Review: The Who – ‘Live At Shea Stadium 1982’ – A Surprisingly Good Listen

March 8, 2024March 9, 2024 ~ kcorsini ~ 13 Comments

The Who, last Friday, released a live album culled from a performance at New York’s Shea Stadium in 1982 from the tour in support of It’s Hard. It seems like it was only last year I was writing about the Who’s live album, The Who Live With Orchestra. Oh, wait a minute that was last year. This new live album from a much older performance entitled, Live At Shea Stadium 1982, is the audio portion of a DVD/Blu-Ray released a number of years ago. I don’t tend to focus on DVD/Blu-Ray releases but now that the Who have released this historical document as an album, I was interested.

The early 80s were a tough period for the Who and for Pete Townshend in particular. The venerable band had lost drummer Keith Moon on September 7th, 1978, just three weeks after they’d released Who Are You. The cover photo of the band had Moon sitting backwards on a folding chair with the words “Not To Be Taken Away” on it. Sadly the rock Gods weren’t paying attention to that and the Who lost a generational talent on drums – much like Zeppelin did a few years later with John Bonham.

After that, Townshend began to struggle with addictions to booze and heroin. Struggling to figure out the Who’s relevance in the world, he reignited his solo career in 1980 with Empty Glass which had hits like “Rough Boys” and “Let My Love Open The Door (To Your Heart).” Empty Glass was a full on rock album aimed at solo stardom which was a far cry from his more personal, acoustic debut, Who Came First. The band was a bit miffed that some of the tracks he used on the solo album weren’t done within the band which caused a lot of tension in an already tense band. To replace Moon, the band recruited former Faces drummer Kenny Jones. While I love the Faces, and like Jones, he was a much more conservative drummer than Moon… but then again who isn’t?

With Townshend spiraling downward in addiction and seemingly more focused on his solo career, the band’s future was in question. The Who put out Face Dances in 1981 and it was a little less bombastic than their previous work. Personally, I love Face Dances (it’s one of my “Dirty Dozen” LPs that only I like), but it came out when I was in junior high school, and we always love whatever was “then-current.” But that album divided fans quite a bit. Critics hated it. Kenny Jones, the new guy, began to publicly accuse Townshend of hording his best material for his solo career, an accusation Jones had previously leveled at Rod Stewart when he was in the Faces. Different band, same complaint. To make matters worse, Daltrey didn’t like Jones and when he told Townshend it was “Jones or me,” Townshend told him he’d keep Jones instead of Daltrey. Wow? The only guy who seemed to hold his shit together during all of this inter-band strife was bassist John Entwistle. He continued to hold down the bass line and was contributing great songs like “You” and “The Quiet One.”

In 1982 Townshend kicked heroin and in June of that year released his next solo album, All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes. Then, merely a few months later, the Who released what was to be – for a while – their final studio album, It’s Hard. Again, critics weren’t thrilled but I liked it. I loved the first single “Athena” and the title track. This album came out just as I was going to college. I remember working in the kitchen where I lived and “Eminence Front” came on the radio. It was the first time I’d heard the song… I looked at my coworkers in that hot, humid kitchen and everybody’s head was bobbing and people were dancing around like we were the cast of The Full Monty. That’s when I finally bought the album, early fall of ’82, and once again Entwistle had contributed great tracks in “Dangerous” and “It’s Your Turn.”

Sadly, I was away in college for my freshman year that fall and didn’t get to see the Who on that tour. I had missed them on the Face Dances tour due to some nefarious circumstances. I wasn’t to see the Who live until 1989 when they went on a tour with a band so large it looked like an orchestra. The press was pretty savage to the Who on that 1982 tour. The word was the Who was spent force creatively. Townshend had moved on, they were going through the motions, etc. It didn’t help that the live album culled from the tour, Who’s Last, tended to validate what was being said. Although admittedly, it’s been a really long time since I’ve heard that one. I remember seeing some live video of the Who from the tour and it was the first time I’d heard “Naked Eye” which is a fabulous tune from Odds & Sods, and it drove me to go buy that album so it couldn’t have been all bad… but I digress.

Knowing all of this made me feel more than a little trepidation when I approached Live At Shea Stadium 1982. Although, admittedly, the Who’s opening band on that tour, the Clash, put out a live album from their set at Shea and it was, to my ears, fabulous. The Clash were hated by the Who fans, it was a very difficult tour for them and yet they rose above it and just rocked. Would the Who do the same? Indeed they would.

I will admit, up front, that I was a surprised this live album is as enjoyable as it is. It’s no Live At Leeds, but few bands have a live album that great… (our list of favorite live LPs, here). I’ve always said great bands can “bring it” live. There’s just something that happens, that may be magic or may be chemistry, when four or five guys get up on that small stretch of ground we call, the stage, and play together. Even at their most troubled the Who turn in quite a show here. First and foremost, they switched up the playlist every night and played a bunch of different songs throughout the tour so they sound fresh. Townshend plays some kick ass lead guitar on this album. It’s a great reminder that the man is a guitar hero. Daltrey is in good voice. Jones drumming is solid, not flashy, but it does the job. And of course, John Entwistle is just nails on bass. Tim Gorman plays the keyboards. This band, these great musicians, still managed to jell despite the strife.

The set opens with “Substitute” and “I Can’t Explain.” How are you not going to love those songs? They’re both muscular performances you’d expect from the Who. I like that they play music from their then-current LP, It’s Hard. “Dangerous” penned by Entwistle is an early highlight. “Sister Disco” is always a highlight. I love that Entwistle sings on “The Quiet One” from Face Dances. I can only listen to a band’s greatest hits played live so many times so I appreciate the deeper tracks on this live album. “It’s Hard,” and “Eminence Front” are great here – especially the latter track. They just kill on that track, especially the guitar…”The sun shines, and people forget…”

There’s a short Quadrophenia set with “I’m One,” “The Punk And The Godfather” and finally “Drowned.” “Drowned” in particular turns into a great jam. I love that they dig deep and play a few of tracks also done on Live At Leeds, “Young Man’s Blues,” “Summertime Blues” and “Tattoo.” There are so many great tracks here from “Baba O’Riley” to “Who Are You.” The only track that seems to miss the mark for me was “Long Live Rock” which was a surprise. They play “Naked Eye” toward the end and it’s a great version of that song. Worth the price of admission, as the saying goes. Two of the last three tracks are Beatles’ covers, “Twist and Shout,” and “I Saw Her Standing There” which sound like good fun. Townshend in particular seems to be having a lot of fun on those tracks.

All in all this is a great, lively performance from a band who had been declared dead at the time. My only complaint is that they cut “Athena” from this set – the song was played at the show. I’ve seen the video footage of that on YouTube, and I liked it. It’s a bit of a disappointment it’s not here, although Daltrey never liked the song. Also, it’s worth mentioning, I streamed this album and there is a gap between every song (like a studio album) and it is annoying as hell. I like the crowd noise between songs on a live album… if I have enough bourbon I start to feel like I’m there. I’ve heard the CD/album versions do not suffer from this issue.

In the end, my complaints are “nits.” This is a great band rocking out in front of 70,000 of their closest friends. Turn this one up loud and enjoy! The Who were always a great band. Thankfully, this wasn’t the end for them. I really enjoyed WHO, which probably is their last LP. I’m delighted we’ve got this archival release from 1982 to rock along to.

Enjoy, Cheers!

Review: ‘Liam Gallagher & John Squire’ – Manchester Rock Stars United For Superb Rock N Roll – Come For The Vocals, Stay For The Guitar

March 6, 2024March 9, 2024 ~ kcorsini ~ 6 Comments

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An album I didn’t even know was coming at the beginning of the year – Liam Gallagher John Squire – came out last Friday and I am delighted. I won’t lie, after the sensational first single came out, “Just Another Rainbow,” I had to go back and do a little research on guitarist extraordinaire John Squire but since I’ve done that, this pairing makes complete sense to me. Manchester Rock Stars United…indeed.

Liam Gallagher, the erstwhile lead singer of Oasis and Beady Eye, likely needs no introduction to rock n roll fans. And frankly, he’s no stranger to B&V. Since Oasis split up and then Beady Eye imploded Liam launched a solo career that started as B&V was getting off the ground. After the disappointment that was Beady Eye’s second album we just loved Liam’s first two LPs, As You Were (2017) and Why Me? Why Not? (2019). Heck, we even dug his Unplugged album. But after a very promising first single, the Dave Grohl cowritten “Everything’s Electric,” Liam disappointed us a bit with C’mon You Know (2022). At first I was surprised Liam teamed up with John Squire but knowing what a huge influence the Stone Roses were on Manchester’s music scene – both Liam and Noel have said their first concert was the Stone Roses – this tracks for me. Liam got to make a rock n roll album with a hero! Good for him.

John Squire, who’s blistering guitar is all over this album, may not be as well known to rock n roll fans on this side of the pond, as they say. The Stone Roses released their influential debut, self-titled album in 1989 establishing them as the front runner in the “Madchester” music scene. In many ways the Brit-pop sound of Oasis can be directly drawn from the Stone Roses’ sound. The Stone Roses took years to put out a second album due to legal issues and inter-band squabbles and faded away. Apparently Squire, after playing a festival where Liam was playing, sent Liam a few demos. Liam liked them, laid down some vocal tracks and the rest, as they say is history. It makes sense that Liam – who used to be in a band where the guitar player wrote most the songs – would team with a guitar player who had written 10 songs and needed a singer. It’s a yen and yang thing.

