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It Ain’t Funky or: Rose Tattoo (Eugeology Entry 44)

10 Friday Nov 2017

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Salutations™!!

Last week, I actually dug what Eugene was throwing down. Much better than the previous week’s anyway. This week kind of reverts to the previous week. Oh, Jon, where art thou!? Let’s hit it.

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#44 – Rose Tattoo by Rose Tattoo.

“They” talk about Def Leppard being a cursed band. And, they very well could be. But, this band from Australia, called Rose Tattoo, may be even more so. This is almost reminiscent of the cast and crew of the film The Conqueror (1956). In that film – produced by Howard Hughes – the cast, the director and a few others, all were diagnosed and eventually died or was dying from cancer. The theory of that was that they filmed on a nuclear test site in Utah and when they moved back to California to do the set scenes, they moved some of the radioactive dirt there, too, so the sets would match. I’m not saying they did the same thing, recorded in a contamination zone, or anything. But, all but two members of the band (the singer Angry Anderson and replacement bassist (but most prominent) Gordie Leach), eventually died from cancer. Weird and scary stuff, I say.

Anywhat! The original bass player (and one of the cancer victims), Ian Rilen left after the initial recording sessions to form the legendary punk band, X. I say legendary. If I’ve heard of them and don’t listen to that style, I say it’s legendary. It’s my blog, I win. That’s why Leach came in and recorded most of the bass lines for the album.

I think I was unfair in the intro when I said this reverted back to the prior week’s sentiment, but that’s not really true. I like this better than Deep Purple. Not a whole lot, but I do. Again, I think it goes to the singer. Angry Anderson has a strong voice with a lot of range, but I just don’t like listening to him sing a few songs on the album. For the most part, though, he does a decent job. The musicianship on the album is pretty good. I don’t hear a whole lot of bass as it’s buried deep behind the rest of the mayhem going on, but I’m sure I’d miss it if it weren’t there.

I think what bothers me the most is that it is a bit noisy and punkish. Just a bunch of hurried nonsense at times. It doesn’t sound bad, it just isn’t “me.” That being said, there are times when I do enjoy it. For example, I do like “Butcher and Fast Eddy” and “Stuck on You,” especially. It could be that they’re not trying to slap me in the face but have some song design. And, they mention the band and album title in the latter.

Another reason for my apprehension could be my disdain for slide “blues” guitar and Peter Wells plays that (it’s his official designation) throughout the album. Mick Cocks is credited as both lead and rhythm guitarist for this album. Dallas “Digger” Royall is a solid drummer but there’s nothing too flashy about him. That is probably a good thing. He’s straight-forward and on it.

So, I guess what I’m saying is that I didn’t mind it. I liked it better than Deep Purple. Perhaps what I’m questioning is why it’s on this list. That was something that I asked regularly on the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time list. Why? It’s definitely not as good as most of the previous albums and while I liked it I’m thinking it’s not even as good as some of the ones that I didn’t like. I am going to assume that it’s here as a “possible gem.” If you remember the list is called Eugeology: Eugene’s List of Hard Rock Albums and Possible Gems. Bottom line, I don’t really care for it but I see its merit as a good album for those into that. I’m not. It did have some good moments for me but overall, I’m not a fan. Thanks, though, Eug, for introducing me. Jon. Well, Jon.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Got tattooed arms and rings in my ears. Never gonna suffer a straight man’s fears. Better have a drink, crankin’ with the mates. Movin’ fast I’m gonna make the grade. That’s why they call me one of the boys.” – “One of the Boys” (Leach, Anderson, Royall, Wells, Cocks)

Moving in Stereo or: Can’t Get Enough (RS Part 22)

08 Monday Jun 2015

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Salutations™!!

After a number of good, bad and ugly last segment (mostly good, though) of the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All-Time, I’m ready to get some good stuff. Let’s see what what we have!

#290 – Call Me by Al Green. Let me say, first of all… “I’m So Lonely I Could Cry” by Hank Williams.  A great song in itself, but to hear Al’s soulful velveteen voice sing it, it’s quite an awesome treat! “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)” has a naughty groove and I’ve always liked the tune. It’s a shoulder sway waiting to happen. Al Green has always had a certain style and this is fast inlaid in the soul genre. When I think of soul, I think James Brown and then I think Al Green. I may be way off on that, but that’s how it is in my mind. Love that stuff. I’ll say it’s almost perfect in length, too. I know I want to get my money’s worth on an album but sometimes there is just too much or more than needs to be there. This comes in right about 35 minutes. To me, that’s right at perfect. It can get you where you’re going without a long drive in the country. T’is a good album, this. Dug!

