TOP STORY: SDOAP Page
While the rest of you are wondering if it's really safe to ingest a 78th ham/ turkey sandwich, I have been hard at work compiling the SDOAP page. "Watchoo Talkin' About?" you say. Well, if you're new to the game, I have wanted an in -dividual page for each SDOAP, and well, here it is. Go to the THUGficial, now, click on the pretty new button, check out my masterful SDOAP page (In the plays section, brother).Album Review: "Can I Play?" by Good Rockin' Daddy (Plays the Blues)
Rarely is it that I review an independent release. As a music historian, I am typically more interested in the major and minor players who shaped popular music, so I usually choose to review an album of historical significance. Every once in a while, I make an exception. This is one of those. The album is "Can I Play" by Rockablues semi-legends, Good Rockin' Daddy (Plays the Blues). Why am I reviewing this album? Simple. It kicks ass. How so, let me ex -plain, Blues is an art of standards. There are certain songs that you expect to hear bluesmen play, from the obvious: Crossroads, How Long Blues, Smokestack Lightnin', and Dust My Broom, to the more obscure: I Asked for Water and She Gave Me Gasoline, Tight Like That, Alberta, and Burnin' Hell, this has none of them. 15 origional songs. You hear me. Wrap that around your head. Few can come up with more than a couple good origional blues songs (Clapton has yet to come up with one), 15 on one album, good enough to be covered by anybody. Second, Harmonica. Blues is filled with average harmonica players. There are a whole lot of them. Everyone can blow at least a little harp, however, there are few who can match up to Alan "Blind Owls" Wilson, Junior Welles, Taj Mahal, and Little Walter. Bob Landgraff is one of them. The fact that the bands logo is a harmonica should clue you in, you're going to hear some mad harps, and you do. The abrasive, brittle harp sound typically indetified with Taj Mahal's early albums makes itself known here. Every song hits you with another harp lead, one after another after another. It's amazing a fella can play that many leads without repeating hisself too much, but he does. This is not to say that the tight, rockabilly-influenced guitar solos aren't great, but they're piece -meal compared to the harp. Third, the piano. They brought in a session pianist and let him loose. Why is this a big deal? Piano is one of the great lost instruments of the blues. As more blues bands have dropped the pianos and organs it's great to hear a band play so well with so deft a session pianist. Plus, the Hammond solo in the title track is masterful. You can hear him rubbing up and down on the keys and yanking the drawbars like a madman, if you can hear only one Hammond solo in your lifetime, I'd buy a Jimmy Smith album, if you can hear two, hear this one. What is the only flaw that prevents a five-star rating, the singing. My god, after a day of listening to Howlin' Wolf, it sounded horrible. I swear, the whole band takes turns, and all of them suck. It's not normal sucking, blues fans are used to it. The vocals suck because they are country, really country. It's all right when Johnny Cash sings 12-bar because his music isn't bluesy, but when a band that sounds like a bunch of Vince Gill backup singer rejects marrs awesome instrumentation, well it's just a big sad face. However, do not despair, they don't sing too much, prefering to solo and improv rather than letting their ill-fitting pipes smear the record too much. Despite my reservations about their singing, I have to give them my props, not only are they an amazing band, but they are from California. Legit blues from Cal! I thought I'd never live to see that. Thus I bestow upon them: SCORE:
of 5 penguins.
