California dreaming, or rather a dreamy California sound is what Ash Reiter’s music evokes from the opening of “Oakland”—the first track off of Reiter’s EP, Heatwave.  The phasing effect in her wispy voice adds to the ethereal quality of her music in such a way there’s a kind of depth to the light and airy feel she conveys in her music. That’s not to say that Ash Reiter (the band and the leader of the group) don’t groove on their songs (they do), it’s just that even within their groove, the songs kind of lull the listener into daydreams of long summer days where time kind just kind of floats.

My fellow Popdose colleague, Michael Fortes, spotlighted Ash Reiter on his Parlour to Parlour feature back in April, and since hearing the band’s music, I was struck by the lightness of their sound.  And maybe I’m not the first person to point this out, but Reiter’s style would fit quite nicely in a David Lynch film — and maybe that’s why I warmed up to their songs so quickly.  Also, it seems that a lot of groups who don the label indie pop sometimes force the hooks on the listener, but Ash Reiter does the opposite by letting the hooks slowly surface through the layers of sound– making repeated listens to Heatwave such a pleasure. I’ll admit that upon my first few listens to Heatwave, I didn’t warm up to it right away. But upon multiple spins, the hooks and songcraft took hold and pulled me in – especially “I’m Gonna Try” (Download) and the title track.  And while regionalism in rock music really doesn’t exist anymore,  I think if there’s a “California Sound” for this day and age, Reiter could certainly be the poster child for it.

So, if you’re in California (specifically the Bay Area), you can see Ash Reiter play their dreamy California groove sound live at the following venues:

November 3^rd at the Brick and Mortar in San Francisco

November 4^th at the I Am We House in El Cerrito

November 5^th at McGovern’s Bar in San Mateo

November 10^th at The Crepe Place in Santa Cruz

Truth & Salvage Co. (Silver Arrow, 2010)
Purchase this album on Amazon

Musical scions of the Eagles, Truth & Salvage Co. has the distinction of being the first band signed to Chris Robinson’s (The Black Crowes)  record label, and given an opening slot on the Crowes’ 2009 tour.  So, with that kind of introduction to the musical world, there’s a lot to live up to.  Thankfully, the band rises to the occasion on their mature sounding debut that came out over a year ago.

The album certainly harkens back to the early Eagles with an emphasis on straddling rock and country in a way that sounds authentic to both genres.  Truth & Salvage Co. clearly has the musical chops, they harmonize well, and there’s enough grittiness in their music to give them a certain heft.  But what about the songs on the album?  Well, while they are well crafted, soulfully played, and cleanly recorded, there’s a lack of overt pop hooks that stand out in the way the Eagles had down.  I don’t mean to suggest that the boys in Truth & Salvage Co. are the second coming of the Eagles, but since their musical DNA so closely matches the Eagles, comparisons cannot go unnoticed.

Standouts on the album include the bar room anthem “Hail Hail”  ”Old Piano” (with Katy Perry contributing to vocal and piano), “Welcome to L.A.” and the radio-friendly “Call Back.” (Download).  If you love Americana with lush production and great harmonizing, you’ll enjoy Truth & Salvage Co.’s debut album. The songs take time to grow on you, but after awhile you’ll be singing along with the same passion the band has for their songs. However, if you’re fan of irresistible hooks, you may find this collection of tunes lacking in what you crave.  And for those Popdose fans living in California, you can see the band live on their tour of the Golden State at the following locations:

• 08/26/11  Berkeley, CA at Starry Plough
• 08/27/11  Sand City, CA at West End Celebration
• 08/28/11  Live USTREAM at Backyard BBQ Broadcast
• 08/31/11  San Francisco, CA at Giants vs Cubs (AT&T Park)

To kick things off, let’s talk about “El Dorado” from Iron Maiden, which is available at the band’s site, www.IronMaiden.Com. The track comes from their newest album, The Final Frontier, and finds the band in that strange position of being who they are. Some groups are expected to explore different areas of sound and maturity, while others are expected to remain true to a pre-designated sound they’ve fostered through the years. Occasionally it is for the best. By now, if AC/DC tries to sound like anything other than AC/DC, it’s liable to be rejected and left for dead. This was a problem for Metallica, where they pushed against their thrash metal roots and became more commercial. At the same time as they were achieving new heights of fame, their longtime fans bristled. Many still carry that resentment, even though their last album, Death Magnetic, tried to inch back to the comfort zone.

