Friendly Voices Around The Water Cooler – Kaiser Chief’s Yours Truly, Angry Mob

So you know I am volunteering at KCRW during their pledge drive… You know I find some great music in their giveaway bin.  But some of the best music comes from other volunteers.  You stand around by the food tables or water cooler or mini fridge and start talking about the station and life and of course, music.

This one goes out to Carlos, who suggested something like ten bands I am making my way through.  Plus, he tossed some of his own CDs into the bin!!!  Way to go, man!  This was one of them but by the time I got there it was long gone!  Doh!

Now this is a band I have liked for a while, but for some reason I missed this particular album.  And now it is up there on my tops list!!!

I know, I know… But think of my failures as your victories!

Kaiser Chiefs – Yours Truly, Angry Mob

So… how did I originally come to this band… It all goes back to one place… one guy.

When you find an artist or a band you love, you tend to also love the artists who influenced them… or artists that they like.  Not always but a lot.

You KNOW I love Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band… and of course, each and every individual member of the E Street Band.

Little Steven, who I so need to hang with, has a radio show called Little Steven’s Underground Garage.  That show spawned a series of fantastic CDs called The Coolest Songs In The World… an 8-Volume Set!

On both the show and one of the discs I heard a band called The Pigeon Detectives, and searching for their stuff opened up a whole world of British Power Pop Punk.  I started listening to bands I would have never heard of not for Little Steven and my musical quest.  So here I am, probably 20 new bands later!

I really do not know how I missed this 2007 album as I loved 2005′s Employment… and somehow jumped to 2008′s Off With Their Heads.

I am trying to catch up on last year’s experimental (in the way it was conceived and released) The Future Is Medieval but am having trouble finding it… and anxiously awaiting this year’s release Start The Revolution Without Me!

This is a really great album.

The opener “Ruby“ is a pop gem with attitude.  Love this song.  And “I Can Do It Without You” is also one of my favorite tunes… period!

I love this record!  Love it!!!

You will hear influences from The Jam, XTC, Madness, Roxy Music, The Clash and Blur.  All Music mentions them in the same breath with Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, Dogs Die In Hot Cars (I know… horrible name… but you won’t forget it…), Arctic Monkeys, The Fratellis, The Twang (awesome band… love them) and the band I continue to wax poetic over and say is one of my greatest discoveries… Thirteen Senses!

“The Angry Mob”, “Heat Dies Down”, “Love’s Not A Competition (But I’m Winning)” are all great tunes…

“Love’s not a competition, but I’m winning.

At least I thought I was…

But there’s no way of knowing.”

This is a band well worth getting to know and explore.  Hell, the list of bands who influenced them are all in my CD collection, as are the bands with a similar style and feel.

Thanks for getting me back on track, Carlos… and thanks again KCRW!

New Music Monday – Thanks To KCRW, I Am Off To Barcelona… Well… Not Literally, Just Musically

So there I am, volunteering at KCRW and picking through the giveaway bin… yes, I do like my freebies… when a CD grabbed my attention.

Pledge now… Pledge now… Pledge now…

I don’t know why that particular CD stood out, as it was just a simple disc with contact information on stickers placed on the plastic case… No flashy colors or packaging, just a promo… but from Universal Music Group… That was what made me stop and want to give it a try.

Barcelona – Absolutes

Feel free to click on their My Space page and listen while you read…

Remember, this is new music for ME.  I did not know this band until the other day.  The CD was self released in 2007 and then re-mixed and expanded by Universal and re-released in 2009.

This is rock/pop at its best… Don’t be afraid of the pop, friends… Remember Pete Townshend calls The Who a power pop band!!!

The band names U2, Coldplay and Death Cab For Cutie as influences.  That’s a good mix.  Coldplay’s politics suck and they sometimes bore me, but they do have some great songs.  I was just enjoying “The Scientist”  last night as a matter of fact.

I actually heard some of The Boxer Rebellion and Thirteen Senses upon my first listen.  Especially on the track “It’s About Time”.  Great song.

The trio left the label only a year later, in 2010, and I am not sure what their current plans are.  Regardless, I am really enjoying this record and am happy to have found it.

It also lead me onto another musical path while I was trying to get some information on the band.

