The 6149 - Filed under 'neil young'

January 31, 2010

The Klieg Light Club: When great artists go from "true to form" to "true to formula"

Recently I posted about keeping it simple in 2010. Let's chalk this one up as a sequel to that post. This time it's about keeping it real in 2010.

_____

Have you seen the movie Precious?

Yes? [collective exhaling, wide-eyed looks and shaking of the heads]

No? Well then, you must see this movie. It is a harrowing story about the human will and the extreme, extremely extreme, challenges it can endure. The movie has been much talked about in the media and on blogs. In a flick filled with shocking moments, one of the most shocking is the performance of Mariah Carey.

Everyone knows who Mariah Carey is, right? Yes, of course we do. She is known as a self-indulgent, high-maintenance, look-at-me, glamour-puss. In Precious she played a run-of-the-mill social worker. For the role, Carey stripped off her Diva persona and played the ugly duckling. In her own words:

"I had to lose all vanity," Carey said. "I had to change my demeanor, my inside, layers of who I am, to become that woman."

Oh my, Mariah. Oh, my. Where to start...? Let's start with the "layers of who I am" part of that statement. How crazy is this shit? She really believes she has these "layers". Is this a bad case of the stardom flu or is she serious. My guess is that she thinks she is serious. My guess is that she thinks that people don't understand that she is a real person underneath it all. My guess is that she thinks that moonbeams and winged unicorns shoot from her ass every-time she farts.

The ironic thing here is that Mariah thinks that she is acting in this movie when, in actuality, it may be her most real performance yet. As I sat in the theatre watching this, I thought to myself, "damn, she seems normal...why doesn't she come off this way all the time"? Forget the no make-up haggard appearance, it was her likability that got me. Why does she chose (yes, choose) to come off so damn self-important and narcissistic in the press?

She is caught in the crossfire of the klieg lights. She was a earnest singer with pipes that dominated the charts. Now she is a indulgent Diva with performances that overwhelm the gossip rags. Just like so many artists, be they actors or musicians, Mariah lost her essence.

How many others has this happened to? Countless. Here is one that comes to mind:

Rod Stewart: Wow. Rod used to be a rocker. He had swagger. He had rough edges. He had the last laugh. Now he is a laughingstock. Has there ever been a career that has experienced such a downward spiral. Seriously. He started out with Long John Baldry, fronted the Jeff Beck Group (brilliantly), led the almighty Faces, absolutely nailed five out of his first six solo albums (Smiler being the lone dud), and then... what the fuck happened? He became a star, that's what happened. Klieg lights...everywhere.

After "A Night on the Town" he started to fall apart. All of his rough edges became polished and glossy and he fell into the glits and glam of the '70's slipstream. He went pop chart and disco with "Footloose & Fancy Free" and "Blondes Have More Fun". He became fodder for urban legends involving blow-jobs and stomach pumping. He limped into the '80's with infrequent blips on the charts with songs hearkening back to days of yore. He rekindled old flames with live albums of old hits. And now...now he sells albums of covers songs to baby boomers, who, like Rod, think that almost is good enough. Yuck.

The Good (the very good)

The Bad

The Ugly

I feel dirty after that last video. I need to go play "Gasoline Alley" front to back right now to restore my faith in the gravel-throated goodness that once was Rod Stewart.

Who else belongs in the Klieg Lights Club?

Elton John (the earliest stuff was so damn earnest)
Robbie Robertson (stop with the Indian albums and the movie producing and put out the classic you know you have in you..please!)
Stephen Stills (so much talent + so much meandering = coulda, shoulda, woulda)
Mick Jagger (solo stuff specifically)
Aerosmith (Dude looks like a train-wreck...)
Gregg Allman (he lost his way when he lost Duane...Allman and Woman? Check out that link...WTF is that album cover all about!?! Come on?! That never would have happened it Duane was still alive).

On the flip-side, there are those who have stayed true to the course. A sampling of the many that are in the Real Deal club:

John Fogerty
Tom Petty
Levon Helm
Bruce Springsteen
Tom Waits
Roger McGuinn
Keith Richards (solo albums and guest-star appearances seal the deal)
Neil Young (They King of Them All Y'All...in fact, he may deserve his own club)

What do you think about those lists. Agree? You have any additions to either one?

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Filed under // Bruce Springsteen Elton John Gregg Allman John Fogerty Keith Richards Klieg Lights Club Levon Helm Mick Jagger Music neil young Real Deal Club riffs Robbie Robertson Rod Stewart Roger McGuinn Stephen Stills Tom Petty Tom Waits

Posted by Judd

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January 22, 2010

Lunch Break Lacquer: The search for Neil Young's "Ditch Trilogy" is now complete

Click here to download:

Lunch_Break_Lacquer_The_search.zip (497 KB)

I just got back from a jaunt over to one of Soho's (London) vinyl graveyards. I use my lunch break to seek out old records that need new life breathed into them. Today I feel like a regular Dr. Fronkensteen (not Frankenstein!).

