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We're gonna get a little 'CD District' on you this morning. (I know - breathe deep.) Back in 2002, Bruce and the fine folks over at Not Lame released this 4-CD career spanning set from Jellyfish. Three hours of live tracks, demos, and rare and unreleased gems, all housed in a hardback case with a 16-page four color booklet with song-by-song histories from the band themselves. The one pressing sold out in no time flat. Copies are going for literally hundreds of dollars on ebay as I type this.
So, if you've been playing at home all this week, to thank you for indulging me in the lil Jellyfish retrospection, some more live tracks from the aforementioned "Fan Club" set culled from the "Bellybuttion" tour -- apparently also known as the "Innie Through The Outie Tour" on which they actually played, and filled, Wembley.
If Jellyfish's appropriation of their influences on "Bellybutton" was more visual over sonic, "Spilt Milk" was the answer to my nagging question back then--are these guys for real?
"Completely wiping away any lingering whiff of psych hype, Spilt Milk is sharper and far more vibrant than its predecessor, with clever hooks galore. Masterfully recorded, arranged and sequenced (Jellyfish's Andy Sturmer and Roger Manning joined Jack Joseph Puig and Albhy Galuten for a four-man production committee), the disc is sophisticated enough to engender Queen comparisons. Cushioned by creamy harmonies, "New Mistake" brilliantly swirls and soars like aural tiramisu. "Joining a Fan Club" and "The Ghost at Number One" have as much spinning melodic punch as any Raspberries or Cheap Trick gem; the crisply edited "All Is Forgiven" is built around a thunderous rhythm track, while "Russian Hill" spins a more pensive, acoustic web," Trouser Press, my legitimate go-to, has noted.
"Aural tiramisu"...is that short-hand for "best release of the '90's"?
The beauty of having one's own blog is that you're not beholden to one singular mission--which is frequently regurgitating news items or on the perpetual hunt for the 'next big thing'. It's liberating to continue a conversation such as the one started on Friday involving Jellyfish--a band whose "pastiche of pop icons from the Beatles to Squeeze via 10cc, the Beach Boys and Badfinger" noted trusty Trouser Press, gets more and more inventive each time the needle drops on these well worn records.
I'd also add to TP's formula of "Beatles to Squeeze via 10cc, the Beach Boys and Badfinger" a healthy dose of 70's-era Saturday morning cartoons over a bowl of some super-sweet cereal. And while this mix sounds like it can get more than a bit overpowering, in fact navel gazing has never proven more enjoyable than with Jellyfish's first release "Bellybutton":
We'll be delving into the Jellyfish releases over the next few days, and while a few of you just might have both LP's already, TVD has a slew of rarities in the archives, so come back 'round.
As hard as it is to believe, one look at the calendar reveals that this weekend is the last weekend before Labor Day here in the States. Now for me on an emotional level, Labor Day Weekend has always been the last 'official' weekend of the summer. Yes, yes...summer officially ends in September and warm weather certainly stays with us well into October here in DC...but Labor Day, well - that's kinda' it.
And this time of year always carries with it an implicit level of sadness I can detect...in myself and even in the trees too, arching and aching a bit more under the weight of the leaves they've been supporting all summer. I used to think it was merely the 'return to school blues' that used to kick in at this point in the season, but now as an adult and certainly out of school, they're still there.
I thought for a while that my body and mind was so USED to this seasonal blues over the years that like clockwork the neurotransmitters fire and well, here it is September again. Until my dad's protracted one-month hospital plight from which he didn't recover--this very time of the year, two years ago. And I guess, the toll that event continues to take, albeit in different forms now.
Alan Moore, the comic book writer and author of the amazing Watchman series, is hard at work I read on an ambitious, lengthy tome that portends to reveal what happens to us when we pass away - or if I understand correctly from the abstract revelations in an interview I'm recalling -- it's that we all don't pass away, but continue reliving the same life over and over. (I'm sure they're complexities and nuances I'm not recalling specifically, but that's the gist.)
So, if Moore happens to actually be onto something, perhaps Labor Day should be renamed to Belabored Day -- because I'm getting pretty weary of these seasonal misgivings. And that the blues I've been saddled with that arrive this time of year since childhood has rendered me rather prescient, I think...but instead of the comings of what have you at this time of the year, it's actually been the departures.
So, one last weekend for the staycation, then. Enjoy responsibly.
I was scanning the magazine aisle last weekend and spotted 'Jellyfish' on the cover of some slick glossy whose name now escapes me. Amazed, I reached for it thinking --no, HOPING -- Jellyfish had somehow, once again, become an ongoing concern. But alas, I was wrong. Oh sure, the article was indeed about Jellyfish the band, but it was about how great Jellyfish once WERE and how the odds are one in a million of them ever reforming. Crap.
