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Neil Young "still sees the vista & hears the muse" and is making new Le Noise in September
If you look over the the left hand side of this blog you will see a statement next to my "about me" picture. It says, "I've got my own row to hoe". That was adapted from a Neil Young song, "Thrasher". This quite possibly is my favorite song of all time. It isn't the music or the melody that appeals so much to me. What appeals to me most is the message I get from that resonates: You own yourself, own up to the outcomes of your decisions and focus on the "now".
"I've got my own row to hoe". Every time I read/say that...I feel good. I also feel good about the upcoming release from Neil in September: Le Noise. Here we have Neil, own his own terms, a solo outing that showcases his soft-sonic, yin-yang, acoustic-electric 1-2 punch. This has been Neil's secret weapon over the years. His sound cuts such a wide swath in between these sonic boundaries that he cannot (will not) be pigeonholed or hamstrung by genres, opinions, labels...or, hell, even himself.
I don't think Neil reinvents himself, either. He is in constant flux. He doesn't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows because he doesn't give a shit which way it blows. If it blows him in one direction or the other...so be it. He will makes sounds once he touches Terra Firma.
Fortunately for us, he touched down in Daniel Lanois capable hands. Lanois produced the new album and coaxed, from all accounts, another Neil classic. Pop & Hiss, the LA Times Music Blog, had a write-up on a sneak-peek listening session they attended. Here is a cool bit:
What’s striking about “Le Noise” is the way it both summarizes and distills Young’s singular approach to music, predominantly just Neil and a guitar: his big, white hollow-body Gretsch electric slashing and burning for most of the tracks, a couple built around picked and strummed acoustic instruments. Both are recorded and amplified -- literally and metaphorically -- by Lanois’ signature soundscapes that loop vocals, and enhance the guitars’ bass notes through distortion boxes, synthesizers and other electronicsThe songs bristle with energy -- anger, passion, love, self-doubt, regret, hope -- emotions that seem all the more pure expressed without percussion, keyboards, strings or other instruments, just by Young’s voice and guitars.
Hot Damn! I can't wait for this. Neil is going to release this in a variety of formats, too. Says Neil:
It will be available in Vinyl, CD and I tunes in the first edition, followed by Blu-Ray, and an APP for I-Phone and I-Pad a month or so later. The app will be free. It gives you an interactive album cover. Forgive my use of the word “album”. I am old school. When you buy the songs/movies from I- tunes they show up in your app. Peace ny
I will be buying all of the above (except for CD). I'm down with the Blu-Ray. I bought the Archives Vol.1 on Blu-Ray without owning a player. I picked upa PS3 to bring it to life. The archives is all I use it for...that a few concert films and my BR copy of "Almost Famous".
I stumbled on a music news website called "TwentyFourBit". Aside from them being a kindred alpha-numeric-blog-titled-music-site spirit, they had some good Neil intel on the new album. One particular post had five vids of Neil performing songs from Le Noise on his current Twisted Road tour. Jump on over to 24Bit to see the post with all five vids. I included one here of a song called, "Love and War". This one hit bone for me.
Speaking of cool Neil websites, the coolest on the web, Thrasher's Wheat, was recently the subject a not from Ol' Shakey himself:
THRASHER'S WHEAT UNDER FIRE, August 17, 2010
It has come to my attention that the negativity on this site has caused the founders to wonder whether it is worth it to continue. They have been moderating and trying to bring fans the news for nearly two decades. This is the most respected site on the net for this type of activity. Let me take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in what I am doing. There is always negativity with any internet endeavour. Now it has perhaps worn you down. It is alright to say goodbye. You have done some folks a great service for a long long time and I appreciate the effort you have shown. Always someone will be negative. Don't dismay. Whether you choose to continue or just hang it up and get on with your life is up to you. Just know that I have appreciated your efforts, tried to stay out of your business and watched you from afar through other's eyes. As for myself, I still see the vista. I hear the muse. I continue. Godspeed. Thank you. Mahalo. Neil.Very cool that Neil acknowledge a Champion effort by a very dedicated fan site. What I absolutely loved, what made me sit up straight and feel oh so damn good about Neil was the message he left in there for all of us fans:
"I still see the vista. I hear the muse".
Damn straight, Neil. Damn fucking straight.
You can read all about all the scuttlebuttin' over on TW's site.
As if it needed to be said...thanks for stopping by and Keep on Rockin' in the Free World, 6149'ers.
Front Burner Music in 2010: Fave Raves & Future Sounds
As far as my tastes go 2010 has been a great year for music thus far. This year I have made a concerted effort to cast a wider net and explore a broader selection of sounds. For the past couple years my ears have been tuned into the deep south where the roots of the blues and classic soul find deep Earth. It has been a rowdy, fun and educational ride, but this year it was time to get back on the new(er) sound scene.
I have two playlists that are constantly being topped up with new purchases. One is called "New New 2010". This is where all new albums from "newer" or more current artists go. The other is "New Old 2010". This playlist is occupied by "older" artists re-releases or albums from older artists that I am just getting around to sinking teeth into.
