Though he doesn’t get much love here at Popdose, Lou Reed has earned a spot in many of rock and roll’s hardest hearts. A whole generation of New York musicians grew up with him, the glam-rock movement idolized him, and punk may likely have never happened without his influence. Whatever he does or doesn’t do now, his legend is assured, and for a man whose songwriting formula never deviates too far from standard three-chord rock, he’s covered a lot of ground. With this in mind, it’s inevitable that a couple of his albums should fall through the cracks, which is why Iconoclassic’s reissues of the previously-out-of-print Legendary Hearts and New Sensations are such a welcome reminder of his continued relevance as an artist.
Listening to it now, Legendary Hearts sounds like something of a minor revelation. Though it often lives in the shadow of its predecessor (1982’s The Blue Mask), the tightness of the backing band and the consistency of the material still mark this as one of Lou’s more solid offerings. Lyrically, the whole album is focused on relationships, a subject Lou tackles in a characteristically un-romantic fashion. Nevertheless, the protagonists of the songs are always sympathetic and believable, from the stressed-out breadwinner of “Don’t Talk Me About Work” (the most new-wavey song Lou ever wrote) to the recovering alcoholics of “The Last Shot” and “Bottoming Out.” Probably the most moving song here is “Home of the Brave,” where an audibly impassioned Lou pays open-hearted tribute to “the life that’s not saved.” (more…)
Just when you start to think that Rhino is the only company that knows how to do the box set thing, along comes ABKCO Records with their entry in the definitive statement sweepstakes. In this case the statement in question is in regard to the classic live Rolling Stones album Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out from 1969.
Exactly how do you build a big fancy box set out of a single disc live album from 40 years ago? Well you start by remastering the original tracks. Then you dig up five previously unreleased tracks from the Madison Square Garden shows that didn’t make the original cut, and make them your second audio disc. The sets by the show’s stellar opening acts, B.B. King, and Ike and Tina Turner, have never been released before, so you make those Disc Three.
You’ll need a DVD, so grab that footage from the Maysles brothers (who also made the tour documentary Gimme Shelter), which includes full-length versions of the five newly released Stones tracks, and some behind the scenes stuff. The songs are great, but the opportunity to see Mr. Watts interact with the donkey with whom he’d eventually share the album’s cover is priceless, and the footage of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin backstage at the Garden is touching. Less than a year later they would both be gone. Watching the Stones and the Dead in a parking lot in San Francisco waiting for the helicopters that would take them to Altamont is simply chilling. Finally, you’ll need a book, and ABKCO have filled their 56-pager with an essay from tour photographer Ethan Russell, and the original Rolling Stone album review by the great Lester Bangs. In between all the words, publish some interesting photos, including one of the album’s original cover. (more…)
I am certain that when Frank Sinatra was a child, he must have gazed at the Manhattan skyline just across the Hudson River. If you’ve ever been to Hoboken, you know that the big city appears to be so close that you can almost reach out and touch the buildings. It’s a place where a young man can dream big dreams. When Sinatra was old enough, he made his escape. For him, and for countless others, “The Apple,” as he called it, became the center of the world.
The esteemed reissue masters at Rhino have chosen to commemorate this love affair between a singer and a city with a new five-disc package called, appropriately, Sinatra: New York. Four of the discs are audio CDs featuring Sinatra concerts from a variety of New York City venues. The earliest performance, on Disc One, was recorded at Manhattan Center in 1955 at an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Tommy Dorsey band, a group which Sinatra had famously been part of in the 1940s. Sinatra does three songs with Dorsey and the band for the occasion. The remainder of the disc was recorded at the United Nations in September, 1963. It was U.N. Staff Day, and Sinatra performed accompanied only by pianist Skitch Henderson. Among the songs that day were “I Have Dreamed,” and “My Heart Stood Still,” from the Concert Sinatra album which had been released earlier that year.
Frank Sinatra was only 55 years old when he called it quits in 1971. Somewhat predictably, he returned two years later with Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back, and a year after that he went on tour to benefit Variety Clubs International, a children’s charity. One of the stops on that tour was at Carnegie Hall on April 8, 1974. There, Sinatra not only sang classics like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “Come Fly With Me,” but dug into his then-new album for splendid versions of “There Used To Be A Ballpark” and “You Will Be My Music.” I was reminded again of Sinatra’s wonderful practice of naming the songwriters of each song that he sang. It was an endearing gesture of respect from the singer to the artists who provided his material. (more…)
It’s hard for me to believe that the band’s older fans couldn’t find it in their hearts to forgive Katatonia. They’ve been far away from their black metal roots for a long time, have reached personal best levels with Last Fair Deal Gone Down and The Great Cold Distance, and have done it again with their latest, Night Is the New Day. The word from the studio sessions was that this would be an extension of The Great Cold Distance — that the band was no longer going to worry about being slavishly loyal to their genre, but focused on delivering what they felt was their best work, and this latest offering delivers on that promise.
