On the subject of Black Eyed Peas at the Super Bowl: Like every other band that has played there, The BEP's got slagged in tweets by about 10 to 1. For that matter, I didn't comment much nor watched it myself, I ended up switching back and forth to Spike's TV 1000 Ways To Die, whereas my GF watched the BEPs and she liked the performance. I did catch part of Fergie's take on Sweet Child Of Mine with Slash playing guitar but I never did like the GnR version much, nor Sheryl Crow. The best version came from Luna from their forgotten Days Of Our Nights CD of the late 90s. But if my GF says that BEPs rocked it, then take her word.
On the subject of Expanded Edition Of Classic Albums: Enough is enough. The major labels aren't smart enough to develop rising artists anymore since they using their $$ to sue everybody and lobby in congress. Their bright idea is to reissue and reissue with bonus tracks and then reissue things as a 2 CD set and charge big bucks for it. I'm not a big fan of that, after all the original album release was the way it was intended to be. Not add outtakes or 14 takes of one song or have a live bonus cd. I also take a dim view of a label reissuing an album and retitling it, such as Train's Save Me San Francisco (Golden Gate Edition). This is why CD sales are tanking even more every year. The lack of good music coming out and their rehashing of the classic albums we grew up with. Ever since Polygram got swallowed up by Universal the reissues have been Craphazard at best. We can't seem to get Universal to reissue The Brains Money Changes Everything (the S/T album of 1980) but they can stick out pointless stuff like Us and Us Only-the subpar 1998 MCA album from The Charlatans UK, and I do like The Charlatans UK a lot.
Bob Lefsetz makes this prediction about new music from his latest blog.
We’re on the cusp of musical breakthroughs unseen since the late sixties. Everything’s up for grabs. You’re gonna be wowed, you’re gonna be moved by artists doing it their own way, following their own path, not worried about mainstream acknowledgment.
My reaction: I Don't believe it. Iron & Wine? Don't get them. Arcade Fire? Not my type of music. I haven't been wowed since 1997 and anything that did come out that was good came from bands I grew up listening to in the 70s or 80s. The last CD that wowed me was The Randy Cliffs and that came out in 2003 for fuck's sakes. There's no such thing as black rock and roll anymore, they're too busy being rappers or gangsta or bad R and B. Only thing that wowed me was The Roots but even I don't play them too often. .The Black Keys are good at what they do but they're something I would play every day. Peter Bjork and John I saw on Conan O'brien and my reaction was more WTF than this rocks. In fact, I don't think there's much out there today that rocks like it did 10 or 20 or even 30 years ago. While the new hip critics bash away at the boogie bands of the past. Foghat still remains on my player and I am still proud to say I am a Foghat fan just as my GF is a Black Eyed Peas fan. Both bands serve a purpose even though the hip youngsters perfer a Iron & Wine or The Decemberists or Peter Bjork & John. But for those who still like to hear three chords and the truth or a love song, we have not been getting it at all in life after 1999 although Airbourne has come close to the sex, drugs & rock and roll side of things.
Music done right should mean a fun time rather than attacking my eardrums and making me that much more deaf. It takes a lot to wow me in the music department. And I have not been wowed at all.
Just saying.
UPDATE: The swiss label Black Rills has The Fantasy CD listed on their reissue file but I'm not sure if this is legit to get it. Black Rills is hard core in terms of forgotten kraut rock and forgotten bands that only I remember (or you too). http://www.blackrills.ch/
Fantasy/Same. CD 25.-. USA, 1970 + 4 bonus tracks. We proudly present a treasury for everyone into music in style Julian Jay Savarin! All material of the band on one CD. Fantasy was formed in 1967 in Miami and was comprised of 5 teenagers, Billy Robbins (Lead Vocals), Bob Robbins (Bass), Jim DeMeo (Guitar), Mario Russo (Keyboards), and Greg Kimple (Drums). Fantasy started out playing at teen dances and graduated to performing at The Experience, a Miami underground hippie hangout. From 1967 through 1970 the band, led by its charismatic young singer Billy Robbins, was developing a following. In 1968 The Experience closed its doors and morphed into Thee Image, a large converted bowling alley which featured the biggest artists of the day. Fantasy was chosen as the house band and every weekend they found themselves on the bill with the likes of Cream, Grateful Dead, The Doors, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Frank Zappa and Led Zeppelin to name a few. The bands regional popularity was soaring when tragedy struck. In the Summer of 1970, Fantasy’s lead singer Billy Robbins was found dead. Several months later the band began its search for a new singer, settling on a 16 year old female vocalist Jamene Miller. Where Billy Robbins was all charisma, Jamene was all talent. She got on board and the Fantasy train kept a rollin’. It was only a matter of months before the band signed a manager and hooked up with the Liberty/United Artists record label This album/CD, is the first and only true Fantasy album. It is a pure and honest testimonial to its time. Black Rills BRR CD 014.
