Tag Archives: Simon and Garfunkel

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 8/1-5/17

06 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by in Records, Silent Sunday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

This week’s haul spans several days as we visited Underdog Records on Tuesday upon our return from Raleigh, seeing Belle and Sebastian. So it’s extra long today. Let’s hit it!

Peter_criss_solo_album_cover

©Casablanca/UMe

 

So, as you can see, that’s a pretty good haul. Some stuff we’re really excited to get, some we just needed for the collection and some “must haves.” It’s always fun to go in Underdog Records. We have a little community that we’ve formed being customers over there. I know Jonathan has a few quality turntables for sale in the store right now and some receivers and speakers, as well. If you’re looking to get into vinyl for the first time, or again, or just want/need to upgrade your setup, then you’ve choices over there. And, we all use Discogs to manage and archive our collection (and to provide you links for this blog).

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“My house! Is out of the ordinary. That’s right! Don’t wanna hurt nobody. Some things sure can sweep me off my feet. Burning down the house.” – “Burning Down the House” (Frantz, Byrne, Harrison, Weymouth)

Silent Sunday or: The Haul 7/8/17

09 Sunday Jul 2017

Posted by in Records, Silent Sunday

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

It was one of our favorite hauls, yet. Underdog Records just had it going on, yesterday. The BCPF and I picked some classic stuff up, for sure. We really didn’t get to listen to a lot of different stuff because we were listening to two albums that were 3 LPs, big. I’ll explain as we go on. Here we go:R-5560361-1460298207-7799.jpeg

So you can see, we picked up some great stuff. We were excited. Get over to Underdog Records between Tuesday and Saturday and grab records, accessories and just good music conversations. Listen to The Less Desirables episodes every week to hear what the current Underdog/TLD deals are. And, if you’re not using Discogs to archive and catalog your collection, then you’re truly missing out.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Fitter, happier. More productive. Comfortable. Not drinking too much. Regular exercise at the gym, three days a week. Getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries. At ease. Eating well, no more microwave dinners and saturated fats. A patient, better driver. A safer car, baby smiling in back seat. Sleeping well, no bad dreams. No paranoia. Careful to all animals, never washing spiders down the plughole. Keep in contact with old friends, enjoy a drink now and then. Will frequently check credit at moral bank, hole in wall. Favours for favours, fond but not in love. Charity standing orders on Sundays, ring-road supermarket. No killing moths or putting boiling water on the ants. Car wash, also on Sundays. No longer afraid of the dark or midday shadows, nothing so ridiculously teenage and desperate. Nothing so childish. At a better pace, slower and more calculated. No chance of escape. Now self-employed. Concerned, but powerless. An empowered and informed member of society, pragmatism not idealism. Will not cry in public. Less chance of illness. Tires that grip in the wet, shot of baby strapped in backseat. A good memory. Still cries at a good film. Still kisses with saliva. No longer empty and frantic. Like a cat. Tied to a stick. That’s driven into frozen winter shit, the ability to laugh at weakness. Calm, fitter, healthier and more productive. A pig in a cage on antibiotics.” – Fitter Happier (Yorke, Greenwood, O’Brien, Greenwood, Selway)

Music Is A World Within Itself or: I Stand Up Next To A Mountain (RS Part 45)

21 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by in Music Review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

The last segment of the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time was intense. Some great stuff in that. We’re now in the Top 60. I’m whittling them down one piece at a time and speaking of which… let’s hit it!

#60 – Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band. Anyone want to guess what I know about Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band? Think about it for a second, I’ll wait. (whistles… taps foot… raps fingers on table)… That’s right I know 1trout_mask_replicaabsolutely nothing about them. In fact, other than maybe in passing, I’ve never even heard of them. Yes, I know that floors you, Dear Reader, and yet, comes as no surprise, whatsoever. All that said, I really wish I still didn’t know who it was and I really wish I hadn’t heard this. I remember being in high school, having only played the bass for about 2 years and getting together with a bunch of other high school musicians who also hadn’t played very long and never in a “band.” What we pulled out of our arses noodling around on instruments we barely knew our way around sounded 800x better than this. The mere fact that Frank Zappa had anything to do with it makes me question my respect for him and that was spotty to begin with. I did some research to find out more about the album before I passed harsh judgement but nothing in my readings made me feel any better about this. All I read was about how important it is and how the Magic Band was a “well-rehearsed” band for these recordings. The construction site across from the studio makes better music than this when they’re running the cement mixer, running a brick saw, riveting aluminum studs and hauling stuff around the building on heavy equipment. This is an hour+ that I will never get back. I don’t care about the “importance” of it, it sucks. Pure and simple. It’s gawd-awful. The fact that it’s on this list at all, much less Top 60? That is an atrocity. There’s no explaining to me how important or fantastic it is, because no matter the significance, there’s no changing that I got a headache from it and wanted to step in front of a passing city bus while and after listening to it. I hated this.

