Yes: 90125

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

You like that? I came up with it. Just now.

Ok not really, but just as that phrase by Dickens sums up just about every moment of human existence, so does it sum up this album, which showcases the best of 80's rock: its epic scope, it's willingness to try new types of songwriting and new technology. It also showcases the willingness to overproduce albums to death, hiding the actual music beneath layers of synths and echo vocals.

Even truly great bands like Rush succumbed to this technology, probably since it was just plain cool and as we all know any new technology is irresistable to men.

Since this flashy new production technology was a way to show you were hip, other bands from the 70's making comeback albums that wanted to make a splash and attract some attention also used this method, including the Blue Oyster Cult and Yes.

90125 took Yes from a band that made incredibly dense songs that featured virtuoso muscianship and lyrics that might make sense to you if you were very, very stoned and repackaged them as a radio friendly band perfectly situated for heavy rotation on MTV.

After a 3 year hiatus, longtime Yes members Jon Anderson (vocals), Chris Squire (bass guitar) and Alan White (drums) were joined by Trevor Rabin (guitar) and Tony Kaye, a member of the band in the late 60's and early 70's (keyboards). This album was given a slick production by former Yes vocalist Trevor Horn and sold over 6 million copies, making it Yes' most financially successful album.

With five of its 8 tracks receiving significant radio and/or MTV radio play, 90125 stayed on the charts for 53 weeks.

A further side note to illustrate how much electronics affected this album is the fact that its cover was generated on an Apple II.

Track Highlights

Track 1, "Owner of a Lonely Heart", one of the most sampled rock tracks ever recorded, an enormous radio and MTV hit, this song introduced Yes to a whole new generation of fans. This track is Yes' only #1 single to date and was even a hit on the R&B charts.

Track 3 "It can happen" another big hit from this album, this track is all about Jon Anderson's vocals.

Track 5, "Cinema" this incredibly complex instrumental, which was recorded live in the studio and won the Grammy for best rock instrumental proved that this new, slightly different Yes lineup could play with the virtuosity that had made their earlier incarnations famous.

Track 6 "Leave It" Another hit off this album which features one of the most stirring vocal tracks on any single.

Track 7 "Our Town" my personal favortie from this album, this track features some of the best synthesizer work you're ever going to hear.

Conclusion

A great album that still succeeds today despite how dated its electronics sound today (they were state of the art in 1983). In fact, today this album almost succeeds in spite of its production which seems to do everything possible to overshadow the music at times. Still, this is a great "classic" rock album (hard for me to think of it as classic since it hit the charts when I was in high school) that does hold up today.

Grade: A-

Top 5 Live Bands: #2

This one has to go to Tori Amos, who I saw at the Tampa theater. Tori is something else in concert, especially at a small venue (what she plays the majority of the time).

It's like meeting a stranger on a plane and being told an interesting story. When you leave you know you made a connection, but that you're not sure you will ever see the person again.

I think the #1 recommendation for any live act is "would you go see them again". In Tori's case the answer is definitely yes (though I'm not one of those people who follows anyone around on tour and watches them night after night).

Chuck

Elvis Presley

It's the 50th anniversary of Elvis' first album. To honor that event I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and review one of the most celebrated albums in rock history. In fact you might just say that rock history begins at this exact moment.

And if you did, you'd be right.

When we think of history, we tend to think the way things turned out was a forgone conclusion. Since the Allies won WWII we downplay all the near misses and lucky breaks that made the war go the way it did.

While not exactly on the scale of a world war, the career of Elvis is often seen in the same light. How could anyone not see he was destined to be the best-selling recording artist of all time?

Well things were not quite so clear in 1956. Elvis, skillfully managed by Colonel Tom Parker and gaining a growing following from a rigorous tour schedule, especially in the south, was looking to leave the small record label where he had been recording singles, Sun Records, for a larger studio and eventually landed a deal with RCA.

Parker was a ruthless negotiator and the deal was a great one for his client, and other studio executives felt that RCA owner Steve Shole had committed a blunder in signing the relatively unknown singer to such a deal. The secretly referred to Elvis as "Sholes' folley".

