Album Review- Red Hot Chili Peppers- Unlimited Love

So I guess, Um, I’m a pretty big Red Hot Chilli Peppers fan. When I first heard them, it wasn’t that I didn’t like them, but I felt the hype was unbearable. But I was getting introduced to a lot of things, Mothers Milk was a bit too much for me in terms of advertisement, but I was also hearing some of the silly punk stuff and I didn’t hate the funk stuff, and it would be incorrect to say I wasn’t a fan. Some of it was great. Then the Huge album was next. I was not overly impressed, even while I was hitching my saddle with REM, U2, Nirvana, The Cure and some of the big records of the day. Something funny happened to the Peppers. Like every band in the history of time, they couldn’t stay at the top forever and the follow up four years later was One Hot Minute, which by all measures, a flop. But here’s the thing, I kind of dug it. Adding Dave Navarro to the mix changed things and the darker sound wasn’t what people expected, but I actually think it’s a fairly good listen. The Peppers had transitioned into a more ‘mature’ sound and with John Frusciante back would continue to release albums and return to chart success. For me, the apex of this direction was 2002’s By the Way- one of those love-it-or-hate-it records that solely depends on if one is interested (or not) in a more mature and introspective Peppers. The last couple of RHCP discs feature Josh Klinghofer replacing Frusciante. They were generally well received, but the Peppers are rock lifers now. We won’t likely see much more in terms of inventive music. But Frusciante’s (and Rick Rubin's) return means Unlimited Love will get a lot of attention and scanning the reviews, the album is a bit of a Rorschach test for the reviewer. At 17 tracks and near the standard compact disc length of 80 minutes, it’s a bit of an “all of the above”. Is it a continuation of the current trajectory or is it a mature return to Blood Sugar Sex Magick as the rap of Poster Child or Aquatic Mouth Dance implies? Yes. Bits of both sides interweave throughout. What is your status as a fan? Do you think they are irrelevant dinosaurs? Do you await their every new release? Have you not listened to them in 20 (maybe more) years? With that many songs, all of the above elements are there- throwback to BSSM, introspection like By the Way and effortless arena rock like Stadium Arcadium; and with plenty of songs near or over 5 minutes, again all aspects are present. But as a reviewer, I’m compelled to make some kind of judgement, so I will say it’s a generally very good record. It’s hard not to talk about it in terms other than “lifer”. The band seems to be able to produce 70 minutes with little struggle in effort, much like those late era Stones or U2 albums. Oddly, the artist that comes to mind for me the most isn’t necessarily a stylistically similar one. I hear Alice Cooper insomuch as Anthony and Flea can’t really reinvent themselves at this point. Like Alice, Kiss, or Ozzy, it would be ridiculous to expect anything else. The album is likely not helped by containing that killer single (Black Summer, These are the Ways and She’s a Lover are serviceable enough for the fans and career retrospectives) or that many of the gems are hidden near the end of the album like The Great Apes and Veronica and the much buzzed about guitar workout of the Heavy Wing. I do think if you like this stage of the bands career, you can at least say they stepped up to the plate on this one, and even if it doesn’t measure up to previous albums for the reasons above, it’s still a very worthwhile record.

