Nex month, can we rate Scarlett doing porn instead of singing?

Black Crowes- Before the Frost…After the Freeze

Pre conceived notions are bad, and these CD’s disprove mine. Before I listened to a note, I expected some Stones wanna-be riffs and everything else that was the Black Crowes throughout the ‘90’s. Man, was I wrong! These CD’s cook…Levon Helm has a VERY positive influence on this recording. It’s 21st century Band meets the Allman Brothers meets Little Feat. This is proof that the Black Crowes are a much better live band than a studio band. It absolutely merits repeated listening. The songs, the pacing, the production, are all top notch. 4 stars.

Sugar – Copper Blue

This was a blast from the past for the first time, for me. I never got into Husker Du, so I’ll probably go back and do that based on this CD. I like the “power pop trio” treatment of the songs that rock like “A Good Idea”. Other songs like “Hoover Dam” are nicely crafted with tasteful production work, though some of the keyboards are anachronistic sounding. Then again, if I would have bought this CD based on hearing “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”, I probably would have been disappointed since it’s the only “pure pop” song on the CD. Thanks for turning me on to this, Gregg. 3 stars.


Cocktail Slippers- St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

This breaks no new ground, offers no extraordinary lead vocals (like the early Spector produced Ronnie Spector or Darlene Love) is totally derivative (Go Go’s, Bangles, Blondie, some Runaways and even a little Chrissie Hynde in the opening track) and the only song I haven’t heard in different variations is the Miami Steve tune, which is the title track, but I’m a total sucker for girl groups. I like it and will listen to it often, just like I do with Tracey Ullman’s “You Broke my Heart in 17 Places”. They sing and play well, their harmonies are great and they give you no reason to skip a track from the first guitar chords to the end of the CD. 3 ½ sugar coated stars.

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johannson – Break Up

Back to the preconceived notion thing, except this time I was on target. I thought this would be a bland and boring CD with contrived, safe production and the balance for me would be tipped on whether or not I’d like it by the thin, uninspiring voice of an actress with a great rack and no real soul. Well…the only surprise was that the some of the songs were better than I thought they’d be (like Relator and Shampoo) but sadly, none were more interesting than I expected. 2 stars.




The Who By Numbers – The Who

It’s the Who. That makes it great, though when you compare it with their best (Who’s Next, Quadrophenia, Tommy) it’s a half notch below. It has awesome moments…Dreaming from the Waist, Imagine a Man and How Many Friends, but it still reminds me of a great pitcher who’s lost just enough off his fastball to go from unhittable to hittable at times. 4 stars.


Dada G’Hits

After listening to Pete and Scarlett, this was a welcome respite…I didn’t know these guys, the only track I heard before was “Dizz Knee Land” but really liked the controlled rocking feel and the dynamics of this band. Nice vocals, great guitar work,
and the production did not get in the way of the music. This will stay in the ‘continued listening’ pile for me. Thanks, D’Arcy!Topic

1) You have the chance to see one living band that you haven't yet seen. Who is the band, (remember living, but reunions count), how far are you willing to travel, and how much will you pay?

Mott the Hoople. They just did a couple of great reunion shows in England (I think in August) and while I wouldn’t be willing to travel across the Atlantic just to see them, if I could tie it in to a vacation plan or some other reason for going to England, I’d make it point to see them while there. I would pay ‘scalper prices’ these days since in this economy that probably means no more than $300 for a great seat.

2) Who is the one artist(s) that you always wanted to see but for whatever reason something always gets in the way? Do you still want to see them?

Queen. I had tix to see them twice in the late ‘70’s and couldn’t go either time. No, because without Freddie Mercury, it’s not the same band.

3) What about concerts that you have recently been to have changed? Is it for the better or for worse? What is it that you miss the most about concerts?

