Thursday, April 22, 2004
UTOPIA
Deface The Music
Bearsville, 1981
I picked up this record a way, way long time ago, not so long after it was first released, in the remainder bin of the record store at my local shopping mall. (How young and stupid I was back then). I didn't exactly have a lot of money for the latest new releases, but a trip to the 50 cent bin for a few LP's was always available to me. Of course, I had no idea what any of the music was on any of these records. I was stabbing in the dark, making selections based on song titles and cover art alone. (I still do this, but now I can pick out the name of a songwriter or even a publishing company on an old 45, and have a reasonable idea of what type of music is contained within the grooves, without ever hearing the record).
More often than not, I came up with crap, but I did manage to snag a few great records: The Rumor without Graham Parker (a great obscure UK pop/New Wave release), "Cross Talk" by The Pretty Things (good, but at that time I had no idea of their awesome history; the original LP's show this for the lazy effort it is), and this platter, the first Todd Rundgren release I ever purchased.
I had vague awareness of Todd's body of work as well, although as a new listener to FM rock radio, I'm sure I had heard at least his big hits. The thing that drew me to it was the (wait for it), cover art, which was a parody of Meet The Beatles. After getting home from the mall and slapping this sucker right on the turntable, I was gleefully aware that this was a Beatles rip-off/tribute in the manner of the Rutles album, which just happened to be the first music record that I, as a certified Monty Python fanatic, ever bought. This record concentrates on the early, rocking Beatles sound. Of course I later discovered that Todd had a great deal experience emulating this sound as a member of The Nazz in the late Sixties. But that doesn't make this any less worthy as a Beatles pastiche, or just good rock music with a toe-tapping beat. If you don't believe me, check out the keening "I Just Want To Touch You" and the rocking "Crystal Ball." They will take up permanent residence in your head, and you won't be able to charge rent. Also there's a take of Revolver-era experimentalism with "Everybody Else Is Wrong," an extended not-quite-psychedelic jam. So there you have it. I've seen this record in hundreds of used records bins for $1. Beatles fans should not hesitate to snag this one. It is available on CD as well, or at least it was. Rating: Full Retail
Deface The Music
Bearsville, 1981
I picked up this record a way, way long time ago, not so long after it was first released, in the remainder bin of the record store at my local shopping mall. (How young and stupid I was back then). I didn't exactly have a lot of money for the latest new releases, but a trip to the 50 cent bin for a few LP's was always available to me. Of course, I had no idea what any of the music was on any of these records. I was stabbing in the dark, making selections based on song titles and cover art alone. (I still do this, but now I can pick out the name of a songwriter or even a publishing company on an old 45, and have a reasonable idea of what type of music is contained within the grooves, without ever hearing the record).
More often than not, I came up with crap, but I did manage to snag a few great records: The Rumor without Graham Parker (a great obscure UK pop/New Wave release), "Cross Talk" by The Pretty Things (good, but at that time I had no idea of their awesome history; the original LP's show this for the lazy effort it is), and this platter, the first Todd Rundgren release I ever purchased.
I had vague awareness of Todd's body of work as well, although as a new listener to FM rock radio, I'm sure I had heard at least his big hits. The thing that drew me to it was the (wait for it), cover art, which was a parody of Meet The Beatles. After getting home from the mall and slapping this sucker right on the turntable, I was gleefully aware that this was a Beatles rip-off/tribute in the manner of the Rutles album, which just happened to be the first music record that I, as a certified Monty Python fanatic, ever bought. This record concentrates on the early, rocking Beatles sound. Of course I later discovered that Todd had a great deal experience emulating this sound as a member of The Nazz in the late Sixties. But that doesn't make this any less worthy as a Beatles pastiche, or just good rock music with a toe-tapping beat. If you don't believe me, check out the keening "I Just Want To Touch You" and the rocking "Crystal Ball." They will take up permanent residence in your head, and you won't be able to charge rent. Also there's a take of Revolver-era experimentalism with "Everybody Else Is Wrong," an extended not-quite-psychedelic jam. So there you have it. I've seen this record in hundreds of used records bins for $1. Beatles fans should not hesitate to snag this one. It is available on CD as well, or at least it was. Rating: Full Retail
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
THROBBING GRISTLE
Greatest Hits
Rough Trade USA, 1981
This record was my introduction to industrial music, and probably a better one couldn't have been orchestrated. It was my first day at college. Me and my roommate headed down to the local commercial block and bought a ton of beer (the legal drinking age at that time was only 18). Then we went back to another guy's depressing cinder-block dorm room. We sat around, reveling in the quiet discomfort shared by people who have just met that same day. We're pounding back lousy American beers one after the other.
