The Year That Was: Gas Tank Edition Part 2 - 1976

In 1976 punk was rearing its snarling head, but had yet to make an official release (well, the Damned did with New Rose later in the year), so the worn out heroes that movement was scoffing were still dominating the charts and the airwaves, and in several cases deservedly so. Here are a few...

Bob Dylan – Desire: You can reference my May 24 Dylan post for additional thoughts, but I will add that this is one of Dylan’s strongest and yet most aloof albums of the 70s, and certainly his last “masterpiece” for a good 10+ years. Again, it’s all about album cohesion, and Desire just doesn’t have it. But what it does have is a batch of good songs. Approach it as such and you’ll be fine.

David Bowie – Station to Station: Not so much the “return” as the introduction of the Thin White Duke motif, this is Bowie at his most chic and debonair as he transitions from the white funk and blue eyed soul of Young Americans and begins to incorporate the Kraut Rock influences that would dominate most of his next three albums. It’s smooth, it’s sultry, it’s seductive, it’s definitely one of the five Bowie albums you need.

David Bowie via The Thin White Duke

Heart – Dreamboat Annie: Heart’s debut is a strong one. A fine set of roots-heavy rockers and troubadour folk ballads, the latter generously shows off the acoustic guitar talents of Nancy Wilson, while the whole lot is a backdrop for Ann’s drop dead vocals. But there’s also a concept feel, with songs flowing in and out like little miniature suites and the recurring theme of the title track. And since 2/3 of the “classic rock” radio staples are found here (you’ll know ‘em), this is a good place to start for more of the same, with Sing Child about stealing the whole show.

Heart

Kiss – Destroyer: Most any Kiss album from the 70s is worth picking up, but Destroyer might be 1) the one to have (if you only have one*) and 2) the logical place to start for the curious beyond the hits. Why? Well, again, that’s all up to the listener, but song for song you’ve got the best of the singles (Shout It Out Loud, Detroit Rock City) and album tracks (King of the Night Time World, God of Thunder), showcasing everything that is right (and yet wrong) about Kiss, from womanizing to self-posturing, all encased in 3-4 minute fist-raising, sing-along arena anthems.

*Ace Frehley is actually my favorite “Kiss album,” but it’s in fact a solo album and so while it counts, it really doesn’t.

Judas Priest – Sad Wings of Destiny: I respect Priest more than like them, but I really do enjoy their sophomore effort. I think what does it for me is not only the beginnings of the classic Priest sound that gave us metal standards like Hell Bent for Leather and Breaking the Law, but a very prog rock approach with extended instrumental pieces and more theatrical lyrics. Oh, and it’s got The Ripper, JP’s best song ever. EV-ER!!!

Rush – 2112: For Rush as a band, this was the make or break effort after three albums that did little to bring them any success. So why not go out guns blazing with a side one consisting of a 20+ minute, multi-part saga about a futuristic, universal war where the prevailing parties dictate everything citizens do, and the one dreamy-eyed lonely heart who attempts to dissuade them? A real snoozer, right? Wrong. It rules. There’s a reason it’s one of the 1001 albums you must hear before you die, because not only is the title track a masterpiece of epic progressive rock, but side two boasts five tunes that further develop the “standard” rock they initially delivered, yet in a way that is decidedly, distinctively Rush. Basically, 2112 introduced the Rush that became huge, though obscurely so.

Rush (I know, yikes...)

Aerosmith – Rocks: The magic of Toys in the Attic is still potent here, with sleaze-cheese rockers and amped up boogie woogie blues, this is their heaviest album and the one that sticks to your guts. There are a couple of well known hits (Back in the Saddle, Last Child), but the cream of this harvest is the album tracks, most notably Rats in the Cellar, which is about as balls out as you can get, and Sick as a Dog, quite possibly my all time favorite A’smith track. For folks more familiar with their 90s 'wink, wink' posturing, this stuff will make you throw Pump in the trash by the solo for Combination.

