It has taken about three and half years to accumulate 300 posts. I have a very small readership, but that is OK, as my main motivation is a personal document of the music that is engaging me at any given time.
Friends and acquaintances will ask what I am listening to and before this blog I would generally be stupefied by the question. Now I can pull out my iPhone and scroll through recent posts and give an informed answer.
I still struggle to articulate what about an album touches my heart and soul. I don’t think I have written a negative review. I have listened to lots of music over the last several years I didn’t like and many a beloved artist has let me down. But I am not interested in spending my valuable time and energy documenting an album I hate.
Despite listening to thousands of albums I still get excited by a new release and discovering an old album (e.g. my recent Keith Jarrett post). Blogging album reviews has enhanced my listening because it forces an engagement with the music. I still get geeked-out by a cool guitar tone, a great groove, a clever lyric and the human voice exposing a genuine emotion (whether brilliantly acted or if it is for real).
I am in my mid-50s and I have been serious about music for most of my life. I have been around long enough to have heard the influencer in their time and I am still curious enough to seek out and hear the influenced in this moment. I am critical enough to separate the purely derivative from the real artist who borrows to make something real – their twist on a classic recipe.
I still have a lot to write about: music I have not yet met, my personal “hall of fame” recordings, introductions to my favorite artists and general music trends. I would like to explore budget audio as it saddens me young music fans don’t have the passion for sound that my generation had (I debated saying “has,” but it is sadly “had”). I would like to think if they were educated about their options, where aware of reasonably priced components and had a chance to experience quality audio they would be hooked. And then there is food and drink which often forms the analogies I use to describe music.
I have enjoyed writing this blog and hope I have helped you discover something new or be reminded of something you have forgotten. Forgive my lapse in grammar and spelling – I could use an editor.
Marling’s last release, Once I Was An Eagle, was my best of 2013. Short Movie is a further evolution of her sound. It is still acoustic based, but a bit more colored by rock instrumentation. She continues to channel Joni Mitchell, but her phasing has broaden to include other influences (Lou Reed, Patti Smith and Chrissie Hynde perhaps?). Like her last album I really appreciate that as much as she reminds me of Joni, she has her own voice both musically and lyrically.
As I have stated many times in this blog there is nothing I love more than an album that is a “grower,” that is, an album that reveals itself after repeated listens. The first time I listened to this album I was a bit underwhelmed, but by my third listen it seemed like a whole new album. Filled with depth and nuance. This review was pieced together after several more listens. It has continued to reveal.
“Warrior” Marling’s voice and acoustic guitar are front and center like early period Joni, but it is augmented by swirling electronics and echoed vocal overdubs giving it a more Nick Drake feel.
“False Hopes” starts out like it could be an outtake from Joni’s Blue but it evolves into a full-out rocker that would not sound out of place on late period Replacement’s album (including some Westerberg phlegmatic phrasing).
“I Feel Your Love” more channeling Joni. Deep bowed strings and jangling guitar. “I feel your love/Please let me go” what an interesting emotion.
“Walk Alone” I am sorry, but this is the best Joni album – since Joni stopped making albums. But again Marling makes it her own.
“Strange” A nice change-up – Laura does Lou (Reed). Marling delivers a nice snarl.
“Don’t Let Me Bring You Down” rocks like the Pretenders. It starts with a simmer and then comes to a full boil. Lyrically Marling cuts open a vein and lets it bleed:
Please don’t let me bring you down
Do I look like I’m fucking around?
Love seems to be some kind of trickery
Some great thing to which I am a mystery
I’m not sure I can do it
“Easy” has a nice Dylanesque lyric and melody. A nice ode to an old friend with this frank lyric: “You fell asleep listening to me linger on.”
“Gurdjeff’s Daughter” Musically this echos Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing.” This is the most musically sophisticated song on the album. According to Song Facts:
A shaman that Marling met inspired in her an interest in mysticism. This led to the English singer hunting down everything she could find about the Chilean filmmaker, author and spiritual guru Alejandro Jodorowsky. This surreal track was written about some advice that the Armenian spiritual teacher George Gurdjieff gave to his daughter, which she passed on through an encounter with Jodorowsky at a film premiere.
Marling told NME: “I was reading Joborowsky’s biography. There is this absolutely brilliant moment where he meets Gurdjieff’s daughter. Gutdjieff is like a spiritual teacher, a philosophical cult leader, and this daughter tracked Jodorowsky down at a première of El Topo in Mexico City to tell him he needed to brush up on his metaphysical skills because he’s going to be a really important part of humanity. She said, ‘I’ve been sent to teach you all these things.'”
