The 6149 - Filed under 'Rolling Stones'

February 20, 2010

My shit-box stereo and the case of the missing Bobby Keys sax solo

When I was in college I had to borrow a pot to piss in. Like most all college students, I didn't have a lot of money. What money I did have went to the essentials: beer, parties, beer, music, beer and food (in that order). I didn't have many possessions either. Living in a fraternity house for three years teaches you a thing or two. One of which is to protect the things you love most; if you don't, they will get chewed up and spit out in that madcap, 24/7, party carnival environment.

Of my possessions, the one thing everybody knew not to touch, was my music collection. Back then it was much, much smaller than what it has become today (1,500 albums strong: Judd's Juke Joint). It was cassettes mostly (I graduated uni in '94); the majority of which were Rolling Stones albums. I also had a few dozen mixes that I had made over the years. I called this gang of mixes the Frankenstein Collection. I had dug up lost causes and old faves and created some monster mixes that kept parties rollickin' until many a sun-up.

My room I lived in was small. The closet was almost as big as the room itself. In fact, I chose to stuff my single mattress in the closet and sleep in there. I did this for two reasons: one winter we didn't have any heat in the house, so we were forced to hunker down in our rooms with space heaters, and two, I wanted everyone to hunker in my room to party...so I need to clear space.

People liked hanging in my room because I never closed the bar and because I had the best tunes. I had a chest of drawers in my room; the top two of which held all of my tapes and what few CDs I had. My stereo was a complete and utter piece of shit. It was a set of scrapheap components consisting of a tuner, tape deck and a cd player.

The tuner had been through the ringer: beer spilled into it, fuses blown, dropped a half a dozen times and it had a big dent in the side for good measure. Near the end of its life, it only played music through the right speaker channel. Back then, the fact that the music was only coming through one channel didn't matter to me. I wasn't listening to the music as much as I was just hearing it. I never really thought about the different instruments being played...I just liked the song, the story and the attitude that came out of the speakers.

I remember the night the tuner blew out in the left channel. We were having a few-hundred beers and listening to Sticky Fingers. We were right in the middle of "Brown Sugar" when the left channel went dead. At first no one noticed it. When the song made its way to Bobby Keys sax solo...it wasn't there?! I stopped the tape and rewound it. Nope, it was gone. I knew I was drunk...but drunk enough to lose a Bobby Keys sax solo?

After I slapped and shook the tuner, I realised that the left channel went kaput. Short of administering drunken CPR to my stereo, there was nothing I could do to fix it...and I never did.

I didn't party because I didn't have the cash to replace the stereo and party because I had stumbled upon a whole new way to listen to the songs I thought I knew so well. When I lost Booby Key's wailing, cock-sure, sax strut I gained a pulsing, driving Keef Richards rhythm machine. It was always there all along, but I had never really listened to it. Without the sax, the rhythm was isolated and I realised that it was underpinning the song. It was the spine of the song and the sax was the flesh on the bone.

I started to re-listen to all of my music again...through only the right channel. There was so much there that I had missed!

My listening habits were forever changed. There was no turning back...my ears had been opened and tuned to listen to the layers of the songs. The song may be the sum of the parts, but the individual parts have their own stories to tell, too.

Which leads me to one of the most unheralded music documentary series ever: "Classic Albums". Have you seen any of the documentaries in this series? If so, you are nodding your head and smiling. If not, here is what it is all about:

Musicians, producers, music biz'ers and the like talk about a particular album. They discuss how they made the album or how they were affected by it. The music, and its production, is dissected by the musicians and/or producers. They sit at the mixing console and play the multitrack recordings and spotlight the individual instrumental and vocal tracks. The insights they give into how the songs and the sounds were made is captivating.

I love this series for the storytelling. There are so many stories that exist within songs; stories about the instruments; stories about the musicians; stories about the studio; stories about the culture; stories about the stories. I am completely transfixed when the producer and musician are sitting at the console and isolating a particular piano part or back-up vocal and talking about how/why it was created. You really start to get a feel for what it was like to be in the studio.