Both lists keep true to two of my music listening filters. One is: don't stray too far from my beaten path of preferred sounds, Basically, what that means is don't buy shit I know I wont't listen to. I am using Spotify and other streaming sources to vet curiosities. When I get a new album I apply another filter: I listen to the album back to front at least 10 times (not necessarily in a row). I am applying this last one to Robert Randolph's new album right now (it's gonna need it...yikes!).
Here are some 2010 albums that haven't come off the boil yet for me (in no particular order):
- The Black Keys: Brothers. Vying for top spot as my fave rave for 2010. Crunchy, blues, hooky songs with an ever present looming, soulful feel lurking in the shadows of each tune (vinyl)
- The Drive-By Truckers: The Big ToDo. Neck and neck with "brothers" to fave rave. Great storytelling on this...a true ballsy rockshow record (vinyl)
- Tom Petty & The Ass-Kickers: Mojo. Shit, this band got even tighter in 2010. Mike Campbell owns this record. Glad Petty got his blues on. It paid off (vinyl)
- Derek Trucks Band: Roadsongs (Live). Figures. Since I loved "Already Free", I knew this would work for me. Trucks is genius...and there is so much more left. I can't wait.
- Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings: I Learned the Hard Way. Wow...they made a classic Staxian-soul album without sounding dated. Great party starter.
- Ray Lamontagne & The Pariah Dogs: Loved the fact that Ray took over on the knobs. Looking forward to the next to see what Ray comes up with.
- The Hold Steady: Heaven is Whenever. From the get-go, this album sounds big and full-on. I love the action in it...feels like it pushes and pulls me along.
- Dawes: North Hills: This one surprised the hell out of me. I love the Topanga canyon vibe on it. The album is not overwhelming and that is why I like it. It knows who it is.
- Bettye Lavette: Interpretations of the British Songbook. I am a sucker for Bettye. She wrings every last drop of emotion out of every song and syllable. She burns.
- Arcade Fire: The Suburbs, I am a convert here. Maybe I didn't give Neon Bible enough time, but this album is under my skin. The NYT article pushed me over the edge.
- Jeff Beck: Emotion and Commotion. Another artist that won me over in 2010. His playing on this stunned me. My friend Kip calls him The Professor. School i in...
- Peter Parcek: The Mathematics of Love. I know (and work with) this man and he is a fucking guitar master. Check him out here and here. You won't be sorry...
- Others from the "New Old" list: Bonnie Raitt (first three albums - Bonnie Raitt,Taking My Time, Give it Up), Johnny Winter ("Johnny Winter"), Tammy Wynette ("Your Good Girl's Gone Bad"), Django Reinhardt ("Anthology 1934-1937), Delaney & Bonnie ("Home"), Mike Bloomfield ("Live at the Old Waldorf"), Jerry Jeff Walker ("Ridin' High"), Guy Clark ("Dublin Blues"), Albert Collins ("Frozen Alive"), Jimmy Rodgers ("Chicago Bound"), Mississippi Fred McDowell ("The Best of "), Leon Russell ("Carney")
There are plenty...plenty...of other albums I bought and listened to, but all of those have many plays.
The rest of 2010 looks ripe for cool releases. Here are the ones on my radar:
- Neil Young: Le Noise (Sep 28th)
- Mavis Staples: You Are Not Alone (Sep 14th)
- Robert Plant: Band of Joy (Sep 14th)
- Ronnie Wood: I Feel Like Playing (Sep 27th)
- Bob Dylan: The Whitmark Demos (Oct 19th)
- Kings of Leon (Oct 19th)
- Justin Townes Earle: Harlem River Blues (Sep 14th)
- Jerry Lee Lewis: Mean Old Man (Sep 7th)
- Jimmy Barnes: Rage & Ruin
- JJ Grey & Mofro: Georgia Warhorse
- Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
- Eric Clapton: Eric Clapton (Sep 27th)
- Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses: Junky Star (Sep 7th)
- Jamey Johnson: The Guitar Song (Sep 14th)
I'm going to give those last two a go. I'll stream them and but them if they make the cut. The other album I am looking forward to is the collaboration between Elton John and Leon Russell. I am not a massive Elton fan, though I love his Tumbleweed Connection and Honky Chateau albums (best experienced on vinyl). Leon Russell, though...I love this cat. I got to see him for the first time here in London a few weeks ago and he cemented himself in my mind as a legend in music lore. If this album delvers on a Tumble Weed / Leon Self-Titled album level...we are in for a stone cold treat.
Here is the first song off of this new one titled, "The Union".
What have you been listening to in 2010? What is on your shopping list?
Music Critics: Separating the Shine from the Shit with the right mix of Profession & Passion
I am enjoying Ray Lamontagne's new album, "God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise", a lot. I am down with Ray's sound, and as a fellow New Hampshirite, I'm down with Ray's scene as well. I've seen him live three times. I saw him in London back in September 2009 just a few days after I movedhere. I met him during the day outside the Royal Albert Hall. I walked up to buy my ticket at about three in the afternoon and Ray was by the stage door. He was cool enough to shoot the bull with me for a handful of minutes.
