MP3: John Mellencamp - "If I Die Sudden"

John Mellencamp will release Life Death Live and Freedom, the eight song live companion to last year's Life Death Love and Freedom. Get a sneak preview mp3 until the album is released on June 23rd.

"If I Die Sudden" MP3

Review: Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane & Sugarcane

Label: Hear Music

Released: June 9, 2009

Elvis Costello has had quite a long and varied career to say the least, making albums bordering on punk on one hand and working with the likes of Burt Bacharach and Allen Toussaint at others. The genres he's avoided, like metal or hip-hop, are surely more by choice than inability. There's no question that as both a performer and a songwriter, he has few peers in terms of the breadth and quality of his work. That's not to say he's all things to all people, but that, as particularly evidenced on Secret, Profane & Sugarcane, he's Elvis Costello to whatever audience he chooses.

This time around, Costello takes on a particularly rootsy, unabashedly American form, dabbling in folk, country and bluegrass throughout. What he displays here, as he has so often in the past, is that he really doesn't play in each of the genres he engages so much as he adapts those genres to work with his distinct songwriting.

This works particularly well here for two reasons. First, Costello can write some great songs. There have been plenty of points in his career where the songs weren't up to the standard he had set, but they certainly are here. This is the strongest set of songs I've heard from him in some time and many could just as easily have been performed in a style he explored on another of his albums. They just work fundamentally, maintaining that which makes them distinctly his work.

Second, he understands the subtleties of the style in which he's working. These aren't just pop songs with some sting band instrumentation and a twang in his voice. The arrangements are careful to both evoke country music's vivid history and retain Costello's unique qualities. In addition to that, Secret, Profane & Sugarcane demonstrates an understanding that goes deeper than the music itself. It walks country's fine lines between the secular and religious and the happy and the sad.

The album succeeds largely because it isn't a superficial carbon copy, but a continuation of a long tradition. Elvis Costello hasn't inserted old-time country into his repertoire, but rather inserted himself into country's rich history.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 8/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

Label: Columbia Records

Released: April 28, 2009

When Bob Dylan released Love and Theft back in 2001, it seemed that he had more good music left in him than anyone expected. Five years later, Modern Times said otherwise (though many surely disagree). It was tired and old and adult. Now, in 2009, Dylan offers up yet another late career album that will perhaps give a clue as to which of the previous two albums reflects his true state.

One thing that's been interesting about Dylan is that his voice, far from technically pristine, has always been, in a sense, an act of rebellion in and of itself. Even as it's changed a bit over time, it has always been something that makes his music happen on his terms. At times on Together Through Life though, Dylan's voice loses its personality and devolves into kind of a Tom Waits shtick. That's a shame, because Waits as a performer is almost pure novelty. This isn't the nod of master to student, but more the master caving in to a caricature of himself.

Still, Together Through Life is a loose, old-timey album. It doesn't quite have the urgency or poetry that marks his best work, but there is a certain spontaneity that refreshes the album whenever it's on the verge of really dragging. What really made this album interesting though was David Hidalgo's presence on accordion. It seems odd that a background instrument used sparingly would have such an impact on a record, but it's perfect in the arrangement and Hidalgo's playing is incredibly emotive, supporting the songs where Dylan fails to do so. It would be noticeable even on a great album, but really stands out on something more middling like Together Through Life.

This latest offering from Dylan falls somewhere in the middle of his catalog quality-wise. There were times when it reminded me of his mid-80s output (Empire Burlesque rang in my ears at times) and that's good stuff, just not on par with his prime (or with Love and Theft for that matter). Unfortunately, falling right smack in the middle, it gives little indication whether Love and Theft or Modern Times was the anomaly.

The vinyl release is particularly nice. Despite being a standard length album at around 45 minutes, it's issued on two slabs of 180 gram vinyl in heavy stock inner sleeves. The artwork isn't quite amazing, but well worth seeing in the larger format. For convenience, a copy of the CD is thrown in as well.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 6/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: U2 - J Adams Where Are You Now?

Label: PR (or that's what it looks like on the back)

Released: unknown

I picked this bootleg EP up on ebay and thought, "Who is J Adams? I wonder if it's the skater? Nah..." When the record came, I found the following dedication:

Dedicated to: Tony Alva, Shogo Kugo, Jimmy Plummer, Jim Muir & the "Z" boys."

So, what do these pioneers of vertical skateboarding have to do with U2? Beats me, but that makes it even cooler. It's an odd little rarity with a mystery to boot.

The skater connection isn't the only thing that's unique about this little 7". It contains the only public performance of "Womanfish," a song U2 was considering for Joshua Tree that never made it onto a studio record. This, along with "I Trip Thru Your Wires" (as it's titled on the back of the record) makes up the b-side that was recorded January 30, 1986 for the Ga-Ga television show in Ireland. The sound quality is decent, but the live energy is interrupted by bits of the show that sneak into the recording.

The a-side was recorded March 11, 1987 in Dublin and contains strong performance of "Exit" and "In God's Country." The sound quality is nothing to write home about, but is easily listenable and doesn't polish any of the liveness out of either song.

I doubt that J Adams Where Are You Now? is a top-notch U2 collectible. It's too short and the quality is mediocre by the standards of bootleg aficionados. However, it does contain a track not available on any commercial release and an interesting connection to skateboarding that I've yet to discover.

If you're curious about "Womanfish," you can hear it at the U2 Sound Library.

Review: Shirock - Everything Burns

Label: self-released

Released: February 3, 2009

Everything Burns kicks off as a fairly typical post-emo mainstream rock album. There are bits of alt rock and emo tidied up in a nice, easily digestible package and yet...there's something else, something deeper going on with this record. Underneath what seems at first to be a solid, but uneventful set of songs, there's an exuberance that is a true rarity. This band has a message and in their earnestness, they will save the world (or do their best at least). Once the message hits, the songs seem larger, truer, better. And by half way through, something else becomes apparent: They love U2. Their best songs filter mid-80s U2 through the subsequent alt rock and emo explosions and come up with something unique, yet familiar. Like their mentors, they have, at least on their best tracks, marry memorable, moving rock n roll with a message of hope. In case this message might be lost on some, the spoken word part of title track's intro spells it out. They are going to "love people." It's that love that permeates the album and changes it from a solid release to a magnificent experience.

Check out their site for tour details. This band isn't just singing about living life the right way; they're actually doing it. They've partnered with local charities at each stop and all proceeds help the communities in which they're playing. Mark one for the good guys!

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Website

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If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream

Label: Columbia

Released: January 27, 2009

"The Wrestler" is the bonus track on Springsteen's latest album, Working on a Dream. It's a honest tale set to poignant music. It connects in the way we expect Springsteen to connect. However, it is appropriately labeled as bonus material, because it really doesn't fit the rest of the album.

The strings on the opener, "Outlaw Pete," are a bit much. "Mr Lucky Day" is a good mainstream rocker, but lacks any real humanity. Springsteen finally connects on "Queen of the Supermarket," even getting away with some corny lyrical ideas that only he could pull off, but as the song builds, it too becomes more a caricature of Springsteen than the real deal. And it couldn't get much worse than "Kingdom of Days" which would sadly need little reworking for Muzak.

All isn't lost though. The rootsy "Good Eye" features better, subtler playing than is typically found on a Springsteen record. The Boss' take on Johnny Cash in the verses of "Life Itself" serve him well. At first, "Surprise, Surprise" seems like light pop, but it feels good and true. Juxtaposing it with "The Last Carnival," a darker, lower-key closer that mixes folk and a heavenly backup chorus, strengthens both songs and ends on a note more along the lines of the best that can be expected from the last 20 years of Springsteen's career.

Comparing Working on a Dream to anything in Springsteen's prime is just unfair. However, just over a year ago, he managed to dig down and churn out a decent album that didn't come across as a comfortable old man trying to relive what he found on Nebraska. There are enough good songs here to indicate that his well isn't dry, it's just no longer as deep as it once was and an album every year and a half might just be too much at this stage.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 5/10
Overall: 5/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Devil Dirt

Label: Fontana International

Released: November 11, 2008

There aren't many albums as low-key as Sunday at Devil Dirt. Every movement of the album is so subtle that it's difficult to discern. The first two tracks, "Seafaring Song and "The Raven," seem more like movie soundtrack material than the road into a dynamic album, but they set the sparse scene for the album's first stand-alone song, "Salvation," which makes it clear that this album searches and journeys. Throughout though, it does maintain the feel of a soundtrack (albeit of a very good movie), with songs like the jazzy, cabaret "Back Burner" providing segues in the story. None of these are filler in the traditional sense though. They're very strong tracks taken in context and enhance the songs they act as a bridge between as well as the album as a whole.

It's easy to think that Sunday at Devil Dirt is dominated by Lanegan's deep, rough echoes of Johnny Cash, Jim Morrison and Iggy Pop (and some would say Tom Waits, but Lanegan has a true quality that escapes the novelty of Waits' work). That gritty earthiness is the album's grounding. However, countering that is Campbell's thin, ethereal, almost angelic, yet sexy voice. The two together set the tone for the turmoil that exists between heavenly salvation and earthly struggle. These two contrasting voices find their way through the sparse musical scenes that range from subtle strings to folk to dirty jazz and blues. As carefully constructed as the album is, Campbell has written, and performed with Lanegan, a work that is intensely human in both disillusionment and hope. I wish someone would make the movie to go with this, because there's something greater than even this album in there.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 9/10
Aretha: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Rod Stewart - The Definitive Rod Stewart

Label: Warner Brothers

Released: November 18, 2008

Rod Stewart may have the perfect rock voice. It's raw and honest and warm and he expresses emotion with ease. Its rough edges are its primary strength. The first handful of tracks on this collection, rock songs tied tightly to their folk, boogie and blues roots, are ideal vehicles for Stewart's perfect imperfection. The heartfelt "Maggie May," the earthy "Mandolin Wind," the rollicking "Stay With Me" all draw the best out of Stewart and he in turn elevates them in a way that few if any singers could.

The trouble is that as Stewart cleans up his sound and adapts to the changing world of pop music, he tempers his strength. Sure, it doesn't all go south with the disco stylings in "The Killing of Georgie," but he has started down the slippery slope. Stewart still brings his best on "You're in My Heart" and makes it easy to forget that without him, "The First Cut is the Deepest" would be an average rock song at best. Even "I Was Only Joking" has its moments. But by "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy," Stewart had clearly crossed the line. Stewart is a great rock singer, but he wasn't able to re-invent himself to turn down each new pop avenue.

To be fair, Stewart doesn't kill his later material so much as it kills him. The synth pop of "Tonight I'm Yours" is the polar opposite of everything Stewart had done right earlier in his career. Even a rocker like "Infatuation" is so inundated with bad 80s production that it sucks out anything Stewart brings. Where the late 60s and early 70s were the perfect time for Rod Stewart, the 80s were anything but. "The Motown Song" has some charm and "Reason to Believe" from Unplugged is at least somewhat of a reminder of Rod Stewart the rock singer rather than Rod Stewart the pop star. The previously unreleased "Two Shades of Blue" sat in on the shelf for ten years and frankly, it could have stayed there. Nice try with the classical stuff, but Rod needed more rock, not more phony sophistication.

Also included in this set is a DVD of Stewart's music videos. It's not a bad bonus, but it'd still be a better idea to skip this and just buy the early albums individually. Videos are never a good substitute for better music and his early album tracks hold up better now than does his mid to late period output.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 5/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

DVD: The Who - Kilburn 1977

Label: Image Entertainment

Released: November 18, 2008

I've always known that the Beatles are rock's greatest band. There's no denying it. But I do have to wonder why I question that every time I listen to the Who. I think it's because the Beatles made rock music what it is, but the Who actually embodied it like no one else. (The Clash is probably the only band that I think of in the same way). The two shows on this DVD are a lot like hearing that stutter in "My Generation" or the huge guitar of "Baba O'Reilly" for the first time. It's just great rock n roll in its purest, most deliberate form.

By the time of the Kilburn show, the Who had an incredible catalog with which to build a great show. By the time they've amassed this kind of material, most bands have been at it too long and lost too much of their hunger to deliver on their own greatness, but nothing could be further from the truth about the Who. They come off a year-long hiatus and yet, other than the recording quality, they sound like they'd spent that year pounding out these songs in a garage, not relaxing on the fruits of their labors. "My Generation" gets reworked, but everything here feels as fresh and new just on the electricity alone. Interestingly enough, this came the same year punk exploded and I can't help thinking that punk may not have been necessary had other bands been playing it like the Who, with wild, reckless abandon and the heart of kids. I know, that's two bold statements in one review, but I don't make them lightly.

You'll watch the Kilburn show and think, "Man, this is one of rock's greatest bands at the peak of their power!" Then, throw in disc two and wonder, "How could they have been at their peak in 1969 also?" The answer is simple though. The Who never lost their sense of what their music was about and who it was for. They just stayed that good. Neither the video nor the audio for the earlier show is as good as it was eight years later for the Kilburn show, but somehow it gives an even better sense of how loud the world's loudest band was. You could turn the volume down to a whisper and there's still a very tangible sense that it's just LOUD.

Who is rock's greatest band? It might be almost unfair to answer right after watching this one.

Rating: 10/10 (only because I can't give it 11!)

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Amadan - Pacifica

Label: Afan Music

Released: December 9, 2008

Amadan incorporate bits of the Clash, Billy Bragg, John Fogerty and the Mighty, Mighty Bosstones, but what I suspect they're really going for is the Pogues mix of traditional Irish folk and biting punk rock swagger. They don't nail the latter, but their success in other areas makes them a worthwhile listen.

There's no doubt that Amadan is a rock band, not a folk band. Their boisterous guitars and barroom swagger make that quite clear. At their core, there is straightforward rock n roll as it's always been played in garages around the world. What they attempt is to incorporate elements of the Irish tradition into their tunes. It's been done successfully before by the likes of Flogging Molly and the Dropkick Murphys as well as the kings of the subgenre, the Pogues. However, these bands all create a chemical reaction between their two influences, making a single inseparable sound. Amadan, on the other hand, seems to simply try to interject a tin whistle here and a folk passage there and not only is it not seamless, but it is also very flat. Where the other bands use traditional elements to really take off, Amadan instead is clean and measured and safe...and dull.

That aside though, Pacifica has some fine tunes and the performance is rough and gritty and in many ways all that it should be. Luckily, the Irish bits come and go quick enough that the rest of the album can still be enjoyed.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 4/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 6/10

Website

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Review: Trio of Doom

Label: Legacy Recordings

Released: September 30, 2008

The term "supergroup" may be popular music's greatest misnomer. Sure, supergroups are typically made up of musicians who have done some super things, but more often than not, the meeting of their superness is just not all that, well, super. So, as legendary as the meeting of Jaco Pastorius, John McLaughlin and Tony Williams may have become over the years, there's always room for skepticism.

Trio of Doom, as Pastorius called the two-time meeting of these three great musicians, is not the typical supergroup though. They formed to play a live set at the 1979 Havana Jam festival in Cuba, so it wasn't a commercial endeavor. However, they brought such great stuff to that stage that they reconvened in New York a week later and put the songs down in the studio. For whatever reason, those tapes (both from the live ad studio sets) sat around until Trio of Doom was released on CD last year. Now, they arrive in the format they were intended for in 1979.

The songs here may not be among any of the artists' top work (though likely not too far off either), but the performance is what makes this greater than the songs themselves. Pastorius brings the fierce intensity that made him such a dominant force on an instrument often kept in the background. McLaughlin's otherworldly playing is as good as perhaps it ever was. But, it is Williams' drumming that forms the common ground between these two planes and a lesser talent would let the whole set fall to pieces. The studio tracks are no more refined, expressing fusion in its truest sense with all the power and agility of a rock power trio.

So often, supergroups lose focus and power in the virtuosity of their component players, making music that limps and struggles and ultimately fizzles. Trio of Doom, on the other hand, burned brightly, intensely and quickly for a few weeks in 1979. Years later, we finally know what a supergroup really should be.

Last year, music fans received a gift that had been withheld from them for nearly 30 years with the release of Trio of Doom on CD. This year, Legacy Recordings makes that gift even sweeter with this beautiful 180 gram vinyl issue.

Ratings
Satriani: 10/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 9/10
Overall: 8/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Various Artists - A Blackheart Christmas

Label: Blackheart Records

Released: November 18, 2008

Every year at Christmastime we're treated (or subjected) to another collection of rock artists' takes on our favorite holiday songs. These albums tend to be a mixed bag made up of songs that will appeal to fans of the particular artists at least as novelties and others that are real bombs. The best case scenario might even include one or two renditions that are truly special.

