Bill Kopp, I stumbled upon his work while looking for some Redd Kross to research and the guy already reviewed the new album already. He has a music blog that's worth reading since he likes a lot of the same bands that I do. http://blog.musoscribe.com/
Colony Records in New York is closing up shop. I made a observation that another record store closing and one less place to go to if you're a record collector, never been there since I've never been to New York but Mark Prindle must have been there. He left this fond farewell in my FB inbox.
I never understood how that overpriced place survived. Preying on rich, dumb tourists, i guess...MP (new Dad) BTW, Prindle is the dad of newborn Nicholas Prindle. Congrats!
The Top Ten Of The Week:
1. This Is Your Country-Luka Bloom 1992 A cult artist with a rabid cult following to the point that somebody corrected me on the date of when the album Acoustic Motorbike came out. Basically I haven't done very well this week with the misconception of what Bob Lefsetz was touting and then missing up the date of the this album. He's made a few more for Reprise and Shanachie and most can be found via the cheap bins. I could probably do more research but then again it's taken me most of the week to get through this album. Time poverty remember?
2. One Day At A Time-Lynyrd Skynyrd 2012 The rebel red rockers are back with a brand new album full of slogans that are ready made for the Tea Party members and in fact they were supposed to play the RNC in Tampa before Hurricane Isaac fucked up everybody's plans and jacked the gas prices up 20 cents overnight. Gotta love Mother Nature and her wonderful storms. I'm also sure that if I didn't plan the AZ 30 trip that Isaac may have just done a right turn and head out to sea again but since I'm gong to the desert it decided to pay New Orleans a visit and all those offshore oil wells. My left wing friends have boycotted the new Skynyrd and their last album was a attempt to try to modernize their sound which made them sound like a Nickleback Tribute band. This time out, they stay true to the roots of Ronnie Van Zant and added more of a country flavor although they have more cliche than original thought. Still the new album is their best in years and this song could get some airplay on the radio somewhere. Maybe KHAK might play it.
3. Hitchcock Railway-Joe Cocker 1971 Cocker has always had a keen eye and ear of other songwriters and may have been better of picking songs than Three Dog Night although back in the early years 3 Dog had a great winning streak up until Seven Separate Fools but Cocker continues to pick them very well. Originally done by the unknown duo of Don Dunn and Tony Mc Cashen and released on Capitol, to which I actually had in a forgotten tin of 45s. Cocker's version is better known.
4. Don't Go Home With Your Hard On-Leonard Cohen 1977 From Death Of A Ladies Man, the first and only album Cohen did for Warner Brothers (Yes Columbia reissued it years later but originally it was on the WB) and had freak nut job Phil Spector arranged it which was a clash in styles to the point that when Cohen complied the Essential Leonard Cohen he didn't include a single track off DOALM. There's a strange sinister beauty and charm on this album and that on this song he sounds a bit like John Cale. Somewhere along the mix lies Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg shouting along with Cohen who still had a singing voice left. Critics didn't know what to think of it and it became the poorest selling album that Cohen ever had and Warner's dropped him soon after. Spector would go on to hold the Ramones hostage for End Of The Century and Cohen after making another album for Passport (later reissued by Columbia) did return back to Columbia for the 1988 comeback I'm Your Man.
5. Eat My Dust You Insensitive Fuck-Catherine Wheel 1995 Started out shoegazer trance with the wonderful Ferment and then got heavier as the years went by till they had a surprise hit with the album Happy Days and top 20 alternative faves Waydown and Judy Staring At The Sun. This probably would have been a big hit hadn't Rob Dickerson used a F bomb for a title which means no radio play whatsoever. This sounds like something that Radiohead would be doing for OK Computer years later. But then again I never seen when people heard off OK Computer that elevated Radiohead into a critics fave.