Concert Review- The English Beat

The English Beat are one of my favorite all time bands. You don’t probably need a history lesson, but let’s just say they’re a band that I had on cassette, had to update to CD, and in the land of streaming, where things are quantifiable, are among artists I still listen to the most. They were already broken up by the time I got to them, but I have always wanted to see them- a bit of the great ‘big white whale’ for me for 30 years as various descended bands like the Special Beat, the International Beat and even General Public reformed and toured, but I never got the chance to see. . Around 2016, both primary members of the English Beat resurrected versions of the band. Dave Wakeling in the US with a new incarnation that would release a new album Here We Go Love, and Ranking Roger (with his son Ranking Jr and Beat drummer Everett Morton) and release two records. Honestly, I initially dismissed these records. I will say that I never took to Wakeling’s record (despite it being a fine record that got plaudits) the Roger albums are fantastic and I can’t recommend them enough. It has been a long time without concerts and I was shocked when the resumption of normal activity brought the English Beat into my smaller town. The cynic in me will point out that the current iteration of the Beat only has Dave Wakeling from the original band, although his gang has been performing Beat/General Public songs for over a decade. But there also isn’t anyone left. Roger and Morton have since passed. Famously, Andy Cox and David Steele joined Roland Gift to form the Fine Young Cannibals, and for whatever reason, have never came back to any of the Beat reunions. Saxaphonist Lionel “Saxa” Morton was already older than everyone else, already a ska legend before he joined the band, and has also recently passed. So I suppose the English Beat can be whatever Wakeling says they are, and that is fine; and they are pretty good at it. I don’t envy anyone forced to replace Ranking Roger, but Antonee First Class has a great personality and voice for it. (I was curious to how I joined, so I researched and saw where AFC saw Roger’s group in London and asked Dave why his group didn’t have a toaster.) In my minds eye, Wakeling is the photogenic frontman of the 80s General Public sleeves and energetic videos from their 90s Chart run. Like Terry Hall, he is nearly unrecognizable now, though he does resemble a respectable elder statesman of rock (meanwhile Suggs always looked like a middle aged man even when he was 20). But when he puts his head down and strums that famous Teardrop guitar, he looks like he did in 82. I know that he stays very active in the 80s Nostalgia circuit and it shows. At 66, he’s a charismatic frontman. He has great interaction with the crowd and his voice which I love sounds like it did on 40 year old records. The set list as it has been a stable greatest hits with long time band opener Rough Rider and the usual suspects (excluding “I Confess”) including three of the best known General Public songs But the band was acutely aware of the location. Antonee with the ska-friendly patois sound of “Io-wa”. Dave seemingly knowledgeable that Andy Williams was the most famous musician the state has produced (and the only person with a more recognizable version of “Can’t Get Used To Losing You”). Mirror in the Bathroom is the big build up as it should be. A song that somehow taps into everything exciting every single time. The show closes with Antonee toasting from Jackpot and a U-Roy inspired freestyle. (He specifically mentioned U-Roy though as far as I know it wasn’t necessarily a U-Roy tune). Wakeling’s accent was a bit too much to grab all of the one liners but he needled Sting a few times and took the blame for Margaret Thatcher (Paraphrasing: She would have probably only served four years but she heard “Stand Down Margaret” and took umbrage and stayed 20). It feels odd to praise a concert for a band who has only one original member and hasn’t had a significant album in 40 years, but surely it was as fun of a concert as someone a third of the age. I would definitely recommend seeing them if you get the chance. Rough Rider Hands Off She’s Mine Twist and Crawl I’ll Take You There Tenderness Whine and Grind/Stand Down Margaret Save it for Later Can’t Get User to Losing You Too Nice to Talk To Never You Done That Doors of Your Heart Ranking Full Stop Mirror in the Bathroom Jackpot

Album Review- Sea Power

2003’s Decline of ..British Sea Power is on the list of life changing albums for me. It actually predates Arcade Fire’s Funeral with its Pixies meets Joy Division bombast. The second album Open Season is often referred in sophomore slump terms and that probably isn’t fair. It is a quieter album that recalls the gothier side of British New Wave that reflects time spent with Will Sergeant of Echo and the Bunnymen. It’s not a bad disc, just overshadowed. To me, the third album Do You Like Rock Music blends the first two albums perfectly- a more accessible version of the debut. But having perfected the sound, it’s been hard for Sea Power to really get back to this artistic peak. It doesn’t help armchair critics like myself when the band seemed quite content on making all sorts of music projects that aren’t the typical 80 minute disc. For me, the fourth album Valhalla Dancehall comes close but is the start of a vague sameness that pervades in the latter discography. Handled individually, the albums aren’t bad. (Allmusic lavishes plenty of praise, while Pitchfork is generally down on the band save 2017s Let the Dancers Inherit the Party and misspell lead singer Yan’s name in the newest review). They just are the product of an established band. Last year, the band dropped the “British” from their name- hoping to prevent any unintended nationalistic implications. In that spirit, this - the bands eighth “proper” (non soundtrack /non instrumental) album “Everything Was Forever” has a sense of relaunch. It is and isn’t. In many ways, it just another continuation- more of the same if you will. Yet, it is also likely their best album since Do You Like Rock Music? Songs like Two Fingers and Folly sound like singles. Green Goddess has the power of the band’s debut. Even a song like Fear Eats the Soul might not otherwise stand out, but surely would convert any first time listeners with its orchestral charm. Of note Bark Psychosis’ Graham Sutton produces (he produced the bands afore mentioned second, third and fourth records). For the most part, the album is best when they lean into the sound of the first record, though on a song like “Folly” with New Order-ish keyboards suggest. As a fan of a 20 year old band, one can’t expect too many surprises but this one is bound to stick in my playlist for a few weeks

What I am listening to: Nervous Norvus

 There’s not a lot of info on Nervous Norvus but I think I have it right. Jimmy Drake was a 41 year old truck driver who listened to San Francisco DJ Red Blanchard. Inspired, he sent a series of recordings that he hoped others would sing.

This led to a series of three singles released by Dot Records including the #13 hit Transfusion, #28 Ape Call and the non- charted The Fang. Transfusion was one of the first rock novelty songs predating Sheb Woolley, David Seville and Kim Fowley’s charting songs, and it’s content got it banned on some stations.

Nervous was indeed just that. From all accounts, he lived with his mother, never had a girlfriend and was an alcoholic who drank himself to death. At the height of his popularity, he received a call from Ed Sullivan to appear on his show, but turned it down.

Playing “Transfusion” kick started Dr Demento’s career, and it would also be covered by Mark E Smith. “Ape Call” is allegedly the first 45 that David Bowie ever bought. For its recording method and presumably from the vacuum noise at the intro/outro, I have even seen “The Fang” referenced as the first industrial music recorded.

