Album Review- Soft Cell

I have spent a quite a bit of time on the Marc Almond discography (also lest we forget the still active Dave Ball dba The Grid who made an album with Robert Fripp last year) so on the event of the first Soft Cell album in 20 years ago, I’m going to focus on the duo’s albums. 1981’s Non Stop Erotic Cabaret is as good as it gets. It’s a great rock trope (small town boy in the big city a la Appetite for Destruction) and even the cover is perfect (Almond with the under the counter goods- presumably the album- in hand under his trenchcoat.) Its a fantastic start to end listen, and if it’s a bit camp, that’s only because if it wasn’t, if it was straight and sincere, it’d probably be too painful to listen to. 1983’s The Art of Falling Apart is as good as titled sequel as “The New York Dolls in Too Much Too Soon” and similarly it features a band in turmoil ready to break up. Soft Cell made a conscious decision to steer away from making a commercial radio friendly follow up and the album is generally described as a disaster. As a fan, I don’t want to oversell the second record, but it certainly is a worthwhile in that it does have some great songs. It is darker but generally always interesting. It also features the 10 minute Jimi Hendrix (?!?) medley and the George Romero inspired 10 minute “Martin” and these latter album songs are better (in my mind) than their descriptions (or reviews) imply, as they usually get a lot of blame for this albums reputation. The album is probably as good as a litmus test on how big of a Soft Cell fan you are. 1984’s This Night In Sodom is that path to the extreme. It is a difficult album in that it’s closer to Almond’s short-lived Immaculate Consumptive pals (Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch, JG Thirlwell) than new wave pop tunes. Considering myself a big fan, I would nonetheless steer most people away, even then, carrying forth the maniacal perspective of the predecessor, it does contain a few songs that are truly great- Meet Murder My Angel, Where was your Heart when you Needed it Most and Mr Self Destruct (not the Nine Inch Nails song). In 2002, the band reunited and recorded the album Cruelty Without Beauty. It could possibly be considered a great “lost album” in so much, that it didn’t get a ton of attention. It is very much in line with the bands that Soft Cell influenced (OMD, Pet Shop Boys, Yaz, etc) and is surprisingly solid as far as reunion records go. The band called it quits very publicly in September 2018 with a final show at the O2 Arena which was released as an album The new album comes somewhat as a surprise to me then, and has received generally very good reviews. As a fan, I hate to say it, as I would love to be gung ho, but I think it’s a good, not great album. The album feels very much a continuation of where TLN..IS left off. The mood is dark, outlook negative. Almond takes a couple of shots at the Holy Trinity (not only, but especially on a track called “I’m Not A Friend of God”) Thematically, it could be a sequel to N-SEC. Songs like Polaroid, Tranquiliser and Bruises on my Illusions are very much revisits and all throughout run the same themes, or reference to revisiting the time (check the title “Nostalgia Machine”). The nsfw “Nighthawks” which recalls Acid House Psychic TV with guest Christeene as some truly nonstop erotic cabaret. The most talked about song is the lead single Heart Like Chernobyl. The writer of “Sex Dwarf” and “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” gives us one last jaw dropper with a song that begins with “Oh dear, I feel like North Korea in the winter”. The highlight for me is probably “The Purple Zone” which is a duet with the Pet Shop Boys and sounds exactly like the intersection of the two as you might expect. I get a kick out of the video of the pairing of the synth pop legends - both duos with a wry singer and a hard working instrumentalist- surely would love to grab a beer and sit at that table. In many ways, Purple Zone incorporates the theme of the album- hitting on outsider status and aging. It’s video reflects that - with reference to the story of the LGBT+ community as shared by those who survived the 80s and 90s but also (stealing from Dickens) “the best of times and worst of times” of modern today. Also in contrast to the downbeat lyrics, the melody is a celebratory anthem that fits with the Pet Shop Boys' best. As a big fan of the band, saying I am somewhat disappointed is not meant to give the wrong impression. I will listen (and have listened) to some of the songs quite often. Other songs I am unlikely to revisit often. Most songs fit somewhere in between, but the aforementioned Purple Zone and Heart Like Chernobyl, the opener Happy Happy Happy (which fits the mold of their 2002 record) and the title track (a more upbeat variation on the Chernobyl theme) are all worthwhile additions to inevitable career spanning retrospectives.

