Well, I guess today was a good day to announce news if you're in the 'good band that was formed by two brothers and has a reputation for just kinda standing there and playing when performing live' category:
Oasis (sort of) - Shocker! Liam says his new band (without his brother) will be even bigger than Oasis ever was. Not exactly hard to do, given their recent history, but I doubt they'll recapture the popularity they had in the mid to late 90s when both brothers Gallagher were at their peak. At least it's good to know the album is full of "proper rock n roll", at least according to Liam. Story on spin.com http://www.spin.com/articles/liam-gallaghers-new-band-bigger-oasis
Here's a classic Noel Gallagher quote for those who can appreciate the mix of crass narcissistic respect he often paid to his musical idols (and himself): "I'm not like John Lennon, who thought he was the great Almighty. I just think I'm John Lennon."
Kings of Leon - They're working on a fourth album. I like it. They're a very very very good band. I just wish they were exciting live. I could say the same thing about Tom Petty... Also on spin.com: http://www.spin.com/articles/kings-leon-discuss-upcoming-album
I'd be curious who else out there loves a band but has been disappointed by their live performance, for lack of, er, performance... I had a friend tell me today that Counting Crows definitely fits the bill. Your thoughts?
Born July 19:
1947 - Brian May (guitarist, Queen)
1948 - Keith Godchaux (keyboardist, The Grateful Dead)
1952 - Allen Collins (guitarist, Lynyrd Skynyrd)
Monday, July 19, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Daily Dose July 17 - Slipknot, Pink Floyd
Currently listening - Slipknot's All Hope is Gone record
I realize Slipknot is not for everyone, but if you do like modern American metal, you can do no better. They have an extremely melodic approach to metal and Corey Taylor is actually a great singer, when he's singing. He does his fair amount of growling and screaming, but what's great about just about every one of Slipknot's songs is that they've all got a great hook.
I saw these guys live for the first time last summer and I got an all-new appreciation of their masked appearances. (For those who don't know, each member of the band wears a mask of some sort when they perform live.) I already love the whole theatrical side of rock and metal anyway. I mean, the first band I ever loved was KISS, and no one's more theatrical than them. However, Slipknot's masks are very different from KISS wearing makeup. With KISS, you can still see their expressions. Not so with a mask. Slipknot's members have the same expression for the entire show, no matter how fast or slow the song, no matter what they're doing... It may not seem like much, but when your live show consists of 9 guys creating some form of controlled mayhem onstage for 2 hours, the wearing of a single static expression is kinda eerie and wicked cool.
Anyway, I already loved their music, but after the live show, I'm definitely a true Slipknot fan. Here's hoping they are able to continue on despite the recent death of one of their founding members, bassist Paul Gray. I had the opportunity to meet Paul at this year's NAMM show and he was a very cool guy, so I was sorry to hear of his passing.
In unrelated news, I'm heading to a planetarium-style IMAX theater tonight to see back-to-back laser light shows. I've never been to any laser light shows before, but I remember there was some kind of touring production of a laser light show in the late 80s and early 90s that was all Pink Floyd music. Tonight, the first show is set to Beatles music and the second is set to the full performance of Dark Side of the Moon. I have high hopes, no pun intended (for you Floyd fans).
Born on July 17:
1948 - Geezer Butler (bassist, Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne/Heaven and Hell)
1966 - Lou Barlow (bassist/vocalist, Dinosaur Jr/Folk Implosion/Sebadoh)
1975 - Paul Hinojos (guitarist, The Mars Volta)
I realize Slipknot is not for everyone, but if you do like modern American metal, you can do no better. They have an extremely melodic approach to metal and Corey Taylor is actually a great singer, when he's singing. He does his fair amount of growling and screaming, but what's great about just about every one of Slipknot's songs is that they've all got a great hook.
I saw these guys live for the first time last summer and I got an all-new appreciation of their masked appearances. (For those who don't know, each member of the band wears a mask of some sort when they perform live.) I already love the whole theatrical side of rock and metal anyway. I mean, the first band I ever loved was KISS, and no one's more theatrical than them. However, Slipknot's masks are very different from KISS wearing makeup. With KISS, you can still see their expressions. Not so with a mask. Slipknot's members have the same expression for the entire show, no matter how fast or slow the song, no matter what they're doing... It may not seem like much, but when your live show consists of 9 guys creating some form of controlled mayhem onstage for 2 hours, the wearing of a single static expression is kinda eerie and wicked cool.
Anyway, I already loved their music, but after the live show, I'm definitely a true Slipknot fan. Here's hoping they are able to continue on despite the recent death of one of their founding members, bassist Paul Gray. I had the opportunity to meet Paul at this year's NAMM show and he was a very cool guy, so I was sorry to hear of his passing.
In unrelated news, I'm heading to a planetarium-style IMAX theater tonight to see back-to-back laser light shows. I've never been to any laser light shows before, but I remember there was some kind of touring production of a laser light show in the late 80s and early 90s that was all Pink Floyd music. Tonight, the first show is set to Beatles music and the second is set to the full performance of Dark Side of the Moon. I have high hopes, no pun intended (for you Floyd fans).
Born on July 17:
1948 - Geezer Butler (bassist, Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne/Heaven and Hell)
1966 - Lou Barlow (bassist/vocalist, Dinosaur Jr/Folk Implosion/Sebadoh)
1975 - Paul Hinojos (guitarist, The Mars Volta)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Daily Dose July 16 - Soundgarden, The Police
Currently listening to Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger.
Speaking of which, I'm glad to see the boys from Soundgarden back together after some successful (Audioslave) and horribly unsuccessful (Scream) projects from Chris Cornell over the last 12 years or so... You can appreciate Soundgarden because it only takes a few seconds' worth of any of their songs to identify the band. Their sound is certainly their own.
For those who may doubt Cornell's ability to still hit the high notes, fear not. I saw him with his solo band about 2 years ago and the guy's pipes are still top-notch. Anyway, I expect them to tear the roof off of Lollapalooza this weekend in Chicago and I have fingers crossed that upon returning from some festival shows in Europe, they treat us all to a proper tour here in the States. I've never seen them live, so that'll be a must see for me... And then Matt Cameron needs to get his ass back to Pearl Jam, so they can put a new record together. Of course, if Matt decides to rejoin Soundgarden full-time, maybe I can finally win my coveted dream job of being Pearl Jam's drummer... One must have dreams...
On a related note, I dig this Chris Cornell quote - "I`m not a lyric writer to make statements. What I enjoy doing is making paintings with lyrics, creating colorful images. I think that`s more what entertainment and music should be."
Born July 16:
1952 - Stewart Copeland (drummer, The Police) Without a doubt one of the greatest rock drummers on the planet. Interesting tidbit that I only learned a few years ago is that he performs the hi-hat on Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain"... Stewart doesn't play the drums, just the hi-hat.
1974 - Jeremy Enigk (vocalist/guitarist, Sunny Day Real Estate)
R.I.P. for July 16:
1996 - John Panozzo (drummer, Styx)
Speaking of which, I'm glad to see the boys from Soundgarden back together after some successful (Audioslave) and horribly unsuccessful (Scream) projects from Chris Cornell over the last 12 years or so... You can appreciate Soundgarden because it only takes a few seconds' worth of any of their songs to identify the band. Their sound is certainly their own.
For those who may doubt Cornell's ability to still hit the high notes, fear not. I saw him with his solo band about 2 years ago and the guy's pipes are still top-notch. Anyway, I expect them to tear the roof off of Lollapalooza this weekend in Chicago and I have fingers crossed that upon returning from some festival shows in Europe, they treat us all to a proper tour here in the States. I've never seen them live, so that'll be a must see for me... And then Matt Cameron needs to get his ass back to Pearl Jam, so they can put a new record together. Of course, if Matt decides to rejoin Soundgarden full-time, maybe I can finally win my coveted dream job of being Pearl Jam's drummer... One must have dreams...
On a related note, I dig this Chris Cornell quote - "I`m not a lyric writer to make statements. What I enjoy doing is making paintings with lyrics, creating colorful images. I think that`s more what entertainment and music should be."
Born July 16:
1952 - Stewart Copeland (drummer, The Police) Without a doubt one of the greatest rock drummers on the planet. Interesting tidbit that I only learned a few years ago is that he performs the hi-hat on Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain"... Stewart doesn't play the drums, just the hi-hat.
1974 - Jeremy Enigk (vocalist/guitarist, Sunny Day Real Estate)
R.I.P. for July 16:
1996 - John Panozzo (drummer, Styx)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Daily Dose July 15 - Long live "80s rock"...
I was in a hair band mood today, had a drive to and from the coast and was blaring all kinds of old school 80s rock. My buddy Dan still laughs at me for liking 80s rock, telling me I should move on from it, but I can't. That music is what I was listening to when I was 14, 15, 16 years old and as we all know, those are formative years. The music's a big part of that. Who among us doesn't hear songs from the past that remind us of ex-girlfriends, good times with friends, summer vacations, etc, etc, etc... For me, 99% of those songs were belted out by some dude with really big hair and more makeup on than the girls I went to high school with.
Besides, most of those bands are still sticking around and some of the better ones are still on tour with their core members: Bon Jovi, Poison, Ratt, Def Leppard, Cinderella, Don Dokken and George Lynch got back together, Motley Crue, and others. I know, they're old now. Their new music is not the main reason people listen. Who cares? Most of the bands listed above still sell out or at least sell a hell of a lot of tickets everywhere they go. And Crue, Leppard, Bon Jovi and Poison still play big venues. So, I guess my point is, I'm not the only one that still loves this stuff. Nostalgia has never gone out of style, the only thing that changes is what, by definition, qualifies as nostalgia now. At this point, there are college girls who are nostalgic for the days when N'Sync and Backstreet Boys posters were all over their rooms. And that was only in the early 2000's... I'll keep my 80s rock, thank you very much.
