In 1967, violent, race-driven riots broke out in a score of American cities, with the ones in Newark and Detroit by far the worst. We're still feeling their effects today. One consequence of the riots was the acceleration of the decline of the inner cities and white flight to the suburbs.
Partial list:
June 2-7: Boston (Roxbury) riots
June 12: Cincinnati riots
June 26 - July 1: Buffalo riots
July 10: Waterloo, Iowa riots
July 12-17: Newark riots
July 12-14: Hartford riots
July 12-13: Erie, PA riots
July 23-28: Detroit riots
History in the context of the debates over public housing: The Buell Hypothesis
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
On the music of 1967
If a word characterizes the music of 1967 it is "hopeful." There's also a note of "what's music going to be?," which expresses itself as either scattered or creative.
Divided then, closer now
Back in those years we divided rock/pop into genres. Folk rock, British, San Francisco, LA, etc. Listening now, all of this music sounds more similar than different. I'm not denying subgenre differences and individual styles. Still, from this distance an overall style that unites them all is discernible, especially when you contrast it to today's music and what's come inbetween. The commonality about music of the period is the use of a standard palette of instruments, fewer digital techniques of production, and a looseness of song structure.
Which years were prime?
1973 was the only one.
1967 = 7 x 281
1968 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 41
1969 = 11 x 179
1970 = 2 x 5 x 197
1971 = 3 x 3 x 3 x 73
1972 = 2 x 2 x 17 x 29
1973 PRIME
1974 = 2 x 3 x 7 x 47
1967 = 7 x 281
1968 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 3 x 41
1969 = 11 x 179
1970 = 2 x 5 x 197
1971 = 3 x 3 x 3 x 73
1972 = 2 x 2 x 17 x 29
1973 PRIME
1974 = 2 x 3 x 7 x 47
Monday, March 26, 2012
Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead
I am going to publish some more posts that aren't about specific records. They will be tagged "posts."
Anyway, one of the biggest revelations so far has been how good the Jefferson Airplane were. Especially After Bathing At Baxter's (1967), Crown of Creation (1968), and Bark (1971). Based on the recorded evidence, they were a much better band than the Dead. And yet the Dead got and get all the attention. The Dead are about mystique, not music. They were better at promotion, toured constantly, and had a longer career. The Airplane were not as cuddly, not as user-friendly. A little harder to understand.
Anyway, one of the biggest revelations so far has been how good the Jefferson Airplane were. Especially After Bathing At Baxter's (1967), Crown of Creation (1968), and Bark (1971). Based on the recorded evidence, they were a much better band than the Dead. And yet the Dead got and get all the attention. The Dead are about mystique, not music. They were better at promotion, toured constantly, and had a longer career. The Airplane were not as cuddly, not as user-friendly. A little harder to understand.
Easy Action, Alice Cooper, 1970
Awful, just awful. Sub-Pink Floyd/Mothers of Invention claptrap. Not a trace of what Alice Cooper would turn into later.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan, 1974
There are two good songs on this album -- "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" and "Pretzel Logic" (which is the name of the "over a long time ago" song).
The rest of it is too surface, too glossy, doesn't have the cutting quality you expect from Steely Dan. The playing and production are sophisticated, but there’s something missing. Passion, humor, something. I feel the monkey in your soul? WTF?
The rest of it is too surface, too glossy, doesn't have the cutting quality you expect from Steely Dan. The playing and production are sophisticated, but there’s something missing. Passion, humor, something. I feel the monkey in your soul? WTF?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Link: Time and critical revaluations
Noel Murray has a smart piece in The AV Club on how critical evaluations of music can change over time.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Neil Young with Crazy Horse, 1969
For me this album, which I had NEVER heard before this year, is four songs. But what songs!
“Cinnamon Girl,” “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere,” “Down By the River,” and “Cowgirl in the Sand.”
I fell in love with the four instantly. The music sounds as fresh as today.
Since I am listening to this on Spotify and it does not have the musician credits, here they are:
Neil Young: guitar, harmonica, vocals
Danny Whitten (1943-72): guitar, vocals
Billy Talbot: bass
Ralph Molina: drums, vocals
Bobby Notkoff: violin “Running Dry”
Robin Lane: vocals “Round and Round”
Whitten is largely reponsible for the sound of this album. He was a heroin addict and was the inspiration for "The Needle and the Damage Done" on Harvest.
“Cinnamon Girl,” “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere,” “Down By the River,” and “Cowgirl in the Sand.”
I fell in love with the four instantly. The music sounds as fresh as today.
Since I am listening to this on Spotify and it does not have the musician credits, here they are:
Neil Young: guitar, harmonica, vocals
Danny Whitten (1943-72): guitar, vocals
Billy Talbot: bass
Ralph Molina: drums, vocals
Bobby Notkoff: violin “Running Dry”
Robin Lane: vocals “Round and Round”
Whitten is largely reponsible for the sound of this album. He was a heroin addict and was the inspiration for "The Needle and the Damage Done" on Harvest.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Holland, The Beach Boys, 1973
“He just sat in his camper and wrote all that shit.”
