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Cosmic Debris 1996 08
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I S S U E # 1 5 : A U G U S T 1 9 9 6
- The Specialists -
DJ Johnson.................Editor
Jim Andrews................HTML
coLeSLaw...................Graphic Artist
Lauren Marshall............Administrative Assistant
Louise Johnson.............Administrative Assistant
- The Cosmik Writers -
Jim Andrews, Cai Campbell, coLeSLAw, Robert Cummings, Shaun Dale,
Phil Dirt, David Fenigsohn, Alex Gedeon, Keith Gillard, Steven Leith
Steve Marshall, The Platterpuss, Paul Remington
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T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
EDITOR'S NOTES: DJ introduces Cosmik Debris' brand new music links and
announces the winners of the July giveaways.
THE RETURN OF JON AND THE NIGHTRIDERS: More than a decade after hanging
up his Strat, John Blair returns with a fantastic new album called
Fiberglass Rocket. (Be sure to sign up for the drawing, too, because
we're giving away five copies of Fiberglass Rocket, and each will come
with an autographed 8x10!). Interview by DJ Johnson.
THOMAS DOLBY - AND THE FUTURE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM: Putting his music on a
back burner, Thomas Dolby concentrates on technology. In this interview,
he talks in detail about a new project that may change the way you view
the World Wide Web. Interview by Keith Gillard.
RAPPIN' WITH THE BOYS IN THE HOODS - LOS STRAITJACKETS: They wear ornate
wrestling masks and play music that is at once beautiful and menacing.
With two fantastic albums and a pair of appearances on Conan O'Brien's
show under their belts, the future looks bright for Los Straitjackets.
This interview with guitarist Danny Amis was done via e-mail as their
seemingly endless tour chugged on. Interview by DJ Johnson.
MILES '56...THE COOL GROWS UP: In 1956, The Miles Davis Quintet delivered
four albums worth of recordings to their label, Prestige, all at once.
Then they waved goodbye. This is the story of what are probably the
most creative and wonderful contractual obligation albums of all time.
Article by Shaun Dale.
POLITICAL PLAYBOOK - THE PARTIES' PARTIES: It's convention time, and Shaun
Dale has the kind of inside scoop that can only come from somebody who's
been through it all before.
RECORD REVIEWS: All the music we could listen to in one month!
C O L U M N S
BETWEEN ZERO & ONE (Steven Leith): Check your shoes at the door. No, don't
give 'em to us, CHECK them. Check to see if they were made by slave
labor in the third world. Are we, as consumers, guilty of tyranny?
PHIL'S GARAGE (Phil Dirt): Are you a liner note reader? Would you like to
know what all those industry catch-phrases REALLY mean? Phil's new
Music Biz Glossary may be just what you need.
THE AUDIO FILE (Cai Campbell): The Audio File gets LOUD, courtesy of some
hot components from Creek Audio Ltd.
STUFF I NOTICED (DJ Johnson) DJ poses the question "what should we do about
Ronnie Wood?" And a few other equally enthralling questions.
THE DEBRIS FIELD: Stuff, items, and things.
ALL THOSE WHO HAVE HAD CONTACT WITH US...SEE YOUR DOCTOR!: Yeah, well, we
never promised you a rose garden. What we CAN promise you, however, is
a response to your letter. Here's how to contact the Cosmik Writer of
your choice.
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EDITOR'S NOTES
By DJ Johnson
It's better to give than to receive. Ask any middle linebacker or boxer.
We had our first giveaway last month, and we're pleased to announce that
Ann Arbor (real name? I think not!) of KFJC Radio in Los Altos, California,
is the proud new owner of Mad Professor's "Evolution Of Dub" CD. Dave
Franklin of Fort Myers, Florida, was the lucky dog who won the limited
edition pink-vinyl LP of "Shots In The Dark," the Henri Mancini tribute
with tracks by Insect Surfers, Poison Ivy, Man Or Astroman, Brother Cleve
and a bunch of others. We enjoyed giving that stuff away SO much that we
decided to do it again. So this month, to celebrate the return of Jon and
the Nightriders, we're giving away five copies of their awesome new CD,
"Fiberglass Rocket." On top of that, each one will come with an 8x10
autographed photo of the band. You'll find details on our homepage AND at
the end of the John Blair (JON when he's holding a guitar) interview.
Those of you who are reading the ascii version of Cosmik Debris can enter
by sending e-mail to moonbaby@serv.net and including your name, phone
number, home address, and e-mail address. One entry per person, please.
(Amazingly enough, only one person tried the "stuff the ballot box" trick
last month! We had a bonfire with all his entry printouts as the guests
of honor.)
Those of you who read us on the WWW every month probably know that our
music links have sucked greasy green bongwater for a long time now, and
all our promises of new links have been vicious lies. Up until now. We're
quite proud to present our new music link system, which is (God, don't you
hate when people say this??...) best viewed with a frame-capable browser.
You'll find an index on the left with the names of genres, such as ska,
classical, electronic, surf, metal, etc. Click on a genre and the bigger
frame fills with links that we've actually researched and added descriptions
to. If there is no description, it means we haven't been able to link up
yet, but we'll get to it. We will also be adding new genres frequently, so
check back often. Blues, Punk, Garage, Psychedelia, Acid Jazz and Folk
should be online before the next issue is online. There are mail-to buttons
on the bottom frames of each set, so feel free to give us a holler and tell
us what you think or what you'd like to see.
That's about it. We have interviews with John Blair (Jon and the
Nightriders), Thomas Dolby, and Danny Amis (Los Straitjackets), plus a
feature on Miles Davis, another installment of Political Playbook, columns,
debris, and more reviews than ever before. Have at it.
Deej
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THE RETURN OF JON AND THE NIGHTRIDERS
Interview by DJ Johnson
In 1979, there was no surf scene. Instrumental surf music had died, for
most people, when the Beatles hit the shore in 1964, though a scene
continued to exist for a few more years--if you knew where to look for it.
In 1979, it was punk or disco, take your pick and keep the lines moving.
Fortunately for us all, there are always a few rebels out there playing
music that doesn't fit the mold, and in 1979, the reverb was heard once
again. The Insect Surfers popped up in Washington, DC. Teisco Del Rey
debuted his band, Cowabunga, in San Francisco. Bob Dalley began to make
some big waves with his band, The Surf Raiders. And then there was Jon.
John Blair, a leading surf music historian and author, turned out to be one
hell of a guitar player as well. Jon and the Nightriders became the flag
bearers of the second wave of surf, and its leader became an important
influence for the new generation of guitarists. Today, those guitarists
are the stars of the third wave of surf.
In 1984, Blair gave in to the pull of domestic life and put down his guitar
for a very long time. During this past year, however, he performed a
few shows with friends like The Halibuts and The Eliminators, and it seems
he's caught the bug again. This month, AVI released the first Jon and the
Nightriders album in over a decade. Fiberglass Rocket's first track,
"Depth Charge," is a rip-riffin' confirmation of the news. Blair is back.
* * * *
Cosmik: It was a long time between albums, yes? How does it feel to be
back in the saddle?
JB: I've always enjoyed working in the studio and it has been a long
time. It was an enjoyable, although lengthy, creative process putting
"Fiberglass Rocket" together. It does feel good to have a new record
out and I'm already looking forward to doing the next one.
Cosmik: How different is the current surf scene from what you encountered
the first time around with the Nightriders?
JB: The most obvious difference is that there are a lot more bands now.
I also think the local club scene, at least in southern California, was
stagnant for a few years (as was the state of popular music I think).
Now, however, there are a bunch of local clubs that cater to alternative
music and, here at least, most of them feature surf and instrumental
rock bands all the time. There's also an interesting sense of community
that exists now which I really didn't feel that much in the early 80's.
It's a hard thing to explain, but I think those of us who play this
type of music tend to feel part of a growing family that encourages
and practices mutual support and enthusiasm for what everyone else is
doing.
Cosmik: Can you give us some examples of how that support system manifests?
JB: A couple of names come to mind: Dave Arnson of The Insect Surfers and
Bernard Yin of Brazil 2001. Dave is an ubiquitous presence at most surf
and instro band concerts here in SoCal--he's not just a fan of the
music (and leader of The Insects), he supports the bands by going to
their shows. Bernard (also leader of B2K1) has been helping bands from
out of the area get booked at local clubs. Both of these guys get more
involved than I'm describing, but you get the idea. I think another way
in which the support system can work is simply the personal awareness
that we are all in the same boat together, despite the individual
differences in our sounds, arrangements, or styles. With this awareness
comes the notion that if one of us succeeds, we all succeed to one
degree or another. When you support the community, you support
yourself.
Cosmik: When Los Straitjackets played on the Conan O'Brien show the first
time, I think there was a reaction of excitement from the surf community,
but the second time it seemed like a reaction of pride. Do you think
recognition from the mainstream like that pulls the support system
together even more and ignites the scene?
JB: Absolutely. It's very encouraging for all of us to see one of our
"fraternity" succeed in some way. There were lots of good vibes when
the news hit that The Mermen and The Aqua Velvets had signed with
Atlantic's subsidiary, Blue Moon. I'm not sure if the jury is back yet
on just how successful that pairing was (although I have heard that the
Aqua Velvets have a new album and that it *isn't* on Blue Moon, if that
tells you anything).
Cosmik: How did you feel when you saw Los Straitjackets on TV? I'm
assuming you did, first of all...
JB: Yes, I caught it as well as their earlier appearance on Conan. I guess
I felt mostly pride more than anything else. I was proud of them. I've
known Danny Amis since the early 80s when he was in The Raybeats and only
recently met Eddie Angel. The entire band has been working their butts
off in the last couple of years with almost constant touring. That much
work deserves some rewards, so it was gratifying and encouraging to see
them specifically, and to see an instrumental rock band in general, appear
on a national television program such as the Conan O'Brien Show--and not
once but twice.
Cosmik: Let's back up a bit here and talk about what it was that made you
want to play guitar. Was it surf from the beginning?
JB: I was given my first guitar by my parents when I was 10 years old.
I don't remember asking for one. I played violin prior to that, but
very quickly put it aside in favor of the guitar. What made me get
serious about the guitar was Dick Dale's first album, "Surfer's Choice."
That album, and the Challenger's first one, "Surfbeat," were the two
records that focused my interest on surf instrumental music. Between
then and now, I've played psychedelic/acid rock, rockabilly, and
bluegrass, but I've always come back to surf music and rock
instrumentals.
Cosmik: What players were you studying when you were first learning?
JB: Dick Dale and The Challengers were the earliest. Then I started
learning how to play Ventures' tunes. The Belairs' "Mr. Moto" and the
first recordings by The Chantays were also things I learned how to play
early on.
Cosmik: What were some of your early bands like? What were you playing?
JB: My very first band was a little surf-styled combo called The
Intruders. We formed in Montclair, California, when I was beginning
high school. I don't remember any formal dates, although I'm sure we
played a couple. I DO remember the practices in my parents' garage and
the inevitable visit by the police to ask us to turn the volume down.
I played either lead or rhythm guitar, I don't recall. My next band
wasn't until college. It was a psychedelic/acid rock combo called
The Columbia Bicycle. We had a girl singer. I played a Gibson ES-232
12-string in the band and wrote most of our material. I recall covering
"White Rabbit" and some Lovin' Spoonful tune. We did a few shows around
southern California. I remember auditioning for the woman who became
our manager in one of the recording studios at the Capitol Records tower
on Vine Street in Hollywood. We cut some demos in another local studio,
but never released anything officially. We weren't a very good band,
actually, so it's not at all surprising that we weren't all that
successful.
Cosmik: Oh, before we get totally away from the subject of guitars, I
have to do the nosey "equipment envy" thing. What's your current main
guitar?
JB: It's a 1958 Fender Stratocaster that happens to have a 1961 rosewood
neck on it. In concert, I'm also using a stock 1967 Rickenbacker 360
12-string on a couple of tunes. And, of course, one of my two mid-60s
Fender Jaguars will be used as a backup.
Cosmik: Do you have a custom setup, or do you play it stock?
JB: Everything I play is stock, at least in terms of no customization. My
vintage gear has had new components replaced (such as wires, capacitors,
tubes, etc.), a couple of the pickups on my Strat have been rewound, and
the speakers in one of my Dual Showman cabinets have been replaced.
Outside of things like that, it's all stock.
Cosmik: What gauge strings are you using?
JB: About 14 or 16 to 58 or 60, depending on the set. It's hard to find
flatwounds these days as singles, so I usually get lazy and just buy a
packaged set of strings that usually turn out to be D'Adario's. When
I find singles, I try to go for 16,18, 20, 38, 48, and 60.
Cosmik: What about your amp setup?
JB: I'm still using my two 60's-vintage Dual Showmans. Not at the same
time, but I switch off between them from time to time, or mix and match
the amps and bottoms.
Cosmik: Do you use any effects other than a reverb tank?
JB: Up until now, no. However, now I've added a tremolo foot pedal, and a
stage compressor and noise gate to my gear.
Cosmik: I thank you, and our guitar playing readers thank you. Okay,
where were we...Tell us about the birth of "Jon."
JB: The birth of "Jon," huh? I get asked this question a lot: "Why do
you spell your name 'John' but it's 'Jon' in the band's name?" Simple
answer. When I decided to form the band to do a one-off single back in
1979, I sat around trying to come up with a decent name. The
Nightriders came from a Dick Dale tune. I wanted to make it a bit more
distinctive, though, so I added my name. It didn't look quite right,
however, so I simply deleted the "h" from my name because I thought it
looked better. I guess I even thought that it had sort of a British
slant to it and I liked that idea even though it had nothing to do with
surf music.
Cosmik: I've often wondered if it also gave you a little separation between
John Blair and Jon...a kind of buffer. Certainly, your stage persona
isn't Ziggy Stardust, but there's still the issue of public versus
private.
JB: I never really thought of it like that. My feeling is that surf
instrumental music should stand on its own by virtue of its melody lines,
unique sound, and power. It doesn't need theatrics (i.e., makeup, smoke
bombs, fog, sequins, etc.) to draw the attention away from the music,
itself. If those things are used, chances are the music isn't very good
to begin with. One exception to this is Los Straitjackets and the
wrestling masks they wear on stage. Their music couldn't be any more
melodic, unique, and powerful, and I'd venture to say that it would work
even without the masks. I think the band considers the masks more of a
gimmick to draw attention to what they are doing musically than some kind
of a theatrical stage persona (ala Kiss, for example). As far as public
versus private goes, I do like to maintain somewhat of a distinction
between the two but the separation doesn't have anything to do with the
John/Jon difference.
Cosmik: How did the Nightriders get started? Starting a surf band at
that time wasn't a sure thing.
JB: It certainly wasn't a sure thing IF you went at it intentionally with
the idea of getting a hit record, impressing some major label, making
tons of money, etc. With the Nightriders, the early days had no
long-term plan or goals. Everything we did in the beginning was
intended to be a one-shot effort. It's a long story, but I'll try to
whittle it down a bit. When I self-published the first edition of my
book "The Illustrated Discography Of Surf Music" in 1978, I had a party
to celebrate it at my house. Three friends of mine and I jammed in my
living room that night playing surf instros. That little impromptu
"group" featured a friend on bass, Jeff Nicholson. A few months later,
when the book had sold well enough to convince me that there was still
interest in this music after so long, I decided to form a band strictly
for the purpose of recording a 4-song EP and marketing it myself. I
called up Jeff who ended up asking Dusty Watson to play drums. One of
the people who bought my book was an L.A. session guitarist named Ed
Black (who was backing up Karla Bonoff at the time I believe). Ed
wrote me a letter and indicated a strong interest in instrumental rock.
I called him up and asked him to play rhythm guitar for our "session."
He agreed. So, Jeff Nicholson, Dusty Watson, Ed Black, and myself made
the record and I pressed up about 500 copies in 1979. The record was
brought to the attention of Greg Shaw, owner of Bomp Records in L.A.
Greg eventually phoned me up and asked if I would produce an entire
album of surf instrumentals. If I did, Greg agreed to release it on
Bomp. Not stupid enough to pass up an offer like that, I re-formed the
band to go back into the studio for an album's worth of tunes. That
album was "Surf Beat '80" which led, in turn, to our playing the Santa
Monica Civic a month or two later in front of 2000 people and opening
for Dick Dale and The Surf Punks (by the time we did that show, Ed Black
had other commitments and another friend of Nicholson's, Dave Wronski,
was added on rhythm guitar). That appearance led to our club dates,
the Live at the Whisky-A-Go-Go album, our subsequent recordings and
European tour, the movie soundtracks, and to the current album,
"Fiberglass Rocket." Nicholson moved out of state after we recorded
our last album, "Stampede," and Pete Curry was added on bass before we
started rehearsing for "Fiberglass Rocket" in the spring of '95.
Cosmik: Wow! Sixteen years of history in three paragraphs or less! How
did the audiences react, initially?
JB: I had the fortunate idea to tape record our first appearance at the
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium (the same place where the TAMI Show took
place some 12 years or so earlier). The tape reflects what we
experienced that night: a couple of thousand screaming, energetic
people. We couldn't have had a better reception for a debut performance.
You can get an idea of how receptive the audience was that night if you
listen to "Banzai Washout" on our anthology CD, "Banished To The Beach."
That was our closing number for the Santa Monica Civic show and you can
hear the crowd screaming throughout the entire tune. When we began to
play local clubs, it was pretty much the same thing. For whatever reason,
we attracted a certain group of punk rockers to most of our shows who
moshed themselves silly during our sets. We even had stage divers. We
were far from being a punk band but were accepted by that audience
presumably because we played short tunes that were loud and fast.
Cosmik: What was the highest point, for you, in that four years?
JB: Oh, probably the European tour. It was a great experience to be the
first surf instrumental band to tour Europe even if some of the
audiences over there didn't quite know what the hell we were playing
or how to react to us. There were two shows in particular, though,
that I'll always remember fondly because the clubs were totally packed
out and the audiences were very vocal, excited, and totally ready for
what we had brought: one was in Hamburg and the other was in London.
Another high point was probably the opportunity to record at the
excruciatingly famous Gold Star Studios in Hollywood with Stan Ross
engineering and Shel Talmy producing. I won't run down the resumes of
Gold Star, Ross, or Talmy but they are lengthy. Among Stan's thousands
of sessions in that studio was Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba." I remember
asking Stan to tell me where Ritchie stood when he sang "La Bamba" and
I walked over to that spot, planted my feet firmly on the carpet,
closed my eyes, and indulged in some serious vibe catching for a few
seconds.
Cosmik: When and why did you decide to retire "Jon?"
JB: I'm not sure what you mean. If you're asking why the band sort of
"disappeared" around 1984, it was mainly because we didn't have a
record in the stores for the first time since 1980 and the L.A. club
scene was changing. I got married in 1982 (since divorced), and the
other guys were beginning to get involved in other projects, so we all
just sort of drifted out of the music and into our own, private worlds.
Cosmik: Was it that easy to leave it behind? Playing live can be
addictive.
JB: Yup, it was easy and it felt sort of natural at the time. Things
were changing fast and the same excitement that was there in early 1980
had pretty much dissipated by 1983 or 1984. Quite honestly, I've never
really enjoyed playing live nearly as much as I've enjoyed working in
the studio. Don't get me wrong. There's a certain "rush" that overpowers
you when you play live--it's a magical time--and there's a large part of
that that I find attractive and exciting. But it's still easier for me
to find more enjoyment by working in the studio rather than a personal
appearance.
Cosmik: After the public vanished and the scene was pretty much over, was
there always a mini-scene? A core of faithful fans and players?
JB: Oh sure. Since 1980, I've constantly received letters from people
around the world acknowledging Jon & The Nightriders and asking if we
were playing around or doing another record. I'd occasionally meet
people at a concert or club who remembered the band. For a few years,
I don't think there was anything like a mini-scene of bands. There
were a handful of surf bands around, but they were mainly relegated
to playing pool parties, surfing contests, etc., and weren't nearly as
visible as many of them are today. It was, in fact, the letters and
comments from people that I had received after the band stopped
performing around 1984 that prompted me to get the guys in the studio
again for another album. That was the "Stampede" record. It was done
strictly as a means to give something to the people who wanted another
Jon & The Nightriders' album. At the time, I didn't intend for the
band to do any live gigs at all--and,indeed, we didn't.
Cosmik: Was there enough of a scene left to keep you happy?
JB: Happiness is a relative thing. I don't base my happiness on the
strength of the surf music "scene," or any music scene for that matter.
I was pretty much happy during the lean years from 1984 to around 1990,
but I was concentrating on my career (I'm not a professional musician),
marriage, and friends. At the time, I was perfectly content being where
I was and I don't remember feeling a great loss at not having a
performing/recording band at the time or regretting any part of the
transition from a heavy involvement in music to a heavy involvement in
domestic life.
Cosmik: Were there many times when you came close to getting back into it
but didn't for some reason or another?
JB: Not really. In the time between the mid-80's and a couple of years
ago, there wasn't much interest for contemporary surf or rock
instrumental music. I was busy with other, uncreative things in my
life with the exception of the third edition of my surf music
discography which took a couple of years to complete. It was the
strong and growing revival of interest in the music that brought me
back. It was the visibility and passion for the music that bands like
Los Straitjackets, The Phantom Surfers, Insect Surfers, Halibuts,
Satan's Pilgrims, and so many others have shown--and the growth of
the European scene with The Astronauts, Daytonas, Cruncher, Los Coronas,
Looney Tunes, and many others as well--that convinced me the time was
right for a new Jon & The Nightriders project.
Cosmik: Did you feel a lot of support from the surf community toward the
idea of a new Nightriders album?
JB: In the beginning, no, because no one really knew I was working on
a new album. Then, as the project continued and people found out about
it, I got lots of "thumbs up's."
Cosmik: How much songwriting did you do during the years you weren't
performing?
JB: One word: none.
Cosmik: None!? Really? Did you pick up the guitar much during that time?
JB: Actually, no. I was very married at the time and my life's direction
had turned toward the domestic side. I was also, for an eternity it
seems, one of those commuters who drove miles and miles to a job, and
miles and miles back home again each day. My daily cycle between my
work life and my home life took up most of my time. I simply lost touch
with my creative side for a few years.
Cosmik: Besides being one of the recognized guitar heroes of surf, you're
also one of its prime historians. Not something you find in the college
catalogues, obviously. How did you go about educating yourself on the
subject?
JB: As I said earlier, I was learning how to play guitar in the early
1960s. The guitar-based instrumental recordings of the time were the
"textbooks" that helped me to develop my style and interest in the
music. I started buying surf music when I bought Dick Dale's first
album (actually when I bought The Belairs' "Mr. Moto" which came out
earlier) and I never stopped. To this day, I still buy vintage surf
records, although they cost me a helluva lot more than 98 cents now and
I don't come across them very often. My collection of surf music
probably numbers way over 1000 LPs, 45s, and CDs. As a "historian"
(and I'm a bit flattered at the title, even after hearing it applied
to me a million times), my interest has always been primarily to
document the recordings that were made between 1961 and 1965. Although
I'm pretty sure I've nailed down the vast majority of those recordings,
there are still "new" ones I come across from time to time that I didn't
know about before.
Cosmik: Now that it's farther between records you didn't know about, are
any of them particularly good, or has the herd been thinned?
JB: "Good," of course, is in the ear of the listener. To my ears, some of
my "new" discoveries are horrible and some are great. The really good
records are usually quite expensive when, and if, you find a copy for
sale and the cost is only compounded by their rarity. I do come across
bad, obscure, surf records but maybe not as often as the better ones
simply because dealers and other collectors tend to list, or advertise,
the better ones more than the bad ones.
Cosmik: When did you get the idea to write The Illustrated Discography of
Surf?
JB: Some time around 1975. I don't recall exactly the sequence of events,
but it was essentially a matter of me realizing that I had a huge
collection of surf music and that nobody had ever tried to compile a
formal discography of the genre. My interest was there, I had the
basic collection of records, and I knew how to put a publication
together in terms of the mechanical techniques and tools. The first
and second editions of the book were self-published efforts. That is,
I did all the layouts, paid to have a few hundred copies printed,
advertised the books, and shipped them. Today, of course, the book is
in its third edition, is in hardback, and is published by Popular
Culture, Ink., in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Cosmik: How many albums and CDs have you written liner notes for at this
point?
JB: I've lost count. Probably not too many, actually. Maybe two or
three albums and a half dozen CDs or so.
Cosmik: The Cowabunga Surf Box from Rhino must have been a major time
consumer for you. You wrote extensive liner notes AND put the tracks
together. What was involved in putting it all together?
JB: A tremendous amount of time!!! My involvement with that project
occupied the better part of a year. Selecting the track listing was a
lengthy affair. The intial cut at a track list was modified over
several months as Rhino tried to license everything. Some tracks
couldn't be licensed for various reasons and we had to substitute.
Once Rhino had licensed everything, they gave me the green light to
write the liners. That took days to complete a first draft (I wrote
the vast majority of the notes during my Christmas vacation last year).
The notes went through at least three re-writes before they were
finally accepted by the record company.
Cosmik: When it was all done, what were your impressions of the entire
project?
JB: I thought Rhino did an exceptional job with the package. They are
an A-1 class operation, not only to work with but also in terms of
their creativity. The box has a few blemishes and errors, despite
everyone's desire to produce a perfect product, but it's hard to be
perfect with a project as large as this one was.