Then my roommate decided to put this on the record player (CD's had just come out and nobody had one.) "It's really scary" was his recommendation. He was right. It scared the shit out of me. Within seconds I was crawling up the walls, attempting to claw my own eyes out and eat my own liver. COOL!!!! It was almost as scary as the photo of the "Butcher Cover" on the Beatles' "Rarities" LP, which I bought the day before John Lennon died. Whoah. I couldn't even look at that thing for about five years.
In another context, this music was certainly not that frightening, but still remained just as cool, and about as different as possible from the crap they were playing on the local Hair Metal radio station. Who can possibly compare this to The Scorpions? The intentions and artistic methods are about as far apart as the moons of Venus are from Cleveland. I later got a cassette made of this record and one of the most awesome experiences of my life was putting it on in the car REALLY LOUD while remaining in the car as it slowly crawled through the automatic car wash! CRAZY! It was akin to being in a metallic, throbbing, soap covered womb; the cloth wipers of the car wash coming down over the windsheild of the car; smothering you like some giant alien octopus as the music droned menacingly: WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW
WOWAWAWAWAWAW!!! HOLY CRAP!!! Cheaper than a hit of LSD, let me tell you. Plus, your car gets clean!
Years later I picked up a copy of the vinyl, and it was only after years of record collecting that I understood that the cover was a parody of Martin Denny's EXOTICA record. The clues were there all along: on the back cover it says "Dedicated to Martin Denny." Of course, when I first saw the record I didn't know Martin Denny from Joey Bishop. Live and learn.
At first, I thought the retro cover graphics were a cyncial, smart-ass statement of detached post-modern irony: after all, what, in the early 1980's, could have been more modern (or even post-modern) than harsh, atonal, unmelodic industrial music? But now I realize their intentions with this cover art. The larger context in which they were creating music stretched beyond the narrow confines of the sub-genre they had been shoehorned into by the music press: they saw themselves as having a kinship with Martin Denny as fellow creators of intense instrumental mood music. It didn't matter that one mood was designed for the alcohol-numbed overload of 1950's suburbia, and one for the teeth-grinding angst of Thatcher's Britian. There's a whole load of this type of writing on the back of the LP in the form of impenetrable liner notes, so me going on at length like this certainly is not helping to clarify matters. Just get it and drive on over to the car wash. Then you'll know. By God, you'll know. RATING: Life Changing.
Greatest Hits
Rough Trade USA, 1981
This record was my introduction to industrial music, and probably a better one couldn't have been orchestrated. It was my first day at college. Me and my roommate headed down to the local commercial block and bought a ton of beer (the legal drinking age at that time was only 18). Then we went back to another guy's depressing cinder-block dorm room. We sat around, reveling in the quiet discomfort shared by people who have just met that same day. We're pounding back lousy American beers one after the other.
Then my roommate decided to put this on the record player (CD's had just come out and nobody had one.) "It's really scary" was his recommendation. He was right. It scared the shit out of me. Within seconds I was crawling up the walls, attempting to claw my own eyes out and eat my own liver. COOL!!!! It was almost as scary as the photo of the "Butcher Cover" on the Beatles' "Rarities" LP, which I bought the day before John Lennon died. Whoah. I couldn't even look at that thing for about five years.