Even more controversial was Sholes' decision to place Presley in the studio to record a full length album. The teenagers his style of rock appealed to didn't buy albums, they bought 45s.

That album, titled, Elvis Presley, started off with a little track called "Heartbreak Hotel", the song that would also be the first single off the album. This track started slowly but by the end of the year, following a series of appearances booked by the tireless Colonel Parker on TV variety shows, the album began to move up the pop charts.

Following a string of successful appearances on the Dorsey shows, Elvis was booked to a performance on the Milton Berle show in which his hip gyrations caused a storm of controversy. Controversy is always good, especially a sexy one and multiple singles began climbing the charts from Presley's debut album.

Very shortly, "Heartbreak Hotel" was the #1 song on the charts, the first of Presley's 100+ #1 singles. The album that was considered such a risk was the first Rock album to reach #1 on the chart's and RCA's first ever album to generate more than $1 million dollars in earnings (something it has since done many, many times over).

The rest, as they say, is history.

Track Highlights

Track 1, "Heartbreak Hotel", it's impossible not to like to this song. Even today it sounds like nothing else, with sparse instrumentation, Elvis has nowhere to hide. Fortunately hiding wasn't his style and he carries the track brilliantly with a delivery we take for granted today but which was unheard of in 1956.

Track 3, "Blue Suede Shoes", another legendary track and another song we take somewhat for granted today because it sounds like so much of the classic 50's rock we've heard everywhere from period films to the Happy Days tv show. Of course all those songs we've been listening to for 50 years by Roy Orbison and thousands of other performers were likely imitating this track.

Track 9, "Tutti Frutti", one of the things that set Elvis apart early in his career was his willingness to sing the songs of African-American performers and his ability to do them right. Here we see Presley doing a great rendition of the Little Richard classic. Many white radio stations in the south refused to play this track and others like it at first, thinking from his voice that the performer was black.

Track 10, "Tryin' to get to you", among Elvis' many strengths, as touched on above, was his ability to perform so many styles and impart his trademark style onto them. Blues, Soul, Pop, Rock, Country and Gospel were just a few of the genres he had chart-topping hits with. It added to his appeal and made his albums infinitely listenable since they encompassed such a wide range of music. This track is a great country number and one of the tracks from this album to receive wide play on country radio at the same time tracks like "Heartbreak Hotel" were dominating the rock radio airwaves.

Track 14, "Blue Moon" another standard from this debut album, this Rogers and Hart ballad showed yet another side of Evlis' range and foreshadowed the numerous hits he would have singing ballads and torch songs later in his career.

Track 15, "Shake, rattle and roll", this Charlie Calhoun classic was considered far to sexually charged for radio or television of the 50's with lines like "the devil in nylon hose", "you make me roll my eyes, baby make me grit my teeth", and "you wear those dresses, the sun comes shining through" was turned into a hit by Bill Haley and the Comets, using a santitized version of the lyrics and a less bluesy more pop-rock arrangement.

Elvis uses Haley's radio-friendly arrangement but his single uses the original, bawdy lyrics.

Conclusion

The original 12 track album is an amazing accomplishment, one of the greatest first albums ever recorded. The version issued by RCA today is even more stellar, with DSD remastering that sounds like it was digitally recorded in 56 and 6 tracks that were only released as singles in 1956 and not included on the original album.

Grade: A+

Top 5 Live Bands: #3

This can only go to one band and as I think about it, I realize I really have to catch him again next time he's in town: George Thorogood.

One of the best days of my life, I got a pass to the Riverside waterpark here in New England, which was a day and also got you into the show for free. I hadn't even planned to go to the concert, didn't know who it was. When I heard it was the Destroyers, I decided to stay an extra couple of hours to see the show and man was it worth it.

George and the boys put on a great show, for over 4 hours. He would not stop playing until the park officials turned the lights out on him. An amazing show.

If MTV could make videos like this...

I'd watch.

The most notable thing about this video is that its better than the actual video on MTV (plus its hilarious).

