Exotic Creatures Of The Deep

It being Halloween night as I type this, I found myself listening to, of all things, the latest Sparks album Exotic Creatures Of The Deep. Sadly, it came and went with little fanfare this past May (the downside of being on an indie label, I guess) despite being quite a remarkable return to form for the brothers Mael.

While their past two efforts, Li'l Beethoven and Hello Young Lovers, drew plenty of critical raves from other sources, I found the duo's minimal approach to be lacking because, quite frankly, the songs weren't there.

On their latest effort, though, the duo dispenses with the minimalist experimentation and gets down to business with some of their best material in ages. Not only that, they sound positively inspired, which is quite remarkable considering just how long these guys have been at it. I was beginning to think they'd reinvented themselves so many times they no longer knew whether they were coming or going.

Most remarkably, Russell Mael is in great vocal form, layering track upon track of lush harmonies on top of his lead track, creating a multi-dimensional soundscape that meshes will with the mostly synth-based musical backing courtesy of brother Ron.

Highlights, which are many, include "I Can't Believe You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song" and "Lighten Up, Morrissey".

BUY IT!

The band kicked off the release of this CD with a 20-night stand in the UK, where each night was dedicated to a specific album in their sizeable back catalog in its entirety. Sadly, they chose not to do this in the US. Rumor has it they aren't sure there's enough of a US audience to warrant such an undertaking, but I would beg to disagree. In fact, I would contend that they could successfully pull this off in not only their hometown of L.A., but perhaps NYC as well.

Of course, no mention of Sparks would be complete without me letting you in on my Russell Mael story, so here goes:

I was living in Studio City, CA at the time and the local Ralphs supermarket was just up the street from my house. As a rocker, I was living on the other side of the clock, so to speak, sleeping through the day and doing most of my activities at night. I would often do my shopping at some ungodly hour and, thus, my girlfriend and I found ourselves picking up some groceries at around 2am.

As I cruised the aisles, I kept crossing paths with this older guy in a black-and-white striped shirt who looked vaguely familiar. Having encountered many celebrity types at this particular Ralphs, I just shrugged it off and continued my shopping.

It wasn't until I was standing in the checkout lane, just behind this guy and his female companion, that I overheard enough of their conversation (about some record company stuff) to come to the conclusion that he must be "in the industry".

As I took a closer look at the fellow, it suddenly registered:

Holy fuck, that's Russell Mael!

Now, I've been lucky enough to meet most of my musical heroes and I've always been very mellow in doing so. My approach has always been that we are peers (as crazy as that may sound) and that I'm merely making polite introduction.

In this case, though, I think the sudden realization of who it was standing next to me did not allow me the proper time to cool my jets and take said mellow approach.

Truth be told, I remember very little about what happened after that point.

My girlfriend contends that I literally pushed her out of the way in order to introduce myself and shake Russell's hand. I vaguely remember saying something along the lines, "Oh man, I'm a huge fan of your work..." and then....nothing.

I had said everything I had ever wanted to tell one of my favorite singers of all time and just had absolutely no ability to propel the conversation any further.

By then, Russell and his lady had finished paying for their items and they both just stood there for a moment, slightly dumbfounded. The look on Russell's face was one of "Uh, that's it?" before he turned and left the store, both of them stunned into total silence.

I, myself, stood equally silent and noticed that even the cashier had an odd look on her face by now.

In my rush to shake hands with one of my heroes, I had alienated the entire store - granted, this amounted to all of four or five people.

My girlfriend, of course, never let me hear the end of it. Each time she brought it up, the intensity with which I suddenly pushed her out of the way to shake Russell's hand seemed to grow by leaps and bounds.

Good times.

So, hey, how about a Top Ten list?

DARREN'S TOP TEN FAVORITE SPARKS SONGS (in no particular order)

Tips For Teens
The Number One Song In Heaven
With All My Might
Sextown U.S.A.
Change
Reinforcements
Eaten By The Monster Of Love
Beat The Clock
Lucky Me, Lucky You
Dance Godammit

Springsteen - A Night With The Jersey Devil

Anyone visiting Bruce Springsteen's website is being treated to a Halloween freebie in the form of a new tune (with video) called "A Night With The New Jersey Devil".

Says Bruce:

Dear Friends and Fans,

If you grew up in central or south Jersey, you grew up with the "Jersey Devil." Here's a little musical Halloween treat. Have fun!

Bruce Springsteen

It's a totally cool blues stomp from the Bruce-man that has me excited he'll do a whole album of this kind of material!

Click here to check out the video.

My Problem With Clint Eastwood

There are certain personalities in Hollywood who get a free pass. They're untouchable, above criticism, and widely hailed as true Hollywood icons. Paul Newman was one (rightly so), Robert Redford is another, and, without question, so is Clint Eastwood.

Of course, the reason nobody really gives Eastwood a hard time is because of the general consensus that he, like his best-known character Dirty Harry, will bust a cap in yo' ass.

I admit that I love Clint Eastwood and if I happen upon one of his films at some ungodly, sleepless hour, a smile washes over my face as I adjust the blankets for maximum comfiness and settle in for some prime movie-time!

It can be "Every Which Way But Loose", or "Any Which Way You Can", for that matter. Both offer plenty of orangutan-driven hijinks. Heck, if I had a dollar for every time I've watched "For A Few Dollars More", I'd be a rich man.

Yet, it is Clint Eastwood, DIRECTOR, with whom I have a severe problem.

See, his choice of material is as a director is horrible.

"Billion Dollar Baby", for example, got loads of hype in cinematic circles and became quite a box-office hit while, at the same time, created quite the Oscar buzz. Not being a huge boxing fan, I was slow to get around to watching the film, but eventually succumbed to the widespread critical acclaim it received.

