Friday is the 25th anniversary of the release of The Breeders' sophomore album, Last Splash. The band started as kind of a side project for Pixies' bassist Kim Deal, and she recruited her sister Kelley and a couple others for Last Splash, which was the band's biggest album, reaching #33 on the Billboard album charts and producing the single "Cannonball" -- the very video and song that convinced me to start doing a Retro Video of the Week nearly seven years ago. "Cannonball" is a fantastic rock song, and it ended up being The Breeders' biggest hit, going up to #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It was the first Retro Video of the Week, and now it is the 300th Retro Video of the Week. Enjoy the video, and dammit, live your lives. Wear shorts and knee-high white socks. Roll cannonballs down the sidewalk. Blow whistles under water. Rock. Roll.
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Tuesday Top Ten: Fun Facts About Pearl Jam's Ten
Yesterday was the 27th anniversary of the release of Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten, which, along with Nirvana's Nevermind, is probably the most important album of the grunge era. The album really didn't gain steam until the following year. I remember the first time I saw the video for "Jeremy." It was during the late summer of 1992, and I was sleeping over at a friend's house. We were watching MTV at like five in the morning, as teenagers were wont to do back then, and "Jeremy" came on. It was a captivating video, and Eddie Vedder looked like a madman, but I think we liked it, in no small part because the name of my friend was (and still is) Jeremy.
Anywho, the album took off, as you know, and now it's certified Diamond by the RIAA. Two years ago, Rolling Stone had an article entitled "Pearl Jam's 'Ten': 10 Things You Didn't Know." Rolling Stone re-posted the article yesterday, and I took a look, as apparently I had missed it two years ago. Check it out. Learn something. Listen to the album. Wear flannel. Rock on.
Anywho, the album took off, as you know, and now it's certified Diamond by the RIAA. Two years ago, Rolling Stone had an article entitled "Pearl Jam's 'Ten': 10 Things You Didn't Know." Rolling Stone re-posted the article yesterday, and I took a look, as apparently I had missed it two years ago. Check it out. Learn something. Listen to the album. Wear flannel. Rock on.
Friday, August 24, 2018
Hair Band Friday - 8/24/18
1. "Who Made Who" by AC/DC
2. "When I Look Into Your Eyes" by FireHouse
3. "Patience" by Guns N' Roses
4. "Closer to My Heart" by Ratt
5. "Love Song" by Tesla
6. "Home Sweet Home" by Mötley Crüe
7. "Heaven" by Warrant
8. "No One Like You" by Scorpions
9. "Photograph" by Def Leppard
10. "Blaze of Glory" by Jon Bon Jovi
2. "When I Look Into Your Eyes" by FireHouse
3. "Patience" by Guns N' Roses
4. "Closer to My Heart" by Ratt
5. "Love Song" by Tesla
6. "Home Sweet Home" by Mötley Crüe
7. "Heaven" by Warrant
8. "No One Like You" by Scorpions
9. "Photograph" by Def Leppard
10. "Blaze of Glory" by Jon Bon Jovi
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Retro Video of the Week: "Low" by Cracker
Friday is the 25th anniversary of the release of Cracker's sophomore album Kerosene Hat. Today -- five minutes ago, to be exact -- I learned that the title of the album took its inspiration from when lead singer David Lowery and guitarist Johnny Hickman lived together in a run-down house in Richmond, Virginia during the band's early days. Two kerosene heaters were the house's source of heat, and they would have to go to the gas station to get kerosene when they ran out. When it was cold, Lowery wore an old hunting cap that he called his "kerosene hat." That's fun little rock and roll anecdote, isn't it?
Kerosene Hat was the band's highest-charting album, reaching #59 on the Billboard album charts, and "Low" was the band's highest-charting single, going up to #62 on the Billboard Hot 100. It seems like that's too low (no pun intended), since I remember hearing the song all the time on Q101. Anywho, here's the video.
Kerosene Hat was the band's highest-charting album, reaching #59 on the Billboard album charts, and "Low" was the band's highest-charting single, going up to #62 on the Billboard Hot 100. It seems like that's too low (no pun intended), since I remember hearing the song all the time on Q101. Anywho, here's the video.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Tuesday Top Ten: '80s Collaboration Songs
When Aretha Franklin died last week, music lost one of its biggest icons -- the Queen of Soul, who, coincidentally (but not ironically) died 41 years to the day after the King of Rock and Roll and 80 years to the day after the King of the Delta Blues. So, if you have any sort of royal nickname, stay inside on August 16.