A Blackheart Christmas does not have any real misses, but most of the tracks don't really transcend happy novelties for fans of the bands appearing. The Vacancies take on "Father Christmas," perhaps the best rock Christmas tune ever, is a fine listen, but doesn't go anywhere special. The drunken swagger of the Cute Lepers' "Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You" is a fun option for a non-traditional holiday. The rough edges on Thommy Price and Nefertiti Jones' "Winter Wonderland" give it punk appeal without losing its "happy holiday" sentiment.

Unlike most holiday comps though, A Blackheart Christmas has a pair of really special tracks that, in a (less-than-perfect) perfect world, might become Christmas classics. The Dollyrots give "Santa Baby" a snotty punk treatment, in lieu of its traditional sexy swing, as if it was meant to be about a down-and-out misfit rather than a well-to-do diva. Better still, Girl in a Coma turn "I'll Be Home for Christmas" into something dark and foreboding rather than hopeful. These are the Christmas carols for the "other half" in a sense.

Will this album replace Bing's "Little Drummer Boy" or Nat's "O Holy Night?" Probably not, but there's always room for a few more Christmas classics, especially when the might reach out to listeners whose world may not be so idyllic.

Rating: 7/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Brandi Carlile - Live From Boston (aka iTunes EP - Boston)

Label: Columbia

Released: 9/16/2008

A cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" is on Live From Boston, so I figured I'd skip right to that track and see whether Carlile and her band managed to do right by Johnny's spirit.

They did.

What more do you want me to write? If that doesn't make you go listen, nothing will.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Website

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If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Cheap Trick - Budokan 30th Anniversary Edition

Label: Epic/Legacy

Released: November 11, 2008

I always had a tough time understanding why Cheap Trick was so popular. Sure, "Surrender" is among rock's greatest songs and they had their share of other decent tunes, but why would they stand out like they did? The answer I was told is contained in their live show and this 30th Anniversary Edition of their Budokan set, re-packaging the original At Budokan shows into one DVD and three CDs, is the best thing short of being there.

The DVD features original concert footage from Cheap Trick's two nights at Budokan in 1978 that only aired once and only on Japanese television. If nothing else, the wild flamboyance of Rick Nielsen adds to the band's already electric live presence in a way that cannot be conveyed in the audio (at least not completely). The filming does have the quality of a TV special, but that shortcoming does little to compromise the entertainment value of a great live band in their element, especially at that very moment that will catapult them into the upper echelon of popular music.

Two of the three CDs recreate the the 1998 20th anniversary issue of At Budokan, remastered for 2008, but the real gem is disc 2, the April 28th show in its entirety. Most live albums really suffer from being culled from multiple shows, because they lose the real picture of the band live, the flow, the energy, the bumps and bruises even. This package however, gives the best of both worlds and the opportunity to really get a feel for why these shows shot the band into super-stardom.

For what it's worth, I saw Cheap Trick at the Virgin Festival in Baltimore in the summer of 2007, over 19 years after the legendary recordings contained in this set, and they were still amazing. The Budokan 30th Annivesary Edition is a great way to understand what the big deal was about Cheap Trick, but, as good as it is, it's still not a substitute for seeing the real thing and three decades later, while their peers are fat, old and boring, Cheap Trick can still deliver. See them if you ever get the chance.

Rating: 9/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

New Springsteen album due January 27th

Bruce Springsteen's new album "Working on a Dream" has been set for a January 27 release on Columbia Records. "Working on a Dream" was recorded with the E Street Band and features twelve new Springsteen compositions plus two bonus tracks. It is the fourth collaboration between Springsteen and Brendan O'Brien, who produced and mixed the album.

"Working on a Dream" Song Titles:

1. Outlaw Pete
2. My Lucky Day
3. Working on a Dream
4. Queen of the Supermarket
5. What Love Can Do
6. This Life
7. Good Eye
8. Tomorrow Never Knows
9. Life Itself
10. Kingdom of Days
11. Surprise, Surprise
12. The Last Carnival

Bonus tracks:
The Wrestler
A Night with the Jersey Devil

Bruce Springsteen said, "Towards the end of recording 'Magic,' excited by the return to pop production sounds, I continued writing. When my friend producer Brendan O'Brien heard the new songs, he said, 'Let's keep going.' Over the course of the next year, that's just what we did, recording with the E Street Band during the breaks on last year's tour. I hope 'Working on a Dream' has caught the energy of the band fresh off the road from some of the most exciting shows we've ever done. All the songs were written quickly, we usually used one of our first few takes, and we all had a blast making this one from beginning to end."

"Working on a Dream" is Bruce Springsteen's twenty-fourth album and was recorded and mixed at Southern Tracks in Atlanta, GA with additional recording in New York City, Los Angeles, and New Jersey.

www.brucespringsteen.net

Review: The Baseball Project - Vol. 1 Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails

Label: Yep Roc Records

Released: July 8, 2008

Baseball is a slow game with a level of intensity and athleticism that is generally below that of many other sports. Yet there's nothing quite like sitting in the bleachers on a warm summer evening. There's nothing like the 7th inning stretch, nothing like a double play. Even in the days when a roid-ridden bum wears a crown that many years ago belonged to the storied Babe Ruth, baseball still draws us in. The story of baseball, America's pastime, is as beautiful and checkered as the story of America itself with an up for every down and vice versa. Its stories aren't just statistics for the record books. They tell us something about ourselves.

The Baseball Project, made up of Steve Wynn (Dream Syndicate/Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3), Scott McCaughey (Young Fresh Fellows/Minus 5), Linda Pitmon (Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3) and Peter Buck (REM), is not simply a group of accomplished musicians who happen to like baseball, but rather a group as well-versed in baseball's deep human history as they are in America's musical tradition. This thoroughly American collection of songs about baseball, like the sport itself, is about so much more, because the band sees beyond the superficial.

They tackle the thankless good fight in "Gratitude (for Curt Flood)" (Flood sacrificed his career to fight against baseball's reserve clause) and life's tragic unfairness in "Harvey Haddix" (Haddix took a perfect game 12 innings and gave up a run in the 13th that kept him off a list of pitchers who only threw 9 perfect innings). "Fernando" shows the disparity between the displacement of Mexican-Americans at Chavez Ravine to build Dodgers Stadium and the LA fans' later embracing of Fernando Valenzuela. "Satchel Paige Said" is a tale of achievement in the face of adversity and "The Closer" is an analogy for moments of stress.

For music fans, the songs here are simply great and memorable. For baseball fans, the stories are a reminder of what still makes baseball important. For everyone, there is real humanity to which we can all relate. From start to finish, Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails uses baseball and song to tell us about life and few records ring as pure and true.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 10/10
Aretha: 10/10
Overall: 10/10

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Review: David Gilmour - Live in Gdansk

Label: Sony

Released: September 16, 2008

I had a few preconceptions coming into this one: David Gilmour is easily in my top 20 guitarists of all time. He clearly did great work in Pink Floyd and his diminished role on the Waters-dominated albums of the late 70s and early 80s show just how vital he (and Rick Wright) were to the band's sound and emotional quality. That being said, Gilmour's post-Waters work is a mixed bag. His eponymous solo album has some good moments and Division Bell is Floyd's best work since at least Animals (Shut up Wall fans, you've been deceived). The Bob Ezrin-dominated Momentary Lapse of Reason is, a few tracks aside, pretty near unlistenable, About Face is terrible and 2006's On an Island is only slightly better. Gilmour has his moments, they're just not all good.

To top that off, I saw Gilmour's Floyd on their 1994 tour. It was pretty easy to be taken in by the light show. Playing "Astronomy Domine" didn't hurt either. But it didn't take long for the smoke to clear and I saw it for what it was: old men going through the motions. They might as well have just played the records. Looking back, it might be the worst concert I ever saw.

So, I brought my baggage along, good and bad, for the Live in Gdansk ride. And here we go, David Gilmour, a favorite guitarist who hasn't done much that is notable in 30 years, is performing in the Gdansk Shipyards, famed birthplace of the Polish Solidarity movement that ultimately changed the face of Europe. Oh yeah, the Baltic Philharmonic showed up too. This has the making or either greatness or disaster!

Unlike my previous live experience with Gilmour, Live in Gdansk is not a sterile, note-for-note regurgitation of the material (mostly Floyd tunes, by the way). Gilmour's sound is so clean and yet here, he manages to make it warm and rich and natural. It doesn't always work perfectly. He changes the pace of "Astonomy Domine" and the result seems rushed, stealing some of its psychedelic thunder. However, that is the exception. For the most part, Gilmour breathes unique life into these old songs. None replace the originals, but many stand in their own light. Perhaps no challenge was more formidable than "Echoes" and it's there that he really shines. After being taken aback initially, this version's very different energy had a manic sense all its own, making it quite clear that Glimour, despite many recent stumbles, has a lot left to give.

This is not Gilmour's and certainly not the Gdansk shipyard's top moment, but both have a rich history that would be hard to eclipse. Gilmour's set is, however, worthy of this place and time, providing some fine new takes on old classics.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: The Clash - Live at Shea Stadium

Label: Epic

Released:October 7, 2008

What should we expect from a live recording of a band within a year of its own demise, a band who had recently dismissed its heroin addicted drummer and was already splitting apart at the seams in the wake of its own internal turmoil? Will it show the band burning out or fading away? With Live at Shea, we get neither. Instead it finds the Clash in their prime, a prime that lasted their entire career from its earliest rumblings out of the ashes of the 101ers to the near bitter end preserved here.

Many of the songs find new interpretations in the live setting, particularly those drawn from London Calling and later. “Guns of Brixton” is faster, finding a new groove, while “London Calling” is rawer and even more urgent. Perhaps none of the songs finds itself better live than “Rock the Casbah” where the band disposes of the song's novelty elements and instead rip it up with the ferocity it deserves. The transition from funk to reggae and back as they move from “Magnificent Seven” to “Armigideon Time” and then return is one of the most powerful messages of the unity of struggle throughout the world perhaps ever recorded. The fact that earlier material like “Tommy Gun” and “Career Opportunities” fall into place more easily doesn't diminish their impact though. The Clash find the heart of all their songs and bring their own class war to a crowd that was probably not even on the same side. Still, they resonated, because a band like the Clash is almost impossible to dismiss.

It seems hard to believe that a performance like this came so near the end of the road. It may seem like an early curtain call for one of rock's greatest bands, but Strummer and Simonen would prove it to be perfect timing when they formed their own farcical version of the Clash for 1985's Cut the Crap. But here, three years earlier, it was a different story. The Clash not only show that they were the only band that mattered, but more importantly that they mattered right up to the end.

Ratings:
Satriani - 7/10
Zappa - 8/10
Dylan - 10/10
Aretha - 10/10
Overall - 10/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Matthew Sweet - Sunshine Lies

Label: Shout! Factory

Released: August 26, 2008

Matthew Sweet had a good run in the early to mid 90s, releasing three very good albums in a row. Since that time, he's been erratic at best, including the appropriate but lackluster covers collaboration with Susanna Hoffs. Granted, Sweet's music has been lite, but his best efforts manage to meld sweet pop with a confidence in his own pleasantly bizarre perspective.

Sunshine Lies starts off with a series of 60s-drenched psych pop tunes that are among his best. The jangle is there, the hooks are abundant and the music, even when melancholy, feels awfully good. Heading into the second half though, Sweet stumbles into the Carpenters-esque saccharine pop of "Pleasure is Mine." But two songs later, Sweet is on track again with fuzzy garage rocker "Sunrise Eyes" and he puts together a strong finish with catchy songs that have Sweet's peculiar identity.

Sweet may never make another album on par with Girlfriend or 100% Fun, but that doesn't he won't make albums worth hearing. Sunshine Lies isn't without its sketchy spots to be sure, but in its best moments he at least knocks on the door of his past success.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 6/10

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Review: The Treat - Phonography

Label: Rockular Recordings

Released: 2007

On Phonography, the Treat not only incorporate a lot of British rock styles from the late 60s and early 70s, but they manage to do it seamlessly and make it fresh. They draw on everything from the raw bluesiness of Led Zeppelin to the grandiose prog of Genesis. Starting off an album with as much bombast as "Fanfare for a King," sets high expectations. In this game, there isn't much room between perfection and silliness and there's no doubt that the Treat are over the top, but what they pull off over the course of the album is rivaled today perhaps only by Bigelf.

The 70s are a curious time in rock history. In the wake of the Beatles-inspired experimentation of the late 60s, a lot of the music began trading its youthful energy for big, fat bombast. So often bands that rehash the 70s fail to correct that problem (and exacerbate it instead), but The Treat tap into only the very best and re-energize it. I can imagine a song like "Too Late," their homage to the Who and Faces, fizzling in the hands of the average purveyor of nostalgia despite being a fantastic song. But The Treat do more than just remake the sounds of the past, they relive them. And they live such a broad range too. They follow up "Too Late" by taking on King Crimson and Genesis. Earlier they live up to Sabbath and Cream and later to Traffic. "Black Cat Whites" jumps back and forth between Syd Barrett and Sweet without missing a beat. It just shows how good a handle they have on the music they love.

Their influences are a who's who of great British rock. Though they do occasionally slip into AOR flatness (for a few moments here and there, not for a few songs), but it's their energy and love that makes the album so exciting. Phonography does pretend that nothing has happened since 1975, but that's not the end of the story. Whether you like Zeppelin or Genesis, Cream or Procol Harem, Jethro Tull or Traffic, Syd Barrett or Sweet, the Who or Queen (I could really just keep going), the Treat has a reinterpretation that is more appreciation than copy.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

Website

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Omni - Ghosts

Label: Faux Pas Records (buy it at the band's site)

Released: May 2008

If you have any doubt that Radiohead has been tremendously influential on today's rock scene, take a look at all the bands that have inherited Thom, Johnny and company's particular take on Brian Eno. It's everywhere from indie rock to post-metal and Omni is no exception.

While the Radiohead influence is easy to put your finger on, to Omni's credit, their overall sound is not. They take ambient rock in many directions. Rhythmic change-ups give them a mathiness that runs throughout. They also mix in alt rock and emo tendencies and the experimental boldness of prog rock. Dabblings in funk and electronica also work within the context of Ghosts. Occasionally devolving into lite jazz doesn't undermine the record, but it does point out its biggest weakness: there too much head and too little heart here. Omni really only seems to hit their emotional stride once and that's on the minute and a half long "A Ghost." Otherwise, if they're feeling what they're doing, it just never quite comes across.

Omni certainly has creativity on their side. They've taken an increasingly overused influence and managed to do some very interesting things musically. Now the only trick is fill out that creative spirit with a sense of wildness to match, something that makes their music fly in fact rather than just theory.

Ratings
Satriani: 9/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 5/10
Overall: 6/10

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Review: Play - s/t

Label: self-released

Released: November 18, 2008

Anyone who thinks the head is more important than the heart in rock n roll pretty much misses the point. It's the reason that the MC5 were better than Emerson, Lake and Palmer, the Ramones were better than Steely Dan and the Replacements were better than Def Leppard. Sure, there are bands that give us the best of both worlds, but forced to choose, heart always counts more than head, because we feel the music, we don't reason through it.

On their self-titled debut, Play clearly understands this. This isn't the next big thing, but the thing that's always been. Twenty-five years ago, the American rock underground overflowed with this kind of band: the Replacements, the Del Fuegos, the Smithereens, the Long Ryders and others made a buyers' market for raw melodies and simple hooks. Today, most raw rock n roll falls into one of several niches, but bands putting soul into basic bar band rock are few and far between. Play goes some way toward filling that void. They aren't refined, they aren't brilliant and they aren't (thank God) perfect, but their pulse is that back beat you can't lose.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 7/10

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Video - Bigelf - Money, It's Pure Evil

Crazy video, crazy song, crazy band. Bigelf's latest is one of the best albums to come out this year.

Review: Ride the Boogie - s/t

Label: Longhair Illuminati

Released: June 17, 2008

Ride the Boogie's self-titled debut is a dark, trippy album. It dabbles in stoner elements, but often avoids that genre's heaviness, giving the music a core, but also the freedom to move around that core and not get stuck in the usual ruts.