What I saw was not the story of a female boxer, but a female boxer whose life was quickly reduced to that of a vegetable. The movie's message seemed to be "chase your dreams", with the caveat of "even if it means eating out of a tube for the rest of your life". Needless to say, by the time the credits rolled, I felt as if my heart had been steamrolled back and forth. I also felt a bit cheated, as the movie wasn't so much the story of a female boxer's rise to the top, but that of a woman whose life is just ruined and for which death cannot come fast enough.

The movie went from being a fast-paced drama, firing on all cylinders, to a slow, meandering exercise in making the audience suffer almost as much as Hillary Swank's character. Where was the joy? Where was the pay-off? And, truth be told, what on earth was the point?

Thus, upon seeing Clint Eastwood's name attached to the new movie, The Changeling, I was initially filled with excitement. Then I did a little research and discovered that the true story upon which this film is based is, well, depressing as heck. Also, unless some sort of artistic license is taken, there won't be a happy ending because there was none in the real life story. In fact, there was no ending at all. Well, not one anyone that has been documented.

And, thus, we've got another Clint Eastwood film that is really nothing more than an opportunity to suck the life out of the souls of an entire theatre full of moviegoers. Not exactly my idea of fun after dropping $10 at the box office, and another $8 for a bag of popcorn and a jug of Mr. Pibb.

Clint Eastwood, DIRECTOR, you are a total Captain Bring-Down. Would it kill you to direct a movie that leads its audience somewhere other than into the murky abyss of "how the fuck do we end this thing happily?"

Come on, man.

Seriously.

New Mitch? Who Knew?

"Somebody's got a hat that they're not wearing. Either that or that table is fuckin' hip."

"That would be cool if you lived with a monster. You'd never get hiccups."

Did you know that a new Mitch Hedberg CD came out last month? Me neither. I received a promotional copy of said CD today (um, don't they generally mail these things out in advance of a CD's release?) and felt my heart go all happy on me.

See, like many of you, Mitch was my absolute favorite comedian. I was fortunate enough to catch one of his club dates (2001, Rancho Cucamonga Improv) and it was one of the few times in my adult life where I just laughed like a baby having the bottom of their feet tickled. It was the joyous kind of laughter that comes easy, when you implicitly trust the person doing the tickling, so to speak. On this particular night, Mitch wasn't so much doing his routine as he was just "being Mitch" and that was what was so funny. Seriously, who else can make you laugh just as hard when a joke bombs as when one hits the mark? That was Mitch.

The great thing about his humor was that it was so accessible. Stoners got it, sure, but so did my friend and his wife - both church-going types - even as I dreaded every f-bomb that was being dropped would turn them off to the Mitch-man.

One of the saddest days of my life was hearing that he had died. I'd known he was into the heroin and had heard that he was starting to blow shows, but did not expect this news. Of course, I also remember my boss at eHarmony walking around the office with actual glee hoping to find someone she considered cool enough to be into Mitch Hedberg so she could tell them that he had died. Hearing her mentioning the news to one person after another, each one admitting they'd never heard of Mitch, confirmed to me that she was such a fucking poseur and an attrocious person at that to be excited by the prospect of breaking such news to someone who might have liked the guy. She in her hipster-approved Decemberists t-shirt and shit.

Of course, sometimes my bitterness is (perhaps more acvcurately) directly at Mitch, who one day decided to dabble in a drug that is basically nothing more than just a life-stealer, and signed his own death certificate, stopping short the brilliance of his comedic mind.

I can't help think that if he'd lived, he would have continued to cook up some of the most out-there comedy around. More than likely, he'd have run out of gas, though, and turned into Steven Wright (who is completely incapable of making me laugh these days), but even that would be preferable to not having him around at all.

Even as I listen to this new CD, laugh, and wipe tears of joy from my cheeks, a tear of sadness finds its way down as well. For a moment, though, it feels like Mitch is still here.

Restaurants
Canal Smarts

BUY IT!

Five Days And Counting - Save He's A Whore

Since a lot of you have written asking what's going on, I'll tell you, I guess. Six months ago, I rescued a little puppy. Last week, I found out he has lymphoma and will need treatment immediately. I've been told it was caught early enough that his chances for survival are high, but time is of the essence and, well, the timing could not be worse. I am scouring the want ads hoping to take on a second job, but it has been a pretty disheartening search thus far. All of this has left me in a position where I just feel kind of silly; a grown man unable to afford the proper care for a pup he has come to love and cherish. It puts such things as music blogs in perspective and I just can't help but wonder if I'm not just a little bit crazy for putting so much time into such a frivolous venture.

The man hours and expenses invested in the music and writing I've made available here are many, to say the least and, thus, I am on my hands and knees before you all asking for assistance. If you've ever found this blog a pleasant escape from the humdrum of the work day, or found a track or two that you really enjoyed, I'm hoping you'll drop a buck or two in the donation jar, so to speak. Maybe I can keep this thing going. Without it, I am quite certain I cannot and that's a tough thing to wrap my head around.

I'm still touched beyond belief, of course, but yesterday's donations were quite a bit less than the previous couple of days and, thus, I find myself a little depressed. At this rate, He's A Whore won't make the goal of $1,000 to be able to continue "bringing you the rock" and I'll be forced to put this labor of love to rest.

Story of my life, I suppose.

Wow, does anybody else have the chorus of "Send Me An Angel" playing in their head, or is it just me?

I'm hopeful, though...and will continue blogging in hopes that we make the goal and I am able to take care of the personal affairs that have quite forcefully become my first priority.

