only the Grateful Dead has a more loyal following. And they have one thing in common with the Beach Boys: one of the most overrated albums in rock history - <i>Dark Side of the Moon</i>. Though audiophiles may love it, the far less audacious <i>Wish You Were Here </i>accomplishes more with less. Of course with these guys, audaciousness was always the point, wasn't it? <i>Wish You Were Here, Animals</i>. <b>Grade: B.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Wussy:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizeJvGIBaJctCu-YccTaoJ96vhqHTs4RCvkj7VP_NGuq9-PxdV-knftjMm20XzY01S4mbMTlu80feUFFbBJZgoVN3WM1qTrdqgNY5VnBrajKYuOYmdkpaFVpIzkJmqwwwercZk/s960/wussy_jesse_fox.5eb98a61d8f52.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizeJvGIBaJctCu-YccTaoJ96vhqHTs4RCvkj7VP_NGuq9-PxdV-knftjMm20XzY01S4mbMTlu80feUFFbBJZgoVN3WM1qTrdqgNY5VnBrajKYuOYmdkpaFVpIzkJmqwwwercZk/w400-h266/wussy_jesse_fox.5eb98a61d8f52.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>The best kept secret to come out of Cincinnati, Chuck Cleaver, former leader of the Ass Ponys, and Lisa Walker are the Lennon and McCartney of their age. Since their signature breakthrough debut in '05 - <i>Funeral Dress</i> - they've consistently churned out one great album after another. On their strongest effort - 2014's<i> Attica! -</i> the opening cut, "Teenage Wasteland," evokes the classic "Baba O'Reilly" so much so that you can almost see Pete Townshend writing it. <i>Strawberry, Attica!</i> <b>Grade: A plus.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Liz Phair:</b> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY8DZzFRSUpcAjyauRnAeUkJMnst8tvU_283e1TBA0dXigoNJM7sLHxrg8wNt81zHpqvdDc5XwtGjNkxKRkBYqwAPMMfpoHSNy6MPfAUBhWUtFPwAgk6z-bNQrEM_VYOEmdwr/s2048/liz+phair.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY8DZzFRSUpcAjyauRnAeUkJMnst8tvU_283e1TBA0dXigoNJM7sLHxrg8wNt81zHpqvdDc5XwtGjNkxKRkBYqwAPMMfpoHSNy6MPfAUBhWUtFPwAgk6z-bNQrEM_VYOEmdwr/w400-h300/liz+phair.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>To paraphrase a well-known Star Trek expression, Phair goes where no woman has gone before. Sexually promiscuous and proud of it, she turns the tables on an entire industry and laughs all the way to the bank. A rebel with a cause, she's Mick Jagger with tits and an attitude to match, which means she fucks whomever she wants and she gets all the satisfaction she can handle without apologizing to a single soul. <i>Exile in Guyville,</i> <i>Whitechocolatespaceegg.</i> <b>Grade: A.</b></p><p><br /></p>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-20923894735538402332020-04-08T12:26:00.000-04:002020-04-08T15:18:56.863-04:00A Diamond In the Rough<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgXDNes5RZTrH0H54BPVxI91upphciuzx9QWB2NjNsmxoGa3UA1d9d1hdYJQbULAUW4B7Le5t7zytqxr2lMBxhVODH0JHSOAfVRGNZYyFfha9XLKrs9ATZTfl7PlCWoEjunmX/s1600/John+Prine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="543" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgXDNes5RZTrH0H54BPVxI91upphciuzx9QWB2NjNsmxoGa3UA1d9d1hdYJQbULAUW4B7Le5t7zytqxr2lMBxhVODH0JHSOAfVRGNZYyFfha9XLKrs9ATZTfl7PlCWoEjunmX/s320/John+Prine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
"There aren't 41 best Prine songs," rock critic Robert Christgau wrote back in 1993 with the release of John Prine's Anthology album. "There are 50, 60, maybe more." Twenty-seven years later, let me just cut to the chase and say there's a truck load more. Shit, I've got over a hundred on my iPhone and I'm still counting.<br />
<br />
"Illegal Smile," "Hello In There," " Sam Stone," Paradise," "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore," "Angel From Montgomery," "Donald and Lydia," "Souvenirs," "Yes I Guess They Oughta Name a Drink After You," "Please Don't Bury Me," "Christmas in Prison," "Dear Abby," "Blue Umbrella," "Often Is a Word I Seldom Use," "Grandpa Was a Carpenter," "Wedding Day in Funeralville," "My Own Best Friend," "He Was in Heaven Before He Died," and that gets you as far as 1975. Only Dylan was more prolific.<br />
<br />
John Prine died yesterday. He was 73. A legend among his peers, he had survived two bouts with cancer, but was no match for the worst pandemic to hit the United States in over a century. When news of his passing broke last night, it was a gut punch for the millions of us who cherished his music. Gram Parsons may have invented alt-country, but John Prine brought it home like no one else.<br />
<br />
A disciple of Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams, Prine was discovered by Kris Kristofferson in a Chicago night club in the summer of 1971. "It must’ve been like stumbling onto Dylan when he first busted onto the Village scene," Kristofferson wrote in the liner notes of Prine's self titled debut. Only 24, Prine was invited by Kristofferson to perform at New York's Bottom Line where he was signed by Atlantic Records' CEO Jerry Wexler. The rest, as they say, is history.<br />
<br />
It's impossible to encapsulate five decades worth of music into one writing. It's beyond my abilities, and even if it weren't, I wouldn't dare attempt it. He talent was indelible; he could make you laugh, then cry, then laugh again without even breaking a sweat. When Leonard Cohen wrote the song, "So Long, Marianne," he kinda had John Prine in mind.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
Well so long, Marianne</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's time that we began</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To laugh and cry</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And cry and laugh about it all again</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
But Prine was not nearly as serious as Cohen, nor as cerebral as Dylan. The only word that comes to mind when I think of his music is honest; gut-wrenchingly honest. There was not a pretentious bone in his body. What you heard was what you got. Among his contemporaries, only Lucinda Williams was his equal. In fact, you could say that Williams and Prine were the perfect bookends for a genre that all too often was overlooked by the music industry. The biggest disappointment I had watching Ken Burns' Country Music was his total failure to mention the contributions of both artists. It was inexcusable.<br />
<br />
I still remember fondly the first time I played <i>Sweet Revenge</i>. It instantly become my favorite album. That was soon followed by his debut <i>John Prine</i> - yes, I sometimes work backwards - then <i>Common Sense</i>, then <i>Storm Windows</i>, then <i>The Missing Years</i>, then <i>Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings</i>. It was that way with every John Prine album I bought. Sorta like finding a new best friend every couple of years.<br />
<br />
Melancholy doesn't begin to describe the heaviness I feel in my heart right now. The world has lost a genius, but more than that it has lost a wonderful man. There'll never be another John Prine. There'll never be another singer/songwriter who will be able to pen a song as tragic as "Christmas in Prison" or as uplifting as "The Glory of True Love." Sometimes it's hard for me to imagine he wrote them at all.<br />
<br />
But in our grief, we can be comforted in the knowledge that no one truly dies. They simply move on to another, better place. John Prine is in that place right now, and if I'm any judge of talent, I'd say he's putting his time to good use. The last song he wrote on his 2018 album <i>The Tree of Forgiveness</i>, says it all.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
When I get to heaven, I'm gonna shake God's hand</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Thank him for more blessings than one man can stand</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Then I'm gonna get a guitar and start a rock-n-roll band</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Check into a swell hotel; ain't the afterlife grand?</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
I can just picture God in the front row, laughing and crying, and crying and laughing about it all again.Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-13535385198081042322020-01-01T11:32:00.004-05:002022-02-05T10:51:44.575-05:00The Best Albums of All Time By Genre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYx28cpCJpNztZcdtxGBRvvcQg-61GxIqfJLNVdmzFqOZeJIL47AvdmV7pybM5yCTolpMFpNWmOFtMEfwYf_15jOIg72ngO3r1_hR8ylW7rbMbz_zdltu6kQZUMR-1J3ZGON9D/s1600/best-albums-of-all-time.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYx28cpCJpNztZcdtxGBRvvcQg-61GxIqfJLNVdmzFqOZeJIL47AvdmV7pybM5yCTolpMFpNWmOFtMEfwYf_15jOIg72ngO3r1_hR8ylW7rbMbz_zdltu6kQZUMR-1J3ZGON9D/s320/best-albums-of-all-time.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
With the close of the second decade of the 21st century, I thought I'd put together a list of the best albums of all time. Unlike past lists, I decided to break it up by genre and cap each at ten. There's a limit of one album per artist or band; hence no double dipping.<br />
<br />
Obviously when you're dealing with a self-imposed limit, some tough choices have to be made. As a result there were a few notable exclusions in each genre. Like the perfectionist that I am, I kept tweaking it right up till the end.<br />
<br />
A few explanations, I feel, are in order. First, concerning the Beatles, I opted for <i>Abbey Road</i> over <i>Sgt. Pepper's</i> or <i>Rubber Soul</i> because I believe it was the better album. It was for that reason that I chose Michael Jackson's <i>Off the Wall</i> over <i>Thriller</i>. It was simply a better album.<br />
<br />
Then there was my decision to include two reggae albums in the World Music genre. I felt is was warranted based on the fact that they belong there. And as I'm sure you've noticed, the remaining eight selections are all from the continent of Africa. Seriously, if you broke down the over all contribution that African music has made across the globe, you'd be hard-pressed to cap it at fifty, much less ten. So I'm perfectly ok with eight out of ten coming from there.<br />
<br />
In closing, I have listened to each of these albums thoroughly and can vouch for their inclusion in this list. While some may take umbrage with my final selections, I feel confident that I did the best I could under the circumstances. If you think you can do better, knock yourself out.<br />
<br />
Here goes,<br />
<br />
<b>Rock</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. The Rolling Stones: <i>Exile on Main Street </i></b><b>(1972)</b><br />
<br />
<b>2. Bruce Springsteen: <i>Born in the U.S.A. </i></b><b>(1984)</b><br />
<br />
<b>3. Derek & the Dominos: <i>Layla </i></b><b>(1970)</b><br />
<br />
<b>4. Neil Young: <i>Rust Never Sleeps </i></b><b>(1979)</b><br />
<br />
<b>5. Jimi Hendrix: <i>Are You Experienced?</i> (1967) </b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>6. The Band: <i>Music From Big Pink</i> (1968)</b><br />
<br />
<b>7. The Who: <i>Who’s Next </i>(1971)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>8. Grateful Dead: <i>Live/Dead </i>(1969) </b><br />
<br />
<b>9. The Beatles: <i>Abbey Road </i>(1969)</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>10. Lynyrd Skynyrd: <i>Street Survivors</i> (1977)</b><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b><b>Alt-Rock</b><br />
<br />
<b>1. The Clash: <i>London Calling</i> (1980)<br /><br />2. Sonic Youth: <i>Daydream Nation</i> (1988)<br /><br />3. Wussy: <i>Attica!</i> (2014)<br /><br />4. Television: <i>Marquee Moon</i> (1977)<br /><br />5. Arcade Fire: <i>Neon Bible</i> (2005)<br /><br />6. Vampire Weekend: <i>Modern Vampires in the City </i>(2013)<br /><br />7. Yo La Tengo: <i>I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One</i> (1997)<br /><br />8. Nirvana: <i>Nevermind</i> (1991)<br /><br />9. Liz Phair: <i>Exile in Guyville</i> (1993)<br /><br />10. P.J. Harvey: <i>Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea</i> (2000)</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Country / Alt-Country</b></div>
<br />
<b>1. Lucinda Williams: <i>Car Wheels on a Gravel Road</i> (1998)<br /><br />2. Drive-By Truckers: <i>Brighter Than Creation’s Dark</i> (2008)</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>3. Iris DeMent: <i>My Life</i> (1994)<br /><br />4. Joe Ely: <i>Honky Tonk Masquerade</i> (1978)<br /><br />5. Rosanne Cash: <i>Interiors</i> (1991)<br /><br />6. Willie Nelson: <i>Spirit</i> (1996)<br /><br />7. Gram Parsons: <i>Grievous Angel</i> (1974)<br /><br />8. John Prine: <i>Sweet Revenge</i> (1973)<br /><br />9. Merle Haggard: <i>If I Could Only Fly</i> (2000)<br /><br />10. Johnny Cash: <i>At Folsom Prison</i> (1968)</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Singer-Songwriter</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>1. Bob Dylan: <i>Blonde on Blonde</i> (1966)<br /><br />2. Paul Simon: <i>Paul Simon</i> (1972)<br /><br />3. Patti Smith: <i>Horses</i> (1975)<br /><br />4. Amy Rigby: <i>Dairy of a Mod Housewife</i> (1996)</b><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>5. Randy Newman: <i>12 Songs </i>(1970)<br /><br />6. Joni Mitchell: <i>For the Roses</i> (1972)<br /><br />7. Van Morrison: <i>Moondance</i> (1970)<br /><br />8. Tom Waits: <i>Orphans</i> (2006)<br /><br />9. Leonard Cohen: <i>Songs of Leonard Cohen</i> (1967)<br /><br />10. Conor Oberst: <i>Conor Oberst</i> (2008)</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>R&B</b></div>
<br />
<b>1. Sly & the Family Stone: <i>There’s a Riot Goin’ On</i> (1971)<br /><br />2. Stevie Wonder: <i>Songs in the Key of Life</i> (1976)<br /><br />3. Al Green: <i>Call Me</i> (1973)<br /><br />4. Aretha Franklin: <i>I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You</i> (1967)<br /><br />5. Prince: <i>Sign o’ the Times</i> (1987)<br /><br />6. Otis Redding: <i>Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul</i> (1965)<br /><br />7. Marvin Gaye: <i>Midnight Love</i> (1982)<br /><br />8. Parliament: <i>Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome</i> (1977)<br /><br />9. Michael Jackson: <i>Off the Wall</i> (1979)<br /><br />10. Ray Charles: <i>Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music</i> (1962)</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Rap / Hip-Hop</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>1. A Tribe Called Quest: <i>We Got It From Here … Thank you 4 Your Service</i> (2016)<br /><br />2. Tricky: <i>Maxinquaye</i> (1995)<br /><br />3. Public Enemy: <i>It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back</i> (1988)<br /><br />4. The Roots: <i>How I Got Over</i> (2010)<br /><br />5. Kanye West: <i>Late Registration</i> (2005)<br /><br />6. Rihanna: <i>Anti</i> (2016)<br /><br />7. Kendrick Lamar: <i>To Pimp a Butterfly</i> (2015)<br /><br />8. The Notorious B.I.G.: <i>Life After Death</i> (1997)<br /><br />9. Ice-T: <i>O.G.: Original Gangstar</i> (1991)<br /><br />10. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five: <i>The Message</i> (1982)</b><br />
<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b><b>Jazz</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<b>1. Miles Davis: <i>A Tribute To Jack Johnson</i> (1971)</b><br />
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>2. John Coltrane: <i>A Love Supreme</i> (1965)</b></div>
<div>
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div>
<b>3. David Murray: <i>Shakill's Warrior</i> (1991)</b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>4. James Carter: <i>The Real Quietstorm</i> (1995)</b></div>
<div>
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div>
<b>5. Ornette Coleman: <i>Of Human Feelings</i> (1982)</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>6. Sonny Rollins: G Man (1987)</b></div>
<div>
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div>
<b>7. Eric Dolphy: <i>Out To Lunch</i> (1964)</b></div>
<div>
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div>
<b>8. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers: <i>Moanin'</i> (1958)</b></div>
<div>
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div>
<b>9. Arthur Blythe: <i>Lenox Avenue Breakdown</i> (1978)</b></div>
<div>
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div>
<b>10. James Blood Ulmer: <i>Odyssey</i> (1983)</b></div>
<div>
<b><i><br /></i></b><b><br /></b><b>World Music</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>1. <i>The Indestructible Beat of Soweto</i> (1986)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>2. Franco & Rochereau: <i>Omona Wapi</i> (1985)</b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b><b>3. Bob Marley & the Wailers: <i>Natty Dread</i> (1975)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>4. King Sunny Ade & His African Beats: <i>Juju Music</i> (1982)</b><br />
<b><br /></b><b>5. Youssou N'Dour: <i>Nothing's In Vain</i> (2002)<br /><br />6. Papa Wemba: <i>Emotion</i> (1995)<br /><br />7. Culture: <i>Two Sevens Clash</i> (1987)<br /><br />8. Amadou & Mariam: <i>Dimanche à Bamako</i> (2005)<br /><br />9. Mzwakhe Mbuli: <i>Resistance Is Defence</i> (1992)<br /><br />10. Remmy Ongala & Orchestre Super Matimila: <i>Songs for the Poor Man</i> (1989)</b></div>
<br />
<div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
</div>
</div>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-66459424914594907192010-09-08T18:07:00.009-04:002010-10-30T23:02:40.591-04:00<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Five Decades, Five Hundred Albums</span></strong><br />
<br />
At long last, it's complete, as promised. From 1960 through 2009, I've done my best to include what I think were the best albums released over the last five decades. Every genre is included. While I do not necessarily own each and every one of these albums, I have listened to <em>all</em> of them.<br />
<br />
A note here. Obviously there aren't nearly as many '60s albums, as there are '70s, '80s, '90s & '00s. In light of the fact that prior to 1967, the majority of LPs released were not up to par, I felt it only fair to include more entries from those four decades.<br />
<br />
I make no apologies for the order of preference - you are free to disagree. Nor will I make any apologies for not including certain albums that heretofore have been considered "classics" within the rock critic community; i.e. "The White Album", "Physical Graffiti", and "Dark Side of the Moon." The reader will also realize pretty quickly my fondness for certain jazz artists that I feel have contributed in some small way to pop music. And while I do admire Blues as a genre, with the exception of Robert Cray, few artists released albums worthy of inclusion here.<br />
<br />
Regarding the order, after you get passed the first 100 or so albums, most of the entries were very close in quality. Please don't feel offended if you see an album at, say, number 450, that you thought should've been, say, 250. Sometimes, a lot of this comes down luck of the draw. For instance, "Tapestry" was one of the better records of the '70s, but because its particular year was quite exceptional, it gets bumped down as far as it does.<br />
<br />
And finally, if you don't like many of the entries, sue me. It's a free country!<br />
<br />
<br />
1. The Rolling Stones: <em>Exile on Main Street</em> (1972)<br />
2. <em>The Indestructible Beat of Soweto</em> (1986)<br />
3. David Murray: <em>Shakill's Warrior</em> (1991)<br />
4. The Grateful Dead: <em>Live / Dead</em> (1969)<br />
5. Miles Davis: <em>A Tribute to Jack Johnson</em> (1971)<br />
6. M.I.A.: <em>Kala</em> (2007) <br />
7. The Clash: <em>London Calling</em> (1980)<br />
8. The Beatles: <em>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</em> (1967)<br />
9. Bruce Springsteen: <em>Born in the U.S.A.</em> (1984)<br />
10. Derek & the Dominos: <em>Layla</em> (1970)<br />
11. Bob Dylan/The Band: <em>The Basement Tapes</em> (1975)<br />
12. Kanye West: <em>Late Registration</em> (2005) <br />
13. Al Green: <em>Call Me</em> (1973)<br />
14. Lucinda Williams: <em>Car Wheels on a Gravel Road</em> (1998)<br />
15. Neil Young & Crazy Horse: <em>Rust Never Sleeps</em> (1979)<br />
16. Freedy Johnston: <em>Can You Fly</em> (1992)<br />
17. Bob Dylan: <em>Blonde on Blonde</em> (1966)<br />
18. Moby: <em>Play</em> (1999)<br />
19. Arcade Fire: <em>Neon Bible</em> (2007) <br />
20. Lucinda Williams: <em>Lucinda Williams</em> (1988)<br />
21. Iris DeMent: <em>My Life</em> (1994)<br />
22. The Beatles: <em>Rubber Soul</em> (1965)<br />
23. DeBarge: <em>In a Special Way</em> (1983)<br />
24. Arto Lindsay: <em>Mundo Civilizado</em> (1997)<br />
25. DJ Shadow: <em>Endtroducing . . . DJ Shadow</em> (1996)<br />
26. Bob Dylan: <em>“Love and Theft”</em> (2001) <br />
27. The Band: <em>Music From Big Pink</em> (1968)<br />
28. Television: <em>Marquee Moon</em> (1977)<br />
29. John Coltrane: <em>A Love Supreme</em> (1964)<br />
30. The Mekons: <em>Fear & Whiskey</em> (1985)<br />
31. Tricky: <em>Maxinquaye</em> (1995)<br />
32. The Rolling Stones: <em>Some Girls</em> (1978)<br />
33. Franco & Rochereau: <em>Omona Wapi</em> (1985)<br />
34. X: <em>Wild Gift</em> (1981)<br />
35. Steely Dan: <em>Pretzel Logic</em> (1974)<br />
36. Ornette Coleman: <em>Of Human Feelings</em> (1982)<br />
37. Prince: <em>Sign 'O' the Times</em> (1987)<br />
38. Liz Phair: <em>Exile in Guyville</em> (1993)<br />
39. Drive-By Truckers: <em>Brighter Than Creation’s Dark</em> (2008) <br />
40. Eno: <em>Another Green World</em> (1976)<br />
41. Wussy: <em>Funeral Dress</em> (2005) <br />
42. Ray Charles: <em>Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music</em> (1962)<br />
43. L.L. Cool J: <em>Mama Said Knock You Out</em> (1990)<br />
44. The Mekons: <em>The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll</em> (1989)<br />
45. Jimi Hendrix: <em>Are You Experienced?</em> (1967)<br />
46. Fugees: <em>The Score</em> (1996)<br />
47. <em>Guitar Paradise of East Africa</em> (1991)<br />
48. Elvis Costello and the Attractions: <em>Trust</em> (1981)<br />
49. Marshall Crenshaw: <em>Field Day</em> (1983)<br />
50. Graham Parker & the Rumour: <em>Squeezing Out Sparks</em> (1979)<br />
51. Nick Lowe: <em>Pure Pop for Now People</em> (1978)<br />
52. Paul Simon: <em>Paul Simon</em> (1972)<br />
53. Aretha Franklin: <em>Lady Soul</em> (1968)<br />
54. Public Enemy: <em>It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back</em> (1988)<br />
55. Randy Newman: <em>12 Songs</em> (1970)<br />
56. The Robert Cray Band: <em>Strong Persuader</em> (1986)<br />
57. The Moldy Peaches: <em>The Moldy Peaches</em> (2001) <br />
58. Kanye West: <em>The College Dropout</em> (2004) <br />
59. Nirvana: <em>In Utero</em> (1993)<br />
60. Joe Cocker: <em>Joe Cocker!</em> (1969)<br />
61. Neil Young: <em>Tonight's the Night</em> (1975)<br />
62. Mzwakhe Mbuli: <em>Resistance Is Defence</em> (1992)<br />
63. Luna: <em>Penthouse</em> (1995)<br />
64. Latin Playboys: <em>Latin Playboys</em> (1994)<br />
65. King Sunny Adé and His African Beats: <em>Juju Music</em> (1982)<br />
66. Sly & the Family Stone: <em>There's a Riot Goin' On</em> (1971)<br />
67. Sonic Youth: <em>A Thousand Leaves</em> (1998)<br />
68. Brad Paisley: <em>American Saturday Night</em> (2009) <br />
69. Jimmy Cliff et al.: <em>The Harder They Come</em> (1973)<br />
70. Bob Dylan: <em>Modern Times</em> (2006) <br />
71. Laurie Anderson: <em>Strange Angels</em> (1989)<br />
72. Sonny Rollins: <em>G-Man</em> (1987)<br />
73. Bob Dylan: <em>Bringin' It All Back Home</em> (1965)<br />
74. Talking Heads: <em>Remain in Light</em> (1980)<br />
75. The Magnetic Fields: <em>69 Love Songs</em> (1999)<br />
76. The New York Dolls: <em>In Too Much Too Soon</em> (1974)<br />
77. Orchestra Baobab: <em>Specialists in All Styles</em> (2002) <br />
78. The Beatles: <em>Revolver</em> (1966)<br />
79. The Replacements: <em>Let It Be</em> (1984)<br />
80. Amy Rigby: <em>Diary of a Mod Housewife</em> (1996)<br />
81. P.J. Harvey: <em>Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea</em> (2000) <br />
82. Aretha Franklin: <em>Who's Zoomin' Who?</em> (1985)<br />
83. Beastie Boys: <em>Licensed to Ill</em> (1986)<br />
84. Sex Pistols: <em>Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols</em> (1977)<br />
85. Sleater-Kinney: <em>Dig Me Out</em> (1997)<br />
86. The Mekons: <em>OOOH!</em> (2002) <br />
87. The Wild Tchoupitoulas: <em>The Wild Tchoupitoulas</em> (1976)<br />
88. Billy Bragg & Wilco: <em>Mermaid Avenue</em> (1998)<br />
89. Liz Phair: <em>Liz Phair</em> (2003) <br />
90. Fleetwood Mac: <em>Rumours </em>(1977)<br />
91. John Prine: <em>In Spite of Ourselves</em> (1999)<br />
92. Culture: <em>Two Sevens Clash</em> (1987)<br />
93. Youssou N’Dour: <em>Egypt</em> (2004) <br />
94. Aretha Franklin: <em>I Never Loved A Man</em> (1967)<br />
95. Beck: <em>Mellow Gold</em> (1994)<br />
96. Creedence Clearwater Revival: <em>Willy and the Poor Boys</em> (1969)<br />
97. Bob Dylan: <em>Highway '61 Revisited</em> (1965)<br />
98. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane: <em>At Carnegie Hall</em> (2005) <br />
98. English Beat: <em>Wha'ppen?</em> (1981)<br />
99. Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band: <em>Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band</em> (1976)<br />
100. DJ Shadow: <em>The Private Press</em> (2002) <br />
101. Archers of Loaf: <em>Vee Vee</em> (1995)<br />
102. Marshall Crenshaw: <em>Marshall Crenshaw</em> (1982)<br />
103. The Rolling Stones: <em>Out of Our Heads</em> (1965)<br />
104. Laurie Anderson: <em>United States Live</em> (1984)<br />
105. Joni Mitchell: <em>For the Roses</em> (1972)<br />
106. The Rolling Stones: <em>Beggar's Banquet</em> (1968)<br />
107. James Blood Ulmer: <em>Odyssey</em> (1983)<br />
108. Gogol Bordello: <em>Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike</em> (2005) <br />
109. Tom Waits: <em>Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards</em> (2006) <br />
110. Nirvana: <em>Nevermind</em> (1991)<br />
111. Patti Smith: <em>Horses</em> (1975)<br />
112. Rod Stewart: <em>Every Picture Tells a Story</em> (1971)<br />
113. Sonic Youth: <em>Daydream Nation</em> (1988)<br />
114. The Wailers: <em>Burnin' </em>(1974)<br />
115. Van Morrison: <em>Moondance </em>(1970)<br />
116. Yo La Tengo: <em>I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One</em> (1997)<br />
117. The Go-Betweens: <em>Oceans Apart</em> (2005)<br />
118. The Clash: <em>The Clash</em> (1979)<br />
119. Talking Heads: <em>More Songs About Buildings and Food</em> (1978)<br />
120. Leonard Cohen: <em>Live in London</em> (2009)<br />
121. Prince: <em>Dirty Mind</em> (1980)<br />
122. PJ Harvey: <em>Rid of Me</em> (1993)<br />
123. The New York Dolls: <em>The New York Dolls</em> (1973)<br />
124. Ghostface Killah: <em>Fishscale</em> (2006)<br />
125. The Go-Betweens: <em>The Friends of Rachel Worth</em> (2000)<br />
126. Neil Young: <em>Freedom</em> (1989)<br />
127. L7: <em>Bricks Are Heavy</em> (1992)<br />
128. Pixies: <em>Bossanova</em> (1990)<br />
129. Bonnie Raitt: <em>Give It Up</em> (1972)<br />
130. Todd Snider: <em>East Nashville Skyline</em> (2004)<br />
131. Blondie: <em>Parallel Lines</em> (1978)<br />
132. Cornershop: <em>When I Was Born for the 7th Time</em> (1997)<br />
133. The Velvet Underground: <em>The Velvet Underground & Nico</em> (1967)<br />
134. De La Soul: <em>Buhloone Mindstate</em> (1993)<br />
135. Rosanne Cash: <em>Black Cadillac</em> (2006)<br />
136. Fluffy: <em>Black Eye</em> (1996)<br />
137. Gram Parsons: <em>Grievous Angel</em> (1974)<br />
138. OutKast: <em>Stankonia</em> (2000)<br />
139. Kimya Dawson: <em>I’m Sorry That Sometimes I’m Mean</em> (2002)<br />
140. Miles Davis: <em>Bitches Brew</em> (1969)<br />
