It'd be a mistake to think that we here at TVD are pining away for the day when vinyl makes a glorious return as the format of choice for recorded music by the music industry at large. We're realistic - it ain't gonna happen. And you know what? We're FINE with it and here's why...as I wrote a a while back, these days vinyl is being lovingly pressed and manufactured for an audience that APPRECIATES it, not for mass(es) consumption, but for the few blankety-blanks like me (and perhaps you) who know a bit better. Or appreciate the warmth and care. Or who just don't mind getting up from the couch to turn the thing over. It's a joy.
So, imagine my joy when the Concord Music Group came calling--would TVD like to listen to and preview their new and ever-expanding collection of vinyl that they're making available for the blankety-blanks who are the card-carrying and attend-all-the-meetings vinyl fans? How could we say no?
I have a confession however, despite my years of jazz drum lessons with Drum Master Don (whooo, do I have stories...) I always found jazz recordings to be somewhat dense and muddy--somewhat unfulfilling to my ears. Nothing seemed to better the live jazz club experience for me. But to be fair, I'd never pulled the shrink wrap off of a new jazz LP. They were always the well-worn (or is that well loved?) LPs from my dad's library or heard elsewhere. But hoping I'd do a review, Concord sent me a box of five...and honestly, what a revelation. Clarity and warmth without pop or hiss. Dynamic highs and subtle lows. Did I say a revelation? I typed my Concord contact back, "Say, I have an idea..."
This year as with every year, Vinyl Record Day falls on August 12, and in conjunction with that day The Concord Music Group and TVD are giving away the five LPs sent to TVD HQ. They are: Sonny Rollins - "Saxophone Colossus", Bill Evans - "Waltz For Debby", Yusef Lateef - "Eastern Sounds", John Coltrane - "Soultrane" and Theolonius Monk with John Coltrane--all brand new, sealed, heavy weight vinyl mailed right to your door.
Now, here's what we need you to do to win this glorious 5-pack--in the comments section we invite you to sing the praises of all things vinyl, be they your memories, Vinyl Record Day-related, the vinyl marketplace as it stands today...or, simply whatever you're inspired to write. We want to hear it. We'll choose one winner for the 5 LPs ON Vinyl Record Day, August 12th, so there's plenty of time for a thoughtful comment or thirteen. Also, as an added bonus, the winner needn't be in the continental US, so all of you no matter where you plug into TVD have a shot a winning. So, get to pontificating! (And remember to leave us some contact info too!)
Many thanks to the Concord Music Group for sponsoring this TVD giveaway. Go check 'em out too...you'll find plenty to read at their site and plenty to pine away for.
I had a whole week of TVD goodness in the queue until last night when over dinner at the HQ, a documentary on UK Indie was airing in the background and I thought to myself, "Man, that seems like it happened AGES ago." See, I was a pretty rabid Manchester/Indie fan back in the day. It was all Melody Maker/NME/Q for me over anything US-centric and expenditures on music skyrocketed as I fell hard and fast for all things baggy. But like all good musical trends, I beat it to death to the point where if I never heard two-thirds of those bands ever again, I'd be fine with it.
But I surprised myself last night in thinking I haven't listed to say, The Stone Roses for years and years. And another insight which follows on the heels of the last two weeks of posts, the first Roses LP came out in--'89! Why, The Stone Roses are an '80's band. For the life of me, I've never thought of them as such. Hm.
I purchased this record on the strength of the reviews alone never having heard a note. But as the opening of "I Wanna be Adored" swells up and the drums and that guitar line kick in, I fell right down the rabbit hole. The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored (Mp3)The Stone Roses - She Bangs The Drums (Mp3)The Stone Roses - Waterfall (Mp3)The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection (Mp3)The Stone Roses - Fools Gold (Mp3)
I dreamed of space aliens last night. Androgynous ones. With operatic tenors. And new wave leanings.
Trouser Press: One of the 1980s' most profoundly bizarre characters to emerge through rock music, the late Klaus Nomi specialized in unexpected mixes of vocal styles in anomalous settings. The Bavarian-born singer's awesome falsetto and dramatic tenor were equally applied to classical music and rock'n'roll, producing startling records that ramble wildly from high-pitched operatic vocals accompanied by a synthesized orchestra to ultra-stylized pop and warped interpretations of rock oldies. Nomi's records stretch from hauntingly beautiful (Purcell's stunning "Cold Song") to hysterically funny (a somber reading of "Can't Help Falling in Love," a languid dissection of "The Twist") to straightforward Sparks-like big band rock ("Simple Man"). His final album, a compilation that also includes a live performance, is the one to get, an utterly unique creation that defies you not to fall under its wonderful spell.
TVD screened The Nomi Song last night and obviously it's still on my mind. A story of pure self-invention on a scale I've never encountered. KISS comes off the stage, removes the make up, and they're a bunch of guys from New York. Nomi was something ...else ...entirely. And that voice--simultaneously angelic, ethereal, otherworldly...yet, camp.