Click here to download:
music-critics-separating-the-shine-from-the-shit-with-the-right-mix-of-profession-passion-fFhdeDdbiDonvvBDcJon.zip (207 KB)
Like I said, I am enjoying Ray's new album a lot. What I am not enjoying are the review's on Ray's album. It is not that I disagree with the reviews themselves (opinions are good), rather it is the way the album is being reviewed (formulaic blah is bad).
It appears to me that Ray is experimenting with this album rather than worrying about how many he sells. He got small on this album. He jettisoned his long time producer Ethan Johns and had a go at spinning the producer knobs. He recorded the album in five days at his home studio. He chose to bring in a band and give them playbill credit on the album. Yes, I think Ray is all about curiosity and learning rather than critical acclaim?
I watched a short video interview with Ray from PBS (sorry, the embed wouldn't work). At 2:50 in the video, he talks about his role as a producer. What I love about the statement he makes is how excited he is about the prospect of learning from this album. I love this because he is putting his music artist leotard on and stretching himself...testing his boundaries...finding his driving wheel.
The critic community is mixed on this one. Some praise Ray for forgoing the production hand-holding from Ethan Johns (he did wonderful job helping to shape Ray's sound on Ray's first three albums). Some say he should have kept John's on. Not a lot of the focus is on the inent behind the choice to self-produce. The criticism asks wether he should or shouldn't have done this and how the album underachieved or came up short. Most of the reviews I have read are criticizing the product without considering the intent?
Music critic. Hmm, let's think about that for minute. Music critic. Go ahead, take a sip off of your beer, lean back and think about that...music critic.
Alright, where were we? Ah yes...music critic.
First of all, let's start with the word "critic" itself. I don't like it. I think it implies a negative. If we are to use Uncle Webster as our guide, the definition's parts add up to a sum that leans towards the negative (captious, trivial or harsh judgments; faultfinder). The neutral parts, "evaluates" and "analyzes", they at the very least imply an objective point of view. I think an objective point of view is important when writing about the artist or artist's music, specifically.
I don't really think that music critics enjoy faultfinding. Actually, I think that critics, the good ones, approach their work with an objective ear and without the jaundice of critique for critique's sake. The last part is my issue with critics...everybody's a critic. It's true. There is so much average, critical writing out there that you have no idea how to separate the shine from the shit.
Secondly, the "shine and the shit"...everybody's a critic. Anyone with a keyboard and blogging platform can wax un-poetically on album releases. Hey, I'm a punter with a keyboard, too (though I don't write straight album reviews) and I enjoy expressing and enjoy people who express themselves via blogging, etc. Where I think it goes pear-shaped is when the punters think that critique means picking a side...negative or positive...thumbs up or thumbs down...2.5 stars or 4.5 stars...just to be relevant.
Opinionated is one thing, choosing sides is another. When people do this, I believe the tendency is to look for a negative, or an angle, to show what is missing or lacking or where the artists fucked up with a zig rather than using a zag. Having a strong opinion or taking a stance is great, it makes for good reading. The trick is not critiquing for critique's sake.
Still with me? If you are still reading this long windbag post, you have the right to be asking..."does he have a fucking point to this or is he just trying to sound like an intellect". The answer to both parts respectively is yes and no. So, here you go...I enjoy album reviews most when they present a blend of the objective and subjective.
In my opinion, the best blend of these two worlds...objective (profession) and subjective (passion)...is a review that kicks an outcome biased by the need to point thumbs north or south to the curb and focuses on telling us what it is and how it feels. If I am reading one of your reviews for the first time and you are being objective about the music, you keep me on the page. If you can hit me in the gut, if you can connect with me as a music fan, if you can write something so damn honest that I start nodding my heads saying, "fuck yeah", then you keep me as a follower.
I want to read reviews that tell me about the music...objectively. Tell me about the songs and the structure and sounds and the instruments and the songwriting...talk about this objectively. In my album review utopia, this would become the part of the review that focuses on the music on it's merits.
After that I want to know about the subjective experience with this music. As a music fan, I want to know that your relationship with the music is or artist is...how you were affected. This is why I would follow you and continue to read your reviews. This is the part where we start to separate the shine from the shit.
I don't think it is fair to cast critics as full of shit or faultfinders. I like your work, critics...honestly. I like people who review music for a profession and because of their passion for music. I don't like it when the professionals mail it in or err towards faultfinding. I am not a fan of the punters who act like half-assed critics. They write reviews biased by the already loud and sloppy public opinion. Write reviews as a passionate music fans talking about a connection with and not a correction of other people's work.
Focus on the blending of profession and passion and I will read everything you write.
Any thought on this. Am I full of shit? Maybe I am being pedantic...preferring reviews to critiques. Do you read reviews? If so, what "pros" do you read? What are some of your fave punters/blogger album review-ers? Does anyone do a good job at "the blend" without resorting to stars and thumbs?
My music mate, Kip is a huge fan of Robert Chrisgau (I'm with you, Kipster). I'm a Lester Bangs man, myself (check out his purging of the mind and soul on Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks". Whew.). I like David Fricke and Rob Sheffield, too.
