I do put out local interest stuff on sports or about the Iowa Hawkeyes replacing the retired Greg Davis for Brian Farenez to run the offense Which means Iowa will continue to run first with their running backs, the hope is that they can get blockers that can protect the QB. Even winning some award for best blockers (which was bullshit if anybody watched the Outback Bowl fiasco) didn't stop them from yelling OLE while the opposition D was introducing themselves up close and personal to CJ Bethard or LeShan Daniels when they needed to provide some blocking to earn this made up award. Expect Iowa to continue to trip over themselves in the major bowls. If I think eye candy is needed I'll find something to bring in more readers.
(photo: Julie Gordon-Acousta Kitties Acousta Jam 1/10/17)
The good news is that another jam session has been brought up. While Karl Hudson had to put his Rumor's Acoustic Jam on hold, Bart Carfizzi and Joe Hutchcroft will host something called the Pizza Jam, which will be on Thursday's Night at the Silver Star Saloon off Edgewood Road in Cedar Rapids. Since I am still employed, I won't be able to partake in the fun and games.
And it's been 1 year ago that David Bowie passed away. He would have been 70 had he lived. Elvis would have been 82. We all get old and when the folks we grew up listening to passed away, we still listen to their music. Still, there is good music going on, but you don't and won't hear it on the radio. Go see a live band and support their efforts. They won't get rich but they might make a few dollars off playing a guitar or drumset or sing. Or all of the above.
Tommy Allsup passed away Wednesday, he was 85. Basically the story has been told many times about the "coin toss" that spared his life when he called the wrong side and either A) JP Richardson or B) Richie Valens got on the plane, winning but losing as they say. But for 58 years Allsup would make time to come up to the Surf Ballroom to participate in the local Winter Dance Party that has been held on the first week in February. Most of the original artists are now gone with the exception of Dion. Allsup also produced Asleep At The Wheel in the 1970s and was slated to come back up to the Surf this year. Instead he will join the band in the great beyond. http://lubbockonline.com/entertainment/2017-01-11/friend-allsup-guitarist-who-toured-holly-used-life-after-coin-flip-good
While I'm doing good in viewership, I'll think of something up and risk more carpel tunnel.
The problem I have been having of late is Blogger spam in the comments section and usually I delete the fucking mess anyway. But today, let me show you what sort of nonsense that floods my inbox, usually from the archives that have nothing to do with music.
There's a chance you're qualified to receive a Apple iPhone 7 (Good Riddence 2014)
(probably the one that blows up in your face due to battery problems-next!)
From my experience the ultimate Bitcoin exchange company is YoBit. (What does this have to do with The Gunfight at the OK Lounge? Allan Reed would like to know too)
Are you paying over $5 for each pack of cigarettes? I'm buying my cigarettes over at Duty Free Depot and this saves me over 60% from cigarettes. (I guess that would work on the Sell Outs Blog but does Duty Free Depot sell CDs and LPs?, but I don't pay for anything that is cigarettes, I don't smoke)
Looking for the Ultimate Dating Website? Join and find your perfect date, Create a account and find your perfect date, match, blowjob etc (from TE Radio Blue Scratch Blog) Spammer liked that blog so much he decided to repeat himself four times.
Coke Or Pepsi? (Various sites) Faygo!
I don't much comments outside of Tad once in a while and he's more worthy of discussion, than the Blogger Spammer Toolbit that he thinks spamming worthless crap and click bait sites is that I'm going to approve this internet spam toe jam. Is there a payoff if I do, if so I expect a check in the mail that will cover the costs of this site that has now averaged over 100 readership for the past 31 days. Usually I'll accept Jacksons, Grants and Franklin over Bitcoin any old day, but I come to find out that Spotify checks aren't even worth wiping your ass with, since you can't cash a .00000593 check for a couple plays of my songs. Still, I expect that the 100 views every day will drop back to the usual 40 or 50 reads a day and the usual hope of breaking the internet Mendoza Line of 2,000 views at the end of month. I will have that beat this month but next month beyond I doubt that I will. I'm too eccentric for the Bob Lefsetz crowd. But here's hoping that there will be some sort of comments worth posting up, instead of the usual bullshit that keeps getting dumped to the spam file. Not that Blogspot will care that much but I do.
Your monthly eye candy of the month, but I really would love to check out that record collection that she has in the background.