She was a tough lady, giving birth to her first two children when she was 12 and 14, respectively, but not letting that stand in the way of what would become one of the longest and most successful music careers in R&B/soul/rock history. Of course, she's best known for her legendary reworking of Otis Redding's "Respect," but if you're a child of the '80s, like me, you probably remember her for her cameo in Blue Brothers and her 1987 duet with George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)."
Last week, I had that song stuck in my head for a few days after Aretha died, and it got me thinking about the many great one-off collaborations in the '80s. And I'm not talking about big charity collaborations like "We Are The World" or "Do They Know It's Christmas?", nor am I talking about supergroups or bands that might have gotten together to record a full album, nor am I talking about songs that just "feature" another artist (like The Beach Boys on the Fat Boys' "Wipe Out"). I'm talking about true collaborations, where two or three artists or bands got together to make a song or two, and then they go back to their respective careers.
The '80s seemed to be a hotbed of collaborations. Here are my eleven favorite, in alphabetical order by song title.
1. "Close My Eyes Forever" by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne (1988)
This is one of the best Wikipedia descriptions I've read for a song: "The song was written by Ford and Osbourne as the result of an accident in the studio during which they both drank heavily and inadvertently wrote the lyrics to the song together." Sounds about right. This song was the highest-charting single for both Ford and Osbourne, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. I have been repeatedly asking Lita Ford to accidentally get drunk and write songs with me for years now, but my telegrams have gone unanswered.
2. "Easy Lover" by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins (1984)
3. "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" by Aretha Franklin and George Michael (1987)
This song was a worldwide smash, going #1 on seven different pop charts, including in the U.S. and UK. It was Aretha's last of 17 Top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was released about nine months before Michael released his mega-album Faith. Now they're both dead.
4. "Islands in the Stream" by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (1983)
All the cheese of '80s pop country is front and center on this mega hit. It was originally written by the Bee Gees, but Rogers and Parton made it into a worldwide hit. In addition to topping the pop charts, country charts, and tadult contemporary charts in the U.S. and Canada, the song hit the Top 10 on the charts in ten other countries. And, of course, it resurfaced in 1998, when Pras reworked the chorus for his hit "Ghetto Supastar" off the Bullworth soundtrack.
5. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (1987)
Jennifer Warnes was kind of the queen of duets in the '80s. "Up Where We Belong" with Joe Cocker, "As Long As We Got Each Other" (aka the theme song for Growing Pains) with B.J. Thomas, and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" with the deep half of the Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley. This was one of the songs that catapulted the Dirty Dancing soundtrack to the top of the charts for 18 weeks, on its way to certified Diamond status by the RIAA. It's one of those songs that, even if you have never seen the movie and don't even like the song, you probably know every single damn word.
6. "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul and MC Skat Kat (1988)
Just because this was a collaboration with a cigarette-smoking cartoon cat doesn't mean it should be excluded from the list. You may be surprised to learn that MC Skat Kat was actually not a cat, but rather he was voiced by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, aka The Wild Pair. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was one of five Top 3 hits from Abdul's Forever Your Girl album, and was the fourth #1 in a string of six consecutive singles for Abdul between 1988 and 1991 that hit #1. MC Skat Kat, however, never reached the top of the charts again.
7. "Please Don't Touch" by Girlschool and Motörhead (1981)
In 1980, two New Wave of British Heavy Metal stalwarts teamed up and recorded a 3-song EP called The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, which was released in February 1981. The best song of the three, in my opinion, is their cover of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates's "Please Don't Touch." My favorite part is the video they filmed on German TV. Motörhead drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor was recovering from a neck injury and just kind of hanging out on the side, singing backing vocals, and dancing like a weirdo on painkillers.
8. "Say Say Say" by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney (1983)
I could have also gone with "The Girl Is Mine," but let's face it, "Say Say Say" is much better. Of course, it was during these collaborations when Paul gave Michael the advice to invest in songwriting publishing royalties. Not too long after that, Michael bought a large chunk of The Beatles' publishing rights, much to Macca's chagrin.
9. "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1981)
This was a song penned by Petty and fellow Heartbreaker Mike Campbell, originally intended to be a Heartbreakers song. Then Nicks's producer Jimmy Iovine got a hold of it and had Nicks sing it, along with Petty, with the Heartbreakers playing on it. Obviously, that was a good idea, as the song went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. That said, I still prefer Weird Al's version, "Stop Draggin' My Car Around."