Cosmik: What tracks were you most excited about getting the licensing for?
JB: I guess mostly the more obscure tracks such as Gene Gray's "Surf
Bunny" or The Fantastic Playboys' "Cheater Stomp." A lot of time went
by between submitting the target track listing and Rhino's acquiring
of the licenses, so I don't recall getting too excited about anything
by the time Rhino had everything nailed. Probably the reason for any
excitement at all was over Rhino's ability to follow what must have
been a circuitous trail to find the legal licensee of some of the
tracks. I admire them for their detective work.
Cosmik: Do you mind talking about which songs were the ones that got away?
JB: There were a few, most of which I've forgotten about. These were
ones for which Rhino simply couldn't find the legal owner or ones that
created some other problem that Rhino just didn't want to deal with.
I can express some disappointment over the fact that we weren't able
to get legal clearances for two Jan & Dean tracks, "Ride The Wild Surf"
and "Honolulu Lulu" I believe. These two tracks, and the one that's in
the box set, "Surf City," are all licensed from CEMA, a powerful company
that owns the rights to practically all old Capitol and Liberty
recordings (among many other labels as well). For some reason that
Rhino and I (and Dean Torrance as well) haven't been able to understand,
CEMA agreed to "Surf City" but not the other two (despite the fact that
they licensed all the Beach Boys' tracks we wanted and others that are
controlled by CEMA, like Eddie & The Showmen). Didn't make any sense
at the time and doesn't make any sense now. So, there would have been
three Jan & Dean tracks in the box set instead of the one.
Cosmik: You know, I've always wondered about Beach Boys licensing, because
it always seems like every surf comp has the same Beach Boys tracks. I
always figured they were the only ones that could be licensed for one
reason or another. "Surfin," "Surfin' USA," and "Surfer Girl." So
you're saying that's not the case?
JB: Yeah. I'm pretty sure that CEMA will license any Beach Boys' tracks
you want (as long as they own the rights which may not be true for some
of the Brother label releases). It's just that the mentality of the
accountants who run the record companies is such that the same two or
three tracks are always used; probably because they seem to think that
people will buy a compilation more readily if it contains the "hits."
Cosmik: Rhino really went to town on the publicity push. How involved did
you get in that?
JB: Yeah, they went to town!!! I didn't expect the energy that Rhino
put into the promotion and publicity of the box but it was great. I
did a number of interviews on behalf of Rhino to help promote the box:
there were video sound bites done for VH1, CNN, and E! Television, and
several audio interviews for AP Radio and various newspapers around the
country. It was tiring for a few weeks, but a lot of fun. Most of the
interviews were held with both Dean Torrance and Corky Carroll in
attendance. Although I had met both of them before, this was a chance
to hang with them and get to know both a little better. I consider
Dean and Corky as friends now.
Cosmik: Some of the bands in the instro community have picked up major
label support, some record for larger indie labels, and there are always
a lot of bands recording for the tiny indies. Are you surprised to see
certain bands going unsigned?
JB: Not really. That's the way it's always been and probably always will
be. I think it's getting a lot tougher for many bands to get any kind
of label recognition, whether it's from a major or an indie label. If
you go at this with the idea that you're going to get signed, I think
you're in for a disappointment. Probably the best way for any unsigned
band to get a label release is to produce their own CD, sell it at shows
and small record stores, but use it as a demo for a label deal.
Cosmik: Who do you think of as some of the greatest unsigned bands?
JB: Strangely enough, the first one that comes to mind is The Chantays.
These guys are still together, still perform locally, are getting ready
to release their second independently produced and released CD, and
are NOT SIGNED. They are simply one of the best damn surf instrumental
bands anyone is likely to hear today. The Eliminators are a wonderful
surf instro band from San Clemente, California. They were signed a
year or two ago to Tri-Surf (Jim Blakeley and Walter Georis' label,
both formerly of The Sandals) and released their first, and only, CD
"Unleashed." Now, however, they aren't signed to Tri-Surf or any
other label. These guys are extremely eligible for a label deal. I
know there are tons of other bands out there. I'd love to be able to
list a bunch of 'em, but I can't think of any others right now.
Cosmik: Let's talk a little more about the bands that are around today.
A lot of them have taken surf into different directions. What do you
think of the overall diversity of the music today?
JB: I'm rather enjoying it, actually. If all surf or rock instrumental
bands played in the same style, it would be a boring scene. I welcome
the diversity which is really just the result of self-expression.
Cosmik: My guess, from your own work, is that your personal favorite style
of surf is the faster trad stuff. Who do you see as the prime examples
of that style these days?
JB: First of all, a personal disclaimer. There are hundreds of
instrumental bands playing and recording around the world today. Some
are well-known globally, others are well-known regionally, while many
others aren't known at all (yet). I'm not, nor can I be, aware of all
of them. So, any band I single out is not necessarily at the expense
of others who might also be worthy of mention. With that in mind, yes,
my personal favorite style of surf is the more traditional, faster
material. I think the current line-up of The Chantays has a few of
these rockers under their belt. The Eliminators are also a trad band
with power. Satan's Pilgrims have a good sound, although I haven't seen
them live yet. I've heard recordings by several bands in recent months
that have a nice, traditional sound although I don't know how
representative they are of each band's style. These would include
bands like The Exotics and Alewives from Minnesota or Wisconsin I
believe, The Penetrators from Georgia, and Mark Brodie & The Beaver
Patrol from Canada.
Cosmik: Are there some lesser known bands that you think people should
keep an eye out for?
JB: Probably lots, but one in particular comes to mind: The Fathoms from
Boston. These guys have a new CD coming in August or September. They
have a great sound and feel for traditional surf instrumentals, although
everything I've heard so far by them has been original material...and
great!
Cosmik: Most music "trends" come and go pretty quickly, as far as mass
acceptance is concerned. How strong do you think surf is at this point
in time? Do you see it having a longer life span than most people
originally predicted?
JB: I have no idea. Surf music has never really disappeared completely
since the mid 60s and, I suspect, it will be around long after we
aren't. Whether or not it will ever garner as much, or more, mass
acceptance as it did in 1963, I have no idea. Danny Amis of Los
Straitjackets told me recently that he thinks one good sign of the
music's potential for mass market success and national acceptance is
the length of time it lasts and grows at a grassroots level. That is,
the longer it stays esoteric with a small, but strong, following, the
more potential it has for becoming nationally visible and successful.
I tend to agree with him, although I have my doubts that we'll see it
in the national Top Ten or on MTV anytime in the near future (I wish
some band would prove me wrong, though).
Cosmik: Not to suggest that chasing MTV approval is in itself a good thing,
but which bands do you think have the best shot at getting that kind of
attention?
JB: Well, so far it seems as if Dick Dale is the only one that's crossed
the MTV border. He's had at least two videos shown on MTV. I certainly
agree that an MTV endorsement is not necessarily a good thing, and I
know there are lots of people out there who would consider an MTV video
to be a sellout to the establishment (a great 60's term that may be
getting fashionable again). However, all of us seem to want interest in
instrumental rock to spread. Certainly, MTV exposure would help realize
that goal. I think any band with a short or long term goal to have a
video on MTV is probably going at it the wrong way. I'm more in favor
of bands just wanting to have fun with the music, remaining open to the
possibility of large-scale media exposure, than striving for that as a
goal from the beginning.
Cosmik: What are you striving for with Fiberglass Rocket?
JB: I don't really have any particular goals for the record at all. I
only want people to like it and for it to sell well. I'd be happy if
it made money for the record company. If so, the band may even see a
little monetary encouragement. A financially successful record is one
way to help ensure that surf music will continue to be supported by
record companies. And if it is successful, there's almost a guarantee
that Jon & The Nightriders will be back in the studio for another one
in the near future.
Cosmik: There's a little clip from a story inside the booklet of Fiberglass
Rocket, which ends with "down the face of the wave and into the curl,
propelled forward like a fiberglass rocket." What is that from?
JB: My mind.
Cosmik: That's fantastic. Is it something you'd written previously, or was
it just for the album?
JB: Just for the album. I got the idea for the passage from reading
through one of those mid-60's teen novels that were prevalent in high
schools at the time. I don't recall the title of the book, but it was
surfing related. Some story about a surfer and his friends, and the
guy's surf band. It's really a very tame book. There was a short
segment of the story about the guy surfing. I copped a few words like
"caught the swell" and "rode the face of the wave into the curl" and
wrote around them.
Cosmik: Which track on the album would you say is your favorite and why?
JB: I was afraid I was going to get asked this question at some point.
I don't think I have any one favorite. There are several that I think
came out sounding a bit better than others, but all for different
reasons. "Rev Up," "Horror Hayride", and "Hurricane" are good rockers;
"Amor Del Mar" was the most involved production and I like its mood;
"Moon Tide" has a neat little rhythm guitar signature/hook that came out
sounding a lot better than my original demo may have suggested; and,
"Apache" is really wonderful due primarily to Dave Wronski's playing and
Bill Swanson's very appropriate sax parts. I arranged the piece but it
ended up sounding much better than I imagined.
Cosmik: Had you ever worked with Paul Johnson in the studio before?
JB: No. This was the first time and it was great fun. Paul wrote "Night
Patrol" especially for us and I was honored to have him involved almost
from the beginning.
Cosmik: Do you kind of get a rush out of seeing the writing credit in
"Spindrift" and thinking "Damn, I wrote a song with Paul Johnson?"
JB: Absolutely. I told Paul in the studio one day that I distinctly
recall walking into a little record store in Pomona, California, in
1961 and buying a copy of "Mr. Moto" that I still have. It was a great
tune then and it's a great one now. It was one of those records that
influenced my guitar playing. Of course, over the years I became
familiar with Paul's work and he became a friend. To have co-written
a tune with him, and then to have him participate in a Jon & The
Nightriders' recording, was a great honor.
Cosmik: Did you get a chance to pick his brain about recording techniques
and ideas?
JB: He and I actually drove down to a little recording studio in San
Diego one evening to try our hands at mixing both "Night Patrol" and
"Spindrift." We wanted to see if we could come up with a better mix
than I was getting in the studio we had used to record the tracks.
That was the first, and only, time I've worked side-by-side with Paul
during a mixdown. I certainly learned a few things, although the mixes
we did that night did not end up being the final ones. I'd like to
think that the final mixes, which I did back in the main studio several
weeks later, came out as nice as they did because of some of the things
I learned from Paul that night in San Diego.
Cosmik: He's listed as lead and rhythm guitar on both "Night Patrol" and
"Spindrift." What did you play on those tracks?
JB: Lead and rhythm guitar. He and I traded off. When I'm playing lead,
Paul is either playing a rhythm part or playing a fill-in lead. When
he's doing the lead, I'm doing a rhythm part.
Cosmik: John Zambetti [The Malibooz] sure added some nice ambience to
"Amor Del Mar" on electric 12-string.
JB: He and I are playing together in the short overture to the tune.
John's playing a Fender electric 12-string and I'm playing an acoustic
guitar (my Gibson J-50). The two reverbed and whammy-barred 6-string
chords that are played during the overture are me and John overdubbed
(I've got the first chord that you hear and John strums the second).
I wanted to do some sort of an overture to the piece but wasn't exactly
sure what to play. So, John and I sat down in the studio and came up
with the overture that you hear on the record. I think we recorded it
in one take.
Cosmik: What was the process in the studio? Did you come in with completed
songs and teach them to everyone, or did you come in with some ideas and
jam them out?
JB: Neither. The band met a few times to rehearse the material before
we went in the studio. Studios cost money, so you need to keep your
time down to a minimum and use the facilities as efficiently as
possible. There were a few little arrangement changes that were done
in the studio, and some overdubs that were last minute ideas of mine,
but basically we knew all the tunes before we began recording.
Cosmik: Your bass player is one of the best lead guitar players in the
biz. How did you get Pete Curry involved in the album?
JB: Pete's also one of the best drummers around. He's multi-talented.
I asked him to join the band when the two of us participated in that
surf band reunion show last year at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach.
It was an event put together by Les Parry (who used to do a weekly surf
music radio show in L.A. until the station was bought out several months
ago) with help from Paul Johnson. Pete was playing bass in the backup
band that Paul had put together for the event (I think Pete even
switched over to drums for a short set by Davie Allan & The Arrows).
I knew Pete from the Halibuts and was looking around for a replacement
for our bass player, Jeff Nicholson, who had moved to Oregon. Pete's
talent on bass, not to mention guitar and drums, was undeniable. I
asked him that afternoon if he wanted to join Jon & The Nightriders
and do our fifth album, and he agreed.
Cosmik: He and Dusty (Watson) have a great bass/kick drum lock, like
they've been playing together for years. How much time did they
have to jam together before tape started rolling?
JB: As I said, we met a few times to rehearse the material for "Fiberglass
Rocket." That was the first time Pete and Dusty played together. I
agree that the kick/bass combo sounds totally "in the groove." I can
only attribute that to the immense talent that's shared by both Pete and
Dusty. We usually taped our rehearsals and everyone went home and
worked with the tapes until the next rehearsal. The "lock," as you
call it, is completely intentional and all of us worked hard to achieve
that unity, which is rather important when you're a 4-piece. Still, it
does sound natural as if this had been going on for a long time--a
testimonial to Pete's abilities, I think.
Cosmik: Dave Wronski sounds great all through the album, but on "Apache,"
where he takes the lead, he sounds incredible. What all went into
getting that tone?
JB: You'd have to ask Dave that question for all the specific details.
However, I believe he used a Fender Super amp on that track together
with a Fender outboard reverb and an old Echoplex unit. The rest is
Dave's inventive style of playing.
Cosmik: "Apache" is the perfect ending for Fiberglass Rocket. Did you know
that was the closer right away?
JB: If not right away, soon after. The rest of the sequence changed a
couple of times, but "Apache" was always the closer.
Cosmik: Listening to songs like "Boogie Board" and "Rev Up!," I get the
feeling that you had a lot of fun playing this stuff.
JB: Absolutely. When the fun stops, the music stops. That's the whole
reason for doing this. It's total fun. Some tunes, "Rev Up!" in
particular, are a bit more fun to play than some of the others and I
can't explain why. "Rev Up!" is just one of those rockin' tunes that
brings a smile to your face. There's a little bit more playfulness,
perhaps, with that one and with "Boogie Board." These are tunes that
wink at you.
Cosmik: What are your immediate plans? You mentioned the possibility of a
new studio album.
JB: I'm playing it by ear for the moment. I have no immediate plans
except to begin playing shows to support "Fiberglass Rocket" and see
what happens. A new studio album may be a possibility depending on the
success of "Fiberglass Rocket" and/or how I feel when I wake up tomorrow
morning.
Cosmik: Is touring a possibility?
JB: Sure. We're currently discussing the possibility of a short tour
through the South and Midwest this fall and maybe even a short European
tour. I also hope we can make it up to the San Francisco area at some
point for a few shows.
Cosmik: This question might seem a little bit lurid, but I'm curious. 50
years from now, when somebody writes the definitive history of surf
music and its many incarnations, how would you prefer to be remembered?
JB: Just as someone who made a contribution, that's all. Actually, I'd be
honored if I was remembered for anything.
Cosmik: When a player hangs it up for as long as you did and then comes
back, people wonder if they'll still have it. You opened the album
with "Depth Charge" and ended all debate. Did you think about that,
or did it just seem like a rockin' way to open?
JB: I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the semi-final track sequence that I
presented to the band did not have "Depth Charge" as the opener. It
was Pete's wife, Kita, who suggested that and I immediately slapped my
head and said "Shit, yeah! Of course. Why didn't I see that before?"
So, using "Depth Charge" as the opening track wasn't planned at all, but
it certainly turned out to be the perfect one to say "We're back and
we're in your face again."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
JON AND THE NIGHTRIDERS, their label, AVI, and Cosmik Debris have teamed
up to offer you a chance to win their new CD, Fiberglass Rocket. Just
send e-mail to moonbaby@serv.net with your name, address, phone number,
and make sure the words "JON AND THE NIGHTRIDERS GIVEAWAY" are somewhere
in the message. We will draw the names of five winners on August 31st,
and they will each win a CD...AND...an 8x10 promo pic autographed by the
entire band. Only one entry per person, please. No entries accepted
after 11:59pm August 30. Winners will be notified by e-mail or by phone.
Good luck!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THOMAS DOLBY...and the future in your living room
by Keith Gillard
Thomas Dolby is a name most people are familiar with. He's perhaps best
known to readers for such great '80's synthpop hits "She Blinded Me With
Science" and "Hyperactive!" But few people seem to know what he's been
up to recently. That should change very soon if his new project delivers
on its promises: WebTV.
Dolby has always seamlessly combined technology with his art. The Golden
Age of Wireless and The Flat Earth are two of the greatest synth albums
of the eighties, perhaps all time. His Astronauts & Heretics album is a
hard drive cut-and-paste masterwork, in that you cannot detect that it is
a cut-and-paste album in any way.
Throughout the '90's, Dolby has been heavily involved with his multimedia
company, Headspace. One of his major projects there was the development
of AVRe, the Audio Virtual Reality engine, which would allow the musical
accompaniment to a video game or other interactive program to adapt itself
to reflect the user's experience, using a "Peter and the Wolf" approach to
arrangement.
Now, Dolby's interests seem to be shifting away from traditional
songwriting and production, and more towards the exciting new frontiers of
multimedia and interactivity. And to him, this means more than it does to
most record companies (i.e. just releasing a lame CD-ROM partition with the
next album, filled with posed photos, some chunky quicktime video clip, and
perhaps an "interactive interview" where you get to choose the questions!).
To him, this means rolling up his sleeves and really digging into it. Not
content to have his work open to interpretation, Dolby is opening his work
to interaction.
Having scored several video games and recorded the soundtrack to the
computer graphics odyssey "Gate to the Mind's Way," it seems only natural
that his attention broadened to include the Internet. Dolby has just
announced his involvement with WebTV, a project aimed at bringing the
Internet to every home. Dolby is responsible for ensuring that this new
interactive channel on your TV is not silent. His new Rich Music Format
(RMF) will provide high-quality interactive music for your surfing pleasure.
The WebTV unit will sit atop your television much as cable converters did
ten years ago, and will allow your television set to be your gate to the
'net. Don't get too excited yet - this doesn't mean global multicasting
over the coaxial cable network. WebTV still uses the telephone line and
the telephone bandwidth, although it does have some interesting innovations
that allow it to seem as if it is surpassing the limited bandwidth.
In reading this interview, you have already identified yourself as being
on-line in some capacity. You are probably in a position to appreciate
the innovations Dolby and company are planning to bring to the Internet at
large. But is the general populace ready for the future in their living
room? Thomas Dolby thinks so. And he's working to make the golden age of
wired a reality.
* * * *
Cosmik: First of all, let's talk about your big news - Web TV. That
seems like a science fiction promise - every home wired. Do you think
it can deliver on that promise?
Dolby: I think it does a fairly good job. Certainly from the point of
view of the box. I think the big challenge for WebTV is going to be the
service. That's really the important part of it. There's absolutely no
doubt in my mind that my box delivers, but whether tens of millions of
others can... I don't know.
Cosmik: Do you think the telephone bandwidth can deliver enough to capture
the "quick-fix" TV audience?
Dolby: I think it does an amazingly good job. It feels very fast when
you're used to websurfing from your computer. The built-in modem is
somewhere a little bit over 28.8, but it feels way faster than that.
I think really because all of the signals are going through WebTV's
own servers, and so they've done a lot of tricks to optimize the speed
of the signal. And so it's a little bit like websurfing at 28.8 when
it's all cached. You know - when you've been there before.
Cosmik: They've eliminated a lot of bottlenecks.
Dolby: Seem to have done, yeah. As an example, from what I hear, when
you hit a certain page, the server will look at all possible links on
from that page, and start getting them ready to send you.
Cosmik: So it takes advantage of your "downtime," so to speak, when you
are reading the information in front of you, to prepare for what's
coming next.
Dolby: Exactly.
Cosmik: You're working your RMF (Rich Music Format) into this. How is
that going to be implemented?
Dolby: Well, music and sound are very important to WebTV, because the
idea of the WebTV box is that you can be sitting on your couch watching
mainstream TV - NBC, ESPN, MTV - click number 3, and you're on the web.
And obviously if that is silent, then it's going to be a walk. So it
was absolutely essential to them from the beginning to have music on
the site and on the web at large. And obviously they were dealing with
very small bandwidth. So, very sensibly, they included a software
synthesizer, which basically is the equivalent of a SoundBlaster-type
soundcard, entirely in software, in every box. To this, we can send
RMF files, which encapsulate not only the musical notes (as with a MIDI
file) but also some data management handles, some enhanced security
features, a lot of copyright information about the composer and
copyright-holder of the music, and various other aspects which go
beyond existing file types.
Cosmik: With the automatically-updating BIOS on the WebTV unit, as your
RMF system develops and evolves, will that automatically be updated
as well?
Dolby: That's right - the WebTV box has Flash ROM, which means that their
own operating system can be updated over time without the end user even
knowing about it.
Cosmik: The RMF system seems like a natural progression of your own AVRe
system.
Dolby: Uh-huh. Yeah, this is a direct relative of AVRe. AVRe really
refers to Headspace's entire interactive music, technology, and set of
techniques. AVRe is not a commercial product, whereas RMF is actually
a specification that will be openly accessible to anybody that wants to
work with it. So for example, within a few months, you would be able
to build your own RMF player, based on the user specification. The
idea of the RMF format is that it's going to be as widely-accepted as
possible, and not supplant any existing file types. Rather, it just
encapsulates them.
Cosmik: Are you going to be able to deliver that with no license fees?
Dolby: I think so, because the specification will be there to be written
to, and Headspace will have its own custom RMF player, which we will
license out to different OEMs, and to different host applications, but
it won't prevent anyone from building their own custom RMF player.
Cosmik: In fact, that's what you want, if you want WebTV to be broadly
watched.
Dolby: That's certainly true. As far as the RMF file type, then we would
be delighted for all websites to be using RMF. But if they do choose
to just use a format such as MIDI or embedded .WAV sounds or even
RealAudio, I believe WebTV are also planning to support those file
types.
Cosmik: The RMF specs mention customizable sample sets. That sounds like
the .MOD format.
Dolby: That's right. .MOD was very useful in that you could embed four
sounds along with MIDI information so that you could play custom sounds
in addition to the General MIDI set. The nice thing about RMF is that
it's not limited to any given number of channels. If you had time to
download it, you could have as many different custom sounds as you like.
The big difference, really, is that this all was designed from the
ground up for streaming over the Internet, and so it's very much
optimized for that medium.
Cosmik: What if someone was to apply the RMF format to another software
program - say a video game for example?
Dolby: It would make a lot of sense, actually, to use RMF for a video
game. I guess some of the enhancements that RMF adds (what you might
call "bookkeeping enhancements") - as a composer, I didn't feel very
safe letting my music out onto the Internet at large, so one of RMF's
raisons d'être was to add some security and copyright features. But
just as an extra reason for RMF to be there, if you chose to do
anything in the realm of intelligent music (in terms of musical
interactivity such as the kind that I've worked with in the past with
AVRe), this would be a very suitable format to use, purely because a
lot of relational data about the music file comes along with the file
type.
Cosmik: When will beta testing be available to the public?
Dolby: We already have RMF files in a database and an RMF player. We
don't want to let it out to the public until it's very stable. So I'm
hoping that within two to three months, there'll be a beta testing
period, although I think, once again, it could be a case of, "Well,
there is a specification on line, there's a white paper, there's some
sample source code... Now it's up to you to go and make your own RMF
files."
Cosmik: When did you begin getting so involved with the
Internet?
Dolby: I suppose a year or so ago, when I started thinking about having
my own website. And I was determined that it would be more than just
a sort of digitized tour brochure. I felt that a lot of websites were
not much more than that, and that it was rather
a challenge to make a
website that was both very rich in media but that was alive from
day-to-day. I think that's proved one of the greatest challenges.
You know, the more breadth and depth you have to your site, the harder
it is to keep it updated on a regular basis, and therefore make it feel
alive. And, not having the luxury of hiring a whole team of websmiths
to maintain my site (I really have just one guy on it full time), we
have to be very thrifty with our resources. Obviously, a fair amount
of time is just taken up killing dead links, answering the feedback mail
that comes in, and maintaining the site technically. So we don't have
as much ability as we would like to actually dynamically change the
content of the site.
Cosmik: How involved are your with your own website?
Dolby: I'm very involved with the Flat Earth Society. It's been like a
sort of an anchor for me over the past couple of years. Because I've
been away from making music, the website is the one contact that I keep
with my fans, and it's a very special one. It's the most in touch I've
ever felt, in some ways, because I've been very involved in the
authoring of the site, and I've written a fair amount of the material
that's on the site. I think I'm very candid with the way that I speak
and write on the site. More so, in fact, than I would be in a public
interview, on the basis that people who come to the site are probably
fairly dedicated to begin with. Sure, I have a lot of casual visitors,
but I owe it to all the people that hit the site to give them something
that really is "from the horse's mouth." So, for example, if you go in
and read the "Frequently Asked Questions," or "Reminiscences" on the
site, these are ones that have not been written by a record company
person or a P.R. person. These are ones that I've sat down and
considered very carefully and written myself.