I’ve never been to Spain.  A while back I wrote about the great Three Dog Night song called just that… “Never Been To Spain”.

No plans to go yet, but I’d love to… even though El Bulli has closed.

And of course, since I’ve never been to Spain, I obviously have never been to Barcelona… or Barthelona, as the natives say…

I did not know that Freddie Mercury had a song and album called Barcelona.  That’s the great thing about this blog and music in general… one thing always leads you to something else or somewhere else.  If you are willing to just walk the path, and smell the roses, and listen to the music, so many other paths open up to you.

This is an odd album and one that critics did not take kindly to, but the song is kind of cool.  He recorded it with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé, and it was the official hymn of the 1992 Summer Olympics… sadly held in Barcelona a year after Mercury’s death.  I was not that aware of Freddie’s solo stuff, so there you go… new, unexplored path.

I have often said that a life without music is a life not worth living… This is so true, as music is such an important and vital part of my life… Hopefully of all of our lives.

Music is visceral and powerful, reflective and inspiring, moving and beautiful.  It provokes us and makes us think and take stock, and it gets us through the happiest times and the saddest times.  It is scientific and mathematic and creative and mysterious.  Music is glorious.  It can make us smile and move us to tears.  Notes, chords, melodies, words… an infinite combination, it seems.  It reflects who we are and where we came from, and lights the path to show us where we are going, or the possibilities of where we may go.

Music is limitless.

May your week be inspired.  May it be filled with creativity and joy and bliss.  May your heart be filled with love, your eyes be filled with beauty, your mouth be filled with fine food and wine and may your ears always be filled with music.

“If music be the food of love, play on…”

Play on.  Play on.

It’s Always Better Live – Live Album Week With Led Zeppelin and The Song Remains The Same

Two… two… two for one…

I am listening to the album and watching the movie.

T R I P P Y!

Okay… here is another confession… I have never seen the film all the way through.  Just cherry picked at it…

I know… I am fully ready and prepared to be spanked.

Forgive me oh rock n’ rollers.  I freely admit that I came to Zep later in life… That sounds wrong… I mean it sounds right, but… you know what I mean.  I was not into Zep when I should have and could have been… Certainly not in high school, which haunts me to this day.  If I could go back in time and see one band it would be a battle between The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.  Okay, Buddy Holly and The Who with Keith Moon would also be on that list.  Sigh…

Led Zeppelin – The Song Remains The Same

A swan song… a love song to music and New York City for a bit… I love how they emerge from the tunnel to the glow of the Chrysler Building.  I miss my city so much sometimes.

Madison Square Garden, baby!

How the heck are you smoking, Robert… and then signing your guts out like that???

I love this movie… Rock n’ Roll as an epic battle… Fight after fight…  Gangsters and knights… heroes and villains…

That can also describe this band… and the music biz.

The year was 1973 and three nights of shows at the Garden would be used for the album and the film.

The album came out in 1976 and both it and the film got a makeover in 2007.   According to Wikipedia, until that remaster was done there were a few big differences between the film and the album.

“A comprehensive analysis of the sources of the original album and the edits is available at The Garden Tapes.”

The first Zeppelin album I was aware of was Led Zeppelin IV.  But it came out when I was pretty young, so it had no impact until much later.  In Through The Out Door came out in 1979 and is what got me really interested in the band… but I did not go back and really, deeply explore until much later.  Hey, I was a bit of a prissy kid, and only the bad boys and girls were listening to Zep.  Of course, looking back, I would have had a much better time with those bad girls!

This album IS Rock n’ Roll… everything about it.  You are hearing (and seeing) one of the greatest bands of all time… The Beatles… The Rolling Stones… The Who… and Led Zeppelin.  That is the list, man.  Then, of course, I would add Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and U2.  But after these bands, who is left to take the mantle???  I’m not sure and it scares me… Maybe My Morning Jacket… They are amazing live and make great records, but they are not breaking through on as universal a level as these “classic” rock bands.  So who is there?  Who is going to save Rock n’ Roll?

“Rock n’ Roll”, “Black Dog”, “No Quarter”, “The Song Remains The Same”… then “Dazed and Confused”, “Stairway To Heaven”, “Heartbreaker” and “Whole Lotta Love”… What the f— was wrong with me?