I just picked up the last album I needed to complete Neil Young's so called, "Ditch Trilogy". Not familiar with the Ditch Trilogy? Well, this trilogy has nothing to do with Lost Arcs or Ewoks (not that we wouldn't expect Ol' Neil to pull that kinda stuff on us). No, this trilogy deals with something far more brooding and intoxicating: honey-slides, lost albums and pissing in the wind.

Here, listen to what friends at Thrasher's Wheat have to say about it:

Neil Young's three consecutive early 1970's albums "Time Fades Away", "On The Beach" and Tonight's The Night are considered by many fans the Rosetta Stone to understanding his entire body of work. Because of their dark, haunting brilliance, the albums are known as "The Ditch Trilogy".

In the often quoted hand written liner notes of Decade, Neil writes: " 'Heart of Gold' put me in the middle of the road. Traveling there soon became a bore so I headed for the ditch." Hence, the origin of the "Ditch" term -- which is sometimes also referred to as the "Doom" period or "The Wilderness Years".

Lots more where that came from: dig here for a deeper Ditch download.

When I got to London in September I found a copy of "Times Fades Away". A few months later, on another one of my Lunch Break Lacquer hunts, I found "Tonight's the Night". Today I found the last jewe in this dented crown: "On the Beach".

All three albums were original pressings. "Tonight's the Night" came with all the original goodies (see pic). "On the Beach" was served up the same way, complete with note from Rusty Kershaw and the orange-y yellow wallpaper on the inside of the gate fold (see pic).

Tonight will definitely be the night...I plan on playing these back-to-front and back-to-back-to-back in all their doom and gloom brilliance. Before I head home there is one more thing I need to make this chariot swing low...

"Tonight's the night; yes it is..."

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Posted from Camden Town, United Kingdom

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December 14, 2009

The (record) Needle and the Damage Done: Neil Young's Vinyl Reissues have ruined my ears (for good)

"The sound.THE SOUND! The sound on this new Neil Young vinyl box set feels like someone dumped oxygen all over these songs. Now I understand".

That was my tweet 20 minutes into listening to the new Neil Young vinyl reissue box set. The sound on off this vinyl was completely overwhelming. There was depth in "Words" I never experienced before. I almost wrote "heard" intend of "experience", but that just would not do.

Click here to download:

The_record_Needle_and_the_Dama.zip (11116 KB)

I played each one in its entirety front to back using my Sennheisser headphones. Those headphones plus this 180 gram super vinyl was a surreal experience. I don't think I could have enjoyed it more if I listened to it through my third friggin' eye...If I had one.

You are going to think I sound like a complete punter, but that first run through of these albums was like an ear-rebirth. The sound was so up in my head that it felt like Neil was in my face and was singing through it.

The depth in the music felt like aural topography. "Words" was another experience altogether. I have listened to that a couple dozen times since last Thursday. It is INTENSE. Has anyone else heard this out there? Am I wrong? Tell me otherwise.

Whew. I wish I could share it via this blog, but shit video won't do. In fact, nothing is good enough. I am spoiled rotten now.

Neil Young put out 17+ albums (including these reissues on vinyl) this year and I bought EVERYTHING. I even bought the BluRay Archives. I think this tops it for pure, I feel like I am falling through space and time, maybe I just died, someone pour me another drink, king-of-all sound listening experiences.

Thank you Neil's sound team. Thank you Neil's Muses. Thanks, Ol' Neil. These grooves rip.

_____

Here are some vids I pulled off of Thrasher's Wheat. The first is an actual pressing of the records and a second is a walk through of the packaging of the Neil V-Box Set (I'm #1,186/3,000)

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Filed under // Box Sets Music neil young pics riffs vids Vinyl

Posted from Kensington, United Kingdom

Posted by Judd

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December 2, 2009

Two full moons and four black circles in one month. Coincidence? Nope, just Ol' Neil Young up to tricks...

Mother Earth kicked off this December with two full moons: December 1st and 2nd. For more than half a century, whenever two full Moons appeared in a single month (which happens on average every 2 1/2 to 3 years), the second has been christened a "Blue Moon." (source: Farmer's Almanac).

An unusual event is often described as happening, "Once in a Blue Moon." With this in mind, I knew something might be up...

Today I got an email telling me that my "limited edition" box set of four Neil vinyl rereleases had been shipped and is on the way.

I knew it! Mother Earth and Ol' Neil are in cahoots!

Have a look at what's in the mail and on the way to my anxious ears. Only 3,000 are being produced...may still be time if you want one. As Neil says, "...in the fields of opportunity, its plowin' time again."

Here are a few of Neil's ditties where he's talkin' "green cheese":

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November 22, 2009

Stolen Melodies, Copped Riffs and Royalty Robberies: What do T-Bone Walker, Chuck Berry & Keith Richards Have in Common? (The RIff)

My wife is nowhere near the music fan that I am. She does not know (or care to know) a fraction of what I do about the songs and the story behind them are concerned. She does, though, have quite an ear for music.

