Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War Paul Simon
Label: Warner Bros.
Released: 1983
Paul Simon’s 6th solo album wasn’t supposed to be a solo album at all. Hearts And Bones was originally slated to be a Simon & Garfunkel release, due to the enormous popularity of their Concert In Central Park. In fact, some of its material premiered in their world tour which followed that event. Unfortunately, the “old friends” couldn’t keep it together and the reunion album never happened. So, Simon retooled it himself. He ended up delivering one of his most personal and innovative albums to date. While it wasn’t warmly received upon release, time has shown that the album (and incredible tracks like “Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War”) is one of Simon’s most succinct, daring and essential offerings.
It’s a well known fact that Allan Sherman was not a fan of rock & roll.He snubbed The Beatles and all things rock/hippie in many of his songs.With all that said, Rat Fink actually rocks for its time.Yes, it sounds like it came from a sitcom of that era, but that’s not exactly a bad thing.So rock out with your bobby sox out!
The purest of pure pop, The Rubinoos are here to start your week. This song is taken from their Party of Two EP, when the band had boiled down to the two main members, Jon Rubin and Tommy (T.V.) Dunbar. Produced by Todd Rundgren and backed by Utopia, this song has a giant hook that drives a great power pop song. Now play it again, but louder!
I can’t think of a better DFD track to start off the week than Devo’s cover of Lee Dorsey’s 1966 hit “Working In The Coal Mine.”The band gives the standard an interesting industrial twist that sticks in your head long after it’s over.The tune was originally featured on the Heavy Metal soundtrack and included a bonus 7” with the New Traditionalist album.
Rock ‘n’ roll & heavy metal have never known a voice the likes of Ronnie James Dio.A scrapper & a journeyman, he rose through the ranks of bands like Elf, Rainbow & Black Sabbath, eventually unleashing his own band, Dio, in the ‘80s.Throughout these years & changes, he became one of the most emblematic and beloved stars in rock.His recent reunion with the members of Black Sabbath (under the moniker Heaven & Hell) once again brought joy to audiences around the world.Today’s song, “Eat Your Heart Out” exemplifies the swagger, confidence & passion that Dio brought to the table day in & day out.We miss ya, RJD.
Love Over Gold is arguably the most underrated album of Dire Straits career.The record is loaded with a number of longer, more relaxed songs, but today’s track, “Industrial Disease,” is a mover and a shaker filled with Mark Knopfler’s quirky ramblings.From a man of many obtuse lyrics, this song sets the standard!
Manfred Mann has become a consummate interpreter of songs, many of which have been his biggest hits. Here is one that I’ve dug for many years. Manfred takes a short folkish Joan Armatrading/Pam Nestor song from Joan’s first album and turns it into a moody keyboard driven prog dirge that sticks with you long after the song is over. Add in the guitar playing of Mick Rogers and you got the perfect recipe for how Manfred Mann can make almost any song his own.
Google “1980s pop music” and you’ll discover an often horrifying litany of cheesy MTV videos, dopey drum-machine DOR, and women with ridiculous manes of teased hair wearing bustiers outside their blouses. Just beyond the mainstream, however, where the pools and eddies of artistic creativity whirl and roil, the decade proved a watershed of sorts for girls with guitars. Lucinda Williams, Sam Phillips, Rosanne Cash, Kirsty MacColl, Nanci Griffith, Tish Hinojosa, Sara Hickman, and many others, each staked out their own unique and personal musical oasis amidst a cacophony of dinky English synth bands and sharkskin-suited fashion victims. Scottish singer/songwriter Eddi Reader, after breaking into the business as a backup singer for the Gang of Four, co-founded Fairground Attraction (”Perfect”), released 10 solo albums, and in 2006 was awarded an MBE. “Wonderful Lie,” is archetypical Reader: lithe and lively, punctuated by a melancholy yet celebratory accordion drone swirling around Reader’s rich, resonant vocals, insisting on the bittersweet futility of losing yourself to love.
Today’s pick “Fantasy,” is taken from the third and final Captain Beyond album, Dawn Explosion.Starting with the former members of Iron Butterfly and Deep Purple in the early ’70s, Captain Beyond has gone through some serious changes since this album was released in 1977.The biggest change was the addition of new lead singer Willy Daffern, whom you can hear howling away on today’s track.With Fleetwood Mac and the Bee Gees dominating the air waves in ‘77, this album could have easily been overlooked.But even if you did manage to catch this tune the first time around, you’ll find that it’s definitely worth another listen.It’s time to rediscover Captain Beyond!
