Mr. Moderator

Mr. Moderator

When not blogging Mr. Moderator enjoys baseball, cooking, and falconry.

Happenings in the Halls of Rock

 Posted by
May 312007
 


Thought I’d pass along a few happenings in the extended Halls of Rock.

Our friends The Anderson Council have a song featured in the upcoming film I’m Reed Fish.

MrClean reports that old friend and musical collaborator, Mike Ace, has posted 28 web albums for download, including 9 on which MrClean plays.

The Great 48 chimes in late on the stirring “Walkin’ the Dog” debate from a few weeks back.

Oats reviews RTH touchstone Elvis Costello‘s latest show in Philadelphia. It’s a story we’ve heard before – in many cases with our own ears!

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An English Rocker in L.A.

 Posted by
May 292007
 


Townsman Shawnkilroy brought forth the following topic he’d like to see hashed out in the Halls of Rock:

How about a discussion of the effects of L.A. on English people. Like The Moody Blues, LED ZEP, Billy Idol, etc. I’m sure there are more good examples, but you notice how awful it makes them. Like Golum’s precious, it gives ’em something, but it kinda takes something away too!

I’m game! To add to that list, there’s Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, although perhaps all those “nothing from nothing”-type quotes in rock might apply there. Graham Nash* is worth studying as well. And not exactly rock, but hasn’t Eric Idle settled into an LA groove over the years? There’s something about aging British rockers with sagging skin, awkward tans, and bleach blond hair that stick in my mind. Add a blond mustache for added West Coast vibes.

*A couple of notes about this video: 1) Townsman Chickenfrank, dig the “H” note Nash sings with 34 seconds left. 2) Townsman Epluribus, with 28 seconds left, there’s a key moment that I hope you will appreciate and recognize for what it is.

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Arbor Day: Rock Family Trees

 Posted by
May 292007
 

Thanks to Townsman MrClean for passing along this idea!

I have a friend who has long been a devotee of Pete Frame’s Rock Family Trees. I’m sure you have a similar friend – or maybe you are that friend yourself! Great is the stuff of Frame’s collection of hand-drawn rock family trees. The genealogy of so many bands any aspiring rock nerd should know is detailed. So many opportunities for storing up knowledge that will not get you laid! And wouldn’t those of you who know what I’m talking about agree that the hand-drawn aspect is a key to the appeal for Frame’s work?

MrClean passed along a link to a site that picks up on this pursuit. Check it out! I need to contact my old friend who was obsessed with developing a Family Tree of Philly scene bands. He’s had a draft in the works for the 20 years I’ve known him, perfectly aping Frame’s own handwriting! He needs to see this site. You need to see this site. Then, I suspect, we’ll want to join hands and report on our experiences. Adjust your Pince Nez and nerd out, Townspeople!

Click here for interview with Pete Frame himself!

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Dugout Chatter

 Posted by
May 262007
 

If you don’t know the drill by now, watch the others and follow their lead!

What explains the flaccid PiL single “Rise” and John Lydon’s/Johnny Rotten’s similarly flaccid subsequent career?
a) Bill Laswell
b) Getting his wish of only wanting to be loved
c) Janet Lee’s departure from the PiL organization
d) The artistic dead end of The Flowers of Romance

Is it time Chrissie Hynde tries a new haircut?

Is there a less flattering live document on film than Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same?

Has the triangle been used to more rockin’ effect in any song than on Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion”?

After hearing the triangle in “Sweet Emotion” for the first time today and a “plucked” synth string way in the background of Eno’s “By This River” last night, I got to thinking: What’s the last song you thought you knew inside and out over the years until something new suddenly jumped to the fore?

I look forward to your responses.

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Deal Breaker: Bob Stinson

 Posted by
May 252007
 

Among the dozen Replacements songs that I enjoy hearing (probably 8 of which follow the same heroic-yet-self-deprecating template) is “Can’t Hardly Wait”, from one of two of their albums that I like the most, Pleased to Meet Me (wanna take a stab at what the other one is?). It’s got that Booker T & the MGs riff, which I’m always a sucker for, and I like the melody and sentiments of the lyrics. Goes down easy.

A couple of days ago I heard an alternate version that I never knew existed. Bob Stinson played on it, driving the song with his customary music store test-run bravado. Just like that a different version of the same song that I’d liked by The Replacements moved to the Crap bin. And I was reminded that Bob Stinson was the deal breaker for me regarding The Replacements. There were enough other beefs I had with them that they wouldn’t have made it beyond third-rate status with me, but I might have enjoyed them more had they made more records without Stinson – and without that Slim Dunlap guy as well. I don’t think Westerberg was very creative or effective in the “giving direction” department. On either side of Pleased to Meet Me, he let his guitar store clerk guitarists just do their thing, and their thing belonged in the guitar aisle.

So this is a roundabout way of asking whether you’ve ever identified a deal breaker among a band that you otherwise might have liked well enough.

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