Mums, close your eyes!
Feb 152008
Feb 142008
All right brave, hardened Townspeople, I am asking you to open your heart today, on Valentine’s Day. I know with the rich experience with matters of love that diehard rock nerds like us typically have it might be hard to dig back into your memory to share over the question I’m about to ask, but as the Cub Scouts motto says, Do your best. Are you ready?
What’s the first love song you recall associating with an actual object of your desire?
This song may or may not be associated with your first crush, but it’s the song you first remember associating with any crush. Beyond listing the song, you may share as much as you feel comfortable sharing. But let’s respect that ancient flame and leave surnames out of it.
The first one I can remember is Gallery’s “Nice to Be With You”. As I recall, the song had been out for 2 or 3 years, for those of you trying to guess Mr. Moderator’s age, on an afternoon spent hanging with the daughter of one of my Mom’s friends and realizing what the song – and my time increased interest in hanging with young Kim – was all about. We were at my grandparents’ farm, and I was showing her the horses that my grandfather bred and raced. The song just came into my head. For all the things I forget on a daily basis, I’m surprised I remember this particular moment. Love songs from my early childhood that made a big impression on me in a merely conceptual way, such as The Beatles “She Loves You”, took on added meaning.
Feb 132008
Can you handle the truth? In honor of the Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee showdown on Capitol Hill, today’s burning questions require not only your gut answers but your honest answers. There’s no need to swear, though – nor is there a need to work blue! Just tell it like it is.
Have you ever trashed an album – literally – that you didn’t like rather than traded it in or offered it to a friend?
What supporting musician – past or present – who’s never gone solo or started his or her own band, to date, do you feel is best equipped to make such a move?
What’s the last band or album you pretended to like – at least just a little – to a) keep peace in a social or business situation among non-rock nerds, b) impress a potential romantic partner, or c) stay in character for an acting role?
What cover version of a Bob Dylan song do you like much better than the Dylan original – and considering you might have more than one answer, if you had to choose one beloved cover version of a Bob Dylan song, which one would you choose above all others? Honestly.
Pere Ubu fans: Which of that band’s many distinctive members over the years do you most miss? Which one now-departed band members, I should clarify. Be both selective and honest!
What’s the most memorable song you ever dropped a quarter in the jukebox to play? NOTE: What made this experience memorable could be the song itself, the time and place, the ass you kicked in the parking lot shortly thereafter, etc.
That Nico album you once took the plunge and paid import prices for – honestly – when’s the last time you spun it?
What band leader – past or present – who’s never gone solo to date do you feel is least equipped for leaving his or her band and striking out on his or her own?
I look forward to your responses.
Feb 132008
The time has come.
The GRAMMYS coughed up its 21st-century entertainment hairball, complete with glowing sunglasses, embalmed Beatles producers and — God help us — Kid Rock scatting with Keely Smith. Meanwhile, in the Rock Town Hall Neutral Zone, Captain Oats of the Starship Rockulon sparked up one glowing dilithium crystal in the communal love bong and posited the question: “which rock artistes deserve both our love for having succeeded so mightily on their first album… *and* our scorn for then having let us down — continually, perennially, and depressingly — in that one brilliant album’s aftermath?”
I say again: the time has come!
Feb 132008
I don’t know what to make of this.
NEW YORK (Billboard) – Actress Scarlett Johansson says Tom Waits has given the thumbs-up to her debut album, which features covers of 10 tunes written by the notoriously persnickety musician.
“Anywhere I Lay My Head” will be released May 20 via Atco/Rhino. David Bowie, whom Johansson met a party just prior to beginning work on the album, lends his distinctive vocals to the tracks “Falling Down” and “Fannin’ Street,” while Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner and members of the band Celebration contribute throughout. The album was produced by Dave Sitek of the New York rock band TV On The Radio.
Feb 122008
No disaster here!
In last week’s Carl Newman thread, our passionate and highly knowledgeable friend Homefrontradio, the Thunder Down Under, wrote about his disgust with modern-day dependence on compression. Among other things he wrote:
Basically, as you play the song loud, there’s a random noise field being generated on top of the song that’s a is physically-disturbing to how our ears are designed to hear music.
A digital waveform representation of Billy Corgan’s Look?
Maybe that’s not his most representative comment from this thread, but it struck a chord with me. It reminded me of our ongoing examination of Lou Reed…as his music was meant to sound! Seriously, I highly recommend going back and checking out what Townsman Homefrontradio has to say on these issues of compression. It’s great stuff that musicians and fans of new and old music can get into. And learn from. And trust me, Homefrontradio’s displayed a gear geek side, but he’s got a sense of humor about his quest and he’s what we call Good People!
Continue reading »
Feb 112008
First, to gain your trust, one I like as much as the folks in the audience!
Last week my good friend HVB SUMMONED me to the floor of the Halls of Rock to explain what my problem was with certain Stevie Wonder songs. I explained myself promptly and clearly, or so I thought. Mwall clearly grasped what I was getting at. A poll supported the gist of what I was getting at. Only HVB failed to get it. He wanted examples of Stevie Wonder songs that bum me out and cause me to trash only one aspect of one of our national treasures.
As much as I dreaded revisiting some of these numbers, the first thing that came to mind was to pull out my copy of Innervisions. Here’s a classic Stevie Wonder album that contains some of my favorite songs by the man: the spine-tingling “Living for the City”, the supercool “Higher Ground”, and the always-fascinating helix-like structure of “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”! Unfortunately, it’s also home to “Visions”, “Golden Lady”, and “All in Love Is Fair”. I’ve skipped these songs for so long that I couldn’t be sure by title alone of which ones particularly offended my sensibilities. For the good of the Hall, I made myself listen to three examples from this one album. Following are my thoughts on each number. I hope this clarifies my feelings for you, Hrrundi.