#289 – Something Else by the Kinks by The Kinks. While never truly been that familiar with them, I’ve always been appreciative of what The Kinks brought to music. I think 1SomethingElseKinksCoverthe Davies bros are a great team. This seems a bit heavy on the Beyond the Valley of the Dolls psychedelia and I like it. Other than “Death of a Clown,” I’m digging it. “Death…” was originally released, I believe, as a Dave Davies solo effort and then ended up on this album. I could be wrong there, but I’m sure Mr. Bumgardner will correct me if I’m incorrect. I just didn’t care for that song. Everything else is pretty cool. It’s not something that I’d listen to a lot of, but I am enjoying this one. Dug!

#288 – Anthem of the Sun by The Grateful Dead. There are times when I believe I really need some dope to understand some stuff. I’ve said that many times before. This is one of those times. It’s decent enough but I am not high enough to “get it.” So far, “New Potato Caboose” is a pretty good song. Spacey; not a bad thing. Overall, though, I have never gotten into, liked nor cared for jam bands. And don’t say their fans followed them around for the love of their music. Their music made a good backdrop for the shloads of illicit wonderment that they consumed and that’s all it was. I know a few GD songs and none of these rank on the care list. There are moments where it sounds like even they fell asleep in the middle. Not a fan.

#287 – Los Angeles by X. Now, punk isn’t my thing, either but this is good to get the taste of The Grateful Dead out of my mouth. That was awful. While this is punk, I’m okay with it. Let me say that the title song, I absolutely LOVE!! There was nothing 1XLosAngelesabout this that I didn’t like. I’ll admit that most of it was background, but whilst saying that, I did listen and found myself bouncing my head and really enjoying myself. This isn’t “offensive” to the ears (to steal a phrase from Eugene about pickles). I’ve been a fan of all the “X” I’ve heard. I’d listen to this over and over. Rock and roll you bastardos!!! Dug!

#286 – I’m Still in Love with You by Al Green. Is this the first time I’ve gotten the same artist more than once in the same segment? I’ll have to go back and look. I know it comes again a few times in future segments. Other than “Oh, Pretty Woman,” the Roy Orbison cover, there’s nothing that really captures me on this album. I”m not saying it’s not good. It is. But, what is better about this album than Call Me, the entry at #290? What puts this one over that one? I think Call Me is a better album, really. Does anyone know if Al Green had dentures? There’s a certain whistling sound that comes from his mouth when he sings that it reminds me of someone with dentures. It’s neither here nor there, just wondering. Like I said, it’s a good album but I think it’s misplaced on the list. It should have a lower (toward the #500 spot) number, in my opinion. Dug.

#285 – Music of My Mind by Stevie Wonder. Hard to believe this is 1972. It sounds more modern than that. At least mid-80s, to me. It’s every bit Stevie as you’d expect from the later eras. I am a fan of “I Love Every Little Thing About You.” That’s a great tune. The sweet food references at the end of that song is a nice touch, too. A good 1Stevie_Wonder_-_Music_of_My_Mindsegue into “Sweet Little Girl.” Some humor in those songs as well. Another remarkable thing that many people may or may not know: as with many of Stevie’s albums, he played most of the instruments himself (not guitar) including drums, harmonica, and bass parts (via Moog). Stevie is a great songwriter and this is a showcase to his abilities as to that and the musicianship. He’s amazing, truly. The range of songs from the rockin’ to the beautifully written testaments of love reside on this album. Case in point to the latter: “Happier Than the Morning Sun.” The use of synthesizers and vocal effects on this album, again, is ahead of their times and again, it seems like this should have been in later periods. The keys work on “Keep on Running” is more like the former descriptor, rockin’! A great album front to back and I dug it!!