#59 – Chronicle by Creedence Clearwater Revival. 20 “greatest hits.”

#58 – Beggar’s Banquet by The Rolling Stones. With the exception of a few songs, this is certainly not my favorite Stones album. There are so many Stones albums that could have 1beggar_banquetsat this high, in my opinion. I’ve never made it a secret that I don’t like the bluesier stuff. This was a return to their roots (read: more blues) than the nearest previous stuff. To ME, this is less Stones than I’m used to. I know, too, that it was the last album released while Brian Jones was alive. So, there’s some kind of creepiness there, although I’m used to hearing stuff from people who have passed on. I remember listening to Pearl, it was creepy knowing that Janis had died after recording it, even one song instrumental because she died mere days before the scheduled vocal session. Creepy. Okay, sorry. To me, this album drags, almost the whole time. I like “Sympathy for the Devil” (one of my favorite Stones songs) and “Street Fighting Man.” But, the rest, meh. I can look back on this entire list and find almost any other Stones album and put it before this one. I’m not saying it doesn’t belong on the list, I get its importance. I just think most of the other albums on this list should, could or would be higher. Even the last that we listened to, Sticky Fingers, much better album than this. Tattoo You, Some Girls, all should have been higher than this, certainly higher than they were. I don’t get it, other than that roots mess. Meh, at best.

#57 – Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder. I’ll admit that this is what I listened to after Captain Beefheart and it was so refreshing to hear actual rhythms that made sense and notes that sounded like they belonged with each other. Again, the beauty you got with many of the Stevie Wonder albums is the fact that he played, not only his own 1songs_in_the_key_of_lifeinstruments but most of the instrumentation was done by him. Of course, he had guest players and this there was a great deal of them: “Maniac” Mike Sambello, Nathan Watts, Raymond Pounds, George Benson, Minnie Riperton, Herbie Hancock, just to name a few. The guest list was extensive. It’s jazz, it’s rock, it’s R&B, it’s soul, it’s everything. Great ballads, jammy jazz riffs and swinging horn sections, oh yeah! “Sir Duke.” ‘Nuff said with that. Well, maybe not ’nuff said. This album would be worth it alone just for that tune. Luckily, there’s a shload more on here to enjoy in addition. How in the world did I not know that Coolio totally ripped off Stevie with “Pastime Paradise?” I was like what the heck is that!? And, Coolio had any room to get upset when ‘Weird Al’ used “Gangsta Paradise” as one of his parodies? Yeah, perhaps he had permission from Stevie to use it, but still, it was only partly his to complain about. This version is the best of all of them, I say. I have to say, too, that synth basses in 1976 were actually more advanced than I realized. Stevie plays the crap out of it, too. The runs are like someone actually playing bass. When it is bass, it’s Nathan Watts.”I Wish,” “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Joy Inside My Tears” are some of my faves on this album. I have the video for the Classic Albums series on this album. I’ll have to break that out and watch it again. Great album from a great artist! DUG!

#56 – Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley. The King. I’ve never been a fan, but I’ve never really disliked him, either. I’ve recognized his contributions but haven’t given him a fair shake, and I’ll fully admit that; I’m not proud of it. The one that started it all. To many, it’s what actually started the rock and roll movement, setting the tone and path that pretty much everything that has been released since has followed. Even the mighty Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones pretty much owe their existence to this album, in my opinion. I certainly recognize its importance. The funny thing about this album is there are no songs over 2:43 long. So much RnR history in 28 minutes. The legendary musicians that contributed to this album is also worth mentioning: Floyd Cramer, Chet Atkins, Shorty Long and D.J. Fontana along with Elvis’ backers, Bill Black and Scotty Moore make this album a good record. These aren’t my favorite Elvis tunes, by any means, but the album is well recorded and mixed even for 1956. Some of it, I can hear and picture that rushed, deliberate performances that was common and expected from that era. A culmination of rock, soul and country & western all on one album. That would be all but unheard of these days. It’s a really good album and I promise myself, and you, Dear Listener, I’ll try to get to more Elvis and give it that “fair shake” I mentioned earlier. Some of my faves: “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I Got a Woman,” “I Love You Because,” “I’ll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin’),” “Blue Moon” 1jimi_hendrix_-_electric_ladylandand “Money Honey.” This was the first rock and roll record to sell one million copies, which makes sense since it was one the first rock records. I dug it!