LISTENING BOOTH:
Snow Patrol - If There's A Rocket Tie Me To it (live)
Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait (live)
Material Issue - Diane (live '94)
Missing Persons - Surrender Your Heart
Birthday Massacre - Looking Glass
Billy Joel - She's Got A Way (live)
Cold War Kids - Tell Me In The Morning (live)
Social Distortion - When The Angels Sing (live)
TSOL - Colors

Buy Snow Patrol CD Today $3.99

Amazon is selling Snow Patrol's new album A Hundred Million Suns in MP3 format for $3.99 today only!

BUY NOW

Take Back The City (LIVE)

A Brief History Of... Kaiser Chiefs

One of the better UK bands to come charging onto the scene in the past few years is Kaiser Chiefs, who announced their presence quite dramatically with the hit single "I Predict A Riot", which I remember getting heavy rotation on local heavyweight KROQ before the band had even secured a US record deal.

Thus, they were labeled an "overnight success" (and dismissed) by many, but, truth be told, the tag was quite unfair, as the band had been around for years, albeit under a different name. As Parva, they'd actually released an album called "22" on the Mantra/Beggars Banquet label. The label, however, was folded by the parent company soon after the album's release, leaving the album D.O.A. and the band suddenly without a home.

Knowing that they were marked as a failed signing as Parva, the band changed their name to kaiser Chiefs (named after a South African football club) and headed in a more upbeat, pop-oriented direction.

Since then, they've been virtually unstoppable, releasing album after album of infection, high-energy anthems with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Today, in fact, marks the release of their third studio album, Off With Their Heads.

To commemorate the album's release, I've put together a selection of live tracks, covers, and some hard-to-find Parva cuts.

Enjoy!

Spanish Metal (from the new album)
Everyday I Love You Less And Less (live)
Ruby (live)
Everything Is Average Nowadays (live)
Highroyds (live)
I Predict A Riot (live)
Never Miss A Beat (live)
I Can Do It Without You (live)
Oh My God (live)
The Angry Mob (live)
Time To Pretend (live MGMT cover)
Flowers In The Rain (The Move cover)
I Heard It Through The Grapevine (Marvin Gaye cover)
Parva - Couldn't Contain
Parva - Good Bad Right Wrong
Parva - Heavy (demo)
Parva - Hessles
Parva - Put Me On The Cover Of Your Magazine
Parva - TV
Parva - Vending Machine

Are you enjoying these tracks? If so, consider donating a buck or two to save He'S A Whore. My goal is to reach $1000 by November 4, or I will be forced to take one of the coolest rock blogs in the world off-line. I don't want to, but circumstances will leave me with no other choice. To Donate, click the button at the top of the right sidebar. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The Year In Music: 1980

The year in music 1980 was one of immense change. Most notably, disco was finally losing its stranglehold on the charts after a three-year run. Punk was morphing into post-punk (in the form of Johnny Lydon's post Sex Pistols outfit PiL) and new wave and beginning to make its presence known in the press and on the charts. The promotional video, while nothing knew, was taking its first steps toward becoming an integral part of the promotional process.

JANUARY


Paul McCartney is arrested in Tokyo with a half pound of marijuana. He spends ten days in jail before being released and deported from the country.

Concert promoters are forced to re-think festival seating for large venue conerts after the December 1979 tragedy that saw eleven concert-goers die in a stampede for seats at a Cincinnati concert by The Who.


The Pretenders, a British band led by American Chrissie Hynde, release their self-titled debut effort in the US. On the success of first single "Brass In Pocket" (#14) and glowing critical acclaim, the album breaks the Top 10.

The debut album by Christopher Cross jettisons out of nowhere to dominate radio airwaves and the singles charts for much of the year. While the album would reach a peak position of #6, singles "Ride Like The Wind" and "Sailing" would hit #2 and #1, respectively.

Hitting upon a winning pop formula that comes at the expense of their high-energy R&B sound, J. Geils Band releases Love Stinks and score their first Top 20 album since 1973's Bloodshot. The album, which peaks at #15, is best-known for its title cut, which was a huge radio hit, although only reaching #38 on the Pop Singles chart.


Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers release the single "Refugee". It climbs to #15 on the charts, becoming their first Top 20 hit single. The album on which it appears, Damn The Torpedoes, climbs to #2 and is certified double platinum.

Trivia question #1: What was the title of the non-lp B-side to "Refugee"?
(answer at end of post)

FEBRUARY

AC/DC singer Bon Scott is found dead in London. The band, in the UK to record the follow-up to Highway To Hell, consider calling it quits.

Blondie release "Call Me", the lead-off single from the soundtrack to the Richard Gere film "American Gigolo". The song would spend six weeks at #1, becoming the best-selling single of 1980.

Trivia question #2: Who wrote "Call Me"?


MARCH

Billy Joel releases his seventh studio album, Glass Houses. Tiring of the soft-rock tag the press has bestowed upon him, Joel heads in a more obvious rock direction. The resulting album garners rock and Top 40 radio airplay and rockets to #1, as does the single "It's Still Rock & Roll To Me". Subsequent singles "You May Be Right" (#7) and "Don't Ask Me Why" both go Top 20. To date, the album has sold over 7 million copies in the US.

Journey release their sixth studio album - and third with lead vocalist Steve Perry, Departure. While the album's highest charting single, "Any Way You Want It" would only reach #23 (and subsequent singles "Good Morning Girl" and "Walks Like A Lady" would fail to make the Top 40), it would become the first Journey longplayer to break into the Top 10.


Saturday Night Live's Gilda Radner marries Hall & Oates guitarist G.E. Smith on March 25.