She regularly surprises me when she will say, "hey, this sounds exactly like such-and-such". She asked me one time, "don't these people get mad when someone else plays their song and claims it as their own"?

Oh, boy. That is a can of worms I'm not sure I want to open up?! On second thought, why the hell not...

The history of recorded music is full of various stories about stolen melodies, copped riffs and royalty robberies. Some of the stories are legendary:

John Fogerty was sued (unsuccessfully) by his old CCR label, Fantasy Records, for sounding too much like himself! Fantasy said that "Old Man Down the Road" sounded too much like "Run Through the Jungle" and that Fogerty was plagiarising himself. What a joke. Fogerty had to go to court to defend his style. Hear for yourselves:

In an even more maddening example, Neil Young was sued by Geffen Records for not sound like himself enough. How can anyone say this about Ol' Neil?! They way the man shifts musical directions, you'd think the moon is controlling him as it does the tides (I love Neil for this reason). When Neil put out "Everybody's Rockin", Geffen sued him for making "uncharacteristic and uncommercial records". Ok, ok, maybe "Ol' '80's Cantankerous Neil" wasn't trying to break new ground with this one, but to be sued by his label...? Here is a little ditty from that album:

And then there is this story about the Aussie band, Men at Work, that is making the headline news. You all remember their 80's hit, "Land Down Under", right? How could you not remember that jaunty, lilting, flute melody in it? Larrikin Music Publishing managing director, Norm Lurie, remembers it to...from his childhood. Larrikin is now suing Men At Work for back & future royalties on the song. They claim the flute part comes from the refrain of an old Aussie children's song, the "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree".

Check out this link to see/hear the similarities between the two. When done watching, please proceed to vomit in your lap. This lawsuit is a joke, too. Post Script: I lived in in Sydney for five years...Vegamite sandwiches are good.

Crazy stories, hunh? Can you imagine if the guy that wrote "Happy Birthday" had it copyrighted!?! We'd all be in court!

There are many, many, MANY other examples like this. Sadly, most of them are about money. What I want to do is celebrate influence. A few months ago I wrote a post about artists wearing their influences on their sleeves.This may be a quasi-Part II to that one. In that post I quoted two people:

Neil Young: "It's all one song". (read here for the story behind that quote)

Hunter S. Thompson: "I've been plagiarising all my life. Its called learning".

And that is exactly what it is, isn't it...learning. You like/listen to someone. They have an impact on you. You are influenced by them. You take on some of the characteristics in your own playing. You develop your own sound from this. Is this stealing or is this influence?

Case in point: where would we be without T-Bone Walker, Chuck Berry and Keith Richards? My guess is the insane asylum from having to listen to Pat Boone for a decade longer than we should have.

Let's have some good ol' music fun with influence using these three R&R behemoths.

T-Bone Walker was an early pioneer (in the truest sense of the word) with the electric guitar sound. Once he plugged it in, he made that fiddle squeal and sing out like no one had ever heard before. Surely that would influence young hot-shot guitarists; and it did. Hendrix stated that T-Bone was a big influence. Even more importantly, Chuck Berry sites T-Bone as one of his two biggest influences (Louis Jordan being the other). We all know Chuck's sound, right? Yes, but was it really Chuck's in the first place? Listen to this T-Bone cut, "T-Bone Boogie", that predates any Chuck recordings:

"WOW", right? Chuck has bitched and moaned for years about how he got robbed by people stealing his sound. Most famously, he sued the Beach Boys for stealing the riff from "Sweet Little Sixteen" and won (check out this cool site called, "Sounds Just Like" for a Berry/Beach Boys comparison). Yeah, Chuck, I guess you were influenced by T-Bone. Have a listen to one of Berry's Great 28, "Bye, Bye Johnny". Sound a little like, "T-Bone Boogie"? Hell, yes.

Now we all know that there are a lot of "Chuck's children out there playin' his licks" (thanks for that lyric, Bob Seeger), none more famously than Keith Richards. Keith is an unabashed Chuck disciple. Keith has said that all he wanted to do when he started out playing was, "to sound like Chuck Berry". Chuck's riffs are found all throughout Keef's playing with the Stones and with his solo band, the X-Pensive Winos. Here is a track off his first solo album, "Talk is Cheap". Listen for those Chuck riffs like they "were ringing a bell". Also, Johnny Johnson, Chuck's long-time pianist is on this track pounding out on the 88's.

There are way too many Chuck/Keef stories to talk about here. You should watch the most excellent movie, "Hail, Hail Rock & Roll" to get a feel for the relationship Master and Pupil had. Here is a clip of the two Gunslingers "learning" how to play "Carol".

There you have it: influence in all it's rock and roll glory. It is cool to listen to those three songs in succession to see how that guitar riff has evolved. Can you think of any other great cascading riff lineage?