Concerts are no longer a community of like minded fans with respect first and foremost for the music. What’s happened is that different generations now go to Stones shows and Springsteen shows and that change in the audience dynamic shows up in behavior that takes away from the show. Put your cell phone away, people, and enjoy the moment. And, other than the much better sound and light shows, it’s for the worse. I most miss the pot haze and the lighters that signified appreciation.

4) Which is the better piece of music, the one that is in your must play list, or the one you know is a great cd, has great reviews, but rarely gets played by you? Why? And does this effect how you review cd's?

To answer a question with a question…What would you rather eat when you’re starving…a 5 star gourmet meal made with stuff you might or might not like, or a great pizza? Anyway, my answer is I may not know art, but I know what I like, and I think good music has to touch you in a way that makes you want to listen to it again and again, while great music makes you want to use it to heal yourself from what ever ails you at that moment, so the must play is the better piece of music.

Ken's New

Raveonettes- In and Out of Control is going out today/tomorrow.

He can schedule but why can't he attend?

Black Crowes
A band that I can truly love or hate and it depends where they are in life. Truly talented brothers who have always managed to surround themselves with great musicians. There is something about this disc that finds them in fine form. Do not know if it was because of Levon Helm, or taking these new songs and recording them in a live one take session. Whatever it is it seems to have truly invigorated a band that truthfully has mailed it in the past and could have continued to do so. What the Crowes have given us is a cd that shows off their influences of the Stones and a new dash of The Band while maintaining their soul. They then surround themselves with some excellent guitar trade offs between Robinson and Dickson and make sure the drums, mandolin, violin and keyboard all take there time to shine. They where always a bit of a jam band but here they seemed focused. My only concern is at a double cd too long. As a single cd this may have become a classic. But that being said, there really isn’t a bad song on either disc; they have created probably one of the best alt country cd’s in a while. (Wilco fans please take notice what can happen when you get out of the studio what greatness can happen) Somehow these guys are relevant again 3.5

Cocktail Slippers
Go Go’s, Voice of Beehive hybrid with a garage rock sound. Fun catchy pop tunes thankfully supported with short guitar riffs. Add a bit of organ and you get some catchy tunes. Some bubble gum can be found throughout but that just adds to this cd’s charm. Love the continuation of the death becomes a love story tradition of the title track. Some songs at the end do not hold up as well those in the beginning, but that may be more due to the strength of the tunes found at the beginng rather than weaknesses found with the latter 3.5


Pete Yorn
Wanted: Underground artist with enough critical clout to be considered cool. I am a part time singer looking for someone to give me indie singer credentials. My resume includes a once off attempt at singing another famous underground performers songs, so there is no need to worry about my baggage interrupting your songs. More than happy to just take your songs and add a bit of background and possible lead in a few songs. Prefer lofi pop stylings with strong production in order to cover my limitations as a singer, so no need to worry about me over singing you. Tried massed produced electronic stylings in past so would prefer more of a low-key guitar based this time out. In return you will get some needed exposure to your under appreciated tunes and a hot chick for your cd cover. 2.5 (which is what I would have given any of Pete Yorn cd, which this disc truly is, had we reviewed them before this one)

Sugar
One of those cd’s I have had in my collection that I really do not listen to that often. When presented was left with the question why is that. Strong pop sense with some excellent guitar work. Clearly the best thing Bob Mould has done since leaving Husker Du. Hoover Damn is a song that sticks in your brain for a long time after listening, and it isn’t the only one that does that. There are some songs that at times are a bit repetitive in sound but not necessarily in a bad way. A solid pop cd that made for a nice return, I will be curious if it takes this long to listen to it again. (although Grant Harts new cd is really good too.)3.0