Linda Ronstadt, sensing the turning of the tide, also updates her sound considerably, releasing the new wave-inspired Mad Love. The album is most notable for including not one, but three Elvis Costello songs; "Party Girl", "Girls Talk", and "Talking In The Dark". None of them are released as singles, however, as Elektra favors "Hurt So Bad" (#8) and the Billy Steinberg-penned "How Do I Make You" (#10). The album peaks at #3 in the US and goes platinum.


Van Halen release their third album, Women And Children First. Like the album before it, Van Halen II, it peaks at #6 and is quickly certified platinum. Not bad for an album recorded in less than three weeks. That same month, they begin a nine-month world tour, ultilizing a completely new stage show. According to singer David Lee Roth, "no lasers or gimmicks, but 250 more lights than Queen used." [Listen to a demo of "Everybody Wants Some".]

This month, ZZ Top are the first rock band to perform at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum since the Who's tragic appearance last December.

The Beach Boys release their 21st album, and first of the '80s, Keepin' The Summer Alive. With only partial involvment from Brian Wilson and Dennis Wilson bailing on the sessions very early on, Bruce Johnston is left to produce the album, which is a mix of unreleased archive material, new compositions, and a Chuck Berry cover ("School Days"). The album failed to crack the US Top 40.

APRIL

Adam + The Ants release their debut album, Kings Of The Wild Frontier, creating pandemonium in the UK, where the album hit #1 and spends over a year on the charts. Singles "Dog Eat Dog", "Antmusic" and the title track all go Top 5 in the UK. Meanwhile, the album peaks at #44 in the US. [Hear a live version of "Physical".]


Who guitarist Pete Townshend releases his first proper solo album, Empty Glass. which is propelled into the Top 5 on the US Albums chart by the success of the single "Let My Love Open The Door", which was a Top 10 hit in its own right. The album is produced by Chris Thomas (who'd produced the Sex Pistols' Never Mind The Bullocks, among others) and features musical backing by Mark Brzezicki and Tony Butler (better known as the rhythm section from Big Country), as well as current and future Who drummers Kenny Jones and Simon Phillips.

Asylum Records founder David Geffen announces the formation of a new record label, geared towards the Eighties, that will fall under the Warner Bros. Records umbrella. The then-unnamed label is later called, simply enough, Geffen Records.


Paul McCartney releases the single "Coming Up", from the McCartney II album. Radio stations bypass the A-side, choosing instead to play the live version of the song (recorded in Glasgow, Scotland) which appears as one of two tracks on the B-side. Regardless of which version received the most airplay, the single spends three weeks at #1.

Trivia question #3: What was the title of the other song that appears on the B-side of this single?

MAY

Epic Records unveils their new line of Nu-Disk EP's with titles by new bands the Continentals, New Musik, and Propaganda as well as a half-live/half-studio EP from Cheap Trick entitled Found All The Parts.


KISS release their new album, Unmasked, and continue to play up the prospect of being shown sans make-up. By now, of course, the band's domination of the rock scene is on a slight downward grade as their audience matures and moves onto other acts. Thus, it is with general disinterest that this album is received by the public at-large, managing a peak position of #34. The album's first single, "Shandi" stalls at #56. It would be the last album prior to drummer Peter Criss's departure from the band and, while credited on the album, he did not play on it.

Trivia question #4: Who did play drums on Unmasked?

JUNE


After being rejected by every US record label, Loverboy's self-titled debut album is released by Columbia Records in Canada. It goes on to sell 700,000 copies up yonder, leading the US branch of Columbia to re-think their initial rejection of the album. It gets a US release in November and eventually breaks into the Top 20, going on to sell over 2 million copies in the US and spawn two hit singles, "Turn Me Loose" and "The Kid is Hot Tonite".


Sniff 'N' The Tears encounter resistence from the US wing of Atlantic Records, which forces the band to change the artwork to their new album, The Game's Up, removing a provocative shot (taken by the band's own Paul Roberts) of a semi-nude woman presumably being accosted in her apartment.

The Rolling Stones release Emotional Rescue, which goes to #1 in both the US and UK. The album is highlighted by two singles, the title cut (#3) and "She's So Cold" (#26). The album had been recorded in '79 immediately following the dropping of drug charges against Keith Richards in Toronto. While dozens of new songs were reportedly recorded during this period, only ten would see release on this album. Others would later appear on Tattoo You in 1981.

Jackson Browne releases his sixth album, Hold Out, which goes to #1 on the strength of singles "Boulevard" (#19) and "That Girl Could Sing" (#22). It is his first and only #1 album.

JULY

Less than six months after the death of singer Bon Scott, AC/DC return with a new singer, Brian Johnson, and a new album, Back In Black. Anyone concerned that Scott's death would derail the band's forward momentum need not worry as the album peaks at #4 on the US charts (selling over 20 million copies to date in the US alone) while the single "You Shook Me All Night Long" breaks the Top 40. [Check out this live version of "Back In Black".]

AUGUST

Queen release "Another One Bites The Dust" as a single and score their first US #1 hit. Not surprisingly, the song reaches #2 on the US R&B charts as well.


The Cars release their third album, Panorama. With a much darker tone than their previous efforts, the album quickly debuts in the Top 10, reaching a peak position of #5 - then falls quickly. It's lone Top 20 single is "Touch And Go", which reached #37 on the singles chart. The album's poor critical reception leaves the band a little testy. Says Elliot Easton, "If anything sits a little funny about success, it's the feeling that we're doing something creative and expressive, but the people we'd like to see it get through to dismiss it as plastic crap. Yet middle America acclaims us." Greg Hawkes continues: "I hardly saw a bad review of the first album, but the second one was a totally different story. And now, with Panorama, we've had reviews saying stuff like 'What happened to these guys?'. It's as if we made one good record and then blew it." [Check out this live performance of "Shoo Be Doo/Gimme Some Slack".]