BRIAN GONYNOR PRESENTS A GUEST EDITORIAL EXTRAORDINAIRE THAT DIRK WILL DISAGREE WITH (WHAT ELSE IS NEW?) BRIAN GONYNOR'S TOP 11 ALBUMS
These are albums that have seen their wear and tear. I've stared blankly at the cover art, taken them places so often the covers are cracked and must be repalced, and endorsed them to all my friends. But, most importantly, they exemplify my two loves within rock and roll - Classic Rock (1967-1973) and Seattle Grunge (1991 -1995). Without further adieu: 11. Alice in Chains - Greatest Hits - AIC is one hell of a grunge group when they try to be. They pioneered vocal harmonies, bitchin' solos, even wah pedals in a grunge setting. Unfortunately, their albums have a lot of heavier, mindless filler. Check out "Rooster"(about Vietnam, Rooster was his Dad's nickname), "No Excuses" and "Heaven Beside You" 10. Nirvana - Unplugged in NY - Absolute genius. Nirvana should have been unplugged the whole time. Lots of their well known tunes, (sorry, kids, no Teen Spirit) plus your old friends the Meat Puppets roll into town for three blissfull, almost roots -rockish tracks. Plus, he covers a Leadbelly song to infuriate Dirk Keaton wannabes everywhere. 9. Pearl Jam - Vs. - Pure energy. Pearl jam takes their trademark grunge style and applies healthy doses of punk ("Leash", "Go", Animal"), funk ("Rats", "Blood", "White Male American"), neo-power balladry ( "Daughter", "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small town") politics ("Glorified G", "W.M.A.") and psychedelic wander -ing ( Indifference). I don't know why i didn't rank this higher, it is AWESOME. It takes you its prisoner and doesn't let you go EVER. 8. The Who - Who's Next - An album that is a little overmentioned, but still some great material here. It paved the way for punk, both in music and attitude. "Baba O'Riley", the first teenage angst song, also prominently features a synthesizer, a no-no for a big-selling rock band like the Who. "Naked Eye" features a blazing power chord riff and some spritely fingerpicking. "Won't get Fooled again" has superb instrumental interlude swith several memorable riffs. "I Don't Even Know Myself" has Vaudeville antics. A very influential album, pop-rock bands like 3 Doors Down owe their existence to Who's Next. 7. Soundgarden - Superunknown - Soundgarden completely rethought themselves on this album. Blistering metal-grunge loaded with hooks. "Superunkown" is an addictive riff -o-rama. "Fell on Black Days" and "The Day I tried to live" present a mellower, rem -iniscent, take. "Balck Hole Sun" is imaginative and hook-y. One of the greatest grunge albums ever made. 6. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - A down-to-earth offering from the godfathers of arena rock. Heavy Metal? hardly, by today's standards. This is a melodic, bluesy hard rock album with plenty of grit. Also, "Ramble On" posesses the greatest bassline in Led Zep's history, but "Bring it On Home" gives the best riff, on par with "Black Dog" from Led Zeppelin IV. 5. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon - One of the best-selling albums in history for a good reason. It desrves to sell even more. From the first slide of "Breathe" to the last organ fadeout of "Eclipse", not only does the music never stop, it never lets down. It's an electric, trippy, rock voyage with jazz on the side. Revels in its own madness. 4. The Beatles - Abbey Road - Not only is it the true swansong form the most influent -ial act ever, it contains some of their best work. George Harrison, especially, makes himself known. Great solos and fills abound, plus two of the greatest, best-loved Beat -les songs, "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something". The whole band pulls it together for a 10-minute suite over 6 tracks at the end, culminating in the phrase, "And, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." 3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced? - Come on it's Hendrix. Own this album, especially if you're a guitarist. 2. Cream - The very best of Cream - Awesome. Eric Clapton in his young, verile days, before he became a quasi-black bluesman. Solos like the one on "Crossroads" or "Polit -ician" blow my mind. Blues in a rock setting, Rock in a jazz setting, Genius on full setting. Awesome. Masters of their trade. 1. Pearl Jam - TEN - This is the album that first made me fall in love with rock music. If Nirvana were the Beatles of Gunge, and Soundgarden the Black Sabbath, Pearl jam play -ed the role of Led Zeppelin. A great live band, epic in its riffing, artsy in its style. This is THE grunge album. It has classic rock at its heart, however. There are no top cuts, all the cuts are too awesome to compare. When Ed Vedder screams or curses, it rips your soul in two. The guitars crunch, wail, and scream. Mike McCreedy lays down excellent solos on every track, he is a master of melodic lines and "Alive" remains my favorite solo to this day. One of the greatest debut albums in history.DIRK A. KEATON PRESENTS A REBUTTAL EDITORIAL EXTRAVAGANZA THAT MY IDIOT BROTHER WILL DISAGREE WITH (WHAT ELSE IS NEW?) DIRK KEATON'S MANDATORY ALBUMS FOR ADMITTANCE INTO ROCK 'N' ROLL HEAVEN