I may not have been down then, but I am so down now… This lesson was made especially clear when I was making my special music lists… a series called Music To Make Love To… (You can go back and read the posts… They started on 10/10/11)… All the beauties from The Sound Backstage Group kept talking about all the Zeppelin songs that made them crazy… panty wetters, to steal a phrase…

If you don’t listen to beautiful women, then who the hell will you listen to???  I heard them loud and clear!  This one is for all the lovely ladies of The Sound Backstage.

So like I said… times may change… but this kick ass band and the songs remain the same.

Long live Rock!

It’s Always Better Live! One For The Money And Two For The Show – Live Album Week With Kansas

Sorry for the delay.  My little sweet dog was attacked by a 75-pound yellow lab today.

She’ll be fine, but she’s bruised and bitten and has a staple to close up the gash… and obviously we are all shaken up.  Although it’s good to know that my reactions are instinctual as I wrestled the lab to the ground and pinned him down while my neighbor grabbed Bozie.

Hell. I’m sore now, too… What a day…

Do I need some music?  And a stiff drink???  Hell yes to both!

When I did Leftoverture less than a month ago, one of my new pals from The Sound Backstage group was raving about this live Kansas record.  Another shout out for Mark G!!!

I felt like a fool, as I had never heard it.  How is that possible, I asked myself.

I am genuinely surprised at how many classic and amazing records I have actually missed.  But the good thing is this… It is never too late to catch up and give yourself a musical do over.

Consider this my musical do over.

Kansas – Two For The Show

So you may be asking yourself or perhaps even asking me… why am I doing this record, when I did a Kansas album less than one month ago.

There are so many amazing live albums out there, Marc.   Look, I knew I would miss a ton… I have already done a bunch of Stones and Who, so I did not do some of their incredible live ones… Peter Frampton… done.  The Eagles… I was tempted… very tempted since one of their live records was done on the tour I first saw them on.  I may still do that one.  It’s a great album.  Sorry all you Eagles haters.

Kansas seems to have a similar, divisive nature.  Or perhaps a dismissive nature.  People do not seem to HATE them as much as they hate The Eagles, but a lot of folks just dismiss them.  Not sure why.

They took all the elements of the time… classical, prog rock, stadium rock… and blended it into an amazing sound.

Tomorrow’s album I think will have you all happy… I think.  It’s tough to keep everyone happy.  But I am really hoping you will re-listen to this one… or even discover it for the first time like I did.

Why do I love this record?  For one thing, you get so many amazing songs.  Songs that just rock hard.  For another thing, listen to how good this band sounds live.  Listen to all the amazing, complex music they are creating… LIVE!  This is sophisticated shit right here.

But most importantly, the record is gorgeous.

You get the hits, of course, and you get songs that you might not know… I did not really know.

I think I am like the majority of you and took Kansas at face value… I took them for “Song For America”, “Dust In The Wind”, “Point Of No Return” and “Carry On Wayward Son”.

But go deeper with this band… Hell, all you have to do is listen to this one…

“Portrait (He Knew)”… “The Wall” (Not that one…), the wonderful bits and pieces that make up “Magnum Opus”, “Hopelessly Human” (LOVE this one!)… “Miracles Out Of Nowhere” are all worthy rockers.  Man, this is some good shit!

Seriously, open your Spotify and find this one… or go get it… and just rock n’ roll folks… all night long.

It may be one for the money but it is definitely TWO FOR THE SHOW!!!

It’s Always Better Live – Live Album Week And I Was There: The Clash At Shea Stadium

How cool is it to say that you were actually at a live concert recording?  I can say it three times… Well… two albums and a song.

I saw Townes Van Zandt and can be heard on his Live at McCabe’s, recorded on Feb. 10, 1995.  This is a tough one to listen to, as he was definitely, fully enveloped by his demons at this show, and it would be the last time I would see him live or alive.  There are some stand outs worth having and some songs that are almost too painful to listen to… but for better or worse I was there.