10. "Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Queen (1981)
This song is so ubiquitous that I almost forgot it's a collaboration. It's arguably the greatest collaboration song ever made. If you disagree, I'm all ears on what you think is better.
11. "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield (1987)
I forgot about this one, but it's a solid song. '80s English synth pop meets '60s English chanteuse, and it works.
Other '80s collaborations I considered, but ultimately rejected: "Don't Know Much" by Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt (1989); "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (1982); "Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross (1981); "I Got You Babe" by UB40 with Chrissie Hynde (1985); "Somewhere Out There" by James Ingram and Linda Ronstadt (1986); "That's What Friends Are For" by Elton John, Gladys Knight, Dion Warwick, and Stevie Wonder (1985); "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes (1982)
She was a tough lady, giving birth to her first two children when she was 12 and 14, respectively, but not letting that stand in the way of what would become one of the longest and most successful music careers in R&B/soul/rock history. Of course, she's best known for her legendary reworking of Otis Redding's "Respect," but if you're a child of the '80s, like me, you probably remember her for her cameo in Blue Brothers and her 1987 duet with George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)."
Last week, I had that song stuck in my head for a few days after Aretha died, and it got me thinking about the many great one-off collaborations in the '80s. And I'm not talking about big charity collaborations like "We Are The World" or "Do They Know It's Christmas?", nor am I talking about supergroups or bands that might have gotten together to record a full album, nor am I talking about songs that just "feature" another artist (like The Beach Boys on the Fat Boys' "Wipe Out"). I'm talking about true collaborations, where two or three artists or bands got together to make a song or two, and then they go back to their respective careers.
The '80s seemed to be a hotbed of collaborations. Here are my eleven favorite, in alphabetical order by song title.
1. "Close My Eyes Forever" by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne (1988)
This is one of the best Wikipedia descriptions I've read for a song: "The song was written by Ford and Osbourne as the result of an accident in the studio during which they both drank heavily and inadvertently wrote the lyrics to the song together." Sounds about right. This song was the highest-charting single for both Ford and Osbourne, reaching #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. I have been repeatedly asking Lita Ford to accidentally get drunk and write songs with me for years now, but my telegrams have gone unanswered.
2. "Easy Lover" by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins (1984)
What do you get when the frontmen of two future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame groups together? A hit. "Easy Lover" was a Top 10 song on the charts in 13 countries, including #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 in the UK.
This song was a worldwide smash, going #1 on seven different pop charts, including in the U.S. and UK. It was Aretha's last of 17 Top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was released about nine months before Michael released his mega-album Faith. Now they're both dead.
4. "Islands in the Stream" by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (1983)
All the cheese of '80s pop country is front and center on this mega hit. It was originally written by the Bee Gees, but Rogers and Parton made it into a worldwide hit. In addition to topping the pop charts, country charts, and tadult contemporary charts in the U.S. and Canada, the song hit the Top 10 on the charts in ten other countries. And, of course, it resurfaced in 1998, when Pras reworked the chorus for his hit "Ghetto Supastar" off the Bullworth soundtrack.
5. "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (1987)
Jennifer Warnes was kind of the queen of duets in the '80s. "Up Where We Belong" with Joe Cocker, "As Long As We Got Each Other" (aka the theme song for Growing Pains) with B.J. Thomas, and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" with the deep half of the Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley. This was one of the songs that catapulted the Dirty Dancing soundtrack to the top of the charts for 18 weeks, on its way to certified Diamond status by the RIAA. It's one of those songs that, even if you have never seen the movie and don't even like the song, you probably know every single damn word.
6. "Opposites Attract" by Paula Abdul and MC Skat Kat (1988)
Just because this was a collaboration with a cigarette-smoking cartoon cat doesn't mean it should be excluded from the list. You may be surprised to learn that MC Skat Kat was actually not a cat, but rather he was voiced by Bruce DeShazer and Marv Gunn, aka The Wild Pair. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was one of five Top 3 hits from Abdul's Forever Your Girl album, and was the fourth #1 in a string of six consecutive singles for Abdul between 1988 and 1991 that hit #1. MC Skat Kat, however, never reached the top of the charts again.
7. "Please Don't Touch" by Girlschool and Motörhead (1981)
In 1980, two New Wave of British Heavy Metal stalwarts teamed up and recorded a 3-song EP called The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, which was released in February 1981. The best song of the three, in my opinion, is their cover of Johnny Kidd & The Pirates's "Please Don't Touch." My favorite part is the video they filmed on German TV. Motörhead drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor was recovering from a neck injury and just kind of hanging out on the side, singing backing vocals, and dancing like a weirdo on painkillers.
