How can a cd get a positive review when you know you'll never listen to it again.

Ray Davies

Crap. You’d think with Ray Davies involved you’d get inspired versions of his songs similar to that of efforts by Van Halen, Dar Williams or the Jam. Instead you get mailed in versions that are nowhere equal to the originals that sound as if Ray mailed it in. What do we learn from this? Keep Jersey the fuck away from London and file the cd under in it for the money. .5 Because I can’t give Ray Davies a 0

Mumford and Sons

Every few years there is a call out for the new folk revival. What you get is a few bands trumpeted as the next great thing but soon become aware of the sameness of it all. This time Mumford is heading the pack as the most successful. The cd starts off well, and the cave and little lion man are outstanding tracks. But as the cd continues there is that creeping sameness throughout. Luckily they are not locked into endless ballads like their fellow folk brethren Avett brothers but instead we get a lot of mid tempo nowhereness. 2.0

Lia Ices

This is an amazingly produced cd. She has quite the distinctive voice. Otherwise see Mumford review without three good songs. 1.5

Frances Dunnery

Figured this was Sandi’s as there is a Del Amitri vibe to it. Never liked It Bites, bit too pompy prog for me, so was surprised by where he has ended up. The good: A good guitarist, lyricist with an eye for life around him. The bad: Too many mid tempo songs, and boy he treads the Phil Collins line way to closely. 1.5

Sex Pistols

Who came first the Ramones or the Pistols? Even though I owned the first three Ramones cds it was pistols that opened my eyes. Probably because Steve Jones has a bit more metal to his style than Johnny. Either way this band opened this whole style to me. God Save the Queen and Anarchy may be the most famous but EMI, Pretty Vacant, Problems and Holiday in the Sun are rock classics that few bands had the skill or attitude to pull off. 4.0

Funkadelic

Why doesn’t anyone play loud dirty waa waa guitar anymore. It be cool if they did.

Hall of Fame

The way I decided if an artist is worthy of my hall of fame boils down to a simple fact, Are you famous? What decides fame I have 3 criteria. 1 Did you have a career that enabled you over a long period of time to consistently put music out that the masses wanted to hear? 2 If not was your flash in the pan so bright that it changed the way we look at music? 3 Does the history of music somehow leads back to you as the starting place for others.

Finally if there is a band in there from your style that deserves it and precedes you musically you don’t get in till that band gets in. Example Metallica should not have gotten in before Judas Priest because Judas Priest was the bridge from Sabbath to Metallica (and arguably better).

If Kinks Rhymes With Stinks, What Does Ices Rhyme With?

Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More

This CD got a lot of hype and the single is nearing the point of burnout if you listen to adult rock radio, but all that said, every song on this CD is a good song. The dynamics keep it interesting as does the instrumentation, though my favorite moments on this CD are “Avett-like” solo singer, solo instrument ones, with lyrics like, “I wish I had a greater enemy than my apathy”...all in all, when you factor in that this is a debut album, it pushes it up for me to a 4.


Lia Ices – Grown Unknown

Laura Nyro or Joni Mitchell with fully produced arrangements instead of just acoustic guitar? Or maybe it’s Cat Power on Quaaludes…May as well be. The whole vocal sound is as if she’s out in the middle of a vast field, on out at sea…very weird to me… “Daphne” certainly is pretty to listen to, but this is just too downbeat for me to get interested in, though the songs do evolve and grow in many directions, which did at least keep me somewhat interested. There are no sing-alongs here, and by the fourth track, I was more interested in where the songs were going instrumentally and harmonically than in her vocals. It’s just a 2 for me.


Francis Dunnery – Tall Blonde Helicopter

This is my first listen to him…don’t know where I was in the mid ’90’s but I missed this.
It must have been in the same pile as the Greenberry Woods since they are both lost gems to me from 1995. Right out of the box, I really like the pop sensibilities mixed with some excellent guitar playing. There’s good humor in some of the lyrics (Too Much Saturn) sometimes he’s quirky, (Johnny Podell Song and I Don’t Want to Be Alternative) but it works, and to me, he sounds a bit like Matthew Sweet – and that’s a good thing. Add in a good cover of my favorite Cat Stevens song and for me, this is a really pleasant surprise, and it gets a 4.5.

