ChordStrike

New Stones DVD Shines a Light on 'Exile...' Tour

 

2010 has thus far been a great year for The Rolling Stones. According to Billboard.com, the re-release of Exile on Main Street, bolstered by unreleased tracks, has generated sales upward of 197,000 since May. This week sees the release of the live concert DVD/Blu-ray disc, Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones.

Filmed over four nights in Texas in 1972 in support of Exile, the 83-minute film was theatrically released in 1974. Ladies and Gentlemen was presented in limited engagements to showcase unique “quadraphonic” sound reproduction rather than standard-at-the-time monaural playback. The auditory experience was overwhelming; advertisements for screenings of the film were canceled because fans’ word-of-mouth excitement caused sell-out crowds.

In the 36 years since its initial release, Ladies and Gentlemen has been widely bootlegged. The film provides a before unseen balance; the professionalism of The Stones stage show in contrast to the rumors of hedonism and recklessness that surrounded the recording of Exlie. A small horn section augmented the material from Exile, although the film features tracks from Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers as well.

Additional DVD/Blu-ray features include rehearsal footage from Montreux, the 1972 TV show, Old Grey Whistle Test, and 2010 interviews with Mick Jagger.

--Court @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We also post a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

Lost Gems: Chandra

Every now and again, I get super obsessed with a record, and this week belongs to Chandra. I first heard Chandra years ago, when I was writing for a website that reviews bizarre, hip, and unique vinyl finds called Waxidermy. Someone had happened upon a copy of this long out-of-print (circa 1980) gem of an EP, Transportation, and shared some MP3s. When I heard the tracks, I was totally floored.

Why, you ask?

Because Chandra Oppenheim is (well, was) a 12-year-old girl dynamically and powerfully fronting a no-wave/experimental disco band (think early Talking Heads or B-52's, only weirder) that sounds as confrontational, dissonant, beautiful, and odd as any of the work out of the active NYC no wave/noise scene of the day. Beyond that, these were her own compositions, with subjects ranging from the city's confusing subway system, to a girl named Kate "who thinks she's really great, but she's not." (Ever since my first exposure to this song, every time I meet someone named Kate, these are the first words that come to my mind.) Hearing these well-written, exceptional tracks was, as they say on Waxidermy, "face-melting."

Is this children's music? Electronic? Post-punk? Experimental? Pop? The answer is yes.

Somehow, I missed the re-issue of the Transportation EP late last year, but I'm sure glad I discovered it now, even if a few months late! Now with four additional tracks (from a 14-year-old Chandra) tacked on, the EP sounds better than ever. The newer tracks are more accessible, and she's accompanied by an all-teen backing band to boot. Although Chandra abandoned her band to focus on school before these bonus tracks could be released, it's a thrill to get to hear them now.

Oh, how I wish I lived in a world where the Chandras of world replaced the Miley Cyruses, Selena Gomezes and Demi Lovatos.

It would sure be a lot different.

Check out some tracks below, and let me know what you think.

--Alan Wiley

the beatles in mono: first impressions

It's a miracle I didn't call in sick today, 09.09.09. By noon the faithful brown box was sitting on my doorstep. 

Help!, so to speak. Weigh in and tell me if you've heard the mono box set, and what your first impressions are.  My listening has been totally random.  I've listened to Help! (mono set), Hard Day's Night, Sgt. Pepper's, and Disc 1 of Mono Masters.

Unless you've got a stupidly high end gramophone player and a collection of pristine LPs (for the stuff that was ever on LP vinyl) - have they ever sounded this good?  Certainly in 20 plus years since these came out on CD the first time, technical advances alone, make them sound way better, but I like the unobtrusive hand with which Abbey Road have polished these up.  To my ear they're not only clean as a whistle but the dynamic range seems huge and there is infinitesimal tweaking that you seldom notice.  A little lift in the bass here, guitar there.  I haven't done an A/B comparison yet, which will be the true test.

I can't list everything that's struck me in the last couple of hours (mostly positive), but if you've snagged a copy of these, check out the woodwinds at the beginning of "When I'm Sixty-Four", all the percussion in the reprise of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"  (Strewth! - Chad Smith and Alan White etc. owe Ringo a debt of gratitude).  The Mono Masters is mostly stuff I haven't really heard unless it was on the radio or from a jukebox, so things like the depth of the sound at the opening of "Love Me Do" (single version), left their mark.

Packaging is cute too.  I have to laugh at the irony of reducing the original album art to the size of a CD.  Anyone old enough to remember this stuff, first time around needs a lot of help reading the original notes!

What is the verdict?  Thumbs up or down?

Land of the Free (Music)!

In honor of Independence Day, Amazon MP3 is offering a sharable code to download a free copy of any version of America's national anthem, "Star Spangled Banner" -- and there are a lot of them. I went digging through the list of songs and found everything from Jimi Hendrix's classic Woodstock rendition to Molly Ringwald's Mickey Mouse Club version. There are over 600 to choose from!

But before you go perusing, browsing, and downloading, make sure you enter the code (JULY4MP3) into your account (that's the part that makes it free). You can find simple instructions on how to do that here. But do it quick--it all goes away, much like the fireworks, BBQ stains, and sleeping in, on July 6th (ok, so maybe the BBQ stains will stick around a bit longer).

It's limited to one per customer, but if you want to share the FREEdom with someone else, send them to Amazon MP3 where they can download their own favorite version, as well.

