To my lady...

2007 was a pretty good year from the view of the rear-view mirror. I returned to active duty at He's A Whore and have had a lot of fun making a ton of cool music available. I love working on the blog, but even sometimes I'm amazed at how much time can be eaten up putting together a new feature.

There are a gazillion blogs out there, though, so I am psyched to see so many of you stopping by and ejnjoying my blog. It means a lot.

Having said this, I came up with a little idea I'd like to run past you guys:

My girlfriend has been a saint in putting up with the countless (and I do mean countless...) hours I've devoted to making sure He's A Whore is full of the best content FREE can get you these days.

So, being that it is the holiday season and all, I'd like to ask a huge favor of you out there in blog-land.

I'd like to ask you all to drop a buck or two in the tip jar (found on the sidebar to the right). The accumulated funds will be put towards a gift that will be presented to my lady from the awesome folks who make He's A Whore a regular stop on their interweb experience. Feel free to make any suggestions for gifts and I'll make the final selection based on the overall general consensus (and amount of $$$ in the tip jar).

She has been pretty understanding on the many nights when all she hears is me tapping away at the keyboard and I'm hopeful that this will be a nice jesture that proves that the time and effort put into this blog is worth it because, as I've always told her, music geeks are just good people. :)

To you and yours, I wish you a happy and safe holiday season and look forward to a great 2008!

And, in keeping with the spirit o' the season, here are some more cool Christmas tunes!

Elvis-Blue Christmas
Aimee Mann-Calling On Mary
Cyndi Lauper-Home On Christmas Day
Dave Matthews band-Christmas Song

Sincerely,

Darren

1993

In September, Nirvana release their final studio album, In Utero. It would hit #1 despite initial concerns from the label over the lack of “hit singles” and the sludgy final mix by Steve Albini. Two songs, “Heart Shaped-Box” and “All Apologies”, were remixed and released as singles.

Nirvana-All Apologies
Nirvana Rape Me


Frank Zappa dies after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.

Natalie Merchant quits 10,000 Maniacs to pursue a solo career.


The Dandy Warhols are formed in Portland, Oregon. [lame excuse but I’ll take any I can get to post a Warhols track, like this live cut of “Boys Better” from ’98.]

Green Day part ways with indie Lookout! Records to sign a multi-album deal with Warner/Reprise. [Check out "Only Of You" live.]

In June, Oasis are signed to Creation Records by Alan McGee.

Check out their early demos:
Cigarettes And Alcohol
Shakermaker


In February, Duran Duran enjoy an unlikely chart return with the self-titled (but unofficially titled “The Wedding Album”), which features the Top 10 singles “Come Undone” and “Ordinary World”. The album itself would land at #7 on the U.S. Top 100 Albums chart.


U2 release “Zooropa”, a drastic departure from their usual fare and hastily completed in order to be released prior to their already-planned Zoo TV tour. It is most notable for a lack of charting singles, although “Lemon”, “Numb”, and “Stay (Far Away, So Close)” did receive moderate airplay.

U2 (with R.E.M.) - One (live)


In April, Tool releases their debut album, “Undertow”. The album was quite influential and songs such as “Sober” and “Prison Sex” garnered a fair amount of radio play, despite some controversy. The album would peak at #50 on the Top 100, but continue to sell consistently for years to come.

Tool-Prison Sex
Tool-Sober


In June, Chicago singer/songwriter Liz Phair releases the indie smash “Exile In Guyville”, which, according to Phair, was a song-by-song response to the Rolling Stones’ “Exile On Main Street”. The lo-fi production and no-holds-barred lyrics would go on to inspire many imitators, most notably Alanis Morrissette. Despite charting only as high as #196, the album would eventually be certified gold for sales of 500,000 units.

Here are live versions of some tunes from that legendary album:

Fuck and Run
6'1"
Dance of The Seven Veils
Stratford-on-Guy
Glory
Divorce Song
Flower
Help Me Mary
Mesmerizing
Never Said

Radiohead release their debut album, “Pablo Honey”, in February. The album is most notable for including the single, “Creep”, which was a huge Modern Rock hit and Top 40 pop single.