I went back, as “research” for this post, and listened to that Stone Roses debut LP. While Squire’s guitar was impressive, it evoked more psychedelia and perhaps the Byrds than it did Hendrix. There were a couple of songs on that album that hinted at a Hendrix-y bent from Squire, “Waterfall” and “Made Of Stone” but nothing that prepared me for the guitar extravaganza that is this album. This record has all of that trippy psychedelic vibe but with much stronger guitar solo’ing from Squire. And in these days, we always welcome more lead guitar here at B&V. This may be the best thing Liam Gallagher has done in his solo career since As You Were. It’s that good.

The album starts with a stomping rocker, “Raise Your Hand.” It’s a call to arms kind of track. “If you’re running out of time, if you’re not sure which way to go, if the pieces don’t seem to fit, if nothing ever goes the way you plan, raise your hand!” It’s uplifting and a great invitation to rock. Squire gives us a great guitar workout on the fade out. Liam may not have written any of these songs but they sound like he did. The band just locks in – Squire on guitar, Liam singing with session drummer Joey Waronker and producer Greg Kurstin on bass and keyboards. “Mars To Liverpool” was the second single released from the album and rides a great Squire riff. “Jesus Christ, about last night, I can only apologize.” Oh my, how many times have I said something like that? Squire has a way of torturing his guitar just to the point of distortion and then pulls back. I just love what he does with the guitar on this album.

“One Day At A Time” incorporates some acoustic guitar that’s a nice change of pace. The blend of acoustic and electric guitar is such a classic sound, just ask Zeppelin (not that anything about this is Zeppelin-esque). I do love the line, “You should have fucked me when you had the chance,” naturally… I am who I am. The guitar solo is exceptional. “I’m A Wheel” is the biggest surprise here. It’s a flat out electric blues tune. Blues? In 2024? This track is a direct nod to Hendrix. It feels like you just wandered into the Kingston Mines in 1968…exquisite guitar. I mean, I’m on record as loving blues rock/blues, but this is a great track. I’ve already posted on “Just Another Rainbow,” but I will add that along with “Everything’s Electric” it ranks among Liam’s finest moments.

“Love You Forever” continues that Hendrix’y vibe. It almost evokes a more laid back “Foxey Lady.” This song rocks yet retains that trippy vibe that pervades the album. Squire is taking no prisoners. I have seen some complaints that the guitar tone is “monochromatic.” The way this guy shreds, none of that bothers me. “Make It Up As You Go Along” is another acoustic strummer, change of pace. “Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and fuck you too” is a line that I can’t believe wasn’t written by Liam Gallagher. It sums up how I feel about a lot of things… Using the acoustic strumming as a base Squire continues his electric guitar onslaught with a great little noodling undercurrent that burst through like sunshine through a cloud.

“You’re Not The Only One” has a great rollicking piano that for some reason evokes Chuck Berry’s pianist, boogie woogie pianist extraordinaire, Johnnie Johnson. Good ol’ time rock n roll… rolling piano, crunchy guitar. “I’m So Bored” continues the guitar crunch… I love it’s just guitar/vocals/bass/guitar. This track could be the next single, although it may rock too hard for a single? It certainly captures my current mood…It may be the hardest rocker here. “Mother Nature’s Song” is as close as we come to a ballad on the album. It’s another track that utilizes a lovely acoustic guitar. It’s very Beatle-y. I love Liam’s vocal on this track. “Listen to Mother Nature’s song, the melodies are beautiful,” indeed.

If you’re like me and were only vaguely aware of John Squire, prepare yourself for an education. This guy is a phenomenal talent on guitar and god knows, we need guitar talent around here these days. I might go so far as saying this is a tremendous comeback for Liam after C’mon You Know. It’s got to feel good to the guy to just lay down vocal tracks and not have to write an album’s worth of material. Heaven knows, Noel is probably green with envy…

I have to say, along with Green Day’s latest album Saviors, this is one of 2024’s best LPs. I’m not a natural optimist but I’m beginning to think this is going to be a great year for rock n roll and it’s only early March. This one is a must listen, especially for those of you Oasis/Liam Gallagher/Madchester fans out there.

Cheers!

Album Lookback: Van Halen’s ‘1984’ Turns 40 – The Original Roth Era Came To An End With A Bang

February 29, 2024February 29, 2024 ~ kcorsini ~ 8 Comments

It’s hard to believe Van Halen’s landmark album, released in 1984 and creatively entitled, 1984, has turned 40 years old. It’s even harder to believe that following that creative peak they – guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen, & bassist Michael Anthony – decided to part ways with lead singer David Lee Roth. Oh, that was indeed a dark day for all of us in the Van Halen fan base. Many a VH flag was flown at half-mast when they announced that news in 1985 after the mind blowing tour for 1984 had concluded. A tour on which I saw them twice, once in KC and once in Wichita. They were worth traveling to multiple cities to see live. While Roth split in April of ’85, I didn’t believe it was true until that summer when I saw Eddie Van Halen quoted in Rolling Stone magazine saying Roth was an asshole or some such “I’m glad he’s gone” thing… It’s hard to write about 1984 without thinking about Roth’s departure from Van Halen but I am indeed getting a little ahead of myself here.

I started off this august year of 2024 as I have done for the last few years, with a post and playlist looking back 50 years, in this case to 1974. I don’t have a lot of emotion tied up in music from 50 years ago, I was merely a little kid. However, whenever I do that “it was fifty years ago” thing, it gets me thinking back a mere 40 years, to music that I do have an emotional attachment to. The year of 1984, which gads, is forty years ago, saw the release of a number of landmark albums. Peter Gabriel (who just released the fabulous i/o) released So, breaking into solo superstardom even in the fickle States. I’ve already written early in the life of B&V about the classic 1984 LPs released by Springsteen (Born In The U.S.A.) and Prince (Purple Rain). I recently did a lookback to one of my favorite albums from the Cars from ’84, Heartbeat City. But when I think of the year 1984, other than George Orwell, I have to think about the first classic album released that year (on January 9th, 1984), Van Halen’s 1984.

I think there were two waves of Van Halen’s popularity when huge numbers of people jumped on the bandwagon. The first, which I was on, was when they released their self-titled debut LP. I was in that first wave of Van Halen fans not because I was cool or musically discerning but because I was in junior high school when that debut dropped and after hearing “Eruption” we all thought a new Jimi Hendrix had arrived (turns out we were right). Well, in truth, there were a few people who thought Van Halen was just Kiss without make-up… Gene Simmons paid for their demo sessions and was thanked on the liner notes which sparked that conspiracy theory, audible sigh. The second wave of VH fans came with 1984. By the time that record came out I was already in college. A lot had happened in the world and to me specifically. But there were a generation of younger middle school and high school kids who were swept up in the juggernaut that was 1984.

I have to admit, while I loved their debut album (I do love debut albums), it took years before I picked up the follow-up, Van Halen II. I don’t know why it happened that way. I guess “Dance The Night Away” just wasn’t “Runnin’ With the Devil” in my mind. It’s a great second album that I did eventually buy on vinyl. I did however, pick up their third LP when it came out, Women And Children First. I loved “When The Cradle Will Rock” and “Everybody Wants Some.” Curiously, although I was always a vinyl guy in terms of collecting, I picked up Women and Children on cassette – which I rectified later – because I liked playing it in the car. I won’t lie, I was also a sucker for the “ballad” “In A Simple Rhyme.” VH was always on the road and I knew a few people who saw them on that tour… alas I did not…but the VH buzz grew even stronger at that point from hearing friends rave about their live show. Despite that, VH did not truly enter the “pantheon of the greats” in my mind until Fair Warning came out. My god, I love that album. The guitar on “Mean Streets” is sensational. Critics thought it was too somber of a record, but man it just fit who I was in high school. That album hit my lower brain stem. After that I was hooked. That was the first tour I saw VH on and I had choice seats (we’d slept out for tickets in front of Tiger’s Records on the sidewalk). It’s one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.

I will admit, I was surprised by 1982’s Diver Down. I had read they were taking an extended break. However, pressed by the record company they went in and recorded a single, a cover of Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman.” The record company, giddy with the single (and the video) pushed VH back into the studio for a full album. I always wonder what would have happened if they’d just let these guys rest. Putting exhausted, cranky people all in the same confined space of a studio never works out… see for example, the Beatles. It was in those sessions that tensions began to boil over between Eddie on one side and Roth with producer Ted Templeman on the other side. Eddie presented some of the keyboard stuff he’d been working on and Roth rejected it out of hand…”You’re a guitar god, nobody wants to hear you play keyboards.” Since they rejected all the keyboard stuff the band ended up recording a record number of cover songs for that album. They couldn’t come to terms creatively. It didn’t help that Eddie had this great riff that he wanted to save for an original and Roth/Templeman “forced” him to use it in the cover song “Dancing In The Streets.”

When the tour concluded and they headed back to the studio, Eddie remained steadfast and only presented the keyboard stuff. Roth – who’d become a bit of a dick about Eddie being married to Valerie Bertinelli which didn’t help the band’s interpersonal relationships – relented and came up with some lyrics. Roth, who was also pissed Eddie had played on Micheal Jackson’s “Beat It” probably realized at that point – and this was my thinking at the time – if you put an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo on any song, even a Michael Jackson song, it’ll be a hit. Still, I don’t think any of us were prepared what hit us when, right before Christmas 1983, the low-fi video for “Jump” came out. It looked like it had been filmed in my dad’s garage. You can never overstate how important MTV and videos were in those days. They certainly looked like they were having an extraordinarily good time. That’s how I first heard the song, on MTV but it soon was all over radio.