Iron Maiden needn’t worry, because “El Dorado” sounds exactly as you would expect an Iron Maiden song to sound: the galloping rhythm, gonzo guitars, and Bruce Dickinson’s strident wail are all here to some degree. The two most noticeable points to the song are that Dickinson is mostly in control — his voice, now a little more gruff with age, fits the verse just right. When he breaks out that vocal spike we know so well for the choruses, it seals the deal that this is the Iron Maiden the fans expect. The other point, perhaps not altogether positive, is that the primary guitar line over the galloping part sounds like Heart’s “Barracuda” — not enough to be considered a ripoff, but enough to make the listener think about it.

If you are a person that just can’t stand these bands that stay in a groove forever, knowing that they’re giving their people what they want and growth be damned, you’re not going to like “El Dorado.” If you want Iron Maiden to sound like they sound and be as they are, you’ll likely be thrilled with this latest outing. The choice is yours.

Coming off a couple years with the band fun., Jack Antonoff returns to Steel Train with the track “Turnpike Ghost.” He’s brought fun. producer and former Redd Kross bassist Steven McDonald with him and the song, sonically, sounds of a similar piece to his other work. There is a bouncy, power-pop-ish vibe to the track until what I assume is the chorus kicks in. I say “assume” because the four individual parts that make up the song don’t share an immediate connection melodically. This is not a bad thing, especially when some songs instantly telegraph themselves and surprise no one, but when the presumed chorus erupts in glam-rock guitar downstrokes and gang vocals, it does indeed turn your head around.

The differences between fun. and Steel Train, as far as this track is concerned, reveal themselves in the demeanor of the music. fun. reveled in big, widescreen soundscapes that flipped from insane calliope to drum-bashing indie shouts, all tied together with big harmonies and bigger melodies. Steel Train fills “Turnpike Ghost” with nervous, agitated energy that hints at more but never lets it go (the cover of the single, depicting a girl sprawled out on the floor with a bloody head wound, also has a way of displacing the sweetness of Aim and Ignite.) What it has going for it is that I’m now really interested in hearing the Steel Train album. I’m not certain whether it’s entirely because of this one song or the possibility of a quasi-sequel to fun., but either will add up to a fine album, so I doubt the band would quibble with why I’m interested.

And now, the new release so big, I couldn’t hack it alone. Rush returns with two tracks from next year’s Clockwork Angels, “Caravan” and “BU2B” (or, “Brought Up To Believe”) and colleagues Scott Malchus, Ted Asregadoo and Rob Smith help me break down our feelings about it.

This week, we’ll be looking at a solid chart from 1975, a very good year in general for the Billboard Hot 100, if you can get past “The Hustle.” (Just kidding, Van McCoy fans!) And as I’m sure you’ll be ashamed to know, at least six of these songs were pretty much unknown to me before I started working on this post. I’m happy to have found almost all of them. Sit back and enjoy as we look at the week of June 7, 1975!

10. Philadelphia Freedom — The Elton John Band Amazon iTunes
9. Love Won’t Let Me Wait — Major Harris Amazon iTunes
8. I’m Not Lisa — Jessi Colter Amazon iTunes
7. Before the Next Teardrop Falls — Freddy Fender Amazon iTunes
6. When Will I Be Loved — Linda Ronstadt Amazon iTunes
5. Old Days — Chicago Amazon iTunes
4. Bad Time — Grand Funk Amazon iTunes
3. How Long — Ace Amazon iTunes
2. Sister Golden Hair — America Amazon iTunes
1. Thank God I’m a Country Boy — John Denver Amazon iTunes

10. Philadelphia Freedom — The Elton John Band

Well, well, well, Sir Elton. We meet again. It’s almost like we’ve barely parted company, what with my nose so far up your ass after Rock Court earlier this week. (Which seemed to help deliver a verdict in your favor — congratulations!) Not only that, but we’re meeting to discuss the very song that the prosecution claimed was the one that ended your golden period. Well, as you know, I can’t really agree with that statement, but I can certainly talk about the song. There’s lots of interesting things to say about the song.

Although Philadelphia adopted this tune, it’s really not about Philadelphia per se. Elton did dedicate the single to “the soulful sounds of Philadelphia,” and certainly those sounds are evident here, but as you may know, the song was written for tennis champion Billie Jean King and her World Tennis team, the Philadelphia Freedoms. As the legendary story goes, Elton was a huge fan of tennis and a good friend of King’s, and King had the team’s designer make a custom warm-up suit for him. Everybody knows the way to Elton’s heart is through either cocaine, dick or clothing. King struck gold with the outfit, and Elton promised to write her a song. Before a match in Denver, Elton arrived at the dressing room and presented King with the song.