Smashing Pumpkins’ second album, “Siamese Dream”, is released in July. It becomes their first Top 10 album and features the singles “Cherub Rock”, “Today”, “Disarm” and “Rocket”. Most notably, the video for “Today” received heavy MTV rotation.

Cherub Rock
Today
Disarm
Rocket


In October, Pearl Jam debut at #1 with their second album “Vs.”. The album would hold the top spot for five straight weeks. Despite no charting commercial singles, several tracks received heavy modern rock radio airplay, including “Daughter”, “Dissident”, and “Go”, and “Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town”.

Pearl Jam-Daughter
Pearl Jam Dock Of The Bay

In November, Swedish group Ace Of Base release their debut album, “The Sign”, which goes on to enjoy huge worldwide success. It had been issued earlier in the year throughout Europe under the title “Happy Nation”, then re-released as “Happy Nation, US Version” to match the track listing of the U.S.-issued “The Sign”. The album, while short on versatility, is long on hits; “All That She Wants” (#1), “Don’t Turn Around” (#4), “Living In Danger (#20), and “The Sign” (#1). The album has gone on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.


In March, Lenny Kravitz releases his third studio album, “Are You Gonna Go My Way?”. Aside from being the first Kravitz album to dent the Top 20 (peaking at #12), the album’s title track garnered heavy radio airplay and is perhaps his best known song to date, but was never actually released as a commercial single.

Lenny w/Guns 'n' Roses-Always On The Run
Lenny Kravitz-Are You Gonna Go My Way


Reuniting with producer Jim Steinman, Meatloaf releases “Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell” and makes a triumphant comeback. The single “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That” would go #1 in 28 different countries, including the U.S. and UK (where it was #1 for seven weeks). Subsequent singles “Objects In The Rearview Mirror May Be Closer Than They Are” (#30) and “Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through” (#13) would enjoy noteworthy success and the album would go on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide.

Meatloaf-I Would Do Anything For Love

Better Than Ezra release “Deluxe” on the indie Swell Records label. It would be remixed and re-released two years later by Elektra and become a Top 40 hit that would eventually go gold. It features modern rock radio staples “Good” and “Rosealia”.

New Order release “Republic” and enjoy their last #1 UK album (peaking at #11 in the States). “Regret” would garner heavy modern rock radio airplay before becoming a fixture on Top 40 radio, peaking at #28 on the pop singles chart. The band would break up during the tour to promote this album, not reuniting until 1998.


In March, the Cranberries release their debut album, “Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?”. Highlighted by the unique faux-yodeling vocal stylings of singer Dolores O’Riordan, the album finds a home at modern rock radio and then crosses over to Top 40 formats soonafter, yielding the Top 10 hit “Linger”.

Cranberries-Linger

In August, The Breeders (featuring the Pixies’ Kim Deal) release “Last Splash” and see “Cannonball” become a huge hit at modern rock radio and a Top 40 pop single.

Breeders-Cannonball (live)


Counting Crows release “August And Everything After” in September and score a career-defining Top 5 hit. Despite an initially slow start, “Mr. Jones” would eventually catch fire at Top 40 radio and climb to #2 on the Pop charts. “Rain King” would peak in the Top 30, to be followed by the band’s second Top 10 single, “Round Here”. The album has sold over ten million copies in the U.S. to date.

Counting Crows-Mr. Jones (acoustic)
Counting Crows-Rain King (acoustic)

In August, Cracker releases “Kerosene Hat” (corrected because I left off "Hat originally, thank you), which would fail to hit the Top 40, but manage to unleash modern rock radio hits “Low” and “Get Off This”.

Collective Soul release their debut album, “Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid” on the indie label, Rising Storm Records. Regional success in the Atlanta area would lead Atlantic Records to sign the band and re-release the album a year later, resulting in the Top 20 success of the single “Shine”.

Collective Soul-Shine


In February, Paul McCartney releases “Off The Ground”, his first new album of the decade and his first album to hit the top 20 since “Pipes Of Peace” in 1983. To promote the album, he launches the very ambitious “The New World” tour, which spanned the year and the globe, becoming one of the year’s most successful rock tours.