From the Baroque pop psych of the opening track, it's clear that Ride the Boogie have a few unexpected tricks up their sleeve. Whether it's the butchered and re-assembled pop of "All Night" or the psychobilly leanings of "Mexico," Ride the Boogie don't settle on a single approach to conveying the central feel of the album. Even on the more stoner-oriented tracks, like their loose, dark bluesiness on "Big Ass Bass" or their nod to Fu Manchu's appreciation for Nugent over Sabbath on "Flat Out First Gear," they manage to be dynamic. The album finds a fitting ending with the dark cabaret of "Catch Phrase" followed by the ambling collision of indie rock and Americana on "Skipped Through a Towne."

The album is enriched by a live sound that furthers its living, breathing experience. That life is really what gets to the point of the album's strength. Ride the Boogie approached the music without any fear of missing expectations. It's alive with the life that the band gave it freely, under no duress to impress. It isn't always on, but even when it misses, it still feels good.

Ratings
Satriani: 5/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 6/10

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Review: Bigelf - Cheat the Gallows

Label: Custard Records

Released: August 12, 2008

Make a list of all the grandiose artists and albums in rock n roll history and you probably have a map of the influences on Cheat the Gallows. Bigelf manages to seamlessly move from one of rock's big ideas to the next, making an impressive sound for themselves in the process. It's scary territory and in a sense, it's the train wreck that didn't actually wreck.

Take a song like "The Evils of Rock n Roll." Over the course of six and half minutes, it goes from Sabbath to Budgie to the MC5 to Deep Purple to Sweet, not in a haphazard manner, but so smoothly that you'll miss it if you aren't paying attention. The whole album works this way. "Counting Sheep," the album's finalé, is Dark Side-era Pink Floyd and then before you know what happens, it's dabbling in the dark, heavy riffs of Black Sabbath only to finish up like an old vaudeville show. They borrow from several Pink Floyd eras actually, hitting up Syd Barrett on "No Parachute" and then borrowing the grand theatrics of the trial from The Wall on "Blackball." At other times, they help themselves to Aerosmith's early swing, Bowie's outrageous flamboyance and Queen's bombastic showmanship. In short, they aren't shy. In fact, other than a few of the bands they incorporate into their sound, almost no one has been able to go this far over the top and survive. Instead, they thrive on a sense of theatrics and an underlying soul that keeps Cheat the Gallows, with its ironic skepticism about fame and fortune, from being a regurgitation.

Nothing is entirely original. Nothing appears out of thin air. Everything has influences, but there is a popular misconception that if those influences are discernible, the band is not as original as if they're hidden deep under the covers. Bigelf proves that a band can wear its influences on its sleeve and be on its own trip nonetheless. Cheat the Gallows has liberal helpings of everything big and bombastic about rock n roll in its pot, but the stew it cooks up is fresh and new and downright exhilarating.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Website

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For another take on the album, check out the Heavy Metal Time Machine

Review: John Mellencamp - Life Death Love and Freedom

Label: Hear Music

Released: July 15, 2008

By many, John Mellencamp has long been thought of as kind of a heartland Springsteen and Life Death Love and Freedom won't do much to dispel that notion. However, Mellencamp exercises a grittiness that has long been absent from Springsteen's work. Where the Boss has more than once attempted to recreated the raw honesty of Nebraska and failed, Mellencamp actually succeeds, in his poor man's Springsteen way at least.

Life Death Love and Freedom has the human connections that Mellencamp's best work has thrived on. This time, however, it seems more personal. At 56, he seems too young to be contemplating his own death, but much of the album seems that way. Recurring themes of religion, the afterlife and the passage of time permeate this rootsy, bluesy album. Only "My Sweet Love" is upbeat. The rest of the album ranges from dark rock dirges to melancholy folk.

While Mellencamp isn't as good at introspection as he is at observation, Life Death Love and Freedom is still among his better albums. He doesn't shake his principal influence, but embraces it, so this record doesn't make a case for greatness. But it is honest and easy to connect with.

Here's the video for "My Sweet Love":


My Sweet Love (official) from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 5/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 6/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Billy Idol - Idolize Yourself: The Very Best of Billy Idol

Label: Capitol Records

Released: June 24, 2008

Billy Idol's early career in Generation X is of questionable importance, even in the UK where they had a handful of charting singles. If you like early British punk, Generation X put out a couple records worth hearing, but neither is a definitive album in any way. It was as a solo artist however, that Idol found his niche by melding his punk roots with two burgeoning sounds of the early 80s: guitar-driven hard rock and danceable synth pop.

The best material on Idolize Yourself is really in the first seven tracks, culled from his self-titled album and Rebel Yell. Whiplash Smile gives old rock n roll an 80s production treatment which in retrospect does it no favors. It's listenable, but also forgettable. Things things go downhill from there until Idol sinks to his lowest with his butchering of "LA Woman" and the title track to the Speed soundtrack. However, "World Comin' Down," from 2005's quickly forgotten Devil's Playground and two new tracks are pleasant surprises (at least relatively speaking) to close the album.

One thing that often gets lost in the overly commercial legacy of Billy Idol is that he had a pretty good guitarist with him through it all. Someone once said to me that Steve Stevens was doing for electronic effects what Hendrix did for distortion. That's an overstatement, but not an overly dramatic one. Stevens was more than just another flashy guitarist from a period that churned them out as fast as their ridiculous runs up and down the fretboard. He did a lot with effects to give himself a distinctive sound and his playing is perhaps the music's most valuable element.

To really put Idol's career into perspective, Idolize Yourself comes with a DVD collection of his music videos. From the low-budget charm of "Dancing with Myself" to the high-end production of "Cradle of Love" an "LA Woman," the DVD shows both why Idol was such a big hit in the early days of music videos as well as the quick progression of those videos from inexpensive promotional material to big-budget mini-movies. He simply wasn't timid about making silly videos with not just a straight face, but a believable commitment that prouder artists would have balked at. "White Wedding" for instance is pleasantly goofy now, but 25 years ago (when I was 12 mind you), it was cool and it remains a classic of the golden age of music video. Billy Idol was one of the first rock artists to fully embrace the video age and he's continued to reap the benefits of that early foresight. In fact, Idol's image was so ubiquitous at the time, that we all forgot he stole that sneering lip from Elvis. Without the DVD, this hits retrospective would only give a small, very limited picture of Billy Idol. With it, however, the package is really all the Billy Idol you need (and then some).

Whether Billy Idol was a commercial visionary or just a major label tool, he remains an icon of 80s rock. Not one of his albums is essential, but his continued presence in my generation's collective conscience makes a collection like this convenient and worthwhile, particularly with the DVD.

Ratings
Satriani: 7/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 4/10
Overall: 6/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: David Bowie - Live Santa Monica '72

Label: Virgin

Released: July 22, 2008

This set has long been known to Bowie fans, because of its quality and accessibility (it was broadcast on LA's now-defunct KMET after all). But there's more to it than just that. The show finds Bowie on his first US tour, completely immersed in his new Ziggy Stardust persona and at the first of his several artistic peaks. As far as his live performances go, his later, more refined periods probably couldn't match this for theatrics and raw power.

The great thing about Live Santa Monica '72 is that it captures Bowie's flamboyance, but also reveals the substance beneath. Without the benefit of a visual, the album still shows just how over-the-top the Spiders from Mars were. In the middle of the set, three acoustic tracks scale things back and make the set more intimate without losing its drama. Bowie's fearless improvisation of the things he couldn't bring from the studio to the live setting show tremendous trust for his music.

Something else of interest on Live Santa Monica '72 is that it makes two things even more clear than they are on his studio albums. First, he was heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground. His cover of "Waiting for the Man" is far from the only evidence of the connection as Bowie dips into Lou Reed's arty minimalism over the full course of the concert. Second, Bowie was a huge influence on punk. The raw energy and disregard for perfection on this album had to be an injection into the already bloated world of rock music. Even the extended jam of "The Width of a Circle" maintains an intensity that doesn't let up over its 10 minutes.

This had to be a pretty incredible time to see David Bowie and even though I'm sure the recording pales in comparison to being there, it manages to convey an amazing breadth of what he was doing. It's raw, yet theatrical. It's flamboyant, but never grandiose.

Check out that ticket on the album cover. Wouldn't you love to see Bowie for $5.50 today?!?!?

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 8/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 8/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Joe Jackson - Live 1980/86

Label: A&M

Released: 1988

In the liner notes of this album, Joe Jackson writes perhaps the best case for this album's greatness:

"I've always had two stubborn rules about playing live. Firstly, no matter how small the audience, how bad the acoustics, how smelly the dressing room, etc, every show is important. It's possible to play to about a dozen people throwing garbage and still be called back for an encore. Secondly, play what you want to play....My theory was that if I could still get excited about what I was doing, the audience could get excited about it too, even if it wasn't quite what they'd expected. After all, they could always go home and play the records."

Those words, it seems to me, should be the mission statement of all live performances and any live album worth the vinyl it's pressed on should convey that.

On Live 1980/86, Joe Jackson lives up to those goals entirely. Ranging from edgy new wave to reggae-infused rock to jazz and all things in between, Jackson is never short of the best a performer can offer. Whether he's angry, upbeat, sarcastic or melancholy, he shares that entirely with the audience. These shows are important and as a result, so is the album.

Jackson's performances span styles and bands (all of them top-notch, by the way), but nothing shows his desire to change things up and play what he wants to play, how he wants to play it, better than the three (count them, three) versions of "Is She Really Going Out With Him." The most mundane version here clocks in at over six minutes (almost twice as long as the studio version). The a capella version gives me chills. This is his best-known tune, the one everyone wants to hear whether they're a diehard fan or not, but he does it his way and succeeds in a way you have to hear to believe.

Often, live shows don't live up to their potential. Bands play the same set over and over. They fail to mix anything up to make the performance unique. Joe Jackson doesn't have these problems and the fact that it's clear on an album makes that album one of the greatest live recordings of all time and absolutely essential listening for everyone.

Ratings
Satriani: 10/10
Zappa: 10/10
Dylan: 10/10
Aretha: 10/10
Overall: 10/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Review: Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs

Label: Atlantic

Released: May 13, 2008

You and I are about to engage in the most intimate act that a critic and a reader can share: the record review. But before the door closes behind us and I lift my shirt to reveal four stars tattooed on my chest, you need to know a secret that will color every word of this review.

You need to know that I love Death Cab for Cutie.

If I had to pick the best band of the past decade, Death Cab would probably be my choice. The 2003 album Transatlanticism is a masterpiece that can connect with a troubled 14-year-old boy as effortlessly as it can reach out to a 40-year-old housewife. 2005's Plans doesn't take as many risks musically, but it's a simple and charming gem.

DCfC albums take a while to sneak up on me, though, and Narrow Stairs is no exception. Death Cab tends to hide little presents in the dark spaces of their music, which makes it difficult to critique their albums after a few quick listens. Sure, I've made some initial observations, like the fact that the band is taking more musical chances and Chris Walla's production is a bit more urgent than usual. This album is obsessed with the failures of uninspired relationships, and though that's not new territory for Death Cab, lyricist Ben Gibbard delves deeper into the subject than he has before.

Death Cab's greatest strength lies in Gibbard's lyrics. The man can take simple words and use them to paint portraits. He's subtle about it, though. Most lyricists beat you over the head with how smart they are, but Gibbard... he just paints the scene and trusts that you'll see it. It takes a brave artist to do that.

Like I said, DCfC albums take a while to sneak up on me. I haven't had this CD long enough to see all of Gibbard's pictures, but I have a pretty good idea they're there. For now, I'll reservedly give it eight out of ten; it's very good, but it doesn't have the broad appeal of their last two records. But ask me again in a few months, and I may tell you it deserves a perfect 10/10. It all depends how many more gifts are hidden in the dark spaces of Narrow Stairs.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 8/10
Aretha: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

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DVD: The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder: John, Paul, Tom & Ringo

Label: Shout! Factory

Released: April 1, 2008

I've had a bit of a stormy relationship with John Lennon, not that it would matter to John. His greatest public achievement was the band that made rock n roll matter and mine is...well...this website. Besides, John was dead by the time my relationship with him began. I was nine (almost 10) when John was shot. I remember it in the news, but mine was not a musical household and I really wasn't interested in much other than Kiss. However, throughout my teenage years, the Beatles (and John in particular) became increasingly important, transcending my journey from pop to metal to punk. I've never been one for idol worship...except John. He is the only celebrity I've ever wished I could meet. Through those years, I made excuses for John's treatment of Cynthia and Julian. I made excuses for his excesses, for his "Lost Weekend" and for his grandstanding as an "activist" (what did the Bed In do for peace anyway?).

Later, I became increasingly disenchanted with John Lennon. I put more weight on the rotten man that I suspected he really was and less on the public persona under whose spell I'd fallen. The Beatles remain to this day my favorite band and Lennon is the biggest difference between their work and the sappy nonsense that has made up so much of McCartney's career. Still, I believe I'd rather live without all of that if it had meant that one particular kid had had an actual father rather than a sperm donor who claimed his son had come from a whiskey bottle.

All that being said, the truth probably falls somewhere in between the two very different John Lennon's I had built in my head and Tom Snyder's interview with Lennon shows that. John is hardly at his wittiest, but he seems to be as frank and honest as he was capable of being. It's no wonder the interview was replayed, by overwhelming request, just after his death. Unlike other interviews where John is more clever or scathing or jovial, this is an intimate self-portrait at a time when he was regaining control over himself. The additional interviews with Lennon insiders about his passing also give a glimpse into what may have been the true John Lennon.

What wasn't clear to me when I was 9 was that John Lennon's death had a big impact on people. I knew this in reading about it later, but these interviews with John and with his friends just after his death bring a clarity that escapes historical knowledge. None of this completely changed my opinion of John Lennon. I still think I'm a lot closer than all the people who think "Imagine" is a great mantra for peace, but it does show that I am now, just as I was before, only judging part of the man. The strength of Snyder's interview is that it neither glorifies nor disparages John Lennon. It just shows him as he is.

The second disc contains interviews with Paul and Linda McCartney and Ringo Starr that are less exciting than being in a coma.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Asia - Phoenix

Label: EMI America

Released: April 15, 2008

I was never quite sure if Asia was actually all that good. They were one of the first bands that I got really into once I got over Kiss. On one hand, they seem an awful lot like an AOR band. On the other hand, it's three prog giants along with the a guy who brought us the quirky "Video Killed the Radio Star" (and played on Yes' Drama album). Their pedigree is good, but I still wonder if "Heat of the Moment" and "Only Time Will Tell" appeal to me because they're actually good or simply because they caught me at a young age when everything was new and exciting. Over the years, I've wavered on this subject. Asia, AOR or not, is a solid, albeit safe, rock album. Of course, Alpha just had a catchy pop song and a lot of filler. After that point, only Geoff Downes was a constant with Palmer, Wetton and Howe in and out of the band over the course of several forgotten albums. For whatever reason, I can neither dismiss Asia nor shake the nagging suspicion that they aren't all that good.

Phoenix is the first effort from the original lineup since 1983. With their first new material in 25 years, perhaps Asia could answer my question now that I could hear the music without all the nostalgia that surrounds the old songs. The album opens up promisingly enough. "Never Again" isn't quite on par with the material onAsia, but it's in the same vein. Unfortunately, that's the last decent track on the album. "Nothing's Forever" starts off with some of the same grandiose prog-pop, but quickly devolves into a synthy lite-soul ballad that reeks of everything bad about the 80s. After "Heroine," I'm pretty much done with Phoenix. It's supposed to be emotional and heartfelt, but the lyrics are laughable and the music flat. From that point on, it's just a chore to continue. There are a few so-so prog parts in "Sleeping Giant/No Way Back/Reprise," but they more than offset those few moments of listenability with the New Age-y "Wish I'd Known All Along," a Howe-penned song so bad that it probably makes his career a wash. The rest of the album just makes me wonder why at least someone among these four seasoned musicians didn't stop and ask, "Why are we doing this?"

So, was Asia a guilty pleasure? If they were ever as good as they seemed to me 26 years ago, I'd think they'd have something left even today. Because Phoenix has practically no redeeming quality, it seems Asia's debut is to be sadly relegated to something I like despite itself. Phoenix doesn't even fare that well, because there is simply no pleasure, guilty or otherwise. I guess everything that rises from the ashes isn't good.

Ratings
Satriani: 9/10
Zappa: 4/10
Dylan: 2/10
Aretha: 1/10
Overall: 2/10

If you're curious about my rating categories, read the description.