- John Steinbeck’s son on Travels with Charley
Sitting in the Netherlands, the Beach Boys wrote touching tributes to California. "Sail On, Sailor" is so beautiful and evocative and sad. So’s "Steamboat." "California Saga (California)" is a favorite of mine. I hear human-ness and deep caring, something unusual in the rock of that time. The mainstream critics don't like this album very much -- “a shitload of drivel” says Mark Coleman in the Rolling Stone Album Guide.
- John Steinbeck’s son on Travels with Charley
Sitting in the Netherlands, the Beach Boys wrote touching tributes to California. "Sail On, Sailor" is so beautiful and evocative and sad. So’s "Steamboat." "California Saga (California)" is a favorite of mine. I hear human-ness and deep caring, something unusual in the rock of that time. The mainstream critics don't like this album very much -- “a shitload of drivel” says Mark Coleman in the Rolling Stone Album Guide.
Nancy & Lee, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, 1968
I bow before the utter, utter wonderfulness of this album.
I had the LP but didn't keep it.
It's still just as good. If anything, it's gotten better. When I first heard it I thought it was kitsch. Now I know better, it’s the real deal.
Nancy’s voice is so sexy, smart and assertive.
Lee's croak is beautiful-ugly. His production presents everything super-clearly with vocals front and center, where they belong.
Kurt Wolff on
allmusic.com: “He plays the ... deep-throated, trail-worn cowboy to her bright-eyed girl-child.”
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin”
There’s a tinkling lounge piano that seems to have wandered in from another song, or from another room.
“Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman” (Greenwich is pronounced green-witch)
Lee: "a new song about the economic opportunity program"
Nancy: "what’s that?" It’s mocking but it’s also a tribute to protest song.
"Jackson" (I think my favorite version of this song)
Nancy: "go on down to Jackson/ go ahead and wreck your health"
Lee: "hmmm"
“Some Velvet Morning”
I think the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Deep One Perfect Morning” takes off from this song.
“Sand”
Another brilliant song.
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin”
There’s a tinkling lounge piano that seems to have wandered in from another song, or from another room.
“Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman” (Greenwich is pronounced green-witch)
Lee: "a new song about the economic opportunity program"
Nancy: "what’s that?" It’s mocking but it’s also a tribute to protest song.
"Jackson" (I think my favorite version of this song)
Nancy: "go on down to Jackson/ go ahead and wreck your health"
Lee: "hmmm"
“Some Velvet Morning”
I think the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Deep One Perfect Morning” takes off from this song.
“Sand”
Another brilliant song.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Walls and Bridges, John Lennon, 1974
Sad to say this is awful. Some of it sounds phoned in and some is just devoid of inspiration.
Beggars Banquet, The Rolling Stones, 1968
Nicky Hopkins (1944-1994) is the true star of this album, with his amazing piano, everywhere but especially on "Salt of the Earth," "Jigsaw Puzzle," and "Sympathy For the Devil." It's interesting that what the Stones were so praised for is tantamount to a folk-rock album, though that term was probably never used by Stones-watchers.
Three songs I don't want to listen to: "Dear Doctor" (one joke and it mocks the South), "Street Fighting Man" (Stones wanting to say something about revolution but not being sure what -- great acoustic guitar, though), and "Sympathy For the Devil" (those fake-African drums and grunts annoy me).
One song I could listen to over and over: "Parachute Woman."
Three songs I don't want to listen to: "Dear Doctor" (one joke and it mocks the South), "Street Fighting Man" (Stones wanting to say something about revolution but not being sure what -- great acoustic guitar, though), and "Sympathy For the Devil" (those fake-African drums and grunts annoy me).
One song I could listen to over and over: "Parachute Woman."
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Atom Heart Mother, Pink Floyd, 1970
Still as great as I remembered it. If anything, better. Ambitious, yes, pretentious, no.
Other Voices, The Doors (no Jim Morrison), 1971
Holy crap, this is god-awful.
“You gotta try everything once/ you better take out some insur-ance”??
“I’m Horny, I’m Stoned” has a tiny bit of the Morrisonian humor.
“You gotta try everything once/ you better take out some insur-ance”??
“I’m Horny, I’m Stoned” has a tiny bit of the Morrisonian humor.
Sticky Fingers, The Rolling Stones, 1971
Until now I had never listened to this entire album. It's surprisingly good, in fact great (though no Exile). Back in 1971, the zipper cover and the whole macho image turned me off.
You can see the Stones starting to work out the musical ideas they’d take further and dirtier in Exile. The inhabiting of American musical forms like country, blues and soul, not just imitating them or paying tribute to them.
Let me dispose of the songs I don't like first. I could quite happily never hear "Brown Sugar" again. Sexist, racist trash with predictable chords. "You Gotta Move" is just an OK imitation of Southern blues.
I like all the rest of the songs. For all these years, I thought "Bitch" was about a woman... just read the lyrics and realized it's about a heroine called heroin. Surprise, surprise, on an album with "Sister Morphine" and a “needle and a spoon” in "Dead Flowers" and a “head full of snow” in "Moonlight Mile." What woman could compete with heroin and cocaine in their affections?