#55 – Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix. After the last Hendrix album I was apprehensive, especially since I’ve never really been a Hendrix fan. I don’t know what it was, but as luck would have it, it was a rare instance where I listened to one of the albums via headphones. That really has only happened on about four albums over the course of this entire countdown. No more than six. This is definitely what my buddy, Eug would call a “headphones album.” Lots of panning effects and not just sitting stationary in one position. Plus, the whole album is atmospheric and full “bodied.” The imagery of the subject matter is also vibrant. This is well, written and mostly well executed stuff. There are plenty of guest spots on this album, too: Brian Jones, Steven Winwood, Dave Mason, Buddy Miles, Al Kooper and the list goes on. One thing, I don’t want to hear anyone ever talk about how sloppy Jimmy Page’s playing is without at least acknowledging that Jimi was, too. I mean, c’mon… There’s part of this that it’s a mess, albeit a beautifully mastered mess. It’s a long album with two songs coming in over 10 minutes. On vinyl it was four sides.  Some of my favorites were: “Crosstown Traffic,” “Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland),” “Rainy Day, Dream Away,” “1983… (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)” even though it was almost 14 minutes long, “Still Raining, Still Dreaming,” “All Along the Watchtower” and, of course, “Voodoo Chile (Slight Return).” This was a good Hendrix album to listen to. Experimental but still rock and what I’d expect from him. I dug it!

#54 – The Birth of Soul: The Complete Atlantic Rhythm and Blues Recordings 1952-1959 by Ray Charles. A long title. Maybe the longest of the countdown. And, it’s Ray Charles. But, not enough make me review a compilation.

#53 – Meet the Beatles by The Beatles. Talk about confusing. There’s US releases and UK releases and, generally, they’re not in the same “canon.” At least when it comes to other artists. With the Beatles (not a pun), it’s really hard to separate them. I had to piece this album together because the box set that I got was obviously the UK versions (the ones that I really want anyway) and what is offered on Rhapsody (Napster), are also the UK versions. I have all the albums and all the songs are scattered throughout them, in way or another. “I Want To Hold Your Hand” is on Past Masters, as is “This Boy.” “I Saw Her Standing There” was on Please, Please Me. Everything else was on With the Beatles. I believe it was supposed to be the equivalent of Meet… but it’s not an exact match. I’ve not looked ahead but I wonder if With… is on the list? We’ll see. I’ve always thought of the earliest Beatles era as important but I’ve always been less excited about it. This was helping to establish rock and roll, I get that, but to me The Beatles really kicked in about A Hard Day’s Night, even though that wasn’t my fave either. It was Help! that really set me off on the Beatles-train. Rubber Soul/Revolver stepped it up and then all the experimental and fancy-schmancy stuff later was my absolute favorite. All that being said, some of my favorite tunes (covers or not) are on this album: “All I’ve Got To Do,” “Till There Was You,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “I Wanna Be Your Man.” I’d say if I was picking one to be my fave from here, it would be “Till There Was You.” As a collection goes, it’s fine, but I’d just as soon stick with With the Beatles. I dug it, though.

#52 – Greatest Hits by Al Green. A collection of 10 songs with an album cover showing
Reverend Al topless and looking all sexy and stuff. Still, it’s a compilation and it’s skipped.

#51 – Bridge Over Troubled Waters by Simon and 1simon_and_garfunkel_bridge_over_troubled_water_1970Garfunkel. Another album released in the year of my birth, 1970, this one is older, by 10 months. It’s the fifth album and is the swan song for the duo, each going their own way. I’m thinking it was a bit contentious, who’s with me? The album starts with the sweet “lean on me” themed title track. There were rumors that the song was about drugs (“silver girl”), but it wasn’t. Apparently, it’s about Peggy, Paul Simon’s then-wife. I love the overall feel of this album. There’s tension and there are times you can sense it but even with the deteriorating relationship of the duo going on they’re able to keep it together and make it work, even renting a house in L.A. while Art was filming Catch-22. They experimented with sounds and effects, much used during the song “Cecilia,” which is one of my favorite S&G tunes. “The Boxer,” another fave, is probably the one that took the longest to record. From what I understand, it started in 1968 and was recorded in several places over the course of almost two years. While he was the more prolific of the two, I think Paul Simon was jealous of the growing popularity of Art Garfunkel. “The Only Living Boy in New York” was the product of feeling lonely in NYC while Art was filming in Mexico. The last tune on the album, “Song for the Asking,” from what I’ve read, was like Simon and Garfunkel, each trying to reconcile and keep the channels open for future opportunities to work together. I believe they only did spot reunions after that. A landmark album that instead of boosting the duo was the sunset for them. Simon, of course, went on to monster success as a solo guy and Art didn’t do too bad, as far as I can tell. It’s a great album. Great, well-written tunes and it’s S&G, hard to go wrong with that, yeah? DUG!

