Oct. Rants and Raves

Chemical Brothers.
There is nothing worst at a live show than a drum solo. Check that a bass guitar solo is pretty damn close. After a few seconds of awe you settle in for just constant repetition. I have now discovered why I find electronic/techno/big beats so annoying. It is just an extended drum and bass solo. No melody, no bridge, just complete repetition. I found it very hard to listen to it in one sitting because of the constant repetition. With this cd even though I had heard it before, it has not weathered well with age. Again the beats were interesting but quickly faded with repetition. The noise breaks were at times intrusive and others the sounds were quite annoying. Not one rhythm after each listening was able to stay with me, and after all isn’t that the point of good music, sounds that stay with you after you are done listening 1

Peter Gabriel
The Melted Face album is Peter Gabriel at his best. Catchy pop songs, political statements, rock songs, slow moving ballads they are all here. I don’t think any song is able to bring up imagery through words as well as Family Snapshot does. And through the wire is just a great rock song. Games without frontiers always leaves you whistling. And Biko no longer the strong political statement it once was still is one kick ass anthem. The people he surrounded himself on this album who helped create this aural masterpiece is outstanding. Robert Fripp to Kate Bush. Paul Weller to Phil Collins (thankfully only playing drums). There is not a bad song on this cd and many are classics. 4.0

Hanoi Rocks
I picked this cd because this is a band who deserved to be huge. They had the talent, they had the look, they had backing, and they had songs. Critics loved them, and bands wanted to be like them. Unfortunately drugs and then death cut their career short (plus costing Byron and me and chance to see them live.) This cd is their only Big Label release. With Bob Ezrin able to reign in some of the chaos in their earlier works without losing the attitude or riffs this album was supposed to be the beginning of something.

Hanoi Rocks were probably one of the biggest influences in the hard rock (because these bands never were truly metal) scene in 1980. Taking a look and sound that was a combination of Deadboys/ New York Dolls with an Aerosmith twin lead guitar approach, they made incredible cds. It is amazing that a band from Finland came up with what was later called the Hollywood Glam look. They created a look that others with far less talent ran to the bank with. To hear Poison, Faster Pussycat and Motley Crue all deny the influence is comical. At least Hanoi Rocks were proud of their hair coloured roots and wore them proudly on their scarf covered sleeve. As for Motley Crue just look at their new found look and sound on Theatre of Pain album, which was surprisingly released the same time Vince Neil killed their drummer in a car accident. So the argument still stands does the best of a genre still make it so, or will someone else come along and take the credit and the money.

Two Steps From the Move is almost the perfect hard rock record; yes record because that is the way the songs were set up. Up around the Bend is a great cover and an awesome opening. High School is childish and extremely catchy. Flip the record over and side two just grabs you and doesn’t let go. You start with the incredible single Boulevard of Broken Dreams with its sing along chorus and catchy do wops backing vocals, and it doesn’t end until the last power chord of Cutting Corners. Unfortunately Underwater World goes on way too long, and Don’t you ever leave me was done a lot better and a lot sleazier on their first album.

Yes it would easy to dismiss these guys as just another glam band, but they weren’t. They were a great rock band that just didn’t get the chance to prove it. 4.

The Call
Another band that should have been bigger and wasn’t. I have liked their music since I first heard Garth Hudson’s keyboard fill on the The Walls Come Down. I became a fan with the release of Reconciled. But when I saw them live I knew they were a band I would see any chance I could. Michael Been Is a phenomenal bass player, who had an emotional voice that, could fill a song and a venue. (And he also made a good apostle John In a Scorsese film) The band was always tight live and willing to put their heads down and rock, or just be in the background as the Voice was the only instrument needed. His lyrics were somewhat over the top with but no one can say they lacked passion. I still think U2’s Stuck in the Moment (with Bono being a fan and appearing on a cd) is A call song. Hey he even fathered one third of Black Rebel Motorcycle club. The calls music tended to ebb and flow with each album. One with just a few great songs would follow a strong one, and then just when you counted them out another strong cd would arrive. However through their catalogue some classics were penned. I don’t wanna to is a song that is in my 5 greatest songs of all time. Unfortunately as I think there songs have weathered time well, the only time one gets to here them is I believe following some sporting event, or politician trying to make some silly campaign moment.