The Who
A Who cd that I have not heard in its entirety before. Yes I had heard most of it before, and my only reason for not reaching the conclusion is possible never getting up to flip the record over as the more popular songs are on the first side. That being said was happy to revisit. Townsend in fine form. Showing when he wasn’t trying to right the next great musical he really had some great lyrics in him. His guitar playing is also in fine form taking the lead more than relying on just a strong rhythm style. And truly Daltry probably had the strongest rock voice in music history and it shows here as he sings. And Entwhistles bass runs in Dreaming are electric. A forgotten gem gladly revisited. This is another attempt of a member pulling a Mongillo. I am just happy that the cd’s of mine that are in the top ten are not considered classics before they were submitted. 3.5 (would have been a 4 but ruined by the bonus tracks which should never be included in a submission to the group)

Dada
One late night driving home I heard this great tune called Here Today Gone Tomorrow. It was the second single off their debut cd and I was hooked. The next day I ran out bought the disc, and it has been on my desert island list ever since. They are one of those bands that never seem to disappoint me. Yes some of their cd’s are not packed with as many great songs as Puzzle, but they are always quite good. They write great riffs with intelligent life stories (although some may same influenced but not a bad thing) with two really good lead singers who harmonize really well. Michael Gurley plays a great guitar and comes up with a truly big sound and great riffs. It’s unfortunate that he is now limited due to carpal tunnel syndrome. Will see them play any chance I get. Seen in big halls, small bars and on a cruise around lake Minnetonka, and they were always great, even if Gurley needed to ice his arm down after every other song. Just another of my bands that always ends up on my play list sooner or later.




1) You have the chance to see one living band that you haven't yet seen. Who is the band, (remember living, but reunions count), how far are you willing to travel, and how much will you pay? Manic Street Preachers. New York to Boston and I am there. Somewhere warm, then possible vacation

2) Who is the one artist(s) that you always wanted to see but for whatever reason something always gets in the way? Do you still want to see them? Drive By Truckers. The amount of times these guys have played these parts and every single time I can’t go. Still waiting to see what blocks me next.

3) What about concerts that you have recently been to have changed? Is it for the better or for worse? What is it that you miss the most about concerts? They are to clean. It’s not like the venues are any better but for some reason they just seem cleaner. I want Frisbees, beach balls, firecrackers, someone behind me sparking a joint and smuggling a deerskin flask full of some cheap ass liquor. Yes the smoky haze smelled like shit, but it some how added to the whole experience.

4) Which is the better piece of music, the one that is in your must play list, or the one you know is a great cd, has great reviews, but rarely gets played by you? Why? And does this effect how you review cd's? This question came about because of the rating I have given Let it Bleed at last meeting. But since I own no Rolling Stone records and have no desire to buy or even play one the review I gave it seem appropriate. If a disc isn’t worthy enough for me to continually want to play it then it deserves a lower rating to ones that I do. I can recognize the talent and understand its importance, but if it’s not on my internal play list it will never score higher than a 3/3.5 until it does.

Yup, Feeling Particularly Cursey, Crass, and Hostile This Month Yet Many 5s

The Mong
Music Group Commentary
Oct. 2009

Black Crowes – “Before The Frost...Until The Freeze” – 5 Stars
This album rocks so hard, it’s one of the albums I would play for aliens if they wanted to know what Rock is.

Cocktail Slippers – “Saint Valentine's Day Massacre” – 1.5 Stars
Another mediocre girl group. Wow-wee, they sing AND play all their own instruments. Big fucking deal. Sorry, but when it comes to Rock & Roll, girls rarely contribute something notable as anything other than singers or groupies. Call me sexist if you’d like but I’m not. This is a fact and I challenge anyone to make a case that the few exceptions don’t prove my rule. And while we’re at it, fuck The Donnas, too! Not “fuck them” as in “they suck” (although they do) but as in, “I’d like to fuck them.” Well, not the fat one. ...Okay, that was sexist...

Sugar – “Copper Blue” – 5 Stars
Bob Mould’s breakthrough album ... Only ten years late but better late than never. And its actually great. Easily one of the best releases of the '90s. At least he got to cash-in along with everyone else who was making money ripping off (I mean influenced by) Hüsker Dü at the time.