“Jump” was a huge surprise as a tune. It was just so… synth-y. But it boasted a great guitar solo from Eddie. And Roth’s pro-suicide lyrics were catchy as Hell…”might as well jump.” (If you’re feeling down, please don’t jump, please get help). He admitted to writing the lyrics when seeing a jumper on the news trying to decide whether or not to… well, jump. With the short instrumental keyboard thing that led into it, title track “1984,” it was an impressive start to the album. It’s an iconic song, it’s an iconic video. The second keyboard-centric song was “I’ll Wait.” I’ve always loved that song and for years thought it might be about Dorothy Stratten, the murdered Playboy model. Turns out it was written from the perspective of a smitten fan of a model, but it was just a random woman in a Calvin Klein underwear ad. I loved how spooky “I’ll Wait” is. It was co written by Micheal McDonald of Doobie Brothers fame, but the band didn’t put his name in the writing credits on the LP, a dick move that had to be Roth’s idea. The tune made my “Playlist, Songs About Waiting.” Regardless of how worried everyone was about Eddie on keyboards – both of these songs are amongst the band’s best tunes ever.

For those of us from the first wave of Van Halen fans, who were in it for Eddie’s guitar, we needn’t fear the band had gone all synthesizer. “Panama” is a fierce rock n roll song about a car. It was an absolute live favorite on that tour… at least to me. “Hot For Teacher” was another balls to the wall guitar track. All of the songs I’ve mentioned up to this point were singles! Four singles off a rock n roll album was unheard of in those days… Well, I guess Springsteen’s Born In The U.S.A. had as many or more so maybe I’m wrong about that. “Drop Dead Legs” was a great rock n roll song Eddie wrote for Valerie. It’s another slinky rocker. “Top Jimmy” was about some bartender who was Roth’s buddy and the guy’s band. It was a fun track, although it’s always made me scratch my head a little bit. I still like the song, but not as much as the rest of the album.

“Girl Gone Bad” and “House of Pain” were great rock songs, but I’ve always read that both tracks were resurrected from the aforementioned Gene Simmons’ financed demo from their early, early days. Apparently tensions got so bad within the band they couldn’t even write enough new songs to complete the album so they had to reach back for earlier material. I don’t know if that’s true but neither song would have been out of place on Van Halen. I do know some folks who partied with the band – well, with Eddie – in Wichita on that stop of the 1984 tour and Eddie, who had popped the plastic “pour control” thing out of a handle of vodka, had nothing good to say about Roth. But of course, that could all be apocryphal bullshit. Can you really trust drunk teenagers from Wichita to tell the truth?

1984 was just such a monumental album. It really encapsulated the era in full. I can’t hear those songs without flashing back to an era where women had big hair and men had mullets (your intrepid blogger included). When we drove down to see VH in Wichita, we stopped at a Walmart and bought bandanas so we could look like Roth. God, were we ever that immature? What am I talking about, of course we were. Suddenly, we hard rock purists weren’t the only ones listening to Van Halen, everybody was! And there was never – even with the keyboards – anybody who said VH was “selling out.”

But as great as it all was, sadly it came crashing to an end when after the tour Roth announced he’d left the band. Creative tensions and personality clashes finally ended a brilliant rock band. Alas, with great success comes greed, envy and jealousy. The egos exploded and sadly, so did the band. Van Halen was never the same. Don’t get me wrong, I actually liked Van Hagar and have posted about that era in the band. I think Sammy and Michael Anthony are out on the road right now playing old Van Hagar tunes with Joe Satriani on guitar… I might have to look that tour up… but I digress. Roth had some early solo success but seeing some of his social media posts lately make me wonder… what happened?

At least we have this landmark, spectacular album with all the well written hit songs to remind us of a time when rock n roll ruled the world. Back when I always felt like, well, the lyric, “I get up and nothing gets me down…”

Cheers!

A Music Collector’s Journey: From Vinyl to CDs to MP3’s And Now… Back To Vinyl Or Streaming?

February 23, 2024 ~ kcorsini ~ 13 Comments

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*Photo of my multiple options to listen to David Bowie’s ‘Aladdin Sane’ taken by your intrepid blogger… and yes, I put my LPs in plastic sleeves… and I forgot to take it off for the photo so it looks like I’m suffocating Bowie with a Dry Cleaning bag…

I don’t know where it came from, this need – or perhaps it’s better described as a compulsion – to “own” music. Perhaps it was the influence of my younger brother – and when do we ever get influenced by a younger brother vs an older brother – who, by the time I started collecting albums at the age of 13 or 14, had already built an extensive collection of albums. He owned mostly Beatles, George Harrison and Doors albums back then. It was the late 70s and he was a 60s DJ. Whenever I walked by his room, vinyl was spinning and music filled the air. I remember, once music captured me in it’s magic siren’s spell, there was no question I was going to start buying records. Maybe it was the influence of radio, once I turned the dial from baseball games on AM to rock n roll on FM. I’d hear a song and long to hear it again and just hated waiting. Maybe I just decided to cut out the middle man – local rock station KY102 in my case – and go directly to my very own turntable. Regardless of why, that decision to buy Some Girls by the Stones all those years ago began a life long love affair with rock n roll for me…

There were other options available in terms of music formats back in the late 70s when I started buying vinyl. Cassettes were big. I actually bought a couple of albums on cassette – which I regretted later – AC/DC’s Highway To Hell and Pete Townshend’s Empty Glass. I thought the cassettes might lend some audio advantage… they didn’t. Of course they could be played in the car and were considerably more portable. Cassettes, for me, were more of a Mix-Tape experience, buying blank cassettes and recording songs in creative sequences sourced from my vinyl LPs…or other people’s vinyl. Borrowing albums and cassettes was a crude, early form of “file sharing,” I suppose? Although even when I started driving my parent’s car, they didn’t have a cassette player in the Oldsmobile. I’d carry my boom box in the back seat.

There were also 8-track tapes still available. My buddy Brewster owned Cheap Trick’s Live At Budokan on 8-track – he’d play it in the car on the way to school – and I’m not sure I ever really knew the running order of that album until years later. 8-tracks were for aliens so I shied away from them. For me, it was all about that vinyl. I wanted that 12.375 inch by 12.375 inch album cover. I wanted to stare at the album art and read the lyrics and liner notes while I cranked my tunes. I was a student in the temple of musical delights. Although admittedly, I had this weird rule where I’d only buy an album if I liked 3 tracks on the record… I’d been burned one too many times by albums with one great song and the rest filler. Looking back, the number 3 seems terribly arbitrary.

By the time I got out of college I had not one, but two record crates full of albums. I’d purchased the record crates at Peaches Records and hammered them together myself…they weren’t terribly sturdy but I had them until I was in my 30s, schlepping them from apartment to apartment. But by the time I paraded across the stage to receive my college diploma the world of music was radically changing. CDs had come along. I remember being in a used record store and they had a portable CD player chained to the counter by the cash register (used record stores were mostly a cash business back then, ahem), and I listened to the clean, pristine sound of whatever they were sampling. My verdict, which I announced loudly to anyone who would listen, was that CDs were a “fad” like 8-tracks and would never gain any traction. This is why you should never listen to me when predicting the future.

By the time I had been exiled to Ft. Smith, Arkansas CDs were everywhere. You could still buy vinyl, but CDs were gaining market share rapidly. To add salt in my vinyl wounds, CDs often had a bonus track or two, much the same way cassettes occasionally did to entice you to make the move to that format. I found a new rock n roll friend in Ft Smith when I met Arkansas Joel. He was a gadget guy and so was all in on CDs. Cleaner sound, no pops and hisses, and portable so you can take them with you in the car – CDs were the wave of the future according to Joel. I finally succumbed to his peer pressure – he really wanted me to buy CDs so he could record them – and purchased a CD player. My first CD was yet again, the Stones, but this time it was Steel Wheels. After that I followed everybody else and shifted my buying focus to CDs which led me to buy The White Album and so many other LPs again.

I actually liked CDs. You still had the album artwork and the lyrics. There was a huge market for used CDs. If I was kind of into a band – maybe I’d heard a song or two I liked – but wasn’t sure about the band or which LP to buy, I’d buy it used on CD. If I didn’t like it, I’d sell it and pick out something else. And record stores started putting listening stations at the end of the CD rows so you could sample a new record prior to buying it. That went a long way to ending my “three songs” rule. I remember buying the Red Hot Chili Peppers LP One Hot Minute, which is a weird starting point on the Peppers, and loving it. I picked up Blood Sugar Sex Magik at a used CD store because I still wasn’t “sure” about them and couldn’t believe I hadn’t gotten into them earlier. Wary still it took me a good half hour of listening to Californication at the end cap listening station in a Barnes & Noble before I took the plunge.