8. "Say Say Say" by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney (1983)
I could have also gone with "The Girl Is Mine," but let's face it, "Say Say Say" is much better. Of course, it was during these collaborations when Paul gave Michael the advice to invest in songwriting publishing royalties. Not too long after that, Michael bought a large chunk of The Beatles' publishing rights, much to Macca's chagrin.
9. "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1981)
This was a song penned by Petty and fellow Heartbreaker Mike Campbell, originally intended to be a Heartbreakers song. Then Nicks's producer Jimmy Iovine got a hold of it and had Nicks sing it, along with Petty, with the Heartbreakers playing on it. Obviously, that was a good idea, as the song went all the way to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. That said, I still prefer Weird Al's version, "Stop Draggin' My Car Around."
10. "Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Queen (1981)
This song is so ubiquitous that I almost forgot it's a collaboration. It's arguably the greatest collaboration song ever made. If you disagree, I'm all ears on what you think is better.
11. "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield (1987)
I forgot about this one, but it's a solid song. '80s English synth pop meets '60s English chanteuse, and it works.
Other '80s collaborations I considered, but ultimately rejected: "Don't Know Much" by Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt (1989); "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (1982); "Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross (1981); "I Got You Babe" by UB40 with Chrissie Hynde (1985); "Somewhere Out There" by James Ingram and Linda Ronstadt (1986); "That's What Friends Are For" by Elton John, Gladys Knight, Dion Warwick, and Stevie Wonder (1985); "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes (1982)
Friday, August 17, 2018
Hair Band Friday - 8/17/18
1. "Sticky Sweet" by Mötley Crüe
2. "Pleasure Dome" by Van Halen
3. "Exciter" by Kiss
4. "Outlaw" by Dangerous Toys
5. "Give It To Me Good" by Trixter
6. "Love Kills" by Vinnie Vincent Invasion
7. "High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night)" by Def Leppard
8. "Shake a Leg" by AC/DC
9. "Cherry Pie" by Warrant
10. "Rain" by Lynch Mob
2. "Pleasure Dome" by Van Halen
3. "Exciter" by Kiss
4. "Outlaw" by Dangerous Toys
5. "Give It To Me Good" by Trixter
6. "Love Kills" by Vinnie Vincent Invasion
7. "High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night)" by Def Leppard
8. "Shake a Leg" by AC/DC
9. "Cherry Pie" by Warrant
10. "Rain" by Lynch Mob
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Retro Video of the Week: "Cowboy" by Kid Rock
This Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Kid Rock's fourth studio album -- although the first that anyone really knew about -- Devil Without a Cause. The album was Kid Rock's first to crack the Billboard 200 album charts, topping out at #4. It was also his best-selling album, selling over 11 million copies in the U.S. on its way to being certified diamond by the RIAA.
Devil Without a Cause featured MTV and alt rock radio staples "I Am the Bullgod," "Bawitdaba," "Cowboy," "Only God Knows Why," and "Wasting Time." Of course, most importantly, Kid Rock parlayed the success of Devil Without a Cause into his first major motion picture role, starring as Robby in 2001's Joe Dirt. Here's the video for "Cowboy."
Devil Without a Cause featured MTV and alt rock radio staples "I Am the Bullgod," "Bawitdaba," "Cowboy," "Only God Knows Why," and "Wasting Time." Of course, most importantly, Kid Rock parlayed the success of Devil Without a Cause into his first major motion picture role, starring as Robby in 2001's Joe Dirt. Here's the video for "Cowboy."
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Tuesday Top Ten: Lollapalooza Edition 2018
August 2-5 was this year's edition of Lollapalooza, once again in lovely Grant Park here in downtown Chicago. Due to some poor work trip scheduling on my part, I was only able to go Thursday through Saturday, but had to skip Sunday because I was traveling. Shit happens, I guess.
And on top of that, I had a miss a few bands I wanted to see on Thursday (most notably, Franz Ferdinand) because of some other non-music-festival-related commitments, and then Saturday was a disaster. One of the two entrances to the fest -- the one I use almost exclusively -- was closed for 45 minutes in the middle of the afternoon because it was so backed up, so I missed seeing another few bands I wanted to catch. I also had to miss the headliners Saturday night (Vampire Weekend and The Weeknd) because I had tickets to a Jack White aftershow at the Metro. I'm not complaining at all about that -- just that I probably would have tried to see half of both headliners' sets.
