Monday, July 11, 2016

Week In Review: The Dawn And On Jam 2016, Steven Tyler

One of the most exciting things that happened over last weekend was The Dawn hosting their own jam session in Moline, with plenty of bands to take the stage. http://www.qconline.com/multimedia/dawn-and-on-music-festival/collection_0950284a-463d-11e6-9d8e-9ff20632eeac.html#4

The set list taken from The Dawn FB Site https://www.facebook.com/thedawnmusicofficial

 
(Photo: Ashley Crider-Dawn And On Festival 7/9/16)

WOW!!!! Yesterday was amazing! Dawn and On 2016 was a huge success! Thank you to everyone involved! It was the highlight of the year and we love you all so much!!!! See you at DAO 2017!!!!
The Dawn- DAO 7/9/16
Freezeframe, A Little Piece of Mind, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes*, Paradise, While My Guitar Gently Weeps^, St. Augustine^, Troubled Days, Walking On The Moon# >2001, Ticklelicious
Encore: Young Americans+
Encore 2: Rosanna#
*= with Candy Trumpet, Bethann Gavin, Erin Moore and Christina Strickland Boyer
^= with Joe Marcinek
#= with Derek Fortin
+= with Derek Fortin and Kelsey Lillion
Percussion guests= Joe McKinney, Edub Wilson and Cush Chrisman

Next up: The Down On The Farm Festival July 29-30 in Manhattan Illinois. 


 (Photo: Julie and the mad dogs facebook site)

Closer to home, Friday Night was a wild party down at Rumors, as Julie And The Mad Dogs took over the stage with special guest stars such as Scott Sanborn, KGAN/FOX 28 news anchor.  Since April The Record World folk continue to take notice of their last few dates with their future up in the air.  But the world's worst kept secret is that they will continue to play around the area, they are not breaking up.  Plenty of rock and roll was still coming from past the 1 AM cut off time, with guest jammers wailing away at Van Halen Ain't Talking About Love, AIC Boy In The Box and Voodoo Chile before the plug was pulled.    Of course, Mike Serbousek got to sing Johnny B Goode with the infamous Crabby playing mad drums, plus a couple other songs.  Although, I couldn't make it till the final set (busy at work), their final set, they managed to get the folks on the dance floor.  Sunday, Mad Dog guitarist Dakota McWhortor joined the Rumor's Popcorn Jam with Troy Harper and myself for a few classic rock favorites.  Anybody that plays Cinnamon Girl is super cool in my book.  Highlight of that Sunday jams was War Pigs, which Terry McDowell kicked major butt.  Surprised that Black Sabbath didn't pick him to do their farewell tour.

Saturday I had plans to catch Four Day Creep, Rick Clay's southern rock style band at Cedar River Landing but it was company night at the ball park, so I ended up going to that and watching the disappointing Cedar Rapids Kernels lose to Kane Country 7-4 before 3500 people.  For 24 dollars you get to sit in the upper deck, eat as much hot dogs, hamburgers and brats as you can or have your choice of 7 oz pop or beer.  It seems to me that each year, they jack the price up and offer less and less.  I wasn't impressed with the pork and beans, (they were crunchy) and in typical clumsy ass fashion I managed to drop my hamburger on the damn floor.  It didn't help much to have two brats sitting down the aisle getting up to go grab more pop or hot dogs and come back, sit down for two seconds and off they go again.  Should have trade places with them,  I counted about 28 times they got up their chair to do something and come back again.  Plus having lower back spams didn't help the situation either.   As it stands, I don't think the Kernels have the players to get to the playoffs this time out, all the good players have been promoted to double A or triple A and in their spot, they get shaky infielders with batting averages lower than the Mendoza Line, and the relief pitching is awful.  Derreck Rodriguez, who stunk up the joint last time I've seen them play in May, did pitched better this time out, but the reliever came in, walked a batter, next batter got a hit and then a Kane County player hit a 3 run home run and Kane County never looked back.

Joe Perry needs a rest.  Sunday he was playing with The Hollywood Vampires when all of a sudden he felt sick and collapsed behind the stage as they were playing I Gotta Line On You.  He's in stable condition and resting comfortably and should be back on stage some time in the near future.  On another note, isn't Steven Tyler's country album out yet?   