Eventually I met the Rock Chick and I’m embarrassed to admit she got me to start selling off albums. Usually it was the ones I’d repurchased on CD. I succumbed but only around the edges of my collection. In truth I sold records I wasn’t listening to more often than ones I’d repurchased in the different formats. I sold a lot of Greatest Hits albums as I’d collected most of the songs on the albums and CDs I’d purchased. I regret selling a lot of those but as they say, marriage is a compromise. Between the Rock Chick and I we had a lot of CDs. A lot. I was beginning to worry about storage but I figured as long as we lived in a house with a guest room, I’d have a living space I could cannibalize for music storage… although admittedly I never had that conversation with the Rock Chick and I’m not sure it would have ended in my favor. Not many conversations with the Rock Chick end in my favor now that I really think about it.

Around this time the music industry changed again and Apple invented the iPod. Oh, we all loved the iPod. Luckily I could pull MP3’s off my CDs and put them on my iPod. It was called “ripping” a CD. I even figured out how to download the artwork. The good news about MP3’s was it solved my storage issues. I wasn’t going to have to put up giant CD racks in the guest room and hope the Rock Chick didn’t notice. We built quite a music file over here at B&V. Between the CDs we ripped, and new purchases by me and the Rock Chick our musical universe exploded. Then my daughter got into the game and suddenly I had everything from the Stones and Springsteen to Christmas music (the Rock Chick is indeed Mrs. Claus), and Lil Wayne (my daughter). I never got into that whole Napster file sharing thing but I must admit I dabbled on Limewire. Usually it was only for that rare B-side or live track I couldn’t find anywhere else. I used Limewire the same way I did the listening stations in the CD store, as a way to check out an album. If I liked the songs I’d downloaded, I’d go buy the album. I wanted the artist to get paid for creating this beautiful music. Recently, Apple changed iTunes to an app simply named “Music” and I can no longer plug my old iTouch into the computer and manually manage my music files. I could do it via Bluetooth, but it apparently would load all the music we have onto my iTouch. First, it wouldn’t fit and more importantly I don’t want Xmas music or Lil Wayne, I just want my rock n roll and my playlists. So after 20 years of buying albums on Apple, now I’m at a standstill. I can’t use my phone, it belongs to my corporate masters. I can’t update or change my iTouch… I can’t even buy new LPs and add them to my iTouch which seems like a faulty business model, although admittedly the folks down at Apple seem to know what they’re doing?

As folks who have read our posts containing playlists, I too joined the “streaming revolution.” It seems that’s why Apple ended my ability to update my (old technology) iTouch. I’m on Spotify which was an unfortunate choice. But I typically have used Spotify again, as a sampler. Listen to the record and then buy it if I like it. It’s a useful tool for me. The Rock Chick is all in on Spotify and listens in her car. I just don’t think I can go all in on streaming, it’s just not the same as owning the album. I began to buy used albums again a few years ago. And I have loved getting back into vinyl. However, the price tags on the new albums are prohibitive. Peter Gabriel’s latest, i/o, came in two mixes. To purchase the CD or download it on my home computer is $20. To purchase both mixes on quadruple LP is $80. Hey man, even I have limits. I’m not a huge audiophile but I do think everything sounds better than streaming. I encourage all music fans to consume music in the fashion they most enjoy and for most folks I guess that’s streaming.

But I must admit I find myself at a crossroads. Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter comes out on April 19th. I love the title track, by the way. If I download the album – because I certainly want Pearl Jam to get paid and I want to own the album, I have all the rest of them – I can listen in my home office but nowhere else. If I buy it on vinyl it’s sure to cost a fortune, but at least I can crank it on my stereo. I can buy it on CD but those don’t really have the cache with the Rock Chick that LPs do… yes, she’s finally become a vinyl-head like me. And I guess this goes back to my first sentence, I have a compulsion to own music. Just having access to an album on Spotify doesn’t scratch the itch for me. I need that album or CD to hold in my hand, or the ability to pull the album up on my iTouch on command. When I started collecting music we all judged each other on our music taste. If you weren’t into rock n roll there was something wrong with you. Hell, if you were into the wrong music or artists we thought there was something wrong with you. Buying albums and sharing my collection with people is central to who I am.

And so I’ve taken this whole journey with music, from albums to CDs, to MP3s, sort of to streaming… and then back to used vinyl. Where I’ll go from here now that my MP3 era is over, remains a mystery. I can’t afford all the new vinyl I want, there are great LPs on the way (Lenny Kravitz, the Black Keys, the Black Crowes, the aforementioned Pearl Jam, Liam Gallagher/John Squire to name a few) and streaming doesn’t do it. I tried to explain this to the Rock Chick the other night over martinis and it might have been the martinis, but I don’t think she understood what I was talking about. I don’t know if others out there are like me, and feel this compulsion to buy records, but if you do, how do you plan to go forward collecting music? CDs, shelling out for vinyl? Or have you embraced this whole streaming thing? I suppose next we’ll all just have a chip in our head where we can call up music my tapping our temples… Count me in I guess?

However you’re getting your music, good for you for continuing to listening to your rock n roll. It’s taken twists and turns but my love affair with rock n roll will continue until they bury me with my copy of Exile On Mainstreet. Keep cranking those tunes folks, it’s a long dark ride… at least we can rock n roll to the finish line.

Cheers!

The 2024 Rock Hall of Fame Mixed Bag Of Nominees – And Our Ballot Selections

February 17, 2024 ~ kcorsini ~ 3 Comments

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I glanced up at the calendar the other day and realized we’re back in the midst of another election season. Suddenly I was being inundated with emails, urging me to vote. I take voting very seriously so I appreciated the first ten or twenty emails. It was then that I realized I had to get out there and vote! Of course we’re talking about the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame ballot here – we’re not a political blog! Although we have posted a playlist in honor of our “election fatigue” before.

After last year’s failure to induct Warren Zevon, I don’t know why I even care about the Rock Hall and their annual nominations. Yet, here I am in 2024 and I’m still paying attention to the annual release of the list of nominees. And yes, I even voted (which I’ll share below). You can vote every day, although I’m not that obsessive… and I’m not sure if the audience vote means anything? Beyond Zevon, there were other worthy bands on the ballot last year who have apparently dropped off the nominee list, even though they’re still eligible and didn’t make it into the Hall last year, including the White Stripes, heavy metal stalwarts Iron Maiden and grunge-era hard rockers Soundgarden. Sigh.

At this point, as the Hall nominates and inducts (along with rock artists) Hip Hop artists and pop artists, and I think it might be time for a name change. I know there are a lot of hard core rock fans who grouse about say, Missy Elliott being inducted last year. I don’t have a problem with that or any other Hip Hop artist’s induction. And frankly I was happy that pretentious d-bag Jann Wenner was removed from the Board of Directors. When the Hall first opened they were making up for lost time and focused on rock n roll artists from the 50’s (Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry etc) and the 60s (Beatles, Stones, Dylan, Who, Hendrix, The Supremes). Those decades, the 50s and the 60s were the years when rock n roll was the dominant genre (and one could probably say that about the 70s and 80s). But as the years go by and they expand to other decades and genres it’s really not a “Rock” Hall of Fame anymore, it’s more of a Pop Music Hall of Fame. So why not change the name to say, Music Hall of Fame. It’s more inclusive and it would kill a lot of the “Artist XYZ is not rock” complaints.

I’ve actually been to the Rock Hall and I loved it. I thought it was a great experience for any music fan (of any genre). I was actually pleasantly surprised by Cleveland, a city that gets a bad rap. I found a great Lebanese restaurant… I think if they renamed it Music Hall of Fame or Pop Music Hall of Fame, they’d get even more traffic to this thing. But hey, that may just be me.

Here is the list of the 2024 nominees. You can, if you even care, vote for your picks at: https://www.rockhall.com/ – and you can vote as many times as you want, once a day until voting is closed:

Mary J. Blige
Mariah Carey
Cher
Dave Matthews Band
Eric B. & Rakim
Foreigner
Peter Frampton
Jane’s Addiction
Kool & The Gang
Lenny Kravitz
Oasis
Sinead O’Connor
Ozzy Osbourne
Sade
A Tribe Called Quest

As I said in my title, it’s a real mixed bag of genres and acts. The list has rock n roll, soul, pop, and Hip Hop artists. There’s a little something for everyone. I like a lot of these artists. I know my friend J. (name obscured to protect the guilty) will be upset if I don’t start off by saying that Cher is very much deserving of nomination. The woman has had hits in multiple decades. Her early years in Sonny & Cher were like a more pop centric, mini-Mamas And The Papas thing… I just can’t get past that whole “If I Can Turn Back Time”-era. Mary J. Blige has a voice for the ages. Mariah Carey is curious to me only because I equate her with Xmas now… and I hate most Xmas music. Kool & The Gang evokes disco to me, so, I’m kinda out on that one. But in terms of a Pop Music Hall of Fame, sure why not Kool and his Gang? The late Sinead O’Connor is certainly a deserving nomination. And I truly love Sade. I used to have a few of her albums… they’ve disappeared like so many of my relationships. I hate to admit, I’ve never heard of Eric B. & Rakim and know precious little about A Tribe Called Quest. That’s on me, I should have been more adventurous musically over the years. I’m just a rock n roll guy at heart.

