As you will remember, the handyman committed suicide. And his memory is sticking with me, but it's astounding how life moves on, how the big wheels keep on turnin', if you're thinking of checking out, don't, you're gonna miss so much. Not that any of it's important. That's what you learn as life goes on, what you believed to be satisfying is not. The pleasure of career achievement lasts a day or two. Sex without love...talk to those with stories but no satisfaction. You learn to take pleasure in the day to day, the small accomplishments, like changing the refrigerator water filter.
The light came on. I couldn't handle it. I need everything to run right. Right now I'm troubled by losing my receive mail sound in El Capitan. That's right, I upgraded and I got silence. Sure, I get the growl in the upper right-hand corner of my computer screen, but I need the sound, I live for my mail. And I went online and everybody was complaining. How could Apple upgrade and lose something I took for granted? I'm waiting to upgrade my MacBook Pro until they fix it.
So, used to be that Peter replaced the water filter.
But do you need an expert to do so?
I could press the button and turn off the light, but that would just mask the underlying problem, the filter was used up. Or was it? Felice doesn't need it thinks changing that often.
But I do.
And that light kept staring and staring at me until I decided to take action.
I couldn't do it alone, because the model number was so long. I could stick my head in the fridge, but I couldn't write it down at the same time, this was a two man job. Or man and woman. Or Felice and me.
And when the going gets rough, I get scared. I'm a man of action, eventually, but right away? EEGADS!
But I reached my limit with the light and I called to Felice and I had her write down a number with enough digits and letters to foil any hacker. And then I went on Amazon, and VOILA! The filter popped right up.
Not that I immediately bought it, that would be too easy. Was it really the right filter, was it sold direct from Amazon? You want the latter, in case you've got to return it.
But then I clicked to buy.
And it came.
But now I had to install it.
Was I really up to the job? Should Felice call someone else? Days were passing, but now it was the weekend...I had to take action.
But Felice is manual-challenged.
I'm a guy. I've got manuals for products that I no longer own! But as soon as a product arrives Felice tosses the packaging, had she tossed the fridge manual too?
Well, she couldn't find it.
Which meant I had to go to the web. A great savior. But the YouTube videos didn't show the right model. And they were littered with so many caveats I got scared. Do I really have to unplug the damn thing? And put down a towel for water leaks? I mean can I electrocute myself and flood the house at the same time?
It's possible...
And finally I got a clip of a similar fridge, but not identical, and they said to turn off the icemaker. But their button was in a different place. I was digging my hole deeper.
And then I called out to Felice for help. I needed to write down the serial number from inside the fridge again. Which seemed inaccurate, because it was the same number for the water filter, but she wrote it down and I plugged it into Google and I got the manual.
Success!
Not really.
You see there's a handyman code. They don't want to reveal all their secrets. They don't want to tell you everything. They want you to rely on them. There was some information in the online manual, but not all.
Turns out removing the filter was easy. Reinstalling the cap too. But looking at the new filter I saw there was an up and a down, in which direction should I install it? What if it slid in and didn't filter, the manual said you could run the fridge without a filter whatsoever, then all my effort would come to nothing, and I might get Giardia and why do we need a water filter anyway, isn't what comes from the pipe clean enough?
And the old filter was extremely heavy. The new one light as a feather. Could they really be the same?
And there were installation instructions on the old and none on the new. Which raised my anxiety and had me convinced I was in over my head.
But then I noticed grooves on the tube. Maybe it would go in one way only.
But it turned out it wouldn't go in any way at all!
And if I push it I break it. And there's nothing in the manual about insertion direction. And then, counterintuitively I turn the cylinder on its side...and it slides right in.
Well, enough of the sexual metaphors.
I thought my work was done, but the manual said to refer to the section about flushing the system.
Huh? This is way too much! One of the YouTube videos had water pouring and I was in over my head and now the filter is installed but I still have to call a handyman/plumber?
So I read the instructions, which are vague. Like I told you, you're supposed to know how to do this.
And then I dove right in.
It said to get a large container, but I figured a glass was good enough. But I pushed the lever and the system farted and water started to spray and thank god I could pull away and stop the effusiveness.
This was harder than it looked.
I got a bigger glass. You had to go on and off every five seconds until you got an even flow, thanks Pearl Jam. But this happened within thirty seconds! But now I had to do it for another two minutes. And the glass is filling and I'm worried about using too much water, we've got a drought here, you know. And I thought I was through and then it farted again and then...
It worked perfectly.
And this extreme sense of satisfaction coursed throughout my entire body. Like I'd climbed my own personal Everest.
I knew I could do this. I'd been preparing for it my whole life. I'm someone who can read the instructions and follow through. Which is probably why I can't play video games, since they come with no manual. And, like I said, the refrigerator manual was vague, but I persevered.
And when I went to toss the old filter and considered its weight once again I started to wonder, is this what was in our water?
Ah, the mysteries of modern life.
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Saturday 31 October 2015
Friday 30 October 2015
Grantland
We can debate the financial viability of "Grantland" all day long.
But we cannot debate the fact that the site was synonymous with Bill Simmons, and without him it's toast.
Unlike the "Wall Street Journal"'s digital coverage. Did you see the paper held a tech conference in Laguna with even more heavyweights than Recode? Illustrating that talent is king only if it's bigger than the enterprise, and Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg are not. Bigger than the WSJ, that is. Which took its sweet time to turn the boat around, but is now dwarfing Recode, which I expect to go extinct.
So, do you invest in people or infrastructure?
ESPN thought it was pulling one over on Simmons by calling the site "Grantland." Everybody knew it should be "Simmonsland," but enterprises like to screw talent, they like to show talent who's boss, only in this case ESPN lost. Who's running that show again?
When the execs start believing they're bigger than the talent, you know you're in trouble. It screwed the music business. Come on, where is Tommy Mottola today? Does anybody under twenty five know who Tommy Mottola is? No one knows who Bob Morgado is, but he made the worst mistake in the history of recorded music, he parted ways with Jimmy Iovine.
That was not Morgado's only mistake. He kept changing heads at Warner Music, ineffectively, Doug Morris was fired on his watch, but what Morgado is most famous for is buckling under pressure, getting rid of Interscope because of "dangerous" rap lyrics.
Never heed the press. Don't even heed the shareholders. Smart people know that controversy fades, if you listen to your critics, you're toast.
So Doug Morris went to Universal and made a deal with Iovine and Interscope and the rest is history, Universal rules music today. Iovine was an exceptional record executive, don't confuse him with the guy running Apple Music ineffectively. Furthermore, it was Ted Field's money, but it was Jimmy's expertise. Where's Ted Field today?
Where's Apple today? Did you notice they're giving a $50 discount on a Watch if you buy an iPhone? Do you ever remember such a deal?
"Apple offers $50 off Apple Watch with any iPhone purchase in select Apple Retail Stores": http://bit.ly/1MyjGGo
And it's not available everywhere, but if it's available anywhere, people find out online.
Without Steve Jobs Apple is history. They'll ride the iPhone as long as they can and then another company will steal their thunder. It's the way of the world.
The world runs on talent. And executives hate this. Talent is mercurial, doesn't heed deadlines and other corporate mores. But talent is the fuel of success. Sure, a record label doesn't need a specific act to hit, but it needs one! Kinda like Al Teller made a profit on Irving Azoff's MCA acts, but when they started to fade, there was nothing in the pipeline to replace them, MCA went into decline and Teller lost his job. The most important person at a label is he who finds and signs the talent, everybody else is superfluous, remember that.
Just like a great manager without a hit act is worthless.