My fave episode focuses on The Band's, "The Band" album. If you have followed along on this blog you know that Levon Helm is one of my heroes and I have said that if there was one band I could have been in, it would be the The Band...and this album is one of my top five faves of all time. This episode is all killer, no filler. Front and centre are Levon, Robbie and Rick as well as the producer John Simon.

The beauty of The Band's music was the juxtaposition of song-simplicity with a rich cache of a multifarious, layered instrumental supporting tracks. This particular album is steeped in integrity. When you watch this episode, nothing expresses this more than watching Levon tell his stories.

As John Simons says in this episode, "Levon sings in his own voice". So true. Levon does not sing in a southern accent, rather he is his southern accent. This integrity, this realness is so very evident in the songs on this album. One of my fave scenes in the episode is when Levon and Simons are sitting at the console picking "Rag Mama Rag" apart.

Look how much fun Levon is having! You hear a lot of artists say,"oh, I never listen to any of my records". Not Levon. The songs are his life, his memories and he doesn't leave them on a shelf collecting dust. How could you not want to be hanging with Levon in the studio...

At seven minutes into this next clip, Levon and Simons start to pick "Rocking Chair" apart. They are talking about the vocal harmonies, specifically the sweet sound of Richard Manuel's voice. It is fascinating to watch Levon relive the recording. I want to pop a couple beers and put my cuban heeled boots up on the console and kick back my chair...

The next vid clip finishes up that segment. At one point (0:18 into it), Simons says, "I love this part". Levon quickly follows with a, "me too". How many times have you, I, been sitting with friends talking about a song just like this: "I love this part...listent to that piano...that guitar fill just kills me...".

(I love the comment from Levon on "that Chinese ending")

You really should watch the entire episode on "The Band" album. Click through the vids I have here and you can watch it all...it is broken up into five parts. There are other bow-down episodes I like, too: I like the one on The Dead's, "American Beauty" (watch Bob Wier cringe when he hears his isolated vocal on Sugar Magnolia), The Who's "Who's Next", Lou Reed's "Transformer" and John Lennon's "Plastic Ono Band".

Check out the Classic Album YouTube Channel

_____

When I first saw this series I thought back to my shit-box college stereo. Essentially it was the same type of sound discovery and isolation of the bits and parts; the Classic Album series took it to another place entirely.

The music industry critics talk about how the model for selling and distributing the music/content is changing...whether the big labels like it or not: the death of the album...subscription models...streaming services, etc.

What I want is a way to get more involved with the music. I do that with vinyl because I actively need to make time to listen to an album front to back as well as to physically be involved in flipping the album over to side two. When I listen to my music in bits and bytes, I would like more access to it to pick it apart and play with it...I want to explore the songs the way they do on the Classic Album series.

Why can't I buy a digital version of "The Band" on iTunes that gets played only through my Mac software, "Garage Band". Here I can use the "mixing board" to isolate instruments or vocals...pull the song apart and listen to the guts of it. THAT would be cool. THAT would be something I would get lost in for hours. THAT would be something I would pay a few extra dollars for. If Classic Albums sold this as a special edition for each episode, I'd be first in line.

Until then, I will do what I do with every new album by a fave artist that I get. I play it for one month as intended....through both the left and right channels. Then for one week I play it through the left channel and follow that with a week's worth of the right channel only. After that, I'm back to the right and left combo.

Some people dream of playing on classic albums...I dream of producing them.

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Filed under // Albums Music Production Riffs Rolling Stones The Band vids

Posted by Judd

Comments [11]

February 13, 2010

Old Time Used To Be's: "Well I went down, to the Chelsea Drugstore..."

The King's Road is a very famous street here in London and is a stones throw (pun intended) from where we live. In it's 60's heyday, it was a major place for hipsters and happenings. The usual R&R lore applies...Ringo & George shared a flat here, the "Swan Song" record label, home to Led Zeppelin, was here, etc.

The Chelsea Drug Store (circa early 1970's)

Living in London, I hear all kinds of stories such as this. A local know-it-all-told me about one cool place in particular: The Chelsea Drug Store. Yes, that same Chelsea Drug store from the Stone's, "You Can't AlwaysGet What You Want".