Guitarists Frederik Norrman and Anders Nystrom can still hit that hard, satisfying crunch when they need to, as on the opening assault “Forsaker,” yet that is something of a red herring. From folky acoustic passages in the unabashedly melodic “Idle Blood” to all manner of pedal manipulations, the album verges at times on art rock; at heart, it’s still “heavy,” but it’s more about using the arsenal when most effective instead of blasting all the guns at once. (more…)
It’s got to be a pain in the ass being Rivers Cuomo. On the one hand, he’s a talented songwriter and solid vocalist who happens to front the only band in the last 20 years that’s made half a go out of turning power pop into a steady career; on the other, he’s been dogged by ridiculous expectations for just about as long as anyone has known his name. Weezer’s 1994 debut was a fine album, offering a sweet burst of tuneful humor during a time when it was fashionable to be neither tuneful nor humorous, but to hear people talk about it now — or 1996’s Pinkerton, an album everyone hated when it came out — you’d think Cuomo spent his first few years as a recording artist as Lennon, McCartney, and Dylan rolled into one.
Cuomo didn’t help himself by quickly cultivating a reputation for being a mercurial weirdo, which a surprising number of people seem to equate with artistic genius — although that whole “genius” label hasn’t stopped embittered fans from picking each post-Pinkerton record apart while bellyaching about sellout moves like “Keep Fishin’” or “Beverly Hills.” If you count yourself among this crowd, everything you need to know about this album is summed up in its ridiculous, Rainn Wilson-provided title, but just in case you need to read the words, here’s a two-sentence review:
Nope, this one doesn’t sound like Pinkerton either. You bitches can go back in your holes, ’cause it’s going to be a long, long winter. (more…)
Stop right there, George Jones and Willie Nelson fans. If you think of fiddles and pedal steel when you think of country, you still get angry when you think about Shania Twain, and you think “Rascal Flatts” sounds like a venereal disease, then Carrie Underwood is not for you.
If, on the other hand, you like a little country in your pop — or a lot of pop in your country — Underwood’s third release, Play On, is going to latch itself onto your eardrums like a musical version of Ridley Scott’s Alien. Underwood might be a vegetarian, but her music is as genetically modified as country comes, and Play On is her broadest bid for cross-platform dominance yet, a 21st-century version of Come On Over that boasts the efforts of some of the most successful song doctors in the business. Mike Elizondo, Max Martin, Kara KioGuardi, Marti Frederiksen, and Chantal Kreviazuk are just a few of the ringers brought in to co-write here, and Mark Bright’s tastefully airbrushed production is perfect for an album whose liner notes include such maddeningly specific credits as “mono piano lick.” (more…)
So, friends, here we are again to determine whether you need to purchase the latest entry in Island’s U2 remastering series. First a question; what kind of U2 fan are you? Casual or committed? If it’s the latter, you probably need to read further only to enjoy the beautiful prose. You’re going to buy this. Hell, you were probably at the store on Tuesday morning to grab the first copy. It’s the casual fan who needs to make a decision. I’ll try to help you out.
In March, 1984, U2 gathered at Slane Castle in Ireland to begin recording their fourth studio album. The sessions marked their first collaboration with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. Together, they would create one of the most unique and recognizable sounds in the history of rock and roll. The Unforgettable Fire (Island Records) is the album that marked the beginning of U2’s rocket ride to the top of the world. Propelled by the massive hit “Pride (In the Name of Love),” the band approached the peak of their anthemic glory, a destination at which they would arrive with their next album, The Joshua Tree.
The music will be familiar to most people. In addition to “Pride,” “Bad,” “A Sort of Homecoming,” and the title track have entered the public consciousness over the years. Yes, the remastering, guided by the Edge, does make a difference. There’s a newfound clarity to the recordings, and more separation between the instruments. Larry Mullen’s drumming has been brought to the forefront, and seems more crisp and powerful. The Edge’s guitar chimes more brightly, and Bono may be at his most passionate here. (more…)
I can’t tell you now where I’ve been now darlin’
There are hawks inside my head
And every smile and every good thing
Are picked at until they’re dead
I love you was all she said
That’s all she said
First he fills in the foreground. I imagine Matthew Ryan sitting in a dimly lit room with a guitar, or at the piano. He scribbles, in pencil, into his songwriting notebook, filling it with stories of the lost and brokenhearted, the dreamers and the damned. Then he picks out a melody that perfectly expresses the yearnings of his characters, who more often than not seem to be some part of himself. The song written, he opens his sonic palette to create a backdrop for his painting. A distorted guitar here, a driving electro-beat or ominous synth pad there. Foreground and backdrop blend into a seamless whole.