Rules
1. All solos must take place within the framework of a song. Whatever the band gets to do while the drummer bangs aimlessly and endlessly for ten minutes, well they better have enough for the whole audience or we are leaving.
2. A cool cover must be played
3. There must be a stack of Marshall amps
4. If you are touring the United States you have to play in at least 42 (and north and south Dakota is considered one state) of them.
5. All musicians must play at least 125 shows a year. If they don’t then they are not allowed to complain about anything dealing with the music industry. 125 dates every other day still leaves a person with 3 months off. Not a bad gig.
6. If you can’t play for at least 90 minutes (before the encore) do not headline


Recommendations

Echo and The Bunnymen’s Siberia.

Mike M- October 2005

THE CALL “BEST OF” = 3 STARS
A band I’d almost forgotten about. Surprisingly nowhere near as dated as I thought it would be. Since I wasn’t an avid listener then, it was fun to be re-exposed to The Call now. A thoroughly enjoyable “best of.”

CHEMICAL BROTHERS “DIG YOUR OWN HOLE” = 5 STARS
Considered one of the best Electronica albums of all time, the Chemical Brothers “Dig Your Own Hole” is admittedly not for everyone. But just as it’s true that there’s good disco if you search for it, the same can be said of this sometimes self-limiting “rock” genre. Some call Electronica “repetitive” and, at its worst, that can be true; but at its best, it defines expansive, dynamic music. Even if you don’t toss this album into a sub-genre and just called it Rock & Roll, I’d still say it’s one of the best albums ever recorded (definitely top 200). By the way, this is the best long-drive album in the history of the universe. If you like this kind of stuff, check out Prodigy, Daft Punk, Mekon, and Gus Gus.

PETER GABRIEL “3” = 4 STARS
Like the recent group pick, the Stones “Let it Bleed,” this is nearly an impossible album to review. Let’s face it, it’s a classic and what (more) can you say about a classic? I’d like to suggest that we avoid classics for “old music” choices, to expose us to more stuff that we maybe haven’t heard before … but then we’d probably get more shit like Hanoi Rocks. Peter Gabriel “3” would be a 5 stars album for me if not for “Biko.” Not in any way to make light of this South African ‘black consciousness’ leader’s death, but I think the song is proof that such time-specific, politically-geared music can date an album to the point where it’s nearly laughable years later.

HANOI ROCKS “TWO STEPS FROM THE MOVE” = 0 STARSTaste is your own and I’m sure I could be ripped on for many of the bands that I never fell out of love with, but Hanoi Rocks was considered lame even when I was young enough to actually like hair metal … when I was in high school. Not “So bad it’s good,” it’s just plain bad: really bad.

1) No opening acts. Obviously this rule does not apply to multi-bill shows or “local” original music clubs.

2) Don’t preach your politics to me. Even if I agree with you (and if I’m at your show, chances are I do) I don’t want to hear it.

3) If you can’t achieve the scope and sound of your studio work, just hire some great musicians to tour with you. That or change your approach to your own material when playing live.

4) Less audience participation and more music. Some great bands do almost as much audience participation as play music and that shit’s just boring.

5) Play your hits. You may be sick of playing them but we want to hear them.

EXTENDED RANT = # 1
No opening acts. We paid to see you and that’s who we want to see. The last band I saw had five opening acts … fucking ridiculous. Seriously, just let us enjoy the stadium crowd antics or our drinks and conversation at the club until you’re ready to play. I’d actually pay more for a show ticket if there were a guarantee of no opening act. I can honestly count on one hand, maybe two, how many good opening bands I’ve seen in all the years I’ve been going to shows.

November Meeting and MORE!!

Next meeting, November 22nd at the Speezhou. Jen will host and her topics will be forthcoming.