As evinced by these Five Friday Nuggets, Jellyfish wasn't just an amazing studio band, but a fearsome live force readily absorbing their own influences and morphing them into their own candy coated carnival. Sometimes at the SAME time. (Try to not whistle along in your cube this morning...)
Trouser Press opines, "Striking a sublime balance between sick invention and weirdly credible presentation, Ween unloads more cool and characteristic material here than on all three previous albums together. In fact, while there are certainly points contiguous to the earlier records, the duo sounds reborn, and this album is consistently brilliant. The super-creepy "Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)" and "Mister, Would You Please Help My Pony?" are as disturbing as anything in the Residents gallery; the creamy masterwork "Freedom of '76" could seriously pass for that era's Philly soul (in fact, the falsetto song is a literal tribute to the city). Elsewhere, "Baby Bitch" Weensterizes the folk-rock sound of Gordon Lightfoot or Crosby, Stills and Nash; "Drifter in the Dark" is a harmony cowboy classic; "Voodoo Lady" deconstructs disco; "I Can't Put My Finger on It," sung, like the tragic ballad "Buenas Tardes Amigo," in a Mexican accent, loads on the distortion and squiggly bits and contains what has come to be a Ween catchphrase: "Are you surprised when I touch the dwarf inside?""
But c'mon. Really? It's all about the cover, right?
I have to confess that it was Leerone herself who was the inspiration for this new TVD feature "First Dates". She was kind enough to send a note saying how much she digs TVD and would I give her CD a listen? "Thanks - and sure!" I replied but really wasn't prepared for what Leerone's been up to for a while now. I immediately thought I need to get her on the blog, but until now, there hasn't been a forum per se for introductions to new, new artists.
So, welcome to TVD's new "First Date" feature and our first, FIRST date, LA's Leerone! As will be the rule with this Wednesday addition, the artist themselves will write the intro to their music and faced with this task, Leerone put pen to pixel for not one, but two intros and asked me to choose one--which I said I would...but I actually think BOTH together tell us a bit more about this singular talent than one might alone. So, with her blessing, below are both. Take it away, Ms. L:
"Over the course of a bright-burning career, Leerone has consummated a singular musical style in which Eurocentric melodies mingle with post-contemporary rock rhythms and ruminative solo piano forays. Now comes Imaginary Biographies, the new CD wherein the LA singer-songwriter employs her formidable composing, performing, arranging and producing skills to further advance a fiercely independent artistic vision. Leerone's first full-length album, Imaginary Biographies takes its place alongside the debut EPs In This Life, On This Road (2003) and Hail to the Queen (2005), which earned fan raves for their inward-looking original songs, expressive performances and powerful appropriations of influences ranging from Bessie Smith, the Beatles and Carole King, to Nina Simone, Tom Waits and Kate Bush."
Or: "Leerone is a wayward Muse, willed into flesh several millennia ago. In previous lives, Leerone was a Middle Eastern sage, a 13th century discoverer and a rump-shaking Delta blues singer. The Bolsheviks tried to kill her, but she holds no grudges. Leerone returns to Earth for the food (she swears there are no good boulangeries on the outskirts of infinity). Leerone will regale you with song-stories in exchange for permission to snap your picture. Leerone is 100% woman, but understands that girls are more fun (she comports herself accordingly). Leerone disarms the cattiest of individuals and inspires puppy dog lovesickness. She is good friends with Comfort, Mirth and Happiness, but always saves a seat for Melancholy. Leerone believes in change. Leerone believes in soul. Leerone believes in love."
For a FREE 3-song sampler of Leerone's debut album, Imaginary Biographies, email samplers@leerone.com and include your full name, mailing and email address. Leerone will send you the snail mail love asap!
OK, so - put your fingers realll close together without them touching. Alright, now closer. Closerrr. Now, see that space right there that remains between your fingers? In THERE exists my taste in music amid the entire universe of what's out there. (I like to think there's still a universe within that space, but still.) So, imagine my surprise when a tune on the RADIO no less, stops me in my tracks for a swoon, all 1979 New Wave-like. "Walking With A Ghost". I walked around like a zombie (and a ghost) singing this to myself for WEEKS. And the whole record's damn good too. Those Quinn sisters got it.