So, this segment had three compilations. That sped things along, but I’d rather have heard something than skipping. Also, I was “treated” to pond water in that Captain Beefheart mess. The Stones album was a meh. Other than that, what I listened to was good and I dug them. It’s also a segment that had both a Stones and Beatles album on it. I thought that was neat. Next segment, I crack the top 50. I can’t wait, either! Thanks for reading along!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m a man of wealth and taste. I’ve been around for a long, long year; stole many a man’s soul to waste.” – “Sympathy for the Devil” (Richards/Jagger)

What Like an Animal? or: a Dreamer of Pictures (RS Part 30)

26 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by in Music Review

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

We will move to the outer fringe of the 200s on this stint of Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time. Last time was an overall good session, so here’s hoping the same for this one. Let’s hit it!

#210 – Everybody Knows This is Nowhere by Neil Young. I’ve grown a better appreciation (overall, at least) of Neil Young with this list. This is no exception. “Cinnamon Girl” is a classic rock radio staple. “Round & Round (It Won’t Be Long)” is a laid back folksy ditty that demands and deserves respect as a well written song. Again, it’s Neil Young so I’m not thrilled about the sound of his voice but it really fits these songs. The feeling of the song is somewhat haunted and strained and that’s how he always sounds. That is quite fitting here. “Down by the River” is anthemic, yet still, keeps some laid back qualities. But, those aren’t as haunting as “Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)” as that is some sorrowful stuff. I almost wanted to cry. Chilling, really. While I don’t love the final cut, I’m not offended by it or turned off by it. Just not my favorite thing on the album, which, overall, I’ll say I dug it. It has some good moments and some really good moments. Yep, dug!1PearlJam-Ten2

#209 – Ten by Pearl Jam. I’m going to say this: Pearl Jam shot their wad on this album. Sure, there were some glimmers of good in later albums but not a single album they released after could “hold the jock” of this album. And, I’m also going to say this: I don’t really care for Pearl Jam. But, if I was going to pick them out of a line up my faves from the early 90s grunge/hard rock standouts from the Seattle area it would be Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and there was some other band I don’t really care about Smirvana or something? I don’t know. I’m kidding on the Nirvana thing, mostly but I still don’t like them. I know, too, that AIC isn’t really in the same category as the others, even though they kick the others’ arses. I own this album and I have listened to it so much in the last little bit, and the fact that we once reviewed it as an “Album of the Week” on The Less Desirables, I’m not going to really talk about it here other than to say, I dug it.

#208 – Tea for the Tillerman by Cat Stevens. I am three days older than this album; at least its release date. It was “born” November 23, 1970 and I was born on Nov. 20 that same year. I wasn’t looking forward to this album and I’m just not getting to it so let’s start at the beginning. I love “Where do the Children Play?” Yep, I said it. It’s funny that 1Tea_for_the_Tillermanthis album’s placed one place higher than the Pearl Jam album because you can tell there’s a lot of influence in this opening song on the way Eddie Vedder sings. “Hard Headed Woman” was surprisingly heavy for what it is. That’s pretty cool. Then, my favorite Cat Stevens song (which really was the only one I actually knew – and I like Mr. Big’s version better), “Wild World.” I just love the ‘careful out there’ message and the way its sung. “Sad Lisa” is just that. It’s sad and I know I’ve used this a bit on this segment, but it’s (yes) haunting. The instrumentation is amazing. Throughout the album, Stevens will surprise you by punching you in the face out of nowhere. You’re just not expecting that and there it is. I think there’s some influence for Jack Black here, too, because I can hear some of his stylings coming through here. I like that. I could go on about all the songs and give thumbs up for them all. Instead, I’m going to tell you that the only song that I didn’t like was “Father and Son.” I don’t know why, it just seemed a skosh sing-songy. To me, it stuck out. The rest is beautifully and masterfully written but this one song, not so much. Four of the songs, “Where Do the Children Play?,” “On the Road to Find Out,” “Tea for the Tillerman” and “Miles from Nowhere” were all featured in the darkly, quirky and strange film, Harold and Maude. I’d love to have this on vinyl. DUG!!