Reviews: (courtesy of Mark Prindle)
Nazareth - The Newz - Granddad rock. The problem with being an obsessive completist is that you end up convincing yourself that 21st-century Nazareth albums are somehow worth buying -- even though not even the majority of their 20th-century ones were. Do yourself a favor and buy "Hair of the Dog," "Razamanaz" and "Loud 'n' Proud." Those are all very strong hard rock albums. The rest of their discography is so hit and miss, it's ridiculous. And this one is mostly generic blues rock,Tuff rock and ballads played and sung by really old people (and the bassist's son). It has a couple of uptempo rockers that recall the old days, and the guitarist tries to play something interesting in a couple songs near the end, but that's about it. Look, in all honesty, I enjoy 5 of these songs. But you won't, believe me. I didn't need to buy it, and you CERTAINLY don't! (Unless you're a collector of "Old People Complaining About the Internet" songs, because "Loggin' On" is one of those wonderful rare beasts!)
Nazareth - Big Dogz - Why did I buy a 2011 Nazareth album called "Big Dogz"!? Nobody needs this; the band members themselves don't even need this. I'm dumb enough to convince myself I like a few songs, but this is mostly just embarrassing garbage by the oldest people in the history of the world. Check out these lyrics: "Big government/Look at these clowns/Screwing around/Big Government/Dragging us down/I don't wanna drown -- Somebody get me a lifeboat/Because you're not getting my vote/Somebody get me a life coach/'Cos you're starting to encroach." You know what? I like Nazareth. They're not any good at all, but I like them. But even I have managed to resist purchasing their 2014 release, "Rock 'N' Roll Telephone" (a title that, if isn't an AC/DC parody, SHOULD be!).
Ant-Bee - Pure Electric Honey - Retro-psychedelic/experimental music, slathered in reverb and full of druggy sleepy vibes like '60s Pink Floyd. Not bad, but there have been a lot of bands doing stuff like this over the past decade for some reason. The whole 'pump up the reverb' thing. It's the autotune of indie rock.
Antipop Consortium – Fluorescent
Black - Highly regarded NYC hip-hop. Lots of electronic melodies and
noises in the beats, some of which are very cool! The guys' voices are
pretty bland unfortunately, but they do some pretty clever things with
rhythms (speeding up, slowing down, chopping things up). Overall, I'd
say these guys are very good at what they do. I wish their voices were
more interesting, but if you're a hip-hop fan and have not heard this
album, please check it out. And now my son keeps singing "I was born
electric" and asking "Dad, why was that guy born electric?"
Aphex Twin - Drukqs - Two CDs worth of somber piano instrumentals, gamelans, ambience and electronic beats. Not unpleasant, but certainly not anything I ever need to hear again.
Thin Lizzy - At the BBC - This six-disc box set has a bunch of repeated tracks (different performances of the same songs), but the songs themselves are really good. The most enjoyable part for me was disc 5, a fantastic late-period live show with a great set list.
A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service - The highly regarded comeback album. It's fine, but I don't understand why everybody's going apeshit about it. Its best tracks are truly great, but it's as inconsistent and occasionally boring as every other Tribe album (except the superlative "Midnight Marauders"). I appreciate the Can, Gentle Giant and Black Sabbath samples though.
Rod's Reviews:
John Lee Hooker-If You Miss Em, I got Em (ABC Bluesway 1970)
The late great Johnny Lee's Endless Boogie period. ABC Records did pair him up with some legends (Endless Boogie featured Steve Miller) and on this forgotten effort, Earl Hooker (no relation) is host but out of all the boogie blues albums, this one is one of more boring efforts. Like most efforts, this is John Lee and Earl jamming to some songs and Ed Michel rolled tape. Best known song Lonesome Blues is where John Lee shouts out to the guys to get with the feeling. Bang Bang Bang Bang is Boom Boom Variation 243. Baby Be Strong is I Don't Wanna Go To Vietnam Part 6. Problem is John Lee Hooker has never been interesting to me on the long drawn out blues excursions such as I Wanna Be Your Puppy Baby, to which Earl wakes up from his nap to do a couple of doggie sounds on his wah wah pedal and the even longer Have Mercy On My Soul! To which the nodding listener eventually falls asleep if he hasn't already.