Vinyl: My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade

My Chemical Romance released The Black Parade as a regular double LP and because both the music and artwork are incredible, I had been looking for it. Chuck found it down at Sound Garden and called to see if I wanted him to pick it up or...there was this incredible box set of The Black Parade as well. I just couldn't justify the $50 though and told him to hold off. He didn't though. Instead, he picked it up for me as a thank you for some work I'd done on his site. The $50 price tag crossed a line for me, but, while my heart was in the right place, my head wasn't. Fortunately Chuck's was and now I have what is probably the nicest item in my record collection.

  

The box features two LPs, both on 180 gram audiophile vinyl and two 15 page booklets, all in a slipcase. So what you say? Well, first of all, the booklets fold out and when sat next to each other, form the Black Parade itself. The CD might have the same image, but this one is 12" by 48" and it is hauntingly beautiful...and huge.



Inside, the booklets don't feature a bunch of band photos and lyrics, but a two volume Making of the Black Parade. The first is the story of how the album was conceived and created from the concept to the music to the artwork. The second is track by track commentary from the band about what the album means to them. Both maintain the artistic excellence of the standard artwork, keeping the same antiqued pages and sepia images.






All of this fits into a slipcase that is equally beautiful. The box isn't just a haphazard bunch of extras thrown together to make an expensive package, but a piece of art that provides both style and substance. Is it worth $50? Every penny. (Especially since it was Chuck's pennies.) Oh yeah, they only made 2500 of them.

Chinese Democracy?

Check this out. Dr Pepper will give everyone in America (except Slash and Buckethead) a can of their soda if Guns N Roses (aka the Axl Rose band) releases Chinese Democracy. It's a good move on Dr Pepper's part, because it gets them a lot of publicity and is unlikely to cost them a cent. I'd rather they keep their can of soda though, because the worst thing that can happen is for Chinese Democracy to see the light of day. Right now, the album has almost mythic proportions. Even if you expect it to be good, which I don't, the chances of it living up to the hype of an album whose recording began a decade ago (and whose roots reach back several years before that) are extremely slim. Everyone is waiting for this album, some for a classic and others for a train wreck. For the former, it's unlikely that this Axl-only project will compare favorably to those albums on which he collaborated with Slash, Duff and Izzy. For the latter, the album itself isn't likely to produce greater evidence that Axl Rose no longer matters musically than his inability to get the thing out. So the first camp will be happiest as long as they have hope for a good record and the latter will be happiest as long as they can laugh at Axl's inability to release the stupid record. Frankly, if he's not embarrassed that he's taken this long, why would a challenge from a soft drink company shame him into anything?

Video: The Raconteurs - Salute Your Solution

Just released, the video was directed by Autumn de Wilde and is comprised of
over 2500 different photographs.

Review: Alive in Wild Paint - Ceilings

Label: Equal Vision Records

Released: March 18, 2008

"The sky was cold-fire sunrise, the clouds alive in wild paint, but all of it blurred in the dynamite crescendo."

These words from Richard Bach's Illusions not only give Alive in Wild Paint their name, but also their essence. Not only do they evoke soundscapes every bit as vivid as these words, but they also have the same seemingly divergent natures of peace and chaos. Ceilings is an album that relies more on piano and layers of ambient noise than it does on the brash guitar, bass and drums of a typical rock band. The first reaction is that they've tapped into Ok Computer-era Radiohead, but the deeper influence is perhaps the Church who created a similar ebb and flow of soothing yet moving noise surrounding an almost folky organic center. This organic, human element is what separates them from similar bands. It isn't until "Sleep With Your Soul In," the album's seventh track, that there seems to be any harshness in Celings, yet its gentleness is a strange one, more unsettling than peaceful. Alive in Wild Paint doesn't break a tremendous amount of new ground so much as they bring a new approach, one that takes something that tends to be overly clever and under emotional and rehumanizes it. Like the Bach quote, they describe things in a strange way that touches something beneath the intellect.

Ratings
Satriani: 8/10
Zappa: 7/10
Dylan: 7/10
Aretha: 7/10
Overall: 7/10

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DVD: Kurt Cobain - About a Son

Label: Shout Factory

Released: February 19, 2008

It's hard to ask someone to talk about themselves over an extended set of interviews and not seem self-absorbed. For Cobain, it would probably be impossible to ask that over a twenty minute sit-down let alone something this extensive. Cobain comes across as a whiner, whether he's crying about his childhood, his health issues or his fame. It makes it clear why he struggled so much with fame. It was so counter to all that he wanted to believe in. And it was counter to who we wanted him to be. He says that punk rock fed his low self-esteem, because punk didn't expect him to be a rock star. Things sure did change.

The interviews aren't what makes this film special though. About a Son recognizes that the story is about more than Kurt Cobain. Other than a few old stills scattered throughout, there isn't a picture or a video of Kurt or Nirvana. Instead, it focuses on places and the everyday people in those places. We've all seen live footage of Nirvana at all phases of their career, but here we get to see what Aberdeen and Olympia and Seattle were really like. There are no Nirvana songs here either. Instead, it's filled with the music that was part of the environment that made Kurt and everyone in that scene who they were as people and artists. That music is filled in with scoring by Ben Gibbard (a master of both mood and simple honesty) and Steve Fisk.

About a Son takes a common though extensive set of interviews and turns them into a work of art all their own. This tells more than Kurt's story. It tells the story of the towns, the scenes and all of us in the process. I've often wondered, "Why Nirvana? Why were they the voice of the musical revolution? Of a generation?" I don't know if there will ever be a good answer to that, but this film at least gives some insight by reflecting not Cobain's image back, but that of the people and the times.

Rating: 10/10

Review: Vendetta Valentine - There's Nothing Safe

Label: self-released

Released: March 4, 2008

The opening track of There's Nothing Safe sounds like a cross between 80s synth pop and the Runaways. Over the course of the album, they throw in alt rock, new wave and post-punk. It may sound like a pretty bland stew that they've cooked up here, but they've largely taken the strengths of these genres and turned them into a sound that, while not entirely unique, does give them a voice. In a sense, they've found the danceability in everything they bring into the mix and that's what gives it cohesion. There's also a definite coldness in the music that is at odds with its more human elements. Their ability to sit on both sides of that emotional fence keeps the sound big, especially for a three piece. With a good sense of catchiness, some punk rock urgency and a touch of soul for good measure, Vendetta Valentine has a pretty good album on their hands.

Ratings
Satriani: 6/10
Zappa: 6/10
Dylan: 6/10
Aretha: 6/10
Overall: 6/10

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DVD: Nirvana - Unplugged in New York

Label: Geffen Records

Released: November 20, 2007

I have long felt that Nirvana is grossly overrated. Bleach was a good grunge album and Nevermind managed to both transcend the genre and be in the right place at the right time, exploding into the faltering world of commercial rock. Even so, it's more commercially important than musically. In Utero, however, is one of the two "Emperor's New Clothes" of 90s rock (the other being U2's Zooropa). After all, who wants to admit that they don't get it? Well, I get it...all too well. It's the bloated ramblings of someone selling their punk rock soul for self-importance. Sure, I'll give Cobain credit for not just spitting out another Nevermind, but it would have been nice if he hadn't believed the hype about his genius, because if In Utero proves anything, it's that Cobain is no genius. His death cemented the album's inflated legacy and protected it from ever being reconsidered outside of the euphoria of having mainstream rock finally say something other than "let's party." To me though, Nirvana was a dead end street at this point, a one trick pony who couldn't learn something new, but was too . Nothing anyone has written or said has ever made me reconsider this. Giving In Utero countless second chances hasn't either. But one thing has: Nirvana's Unplugged in New York.

For such a good idea, MTV's Unplugged had been a spotty affair. There were some great ones to be sure, but most were mediocre reworkings of hts and covers. So, when the broadcast of Nirvana's Unplugged session was on the horizon, recorded just a short time after the release of the, to me, very disappointing In Utero, I wasn't exactly jumping up and down. All of that changed when I saw it. Kurt Cobain's struggles with fame were absent. He seemed comfortable in his now famous skin for the first (and perhaps only) time. The band's ability to translate their loud, abrasive music into this more refined environment and be more powerful speaks volumes about them. Even the three songs they perform from In Utero have that power. The guest appearance by the Meat Puppets doesn't stink of rock snobbery. Instead, it's a natural collaboration that likely would have failed (much like the Meat Puppets' next album) had it appeared on a regular studio album. They didn't play all the big hits. It was intimate. Quite simply, Unplugged in New York was the creative pinnacle of both MTV's and Nirvana's existences. It all went down hill from there.

The original MTV broadcast is on here, but the main feature is the full concert as those lucky enough to be there saw it. The MTV News: Bare Witness feature has some interesting moments, but is largely full of stupid memories colored by years of Cobain worship following his death. The rehearsals show a bit more of the band's personality, a nice bonus, but are certainly not essential. While the bonus material isn't great, it doesn't have to be, because the main feature is still amazing, even for those who, like me, aren't caught up in the cult of Nirvana.

Rating: 10/10

Review: Marah - Angels of Destruction!

Label: Yep Roc Records

Released: January 8, 2008

I usually listen to music on the cheap stereo in my little Toyota. But as I've listened to Angels of Destruction! over the past few months, I've encountered a problem that I've never, ever had before.

The sound is just too big.

In my book, big sound is a good thing. I complain because Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" wasn't really much of a wall at all, and I get annoyed at all the empty sonic space on albums like My Bloody Valentine's Loveless and Curve's Doppleganger.

But for some weird reason, Angels of Destruction! kind of freaks me out when I listen to it in the car. I can't explain it. On headphones, the first track, "Coughing Up Blood," sounds great, with the buried layers of rhythmic backing vocals and bells and a harmonica and a bunch of other stuff that I'm too deaf to identify. The song is exciting, and the production is as thick as my fat belly after ten years of being a desk jockey.

But put it in my car, and I get nervous. Tense and nervous, can't relax. It's tough for me to get past the first couple of tracks. Seriously. This review is a month overdue, that's how bad it's been. I've been too nervous to write it. Crazy, crazy Chuck.

The thing is, Angels of Destruction! is awesome. It's not quite as good as 20,000 Streets Under the Sky, but that's one of the best rock albums I've heard in the past few years, and I don't think Marah will ever release another album that connects with me like that one did.

It's still great, though. First of all, there are some incredible words on this album. I hear a line like "Your laughter is my Jesus, cut down from the cross, shaken but alive..." and I'm blown away. I've heard laughter like that, and it's a powerful thing. That's the kind of laughter than inspired me to stop drinking, and could probably inspire me to start again.

Then you have songs like "Blue but Cool," which is one of the best summaries of a stale relationship that I've ever heard. It's the kind of song that makes me want to copy all of the lyrics right here, right on this blog, because I want you to feel what I'm feeling as I listen to it. But you won't feel it, because you're not listening to it. But you should. You should go out right now and sign up for Rhapsody or buy the song on iTunes or listen to the stream on Marah's web site, because it's a good song with really powerful and descriptive words like

"Cowering afraid in the corners of togetherness
look at what we made out of all of our old loneliness
and now that we are one, darling, how come it is we feel more like two than ever before?"

Really, just go take a listen. Or don't, whatever, It's your loss. Obviously, you don't really care for music, do you?

(Is my guilt trip working? Are you listening? I'll give you a minute, and then we'll carry on.)

Okay, welcome back. I've been talking a lot about the lyrics. What about the music, though? Well, it rocks. There's no other way to describe it. It's not super-technical or super-showy or super-rootsy or super-hip, but it certainly is super-good. There's energy in the music. There's heart in the music. There's soul in the music, and not in a "What's the target demographic for the new Anthony Hamilton record?" kind of way. The things I love about rock music? They're pretty much all here.

So my point to all of this is that I think you should give this album a shot. You should listen if you like rock music, or well-written words, or songs that bring their characters to life. Don't worry too much about what Marah sound like, because all that matters is they sound good. They captured something special on Angels of Destruction!. Just listen.

Ratings:
Satriani - 6/10
Zappa - 6/10
Dylan - 10/10
Aretha - 9/10
Overall - 9/10

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Review: Steel Train - Trampoline

Label: Drive-Thru Records

Released: October 16, 2007

Trampoline is aptly titled, because the album has a lot of bounce and not the teeny-bopper kind of bounce either. This bounce is the combined force of Steel Train's energy and elasticity. The band's biggest influence is perhaps the Beatles (and who would complain?) and they draw on everything from early jangly pop ("Dakota") to psychedelic experimentation ("A Magazine") to the soulful leanings in the Fab Four's later recordings ("I've Let You Go"). They also hit up U2 and the Clash ("Firecracker" might be a little too close to "Hitsville UK") at times as well. Steel Train even draws just a bit out of arena rock and 90s alt rock to fill their sound out, but not so much as to become generic themselves. Despite clear influences, each song takes off and soars in its own way. Steel Train knows the formula for a very good pop song, but they also know how to tweak the formula just enough to make it their own.

Rating: 6/10

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Review: The Wildbirds - Golden Daze

Label: PRC

Released: August 14, 2007

The Wildbirds draw on a variety of late 60s and early 70s influences on Golden Daze. At times they turn it into their own sound, but at other times, they filter it through more recent regurgitations, most prominently the Strokes.

The first few tracks on Golden Daze get old quickly. The driving rhythms of 70s hard rock mix well with the ringing guitars, but the whole package, particularly the vocals, gets there via the Strokes rather than the Wildbirds' own path. However, "It's Alright Now" marks a change in the album. It's low fluid bass line, airy vocals and fuzzy riffs tap directly into the trippiness of 60s psyche. From that point forward, the band finds a sound that filters the retro sound through themselves rather than some band that taps into the same vein. That isn't to say that we hear no more of the Strokes on the album, because they're still prominent, but even their influence passes through the Wildbirds' own creative spin and a healthy dose of chaos to keep the album from feeling too settled.

The Wildbirds' trouble isn't their choice of influences. From the Velvet Underground to the MC5 even to 70s arena rock and even to the Strokes, they bring it all together in a cohesive package. The real difficulty is when they wear those influences on their sleeve. When they inject enough of themselves into the sound, the result is a top-notch modern take on a bit of the past.

Rating: 6/10

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DVD: Paul McCartney - The McCartney Years

Label: Rhino

Released: November 13, 2007

Like Paul McCartney's post-Beatles career, this collection is erratic. Some of it is amazing, some is trite, some is timeless and some is dated. The first disc is by far the least interesting. While some of the very early classics are on there, the videos generally show Paul's escape to a pastoral life that may have been very refreshing for him, but makes for dull music videos. The second disc picks up with the shallow visual interpretation of "Pipes of Peace," but also contains a lot of McCartney's best solo work, from the Flowers in the Dirt singles on. Plus, there's a really interesting tour of Abbey Road studios from Paul as a bonus.

The real gem is disc three, the live shows. It includes 1976's Rockshow, excerpts from his amazing Unplugged appearance, his Super Bowl show and "Let It Be" at Live Aid. While it would have been nice to see the whole Unplugged show, the commentary on that set as well as Live Aid went a long way to make up for it. The real gem on this disc though is his headlining gig at Glastonbury in 2004. Thirty-five years and so many sappy silly love songs later, he shows that he's still quite relevant, particularly with a version of "Helter Skelter" that he may just steal back from Charles Manson.

Because McCartney's solo career is imperfect, this DVD too is imperfect. However, the highs are high enough to carry it and the live performances show that McCartney isn't the lightweight that he's often accused of being. In addition to being very comprehensive, the restored original films look fantastic and the menu gives you the opportunity to view the videos chronologically or in McCartney's hand-picked order. Obviously, it's a must-have for McCartney fans, but the collection also has a lot of value for anyone who appreciates McCartney's career.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Magnet School - Tonight...We Drink

Label: Arclight Records

Released: November 13, 2007

Some bands cover songs, others rename songs, but Magnet School has made an album out of a song. At no point do they play or even directly lift anything from "Bullet the Blue Sky," but its presence is profound throughout. Magnet School captures the blues, rock, psychedelia and even the passion of U2's classic and stretch it to album length. That they do so successfully is a tribute to both the song that seems to play in their heart as well as Magnet School themselves. Sure, other influences can be heard, most prominently the Foo Fighters, but none supersedes the one song they must love the most.

One of the best things about Magnet School is how they act as a unit instead of individual players. While it means that no one stands out, it also means that no one stands in the way of the total picture. Throbbing rhythms, ringing guitar and airy vocals work together in a single vision that runs from pop to cacophony.

While the point about "Bullet the Blue Sky" may seem to indicate that Magnet School are either creatively limited or senselessly experimental, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Tonight...We Drink, for all its boldness, is still an amazingly easy listen.

