It's all good.
I’ve got a couple of short Police gigs for you to check out. One is a instudio at the BBC, the other stateside for Capitol Records right after they got here (in America). Not sure if I’m going to the show yet, may be too rich for my blood.
BBC 1978: 01, Next To You 02, Roxanne 03, Truth Hits Everybody
Capitol Records Session 1979: 1. Interview 2. Message In A Bottle 3. Bed’s Too Big Without You
Last summer I started converting a bunch of old cassettes to digital and I’m just about on the tail end of all the editing. I was working on a couple of files in particular when I noticed the date of the recording was today.When they were around, Extreme was a big favourite of ours. I first heard them in Alex’s basement when he played for me He Man Woman Hater (prefaced by Flight Of The Wounded Bumble Bee) from Pornograffiti. Right away, I was hooked. If they came through town for that record we didn’t know it, or maybe couldn’t afford it.
Fall of 1992 they released III Sides To Every Story, a record with 3 different sections. All good stuff, a little bit of it was over the top but that didn’t stop me from getting a half dozen import singles.
Before their gig at the American Theater they came down to Q106.5’s studio (with opener’s Saigon Kick in tow) to do an in studio. I scheduled my whole afternoon around taping it.
Shortly after, I had copied the songs so much that I started to worry about the tapes integrity so I made a backup. It’s a good thing because I was right, the first tape this was on was a mangled mess. It sounded like the battery was going dead (from a tape deck that was plugged into the wall) with tribal rhythms spiking through out. The back up copy was better but took some poking at.
Here they are in what I assume was the order of broadcast:
Saigon Kick – Space Oddity (David Bowie cover)
Saigon Kick – Love Is On The Way
The gig itself is still top 20 for me, what, now 14 years later. I know I don’t have the setlist (Alex I think you have a bootleg from around this tour), but I remember it being split almost evenly between Pornograffiti and III Sides. A horn section made an oh so tasty appearance for the last 3rd or show of the show which also had a lengthy jam where Nuno did a percussion solo. The gig was joyous and an Extreme amount of fun was had by all. Pun intended.
Saigon Kick was full on rock posture but not a lot of substance, though I remember really wanting to think they had substance. The only thing I remember about their set was some sort of power amp blew out and for 30 seconds or so the soundtrack to a full rock light show was being pumped through a single guitar amp, drums, and the bass rig. Their interview segment before their single is pretty funny though.
Also, last week Alex and were watching our sons play while talking about Ozzy Osbourne at the Fox (here in St. Louis) February 16, 1992.
We had 3rd row seats, all the way to the left, right up against some speakers that fueled our yelling and headbanging.
Prong opened the show. There wasn’t much of a crowd at the time, probably because they weren’t very well known. I wasn’t into them and don’t remember much about their set other than wanting them to stop sucking so Ozzy could come out.
The setlist is kind of sketchy as I wasn’t writing them down at the time, but here’s what I remember.
Bark At The Moon opened the show, but he also played Shot In The Dark, bought a young Jack onstage for Goodbye To Romance, the Sabbath tunes Paranoid and Snowblind, and bunch of Randy Rhoads era stuff. He did No More Tears and a few other songs from that record (for which he was touring). Mama I’m Coming Home had just been released and it was played after the houselights went up. Guitarist Zakk Wylde sat on one of the speakers smoking a cigarette. Wylde did part of his big Suicide Solution solo on top of the speaker that we had just hurled ourselves against. Early on the show Ozzy told the crowd he was told by his doctor that the 103 degree fever would be “no show for you tonight Ozzy”. Characteristically, Ozzy proclaimed, “So I said f*** you!!!!!” Alex and I went wild and the crowd tried to keep up.
Another thing I remember, and Alex can attest to this, was the amazing hangtime bass player Michael Inez achieved with his hair. Inez would headbang forward sending his hair, I swear to you on my copy of Just Say Ozzy, all the way out to row R. It would linger slow motion for the whole guitar solo, the crowd awed, and a twitch of his neck brought it all back home leaving a couple of empty seats in it’s wake as the song went to the closing section. Sacrifices to the hair gods.
I know that my neck was sore for a week, and I could barely talk the next day, or the next day, or the next day, until the day after that next day.
It’s funny to think that when we saw this Ozzy gig he was still the guy who ate a bat while peeing on the Alamo. Now he’s the reality show guy on MTV who doesn’t speak clearly.
Dig the tunes.
If I had really listened to Little Trip To Heaven by Tom Waits before Trish and I got married 5 years ago I might have suggested this as our first dance. I think about her whenever I listen to it.
Our Jessie girl is asleep so I’m taking this opportuneity to talk about the Grammys. Really, just one thing about the Grammy’s.