Here are some tracks from the '93 Paul tour:

Let Me Roll It
I Saw Her Standing There
Drive My Car
Hope Of Deliverance
The Long And Winding Road
Paperback Writer
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely hearts Club Band
My Love
Live And Let Die
Band On The Run
Another Day
We Can Work It Out

Depeche Mode would hit #1 on the U.S. albums chart with their eighth studio album, “Songs of Faith & Devotion”. Despite the success of the album, the highest charting single from the album, “I Feel You”, would only make it to #37 on the U.S. singles chart.

The Flaming Lips release “Transmissions From The Satellite Heart” in June and land their first charting radio hit with “She Don’t Use Jelly”, which was a Top 10 Modern Rock hit, making it as far as #55 on the pop singles chart.

KISS milk the “Alive” series a third time with the release of “Alive III”, which rockets into the Top 10.

ask and ye shall receive...the killers xmas song

I figured what the hey, I'll continue uploading the coolest songs of the season and hope you continue to enjoy them.

Today's tune:

The Killers "Great Big Sled" (live)

Christmas Songs That Rock

From the time I was old enough to know of its existence, Christmas has been my favorite time of year. Growing up in the Midwest, I'd always loathed winter, but no Christmas was ever complete without a little snow on the ground.

Having lived in California the past ten years, though, sometimes it's difficult to get into the Christmas spirit. A Christmas tree just seems so out of place, so much so that I've never bothered to put one up since landing in Cali.

This year, though, my girlfriend talked me into getting a tree and we spent most of the weekend shopping for a nice fake tree (I can't bear to buy a real one, nor cut one down) along with a crapload of ornaments. As much as I love what Christmas is about, after a day of shopping, I was ready to strangle someone. Ha ha, right? There's no "ha ha" about having people knock you out of the way to grab a can of spray-on snow, or drop a fart bomb right next to you in the Old Navy, then walk away moments before the scent hits you.

And the cell phones. Holy crap, how did some of these nitwits ever get by without them? They can't pick out anything without having to call somebody. "Should I get Dad the red one or the silver one?" "Didn't she get one last year?" "Are you sure the dog is allergic to polyester?" Sigh.

The other thing that kills me is the complete lack of new Christmas songs.

Seriously, over the course of an entire day of listening to the radio and the music being played in the stores, you'd think there were only ten or twenty Christmas songs in existence. That can't be right, can it?

It's enough to make you come right home and write your own Christmas song just to keep from taking a whiffle ball bat to the nearest plastic Santa.

So, yeah, I wrote a Christmas song and, yeah, if a Christmas song with a cowbell solo played by a chain-smoking elf is your thing, then your ship has come in.

It's called "Christmas Is A Big Fat Pain" and is most certainly the result of my eating too much papier mache paste as a kid, no doubt.

As if that weren't enough Christmas goodness, I've also included a handful of really cool Christmas nuggets for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

Band Aid-Do They Know It's Christmas (Live)
Radiohead-Winter Wonderland
Trans-Siberian Orchestra-Christmas Eve Sarajevo (live with narration)
Brian Setzer Orchestra-Jingle Bells
U2-Happy Xmas (War Is Over) [acoustic]
Travis-Last Christmas
The Beatles-Christmas Message 1963
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band-Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (live '2003)
Darren Robbins-Christmas Is A Big Fat Pain

weird cover of the day: living colour

I'm speechless...but leaning towards "go".

Should I Stay Or Should I Go

begin the begin?

I've been busy with a few things, but will hopefully return to active blogging very soon.

Heard from a very reliable source that the possibility of R.E.M. touring in 2008 with original drummer Bill Berry is, and I quote, "more likely than not likely."

The source is a good one and, while I remain cautiously optimistic, I felt it was worth passing along...

In hopes of much more to come, here's an mp3 of the band performing "Begin The Begin" with Berry in 2006.

jimmy eat world - chase this light

It must be a pain in the ass to score a monster Top 10 hit, as Jimmy Eat World did with "The Middle" in 2001. They followed the platinum-selling "Bleed American" with the consistently engaging "Futures", but the album fell quickly after debuting in the Top 10 itself, the highest charting single ("Pain") making it only as far as #93 on the charts.