And a great promoter with a stiff act is on his way out of business.
But not every talented person can run his own show.
Nate Silver has been right about the election months ahead of everybody else. He said Biden had no chance because it was too late months before Biden said the same thing. But the rest of the press kept on singing the VP's praises, kept debating his entrance, wasting our time.
Just like Nate Silver told us Trump's unfavorables were so high he could never win the nomination. But the press loves debating Trump's chances months later.
Nate Silver is talent. The "New York Times" let him go. If he was still at the Grey Lady he'd be the most important person in political reporting, at his own site he's a sideshow, although Paul Krugman did give him props last week: http://nyti.ms/1SdT5x3
Proving that it's a dance. You can go your own way, but you might not be as successful. Meanwhile, the establishment you worked at just doesn't get it, and you're frustrated.
So we lionize the innovators.
But pay fealty to the MBAs who run the ship. They're the ones making the most money, those who run America's big corporations. Come on, how great was Jack Welch anyway? You can argue he cooked the books at GE, how else could the numbers keep getting better? And now Jeffrey Immelt has to dismantle what Welch built.
And then there's Elizabeth Holmes at Theranos. Lauded everywhere, there's no there there.
But we love the cult of personality. But too often it's not deserved.
But sometimes it is.
Like at HBO and Netflix, which are burgeoning because they say yes to talent when everybody else says no. There are no notes, they're investing in genius. Such that we revere the end result.
So, if you're talent, know that...
Platform is everything. I.e. without reach you're history. We live in a cacophonous world where it's nearly impossible to gain people's attention, never mind keep it. If you're starting all over today, good luck. Hell, Trent Reznor left Interscope saying he could do it alone and then he returned to the major label system. Forget Arianna Huffington, forget all the victors of the past. We live in a new era. Never give up your audience, it's all you have.
If you're the executive, know that...
Talent is never going to be manageable. If you want the trains to run on time, go work for the railroad. Talent is as insecure as it is boastful. You embrace talent, you give it wings. This is how Jimmy Iovine succeeded at Interscope, it's how Mo Ostin and Joe Smith succeeded at Warner, you want to be a magnet for talent, not an adversary. Only cut bait if you're losing money and you see no way to make it back in the future. As for difficult personalities, it goes with the territory. And when it comes to art, talent is sui generis. There's only one Paul McCartney and one Max Martin. You can hire someone controllable, you just won't get the results.
So don't believe new institutions are going to topple the old. Starting up is too hard. The landscape is too cluttered. But that does not mean every institution has to maintain. We don't need every newspaper, just a few.
Bill Simmons had it right. He got fired from ESPN and hitched his wagon to HBO, he did not start over on his own, that's an old paradigm.
As for the aforementioned Arianna Huffington, she's a blowhard in the rearview mirror, because her only talent was generating attention. And if you think that has legs, you probably believe the YouTube stars are gonna last for decades.
There's very little talent out there. And the more you try to tell it what to do and how to act the more you're going to alienate it. The job of the exec is to get talent to produce, and you don't do this by threatening with spreadsheets, you do this by coddling people.
No one at "Grantland" could make it run without Bill Simmons... NO ONE!
And Apple can't seem to come up with a new hit product without Steve Jobs.
And there's only one Adele.
Distribution is king. If you can't see or hear it, it doesn't exist.
But distribution without talent is a complete failure.
Talent first, never forget it.
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But we cannot debate the fact that the site was synonymous with Bill Simmons, and without him it's toast.
Unlike the "Wall Street Journal"'s digital coverage. Did you see the paper held a tech conference in Laguna with even more heavyweights than Recode? Illustrating that talent is king only if it's bigger than the enterprise, and Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg are not. Bigger than the WSJ, that is. Which took its sweet time to turn the boat around, but is now dwarfing Recode, which I expect to go extinct.
So, do you invest in people or infrastructure?
ESPN thought it was pulling one over on Simmons by calling the site "Grantland." Everybody knew it should be "Simmonsland," but enterprises like to screw talent, they like to show talent who's boss, only in this case ESPN lost. Who's running that show again?
When the execs start believing they're bigger than the talent, you know you're in trouble. It screwed the music business. Come on, where is Tommy Mottola today? Does anybody under twenty five know who Tommy Mottola is? No one knows who Bob Morgado is, but he made the worst mistake in the history of recorded music, he parted ways with Jimmy Iovine.
That was not Morgado's only mistake. He kept changing heads at Warner Music, ineffectively, Doug Morris was fired on his watch, but what Morgado is most famous for is buckling under pressure, getting rid of Interscope because of "dangerous" rap lyrics.
Never heed the press. Don't even heed the shareholders. Smart people know that controversy fades, if you listen to your critics, you're toast.
So Doug Morris went to Universal and made a deal with Iovine and Interscope and the rest is history, Universal rules music today. Iovine was an exceptional record executive, don't confuse him with the guy running Apple Music ineffectively. Furthermore, it was Ted Field's money, but it was Jimmy's expertise. Where's Ted Field today?
Where's Apple today? Did you notice they're giving a $50 discount on a Watch if you buy an iPhone? Do you ever remember such a deal?
"Apple offers $50 off Apple Watch with any iPhone purchase in select Apple Retail Stores": http://bit.ly/1MyjGGo
And it's not available everywhere, but if it's available anywhere, people find out online.
Without Steve Jobs Apple is history. They'll ride the iPhone as long as they can and then another company will steal their thunder. It's the way of the world.
The world runs on talent. And executives hate this. Talent is mercurial, doesn't heed deadlines and other corporate mores. But talent is the fuel of success. Sure, a record label doesn't need a specific act to hit, but it needs one! Kinda like Al Teller made a profit on Irving Azoff's MCA acts, but when they started to fade, there was nothing in the pipeline to replace them, MCA went into decline and Teller lost his job. The most important person at a label is he who finds and signs the talent, everybody else is superfluous, remember that.
Just like a great manager without a hit act is worthless.
And a great promoter with a stiff act is on his way out of business.
But not every talented person can run his own show.
Nate Silver has been right about the election months ahead of everybody else. He said Biden had no chance because it was too late months before Biden said the same thing. But the rest of the press kept on singing the VP's praises, kept debating his entrance, wasting our time.
Just like Nate Silver told us Trump's unfavorables were so high he could never win the nomination. But the press loves debating Trump's chances months later.
Nate Silver is talent. The "New York Times" let him go. If he was still at the Grey Lady he'd be the most important person in political reporting, at his own site he's a sideshow, although Paul Krugman did give him props last week: http://nyti.ms/1SdT5x3
Proving that it's a dance. You can go your own way, but you might not be as successful. Meanwhile, the establishment you worked at just doesn't get it, and you're frustrated.
So we lionize the innovators.
But pay fealty to the MBAs who run the ship. They're the ones making the most money, those who run America's big corporations. Come on, how great was Jack Welch anyway? You can argue he cooked the books at GE, how else could the numbers keep getting better? And now Jeffrey Immelt has to dismantle what Welch built.
And then there's Elizabeth Holmes at Theranos. Lauded everywhere, there's no there there.
But we love the cult of personality. But too often it's not deserved.
But sometimes it is.
Like at HBO and Netflix, which are burgeoning because they say yes to talent when everybody else says no. There are no notes, they're investing in genius. Such that we revere the end result.
So, if you're talent, know that...
Platform is everything. I.e. without reach you're history. We live in a cacophonous world where it's nearly impossible to gain people's attention, never mind keep it. If you're starting all over today, good luck. Hell, Trent Reznor left Interscope saying he could do it alone and then he returned to the major label system. Forget Arianna Huffington, forget all the victors of the past. We live in a new era. Never give up your audience, it's all you have.
