It's the beginning of summertime 2K8 here in Crabbland and finally we
have some nice sunshine to combat the endless days of gullywashers and
tornados that scarred the area. Overall the May 25th outbreak gave us
six whopping twisters of various sizes, the last that was up to the
north of North Liberty but thankfully that stayed out of the major
population. And the situation that destroyed the middle of three grain
storage units outside of Martelle looked to be a wind sheer of sorts,
since it spared the two other ones next to it.
To those that matter, yes I admit that I do have more cds than I can
do with but when you're a lover of music and single and have no social
life, you have to make with the situation. It's getting tougher to go
into town to try to find some lasting album without going through the
tons of CD manure of old Britney Spears and forgotten rap acts. But
even in this day and age, there is still a ray of hope and good music
for those who care but it looks every day that people don't. Listening
to a half hour of Z102 will do that, make you give up hope real easy.
But unlike the easily distracted, we do not rely on endless texting or
yacking ..phones to get the word out. But there a few things out there
that do give us hope for the future before yours truly finally retires
from the countless years of CD bargain hunting.
The Len Price 3 is the big find of the year. A trio of brits who
grew up listening to the mid 60s Invasion bands and settling for a cross
between The Creation and My Generation era Who with The Kinks and
Beatles thrown in. They're so committed to this sound that the drummer
is a dead ringer for the late great Keith Moon and that they recorded
their first album in complete mono. Their debut has 15 songs in over a
half hour barely but the problem is that some of the songs are too
short. Thankfully they upped the ante on the latest Rentacrowd with one
of the best songs ever with Doctor Gee which sounds like 1966 all over
again. Little Steven of the Underground Garage show, loved them so
much that he formed a label just to get the word out. Though Wicked
Cool Records got a bit of press last year when they partnered with Best
Buy (and later FYE), there hasn't been much in terms of new releases
from them this year outside of promoting Rentacrowd (by reissing it on
vinyl with bonus tracks) and the Coolest Songs in The World Series
Volume 5. We hope Wicked Cool doesn't go under, it would be a blow to
the power pop and acid rock bands on that label. Len Price 3 remains
the reason why I look for stuff; a band so good that I must seek other
albums if I like what I hear.
The other anticipated release next month is The Townedgers' Pawnshops
For Olivia which celebrates twenty five years of being a part of the
Iowa music scene, under the radar of course, but even the guys in the
band are touting this one as the best album in years, not that the rest
of the albums were subpar but this one is very special. Maier Records
will release Ever So Much as the first single next weekend and the album
will soon follow the week after. Includes a couple songs co written
with fans and in a way to thank her for her support, Lizzy Williams even
was the inspiration of the song Can't Be What You Want Me To Be (a
slight variation of their big hit Can't Be Who You Want Me To Be). And
it includes a drum solo too.
Reviews
Coolest Songs In The World Volume 5 (Wicked Cool)
At this time last year we had three volumes to review, but this year
this is been the only add on to Little Steven's tribute to the garage
rockers and power poppers that you don't hear but only on his Undergound
Radio show, to which none of these cheap assed "real rock" stations
carry. This volume has more empasis on the gurl rockers and bands out
there, and the major bands that show up on here is Cheap Trick from
their comeback Rockford album of two years ago, The Racontuers which
sounds out of place for some odd reason, and Butch Walker who the more I
listen to, the more I think better of Marvelous 3, his band of the late
90s. Best tracks come from The Hellacopters who offer Nothing Terribly
New and Black Tie Review's MC5 like Code Fun and old timer Roy Loney
Baby Du Jour, and oh yeah, The Len Price 3 too. This does drag a bit
toward the end, and ends on a obscure 1972 single by Jimmy Jukebox to
which had to be a regional hit at best but you gotta love Little Steven
for finding these things. But this might just be the weakest of the
Coolest Songs Series but doesn't mean we won't give Little Steven credit
for trying. Suggestion; see if Little Steven can haggle Sony out of
something by The Hawks or if nothing else, I'm sure The Townedgers could
donate a track for the next one. Call Me.
Grade B plus
Rush-Snakes And Arrows Live (Atlantic)
If you didn't make the Moline show or The Gorge or Phoenix get
together (they're coming to your area Detroit next month), you can pick
up this 2 cd live document that the song list is the same as the the
concerts here. Interesting for their inclusion of Entre Nous and
Circumstances to which they seldom play in concert and yep, there's way
too many songs off the last album to make it anything else but for Rush
completists only. Geddy Lee chokes on the helium on Freewill and sounds
very shrill but once he keeps himself in a regular voice it really
isn't so bad. And Neil Peart always shines of those big band drum solos
that he's gotten to be famous for. Wish these guys would quit putting
their albums in shitty digipaks.
Grade B
The Smithereens-Live In Concert (Koch)
No they don't have much to offer, they really never did albumwise
although they would come with a winner single. They were tailor made
for the mid 60s when singles were the thing. Since 1999, they done a
Beatles tribute album and a Christmas album which was a surprise so
whats to do for a encore? A live album. As they say, you had to be
there.
Return To Forever-The Anthology (Concord)
The classic lineup of Al Di Meola, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and
Lenny White only made a couple albums together. I also found their
albums a bit too excessive with all that fusion jazz left and right,
they sounded much more heavier than Weather Report ever did, thanks to
Stanley Clarke's bass. Though Bill Connors was the original guitar
player, once DiMeola came onboard, they found their own style and became
the essensial lineup. Not rock, not jazz but fusion kiddies, there's a
difference.
Junk file
Sex And The City Soundtrack (New Line) If your not a fan of the
overblown HBO series that got nutured when went into synication, chances
are you won't be taken by the movie which is overblown in itself. And
soundtracks to movies are reasons why we have global warming, too many
crappy soundtrack CDs go into landfills all over the world. If you
want to hear Walk This Way, go find Aerosmith-Toys In The Attic, or Run
DMC greatest hits. Unless you're looking for another Fergie song to
stick into your collection.
Fergie-The Dutchess (expanded edition) Here today, gone five years from now.
Jessica Simpson's country single-it is better than anything she did
pop but with pro tools, the usual fiddle or steel guitar and hokey
lyrics it could be anyboy singing it.
Julianne Hough (Mercury) Thank God for Dancing With The Stars, so we
can have the winner go to Nashville and record a album and tout her as
the next big country superstar. What the fuck is wrong with this
picture. While real country singers get booted to indee land (nothing
wrong with that and in the case of Lizzy Cook, worked out for the best)
we get pop tarts and Idol winners becoming the next big superstar.
Manufactured crap. So the Yayhoos at Universal Nashville came up with
this bright idea, how bout if we signed the winner of a dance contest
and make a country record! BRILLIANT! Yep, I've seen her video on CMT
and GAC and reminds me of Alicia Elliot, who starred in a TV show and
had enough appeal to make a album but now has disappeared from the
limelight. So here we are again, Fiddles! Steel Guitar!, Heavy Metal
Guitar! Booming Drums! Goofy assed lyrics from second rate Nashville
songwriters! Problem is unlike manufactured Idol Carrie Underwood,
Hough doesn't sing all that great and her album, just like Elliotts,
will be in the dollar bins very soon. And Hough is about as artificial
as the reigning Country Music Queen Underwood hereself. Don't give up
your day job Julie.
Grade C minus
PS, from Steven Thomas Erlewine...and I quote... listening to it in
one sitting is like devouring too much neon-colored cotton candy at a
carnival: just a little makes you sick, too much will swear you off of
it forever. (from his review of Julieane's album)
Comments:
Oh Liz, you always make me smile too. We luv ya too ;)