Baseball Will Never Sound the Same to Phillies Fans

 Posted by
Apr 132009
 

I can’t believe I’m going to have to watch Phillies games without the voice of Harry Kalas, who died in the press box at the Washington Nationals’ stadium at 1:20 today. For those of you who did not grow up with “Harry the K” calling games since your childhood, the Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster may be one more legendary voice you’ve heard in the background of ESPN highlights – and even imitated by ESPN broadcasters – but he’s THE VOICE of the team I first started following the same year Kalas came to Philly, 1971. From boyhood forward, every Philadelphia sports fan works on his Harry Kalas impersonation. It’s a good thing that we’ll be able to remember the sound of Harry’s voice a lot better than any of us try to replicate it.

Admittedly, we’ve got weird priorities in Philadelphia, and our beloved sports broadcasters often resonate more deeply in our hearts than our usually suspect teams. When Kalas’ old color man and Hall of Fame Phillies centerfielder in his own right, Richie Ashburn, died midseason in 1997, our city mourned like Rome might following the passing of the Pope. I’m sure the coming week here will be no different.
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Turn Me On, Nobody

 Posted by
Apr 132009
 


I may soon find that my premise was not worth bringing to the Halls of Rock for possible scintillating discussion, but that’s the way it goes around here. Driving in this morning I was listening to a collection of obscure ’60s psych recordings that came with the recent edition of Mojo with a Who Sell-Out article and Nick Lowe interview. While enjoying the songs for what they were, I got to thinking about whether any “psychedelic” lyrics ever made an impression on me if they didn’t come from a band that had first established its lyrical cred through more traditional lyrics.

For instance, as a teenager I had no beefs with George Harrison‘s “The more one travels/The less one really knows” from The Beatles’ B-side “The Inner Light,” to show you how forgiving I could be. Same goes for a much better song, The Byrds‘ “Eight Miles High.” Cool music, cool enough sentiments. To this day I dig the lyrics of these songs. I’d already liked my share of songs and lyrics by these artists, so perhaps, based on some form of the Sincerity Fallacy, it sounded like progress when they moved into psychedelic territory.

On the other hand a song like “Journey to the Center of Your Mind,” cool as it is musically, never carried any weight with me musically. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t have any prior respect for the lyrical content of The Amboy Dukes, but I’m more than willing to consider that to be the case. If “Strawberry Fields Forever” was the first single by The Beatles would I have brushed off the lyrics as nonsense plucked from the Psych Pshoppe? I’m equally willing to admit that I may not know how it is that I assess psychedelic lyrics from any source.

One band that trafficked in psychedelic lyrics from the starting gate, when they were “nobodies,” so to speak, and that hold up as well as any psych lyrics, in my mind, was Pink Floyd. Because I was not already a fan of later-day Floyd when I first heard the early stuff, I cannot say that they built up credibility after the fact. Those Syd Barrett lyrics actually sound original and inspired to me more often than not.

What are your experiences with psychedelic lyrics from artists who did not previously establish credibility as more conventional lyricists?

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Do The Doors Actually Suck?

 Posted by
Apr 102009
 

Yes, Jim Morrison was a bad poet with a ridiculous persona. Yes, Ray Manzarek is still smugly obsequious nearly 40 years after Jimbo’s death. And yes, that tour with Stewart Copeland and the dude from The Cult is one of the most pathetic attempts to keep a boomer-rock brand on the shelves waaaaayyy past its sell-by date.

But do The Doors suck? Like, is their music that bad? They had a kinda seedy punk-rock intensity about them, like The Velvets. They had jazz and blues chops that, to my ears, are more appealing than those of The Grateful Dead. They managed to convey both of the above in their singles, which are often hella punchy and catchy to boot.

I mean, if you think “Light My Fire” sucks, but “Marquee Moon” is awesome, that’s a little strange, right? You should have some really solid data backing up your statement, I think.

I’m not saying I’m a Doors fan all of a sudden. I just wonder if there’s an objective reason for saying they suck. But more importantly, I’d like to hear what Townspeople really think of The Doors.

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Dugout Chatter

 Posted by
Apr 102009
 

If you don’t know how a Dugout Chatter works by now, there are two things you can do: 1) Just answer the following questions – from your gut – or 2) watch how experienced Townspeople answer the following questions from their gut, then clear your mind of all efforts to impress and answer in kind. Here goes!

I read that Neil Young‘s new album, Fork in the Road, was inspired by his alternative-energy car. If this album is not the one, what is the dumbest concept around which a concept album has been constructed?

Friend of the Hall Richard Lloyd has a new album coming out that pays homage to Jimi Hendrix with 10 loving Hendrix covers. I’ll be curious to hear this. Can there be any other Artist B Plays Artist A album with a higher degree of difficulty?

Who’s got the best bleached hair in rock history?

Musicians, what’s a bad or cheesy song that, although you don’t like, you can’t help but play a few bars of at least a few times a year when handling your instrument of choice?

What Beatles song lyric is least convincing coming out of the mouth of its Beatles singer?

When “straight” friends and colleagues ask you what kind of music you like, how do you answer?

I look forward to your candid answers.

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