We all know the lyric:

"Well I went down, to the Chelsea Drug Store

To get your, prescription filled

I was standin' in line, with Mr. Jimmy

Man, didi he look pretty ill"

I hadn't put it all together before: I live in Chelsea, the Stones are English, the Chelsea Drug store (if it was an actual place) should be somewhere in the neighbourhood. Honestly, in the context of the song, I thought it was a reference to a local "dealer's" house where, ahem, illegal prescriptions got filled.

The guy I was speaking to told me where the Chelsea Drug Store was. I knew exactly where he described it to be, so I heel-toed it over there an snapped this picture.

It's a McDonalds now. Figures...only Burger King allows you to "have it your way".

Oh, and speaking of R&R lore and legendary tales: have a look here to read up on a theory of who "Mr.Jimmy" actually was.

For the record, this song is off of my fave Stones album Let it Bleed. I've often referred to it as my fave start-to-back album of all time (still holds true). It is Keith's album. He plays most all the guitars on it. Plus, you know you are in for a ride when the album starts of screaming, "Gimme" and then decides that, in the end, you can't always get what you want...

Here is a version of You Can't Always Get What You Want" from the famed Stones bootleg, Brussel's Affair ('73). The sax on it is top shelf...

You Can't Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones

(download)

_____

Here is a bit on the Chelsea Drug Store from the Royal Borough of Kensington's website:

The modern glass and aluminium frontage of the Chelsea Drug store shocked Royal Avenue residents when it opened in July 1968. They were even more appalled by the clientele. The residents demanded that access to the King's Road was closed, which was done in 1971. Chelsea Drugstore was modelled on Le Drugstore on Boulevard St Germain in Paris. Arranged over three floors the complex included bars, food outlets, a chemist, newsstand, record store and boutiques. It was open 16 hours a day, seven days a week. A major attraction was the ‘flying squad’ delivery service. This was made up young ladies in purple catsuits using motorcycles to make home deliveries.

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Filed under // Albums Albums Chelsea Chelsea London London Music Music R&R Lore R&R Lore RIffs RIffs Rolling Stones Rolling Stones

Posted from Kensington, United Kingdom

Posted by Judd

Comments [3]

February 13, 2010

Old Time Used To Be's: "Well I went down, to the Chelsea Drugstore..."

The King's Road is a very famous street here in London and is a stones throw (pun intended) from where we live. In it's 60's heyday, it was a major place for hipsters and happenings. The usual R&R lore applies...Ringo & George shared a flat here, the "Swan Song" record label, home to Led Zeppelin, was here, etc.

The Chelsea Drug Store (circa early 1970's)

Living in London, I hear all kinds of stories such as this. A local know-it-all-told me about one cool place in particular: The Chelsea Drug Store. Yes, that same Chelsea Drug store from the Stone's, "You Can't AlwaysGet What You Want".

We all know the lyric:

"Well I went down, to the Chelsea Drug Store

To get your, prescription filled

I was standin' in line, with Mr. Jimmy

Man, didi he look pretty ill"

I hadn't put it all together before: I live in Chelsea, the Stones are English, the Chelsea Drug store (if it was an actual place) should be somewhere in the neighbourhood. Honestly, in the context of the song, I thought it was a reference to a local "dealer's" house where, ahem, illegal prescriptions got filled.

The guy I was speaking to told me where the Chelsea Drug Store was. I knew exactly where he described it to be, so I heel-toed it over there an snapped this picture.

It's a McDonalds now. Figures...only Burger King allows you to "have it your way".

Oh, and speaking of R&R lore and legendary tales: have a look here to read up on a theory of who "Mr.Jimmy" actually was.

For the record, this song is off of my fave Stones album Let it Bleed. I've often referred to it as my fave start-to-back album of all time (still holds true). It is Keith's album. He plays most all the guitars on it. Plus, you know you are in for a ride when the album starts of screaming, "Gimme" and then decides that, in the end, you can't always get what you want...

Here is a version of You Can't Always Get What You Want" from the famed Stones bootleg, Brussel's Affair ('73). The sax on it is top shelf...