Elton has said that he doesn’t write songs for the express purpose of becoming a hit, but this song was a blatant exception. “Philadelphia Freedom” was released expressly as a single, unavailable on any album until his second greatest hits compilation. Credited to the Elton John Band, he assisted sales of the single by putting a live version of “I Saw Her Standing There” on the B-side…featuring what would be John Lennon’s final stage performance. (The song was eventually released on both Lennon and Elton box sets in 1990.) Smart move, Elton! That wasn’t his only calculating move, however: a national radio programmer had publicly complained that Elton’s singles were too long and were messing up his playlists. He announced he’d be boycotting any single of his clocking in at over four minutes. “Philadelphia Freedom” was deliberately longer than it needed to be, clocking in at 5:39, but was so immensely popular that the programmer had no choice but to play the song. I don’t know if that’s a completely true story, although I’ve read it in a number of different books. Either way, I love it.

Here’s Elton performing the song on Soul Train. He wasn’t the first white artist to appear on the show, but let’s just say it wasn’t a common occurrance.

9. Love Won’t Let Me Wait — Major Harris (download)

There are no words to describe how uncomfortable I felt when I heard “Love Won’t Let Me Wait” for the first time (which, by the way, was Monday). I don’t have a problem with the smooth vocal stylings of former Delfonics member Major Harris (and yes, that’s his real name, folks). I don’t have a problem with the most excellent R&B groove, either. Nor do I raise any issue with the somewhat sketchy lyrics, which pretty much say, “hey, I’ll do whatever the hell I want to you, whenever I want, and don’t blame me, baby, blame love, ’cause it won’t let me wait. Press charges against love, y’see? Not me. Love.”

No, my problem is with none of the above. Listen to the track and surely you will figure out what my problem is. Here’s are some hints: I raised my eyebrows slightly at 1:35. I furrowed them at 2:33. I looked around to see if anybody could hear what I was hearing at around 3:16. At 4:00 I checked my iPod and actually said “WHAT?” out loud when I saw there was another 1:30 left. At 4:16 I’m pretty sure I was making a face like I had just accidentally eaten a slug. And at 4:30, I just turned the damn song off.

Despite all of this, as I said, the song actually is pretty solid. It’s been covered by many artists, including Luther Vandross, Jamie Foxx, Johnny Mathis & Deneice Williams (thank you, Deneice, for not going there) and John Legend. This was Major Harris’ biggest hit; in recent years, he’s reunited with the Delfonics, or at least one of the Delfonics groups out there touring at the moment. No clue who gets stuck with those backing vocals, but I’d love it if they couldn’t afford female backing vocalists and one of the dudes had to do it. And hey, is Major Harris big pimpin’ on this cover or what?

8. I’m Not Lisa — Jessi Colter

I’m pretty sure we could do an entire Mellow Gold post about Jessi Colter and “I’m Not Lisa.” It’s something of a rarity when a woman enters MG territory, so let’s take a good look, shall we? Check out these lyrics from the first verse:

I’m not Lisa
My name is Julie
Lisa left you years ago
My eyes are not blue
But mine won’t leave you
‘Til the sunlight has touched your face

Everybody got that? So apparently she’s singing this to the guy who not only can’t remember her name, but is calling her by the name of his old lover. And it’s not like they just broke up, either: she left him years ago! Why the hell is she with him? Then, on top of that, she says that she won’t leave him until the sunlight blah blah blah. So forget why she’s with him — why is she going to leave once the sunlight touches his face? This is the most selfless woman the world has ever known. She doesn’t care that he’s heartbroken over Lisa, and apparently he doesn’t even need to love her. He just needs to find happiness, and then she’s off? Really? Really? What kind of man winds up with such a woman?

The answer, apparently, is Waylon Jennings. Colter (whose first name is neither Lisa nor Julie) and Jennings were married in 1969 (following her brief marriage to Duane Eddy), and she really did stand by her man through all of his substance abuse problems. She gave up her own career in later years to take care of Jennings before his death in 2002. Though her website claims that “I’m Not Lisa” was self-penned, the lyrics were rumored to have been written by a ghostwriter — though she did write the music and played keyboards on the track. One of the things that makes this song so interesting is that she never laments for her own condition — the rest of the lyrics (and there are only a few other verses) focus on the man’s pain of losing Lisa.

Unsurprisingly, the song was a huge hit on the country charts, reaching #1, and is one of three songs on this chart to experience tangible success on both country and pop charts. It peaked at #4 here, and was Colter’s last significant appearance in these here charts. (I’m trying to sound country.) Colter did return to music after Jennings’ death, and has also released a cookbook, Cooking Waylon’s Way — you can check out her website if you’re so inclined. Here’s a video of Colter performing her hit song many years ago.

