Since Los Lobos came to town, we been having some great outdoor shows in the past couple weeks. Saturday up in Dubuque we had Starship and REO Speedwagon paying a visit whereas in Cedar Rapids Alan Jackson, Joe Nichols and Phil Vassar were putting the country downtown. And then Sunday it was Weezer, Filter, Cheville, Tonic and some other band that escapes my thinking (Fuel). Even two blocks away we could hear the angry nu metal of Chevelle, thought it was Filter but it wasn't. Hell they all sound the same, with the exception of Weezer who rocked the place pretty well.
REO didn't disappoint but Starship featuring Mickey Thomas sucked most of the show and the chick singer trying to sound like Grace Slick on White Rabbit couldn't cut it so I went to Diamond Jo and played the penny slots and still lost 20 dollars in the process. Last time I was up there Nicole won 40 bucks, while I lost 50. Which probably should tell me just never to gamble again. Only good luck ever had was Vegas in 82 when I won 300 dollars and then promptly gave it back in half hour. Fucking casinos anyway. I thought the opening act was Head East but it turned out to be Stranded In Iowa, a fairly decent covers band of the classic rock era. They even did Bon Jovi justice too. I don't hold much credo for any covers band anymore, even my old band I probably slam for the overplayed but Stranded In Iowa is pretty good. Up in Auburn Hills, Radiohead played there and everybody had a good time from what I heard. Steve Earle and The Dukes will be playing in Iowa City come August 7th at the Englert Theatre and it might be worth going too. A week before that Taj Mahal plays there too.
I think this year I'm going to try to get out more often to see such shows. The Bellamy Brothers play at Central City next month, Blake Shelton at Jones County Fair and the Turtles Happy Together Tour at the State Fair In Des Moines. Plenty to consider. Maybe even The Townedgers might be reuniting as well? One never knows.
Look for Los Lobos to open for Neil Young And Crazy Horse this fall. Patti Smith replaces Los Lobos in November.
I don't know if anybody mentioned this but sometime in early January, the other Fleetwood Mac guitar player in the Bob Welch era Bob Weston passed away at age 64 from various problems. Weston replaced Danny Kerwin and recorded two albums Mystery To Me and Penguin before Mick Fleetwood bounced him out of the band for personal differences. Rumour had it that Weston had the hots for Fleetwood's wife at the time.
Link of the week: http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/
For the old fart rocker like me (and you dear reader) it's hard getting news about my favorite artists still living while Rolling Stone and Spin continue to kiss ass over reality stars, movie star and anything but rock stars. Vintage Vinyl News has the lowdown on such forgotten favorites like Tommy Roe (who is playing for at Riverside Casino this month), Freddy Cannon and many others. And where I found that tidbit about Bob Weston. Check it out.
The Top Ten Of The Week:
1. Caravan-Rush 2012 The big event this week is the new Clockwork Angels album from Rush and if somebody would have recorded this album right this would rank into the top five all time Rush. They have performed this live during their last couple tours and it's everything you'd expect. Problem is THE RECORDING IS RECORDED TOO FUCKING LOUD! Just like they did with Vapour Trails but unlike that album Clockwork Angels has much better songs. Blame Richard Chycki for the over recording and hope maybe next time they'll get Stephen Wilson from Porcupine Tree to at least record the whole thing. Neil Peart is thinking of doing Clockwork Angels as a sci fi novel. Should be worth a read.
2. Night Time-George Thorogood 1986 Originally done for the MCA Better Than The Rest album, we take this cut from the Live album and this blows the studio version away. But then again I always wondered if this was done in the studio with live overdubs since it has that loud Terry Manning drum sound that he was famous for in the mid 80s. George was more blues and hooker at the start but as the years went on, he added more boogie to his blues and won me over. But if you want to hear the real blues you go to.......
3. Back Door Man-Howlin Wolf 1960 This is the blues kids and this version is the real deal. Chester Burnett sounding real mean and nasty, taking your wife or GF and eats more chicken than any man can seen. Jim Morrison tried his best to sound like Wolf on the Doors' classic album but it pales next to the original.
4. All That I Am-The Creation 1967
5. I Don't Believe You-Len Price 3 2010
The 60's are done and they been done for 5 decades now. The hippie chick that looked great back then is now a senior citizen as well the hippie dude if he hadn't succumbed to a drug overdose or cirrhosis of the liver. But once in a while a band will come along and add the influences of the band's of the past and sometimes I will come across them. The Len Price 3 remains the best interpreters of the early Who/Kinks/Creation sound that is in each and every of their 3 albums that Little Steven put out on his Wicked Cool label. The Creation on the other hand was more popular in the UK then over here, Makin Time was used for a beer commercial and a movie and Decca issued How Does It Feel as a 45 (it flopped) in 1968. Led by Eddie Phillips for their better stuff, The Creation could have been twins of The Who although they didn't employ a wild drummer but Phillips could keep up with Peter Townsend anytime. By All That I Am, Phillips left and he was replaced by Ronnie Wood (yes that guy who would go on in Faces and later The Rolling Stones) and this song owed more to the Hollies than The Who. Which isn't a bad thing, it does have a catchy chorus to it. The Creation, one of the best bands of the 60s you never heard because radio won't play them.