In another context, this music was certainly not that frightening, but still remained just as cool, and about as different as possible from the crap they were playing on the local Hair Metal radio station. Who can possibly compare this to The Scorpions? The intentions and artistic methods are about as far apart as the moons of Venus are from Cleveland. I later got a cassette made of this record and one of the most awesome experiences of my life was putting it on in the car REALLY LOUD while remaining in the car as it slowly crawled through the automatic car wash! CRAZY! It was akin to being in a metallic, throbbing, soap covered womb; the cloth wipers of the car wash coming down over the windsheild of the car; smothering you like some giant alien octopus as the music droned menacingly: WAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW
WOWAWAWAWAWAW!!! HOLY CRAP!!! Cheaper than a hit of LSD, let me tell you. Plus, your car gets clean!
Years later I picked up a copy of the vinyl, and it was only after years of record collecting that I understood that the cover was a parody of Martin Denny's EXOTICA record. The clues were there all along: on the back cover it says "Dedicated to Martin Denny." Of course, when I first saw the record I didn't know Martin Denny from Joey Bishop. Live and learn.
At first, I thought the retro cover graphics were a cyncial, smart-ass statement of detached post-modern irony: after all, what, in the early 1980's, could have been more modern (or even post-modern) than harsh, atonal, unmelodic industrial music? But now I realize their intentions with this cover art. The larger context in which they were creating music stretched beyond the narrow confines of the sub-genre they had been shoehorned into by the music press: they saw themselves as having a kinship with Martin Denny as fellow creators of intense instrumental mood music. It didn't matter that one mood was designed for the alcohol-numbed overload of 1950's suburbia, and one for the teeth-grinding angst of Thatcher's Britian. There's a whole load of this type of writing on the back of the LP in the form of impenetrable liner notes, so me going on at length like this certainly is not helping to clarify matters. Just get it and drive on over to the car wash. Then you'll know. By God, you'll know. RATING: Life Changing.
Monday, April 12, 2004
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Bubblegum Soul
Castle Music 2003 (UK)
What we have here are 21 cuts from the late Sixties/early Seventies. I have been an outspoken fan of a sub-genre that others have ignored with a dismissive wave of the hand: bubblegum rock. Now this is splitting the hair even further: soul music with a bubblegum feel. Or bubblegum music done by soul music artists. Or, whatever. Why bother with such labels? Well, that's what us human beings do. Categorize things down to the molecule.
Having gotten that gripe out of my way, I must recommend this release highly. Yes, the best aspects of soul and bubblegum can be and were combined successfully, as this compilation clearly shows. The most well-known cuts here are "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations, and "Give Me Just A Little More Time" by the Chairmen of the Board. Now in the USA, I think most people would classify them as soul songs and not even acknowledge their bubblegum music pedigree. But these clearly share the sing-songy qualities, silly lyrics and bright sunny attitude of bubblegum rock at its best. Other less well-known cuts here prove to be obscure gems. These include the absolutely majestic "Melting Pot" by Blue Mink, The Honey Cone's "Want Ads" (one of my faves), and the most bubblegummy cut of all, the hideously rare "Eeny Meeny" by The Showstoppers. A cover of this ditty by the Ohio Express would be more than appropriate. Highly entertaining stuff all. RATING: Full retail.
See the cover
Bubblegum Soul
Castle Music 2003 (UK)
What we have here are 21 cuts from the late Sixties/early Seventies. I have been an outspoken fan of a sub-genre that others have ignored with a dismissive wave of the hand: bubblegum rock. Now this is splitting the hair even further: soul music with a bubblegum feel. Or bubblegum music done by soul music artists. Or, whatever. Why bother with such labels? Well, that's what us human beings do. Categorize things down to the molecule.