7. Before the Next Teardrop Falls — Freddy Fender

I like this song. It’s sweet, romantic and pretty. And although he wasn’t the first to record the song — apparently over two dozen artists have covered it, most notably Charley Pride — Fender was the first one to make any impact on the Hot 100 whatsoever. Though the song did reach #1 on this chart, it found its greatest success in the country world — it topped the charts, won the Country Music Association’s Single of the Year Award, and undoubtedly influenced Fender winning the CMA awards for Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. So am I weird for not immediately associating it with country? Given the style and instrumentation of the song, I likened it more to a 1950s soul song. Its country success is even more impressive when you consider the fact that the entire second verse is sung in Spanish.

Freddy Fender, who died of lung cancer in 2002, led a fascinating life. For starters, his real name is Baldemar Huerta, which leads me to wonder why he wasn’t automatically drafted into a life of swordsmanship or bullfighting or something. What a name! Why can’t I have that name? Before assuming the name of Freddy Fender, he also went by El Bebop Kid and Eddie Con Los Shades, thus paving the way for unforgivable Spanglish crimes led by assfaces such as Gerardo. He served three years in jail for marijuana possession. After getting out, he re-recorded a song of his from the ’50s, “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights,” which reached #8. When he died, they erected a Freddy Fender Museum in San Benito, Texas, where he was born. Interesting, right? And yet, through all of this, the most interesting thing about Freddy Fender was his hair.

Here’s another great pic. I like this one best. He’s totally channeling Fozzie Bear in this one. If I could write “wakka wakka wakka” in Spanish right now, I totally would.

Check out this video from the height of his popularity, when his collars extended past his shoulders and he resembled some sort of Mexican Elvis.

Let’s close this entry out with some cold shit. This is courtesy of Wikipedia:

BMI Songwriter Sterling Blythe claimed that he had sold the rights to a portfolio of songs, among them “Before the Next Teardrop Falls,” for $4,500 to settle debts when he left Nashville for the West Coast prior to Fender’s recording. Until his death in Sacramento in 2001, Blythe carried a newspaper clipping about Fender’s bankruptcy filing in his wallet.

Daaaaaaaamn!

6. When Will I Be Loved — Linda Ronstadt

Although I’ve had Ronstadt’s version of this song for a long time, I’ve never really given it a listen before — I’ve always gone straight to the original by the Everly Brothers, which I’ve known and loved for years. Stupid me, since Ronstadt does a killer job. It was the second of two mega-hits from 1974′s Heart Like a Wheel, the album that really established Ronstadt as a star. This song is a winner all-around: the arrangement, the guitars, the fantastic harmonies (especially the last line), they’re all terrific. And you know who we can thank for it?

That’s right: my alter ego, Andrew Gold! Gold played that awesome guitar solo, and was the arranger for the entire Heart Like a Wheel album. He even re-covered the song in his band Bryndle, featuring fellow Mellow Goldian Karla Bonoff! We love you, Andrew Gold!

Here’s Ronstadt, Gold and the band with a great live version of “When Will I Be Loved.”

5. Old Days — Chicago (download)

I went searching for a video clip of Chicago playing “Old Days” back in the ’70s, but couldn’t find anything, then spent another 5 minutes inexplicably watching a clip of the band playing “Along Comes a Woman” from 1984. And I wonder why it takes me so long to write these posts.

What a fantastic song. You’ve got hard rock in the intro, you’ve got some extremely funky drums in the same section, and then suddenly you’ve got a pop song, complete with horn and string section, and an awesome vocal from Cetera. And the band just segues through each section seamlessly. Not much more to add. This was one of two hits from Chicago VIII, along with “Harry Truman,” which reached #13. If you haven’t heard it before, enjoy.

4. Bad Time — Grand Funk (download)

I have to plead my ignorance on two levels here. For starters, it took me about 20 minutes to figure out this band’s name. Is it Grand Funk? Grand Funk Railroad? Wikipedia seems to use the names interchangeably. I finally figured out that the band went by Grand Funk Railroad until 1973, when they shortened the name to Grand Funk, and reverted back to Grand Funk Railroad in 1976. Why did I spend time researching this? I could have been watching “Along Comes a Woman” again.

Second plea of ignorance: I’ve known this song for a number of years, but not because of Grand Funk. I thought it was a Jayhawks song, as it’s on their album Tomorrow the Green Grass. I know, I know. I apologize. (Side note: have you heard about the Jayhawks reissues and anthology? Go to Addicted to Vinyl for info.)

In any case, now I’ve heard this original version, and I’m pleasantly surprised at how awesome it is. Farner’s vocal is really great  — so great, in fact, that I’m willing to overlook the idiocy of the line “I’m in love with the girl that I’m talking about.” (Almost.) It’s fun, it’s light, and perhaps even more importantly, it’s short. (I’m looking at you, Major Harris.)