Cosmik: Would you say that your Internet involvement stems from your
work in multimedia?
Dolby: I think probably my multimedia involvement led to my Internet
presence. I'm not a person that enjoys spending all of my waking hours
at my computer. Given half a chance, I'll go off and go sailing on a
lake or something like that.
Cosmik: How do you see yourself progressing on the Internet, as a
musician?
Dolby: I would love to be in a position to release new songs on the
Internet, without having to go through any of the typical
intermediaries, like A&R men and radio programmers and record store
owners. Obviously, there's a current limitation in bandwidth, storage,
and processing power. But the scientists will work on those numbers
with or without me. So I'm assuming that sooner or later it will be
possible for me to start releasing music in that area, and I would just
like to prepare for that.
Cosmik: With the price of CDR recorders coming down into the three-digit
mark it could be possible to download an album overnight.
Dolby: I think that that would be terrific. Actually, I think a
technology that allows you to do that, maybe to browse at low resolution
during the day and to record your own CD at night, would be terrific.
Cosmik: Are you writing or working on an upcoming album?
Dolby: I'm constantly writing music in my head, so I think the answer
would have to be "yes." But in terms of specific plans to start
recording and releasing an album, not really. I think that, in all
honesty, I'm kind of tempted to go and find some smoky club somewhere
and start playing live, just for the sake of getting my feet wet again
in that area, than I am going back into the studio to record an album.
Cosmik: How would describe this "music in your head" and what would you
say would be influencing it?
Dolby: Well, in a way, I prefer not to describe it. At any given point
in time in the last twenty years, I've had pieces of music sort of "on
the boil" in my head. Occasionally, when I get in front of a piano or
into the studio, I'll start to actually take some of the music that's
in my head and commit it to tape, and explore some of the possibilities.
But, in the past, I've composed a verse or chorus which doesn't really
exist anywhere, written down or recorded. It's just something I can
hum to myself in privacy. I've probably got, I should think, half a
dozen songs which fit that description.
Cosmik: Your work as a producer seems to have strongly influenced your
work as a solo artist. For example, Prefab Sprout's "Desire As"
influencing the beginning of "Budapest by Blimp." Do you see that as
ongoing - things that you touch in multimedia are going to affect your
development in your future work?
Dolby: I think it probably will. Very often in the past, some of my best
songs, I've written them in order to have them covered by other people.
I wrote "Hyperactive!" for Michael Jackson. I wrote "One of Our
Submarines" for the Thompson Twins. And in both cases, I put so much
of myself into the songs that I ended up not having the heart to give
them away, and I recorded them myself. I think equally, there's been
a lot of give and take over the albums that I've done with Prefab
Sprout, given that the keyboards play a very big part in their songs.
Very often, things have evolved over time that have materialized both
in Prefab Sprout recordings and in my own recordings, like the pair
that you mentioned. And I think connoisseurs of both will pick up a
lot of different sounds and parts that show up in both kinds of music.
It's only in terms of arrangement, really, not the composition. Paddy
MacAloon's compositions are not something that anybody on the outside
meddles with, really. And that's as it should be. But in terms of the
arrangement, there's definitely some things in common. I think that
equally, when I do work in the area of games or the soundtrack that I
did last year to "Gate to the Mind's Eye," both kind of things can't
help but influence the way my next batch of solo songs turns out.
Cosmik: How did you get involved in "Gate to the Mind's Eye?"
Dolby: "Gate to the Mind's Eye" is the third in a series of video
compilations put out by a company in Seattle called Miramar. Miramar
collects CG animations from the very best studios around the world, and
re-edits them into pieces of a few minutes in length. I worked with
the editor at Miramar and we took a look at all of the material that
had been submitted, and started trying to tell a story with the piece.
There was an enormous amount of typical, you know, "flying through
futuristic cities" computer-generated stuff. But what I liked about
this material was there was also some very cultured, quiet stuff, like
this piece in which the Leonardo DaVinci drawings came to life in 3-D.
And some reconstructions of the Great Wall of China, the cathedral at
Kloony, some new textures that looked more like oil painting than the
typical very acidic and very mathematical CG look. So, I came up with
this concept of putting all of the flying, destructive stuff in the
first four or five minutes, so that civilization has effectively
destroyed itself and is reduced to a ruin and then slowly builds itself
back up through the ages of man. That was my concept for a way to lay
out the timeline of the piece. It seemed to work very well for what we
had. I was working in Los Angeles and the editor, Mike Boydstun, was
working in Seattle, both of us just on a single Macintosh. Over a
period of time, we just iterated, bounced back-and-forth, different
cuts and versions of the piece, until we came up with something that
we really liked.
Cosmik: If there was a tribute album dedicated to you, which of your
songs would you like to see done, and by which artists?
Dolby: That's a very tricky question. I'd like to hear Van Morrisson
do "Screen Kiss." I think Michael Jackson doing "Hyperactive!" would
have to be pretty funny, given that it was for him that I wrote it
originally. There was talk for a while of Joni Mitchell covering a
song of mine called "Urban Tribal," which never came to be, but that
would be nice. And maybe David Bowie doing "Leipzig."
Cosmik: Are you doing any work as a producer? I know that you were
disappointed that you had to turn down Prefab Sprout about their new
album.
Dolby: That's right, yeah. I kind of feel that both production and solo
recording is something that I can always go back to. It'll always be
there for me, even if I had a long lay-off and didn't start again 'til
I was forty or fifty or sixty. I can always make music. But what's
going on with the revolution in technology and the convergence of
technology with media is a fascinating thing, and I would hate not to
have a front-row seat.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
RAPPIN' WITH THE BOYS IN THE HOODS: An Interview with Los Straitjackets
Interviewed by DJ Johnson
"This band is fantastic. We were listening to them at rehearsal. It's a
great band. Los Straitjackets are with us tonight! Check 'em out. They
stunned us!"
-- Conan O'Brien
Millions of Americans were introduced to Nashville's masked marauders, Los
Straitjackets, that night as they played "Fury" from their first album,
The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sounds of Los Straitjackets.
For many in the TV audience, it was also an introduction to a sound and a
style that they had never heard on their mainstream radio stations. It was
another step forward for the instrumental rock and roll scene.
Their sound covers a broad range, from the deep garage power of "Caveman,"
to the beautiful surf sound of "Pacifica," to the spy--flick coolness of
"Espionage." Los Straitjackets is clearly one of the most talented bands
in the instro/surf scene, and they are no longer anybody's secret. Since
their national TV appearance, they have toured relentlessly across America,
released a new album (Viva!) and made a second appearance on the Conan
O'Brien show.
During their tour, Danny Amis (guitar), Eddie Angel (guitar), Scott Esbeck
(bass) and Jimmy Lester (drums) have been hauling a notebook computer all
over the country with them, using e--mail to keep in touch with family,
friends, and their label, Upstart Records. Cosmik Debris took advantage
of that situation and did the following interview via e--mail. Danny Amis
answered these questions from somewhere in southern California as the tour
was finally winding down.
* * * *
Cosmik: Let's get the obvious and most over-asked question out of the way
right up front so we can get down to the good stuff. Who came up with
the idea of wearing Mexican wrestling masks?
Danny: I'm afraid that was my idea. We were looking for a unique way to
present the band onstage and I happened to have a bag of these masks
that I bought at the wrestling matches in Mexico City. We tried them
on and they looked so cool we HAD to wear them.
Cosmik: So there you have it! Now let's get down to the music. What are
the ingredients of your sound, as far as influences?
Danny: I would have to say The Shadows and The Ventures, myself. Eddie
will tell you Link Wray and Chuck Berry, Scott cites James Jamerson
and L.J. is very into Buddy Rich, Ringo and Keith Moon.
Cosmik: Are there some attitude influences, like certain films, for
instance?
Danny: Well, obviously the Mexican wrestling films. We like to think we
stick to the original Rock 'n' Roll attitude of being as fun and crazy
as possible and not letting things get deep or serious.
Cosmik: How did you all end up in Nashville? I'm assuming by the bands
you all used to play with that you're not Music City natives.
Danny: Jimmy grew up in Nashville, Eddie and I moved from New York in the
mid-eighties (though we never knew each other) for pretty much the same
reason--at a time of sequencers and synthesized music, Nashville was a
place where people still appreciated guitars. Scott ended up in town
with his band, Dig Mandrakes, which relocated there.
Cosmik: All of you had played in popular bands before. Could you give
us a quick rundown of those bands?
Danny: Danny--The Raybeats (79-82 NYC) and The Overtones (76-79
Minneapolis) were both guitar instrumental bands, very similar to what Los
Straitjackets are doing now. Members of the Overtones went on to join the
Replacements, and Pat Irwin of the Raybeats went on to join the B-52s.
Jimmy--Texas Songwriter/Poet Billy Joe Shaver (early 80s Austin) and Webb
Wilder (85-present Nashville). Recorded 5 Albums in the 10 years of
being with Webb Wilder, including the current release "Acres of Suede"
and an upcoming Tom T. Hall Tribute album.
Scott--Played the last note of the last song of the last Replacements show.
Eddie--Tex Rubinoitz (early 80s DC Area), Jeannie and the Hurricanes (mid
80s Nashville), The Planet Rockers (late 80s-early 90s Nashville),
Ronnie Dawson (mid 90s).
Cosmik: How did the band get together?
Danny: In 1985, Eddie had just moved to Nashville and his band at the time
(a group called Lynxtail) was opening for Webb Wilder (with Jimmy on
drums) and I happened to be there that night and we all met each other.
A couple of years later, the three of us got together and formed "The
Straitjackets" and played a half dozen or so gigs around Nashville just
for kicks. It wasn't until 1994, when we decided to regroup, that we
added Scott Esbeck (a friend of Jimmy & Eddie's) and took the band
seriously.
Cosmik: Did you have it all planned out before your first practice, or
did the musical direction just take shape as you went?
Danny: The first album was pretty much songs we already had before we
started, but the new album is the direction we ended up taking later.
Cosmik: What was the scene like before Los Straitjackets in Nashville?
Danny: A very diverse scene, unlike its reputation.
Cosmik: Did it take you long to build an audience there?
Danny: Not really, we seemed to catch on right away, but it's still
growing.
Cosmik: You won an award for "Best Unsigned Band," is that right? Did that
bring a lot of inquiries from labels?
Danny: You got that from a very old press kit. We get nominated for
Nashville awards a lot. The only thing we've been honored with is "Best
Dressed Band."
Cosmik: Well, they're still falling all over Clint Black in that town,
so...How did the deal with Upstart happen?
Danny: I sent tapes out to many labels, and Upstart impressed us with
their enthusiasm. It was an obvious choice for both of us.
Cosmik: The Utterly Fantastic and Totally Unbelievable Sound Of Los
Straitjackets CD is an incredibly strong debut, and it's almost 100
percent original tunes. How much time did you spend in the studio
actually recording it?
Danny: A day and a half.
Cosmik: Wow! How did Ben Vaughn fit into the mix? What were some of
his most important contributions?
Danny: Ben is an old friend who happened to be in town when we were about
to enter the studio, and he was happy to be involved. His most important
contribution was the use of sound effects.
Cosmik: How do you like his soundtrack to 3rd Rock From The Sun? Quite a
victory for the instro community, don't you think?
Danny: I'll say! It's great to hear the kind of music we like on mainstream
TV.
Cosmik: A lot of garage fans were real happy to see you bringing back
"Calhoun Surf" from your Raybeats repertoire. Were you just staking
claim to it, or was there some unfinished business? Something you
wanted to do with the song?
Danny: We finally got the right recording of that song, and a lot of
people remember it still. Besides, it's fun to play.
Cosmik: A lot of the songs on that CD will probably be considered classics
someday. What songs do you all feel the strongest about?
Danny: Classics!! Thanks! Too tough to pick one above the rest.
Cosmik: Viva Los Straitjackets, your second CD, seems to be a little bit
more "rock and roll" and a little bit less surf or spy than the first.
Danny: We consider it to be a little more soulful. More time and thought
was put into this one.
Cosmik: "Lonely Apache" has a string section, which kind of caught me off
guard. What's the story behind that?
Danny: We always wanted to put strings on that one. It would have been a
shame to record it without them. It was actually a series of overdubs
from one player.
Cosmik: "Espionage" has got to be the coolest spy tune of the year. Any
offers from filmmakers who might want to use that one?
Danny: Not yet, but that would be cool. Thank you.
Cosmik: Ben Vaughn's single-note guitar part in "Lawnmower" is a killer.
Was the song written around it?
Danny: Sort of. It evolved from a jam session with Ben, and was named
after Jimmy's summer job.
Cosmik: How would you describe the differences between the music on this CD
and the music on the first CD?
Danny: The Music on VIVA was more of a collaborative effort in the
songwriting. When we did the first CD, we had only been together a
month. When we got to the second one, we had been playing together
for over a year and were able to put more of a group effort into it.
Cosmik: Which tunes from the new CD get the best reactions live?
Danny: "Cavalcade" is a real crowd getter.
Cosmik: How did you end up doing the Conan O'Brien show?
Danny: It turned out Andy Richter was already a fan and had even used
our music in some of his comedy bits. At the last minute one week,
they needed to fill 4 minutes the following night and asked for us.
It's always a real treat to do that show because everyone there is a
fan and they're really nice to us. The first time we did it, we gave
Conan and Andy wrestling masks as a gesture of appreciation, and they
wore them throughout the show's rehearsal.
Cosmik: Be honest now . . .How nervous were you all?
Danny: Pretty nervous the first time, but they were so nice to us we
weren't very nervous at all the second time.
Cosmik: How did it feel to hear Conan tell the audience that he was
knocked out by you guys at rehearsal?
Danny: Wonderful. That was very nice of him. Conan's a great guy.
Cosmik: How did that appearance effect you in terms of sales and
attendance?
Danny: The jump in both sales and attendance was very noticeable. It
certainly helped us get radio airplay.
Cosmik: Has it generated any offers from other shows, like Letterman's or
Leno's?
Danny: We're doing "Li'l Art's Poker Party" in L.A. this week!
Cosmik: What is a typical day on the road like for you guys?
Danny: Pretty glamorous; we get up, we drive a long time, we set up and
play, and we go to bed. Thank god for the walkman!
Cosmik: How much longer till you get to go home?
Danny: What day is this?
Cosmik: Do you already have plans for when you get home, or do you get to
take an actual break from the band for a bit?
Danny: We usually try to take a break from the band, but something usually
comes up.
Cosmik: What do you think the future holds for the band? And for instro
music, in general?
Danny: We're really excited about the way this thing has taken off. It
looks like we're getting pretty good radio airplay. Who can say? I
think the return of some instrumental format is long overdue, so I
sure hope it keeps growing.
Cosmik: We'll try to come full circle here before we sign off. Tell me
one thing: Are there times when it's 110 degrees on stage and you think
to yourself "Why the hell did we ever start wearing leather masks?"
Danny: Well, they're not actually leather, and yes it can get pretty hot,
but there's no turning back now!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MILES '56...THE COOL GROWS UP
By Shaun Dale
1955 had been a good year for Miles Davis. Kicking a five year junk
habit, he had won acclaim for his legendary comeback at the 1955 Newport
Jazz Festival, recorded "Round Midnite," his finest work since the
"Birth of the Cool" sessions in '48 and inked a new record deal with
Prestige Records.
There was little indication at first glance, though, that the band he
would form late that year would become one of the greatest in the
history of jazz.
Among the players in the Miles Davis Quintet were some highly respected
names, like pianist Red Garland and drummer "Philly" Joe Jones, veterans
of the same Pittsburgh bop scene that produced John Coltrane. The Trane
of 1955 wasn't yet the Trane of legend, though. He had done some fine
work, especially as a member of Dizzy Gillespie's band during Miles'
tenure with Charlie Parker, but hadn't found his original voice and
transcendental vision. Bassman Paul Chambers was barely a man at all,
just out of his teens.
When their first album came out in the fall of '55, however, they created
a sensation that caught the attention of Columbia Records, which came
to woo Miles and the band away from Prestige much in the same way the
majors recruit indy artists in today's rock scene.
There was, however, a little matter of the proverbial contractual
obligation. The Quintet owed Prestige four more albums before they
could make the move to Columbia.
The obligation was fulfilled in two marathon sessions in May and October
of 1956. The band treated the sessions as performances, recording each
cut in one take. They laid down 24 magnificent tracks and handed them to
producer Bob Weinstock to sort out as he saw fit. These became "Cookin',"
"Relaxin'," "Workin'" and "Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet."
Which brings us to the subject at hand--the rerelease of these classics
of cool jazz by DCC Jazz. Accompanied by the original art and notes and
beautifully produced in DCC's 24 karat gold compact disc format, these
discs could, and should, form a core for any serious collection of the
cool jazz sound that overtook bop in the '50s and became the definitive
sound of jazz for a generation.
"Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet" was the first of the four to hit
the stores, and from the opening piano flourish on "My Funny Valentine"
it's obvious that there's something special in store here. The band was
cookin' indeed, punching the tempo a little higher on each of the four
cuts from the October session found here.
"Blues by Five" is ten minutes of wonder, with particularly strong
performances by Chambers--who despite his youth was named Downbeat
Magazine's "New Star of 1956" on the strength of solos like the one
found here--and Jones, who exploits the full range available from a
small trap and brushes.
Trane takes over on Sonny Rollins' "Airegin," which also reflects the
adaptability of the rhythm section as the pace continues to build.
"Tune Up/When Lights Are Low" opens with Garland's intro to Miles'
composition "Tune Up." It turns into a call and response session between
Davis and Jones, who are joined by Trane before moving into a down tempo
turn at Carter Williams' "When Lights Are Low." They close with
Chambers' trademark walking bass serving as the background for a trumpet
that flashes like lightning on a summer night, and quick, fat bursts from
the tenor. Garland closes the track with one more solo and "Cookin'" is
ready to serve.
"Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet" opens with another cut from the
October session, but in a different mood altogether. Miles' horn is
muted here, and Coltrane is in a lyrical mood on "If I Were A Bell" from
the musical "Guys and Dolls." Garland's solo is the centerpiece,
described in my listening notes as "..piano notes like stones skipping
on a sea of bass."
"You're My Everything" is presented in a slow ballad tempo, with Miles
still muted, playing over rich piano chords.
Rodgers and Hart's "I Could Write a Book" keeps Miles in the same
groove, but Trane's solo is stabbing. Garland takes over for a single
line solo before yielding back to Miles for the last break.
Just as the first album featured Miles and Trane trading licks with the
drums on "Tune Up," here Sonny Rollins' "Oleo" becomes a vehicle for
them to play catch with the bass, with Davis and Chambers opening, the
band taking the bridge and Coltrane and Chambers wrapping it up.
"It Could Happen to You" is the first cut released from the May session,
and here Miles is tossing notes into the air breezily, with Trane
picking up the same light groove. As with all the other cuts on this
disc, Miles is playing a muted horn and the groove is, indeed,
relaxin'. That changes when Miles takes out the mute and the band moves
into Dizzy Gillespie's "Woodyn' You." Against a background of rich Red
Garland chords, Miles and Trane take us up on this up tempo track from
May.
"Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet" opens with more from the May
session. Returning to Rodgers and Hart for "It Never Entered My Mind,"
Miles is muted again and Chambers takes up a bow for his bass on this
lush ballad arrangement.
Miles reaches high on his own composition, "Four," with Trane finding a
rich tone for his bobbing, weaving solo before moving into Dave
Brubeck's "In Your Own Sweet Way." It's sweet indeed, with Miles once
again playing a muted horn and Trane pushing, taking his playing nearer
the higher level he was destined to achieve.
"The Theme (Take 1)" closed the first side of the original album, just
as it was used to close sets when the band appeared onstage, and its
appearance here contributes an authentic touch to the live club feel of
the recording.
The next cut may be "Trane's Blues," but it's Miles' solo that makes it.
The unmistakable trademark Davis riffs yield to a Paul Chambers solo
over some tasty high-hat and brushes from Jones before the band reenters
to close the tune in a Salvation Army unison mood.
"Ahmad's Blues" is the one cut from the four albums not produced in the
two quintet sessions. Miles arranged for Garland, Chambers and Jones to
work with producer Weinstock as a trio at a later May date, and the
performance earned Garland a contract of his own as a leader on several
trio recordings for Weinstock. A highlight here is Chambers picking up
the bow again for a memorable solo.
The Davis composition "Half Nelson" is the only October track on the
album. A keeper from Miles' tenure with Bird, it features Miles and
Jones trading eights in an up tempo mood.
The disc closes with a short reprise of "The Theme (Take 2)," once again
establishing the mood of a club gig, with the five players saying
good night after a good night of "Workin'."
"Steamin' With the Miles Davis Quintet" features more from the May date,
opening with an almost gentle swing arrangement of "Surrey with the
Fringe On Top."
Miles takes a muted solo over a soft high-hat, then Trane enters to
attack the melody and stretch the arrangement until Garland caps the
solos with some of his patented big chord work.
The band moves into a quick tempo bop mode for Dizzy Gillespie's "Salt
Peanuts." Stabbing horns are punctuated by a single line solo from
Garland, and Miles takes a virtuoso turn at Diz's tune, followed by a
rapid fire solo from Trane which may be his best on all four discs.
"Something I Dreamed Last Night" pulls back into a slow ballad tempo.
Miles' horn here is mellow, almost pensive, and beautiful.
Miles tips his hat to Duke Ellington on "Diane," returning the tempo to
the swing mood of "Surrey," but playing hot enough to keep the steam
rising.
Monk's "Well You Needn't" is the only October track here, featuring a
hard driving Trane from the go. Miles jumps in to trade beats with the
tenor before taking his break and Chambers is once again featured with
bow in hand for his solo.
"When I Fall In Love" closes the fourth disc with another ballad, given
a straight treatment by Miles, who once again takes up a mute. It's the
perfect closer, because by the time I got to it, I had indeed fallen in
love with the music of the Miles Davis Quintet.
The Quintet went on to record one more album, for Columbia, before
breaking up to produce many more of the great bands and albums of jazz
in various combinations. These four historic recordings, though, are
the meat of their output and were solid evidence that cool jazz was not
a phase, but a force.
DCC has done a great service in producing these reissues in their best
format. The packaging is done in a way the music deserves, with
faithful reproductions of the original covers, front and back, the
original notes in pamphlet form, even copies of the original labels.
Every serious collector should seek them out.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
POLITICAL PLAYBOOK
Conventions: The Parties' Parties
By Shaun Dale
"...There is something about a political convention that makes it as
fascinating as a revival or a hanging...a show so gaudy and hilarious,
so melodramatic and obscene, so unimaginably preposterous that one lives
a gorgeous year in an hour."
H.L. Mencken
Conventions have changed a bit since the sage of Baltimore penned those
words in the mid-1950's, but the principle holds. The major party
national conventions are, indeed, obscenely fascinating for many folks.
Not enough folks to satisfy the networks, though. They've promised
major cuts in convention coverage this year. It's a pity, because the
modern convention hall is little more than a giant TV studio, with the
politicians fighting for prime time speaking slots and the delegates on
hand as voluntary extras.
You don't have to miss a minute of the fun, though. C-Span, of course,
will offer live, unedited gavel to gavel coverage (http://www.c-span.org),
CNN will have plenty to offer (http://www.cnn.com) and this year the
Republican National Committee (http://www.rnc.com) will offer their own
coverage through a contract with Pat Robertson's Family Channel operation
(but you'll have to find your own link to that mess - even a cyber-pundit
has to maintain some standards!).
What is it about conventions that have captured the imagination of so
many since the Anti-Masonic Party held the first national party meeting
in 1831? Why do thousands of delegates, journalists, demonstrators and
hangers-on trek thousands of miles to be on hand? The chance to make
history? Nah. The opportunity to hear stirring oratory? Uh-uh. The
lure of overwhelming suspense about the identity of the eventual
nominees? Heh.
Nope. It's political party party time!
Giant tubs of shrimp courtesy of corporate America. Banquets,
receptions, barbecues and beer blasts in every hotel, restaurant and
meeting room in the host cities. Balloons, buttons and funny hats.
Democracy in action.
It's like nothing else. As a veteran of many county and state
conventions, nothing prepared me for my own experience as a National
Delegate for Jerry Brown in 1992. Even though I've met more than my
share of Congressmen and Senators and have made my living in politics for
quite a while, it's hard to resist the emotional tug of hearing the late
and truly great Barbara Jordan address a convention, or seeing Bill
Bradley make what he described as his first Madison Square Garden
appearance in long pants. It's not so bad getting interviewed by CNN
and the Washington Post, either.
* HOT FUN IN THE SUMMER TIME *
The Republicans are up first this year. Bob and Liddy will lead the gang
back to the beach in San Diego on August 12th. About 2000 delegates will
be joined by about 15,000 journalists and an unreleased number of, err...
"working women" for five days of frolic in one of the few California
cities where Bill Clinton may not have a 20 point lead in the polls.
(Hookers are reputed to favor the Republican festivities since the
Democrats are reputed to favor one another with revenue draining
freebies. It may be Dole's best chance to close the gender gap a bit.)