"Wild Horses" (sometimes a horse is just a horse). I liked it then, as everyone did then. I liked it because of the sentimentality and the minor key vocals. Now, it more than holds up. I like it because of the subtlety, how you can have mixed feelings about someone but still want to be with them.
"I Got the Blues" is a great Memphis soul song.
"Moonlight Mile" is another great song and a perfect ending. Also a road song.
You can see the Stones starting to work out the musical ideas they’d take further and dirtier in Exile. The inhabiting of American musical forms like country, blues and soul, not just imitating them or paying tribute to them.
Let me dispose of the songs I don't like first. I could quite happily never hear "Brown Sugar" again. Sexist, racist trash with predictable chords. "You Gotta Move" is just an OK imitation of Southern blues.
I like all the rest of the songs. For all these years, I thought "Bitch" was about a woman... just read the lyrics and realized it's about a heroine called heroin. Surprise, surprise, on an album with "Sister Morphine" and a “needle and a spoon” in "Dead Flowers" and a “head full of snow” in "Moonlight Mile." What woman could compete with heroin and cocaine in their affections?
"Wild Horses" (sometimes a horse is just a horse). I liked it then, as everyone did then. I liked it because of the sentimentality and the minor key vocals. Now, it more than holds up. I like it because of the subtlety, how you can have mixed feelings about someone but still want to be with them.
"I Got the Blues" is a great Memphis soul song.
"Moonlight Mile" is another great song and a perfect ending. Also a road song.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Scott, Scott Walker, 1967, and Scott 2, Scott Walker 1968, and Scott 3, Scott Walker, 1969
The Jacques Brel songs stand out on these three albums (stand out among a lot of great stuff). Walker does so brilliantly with the Brel songs that I was wondering what Brel himself thought of Walker's versions. I never found out, but thanks to Spotify I was able to listen to Brel's originals. And surprise, I almost always prefer Walker's versions.
Walker's great Brel performances (to make it easier to find the originals, I've included the original title):
My Death (La mort)
Amsterdam (Amsterdam)
Mathilde (Mathilde)
Jackie (La chanson de Jacky)
Next (Au suivant)
Funeral Tango (Tango funèbre)
The Girls and the Dogs (Les filles et les chiens)
If You Go Away (Ne me quitte pas)
Walker's "Sons Of" from Scott 3 is a little mawkish for me compared to Brel's "Fils de," and Brel does a good job with "Mathilde." But for every other song he took on, Scott is a better Brel than Brel.
UPDATE: Mouron does some nice Brel interpretations on her album Quinze années d'amour.
Walker's great Brel performances (to make it easier to find the originals, I've included the original title):
My Death (La mort)
Amsterdam (Amsterdam)
Mathilde (Mathilde)
Jackie (La chanson de Jacky)
Next (Au suivant)
Funeral Tango (Tango funèbre)
The Girls and the Dogs (Les filles et les chiens)
If You Go Away (Ne me quitte pas)
Walker's "Sons Of" from Scott 3 is a little mawkish for me compared to Brel's "Fils de," and Brel does a good job with "Mathilde." But for every other song he took on, Scott is a better Brel than Brel.
UPDATE: Mouron does some nice Brel interpretations on her album Quinze années d'amour.
The Flying Burrito Bros., The Flying Burrito Brothers, 1971
No Gram Parsons and precious little inspiration.
Raw Power, Iggy and the Stooges, 1973
An album I listened to all the time before I went down the rabbit hole (i.e. started this project), its brilliance shines more brightly next to many more pedestrian records from 1973.
Johnny Marr said of guitarist James Williamson in The Guardian "he's both demonic and intellectual, almost how you would imagine Darth Vader to sound if he was in a band." (Quoted in the album's Wikipedia entry). Somehow the Stooges (and Bowie, who mixed the album) refined the rawer power of the earlier Stooges into something civilized but still menacing.
Johnny Marr said of guitarist James Williamson in The Guardian "he's both demonic and intellectual, almost how you would imagine Darth Vader to sound if he was in a band." (Quoted in the album's Wikipedia entry). Somehow the Stooges (and Bowie, who mixed the album) refined the rawer power of the earlier Stooges into something civilized but still menacing.
The Beatles (White Album), The Beatles, 1968
I am ready for another revisionism. This time I will like this album, but selectively.
When it came out, I listened pretty uncritically. But I did think it was dark, disturbed, and disturbing, with plenty of violence (“Bungalow Bill”, “Rocky Raccoon”, “Happiness is a Warm Gun”).
Later, in the punk era, I was revulsed. No Elvis, Beatles, or Rolling Stones. (Or in a more charitable mood- “I was in love with the Beatles.”)
Now - I will amuse myself by creating a one-record version with the songs I think worth keeping.