By the way, I also looked for the Simpsons clip where Homer talks about Grand Funk, because I figured it’d come up in the comments. I couldn’t find it. I know one of you will, and will make me look stupid. I’m fine with that.

3. How Long — Ace

You might think this song is a man asking his lover why she’s cheated on him, but you’d be wrong. This song, which peaked here at #3, is actually about another band trying to steal this band’s bassist. I’m not making this up. For much, much more on this song, why not check out Adventures Through the Mines of Mellow Gold #5? I don’t have much more to add to what I wrote back then; I still think it’s a great song with a strong vocal from Paul Carrack. However, it’s only recently that I’m noticing the similarities between the guitar solo from “How Long” and the guitar solo in Steely Dan’s “Do It Again.” You be the judge.

2. Sister Golden Hair — America

Man, we’re just teeming with Mellow Gold on this week’s chart, aren’t we? I covered this song in Adventures Through the Mines of Mellow Gold #38. If you’re curious about the cryptic lyrics, the odd conspiracy theory that he’s singing about his half-sister, and what we call Mellow Deception, please, head on over to the archives to check it out. The video I posted there is my favorite, but here’s another one from The Midnight Special.

I still love the unabashed dorkiness of Gerry Buckley. There’s only one person dorkier than Buckley, and luckily enough, he’s at #1!

1. Thank God I’m a Country Boy — John Denver

Facts first: This song was written by Denver’s guitarist, John Martin Sommeres. The studio version of the song went largely unnoticed, overshadowed by the success of “Annie’s Song” from the same album, Back Home Again. The version that topped the charts was a live version from the Universal Ampitheatre in California, shown on the television special An Evening With John Denver. Both this song and “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” enjoy the distinction of being two of six songs that topped both the Billboard Pop and Country charts in 1975.

I imagine I’m going to catch hell from all of you for liking this song. Let me preface this by telling you a little something about my upbringing. My parents liked music, but were nowhere near the obsessive music fan that I am. I don’t know where I get it from. But there were a few artists that my parents were, as a couple, pretty crazy about, and for whatever reason, John Denver was one of them. (My mom is from Queens and my dad is from the Bronx, so don’t ask me.) My first dog was named Denver. I loved Denver. So I kind of have to love his namesake. Here we are in 1980. (Me and the dog, not me and the singer.)

(Matthew Bolin calls my haircut “the Conrad Bain,” which is one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard.)

Here’s my argument for “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” and don’t worry, I’m not going to go all Rock Court on you: it’s hard to argue with the fact that Denver (now I’m talking about the singer, not my dog, may he rest in peace…well, I guess may both of them rest in peace) is totally selling the shit out of this song. He may not have written it, but you can tell he believed in it, and like I said, he’s a complete dork (as evidenced in the below clip), but he’s earnest, and his audience loved him for it. You can hate it, but I’m totally on board with this song and John Denver in general. He sang with the Muppets, dammit!

Well, I guess that’s a shameful a way as any to end this week’s post, huh? Enjoy your weekend, thanks for reading, and we’ll see you in a couple of weeks for another edition of CHART ATTACK!

It’s not that I wanted to hate this album, and guess what? I don’t. The first two tracks, “Sliver” and “Unafraid,” were deceiving, though, sounding like the lost, lousy Queensrÿche of the past few releases. “Sliver” in particular gets a reprieve since this is a concept album, and if you’re going to be honest to the concept, you’re going to approach the boot camp song with a degree of boneheaded jingoism. “Unafraid” has no decent hook, nothing to grab onto. Expectations sink, and the listener gets used to the idea this is more of the same. And then we get to “Hundred Mile Stare” and the words that come to mind are, “Oh my God. This is Queensrÿche.” The melody and the power, as well as Geoff Tate’s harmony vocals (even though time and Marlboro cigarettes have clearly taken points off his game) all return. One wonders if it was a fluke.

“At 30,000 Ft.” continues to get the listener excited. “The Killer” sounds like a single, which is something I haven’t been able to say since the early ’90s. The official first single “If I Were King” is also pretty good, but I’m surprised Atco/Rhino didn’t grab “The Killer” first. It’s more energetic, but it’s also topically thornier. “If I Were King” focuses on surviving soldier guilt, that emotional gnawing of the one that made it out alive, remembering those who weren’t so lucky. That becomes the strength of the album, that subjects like post traumatic stress disorder and soldier deprogramming (whereby a soldier has to relearn how to live normally, without the constant ping of adrenaline kicking in) get as much time as the gung-ho aspects, the thrill of the kill and the regret ballad.