“Kiss and Say Goodbye” could easily stand as the manifesto artistico of Damn Fine Day. Up until their 1975 self-titled debut album, Canadian sisters/chanteuses Kate & Anna McGarrigle served as a cherished secret wellspring of songs, covered by Linda Ronstadt, Maria Muldaur, Emmylou Harris and others. “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” written by Kate (mother of Rufus and Martha Wainwright, by the way), sweetly, meticulously dreams of not just a damn fine day, but the Perfect Day: meet at the airport, catch a film from gay Paree, grab dinner for two in some eastside rendezvous, walk around the block hand in hand, and kiss ’til your mouth gets numb. Backed by a crack studio band featuring Lowell George on guitar and Bobby Keys on saxophone, the McGarrigles’ joyously warbling harmonies paint the everyday contours of domestic and romantic bliss with wit, sophistication, and a dash of sarcasm to leaven the mix. It ain’t easy to swing on a star and catch moonbeams in a jar, but that’s the McGarrigles’ metier artistique.
Despite remaining under the radar of average rock fans, Eric Johnson’s musical prowess has received widespread acclaim from many noteworthy peers including Carlos Santana and Eric Clapton.Today’s selection, appropriately titled “Zap,” catapults into a hair-raising guitar solo within the first minute of play.Taken from his 1986 release Tones, “Zap” captures Eric Johnson’s prolific musical ability at its best, featuring breakaway guitar solos driven by addictive bass lines and thrashing drum breaks.Here, Johnson strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and musical flair to create some earth-shattering rock.
Today’s track comes from Deep Purple, the English rock band that once held the Guinness World Record for the loudest concert. Shortly after releasing their 1973 album Who Do We Think We Are, Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left the band due to a feud with guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Fortunately they stuck together long enough to finish the album which yielded such hits as “Woman from Tokyo” and today’s track “Super Trouper,” a turbulent love song about life in the spotlight.
While Van Halen’s fourth release, Fair Warning, saw the band enter the age of the MTV video with the songs “Unchained” and “So This Is Love,” the album didn’t produce the same level of radio-friendly, metal-pop-ditties the three previous albums had. Darker, and maybe not quite as focused as their earlier efforts, Fair Warning remains an underrated collection that contains some exceptionally fine Eddie Van Halen guitar work as exhibited on today’s DFD track “Sinner’s Swing!” David Lee Roth’s lead, and Michael Anthony’s signature background vocals tell the tale of wanting someone no matter how bad that love may be. Those who saw the band during the recent reunion tour know this song was included on the show’s set list. Rock On!
In celebration of The Runaways movie, Joan Jett has always loved rock ‘n’ roll as documented in song and now in the movies. ”You Got A Problem” is rock with an attitude!! You can hear the venom in her voice as she yells out the words to the world. Her punk influences show through on this diatribe with a beat. Don’t mess with her or her life and she means it.
At 18, when some of us were slamming dominoes at the Senior Picnic, William “Bootsy” Collins was slapping a tricked-out bass on James Brown’s “Sex Machine.” Bootsy’s short apprenticeship’s in the Godfather’s band pays dividends in “I’d Rather Be With You.” This is slow burning funk. Uncut. Where seduction meets I’m-sorry-baby so effectively that you’ll wanna slide a copy to Tiger Woods. Bootzilla’s syncopated bass licks thump beneath Bernie Worrell’s teasing, upper register, Hammond organ vamping. Sticky stuff. Mid-mea culpa, Bootsy pleads, “Oh if I can just be your man/I wanna be your friend/not now and then, but until the end.” He pours the funk on so thick, even if you don’t believe him, it feels soothing going down.
After the breakup of the Sex Pistols, John Lydon (a/k/a Johnny Rotten) formed Public Image Ltd., and in 1979, they released their creative masterpiece Metal Box, consisting of 3 12″ 45 rpm singles packaged together in a round metal canister. Repackaged for the USA as the 2 LP set Second Edition, PiL waved goodbye to Lydon’s punk roots with a mesmerizing collection of dark, dubby tracks that opened the floodgates for the possibilities of the post-punk era. On “Memories” (the 2nd single from the album), Lydon’s punk sneer is replaced by a sadly yearning vocal wail that floats across the entrancing groove. Lydon is currently celebrating the 30th anniversary of the album with his first PiL tour in more than 20 years, coming to US clubs and festivals in the spring of 2010.
Before Prince Rogers Nelson misplaced his inner-nasty, he was waving his Freak Flag on Dirty Mind. The 1980 album features tracks about sex and incest, which overshadow a pure piece of rock & roll pleasure called “When You Were Mine.” Its playfully, infectious guitar riffs and Beach Boys-inspired harmonies are counter-balanced by devastating lyrics about loss and regret. Prince has long been an under-rated excavator of post-break up, nuclear fallout. “When You Were Mine” uncovers the insight gained after a man realizes he let his Good Thing get away. The falsetto refrain: “I love you more/than I did/when your were mine.” It’s the kinda song that’ll have you leaking tears in your Bud Light.