Worth keeping, and would have made a pretty kick-ass Beatles album:
Back in the USSR (Paul)
Dear Prudence (John)
Glass Onion (John)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (George)
Blackbird (Paul)
I Will (Paul)
Julia (John)
Mother Nature’s Son (Paul)
Sexy Sadie (John)
Helter Skelter (Paul)
Long, Long, Long (George)
Revolution 1 (John)
Cry Baby Cry (John)
Good Night (John, w/ Ringo on vocals)
Throw away: (In today’s terms, “White Album Deluxe Edition”):
Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da (Paul)
Wild Honey Pie (Paul)
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (John)
Happiness Is a Warm Gun (John)
Martha My Dear (Paul)
I’m So Tired (John)
Piggies (George)
Rocky Raccoon (Paul)
Don’t Pass Me By (Ringo)
Why Don’t We Do It In the Road? (Paul)
Birthday (Paul)
Yer Blues (John)
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey (John)
Honey Pie (Paul)
Savoy Truffle (George)
Revolution 9 (John)
Later, in the punk era, I was revulsed. No Elvis, Beatles, or Rolling Stones. (Or in a more charitable mood- “I was in love with the Beatles.”)
Now - I will amuse myself by creating a one-record version with the songs I think worth keeping.
Worth keeping, and would have made a pretty kick-ass Beatles album:
Back in the USSR (Paul)
Dear Prudence (John)
Glass Onion (John)
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (George)
Blackbird (Paul)
I Will (Paul)
Julia (John)
Mother Nature’s Son (Paul)
Sexy Sadie (John)
Helter Skelter (Paul)
Long, Long, Long (George)
Revolution 1 (John)
Cry Baby Cry (John)
Good Night (John, w/ Ringo on vocals)
Throw away: (In today’s terms, “White Album Deluxe Edition”):
Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da (Paul)
Wild Honey Pie (Paul)
The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (John)
Happiness Is a Warm Gun (John)
Martha My Dear (Paul)
I’m So Tired (John)
Piggies (George)
Rocky Raccoon (Paul)
Don’t Pass Me By (Ringo)
Why Don’t We Do It In the Road? (Paul)
Birthday (Paul)
Yer Blues (John)
Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me and My Monkey (John)
Honey Pie (Paul)
Savoy Truffle (George)
Revolution 9 (John)
Friday, March 2, 2012
Electric Warrior, T. Rex, 1971
Not much to say about this album other than IT IS PERFECT. It observes unity of sound, tone and feeling.
And quote some lyrics:
You got the blues in your shoes and your stockings
There's very little that's ever said
All of which I understand
"Hello Goodbye", The Beatles, 1967
I was going to say this didn’t hold up so well, but I don’t think I liked it all that much then.
Like the strings, though. (Violas, according to Alan W. Pollack.)
"Hey Jude"/"Revolution", The Beatles, 1968
"Revolution"
Dr. O’Boogie’s amazing guitar, which wouldn’t have been out of place at an 80’s punk gig. The lyrics’ message, however reasonable, was not what people wanted to hear in 1968.
“Hey Jude”
Didn’t like it then, do now. Partly it’s because now I know it’s about Julian Lennon (and by Paul, not John). Also the sentiments of maturity. The extended repeats of the chorus are audacious and beautiful.
It’s interesting that both songs counsel against extremes of emotion, one in politics and the other in, well, emotions.
Dr. O’Boogie’s amazing guitar, which wouldn’t have been out of place at an 80’s punk gig. The lyrics’ message, however reasonable, was not what people wanted to hear in 1968.
“Hey Jude”
Didn’t like it then, do now. Partly it’s because now I know it’s about Julian Lennon (and by Paul, not John). Also the sentiments of maturity. The extended repeats of the chorus are audacious and beautiful.
It’s interesting that both songs counsel against extremes of emotion, one in politics and the other in, well, emotions.
Their Satanic Majesties Request, The Rolling Stones, 1967
How wonderful this album is. I had forgotten. Conventional wisdom at the time was that this wasn't a good album. How wrong that was. The Stones cross their normal blues-rock with psychedelia a bit uneasily, but the uneasiness makes for some great music.
On this re-listen, utter love. Loved it in the 70s, love it now. Why are the Stones punished for experimenting (with different instruments, orchestration, looser song structures) when others are rewarded? Unfair! Songwriting, playing and production (the Stones themselves) are great. Brian Jones still around to leaven Jagger and Richards' seriousness.
On this re-listen, utter love. Loved it in the 70s, love it now. Why are the Stones punished for experimenting (with different instruments, orchestration, looser song structures) when others are rewarded? Unfair! Songwriting, playing and production (the Stones themselves) are great. Brian Jones still around to leaven Jagger and Richards' seriousness.
"Penny Lane"/"Strawberry Fields Forever", The Beatles, 1967
"Penny Lane"
Fatal McCartney Cuteness Disease.
"Strawberry Fields Forever"
Disregard the psychedelic bafflegab of the lyrics and there’s a good song here, with some interesting musical experiments.
Fatal McCartney Cuteness Disease.
"Strawberry Fields Forever"
Disregard the psychedelic bafflegab of the lyrics and there’s a good song here, with some interesting musical experiments.