The album closes with two songs that represent a degree of redemption for the band; the heartfelt “Home Again” features the voice of Emily Tate as a soldier’s daughter waiting for her father to come home. “The Voice” is a big ol’ barnstormer the likes of which I thought the band was incapable of delivering anymore. On the former, Miss Tate is clearly untrained and sounds a little off from time to time, but that is what you would expect a soldier’s daughter, not a rock singer’s daughter, to sound like. It works for me and the song proves to be very moving because of it. The latter song carries the weight of big guitars, big drums, big voices and a notion that, of all the ways a band could sound, sounding like classic Queensrÿche isn’t such a bad thing…

And even with a couple of clunky tunes, American Soldier isn’t such a bad thing either.

American Soldier is available at Amazon.com.

I would like to begin this week’s post by asking you a few very important questions. First, how could anyone not love a movie that stars people who call themselves Shabba-Doo and Boogaloo Shrimp? Furthermore, how could anyone not love a movie about breakdancing that stars people who call themselves Shabba-Doo and Boogaloo Shrimp? And if one doesen’t like breakdancing movies starring Shabba-Doo and Boogaloo Shrimp, and that person grew up during the 1980s, does that mean he or she has no soul? Finally, and most seriously, if one doesn’t think Breakin’ (1984) is kind of amazing in an “it’s so bad it becomes good” sort of way, should he or she be reading this column at all?

Lucinda Dickey, Adolfo “Shabba-Doo” Quinones, and Michael “Boogaloo Shrimp” Chambers star in this simultaneously wonderful and terrible film about — you guessed it — breakdancing. A fairly mainstream film that had a decent run at the box office during the summer of ’84, Breakin’ (a.k.a. Breakdance) is one of several films released in the ’80s that depicted different aspects of hip-hop culture. Its portrait of the breakdancing scene, encased in a loose interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, is more upbeat and less gritty than, say, Beat Street or Wild Style. (P.S. Those two films are coming soon to Soundtrack Saturday.) Perhaps the film’s Los Angeles setting has something to do with that (I have an easier time not giggling at a ganglike dance war in Venice Beach than New York City). But if you don’t take Breakin’ too seriously, you’ll have a life-altering experience. Okay, maybe not life altering. But you’ll definitely have a damn good time.

So, what happens in this piece of cinematic genius? Rather than give you a typical synopsis, I’m going to list things I love about this movie that I think you should, or would, love too.

1. Shabba-Doo
2. Boogaloo Shrimp
3. breakdance wars
4. Ice-T in his first film role
5. spotting Lela Rochon and Jean-Claude Van Damme as uncredited extras
6. the entire sequence in which Ozone (Shabba-Doo) and Turbo (Boogaloo Shrimp) teach Kelly (Dickey) how to breakdance
7. Breakdancers vs. Rednecks; Breakdancers vs. Rich People
8. the big-time dance competition
9. the soundtrack, obviously
10. IT HAS A SEQUEL CALLED BREAKIN’ 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO!

Come on, now, tell me you don’t want to watch this movie this very minute.

Okay, so how about that soundtrack? It’s possibly the best thing about the whole film. It features a great mix of hip-hop, rap, pop, and funk, and even managed to spawn a pretty big hit — “Breakin’ … There’s No Stopping Us,” by Ollie & Jerry, reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also features the first appearance by Ice-T on a full-length album. I’ve got the entire official soundtrack for you, plus a couple of tracks that didn’t make the final cut.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go plan my Breakin’-themed birthday party.

Ollie & Jerry – Breakin’ … There’s No Stopping Us
The Bar-Kays – Freakshow on the Dance Floor
Hot Streak – Body Work
Carol Lynn Townes – 99 1/2 (Extended Vocal Version)
Ollie & Jerry – Showdown
3 V – Heart of the Beat
Firefox – Street People
Re-Flex – Cut It
Rufus featuring Chaka Khan – Ain’t Nobody
Ice-T and Chris “The Glove” Taylor – Reckless
The Rock Steady Crew – Hey You
Kraftwerk – Tour de France
Ice-T and Chris “The Glove” Taylor – Tibetan Jam (Instrumental)
Hot Streak – Body Work (Instrumental)
Ollie & Jerry – Breakin’ … There’s No Stopping Us (Instrumental)
Ice-T and Chris “The Glove” Taylor – Reckless (Extended Version)
The Art of Noise – Beat Box (Diversion One)
Al Jarreau – Boogie Down

So when Simon & Garfunkel burst on the scene, they freed up the voice and acoustic guitar from the tyranny of the right-minded (or the left, thinking politically). Their songs could be political, but they could also be nonsensical, traditional, and deep in their hearts they were always pop stars like their heroes the Everly Brothers; when they approached thorny material, Paul Simon did so as a writer, Art Garfunkel as a choir singer. When the duo was matched with a crack staff of Columbia’s studio musicians, the mass psychosis that plagued Dylan’s efforts in going electric didn’t affect the pair. Their saving grace was not simplicity but subtlety.