141. Hüsker Dü: <em>Flip Your Wig</em> (1985)<br />
142. James Carter: <em>The Real Quietstorm</em> (1995)<br />
143. Sleater-Kinney: <em>The Woods</em> (2005)<br />
144. John Prine: <em>Sweet Revenge</em> (1973)<br />
145. Cornershop: <em>Handcream for a Generation</em> (2002)<br />
146. Buffalo Springfield: <em>Buffalo Springfield</em> (1966)<br />
147. Kate & Anna McGarrigle: <em>Dancer with Bruised Knees</em> (1977)<br />
148. George Clinton: <em>Computer Games</em> (1982)<br />
149. Van Morrison: <em>Astral Weeks</em> (1968)<br />
150. Rilo Kiley: <em>More Adventurous</em> (2004)<br />
151. Loudon Wainwright III: <em>Hide, Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project</em> (2009)<br />
152. Gang of Four: <em>Solid Gold</em> (1981)<br />
153. Bonnie Raitt: <em>Home Plate</em> (1975)<br />
154. Wussy: <em>Left for Dead</em> (2007)<br />
155. Tricky: <em>Blowback</em> (2001)<br />
156. Lauryn Hill: <em>The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill</em> (1998)<br />
157. Lou Reed: <em>New Sensations</em> (1984)<br />
158. Lucinda Williams: <em>Sweet Old World</em> (1992)<br />
159. The Coup: <em>Party Music</em> (2001)<br />
160. Todd Snider: <em>The Devil You Know</em> (2006)<br />
161. Neil Young: <em>After the Gold Rush</em> (1970)<br />
162. Old 97's: <em>Fight Songs</em> (1999)<br />
163. Ornette Coleman: <em>In All Languages</em> (1987)<br />
164. Buck 65: <em>Talkin' Honky Blues</em> (2003)<br />
165. Otis Redding: <em>Otis Blue</em> (1965)<br />
166. Linton Kwesi Johnson: <em>Tings an' Times</em> (1991)<br />
167. Pere Ubu: <em>Dub Housing</em> (1979)<br />
168. Orchestra Baobab: <em>Made in Dakar</em> (2008)<br />
169. Ramones: <em>Ramones </em>(1976)<br />
170. Remmy Ongala & Orchestre Super Matimila: <em>Songs for the Poor Man</em> (1989)<br />
171. TV On The Radio: <em>Dear Science</em> (2008)<br />
172. M.I.A.: <em>Arular</em> (2005)<br />
173. Sonic Youth: <em>Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star</em> (1984)<br />
174. The Blasters: <em>Non Fiction</em> (1983)<br />
175. The Pogues: <em>Rum Sodomy & the Lash</em> (1986)<br />
176. The Who: <em>Who's Next</em> (1971)<br />
177. Aretha Franklin: <em>Young, Gifted and Black</em> (1972)<br />
178. Bob Marley & the Wailers: <em>Natty Dread</em> (1975)<br />
179. OutKast: <em>Speakerboxx/The Love Below</em> (2003)<br />
180. Pere Ubu: <em>The Tenement Year</em> (1988)<br />
181. The Beatles: <em>Abbey Road</em> (1969)<br />
182. Old 97’s: <em>Satellite Rides</em> (2001)<br />
183. The Rolling Stones: <em>Flowers</em> (1967)<br />
184. Bob Dylan: <em>Under the Red Sky</em> (1990)<br />
185. English Beat: <em>Special Beat Service</em> (1982)<br />
186. Graham Parker: <em>Howlin Wind</em> (1976)<br />
187. Youssou N’Dour: <em>Nothing’s in Vain</em> (2002)<br />
188. Conor Oberst: <em>Conor Oberst</em> (2008)<br />
189. James Brown: <em>Sex Machine</em> (1970)<br />
190. Jimmie Dale Gilmore: <em>Spinning Around the Sun</em> (1993)<br />
191. John Lennon: <em>Imagine</em> (1971)<br />
192. Joni Mitchell: <em>Court and Spark</em> (1974)<br />
193. Gogol Bordello: <em>Super Taranta!</em> (2007)<br />
194. Liz Phair: <em>Whitechocolatespaceegg </em>(1998)<br />
195. Los Lobos: <em>How Will the Wolf Survive?</em> (1984)<br />
196. Jon Langford: <em>All the Fame of Lofty Deeds</em> (2004)<br />
197. Jimi Hendrix: <em>Electric Ladyland</em> (1968)<br />
198. Lou Reed: <em>Legendary Hearts</em> (1983)<br />
199. Amy Rigby: <em>Little Fugitives</em> (2005)<br />
200. The Klezmatics: <em>Wonder Wheel: Lyrics by Woody Guthrie</em> (2006)<br />
201. Neil Young: <em>Comes a Time</em> (1978)<br />
202. Paul Simon: <em>Graceland</em> (1986)<br />
203. The Wrens: <em>The Meadowlands</em> (2003)<br />
204. Pavement: <em>Slanted and Enchanted</em> (1992)<br />
205. Nirvana: <em>MTV Unplugged in New York</em> (1994)<br />
206. The Beach Boys: <em>Pet Sounds</em> (1966)<br />
207. Pavement: <em>Wowee Zowee</em> (1995)<br />
208. Lucinda Williams: <em>World Without Tears</em> (2003)<br />
209. K’naan: <em>The Dusty Foot Philosopher</em> (2008)<br />
210. Le Tigre: <em>Le Tigre</em> (1999)<br />
211. Jungle Brothers: <em>Done by the Forces of Nature</em> (1989)<br />
212. Pete Townshend: <em>Empty Glass</em> (1980)<br />
213. Ramones: <em>Rocket to Russia</em> (1977)<br />
214. Rosanne Cash: <em>Interiors </em>(1991)<br />
215. Sonic Youth: <em>Sister</em> (1987)<br />
216. The Apples in Stereo: <em>New Magnetic Wonder</em> (2007)<br />
217. The Sonny Sharrock Band: <em>Highlife</em> (1991)<br />
218. Stevie Wonder: <em>Innervisions </em>(1973)<br />
219. The Hold Steady: <em>Separation Sunday</em> (2005)<br />
220. The Beautiful South: <em>Blue Is the Colour</em> (1996)<br />
221. The Clash: <em>Sandinista!</em> (1981)<br />
222. The Replacements: <em>Tim</em> (1985)<br />
223. The Mountain Goats: <em>We Shall All Be Released</em> (2004)<br />
224. Les Amazones de Guinee: <em>Wamato</em> (2008)<br />
225. Van Morrison: <em>Into the Music</em> (1979)<br />
226. Beastie Boys: <em>Paul's Boutique</em> (1989)<br />
227. Bob Dylan: <em>Blood on the Tracks</em> (1975)<br />
228. The Flying Burrito Brothers: <em>Gilded Palace of Sin</em> (1969)<br />
229. Fountains of Wayne: <em>Traffic and Weather</em> (2007)<br />
230. The Notorious B.I.G.: <em>Life After Death</em> (1997)<br />
231. <em>Heartbeat of Soweto</em> (1988)<br />
232. Creedence Clearwater Revival: <em>Cosmo's Factory</em> (1970)<br />
233. Nellie McKay: <em>Normal as Blueberry Pie: A Tribute To Doris Day</em> (2009)<br />
234. Sonic Youth: <em>Rather Ripped</em> (2006)<br />
235. Bob Dylan: <em>John Wesley Harding</em> (1968)<br />
236. Elvis Costello and the Attractions: <em>This Year’s Model</em> (1978)<br />
237. The Go-Betweens: <em>Tallulah</em> (1987)<br />
238. Rilo Kiley: <em>Under the Backlight</em> (2007)<br />
239. George Clinton: <em>You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish</em> (1983)<br />
240. Loudon Wainwright III: <em>Career Moves</em> (1993)<br />
241. The Mountain Goats: <em>Tallahassee </em>(2002)<br />
242. Raphael Saadiq: <em>The Way I See It</em> (2008)<br />
243. Lynyrd Skynyrd: <em>Pronounced Leh-nerd Skeh-nerd</em> (1973)<br />
244. Ike & Tina Turner: <em>River Deep Mountain High</em> (1966)<br />
245. Madonna: <em>I'm Breathless</em> (1990)<br />
246. Johnny Cash: <em>American IV: The Man Comes Around</em> (2002)<br />
247. King Sunny Adé and His African Beats: <em>Aura</em> (1984)<br />
248. The Beach Boys: <em>Wild Honey</em> (1967)<br />
249. Hüsker Dü: <em>Candy Apple Grey</em> (1986)<br />
250. Lily Allen: <em>It’s Not Me, It’s You</em> (2009)<br />
251. Holy Modal Rounders: <em>Too Much Fun</em> (1999)<br />
252. Manfred Mann's Earth Band: <em>Manfred Mann's Earth Band</em> (1972)<br />
253. Nick Lowe: <em>Labour of Lust</em> (1979)<br />
254. Ornette Coleman and Prime Time: <em>Virgin Beauty</em> (1988)<br />
255. Parliament: <em>Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome</em> (1977)<br />
256. Sonic Youth: <em>NYC Ghosts and Flowers</em> (2000)<br />
257. Pavement: <em>Brighten the Corners</em> (1997)<br />
258. Peter Stampfel: <em>You Must Remember This . . .</em> (1995)<br />
259. Professor Longhair: <em>Crawfish Fiesta</em> (1980)<br />
260. R.E.M.: <em>Out of Time</em> (1991)<br />
261. Randy Newman: <em>Good Old Boys</em> (1974)<br />
262. Maria Muldaur: <em>Heart of Mine: Love Songs of Bob Dylan</em> (2006)<br />
263. Randy Newman: <em>Harps and Angels</em> (2008)<br />
264. Richard & Linda Thompson: <em>Shoot Out the Lights</em> (1982)<br />
265. The Rolling Stones: <em>Tattoo You</em> (1981)<br />
266. Scritti Politti: <em>Cupid & Psyche ’85</em> (1985)<br />
267. Sleater-Kinney: <em>Call the Doctor</em> (1996)<br />
268. Sonic Youth: <em>Dirty</em> (1992)<br />
269. Stevie Wonder: <em>Songs in the Key of Life</em> (1976)<br />
270. Sleater-Kinney: <em>One Beat</em> (2002)<br />
271. The Coup: <em>Steal This Album</em> (1998)<br />
272. Les Savy Fav: <em>Let's Stay Friends</em> (2007)<br />
273. The Rolling Stones: <em>Sticky Fingers</em> (1971)<br />
274. Ambitious Lovers: <em>Greed </em>(1988)<br />
275. James Carter: <em>Gardenias for Lady Day</em> (2003)<br />
276. OutKast: <em>Idlewild</em> (2006)<br />
277. Pavement: <em>Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain</em> (1994)<br />
278. Aretha Franklin: <em>Spirit in the Dark</em> (1970)<br />
279. Big Star: <em>Radio City</em> (1974)<br />
280. Bonnie Raitt: <em>Luck of the Draw</em> (1991)<br />
281. Amy Rigby: <em>Til the Wheels Fall Off</em> (2003)<br />
282. Bruce Springsteen: <em>Tunnel of Love</em> (1987)<br />
283. The Who: <em>Tommy</em> (1969)<br />
284. Ray Charles: <em>Genius Loves Company</em> (2004)<br />
285. De La Soul: <em>3 Feet High and Rising</em> (1989)<br />
286. Elvis Costello and the Attractions: <em>Blood and Chocolate</em> (1986)<br />
287. Fleetwood Mac: <em>Fleetwood Mac</em> (1975)<br />
288. <em>Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast</em> (2005)<br />
289. Dr. John: <em>Right Place, Right Time</em> (2006)<br />
290. The Byrds: <em>Sweetheart of the Rodeo</em> (1968)<br />
291. Funkadelic: <em>One Nation Under a Groove</em> (1978)<br />
292. Hole: <em>Live Through This</em> (1994)<br />
293. James Carter: <em>Conversin' With the Elders</em> (1996)<br />
294. Warren Zevon: <em>The Wind</em> (2003)<br />
295. Gang of Four: <em>Entertainment!</em> (1980)<br />
296. John Prine: <em>Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings</em> (1995)<br />
297. Joni Mitchell: <em>Blue</em> (1971)<br />
298. Lynyrd Skynyrd: <em>Street Survivors</em> (1977)<br />
299. Michael Jackson: <em>Off the Wall</em> (1979)<br />
300. Miles Davis: <em>Agharta</em> (1976)<br />
301. Balkan Beat Box: <em>Nu Med</em> (2007)<br />
302. P.M. Dawn: <em>The Bliss Album . . . ?</em> (1993)<br />
303. Prince and the Revolution: <em>Purple Rain</em> (1984)<br />
304. R.E.M.: <em>Murmur</em> (1983)<br />
305. Kid Creole and the Coconuts: <em>Wise Guy</em> (1982)<br />
306. Lou Reed: <em>Ecstasy</em> (2000)<br />
307. Ornette Coleman: <em>Sound Grammar</em> (2006)<br />
308. Amadou & Mariam: <em>Dimanche a Bamako</em> (2005)<br />
309. The Rolling Stones: <em>Aftermath </em>(1966)<br />
310. Latin Playboys: <em>Dose</em> (1999)<br />
311. PJ Harvey: <em>Is This Desire?</em> (1998)<br />
312. Bright Eyes: <em>Cassadaga </em>(2007)<br />
313. Psychedelic Furs: <em>Talk Talk Talk</em> (1981)<br />
314. Talking Heads: <em>Little Creatures</em> (1985)<br />
315. The White Stripes: <em>White Blood Cells</em> (2001)<br />
316. The Roots: <em>Rising Down</em> (2008)<br />
317. The Roches: <em>A Dove</em> (1992)<br />
318. Alberta Hunter: <em>Amtrak Blues</em> (1980)<br />
319. Andy Fairweather Low: <em>Spider Jiving</em> (1974)<br />
320. Arthur Blythe: <em>Lenox Avenue Breakdown</em> (1979)<br />
321. Black Uhuru: <em>Anthem</em> (1984)<br />
322. Joanna Newsom: <em>The Milk-Eyed Mender</em> (2004)<br />
323. The Rolling Stones: <em>Let It Bleed</em> (1969)<br />
324. The Chills: <em>Submarine Bells</em> (1990)<br />
325. <em>The Songs of Jimmie Rodgers--A Tribute Album</em> (1997)<br />
326. The Wailers: <em>Catch a Fire</em> (1972)<br />
327. David Bowie: <em>Station to Station</em> (1976)<br />
328. Donald Fagen: <em>The Nightfly</em> (1982)<br />
329. Elvis Costello: <em>My Aim Is True</em> (1977)<br />
330. Feelies: <em>Time for a Witness</em> (1991)<br />
331. Iris DeMent: <em>The Way I Should</em> (1996)<br />
332. <em>Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill</em> (1985)<br />
333. Pink: <em>Mizzundaztood</em> (2001)<br />
334. Black Uhuru: <em>Red</em> (1981)<br />
335. John Lennon: <em>Plastic Ono Band</em> (1970)<br />
336. Joy of Cooking: <em>Joy of Cooking</em> (1971)<br />
337. Kid Creole and the Coconuts: <em>Doppelganger</em> (1983)<br />
338. John Trudell: <em>AKA Graffiti Man</em> (1992)<br />
339. Steve Earle: <em>Jerusalem</em> (2002)<br />
340. M People: <em>Elegant Slumming</em> (1994)<br />
341. Mary Lou Lord: <em>Got No Shadow</em> (1998)<br />
342. PJ Harvey: <em>To Bring You My Love</em> (1965)<br />
343. Johnny Cash: <em>At Folsom Prison</em> (1968)<br />
344. Public Enemy: <em>Fear of a Black Planet</em> (1990)<br />
345. Randy Newman: <em>Bad Love</em> (1999)<br />
346. Steely Dan: <em>Katy Lied</em> (1975)<br />
347. Amy Allison: <em>No Frills Friend</em> (2003)<br />
348. The Waco Brothers: <em>Electric Waco Chair</em> (2000)<br />
349. Steve Earle: <em>Guitar Town</em> (1986)<br />
350. The Neville Brothers: <em>Yellow Moon</em> (1989)<br />
351. Bruce Springsteen: <em>Born to Run</em> (1975)<br />
352. Aretha Franklin: <em>Soul '69</em> (1969)<br />
353. Archers of Loaf: <em>Icky Mettle</em> (1993)<br />
354. Wire: <em>Pink Flag</em> (1978)<br />
355. Steely Dan: <em>Can't Buy a Thrill</em> (1972)<br />
356. Sly & Robbie: <em>Rhythm Killers</em> (1987)<br />
357. Caetano Velosa: <em>A Foreign Sound</em> (2004)<br />
358. Al Green: <em>Livin' for You</em> (1973)<br />
359. Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens: <em>Paris-Soweto</em> (1988)<br />
360. Burning Spear: <em>Marcus Garvey</em> (1976)<br />
361. Camper Van Beethoven: <em>Camper Van Beethoven</em> (1986)<br />
362. Eric Clapton: <em>461 Ocean Boulevard</em> (1974)<br />
363. <em>Folkways: A Vision Shared--A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly</em> (1988)<br />
364. Ice-T: O.G.: <em>Original Gangster</em> (1991)<br />
365. John Lennon/Yoko Ono: <em>Double Fantasy</em> (1980)<br />
366. Lou Reed: <em>New York</em> (1989)<br />
367. Marvin Gaye: <em>Midnight Love</em> (1982)<br />
368. Ornette Coleman: <em>Dancing in Your Head</em> (1977)<br />
369. Mary J. Blige: <em>Share My World</em> (1997)<br />
370. Pet Shop Boys: <em>Very</em> (1993)<br />
371. Steely Dan: <em>Countdown to Ecstasy</em> (1973)<br />
372. Linton Kwesi Johnson: <em>Making History</em> (1984)<br />
373. Los Lobos: <em>Colossal Head</em> (1996)<br />
374. P.M. Dawn: <em>Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here</em> (1998)<br />
375. Courtney Love: <em>America’s Sweetheart</em> (2004)<br />
376. Stevie Wonder: <em>Talking Book</em> (1972)<br />
377. Sugar: <em>File Under: Easy Listening</em> (1994)<br />
378. The B-52's: <em>The B-52's</em> (1979)<br />
379. The Strokes: <em>Is This It?</em> (2001)<br />
380. Sonic Youth: <em>Goo</em> (1990)<br />
381. The Jesus and Mary Chain: <em>Psychocandy</em> (1985)<br />
382. Q-Tip: <em>Amplified </em>(1999)<br />
383. The Mahavishnu Orchestra: <em>The Inner Mounting Flame</em> (1971)<br />
384. ABC: <em>The Lexicon of Love</em> (1982)<br />
385. Al Green: <em>The Belle Album</em> (1977)<br />
386. Aretha Franklin: <em>A Rose Is Still a Rose</em> (1998)<br />
387. Arto Lindsay/Ambitious Lovers: <em>Envy</em> (1984)<br />
388. Bob Dylan / The Band: <em>Before the Flood</em> (1974)<br />
389. Chic: <em>Real People</em> (1980)<br />
390. The Grateful Dead: <em>Aoxomoxoa</em> (1969)<br />
391. Digable Planets: <em>Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)</em> (1993)<br />
392. The Libertines: <em>Up the Bracket</em> (2003)<br />
393. Freedy Johnston: <em>Never Home</em> (1997)<br />
394. Joe Ely: <em>Honky Tonk Masquerade</em> (1978)<br />
395. The New Pornographers: <em>Twin Cinema</em> (2005)<br />
396. Papa Wemba: <em>Emotion</em> (1995)<br />
397. The Blasters: <em>Hard Line</em> (1985)<br />
398. Michelle Shocked: <em>Short Sharp Shocked</em> (1988)<br />
399. Cheb I Sabbah: <em>La Kahena</em> (2005)<br />
400. The Sonny Sharrock Band: <em>Seize the Rainbow</em> (1987)<br />
401. Tom Verlaine: <em>Dreamtime</em> (1981)<br />
402. Beats International: <em>Let Them Eat Bingo</em> (1990)<br />
403. Lily Allen: <em>Alright, Still</em> (2007)<br />
404. Sufjan Stevens: <em>Illinois</em> (2005)<br />
405. The Goats: <em>Tricks of the Shade</em> (1992)<br />
406. Yo La Tengo: <em>Electr-O-Pura</em> (1995)<br />
407. The Vibrators: <em>Pure Mania</em> (1978)<br />
408. Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel: <em>Willie and the Wheel</em> (2009)<br />
409. The Velvet Underground: <em>Loaded</em> (1970)<br />
410. Graham Parker: <em>Heat Treatment</em> (1976)<br />
411. John Prine: <em>John Prine</em> (1971)<br />
412. Ani DiFranco: <em>Knuckle Down</em> (2005)<br />
413. The Streets: <em>The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living</em> (2006)<br />
414. Mississippi John Hurt: <em>Last Sessions</em> (1972)<br />
415. Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers: <em>Jonathan Sings!</em> (1983)<br />
416. Pere Ubu: <em>Cloudland</em> (1989)<br />
417. P.M. Dawn: <em>Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience</em> (1991)<br />
418. The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy: <em>Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury</em> (1992)<br />
419. The Grateful Dead: <em>Workingman's Dead</em> (1970)<br />
420. The Housemartins: <em>The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death</em> (1987)<br />
421. The Blasters: <em>The Blasters</em> (1981)<br />
422. Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars: <em>Carnival Conspiracy</em> (2006)<br />
423. The Who: <em>Quadrophenia</em> (1973)<br />
424. The White Stripes: <em>Icky Thump</em> (2007)<br />
425. Toots & the Maytals: <em>Funky Kingston</em> (1975)<br />
426. Victoria Williams: <em>Loose</em> (1994)<br />
427. Willie Nelson: <em>Spirit</em> (1996)<br />
428. Bill Withers: <em>Still Bill</em> (1972)<br />
429. Bob Dylan: <em>Time Out of Mind</em> (1997)<br />
430. Kate & Anna McGarrigle: <em>The McGarrigle Hour</em> (1998)<br />
431. Minutemen: <em>3-Way Tie for Last</em> (1985)<br />
432. Muddy Waters: <em>Hard Again</em> (1977)<br />
433. Roxy Music: <em>Siren</em> (1975)<br />
434. The Allman Brothers: <em>Brothers and Sisters</em> (1973)<br />
435. Tom Verlaine: <em>Tom Verlaine</em> (1979)<br />
436. The Roches: <em>The Roches</em> (1979)<br />
437. Buddy Guy: <em>Sweet Tea</em> (2001)<br />
438. They Might Be Giants: <em>They Might Be Giants</em> (1986)<br />
439. Tom Waits: <em>Swordfishtrombones </em>(1983)<br />
440. Beck: <em>Odelay</em> (1996)<br />
441. Bonnie Raitt: <em>Bonnie Raitt</em> (1971)<br />
442. The Band: <em>The Band</em> (1969)<br />
443. Kasey Chambers: <em>Barricades and Brickwalls</em> (2002)<br />
444. Eno: <em>Here Come the Warm Jets</em> (1974)<br />
445. <em>Hurricane Zouk</em> (1988)<br />
446. John McLaughlin: <em>Devotion </em>(1970)<br />
447. Keith Whitley: <em>I Wonder Do You Think of Me</em> (1989)<br />
448. Kate and Anna McGarrigle: <em>Kate and Anna McGarrigle</em> (1976)<br />
449. Mekons: <em>Curse of the Mekons</em> (1991)<br />
450. Prince: <em>1999</em> (1982)<br />
451. Lil Wayne: <em>Da Drought 3</em> (2007)<br />
452. Public Image Ltd.: <em>Second Edition</em> (1980)<br />
453. Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band: <em>The Mountain</em> (1999)<br />
454. The Beautiful South: <em>0898 Beautiful South</em> (1992)<br />
455. Thomas Mapfumo: <em>Ndangariro</em> (1984)<br />
456. Tom Verlaine: <em>Flash Light</em> (1987)<br />
457. UB 40: <em>Rat in the Kitchen</em> (1986)<br />
458. Warren Zevon: <em>Excitable Boy</em> (1978)<br />
459. Al Green: <em>Al Green Gets Next to You</em> (1971)<br />
460. X: <em>More Fun in the New World</em> (1983)<br />
461. Belle and Sebastian: <em>The Boy With the Arab Strap</em> (1998)<br />
462. John Prine: <em>Common Sense</em> (1975)<br />
463. The Pretenders: <em>The Pretenders</em> (1979)<br />
464. Jon Hassell/Brian Eno: <em>Fourth World Vol. 1: Possible Musics</em> (1980)<br />
465. Kate & Anna McGarrigle: <em>Love Over and Over</em> (1983)<br />
466. Drive-By Truckers: <em>Decoration Day</em> (2003)<br />
467. Belle and Sebastian: <em>The Life Pursuit</em> (2006)<br />
468. Mother Earth: <em>Make a Joyful Noise</em> (1969)<br />
469. Living Colour: <em>Time's Up</em> (1990)<br />
470. Lynyrd Skynyrd: <em>Second Helping</em> (1974)<br />
471. Michael Jackson: <em>Thriller</em> (1982)<br />
472. The Robert Cray Band: <em>I Was Warned</em> (1992)<br />
473. Van Morrison: <em>His Band & the Street Choir</em> (1970)<br />
474. Willie Nelson: <em>Stardust </em>(1978)<br />
475. Ani DiFranco: <em>Dilate </em>(1996)<br />
476. Pat Metheny/Ornette Coleman: <em>Song X</em> (1986)<br />
477. Led Zeppelin: <em>Led Zeppelin IV</em> (1971)<br />
478. Rank and File: <em>Sundown</em> (1982)<br />
479. The Pretenders: <em>Learning to Crawl</em> (1984)<br />
480. The Go-Betweens: <em>16 Lovers Lane</em> (1988)<br />
481. The Velvet Underground: <em>The Velvet Underground</em> (1969)<br />
482. Robert Forster: <em>The Evangelist</em> (2008)<br />
483. Talking Heads: <em>Speaking in Tongues</em> (1983)<br />
484. The Modern Lovers: <em>The Modern Lovers</em> (1976)<br />
485. The dB's: <em>Like This</em> (1984)<br />
486. Pulp: <em>Different Class</em> (1996)<br />
487. Patti Smith: <em>Dream of Life</em> (1988)<br />
488. Pulnoc: <em>City of Hysteria</em> (1991)<br />
489. Curtis Mayfield: <em>Superfly</em> (1972)<br />
490. Richard Hell and the Voidoids: <em>Blank Generation</em> (1977)<br />
491. The Housemartins: <em>London 0, Hull 4</em> (1986)<br />
492. The Insect Trust: <em>Hoboken Saturday Night</em> (1970)<br />
493. Jimi Hendrix: <em>The Cry of Love</em> (1971)<br />
494. Dusty Springfield: <em>Dusty in Memphis</em> (1969)<br />
495. Tom Waits: <em>Mule Variations</em> (1999)<br />
496. B.B. King: <em>Live in Cook County Jail</em> (1971)<br />
497. Ramones: <em>Too Tough to Die</em> (1984)<br />
498. Hayes Carll: <em>Trouble in Mind</em> (2008)<br />
499. Carole King: <em>Tapestry</em> (1971)<br />
500. Merle Haggard: <em>If I Could Only Fly</em> (2000)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And that's all folks...Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-63320289427686051512010-08-07T00:52:00.012-04:002010-08-07T11:43:30.048-04:00<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-large;">A Fond Farewell.</span></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was February 1983. I was working in lower Manhattan and it was a Friday – payday, my favorite day. As I was want to do, I cashed my check and headed down to J&R Music World to pick up a few records. On my way I stopped at a news stand and noticed the cover of <em>The Village Voice</em>. There was a feature titled, “Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome.” I picked it up, turned to the feature column, and that was the first time I had ever read anything by Robert Christgau.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuwwnY0FfVybUpz6jzw6J2lqFagzCKamCpe_g7b7Mod5hxapy8Lgw0HDNxaGTmO5rubAEGx-L60S1EM8Gflo8OVIiPw9Fs3KfwFF801q-qCRncPiYnaEWuhV65nmj_m4rMiUA/s1600/240px-Robert_Christgau_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJuwwnY0FfVybUpz6jzw6J2lqFagzCKamCpe_g7b7Mod5hxapy8Lgw0HDNxaGTmO5rubAEGx-L60S1EM8Gflo8OVIiPw9Fs3KfwFF801q-qCRncPiYnaEWuhV65nmj_m4rMiUA/s200/240px-Robert_Christgau_02.jpg" width="200" /></a>It was the annual Pazz & Jop critics’ poll, and Christgau was the self-appointed “Dean” of the critics, writing about the past year in music. What I remember most about that column was how I couldn’t seem to put it down. The writing was mesmerizing. I had read other critics before – my current favorite had been Wayne Robbins of <em>Newsday</em> – but seldom had I seen such a socio-political take on what I had always perceived as basically an entertainment industry. Christgau wasn’t so much talking about the music as he was talking about what it meant socially and sometimes politically. He could see past the mere album tracks and get at the heart of what drove the music, and more importantly perhaps what the music might be driving back. In a sense he was more a music sociologist than a mere music critic.</div><br />
I soon learned he wrote a monthly column called <em>The Consumer Guide</em>, in which he would write reviews of various records he had listened to. Each month I would pick up a copy of <em>The Village Voice</em> and read his reviews, each one entertaining and instructional at the same time. There were two themes that I came to accept about his writing that have been a constant: One, he considered all genres, with the exception of metal to be equally important and vital to pop music; and secondly, he could be brutally honest. If a record was bad, he had no qualms about saying so. He had always felt it his duty to speak his mind, regardless of whom it might upset.<br />
<br />
And make no mistake about it, Christgau pissed off a lot of artists. When he panned a Lou Reed album in the ‘70s, Reed went after him on one of his later songs. In typical Christgau fashion, he took it in stride, giving the record a C plus, which probably only pissed Reed off more. Ironically throughout the ‘80s, Reed released a number of albums that garnered considerable praise from Christgau, including <em>The Blue Mask</em> and <em>Legendary Hearts</em>, acknowledged by many critics to be among his finest recordings.<br />
<br />
Month after month and year after year I religiously read Christgau, in the process expanding both my record collection and my understanding of popular music. Though formally a rock critic, he was the least complimentary of rock music, preferring genres such as funk, new wave, world music, reggae, alt-country, jazz and rap, which would later go on to be known as hip hop. I credit him for expanding my horizons beyond the typical middle-class white suburban humdrum lifestyle that many of my friends had found themselves trapped in. The ‘80s was a treasure trove of musical delights from the likes of Kid Creole & the Coconuts, George Clinton, Hüsker Dü, Prince, Grandmaster Flash, Tom Verlaine, Tom Waits, Ornette Coleman, James Blood Ulmer, Lucinda Williams, the Mekons, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, R.E.M., Black Uhuru, Laurie Anderson, Madonna, Public Enemy, Sonic Youth, John Prine and more. Eclectic would be a word in a half. It was controlled chaos and I was lapping it up like a starving puppy dog.<br />
<br />
And throughout all the many months and years of writing reviews, which included three books on the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, Christgau never wavered or lost his edge. Well into his 60s he remained the industry’s most authentic and consistent critic with no one fit to dust his record collection let alone hold a candle to him. Not even being fired from the <em>Voice</em> in 2006 deterred him. He continued to publish his work on <em>MSN, Blender, Spin</em> and <em>Rolling Stone</em> in the same manner with which he had become acclaimed at the <em>Voice</em>.<br />
<br />
But as they say all good things must eventually come to an end. On July 1, 2010, Christgau announced in the introduction to his <em>Consumer Guide</em> column that the July 2010 installment would be his last on <em>MSN</em>.<br />
<br />
<em>“Barring miracles unlikely to ensue, this is the final edition of</em> Christgau's Consumer Guide<em>, which </em>MSN<em> has decided no longer suits its editorial purposes. The </em>CG<em> has generally required a seven-days-a-week time commitment over the 41 years I've written it, and I'm grateful to </em>MSN<em> for paying me what the work was worth over the three-and-a-half years I published it here. But though I always enjoyed the work, work it was, and I've long been aware there were other things I could be doing with my ears. So while I have every intention of keeping up with popular music as it evolves, being less encyclopedic about it will come as a relief as well as a loss.”</em><br />
<br />
