After reading Sammy Hagar’s autobiography excerpts in Rolling Stone last year I did not have much hope for this album. I figured that Eddie Van Halen was a lost cause. Then when there was more hype about the coming tour of a reconstituted version of Van Halen with Diamond Dave then about the new album I figured that was not a good sign. It looked like Van Halen were going to be an oldies touring band collecting funds for their retirement. Then I read a few reviews of the leading single “Tattoo” that were very bleak (I never heard it until now). So when release Tuesday came this album was not on my list.
Then I started to read some reviews of the full LP that were pretty positive so I headed over to iTunes to sample the album. Surprise! It was pretty damn good. Not VH1 or 1984 good, but a very respectable late career offering.
This is not a pop top-40 album like 1984, but rather muscular pop-metal. Van Halen’s sound has evolved from their late 70s and early 80s heyday. They are not milking that, nor are they distancing themselves. I feel like there is some recognition of how metal has evolved as a genre over the last 30 years – mainly speed and intensity.
Diamond Dave’s voice is solid (it always kind of sucked – his strength is attitude not pipes). Lyrically Dave is still devilish and sophomoric (that is a complement). He has taken on an additional voice – a deep almost Leonard Cohen-ish sing/talk (that is the sound is similar – none of the lyrical sophistication of Cohen).
Eddie is absolutely brilliant. For a guy who was reportedly shuffling around in his slippers, drooling and absent-mindedly looking for his heaters a couple of years ago, he clearly must have gotten his shit together. He plays fast, melodic and distinctively Van Halen. Honestly he is on top of his game. I find this a bit shocking. Better yet he lost the keys to the ivories. Simple put, he rocks.
This is not a classic, but for the Van Halen fan this is a fun reboot. Frankly classic Van Halen and Van Hager has been so played to death on classic radio that I can’t really listen to it. Chickenfoot was a nice fix, but this is better. By the way “Tattoo” does not suck.
PS – Check out how much this album cover cops an old Commodores album:
Wonderfully phallic.
And weirdest opening act of all time: Kool and the Gang will be opening for Van Halen on their coming tour. Beyond having hits in the same time period what on earth do these two have in common?
80 artist covering Bob. OK, well at least he has enough songs to go around. There are more successes than failures here – which is surprising when you have a collection that includes Pete Townsend and Ke$ha (or alphabetical from Adele to Ziggy Marley).
It is going to take a while to digest all of this – there are 4 CDs of material. But I have skipped around and I like what I hear. It is great to be positively blown away by Miley Cyrus cover of “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” as a straight ahead country song. It is not surprising that My Chemical Romance cover of “Desolation Row” is un-listenable. As expected I am not disappointed by Pete Townsend’s tender low-key cover of “Corrina Corrina.”
So overall a great cause and a nice collection of Dylan covers – some expected and some wonderful surprises – an incredible value at 20 bucks.
My daughter turned me on to this set of books and I read them in quick succession in about 3 weeks – miraculously fast for me. That alone is a thumbs up. My wife read the first book – her first attempt at science fiction – and she liked it too.
I have not read a book from the “young adult” genre since I was in junior high and read S.E. Hinton’s The Outsider. The only thing that seems young adult about this is the main characters and the fact that it is a fast and easy read. Otherwise if I did not have hype to tell me otherwise, I would have characterized this as quality science fiction.
The basic plot of the trilogy – and I am not giving anything away – is that in a future society the central government asserts oppressive control over its colonies by annually having a cruel event called the Hunger Games. Each of the 12 colonies (called districts in the book) must use a lottery to pick two children (male and female) between 12 and 17 who are then sent to the capital to compete in a fight to the death (only one winner amongst 24 contestants) for the amusement of the oppressors.
The book is a very entertaining read and it is just thought-provoking enough to really make you think about our own culture and government. Soon to be a major motion picture – read it now in anticipation of the movie. I am not sure if it will be Twilight big – but I bet it will be pretty close.