This all comes through on Live 1969, a collection of recordings from a tour concurrent with their finishing Bridge Over Troubled Water that year. They were on the verge of an acrimonious breakup that would result in years of sniping, famously documented in a “reunion” on the first season of Saturday Night Live in 1975. Fortunately, that subsurface nastiness is nowhere to be found here. Instead, the focus is hard set on the songs of two voices and often one guitar. You couldn’t get more traditional folk than that. And when they are backed up by other musicians, it’s never superfluous. The clearest example is when Garfunkel takes the stage, backed only by piano, to perform “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Just as poignant is “The Sound of Silence,” the song originally intended for the stark folk treatment, then later filled in with studio musicians to produce the rock tune we recognize today. In it’s rawest, live incarnation, nothing is lost because it was always there from the start. When Simon palm-mutes the strings and thumps out a beat while moving toward the end section, it becomes as epic as anything they’ve ever done.

But is this album necessary for anyone other than diehard fans? I’d argue the answer is yes, even though the intentions of its release are not strictly to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the tapes’ existence. According to some of my digging and sleuthing, it was prepped to go back in 2007, but was held back shortly after promo copies made the rounds, so this newfound synergy is only a part of the plan. The disc will finally be rolled out  first to Starbucks outlets, then later on to the rest of the market just in time for the 2009 Christmas sales season. There are no major revelations to be found here, either. You know these songs by heart, just as you know they will be performed superbly. But only here will you hear Bookends‘ mournful centerpiece “Old Friends” devoid of the “bickering divorcees” subtext present on latter reunion recordings.

Of course, you’re getting this from someone who is thrilled with the CD’s mere existence, so I’m not the picture of objective critique… but as someone who was raised on voice/guitar groups that were hell-bent on exposing everything that was wrong with the world, but seldom prepared to offer any solutions to the problems, my gratitude for the ability of Simon & Garfunkel to so skillfully say a lot, and a little, gets the best of me. I suspect it’ll do the same for you.

Someone on Twitter (follow us @popdose) recently wrote that Bruce Springsteen’s Oscar snub by the Motion Picture Academy was his punishment for “Outlaw Pete.” Maybe. I do know that the failure of the Academy to include Springsteen’s title song from The Wrestler in the Best Song category is one of the most egregious oversights I’ve ever seen in my years of following the Oscars. Are the Academy voters allowed to write in their choices?

I do understand the sentiment about “Outlaw Pete,” though. The song’s placement as the leadoff track on Working on a Dream (Columbia) is one of he most curious decisions in rock history. First of all, the thing is more than eight minutes long. Second, the story doesn’t make much sense. I suppose, based on his acknowledged respect for the iconic western films of John Ford, Springsteen was trying to create a widescreen western epic of his own. What he ended up with is more akin to the spaghetti variety.

I tell you this as someone who has listened to the track over and over in an attempt to understand its significance. I’ve done this because the balance of the album contains some of the best work that Springsteen has done in years. The E Street Band is in great form, despite the very noticeable lack of input from Clarence Clemons (wouldn’t a sax solo have been preferable to the whistling verse on the title track?), and producer Brendan O’Brien, working with Springsteen for the fourth time, has tamed most of his impulses toward the murky sound that nearly destroyed Magic for me.

Springsteen has once again returned to the touchstones that have guided his career for inspiration. He’s been talking a lot about The Byrds in recent years, and sure enough, the seminal folk-rock band’s influence is all over this album, as it was on Magic. Where Springsteen’s earlier music was highly steeped in classic r&b and soul, as well as ’60s garage rock, in recent years the rock influence has become more prominent. Check out the chorus harmonies on “What Love Can Do,” the stunning raga-rock guitar solo (which would have been right at home on “Eight Miles High”) on the beautiful and dark “Life Itself,” and the “Ballad of Easy Rider” homage that is “Tomorrow Never Knows” to fully understand the impact that the Byrds have had on Springsteen.

Bruce Springsteen has not only name-checked Roy Orbison in song (“Thunder Road”), he has, on occasion, appropriated the great vocalist’s operatic style for his own recordings. Consider his performance on one of the album’s strongest tracks, the towering “Kingdom of Days.” Springsteen soars Orbison-style again on the album’s title track. Speaking of the song “Working on a Dream,” I didn’t think much of it when it was released as a single. Here is a classic example of a song that grows within the context of an album. It’s one of my favorite tracks now, and though I could still do without the whistling, it’s mercifully short.

