Album Listening Experience: The Christmas Edition

Ok everyone. I guess this is my bah humbug to the season. If we are really honest, the music of the the season is at best...mediocre. There are radio stations that dedicate their entire programming to holiday music. Amazingly enough, this can start shortly after Halloween. Seriously!!?? Now there are a couple of songs that are nice to hear and certainly reflect the season. But, do we need every country singer, pop personality, or American Idol top 10 finisher to record a CD of Christmas songs that were probably done better by someone who is in all likelihood more talented than they could ever hope to be?

As a die-hard rock and roller, I'm also ready to admit that most rock and rollers who have produced Christmas and holiday music should just stick to rebellion, cars, love, sex, and drugs as subject matter. Their efforts are generally weak.

When it comes to Christmas holiday music, it's best to stick with the traditional. There are some beautiful carols that fit the spirit of the season. These include songs like Silent Night, Joy to the World (not the Three Dog Night version) and others of that ilk. And...I never want to hear Jon BonJovi, Steven Tyler, Roger Daltry, or similar rock star (male or female) performing these songs.

I contend that sounds of the season are best when you stick with the tried and true. Dean Martin, Perry Como, and of course the immortal Bing Crosby will always fit in. White Christmas is probably the best pop holiday song of all time. Then there's either Mel Torme's or Nat King Cole's version of The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting...). Perry Como's It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas is another classic. Let's add in Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer (Gene Autry version). I think you see where I'm going with this.

I guess I have to mention some "rock and roll" stuff here. Surely Elvis' Blue Chrismas gets high marks. Let's not forget Brenda Lee Rockin Around the Christmas Tree, Bobby Helms and Jingle Bell Rock. And finally, the great Chuck Berry and Run, Run, Rudolph. To get to a couple more relevent artists, I guess John Lennon's Merry Christmas/War Is Over or Bruce Springsteen's version of Santa Clause Is Coming to Town are ok. I don't need to ever hear Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas or Paul McCartney's Wonderful Christmastime ever again. Just not very good songs. That goes for Feliz Navidad and Christmas In Hollis.

I didn't want to forget to mention such drivel as The Chimpmunk Song and the loathsome Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer...or maybe if I had my way, everyone would forget them. For me, the novelty songs are the worst of all...with the exception of Cheech and Chong's Santa Clause and His Old Lady.

As I write this I'm almost talking myself out of saying anything done in the modern era or rock and pop is really any good. In reality, there is some nice Christmas music. Some of it can actually be inspiring. What kills it for me is that it starts too early then gets played ad-nauseum until it really means little or nothing by the time the day to celebrate arrives.

I guess in reflecting further, my rant is just some personal opinions that really shouldn't be taken too seriously. I know that many people out there love the season and the music they hear plays a role in their enjoyment of the season.

For the few of you that read this, may the the Christmas holidays season and the music bring joy and hope to your lives that carries past December 25, the new year, and beyond.

As a final note, my last two posts have revolved around holiday related music. After the first of the year, I hope to get back to writing about rock music and and the bands and artists that make it great.

Halloween Edition of the Album Listening Experience

Ok everyone, now that I have you gathered together, you need to know that overall, I don't care much for Halloween. It really is another manufactured "holiday" that has gotten out of control. Sorry if I offend. That being said, I know there will be many parties this upcoming weekend and my goal here is to make sure that you get some music in the mix that goes with the theme of the holiday but a little different and maybe a little cooler than the requisite songs like: The Theme from Halloween, Monster Mash, Purple People Eaters, Thriller, or Werewolves of London (a cool song, just a little overplayed).

Let's start with the writer of "Werewolves". Make sure that you have Exitable Boy and Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner in the mix. For more about those songs, see my blog about the Exitable Boy album posted previously. Believe me, these songs fit.
Pink Floyd is an excellect source of cool yet appropriate music for the bash. Be Careful With That Axe Eugene, and One Of These Days and both lyrically sparce but come with eerie music. These songs also clearly make a point about using sharp objects to get the job done. The iconic Album, Dark Side of the Moon includes a song called Brain Damage.

Throw in I'll Be Watching You by the Police and Jump Into the Fire by the late/great Harry Nilsson. These songs sound like songs of devotion and love on the surface but are really about creapy obsessions and stalking.

