Open thread. Shred it up. Why not offer your 2 cents on the new Stooges album? Who cares if you haven’t heard it yet!
Mar 062007
Mar 052007
What ho, fellow RTHers! I fear I spent far too many paragraphs in my introductory Thrifty Music post jawboning about the whys and wherefores of this music I love so much, so, with your kind permission, I shall simply dive in to the first collection I offer up with trembling hand, sweaty brow and palpitating heart. I trust that you, too, will find much to enjoy here. And remember: it only cost me a buck-twenny-five, so if you don’t like it, I don’t care!
Anyhow, here goes:
First up, a surprisingly funky groove by the band that backed up John Lennon during his frankly awful Sometime in New York City period, Elephant’s Memory. The tune is called “Mongoose”, and some know-it-all on the InterWeb informs me that it actually climbed to #50 on the pop charts — when, I couldn’t say, and don’t care. There is so much to love in this song: that silly lyric, the serious foot-stomp funk, and — come on, how can a song about a freaking mongoose fighting a cobra not kick ass?! I’d also like to ask the following two questions: am I the only person who hears how blatantly Naughty By Nature ripped off this song’s groove for their “OPP” smash in the ’90s? Question two: How badly must John Lennon have sucked to make this band sound like shit in the early 70s? I ask you!
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Mar 052007
Over the years, as I’ve compared live recordings by The Rolling Stones to their classic studio recordings, I’ve suspected that the claim that Charlie Watts drummed on those studio albums is a hoax. It’s a damn, dirty lie! The guy sucks so bad live that the Stones must have been using studio drummers from their earliest days.
Let’s start with a look at one of the most distinctive beats in the history of rock. Which among the dozen archetypal rock beats attributed to Charlie Watts, you ask? How about the opening beat to “Honky Tonk Woman”.
Sure, there’s no denying that Charlie Watts is the drummer on this “live” performance of a Stones’ classic:
Judging by the fact that Jagger actually sings with his great tight-throated tone rather than his characteristic live bellow, the fact that the drumming sounds decent, and the fact that Watts doesn’t come close to faking the song’s wrap up, this is obviously one of those studio recordings with newly recorded vocals. In other words, Charlie Watts is drum-synching to the song like the rest of his bandmates. The jury’s out as to who’s actually drumming. I suspect some union guy associated with the BBC.
Now take a look at this performance of the same song, paying particular attention, if you can block out all the other poor performances, to the drums:
OK, that may not be fair. How about this one?
“Now you’re really messing with us, Mr. Mod! Everyone knows that’s not Charlie Watts and the Stones. It’s the legendary New Barbarians! What the hell are you up to?”
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Mar 052007
Townswoman Crystal checks in with her views on the latest in Rock Docs.
Shut Up and Sing, which chronicles the Dixie Chicks’ meteoric fall and resurrection, is well worth a watch if you missed it last year. Surprisingly even handed (except for a few scenes), Natalie Maines’ statement about being embarrassed that the President is from Texas sparked, as most of you know, a firestorm from the country establishment that was nearly unprecedented. It’s also an interesting peak into what happens to a band, in particular an all female band that were at the peak at their success, having to battle their way back because of a one-off semi-political statement. You have to at least watch for the scenes of Rick Rubin who has transformed himself into a crazy Buddha-looking producer. In the end though, even with the president’s dropping ratings and the recent Chicks’ CMA nominations, has the country really changed?
VH1 Rock Docs presents Bling’d – Blood Diamonds & Hip Hop is a fascinating look at the impact of diamonds in hip-hop and what is happening in the countries (in this case Sierra Leone) that produce them. Rappers Raekwon (Wu Tang Clan), Tego Calderon, and Paul Wall (the guy who brought us all those hideous grills) all travel to see what the diamond industry is really like. I don’t know if all for show but the plight of those living in Sierra Leone (albeit a small part) is highlighted in a realistic and sometimes unbearable light. I’ll be interested to see if the Hip-Hop community takes their lead or if it’s “We are the World” all over again. You know, there are a couple of benefit shows, a couple of checks drafted, and then nothing happens. I don’t know if it’s still playing but it’s listed on the VH1 site.
Mar 052007
What do you believe you would write if you wrote a paperback?
Mar 052007
In yet another move that will incite cries of “Sell out!” from mothers’ basements across the outposts of Rock Town Hall, we have partnered with the Almighty iTunes Empire to provide opportunities for you to sample and download new music for your iPod as well as contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of Rock Town Hall’s humble IT department.
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Mar 042007
Rodney Anonymous checks in with his views on the union of humor and music.
Being both a victim (although I prefer to use the term “survivor”) and perpetrator of humor in music, has granted me the insight to develop a two-fold theory about the why certain people feel the need to combine music with comedy. For the sake of the following discussion, these theories shall be referred to below as The Weird Al Yankovic Theory and The Frank Zappa Theory, or, if you like, “Theory Y” and “Theory Z” (Please not that both of these theories pertain to INTENTIONALLY humorous acts as opposed to performers like Sarah McLachlan who, although her lyrics never fail to make me laugh, is not actually trying to be funny.
Here is what the two theories hold in common: Just as cartooning has been described as a compromise between the desire to draw well and the inability to do so (or, possibly, the desire to draw dicks on a men’s room wall), it’s entirely possible that “Humorous” music represents a middle ground between wanting to play and or sing well and the complete failure of most of the population (myself included) to be able to do so.
Theory Y: The Weird Al Yankovic Theory
It’s entirely possible that the majority of “Comedy-Rock” artists are
complete and utter morons.
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