Clinging Frappe

Purling Hiss – Hell and yes.  Loved this one from the opening notes of “Lolita” all the way through.  If there is such a thing as a grungier Black Keys, these guys would be it. Title track squeal fest is a doozie with the headphones on.  Glad KB didn’t wait until late December to get me this one so I can pencil it in the top 10 ahead of time.  4.5 stars

Wyldlife – Nothing fancy about this one.  Heard “Saturday Night” on Little Steven’s show and submitted without hearing the rest of it.  Nothing else touches that song, but this is pretty consistent throughout.  Good no-brainer summer disc.  3.5 stars

Gary Moore – Didn’t do much for me.  Very dated, has that awful 80’s production sheen, and the guitar work is all about number of notes instead of quality.  Almost completely non-descript.  2 stars

Megadeath - Surprisingly, I didn't care for it.  Making it through 3 1/2 songs took every bit of open-mindedness I possess, and lo I am weary from the effort. 1 star 

Discussion Topic

The USPS smashed the shit out of Mike's discs, so I didn't get to listen.  As an ex-bassist myself, I was looking forward to hearing them.  Fortunately, with Mike’s copious notes, I can see a few that were left out:

1)      Bill Wyman – Like his partner in crime Charlie Watts, a very understated and tasteful player who gets overlooked because of a lack of flash.  “Miss You” is about a funky a bassline as you’ll hear, and of course, he handled the straight up rockers with equal dexterity.

2)      Graham Maby – “Is She Really Going Out with Him?”, “I’m the Man”, “Stepping Out”, “Sunday Papers”, etc...  Every memorable Joe Jackson song is fueled by Maby.  Like Entwistle, he treats the bass like a lead guitar and just carries the melodies. Sorely underappreciated.

3)      Duck Dunn – On just about every great Stax single ever made.

Just In Time...Another Bastard Checks In.

Rodriguez – Cold Fact

I got very interested in finding this CD and his other one from a year later after seeing a documentary about him about a year ago. For me, he’s kind of a “Mexican Dylan”…I like everything on this CD, but it’s especially listenable when he settles into that acoustic guitar/folk singer groove. Greg, are you personally projecting with this pick? There are a bunch of songs where he’s pissed off at women…4.

The The – Infected

This has every element of mid ‘80’s music I hate all rolled up into one CD…big echoed snare drums, totally forgettable songs, synth-laden tracks, horrible vocals…and a name too cute by a half. I’m glad I missed this the first time around. 1 ½…even though the ½ is for the devil on the cover…it would have been worth a full point if they would have left him masturbating as originally drawn.

The Boys – To Hell With the Boys

This band was way bigger in England than here, but I remember hearing about them in ’76 or so…I think they had two albums before this one. I like the power pop/punk crossover in this, did I hear a guitar riff that was the melody of “Pleasant Valley Sunday” in the first track here? Anyway, Independent Girl sums up the reasons I like their sound, though the album could have been more solid start to finish. 3

Ana Popovic – Can You Stand the Heat

This CD confuses me…first, she can really play the blues…she’s “Jeff Beck” good…but, to paraphrase Sen. Lloyd Bentson, “I listen to Bonnie Raitt…Bonnie Raitt is a favorite of mine, and she’s no Bonnie Raitt. There’s just something too slick about this…not enough soul, even amid the virtuoso guitar work. This is really evident in the non-blues tracks like the cover of “Every Kind Of People”…Anyway, points for being a hot looking Serbian woman…if this were some guy (like Joe Bonnamasa), I’d probably give it a 2, but since it’s her…2 ½.

Greatest Hits – Marshall Tucker Band

This band for me is like an actor that you know for one role…every time you see him (or her), you think of them in that one role. Every time I hear this band, I immediately sing to myself, “Heard it in a love song…heard it in a love song…” Maybe it’s the flute…but anyway, that’s their greatest hit…and it’s not here. So through the first 6 songs, I listened and sang “Heard it in a love song” to myself. Then, a blues/boogie sound that I never identified with them before with some pretty cool country rock, good fiddle and guitar solos, so by the time “Can’t you see” replaced the other earworm, I was ready for more blues, and I got it in the last track, the BB King cover, so thanks, Jay.

Hey- a review from one of the bastards.

Ana Popovic:  3.0

While she is real easy to look at (so is Grace Potter), I just can't get into her music. I liken this kind of Blues/Jazz/Pop to Music Row country. In that, I mean it is over produced and polished to fit the mainstream tastes of the masses. I like my blues to be more rootsy, more organic. While this is a nice cd- I just felt like the requisite guitar licks are in all the right places and very predictable. No question that she has a good enough voice and is a proficient guitarist- but where is the soul, the passion? Of course there are exceptions to everything- Can't You See What You're Doing To Me, and the bonus track Growin' Up Too Soon are definitely standouts. Give me more of that. 

The Boys: 4.5

Well, if this isn't right up my alley. Love this cd! All Music lists these guys as punk/new wave. I don't know about that one. These guys are giving my ultimate Power Pop hero's - FOW- a run for their money. This cd definitely was on my turntable the most this month. What a great wall of sound. Excellent songwriting. Huge guitars. Tons of catchy hooks. Nice vocals. Every song is a killer.

The The: 4.0

I am definitely not a huge fan of 80's dance/pop. But this cd has enough stuff going on to keep me interested . First and foremost- the lyrics. I'm an old hippie and just eat this stuff up. Just read this verse from the song Heartland- and it's even more chilling when you listen to his vocals: This is the place, where pensioners are raped/ And the hearts are being cut from the welfare state/ Let the poor drink the milk while the rich eat the honey/ Let the bums count their blessings while the wealthy count the money. This is a guy with a lot to say. It's not light fare for sure and you really have to listen to the music to get the full appreciation of the statement  Matt Johnson is making.

Sixto Rodriguez: 2.0

I just couldn't get into this.  Maybe it's because of the genius of Infected. Where the acerbity of  Matt Johnson comes across as vital and edgy, witty and cynical, confrontational and literate;  Sixto is whiney and  tedious,  watered-down and boring. He's just another depressed folkie brooding over the lot of his life. Arthur Lee he's not.

GHits

I had no idea that The Marshall Tucker Band only had 3 albums. All kidding aside. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting these "classics". Took me right back to the early 70's. What a prolific period of time. So many artists that I feel did their best stuff during those years.  Stevie Wonder with Music of My Mind; Talking Book; Innervisions. Rod Stewart with Gasoline Alley; Every Picture Tells a Story;  Never a Dull Moment. Sir Paul with McCartney; Ram; Band On The Run.  Big Star with #1 Record; and Radio City. The Stones with Let It Bleed; Sticky Fingers; Exile on Main Street.  jethro Tull with Benefit; Aqualung; Thick As a Brick.  The Who with Tommy; Who's Next; and Quadrophenia. The Allmans with Idlewild South; Eat a Peach; and Brother's and Sister's. God- the list is endless. Oh yeah- and these 3 records from Marshall Tucker.