After recruiting Buggles members Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes to replace Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman, Yes release Drama, an album that sees their sound undergo a bit of an overhaul, incorporating harder rock and new wave influences that are no doubt due to the input of the two new members. Unlike past efforts, the album fails to hit the Top 10 in the US, but does peak at #2 in the UK. Horn and Downes would leave the band immediately following the completion of the band's world tour, with Jorn going on to become a much in-demend producer and Geoff Downes to form prog supergroup Asia.


Pat Benatar follows up the platinum success of her debut effort with the even-more-successful Crimes Of Passion, which climbs to a peak position of #2 and spawns her signature hit single, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", which became her first Top 10 smash. "Treat Me Right" would later crack the Top 20.

SEPTEMBER

On September 25, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham is found dead in his bed after a reported night of heavy drinking.

OCTOBER

The Police release their third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, and complete their transformation from up-and-coming UK rock act to worldwide hitmakers. The album rises to a peak position of #5 in the US on the strength of singles "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da" and "Don't Stand So Close To Me", which both peak at #10 on the Pop Singles chart.

NOVEMBER

Recorded during the hugely successful tour for The Long Run, Eagles release Eagles Live. By then, of course, the group has called it a day. The album is mixed - seperately, of course - by Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who reportedly can't stand being in the same studio together.


After a run of seven consecutive Top 10 albums, Barry Manilow's Barry peaks at a lowly #15, setting in motion a gradual career decline on the US charts. It also features his last Top 10 single, "I Made It Through The Rain".

DECEMBER

On December 8, Fleetwood Mac releases Fleetwood Mac Live, which was recorded during their monumental 18-month Tusk world tour. [Listen to this live cut of "Don't Stop".]


Tragically, that same day, John Lennon is murdered in New York City.

TRIVIA ANSWERS:

1. "It's Rainin' Again"
2. Giorgio Moroder and Debby Harry
3. "Lunchbox/Odd Sox"
4. Anton Fig, best known as the drummer in Paul Schaffer's Late Night band.

Did you enjoy this little trip down memory lane?
If so, consider donating a buck or two to save He'S A Whore.
My goal is to reach $1000 by November 4, or I will be forced to take one of the coolest rock blogs in the world off-line. I don't want to, of course, but circumstances will leave me with no other choice. To Donate, click the button at the top of the right sidebar. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Ramones Live 10.13.79

As a lifelong Ramones fan, I finally got to see the band live in '86 and, while it was a great show, it wasn't the same as seeing the band's best line-up - Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Marky - when they were still firing on all cylinders.

That, of course, would be right around 1979, when the band made their hardest bid for the bigtime. By then, new drummer Marky Bell had been with them for over a year and helped take them to the next level as a live act, they'd recorded and released their most pop-oriented album to date (Road To Ruin), and appeared in the film Rock & Roll High School.

Thus, their '79 tour saw the New York punk act emerge as a viable contender for mainstream success. That they ultimately fell short of full-blown mainstream acceptance would quickle lead to intensified friction within the band as Joey's desire to continue to head in a more pop-oriented direction constantly clashed with Johnny's pure punk ethos.

Toward the end of Marky's first tenure with the band, they taken to performing most songs in a style that can best be described as "Vegas fast" - imagine Elvis or Sinatra at their most Vegas, seemingly performing each song as if it were a wind sprint and, in doing so, steamrolling over most of the songs' key nuances.

This concert, though, from a '79 Evanston, IL concert, shows the Ramones in all their primer-era glory.

Enjoy!

Intro
Blitzkrieg Bop
Teenage Lobotomy
Rockaway Beach
I Don't Want You
Go Mental
Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
Rock & Roll High School
I Wanna Be Sedated
I Just Wanna Have Something To Do
She's The One
I'm Against It
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
Havana Affair
Commando
Needles And Pins

Are you enjoying these tracks?
If so, consider donating a buck or two to save He'S A Whore.
My goal is to reach $1000 by November 4, or I will be forced to take one of the coolest rock blogs in the world off-line. I don't want to, of course, but circumstances will leave me with no other choice. To Donate, click the button at the top of the right sidebar. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Check back on Wednesday for Part 2 of this show!

AC/DC Month Part 5: Fall From The Top

Flick Of The Switch (August 1983)
Feeling that For Those About To Rock had lacked energy, the band fired Mutt Lange and chose to produce this album themselves, figuring if they used the same recording engineer (Tony Platt), they could make an album as good as Highway To Hell or Back In Black.

Whether or not they succeeded is certainly up to the listener, but if the chart showing of this album is any indication, they fell short. Truth be told, this album had a polarizing effect on the band's audience: mainstream fans fell by the wayside while the band's diehard metal audience ate up the new tunes. Even so, the album was generally considered a slight misstep.

Those who've taken the time to investigate Flick Of The Switch after-the-fact have come to regard it as an album deserving of a better reception than it initially received. My own opinion is that a lot of the songs are underdeveloped. You can actually hear in your mind what Lange would have done differently to make the choruses more pronounced or the arrangements more concise. "This House Is On Fire" is a perfect example of a potentially great song that begins with a lethargic intro and doesn't truly catch fire until the chorus, and even then you can't help but imagine how great the song woulda sounded with heavier use of the band's chanted backing vocals to kick it up a notch.

Behind the scenes, of course, tensions within the band would lead to drummer Phil Rudd's exit.