Rating: 8/10

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Review: Van Morrison - Still on Top - The Greatest Hits

Label: Exile Productions Ltd.

Released: November 6, 2007

In over 40 years of performing, Van Morrison has released records on a variety of labels. Until now, there has apparently not been a best of culled from his entire catalog. Still on Top is a single volume anthology of Van the Man's hits ranging from his time in the mid-60s with Them up to 2005's Magic Time. As such, it is a bit inconsistent as were the times.

The album is organized chronologically and while that isn't terribly creative, it avoids the trap of using some indecipherable organization into which so many anthologies fall. Without a doubt, the best material on the album comes early. There are no surprises in the track selection other than the absence of a few favorites like "Into the Mystic." The first batch of songs ends in 1973 and the next picks up in 1978. A lot changed in those intervening years, for Morrison and music in general. He still sounds great, but the songs, both the writing and arranging, date themselves, making that period, which runs up into the late 80s, his weakest. Morrison did return to form in the 90s and 00s and happily some of that is reflected on this collection, providing a strong finish.

Because it's only a single disc, there are plenty of great songs left out and because it tries to be career-spanning, there are some weaker ones included. However, this isn't some hack stumbling his way through the material, the is Van Morrison. So while there is a lull in the middle, it's largely only because he's reached deep into his soul for so many of the songs on either side.

Rating: 7/10

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Review: Led Zeppelin - Mothership

Label:

Released: November 13, 2007

Is there really such a thing as a comprehensive Led Zeppelin box? Yeah, it's nine discs and includes I, II, III, IV, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti, Presence and In Through the Out Door in their entirety (I think we can let Coda and The Song Remains the Same slide). Of course that's the whole studio catalog, but it's pretty much all essential. I suppose, if forced at gunpoint, I could narrow it down to seven discs (the first five albums, the one great album's worth on Physical Graffiti and the best tracks from the final two releases), but to narrow it down to a double CD is ludicrous. Just looking at the track listing, I notice immediately that my two favorite Zeppelin tunes ("Tangerine" and "Out on the Tiles") are absent. Of course, I can't exactly figure out what I'd remove to make space for them though, because everything here is essential, the collection is just woefully incomplete.

Having established that Mothership falls well short of what would make up an essential Zeppelin collection, I do want to note that two things were really done right. First, the remastering (under the watchful eye of the three living members) is very good. I've been listening to these on vinyl, so this may be a step down for me, but for those who've spent their days listening to Zeppelin on CD, Mothership should prove to be a richer experience. Second, the package is beautiful and over ten pages of liner notes from David Fricke certainly adds value.

In addition to the regular two CD set, there is a limited edition set that also includes a DVD with a collection of live videos. The footage is decent and the performances are strong, but it is marred by the insertion of stills and cheap effects that interrupt the raw power of Zeppelin's performances. Still, the limited edition is only $5 more, making it a no brainer if you plan to pick up a copy of Mothership.

Rating: How do I rate this? The music is clearly 10/10 and while the package is a nice one, it isn't essential since you already own all the albums. You do have them all, don't you?

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Review: Greenleaf - Agents of Ahriman

Label: Small Stone Records

Released: June 11. 2007

Despite all of its tackiness, the 70s seem to have provided quite a well to which bands seem to return again and again, some for a small drink before moving on and others for their very sustenance. Sweden's Greenleaf is among the latter group.

Stoner bands and their 70s hard rock influence may seem to be coming out of the woodwork these days, but while Greenleaf is among them, they stand just enough taller to be worth noting over many of the others. They do tap into the rich riff-laden grooves of early Wishbone Ash and fill out their sound with some heavy organ in the Deep Purple mold. Often the basic but catchy riffs are reminiscent of Ace Frehley. They even have that Zeppelin-like ability to push rather than punch. All of this would only add up to so much though if they were just a mix of the best 70s hard rock had to offer, but Greenleaf offers more. They have filtered the 70s through their own eyes, giving it their younger, hungrier excitement. Unlike their influences, they haven't become big and bloated and they offer a glimpse into perhaps what some of the great rock acts of the 70s were like before they signed their big contracts.

Greenleaf do not go down the road of extensive digital effects that plagues so many bands today. Instead they rely on the rich, full sounds of the old analog equipment. Not only does this tie into their retro leanings, it also helps beef up their sound. Their vintage sound with a youthful energy moves smoothly from bold to subtle and their quieter sections never feel like they're taking a break so much as laying plans for the passages to come. A superficial listen might assume that Greenleaf is merely a revival, but they're actually very much a modern band with an appreciation not for the past as a whole, but for the best the past has to offer.

Rating: 8/10

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Live: Niki Barr Band, Action Action, The Cult

November 12, 2007, Rams Head Live!, Baltimore Maryland

Surprises at a show are a mixed bag. Most often they're of the unpleasant sort when the band you go to see doesn't live up to your (often over-hyped) expectation. Every now and then though, there's a good one. On Monday night at Rams Head Live, I got three of them.

The opening act was the local Niki Barr Band. Most small bands would play this opportunity safe. It seems so seldom that a local band throws caution to the wind and goes all out in the shadow of a headliner with the Cult's stature. Surprise #1: Niki and company played their all too short set as though they were the main attraction. Their performance had that intangible strength that comes from confidence. It wasn't the songs themselves so much as how they dug deep to play them. Their infectious energy didn't go unnoticed: The next day, they were invited to join the tour for two more dates in Buffalo and Indianapolis.



Next up was New York's Action Action and their angular neo-new wave. This is a fairly overloaded genre right now, but theirs is a better than average take on it. They didn't get bogged down in the synth parts (even though each band member contributed his share of electronic accents) and had a particular knack for smoothing out the right edges at the right time with nice melodic riffs. That being said, their performance was safe and planned even to the extent that they took a Jagermeister break served by a pair of over-sexy young women. I know that's the tour sponsor, but I didn't go to the show for a commercial break and any inroads Action Action had made with me were largely undone at that point. As the set moved into the its final song, I was left feeling pretty empty. Good music just doesn't amount to much live without at least a little heart. Surprise #2: Instead of limping across the finish line as I was expecting at this point, Action Action instead lived up tho their name and then some. The song rose in manic intensity as it went on and the previously lackluster band exploded through their last minutes in front of us. I'm not sure what held them back during the rest of the set, but that final barrage made up for everything else (even the Jager commercial).



The Cult are one of those bands that I've always wanted to see, but just never have. Based on the strength of their last two albums, I had high expectations that they would not have lost much over the almost 20 years since their popularity peaked. The Cult delivered. After some minor sound adjustments, the Cult hit stride a few songs in. Their set focused on both the new album as well as their 80s peak, ignoring their 90s releases entirely (except for "The Witch" from the 1992 Cool World soundtrack). I fully expected them to be able to pull off the old tunes every bit as well as the new and they certainly didn't disappoint. Ian Asbury's voice was as powerful as ever as was his Jim Morrison impression. What's amazing is that, as contrived as it seems when talking about it, the raw power and sexuality that Astbury exudes seems natural. Likewise, Billy Duffy's mastery of every conceivable guitarist pose would seem like idotic rock star ego from just about anyone else, but Duffy turns it into a natural extension of his performance. There were no surprises in the songs themselves. The Cult was every bit as dark and mystical as their music has been at its best. "Edie (Ciao Baby)" and "She Sells Sanctuary," for instance, were every bit the surreal experiences I'd hoped they'd be. Surprise #3: What I didn't expect was how down to earth they were at the same time. Astbury engaged in enough genuine banter with the crowd to translate into a more fundamental connection than just a band on stage would ever allow. Between the regular set and the encore, they showed their video for "Tiger in the Sun" that showed the upheaval in Burma as the people struggle to free themselves from a repressive regime. I'm not fan of planned encores, but this was an impressive use the otherwise tired convention. Unfortunately, the poignant moment was largely lost on the Baltimore crowd who engaged in the typical chanting as if the band's return to the stage wasn't a forgone conclusion. The encore, "Holy Mountain" and the title track from their latest as well as the still-etched-in-our-brains "Love Removal Machine," was looser and more relaxed, but unleashed every bit as much power, providing a fitting finish to a set that moved over the crowd in waves of sonic magic. Their ability to be both otherworldly and populist, to use rock cliches without being cliched themselves and to have all power of their younger years shows that the Cult may just be a perfect rock band.

It was a night of surprises: a bold opener, a strong finish to a lackluster set and a human connection with a band of almost transcendental power. But one thing was not a surprise: The Cult still have it.

Review: De Novo Dahl - Shout

Label: Roadrunner Records

Released: 2007

I'm gonna cut to the chase here. "Shout" is the biggest slice of musical joy I've heard since U2 released "Beautiful Day" seven years ago. The song bursts with unadulterated happiness. It's hooks and harmonies grab you right from the start. A tide of pop beauty rolls in on driving rhythms, infectious bass lines and waves of guitar, organ and voice and it flows out on low-key verses whose soulful vocals clear the way for the tide to return.

"Shout" acts as the mission statement for the EP (and perhaps the band as a whole), but the other two non-remixes don't give up any ground. They follow the same undeniable plan that makes the whole experience nothing short of exhilarating. Their mix of pop and soul in the vocals and keys with a rock edge, courtesy of a big guitar sound and an animated rhythm section, and the electronic details of the omnichord rocks as hard and passionately as the White Stripes, yet is as quirky and fun as Devo or They Might Be Giants. While the songs build from quiet to explosive, the actual energy never lets up, not even for a moment.

The second three tracks on the EP are remixes of the first three. While they do a few interesting things, the originals cannot be contained by their tricks and therefore the remixes never seem to capitalize on the strengths of the originals. The quality of the songs in their purest form makes the remixes expendable.

Let me leave you with one warning about this EP: If you play "Shout" really loud, be careful. You're liable to experience pure ecstatic joy.

Rating: 9/10

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Review: Motley Crue - Carnival of Sin (live)

Label: Eleven Seven Music

Released: October 23, 2007

With the possible exception of Dr Feelgood (and that's even pretty questionable), Motley Crue hasn't done anything meaningful since 1983's Shout at the Devil, so it is quite beyond me why anyone would waste their time and money to see them. That being said, Carnival of Sin turned out to be a bit of a surprise.

The two-disc set obviously concentrates of the band's 80s recordings and rightly so, because the newer songs aren't worth hearing. The first disc largely concentrates on the first two albums and is therefore, the stronger of the two. The second disc stumbles a bit with weaker songs, back-to-back ballads and their ridiculous cover of "Anarchy in the UK." While Motley Crue aren't a relevant rock band any longer, they still prove to be energetic, albeit stupid, showmen. They no longer convey the wild side that they once did, but they give a worthy performance of the old material and inject life into their newer tunes.

Just as the band surprised me with their performance, so too did Bob Rock with his production. Rather than the slick commercialism that is his hallmark, this album actually captures the rawness of a live performance without being so raw that it's unlistenable.

The album was certainly better that I expected and it gives some credence to the position that the band should tour (and maybe even that people, not me, should bother seeing them). However, the strength of the older versus the newer material makes it quite clear that they shouldn't bother with studio albums.

Rating: 6/10

DVD: U2 - Popmart: Live from Mexico City

Label: Island Records

Released: September 18, 2007

Popmart finds U2 at their most bloated. The set is absolutely huge and probably has enough lights to illuminate a mid-size town. The grand entrance with the band entering as a boxing entourage heading to the ring of a championship bout (with Bono as the fighter) all set to the tune of M's "Pop Muzik" is about as over-the-top as it could be. They had costume changes. At one point, they return to the stage in what appears to be a UFO. With all this superficiality, how could they possibly connect with the fans?

Certainly, they could reconcile this show with much of their 90s material with its Eurodance angle, but they can't avoid their older selves, the more organic U2 that saved the 80s from synthesizers and hairspray. They seemed to falter on these songs at first. "I Will Follow" gets lost in the lights. "Pride," a song that usually gives me cold chills, doesn't resonate in the way it typically does. However, by "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," they start to scale back some of the extremes of the show and let these songs stand on their own, the way in which they were intended. From that point on, they seem to reconcile the sheer size of the performance with the personal nature of their music. When the crowd sings along to "Sunday Bloody Sunday," it's downright moving. When Bono brings a girl from the audience on stage during "With Or Without You," he might as well have brought the whole audience up. It was that kind of universal moment. And hugging that girl was in sharp contrast to how he played to the cameras early on. Sure, I could have done without "Lemon," but in context, it worked. They sandwiched "Please" between "Bullet the Blue Sky" and "Where the Streets Have No Name" as seamlessly as if they all came from the same album. The one big disaster is the credits rolling over the last song, "Wake Up Dead Man," and excellent and unexpected choice by the band, ruined by the producers.

Popmart probably finds U2 at just about their worst. Amazingly enough, the show was still phenomenal. They found a way to marry huge, contrived sets and rock star bombast with music that makes real human connections. They reached out and touched tens of thousands in a way that bands struggle to in clubs that hold a few hundred. While this might not be their finest moment, it leaves little doubt that they are the greatest rock band since the Beatles.

Rating: 9/10

Live: De Novo Dahl, Bedouin Soundclash and Hot Hot Heat

October 15, 2007, Rams Head Live!, Baltimore, Maryland

I hadn't heard of De Novo Dahl prior to seeing them on the bill for this show. Other than a few tracks I sampled to get an idea of what to expect, this show was my first exposure. That being said, I don't think there was much that could have prepared me for their set. They sported bright, tacky, sequined outfits that matched their apparent love of cheap, tacky 70s pop. However, both of these seeming improprieties are part of a broader whole that is predominately made up of rock and soul. The core of the band's performance is singer/guitarist Joel J. Dahl, whose mixture of rock guitar flourishes and soulful vocals (including a nice falsetto) is the flag around which the band rallies. They would have done well to incorporate more background vocals from percussionist/omnichordist Serai Zaffiro whose breathy voice goes so well with Dahl's, but that's a minor complaint. Most interesting of all was how this quirky pop band was able to achieve two things that elude most of their peers. First, they rocked. Not just in the generic sense, but in the broken strings and drum sticks sense. They were powerful...and sweet. Second, they were down-to-earth. Bassist Keith Lowen's nervous speech about their upcoming video shoot put the band on a plane with the crowd. After the set, drummer Mixta Huxtable walked over and gave a broken stick to a kid up front. Even without these overt examples, De Novo Dahl connected with an audience that wasn't even there to see them. People danced. The crowd was excited. They won us over on their own terms, without even asking.

Bedouin Soundclash is the band I was there to see. After hearing Street Gospels, a huge step forward in songwriting and performance, I had very high expectations for the live set. I was certainly hoping that the set list would concentrate on their recent release, but only three songs came from that album. That being said, the songs from Sounding a Mosaic incorporated everything Bedouin learned between the two albums and sounded every bit as good as the new ones, muting my disappointment in not hearing "St Andrews," "Trinco Dog" or the a cappella "Hush." Everything that made Street Gospels great, tightness, flow, energy and soul, made their live set just as good. The problem was simply that they capture so much of that on the album that the live show can't provide much more, making them victims of their own success.

I'm not a big Hot Hot Heat fan. They're a middling band who's released some decent material, but has never really found their own thing at which to excel. Unlike Bedouin, I had only moderate expectations for the headliner and by and large they failed to hit even that meager mark. Overall, their performance was as thin and dull as their imitation of the Strokes. They kicked off the show with a bombastic entrance that would have been cool had they either been an amazingly simple band (the irony angle) or as good as such an entrance suggested (the arrogance angle). Instead the band lazed through the set while frontman Steve Bays overcompensated, prancing around like Mick Jagger in a Broadway show. Interestingly, when the band finally kicked in on the last two songs of the regular set, Bays' antics no longer seemed so affected. It was as if he was free to actually perform once the weight of the show was off his shoulders. Had Hot Hot Heat played the whole set like they did the last few songs, they would have lived up to their entrance and their name. Instead, they seemed more like Lukewarm Lukewarm Heat.