The Who – “The Who...By Numbers” – 5 Stars
5 Stars...Duh! One of their best, for sure.

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – “Break Up” – 3 Stars
Come on … Don’t be haters, guys: this is a damn good pop album. Not just “for Scarlett”...for anyone.

Dada – G’Hits
Glad I head them because I’d never head anything else from the band best known for “Dizz Knee Land,” and I might have ended my days thinking they totally sucked when they’re really just strange...perhaps even innovative: Probably the first band I’ve ever heard that’s stronger in the bridges and solos than they are in the verses and choruses. From track 12 on it’s almost like a different band, though, doing something post-Beatles by way of Oasis, and the result is something I like much better. Still, I remain puzzled by the band Dada so I guess I’ll quote (I think it was) Marcel Duchamp from some weird Dadaist film I saw in college: “Dada is good. Dada is bad.”

D’Arcy’s TOPIC Questions:
1) You have the chance to see one living band that you haven't yet seen. Who is the band, (remember living, but reunions count), how far are you willing to travel, and how much will you pay?
The Hives. If I had the cash and time to travel, I’d pay pretty much anything and go anywhere. On my current budget, I’d travel within six hours driving distance and get a hotel or pay for a cheap flight anywhere in the US or Canada. If I could keep it around $500, I’d definitely drop it. As high as $1,200 is still very likely.

2) Who is the one artist(s) that you always wanted to see but for whatever reason something always gets in the way? Do you still want to see them?
Wilco. I have missed them four times. I actually had tickets twice but work stuff came up that prevented me from going. The other two times I was traveling for family events. I’ve seen them open for Neil Young and they only played for about forty minutes so I don't think this really counts. Yes, I still want to see them headline, especially with the current lineup.

3) What about concerts that you have recently been to have changed? Is it for the better or for worse? What is it that you miss the most about concerts?
People like to sit at concerts in arenas and even ask you to sit down if you’re standing in front of them. Really, and should I clap softly, too, lame-ass! In mid-size venues, people have become increasingly pushy and borderline hostile but perhaps it’s just because I’ve been seeing a lot of shows in these types of clubs in NYC of late. Look, I’m here to see a show, not smash your face-in, pal (said like a cabbie). In small venues, people talk way too much and way too loud. Hey, did you pay to come here to listen to live music or talk with your friends about your stupid fucking lives, asshole! All of these things are decidedly worse (not better). What do I miss about concerts? That I used to be able to go to them and not be made to feel like I’m the odd man out at some mass child/parent playdate.

4) Which is the better piece of music, the one that is in your must play list, or the one you know is a great cd, has great reviews, but rarely gets played by you? Why? And does this effect how you review cd's?
Probably the great CD I don’t play as much because I listen to music in fits of taste and moods, not necessarily quality or high standards set by myself or others. This doesn’t really effect my reviews since, although taste factors in (how can it not?), I endeavor to listen to each CD out of context and/or in its own context.

The Mea Culpa Reviews of October

Again- sorry for missing the other night. It was a bummer for moi.

Music Club

Pete Yorn/Scarlett Johansson- Break Up

After our last venture into (I wish) Scarlett I was prepared to give this one a good shellacking. Shockingly I am unable to do so. Most of this isn’t half bad. The songs are well constructed 60s pop. The duets work best because Scarlett’s voice can be Liz Phair whiny but not in a good Liz Phair whiny way and she can bring a song down, like “Wear and Tear”. Yorn deserves a long distance high five for making Scarlett, occasionally, sound as hot as her most famous assets. (3)

The Who- Who By Numbers

An easily overlooked “loose” Who documentary. Definitely not “Who’s Next” but what is. Pete treads very close to that recording and “Quadraphenia” except he is a little more introspective about getting on in years and his self destructive lifestyle (heck he was 30 years old for god’s sake!). Besides the first 3 great songs the rest is semi-forgettable but far from horrid and was still a welcome listen though “Who’s Next” will still be the one I pull out the most. (3)

