What does an informal meeting of various musicians, Beck Hansen, Yanni, Skip Spence, Leonard Cohen, Velvet Underground & Nico, and INXS have in common? Follow the link below to find out....
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Hard...Just. Like. That.
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of rap and/or hip hop. Honestly, I don't even understand the difference between rap and hip hop. (If you can enlighten me, please leave a comment below.) I find it redundant, and over done, and I have a bit of an issue with taking someone else's song, and looping it for four minutes while you talk/sing (Fergie and Kanye, that's a nod to you).
Now, there have been some bright spots. Digable Planets and De La Soul were on to something new back in their heyday. Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy had a sound that was perhaps more accessible to me at the time, Cypress Hill was very original before they got stuck in their dank, sticky, green mold. I feel obligated to mention the Beastie Boys, but they also seem stuck in a rut after Ill Communication.
One group who seemed to get it right - at least to these ears - was Public Enemy. PE burst out almost fully formed right out of the gate. Aggressive, singularly focused, and driven by near unidentifiable samples, Public Enemy wrote a new map for the future of the genre. The duo of Chuck D and ready made foil, Flavor Flav, were perfect to propel the highly inventive and original beats of the Bomb Squad. It's easy to forget that It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back was released in 1988. I still take that disc for a spin from time to time.
Still, to my original point, not being a fan of rap generally, I think I can be forgiven for not having kept up with their catalog.
As I mentioned before in another post, I've found a lot of music in my life, but occasionally the music will find me. And those are the sweetest tracks.
Late in 2010 I was listening to Henry Rollins' show on KCRW. The second track on that show, as I recall, was "Harder Than You Think." Chuck and Flav have such original voices, it was painfully obvious that this was PE.
I was blown away.
Still am. It's incredibly powerful from the start, but Public Enemy knows what James Brown knew: Repetition can amplify your statement. Alternating between an acoustic guitar and a screaming brass section that sounds like a "Rocky's Theme" outtake, "Harder Than You Think" adds more urgency, and becomes more insistent with every verse.
I measure top shelf music on whether or not it induces chills. This one of those songs.
Somebody, not sure who, coined the phrase "Writing about Music is like dancing about Architecture." I've always liked that. And yet I contribute to a music blog (I know, right? IRONY!).
At any rate, I don't know what else I could say that would add anything else to this track. It must be heard.
Please click the link below to view the video. Would've liked to embed the link here, but there were major label restrictions.
"Harder Than You Think" Public Enemy
Now, there have been some bright spots. Digable Planets and De La Soul were on to something new back in their heyday. Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy had a sound that was perhaps more accessible to me at the time, Cypress Hill was very original before they got stuck in their dank, sticky, green mold. I feel obligated to mention the Beastie Boys, but they also seem stuck in a rut after Ill Communication.
One group who seemed to get it right - at least to these ears - was Public Enemy. PE burst out almost fully formed right out of the gate. Aggressive, singularly focused, and driven by near unidentifiable samples, Public Enemy wrote a new map for the future of the genre. The duo of Chuck D and ready made foil, Flavor Flav, were perfect to propel the highly inventive and original beats of the Bomb Squad. It's easy to forget that It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back was released in 1988. I still take that disc for a spin from time to time.
Still, to my original point, not being a fan of rap generally, I think I can be forgiven for not having kept up with their catalog.
As I mentioned before in another post, I've found a lot of music in my life, but occasionally the music will find me. And those are the sweetest tracks.
Late in 2010 I was listening to Henry Rollins' show on KCRW. The second track on that show, as I recall, was "Harder Than You Think." Chuck and Flav have such original voices, it was painfully obvious that this was PE.
I was blown away.
Still am. It's incredibly powerful from the start, but Public Enemy knows what James Brown knew: Repetition can amplify your statement. Alternating between an acoustic guitar and a screaming brass section that sounds like a "Rocky's Theme" outtake, "Harder Than You Think" adds more urgency, and becomes more insistent with every verse.
I measure top shelf music on whether or not it induces chills. This one of those songs.
Somebody, not sure who, coined the phrase "Writing about Music is like dancing about Architecture." I've always liked that. And yet I contribute to a music blog (I know, right? IRONY!).
At any rate, I don't know what else I could say that would add anything else to this track. It must be heard.
Please click the link below to view the video. Would've liked to embed the link here, but there were major label restrictions.
"Harder Than You Think" Public Enemy
Right Down The Line, Memories of Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street"
It's been said before and I agree wholeheartedly, that music provides the soundtrack of our lives. While on my morning jog, I heard Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street"on my iPod shuffle sandwiched oddly enough between Humble Pie's "30 Days in the Hole"and Rick Springfield's "Affair of the Heart" (yes, I have Rick Springfield on my iPod, what's it to you?) and a flood of wonderful memories from my childhood came back to me. It was the summer of 1981 and I was in the first grade of Sarah Collins elementary school in Greenville, SC. Our summers were spent in the beautiful foothill mountains of Brevard, NC, where my grandparents lived. My parents and grandfather were avid golfers, so it was not unusual that my sister and I would go to the neighborhood pool with my grandmother while the rest of the family played a round on the links.