I hope they all tour until they're dead. As long as they do, I'll go check 'em out.
Born on July 15:
1946 - Linda Ronstadt
1948 - Artimus Pyle (drummer, Lynyrd Skynyrd)
1952 - Johnny Thunders (guitarist, New York Dolls)
1956 - Ian Curtis (vocalist, Joy Division)
1956 - Marky Ramone (drummer, The Ramones)
1956 - Joe Satriani
1966 - Jason Bonham (drummer, Bonham/Foreigner)
1973 - John Dolmayan (drummer, System of a Down/Scars on Broadway)
1977 - Ray Toro (guitarist, My Chemical Romance)
Besides, most of those bands are still sticking around and some of the better ones are still on tour with their core members: Bon Jovi, Poison, Ratt, Def Leppard, Cinderella, Don Dokken and George Lynch got back together, Motley Crue, and others. I know, they're old now. Their new music is not the main reason people listen. Who cares? Most of the bands listed above still sell out or at least sell a hell of a lot of tickets everywhere they go. And Crue, Leppard, Bon Jovi and Poison still play big venues. So, I guess my point is, I'm not the only one that still loves this stuff. Nostalgia has never gone out of style, the only thing that changes is what, by definition, qualifies as nostalgia now. At this point, there are college girls who are nostalgic for the days when N'Sync and Backstreet Boys posters were all over their rooms. And that was only in the early 2000's... I'll keep my 80s rock, thank you very much.
I hope they all tour until they're dead. As long as they do, I'll go check 'em out.
Born on July 15:
1946 - Linda Ronstadt
1948 - Artimus Pyle (drummer, Lynyrd Skynyrd)
1952 - Johnny Thunders (guitarist, New York Dolls)
1956 - Ian Curtis (vocalist, Joy Division)
1956 - Marky Ramone (drummer, The Ramones)
1956 - Joe Satriani
1966 - Jason Bonham (drummer, Bonham/Foreigner)
1973 - John Dolmayan (drummer, System of a Down/Scars on Broadway)
1977 - Ray Toro (guitarist, My Chemical Romance)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Daily Dose July 14
Currently listening - Van Halen II
I recently read that the guitar Eddie is holding on the back cover (the black and yellow one) is actually buried with Dimebag Darrell of Pantera because he had told Eddie that it was his favorite. Ed, for what it's worth, my favorite is the blue and white striped and polka-dotted guitar in the unofficial Unchained video. So, you know, if you want to bury that one with me, I'm cool with that. Although I plan on being cremated... but I digress.
This is definitely my favorite Van Halen album (today, at least) with tracks like Somebody Get Me A Doctor, DOA, Outta Love Again, Light Up the Sky, Bottoms Up!, etc... I seriously hope these guys do another tour (or 10) with Diamond Dave AND Michael Anthony. No offense to Wolfgang, but Michael's backing vocals and stumpy mulleted stage presence is part of the VH experience. Plus, he's probably one of the nicest rock stars I've ever met, so I hope to see them all onstage together soon.
Funny Diamond Dave quote, made on the Howard Stern show after his 1993 arrest for buying a small bag of weed from an undercover cop: "In New York City this small of a bust is a $35 traffic citation. It literally says 'Buick, Chevy, Other'. Your dog poops on the sidewalk, it's $50. If I was looking for publicity, I would have pooped on the sidewalk."
There is truly only one David Lee Roth.
Born on this date:
1952 - Bob 2 (guitarist, Devo)
1960 - Kyle Gass (the other half of Tenacious D)
1966 - Tanya Donelly (vocalist/guitarist, The Blake Babies, Throwing Muses, Belly)
I recently read that the guitar Eddie is holding on the back cover (the black and yellow one) is actually buried with Dimebag Darrell of Pantera because he had told Eddie that it was his favorite. Ed, for what it's worth, my favorite is the blue and white striped and polka-dotted guitar in the unofficial Unchained video. So, you know, if you want to bury that one with me, I'm cool with that. Although I plan on being cremated... but I digress.
This is definitely my favorite Van Halen album (today, at least) with tracks like Somebody Get Me A Doctor, DOA, Outta Love Again, Light Up the Sky, Bottoms Up!, etc... I seriously hope these guys do another tour (or 10) with Diamond Dave AND Michael Anthony. No offense to Wolfgang, but Michael's backing vocals and stumpy mulleted stage presence is part of the VH experience. Plus, he's probably one of the nicest rock stars I've ever met, so I hope to see them all onstage together soon.
Funny Diamond Dave quote, made on the Howard Stern show after his 1993 arrest for buying a small bag of weed from an undercover cop: "In New York City this small of a bust is a $35 traffic citation. It literally says 'Buick, Chevy, Other'. Your dog poops on the sidewalk, it's $50. If I was looking for publicity, I would have pooped on the sidewalk."
There is truly only one David Lee Roth.
Born on this date:
1952 - Bob 2 (guitarist, Devo)
1960 - Kyle Gass (the other half of Tenacious D)
1966 - Tanya Donelly (vocalist/guitarist, The Blake Babies, Throwing Muses, Belly)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Daily Dose July 13
Currently listening to Buckcherry's debut album...
This day in rock history: Live Aid takes place in 1985. Over 2 billion people around the globe watched or attended concerts in London, Philadelphia, Moscow, and other nations around the world to raise money and awareness for those stricken by famine in Ethiopia. Queen, Elvis Costello, the remaining members of Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, U2, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Black Sabbath, Crosby Still Nash and Young, Duran Duran and The Who all performed, among other acts. Go read that list again. If you're not impressed by that collection of talent, you and I probably wouldn't be friends.
June 13, 1942 - Roger McGuinn, vocalist/guitarist for The Byrds was born.
Two albums I have pre-ordered in the last 24 hours:
Buckcherry's newest album, which is available at www.bestbuy.com/buckcherry
The pre-order version comes with a bonus cd with acoustic versions of 6 songs.
The album will be released August 3rd.
On the same date, The Black Crowes are releasing Croweology, a 20-song album that consists of acoustic rearrangements of some of their biggest hits and favorite tracks. I'm picking that one up on tasty, delicious vinyl... You can pre-order at www.blackcrowes.com
In related news, the Black Crowes are hitting the road this fall for what could be their last tour for several years. If you have the opportunity, check them out. They are the best live band I have ever seen and they are going to be doing 3-hour sets, half acoustic and half electric, which is something that will be well worth the price of admission. I have tickets for the Raleigh, Jacksonville, Orlando and both Atlanta shows, but the tour is going coast to coast, so see their website for dates near you.
This day in rock history: Live Aid takes place in 1985. Over 2 billion people around the globe watched or attended concerts in London, Philadelphia, Moscow, and other nations around the world to raise money and awareness for those stricken by famine in Ethiopia. Queen, Elvis Costello, the remaining members of Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Tina Turner, U2, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Black Sabbath, Crosby Still Nash and Young, Duran Duran and The Who all performed, among other acts. Go read that list again. If you're not impressed by that collection of talent, you and I probably wouldn't be friends.
June 13, 1942 - Roger McGuinn, vocalist/guitarist for The Byrds was born.
Two albums I have pre-ordered in the last 24 hours:
Buckcherry's newest album, which is available at www.bestbuy.com/buckcherry
The pre-order version comes with a bonus cd with acoustic versions of 6 songs.
The album will be released August 3rd.
On the same date, The Black Crowes are releasing Croweology, a 20-song album that consists of acoustic rearrangements of some of their biggest hits and favorite tracks. I'm picking that one up on tasty, delicious vinyl... You can pre-order at www.blackcrowes.com
In related news, the Black Crowes are hitting the road this fall for what could be their last tour for several years. If you have the opportunity, check them out. They are the best live band I have ever seen and they are going to be doing 3-hour sets, half acoustic and half electric, which is something that will be well worth the price of admission. I have tickets for the Raleigh, Jacksonville, Orlando and both Atlanta shows, but the tour is going coast to coast, so see their website for dates near you.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Jump-starting the Daily Dose again...
Life is good. My family is happy and healthy. I'm in love with a beautiful woman. I'm gainfully employed. I am neither homeless, nor addicted to drugs. Creditors do not call me asking for money. I really can't complain about the 'big' stuff...
But I need some sort of musical outlet. See, I share walls now and that pretty much eliminates the possibility of me playing my drums. And as much as I love my acoustic guitar (and I DO love it so...), I need something else. So, since it was popular with the select group of people who used to follow it back in 2008 and 2009, when it was called Cru's Daily Dose, I'm going to reinvent it and try and put more energy into saying something about music every day, whether anyone cares or reads it or not. With my being on the site more often, maybe I'll be more inspired to write some blogs here and there about music in general, something I miss doing.
As always, feel free to comment if you see something that catches your eye...
On this date in 1962, The Rolling Stones played their first-ever gig at the Marquee Club in London. I would like to personally send a belated thank you to whomever the booking agent was because I believe in the whole Sliding Doors thing, so if this gig hadn't happened... I won't go into it, but I'm glad they played that night, no matter what they played...