I saw Jars of Clay play a live set at Sundance in 1999 and their great song “Flood” made it onto a fantastic, must-have compilation CD called Where Music Meets Film.  Sadly, although good for you, this CD can be picked up for less than a quarter on Amazon!  The disc includes Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt, who most frustratingly, the bouncer would not let me into see because I was not on the list.  I did wind up becoming friends with him by the end of our stay, which is how I got into Jars of Clay… but seeing Lovett and Hiatt in a small room would have been a dream.  Perhaps even more sadly, the CD does not have the wonderful Peter Himmelman on it.  I got to see him play in a makeshift Starbucks upstairs from one of the theatres and had a chance to speak with both him and Guy Pearce, who happened to be standing next to me.  I also met Michael Stipe, who had no time to talk to me… and the wonderful MC Gainey, who not only did, but also invited us to the Happy, Texas party!  As you can imagine, I miss Sundance and really, really need to get back.

And then there was this little recording… October 13, 1982.  The Clash open for The Who at Shea Stadium!

The Clash - Live at Shea

I have to say, at least on this night, The Clash blew The Who off stage… Maybe it was an off night for Pete, Roger, John and Kenny Jones, but The Clash was on fire.

I have blogged about this one before, just not on My Tunes: The Albums Project, and not in this year-long adventure, so it counts… so there!

And  I can quote myself:  ”This is pretty awesome on its own, as it is the first official live Clash CD to ever be issued… and the tapes were lost until Joe Strummer happen to find them during a move. The reviews are spectacular, and all say how the concert shows the band at its absolute height, strange in the fact that there was so much inner turmoil and backstage antics going on at the time… but hey, that’s Rock ‘n Roll and perhaps angst and drama actually work for rock bands…”

“It does not work on the set of comedies and sit coms, for all you bone headed directors out there…”

“Less than a year after this historic show, in 1983, The Clash would lose Mick Jones. Well, they wouldn’t lose him… he’d leave… And in 1986 the band would break up for good. The world would in fact lose Strummer in 2002 at only 50 years old. Sad. That man had a lot of music left… a lot.”

So I am a part of Rock n’ Roll history.  That seems appropriate.

“I remember driving out to the stadium with my friends and to be honest, we were mostly there to see The Who. Don’t get me wrong, Combat Rock was in my record collection and I loved it… but as you know from my previous blogging, I was not as sophisticated a music aficionado as I am now. But that all changed once The Clash hit the stage.”

What was odd was David Johansen opening for both of them.  He was good, but that is just odd.

Here is a great little taste that makes me wish I was a lot more adventurous in my youth.  There were so many more shows I could have gone to… so much more rock I could have and should have listened to.

But I was there for this gem… this live concert piece of perfection.  Just feel the energy… feel the true power of Rock music!

“London Calling”, “Tommy Gun”, “Rock The Casbah”, “Train In Vain”, “Spanish Bombs”, “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” and “I Fought The Law”… Looking at just part of the set… Are you kidding me?

Joe may be gone… Shea may be gone… but this is proof that Rock n’ Roll is here to stay…

So to my friends, young and old, go see as much live music as you can.

Rock and move, you’ll understand.

Music and concerts will shape who you are

They’ll stick in your dreams, and shine like the stars

Oh the memories they make, the pleasure and bliss

We receive so much love from these musical gifts

As the lights go down and the band hits the stage

Your eyes and ears and soul engage

Music transports us and sets us on fire

So open your hearts and crank it up higher

A note, a chord, a song’s all we need

It’s our air, our breath, our drink and our feed

Let it play on, let it play through the night

For we become music and music is life

It’s Always Better Live – Live Album Week And Sometimes We All Need To Eat A Little Humble Pie

This one is for the Marks… even though they spell their name wrong!

So Mark G suggested Performance Rockin’ The Filmore, which I don’t own, is incomplete on Spotify (at least not the whole thing, which is one of my few gripes with Spotify) and now want… Gets pretty amazing reviews and Mark raved.  Apparently it is all cover tunes and one original.  The album came out in 1971, just after Peter Frampton had left the band.  Obviously doing one with both Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott would have been ideal, but it is what it is and what it shall be…

The original band lineup featured Steve, Peter, Greg Ridley on bass and the teenager Jerry Shirley on drums.  I don’t think I could do anything that well at 17… damn.