With all that said, and I’m slightly embarrassed to admit this, I went with a real “Bro”-centric voting ballot this year. I probably should have thought harder about Sade and Sinead O’Connor. I like both those artists and there’s nothing more rock n roll than being an activist like Sinead. But I ended up voting for all dudes this year. I went with my gut and this ballot it was all testosterone. In my defense, you can only vote for seven nominees, so that was limiting… I feel like 8 votes would have been better. Here’s who I voted for:

Ozzy Osbourne – Ozzy’s already in as a member of Sabbath but who doesn’t love his solo work as well? He’s still putting out great LPs like Ordinary Man and Patient Number 9. His first few solo LPs with Randy Rhoads are essential rock n roll 101. Ozzy, like Rod Stewart or the various members of the Beatles, deserves to be in the Hall in both his group and as a solo artist.
Lenny Kravitz – I’m a Lenny Kravitz fan from day 1. Let Love Rule was a great debut album and Are You Gonna Go My Way is a masterpiece. If you haven’t checked out his latter day LP Strut, I urge you to do so post haste. Lenny has a new LP coming and has already released the sexy single “TK421” which we loved around here.
Jane’s Addiction – I was late to the Jane’s bandwagon, turned onto them by the Rock Chick. Perry Farrell is a shining light in the darkness of this world. Dave Navarro is an underrated guitarist. They’re intermittent career is worth exploring in depth. I enjoyed the 2011 LP The Great Escape Artist as well…
Oasis – Say what you want about the Brothers Gallagher (I’m on team Liam whose new single “Just Another Rainbow” is sensational), while their antics sometimes overshadowed things, Oasis was a great band. Ah, when brothers form bands… And if I didn’t vote for them the Rock Chick would banish me to the garage.
Peter Frampton – Is there a guitar player with a sweeter tone than Frampton? I know most people fixate on his landmark live album, Frampton Comes Alive, I’ve always been partial to his first few studio albums, which are criminally underrated. I even loved his blues-covers album from a few years ago, All Blues. Frampton belongs in the Hall.
Dave Matthews Band – Oh, how we all loved the DMB during those early first couple of albums. I saw them live and really dug them. I even took the Rock Chick to see them in the early days after having just met her… which was quite different from our first show together, AC/DC, but I digress. I haven’t seen the DMB for over 20 years, and despite not loving their last LP, Walk Around The Moon, I felt these guys deserve to be in the Rock Hall.
Foreigner – Yes, call it a guilty pleasure if you wish, I still love Foreigner. Their first four albums were part of the soundtrack of my junior high and high school years. We all dug Foreigner. Now they tour without any original members – maybe guitarist/songwriter Mick Jones is still around? Any LP without original lead singer Lou Gramm is criminal in my mind, it’s just not Foreigner without him. I saw them at a Summer Jam in 1982 when they were on the 4 tour…”Juke Box Heroes” indeed. I loved the vault release of their Live At The Rainbow ’78, recorded right after their first tour and before Double Vision came out… definitely worth checking out.

That’s my ballot folks. Yes, it’s “bro-centric.” Admittedly, there are way too many dudes on my list. I have to admit I wasn’t as jazzed about the candidates this year as I was last year, but these are all still great, deserving acts. Still, I kind of wish I’d had room on my ballot for Sade… I’ve always dug that silky voice. Why great acts like Soundgarden and Zevon fell off the nominee list is a mystery only the Rock Hall can solve?

As always, I’m not telling anybody who to vote for… I’m just asking you to vote for the artists you love. I’m a lover, not a fighter. What can I say, I just love that whole Democracy, voting thing.

Cheers and let Freedom Ring!

Review: Pearl Jam Release New Song, Title Track Of Upcoming LP, The Heavier Sounding “Dark Matter”

February 13, 2024February 15, 2024 ~ kcorsini ~ 1 Comment

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“It’s strange these days when everybody else pays for someone else’s mistake…” Pearl Jam, “Dark Matter”

Oh man, I wish I could tell you how excited I am about new Pearl Jam. After teasing it for a few days on “the social media,” Pearl Jam have just dropped the first song from their upcoming twelfth album, the title track “Dark Matter.” The song and the new album were produced by red hot producer Andrew Watt who has recently worked on LPs with Ozzy (on 2 different ones), Iggy Pop, and the Stones. And perhaps more relevant to this discussion, Watt also worked on Eddie Vedder’s fine solo project, Earthling. Perhaps that was just an audition for this band album.

I was thrilled it’s only been four years since their last LP, 2020’s Gigaton… they took seven years between albums prior to that one. I think we all got “jipped” a little bit on Gigaton. It dropped in March of 2020 right when the COVID pandemic started. Any big tour plans they had were cancelled. I do think they did play some shows but not till much later. Anymore with Pearl Jam one gets the sense that it’s more about the touring than the new albums. I haven’t seen Pearl Jam in ages and would love to see them again live, they’re sensational.

Typically when Pearl Jam record a new album it’s a long and laborious process. Dark Matter was recorded over a three week stint at a studio in Malibu. Andrew Watt came in and “kicked the band’s ass” to get it done. Pearl Jam remains Eddie Vedder (vocals/occasional guitar), Stone Gossard (guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), Jeff Ament (bass), and Matt Cameron (formerly of Soundgarden on drums). Vedder has been quoted as saying this is the best thing they’ve done… Having been a long time fan of albums like Ten or Vitalogy, that’s a pretty bold statement.

The band has also hinted that this album is going to be much heavier than recent work. If “Dark Matter” is any indication, it will indeed be heavier… almost more Soundgarden-y. This new single is an 180 degree turn from the first track released off of Gigaton, “Dance Of The Clairvoyants,” which sounded like early Talking Heads to my ears. I played “Dark Matter” for the Rock Chick and her response was, “Hey, that’s good.” And trust me, that’s high praise from her.

I really like this song. I could use some heavy rock right now. The track rocks but it isn’t that old anthemic style from their early days. This song comes straight at you. It kind of reminds me, stylistically, of “Mind Your Manners” the first rocking track off of Lightning Bolt. It starts off with some great tribal drums from Cameron. Then the guitars kick in. Stone Gossard is a masterful rhythm guitarist. It’s a halting riff that throbs in your ears. Vedder’s vocal is as impassioned and intense as usual. At points in the song his voice becomes more of a pained howl. I can’t say enough about Mike McCready’s guitar solo on this track. He shreds. Oh, Hell yes. Here’s the track on YouTube…

This is a great, heavy start for an album that I hope is just as heavy. This might end up being as good as Vedder thinks it is… we know Watt has a way of getting bands to do what they do best. We need some good, socially conscious hard rock around here. Pearl Jam seem motivated and focused which after 30-plus years is hard to do with a band… it’s just so hard to get 5 guys (with instruments) marching in the same direction. It seems Andrew Watt has worked the same, “let’s get it done” magic here that he worked with the Stones on Hackney Diamonds. I’m almost as excited for this new Pearl Jam as I was for that Stones LP… although admittedly after 18 years the Stones had me on the edge of my chair…

Turn this one up loud and crank it. The new album drops in mid April and you know B&V will have our ear to the speaker for this one!

Cheers!

Playlist: In Honor Of Valentine’s Day, Our Favorite (Non-“Mushy”) Songs About… Hearts

February 10, 2024February 12, 2024 ~ kcorsini ~ 8 Comments

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Ok, while I’ll admit that there aren’t any “Casey Kasem Long Distant Dedication,” mushy songs on this playlist, there are some mellow and perhaps melancholy tracks… but then when it comes to “affairs of the heart,” melancholy was kinda my thing for a long time… Have no fear, there’s no Bette Midler on this thing. This playlist is chock full of Tom Petty, Springsteen, Jackson Browne and the Stones but that doesn’t mean it’s slamming rock n’ roll for the duration. The heart can be an up and down thing… and so is the tempo of this playlist.

That said, most long time readers know we love our “themed-playlists” here at B&V. A few years back, I did a playlist for Valentine’s Day that was, well… kind of negative. I always looked at Valentine’s Day as a useless, Hallmark holiday. It was more the mile marker that let me know I was half way through the worst of winter than some romance fueled evening. I once heard a DJ on the local heavy metal/hard rock station do an “Anti-Valentine’s” night… so that’s what I based my playlist, “Anti Valentine’s Day” on. Same theme, just different songs. I dedicated that playlist to the broken-hearted. But like Sting, who felt he had to do an antidote for “Every Breath You Take,” (which was not a love song) and wrote “If You Love Someone Set Them Free,” I felt I needed to put together something more positive for Valentine’s Day. The Rock Chick changed this holiday for me in a very positive way – we don’t do dinner or gifts, we always do fondue with our daughter or friends and make it a communal, social thing – so a better take on the playlist for V-Day felt appropriate. Most of us evolve…even me.

I do think it’s fitting to mention that Valentine’s Day got its start with St. Valentine, who appropriately was a martyr. And who hasn’t been a martyr for love, baby. Before the Rock Chick my memories of Valentine’s Day are mostly cringe-worthy. I remember in grade school, our teacher would make us all make a large, highly decorated envelope to tape to the side of our desks and everybody had to bring Valentines for every member of the class. I’m not sure if they still do that but I remember hating the whole Valentine delivery process…wandering through the maze of desks stuffing tiny Valentines in wildly decorated envelopes…at that age I just wanted to be invisible and the whole thing made me feel vulnerable. Years later, my college roommate and I got drunk one Saturday afternoon and bought a box of kiddy Valentine’s at Walmart and mailed them to everyone we knew… I still don’t know why that happened…acting out our childhood, grade school trauma perhaps? Rum is the Devil’s cocktail.