The Academy In Peril, John Cale, 1972
File under discoveries. I can recommend this album without reservation. The music is beautiful and thoughtful.
Cale has a sense of humor about himself and it shows here.
The academy is in peril because the rockers have invaded it (the very thing that might blow a little fresh air into the old place).
Not sure who Cale thought would be the audience for this. That’s the trouble with classicists.
Safe As Milk, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, 1967
This album wouldn't be that interesting if it wasn't by Captain Beefheart. It's a blues record with competent songwriting and playing.
Until this project, I thought Trout Mask Replica (1969) was Cap’s first album. Actually it was his third, this one was first. Most interesting song is "Zig Zag Wanderer," which evokes The Fall and also departs from the traditional blues structure.
John Wesley Harding, Bob Dylan, 1967
I know the reputation of this album is that it’s one of Dylan’s high points.
Maybe it's over-familiar to me because in the 70's I listened to it a lot.
But it seems blah and boring to me. It just doesn't have the emotional commitment of Nashville Skyline or Self Portrait, both of which I still listen to. JWH seems flat.
Best song on JWH - "As I Went Out One Morning." Finally Dylan seems awake.
Tape From California, Phil Ochs, 1968
This one's been hard to write about. I have lots of affection for Phil Ochs but with the notable, and glorious, exception of the title song, the songs on this album are pretty weak. Even on the weak songs, I love his voice.
The title track is spectacular because the music, lyrics and attitude come together to evoke the chaos of 1968. It's Ochs's response to the hippies and the drug culture, accepting not judgmental. I love this song and I only heard it this year for the first time. It's also one of Ochs's many "My Back Pages," questioning protest and embracing the emotions.
The title track is spectacular because the music, lyrics and attitude come together to evoke the chaos of 1968. It's Ochs's response to the hippies and the drug culture, accepting not judgmental. I love this song and I only heard it this year for the first time. It's also one of Ochs's many "My Back Pages," questioning protest and embracing the emotions.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Radio City, Big Star, 1974
I had underrated this album. It’s more than "September Gurls" and "Back of a Car." It’s a genuine revelation.
The big revelations this time are “Life Is White” and “Way Out West.”
The album is remarkably consistent in musical tone and emotional tone.
It looks ahead to Mitch Easter and Scott Miller and all the jangle-poppers but what distinguishes it as of its time is that the vocals are buried in the mix.
I think part of why the album didn’t click with me before is I was listening to it with impatient, punk-conditioned ears. It requires a bit of adjusting to its pace.
And how can I not mention William Eggleston’s cover, with its super-saturated red and the sex position posters cut off at the edge of the frame. The way it ignores the band and ostensibly, has no content whatever. Eggleston wasn’t famous yet in 1974.
The Big Star documentary, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, is going to be screened at SXSW as a work-in-progress.
I think part of why the album didn’t click with me before is I was listening to it with impatient, punk-conditioned ears. It requires a bit of adjusting to its pace.
And how can I not mention William Eggleston’s cover, with its super-saturated red and the sex position posters cut off at the edge of the frame. The way it ignores the band and ostensibly, has no content whatever. Eggleston wasn’t famous yet in 1974.
The Big Star documentary, Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me, is going to be screened at SXSW as a work-in-progress.
"I Hear You Knocking", Dave Edmunds (single), 1971
In 1971, this was revivalism, and Edmunds channels his voice through some strange filter, to make it sound like it’s an old radio broadcast. Even the lyrics self-consciously mention 1952 and Chuck Berry. On the radio of that day, this stood out like a welcome sore thumb. John Lennon famously liked this single. and why wouldn’t he.
Too Much Too Soon, New York Dolls, 1974
Wow, they inhabit a different WORLD from Pink Floyd. One I’d much rather live in.
Sparks, Sparks, 1971 (orig. released as Halfnelson by Halfnelson)
Only good in tiny sparks. It has all the thought you expect from Sparks but not the tight pop songs.
Goats Head Soup, The Rolling Stones, 1973
This album is way better than I thought, especially "Coming Down Again" and "Heartbreaker." For reasons I can't remember, I was overly biased against this album. Jeez, even hearing "Angie" isn’t a terrible experience.
It’s an OK album, but what’s fascinating is that it’s one year after Exile and it’s not at all cut from the same cloth. Were the Stones distracted with extra-musical things? Everything, writing, playing, and recording, sounds half-assed sometimes.
It’s an OK album, but what’s fascinating is that it’s one year after Exile and it’s not at all cut from the same cloth. Were the Stones distracted with extra-musical things? Everything, writing, playing, and recording, sounds half-assed sometimes.
Every Picture Tells a Story, Rod Stewart, 1971
Surprise, surprise. I didn’t even want to include Stewart in the corpus. The surprise is not only can I listen to this album without cringing, I like it.
Man, this is a great album. All the crap he did later ("Stay with Me," "Hot Legs," et too many cetera) had retrospectively colored my opinion toward the negative. Funny how that happens.