Whether this means that Christgau is hanging up his typewriter or just cutting back from his workload remains to be seen. Writing consistently honest and provocative music reviews for over four decades can take its toll on anybody, and if there was ever anyone who earned his retirement more it would be Christgau. He probably would think it overly sentimental to say this, but better to go out on top with one’s reputation unscathed than to trudge along, eking out a living and selling out to the very industry that gave you your start.<br />
<br />
And that’s why I think we may have seen the last of Robert Christgau, at least so far as doing monthly reviews are concerned. Though he may occasionally reappear on <em>NPR</em> and do the odd review or two for <em>Rolling Stone</em>, this is likely to be the end of the line for this giant, and I for one will miss him greatly. At 68 he had reached the zenith of his profession and though he continued to piss off artists whose albums he found, shall we say, wanting, no one could doubt his integrity. If it’s true that you call ‘em as you see ‘em, than Robert Christgau was truly a diamond in the rough who had no peers.<br />
<br />
There's no adequate way to express or calculate what impact the retirement of Robert Christgau will have on popular music. The industry has lost a legend, and I suspect we will not see his kind for a long time, if at all. In deed with the changes that are currently going on in the music industry – the rise of the MP3 player and iTunes – the CD itself may be all but instinct in a few years. The need for a critic to review an album at that point will most likely be moot. <br />
<br />
There's a scene from the end of the movie <em>Patton </em>that<em> </em>seems a fitting analogy to what has transpired here. The general's own words sum it up best. “There’s only way for a professional soldier to die; that’s from the last bullet from the last gun from the last battle of the last war.” Robert Christgau has not died, but what he did for a living, whether any of us knew it or not, or even whether any of us liked it or not, was rapidly dying before him and us. Perhaps this was his way of bowing out gracefully while he still had some control of his destiny. We may never know.<br />
<br />
What we do know is this: he left us a lifetime of reviews that will survive him and future generations of music fans. And I suspect that when we look back over the last four decades of rock and roll, we will be the wiser and richer for having known him and for allowing him, in some small capacity, to expand and enlarge our world and make it a bit less predicable. I will miss his wit, his humor (biting though it may have been), his thoroughness, his honesty, but most of all I will miss the diversity he brought to a craft that far too often settled for the familiar and safe, and which rarely, if ever, pushed the envelope passed the confines of the tried and tested. Christgau was nothing if unorthodox. <br />
<br />
Over the many years, the artists may have changed, but Christgau was always there to catalogue it all for us. It's hard to imagine what this industry would've been like had he not been here, and now we get the chance to find out. You could say we took him for granted, but I suspect at the end of the day we will all miss him.<br />
<br />
Farewell, Robert, and thank you.Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-51691000324386527812009-02-06T18:09:00.014-05:002009-03-04T13:00:00.482-05:00<strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Four Decades, Four Hundred Albums</span></strong><br /><br />I've been thinking about this list now for quite some time. I compiled the list from top album lists I had compiled going back years. I have listened to all of these albums and own most of them in either record, CD or MP3 format.<br /><br />When this decade is done in 11 months I will update it and rename it Five Decades, Five Hundred Albums.<br /><br /><br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Exile on Main Street</em> (1972)<br /><em>The Indestructible Beat of Soweto</em> (1986)<br />David Murray: <em>Shakill's Warrior</em> (1991)<br />The Grateful Dead: <em>Live / Dead</em> (1969)<br />Miles Davis: <em>A Tribute to Jack Johnson</em> (1971)<br />The Clash: <em>London Calling</em> (1980)<br />The Beatles: <em>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</em> (1967)<br />Bruce Springsteen: <em>Born in the U.S.A.</em> (1984)<br />Derek & the Dominos: <em>Layla </em>(1970)<br />Bob Dylan/The Band: <em>The Basement Tapes</em> (1975)<br />Al Green: <em>Call Me</em> (1973)<br />Lucinda Williams: <em>Car Wheels on a Gravel Road</em> (1998)<br />Neil Young & Crazy Horse: <em>Rust Never Sleeps</em> (1979)<br />Freedy Johnston: <em>Can You Fly</em> (1992)<br />Bob Dylan: <em>Blonde on Blonde</em> (1966)<br />Moby: <em>Play</em> (1999)<br />Lucinda Williams: <em>Lucinda Williams</em> (1988)<br />Iris DeMent: <em>My Life</em> (1994)<br />The Beatles: <em>Rubber Soul</em> (1965)<br />DeBarge: <em>In a Special Way</em> (1983)<br />Arto Lindsay: <em>Mundo Civilizado</em> (1997)<br />DJ Shadow: <em>Endtroducing . . . DJ Shadow</em> (1996)<br />The Band: <em>Music From Big Pink</em> (1968)<br />Television: <em>Marquee Moon</em> (1977)<br />John Coltrane: <em>A Love Supreme</em> (1964)<br />The Mekons: <em>Fear & Whiskey</em> (1985)<br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Some Girls</em> (1978)<br />Tricky: <em>Maxinquaye</em> (1995)<br />X: <em>Wild Gift</em> (1981)<br />Steely Dan: <em>Pretzel Logic</em> (1974)<br />Ornette Coleman: <em>Of Human Feelings</em> (1982)<br />Prince: <em>Sign 'O' the Times</em> (1987)<br />Liz Phair: <em>Exile in Guyville</em> (1993)<br />Eno: <em>Another Green World</em> (1976)<br />Ray Charles: <em>Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music</em> (1962)<br />L.L. Cool J: <em>Mama Said Knock You Out</em> (1990)<br />The Mekons: <em>The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll</em> (1989)<br />Franco & Rochereau: <em>Omona Wapi</em> (1985)<br />Jimi Hendrix: <em>Are You Experienced?</em> (1967)<br />Fugees: <em>The Score</em> (1996)<br /><em>Guitar Paradise of East Africa</em> (1991)<br />Elvis Costello and the Attractions: <em>Trust</em> (1981)<br />Marshall Crenshaw: <em>Field Day</em> (1983)<br />Graham Parker & the Rumour: <em>Squeezing Out Sparks</em> (1979)<br />Nick Lowe: <em>Pure Pop for Now People</em> (1978)<br />Paul Simon: <em>Paul Simon</em> (1972)<br />Aretha Franklin: <em>Lady Soul</em> (1968)<br />Public Enemy: <em>It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back</em> (1988)<br />Randy Newman: <em>12 Songs</em> (1970)<br />The Robert Cray Band: <em>Strong Persuader</em> (1986)<br />Nirvana: <em>In Utero</em> (1993)<br />Joe Cocker: <em>Joe Cocker!</em> (1969)<br />Neil Young: <em>Tonight's the Night</em> (1975)<br />Mzwakhe Mbuli: <em>Resistance Is Defence</em> (1992)<br />Luna: <em>Penthouse</em> (1995)<br />Latin Playboys: <em>Latin Playboys</em> (1994)<br />King Sunny Adé and His African Beats: <em>Juju Music</em> (1982)<br />Jimmy Cliff et al.: <em>The Harder They Come</em> (1973)<br />Laurie Anderson: <em>Strange Angels</em> (1989)<br /><em>Red Hot and Blue</em> (1990)<br />Sly & the Family Stone: <em>There's a Riot Goin' On</em> (1971)<br />Sonic Youth: <em>A Thousand Leaves</em> (1998)<br />Sonny Rollins: <em>G-Man</em> (1987)<br />Bob Dylan: <em>Bringin' It All Back Home</em> (1965)<br />Talking Heads: <em>Remain in Light</em> (1980)<br />The Magnetic Fields: <em>69 Love Songs</em> (1999)<br />The New York Dolls: <em>In Too Much Too Soon</em> (1974)<br />The Beatles: <em>Revolver</em> (1966)<br />The Replacements: <em>Let It Be</em> (1984)<br />Amy Rigby: <em>Diary of a Mod Housewife</em> (1996)<br />Aretha Franklin: <em>Who's Zoomin' Who?</em> (1985)<br />Beastie Boys: <em>Lisenced to Ill</em> (1986)<br />Sex Pistols: <em>Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols</em> (1977)<br />Sleater-Kinney: <em>Dig Me Out</em> (1997)<br />The Wild Tchoupitoulas: <em>The Wild Tchoupitoulas</em> (1976)<br />Billy Bragg & Wilco: <em>Mermaid Avenue</em> (1998)<br />Fleetwood Mac: <em>Rumours</em> (1977)<br />John Prine: <em>In Spite of Ourselves</em> (1999)<br />Culture: <em>Two Sevens Clash</em> (1987)<br />Aretha Franklin: <em>I Never Loved A Man</em> (1967)<br />Beck: <em>Mellow Gold</em> (1994)<br />Creedence Clearwater Revival: <em>Willy and the Poor Boys</em> (1969)<br />Bob Dylan: <em>Highway '61 Revisited</em> (1966)<br />Archers of Loaf: <em>Vee Vee</em> (1995)<br />Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band: <em>Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band</em> (1976)<br />English Beat: <em>Wha'ppen?</em> (1981)<br />Marshall Crenshaw: <em>Marshall Crenshaw</em> (1982)<br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Out of Our Heads</em> (1965)<br />Laurie Anderson: <em>United States Live</em> (1984)<br />Joni Mitchell: <em>For the Roses</em> (1972)<br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Beggar's Banquet</em> (1968)<br />James Blood Ulmer: <em>Odyssey</em> (1983)<br />Nirvana: <em>Nevermind</em> (1991)<br />Patti Smith: <em>Horses</em> (1975)<br />Rod Stewart: <em>Every Picture Tells a Story</em> (1971)<br />Sonic Youth: <em>Daydream Nation</em> (1988)<br />The Wailers: <em>Burnin'</em> (1974)<br />Van Morrison: <em>Moondance</em> (1970)<br />Yo La Tengo: <em>I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One</em> (1997)<br />The Clash: <em>The Clash</em> (1979)<br />Talking Heads: <em>More Songs About Buildings and Food</em> (1978)<br />Prince: <em>Dirty Mind</em> (1980)<br />PJ Harvey: <em>Rid of Me</em> (1993)<br />The New York Dolls: <em>The New York Dolls</em> (1973)<br />Neil Young: <em>Freedom</em> (1989)<br />L7: <em>Bricks Are Heavy</em> (1992)<br />Pixies: <em>Bossanova</em> (1990)<br />Bonnie Raitt: <em>Give It Up</em> (1972)<br />Blondie: <em>Parallel Lines</em> (1978)<br />Cornershop: <em>When I Was Born for the 7th Time</em> (1997)<br />The Velvet Underground: <em>The Velvet Underground & Nico</em> (1967)<br />De La Soul: <em>Buhloone Mindstate</em> (1993)<br />Fluffy: <em>Black Eye</em> (1996)<br />Gram Parsons: <em>Grievous Angel</em> (1974)<br />Miles Davis: <em>Bitches Brew</em> (1969)<br />Hüsker Dü: <em>Flip Your Wig</em> (1985)<br />James Carter: <em>The Real Quietstorm</em> (1995)<br />John Prine: <em>Sweet Revenge</em> (1973)<br />Buffalo Springfield: <em>Buffalo Springfield</em> (1966)<br />Kate & Anna McGarrigle: <em>Dancer with Bruised Knees</em> (1977)<br />George Clinton: <em>Computer Games</em> (1982)<br />Van Morrison: <em>Astral Weeks</em> (1968)<br />Gang of Four: <em>Solid Gold</em> (1981)<br />Bonnie Raitt: <em>Home Plate</em> (1975)<br />Lauryn Hill: <em>The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill</em> (1998)<br />Lou Reed: <em>New Sensations</em> (1984)<br />Lucinda Williams: <em>Sweet Old World</em> (1992)<br />Neil Young: <em>After the Gold Rush</em> (1970)<br />Old 97's: <em>Fight Songs</em> (1999)<br />Ornette Coleman: <em>In All Languages</em> (1987)<br />Otis Redding: <em>Otis Blue</em> (1965)<br />Linton Kwesi Johnson: <em>Tings an' Times</em> (1991)<br />Pere Ubu: <em>Dub Housing</em> (1979)<br />Ramones: <em>Ramones</em> (1976)<br />Remmy Ongala & Orchestre Super Matimila: <em>Songs for the Poor Man</em> (1989)<br />Sonic Youth: <em>Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star</em> (1984)<br />The Blasters: <em>Non Fiction</em> (1983)<br />The Pogues: <em>Rum Sodomy & the Lash</em> (1986)<br />The Who: <em>Who's Next</em> (1971)<br />Aretha Franklin: <em>Young, Gifted and Black</em> (1972)<br />Bob Marley & the Wailers: <em>Natty Dread</em> (1975)<br />Pere Ubu: <em>The Tenement Year</em> (1988)<br />The Beatles: <em>Abbey Road</em> (1969)<br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Flowers</em> (1967)<br />Tom Robinson: <em>Sector 27</em> (1980)<br />Bob Dylan: <em>Under the Red Sky</em> (1990)<br />English Beat: <em>Special Beat Service</em> (1982)<br />Graham Parker: <em>Howlin Wind</em> (1976)<br />James Brown: <em>Sex Machine</em> (1970)<br />Jimmie Dale Gilmore: <em>Spinning Around the Sun</em> (1993)<br />John Lennon: <em>Imagine</em> (1971)<br />Joni Mitchell: <em>Court and Spark</em> (1974)<br />Liz Phair: <em>Whitechocolatespaceegg</em> (1998)<br />Los Lobos: <em>How Will the Wolf Survive?</em> (1984)<em><br /></em>Jimi Hendrix: <em>Electric Ladyland</em> (1968)<br />Lou Reed: <em>Legendary Hearts</em> (1983)<br />Neil Young: <em>Comes a Time</em> (1978)<br />Paul Simon: <em>Graceland</em> (1986)<br />Pavement: <em>Slanted and Enchanted</em> (1992)<br />Nirvana: <em>MTV Unplugged in New York</em> (1994)<br />The Beach Boys: <em>Pet Sounds</em> (1966)<br />Pavement: <em>Wowee Zowee</em> (1995)<br />Le Tigre: <em>Le Tigre</em> (1999)<br />Jungle Brothers: <em>Done by the Forces of Nature</em> (1989)<br />Pete Townshend: <em>Empty Glass</em> (1980)<br />Ramones: <em>Rocket to Russia</em> (1977)<br />Rosanne Cash: <em>Interiors</em> (1991)<br />Sonic Youth: <em>Sister</em> (1987)<br />The Sonny Sharrock Band: <em>Highlife</em> (1991)<br />Stevie Wonder: <em>Innervisions</em> (1973)<br />The Beautiful South: <em>Blue Is the Colour</em> (1996)<br />The Clash: <em>Sandinista!</em> (1981)<br />The Replacements: <em>Tim</em> (1985)<br />Van Morrison: <em>Into the Music</em> (1979)<br />Beastie Boys: <em>Paul's Boutique</em> (1989)<br />Bob Dylan: <em>Blood on the Tracks</em> (1975)<br />The Flying Burrito Brothers: <em>Gilded Palace of Sin</em> (1974)<br />The Notorious B.I.G.: <em>Life After Death</em> (1997)<br /><em>Heartbeat of Soweto</em> (1988)<br />Creedence Clearwater Revival: <em>Cosmo's Factory</em> (1970)<br />Bob Dylan: <em>John Wesley Harding</em> (1968)<br />Elvis Costello and the Attractions: <em>This Year’s Model</em> (1978)<br />The Go-Betweens: <em>Tallulah</em> (1987)<br />George Clinton: <em>You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish</em> (1983)<br />Loudon Wainwright III: <em>Career Moves</em> (1993)<br />Lynyrd Skynyrd: <em>Pronounced Leh-nerd Skeh-nerd</em> (1973)<br />Ike & Tina Turner: <em>River Deep Mountain High</em> (1966)<br />Madonna: <em>I'm Breathless</em> (1990)<br />King Sunny Adé and His African Beats: <em>Aura</em> (1984)<br />The Beach Boys: <em>Wild Honey</em> (1967)<br />Hüsker Dü: <em>Candy Apple Grey</em> (1986)<br />Holy Modal Rounders: <em>Too Much Fun</em> (1999)<br />Manfred Mann's Earth Band: <em>Manfred Mann's Earth Band</em> (1972)<br />Nick Lowe: <em>Labour of Lust</em> (1979)<br />Ornette Coleman and Prime Time: <em>Virgin Beauty</em> (1988)<br />Parliament: <em>Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome</em> (1977)<br />Pavement: <em>Brighten the Corners</em> (1997)<br />Peter Stampfel: <em>You Must Remember This . . .</em> (1995)<br />Professor Longhair: <em>Crawfish Fiesta</em> (1980)<br />R.E.M.: <em>Out of Time</em> (1991)<br />Randy Newman: <em>Good Old Boys</em> (1974)<br />Richard & Linda Thompson: <em>Shoot Out the Lights</em> (1982)<br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Tattoo You</em> (1981)<br />Scritti Politti: <em>Cupid & Psyche ’85</em> (1985)<br />Sleater-Kinney: <em>Call the Doctor</em> (1996)<br />Sonic Youth: <em>Dirty</em> (1992)<br />Stevie Wonder: <em>Songs in the Key of Life</em> (1976)<br />The Coup: <em>Steal This Album</em> (1998)<br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Sticky Fingers</em> (1971)<br />Ambitious Lovers: <em>Greed</em> (1998)<br />Pavement: <em>Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain</em> (1994)<br />Aretha Franklin: <em>Spirit in the Dark</em> (1970)<br />Big Star: <em>Radio City</em> (1974)<br />Bonnie Raitt: <em>Luck of the Draw</em> (1991)<br />Bruce Springsteen: <em>Tunnel of Love</em> (1987)<br />The Who: <em>Tommy</em> (1969)<br />De La Soul: <em>3 Feet High and Rising</em> (1989)<br />Elvis Costello and the Attractions: <em>Blood and Chocolate</em> (1986)<br />Fleetwood Mac: <em>Fleetwood Mac</em> (1975)<br />The Byrds: <em>Sweetheart of the Rodeo</em> (1968)<br />Funkadelic: <em>One Nation Under a Groove</em> (1978)<br />Hole: <em>Live Through This</em> (1994)<br />James Carter: <em>Conversin' With the Elders</em> (1996)<br />Gang of Four: <em>Entertainment!</em> (1980)<br />John Prine: <em>Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings</em> (1995)<br />Joni Mitchell: <em>Blue</em> (1971)<br />Lynyrd Skynyrd: <em>Street Survivors</em> (1977)<br />Michael Jackson: <em>Off the Wall</em> (1979)<br />Miles Davis: <em>Agharta</em> (1976)<br />P.M. Dawn: <em>The Bliss Album . . . ?</em> (1993)<br />Prince and the Revolution: <em>Purple Rain</em> (1984)<br />R.E.M.: <em>Murmur</em> (1983)<br />Kid Creole and the Coconuts: <em>Wise Guy</em> (1982)<br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Aftermath</em> (1966)<br />Latin Playboys: <em>Dose</em> (1999)<br />PJ Harvey: <em>Is This Desire?</em> (1998)<br />Psychedelic Furs: <em>Talk Talk Talk</em> (1981)<br />Neil Young: <em>Time Fades Away</em> (1973)<br />Talking Heads: <em>Little Creatures</em> (1985)<br />The Roches: <em>A Dove</em> (1992)<br />Alberta Hunter: <em>Amtrak Blues</em> (1980)<br />Andy Fairweather Low: <em>Spider Jiving</em> (1974)<br />Arthur Blythe: <em>Lenox Avenue Breakdown</em> (1979)<br />Black Uhuru: <em>Anthem</em> (1984)<br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Let It Bleed</em> (1969)<br />The Chills: <em>Submarine Bells</em> (1990)<br /><em>The Songs of Jimmie Rodgers--A Tribute Album</em> (1997)<br />The Wailers: <em>Catch a Fire</em> (1972)<br />David Bowie: <em>Station to Station</em> (1976)<br />Donald Fagen: <em>The Nightfly</em> (1982)<br />Elvis Costello: <em>My Aim Is True</em> (1977)<br />Feelies: <em>The Time for a Witness</em> (1991)<br />Iris DeMent: <em>The Way I Should</em> (1996)<br /><em>Lost in the Stars: The Music of Kurt Weill</em> (1985)<br />Black Uhuru: <em>Red</em> (1981)<br />John Lennon: <em>Plastic Ono Band</em> (1970)<br />Joy of Cooking: <em>Joy of Cooking</em> (1971)<br />Kid Creole and the Coconuts: <em>Doppelganger</em> (1983)<br />John Trudell: <em>AKA Graffiti Man</em> (1992)<br />M People: <em>Elegant Slumming</em> (1994)<br />Mary Lou Lord: <em>Got No Shadow</em> (1998)<br />PJ Harvey: <em>To Bring You My Love</em> (1965)<br />Johnny Cash: <em>At Folsom Prison</em> (1968)<br />Public Enemy: <em>Fear of a Black Planet</em> (1990)<br />Randy Newman: <em>Bad Love</em> (1999)<br />Steely Dan: <em>Katy Lied</em> (1975)<br />Steve Earle: <em>Guitar Town</em> (1986)<br />The Neville Brothers: <em>Yellow Moon</em> (1989)<br />Bruce Springsteen: <em>Born to Run</em> (1975)<br />Aretha Franklin: <em>Soul '69</em> (1969)<br />Archers of Loaf: <em>Icky Mettle</em> (1993)<br />Wire: <em>Pink Flag</em> (1978)<br />Steely Dan: <em>Can't Buy a Thrill</em> (1972)<br />Sly & Robbie: <em>Rhythm Killers</em> (1987)<br />Al Green: <em>Livin' for You</em> (1973)<br />Mahlathini & Mahotella Queens: <em>Paris-Soweto</em> (1988)<br />Burning Spear: <em>Marcus Garvey</em> (1976)<br />Camper Van Beethoven: Camper Van <em>Beethoven</em> (1986)<br />Eric Clapton: <em>461 Ocean Boulevard</em> (1974)<br />Folkways: <em>A Vision Shared--A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly</em> (1988)<br />Ice-T: <em>O.G.: Original Gangster</em> (1991)<br />John Lennon/Yoko Ono: <em>Double Fantasy</em> (1980)<br />Lou Reed: <em>New York</em> (1989)<br />Marvin Gaye: <em>Midnight Love</em> (1982)<br />Ornette Coleman: <em>Dancing in Your Head</em> (1977)<br />Mary J. Blige: <em>Share My World</em> (1997)<br />Pablo Moses: <em>In the Future</em> (1983)<br />Pet Shop Boys: <em>Very</em> (1993)<br />Steely Dan: <em>Countdown to Ecstasy</em> (1973)<br />Linton Kwesi Johnson: <em>Making History</em> (1984)<br />Los Lobos: <em>Colossal Head</em> (1996)<br />P.M. Dawn: <em>Dearest Christian, I'm So Very Sorry for Bringing You Here</em> (1998)<br />Stevie Wonder: <em>Talking Book</em> (1972)<br />Sugar: <em>File Under: Easy Listening</em> (1994)<br />The B-52's: <em>The B-52's</em> (1979)<br />The Kinks: <em>The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society</em> (1968)<br />Sonic Youth: <em>Goo</em> (1990)<br />The Jesus and Mary Chain: <em>Psychocandy</em> (1985)<br />Q-Tip: <em>Amplified</em> (1999)<br />The Mahavishnu Orchestra: <em>The Inner Mounting Flame</em> (1971)<br />ABC: <em>The Lexicon of Love</em> (1982)<br />Al Green: <em>The Belle Album</em> (1977)<br />Aretha Franklin: <em>A Rose Is Still a Rose</em> (1998)<br />Arto Lindsay/Ambitious Lovers: <em>Envy</em> (1984)<br />Bob Dylan / The Band: <em>Before the Flood</em> (1974)<br />Chic: <em>Real People</em> (1980)<br />The Grateful Dead: <em>Aoxomoxoa</em> (1969)<br />Digable Planets: <em>Reachin' (A New Refutation of Time and Space)</em> (1993)<br />Freedy Johnston: <em>Never Home</em> (1997)<br />Joe Ely: <em>Honky Tonk Masquerade</em> (1978)<br />Papa Wemba: <em>Emotion</em> (1995)<br />The Blasters: <em>Hard Line</em> (1985)<br />Michelle Shocked: <em>Short Sharp Shocked</em> (1988)<br />The Sonny Sharrock Band: <em>Seize the Rainbow</em> (1987)<br />Tom Verlaine: <em>Dreamtime</em> (1981)<br />Beats International: <em>Let Them Eat Bingo</em> (1990)<br />The Goats: <em>Tricks of the Shade</em> (1992)<br />Yo La Tengo: <em>Electr-O-Pura</em> (1995)<br />The Vibrators: <em>Pure Mania</em> (1978)<br />The Velvet Underground: <em>Loaded</em> (1970)<br />Graham Parker: <em>Heat Treatment</em> (1976)<br />John Prine: <em>John Prine</em> (1971)<br />Mississippi John Hurt: <em>Last Sessions</em> (1972)<br />Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers: <em>Jonathan Sings!</em> (1983)<br />Pere Ubu: <em>Cloudland</em> (1989)<br />P.M. Dawn: <em>Of the Heart, of the Soul and of the Cross: The Utopian Experience</em> (1991)<br />The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy: <em>Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury</em> (1992)<br />The Grateful Dead: <em>Workingman's Dead</em> (1970)<br />The Housemartins: <em>The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death</em> (1987)<br />The Blasters: <em>The Blasters</em> (1981)<br />The Who: <em>Quadrophenia</em> (1973)<br />Toots & the Maytals: <em>Funky Kingston</em> (1975)<br />Victoria Williams: <em>Loose</em> (1994)<br />Willie Nelson: <em>Spirit</em> (1996)<br />Bill Withers: <em>Still Bill</em> (1972)<br />Bob Dylan: <em>Time Out of Mind</em> (1997)<br />Kate & Anna McGarrigle: <em>The McGarrigle Hour</em> (1998)<br />Minutemen: <em>3-Way Tie for Last</em> (1985)<br />Muddy Waters: <em>Hard Again</em> (1977)<br />Roxy Music: <em>Siren</em> (1975)<br />The Allman Brothers: <em>Brothers and Sisters</em> (1973)<br />Tom Verlaine: <em>Tom Verlaine</em> (1979)<br />The Roches: <em>The Roches</em> (1979)<br />They Might Be Giants: <em>They Might Be Giants</em> (1986)<br />Beck: <em>Odelay</em> (1996)<br />Bonnie Raitt: <em>Bonnie Raitt</em> (1971)<br />The Band: <em>The Band</em> (1969)<br />Eno: <em>Here Come the Warm Jets</em> (1974)<br /><em>Hurricane Zouk</em> (1988)<br />John McLaughlin: <em>Devotion</em> (1970)<br />Keith Whitley: <em>I Wonder Do You Think of Me</em> (1989)<br />Kate and Anna McGarrigle: <em>Kate and Anna McGarrigle</em> (1976)<br />Mekons: <em>Curse of the Mekons</em> (1991)<br />Prince: <em>1999</em> (1982)<br />Public Image Ltd.: <em>Second Edition</em> (1980)<br />Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band: <em>The Mountain</em> (1999)<br />The Beautiful South: <em>0898 Beautiful South</em> (1992)<br />Thomas Mapfumo: <em>Ndangariro</em> (1984)<br />Tom Verlaine: <em>Flash Light</em> (1987)<br />UB 40: <em>Rat in the Kitchen</em> (1986)<br />Warren Zevon: <em>Excitable Boy</em> (1978)<br />Al Green: <em>Al Green Gets Next to You</em> (1971)<br />X: <em>More Fun in the New World</em> (1983)<br />Belle and Sebastian: <em>The Boy With the Arab Strap</em> (1998)<br />John Prine: <em>Common Sense</em> (1975)<br />The Pretenders: <em>The Pretenders</em> (1979)<br />Jon Hassell/Brian Eno: <em>Fourth World Vol. 1: Possible Musics</em> (1980)<br />Kate & Anna McGarrigle: <em>Love Over and Over</em> (1983)<br />Mother Earth: <em>Make a Joyful Noise</em> (1969)<br />Living Colour: <em>Time's Up</em> (1990)<br />Lynyrd Skynyrd: <em>Second Helping</em> (1974)<br />Michael Jackson: <em>Thriller</em> (1982)<br />The Robert Cray Band: <em>I Was Warned</em> (1992)<br />Van Morrison: <em>His Band & the Street Choir</em> (1970)<br />Willie Nelson: <em>Stardust</em> (1978)<br />Ani DiFranco: <em>Dilate</em> (1996)<br />Pat Metheny/Ornette Coleman: <em>Song X</em> (1986)<br />Led Zeppelin: <em>Led Zeppelin IV</em> (1971)<br />Rank and File: <em>Sundown</em> (1982)<br />The Pretenders: <em>Learning to Crawl</em> (1984)<br />The Go-Betweens: <em>16 Lovers Lane</em> (1988)<br />The Velvet Underground: <em>The Velvet Underground</em> (1969)<br />The Robert Cray Band: <em>Don't Be Afraid of the Dark</em> (1988)<br />Talking Heads: <em>Speaking in Tongues</em> (1983)<br />The Modern Lovers: <em>The Modern Lovers</em> (1976)<br />The dB's: <em>Like This</em> (1984)<br />Pulp: <em>Different Class</em> (1996)<br />Patti Smith: <em>Dream of Life</em> (1988)<br />Pulnoc: <em>City of Hysteria</em> (1991)<br />Curtis Mayfield: <em>Superfly</em> (1972)<br />Richard Hell and the Voidoids: <em>Blank Generation</em> (1977)<br />The Housemartins: <em>London 0, Hull 4</em> (1986)<br />The Insect Trust: <em>Hoboken Saturday Night</em> (1970)<br />Jimi Hendrix: <em>The Cry of Love</em> (1971)<br />Dusty Springfield: <em>Dusty in Memphis</em> (1969)<br />Tom Waits: <em>Swordfishtrombones</em> (1983)<br />B.B. King: <em>Live in Cook County Jail</em> (1971)<br />Ramones: <em>Too Tough to Die</em> (1984)<br />Otis Redding: <em>Love Man</em> (1969)<br />Carole King: <em>Tapestry</em> (1971)Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-53062826269972253842009-02-03T22:17:00.006-05:002019-02-03T19:21:19.876-05:00The Day The Music Died<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJNzOVgblu4m_8OA_lp6vLmtGNyQk-AF7uW8g_y1qBYSAR5iMe_KcuD-NwDLluxKsrFz638vYUKgljqqlnOTj5WZW0HDq0G7zctDn0axH3cwM1ZMRSUJiPxnDPQ3P8aU4I6q4/s1600/buddy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="800" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJNzOVgblu4m_8OA_lp6vLmtGNyQk-AF7uW8g_y1qBYSAR5iMe_KcuD-NwDLluxKsrFz638vYUKgljqqlnOTj5WZW0HDq0G7zctDn0axH3cwM1ZMRSUJiPxnDPQ3P8aU4I6q4/s320/buddy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><br /></span>
He was only 22 years old when he stepped onto a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Beechcraft</span> Bonanza airplane that was going to take him and his fellow performers, J.P. Richardson and Ritchie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Valens</span>, to Fargo, North Dakota, to play their next gig on the Winter Dance Party Tour of 1959. Despite reports of a snow storm, all believed that the flight would be uneventful. The flight took off at 12:05 A.M., February 3. Several hours later, the wreckage was discovered by the plane’s owner some eight miles from the airport. All on board had perished in the crash, including the 22 year old whose name was Charles Hardin Holley – AKA Buddy Holly.<br />
<br />
While relatively short in its length – just under two years - the career of Buddy Holly was exceptional. He was among the most gifted and influential singer/songwriters, not only of the 1950s, but of all time. Between March 1957 and August 1958 Holly and his band the Crickets charted seven top 40 hits, including “That’ll Be The Day,” “Maybe Baby,” “Oh Boy,” and “Peggy Sue.”<br />
<br />
