Rock Town Hall • Rock Music Discussion

Ear Candy

Posted by Slim Jade

Aug 202012

I had a where have you lot been hiding moment the first time I heard Comet Gain. I came late to the party, and I was astonished to discover a large back catalogue that touched on so many things: Britpop, The Go-Betweens, ? and The Mysterions, Godard and ’60s British kitchen sink dramas, Mods, Orange Juice, Felt, Bikini Kill, Smash Hits, Northern Soul, the photography of Roger Mayne, hell, even the photo I use at the top of this column, came together and found a place to roost.

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/14-Beatnik.mp3|titles=Beatnik] [audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/07-Ripped-Up-Suit.mp3|titles=Ripped-Up Suit]

It’s a literate, spirited, and reverent indie pop that these Londoners make. They tap into something where they sound, and the listener feels, unabashed about being a music geek, and the redemptive and exhilarating power of rock, style, and being smart.

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/16-The-Ballad-of-a-Mix-Tape.mp3|titles=The Ballad of a Mix Tape] [audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/11-Some-of-Us-Dont-Want-to-Be-Saved.mp3|titles=Some of Us Don’t Want to Be Saved]

What really comes through for me is the sense that this scrappy cult phenomenon are really psyched to be making records. They’re an indie-pop confection, and the more you eat, the more you want, which is something everyone should love in their favorite bands.

[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/01-The-Kids-at-the-Club.mp3|titles=The Kids at the Club] [audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/19-Germ-Of-Youth-Part-II.mp3|titles=Germ of Youth Part II]

Check ’em:

Pussy Riot: Someone Should Have Dialed 999

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 172012

Pussy Riot

RTH knows best is yet to come. Stay strong #PussyRiot! (Official tweet from Rock Town Hall)

Perhaps the most alarming aspect of the recent Pussy Riot prison sentence that’s rocked Russia is how inept security was at shutting down the lip-synched performance. The London Police Service would have “pulled the plug” on the band in a sober, orderly fashion. Someone should have dialed 999.

On the bright side, artists and celebrities in the West have been provided a golden opportunity to grab some press by tweeting deeply meaningful shows of support. Even DJ Qualls risked backlash from his huge Russian Orthodox following by throwing his weight behind the band.

Previously…

The Most Satisfying Byrds Performance I’ve Ever Seen!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 172012

You know how a certain admittedly somewhat talented artist can grate on your nerves for reasons too deep to get into even here in the Halls of Rock, the safest haven for rock ‘n roll hang-ups on the Web? Think about the anguish that the perceived arrogance of XTC’s Andy Partridge causes our friend E. Pluribus Gergely. Clearly it’s personal. We’re not sure we ever want to get to the bottom of it.

The artist who brings out the worst in me for reasons I’m not ready to face is The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn. For that reason I find the following video the most satisfying Byrds performance I’ve ever seen. Egg on face. Enjoy…after the jump!

Rock Tangos

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 172012

The ever-expanding popularity of the tango.

I’ve been way behind on a number of fronts this past week. Blame it on that thing called WORK. With a free minute available, here’s an interesting thread sent in by a Townsperson who shall remain anonymous, unless he or she would like to step forth and claim all the credit that is due. To others whose needs I am behind in serving, please hold tight. I do plan on getting up to date with you. Thanks. Take it away, Townsperson Who Shall Remain Nameless Unless Desired Otherwise!

I’ve developed a fascination lately with a trio of songs that draw on the tango. I’m thinking there must be any number of examples of this, but I wouldn’t know how to begin to look for them. Any ideas?

Here are 3 examples:

1. Firewater, “Bourbon and Division”

Who’s Left

Posted by trigmogigmo

Aug 162012

An unused photo from the Who's Next album cover shoot

Who's pissed?

In a recent post about the closing ceremonies concert of the 2012 London Olympics, I mentioned the segment performed by “The Who,” whose name I put in quotes because I am not sure this is really The Who any more with half the band now deceased. Townsman mockcarr called them Who Are They? and 2000 Man referred to them now as The Two.

If they make another album it could be titled Who’s Left.

When a rock band member departs for whatever reason, whether the departure is fatal to the group continuing in any useful form depends on many factors. One may no longer find much interest in the current Who, but surely with Townshend and Daltrey still onboard as principal and front man, the two most important ingredients remain. Surely, had either of them had passed away rather than Moon and Entwistle, the band most definitely could not have continued.

What about the Stones? We still have Mick and Keith and Charlie and Ronnie. Is Charlie “expendable” in this context? I think Ronnie is. I take no joy in considering this.

This subject also reminds me that Shatner and Nimoy are the last of the four main original Star Trek actors left. There’s still a feasible Superbowl MMXVI-1701 Halftime Show to be had there. Rocket Man!

Scene from 2001 with primitive humanoids pawing at monolith.

Who Came First

What other bands are in need of a home care rock nurse or actuarial study? Is there a formula for declaring it over? I think the Who example is a good basis: the main songwriter and the front person are required and probably sufficient to continue. If they are one and the same, everyone else might be expendable if their roles are not too prominent. Of course, the non-casual fans know it all and have their own calculus for a particular situation.

Never Not Cool: The Zombies

Posted by cliff sovinsanity

Aug 152012

My recent experience at a ’60s flashback tour documented HERE got me thinking a lot about how few bands on the oldies circuit have managed to retain any sense of cool, integrity, or credibility. I then happened to catch an interview with Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone of The Zombies on an NPR podcast where they performed a “Tiny Desk Concert.”

I was immediately floored not only by the quality of their voices but also that they’ve continued to stand apart from other ’60s bands since their heyday. It is still a rare feat to have such wide appeal not only from the mass radio audiences but with critics and music snobs as well. Most likely they were able to escape any embarrassment or permanent damage to their history by dissolving the band at the height of their success. Further, it appears Blunstone’s and Argent’s post-Zombies output doesn’t overshadow or impact their previous work negatively. The same cannot be said for their contemporaries, whose quality of albums in the later years suffered and only manage to replicate any successes by showing up in casinos or touring the sheds every summer.

Is there a band from the ’60s still active and touring that rivals the coolness of The Zombies?

An Open, Private Letter to My Friend E. Pluribus Gergely Regarding That Dylan Movie, I’m Not There

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 152012

I'm Not You.

My friend,

How’s it going? I know we spoke on the phone last night and I know we discussed plans to get together and hash out some serious stuff, but I miss the private, personal communications we used to have here, in public. I’ve got something I’d like to discuss. Man to man.

I just tried watching a half hour of a movie I’ve put off watching for the last couple of years, a movie I’ve repeatedly been tempted to watch, I’m Not Here, the Dylan movie by Todd Haynes, who’s directed a couple of films I like a lot, especially Safe, that one with Julianne Moore, before she broke through by dropping trou in that Robert Altman flick. Have you seen it? (The Dylan movie, that is.)

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