Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence - ROBERT FRIPP.
Information is not knowledge;
knowledge is not wisdom;
wisdom is not truth;
truth is not beauty;
beauty is not love;
love is not music;
MUSIC IS THE BEST - FRANK ZAPPA.
I think we're a little happier when we have a little music in our lives - STEVE JOBS.
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe - LAO TZU.
Rock and Roll is fire, man. FIRE. - DAVID BRIGGS.
Music grips you, gets into your soul -
GEORGE MARTIN
Red GarlandA Garland Of Red(CD - Avid Jazz, 1956) **** Genre: Jazz Places I remember: Fopp (Covent Garden) Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:A Foggy Day
Gear costume:What Is This Thing Called Love? Active compensatory factors: I love Radio 2 (from the Beeb Beeb Ceeb). I was listening to it in a hotel room recently and Jamie Cullum had a show, during which he played a Red Garland track. It fit my mood perfectly - an up tempo piano jazz piece, and I was on a mission. Vinyl is always preferable so I tried Chaldon Records and Books, the jazz racks at Foyles by Fopp in Covent Garden, but no luck. Retracing my steps back to Fopp I picked this up, along with three other Garland albums on CD. I'm not sure how I haven't been captured by him before. It's the kind of jazz my dad would have liked in the mid fifties before I came along, but he also didn't own any of Red's albums. Instead, dad went for the more cerebral Dave Brubeck. A pity - Red's the real deal. Nevermind - it's great to make the discovery now, all thanks to Jamie Cullum! Where do they all belong? Red's a shining star within the jazz world.
SladeSlayed?(CD - Union Square Music, 1972) ***** Genre: English pop/rock Places I remember:FOPP Covent Garden - the CD replaced the old long gone vinyl copy. Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:Gudbuy T'Jane
Gear costume:Look At Last Nite, Move Over, Gudbuy Gudbuy, Mama Weer All Crazee Now Active compensatory factors: Back in 1972, after Slade Alive, I waited very impatiently to get my hands on this album. I wasn't disappointed. The Slade sound delivered: Noddy Holder's instantly recognisable vocals (Gudbuy Gudbuy's sneer is peerless); Don Powell's iconic drum shuffle; topped off by Dave Hill's punk/glam/metal guitar. All that is great, but, for me, the real star of Slade is Jim Lea - bassist, violinist, songwriter: listen to Look At Last Nite for the classic Slade sound and what do you find? Jim Lea's bass - that's wot. Back in the day, these songs packed punch and they still do. Move Over is still remarkable and the Beatles inspired pop songs lead by Gudbuy Gudbuy, Mama Weer All Crazee Now and Gudbuy T'Jane are timeless. Where do they all belong? Without Slade, no AC/DC (The Whole World's Goin' Crazee alone was the template)
The Mike Curb CongregationBurning Bridges(song, 1971) *** Genre: American pop Places I remember: It's October 1970 and I'm watching Kelly's Heroes in the movie theatre. It's my 13th birthday movie choice.Pretty sure this was the last time I celebrated my birthday with a trip to the movies. Why this song now? I rewatched the film last night (bought the DVD from HMV). Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles/Gear costume: Just the song this week Active compensatory factors: On the back of the film, this song was huge in New Zealand - #1 for two weeks in March 1971. I didn't buy the single, but I'd seen the film and loved the song - it was all over the radio. The song appealed because of the cultural association to the film and it's a cool pop song, solidly within the lines of the early seventies. The Cowsills, The Partridge Family, Edison Lighthouse - there were tons of bands sounding like this in 1970. Weirdly (for 2018), the song plays three times in the movie - opening and closing credits and about the middle (!) over a platoon on the move in trucks scene.
Where do they all belong? Interestingly, it's very much of its time - there are lingering sixties sensibilities and pop music in the seventies was going to quickly leave Mike Curb behind (glam, disco, then punk made him redundant).
Carly SimonHave You Seen Me Lately?(Vinyl - Arista Records, 199o) **** Genre: American pop/rock Places I remember:Chaldon Books and Records (Caterham on the hill) Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:Life Is Eternal
Gear costume: Happy Birthday Active compensatory factors: I've had a cassette of this forever but only just found a vinyl copy at my local second book and record shop (the owner - a lovely old guy - tells me he might as well forget the books, he only sells records these days). It's not as affecting as 1985's classic Spoiled Girl; it's much more laid back and carefree, and uplifting - take a listen to Life Is Eternal! This time around the songs glide by and before you know it we're at the end of side 2's We Just Got Here. There are gems and highlights along the way: like It's Not Like Him which is seemingly buried mid side 2 but stands out all the same. Listen without prejudice. Where do they all belong?Coming Around Again is another of her albums I need to replace. The cassette is pretty worn out.