_____

Bonus Cut:

While we're at it, here is one last example: the Bo Diddley Beat. Bo's Beat was the new sliced-bread and may never be topped. Here is an early Bo classic and a song by the Allman Brothers from the same name:

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Filed under // Allman Brothers Bo Diddley Bow-Down Post Chuck Berry Happy Birthday Hunter S. Thompson influence John Fogerty Keith Richards lawsuits Men At Work Music neil young record labels riffs Rock and Roll royalties T-Bone Walker

Posted by Judd

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November 19, 2009

It's not what you play, it's how you play it: live music puts a tiger in my tank

"Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio."

That is a quote by one of my heroes: Hunter S. Thompson. Hunter...I miss your honesty, your true grit and your wisdom. Oh, your wisdom; the wisdom found in this statement prances and preens like one of your precious proud peacocks. I can't agree more with what Hunter is saying here: Music = Fuel.

I want to take that one step further. If music is indeed fuel, then live music is super-unleaded; high-test; moonshine.

I've been heavily into the live portion of my collection as of late. Great live albums/songs are touchstones to me. If I need a pick me up, if I need to be jolted or if I just need a cheap thrill...I can always turn to some fave live music.

Case in point...I am trolling the back catalog lately in anticipation for three purchases that will happen in the next two weeks: all of them live.

I love this time of the year. Record labels are putting out lush box sets hoping to hook holiday gift buyers and solo splurgers. I am a record company's chum; sharks sniff me out and attack and rip me...and my wallet...to shreds. Bring it on. These sets tend to be grandiose with a price tag to match. It is not that I have money to burn...if I did I would be an arsonist...but I know what I like and what I gots-ta have.

The three sets I am pacing the floor for are:

The Rolling Stones: Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out [40th Anniversary Deluxe Version]. This is the proud black panther crawlin' up and down my hall. As far as live music goes, this may be the best show of 'em all: a flat-out, hands-down, sure-bet live masterpiece. This set has the whole kit and caboodle: Three LPs, three CDs, one DVD, books, posters and a lock of Mick's pubic hair. Go HERE to check out this magnificent booty.

This album may contain my fave live tune EVER: "Little Queenie". This song has it all: Mick teases the home crowd with a shout out ("You talk a lot New York City...."), it is a cover tune and it takes that cover tune and turns it into a stone cold monster...a raunchy, only when the moon is full, full-tilt, evil-twin version. It also has multiple guitar solos in it. "Little Queenie" sets the standard for what live rock and roll can be. All this and it has Keef Richards playing some of the his best riffs ever. Dirty.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: quot; target="_blank">The Live Anthology. Four CDs of live TP & The HBs from way back to right now. Everything I hear about this positions it as bow-down material. I think I have to go BluRay version for this.

Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom - Live. I'm going for vinyl on this one. When ever I get done with a Tom Waits listening session I am unsure whether or not red means stop and green means go. Tom Waits swims against the current.

Live music...it is going to be my fuel for the holidays. I want to share a few fave live tunes with you. There is NO WAY I could begin to put together a list of ALL of my faves...not possible. What I have for you here are ten front-burner faves that I always can turn to when my gage reads "E".

Normally I like to embed a playlist here in this post; I couldn't find all the songs I wanted to share. Instead, I am gifting them to you in a download. Tis the season, eh? Here is what you will find in the playlist, including a bit of twitter'esque commentary on each:

Everyday I have the Blues (BB King - "Live at the Regal"): this is the first song on the album. The crowd is in BBs hand before Lucille's second solo rings out.
Live Wire (AC/DC - "Bonfire"): This takes place in a radio studio with a small live crowd. How do they strike sparks this fast?! Combustible music.
Mean Woman Blues (Jerry Lee Lewis - "Live at the Star Club, Hamburg Germany"): Pure, unadulterated raw power. The Killer is on fucking fire here.
Walk It Talk It (Lou Reed - "American Poet"): Again this one is recorded live in a radio studio. Lou Reed is a rock and roller on this one...it has a definite Chuck Berry sound.
Cowgirl in the Sand (Neil Young - "Live at the Fillmore"): Neil covers the spectrum of his guitar playing abilities on this: intense. Listen to Jack Nitschze's haunting piano: creepy.
Little Queenie (Rolling Stones - "Ya-Ya's"): Like I said, this is unmatched R&R.
Don't Think Twice Its Alright (Eric Clapton - "Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Special"): "Bobfest", as dubbed by Neil. This might be Clapton's last great performance. The second guitar solo makes your head shake involuntarily. Whew. And...its a cover song.
Emotionally Yours (The O'Jays - "Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Special"): Wow...this song has that rising power that takes you soaring with it. Emotional, indeed...
Caravan (Van Morrison - "Last Waltz") - Another qualifier of live greatness: the all-star jam. Van takes this one over the top with a handful of crescendos...and with a crazy purple spandex outfit [yikes!]
You Don't Know Like I Know: (Sam & Dave - "The Complete Stax Singles, Disk 4"): Arguably two of the greatest live performers ever. Listen to the fun and excitement in this one. You can't help but move to it.

