Rock Town Hall • Rock Music Discussion

The End of the Line, or Last Night a Bootleg Saved My Sanity

Aug 072009

This thread won’t apply to everybody. For younger record nerds who have come of age in an era when downloads of just about any obscure album can be found for free on the web if you search long enough, there’s little risk in accumulating all the mp3s your heart desires. The anxieties that older rock nerds have experienced may not ring true. It must be nice.

Some of you have already walked down the endless path of the hardcore record collector. There’s no stopping you now, and if that’s the case, more power to you! A part of me wishes I hadn’t been scared off this path, but I was, by two once hard-to-find purchases I made when I was 18: a bootleg of the Sex Pistols‘ last show at San Francisco’s Winterland and Iggy Pop and The Stooges‘ semi-bootleg document of that band’s last show, Metallic K.O. As I said, today you could probably download these albums in the comfort of your home in less than 20 minutes. In 1981, a teenage boy without much cash to spare had to make a great investment of time and money to locate these albums and bring them home, with no opportunity to sample selected tracks for free on some blog. What if this bootleg I’m tempted to spend $20 on sucks? What if I hear more of the dude who illegally taped the show hooting and hollering for his favorite songs than I do the band?

Worse yet: What if the bootleg was a dreaded, DOA board mix, with little more than vocals and kick drum?
Continue reading »

Baby Got Back – Album Covers Are Only Half the Story

Posted by sammymaudlin

Aug 072009

Recently I had the pleasure of being contracted to design the art for the latest release by Philly phaves, Nixon’s Head. The Enemies List (available for purchase here) cover was an exercise of almost pure creativity. Listening and then designing.

The back cover though was a joy for different reasons. The band wanted the back to be a take on the back of The Beatles Rubber Soul. (I derive an odd pleasure from finding/duplicating just the right font.)

This got me thinking about album parodies and more specifically album backs. There are loads and loads of album parodies. Not the least of which include Townsman mrclean’s band, The Dead Milkmen’s Smokin’ Banana Peels cover:

This Is Your Rock Town Hall!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 072009

Townspeople,

This is your Rock Town Hall!

If you’ve already got Back Office privileges and can initiate threads, by all means use your privileges! If you’d like to acquire such privileges, let us know. If you’ve got a comment that needs to be made, what are you waiting for? If you’re just dropping in and find yourself feeling the need to make your voice heard, don’t hesitate to register and post your thoughts. The world of intelligent rock discussion benefits from your participation. If nothing else, your own Mr. Moderator gets a day off from himself. It’s a good thing for you as well as me!

Kind of a Drag: Charlie Watts Drags The Stones’ Rock ‘n Roll Circus into the Crapper

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 072009

Some of you may recall my work in exposing the so-called Charlie Watts hoax. Considering that the beats on Stones records have long been among my favorite beats of all time, I’ve always been disappointed whenever I hear the Stones play these same songs live. It’s easy to point the finger at Mick Jagger for his shucking and jiving, which probably takes away from his already-limited ability to deliver the songs in his highly effective, super-cool, studio “head” voice, but I think Watts is the real culprit in the Stones rarely sounding – to me – like the supposed great live band that their vast team of publicists has spent 35 years promoting. The tempos are usually too slow, even by the standards of the original studio recordings. This breaks one of rock’s most important unwritten rules of live performance, that is, that tempos should be sped up by at least 20%. Watts rarely throws in the trademark fills that “he” has crafted on the studio recordings. For a band whose best work on record is driven by the drummer’s efficient beats (regardless of who the actual drummer might be), live Watts has to work his ass off to sound like your kid brother sitting in with your band on drums for a song or two before your real drummer shows up for rehearsal.
Continue reading »

Artists Whose “Mature” Works Threaten to Put Their Beloved Earlier Works to Shame

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 072009

We’ve approached this subject from a few different angles in the past and as Townspeople continue to age and try to figure out what it’s all about, Alfie, I’m sure this won’t be the last time this comes up. Recently I was listening to my “best of” CD mix that I made of the last three Nick Lowe albums (no surprise that Lowe is already back in the conversation, is it?), and I was thinking to myself, Although Nick’s music from the last 10 years is nowhere near as original and energetic as his early burst of activity, these favorte dozen songs of his from recent albums are beginning to make me think less of his first two albums. Jeez, I’m beginning to feel like much of his earlier works was “kids’ stuff!”

My conversation with myself continued, as I tried to put these thoughts in proper perspective: Continue reading »

All-Star Jam

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 072009

Word has it that a few of the girls in the audience wore pink.

Perhaps Ally Sheedy’s Character Would Understand

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 072009

In honor of recently deceased ’80s coming of age director John Hughes, it’s only appropriate that today’s Friday Flashback dips into our small archive of Ally Sheedy-related threads. This is a topic that I suspect some newer Townspeople will be relieved to get off their chests.

This post initially appeared 6/13/07.

“No one understands me!”

Today is Ally Sheedy’s birthday. The last misunderstood teen icon of my generation is 45. In honor of her birthday and her everlasting character from The Breakfast Club, I’d like to give you the opportunity to express a song, band, or album that only you seem to like, either presently or during your formative years. Perhaps Ally Sheedy’s character would understand.

Here’s one I think about playing for Ally’s character…

Glenn Branca, “Lightfield (In Consonance)”

If I haven’t tried to shove Glenn Branca’s The Ascension down your throat already, be certain that I’ll get to you yet. Despite my best intentions, I’ve never found a buddy to hang with and high five over the playing of this album. The other night I dreamt that Conan O’Brien and I hit the town on a raucous coke binge. We were snorting up piles of the white stuff, high-fiving over each other’s assorted hi-jinx and quips. It was a wonderful time. Perhaps the coke-hound Conan of my dreams would understand this album. I listen to The Ascension like I’m watching replays of the 1980s Phillies-Astros National League Championship playoff series or Secretariat’s 31-length Belmont Stakes victory, cheering on the known and inevitable outcome, cheering on that moment when the victor’s foot presses down on the opponent’s throat and an unspoken (in everyday life) joy is released. This type of activity first stirs then washes away memories of hard times. I’m sure it’s a psychologically sound – probably even recommended – practice.

So that’s my Ally Sheedy moment. Let’s hear yours!

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