Lord Sutch was a late 60's early 70's British rock star. Little known here, he did reach some level of stardom on the other side of the pond. The album Hands of Jack The Ripper contributes the title song for this list of Halloween tunes. Overall the album is awful but with with contributors such as Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page. Keith Moon, and others, the music tends to overpower his general lack of talent.

Let's add Alice Cooper to the Halloween song mix too. The undisputed king of shock rock would contribute songs like Sick Things, I Love the Dead. Halo of Flies, Dead Babies, and Killer.

Finally, I had to add the album cover below. The title of Who bassist John Entwistle's solo effort, "Rigor Mortis Set's In" is a bit misleading but the cover art is kind of cool. The album is mostly reworkings of 50's type rock and roll but Entwistle still contributed the song Boris the Spider while with The Who. This song is a must for your music mix.

Almost forgot...special thank to Robin for reminding me of this topic

Cover Versions-How To Do Them Right

I've been tossing around the topic of cover songs for a little while. There are those who believe that unless a song is done by the original artist, it's gonna suck. There are those that tend to think that it's an easy way to fill the content of an album. Keep in mind that many of the greats covered their contemporaties both very early in their careers and others that continue to include cover versions of songs as part of their work throughout their careers. The Beatles covered Twist and Shout and Roll Over Beethoven. The Stones covered Not Fade Away and Route 66. The Byrds practically built their career by covering Dylan songs like Mr. Tamborine Man, Chimes of Freedom, My Back Pages and others. Obviously, not all cover versions should be made. Just try listening to William Shatner's Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds or Behind Blue Eyes by Limp Bizkit.

There are some really fine albums of cover songs worth a listen. These albums usually come in two catagories: One artist who covers a variety of written by others or compilation albums of one artist's songs covered by a variety of artists. Here are some that I think are notable and worth a listen.

David Bowie-Pinups

There are some very fine versions of some great songs. Bowie is as much as a song stylist as a singer and and one of the most unique performers rock music has ever seen. Don't expect Pinups to have the flash of earlier works such as The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, or Alladin Sane. Bowie treats songs like Friday On My Mind (Easybeats), See Emily Play (Pink Floyd), Shapes of Things (Yardbirds), Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere (The Who) with respect then adds his usual flair. There more songs originally done by artists like The Kinks, Them (Van Morrison's original band), and The Pretty Things. This album also is the last studio album featuring members of Bowie's band The Spiders From Mars which features the great Mick Ronson on guitar.

Todd Rundgren-Faithful

Really, only side one features cover songs. On this album, Rundgren, the studio wizard, turns to Rundgren, the musician, who gives us spot-on versions of some great music. Try distinguishing his version of Good Vibrations from the Beach Boy's original. The other songs on side 1: Rain and Strawberry Fields (Beatles), If 6 Was 9 (Jimi Hendrix), Happenings Ten Years Ago (Yardbirds), Most Likely You Go Your Way (Dylan) are all performed with meticulous care, making sure he stays true to the original version. For me, this an enjoyable listen.

Dwight Yoakam-Under The Covers

While I'm not a fan of much of country music, I am a fan of Dwight Yoakam. This album shows that Yoakam is far from just a country artist. He runs the gamut; performing songs by artists as diverse as Roy Orbison, Sonny Bono, The Rolling Stones and The Clash. The album leads off with Orbison's Claudette then follows with Train in Vain (Clash). Other highlights for me are Things We Said Today (Beatles), Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb), and The Last Time (Stones). Dwight really is a fine singer and does a great job with these and the rest of the songs on this album.

Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon

I recently wrote about Zevon's Exitable Boy album. As I said there, I think Warren Zevon was a unique and great songwriter. Just as really notable artists showed up to help with the recording of Zevon's final album, The Wind, they also showed up for Sandwich. How's this for a lineup...Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me (Jackson Browne/Bonnie Raitt), My Ride's Here (Springsteen), Lawyers, Guns, and Money (Wallflowers), Reconsider Me (Steve Earle) and...wait for it...Werewolves of London performed by Adam Sandler. I hate to keep repeating myself but there are great songs performed by great artists (Yes, even Sandler does a great job). Warren's son Jordan gets to perform the previously unreleased compsition, Studebaker and other artists such as Don Henley, Bob Dylan, and long time friend Billy Bob Thorton make contributions. This is a fine compilation album that highlights songs from a cross section of Warren Zevon's career.