Download the "Live Moonshine" playlist HERE.

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Filed under // AC/DC BB King Bow-Down Post Box Sets Downloads Eric Clapton Hunter S. Thompson Jerry Lee Lewis Live Lou Reed Moonshine Music neil young playlist riffs Rolling Stones Sam & Dave The O'Jays Tom Petty Tom Waits Van Morrison

Posted by Judd

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November 12, 2009

Autumn Audio: flannel shirts, leaves changing and songs for dirt roads

Click here to download:

Autumn_Audio_flannel_shirts_le.zip (176 KB)

(scenes of New Hampshire in the Fall)

If you're a little bit of country and have never visited a website called "When You Awake", you ain't worth your salt.

Jody, who runs the site, says that When You Awake is an "ode to country life, celebrating everything from classic country and rock to the the current indie folk and roots scenes. The daily blog features music news, mixtapes, ticket giveaways, style finds and much more". She does a great job curating all kinds of great tunes that go twang into mixtapes for you to download. I know I've burned my share of bandwidth on her site.

There is a lot there to read and hear, so make sure you have time on hand when you have a gander.

In a recent post, she put together a list of "Seven Songs Shaping our Fall". The brief for this exercise: include songs that you are really enjoying now, that are shaping your life...genre be damned. Follow the link I provided for you to see what she came up with.

In a subsequent post Jody posted Fall song lists from "friends and trusted bloggers". She also suggests that we readers add out own lists in the comments. It is always great to see people respond to requests/posts like this. I enjoy seeing what everyone has their ears to and what new songs/artists I can get turned on to.

Of course this is a two-way street; I couldn't help but add my own list. A few others added their seven songs, too. Check the list updates here. You'll find mine in the comment section. I'm also adding it here, with my comments from the post, as well as with a Tune Tag playlist attached.

p.s. my "little bit of country" comment in the first line of this post was a tongue-in-cheek nod to two towering Champions of Contrived Cultural Cheesey-ness. I can't believe I am even linking to this (there goes my street cred). Warning: this may make you puke in your mouth.

_____

My Comments from When You Awake:

Great idea for a list. I am from New Hampshire but I have been off living in Sydney Australia and now in London. I miss the fall. Just looking at that picture takes me back to the N.H. fall with short, bitter days and long, warm nights of carousing by a jukebox with friends.

Here are my seven (this list wears a flannel shirt and should only be listened to on a roadtrip, preferably on a dirt road):

1. The Mountain - Levon Helm (Dirt Farmer)
2. Pullin’ Up the Tracks - Dave Gleason (Midnight California)
3. Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show (O.C.M.S.)
4. Can’t You See - The Marshall Tucker Band (Marshall Tucker Band)
5. Long May You Run - Neil (Decade)
6. Hickory Wind - GP (Sacred Hearts & Fallen Angels)
7. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - Lucinda (Car Wheels on a Gravel Road)

(Cameron Crowe would be upset at me for not having an Elton John song on a roadtrip mix tape: Country Comfort - Elton John (Tumbleweed Connection)

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Filed under // Autumn Blogs Dave Gleason Dirt Roads Elton John Fall Flannel Shirts Gram Parsons Levon Helm Lucinda WIlliams Marshall Tucker Band neil young New Hampshire Old Crow Medicine Show Playlists riffs Tune Tags

Posted by Judd

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November 4, 2009

Guest Blog Post on YUD.com: "William Shakespeare and the New Rules for Recruiters"

I have been a bit slack on writing for The 6149. I'm sure the eleven people that read this are heartbroken. Since moving to London, my interweb access has been shoddy, at best. Finally we moved into a new flat two weeks ago. New digs means setting up the utilities, TV, phone and umbilical cord, better known as broadband connection.

Pause: as a result, I have had a chance to pause and think about what direction to take The 6149. I'll let that manifest as naturally and transparently as possible.

Make no mistake about it, this blog is not a money maker or a product seller, nor is it soap box. It is a spot for me to talk about music, practice writing skills and provoke thoughts (my own and anyone else who is playing along at home).

That being said, here is what might be my favourite Neil Young song: "Thrasher". The themes, lyrics and symbolism in parts of the song play out here on the blog...and the subtitle of it as well. I love this fucking song.

_____

OK, back to the subject matter in this post's title.

On two occasions in the recent past, I have guessed blogged on my friend's site, www.yourunemployeddaughter.com, otherwise known as "YUD". YUD and I are kindred-unemployed-spirits. YUD's blog is a great read about life as an unemployed writer/managing editor and New York'er. We thought it would be interesting if chimed in from a similar angle, but from London. For this exercise I am YUP: Your Unemployed Parter. Here is the original YUP post to find out what a YUP is.