There are, in fact, still a couple elements of mystery surrounding this
one. Dole still hasn't announced his choice for Veep, though he'll
probably take care of that before the gavel falls, and the possibility
of an actual platform fight looms.
The presumptive nominee has sent some mixed signals about the stance
he'd like the party to take on abortion rights and the repeal of the
assault weapons ban. There will be emotional factions on both sides
of both issues on the convention floor. Don't get me wrong - nominees
*own* these shows, and Bob Dole will get what he wants when (okay,
*if*) Bob Dole decides what he wants, but there could be some
entertaining fireworks along the way.
The other subplot worth following at the GOP funfest will be the party's
attempt to handle the Buchanan Brigades. Palaeolithic Pat will have his
noisy minority on the floor, but so far the plans are to keep him off
the stage. At the 1992 Democratic Convention Jerry Brown was forced to
second his own nomination in order to address the delegates. Buchanan
may try a similar gambit, and his people will be at the forefront of the
effort to retain the platform planks that underlie his "culture war"
against...well, against people much like me.
My call? Buchanan gets on the air at, oh, 1:00 am Eastern Time, Dole
gets the platform he wants and the VP could be just about anybody who's
*not* up for re-election this year.
I mean, they're not gonna win the White House--there's no reason to
sacrifice a Governor's Mansion.
* MY KIND OF TOWN...CHICAGO IS *
Ten days after the Republican's wrap up in San Diego, the Democrats
(http://www.democrats.org) revisit the scene of their memorable 1968
police riot...Convention, Dick Daley's Chicago. Of course, it's a
different Dick Daley, and they hope it's a different Chicago too.
There's no mystery here at all. Four more for Clinton-Gore
(http://www.cg96.org) is the deal and the delegates will assemble to
watch the ink dry on the bottom line.
There will be demonstrations, though. In Chicago and in San Diego. The
Republicans tried to set up a designated demonstration area a few blocks
from the convention site, but the courts have so far sided with the
argument that the GOP delegates should have to pay for their free
shrimp and booze with actual exposure to people who disagree with them.
Democrats, of course, specialize in disagreeing with one another.
The thing to watch for in Chicago will be attempts by the featured
speakers to set themselves up for a piece of the ticket in 2000. Al
Gore, the current favorite for the next nomination, will be given most
favored status by the party powers that be, but he'll have to perform
well or he could see his light dim.
I'll be watching the convention floor for glimpses of Bobby Rush, a
Chicago based Black Panther Party leader in '68, now a member of Congress,
and Tom Hayden, a defendant in the Chicago Conspiracy Trial, now a
California Assemblyman.
Isn't it ironic? Doncha think?
With every delegate in the room pledged to the incumbent ticket, though,
this one promises to be more like a late '60s love-in than the anti-war
demonstrations Bill Clinton was ramrodding in those days.
I'll be watching, though, and keeping careful score.
Hey, the next Playbook has to come from somewhere...
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BAD BRAINS: Bad Brains (ROIR CD)
Reviewed by Cai Campbell
An all-black, Rastafarian influenced hardcore band could be considered a
very unique curiosity, even today. Back in 1982, when this album was
released on cassette only, Bad Brains were a ground-breaking phenomenon.
Originally based in Washington D.C. (and later NYC,) Bad Brains experimented
with and coalesced some of the most volatile and intoxicating music of the
day, including reggae, dub, speed-punk, hardcore, and metal.
Aside from their Rastafarian leanings, Bad Brains were unique in that they
were playing music which was almost wholly dominated by angry, young, white
males. What made them even more unique, in this regard, was the fact that
they played their music with more conviction, energy, enthusiasm, and talent
than practically all of their white contemporaries. Bad Brains had the
added bonus of their wide pallet of musical styles, so that where the
hardcore medium was soon exhausted by most groups, Bad Brains could
dexterously maneuver between a wide variety of musical forms without fear
of being pigeon-holed.
This CD demonstrates all the above, and more. This is a classic, monumental
milestone in music history, and it's about time ROIR made it available on
CD! In a mere thirty-six minutes, Bad Brains takes you on sixteen
interwoven, yet discreet, journeys--the sum total of which reminds you
that life is too short to waste on one emotion.
THE BASEMENT BRATS: Shining Down 7" EP (Sneakers Records)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Another hot recording from the ultra-hot (but now fragmented) Basement Brats.
The single is "Shining Down," a smokin' brew of raw punk power and 60s pop
sensibilities (especially strong in the catchy chorus). Lead vocalist Ole
"Magnum" Olsen was in top form at these sessions, and is especially good on
"It's Not The Right Time," a tune that's even catchier than the A-side. His
trademark scream is something else. I mean...it hurts your throat just to
hear it! The final track, "Disconnected Love," is the hottest rocker of the
bunch. All the best Brat elements are present in these three songs. Gutsy
lead vocals, powerful harmonies, slamming drums and bass, and a twin guitar
attack that never met a power chord it didn't like. I'm still in mourning
over the news that Magnum is no longer with them. I just can't imagine it.
They've never had much distribution in America, and I'm afraid that's still
the case, so if you want to get hip to what the people of Norway have known
all along, you'll probably have to send away for this one. (Sneakers
Records: Almgrensv, 9 A, 1621 Gressvik, Norway)
BEETHOVEN: Concerto in C for Piano, Violin, Cello and Orchestra,
Op. 56 (Triple Concerto); Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra,
Op. 80 (Choral Fantasy). Itzhak Perlman, Violin; Yo-Yo Ma, Cello;
Daniel Barenboim, Piano and Conductor, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra,
Chorus of The German Staatsoper. (EMI Classics 5 55516 2 [DDD] 55:13)
Reviewed by Robert Cummings
If the Triple Concerto and Choral Fantasy do not represent Beethoven at
his most inspired, they are nonetheless powerful and compelling works,
neglected, no doubt, because of the colossal artistic heights scaled by
their many siblings. One must also remember that in the former work it is
not always easy to assemble three big-name artists willing share the
precious spotlight (or struggle for elbow room therein). Nor is it any less
problematic to furnish a chorus for the closing moments of a twenty-minute
work for piano and orchestra that just happens to feature a theme that
seems the incomplete gestation of the grandiose melody from the finale of
the mighty Ninth Symphony. In any event, whatever warts plague the surface
of these compositions, one can excavate subcutaneously to find many riches
and pleasures to last through numerous hearings.
These performances were taped live in the Berlin Philharmonie in 1995,
with, I'm thankful to report, respectfully quiet audiences in attendance.
In the recording of the Triple Concerto we, of course, have three
superstars here. And let me say right off that they play as a unit,
unconcerned with matters of ego, matters of who might overshadow whom. Ma
is his usual debonair, facile self, displaying his luscious tone and
all-encompassing technique with seeming effortlessness. Perlman partners
him in his half of the string playing with equal ability, imparting a
soaring sweetness to his fiddling in the second and third movements that
is mesmerizing. Last but not least, pianist and conductor Barenboim comes
on as the glue to the trio, performing his double-duty assignment as though
he were two musicians--two superlative musicians. His playing is muscular
where appropriate, and he is alert to the often-accompanimental role of the
piano.
Notice the group's splendid give-and-take beginning at 5:00 in the finale,
how they adroitly capture the wit, the elegance, the soul of the music. Or
hear the cleverly-executed exchanges starting at 5:12 in the first movement
that culminate in the orchestra's glorious rendering of the alternate theme.
This is music-making on the highest level.
It must be noted that Ma appeared on records before in this work with the
Berlin Philharmonic, under the baton of the iconic late Herbert von Karajan.
The trio in that 1980 DG studio effort was filled out with no less than the
teenaged Anne-Sophie Mutter and then-recent Soviet émigré Mark Zeltser. It
was a youthful reading, to be sure, in spite of the presence of Karajan,
and lacked a bit of the subtlety and energy of this EMI reading. Ma's
sparing use of portamento is even better here, and Barenboim's playing has
a slightly more natural flow than Zeltser's (note the latter's somewhat
wooden entrance in the second movement.)
In the Choral Fantasy pianist/conductor Barenboim offers a powerful reading
that features an opening solo notable for its cultivated sensitivity and
high drama. For sheer frenzied playing to arrest the ear in astonishment,
hear him in the passage at the beginning of track 6. And the chorus and
orchestra contribute in this live effort as though possessed of the inner
conviction that this is Beethoven of the highest order, Beethoven who could
do no artistic wrong. In sum, I've heard no performance to surpass this one.
And while some may prefer the Karajan/EMI account from 1969 of the Triple
Concerto (with the imposing trio of Richter, Oistrakh, and Rostropovich),
I'll feel confident in recommending this new one as your best bet. Good
sound and intelligent notes.
LENNY BREAU WITH DAVID YOUNG: Live at Bourbon St.
(Guitarchives GTR-0001)
Reviewed by Paul Remington
When a new record label hits the music scene, it's always cause for curious
attention. And, when a musician the caliber of Lenny Breau finds a new home
for never before released material, that's an even more important event.
Guitarchives was founded by guitarist Randy Bachman, and its flagship
release is a brilliant concert by one of guitar's great innovators of
fingerstyle jazz, Lenny Breau.
The Bourbon Street concert, recorded on DAT in August of 1983 (one of the
earliest DAT field recordings), was previously released on LP in the late
1980s. Most of the music on this double-CD appeared on "Legacy" (Relaxed
Rabbit RR 427) and "Quietude" (Electric Muse Records UUM 1001), both of
which are out of print. Bachman does add a few outtakes that have never
seen the light of day: "Quiet And Blue" (Breau original), "All The Things
You Are," "My Foolish Heart," "My Funny Valentine," and "Beautiful Love."
These performances display Lenny's innate ability to conceptualize complex
chordal elements juxtaposed with brilliantly conceived harmonic and
improvised elements. Recorded barely a year prior to his untimely death in
August of 1984, these recordings are an absolute must for musicians and
collectors of jazz guitar.
Lenny Breau began learning how to play the guitar on the farm, as a little
boy. He quickly excelled, and as his knowledge of the instrument grew, so
did his technique. Breau's most notable technique is his use of harmonics.
His mixture of harmonic tones with pure notes in a quick and flowing manner
had an ethereal, harp-like quality. He endlessly practiced and perfected
this unique ability to a point where it became a prominent part of his
musical thumbprint. When you heard Lenny play, there was no mistaking it was
Lenny Breau.
In his early teens, he began playing bluegrass and country music with his
father's band. Family friend Chet Atkins was so impressed with Lenny's
playing, he convinced RCA to sign him on a three LP contract in the late
sixties. Chet described Lenny as "the greatest guitar player alive today."
These are very high words, but listening to Chet Atkins playing, it's very
easy to hear Lenny's playing in his technique.
Lenny's musical hero was jazz pianist Bill Evans. As his technique excelled,
his distinctive sound began to take place. The music he appreciated came
though in his playing. As a result, he began approaching the guitar like a
piano, comping chords with a thumbpick while playing melodic and
improvisational lines on the top strings of the guitar. He extended the
guitar's range with his highly advanced use of harmonics, and later in life
added a seventh string (high A) to his guitar, further extending the
instrument's range closer to that of a piano. As Lenny states:
"I've reached a point where I transcend the instrument. A lot of the stuff
I play on the seven string guitar is supposed to be technically impossible,
but I've spent over 20 years figuring it out. I play the guitar like a
piano, there's always two things going on at once. I'm thinking melody, but
I'm also thinking of a background. I play the accompaniment on the low
strings. What I'm trying to do is make impressions. I think of myself as a
colorist, adding different colors and shades by using different techniques
and touching the guitar in different ways. I like to play sounds you can
see if you have your eyes closed. I'll always be a student, because I think
of music as never ending."
Accompanied by David Young on upright acoustic bass, Lenny is relaxed and
inventive. This recording finds Lenny playing his seven string custom
electric. His association with David spans almost 25 years at the point of
this recording, and this intimacy between musicians is readily heard. The
performance is in sync, and along the same mental path. Both Lenny and
David are striving for the same goal, and they achieve it.
Bachman's Guitarchives label intends to release much more material of Lenny
Breau. Two CDs are currently planned for future release. Planned for release
is "Nylon And Steel," featuring Lenny playing flamenco, classical, jazz,
and country solo pieces on his nylon-string Ramirez, steel string, acoustic,
and electric guitars. Guitarchives will also be releasing "Boy Wonder,"
which gives us a glimpse of the earliest recordings of Lenny, recorded in
1957 by Al Hawkes, with Lenny playing a 1934 Gibson model L-00 acoustic,
and Fender Stratocaster.
For those interested in future release activity, add Guitarchives' URL to
your Web browsers. They can be reached at
http://www.cyberstore.ca/guitarchives/.
GLEN BROWN: The Way To Mt. Zion (ROIR)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
The Way To Mt. Zion is a collection of recordings made between 1969 and
1976 by a very interesting Jamaican musician and producer. Glen Brown
earned his stripes as an assistant engineer for the legendary King Tubby.
As a musician, he could perform the soul-tinged reggae that was popular in
Jamaica in the late 60s, or he could perform deep hypnotic instrumentals.
As an experimenter, he deserves a place in the hall of fame. There are
examples of all that and more on The Way To Mt. Zion.
The "more" I refer to is Dub. What do you think the chances are that a
young producer could spend any decent length of time as King Tubby's
assistant engineer and NOT become a dub master? Brown learned his chops
well, and run through the filter of his own unusual imagination, they
resulted in gems like "Zion Steps Dub" and "Lambsbread Dub," both of which
appear in dub and original forms on this CD. The latter is the most amazing
track of all because the four minute vocal track turns into the four minute
dub track without missing a beat. The end result is an 8 minute curio that
you're compelled to listen to over and over.
If all of this hasn't seemed diverse enough, consider Brown's intense
instrumentals, so dream-like and reverbed as to simulate dub. He plays
nearly any instrument you can think of (Peter Tosh taught him how to play
bass, so you KNOW he does that well), but what stands out here is his
melodica playing, which adds such a wonderful ethereal touch to tracks
like "Molasses" and "Sounds Of The Time." Over the years, Brown has
recorded with nearly every major instrumentalist in Jamaica, and this
CD is flooded with stars like Aston and Cartlon Barrett, Winston Wright,
Ansel Collins, Don Drummond, Tommy McCook and Robbie Shakespeare, to name
a few. With a cast like that, you can just imagine how fine the
performances are. Most of these players are better known than Glen Brown.
His place in the history and hierarchy of Jamaican music is hard to peg.
That is...if you are going by press clippings. So don't. Listen and learn.
BUSH CHEMISTS: Dub Outernational (ROIR)
Reviewed by Cai Campbell
The Bush Chemists make conscious music for conscious people. At least
that's what the CD booklet says. You know what? It's true. The Bush
Chemists are like "what if the Orb and Lee Scratch Perry got together."
But in reality, the Bush Chemists are Dougie Wardrop and his partner, Paul
Davey.
Dougie works his magic in his equipment-crammed London attic
studio/laboratory. Potions include a 24-track Soundcraft board, an Atari
1040 computer, Fostex 8 track reel-to-reel tape machine, 3 keyboards, an
Akai sampler, DAT recorder, 2 Boss echo chambers, a Lexicon reverb unit,
and a spring reverb (just like King Tubby's!)
The music on this disc is positively transcendental. In true dub fashion
and flavor, it weaves rhythms of ecstasy, yet also incorporates the running
electrons of techno bliss. The music captivates you and carries you down a
river of ethereal grounding.
The Bush Chemists do not adhere to the dutiful traditions of dub, but delve
wholly in its spirit. As Dougie himself puts it, "People aren't interested
in the orthodox style music --like you go to [Jah] Shaka, you listen to the
music he plays. They're not interested in that sort of stuff. They only
want the stuff that's dancey. It's bollocks really."
BUTTHOLE SURFERS: Electriclarryland (Capitol)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
It may not be as raw and spontaneous as their early stuff, but
Electriclarryland has power to spare. From the wall-o-distortion in "Birds"
to the peyote-mind-melt of "Space," nothing is half-assed about the Butthole
Surfers' 13th release. They've always been equally adept at in-your-face
punk and pure psychedelia, and this CD is a grand explosion of both. The
single, "Pepper," mixes deadpan rap with Hendrix-esque psych and a hint of
ragga. Wooo! It gives me hope for the future to know that FM radio is
playing this concoction all around the country this month. Creativity can
be recognized and rewarded after all, I guess.
While "Pepper" deservedly gets airplay, there are some kick-ass rockers
here that deserve mention, starting with "Ulcer Breakout," a high voltage
surge complete with power-chording bass! "L.A." is fast, loud, distorted
punk AND psych as only they can mix it. "Thermador" has a slightly slower
groove, but the power of the track is devastating! Great lyric, too.
"Everybody loves freedom, you'll find it inside your head. Everybody loves
Jesus. You'll meet him when you are dead." Ahhhh, classic Butthole caustic
theology! (Also see track #10: "The Lord Is A Monkey.)
They can also kick back, as they do on "Cough Syrup," which is a very
dark and introspective song that culminates with a wailing psychedelic
cello. It's a beautiful and haunting sound. I'm not sure if I could
say "beautiful" in reference to other Butthole Surfers albums. Hot, or
powerful, sure...but beautiful? Since they didn't give up hot and powerful
to obtain the beautiful, I'd say this is a good thing.
THE CENTURIONS: Bullwinkle Part II (Del-Fi CD)
Reviewed by Cai Campbell
The Centurions had all the right elements for the perfect instro-surf band.
They had the rebellious guitar, rattling reverb, intoxicating saxophones
and savage pounding percussion. Formed in 1958, this particular gem was
originally released as the Centurion's debut release in 1964.
The title cut was featured in the fantastic soundtrack to Pulp Fiction,
which certainly hasn't hurt the Centurions' popularity, or that of surf
music in general. Aside from the title cut, there are eleven other swanky
surf numbers presented here for your enjoyment. This is the cream from a
session where approximately thirty numbers were generated!
Bullwinkle Part II is an album well worth resurrecting, and Del-Fi has done
a grand job in repackaging this classic. Since the original artwork for
the LP had already been used for Bruce Johnston's "Surfer's Pajama Party,"
Del-Fi has used all new artwork, and what great cover art it is! The liner
notes are informative and bring us up to date on where the Centurions are
now.
Dennis Rose, the mainstay for the Centurions, has re-formed the band, and
is, among other things, now racing an S/ST-NHRA custom Mustang that's
partially sponsored by Del-Fi. Look for the Centurions on stage or Dennis
Rose on the race track, but definitely look for Bullwinkle Part II in your
record store.
CHESTER COPPERPOT - Poems & Short Stories (Delores)
Reviewed by The Platterpuss
One of the things that makes reviewing worthwhile is coming home and
unexpectedly finding obscure little gems like this in my mailbox. These
guys play a kind of unassuming catchy g1rage punk music that, at
different times reminds me of people like The Milkshakes, Wreckless Eric
and The Hi Fives. Of the 12 songs on here, there are at least a half dozen
that had me totally hooked before the first chorus. I don't know who
imports this label here in the U.S. but if you ever manage to track down
a copy, it will be money and effort well spent. (Drottninggatan 52, 411
07 Goteborg, SWEDEN)
CHIXDIGGIT: Self titled (Sub Pop)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
This is more than promising. This is here. They've arrived, artistically,
if not in terms of sales. They've got it all; power-chords with solid-wall
distortion, slam-bang bass and drums, and a singer with a killer rock and
roll voice. That and eighty cents will get you bus fare home unless you
have the songs to make it all mean something. Chixdiggit has several.
"Henry Rollins Is No Fun," "I Wanna Hump You," "Hemp Hemp Hooray" and
"Shadowy Bangers From A Shadowy Duplex" are more than clever titles. They
all have great melodies, funny and often ironic lyrics, and power to spare.
Produced by Brent Cooper (of Huevos Rancheros), Chixdiggit has great sound.
The wall of power is definitely there, but KJ Jansen's vocals are always
audible, which is important because their lyrics are fun to listen to,
as they parody everything from hockey ("I Feel Like Gerry Cheevers (Stitch
Marks On My Heart)") to a teenager's hormone-driven view of love ("I Wanna
Hump You"). If you need an approximation of their sound, imagine a cross
between The Ramones and Cheap Trick and you'll be kinda sorta close.
There's not a single thing to bitch about here. They had a 7 incher on
Lance Rock last year called "Best Hung Carrot In The Fridge" that suggested
they could make a record like this, and hot damn, they did it! Be on the
lookout for more from Chixdiggit.
CRASH WORSHIP: Asesinos (ROIR)
Reviewed by coLeSLAw
Yer grandad just dropped some pretty unclean acid and started freaking out
with his jug band. NO, it's Crash Worship...and boy do they sound pissed.
This CD is pretty damned interesting, but my money says it's not even close
to half of what you might expect from a Crash Worship live show.
Rhythmically stomping and grunting their way through the shadows, these
people probably send the big chunk of their show audience running from the
venue screaming, "Jesus is coming, and He is pissed!," and no bad thing,
that.
A good portion of the multi-percussive root to this band sounds like a bunch
of "found object" type things. Barrels, buckets, radiators, whatever. The
resultant pounding becomes less like a drum set than a drum-shop brawl
spilled into an outside alleyway. From time to time there are vocals, but
the voice becomes a part of the music rather than the verbal explanation,
even when there are lyrics. To add to the tension we are treated with
some twisted and tweaked effects, be it from a guitar, keyboard...who cares
by this point? It's just there and you have to get used to it, you do get
used to it, or you turn off the CD.
Either way, I'm sure Crash Worship doesn't care. They will keep on thumping
on things for as long as they want. Everyone should experience something
this scary at least once.
CREAM: Fresh Cream (DCC Compact Classics)
180+ Pure Virgin Vinyl Analogue LP
Reviewed by Cai Campbell
When Cream hit the scene in 1966, they immediately started setting and
breaking trends. They were the first rock power trio, they were the fist
psychedelic blues band, and they were the first rock group with a propensity
towards virtuosity. Fresh Cream, the band's first offering, displayed all
this and more with its carefully structured, heavy, and intoxicating
arrangements.
The album is a roller-coaster of powerhouse blues, sweet lilting melodies,
and tight, thoughtful interplay. With this album, Eric Clapton earned the
graffiti-scrawled admiration of a fan, reading, "Clapton is God." The
indestructible Ginger Baker and the distinguished Jack Bruce, together with
Clapton, produced the heaviest music of the day, paving the way for many,
many bands which followed their lead.
This particular release is notable for a number of reasons, and while
listening to the record and perusing the information on the record jacket,
it becomes obvious in a hurry that this is a very special release indeed.
The original release of this record featured three columns of liner notes,
and while these are intact on this new DCC release, DCC also includes a
fourth column packing tasty historical information about the record. One
thing which I learned was that there are three distinct versions of Fresh
Cream which have been put out over the years. There was the original 1966
U.K. release, followed by the 1967 U.S. version. Then, in 1974, a
"revamped" version was released in the U.S. All of these featured different
combinations of tracks, and only if you owned all three would you have all
the songs available on them. DCC collects all the songs on this release and
adds a couple of bonus tracks for good measure! This is the quintessential
issue of Fresh Cream.
DCC has gone to great lengths to present this record in all its warmth and
clarity, and this audiophile pressing pays off that effort in spades. Never
has this recording sounded so full, vibrant, and stunning. There is
virtually no surface noise, and when there is, as the liner notes point out,
it is the master tape itself. It is this type of information included with
the recording which allows you to appreciate the care which has gone into
producing this astounding recording.
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL: Willie and the Poor Boys
(DCC Compact Classics 180+ Pure Virgin Vinyl Analogue LP)
Reviewed by Cai Campbell
It's hard to believe that a bunch of California boys could crank out such
masterful and authentic southern swamp music. John Fogerty, although not a
child of the bayou, is certainly of its spirit, in a big way. CCR
consistently delivered original, crafty, memorable music which bucked the
current psychedelic trends of the late sixties and early seventies, yet they
were readily embraced by the era. Essentially, the music was fairly basic,
but the passion, talent, and soul of John Fogerty led the band to transcend
musical idioms.
Willie and the Poor Boys captures the band at their peak. The disk contains
nary a weak moment and the record is consistently engaging throughout. DCC
has done a masterful job in recreating the warmth of the experience this
wonderful music offers. Their tube cutting system and analogue mastering
techniques have helped ensure that Willie and the Poor Boys can be
appreciated at a higher level.
Surface noise is essentially eliminated, but there does seem to be a very
slight flat high end. This does not interfere in the overall experience of
the recording and I most certainly recommend this release. It is the best
sounding version of this classic I have heard to date.
THE CRESTLERS - I'm A Crestler (Count Orlok Music)
Reviewed by The Platterpuss
I'm not usually a really big fan of too many new Rockabilly bands. Most
of the time they seem more interested in getting their hair exactly right
than they do in playing. There's just so much one can do with this style
of music and unless there's some extra spark of inspiration it's just not
gonna happen. Happily, these guys are the exception. Most of the 16 songs
on here smoke like a motherfucker and, when they occasionally slow the
pace down, they've got the chops and the sensibility to do it right. If
you're looking for some basic, no frills Rock & Roll that's just about
guaranteed to get you up and on your feet, this is well worth seeking out.