The Police are opening the Grammy’s (Sunday) and I’m rather stoked about it. For 2 reasons, first is that the POLICE ARE GOING TO PLAY!!!! I’m sure we’ll hear Every Breath You Take or Roxanne but still, as Brody would say: Damn that’s hot! The Police may have been the first band I got into as a whole outfit instead of on the basis of good single (think about it, I loved 99 Red Balloons but it never occurred to me to buy the whole album, I had the Police tapes). Come to think of it, Duran Duran is that in that same time frame too. In any case, they were an early favourite and I remember being disappointed when Mom told me they were breaking up. There are rumours that their March 12 press conference is to announce a tour. Makes sense anyway. I will pay to see that.
The 2nd reason I’m stoked is that ads for this year’s Grammy Awards have stated that the Police will open the show. That means I don’t have to suffer the Best New Cupie Doll for very long. If you’re curious about the nominees you can see them all here.
Watching the Grammy Awards is a very fond childhood memory but drifted away when I realized a couple. One is that there are differences between music I like and what is good (the oft mentioned Vixen applies) meaning that the guilty pleasures (we all have them) are not likely to get nominated. Another is that what I was listening to was no longer reflected in either the performances or the nominees. I saw what I was too naïve to see as a kid in that the commerce precedes art in it’s importance.
Here’s a few tunes from the Police box set, Message In A Box, to commemorate.
Burn For You – Recorded for Last Exit, Sting’s band before the Police. Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland felt it was too sentimental for Zenyatta Mondatta (first album) so it was left off. Sting performed this on his first solo tour and it was pretty darn better than this one. But then his first tour as ‘Sting’ was a 5 piece* and the additional instrumentation gave the song some more depth and groove.
Driven To Tears (live) – A very cool song with, in this case, a very cool guitar solo. Stewart Copeland says in the liner notes that Summers could do a better solo in 8 bars than most could do in 32. That was due in part that he never got more than 8 bars in which to solo.
*Branford Marsalis (sax, booty kicking, many bands and groups), Omar Hakim (drums, Weather Report), Kenny Kirkland (piano, played with Wynton Marsalis), Darryl Jones (bass, played with Miles), and 2 back up singers (one from Philly, one was a school teacher).
Yeah, I know we’re pretty far into the year but I’m just now getting time to do anything. So here’s my take on the best of 2006. A couple of the bands/albums were released before I got into kindergarten, but I’m including them because I just got into them last year.
Those oldies are probably a good place to start then isn’t it?
Steely Dan. Late 2005 I was listening to a ripped copy of a Steely Dan best of comp when I noticed the bass line from Peg. It floored me and defined an already hook laden song. I got the original album, Aja, for Christmas (a year ago) and immediately got into it. So much so that in short order Gaucho and Katy Lied were acquired. I completely see what I’ve been reading about hear and there for years. The songs are exquisite and the sound is top notch. Peg was featured in Quickie #2.
Velvet Underground. This is one of a dozen bands that it seems everyone at the radio station had knowledge of and a definitive opinion on. Not that folks sat around talking about V.U.’s merits or deficiencies, but they were used quite a bit as a point of comparison. The only song I’d really heard was Heroin (on The Doors soundtrack) but last year I picked up The Velvet Underground & Nico (got it for Christmas actually). The album blew me away. Atmospheric, intense, and at times bouncy. No truer songs recorded about a drug dealer than this one, Waiting For The Man.
Corrinne Bailey Rae. I first heard Corrinne Bailey Rae on the South By Southwest website last year. A song called ‘Put Your Record On’ was posted for download and it was one of 20 or so that made the cut from the 200 or so I downloaded. I dug the tune and filed it away during a flurry of new acquisitions. When her album came out Mom and Dad copied her disc for me thinking I might like it, which I did (and it’s so cool for me when Mom and Dad say, “We dig this, check it out), and I’m now hooked. Rae has a smooth voice and songs in an equally smooth soul sort of vibe. I’ve got the album, an in studio, a live EP, and always have my look out for more. Check out this live version of Like A Star.
Neko Case. This songwriter was a very slow build for me. A song here, and song there, each one really well done and addicting. I partiuclarly liked Margaret Vs. Pauline (in Podcast #9). I don’t necessarily like all the echo put on her vocals (and it’s just not on her album, everything I’ve heard from her in the past year has the same sound, I’m convinced she has some sort of echo button attached to her thorax) but her songs are spun with good ol’ fashioned characters and stories. NPR posted a full gig to check out.
Les Claypool – One Better. This song, more than any other on Of Whales & Woe grooves me to the core. The vibe is straight up Isley Brothers and the lyrics are a daft observation about our overcompetetive (and as a result, shallow) culture. The rest of the album has a lot of standout points. Claypool played all of the instruments himself in his home studio, Rancho Relaxo, bringing in his veteran players to add the sonic accents. I’d post an mp3 but I’m prepping roughly 2-3 weeks of nothing but Claypool postings. In the meantime World Cafe has a 3 song live set streaming.