For my money, Springsteen is arguably the best rock vocalist in history. I say that because while others can do one thing well, Springsteen can do it all vocally, from the guttural to the sublime. The years have done nothing to diminish his abilities in this area. In fact, time has burnished his vocal instrument in a most appealing manner.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the touching “The Last Carnival.” It is Springsteen’s tribute to his late keyboard player Danny Federici, who died from melanoma last year. Danny’s son Justin fills in for his father on accordion. “We won’t be dancing together on the high wire, facing the lions with you at my side anymore. We won’t be breathing the smoke and the fire, on the midway.” The is the second album in a row that Springsteen has had to say goodbye to someone dear to him in song. It was “Terry’s Song” for Terry McGovern on Magic, and now this one for Danny. It’s not easy growing old, a fact that Springsteen acknowledges throughout this record.

If you’re like me, you like to consider an album as a whole. I’m not into this new world of picking and choosing digital singles. I want to hear albums that are of a piece. So I would tell you to just leave “Outlaw Pete” off of your iPod playlist for this album, but I know I won’t be able to bring myself to do it. This is the way the artist intended his album to be, and that has to be respected, no matter how wrongheaded a decision it may be. If you are willing to exclude that track, however, you will find that Working on a Dream is the best Bruce Springsteen album in years.

P.S. “The Wrestler,” which is included as a bonus track here, is deserving of an Academy Award, and if you’ve seen the film, it’s simply unforgettable.

Beth Rowley – Little Dreamer (2008, Verve Forecast)
purchase this CD (Amazon)

Yes, Beth Rowley is another white, female British soul singer, but before you write her off as another of Amy Winehouse’s coattail riders, it would behoove you to pause and consider a couple of things:

1. Amy Winehouse, talented as she is, isn’t the best this latest soul revival has to offer.
2. As music trends go, this is one of the best we’ve seen in years. If it’s possible to have such a thing as too many soul singers — white, female and British or otherwise — I, for one, am perfectly willing to find out just how many it takes to get there.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can evaluate Little Dreamer on its own merits — which, unfortunately, are rather small and pedestrian. Rowley is a talented vocalist, and this isn’t a bad debut album at all, but Dreamer does little to distinguish itself from the albums it’s going to be compared with. Song-to-song, Little Dreamer is more consistent than, say, Adele’s 19 — but it lacks a killer single as undeniable as “Chasing Pavements,” and Rowley’s voice lacks the grit and brassy overtones that many of her peers have been blessed with.

No, not brass, but porcelain. On the female soul-singer continuum, Rowley is closer to Dusty than Aretha, although she doesn’t really sound like either of those artists; her voice is part Bonnie Raitt and part Eva Cassidy, with a dash of Karen Carpenter thrown in. What Rowley lacks, however, is the songwriting chops it takes to come up with consistently memorable original material, or the interpretive depth to carry a classic cover. (Give her points for chutzpah, though — she covers both “I Shall Be Released” and “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” here.)

Of course, again, this is just a debut record from a young artist, and if not for the glut of similar artists releasing albums right now, Little Dreamer would probably sound fresher than it does. “Oh My Life” (download), in particular, is an eminently hummable taste of what’s hopefully to come from Beth Rowley.

Olivia Broadfield, Eyes Wide Open (2007, Pig Factory)
purchase this album (Amazon)

Just when I think I’ve heard enough wispy female bedroom pop, along comes another cute-as-a-button waif with an adorable British accent and a fondness of drum machines to draw me back in. Which is funny, because I don’t ordinarily care about British accents, and I don’t like drum machines at all. I mean, I enjoy a good Imogen Heap record as much as the next person, but come on, right? How much more of this stuff do we need?

At least one more album’s worth, apparently, or so my ears are telling me as I glide my way through my latest listen to Olivia Broadfield’s Eyes Wide Open. It’s got all the usual trappings of the genre — programmed beats, vintage-sounding keyboards, and lyrics like “Don’t fight this fire/Come stay the night with me/Silence never sounded so good,” all frosted with a tasty layer of Broadfield’s breathy vocals — but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for with pure craft.

Broadfield (who wrote all the songs, played a variety of instruments, and co-produced) has a gift for spinning delicately infectious melodies out of all the lyrical themes you expect (love, longing, heartbreak), and she keeps the arrangements smartly sparse without sacrificing the occasional burst of ear candy. Like a really well-made sports movie, it’s thoroughly predictable, but in all the right ways. Much as I never tire of watching the Italian Stallion whup Ivan Drago’s ass in the final act of Rocky IV, I’ve been spinning this album for a week, and I’m not tired of it yet.

Eyes Wide Open came out overseas last year, but Broadfield’s American reps are still (or starting to? I don’t know) pushing it here, and you can get the whole kit & caboodle for less than $9 at Amazon’s MP3 store via the above link. Try out “Fool Today” (download) and see what you think.