#207 – Abraxas by Santana. This album is two months older than me. I am always thinking of releases and stuff and this is stuff around my birth. I get hung up, sue me. Love the wind chime and piano intro. Then it’s the Greg Rolie keys coming in to get us in that Latin rhythm mode that Santana usually takes me to. Instrumentals. Aye. I am disappointed to find out that Carlos Santana only had a hand in writing two of the songs on this album. You know how I am about people writing their own songs. Especially icons like this. Now, I am not talking about putting a cover on an album or anything like that. But, this is almost a whole album of stuff that’s not his. Now, the caveat is that the rest of the band had a hand in writing most of the stuff. The exceptions are the two biggest hits: “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen” (Peter Green/Gábor Szabó) and “Oye Como Va” (Tito Puente). “Incident at Nishapur” is a rockin’ number that is written by Santana and pianist Alberto Gianquinto. I wasn’t expecting that one. I liked that one. “Mother’s Daughter” sounds like Rolie’s gonna blow a gasket in his throat. Not a bad tune, though. It seems that Rolie wanted to take it a totally different direction than Carlos. You can hear that in his songs. His songs are rock, straight up. I know he didn’t go out to form Journey until several years later but it just seems they’re not on the same page. Sounds good, though. The bottom line on this album? While I think it’s good and I am going to give it a “dug!” I don’t care if I ever hear it again. For what it is, it’s great.

#206 – Dirty Mind by Prince. So, I have a dilemma that I’ve never encountered before. Prince has gotten so uptight about his stuff (or someone has, I’m thinking Warner Bros. or Prince because of Warner Bros.) that he’s pulled it from all the streaming sites. He’s also yanked every thing from YouTube. This is one of the Prince albums that I don’t own and don’t know that I want to own it. So, unless something comes along that allows me to hear this album without having to purchase it, I suppose I’m going to have to abstain on grounds of “not knowing.” Hmmm. If I listen to it in the future (and before this entire countdown is over) I’ll come back and review it, much like I did with George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass. Here’s hoping. UPDATE: Yeah I know it’s not been published yet, but I thought it was notable that it wasn’t anywhere to be found. Anywhat! I like this album. It’s some serious funk. Well, it’s seriously Prince doing serious funk. Lots of keyboards and overdubs, which, of course, is because he played all the instruments except some keys in a few songs. While I like it, I don’t get why it’s this high on the list. I’m not saying that it shouldn’t be here, but why #206? So, four of the songs, “Dirty Mind,” “When You Were Mine,” “Uptown” and “Head,” all made the mega-compilation: Hits 1 & 2, which I have and think is a great compilation album. This was his third album and started to develop what he’d pull off in the next few including Controversy, 1999 and Purple Rain. Overall, I really do like the album, but still don’t think it should be this high. Dug!

#205 – Wheels of Fire by Cream. The first “disc” of this album I’m cool with but I’m dreading the two 16-minute songs on the second “live” disc. But, I’m going in with an open mind. I really do like “As You Said” and the spoken-word “Pressed Rat and Warthog.” “Politician” has a great groove, as does “Born Under a Bad Sign.” I know it’s blues but not like that mess on “Sitting on Top of the World.” Of the disc two stuff, as much as I don’t like Eric Clapton and especially the blues, this version of “Crossroads” is always pretty cool. After that, I’m wanting to pound my head into the solid concrete wall behind my pilot’s chair here in the studio. A sixteen minute drum solo? I mean, I like drum solos and all, but, jeez o’Pete. So, for the first disc, I dug it. After that, I didn’t. I’m1Bob_Dylan_-_Modern_Times going with dug-ish.

#204 – Modern Times by Bob Dylan. Some boogie-woogie Bob. Did I actually hear him mention Alicia Keys? The Alicia Keys? Hmm. I don’t get that, really. And I don’t really care for that song, “Thunder on the Mountain.” I do like “Spirit on the Water,” though. I like the jazziness of it. It’s still Bob Dylan singing but it fits here. Some more boogie/blues mess. If it was just the jazz stuff, I’d be perfectly happy with this album. The constant back-and-forth is annoying. Especially when the shortest song is just shy of five minutes. “Workingman’s Blues #2,” “Beyond the Horizon” and “Nettie Moore” are all great songs. I thought that “The Levee’s Gonna Break” was a bad Zeppelin cover, but it seems it’s an original. So, it’s a bad Dylan cover, I guess. The nine minute “Ain’t Talkin'” is kind of mysterious and gritty. I like that one pretty well, too. So if you take out the few “bluesy” songs this isn’t a bad album. I’d even say I liked it, or “Dug” it.