If you're the executive, know that...
Talent is never going to be manageable. If you want the trains to run on time, go work for the railroad. Talent is as insecure as it is boastful. You embrace talent, you give it wings. This is how Jimmy Iovine succeeded at Interscope, it's how Mo Ostin and Joe Smith succeeded at Warner, you want to be a magnet for talent, not an adversary. Only cut bait if you're losing money and you see no way to make it back in the future. As for difficult personalities, it goes with the territory. And when it comes to art, talent is sui generis. There's only one Paul McCartney and one Max Martin. You can hire someone controllable, you just won't get the results.
So don't believe new institutions are going to topple the old. Starting up is too hard. The landscape is too cluttered. But that does not mean every institution has to maintain. We don't need every newspaper, just a few.
Bill Simmons had it right. He got fired from ESPN and hitched his wagon to HBO, he did not start over on his own, that's an old paradigm.
As for the aforementioned Arianna Huffington, she's a blowhard in the rearview mirror, because her only talent was generating attention. And if you think that has legs, you probably believe the YouTube stars are gonna last for decades.
There's very little talent out there. And the more you try to tell it what to do and how to act the more you're going to alienate it. The job of the exec is to get talent to produce, and you don't do this by threatening with spreadsheets, you do this by coddling people.
No one at "Grantland" could make it run without Bill Simmons... NO ONE!
And Apple can't seem to come up with a new hit product without Steve Jobs.
And there's only one Adele.
Distribution is king. If you can't see or hear it, it doesn't exist.
But distribution without talent is a complete failure.
Talent first, never forget it.
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Final Rhinofy
ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC - LIVE
Jan & Dean
I know, Chuck Berry wrote it, the Beach Boys ultimately did a more famous cover, but the rendition I always think of is from Jan & Dean's 1965 live album, "Command Performance," from back before "Sgt. Pepper" made albums a statement and I purchased long players primarily for the value proposition. "Command Performance" had "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena" and "Theme From The T.A.M.I. Show," at which they were the hosts, as well as "Surf City," "Sidewalk Surfin'," "Dead Man's Curve" and this.
ROCK 'N' ROLL-live
Lou Reed
When they list the best live albums of all time, "Rock 'n' Roll Animal" is never on it, but it should be. From the opening, triumphant notes of the intro to "Sweet Jane" to the final flourish of "Rock 'N' Roll," "Rock 'n' Roll Animal" is a masterpiece, it cemented Lou Reed's reputation as a rocker, and this ten plus minute iteration shows that you can rock and swing all at the same time.
ROCK & ROLL
The Velvet Underground
From the album "Loaded," which was a complete stiff upon release, this is the original take, almost half a decade before.
ROCK AND ROLL
Led Zeppelin
"It's been a long time since I rock and rolled"
Truly was. Rock history has been rewritten, "Led Zeppelin III" is seen as a left field masterpiece, that people always loved. Hogwash. It was a step back from what had come before, a true disappointment after "II," sure it had "Gallows Pole" and "Tangerine" and "That's The Way" and by today's standards it's stupendous, but back in 1970, "III" was a dud, the shine was gone, and then...
Came "IV."
Call it "ZOSO," call it whatever you want, but the truth is the band's fourth LP came on like gangbusters and wouldn't let go. This is as good as it gets, and today when so many think of rock and roll this Led Zeppelin cut goes through their brains...AND THAT'S A GOOD THING!
I WANNA ROCK
Twisted Sister
"Turn it down you say
Well, all I gotta say to you is time and time again
I say no
NO, NO, NO!"
The story of my life, if I had a dime for every time I was told to turn it down, I'd be rich. But rock is best when it's played at full volume, when it drowns out everything else and evidences its power.
All these years later, Twisted Sister is remembered for "We're Not Gonna Take It," and I like it, but I prefer "I Wanna Rock."
IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP (IF YOU WANNA ROCK 'N' ROLL)
AC/DC
It most certainly is. Not only for players, but business people too.
It's harder than it looks.
You might not get beat up, but it's possible, music's a game of intimidation, but you're certainly gonna get robbed and stoned, not necessarily in that order.
People can't handle the truth, but right here in rock's most famous song with a bagpipe is a college course worth of information on the rock business. Heed it.
LET THERE BE ROCK
AC/DC
They put out a whole album with "rock" in the title. And they've been rockin' hard ever since, with the same sound, to stadium-sized crowds. Sometimes you get it so right, it's undeniable.
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK (WE SALUTE YOU)
AC/DC
Without you, we're nothing, audience is everything, nobody likes to play in a vacuum, and when the cannons go off at an AC/DC show you feel triumphant.
But the truth is this album was a huge disappointment, cut with the legendary Mutt Lange, about the only thing memorable about it is the title track. This.
ROCK OF AGES
Def Leppard
"We got something to say
It's better to burn out
Than fade away"
Rock has always been self-referential, it's all about roots, just ask the Stones and the rest of the legendary English bands.
Like Def Leppard.
Some things never change, release infectious music that cannot be denied and you will go to the top of the chart, whether it be "Royals" in 2013, or "Pyromania" back in 1983. You only had to hear "Photograph" once, a curious concoction of riff and SoCal harmony, to swoon. But it wasn't only about the single, but the whole album.
"What do you want?
What do you want?
I want rock 'n' roll, yes I do
Long live rock 'n' roll"
Amen.
LONG LIVE ROCK
The Who
Unknown and unheralded, this track did not see release until it was part of the 1974 compilation "Odds & Sods," whose best track is "Naked Eye," but this too is legendary.
"Rock is dead they say
Long live rock"
When anybody tells me rock is dead, this song plays in my brain.
ROCK AND ROLL DOCTOR
Little Feat
The band broke through with its 1974 album "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" which featured Billy Payne's "Oh, Atlanta," but the LP opened with this.
Will Lowell George be remembered in the future?
All I know is those who were there, who were fans, will never forget him.
And this.
And so much more.
TRENCHTOWN ROCK - LIVE AT THE LYCEUM, LONDON
Bob Marley and the Wailers
"One good thing about music
When it hits you feel no pain"
Rock is a big tent, just ask the Hall of Fame, HA!
But too many midgets are getting in now, once upon a time giants traveled the globe, spreading their sound far and wide. And as big as Marley ended up being in America, he was even bigger worldwide, and his music and influence sustains.
This is my favorite Marley cut.
"Hit me with music
Hit me with music now"
ROCKIN' AROUND (WITH YOU)
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
The opening cut from the very first album, where it wasn't about heaviness so much as feel, a southern interpretation of rock and roll filtered through the ears of one Denny Cordell.
The urgency is palpable. And isn't that what rock music is all about?
BABY'S A ROCK 'N' ROLLER
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
From the follow-up LP, "You're Gonna Get It," which was supposed to cement the band's success, but that had to wait another album, still...
ROCK YOUR BABY
George McCrae
All these years later we've come to realize that disco is part of rock and roll, it's not the enemy of the people, but the basis for so much of that infectious Prince Rogers Nelson music. But when this broke, back in '74, we didn't even know what disco was, never mind that it was coming. Unlike the Hues Corporation's "Rock The Boat," I never despised "Rock Your Baby," but if I was little more than indifferent back then, I can attest to its magic today!
ROCK ME
Steppenwolf
Hit me with your best shot, grab me from the very first note, like Steppenwolf. To hear this and "Magic Carpet Ride" emanate from the radio was to believe that the youth had taken over the nation and was united in fun.
