Rock Town Hall • Rock Music Discussion

Either/Or

Posted by k.

Oct 212010

No, not me.

Sometimes life gives you a clear choice between two alternatives. So, too, does rock and roll. There are many examples of rock lyrics in which the narrator is faced with clear-cut decision. Probably the best known (probably because he goes on and on about it) takes place between Meat Loaf (that’s Mr. Loaf to the New York Times) and Ellen Foley in the backseat of Meat’s car: “So what’s it gonna be, boy, yes or no?” We all know how that turns out.

Checking into this further it seems like it is more common for the narrator to just present the choices and leave it to the listener to determine the outcome. Here’s an interesting dilemma posed by Brandon Flowers:

“Are we human or are we dancer?”

I would have to go with human. Have you ever seen those chained up dancing bears in the Russian circus?

Or even the funky robots in the Beastie Boys videos?

Non-human dancers are just creepy. Stick with human and you can still dance if you feel motivated to do so.

So, what are some more examples of the either/or choice in rock. And what decision would you make given the facts as presented?

An Urgent Message From Mr. Moderator

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Oct 212010

Townspeople,

I don’t want to waste any casual visitor to this site’s time. For those of you who really care about this place and all that makes it tick, please click this link for an urgent message. Thank you.

All-Star Jam

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Oct 212010

Hell on Fields.

Rock ‘n Roll Holy Grail: The Flying Burrito Brothers Play Pinky Rock!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Oct 192010

Hey man, you can take your country rock and leave the best parts of The Flying Burrito Brothers to me! I love the band’s first album, The Gilded Palace of Sin, for its heavy bass, fuzz guitars, and reedy vocals. No offense, but I could give a damn about the whole “country” thing. My favorite country music usually sounds like rock ‘n roll anyhow.

As much as I love the band’s debut, it’s all a little hokey and dated, the way many “psychedelic” albums are bound to be. Better yet is the band’s 1970 follow-up album—and the last one with St. Graham Parsons—Burrito Deluxe. It’s actually way more country rock, with future Eagles member Bernie Leadon joining the band on lead guitar and vocals. As much as I hate Eagles (not The Eagles, as we recently learned), Burrito Deluxe explains why anybody else may have cared to make such music. (Thank god some of the pub rockers, like Brinsley Schwarz, actually had the spirit and playfulness to nail this approach!) Maybe some fans like the more traditionally country songs, but for me the album centers around a few pinky-rock classics: “Lazy Days,” a breakneck cover of Dylan’s “If You Gotta Go, Go Now,” and the song with this super-hokey video that I just found, “Older Days.” (The album also featurs a nice version of “Wild Horses,” but I’m afraid to tell you that for fear that your mind will run to a series of glorified Stones cliches.)

There are few musical styles that more readily hit my soul than chooglin’ pinky rock. When done by The Flying Burrito Brothers on Burrito Deluxe I get the perfect mix of the best parts of the intersection of The Grateful Dead’s occasional pinky-rock workouts and The Velvet Underground‘s Loaded. And that Bernie Leadon was something else! I remember seeing an old Eagles performance of one of the few songs by them that doesn’t make me throw up, and Leadon was on fire. How’d that guy get lost in the rock ‘n roll shuffle?

I’ve long sought videos of the band from this period with no luck. Tonight, after a pretty trying day that, unfortunately, looks to be headed for an equally trying tomorrow, I hit paydirt! Here’s an actual live clip of “Lazy Days,” from the time shortly after Parsons left the band.

Concert Reports: Tell Me What I Missed

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Oct 182010

Clean living!

Have you seen anyone in concert lately? Tell me about it.

Over the weekend I had to give up my tickets to see Nick Lowe, a show I’d been looking forward to seeing for months, so that I could, uh…maybe you don’t want to know what came between me and seeing Lowe. Allow me to live vicariously and add to my recent regrets. Thanks.

Last Man Standing: Custom-Shaped Guitars and the Pro Guitarists Who Play Them

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Oct 182010

Rundgren plays his symbolic guitar.

A recent discussion of Prock futurist Todd Rundgren got me thinking about well-known guitarists who play custom-shaped guitars. I’m not talking about guitars like B.C. Rich models that are a variation on a well-known guitar model, like a Flying V, but custom guitars made in a shape that especially suits the player’s identity. Also, the player needs to be an established pro guitarist, not some wacky dude who designed his own penis-shaped axe.

All entries must be accompanied by a link to an image of the player with his guitar. (Yes, bass guitars also count.)

Rundgren’s guitar, pictured above, is off the board. Play on!

Please Explain: Utopia

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Oct 182010

Granted, there’s much that needs to be explained regarding Todd Rundgren, but can anyone explain Utopia? I’ve heard the occasional good song by that band (eg, “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now”), songs no different from and as enjoyable as the best Rundgren songs, but was the futuristic thing necessary?

This gets to a larger question: Excluding David Bowie‘s forays into space, which actually use space scenarios as a metaphor for the songs, has the futuristic thing ever been necessary or relevant? I’m not a sci-fi guy, so help me out. Has a rock band ever moved society forward by the powers of its space-rock-continuum concept album and/or offshoot band? Jefferson Starship was launched as one of these brilliant ideas, right? I feel like I’m missing some others. Although a totally different style of music, didn’t Sun Ra play the space card? Is it that much fun to wear sci-fi uniforms and play space-age instruments?

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