Friday @ Random has never been more so.
Klaus Nomi - Nomi Song (Mp3)Klaus Nomi - The Cold Song (Mp3)Klaus Nomi - I Feel Love (Mp3)Klaus Nomi - Keys Of Life (Mp3)Klaus Nomi - Samson And Delilah Aria (Mp3)
The mutual admiration society that was formed between and The Beatles and Harry Nilsson was one that underscores what I fear will be, in time, another botched experiment this week -- the pursuit of a unique sense of musical timelessness. But I'll persevere...
At the time I'd argue, Harry was right to see The Beatles as traversing this unique bridge from contemporary style and taste-makers to composers of our contemporary standards in the Cole Porter or George Gershwin vein. Yet, how could Harry know that The Beatles were to forever loom AS large in our collective consciousness as they have--marrying them inextricably to the 1960's, for example? So, it was to be Harry who didn't achieve this overarching fame who, in my opinion, penned the originals that crack the window and let the air of timelessness in. I hear the 1920's, the '30's, the '40's and so on...Harry Nilsson - I Will Take You There [Alternate Mix] (Mp3)Harry Nilsson - Maybe (Mp3)Harry Nilsson - Nobody Cares About The Railroads Anymore (Mp3)Harry Nilsson - Open Your Window (Mp3)Harry Nilsson - Wasting My Time (Mp3)
Very often it's said The Beatles or The Beach Boys (or whomever...) have penned a "timeless classic" -- a tune that will live on for the ages. And while that very well may be true, I hardly think of their music as "timeless." And how can it be? Like all fine music it's imbued with the era of its creation, molded by the prevailing recording methods, and nuanced by the very first time it made its presence known to fresh ears. I may very well be humming "She Loves You" long into my geriatric years, but forever it'll evoke --both sonically and historically-- that very first British Invasion.
So, couple this notion that's been running through my head recently with the experiment from last week, to literally and specifically wed "New Wave" to certain years over others, I've been asking myself, is anything truly timeless? Can something from our "modern" era ever be thought of as perhaps, somehow in some construct, existing in say, 1910? Can I envision some Depression Era hobo hopping aboard a southbound train humming something that I might be humming today? And if so - what would construe such timelessness?
My inclination is to think that this salad would consist of some fine melodic and evocative songwriting for one, a lack of wicked popularity such as The Beatles attained to divorce it from any era, and the absence of a sonic fingerprint that would wed the recording's sound to a particular time. No Hendrix, for example. No Bee Gees. No Nirvana. Maybe nothing electric for that matter - or the taint of modernity. Just a slim, sexy skeleton without any meat or matter on the bones.
So, forgive me once more, I'm conducting an experiment.
One time I caught Elliott Smith at the Black Cat's first spot a few doors down on the left. While my date that evening napped (?) there was a quiet lull between songs and some other young lass yelled out "Elliott Smith - you break my heart!" And she had no idea just how right she was.
Timeless?Elliott Smith - Alameda (Mp3)Elliott Smith - Between The Bars (Mp3)Elliott Smith - Angeles (Mp3)Elliott Smith - 2:45 A.M. (Mp3)Elliott Smith - Say Yes (Mp3)
It's all gone horribly awry, this experiment of mine this week. If there's one release that single-handedly absolves the latter half of the '80's, it's 'Hats'.
Trouser Press gushes, "'Hats' was five years in the making, but the band's relentless perfectionism paid off: the seven songs are as dense and moving as a midnight sky. With sweeping synths and the pristine click of electronic percussion, "The Downtown Lights" and "Over the Hillside" are moody like film music, while "From a Late Night Train" and "Saturday Night" are impressionistic vignettes that creep along in slow motion. There's hardly a guitar or live drum to be heard, but seldom has studio technology been used to such warm and personal results."
On Saturday, July 14th, 1990 I was third in the General Admission line at Georgetown University to see The Blue Nile on tour for 'Hats'. The heavy wooden doors swung open to what seemed like a chapel at the time--the smell of old books mixed with the light streaming through the stained glass windows as I took my seat...front row and center. Even in this context, Trouser Press was correct--seldom in a live setting have I been witness to a show with such warm and personal results. They performed the entirety of 'A Walk Across The Rooftops' and 'Hats' but the audience was relentless in applauding for MORE. Buchanan stepped to the mike and shrugged, "that's all we know...!"
Yes, it's all gone horribly awry, this experiment of mine. The Blue Nile - Over The Hillside (Mp3)The Blue Nile - The Downtown Lights (Mp3)The Blue Nile - From A Late Night Train (Mp3)The Blue Nile - Let's Go Out Tonight (Mp3)The Blue Nile - Saturday Night (Mp3)
...bear with me...I'm conducting an experiment.
After last week's goings on, I've been thinking about '80's Music' in some more general terms and when thinking it through, I'm of the mind that when "80's Music" is referred to (note the quotes) one is normally referencing anything that came during or prior to 1984 and that from 1985 onward...much was well, sort of ...waning and not "80's music" any longer as typically mentioned.