What I am Listening To - Curtis Harding- If Words Were Flowers

One of my favorite things each year is putting together a list of my favorite 20 albums of that year. I’m probably close to having done this for 20 years. It is of course impossible to hear every album released in a year. Though with the current environment, I suppose one could get close. To a certain extent, the “old ways” are the best. One needs albums to marinate sometimes, and at some point, the task of listening to as many albums as possible becomes a full time unenjoyable job. Nor would I ever take an approach that I would only listen to “new” music so that means a favorite album of Q1, 2022 is an album that came out in 2021 but missed my ears in 2021. I am not sure how I missed Curtis Harding. It seems criminal. Yet even after three albums, he’s not quite a household name. I loved Harding on first listen. He reminds me of the 70s soul records that have become a recent soundtrack of mine with artists like Curtis Mayfield, Al Green and Bobby Womack, among many others. The so called neo-soul genre has thrived though it often gets played as an affectation (Cee Lo Green, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, the Heavy, Aloe Blacc, Anthony Hamilton, Baba Ali, Nathaniel Ratliff and so on) But listening to Harding, I don’t feel that it’s playing for a joke (though the video for “Can’t Hide It” has those vibes). A look at Harding’s history is well, unexpected. He’s recorded for Burger and Anti records- labels most well known for bratty punks. The musicians he has worked and crossed paths with are so varied - Cee Lo, OutKast, the Growlers, Mastadon, the Black Lips, the Oh Sees, and Danger Mouse I bring this up because it is important to note that we look at music legends from a long distance to present day lens, and we do give them modern day attributes. We view Johnny Cash via a punk rock and Rick Rubin scope to a point where his image assumes a personality indistinguishable from a hard drinking, brawling, flipping the bird Mike Ness character or a gothic bible-quoting Nick Cave character. So it is with classic soul which these days brings to mind, Tarantino soundtracks and driving rap samples. While I would suggest both Marvin Gaye and Mr Harding have made timeless music, I would also suggest that Harding has the benefit that no circa-1971 soul singer would have - extensive knowledge of the discographies of Parliament-Funkadelic, Gil Scot-Heron and Outkast. Anyway, this is the first “new” artist that I have been this passionate about in awhile.

Album Review- Johnny Marr- Fever Dream Parts 1-4

Johnny Marr’s solo career has been unlikely. When everyone might have expected him to cash in on his fame in the 90s and 00s, he played the hired gun. It’s probably for the best as when he finally launched a serious solo career, there weren’t unwieldy expectations. Fever Dreams Parts 1-4 is the new album. Conceptually, it is a double album consisting of 4 EPs. (In reality, only the first two EPs were released individually as such). Perhaps for this reason (if not literally then perhaps psychologically), this doesn’t feel like an album any more than it does a group of songs. Maybe there is also an inevitability of a letdown after his last couple of records like 2018s Call the Comet and the non-album single Armatopia (which went synth heavy) were so strong. If you read one of the many negative review of Fever Dreams, I will tell you the comments therein are correct. The production and mix tend to treat the music in such a way that a lot of songs fade from memory- “background music” someone called it and I tend to agree. There certainly is a tendency for the songs to sound similar to Marr acolytes. Someone mentioned the Strokes and I’m not sure of that, but certainly there are similarities to this new crop of Marr influenced bands like NewDad. But that’s only half of the story. There are 16 songs here and at least a few are strong singles -songs like All These Days, Gods Gift, Ghoster, Tenement Time, Night and Day and Spirit Power and Soul. Those songs alone are enough to justify this CD length (or 2 Record) album and makes it stand out as a worthwhile choice for any fan of Marr and his similar sounding contemporaries like New Order and Suede. So the casual listener might not be instantly attracted to this mix match of styles with some filler, but I think a few years down the road, Fever Dreams will hold solid in the Marr discography. For your audio needs, here’s God’s Gift. With Marr, there’s much more to his career than the Smiths, but this song about an egotistical blowhard, well, one comes to mind anyway.

Album Review -The Soundcarriers- Wilds

Lately, I’ve been posting veteran rock bands and I begin to wonder why they hang around for those seventh and eighth albums when most bands have peaked by their third. But the reason is that they might get a new audience and I’m reminded that some recent “finds” like the Orange Peels are bands I got around to at a late date. So it is with the Soundcarriers - album #4 after a seven year hiatus- but even still, Wilds has been championed as one of the best new albums by Uncut magazine and Allmusic. The name is perfect for what is an otherwise indescribable band- that dabbles in baroque pop, psychedelia, garage rock, tropicalia, lounge, folk, movie music, jazz, Krautrock and other “found sounds”. The band that shows up most in their reviews is Stereolab. I think the link is more spiritual than sonic, but I suppose it’s not easy to decide where to start. More than anything they remind me of the producer -led groups like Whyte Horses (of note, Lenore Wheatley has been involved in both bands.). I find it interesting that their press often references that they are equally influenced by Os Mutantes and Sergio Mendes/Brazil 66 (two of Brazil’s most well known acts but certainly musically very different), but it goes to show how many ways this music can be approached. Maybe you’re listening to this because you like Psychedelic Syd-era Floyd (and it’s descendants) or maybe you are more interested in modern Coral-style indie rock BBC6 playlist fodder, or it could be you are looking for some thing shoe-gaze (in the original sense of the term). Whatever brings you in, the album will reward you.

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