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I found this funny. On Ray's site, one of the posts said, "It's official. Critics love 'God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise'. The posting went on to say:
As Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dog's sit happily atop the iTunes and Amazon album charts, we are happy to share even more positive reviews for the amazing new album God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise. From trade magazines like American Songwriter to regular newspapers like the Daily News, critics can't stop praising the new album. Take a look at each review below!
Now, if they didn't include American Songwriter ( a site I very much enjoy reading and frequent often), I would have thought they were being tongue-in-cheek. Have a read of the review by American Songwriter and see what I mean). Who on Ray's team posted this?
Here are all of the reviews that are posted on Ray's site.
Delaney & Bonnie's Southern Soul, Rollicking R&R: If they haven't already, they 'gonna get you some day'
One of those weird, cosmic, connect-the-dots, WTF thingies happened to me last week. It was just after dinner and I was checking out a twitter list that I created (it is chock full of music bloggers and journalists). I decided I needed some foreground music for this. I dropped an album on to the turntable that I have been obsessed with since picking it up a month ago at a used record shop in Paris.
So there I am, rousting along to side two of the legendary, shit-hot...no, white-hot..."On Tour with Eric Clapton" from Delaney & Bonnie & Friends when a tweet from Jim Fusili, Wall Street Journal rock journo (@wsjrock), caught my eye ("cue the weirdness").
Fusili had just posted an article on Delaney & Bonnie...the spookiness ensued. Fusili's article was about the grandiose re-release of this very same album. Love that cosmic timing. Rhino records has re-released this set as a sprawling 52 track, 4 CD set with over three hours of unreleased greasy, gut-bucket, southern soul rollicking rock and roll. It only comes in physical format, but box it comes in a box shaped like a roadie's case...cool for for collectors, if anything. Funny though, it adds a wrinkle to my post last week on only buying downloads and vinyl. I'll have to make a "cool boox sets" clause for situations like these.
I have to admit, I am late to the party on Delaney & Bonnie. Yes, I listen to them and never flip the dial when they come on the box, but I never really got into them. I think it has something to do with when I was younger and first heard about them. I was still learning the about the folks and the lore of the sweet-spot period of rock and roll in the late '60's / early 70's and, unfairly, I locked D&B away as an Eric Clapton side project. in my "wax-on, wax-off" learning phase, the big-stars made bigger impressions on me. Back then, I didn't understand that Clapton was just one many stars and not the star in this constellation of "Friends".
This wasn't you average band; which is why it was so damn good: Delaney & Bonnie, Clapton, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, Bobby Whitlock, Jim Price, Bobby Keys, Tex Johnson and at times, Rita Coolidge, George Harison and Dave Mason. Eeeeh Dogeee...that deck was stacked. You've got the future Derek & The Dominoes in there, future Stones horns stalwarts and other superstars in their own rights. Yeah, no wonder...
I don't hink it would be possible to trace back the lines of influence back to Delaney & Bonnie. Do yourself a favor...let them influenced your listening flavors.
The rerelease had me wondering what was thought of the original. I jumped over to allmusic to have a look at what they had to say about the album. It was short and sweet and packed a wallop. here are some highlights:
"[Clapton] rises to the occasion with dazzling displays of virtuosity throughout, highlighted by a dizzying solo on "I Don't Want to Discuss," a long, languid part on "Only You Know and I Know," and searing, soulful lead on the beautifully harmonized "Coming Home." Vocally, Delaney & Bonnie were never better than they come off on this live set, and the 11-piece band sounds tighter musically than a lot of quartets that were working at the time, whether they're playing extended blues or ripping through a medley o fLittle Richard songs....One only wishes that Atlantic Records might check their vaults for any unreleased numbers from these shows that could fit on an extended CD."
Well, what do you know...this lucky bastard's wish has come true! For more on the Rhino re-release, go here. Check out Fusili's article on D&B as well as Rolling Stone's write up. You can get more history on the band as well as current thoughts from Bonnie Bramlett (Delaney has since moved on to the great gig in the sky).
After all of this dot-connecting, opened YouTube and went a searchin'. Here are some of the choice vids I pulled up. Enjoy...
Comin' Home: Damn, I love this song. That riff is so crunchy and snarly and, of course, the harmonies are spot on.
Poor Elijah / Tribute to Johnson: So, so, down home cool. This song deserves a hot day, cold beer and friends trying to sing the harmonies together.
Come On Into My Kitchen: You have to listen to this, just because "Brother Duane" Allman is playing slide. Brother Duane is one of the top three "what if" cases in R&R history. Listen to Duane lay that slide think and greezey.
>
Only You Know and I Know: More foot stompin' w/Brother Duane and Brother Gregg...
I Don't Want to Discuss It: And then there is this humdinger with Clapton, George Harrison, Dave Mason, Bobby Keys, et all, ramblin' along side D&B. Sick Boogie...
The Steel Horse & The Southern Thang: Tunes for Travelin' (playlist & downloads)
I had a car in high school. It was a piece of shit. It was a vette...a Chevy Chevette. I don't have a picture of the actual car...good thing, too. It's a good thing I don't have one, not just because it was butt ugly, but because it could be used as evidence in a court of law against me (assuming the statute of limitations holds up).