It's hard to imagine that I wasn't really a Cure fan at one point (the more I think about it). Siouxsie & the Banshees - always. However, I actually thought that the Cure were mostly overrated not only in the gothic sense and the beginnings of their goth phase, but in general pop music. I mean --- I stuck to Bauhaus immediately when I first heard their material. Same with Tones on Tail. Joy Division. Public Image Limited. Cocteau Twins. I can go down the line pretty far with stuff from that era because so many of them blur the post-punk/gothic genre lines and ties with 4AD, etc. I guess this was b/c I was used to matching the Cure with "Friday I'm in Love" and got into them well after so many similar bands. However, after taking more time over the years breaking down their work --- especially 'Pornography' and 'Disintegration' --- I realized that I made a critical mistake in judgment. An ultra critical one. Robert Smith. I'm seriously sorry about overlooking your songwriting, composition and production gifts (:/). Siouxsie & the Banshees amazed me in the same way. Steve Severin's production work and approaches to their sound struck a chord with me instantly. Menacing, yet melodic. Minimal, yet heavily weighted. I think that I played 'The Scream' ten times in a row - top to bottom - when I first got that record. Seriously.
So imagine what happened when I first ran into the Blue Sunshine album. I was seriously blown away. It felt like someone reached into my dreams and put together exactly everything that was beautiful about that niche and that time. 1983. Distortion, filters, echoes, tape loops, drum machines, dark imagery, depressive elements, unique mixing/blend of contrasting elements. Every vocal sounded like it was filled with a dark sense of despair and urgency (Jeanette Landray's style especially - great fit because she mirrored Siouxsie's style in so many ways, but with a Nico-like delivery). Maybe I'm painting the album up too much or something, but "don't take my word for it...". heh.
Hello Vinyl District. My name is Sean Dunne and I used to think I was record collector. During college I worked at a deli and spent every penny I earned slicing Genoa salami on my pursuit of the punk rock classics on vinyl. When I tracked down and paid $40 for a first pressing of the Angry Samoans outstanding sophomore effort Back From Samoa, I began to realize my collecting had reached crisis level. My small room in my parent’s basement was getting increasingly cramped with my 400+ LP’s and EP’s. If it weren’t for the fact that I had a girlfriend and a bitchin’ Mustang some may have qualified me as a dweeb, I can admit this now. This never deterred me though. I loved the music, I loved the records and I loved the pursuit. Like I said, I used to think I was a record collector. That was until I met Paul Mawhinney.
Paul Mawhinney puts people like me to shame. In his presence I find myself embarrassed to even mention my puny little “collection”. It would be the equivalent of meeting Wayne Gretzky and bragging about your 4-goal game in peewee hockey, embarrassing for both parties associated. Paul has the world’s largest record collection. He has well over 3 million records. He has spent the past 40 years acquiring and meticulously cataloging everything the pop music landscape had to offer and in the process he cemented his legacy amongst the great obsessive collectors.
In June I visited Paul and made this little film about him. He is a pretty interesting specimen. He had lots of stories, most of which I couldn’t fit into the film because everyone has ADD and I wanted to keep it around 7 minutes. But if you guys like this maybe I can make a longer director’s cut that includes his rant about how he hates Tom Hanks and how he is unacknowledged for launching the career of David Bowie. But until then fellow Vinyl District readers, I give you…The Archive. Update:
While visiting family and friends in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia this weekend I got a call from my best friend asking me if I wanted to see Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey on Tuesday night. Now, being a "baby of the eighties" I was never able to see any of these bands at the height of their fame, unlike my father who saw Heart and the Cars (among others) play at Denver's Mile High Stadium almost 30 years ago, so of course I quickly responded "YES!!!!!". Although Cheap Trick and Journey played a good set, I was absolutely amazed by Heart.Those Wilson sisters still have whatever caused them to sell millions of albums in the 70s and 80s. I think this was the first time I've ever seen a non-headliner come out for an encore (consisting of an excellent rendition of Zeppelin's Going to California). I have a few Heart albums and was debating which to put up here, but I think "Dreamboat Annie" is perfect because it showcases Nancy Wilson's fantastic acoustic guitar skills and Ann's ability to rock the socks off anyone- including Robert Plant who she is oft compared to.
True story...I'm backstage with Ed and Big Andy. The two have known each other for years and years, going back to their early days up in Syracuse together when Ed fronted the The Works and Andy was an underage hanger-on. Somehow it slips out that Andy brought his mom to the show. (Could've been me on beer #20. I dunno.) But anyway, that didn't sit so well with Ed. "Sheez, Andy, "he's wincing and rubbing his bald head, "did you tell her about my show...I mean the language, alone...who brings their MOM to a Hamell show?" "No, no, no," Andy's going on, cig hanging from the corner of his mouth. "You just do your show--keep it out of your mind."
What followed was a improvised, blistering evening of soul searing, over the top, foul-mouthed genius BECAUSE Andy's mom was in the audience...y'know, AFTER he introduced Andy's mom TO the audience. I laughed so hard I told my chiropractor to pencil me in for an additional hour the next day. (Lil tip: think twice before bringing small children and 'the greatest generation' to a Hamell show. Really.)