Holly was an innovator who wrote his own material and was among the first to exploit such advanced studio techniques as double-tracking. He pioneered and popularized the now-standard rock-band lineup of two guitars, bass and drums. In his final months, he even began experimenting with orchestration. Though Holly lacked the animal attraction of Elvis Presley, he nonetheless was an engaging, charismatic figure with his trademark horn-rimmed glasses and vocal hiccup. His creative self-reliance and energetic, inspired craftsmanship predated the coming wave of rock and rollers in the '60s. Holly was a profound influence on the Beatles and Hollies (both of whom derived their names from his). Even the Rolling Stones had their first major British hit with Holly’s “Not Fade Away.” Had he lived, he would’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ve</span> been 72 years old, and undoubtedly would’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ve</span> been one of the few legends of the ‘50s who could’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ve</span> successfully transitioned into the ‘60s, perhaps even the ‘70s, such was the timeless nature of his music.<br />
<br />
For my part what has impressed me most is how relevant Holly remains, even during periods and fads that pushed the musical envelope; i.e. the techno faze of the ‘80s. While so many of his <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">contemporaries</span> faded into the woodwork, Holly’s music endured, not because of its complexity and flamboyance; but because of its simplicity and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">unpretentiousness</span>. It was vulnerable without being corny; catchy without being trendy; innocent without being naive. Check out Marshall <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Crenshaw</span>, circa 1982 & ’83, for example. Few artists have survived so intact as Buddy Holly. Fifty years later, he sounds as fresh and as significant as he did the day he stepped onto that plane. That he was taken from us way too early was the ultimate injustice; that he would’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ve</span> made a significant contribution to rock and roll for years to come is obvious.<br />
<br />
What he has left us with is an incredible, if somewhat short, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">catalogue</span> of masterpieces; sadly, that will have to do. Rest in peace, Buddy!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="c404172570954236786"></a>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-43478511967283281332009-01-26T18:09:00.008-05:002009-01-29T23:22:54.502-05:00<strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Top 100 Albums of the 20th Century</span></strong><br /><br />Well, the 20th century only if you conclude the first six decades didn't count. From an old list I had compiled about seven years ago. Enjoy!<br /><br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Exile on Main Street</em> (Rolling Stones ‘72)<br /><em>"The Indestructible Beat of Soweto"</em> (Shanachie ‘86)<br />The Grateful Dead: <em>Live/Dead</em> (Warner Bros. '69)<br />David Murray Quartet: <em>Shakill’s Warrior</em> (DIW/Columbia ‘91)<br />Joe Cocker: <em>Joe Cocker!</em> (A&M ‘69)<br />Neil Young: <em>Rust Never Sleeps</em> (Reprise ‘79)<br />The Beatles: <em>Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band</em> (Capitol ‘67)<br />The Clash: <em>London Calling</em> (Epic ‘80)<br />Randy Newman: <em>12 Songs</em> (Reprise ‘70)<br /><em>"Lucinda Williams"</em> (Rough Trade ‘88)<br />Bruce Springsteen: <em>Born in the USA</em> (Columbia ‘84)<br />Bob Dylan: <em>Blonde on Blonde</em> (Columbia ‘66)<br />Al Green: <em>Call Me</em> (Hi ‘73)<br />Fugees: <em>The Score</em> (Ruffhouse/Columbia ‘96)<br />Derek & The Dominos: <em>Layla</em> (Atco ‘70)<br />Miles Davis: <em>A Tribute to Jack Johnson</em> (Columbia ‘71)<br />Lucinda Williams: <em>Car Wheels on a Gravel Road</em> (Mercury ‘98)<br />Iris Dement: <em>My Life</em> (Warner Bros. ‘94)<br />Bob Dylan / The Band: <em>The Basement Tapes</em> (Columbia ‘75)<br />Sly & The Family Stone: <em>There’s a Riot Goin’ On</em> (Epic ‘71)<br />James Carter: <em>The Real Quietstorm</em> (Atlantic Jazz ‘95)<br />Jimi Hendrix: <em>Are You Experienced?</em> (Reprise ‘67)<br />Ornette Coleman: <em>Of Human Feelings</em> (Antilles ‘82)<br />Tricky: <em>Maxinquaye</em> (Island '95)<br />Steely Dan: <em>Pretzel Logic</em> (ABC ‘74)<br />Talking Heads: <em>Remain in Light</em> (Sire ‘80)<br />Television: <em>Marquee Moon </em>(Elektra '77)<br />DeBarge: <em>In a Special Way</em> (Gordy ‘83)<br />Rod Stewart: <em>Every Picture Tells a Story</em> (Mercury ‘71)<br />The Beatles: <em>Abbey Road</em> (Capitol ‘69)<br />Prince: <em>Sign o’ the Times</em> (Paisley Park ‘87)<br />The Sex Pistols: <em>Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols!</em> (Warner Bros. ‘77)<br />L.L. Cool J: <em>Mama Said Knock You Out</em> (Def Jam ‘90)<br /><em>"Paul Simon"</em> (Columbia ‘72)<br />Bob Marley & The Wailers: <em>Natty Dread</em> (Island ‘75)<br />The New York Dolls: <em>In Too Much Too Soon</em> (Mercury ‘74)<br />The Band: <em>Music From Big Pink</em> (Capitol ‘68)<br />Dusty Springfield: <em>Dusty in Memphis</em> (Atlantic ‘69)<br />Graham Parker & The Rumour: <em>Squeezing Out Sparks</em> (Arista ‘79)<br />Liz Phair: <em>Exile in Guyville</em> (Matador ‘93)<br />Beck: <em>Mellow Gold</em> (DGC ‘94)<br />Sonic Youth: <em>Dirty</em> (DGC ‘92)<br />Aretha Franklin: <em>I Never Loved A Man</em> (Atlantic ‘67)<br />Nick Lowe: <em>Pure Pop for Now People</em> (Columbia ‘78)<br />The English Beat: <em>Special Beat Service</em> (I.R.S. ‘82)<br />Sonny Rollins: <em>G-Man </em>(Milestone ‘87)<br />Creedence Clearwater Revival: <em>Willy and the Poor Boys</em> (Fantasy ‘69)<br />Randy Newman: <em>Good Old Boys</em> (Reprise '74)<br />The Robert Cray Band: <em>Strong Persuader</em> (Mercury ‘86)<br />The Magnetic Fields: <em>69 Love Songs</em> (Merge '99)<br />Fleetwood Mac: <em>Rumours </em>(Warner Bros. ‘77)<br />Rosanne Cash: <em>Interiors </em>(Columbia ‘90)<br />Billy Bragg & Wilco: <em>Mermaid Avenue</em> (Elektra ‘98)<br />Kid Creole & The Coconuts: <em>Wise Guy</em> (Sire/ZE ‘82)<br />The Who: <em>Who’s Next?</em> (MCA ‘71)<br />The Roches: <em>A Dove</em> (MCA ‘92)<br /><em>"Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band"</em> (RCA Victor ‘76)<br />Stevie Wonder: <em>Innervisions</em> (Tamla ‘73)<br />Neil Young: <em>After the Gold Rush</em> (Reprise ‘70)<br />Joni Mitchell: <em>Blue</em> (Reprise ‘71)<br />P.J. Harvey: <em>To Bring You My Love</em> (Island ‘95)<br />David Bowie: <em>Station To Station </em>(RCA Victor ‘76)<br />John Prine: <em>Sweet Revenge</em> (Atlantic ‘73)<br /><em>"The Wild Tchoupitoulas"</em> (Island ‘76)<br />The Beach Boys: <em>Pet Sounds</em> (Capitol ‘66)<br />P.M. Dawn: <em>The Bliss Album ...?</em> (Gee Street ‘93)<br />Joni Mitchell: <em>Court and Spark</em> (Asylum ‘74)<br />Public Enemy: <em>It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back</em> (Def Jam ‘87)<br />Van Morrison: <em>Moondance</em> (Warner Bros. ‘70)<br />Nirvana: <em>In Utero</em> (DGC ‘93)<br />Ray Charles: <em>Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music</em> (Dunhill ‘62)<br />X: <em>Wild Gift</em> (Slash ‘81)<br />Amy Rigby: <em>Diary of a Mod Housewife</em> (Koch ‘96)<br />Bonnie Raitt: <em>Give It Up</em> (Warner Bros. ‘72)<br />Marshall Crenshaw: <em>Field Day</em> (Warner Bros. ‘83)<br />Elvis Costello: <em>Trust </em>(Columbia ‘81)<br />The Rolling Stones: <em>Beggar's Banquet</em> (London ‘68)<br />Pere Ubu: <em>Dub Housing</em> (Chrysalis ‘79)<br />Blondie: <em>Parallel Lines</em> (Chrysalis ‘78)<br />The Flying Burrito Brothers: <em>Gilded Palace of Sin</em> (A&M ‘69)<br />Lynyrd Skynyrd: <em>Street Survivors</em> (MCA ‘77)<br />The Mekons: <em>Fear and Whiskey</em> (Sin import ‘85)<br />Beastie Boys: <em>Licensed to Ill</em> (Def Jam ‘86)<br />Toots & The Maytals: <em>Funky Kingston</em> (Island ‘75)<br />Eno: <em>Another Green World</em> (Island ‘76)<br />Jimmy Cliff, et al: <em>The Soundtrack to "The Harder They Come"</em> (Mango ‘73)<br />Aretha Franklin: <em>Who's Zoomin' Who?</em> (Arista '85)<br />Arto Lindsay: <em>Mundo Civilizado</em> (Bar/None ‘97)<br />Bonnie Raitt: <em>Luck of the Draw</em> (Capitol ‘91)<br />The Pogues: <em>Rum, Sodomy and the Lash</em> (MCA ‘86)<br />Culture: <em>Two Sevens Clash</em> (Shanachie ‘87)<br />B.B. King: <em>Live in Cook County Jail</em> (MCA ‘71) <img class="gl_italic" alt="Italic" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" border="0" /><br />Lou Reed: <em>New Sensations</em> (RCA Victor ‘84)<br />The Neville Brothers: <em>Yellow Moon</em> (EMI-America ‘89)<br />Patti Smith: <em>Horses</em> (Arista ‘75)<br />The Blasters: <em>Non Fiction</em> (Slash ‘83)<br />M People: <em>Elegant Slumming</em> (Epic ‘94)<br />Black Uhuru: <em>Anthem</em> (Island ‘84)<br />The Ramones: <em>Rocket to Russia</em> (Sire ‘77)<br />Michael Jackson: <em>Off the Wall</em> (Epic '79)<br /><br /><br />Top 10 Albums of the ‘60s<br /><br />The Grateful Dead: Live/Dead<br />Joe Cocker: Joe Cocker!<br />The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band<br />Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde<br />Jimi Hendrix: Are You Experienced?<br />Aretha Franklin: I Never Loved a Man<br />The Band: Music From Big Pink<br />The Rolling Stones: Beggar’s Banquet<br />"The Velvet Underground & Nico"<br />Ray Charles: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music<br /><br />Top Artist(s) of the ‘60s<br />Ray Charles<br />Johnny Cash<br /><br />Top 10 Albums of the ‘70s<br /><br />The Rolling Stones: Exile on Main Street<br />Neil Young: Rust Never Sleeps<br />Randy Newman: 12 Songs<br />Al Green: Call Me<br />Derek & The Dominos: Layla<br />Miles Davis: A Tribute to Jack Johnson<br />Sly & The Family Stone: There’s a Riot Goin’ On<br />Steely Dan: Pretzel Logic<br />Rod Stewart: Every Picture Tells a Story<br />The Sex Pistols: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols!<br /><br />Top Artist(s) of the ‘70s<br />Linda Ronstadt<br />Elton John<br /><br />Top 10 Albums of the ‘80s<br /><br />"The Indestructible Beat of Soweto"<br />The Clash: London Calling<br />"Lucinda Williams"<br />Bruce Springsteen: Born in the USA<br />Ornette Coleman: Of Human Feelings<br />Talking Heads: Remain in Light<br />DeBarge: In a Special Way<br />Prince: Sign o’ the Times<br />Aretha Franklin: Who’s Zoomin’ Who?<br />The Mekons: Fear and Whiskey<br /><br />Top Artist(s) of the ‘80s<br />Madonna<br />Prince<br /><br />Top 10 Albums of the ‘90s<br /><br />David Murray: Shakill’s Warrior<br />Fugees: The Score<br />Lucinda Williams: Car Wheels on a Gravel Road<br />Iris Dement: My Life<br />James Carter: The Real Quietstorm<br />Tricky: Maxinquaye<br />Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville<br />Bob Dylan: Time Out of Mind<br />P.J. Harvey: To Bring You My Love<br />P.M. Dawn: The Bliss Album ...?<br /><br />Top Artist(s) of the 90's<br />P.M. Dawn<br />P.J. HarveyPeter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-32450206142132301042009-01-23T15:32:00.007-05:002010-02-01T18:11:55.972-05:00OK, as promised: 2007’s Top Albums<br /><br />1. Arcade Fire: <em>Neon Bible</em> (Merge)<br />2. M.I.A.: <em>Kala</em> (Interscope)<br />3. Gogol Bordello: <em>Super Taranta!</em> (Side One Dummy)<br />4. The Apples in Stereo: <em>New Magnetic Wonder</em> (Yep Roc)<br />5. Lil Wayne: <em>Da Drought 3</em> (Purloined Datadisc)<br />6. Fountains of Wayne: <em>Traffic and Weather</em> (Virgin)<br />7. Balkan Beat Box: <em>Nu Med</em> (JDub)<br />8. Les Savy Fav: <em>Let's Stay Friends</em> (Frenchkiss)<br />9. African Pearls 1: <em>Rumba on the River</em> (Syllart)<br />10. Authenticité: <em>The Sylliphone Years</em> (Stern's Africa)<br />11. Rilo Kiley: <em>Under the Backlight</em> (Warner Bros.)<br />12. Wussy: <em>Left for Dead</em> (Shake It)<br />13. Youssou N'Dour: <em>Rokku Mi Rakka (Give and Take)</em> (Nonesuch)<br />14. Lily Allen: <em>Alright, Still</em> (Capitol)<br />15. Los Campesinos!: <em>Sticking Fingers Into Sockets</em> (Arts & Crafts)<br />16. Modest Mouse: <em>We Were Dead Before the Ship Ever Sank </em>(Epic)<br />17. Bright Eyes: <em>Cassadaga</em> (Saddle Creek)<br />18. White Stripes: <em>Icky Thump</em> (Warner Bros.)<br />19. Miranda Lambert: <em>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</em> (Sony/BMG Nashville)<br />20. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: <em>Some Loud Thunder</em> (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah)<br />21. Kanye West: <em>Graduation</em> (Roc-A-Fella)<br />22. Brakes: <em>The Beatific Visions</em> (Rough Trade)<br />23. Jill Scott: <em>The Real Thing</em> (Hidden Beach)<br />24. Lori McKenna: <em>Unglamorous</em> (Warner Bros.)<br />25. Nellie McKay: <em>Obligatory Villagers</em> (Hungry Mouse)Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-11183355418527746052009-01-22T22:24:00.008-05:002009-04-13T23:27:26.793-04:002008’s Top Albums. Yes, I realize I never got around to fininshing 2007's list; I'll get to it some day. For now, call this the first of my very own Dean's Lists (as it were).<br /><br />1. TV on the Radio: <em>Dear Science</em> (Interscope)<br />2. Orchestra Baobab: <em>Made in Dakar</em> (Nonesuch)<br />3. Drive-By Truckers: <em>Brighter Than Creation’s Dark</em> (New West)<br />4. Coner Oberst: <em>Coner Oberst</em> (Merge)<br />5. K’naan: <em>The Dusty Foot Philosopher</em> (iM Culture)<br />6. Les Amazones de Guinee: <em>Wamato</em> (Stern’s Africa)<br />7. The Roots: <em>Rising Down</em> (Def Jam)<br />8. Girl Talk: <em>Feed the Animals</em> (Illegal Art)<br />9. Robert Forster: <em>The Evangelist</em> (Yep Roc)<em></em><br />10. Raphael Saadiq: <em>The Way I See It</em> (Columbia)<br />11. Randy Newman: <em>Harps and Angels</em> (Nonesuch)<br />12. Los Campesinos!: <em>Hold On Now, Youngster…</em> (Arts & Crafts)<br />13. Hayes Carll: <em>Trouble in Mind</em> (Lost Highway)<br />14. The Magnetic Fields: <em>Distortion</em> (Nonesuch)<br />15. LiL Wayne: <em>Tha Carter III</em> (Cash Money)<br />16. Love Is All: <em>A Hundred Things Keep Me Up At Night</em> (What’s Your Rupture)<br />17. James McMurtry: <em>Just Us Kids</em> (Lightning Rod)<br />18. Santogold: <em>Santogold</em> (Downtown)<br />19. Kate Nash: <span style="font-style: italic;">Made of Bricks</span> (Interscope)<br />20. Nas: <em>Nas</em> (Def Jam)<br />21. The Raveonettes: <em>Lust Lust Lust</em> (Vice)<br />22. Old 97’s: <em>Blame It On Gravity</em> (New West)<br />23. Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse: <em>Happier Than Me</em> (jesushchristrocks.com)<br />24. Taj Mahal: <em>Maestro</em> (Heads Up)<br />25. Vampire Weekend: <em>Vampire Weekend</em> (XL)Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-37796312390138776852008-02-12T20:17:00.000-05:002008-02-12T21:37:58.709-05:00<strong>Pick Ten! A Closer, more intimate, review of 2007.</strong><br /><br />Unlike past years, where I kept updating the "perfect" top 40, I thought I'd try a different tact. Pick 10 albums that did it for me and leave it at that. Of course, as always, feel free to disagree. In fact feel free to do anything damn thing you wish. It's a free country; unless that is the damn Republicans win the white house again.<br /><br />1. <strong>Arcade Fire:<em> Neon Bible</em></strong> (Merge). Whatever genre you may think their alt consciousness falls into, know this. These Canadians are the best damn thing to hit popular music since Johnny Rotten had a hard-on for the queen of England. And like the aforementioned icon, Win Butler doesn't hold anything back, nor betray any false pretenses. His fears and angst go hand in hand with his contempt, primarily for religion and police states - the stuff of most great works of art. While he may not have any answers to offer his minions, such shortcomings - if they be shortcomings at all - never diminish the music which rocks with endless abandon, nor lessen the warnings contained within the lyrcis. Only alt-grundge snobs would deny him his props. <strong>A plus.</strong><br /><br />2. <strong>M.I.A.:<em> Kala</em></strong> (Interscope). While I agree on principle that comparing this album to her first - <em>Arula</em> - is like comparing Kanye West's first two albums - the first was for the critics; the latter for the fans - that would be a bit too simplistic. Truth be told, claims that this album is less political than her debut is like saying that Marx was an Hegelian with an over-developed sense of pragmatism. Her politics along with her sense of rhythm are inseparable. She briefly toyed with the idea of joining with Timbaland, then wisely thought better of it. The last thing this Sri Lanken needed was help in the beat department. Her strengths are her sarcasm and defiance, and if her left-leaning politics continue to keep her on the CIA watch list, thus barring her from entry into the U.S., my gut tells me that is perfectly OK with her. Come to think of it, it's perfectly OK with me too<strong>. A plus</strong>.<br /><br />3<strong>. Gogol Bordello<em>: Super Taranta</em></strong>! (Side One Dummy). While lines like "There were never any good old days/They are today, they are tomorrow/It's a stupid thing we say/Cursing tomorrow with sorrow" may never pass muster as a replacement for the famous "one day at a time" reference used at twelve-step meetings, it's about as clever a line as any body has managed to come up with in quite some time. That's mainly because Eugene Huntz isn't your typical sharp-witted punkrocker; he's a paragon of reason surrounded by a band of anarchists who are anything but typical in their own right. Picking up right where their debut left off, their brand of gypsy-fueled, eastern-European punk is as relentless as it is optimistic. That's where the paragon of reason comes in. If you don't get the irony of songs like "Your Country" and "American Wedding," you needn't worry. If Huntz' words don't grab you the music will, and, most assuredly, will never let go of you. Don't fight it, just go with it. <strong>A.</strong> <br /><br />To be continued...Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-83084324504294104352007-07-12T16:39:00.000-04:002007-07-26T16:05:22.482-04:00<strong>IT’S ABOUT THE MUSIC, STUPID!<br /></strong><br /><br />So CBS FM is back. After 25 months of being held in captivity by Jack, the station that played “the greatest hits of all time,” was set free Thursday, July 12. As Jack got the heave ho, in a mock Sopranos’ takeoff, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” segued into Frank Sinatra’s “Summer Wind”, an obvious kiss up for the unseemly exit two years ago; and, after a montage of songs and moments going back to 1964, the first official song, the Beach Boys’ “Do It Again” was played at (now get the pun?) 1:01 P.M. From the minions of grateful oldies fans, a gigantic “Thank you, God” could be heard across the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tri</span></span>-state region. Jack had left the building; what was once new was now old again; the enemy had been vanquished and all was right with the world.<br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086413991332387858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHAwY9d_iTWUSvH-K-TeuGd3K02LwOo2z-u0f5B_T9de4Og4sOiVkYI9lc6am02cig7iYyO_d7AolbC6jXvY8pQWOBtfGYbzDM5GzQgf_q0KJmArIVv84lb0zMuMz69VGKI-H/s320/WCBS+FM.jpg" border="0" /><br />Perfect!<br /><br />But hold onto your jukeboxes, sock hoppers. This <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">isn</span></span>’t your daddy’s CBS FM. For one thing, rock-n-roll seems to have begun in 1964, not 1955. I wonder what Bill Haley and Alan Freed would have to say about that. In fact, no mention of any <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">pre</span></span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Beatle</span></span> song is found anywhere on the updated <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">WCBS</span></span> website. The word oldie has been completely eliminated and replaced with hits. In deed, the theme throughout is the greatest hits of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. No <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Doo</span></span> Wop, no Elvis, no nothing! And while it was nice that the Beach Boys got first dibs, the more sentimental favorite would’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ve</span></span> been “Hit The Road Jack” by Ray Charles. But, truth be told, the song never stood a chance of getting the green light, and for one very important reason: the suits at CBS still don’t believe that Jack failed. Deep down, the reason for the switch back to CBS FM was the feeling they simply <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">didn</span></span>’t handle the original transition well. In other words, it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">wasn</span></span>’t the message, it was the messenger. In one respect, it was gratifying to learn that someone high up on the food chain had some degree of shame and regret over their conduct in ’05; credit Dan Mason, at the very least, for understanding that much. But that appears to be where the introspection has stopped. While Jack may have been officially relegated to the CBS <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">HD</span></span>2 channel, until yesterday reserved for the oldies format, the goal of corporate still has not changed: to move forward with the younger demographic. In other words Jack, plus ‘60s music, plus <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">DJs</span></span> equals compromise (i.e. truce) and, hopefully, ratings. The obvious intent is to get the original listeners, hence the advertisers, back in fold, keep a few of the Jack fans (those that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">didn</span></span>’t go back to playing with their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">iPods</span></span>), and in the end make everyone happy. Good luck!<br /><br />Because, deep down, CBS still <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">doesn</span></span>’t get it. Whether or not you think that the oldies format has a future or is even relevant at all, know this: No other format has had the loyal following that this one has enjoyed. The moldy oldies, as they are jokingly referred to, are NOT your typical radio listener. Many of them grew up in the ‘50s, ‘60s or ‘70s, and had one, possibly two favorite stations that they would listen to. And heaven help anyone who tried to change the dial in the middle of a song. Further more the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">DJs</span></span> on those stations were like icons; they were as big as the artists they were playing on the radio – sometimes bigger. Names like Bruce Morrow, Dan Ingram, Bob Shannon, Harry Harrison, Bill Brown, Don K. Reid and Jack <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Spector</span></span> were, in their own way, as popular as the Beatles, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, the Stones, the Beach Boys, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and Aretha Franklin. You eagerly awaited the next song these guys would play, and far from an annoyance, their charm, wit and soothing voice, would be the perfect antidote for the hustle and bustle of the work week. You had coffee with Harry, joked with Dan and Bob, guessed which secret song Bill would play, sang along with Brucie, and reminisced with Don K and Jack. It <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">wasn</span></span>’t the dressing for the salad; it was the whole damn salad!<br /><br />Compare and contrast that with the generation that grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s – the age of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">walkman</span></span> and the personal computer. Before the ‘80s you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">didn</span></span>’t even have presets on car stereos; by the ‘90s you had multiple bands for both FM and AM. With MP3 players and satellite radio in the mix, a typical terrestrial radio station would do well to score a 3.5 in the ratings, let alone a 4.0. And yet CBS FM, which was pulling in the mid threes for most of this decade and in the first three months of '05 was actually in 8<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">th</span> place according to Arbitron - this in spite of the stripped down format and reduced <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">playlist</span></span> - was scrapped for a format that for all intents and purposes never got off the ground, and as of the first quarter of '07 was mired in 16<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">th</span> place( a 2.0 as of sign off); a format that reached out to a demographic that can measure listener loyalty in the millisecond range. Even stranger, is that CBS chose this format in more than a dozen markets, and on stations that heretofore had been holding their own and for the most part were playing oldies. Go figure! Was it any wonder that more and more people were choosing to fork over $12.95 per month for Sirius and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">XM</span>? Satellite radio, despite its reception problems, has now become the number one choice for music lovers. No matter what genre of music you prefer – rock, R&B, jazz, oldies, hip-hop, country – you can find a plethora of choices with a seemingly endless selection of songs. There are no restrictions. And the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">DJs</span></span> know something about the music they're playing and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">aren</span></span>’t afraid to offer valuable insight, something sadly lacking on most stations and completely devoid of at Jack.<br /><br />But, I don’t want to sound too pessimistic. After all, I am grateful to have CBS FM back, even if only partly. Yes it was nice to hear Bob Shannon again. Two years was long enough. But, Broadway Bill Lee? Where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">hasn</span></span>’t this guy worked? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">KTU</span></span>, Hot 97, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">LTW</span></span>, Fresh 102.7 and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">XM</span></span> channels 5 and 8, all in the last eleven years! <em>I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">ve</span></span></em> had less jobs than him. And can somebody please track down Bill Brown and see if he’s still alive? I miss my Brown Bag. CBS has talked about bringing back the Top-20 countdown, and doing other specials that have long been a staple of the station. If that happens, it will be good news. But I remain cautiously optimistic, in deed, somewhat skeptical over the motives for this return to the past. If there’s one thing I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">ve</span></span> learned from being around senior management, it’s that they seldom get it. More often than not they repeat the same mistakes. If, in deed, this is more than just a PR move designed to placate disgruntled listeners, then here are some suggestions for the current CBS FM to incorporate into their fabric.<br /><br />1. Play some ‘50s music. Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam Cooke, the Drifters, Frankie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Lymon</span></span>, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Everly</span></span> Brothers and the Platters are not dinosaurs, nor are they dirty words. Without them, much of the music of the ‘60s would have been impossible.<br /><br />2. Drop the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">playlists</span></span>, or at least drop the restrictions. There are thousands of songs from the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and even the ‘80s. Play them; play them all. Don’t sell the audience short. Enough “playing what we want”; play what the listeners want. Trust me, they can keep up; and those who can’t still have their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">iPods</span></span>.<br /><br />3. Keep in touch with the past by resigning past <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">DJs</span></span> who have worked at the station and who still have a presence in this market. Perhaps someone at CBS could sit down with Scott <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Greenstein</span></span> of Sirius and work out a deal where Cousin Brucie’s Saturday night oldies show could be simulcast? Talk about a coup.<br /><br />If CBS FM is to survive, it will survive being what is has historically been: the city’s station, playing the songs that a generation of fans grew up listening to. It can’t afford the “luxury” of appealing to a demographic that never listened to it in the first place, and who could care less whether it is called CBS, Jack, Bob, Brenda or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Exene</span></span>.<br />In the meantime, just to keep our new good guys honest, below is a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">playlist</span></span> of hour one of CBS FM, compared with Sirius, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">XM</span></span> and True Oldies. To be fair, I will limit the satellite selections to their ‘60s and ‘70s channels. I have no control over what decade True Oldies plays from. And the hits just keep on coming!<br /><br />CBS FM:<br />The Beach Boys – “Do It Again”; Frankie Valli – “Oh What A Night”; Aretha Franklin – “Respect”; Bruce Springsteen – “Glory Days”; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Fleetwood</span></span> Mac – “Don’t Stop”; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Lovin</span></span>’ Spoonful – “Summer in the City”; Maxine Nightingale – “Right Back Where We Started From”; The Rolling Stones – “Satisfaction”; Billy Joel – “Only the Good Die Young”; The Contours – “Do You Love Me”; John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Mellencamp</span></span> – “Jack and Diane”; The Beatles – “Twist and Shout”; The Bee Gees – “You Should Be Dancing”; Roy Orbison – “Pretty Woman”; Tommy James and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Shondells</span></span> – “<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Mony</span></span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Mony</span></span>”; Donna Summer – “Last Dance”; Sam the Sham – “<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Wooly</span></span> Bully”; Bruce Springsteen – “Pink Cadillac”.<br /><br />Sirius ‘60s Vibrations:<br />The Hombres – “Let It Out”; The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">Byrds</span></span> – “Turn, Turn, Turn”; Bob Dylan – “Like a Rolling Stone”; The Beatles – “All My Loving”; Spencer Davis Group – “I’m A Man”; Stevie Wonder – “My Cherie Amour”; The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">Archies</span></span> – “Sugar, Sugar”; The Doors – “Light My Fire”; Aaron Neville – “Tell It Like It Is”; Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston – “It Takes Two”; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">Lovin</span></span>’ Spoonful – “Summer in the City”; Chad & Jeremy – “Yesterday’s Gone”; B.J. Thomas – “Hooked on a Feeling”; Gary Puckett & The Union Gap – “Over You”; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">Spanky</span></span> & Our Gang – “Like To Get To Know You”; The Vogues – “Five O’Clock World”; Animals – “It’s My Life”; Lou Christie – “Lightning Strikes”; The Hollies – “Bus Stop”.<br /><br />Sirius Totally ‘70s:<br />Lee <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">Michaels</span></span> – “Do You Know What I Mean”; Atlanta Rhythm Section – “Spooky”; Carole King – “I Feel the Earth Move”; Joe Walsh – “Life’s Been Good To Me”; Andrea True Connection – “More, More, More”; Curtis <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">Mayfield</span></span> – “Freddie’s Dead”; Jigsaw – “Sky High”; Al Green – “Look What You’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">ve</span></span> Done For Me”; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">Lynyrd</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">Skynyrd</span></span> – “Sweet Home Alabama”; Paul Simon – “Me & Julio”; Cornelius Brothers – “Treat Her Like a Lady”; Sammy Johns – “Chevy Van”; Elton John – “Bennie & The Jets”; Samantha Sang – “Emotion”; War – “Low Rider”; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">Aerosmith</span></span> – “Walk This Way”.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">XM</span></span> ‘60s:<br />The Beatles – “Birthday”; Percy Sledge – “Warm & Tender Love”; The Zombies – “Time of the Season”; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">Creedence</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">Clearwater</span></span> Revival – “Down on the Corner”; The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">Youngbloods</span></span> – “Get Together”; Sandals – “Endless Summer”; Paul Revere – “Just Like Me”; Jan & Dean – “Honolulu Lulu”; Herman’s Hermits – “Leaning on a Lamp Post”; Rascals – “Beautiful Morning”; James Brown – “I Got the Feeling”; Sly & The Family Stone – “Dance To the Music”; Del Shannon – “Keep <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">Searchin</span></span>’”; Jimmy Glimmer – Daisy Petal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">Pickin</span></span>’”; Mel Carter – “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me”; Jackie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">DeShannon</span></span> – “What the World Needs Now is Love”; Bobby Lewis – “<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">Tossin</span></span>’ & <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">Turnin</span></span>’”; Elvis Presley – “Good Luck Charm”; The Beatles – “Love Me Do”.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">XM</span></span> ‘70s:<br />The Rolling Stones – “Brown Sugar”; Andy Gibb – “Everlasting Love”; Charlie Rich – “The Most Beautiful Girl”; Elton John – “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down”; Michael Jackson – “Don’t Stop ‘Till You Get Enough”; Eric Carmen – “Never Gonna Fall in Love”; The Chi-Lites – “Oh Girl”; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">Starbuck</span></span> – “Moonlight Feels Right”; Jim Croce – “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”; Hurricane Smith – “Oh Babe, What Would You Say”; John Travolta & Olivia Newton John – “Summer Nights”; Toby Beau – “My Angel Baby”; Dorothy Moore – “Misty Blue”; Eric Clapton – “Lay Down Sally”; Dr. Hook – “Sharing the Night Together”; Steve Miller Band – “Take the Money and Run”; England Dan & John Ford Coley – “We’ll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again”.<br /><br />True Oldies Channel:<br />Herman’s Hermits – “Wonderful World”; The Spiral Staircase – “More Today Than Yesterday”; The Beatles – “I’m Looking Through You”; The Drifters – “On Broadway”; Roy Orbison – “Pretty Woman”; The Temptations – “<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">Ain</span></span>’t To Proud To Beg”; Swinging Blue Jeans – “<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">Hippy</span></span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">Hippy</span></span> Shake”; The Hollies – “Long Cool Woman”; Dionne Warwick – “Walk on By”; The Box Tops – “Cry Like a Baby”; The Coasters – “Charlie Brown”; The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">Supremes</span></span> – “Love Child”; Every Mother’s Son – “Come on Down To My Boat Baby”; The Rascals – “Good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">Lovin</span></span>’”; The Beach Boys – “California Girls”; B.J. Thomas – “Rain Drops”; Blues Image – “Ride Captain, Ride”; Paul Revere – “Hungry”; Al Wilson – “Show & Tell”.<br /><br />While all the stations <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">faired</span></span> well, including CBS, which was a pleasant surprise, the True Oldies Channel edged out Sirius’ ‘60s Vibrations for top prize, if for no other reason than they had a more diverse selection. Were it not for that, though, ‘60s Vibrations would have won hands down. Neither of the ‘70s stations distinguished themselves; either the decade is too eclectic for its own good, or neither can handle it properly. Kudos to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">XM</span></span> ‘60s station as the only one in the bunch to play an Elvis song, and two Beatles songs <em>ALL IN THE SAME HOUR</em>. Are you listening CBS FM? It can be done. And speaking of our dear lost station, the mix was about what it was before the initial switch over two years ago: nine songs from the '60s, six from the '70s and three from the '80s. Eighteen songs in all, with the clear winner, not surprisingly, the '60s. Perhaps I <em>was</em> a bit premature predicting a Jack Facsimile, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">afterall</span>. Only time will tell. But if you still need a hint as to where this station's sympathies will most likely lean, look no further than the lyrics in the Fleetwood Mac song "Don't Stop." "Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone." It is in deed.<br /><br />Well, I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">ve</span></span> written all I intend to on this. I’ll listen to CBS FM from time to time, but based on what I heard today, Bob Shannon’s emotional return notwithstanding, I will not be canceling my Sirius subscription any time soon. The lack of any serious <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78">pre</span>-'64 content will, I fear, keep a lot of long-time listeners away, and the long-term prospects of increasing its demographic among a younger audience seems dubious at best. I wish them well, and sincerely hope they make it. Prior to this afternoon, there was only one FM station worth playing on the dial: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79">WFUV</span></span>. Now there are two, which if I’m not mistaken was how many there were on June 3, 2005 when all this mess started.<br /></p>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-86708978340784149552007-07-08T12:37:00.000-04:002007-07-09T15:10:43.449-04:00<strong>HIT THE ROAD JACK!<br /></strong><br />Faced with ratings that continued to spiral downward and unable to defend a format that more closely resembled an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">iPod</span></span> than a radio station, Infinity Broadcasting cries “uncle” and brings back the format that memories were made of.<br /><br />It was Friday, June 3, 2005, 3:57 in the afternoon and long-time DJ Bill Brown was doing his usual sign off for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">WCBS</span></span> FM, but something was missing. It was customary for the exiting DJ at CBS to announce the next DJ, in this case Bob Shannon. But Shannon never got a chance to sign on that afternoon. Instead he and the rest of the CBS crew were called into a conference room at 4:00 P.M. and told that they would no longer be employed at the station. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">WCBS</span></span> owner Infinity Broadcasting had decided to change formats from oldies to “adult contemporary” and, under the new call letters JACK, would no longer need disc jockeys. At 4:30 that afternoon, while CBS was issuing its pink slips, Frank Sinatra’s “Summer Wind” was winding down. No one at the time thought it would be the last song heard at CBS. After 30 minutes of movie and song clips that seemed to make no sense at all, a voice came on to announce the new call letters. The next song heard was the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Beastie</span></span> Boys’ “You Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party,” and that, as they say in the biz, was that. As Don McLean would’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ve</span></span> said, it was a day the music died.<br /><br />For almost 33 years, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">WCBS</span></span> FM (the golden 101) faithfully played the songs of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, and, with some of the best talent on the radio, was recognized as the preeminent oldies station in America. But sagging ratings, and an increasing demographic shift towards a younger audience, spelled trouble for the iconic station. The first sign of clouds on the horizon occurred in the summer of 2002 when Don K. Reed's long-running Sunday night <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Doo</span></span>-Wop Shop program was closed down. They also cut <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">pre</span></span>-1964 product down to once or twice per hour and began playing '70s music even more often, becoming focused on the years from 1964-79. At this point they were playing at least two ‘80s songs per hour. In a July 2005 keynote address to the Radio & Records Convention, musician/actor/DJ <a title="Steven Van Zandt" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Van_Zandt">Steven Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Zandt</span></span></a> labeled this switching out of 1950s music for 1970s music as the key death blow to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">WCBS</span></span>-FM (and other oldies stations), not the later Jack takeover. <a title="http://www.dustbury.com/archives/004905.html" href="http://www.dustbury.com/archives/004905.html">[1]</a><br /><br />The station canceled more specialty shows in 2003 such as the "Top 20 Oldies Countdown". In the summer of 2003, to appease some fans, they did bring a specialty 1955-64 oldies show called "Heart & Soul of Rock & Roll" with <a title="Norm N. Nite" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_N._Nite">Norm N. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Nite</span></span></a> (another longtime air personality who had been with the station on and off since 1973). Still in that year <a title="Harry Harrison" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Harrison">Harry Harrison</a> left mornings and <a title="Dan Ingram" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Ingram">Dan Ingram</a> also left. In the spring of 2004, the station tightened its playlist even more, playing almost entirely songs from 1964 to 1979. They played one <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">pre</span></span> ‘64 song every other hour. They were down to about 30 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">pre</span></span> '64 songs altogether. They played several ‘80s songs per day down to a couple dozen of those as well. The rest of the playlist was about 500 songs totally. Harrison still came back for Saturdays in that fall of 2004.<br /><br />And then came “Black Friday,” as it has been called by both listeners and industry insiders. Never in the history of radio had such a move been made on such short notice. Not even the blood-letting at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">WNCN</span></span> in December of 1993, when the station switch formats from classical music to rock and changed its call letters to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">WAXQ</span></span>, could compare. In that scenario listeners had been told ahead of time that the switch was coming, and in any event, there was still another venue for classical music: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">WQXR</span></span>. When CBS FM went off the air, suddenly and without warning, it meant the end of oldies music in New York.<br /><br />Critics argued that the manner in which Infinity flipped formats angered long-time devotees of the station, calling it a slap in the face for the DJ’s they had grown up with. As if to add insult to injury, during its inaugural week, Jack poked fun at the CBS FM listeners, while at the same time having the audacity to “invite” them to visit an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">internet</span></span> site that had been set up to play the songs of the old format. So not only did the station unceremoniously part ways with its past musically, it completely severed ties with virtually ALL of its listeners in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">tri</span></span>-state area. Jack was now in uncharted territory. Never before had a format change resulted in such a drastic demographic shift and a plunge in ratings, all at the same time. It would take months before the station was able to even approach the ratings CBS FM enjoyed for most of its tenure. To date, it has never equaled those <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">pre</span>-Jack ratings, a triumph of personality over attitude if ever there was one.<br /><br />But there were other problems that plagued the new format, even worse than its lack of class. It was obvious that Infinity Broadcasting had seriously miscalculated the demand for a music format that more closely resembled an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">iPod</span></span> than a radio station. What was billed as an eclectic mix of music representing all genres and all age groups proved to be nothing more than a very restricted playlist. Additionally, Infinity did not count on the fact that while the demographic for oldies music was shrinking due to the fact that some of the baby-boomers were dying off, they were among the most loyal listeners out there. Conversely, the market that Jack was courting was anything but loyal. Instead of enjoying a monopoly on a loyal, if shrinking, market, Jack was now competing within the adult contemporary market, which included the likes of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">WPLJ</span></span>, Z100, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">WLTW and the new "Fresh 102.7" WWFS, formerly WNEW</span></span>. Further exasperating an already dreary future was the fact that most of these listeners were not, contrary to the station’s promos, music lovers. They were more casual listeners, who owned maybe 100 or less <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">CDs</span></span> and were more interested in music for background enjoyment than for serious listening. Without quite realizing it, Jack had become for pop music what CD 101.9 had become for jazz. Failure was inevitable.<br /><br />So now, having snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, Jack is poised to exit stage left and leave the building. If reports are accurate, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">WCBS</span></span> FM will return this week to reclaim, and hopefully, recapture its rightful place as the best oldies station in the country. The move is said to be the decision of the new CBS Radio CEO Dan Mason, who returned to the company in March of this year after leaving it in 2002 to work as a consultant for the industry. Mason also recently restored 92.3 K-Rock to its alternative music roots when it became obvious no body was listening to the Free FM format either. But what about the on air personalities that helped shaped WCBS's identity? Certainly, some will return; but others like Bruce Morrow, who now calls Sirius his home, are likely lost forever. There is also the rumor that, in an attempt to attract a younger audience, the “new” CBS FM will play mostly music recorded between 1964 and 1979, and may even include some '80s hits, virtually ignoring all <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">pre</span></span>-Beatles music, and almost certainly annoying its most ardent listeners, without whom the station would never have made it to the ‘80s, much less 2005. But still, limitations and restrictions notwithstanding, it will be nice to hear the old call letters return to where they belong. Hopefully, the suits at Infinity have learned a valuable lesson from this debacle. Never underestimate the power of people who love music, and never overestimate the value of people who think mall music is where it’s at!Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-52956626632382009012007-07-06T22:58:00.000-04:002007-08-02T00:44:16.120-04:00<strong>Three Glasses: One half filled, one half empty, the other bone dry. Can anyone get me a drink of water, please?!</strong><br /><br /><br /><strong>Patti Smith: <em>Twelve</em></strong> (Sony, 2007).<br />What often gets ignored when talking about Smith’s career is that long before her ground-breaking debut, <em>Horses</em>, she was a rock critic at <em>Creem</em>, working alongside Lester Bangs and Robert Christgau. And, like so many critics, she developed her own biases and partialities – yes, folks we ain’t the altruistic bearers of wisdom and insight we think we are. And those subjective truths would come to permeate her music in the years and later decades to come. So it shouldn’t be a total surprise that<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWM3vNgYCy2ukb1XIW8SBUQmA9TMCYj6qwsSiJQtGKF3mugQimpN868tVCzZNNpvmJ_pd4fToe96quY_k7DpapyYW0ceJxoFBbcDyOaOiBJ99s-2GZEjWCFgZ5E98VoQmXton-/s1600-h/Patti+Smith.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085593874667804866" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 285px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 264px" height="293" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWM3vNgYCy2ukb1XIW8SBUQmA9TMCYj6qwsSiJQtGKF3mugQimpN868tVCzZNNpvmJ_pd4fToe96quY_k7DpapyYW0ceJxoFBbcDyOaOiBJ99s-2GZEjWCFgZ5E98VoQmXton-/s320/Patti+Smith.jpg" width="285" border="0" /></a> in doing an album of purely covers that she would lean towards her contemporaries, like Young, the Stones, Beatles, Dylan, Simon and Hendrix, in her time legends all. What is a surprise, and a pleasant one at that, is how well done the album is. These aren’t just rehashes of some favorite song list she had stashed away. Smith makes each song her own. She manages to extract the original lyricism of the artist, adding her own sound in the process – that distinctive spoken / sung voice that has been her signature since 1975 – without doing violence to the song, something most cover artists, sadly, do on a fairly regular basis. Expecting a poet to be an interpreter is one thing; expecting an interpretation that enhances the song without reinventing it is a rare gift; one that even Kurt Cobain would heartily approve of. Not everyone who listens to this album will be enriched by its sound. You either like Smith and her voice or you don’t. And, to be honest, nothing here is groundbreaking. But on the whole I’m impressed enough to recommend it, and optimistic enough to think it will give you a fresh perspective on each song. The last time I checked, that was supposed to be the reason for a cover album in the first place. A minus<br /><br /><strong>Paul McCartney: <em>Memory Almost Full</em></strong> (Hear, 2007).<br />36 years of sub-par performances after an illustrious, if somewhat, brief – relatively speaking – stint as part of arguably the greatest rock-n-roll band of all time apparently have had no affect on his demeanor. So why should year 37 be any different. Because deep down all of us wonder what the hell happened to that wonderful, talented lad from Liverpool. John had <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcwV_KFo2cgpBSCus3WyF8a9l9IZXERlMJi_nyPlY8T5-hBU5fAUPeK0GFpp1mmXfjXnkycxOv5Maxd9ZV3wUGyP7sUEPzhh_Q1NWXlC9tJ07YeSTzbiwshyphenhyphengUcFSWcwawlsJ/s1600-h/Paul+McCartney.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085596245489752274" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcwV_KFo2cgpBSCus3WyF8a9l9IZXERlMJi_nyPlY8T5-hBU5fAUPeK0GFpp1mmXfjXnkycxOv5Maxd9ZV3wUGyP7sUEPzhh_Q1NWXlC9tJ07YeSTzbiwshyphenhyphengUcFSWcwawlsJ/s320/Paul+McCartney.jpg" border="0" /></a>his moments, George, too. Even Ringo turned some heads. So how come after all these years are we still anticipating that moment when Paul will thrill us with an effort worthy of his pedigree? Because deep down we want to believe he’s capable of it, and we don’t want to miss it. Fact is, with the exception of a couple of songs on <em>Band on the Run</em> and <em>Venus and Mars</em>, he has been what he always was: the silly romantic who loved love songs, who went for the hook no matter how corny because that’s where the bucks were. John brought balance to his romantic side, and together their genius soared. Apart, Paul foundered. It’s that simple. So, now he’s recording for Starbucks. More money, more airplay, and more anticipation that maybe this time, he’ll deliver on his promise. No such luck. Compared with the rest of his catalogue, <em>Memory Almost Full</em> might seem like a breath of fresh air, but therein lies the problem. His catalogue is so mediocre, almost anything would be an improvement. Not that any of this matters to Sir Paul. Airplay and apologists are what it's all about these days. If the man had cared at all, we wouldn’t be going on four decades waiting for a sign from the heavens. Personally, I stopped holding my breath years ago. As for the rest of you, if you’re still waiting for his masterpiece, I have some sobering news. Don’t hold your breath! B minus<br /><br /><strong>Smithereens: <em>Meet The Smithereens</em></strong> (Koch, 2007).<br />“The Beatles Tribute Album by America’s Phenomenal Pop Combo!” Seriously, that's what it says on the cover. Fortunately anyone who’s ever listened straight through to a Smithereens album knows this is at best hyperbole; at worst an oxymoron. The only thing vaguely resembling phenomenal in Pat DiNizio’s relatively innocuous career occurred in 1986 when, for a short time at least, he and his band mates enjoyed some fanfare off of a rather pedestrian debut effort, which garnered some airplay among the new-wave radio stations before it fell off the cliff into oblivion. That being said this attempt at covering a group that in its heyday would have run rings around the likes of the Smithereens just goes to show you that we are truly living in perilous times. CPeter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-29141841854913923662007-07-05T12:20:00.000-04:002007-09-14T15:33:30.809-04:00<strong>TURN UP YOUR STEREO, NOW!</strong><br /><br /><br /><strong>The Apples in Stereo: <em>New Magnetic Wonder</em></strong> (Yep Roc, 2007).<br />“Uh oh uh oh, uh oh uh oh, turn up your ster-e-o-o, uh oh uh oh, uh oh uh oh, I feel electric when the meter starts to glow,” Robert Schneider belts out in “Can You Feel It,” the opening track on this, his latest a<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRjXOIkNs1xkfs8Pbzm4FmI_zWuiSWW9ZaW0eby86DavKGOawQH51IJ0_tQVQtNauBZgfWqS4Vgs2ZpOVIvHCwWmvwoooaqUsD1uZqQpl_XY1e0Cicq2YN_WumS24B6kOUN1n/s1600-h/Apples+in+Stereo.