Ambulance Ltd – This one is hard to categorize, but it’s a gem. Parts of it are a little trippy (“Sugar Pill”) , other parts have a bit of a pop-sound to them (“Primitive”) and there is a Velvet Underground vibe through the whole thing. A unique CD that reminded me a little of Death Cab for Cutie’s last one in that it just kept getting better with each listen. I went to see what else these guys have done, and to my astonishment, this appears to be all there is. What’s the deal D’Arcy? 4 stars

L7 – Hungry for stink? I hope so, as this disc will definitely satiate your appetite. The freaking stink is everywhere. Vocals? They stink. Lyrics? They stink. Drummer’s ability? Stinks. Guitar work, production, originality, diversity; song structure? That would be (in order) Stink, stink, stink, stink and stink. Band members’ armpits and panties? I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess they stink too. This disc achieves the almost impossible accomplishment of making Hole sound like Wilco. It’s been a good long while since I have been subjected to anything this bad. 0 stars.

Sounds Like Violence – Yep, it sure does. In your face disc that would be better off with a little more variety. The guitar work is good, but the vocals are damn near intolerable, most notably on “Longing for a Warm Embrace”. About 20 minutes of this is more than enough, and songs start to all sound alike by the 5th – 6th track. 1.5 stars

Mitch Easter – Apparently Jay is afraid of the beating, as I have yet to receive a copy.

Tom Waits – If I had to put together a Tom Waits g-hits, 75% of what was on this one would not have been on it. This is not a negative comment on Greg’s choices. It’s just that Mr. Waits’ catalog is such an embarrassment of riches that putting together a single CD worth of his best material is impossible. Whether he is in ballad mode or full junkyard bash mode, he is brilliant. Lyrically, he has few peers and contrary to what many will say, his voice is his greatest asset. A national treasure.


Discussion Question

The desert island question has been done, but narrowing the choices to 5 is daunting.

1. The Clash – London Calling. The greatest album ever made, period. If my choice were limited to one, this is it.
2. Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison. Greatest “country” album ever made. Period.
3. Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
4. Neil Young – Rust Never Sleeps
5. Drive By Truckers – The Dirty South

To leave off the Stones, the Who, Springsteen, Wilco, etc is just brutal…

The artist I would consider to be most influential above all others is Chuck Berry. Rock and Roll music doesn’t exist without him. The Beatles, Stones, etc have no jumping pad without the Berry riff.

Other “most influential”

Songwriter – Dylan
Guitarist – Berry
Keyboardist – Johnny Johnson
Drummer – Cant come up with one. I have favorite drummers, but I don’t know how influential they are/were. No one plays like Moon or Stewart Copeland, they are unique. Might have to give consideration to Watts and Starr. Simple drummers, but they surely influenced others.
Bassist – Same
Vocalist – Dylan. His phrasing and lack of a traditional singing voice opened the doors for Young, Springsteen, Waits, etc…