Me and my cronies broke a lot of rules in that car. Did you know it is possible to fit six half kegs and three people in one Chevette...and drive it on an old, rocky, pothole filled dirt road out in the deep of the woods. Yep, it can...if you know what you are doing. That car saw a lot of miles and a lof of good times. I don't even own a car now.
I live in central London. You don't need a car in central London. The tube (subway) is nearby. My groceries are delivered. The gym is close by. There is a pub on every corner. Nope, you don't need a car in London...if you can help it. When you do need one, you just rent one. I went to do just that the other day until I realised that I my Australia driver's license had expired in April. Shit.
Shit, is right. I didn't even think to look at it. Now I am going to have to jump through a few pain-in-the-ass hoops to get a UK one. When we moved to London I had no intentions of getting a car. I am not a 'car guy' by any stretch. Never have been and never will be. What kind of car I drive, how to get around an engine, hell, a new car...none of it matters to me. I look at a car as box with wheels that gets you from A to B. I appreciate the craftsmanship and riding in high-performance vehicles and luxury liners. I think new cars, expensive cars are cool...I just have no desire to own one.
The last car I owned and that I cared about, was a jukebox on wheels. The stereo was worth more than the damn vehicle. That being said...I loved that vehicle. I loved it because it was a classic American ride; that it was low maintenance; that it was great for driving around and listening to tunes in . Yeah, I loved that rig. The rig in question was my 1994 Jeep Wrangler. I called her, "The Steel Horse".
The "Steel Horse" was a thing of beauty...no, Ragged Glory suited her best. I bought it off of some Swiss dude who was living in Tampa, FL. He was a tennis coach at a program down there. He had to sell the the 1994 jeep in order to pay for his lawyer who had just helped him get his green-card. He told me that his dream...his life long dream...was to move to Florida, teach tennis and buy a jeep. He damned near broke down and cried when I drove it away.
I did him proud whilst I owned 'er. I had plan for the new ride. First, I named her...very important to name your ride. Second, I Florida-ized her (I was living in Ft. Lauderdale, FL). I ripped put the backseat, pulled up all the carpets and took off all of the bar pads. I got a new top for it...which I didn't leave on often...and then added the crucial bits...the stickers. You can't have too many stickers...just the rigt ones and the right amount.
Once I got her road ready, I topped her off with a bow-down car stereo and speakers. I had the speakers surgically implanted in her walls and had a detachable faceplate for the stereo. No top & no doors in FL means easy pickings for thieves.
When you get a new car, the first song played in it is very important...very important. I chose mine wisely. It had the fit and feel for driving a jeep along side the Atlantic Ocean, with no top on (the jeep, not me) and the speakers rattling in their cages: 'Blue Sky' by the Allman Brothers. There is no better song to have on the radio when the sun is shining bright, your elbow is propped up on the open window and the gas pedal feels a little sticky. Damn straight.
Ok...is there a fucking point to this post? Why yes, there is, faithful readers. I was looking through a box of mix CDs that was buried in the back of my closet and I found my fave Steel Horse driving CD. I made this sucker one late night (early morning) in 2000 after an evening fueled by music, Turkey and friends. Its called, "Southern Thang".
If you guessed that it has a southern feel to it, you'd be right as rain. The mix is a collection of olds and news with some nice tempo changes throughout. I used to play this on the Friday ride to and from work. It was the perfect mix to get me thinking about the weekend on the way in to work and putting pedal to metal (literally...I tore out the carpets, remember) on the way home to put a paw on an ice cold beer.
Truly great music is never dated. Just because this mix was made ten years ago doesn't mean that it won't make your big toe shoot up in your boot. I have uploaded it here so that you can all ride fast in the passing lane to these killer, southern tinged trax (look out for smokies). Here is the list:
When I moved to Australia I had to say goodbye to the Steel Horse. She and I had a great run, but it was time for us to part ways. Hey, I know what you are thinking...no, I did not take the old girl out behind the barn. The thought never even crossed my mind. Instead, I decided to give her a good home. My right hand man, Gilly, was the only one I could have trusted with the Steel Horse. Instead of selling her to Gilly for blue book or some other shit like that, I sold her for fair value. This is what I requested he give me for The Horse:
- A Taj Mahal CD ("Giant Steps")
- A Townes Van Zandt Cd ("Live at the Old Quarter")
- A 6-Pack of Good Ol' Boys (16 oz.'ers) of the Champagne of Beers (bad beer, good vibes)
- All the change he had in his pocket at the time...which turned out to be $1.47.
Fair value, indeed. Gilly brought a trailer and pulled her across the state over to Sarasota. That was back in 2002, right before I left for Australia. Gilly still has the Steel Horse and rides her daily.
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I'm not sure what the hell I am going to do about my expired license when I need to rent my car. Funnily enough, I need it because Gilly and his wife are coming to visit us in September; we are going to tour the English country side. Hey Gilly...make sure your license is on the up and up...you rent and I'll buy. Oh yeah, don't worry about music...I've got a sick playlist for the ride.
Here are pics of the day I handed over the reigns of the Steel Horse to Gilly (Feb 2002)
PART 2: The CD Conundrum: Coasters or Collectors Items (What to do with my 1,000+ CDs?!?)