Now normally, I would have some long, elaborate post ranking my ten favorite bands that I saw, complete with pictures of each band and all that shit. This year, however, since my Lolla experience was somewhat incomplete and I only saw some or all of 14 sets, I'm going to just run through everyone I saw chronologically and give them a grade. No more work trips the Monday after Lolla.
Thursday
Slaves: A-
This British duo rocked an early afternoon crowd.
Basement: B+
These guys were kind of punkish, garage rock-y, so I enjoyed them.
Curtis Harding: B+
I was happy to see a few soul acts in this year's lineup. Harding was the one I most wanted to see, and he was solid.
Camila Cabello: B
My daughters -- who I took with me earlier in the day on Thursday -- were livid that I was going to be seeing Camila Cabello and they were not. She was fine. I don't really know much of her music, but the millennials seemed to like her.
Arctic Monkeys: B-
I love Arctic Monkeys, but their set was a little too drowsy and loungy, in large part because their new album is a concept album set in a casino and lounge in space. I could have used more rock from them -- and I know they can rock.
Friday
Post Animal: B+
These Chicago-based rockers put on a good show, with a combo of rock, punk, psychedelia, and pop.
Parquet Courts: A
I have been a fan of Parquet Courts for several years now, but hadn't seen them live. They didn't disappoint, and they were pretty funny as well.
CKY: B+
My only real familiarity with CKY comes from their song "Flesh Into Gear" off the Jackass movie soundtrack (Bam Margera's brother Jess is in the band). They played that one, so I was happy. They were otherwise too hard for the people I was with, so we only stayed for a few songs.
Greta Van Fleet: A-
This was the band I was most excited to see at Lolla, and they didn't disappoint. Three brothers and their cousin from small town Michigan who sound like Led Zeppelin. That's all you need to know -- other than the fact that there is no one in the band named Greta Van Fleet.
BORNS: B
We were listening to this kind of from the middle of the field in between where he was playing and where Bruno Mars would be playing afterward, and I liked what I heard.
Bruno Mars: A
I have only a handful of Bruno Mars songs in my vast music catalog, but he's always been one of those guys who I thought would put on a really good show, and I was right. He is certainly a headliner, and he killed it.
Saturday
LL Cool J: A
After Greta Van Fleet, LL Cool J was a close second as far as who I was most excited to see. His set was a hip hop history lesson for all the youngsters. He was awesome.
St. Vincent: A-
I guess I didn't realize how weird St. Vincent is. I don't mean that as a bad thing.
Dua Lipa: B-
This was background music while I decided how quickly I needed to leave to get to my Jack White aftershow.
Jack White aftershow: B+
The White Stripes are one of my favorite bands, and I own every studio album Jack White has released with the White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather, and solo. I was beyond excited when I got tickets to his aftershow at the Metro because it would be the smallest venue in which I had seen him. It was a "no phone" show -- the first I'd ever been to -- which means everyone got a little neoprene pouch to put their phone in, and it snapped shut, so you couldn't use your phone until someone unlocked the pouch after the show. I didn't mind that, frankly, since it meant I didn't have to watch the show partly through someone's iPhone. White was great and played some White Stripes songs I wasn't expecting him to play, including one of my favorites, "You're Pretty Good Looking For a Girl," which he's played less than 20 times live solo. My only beef is that he played for a mere hour and fifteen minutes (and the setlist.fm page for the show incorrectly says there was a second encore), and I could have stood for at least another hour.
And on top of that, I had a miss a few bands I wanted to see on Thursday (most notably, Franz Ferdinand) because of some other non-music-festival-related commitments, and then Saturday was a disaster. One of the two entrances to the fest -- the one I use almost exclusively -- was closed for 45 minutes in the middle of the afternoon because it was so backed up, so I missed seeing another few bands I wanted to catch. I also had to miss the headliners Saturday night (Vampire Weekend and The Weeknd) because I had tickets to a Jack White aftershow at the Metro. I'm not complaining at all about that -- just that I probably would have tried to see half of both headliners' sets.
Now normally, I would have some long, elaborate post ranking my ten favorite bands that I saw, complete with pictures of each band and all that shit. This year, however, since my Lolla experience was somewhat incomplete and I only saw some or all of 14 sets, I'm going to just run through everyone I saw chronologically and give them a grade. No more work trips the Monday after Lolla.