Besides the six Dot songs (A and B sides), there are maybe 30 Norvus songs compiled on various Greatest Hits records- from Blanchard’s records and small labels that followed. For the most part, these recordings aren’t nearly as striking as the Dot songs but the right person (like myself) might find them enjoyable -strictly old timey novelty records with Norvus banging away on his ukulele that recalls 1930s & 40s English comedian George Formby.

In some ways the media-shy noncelebrity Drake is the most relatable of rock stars. Perhaps you can relate to the anxiety or perhaps you know someone like him. In any case, he now has quite a legacy

Concert Review: Old 97s

 I saw one of my favorite bands this week - The Old 97s. Of interest, Rhett Miller has a brand new album out but here he is with his band (and only giving himself one song for the setlist). As big of a fan of the band I am, Miller’s solo stuff is a bit too pop for my tastes.

The opening band was the Vandoliers. Now while the stuff I checked out of theirs beforehand wasn’t really to my tastes, we’re a very fun live band. I would have to describe them as a “Cowpunk” band. I realize that this is a term that gets more broadly used to describe Americana in general, but the band really sounded like the bands of that genre in the 80s like Jason and the Scorchers and The Long Ryders.

The band recently opened for Flogging Molly and weirdly there are also similarities with that band as well, with a fiddle and a horn in the band.

As far as the 97s, I’m a fan, but definitely would say it was a Top Tier concert based on music and crowd interaction. I have been looking at their set lists and they seem to vary it every night. 22 songs which covered 10 of the 12 albums (their classic Too Far to Care getting the lion share), and a cover of “Mama Tried”.

The band came out to Devo’s “Gut Feeling”. Frontman Miller, seemingly impervious to age. Part 80s Steve Earle, part Robin Zander, and part Bradley Cooper. it’s possible to imagine an alternate universe where Miller, Jeff Tweedy and Ryan Adams are bedroom pinups.

While with age, Murry Hammond is edging more in Bun E Carlos territory. Ken Bethea and Phillip Phillips meanwhile look like rock lifers but are part of what is surely an underrated band when calling out the individuals members. It is tempting to focus just on the charismatic Miller, but there is a real REM type quality to the band and its parts.

The band had great rapport with the audience. Bethea telling a story of walking on the Des Moines River bridge (and picturing being a victim of a 48 Hours-style demise.). Miller claiming he wrote “Turn off the TV” off Twelfth in Des Moines. (He may claim that at every concert locale but it seems to fit)

Anyway, great show. Definitely recommend to see them if they come to your town

• Won't Be Home

  Niteclub

  Jesus Loves You

  The Other Shoe

  W. TX Teardrops

  Oppenheimer

  Champaign, Illinois

  Turn Off the TV

  Big Brown Eyes

  Good With God

  Mama Tried

  Go Through You (Rhett Miller song)

  Rollerskate Skinny

  Stoned

  Let's Get Drunk & Get It On

  Barrier Reef

  Smokers

  Four Leaf Clover

  Doreen

  Longer Than You've Been Alive

  Murder (or a Heart Attack)

  Timebomb

Music Places: Tupelo, MS- Elvis Presley birthplace

 Here is another music place I stopped on vacation.

I realized we could go through Tupelo, Mississippi when I was looking at routes back from Florida. Of course, I had to go. 

There’s not a ton there, which makes sense, no one would have guessed this kid would become Elvis Presley. Not only the usual "American Idol" hardship stories, but the odds were overly stacked against the Presleys.

Elvis’s childhood home is here. It is as you may know, the “shotgun shack”, like the kind that shows up in old country songs. There are two rooms- a bedroom and a kitchen. You can buy a ticket to go inside (if you are cash strapped, you can still go to Tupelo and see the outside for free).

There is a small museum. Of course, no one was collecting memorabilia from Presley’s childhood, as the family was dirt poor. It is a decent museum, given that- on the small side with a few of his outfits and related items and the story of his youth; but it is also rather inexpensive to tour.  Most are on loan from a family friend.  The real barometer is my wife did enjoy reading about his childhood.

There are conflicting reports of what the Presley family drove, so you have to make todo with a similar car to theirs on display. There is a focus on Elvis and gospel at this landmark, so the church Elvis attended has been moved onsite. There are a couple of Elvis related sculptures. One is a lifesize of Elvis aged 13.

Tupelo is almost an anti-Graceland. The simplicity is the yin to the excessive yang.

We also stopped at the Vietnam memorial in the town park that caught the kids eye, with a F105 Thunderchief bomber jet (one of the most recognizable Vietnam War aircrafts).

Music Places: Hank Williams Museum

 I’m a huge Hank Williams fan. There were a couple of points in my life where I played Hank obsessively - around my 21st year in the golden age of CDs and a few years ago in the recent age of streaming and was able to listen to what had been harder to find recordings.

The Hank Williams Museum is in Montgomery, Alabama. I was passing through which means I didn’t have a ton of time to see everything in the town I would want to see. But I did have plenty of time to see the Museum. (There is another museum near his birthplace, which was slightly off route).