The Sex Pistols – Never Mind the Bollocks…

This was - and still is – the godfather of all punk rock albums…if you were fortunate enough to have listened to it when it first came out, you know just how revolutionary it was. God Save the Queen and Anarchy in the U.K. are top 100 songs ever (hey, there’s a topic for another meeting) and this gets a 5 only because that’s the highest rating we give.

Ray Davies – See My Friends

There are 2 kinds of people in the world…those who get The Kinks and those who don’t. If you do get them, you’ll probably find this CD charming in spots, interesting in a good way in spots, but ultimately uneven, though for the most part, very listenable. I fall into that camp, and so it gets a 3 from me. If you’re not a Kinks fan, you’ll be much less generous, but if you didn’t like Paloma Faith and her treatment of “Lola”, then whatever…because it was up to the original, if not better.

GH – Thanks, Ken…now I can get my P Funk on anytime I want. Nice selection of George Clinton funky stuff.

Topic – Who should go into the R&R Hall of Fame?

Nirvana. They have the “dead guy” thing going for them, a body of work that includes one of the great songs in rock, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and were in great part responsible for starting a style, grunge, that lives on in music today.

Reviews From Tornado Alley

Ray Davies – On paper, a no brainer.  I love covers, the Kinks, and several of the artists involved. It gets off to a horrendous start, as  Bruce butchers one of my all time favorite songs.  Bruce’s vocal range, if you can call it that, isn’t suited for the delicate treatment the song calls for. Bon Jovi doing “Celluloid Heroes” made vomitous bile rise from the pits of my stomach to the back of my throat.  Liked Lucinda & Mumford tracks.  At best, the rest are grossly inferior versions, and at worse (Metallica) ruin the work of one of music’s great songwriters. A colossal disappointment.  1.5 stars 

Mumford & Sons – A good disc that reminds me of the Avett Brothers, only not as well done.  A little banjo-heavy for my taste, and like the Avetts they take themselves a little too seriously.  Some nice moments, particularly “The Cave”, and there is no denying the great harmonies and instrumentation.  3 stars

Lia Ices – Despite evidence to the contrary, I genuinely appreciate when someone submits a disc that is clearly outside my usual scope of listening.  That said, this was a truly mind numbing 45 minutes of rotten tediousness that bordered on coma inducing. It should have come with a “Do not operate heavy machinery while using this product” warning.  .5 stars 

Frances Dunnery – Starts off really well, hits a brick wall exactly halfway through the disc and limps to a finish.  Songs like “48 Hours” and “Too Much Saturn” are sharp, snappy pop songs reminiscent of John Wesley Harding.  Everything up to “I Don’t Want to Be Alternative” was really good.  From that song on, not so much.  2.5 stars

Sex Pistols – Hadn’t listened to this in over 20 years and was shocked at how well it holds up, it doesn’t sound the least bit dated.  The key is Chris Thomas’ pristine production/mix.  Hard to believe he also produced Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side”.  Here, it sounds like he just hits record and gets out of the way. Easy to give a great rating as a historical document, but the songs and energy still resonate. 4.5 stars

Parliament – A good collection.  I liked the hit and run stuff more than the Zappa-esque extended jams.  The amount and quality of lead guitar surprised me.  Bootsy Collins’ influence on modern pop and hip-hop just cant be overstated.

Discussion Question

I tried to keep the criteria simple:

1) If I never heard of the person or their music, they got a “no”.

2) If I like their music, they’re in.

3) If I don’t like their music, I weighed whether or not their influence and scope were important enough to over-ride my bias. Hence, Black Sabbath & Beach Boys get in despite me despising their guts.

4) If I couldn’t directly tie their music to rock and roll, they’re out. Miles Davis, Mahalia Jackson, etc were great artists, but clearly fit into different genres. That stated, I decided that “singer-songwriters” don’t have a genre besides rock n roll. Hence, my inclusion of Joel, Browne, Taylor, etc that aren’t necessarily “rock and roll” but fit closer to that description than any other.