Humble Pie - Live ’73

Figuring out live Humble Pie is a challenge… Spotify has a set called Live at Winterland, which I cannot find as an “official” release but does match what Amazon has as Hot ‘n’ Nasty: Rockin’ the Winterland… The songs are the same just in different order on each of those.  Spotify does have its own version of Hot ‘n’ Nasty, which is over two discs of songs…

I like things hot ‘n’ nasty… I mean… um… nothing… I said nothing…

Then they have this album listed as Live ’73, that matches the same title that Amazon has… however this one also seems to match what Wikipedia has as the King Biscuit Flower Hour that was recorded on May 6, 1973 at San Francisco’s Winterland Theatre… my Grandma’s birthday… and it was revamped in 2000 into a release called Extended Versions… Phew…

So this one it seems… I think… is either Live ’73 or King Biscuit Flower Hour/Extended Versions…

Anyway…

When the band started out, they were not the hard rockers they became.  Well, part of the band anyway… This seems to be what put Steve and Peter at odds.  Listen to the album Town and Country, which came out in 1969 and you will hear fantastic acoustic rock and what Frampton would pursue when he left the band.  Steve rocks out on tunes like “Down Home Again” and “Silver Tongue” but nothing like what was coming.

This live record is a barn burner… or a San Francisco burner, since that is where they are lighting it up.  How cool would it have been to spend some time in the Winterland or Fillmore West during the ’70s?  Man.

The opening strains of “Up Our Sleeves” has Steve sounding almost Janis like.  When he sings his banter between songs, it does sound a little dated, but hey, it captures the time perfectly, right?

This is one sizzling live album from one sizzling live band.  Hard rock with a strong taste of R&B and as AllMusic says… “a ferocity that was sometimes missing from their studio albums.”

If you need a visual taste, check out “I Don’t Need No Doctor” from 1971… and “Black Coffee” from 1973 (courtesy of Mark L.)

My favorite has always been “30 Days In The Hole”.  Yes, it does make me want to grab my harp.  Gotta love the bluesy rockers and he is definitely jamming out on this one.  Not my favorite version of it, but it gives you the idea of Steve’s vocals and the power of the band…

Wonder if we should do Frampton live next… Hmmm… Already did a Frampton live album, so you may just have to read the June 10th blog.

Peace.

It’s Always Better Live – Live Album Week… Seeing UFOs and Strangers In The Night

So there are two types of live albums… One that is a collection of songs recorded live on a given tour, or perhaps, like yesterday, from shows over a period of time.  The other is capturing one particular show just as it went down, with little editing and overdubs.  Obviously both involve picking what is hopefully the best or most interesting.

Wolfgang’s Vault is my main go to source for live shows.  Check it out.  And 100.3 The Sound is doing all live music tomorrow, some vinyl, too.  Love it!

This one goes out to a lot of folks, but specifically Michelle and Jason!

Many of you have heard me fondly reminisce about a teen tour I took across this great country and the musical education I got in the back of the bus.  Sadly, I did not get the “other” kind of education in the back of the bus… The ladies just did not love me when I was younger… I mean, they thought I was (the dreaded word) “cute”, but they always seemed to line up for the bad boys.  Sigh…

I could have been yours, Karen!

While today’s album did not come out of Jason’s boom box, it does come to us courtesy of the man himself… Jason sent me a nice note on Facebook and a whole list of some of his current listenings.

I’ll quote him here… “Probably the best band you never heard in your life. In fact, most people have never heard them. These guys just never hit it big in the US but they are incredible. Many people, including me, consider their live album “Strangers In The Night” to be the greatest live album ever. Give that a spin from beginning to end and I think you will be blown away.”

UFO – Strangers In The Night

I had heard of UFO… but I’ll be honest, Jason… I cannot say that I have listened to them a lot.  Metal has always been my weak area… It just never fit in with my listening world.  That’s not to say I didn’t like it… or don’t like it… but it was not something I would necessarily grab.  Yes, you did get me into Judas Priest and hard rockers AC/DC and Van Halen.  I would hate to feel like I let you down… but perhaps I did not wear enough black and listen to enough Heavy Metal.  Can I get a do over?

As I like to jokingly say… When Jason says listen, I listen.  But hey, I actually do it and here I go again.