6. Personality Crisis-New York Dolls 1973 Yep, the outrageous cross dancing kinda ruined them, but the lineup with Jerry Nolan would kick major music booty for their two albums and then the reunion which gave us two pretty good albums, a okay live album, and that fiasco that they recorded for 429 just about ruined their rep. Losing Sam Jaffe didn't help either but then again it was always more David and Sylvan and the hired hands. Their first album remains in print in the five dollar section for those who wanted to know all about the fuss.
7. Superman-The Kinks 1979 There was a disco version of this song years ago that Record Realm sold in the late 70's and this song is a rarity in itself that the single version is longer than the album track. Good old Arista Records on track for that. Wouldn't know anything about it had I not picked up a 45 of that song at Encore last month. The Come Dancing best of has the single version as far as I can, at least the album did. No idea on the Velvel/Koch reissue though. Not high on the list to get.
8. Hypnotized-Fleetwood Mac 1973 And so, trying to figure out what to put down as the tribute song that best described Bob Welch's years with the Mac I had two choices and both were from Mystery To Me, Emerald Eyes and The City to which Bob revisited on the 2006 Mac Years And Beyond 2 CD that nobody bought. Sentimental Lady not my favorite version but The Ghost off Bare Trees (Geezus, good thing we have spell check and backward key, this fucking post is killing my fingers) was considered as well. Welch will appear later in the year with another track from the solo era but in the end, I decided to go with this song which remains a classic rock staple. Also Mick Fleetwood gets credit for playing that triple beat for five minutes without doing any drum roll or cymbal hits. It might be even tougher to play than Neil Peart's stuff for that matter.
9. I Want More-The Hives 2012 Everybody's favorite garage band from the other side of the ocean is back and they're rockin and stealin everywhere on Lex Hives which may be their best album to date. Joan Jett should sue them for taking the I Love Rock And Roll riff that starts out this song. But I love these guys anywhere, that's the power of rock and roll. Recycle baby!
10. Going To California-Led Zeppelin 1971 It sounded like a good song to end the top ten of the week don't cha think?
Honourable Mentions:
1. Tell Her She's Lovely-El Chicano 1974
2. Lay Something On The Bar (Besides Your Elbow) Chuck Murphy 1954
3. Can't Get Enough Of You Baby-Smash Mouth 1999
4. Listen Through The Static-The Nadas 2005
5. Lonely Boy-Paul Anka 1963
Final thoughts:
The new Gregg Allman autobiography is a great read if you ever come across it used at your local bookstore. I think I read about 5 chapters when I was up at Books A Million. But too cheap to pay the 27 bucks to get it (minus the 30 percent discount). I'm sure it will turn up used eventually.
Patience people ;-)
6 comments:
REO Speedwagon is making a few stops here in Wisconsin. My girlfriend and I may be going to see them at the Walworth County Fair during the Labor Day weekend.
I did get the new Rush album already. Only gotten a chance to listen to about a half of it. From what I heard of it I liked. At moments it really shines! Yet, I can't quite say it their best album yet, considering I LOVE the other albums like A Farwell to Kings, Hemispheres, 2112, and Moving Pictures.
Hi Drew
REO is always worth going to see if they come to town. Here's hoping you don't get stuck with Mickey Thomas and Starship for the opening act.
Clockwork Angels really roars out of the gate and it sounds like it, It would have been done better had they not recorded it in the Red. I might consider buying the 2 Record vinyl album for a alternative sound. The earlier albums you mention sound better.
I think Clockwork Angels gets the nod over Snakes n Ladders but then again Rush has never made a bad album.
It was only $30 that I won. $10 of that $40 was actually the money I won back. As for Radiohead, great concert at the Palace, but still won't own their stuff. - The Brat
Needless to say, you won twice more at the Diamond Jo, I lost twice that much in going back there. At least the Pepsi was free up there (didn't know they have free pepsi first time I went there). Radiohead is an acquired taste for myself. At least ya had a good time up there Brat! Cheers!
Crabby: Yeah, Bob Weston was messing with Mick Fleetwood's wife -- details are in Mick's autobiography, FLEETWOOD, which actually DOES talk about the music in some depth, tho it's mostly about why-the-breakups & who slept with who. It's been a bad month for former Macs....
More & more I think the key to fighting off depression is finding something you're good at or enjoy doing & wrapping yourself up in it when all else fails. But not everybody can do this -- not everybody can find something that makes them feel good. It's hard. I tried the drugs too, and 1nce I got over that zombie feeling I even enjoyed them, but I don't wanna live my life that way.
I figure, long as I can write & read & play music, I'm gonna be around. That gets me through. But eventually I've GOT to move somewhere other than western Washington where the gray rainy winters just keep draggin ON....
Keep rockin!
I read the book years ago Tad and still surprised that Stevie Nicks still talks to the Mick after the dirt he slag in there but I think he wrote about the Bob Welch era too.
Depression is kinda like Sheryl Crow and her brain tumor, it's there in the background. From the people that I knew had it, they hid it very well, they were positive all the way till they either hung themselves or OD. I figure as long as there's tunes to listen to or music to get and comment that will keep me busy till I end up getting a heart attack or stroke from yelling at Cubs games or when the printer at work breaks down.
I tend to believe the longer you bitch the longer God lets you live so I figure to be here another 500 years....... ;)
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