Back in November of 2009 I wrote a post about what to do with all of the CDs I own. In that post I talked about why I needed a solution and what the possible ideas were. You can have a read of that post here:
Part One of The CD Conundrum: Coasters or Collectors Items (What the hell should I do with my 1,000+ CDs?!?)
Since then, my physical CDs purchases have been next to nil. I am buying primarily downloads, save for my now growing vinyl collection (which is my fave format). I'm not sure I will ever buy another physical CD again (sorry my old friend, liner notes...I'll just have to rely on websites and PDFs when they are available).
I just found this picture today. This is my music collection circa 2002. This is the first apartment my wife and I lived in together. I had to fight to steal this closet space (still paying for it today).
CDs are just dead. Shit, I don't even have a CD player anymore. I bought a killer Yamaha tuner a while back and when I did, I decided that the CD player was not needed. My thinking then (and now) was that I would just rip the CDs to my hard-drive and stream it via Air Tunes throughout the house. If I had a house that I owned today rather than all of this global transient apartment living, I would trick that casa out with the top of the line audio with all the super geeky tech stuff. I digress...
In a recent post, The Rise of the Streamers, I questioned the notion of streaming versus owning your music. There was some healthy debate on the topic. I did miss the mark on taking a deeper look at another angle: still owning your music (CDs) and transferring it al into the cloud. This tangent is more in line with my first post on this subject, what to do with the music...all those damn CDs...that I now own.
I have come to a decision on what I will do with all of my CDs.
When I replaced all of my cassettes with CDs I threw the tapes away. We were talking about two different beasts then. There was no relationship between the two. CDs and digital files are another matter. I can turn water in to wine with these.
My music collection, Judd's Juke Joint, totals 1,515 albums. The collection is comprised of 1,065 CD (box sets included) and 450 downloads. Whew...that's a lot of plastic and paper. I also have 107 pieces of vinyl...but they aren't going anywhere.
So this is the plan:
- This winter I will rip the rest of my collection to external hard-drives. I have over 25,000 songs dumped into iTunes as of today. That is not my entire collection, but it is a larger portion of it.
- Once I have my entire collection in bits & bytes, I will make a few back-ups of the hard-drives with one master that I can add to as I buy new stuff. Each month I will clone it over to my back-ups.
- I am going to find a cloud storage service to put the entire thing in. Dropbox, Google Docs...not sure what yet. If there was an option that had a player that I could use/stream with or take my own songs and embed playlists with or share to social sites, etc...I would prefer that. Not sure what the cloud solution is yet, but will research it heavily.
- @dopeburger and I were talking about uploading to the cloud in Part One of this post-series. We were envisioning a 'bandwidth-bar' or someplace you could go to rent screeching-fast upload speeds to upload mass file-age. Uploading 1,500+ albums to the cloud is going to be costly. I want to do it right once, make it as inexpensive as possible and simple. Very simple. I think that I brought up a retail chain, like Costco, that would sell a wide pipe and warp speeds on the cheap to make this happen. Cool idea.
- I'm going to dismantle my entire CD collection...separate the CD & liner nots from the pastic.
- I will buy some simple storage solution to catalog all of the CDs in. I think I can get that down to a couple/few boxes. If anything, this makes me feel better knowing that at least 70% of my collection is backed up by "hard copies".
Once I get this done, I will invest in the latest and greatest technology to trick out my flat or house so that my music is always ready to play anytime and in any room. I also want to be able to play my stuff anywhere...the cloud service I end up using will be key here.
For the past eight months I have only been buying downloads and vinyl. That is the way forward. With downloads, where possible, I will buy higher quality files (as I did with Arcade Fire's new album & offerings...they nailed that execution...and their interactive album is cool, too).
I will continue to buy vinyl...old and new. I will carefully curate my collection so that I focus on top vinyl-album-experiences (Layla, Pet Sounds, etc.). the new vinyl will be in two forms...new albums on high quality vinyl (i.e. 180 grams) and special re-releases of killer classic albums. The new albums refers to new shit such as The Black Keys, "Brothers" (love this album) and Tom Petty & The Ass-Kickers, "Mojo". If new release albums come with download codes...all the better.
The Old-New releases come in flavors such as the limited edition Neil Young 4 album set and the re-release of the Stones, "Exile on Main St.". The Neil set is fucking bow-down. He has plans to release more classic and lost album on the black beauties and I will buy them all.
OK...sounds like a good plan. I have a few months still before I kick out the jams on this project. Am I missing something? Anyone have any suggestions on how I can improve my master plan?
Ronnie Wood: 6 String Slinger, Perpetual Party Boy and now...Professional Yarn Spinner
If you know me, you know me as a serious music fan. I am not just a fan of all of the sounds and songs...I am a fan of all of the stories that live within the songs. The folks and the lore that are intertwined within the songs are where you get access...the dirt.
I love books written by flies-on-the wall or first hand accounts. I love the documentaries, too. I have never been one for straight concert films, but I love the docco's that dig deep and reveal lots. If you are like me and have a ridiculous R&R Fantasy, the books, the doccos, the interviews...this is where you get to play along. (Speaking of which, did you see the docco put out to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Stones, 'Exile on Main St."? No? Run, don't walk, brothers and sisters...you got to move.)
