Midwest Tea Bagger's Reviews

Midwest Mike’s Mid-winter’s Musings


The Darkness – This is a joke, right?? Spinal Tap-ish cover and song titles, Queen’s producer and Byron submitted it??? I dreaded the thought of listening to it. However, (and there’s always a however in life), I accidentally got sucked in by “Seemed Like a Good Idea At the Time”. It’s an absolutely ridiculous song, a power-pop ballad with every damn 80’s cliché from the acoustic beginning, to the cheesy strings, to the big guitar solo. And forgive me Joe Strummer, I love it. There are a couple of other goodies as well., “English Country Garden” is a hoot, with the Brian May solo and whatnot. “Is It Just Me” is a nifty, efficient little rocker. On the other hand, “Hazel Eyes” is just brutally bad, as are 1-2 others. I still can’t figure out whether these guys are serious, and perhaps therein lies this disc’s charm. The thing is so over the top about its influences, I can’t help but nod and wink right along with them through ½ of the songs. It clocks in under 40 minutes, which is exactly where an album from the late 70’s would. I couldn’t take a steady diet of this, but once in a while, it plays. 2.5 exceptionally embarrassed and guilt ridden stars.

Fischerspooner – I wasn’t aware that anyone was clamoring for a Human League reunion, but apparently I was uninformed. At least the Human League had some decent hooks and two semi-hot babes who had that whole are-they-or-aren’t-they vibe going. None of that can be found anywhere on this disc. 51 minutes of computer beats and bleats and burps supporting monotone vocals doesn’t do a whole lot for me. The untitled track at the end should have been titled “Listen to Us Rip Off Some Pre-‘Dark Side of the Moon’ Era Pink Floyd”. If you enjoyed this one, I highly recommend the soundtracks to “Pac Man” and “Ms. Pac Man”, both of which have the same artistic range and emotional depth. I wasn’t going to give it any stars until I noticed that Ken submitted this. That caused me to have the (unfortunate) mental image of him getting down with his bad self on the dance floor while this blasted in the background. The good laugh I got from that mental image is worth a 1/2 star. Domo aragato, Mr. Roboto ½ star

The Anniversary – Pretty good, if somewhat paint-by-numbers Brit-pop. “Crooked Crown” is the highlight for me, nice catchy tune, good beat. The band goes astray on the longer cuts like “The Death of the King”, they just don’t have the inventiveness or the musical chops to hold my interest for 6+ minutes. Less is definitely more with this disc. Songs like “The Siren Sings” are nicely Beatles-esque with the simple guitars, faux orchestra and layered vocals. Nothing here to really differentiates them from 50 other English bands, but a pleasant enough listening experience overall. 2.5 stars

Neil Young – There are a lot of things I love about the music of Neil Young. His utter unpredictability is among the things I love best. When you think you have him pegged, he doubles back and changes course. His music is all over the board in terms of genre, and he never does anything half hearted. This CD is a perfect example of Neil’s artistry. The disc is a freaking train wreck. What a concept, lets get shit-faced and record a disc about the dangers of getting high! Neil and the band sound completely wasted and many of the songs don’t come to an ending so much as they are left for dead. No one in their right mind releases a record with a vocal track like the one on “Mellow My Mind”. But it is those moments that make this disc so endearing. Neil’s out on a ledge, and takes us out there with him. The songs themselves are great, particularly “Borrowed Tune” and “Roll Another Number”, but the key to the disc is “Come on Baby, Let’s Go Downtown”.

If the music and tone of the first ½ of the disc doesn’t express a clear picture of the wreckage and decay caused by substance abuse, that song, astutely placed in the middle of the disc does. The energy and life blowing through that song show Neil and Danny Whitten in top form, and it sticks out like Ted Nugent at a PETA rally. In those three and a half minutes, we get to glimpse just what was lost when Whitten stuck that needle in his arm for the last time. Then, it’s back to dealing with the wreckage left behind.

Ben Keith’s keyboard work and Nils Lofgren’s guitar carry the disc musically. There are more enjoyable Neil Young records to be sure, but I don’t think there’s a more honest one. 5 stars


Steely Dan – I hope it was intentional irony that caused Jay to submit a best of Steely Dan at the same time he opens discussion about “great guitar records”, because this band sure never made one. Steely Dan as I see it, is everything that rock music shouldn’t be. Most of what they recorded is sterile, precise, emotionless music played by musicians who shoot for perfect notes rather than the perfect groove. That said, they made some great pop/jazz recordings. “Pretzel Logic” once had a home in the lower rungs of my top 100 albums of all time, and tunes like “My Old School”, “Doctor Wu” and “Any Major Dude” are stone classics, despite the presence of several of the dreaded Doobie Brothers. I think the band hit the skids with “Aja”, which I am assuming is the “pre-suck” cutoff referred to in the title of this CD. What surprised me about the collection Jay put together is when I was done listening, I thought of about 5-6 more songs that “should” have been on there (“Showbiz Kids”, “Haitian Divorce”, “Here at the Western World” etc), which to me is indicative of the strength of the first 10 years of this band’s career. A nice change of pace disc, a once-a-yearer to be sure, but one that I would classify as essential.

Discussion Question:

What makes a great guitar record?

It’s all about the riff. I find that I enjoy a great riff, ala the opening chords of “You Really Got Me” far more than I enjoy the latest 90 mile an hour guitar slinger showing his wares off (see: prog rock, heavy metal). A good guitar record should have lots of memorable riffs and make you want to play air guitar. A great solo in a song is appreciated, but to me it is all about the rhythm guitar parts and the interaction between the players. It was tough to come up with a list of just ten favorites, and my list has “old fart” written all over it but anyway, here it is (in no order, except #1). Note that these are personal favorites, not what I would consider to necessarily be “influential”….

1. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Weld. My absolute favorite. Neil + Crazy Horse + Gulf War + Great Setlist = guitar heaven. I kept “Ragged Glory” off the list to avoid repitition.
2. The Clash – The Clash – A collection of fierce, purposeful, power chorded bliss.
3. The Who – Live at Leeds – Perhaps the loudest record ever made, Townshend & Entwistle at their best.
4. Stevie Ray Vaughn – Texas Flood – Sadly, the pinnacle of his career was his debut, but brilliant nonetheless.
5. The Ramones – Rocket to Russia – “Cretin Hop”, “Sheena is a Punk Rocker”, “Do You Wanna Dance?” ‘nuff said.
6. Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street – The amazing combination of Mick Taylor + Keith Richards. The Holy Grail of riffs.
7. Two Cow Garage – The Wall Against Our Back – The great white hope for guitar rock in the 2000’s.
8. Drive By Truckers – Southern Rock Opera – Any of their last 3 discs could have made this list…
9. The Allman Brothers – Live at the Fillmore East – Duane Allman is a sorely forgotten guitar great, and Dickey Betts was no slouch back in the day.
10. The Kinks – One For the Road – Their studio material morphed into fuzzbox brilliance on this live album.