Here is my latest YUD contribution with a preamble from YUD, herself:

Today’s dispatch from across the pond comes at a good time. I myself am a little bit down in the dumps about finding a job. Daylight savings time is over, marking the final door-slam on our already closed summer of frivolity, and while I have freelance work, it’s not enough to occupy me. I want more. Challenges! Excitement! Coworkers! I need more. Free Halloween candy in the kitchen! A water bubblah! Money!

And I’m irritated and a bit numb from not hearing back from the one million peoples and places to whom I’ve sent my resume, of feeling like every effort I go to has so little effect, why bother…

Oh, it’s deadening, isn’t it? But we can’t let that happen. Because we are good, we are worthy, we are deserving of jobs. And if those jobs don’t want us, fuck ‘em. It’s onward and upward, my friends.

One step I have not really taken has been going to a recruiter. I know others have done it. Some markets rely on them far more than others. But it’s a step that I may just turn to, next, since the jobs I see on Mediabistro and Craigslist are not doing it for me. ($5 to edit an article? Thanks, but no thanks.)

Let's listen to what YUP has to Say:

It’s time we had that chat. No, YUDites, not that chat. I hope by now you are well-versed in the ins and outs of the birds and bees. The chat I am talking about it the one concerning … recruiters [collective sigh]. Funny, isn’t it, how these two aforementioned topics are related: Sometimes you can get royally fucked by recruiters.

Oooh, that was harsh. Unfair to the entire recruiter community. That being said, there are some whose goal it is to turn you over quickly and put another notch on their bedpost/quota. You know them. They work for the big chop-shop recruiting firms. They shop you around like today’s lunch special hoping they can shoehorn you into a role. They are in it for them, not you.

You meet them in a small, antiseptic, unwelcoming room. They offer you water. They ask you to tell them your story. As you pour your guts out, they are looking right through you, categorically sizing you up. They ask some vanilla questions and say, “I think we may be able to do something for you.”

Yeah, right. Next time you hear from them, check the calendar. I bet you half of my next paycheck (whenever it arrives) it will be toward the end of the month (quota time!).

There are some very good recruiters out there … but you have to seek them out. These recruiters, or career consultants, are a bit harder to find, but worth the effort. They usually work in specialized, vertically aligned recruiting firms. They cover a specific sector. YOUR sector. They have good contacts. They care about placing quality with quality. They care about helping YOU find work.

I usually find three to five recruiters of this ilk. I meet with them and try to give them a very real perception of who I am, what I want, and how I want to go about getting it. This approach is even more important when you are looking in a foreign market.

Here are the Recruiter Rules I use when gathering my posse:

If you want to read on about my Recruiter Rules, head on over to YUD to read the rest of this post and check out some of her other musings on life as YUD:

William Shakespeare and the New Recruiter Rules

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Posted by Judd

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September 30, 2009

"So Russell... what do you love about music?" Share Your Almost Famous "Everything" Moments

William Miller: "So Russell...what do you love about music?"

Russell Hammond: "To begin with...everything".

Exactly! This is the last bit of dialogue we hear before the end of the movie, "Almost Famous". It is the scene where William finally gets his interview with Russell. It is a moment that induces head nods and knowing grins from all serious music fans. I (we) know exactly what Russell means. Everything means, well, everything.

It is not any thing about the music; it is everything about the music: the songs, the vocal and musical nuances, the inspiration for the song, the actual recording of it, where they recorded, the band, the guest musicians, the album cover, the naysayers, the promoters, the stories and all of the tall tales associated with the music...everything.

Here is a bit of "everything":

On Bob Dylan's 2001 release, "Love and Theft", drummer David Kemper tells a revealing tale about the "training" Bob put them through initially. Rehearsals for the new album started nearly a year before recording it. Kemper said that one time, for a period of three days straight, Dylan had the band play only Dean Martin songs(?!). Dylan would have them do this with many other early legendary and unheralded American recording artists. The band would rehearse these songs over and over and then never play them again once Dylan had heard what he wanted to hear.

A year later when they began the recording process, Dylan would introduce a new song such as, "Summer Days". He would instruct the band to play it in the style of Dean Martin or one of the other artists they had practiced. Dylan had been training the band (a year in advance!) for the sound he wanted the album to have. Kemper said it was like going to the "School of Americana, as taught by Bob". That gives me a whole new perspective on the album each time I put it on. You can't go back and have a listen and not think about this.

Everything does not have to be a legendary tall tale either. There is a scene in the director's cut of "Almost Famous" where Russell give us a hint at what he means by everything. Right before Stillwater plays their first gig, Russell is talking to William about the significance of the "littlest details in songs". Russell said that these little details are the ones that people "remember the most". Russell uses the "first whooo" in Marvin Gaye's, "What's Happening Brother" as an example (I included that in the Tune Tags playlist below. The "whooo" shows up at 2:15...and the first one is the memorable one).