Every Picture is full of energy, unforced emotion and wit. The acoustic (twelve-string? help me, musos) in the title track is given its own generous space in the mix. When I was fourteen “the women I’ve known I wouldn’t let tie my shoes/they wouldn’t give you the time of day” resonated with me.
Man, this is a great album. All the crap he did later ("Stay with Me," "Hot Legs," et too many cetera) had retrospectively colored my opinion toward the negative. Funny how that happens.
Every Picture is full of energy, unforced emotion and wit. The acoustic (twelve-string? help me, musos) in the title track is given its own generous space in the mix. When I was fourteen “the women I’ve known I wouldn’t let tie my shoes/they wouldn’t give you the time of day” resonated with me.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd, 1973
Wow, low energy, like on cough syrup or something. Or heroin.
Where’s the sense of humor gone? It’s like Gray Floyd.
Contrast this to what Bowie was doing at the same time. (Aladdin Sane and Pinups).
Pink Floyd has the weight of world on their shoulders and it’s not pretty. It's bombastic without any leavening.
Pretties For You, Alice Cooper, 1969
Wow, this falls into the category of Big Surprises. Not at all what I expected based on the Alice Cooper name, this is psychedelic-inflected jazz, like Captain Beefheart. I think I like it, but it will require more listening to say anything more about.
Full Circle, The Doors (without Jim Morrison), 1972
I feel bad for hitting them when they’re down, but you must be fucking kidding me.
This is dire.
Never mind half assed, this misses the ass entirely,.
It’s worse when they evoke the old Doors, like on “4 Billion Souls.”
I like this lyric - “Year 2000 is the cutoff point.”
BONUS - The truly awful album cover
BONUS - The truly awful album cover
"New York City Serenade" from The Wild, The Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, Bruce Springsteen, 1973
I still love love love this song. Compared to what else was going on in 1973, Springsteen appears to be living on his own musical planet. This is an elaborately produced, long, leisurely song. This whole album appears to be by an old soul, someone who knows exactly what he wants to do and has nothing to prove.
The one thing in my recent musical diet this reminds me of is The Hold Steady, with its journalistic/painterly focus on a subculture.
The surprise is I love this now even more than then.
The one thing in my recent musical diet this reminds me of is The Hold Steady, with its journalistic/painterly focus on a subculture.
The surprise is I love this now even more than then.
Kick Out the Jams, MC5, 1969
Man, where did they get their great reputation? This is awful, there’s no other way to say it. Blues over amplified and played sloppily and shoutily. And with a notable lack of humor, none of Iggy’s sexiness.
Buffalo Springfield Again, Buffalo Springfield, 1967
Awesome when Neil Young is at the controls ("Mr Soul," "Expecting to Fly," and "Broken Arrow"). Otherwise a bunch of hippies playing at being country, with one exception -- "Bluebird" (Stills) is pretty good.
Diamond Dogs, David Bowie, 1974
Where do I start with how wonderful this album is? I only knew the singles "Diamond Dogs" and "Rebel Rebel" before this, had never listened to any of the lyrics. Diamond Dogs is the biggest and best surprise to come out of this project so far for me. Dogs is a great album that belongs in the first rank of Bowie’s work. He deliberately made it dark, difficult, unpleasant, offputting, and insulting to the audience (“this ain’t rock and roll, this is genocide!” as a rote crowd cheers).
Chris O' Leary, in his awesome Bowie blog Pushing Ahead of the Dame, says that Dogs contains the remnants of three failed Bowie projects:
I especially like side two ("Rock 'n' Roll with Me," "We Are the Dead," "1984," "Big Brother," and "Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family"). "Chant" is a great song to blast, with its sarcastic chants of “brother” that make me think of Big Brother’s zombies worshipping him.
Chris O' Leary, in his awesome Bowie blog Pushing Ahead of the Dame, says that Dogs contains the remnants of three failed Bowie projects:
Diamond Dogs is a salvage job, a compilation of scraps from stillborn Bowie projects. There are remnants of a Ziggy Stardust musical (“Rebel Rebel” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me”), pieces of a barely comprehensible Oliver Twist-by-JG Ballard scenario (“Diamond Dogs,” “Future Legend” and “Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family”), and fragments of Bowie’s grandest failed ambition, a musical of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four: “We Are the Dead,” “Big Brother” and, of course, “1984″ itself. LinkKnowing this takes nothing away from the album's brilliance. The pieces go together very well musically and thematically.
I especially like side two ("Rock 'n' Roll with Me," "We Are the Dead," "1984," "Big Brother," and "Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family"). "Chant" is a great song to blast, with its sarcastic chants of “brother” that make me think of Big Brother’s zombies worshipping him.
Transformer, Lou Reed, 1972 and Exile on Main St., The Rolling Stones, 1972
I see parallels between Transformer and Exile on Main St. Lou using strings, piano - the Stones using horns and adding other instruments. Recall that Exile got bad reviews because it was not guitar driven and buried Jagger's vocals in the mix! (The 2010 reissue cleaned it up too much! Keith didn't like it.)