(PO Box 2738, 3000 CS Rotterdam, THE NETHERLANDS)
CULTURE: One Stone (RAS)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Twenty years into his career, Joseph Hill still refuses to compromise his
beliefs or his vision. He would rather offer common sense than protest
stupidity, and as a result, his songs are delivered from an observer's
viewpoint rather than a victim's. In "Tribal War," for instance, he doesn't
take sides. Instead, he points out that "war can't do a thing," and tries
to remind both sides that they are the same people. This is what roots
reggae is all about; conscious examinations of the trials and tribulations
of daily life in the majority of Jamaica--the places tourists do not see.
Hill's wisdom and warmth make One Stone an album for the ages. The music
is wonderful and even a little folksy, in a reggae sense, which creates
a perfect conduit for Hill's lessons.
In "Get Them Soft," he warns that
cocaine steals ambition and makes one less effective in the battle against
Babylon. "I wonder where your ambition gone - I wonder what you think -
I wonder what example you setting for the youth - what them fi think bout
you. - The cocaine ah get them off - get them soft - get them soft." Though
the warning is serious and the stakes are high, the music is happy and
hopeful (thanks in part to the wonderful saxaphone parts delivered by Dean
Fraser). Rastafarianism is celebrated in great tunes like "Addis Ababba,"
"Slice Of Mount Zion," and "Rastaman A Come." Hill's religious lyrics are
delivered with the patience and knowledge of a great teacher. If you're
curious about this religion, this CD will be quite illuminating. And that's
just one of the many reasons I recommend it.
ELECTRONIC: Raise The Pressure (Warner)
Reviewed by Keith Gillard.
The great supergroup of the '90's... For the uninitiated, Electronic is
made up of pop gods Bernard Sumner (best known as the lead singer of New
Order) and Johnny Marr (best known as the guitarist of The Smiths). On
their previous album, they were joined by Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop
Boys. For Raise the Pressure, they have been joined by Karl Bartos of
Kraftwerk. With pedigree like this, one can only expect the greatest of
musical collaborations.
In an interview I read last summer, Johnny Marr stated that the album had,
at that point, no guitars whatsoever. That seems to have changed
dramatically, although several tracks use synthesizer and sampled guitar.
In that interview, Marr described their new sound as "harder". I know now
what he meant, but that sound only applies to half the album. The other
half is like Low life meets The Queen is Dead. This is like the New Order
at their best, with half the album being guitar-based, and the other being
synth-based. Only the guitar playing is better now. And the lyrics make
sense.
The song on Raise the pressure which most deserves to be a hit is "Out of
my league". Beautiful melodies, memorable lyrics, lovely guitar work,
lush strings, and the right mix of the surprising and the expected. What
an incredible pop song! An instant favorite, with a very tasteful and
satisfying guitar solo. This is some of the best songwriting these (already
very accomplished) gentlemen have ever done.
"For you" reminds me of The Pretenders at their best, with wonderful
lyrics and incredible hooky melodies. "One day" has some great guitar
work and one of Bernard's best choruses to date. Electronic uses a
mid-tempo hip hop groove for "Second nature" and "Time can tell". The
mid-tempo hip hop rhythm may make these tracks more accessible for
American audiences, but it doesn't change the fact that they are very
nice, melancholy guitar-based songs.
Bartos' input can be heard most strongly on "If you've got love" could
have been lifted directly out of his Esperanto album. That influence is
also strongly felt on "Until the end of time" (where the house piano
actually works well). This track could be an incredibly huge club hit,
with its wonderfully infectious 303-esque bassline.
Great analog bass sounds again on "Freefall". Outstanding programming
here. However, that house piano is back again, along with some cheesy
orch hits (although they may in fact be tongue-in-cheek). But the extended
percussion section has a huge kick drum that must be felt. In its first
bar, "Visit me" had me completely captivated with its unique groove.
Unfortunately, that groove disappeared from the mix too quickly, although
it returns in breaks. The feel of "How long" is a bit too busy for its
own good, making the track seem to trip over itself.
My only real complaint about Raise the pressure is some of the dated sound
programming on it. The house piano which worked so well on Electronic
sounds a few years old now, except in a few places where it is quite
effective. Case in point: "Dark angel". The strings at its opening are
almost enough to make me weep, and the WASP-y thin bassline is irresistible.
But then we are subjected to heavy house piano, and a rave techno break
at 3:30 which sounds very 1992.
And why the M1 DistGuitar solo on "Forbidden city" instead of the real
thing? I thought that this sound's appearance on The Other Two's album
was the low point of that album, and it may again be the low point of
this one. Particularly when you have a guitarist of Marr's ability.
Otherwise, this is a very strong pop song.
A minor point worthy of note is that Raise the pressure has an innovation
I have never seen before on a compact disc: A real hidden track. The
hidden track here plays after the counter has stopped going. It can't be
detected by some disc players, but played fine on my Technics. The track
follows a few seconds after "Time can tell", and is a lovely ambient
number. But it's really hidden.
Although some of the elements on Raise the pressure sound a little dated,
this is an outstanding progressive album overall. Actually, apart from
some of the dated sounds, there is very little criticism I can give this
album. Close to a perfect album. I recommend it very very highly.
Songwriting: 9/10
Production: 9/10
Performance: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
THE EMBARRASSMENT - Heyday 1979-1983 (Bar None)
Reviewed by The Platterpuss
I wish I could say that I was hip enough to have been into these guys way
back in the early 80s when they were in their..pardon the pun...heyday, but
the plain and simple truth of it is that I saw them once when they re-formed
in around 1988, but this is the first time I've heard most of this. While
they don't really sound like anyone else, I do hear shades of early Talking
Heads in the somewhat detached vocals and also a bit of Gang Of Four in some
of the sharp, angular rhythms. Basically, they pretty much played in the
prevalent styles of the day. While I most definitely like some things better
than others, I've gotta say that most of the music on this double disc set
has aged quite well, and it doesn't surprise me that they have attained such
legendary cult status. (PO Box 1704, Hoboken NJ 07030)
THE GOTOHELLS - Demolition (Stiff Pole)
Reviewed by The Platterpuss
Fans of hard-rockin, boozy Punk & Roll with a kind of rootsy feel to it,
kinda like what bands like Gas Huffer or The Humpers might be churnin'
out on an especially good night, will want to keep an eye out for this.
Throughout the 12 songs on here their sound ranges from loud and fast
to louder and faster - not much on variety but hey, that really isn't the
point anyway. Of course some songs are better than others but there are
a whole bunch of 'em such as "Beach Drive," "I Can Live," "9 Outta 10,"
and "That Girl" that are certifiable classics. If you're planning to
throw any wild, drunken, totally out of control parties in the near future,
I've got the ultimate soundtrack. (PO Box 20721, St. Pete, FL 33742)
HABITUAL SEX OFFENDERS - Cracked Rear Entry (Chicken Ranch)
Reviewed by The Platterpuss
You just gotta love these guys! When they aren't being totally, moronically
stupid, they're just gross and tasteless. That's a compliment, by the way. I
guess with a band name like Habitual Sex Offenders it should come as no
surprise that they're not about to give Bad Religion any competition in the
socially concerned department. Musically, they play some pretty rockin'
thrashy punk which is just perfect for their lewd and crude approach to life.
So, while I wouldn't suggest playing this for your mom, your uncle Ernie
would probably appreciate it. By the way, I don't know if this is also
available on vinyl, but the CD has a whole live set as a bonus that's not
listed anywhere. (PO Box 1157, Ruston LA 71273)
THE HALIBUTS: Life On The Bottom (Upstart)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
"The Halibuts have only been together for 16 years, and ALREADY
they're great!"
- Phil Dirt
The Halibuts are a highly respected trad surf band from Southern California
that has indeed been together since 1980. That makes them the longest-lived
surf band, as far as continuous time together, and as you would expect, they
have their sound together, too. The music ranges from very traditional
pounding-waves surf to Polynesian exotica. Lead guitarist Pete Curry writes
some of the most wonderful melodies you'll ever hear, and like their 1993
release, Chumming, this CD is jammed with humables.
Opening with "Hammerhead," The Halibuts immediately claim their territory;
fun instro music with a clean and tight sound, with frequent heavily
reverbed banzai runs. This is the band you want playing at your luau. This
is the band who should do your surf film soundtrack. God knows Endless
Summer II could have used a lot more Halibut and a lot less Hoey.
There are 15 tracks on Life On The Bottom, and they're all worthy of special
mention. "Noodles" is classic wet 'n' wild surf, and Curry is all over the
neck. Randy Haskins knocks the hell out of his drums from beginning to end.
That track, "Suicide Bay" and "Fire One," should all be considered classics
of the third wave of surf in a few years time. The jungle-drum groove of
"Stinky" is helped along by frequent guest-Halibut Mike Palm on bass. Mike
is best known as the leader of Agent Orange, a killer punk band that
started around the same time The Halibuts did. During the period when the
'buts were without a bassist, Palm sat in with them often. It's fitting
that they got him on record like this.
The track I keep coming back to over and over is "Life On The Bottom."
It is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful songs I've ever heard.
Curry's melody is simple and haunting, and Rick Johnson's finger-picked
guitar part is gorgeous. If you're not into the slow stuff, you won't
agree with me on this one, but if dreamlike exotic music turns your crank,
"Life On The Bottom" will bliss you right out.
The cover also deserves mention. It's clear plastic, like a cartoon cell,
with paintings of colorful fish and a bit of coral. The CD itself is
deep-sea blue. The combined effect is like looking through a submarine
window. This very cool idea was conceived by Bob Beland (who also turns
in a wonderful piano guest performance on the title track) and designed by
Mary Beland. Everything, from the writing to the performances to the cover
art, is top notch. I just hope it isn't another three year wait until the
next one.
HEART: Dreamboat Annie (DCC Compact Classics)
24k gold CD
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
In the 70s, Heart was a major legend in my hometown and theirs, Seattle,
Washington. After years on the club circuit as White Heart, they shortened
the name and moved to Canada, reappearing a few years later with this hit
album and a trio of top 40 singles. The Wilson sisters, of course, have
always been responsible for a lot of the sound, but there was an unsung
hero in the group. Roger Fisher was one of the most expressive guitarists
to come down the pike in the 70s, and Dreamboat Annie's songs are filled
with his creative sounds. He was also Nancy's lover, and you know what
that means. He was out after four albums. For many former Heart fans, that
fourth album, Dog & Butterfly, was the last good one. It's also no
coincidence that on the fifth album, Bebe LeStrange, only the title track
really stood out -- and that was the final track with Roger Fisher in the
writing credits. The hook in the chorus was Roger all the way.
Well, I told you all that to tell you this; Dreamboat Annie was easily the
best Heart album, and this is easily the definitive release of Dreamboat
Annie. To hear Fisher's guitar work with this clarity is an absolute joy.
Nancy Wilson's acoustic guitar rings like a bell. On "Soul Of The Sea,"
Nancy is in the right channel and Roger is in the left, higher up the neck
on electric. Pop the headphones on and check out the interplay. It's one
of the finest examples of the beautiful music their empathy for one another
produced. (Another great example is their dual mandolin parts in "Dream Of
The Archer" from the Little Queen album.)
There are few false notes on Dreamboat Annie. Some say none. Ann Wilson's
voice can raise goosebumps ("Soul Of The Sea") or it can raise welts
("White Lightning & Wine"), effects that are heightened by the clarity of
the 24k treatment. DCC has done an excellent job with the sound on this
disc. Dreamboat Annie was a warm sounding album to begin with, but that
warmth is far cozier on this release. Tape hiss has nearly been eliminated,
and the depth of the overall sound is enhanced. Fossen's bass sounds far
more fluid than on the original release. He recorded by going directly into
the sound console, the benefits of which are more obvious on an enhanced CD.
In short, the thing sounds wonderful.
The most unusual track is also one of the best. "Sing Child Sing" was never
a hit because it was too "out there." Fisher's distorted power chords,
Ann, Nancy and Howard Leese's incredible vocal harmonies, and the ethereal
groove laid down by bassist Steve Fossen and drummer Michael Derosier (plus
Fisher's combustible guitar solo) make it the psychedelia deluxe that
balanced the album so perfectly.
Ann and Nancy Wilson have gone on to great fame and profits, of course. I
remember reading about some producer getting ahold of Ann and telling her
she needs to hold her voice back most of the time. Said she was too "over
the top." She listened. Find that man and beat him up. Or take the non
violent approach and just listen to the good stuff. This is the best of it.
PAUL HASLINGER: World Without Rules (RGB)
Reviewed by coLeSLAw
The title track alone from Paul Haslinger's "World Without Rules" is worth
the price of the CD. Imagine the sheer beauty of Peter Gabriel's "Passion"
album, and then add about a bazillion watts of electricity. POW. Slapping
you silly with the best techno-tribal music I have heard in a while, this
one is a keeper.
Although that is the track that floored me, there are many others worthy of
repetitious listenings. MANY others. Paul Haslinger should become a major
musical force, for his knowledge bridges gaps most people are afraid of
crossing. The dark, troubled waters that lie between ambient and techno,
between rock and traditional cultural music.
The album cover should say it all. A blazing slinky wreathed with fire and
sprouting leaves while engulfing an Eastern religious icon (Vishnu?)...For
anyone who thinks that Nusrat Ali Fateh Khan needs to rock out a bit from
time to time, this will be a coveted score.
INSECT SURFERS: Death Valley Coastline (Marlin)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Forget about Jimmy Hoffa. The pyramids? Ha! You want to solve a real
mystery? Okay, see if you can figure out why Insect Surfers haven't been
signed. It's not for lack of historical significance. The Insects were
one of the most important bands in the '79-80 surf revival. It's not for
lack of talent. These guys are upper echelon players and they have their
own highly identifiable sound. They had to wait forever for this CD to see
the light of day, and after forever, they gave up and put it out themselves.
Shame on the industry. But at least it's out, and it's something else.
Dave Arnson and Dan Sullivan are the balanced pair of guitar greats from
left to right in your (hopefully cranked) headphones. They each have a
clear understanding of how psychedelia should be woven into surf
instrumentals. Songs like "77 Gaza Strip" and "Mig Alley" carry the beat
and the feel of surf into exotic, but heavy, new territory. This is a
style of surf that I find very magnetic. Pollo Del Mar and The Mermen
are also in this category of deep and ethereal surf. Incredible balls-out
playing by Dan Valentie (bass) and Jeff Utterback (drums) sets a pace that
would lose most guitarists in the fallout, but Arnson and Sullivan aren't
"most guitarists," as they prove again and again through songs like "Tiger
Shark," "Stingray," and "Psychotronic," and in covers of "Walking Distance,"
(The Buzzcocks) and "Third Stone From The Sun" (Hendrix). Note the irony.
Guess we DID hear surf music again, Jimi. By the way, Davie Allan drops in
for "Volcano Juice," adding his own stamp to what is easily the most wide
open and chaotic track on the CD.
Besides being important as a surf album, this is a very important guitar
album that demands careful listening. If young guitarists hole up in their
rooms and learn all these tunes, the future of the genre will be bright. I
know it, lots of other people know it, and after one listen, you'll know it.
So next time you see an A&R guy from a surf label doing lunch at Venice
Beach, point and laugh. He probably can't hear you, what with his head
where it's at and all...
(To order a copy of this CD, send $15.00 to PO Box 661441, Los Angeles, CA,
90066 USA. Insect Surfer T-Shirts are $10. L and XL only. All T-Shirts are
black. Postage paid.)
THE JAM: All Mod Cons/Sound Affects (Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs)
24k Gold Ultradisc II
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
These two albums (on one CD) were very important to The Jam's legend. They
had splashed down with the British punk movement, but they never really
belonged to it. Guitarist and songwriter Paul Weller was clearly influenced
by The Who, The Kinks and The Beatles, as were several punk bands, but
Weller was tuned into the mod aspects of those bands, not the raw elements
that the punks related to. By 1978, All Mod Cons had been released and all
doubts about their allegiances were removed. In fact, they went so far as
to cover the Kinks' classic "David Watts."
For many, All Mod Cons stands as the ultimate testament to Weller's status
as a great pop songwriter. From the power of "To Be Someone" to the fragile
beauty of "English Rose," Weller's songs all seem to have something that
sticks with you and brings you back to listen closer. With his influences
on his sleeve, he manages to evoke the power of The Who without sounding
like a direct rip-off -- though some hard core Who fans would dispute this.
However you feel about the influence, All Mod Cons demands careful listening.
Weller's lyrics could be straight forward, or they could be quite surreal,
such as the following, from "The Place I Love:"
"The place I love is overgrown now
With beautiful moss and colourful flowers
And goldfish that swim in a pool
There's a small brick wall
With neon lighting controlled by lightning
I'm making a stand against the world
There's those who would hurt us if they heard"
In 1980, The Jam released Sound Affects, which was reportedly designed as a
"get back to basics" effort--a reaction by the band against the
over-production they felt had weakened some of their previous releases.
"But I'm Different Now" is a great pop tune in the spirit of the mid-60's.
(I've always thought it would have made a great Monkees song.) All the
songs on Sound Affects are Weller originals, although George Harrison could
have sued his ass off for "Start!," a UK #1 hit that sounds more than a
little bit like "Taxman." Say what you will about such blatant
appropriations, but you can never dismiss the entire body of work. "Man
In The Corner Shop," "Pretty Green" and "But I'm Different Now" all belong
on any Jam retrospective.
These are two excellent albums on one compact disc, which is exciting
enough, but there's another factor to consider. This is a Mobile Fidelity
Sound Labs 24k gold disc, which means superior sound quality. The channel
separation is greatly enhanced, the hiss...isn't. The bass is warm and
consistently powerful, with both ends of its harmonic spectrum audible at
all times. The thing that stands out most is Weller's vocals, and the space
created by the reverb tail. On other versions of these albums, that tail
is slightly squished. The clarity of that space adds a new dimension of
depth to Weller's voice. The pairing of these two albums makes a lot of
sense, musically. Although they weren't originally released back-to-back,
the two always seemed connected. Definitely a healthy marriage.
ELTON JOHN: Madman Across the Water (DCC)
Reviewed by Steve Marshall
This album was my first experience with DCC's audiophile vinyl titles, and
I must admit - this one blew me away. Purely in terms of sound quality, it's
much better than the original vinyl. There is virtually no surface noise
whatsoever. The dynamic range is breathtaking, and the channel separation
is excellent. All of the instruments (especially Paul Buckmaster's
orchestral arrangements) sound warm and natural. Roger Pope's drums on "Tiny
Dancer" are tight and full of punch. Bass response is deep and full; never
muddy at all. "Levon" and "Razor Face" are simply fabulous. Rick Wakeman's
keyboards on the latter are clearer than ever. The album's title track has
long been a favorite among fans, and it sounds great on the DCC vinyl.
Especially noteworthy are the song's crystalline harmonics on the acoustic
guitar.
Not only does this DCC release get points here for sound, but also for
including the original artwork and booklet with their version of the album.
Elton fans take note - you won't find a better pressing of this classic
album. Also available on vinyl from DCC is Elton John's Greatest Hits. The
song selection, though it could be better, has been pleasing the masses for
years. The sound quality is on the same level as Madman Across the Water.
For the uninitiated, Greatest Hits is the album to get. If you're already a
fan, pick up DCC's vinyl pressing of Madman.
JON AND THE NIGHTRIDERS: Fiberglass Rocket (AVI)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
John Blair, as most of you probably know, was one of the most important
surf guitarists of the 2nd wave. He hit the scene in 1979 and stayed
until 1984 before slipping quietly into domestic life. His recordings
greatly influenced many of the surf players who make the scene what it
is today. More than a decade after hanging it up, he's knocked the dust
off the old Stratocaster, put the band back together and released a gem
of an album called Fiberglass Rocket.
The album opens with "Depth Charge," a powerhouse rocker and a statement
wrapped in one. As he says in his Cosmik Debris interview this month, when
asked about this track, "it certainly turned out to be the perfect one to
say 'We're back and we're in your face again.'" No doubt! This is some
great surf.
The current Nightriders are Dave Wronski (guitar), Pete Curry (bass), and
Dusty Watson (drums), and they're more than up to the challenge. Wronski
takes the lead on the final track, "Apache," and his tone is other-worldly!
Goosebump time. The Halibuts' lead guitarist, Pete Curry, is one of those
guys who is world class on just about every instrument he picks up. His
bass work on Fiberglass Rocket is flawless. Watson, too, is rock solid.
John Zambetti (The Malibooz) and Bill Swanson (The Eliminators) check in
for impressive guest appearances, as does the legendary Paul Johnson, who
also wrote one track ("Night Patrol") and co-wrote another with Blair
("Spindrift").
Everything about Fiberglass Rocket feels right. The originals are humable
and the covers aren't obvious. (They even do a cover of Los Straitjackets'
"Tailspin.") It's been a great month for fans of trad surf. New releases
from Jon and the Nightriders AND The Halibuts. I'm not sure which one will
end up with the album of the year, but either way, Pete Curry wins.
KALEIDOPHONE: Borders (Minus Habens/Disturbance)
Reviewed by coLeSLAw
One thing that I never used to feel had ever been done correctly was a
good techno/dub/whatever album that captured an emotion that could only be
construed as pure joy. Somehow every previous attempt had, while sounding
as happy as could be, really just ended up sounding "dippy". Kaleidophone
has captured this emotion, and at the same time kept the music interesting.
Captivating. Enchanting. Levitating...
With finely crafted short interludes to shift your journey through ambient,
space-jazz and outright dub the album flows like water, smooth and cool.
Although perhaps it may not have been in the traditional vein, 'Kristrall
Dub' opened me up to a style I had been want to enjoy for some time. The
sparkle and shine of 'Early Morning Tea' would be my personal candidate for
"Music to Travel Through Hyper-Space to:".
You may find that this album takes a few listens. Rest assured, it's worth
the wait. A definite must-have for fans of the Orb.
LOS STRAITJACKETS: Viva! (Upstart)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
For those of you know the pure rush of putting a Link Wray or Duane Eddy
LP on the turntable, cranking the volume and jumping around like a
psychopath, Los Straitjackets could be your cocaine. Danny Amis and Eddie
Angel are fantastic guitarists, and they both write killer instrumental
rock and roll. The fact that they perform in scary Mexican wrestling masks
doesn't hurt, either, from a Public Relations point of view. A band this
talented that also has a visual hook? Ka-CHING!
Viva! is an outstanding performance from start to finish. The dixie-fried
sound of "Cavalcade," driven by Jimmy Lester's ballsy tom-tom pounding,
is a great way to start an album like this. There is so much fun and
energy in this music, and so many different sounds! There's flat out rock
and roll ("Cavalcade," "Outta Gear"), mean sounding garage ("Lawnmower,"
"Lurking In The Shadows"), cool spy ("Espionage"), near-surf ("Lonely
Apache," "Pacifica"), and a few other sounds you'll have to identify for
yourself. All of this is brought together in the studio with the help
of Ben Vaughan (who is responsible for the theme song to the hit NBC
sitcom 3rd Rock From The Sun). The sound is VERY full.
Last year, their debut album, The Utterly Fantastic And Totally Unbelievable
Sound Of Los Straitjackets, made them one of the most in-demand bands in
the instro scene. The music was rich, warm, and menacing. An interesting
combination! The music was also good enough to land them a guest spot on
Conan O'Brien's show, where their performance was good enough to get them
invited back. For their second appearance, they played "Pacifica"--one of
Viva's best moments and truly one of the great guitar songs of the 90s.
Their performance should help push Viva! into radio markets everywhere.
They may just hit the proverbial "big time," if their relentless touring
schedule doesn't kill 'em first.
MAD PROFESSOR/JAH SHAKA: New Decade Of Dub (RAS)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
It took 12 years, but here is the sequel to 1984's Jah Shaka Meets Mad
Professor At Ariwa Sounds. Both have evolved significantly with the digital
revolution. They share the producer credit, but the final mix was in the
Prof's hands all the way. The sounds are deep and mystical, as one expects
from anything associated with Mad Professor, and the conga/bongo work is
given as much importance in the mix as the bass. The drums are often
reduced to a ghost image of high-hat ticks and occasional snare explosions,
allowing the congas to carry the rhythm. And, as always, there is a dreamy
cacophony of loose sounds orbiting overhead. Bells, sticks, cymbals, beeps,
and the distant sound of Louis Farakan's voice all float in and out of the
debris. The prime example is "Gautrey Road Style," in which the speech is
presented in distorted echoing blasts you couldn't possibly decipher. It's
the emotion of the speech that sticks.
"Roots Jamboree" seems to be something of a tribute to the pre-digital days
of dub, though it eventually melts into an all-out digital dream. For that
first minute and a half, it seems to be a fitting tip of the hat to that
whole Upsetters school, and to Lee Perry, who was such an important
influence on Mad Professor (and just about anyone who ever attempted dub!).
As the CD moves along, Farakan's messages become more intense and audible,
reaching a peak in the final track, "Only One God." This is a great example
of how dub can be conscious (meaning, in this case, aware of and saying
something about racial tyranny). Mad Professor is no beginner in that (or
any other) regard, nor is Jah Shaka. Just what elements each brought to the
dub table, I don't know. I only know this makes a perfect companion to the
Prof's Black Liberation Dub series. For dub connoisseurs, this is essential
listening.