Think about it, all of the seminal and archetypical acts of the 1980's had already reached their highs (or glorious lows) and by '85, the rest was all downhill, a tepid rehash of what came prior, uninspired, or worse...bad MTV metal.
But to challenge my own assertion, I'm going to pull a few titles out of the stacks over the next few days that may or may not back up the above caffeinated rant. And while I thank Noah for yesterday's post, and despite reacquainting myself with and humming along to "E=MC2", the 1985 and 1986 LP's by Big Audio Dynamite...just never did it for me. Not even close. And worse--may have spurred this whole topic.
Which brings us to Tears For Fears' 1985 follow-up to 1983's "The Hurting". I'm actually on the fence about this one. "Mother's Talk" and "Shout" were both released as singles in the UK in '84, but the LP's proper release came in '85. Yet as a follow-up to "The Hurting", "Songs..." lacks the inspiration and pure self-awareness that made its predecessor such a gem. And despite the commercial success of this LP, this release could literally be the 'jump the shark' moment for '80's music as a whole. What was once a bit self-absorbed and off-kilter and marginally underground was now being introduced by Casey Kasem on America's Top 40. Egad.
Did I mention I'm on the fence about this one though? Reluctantly, I think a few of these tunes hold up...Tears For Fears - The Working Hour (Mp3)Tears For Fears - Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Mp3)Tears For Fears - I Believe (Mp3)Tears For Fears - Broken (Mp3)Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels, Broken (Live) (Mp3)
One thing we're going to attempt to do here in year two of this blog is to open the forum to much more reader participation. I've poked and prodded a few of you to pony up the Weekend Shots, but beyond that, if there's something you'd like to see here and you're inclined to put pen to pixel--just let us know. Just like way back when I was working in the record stores--everyone and I mean EVERYone--had an opinion. So don't just sit there in silence, emkay?
Just like WellerWeek Noah who said to me late last week, "Hey, did you ever feature...?" And like the cat to the cream:
"It is no secret that TVD is pretty high on the Clash and Joe Strummer. And rightly so. But, I think it is time to heap a little praise on Mick Jones, the man behind most of the music of the Clash and the band member who has had the most successful post-Clash career. Indeed, after being thrown out of the band he had founded, Mick Jones subsequently emerged with Big Audio Dynamite and created two of finest records of the 1980s. "This Is Big Audio Dynamite" (1985) and "No. 10, Upping Street" (1986) combined funk, guitar-rock, hip hop, reggae, and a hell of a lot of samplings. The results were very groovy tunes with incredibly memorable imagery. The first four tracks on "This Is Big Audio Dynamite," including the incomparable ‘E=MC2,’ are some of the most unique pop songs ever. The follow up record, "No. 10, Upping Street," was co-produced by Jones and Strummer and featured a number of Strummer/Jones tunes, suggesting they had overcome their Clash-era differences. I always loved this album cover photo too.
Big Audio Dynamite comprised a major portion of the soundtrack to my high school years. My circle of friends were all into B.A.D. and I remember my buddy Rob even passed off the lyrics to ‘A Party’ as his own poem about South Africa in his creative writing class – only a few of us knew better and certainly not the teacher (you can’t get away with that sort of thing today with the internet). The big highlight came in our senior year when we loaded into the car and drove down to New York City for the B.A.D. show at Irving Plaza in April 1987. After parking the car and getting some beers we came across some punks who told us to “go back to New Jersey.” No offense to Jon or anyone else out there who might be reading this, but as a seventeen year old this was an intolerable insult. “F off, we’re from Connecticut,” I replied. A big mistake as the punks promptly pummeled us. Bloodied and bruised we nevertheless made it to the show and it was great, though nowadays what I remember most from that gig was how smoky it was inside.
Twenty-one years to the month later I was back at Irving Plaza to see Mick Jones’s latest project, Carbon/Silicon, which incidentally features original Big Audio Dynamite member Leo Williams on bass. I was floored by how good they sounded. Tony James, drummer Domonic Greensmith, and Leo were so tight and complemented Mick’s loose style perfectly. Though I hadn't listened to any of the songs in advance they had an anthemic quality that really suited the live experience. To date, the Carbon/Silicon gig has been my favorite show of 2008. So, here’s to Mick Jones for still putting out interesting music and continuing to rock out live. Cheers!"Big Audio Dynamite - E = Mc2 (Mp3)Big Audio Dynamite - Beyond The Pale (Mp3)Big Audio Dynamite - Medicine Show (Mp3)Big Audio Dynamite - C'mon Every Beatbox (Mp3)Big Audio Dynamite - V. Thirteen (Mp3)
I'm more than aware that this Indie/Britpop theme running the past few days is pretty '101', but one look at the downloads for these postings reveals something else entirely--they're climbing through the roof. I'm already 61% over my 40-gig ceiling for the month. Nice work, folks.