You Can't Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones

(download)

_____

Here is a bit on the Chelsea Drug Store from the Royal Borough of Kensington's website:

The modern glass and aluminium frontage of the Chelsea Drug store shocked Royal Avenue residents when it opened in July 1968. They were even more appalled by the clientele. The residents demanded that access to the King's Road was closed, which was done in 1971. Chelsea Drugstore was modelled on Le Drugstore on Boulevard St Germain in Paris. Arranged over three floors the complex included bars, food outlets, a chemist, newsstand, record store and boutiques. It was open 16 hours a day, seven days a week. A major attraction was the ‘flying squad’ delivery service. This was made up young ladies in purple catsuits using motorcycles to make home deliveries.

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Filed under // Albums Albums Chelsea Chelsea London London Music Music R&R Lore R&R Lore RIffs RIffs Rolling Stones Rolling Stones

Posted from Kensington, United Kingdom

Posted by Judd

Comments [3]

January 24, 2010

B.B. King out Ya-Ya's the Stones: Why he sings the blues...because he can, dammit!

In December of 2009, the Stones put out a 40th anniversary box set of "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out". In the deluxe versions, the sets from opening acts Ike & Tina Turner and B.B. King were included. If you need the low-down on the original "Ya-Ya's" set...I envy you. You are in for a treat, and, quite possibly, a life-changer. Where to start to find out about it? Start with Lester Bang's bow-down review of the original set from 1969.

If you are a Ya-Ya's fan like me, the deluxe set was a must buy. The remastered Stones tracks are worth the price alone. But...the real-deal, bow-down, shuck and jive toe tappers in this box set come from B.B. King.

The B.B. tracks are comprised of five smoking hot scene stealers. This is raw blues power. The performance is full-tilt from the horns to the rhythm section to the two stars of the show: Lucille and B.B.'s boom box vocals.

Buckle up and have a listen to one of those tracks that I have uploaded for you: "Why I Sing the Blues"

Lucille jump starts the track and the rhythm sections churns out a bedrock backbeat. B.B. belts out the lyrics in his tenor horn howl (you know that B.B. never sings and plays at the same time, right?).

At 1:58 in song, B.B. takes Lucille for a spin and rips off a solo sprint for over a minute. At the 3:30 mark, B.B. heads for the wings (this was the last song of the set before the encore). This is when the band takes over and lays down a stone groove...how fucking tight can one rhythm section be?!?

B.B., ever the crowd pleaser, comes out for a quick 30 seconds of guitar picking before the band pulls the emergency break and stops that groove dead in it's tracks (if only instruments had airbags).

But enough hot air from me...go ahead, hit play.

(download)

p.s. I love the way B.B.'s guitar sounds like a horn. More and more, as he gets on in age and style in his playing...I think Keith Richards plays like B.B.'s horn-ified guitar sound. To see/hear what I mean, check out the Scorsese docco, "Shine a LIght" (short clip below). Keith is honking his guitar like a chuck-riff saxo-trumpet.

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Filed under // B.B. King Blues Keith Richards Lester Bangs Music Riffs Rolling Stones Tune Treats

Posted by Judd

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January 23, 2010

10 lbs. of Shit in an 8 lbs. Bag: A request for keeping music simple in 2010

"Too much of anything is too much for me. Too much and everything gets too much for me". - The Who

That is a line from the chorus of the song of the same name, "Too Much of Anything". Strangely enough, this was a bonus track off the 1995 reissue of the always-delivers Who album, "Who's Next". I say "strangely" for two reasons: one, the original version of this album was nine songs of bow-down material and two, the fact that this song was a bonus track is fucking ironic.

Too much of anything, indeed.

Why the hell did we need bonus tracks for this masterstroke? We didn't. Pete & The Who made a brilliant, time-tested album that consisted of nine crowd pleasing, beer hoisting tunes. Nine. Here we go again...gorging ourselves on a great meal; bloated and reaching for the bicarbonates. Too much.

I am fed up with "too much". This year I am bringing it all back home: keeping everything as clean and simple as I need it to be. Near the end of 2009 I started to think about clarity: eliminating variables; reducing clutter; focusing on less to enjoy more.