Ed himself will tell you he's a tough sell. One guy alone on stage making like he's Keith Moon-era Who with this beat up, eighty year-old acoustic guitar he's pummeling like a punk rock Otto Preminger. Then there's the comedy bits ala Bill Hicks and the off the cuff insights. What to make of this salad? I admit that at the time, after much Andy urging, I was a bit of a skeptic. Twenty minutes in however, I was SOLD. But don't take it just from me - in August '07, Hamell received a slew of outstanding reviews and a coveted Herald Award for the production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. Three Weeks raved, “The man may very well be a genius. Obscene, outrageous and brilliant.”
So friends, in an effort to cut that first twenty minutes down to a mere three or four for future generations, Hamell himself, in concert with the super swell folks at Righteous Babe Records, bring you another TVD Giveaway--the Hamell On Trial Bag 'O Swag! Said swag bag consists of Ed's three RBR releases, "Tough Love", "Songs For Parents Who Enjoy Drugs", and an autographed copy of the brand new DVD/CD combo "Rant & Roll" which includes the DVD of Ed's one-man theatrical production “The Terrorism Of Everyday Life”. Oh, yea - there's a Hamell tee shirt in the Bag 'O Swag too. And some Righteous Babe stickers you can affix to your forehead. Cool huh?
How do you score this bag, you say? 'Tis simple. Have you seen Hamell live by chance? We want to hear about it. Have you seen Ed run a traffic light or did he flip you off on the Jersey Turnpike? Fill us in. Do you have a similar experience seeing an act for the first time and becoming ye olde convert for life? Pull up a chair - we'll hear your confession. Just leave 'em in the comment section (with some contact info!) and we'll choose the most compelling comment from the lot and announce the Bag 'O Swag winner this time next week--8/20.
And for all you readers in the UK - Ed's in your backyard as you read this very post. Check him out live--just leave the folks at home, K? Dates that include a week of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival can be found right hea'.
All week we'll be going through Ed's Righteous Babe Records back catalog...collect 'em all.
The risk you run with a blog that's primarily vinyl-centric is appearing to be a bit ...well, out-dated. Musty. Mothball era. (OK, there--I said it.) But it doesn't mean that we're not listening to new, new music--in fact, just the opposite. Happily, we're inundated with it from every corner of the globe, but until now, there really hasn't been a forum at TVD to feature new acts who are struggling to get known and/or have yet to become indie-household names.
Until now, that is. As the header suggests, we here at TVD want to be your band's First Date. We're casting about for submissions from readers at large who are in a band, work for a band, or sleep with a band, or who've yet to be bounced on the knee by baby's first blogger--to be featured here at TVD each Wednesday. (Even if you've been around the block once or twice, of course we'll still take you in.) Send us your Mp3's, photos, and we'll even let you write your own intro for your band. Dream date, right?
Oftentimes I liken the iPod to a mood ring (remember those?) to reveal just how my inner synapses are firing. OK, so let's see, on shuffle play for the first time in a little while it seems today I'm feeling a bit...mainstream, ...uncomplicated, ...kinda retro, ...and finishing under three and a half minutes. (Dude. This is so NOT good.)
Next week! Our new TVD recruits return from some summertime R&R and start delving into their record collections. See ya back here then!
I love the fact that the title of their first EP is, "Llanfairpwllgwngyllgogerychyndrobwllantysiliogogogochynyg ofod (in space)". Y' know, strictly for marketing reasons.
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.
Surprising as it is, one thing I haven't noticed over the years is the sight of the little human figure at the center of this cover. The '90's were a little fuzzy, so there's that.
...and this is the one that kicked it all into high gear for me. Yet just as I was getting Liam's snarl right ("...live foreverrrghrr...") I was in the murky hotbed that is/was New Orleans for the Jazz Festival and quite ready to sever off a digit if it meant that I'd be able to hear something or some band with an English accent through the din of what I like to call 'Cajun Polka'. As it was, out of desperation, I was indeed forced to sheer off the legs from my pants into shorts and the arms from my black shirts into short sleeve shirts on this, my first trip down thea'. Place gets damn hot, it does.
For the life of me I can't figure out why debuts don't arrive like this one any longer--all cool amidst the heat.
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.
We're gonna get a little 'CD District' on you this morning. (I know - breathe deep.) Back in 2002, Bruce and the fine folks over at Not Lame released this 4-CD career spanning set from Jellyfish. Three hours of live tracks, demos, and rare and unreleased gems, all housed in a hardback case with a 16-page four color booklet with song-by-song histories from the band themselves. The one pressing sold out in no time flat. Copies are going for literally hundreds of dollars on ebay as I type this.