While for years I saw this as a Hallmark holiday with awkward forced sentiment, as mentioned, the Rock Chick changed that for me. When we started doing “fondue night” instead of getting all dolled up and going to an expensive dinner surrounded by other couples, it made me realize that at it’s heart Valentine’s Day is just about connection. Sharing a meal or a phone call with someone you care about. Yeah, I still get a card for my wife, but I focus the sentimental stuff more around our anniversary. So if you’re with someone or not this year, to feel more connection, I’ve put together some rock n roll to get you a little further on in your journey. Consider this my Valentine, stuffed hastily in the envelope taped to the front of your desk… These aren’t exactly all love songs… I have to admit I was always a thief in the house of love… but they’re about the beating heart in each of us.

Of course the heart isn’t all about rose petals and rainbows. The heart is a complicated thing. Take it from me, who was out in the wilderness for a long time, the heart truly is a lonely hunter. If this music is to be believed, the heart can be made of glass, stone or gold. Neil Young is still searching for a “Heart Of Gold.” The heart can be fickle or steadfast. The heart can be full or empty. A heart can be stolen or given freely. A heart can be cold, cold, cold or beating rapidly… Sadly, there are a lot of broken hearts in the world, for a myriad of reasons. As a veteran of many broken hearts, I feel for you. I still think people are basically good… I can honestly say I only really dated one heartless sociopath. If you’re in love and happy – good for you, I’m with ya. If you’re not, hang in there… I’m proof that good things come to those who wait. I think at the end of the day, the most loving thing you can do is to forgive. Forgiveness is the greatest sign of love, at least to me. And yes, because I’m becoming my parents I still order my coffee “black, like my heart” to the embarrassment of all around me.

So, with the heart being that complicated, so too is my playlist today. There’s harder rock all the way down to some sad balladry… I’ve always been a sucker for a sad Tom Waits song. I’m all over the place stylistically but thematically I think I hung together pretty well. I also threw in Springsteen’s “Valentine’s Day” at the end as it seemed fitting to cap the thing off on this particular holiday. Play it straight through or on shuffle, however you like. If you hit a track you don’t like, skip it. If you have suggestions on additional tracks, drop it in the comments and I’ll add it if it fits.

With all of that in mind, I guess you could say that with this new playlist I’m coming to you with my heart in my hand… or perhaps more accurately, my hearts in my hand…or in my ears. Enjoy…

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2I9kAM1w74Ug6TF9fDCz3u?si=a17d04780d6e4555

U2, “Two Hearts Beat As One” – It certainly feels this way when you first meet somebody…
Bruce Springsteen, “Two Hearts” – Is The River not just a perfect double album?
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Listen To Her Heart” – Classic tale where a rich dude with blow tries to steal the pretty girl….”You think you’re gonna take her away, with your money and your cocaine.” To no avail apparently.
Rush, “Closer To The Heart” – Put your heart into whatever you do…
Nirvana, “Heart Shaped Box” – I’ve never been a huge fan of the giant box of chocolates but I love this song.
Lenny Kravitz, “Is There Any Love In Your Heart?” – Lenny, asking the question we’ve all asked of someone at least once.
Big Brother & The Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin), “Piece of My Heart” – Janis wailing on a song written by Kris Krisofferson. What’s not to love?
Jackson Browne, “Shape Of A Heart” – “People speak of love, don’t know what they’re thinkin’ of,” indeed.
Lyle Lovett, “Give Back My Heart” – Oh, this puts a smile on my face. “And I said ooh give back my heart chip kicker-redneck woman…'” Who has Lyle been dating?
The Rolling Stones, “Stealing My Heart” – Another thief in the house of love story.
Blondie, “Heart Of Glass” – Boxers have a glass jaw… I always had a glass heart. One punch and I’m on the canvass, baby.
Sting, “Fortress Around Your Heart” – I love the imagery of the woman ensconced in a fortress built by her lover who is returning to make the peace.
Bruce Springsteen, “Cross My Heart” – Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye. The unbreakable vow?
Norah Jones, “My Heart Is Full” – Trippy surreal track from Begin Again.
Warren Zevon, “Searching For A Heart” – Zevon wrote so many great songs. What a lyric, “They say love conquers all, You can’t start it like a car, You can’t stop it with a gun.” #Truth.
Otis Redding, “Pain In My Heart” – Otis is feeling it on this track. I guess we all have. Like the man said, “Oh to be young and feel love’s keen sting…”
Johnny Cash, “Heart Of Gold” – Obviously Neil Young’s version of this song is not available on the evil Spotify, but Johnny Cash – backed by 3/4 of the Chili Peppers (Flea, Chad Smith & John Frusciante) does a mind blowing version here. Nice guitar work by Frusciante.
Marvin Gaye, “Take This Heart Of Mine” – Did anybody groove like Marvin?
Elvis Presley, “I’ll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms)” – The King out spreading the love.
Jackson Browne, “Love Needs A Heart” – Great song from Running On Empty.
Don Henley, “The Heart Of The Matter” – In the end, it really just boils down to forgiveness. Henley’s most thoughtful tune. This track is the antidote.
Tom Petty, “A Mind With A Heart Of It’s Own” – This could almost be considered autobiographical for some of us. I miss Tom Petty.
The Rolling Stones, “Heart Of Stone” – Early, classic Stones.
Norah Jones, “Cold Cold Heart” – So many cold hearted people out there… Norah could sing the phone book and I’d listen.
Ray Charles, “Unchain My Heart” – My favorite Ray Charles tune… Ably done by Joe Cocker as well. “Unchain my heart, cause you don’t love me no more…” Oh my, this brings back memories.
Rod Stewart/Ronald Isley, “This Old Heart Of Mine” – I love that Rod brought in Ronald Isley who did the track originally with the Isley Brothers for this version. I also love the opening line, “This ol’ heart of mine, been broke a thousand times…”
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart” – Bruce wrote this and originally gave it to the Ramones. His manager pulled it back realizing it was a hit. But I’m still left wondering… what would a Ramones’ version have sounded like?
Aerosmith, “Heart’s Done Time” – Great deep track from Aerosmith on the comeback LP Permanent Vacation.
Scorpions, “Shoot For Your Heart” – Picking up the pace with this great rocker from the LP Rock Believer. Oh yes, Klaus, I believe in rock.
AC/DC, “Rock Your Heart Out” – Wherever you are, whoever you’re with, whatever you’re doing this V-Day, I hope you do rock your little heart out… I recommend trying the bourbon.
Heart, “Heartless” – Like I said, years and years of dating and only one heartless, bad apple in the bunch…
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Change Of Heart” – One of my all time favorite Petty tunes. “You push just a little too far, You make it just a little too hard, There’s been a change of heart.”
Bruce Springsteen, “Janey Don’t You Lose Heart” – I need to do a playlist of only songs about this Jane person…”Sweet Jane,” or “Queen Jane Approximately,”… “No no no no…”
Warren Zevon, “Keep Me In Your Heart” – This track can bring tears to your eyes… Warren asking from beyond the grave, to stay in his lover’s heart. Play this one at my funeral.
Sting, “Shape Of My Heart” – I don’t know where the red, cleavage at the top/point at the bottom heart we see on playing cards and Valentines came from but I’m like Sting… “that’s not the shape of my heart.”
Beck, “Heart Is A Drum” – I’m really into Beck’s acoustic side these days. “Thinking About You” was an amazing song as is this one.
Bob Dylan, “Tight Connection To My Heart” – Great lyrics, as you’d expect from Dylan, “My hands are sweating and we haven’t even started yet.” Or even better, “Someday I’ll remember to forget.”
Eric Clapton, “I’ve Got A Rock ‘n’ Roll Heart” – I certainly do have a rock n roll heart… I’m glad I married a woman who does too.
INXS with Chrissie Hynde, “Full Moon, Dirty Hearts” – I don’t know why this song wasn’t bigger. INXS, with Hutchence singing a duet with Hynde. Sign me up. This song could be used to sum up the second half of the 90s… me and my late friend out till the wee small hours, howling at the full moon.
The Runaways, “Heart Beat” – I’ve described these guys as a guilty pleasure, but the more I listen to them, the less guilty I feel.
Yes, “Owner Of A Lonely Heart” -From the great 90125, and an apt description of the 80s.
The Black Crowes, “Kickin’ My Heart Around” – A great, meet-me-at-the-finish-line track.
Def Leppard, “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” – Perhaps my favorite Def Leppard track… from before Mutt Lange polished the shit out of their music.
Stevie Nicks/Tom Petty, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” – Perhaps the greatest duet ever recorded? We love Stevie Nicks around here.
The Yardbirds, “Heart Full Of Soul” – With the incomparable Jeff Beck on lead guitar.
Paul Simon, “Hearts And Bones” – At the end of the day, we’re all just hearts and bones.
Jack Johnson, “You And Your Heart” – I don’t put Jack on many playlists, but I’ve always dug this tune.
Fleetwood Mac, “Steal Your Heart Away” – From Say You Will, the Mac LP they did without Christine McVie… Think of it as Buckingham-Nicks 2.0. I like this Lindsey track.
The Rolling Stones, “Living In The Heart Of Love” – Outtake from Tattoo You.
Social Distortion, “A Place In My Heart” – Even though certain people didn’t fit into my life or I into theirs, it doesn’t mean there isn’t a place in my heart for them. Maybe I’m just gettin’ soft.
Motley Crue, “Kickstart My Heart” – Written by Nikki Sixx when they literally had to bring him back from the dead and restart his heart. It may not exactly fit, but who hasn’t felt like their heart has stopped beating from time to time.
John Mellencamp, “Thundering Hearts” – This takes me back to high school, drinking beer after school. Probably the first Mellencamp song I really liked.
Iggy Pop, “Break Into Your Heart” – From the great Post Pop Depression, backed by Josh Homme of the Queens of the Stone Age. I never really felt like I was invited into anybody’s heart… so why not break in?
Depeche Mode, “Poison Heart” – From the fabulous Spirit, a late career gem from Depeche.
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, “Hearts Of Stone” – Written by Springsteen but I love this version of the song, the first one released.
Big Head Todd & the Monsters, “Broken Hearted Savoir” – That’s the dream for so many people, that despite their broken heart they’re gonna “save” somebody. Stop telling yourself fairy tales people.
Chris Cornell, “Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart” – From the sensational Higher Truth.
Keith Richards, “Heartstopper” – From Crosseyed Heart, which sort of hits at the theme of today’s playlist.
The Rolling Stones, “Hearts For Sale” – “and they’re going cheap…”
Fleetwood Mac, “Affairs Of The Heart” – Great, lost Stevie Nicks song from the album Behind The Mask, which featured her and Christine McVie, but no Lindsey. Don’t let anybody tell you it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. People who say that have never loved and lost.
The Kinks, “Heart Of Gold” – Not to be confused with the Neil Young-written track above. A jaunty little tune from the Kinks. The Kinks have a song for every playlist!
Pete Townshend, “Let My Love Open The Door” – One of my favs from Pete.
Sting, “Be Still My Beating Heart” – I always told myself this when walking into a first date. I do not miss going on first dates.
Lou Reed, “Legendary Hearts” – When discussing a weighty topic like the heart, we had to hear from Lou Reed.
Eagles, “Heartache Tonight” – A song about heartache but Glenn Frey sings it so cheerfully, like he’s looking forward to the impending heartache. It’s cognitive dissonance summed up in a 4 minute song.
Stevie Nicks, “Wild Heart” – From her great, second solo LP.
R.E.M., “Oh My Heart” – From R.E.M.’s last studio LP… those last 2 LPs were fabulous.
Tom Waits, “Bad Liver And A Broken Heart” – Oh, now we’re getting to the heart of the matter. “I don’t have a drinking problem, except when I can’t get a drink.” A truly B&V track if there ever was one.
Bruce Springsteen, “Valentine’s Day” – Capping it off with a song for the actual holiday. “I’m driving a big lazy car, rushin’ up the highway in the dark, I got one hand steady on the wheel and one hand’s tremblin’ over my heart.” That sums up a lot of my youth… driving down the road headed… somewhere?