'74 Jailbreak (October 1984)
In an odd move, the band issued the EP '74 Jailbreak, comprised on five tracks that had, up until then, been unavailable on any US editions of the band's albums, originally appearing on Australian versions of High Voltage (except for the title cut, which appeared on the Australian version of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap).

Despite releasing a single and promotional video for the title track, the EP peaked at a paltry #92 on the US charts, signalling a very definite fall from chart grace for the band.


Fly On The Wall (June 1985)
Upon release of this, their tenth studio album (ninth in the US), a furious touring schedule had succeeded in sapping the group's creativity and seriously, ahem, shaking their foundation.

While peaking at a respectable #32 on the US album charts, sales of the album quickly levelled off, with the general concensus being that the album was a serious dud and that the band had been reduced to a one-dimensional caricature of themselves.

Seriously, listening to songs such as "Playing With Girls" and "Hell Or High Water" reveals just how far the band had fallen, reduced to trying to keep up with the rest of the hard rock pack rathar than leading it. Both songs plod laboriously and never quite take flight, despite some valiant guitar work from Malcolm and Angus on the former cut.

Are you enjoying these tracks?
If so, consider donating a buck or two to save He'S A Whore.
My goal is to reach $1000 by November 4, or I will be forced to take one of the coolest rock blogs in the world off-line. I don't want to, of course, but circumstances will leave me with no other choice. To Donate, click the button at the top of the right sidebar. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

NFL WEEK 8 SUNDAY RESULTS

Well, not a bad week at all. I'm 9-4 on my picks going into the Monday night game. Also, I'm making Monday's EASY MONEY SURE BET pick free to all. I'm a giver, what can I say?

Now, for those who want to maximize the results of my picks, the key is not to bet heavy on just a game or two, but to spread the amount you plan on betting over the entirety of games. The absolute best way to go, though, is to pay the $10 and get my four key picks for the week and bet on those games.

AC/DC Month Part 4: A New Hope

Back In Black (July 1979)
Materializing a mere five months after the untimely death of singer Bon Scott, Back In Black defied all odds by building upon the band's success and solidifying their status as headliners the world over. Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who had made his first appearance behind the board for Highway To Hell, the album would rocket into the US Top 5 on the strength of their first Top 40 singles, "You Shook Me All Night Long" (#35) and the title cut (#37).

For a band bouncing back from unspeakable tragedy, the album is incredibly consistent and, not surprisingly, self-assured. In addition to the band firing on all cylinders musically, Brian Johnson covers much of the same vocal terrain as his predecessor, but still manages to inject enough of his own personality.


As someone given the task of filling some incredibly big shoes, he wastes no time doing so. His confidence, in fact, shines through on the album closing "Rock & Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" - one of the album's many highlights.

The band toured relentlessly for the next year while their Stateside success would lead Atlantic to re-issue Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap in the US, where it would rise to #3 on the charts (one notch higher than Back In Black's peak position)


For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) (November 1981)
While considered one of the band's best albums, it was evident the band had cut it from much the same cloth as Back In Black. The band had hit upon a winning formula and was determined to stick to the same game plan in order to maintain their domination of the hard rock scene and the pop charts simultaneously.

Strangely enough, a four-star review of the album in Rolling Stone began with critic Kurt Loder saying "AC/DC must be slipping - their smarts are starting to show." Actually, perception is a funny thing. In the three years since the magazine had panned Let There Be Rock, both fans and critics were now in on the joke and the band was uniformly respected on both fronts. Thus, it was no surprise when the album debuted at #1 on the US charts.

Song for song, this album is just as consistently strong as Back In Black. In addition, it has aged considerably well, boasting such standout tracks as "Evil Walks", "Night Of The Long Knives", "Let's Get It Up", and the riveting title cut.

Are you enjoying these tracks?
If so, consider donating a buck or two to save He'S A Whore.
My goal is to reach $1000 by November 4, or I will be forced to take one of the coolest rock blogs in the world off-line. I don't want to, of course, but circumstances will leave me with no other choice. To Donate, click the button at the top of the right sidebar. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

NFL Week 8: Over/Under Picks

Since I've been having a whole lot of fun betting Over/Under this season, I figured it was time I passed my science onto you. Below are my Over/Under Picks for Week 8.

Now, while my accuracy is generally impeccable, there are four games each week that I highlight as my EASY MONEY SURE BET picks that are, to coin a phrase, "money". To receive my picks for Week 8, click the Paypal BUY NOW button located at the top of the right-hand sidebar (deadline midnight Saturday Oct 25,2008 PST).

WEEK 8 SURE BETS:

SAN DIEGO VS NEW ORLEANS
CINCINNATI VS HOUSTON
SEATTLE VS SAN FRANCISCO
INDY VS TENNESSEE

Album Review: Snow Patrol "A Hundred Million Sons"

Snow Patrol / A Hundred Million Suns
Order Today!

A song-by-song review of the new Snow Patrol CD A Hundred Million Suns, which set set for release on October 28:

If There's A Rocket Tie Me To It - Sets the tone for the album with an elegiac vibe and some striking similarities to U2's "Beautiful Day" - not a bad thing, mind you.

Crack The Shutters - Sounds like it could have been on Final Straw, except for the rather upbeat lyrics: "Crash the shutters open wide/I want to bathe you in the light of day", etc. Looks like Gary's finally gotten over whoever the last two albums were about.

Take Back The City - The first single, which I featured on the site a couple weeks ago. It's got an immediacy that makes for a great choice of lead-off single and encapsulates the "Snow Patrol sound" quite succinctly.

Lifeboats - A lone acoustic guitar begins strumming, augmented by a lo-fi drum beat and Gary's treated vocals. Nice textures are worked in and out; atmospheric synths just barely audible, a funky bass line, sweeping faux-strings, building to a chorus that arrives around the time most songs are ending.