LAST OF THE ROCK STARS
Elliott Murphy
It gets in your blood, you can't let it go. Elliott cut this song on his 1973 debut "Aquashow," and he recut it this year in a deconstructed version. His life was saved by rock and roll. It'll save yours too, if you just believe.
ROCK AND ROLL QUEEN
Mott The Hoople
And since we're talking about people who've never given up, why not include Ian Hunter, from the act's very first album, although the song was written by the band's secret threat, ultimately hugely successful with Bad Company, Mick Ralphs.
ROCK STEADY
Bad Company
Written by Paul Rodgers, not Mick Ralphs, it's nothing without Mick's stinging guitar.
ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY
Bad Company
Ditto on this one.
If Bad Company had died in a plane crash, they'd be legends today. This is straightforward, straight ahead rock, no one did it better, and either you know that or you've got something waiting for you.
A ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY
The Kinks
The best song ever about being a rock fan, from the Kinks' best seventies album, "Misfits."
IT'S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME
Billy Joel
From his wimpiest period, albeit successful, this was back before his rep was resuscitated and we realized how great he truly was.
DETROIT ROCK CITY
KISS
A joke back then, unless you were prepubescent, this was seen as substandard, but there's no denying the urgency, and like a fine wine, it's gotten better over years.
ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE
KISS
A stiff in its studio iteration, this burned up the airwaves in its live rendition.
Always liked it, and I'm not ashamed to say it.
I'm still rock and rolling all nite... Hell, that's when you can reach me!
ROCK 'N' ROLL STEW
Traffic
Written by Ric Grech and Jim Gordon, it opened side two of "The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys" and was sung by Jim Capaldi.
ROCK'N ME
Steve Miller Band
When he was nearly forgotten, Steve Miller came back in '75 with a wallop of an album that was playable throughout and was.
A three minute ditty with a sly Beach Boys reference, "Rock'n Me" was written by Miller and endures to this day, just ask all the people who pay to hear it live.
IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL (BUT I LIKE IT)
The Rolling Stones
A curious situation, the title is more famous than the song, if it weren't by the Stones it'd be completely forgotten. Ironically, the first side closer, "Time Waits For No One," with a stratospheric Mick Taylor guitar solo, has been.
TOO OLD TO ROCK 'N' ROLL: TOO YOUNG TO DIE
Jethro Tull
Ditto, like the Stones above. Another song whose title is more famous than its underlying composition.
ROCK SHOW
Wings
At the Concertgebouw...huh? From McCartney's third-best post-Beatles LP. Paul's band today rocks, but so did this one, with Jimmy McCulloch and Denny Laine.
(WE'RE GONNA) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK
Bill Haley & His Comets
From the "American Graffiti" soundtrack, from back when we needed films to resuscitate history, before it was at our fingertips online.
THE HEART OF ROCK & ROLL
Huey Lewis & The News
Never forget Mr. Lewis was in Clover, the band that backed up Elvis Costello on its debut, even if he wasn't involved.
This band always had a sense of humor about themselves, they triumphed on Chrysalis and helped make that label a powerhouse. This is from "Sports," and it's not as good as the album's killer, "I Want A New Drug," but still...it holds up.
ROCK N ROLL JESUS
Kid Rock
Unlike his hero, Bob Seger, Mr. Ritchie has seen the light and put his songs on Spotify. This is the title track, the opening cut from his best post "Devil Without A Cause" LP.
JAILHOUSE ROCK
Elvis Presley
Half a century old, but somehow more dangerous than anything else on this playlist, it's the simple instrumentation and the vocal delivery, like the only thing that matters is this, the music.
ROCK CANDY
Montrose
Heavy and headbanging, this was active rock before that format lost the plot.
ROCK THE NATION
Montrose
What the hell, another, from an unheralded band with a first class guitarist and a first class frontman.
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO ROCK
Sammy Hagar
Where said frontman does it under his own moniker, and if not as good as the album's opener, "I'll Fall In Love Again," it's still pretty good.
ROCK ME AMADEUS
Falco
Like I said, rock's a big tent, it even has room for a novelty track, like this!
ROCK ME
Great White
Known more for a pyrotechnic disaster than its music, this is one of the band's building blocks, that got people out to see them.
I'M A ROCKER
Bruce Springsteen
He most certainly is.
I prefer the ballads to the upbeat tunes on "The River," but this is undeniably a part of the Boss's canon.
SHEENA IS A PUNK ROCKER
The Ramones
From the band's best LP, their third, "Rocket To Russia." Sure, I could have included "Rock 'N' Roll High School," but I like this one better!
THE HOUSE IS ROCKIN'
Stevie Ray Vaughan
A tear.
My favorite Stevie Ray song is "Life By The Drop," but this evidences his genius quite well, it's pure rock and roll.
ROCK LOBSTER
B-52's
Like nothing else. From back when originality counted. When everybody thought they could be in a band and was taking chances, most famously and successfully Devo and the B-52's, built by KROQ before that station codified its playlist and went for its victory lap.
CROCODILE ROCK
Elton John
A huge smash from someone who never stopped being a fan.
ROCK BOTTOM
Kenny Chesney
From where rock lives today, Nashville. If you like big guitars and big riffs, this is where you should direct your attention.
ROCK & ROLL BAND
Boston
You might call it corporate, I call it genius, just listen to that guitar sound!
Every band struggles before it breaks through, because...it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll!
SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK 'N' ROLL STAR
The Byrds
Featuring McGuinn's legendary sound, from back when he was Jim and not Roger and we listened to the records, bought instruments and wanted to be.
WE WILL ROCK YOU
Queen
Queen wasn't always legendary.
They were always good, but they didn't truly break through until their fourth LP, "A Night At The Opera." And then they kept on deliverin'.
Until "Wayne's World," this was the band's most famous song. And it still survives, in stadiums, everywhere there's a need for a little rock music to energize the assembled multitude.
Freddie Mercury may be dead.
But his legend lives on.
As does his music.
Over and out.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/1PTgcxI
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Jan & Dean
I know, Chuck Berry wrote it, the Beach Boys ultimately did a more famous cover, but the rendition I always think of is from Jan & Dean's 1965 live album, "Command Performance," from back before "Sgt. Pepper" made albums a statement and I purchased long players primarily for the value proposition. "Command Performance" had "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena" and "Theme From The T.A.M.I. Show," at which they were the hosts, as well as "Surf City," "Sidewalk Surfin'," "Dead Man's Curve" and this.
ROCK 'N' ROLL-live
Lou Reed
When they list the best live albums of all time, "Rock 'n' Roll Animal" is never on it, but it should be. From the opening, triumphant notes of the intro to "Sweet Jane" to the final flourish of "Rock 'N' Roll," "Rock 'n' Roll Animal" is a masterpiece, it cemented Lou Reed's reputation as a rocker, and this ten plus minute iteration shows that you can rock and swing all at the same time.
ROCK & ROLL
The Velvet Underground
From the album "Loaded," which was a complete stiff upon release, this is the original take, almost half a decade before.
ROCK AND ROLL
Led Zeppelin
"It's been a long time since I rock and rolled"
Truly was. Rock history has been rewritten, "Led Zeppelin III" is seen as a left field masterpiece, that people always loved. Hogwash. It was a step back from what had come before, a true disappointment after "II," sure it had "Gallows Pole" and "Tangerine" and "That's The Way" and by today's standards it's stupendous, but back in 1970, "III" was a dud, the shine was gone, and then...
Came "IV."