Happy Valentine’s Day to everybody out there who celebrates. Remember, while St. Valentine was a martyr, you don’t have to be. Connection can be had in many other ways than just romance. Grab a friend, get a drink, forget about that ex. Pour something strong and put this music on.

Cheers!

Album Lookback: ‘Tracy Chapman,’ Her 1988 Debut – Our Memories Of The Sensational Album

February 8, 2024February 8, 2024 ~ kcorsini ~ 1 Comment

It’s been a crazy week around here at B&V. It feels like the Grammy performance on Sunday was a lifetime ago. But, when you live in a city with an NFL team in the Super Bowl, it tends to be a week more of bourbon than of vinyl… That said, I never watch the Grammy Awards. I never watched the Grammy’s when rock n roll was the still a dominant music form. I know my old roommate Drew was watching the year Springsteen won something for Born In The U.S.A. because I kept barging in on him and interrupting… as I’m prone to do. As I recall I wanted to go out drinking that night… Ah, college.

The Rock Chick likes to watch the Grammy’s. She actually really likes to watch the Red Carpet shows… she may be the Rock Chick, but she’s still well, a chick. This year, and more specifically last Sunday, I watched the Grammy’s because I wanted to see Billy Joel perform his first new song in 17 years (more like 31 years for me), “Turn The Lights Back On.” It was the first time he was going to perform the song live and it’s a great tune. It was a stellar performance, well worth wading through all the other pop artists who I didn’t love. They even let Billy perform “It’s Still Rock N Roll To Me” over the closing credits. And while almost all the music Sunday night was most decidedly not Rock n Roll, it was nice to see Billy anyway.

While I loved Billy’s performance, the person who stole the show for me was Tracy Chapman. She’s another artist who hasn’t done anything in over a decade and a half. I was vaguely aware that some country guy had covered her great song “Fast Car,” but hadn’t really thought about it or heard it. Turns out the guy’s name is Luke Combs – you don’t hear a lot of “new” country here at the B&V labs – and his cover was a hit. So I’m sitting there waiting for Billy Joel to come on when suddenly… there’s Tracy Chapman! I sat up on the couch. The performance knocked me out! Luke was mouthing the words as Tracy sang along and you could tell he was as into the song as I was, which is cool. I was stunned and thrilled. Here’s a pic:

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Hearing Tracy Chapman singing “Fast Car” really took me back in time… all the way to 1988. I was living in exile in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. It was my first job out of college and my corporate masters decided to send me down there. I had just graduated six months or so earlier and in terms of music I was a typical dude. There were the Allman Brothers, Van Halen and U2 on the turntable. The radio stations in Ft. Smith were more torture than music… Madonna, George Michael and Michael Jackson dominated the Northwest Arkansas airwaves. Although there was this DJ who played whatever he wanted from noon to 1 every day for lunch. I’d try and be in my car during that hour… it’s where I first heard Sting’s version of the Hendrix track “Little Wing.” I dug that version of the song.

I’m pretty sure that’s the first place I heard “Fast Car,” on that lunchtime, freeform radio program. I loved the song instantly. First, it was an acoustic guitar based track and in 1988, there was no such thing as an acoustic guitar. I had always liked Dylan’s folky stuff… and Neil Young’s for that matter. In 1988 it was all synth pop, dance music so Chapman was quite a surprise. Her gorgeous voice was right out front where it belonged. It felt like she was sitting next to me in the car. Here was this woman with a beautiful voice singing about belonging, human connection and escape via riding in the car. Since I spent most of my time in the car in those days and desperately wanted to escape from my situation… Well, the song hit home. MTV started playing the video too, so in my world of limited music from the outside world, I was getting to hear this great new song.

In those days, money was short and I only purchased an album after I’d heard at least 2 and usually 3 tracks from an album. I’d been burned too many times by albums with one great song and filler as the rest. When I heard “Fast Car” I was willing to take the risk on the album, Tracy Chapman, without hearing anything else from the LP. I drove immediately to the record store on Rogers Ave and bought the album on vinyl (and I still own it). The moment I dropped the needle in the groove and heard “Talkin’ About A Revolution,” it hit me in the lower brain stem. I realized this was a folky/acoustic artist – spruced up with some drums and bass – singing, dare I say it, protest songs. I remember being in a meeting where a wealthy company owner stood up in front and regaled us with a story about his swimming pool… for his thoroughbred race horses. The words, “Don’t you know, they’re talkin’ about a revolution, sounds like a whisper…” were ringing in my ears as I sat there listening to this guy. Oh, yes I had found a truly wonderful artist.

“Across The Lines” was a beautiful song about race and lines drawn on maps in every city… I’m stunned I didn’t hear more Chapman during the Black Lives Matter protests a few years ago. The next track was the a cappella track “Behind The Wall” about domestic abuse. Tracy’s voice on that song is haunting. Now I’ve always been a sucker for a heart on your sleeve love song… and “Baby, Can I Hold You Tonight” was all of my young boy longing and unrequited love affairs rolled into a beautiful 3 minute song. “But you can say baby, baby can I hold you tonight… maybe if I told you the right words at the right time you’d be mine.” Oh fuck, who hasn’t felt that? It’s one of my all-time favs.

“Mountains Of Things” is a reggae-light track about materialism and a nice change of pace. “She’s Got Her Ticket” is another amazing vocal set over a bouncing drum beat. There’s even a little electric guitar noodling. It’s another song about escaping your situation. “Why not leave, why not go away, Too much hatred, Corruption and greed…” “Why?” has an infectious groove of an acoustic riff and asks a lot of important questions. “For My Lover” is next and is sung from the POV of a convict who killed… “for my lover.” I’ll do a lot for somebody but uh, murder ain’t my thing. I’m a lover not a fighter. “For My Lover” has that classic, acoustic, folk song vibe. “If Not Now” is another beautiful song about love. “A love declared for days to come, Is as good as none.” The song still reminds me of a woman in Louisiana. The album ends on another quiet, acoustic track “For You.” It’s lyric is short and sweet… I love the way it opens, “There’re no words to say, No words to convey, This feeling inside I have for you.” I could say that today about the Rock Chick.

I can’t rave enough about Tracy Chapman. It’s a sensational album with nary a bad moment. I remember taping that Sting LP I mentioned before with “Little Wing” on one side of a cassette and Tracy Chapman on the other. I was big into cassettes and mix tapes in those days. I was back in Kansas City over the summer and an old buddy of mine in college saw the tape and said in a stunned tone, “Tracy Chapman? Sting? What’s happened to your musical taste?” I just smiled and said, “It’s expanding faster than I can even explain…”

This is a record everyone should own and hear in it’s entirety. Seeing Tracy Chapman on the Grammy show the other night was such a treat, but it really brought me back to this masterpiece of an album. I recommend everybody out there pour something strong and crank this one… especially “Fast Car”… what a song!