Grade C
Teegarden And Van Winkle-But Anyhow (Atco 1969)
(I hate this GD keyboard).... Best known for their 1970 minor hit God Love Rock And Roll this duo made two albums for Atco and Wounded Bird reissued them. Somewhat in the way that Lee Michaels recorded his albums with Frosty on drums, it's organ and drums and it's not bad if you like this sort of stuff. They turn Jimmy McGiff's I Got A Woman inside out, speeds up Season Of The Witch, slows down Annie Had A Baby and throws a couple of originals in a blues rock mode. David Teegarden has always been a underrated drummer, adding a more jazzier style which fits the songs. Both these guys would have help in the making of Bob Seger's Smoking OPs around 1972, but even as their own band, they do provide a nice sound of their own.
Grade B+
The Very Best Of Jethro Tull (Chrysalis/Capitol 2001)
30 plus years of Tull and we continue to get upgrade and make overs but I still think the 2 CD 1991 Best Of Jethro Tull covered the rise and fall of Ian Anderson and company. M.U. the original best of showcases the classic rock songs that made Tull famous. But then again, I found this for a 1.88 at Goodwill and thought it was worth a look. EMI at that time, cherry picked the songs and while some got left off (but can be found on other best ofs) this is a okay overview of the Chrysalis years beginning with A Song For Jeffrey from the Mick Abrahams This Was album to the title track of Roots And Branches, the 1995 underachieving album, maybe time has treated that record better then when I heard it 22 years ago. My problem is that, I enjoyed the early Tull albums up to War Child, then it was a long and lazy period of albums that simply lost my interest till they made their heavy metal award winning album Crest Of A Knave a farce award upon itself, but by then Anderson stole enough former Fairport Convention members to make Crest a more rock album in the style of Fairport, but EMI didn't had much use for followups Rock Island and Catfish Rising. Even Ian Anderson who wrote the liner notes kinda shrugs off the whole thing and mentions that there might be more inclusions and deletions on future albums but he won't make you buy them all over again, not yet anyway. But the liner notes are worth reading if you have a 1.88 laying around and seeing a like new copy at your old Goodwill. You might get your money back on a even trade at the local thrift store too.
Grade B
Genesis-Foxtrot (The Famous Charisma Label/Atlantic 1972)
I guess I'll never warm up to the Peter Gabriel era, although I tried listening to the Genesis Live, didn't care much for it, Selling England By The Pound probably the best but didn't care much for it either, nor the overblown Lamb Lies Down On Broadway which I hated right off the bat since Mike Davenport made me listen to the whole 2 CD set years ago. Foxtrot is right up there with Selling England By The Pound as the most listenable Genesis albums but in all fairness the stuffiness of Gabriel's vocals tends to make me not care much for this sort of British Prog rock although there's bits and pieces of songs like Watcher Of The Skies and Get Em Out By Friday which does flirt at some sort of melody. Fans tend to enjoy the 23 minute Supper's Ready side 2 which ends on a pompous fadeout. Certainly it is worth hearing once to wonder what the fuss was all about. You'll either embrace it or run away from it. The way British Progressive Rock usually is.
Grade B-
The Raspberries-Live On Sunset Strip 2005 (Rykodisc 2007)
There's a expanded edition that has the whole show in hand but in all fairness I never seen the 14 song live CD till I found a BMG club version for 2 dollars and for latter day reunions, this actually does work very well. Eric Carmen and the boys really showed a love of detail on the early 70s versions of these songs and they do rock out and rock hard. A shame The Raspberries didn't put a bigger dent in 70s power pop, they were quite good at it. And still worth hearing 40 years after the fact.
Grade B+
Ian Anderson-Walk Into Light (Chrysalis 1984)
Techno Tull? In a way it is but it is Ian kinda moving into 1980s technology even if recording tends to be a bit brittle and icy. Some moments are worth hearing again (Trains, User Friendly) and I think Different Germany would have worked better had Martin Barre and the Tull boys helped out. Overall, it's in the same league as Under Wraps, but Walk Into Light is slightly better.