I was crazy about The Hold Steady’s Separation Sunday. Although I have purchased every subsequent album, none of those hit me like that first blast. They all seemed like variations on a similar theme – not necessarily a bad thing, but none of them grabbed me by the balls like Separation Sunday.
A few weeks ago I heard “Honolulu Blues” the single off of the new Craig Finn solo LP. Wow – this was something a bit different. I began anticipating the full length. I have had several listens now and I really like it. The music is just different enough from The Hold Steady to feel like something new, but familiar.
It is slowed down and twangy at times. Finn’s vocals are more intimate and relaxed. The lyrics are at times more cryptic than the typical The Hold Steady lyrics. The narratives are bit more obscure. But I kind of like that – it makes me wonder – it is not so much like watching a movie. I am a sucker for the local Minnesota references.
Overall – music and lyrics – are more atmospheric and a more mature to me than The Hold Steady. That is a good thing for me. Highly recommended. I will be reserving a spot on my “Best of 2012” for this early year release.
My favorite diva. The show I saw in the 80s was top-5!
RIP Etta.
I was originally turned on to Kathleen Edwards as a alt-country princess. I was really intrigued to hear this album would be produced by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver). I had read they were a couple. I was a little worried Justin would get too atmospheric, but he brought just the right touch.
Kathleen has wonderfully angelic voice. It reminds me a lot of Susanne Vega. I am just a couple of listens in, but each listen brings out more nuances. Justin’s production is so subtle you don’t notice it, but on each additional listen you hear the Bon Iver.
If you like Bon Iver and folky chick singers you will love this album. If you crave melancholia and reflection you have found the right place. See the nice story over on NPR. To sample the album on NPR click here.
One of the joys of the last year of crate digging is the extensive catalog of Grover Washington Jr. on Kudu that is available for cheap. Grover was big enough in the day that he sold a lot of records so there is a good supply of used vinyl under his name.
This is one of Grover’s funkiest releases. He rides the fine line between jazz and James Brown. A terrific studio band backs him including the great rhythm of Harvey Mason (drums) and Ralph McDonald (percussion).
If you want an introduction to high quality jazz funk from the mid-70s this is a must have release. This seems like an album that should be sampled by hip hop artists and sure enough a quick search found:
- DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s “A Touch of Jazz”
- Heavy D’s “You Ain’t Heard Nuttin’ Yet”
- Salt-N-Pepa’s “My Mike Sounds Nice”
all sampled this great release’s titular track. Enjoy – should not cost you more than a couple bucks at your favorite used record store.
Listen to the opening riff of Grover and then head to Dj Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince at about the 2:20 mark.
I learned the other day reading a review of Etta’s latest (The Dreamer) that she has leukemia and is not long for this world. This saddens me greatly. Seeing Etta live in the early 80s was a top-5 concert experience. This got me digging through my old vinyl and I pulled out this outstanding album.
This was released in 1980 and produced by the great Allen Tousaint. This is classic soul music and Etta was a the top of her game despite this being a lost period for Etta (her Wikipedia entry has a section that ends in 1978 and does not pick up the story again until 1988). How I originally stumbled upon this is not remembered – I assume it was the Tousaint production that caught my eye.
Tousaint assembled and wonderfully funky New Orleans cast to back Etta. He had her cover several of his great songs and she does them proud. One of my favorite Tousaint songs is “Night People” and this Etta version is my all time favorite. She purrs, she growls.
If you are a fan of neo-soul, for example Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, you will love this album. Enjoy this song off the album – the opening riff would be a sampler’s delight:
I ran across a review of this album in Stereophile. Based on the review it sounded like something I would like. What did i find? A bit of Neil Young Crazy Horse buzz guitar, a bit of The Doors on the nod, and a bit of 90’s shoegaze.
This is a wonderful rock and roll drone. It sounds both classic rock and totally contemporary at the same time.