Sugar-Copper Blue

Okay stone me now- I was never a big Husker Du fan. While Mould steals some that muddied HDu sound, he did so by wrapping it around some the best metal melodies ever written. I use the term metal loosely because pieces of the songs have the traditional metal chunk-chunk-chunk beat and metal story lines about drowning he blend that with pop melodies. And if that’s not enough he throws in “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” which is pure pop. Brilliant. (4.5)

Cocktail Slippers- St. Valentines Day Massacre

Stumbled upon this one (one of two 2009 releases) and it just stuck with me. Personally, what’s not to love; Norwegian female pop punk band with 60s pop sensibilities. Priceless. Sure the songs are simple and they sing about nothing deeper than teenage crushes and disappointment but the songs just stick with you. (3.5)

Black Crowes- Before the Frost

Sorry Sandy but these guys just bore me. CRobinson thinks he has more soul that he does and the rock jam band thing is tiresome, though I think brother Rich is a pretty good guitarist. I will say that they do have their moments, like a couple of minutes in the middle of "Been a Long Time (Waiting on Love)" was purty good. And that song “Remedy”- oh wait that was a few years ago… (1)

Dada Ghits

There’s a good and bad here. The good- every song is a keeper with the “Puzzle” tunes still their best. The bad- I’ll never pull out a Dada disc again. Just have to pull out this GHits. Well done.

Topic

First a hearty fuck you to D’Arcy for his Kath bashing jab at moi. Now to the topic.

1) You have the chance to see one living band that you haven't yet seen. Who is the band, (remember living, but reunions count), how far are you willing to travel, and how much will you pay?

I assume they all had to be alive - Rage Against the Machine reunion. I’d go within a 3 hour radius and pay up to $100 bucks.

2) Who is the one artist(s) that you always wanted to see but for whatever reason something always gets in the way? Do you still want to see them?

Lou Reed- first he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident and canceled on me then I had tickets and we got hammered with a snow storm. Missed him twice by that much. I think I would like to still see him but not sure if he could still pull it off.

3) What about concerts that you have recently been to have changed? Is it for the better or for worse? What is it that you miss the most about concerts?

Shows with a younger audience, the music is second to the “show”. They want spectacle instead of a cover or that obscure song (Green Day is a good example of this). This is not good. With older audiences, depending on act, its all about nostalgia and again the music takes a back seat. They want the hits not the new material and basically if they can sing along it doesn’t matter how good the artist(s) performs. I miss the raw energy shows used to have (I’m not saying every show is lame). Used to go to a show and walk out sweaty, sore neck, deaf and exhausted. Now I’m only exhausted due to age.

4) Which is the better piece of music, the one that is in your must play list, or the one you know is a great cd, has great reviews, but rarely gets played by you? Why? And does this effect how you review cd's?

Nice question. I believe I can separate what is great from what is great to me. Ex: Pearl Jam’s “Ten” is a great 5 star album I don’t listen to that much but “Vs” is a great to me album I will listen to all the time. There are quite a few great recordings that I don’t listen to all that often (“Sgt Pepper”) and other that are border line awful that I will pull out again and again (“Captured” by Journey). In a review I would obviously rate SP higher than Captured but per listens the other wins- you may start abusing me……..now.

I admit I will try harder on the rave reviewed albums to see what I am missing but I am now of a certain age that if I don’t like it I won’t listen to it. In the beginning of DYN I used to get tarred and feathered for reviews that weren’t from my heart but instead subjective within genre so I know I can separate the two but of late I do review more from the gut.

These would have been so much better if read in person...