Albums to Review:

BB King- 80 (new/Monsta)
Tiger Mountain - Get Along Like a House on Fire (new/Jay)
Linda Perry - In Flight (old/Jen)
Jimmy James and the Vagabonds - Come Softly to Me (old/Ken)

Ghits- Hot Rod Circuit

Here is the Scorecard as of our last meeting

October 05' Reviews

I didn't even realize our Midwesterner had posted his yet...some similar rules for Concert etiquette. (Mike, we may not agree a lot, but you crack me up.)

Music Group 10/19/05

CD Reviews:

Chemical Brothers – Dig Your Own Hole:
I must say that this selection was a welcome relief for me. I don’t want to complain, but we seem to be listening to a lot of the same stuff from month to month and this was a nice change of pace.

As much as I hate to admit it, I went through a short “raver” phase a while back and the Chemical Brothers were one of my favorites. Much like any music scene, there are the elitists that think that if its commercial its crap, yet many of the people I encountered in my brief stint as a raver all agreed that the Chemical Brothers were talented and it’s great to dance to.

This is by far my favorite of their CDs with “Exit Planet Dust” being a close second. The Chemical Brothers know how to mix techno and rock n’ roll perfectly. There was enough of each to both bring in both the mainstream fans and the underground music fans. That is why they became a commercial success. The guitars, hip-hop drums, and pure energy make this album amazing. With songs like “Setting Sun,” “Block Rockin Beats”, “Get Up On It Like This”, etc. this album is great to dance to, drive to, and rock out to. Seeing them live is quite interesting too, though the two are stuck behind walls of keyboards, turntables, etc the crowd’s enthusiasm makes the show worthwhile. Yes, I know ecstasy probably played a large part in the crowd’s energy, but the best ecstasy in the world cannot make you dance to crap (not that I would know from personal experience – cough cough.) Score: 3.5

Peter Gabriel – Melted Face:
I’ve experienced Gabriel’s early Genesis material and I’ve experienced his later, more commercial solo work, so I wasn’t sure of what happened in between. It took a few listens to really appreciate it, but I really like this album. The first track “Intruder” reminded me in an odd way of Bowie. It was quite a creepy song when I really listened to it and Gabriel seemed to really get in character for it. I loved it. “I Don’t Remember” and “Games Without Frontiers” were definitely my favorite tracks on the album and caught my attention on the first listen. I love the funky bass line throughout it. The interesting worldly percussion sound on some of the tracks gives the album a unique and pleasant sound. Gabriel seems to get consumed by the characters in the song and it makes you wonder what really goes on his head. Whatever is going on in there creates good music. Score: 3

Hanoi Rocks – Two Steps From the Move:
I expected something completely different from this album when I first saw the cover. I was expecting all out hair-band ridiculousness with cheesy ballads and overdone guitar solos to match the hair and makeup of the band. However, I grew up on hair bands so they’re really not a guilty pleasure for me. I admit it, I love hair bands. I was expecting more of a hair band sound from them though. It was a pretty decent rock album, but with the exception of some lame lyrics I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of hair band arena rock that I grew up with. I still enjoyed it though. The “Up Around the Bend” cover was not bad, and songs like “Boulevard of Broken Dream”, “Don’t You Ever Leave Me,” and “Futurama” were some of the better tracks on the CD. I wonder what would have happened to them if Vince Neil didn’t kill the drummer. I don’t know if I see them getting as big as Motley Crue or Poison if they had continued on. Score: 2.5

The Call – Greatest Hits:
Maybe I just don’t get it. I was so bored with this disc. It did nothing for me. I had wondered why I hadn’t heard of this band except for the mentions from the Lucas’ brothers in past meetings; well now I can see why. Nothing stood out to me at all and I listened to it 4 or 5 times…each time getting more tiresome than the last. Score: 1

Topic
5 Rules for Performers:

1. Bands/artist not allowed to perform the same set-list every night. This also means that the same set of songs cannot be used night to night. There must be some variation in songs.
2. No encores. It is just an ego boost to hear the crowd yelling for more - just play longer.
3. Headlining bands/artists that have at least 3 albums are required to play at least a 90 minute set. (For bands with fewer albums it would be difficult to play a 90 minute set unless they played a lot of covers – which would make them seem more like a cover band.)
4. Limit the amount of opening acts to 2 bands. This way the openers can play longer sets than 30 minutes (especially if the opener has a larger discography – see above).
5. No excessive drinking/drug intake before or during a show. I’ve seen too many concerts were a lead singer or front man is so intoxicated that they fuck up badly. It’s not cool to watch that train wreck on stage. And an added addendum to that rule would be to not encourage the crowd to do the same.