Thee were some great metal bands in the ’80s… Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dokken, Motley Crue, Ratt, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow, Deep Purple, Blue Öyster Cult and Motorhead are just a few.  Their influences were groups like Led Zeppelin, Cream, Humble Pie and Iron Butterfly.  I actually had a lot of these bands in my playlists back in the day, so maybe I was more metal than I give myself credit for.

But Jason is right… UFO never quite hit.  It reminds me a bit of the story of Anvil… Not as zany and crazy, but just frustrating to have so much talent and not make it as big as your peers.  If you have not seen that film you absolutely must.

Seems like band members were going in and out of UFO, which cannot be great, and certainly does not help a band grow and develop… but who knows why this band out of Britain never took hold.

I have to say… I really love this album.  Really!

It came out in 1979.  The songs were recorded in 1978 at shows in Chicago and Louisville, and some of the songs were recorded from a show on their tour with Blue Öyster Cult.

“Strangers in the Night is often listed by critics and fans as one of the best live rock albums of all time.”

“Slash, former guitarist for Guns N’ Roses and current guitarist for Velvet Revolver, has stated that this is his favorite live album.”

I love the “fill in” on “Cherry” where Phil sounds like, for better or worse, Keith Richards in all his drunken glory.  And “Love to Love” is now one of my favorite rock ballads.

As I said before, I had heard of UFO, but did not really know them.  I do now and this album is an awfully great way of saying hello and getting nicely acquainted.  It is so musical and just so damn good, and the band is so tight… Phil Mogg has such a great rock voice and Michael Schenker is an amazing axe man.  Add in Paul Raymond on rhythm guitar and keys, Pete Way on bass and Andy Parker on drums and you got quite a lineup.  Michael would leave the band right after this and while a rotating door had talent coming and going, it did not help their situation.

Whatever they were not, this album is quite a testament to what they were… a great heavy metal, rock n’ roll band… and it is all captured LIVE!

The Best Live Show Is Going Back On The Road – Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live 1975-85

Today is the day… Big announcements!!!

Shockingly, my phone did not ring at 5 in the morning… Oh wait… it did… With texted updates on the Academy Award nods… Doh!  Forgot to turn it off.  And yet again, no call directly for me.  Sigh…

But I am not talking about those little things… Come on, really… a statue of a naked man… Please.

Today The Boss announced his upcoming tour dates, and that is a cause for celebration.  It will be quite odd and sad, of course, to not see The Big Man standing in front of me… but this is the best way to honor him.  Keeping the music going is key.  Bruce speaking out on the injustices and issues of this country, especially in an election year will be powerful… No coincidence there.  He wants to stay vital and make a difference.

The album drops on March 6th.  As I said before, the titles of the tracks for the upcoming record, Wrecking Ball sound quite harsh.  They scare me a bit.  Someone responded that titles don’t tell much about a song.  Really?  They said they were looking forward to Bruce being all riled up and calling out the current state of affairs.

One or two songs, sure… a whole record… I don’t know.

1. “We Take Care of Our Own”
2. “Easy Money”
3. “Shackled and Down”
4. “Jack of All Trades”
5. “Death to My Hometown”
6. “The Depression”
7. “Wrecking Ball”
8. “You’ve Got It”
9. “Rocky Ground”
10. “Land of Hope and Dreams”
11. “We Are Live”
12. “Swallowed Up” (iTunes Bonus Track)
13. “American Land” (iTunes Bonus Track)

While it is growing on me, the first released single “We Take Care Of Our Own” seemed like he was trying a bit too hard to write an anthem that would confuse and confound like “Born In The USA”.  Okay, so if you actually listen to the lyrics on either of those songs there is not much to confuse, but still.  This new one is a biting indictment of the things this great country is not doing.  Clearly we do not take care of our own.  Do they deserve to be called out?  Hell yes!  Should we pissed as hell and not wanting to take it anymore?  Hell yesser!  Is it time to start a revolution and truly get corporate greed and money out of our politics and government?  Hell to the yes, to the tenth!

So we need Bruce to rally us… We need Bruce to make us stand up… But right now, more than ever, we need Bruce to inspire us.  I need Bruce to inspire me…

Like my brother and I were saying… Each new release always has some good songs, but is there another Born to Run in him?  Probably not… But we should and cannot really expect that… and Bruce’s lesser songs are miles above most people’s best.  He casts off gold!  What is most important about a new Bruce album is a new Bruce tour.