Artists should take care with their old work. Remember how the painter Gully Jimson (in Joyce Cary's wonderful novel The Horse's Mouth) was trying to get people to forget the Sara Monday paintings (while simultaneously trying, without much success, to wring money from them).
Artists should take care with their old work. Remember how the painter Gully Jimson (in Joyce Cary's wonderful novel The Horse's Mouth) was trying to get people to forget the Sara Monday paintings (while simultaneously trying, without much success, to wring money from them).
I don't like the "folk music" label
I want to reject putting Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Laura Nyro,
Phil Ochs, Tim Buckley, and their peers in the ghetto of "folk." I don't think their music has anything to do with folk music. I'm not sure if it's rock, either. It leans on the American song tradition and on jazz. It draws from folk music too, but goes so far beyond it that it deserves another name.
I think in the years 1967-74 they were creating something wholly new and radical, something not heard before, something I think was dismissed at the time with the "folk" label. Even "singer/songwriter" doesn't satisfy me as a label, it describes what they are but not what they did.
Consider the storm of scorn and criticism Ochs got for wanting to be like Elvis (after Dylan's own famous problems. And now we think of it as Dylan "going electric". Like it's one way? You can't ever "go acoustic" after you've "been electric"??). People had categories in their minds and those categories had real consequences. Or look at the San Francisco bands of the period. The Dead and Airplane came from a bluegrass/folk scene, didn't they?
Maybe some of the divide between folk and rock was a class divide, that mirrored the race divide of the 1950's. Rock was seen as working class and greasy, while folk was seen as college educated and clean. As Dylan was told in "Talkin' New York," "You sound like a hillbilly, we want folksingers here!"
I think in the years 1967-74 they were creating something wholly new and radical, something not heard before, something I think was dismissed at the time with the "folk" label. Even "singer/songwriter" doesn't satisfy me as a label, it describes what they are but not what they did.
Consider the storm of scorn and criticism Ochs got for wanting to be like Elvis (after Dylan's own famous problems. And now we think of it as Dylan "going electric". Like it's one way? You can't ever "go acoustic" after you've "been electric"??). People had categories in their minds and those categories had real consequences. Or look at the San Francisco bands of the period. The Dead and Airplane came from a bluegrass/folk scene, didn't they?
Maybe some of the divide between folk and rock was a class divide, that mirrored the race divide of the 1950's. Rock was seen as working class and greasy, while folk was seen as college educated and clean. As Dylan was told in "Talkin' New York," "You sound like a hillbilly, we want folksingers here!"
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Pink Floyd, 1967
This album is one of the pleasant surprises of this project. I only had Ummagumma back then so only knew the songs from the live versions. And I liked them. But the studio versions are better. It's rare that a band's live version of a song is better than same band's studio version. Piper really rocks and has humor.
Reflecting on the lyrics. Back in those days there was no Internet. To know the lyrics you would have to puzzle them out yourself, if there was no lyric sheet. To get the music you had to go to record stores. To meet other fans you had to go to concerts or clubs and talk to other fans. To get biographical and other info you had to read magazines (which you got by mail or at a store) or books ( which you got at bookstores). To know when a band was playing you read the Sunday Times or the Village Voice. To get discographical info there were books, or catalogs like Schwann. To share what you were listening to you invited someone over. It was a slower, simpler time.
Reflecting on the lyrics. Back in those days there was no Internet. To know the lyrics you would have to puzzle them out yourself, if there was no lyric sheet. To get the music you had to go to record stores. To meet other fans you had to go to concerts or clubs and talk to other fans. To get biographical and other info you had to read magazines (which you got by mail or at a store) or books ( which you got at bookstores). To know when a band was playing you read the Sunday Times or the Village Voice. To get discographical info there were books, or catalogs like Schwann. To share what you were listening to you invited someone over. It was a slower, simpler time.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
The Corpus: What's Left Out
I decided to leave some things out of the corpus. All studying requires choice, exclusion. So I excluded some things.
Paul McCartney
I have to hear "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" again? No thanks. Too precious and lightweight.
Yes
I was a fan in those years, listened to them a lot. Don't want to revisit that.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
I know this direction in music was there then, I just don't want to think about it.
Cream, Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers
Listened to that stuff a lot then. I can only take so much guitar-wank. I might decide to add Cream later, though.
Jethro Tull
Maybe because I listened to them so much then. Or what they turned into later? I don't know, I'd just rather not go there. Also may revisit that later.
The Eagles
They LA-fied country a bit too much for me.
The Monkees
Loved them then. I don't think it'd hold up musically.
I also left out almost all live albums (I included a few that I consider essential), all greatest hits albums, and almost all of Motown.
Why did you leave out Motown?
A lot of their greatest work was done by 1967. I'll include the odd great single if it strikes me.
Paul McCartney
I have to hear "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" again? No thanks. Too precious and lightweight.
Yes
I was a fan in those years, listened to them a lot. Don't want to revisit that.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
I know this direction in music was there then, I just don't want to think about it.
Cream, Eric Clapton, The Allman Brothers
Listened to that stuff a lot then. I can only take so much guitar-wank. I might decide to add Cream later, though.