Another rule that should be set – though not for the actual performance…
6. Stop the sale of concert tickets on Ebay. Being online at the moment tickets go on sale and they are already sold out – only to find minutes later hundreds of pairs on Ebay for 3 times their actual value – sucks more than anything.

The topic originally made me think of rules for the crowd, so I will include those as well.
1. No crowd surfing. It may be fun to you, but for the rest of us who are trying to enjoy the show without worrying about a foot in the head, it sucks.
2. No loud whistling or ear-piercing shrieks. The music is loud enough; we don’t need you making us deaf on top of it.
3. Does this really need to be said…do not wear the shirt of the band you are going to see! Don’t be that guy. (See the movie P.C.U, and you’ll understand.)
4. Do not listen to the band you are going to see on the way to or from the show. If I hear one more car blasting the music of the band I’m about to see, I’m going to start slashing some tires.
5. Don’t get so drunk that you either can’t stand up or puke. Why drink so much that you don’t remember the show the next morning? You spend the money on tickets and probably a ton on alcohol for what? To not remember any of it?

The more than likely unawaited Midwestern Review

Despite Mr. Boucher's groundless accusations, I did go into the listening with an open mind. Just thought I'd say that up front....

Hanoi Rocks – Bad. Actually, this transcends bad into new realms of badness rarely seen by the likes of this listening group (see Lovage). Performs the almost amazing feat of making the Demon CD comparatively sound like “London Calling”. Bad even when compared with other similarly bad CDs of its time, like Twisted Sister or Warrant. To call these bad lyrics sophomoric is to give them far more credit than they deserve (Ex: “Welcome to the ocean, welcome to the sea, welcome to the jungle deep inside of me”). John Fogerty has grounds for a defamation of character lawsuit for the unbearably bad cover of “Around the Bend”. I mean, how do you f’ up a Credence Cover??? After listening, I wrote my Congressman to call for a tightening of immigration as it pertains to Finnish musicians. If I were cruel, I would say that its too bad Vince Neil wasn’t driving a minivan with the whole band in it. Fortunately, I am not cruel. This one is a shutout, 0 stars.

Chemical Brothers – Good name for the band, because it would take some serious chemicals brothers (and sister) to find anything positive to say about this CD. I found a lot of the disc to be repetitive. I can’t recommend it for anyone not on ecstasy in a dark nightclub. I found a lot of this disc to be repetitive. Can anyone really tell the difference between some of these tracks, particularly the title cut and “Elektro Bank”? I was never sure where one alleged song ended and another one began, except for “Where Do I Begin” which is almost listenable. I thought a lot of the alleged songs were repetitive. The highlight of the disc is the great whistle blowing on the title track, probably the best damn whistle blowing I’ve heard since Donna Summer’s’ “Bad Girls”. It seemed to me most of this was repetitive. Electronic music needs to have at least a little human soul, and this disc has none. A lot of it is repetitive. In the end, I took the title literally. I dug my own hole. Then I put this disc in and covered it up. A lot of it was repetitive. 0 stars.

Peter Gabriel – Interesting to contrast this 1980 release with what Genesis is doing at the time. While they are beginning their slide into Phil Collins top 40 hell, Gabriel is putting out his most adventurous solo disc to date. “Intruder” is dark and disturbing musically and lyrically, and the tension continues to build through the next cut, “No Self Control”. “I Don’t Remember” is the highlight of the disc for me, Fripp’s great guitar work and Tony Levin’s smooth bass work carry the song. 25 years later, I still have no idea what “Games Without Frontiers” is about, but it is a brilliantly done song. Gabriel’s vocals throughout the disc are impeccable as always, and the production is top notch. Because he works so infrequently, it is easy for me to forget about Peter Gabriel, but putting this one on was a reminder of what a great talent he is. 3 ½ stars.