Gonynor, I applaud your efforts. It wasn't too bad (Tho there was far too much grunge for my taste). While this is entirely an opinion of taste and can't be re -futed (Except on principal, eg Nirvana sucks, all it's fans know it, and thus, have to spend good Cream-listening time figuring out how to lodge a propper defense against dozens of music mavens who mock their departures in otherwise good taste, but I digress). Honesly, listen to Neil Young's Live Rust or any early Sonic Youth, and you will soon understand who the true maestros of grunge are, but that doesn't matter. What I will do is give a short commentary on your choices, meerly to show the good people of the this world if I endorse that opinion or not (After all, this is a publication under my name, so I have to avoid character defamation). 11. Alice in Chains - Greatest Hits - I have to admit, I, at times, have listened to AIC. The integral problem is that they can't decide if they want to be Neil Young or Motorhead, not that there's anything wrong with being either, one, is, obviously, a more desireable choice, but they just can't make it. Still, I am glad someone is dispensing them a certain amount of props. 10. Nirvana - Unplugged in NY - What I don't get is that, despite all the pictures of Kurt "Popstar" Cobain with an accoustic, he doesn't handle one more artfully. Honestly, Cobain lack of chops were made even more painfully apparent than they were before on this album. He took the one redeeming element of his music, its ability to get someone "jazzed up" and threw it down the crapper with this. Perhaps if he had spent more time listening to the genre's founder, Neil Young (Third Young reference, BINGO!), and less time smoking crack, he might have known how to make a better accoustic song. 9. Pearl Jam - Vs. - Pearl Jam reminds me too much of my prog rock days (The dark ages). Grunge and pretense should never mix, tho they do far too often. 8. The Who - Who's Next - "The first teenage angst song?" Hellooooo, as cool as Baba O'Riley is, have you ever heard of the fifties? Rick Nelson, Elvis Presley, Gene Vincent, the TEEN Kings. I don't know, but I think they sang a coupla those too. Kidding aside, as WHO angst goes, nothing tops Pictures of Lily, one of the few mega hit records that could be about nothing but mastrubation. However, Who's Next is the only Who record I will include in my collection, which says a lot. By the way, it was recorded entirely with a Gretsch 6120, even the "Obvious Tele" parts in the end. Why? Filtertrons, Gretsch's pattented pickup, which, for lack of a better term, are FRIGGIN' LOUD. Seriously, tho, a great ablum, tho probably not one of my number one recomendations. 7. Soundgarden - Superunknown - I agree. 6. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II - The best example of their sound. More rock, less pretense, no ballads without lyrical weight. The problem is, it's a gateway album, that causes kids to experiment with stronger stuff, like III and IV. 5. Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon - Hell yeah! And it's intellectual, too. Last year, we wasted an entire class period discussing this album. Bet you didn't know it was inspired by The Sound and the Fury (One of the most confusing books ever written). 4. The Beatles - Abbey Road - Oh god, the 10-minute suite. I remember 93.7 before they sold out and went 80's pop station (like this summer), they used to play the entire suite. It's all good, excepting Sun King (I don't get it, It was some sad attempt by L/M to cash in on Here Comes the Sun). An ablum to buy, tho I think I like Revolver/Rubber Soul better. 3. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Obvious. 2. Cream - The very best of Cream - Wah pedal. Love it, tho I would suggest The Best of Cream or Strange Brew-The Very Best of Cream, as they do not contain as much filler as your album. Both of those contain more "best" songs and less second-rate crap like "Sittin' On Top of the World" (A Doc Watson standard played with, EGAD! a chord lead). 1. Pearl Jam - TEN - See my previous comments on Pearl Jam. I don't know about #1. If I were you and I was telling a young, impressionable child to buy an album, Pearl Jam wouldn't be my first choice. Now, a hyper-speed rendition of the ablums I believe everyone should have in no particular order: * Rumble the Best of Link Wray-"Mommy, where does modern rock come from." "Buy Link Wray and leave me alone, kid." Need I say more. The source of all real rock additude, everything else was clean-cut hicks. * Pulse/Dark Side-Get it studio or live. Pulse has so many great songs. Despite the fact that there is no Waters, it's still a hell of an album. A better retro -spective than that Echoes disc. * Layla-Duane Allman, the only white blues guitarist black people have ever att -empted to copy, teams up with Clapton. Slide-O-Rama. Have You Ever Loved a Woman dwarfs the title track, great Key to the Highway, I Am Yours (Clapton's best accoustic ballad, played on a Gretsch, no less). This is the album that convinced Clapton to play electric slide and brought blues to most of the white world. * Hooker N Heat-Hear John Lee Hooker in his element, recorded by Canned Heat. The only faithful