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083751668705269922" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 254px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 242px" height="303" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRjXOIkNs1xkfs8Pbzm4FmI_zWuiSWW9ZaW0eby86DavKGOawQH51IJ0_tQVQtNauBZgfWqS4Vgs2ZpOVIvHCwWmvwoooaqUsD1uZqQpl_XY1e0Cicq2YN_WumS24B6kOUN1n/s320/Apples+in+Stereo.jpg" width="306" border="0" /></a>nd best Beatles-like album. After a five-year layoff he’s finally nailed it. I disagree with the ELO connection though; I’m thinking more Housemartins minus the political overtones. I’ve always suspected Schneider for a Paul Heaton fan anyway. As for the rest of the album, the tone, as in earlier efforts, defies categorization. Not quite indie, but definitely not pop; I’d call them bubble gum punk, which I guess is as close as anyone is likely to come. Whatever your preference, there’s no denying the charm of the lyrics and the vocals, among the best of the year. The one sad note, the departure of Hilarie Sidney, who wrote and sang "Sunndal Song" and “Sunday Sounds,” two of the best songs on the album. Otherwise sit back in your way back chair, put up your feet, and “feel the magic when the speaker starts to blow.” A<br /><br /><strong>Bright Eyes: <em>Cassadaga</em></strong><em> </em>(Saddle Creek, 2007).<br />Far from being the child prodigy rock crits hailed him as only five years ago – he did turn 27 on February 15! – Conor Oberst was more a spoiled brat who couldn’t stop whining long enough to allow himself a chance to transcend the pain that was in his soul. That was then, this is now. Following up on 2005’s pleasantly surprising <em>I’m Wide Awake, And It’s Morning</em>, <em>Cassadaga</em> is his best and most clearly defined effort to date. And if the album title’s reference to a spiritualist community in Florida has you concerned, don’t be. Really, did every one get Jim Morrison’s psychedelic rantings in the ‘60s? Unlike Morrison or Ryan Adams, who still hasn’t shit but refuses to get off the pot, Oberst at least goes somewhere with his self-indulgence. The promise everyone saw in 2002 finally gets delivered here. Gone is Emmylou Harris, replaced by an assortment of mostly anonymous harmony singers (the exception being Gillian Welch on “Classic Cars”), which is probably a good thing; Oberst never did like sharing the spotlight. He still isn’t Dyan incarnate, but, given the current crop of indie frontrunners, he does more with his talent than most. A minus<br /><br /><strong>brakesbrakesbrakes: <em>The Beatific Visions</em></strong> (Rough Trade, 2007).<br />The album title denotes innocence, which I suppose is their way of being ironic. Like most English auteurs who grew up on the British new wave explosion of the ‘80s, but <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UI4kZU6vlRAHL3FZlsgDXICIPBUu2TPzkvXYqLXtmieFEJWSBQxqlls9_B3yN3IiuGnswCJCOibrfvOZj8-vXYNUzTb4K6nCmKWujy-mxxUXNNf-qq6CunuJ3ujGAL4yjReX/s1600-h/brakes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5083796744387041458" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 251px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px" height="320" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UI4kZU6vlRAHL3FZlsgDXICIPBUu2TPzkvXYqLXtmieFEJWSBQxqlls9_B3yN3IiuGnswCJCOibrfvOZj8-vXYNUzTb4K6nCmKWujy-mxxUXNNf-qq6CunuJ3ujGAL4yjReX/s320/brakes.jpg" width="306" border="0" /></a>who cut their teeth on the original British invasion of the ‘60s, Eamon Hamilton had some reconciling to do. So, with the assistance of Thomas and Alex Wright (of Electric Soft Parade) he cut one of the most eclectic albums of the year, spanning the gamut between post punk (“Porcupine or Pineapple” and "Hold Me in the River") to alt-country (“If I Should Die Tonight” and "On Your Side") to adult alternative ("Mobile Communication" and "Isabel"). Every song a winner, even the eight and a half minute ending, which needlessly has about a minute of dead air. I told you they were ironic. Bumper sticker of the decade: “Who Won The War? Was It Worth Fighting For?” They should get the grammy just for that! That being said, I’d settle for a couple of plays at WFUV. A minus<br /><br /><strong>Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: <em>Some Loud Thunder</em></strong> (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, 2007).<br />Having released the indie sensation of 2005, it stood to reason that Part Deux would be a disappointment, right? Wrong. Notwithstanding the annoying distortion that plagues the title track – no Robert it isn’t a cracked ceramic cartridge sound; more a saturated tape player sound, which, knowing their love affair with lo-fi, makes more sense – this actually is a more even album than version one. My favorite songs are “Satan Said Dance” and “Underwater (You and Me)”, the former proof that Alec Ounsworth really does have a sense of humor, the latter that he has the instinct and ear for the hit single that one of these days this band will score. Don’t believe the hype from the indie naysayers. Listen for yourself. A minusPeter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-56046295441083773342007-07-02T23:27:00.000-04:002007-07-04T20:34:57.678-04:00<strong>Get Your Country Comfort Where You Find It!<br /></strong><br />Two entries by two women steeped in country tradition; one very good and one encouraging, sort of.<br /><br /><strong>Miranda Lambert: <em>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</em></strong> (Sony/BMG Nashville, 2007).<br />My disdain for country music goes back almost twenty-five years, and with good reason. With the exception of Rosanne Cash, John Anderson, Willie Nelson and a couple of Rosie Flores albums, the genre simply hasn’t lived up to its historical traditions. Somewhere, I suspect, Hank <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdX6mcjd7clXDIn-QBa8Aldd91fOf16Q25AQCaVubUHa49nF3iEqGr6LHdaeaCAoEAFaJX_7WJCL_mrkxpo7zu_4RsvS573Fflig76VPzQ3-E3zbUXdaycL3d3WZHYTT_HeCqp/s1600-h/Miranda.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082819643622168706" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 278px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 283px" height="343" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdX6mcjd7clXDIn-QBa8Aldd91fOf16Q25AQCaVubUHa49nF3iEqGr6LHdaeaCAoEAFaJX_7WJCL_mrkxpo7zu_4RsvS573Fflig76VPzQ3-E3zbUXdaycL3d3WZHYTT_HeCqp/s320/Miranda.jpg" width="320" border="0" /></a>Williams is turning over in his grave at what has happened to this once proud and rich music. While this latest entry by this self-proclaimed Garth Brooks fan is unlikely to repair the damage of the last three decades, it does, if nothing else, offer up an olive branch. Lambert is no stranger to success; her debut <em>Kerosene</em> made her the darling of the country charts in 2005. This album builds off of that and with an edge that is very reminiscent of Flores, circa 1992, which means it’s also part Dwight Yoakam, circa mid 1980s. In other words, Lambert leans more toward Honky Tonk than the traditional El Lay that passes for country these days, and at only a mere twenty-three – a babe even in country – she has more to say than women ten years her senior. While her writing has grown a notch since her debut, the real breakthrough here are the covers: “Dry Town” Gillian Welch, “Easy From Now On” Carlene Carter, and “Getting Ready” Patty Griffin. Not quite Lucinda Williams, but far enough from Brooks and Dunn to bring hope. Quite possibly the country album of the year! A-<br /><br /><strong>Elizabeth Cook: <em>Balls</em></strong> (31 Tigers, 2007).<br />The title track – actually it’s called “Sometimes It Takes Balls To Be A Woman” –<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w4iUnzD3yslmJQbXuse7QXF0ZBQRTVTQrgMDxIhZvHBk5I_PPcYb7x4HPz2-e2aYgMjfjc22lWJvc7WhPoT5-aEWbSfBQ8Dj4oqg2DHmKTvpHrl7Pub5GRlX7l9gF3avqSfA/s1600-h/Elizabeth+Cook.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082820902047586450" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 282px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 282px" height="289" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3w4iUnzD3yslmJQbXuse7QXF0ZBQRTVTQrgMDxIhZvHBk5I_PPcYb7x4HPz2-e2aYgMjfjc22lWJvc7WhPoT5-aEWbSfBQ8Dj4oqg2DHmKTvpHrl7Pub5GRlX7l9gF3avqSfA/s320/Elizabeth+Cook.jpg" width="298" border="0" /></a> will impress the boys at the bar, the Velvet Underground cover will have her contemporaries wondering if she has her priorities in order, and "Rest Your Weary Mind" is pure Alison Krauss and Union Station. But while everyone in Nashville seems convinced that she’s the next Loretta Lynn, I still have my doubts. True, Rodney Crowell’s production talents help a lot - the last time Crowell got this close to a country star he wrecked his marriage; the guess here is that Cook isn’t nearly that fragile. And, yes, I do like the songs, all of which she managed to write herself! Cook’s main problem is not her writing, tough though it may be. She’s a little too “cute” for my tastes. In other words she’s more Faith Hill than Shania Twain, which probably means she has a long way to go before she gets to Loretta Lynn. B+Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-45907576084196825432007-06-03T23:06:00.000-04:002007-06-04T22:34:01.390-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0usKZKrYGjTK_CWmcn56WVXHQtuemJjXLNY6bLVKFSwc_obD31rUxWZHELPZYNbd8jBiIqTjwtRsxSovSB4s1Y8KAu3dRO_yLa2Lsn8StKLBzraNvDvSTqfdXX32AbqsEPXQ/s1600-h/Sgt.+Pepper"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072042384881694322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD0usKZKrYGjTK_CWmcn56WVXHQtuemJjXLNY6bLVKFSwc_obD31rUxWZHELPZYNbd8jBiIqTjwtRsxSovSB4s1Y8KAu3dRO_yLa2Lsn8StKLBzraNvDvSTqfdXX32AbqsEPXQ/s320/Sgt.+Pepper%27s.jpeg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><strong>It Was 40 Years Ago Today: Rocks Seminal and Defining Moment Celebrates Another Anniversary.<br /></strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>The date was June 1, 1967</strong>, and it represented for rock fans what the birth of Christ represented for Christians: the demarcation point between what was and what would forever be. In all honesty, however, <em>Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band</em> was not the first of its kind; nor were the Beatles the first to cross over that threshold of what was to become known as album rock. Two years earlier, Bob Dylan had graced us with <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bringin</span>’ It All Back Home</em>, followed closely by <em>Highway ’61 Revisited</em>. In December of that year the Beatles would release <em>Rubber Soul</em>; this was the album that Brian Wilson <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">couldn</span>’t get out of his head for six months. No, the birth of Christ would be an inaccurate analogy to the release of <em>Sgt. Pepper's</em>. A more appropriate comparison would be the Declaration of Independence. Any decent historian would tell you that by July 4, 1776, the Colonies were already at war with England – in deed the War had started in Boston Harbor a year earlier. The Declaration was more a formality, sort of an announcement to let the world know what had already begun. Sgt. Pepper, meet Thomas Jefferson!<br /><br />Yes, far from being rock’s AD moment, the release of <em>Sgt. Pepper’s</em>, like that July Fourth signing, announced to the industry that the status <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">quo</span> had changed. For as critically acclaimed as those earlier albums had been, they were still considered the exceptions to the rule. Prior to 1967, the record industry still considered the LP to be an accessory to its bottom line. If an artist or group had more than two or three strong songs on an album it was considered a bonus; of more importance was how many hit singles the record company could cash in on. No matter how well received an album was, a dearth of hits meant trouble from the label. The Beach Boys found this out when they released <em>Pet Sounds</em> in 1966. Capitol thought they were getting <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Surfin</span>’ Safari</em>, Wilson gave them <em>Revolver, Part <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Deux</span></em>. The label felt betrayed, and though Wilson convinced them to let him release <em>Wild Honey</em> in 1967, Capitol never seriously promoted the album. Payback can be a bitch.<br /><br />What the Beatles did was nothing short of revolutionary. Not even Dylan – who has always been thought of as a bit of an eccentric, even among his admirers – could’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ve</span> pulled this off. [In deed, one could argue that from a pop music standpoint, despite the critical acclaim he was receiving, Dylan was doing more for the careers of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Byrds</span> and Peter, Paul and Mary than himself.] It was the Beatles who almost overnight not only convinced an industry to rethink how it viewed the record album, but single-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">handedly</span> set the ground rules going forward. No more would artists or groups be permitted the luxury of getting by with a hit single or two. The goal now was to record a complete album of material. Filler, long the mainstay of the industry, would now be shunned. Those who <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">couldn</span>’t keep up were relegated to the auspices of what would soon be known as bubble gum music.<br /><br />Consider the transformation. In 1967 alone, notwithstanding <em>Sgt. Pepper’s</em>, the top albums of the year included the following: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Jimi</span> Hendrix, <em>Are You Experienced?;</em> Aretha Franklin, <em>I Never Loved a Man;</em> Otis <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Redding</span>, <em>Love Man;</em> The Beach Boys, <em>Wild Honey;</em> <em>The Velvet Underground and Nico;</em> Buffalo Springfield, <em>Again;</em> the Hollies, <em>Evolution;</em> and Stevie Wonder, <em>I Was Made To Love Her</em>. All of them A minus or better. Take away Dylan, the Beatles and the Beach Boys from 1965 and 1966 and you <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">wouldn</span>’t have gotten more than half a dozen good albums combined, and one of them, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Byrds</span>’ <em>Mr. Tambourine Man</em>, owed as much to the brilliance of Dylan as to the genius of Roger <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">McGuinn</span>. By the end of the 1969, what started off as the decade of the 45 rpm, would end up being defined as the era of the album. In less than a couple of years the industry went from "I Want To Hold Your Hand" to "Hey Jude." Talk about a 180!<br /><br />Not even the Stones, long the perennial kings of blue-collar, R&B rock and roll, could resist. Both <em>Beggars Banquet</em> and <em>Let It Bleed</em> were testimonials to what <em>Sgt. Pepper's</em> had wrought. Ironically, though they often referred to themselves during the ‘60s as the greatest rock and roll band of all time - Jagger goes so far as to actually call them "the greatest fucking band of all time" on <em>Hot Rocks </em>- the Stones would actually wind up inheriting the mantle from the Beatles. They’ll deny it to their graves, but <em>Sticky Fingers</em> and <em>Exile on Main Street</em> owed more to <em>Rubber Soul </em>than to <em>Out of Our Heads. </em>The<em> </em>evolutionary process that began in 1965 as an experiment, by 1967 had become standard operating procedure. And all because of one album. Go Figure.<br /><br />So the next time you play <em>Sgt. Pepper’s</em> consider, if you will, not just the brilliance of the album, but the significance of its arrival. 40 years is a long time in music and a lot has changed since then. Most of the genres that we listen to today owe their heritage to what four lads from Liverpool - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr - brought about, and more to the point what they forced on a reluctant, but ultimately grateful industry. </div>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-4317013220387303182007-05-22T11:20:00.000-04:002007-07-05T10:33:41.299-04:00<p class="MsoNormal">With The Village Voice having canned Robert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Christgau</span>, I thought I’d start my own little Consumer Guide.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Each month I’ll do 8 to 10 reviews, split up into two entries.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>There will also be the odd feature or two as I feel the inspiration come over me.</p>Here goes nothing. <p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Lily Allen: <i>Alright, Still</i></b> (Capitol, 2007).<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>It would be easy to dismiss this 21-year old child prodigy – she’s the daughter of prominent British actor Keith Allen – as just another privileged brat of excess.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>But you’d be wrong.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>In deed it is Allen’s upbringing – attending 13 schools in 12 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgb9v2WzDfRgA3Ibsm1Fuen_9-mZ_bkbEPAkyQb8exBVb2JSmghb2c2jXPI9mWLWk323IKgi1zSHipDRGp30iPrx95BZCMbm7FXDy1yiawkEPPT5d-RAn82h2iNMMeu8FfqR16/s1600-h/Lily+Allen.jpeg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070699889774114322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px" height="211" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgb9v2WzDfRgA3Ibsm1Fuen_9-mZ_bkbEPAkyQb8exBVb2JSmghb2c2jXPI9mWLWk323IKgi1zSHipDRGp30iPrx95BZCMbm7FXDy1yiawkEPPT5d-RAn82h2iNMMeu8FfqR16/s320/Lily+Allen.jpeg" width="312" border="0" /></a>years and being expelled from many of them, running away from a boarding school when she was 14, and various sundry relationships with folks obviously not of her class, that sets the theme for this album.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The girl is pissed, and with a maturity that belies her age, she transcends her rage and rebellious past and comes up with an album that her contemporaries could only pray to deliver.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>She’s <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ani</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">DiFranco</span> with a rhythm section, with one obvious exception.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>While <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">DiFranco</span> had a loathing for herself and a healthy contempt for anyone who was superficial, Allen seems to get off on her good looks.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>She really thinks she’s the shit, which probably means she is.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>A- </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Chris <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Smither</span>: <i>Leave the Light On</i></b> (Signature, 2006).<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Smither</span> has been around so long – his first album <i>I’m a Stranger Too</i> was released in 1970 – only Dylan and, maybe, Newman <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit70j3Ild7Q8UwiLFHi5m70i9rJYx1BrNUx9NfTqqRdE-iTETmQtoyUSMPFAAIPlgfSMVuYohRU1nIhU09Ak7wGPaRSvM8OjstnxJvRT6OXgxk1tPHAbaePEzHRuF6v4K7w0Xp/s1600-h/Chris+Smither.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070697145290012146" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit70j3Ild7Q8UwiLFHi5m70i9rJYx1BrNUx9NfTqqRdE-iTETmQtoyUSMPFAAIPlgfSMVuYohRU1nIhU09Ak7wGPaRSvM8OjstnxJvRT6OXgxk1tPHAbaePEzHRuF6v4K7w0Xp/s320/Chris+Smither.png" border="0" /></a>have lasted as long, with only the former consistently turning out significant works.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>And while <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Smither</span>’s voice is aging faster than the fingers that pick his legendary blue guitar, it’s his indelible spirit that remains ageless and timeless.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>While I still prefer 1991’s <i>Another Way To Find You</i> if for no other reason than the fact he’s always been at his best when he flew solo and live, there’s no denying this 60-plus year old troubadour his due.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Gotta love his sense of humor too on the title track when he boasts he’ll live to be a hundred, “39 to go but I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ain</span>’t <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">keepin</span>’ score;” or on <i>“Origin of the Species”</i> the funniest knock on intelligent design ever set to music.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>But it’s on <i>“Diplomacy”</i> where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Smither</span>’s <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">folkie</span> roots come home to roost: “Peace is so peaceful, it <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">ain</span>’t a way to survive.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>When nobody hates you, nobody knows you’re alive.”<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Like so many philosophers before him he has the heart of a poet but with the moral high ground to make it sound sincere.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I’m hoping he makes it to the century mark.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>A-</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Modest Mouse: <i>We Were Dead Before the Ship Ever Sank</i></b> (Epic, 2007).<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Having long ago given up any hope he would one day wake up to find he was Stephen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Malkmus</span>, Isaac Brock was free to develop one of the country’s best indie-rock bands this side of Pavement; and unlike the former, Brock’s star is still ascending.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Ever since 1996’s <i>“This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing To Think About”</i> they have continued to evolve their sound, which I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">ve</span> always suspected owes much of its heritage to ‘80s bands like the Meat Puppets and Husker Du.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Adding former Smiths’ guitarist Johnny <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Marr</span> to the lineup cinches it for me.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>These guys are nostalgic, but in a good way.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><i>“Dashboard”</i> proves they can reach for the stars while still reaching for the jugular, and with five albums already under their belt, this one is their finest.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Among their contemporaries, only Sonic Youth has a longer and more substantial catalogue.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>A </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Brandi <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Carlile</span>: <i>The Story</i></b> (Columbia, 2007).<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Having survived the accolades of her self-titled <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuF1rv-NCheO2q0nIbyi6BfU28Q3x_Jk3W80uckgAKlz7puD_i8cImWZkcjrPhikdi6y5iGg85sRX0Syx3_KCtg7SR35Aoz1xoKV7P_fYaB-38HUjZrQByNlj-KYYhNr0owzr/s1600-h/brandi-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070698146017392130" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 233px; HEIGHT: 223px" height="279" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuF1rv-NCheO2q0nIbyi6BfU28Q3x_Jk3W80uckgAKlz7puD_i8cImWZkcjrPhikdi6y5iGg85sRX0Syx3_KCtg7SR35Aoz1xoKV7P_fYaB-38HUjZrQByNlj-KYYhNr0owzr/s320/brandi-1.jpg" width="307" border="0" /></a>debut in ’05, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Carlile</span> enlisted the help of T-Bone Burnett and with the help of some smart lyrics by Phil and Tim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Hanseroth</span>, comes up with a sophomore effort worthy of her P.R.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>While I generally eschew singer/songwriters who wax poetically, but who lack the depth to convey substance behind the style, there’s no denying the charm of this Washingtonian.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Her songs are light, but hardly the stuff of the background music that finds its way to most “easy-listening” stations.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>And she never over-reaches, meaning she knows her limitations – a talent other supposedly “superior” artists seem to lack these days.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>A good one.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>A- </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Wilco</span>:<i> Sky Blue Sky</i></b> (Nonesuch, 2007). <span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I used to think that Jeff Tweedy was this generation’s Mark <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Knopfler</span> in that he seemed overly preoccupied with technique often at the expense of substance.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><i>Yankee Hotel Foxtrot</i> was a text-book case in point.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I still don’t know what the thing is, but boy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">doesn</span>’t it “sound” impressive?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>But now I think his real problem is that he suffers from Paul Simon syndrome: he’s too damn smart for his own britches.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>How else do you reconcile the brilliance of the <i>Mermaid Avenue</i> albums with the aforementioned effort?<span style="font-size:0;"></span> Clearly, Tweedy, like Simon, is far better off keeping it simple, which is why this album – his sixth in 12 years and the best since <i>Being There</i> (which I'll admit I may have <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">initially</span> overrated a bit) – is a classic example of the age old axiom, less is more.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Here, Tweedy abandons his “technique” and instead opts for simplicity.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The songs for once are engaging and inviting, rather than complex and obtuse.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Consider these lyrics from the opening track, "Maybe the sun will shine today, the clouds will blow away / I will try to understand, everything has its plan."<span style="font-size:0;"></span> Tweedy’s real accomplishment is not trying to sound so profound that he misses the forest for the trees.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Another welcome sign is his return to his alt-country roots, where I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">ve</span> always thought Tweedy belonged in the first place.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Like so many bands before them – the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Jayhawks</span> come to mind here – Tweedy’s <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Wilco</span>, and to a lesser extent Uncle <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Tupelo</span>, overreached and thus lost touch with what made them truly successful.