The Call – Much of it sounds very dated, like watching “The Breakfast Club” on TBS for the 600th time. “The Walls Came Down” is a great track, a (for me) forgotten 80’s classic. I never got the biblical reference behind the lyrics before, those Bible study classes are paying dividends. “Let the Day Begin” is a dandy as well. I’m not sure that even back in the 80’s I could tell them apart from early INXS, The Fixx or Simple Minds, and this disc doesn’t do much to distinguish them. A big problem I have with it is that damn 80’s synthy drum sound on every track and the ELO-ish keyboard flourishes. I suspect that a stripped down version of these songs would be really good, as the vocalist is more than adequate, guitarist has good chops, etc. Just a little too 80’s sounding for me, it didn’t hold up well through the years. 2 stars.


Question

The Commandments for Touring Bands:

1) Thou shalt not rapeth the customer. Yes, Bono, Bruce this one is especially for you. Any artist(s) charging 3 digits to see them shall be shot, no questions asked. For Bruce to charge 90 bones for a solo acoustic performance is a crock of crap, particularly in light of the fact that I paid $65 2 years ago to see the entire band, and paid $40 about 5 years ago for the last solo show. Don’t give me that “intimate” setting BS either. Putting a big black curtain in back of the stage and around the upper deck and lighting a few candles makes an arena “intimate” the way my spraying Lysol makes the bathroom “fragrant” when I’m done.

2) If thou must useth an opening act, they must not sucketh. The Drive By Truckers, who had a local country act open for them, broke this commandment most recently. The warmup act, whose name I have blocked from my memory, was unbearable, and in fact not only did a cover of “Chevy Van”, but also “I Can See Clearly Now”. I came dangerously close to coming to fisticuffs with 2 members of said band’s family, who were not happy to hear the derogatory comments I hurled the bands way.

3) Thou shall playeth for at least 90 minutes without a break. Come on, if the Stones can play for 2 hours plus at their geriatric age, this one should not be a problem.

4) Thou shalt not attempt to have audience sing-a-longs. We paid the money to hear you sing. The opening verse of “Thunder Road” is exempt from said commandment.

5) Thine set-list shall vary nightly and thou shalt do at least one unexpected cover song during the encores. Thou may playest all of thine hits, but thou shalt not limit thine repertoire to only the hits.

I found Jen’s questioning of whether the commandments were for the performers or the audience to be a good one, and have taken it upon myself to assemble the 5 Audience Commandments:

1) Thou shalt remain sober enough to make it through the show without staggering into, spilling a drink, or puking on thine neighbors. Is this really a lot to ask??? Thou shalt be restricted to one beer/potty break. Sorry, Ken.

2) Thall shalt shutteth the fuck up during the performance. If thou must converse, taketh thine ass out to the lobby or street. Additionally, thou shalt not singeth along (except of course, the first verse of “Thunder Road”). Yes, we are impressed that you know all the words to all the songs. Feel free to move your lips and pretend you are singing. You know, like when you’re in church.

3) Thou shalt not yell out requests unless formally invited to do so. This ties in very closely with rule #1. The last time I saw Steve Earle, some drunk took every quiet moment as an opportunity to yell “Copperhead Road”! Dude, I think Steve knows people might want to hear that one….Anyone yelling “Freebird” at any point during any show will be summarily locked in a room and forced to actually listen to that Godawful song for a minimum of 24 consecutive hours. It might have been funny 10 years ago, it isn’t anymore.

4) If thou art attending a club performance with limited seating and “tight quarters”, thou shall hath bathed or showered in the previous 12 hours and applied a liberal coat of deodorant. “Jam band” fans are required to go for 2 coats as well as a thorough shampooing.

