If you’re not familiar with the Last Man Standing game, we throw up one answer at a time in response to the day’s theme until all answers are spent. It’s time we come clean with every cheesy stage move done to death by rock bands. May I kick things off with one that always bugs me?
Multiple guitar picks taped to the mic stand, ready to flick out to fans
What have you got?
Our very own Townsman Oats made mention of how strange it is seeing T-Bone Wolk play guitar with Hall and Oates these days, making particular note of the fact that the former bassist has different faces to accompany his guitar playing. Good point!
I guess Wolk’s former compadre G.E. Smith no longer plays with them. I’m sure he’s moved onto bigger and better things since wincing for the cameras as SNL cut to commercial breaks during the show’s mullet years. Not much is made of Smith’s departure from the Hall and Oates fold, but I’m sure it’s significant.
A video to make you reconsider seeking out those Hall and Oates “deep cuts.”
However, the most significant change in the pop duo’s line-up has gotten even less ink. Check out this old publicity shot of the band. As usual, key sidemen like Wolk and Smith are not pictured, but a third member who might have been considered an equal member of a trio act – not a duo – is.
Now check out this more recent shot of the – no doubt about it, anymore – duo.
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At a recent “live” gathering of a handful of Townspeople, we picked up on the then-burning “Worst of the Great Stones albums” and got into a brief discussion of Worst of the Great Albums by other great artists. So, for a handful of you, you’ve already chimed in on some of these artists, but this topic might interest other members of the Hall.
Here’s the deal: What’s the worst of the great albums by any of the following artists? It should be pretty clear where the line on “great” albums is; if not, we’ll be sure to point it out for you. Here are some artists to kick off the discussion:
Feel free to suggest others we could discuss. As a special bonus question, What’s the worst of the great songs that populate side 1 of Television’s Marquee Moon?
American Hare
At the risk of being completely wrong and making a sweeping generalization, let me share an American thought. As I sat and watched the fireworks in our town tonight – and as mostly horrendous rock songs vaguely associated with the pride we feel as Americans as we re-create the rockets’ red glare – I got to thinking about that late-period, minor X hit, “Fourth of July”, or something like that. It’s a staple of AAA radio and other Coffee Table Rock outlets, but not the kind of thing you’d hear at a suburban town’s fireworks display, sandwiched between Mellencamp, Springsteen, and Diamond’s patriotic numbers. Man that song’s a real lowpoint in the already creatively spent portion of X’s career at that point!
American Wear
So I got to thinking: Why do so few American bands develop? In places like these hallowed Halls of Rock, we can go on for days, weeks, months on the various phases of any of a number of British bands, such as The Beatles, The Stones, The Kinks, The Who, Roxy Music, Elvis Costello, U2, and so on. Beside Bob Dylan, who developed from somewhat-traditional-yet-edgy folk singer to Voice of His Generation to wizened husk of his glorious self in a scant 8 or so years, who among American rock artists has developed as far as three distinct, interesting phases over the course of their career? Canadian artists who seem American, like Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, don’t count.
I can think of Los Lobos. And The Doors. And The Velvet Underground. Probably a few more, but this isn’t going to turn into Monty Python’s Spanish Inquisition sketch.
Like X, most American bands that come out of the gate on fire quickly fizzle into some low-grade version of their original American greatness: CCR, The Ramones, even Chuck Berry and his Mercury releases. There are no “phases,” no periods of development. Just the end or, worse, a painfully slow decline.
There’s the rare band like Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, who have managed to maintain a consistently good level of the same old, same old. There’s also the rare band like Aerosmith, who managed to re-imagine themselves as an enjoyable, reliable “brand” that merely hints at what they once were.
What is it with our bands? Is it something about “American music” itself that limits development, or is it something about the American aesthetic? Perhaps I’m way off base. I look forward to your thoughts on this day of American independence!
The first song here uses “The Fourth of July” as a lyric which is what today is.
In seeking out some tracks and an entire album by Jefferson Airplane last night, I came across an album by another SF band I’d always heard about but never heard, Sons of Champlin. The album I stumbled across is called Follow Your Heart. After checking it out last night, I’m tempted to say that I’ve finally found a SF band I can sink my teeth into: really soulful singing, nice ensemble playing, little of the melodrama that has always bogged me down with Jefferson Airplane. Along with the title track, I was impressed by “Children Know”, “Before You Right Now”, “Hey Children”, and “Child Continued”.
I encourage you to hang in there with this video.
Last night on eMusic I decided to revisit the genre known as Krautrock. I can’t stand that term, but on my fifth try with this genre, I think I’ve hit on some stuff I might like: a few songs by Neu! (eg, “Hallogallo”, “Fur Immer”, “E-Musik”), a half dozen songs off the first two Faust albums, and a handful of Popol Vuh songs, a band I’ve already liked and purchased albums by thanks to the soundtracks of Werner Herzog films. When I’m done spending quality time with these downloads, I’ll revisit the music of Can, a band I’ve always found lacking in anything but a few good ideas.
What do you make of this Krautrock stuff? Because I’ve disliked the term so much, I’ve barely poked at it and its likely rich mine of rock nerd knuggets of knowledge. I know John Lydon talks about the influence of this stuff on PiL, but I don’t hear that as much as I hear an influence on Martin Hannett‘s production work for Joy Division and others. This Neu! stuff I’m listening to in particular sounds like backing tracks for Ian Curtis to sing over.
Neu!, “Fur Immer”
So go ahead, call me late to the party, but now I’m here and I’m ready to catch up. I welcome your assistance and guidance, Rock Town Hall.