Have a safe and fantastic 4th of July, and happy birthday, America!

--Alan Wiley

Big Pipes: A Concert Hall Organ Primer

Most musicians probably take for granted the fact that they can carry around their instruments to concerts and band practice. In today’s world, a small Fender amp and Stratocaster are all a musician needs to get rolling. And in yesterday’s world, as we learned in anthro-musicology news last week, something as simple as a little vulture bone and mammoth tusk made a fine instrument some 35,000 years ago.

On the opposite end of the scale – literally – fast forward several thousand millenia and consider that one particular instrument of choice is so large that it probably requires an installation plan, building permits, and perhaps an architect. Yes, I’m talking about the world’s largest instrument: the pipe organ.

While recently digesting some minutia related to Renaissance piano concerto transcriptions with my friend Pete who provided background research for this piece, he brought up an interesting point that there seems to be a recent resurgence of the pipe organ in concert halls nationwide.

That’s right, it turns out that pipe organs are not just for Sunday School anymore, even though many followers of the craft still convene in grandiose churches, as they did in Seattle last weekend to pay homage to the pipes and not necessarily the holy water.

Could this new movement bring pipe organs into the mainstream of the classical music world? Or does the fact that so many pipe organs already exist in concert halls indicate a fait accompli for pipe organs beyond the hallowed walls of churches everywhere? To help answer it all, let’s look at some of these noble beasts up close and personal based on their most notable features:

The Newborn: We start off by highlighting the pristine William J. Gillespie Organ which is the newest concert hall organ to be built and resides at the  Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, CA. 

The Queen’s Throne: Certain to help sell tickets with its good looks and towering majesty, the organ inside Meyerson Hall in Dallas epitomizes the "new" wave in concert hall organs.

The Cubist: As one might expect, one of the most visually spectacular, and extremely controversial new pipe organs is the monster Rosales Opus 24 in the new Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles. 

The Big Boy: One of the most recent additions, and attracting tremendous attention, is the new Dobson (2006) at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

The Southern Bell: One of the smaller blowers in the ring of newly christened organs calls Music City its home in the Nashville Symphony's new concert hall. Hmm, I do love me some honky tonk mixed with a little organ music on a Friday night to kick off the weekend.

The Postmodernist: In the category of Things To Come (a couple years away), Casavant is currently building a major organ for the new Kauffman Center in Kansas City.

The Orphan:  Alice Tully Hall in NYC is still awaiting the glorious return of its pipe organ after it was removed prior to the hall's acoustical renovation.

Calling attention to the new concert hall trend, the New York Times states that, "An organless Tully means that New York has no major concert hall with a pipe organ, bucking a nationwide trend. 

The Nip & Tuck Class: (currently or recently under renovation):

Boston Symphony Hall
Severance Hall, Cleveland

Chicago Symphony Hall

The Energizer Bunnies: Two really venerable old guys, not recently rebuilt but kept in shape by virtue of excellent maintenance:

The Atlantic City Convention Hall (which also claims to be the largest in the world).

The venerable Hutchings by Steere/Skinner in Woolsey Hall at Yale.

The Storage Rack:  Speaking of Steere, we would be remiss not to mention that Springfield, MA (Pete’s hometown) has a fine concert hall with a 1902 Steere organ that has been in crates for 30 years in the basement of a municipal building. The Steere & Turner company was located in Springfield and subsequently bought out by Skinner (then the General Motors of the organ world) in the 1920's.

Long story short, it’s an active time in the pipe organ world.  And, of course, we have not even touched on pipe organs in churches, from which many glorious sounds are emanating from pipe organs everywhere. But for secularists and other organ-obsessed fans everywhere, the options for enjoying some pipe music in multiple locales are growing, and growing, and growing.

--Lucas Hilbert

Rock Opera

I've figured out why I'm transfixed by Chickenfoot.  There is no difference between this brand of hard rock and one of my true loves, Grand Opera.  Stay with me on this one.

• Both have a long established tradition of terrible lyrics.
• Both, at their best, are often unoriginal.  They recycle clichés we've heard before and fans are in awe of the ornamentation around those clichés and the way they're linked together.
• Both are best practiced by performers that are somehow larger and louder than life.
• Experiencing both (if you're into this stuff) you know what's coming next and it only makes it better.

I could go on - hair, costumes, make-up - all over the top.  Is anyone still reading?

Chickenfoot, lyrically and in many other ways, is a mess, but an exquisite one.  Hagar, at the age of 61, while he doesn't attempt an F above high C, anymore, still has mind-boggling tone, phrasing, and diction. Satriani, steps back from the July 4th pyrotechnics he's known for and becomes an ensemble player with almost no equal.  If you have the privilege to catch these guys live, you'll get to appreciate how he summarizes all that is multi-tracked on the album in his live performance.   Michael Anthony provides an omnipresent depth, pumping out classic hard rock bass lines, and Chad Smith steps away from his signature inner syncopations of RHCP, to this cast-iron back of the beat, pedal work, and sharp, precise upper register stuff.  Ensemble work doesn't get much better than this.

Other reasons I might like this album are that I can't hear any Auto-Tune, and there isn't an iPod app' that makes it any better. -- Hugo Munday

Koko Taylor - The Queen of the Blues, dead at 80

While recovering from surgery to correct gastrointestinal bleeding, Koko Taylor, the Queen of the Blues has passed away at the age of 80. I've taken this from the press-release put out by Alligator Records today.