#284 – The Cars by The Cars. I know some people say that The Cars are boring live. That may be true, but I love listening to them. I have Heartbeat City on CD and vinyl. This, their debut, features a lot of Cars staples such as “Good Times Roll,” “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Just What I Needed,” “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight,” “Bye Bye Love” and “Moving in Stereo.” Anyone want to guess what I think of when I hear “Moving in Stereo?” Anyone? Anyone? We’ll come back to that. Ric Ocasek, for an ugly dude married a very beautiful woman in Paulina Porizkova but he’s a great songwriter as is Ben Orr. Orr is a very underrated but talented bass player. In fact, he sings one of my 1The_Cars_-_The_Carsfavorite Cars songs, “Drive” from Heartbeat as well as two of the better songs from this album, “Just What I Needed” and the afore-lamented “Moving in Stereo.” Speaking of which, did you guess what it is I think of when I hear that song? That song is what is playing when Phoebe Cates steps out of the pool and removes her top during the dream (or masturbation) scene from Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Sigh… Phoebe Cates. This is a great New-Wave album and I love listening to it. I have to get this on vinyl. Probably my fave on this segment, at least so far and I whole-heartily recommend listening to it. It will put a huge smile on your face! DUG!!

#283 – Can’t Get Enough by Barry White. Oh, the confusion that is Barry White. Why confusion you ask? He was a big, not-so-attractive man that so happened to have a sexy, velvety voice and the ladies went soppy over that in a heartbeat. I have to admit that I can relate. I am a big, not-so-attractive man with a sexy, velvety voice and well the ladies love me. So maybe I’m not so confused after all? I can dig it. I also have to admit that while listening to this album, I found myself in the corner of The Less Desirables studio making out with myself. It was that sexy. I may have to have that red chair cleaned professionally, now. I don’t even wear panties and I threw some at the studio monitors. Ok, I have to wipe the drool from my lips. This really got me going. I don’t know how I feel about the ten minutes worth of “I Can’t Believe You Love Me,” but everything else on this album is frickin’ fantastic! “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything” and “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” are, of course, the highlights but again, the sheer sexiness of this album (even with that epic middle) overcomes all the woes in the world. I feel comforted like a little baby swaddled in three cotton blankies.  Can you tell I dug it?! Now I have to go smoke a cigarette.

#282 – Folk Singer by Muddy Waters. I should have stayed out smoking that cigarette while this played. I can’t tell when one song ends and the next begins, except for the silence in between. I really, really, really loathe this stuff. Just it playing in the background slowed down my production. I couldn’t get anything done, it was a distraction and not a good one. I don’t get the appeal of this at all. I just kept watching to see how much longer until it’s over. I’m not even going to give it anymore of my writing time. Blech.

#281 – My Life by Mary J. Blige. No matter whether I like this or not, it is 1000% better than the last entry. That being said, why must we endure the “N” word like it’s 1Mary_J_Blige_album_cover_My_Lifenothing!? I don’t care about the “art” of it in this case. The rest of the album is pretty good. MJ’s voice is powerful, rich and beautiful! She’s all about self-awareness and talks about the ups and downs, good and bad, pain and pleasure. She’s almost as sexy to listen to as Barry White. Almost. She spends the album trying to find herself and working through some personal struggles. I think she got through it. It’s worth a listen but I don’t know that I’d want to listen to it again. Dug.

This segment had some really good stuff. I loved The Cars album, Stevie, Kinks, X, two Al Green albums. But, I had to deal with Muddy Waters and the Grateful-frickin-Dead. Those were true buzzkills. If I could erase them both from the list, it would be a better list. So, here’s to the next segment and farewell to a decent one this time.

What do you think of these reviews? Do you agree or think I’m nuts? Or do you agree with me because I am nuts? Let me know. Drop me a line on your favorite social media of choice (or here) and let me know.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“I don’t mind you coming here and wasting all my time.
‘Cause when you’re standing oh so near, I kinda lose my mind” – “Just What I Needed” (Ocasek) by The Cars

Steal the Rhythm While You Can or: Colder Than a Well-Digger’s What? (RS part 17)

16 Thursday Apr 2015

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Salutations™!!

So, here we are with another segment of the Rolling Stone Top 500 Albums of All Time. Hmm, the last few were pretty awesome, I thought.  I did peek, just a bit, to what’s coming and this may be a rough segment, but hopefully not too bad.  Let’s hit it, shall we?

