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.