July 12 Births:
1908 - Milton Berle (hey, the guy starred in Ratt's first few rock videos, which makes him relevant on this blog, in my opinion.) Speaking of which, I'm taking my son to see Ratt this Thursday night at the House of Blues. And their new record is excellent, by the way.
1943 - Christine McVie (vocalist/keyboards, Fleetwood Mac) Here's hoping she decides to rejoin FM someday...
1950 - Eric Carr (drummer, KISS) A perpetual RIP to a great rock drummer. The documentary "Tale of the Fox" is available online at Netflix and is worth a watch if you're a die-hard KISS fan like me.
1967 - John Petrucci (guitarist, Dream Theater)
July 12 Deaths:
1996 - Jonathan Melvoin (touring keyboardist, Smashing Pumpkins) His death was the final trigger event that got Jimmy Chamberlin kicked out of the Pumpkins, beginning a downward spiral that they've never recovered from. (Billy, just retire the damn band. You have to give your music away now because no one gives a shit. And by the way, us old fans would appreciate it if you ever played something, anything from Gish live anymore. But apparently, that's too much to ask.)
I'm listening to The Beatles' Abbey Road right now. Without a doubt, one of the greatest rock albums in history. Nothing profound in my saying that, but if you've never sat down and listened to it from start to finish, do yourself a favor and schedule about 48 minutes to do so. And if you can, do it with headphones on (which is how ALL music should truly be listened to to be fully appreciated). Anyway, do the Abbey Road thing. I promise, you will not be disappointed.
Other music I listened to today: Shotgun Messiah's first record, Simon and Garfunkel, a couple tunes from Cats in Boots, some Silvertide, and a good bit of Zeppelin in the morning.
What did YOU listen to today???
But I need some sort of musical outlet. See, I share walls now and that pretty much eliminates the possibility of me playing my drums. And as much as I love my acoustic guitar (and I DO love it so...), I need something else. So, since it was popular with the select group of people who used to follow it back in 2008 and 2009, when it was called Cru's Daily Dose, I'm going to reinvent it and try and put more energy into saying something about music every day, whether anyone cares or reads it or not. With my being on the site more often, maybe I'll be more inspired to write some blogs here and there about music in general, something I miss doing.
As always, feel free to comment if you see something that catches your eye...
On this date in 1962, The Rolling Stones played their first-ever gig at the Marquee Club in London. I would like to personally send a belated thank you to whomever the booking agent was because I believe in the whole Sliding Doors thing, so if this gig hadn't happened... I won't go into it, but I'm glad they played that night, no matter what they played...
July 12 Births:
1908 - Milton Berle (hey, the guy starred in Ratt's first few rock videos, which makes him relevant on this blog, in my opinion.) Speaking of which, I'm taking my son to see Ratt this Thursday night at the House of Blues. And their new record is excellent, by the way.
1943 - Christine McVie (vocalist/keyboards, Fleetwood Mac) Here's hoping she decides to rejoin FM someday...
1950 - Eric Carr (drummer, KISS) A perpetual RIP to a great rock drummer. The documentary "Tale of the Fox" is available online at Netflix and is worth a watch if you're a die-hard KISS fan like me.
1967 - John Petrucci (guitarist, Dream Theater)
July 12 Deaths:
1996 - Jonathan Melvoin (touring keyboardist, Smashing Pumpkins) His death was the final trigger event that got Jimmy Chamberlin kicked out of the Pumpkins, beginning a downward spiral that they've never recovered from. (Billy, just retire the damn band. You have to give your music away now because no one gives a shit. And by the way, us old fans would appreciate it if you ever played something, anything from Gish live anymore. But apparently, that's too much to ask.)
I'm listening to The Beatles' Abbey Road right now. Without a doubt, one of the greatest rock albums in history. Nothing profound in my saying that, but if you've never sat down and listened to it from start to finish, do yourself a favor and schedule about 48 minutes to do so. And if you can, do it with headphones on (which is how ALL music should truly be listened to to be fully appreciated). Anyway, do the Abbey Road thing. I promise, you will not be disappointed.
Other music I listened to today: Shotgun Messiah's first record, Simon and Garfunkel, a couple tunes from Cats in Boots, some Silvertide, and a good bit of Zeppelin in the morning.
What did YOU listen to today???
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
I think I know who my second favorite band of all-time is...
I'll bypass the fact that it's been a long damn time since I put a blog up and just get to the point.
So, for the last month, I've pretty much been listening to one band and one band only. The Black Crowes. The Black Crowes are a phenomenal fucking band.
Despite my fascination with Pearl Jam, I have never hesitated whenever anyone asked me the greatest live show I have been to. I have literally been to hundreds of concerts and the best one of all was February 7, 1993 at the Austin City Coliseum, a 2,500 seat dump of an auditorium. The Black Crowes were touring behind The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, their second and best album. And they were simply phenomenal. I don't remember the exact setlist and damned if this isn't one of those shows (like my first Pearl Jam show on November 7, 1993) that NO ONE has a recording of, and believe me when I say that I have looked high and low to find even a shitty copy, but it's just not out there... But despite the fact that I've lost touch with their studio recordings, especially between 98 and 02 or so, the memories and the euphoria of that show have never left me. They made a lifelong fan of me that night, and so here I sit, writing.
Anyway, what I choose to celebrate is their purity of purpose and their belief in what they do. They don't try to do anything outside of their scope, yet they continue to simply write fantastic songs. There is no pretentiousness with this band. They are now, as they have always been, a band that stays true to its roots. And they know how to celebrate the past while continuing to push themselves forward.
Since the release of their first album, the excellent Shake Your Money Maker in 1990, they have never been in the most popular genre. Even then, MTV lumped them in with holdovers from the era of 80s hair rock. They have outlasted that movement, as well as Seattle grunge, nu metal, the resurgence of boy bands and pop princesses, 90s style British fuzz rock, the whole 'alternative' mainstream movement, power pop, etc etc etc etc etc. Guess what? The Black Crowes have survived and continued to be relevant by sticking to what they do best, which no one ever mistook for the most groundbreaking approach to music. But these boys are pure rock and roll, rooted in the blues, influenced by country, folk and gospel, among other things.
What I think is making me take this look back at them and rediscover their awesomeness (for lack of a better word) is their new record, Before The Frost... Until The Freeze. My woman and I had bought tickets to see the Crowes at the House of Blues here in Orlando and I did not even know they had released another record. I just knew we'd be in for a fantastic show.
Flipping channels one night, I came across them on Letterman, playing "Good Morning Captain", the 'single' from the new album. Yeah, um.... they sounded awesome. Dave holds up the record (record! not cd!) and I immediately hop onto iTunes, download the album and begin listening immediately (I also purchased the limited edition colored vinyl online). Classic Crowes, this record. Yes, they have a disco song, which is totally kick-ass by the way. And yes, the Until The Freeze part is heavy on country, but it's all just so delicious... Harmony vocals, some serious southern slide guitar, storyteller lyrics, groove fantastic courtesy of an airtight rhythm section, and a danceable feel to the whole disc... Oh yeah, and they recorded it LIVE in front of a select audience at Levon Helm's home studio. That's not easy, kids... There's a reason 99% of the releases out there are not recorded live, but damn if the Crowes didn't pull it off in style.
Yeah, so I tend to ramble, but my point is this. They're good. They're really really REALLY fucking good. They inspired me to write another blog, which may not seem like a big deal, but is to me. Doesn't matter what album of theirs you pick up, although some are better than others. The inspiration, the performance and the talent is omnipresent across their entire catalog. Maybe pull out that old copy of Shake Your Money Maker, or give Three Snakes And One Charm another chance. Maybe you didn't pick up Warpaint a couple years ago. That was a mistake. It's fantastic and represents their freshest-sounding record since Southern Harmony...
It doesn't matter what you buy/borrow/burn/listen to. You'll hear some pure rock n roll and as I often say to my family, friends and co-workers, pure rock n roll is good for the soul. Go get yourself a dose of The Black Crowes and let it get in you, because the Brothers Robinson and their cast of cohorts can turn it up to 11, strip it down to a whisper, jam it out, keep it tight, harmonize, scream and shake with the best of them.
Thoughts? What do you think of them? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Are you in any way inspired to go back and listen to them again? Comments, as always, are welcome...
As an added treat, and in celebration of that fateful night in Austin when I saw them, here's the show they put on the night BEFORE. Commonly referred to as the "High In Houston" show, it was recorded February 6, 1993 at the Sam Houston Coliseum and simulcast live on FM radio that night. (Download the file, unzip with winzip or winrar and enjoy)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T1OVFULM
So, for the last month, I've pretty much been listening to one band and one band only. The Black Crowes. The Black Crowes are a phenomenal fucking band.
Despite my fascination with Pearl Jam, I have never hesitated whenever anyone asked me the greatest live show I have been to. I have literally been to hundreds of concerts and the best one of all was February 7, 1993 at the Austin City Coliseum, a 2,500 seat dump of an auditorium. The Black Crowes were touring behind The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, their second and best album. And they were simply phenomenal. I don't remember the exact setlist and damned if this isn't one of those shows (like my first Pearl Jam show on November 7, 1993) that NO ONE has a recording of, and believe me when I say that I have looked high and low to find even a shitty copy, but it's just not out there... But despite the fact that I've lost touch with their studio recordings, especially between 98 and 02 or so, the memories and the euphoria of that show have never left me. They made a lifelong fan of me that night, and so here I sit, writing.