Eddie Van Halen turns 55 today, and the first song that comes to mind is the one that insists on being heard. Picture a suburban bedroom in 1978, as an unsuspecting listener slips Van Halen’s eponymous debut from its shrink-wrap and drops it on the turntable. The needle falls, then braces itself for shred. “Eruption” remains by far one of the most confident statements for any young band. Not a word is spoken, but Eddie’s voice on guitar is loud, strong, and clear. It’s the sound of confidence, of youth, of new beginnings, of freedom unchained. The song’s less than two minutes long, but, really, what more needs to be said? Nearly 32 years later, if “Eruption” doesn’t blow you into the next room, give my compliments to the craftsmen who reinforced your walls.
If you like your music with a twist of humor and a touch of exaggerated vanity, then you may enjoy listening to “The Oak Tree” by Morris Day.This track, released back in 1985, as part of the album Color Of Success, is in the same vein as “Jungle Love” and “The Bird”, two earlier recordings by The Time, which was fronted by Morris Day.You may remember Morris Day and The Time from the feature film “Purple Rain” where Morris Day played the antagonist to Prince, all of this taking place in the wild nightclub scene of Minneapolis in the early 80’s, of which I am proud to say, I was a part of.
Many people don’t think about the band Ambrosia as a prog rock band, but on their first 2 albums that’s exactly what they were before all the hit ballads. This song from their second album Somewhere I’ve Never Travelled (produced & engineered by Alan Parsons and my second favorite album of all time) covers a lot of musical ground while it tells the story of Chopin and George Sand and their relationship.
Meanwhile Back At The Ranch / Should I Smoke Badfinger
Label: Warner Bros.
Released: 1974
There’s always a tendency to look at the glass being half empty when it comes to Badfinger – which is a shame.I mean, there are certainly enough dark parts to their story, but there’s a giant, bright, shining element to the band: the incredible music. 1974’s Wish You Were Here delivered on every promise Badfinger had made up to this point.I would make the argument that it’s their most solid release.There’s not a weak track, and all four members make strong contributions.The LP’s closer “Meanwhile Back At The Ranch/Should I Smoke” features a Pete Ham first half and a Joey Molland wrap-up.(Not to mention the Average White Band horns!)While it’s sadly prophetic that a song with lyrics like this would be the “last” track released by the classic line-up, it’s more revealing and important that it shows them in all their brilliance. So, barkeep, top that glass off.
Throughout the history of recorded music there are very few artists who possess the range of talents that Prince Rogers Nelson does. In the studio he’s a virtual one man band writing, playing all the instruments, and producing. And live, he’s as good on stage as anyone who’s ever taken to it: singing, dancing, and playing the hell out of the guitar. His influences cover the spectrum of popular music and he is equally as funky as he is a rocker. We usually don’t select a song that was released as a single, but “ America ” was not the stand out track from the 1985 album Around the World in a Day, and unless you’re a fan of the Purple one, it may have slipped past you. The song is Prince’s take on mid-’80s, Reagan-era politics with lyrics that mention communism, the minimum wage, and the threat of nuclear war, counter-balanced by his hope for freedom, love, joy, and peace.
Today’s holiday track comes from Allan Sherman, the man who brought us a number of comic novelties including the infamous “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah”. Sherman popularized the art form of taking a familiar song and spinning it into his own satirical masterpiece. “Christmas ‘65″ for instance takes a classic holiday standard and turns it on it’s head, giving us a delightfully jaded look at a Christmas filled with air pollution, high living costs and kids with too much hair.
Talk about a song with a great melody and chorus! Don’t know if this ever received any airplay but it deserved it. “South City Midnight Lady” is on The Captain And Me, a great album that featured such hits as “China Grove” and “Long Train Runnin”. With Patrick Simmons on vocals and Jeff Baxter on the pedal steel guitar, this classic Doobie Brothers track just melts into your consciousness.
Q: Are We Not The Ventures?People seem to forget that “Whip It” was from the band’s 3rd album, and before they became synthesizer poster children, Devo were using lots of guitars.Taken from their classic debut, “Gut Feeling” starts off a little like Booker T. and the S.P.U.D.’s, but when the vocal hits, you know you’ve devolved.The track builds and builds until the rockin’ “Slap Your Mammy” coda takes it to a whole different place.One constant about Devo is that you can’t blink – something different is always around the corner.And, if you only think of them as the guys with flower pots on their heads, I’ve got a gut feeling this track will change your mind.