Having gotten that gripe out of my way, I must recommend this release highly. Yes, the best aspects of soul and bubblegum can be and were combined successfully, as this compilation clearly shows. The most well-known cuts here are "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations, and "Give Me Just A Little More Time" by the Chairmen of the Board. Now in the USA, I think most people would classify them as soul songs and not even acknowledge their bubblegum music pedigree. But these clearly share the sing-songy qualities, silly lyrics and bright sunny attitude of bubblegum rock at its best. Other less well-known cuts here prove to be obscure gems. These include the absolutely majestic "Melting Pot" by Blue Mink, The Honey Cone's "Want Ads" (one of my faves), and the most bubblegummy cut of all, the hideously rare "Eeny Meeny" by The Showstoppers. A cover of this ditty by the Ohio Express would be more than appropriate. Highly entertaining stuff all. RATING: Full retail.
See the cover
Sunday, April 11, 2004
THE PERSUASIONS
The Persuasions Sing The Beatles
Chesky Records, 2002
Although by acclamation the most successful and popular rock group in history, The Beatles, like any group, had some sublime moments of genius, and also recorded some stone crap. Don't get me wrong, I say this as a Beatles fan. And in the same way, covers of Beatles material by other artists face the same challenges. First, there is the problem of song selection: choosing songs that, on their own, rise to a level of artistic acheivement, and those which are appropriate for the artist making the selection. "Hey Jude" is an amazing song, but should it be performed by, for example, Public Enemy? A great group in their own genre and in their own right, but not fitted to the task at hand.
Then there is the problem of the artist's performance, which has the same ability to rise and fall as with any other material, but choosing Lennon-McCartney songs (from their best work) raises the bar quite a bit. The Persuasions have surmounted these hurdles quite cleanly, and made it look like a walk in the park to boot.
The Persuasions are an a capella singing group from way back in the day, and in fact one of their early LP's (their first?) was released by Frank Zappa on his own record label ca. 1969. They've had a comeback of sorts in the past few years, with the help of Chesky Records. The group recorded a CD of Zappa songs, as well as one of songs originally by The Grateful Dead. I haven't heard those as of yet, but I can comment on this release, which is a welcome gift for Beatles fans.
One of the enduring qualities of the Beatles music, that has allowed to remain popular for so many decades, is its inherent flexibility. Since the Beatles drew from so many influences (R&B, rock and roll, country, Tin Pan Alley, English music hall, and the list goes on), it was appropriate for interpreters in a wide variety of styles. But for my money, the best interpreters of Beatles material have always been Americans of African heritage. On this CD, Paul McCartney's "Oh Darling" takes on an extra soulfulness. "Rocky Raccoon", which was previously covered by Lena Horne and Sara Vaughn, comes alive here. "Ob La Di, Ob La Da," with its caribbean origins, sounds much more appropriate.
The a capella format lends itself beautifully to this project. And the whole thing is impeccably recorded and mastered at 96/24 bitrate, which is a very high sampling rate. Just to make it clear: buy this on CD, and DO NOT listen to this on MP3; if you do, you'll be ripping the very heart out of the recording. Chesky is an "audiophile" recording label, so they have spared no expense to make this recording sound as deep and lush as a tropical forest. It would be best to listen to this on a high-end home stereo system, but if you don't have one of those, don't deprive yourself just because of that. RATING: Full Retail
The Persuasions Sing The Beatles
Chesky Records, 2002
Although by acclamation the most successful and popular rock group in history, The Beatles, like any group, had some sublime moments of genius, and also recorded some stone crap. Don't get me wrong, I say this as a Beatles fan. And in the same way, covers of Beatles material by other artists face the same challenges. First, there is the problem of song selection: choosing songs that, on their own, rise to a level of artistic acheivement, and those which are appropriate for the artist making the selection. "Hey Jude" is an amazing song, but should it be performed by, for example, Public Enemy? A great group in their own genre and in their own right, but not fitted to the task at hand.