•

Grammy Award-winning blues legend Koko Taylor, 80, died on June 3, 2009 in her hometown of Chicago, IL, as a result of complications following her May 19 surgery to correct a gastrointestinal bleed. On May 7, 2009, the critically acclaimed Taylor, known worldwide as the “Queen of the Blues,” won her 29th Blues Music Award (for Traditional Female Blues Artist Of The Year), making her the recipient of more Blues Music Awards than any other artist. In 2004 she received the NEA National Heritage Fellowship Award, which is among the highest honors given to an American artist. Her most recent CD, 2007’s Old School, was nominated for a Grammy.

Born Cora Walton on a sharecropper’s farm just outside Memphis, TN, on September 28, 1928, Koko, nicknamed for her love of chocolate, fell in love with music at an early age. Inspired by gospel music and WDIA blues disc jockeys B.B. King and Rufus Thomas, Taylor began belting the blues with her five brothers and sisters, accompanying themselves on their homemade instruments. In 1952, Taylor and her soon-to-be-husband, the late Robert “Pops” Taylor, traveled to Chicago with nothing but, in Koko’s words, “thirty-five cents and a box of Ritz Crackers.”

In Chicago, “Pops” worked for a packing company, and Koko cleaned houses. Together they frequented the city’s blues clubs nightly. Encouraged by her husband, Koko began to sit in with the city’s top blues bands, and soon she was in demand as a guest artist. One evening in 1962 Koko was approached by arranger/composer Willie Dixon. Overwhelmed by Koko’s performance, Dixon landed Koko a Chess Records recording contract, where he produced her several singles, two albums and penned her million-selling 1965 hit “Wang Dang Doodle,” which would become Taylor’s signature song.

Koko Taylor was one of very few women who found success in the male-dominated blues world. She took her music from the tiny clubs of Chicago’s South Side to concert halls and major festivals all over the world. She shared stages with every major blues star, including Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy as well as rock icons Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.

Taylor’s final performance was on May 7, 2009 in Memphis at the Blues Music Awards, where she sang “Wang Dang Doodle” after receiving her award for Traditional Blues Female Artist Of The Year.

Survivors include Taylor’s husband Hays Harris, daughter Joyce Threatt, son-in-law Lee Threatt, grandchildren Lee, Jr. and Wendy, and three great-grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements will be announced.

•

The release then finishes with quotes from the press.

It's hard, even unfair to chose her best single recording. Certainly Live From Chicago: An Audience With The Queen ranks up there with the likes of B.B. King's Live at the Regal, as one of the greatest live blues albums of all time. She'll pull your emotions all over the map on this recording, with able assistance from lead guitarist Michael “Mr. Dynamite” Robinson. I'm also really partial to the 2007 "let-me-show-you-how-its-done" tour-de-force Old School cited in the release above.

May she rest in peace. -- Hugo Munday

The 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time

Because of its long, storied history, jazz has existed in recorded form longer than the format, or even concept of the album has, which certainly complicates making a list of the 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time. There were many incredible, influential, and vital jazz musicians who never released a single album--many, if not most of those who created and shaped the genre in its early days are included in that group. However, this is a list of the greatest jazz albums of all time, not the most influential or innovative jazz musicians of all time. Here are the rules we used to compile our list:

• Legitimate album releases only: no collections, compilations, singles, or EPs.
• Reissues, even those with tacked-on bonus tracks, qualify for inclusion.
• While we typically only allow one album per artist, due to the collaborative nature of jazz as an art form, and the drastically different styles played by single artists within one career, we will allow multiple albums by the same artists.

Don't agree with our list? Think we hit the right note? Let us know in the comments below.

Also, visit our 100 Greatest Jazz Albums of All Time page to see some artists we love who didn't fit the criteria, but whose importance can't be underestimated.