The Museum looks small but was fairly packed with stuff. There was a video room where Hank was playing. There were plenty of outfits (and related people’s outfits and instruments), gold records, a couple of written letters and a few pieces of the Williams household. Not weird to see borrowed items in a collection, but weird to see so much stuff that said “On loan from Hank Williams Jr”

The centerpiece is the blue Cadillac that was used in that now mythical drive from Knoxville to West Virginia on which Hank passed away. The staff was so friendly and it was really a cool site to see. They don’t allow pictures of the museum but they said every once awhile they will let someone take a picture, so they took one of me with it, if I put in my review to let everyone it is the Hank Williams Museum. I’m not a big influencer or anything, but I think spent enough time there and was talking enough about him and I'm guessing that is why. I already loved my visit, but really appreciate it.

Iowa State Fair Free Stage Review 2022

 There is a joke about State Fairs and bands. Now, when I talk about State Fairs, I’m not so much interested in the Grandstand acts, but here in Iowa- the acts that play on the free stage. These are usually bands that are at the very beginning of their musical career path or at the very end. I like to catch up with these forgotten pop stars to see where they have been.

First an aside about the Grandstand performers. I will note for those who are interested the three tiers of State Fair headliners. The Des Moines Register did report on sales figures and there are in order: the big "standing room only" draws (Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood) followed by the solid sales (Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Alanis Morrisette, Nelly/Ginuwine) and the “plenty of tickets left (ZZTop/Ann Wilson, Disturbed/Chevelle, Demi Lovato, Christian alt rock band Skillet and Christian comedian/YouTuber John Crist)

But now I focus on the “grinders” - those not commanding $100 front row seats and $45 “Nosebleeds” -the musical acts taking the Free Stage at the Iowa State Fair

Wang Chung
You loved them- Now probably best known for the epileptic video and the (I think) cringe
lyrics of “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” - the truth is before it was overplayed- it was a pretty good song - and I dig the other hits “Dance Hall Days” and late career hit “Praying to a New God”. I actually owned that last record.

But did you know- Oh crap, I forgot how much I liked this band. Like Howard Jones and A Flock of Seagulls (to name two) they seem to have a built in 80s Nostalgia audience, but somehow (likely because of chart success) seem to get looked over by more serious critic types. I remember now that they started out as Huang Ching but I completely forgot “Let’s Go” the Top 10 follow-up to “…Fun Tonight”. It was one of my most favorite songs of my youth and I doubt I have heard it since. Lest we forget there was also “To Live and Die in LA”. They ended up placing 8 songs in the Top 100 and deceptively are more than a one hit wonder. They showed up in the 2005 NBC Band Reunion show Hit Me Baby One More Time where they performed Nelly’s “Hot in Herre”

And, these days Singer Jack Hues and Bassist Nick Feldman split in the 90s. Hues recorded an (unreleased) solo album. Hues formed a band with Tony Banks of Genesis called Strictly Inc and released a record. Feldman formed a band with Jon Moss of Culture Club (Promised Land). The band has spent the 21st Century on the nostalgia circuit. There was a reunion album in 2012 (Tazer Up) and an orchestral working of the greatest hits in 2019.

Slaughter
You loved them- In the age of glam metal, Slaughter made a splash with “Up All Night” - an update to Kiss-style anthems. I can’t resist a good rock anthem and that’s a good one. They had rock bonafides as members of the Vinnie Vincent invasion (wiki said the band came to be when Vinnie exceeded the record label’s credit limit, so they booted him and kept the rest of the band). They had a lot of MTV presence but grunge was around the corner.

But did you know- Slaughter were able to follow up the success of that debut single with a Top 20 record and the even more successful ballad “Fly to the Angels “. The follow up album debuted at #8 and its singles hit the rock charts. The band seemed to do their best at bucking trends joining the CMC International label trying to keep 80s glam alive. 1995’s Fear No Evil still made the Top 200 but releases in 97 and 99 didn’t chart.

And, these days- I don’t see a new album listed in the last 20 years but Slaughter has stayed active and been a mainstay on the glam nostalgia circuit. Though at their peak, the members experienced drug issues and motorcycle accidents, their current history is rather devoid of tumult with the current lineup including all of the original members (minus the late Tim Kelly)

Country Gold with LeRoy VanDyke featuring TG Sheppard and Kelly Lang-
You loved them-LeRoy has been doing this for a long time. He is now 92. He is well known for the Auctioneer Song which I loved as a kid and Walk on By which is a country classic. TG Sheppard was huge when I was a kid. He was part of the Urban Cowboy movement with Mickey Gilley and Ronnie Milsap. I doubt any new listeners these days know how big he was. “I Loved Em Every One” is this great guilty pleasure song driven by some great instrumental accompaniment. Lang is Ms. Sheppard and a country singer herself.

But did you know-Sheppard had an amazing run 14 # 1s on the country chart starting in 1974 through 1986. Seven songs that crossed over to the Billboard 100. Three albums went Top 10 on the country chart (in 1979, 81, and 82).