One Step Up, Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen is a prolific song writer who (like him or not) is right up there with people like Dylan, Paul Simon, and Lennon/McCartney as the greatest of the last 50 years or so. It's well known that he writes more songs than can ever make it to his albums. There's even been a multiple disc cd issued of great songs that just didn't make the cut on other albums issued. Well, One Step up is a 28 song, 2 disc compilation of Springsteen songs performed by a wide variety of artist both well known and obscure. With all the songs on this album, I can only mention a few here. Just like the Zevon compilation noted above, the diversity of artist is truly a tribute to the songs and artist that wrote them. The lineup of artists is staggering and includes John Hiatt, Joe Cocker, David Bowie, Richie Havens, Nils Lofgren, The Knack, Marshall Crenshaw, Ben E. King, Gary "U.S." Bonds, Donna Summer, Gene Clark, and more. Some of my favorites are Johnny 99(John Hiatt), Don't Look Back (The Knack), and Protection (Donna Summer). Just give it a listen.

Covers can be really bad...what could be worse than Shatner's spoken word version of Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds...or they can be great. There are plenty of the "great" variety mixed in on the albums mentioned here.

Led Zeppelin III: You Know...the "Acoustic One"

One of my major goals for the A.L.E is to go beyond the playlist classic rock radio presents to the listener. There is no shortage of Led Zeppelin on classic rock radio...there is however a shortage of "deep cuts". That brings me to Led Zeppelin III.

1970 brought a different Led Zep to the record buyers of the day. Zep I and II were powerful blues based heavy rockers. Those first two Zeppelin albums were the very definition of Hard Rock. Keep in mind, that those first 2 albums reached huge sales without the benefit of hit singles. Zeppelin was not dependent on the sales of singles (you know...45's) to push the album sales. In fact, AOR (album oriented radio or rock) thrived with Led Zepplin as a major artist for their programming philosophy. The legions of Led Zep fans who were waiting for the next Dazed and Confused or Whole Lotta Love would have to wait. What III did bring those fans was a more mature sound with Robert Plant emerging as a stronger song writing partner for Jimmy Page. What that also meant is that a different sound meant less than stellar reviews and lower sales.

In researching this album for this blog, I found that the music for III was heavily influenced by where the music was written and rehearsed. Page and Plant spent time at an 18th century cottage in Wales called Bron-Yr-Aur. That cottage did not have electricity so composing was restricted to the use of acoustic guitars. Rehearsal was at Headley Grange a rural mansion that provided a relaxed atmosphere for perfecting the songs written at Bron-Yr-Aur.

Despite the luke warm reviews, the music stands strong 40 years later. Side 1 features the harder edge songs. While III is the "acoustic Zep album" there is still heavy and electric included. With Immagrant's Song opening side 1, the listener no doubt finds the familiar driving guitars of Page, the powerful drums from John Bonham, and the wail of Plant much to their liking. The next song, Friends, is primarily acoustic and lets you know that this album isn't I or II. Celebration Day gets electric again. Since I've Been Loving You follows and is a Blues through-and-through...for me a highlight of the album. Side 1 ends with Out On the Tiles. One more shot of heavy rock.

Side 2 starts with Gallows Pole. I mentioned this song in my blog post "So You Think You Can't Rock On An Acoustic Guitar?" With the bass guitar as the only electric instrument, this is a great example on how you don't need electric guitars turned up to 11 to rock. Tangarine may be the best song on the album. Page's beautiful acoustic intro riff, sets the stage. Plant shows he can really sing and the addition of a pedel steel guitar adds to the atmosphere. That's The Way, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp and Hat's Off to Roy Harper all show Page's skills with different acoustic guitar styles. Simpy put, this is a great album side...unfortunately, not enough people have heard anything past Gallows Pole.

Led Zeppelin were a unique and influential force in Rock Music. Their style was unmistakable. Their talents undeniable. Few will list Led Zeppelin III as their favorite or their best album. Their isn't a Stairway to Heaven among the songs but then, maybe that is part of it's strength and among the reasons that I appreciate that album. Strong songs performed well in a variety of styles. I was reacquainted to this album when I borrowed my son's car for an errand and Zep III was in the CD player. I'm glad that was in the player that day.