AC/DC – Dirty Deeds: As with several of the artists here, picking up any album from the 70s will be a good move. The thing about AC/DC is that they’ve done very little to change their sound in the past 40 years, with each release offering more high energy, blues charged riff rock, full of catchy hooks, amazing solos and sordid lyrics that are more to wink at than to take seriously (sorta). If this is your bag, then you already know what I’m talking about. I waffle back and forth between this one and Highway to Hell (oh, and High Voltage) as a personal favorite (of the Bon Scott era anyway), and really it’s a matter of the collected songs. But aside from the iconic title track and the ever pleasing Big Balls, there are several “lesser known” cuts like Love at First Feel, Problem Child and the borderline apocalyptic Ride On to show that these guys can produce more than just a handful of classic radio anthems.

Tom Waits – Small Change: Waits’ fourth album is the first where he trades his already gravelly croon for the Captain Beefheart turned up to 11 howl/moan that has become one of his distinguishing musical trademarks, as well as one of the most expressive voices in modern music. Small Change is the logical follow up to Nighthawks at the Diner, continuing to incorporate free jazz and skat into his then-signature balladry, and acts as a blueprint for the rest of his 70s output. Darker and more cynical, with themes of isolation, alcoholism and seedy living prevalent, Waits can still be witty with wordplay and tender with matters of the heart, keeping things starkly real and intimate, even at a safe distance from your speakers. Aside from Closing Time, this is the one to have pre-Heartattack and Vine.

Tom Waits

Queen – A Day at the Races: The logical follow up and counterpoint to the wildly successful A Night at the Opera, ADatR proves that Queen still had plenty of campy, theatrical epics in their arsenal, capable of rocking with reckless abandon (Tie Your Mother Down) or tugging your heartstrings until they drip blood (You Take My Breath Away). Of course a good portion of that is Freddie’s voice, but it would only be pleasing and not majestic without some top notch songs to give it range and freedom. Somebody to Love certainly ties it all together, and while White Man and Teo Torriatte can get a bit trite (Brian May, I still love you), You and I and Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy’s open spiritedness just make you feel…good.

Scorpions – Virgin Killer: Highly repulsive (original) album cover aside, this is a great record. Though not as commercially familiar or radio long lasting as later hits like Love Drive or Blackout, this is the solidification of the classic Scorpions sound, where the tongue in cheek is clever and not cheesed out and the riffs, hooks and solos sound fresh and inspired even if you hear them after their watered down 80s counterparts. A big part of this is due to lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth, who incorporates a virtuoso ingenuity that, while mimicked following his departure, was never quite the same after.

The Year That Was: Gas Tank Edition Part 1 - 1971

The other day I was putting gas in the car and because I never fill it up all the way unless I’m traveling (it’s this whole anti gas prices/OCD thing), I usually cap off around $20, or $19 and some change. Anyway, I randomly stopped at $19.83 and I thought, “You know, some good albums came out in ’83…,” and from there I decided I’d do a series of posts under the Year That Was category based on my gas pump costs. Over the next couple of weeks I randomly stopped around the $20 mark and came up with two more years. And again because of OCD, I have to start in chronological order, which is not 1983 but 1971.

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The 70s brought a mixed bag of all sorts of styles, from dirty and nasty (punk) to glossy and chic (disco), but all essentially rock music, with 1971 providing some heavy hitters that simultaneously signaled the high mark and the decline/end of true grit rock n roll as part of the public mainstream. Many of the below artists were holdovers and mainstays from the hippie generation and the infamous Summer of Love, and in some instances a counter response to that, with these albums paving the way for the “classic rock n roll” sound that dominated and defined the first half of the 70s, and ultimately defeated the genre.

Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers: My hands down favorite Stones album, it’s the perfect blend of blues and sleaze, with foot stomping rockers, sublime ballads and extended jams that cover pretty much everything these guys were best at in the midst of their heyday.

Michael Nesmith – Nevada Fighter: Perhaps an ever so slight dip in quality from previous efforts (I blame stiff/stifled production), Nevada Fighter is still a highly enjoyable album with an almost experimental bend. Full of Papa Nes' quirky humor and flawless song craft, side two displays his unique interpretation of other artists’ songs. All in all, it’s another example of country rock in its earliest and best form.

Papa Nes

The Doors – LA Woman: A difficult album personally, but a favorite for fans overall, this was the Doors getting even deeper and further back into their roots. Sounding road weary and battle hardened, they’re veterans of the rock n roll war but still have plenty of fight and energy to show the new recruits exactly how it’s done; a logical, if unintended, swansong to the Morrison era.