5) Thou shalt not yell at people to “sit down”. As my favorite alleged child pornster Pete T says, “It’s a f’ing rock concert, not an opera.” Again, Jagger & Richards are 60+. Get off your ass; it will likely do you some good.

The Much Awaited KB October 2005 Review

Before I get to the goodies, I am at this moment watching a DVD of Stones from 1973 that should be force fed to anyone who considers themselves a rock fan. Live renditions off Sticky Fingers, Let It Bleed and Exile on Main St. And on a proud rock note- my daughter and son requested that I put on AC/DC's Highway the Hell for them. [deep sigh]

Chemical Brothers- Dig Your Own Hole
Electronica, for me, is a music style that I don’t despise, but I can take only in small doses. If the groove is right I can get lost for a good 15-30 minutes. After that it becomes a little monotonous. Dig Your Own Hole was an electronic disc that I was able to get engrossed in. Good driving music. I thought the grooves and beats were inventive, albeit a bit long at times with some unnecessary noise. Good engineering quality (something I normally don’t comment on with rock albums) and tight sound. It’s apparent that this was an influential disc in the genre. Though it’s not a style I normally reach for, Dig Your Own Hole will stay in my collection. (3 based on its strength in genre not my opinion)

Peter Gabriel- (Melted Face or 3)
Peter Gabriel is a funny artist to me. One minute he’s brilliant, the next he’s sludge (no not sledge as in hammer)- and that is on the same song. This album was the same with me. First listen I got into it, enjoying songs I haven’t heard in awhile. The second made me think it was dated and drab. This was on the same day. Before writing this I decided to pull it out again and lo and behold, “The Intruder”, “Games Without Frontiers”, “Biko” and “Not One of Us” rang well again. I call this Gabriel waffling the Shock the Monkey syndrome. So, Excuse Me, it was like Digging the Dirt rate this disc. Gabriel’s percussion arrangements (played by Phil) and unique guitar work by Robert Fripp and David Rhodes make this a musically intellectual album, but it’s hard not to hear the 80’s in the music. Kenny G music interlude yuck but “Biko” an extremely powerful song. (3 on the power of “Biko” and the fact the last listen was a positive experience)

Hanoi Rocks- Two Steps From the Move
Oh did I want to shred this one. The cover alone, not to mention that hair bands are not held in high regard with me. My first perusal had me going “oh yeah sharpen the ol’ #2”. But I found myself humming “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” for the rest of the day. Damn! Now I have to listen again. Sure enough, “Don’t You Ever Leave Me”, “Boiler” and “Futurama” stuck with me. “High School” and the CCR cover even didn’t get aborted when on. “I Can’t Get It” was lyrically fun since I am what he can’t get, but the song was grating. They probably would be a fun live band, most likely with all the standard metal moments. These guys were the guiding lights for all of Mike H’s favorites; Crue, GnR, Poison and Cinderella. While this will never make my desert island picks it did survive my pre-judgement. Not a complete jewel but the songs mentioned above make Hanoi a guilty pleasure. (2.5)

The Call- Ghits
All I could think of was watching MTV in college drinking a Schlitz Light and yelling “Mail’s Here!!”- long story. Nothing bad about the music, except for some of the synths. Very palatable. Like a John Hughes movie soundtrack. Won’t turn it off if on, brings back those all too lovely memories, but won’t go out of my way to reach for it either. Better than I expected it to be- but still not as catchy as “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”.

Topic: 5 Concert Rules for Performers
Not in any specific order- but all would have equal banishment power.

• Can’t play entire show of tunes note for note like their recorded versions. At least 50% of songs performed would have to be varied, expanded or have some improvisation.
• A minimum of one cover song. Has to be at least recognizable and not too obscure that only the roadies know who were the originators.
• One extended, eyes roll up in your head solo. Preferably guitar but any instrument would suffice. Drum solo is fine provided it remains within the context of the song.
• At least one moment where the band/artist forgets that they are playing to an audience and are playing for themselves (D’Arcy and I call this the “put your head down and just play” moment)
• Only true encores can be played. Pre-planned encores would be outlawed. Bands would have to earn encores by winning over the audience.