Usually the best stories are told by those that experienced them...those that were there and lived to tell. There may be no one in R&R that has had more experiences and been there, more than Ronnie Wood. He is the ultimate "surprise guest" at gigs, the perennial last-one-to-leave-the-party and now he has his own radio show where he gets to spin some of the coolest fucking R&R yarns ever heard.
Find the show at Ronnie Wood Radio and follow it on Twitter @ronniewoodshow
Ronnie telling us about what he will be telling us about...
Actually, the show has been around since March 2010...I just stumbled across it. I have been locked into this since I found out about it. If you are down with the stories found in the sound...check this shit out. It's chock full of pics, audio and vids...and, of course, Ronnie.
Check it out...latest of nineteen audio casts of Ronnie Wood Radio:
Check this out, too...
Ladies and Gentlemen...The Rolling Stones in Exilre Trailer:
Words of Wisdom for the Weekend...
Play this to kick-off your weekend...and then go and play every song you own from now until twelve midnight on Sunday.
(Me, too, Donnie. Me, too...)
The Rise of the Streamers; To Own or Rent Your Music. That...is the Question
I must have been about about thirteen at the time. My allowance wasn't cutting it. I was fast running out of dough and I needed to make some bread: there were records to buy. It was around this time that I discovered the holly grail of hoaxes...The Columbia Record House.
I had pulled an advert for the club out of Rolling Stone mag. I read it a couple times over to be sure that I was getting this right: "You mean to tell me that one red cent was going to get me twelve free albums? Not only that, but with my subscription, I receive the "selection of the month"...without asking for it?.
No shit.
Shit, yes, my young self. Shit, yes...
I remember thinking that it couldn't have been right. I was about to ask my old man about it, that is, until the devil in the detail reared it's timely head. The fine print said there was a monthly charge. Shit. So much for teenage logic...I also chose to ignore the fine print. What to do about that monthly charge for the monthly selection? Hey...I was only looking for solutions to my then current cash crunch, not new problems. Plus, my old man was smarter than me then. He would have seen my wheels cranking a mile away and stopped me cold. I decided I'd keep this one to myself.
I then started in on year long game of hide and seek with The Columbia Record House Club: I would hide from my parents all the cassettes that came in the mail and Columbia House would seek payment via repeated "pay now" letters. It was a viscous but virtuous cycle. The grind of racing home after school to get deliveries and collection letters was unrelenting, but I was doing it for a good cause...for the gain of musical knowledge.
I was thinking about this yesterday when I was replying to post from a music-friend's blog, "IckMusic". IckMusic is run by Pete Icke. Pete's post touched on his brand spankin' new Rdio account and of how he is using it to stream music. I asked Pete, another voracious music consumer, if streaming music was resulting in an increase in music listening or replacing the means in which he was currently devouring his tunes.
Pete said that he is spending more time listening to music and that Rdio is not only being used for music discovery, but it is eating into his iTunes usage. Pete also asked the question, "if all music is accessible from any device in your life, why waste the time downloading a MP3 or buying a CD?"
Good point, Pete. More so I think that the real question is: Buy or Rent?
This is when I started to think about my Columbia House days. That was a subscription/buffet service, too...but I owned it all (well, eventually after I had to come clean to the old man and he had to pay all those past due charges). The rise of the streamers is upon us and the bait is mighty tempting. Rdio, MOG, Pandora, GrooveShark, Spotify (and Google Music and Apple in the Cloud sorting their shit out)...they are here and they are offering up "millions of songs on demand", "a world of music" and "free internet radio". With lures like those, it is hard to resist having a look at what streaming has to offer.
I'm over a barrel on this one, though. My music collection...my rider by my side, bow-down, 1,500+ album music collection....I own all that shit. The damn thing comes damn close to defining me. Owning it is what it is all about...or what is has been all about. I'm no where near a fulltime streamer yet, but what has changed for me is what I own...what format that is. This most certainly will have implications for how I consumer in the future.
Of my 1,500+ albums, about 65% are CDs and the rest downloads. The CDs are legacy items, relics. My shift to digital music has been rapid over the past few years, especially while I was living in Australia where it was hard to get obscure/off the charts CDs. Not only have I been buying more digital, I have been buying a lot more vinyl, too. I've gone from no vinyl prior to December 2008 to 100+ pieces of black gold to date. My buying habits, which are well above average, focus on digital and vinyl...I haven't bought a physical CD in over eight months.
My buying habits are changing, but I am still buying. Do I stream music? Am I a premium member of any services? Yes and Yes. I am a premium Spotify and GrooveShark member and I use last.fm regularly. Because I live in London I can't access Pandora, MOG or Rdio (or HULU, for that matter). I have free accounts and use them when I am in the States. I like to use streaming for music discovery or checking out a new album. For the record, Spotify is a great service. The mobile access via the iPhone app is very handy. I can see why streaming is so damn attractive.