Black Sabbath – Master of Reality: Providing another installment of “hard n heavy 101,” the godfathers of modern metal further expand their sound by incorporating ballads and brief classical pieces into their signature fuzz and doom, while maintaining the signature dark imagery that gave them so much notoriety, reflecting on drugs, Christianity, the socio-political fears of the times and not worshiping Satan.

Black Sabbath

The Who – Who’s Next: Ambition was always the key with Pete Townshend, and while folks will argue which of his masterpieces is THE masterpiece, I would nod towards Who’s Next for the ultimate culmination of pop perfection and a progressive, genre breaking finesse that continues to reach forward as it both defines and defies all categories 40 years later.

Fleetwood Mac – Future Games: The first of the era that eventually moved them into superstardom, with Bob Welch and Christine McVie firmly in place, Fleetwood Mac sounds reenergized, relevant and (no pun intended) futuristic, as they break new ground for what would become standard 70s AOR rock, while retaining a uniqueness that is in all ways timeless.

Led Zeppelin – IV: The last in the series of blues-infused folk rock, this is the album that you need and yet after listening to it over and over again, never really need to hear again since it becomes engrained into your very soul. I’m not saying it’s their best, but it’s their most essential.

Led Zeppelin

Kris Kristofferson – The Silver Tongued Devil and I: Capitalizing on his debut’s success, Kristofferson offers a set of songs that, for me, are stronger, deeper, and more poetic, cutting straight to the bone (pun intended this time). Kristofferson makes country “cool” with a gritty elegance and a melodic, woe is me humor never achieved by any other artist of the genre.

David Bowie – Hunky Dory: Bowie was still shedding his hippie skin here, but also developing his own voice with a collection of “safe” yet progressively unique folk-pop tunes that, with Mick Ronson at his side, would set the stage to blow the walls off of the confines of rock n roll forever. This is either the last of the “pre-Bowie” Bowie, or the beta version of Ziggy Stardust. You decide.

David Bowie

Pink Floyd – Meddle: Truly stepping from beneath the shadow of Syd, here the Floyd begins to flex the muscles that would bring on later masterpieces like Wish You Were Here and Dark Side of the Moon, though in a rougher, more embryonic and, in some ways, more satisfying package.

Van Morrison – Tupelo Honey: When Van is at his prime, as he is here, you can pick up any album and get everything you need. Tupelo Honey is just one of the many tastes, combining funk and soul with folky pop in a affecting, down and dirty, up on your feet way that, when coupled with his all powerful and expressive voice, is truly like nothing else on the planet.

Performance Review - Psychedelic Furs

On June 7, 2011, the Psychedelic Furs played Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom, and I was there.

My affair with the Furs runs long and deep, as they hit me in a way that few bands did in my impressionable youth and still do today (this very minute even), which speaks to the power and timelessness of their music. And yet in many ways, and especially to the world outside (Get it? No? You will…), they remain an enigma. They’re one of those seminal 80s bands that everyone can sing a song or three, but no one really knows much about them, i.e. no one is really a “fan.” I’ve known some exceptions to that rule, JT being one and J-Hern being another, but most folks give them a casual nod, whistle “that song,” and move on.

This is a shame, because to put it plainly – The Psychedelic Furs bring it. And they’re still doing so.

Their recorded output ended some 20 years ago with the mostly, even scandalously, even criminally disregarded World Outside, one of three masterpieces in their brief but compelling catalog, and the mature (ten years on), even logical foil to the “beautiful chaos” of their 1980 self-titled debut.

For this tour they’re touting their much lauded and equally fantastic sophomore album (for its 30^th anniversary), Talk Talk Talk. Still the original six piece wielding two guitars and a saxophonist, they effectively harnessed the all but controlled tumbling wall of sound from the debut and honed the edges into a more pop recognizable if not quite radio friendly blend of delicate snarl and raucous melody, the “everything punk can be” pushed to its final limits before breaking into something, well, transcendent, even socially defining (the stark realism found in these songs, though veiled, is truly staggering). This is the album that gave us Pretty in Pink, so I don’t have to tell you the cultural significance of that in and of itself.

And though this was not the classic line up that made the album, or even the full core members from their 80s heyday, we did get both Butler brothers (of course) and saxophonist Mars Williams (Midnight to Midnight, the soundtrack version of PiP, other 80s stuff you’ve definitely heard), plus Amanda Kramer from Golden Palominos and Information Society fame. Round it off with a couple of, relatively, newcomers, Richard Good on guitar and Paul Garisto on drums, and you had a solid band that was professional, competent and there to take us on a trip down memory lane.