Overlooked, Forgotten, Filed Away...and a Guilty Pleasure or Two

You know, these days commercial radio is just flat out sucks. As much as I love the Classic Rock era, I can only take so much of the play list that seems to be in continuous rotation. With that in mind, I want to point out a few artists and songs that are either rarely heard and sometimes never heard because of how commercial radio is so narrowly programmed. Search this stuff out on I-tunes or your favorite music download source. I promise that you will find some gems.


Movie soundtracks: So I Married an Axe Murderer is a quirky and sometimes funny movie which introduced me to The La's "There She Goes" this is a bright pop tune with a real catchy guitar hook. Speaking of guitar hooks Pixar's Cars opens with Sheryl Crow's "Real Gone". I don't care much for Crow for the most part but there is something about the chunky guitar riff in this song, turned up loud that just sounds great (definitely one of my guilty pleasures). Finally, the Princess Bride ends with a great Mark Knopfler composition sung by Willie DeVille "Storybook Love".



A little more on Mark Knopfler... This guy may be the most understated and under rated superstar in music. He's a brilliant guitarist and fine song writer. If you just listen to the hits like Sultan's of Swing, or Money for Nothing, you are missing out. Here's three from some of his solo work that are simply great songs. Try "Sailing to Philidelphia", "What It Is", or "Why Aye Man" for size and you'll see what I mean.


JJ Cale is a guy that has been part of the music world for a long time. He wrote songs like After Midnight and Cocaine (hits for Eric Clapton), The Sensitive Kind (Santana) and Call Me the Breeze (Lynyrd Skynyrd). Give Cale's versions a listen. In my world, his versions are better than the covers...although Clapton's cover of Cocaine is basically note for note the same as Cale's.


Let me introduce you to Marshall Crenshaw. He's a singer, songwriter, and actor. He played John Lennon on Broadway (Beatlemania). He played Buddy Holly in LaBamba, and he showed up on Nickalodian's The Adventures of Pete & Pete. He also produced some great power pop songs like Someday,Someway; Mary Anne, Cynical Girl, and Whenever You're On My Mind.


From the realm of forgotten/overlooked, listen to some Link Wray (and the Raymen). Link was a guitarist that got his start in the late 50's and who is every bit as influential to rock and roll guitarists as Chuck Berry. Greats like Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young all list him as an influence. Rumble, released in 1958 is a landmark song. I recommend that you add some other Link Wray tunes like Jack the Ripper & Ace of Spades to your digital music device.


Step away from the mundane, repetitious world of commercial radio for a while. Listen to more than the "hits" the programmers are feeding you. Whatever genre of music is your favorite, there is more out there than what's on the radio.

A Quiet Normal Life?...Not Warren Zevon...Excitable Boy

I haven't given this blog much attention lately and so far I have alternated an album review with a topic about music in general. Today, I turn my attention to the third issue by the great Warren Zevon. Warren left us much too early a few years ago but back in 1978, he went from quirky contemporary of such southern California mellow rockers such as Jackson Browne, The Eagles, and Linda Ronstadt to a commercial success in his own right. He had gained a measure of success with his self titled album when Linda Ronstand recorded Poor,Poor, Pitiful Me and Hasten Down the Wind. Exitable Boy was new territory for Zevon. Produced by Jackson Browne and guitarist Waddy Wachtel, showed that Zevon went a bit deeper and quite a bit farther off center than his more mellow friends like Browne or Henley/Frey of the Eagles






It's difficult to separate Zevon from his most well known song. Werewolves of London. He considered the song a throwaway but at the urging of Browne, it was included on the album and issued as the first single. It turned out to be the only song Zevon performed that placed in the American top 40. As with many hits, Werewolves is not Zevon's best song...in fact, it isn't even the best song on this album. Personally, I prefer 4 songs on Excitable Boy over the hit.





Let's start with the title track. It's a happy little ditty about a guy that has some behavioral control problems that include being less than a gentleman with his junior prom date. Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner is another story song. This time it's about a mercenary who is so good at his job that he makes some enemies while doing his job. He does manage to exact his revenge in the end though. Next, we can listen to another story...Lawyers, Guns, and Money is about an operative who is a bit less successful than say... James Bond. Finally, there's Accidently Like a Martyr which is a wonderful song about a doomed relationship. Trust me, Warren Zevon does not write anything conventionally.