The band had seemingly fallen prey to their own success, spawning what seemed like a million sound-alike bands that clogged the airwaves so that the very originators of the genre couldn't even be heard.

Three years later, the band has returned with "Chasing The Light".

I will admit to allowing my promo copy to gather some dust before finally giving it a spin. While I had found little to dislike about "Futures", my general feeling was that I wasn't listening to a Jimmy Eat World record as much as an approximation of the band's aesthetic created by the makers of the latest Grand Theft Auto video game.

I will also admit that the album art struck me as being too similar to XTC's Homespun CD.

Thus, it wasn't until a few days ago that I popped the CD in for the first time and, well, I'm still listening.

In other words, the album's a grower.

As seems to be quite commonplace these days, the CD is front-loaded with juggernaut anthems like the caffeine-fueled "Big Casino", finally letting up on the elegiac "Gotta Be Somebody's Blues"; a song that shows the band breaking from the template long enough to create a song that is, in a word, magical.

Truth be told, there isn't one song on the CD that struck me as sub-par. If anything, the pristine production tends to rob many of the songs of their humanity. I can't help think that a heavy reliance on ProTools has resulted in an album that is meticulous to a fault. The walls of guitars that have always been my favorite component of the Jimmy Eat World sound are now compressed to the point of minimizing their impact and sometimes one is hard-pressed to imagine they were actually played by a living, breathing person.

All in all, that's a minor complaint because, as mentioned, the songs are solid throughout and the fact that you don't have to be a clumsy, lovestruck kid to connect with the lyrics is eternally refreshing. The verses from "Big Casino" struck me as being amazingly poignant to those of us who are starting to wear our scars a little less proudly:

"Before this world starts up again, it's me and night
We wait for the sun, the kids and drunks head back inside.
Well, there's lots of smart ideas in books I've never read
When the girls come talk to me I wish to hell I had...

Back when I was younger, I was someone you'd have liked.
Got an old guitar I've had for years I'd let you buy
And I'll tell you something else that you ain't died enough to know
There's still some living left when your prime comes and goes."

Thus, while the ever-fickle emo crowd seems to have moved on to some new band with a paragraph of gibberish for a name, I can't help think there's a huge audience waiting to be turned on to this album, but that preconceptions may prevent such a thing from ever taking place.

So, if you count yourselves among those who've written off Jimmy Eat World, for whatever reason, I urge you to give this one a listen.


Big Casino
Gotta Be Somebody's Blues
Dizzy

1987: my thoughts

As I’ve been compiling info and tracks for each year, I go in with certain preconceptions. 1979, for example, was the first year that I really paid attention to music and, thus, my opinion was that it was a great year. You had Cheap Trick going platinum, Tom Petty damning the torpedoes, post-punk taking hold in the UK, and, of course, disco. Now, I assumed I hated disco, but listening to the disco music that is still popular today, there is some brilliant artistry there.

Other years, such as 1984, have been fondly remembered, but, upon refreshing my memory, I am astonished at how much utter crap was a part of the marketplace. Among the Springsteens and Cougars were some of the most disposable synth-pop acts to ever plug in a Roland. Plus, it was the year otherwise dependable rock act Foreigner was forever neutered by the #1 success of the ballad “I Want To Know What Love Is”. It was also the year of “Dirty Dancing”.

Before I dove back into the year that was 1987, what I remembered most was that it was the year U2 released “The Joshua Tree” and methodically took over the music world. What I had forgotten was that it was the year GNR hit the scene with “Appetite For Destruction”. INXS was there too with the landmark album “Kick”, which includes “Never Tear Us Apart” (a great song and one of my favorite videos, too) so it will always be fondly remembered in my mind.

What I realized is that 1987 was really the last year that mainstream music was cool. There was a nice co-mingling of genres and a lot of the albums that came out that year don’t sound particularly dated. For example, I put on Husker Du’s “Warehouse” album the other day, for the first time in years I admit, and marveled at how fresh the record sounded. You could put it out today and the kids would be all over it. That they aren’t all over it anyway is another issue for another time.