This track, more than any other on the record, begs for a stark Gary vocal rather than the trademark octave harmonies that Snow Patrol use much to much. Truth be told, this technique has been their secret weapon on the last couple records, filling out the sound of the vocals without being immediately recognizable to the average listener, but it verges on overkill when applied in this setting.

The Golden Floor - Another mellow track driven by a click-clack drum machine beat and minimal musical backing - a nice acoustic guitar riff repeats and the song ends just as I was hoping for it to finally take off. On first listen, it honestly felt like the song was only a minute long, but it clocks in at 3:22. Weird. For a song that never quite takes flight, it sure seems to fly by quickly.

I bet the next tune's a rocker!

Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands - From the title, I'm expecting the Gary we've all come to know and love: endlessly heartbroken, looking inwardly and back at the same time. And, blammo, it builds to a crashing chorus that you just know's hoing to sound great live. The guitar work recalls The Edge and one can't help think the band is really trying to beat Coldplay at the "let's try sounding like U2" game. Again, not a bad thing.

Set Down Your Glass - A soft tune that the girls are gonna go absolutely nuts for. I bet it gets released as a single at some point. It's no "Chasing Cars", but it's better than just about anything else one hears on the radio these days.

The Planets Bend Between Us - another mid-tempo tune that begins with a beautifully simple piano part over which Gary's single (no harmonies, yay!) vocal track ebbs and flows plaintively. Why do I imagine teenage couple slow-dancing to this at next year's prom?

Eight tracks in and we're tied at four rockers and four soft tunes.

Engines - Hmm, make that five slow tunes.

Disaster Button - Chugging single guitar, an f-bomb, things are looking promising for some balls-out rock action. Sure enough, it quickly kicks into gear, evening out the rocker-to-slow-tune ratio. Oddly enough, the chorus bears some pretty obvious melodic similarities to "Take Back The City".

The Lightning Strike - Okay, when I saw the running time listed as 16:18, I figured there just must be twelve minutes of dead air at the end of the song and then, oh I dunno, the sound of somebody closing a door or something (remember the '90s, when every band had a hidden track on their CD?). As it turns out, the song is actually over sixteen minutes long. It isn't so much a single song, though, as two or three song fragments that never quite go anywhere. At sixteen minutes, it's a bit of a frustrating listen, but an interesting endeavor, nonetheless.

Adam Ant: Physical Five Pack

Who knew the cash my parents gave me for my 13th birthday would change my life so drastically?

There I was at the local Musicland with a brand new twenty burning a hole in my pocket, able to spend it on anything my heart desired. I gazed around the store, overcome by the expanse of albums staring out at me from the bins, all begging to be mine. And that's when I first laid my eyes on Adam & The Ants' Kings Of The Wild Frontier.

I knew within seconds of seeing Adam decked out in native American war paint that we'd be leaving the store together. Truth be told, I also picked up the first two Police albums, but it was Kings that spent the most time on my turntable and helped my musical journey depart from the hard rock and Top 40 that I'd been listening to up until then.

While there were many great songs to choose from on the platter, one in particular quickly became a favorite of mine: "Physical (You're So)".

The great thing about Adam is that "Physical" is one of the first songs he wrote after forming the original line-up (you know, the one that Malcolm McLaren swiped from him and rechristened as Bow Wow Wow with the addition of singer Annabella Lwin). They recorded a version during the Dirk Wears White Sox sessions, as well as performing it live since '78 (thus the appearance of three live versions below).

I thought it would be interesting to compile a handful of different recordings of the song, showing how the song went from being a rather crude punk workout to the seminal version that appeared on the US edition of Kings Of The Wild Frontier.

And, yeah, it would later be covered by Nine Inch Nails, too, but I digress.

So, let's, ahem, get "Physical"!

Physical - Live at The Roundhouse 1978
Physical - Live 1978
Physical - Peel Session
Physical - Dirk Sessions
Physical (You're So) - Kings of The Wild Frontier version

Wall Of Voodoo: The Prieboy Years, Part 1 "Seven Days In Sammystown" (1985)

Very few bands go their entire existence without at least one change in personnel. Then, of course, there are bands like Yes who seemingly undergo at least one mandatory personnel change per month: "Wakeman, you've got two cups of yogurt three days past the expiration date in the mini-fridge and you forgot to put the toilet seat down for Jon. You're out of the band." With very few exceptions, bass players, guitarists and drummers can be easily replaced. Firing the guy who played drums on your band's big radio hit won't necessarily kill you. If you lose the singer, though, generally speaking, you can kiss your sweet career adios.

Enter Wall Of Voodoo, who enjoyed huge radio and MTV success with their hit "Mexican Radio" in 1983. The song's success led to a high-profile performance at the now-legendary US Festival, for which they were reportedly paid a then-unheard-of six figures, followed by the hasty exit of lead singer Stanard Ridgway. As the face and voice of Wall of Voodoo, his exit threw the band for a loop. Proving the rumors of their demise to be greatly exaggerated, the band returned in 1985 with a new album and, most notably, a new lead singer by the name of Andy Prieboy.

The band recorded three albums with Prieboy before disbanding in the late '80s. All are ridiculously out-of-print and copies of each CD fetch upwards of $50 on eBay and Amazon. In writing this article, I am hopeful of not only shedding some much-deserved light upon the band's post-Ridgway years but providing fans and listeners an opportunity the option of paying upwards of $50 on eBay or Amazon, or simply clicking on the links below.


Wall Of Voodoo - Seven Days In Sammystown
Pros: Prieboy's writing contributions "Blackboard Sky" and "Far Side Of Crazy" are standouts.
Cons: Even by '85 standards, Lightning Seed Ian Broudie's production is a bit chintzy.