What helps this album stand out is that Zevon is surrounded by great musicians and performers. How about a lineup that includes Mick Fleetwood and John McVie of Fleetwood Mac. Let's not forget Jackson Browne, backup singers Linda Ronstadt, Jennifer Warnes along with such great studio musicians such as Waddy Wachtel, Rick Morotta, Leland Sklar, and Bob Glaub.


Give this one a listen. Warren Zevon was no ordinary song writer. Excitable Boy may be the best example of how Zevon could pen a sensitive intelligent ballad then turn around and give you the macabre story of the revenge of a headless mercenary.





I am a fan of Warren Zevon and so are some of music's finest. After you spin Excitable Boy on the old turntable, follow it up by slipping The Wind into the CD player. Zevon recorded this album after receiving the diagnosis of incurable lung cancer in 2002. It starts with more great Warren Zevon compositions and gets the support of people like Tom Petty, Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, and Dwight Yoakam. Now that's how to make a farewell album.

So You Think You Can't Rock Out On An Acoustic Guitar????

The rise of rock and roll seems to be married to the amplification of the guitar. With the Fender Telecaster in 1951, Stratocaster in 1954, and Gibson Les Paul in 1952, this hybrid of country and blues music dubbed "Rock and Roll" had found the fuel to drive it's popularity. As the popularity of the music grew, the guitar players became stars in their own right. As the electric guitar became synonomous with the style, the acoustic guitar faded from prominence. Often it was only a prop for the singer. I mean, how much did Elvis actually strum those guitars in all those movies. A verse or two into the song, he got busy singing to the girl and a side man in the production number had taken the guitar away to the background. Well, I'm here to tell you...the acoustic guitar can rock just as hard as it's electrified brother!

Obviously, examples are needed. Let's start with the The Rolling Stones...yes, the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band knew how to rock the acoustic. Early in their career, they covered the great Buddy Holly song "Not Fade Away". In 1964, the Bo Diddly beat that drives the song was played on an acoustic guitar to great effect. The Stones released Beggars Banquet in 1968. One of the highlights of this album is the hard driving "Street Fighting Man." While the meaning was somewhat ambiguous, the strength and power of the song is undeniable. It opens with an open tuned acoustic guitar ringing out the opening riff and continues with multi-layered acoustics through the end of the song. You think acoustics can't rock? Well on this tune, the only electric instrument on the song is a bass guitar.

Let's check out another band capable of rocking the acoustic. Yes, off to the left is Jimmy Page playing an acoustic guitar. Led Zeppelin, those iconic hard rockers produced more than a couple of great rock songs driven by acoustic guitars. For Led Zeppelin III Page and Plant adapted a traditional song about that tells the story of a condemned man pleading for someone to buy his freedom in the song "Gallows Pole". Once again, the song features acoustic instruments providing a bulk of the music for this tune and , like Street Fighting Man, the only electric instrument used on the song is a bass guitar. You can also look to Zep for other acoustic rockers like "Ramble On" from Zep II, "The Battle of Evermore" from IV (ok, lots of mandolin on this one), and "Over the Hills and Far Away" from Houses of the Holy.







Who else can we look at as truly acoustic rockers..."Who" indeed.....
The Who and more specifically, Pete Townshend know that the acoustic guitar is as essential to rock and roll as the electric guitar. It started early in their career with the song "Substitute". Pete tended to play with a fury during live performances. This shows in the way he played his trusty Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar. "Magic Bus" is another song featuring a Bo Diddley beat with the guitar. It may be one of the best examples of using the the acoustic to drive the beat of a song. Perhaps the signature song for a rocking out on an acoustic guitar is Pinball Wizard. Townshend impossibly sychopatic strumming throughout the song is as distictive and any electric guitar riff you could name. As a hopeful guitar player, my aspiration is that someday I may be able to duplicate that strum pattern...not likely though. Townshend has performed many of these songs solo with only an acoustic over the years including "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled Again".

How did these guys learn to make the acoustic guitar really rock? It actually goes back to before the rock and roll explosion. Let's give credit where credit is due. At the beginning of this piece, I called this rock and roll music we love a hybrid of country and the blues. Just listen to the playing of some of often forgotten and overlooked artists such as Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Mississippi John Hurt, and blues artists that followed such as Elmore James, Bo Diddly, and John Lee Hooker.

These are the people that really are the pioneers of what eventually became rock and roll. And...they did it by playing acoustic guitars.