“They ended up in a hotel room together, and she reeled off this list of his sayings, his rules for living, of how to be a moral human being.”
“I pretty much turned that verbatim into a song. Like one of them is ‘Don’t share orders for the pleasure of being obeyed’ and another is ‘Don’t be impressed by big personalities.'”
“Divine” A little bit of Dylan modernized via Counting Crows.
“How Can I” is more classic Joni sounding material. Cool minimalistic drums behind guitar and vocal.
“Howl” begins with a Pink Floyd sounding lethargic electric guitar riff. Marling pipes in with a smoky vocal. Another song that has a Lou Reed feel.
“Short Movie” Marling gets vulnerable with a Nick Drake sounding song with this key lyric:
Just a girl that can play guitar
I think I could get away with
Saying only half what I say
No, I can’t give you up
“Worship Me” ends the album. This is the most mysterious lyric on the album. Is it a women talking to her lover? Is it an uncertain god? Is it an idea talking? Musically it is meditation. There is a fascinating crackle in the background – almost like surface noise on an LP (I am listening via Spotify).
Overall this is a fine follow-up to Once I Was An Eagle. Looser and yet a step forward. I love Joni Mitchell and since she has withdrawn from the business I have to get my fix via her disciples. And like Saint Paul she does her master proud with a sophisticated mediation. . This will make the best of 2015 list for sure.
I first discovered Buddy Miles on Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys LP. Buddy sings “Changes” (a title variation on the titular song on this album) and bangs the skins on that album. The live album is Hendrix’s most soulful and funky LP in his catalog and Buddy is a big reason.
Buddy’s background was playing in jazz and R&B bands. He met Hendrix when they were in different bands on the same tour circuit. They struck up a friendship and jammed together. Buddy was just 16 when he first met Jimi. He managed to jam with rock and roll royalty over the years: Hendrix, Santana, Stills, McLaughlin, George Clinton, Bloomfield, etc.
Them Changes opens with the titular track. It is much more traditional soul (lots of horns) than what I was first introduced to with Hendrix, but it still rocks hard.
“I Still Love You, Anyway” would not sound out of place on a Stevie Wonder album or as an acoustic ballad on Led Zeppelin album.
“Hearts Delight” has a Motown feel, but with delightfully rough edges. It then segues into a James Brown ballad to close out the song.
Side one ends with a brilliant cover of the Allman Brothers’ “Dreams.” The song opens with the classic guitar riff but it is spiced up by a horn section giving the song a great Blood Sweat & Tears feel.
Side two launches with another great cover, Neil Young’s “Down By The River.”
Next is “Memphis Train” which is pretty conventional Memphis soul – think Otis Redding.
“Paul B. Allen, Omaha Nebraska” is an instrumental work out reminiscent of what a blues band would play to warm up the crowd for the featured performer. I can imagine hearing this jam at an Allman Brothers’ show. Nice foundation for the players in Buddy’s band to step out and solo.
The album concludes with “Your Feeling Is Mine” another piece of classic Memphis soul.
The LP is a nice synthesis of soul and acid rock. This album is pretty easy to find in the crates. I picked up mine in fair to good condition for a buck. Recommended to Allman Brothers, Otis Redding and more recently Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings fans.
How on earth I missed this album in 2014 is beyond me. Rocky Music’s Avalon is in my hall of fame – one of my favorite albums of all time. Most of Roxy Music’s catalog has not resonated with me, but Avalon has touched my soul.
I am not sure how I stumbled upon Avonmore. It was about a month ago and it has been in constant rotation since. It has a similar groove as Avalon. A funky slow boil.
After a month I am giving it a proper listen via 180 gram vinyl.
The guitar playing is subtle but superb, led by the great Nile Rogers (Chic) and Johnny Marr (The Smiths). Long time Ferry/Roxy guitarist Neil Hubbard plays on all the cuts. In addition, the thick strings are manned primarily by Marcus Miller (Miles Davis).
There are plenty of great guests too: Flea, Mark Knopfler, Ronnie Spector and Maceo Parker.
This album would have for sure made my top 5 of 2014. This is like finding a long-lost sequel to a classic (Roxy’s Avalon).
Ferry is the master of the quite storm. If you like pristine production values, subtle British funk and great (but not flamboyant) guitar, you will love this LP.
No spoilers – go ahead and read.
I don’t watch a lot of TV outside of sports and my wife’s shows. But last year I serial watched Breaking Bad (one episode a day on the treadmill). That show really opened my eyes that TV is now better than movies.