Dear Lover (Dear Future Collective) is Matthew Ryan’s 12th album, and his first to be self-recorded. Nine of the ten tracks were recorded at his home studio in Nashville. The album was inspired by events in the spring of this year. “In short, last winter I found myself in an emergency room with someone I love. It seemed too soon. I guess it always is. But it started my head spinning around these songs once everything turned out alright,” according to the artist. “It’s a collection dedicated to saying the things between lovers that often go unsaid,” he continues. (more…)
Instrumental sludge metallers Pelican return with what may yet be their most surprising disc, What We All Come to Need. The changes are not immediately apparent if you’ve been following the band, as their heavy guitar attack and midtempo advance remain consistent from earlier releases. However, the album’s newer, smaller details eventually come to the fore.
The first thing you notice is the clarity of the recording — how, even though the band still loves the downtuned roar of their machinery, the mix is not as soupy as previous albums’. The next revelation is something you don’t hear — drummer Bryan Herweg stumbling on the beat. He’s long been a source of consternation, and occasionally fans have called for his ouster, but here, Herweg nails the beat straight between the eyes. Both these changes could be because of the influence of the band’s new label, Southern Lord. Under the Hydra Head banner, one could easily guess they were given a lot of leeway, but the new boss doesn’t work like that. Ordinarily, that might be construed as meddling, but in this case, the Pelican you always knew was in there comes out, exploding from the speakers.
The third change — more an experimentation, really — comes with the last song, “Final Breath,” which is not an instrumental. That it comes at the end makes it that much more a surprise, especially once you’ve settled into the CD. Is that a voice I hear? No matter how good this album is, the pace and musical grind does have a monolithic quality, and the band still needs to work more tempo shifts into its compositions. Need’s opening track, “Glimmer,” shows they have it in them, but there are several points on the disc where, bar after bar, the minimalism becomes amplified to the point where you aren’t listening to the track as much as you’re simply aware of its repeating patterns. Vocals tend to break apart that drone — but then again, that drone is partly Pelican’s raison d’etre. (more…)
I’m tempted to call Gov’t Mule one of my guilty pleasures. The thing is, there is really nothing to feel guilty about. Their last album, High and Mighty (2006), was my favorite hard rock album of that year, and the new one, By a Thread (Evil Teen Records), is likely to hold the same position this year. While it’s true that I don’t listen to a lot of this kind of music, I know what’s good when I hear it. It comes down to my long-held belief that no matter what genre music may belong to, it all comes down to the songs. These songs, written for the most part of band leader Warren Haynes, occasionally in collaboration with other band members, are expertly crafted, and played with passion and conviction.
Haynes, who has a day job as lead guitarist in the Allman Brothers Band, is one of the best old school rock and roll guitar players working these days, and he’s ably assisted by drummer Matt Abts and keyboardist/rhythm guitar player Danny Louis. For this album, the band welcomes Jorgen Carlsson, the first permanent bass player they’ve had since the death of founding member Allen Woody in 2000. The sound they make blends ’60s and ’70s power trio influences. I hear a lot of Bridge of Sighs-era Robin Trower in their music, and that was an era I liked very much. It’s particularly evident on the song “Monday Mourning Meltdown.” There’s also requisite but right southern rock, biker-bar blues, and even some psychedelia in the mix on the extended jam “Inside Outside Woman Blues #3.” What really sets Gov’t Mule apart, though, is that they bring more melody to the table than most bands in the hard rock arena. They demonstrate this capability on songs like “Forevermore” and “Frozen Fear.”
Haynes is determined to keep Gov’t Mule moving forward, though he admits that for this album they were finally ready to take a look back at their past, which they weren’t comfortable doing in the wake of Woody’s death. None of the songs were written until they got to Willie Nelson’s Pedernales Studio in the Texas hill country to record By a Thread. That can put a lot of pressure on a band, but in this case it worked out very well. This is another very strong effort from one of America’s hardest working bands.
Listening to it now, Legendary Hearts sounds like something of a minor revelation. Though it often lives in the shadow of its predecessor (1982’s The Blue Mask), the tightness of the backing band and the consistency of the material still mark this as one of Lou’s more solid offerings. Lyrically, the whole album is focused on relationships, a subject Lou tackles in a characteristically un-romantic fashion. Nevertheless, the protagonists of the songs are always sympathetic and believable, from the stressed-out breadwinner of “Don’t Talk Me About Work” (the most new-wavey song Lou ever wrote) to the recovering alcoholics of “The Last Shot” and “Bottoming Out.” Probably the most moving song here is “Home of the Brave,” where an audibly impassioned Lou pays open-hearted tribute to “the life that’s not saved.” (more…)
It’s hard for me to believe that the band’s older fans couldn’t find it in their hearts to forgive Katatonia. They’ve been far away from their black metal roots for a long time, have reached personal best levels with 
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I can’t tell you now where I’ve been now darlin’
Instrumental sludge metallers Pelican return with what may yet be their most surprising disc, What We All Come to Need. The changes are not immediately apparent if you’ve been following the band, as their heavy guitar attack and midtempo advance remain consistent from earlier releases. However, the album’s newer, smaller details eventually come to the fore.
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