Greg's Pre Vacation Reviews

Francis Dunnery – Tall Blonde Helicopter - 4
I didn’t like this at all….until I actually listen to it. He had a Matthew Sweet and even Cat Stevens sound, but not enough that I didn’t like him. This was a very easy cd to listen to. I needed a relaxing cd since I was just a little hung over when I listened to it. Really good stuff for a guy I’ve never even heard of. What’s with the title? This gets the coveted Greg's pick of the month award!
LLA Ices- Grown Unknown - 3
I have to say that I was hoping for a little bit more from this very hot chick. At least I think that she’s hot, she has a very suggestive thing in her mouth. As for her music. Unfortunately every song blended into the next and nothing stood out as being more than background drone. If I never heard of her I’d be okay with that, but if she popped up on my iPod I might not change her. Her voice is very beautiful and I wonder if she’s selling herself short doing the Sarah Brightman/Enya thing.
Ray Davies – See My Friends - 3.5
Since I like most of these songs to begin with, I liked these too. Who would have thought to Billy Corgan or Metallica with Ray Davies? It was a bit predictable when Metallica did You Really Got Me.
Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bullocks – 4.5
I actually don’t own any fucking Sex Pistols cds, but I’ve liked every fucking thing I’ve heard by them. This was actually a disk I’ve fucking wanted for a long time. I believe that it will change my fucking life.
Mumford and Sons- Sigh No More - 4
I first heard these guys on XM and thought that they were nothing but a Dave Matthews rip off (shut up Mike), these guys are both a wicked downer and a blast at the same time. I don’t like the fact that they don’t have a drummer, just this rinky dink bass drum and a tambourine, but it seems to work pretty well. This is nothing but drinking music. If you aren’t someplace where you can get a beer or a shot then don’t listen to it.
Ghits -Funkadelic
Not my thing. I’m sure that there’s a shitload of talent going on here, but for me it was just shy of completely annoying.
Each member must explain their criteria for a YES vote.
Are they a household name? Have they had any measurable impact or influenced other artists that are in the HOF?

Luther Dickinson: Allstar

5 Chinese Brothers- 3.5
One of the dj’s at WWUH used to play stuff off of Let’s Kill Sat Night and I always enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek, witty, intelligent sense of humor these guys brought to their music. Not being familiar with this cd though, I’m getting that same vibe. I wish I could have seen them in concert- I bet they were a hoot. Liked this cd a lot. Great alt country.

North Miss Allstars- 4.0
I’m a big Luther Dickinson fan so this is going to be a little biased. The emotions surrounding the death of the Dickinson patriarch and the birth three months later of Luther Dickinson’s child is evident throughout this cd. They serve up a lot of songs that deal with anger, acceptance, mortality and spirituality. Full of gospel tinged, raw Southern blues-rock- this cd is offered up as an emotional and passionate tribute to a Southern gentleman, a fine producer, and the musical cornerstone of the Dickinson family. Mavis Staples, Ry Cooder, Spooner Oldham, and Alvin Youngblood Hart take guest turns throughout. This is a great cd.

Motorhead- 2.0
Not a fan- never have been. These guys have been around for a long time and I’m sorry but to me if you have heard one Motorhead record you’ve heard them all. Nothing new here. Loud, frenetic guitars, growling vocals, apocalyptic lyrics and arrangements that, after a very short while, just start to grate my nerves.

Alkaline Trio-3.0
Don’t own any AK3 and not familiar with their earlier cd’s but Crimson is a record I really enjoyed. While a lot of the lyrics deal with things like an alcoholic’s torment, lifelong illnesses, broken bones, and psychosis- there’s songs like Mercy Me that bring straight-ahead pop tendencies to the music. They kind of remind me of The Cure meets Green Day. Not a bad thing at all.

The Smiths-4.0
Is it too long- yes. Does it get on my nerves after a while- yes. Are there lots of absolutely brilliant songs on this cd- yes. There is no denying the bouncy pop and irresistibility of songs like Ask, Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, William, It Was Really Nothing, Panic, Hand in Glove and Oscillate Wildly.

3 Chord Rock
I’m still not sure what 3 chord rock is and I don’t know if I could listen to a song and say- yep- great 3 chord rock right there. But I do know that this is a nice collection of rock songs. Thanks Alan- enjoyed it.