Great TV has always been about great characters and Breaking Bad was full of them. Although the plot could get tedious (unfairly accentuated by serial watching), I never tired of the characters. Saul Goodman was one of the consistent scene stealers.
Saul’s charm was that at his core he is a lovable looser who has just enough gall to lie, cheat and steal without guilt (just fear of being caught). Saul somehow makes being a mild psychopath a charming character defect (something as benign as being scatter brained). I think there is a little bit of Saul in all of us if we were honest enough to admit it.
I was thrilled to hear there would be a Breaking Bad spinoff focused on Saul. When it debuted this winter I enjoyed the first few episodes, but honestly I was underwhelmed. Then this past week I watched episode 6 (Five-0) and that was the payoff. The episode focused on another great Breaking Bad character Mike Ehrmantraut.
In this episode we learn Mike’s tragic past and how it defines his character. Jonathan Banks performance is absolutely brilliant. Some of the best acting I have ever seen on-screen (small or large). It is so cool to learn the foundation of a character you already know. You always new Mike had a tragic past and now you see it and his character now makes total sense. I love that this was accomplished with such a long set up. Congratulations to Vince Gilligan – he has delivered again. I am officially hooked on Better Call Saul.
This album is the definition of “Crate Digger’s Gold.” I knew nothing of Wishbone Ash other than they were an early 70s band. I was digging the $1 boxes at the recent Rock N’ Roll Sale when I pulled this double LP. For a buck I was curious as to who Wishbone Ash was. I assumed that a live album would be a good introduction to the band.
I finally gave it a spin last night – wow what a cool band. Imagine combining early Yes with The Allman Brothers and you have a bit of a sense of Wishbone Ash. But I don’t want to mislead you – they really don’t sound like anyone else – they have their own unique sound. What struck me right away was that it was a twin guitar attack. I immediately Googled them to find out who the hell are these guys.
According to Wikipedia:
Wishbone Ash are considered to be one of the major innovators of the harmony twin lead guitar format. Their contributions helped Andy Powell and Ted Turner to be voted “Two of the Ten Most Important Guitarists in Rock History” (Traffic magazine 1989), and to appear in the “Top 20 Guitarists of All Time” (Rolling Stone). Melody Maker (1972) described Powell and Turner as “the most interesting two guitar team since the days when Beck and Page graced The Yardbirds”.
This is why I crate dig – the thrill of discovering a great band or album you knew nothing about and paying next to nothing for the pleasure beyond your time. I have not listened to any other Wishbone Ash albums so I have no idea if this is representative of their catalog. But given they have a couple of incredible axe men I can only assume the live format is a great way to sample the band. There is some serious guitar slinging going on here – and not just the twin guitars – the bass player shreds too. But I can see why these guys never made it big: they don’t have distinctive vocals, they lack great hooks and monster riffs. But the twin guitar battles on top of a complex bass line is pretty damn intriguing to my jazz and jam band ears.
If you are a fan of complex rock and roll guitar or blowing sessions you will dig this album. My $1 copy was in pretty decent shape so you should not have to pay more than $5 for good copy of the LP.
I have been underwhelmed by the recent Led Zeppelin reissues. Partly because, as much as I love Zeppelin, they are classic rock warhorse that have been played to death (by both me and the radio). But mostly because I was so disappointed that the bonus material was so thin: live cuts, alternative mixes, demos. I can’t believe that a band this big did not have extra songs that did not make the cut.
Physical Graffiti does not bring any more to the table than the other reissues other than it is arguably their greatest album. Maybe I am just in the right mood. Maybe I have listened to this album a hundred fewer times than the rest of their catalog. I am digging this album – the reissue sounds stunning. If you are going to test drive one of these reissues – this is the one.
Physical Graffiti has all the tricks in the Zep bag: hard rock, folk, world music, funk, killer riffs, etc. This is a great band at the absolute peak of their powers.
As for the bonus material – more of the same – no new songs. The packaging on the deluxe edition is a very well done miniature LP.
I am more of Jerry Garcia fan than a Grateful Dead fan. I was a David Grisman fan before I was a fan of Garcia or the Dead.
Amazingly I have never owned this album in any format. I recently picked up an LP in very good condition for just 5 bucks at the recent Rock ‘N Roll Music Sale in Maple Grove (MN).
The album is live from 1973 and was released in 1975. Garcia is featured on vocals and banjo. Grisman on vocals and mandolin. This pure bluegrass vs. some of the fusion that both artist are famous for. That being said, the songs are traditional, original (3 by guitarist/vocalist Peter Rowen, 1 by Grisman and 1 by violinist Vassar Clements) and a cover of the Stones’ “Wild Horses.”