I am not preaching purely simplicity for simple's sake. I am talking about clarity. Clarity doesn't sacrifice depth at simple's alter. "Focusing on less to enjoy more" is about clarity; lucidity. It is a concept that I am (forever forward) latching on to and enveloping myself in...including my music listening habits.

I find myself gravitating to music that is much more lucid and clean of complexities...but, not lacking depth. Case in point: the Black Keys' "Chulahoma: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough".

I am a Black Keys fan. They aren't always on my playlist, but I enjoy them from time to time. I did not own this album prior to my hearing it. Recently I was in a crowed and very loud bar. Nothing on the juke box was cutting through the din until I heard this album being played. Whoever was at the controls, decided that they need to play this album in its entirety. The groove was so pronounced and clear, it drowned out the noise in the room and filled all the spaces like a welcome mist. It felt calming and clean to me (even amongst all the clutter in the bar). I went out and bought it the next day.

Lucidity, clarity and depth are full frontal on this set of six songs. The straightforward, two-fisted, Corsican Brother drum and guitar approach of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney lends itself to the clarity/simplicity + depth credo. There is no gratuitous flutes or overdubs or 16 track recordings...just two dudes, two instruments and a half a dozen of a simple bluesman's simple blues songs. By simple I mean uncomplicated, not simpleton or unsophisticated or naive. No, these songs have depth and sagacity.

Junior Kimbrough didn't make it on the blues scene until the 1990's, but he'd been cutting tracks as early as 1968. Junior was a Mississippi Hill Country native and legend. His blues is a hypnotic, sauntering groove that preaches a knowing simplicity and bares warts, proudly. This blues holds you in it's vibe and makes it hard to pull away. Every time I put it on, I know it is going to be a happening. I know I need to dedicate at least 20-30 minutes to it's gravity.

Here is a clip from Robert Palmer's brilliant expose on the raw, country blues: "Deep Blues". If you have not seen this, you MUST do so soon. More-so, read the book that preceded the movie. It is widely thought of as a classic in the genre; a career high for Robert Palmer in career filled with tall peaks.

(Junior also had the coolest album titles: "God Knows I Tried" & "Most Things Haven't Worked Out")

The Black Keys decided they needed to have a go at Junior's music. They gave it a richer, thicker sound...while keeping the ethos of it intact. They added to it without complicating it: less is more. This is my fave track of the set:

What do you think? Does that feel like less is more to you?

_____

Nine songs. I like that. "Who's Next" wasn't the only great album with nine songs: "Let It Bleed" had nine songs, too. That is my favorite album of all-time (a post for another day). Conversely, the Stone's 2005 Masterplunk, "A Bigger Bang", had 16(!) songs. Too much.

I'd like to make a request of all music makers in 2010: please, don't try to cram ten pounds of shit in an eight pound bag. Focus on reducing the clutter on your albums. Just because you can crowd16 songs on a CD doesn't mean you have to. I don't want more from you, I want less...and I want depth.

Excuse me while I go off to listen to some Charlie Patton...

_____

Regarding my personal thoughts on "too much":

Too much of my time was being wasted worrying about things I manufactured or labeled as important. Whether they were tasks or audacious (unattainable) goals or simply over thinking decisions or situations, the importance that I gave these things, put undue emphasis on them; one more thing I had to worry about.

Here is a bit, from a larger mindmap (on my 2010 thoughts), on "reducing the clutter"

You must have flash to see this embedded document.

(download)

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Filed under // 2010 Black Keys Blues Brevity Charley Patton clutter Junior Kimbrough Less More Music Rolling Stones The Who Tune Tags

Posted by Judd

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November 30, 2009

Poorman's Podcast: Working for the Man - 1st day on the new job & last resort to find new tunes

via AudioBoo

Time to kick back and listen to the sweet sounds of a desperate (working) man who spent the day towing the line and running down phantom tunes.

(hey, it's only five minutes long...have a listen)

p.s. that opening song...can you guess who that is?