Then there is the problem of the artist's performance, which has the same ability to rise and fall as with any other material, but choosing Lennon-McCartney songs (from their best work) raises the bar quite a bit. The Persuasions have surmounted these hurdles quite cleanly, and made it look like a walk in the park to boot.
The Persuasions are an a capella singing group from way back in the day, and in fact one of their early LP's (their first?) was released by Frank Zappa on his own record label ca. 1969. They've had a comeback of sorts in the past few years, with the help of Chesky Records. The group recorded a CD of Zappa songs, as well as one of songs originally by The Grateful Dead. I haven't heard those as of yet, but I can comment on this release, which is a welcome gift for Beatles fans.
One of the enduring qualities of the Beatles music, that has allowed to remain popular for so many decades, is its inherent flexibility. Since the Beatles drew from so many influences (R&B, rock and roll, country, Tin Pan Alley, English music hall, and the list goes on), it was appropriate for interpreters in a wide variety of styles. But for my money, the best interpreters of Beatles material have always been Americans of African heritage. On this CD, Paul McCartney's "Oh Darling" takes on an extra soulfulness. "Rocky Raccoon", which was previously covered by Lena Horne and Sara Vaughn, comes alive here. "Ob La Di, Ob La Da," with its caribbean origins, sounds much more appropriate.
The a capella format lends itself beautifully to this project. And the whole thing is impeccably recorded and mastered at 96/24 bitrate, which is a very high sampling rate. Just to make it clear: buy this on CD, and DO NOT listen to this on MP3; if you do, you'll be ripping the very heart out of the recording. Chesky is an "audiophile" recording label, so they have spared no expense to make this recording sound as deep and lush as a tropical forest. It would be best to listen to this on a high-end home stereo system, but if you don't have one of those, don't deprive yourself just because of that. RATING: Full Retail
Saturday, April 10, 2004
THE POLYPHONIC SPREE
The Beginning Stages of The Polyphonic Spree
Hollywood Records, 2003
After reading an article about this group, I had to check out their debut release, initially released independently and then picked up by Hollywood Records. This is not everyone's cup of syrup, I realize, but I think this is genius. I've listened to it all the way through multiple times.
If anyone doesn't know about it, it's best described in shorthand as Choral Symphonic Rock, but that really fails to capture the true majesty of both the concept and reality of The Polyphonic Spree. First of all, they play music that's somewhere between ELO, The Beach Boys and White Christian Gospel music. They take all the best elements of these and put them together in a delicate yet loud ensemble. And what an ensemble it is: I think they have about 20 people, including guitarists, bassists, drummers, and full-time players of viola, timpani drums, gong, piccolo, trumpet, flugelhorn, cello, bells, organ, keyboard and tambourine, as well as about 10 vocalists.
Then there's...the robes. They all wear white choir robes, giving the whole group the appearance of a group of maniacally grinning deranged cultists cavorting about the stage in ecstacy. Concertgoers must have the uneasy feeling that any minute the band members will assault them with requests for change and distribution of religious tracts. Unfortunately, the gimmick of the robes will clearly cause many people (unfairly) to dismiss these folks as a mere novelty act. I wish I would be wrong about that, because I would surely relish a long and productive recording and concert career for The Polyphonic Spree, with lots of interesting releases to collect. Here's hoping. RATING: Used Buy.
See The Cover
The Beginning Stages of The Polyphonic Spree
Hollywood Records, 2003
After reading an article about this group, I had to check out their debut release, initially released independently and then picked up by Hollywood Records. This is not everyone's cup of syrup, I realize, but I think this is genius. I've listened to it all the way through multiple times.
If anyone doesn't know about it, it's best described in shorthand as Choral Symphonic Rock, but that really fails to capture the true majesty of both the concept and reality of The Polyphonic Spree. First of all, they play music that's somewhere between ELO, The Beach Boys and White Christian Gospel music. They take all the best elements of these and put them together in a delicate yet loud ensemble. And what an ensemble it is: I think they have about 20 people, including guitarists, bassists, drummers, and full-time players of viola, timpani drums, gong, piccolo, trumpet, flugelhorn, cello, bells, organ, keyboard and tambourine, as well as about 10 vocalists.