Yesterday I posted 20-11 and today it is 10-1. In reality order does not matter that much. Depending on my mood any of these final 10 could be my favorite album of 2011. For the most part the top-10 is dominated by artists I have a long relationship with. But there are a couple of new faces – and that is what keeps me in the game – hoping to discover that artist you have never met who will blow you away. Everyone on this list was a new friend once.
Looking forward to what music I will discover in 2012. But one last time, let’s savor 2011.
#10
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks -Mirror Traffic: Malkmus and Beck together at last and what do you get? A great Pavement album.
#9
Robbie Robertson – How to Become Clairvoyant: It took Robbie to make a great Clapton album. This is classic rock with bit of a modern twist. It is mellow; yet there is a lot of rock percolating under the surface. Very cleverly arranged, but disguised as easy. Listen carefully there is a lot going on here.
#8
Lady Gaga – Born This Way: I am a latecomer to Gaga. I saw her in the summer of 2010 at Lollapalooza when she was an up and coming curiosity and in my mind a merely a refreshed Madonna. She put on a good show and what stuck me then was that she had a much Elton John as she did Madonna, and I guess that is what makes her special. She is a real musician and not just a pop star. “Born This Way” is a pop masterpiece – it is dance, it is rock, it is pop. It has deep messages and it is fluff. As a pop star Gaga is as good as it gets – genuine, but still a put on. This album is a wonderful calling card and foundation to her pop stardom, because no matter what you must have great songs and Gaga’s got great songs.
#7
Grieves – Together Apart: I am not much of a hip-hop guy, but being around Pwelbs has rubbed off on me. I like my hip-hop melodic and I like good stories. And it better invoke old school soul and funk grooves. Grieves meets all my requirements.
#6
Greg Allman – Low Country Blues: I like that this is not an Allman Brothers album, but a real solo album. The great T Bone Burnett brings out the best in an over the hill rock star and reminds us what a great blues artist Greg Allman is.
#5
Miles Davies Quintet – Live in the Europe 1967 (the Bootleg Series Vol. 1): Why is this on my list? Because it is Miles and it was released in 2011. Enough said, see full review.
#4
Ryan Adams – Ashes & Fire: Ryan Adams pressed the pause button and saved us from his prolific output and allowed us to anticipate and then enjoy a new album. For a while I just could not digest the volume. It was like eating a fine dessert when you are already stuffed – it might be gourmet, but it just doesn’t taste good when you are full. I don’t know if this is his best work in years, but I enjoyed it because I was hungry and craving it. Nothing new and innovative – just finely crafted. See full review and Minneapolis solo show review.
#3
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Revelator: I have been waiting for Derek Trucks to put out a great record and this is it. I am true fan and have all his albums. They have all been good, but a bit disappointing – until this one. Derek never seemed to have the right vocalist for his foil and there it was right under his nose – his wife Susan Tedeschi. Add to that is a full band – I am true sucker for guitar and horns. Great arrangements, great songs, great vocals and tasteful guitar solos. As talented as Derek Trucks is his greatest asset is his restraint – lets call it taste. PS – special thanks to my brother-in-law Steve for getting me the cool autographed poster for Christmas!
#2
Paul Simon – So Beautiful, So What: Simon is a genius. He had hit a bit of a dull patch for me, but he pulled this one out of his ass. I would put it up there with Graceland – not as shockingly good (Graceland opened the pop world to African pop when the average rube had never heard it – I am an average rube). This is just well crafted pop magic. Youthful yet mature.
#1
Wilco – The Whole Love: Wilco has been on the top of my list for about 10 years now. Frankly I was starting to get bored. Then this album made me fall in love again. There is nothing notably different about this album from other Wilco albums – it is just damn good. It does everything they do best – it is weird, it is Beatleseque, it has great players, it is Wilco. See full review.
Axl's Catch Groove 