PAT MARTINO: Interchange (Muse Records MCD 5529)
Reviewed by Paul Remington
Jazz Guitarist Pat Martino hasn't lost a step over the years. Battling
seemly impossible setbacks, Martino has re-emerged as strong, or even
stronger than he ever has been before. His most recent release, Interchange,
attests to this fact with extremely advanced solo playing, and compositional
work performed in the way Martino is best remembered - that fat, big league
sound that separates the men from the boys.
This collection of six songs, none less than six minutes, finds Martino with
pianist James Ridl, bassist Marc Johnson, and drummer Sherman Ferguson. The
rhythm section is solid and seasoned, and a perfect compliment to Martino's
playing. Compositions range from fast and upbeat bop to slower pieces that
are smooth and melodic.
To understand how far Pat Martino has come in the last 15 years, one must
understand Martino's painful struggle. In early 1980 Martino underwent
surgery for a misdiagnosed congenital brain aneurysm, which destroyed his
memory, leaving him unable to play the guitar. Following the surgery, he
literally had to relearn what had been previously lost. For those that may
argue one's musical sound is defined by their environment, and not so much
from their inner musical voice, Martino's case doesn't seem to follow along
these lines. Martino's comeback has resulted in re-visiting previously
traveled musical territory, and picking up right where he left off. He
hasn't lost a step. At 50 years of age, Martino continues to establish
himself as one of the true great players of hard, progressive bop guitar.
For those that are long-time fans of this jazz guitar giant, his comeback
represents an even truer appreciation for what he has given to the world of
jazz guitar, and Interchange is an album you're not going to want to miss.
For those that are new to Martino's music and playing, his previous setbacks
will go unnoticed. It's quite conceivable his prior illness has set his
musical momentum in an even clearer direction. This we may never know. What
we do know is Pat Martino is back, and has no intention of slowing down.
THE MEL-TONES: Viva! (Snatch)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
The Mel-Tones were the first band I ever interviewed for Cosmik Debris, and
at that time, they only had a cassette release. Powerwagon was an excellent
tape, unusual amongst other surf releases because of Chris Sanzo's guitar
synth, on which he played rhythm guitar, bass, horns and keyboards...at the
same time. My only complaint with Powerwagon was that the keyboard sound
often seemed too far forward in the mix, where Mel's outstanding lead guitar
work should have been. A few months later, they released another cassette,
Viva Los Mel-Tones, and it was as if they had asked me what I'd like to hear
differently. (They didn't.) Everything was perfectly balanced, there was
a thick layer of reverb over the entire sound, and Mel's speed-picking was
everywhere.
A year later, Mel is no longer playing with this band. He's moved to
Montreal and formed a brand new Mel-Tones, and he tells me they're about
to come out with a full-length album, AND they're doing a movie soundtrack.
I knew good things would be coming to a guitarist this talented. This 7
inch 4-song EP is music taken from that second cassette release, and all I
can say is it's about time! It's great to see a Mel-Tones release on vinyl.
The four songs are fantastic. "Poseidon," "Mirabel," "Bach To The Beach,"
and "Showdown At La Jolla" are all Waldorf originals. Very soon, there
will be a new release by a new Mel-Tones, and from what I've heard on tape,
it's going to be great stuff, so you'll want this future collector's item.
MOMUS: The Ultraconformist - Live Whilst Out Of Fashion (1992)
(Richmond/Cherry Red)
Reviewed by Keith Gillard.
"This live recording was recently discovered in the archives of Richmond
Records. It comprises Momus songs unavailable in any other form, and, as
far as can be verified, was made in front of a cabaret audience at The Cave
of the Golden Calf, Heddon Street, London on or about December 1910. Its
release has been delayed due to the vagaries of fashion and taste. This
record is dedicated to all those who conform to OTHER norms."
This is the summary note listed on the back of Momus' first 1992 album, The
Ultraconformist: Live Whilst Out Of Fashion. It's a concept album, but
concept only in terms of arrangement and production (and even then, not
consistently). The songs themselves have little to do with one another.
The disc begins with "Sinister Theme", Momus' take on "My Favorite Things".
The concept is sound here, with vibes and tuba. Although the tuba is
easily identifiable as a sample, it is at least acceptable as a concept
approach to the track. After its close, we hear for the first time the
horribly fake dubbed audience between tracks. Always makes me smile, if
not laugh.
"Last of the Window Cleaners" is a very good track in the classic Momus
storytelling style. The lyrics begin: "I was the last of the
window-cleaners / I was sacrificed as such / When they singled out the
ring-leaders / They said I'd seen too much / But I only saw what the butler
did / The chambermaid also / I only saw how the other half lived / I just
washed their windows".
Great lyrics follow again in "The Ladies Understand": "Then when at last
I came of age and had to make my way / I set up shop with a dozen girls,
so popular was I / I marched them up to the top of the town and there I
had them loiter / There are many worse ways to earn your pay / In a world
of horrible slaughter". A great story song, with a nice believable
arrangement.
Then we have "Cape And Stick Gang". 1910? Here's a solid funk tune, with
drum machine, samples, Moog synthesizer, electric bass, and "Rapture"-style
rap. Oh, and Clockwork Orange references (although these have already been
dropped by this time). Fantastic track, great lyrics, and a fun
arrangement, but so much for the concept! There's no questioning Momus'
ability to laugh at himself...
"The Ultraconformist" returns us to the year 1910, with banjo, interesting
orchestral dissonances, and snare drum beating out the waltz rhythm. "If it
paid to be straight God knows I'd be straight / God knows I'd be straight
as a die / If I could get it on with a sweet little blonde / I swear I
would give it a try". This track has the rather impressive ability to pop
into my head at the most inappropriate times, begging me to sing it out
loud in public. It may do the same to you.
"The Mother-In-Law" also uses synthesizers and drum machine. But if anyone
has seen Bjork Unplugged, it is almost believable that these sounds could
have been generated on stage acoustically. It is an outstanding song, very
melancholy, with some tasteful guitar work. This is one of Momus'
strongest songs.
"La Catrina" is the story of a woman who returns from the grave to warn
young ladies to appreciate their life and their youth while they have both.
"La Catrina is dancing in her skeleton / La Catrina with her mouldy dress
and boots still on / On her skull a single strand of hair / Between the
pelvic bones thin air / And then she opens up her thighs / And tells me
what it's like to die / And sings her love song".
"The Cheque's In The Post" lists all the sins the singer committed against
his ex-lover and corresponding compensations he will pay to said ex-lover
for said sins. How much does he owe her? I don't want to spoil the
surprise, but at the end of verse two, the total has reached 24,063 pounds!
It is an amusing tune, but certainly has some sad and serious things to
say about relationships as well.
"Spy On The Moon" is an uplifting, upbeat track with acoustic guitar,
accordion, framedrum, and completely anachronistic analog synthesizers.
But who cares by this time! It's fun, it's fast, and it invites dancing
and singing along. We know the 1910 bit is all in fun, anyway! And when
he slows it all down and gets the "crowd" clapping in time, the listener
also feels compelled to stand up and cheer Momus.
The encore is "Forests", an instrumental piano and synth piece which
doesn't pretend in any way to be associated with 1910, using sampled
ambiances and vocal snatches to provide a slightly disturbing backdrop.
Very effective.
The Ultraconformist is one of Momus' most amusing, with some outstanding
songs. Because of its rather unusual conceptual approach, and the fact
that it was released on Richmond while Momus was signed to Creation, it
has unfortunately slipped through the cracks in some ways. The songs on
here deserve to be heard as much as the songs on any other Momus album -
and that means they really deserve to be heard! I would recommend The
Ultraconformist to anyone, but would add that, if you are thinking of
getting into Momus, make this your third or fourth of his albums. Get
a sense of what he's normally about before you see him trying something
different.
Songwriting: 9/10
Production: 6/10
Performance: 7/10
Overall: 7/10
WES MONTGOMERY: SO Much Guitar! (DCC Compact Classics)
24k Gold CD - Limited Edition.
Reviewed by Alex Gedeon
The recent re-issue of "SO Much Guitar!" truly puts into perspective the
difference between yesterday's LP and today's CD. The latter's sound quality
allows one to detect the faintest distortion on the original recording
tapes. The expansion of the sound images also separates each individual
sound.
In this case, Montgomery's famous pick-less style hogs the left channel
along with percussionist Ray Baretto's congas, while the entire rhythm
section takes shelter in the right channel. An advantage of this is that
the isolation of every instrument is possible, making one feel as though
they are in the recording studio. However, I am not alone in saying that
the old-fashioned analog sound of a vinyl record provides much more justice
to the composition itself. The same goes for classical recordings in
the pre-digital days... the ensemble as a whole once formed more of a mood
and atmosphere, instead of the various elements existing independently.
For this particular recording, I prefer the digital re-mastering. The drums
are much more tangible, and the guitar maintains a constant clarity. Pianist
Hank Jones is occasionally lost in the mix -- especially in his solo on the
song "Repetition," which has a sound much like that of Montgomery's work
with the Wynton Kelly Trio.
Montgomery also covers two Duke Ellington pieces on this album, "Cotton
Tail" and "I'm Just A Lucky So and So," very gracefully. "I Wish I Knew"'s
slow tempo-shuffle provides a wonderful canvas for Wes' heavily-reverbed
guitar to paint over. This same expressive playing can be felt in the
breath-taking "While We're Young," in which a solo guitar breathes out
awesome Earl Klugh-like runs.
One of the high points on the album is Montgomery's own composition,
"Somethin' Like Bags," which is in standard 12-bar-blues style, but takes
on a Spanish feeling when the rhythm section slides into minor-seventh
murmurs behind an exceptional "walking" solo by bassist Ron Carter.
The deluxe re-issue of the album only reaffirms its standing as a classic
jazz album. "SO Much Guitar!" is a must for any fan of traditional jazz
music.
THE MOOG COOKBOOK: The Moog Cookbook (Restless)
Reviewed by Keith Gillard
The concept: '90's hugely popular rock songs redone on mid-70's Moog
synthesizers (and their peers).
The result: Brilliant.
Roger Manning (best known for his work in Jellyfish and Imperial Drag)
teams up with Brian Kehew to form The Moog Cookbook, under the names Uli
Nomi and Meco Eno (two of my favorite Moog-wielding names rolled into one
there), two spacemen synthesists. And they pronounce the word "Moooog"
as in what cows say with a "G" on the end, not "Mogue," as the real Bob
Moog pronounces his name. However, they claim to have Bob's blessing on
the pronunciation, so we won't question it.
The tracks: Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun," Weezer's "Buddy Holly," Green
Day's "Basket Case," Offspring's "Come Out And Play," Tom Petty's
"Freefallin'," Lenny Kravitz' "Are You Gonna Go My Way?," Nirvana's
"Smells Like Teen Spirit," Pearl Jam's "Evenflow," R.E.M.'s "The One I
Love," and Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World." An excellent
selection of tracks with strong melodic lines.
It's all genuine, no-MIDI instruments. Although a few acoustic instruments
do appear: drums, guitar, sitar, a Baldwin grand piano, voices. But the
focus is on Moogs: Minimoog, Micromoog, Moog Opus 3, Moog Sonic Six,
MemoryMoog, Polymoog, Moog Liberation, and Moog Source. Plus favorites
like ARP, Roland, Oberheim, Mellotron and Hammond as well. What a great
way to present the most popular rock songs of the '90's.
Highlights: Music doorbells in "Buddy Holly." Giorgio Moroder's "I Feel
Love" bassline and "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (complete with Meco-esque
laser blasts) on "Come Out And Play." Turning "Basket Case" into the Mary
Tyler Moore theme. "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" becoming an electronic
cheese-fest polka and still sounding an awful lot like the original.
Great get-down '70's funk is generated from "The One I Love."
Low points: Not enough songs! We want more! I guess we'll have to wait
for The Moog Cookbook Volume Two. Get this CD!!!!
Song selection: 9/10
Production: 9/10
Performance: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
JACK MUDURIAN: Downloading the Repertoire (Arf! Arf! Records)
Reviewed by coLeSLAw
Mudurian is a quirky old guy who lives in a retirement home in Boston
who claims to know "almost as many songs as Sinatra". This album is the
result of a challenge to sing for 45 minutes straight.
This he does, albeit in the voice of a cartoon gorilla with a mouth full of
donuts, as well as many prompts by the recording party that "Yes, you still
have to sing more" and "fine, well, just sing Chicago again then." (I'm
paraphrasing).
Also, I wasn't aware that one of the lines to 'My Bonnie' went as follows:
"My Bonnie has tuberculosis, my Bonnie has only one lung..." Perhaps I
just haven't been paying attention all these years. So be it.
The idea of this album far outshines the finished product. What could have
been a fun, quirky gem became a 1 minute joke.
OSWALD FIVE-O - Serenade (Grinning Idiot)
Reviewed by The Platterpuss
Oswald Five-O have got to be one of the music world's best kept secrets and
that's a damn shame 'cause they have this incredible knack for coming up
with these wonderful songs that are both sweet and sensitive without losing
their punk edge. They kinda remind me of "Tim" era Replacements minus all
the drunken angst in that they wear their hearts on their sleeves yet
they're tempered with some of the juiciest hooks this side of "Meet The
Beatles." So why am I the only person I know who has even heard of them?
Like I said, it's a damn shame. (PO Box 10634, Eugene OR 97440)
OSCAR PETERSON TRIO: West Side Story
180+ Virgin Vinyl Analogue Pressing (DCC)
Reviewed by Steve Marshall
This album was an unexpected pleasure. The DCC vinyl pressing of the Oscar
Peterson Trio's West Side Story is one of the finest sounding albums I've
heard in a long time. Recorded live in January 1962, it sounds as if it was
recorded yesterday. The clarity, dynamic range, and channel separation are
breathtaking. If you close your eyes and listen, it's easy to picture the
trio in front of you - Peterson's piano in the center, Ray Brown's upright
bass planted firmly in the right channel, and Ed Thigpen's percussion and
sublime brush work anchored in the left channel.
DCC seems bound and determined to make a name for themselves in audiophile
circles these days, and rightfully so. They are releasing top quality
products. As with DCC's Elton John and Creedence Clearwater Revival vinyl
releases (also reviewed this month), there is virtually no surface noise
heard at all. Peterson's interpretations of the Leonard Bernstein/Stephen
Sondheim compositions are outstanding - both sonically and musically. Each
member of the trio has ample room for improvisation, and they take full
advantage of it.
From the first notes of "Something's Coming", the trio cooks. Brown's
thumping bass runs complement Peterson's piano flourishes perfectly. The
arco bass work at the beginning of "Somewhere" is deep and full. As the
song builds into the crescendo, the sound never distorts at all. In "Jet
Song", all of the nuances of Brown's solo are evident. From the sounds of
his fingers sliding up and down the strings, to the vibration of the
strings on the fretboard, everything sounds warm and natural. Peterson's
solo on "Tonight" is dazzling. You'll swear the man has more than 10
fingers. On "Reprise", the trio revisits each of the six earlier tracks,
reminding you of just how good an acoustic jazz trio can sound.
THE PINK LINCOLNS - Back From The Pink Room (Stiff Pole)
Reviewed by The Platterpuss
This album was recorded in 1987 and I've gotta say that it's stood the
test of time lots better than I (or probably even they) would have ever
expected. Nothing fancy, this is just your basic loud, fast and crude
Punk Rock with plenty of bad attitude. I especially like the fact that
no matter how fucked-up they think things are, they temper their disgust
with a healthy sense of humor so that even though you know how good and
pissed off they are, they never come across as self-righteous or preachy.
If this sounds like your kinda thing, you'd do well to check this one out.
(PO Box 20721, St. Pete, FL 33742)
THE REVELERS - On Top (Inbred)
Reviewed by Platterpuss
Fans of crisp, clean Beatlesque pop (and I definitely count myself as one)
are gonna totally flip over this latest offering by Cleveland's Revelers.
While they haven't changed their style much, if at all, since their last
album, it matters not as among these 14 tracks are at least a half-dozen
certifiable classics, and that's not even including their picture perfect
cover of The Who's "So Sad About Us". Songs like "Six Days (to Sunday)",
"Raggedy Hannah", "This Little Light of Mine", "Pocketful of Luck", "Gonna
Make You Lonesome" and "Easy Street" all sound like they could have come off
of a "Rubber Soul" album from a parallel universe. Totally produced,
recorded and released by the band themselves, this is a true DIY effort and
it would be a shame if it were left alone to die in obscurity. If anyone out
there ever deserved a shot at the majors, it's these guys. (PO Box 14157,
Cleveland OH 44114)
ROBBIE ROBERTSON -- Robbie Robertson (Mobile Fidelity Ultradisc II)
Reviewed by Steve Marshall
Originally released on the Geffen label in 1987, this was the first solo
album from the ex-leader of The Band, Robbie Robertson. The musician lineup
on the disc reads like a who's who in the music business. At various points
on the disc, you can hear Peter Gabriel, all of U2, Maria McKee, Ivan
Neville, & a host of others. Daniel Lanois (who co-produced the album with
Robertson) did an excellent job capturing the dark brooding tone of the
songs. The disc was one of the best sounding CDs to come out that year. As
good as the sound was on the original, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs actually
improved upon it.
There are several standout tracks on the CD. "Showdown at Big Sky" sounds
great, as does "Sweet Fire of Love". "American Roulette" sounds much better
on the MFSL disc. It's also 16 seconds longer than on the original. Terry
Bozzio's drumming on the song has much more impact, and Tony Levin's
thumping bass riffs are heart-pounding. If your musical tastes lean toward
something a bit more mysterious, dim the lights and put on "Somewhere Down
the Crazy River". Be sure to check out the bass drum after Robertson says
"wait... did you hear that?". Talk about shaking the room!
Overall, the sound quality on MFSL's 24K gold pressing is impeccable. The
disc is warmer, free of any tape noise whatsoever, and has a higher output
level than the original. Bass response on the disc is deep, and packs more
punch. If you're looking for a great CD to show off your stereo system, this
is the one.
GIOACHINO ROSSINI: La Cenerentola
Audio: London 436 902-2
Video: London 440 071 544-3
Reviewed by Paul Remington
Rossini's La Cenerentola (Cinderella) is a delightful and humorous opera,
the music of which can easily be destroyed without vocalists of exceptional
talent and technical facility. This is characteristic of much of Rossini's
work, where vocal passages must be performed in the same furious pace as
Rossini wrote them. Some of the most worthy productions of this opera have
been released by London on both audio and video. The audio release was
recorded in June of 1992 with the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, conducted by
Riccardo Chailly and features Cecilia Bartoli, Allessandro Corbelli, Enzo
Dara, William Matteuzzi, and Michele Pertusi. The video release was
performed in November of 1995 with the Houston Grand Opera, conducted by
Bruno Campanella and features Cecilia Bartoli, Alessandro Corbelli, Enzo
Dara, Raul Gimenez, and Michele Pertusi.
The glaring similarity between both these releases is with the performance
of Cecilia Bartoli. There is no doubt, Bartoli is the foremost mezzo-soprano
of out time. Her role as Angiolina (the angelic one) is the highlight of
this opera. If Rossini is the genius of Italian comedic opera, Bartoli
earns a similar title as one of the most natural, and brilliant voices ever
to perform his works. Though generations separate Bartoli from Rossini, her
love and affinity for Rossini's works result in timeless performances,
making the gap between the two inconsequential.
While the remaining cast should not be overlooked, attention to Bartoli
cannot be ignored. Her presence provides a stability that carries through
the opera, right to the final moments. And, as is appropriate, Rossini
composes the completion of the opera for Angiolina, giving Bartoli the
final word.
Rossini began composing La Cenerentola in Rome on Christmas Day, 1826. Only
in his twenties, Rossini had already completed and performed 19 operas. He
was known for his ability to compose at a blinding rate. While many
composers would begin composing a work immediately, Rossini would frequently
wait as long as he could, then pen his work as quickly as possible. La
Cenerentola is no exception. Librettist Jacopo Ferretti completed the text
in 22 days. Rossini composed and orchestrated the entire opera in a
staggering 24 days. It was first performed in Teatro Valle, Rome on January
25, 1817.
Although its first performance was not greeted with great ovation, Rossini
knew he had produced a work of timeless value, stating, " . . . within a
year it'll be sung from one end of the country to the other." These
prophetic words became reality not just in his country, but in many others.
It was performed in Munich in 1818, Lisbon in 1819, London in 1820, Dresden,
Madrid, and Paris in 1822, Vienna in 1823, and finally reached New York in
1826. Rossini's work has never decreased in interest, although the lack of
singers being able to perform with the technique required has limited stage
performances of this work over the years. Rossini's work often requires
phenomenal technical abilities. London's audio and video releases archive
an important work for the enjoyment of generations to come.
Cecilia Bartoli's entrance to opera and vocal work started in Rome. Born
into a family deeply rooted in music, it became quite clear at an early age
that she had remarkable vocal capabilities. Her mother is a lyric soprano,
and father was a lirico-spinto tenor. Her vocal training has been taught
solely by her mother, who marveled at her ability to easily negotiate the
quick coloratura that is the defining factor in Rossini's form of musical
expression. Where other vocalists may sound and appear to labor over
Rossini's vocal passages, Bartoli plays with them in a relaxed nature. Her
vocal qualities are such that Rossini's works sound as though they were
written for her. She fits the vocal requirements perfectly.
Just entering the prime of her career, Bartoli continues establishing
herself through the works she performs. Her work on La Cenerentola is
accompanied by a fantastic cast that makes both these releases worthy of
purchase. Whether video or audio, this La Cenerentola is one of timeless
value. Although I would suggest the purchase of the work on video, with
its humorous stage direction, and pleasing set design, the audio release
equals its performance. Either way, both performances are of exceptional
value due to the performance of Bartoli. And, with many years ahead of her,
Bartoli can only grace us further with the wondrous talent and beautiful
tone her voice adds to Rossini's music, and others the chooses to perform.
SCREAMING TREES -- Dust (Epic)
Reviewed by Steve Marshall
It's been four years since the last Screaming Trees CD, Sweet Oblivion.
Aside from a few songs on movie soundtracks, they've been fairly idle. The
band displays several new musical influences on Dust, which you can hear as
soon as you put on the CD. Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
plays keyboards on eight of the disc's ten songs. Several tracks have an
"eastern" sound to them; similar to what Robert Plant and Jimmy Page have
been doing lately. The band makes use of sitars & harmoniums on much of the
new material.
The sitar intro of "Halo of Ashes" starts off the CD, followed by the first
single, "All I Know". If you haven't heard this one on the radio yet, you
will soon. There's a great hook on the chorus. "Look at You" is another good
track. "Dying Days" features a guitar solo by Mike McCready (Pearl Jam).
"Make My Mind" is of those songs that you'll swear you've heard somewhere
before. On the chorus of "Traveler", the Trees sound like a hybrid of late
60's David Bowie and The Moody Blues. Quite a change from the early Sub Pop
days. I'm not saying the band is turning adult contemporary or anything.
They still rock.
Screaming Trees could have easily released Sweet Oblivion part two. Instead,
they decided to experiment a bit. They broadened their musical horizons,
and are a more interesting band because of it. Dust is sure to win new fans
for the band, and make the old ones happy too.
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 5 in D Major, Op. 47. Stadium Symphony
Orchestra of New York (New York Philharmonic Orchestra) conducted by
Leopold Stokowski. (DCC Compact Classics LPZ-2016)
Reviewed by Robert Cummings
Maestro Stoky conducting the Shostakovich Fifth in a 1958 studio recording
on a new LP? And the cover of this curious LP displaying that unforgettable
classic Everest Records imprint above his photo? Deja vu! Yes, here is the
irascible genius overseeing a performance of this war-horse in sound so
lifelike, so vivid, that you're apt to wonder that digital technology may
have been a step backward. I was awestruck at the results of this direct-cut
transfer to vinyl by Steve Hoffman.
I well remember from the 1950s and -60s Everest Records as an affordable
label with superior sound reproduction, sometimes hampered, though, by
pressings that were noisy and less than state-of-the-art. Here you receive
impeccably quiet pressings that yield heavenly sonics: strings are velvety
and sweet; brass instruments play with a burnished, powerful resonance; and
woodwinds sound out true and natural timbres. Only the drums come across as
a tad spongy, a minor sonic flaw, however, in an otherwise splendid job.
So what of Stokowski's reading of the Shostakovich? To my mind it challenges
for top honors the Bernstein/New York Philharmonic from 1959 (now on Sony).
Here, with Bernstein's same orchestra, Stokowski whips up a riveting
performance, not altogether unlike Bernstein's. Where Stokowski is
italicizing and pointing up significant detail, Bernstein is dramatic and
driven at all costs. Yet both are strikingly similar in many passages: try
their first movement buildup and culminating march, or hear their emphatic
pizzicato strings reprise the main theme in the middle of the second
movement. And both eschew the ridiculous tendency so common today of playing
the finale's close with a sort of dour pomposity. Exponents of this approach
claim the ending is the expression of forced rejoicing under the repressive
Stalin regime. Maybe so, but why overdo it? Stoky and Bernstein get it
right.
In the end, both recordings are classics and confound the mind in making a
choice between them. But I'll have to give a slim edge to the impassioned
Bernstein over the ever-searching, ever-alert Stoky. To be a close second,
however, in a field that has also included Previn/RCA (not his EMI/Angel
remake), Maxim Shostakovich/Melodiya, Ashkenazy/London, Jrvi/Chandos and
many others, is a tremendous achievement and does not amount to a tepid
endorsement. Consider this a rave--Stokowski gives a searing reading, and
his orchestra responds with utter conviction.