Bedouin Soundclash photos:

Review: Hanslick Rebellion - The Rebellion is Here (live)

Label: July 10, 2007

Released: Eschatone Records

The Hanslick Rebellion was once heralded as "possibly the finest band to ever call Albany home" (by a writer from the local paper). I suppose that might be true, but it's still not much of a case for greatness. Neither is the re-issue of this ten-plus-year-old live recording. Back in the 90s, the band established themselves as a regional college crowd favorite and for good reason. They play a loose, jam oriented brand of rock that seems to thrive in every college town. Their originals have that kind of inside-joke rapport with the crowd that makes a band very popular with the locals, but never seems to translate out in the big wide world. Like every local college favorite, they do their share of covers and they do them well. They add funky energy to the Modern Lovers' "Pablo Picasso" and do the B-52s doing Syd Barrett on "Vegetable Man." They throw in a medley that mixes the Archies and Mighty Mighty Bosstones into "Heroin" which has some tongue-in-cheek charm. The covers are certainly more fun than the originals, but not a single one is even remotely essential.

While the album does capture the live experience well, the Hanslick Rebellion merely manages to give their spin on the forced quirkiness of bands like Barenaked Ladies, just a little angrier and a little less clever. People who enjoyed the local scene around UAlbany in the mid-90s will probably find this to be a fond memory, because the show was clearly a fine time, but that charm is lost on the rest of us.

Rating: 4/10

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Purevolume

Be friends with Led Zeppelin

In light of the upcoming gig and repackaging, Led Zeppelin now has a Myspace page. You too can be "friends" with one of the all time greats (even if that friendship with John Bonham is posthumous).

In addition to the Myspace presence and yet another repackaging/remastering, Led Zeppelin's whole catalog (yeah, that means Coda too) will finally be available through all online music retailers as of November 13th. Once again, I have to ask, who doesn't own these albums already?

Oh yeah, and they've partnered with Verizon for Zeppelin ringtones, so they've managed to find the one format in which I don't want to hear Led Zeppelin. I don't even grow tired of "Stairway" on the radio, but I'm sick of the ringtones before I even hear them.

Review: Bert Susanka - Onward Christian Slater

Label: Cornerstone RAS

Released: February 13, 2007

I once saw an interview with a pro surfer. When asked who was the best surfer in the world, she replied, "The one having the most fun." Bert Susanka might be the musical embodiment of that surfing ideal.

Onward Christian Slater takes the harmonies of the Beach Boys, the down-to-earth grittiness of the Replacements and the quirky eclecticism of They Might Be Giants and wrap it up into a charmingly imperfect package. There are hints of surf, ska, power pop, hip-hop, pop punk, doo-wop, even psychedelia, so the album doesn't really have a lot of musical continuity. However, it's laidback spirit ties it together in a way that can escape even the most single-minded albums. The songs are so close to pop brilliance at times that you might think with just a bit of polish these songs would be amazing. But don't be fooled. Polish would suck the life out of them. It would destroy their beauty. It would crush their spirit. This is an album that's right even when it's wrong.

It's more than just the surf theme that crops up throughout (most notably on the story-song, "The Trip That Needed to be Took") that makes this a surf album. The Beach Boys had far more of that. It's really the essence of surfing that makes it ultimately a surf album and that's something that speaks to more than just actual surfers. In a sense it may also be similar in character to the Dude from the Big Lebowski. This is not an album about the pristine, but the laidback, the easygoing, the happy (even when it's sad). It's an album that "takes it easy for all us sinners."

Rating: 8/10

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Review: Mick Jagger - The Very Best of Mick Jagger...and contest!

Label: Atlantic/Rhino

Released: October 2, 2007

Don't miss the opportunity to win a copy of this CD. See the bottom of this review for details.

Other than a song here and there, the Rolling Stones haven't done anything worthwhile since 1972's Exile on Main Street (don't whine to me about Some Girls or Tattoo You, either). Their last album, seen as a return to form by many, was merely the Stones as a cover band of themselves 35+ years earlier. In some ways, it was their most pathetic album, because it showed them trying to be who they once were, as if the passage of time had no effect. The problem with the Stones isn't that Mick and Keith don't have anything left to offer, just that they aren't the Stones anymore and they fail when they try to be. That's why both have been able to release some fantastic solo material during a period when the they've embarrassed themselves in the band.

The Very Best of Mick Jagger collects a number of his songs from his solo albums over the last 22 years. It glosses over She's the Boss and Primitive Cool, drawing only three of its 17 tracks from those two albums. Mick's stronger material from 1993's Rick Rubin-produced Wandering Spirit and 2001's excellent Goddess in the Doorway, two albums that show a definite evolution from the drugs and sex and rock and roll stupidity of his youth, account for seven tracks. Now the math doesn't add up there, does it? That's a good thing, because the remaining seven tracks are either unreleased or likely absent from many people's collections.

Three songs are new to our ears although not newly recorded. "Charmed Life" (recorded in 1992) sounds more like it was recorded in 1979 with the inspiration of Queen's successful foray into disco. The same year gives us "Checkin' Up With My Baby," a Sonny Boy Williamson blues number. From all the way back in 1973 comes "To Many Cooks (Spoil the Soup)," a soul number featuring Al Kooper and Jack Bruce and produced by John Lennon. Two others come from soundtracks. "Old Habits Die Hard" from Alfie (2004) is an emotional ballad with Dave Stewart that finds Mick in his best voice. "Memo from Turner," from 1970's Performance, is another interesting obscure selection. Also included is "(You Got to Walk and) Don't Look Back," Jagger's contibution to Peter Tosh's reggae classic, Bush Doctor. Unfortunately, Jagger's cover of "Dancing in the Streets" with David Bowie also found space on this album. When it was released back in 1985, it had the excuse of being a charity single, but not now. It's almost as embarrassing as Dirty Work or Bridges to Babylon.

All in all, this is a nice collection of Mick's Stones-free work. After listening to the tracks from Wandering Spirit and Goddess in the Doorway, I'd think you'd want to pick those up on their own. However, The Very Best of Mick Jagger still provides enough extra material to make it worthwhile. Plus, it's a lot better than listening to anything the Stones did in the same time frame.

Rating: 7/10

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Contest: Mick Jagger and David Bowie covered "Dancing in the Streets" to benefit the Live Aid charity. They also planned to do it as a duet at the concert, but those plans fell through. Why? Don't put the answer in the comments. Instead, click here to send it to me. I'll announce the winner on October 15, 2007.

It's coming...

...but who doesn't already have the whole Led Zeppeling catalog?

Review: Bruce Springsteen - Magic

Label: Columbia

Released: October 2, 2007

It's been a long time since Springsteen has released a truly good album. Granted, he did a nice job with the Pete Seeger covers, but his own material has been dull and decidedly adult-oriented. Magic isn't a full return to rock form, but it is a step in the right direction.

From the opening guitar riff and driving drums of "Radio Nowhere," it's clear that Springsteen has at least written a rock record rather than another lackluster attempt to recapture the stripped down authenticity of Nebraska. Even slower tracks like "Your Own Worst Enemy" and "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" have a big sound with all the trappings of songs that translate well in concert. He does misfire a bit on the title track which falls back into the limp attempt at being understated that characterized albums like Devils and Dust. All in all though, Springsteen has finally released a new album that shows he can write arena-sized songs that appeal to listeners on a personal level, something he hasn't done in almost 25 years. It also seems clear that he wrote this record with live performances in mind. He's tried for years to translate coffee house music to the big stage and failed on both levels. Fans who catch this tour are likely to find that he once again succeeds to connect with a large audience.

Rating: 6/10

Website

Review: John Fogerty - Revival

Label: Fantasy/Concord Music Group

Released: October 2, 2007

While John Fogerty is not likely to ever match his output in Creedence Clearwater Revival, he still manages to release some very good solo material spaced out over a period of 30+ years. Revival, his latest offering often aims at Creedence and the protest climate of the 60s.

The album kicks off with the Utopian "Don't You Wish It Was True," a nice pop song that has Fogerty written all over it, but lacks the teeth to get its message across. Much of the album follows the same model with varying success. "Gunslinger" takes a Pollyanna view of the past, but its easy metaphor is palatable instead of overbearing and the aptly named "Creedence Song" as well as "Natural Thing" come closest to hitting the CCR mark. Fogerty runs into his biggest problems as he heads into the middle of the album with a couple dull, slow country-rock numbers, neither of which succeeds as either a pace change or a more serious moment, because both are utterly forgetable. The album does pick up again, but Fogerty's eyes remain firmly on the past ("Summer of Love," which he sings like he read about it rather than witnessed it) even as he tries to be relevant in the present ("Long Dark Night," an anti-Bush song that is more likely to make you want to dance than impeach the president). Fogerty's ultimate delusion of grandeur comes on "I Can't Take It No More," another protest against Bush that he clearly sees as on par with "Fortunate Son" (he even makes reference to it). Clearly, he hasn't listened to his best song in quite some time.

All that being said, Fogerty still has quite a flair for songwriting and even after hearing it all these years, it hasn't gotten old. Revival alternates between rockers and low-key numbers, but it's consistently rootsy with just the edges smoothed out. Fogerty fans won't be completely disappointed. Even if for some inexplicable reason they love Bush, they can get past the politics, because Fogerty's stance isn't really the core of this album (even if he wants it to be). For the rest of us, it's non-essential but pleasant listening. He could do worse.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Mountain - Masters of War

Label: Big Rack Records

Released: July 24, 2007

Recording a whole album of Dylan covers is about as bad an idea as getting Ozzy to be a guest vocalist on your album. Leslie West makes both mistakes on Mountain's latest album, Masters of War.

The problem with this album is that West's arrangements are dull, with little hint of Dylan or the Leslie West that played Woodstock. His intent is clearly to show how Dylan's music crosses both time (which it doesn't need West to prove) and genre (which West fails to prove). Capturing Dylan's spirit and therefore successfully covering his music requires taking some chances on innovations. With two exceptions, Mountain never strays from straightforward and safe hard rock, which doesn't have much to do with Dylan. They do try something new on "Like a Rolling Stone," turning it into a percussive affair with only drums and spoken vocals. Unfortunately, other than showcasing some interesting drum work, it fails. The acoustic cover of "Blowin' in the Wind," not to be confused with the numbingly dull electric version, may not innovate, but at least has some nice guitar work and passionate bluesy vocals so it succeeds on some level.

The effort to show Dylan's music as relevant today may show that West's heart is in the right place, but it also shows his own delusions, because he would have to be relevant himself to prove this and he's not. Still, it's better than Bryan Ferry's effort earlier in the year, if only slightly.

Rating: 3/10

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Led Zeppelin (kinda) new releases announced...

Once Zeppelin announced their one-off reunion gig set for the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund benefit concert on November 26, 2007, you knew the re-issues and repackagings wouldn't be far behind. Rhino Records has announced a pair scheduled to come out just before the long awaited reunion.


Mothership is a 24 track double CD drawing songs from each of Zeppelin's studio albums. You should already have these songs, because there's really no excuse not to own all of the Zeppelin catalog, but you will get the bonus of liner notes by David Fricke. It's scheduled for release on November 13.

Track Listing:

Disc One
1. Good Times Bad Times
2. Communication Breakdown
3. Dazed And Confused
4. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
5. Whole Lotta Love
6. Ramble On
7. Heartbreaker
8. Immigrant Song
9. Since I've Been Loving You
10. Rock And Roll
11. Black Dog
12. When The Levee Breaks
13. Stairway To Heaven

Disc Two
1. Song Remains The Same
2. Over The Hills And Far Away
3. D'Yer Maker
4. No Quarter
5. Trampled Under Foot
6. Houses Of The Holy
7. Kashmir
8. Nobody's Fault But Mine
9. Achilles Last Stand
10. In The Evening
11. All My Love

Mothership website


A week later on November 20, Rhino will re-release the soundtrack to the 1976 film The Song Remains the Same. Zeppelin themselves are overseeing remixing and remastering of the original tracks plus the addition of an additional six left off in 1976. Of course it remains to be seen if the song really does remain the same or if this process has salvaged something from this surprisingly poor effort. Even if it hasn't saved it entirely, you get liner notes from no less than Cameron Crowe.

The same day, Warner Home Video will issue the DVD with all 14 songs from the original concert. It features newly remixed and remastered sound, 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, and more than 40 minutes of added bonus material, including never-before-released performance footage of "Over The Hills And Far Away" and "Celebration Day"; plus performances of "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Ocean"; a rare 1976 BBC interview with Robert Plant and Peter Grant; vintage TV footage from the Drake Hotel robbery during the New York concert stand; and a Cameron Crowe radio show.

Track Listing

Disc One
1. Rock And Roll
2. Celebration Day
3. Black Dog*
4. Over The Hills*
5. Misty Mountain Hop*
6. Since I've Been Loving You*
7. No Quarter
8. The Song Remains The Same
9. Rain Song
10. The Ocean*

Disc Two
1. Dazed And Confused
2. Stairway To Heaven
3. Moby Dick
4. Heartbreaker*
5. Whole Lotta Love

* Not on original soundtrack release

Contest: Win a copy of the new two disc version of Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Over the years, Pink Floyd has done several entire movie soundtracks. Obviously, The Wall is one, but there were two others earlier in their career. Be the first to name the films as well as the Floyd albums that contain their soundtracks and I'll send you a copy of the CD in the mail!

Don't put your answer in the comments. Email it to me here. I'll announce the winner and the answers on Monday, September 24.

Check out the review.

Review: Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn (40th Anniversary Edition)

Label: Capitol-EMI (2 CD and 3 CD)

Released: September 4, 2007 (originally released August 5, 1967)

Piper at the Gates of Dawn is almost universally accepted as a great album. Certainly, "Astronomy Domine" is amazing in its own right. The three group compositions in the middle of the album are good, though somewhat underdeveloped, indicators of where Pink Floyd would be headed after Syd's departure. Otherwise, the album consists of Barrett compositions that are still firmly rooted in the British Invasion and baroque pop of the 60s. No doubt, they too give some inkling of the future and, dated as they are, still have a good deal of freak out quality to them, but had they not led to Meddle, to Dark Side of the Moon, to Wish You Were Here, they would likely have fallen into the pack of psychedelic experimentation that defined the time in which they were written. Don't get me wrong, Piper at the Gates of Dawn is a very good album and it should get extra points for laying the groundwork for Floyd's greatness to come, but it also has to be judged on its own to some degree, something that likely hasn't happened since Dark Side of the Moon changed the face of rock music less than six years after Piper's release.

As far as the re-issue is concerned, the only thing the new two disc edition gives you is the mono version of the album and new, poorly modified artwork (why would they do such a thing?) all for about $5 more give or take. However, there is also a limited three disc release that also includes all of Pink Floyd’s singles from 1967 (“Arnold Layne,” “See Emily Play,” and “Apples And Oranges”), the B-sides “Candy and a Current Bun” and “Paintbox,” as well as an exclusive edit of “Interstellar Overdrive,” (previously available only on an EP released in France) and the 1967 stereo version of “Apples And Oranges” (which is seeing the official light of day for the first time). If that isn't enough, it also comes with an eight page reproduction of one of Syd's notebooks (which either provides many insights into the mind of a drug-addled lunatic or is entirely incomprehensible, I'll bet on the latter). All in all though, it seems that while the two disc edition offers little other than added expense, the three disc edition provides some nice bonus material for the more serious Floyd fan.

Rating: 7/10

Website

If you're interested in winning a copy of the two disc set, check out my contest.

Review: Patti Scialfa - Play It as It Lays

Label: Columbia Records

Released: September 4, 2007

Patti Scialfa will always find herself in the unenviable position of begging the question, "Would anyone care if she wasn't married to Springsteen?" Certainly, her marriage has proven to be a fine career move and she has an unfair shot at getting her music out compared to singers who aren't married to the Boss. To be fair though, it isn't her fault that she gets a better deal than everyone else, so let's pretend she didn't marry into a record deal and take a look at the album on it's own merits.

Play It as It Lays is a light bluesy rock album with touches of country, folk, soul and even gospel, but the whole thing is really just a vehicle for her voice with it's nice movement, mild rasp and country twang. The band is low-key and understated, entirely competent to convey the songs, yet infusing them with nothing they don't already have. The songs are adequate despite feeble hooks and contrived subjects. Still, her voice is worth hearing and keeps the ship above water so to speak.

In a lot of ways, Scialfa sounds like Bonnie Raitt, except Scialfa's substitutes a better voice for Raitt's sense of soul. Perhaps a better comparison would be to the light-weight work of Sheryl Crow, where the songs aren't entirely bad, just hollow. Part of Scialfa's problem may stem from spending the bulk of her career as a backup singer. It's usually someone else's music that she's singing and she has to sing it in such a way as not to overshadow the star of the show. Here she is making only her third solo effort since 1993 and it seems she can't quite find herself. She sings well, but most often she fails to really dig her heels in and put the little extra into her voice that is the difference between alright and amazing. The song titles alone betray the songs as contrived and forced: "Looking for Elvis," Town Called Heartbreak," "Rainy Day Man." She hits a lot of rock lyric cliches before even delving into the lyrics. For the most part, the album feels like she churned it out as a job rather than an expression of herself.