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Filed under // AudioBoo London New Job New Music poorman's podcast Rolling Stones Roy Orbison Stormy Monday Tom Petty

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 11, 2009

As long as Lester Bangs stays dead, you never need to read another album review as long as you live

Take a moment to read this:

"All of which is why Get Your Ya-Ya's Out is such an unfettered delight. This album, at last, proves the fears of those who cared to fear groundless. More than just the soundtrack for a Rolling Stones concert, it's a truly inspired session, as intimate an experience as sitting in while the Stones jam for sheer joy in the basement. It proves once and for all that this band does not merely play the audience, it plays music whose essential crudeness is so highly refined that it becomes a kind of absolute distillation of raunch, that element which seems to be seeping out of Seventies rock at a disturbing rate. Where most live efforts seem almost embarrassing in their posturings and excesses, and even The Who Live At Leeds held tinges of the Art Statement, Ya-Ya's at its best just rocks and socks you right out of your chair. You can not only love it for what it is, you can like it for what it isn't."

Lester Bang's wrote that 39 years ago tomorrow (12th Nov 1970). That is a small snippet from his lengthy and unapologetically passionate, poignant and pessimistic (in regards to the live 70's rock scene) original review of the Stones, "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out". If you don't know who Bangs was, he was a music journo cum rock critic. He was prolific, raw-honest and a self-stated "perennial misfit" He was deemed to be negative and abusive to the artists, but really, he was an open nerve on behalf of rock and a truth merchant.

If anything, he was confronting. That is a no-no when it comes to putting an artist on the spot. Don't fuck up their revenue stream with some outlandish questions that may force them to stray from the script. That was just Bang's way, not so much his intent. Maybe as it got more attention he consciously confronted, but that would not make sense where he was concerned. Check out what he had to say on it:

"Well basically I just started out to lead [an interview] with the most insulting question I could think of. Because it seemed to me that the whole thing of interviewing as far as rock stars and that was just such a suck-up. It was groveling obeisance to people who weren't that special, really. It's just a guy, just another person, so what?"

Unfathomable to think that this could happen today. Publicists, Managers and Media Pimps would go on Red Alert if their artist was treat like a person. The majority of artists are Images and unwilling to speak truths. Take Bon Jovi for example. He is here in London promoting his tour/album. He was on a morning show where the interviewer ask him about extremely high ticket prices ($1,700+ for some crazy, grab-bag of backstage glory and front row dreams). When asked Bon Jovi gives the most chicken-shit, don't-blame-me answer in the history of liars.

Lester Bangs would have eaten his balls for breakfast.

Everyone is a rock critic these days. Even the term is dumb...if you aren't critical or constructive you are pushing a broom. Any bozo with a blog (present company included) can hammer out a half-cocked review of the latest releases. EVERYONE reviews albums. From Entertainment weekly (joke) to Rolling Stone (still a couple good writers, the rest are critics), everyone tries to sum up a year's worth of sweat and labour with a few fast-food sentences.

Here is my advice: don't read another album review ever again. All music appreciation is completely subjective. Have an opinion. Listen to tracks before you buy. Go with your Gut. Just don't read anymore reviews.

The Rock Critic is long dead. There are too many hacks watering down the drinks and diluting the good stuff. If anyone can find me a recent review that has a fraction of the gumption and gusto that Bangs gave "Ya-Ya's" in 1970, let me know. I'll eat this post if you can find one...and will be happy about it.

It is no secret that the murders of both rock critics and indi-record stores are linked. The same sets of fingerprints were found on each body; they belong to the record labels and big box retailers. So if you really want to find out about new albums, go find a local independent record store. You will encounter passionate, deliberate music fans who want to talk about new records...they enjoy being critical, constructive and conversational about it. They don't do it for a purpose (think: sell records, editorial or otherwise)...they do it because they love the music and all of the stories that go with it. If he was still alive, this is where you would find Bangs.