Top 5 Live Bands: #4

I saw Live at an outdoor music festical in Florida called Livestock, where you went and camped next to a prison in this farmer's field and listened to music acts all weekend.

It was sort of surreal.

Live was one of the three headliners who played last, along with Bush and Hootie and the Blowfish and were touring in support of their second album (and I believe best selling album) Throwing Copper.

It was clear that they were beat, my guess would be with the unexpected success of the album they had added tour dates like crazy.

They arrived very shortly before their set and came out with very little in the way of a sound check and just hit it.

It was a very raw, very emotional performance.

Top 5 Live Bands

My personal selection of course, but I thought I'd take you through the best live shows I've ever seen and why.

Number 5: Candlebox

It's really, really hard to be an opening act. When you're opening for a band that a strong following, its even harder. When you're opening for a band *known* for the devotion of its fans, well that's a real trick.

I saw Candlebox open for Rush in 94 and they were clearly a young band. Not many showed up for the opening act (one of the reasons its harder to open for a band with such a strong following) and Candelbox was doing some of the things hair bands do. It was tough to watch for a few minutes, people were laughing at them. I'd be surprised if they could hear it- but they clearly knew they were losing the audience in a big way.

What happened then impressed me tremendously. They stopped flipping their hair around, started playing and singing with a new intensity, and after seeing them I went and put down money for my first Candlebox album.

Not one of my favorite bands of all time or anything, but a live performance in which a band seemed to grow up before my eyes, made an impression (a good one) and won over a crowd.

Alanis Morisette: Jagged Little Pill (Acoustic)

Its rare to see an artist revisit their work soon after release. When it does happen, especially with someone in the mainstream, one usually smells the aroma of money in the air.

And sometimes, as I suspect was true in this case, its because that artist wants to see how far she's come as a musician, and treats the rest of us to come along for the ride.

Track Highlights

Track 2, "You Oughta Know", this track, a monster hit in its "plugged" incarnation, replaces the energy and rock drive of the original for pure, unbridled pain that would be hard to listen to if it wasn't so compelling. Alanis knows from pain but this track really lets that shine through. And with less noise to hide behind the expressiveness of her voice and the pain it carries is palpable.

Track 7, "You Learn", another hit off JLP, this track is an excellent show of musicianship, especially of Alanis' voice. She carries this tune and with a spartan production its even prettier.

Conclusion

Jagged Little Pill (Acoustic) accomplishes something I never thought it would: it's better than the original. How many remakes can you say that about? Alanis has made great strides as a singer and a musician, and revisiting her break through hits show that in a much more drastic way than comparing different albums ever could.

Grade: A+

Junior Brown's Greatest Hits

Junior Brown is one of the unsung heroes of Country music today.

Why is he unsung? Well he actually makes country music and he doesn't do faux patriotic screeds to fire up the drunk rednecks.

Most country radio today is dominated by pop acts who wear cowboy boots, throw in the occasional fiddle and steel guitar and record in Nashville.

Johnny Cash isn't hip enough to be played on country radio. Just everywhere else.

Anyway, rant over, we're here to talk about Junior Brown and "Blackfoot Rag", a track from his Greatest Hits album that is a great introduction to the coolness that is Junior. He is a straight up honky tonk guitar player who can outpick and outgrin just about anyone.

He also ventures into other styles of music closely related to honky tonk including boogie woogie and 60's beach instrumentals. For spice he throws in the occasional soulful country ballad.

Track Highlights

Track 3, "Sugarfoot Rag" Great instrumental, shows off Junior's honky-tonk skills nicely.

Track 8, "Semi Crazy" great and funny song about a trucker. Now that's what country music should be.

Track 9, "Venom Wearing Denim" Song about a bad girl. Another country classic.

Track 10, "Joe the Singing Janitor" Really shows off Junior's baritone voice.

Conclusion

If you're in the mood for real country, this is the album (and maybe the artist) for you.

Grade: A

Desert Island Discs

This site rocks. People post their top 10 discs they couldn't live without if they were on a desert island.

Desert Island Discs

I highly recommend this. Great way to see what other people love. Not like, love.