Jethro Tull
Maybe because I listened to them so much then. Or what they turned into later? I don't know, I'd just rather not go there. Also may revisit that later.
The Eagles
They LA-fied country a bit too much for me.
The Monkees
Loved them then. I don't think it'd hold up musically.
I also left out almost all live albums (I included a few that I consider essential), all greatest hits albums, and almost all of Motown.
Why did you leave out Motown?
A lot of their greatest work was done by 1967. I'll include the odd great single if it strikes me.
The Corpus
To start the project, I assembled a list of recordings I am calling "the corpus."
For artists in this list, I am including everything they released from 1967 through 1974, except compilations and live albums.
ARTISTS WHOSE COMPLETE WORK FROM 1967-74 IS IN THE CORPUS
Alice Cooper
Badfinger
The Band
Barry White [singles]
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Big Star
Billy Joel
Bob Dylan
Brian Eno
Bruce Springsteen
Buffalo Springfield
The Byrds
Captain Beefheart
David Bowie
The Doors
Elton John
Fairport Convention
Fleetwood Mac
Flying Burrito Brothers
George Harrison
Gram Parsons
Grateful Dead
James Brown [singles]
Janis Joplin [solo and with bands]
Jefferson Airplane
Jimi Hendrix
Jobriath
John Cale
John Lennon
Joni Mitchell
The Kinks
Laura Nyro
Led Zeppelin
Leonard Cohen
Lou Reed
Loudon Wainwright III
Love
The MC5
The Mothers of Invention
Mott the Hoople
Neil Young
New York Dolls
Nick Drake
Nico
Pete Townshend
Phil Ochs
Pink Floyd
Queen
Rod Stewart
The Rolling Stones
Roxy Music
Scott Walker
Sparks
Steely Dan
The Stooges [also Iggy & the Stooges]
T. Rex [also Tyrannosaurus Rex]
Tim Buckley
Todd Rundgren
Van Morrison
The Velvet Underground
The Who
There are other artists in the corpus, but not their complete work from 1967-74.
For artists in this list, I am including everything they released from 1967 through 1974, except compilations and live albums.
ARTISTS WHOSE COMPLETE WORK FROM 1967-74 IS IN THE CORPUS
Alice Cooper
Badfinger
The Band
Barry White [singles]
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Big Star
Billy Joel
Bob Dylan
Brian Eno
Bruce Springsteen
Buffalo Springfield
The Byrds
Captain Beefheart
David Bowie
The Doors
Elton John
Fairport Convention
Fleetwood Mac
Flying Burrito Brothers
George Harrison
Gram Parsons
Grateful Dead
James Brown [singles]
Janis Joplin [solo and with bands]
Jefferson Airplane
Jimi Hendrix
Jobriath
John Cale
John Lennon
Joni Mitchell
The Kinks
Laura Nyro
Led Zeppelin
Leonard Cohen
Lou Reed
Loudon Wainwright III
Love
The MC5
The Mothers of Invention
Mott the Hoople
Neil Young
New York Dolls
Nick Drake
Nico
Pete Townshend
Phil Ochs
Pink Floyd
Queen
Rod Stewart
The Rolling Stones
Roxy Music
Scott Walker
Sparks
Steely Dan
The Stooges [also Iggy & the Stooges]
T. Rex [also Tyrannosaurus Rex]
Tim Buckley
Todd Rundgren
Van Morrison
The Velvet Underground
The Who
There are other artists in the corpus, but not their complete work from 1967-74.
The 1967 to 1974 Project
What is this?
Hi, my name is Larry Kooper (aka stormville). This is the blog of The 1967 to 1974 Project. A couple of weeks ago I decided to start listening to music (mostly rock and pop, more about boundaries later) from 1967 to 1974, and write about it.
Why 1967-1974?
In 1967, several important things happened in music:
- Sgt Pepper
- Rock changed from singles to albums.
- The singer/songwriter explosion (Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen)
- The San Francisco Sound explosion (Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead)
I chose 1974 because:
- It coincided with the end of glam rock
- The beginnings of disco
- To exclude punk and new wave; I know those well and don’t need to study them now.
A lot of the reason for the project is to listen to things that are completely new to me, or to listen to things I've already heard but with new ears, and even to revisit things I knew well and see what my attitude is to them now.
Hi, my name is Larry Kooper (aka stormville). This is the blog of The 1967 to 1974 Project. A couple of weeks ago I decided to start listening to music (mostly rock and pop, more about boundaries later) from 1967 to 1974, and write about it.
Why 1967-1974?
In 1967, several important things happened in music:
- Sgt Pepper
- Rock changed from singles to albums.
- The singer/songwriter explosion (Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen)
- The San Francisco Sound explosion (Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead)
I chose 1974 because:
- It coincided with the end of glam rock
- The beginnings of disco
- To exclude punk and new wave; I know those well and don’t need to study them now.
A lot of the reason for the project is to listen to things that are completely new to me, or to listen to things I've already heard but with new ears, and even to revisit things I knew well and see what my attitude is to them now.
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