Black Crowes – I’ve always considered these guys second-rate Stones, an analogy that doesn’t hold here, as the Stones haven’t done anything this good in 20 years. When the Crowes keep it short and sweet, like on “Good Morning Captain” and “Appaloosa” the results are strong. When they indulge their jam band side, vibe and groove supplant hooks and melodies with mixed results. When it works it rocks, notably the “Cant You Hear Me Knocking” break at the end of “Been a Long Time”. Doesn’t hold up over 2 discs, but there is a great 50 minutes disc scattered amongst these two. 4 stars

Cocktail Slippers – I’ve always had a weakness for girl pop, so I enjoyed this one. There’s nothing innovative about it, but they do a good job mixing the Donnas with the Bangles. Highlights are the last song and the title track. Not coincidentally, Little Steven wrote them both. 3.5 stars

Pete Yorn / Scarlet Johansson –It would be easy (and fun) to pile on Ms. Johansson, but there’s no reason to. Yes, she sounds like Norah Jones with a mouthful of oatmeal. Yes, the driving force behind this project undoubtedly was for Pete Yorn to get the pootie. Nonetheless, you could swap Johansson with Susanna Hoffs, Karen-O or Stevie damn Nicks, and it isn’t going to make a bit of difference given the material. This kind of safe, inoffensive, Bohemian, Starbucks coffee shop crap sucks no matter who’s singing. I was offended by its blatant attempt at inoffensiveness. 1 star.
Sugar – There are 3 songs here that are better than anything Mould did before or since. “Helpless”, “Changes” and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind” beautifully meld hard driving indie rock within a pop song structure. The rest of the tracks don’t quite reach the highs that those 3 do, but they move along nicely. Loved the guitar work and production. I have this on cassette somewhere, it was nice to get a digital copy and hear it again. 4 stars

The Who –The band at their commercial apex while Townshend wallows in misery and doubt. Legend has it that Daltrey refused to sing several of these cuts because of the lyrical content. “They’re All In Love” is a vicious self inspection, highlighted with this little Pete zinger: “Goodbye all you punks, stay young and stay high, hand me my checkbook and I’ll crawl off to die.” The stress between band members is laid out as well: “Are the problems that screw me up really down to him or me?” and “We talk so much shit behind each others backs.” Even Entwistle chimes in, “Take 276, you know this used to be fun.” Of course it’s the weak link (“Squeeze Box”) that becomes the hit. Except for the “operas”, my favorite Who disc. 4.5 stars

Dada –Decent, if unremarkable, late 80’ish grunge lite disc. Bass/Drum sound on the earlier cuts reminded me of Midnight Oil minus the accent and scary bald guy. There’s a reason “Dizz Knee Land” and “Dim” (which by the way I would have sworn was a Gin Blossoms song) got airplay; they’re the band’s best songs. The two Butterfly Jones cuts were more interesting than 90% of the Dada. I wont listen to the whole thing in one sitting again, but if a track pops up on shuffle I won’t skip it.

Discussion Question

1) Paul Westerberg, either solo or with what’s left of the Replacements. Would be willing to travel to St Louis and pay up to $100.

2) Pearl Jam. Last three times they’ve come here, I’ve had a schedule conflict. Definitely still want to see them.

3) Audience behavior has changed for the worse. The arena concerts are now marred to a great extent by the crowd. People making multiple beer / pee runs, talking during the show, taking cell phone photos of themselves at the concert, etc. Concerts are now more about “making the scene” than appreciating the music. Even the smaller shows suffer these problems, albeit on a lesser scale. I miss the days when people went to concerts to hear music.

4) Don’t really understand how “must play” is defined. If “must play” means it’s a group choice that I’m obligated to review, then the rarely played great CD. If “must play” means I love this disc and gotta play it, than that CD is probably the better piece, because my opinion is more important to me than others’ reviews. I do read other reviews of group CDs before I listen to them. I’m less likely to dismiss something on the first listen if its getting good reviews elsewhere. I may wind up dismissing it anyway, but I’ll give it a couple of spins.