Russell (Cameron) is right. These are the unplanned, down to the bone, in the groove moments that can make bad songs good and great songs legendary. They are real moments of inspiration and emotion that collide and combust from within the musicians...because they are feeling it. That is what makes the songs special. That is why we like these little moments.

You must have a few of these yourselves. I know I do. In the spirit of Russell's "everything" and "littlest details", I am offering up ten songs that strike sparks for me. I have included a bit of twitter'esque detail on each "little moment". Feel free suggest some of your favourites and I will add them to the playlist for others to put their ears to.

Neil Young - "Cinnamon Girl": Here is another "whooo" for you and it happens at 2:09. The "whooo" coincides with this guitar solo that launchs out of the heavy-duty muck n' mire rhythm that Crazy Horse is laying down.

Derek and the Dominoes - "Little Wing": Clapton and Duane Allman trading licks on a Jimi Hendrix song. I'd shout out "whooo" too if I was Clapton (1:55)

The band (w/The Staple Singers) - "The Weight": This is from The Last Waltz and it is all about Mavis Staples. There are two bits in here that make this a bow-down track for me. This is such a "breath-y" performance. You get the feeling she is stirring something up inside and getting ready for the pay-off (an example at 1:03). That pay-off comes at 1:26. It is a this from the gut "unh-huh" that brings me to my knees each time I hear it.

Rod Stewart - "Every Picture Tells a Story": I love this song. It always make me feel like traveling...on a whim. I think it is Rod's best penned song (with help from Ronnie Wood). At 2:35, Rod lets off a rather rowdy Whooo! (another "whooo"!). It might have something to do with Kenny Jones thundering away, Ronnie starting in with this galloping acoustic and the female back singer firing off an inspired backing vocal. Whoo indeed. (by the way, this one is on the Almost Famous soundtrack)

The Rolling Stones - "Prodigal Son": A two for one! One of my "little moment" here comes at the end...but the entire song is needed to make it happen. Keef is strumming the hell out of his acoustic. You think he was enjoying himself? If the abrupt and ramshackle "heeyaay" is any indication...yes. The other one is a Mick moment. At 1:55, Mick drawls off a "mercy" that almost makes you feel like he means it.

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - "Shadow of a Doubt": Another two for one. At 2:03, Tom puts this inflection on the end of "kid" that starts to rev me up...and himself, too. The tension starts there and builds up until Tom shouts out "aaaaiy" at 2:42. The song doesn't slow down from there.

Drive-By Truckers - "Sink Hole": One of my favourite "new" bands. The Truckers tell a good story and this one by Patterson Hood is no exception. There is passion here, because it is most likely a true story. The song moves like a stock car driver frantically trying to come up from the back of the pack. By the time Patterson gets to 3:12 and delivers that "eeeoouuuaaagh" you know he damn well means it.

The Animals - "The Story of Bo Diddley": Eric Burden spends five minutes and fifteen seconds telling us Bo's story. By 5:16 he has worked himself into a tizzy and squelches off a "eeehaaaaayy Bo Diddley" that came from the soles of his feet. This is a long song, but I always find the payoff worth it.

Warren Zevon - "The French Inhaler": What a GENIUS song. The lyrics are truly a gift to the listener. Apparently this was about his wife (word is she was "ending up with someone different every night"). At 3:28, Zevon makes a kissing sound into the mic (the great kiss-off, perhaps). I have listened to numerous other studio takes of this track and have not heard that anywhere else. My guess is that this was a timely improve...and it works.

The Rolling Stones - "Casino Boogie": Ah, Keith. The master of the perfect anti-harmony vocal. On "Exile on Main St." he was in rare vocal form. There are so many Keef moments on this album that it is hard to choose. This one always makes me smile: check out Keef's squealing of "understaaaand" at 00:46.

OK, your turn. I'll add them to the playlist...

_____

*Disclaimer:

I am a bonafide nut over Almost Famous. I love the story and the romantic notions of a life as an outsider on the inside of this cool scene that was/is Rock and Roll. Cameron Crowe did a brilliant job recreating the times and telling his own story. Here is a funny story of my own:

Circa 2003 I was living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. My wife had gone to the Florida Keys with some girlfriends for the weekend. I came home on Saturday after a night of drinking and carousing with my buddies. I decided I was going to watch Almost Famous in its entirety...which I surprisingly did considering my state of being at the time.

About three weeks after this night I got a package in the mail...from Cameron Crowe?! Well, it wasn't Cameron himself, but someone on his behalf. This is where things get fuzzy. Apparently, after I finished watching the movie, I went on Crowe's website. At the time they were selling screenplays from the movie with a handwritten, personally addressed note from Cameron...complete with coffee stain on the cover. I bought one. I didn't even remember that I did it. But, there it was, at my doorstep. It was nicely bound and was printed on heavy stock paper...complete with the note from Cameron.