Call it "ZOSO," call it whatever you want, but the truth is the band's fourth LP came on like gangbusters and wouldn't let go. This is as good as it gets, and today when so many think of rock and roll this Led Zeppelin cut goes through their brains...AND THAT'S A GOOD THING!
I WANNA ROCK
Twisted Sister
"Turn it down you say
Well, all I gotta say to you is time and time again
I say no
NO, NO, NO!"
The story of my life, if I had a dime for every time I was told to turn it down, I'd be rich. But rock is best when it's played at full volume, when it drowns out everything else and evidences its power.
All these years later, Twisted Sister is remembered for "We're Not Gonna Take It," and I like it, but I prefer "I Wanna Rock."
IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP (IF YOU WANNA ROCK 'N' ROLL)
AC/DC
It most certainly is. Not only for players, but business people too.
It's harder than it looks.
You might not get beat up, but it's possible, music's a game of intimidation, but you're certainly gonna get robbed and stoned, not necessarily in that order.
People can't handle the truth, but right here in rock's most famous song with a bagpipe is a college course worth of information on the rock business. Heed it.
LET THERE BE ROCK
AC/DC
They put out a whole album with "rock" in the title. And they've been rockin' hard ever since, with the same sound, to stadium-sized crowds. Sometimes you get it so right, it's undeniable.
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK (WE SALUTE YOU)
AC/DC
Without you, we're nothing, audience is everything, nobody likes to play in a vacuum, and when the cannons go off at an AC/DC show you feel triumphant.
But the truth is this album was a huge disappointment, cut with the legendary Mutt Lange, about the only thing memorable about it is the title track. This.
ROCK OF AGES
Def Leppard
"We got something to say
It's better to burn out
Than fade away"
Rock has always been self-referential, it's all about roots, just ask the Stones and the rest of the legendary English bands.
Like Def Leppard.
Some things never change, release infectious music that cannot be denied and you will go to the top of the chart, whether it be "Royals" in 2013, or "Pyromania" back in 1983. You only had to hear "Photograph" once, a curious concoction of riff and SoCal harmony, to swoon. But it wasn't only about the single, but the whole album.
"What do you want?
What do you want?
I want rock 'n' roll, yes I do
Long live rock 'n' roll"
Amen.
LONG LIVE ROCK
The Who
Unknown and unheralded, this track did not see release until it was part of the 1974 compilation "Odds & Sods," whose best track is "Naked Eye," but this too is legendary.
"Rock is dead they say
Long live rock"
When anybody tells me rock is dead, this song plays in my brain.
ROCK AND ROLL DOCTOR
Little Feat
The band broke through with its 1974 album "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" which featured Billy Payne's "Oh, Atlanta," but the LP opened with this.
Will Lowell George be remembered in the future?
All I know is those who were there, who were fans, will never forget him.
And this.
And so much more.
TRENCHTOWN ROCK - LIVE AT THE LYCEUM, LONDON
Bob Marley and the Wailers
"One good thing about music
When it hits you feel no pain"
Rock is a big tent, just ask the Hall of Fame, HA!
But too many midgets are getting in now, once upon a time giants traveled the globe, spreading their sound far and wide. And as big as Marley ended up being in America, he was even bigger worldwide, and his music and influence sustains.
This is my favorite Marley cut.
"Hit me with music
Hit me with music now"
ROCKIN' AROUND (WITH YOU)
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
The opening cut from the very first album, where it wasn't about heaviness so much as feel, a southern interpretation of rock and roll filtered through the ears of one Denny Cordell.
The urgency is palpable. And isn't that what rock music is all about?
BABY'S A ROCK 'N' ROLLER
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
From the follow-up LP, "You're Gonna Get It," which was supposed to cement the band's success, but that had to wait another album, still...
ROCK YOUR BABY
George McCrae
All these years later we've come to realize that disco is part of rock and roll, it's not the enemy of the people, but the basis for so much of that infectious Prince Rogers Nelson music. But when this broke, back in '74, we didn't even know what disco was, never mind that it was coming. Unlike the Hues Corporation's "Rock The Boat," I never despised "Rock Your Baby," but if I was little more than indifferent back then, I can attest to its magic today!
ROCK ME
Steppenwolf
Hit me with your best shot, grab me from the very first note, like Steppenwolf. To hear this and "Magic Carpet Ride" emanate from the radio was to believe that the youth had taken over the nation and was united in fun.
LAST OF THE ROCK STARS
Elliott Murphy
It gets in your blood, you can't let it go. Elliott cut this song on his 1973 debut "Aquashow," and he recut it this year in a deconstructed version. His life was saved by rock and roll. It'll save yours too, if you just believe.
ROCK AND ROLL QUEEN
Mott The Hoople
And since we're talking about people who've never given up, why not include Ian Hunter, from the act's very first album, although the song was written by the band's secret threat, ultimately hugely successful with Bad Company, Mick Ralphs.
ROCK STEADY
Bad Company
Written by Paul Rodgers, not Mick Ralphs, it's nothing without Mick's stinging guitar.
ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY
Bad Company
Ditto on this one.
If Bad Company had died in a plane crash, they'd be legends today. This is straightforward, straight ahead rock, no one did it better, and either you know that or you've got something waiting for you.
A ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY
The Kinks
The best song ever about being a rock fan, from the Kinks' best seventies album, "Misfits."
IT'S STILL ROCK AND ROLL TO ME
Billy Joel
From his wimpiest period, albeit successful, this was back before his rep was resuscitated and we realized how great he truly was.
DETROIT ROCK CITY
KISS
A joke back then, unless you were prepubescent, this was seen as substandard, but there's no denying the urgency, and like a fine wine, it's gotten better over years.
ROCK AND ROLL ALL NITE
KISS
A stiff in its studio iteration, this burned up the airwaves in its live rendition.
Always liked it, and I'm not ashamed to say it.
I'm still rock and rolling all nite... Hell, that's when you can reach me!
ROCK 'N' ROLL STEW
Traffic
Written by Ric Grech and Jim Gordon, it opened side two of "The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys" and was sung by Jim Capaldi.
ROCK'N ME
Steve Miller Band
When he was nearly forgotten, Steve Miller came back in '75 with a wallop of an album that was playable throughout and was.
A three minute ditty with a sly Beach Boys reference, "Rock'n Me" was written by Miller and endures to this day, just ask all the people who pay to hear it live.
IT'S ONLY ROCK 'N' ROLL (BUT I LIKE IT)
The Rolling Stones
A curious situation, the title is more famous than the song, if it weren't by the Stones it'd be completely forgotten. Ironically, the first side closer, "Time Waits For No One," with a stratospheric Mick Taylor guitar solo, has been.
TOO OLD TO ROCK 'N' ROLL: TOO YOUNG TO DIE
Jethro Tull
Ditto, like the Stones above. Another song whose title is more famous than its underlying composition.
ROCK SHOW
Wings
At the Concertgebouw...huh? From McCartney's third-best post-Beatles LP. Paul's band today rocks, but so did this one, with Jimmy McCulloch and Denny Laine.
(WE'RE GONNA) ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK
Bill Haley & His Comets
From the "American Graffiti" soundtrack, from back when we needed films to resuscitate history, before it was at our fingertips online.
THE HEART OF ROCK & ROLL
Huey Lewis & The News
Never forget Mr. Lewis was in Clover, the band that backed up Elvis Costello on its debut, even if he wasn't involved.
This band always had a sense of humor about themselves, they triumphed on Chrysalis and helped make that label a powerhouse. This is from "Sports," and it's not as good as the album's killer, "I Want A New Drug," but still...it holds up.