It's All Star Break, and the Chicago Cubs need a break. They finally managed to beat Pittsburgh 6-5 Sunday but since losing Dexter Fowler to a hamstring, they have been 7-17 and lead the Pirates by six and a half games.  Still the Cubs are 17 games over 500, but the past two weeks, they simply have wilted under playing 22 straight games and Jake Arreita beginning to walk more people, he isn't the dominant pitcher he was in April/May.  The Cubs simply stunk it up when The Mets swept them in four last weekend.  Here's hoping that if they play each other in the playoffs, the Cubs can sweep them.

Passings: Danny Smythe, drummer for the Box Tops died July 6th.  He was 67.


This week's reviews:

Steven Tyler-We're All Somebody From Somewhere (Dot/Big Machine 2016)

This is about as country as Music From Another Dimension was and just as bombastic.  Take away the pseudo fiddle, the twangy mandolin, and that banjo and set time back two decades and it comes across a rock album, but without Aerosmith's rocking sensibility and more ballads than Get A Grip.  The majority of the tracks are produced with John Henry (T Bone) Burnett, and the worst tracks are done by Dann Huff (responsible for that God awful Red White And You, Only Heaven  and Love Is Your Name).  Tyler does co write three songs with the goofy Warren Brothers  and My Own Worst Enemy sounds more at home on MFAD then here, at least Aerosmith could rock out the ending much better.  Like Music From Another Dimension, Tyler tries too hard to be all everything and the record tends to be a clash of ideas, certainly the world didn't need another version of Janie's Got A Gun.  Take away the Bro Country shenanigans of White Red And You or Love Is Your Name, and focus more on the blues side of things (Tyler's last good album was Honkin on Bobo) and this record could be remembered in a different light.  The record isn't all trash, pick your spots and the songs do stand out.  Gypsy Girl is one of Tyler's better ballads, and there's a sly sense of humor in The Good, The Bad, The Ugly And Me or I Make My Own Sunshine.  For the rockers, you have Marti Fredicksen production with his usual mixed results although the cover of Piece Of My Heart with The Loving Mary Band is a nice fun romp.  But Tyler, nor his production team could stick with the country formula before getting desperate and coming up with a few ballads in the style of Get A Grip or for that matter the song Crazy.  Like Music From Another Dimension, it ends up trying everything and pleasing nobody.  It took Big Machine and Universal a year after sitting on this to finally releasing it. And come in a couple weeks this record will be forgotten as well.
Grade C

Counterpoint: http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-steven-tylers-were-all-somebody-from-somewhere/

The Cure Greatest Hits (Elektra 2001)

In my lifetime I never paid much attention to Robert Smith and his band, I did had Staring At The Sea a couple times but both CDs seem to skip.  I basically got Greatest Hits for research in case of a forthcoming band project and if somebody wanted to do Love Song.  In essence, I can't thumb my nose at the whole thing, their better known songs do have a catchy hook to them being the staggered three beat of Boys Don't Cry, the power goth pop of Friday I'm In Love or the drummer's china crashes of Lullaby.  I suppose the best songs do come off their late 80s and early 90s albums, since their early stuff came on Sire, none of that is on this album and technically, Boys Don't Cry is the best starting point.  Smith's EDM fixations tends to drag this a bit, the new songs Cut Here and Just Say Yes, are merely filler.  But as they say, if you want the best overview and can't find Staring At The Sea, Greatest Hits is as advertised.
Grade B+

Tesla-Five Man Acoustical Jam (Geffen 1990)