Greg's Spooky Reviews

The Black Crows - 3
WTF, are you serious, when did the Black Crows become a county band? And I’m supposed to listen to TWO disks? Well, I was pleasantly surprised when the second disk turned out to be a little more like the Black Crows I knew. I’ve never been a huge fan and I actually thought I’d seen the last of them. This is a strong album and I will give credit where it’s due. The band has grown up a lot. Even the country stuff had good lyrics and it was tolerable. I would not have recognized Chris Robinson’s voice if I didn’t know it was a BC cd. Been a Long time could have been a Creedence song and What is home sounded just like CSN. Still, I was more impressed than I thought I’d be.

Cocktail Slippers 2.5
Any chick band with the word “cock” in their name have to be cool. So I started off being positive. I liked this band a lot, but only for a song or two at a time. I think that the idea is awesome especially in a time of cool retro cars and everything, but I’m not sure how a band like this could survive today. Knowing myself I figured I’d venture to the band’s website and take a gander at these lovelies. Youch, their pictures actually made me like the band less. I won’t turn off one of their songs, but I won’t likely choose to play one either. They may as well be a 50’s Indigo Girls. It must be nice to know that I pick my music based on how hot the band members are. Thanks for inviting me into the group; I’m sure I’ll have a lot to offer.

Dada
Some songs were a little “Train-ish” for my taste. Or maybe Train is a little “Dada-ish” I don’t know. One way or another, this was my pick of the month, even though it is a GH. The songs I like most were probably the ones that everyone liked least. I liked Bob the Drummer and Suicide Bridge. The one I liked least believe it or not was Dizz Knee Land. The cool thing about this band was their ability to sound very diverse from song to song.

Sugar - Copper Blue 4.5
Bob Mould has to have one of the top five coolest voices in music. This cd has actually been a staple in my collection since it came out. It doesn’t have the same affect on me as when I bought it, but I think it could have stood up to any cd out at the time. The Slim and Act the Act are a couple of my favorites, but I don’t think there is a bad song on the disk. Oh boy, I think this disk might actually bring me into the top 10 and I didn’t even think anyone would like it that much.

The Who – Who By Numbers 4.5
The Who just isn’t the Who without Keith Moon. This was a Keith Moon CD. Although I didn’t have this disc, it actually contains several of my favorite Who songs. I always wish that Pete Townshend sang on more Who songs, but I wish that he didn’t on Blue Red & Grey, he sounded like a girl. Or maybe he was singing to a dude during his “bi” phase. In that case it’s ok.
. I’d love to actually find out what a Squeezebox is (I’m sure that I’ll be educated tonight), but the highlight of the disc for me is Slip Kid. One of the best beginnings to a rock song. I did here some Boston on Imagine a Man so I wonder if the Who might have been an influence.


Pete Yorn & Scarlett “the Goddess” Johansson (2 because of Scarlett)
The first track was a clear rip-off of Amy Winehouse, and I got really excited when I heard it, both emotionally and physically, ya baby. Unfortunately, the rest of the disk didn’t get me as excited. This cd did grow on me but not enough to really get in to it. I’m starting to wonder if Scarlett Johansson’s voice is as good as I thought it was. Ultimately, even Scarlett couldn’t completely save it for me.


Yes after careful consideration the topic has arrived.

1) You have the chance to see one living band that you haven't yet seen. Who is the band, (remember living, but reunions count), how far are you willing to travel, and how much will you pay?

Tom Waits - $400 – 500. Within New England area or New Orleans

2) Who is the one artist(s) that you always wanted to see but for whatever reason something always gets in the way? Do you still want to see them?

Boston – No, not without Brad Delp.



3) What about concerts that you have recently been to have changed? Is it for the better or for worse? What is it that you miss the most about concerts?