And, these days-Sheppard ran a small chain of restaurants in Tennessee (now defunct). A friend of Elvis (as an A&R Man, he helped break "Suspicious Minds"), he hosts an Elvis themed radio show on Sirius XM.

Bulletboys-
You loved them- a talented but much hyped band of the glam rock era. Since they were produced by Ted Templeton, they were blessed and cursed as the “next Van Halen”. They had a hit in “Smooth Up in Ya”- that was probably the best example of the dichotomy of hard rock talent and glam lyric silliness. They had at least two albums of relevance (the second weirdly had a cover of Tom Waits “Hang on St Christopher”).

But did you know- Glam metal always did better on MTV and FM Radio than the Billboard charts, so two albums cracking the Billboard at 34 and 69 and two singles in the Top 100 are quite an accomplishment. Third album Za-Za by all accounts was a bomb in 93 and effectively ended their heyday

And, these days- In 95, dropped from Warner Bros, the band tried a new look and sound makeover and released Acid Monkey. The band has stayed fairly active now 9 albums in via genre labels like Cleopatra and Frontiers. Looking online, these albums seem to be well regarded and received. Bulletboys today are mainly just singer Mark Torien and band. Wikipedia lists 36 former members including Guns N Roses drummer Stephen Adler

Stephen Pearcy from Ratt
You loved them- Ratt were one of the bands that bridged the 70s hard rock of Ted Nugent, Nazareth and AC/DC to the 90s hard rock of Guns N Roses, Skid Row and AC/DC. Perfect for MTV, unlike their peers (Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, WASP) they actually maintained a solid run of success without major changes to their sound (Motley Crue). “Round and Round” was such a huge hit though that it overshadows everything else. Lest we forget, there was an instantly classic GEICO ad in 2020.

But did you know- Their chart success was every bit as succesful as I remember it, with five albums in the Top 30 from 1984 to 1990. They had six charting singles on the Billboard 100 and were still getting lot of play post-Appetite for Destruction/ Dr Feelgood with their Detonator album through 1991. Even post grunge- Pearcy joined Cinderella drummer Fred Coury for a successful venture (and more FM play) in the band Arcade.

And, these days- Unlike most of these stories, Ratt actually were able to climb on the charts and back on rock radio with comebacks in 1999 and 2010. Then there’s a familiar turn in these tales, Pearcy going one way and drummer Bobby Blotzer and guitarist Warren DeMartini the other with the “Ratt” moniker. (Blotzer and DeMartini subsequently had the same issue with Blotzer ultimately winning the use of the band name). The Wikipedia entry ends with a hopeful note of one last Ratt album with Pearcy at the helm.

I can't help but mention- Pearcy’s online bio is ridiculous. While “Round and Round” may have outperformed
contemporary singles by David Bowie, Van Halen, Madonna and Prince in 1984, any implied thoughts of artistic superiority seem ludicrous.

Quiet Riot-

You loved them-No doubt, an important band in the transition of rock in the MTV age. On one hand, they are defined by three songs (two of which- and their most famous- were covers of Slade). On the other, their legacy goes back to 1973, when it was co-founded by legendary metal guitarist Randy Rhoades. Lead singer Kevin DuBrow passed away in 2007.

But did you know- Metal Health and Condition Critical were big hits. Metal Health went to #1 and sold 10 million copies knocking Synchronicity out of the top spot. “Cum on feel the Noize” went to # 5. But 1986s “QR3” and 1988 “QR” (with DuBrow booted out of the band) are disappointments in comparison, but at least kept the band on MTV and radio.

And, these days- The band never rested long. Their discography is at 14 albums over their 42 year career. The band has had several lead singers over the years including the guy who played Duke Pearl in This is Spinal Tap and a Top 5 American Idol finalist, but the main singer has been Jizzy Pearl from Love/Hate. With Pearl and Bassist Rudy Sarzo (from the classic QR lineup) rounding out the current incarnation of Quiet Riot is guitarist Alex Grossi (who has played in bands with Guns N Roses alumni Dizzy Reed and Stephen Adler separately) and John Kelly (formerly of Type O Negative and for the last 20 years, Danzig).

I can't help but mention- Although I normally would dunk on bands with one remaining member, it sounds as it was long time drummer Frankie Banali’s wish that the band continue on (Banali died in 2020). I’m not crying. You’re crying.

Album Review- Peter Doherty and Frederic Lo- The Fantasy Life of Poetry and Crime (2022)