1. Ornette Coleman - The Shape of Jazz to Come
2. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme
3. Charlie Parker / Dizzie Gillespie - Bird & Diz
4. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
5. Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis
6. Getz/Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
7. Erroll Garner - Concert by the Sea
8. Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
9. Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
10. Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser
11. Keith Jarrett - The Köln Concert
12. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
13. Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings
14. John Coltrane - Blue Train
15. Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
16. Art Tatum - Piano Starts Here
17. Dexter Gordon - Go!
18. Count Basie - Count Basie at Newport
19. Alice Coltrane - Journey In Satchidananda
20. Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
21. Bill Evans - Everybody Digs Bill Evans
22. Duke Ellington - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
23. Naked City - Naked City
24. Louis Armstrong - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy
25. Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall
26. Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
27. Dizzy Gillespie - Afro
28. Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
29. Pharoah Sanders - Karma
30. Abbey Lincoln - Staright Ahead
31. Charlie Parker - Charlie Parker With Strings
32. Cannonball Adderley Quintet - Somethin' Else
33. Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin
34. Coleman Hawkins - Body & Soul
35. Art Blakey - A Night in Tunisia
36. Stephane Grappelli - Afternoon in Paris
37. Andrew Hill - Compulsion
38. Thelonius Monk - Monk's Dream
39. The Bad Plus - Suspicious Activity?
40. Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
41. Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off
42. Benny Goodman - The Famous Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert 1938
43. Oscar Peterson - The Oscar Peterson Trio at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival
44. Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
45. Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Great Summit
46. George Gershwin - Gershwin Plays Rhapsody in Blue
47. Grant Green - Idle Moments
48. Sun Ra - Secrets of the Sun
49. Patricia Barber - Mythologies
50. Charles Mingus - Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus
51. Duke Ellington - Such Sweet Thunder
52. Carmen McRae - The Great American Songbook
53. Blossom Dearie - Once Upon a Summertime
54. Cecil Taylor - Unit Structures
55. Lionel Hampton & Stan Getz - Hamp & Getz
56. Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley - Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley
57. David Axelrod - Song Of Innocence
58. Weather Report - Heavy Weather
59. Albert Ayler - Slugs' Saloon
60. Branford Marsalis - Trio Jeepy
61. Roland Kirk - We Free Kings
62. Shirley Horn - Travelin' Light
63. Sonny Rollins - A Night at the Village Vanguard
64. Diana Krall - Live In Paris
65. Clifford Brown - Clifford Brown with Strings
66. Milt Jackson - Bags & Trane
67. Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue
68. Etta Jones - Don't Go To Strangers
69. Herb Ellis - Ellis in Wonderland
70. Vince Guaraldi Trio - Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus
71. Rosemary Clooney - Blue Rose
72. Art Pepper - Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section
73. Helen Merrill - Helen Merrill
74. Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth
75. Stanley Clarke - School Days
76. Brad Mehldau - Elegiac Cycle
77. Joshua Redman - Wish
78. Jason Moran - Artist in Residence
79. Ahmad Jamal - Ahmad's Blues
80. Moondog - Sax Pax for a Sax
81. Wynton Marsalis - Black Codes (From The Underground)
82. Duke Pearson - The Right Touch
83. Astrud Gilberto - The Astrud Gilberto Album
84. Chick Corea - Return To Forever
85. Bill Frisell - Blues Dream
86. Sarah Vaughn / Lester Young - One Night Stand - The Town Hall Concert 1947
87. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - Whipped Cream & Other Delights
88. Art Ensemble of Chicago - Full Force
89. Bela Fleck & The Flecktones - Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
90. Jimmy Scott - Mood Indigo
91. Elis Regina - Elis & Tom
92. Pat Metheny Group - Offramp
93. Stan Getz - Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio
94. Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet - Husky
95. Cuong Vu - Come Play with Me
96. Anthony Braxton - Five Compositions (quartet)
97. Madeline Peyroux - Careless Love
98. Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius
99. Max Roach - M'Boom
100. Robert Glasper - In My Element

--Alan Wiley

The 100 Greatest Singer-Songwriter Albums of All Time

My fellow editors and I put our heads together and nailed down a list of the 100 greatest records by artists who can do it on their own. Hit the comments to let us know where we made horrible, unforgivable mistakes, but head over here to read up on our selection criteria for the list in case you care to do something wacky like make an informed argument. We like arguments. That's partially why we make lists.

1. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
2. Carole King - Tapestry
3. Joni Mitchell - Blue
4. Nick Drake - Pink Moon
5. Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man
6. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
7. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska
8. Randy Newman - 12 Songs
9. Neil Young - Everyone Knows This is Nowhere
10. Crosby Stills & Nash - Crosby Stills & Nash
11. Simon and Garfunkel - Bookends
12. Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman
13. Bill Withers - Still Bill
14. Ani Difranco - Ani Difranco
15. Elliott Smith - Either/Or
16. Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry
17. George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
18. Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls
19. Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years
20. Jim Croce - You Don't Mess Around With Jim
21. John Lennon - Imagine
22. Carly Simon - No Secrets
23. Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
24. Jackson Browne - Jackson Browne
25. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
26. James Taylor - Sweet Baby James
27. Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger
28. Steve Earle - Train A Comin'
29. John Prine - John Prine
30. Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust
31. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
32. Kris Kristofferson - Kristofferson
33. Beck - Sea Change
34. Melissa Etheridge - Yes I Am
35. John Mellencamp - Scarecrow
36. Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out The Lights
37. Townes Van Zandt - Townes Van Zandt
38. Emmylou Harris - Pieces of the Sky
39. Donovan - Sunshine Superman
40. Bright Eyes - Lifted
41. Gram Parsons - GP
42. Janis Ian - Between The Lines
43. Phil Ochs - Pleasures of the Harbor
44. Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
45. Jeff Buckley - Grace
46. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise
47. Gillian Welch - Time (The Revelator)
48. Paul McCartney - Ram
49. Tish Hinojosa - Culture Swing
50. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker
51. Rufus Wainwright - Rufus Wainwright
52. Elvis Costello - King of America
53. Feist - The Reminder
54. Suzanne Vega - Nine Objects of Desire
55. Dolly Parton - Jolene
56. Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby
57. Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
58. Jack Johnson - Brushfire Fairytales
59. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
60. Sam Phillips - A Boot and a Shoe
61. Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
62. Tim Buckley - Starsailor
63. Morrissey - Bona Drag
64. Lyle Lovett - Pontiac
65. Patty Griffin - Children Running Through
66. Marco Antonio Solis - Trozos De Mi Alma
67. Dan Fogelberg - The Innocent Age
68. Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstacy
69. Harry Nilsson - The Point!
70. Lou Reed - Transformer
71. Laura Nyro - Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
72. Ben Folds Five - Whatever and Ever Amen
73. Billy Joel - The Stranger
74. Mary Chapin Carpenter - Come On Come On
75. Shawn Colvin - A Few Small Repairs
76. Loggins & Messina - Sittin' In
77. Bill Callahan - Woke on a Whaleheart
78. Bonnie Prince Billy - I See A Darkness
79. Tracy Chapman - New Beginning
80. John Denver - Rocky Mountain High
81. Jenny Lewis - Rabbit Fur Coat
82. Aimee Mann - Lost in Space
83. Don McLean - American Pie
84. Loudon Wainwright III - History
85. Cass McCombs - PREfection
86. Ben Harper - Welcome To The Cruel World
87. Al Stewart - Year of the Cat
88. Andew Bird - Armchair Acrophya
89. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
90. India.Arie - Acoustic Soul
91. Cat Power - Moon Pix
92. David Sylvian - Secrets of the Beehive
93. Dashboard Confessional - The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most
94. Mirah - Advisory Committee
95. Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls..
96. Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
97. Gian Marco - Resucitar
98. Sondre Lerche - Two Way Monologue
99. Nick Cave - No More Shall We Part
100. The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely

-- Jeff Reguilon

An '80s Moment with Alan: Ladies of the '80s

My '80s obsession is pretty well documented--I find myself falling further and further down the rabbit hole of (hopefully) endless '80s obscurities, and I'm loving every minute of it. In this post, I've chosen to focus on some of the ladies of the '80s. I'm not talking about Madonna, or Cyndi, or Cher, though I'm tempted to go there (hey that rhymed!), I'm gonna take you some places you may have never been before. Follow me...

Bardeux, "When We Kiss"
I'm putting this one first because you have to watch it. Now, I know I've posted a Bardeux video before ("Magic Carpet Ride"), but that was before I re-discovered/remembered this gem, and I would be remiss if I didn't share it with you. "When We Kiss" makes "Magic Carpet Ride," both from the magnificent but totally out-of-print album Bold As Love, seem kitschy and quaint by comparison, not that there's anything wrong with that. "Kiss" is a straight up slow jam with some cheesy-ish raps and a vibe that someone needs to resurrect, because this track is on fire. I would totally cruise down the street with this blasting out of my stereo anytime, any day. Make special note of the use of what may be the cheesiest fake sax/trumpet/trombone synth sound in the whole wide world. It's very presence in this song elevates it to a higher plain. Plus, I want to live in the fantastical soap opera world where this video was shot--a world where these girls are my best friends and I can borrow those sunglasses.

Kim Wilde, "The Touch"

You may know Ms. Wilde for her hits "Kids In America" and her truly stellar remake of the Supremes' '60s hit "You Keep Me Hangin' On," but today I'll shine the spotlight on a lesser-known track--"The Touch" from her all-but-forgotten and totally out-of-print '84 album Teases and Dares. Not only is the song totally great in that way that only the '80s can conjure, but the video is a complete WTF mashup of Cinderella and the frog prince, complete with scary drag queen evil step-sisters. Don't miss the incredible dance she does with her arms at the end, which begs to be replicated on dance floors and in bedroom mirrors across the world.

Frida, "I Know There's Something Going On"

Oh Frida, you were always the overlooked lady in ABBA, but once you went solo, you kind of completely totally ruled. In this Phil Collins produced track (and album--his signature drums are all over this one), Frida reveals a side of herself absent from any of her previous musical efforts, the side of her that rocks. She teases with her verses, then eventually lets loose into a paranoid robo-chorus for the ages. I think the whole album is about her split from former husband and bandmate Benny Andersson--it has a real jilted lover vibe to it, and this song is pure magic.

Jane Weidlin, "Rush Hour"

Before she was the hot/cute/sweet dominatrix lady on that one VH1 show, Jane Weidlin was a member of and main songwriter for '80s staples the Go-Go's, but in the years between the two, she was a pretty rad solo artist. If I were ever to make a list of the greatest songs to drive to, "Rush Hour" would have to take my number one spot--it's loads of fun, but really kicks in with it's catchier-than-a-cold chorus. Here's proof of its greatness in video form (bowties! everywhere! dolphins!):

Jane Child, "Don't Wanna Fall In Love"

From one lady named Jane, to another. This Jane, Jane Child, is a lot different from the last one. In this era of "Don't Wanna Fall In Love," she has what may be the most extreme mullet ever worn by a human, or any other form of life (or is it some sort of hair cape?), not to mention her, at the time, totally frightening earring-connected-to-nosering-chain-thing, that just seems kind of dated and cute now. Note the fantastic scene near the end where she rocks out facing the wall of a surprisingly well-lit NYC street.

Pebbles, "Girlfriend"

While this a great pre-pills Paula Abdul knockoff, fast forward to around 2:20 and again around 2:50 for the really good part--one of the greatest shout bits in an '80s pop song ever: "To believe, or not to believe, that is the qwes-tee-yawn. It just takes a street degree. You've lied your last lie, and I've cried my last cry, I'm out the door baaaby! There's other fish in the sea." Do they think pronouncing the word "question" like that makes it more high class? Perhaps in a world where one earns a street degree, it does.

Did I miss your favorite super obscure '80s lady? Got any other ideas for nooks and crannies of '80s music I can uncover? Let me know in the comments. See you next time!