#203 – BAD by Michael Jackson. Full disclosure. I own this album. I love this album. I listen to it and have listened to it so many times I don’t have to listen here to review it. The title song, while simple, is quite fun to play on bass. MJ like Prince has a lot of revolving, recurring lines in songs. I know a lot of funk and soul does that. The hits “Another Part of Me,” “Man in the Mirror” (great message), “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Smooth Criminal” (another fun one to play) are all great tunes. They’re hits for a reason. But my favorite of them is “Dirty Diana.” I just love that song. I The hit I don’t care for is “The Way You Make Me Feel.” I never liked it. The hidden gems on this 1Parsleyalbum, to me, is “Speed Demon” and “Liberian Girl.” I love the crazy run in “Speed Demon” and the feel of “Liberian Girl.” So yeah, dig, dug, DUG!

#202 – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Simon and Garfunkel. I love “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” or should I say I love “Scarborough Fair.” The Canticle part gets on my nerves. It’s hard to hear what they’re saying when it’s all a big cluster mess of vocals. I mean that in the nicest of ways. They don’t do cluster messes, really. “Patterns” has some powerful lines and they’re emphatic about them. It’s a bit Celtic in the overall. Still very 1966, this. “Homeward Bound” isn’t any exception. There’s that flowing chorus with amazing harmonies that stream effortlessly through the listener’s ears. Simon’s take on advertising comes through in “The Big Bright Green Pleasure Machine.” I can’t remember if it was or wasn’t used in Mad Men but it should have been. It’s pointed toward pop culture and even the hippies of the Vietnam War. They talk Dylan, Stones, Warhol all whilst sounding like The Who in “A Simple Desultory Philippic” and yes, I had to look two of those words up! And, too, the Simon & Garfunkel machine is short and to the point. They don’t need five minutes to get their message across. They do it all in less than three minutes with the exception of “Scarborough Fair/Canticle” that comes in at 3:08. They even throw in a Christmas carol for good measure: “7 O’Clock News/Silent Night.” The song features an a capella version of “Silent Night” along with a news cast that covers the passing of Lenny Bruce, Nixon talking about an increase of war activity in Vietnam, the civil rights movement and serial killer Richard Speck. This album is amazing. Like most things that Simon & Garfunkel put out… Amazing! Dug is an understatement.

#201 – The Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor’s “magnum opus” if you will. A concept album that slides from the top of the “downward spiral” all the way to a sad and tragic attempt at suicide. I’ll admit I got that from reading about it. For the 1Downwardlife of me, it’s a bit too deep for me to get that story from this. I’d have to sit and read all the lyrics and I’m just not going to do that. Not in this setting, I’d have to be home with my headphones on and nothing else happening. This era in music confused me as far as “stories” go. I mean, I still don’t know what anything on Ten from Pearl Jam means. Vedder speaks in riddles in his lyrics as does Reznor. I know it’s euphemism, innuendo and interpretation, I just don’t get it. Now, that being said, I enjoyed listening to it. The songs were great and I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate it more back in 1994. I was still in my “this (excrement) ruined my music!” phase. I grew out of that but it took a while. There’s parts of every song on here that make it worth listening to. My faves: “Piggy,” “Heresy,” “March of the Pigs,” “Closer,” “Big Man with a Gun” (which, along with Reznor himself and Marilyn Manson, was the center of controversy after the Columbine shootings), “Reptile” and “Hurt.” I will admit that I’d much rather hear the Johnny Cash version of “Hurt.” So much raw emotion in that. It was one of the last things Johnny did, too. A lot of “Industrial” and heavy techno aspects on this album. I got into that later, too. I would prefer Reznor actually sing more and scream less, but hey, he has a point to make, I guess (even if I don’t get what it is). NIN was already on the map, I’d say this album burned a hole in said map. I even put this album on my iPod. How’s that!? I dug it!

Wow… nine ten “dugs” (or dug-ish). And, I’m a fan of Prince, so I’m thinking it may be ten out of ten by the time this part is over with. I have purchased Dirty Mind but I haven’t gotten to listen, yet. I’d say that’s a pretty good segment and well, this ends the first THREE HUNDRED of these albums. Dang! That’s a journey. Two hundred to go. I’m starting that right soon. So, Dear Reader, look for it and thank you for reading all this mess! I really enjoy writing it for you, whilst learning how I do or don’t like things that I didn’t know, didn’t know I liked or didn’t know I didn’t. What? Eh, just read it slowly, it took me a few times, too. I’ll do my 300-201 retrospection in the next bit.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“As I, turn up the collar on my favorite winter coat, this wind is blowing my mind. I see the kids in the streets with not enough to eat. Who am I to be blind? Pretending not to see their needs.” – “Man in the Mirror” (Michael Jackson), BAD

Is This the Real Life? or: The Things That Pass for Knowledge I Don’t Understand (RS Part 27)

14 Monday Sep 2015

Posted by in Music Review

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Salutations™!!