Classic Talk Talk Talk line up

So, the Furs took the stage promptly at 8:00 and immediately kicked into the Talk Talk Talk album. This was the original UK track running, so Dumb Waiters came first, and it was as blistering, sardonic and borderline apocalyptic as it ever could have been 30 years ago. Richard Butler, still lithe in build and ever light on his feet, came out immediately charming, smiling, drawing us into the obscure yet insightful poetry of his lyrics, acting out the words as if playing the characters he sings about. He's truly a charismatic and inspiring performer...though I have to say Mars Williams about stole the show, and Richard both knew it and loved it.

And that, to sum it up, was the show.

Aside from a couple of thank yous, the band didn’t let up for the full 40 plus minutes of the album, keeping me on my toes with the unfamiliar order of the tracks, and following the notes and beats to the letter, which is exactly how you want it, ‘cos aside from great songwriting, it’s the little nuances that make Talk Talk Talk more than post punk, set apart from New Wave, something totally unique unto itself, and yet very distinctly Psychedelic Furs.

After a short break they were back, running through the retro radio hits (Love My Way, Heaven, Heartbreak Beat) and a few lesser known singles (Sister Europe, President Gas, Heartbeat), keeping the crowd engaged, energized and eager for more. Again, through the entire set, the band never lost momentum, never paused longer than it took to change out a guitar, say thanks and then burn into the next tune. I had wondered what Richard’s between song banter would be like, and I was thrilled that he kept it to a minimum, focused entirely on the set, the songs, his craft and, the reason for it all, the audience.

Richard Butler - the main man

I was highly expectant of this show and I was in no way disappointed or let down. Richard was in strong voice (which, after years of his gravely croon, I was sorta surprised about), the song selection was expected but satisfying (sure, there were songs I’d have liked to heard, and I’m saddened that both Book of Days and World Outside went overlooked, but it’s understandable) and the nearly full capacity crowd was truly great (see Nashville, you can do it…now why can’t you do it more often?). Honestly, you couldn’t ask for a better night for two folks for (much) less than the cost of 90% of the current acts who play watered down material with half the heart.

Listen to me kids, there are still a few dates left on the tour, and even if you only remember Pretty in Pink and/or Heartbreak Beat, if you love live music by a great band, go check out the Psychedelic Furs and let them Talk Talk Talk you into love with them.

Better Than the Beatles

I’ve said before that I listen to the Beatles, own all their albums and play them more than I like to admit (I even have, and wear, half a dozen Beatles t-shirts), but I’m not a big fan. I can’t really explain it more than to say that while I do enjoy many of their albums immensely, it doesn’t fill me with the same emotive inspiration or awe that so many other artists do, and for all practical purposes my interest in them is purely academic.

Of course I’m in the vast minority with this viewpoint, and that’s fine. The almost religious fervor that surrounds the “myth” of the Beatles is sometimes interesting, sometimes annoying and always, it would seem, present in the music of the last five decades. From Motley Crue to Lady Gaga, everyone has to show their roots, reverence or raditude (oh yes I did) by drooling all over them in interviews and/or by laying down a little homage to the Fab Four on either record or in concert.

More often than not folks cover a Beatles song ridiculously true to the original, and while a good Beatles song performed to the “B” is (almost) always enjoyable, as often as not I ask, “What’s the point?” So it’s nice when someone uses one of these “rock n roll hymns” as nothing more than a blueprint to do their own thing and effectively blow the notes off the page.

I’ve been toying with the idea of a “best cover versions” post for some time now, but earlier today it hit me that some of the best ones are songs by the Beatles. I even find it interesting that really all my favorite Beatles covers come from the “White Album,” which I feel is a grossly overblown and overrated outing, where the best songs (I Will, Julia, Good Night and anything not by Lennon/McCartney) are often overlooked for some of the most banal rock n roll slush ever (Back in the USSR, Birthday, Helter Skelter, etc).

Of course that’s way, way off topic…so, here are four Beatles songs from the White Album reworked by other artists and, in my opinion, much more agreeable for the effort.