I do have a couple issues with not owning and streaming:
Less is more: Just because you have access to the buffet doesn't mean you have to sample every morsel of food on it. Oh, you can (and you have), but all you get is nasty stomach ache. Buffets are misleading. Everything looks good and every bowl and platter is always full. Not only is food a plenty, its cheap, too....all you can eat for $X.99. Fill up your plate with lots of this and lots of that...you don't have to eat it all...take a bite and leave the rest. There are too many buffets being gorged and not enough meals being eaten and enjoyed.
Music is so disposable now that people don't have to get invested in the listening experience. The barriers are gone, scarcity is dead and, unless you are a serious music fan, why should you bother? I am a serious music fan....I am a fan of the front-to-back album listening experience. With the rise of the streamers...and singles...the album experience is an endangered species.
Access: Streaming requires a good service and it requires a broadband/wi-fi (mobile) connection. Yes, the latest and greatest apps have an offline cache capabilities, but that isn't always to be effective (now)...unless you always plan out your offline tracks and albums. Don't even start on switching costs. What if Rdio changes policy or Spotify pisses off the labels or Pandora's good deals go bad? What happens to your rented collection? You can't take it with you when you go...can you?
Access can also mean the breadth and depth of catalog and features/services. Right now it is a dog's breakfast of streaming services all with varying degrees of goodies and features. Overtime that will correct itself. While competition is a good motivator for improvements, the end user is going to dictate how to and how much access there is.
Much like any fad, trends or other influencers, it will all start at the edges and work its way in. By the time it becomes critical mass, all of the technology, rights management, inventory, online/offline crap will be sorted. It is safe to say that the physical format is dead to rights. Vinyl will live on, yes, but it is for collectors, sound hounds and album freaks only (like me). Streaming and cloud collections will win out and that is not a bad thing.
Until it is the only game in town, my jury is still out on the Buy or Own verdict. I do like streaming and the thought of having my music (that I own) in the cloud for 24/7 anywhere, any place action is very cool. I love my music collection. It warms my heart, like a good whiskey does, when I look at it and I pick through it (however, I don't see the need for the CDs anymore). Like I said, I am a serious music fan. Serious music fans are a different beast with different habits and should not be used as the example. The massess, technology and speed-to-cool of the streaming/cloud services uptake will decide the way forward. I'm going to tow the owning line for awhile and keep on streaming on until I reach my breaking point.
Click here to download:
the-rise-of-the-streamers-to-own-or-rent-your-music-that-is-the-question-6PaCZGLVEbu5IWE29NEJ.zip (5455 KB)
Oddly, some of the box sets...cds...that I still own today came from my Columbia House Years. In college and a few years after that, I used the old "hide and seek" model again. This time around I paid, but I always bailed as soon as I got my introductory CD booty. Those precious gems were the germs of what my collection has turned out to be today.
My collection started in New Hampshire, moved on to Rhode Island, got good in Boston, rode shotgun on down to Florida and then followed me to Australia and now to London. It's been with me every at every turn. My relationship with my collection is older than the one with my wife of nine + the courtin' years. Putting it in the cloud and streaming it anywhere, anyplace is the killer app, but...not owning and just renting streamed songs...it just doesn't feel right. Not now, not yet, anyway...
if you are still reading this ridiculously long post, let me ask you...are you an owner or a streamer and how are your habits changing?
Tammy Wynette: "She's Just Unrelenting" (painted up & powdered up and ready to go bad)
If you are a fan of country music...real country music...you most surely will be interested in this book about a true queen of the country music scene: Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen.
I'm not a huge Tammy fan if for no other reason than that I am a causal listener...for now). That being said, I've never left the room or hit the skip button when her pipes are working their magic. I found this interview with the book's author, Jimmy McDonough, on NPR. Says, McDonough: "I have a theory that great artists learn how to do one thing great. And that's Tammy," McDonough says. "In terms of a slow, sad song, nobody could rip it up like Tammy. She is just unrelenting."
There is also a can't-stop-reading excerpt from the book on the page. Dolly Parton chimes in with some dropped-jaw comments, too. Here is a killer bit:
When she gets to the chorus, Wynette belts out the words with the force of an air-raid siren, yet barely bats an eyelash. There's zero body language—the drama's all in the voice. She doesn't act out the song or punch her fist in the air; in fact, she barely moves an inch. Tammy the statue. Until a Tinseltown choreographer teaches her some questionable dance steps in the mid-eighties, Wynette will remain frozen onstage. The anti-style of Tammy's wax-figure performances absolutely mystified Dolly Parton. "I could not believe that all of that voice and all that sound was comin' out of a person standin' totally still. I'd think, 'How is she doin' that?' It seems like you'd have to lean into your body or bow down into it or somethin' to get all of that out. I've never seen anything like it to this day. I was in awe of her. I thought she had one of the greatest voices of all time."
You wan't read the whole dang thing now, don't you. The rest of the excerpt is bow-down. I missed three subway stops because it sucked me in. Have at it...here. The book is on my 2010 reading list.
Here she is...the swingin'est swinger you ever had...
p.s. McDonough also wrote the very insightful, "Shakey" bio on one of my personal faves, Ol' Neil Young. I've spun this yarn three times already. Eat a peach...
p.p.s. NPR is kicking many goals right now with their multi-angled music coverage. Hipster bullshit or not, they are doing a hell of a job. The apps are gold, too.