Rod Stewart At His Peak

Rod Stewart’s career has been lengthy, sometimes controversial, and always interesting. In my opinion, he was never better than he was in 1971 when Every Picture Tells a Story was released. Rod’s early career through the early to late 60s had him working with a who’s-who of the British rock scene. Being involved with people like Mick Fleetwood, Brian Auger, Long John Baldry (a great overlooked singer), Peter Green, and Jeff Beck, can prepare you pretty well for the rock stardom that was to come. His first two solo albums, The Rod Stewart Album and Gasoline Alley though uneven, had enough solid material to show the promise of things to come.

I still remember hearing Maggie May everywhere I went during the fall of my freshman year of college. Stewart’s raspy whiskey tinged voice retold the story of a young man learning about “love” through the guidance of an older woman. The record buying public was hooked on Rod Stewart. It was initially intended to be the “B”side of a single with another song off the album, Reason To Believe, the “A” side.

Do you kids know what 45 rpm singles were back in the day???

The success of Maggie May tends to overshadow the greatness of the rest of the album. Side one starts off with the title track which gives us a glimpse of things to come in Rod‘s career. Co-written by Ronnie Wood, this rocker also employs other members of the Faces to kick off the album on a proper tone. Also on side one is a reworking the Arthur Crudup tune, That’s All Right which helped launch Elvis’ career as the King’s first single. Rod covers a wonderful Bob Dylan tune, Tomorrow is Such a Long Time to close out side one. In my world, of all the great cover versions there are of Bob Dylan compositions, it would be hard to find one better. I think of the love of my life in the lyrics of the final verse every time I listen to this song.

Side 2 leads off with Maggie May but certainly doesn’t stop there. Mandolin Wind is a beautiful ode to the power and endurance of love through difficult times. Written by Stewart, it is as great a performance as any of Rod’s more successful commercial tunes. Rod’s cover of the Motown song, I Know I’m Losing You, is a better version than the hit single by Rare Earth. Stewart then ends the album with the hopeful Reason To Believe.

The album cover itself is not extremely remarkable. The front cover features a picture of Rod captured on stage with microphone and stand in hand while performing. As one of the best live performers of the era while sharing the stage with Faces, this is a apt visual to introduce you to Stewart. The back of the cover simply features the song titles presented as you might purchase them on sheet music from an era that has passed us by. This presentation however is also quite apt. This album of music features one of rock’s greatest and most unique voices performing great songs. After all, isn’t that where it starts…great songs. Whether penned by Dylan, Tim Hardin, Arthur Crudup, or Rod Stewart, the music doesn’t endure without great songs.

I Don't Hate Digital Music

You know, while I love the experience of setting that 12" LP on the turntable, sitting back and listening to a record in it's analog brilliance, I do appreciate aspects of digital music...specifically that little mp3 player that fits in your pocket, is capable of holding hundreds if not thousands of songs, and makes it possible to throw together your own variety of song mixes with literally touches of the fingertips. I admit, the majority of my music listening time is spent with the little headphones jammed into my ears. You may have noticed that I described that digital device as an mp3. I'm in the minority in that I actually don't have an I-pod. I have a little more than 800 songs on my Sony mp3 player and will regularly add or eliminate songs from the player as suits my moods.

I appreciate it when I rediscover a song long forgotten and by downloading I can avoid the purchase of the entire Time-Life 10 disc set that is one of the few places to get it anymore. Those one-hit wonders...great songs that brought the songwriter or performer brief fame can now be obtained much easier than ever before.

I get enjoyment from the fact that the mp3 is like my own radio station. I can just let the player roll through the list and I'll have everything from AC/DC to T-Bone Burnett in the course of a listening session. I love the ability to have about 6 versions of Sweet Jane all in a row...done by the Cowboy Junkies, Mott the Hoople, along with multiple versions by Lou Reed including the original Velvet Underground version. I like that I have Pinball Wizard in it's original version, demo version, solo acoustic by Pete Townshend, and by Pete with his band Deep End. Then (as I sit here unable to sleep) there are the "midnight" songs: Midnight Confessions by the Grass Roots, Midnight Man by the James Gang, Midnight Rambler by the Stones, Midnight Rider by the Allman Bros, and Midnight Train by Buddy Guy and Jonny Lang.