Grade C+
Album from my youth: Neil Diamond Gold (K Tel 1977)
20 Greatest Hits it was advertised, but in essence all the songs were from his Bang years, my favorite era of Neil's music since I grew up listening to the likes of I Got The Feelin (oh no no), Solitary Man, You Get To Me, Do It and many others. At the same time in the cut outs you could find Double Gold which was the 2 LP set of Bang material with a extra song. Credit must be given to Jeff Berry and especially Ellie Greenwich who both produced and sang backup and made the songs that much better. While K Tel was constantly bashed for their stop gap greatest hits packages, it must be noted that K Tel did find some classic cuts to go with the Osmonds One Bad Apple or The Candy Man from Sammy D Jr. (Flash Small Beginnings and April Wine's You Could Have Been a Lady was on 22 Explosive Hits. Back then licensing songs were much less hassle than they are today thanks to the three major label Mafias out there. At that time Bang Records continue to reissue Neil Diamond's songs (he only recorded two proper albums among the 7 albums issued from that label). While I tend to think Red Red Wine would show a peak into the later years and not one of my favorite numbers, I enjoy the lesser known I'll Come Running or Love To Love more. By now, the K Tel album is a thing of the past and I still have my copy but Double Gold would be replaced by The Bang Years, which is just as essential in my collection along with Sgt Pepper or Forever Changes. Neil would eventually go over the top with bombastic live performances and schmaltzy pop ballads later on, but the Bang Years showed that his simplicity worked much better.
Grade A-
and then....final thought from the spammer blogger.
I have just downloaded iStripper, and now I enjoy having the sexiest virtual strippers on my desktop...
Well you better get back to them and leave the rock stories and comments to us then. That may explain why your right hand is bigger than your left. Good Day.
Aphex Twin - Drukqs - Two CDs worth of somber piano instrumentals, gamelans, ambience and electronic beats. Not unpleasant, but certainly not anything I ever need to hear again.
Thin Lizzy - At the BBC - This six-disc box set has a bunch of repeated tracks (different performances of the same songs), but the songs themselves are really good. The most enjoyable part for me was disc 5, a fantastic late-period live show with a great set list.
A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service - The highly regarded comeback album. It's fine, but I don't understand why everybody's going apeshit about it. Its best tracks are truly great, but it's as inconsistent and occasionally boring as every other Tribe album (except the superlative "Midnight Marauders"). I appreciate the Can, Gentle Giant and Black Sabbath samples though.
Rod's Reviews:
John Lee Hooker-If You Miss Em, I got Em (ABC Bluesway 1970)
The late great Johnny Lee's Endless Boogie period. ABC Records did pair him up with some legends (Endless Boogie featured Steve Miller) and on this forgotten effort, Earl Hooker (no relation) is host but out of all the boogie blues albums, this one is one of more boring efforts. Like most efforts, this is John Lee and Earl jamming to some songs and Ed Michel rolled tape. Best known song Lonesome Blues is where John Lee shouts out to the guys to get with the feeling. Bang Bang Bang Bang is Boom Boom Variation 243. Baby Be Strong is I Don't Wanna Go To Vietnam Part 6. Problem is John Lee Hooker has never been interesting to me on the long drawn out blues excursions such as I Wanna Be Your Puppy Baby, to which Earl wakes up from his nap to do a couple of doggie sounds on his wah wah pedal and the even longer Have Mercy On My Soul! To which the nodding listener eventually falls asleep if he hasn't already.
Grade C
Teegarden And Van Winkle-But Anyhow (Atco 1969)
(I hate this GD keyboard).... Best known for their 1970 minor hit God Love Rock And Roll this duo made two albums for Atco and Wounded Bird reissued them. Somewhat in the way that Lee Michaels recorded his albums with Frosty on drums, it's organ and drums and it's not bad if you like this sort of stuff. They turn Jimmy McGiff's I Got A Woman inside out, speeds up Season Of The Witch, slows down Annie Had A Baby and throws a couple of originals in a blues rock mode. David Teegarden has always been a underrated drummer, adding a more jazzier style which fits the songs. Both these guys would have help in the making of Bob Seger's Smoking OPs around 1972, but even as their own band, they do provide a nice sound of their own.