Thank goodness for the delay now i can reset my password

5 Chinese Brothers

I am not sure why I found this cd lacking. Nice harmonies, strong guitar playing, catchy and thought provoking lyrics, and wrapped occasionally with humor. But something seems to be missing. Maybe it’s the way that the Eagles come to mind. Or it could be that at times they remind me other bands that do it far better. It could be that after all the accordion playing last month I was put off by its presence. Not sure which but with each listening found myself wondering more. 1.5

Motorhead

Lemmy is a rock god. One of the things that happens to Gods is that they are easily knocked off their perch as their careers wind down, and nothing is worse when your heroes let you down. Luckily Lemmy is in fine form on this cd. The riffs are ear shattering, the speed relentless from beginning to end, and was that an actual chorus or two throughout the cd, if so it works. This is a Motorhead cd from beginning to end and that’s a great thing. Once again proving besides Iron Maiden no one has put out this consistent quality stuff for so long in the metal world. 3.5

The Smiths

Okay I tried and I could only make it through 17 songs. My opinion hasn’t changed from when I was force fed this during my college years, Johnny Marr is a really good guitarist, and Morissey just annoys the piss out of me. 1.0

Alkaline Trio

Some say this was a shark jumping cd for the band. I always thought this was their masterpiece. While Good Mourning was the beginning of this bands move towards more melody into their dark oriented sound, Crimson made it more epic. From the beginning Piano intro in Time to Waste to the end of Smoke there is not a week moment to be found. Along the way you get great songs like Poison, Mercy Me, Sadie just to name a few. Both singers are incredibly strong as lead or as harmony. They both have a trademark for their songs but still they all seem to fall under that Alkaline Trio description, catchy memorable songs, good riffs and a real good drummer. 4.0

North Mississippi All-stars

I liked this cd a lot. A first thought it was going to be a bar band made good cd. The type that you know it would sound great live but maybe only there. But it’s a grower. The swampy singing is matched by the even more swampy playing makes for a good guitar based cd. 3.0

How do you listen?

I find that I do most of initial listening in the car. At times it will be on the computer while I am doing other things like work or throwing darts. I shouldn’t use headphones and usually don’t do to my hearing issues. Rarely is the cod given my undivided attention unless of course it’s one of my submitted cads.

However if it is a good song/cd it will grab my attention and hold it and that is one of the ways I judge on how good a cd is. If it continues to remain in the background how good can it be?

I also try to give each cd multiple listening because do to outside distractions I may have missed something during the first listen. Ideally each cd gets 3 listens (except the smiths or sonic youth). This way each disc is given a fair shot to make an impression. If I find myself liking it will get more if not on to something else.

Better Late than Pregnant...(though it is really late).

North Mississippi All-Stars – Keys To the Kingdom

Immediately, I enjoyed the way they fused traditional blues and rock…I heard some of that “Keith Richards” open tuning in there…the texture of the songs makes it perfect for that Sunday AM rotation and, importantly, it passed the “Deb test” with flying colors…no snide remarks while listening for the first time and no, “what is that shit?” comments, so for all that, and a great cover of “Stuck Inside of Mobile”, it gets a 3.5.

Alkaline Trio - Crimson

This was the surprise of the month for me…I had not been familiar with them and did not expect them to be so…poppy, um…I mean…melodic. I really liked the musical structure of the songs. I only wished that they had more of a dynamic range…after a while they were all at the same volume throughout, with the same instrumental and vocal mix, and that gets a little boring. All in all though, I think I will like these songs mixed among others in my i-Tunes library, so thanks for that…it gets a 3.5

Motorhead – The World is Yours

Do one thing and do it well…that has worked in business forever and it works for Motorhead too. Lemmy decided long ago that he was not an “artiste”; he was a Rock and Roll bassist and singer. This could have been from 1981, 1991, 2001…but it’s new, and with today’s technology, it sounds GREAT. 10 tight songs full of power chords, screaming leads, and rock and roll vocals…good, solid meat and potatoes…well done! 4

The Smiths – Louder than Bombs

Evidently, it’s trio month at “Down Our Nose”…this is one of those bands that I couldn’t get into at the time…my mid ‘80’s were not terribly introspective nor were they bleak, so I didn’t get this “alternative” stuff…so now when I listen 25 years or so later, the best I can say is I can sympathize with Morrissey, but I can’t empathize. As far as the music itself, the songs are clever enough and a song like “Stretch Out and Wait’ stands out inventive and interesting, but I just can’t seem to connect to his body of work…The critics and I will have to agree to disagree…for me, it just gets to a 3.