Yes Bruce, I want you to be angry… but I have enough anger and disgust in me… I need happiness and bliss and love and joy.  And I know I will get it… I will get that special feeling on April 26th… and I look forward to taking my daughter to her first Bruce show…

Sorry, Jason… switching up today and tomorrow.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Live 1975-85

It’s funny… they say a good blog should be no more than 600 words, which means I have left myself exactly 25 words (from here)  to talk about the record of the day… Oops.

But that is the good thing about Bruce… and live Bruce… I do not need to say much.  We all just need to kick back and listen to all three discs… Consider this our warm up exercise for April.  I have already done Live at Hammersmith Odeon, which is powerful, riveting and absolutely electric… but this box set is a classic, too… and a box of Bruce is much better than a box of wine!  I have listened to this set hundreds and hundreds of times…

One of my absolute favorite things is tracking down and collecting Bruce bootlegs… Yes, I said that in print… Oops.  But to hear him from show to show is… priceless… Obviously a nice, clean sound board recording is great… and an official release is going to give you incredible sound… So I guess the lesson is this… Live Bruce any way you can get it is divine.

The record industry has forced bands back on the road, since album sales are so poor.  They make their living at clubs and theatres, or arenas and stadiums, if they are lucky… I get it… I do…I have seen Bruce over 25 times, I think… I should count up and be all official like… and each show is an inspiration and a joy to behold.  He and the band have given me much pleasure, much joy and much bliss.  I expect nothing less on this tour… and I cannot wait until March 6th to hear the record… and April 26th to hear him live.

Ticket prices for the big bands can be hard to take.  Luckily Bruce does try to keep things in line… Pricey yes, but not crazy.

Seeing as much live music as possible is key… to our culture and our sanity.  It takes a lot of time and a lot of money, which sucks, but the rewards are infinite…

And live Bruce is a gift!

It’s Always Better Live – Live Album Week With Sting And Bring On The Night

Ah, the live album.  It can capture and forever preserve a musical moment.

Aside from actually seeing a band live, which is of course the best way, the live record is a true testament to how good a band or artist really is.  There is no faking it, no hiding in a padded, sound proof room and getting multiple takes.  It is as pure and naked as you can get.

That sounds good!

Some bands are great in the studio… some bands are great on stage… and the rare band or artist is great on both.

Sting – Bring On The Night

Special shout outs to all my new and wonderful friends in the Sound Backstage group.  I think Robert wanted this one, which is one of my faves, too!

I have seen Sting and The Police live several times and they were all excellent shows.  The Police at the Hollywood Bowl on their last tour was a little odd… and Sting seemed to be going through the motions, but the music is just so good.

No concerts will ever be on the same plane as Bruce, which for me, will always be the litmus test.  Those shows just move on a whole other, ethereal plane.  They just do.  It is music and power and energy and something truly spiritual.

When it comes to Sting, it is more about the music.  This album features some amazing talent, like Darryl Jones on bass… He has played with The Stones since  1993 when Bill Wyman’s left the group… the brilliant Branford Marsalis on sax… Kenny Kirkland on keys… He sadly died in 1998 of heart failure at the young age of 43… and Omar Hakim, the drummer for Weather Report and Dire Straits on Brothers in Arms (to name just two!)

This is a dynamo band who give Sting’s solo songs and those of The Police quite an amazing workout.

This was a big college record for me and one of the first CDs I ever owned… This one got lots of play in my frat house.

From the opening mash-up of “Bring on the Night/When the World Is Running Down You Make the Best of What’s Still Around” to the sublime closer “Tea In The Sahara”, I get some of my favorite songs.

In between are some awesome live versions.  Just listen to the horns on “Moon Over Bourbon Street”… gorgeous… or on “Children’s Crusade”… stunning and wild and just amazing!  That is some of the best jazz sax you will hear!

This is a great way to start our live album week… Thanks also go out to The Sound for the inspiration and for actually playing live albums on the radio.

No matter how many times a band goes on tour… or how many times they play the same song, there is always a little something… a little unique spark that can change and ignite.  Sometimes it is a huge spark… and the fireworks that follow are moving and awe-inspiring.