Chuck

Green Day: Kerplunk

Before they were making political punk taking aim at the Bush administration, even before they stars with a mainstream breakthrough album on a major label, Green Day was just a punk band.

But as Kerplunk proves, they were a damn good one.

Green Day is a band I always associate with energy. When I'm sluggish or depressed I can slap in a disc and "Basket Case" or "Burnout" will pick me right up.

It's also a truism that young bands are filled with energy.

So when you think of a young Green Day, you'd expect an album brimming with energy and that's exactly what you're going to get. Frenetic, raw, unbridled punk energy.

Sometimes the riffs aren't as clean as they are on Dookie or American Idiot but for all that, this album ranks as one of their best.

Track Highlights

Track 1, "2000 Light Years Away" a Green Day punk-romance and its not even about a hooker. Awww how sweet.

Track 3, "Welcome to Paradise", a track that landed on their major label debut Dookie here we have a raw version that, quite simply, crushes the clean track like a grape. And this from a guy who would rate "Welcome to Paradise" as one of his favorite Green Day songs before he heard this version.

Track 6, "Dominated Love Slave", a hilarious track that has a country western vibe to it.

Track 12, "Words I might have ate", the classic Green Day punk played with acoustic guitars. The vocals are especially raw, but who cares. Hard driving acoustic music is awesome and something more bands should do more of.

Track 16, "My Generation" terrific cover of the Who classic.

Conclusion

A great look at a band just getting started, this first album with the full Green Day lineup (they produced one album before this with a different drummer) shows why they will become international stars and sell out arenas. It might be just me, but I prefer the young rough cuts on this album to many of their slicker, later numbers.

Grade: A+

Unchained: Johnny Cash

One of the best CDs recorded anytime, anywhere, Unchained takes Johnny Cash, backs him up with Tom Petty and the freaking Heartbreakers, and then sets him loose to perform covers and original songs (many written for him by Tom Petty).

As you can imagine with a lineup like this, it's pretty damn good.

Track Highlights

"Rusty Cage", a Soundgarden cover. Rarely is a cover better than the original. Even more rare does a cover completely destroy the original and make you never want to hear it again, preferring the cover.

I'm not sure if this says something about Soundgarden, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and conclude that it's just that Johnny Cash is that good.

"I've Been Everywhere", the Bob Dylan classic. In this case I again have to conclude that the cover is better than the original. Here the Heartbreakers really show why they are legendary band, and Cash's baritone is never more full of life than on this track.

Grade: A+

Single Review: "Change Your Evil Ways" by Rusted Root

Rusted Root is a band that symbolizes the kind of weirdness I like in my music. That's right, they're eclectic. They're not afraid to surprise you. Whether its with African-inspired drums, mixing in flutes and other wind instruments, electric and acoustic guitars and so forth, they're a band that's never content to be boxed in.

This cover of the Santana classic is a great introduction to this band, both their great soulful vocals and their eclectic instrumentation and their jam-band roots, it's all on display here.

If you like Dave Matthews, then you will definitely like Rusted Root.

Grade: A+

Rhino Hi-Five: Wilson Pickett

A primer on one of the greatest voices to ever grace planet Earth and why we all miss him.

Rhino's a great company that keeps a lot of great music and TV alive and this EP is a short and sweet, no muss no fuss love letter from Wilson Pickett.

Track 1, "In the Midnight Hour" one of the greatest blues songs ever written. This is one of those songs where Pickett's vocals can take a song any good bar band can do competently (and they have, for decades) and make it great through his sheer vocal talent.

Track 2, "634-5789" a great blues number that is built around Pickett's amazing vocal delivery and a great backing band.

Track 4, "Mustang Sally" the definitive Wilson Pickett song. Raunchy and smooth in equal measure, with a drive that just doesn't let up.

Track 5, "Land of 1000 Dances" a song I first heard from the Blues Brothers movie. And even though they brought in one of their many ringers for this one, Ray Charles in this case, there's just no comparison. Pickett's enthusiasm is always infectious and no one is able to carry off this song the way he did.

Single Review: "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" by Flatt and Scruggs

Flatt and Scruggs are old-school bluegrass that holds up today.