Anyway, what I choose to celebrate is their purity of purpose and their belief in what they do. They don't try to do anything outside of their scope, yet they continue to simply write fantastic songs. There is no pretentiousness with this band. They are now, as they have always been, a band that stays true to its roots. And they know how to celebrate the past while continuing to push themselves forward.
Since the release of their first album, the excellent Shake Your Money Maker in 1990, they have never been in the most popular genre. Even then, MTV lumped them in with holdovers from the era of 80s hair rock. They have outlasted that movement, as well as Seattle grunge, nu metal, the resurgence of boy bands and pop princesses, 90s style British fuzz rock, the whole 'alternative' mainstream movement, power pop, etc etc etc etc etc. Guess what? The Black Crowes have survived and continued to be relevant by sticking to what they do best, which no one ever mistook for the most groundbreaking approach to music. But these boys are pure rock and roll, rooted in the blues, influenced by country, folk and gospel, among other things.
What I think is making me take this look back at them and rediscover their awesomeness (for lack of a better word) is their new record, Before The Frost... Until The Freeze. My woman and I had bought tickets to see the Crowes at the House of Blues here in Orlando and I did not even know they had released another record. I just knew we'd be in for a fantastic show.
Flipping channels one night, I came across them on Letterman, playing "Good Morning Captain", the 'single' from the new album. Yeah, um.... they sounded awesome. Dave holds up the record (record! not cd!) and I immediately hop onto iTunes, download the album and begin listening immediately (I also purchased the limited edition colored vinyl online). Classic Crowes, this record. Yes, they have a disco song, which is totally kick-ass by the way. And yes, the Until The Freeze part is heavy on country, but it's all just so delicious... Harmony vocals, some serious southern slide guitar, storyteller lyrics, groove fantastic courtesy of an airtight rhythm section, and a danceable feel to the whole disc... Oh yeah, and they recorded it LIVE in front of a select audience at Levon Helm's home studio. That's not easy, kids... There's a reason 99% of the releases out there are not recorded live, but damn if the Crowes didn't pull it off in style.
Yeah, so I tend to ramble, but my point is this. They're good. They're really really REALLY fucking good. They inspired me to write another blog, which may not seem like a big deal, but is to me. Doesn't matter what album of theirs you pick up, although some are better than others. The inspiration, the performance and the talent is omnipresent across their entire catalog. Maybe pull out that old copy of Shake Your Money Maker, or give Three Snakes And One Charm another chance. Maybe you didn't pick up Warpaint a couple years ago. That was a mistake. It's fantastic and represents their freshest-sounding record since Southern Harmony...
It doesn't matter what you buy/borrow/burn/listen to. You'll hear some pure rock n roll and as I often say to my family, friends and co-workers, pure rock n roll is good for the soul. Go get yourself a dose of The Black Crowes and let it get in you, because the Brothers Robinson and their cast of cohorts can turn it up to 11, strip it down to a whisper, jam it out, keep it tight, harmonize, scream and shake with the best of them.
Thoughts? What do you think of them? Love 'em? Hate 'em? Are you in any way inspired to go back and listen to them again? Comments, as always, are welcome...
As an added treat, and in celebration of that fateful night in Austin when I saw them, here's the show they put on the night BEFORE. Commonly referred to as the "High In Houston" show, it was recorded February 6, 1993 at the Sam Houston Coliseum and simulcast live on FM radio that night. (Download the file, unzip with winzip or winrar and enjoy)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T1OVFULM
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Power of Music
Well, here's an obvious one, right? I mean, consider the source. Anyone that knows me for more than 30 minutes knows that music is essentially like blood to me. I simply need it to stay alive, to feel connected to myself, to the people around me, to the world in which I live. I associate music with colors, events, emotions, movies, history, art, imagery, but most of all with people I've known. It would truly be difficult for me to think of one 'thing' that's ever happened to me that doesn't have music associated with it, and consequently another person or people also associated: literally every chapter of my life has a 'soundtrack' and the soundtrack more than anything else, reminds of the people that were in my life during that time.
I've read before that our sense of smell is the one that can most quickly remind us of a time in our lives or a place we've been to (basically, a memory), but I personally disagree. Don't get me wrong. There are times that I'm walking through a building and will catch a whiff of something and instantly be ten years old again, eating a school lunch or playing with Play-Doh or whatever. Smell can definitely do that and it's always funny when I get that sensation. But the same sensation happens to me every single day when I hear a song. They're ALL associated with something or someone. I tend to be a fairly nostalgic person in general, so I'm sure that's part of why I do have such strong memories associated with different pieces of music.
What I've started to notice is that there's a specific order to it. That is, I can't think of every event in my life and name five songs, or even one, that remind me of that time. It always happens in reverse. So, I'll hear a song and instantly think "Yep, that was when _______ happened." There are times in our lives that a song comes on at just the right moment to amplify whatever we're thinking or feeling at that time. And I think we're all cognizant of it. Whether we realize it or not, the music is indeed moving us. Sometimes, it pushes you over the edge to tears if you're feeling sad. Sometimes, it makes you scream at the top of your lungs, singing every word and getting a physical and emotional liberation just from the act of doing so. Sometimes, I just smile or laugh out loud when I hear music that reminds of something goofy that happened while the song played in the background. Other times, the song is just a snapshot of that time in my life. Not necessarily associated with just one event or person, but a song that has simply become part of the soundtrack of that period in your life.
The power of all of this, for me, is that it can make me reach out to those people and share the moment with them. There are more people that I've lost touch with than I care to remind myself of. But for the most part, the people that are important or have been important to me are still in my life, even if some are only in a small way now. But they're still there. And that's what matters. So when I hear 'that song' and those moments happen, I am able to reach out and remind them of a story, remind them of the song, relive it for just a brief moment with them. And I think that brings me closer to that person. Relationships are based on lots of 'stuff', but shared experiences are (obviously) one of the bigger components in developing an interpersonal connection with someone. And when a song can spur a memory, which spurs a call/text/email to that friend (old or new), which spurs the sharing of the memory, which spurs them to share THEIR recollection of it (Because they always remember some detail you've forgotten. Indeed, that's the point. Everyone remembers what was most relevant to THEM.), which spurs you to share a laugh with that person again... well, you get the picture by now. It literally brings you closer together, deepens the importance of that memory, that song, even if it was something totally trivial at the time. And despite the pressure we feel to make money, to win, to succeed, be something or somebody... I mean, really... none of that crap matters. Your friends and family matter. That's it. At least for me it is.
When you're in your last moments on this earth, I seriously doubt you think of the cars you drove or the trophies you won or the amount of money you had. I'd like to hope that we all turn the lights out for the last time thinking of the people that were most important to us in our lives. The people we shared our lives with, who inspired us, kept us grounded, made us fly, made us laugh, made us cry (no rhyme intended, it just happened)...
I would like to think that at least a few people will remember me, not only in the end, but on a regular basis. That they'll look back at whatever relationship we've had and say "Yeah, that was pretty cool..." And if my personal belief is that music helps me remember them and sharing the music helps them remember me, I suppose in a way, I feel like I've worked myself into their subconscious a little more and enhanced my connection with them. That's not really motivated by narcissism though. It may seem that way on the surface, but for me it's motivated more by a desire to have that deeper connection with the people who come in and out of my life.
What's my point? Shit, I don't know. I guess if you're reading this, it's likely that you're a friend. You're someone that I've got some stories about, and someone that certain songs remind me of. So that means you're in my thoughts, maybe more than you realize. And that can't be a bad thing, can it? That someone you do or did call a friend still thinks about you from time to time, still remembers at least one thing you did together that was worthwhile or memorable. I think you can have an individual memory on its own, but for me, music is the key that unlocks it and lets it come out again. And to me, that's important, and powerful. Hence, the title of this blog...
What about you? If you feel so inclined, even if no one else who reads this knows the other person you're talking about, leave a comment that details a song or two that remind you of someone from your past or current life. See if leaving that comment may inspire you to actually call or email that person (if you can) and share the moment with them again. And see if you might agree with what I said above about the power of doing so.
Since it's my blog, I suppose I should go first. In the interest of fairness, I'm simply going to hit 'random' on my iTunes and the first few songs that come up, I'll name the song and the person/people/event I most strongly associate the tune with. Hell, maybe I'll end up giving them a call... Here we go...
Photograph - Def Leppard: Ha, great start... Totally reminds me of my brother, who was the first one to turn me onto Def Leppard. I remember him watching the video for this song and saying how cool Joe Elliott was because he had handcuffs on his pants. Seriously, that's what he said. I also could swear that he wanted to buy a sleeveless Union Jack shirt after that.
Corduroy - Pearl Jam: Literally have heard this song hundreds of times, but I most often think about one particular day working at Second City Grill in Raleigh in 1994, my buddy Kevin Cline and I in the back doing prep work (cutting vegetables), listening to the radio station in Raleigh that was playing the whole Vitalogy record on the air a few days before it was released. As I remember it, we both thought this was the best track on the record. I would still tend to agree with that, although Immortality is another favorite of mine. But I digress...
Wings of the Storm - Whitesnake: Tiffany Tate, a full-time friend and part-time girlfriend back in middle school. She got me this CD for my birthday. I cannot hear any of the cuts on this record without thinking about her for at least a split second or two. Then I usually go into a nice bout of air drumming or tapping along on my steering wheel.
Songbird - Oasis: Scot Leith, good friend, equally as passionate about music as I am. Any time I hear Oasis, I think of Scot, who is the biggest Oasis fan I know. And I still shake my head at the fact that he has tried to convince me that their debut album was a better debut than Appetite for Destruction. Quick, who can actually name the title of Oasis' debut album? And conversely, who even needs me to say the band responsible for Appetite? I rest my case, Scottie...