To her credit, the album does finish with three strong tracks where she digs a little deeper and writes a little stronger. "Run Run" doesn't ask her to go too deep and the result is much more comfortable. The title track even finds her tapping subtly (and very slightly) into Dylan. She closes the album with the breathy vocals of "Black Ladder," the album's only songwriting chance. It's really the saving grace, because it leaves Play It as It Lays with an open-ended expansiveness that defies the faults that precede it.

Rating: 6/10

Website

Review: Supagroup - Fire for Hire

Label: Foodchain Records

Released: September 25, 2007

Not every copy is a bad thing. There are times when a band can ingest a variety of influences and spit them back as something fresh even if it isn't entirely new. Supagroup is not such a band.

On Fire for Hire, Supagroup manages to steal from a whole host of 70s and 80s hard rock groups to the point that much of it is almost indistinguishable. The vocals are just a tempered Bon Scott (and we all know that temperance and Bon Scott don't mix). Much of the music comes across as cheap Van Halen, probably as they would have sounded if they had a thoroughly mediocre guitarist rather than Eddie. In a genre that has experienced more than its share of mediocrity, Supagroup fails to even rise to the middle of the pack.

As if the music itself weren't bad enough, the lyrics may just be an all-time low. Rock lyrics don't tend to be poetry, but just about anyone can beat this:

I was changing gears, with a whiskey and a beer,
When I felt her hand on my thigh,
You know you can't tell that they're underage,
When you're looking at 'em from behind.

As you might expect, the story continues with the protagonist being chased down by the law. Faced with a roadblock, he breaks through, killing an officer in the process. Wow, that makes Ice-T's "Cop Killer" look intelligent. At least Ice-T wasn't making a case for statutory rape. In the chorus, he sings, "I'm only a man, looking at fifteen years to life." Wrong, you're a stupid man and you should get fifteen years for making this record alone.

If I had to give Supagroup credit for something, it'd be that they play with some energy. The problem is that what they're doing isn't worthy of energy, so in a sense, even that is a fault. If you're a misogynist, a moron or both, you might really dig this album. As for me, I found that I could fast-forward through much of the second half of the album and not miss anything.

Here's their e-card. Send it to people you hate (unless they're dumb enough to actually want to buy the album).

Rating: 1/10 (They probably would have gotten 3/10, but they lost two points for the statutory rape lyrics.)

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The Beatles Help! DVD to be released on October 30th

It may not be able to stand on its own like A Hard Day's Night, but hey, it's the Beatles. Sure it's just a silly little film, but Help! is pretty fun and the tunes are (duh) great.

Check out the trailer.

DVD: The Bangles - Return to Bangleonia

Label: Shout! Factory

Released: August 14, 2007

I've always loved the Bangles. Even the big sellout of Different Light still had the sweet harmonies and sixties jangle that I loved in their days in the Paisley Underground. I don't operate under the illusion that bands often recapture their prime when reuniting, but I did expect an energetic show and an enthusiastic crowd for this 2000 set at Hollywood's House of Blues. I got some of the former and none of the latter.

Part of the joy of a good live performance is drawn from the vicarious energy of the fans lucky enough to be there. Without that energy and its interaction with the band, there's really no point to a live recording. That's the biggest problem with this DVD. Most of the fan noise is filtered out, even between songs. That's just half the crime though. It really doesn't appear as though the crowd had much to offer anyway with only a few hands in the air for "Walk Like an Egyptian" and little other response. It looks like a crowd at the theater, not a rock show.

With little energy from the crowd, the Bangles are only partially culpable for a lack of excitement in their performance. Still, great bands rise above adversity and the Bangles aren't fully able to do that. Things don't get off to a good start with their cover of "Hazy Shade of Winter." One of the several fine covers from their prime, the song, Vicki Peterson's guitar leads in particular, drags as though they're unsure of themselves. By "If She Knew What She Wants," the band is in better form and they manage a soild if unspectacular performance. To their credit, they play five new songs that would ultimately end up on Doll Revolution (still three years away at the time of this show) rather than playing it completely safe with the material from their two biggest and least personally creative records. While they did pull three songs from All Over the Place (including "Hero Takes a Fall," which may be their best tune), I would have gladly traded "Angels Don't Fall in Love" (from Different Light) and "Get the Girl" (from the Austin Powers soundtrack) for "James" and "Dover Beach." Still, at least they kept the contributions form Everything to a minimum and threw in a solid cover of the Seeds' "Pushin' Too Hard." So, the set list was decent, but not perfect and once they got going, the did justice to the songs I love.

Return to Bangleonia showed me what I always suspected was true: The Bangles are merely a good, not great, band, no matter how much I love their music. Still, the songs sound good all these years later. It makes me wonder why the crowd was so dull. With a little help, the performance may have come across much stronger. It also makes me wonder why anyone would go to the House of Blues. It's not a venue that's conducive to fan participation and energy, so why not just stay home and listen to records?

Rating: 6/10

Review: Landonband - Defying the Stereotype

Label: self-released (available at CD Baby

Released: 2006

Defying the Stereotype is a bit of a misnomer for this album. Perhaps Confused About the Stereotype or Lost in the Stereotype would be more appropriate. It's certainly not "stereotype" that I object to, but "defying," because this record defies nothing.

From the opening track, Landonband spends their time genre-hopping. True, there has been some great albums that have done the same, but every one of those albums found its own voice as it explored a broad musical palette. Landonband's voice is smothered to the point that it's questionable if they even have one.

"Only 20" sounds like a hard rock Spice Girls. They try to capture the funk rock of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on "Hush," but its groove is derailed by the stiff performance. "Angry" is an average alt rock song, except it's about 10 or so years too late. "Coming Out in the Wash" tries to mix in a bit of punk edge, but the result is stifled rather than wild. "Amazon" might have come off alright had it not devolved into a generic ballad. "Dirty Virgin" tries to break out and sound loose, but the problem is that it tries too hard. After the cliched intro to "Free at Last," none of its references to cloves, burned CDs or Sonic Youth should be a surprise. (I do have to wonder if they've actually listened to Sonic Youth though. If they did, they certainly didn't get it.) Speaking of cliches, was that actually a J Lo reference in "Wind-Up Monkey?" That was as painfully unoriginal as anything on the album.

A couple songs aren't total disasters: "The First to Come in Last" let's the facade of over-production down just enough to get a glimpse of Landon Dunning's potential as a vocalist. Likewise, "Ms. Jones" is loose enough to have a genuine edge, even if it isn't a particularly interesting song.

This album has a few fatal flaws. First, the production is overwrought. Rather than enhancing the band's sound and helping them find themselves, it buries them in digital effects. Twenty years ago, there was an excuse to get caught up in this kind of production, but now it just sounds cheap.

Second, the band has no synergy. Landon's a pretty good rock singer, but she almost never cuts loose. She has a good voice and she should trust it. The band itself is as entirely competent as it is soulless. They sound like they're playing everything from sheet music. If they want to be a good band rather than just a collection of good players, they need to drop all of the electronics and learn to feed off of each other. If they strip away all of the nonsense, they may be able to play together rather than simply playing at the same time. A looser band would likely allow Landon more latitude to really use her voice. As it stands, the band is entirely competent to play and entirely incompetent to rock.

Last, the songs are mediocre at best. With this repertoire, they'll be relegated to being a very good bar band at best. Part of the problem is that Landon wrote the songs with the producer rather than the band. The other part is that these songs were designed to fit the stereotype rather than defy it.

All in all, Defying the Stereotype is a waste of time, but Landonband, or actually Landon Dunning herself, has some potential. The band as it is sounds like a group of studio musicians. Either they have to become more cohesive or Landon needs to find a band that can help her unleash her voice. She definitely needs some songwriting help, but next time it should come from someone who will push her creatively rather than trying to pigeonhole her songs for target audiences. The key to Landonband is Landon herself, but she won't really go anywhere under these circumstances. The album title is either a lie or a misconception. If it's the former, than the band needs to come clean. If it's the latter, there's little hope.

Rating: 3/10

Review: Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full

Label: Hear Music

Released: June 5, 2007

Paul McCartney's solo career has been erratic to say the least. His first solo effort shows us both that he's a great pop songwriter and that he’s willing to stretch out and take chances at times. Sometimes those chances worked, but often they were too slick for their own good. From the mid-70s until the mid-90s, it seems that even his hits were really misses, at least artistically. His misguided belief that he should be writing more than pop songs culminated in the disastrous Liverpool Oratorio which went way beyond the watering down of decent songs. At that point, he was just out of his league. Then, beginning with 1997's Flaming Pie, McCartney seemed to rediscover himself. His pop sensibilities were still present, but he abandoned the slickness in favor of a raw and genuine approach. The results were solid and even excellent albums where he sounded far more alive than he had in his 30s and 40s. That brings us to his latest release, Memory Almost Full. His recent run of critical success would lead one to expect more of the same, but McCartney opts for some changes, returning to some of his earlier ambitions with varying success.

Generally speaking, there are no really bad songs on here, only some bad moments. The album actually has some tracks that nearly rank among his best. The opening track, "Dance Tonight," is upbeat folk with a stomping rhythm, some mandolin and a catchy hook. It certainly raises expectations for the rest of the album. Things take a definite turn with "Ever Present Past," which gets a bit glossy much in the vein of McCartney's 80s output. Still, the hook is strong enough that the gloss isn't overbearing. He tries a bit of blue-eyed soul on "See Your Sunshine." (Seriously, I checked the songwriting credits to see if Paul wrote this one with Daryl Hall.) It's a good pop song, but lacks the teeth of his recent releases. "Only Mama Knows" tries to recreate some his best rock bombast. It falls significantly short of that target, but still ranks as a solid, energetic track. "You Tell Me" is one of several tracks that sound like it may have been an Abbey Road outtake. Far from being a knock, his ability to recapture any elements of the Beatles' most complete effort is amazing almost 40 years down the road. McCartney has slight hints of hip-hop in the odd cadence of "Mr. Bellamy," but it doesn't work very well and the result is one of the album's real orphans. "Gratitude" also captures some of that Abbey Road essence. It's an oddly sweet and loving send-off to Heather Mills. As such it is one of his best love songs, being completely devoid of the saccharine nature that invalidates so much of his worst work. "Vintage Clothes" is more solid upbeat pop, but suffers somewhat from heavy-handed production and corny lyrics. To be fair though, McCartney has gone much farther down this road in the past and he at least showed some restraint here. "That Was Me" has a bit of an awkward modern arrangement, but makes up for it with jazzy pop energy. The album is reined in a bit on the folky "Feet in the Clouds." The strings are a bit too much, but once again McCartney's return to his more polished former self doesn't do the damage that it once did, resulting in another decent song. "House of Wax" is unusually weak songwriting for McCartney coupled with overwrought production and way too much ambient noise. There's a decent guitar solo, but that is by no means enough to save the song. If there is any doubt that Paul is facing his own mortality, "The End of the End" sufficiently dispels it. It's a low-key piano-driven piece that is part last wishes and part end of life optimism. It's more subtle than a lot of the album, but really sinks in as one of the best tracks. To avoid ending on anything remotely melancholy, Memory Almost Full closes with "Nod Your Head," another fine McCartney rocker that falls only a tad shy of "Live and Let Die."

There is a consistent feeling that Paul sees the end of his career (and possibly even his life) approaching. Yet, he doesn't greet it with trepidation. Rather, he embraces the past and pushes on toward the future openly and willingly, albeit not flawlessly. The touch of sadness to Memory Almost Full is countered, though not overwhelmed, by its good vibe. Over the course of the album, McCartney borrows from some of his most ambitious work, some of his worst work and some of his most genuine work. The results vary as he falls short of his best, yet even shorter of his worst efforts. While this may be his worst album in ten years, it's as good or better than anything in the 20 years before that.

Rating: 6/10

Review: The Go-Gos - God Bless the Go-Gos

Label: Beyond Records

Released: May 15, 2001

With very few exceptions, reunion albums are not essential listening. The best we can hope for is a solid album that at least isn't an embarrassment. In 2001, the Go-Gos released their first studio album in 17 years. Considering such a long layoff and that their first go round was short and inconsistent (one very good album and two spotty ones in four years), I can't imagine anyone held out much hope for God Bless the Go-Gos. However, it did get good reviews at the time and I think that is more likely due to it exceeding expectations than actually being that good.

First, don't expect this to be on par with 1981's Beauty and the Beat. The youthful energy and punk rock edge of that album is hard to reproduce at this stage of the game, especially considering that it was already largely gone a year later when they released the inconsistent Vacation album, which along with 1984's Talk Show had only a few good songs and a lot of filler. What God Bless... gives us though is a largely above average set of songs with only a slight lull through the middle. The songs are solid, mixing upbeat pop with slower ballads and the sound is very much the Go-Gos with only a touch of 90s alt rock influence in places. The Go-Gos successfully walk the line between losing their identity and merely recreating their past and that alone makes this one of the better reunion albums out there. Still, there is absolutely nothing essential about it, so this is only for those who wish for more quantity in the Go-Gos' catalog. If you're looking for quality, Beauty and the Beat is still the way to go. However, if you're going to buy a second Go-Gos album, this should edge out both Vacation and Talk Show.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Paul McCartney - McCartney

Label: Capitol

Released: April 20, 1970

For his first proper solo effort, Paul McCartney chooses to curtail the elaborate arrangements he had indulged in with the Beatles in favor of a more grounded album full of country, folk, blues, boogie and soul. To expect a solo album to meet the standard set by the Beatles (and particularly their finale, Abbey Road) would be unfair, but certainly anything McCartney touched should meet a higher standard than something released by just about anyone else. So, Paul's first non-Beatle release likely left the rock critics of 1970 in the difficult position of determining just where that line would be. Lucky for us today, Paul's solo career has proven so inconsistent over the last 37 years that the line is now in the realm of mere mortals and therefore easier to ascertain. So, it is with the caveat that I benefit from hindsight that I am undertaking this review.

Probably due to all the infighting among his band mates, McCartney decided to record his debut almost entirely on his own (with only a bit of background vocals from his wife Linda). The result is consistency in both feel and quality without the album getting stagnant. It starts off with the very short and sweet folk of "The Lovely Linda." While it may seem like a bit of light fare, it actually sets a good tone for the album by being simple not deep and heavy. "That Would Be Something" is country-tinged boogie
with a mellow groove that McCartney accents with some subtle rhythmic vocal parts. As much as I enjoy the track, it isn't so strong that it needs to set it apart from the rest of the album, but the instrumental "Valentine Day" does just that. Other than coming up too soon, it's a nice, raw, medium-paced blues song that very much fits the album as a whole. "Every Night" has a great hook and hints at McCartney's later slicker ballads without giving in to some those roads he would unfortunately travel a few years later. "Hot as Sun/Glasses" couples a fun, light-hearted tune with an experimental track. While neither would stand on their own, both combine for an interesting interlude. The first of McCartney's Beatle leftovers to appear is "Junk." It's low-key and has a certain continental sense to it, much like "Michelle." The pace picks up with "Man We Was Lonely," an excellent country rock song with a hook worthy of a single. McCartney shows he can sing (and play) the blues on "Oo You." It may not be the strongest track, but it's a fine rocker on this generally laid back record. "Momma Miss America" starts off sounding like some of McCartney's later rock songs and then continues in a similar vein to "Oo You." It's a better song over the second half, but still one of the album's weakest moments. "Teddy Boy" is another Beatles cast-off that McCartney includes here. It's catchy, but remains raw and simple. It's also quite a testament to the Beatles that their throwaways were this good. "Singalong Junk" is an odd inclusion since it's simply an instrumental track of "Junk" that runs a little longer. It isn't bad, but seems a bit pointless even though I get idea of the "singalong." "Maybe I'm Amazed" may be a ballad, but not in the sense we typically think of ballads, because it rocks. It really is the album's best track, with McCartney at his best as both a writer and a performer. He actually has some edge on this one, which is something that is too often absent from his solo work. Because perfect pop songs are McCartney's forte, the experimental nature of "Kreen-Akrore" might put off some people. However, it's got some strong moments and actually draws the album to a close that likely left the listener of 1970 wondering where he would go next. Unfortunately, that promise would later be left unfulfilled as McCartney kept to the middle road and "filled the world with silly love songs" for years.