Yay! Back to a Monday! The last segment of Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time had some cheers and jeers from me; some good, some really bad. I’m hoping that this segment is better and I’m not going to keep you waiting any longer. Let’s do it!

#240 – Can’t Buy a Thrill by Steely Dan. I’m a “fan of the Dan.” Without even listening through this (which I have on vinyl, I believe), it has three of my faves on it. “Do It Again,” “Reelin’ in the Years” and my new/for now favorite Steely Dan song, “Dirty Work,” which isn’t even Donald Fagen singing. I think early on, they let others do some singing. I like Fagen and his voice but I don’t know how I’d feel about “Dirty Work” if it was him singing. This was when Steely Dan was actually a full band and not just Fagen and Walter Becker with a lot of session backup. That’s later and when you hear some 1Cant_buy_a_tcant_buy_a_thrillMichael McDonald in there, but not on here. I love the jazz and Latin styles mixed with rock elements which is what made the Dan famous. The album is wrought with such good songwriting that it’s hard to believe that this album was the band’s debut. Although I list “Reelin’ in the Years” as a favorite, I have to say that I really don’t get the repetition of the choruses. At least the first and second choruses. There is a slight different harmony in the repeat of each but I think that could have been saved for the end. It’s not my song and I have no say and really it doesn’t take away from the song overall, but it’s just unnecessary, I think. Still a great song. Overall, this is a great jazz rock album. Heck, just a great album, in general. Good stuff. I dug it! (And I did listen through it…)

#239 – Like a Prayer by Madonna. This album came out just as I was preparing to graduate high school. There’s a lot of memories on this. It’s not the album as a whole, by the way, as much as it is the time that this came out. The big hits, “Cherish,” “Express Yourself” and the title track are the ones I really remember. “Dear Jessie” was released as a single but I don’t remember it at all. It’s not a bad song, though. I just don’t think it was single material. “Oh Father” and “Keep It Together” are both singles that gained some modest success and, truthfully, I had forgotten about them. I was glad to be able to revisit them, especially “Oh Father.” Over all the album is pretty good, even featuring a song with, and co-written and co-produced by, Prince (“Love Song”). It’s not Like a Virgin or even True Blue but it was good. I’d listen again. Dug.

#238 – Howlin’ Wolf by Howlin’ Wolf.

#237 – My Generation by The Who. Maybe I’m becoming desensitized. Or, perhaps I don’t get The Who. I don’t know. This isn’t bad, but I don’t see the big deal. I like the 1MyGenerationtitle cut and the rest of it is certainly makes for good music but I’m not moved by it. I will say that Entwhistle is a beast on bass. I knew that before this but I thought I’d reiterate the point, in case you may have missed it. There are some songs to really dig, though. The title track, “The Kids are Alright,” “It’s Not True,” “A Legal Matter.” The latter is Pete Townshend’s turn for lead vox. I wonder if I’m actually hearing some influence of that song in Meat Loaf’s “Paradise by the Dashboard Light?” I don’t know but I do hear some similarities in there. “The Ox” is an assault on the piano, the bass, the piano (thanks to Nicky Hopkins) and the guitar. I really liked that one. Overall, it was okay, not great and didn’t suck. I dug it.

#236 – Mr. Excitement! by Jackie Wilson. Comp.

#235 – The Ultimate Collection by Patsy Cline. RS is making this segment easy on me. But, I would rather see albums here. I don’t like wasting the entries, but I am not going to do compilations. At least not right now.1Bookends

#234 – Bookends! by Simon & Garfunkel. What is this!? Synths and such on a S&G album!? Nice! I love how it starts softly with “Bookends Theme” and then beats you in the face with “Save the Life of My Child.” Same awesome harmonies that they’re known for but with some depth. Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with the acoustic stuff, but this was (at least so far) a little bit of a departure and I really like that. I am a huge fan of “America” and I didn’t mind when it was used in the American Express commercials. Truthfully, I had never heard it until then and it made me go back and find the song. The BCPF, who is a fan of a lot of ’60s folkie stuff knew it and told me about it. I liked it. I still like it. “Overs” is a great jazzy acoustic number. “Voices of the Old People” is basically a recording by Art Garfunkel as captured at two rest homes. It’s kind of sweet and kind of sad. I have the S&G three-disc box set called Old Friends and the song of the same name is quite awesome. It, combined with “Bookends Theme (Reprise)” closes out the “Side One” with a little closure. Bookends, if you will. We’re back to some unexpected mellow rock with “Fakin’ It” to start what would be “Side Two.” S&G’s harmonies are out of this world; simple yet oddly complex. It’s hard to discern who is singing or what’s going on with the harmony but only that it works like a satin overlay of the music in the background. “Mrs. Robinson,” I’d venture to say, is probably their best known song, widely due to The Graduate soundtrack. I’m sure that “Bridge Over Troubled Water” or “The Boxer” fights for that top spot, but that’s what I think. That’s another place where the harmonies blend to make one voice so well. I still am more a fan of the Bangles version of “A Hazy Shade of Winter” than I am of the S&G version but, still, it’s a great version. It seems that Art is belting it on this song, which is opposite of what I’m used to from them but that’s okay, I like it. What’s amazing to me is that while Side One has some awesome tunes, including “America,” there were only four singles released and all of those were on the second side: “A Hazy Shade of Winter,” “At the Zoo,” “Fakin’ It” and “Mrs. Robinson.” Was that a conscience decision or by chance? I don’t know, but I’m not complaining. This is one outstanding album and I’m glad I heard it. I will say that I had to listen to it on YouTube because it wasn’t available on Rhapsody and having to go through the ads every other (and sometimes 1MrTambourineManevery single) song was quite annoying. It disrupts the continuity of the album, but what can you do? I LOVED this one. Three thumbs up.