ROCK N ROLL JESUS
Kid Rock
Unlike his hero, Bob Seger, Mr. Ritchie has seen the light and put his songs on Spotify. This is the title track, the opening cut from his best post "Devil Without A Cause" LP.
JAILHOUSE ROCK
Elvis Presley
Half a century old, but somehow more dangerous than anything else on this playlist, it's the simple instrumentation and the vocal delivery, like the only thing that matters is this, the music.
ROCK CANDY
Montrose
Heavy and headbanging, this was active rock before that format lost the plot.
ROCK THE NATION
Montrose
What the hell, another, from an unheralded band with a first class guitarist and a first class frontman.
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO ROCK
Sammy Hagar
Where said frontman does it under his own moniker, and if not as good as the album's opener, "I'll Fall In Love Again," it's still pretty good.
ROCK ME AMADEUS
Falco
Like I said, rock's a big tent, it even has room for a novelty track, like this!
ROCK ME
Great White
Known more for a pyrotechnic disaster than its music, this is one of the band's building blocks, that got people out to see them.
I'M A ROCKER
Bruce Springsteen
He most certainly is.
I prefer the ballads to the upbeat tunes on "The River," but this is undeniably a part of the Boss's canon.
SHEENA IS A PUNK ROCKER
The Ramones
From the band's best LP, their third, "Rocket To Russia." Sure, I could have included "Rock 'N' Roll High School," but I like this one better!
THE HOUSE IS ROCKIN'
Stevie Ray Vaughan
A tear.
My favorite Stevie Ray song is "Life By The Drop," but this evidences his genius quite well, it's pure rock and roll.
ROCK LOBSTER
B-52's
Like nothing else. From back when originality counted. When everybody thought they could be in a band and was taking chances, most famously and successfully Devo and the B-52's, built by KROQ before that station codified its playlist and went for its victory lap.
CROCODILE ROCK
Elton John
A huge smash from someone who never stopped being a fan.
ROCK BOTTOM
Kenny Chesney
From where rock lives today, Nashville. If you like big guitars and big riffs, this is where you should direct your attention.
ROCK & ROLL BAND
Boston
You might call it corporate, I call it genius, just listen to that guitar sound!
Every band struggles before it breaks through, because...it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll!
SO YOU WANT TO BE A ROCK 'N' ROLL STAR
The Byrds
Featuring McGuinn's legendary sound, from back when he was Jim and not Roger and we listened to the records, bought instruments and wanted to be.
WE WILL ROCK YOU
Queen
Queen wasn't always legendary.
They were always good, but they didn't truly break through until their fourth LP, "A Night At The Opera." And then they kept on deliverin'.
Until "Wayne's World," this was the band's most famous song. And it still survives, in stadiums, everywhere there's a need for a little rock music to energize the assembled multitude.
Freddie Mercury may be dead.
But his legend lives on.
As does his music.
Over and out.
Spotify link: http://spoti.fi/1PTgcxI
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Monday 26 October 2015
The Zombies At The Saban
It was a religious experience.
Used to be it wasn't a show, but a concert. You know, the kind your parents went to, where you sat down and let the music wash over you, let your mind drift into a special place you could not reach anywhere else.
Venues were temples. Places you went to connect and commune, recite the liturgy and be transformed. What you wore was irrelevant, it was about how you FELT!
And it was that way again Saturday night.
It should not have been this good, it shouldn't have been this meaningful. It's not like the Zombies have disappeared, or that their music is inaccessible. But indoors, as opposed to their last gig in L.A. on the Santa Monica Pier, the whole performance had gravitas. Everybody paid to get in. And when you're playing to the faithful there's an energy that's palpable. The band feeds off the audience and vice versa.
And that's what it's supposed to be about.
It was Colin Blunstone's voice that lifted the congregation. At age seventy most singers have lost a step, but when Colin held the notes in "I Love You" the assembled multitude levitated. This band came to play. The musicians might have been old, but this show was surprisingly sprightly.
As evidenced by the multiple new cuts the group played. Which were curiously satisfying.
But not what we came to hear.
We came for the hits. We came to be jetted back to a past when music ruled the world, when we were locked up in our bedrooms believing that if we just listened hard enough, our lives would change.
And they did. Because the tunes provided a way to communicate, a bond that brought us together.
Now the Zombies were there at the beginning, part of the British Invasion. And even they were anxious about their acceptance in America. Wet behind the ears, they felt inferior to the legends they shared the stage with at the Brooklyn Fox, at Murray the K's Christmas spectacular.
But the band got accolades. And then they broke up. And their career was revived and their legend cemented when Al Kooper plucked "Odessey and Oracle" from the dustbin and midwived "Time Of The Season" into a hit.
And that was the linchpin of this event, a full rendition of that legendary album. With the original band. Sans Paul Atkinson of course, he's deceased. But Hugh Grundy pounded the skins and Chris White picked the bass and it was like your high school reunion, only these were truly the cats.
Grundy was wearing a Neal Peart cap and playing with a studious joy. He needed to get it right, but you could tell he was thrilled to be on stage.
White looked like he'd just finished up at the insurance brokerage and watching him perform created cognitive dissonance. But once you've got the music in you, it's there for all time.
But the original four only played the second set, "Odessey and Oracle."
The first half was the new band, with Blunstone and Argent and Jim Rodford, the 74 year old wonder who anchored those midseventies Kinks records. That's right, when arthritis has sidelined a generation, when television is more important than music, this guy from the Mother Country never gave up hope, he didn't stop believing, he might not look like a modern rock star, but as he mouthed the words to the songs he didn't even sing Rodford was an inspiration.
And those who were there will remember that Rodford also anchored Argent.
And the band played "Hold Your Head Up." And Rod Argent told us that the song was cowritten by the bloke soon to take the stage, Chris White rescued the riff from obscurity, and if you were alive in '72 you remember the track dominating the airwaves. And the chorus is memorable, but it's that keyboard intro that satiates, and when I heard it Saturday night, that twinkle, I was brought right back to the New Raghadan Hotel in Jerusalem, where I listened to it as I tried to sleep in dirty sheets.
Six plus minutes long, "Hold Your Head Up" is an anthem. Like "Stairway To Heaven" and "Free Bird." Part of the rock canon after we switched allegiance from AM to FM and music ruled the world.
"Odessey and Oracle" brought back memories. Sitting as the band played all the notes I was taken back to an era when music was about exploration, if you weren't moving forward you would be forgotten. This was the Zombies' opus, which ultimately fell flat, but back then our icons took risks. Hell, remember the Stones did "Satanic Majesties"!
And Rod and utility player Darian Sahanaja tickled the ivories of their respective Mellotrons, and the music drifted over me and I experienced what once was and will never be again.
An era when music enraptured an entire generation and untold riches rained down upon those involved. When you had to leave home to feel alive, when nothing was virtual and everything was tactile, when songs didn't come and go, but lasted, forever.
Like "She's Not There."
"Well no one told me about her
The way she lied
Well no one told me about her
How many people cried"
It's the alchemy of keyboard, bass and voice. Proving sound counts, yet simple can rule.
"But it's too late to say you're sorry
How would I know, why should I care"
And changes count.
And then comes the anthemic chorus, the personal that becomes universal.
"Well let me tell you 'bout the way she looked
The way she acted, the color of her hair
Her voice was soft and cool
Her eyes were clear and bright
But she's not there"
Oh, pain. Love lost. Feeling sorry for yourself at the same time you feel taken advantage of, unable to see what was coming. We've all been there, it's the nature of growing up, and our experience was encapsulated in song.