Yeah, I appreciate the convenience, variety, programming ability, and portablity of the little black retangular wonder. But still...watching the black disc turning at 331/3 rpms, gently setting the needle on to the spinning disc, hearing the brief pop and hiss just before the music starts, then hearing the music flow from the speakers in the room...that's still the best way to listen in my world.

Let's Talk About Great Music

You know, I like to think that the music I love as I came of age in the late 60's and early 70's can't be topped by what has come since. Those of us of that generation (aka "geezers") sometimes act as though there wasn't much other than Elvis, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Holly prior to the whirlwind that was the Beatles and certainly very little since that time that can measure up to that golden age of "classic rock" (more about that in future blogs). Well, while flipping stations the other night, I came upon a Time-Life Music informercial hosted by....

BOBBY GOLDSBORO!

This poor guy has been botoxed and lasered (with bad rug added) until he is nearly unrecognizable from the 60's pop singer who performed such hits as Honey (an uplifting song about his dead love), See the Funny Little Clown, and Watching Scotty Grow. The royalties must be running out or he has another laser/botox treatment coming up cause why else would he do something like this.

Bobby then

Anyhow, it got me thinking that while I will extoll the greatness of such bands, artists, and songwriters like The Beatles, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, etc. ...We had our share of stinkers as well. I mean really, can my generation be proud of allowing a band called the 1910 Fruitgum Company have hits with songs like Yummy, Yummy, Yummy (I Got Love In My Tummy) and Goody, Goody, Gumdrops?

Yeah, no doubt the 80's and the 90's and the 21st century doesn't have the monopoly of shitty music. Heck, let's talk about those manufactured groups that recording companies and talent agents pasted together as machines to sell pre-packaged pop slop to the upcoming and impressionable pre-teens
and teen sheep with money in their pockets. Sure, we've seen the New Kids on the Block, and the Spice Girls and groups of their ilk over the last couple of decades. And yes their music was highly forgettable. Well everyone, let's not forget that back in the day, my generation had

The Archies! The Archies were quite the little enigma. These cartoon characters had the biggest hit of 1969 with the mega hit Sugar, Sugar! We never really had any human faces to associate with this bunch. Let's also throw the Partridge family into this waste basket of a catagory. Keith actually sang and Shirley had starred on both Broadway and in Hollywood musicals but did anyone believe that the rest of the fam could read a note of music? We also gotta put the Monkees into this catagory since they were put together to star in a TV series. The thing with the Monkees is that they either were or became musicians during the course of the show and they also had the privlege of performing songs written by people like Neil Diamond, and Boyce and Hart.

For heaven's sake, even the great Johnny Cash had to go through the embarrassment of singing

...A Boy Named Sue. For the love of God! the Man In Black! The badass of Ring of Fire and Folsom Prison Blues recorded this silly song?

So let me be clear, no matter what musical generation you have hitched yourself to. No matter where your musical loyalties lie, you can be sure that there was plenty of crappy music available during that time as well. If you want further proof, spend some time watching Bobby Goldboro host Time/Life's infomercial, Pop Memories of the 60's. Once you get past Bobby's very odd helmet like hair, you'll see that the beloved 60's produced a decent number of lousy artists doing bad music and even some great artists producing lousy music.

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Lou Reed the Rock and Roll Animal

Imagine...the lights of the theater are dim...the rustle and mumble of the audience is all that can be heard...the lights go out. Then, from the darkness of the stage the unmistakeable searing tone of a Gibson Les Paul overwhelms the crowd noise. The rest of the band quickly jumps in for a few minutes that let you know that this will be no ordinary show. The intro winds down...a series of power chords ring out then transitions into a familiar riff. A spotlight focuses on the microphone at center stage. the singer steps up..."Standin' on the corner, Suitcase in my hand..."

In 1974, Lou Reed assembled a killer band, unveiled a different look, a gave us incredible new reworkings of some of his best work as a member of the legendary Velvet Underground. Rock and Roll Animal is simply one of the best live albums of the Rock Era.

There are only five tracks on this LP and with over 40 minutes of music, the tracks are long. Side 1 consists of 2 songs. The already mentioned Sweet Jane and Heroin. Side 2's cuts are White Light/White Heat, Lady Day, and Rock and Roll. All the songs were penned by Reed. For me, the highlight is Sweet Jane. This is one of Rock's great songs and this version jumps off the vinyl with the power of it's performance. Heroin is 13+ minutes describing the lure, exstacy, and torture that are all part of the addiction to the drug. Reed's voice may be an acquired taste but somehow suits the songs perfectly.