5 Chinese Brothers – Singer, Songwriter, Beggerman, Thief

Finally…a band with more than 3 members…although if you look up their bio they seem to have 4 members…what’s up with that? Anyway, I love this CD. It’s a mish mash of country, folk, rock, Americana all rolled into one fun, happy, snarky, cynical, clever ball of music and lyrics that bring a big smile to my face every time I hear it. It’s right up there in debut albums with “My Aim Is True”…4.5 stars.


GHITS – 3 Chord Rock

I love pizza…in my world; it has to really suck to be considered “bad” pizza. Now, if we assume that the acid test to compare pizza is 3 ingredients only – dough, cheese and sauce, there are still 1000 variations, and some are better than others. Well, I love “three chord” rock and roll and this month’s GHITS contains songs that have only 3 chords in their structure, though they all sound as different as pizza from different places taste. I could have put 22 different songs on this and it still would have been a GHITS collection…if I left any out that you enjoy better…sorry.

Topic – HOW do you listen and does it affect how you rate CD’s in this group?

I listen to music in a bunch of different ways, and YES, how I listen does influence how I rate these CD’s. If I listen in the car, ‘stereo blasting’, like with Motorhead, it’s going to be a different experience than if I’m listening in an open room at less volume (so as not to disturb those upstairs, for example). I-tunes has forever altered my willingness to listen to most CD’s in their entirely, so when I find one – like the 5 Chinese Brothers – to which I repeatedly listen to all tracks in succession, other than when we rate them – it’s special. The fact is, HOW and WHEN I listen absolutely affects how I rate CD’s. My preference is home alone, at night, in a small room with the lights low or off, at loud volume, concentrating on nothing else, but that only happens about 20% of the time. Another 20% would be at the gym w/ear buds, 30% would be driving at night and finally the remaining 30% of the time would be in the house’s open first floor area at moderate volume. And that’s why North Mississippi All Stars had to take “the Deb test”.

Five Chinese Brothers - Alternately witty, melodic, smart and poignant without ever coming off as too smart for the room. I mean how many bands write songs about Paul Cezzanne or use the word Physiognomy. My list of favorites include Baltimore, My Dad’s Face, She’s a Waitress, Williamsburg Bridge…well, let’s face it… they’re basically all favorites. One of my favorite albums of all time. 4.5

North Mississippi All Stars - Great vibe for the entire album. Not much to say other than they are very good at what they do and while they break no new ground, this is solid throughout. 3.5

Alkaline Trio - At times it sounds like Green Day lite, but there seems to be power in the songs and they write decent hooks at times. Still, there’s something missing from bands like this that wasn’t missing from the same types of bands in 1978. I guess it was all new then and everything sounded fresh. There are very few punk pop bands that have really impressed me since 1980 (the Briefs, Rancid and a few Lookout Records bands like the Queers come to mind), but this band is not on the list. 3.0

Motorhead - Now this is the way to write, perform and sing rock and roll. Is it my imagination or are they getting better with age? This is perhaps the best record I’ve ever heard from them. There’s plenty of nostalgia for works like Ace of Spades, but that is clearly more speed metal than rock and is really enjoyable in small doses only. This is flat out great rock and roll and his voice has mellowed to something resembling good by this point. A pleasant surprise – 4.0

Smiths – I know he’s a genius and all, but most of this just bores me. Maybe because it’s so well done, I miss the nuance and the ease with which he pens melodies, but it just never catches fire for me. I’ll give it a 2.5 because it doesn’t suck, I just don’t get it

3 Chord Rock - Not quite sure what three chord rock is compared to two-chord rock or four chord rock, I just know that anytime a reviewer call something three chord rock, I generally like it. And this stuff is no exception. As I type this, I’m thinking there wasn’t a Ramones Tune and the single I most associate with three chord rock (probably because none other than Greg Shaw called it the greatest two sided three chord rock single EVER) – Heart of the City b/w So it Goes by Nick Lowe – wasn’t represented, but that’s minor quibbling. This was a fun collection.

Topic - 80% of my listening is done in the car, which means I really don’t give everything a fair shake. First listen is important and I try to listen all the way through the first time, but let’s be honest, I can pick shite out from the get go. And sometimes I’m just not in the mood for what I’ve chosen. I think that happened with the Smiths this month. Anything I listen to twice will probably get at least a 2.5