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Unlike Mark Olsen, who fumbled the ball and never did recover, Tweedy has a chance to build off this if he wants it. For now, I’ll just say this is the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Wilco</span> album both fans and admirers alike will enjoy.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>A- <i><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p></i></p>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-73741420177600416472007-05-18T10:52:00.000-04:002007-05-30T10:46:27.409-04:00<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">2006 - A Final Look!</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">1. Bob Dylan: <em>Modern Times</em> (Columbia)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">2. Ghostface Killah: <em>Fishscale</em> (Def Jam)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">3. The Klezmatics: <em>Wonder Wheel</em> (JMG)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">4. Tom Waits: Orphans: <em>Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards</em> (Anti)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">5. Rosanne Cash: <em>Black Cadillac</em> (Capitol)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">6. Ornette Coleman: <em>Sound Grammar</em> (Sound Grammar)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">7. The Streets: <em>The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living</em> (Vice/Atlantic)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">8. Joanna Newsom: <em>Ys</em> (Drag City)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">9. Outkast: <em>Idlewild</em> (LeFace)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">10. Todd Snider: <em>The Devil You Know</em> (New Door)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">11. Maria Muldaur: <em>Heart of Mine: Love Songs of Bob Dylan</em> (Telarc)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">12. The Coup: <em>Pick a Bigger Weapon</em> (Epitaph)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">13. Dr. John: <em>Right Place, Right Time</em> (Hyenna)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">14. Wussy: <em>Funeral Dress</em> (Shake It)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">15. Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars: <em>Carnival Conspiracy</em> (Piranha)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">16. The Gothic Archies: <em>The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events </em>(Nonesuch)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">17. Clipse: <em>Hell Hath No Fury</em> (Zomba/Star Trek/Re-Up Gang)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">18. <em>Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse</em> (<a href="http://www.jesushchristrocks.com">www.jesushchristrocks.com</a>)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">19. Arctic Monkeys: <em>Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not</em> (Domino)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">20. Toumani Diabates Symmetric Orchestra: <em>Boulevard de I’Independence</em> (Nonesuch)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">21. The Hold Steady: <em>Boys and Girls in America</em> (Vagrant)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">22. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins: <em>Rabbit Fur Coat</em> (Team Love)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">23. Yo La Tengo: <em>I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass</em> (Matador)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">24. Rominca Puceanu & the Gore Brothers: <em>Sounds From a Bygone Age, Vol 2</em> (Asphalt Tango)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">25. Kimya Dawson: <em>Remember That I Love You</em> (K)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">26. Rhett Miller: <em>The Believer</em> (Verve Forecast)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">27. Chris Smither: <em>Leave the Light On</em> (Signature)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">28. Beck: <em>The Information</em> (Interscope)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">29. The Rapture: <em>Pieces of the People We Love</em> (Motown/Vertigo)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">30. TV on the Radio: <em>Return To Cookie Mountain</em> (Interscope)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">31. Belle & Sebastian: <em>The Life Pursuit</em> (Matador)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">32. Sonic Youth: <em>Rather Ripped</em> (Geffen)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">33. The Handsome Family: <em>Last Days of Wonder</em> (Carrot Top)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">34. The Go-Betweens: <em>That Striped Sunlight Sound</em> (Yep Roc)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">35. Grandaddy: <em>Just Like the Fambly Cat</em> (V2)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">36. Sir Douglas Quintet: <em>Live From Austin, Tx</em> (New West)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">37. Public Enemy: <em>Rebirth of a Nation</em> (Guerrilla Funk)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">38. Tom Ze: <em>Estudando O Pagode</em> (Luka Bop)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">39. Gnarls Barkley: <em>St. Elsewhere</em> (Downtown)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">40. Thunderbirds Are Now!: <em>Make History</em> (Frenchkiss)</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></span>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-36168962843611838422007-04-15T18:27:00.000-04:002007-06-06T08:06:38.676-04:00<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5liXuTaI8jvmEnVAyKpirnQ9m-G5qk9QAN64h0kZwqygFN1QGT9GklY4wcBJ5lqSJ7ogAmS-jsCVksCgYFsSOZArXOEqCHdsnAv1y678Z20iVxNCwi4y3KJJJrdXN6LTpKXd/s1600-h/imus-full.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5072919886707268786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5liXuTaI8jvmEnVAyKpirnQ9m-G5qk9QAN64h0kZwqygFN1QGT9GklY4wcBJ5lqSJ7ogAmS-jsCVksCgYFsSOZArXOEqCHdsnAv1y678Z20iVxNCwi4y3KJJJrdXN6LTpKXd/s320/imus-full.jpg" border="0" /></a>DUMB AND DUMBER: How Corporate America takes out its garbage.<br /></strong><br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">“What did you do on your vacation, Peter?”</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">“I went to sunny and warm Florida and got a chance to relax.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>How about you?</p><p class="MsoNormal">“I got a chance to see a radio icon commit suicide.”</p><p class="MsoNormal">“That’s the last time I take a vacation during sweeps!”</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Yes, as hard as it may be to believe, legendary, hall of fame radio personality Don Imus threw himself on his sword as it were, quite possibly ending an otherwise prestigious, if tumultuous, 36 year career over his remarks towards the Rutgers’ women’s basketball team.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The now infamous phrase “nappy-headed hos” will join ranks with other illustrious comments, like, “I did not have sex with that woman” and “I’m not a crook.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">What strikes me most about this spectacle is not the outlandishness of the remark; anyone paying attention over the last four decades probably had the “pleasure” of hearing worse language from him.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Nor is it even the clamor from outraged minority groups, lead particularly by Al Sharpton whom Newsday’s Shawn Powell correctly referred to as a racial ambulance chaser.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>No, the remark was repugnant and the outrage justified.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>One could say that Imus finally got what he deserved.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>In an ironic twist of fate, after years of playing Russian roulette, critics argued he finally caught the bullet.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">But did he deserve the bullet, and why, after all those tumultuous years of deriding and, in many cases, defaming people, did this political and emotional tidal wave finally take him out?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Race is the ultimate four-letter word in American society; after three centuries, it is still a hot button for the body politic.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>While it is true that African Americans are treated far better now than they were, say, forty years ago – lynchings and cross burnings are virtually a thing of the past – critics say that America still has a considerable way to go to mend the damage of that legacy.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>So when anyone, especially someone in the position of Imus, cracks a remark that touches a nerve among such an historically discriminated group, there are consequences that must be doled out.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">But did the consequences fit the crime?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Certainly no one with half a brain could argue that Imus should get off scott free for his remarks, but shouldn’t the actions that both NBC and CBS took over the last two weeks bare an equal and complicit review?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>As Warner Wolf would say, “Let’s go to the video tape.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Wednesday, April 4, Imus is in the middle of a comedy bit with Bernard McGuirk when he utters his now infamous comment.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Both laugh heartily, not realizing the under-water sea quake that they just started.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Thursday, April 5, Imus tells listeners to get over it; that it was just street language.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The tsunami begins headed for the shore.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Friday, April 6, with protests coming into both WFAN and MSNBC officials, Imus issues an apology for the remarks.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The tsunami picks up momentum and speed.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Monday, April 9, five days after the original remarks, NBC and CBS, within hours of each other, as if trying to out do each other, finally issue statements condemning the remarks as “deplorable.”<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>A giant “duh” is heard emanating from the African American community.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Both networks agree to suspend him for two weeks, the suspension to begin the following week.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The wave is within striking distance of the shoreline.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Later that day Imus goes on Al Sharpton’s radio show and with already one foot squarely in his mouth, he inserts the other foot by referring to both Sharpton and a black congresswoman as “you people.”<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Turn over steak and apply seasoning!</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Wednesday, April 11, one full week after the initial insulting remarks, MSNBC decides to drop the Imus in the Morning show from its simulcast, effective immediately.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Water recedes from the shoreline as on lookers see a massive wave off in the distance headed straight for them.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Thursday, April 12, late in the afternoon, CBS radio follows MSNBC’s lead and fires Don Imus.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>A statement issued by CBS President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves, said, "From the outset, I believe all of us have been deeply upset and repulsed by the statements that were made on our air about the young women who represented Rutgers University in the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship with such class, energy and talent."<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The tidal wave finally sweeps ashore, taking out the man most thought to be impenetrable and indestructible.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">While Moonves’ statement was accurate, if superficial, in its theme, why did it take over a week to issue?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Was Don Imus any less insulting or repulsive last Wednesday when he made his comments?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Of course not, but last Wednesday all he was was a loud-mouth shock jock who uttered another in a series of questionable remarks.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>No one at either network could have anticipated the groundswell of public outrage and furor that was to come.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>What is the most repulsive thing about this entire episode is not the fact that an aging white man uttered a phrase more commonly heard on a hip-hop album, but rather the conduct of both NBC and CBS.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>By waiting as long as they did to take action – five days! - they exacerbated an already tense situation, until, finally with sponsors bailing on them left and right, they had no choice but to remove Imus, just to stop the hemorrhaging.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>All the high-brow, altruistic comments made by both companies were nothing more than a feeble attempt to placate an outraged community who kept insisting on blood and the corporate sponsors, who were themselves concerned about their own image.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Imus became the poster boy for all that was wrong with American race relations.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Somebody please pass me the barf bag.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal">Ironically, the TRUE victims in this messy affair, the Rutgers’ Women’s Basketball Team, have proven themselves the only decent and courageous party.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>If anyone had a right to get on their high horse and scream for vengeance, it was those 10 young women and their coach.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>But instead of calling for Imus’ head, all of them wanted to meet the man who slandered them, and get to know him and hopefully give him a chance to know them.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Their class and dignity, in an otherwise vulgar scenario, should have set an example for the country and laid the foundation for a true dialogue into the problems in our country.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Instead the focus has been on Imus and his storied career.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">In the end what got Imus canned was not so much his mouth, though it certainly played a role, but the underlying fear within corporate America that whatever rocks the boat and threatens the bottom line must be dealt with in the harshest of terms.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>In deed Imus’ greatest crime might have been that he bit the hand that fed him.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The very same networks that financially benefited from his off-color humor and abrasive personality, when they saw their profits threatened, turned on him like a tiger eating its young.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>And like the tsunami that swept onto shore to devour the invincible, when it was finally done receded back into the ocean leaving in its wake the aftermath of its destruction.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Imus will be back, perhaps sooner than most expect.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The backlash against his firing is already gaining its own sort of tsunami, though not nearly as big as the one that lead to his dismissal.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>And the reason he will be back is very basic and simple: he makes his employers money.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>You may call them shallow and transparent, but company executives know a cash cow when they see one.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>But when, and in what manner will he return?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Will it be on terrestrial radio, or on satellite?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Already there are rumors that Sirius may sign him.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Sirius president Scott Greenstein was Imus’ old boss when the two worked at WNBC in the 1980s.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>It was Greenstein who signed Howard Stern to his multi-million dollar contract two years ago. Satellite radio might well prove the perfect venue for Imus to reconstitute his damaged reputation, and given what will prove to be a very rigid and carefully-watched landscape in both radio and television, might end up being the only outlet that will have him. </p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">It has been said that politics make strange bedfellows.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>They got nothing on corporate America!</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:0;"></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-60147993880062783512007-02-20T22:33:00.000-05:002007-05-31T08:02:12.661-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cEKbsTkEqXJmyPX1iGFXLwNf4JQOjgNN76c0XRJP5G9HWjQ0aAm8WA4gsPpTB8XtJHT8zz7Fa_OKR98nIIDHt_4_X07PErpgWVqBeM-aJmlikKCw8O1GBnTVhyphenhyphenhVIbm_6ZQt/s1600-h/Lucinda+Williams.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070693851050096082" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2cEKbsTkEqXJmyPX1iGFXLwNf4JQOjgNN76c0XRJP5G9HWjQ0aAm8WA4gsPpTB8XtJHT8zz7Fa_OKR98nIIDHt_4_X07PErpgWVqBeM-aJmlikKCw8O1GBnTVhyphenhyphenhVIbm_6ZQt/s320/Lucinda+Williams.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><b>A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME!<br /><br />Lucinda Williams:<i> West</i></b> (Lost Highway, 2007) B+<br /><?xml:namespace prefix = v /><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"><v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"><v:imagedata title="Lucinda Williams2" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/PETERF~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata></o:lock></v:path></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:stroke></p><br /><p><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"><v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"><o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"><v:imagedata title="Lucinda Williams2" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/PETERF~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata></o:lock></v:path></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:stroke></p><br /><p><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"><v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"><o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"><v:imagedata title="Lucinda Williams2" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/PETERF~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"></p></v:imagedata></o:lock></v:path></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:stroke><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-ALIGN: right" align="right"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:180%;">L</span>IKE most major artists who have something relevant to say, Lucinda Williams has evolved over the years. In 1988, the shy, introspective 35 year old alt-country phenom from Lake Charles, Louisiana, arrived on the music scene and through sheer courage and strength of will propelled her self-titled debut into the best kept secret in pop music since Gram Parsons bumped Roger <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">McGuinn</span> from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Byrds</span>, spawning in the process two of the best country hits never to hit number one in Nashville: "The Night's Too Long" and "Passionate Kisses."<br /><br />Undaunted by the lack of airplay, she toured relentlessly over the next few years, and when she was finally ready, she released the beautiful, if dark, <i>Sweet Old World.</i> Williams’ perfectionism, her unwillingness to allow anything with her name on it to go out until she was completely satisfied, was a refreshing change of pace in an industry that spits out albums like bird seed in a pet store. Like the former album, once again airplay was sparse. But, over the years, Williams had developed a huge and loyal following of fans who came to admire and respect the principals she espoused in her songs. The nakedness of her singing, coupled with her ability to transcend pain into joy, to find something hopeful even when things don't often seem to be going your way may not have been what the record <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">bizers</span> wanted to hear, but the critics fell in love with her. Call her stubborn, but don't call her pretentious!</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">But it was 1998’s stunning <i>Car Wheels on a Gravel Road</i> that finally brought her the recognition she so richly deserved.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>She won the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">grammy</span> for best contemporary folk album the following year, and almost overnight her fan base doubled then tripled.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Like it or not, she was now following in the grand tradition of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, with all the baggage that went along with it.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>No longer the best-kept secret among the alt-country scene, she was now among the most recognizable faces, not only of her genre, but in pop music in general.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Critics waited to see how she would handle it.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>They <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">didn</span>’t have to wait long.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The next two albums, 2001’s <i>Essence</i> and 2003’s <i>World Without Tears,</i> saw an artist being pulled toward compromise but never consumed by it.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Both albums were easily her most accessible since her debut, but neither pushed the envelope in the way <i>Car Wheels</i> had.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>She was still the best at her craft, the best at letting her audience in to see her world, but now the engine that propelled her music was taking a fast lane.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>As Robert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Christgau</span> succinctly pointed out, “Like Dylan before her, she discovers how hard it is to write the simple ones.”<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Success <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">hadn</span>’t spoiled her, nor dulled her pen, put it did put a crimp in her style, which was always far more private than any of her fans or peers could have realized.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The sweet old world she loved so much had gotten considerably smaller and a bit tarnished.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">No wonder she took the next three years off before heading back to the studio to cut her next and latest album.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Let’s cut right to the chase; <i>West</i> is nothing like she has ever recorded.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>It’s as different from her last two albums as <i>Car Wheels </i>was from <i>Sweet Old World.</i><span style="font-size:0;"> </span>But then that has always been Williams’ <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">modus</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">operandi</span>.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Familiarity and continuity are qualities she has never aspired to.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Rather than try and reinvent past successes, she opts instead to reinvent herself.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>She can’t help but veer off in new directions; you could say it’s what’s kept her from falling victim to the same disease that has plagued lesser artists.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">In past albums, however, Williams’ music, and more to the point, her words always drew you in, no matter how rustic they sounded.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>There was an attractiveness and charm to her songs that carried the listener regardless of the subject matter.<i><span style="font-size:0;"> </span>West</i> is about as unattractive and charmless an album as she has ever attempted.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Not that attractiveness and charm are necessary ingredients to artistic integrity.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Some of the greatest artworks are ugly, when they’re not down-right offensive.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Maybe that is the problem.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The album is neither attractive nor ugly.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Robert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Christgau</span> has called it dull; I disagree.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>But it is, to put it mildly, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">uninvolving</span>, even distant.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I have played it three times, and still don’t know quite what to make of it.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>And there in lies the problem.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Nothing on <i>West </i>leaps out and grabs you.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Sure she can still write better than just about anybody out there, with the exception of Dylan, and maybe Amy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Rigby</span>, but I find myself too often straining to find significance or meaning in her lyrical landscape.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I find myself respecting the songs more than enjoying them.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Sure “Are You Alright” is a great song – one of her best ever, but Williams can’t build off of it.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>She seems mired in technique rather than the gut instinct, which has historically served her so well.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">On the whole, the album passes muster, but more on talent than on delivery.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Lucinda Williams is still one of the finest singer/songwriters of hers or any generation.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>That <i>West</i> will not be included among her finest albums, probably says more about her past achievements and the subsequent expectations they set for us and for her, than for any specific short-comings the album itself may have.