My reviews & clemancy plea...

Jacques Dutronc –Well, if it’s a joke, I fell for it. Listened to it 5 times thinking there must be something here. There isn’t. Campy, bad Bob Dylan impersonators don’t make the cut in any language. Ce disque a sucé les balles de singe. Aucunes étoiles.

Misfits – I think Jen’s apologies should have been directed to Neil & I, not the people who didn’t get a copy. The repetitive Gothic-Goofball shtick gets old in a hurry, like 15 seconds into track 2. It is my fervent prayer that none of this made the final cut for the wedding. On a positive note, it’s in English. ½ star

Jennifer O’Connor – The problem with female singer/songwriter CDs is they need either great songs, (Aimee Mann), great vocals (Emmylou), or have really good songs AND vocals (Kasey Chambers). Nothing on this disc is bad, but none of it is really good either. It’s the kind of non-offensive disc I might put on if my in-laws were coming for dinner. She’s probably a great coffeehouse act, since you could load up on caffeine to stay awake while you listened. 2 stars

Long Winters – With all due respect to Mr. Somerdale, THIS is power pop. A great disc, nary a bad track in the bunch. Far too many highlights to mention, but the two standouts for me are the insanely catchy “Teaspoon” and the driving “Rich Wife”. Oh yeah, and those channeled-from-the-grave Rick Danko vocals on “Honest”. Oh yeah, and the chorus of “The Sky is Open”. Oh yeah, and that opening riff of “Departure”. You get the idea. Clever lyrics, fantastic harmonies, great guitar work, and there are more hooks on this disc than in noseforbeer’s tackle box. 4 stars

Los Lobos – A very underrated & under-appreciated band. Combine elements of rock, country, Tex-Mex, and gospel to make a unique blend. Very strong musicians, excellent songwriters and lyricists. That said, they haven’t made a great album since 1987’s “By the Light of the Moon”. They’ve made many good ones, with some great individual tracks, just haven’t been able to sustain the consistent highs of the first two releases. The kind of band where a good “best of” will be all most people ever need. I think the disc presents a pretty complete picture of the band. Apologies for the “bonus” track which was only supposed to be on Ken’s copy. Blame him, I know I do.

Discussion Questions

I’ve had to re-do this list about a half dozen times. Fortunately since its my question, I can do honorable mentions…


5 Greatest Debuts (In no particular order)

The Clash (self titled) – At the time I first heard this, my 3 favorite bands were ELO, Fleetwood Mac and Dire Straits. Clearly, this was a life-changing disc.

Elvis Costello (My Aim Is True) – Call it pub rock, new wave, punk, whatever. Incredible songs that still sound fresh today.

Warren Zevon (self titled) – One of the 5 greatest albums of the 1970’s. Combines old westerns, firearms, drugs and failed romance into a glorious 11 songs showcasing his incredible knack for detail and black humor. Produced by Jackson Browne!!!

The Pretenders (self titled) – The crunch of those guitars, Martin Chambers’ fantastic drumming and good Lord, those Chrissie Hynde vocals. Throw in Nick Lowe’s production, an obscure Kinks cover and you have the recipe for greatness. Nothing dated about this 25 years later.

Velvet Underground &Nico (self-titled) – I was late discovering this one, but there is no disputing it. “I’ll Be Your Mirror”, “All Tomorrow’s Parties”, “Sunday Morning”, hell, every song on it is a classic.

Honorable mention
Counting Crows – August & Everything After
Nick Lowe – Pure Pop for Now People
Cracker – S/T
Liz Phair – Exile in Guyville

Bette Midler Conviction Appeal

The greatest song ever written starts off with a single snare drum hit out of the right speaker. Bruce Springsteen would describe it as “the snare shot that sounded like somebody kicked open the door to your mind.” The strumming of Michael Bloomfields’s electric guitar soon follows, as does that incredible Hammond B-3 organ (played by a guy who wasn’t a keyboardist). Soon, the distinctive voice, “Once upon a time you dressed so fine…..” And just like that, rock and roll music is never the same again. “Like a Rolling Stone” breaks every rule there is, in terms of length, structure, lyrics, genre. The song sounds as fresh today as it did 41 years ago. Its easy to dismiss it as an oldie, but really listen to it and you can see it is lightning in a bottle. Unless you’re paying close attention, you don’t even notice the tambourine player, just try to keep time with him, it can’t be done. The greatest songwriter of our lifetime at his absolute finest moment.