Centerfield - John Fogerty: every single one of my high school baseball teammates (Chism, Casey, Nall, Alden, Rummel, Cody, Conti, Lawton, all of them...), showing up for weekend practices when we were pushing deep into the playoffs during my junior year in high school. Coach Boyd used to let us play music during the weekend practices, which were basically nothing more than extended batting sessions. This was on the approved song list and it would play multiple times in each practice. One day, I got into the press box and put a Dangerous Toys CD on, but Coach Boyd quickly put the kibosh on that. I can't remember if he made me run because of it...
One - Metallica: Chad Bradley, my buddy Tyson's older brother. I have no idea what caused him to do this, but one day during freshman year in high school, we're at Tyson's place and Chad went into this hilarious five-minute crazy fit on the stairs. He was just saying all kinds of stuff, yelling and making random noises and trying to make Tyson and I laugh, which we were. Right in the middle of it, Chad starts going "Darkness! Imprisoning me! All that I see! Uh! Uh! Uh!" Although Metallica in no way intended this song to be humorous, I still chuckle each time I hear it, just because of Chad's lunacy.
God Bless The Children of the Beast - Motley Crue: Cynthia Moreci. One of the biggest Motley fans I know and despite the fact that I loved post-Girls Girls Girls Crue, I never was as into their earlier stuff until she loaned me the remastered CDs when they got released 3-4 years ago and I was able to burn them onto my hard drive. Our love of the Crue and of music in general is definitely one of the main things that caused Cynthia and me to become as close as we are.
Anyone else care to share??? Just put something on and see if it sparks a memory...
Rock on,
Cru
I've read before that our sense of smell is the one that can most quickly remind us of a time in our lives or a place we've been to (basically, a memory), but I personally disagree. Don't get me wrong. There are times that I'm walking through a building and will catch a whiff of something and instantly be ten years old again, eating a school lunch or playing with Play-Doh or whatever. Smell can definitely do that and it's always funny when I get that sensation. But the same sensation happens to me every single day when I hear a song. They're ALL associated with something or someone. I tend to be a fairly nostalgic person in general, so I'm sure that's part of why I do have such strong memories associated with different pieces of music.
What I've started to notice is that there's a specific order to it. That is, I can't think of every event in my life and name five songs, or even one, that remind me of that time. It always happens in reverse. So, I'll hear a song and instantly think "Yep, that was when _______ happened." There are times in our lives that a song comes on at just the right moment to amplify whatever we're thinking or feeling at that time. And I think we're all cognizant of it. Whether we realize it or not, the music is indeed moving us. Sometimes, it pushes you over the edge to tears if you're feeling sad. Sometimes, it makes you scream at the top of your lungs, singing every word and getting a physical and emotional liberation just from the act of doing so. Sometimes, I just smile or laugh out loud when I hear music that reminds of something goofy that happened while the song played in the background. Other times, the song is just a snapshot of that time in my life. Not necessarily associated with just one event or person, but a song that has simply become part of the soundtrack of that period in your life.
The power of all of this, for me, is that it can make me reach out to those people and share the moment with them. There are more people that I've lost touch with than I care to remind myself of. But for the most part, the people that are important or have been important to me are still in my life, even if some are only in a small way now. But they're still there. And that's what matters. So when I hear 'that song' and those moments happen, I am able to reach out and remind them of a story, remind them of the song, relive it for just a brief moment with them. And I think that brings me closer to that person. Relationships are based on lots of 'stuff', but shared experiences are (obviously) one of the bigger components in developing an interpersonal connection with someone. And when a song can spur a memory, which spurs a call/text/email to that friend (old or new), which spurs the sharing of the memory, which spurs them to share THEIR recollection of it (Because they always remember some detail you've forgotten. Indeed, that's the point. Everyone remembers what was most relevant to THEM.), which spurs you to share a laugh with that person again... well, you get the picture by now. It literally brings you closer together, deepens the importance of that memory, that song, even if it was something totally trivial at the time. And despite the pressure we feel to make money, to win, to succeed, be something or somebody... I mean, really... none of that crap matters. Your friends and family matter. That's it. At least for me it is.
When you're in your last moments on this earth, I seriously doubt you think of the cars you drove or the trophies you won or the amount of money you had. I'd like to hope that we all turn the lights out for the last time thinking of the people that were most important to us in our lives. The people we shared our lives with, who inspired us, kept us grounded, made us fly, made us laugh, made us cry (no rhyme intended, it just happened)...
I would like to think that at least a few people will remember me, not only in the end, but on a regular basis. That they'll look back at whatever relationship we've had and say "Yeah, that was pretty cool..." And if my personal belief is that music helps me remember them and sharing the music helps them remember me, I suppose in a way, I feel like I've worked myself into their subconscious a little more and enhanced my connection with them. That's not really motivated by narcissism though. It may seem that way on the surface, but for me it's motivated more by a desire to have that deeper connection with the people who come in and out of my life.
What's my point? Shit, I don't know. I guess if you're reading this, it's likely that you're a friend. You're someone that I've got some stories about, and someone that certain songs remind me of. So that means you're in my thoughts, maybe more than you realize. And that can't be a bad thing, can it? That someone you do or did call a friend still thinks about you from time to time, still remembers at least one thing you did together that was worthwhile or memorable. I think you can have an individual memory on its own, but for me, music is the key that unlocks it and lets it come out again. And to me, that's important, and powerful. Hence, the title of this blog...
What about you? If you feel so inclined, even if no one else who reads this knows the other person you're talking about, leave a comment that details a song or two that remind you of someone from your past or current life. See if leaving that comment may inspire you to actually call or email that person (if you can) and share the moment with them again. And see if you might agree with what I said above about the power of doing so.
Since it's my blog, I suppose I should go first. In the interest of fairness, I'm simply going to hit 'random' on my iTunes and the first few songs that come up, I'll name the song and the person/people/event I most strongly associate the tune with. Hell, maybe I'll end up giving them a call... Here we go...
Photograph - Def Leppard: Ha, great start... Totally reminds me of my brother, who was the first one to turn me onto Def Leppard. I remember him watching the video for this song and saying how cool Joe Elliott was because he had handcuffs on his pants. Seriously, that's what he said. I also could swear that he wanted to buy a sleeveless Union Jack shirt after that.
Corduroy - Pearl Jam: Literally have heard this song hundreds of times, but I most often think about one particular day working at Second City Grill in Raleigh in 1994, my buddy Kevin Cline and I in the back doing prep work (cutting vegetables), listening to the radio station in Raleigh that was playing the whole Vitalogy record on the air a few days before it was released. As I remember it, we both thought this was the best track on the record. I would still tend to agree with that, although Immortality is another favorite of mine. But I digress...
Wings of the Storm - Whitesnake: Tiffany Tate, a full-time friend and part-time girlfriend back in middle school. She got me this CD for my birthday. I cannot hear any of the cuts on this record without thinking about her for at least a split second or two. Then I usually go into a nice bout of air drumming or tapping along on my steering wheel.
Songbird - Oasis: Scot Leith, good friend, equally as passionate about music as I am. Any time I hear Oasis, I think of Scot, who is the biggest Oasis fan I know. And I still shake my head at the fact that he has tried to convince me that their debut album was a better debut than Appetite for Destruction. Quick, who can actually name the title of Oasis' debut album? And conversely, who even needs me to say the band responsible for Appetite? I rest my case, Scottie...
Centerfield - John Fogerty: every single one of my high school baseball teammates (Chism, Casey, Nall, Alden, Rummel, Cody, Conti, Lawton, all of them...), showing up for weekend practices when we were pushing deep into the playoffs during my junior year in high school. Coach Boyd used to let us play music during the weekend practices, which were basically nothing more than extended batting sessions. This was on the approved song list and it would play multiple times in each practice. One day, I got into the press box and put a Dangerous Toys CD on, but Coach Boyd quickly put the kibosh on that. I can't remember if he made me run because of it...
One - Metallica: Chad Bradley, my buddy Tyson's older brother. I have no idea what caused him to do this, but one day during freshman year in high school, we're at Tyson's place and Chad went into this hilarious five-minute crazy fit on the stairs. He was just saying all kinds of stuff, yelling and making random noises and trying to make Tyson and I laugh, which we were. Right in the middle of it, Chad starts going "Darkness! Imprisoning me! All that I see! Uh! Uh! Uh!" Although Metallica in no way intended this song to be humorous, I still chuckle each time I hear it, just because of Chad's lunacy.
God Bless The Children of the Beast - Motley Crue: Cynthia Moreci. One of the biggest Motley fans I know and despite the fact that I loved post-Girls Girls Girls Crue, I never was as into their earlier stuff until she loaned me the remastered CDs when they got released 3-4 years ago and I was able to burn them onto my hard drive. Our love of the Crue and of music in general is definitely one of the main things that caused Cynthia and me to become as close as we are.
Anyone else care to share??? Just put something on and see if it sparks a memory...
Rock on,
Cru
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Cru's Desert Island Discs
There is no particular order to this list, but I would say the first 3-4 are ones that never rotate out.
Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction: This shouldn’t really surprise anyone that’s talked to me for more than 30 minutes about music. Quite simply, an absolute masterpiece and the greatest debut album of all time, in my opinion. EVERY song is brilliant. Musically, lyrically, sonically, this album is perfect. Perfect. I could write pages and pages and pages about this album, and it is without a doubt, my favorite record of all time. Equally as important as the songs themselves is the mix of this record. Without a long detailed explanation, I will give you an assignment that will allow you to instantly understand what I’m talking about. After you read this blog and make whatever comments you want to make, go and put on Appetite and listen to it through headphones (for most of you, this will be the first time you’ve done this, so believe me, it’s worth it)… Listen to the record in its entirety 3 times… The first time, I want you to turn the balance all the way to the left and listen to the whole record. The second time, turn the balance all the way to the right. Lastly, after having done steps 1 and 2, listen to the record in both ears and you will truly hear it for the first time. I won’t say anymore about it. Do what I tell you and you will understand. And your appreciation for this record and the performances therein should increase exponentially.
Pearl Jam – Ten: A document of the early 90s
Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon: There isn’t much I can say about this album that has not been said already. Literally, books have been written and documentary films made about this record. But the fact is, Roger Waters and his bandmates, at a fairly young age, were able to identify and channel pretty much every fear and challenge that one faces in life and combined that with the very personal history of the band and its founder, Syd Barrett, to make the mother of all concept albums. There’s a reason this was the international smash it was and continues to be. As Pink Floyd moved into the creative peak of their careers, DSOTM stands as an absolute classic record and an example of how a well-executed concept can reach across musical genres, language barriers and geo-political borders to strike a chord with just about anyone that exists in modern society. To me, Dark Side is more of a novel that is simply told through the medium of music instead of printed words. That said, it's a must-have for the desert island because sonically and narratively, it doesn't get much better than this.
Dwight Yoakam –dwightyoakamacoustic.net: This one may be a head-scratcher to all but my closest friends, since ordinarily I despise anything even remotely country-music related. But I have always enjoyed Dwight Yoakam and respect him as a songwriter and an artist that never gave into the typical
Incubus – Light Grenades: Ahhhh, Incubus… the band that started as just another Nu-Metal douchefest from Southern California and has evolved quite completely into a rock solid airtight, funk/metal/rock/world music machine… This, their latest release, is their best work to date and illustrates the end result (for now) of that evolution. What I like most about this record is the completeness of the work. Most Incubus records prior to this one were simply collections of whatever songs they had put together during that recording session and lumped together as an album. This is the most album-like of their work, rather than just a collection of songs, even to the extent that in “Earth to Bella”, they have 2 different parts of the same song that close what would be Sides 1 and 2 of a traditional vinyl release. From the ethereal-sounding introduction of Quicksand, featuring Brandon Boyd’s echo-laden haunting vocals over a plodding rhythm and various electronic effects, all the way through the end of the album, they simply don’t let up. Indeed, I found that most times I have listened to this record, I’m always surprised at how quickly it seems to go by, testament to the fact that there are no major distractions or interruptions in the flow of the album. Additionally, it’s one of those great records where every time I listen to it, I hear another little new piece of production value that I appreciate, whether it’s a previously unnoticed double-tracking of a vocal, or a guitar lick or sample in the background that adds subtle flavor to an already tasty dish. Must be heard on headphones for full appreciation… although that’s pretty much true with every record ever.
Prince and the Revolution – Purple Rain: So, this is part 1 of my dive into the pop genre for my desert island listening. Packed with hits from start to finish (Let’s Go Crazy, Computer Blue, Darling Nikki, When Doves Cry , I Would Die 4 U, and Purple Rain, the great thing about this record is that the ‘filler’ material is also excellent. Weird synth-driven ballads, electronic drums of all kinds, heavy guitars, soulful vocal delivery, plenty of sampled sounds, this album was and still is ahead of its time. There is a continuity to it that without a doubt makes this, in my opinion, the most complete work His Purple Majesty ever has created. Two things I know about Prince: He’s probably THE most underrated guitarist around and Purple Rain is kick-ass all-around. If I’m stuck on an island, I doubt I’d do much dancing, but in the off chance that I had the chance to do some love-makin’ with a mermaid, I’d need some love-makin’ music. And this is love-makin’ music at its finest.
Blind Melon – Blind Melon: Probably the single most-listened to album during my freshman year in college, there is so much more to this record than the pop ditty “No Rain”. As with Appetite, the interplaying of the guitars and excellent mix of acoustic and electric riffing and rhythm work, combined with the fluid drumming and Shannon Hoon’s whiny-but-never-annoying voice makes me feel like I’m laying in the middle of a field, looking at the clouds and just feeling happy to be alive. Although the subject matter of the songs varies substantially, this was Blind Melon at their purest, before drugs took hold of Shannon and pushed the band in a more experimental direction, as heard on Soup and Nico. This record is a snapshot of five dudes from Indiana that were immune to what was 'popular' at the time and stuck to what they knew best: folk and roots-influenced rock that was best enjoyed with a cold beer, or whatever your medicine of choice is. Nothing too weighty in the material, but as with previous entries on this list, very easy transitions from song to song and an infectious energy that comes through in the performances. This, on the island, would be my “I feel like a hippie today and just want to hang out and throw rocks into the ocean for an hour” listening music.
Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti: OK, OK, I am cheating here. Yes, I am aware that Physical Graffiti is a double album, but it’s my blog, so I get to pick it as a single recording. Since I can only choose one of their works, this is the most representative of everything Zep ever was or ever became. Blues still being the root of it all, but with the growing experimentation and effects and synth-playing that would become more and more common in later releases, especially on In Through the Out Door. What other band could have two songs as diametric in their catalog as Black Country Woman and
Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique: Outside of rock and roll, there is no other band that I have been into more than the Beastie Boys. Of course, they do their share of rocking, whether it’s sampling Led Zeppelin and The Beatles (as they do here on The Sounds of Science) or picking up and playing the instruments themselves, these three dudes from The Big Apple were groundbreaking, influential across multiple genres and just wicked talented. Paul’s Boutique has a little slice of everything. You get the humorous rhymes that they had built their reputation on with Licensed to Ill, but also get flecks of disco (Hey Ladies), metal (Lookin’ Down The Barrel Of A Gun), old school turntable-driven hip-hop (B-Boy Bouillabaisse and 3-Minute Rule), and stuff that can just be characterized as classic Beasties (Shake Your Rump, Egg Man, Shadrach). I’d want to launch myself off a cliff if I could never listen to the Beastie Boys again, so for the sake of staying alive on the island, Paul’s Boutique fits the bill. Yet again, no filler here. Every track is unique and kick-ass and the album is widely regarded as being the most Beastie record of them all because of all the different styles and influences that come together on this collection. For that reason, it’s the BB disc I can’t live without.
Duran Duran – Seven and the Ragged Tiger: Part 2 of my dive into pop music. My favorite record as a child. This was THE record that I listened to more than anything else, at least until Van Halen’s 1984 came out. I am without a doubt a product of the first MTV generation and I still remember sitting on my living room floor in
So, that’s it… Another long-winded blog from Cru on his musical tastes. Countless bands and records got left out of this list, but that’s part of the fun with an exercise like this.
So, what do you think of the list? What are your can’t-live-without discs? Why?
Discuss…
Rock on,
Cru
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The greatest soundtrack of all time... can there be just one?
What is it???
If I am rating soundtracks, I tend to think that there are two obvious elements to what makes a great one great. It has to stand on its own as a collection of music and it must add something to the film. Pretty obvious, right? I would also say that most good soundtracks have songs on them that instantly conjure up imagery associated with the film. Examples include:
Uma Thurman dancing around her living room singing along to Urge Overkill's version of "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" just before snorting an awfully big hit of heroin up her nose. If you don't know what movie that's from, I can't really help you. But for those that do, you know exactly what I mean.
Or how about one of the most obvious? John Cusack standing in Ione Skye's driveway, boombox held high overhead as Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" comes through as the perfect statement of his affection for and dedication to the love of his young life.
Ladies, if you hear Kenny Loggins' mid-80s hit "Playing With The Boys", do you not immediately flash back to the infamous, highly homo-erotic volleyball scene from Top Gun? Of course you do... or from the same film, who can hear "Take My Breath Away" from Berlin without thinking of that love scene with Cruise and McGillis where the closest you get to gratuitous nudity is the silhouette of their tongues as they make out like 8th-graders waiting for the late bus to bring them home?
A good soundtrack can unveil new music from an already established artist (Metallica: Mission Impossible 2, Singles: Pearl Jam), reintroduce an already well-loved song to a modern audience (Almost Famous: Tiny Dancer by Elton John, Reservoir Dogs: Stuck In The Middle With You by Gerry Rafferty) or introduce new artists to the general population (Reality Bites: Lisa Loeb, Garden State: The Shins).
So, I'll throw out some of my personal faves, with a quick note on each. What I really want to know is what your favorites are and why...
My top 5, in no order:
Singles - Pretty much every band I loved at the time was on this one and almost all the songs were new at the time, including tracks from Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins and Paul Westerberg. The relevance is that other than the Pumpkins, all the bands were from Seattle and most from the early 90s, which is when and where the film is set. Gotta love the cameos in the film from the boys from Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell, and Tad Doyle, as well as the live performances from Alice In Chains and Soundgarden.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High - Most easily identified with Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby", this is another soundtrack that is so perfectly suited to the film that you almost don't notice the music. Great cuts from Billy Squier, Joe Walsh, and Jimmy Buffett help round out a collection of late 70s era guitar rock that Jeff Spicoli probably still listens to while he's getting wasted in his bathroom.