Roughly 17 years ago, a series of acoustic Pete Doherty recordings (at various times bootlegged as The Shaken and Withdrawn Megamix or The Freewheelin Pete Doherty) was making its rounds. It revealed an artist with a God given voice and talent for melody and words. One would have predicted that Doherty would grow to be his generation’s Morrissey- a bedsit poet. That took longer than we thought. For starters, it didn’t really look like Pete might live long enough to become a mature artist. The other reason is that Pete’s recorded material to date has only worked in a standard rock band format- whether it was the Libertines, Babyshambles or the Puta Madres. For some reason, his solo albums seem to fall short (even when paired with Morrissey/Smiths producer Stephen Street) But Federic Lo seems to have found some way to get Pete closer to delivering his Vauxhall and I. I know the French producer/ musician Lo only through his recent collaboration album with Bill Pritchard, a similarly melancholic wordsmith. “Life of” isn’t a perfect album (In a straight up pick, I’d choose the 2019 Puta Madres disc) but it has some sublime moments. The title track is just that- perfectly capturing the mood of those early Doherty sessions with studio quality. It captures all of that romantic Byron and Rimbaud and Kerouac mythologies that rock stars aspire to There’s nothing else quite to that high level but it is a fine album. Hurt somewhat by a few Covid references (titles like “The Epidemiologist” and “Yes I Wear a Mask”) that immediately date it despite some good ideas. The former one of the better songs on the album heads into Costello territory, the latter would have been a great idea for a song a decade ago, but now conjures only images of N95s. Lo’s music is a good counterpart for Doherty. “The Ballad Of” has the intimate feel of the home recordings but are given an epic ending. “You Can’t Keep from it me Forever” is single worthy- a more mature Libertines number. After the first four songs, closer Far from the Madding Crowd is as close as it gets back to radio material. But Doherty fans won’t be disappointed as it changes over to the B side. All of the songs stay with a delicate vocal touch over restrained Baroque (on occasion, Beatlesque) pop. “Keeping me on File” is maybe the only think I would call a clunker. I know this set of songs won’t convert you if this isn’t your thing (The Guardian calls it weak, among other things in a two-star review) already, but as a Doherty fan, this seems to indicate that if there is such a thing as a sober, married, mature Doherty as previewed here, then there’s still plenty of great songs still to come. 2022 - Strap Originals and Water Music

What I am listening to- Jim Sullivan- "UFO"

I still get a great deal of my music information from magazines. There are a few British stalwarts who remain after many comings and goings. Uncut (once an obsession of mine) is still a favorite. It is where I first heard and got hooked on Jim Sullivan. Sullivan should have been a success, but didn’t reach those 70s audiences. His life a seemingly Forest Gump style chain of events (making an album backed by the Wrecking Crew, appearing in Easy Rider, being friends with Hollywood stars like Lee Marvin, recording for Hugh Hefner’s Playboy record label). If one was being crass (and writers often are) you could say his life was a film plot. Singer/songwriter writes an unheralded but amazing album about a UFO. A few years later, disappears in the New Mexico desert without a trace. (Abducted by that UFO?) In any case, Sullivan like many artists is finally getting his due via Light in the Attic records, a label known for finding and re-releasing these great lost discs. As for me, I love this record. In fact over the last couple of years, my favorite records are this triumvirate of great ‘lost’ discs ( Jim Sullivan’s UFO, Rodriguez’s Cold Fact and Donnie and Joe Emerson’s Dreamin’ Wild) all released by LitA. This may be as much to do with me as the current musical environment. I don’t know the best comparison to Sullivan. To me, he belongs on that list of 70s singer-songwriters (with plenty of gloom and doom already) -Buckley, Drake, Nilsson, Hardin, Hazlewood, Jansch and so many more. I don’t find it hard to believe he could have been a Van Morrison or a Donovan if his record had been received that well at the time. Maybe in an alternate Universe, this is their Astral Weeks. It’s not just that the title track is magical (it is), so is the rest of the album from the opener Jerome to songs like Highways and Sandman, which further the imagery of the missing artist’s tale. I’m not sure there’s a bad song in the ten on the record. (For me, “Johnny” is the weakest link as it does feel like it was recorded in a studio in 1969, in a way that the rest seem to defy categorization).

Documentary Watch: American Masters: The Blues Chase the Blues Away

American Masters: The Blues Chase the Blues Away did just what it was supposed to. Tell the story of Buddy Guy. And boy, am I embarrassed. I know the Jagger-championed Chicago Blues star and epitome of cool of the 70s and 80s. (Granted, at some point, I thought Dylan was just Tom Petty’s friend and sang ‘Silvio’, but I was considerably younger than I am now). But I have since forgot or didn't know that Buddy played guitar on all those classic 60s Blues albums made by Chess Records. We are taking Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Mama Thornton, Bo Diddley and Koko Taylor. Those early guitar heroics were an influence for a generation. To the point, the stereotypical guitar God poses we associate with Richards and Page and Clapton and Hendrix were copying Guy who was doing it first. The doc starts slow as Guy is quite soft spoken, but as it kicks into the history and the story unfolds and Kingfish Ingram, Gary Clark Jr, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and others chime in, you begin to realize what a treat it is. Aged 85 and shaved bald, Guy isn’t as recognizable as his fiery image you associate with him, but comes across an aged blues man. There’s great old time stories and a reminder that there was always a new generation to champion him. Guy is a humble hero, and we are reminded that yes, Rock n Roll came down to us from the Stones and Yardbirds, they got it from musicians like Buddy Guy. I mean the American Masters series is generally well done, so no doubt that shouldn’t be surprising, but oh yeah, if you like rock n roll, no matter your knowledge, this one is a must see. As the old masters (Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf) have passed and their lives still exist in the stories about them that are shared, Guy (and Clapton and Richards) are the old masters. We are lucky to have this.