--Alan Wiley

Download "Let's Get it On" Free

Through Valentine's Day 2009, you can download the ultra-classic Marvin Gaye loverman jam "Let's Get It On" absolutely free over at Amazon MP3. Download it and play it often, but please don't blame any subsequent unintentional babymaking on us.

Also, not to get too shilly or anything, but the album from which this song comes, plus four other albums from our list of the 100 Greatest Romantic Albums are on sale for $5 each through the weekend. Just thought you might like to know.

-- Jeff Reguilon

Blossom Dearie: 1926-2009

Though it was overshadowed by all of the hoopla surrounding the Grammy Awards this year, it should be noted that jazz vocalist/pianist Blossom Dearie passed away on Saturday, February 7. Though more popular in Europe, and especially Paris, than in her home country of the US, she's always been a favorite of mine for her unique delivery, and soothing style. Dearie's singular child-like voice gave her music an innocent, yet romantic quality (her self-titled album landed in the #22 spot in our 100 Greatest Romantic Albums of All Time list), that I've never heard captured by any other singer.

Though she's best known for her bebop music, my favorites all seem to come from her late '60s-mid-'70s period. Here are a few:

"Dusty Springfield"

"I Like London In The Rain"

"Sweet Georgie Fame"

Really, the truth is, you can't go wrong with Blossom Dearie. If you haven't had the opportunity to get to know her music, do yourself the favor--you will not regret it. Every time one of her songs shuffles into my earphones, it always brings a smile. She was an incredible performer who left a legacy of incredible albums in her wake, and will be incredibly missed. R.I.P. Blossom.

--Alan Wiley

The 100 Greatest Romantic Albums of All Time

Do you love gettin' down with your significant other to hot, sensuous, romantic, sexy music? We sure hope so, because hot on the heels of our 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time list, and just in time for Valentine's Day, comes the 100 Greatest Romantic Albums of All Time. Does our list of tunes make you swoon, or is the heat you feel coming out your ears with anger? Let us know what you think of our choices in the comments.

1. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get it On
2. Nat King Cole - Sings For Two In Love
3. Al Green - Still in Love with You
4. Portishead - Dummy
5. Barry White - Plays for Someone You Love
6. Sade - Lovers Rock
7. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
8. Joao Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto
9. The Carpenters - Close To You
10. Serge Gainsbourg - L'Historie De Melody Nelson
11. Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You
12. Joshua Bell - Romance of the Violin
13. Otis Redding - Soul Album
14. Jeff Buckley - Grace
15. Sigur Ros - ()
16. D'Angelo - Voodoo
17. Slowdive - Souvlaki
18. Anita Baker - Rapture
19. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
20. Andrea Bocelli - Romanza
21. k.d. lang - Ingenue
22. Blossom Dearie - Blossom Dearie
23. Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love
24. John Coltrane - Blue Trane
25. Frank Sinatra - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
26. Billie Holiday - Songs For Distingue Lovers
27. Air - Moon Safari
28. Bread - Lost Without Your Love
29. Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis
30. Josh Groban - Closer
31. Isley Brothers - Between the Sheets
32. Chet Baker - Chet
33. Isaac Hayes - Black Moses
34. Diana Krall - The Look of Love
35. Jimmy Scott - Falling In Love Is Wonderful
36. Dean Martin - Dino! The Italian Love Songs
37. Massive Attack - Mezzanine
38. Roxy Music - Avalon
39. Air Supply - Now and Forever
40. Prince - For You
41. Roberta Flack - First Take
42. Boyz II Men - II
43. Enigma - LSD
44. Depeche Mode - Violator
45. Fiona Apple - Tidal
46. Harry Connick, Jr. - We Are In Love
47. Zero 7 - Simple Things
48. Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See
49. Theivery Corporation - The Mirror Conspiracy
50. George Michael - Faith
51. Paolo Conte - Reveries
52. Lou Donaldson - Lush Life
53. Carla Bruni - Quelqu'un M'a Dit
54. A Touch of Schmilsson in the Night - Harry Nilsson
55. The O'Jays - So Full Of Love
56. The Spinners - Mighty Love
57. Francoise Hardy - Ma Jeunesse Fout L'camp
58. Julee Cruise - Floating Into The Night
59. Nina Simone - Here Comes The Sun
60. The Dramatics - Me & Mrs. Jones
61. Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas
62. Willie Nelson - Stardust
63. The Softies - It's Love
64. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
65. John Lennon & Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy
66. Stevie Wonder - My Cherie Amour
67. Billy Ocean - Suddenly
68. Judee Sill - Heart Food
69. Usher - Confessions
70. Red House Painters - Red House Painters I
71. Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl
72. Erykah Badu - Baduism
73. Maxwell - Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite
74. John Legend - Save Room
75. Sarah McLachlan - Solace
76. Ray Charles & Milt Jackson - Soul Brothers / Soul Meeting
77. Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Satie: The Magic of Satie
78. Dave Brubeck - Take Five
79. Chris Isaak - Heart Shaped World
80. Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
81. Bjork - Homogenic
82. Patricia Barber - Modern Cool
83. Nicolai Dunger - Tranquil Isolation
84. Michael Buble - Call Me Irresponsible
85. Jill Scott - Who is Jill Scott?
86. Tricky - Maxinquaye
87. Goldfrapp - Black Cherry
88. Keren Ann - Nolita
89. Shirley Horn - Travelin' Light
90. James Moody - Young At Heart
91. Jens Lekman - When I Said I Wanted To Be Your Dog
92. Bebel Gilberto - Bebel Gilberto
93. The Cure - Disintigration
94. Enya - Watermark
95. The Postal Service - Give Up
96. Rufus Wainwright - Rufus Wainwright
97. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs, Vol. 1
98. Astrud Gilberto - Look to the Rainbow
99. R. Kelly - 12 Play
100. Seu Jorge - The Life Aquatic Exclusive Sessions