Jefferson StarshipEarth(Vinyl - Grunt, 1978) **** Genre: American pop/ rock Places I remember:Marbecks Records (Auckland, NZ) Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:All Nite Long
Gear costume:Count On Me
Active compensatory factors: Oh No, Not Marty too!! That was my first reaction when learning of his death this week. Remember him as above in Count On Me - that voice and the cool melancholy of those lyrics. And the beautiful young face. I love the whole album - Marty Balin's last with JS; it's been a firm favourite of mine since 1978. Mainly because it feels of a piece - there's a confident, laid back, casual swagger to the album. Encapsulated in All Nite Long's languid approach. That video to Count On Me with David Freiberg and Grace Slick smiling on the couch and with a lovely ballad unfolding on a bed of acoustic guitars and harmony (real and sound wise) sums things up. Now that Marty and Paul are no longer here, there is an added poignancy to the song. Although it gets criticism for its pleasant songs and slickness, those are the things I love about this album. It sounds simple and effortless to my ears and so, it's an album I return to often. Where do they all belong? Marty's joined Paul Kantner on board the hyperdriven starship. Look at them go!
John FruscianteShadows Collide With People(Digital download - original release 2004) **** Genre: American pop/rock Places I remember: This is Tom's current choice for MNAC Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles:Song To Sing When I'm Lonely
Gear costume:Regret, This Cold, Time Goes Back, Omission Active compensatory factors: Known principally as the guitarist in Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante has also had a prolific solo career (twelve albums since 1994, this one is the first of three in 2004 alone). I don't own any of them, nor have I heard any of them, so Tom's current Monday Night Album Club choice is a welcome one. The spectre of RHCP looms large as Frusciante is obviously a key ingredient to their sound - there are echoes all through this (very very very) long record. Chad Smith and Flea also make appearances to good effect. Those RHCP sounds are immediately apparent in opener Carvel with it's repetition motifs and there are Under The Bridge style sound shapes at times (Song To Sing..). Along the way, the electronic treatments add some prog depth to the enterprise (although I could cheerfully live without 23 Go In To End, O O Ghost 27 and Failure 33 Object which feel like indulgences) and then, of course, there's the distinctive rock guitar by Frusciante (Second Walk being a fine example of his innovative style). Something I wasn't expecting was how good the vocals would be - either by side kick Josh Klinghoffer or Frusciante. Overall, this is an easy album to like. There is a warmth and comfort that permeates throughout (except for those pesky electronic experiments). So much so that Song To Sing When I'm Lonely actually works as a perk me up! My only slight problem is with the length. Self-editing (less is more) is a concept that many musicians struggle with and Frusciante is no exception. Those indulgences I spoke of also break up the flow of the album. I'd cut them (even though they're possibly Tom's favourite tracks) and a few others to make a killer single album. Where do they all belong? If you're a RHCP fan but haven't listened to Frusciante generally, or this album specifically - you're in for a treat.
Paul McCartneyEgypt Station(CD - Capitol, 2018) *** Genre: Beatle style pop Places I remember:HMV east Croyden Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Confidante
Gear costume:I Don't Know, Caesar Rock (where Macca returns to his best Ram voice) Active compensatory factors: Because it's so new , and my thoughts are still developing, I'm going to bullet point my response to this one - Macca's new album that has been out for about a week.
It's not as lived in as late period Joni Mitchell, but his older age vocal style is something that takes a little getting used to. Interestingly, I didn't notice it during his live concert last year in Auckland.
Lyrics to some of the songs are a little off putting: fer instance Happy With You's allusion to his old smoking jazz cigarettes and getting stoned habits is blunt and unnecessary.
The latest attempts to write a Give Peace A Chance song of the people (People Want Peace, Despite Repeated Warnings) are exactly like all his others* - icky. *Notable exception - Give Ireland Back To The Irish that is full blooded and super catchy!
I Don't Know and Confidante are peaks - each builds nicely and the lyrics are on point and heartfelt. Caesar Rock is a peak late on.
His piano playing is a strength he returns to for a few songs.
Yuh You isn't as embarrassing as I was expecting, just not that great - Macca aims to be au courant from time to time, when in fact his best songs these days hark back to Wings' best moments (and there were heaps of those).
Come On To Me IS cringe worthy - both a terrible lyric and a bad look with Macca asking some dodgy questions. Not sure what Nancy will make of this one.
Side Two (from track 9 onwards) feels weaker - in that some songs get lost in the lead up to another medley of half finished songs (always a fun activity for Macca). That's me saying the album is too long.
The falsetto used for Hand In Hand isn't terrific but musically it's a lovely song. Then we have a second falsetto during Dominoes - I'm not a fan of falsetto vocals.
Back In Brazil is catchy and a bit of light relief. But still inconsequential.
I really wanted to love this album - instead it has some songs I like but, at this moment in time, when all is said and done, in the long run, on the whole, at the end of the day, I won't be playing it as much as I do Ram, or Band on the Run, or McCartney, Red Rose Speedway, Driving Rain, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, or even Wildlife.
Where do they all belong? Our Paulie gets kudos for still caring enough to tour and release new albums deep into his seventies. He doesn't need to - he has nothing to prove, so he obviously still loves to do both things. Good on ya , Paul!