In some ways, this record did usher in the unplugged era, not that it started with this album mind you, but rather Jules Shear did something called Unplugged for VH-1, to which artist simply brought their acoustic guitars and jam for an hour.   Tesla, in my opinion was a hard rock band, not hair metal, their music had too much bite for the pap of the likes of Poison or Britney Fox.  Their first two albums were decent hard rock but both albums clocked at around an hour, which tends to bore the less interested.  This record no exception, clocking close to 68 minutes and this too, tends to wonder all over the place.  The problem is the acoustic version of Coming Atcha and (No Way Out )Heaven's Trail are for electric guitars, realizing that, they do plug in the finale of Love Song to which the fans really go all out.  Despite a few F Bombs, Tesla reveals that they do have a love of classic rock in the five tracks, a made up as they go Truckin, nice versions of We Can Work It Out and Lodi and a well deserved hit in the remake of Signs, a song that Jeff Keith wishes that they could written that one.  As for a live performance, Tesla sounds inspired and they are having lots of fun as well as the Philadelphia crowd.  While some people think Nirvana's unplugged Cd is definite, I tend to favor Tesla's good time sightly more.
Grade B+

Raindogs-Border Drive In Theater (Atco 1991)

The Raindogs were stuck in between music styles:  they were not hair metal, nor grunge, but they weren't country either, they were kind of a gentler John Mellencamp.  Their second album for Atco went right into the budget bins which is kind of a shame,  Some Fun, featuring Harry Dean Stinton doing some poetry in the middle section is really a good Americana track.  While Don Gehman (Mellencamp, Hootie And The Blowfish) produced this, it's Kevin Smith who recorded this and without the sonic thump of Gehman's previous albums with John Mellencamp, the drums do sound a bit like cardboard boxes.  Mark Cutler, who sounds like Steve Wynn writes 9 tales of love and woe and basic craziness (Dance Of The Freaks, features Iggy Pop reciting a poem, complete with a MF bomb) as well as a stripped down Let's Work Together.   The only  time Cutler gets into Mellencamp territory is Look Out Your Window, but he does throw a Tom Petty reference is on side 2 opener Stop Shakin' Me Down, with the late Johnny Cunningham adding violin touches.  25 years down the road, Border Drive In Theater has kinda lost a bit of it's hooky charm that made me played it regularly and spoke of it as a lost budget classic.  It still remains a likeable record and anybody does name their album after a drive in, will still get three and a half stars in the final analysis.  Too bad that Atlantic never gave much thought about promoting the album and writing it off as a tax loss, three months after the release and throw it in the bargain bins.   It deserved a better fate.
Grade B+


Kenny Neal-Hoodoo Moon (Alligator 1994)

For fourth generation blues, Neal has carved out a nice little blues career himself.  From Baton Rouge, Neal recorded for Alligator in the 1990s, most have their moments and although I really don't know much about his music, Hoodoo Moon is a nice polished updated sort of Louisiana bayou blues via way of Chicago and he is working with Lucky Petersen on this album.  At times he reminds me a laid back Bobby Bland or Tyrone Davis.  Yes we get the usual name checking on I'm A Blues Man, the BB King type of playing and a dated 90s horn charts but look deeper and on the best moment, he covers Warren Haynes' If Wishes Were Nickels.  Even while covering Elmore James It Hurts Me Too, he does bring his own style to that song. Very workmanlike but professionally well done.
Grade B+

Albums from my youth:  The Rolling Stones-Some Girls (Rolling Stone 1978)

Perhaps the last classic Stones album ever made?   Hard to say, since it starts out with the disco shuffle of Miss You and side 2's opener's Far Away Eyes were the two tracks I didn't care much for. But after Miss You, we got the hard rocking When The Whip Comes Down with perhaps my favorite line of all time: when the shit's bad, sitting on the can, or that's how I made out the words.  And then after Far Away Eyes, we got Respectable.  For the best song, I tend to enjoy their cover of Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me) and runner up Shattered.   Getting Chris Kimsey to record it was a good idea, he certainly brighten up the mix better than Goat's Head Soup or It's Only Rock And Roll.  Some people took offense on the title track, it didn't bother me much, nor did Beast Of Burden, which was kind of boring to these ears.  I also didn't think Ron Wood was better used for the album, I think he had more of a identity on Black And Blue more, but this is more Keith Richard's album anyway, with his Chuck Berry riffs and of course his usual vocal song in Before They Make Me Run.  I used to think this was a solid A album and some ways it still earns that A grade despite classic rock radio running Miss You and Beast Of Burden into the ground.  And the rockers still remain great rockers, and Lies a not bad filler rocker.  But The Stones would never make that hardcore classic album ever again, they came somewhat close with Emotional Rescue (more than Tattoo You but just my opinion) and Voodoo Lounge.   You can say they basically coasted on their albums of the past and simply made albums for the fact of having something new out.  Some Girls is the last of the five star albums.
Grade A