The Breakfast Club - That John Hughes not only knew how to write and direct brilliant films about teenage living in the 80s, he also knew exactly what music to include. Trust me, everyone knows Simple Minds' career-defining hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)" and knows it's from this movie, but you also know every other nugget of music in the film, even if you have no idea who the artists that created it are or what the titles of the songs are.
The Wedding Singer - Almost self-explanatory, but a whole hell of a lot of 80s one-hit wonder artists are wanting to buy Adam Sandler a drink for helping them get a new influx of royalty checks in the late 90s. Classic 80s songs like Love My Way by Psychedelic Furs, Hold Me Now by Thompson Twins, How Soon Is Now? by the Smiths, and Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? by Culture Club, plus a bunch of other old favorites. Shit, it was so good, they released a second album's worth that was almost just as good... As comprehensive a soundtrack as there's ever been...
Pulp Fiction - How the fuck did Quentin Tarantino so perfectly nail the retro-chic look, feel and sound of this film? How did he combine Al Green, Urge Overkill, and Dick Dale so perfectly together to make a fluid, flowing soundtrack that is as easy to listen to on its own as it is vital to the film's success and pop culture iconic status? The answer is, I have no idea, but I'll keep listening to see if I can figure it out...
I realize I'm leaving out plenty of classics, but those are the ones that come to my mind. What are YOUR favorites???
Rock on,
Cru
If I am rating soundtracks, I tend to think that there are two obvious elements to what makes a great one great. It has to stand on its own as a collection of music and it must add something to the film. Pretty obvious, right? I would also say that most good soundtracks have songs on them that instantly conjure up imagery associated with the film. Examples include:
Uma Thurman dancing around her living room singing along to Urge Overkill's version of "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" just before snorting an awfully big hit of heroin up her nose. If you don't know what movie that's from, I can't really help you. But for those that do, you know exactly what I mean.
Or how about one of the most obvious? John Cusack standing in Ione Skye's driveway, boombox held high overhead as Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" comes through as the perfect statement of his affection for and dedication to the love of his young life.
Ladies, if you hear Kenny Loggins' mid-80s hit "Playing With The Boys", do you not immediately flash back to the infamous, highly homo-erotic volleyball scene from Top Gun? Of course you do... or from the same film, who can hear "Take My Breath Away" from Berlin without thinking of that love scene with Cruise and McGillis where the closest you get to gratuitous nudity is the silhouette of their tongues as they make out like 8th-graders waiting for the late bus to bring them home?
A good soundtrack can unveil new music from an already established artist (Metallica: Mission Impossible 2, Singles: Pearl Jam), reintroduce an already well-loved song to a modern audience (Almost Famous: Tiny Dancer by Elton John, Reservoir Dogs: Stuck In The Middle With You by Gerry Rafferty) or introduce new artists to the general population (Reality Bites: Lisa Loeb, Garden State: The Shins).
So, I'll throw out some of my personal faves, with a quick note on each. What I really want to know is what your favorites are and why...
My top 5, in no order:
Singles - Pretty much every band I loved at the time was on this one and almost all the songs were new at the time, including tracks from Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins and Paul Westerberg. The relevance is that other than the Pumpkins, all the bands were from Seattle and most from the early 90s, which is when and where the film is set. Gotta love the cameos in the film from the boys from Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell, and Tad Doyle, as well as the live performances from Alice In Chains and Soundgarden.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High - Most easily identified with Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby", this is another soundtrack that is so perfectly suited to the film that you almost don't notice the music. Great cuts from Billy Squier, Joe Walsh, and Jimmy Buffett help round out a collection of late 70s era guitar rock that Jeff Spicoli probably still listens to while he's getting wasted in his bathroom.
The Breakfast Club - That John Hughes not only knew how to write and direct brilliant films about teenage living in the 80s, he also knew exactly what music to include. Trust me, everyone knows Simple Minds' career-defining hit "Don't You (Forget About Me)" and knows it's from this movie, but you also know every other nugget of music in the film, even if you have no idea who the artists that created it are or what the titles of the songs are.
The Wedding Singer - Almost self-explanatory, but a whole hell of a lot of 80s one-hit wonder artists are wanting to buy Adam Sandler a drink for helping them get a new influx of royalty checks in the late 90s. Classic 80s songs like Love My Way by Psychedelic Furs, Hold Me Now by Thompson Twins, How Soon Is Now? by the Smiths, and Do You Really Want To Hurt Me? by Culture Club, plus a bunch of other old favorites. Shit, it was so good, they released a second album's worth that was almost just as good... As comprehensive a soundtrack as there's ever been...
Pulp Fiction - How the fuck did Quentin Tarantino so perfectly nail the retro-chic look, feel and sound of this film? How did he combine Al Green, Urge Overkill, and Dick Dale so perfectly together to make a fluid, flowing soundtrack that is as easy to listen to on its own as it is vital to the film's success and pop culture iconic status? The answer is, I have no idea, but I'll keep listening to see if I can figure it out...
I realize I'm leaving out plenty of classics, but those are the ones that come to my mind. What are YOUR favorites???
Rock on,
Cru
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Chinese Democracy, at last...
Well, I don't have to tell you that Chinese Democracy finally arrived, after however many years it's taken to put this record together. So let's just dive right into the review... And considering it took so long to get the record out, this review may turn out to be a little long, but that's only because I want to express my thoughts on the songs, and the band itself, in one complete review.
First off, despite the fact that Axl is the only original member left over, I do consider this a Guns N' Roses record. Although the personnel is different, there's not anything on the record that I think is a 100% complete departure from where Guns' original lineup could have gone, had they not imploded. Besides that, the sound of the guitars, Axl's voice, the production, the mix, the song structures are all very Guns... Some of the drum tracks are definitely departures from the Adler/Sorum style of play, but still, this is much more than Axl Rose's first solo record. Despite being an unbridled egomaniac, I think even Axl realizes that it was all of Guns N' Roses, not just his singing, that captured our attention for a six year period in the late 80s/early 90s and made them the biggest band in the world, if only for a little while.
Also, and I think this is important to point out, the way that Axl handled the packaging, credits and liner notes shows that he certainly feels this was a band project, not just using hired guns (no pun intended) to create the sound he wanted. The fact that he makes the effort to identify the players on each song, who handles the guitar solos, co-writing credits, etc shows that he is not trying to treat this as a 100% self-driven project. In reality, there has been more continuity in the lineup since the other originals left than most people choose to acknowledge. Tommy Stinson is the only bass player GnR has had since Duff's departure in 1997, Richard Fortus and Paul Tobias were the two 'Izzy' figures in the band that handled rhythm guitar duties, Brian Mantia played most of the drum tracks on the record, Dizzy Reed has been with GnR since 1990, and both Buckethead and especially Robin Finck were guitarists for the band for long stretches... My point is that despite the fact that there were so many people that were at some point attached or involved with this record, including Josh Freese, current drummer Frank Ferrer, current lead guitarist Ron Thal, Zakk Wylde, Jerry Cantrell, and Dave Navarro, the core players have been fairly consistent. And their contribution to the record is certainly palpable, in terms of performance and helping drive the record forward. Look at it this way, Buckethead hasn't been in the band for almost 5 years now, but his playing is still a major part of most of the songs on Chinese Democracy. Same with Robin Finck, who has only been gone for a year or two, but was involved in the project for the better part of 10 years.
So what about the songs, you ask? Well, despite the fact that Use Your Illusion was a double album's worth of material, there is a lot more diversity to the songs on Chinese Democracy than any other record GnR ever put out. Appetite for Destruction was the explosive energy of 5 guys that literally came from the streets and took a gang mentality to their version of rock and roll. GnR Lies saw them soften a bit and explore a quieter, softer side of things, as well as offering a "live" taste of their early raw sound which got them signed to Geffen. Use Your Illusion was the culmination of years of playing the Appetite-era songs and wanting to unload all the new material that had been created during the incessant touring that occurred during the 3 years after their debut release. Chinese Democracy is similar to Illusion in that sense, as it seems to me that this is a culling of the 'top' songs from the various musical movements and lineups that have happened since the breakup. The major difference is that Illusion was presented as the best 28 songs during the post-Appetite era (30 total tracks, but Don't Cry is on there twice and My World simply doesn't exist, in my opinion). The aforementioned post-Appetite era was only about 3-4 years long. Chinese Democracy is 14 tracks long, but it took 17 years to create (based on Illusion being their last original material, released in 1991). Which leads me to my analysis of the record itself.
First off, it took SEVENTEEN years to release this album. Sorry, but I can't ignore that. If Democracy had been released in 1996 or 1997, then I'd say it was something of a masterpiece. This is because there are so many new directions on this record, as well as several 'classic GnR' songs. So if this had all been spawned in a normal or even somewhat longer recording schedule, I'd herald it as something much greater than how I feel about it now. The fact that it took 17 years and has so many different flavors to it makes it feel more like a compilation to me than anything else. Supposedly, over 50 songs were written, recorded and completed in that time and one is forced to assume that the top cuts from each session are what made the final record. And I don't get that... The Rolling Stones are an obvious rock and roll band, but they made a country record, a disco-influenced record, and other less pronounced departures from their tried and true sound. REM helped create a unique flavor of rock music in the 80s, but they too released an electronic record and other experimental albums that often were difficult to recognize as being REM at all. U2 has gone through a number of different phases in their musical growth and each album of theirs represents a slight departure from the previous work and a step forward into new territory. The Beatles had a variety of different sounds for each of their albums, after breaking free of their initial pop image and songwriting style. Pink Floyd went through a number of different phases in their discography, but always maintained that true Floyd sound. The point is that when you think of those bands, and consider their lifetime of work, the collective opinion would be that they are some of the greatest bands in music history, even if they had some temporary departures from their signature sound.