Here is his original review from Rolling Stone (Does anyone dare write like this anymore?):

Lester Bangs: Rolling Stone review of "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out" - 12th November 1970

As much as the recorded product, the rock and roll concert scene seems mighty unheal thy these days. I hardly ever go to see name bands anymore myself, because most of them are so incredibly boring. Standards of performance are very low, and those few artists with enough talent or interest to put on a credible show often end up turning in performances so professionally, predictably competent that you walk out with the palest satisfaction and few memories. In the past year I have watched Ten Years After stumble through a set equal parts plodding monotone and splintered noise, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young invoke Woodstock to compensate for boring everyone to tears, and the Band and Creedence Clearwater recite their albums to such perfection that I fidgeted. I had to draw the line of most resistance when Led Zeppelin hit town last month for a 2 1/2 hour tour-de-force. But I asked a friend with more fortitude how it was, and he raved: "Oh, shit. I took eight reds and just sat there thinkin' the Zep was gonna play forever—man, I felt so good!"

Into this depressing scene ripped the Rolling Stones barnstorming their way across America last fall for a tour which left most audiences satisfied and well-nigh spent, but got reviews mixed and ultimately perplexed because few of us were sure what to expect or, once the hysteria of the actual performance had drained away, how to react. In 1965, caught up in a hurricane of bopper shrieks, we accepted the whole thing as sort of a supernatural visitation, a cataclysmic experience of Wagnerian power that transcended music. In 1969 they were expected to prove themselves as a stage act, but the force of their personalities and the tides of hype and our expectations cancelled all our cynical reservations the moment Mick strode out and drawled hello to each home town. There they were in the flesh, the Rolling Stones, ultimate personification of all our notions and fantasies and hopes for rock and roll, and we were enthralled, but the nagging question that remained was whether the show we had seen was really that brilliant, or if we had not been to some degree set up, pavlov'd by years of absence and rock scribes and 45 minute delays into a kind of injection delirium in which a show which was perfectly ordinary in terms of what the Stones might have been capable of would seem like some ultimate rock apocalypse. Sure, the Stones put on what was almost undoubtedly the best show of the year, but did that say more about their own involvement or about the almost uniform lameness of the competition? Some folks never did decide.

Liver Than You'll Ever Be, appearing last spring, provided a partial answer. It was a good album, as live rock albums go—"Carol" and "Midnight Rambler" especially shone. Some people were enthralled by it, but I found the musical interest of most of the songs mighty, ephemeral, and in general preferred the clattering thunder of Got Live If You Want It, which in terms of looseness, energy and general right-on shagginess could make a fair bid for being the rock concert album of all time. There are more important things than playing on-beat and on-key, and that fine line between slam-bang exorcism and unedifying noise is what would seem to make a great live LP.

All of which is why Get Your Ya-Ya's Out is such an unfettered delight. This album, at last, proves the fears of those who cared to fear groundless. More than just the soundtrack for a Rolling Stones concert, it's a truly inspired session, as intimate an experience as sitting in while the Stones jam for sheer joy in the basement. It proves once and for all that this band does not merely play the audience, it plays music whose essential crudeness is so highly refined that it becomes a kind of absolute distillation of raunch, that element which seems to be seeping out of Seventies rock at a disturbing rate. Where most live efforts seem almost embarrassing in their posturings and excesses, and even The Who Live At Leeds held tinges of the Art Statement, Ya-Ya's at its best just rocks and socks you right out of your chair. You can not only love it for what it is, you can like it for what it isn't.

The set opens with a brief collage of MC introductions from all their tour stops, and then rolls right into a solid, methodical "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Neither it nor the next three songs on side one quite match the energy level reached in "Midnight Rambler" and sustained through all of side two, but subsequent playings reveal the live "Jack Flash" to have a certain fierce precision which the studio single lacked and which makes the latter sound almost plodding by comparison. Here the bottom is full and brooding and the group as a whole has a bite as sharp as a pair of wire cutters.

Next comes Mick, teasing the little chickies: "Uh oh, I think I bust a button on mah trousahs ... you do' want mah trousahs to fall down, now do ya?" I had a friend once who nearly provoked me to fisticuffs when he remarked that Mick's appeal was "perverted." Now, the thing that strikes me here is how essentially positive and even wholesome, in terms of what's in the wind in 1970, Mick's onstage stud-strut is. Jim Morrison makes like The Flasher and screams "Love your brother!," Iggy practically turns the mike into a dildo, but Mick just flaps his lips, grinds his hips and chortles: "This is me,honeys—yearn!"