[The 100 Greatest Romantic Albums of All Time at Amazon MP3]

--Alan Wiley

Van Halen: Playable

You are "Diamond" David Lee Roth--floating in space. Eddie Van Halen heads and Van Halen's triumphant logos are floating around, waiting to crush you. You shoot them with your finger. Sammy Hagar's head comes in for the final kill. You win.

You win.

Play the Van Halen video game online now.

--Alan Wiley

The 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time

Music nerds, let's get ready to argue.

For the first in an ongoing series of the "100 Greatest *fillintheblank* of All Time" lists, we decided to use our collective knowledge to run down the best ever debut albums. Dig our picks below and let us know where we went horribly, horribly wrong in the comments.

1. U2 - Boy
2. Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
3. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
4. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
5. Joy Division - Unkown Pleasures
6. Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn
7. Nirvana - Bleach
8. Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan
9. Metallica - Kill 'em all
10. Arcade Fire - Funeral
11. Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
12. The Smiths - The Smiths
13. Jeff Buckley - Grace
14. Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
15. Patti Smith - Horses
16. Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets
17. Elvis Presley - Elvis Presley
18. Guns 'n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
19. The Who - The Who Sings My Generation
20. New Order - Movement
21. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
22. Bob Marley - Catch a Fire
23. Kanye West - The College Dropout
24. Bruce Springsteen - Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
25. The Rolling Stones - England's Newest Hitmakers
26. Radiohead - Pablo Honey
27. R.E.M. - Murmur
28. Talking Heads - 77
29. John Coltrane - Coltrane
30. Pearl Jam - Ten
31. Eric B. and Rakim - Paid in Full
32. the Doors - The Doors
33. Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
34. Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
35. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of…
36. Van Halen - Van Halen
37. Buddy Holly - The Chirping Crickets
38. The Clash - The Clash
39. Wu Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang
40. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
41. Sex Pistols - Nevermind the Bollocks
42. Madonna - Madonna
43. Dr. Dre - The Chronic
44. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
45. Vicente Fernandez - A Pesar De Todo
46. A Tribe Called Quest - Peoples' Instinctive Travels & the Paths of Rhythm
47. Nas - Illmatic
48. Television - Marquee Moon
49. Wire - Pink Flag
50. Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
51. Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers
52. Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left
53. Coldplay - Parachutes
54. Gang of Four - Entertainment!
55. Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
56. Portishead - Dummy
57. Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
58. The Band - Music from Big Pink
59. The Stooges - The Stooges
60. The Pretenders - The Pretenders
61. Santana - Santana
62. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Creedence Clearwater Revival
63. Heart - Dreamboat Annie
64. The New York Dolls - The New York Dolls
65. The Police - Outlandos d'Amour
66. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
67. Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine
68. D'Angelo - Brown Sugar
69. Funkadelic - Funkadelic
70. Run-DMC - Run-DMC
71. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
72. Postal Service - Give Up
73. Ludacris - Incognegro
74. Calle 13 - Calle 13
75. Alejandro Fernandez - Alejandro Fernanadez
76. 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
77. Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc. Etc.
78. Mudhoney - Superfuzz Bigmuff
79. Mana - Falta Amor
80. Lee Ann Womack - Lee Ann Womack
81. Herbie Hancock - Takin' Off
82. Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers - Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
83. The Strokes - Is This It?
84. Weezer - blue album
85. Tori Amos - Little Earthquakes
86. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
87. Massive Attack - Blue Lines
88. B-52s - B-52s
89. Can - Monster Movie
90. Sonic Youth - Confusion Is Sex
91. Bjork - Debut
92. Randy Travis - Storms of Life
93. Morrissey - Viva Hate
94. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Pronounced…
95. Shins - Oh, Inverted World
96. Roxy Music - Roxy Music
97. Daft Punk - Homework
98. Sade - Diamond Life
99. Boyz II Men - Cooleyhighharmony
100. Big Star - #1 Record

[The 100 Greatest Debut Albums of All Time at Amazon MP3]

-- Jeff Reguilon

An '80s Moment with Alan: Ballads Edition

When I last blogged about the '80s, I was hitting the pop pretty hard. Nothing has changed here except for the tempo. It's time for a slow dance. Let's begin:

"Hands To Heaven," Breathe
I always had a soft spot for these guys. They were good looking, European, and the song is totally killer. Fun fact: as a kid, I thought when they said "my restlessness" that they were saying "my breast-lessness," of course he didn't have breasts! It was only a few short years ago that I realized what he was actually saying.

"Seasons Change," Expose
Some things never change. I still get the chorus of this song stuck in my head on a near-weekly basis, because it's true.

"No One Is To Blame," Howard Jones
If I said I had never put this song on repeat and bawled my eyes out, I would be a total liar. It's "life's not fair" lyrics have totally resonated with me at many times in my life. It's a great song that holds up well, and will never get skipped in shuffle mode as long as I'm at the controls.