Documentary Watch- Rise of a Texas Bluesman -Stevie Ray Vaughn 1954-1983

The 2014 documentary Rise of a Texas Bluesman does just that- tell the story of the early years of Stevie Ray Vaughan. The film is a fairly decent primer in Texas Blues with musicians like Blind Lemon Jefferson and Lightnin Hopkins sampled. Young Stevie was overshadowed by his brother Jimmy, but a series of bands over the resulting years created a confident artist. The doc details all of this history, as SRV crosses paths with Doyle Bramhall, Lou Ann Barton and others. Throughout, Vaughn stays true to the Blues, while similar musicians had abandoned it for rock. A host of former band mates, biographers and others expertly tell the story. This does a good job of the grind of a musician. This is the late 70s so blues influenced rock like Cream, Paul Butterfield and ZZ Top is no longer in the spotlight. But SRV persists on, eventually going from featured guitarist to capable frontman, the review style band eventually getting to where he is leading Double Trouble. The teen guitarslinger from 1970 is in the late 70s/early 80s with a reputation as one of the greatest blues guitarists alive, but also a drug problem and accompanying record. He’s learning from the Blues masters who have a sympathetic and favorable location in Austin, but SRV is also not able to replicate his success out of Texas. This is surely where so many musician stories end, with ‘what if’s and ‘you should have heard’s but of course there’s Montreux. Montreux 82 if you didn’t know was where Jerry Wexler (who played a major role in the careers of Ray Charles, Aretha and Led Zeppelin, among many others) had seen Vaughn in Austin, and got the unsigned musician a gig at the famous Swiss festival. It’s not that the crowd loved him (they didn’t they booed him- they would rather not have watched an electric bluesman in the midst of an acoustic blues set) but David Bowie and Jackson Browne did. Bowie has Vaughn play lead guitar for Let’s Dance- as part of the mix of sounds that Bowie took to invade the pop charts. Surprisingly, Vaughn turns down the tour with Bowie, wanting to chart his own course. This doc ends with the success of Texas Flood and indeed a re-opening of the floodgates to let Blues music back into the rock mainstream. If you are interested in SRVs ‘career’ as most would define it (the CBS records), it’s not here. This also comes across as a fairly low budget documentary. I would suggest enjoyment of the doc would correspond with interest in the topic. It seems to be readily available on many streaming services and has plenty of five star reviews at those sites. It goes without saying that it’s a must see for a Stevie Ray Vaughn fan. There’s surely a ton of docs on Blues music, but if you are specifically interested in Texas blues, the 70s blues scene, Texas music in general and why Austin matters to music- you should enjoy this. Otherwise, with all the music options out there, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this first. But I think it does a good job of why Stevie Ray Vaughn is important and also the life of a hard working musician.