Singles going steady Medley-Madison Leftovers on the country side

Fan The Flame, Feed The Fire-Don Gibson (ABC Hickory AH-54010)  1977
Best known for his RCA singles, Gibby stayed for a long time at Hickory Records, even as that label was absorbed into the ABC banner.  A great songwriter, by then Don started to cherry pick other songwriters, most notably Eddy Raven who came up with this top 40 country hit single. Harmonica none other than by Charlie McCoy who played on just about everything that needed a harmonica to it.

Another Lonely Night-Carl Belew  (Decca 31200) 1961

File this under forgotten country singers of the past, Belew is best known for co writing Lonely Street and sung by many folks.  A hard honky tonkin song, it does sound like Owen Bradley produced it and arranged it. Sure beats anything bro country today.  This was in the mist of Belew's first tenure at Decca Records (from 1959 to 1961) which his biggest known hit was Am I That Easy To Forget (1959).  Carl went to RCA for 8 years before returning back to Decca/MCA in 1970 though 1974. In his time, he never did release Lonely Street as a stand alone single though.

Three Days-Faron Young (Capitol 4696)  1962

Another song co written with Willie Nelson, this was winding down his time at Capitol Records. A honky tonk song with a bizarre guitar lead.  You have to hear it to believe it.

It's Not Supposed To Be That Way-Steve Young (RCA PB-10868)  1976
Young's best known for Seven Bridges Road but he covered this Willie Nelson tune to little fanfare.

Not So Long Ago-Marty Robbins (Columbia 4-42831)  1963
A honky tonk update of El Paso.  Hard to figure Marty at times, he could do cowboy songs, he could honky tonk, he could do rockabilly, he could also do pop too.  With mixed results. For fun and giggles try to hear the El Paso melody in the lyrics.

You Got Me Runnin-Jim Glaser  (Noble Vision NV-102)  1983
A cover of the Parker McGee 1977 song that Gene Cotton got a modest hit out of.  A nice song but it does sound dated even for 1983.

American Heartbeat-Survivor  (Scotti Brothers ZS4-03213)  1982 #17
Follow up to their Eye Of The Tiger hit (#1), but you don't hear this on the radio, nor see it on their first best of.  Basically very cliche sounding and played to the masses.

I'm Going Home-The Kingston Trio (Decca 31730)  1964
Their second single for Decca after being on Capitol for many years.  Even for a folk single it's kind of blah to hear.

Love Is Blue-Paul Mauriat (Philips 40495 or Double sided hit 872 852-7)  1968 #1

Perhaps the weirdest hippie dippy classic of them all, it's basically more of a muzak pop instrumental that somehow both young and old seem to like. Grooving Harpsichord, rocking strings and horns and an uptempo playing drummer, it might be the only song that got played on the underground FM station and muzak station back in 68, but that's the power of an hook driven song.   But this also concludes this medley of the rest of the 45's that I found in Madison last month, not much rock and roll but plenty of country and oddball music.  I'm not sure if this finally tips Record World into the land of the anything but rock and roll singles, or simply the world's most hoarded batch of 45s in the neighborhood. Anyhoo, this completes this month's selection of the latest batch of 45s for now.  Or until, I get wowed again by the next big bunch of finds at either BDW or The Davenport Salvation Army store.  And judging by the past three Singles Going Steady Medleys or full blog, they have been hit and miss.

I do miss the days before vinyl became popular again.  I had better finds.

From Toprock Arizona, it's been three years since I've been out in the desert and doesn't look like I'll be there this year, but David Carbillido-Jeans managed to catch a BNSF on the main railway line and took this photo. (Via Trains Magazine: Photo by David Carbillido-Jeans)













1 comment:

2000 Man said...

Man, I love Some Girls. The line you're thinking of goes, "when the shit hits the fan, I'll be sittin' on the can." There's a lot of funny stuff on that album. Mick tries to still be funny, but I don't think he was trying on Some Girls, he was just naturally funny.