"Foolish Beat," Debbie Gibson
Though she's now known as "Deborah," she'll always be Debbie to me. What set Ms. Gibson apart from all the other pop starlets of her day, not to mention today's current crop, is that she wrote and produced her own records. Like, all of them. Bravo Debbie/Deborah!

"Doot-Doot," Freur

This song has been used in the soundtracks to several movies as of late, and for good reason. While it's undeniably '80s, it has a timeless quality to it. The video itself is something to behold--is that hair crimped? Is that guy playing a giant stick? Did he just smash it in a fit of passion at the end? What ever happened to those clothes? Fun fact: this band went on to become Underworld.

I've been saving the best for last...

"All Cried Out," Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam featuring Full Force

This is the most epic pop ballad ever made. There are countless "moments" in this song and video--from her pronunciations ( "crying, cryaang, cryying," "O-I needed was a simple hello") and her outfits (what adult has that much pink in their bedroom?), to the headbands and the weird looking model dude. This is a perfect '80s experience rolled into 4 minutes and 41 seconds, and the reason karaoke was invented.

As some of my co-workers graciously pointed out to me, several of these songs appear to have quite a bit in common with the "genre" known as smooth jazz. It really threw me for a loop. At first I felt a little hurt, then sad, then I realized they were right. Does this mean that I like smooth jazz? I really, really, really, really hope not. Does this mean I'm throwing out my love of all things '80s to save my hipster cred? Ha! I'd rather like smooth jazz then quit the '80s--look for more coverage of my favorite decade in the future. Got any special sub-genre of '80s you'd like me to cover? let me know in the comments.

--Alan Wiley

Taj from SWV is Going to be on Survivor

To be frank, I've never seen Survivor, so the announcement of new contestants never mattered to me. That is, it never mattered to me until CBS recently announced that Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George from '90s R&B group SWV will be featured on the show's next season. I don't plan on watching the show or anything, but it does give me an excellent excuse to watch and share the videos for "Right Here (Human Nature Radio Mix)" and "Weak," which are both awesome jams. Thanks, Survivor!

--Jeff Reguilon

(Hat Tip: Idolator)

David Lee Roth vs. Microsoft: Runnin' With The Songsmith

Microsoft Songsmith is a computer program that uses the power of witchcraft* to automagically create a beat that matches whatever any old amateur vocalist sings at a PC.

Some evil genius decided to test the limits of the software by feeding it the isolated vocal track of David Lee Roth singing on Van Halen's "Runnin' With The Devil." Listen to the trainwrecky goodness here.

For more trainwrecky goodness and/or fun, harass folks with the David Lee Roth soundboard or take a look below at Microsoft's horribly misguided, unintentionally funny ad for Songsmith. Be warned that the video is rated "S" for songtastic.

-- Jeff Reguilon

* By "witchcraft," I mean "sophisticated computer science." I think.

(Hat Tip: John Moe)

An '80s Moment with Alan

I've been swimming deep into the murky, day-glo waters of '80s pop music lately. DEEP. Like, I-can't-see-anything-around-me-anymore-because-I'm-so-far-down-the-sun-no-longer-reaches-me deep. I've been finding music I missed the first time around and discovering that I love it as much as the memory-laden favorites I always seem to crave. So, in what is sure to be a failed attempt to flush my mind of some excess nostalgia, I'm going to post some '80s videos. I hope you don't mind, but I really need to feel less alone here. Let us begin:

Ready For The World, "Oh, Sheila"
The best part about this video/song is that they're from Michigan, and obviously have some serious thing for Prince/Minneapolis--however, when the singer speaks, he has some sort of weird fake British/Irish/Euro accent (more on fake accents later).

Bardeux, "Magic Carpet Ride"
I know Bardeux are kind of an early era Madonna knock-off, but this song is way fun, criminally out of print, and kind of undeniable.

The Jets, "Crush On You"
Best '80s band ever? Possibly. It's not hard to believe that this band is made up entirely of one family, but it *is* hard to believe that there were 17 kids in the family. SEVENTEEN. KIDS.

Tina Yothers (yes, *that* Tina Yothers), "Baby I'm Back In Love Again"
I scored a copy of this on vinyl a few years ago, and I'm so glad I picked it up. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I love this song so much, but it's pure '80s teen pop, and that's something I find incredibly hard to resist. It's surprisingly not embarrassing for young Miss Yothers either--unlike the b-side track "Girlie, Girlie," where she sings in a fake Jamaican accent. It's totally unbe-freaking-lieveable. You think I'm lying, but I'm not.

I could truly post '80s videos all day. However, I'll spare you--but not for long. Watch out for another upcoming '80s-centric, youtube-filled post focused on my most favoritest genre of '80s music: pop ballads.

--Alan Wiley

More Beloved '80s Band Reunion News: Stone Roses

On the heels of big Smiths reunion rumors comes news that fellow Manchester band Stone Roses are also possibly, probably reuniting, according to Austrailia's The Age.

The world's a pretty different place than it was when the world was under the influence of Day-Glo and irreverent hippie/electro/rave stuff. I wonder what today's Stone Roses would sound like. And, in feeling old news, their pivotal, highly influential debut album turns 20 next year.

Here's one of the best songs to reference the Stooges ever written.

The Stone Roses |I Wanna Be Adored