recording of his sound. Stinky, dirty, sweaty, bare-ass blues. * Monk's Greatest Hits-Hear Thelonious Monk, the great jazz pianist/madman, play progressively odder versions of his most famous songs. This is from his Columbia years. Considdered by most to be his creative low-point, as he penned few new songs, but this gives us a good look into those years (Early to mid-sixties), and helps us look at how much he improved his sound. * The Very Best of Otis Redding-Rock 'n' Roll's greatest singer. The lyrics already put him in the pantheon of the gods, but the singing. Wow, I play guitar and I wish I could get tone like that. You could try a thousand years and never make something as good as Try a Little Tenderness. * The Basement Tapes-Dylan's secret masterpiece. The dense record he relesed is an awesome self-bootleg, and the real boots don't suck either. Variety, virtuosity, and great songs make it a great look into the full scope of The Poet's talents. * In Dreams-Yeah, I had to put Orb in here. All his best songs, no duets with K.D. Lang. The only singer I can think of that could hold his own against Redding for the mantle of greatest Rock 'N' Roll singer, and listen to Oooby Dooby, that's some great rockabilly lead. * Johnny Cash, Live in Folsom Prison-It and B.B. King live in Cook County Jail proove to us that stuff just sounds better in the slammer. A primer of great Trad. Country and rockabilly. You have to have this album. * Hindu Love Gods-R.E.M. made an album with Warren Zevon, and it doesn't suck. Pop-rock gods, turn out an amazing album of high-energy blues covers. Probably my favorite album of all time, nothing is more fun to' listen to (Check out their bad-assed Mannsih Boy). * The Allman Brothers Live at the Filmore East-Only Duane Allman can have massive solos and instrumentals that don't get pretentious or boring. Listen to the 25-minute whipping post, it'll go by like that. The great -est album of white blues. If you were turned off by Eat A Peach (Which was, in reality, an album of outtakes, and deleted tacks masqueraded as a full album), listen to this, it's like viagra to yer blueslovin' soul. * Texas Flood-SRV's first album. Friggin' bluesy. Hand-made to convert nonbelievers. * Anything Michael Hedges-This fellow was a masterful fingerpicker who uses his whole damn body to play the guitar. Recorded live, alone, sounded like two guitarists and a persussionist. Insane. Just buy it. * Built For Speed-American compilation of The Stray Cats' first two albums. Masice twang, great songs, Setzer's unreal ability to alternate rhythm and lead, while singing really, really well (Listen to Hollywood Noctourne on BSO for his best example). Attempting to play any of these songs requires massive chops, patience, and the ability of avoid manual labour for several days thereafter. * Buddy Holly's Golden Hits-Can't think of the exact name. The one with a picture of the Buddy Holly Lives wall. I can't believe this stuff is from the 50's. Great songwriting, the literal definition of hook (Peggy Sue), and great proudction values make Buddy Holly one of the standout performers of the rockabilly era (Elvis be damned). * Taj Mahal-Taj and Ry re-unite for his first solo album. So funky Bootsy sent it a can of febreeze. You can't buy beter harp work. * Evil-The seminal Howlin' Wolf record. The greatest blues singer ever (Whenever I play it, my mom always yells, "Turn that crap down", so you know it has to be good). Evil, Smokestack Lightnin', I Asked For Water and She Gave Me Gasoline, and a lot more of my favorites. * Bitches Brew-The album that started fusion. That's all you need to know. Buy it, now. *Money For Nothin'-The Dire Sraits hits album. Discover Mark Knopfler, the other masterof white slide guitar. Great playing all the way through. The way his guitar imitates a piano on Romeo and Juliet is mind-boggling, sultans of swing gets you pumped up easily, no bad cuts. Everybody needs to understand Knopfler, he's too critical to modern music to do otherwise. * The Beatles 1967-70-My first record. It has so much of their best work. The ignorant should own it. * Thunder Road/Darkness on the Edge of Town/Live 75-85 (Tapes 1&2)- Springsteen's seminal works. He is rock's greatest lyricist. Everything else pales in comparison. Thunder Road is pure poetry, Darkness is Elvis in the real world, and the the first two tapes of the live exhibit great balladry, jazzy grooves, and pure rock 'n' roll. He draws from everything before him, but makes a style uniquely his own.Haiku For the Taco Bell Chicken Quesedia
Feat of Strength #12
The Feat of Strength competition is a test to see how ballin' my Thespian brothers are. Each week's winner (The first to mail me the correct/best answer) will recieve a nominal prize. This week's prize is: A HoustonAds.com liscense plate frame. This week's feat is: Re-write the lyrics of Help (By the Beatles), so it's now about penguins. (You have until next 0600 Thursday GMT (Or midnight Wednesday, here), or more likely, whenever the hell I get to making a new newsletter (My release dates are bad, but they ain't worse than Spence), to e-mail me the answer.Until Next Week... Have fun and give it up to the Dutch.