In Memoriam- Mark Lanegan

In lieu of a write up about the late great Mark Lanegan, I thought I would just share a few words and then most of the words I have written about him over the years. I didn’t really like “grunge” and didn’t have much need of it outside of the Singles soundtrack. Although I liked “Nearly Lost You”, I would be able to dismiss the Screaming Trees (with that album cover and that record label) as a stereotypical flannel wearing 70s obsessed arena rock band. I next heard him on 1994’s “Whiskey for the Holy Ghost”. I was a bit caught off guard to catch this seemingly new turn to a Tom Waits like character. It took a couple of years for this sound to click for me, but it did. Lanegan was the rare artist that I was always interested to see what he was doing- and for that, he was one of the more prolific and most diverse big name artists on the planet. His presence will be missed. Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan- Ballad of the Broken Seas (V2) - Mark Lanegan's solo stuff has been impressing me more and more in recent years. I stopped being impressed by Belle & Sebastian's new stuff around the time Campbell left (coincidence or not). Given those two facts, I kind of expected this to be good, and it is. A great pairing that lives up to the hype. The Gutter Twins, Saturnalia (Sub Pop) - Combining Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan together sounds like either an excellent or an awful idea (self-parody- hello?) and calling yourself the Gutter Twins doesn't do anything to further clarify which you're going to get. Fortunately, you get more of the former than the latter. They both here doing what they do best - the reflective Lannegan you'd find on his solo albums or his work with Isobel Campbell, and the swaggering of Dulli from the Gentlemen album. This album generally works, and it works at its very best when the two voices intertwine. --- Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood Black Pudding (ipecac/Heavenly) In the last ten years, its hard to think of any musician that has been more diverse, more prolific, and more consistent than Mark Lannegan. His collaborators have included Isobel Campbell, Greg Dulli, Queens of the Stone Age, and English electronica duo Soulsavers. His latest collaboration is with English mulch-instrumentalist Duke Garwood. Admittedly, I didn't know the name, but Garwood has contributed to work by Wire, the Orb, Seasick Steve, and Kurt Vile; to name a few. Like last year's Blues Funeral, there's some things going on that make this more than a pop-friendly crowd-accessible Lanegan record. In this case, the biggest thing is that it feels like a true collaboration. Garwood's music features as prominently as Lanegan's vocals. It conjurs up terms like 'atmospheric'. Tom Waits is the usual go-to description for Lanegan. and certainly he's the similar artist reviewers tie to this album. This has Waitsian moments, but the description isn't that appropriate. If anything, the album resembles PJ Harvey's recent work with the vocalist switch out. The other artist that stands out for me is Jim Morrrison. I am not sure why. Lannegan has always had Morrionisms and this would probably sound less Lizard king-y than say his Screaming Trees or Isobel Campbell recordings. Still, I can't shake the feeling (maybe it's Manzarek's passing or Densmore's recent media blitz surrounding his new book), but this has its moments where it feels like this just might be the kind of album Jim would be making in a post- American Recordings circa 2013 landscape. Maybe it's just me. - Mark Lanegan Imitations (Vagrant) There's not too many people in popular music right now with a more interesting career than Mark Lanegan. I won't run down all of his recent collaborations and works. Still the point I want to make is that Lanegan seems to be following his own muse. He never seems to do what fans or critics might expect, and he is more interested in exploring what he can do next as opposed to repeating what he has already done or what might sell the most albums. Thus Imitations follows the last two albums he has been involved with in the last 20 months- Blues Funeral and Black Pudding- records that weren't made for a mass audience, each in a different way. Imitations is a covers album, but what makes it different is that Lanegan plays it straight- singing Andy Williams and Sinatra (both Frank and Nancy), the classic country of Vern Gosdin, "Mack the Knife", and more contemporary artists like Nick Cave and Chelsea Wolfe. It means that most people won't get it. There's not enough rock to counter balance the ballads. There's not enough gimmick for those looking for the ironic. There's no Isobel Campbell or Moby or Massive Attack. In short, you won't find this on any one's Year-end best-of lists. That said, let's not underestimate Lanegan. even when he seemingly is making a record only he wants to make; it is performed solidly, and each song stands well on its own. Each song Lanegan brings out his best, so even "You Only Live Twice" is better than what you might expect on paper.. Mark Lanegan – Gargoyle (Heavenly)-Leonard Cohen always loomed in the background of Mark Lanegan records, so no doubt he is on my mind when reviewing Gargoyle. I guess I always figured Cohen would live to be 120 years old, but we knew the next generation had worthwhile successors, of which Lanegan is one of the most prominent ones. Also, via rock's history of tragedy, Lanegan is on of the few leading men from the Grunge era. Cobain, Staley, Weiland, and now Cornell have all gone. Improbably, it's Mark Arm and Lanegan as some of the last few. In any case, wisened old age has served Lanegan well. He fits into the shoes of an old blues singer like few others. It was around 1994 when Lanegan 's star first shone brightest on Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, an offering on Sub Pop which many would have at the time considered a 'hobby' for someone whose main job was Screaming Trees. Ten years later, six albums in, 2004's Bubblegum made us all look backwards and realized that he had built a career that would dwarf his band's, and he was just getting started. In that first decade of the new century, Lanegan was busy recording with Queens of the Stone Age, collaborating with the Soulsavers, and recording duets albums with Isobel Campbell and Greg Dulli. There's probably about ten albums in those years that range from 'very good' to 'essential'. Whether we realized it at the time or not (and I think many of us did), Lanegan had a stretch that very few others could compare to in terms of artistry. For me, personally, the current decade has been somewhat of a letdown. It almost would have to be after that. Still, it's not that Lanegan wasn't recording. he was as prolific as ever, but this time his artistry took him down some other paths- a covers album, a instrument-heavy collaboration with Duke Garwood, a collection of previously recorded demos, etc. Cohen's Achilles heel was usually his backing band. Cohen wasn't a dual guitar, bass, and drums rock n roller. He often had background vocalists, strings and heavy production. Lanegan similarly knows that his music is best rendered as soundscapes and not traditional rock band. For me, much of the let down on Phantom Radio and Blues Funeral was the music. Still, Lanegan was born from Grunge, and he's always going to have an ear for rock. Gargoyle dials that up quite a bit. The best moments are the hardest rocking like the not so imaginatively titled "Nocturne", which evokes the title in a hard-charging slightly seedy David Lynch soundtrack kind of way. the kind of music that is Barry Adamson's stock in trade. The album's best song is "The Emperor", which cuts way too close to being a cover of Iggy's "The Passenger". Given the Josh Homme connection and everything else, it's likely more of a homage than a rip-off. What helps this album out is that even the less remarkable tracks stand up. There really is nothing here that isn't good to some degree. When The Guardian gave this Five Stars out of Five, I totally get it. I stop short of that, though diehard Lanegan fans will not be disappointed. To me, many of the songs are great but don't really leave much of a lasting impression (For example, "Death Head's Tattoo" which precedes "Nocturne" isn't really much different than its successor). Lanegan (on here) doesn't really have anything that is quite on par with any of other of Cohen's heirs like Cave or Waits. Still, you can't quite expect that, either. It's a fine album and to me, one of his best in awhile.