Paul McCartney had to be as unsure of where he would go as a solo artist as the world was when the Beatles called it a day. However, the McCartney album finds him with fine songs and a cohesiveness that makes his solo debut shine. Sadly, the organic, rootsy sounds would give way to pure pop-crafting that was technically great yet almost entirely soulless (with some obvious exceptions).

Rating: 7/10

Addendum: I wrote this review in response to Bill's review over at Rock of Ages. Check his review out too to get a slightly different angle.

Review: Grinderman

Label: Anti

Released: April 10, 2007

Some bands use rhythm. Some bands use melody. Grinderman uses insanity. Much of Nick Cave's latest project has to be some of the darkest, most desolate music since Suicide's debut 30 years ago. Unlike Suicide though, Grinderman has a more organic approach with traditional intruments and a definite feel of improvisation. While it might feel more alive, it certainly doesn't make living sound very good. The music starts off plodding and dirgeful with stark instrumentation from three of the Bad Seeds. This isn't just a stripped down version of the Bad Seeds though. This time, they write as a group and it's decidedly uglier and emptier than even their previous explorations of life's dark side over the first half.

The album kicks off with "Get It On," an exercise in flat dissonance with Cave going off like some strange marriage of beat poet and televangelist. "No Pussy Blues" seems like it will be a bit more restrained though no more structured until the straight noise of the break after the first verse. These aren't the "no pussy blues" of your typical rock star who didn't get any from the groupies. It's the "no pussy blues" of a sociopath who's put all his sexual eggs in one basket and is seething after all his advances are rebuffed. And the last thing he's looking for is love. Don't expect anything lighter with "Electric Alice." Musically, it's a little bit more interesting, but that only serves to add new layers of creepiness. "Grinderman" hints at the Doors' "The End," but drags on considerably despite being far shorter. The album finally gets going a little on "Depth Charge Ethel." It's not a great song, but the mere presence of some form in the song make it stick out like a sore thumb. For the first time Grinderman gets away from the cold influence of Suicide coupled with some manic form of the blues and instead adopts the swagger of the New York Dolls while retaining a fair degree of the album's general insanity. "Go Tell the Women" gets back to the minimalist approach with very little structure and much repetition. After six hookless tracks, "(I Don't Need You) to Set Me Free" finally presents some semblance of a song that could stand on its own outside of the concept of the album. I wouldn't go so far as to suggest it would get radio play, but it is a reasonably listenable tune with some nice, loose guitar work. "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars)" isn't quite as strong as its predecessor, but works as a pretty good garage song with a pretty cool organ part and some wild guitar behind it. Cave does some real singing on "Man in the Moon," a short ballad that continues in the warmer vein of the second half of the album. "When My Love Comes Down" reins in the rock a bit, but doesn't return to the sparseness of the first half. It still has a bigger sound and more ability to stand on its own merit. "Love Bomb" finishes the album out with a lot more energy than it starts with, but great psyche guitar, a driving rhythm and Cave's delivery make certain that the album's overall insanity isn't diminished.

Although it warms up over the second half, Grinderman remains a very dark affair. The first half is a particularly tough listen that really only succeeds in concept. Increased structure and energy make the second half much more listenable, but no more pleasant. Grinderman is certainly a success as pure art, but its inaccessiblity makes it struggle as a rock album. I would suggest that Nick Cave fans check it out to see just how much a Nick Cave fan they really are.

Rating: 6/10

Discography: U2 - Conclusion

U2 has had a remarkable career spanning almost three decades in which they have consistently pushed the limits of what rock music can be while remaining incredibly successful. Few bands have done as much to shape music as U2 and certainly no one has done it for as long. They may be the only band to really play in the same league as the Beatles.

Because they had so many essential albums (three 10s, one 9 and two 8s by my count), it's hard to believe there would be much need for any kind of greatest hits collection. After all, you should just own the full albums or you miss out on an awful lot of great album tracks. However, in addition to filling albums with essential listening, U2 also had some fantastic B-sides which can be found on The Best of 1980-1990 and The Best of 1990-2000. The former is particularly full of gems that didn't make the cut at pressing time and only saw the light of day on the flipside of singles. "Sweetest Thing," "Everlasting Love" and "Silver and Gold" alone are worth the price of the double CD. The latter is little sketchier, because a lot of the B-sides are just remixes, but you still get a few fine pieces from soundtracks like "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" and "The Hands That Built America" plus the new "Electrical Storm." The fact that so many songs were left over for B-sides and soundtracks after the band filled album after album with such high quality is yet another testament to what is likely the greatest band in history after the Beatles.

Discography: U2 - Rock Period

All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)
I still remember a friend calling me to tell about "Beautiful Day" the day it came out. It was back in the Napster era and I got right online to check it out. I must've played five times in a row at least. It was the best rock song I'd heard in years and it came from a band that had moved ever further away from traditional rock music over the preceeding decade. What is so amazing about All That You Can't Leave Behind is that it's a straightforward rock album yet still sounds like completely like U2. I think this, perhaps more than all the record sales and millions of fans, shows their impact on rock music. After 20 years, they make a consciously mainstream album and it sounds like them, because their influence on rock has been so pervasive. "Beautiful Day" is the one outstanding song in a sea of very, very good material. The only fault with the album is that it celebrates all that they've done, but doesn't break new ground as they'd done so often before. I also see All That You Can't Leave Behind similar to how I see REM's Monster. Like REM, U2's music became less rock oriented and I think they wanted an album where they could go on tour and just play the songs without trying to create a club effect.
Rating: 8/10

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)
I don't know that there's much to say about this one that I didn't already say above. Even with "Vertigo" showing up in a commercial, I don't grow tired of it. The album is full of solid songs that once again show U2's impact on the rock world by being both mainstream and distinctly U2 at the same time. While I've enjoyed the last two albums, I'm curious to see if U2 will reinvent themselves yet again and take us on another ride into the future of rock and roll.
Rating: 8/10

Discography: U2 - European Period

Achtung Baby (1991)
Admittedly, this album took a little time to grow on me. It was a shock. Even though there was four years between their last proper album and Achtung Baby, I certainly had no idea that the band had spent that time completely reinventing themselves. Once I got past that though, it quickly became clear that this album was a masterpiece and, despite the break from the past, it was still very much a U2 album. They managed to change their sound without changing the intangibles that made them U2. While you'd think the increasing influence of Europop and perhaps late 70s Bowie would turn the music cold, nothing could be farther from the truth. U2 manage to incorporate the sound without abandoning their emotion. Instead, they make an album that is probably more rather than less personal.
Rating: 10/10

Zooropa (1993)
A recent listen to this album convinced me of two things, most of the album isn't quite as awful as I remembered and "Stay (Faraway So Close)" isn't quite as good. The end result is that I bumped it up from a 2/10 to a 4/10. It's still an experiment gone awry that U2 should have had the good sense to leave on the shelf. I remember reading a letter in Rolling Stone, who gave it a great review, that said Bono could fart in the microphone and RS would give it 4 stars (out of 5). 14 years later, I still can't figure out what anyone likes about it.
Rating: 4/10

Pop (1997)
While Pop doesn't come close to the songwriting quality or the emotional level of Achtung Baby, it also isn't the jumbled incoherent mess that is Zooropa. When I think of Pop as a whole, it's a very cohesive album, yet the individual songs jump around a good bit in their influences from techno ("Discotheque" and "Mofo") to rock ballads ("If God Will Send His Angels") to soul ("The Playboy Mansion") to jazz ("If You Wear That Velvet Dress") to psychedelia ("Wake Up Dead Man"). Only "Miami" struggles a bit to find itself, but even it isn't a complete failure. In many ways, this album foreshadows U2's straightforward rock approach that comes to fruition on All That You Can't Leave Behind, but it still feels mostly like a club-oriented album. Pop's problem isn't imperfection or incoherence so much as it's inability to reach the heights of much of U2's other work. Perhaps they realized how far off the path they got with Zooropa and this album was a settling down for them. It may have kept them from making a great album, but at least it seems to have grounded them again and positioned them to make more great albums rather than to run amuck in bad experiments.
Rating: 6/10

Discography: U2 - American Period

The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
This album still has some elements of the Irish period remaining, making it somewhat of a transitional album. Still, the bigger sound courtesy of the Brian Eno/Daniel Lanois production team and the heavily American-focused lyrical themes land this one more firmly in U2's American period. The well-known "A Sort of Homecoming" and "Pride (in the Name of Love)" are stunningly good and "Bad" may be the best song of their career. Even more telling is that many of the lesser-known tracks like "Wire" and "Indian Summer Sky" are in nearly the same league. Even the tracks that can be viewed as filler (even though they are never as lackluster as what I'd call filler on most albums) play a vital role in making this U2's most complete album to date without even a moment of weakness.
Rating: 10/10

Wide Awake in America (1985)
The live version of "Bad" is not quite live enough to be essential, but "A Sort of Homecoming" is perhaps their best official live song. The two studio tracks are clearly not album tracks for U2, but they are certainly better than what most other bands would fill their albums with.
Rating: 7/10

Joshua Tree (1987)
While the three singles that kick off the album are great songs (particularly "Where the Streets Have No Name") and even the next song, "Bullet the Blue Sky," is equally as compelling, the album falls into a bit of listlessness after that. "In God's Country" is a memorable song further in, but the rest lacks the energy of their earlier releases. Don't get me wrong, the album is still powerful and the songs don't fall to the level of typical filler, it's just that they don't reach out and grab me and shake me. There is little question that Joshua Tree is great, but in my mind it remains their most overrated work. It is interesting that they would copy the Beatles' "Get Back" performance for the "Where the Streets Have No Name" video. It may show how much their egos had swelled by this point, but the video's wide acceptance is also an indicator that perhaps their heads had merely grown into their stature as the greatest rock band since the Fab Four.
Rating: 8/10

Rattle and Hum (1988)
This one catches quite a bit of flack for a number of reasons. First, it's an odd album, because it's a mix of studio and live performances intermingled. Second, it's a bit pretentious, especially when coupled with the movie. Third, some of the performances are just not up to the bar raised by U2 in all their previous work. While "Helter Skelter" might be the most well-intentioned cover of all time, it's a dull performance. How is that possible with that song? Even Motley Crue did a good cover of it. Most of the other live stuff falls flat as well, albeit not so glaringly. While "Desire" and "Angel of Harlem" are both fine singles, bringing in BB King for "When Love Comes to Town" feels a bit forced. The non-U2 "Freedom for My People" might be a bit of a novelty, but I think it does a better job of uncovering what the band was really trying to get at than the BB King track does. One huge bonus is the presence of a live version of "Silver and Gold," a Joshua Tree b-side that is simply amazing. There is some reason to take a few shots at Rattle and Hum, but the positives still outshine the negatives, leaving it one of U2's most underrated albums.
Rating: 7/10

Discography: U2 - Irish Period

Boy (1980)
Everything was already in place for greatness. A few years before, guitarists everywhere were floored by what Eddie van Halen was doing, but it seems that no one noticed the Edge doing something every bit as innovative. The difference is that the Edge didn't have to carry his band. His playing was no more nor less than the song needed. Bono was already an engaging singer and the lyrics had more substance than a lot of bands have in their prime. Boy has a lot of the energy of punk, yet the songs are better written and far from raw. In addition to the well-known "I Will Follow" and "Electric Co," there are a lot of great album tracks including "Out of Control" and "A Day Without Me."
Rating: 9/10

October (1981)
This album gets a lot of flak for some reason. It doesn't quite live up to the promise of Boy, but it isn't a step backward either. Perhaps it could be considered a holding pattern. October has more low-key songs than its predecessor, but it also has a few breakouts as well. "Gloria" gets some radio play from time to time, but "I Threw a Brick Through a Window," "Fire" and "Rejoice" are also worth getting to know.
Rating: 8/10

War (1983)
I'm often torn between this one and The Unforgettable Fire as U2's best album. Right now, I'm siding with War. A broader set of influences comes together here without watering down the band's identity. Everything takes a step forward without becoming so refined that it loses any energy. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Years Day" never get old despite staying in steady radio rotation for 24 years. "Two Hearts Beat as One," "Seconds" and "40" should also make your playlist.
Rating: 10/10

Under a Blood Red Sky (1983)
Live albums are seldom essential, but this one might be. It's not that it's a great live recording so much as it captures why U2 was so important: They connected with people. An added bonus is the inclusion of "11 O'Clock Tick Tock" and "Party Girl" which don't appear on any of the regular studio LPs.
Rating: 7/10

Discography: U2 - Intro

I heard U2 for the first time almost 25 years ago. A friend of mine was a huge fan. As they became one of the biggest rock bands in the world, I wondered, "How did he know?" Now I wonder, "How did I not know?" In every respect, they are as important to the 80s (and everything after) as the Beatles were to the 60s (and everything after), both musically and socially. To boot, they became a political force as well. Perhaps U2 was more of the Beatles/Dylan of the 80s and maybe the David Bowie of the 90s. That's probably too many analogies though.

I used to think that U2's career could be divided in two, Boy through Rattle and Hum and Achtung Baby to the present. Going back and listening to everything together though, I really think there are four periods, the Irish period, the American period, the European period and the Rock period.

The Irish period consists of the first three studio LPs, Boy, October and War as well as the live Under a Blood Red Sky. Their sound was pretty well-defined, but hadn't become the huge arena-oriented sound into which it would soon develop. The Edge was already revolutionizing what could be done with a guitar and a delay pedal. Bono's vocals were already soulful and completely engaging. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen, Jr. were already a simple but tight rhythm section. The pieces were in place, but U2 didn't sound like a huge band yet. They were still Ireland's and not the world's.

The American period saw U2's focus shift from Ireland to the American superpower, both the largest market and the biggest power in the West. The Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree and Rattle and Hum all share the same sense of being American records, both musically and philosophically. Interestingly, the band never seemed like an Irish band trying to act American. They thoroughly absorbed America into who they were as a band without losing the Irish spirit that made them unique.

They didn't ease into the European period as they did into the American period. The three years between albums saw an abupt shift in their sound from the very organic American roots influences to the colder, more precise world of European club music. Nonetheless, they managed to keep the sense of warmth that always made them so engaging for Achtung Baby. That warmth was comparitively absent from Zooropa and Pop.

Despite the commercial and critical success of the European period, I think U2 felt the need to re-engage themselves which led to the albums of the Rock period. While the tours for the previous three albums were supposedly amazing, they also had the quality of being more of a spectacle than a rock concert. When they released All That You Can't Leave Behind, my first reaction was that they had written an album they could play live without all the frills of the recent tours. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb continues in the same vein.

In order to keep things manageable, I'm going to split this into multiple posts, one for each of the periods above.

I don't have faith in Rush...

On Rush's new album, Snakes & Arrows, they have a song called "Faithless." It's a bit of light fare typical of their output over the last 20 years, not particularly good and not particularly bad. It contains the following lines:

I don't have faith in faith
I don't believe in belief
You can call me faithless
I still cling to hope
And I believe in love
And that's faith enough for me

Personally, I'm half sympathetic to the extent faith and belief are abstracts that aren't important without the more concrete love and hope. It's similar to the old theological argument of "salvation by faith" versus "salvation by works" and Peart shows himself to be a bit of a lightweight in this area by suggesting that only the works matter without regard to a broader consciousness in which to frame them. That's okay though. They're rock lyrics and shouldn't be expected to be philosophically complete. The real trouble that I have with them strictly as lyrics is that they seem like empty words, similar to the abstract concepts about which they complain.

In contrast, John Lennon expressed a similar sentiment with these words in his song, "God":

I don't believe in magic
I don't believe in I-Ching
I don't believe in Bible
I don' believe in Tarot
I don't believe in Hitler
I don't believe in Jesus
I don't believe in Kennedy
I don't believe in Buddha
I don't believe in Mantra
I don't believe in Gita
I don't believe in Yoga
I don't believe in kings
I don't believe in Elvis
I don't believe in Zimmerman
I don't believe in Beatles
I just believe in me
Yoko and me
And that's reality

Frankly, I'm uncomfortable with some of what Lennon says here, but the way he says it touches me. It's warm and real, because he ties it into more than just abstract ideas, he ties it to himself. John Lennon said a lot that I find to be half-baked gibber-jabber that people only listened to because he was a Beatle, but while I don't sympathize with all he says in "God," I believe him when he says it. I can't say that about Rush. Maybe Neil Peart should have stuck to writing about By-Tor and the Snow Dog.