Then there's...the robes. They all wear white choir robes, giving the whole group the appearance of a group of maniacally grinning deranged cultists cavorting about the stage in ecstacy. Concertgoers must have the uneasy feeling that any minute the band members will assault them with requests for change and distribution of religious tracts. Unfortunately, the gimmick of the robes will clearly cause many people (unfairly) to dismiss these folks as a mere novelty act. I wish I would be wrong about that, because I would surely relish a long and productive recording and concert career for The Polyphonic Spree, with lots of interesting releases to collect. Here's hoping. RATING: Used Buy.
See The Cover
Thursday, April 08, 2004
THE SQUIRRELS
Scrapin' For Hits
PopLust Audio, 1993
Let's start off with one that just happened to be sitting next to my computer. A "greatest hits" of sorts from pop-punk pranksters from Seattle. As a fan of comedic music, especially that which doesn't let the music end fall down, this has been a favorite that I keep returning to since I found it. I was first drawn to it by the cover, which is a parody of another famous record cover. Call me a sucker, but that instantly gets my attention. In this case, it's the "vegetarian butcher cover," a joke which a friend created himself years before this was released. This is a recreation of the Beatles "butcher cover" (probably the most famous and valuable oddity in the history of record collecting), but instead of the band members being draped with cuts of meat, they are covered in carrots, with parts of Cabbage Patch dolls adorning their bodies as well (just to carry the joke to an absurd level). As for the music, there are cuts here from 8 different releases covering a period of 13 years, with some straight-ahead yet punked-up covers of oldies ("Take A Letter Maria," "Hair" and the "Oz on 45" medley of songs from the Wizard Of Oz), plus combinations of songs like Johnny B. Goode with Johnny Comes Marching Home and Hawaii 5-0 with Dave Brubeck's Take Five. Also on board are their evisceration of "Seasons in the Sun" which appeared on one of the Pravada Records compilations of 70's hits, and a wild "Hillbilly" version of the Beatles' "Let It Be" which appeared on the "Exotic Beatles" compilation. Plenty of wacky fun. Get it. I need to see if they've released any more music since this release. (Yes, Pink Floyd tribute in 2000...) RATING: Used Buy.
See It
Scrapin' For Hits
PopLust Audio, 1993
Let's start off with one that just happened to be sitting next to my computer. A "greatest hits" of sorts from pop-punk pranksters from Seattle. As a fan of comedic music, especially that which doesn't let the music end fall down, this has been a favorite that I keep returning to since I found it. I was first drawn to it by the cover, which is a parody of another famous record cover. Call me a sucker, but that instantly gets my attention. In this case, it's the "vegetarian butcher cover," a joke which a friend created himself years before this was released. This is a recreation of the Beatles "butcher cover" (probably the most famous and valuable oddity in the history of record collecting), but instead of the band members being draped with cuts of meat, they are covered in carrots, with parts of Cabbage Patch dolls adorning their bodies as well (just to carry the joke to an absurd level). As for the music, there are cuts here from 8 different releases covering a period of 13 years, with some straight-ahead yet punked-up covers of oldies ("Take A Letter Maria," "Hair" and the "Oz on 45" medley of songs from the Wizard Of Oz), plus combinations of songs like Johnny B. Goode with Johnny Comes Marching Home and Hawaii 5-0 with Dave Brubeck's Take Five. Also on board are their evisceration of "Seasons in the Sun" which appeared on one of the Pravada Records compilations of 70's hits, and a wild "Hillbilly" version of the Beatles' "Let It Be" which appeared on the "Exotic Beatles" compilation. Plenty of wacky fun. Get it. I need to see if they've released any more music since this release. (Yes, Pink Floyd tribute in 2000...) RATING: Used Buy.
See It