Each concert has a different audience and a different reaction… and it is just possible that you may see some true magic… you may bear witness to something that has never happened in that particular way before… and may never happen like that again.

So if a friend asks you to go to a show or see a band in concert, do it damn it… It is always better live!

I Hope I Am Late For The Sky – Taking In Some Jackson Browne

Late last night they reported that Joe Pa had passed away.  I immediately reached out to a friend of mine who is a huge Penn State supporter and super alum, as I knew she would be hurting by the news.  Thoughts out to you again, Joan!

Yet within minutes, they changed the story.  This is the issue with the internet as your main news source… Stories are rushed to electronic print, and the traditional two-source, well-researched and investigated news story is dead.  It’s shoot first and ask the right questions later…

This morning, it was reported again, and this time it seemed to be real and accurate and true.  I let out a deep and emotionally confused sigh.

Just this past summer I was in Chicago for Big Ten Media days and was transfixed by Joe Pa.  I did not get to meet him or even shake his hand, but he walked right by me after finishing a round of questions during the hours-long press conference.  I watched him in awe… studied him… He was a legend, an icon and I was transfixed.  I even got a pretty good Joe Pa impression down, answering the questions about the controversy at Ohio State and in college football in general.

He seemed humble and gentle, like the best grandfather ever.  He was the man everyone wanted to be around.  He was… simply… the man.

No writer in the world would have written the end of the story like this.  None of us saw this coming.  Not with Joe Pa.  No way.

As I struggle with my emotions I realize something pretty powerful… If you get lost along the way in your youth, you may be able to turn it around and they may they forget.  Assuming it is nothing egregious.  But if you get lost at the end, they will remember forever.

While his amazing accomplishments will never vanish, they will forever be tarnished… overshadowed by a strange and confused lack of ethics and morals.  It is so very sad to think that Joe Pa’s reputation will be taken down because of a complete and total scumbag.  Why he was not willing to report this animal will haunt so many people.  It haunts and confuses me.  Why did he not do more?  Why he thought that the program needed to be placed above a child molester and abuser is utterly shocking and disturbing.  Ironically, concern for the program should have had him doing everything in his power to report this piece of shit and move the program as far away from him as possible.  Instead, there was one cover up after the next and the end was this.  He is not solely to blame, of course, and the one who must ultimately pay the price is the criminal and perpetrator.  This is the one who should get all of our disgust.  But this is a huge lesson in the absolute importance of doing the right thing.  You have no choice.  Stand up and do the right thing… ALWAYS.

I had a lot more to say, but I editing myself.  Why?  I don’t know.  I guess I did not want to get into certain things… I did not want to be too political in this blog.  I have another arena for that… and this is my blog and I can do what I want… I do not like editing myself… not at all… I hate it… But there are times when you have to stop and breathe and make a better decision, and I hoping that is what I did.

Jackson Browne – Late For The Sky

For those regular readers you know that I met Jackson a month or so ago.  Not the friendliest guy and it was a bit awkward… but he did sign a CD he did not play on, so maybe that was strange for him… But it is Jackson Browne and he is standing right there, so I asked him.  Whatever…

The only thing he said to me, while gesturing to the Sharpie, was “make sure you keep the cap on that.”

Um… okay.

Aside from that, I love JB.  I’ll overlook that and hope another meeting is more… friendly.  Whatever.

This album is gorgeous and one of my favorite records period.  It is only his third record, but so confident and assured and so good.  So good.  Ironically, the lyrics are questioning and dealing with the uncertainty that is life… But when someone lays themselves so bare and open and is such a talent, only great things can happen… Well… Great things happen here.  Every track is solid… but here are my standouts…

“Late For The Sky”

“Fountain Of Sorrow”

“For A Dancer”

I leave you with this… Peace, comfort and love…

“I don’t know what happens when people die
Can’t seem to grasp it as hard as I try
It’s like a song I can hear playing right in my ear
That I can’t sing
I can’t help listening
And I can’t help feeling stupid standing ’round
Crying as they ease you down
‘Cause I know that you’d rather we were dancing
Dancing our sorrow away
(Right on dancing)
No matter what fate chooses to play
(There’s nothing you can do about it anyway)”