Am I alone in being dazzled by this guy’s choice in shirt?
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Nov 182007
Mr. Moderator
Nov 162007
I’ve got a quick question that’s been nagging me. Perhaps someone has stats on this or at least their own impressions to share. Has the length of new albums released on CD gotten back to the standard vinyl-era lengths of 40 to 45 minutes and 12 to 14 tracks?
Remember when CDs were constantly running over 60 minutes, with at least 5 tracks you knew you would never listen to if you were anywhere near your CD player? Remember when some of us snobs would reply to charges of “poor taste” demonstrated by these epic CDs with a [sniff, adjusts Pince Nez], “You know, the only reason the vinyl albums you old farts treasure so at their typical length of 40 minutes is because of technological limitations.” Am I the only person who’s wondering whether artists are accepting the fact that albums usually work best within the 12-song/40-minute scope of vinyl-era releases for reasons other than technology?
Nov 152007
I got to see the Joe Strummer movie, The Future Is Unwritten, with Townsman Chickenfrank the other night. It’s funny, as I was getting ready to go, with Hrrundi’s latest anti-hippie rant (only the first in a series that I’m sure he thinks will finally convince us of his point of view on this matter) fresh in mind, I was wondering if I could somehow tie my thoughts on the life and works of Strummer into refuting my good friend’s latest cry for help. And as it happened, this Julian Temple memorial service of a biography played right into my hand!
What the film lacked in Clash nerdboy musical analysis (eg, no complete song performances, no scenes with engineer Bill Price pulling up tracks from the master tapes, no in-depth discussions of how a cool track on, say, Sandinista was built from the ground up), it made up for in love. Bucketfulls of love! Using tape recordings of Strummer telling his own tale and a vast array of unseen (at least by my eyes) footage, including childhood home movies; a very early Clash rehearsal; and a holy grail for me, actual footage of The 101ers (!!!), Temple structures the film around campfire reminiscences by friends, former bandmates, lovers, and the like.
In what first seemed like an unnecessary act of Insider Cool but what I would come to see as a warm, egalitarian touch, Temple does not flash any names under the speakers, so when you’re not seeing the obvious characters, like Steve or Mick Jones, you have to figure out for yourself if you’re seeing an old love, a bandmate from The 101ers, John Cooper Clarke, or Zander “Snake” Schloss. I think one of the points of the film was that Strummer had built a broad community in his years and any one of us might have felt a part of it. No one’s flashing subtitles under your face or my face, so why should the folks on the screen have their identities highlighted? For the most part, it kept the focus on what each person had to say about Joe. There were exceptions, of course (Johnny Depp in his Captain Jack get-up), but even Bono worked hard at being one of the admirers.
One of the highlights for me was seeing Topper Headon looking so healthy and well-adjusted. Compared with footage of him from his final days in The Clash along with my memories of him looking at death’s door a few years ago in that Don Letts film on the band, Topper is looking like he’s turned a corner, sitting on the beach in his pink v-neck sweater. Drummers that great need to stay free.
But onto the hippie/punk stuff…
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Nov 142007
Townsman 2000 Man reports a verification of his Rock Nerd Credentials. How do YOU size up?
I’ve long held the public view that I am truly only an expert in one area, that being What I Like. I’ve also held the widely shared view that Rolling Stone Magazine doesn’t know their ass from a hole in the ground, and they know even less about rock music, or at least what’s good. But now, I’m thinking maybe I should change my mind.
Because I’ve taken their Almost Impossible Quiz.
And I’ve come out on top, baby!
I even managed to get questions about Prince and Led Zeppelin right.
I scored a 43. I am an Expert and I “know my Bowie from my Bambaata.” So from here on out, when I chime in, you’ll know you’re getting a bonafide Rolling Stone Magazine Expert Opinion.
Nov 142007
Townswoman Citizen Mom sends us the following review of the new Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers collection, Running Down a Dream.
The booklet included in the four-disc DVD set of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream, calls them “America’s truest rock band,” and after some consideration and more than seven hours of watching and listening last weekend, I am not inclined to disagree.
Though it’s worth noting that, whether ironically or accidentally on purpose, the very best moment in the whole package comes near the very end of Peter Bogdanovich‘s superb documentary, as the band winds down a one-off, one-take version of Hank Williams’ “Lost Highway”.
“Isn’t that a great fuckin’ song? It’s just a great fuckin’ song!” Petty exclaims, giddy like he’s just hearing it for the first time. If you plow through the entire four-hour movie, plus the two-hour 30th anniversary concert DVD, plus the hour-or-so long bonus soundtrack cd, you’re pretty much guaranteed a handful of those moments. Go back and listen to “Here Comes My Girl” or “The Waiting”, and thank the Rock Gods for rhythm guitar and men who fall in love.
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Nov 132007
A great deal of fanfare accompanied the brief life of The Libertines. You remember them, right? They were the Greatest Band of the Week a few years back. Right about that time, their leader, that Pete Doherty guy, became better known for poking his arm with needles and poking a fellow junkie supermodel. Great stuff! Probably the greatest band since The Clash, wouldn’t you agree?
Now The Libertines’ legacy is represented by an honest-to-goodness Best of… collection, entitled Time for Heroes: The Best of The Libertines. It’s due for release on December 4, but eMusic subscribers can download an advance copy now. (Remember, if you haven’t tried eMusic yet, you can sample it through the link on the right column of RTH!) The collection culls 13 tracks from their two releases. Talk about some tough decisions…and who even knew they put out a second album?!?! In case you were on vacation during their week in the spotlight, here’s a sampling of what you missed.
The Libertines, “Time for Heroes”
The Libertines, “Don’t Look Back Into the Sun”
The Libertines, “I Get Along”
Whaddaya think? Each song better than the previous one, eh? Each song at least as good as anything The Clash ever did! Don’t miss this band, kids. Get this album before Doherty’s newer band, Babyshambles, does anything that might make you sit up and take notice!
Next: Friend of RTH Richard Lloyd has delivered the greatest album since Electric Ladyland! Continue reading »
Nov 122007
Manfred Mann led bands in two eras and experienced the thrill of a big hit song in each era. His early big hit was this one.
I hear you rustling through your dog-eared copies of the Billboard Top 40 book, nerdboys: a few smaller ’60s hits, including his cover of Bob Dylan’s “The Mighty Quinn”, should also be considered from this era. I’m not calling the guy a 1-hit wonder through the ’60s.
Then the ’60s ended, and Manfred Mann fell out of most rock music circles until he came back with his Earth Band and this cover of an album cut by a “new Dylan”:
Has any other artist had two hits from two different eras that had so little in common?