It should be mentioned that there are two other recordings of this symphony
by Stokowski currently available, both derived from live concerts: the Czech
Philharmonic/Preludio (1961) and the London Symphony/Music & Arts (1964).
His pioneering effort with the Philadelphia Orchestra is, I believe, still
unavailable. Be assured, though, all things considered, this recording is
THE Stokowski Shostakovich Fifth to have. If it's silver you must have,
though, a Philips CD of this account may also still be available. As for
the dual orchestral names in the headnote--the New York Philharmonic used
the "Stadium Symphony" alias for summer concerts in Lewissohn Stadium
decades ago and retained the moniker in recordings made for Everest Records
probably as a contractual condition demanded by their main recording label
at the time, Columbia Records.
In sum, if you're still buying LPs or simply have a healthy turntable
yearning to taste vinyl again, you may want to take a close look at this
reissue, which even includes the quite intelligent notes from the original
Everest LP by the veteran musicologist David Hall. It also features a
fascinating, if short, rehearsal take at the beginning of side two. I
understand this LP is a pricey item, but, hey, what's a few bucks when
we're talking classic performance here?
SIR BALD DIDDLEY & HIS WIG OUTS - Pie-Go-Mania (Alopecia)
Reviewed by The Platterpuss
B. Diddley & friends have been a favorite around P'puss HQ for quite some
time with his winning combination of surf and garage music that's blended
together with a heaping helping of pure silliness. This time out he's gone
pie-in-the-sky with a baker's dozen songs, with titles like "Make With The
Bake," "Latin Lu Pie Lu," "Pie-Go-Mania," "Jack The Baker" and "The Slice."
When you put all the funny stuff aside however, what you're left with is an
elpee's worth of tunes that roll and rock like crazy and, for that reason
alone, I heartily recommend this, uh... tasty platter. (35 Mill Lane,
Benson, Oxford, OX10 6SA, UK)
SPACE NEGROS: Dig Archaeology Volume 3 (1981-1993) (Arf! Arf! Records)
Reviewed by coLeSLAw
Well...they sure don't sound like anyone I've ever listened to. You know
that ultra-bluesy feel to Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks", well, it
doesn't sound anything like that. It REALLY doesn't sound like any Jesus
Lizard either. The list goes on and on, because these guys (and gals) don't
sound like anything. (Well, except maybe the Residents from time to time).
From the opening anti-time signature weirdness of Arrive/Depart and into the
re-defining of inharmonic discord, it is evident that this album will need
its very own little space set aside in your CD collection. The CD itself is
blissfully inconsistent, otherwise I may never have made it through the
whole thing. In the 12 years that this collection spans, we are treated to
some of the most psychotic works ever put to disc, from not only the Space
Negros, but a few side projects and other incarnations.
Erik Lindgren is the one consistent contributor, who plays mainly keyboard-
type instruments (Moogs and the like). Although the other musicians vary,
the general feel of the album remains...weird. Beyond weird. This is truly
warped. Not for the non-experimental at heart.
Some of the album's highlights include spaced-out keys over a 1954 source
recording from Uganda on "Uganda 1982", the free-form jam mixed with
ambient street noise performed live on "EZ Listening Music", and the strange
pop songs courtesy of Family Fun (one of Erik's bands) which left me
wondering if I was supposed to take them seriously or not.
So all you Residents and They Might Be Giants fans, and general freaks who
truly miss the pre-Casio eighties sound...this is your chance. Walk, don't
run.
SPIDER BABIES - All Fucked Up (Screaming Apple)
Reviewed by The Platterpuss
Fans of super snarly, snotty and nasty Garage Punk loaded with bad attitude
that's equally influenced by The Dead Boys as it is by bands like The
Standells and The Chocolate Watchband will be in seventh heaven with the
first long-player from this Northwest trio. While it's true that all the
songs on here do kinda sound alike, one might also say that you should never
mess with perfection. And the bottom line is that this thing rips and roars
like a motherfucker, leaving the listener bruised and battered yet ready for
more. (PO Box 12034, Seattle WA 98102)
JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS
Live At Max's Kansas City '79 (ROIR CD)
Reviewed by Cai Campbell
Johnny Thunders helped set the stage for the punk rock explosion when he
played guitar with The New York Dolls. He then traversed to the eye of the
storm with his band, The Heartbreakers. The Heartbreakers were the epitome
of the New York punk scene in its heyday.
This collection of live tunes, originally released in 1979, serves as a
more than adequate time capsule back to the days where raw energy and
stripped down production ruled the city's alleys and gutters. The
performances are delightfully enthusiastic and haphazard. The band flails
around like a ten-year-old high on nitrous oxide, gleefully cussing and
generally having a good time (almost too good of a time, actually).
The feeling is contagious and
you cannot help but get in the mood of
things. This is a FUN record!
ROIR has seen fit to include four bonus tracks in this CD reissue. These
tracks were culled from a second recording session at Max's which have
never seen the light of day until now (including the tragically hilarious
"Too Much Junkie Business.") These tracks from the second session at Max's
lack the obtuse charm apparent from the original session, but the band is
more on target, musically, and we are treated to some fine guitar work by
Mr. Thunders himself.
V/A: Dub Revolution (ROIR)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Eleven tracks by the newer practitioners of dub, including Bush Chemists,
Scarab, WordSound, Zion Train and Alpha & Omega. Okay, some of them have
actually been around for quite a while, but the common thread is that they
are all taking the teachings of Scratch Perry, King Tubby, Mad Professor,
Jah Shaka and others to the next step. The digital dub revolution is in
full swing.
The title track, performed by The Disciples, is a relentless march with a
synth-horn part leading the way. Bush Chemists, one of the most interesting
proponents of British digiDub, turn in an excellent track called "Tribal
Dub" with some Glen Brown-influenced melodica work. Alpha & Omega (who
are disciples of Jah Shaka) come in with "Contentious Dub," one of the most
psychedelic tracks of all. The oddest track has to be "Release The Chains,"
by Centry Meets The Musical Family. It is essentially "Smells Like Teen
Spirit" with harmony synth-horns taking the melody. It is done slow and
sensual, and it works. My only bitch is that I now have that tune stuck in
my head AGAIN, three years after I finally got it OUT of my head, and now
I've had to take the ol' Nirvana CD out of the rack a few times. Well,
there are worse things in life, I spose.
As an introduction to the current dub scene, Dub Revolution scores high for
its sound quality and slate of artists, and for the S.H. Fernando Jr. penned
liner notes, which offers a fairly succinct overview of what's happening and
who these new dub artists are. Somewhere up there, Scratch Perry is looking
down and smiling at all this. He's not dead, mind you, he's just...up there
somewhere.
VARIOUS ARTISTS - Pop Matters (Wagon Wheel)
Reviewed by The Platterpuss
As you can probably guess from its title, this is a collection of offerings
by some of the latest crop of pop bands from, with one exception, various
parts of the U.S. Like most compilations, this one is a mixed blessing as
far as quality but there are enough primo tracks from the likes of The
Gripweeds, Big Hello, The Rockinghams, The Kicksouls, The Idea and Jeremy to
keep me happily entertained. While none of the 15 tracks here venture
anywhere near Punk territory, if you're a fan of Material Issue, The Shoes or
any of the "Yellow Pills" comps, you will have no problems with any of this.
(PO Box 1115, NYC NY 10276-1115)
VARIOUS ARTISTS: Rare Surf 1, 2 & 3 (AVI)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
This series actually started coming out last year, so we're a bit late. But
better late than never, especially with something as fine as this trio of
CDs. The plan is to bring out recordings that were lost or forgotten, many
of which were never heard beyond the circles of friends around the bands
themselves.
The first disc, THE SOUTH BAY BANDS, features PJ and the Galaxies, PJ and
Artie, and The Journeymen. Call it "The Paul Johnson Disc." Paul was one
of the most important writers of the genre, and one hell of a guitarist, too,
and we finally get to hear some of his post-Belairs music. Almost everything
here is of the "previously unreleased" kind, with the exception of "Tally
Ho," "The Shimmy," "(It's Gonna) Work Out Fine," and "Fink." PJ & Artie's
version of "Squad Car" isn't as powerful as Eddie & the Showmen's, but it's
interesting to compare the two. The main difference is that Johnson favored
the higher notes for playing melody, and Eddie Bertrand took the Dick Dale
low road on his version. The final six tracks on the disc are by The
Journeymen, a band that had been kicking around the south bay since 1959.
Four of these tracks were from a pair of singles, and two were unreleased.
The most interesting track is probably "Bag's Groove," a garagy cover of a
Milt Jackson jazz piece with Don Shraier soloing his ass off on saxophone.
Most of this stuff is simple 1-4-5 rock and roll, but it has garage ambiance,
complete with rowdy screams, so it's not without its charm.
The second disc, which is also called THE SOUTH BAY BANDS, features four
bands: The Nocturnes, The Revelaires, The Vibrants and Wheely McSidewalk and
the Ball Bearings. Define rare surf? According to the liner notes, these
four bands put out a combined total of 4 singles. From the start of the
disc, you're wondering why that was the case. The Nocturnes played a wide
open style of instrumental rock and roll that almost anticipated punk at
times. Maybe that was an accident, maybe not. All I know is that
sloppiness never sounded so good. On tunes like "Baha-Ree-Ba!" and
"Journey To The Stars," they showed themselves to be a pretty wild surf
band, as well. There's some excellent Farfisa sounds on all of their
tracks. Me, I love a good Farfisa band.
Next up is Wheely McSidewalk and the Ball Bearings, which was actually not
a band at all, but rather a jam session with The Nocturnes, Paul Johnson
(who owned the tiny homemade studio all of this music was recorded in) and
a young guitarist named Larry Carlton. These four tracks show that Carlton
was something else, even as a kid.
The Vibrants and The Revelaires were two bands with intertwining histories.
They were rivals and friends at the same time, and eventually the two
merged into one band. The recordings offered here show both to be talented
bands, though some of the tracks feel like jams because of late entrances
or missed notes. I couldn't find the name of The Vibrants' bass player,
so I'll just say that whoever the hell it was sure had his tone together!
Deeeeep bass, just like the good Lord intended. Lots of good stuff on disc
two.
Disc three is my personal favorite because it contains Johnny Fortune's
album, Soul Surfer, in its entirety. I had only heard the title track
before, and I was completely floored by the technical brilliance of both
the recording and the performance. Fortune came from a country/jazz
background (Chet Atkins was his hero), and it translated beautifully to
surf music. Everything about the recording is right, from Fortune's
complex guitar work to the solid drumming of his ten year old brother,
Joey, to the sparkling clean sound of...everything! Fortune (real name
John Sudetta) wrote or co-wrote 8 of the 12 tracks on Soul Surfer, but most
fans have only heard that title track. As great as that track is, it's
very possible that it wasn't his best. This CD gives you the chance to
make your own discoveries in that regard. While you're making that little
discovery, you'll run smack-dab into another: Johnny Barakat and the
Vestells!
Johnny was shot in a robbery attempt at his father's store in 1960, and he
ended up in a wheelchair. He got a guitar from his folks in 1961, and
he was already good enough to play in a band before the year was out.
A year later, he joined The Vestells and soon became the main man. These
VERY rare recordings were hidden away in Johnny's home for 30 years. As
you might expect, the sound quality of some of these recordings is a bit
low, but it's all worth it just to finally get to hear this music that, in
many cases, is among the best the genre ever produced.
All three CDs come with outstanding liner notes. Trivia buffs will go nuts.
The musicians themselves have participated in the writing of the notes, and
there are some nice photos thrown in, as well. AVI did a great job with
this series. So far. Meaning...thank you, may we have another?
VARIOUS ARTISTS: To Cry You a Song... A Collection of Tull Tales
(Magna Carta)
Reviewed by Steve Marshall
When you consider that Jethro Tull has been making music for almost 30
years, it should come as no surprise that someone would put together a
tribute CD. Magna Carta seems to have made a name for itself these days
as the label of choice for such projects, and most have been quite good.
To Cry You a Song... rates as one of the better ones. Tull fans will take
note of the musicians on six of the songs - Mick Abrahams (guitar), Clive
Bunker (drums), and Glenn Cornick (bass). This marks the first time these
musicians have worked together since the band's debut album. Longtime
producer and engineer for the band, Robin Black, handled things in the
recording studio.
One of the best things about this CD is that the songs aren't copied note
for note. Several of the cuts have different arrangements. The disc starts
off with an instrumental track written specifically for this tribute called
"A Tull Tale", featuring Stan Johnson on flute. Containing pieces of
"Bouree" and other Tull classics, it serves as an introduction to
Magellan's excellent cover of "Aqualung". This one is interesting, to say
the least. It starts with a lounge intro, then goes into an almost
industrial/metal guitar sound on the verses. The guitar solo is played on
a slightly different chord progression, but it works well.
The first track with the original band members (and one of the best on
the CD) is John Wetton's rendition of "Nothing is Easy". This one may
actually surpass the original. Phil Manzanera (ex-Roxy Music guitarist)
and Ian McDonald (ex-King Crimson) both contribute fine performances on
the song. Lief Sorbye (of Tempest) turns in a decent rendition of "Mother
Goose". I was a bit put off by Sorbye's voice on this one at first, but
the music is great. Later in the disc, Sorbye teams up with co-producer
Robert Berry for a Celtic-based cover of "Minstrel in the Gallery". Berry
has appeared on every Magna Carta tribute to date.
The second half of the disc is every bit as good as the first, perhaps even
better. Sixteen-year-old slide guitar whiz, Derek Trucks, and harp legend
Charlie Musselwhite serve up a cover of "Cat's Squirrel" that absolutely
smokes. Kansas' violinist, Robby Steinhardt does an excellent job with his
updated take on the bluesy classic "A New Day Yesterday". Keith Emerson
slowed things down a bit on his instrumental version of "Living in the
Past". Dave Pegg and his son, Matt (both Tull alumni), braved 'the flu' to
record their heartfelt version of "Life's a Long Song".
To Cry You a Song... does an excellent job of commemorating the career of
"the world's best known underground band", Jethro Tull.
(In case you can't find To Cry You a Song... in your local record store,
you can write to Magna Carta Records at 208 East 51st St., #1820, New York,
NY 10022)
VENICE SHORELINE CHRIS: The 4-Track Adventures of Venice Shoreline Chris
(Moon Ska CD)
Reviewed by Cai Campbell
Chris Murray, a.k.a. Venice Shoreline Chris, plays Ska the old-fashioned
way: by himself, in his basement, on his 4-track tape machine. Chris is a
master in his 4-track world, and with this collection of tuneful, soulful,
ska-ful originals collected from 1989-1994, we are granted a special visit
into this realm.
Chris' song writing talents cannot be understated and his grasp of Ska as a
musical form is right on target. Chris wends his way through nine acoustic,
upbeat, rhythmic numbers, throughout which you will not find yourself being
distracted, for the music grasps your attention. The subdued kinetic energy
is welcome and invigorating.
It is hard to believe that this much energy and music can be generated by
one guy on a 4-track! But Chris' strong song writing talents and keen
musical sense completely overshadows the simplistic nature of the
production. This is a fine CD, well deserving of your attention. At one
point Chris pleads, "I want to play Ska for all of you." Please do, Chris.
Please do.
VOODOO GLOW SKULLS: Firme (Epitaph)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
Are they a punk band, a rock and roll band, or a ska band? Yup. They're
hotter than August blacktop, and they're showing no signs of cooling just
yet. On their first album for Epitaph, they offer up 16 sizzling tracks,
most of them about getting drunk ("Drunk Tank," "Empty Bottles," "Trouble
Walking"), a few about people they hate ("Fat Randy," "Jocks From Hell")
and an ass-kicking version of The Coasters' classic "Charlie Brown." And
they're fast. Real fast. How fast? They pass the Ramones on the shoulder
and quickly vanish in the distance. On the SLOW songs!
One of the strengths of this album is that it appeals to both ends of the
listener spectrum. Those who just want a speed rush and a soundtrack for
their next fist fight will love it. Those who live to dissect music will
find that underneath all that apparent chaos is a band that manages to be
tight at mach 5. Everybody wins.
ALEC WILDER: "For The Friends of Alec Wilder"
The Manhattan Chamber Orchestra
Conductor: Richard Auldon Clark
Newport Classics: NPD 85570
Reviewed by Paul Remington
Alec Lafayette Chew Wilder remains one of America's greatest and perhaps
best kept secrets of 20th Century music. Many of his compositions remain
unrecorded and little performed. Strangely, he is one of the most
influential composers of 20th Century orchestral and popular music, yet his
music remains unknown to a vast majority of the public. Those few that know
the history of American classical and popular music know of Wilder's
contribution. This release proves his stunning ability to produce
harmonically pleasing, and texturally lush compositions, cleverly arranged
and orchestrated in ways no other composer has produced. They are
stylistically unique, and distinctly Wilder.
Influenced heavily by the jazz innovators of the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s,
Wilder's compositions borrow much of their style from the harmonic
development of early jazz masters, and popular songs of the time. These
compositions are by no means stylistically jazz, they are very much in the
classical tradition. What makes them unique are the heart warming melodies,
lush chordal and harmonic content, and sophisticated presentation that
establish a very unique approach to orchestral composition. Eight
compositions are featured, the earliest composed in 1945, the latest
composed in 1979, a year before Wilder's death.
Wilder lived much of his life out of a suitcase, choosing the residence of
a hotel rather than a formal apartment. He was always ready to pick-up and
leave at any given moment. Although his personality had a vagabond quality,
and he never became emotionally fixed to any one place, he was a man of
great passion and feeling. He had many very close friends that all
understood the quality of this man. He gave through his music, frequently
writing compositions for them when he felt prompted.
Jazz Pianist Marian McPartland recalls meeting Wilder at a gig she
performed in Rochester, NY. The following evening Wilder returned to
deliver a piece especially composed for her. Some of the largest archive
of Wilder's works are stored in the Eastman School of Music and Margun
Music. Both these locations archive reams of pieces and full-blown
compositions written for Wilder's closest friends.
Completely self-taught, Wilder's education in the art of composition began
in the late 1920s, while hanging around Eastman School of Music in
Rochester, NY. He learned through interacting with the staff and students
of the school, and practicing his gift of composition. His approach to
music composition was as unique as the final product he'd pen. While other
composers write and re-write compositions, slowly polishing their work,
Wilder would rely on emotional spontaneity, penning his works while under
the influence of the emotion that motivated him to produce the work. This
is the key to much of Wilder's work, and is what makes them so personal.
They are not worked and reworked, they are created under the spontaneity
of the moment, and then left alone.
Visiting Wilder's catalog gives an interesting glance at his life, and
those that affected him. Each composition is a reflection of the person
it was written for. Listening to a composition gives an aural sense of the
essence of Wilder's feelings towards the person he penned it for. For The
Friends of Alec Wilder features Wilder's work for many of his friends and
associates.
Works included on the 68 minute CD are The Carl Sandburg Suite, composed
primarily in the lobby of a small hotel in Bluefield, West Virginia in
1960. The suite was written for poet and novelist Carl Sandburg who
published The American Songbag, a collection of folk songs that greatly
influenced music at the time Wilder wrote this suite. Five pieces composed
in 1945, featuring clarinet, flute, saxophone, and bassoon wrapped around
orchestral accompaniment. These works were originally heard by Frank
Sinatra, and so impressed him, he directed the recording of these five
pieces with the Columbia String Orchestra. Suite No.2 for Tenor Saxophone
and Strings, composed in 1966, was written for Jazz saxophonist Zoot Simms.
Serenade For Winds, written for the Eastman Wind Ensemble and their
director Donald Hunsberger, was compose in 1979, but remained unperformed
until 1991.
Hopefully, time will uncover Wilder's extensive body of work, and
performances will expose a wider audience to Wilder's work. There are many
instances in the history of compositional music where a composer is not
readily appreciated during his lifetime, yet decades or centuries later his
works suddenly become part of standard repertory. These recordings for the
friends of Alec Wilder are for everyone that appreciates his music. Wilder
expressed himself best through music, and reached those he loved through
this gift. I implore anyone not familiar with these works to seek them out.
The performance is good, the recording is excellent, and the music is an
absolute must hear.
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C O S M I K Q U I C K I E S
Reviews for people who are in a big freakin' hurry!
CHEEZTONES: When Men Get Too Anxious EP (Cheeztone)
Basically, whatcha got here are 4 tracks worth of no-frills Punk &
Roll that sound halfway between the Devil Dogs and The Cowslingers. All
4 songs are really catchy and there's a kind of twisted sense of humor
at the root of it all that I find rather refreshing, at least in small
doses. If you've got a few bucks that you don't know what to do with,
you could certainly do a lot worse then sending it to these guys.
(616 College SE, Gr. Rapids MI 49503) (The Platterpuss)
THE DIABOLIKS: Yes I Do/Lovin' Machine (Screaming Apple)
The cover of this 45 claims "Finest Girl Garage Punk" and you're
not gonna hear any arguments from me. "Yes I Do" sounds like what you'd
get if The Ramones wrote a song for The Brood while "...Machine" is more
straightforward '66 type garage. Both sides are absolute aces. (The
Platterpuss)
THE FORBIDDEN DIMENSION: No Sleep 'Til Altamont EP (Roto-Flex)
More 3-chord loud, fast and stupid - how can you go wrong? One GG
Allin cover plus 2 originals that include one instrumental that's all
punk and no surf. If you're a fan of bands like The Devil Dogs, Lazy
Cowgirls or The Humpers, you don't want to miss out on this.
(PO Box 62452, Calgary, Alberta, T2K 6J1, CANADA) (The Platterpuss)
GO SAILOR: 4-song EP (Slumberland))
Fans of Sarah Records type girl-pop will really like this a whole bunch.
While it is definitely on the lightweight and whimsical side, and could
easily wind up as a broken frisbee if it crosses my path at the wrong
moment, I do find it rather pleasant. (Box 14731, Berkeley CA 94712) (The
Platterpuss)
THE HYPNOMEN: The Urge/Crime Wave (Demolition Derby)
The A-side is a bizarro kind of surf instro that's just so loaded with
reverb, fuzz and what have you that it's definitely quite interesting.
The flip is in more of a straight Dick Dale kinda vein that, while it too
is pretty good, doesn't make me stand up and take notice quite as much.
If you're a fan of instrumental bands, you won't be disappointed. (The
Platterpuss)
J.C. LODGE: Love For All Seasons (RAS)
Lover-reggae that is so slick it shoots out of the CD player, which is okay
with me, because I would have taken it out anyway. Mad Professor produced
this, but it's clearly on the opposite end of the weight spectrum from his
own music. This is so fluffy and light that UB40 sounds like Black Sabbath
in comparison. Some may find her cover of "You Make Me Feel Brand New"
somewhat interesting, but she breaks no new ground with it - which is kind
of ironic, when you think about it. If you like Mariah Carey but wish
she'd do some pseudo-reggae material, you're gonna love this. (DJ Johnson)
RICHARD STRAUSS: Vier Letzte Lieder (Songs for soprano, voice, and
orchestra) Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin and London Symphony
Orchestra - Conductor: George Szell - Soprano: Elisabeth Schwartzkopf
(EMI Classics: CDC 7 47276 2)
Richard Strauss' love for the soprano voice, and composition of songs is
preserved by Elisabeth Schwartzkopf on EMI Classics with the support of
George Szell, Radio Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, and London Symphony
Orchestra. Schwartzkopf's brilliant performances of these Lieder stand as
some of the best performances to date. Recorded in 1966 and 1969, the sound
is excellent. Rich harmonies, melodic lines, and beautifully orchestrated
compositions define Strauss as one of the truly great composers of such
lieder. The rerelease of The Four Last Songs, and Songs For A Mother echo
Strauss' love for this style of composition. Schwartzkopf breaths unique
and lasting life into these works, no classical collection of 20th Century
composition should be without. (Paul Remington)
TRAVIS CUT: Not To Blame EP (Incoming)
This is the second single by this fine fine UK trio and I think I
might like it even better than their first. These guys play Punk Rock
that's melodic and well-written but without sacrificing any of the
aggression and energy that's such an integral part of this kind of music.
They've also just released an album that I don't like quite as much but,
it seems that they've saved their best songs for this. Fans of bands like
Mega City 4 or Down By Law will wanna grab one of these if they can.
(2, The Hides, Harlow, Essex, CM20 3Q1, UK) (The Platterpuss)
VARIOUS ARTISTS: Alleviation (Silber Records)
Delving into the fuzzy area between gothic, industrial, and ambient come
18 never before released tracks compiled by Silber Records. Much of the
disc has a filmish quality to it, albeit a rather dark one. There are
some great tracks on here, most notably "What is Gone is Gone" by The
Unquiet Void, the strangely beautiful "Avibdake" by An April March, and the
opiated crooning of Faith & Disease with their live cut "Crown of Sorrow".