And the reason it holds up so well is simple: the boys can play.

I don't care what genre of music I listen to, I love to hear players that know what they're doing and are dedicated and talented. If you want to hear one of the greatest jam bands ever, this instrumental wouldn't be a bad track to start with.

Chuck

Awake: The Best of Live

Just so you don't think I'm always behind the curve, like I was with A Tribe Called Quest, I'd like to state for the record that I liked Live before anyone.

I feel so cool right now. Just let me enjoy this feeling for a moment.

Ok, I'm done basking.

In all seriousness, Live is one of the best bands around, a band influenced more by the U2 school of rock than the grunge craze that seemingly allowed every bar and garage band to land a deal in the early 90's.

Seriously, I like Stone Temple Pilots, but if they weren't channeling Pearl Jam to get a deal on their first album, then uh, why have they never sounded like that since?

For those looking for a crash course in this great band, I recommend:

Track 1, "Operation: Spirit". This 1 track made me go buy Mental Jewelry (Live's first album) the first time I heard it. A great bass line and ballsy vocals (both signatures of Live).

Track 6, "Lightning Crashes". A great song that starts soft and builds on Kowalczyk's vocal power and builds into one of the best rock tracks every recorded.

Track 12, "Dolphin's Cry" a great song reminiscent of their first album in a lot of ways.

Track 19, "Walk the Line" a really nice cover of the Johnny Cash classic.

Chuck

Experiment in progress

So when I started this blog way back in... ok it was a few days ago, my original idea, as evidenced by my early post, was to do lengthy reviews of long albums.

You might have noticed the last day or so, not so much.

Basically I've been reading about blogging and one of the recommendations was for shorter posts, so I am experimenting to see if I like that format better.

I return you to your listening of DOA by the Foo Fighters. Or maybe that's just me.

Chuck

Cool Blogs

Sour Duck

A cool blog by someone who knows we should all listen to as much indie music as possible.

Chuck

Single Review: "Love is an unfamiliar name" by The Duke Spirit

God loves indie bands.

Ok I have no solid evidence of that, but I do know that no major religion specifically condemns indie bands so that should tell you something.

The Duke Spirit had one record label go out of business out from under them and another choose to wait a year to market their debut album in America.

And despite that it still sounds fresh. If it had been released on time it would have been revolutionary.

This track is hard driving, take no prisoners college radio goodness. Its cookie dough for the soul.

Chuck

A Tribe Called Quest: Anthology

Greatest Hits albums are for those nimrods who arrive late to the show and miss a great band when they are actually making great music. We find out about them later, and pick up the Greatest Hits to find out what the buzz is about.

Or its a way to make some quick cash for your new record label when you move from Mercury to Atlantic or from Atlantic to Epic.

Either way, they let those of us behind the curve catch up to the cool kids.

This is me with A Tribe Called Quest.

Rap isn't generally my thing because I like to listen to the music more than lyrics, but after owning Anthology for a couple of years I think there really are rappers who are musicians and not just pop stars reaching for a little extra street cred.

My list of rappers worth listening to would be about 5 long and A Tribe Called Quest would be #2 on that list.

Track Highlights

There's a lot of great tracks on this album, I'll try to hit the highlights.

Track 4, "Can I kick it" has a great funky vibe to it, backed by sampling from some classic rock songs. Just a great mellow tune when you want to let the music take you out of yourself. Great while working or playing a consol game with a terrible soundtrack in other words.

Track 8, "Electric Relaxation" has a nice rhythym and backing synths that might be drawn from Jazz or might be original (I didn't recognize them but I'm not a huge jazz afficianado).

But easily my favorite track on Anthology has to be "I left my wallet in El Segundo", a track with a nice story about, well, leaving your wallet in El Segundo and trying to find it. I actually like this track enough that I listened to the lyrics and its impossible for me to listen to it just once.

Conclusion

Im not really a rap fan, but I know good music when I hear it and Tribe always seems to deliver that in spades. If I had to pick the best rapper ever (and no one is beating down my door for this quote) it would have to be Tribe or Ice-T.

Grade: A-