The pool's clubhouse had a loudspeaker system which broadcasted music from the local AM/FM stations over the noisy children splashing and swimming on those sunny and mild summer afternoons. I will never forget the first time I heard the smooth sounds of "Baker Street" playing against the backdrop of a crystal clear pool and the beautiful trees that surrounded the Connestee Falls pool and clubhouse. Keep in mind, I was very young and was only concerned with my Star Wars figures or tormenting my little sister by stealing the beach ball or raft from her in the pool, but that song deeply moved me then and continues to have the same impact on me to this very day. Many years later, Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" continues to be one of my favorite songs of all-time. It is the perfect blend of that smooth atonal sound that was so prevalent in the mid to late 70s with it's instantly memorable chorus and saxophone. Artists such as the Foo Fighters and Rick Springfield (yes, two times in the same article) have recorded their interpretations of "Baker Street," but none are as wonderful as the original. Gerry Rafferty passed away at the age of 63 earlier this January, but his music will live on forever. Thank you, Gerry, for all of the great music and memories!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
"Won't Get Fooled Again" performance from The Kids Are Alright
If you want to see what real rock n' roll looks like and a band enjoying their music then watch this clip from The Who's 1979 rockumentary The Kids Are Alright. Basically, the band didn't feel they had captured solid recorded versions of some of their hit songs, so at their own Shepperton Studios they filmed live recordings in front of a small audience. Now when I say "audience" it was an audience made of close friends, special invitation and fellow musicians to the tune of 500 guests. I believe...at a minimum the adult beverages had been free flowing and what originally started as a recording of a few songs became a full out concert due to the re-takes.
The first 50 seconds of video has some of my favorite Pete Townshend stage moves. For the longest time I thought Pete had ripped his jacket because you can see black underneath his arm,but alas its only the late 70s fashion of his jacket. However he has potential to have ripped everything in this performance between his stage slide and Hail Mary windmills.
The first 50 seconds of video has some of my favorite Pete Townshend stage moves. For the longest time I thought Pete had ripped his jacket because you can see black underneath his arm,but alas its only the late 70s fashion of his jacket. However he has potential to have ripped everything in this performance between his stage slide and Hail Mary windmills.At the 7:50 mark in the video Daltrey's scream erupts out of the smoke and lasers and then goes black intoTownshend's slo-mo power slide. I'll warn you it will make you want to go burn a couch or stomp the gas pedal through the floorboard. I only wish I could have been there in the audience.
"Won't Get Fooled Again" from The Kids Are Alright video
Friday, April 1, 2011
Wash Your Troubles Away
The music we love becomes the soundtrack to our lives. Not a very original thought, I know, but facts is facts. Over the course of my life so far, I've been very fortunate to have discovered a lot of music. Or rather, at times, it's seemed that the music has found me.
One artist I return to often in CD spins and playlist creation is Gil Scott-Heron (b. April 1, 1949). If you only know him as the man behind "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," you are missing out.
His first studio album, Pieces Of A Man, released in 1971 initially received only modest critical response. The album looked unblinkingly at issues such as race relations, the breakdown of families, drug use, self respect, and the power of music to communicate and heal. The power of the compositions and particularly Scott-Heron's intensely personal vocal delivery has forced many reassessments since it's release.
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is the easy track to highlight and has even been called the birth of rap, but rap, hip-hop, neo-soul, and dance all owe huge debts of gratitude to all the tracks on Pieces Of A Man. It fostered styles and conventions that are now so common place that it's easy to forget how groundbreaking it was upon release.
And I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Gil Scott-Heron. His music has been the backdrop to many critical points in my life. Highs and lows, ups and downs, his music has enhanced the good times and helped me through the bad.
Happy birthday, Gil! And thank you.
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iTunes
Please BUY music and support touring artists.
His first studio album, Pieces Of A Man, released in 1971 initially received only modest critical response. The album looked unblinkingly at issues such as race relations, the breakdown of families, drug use, self respect, and the power of music to communicate and heal. The power of the compositions and particularly Scott-Heron's intensely personal vocal delivery has forced many reassessments since it's release.
"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" is the easy track to highlight and has even been called the birth of rap, but rap, hip-hop, neo-soul, and dance all owe huge debts of gratitude to all the tracks on Pieces Of A Man. It fostered styles and conventions that are now so common place that it's easy to forget how groundbreaking it was upon release.
And I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Gil Scott-Heron. His music has been the backdrop to many critical points in my life. Highs and lows, ups and downs, his music has enhanced the good times and helped me through the bad.
Happy birthday, Gil! And thank you.
Amazon
iTunes
Please BUY music and support touring artists.
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