Sung by someone who didn't need to prove he was better than us, who didn't need to be richer than us, but just had to convey his pain, his anguish.
The difference between Saturday night's show and those of yore was that Rod and Colin stopped the flow to tell the stories of their career, of the genesis and meaning of the songs. Used to be the acts were silent, too uptight to speak. There was a barrier between the acts and us, which left the bands on an unreachable pedestal.
Whereas Saturday night we were all in it together, there was little charisma, only wonder that we'd all been there.
But many were not. I was stunned how many fortysomethings were in attendance, who hadn't even been born when the Zombies hit.
But that's not only the power of music, but the power of darkness, the power of thought, the power of people. Today it's all about the surface, we judge you by your looks, cash and job. The Zombies hearken back to when the music brought us together and it was enough.
And it was Saturday night.
There was no production. No dancing. No outfits. Music ruled. Because you don't take phone calls in church, you don't talk in synagogue, you pay attention and you have an experience.
And the experience I had Saturday night was one of reflection upon who I was and who I became. Of a time when I had more questions than answers and the only thing that kept me going was the music.
They gave it to us easy with their pleasured hands.
They took us to the promised land.
It was the time of the season for loving.
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Used to be it wasn't a show, but a concert. You know, the kind your parents went to, where you sat down and let the music wash over you, let your mind drift into a special place you could not reach anywhere else.
Venues were temples. Places you went to connect and commune, recite the liturgy and be transformed. What you wore was irrelevant, it was about how you FELT!
And it was that way again Saturday night.
It should not have been this good, it shouldn't have been this meaningful. It's not like the Zombies have disappeared, or that their music is inaccessible. But indoors, as opposed to their last gig in L.A. on the Santa Monica Pier, the whole performance had gravitas. Everybody paid to get in. And when you're playing to the faithful there's an energy that's palpable. The band feeds off the audience and vice versa.
And that's what it's supposed to be about.
It was Colin Blunstone's voice that lifted the congregation. At age seventy most singers have lost a step, but when Colin held the notes in "I Love You" the assembled multitude levitated. This band came to play. The musicians might have been old, but this show was surprisingly sprightly.
As evidenced by the multiple new cuts the group played. Which were curiously satisfying.
But not what we came to hear.
We came for the hits. We came to be jetted back to a past when music ruled the world, when we were locked up in our bedrooms believing that if we just listened hard enough, our lives would change.
And they did. Because the tunes provided a way to communicate, a bond that brought us together.
Now the Zombies were there at the beginning, part of the British Invasion. And even they were anxious about their acceptance in America. Wet behind the ears, they felt inferior to the legends they shared the stage with at the Brooklyn Fox, at Murray the K's Christmas spectacular.
But the band got accolades. And then they broke up. And their career was revived and their legend cemented when Al Kooper plucked "Odessey and Oracle" from the dustbin and midwived "Time Of The Season" into a hit.
And that was the linchpin of this event, a full rendition of that legendary album. With the original band. Sans Paul Atkinson of course, he's deceased. But Hugh Grundy pounded the skins and Chris White picked the bass and it was like your high school reunion, only these were truly the cats.
Grundy was wearing a Neal Peart cap and playing with a studious joy. He needed to get it right, but you could tell he was thrilled to be on stage.
White looked like he'd just finished up at the insurance brokerage and watching him perform created cognitive dissonance. But once you've got the music in you, it's there for all time.
But the original four only played the second set, "Odessey and Oracle."
The first half was the new band, with Blunstone and Argent and Jim Rodford, the 74 year old wonder who anchored those midseventies Kinks records. That's right, when arthritis has sidelined a generation, when television is more important than music, this guy from the Mother Country never gave up hope, he didn't stop believing, he might not look like a modern rock star, but as he mouthed the words to the songs he didn't even sing Rodford was an inspiration.
And those who were there will remember that Rodford also anchored Argent.
And the band played "Hold Your Head Up." And Rod Argent told us that the song was cowritten by the bloke soon to take the stage, Chris White rescued the riff from obscurity, and if you were alive in '72 you remember the track dominating the airwaves. And the chorus is memorable, but it's that keyboard intro that satiates, and when I heard it Saturday night, that twinkle, I was brought right back to the New Raghadan Hotel in Jerusalem, where I listened to it as I tried to sleep in dirty sheets.
Six plus minutes long, "Hold Your Head Up" is an anthem. Like "Stairway To Heaven" and "Free Bird." Part of the rock canon after we switched allegiance from AM to FM and music ruled the world.
"Odessey and Oracle" brought back memories. Sitting as the band played all the notes I was taken back to an era when music was about exploration, if you weren't moving forward you would be forgotten. This was the Zombies' opus, which ultimately fell flat, but back then our icons took risks. Hell, remember the Stones did "Satanic Majesties"!
And Rod and utility player Darian Sahanaja tickled the ivories of their respective Mellotrons, and the music drifted over me and I experienced what once was and will never be again.
An era when music enraptured an entire generation and untold riches rained down upon those involved. When you had to leave home to feel alive, when nothing was virtual and everything was tactile, when songs didn't come and go, but lasted, forever.
Like "She's Not There."
"Well no one told me about her
The way she lied
Well no one told me about her
How many people cried"
It's the alchemy of keyboard, bass and voice. Proving sound counts, yet simple can rule.
"But it's too late to say you're sorry
How would I know, why should I care"
And changes count.
And then comes the anthemic chorus, the personal that becomes universal.
"Well let me tell you 'bout the way she looked
The way she acted, the color of her hair
Her voice was soft and cool
Her eyes were clear and bright
But she's not there"
Oh, pain. Love lost. Feeling sorry for yourself at the same time you feel taken advantage of, unable to see what was coming. We've all been there, it's the nature of growing up, and our experience was encapsulated in song.
Sung by someone who didn't need to prove he was better than us, who didn't need to be richer than us, but just had to convey his pain, his anguish.
The difference between Saturday night's show and those of yore was that Rod and Colin stopped the flow to tell the stories of their career, of the genesis and meaning of the songs. Used to be the acts were silent, too uptight to speak. There was a barrier between the acts and us, which left the bands on an unreachable pedestal.
Whereas Saturday night we were all in it together, there was little charisma, only wonder that we'd all been there.
But many were not. I was stunned how many fortysomethings were in attendance, who hadn't even been born when the Zombies hit.
But that's not only the power of music, but the power of darkness, the power of thought, the power of people. Today it's all about the surface, we judge you by your looks, cash and job. The Zombies hearken back to when the music brought us together and it was enough.
And it was Saturday night.
There was no production. No dancing. No outfits. Music ruled. Because you don't take phone calls in church, you don't talk in synagogue, you pay attention and you have an experience.
And the experience I had Saturday night was one of reflection upon who I was and who I became. Of a time when I had more questions than answers and the only thing that kept me going was the music.
They gave it to us easy with their pleasured hands.
They took us to the promised land.
It was the time of the season for loving.
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Sunday 25 October 2015
Get High
"Sometimes the only way to get by
Is to get high"
And I don't even smoke dope!
There's a quiet revolution going on and it's called the Spotify Discover Weekly playlist. Beats 1 gets all the hype, but Discover Weekly gets all the love.
I ignored it at first. Well, after a glance. Too many tracks I already knew and more I never wanted to. But people kept e-mailing me about the playlist, run by algorithms and particularized to the individual, everything I hate in theory but in practice...
People now wait for Mondays, for their new playlists. And I check it out too, for the rare discoveries, and I just made one, Brandy Clark's "Get High."