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Bruce Springsteen had similar triumphs and disappointments. Between 1973 and 1987, he released his three best albums, one of which - <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Born in the USA</span> - was among the finest rock albums ever. However, he also released <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Greetings From <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Asbury</span> Park</span> and <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Darkness on the Edge of Town</span>, proof that even the great ones are capable of pedestrian efforts. If <i>West </i>turns out to be Williams' <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Darkness,</span> well that's fine with me. Like Springsteen, it just proves she's only human <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">after all</span>.<br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-19247259431125564432007-02-18T13:22:00.000-05:002007-05-31T08:03:58.295-04:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhtNRzLp-C_mYmqRm3CTsqjGXkbJ3kqVZ0E6lFIbJm2H4oO_ap5-IaWgVEytsFkQeJQkPaVlp7mvZJhBURyAfgvCnjzcQBZmEp4pqFiwYjaOyDFqJftqxvUpbQTikKrkru40P/s1600-h/Tom+waits.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070694293431727586" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhtNRzLp-C_mYmqRm3CTsqjGXkbJ3kqVZ0E6lFIbJm2H4oO_ap5-IaWgVEytsFkQeJQkPaVlp7mvZJhBURyAfgvCnjzcQBZmEp4pqFiwYjaOyDFqJftqxvUpbQTikKrkru40P/s320/Tom+waits.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">EVERY BASTARD HAS HIS DAY!<br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><b>Tom Waits:<i> Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards</i></b> (Anti, 2006) A.<br /></p><?xml:namespace prefix = v /><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"><v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"><?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"><v:imagedata title="Tom waits" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/PETERF~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: right"><br /><span style="font-size:0;"></span></div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: right"><span style="font-size:0;"><br /></div></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"><v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"><o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"><v:imagedata title="Tom waits" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/PETERF~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"><v:path extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" connecttype="rect"><o:lock ext="edit" aspectratio="t"><v:imagedata title="Tom waits" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/PETERF~1/LOCALS~1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"><span style="font-size:180%;">R</span>EMEMBER when you were in school, there was always that kid who sat in the corner of the room, who never seemed to belong, who never participated in any of the class functions, who seemed aloof – perhaps detached would be a better word.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>He looked weird, as though someone forget to dress him properly in the morning.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>His grades were good, his attendance record above average, but there was just something about the guy that prevented you from getting to know him.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Even the bullies would keep their distance.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Then someone would crack a joke and from the corner of the room you’d hear a snicker – a half-muted laugh - from the guy.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>He was paying attention after all, he heard every word that was being spoken; he just chose that precise moment to chime in with his own two cents.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p>For 33 years now Tom Waits has been that kid in the corner of the room.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The weird outcast who just didn’t seem to belong.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Ever since <i>Closing Time</i> critics have been trying to classify his music and have failed miserably.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>And like the snickering kid who got the joke, even when the rest of us didn’t, Waits just kept on recording music his way: weird, aloof, detached from any genre or sub-genre the biz could concoct.<br /><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:0;"></span>Not that there haven’t been sign posts where his music veered off in new and divergent paths.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><i>Swordfishtrombones</i> represented for two decades the demarcation point between his bohemian, gin-soaked jazz/blues days (OK, that’s as close as I can get to defining what it was!) and the eclectic troubadour artiste he has been morphing into ever since.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Not unlike his early albums, the music and the singing were ugly, except now it all seemed to make sense.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Like a glove the warped sense of humor his fans have always cherished most about him came together brilliantly.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>That it even came into existence in the first place was owed directly to the persistence of then girlfriend, now wife, Kathleen Brennan, who after Asylum rejected the record, and then subsequently dropped Waits, convinced Island Records to give it a shot.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The rest as they say in the biz is history.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:0;"></span>But, whatever one may think of that record’s virtues, and I for one thought it had many, success, even for a recluse can be a hard road to travel.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><i>Rain Dogs</i>, the follow-up, began for Waits a vicious cycle of vying for either an identity beyond what he had created or a recapturing of the moment of his greatness.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>For once in his life, he was the one telling the joke not merely laughing at it.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Almost over night he had gone from the guy bumming a cigarette off of a patron to being able to buy the whole house a round.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>You could say he didn’t care, but you’d be wrong.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>For the next dozen or so years, he struggled artistically, even as his film career soared.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>It wasn’t until <i>Mule Variations,</i> 16 years later, that he finally seemed to make peace with himself.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Again Brennan’s hand was evident.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>While I generally loath direct comparisons the album is a cross between the melancholy of <i>Closing Time</i> and the hope-filled minimalism of <i>Swordfishtrombones</i>.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Imagine, an album about romanticism that isn’t self-indulgent; what a concept!</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:0;"></span>What followed was, you guessed it, more vying.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><i>Blood Money, Alice, </i>and <i>Real Gone </i>showed he was more the romantic of <i>Closing Time </i>than the hopeful troubadour of <i>Swordfishtrombones</i>.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Of the three, <i>Blood Money </i>was my pick.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I’ve always operated under the premise that when in doubt less is more.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Waits, for me, has always been at his best when he has aimed low.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Grandiosity has, more often than not, boomeranged on him. You could say it has been his ambition that has gotten the better of him.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>But give the man some credit; his refusal to give up on himself as been his greatest attribute.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>He is indelible, if nothing else.</p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:0;"></span>Which of course brings us to the main event: a 3-CD, 54-song album that reeks of grandiosity if ever any album did.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>A good album?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Well let’s just say I wasn’t holding my breath.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Then I played the damn thing.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>It was as if 33 years of music suddenly coalesced in front of me.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>This is the album the man has had in him for four decades, and couldn’t – or wouldn’t – let out.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I have always suspected Waits of having multiple personalities, musically at least.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Well now there’s proof.<br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Whether you subscribe to the theory that he is a mad man with a sentimental side, or a romantic lush with a mean streak, <i>Orphans</i> is proof of that age-old story of the chicken and the egg.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The simple truth was and is that Waits is both.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>That it took him 33 years to finally come up with it is yet one more example of his indelibility.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>True <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Orphans </span>started as a collection of outtakes - only 30 of the 54 songs are new, with 14 of the remaining appearing on other albums - but it quickly developed beyond that. The result was as ambitious a project as Waits as ever undertaken.<br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Seldom have I heard lyrics that speak of anguish and redemption along side revenge and cruelty.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>It’s as if Waits is sorry for pulling that girl’s hair in class, while at the same time enjoying the pain of the moment.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Listen to the man’s own words: “What’s <i>Orphans</i>?<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I don’t know. <i>Orphans</i> is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear.”<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>He has always been the smart ass who couldn’t let on that he was a smart ass.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>This is his coming out party, if you will.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Pick a song, and you’ll probably find something of yourself in it.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Disc two, <i>Bawlers,</i> is my personal favorite, and not merely for the Johnny Cash song “Down There By The Train” which Waits finally reclaims as his own.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>No, what impresses me most is how completely naked and vulnerable Waits allows himself to be.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>However gifted his music may have been, Waits has always had a problem letting his hair down.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>He has been guarded when it came to his emotions.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>He didn’t mind laughing at someone else’s jokes, but he shied away from self-reflection.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>He could tell “Martha” how much he still loved her after “forty years or more”, but look in the mirror and ask the obvious question, “Dude, why are you still living in the past?”<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Never!<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I suspect the answer was that the engine behind Waits’ lyrics has always been the regret of what might have been.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Pain was OK, so long as it was somebody else’s pain.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>On <i>Swordfishtrombones, </i>the girl he just couldn’t live without in “Johnsburg, Illinois” was as close as he’s ever gotten to letting us in.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>But just to make sure we didn’t think him a sap, the next song on that album was “16 Shells From a Thirty-Ought Six.”<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Waits could kill the ending to “Old Yeller” if you gave him half a chance.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Fortunately, on <i>Orphans,</i> his killer instinct, at least for now, has been shelved.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The result is as secure and (gulp) mature an album as you will likely find.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>At 56, Waits has finally grown up.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>We finally get a chance to see him not as the recluse who didn’t fit in, but the scared kid that nobody bothered to get to know, who listened to everything everybody said, and who now has something relevant to say about his life that finally isn’t a punch line about somebody else’s.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Like he says in the song, “I always take the long way home.”<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>I’d say 33 years is long enough.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Welcome home, Tom, stay a while.</p><br /></v:imagedata></o:lock></v:path></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:stroke></v:imagedata></o:lock></v:path></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:stroke></v:imagedata></o:lock></v:path></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:stroke>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-4387164162969357412007-02-10T22:20:00.000-05:002007-05-31T07:59:14.259-04:00AT LAST, 2006 COMPLETE - FOR NOW!<br /><br />WHERE IS THE PAZZ AND JOP SURVEY WHEN YOU NEED IT?<br /><br />1.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>Bob Dylan:</b> <b><i>Modern Times</i></b><span style="font-size:0;"> </span>(Columbia)<br />2.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>Ghostface Killah:</b> <b><i>Fishscale </i></b>(Def Jam)<br />3.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>The Klezmatics:</b> <b><i>Wonder Wheel</i></b> (JMG)<br />4.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>Tom Waits:</b> <b><i>Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards</i></b> (Anti)<br />5.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>Rosanne Cash:</b> <b><i>Black Cadillac </i></b>(Capitol)<br />6. <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Ornette Coleman:<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"> Sound Grammar</span></span> (Sound Grammar)<br />7.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>The Streets:</b> <b><i>The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living</i></b> (Vice/Atlantic)<br />8.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><strong>Joanna Newsom:</strong> <b><i>Ys </i></b>(Drag City)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>9.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>Outkast:</b> <b><i>Idlewild </i></b>(LeFace)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>10.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>Todd Snider:</b> <b><i>The Devil You Know</i></b> (New Door)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>11.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>Maria Muldaur:</b> <b><i>Heart of Mine: Love Songs of Bob Dylan</i></b> (Telarc)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>12.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>The Coup:</b> <b><i>Pick a Bigger Weapon</i></b> (Epitaph)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>13.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>Dr. John: <i>Right Place, Right Time</i></b> (Hyenna)<br />14.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>Wussy:</b> <b><i>Funeral Dress</i></b> (Shake It)<br />15.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><b>Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars:</b> <b><i>Carnival Conspiracy</i></b> (Piranha)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>16.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The Gothic Archies: <i>The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events </i>(Nonesuch)<i><br /></i>17.<i><span style="font-size:0;"> </span></i>Clipse:<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"> Hell Hath No Fury </span>(Zomba/Star Trek/Re-Up Gang)<?xml:namespace prefix = o /><o:p></o:p><br />18.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span><i>Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse</i> (www.jesushchristrocks.com)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>19.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Arctic Monkeys: <i>Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not </i>(Domino)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>20.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Toumani Diabates Symmetric Orchestra: <i>Boulevard de I’Independence </i>(Nonesuch)<br />21.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The Hold Steady: <i>Boys and Girls in America</i> (Vagrant)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>22.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins: <i>Rabbit Fur Coat</i> (Team Love)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>23.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Yo La Tengo: <i>I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass</i> (Matador)<br />24.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Belle & Sebastian: <i>The Life Pursuit</i> (Matador)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>25.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Kimya Dawson: <i>Remember That I Love You</i> (K)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>26.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Rhett Miller: <i>The Believer</i> (Verve Forecast)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>27.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Gnarls Barkley: <i>St. Elsewhere</i> (Downtown)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>28.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Beck: <i>The Information</i> (Interscope)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>29.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The Rapture: <i>Pieces of the People We Love</i> (Motown/Vertigo)<br />30.TV on the Radio: <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Return To Cookie Mountain</span> (Interscope)<br />31.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Rominca Puceanu & the Gore Brothers: <i>Sounds From a Bygone Age, Vol 2</i> (Asphalt Tango)<br />32.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Sonic Youth: <i>Rather Ripped</i> (Geffen)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>33.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The Handsome Family: <i>Last Days of Wonder</i> (Carrot Top)<br />34.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>The Go-Betweens: <i>That Striped Sunlight Sound </i>(Yep Roc)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>35.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Grandaddy: <i>Just Like the Fambly Cat</i> (V2)<br />36.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Sir Douglas Quintet: <i>Live From Austin, Tx</i> (New West)<br />37.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Public Enemy: <i>Rebirth of a Nation </i>(Guerrilla Funk)<br />38.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Tom Ze: <i>Estudando O Pagode</i> (Luka Bop)<span style="font-size:0;"><br /></span>39.<span style="font-size:0;"> </span>Pink:<span style="FONT-STYLE: italic"> I'm Not Dead</span> (LeFace/Zomba)<br />40. Thunderbirds Are Now!: <span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Make History</span> (Frenchkiss)Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-79131686856332736032007-01-06T11:06:00.000-05:002007-01-07T14:36:19.006-05:00Subjects for Further Research / Albums of Noteworthiness That Didn't Make the Grade / Oh Shit, Let's Call Them What They Are: DUDS!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">JJ Cale and Eric Clapton:<span style="font-style: italic;"> The Road To Escondido</span></span> (Reprise/WEA, 2006). What made <span style="font-style: italic;">Layla</span> so great was how effective Duane Allman was at forcing Eric out of his comfort zone, something he has had an aversion to most of his career. Since Cale is incapable of forcing even himself out of his own comfort zone, the results are two rather competent - but not passionate - musicians desperately trying to rekindle a flame that long ago was blown out. Terms like laid back and relaxed are disguises for going through the motions. And really, haven't we heard this shit from a dozen or so bar bands? Take away the artists from the cover, and what you have is a pretty pedestrian effort by two people who stopped carring a LONG time ago. C+<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dixie Chicks:<span style="font-style: italic;"> Taking the Long Way</span></span> (Sony, 2006). I admire their political courage, and yes they have evolved beyond the cute babes they were originally marketed as, but with every lick of the guitar, every syllable that leaves their mouths, these "chicks" personify the worst of country. Neobluegrass, or whatever you prefer to call their style, it is pretentious and superfluous. They have a future in the Democratic party if they want, but musically, I'd vote them out of office! C<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sonya Kitchell:<span style="font-style: italic;"> Words Came Back To Me</span></span> (Velour, 2006).<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>Trivia question: what do Corinne Bailey Rae, Ray LaMontagne, Madeleine Peyroux and KT Tunstall all have in common with Sonya Kitchell? Answer: they all hail from the Norah Jones' school of what I now call Light Adult-Contemporary music. Another word for this is Coffee-house Music. Their sound - hence Sonya's - never draws any ire, plays well in public places (Starbucks comes to mind) where conversation is casual and therefore isn't prone to interruption, and doesn't push any social buttons, i.e. never offends anyone's tastes. Add that she's only 17, and what you end up with is the darling of the year. I'm over reacting you say? The same thing happened to jazz over a decade ago, and now we have CD 101.9 to thank for the crap that passes for light jazz. If you can't handle Monk and Davis, or Dylan and Marley that's your problem, but don't call Kenny G jazz or Sonya Kitchell rock in front of me. Not unless you're looking for a beating! CPeter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16873889.post-3151701127281283572006-12-31T17:08:00.000-05:002007-05-31T15:47:44.533-04:00As promised the album reviews of 2006, in no particular order.<br /><br />HAPPY NEW YEAR!<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b>The Hold Steady: <i>Boys and Girls in America</i></b> (Vagrant, 2006). <i>“Stuck Between Stations”</i> has the look and feel of a hit single, and knowing Craig Finn, he could care less.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Hits are not what he’s about.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Unlike so many other auteurs, whom emote about topics they’ve never even observed, much less experienced, Finn invites us into a world he knows first hand: a world where broken bottles and broken dreams are one in the same.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>His heroes – the kids, always the kids – struggle, fall and pick themselves up.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Like the girl in <i>“You Can Make Him Like You” </i>who dumps her boyfriend when she finally gets tired of his drug use.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Strangely depressing and uplifting at the same time, but what else could you expect from someone who stole the title of his album from a Jack Kerouac line?<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>A-</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>The Gothic Archies:<i> The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events</i></b> (Nonesuch, 2006).<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>From the sublime to the ridiculous, Stephin Merritt has finally found someone more morbid than he.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>And the results speak for themselves.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Merritt’s monotonous baritone complements the creepy writing of Lemony Snicket, who also plays accordion, brilliantly.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>11 year olds may not be hip to the dreariness that lies within these songs, but my guess is most everybody else of consenting age will.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Just check out some of the titles: <i>“Scream and Runaway,” “The World is a Very Scary Place,” “Smile! No One Cares How You Feel,”</i> and my personal favorite<i> “Walking My Gargoyle.”</i><span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Clearly, these “children’s” songs are not for the faint of heart, nor for anyone else who takes Merritt’s deadpan voice too seriously.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Sweet dreams!<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>A-</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Maria Muldaur:<i> Heart of Mine: Love Songs of Bob Dylan</i></b> (Telarc, 2006).<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>He’s been covered by The Byrds and <i>gulp</i> Olivia Newton John – quite a dichotomy!<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>So, what’s so different and special about this effort?<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Well for one thing Muldaur isn’t trying to reinvent the songs; like the good interpreter she is, she allows the songs to come to her.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>What she does add to them is a mix of soul and blues to the world folk that Dylan invented.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>And because Dylan wasn’t merely a folkie his material is wide open for just about anyone with the heart and ear to grab it.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>In deed his greatest accomplishment was his ability to transcend the popular music scene altogether, and in so doing redefine for a whole generation what being an artist was truly about.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Muldaur clearly gets it, too.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>Her love for the songs is surpassed only by her brilliant delivery of them.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>And you can tell she also loves the artist, too, a critical element to the success of any interpreter.<span style="font-size:+0;"> </span>A </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Peter Feganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10949239024795435039noreply@blogger.com0