U2, 12-6-82. As an average, I probably score a bootleg a week. I usually check the same 2 sites every day or two and it’s feast or famine. Either nothing interesting enough to grab or 2 or 3 to grab. Shortly after the most recent U2 concert in December 2005 I found this soundboard on a U2 only torrent site and it has quickly become one of my favourites. Though I really got into U2 with Achtung Baby I’ve come to dig their first 4 or 5 albums just as much. Their earlier material didn’t use keyboards as heavily, Adam Clayton’s bass had a larger role, and the lyrics were just as strong but had a different approach (they were recognized as a Christian band when they got there start, that might be part of it). Gloria is one of the standouts from that show.
Tom Waits – Orphans. I’ve been a fan of Tom Waits for about 10 years now. I first sought him out after hearing Sarah McLachlan do Ol’ 55 on her Freedom Sessions album. I think I got introduced to him the right way. His early stuff sounds like the guy playing piano in a smoky dive bar and all of his songs are about the people in that bar. I got more into him as my taste started to change and he was always a couple steps ahead of what I could appreciate. This 3 disc box brings about all the soundtracks, compilation tracks, and some unreleased stuff that show different styles. I’m still sifting through it because I typically have to let it absorb. I can remind of you of a link to free songs.
Dresden Dolls. Duo’s that aren’t guitar based rarely work for me. There is something usually missing in the sound. Not with this band. The first song I heard was Dirty Business and the sound of the drums and piano filled the room. Very dynamic soundwise, the lyrics are very literate and interesting. This song is in Note To Self #10. It helps they have a cool blog and a couple of songs on their website you can acquire.
Pearl Jam. Boy, these guys came back like a mofo last year. Almost every song on this self-titled record invoked the same feeling that I got when hearing Vitalogy for the first time. There’s a healthy dose of the spirit shown in parts of Vs as well. My only complaint is that the record is too damn loud. I listen to a bootleg webcast from Letterman’s studio instead of the cd most of the time. They’re website is pretty spanky too. Nice song index.
Raconteurs. I think this album could make me a White Stripes fan. I heard Steady As She Goes somewhere (I think KDHX) and soon after downloaded a live appearance they made at the BBC. Downloaded the album (emusic) and dug the heck out of it. My affection for it is surprising since I’m not partial to the White Stripes. Maybe I just like Jack White when he’s collaborating. I don’t know. Maybe I should further investigate the White Stripes. Part of my interest in the Raconteurs, and I think I mentioned this in Podcast #10, is that the Raconteurs’ rhythm section is from a band called The Greenhornes, for whom I’ve mixed a live performance at the station. To cap this segment, a live version of Level (for Alex).
KT Tunstall. I’m noticing that I started digging a lot of chic singers this year. One of the folks in my music club at work put her song Black Horse & The Cherry Tree on a mix and it became a favourite. I bought a couple things of hers and the clincher was hearing her in an interview (an AOL Podcast). Her personality is reflective of her writing style and I like when an songwriter is connected to their songs in that natural way. She also uses an effect pedal (the Akai Headrush as I understand) that enables her to record her own backing vocals, rhythm guitar and such (a delay or sample effect I assume) but she’s wise not to over use it. There’s a free mp3 on her site, but you can get it from me because that site is a pain.
Drew Johnson/Formula Kid. I got a copy of The Drew Johnson Band cd at the radio station summer of 2001. Good pop rock, and a few of the songs perfectly match that end of summer sort of vibe. I lost track for a while because their website wasn’t updated regularly. A year and half or so ago I checked it and poof! There were craploads of mp3′s posted. The music geek part of me was excited because most of the songs were works in progress. One song, Dog & Pony Show, was posted 3 times in various forms. Since I’m not a songwriter (Porter’s potty training song not withstanding) I love to see the process. Lead singer/main songwriter of Formula Kid, Drew Johnson, blogged pretty regularly about the progress of the album and his intention to release it even though the band was broken up. Late last year he posted the 7 songs that comprised the album on the Formula Kid website. I was very happy about that, but something else that geeked me out was that he posted the songs as mp3′s, and uncompressed .wav files. The songs in their finished form are really something. So much so that I posted as much on the website. That’s probably the first time I posted on a site that wasn’t run by one of my people and wasn’t trafficing in naked Bea Arthur pictures). Check out the album and the other stuff (including the Drew Johnson Band record are here.
There are some individual tunes/honorable mentions that I’ve left out in the interest of brevity (which is already lacking).
Oh, one last thing. The most amazing live performance I saw last year was Beck on SNL. This version of Clap Hands was removed from You Tube et al at Beck’s request but since my humble blog doesn’t register in the top 1,000,000 I’m probably safe posting.
A closing thought though, and this didn’t really occur to me until now. This past year became a completely new way to get music. Long and short is that 2006 was the first year since, oh, about 1990 that I wasn’t buying a cd at the bareass minimum of 1 a week. Nor was copying a disc or two during Alex & I/my weekly radio show. Most of my new music came from blogs, e-music, magazine sampler cd’s, bootlegs, and friends (that includes my music club at work, which is really really awesome). I bought maybe 10 cd’s at the store and my criteria for actually buying a new cd (as opposed to catalog purchases) has change dramatically too.
Word up people.