#340 – Damaged by Black Flag. Um, ok. I feel like I’ve been punched in the ears – from within.  This is a sonic assault on the aural senses and I can’t decide if that’s a good thing or not. This is the first time I’ve ever heard anything from Black Flag.  I grew up looking at pictures of their album covers and t-shirts when I read Circus, Hit Parader or Metal Edge. I also only saw the t-shirts on pimply-faced punks that predated goths. Now, I’m not trying to stereotype, it is just how I remember it. Not lying, that’s how it was. I did know of Henry Rollins from some solo stuff, though, if that helps relieve the near head explosion that I know some of you are going through right now. There isn’t anything I can say about this album other than, dang! Angst wouldn’t really fit this as parts of it is actually kind of fun sounding.  There aren’t many songs that are over three minutes and that’s probably a good thing.  I think Rollins would have an aneurysm if they went on too long.  Overall, I don’t really like anything about this album. I hope there aren’t any other Black Flag albums on this list, but something tells me the listerati are not on my side, here. It is Rolling Stone, after all. Did not dig, which I am sure doesn’t surprise anyone that knows me.

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“The Heart of Saturday Night” by Tom Waits

#339 – The Heart of Saturday Night by Tom Waits. Holy Smokes (pun intended)! Tom Waits is actually singing here. And he has a voice. A singing voice. The music is soothing and this is what I always expected when people talked about Tom Waits.  “New Coat of Paint” and the followup, “San Diego Serenade” are honest, emotional and a delight to listen to.  You can color me pleasantly pleased, indeed. Some great jazz crooner stuff mixed with folk troubadour-esque inflection. Some of the songs remind me of that era’s Billy Joel.  Not comparing, just saying I hear similarities.  I love that “Diamonds on My Windshield” has the phrase “colder than a well-digger’s ass.” I have always loved and have used it more than once. And Jim Hughart is one bad bassist. Great double work on this album. Some Springsteen-like sounds coming out of the speakers, too.  That’s what I hear in “(Looking For) The Heart of Saturday Night,” Springsteen. A fun fact about this album, Jim Gordon, the drummer for this along with Imagine from John Lennon, All Things Must Pass by George Harrison, as well as albums from The Beach Boys, Randy Newman, Gordon Lightfoot and Alice Cooper, among others, was sentenced 16 years to life for the murder of his mother (hammer and stabbing) in 1984. He’s still there. Che ers.  Oh, and I certainly, absolutely and vehemently DUG this album.

#338 – Cheap Thrills by Big Brother & The Holding Company. Yeah. Uh huh. Although I like some of the songs, I haven’t really ever gotten into Janis Joplin.  I don’t see the big deal. She’s all scratchy and annoying. But, there’s some emotion.  She has that. I once had someone tell me that they thought she was the greatest singer ever. I think they lost their mind.  I’m not thrilled with this album, it doesn’t suck but nothing I ever care to hear again. Didn’t dig.

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“Aqualung” by Jethro Tull

#337 – Aqualung by Jethro Tull. Ah, heavy metal. So it goes. Some hard rock in parts but some Celtic craziness in others. Fantastic, I say. In “My God” you can hear every breath that Ian Anderson is pushing through that flute. I love that solo. I saw local Winston-Salem musician, Audrey Fannin (Muck) do a fine job performing these wild flute musings. My absolute favorites are the hits, really.  “Aqualung,” “Cross-Eyed Mary,” Locomotive Breath.” But, as a whole, it’s a darn fine album.  I’d like to hear it on vinyl. DUG!

#336 – In Rainbows by Radiohead. This is not my favorite Radiohead album.  I don’t know that I have a favorite, but I do know this one isn’t it. I bought it when it first came out and with limited knowledge of Radiohead, at all, thought it was just a bunch of noise. Not like pollution or anything, just a lot of noise.  I still feel that way mostly but it has some moments.  “Nude” is one of those moments. Ethereal and flighty it’s a great listen.  “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” is shoulder bouncy and fun.  I love the synth ramblings of “All I Need.” It’s heavy and synthy, two things I like together.  Perhaps like chocolate and chipotle? I don’t know where that came from but something like that. After further reflection, I do like this album.  Leave off the first two tracks and I’m sold. Those aren’t bad just not my thing, I guess. But, yes, I dug it.

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“Superunknown” by Soundgarden

#335 – Superunknown by Soundgarden. If I was going to count the “Big Three” that came out during the grunge revolution, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and I was going to pick my favorite among those three, then Soundgarden would definitely win. Chris Cornell’s vocals and Kim Thayil’s masterful guitar work are the “chalk it up to awesome” in this band.  And hey, as Don Jamieson said on That Metal Show, they have the balls to sing about a guy and spoons. There’s that.  From the Leslie effect on “Black Hole Sun” to the talkbox on “My Wave,” the guitar antics continue.  Intriguing lyrics and great song structure make this album (and pretty much all Soundgarden albums) a fantastic listen. “Mailman” just muddles along but it drags you with it and doesn’t let up on ya. There are various tunings happening along with some serious time signature craziness, which is certainly not out of the norm for Soundgarden. Am I the only one that sang “Butt Hole Sun?” The album is as solid as its predecessor, Badmotorfinger and I absolutely dug it!