Dear Prudence – Siouxsie & the Banshees: Admittedly this one isn’t far off the initial mark, but there’s a spooky, sexy spark (as always with Siouxsie) that kicks this otherwise low key yawner into pop perfection, which is likely the band just getting off on how much they love the original, but still makes the experience a hundred times more enjoyable. Plus, it’s got Mad Bob on guitar, so…there you have it.

Wild Honey Pie – The Pixies: I’m really not a fan of this screechy stomper, and the Pixies don’t necessarily make the song any better, but they give it a visceral, caustic, borderline sinister edge that at least makes it more entertaining, with some of Black Francis’ best screams put down on tape.

Happiness is a Warm Gun – The Breeders: Kim and Co make this their song. I mean they seriously, seriously own it. It’s as if the Beatles version was basically a demo written for the Breeders, waiting for them to get together and make the Pod album and then literally kick the life into it. The hokey, almost dorky original rendition of “mother superior jumping the gun,” when in the hands of the Breeders, is a conduit for startled bitterness verging on violence, which in turn makes the chaotic, ramshackle “bang, bang, shoot, shoot” breakdown more poignantly disturbing and ultimately believable. This is likely the best cover version of any song by any artist…ever.

Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey – The Feelies: This is a fun song no matter how you shake it, but the Feelies’ vicious attack fully realizes its true potential…even in this modern day live version. Crazy Rhythms (1980) is one of those albums that existed back with the creation of the earth and hung around in the stratosphere for the right time to manifest itself. Me and My Monkey was written to be on this album. Jerky, quirky, so high school awkward it makes me break out in pimples, it becomes an excellent centerpiece for an album that took the worn out, tired conventions of rock n roll, shook all the worthless posturing into the trash can and stitched everything back together with nothing but raw, impassioned energy holding it all in place. Go buy that record right now.

There's Only One Volume 4

Here are five more artists that if you only have the time or inclination for one, these albums would do you nicely.

Depeche Mode – Violator (1990): A perfect album. This is the culmination of everything DM had done up to this point, as well as the blueprint for everything they would do after. You’ve got the super hits (Personal Jesus, Enjoy the Silence) but you’ve also got seamless album cuts (Halo, Clean), creating a suite of songs that flow in and out of each other like a dark tide. Sexy, cool, elegant and beautiful, I promise you girls got pregnant to this album.

The Doors – Strange Days (1967): Fifteen or twenty years ago I’d have told you the debut all day long, and while the mega hits the Doors are most known for are found there, the key here is album tracks. Cut for cut, tune for tune, they’re just better. You’ve got the best of their straight rock (My Eyes Have Seen You), psychedelic crooning (You’re Lost Little Girl) and Morrison's poetic antics (Horse Latitudes), plus the hits (Love Me Two Times, etc) are easily as good, just not as infamous today. Oh, and you want to argue about The End? Well, I give you When the Music’s Over…talk about an apocalypse now.

Duran Duran – Rio (1982): I’ve spoken to this album before, and some days I may pick the debut as far as mood preference, but if you could only have the one, best stick with Rio. The most enduring of the hits are here (Rio, Hungry like the Wolf) plus a load of album tracks that are a perfect synthesis of post punk attitude and the New Romantic style and cheek. This is the New Wave Bible, easily the best album of the genre, maybe of the “80s” as we know them from MTV and public nostalgia.

The Go Betweens – Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express (1986): This was a tough call for me. I know this is in general a fan favorite, and to be sure it’s worthy of such. I still prefer Before Hollywood or Spring Hill Fair, but I think what makes LBatBDE the one to want is that it’s the middle point in the GoB’s road from angular, post punk art pop to the more elegant, streamlined and la-la-lovely pop that should have later made them world famous. With feet in both worlds, you get the crux along with the cream, and both are super sweet.

PJ Harvey – Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000): While not my favorite PJ album, it’s admittedly the most accessible. A perfect coupling of excellent song writing and full band attitude, it’s not as crunchy (ok, grungy) as Dry or as murk-heavy as To Bring You My Love or as haunting as White Chalk, and while the dark and seedy imagery is there in full, the indie pop bounce lifts things up to more population friendly altitudes. But really, what makes it a must have is getting the full range of her majestic voice, from low mumblings to full on banshee wails, it’s everything she’s capable of doing on one disc and done to perfection.