Cheers!

Billy Joel, ‘Turn The Lights Back On,’ His First New Song In 17 Years – A Welcome Return To Recording

February 2, 2024February 2, 2024 ~ kcorsini ~ 7 Comments

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“Did I wait too long to turn the lights back on?” – Billy Joel, “Turn The Lights Back On”

“No, you didn’t.” – BourbonAndVinyl.net

I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be writing about a new Billy Joel song in 2024. I’ve been doing this blog for a while now and I’ve never posted about Billy Joel. Of course Joel has been relatively silent since 1993. I’m a big fan of Billy Joel’s and have been since college. I was actually kind of into Joel when I was in junior high/high school – it was hard not to be into Joel in the late 70s/early 80s. But it wasn’t until I was in college and I met future roommate and life long friend Drew that I jumped in on Billy in earnest. When we met, Drew was a Who/Billy Joel guy and I was a Stones/Springsteen guy. Naturally, as happens in college, we cross pollinated musical interests. I’ve been a fan ever since. I never thought we’d hear anything new from Joel again, as he’d retired from songwriting and recording, but on February 1st he dropped “Turn The Lights Back On,” billed as his first song in 17 years.

The headlines all say it’s been 17 years but for me at least, it’s been longer. In 2007 he released a song “All Of My Life,” which I never heard until this week. In fact, I’d never even heard of the song until this week. It was a string drenched, Sinatra-torch style song. It’s nice, but it’s no “Big Shot.” The only place you can find “All Of My Life” is on YouTube on a grainy video. He did sort of release another song in 2007, “Christmas In Fallujah,” a song he wrote but he let some kid, Cass Dillon (who was dating his daughter), sing the song. Does that really count? You can also find a live version of Joel singing the song and it’s worth hunting down. Billy wrote the song after getting countless letters from the troops, which is kind of awesome when you think about it.

So like most of you, Billy Joel’s last batch of original songs was on his 1993 album River Of Dreams. The last song on that album was “Lost For Words.” In light of his walking away from writing/recording, some folks saw that as symbolic… perhaps Billy had run out of things to say. In the 30 years that he’s been away from doing original music he’s of course toured incessantly and has even done a continuous “residency” of playing venerable Madison Square Garden every month. Billy has claimed in the intervening years that he’s continued to compose songs but he just “didn’t write them down.”

I’m not sure why Billy dropped out of the game. He had a string of great albums from 1973’s Piano Man through 1989’s Storm Front. I don’t think any of us were terribly thrilled with River Of Dreams in 1993 but by that point he was allowed to have an off album. I was dating a woman who owned that disc and I tried listening to it… I did like “All About Soul.” And for the record I hated all that Innocent Man stuff. Let’s leave the “Uptown Girl” uptown if you will… Apparently disappointed with River Of Dreams Joel just decided to take his considerably large song book on the road for the rest of his career. I’ve always wondered if Joel’s issues with booze (and car crashes) stemmed from the fact that he’d gone idle in terms of songwriting and recording. Idle hands… as they say.

I don’t know what inspired him to sit down and write/record again but goddamm I’m glad he did. He co wrote “Turn The Lights Back On,” which surprised me… most of his songs read, “Written by Billy Joel.” But after 30 years maybe he needed some gutter guards to keep the ball moving down the lane. I’ve been pulling up the video for the “teaser” for the song for a while now and “Turn Up The Lights,” in the teaser at least, reminded me of “And So It Goes” a beautiful piano ballad from Storm Front. Now that I’ve heard the whole thing it gives me more of a Nylon Curtain vibe. In the video for the teaser, Joel turns the page on a note book from “Lost For Words,” to a new page with “Turn The Lights Back On” which really brings it all home for me.

The track is a piano ballad with some big drums – one can only hope that is Joel’s longtime drummer Liberty DeVitto banging away. There are strings and crescendos. It’s told from the viewpoint of a lover who’s been away a while. He’s asking if it’s too late to turn the lights back on and start again. Obviously it’s a metaphor for his songwriting career. I love the way Billy plays piano but can we just pause for a second and comment on how superb his voice sounds. Perhaps the constant touring has made his voice stronger as opposed to say… Elton who sounds… well, bad. Anyway, “Turn The Lights Back On” may be criticized for sounding like a tentative return from Joel, but after 30 years he’s allowed to sound tenative… I mean, that’s kind of the vibe of the whole thing. It’s a, “Hey, I haven’t done anything in 3 decades, do you guys dig this?” And for the record, I don’t think it does sound tentative. I really like the song. Here’s a lyric video:

I hope this means Joel has an album’s worth of material on the way for us. Or it could be another 17 years before we hear anything… although that might be a miracle of modern science at his age. Billy has always been a great songwriter, performer, piano player and the dude can rock. He can go from the sensitive ballad to the ballsy rocker all on one side of an album. The Stones waited 18 years, Peter Gabriel waited 21 years… why can’t Joel wait 31 years between albums? It’s never too late Billy, turn those lights back on, fire up the piano and let’s rock n roll… And let’s remember when an artist breaks his silence after 31 years, it’s a big deal.

To quote Billy… “Don’t take any shit from anybody.” I really like this song and I’ve certainly got my fingers crossed on a new album!

Cheers.

The Cult Release (In December) ‘Death Cult 8323’ – Two New Songs To Celebrate Their 40th

January 30, 2024 ~ kcorsini ~ 2 Comments

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“Run, run, runYou’re only flesh and boneRun, run, runAnd you’re out there on your own” – The Cult, “Flesh And Bone”

While I’m on record as a big fan of the Cult, I have to admit I was late getting on the bandwagon. They were almost 20 years down the road when the Rock Chick turned me onto them in earnest. I mean sure, I was one of those “Fire Woman,” or “Love Removal Machine” fans before her. So it’s likely no surprise when I think about the birth of the Cult I trace it to 1984 when they released their debut album, Dreamtime. But the roots of the Cult actually stretch back to 1983 when singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy first joined forces under the moniker Death Cult. That name stems from Astbury’s earlier band the Southern Death Cult. All these years later I’m guessing they’re happy they edited it down to just the Cult…what a cool band name and it frightens people when they see me in one of the band’s t-shirts.

As long time readers know, I like to stay up with new releases from the bands I like and I’m usually like a hawk for new music from the Cult. Towards the end of 2023 I started seeing the cool “Death Cult 8323” symbol, pictured above, with the black/white/red butterfly. Knowing the Cult were coming off a tour in support of their last LP, the great Under The Midnight Sun (a tour where I got to see them twice, in Denver and then a sensational show in KC), I assumed the Death Cult thing was to advertise their 40th anniversary. I saw the symbol on social media – and bear in mind I only got on social media to follow rock n roll bands… well, and cat videos – and I thought the whole “Death Cult 8323” was to herald some dates they were playing in their native England to celebrate the big anniversary. As occasionally happens, and please don’t tell my wife, I was wrong.

I don’t know how I missed it, but it ends up Death Cult 8323 heralded the release of a “double-sided single,” with two great new tracks from the Cult, which is always grounds for celebration and the stereo being turned up as loud as the neighbors will allow. At first I thought the tracks might date back to 1983 but no, these two tracks stem from the aforementioned Under The Midnight Sun sessions. Stylistically, soundwise, any way you wanna look at it-wise, these tracks sound akin with that album. The two new songs, “C.O.T.A.” (which stands for “Communion of the Animals”), and “Flesh And Bone” would have been a great add to that Cult LP and fit snugly beside “Give Me Mercy.” And lets be honest, that album was only 8 tracks long, they had the room. Maybe they held these two tracks back knowing they were celebrating 40 years together.

As you might have guessed, I really dig the tracks. “C.O.T.A.” begins with on an ominous drum beat from Jon Tempesta (what a great drummer he’s been for this band). Duffy comes in with atmospheric electric/acoustic guitars. Then Astbury’s hits us with that fabulous baritone, “The words of a godless man, Is anybody listening?,” a question I often ask myself… The interplay between Astbury’s vocals and Duffy’s tortured guitar on the chorus is worth the price of admission here. “There are no seasons here anymore…hold fast…communion of the animals.” As much as I love that song, my favorite of the two new ones is probably “Flesh And Bone.” The only way I found out about these new tracks in my wife’s car and “Flesh And Bone” popped up on her Spotify, which was playing random tracks… I was like, “What?” The Rock Chick was, “I thought you knew?” They say communication in marriage is a key.

“Flesh And Bone” starts quietly with some strings and/or keyboards. It’s midtempo like “C.O.T.A” to start with. “We danced against their guns, Underwent what was done, Our world is quickenin’, We can’t fight everyone, We can’t fight.” It’s a slow build until the chorus. “Run, run, run, you’re only flesh and bone.” I really like Duffy’s melodic guitar solo on this one. Tempesta’s drums anchor the thing. After the solo it gets quiet and the band kicks in… Oh, yes. Here are the two tracks, a worthy late career edition to anybody’s Cult listening:

While something like this generally gets me thinking the Cult might give us something new this year, they took 6 years between their last albums and I doubt anything new will be popping up. I’m sure they’ll be out on the road this year and I will definitely be in a dark crowded room cheering them on somewhere… Until then, enjoy these new tracks!

Cheers!

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