#334 – Squeezing Out Sparks by Graham Parker. This is pure 1979/1980 record raucousness.  It’s telling of the time and that’s not a bad thing.  Solid recording and reminiscent of J. Giles or Rick Springfield with some Elvis Costello thrown in.  It’s a good mixture.  Something I could definitely hear Eugene listening to on his Zune. “Local Girls” is a good representation of music at the time and while I think there were no true “singles” on this album, this would have been the one to release. “You Can’t Be Too Strong” is an honest be-all-you-can ballad that through the bad stuff you have to stay strong. It’s an acoustic laden song that sits, perfectly, on the album.  But, still, as much as I enjoyed listening to the album, I have to wonder, what was it that made it worthy of this list? I don’t hear anything that is absolutely noteworthy, just a good album. Is this better than Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell? No, so why is it ranked higher?  Is it better than Let It Be, Honky Chateau, Stop Making Sense or Lou Reed’s Berlin? Heck no. So why is it ranked higher?  Really, I don’t get that. But it’s a good album, nonetheless. Dug.

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“Wild Gift” by X

#333 – Wild Gift by X. First off, I am digging the gravelly vox from Exene Cervenka. I also like the short song times. Punk isn’t my strong suit and I like that it passes by quickly. Not that I don’t enjoy it. It’s a decent record, but I couldn’t listen to it twice. “We’re Desperate” is a strong song and “Adult Books” is a fun little flamenco kind of thingy. I could see Gomez and Morticia Addams dancing to it, even though I know they didn’t necessarily flamenco, it’s pretty goth in its own way. John Doe sounds a lot like a less-on-key David Byrne. There’s a garage band lo-fi element here that I think adds definite character; did I mention this is punk? The boogie of “In This House That I Call Come” is another fun ditty. I bet they were a hoot to see live. Still may be, their Wikipedia page lists them as still active with 2012 being the last (at least on there) documented show. Again, to me, not as good as the albums I listed above, so why this high?  I dunno. Dug, for the most part.

#332 – Shoot Out the Lights by Richard and Linda Thompson. I think I’m starting to get annoyed trying to figure out why some of these are so high on this list, if even on it at all. There’s nothing wrong with this album, but there certainly isn’t anything special about it. I’m sure I’ll be voicing my frustration with this as time goes on, especially since we’ll be getting to the real grit and dirt of the list.  “Walking on a Wire” is a decent song. I like the bend resolve at the end of the song. “A Man in Need” reminds me of Talking Heads sonically and even in some of the vocals from Richard. I’ll say that I enjoy Linda’s vocals much more than Richard’s. When he’s not sounding like David Byrne, he’s doing a fair Gordon Lightfoot impression with some Tom Petty mixed in there. I had never even heard of R&L before this list (they were at #471, too). Again, I’m not complaining about the album, but questioning the quality of placement, either in the list or where in the list. Meh.

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“Help!” by The Beatles

#331 – Help! by The Beatles. I’m glad this list finished off strong. My confusion with this one is why it’s so low (high?) on the list.  Why any Beatles album (even Yellow Submarine) would be outside the Top 20 is beyond me. Good from beginning to end. Great, even. Some of my favorite Beatles songs of all time are on this album: “Help!” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” “You Like Me Too Much,” “Yesterday,” “Ticket to Ride,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.”  For my money, The Beatles are the greatest and most influential musical geniuses in the history or rock/pop music.  I’m not counting Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, etc. I mean in the “modern era” and the future. Twelve thumbs up, if I had them.

This segment had some ups and downs. In Rainbows, Aqualung, Superunknown, The Heart of Saturday Night and Help! were spectacular. I want to know your thoughts on these albums.  Even if I don’t like it doesn’t mean you won’t. Actually, you probably will because my opinions are generally contrary to most.  I’d like to hear it, though.  Let me know, hit me up, tell me about it. Maybe the next segment will be better, overall?  We’ll see.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!!

—
“I think I’m gonna be sad
I think it’s today, yeah
The girl that’s driving me mad
Is going away” – “Ticket to Ride” (Lennon/McCartney) from Help!