Thursday
Slaves: A-
This British duo rocked an early afternoon crowd.
Basement: B+
These guys were kind of punkish, garage rock-y, so I enjoyed them.
Curtis Harding: B+
I was happy to see a few soul acts in this year's lineup. Harding was the one I most wanted to see, and he was solid.
Camila Cabello: B
My daughters -- who I took with me earlier in the day on Thursday -- were livid that I was going to be seeing Camila Cabello and they were not. She was fine. I don't really know much of her music, but the millennials seemed to like her.
Arctic Monkeys: B-
I love Arctic Monkeys, but their set was a little too drowsy and loungy, in large part because their new album is a concept album set in a casino and lounge in space. I could have used more rock from them -- and I know they can rock.
Friday
Post Animal: B+
These Chicago-based rockers put on a good show, with a combo of rock, punk, psychedelia, and pop.
Parquet Courts: A
I have been a fan of Parquet Courts for several years now, but hadn't seen them live. They didn't disappoint, and they were pretty funny as well.
CKY: B+
My only real familiarity with CKY comes from their song "Flesh Into Gear" off the Jackass movie soundtrack (Bam Margera's brother Jess is in the band). They played that one, so I was happy. They were otherwise too hard for the people I was with, so we only stayed for a few songs.
Greta Van Fleet: A-
This was the band I was most excited to see at Lolla, and they didn't disappoint. Three brothers and their cousin from small town Michigan who sound like Led Zeppelin. That's all you need to know -- other than the fact that there is no one in the band named Greta Van Fleet.
BORNS: B
We were listening to this kind of from the middle of the field in between where he was playing and where Bruno Mars would be playing afterward, and I liked what I heard.
Bruno Mars: A
I have only a handful of Bruno Mars songs in my vast music catalog, but he's always been one of those guys who I thought would put on a really good show, and I was right. He is certainly a headliner, and he killed it.
Saturday
LL Cool J: A
After Greta Van Fleet, LL Cool J was a close second as far as who I was most excited to see. His set was a hip hop history lesson for all the youngsters. He was awesome.
St. Vincent: A-
I guess I didn't realize how weird St. Vincent is. I don't mean that as a bad thing.
Dua Lipa: B-
This was background music while I decided how quickly I needed to leave to get to my Jack White aftershow.
Jack White aftershow: B+
The White Stripes are one of my favorite bands, and I own every studio album Jack White has released with the White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather, and solo. I was beyond excited when I got tickets to his aftershow at the Metro because it would be the smallest venue in which I had seen him. It was a "no phone" show -- the first I'd ever been to -- which means everyone got a little neoprene pouch to put their phone in, and it snapped shut, so you couldn't use your phone until someone unlocked the pouch after the show. I didn't mind that, frankly, since it meant I didn't have to watch the show partly through someone's iPhone. White was great and played some White Stripes songs I wasn't expecting him to play, including one of my favorites, "You're Pretty Good Looking For a Girl," which he's played less than 20 times live solo. My only beef is that he played for a mere hour and fifteen minutes (and the setlist.fm page for the show incorrectly says there was a second encore), and I could have stood for at least another hour.
Friday, August 10, 2018
Hair Band Friday - 8/10/18
1. "In A Darkened Room" by Skid Row
2. "Hound Dog" (live) by Bon Jovi, Scorpions, and Cinderella at the Moscow Music Peace Festival
3. "Five Years Dead" by Mötley Crüe
4. "Horny S.O.B." by Danger Danger
5. "Cum On Feel The Noize" by Quiet Riot
6. "Hot Rod" by Junkyard
7. "Hot For Teacher" by Van Halen
8. "Long Way To Love" by Britny Fox
9. "Blood On Blood" by Bon Jovi
10. "Live and Let Die" by Guns N' Roses
2. "Hound Dog" (live) by Bon Jovi, Scorpions, and Cinderella at the Moscow Music Peace Festival
3. "Five Years Dead" by Mötley Crüe
4. "Horny S.O.B." by Danger Danger
5. "Cum On Feel The Noize" by Quiet Riot
6. "Hot Rod" by Junkyard
7. "Hot For Teacher" by Van Halen
8. "Long Way To Love" by Britny Fox
9. "Blood On Blood" by Bon Jovi
10. "Live and Let Die" by Guns N' Roses
Thursday, August 09, 2018
New Book: My Cross to Bear by Gregg Allman with Alan Light
A couple weeks ago, I finished reading Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore, which was a lovely piece of satire. The premise is that Heaven wants to fill in the gaps in the four gospels, which don't really tell much about the childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood of Jesus. So, Jesus's childhood friend Biff is resurrected and put into an L.A. hotel room with an angel, and Biff narrates his stories about growing up with Jesus. It was very good, and would probably been even funnier if I was more familiar with the Bible. Basically, when they're 13, Jesus and Biff set off to find the Three Magi. They find all three in different parts of the world, and study under each of them, learning valuable lessons that inform Jesus's teachings. Spoiler alert: he dies in the end.