6. Every Inch Of You-The Darkness 2012 Hey kids, have you heard that The Darkness are back and so the original bass player Eddie looking eversomuch like a gay porno star. And what to make of the freaky look Justin Hawkins has going for him, looks like Neil Peart with the handlebar mustache that will make the modern rock stations play this...not. But then again the modern rock stations here are Cumulus controlled crap anyway or Clear Channel, there's not a market for AC/DC riffs with a Freddie Mercury/David Bryon type of vocals that go all over the place. David Bryon being the ill fated screamer of Uriah Heep and Stealin fame. Remember that, I'm sure you don't, you weren't even born back then you downloading fools. Hot Cakes returns The Darkness to the glam rock camp that made Permission To Land such a fun record to listen to but I'll guarantee you that this won't get any airplay either due to Mr Hawkins yelling in a soprano to suck his johnson just like those porn groupies used to do in the classic rock era. Meaning girls that is, although I'm not sure if Eddie the bass player would rather had the guys to do that. I must like the album so much that I included another track off it two weeks in a row. Or maybe next time I should proof read last week's top ten.
7. Shadow Days-John Mayer 2012 I don't believe Katy Perry would like this song, in fact I think she probably thinks it's all bullshit just like he's all bullshit. I'm sure he's a good guy with a good heart as he sings here. Just don't try to make him you love interest Katy. Just ask Taylor Swift.
8. Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young-Faron Young 1964 Remake of his Capitol hit for Mercury and tacked on at the last minute for the first and long gone Faron Young Greatest Hits LP and Nick Lowe would cover years later. Sadly Faron died at his own hand in 1996. Not very familiar with his Capitol stuff but his Mercury efforts had some fine uptempo honky tonks and some nice mellower stuff thanks to Jerry Kennedy's production (It's Four In The Morning) but also been known to record creepy stuff like This Little Girl Of Mine to which Universal saw fit to include in both of Faron's meager (meaning 30 minutes or less of music) best ofs. He should have been represented better.
9. Zig Zag Walk-Foghat 1983 Boogie blues has always been the credo of Foghat until 1980 when Dave Peverett decided to incorporate a bit more new wave to the mix leaving Rod Price to leave the band a year later after Tight Shoes bombed. It was kind of a strange era to even when Craig McGregor would also leave and Nick Jameson returned to play bass for the next two and final Bearsville albums, In the Mood For Something Rude and the odd ball of their career Zig Zag Walk which sounds more like Huey Lewis than Smiley Lewis and many a Foghat fan and Roger Earl never liked it. Me on the other hand thought it was neato and played this a few times in 1983. I think Lonesome Dave may have been taken by the Stray Cats as well since he suggested to Earl to use less drums. ZZW died a cruel and horrible death on the charts and not soon after Bearsville and Foghat parted ways leaving us with no new music till the original lineup (with Tony Stevens!) came back for the Jameson produced (after Rick Rubin couldn't do it) Return Of The Boogie Men which was back to Boogie than New Wave. I think in 1989 on a hot sunny summer day in Oklahoma City that Foghat did play at a festival with Blue Oyster Cult, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Leon Russell with Edgar Winter and at that time Erik Cartwright was still in the band but Eric Burgeson was doing vocals. Lonesome Dave passed away in 2000, and Rod Price five years later from a fall down the steps. Earl continues Foghat with Charlie Huhn (Ted Nugent, Humble Pie) on vocals and Craig McGregor back on bass.
10. Sundown-Gordon Lightfoot 1974 Time has been good to this song and some of his highest charting hits of the 70s (If You Could Read My Mind one of the best bitter breakup songs which came to mind here most of May). He is great with melody but even better with irony (even better than Elvis Costello who I can only take so much at a time) and Sometimes I think it's a sin when I feel like I'm winning when I'm losing again pretty much sums up the week and the weekend that I had. Hope you have a better week (or life) than I did.
To finish it up, five more from the divine archive.
Wondering When It's Going End-Bobby Darin 1972
Hollywood-Tiny Town 1998
She Belongs To Me (Live 1966 Acoustic Version)-Bob Dylan
It Ain't Easy-John Baldry 1971
Victory-Eric Johnson 1986
http://www.notnowmusic.com/
A UK based website with a eye on Rockabilly and old time rock and roll.
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