What I had forgotten was that Pink Floyd released their first full-fledged studio album minus Roger Waters and that the two camps began a sort of passive-aggressive sparring match that would last for decades. Despite the bickering, both Floyd and Waters made some great music during that time. It’s almost worth having Waters leave the band if it means seeing “Momentary Lapse Of Reason” and “Radio K.A.O.S.” released within months of one another.


Pink Floyd: Learning To Fly | On The Turning Away | One Slip


Roger Waters: In The Flesh | Money | The Powers That Be

The Replacements also released their first album without guitarist Bob Stinson who, in a band known as much for their alcohol consumption as for their occasional flashes of brilliance, was kicked to the curb for, you guessed it, drinking too much. They released “Pleased To Meet Me” and, to borrow a Westerberg phrase, took one step forward, two steps back. Parts of the album seemed to show a desire to reclaim some of their youthful recklessness, marrying it to better songs this time around. The rest of the album bristled at what the public wanted them to be, opting for something much more enduring. Any album where the buoyant “Can’t Hardly Wait”, the gutter-dragging “I Don’t Know” and the haunting “Skyway” can co-exist is a conflicted, albeit beautiful record.


Replacements: Never Mind/I.O.U.

R.E.M. kept on keeping on, raising the stakes with each successive (and successful) record. What had looked like a fluke on Life’s Rich Pageant (namely the album falling just one spot shy of the Top 20) had been bested by :”Document”, an album that gave the band their first Top 10 single (“The One I Love”) while going Top 10 (and platinum) itself.


R.E.M.: Finest Worksong | The One I Love

So, yeah, 1987 was the year that brought us great albums from the likes of U2, INXS, Guns n Roses, Janes Addiction, Husker Du, Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, the Replacements (“Pleased To Meet Me”), and R.E.M., among others.

Musically speaking, it kinda makes you wanna dig out an old calendar, hang it on the wall, and pretend the last 20 years didn’t happen. 

1987

U2 release their pivotal fifth studio album, The Joshua Tree, in March. The album rockets to #1 on the strength of hit singles “With Or Without You” (#1), “Where The Streets Have No Name” (#13), “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (#1). To date, the album is U2’s best-selling release, having sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

Check out this collection of live tracks from U2's '87 tour:

In God's Country
Exit
Electric Co.
One Tree Hill
Out Of Control
People Get Ready
Pride (In The Name Of Love)
Running To Stand Still
Southern Man
Trip Through Your Wires
Unforgettable Fire
Where The Streets Have No Name


Despite the release of a new studio album, “Strangeways, Here We Come”, in September, The Smiths disband after the departure of guitarist Johnny Marr. [Check out this Morrissey solo version of "A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours".]


The Cult release “Electric”, an album that celebrates 70’s-era hard rock, and is seen as a drastic departure from the goth-tinged rock of their previous album, “Love” which had been a large underground success. The album had initially been recorded with Steve Brown, who had produced “Love”, but the band then opted for a fresher sound, enlisting Rick Rubin. The album peaked at #38 in the US, but songs such as “Love Removal Machine”, “Li’l Devil" and “Wild Flower” are some of the band’s best-known material. Notably, the opening act on their ’87 US tour was none other than Guns ‘n’ Roses. [Check out this early live version of "Electric Ocean".]


In July, Guns & Roses release their debut album, “Appetite For Destruction”. The album would not become a hit until almost a year later, when MTV begins playing the video for “Sweet Child O’ Mine” in heavy rotation. It has gone on to sell over 15 million copies in the US alone.


Check out this live version of "Appetite For Destruction:

Welcome To The Jungle
It's So Easy
Nighttrain
Out Ta Get Me
Mr. Brownstone
Paradise City
My Michelle
Think About You
Sweet Child O' Mine
You're Crazy
Anything Goes
Rocket Queen


In March, Bryan Adams’ “Heat Of The Night” is the first cassette single, or cassingle, to be released in the US. [Also check out "I Fought The Law" and "Hearts On Fire" live from '87.]