What? I’ll take a shot at what I thought you meant. There are only a few bands that I’ll see more than once or twice, Rush, Peter Gabriel, Dave Matthews, Tool, and maybe one or two more. Every one of them is as good or better than the previous shows, but when they play too much of the new music and if I don’t love the new stuff, that is when I’d prefer to go back in time. I feel so guilty for even saying that about Rush. I’ll get over it. What I miss most – not wearing earplugs.

4) Which is the better piece of music, the one that is in your must play list, or the one you know is a great cd, has great reviews, but rarely gets played by you? Why? And does this effect how you review cd's?

I don’t listen to reviews, I know what I like and I can guarantee that most critics won’t. If a band that I’ve never heard of comes out and the critics like it (ex. Kings of Leon) I’ll wait for the second single and then if I like it I’ll buy it. No affect on my music reviews typically, but I might feel compelled to pay a little bit more attention to see if I get what the critics got.

Wilco - I still don’t know why I don’t like it as much as I’m supposed to. It happens with every Wilco album. Live, they rule, but in the studio, they are either too calculating or too boring, or both. Every song is brilliantly played, most are great melodies and I’m sure if I paid attention, they are lyrically coherent. I just don’t care that much. Still for proficiency, and a few stellar songs, they get a 3.0

Pappas Frittas – An interesting choice, especially following Modest Mouse last month, a band that I would put in the same category on a certain level - Quirky pop bands that can’t be described. Except the difference is that these guys are much more economical. MM annoyed me with their forays into weirdness, but Pappas Frittas will have none of that. They still are a bit quirky at times, but there is little wasted effort and a little more guitar and that helps. 3.5

Yeah, Yeah Yeahs – All right, all together now - No No No. Hey, Soft Cell on steroids still reminds me of Soft Cell and they were the ultimate representation of the worst sub genre in the history of music – unless you count whatever it was Herbie Hancock was doing when he released Manchild. The sub genre I refer to is known as ssbsm or shitty soft boring synth music, which, granted, isn’t funny or clever – much like this music. They occasionally - mistakenly – lapsed closer to Abba on a couple of tracks and those were the highlights. Greg – there must be something out there we agree on! Find it for chrissakes so I can quit drilling on you. 1.5

Dino Jr - They always promised more than they delivered. The concept always sounded better than the actual execution, so I really did not expect to like this as much as I do. Don’t know what they are doing differently, but I would have to guess these are just better melodies and more crunch and less droning guitars. One of my favorite CDs this year – 4.0

Richard Thompson – What’s not to like about Richard Thompson and this is one of his best. There’s always a bit too much bitterness, but he’s able to present it in ways that are either clever, ironic or funny, so it never seems over done. And the guitar playing is great as always, although not as smokin’ as he is live. 3.5

Terry Kath - An inspired pick by the man some in the group fondly refer to as Dumbass. This brought back some great memories, as Ken pulled a number of tracks from Live at Carnegie Hall, which I received as a gift for either my birthday or Christmas of 1971. It spent a lot of time on my turntable in those days, although it has come to represent a couple of different things to me over the years. Probably the first true box set, complete with posters and a big booklet, I have to say that it is one of the most overblown, pretentious, self-absorbed, records ever foisted upon an unsuspecting public, saved only by Kath’s consistently brilliant playing. Which is about the only thing you can actually hear as this seems to have been recorded and mastered by 1st year sound engineering students at Weaver High School. Trying to shift through the shit to get to the playing, though, was a Herculean task. The other thing that particular album represents, although this is lost on our erstwhile host, is that this signaled the end of Chicago as a vital band. Chicago 5 blows – the best song on the album is represented here and even at age 15, I found the song Dialogue (parts 1 AND 2!) naïve at best and trite at worst. Hey fellas, you didn’t make it happen and you didn’t save the children. And beyond that….6 through whatever… really a stretch to find much worthwhile. Anyway, I digress – Kath is brilliant and his death was a true tragedy in a profession where most of the tragedies are self-induced. Once I re-edited this, it was great fun to listen to.