Grade B+
The Very Best Of Jethro Tull (Chrysalis/Capitol 2001)
30 plus years of Tull and we continue to get upgrade and make overs but I still think the 2 CD 1991 Best Of Jethro Tull covered the rise and fall of Ian Anderson and company. M.U. the original best of showcases the classic rock songs that made Tull famous. But then again, I found this for a 1.88 at Goodwill and thought it was worth a look. EMI at that time, cherry picked the songs and while some got left off (but can be found on other best ofs) this is a okay overview of the Chrysalis years beginning with A Song For Jeffrey from the Mick Abrahams This Was album to the title track of Roots And Branches, the 1995 underachieving album, maybe time has treated that record better then when I heard it 22 years ago. My problem is that, I enjoyed the early Tull albums up to War Child, then it was a long and lazy period of albums that simply lost my interest till they made their heavy metal award winning album Crest Of A Knave a farce award upon itself, but by then Anderson stole enough former Fairport Convention members to make Crest a more rock album in the style of Fairport, but EMI didn't had much use for followups Rock Island and Catfish Rising. Even Ian Anderson who wrote the liner notes kinda shrugs off the whole thing and mentions that there might be more inclusions and deletions on future albums but he won't make you buy them all over again, not yet anyway. But the liner notes are worth reading if you have a 1.88 laying around and seeing a like new copy at your old Goodwill. You might get your money back on a even trade at the local thrift store too.
Grade B
Genesis-Foxtrot (The Famous Charisma Label/Atlantic 1972)
I guess I'll never warm up to the Peter Gabriel era, although I tried listening to the Genesis Live, didn't care much for it, Selling England By The Pound probably the best but didn't care much for it either, nor the overblown Lamb Lies Down On Broadway which I hated right off the bat since Mike Davenport made me listen to the whole 2 CD set years ago. Foxtrot is right up there with Selling England By The Pound as the most listenable Genesis albums but in all fairness the stuffiness of Gabriel's vocals tends to make me not care much for this sort of British Prog rock although there's bits and pieces of songs like Watcher Of The Skies and Get Em Out By Friday which does flirt at some sort of melody. Fans tend to enjoy the 23 minute Supper's Ready side 2 which ends on a pompous fadeout. Certainly it is worth hearing once to wonder what the fuss was all about. You'll either embrace it or run away from it. The way British Progressive Rock usually is.
Grade B-
The Raspberries-Live On Sunset Strip 2005 (Rykodisc 2007)
There's a expanded edition that has the whole show in hand but in all fairness I never seen the 14 song live CD till I found a BMG club version for 2 dollars and for latter day reunions, this actually does work very well. Eric Carmen and the boys really showed a love of detail on the early 70s versions of these songs and they do rock out and rock hard. A shame The Raspberries didn't put a bigger dent in 70s power pop, they were quite good at it. And still worth hearing 40 years after the fact.
Grade B+
Ian Anderson-Walk Into Light (Chrysalis 1984)
Techno Tull? In a way it is but it is Ian kinda moving into 1980s technology even if recording tends to be a bit brittle and icy. Some moments are worth hearing again (Trains, User Friendly) and I think Different Germany would have worked better had Martin Barre and the Tull boys helped out. Overall, it's in the same league as Under Wraps, but Walk Into Light is slightly better.
Grade C+
Album from my youth: Neil Diamond Gold (K Tel 1977)
20 Greatest Hits it was advertised, but in essence all the songs were from his Bang years, my favorite era of Neil's music since I grew up listening to the likes of I Got The Feelin (oh no no), Solitary Man, You Get To Me, Do It and many others. At the same time in the cut outs you could find Double Gold which was the 2 LP set of Bang material with a extra song. Credit must be given to Jeff Berry and especially Ellie Greenwich who both produced and sang backup and made the songs that much better. While K Tel was constantly bashed for their stop gap greatest hits packages, it must be noted that K Tel did find some classic cuts to go with the Osmonds One Bad Apple or The Candy Man from Sammy D Jr. (Flash Small Beginnings and April Wine's You Could Have Been a Lady was on 22 Explosive Hits. Back then licensing songs were much less hassle than they are today thanks to the three major label Mafias out there. At that time Bang Records continue to reissue Neil Diamond's songs (he only recorded two proper albums among the 7 albums issued from that label). While I tend to think Red Red Wine would show a peak into the later years and not one of my favorite numbers, I enjoy the lesser known I'll Come Running or Love To Love more. By now, the K Tel album is a thing of the past and I still have my copy but Double Gold would be replaced by The Bang Years, which is just as essential in my collection along with Sgt Pepper or Forever Changes. Neil would eventually go over the top with bombastic live performances and schmaltzy pop ballads later on, but the Bang Years showed that his simplicity worked much better.
Grade A-
and then....final thought from the spammer blogger.
Well you better get back to them and leave the rock stories and comments to us then. That may explain why your right hand is bigger than your left. Good Day.
1 comment:
This will be the only blog approved for spam comments since that's the main subject here.
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