Thanks be to Allegiant Airlines for choosing the Phoenix/Mesa Airport
instead of the bloated Sky Harbor Airport. One thing about Allegiant
Airlines is that it's great to head to the desert without stopping in
other airport hubs. For the first time since 2000, I didn't get body
searched. Here's hoping that Allegiant doesn't go out of business.
However, I'd gladly pay a extra hundred for a childless flight.
Although the baby next to me slept most of the way through, we always
have one child that is the burr in the ass. And this kid's scream are
the kind of screams that pierced the ears of people. If I'm going go
deaf, I don't want be deafened by a banshee scream. And I think this
was the same brat that was screaming up a storm when we went to Phoenix.
With the closing of Fuddruckers at Longmore and Eatza Pizza Buffet
all closed, this was the first trip that I didn't have any pizza nor a
Fudd burger.
I think the era of finding decent CDs at a cheap price is over. With
only six cds bought at Zias, I don't think it was the selection but
knowing that most cds sell at 8.99 means that I could probaly find them
down here. I also didn't buy a single cd at Hastings in the three
locations that i did visit and gave up going to the Prescott store due
to too much traffic and not a realistic chance of finding something out
of print. The traffic in Prescott was very bad, wall to wall cars and
stop lights that take forever to change. Sedona and Prescott, the two
low points of the AZ Trip.
Around the pawnshops no shortage of riff raff and had to deal with
one beaner rapper yakking on a cellphone outside of Super Pawn in Phx. I
must have a good dirty look to scare them away. The object is to walk
fast and walk away from them. Another reason why I don't call Phoenix
home, too much of that riff raff.
Three days after the big storm down there, power is still out in
parts of Central Phoenix. If there's one word to describe the weather
in arizona last week, it would be humid. It was more humid than it was
up here in Iowa and Chandler/Mesa defintly got more rain there than up
here. I know each and every night in the valley there was a lightning
show going on. When Phoenix had that big storm thursday night, I could
still see lightning from as far as Kingman.
And finally, I got to meet Angel Delgadillo, the historian and
original supporter of Route 66 when I was in Seligman Friday. In the
four times prior of going to that town I have never met the man but
really wanted to. And I have never met a more open and friendlier man
than Angel. We got to talk for about ten minites and I told him I
played in a band when he then told me about his big band that used to
play around the Arizona area in the late 40s. Angel's brother Juan owns
the Snow Cap, the burger place a half block down and I got a choclate
malt from Juan and of course he brought out the mustard that squirts
silly string and still has that funny sense of humor. But even though, I
never met Angel beforehand, the man treated me like a long lost friend
and I think that was the high point of the trip. To finally meet a part
of route 66 history. 81 years young, we salute ya Angel Delgadillo and
hope to meet you once again real soon.
Review Central.
John Cale/Terry Riley-Church Of Anthrax (wounded bird)
Reissue of the 1970 album on Columbia. A lot of piano avant garde
jazz type of rock that critics couldn't make heads or tails out of. I
do enjoy the double piano/double drumming of the track Ides Of March.
Watch out the ear piercing The Protege feedback at end of song.
Grade B plus
The Charlatans UK-You Cross My Path (cooking vinyl)
Going for a more techno sound this time out, they spend most of the
album dicking around and not catching fire till the middle of side two.
Not saying this is a regression to the disappointing Us and Us Only and
worse Wonderland, they did manage to get my attention on Up At The Lake
(import only since Island Def Jam pussed out on them) and comeback
Simpatico of a couple years ago but I can't find anything on this album
that I'll remember afterwards, except for the ominous album closer This
Is The End. And it may be for me.
Grade B minus
Groovers: Oh! Vanity, This Is The End
Randy Newman-Harps And Angels (Nonesuch)
Those who called this his first album of originals since Bad Love are
mistaken that this rocks. In fact, Randy ups the horns and strings and
the dixieland music, and does a nice bash instead of the evil bashing
of Governor Bush. In The Defense Of This Country it's called. But
don't let the sarcasms here fool you, Randy can come up with a great
missing you song in between observations too. Not that bad although I
seem to recall Bad Love rocked a little harder. If you can Randy Newman
rock and roll that is. Nah.
Grade B plus
Suggested Cuts: Losing You, Korean Parents, Feels Like Home
The Wailers-Walk Thru The People (Arista)
Like The Fireballs, The Wailers started out as a tough instrumental
band with Tall Cool One being one of their better known songs and then
played tough R and B rockers such as Out Of Our Tree to which are still
avaible on Etiquette Records and Collectibles CDs as well. By the time
they made this forgettible finale for Bell Records they tried to be
hippy dippy and ended up sounding more dated in the process. Unlike The
Fireballs, they didn't have a Bottle Of Wine or Come On React single in
them, all they had was a remake of Smokestack Lightning that owed
something more to the Grateful Dead than Howlin Wolf. By then they
weren't The Fabulous Wailers anymore. Just forgotten. Grade C
Download it if you can find it: Smokestack Lightning.