#233 – Mr. Tambourine Man by The Byrds. A Bob Dylan cover band! I’m kidding. But, out of twelve songs, four of them are Dylan songs. That’s a third of the album. It’s not a bad thing, I just know there were a few other Dylan songs they covered. Then again, most everyone from that era was, in some way or another. One thing about Dylan, he’s a great storyteller and songwriter, even if I think he’s a horrible singer. I don’t think I’ve really known a bad Dylan song, just badly done Dylan songs (most of them by him). The title track, “Spanish Harlem Incident,” “All I Really Want to Do” and “Chimes of Freedom” are his on this album. Now, as I was saying, none of the songs are bad and, hey, it wasn’t him singing here. Anywhat! Great instrumentation. But, those harmonies, though! It’s hard to beat them even though The Beatles, CSN and at one point Grateful Dead tried, really hard. This was their debut album and while I think this is great, it gets slicker as they go on in their recordings. I’d say of the songs on this album, the Dylan songs stand out the most and probably the ones that people would associate or remember the most about this album. I dug it but it doesn’t contain my favorite Byrds’ tunes.

#232 – The Kink Kronikles by The Kinks. Yet. Another. Anthology.

#231 – A Night at the Opera by Queen. Omagosh! I love this album. Then again, I love Queen, so… There is a lot of of the classic old music hall style of theatrical music here and the effects and trickery they use in the recording but a few of the things that 1Queen_A_Night_At_The_Operamakes me love this band so. The songs flow from one to another almost like a concept album, but without actually being one, that I can tell. It’s pointed, it’s funny, it’s nonsensical, it’s witty, it’s serious, it’s hateful. It’s magic. Brian May and Roger Taylor get their turn at some lead vocals but that doesn’t dilute Freddie Mercury’s role, not in the slightest. It shows diversity and humility. From the aforementioned music hall, Queen also does folk shuffle (“’39”), hard rock (“I’m in Love with My Car”), rock and roll (“Sweet Lady”) radio-friendly (“You’re My Best Friend”), Dixieland jazz (“Good Company”) and of course, what I’d consider the Queen song, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” That song is just masterfully executed. Not a flaw in it that I can tell. It peaked at number 9 in 1975, yet it peaked at number 2 in 1992 after being featured in the (I thought it was) funny film, Wayne’s World. I could probably write a whole blog post on this song; heck this whole album, really. “The Prophet’s Song” is an epic demonstration in the magic of tape delays. And when I say epic, I mean all 8:20 of it. There’s a lot of biblical references about floods and all that. When I hear “Love of My Life,” I can’t help but think of Freddie’s tribute show after he died. Extreme, the hard funk band did an eerily creepy (and somewhat off-key) version of it for that show. There are plenty of Queen albums that I like but this has to be one of my two or three faves. To say I dug it would be an understatement.

This segment was excruciating, mostly due to the excessive greatest hits inclusions. In my personal listening and collection, I have plenty of them, but that’s because I didn’t want whole albums. This is a different situation. Four of the ten albums were greatest hits, anthologies, collections. Nah. Thankfully, the ones that weren’t were all good to great to excellent albums. And, hey! There were no Grateful Dead or Velvet Underground on this leg. Thank (enter deity here)! I’m going to leave you here, Dear Reader and move on to the next segment. Go listen to A Night at the Opera and Bookends!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Let us be lovers, we’ll marry our fortunes together. I’ve got some real estate here in my bag. So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs. Wagner’s pies and walked off to look for America.” – “America” by Simon and Garfunkel (Simon)