In my opinion, Guns N' Roses is (or could be) that kind of band. Time will tell if they are held in the same regard as some of the other groups I just mentioned, but what I don't get is why we're getting a 'greatest hits' collection from the last 17 years instead of several complete albums that are each more deeply representative of the different phases GnR went through since Illusion came out. Why didn't they release the full industrial-influenced and electronic-heavy record whose sessions clearly spawned songs like the title track, Shackler's Revenge, Riad N' The Bedouins, Madagascar, and Oh My God (from the End of Days soundtrack, released in 99)? Why didn't they release another album of more traditional GnR fare like I.R.S., Street of Dreams, Catcher in the Rye, and This I Love? And lastly, why not put out a full album of where those two different phases led to, to create what I feel are the strongest cuts on the album and the most representative of what GnR would have naturally evolved into: Better, Scraped, Prostitute, There Was A Time, and If The World. Those tracks, heavy on the guitar, but with an updated sound that includes sampling and drum loops that serve the song well, instead of distracting from it, are the real gems of Chinese Democracy... Those are the ones that I hope show us where GnR may continue to go, although let's hope it doesn't take another 17 years to get a release from Axl and Co...
This is no profound opinion, but Axl has backed himself into a corner that I don't think Chinese Democracy will get him out of. That is, it will be impossible for it to be as universally accepted as Appetite for Destruction or Use Your Illusion. He simply tried to do too much with this record and, as a collective work, it seems to buckle under the weight of expectation. I applaud Axl and his co-collaborators for releasing an extremely listenable and solid rock and roll record. At long last he has put something out and it IS of a quality that you would expect. But compared to the other original works that GnR put out in its highly charged, but short-lived lifespan, Chinese Democracy seems less of a look forward to where the band is going, and instead is more of a surface-level recap of all the mystery and intrigue that surrounded the highly publicized, over-dramatized recording of the first album from Guns N' Roses version 2.0. In that sense, it's more like reading the Cliff's Notes version of a masterpiece of literature instead of totally immersing oneself into the full work. Let's hope Mr. Rose gives himself a dose of reality after the smoke clears and realizes that having a sonically superior record is not what causes people to love or hate a body of music. The production value is not nearly as important as having a record that helps its listeners try to understand whatever headspace the artists involved are occupying at that time. In that respect, Chinese Democracy has bright moments, but I think time will show that this record does more to detract from the Guns N' Roses legend than to add to it.
What do you think???
Rock on,
Cru
First off, despite the fact that Axl is the only original member left over, I do consider this a Guns N' Roses record. Although the personnel is different, there's not anything on the record that I think is a 100% complete departure from where Guns' original lineup could have gone, had they not imploded. Besides that, the sound of the guitars, Axl's voice, the production, the mix, the song structures are all very Guns... Some of the drum tracks are definitely departures from the Adler/Sorum style of play, but still, this is much more than Axl Rose's first solo record. Despite being an unbridled egomaniac, I think even Axl realizes that it was all of Guns N' Roses, not just his singing, that captured our attention for a six year period in the late 80s/early 90s and made them the biggest band in the world, if only for a little while.
Also, and I think this is important to point out, the way that Axl handled the packaging, credits and liner notes shows that he certainly feels this was a band project, not just using hired guns (no pun intended) to create the sound he wanted. The fact that he makes the effort to identify the players on each song, who handles the guitar solos, co-writing credits, etc shows that he is not trying to treat this as a 100% self-driven project. In reality, there has been more continuity in the lineup since the other originals left than most people choose to acknowledge. Tommy Stinson is the only bass player GnR has had since Duff's departure in 1997, Richard Fortus and Paul Tobias were the two 'Izzy' figures in the band that handled rhythm guitar duties, Brian Mantia played most of the drum tracks on the record, Dizzy Reed has been with GnR since 1990, and both Buckethead and especially Robin Finck were guitarists for the band for long stretches... My point is that despite the fact that there were so many people that were at some point attached or involved with this record, including Josh Freese, current drummer Frank Ferrer, current lead guitarist Ron Thal, Zakk Wylde, Jerry Cantrell, and Dave Navarro, the core players have been fairly consistent. And their contribution to the record is certainly palpable, in terms of performance and helping drive the record forward. Look at it this way, Buckethead hasn't been in the band for almost 5 years now, but his playing is still a major part of most of the songs on Chinese Democracy. Same with Robin Finck, who has only been gone for a year or two, but was involved in the project for the better part of 10 years.
So what about the songs, you ask? Well, despite the fact that Use Your Illusion was a double album's worth of material, there is a lot more diversity to the songs on Chinese Democracy than any other record GnR ever put out. Appetite for Destruction was the explosive energy of 5 guys that literally came from the streets and took a gang mentality to their version of rock and roll. GnR Lies saw them soften a bit and explore a quieter, softer side of things, as well as offering a "live" taste of their early raw sound which got them signed to Geffen. Use Your Illusion was the culmination of years of playing the Appetite-era songs and wanting to unload all the new material that had been created during the incessant touring that occurred during the 3 years after their debut release. Chinese Democracy is similar to Illusion in that sense, as it seems to me that this is a culling of the 'top' songs from the various musical movements and lineups that have happened since the breakup. The major difference is that Illusion was presented as the best 28 songs during the post-Appetite era (30 total tracks, but Don't Cry is on there twice and My World simply doesn't exist, in my opinion). The aforementioned post-Appetite era was only about 3-4 years long. Chinese Democracy is 14 tracks long, but it took 17 years to create (based on Illusion being their last original material, released in 1991). Which leads me to my analysis of the record itself.
First off, it took SEVENTEEN years to release this album. Sorry, but I can't ignore that. If Democracy had been released in 1996 or 1997, then I'd say it was something of a masterpiece. This is because there are so many new directions on this record, as well as several 'classic GnR' songs. So if this had all been spawned in a normal or even somewhat longer recording schedule, I'd herald it as something much greater than how I feel about it now. The fact that it took 17 years and has so many different flavors to it makes it feel more like a compilation to me than anything else. Supposedly, over 50 songs were written, recorded and completed in that time and one is forced to assume that the top cuts from each session are what made the final record. And I don't get that... The Rolling Stones are an obvious rock and roll band, but they made a country record, a disco-influenced record, and other less pronounced departures from their tried and true sound. REM helped create a unique flavor of rock music in the 80s, but they too released an electronic record and other experimental albums that often were difficult to recognize as being REM at all. U2 has gone through a number of different phases in their musical growth and each album of theirs represents a slight departure from the previous work and a step forward into new territory. The Beatles had a variety of different sounds for each of their albums, after breaking free of their initial pop image and songwriting style. Pink Floyd went through a number of different phases in their discography, but always maintained that true Floyd sound. The point is that when you think of those bands, and consider their lifetime of work, the collective opinion would be that they are some of the greatest bands in music history, even if they had some temporary departures from their signature sound.
In my opinion, Guns N' Roses is (or could be) that kind of band. Time will tell if they are held in the same regard as some of the other groups I just mentioned, but what I don't get is why we're getting a 'greatest hits' collection from the last 17 years instead of several complete albums that are each more deeply representative of the different phases GnR went through since Illusion came out. Why didn't they release the full industrial-influenced and electronic-heavy record whose sessions clearly spawned songs like the title track, Shackler's Revenge, Riad N' The Bedouins, Madagascar, and Oh My God (from the End of Days soundtrack, released in 99)? Why didn't they release another album of more traditional GnR fare like I.R.S., Street of Dreams, Catcher in the Rye, and This I Love? And lastly, why not put out a full album of where those two different phases led to, to create what I feel are the strongest cuts on the album and the most representative of what GnR would have naturally evolved into: Better, Scraped, Prostitute, There Was A Time, and If The World. Those tracks, heavy on the guitar, but with an updated sound that includes sampling and drum loops that serve the song well, instead of distracting from it, are the real gems of Chinese Democracy... Those are the ones that I hope show us where GnR may continue to go, although let's hope it doesn't take another 17 years to get a release from Axl and Co...
This is no profound opinion, but Axl has backed himself into a corner that I don't think Chinese Democracy will get him out of. That is, it will be impossible for it to be as universally accepted as Appetite for Destruction or Use Your Illusion. He simply tried to do too much with this record and, as a collective work, it seems to buckle under the weight of expectation. I applaud Axl and his co-collaborators for releasing an extremely listenable and solid rock and roll record. At long last he has put something out and it IS of a quality that you would expect. But compared to the other original works that GnR put out in its highly charged, but short-lived lifespan, Chinese Democracy seems less of a look forward to where the band is going, and instead is more of a surface-level recap of all the mystery and intrigue that surrounded the highly publicized, over-dramatized recording of the first album from Guns N' Roses version 2.0. In that sense, it's more like reading the Cliff's Notes version of a masterpiece of literature instead of totally immersing oneself into the full work. Let's hope Mr. Rose gives himself a dose of reality after the smoke clears and realizes that having a sonically superior record is not what causes people to love or hate a body of music. The production value is not nearly as important as having a record that helps its listeners try to understand whatever headspace the artists involved are occupying at that time. In that respect, Chinese Democracy has bright moments, but I think time will show that this record does more to detract from the Guns N' Roses legend than to add to it.
What do you think???
Rock on,
Cru
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