I “discovered” Grisman on his classic jazz bluegrass fusion (dawg music) Hot Dawg (1979). And I “discovered” Garcia via the Jerry Garcia Band on their 1991 eponymous live album.
This album has some high-speed picking and radiates a lot of joy. Garcia and Grisman had known each other for 10 plus years before this album was recorded. The lack of pretension is strong here. Pure love of music prevails. Garcia had such an amazing musical life outside the Dead and this is just one example of his many side gigs. This is a classic example of him subordinating his ego for the groove.
If you are a fan of picking and grinning or a fan of the Dead this LP is highly recommended.
Below is the complete Boarding House Shows which includes this album plus 45 more cuts. Also included bellow is Hot Dawg. Unfortunately Jerry Garcia Band is not available on Spotify.
I first became aware of Sly And Robbie on the 1980 Black Uhuru album Sinsemilla. They were a big deal in the 80s appearing on reggae albums by major reggae stars like Black Uhuru, Peter Tosh and Culture, but also with major rock stars like Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger.
This album was produced by Material/Bill Laswell (another pretty big deal in the 80s). Laswell is a pretty innovative cat who rides a thin line between funk and jazz. He is equally comfortable in hip hop and dance noise.
I knew nothing about this album – I plucked it out of the crate based on Sly And Robbie and Laswell’s reputation. When I first listened to Language Barrier the first thing that I thought of was Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit,” which Laswell produced a couple of years earlier. This is barely a reggae album and that is all right. There are plenty of great reggae grooves graced by Sly and Robbie. It is cool to hear this distinctive rhythm section hijacked for another cause.
The album features some pretty fantastic guests: Bob Dylan (who plays some subtle mouth harp on one song), Herbie Hancock, Afrika Bambaata, Doug E. Fresh (aka the Human Beatbox) among others.
This album was a flop commercially, but it is still a great LP. It is a very 80s sounding record – it accentuates the art side of that periods pop – it rides the edges. It sounds pretty damn innovative in hindsight. With each listen the groove gets deeper and funkier. There are a lot of layers here. Don’t ride the surface, dive deep. If you can imagine EDM with soul, check out this LP.
As for the digging, I found this gem in near mint condition at The Electric Fetus (opened but still in shrink-wrap). A bit overpriced at $9, I am accepting of inflation in the vinyl market these days, especially at parlors of hipness like The Fetus. The album has given me great enjoyment so the groove to value ratio has been high.
Sorry not available on Spotify, so no playlist.
Gov’t Mule is celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band with a variety of live release that are theme based. For example they released a vinyl-only set of Stones covers for Black Friday/Record Store Day in 2014 (Stone Side Of The Mule Vol. 1). They recently released a jazz rock instant classic with John Scofield (Sco-Mule).
This release is focused on Pink Floyd covers. There are two versions – one with just the Floyd covers (single CD and double LP) and a deluxe edition that is the entire Halloween 2008 concert at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston on three CDs (including a DVD video of the show mixed in stereo and 5.1). I purchased the deluxe version. For that version the first set is predominantly from the Mule’s catalog and the second set is Floyd covers.
I am new to Gov’t Mule, but I have for a long time admired Warren Haynes work with the Allman Brothers. Last fall I picked up the Record Store Day Stones’ cover album and was struck by Haynes vocals (he can obviously rock the guitar). With the Allman Brothers his vocals are typically a bluesy Gregg Allman growl. But on the Stones covers album he affected something closer to Jagger.
On Dark Side Haynes mimics David Gilmour’s vocals and guitar playing. When you hear the Mule cover Floyd you realize how bluesy Floyd’s music is at its heart – atmospheric and foreshadowing techno, but bluesy at its heart. The Floyd covers are pretty loyal to the originals – but with just a touch of a jam band feel.
The performance is five-star and the recording is three-star (Sco-Mule is better sonically). The DVD video quality is a bit grainy, but sonically as good as the CD. Sorry, but I don’t have the tools to review the 5.1 mix. The Floyd songs are so familiar – it is fun to hear a group of talented fan-boys take them for a ride. Overall the covers are pretty faithful, but with a touch of looseness that is just right.
My experience with Stone Side, Sco-Mule and Dark Side Of The Mule has got me digging into the Gov’t Mule’s catalog (looks all but their first album is on Spotify). What a great band. I have a ticket to the Sco-Mule concert in Minneapolis this week and I am really looking forward to it. It is fun to “discover” a band who has an extensive back catalog to mine.
Axl's Catch Groove 