The band! simply. SMOKES! Led by the dual guitars of Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter the musicians nearly steals the show. This group had their roots in the great Detroit rock scene of the late 60s. They also provided a lot of the muscle behind some of Alice Cooper's work during that time. The great songs don't stand alone, the band completes the performance.



The album itself features shaky focus pictures of an androgynous looking Reed with black being the color that dominates. Inside the book style album cover is a black and white photo of the band with the sparse credits above them.

Live albums are, for the most part, lesser versions of music that was much better served with the benefit of studio production. Most of those albums should be titled "We don't have any good new material so let's put out these live versions of our best known songs to fulfill our contract obligations". Rock and Roll Animal is one of the very notable exceptions. As with all the records I talk about on this blog, this one should be listened to in it's entirety...don't miss anything on this album.

Doppleganger Faceoff-The Who vs. Led Zeppelin

Well, I've had this theory for a while about these two great bands who made lasting impacts on the world of rock music. Led Zepplin is The Who's doppleganger. What that you say? Well do any of you remember the Sienfeld episode were the characters all meet up with another similar group that look and act just like Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer? Well, that's kind of what we have here. Let'a examine the evidence shall we.

Just a little history here. Members of the Who are basically known as members of the Who. As a band, they were formed originally in the early 60's and their original name was the High Numbers. Zep was put together later in the 60's. At that time, Jimmy Page was a sessions musician showing up on records by such people as Brenda Lee, the Rolling Stones (Heart of Stone), The Kinks debut album, and interestingly enough, The Who's first single "I Can't Explain". When Zep was being put together, Page and Plant actually recruited the Who's Entwistle and Moon as bassist and drummer. While he didn't join the band, Moon did contribute the name the name of the band when he said a band featuring Page and guitarist Jeff Beck would go over like a lead zeppelin.

Each piece of the machines that were Led Zeppelin and The Who bear striking similarities to each other in appearance, performance, and contributions to their respective bands.

Guitarists: Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page were the creative geniuses of the bands. Both were the primary songwriters and contributed heavily to the studio process thus the eventual sound of the records. On stage, they were major focal points for the live shows. Pete's windmill strums, jumps, slides, and famous guitar smashing set a standard for what the rebellious tone of rock was meant to be. Page was no less flamboyant with the feedback and famous violin bow effect used on stage.



Lead Singers: Ok, just look at the pictures. These pictures should be in the dictionary along side the word doppleganger. Roger Daltrey and Robert Plant on stage at the peak of their band's popularity were the essence of what a front man on stage is supposed to be. The long flowing locks, the open shirt bare chest. (the stuffed tight pants?). While I don't lean that way, these guys were the sexual focal point of the band. They both provided fuel to the runaway train that was a live performance for these bands. Plant surely provided more to the creative process as a partner to Page in the song writing process.


Drummers: Keith Moon and John Bonham are probably rock music's most iconic time keepers (next to Ringo Starr of course). Moon's frenetic but musical style did more than just keep the beat. On stage, his manic performances matched the chaos of Townshends whirling, physical playing. I'm not sure anyone hit the skins harder than Bonham. The shear power of his playing was so essential to the sound of the Zep that upon his death, the dissolution of the band was announced. Sadly, the similarities they shared as members of their bands also carried over into their personal lives where the excesses of those life styles led to early deaths.

Bassists: These guys were the stability on stage among the nearly out of control frenzy that marked the rest of the band during live shows. While chaos was happening all around them, John Entwistle and John Paul Jones supplied the solid basis for the music and the performance on stage. Within the band, both were probably also the best overall musicians in the band playing multiple instruments.

Other similarities? Both bands did "sell out" Zep allowed their song "Rock and Roll" to be used in a Cadillac commercial (how 'bout that for rock rebellion?). The Who? Jeez, many of you young kids out there just know them from the opening credits of whatever CSI TV show you choose to watch....YEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!! They also titled an album "The Who Sell Out".

What does this all have to do with the Album Listening Experience? Not that much other than it is a fun comparison. I will at some point share an actual Listening Experience of one or more of these band's albums...but that's for another day.