"She hates her job
Loves her kids"
Well, that sounds like reality. For all the stories of winners, there are even more of losers. Those who find their houses underwater who aren't even working for the weekend, but just to pay all the bills.
"Bored with her husband
Tired of the same old list of things to do"
Now that's modern life, not one wherein we're thrilled by the plastic people who dominate the interwebs, but frustrated by the situation we find ourselves in. Overburdened, underappreciated and unhappy.
"So when the to-dos have all been done
She sits down at the kitchen table
Rolls herself a fat one"
HUH?
You've got to understand I'm just clicking through the Discover Weekly playlist, skipping past the detritus, and I hear some pickin' that could come off a Ry Cooder album, and then there's this hooky pattern and lyrics sung by a woman without tons of attitude and then...there's a dope reference?
I had to see who this was. Brandy Clark. In the endless tsunami of hype everything rolls right off my back, I know the name, but not the music. And now I'm completely hooked.
"She laughs out loud
At who she used to be
A girl who'd a looked down on
A woman smoking weed in her kitchen
Sometimes she misses them younger days
Seein' the world through rose-colored glasses
'stead of this purple haze"
Was that a Jimi Hendrix reference? Are country people experienced? Yes, they've been shook all night long and we live in a great mish-mash where everybody knows a little bit of everything even though they tell us how different we are. However I know a ton of right-wingers who hate taxes but love gay marriage.
But the politicians pander, they can't change. And when they do, it's purely expedient. I'll vote for Hillary, but if she stopped flip-flopping in search of satiation of a theoretical majority I'd smile and spread the word.
Life'll change you. That's what they don't tell you. They tell you you jump through hoops and everything works out. But stuff happens and you realize what your parents told you is wrong. How do you square who you used to be with who you are now?
"You know life will let you down
Love will leave you lonely
Sometimes the only way to get by
Is to get high"
"Get High" would be a great record with completely different lyrics, the sound is so entrancing, so hooky, but it's the truth in its three and a half minutes that astounds. The words are everything that blew up not only country music, but rock and roll. When you didn't know which way the wind blew unless you were glued to the radio.
"So she tucks her kids in at night
Kisses her husband
Turns off the light
And talks to God
Says Lord help me accept what I can't change
But 'til I learn to do that
Thanks for the Mary Jane"
This is the national anthem, not that formulaic crap they beam on the airwaves. If we want music to burgeon, it must resonate. But the truth is there are so many layers of crap heaped upon us that most throw their arms in the air and ignore the scene while those inured to the radio hits trump stuff so worthless it slides right off of you when you hear it.
But not Brandy Clark.
I immediately went to Wikipedia, I wanted to know more, not less, which is quite a switch with today's celebrities. I found out she's a lesbian with a string of hit covers. That's right, you can be out today, the only people who care about sexuality are the old school gatekeepers who don't realize like the woman in this song, our country has changed.
But it's not only "Get High." I'm playing Brandy Clark's 2013 album "12 Stories" and marveling.
There are people who will say I'm late to the party. But you can't get on your high horse unless something's ubiquitous, and Brandy Clark is not.
But she could be.
Change starts small. Little stuff that seems irrelevant alters the entire paradigm. Buzz is building on Discover Weekly. Sure, people are listening to different music, but they're talking about it, and that's a start.
And listening to Brandy Clark I'm astounded by the truth encapsulated in song, it makes me a believer, after I've strayed from the faith.
Maybe I'll pick up the pipe!
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/1N1oUsH
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1MdLJnV
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Is to get high"
And I don't even smoke dope!
There's a quiet revolution going on and it's called the Spotify Discover Weekly playlist. Beats 1 gets all the hype, but Discover Weekly gets all the love.
I ignored it at first. Well, after a glance. Too many tracks I already knew and more I never wanted to. But people kept e-mailing me about the playlist, run by algorithms and particularized to the individual, everything I hate in theory but in practice...
People now wait for Mondays, for their new playlists. And I check it out too, for the rare discoveries, and I just made one, Brandy Clark's "Get High."
"She hates her job
Loves her kids"
Well, that sounds like reality. For all the stories of winners, there are even more of losers. Those who find their houses underwater who aren't even working for the weekend, but just to pay all the bills.
"Bored with her husband
Tired of the same old list of things to do"
Now that's modern life, not one wherein we're thrilled by the plastic people who dominate the interwebs, but frustrated by the situation we find ourselves in. Overburdened, underappreciated and unhappy.
"So when the to-dos have all been done
She sits down at the kitchen table
Rolls herself a fat one"
HUH?
You've got to understand I'm just clicking through the Discover Weekly playlist, skipping past the detritus, and I hear some pickin' that could come off a Ry Cooder album, and then there's this hooky pattern and lyrics sung by a woman without tons of attitude and then...there's a dope reference?
I had to see who this was. Brandy Clark. In the endless tsunami of hype everything rolls right off my back, I know the name, but not the music. And now I'm completely hooked.
"She laughs out loud
At who she used to be
A girl who'd a looked down on
A woman smoking weed in her kitchen
Sometimes she misses them younger days
Seein' the world through rose-colored glasses
'stead of this purple haze"
Was that a Jimi Hendrix reference? Are country people experienced? Yes, they've been shook all night long and we live in a great mish-mash where everybody knows a little bit of everything even though they tell us how different we are. However I know a ton of right-wingers who hate taxes but love gay marriage.
But the politicians pander, they can't change. And when they do, it's purely expedient. I'll vote for Hillary, but if she stopped flip-flopping in search of satiation of a theoretical majority I'd smile and spread the word.
Life'll change you. That's what they don't tell you. They tell you you jump through hoops and everything works out. But stuff happens and you realize what your parents told you is wrong. How do you square who you used to be with who you are now?
"You know life will let you down
Love will leave you lonely
Sometimes the only way to get by
Is to get high"
"Get High" would be a great record with completely different lyrics, the sound is so entrancing, so hooky, but it's the truth in its three and a half minutes that astounds. The words are everything that blew up not only country music, but rock and roll. When you didn't know which way the wind blew unless you were glued to the radio.
"So she tucks her kids in at night
Kisses her husband
Turns off the light
And talks to God
Says Lord help me accept what I can't change
But 'til I learn to do that
Thanks for the Mary Jane"
This is the national anthem, not that formulaic crap they beam on the airwaves. If we want music to burgeon, it must resonate. But the truth is there are so many layers of crap heaped upon us that most throw their arms in the air and ignore the scene while those inured to the radio hits trump stuff so worthless it slides right off of you when you hear it.
But not Brandy Clark.
I immediately went to Wikipedia, I wanted to know more, not less, which is quite a switch with today's celebrities. I found out she's a lesbian with a string of hit covers. That's right, you can be out today, the only people who care about sexuality are the old school gatekeepers who don't realize like the woman in this song, our country has changed.
But it's not only "Get High." I'm playing Brandy Clark's 2013 album "12 Stories" and marveling.
There are people who will say I'm late to the party. But you can't get on your high horse unless something's ubiquitous, and Brandy Clark is not.
But she could be.
Change starts small. Little stuff that seems irrelevant alters the entire paradigm. Buzz is building on Discover Weekly. Sure, people are listening to different music, but they're talking about it, and that's a start.
And listening to Brandy Clark I'm astounded by the truth encapsulated in song, it makes me a believer, after I've strayed from the faith.
Maybe I'll pick up the pipe!
Spotify: http://spoti.fi/1N1oUsH
YouTube: http://bit.ly/1MdLJnV
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
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