Wow. My wife was just shaking her head and laughing at me. I think it cost thirty or forty bucks. The funny thing is, I probably would have bought it sober. I still have it, but it is on the open sea on the way over from Sydney, Australia along with the rest of our belongings. When it gets here, I will post a picture of it and the handwritten note.

I found a free copy online and have attached it here for reading or downloading.

Click here to download:

Cameron Crowe's (355 KB)

Tune Tags

The Goods

Cameron Crowe's website
Almost Famous Wikipedia Page (lots of great insights and factoids here)
Almost Famous IMBD page
Check out Bill Simmons', The ESPN Sports Guy, use of Almost Famous in one of his recent columns about the offseason for the NBA (well worth the read just for the AF reference alone)
Podcast that talks about the recording of "Love & Theft"
"Untitled": director's but/bootleg of Almost Famous (this is suberb...better than the original theatre cut)

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Filed under // Almost Famous Bod Dylan Bow-Down Post Cameron Crowe Drive-By Truckers Duane Allman Eric Clapton Everything Friends Mavis Staples Movie Music neil young playlist riffs Rod Stewart Rolling Stones Screenplay The Animals The Band The Goods Tom Petty Tune Tags Warren Zevon

Posted by Judd

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September 14, 2009

Neil Young says "Time Fades Away". Good thing vintage record shops haven't...

You always remember your first.

This past week I made my first visit to one of the record shops on my London Record Shop Search Map. My wife and I were in Notting Hill to look for places to live. I planned ahead, knowing that Rough Trade Records had one of their outposts there, and brought along the gift certificates my good Aussie mate, Kip gave to me

We were on a tight schedule of appointments to see local flats. Knowing this, I had to be quick with my first look at what could be my new music buying/hang-out home away from Mojo Music in Sydney. When I check out a record shop with as much cred as Rough Trade, I want to be able to take my sweet-assed time and look through all the racks and other goodies strewn about. It may have been my first time, but I sure as hell know to do it right and make it last.

Alas, this visit would have to be a better-than-nothing quickie.

I got to the door of the shop and took a deep breath and thought of my buddies at Mojo. I had to make sure I brainwashed myself into forgetting about them and The Feel of that shop. Mojo is a rough diamond; an imperfect gem that you can't put a value on. It wouldn't be fair to grade Rough Trade by my Mojo standards.

That being said, it was no Mojo. What is it then? It is chock full of vintage vinyl. Downstairs is full all kinds of oldies and goodies. I bypassed sinking my teeth into the upstairs area with all of it's CDs, eye candy and memorabilia. I had to act quick and I wanted vintage.

I started flipping through the bins and all of the sections: surf, blues, classic soul, Stax & Motown specific, US & UK versions of Stones albums, Dylan, Country and Good Ol' Neil Young.

When in doubt, go to Neil.

And there it was...an album worthy of my first purchase in a London record shop: "Time Fades Away" by Good Ol' Neil Young. This album was released in 1973...on vinyl...and has never been put out on CD or up for download by Neil. Neil fan(atics) have long hollered for its release. In fact, the supreme Neil site, Thrasher's Wheat, has collected over 114,000 signatures in their online petition to have it released (yeah, I've signed on).

I picked up a copy for 25 quid. It is a UK pressing on Reprise. It is in mint condition, complete with inside poster/fold out of all lyrics and listings.

This album is soaked in mystique and lore. It is part of the "Ditch Trilogy". Cameron Crowe replicated the album cover in a scene in his movie, "Almost Famous" (of which I am in awe of, jealous of and a huge fan of). In the flick, at the first Stillwater show, there is a rose lying on the stage and a man in front of the stage raising his arm, thus recreating the cover of Time Fades Away.

What Neil has said about it:

"It was recorded on my biggest tour ever, 65 shows in 90 days. Money hassles among everyone concerned ruined this tour and record for me but i released it anyway so you folks could see what could happen if you lose it for a while."

What Rolling Stone wrote about it in it's 1974 review:

If Young appears foolish and arrogant at various points on the album, he seems to be allowing us a glimpse of these flaws, rather than letting them slip through and spoil his big moments without his consent, as happened on Harvest. Time Fades Away is an idiosyncrasy from one of rock's most idiosyncratic artists. If it isn't a resounding success, the album is still a revealing self-portrait by an always fascinating man.

What allmusic has to say in their review:

Few rockers have been as willing as Young to lay themselves bare before their audience, and Time Fades Away ranks with the bravest and most painfully honest albums of his career — like the tequila Young was drinking on that tour, it isn't for everyone, but you may be surprised by its powerful effects.

_____

All in all, it was a satisfying visit to Rough Trade. I bought a fave, hard to find piece of vinyl. I used my good friend Kip's gift certificates in a way that would make him proud (Kip is a music-aficionado-wizard with righteous taste). And, I found some good 'uns to back and explore when I have ample time. A more in-depth report to follow.

On a side note. My wife has the Fear in her now. She knows the cat is very much out of the bag on this one...