"Carol" is fine but definitely weaker than the version ofLiver, and for me "Strange Stray Cat" and "Love in Vain" provide the low points of the album, the former by a certain clutter and the latter by not being that inspiring a vehicle in the first place.

But all traces of disinterest or disappointment skedaddle with the first swaggering chords of "Midnight Rambler." Mick can hardly wait to get started, flinging out rippling harp riffs and muttering lyrics before the others even begin, and certainly this great song made to be done live, has never been rendered with more purging viciousness. Every riff in it is so pristinely simple, yet so directly and deliberately placed that its locomotive rushes and icy invective take on more power the closer you come to learning them by heart. Let It Bleed'sversion seemed sinuous, somehow cool and detached in its violence, like one of Norman Mailer's Fifties hipsters. Here the song's celebratory rage comes bursting with a juggernaut wallop, Mick wrenching inchoate nonverbal vocalisms from his throat in the stop-time middle section, the audience roaring back (one crazed cat hollering "God damn!" in between), and the final frosting some wiry, lunging new riffs from Keith that build magnificently to the crashing climax.

The second side opens with another great audience riff—an insistent chick yells "'Paint It Black,' you devils!" and the Stones answer with an airborne "Sympathy For the Devil" that beats the rather cut-and-dried rendition on Beggar's Banquet all hollow, and spotlights a ringing Richard solo that's undoubtedly one of his best on record.

From there on out the energy level of the proceedings seems to soar straight up. "Live With Me" is just great ribald jive, but "Little Queenie" as done here is all time classic Stones. Just strutting along, leering and shuffling, the song has all the loose, lipsmacking glee its lyrics ever implied. This kind of gutty, almost offhand, seemingly effortless funk is where the Stones have traditionally left all competitors in the dust, and here they outdo themselves. I even think that this is one of those rare instances (most of the others are on their first album) where they cut Chuck Berry with one of his own songs.

"Honky Tonk Women" is just a joy, after Liver's half-realized runthrough and Joe Cocker's hack job, gutbucket rock and roll flowing out fine and raucous as a river of beer, but "Street Fightin' Man" takes the show out on a level of stratospheric intensity that simply rises above the rest of the album and sums it all up. Keith's work here is a special delight, great surging riffs reminiscent of some of the best lines on the first Moby Grape album, or the golden lead in Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Her." I don't think there's a song on Ya-Ya's where the Stones didn't cut their original studio jobs. and this one leaps perhaps farthest ahead of all.

The Seventies may not have started with bright prospects for the future of rock, and so many hacks are reciting the litany of doom that it's beginning to annoy like an inane survey hit. The form may be in trouble, and we listeners may ourselves be in trouble, so jaded it gets harder each month to even hear what we're listening to. But the Rolling Stones are most assuredly not in trouble, and are looking like an even greater force in the years ahead than they have been. It's still too soon to tell, but I'm beginning to think Ya-Ya's just might be the best album they ever made. I have no doubt that it's the best rock concert ever put on record. The Stones, alone among their generation of groups, are not about to fall by the wayside. And as long as they continue to thrive this way, the era of true rock and roll music will remain alive and kicking with them.

_____

(Sidenote: Bang's was fired from Rolling Stone by Jann Wenner because of a negative review he gave a Canned Heat album. "Don't make friends with the band"...corporate sucks)

Here is the Bon Jovi interview referenced earlier:

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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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Posted by Judd

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Rolling Stones

Living in London, I hear all kinds of stories such as this. A local know-it-all-told me about one cool place in particular: The Chelsea Drug Store. Yes, that same Chelsea Drug store from the Stone's, "You Can't AlwaysGet What You Want".

We all know the lyric:

It's a McDonalds now. Figures...only Burger King allows you to "have it your way".

Living in London, I hear all kinds of stories such as this. A local know-it-all-told me about one cool place in particular: The Chelsea Drug Store. Yes, that same Chelsea Drug store from the Stone's, "You Can't AlwaysGet What You Want".

We all know the lyric:

It's a McDonalds now. Figures...only Burger King allows you to "have it your way".