After taking a few weeks off and wasting my morning and afternoon commute playing on my phone, this morning I started reading Gregg Allman's autobiography, My Cross to Bear by Gregg Allman with Alan Light. About five years ago, I went into Costco on a Saturday afternoon, as is the custom. It was busier than usual, and there were a bunch of people in line for something. I noticed a pallid, ghostly shell of a man sitting at a table. "Holy shit, that's Gregg Allman," I blurted out to a man with fourteen pounds of mussels in his cart. He was signing copies of My Cross to Bear, but I could not afford to wait in line for three hours, so I waited five years to buy the book -- my form of silent protest of the fact that the book wasn't called I'm No Angel. I was fortunate enough to see him live at the House of Blues a couple years ago, and he was awesome. The autobiography was highly recommended and ranked one of Rolling Stone's top 20 rock biographies. The first five pages have been satisfactory. Books Read in 2018:
-How Music Works by David Byrne
-But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past by Chuck Klosterman
-Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Wednesday, August 08, 2018
Retro Video of the Week: "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A.
Thirty years ago today, arguably the most important rap album of all-time was released: N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton. I first discovered N.W.A. on a compilation tape I had called Rapmasters 9: The Best of the Hardcore. There were edited versions of songs by various "hardcore" rappers, including "Gangsta Gangsta" by N.W.A. That piqued my interest in several of the rappers and groups on the tape, but N.W.A. stood out above the rest. I bought Straight Outta Compton on tape at some point in 1990 at my local Rose Records. (It took a while for gangsta rap to get to the suburbs.) Setting aside why some record store clerk sold a tape with a parental advisory sticker to a 12-year-old, it was a watershed moment in my music upbringing.
N.W.A. may not have thought they were speaking to adolescent white suburban Midwestern boys when they made the album, but Straight Outta Compton was the "realest" thing I had ever heard. I loved every song, and pretty much still know every lyric. The album spawned gangsta rap and, along with the films Boyz N Tha Hood, South Central, and Menace 2 Society, brought to light to the rest of the world the problems plaguing South Central Los Angeles -- including drugs, gangs, hos, and racial tension with police. It launched the careers of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E (and I'm still not sure why MC Ren's solo career wasn't bigger). And, of course, it was a great album to blare from your boombox when you were pissed at your parents. Word to the wise, though: when a song from the album comes across your iPod in your office, I've found that it's better not to sing the song out loud.
Straight Outta Compton has gone on to receive countless accolades, as it should. There are only a couple videos from the album, so I'm going with the uncensored title track. I can still recite the song word for word. Or should I say word for word to the motherfucka? I should. Damn that shit was dope.
N.W.A. may not have thought they were speaking to adolescent white suburban Midwestern boys when they made the album, but Straight Outta Compton was the "realest" thing I had ever heard. I loved every song, and pretty much still know every lyric. The album spawned gangsta rap and, along with the films Boyz N Tha Hood, South Central, and Menace 2 Society, brought to light to the rest of the world the problems plaguing South Central Los Angeles -- including drugs, gangs, hos, and racial tension with police. It launched the careers of Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and Eazy-E (and I'm still not sure why MC Ren's solo career wasn't bigger). And, of course, it was a great album to blare from your boombox when you were pissed at your parents. Word to the wise, though: when a song from the album comes across your iPod in your office, I've found that it's better not to sing the song out loud.
Straight Outta Compton has gone on to receive countless accolades, as it should. There are only a couple videos from the album, so I'm going with the uncensored title track. I can still recite the song word for word. Or should I say word for word to the motherfucka? I should. Damn that shit was dope.
Thursday, August 02, 2018
Midwestern Eavesdropping
Thirtysomething educator: "Doesn't sound travel quicker than light? It's just science."
--Chicago
Eavesdropper: The Loose-Lipped Lithuanian
This one isn't exactly Midwestern Eavesdropping, but it kind of is, so I'm including it.