Def Leppard release “Hysteria” nearly four years after their last album, “Pyromania”. Sessions for the album had been begun years earlier with producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange, who then dropped out due to exhaustion from working a number of lengthy projects. The album further delayed by drummer Rick Allen’s car accident and the severing of his left arm. By the time he had recuperated and mastered the digital kit designed to enable him to play a full kit, Lange had returned to the fold. The album stands as their best-selling release ever, spending several weeks at #1 and going on to sell over 14 million copies in the US. The album includes six hit singles “Animal” (#19), “Armageddon It (#3), “Rocket” (#12), “Hysteria” (#10), “Pour Some Sugar On Me” (#2), and “Love Bites” (#1).


Former Go-Go’s singer Belinda Carlisle releases her second solo album, “Heaven On Earth”, which features three Top 1o singles, including the #1 smash “Heaven Is a Place On Earth”, “I Get Weak” (#2) and “Circle In The Sand” (#7).


Los Lobos’ cover of the Richie Valens hit, “La Bamba”, recorded for the movie of the same name, becomes the top-selling US single of the year.


In January, Husker Du release “Warehouse: Songs And Stories”. On the eve of their ’87 tour, the band’s manager committed suicide, forcing guitarist Bob Mould to take over management duties, furthering the rift between himself and drummer Grant Hart. The band managed to finish the tour, but broke up immediately afterwards. The album’s three singles - “Could You Be The One?”, “She’s A Woman”, and “Ice Cold Ice” – all perform well at college radio, yet receive only moderate MTV airplay.



In August, Metallica capitalizes on their growing US fanbase by releasing “(The $5.98 EP) Garage Days Re-Revisited”, a collection of covers of songs by some of their favorite bands (including the Misfits, Killing Joke and Diamond Head). The EP lands at #28 on the US Top 100 Albums chart, going platinum. The album went out-of-print soonafter, becoming a highly sought-after collector’s item. [Check out this live version of "Last Caress" from '87.]

In August, Midnight Oil enjoys sizeable US-based chart success with their politically-charged album “Diesel And Dust”, which was driven by the chart success and heavy MTV rotation of the video for “Beds Are Burning” (#17).
The album would peak at #21 and be certified gold.


The soundtrack to the box-office hit movie “Dirty Dancing” spends a staggering 19 weeks at #1 and is the best-selling soundtrack album of the year. It features Top 10 hit singles by the likes of Eric Carmen (“Hungry Eyes”), Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (“I’ve Had The Time of My Life”), and even the film’s star, Patrick Swayze (“She’s Like The Wind”).


Punk singer turned smarmy lounge lizard, David Johansen makes his recorded debut as Buster Poindexter, unleashing the cruise ship staple “Hot! Hot! Hot!” upon an unsuspecting public.

The Cure release “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me”, a double-album that is alternately their most accessible and indulgent album yet, goes Top 10 in the UK and throughout most of Europe. It is notable for featuring some fan favorites as “Why Can’t I Be You?” and “Just Like Heaven”, the latter of which becomes their first US Top 40 hit.


INXS release their sixth album “Kick” and solidify their status as major worldwide hit makers, using MTV to their fullest advantage in order to propel their singles “Need You Tonight” (#1), “Devil Inside” (#2), “Never Tear Us Apart” (#7), and “New Sensation” (#3) up the charts. The album peaked at #3, going on to sell over ten million copies worldwide.


(Man, was L.A. happening in '87 or what?! I'd have gone for Wall Of Voodoo, being a huge fan of theirs once Andy Prieboy joined as singer, but the idea of seeing Jane's and Guns on the same bill as well...wow.)

Jane’s Addiction released their self-titled debut album. Having already agreed to terms with Warner Bros. Records, the band insisted on releasing their first album for local indie Triple X and to record the album live. [Check out live tracks of "Trip Away" and "Whores" from '87]


Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers release their seventh studio album, “Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough)”, which features the Top 20 single, “Jammin’ Me”. The album is notable for being their first recorded work after a monumental world tour supporting Bob Dylan. (Check out this live cut of Dylan with Petty & the Heartbreakers performing “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35”).

In October, Bruce Springsteen releases “Tunnel Of Love”, the long-awaited follow-up to Born In The USA. As somber as his prior album was bombastic, the album debuts at #1 on the charts and contains two top 10 singles, “Brilliant Disguise” (#5) and the title track (#9).