(coLeSLAw)
VARIOUS ARTISTS: Jailbait EP (Demolition Derby)
This EP features 1 track from each of 4 bands from various parts of
the globe: The Outsideinside (U.S.), The Coronets (Switzerland), The Boys
Next Door (Italy) and The Basement Brats (Norway). Stylistically the
selections run the gamut from surf instros to garage to classic punk. Of
the 4 tracks, I like the Basement Brats' version of the classic "Sticks
And Stones" the best but all 4 cuts are really cool, making this a terrific
buy if you can find a copy. (The Platterpuss)
VARIOUS ARTISTS: The Talent Show (Arf! Arf! Records)
All the thrills, chills, and spills of a suffocating talent show on one
CD with the added bonus of an eject button! (coLeSLAw)
VARIOUS ARTISTS -- A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan (Epic)
I had high expectations for this CD. This concert, recorded over a year
ago, was probably a great show to see live. There was a stellar lineup of
musicians - Eric Clapton, Jimmie Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Cray, Buddy
Guy, Dr. John, & BB King. The backup band included the Texas band,
Tilt-a-Whirl, and the remaining members of SRV's band, Double Trouble.
Unfortunately, the show didn't translate well to compact disc. Even though
I'm a fan of most of the artists involved, the covers of SRV tunes come
across as boring and uninspired, save for Eric Clapton's smoking rendition
of "Ain't Gone 'n Give Up On Love". Unless you're a completist regarding
one of the artists involved, skip this one. (Steve Marshall)
============================================================================
BETWEEN ZERO & ONE
By Steven Leith
T H A N K S , K A T H Y L E E
Thank you Kathy Lee for turning your wounded pride into a career vehicle
that will, for however brief a moment, turn a spotlight on the deplorable
by-product of our consumerist society. Exploitation is not new nor is it
limited to third world nations. Nice to know the media will look at it as
long as a celebrity tells them to.
Forget the fact that the media, in silent collusion with corporate
sponsors, usually prefers to turn a blind eye on the detritus of our
industrial age. We don't want to be reminded that our footwear comes to
us courtesy of bleeding fingers and shackled minds. Remember only that as
long as some icon of motherhood makes exploitation an issue the media will
be required to end their self imposed silence on the topic, at least until
they can manufacture another news story.
If you can read this rant you are one of a very select group that feels
the sting of exploitation very little, if at all. We, the techno-elite,
consume the industrial spew as if it will truly make our life meaningful.
One more CD, another Meg of Ram, a new car, all of this and more is
required to fill the void within, so says the incessant drum beat of
advertising.
We can assuage our conscience by reflecting that there has always been
child labor or labor under conditions akin to slavery. We can even take
the moral high ground by pointing out that if we did not put these
wretches to work making reduced-cost/high-profit products they would
contribute nothing to the industrial output of the world.
What we seem unable to do is rise above three generations of programming
to question the need to produce a tidal wave of products. To prevent
catastrophic economic collapse our growing production depends on growing
consumption. We are peddling as fast as we can and if we slow, we will
topple more dramatically than any past civilization.
Add to this equation the absolute fact that automation is reaching beyond
the non-skilled and semi-skill job markets. You should know that
automation has created an under-class in the United States and will do so
in every post-industrial nation. Recent American history is not about a
rising crime rate it is about a rising automation rate that has made the
semi-skilled laborers irrelevant to the economy.
The system is spinning toward a grand reckoning. Norbert Weiner (father
of cybernetics) wrote in "The Human Use of Human Beings: Cybernetics and
Human Beings,"(1950), "Let us remember that the automatic machine ...is
the precise economic equivalent of slave labor. Any labor which competes
with slave labor must accept the economic consequences of slave labor."
That consequence is visible right now.
Fewer people will be required to consume more in order to keep the system
chugging along. Neither the child slave in Pakistan nor the machine slave
will be buying Nike running shoes. The lucky remainder still employed
will have to buy all the products. It is not merely Madison Avenue that
exhorts us to consume, but the State itself. It is patriotic to consume
and it is each citizen's duty to spend every cent they make on goods, else
profits will shrink and the wheels of production will grind to a halt.
The economic equivalent of slavery is not merely morally wrong, it is a
wrong headed economic paradigm. The western brand of capitalism has been
trying to recapture slavery for more than a century. When they finally
succeed in removing labor as a cost of production they will plunge off the
cliff of history like so many lemmings. Will you be ready for that brave
new world? Don't consume, create!
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(Send your comments to Steven Leith at leith@speakeasy.org)
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PHIL'S GARAGE: Decoding The Language Of The Music Industry
By Phil Dirt
Ever wonder about all those terms those in the know bat around? You know
the type, words like "limited edition" and codes like AAD. After you
figured out what they are supposed to mean, you probably noticed that they
are often abused. For instance, when I see "Limited Edition" on a disc, my
pulse skips a beat, and I just know in my gut that I better buy it now,
because I won't see it again. The crack marketeers at the label are
implying that not many are or will be made, and that this wonderful record
is destined to be collectable. What "Limited Edition" really means is that
the record company's production is limited to the number they can sell,
usually a low number because of the very limited appeal of the product.
With that in mind, the following guide will help you through the dizzying
maze at your neighborhood music emporium.
AAD: We didn't bother to get the original multi-tracks or session tapes,
so this CD is mastered from old album tapes, so this CD may sound hissy
and muddy.
ADD: We want you to think we remixed the album from original multi-tracks,
but really we just used old album tapes, and the sound may be hissy and
muddy.
AS SEEN ON TV: The music sucks, but at three in the morning, who would
notice.
BOX SET: We made too many of these CD's, so we printed up a nifty booklet,
put three of them in a cardboard box too big to store on your CD shelf,
and charged an extra $5.
CHAIN STORE: More than one location with the same records at each.
COLORED VINYL: Hey, we know black vinyl is colored, we add the black to
the clear PVC base, and we know it all sounds the same, but if you'll pay
more for some other color, we'll make it.
DDD: We saved money by recording direct to 2 track DAT, eliminating
expensive mixing and mastering.
DIGITALLY REMASTERED: We know every CD is digitally mastered, but hey, it
sounds sooo special.
FEATURING THE HIT "SONG OF THE HIGH SEAS:" We didn't expect THIS song to
be a hit, so we had to add this silly sticker to the plastic wrap so you
know which album to buy.
FIRST DOMESTIC RELEASE: The rest of the known world has been able to get
this CD for years, but we just knew you really didn't want it, so our
selfish policies have kept it from you. Then, we noticed that you were
buying it as an import, and we wanted our share of the booty.
FIRST TIME IN STEREO: 1) We screwed up and issued mono the first time
around, or 2) the stereo masters were lost until we moved that stack of
boxes and found these tapes.
IMPORT: 1) We knew you really didn't want it, so we didn't issue it, and
2) we can make an extra $5 off you for the special foreign issue.
INDEPENDENT LABEL: We know we're a business like any other, but you think
we're more credible because we're still small.
INDEPENDENT RECORD STORE: We're located in the bad part of town because
the rent is cheap, but you think it's because we are cool and politically
correct. Our profit margins are as big as theirs.
JENNY MCCARTHY'S SURF PARTY: You already have all the trite music on this
disc, so we put a body you'll never touch on the cover art so you'll buy
it again.
LIMITED EDITION: We won't make any more than you will buy.
MAJOR LABEL: Former independent that actually figured out how to succeed.
NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES: With good reason...
OVER 60 MINUTES OF PLAYING TIME: We don't pay our artists well, so we can
afford to put more music on the disc.
PICTURE DISC: We put a nifty picture on the disc so you will be visually
entertained even when the music sucks.
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED: 1) It was crap then, which is why we didn't release
it, and it's crap now, but hey, if you'll pay us for it, we'll take the
money and run, and 2) we were too stupid to recognize the artistic or
historic value back then, and stupidly issued only profitable recordings.
PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SURFRIDER FOUNDATION: The music sucks, the artists
won't get paid, and MTV will make a big deal over nothing for the pimple
crowd, but since it's for a hip cause and you'll feel good about paying us,
we can retire in the Bahamas.
PROMO - NOT FOR SALE: We hope some radio station or reviewer will be nice
to us, but if not, we don't care because no one is paid anyway, so we only
lose a couple of bucks, and that's deductible from artist royalties.
"REMARKABLE RECORDING " - NEW YORK TIMES: The rest of the review said "Joe
Smith did a remarkable recording job, considering how bad the performance
was," or "This remarkable recording is the worst thing I ever heard!"
REMASTERED: We screwed up the first pressing, but we are not going to
exchange your old one for this improved one.
REMIXED: We couldn't find the album master, so we had to use the
multi-tracks and remix. It doesn't sound like the original issue, but you
won't notice that.
RIAA: Recording Industry lobby, designed to make you think we care about
the customer.
VIRGIN VINYL: Unlike our other records, this one is not made from recycled
plastic. It doesn't sound any better, but your senses are titillated with
the use of the word "virgin."
I'll bet you have a few of your own. Send 'em off to me at
kfjc-publicity@wiretap.spies.com.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE AUDIO FILE
by Cai Campbell
Great Things Come In Small Packages
The title to this month's column could also be "Big Sound Comes With
A Small Price Tag." What I'm talking about are a couple of quality
stereo components from Great Britain. Creek Audio Ltd. is a company
whose philosophy revolves around delivering the highest quality
sound reproduction at the lowest possible price. This is not to say
that Creek components are cheap, because they are certainly not, but
they deliver performance on par with components costing thousands of
dollars more.
Creek components are distributed in the U.S. by a company called
Music Hall, out of New York, and they were kind enough to loan
Cosmik Debris a Creek A42 power amplifier and a Creek CD42 compact
disc player. At the very least, Music Hall is going to have to put
up a fight if they expect to get these puppies back!
The A42 was the first component to arrive at the posh offices of
Cosmik Debris and my initial reaction upon opening the box was,
"this is a power amplifier?" I was a bit incredulous that such a
small amplifier could offer anything other than mediocre
performance. After all, the thing only measures 16.5" x 2.4" x 9"
and weighs only 12 pounds! Besides that, this diminutive piece of
audio gear "only" delivers 50 watts per channel.
I chuckled to myself somewhat as I disconnected my pre-amp from my
existing Herculean 60 pound, 250 watt beast of a power amp. I was
tittering and shaking my head as I transferred the audio jacks over
to this "poor little Creek amplifier." My only thoughts were of how
I could possibly do this column justice by reviewing what I thought
at that time to be such a pathetic excuse for a power amplifier.
I then powered the sucker up and threw a copy of King Crimson -
Discipline on the turntable. I hesitated to turn up the volume as
the first strains of Elephant Talk began to ooze out of the
speakers. "Hey, not bad, " I thought to myself, so I pushed past my
incredulity and cranked it up. I was immediately blown away by the
clarity, definition, and precision of sound that this small amplifier
was delivering! I turned it up a bit louder, to the point where I
usually listen to my own amplifier when I'm in a nasty mood. Incredible!
The Creek A42, which was delivering 2.5 times less power, was actually
producing cleaner, louder, and more definitive sound! I cranked it up
even louder, to the point where my own amp begins to falter and the Creek
A42 didn't even flinch! The Creek A42 succeeded in reaching my personal
volume threshold without phasing a bit. It had passed my ultimate test
for a power amp. I still could not believe my ears!
Creek's own sales literature for the A42 states, "The 50 watt power
rating belies the strong, detailed sound the amplifier delivers."
That's no bullshit. If anything, it's an understatement! I cannot
emphasize how impressed I am with this amp. After examining the
internal layout of the amp, it is apparent that this is a rugged,
solidly built amplifier designed for years of error free use. Its
simple, straightforward design helps ensure this aspect of its
personality.
The A42 retails for $595.00, and is a bargain when compared to
amplifiers of its calibre. Creek also makes a matching pre-amp (the
Creek P42M) which can be ordered with an optional bridging module,
allowing you to use two A42 power amplifiers as mono-blocks, giving
you 150 watts per channel of pure, clean, stable power. Considering
the low cost and high performance of the A42, this is most certainly
a very attractive and affordable configuration! I can only imagine
the performance that such a mating of components would offer!
Creek has a stable of attractive components which are designed to
work and live together. Their sleek, similar design makes for an
extremely attractive display, no matter how you decide to combine
them. This brings me to the CD42 compact disc player, which is the
most recent addition to the Creek family of low-cost, high-quality
components.
The CD42 arrived at the Cosmik Debris doorstep a couple of days
after the A42, and was greeted in a similar fashion. It's
minimalistic design initially failed to impress me--I am usually wooed
by lots of dials, switches, and flashing lights. But I had learned
from experience and was not so arrogant as to judge this book by its
cover, as I had wrongfully done just two days prior.
So it was with high expectations that I hooked up the CD player with
the fat Reference 2 Interconnect cables (MSRP $395.00/pair) which
Music Hall included with the player. Right off the bat I placed my
favorite CD, a 24K gold copy of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon,
in the player, turned it up and sat back in silent expectation. I
barely made it past the opening heartbeat before I melted into my
seat, devastated by sonic bliss.
The Creek CD42 consists of a rugged laser transport and digital
control circuitry has been matched to the highest quality crystal 1
bit, 64 times oversampled delta-sigma digital to analog converter.
I'm not 100% sure what that means, but I do know it was the most
luxurious listening experience involving that particular album I
have ever had the pleasure of wetting my pants to.
Now, anyone who has been following my column will know that I am a
strong advocate of analog sound, but this CD player has renewed my
faith in the digital medium. CD's, which before sounded thin and
lifeless, now sound full and vibrant when played on the Creek CD42.
The high quality 3 beam linear tracking design along with the
spectacular D/A converter captured subtle nuances which I feared
were forever lost in the digital realm.
The CD42 offers such greater resolution over my own CD player that I
began to notice serious flaws on a number of my own compact discs!
Had I owned such an excellent CD player before, I would have marched
right back to the store and returned my purchase. In some ways, I
guess ignorance IS bliss, but having seen the light, there is no way
I am going back!
The CD42 and the A42 power amp were most definitely made for each
other. The A42 enhanced the clarity and resolution of the CD42 to
such a degree that one cannot help but be ultimately distracted and
engulfed by the immaculate presentation of sound.
The CD42 retails for $1095.00 yet delivers performance well above CD
players costing much more. Its unique modular design assures that
this is a CD player you will never outgrow, because internal components
(such as the D/A converter) can be upgraded as new technologies emerge.
Yes, great things do come in small packages, and thanks to Creek,
big sound is available at not only a small price, but at a bargain.
Test drive your own Creek system today by contacting Roy Hall at
Music Hall (Telephone: 516-487-3663 Fax: 516-773-3891 Web:
http://www.soundsite.com/creek.)
AUDIO FILE UPDATE:
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
DCC Compact Classics
180+ Virgin Vinyl Analogue Pressing
In my first column, I wrote a comparison and contrast piece in an
attempt to find the "definitive" Pet Sounds release. The
centerpiece of my column concerned the newest issue of this
phenomenal recording from DCC Compact Classics.
In that column, I asserted a couple of things without having
contacted anyone at DCC involved in the process of remastering this
remarkable album. Since that time, Cosmik Debris has contacted
George Nazaar from DCC, and he has been kind enough to fill us in on
a few details.
First, I said that it seemed as if DCC had used the same digital
master that Capitol had used to remaster the CD version of Pet
Sounds. My reasoning was that the two recordings sounded way too
similar. George informed us that the reason they sound so similar
is because the same ORIGINAL MASTER TAPE was used for both
recordings (although Capitol "cleaned it up" using Sonic Solutions
digital noise reduction system).
I also asked aloud how DCC could deliver such a product and claim it
to be an "Analogue Pressing." George points out that even if it
WERE mastered from a digital tape, it would still be an analog
pressing. But the fact is, that unlike the Capitol CD release, no
digital tricks were used in the mastering process of the DCC album,
and it is indeed 100% pure analog.
I am very happy to learn that my assumptions regarding this
recording were wrong, and my only regret is that I found out about
it after my article "hit the net." It's a pleasure to know that
there are still companies like DCC dedicated to satisfying the
cravings of analog aficionados, even if it means baring the soul of
a 30-year-old master source and all its imperfections.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
STUFF I NOTICED
By DJ Johnson
These are the things I noticed in the last month. Most of them remained
in the cross-hairs of my attention-deficit system just long enough to write
them down. Perhaps you've had time to ponder the same things. Perhaps you
wonder if I have too much time on my hands. I wonder, too. Anyway, here
are my notes.
* What's the freakin' deal with Ronnie Wood? For as long as I can remember,
that guy has been showing up onstage with zillions of bands, usually
wherever there's a TV camera. And he's not always particularly good. He's
always got that stoned appearance, and he's always flashing a knowing look
at the bassist or guitarist, that "we're really sharing an experience" look.
The bassists and guitarists are looking back, too, with that "Jesus, Ron,
this song is in C, not D" look. Not that he doesn't pull a giant of a solo
out of his hat once in a while, but more often...well, it ain't pretty. He
did it again the other day at the Prince's Trust Concert when he appeared
with Bob Dylan. Y'know, I can't really think of any TV concerts I've seen
in the past decade where Ron Wood WASN'T standing there looking clueless.
He must be stopped! Roadies must be trained in the art of recognizing Woody
and separating him from his guitar with the least amount of bloodshed.
Otherwise, where will it end? If he's not stopped now, someday you'll turn
on the TV and there will be Woody, clueless, guitar at the ready, standing
between center and right in Yankee Stadium, croaking out "let's play two,
boys." He'll flash a knowing glance at Paul O'Neill, and all nine players
will be staring back in disbelief. It's a damned good thing someone had
the presence of mind to tell him Jackie O's funeral was in Los Angeles. God
knows that would have been ugly. And we say nothing because he's like the
alcoholic uncle that we've all got somewhere. Oh well, ya gotta love
Woody, though. Don't you? Hello? Don't you?
* Speaking of baseball, could somebody please tell me what country I live
in? America, right? Constitution? Bill of Rights? All that stuff? Well,
then tell me why Marge Schott has been banned from the offices of the
Cincinnati Reds, the team she owns. Answer: She's a bigot, and she opened
her mouth for the millionth time, spewing out racist bullshit. If the guy
on the corner does this, it's against the law to tell him he can't come to
that corner anymore. It's in our Bill of Rights. Yes, Marge is a total
idiot and a racist swine, but I was counting on our Bill of Rights to keep
her out in the open where we could keep an eye on her. That's one of the
best things about our Constitution and Bill of Rights. It allows you to
keep an eye on the dorks. Now, who knows WHAT Marge is doing?! She could be
building bombs, but because she's not allowed to sit in her office and talk
to the press, the papers aren't filled with her mindless babbling. If they
were, she'd surely tell the press all about the bombs and we'd be alerted.
Nice going, Major League Baseball. You know, Hitler was driven underground
at first, too.
* Speaking of speaking of baseball: Jesus H. CHRIST, athletes get paid a
lot! Somebody should do a news story about that. People need to know that
while they're paying all that money for tickets, the players are making,
I don't know, probably hundreds and hundreds of dollars! The mind boggles.
* Paul McCartney continues to ignore my request for an interview. What is
he so frightened of?
* I have, on many occasions, blasted America Online for their aggressive
recruitment tactics and a few dozen other things they do that I find
irritating. Well, you should always give credit where credit is due, and
so I must tell you that AOL has done something marvelous! Something totally
thrilling! They have come out with new and improved floppies for their
15-Free-Hour (yes, now it's 15) mailbox-spamming campaigns. Never mind
what's on them. The point is that these floppies, unlike previous AOL
disks, won't fall apart after a few dozen uses. Format 'em and fill 'em
up! And since AOL will send you two or three a week, you may never have
to buy blanks again. As a matter of fact, the backup disk I keep this
column on is one of those new floppies. So you see, they really do provide
an invaluable service. Thanks, AOL!
* I just watched the American women's gymnastics team take the gold at the
Olympics. First team gold in un-boycotted games. They would have lost if
not for the Rocky-like effort of Keri Strug, who, after falling and
spraining her ankle on her first vault, stuck the second vault and held the
landing on one leg. She conquered her pain because she was our last hope,
and she won a gold medal. She had to be carried onto the victory stand.
Sure makes you feel like a wimp for calling in sick with a headache.
* coLeSLAw has a funny name. Wonder what nationality that is...
* Among others that continue to ignore my requests for interviews are
James Brown, Alannis Morrisette, Bob Dylan, President Clinton, and the
Queen of England. What is this? Is Leno's old agent back in artist
management or something? Can you say collusion?!?
* That's all I noticed this month. Which is actually quite a lot! So
actually, my attention span...Hey, wrestling's on!
============================================================================
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Random stuff for your entertainment. Happy scrolling!
They'll nail anyone who ever scratched his ass during the National Anthem.
- Humphrey Bogart (referring to the House Un-American Activities Committee).
When Mozart passed away, he was buried in a churchyard. A couple days
later, the town drunk was walking through the cemetery and heard some
strange noise coming from the area where Mozart was buried. Terrified,
the drunk ran and got the priest to come and listen to it. The priest
bent close to the grave and heard some faint, unrecognizable music
coming from the grave. Frightened, the priest ran and got the town
magistrate.
When the magistrate arrived, he bent his ear to the grave,listened for a
moment, and said, "Ah, yes, that's Mozart's Ninth Symphony, being played
backwards." He listened a while longer, and said, "There's the Eighth
Symphony, and it's backwards, too. Most puzzling." So the magistrate kept
listening; "There's the Seventh... the Sixth... the Fifth..."
Suddenly the realization of what was happening dawned on the magistrate.
He stood up and announced to the crowd that had gathered in the cemetery,
"My fellow citizens, there's nothing to worry about. It's just Mozart
decomposing."
If I'd written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600
people - including me - would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle
today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context
of professional journalism.
- Hunter S. Thompson
Gonzo journalism is a style of "reporting" based on William Faulkner's idea
that the best fiction is far more true than any kind of journalism-and the
best journalists have always known this. . . . True gonzo reporting needs
the talents of a master journalist, the eye of an artist/photographer and
the heavy balls of an actor. Because the writer must be a participant in the
scene, while he's writing it-or at least taping it, or even sketching it. Or
all three. Probably the closest analogy to the ideal would be a film
director/producer who writes his own scripts, does his own camera work and
somehow manages to film himself in action, as the protagonist or at least a
main character.
- Hunter S. Thompson
gizzards
the buzzards and lizards were trapped in the blizzards
with all of their gizzards all chopped out with scissors
so sickened and softened repeated too often
quite selfishly slender from trips in the blender
not one knew its mother nor father nor brother
but only felt loss for the loss of their gizzards
- coLeSLAw
Nothing separates the generations more than music. By the time a
child is eight or nine, he has developed a passion for his own
music that is even stronger than his passions for procrastination
and weird clothes.
- Bill Cosby
People have this obsession. They want you to be like you were in
1969. They want you to, because otherwise their youth goes with
you. . . . It's very selfish, but it's understandable.
- Mick Jagger
Rush Limbaugh and his chauffeur were out driving in the country
and accidentally hit and killed a pig that had wandered out on a
country road. Limbaugh told the chauffeur to drive up to the farm
and apologize to the farmer.
They drove up to the farm, the chauffeur got out and knocked on
the front door and was let in. He was in there for what seemed
like hours. When the chauffeur came out, Limbaugh was confused
about why his driver had been in there so long.
"Well, first the farmer shook my hand, then he offered me a beer,
then his wife brought me some cookies, and his daughter showered me
with kisses." explained the driver.
"What did you tell the farmer?" Limbaugh asked.
The chauffeur replied, "I told him I was Rush Limbaugh's driver
and I'd just killed the pig."
Pornography is literature designed to be read with one hand.
- Angela Lambert
Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law
under God is acknowledged.
- Ronald Reagan
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-MAIL ADDRESSES FOR CONTACTING COSMIK DEBRIS' WRITERS
DJ Johnson (Editor)......moonbaby@serv.net
James Andrews............jimndrws@serv.net
Cai Campbell.............vex@serv.net
coLeSLAw.................coleslaw@greatgig.com
Robert Cummings..........rcummings@csrlink.net
Shaun Dale...............stdale@well.com
Phil Dirt................Luft.F@diversey.geis.com
David Fenigsohn..........a-davef@microsoft.com
Alex Gedeon..............abraxas@primenet.com
Keith Gillard............liquid@uniserve.com
Louise Johnson...........aquaria@serv.net
Steven Leith.............leith@serv.net
Lauren Marshall..........Ocean@pluto.njcc.com
Steve Marshall...........SteveM@pluto.njcc.com
The Platterpuss..........Plattrpuss@aol.com
Paul Remington...........premington@rochgte.fidonet.org
Cosmik Debris' WWW site..http://www.greatgig.com/cosmikdebris
Subscription requests....moonbaby@serv.net
Jim Andrews' "JimbOnline" web site (contains tons of Windows 95
(tm) shareware) is at http://www.serv.net/~jimndrws
Phil Dirt's Surf Site is at http://www.cygnus.com/kfjc/surf
Keith Gillard's "Liquid Records WWW site is located
at http://haven.uniserve.com/~liquid
Steven Leith's web site is at http://www.serv.net/~leith
And a VERY special thanks to Gabe Martin for letting us use
his cool cartoons in The Debris Field. Gabe's outrageous WWW
site is at http://www.cts.com/~borderln/todays.html and there
are hundreds of his cartoons to check out there. (Cartoon ran
in WWW version only, of course.)