A woman is sitting at a bar next to two guys she has never met before, but who she finds out have been friends for a while. They met kind of by chance after their wives met each other in an office waiting room. The wives told their husbands about meeting, and said that the husbands should call each other . . . because they were both getting divorced. The office was a divorce attorney's office.
--Chicago, Bad Apple, Lincoln & Cullom
Eavesdropper: J Dub
As always, if you overhear something funny or ridiculous (or that can be taken completely out of context), email it to gmyhblog@yahoo.com, along with the location you heard it and your preferred eavesdropping handle, for inclusion in the next exciting edition of Midwestern Eavesdropping.
--Chicago
Eavesdropper: The Loose-Lipped Lithuanian
This one isn't exactly Midwestern Eavesdropping, but it kind of is, so I'm including it.
A woman is sitting at a bar next to two guys she has never met before, but who she finds out have been friends for a while. They met kind of by chance after their wives met each other in an office waiting room. The wives told their husbands about meeting, and said that the husbands should call each other . . . because they were both getting divorced. The office was a divorce attorney's office.
--Chicago, Bad Apple, Lincoln & Cullom
Eavesdropper: J Dub
As always, if you overhear something funny or ridiculous (or that can be taken completely out of context), email it to gmyhblog@yahoo.com, along with the location you heard it and your preferred eavesdropping handle, for inclusion in the next exciting edition of Midwestern Eavesdropping.
Wednesday, August 01, 2018
Retro Video of the Week: "Leaving Las Vegas" by Sheryl Crow
I give you the insincerest of apologies for not posting a Tuesday Top Ten yesterday. It's Lollapalooza week, which means I have been spending the bulk of Monday, Tuesday, and today trying to figure out which bands and artists to avoid for fear of accidentally stumbling into EDM and the tweaking teenagers that go with it.
To make up for it, I'll throw some Midwestern Eavesdropping at you tomorrow, and give you a super sweet Retro Video of the Week today. It's hard to remember a time without Sheryl Crow in our lives, isn't it? I mean, sure, it was basically the first 16-17 years of my life, but those years can go fuck themselves.
This Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Crow's debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club. The album title was a nod to the somewhat informal collective of songwriters and musicians, including Crow, who would gather on Tuesday nights. Their informal sessions eventually turned into this album, with the other musicians helping Crow write the album (and playing on the album).
The album sputtered at first, but took off after the third single from the album -- "All I Wanna Do" -- was released in 1994. That song rocketed up to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, followed by "Leaving Las Vegas" (#60), "Strong Enough" (#5), and "Can't Cry Anymore" (#36). Currently, Tuesday Night Music Club has gone platinum 7 times in the U.S. It went to #3 on the Billboard album charts, as well as Top 10 on the album charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the UK. The album or its songs won Crow Grammys for Record of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Female Vocal Performance.
The rest is history: relationships with Eric Clapton and Owen Wilson, being engaged to a one-nutted national hero turned goat, collaborations with Kid Rock, benign brain tumors. The whole nine yards. Here's the video for "Leaving Las Vegas." I'm going that one because I haven't heard the song in many years -- probably not since the last time I left Las Vegas.
To make up for it, I'll throw some Midwestern Eavesdropping at you tomorrow, and give you a super sweet Retro Video of the Week today. It's hard to remember a time without Sheryl Crow in our lives, isn't it? I mean, sure, it was basically the first 16-17 years of my life, but those years can go fuck themselves.
This Friday marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Crow's debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club. The album title was a nod to the somewhat informal collective of songwriters and musicians, including Crow, who would gather on Tuesday nights. Their informal sessions eventually turned into this album, with the other musicians helping Crow write the album (and playing on the album).
The album sputtered at first, but took off after the third single from the album -- "All I Wanna Do" -- was released in 1994. That song rocketed up to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, followed by "Leaving Las Vegas" (#60), "Strong Enough" (#5), and "Can't Cry Anymore" (#36). Currently, Tuesday Night Music Club has gone platinum 7 times in the U.S. It went to #3 on the Billboard album charts, as well as Top 10 on the album charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the UK. The album or its songs won Crow Grammys for Record of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Female Vocal Performance.
The rest is history: relationships with Eric Clapton and Owen Wilson, being engaged to a one-nutted national hero turned goat, collaborations with Kid Rock, benign brain tumors. The whole nine yards. Here's the video for "Leaving Las Vegas." I'm going that one because I haven't heard the song in many years -- probably not since the last time I left Las Vegas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