Two years after the success of "Mexican Radio" and the hasty departure of original singer Stan Ridgway, Wall Of Voodoo returned with a line-up featuring the return of founding bassist/keyboardist Bruce Moreland and the debut of new singer Andy Prieboy (formerly of San Francisco's Eye Protection).

My introduction to the band came via their support of Adam Ant during his "Viva Le Rock" tour. I'd misheard weeks earlier that Flesh For Lulu were opening and was a little disappointed to realize that it was actually Wall Of Voodoo who were to perform. I'd enjoyed "Mexican Radio", of course, but found the rest of the band's music to be a little too brittle and intentionally obtuse for my taste.

The band that took the stage that night was not the same Wall Of Voodoo that had graced MTV and immortalized the words "barbequed iguana". For one thing, there was no Stan Ridgway. His well-publicized departure the year before made tonight's appearance by WOV all the more intriguing. Still, for the most part, I was prepared to be underwhelmed for the next 45 minutes.

From opening song "Big City" to the riveting "Blackboard Sky", Prieboy ruled the stage with a showman's flair while the rest of the band attacked their instruments - sometimes literally.

The venue - Chicago's esteemed Aragon Ballroom - also worked heavily in the band's favor; the stage and surrounding Tex-Mex decor evoking shades of The Alamo as guitarist Marc Moreland's tasteful spaghetti-western guitar work provided the soundtrack for Prieboy's twisted character studies.

Subject matter aside, "Far Side Of Crazy", sung from the POV of a Chapman/Hinkley sociopath, hit me and it felt like a kiss. This was a Wall Of Voodoo I could sink my teeth into.

Mere days later, I acquired the brand-spanking new "Seven Days In Sammystown" and, while it didn't quite capture the energy and atmosphere of the band's mesmerizing live performance (no mere studio recording could), it remains one of my favorite records.

Far Side of Crazy
This Business Of Love
Faded Love
Mona
Room With A View
Blackboard Sky
Big City
Dark As A Dungeon
Museums
Tragic Vaudeville
(Don't Spill My) Courage

Mystery Artist Revealed!

Friday's Mystery Artist/Mystery Song was Planet P Project "Saw A Satellite".

The track is taken from the Levittownalbum (2008).

Album Review: AC/DC Black Ice

It is with great excitement that I announce the return of AC/DC. I think we're all in agreement that they're a good band to have around. Sure, Brian Johnson sounds like a man in serious pain as he struggles to maintain his trademark growl and Angus Young is starting to look a little sad in that school boy outfit, but anything new they can give the world will be welcomed with open arms by millions of rockers who just look at the current landscape of rock acts and shake their head. And, of course, Wal-Mart, still sucks, but sometimes you just need a shitload of hangers and don't wanna pay a whole lot for them.

Not long after the announcement of the October 21 release of Black Ice, the band leaked the lead-off single, Rock & Roll Train, and there was a collective fist-pump among fans of the band. "AC/DC is back!" was the popular sentiment.

Sure, it had been eight years since the so-so Stiff Upper Lip (I say "so-so" because I'm comparing it to Back In Black and For Those About To Rock - two extremely tough acts to follow, so to speak) and a lot had changed in the music industry since then. Truth be told, the industry's downward spiral had really only begun when that album hit the streets. Since then, labels have merged, folded, re-merged, re-folded, rinsed, lathered, and repeated until we're left with four clumsy, slow-moving, publicly-traded conglomerates putting out rock albums, but knowing fuck-all about actually selling them.

Thus, the band and their current label, Sony/Epic, formed an unholy union with Wal-Mart for the release of Black Ice. While I certainly have my opinion about that, of course, let's focus on the band and the music.

The question on everyone's lips is, "Well, is the album any good?" and I am delighted to tell you that, um, it's not bad. It's not great, but the band does succeed in reclaiming much of their trademark, no-frills rock & roll stomp that has made such albums as Highway To Hell and Let There Be Rock essential classics.

Being a singer myself and having tried to sing like Brian Johnson (I'd been hired to do so for a commercial jingle some years back), I can only imagine how he has managed to pull it off all these years. Especially since it is quite obvious his range has shrunk considerably in the twenty-eight years since the release of Back In Black.

Having said this, his desire to retain that vocal style often surpasses his ability and the result is way too thin, way too raspy, and not at all pleasing to the ear (check out "Skies On Fire", for example). Why he doesn't simply sing the songs naturally at this point is beyond me. The few brief moments when he drops the affectation and let's his true voice be heard, as on the intro to "Spoilin' For A Fight", you can't help wish he'd just sing like that.

Brendan O'Brien's production, while largely no-nonsense, does tend to leave a lot to be desired in the drums department. The drum performance of Phil Rudd is the driving force behind every great AC/DC tune, but the actual sound of the drums in the mix is thin and brittle. Listen to the drums on Highway To Hell or For Those About To Rock and you'll see what I mean.

The guitars, of course, sound great - as if that's the only thing O'Brien cared about, which could very well have been true, knowing that Angus and Malcolm Young are firmly in charge of the band these days. Perhaps to them, vocals and drums are a mere afterthought.

Honestly, as good as they are at pulling out one hellaciously simple, but infectious riff after another, I can't say I disagree too much.

Thus, all things considered, Black Ice is a decent record. It isn't going to change the world, but, like the band themselves, it's a nice record to have around.

Taste Sensations: Cheeseburger Cracker-flavored Combos

First things first, I love me some Combos. Those tasty cracker (or pretzel, depending on which flavor you get) snacks are the f#$%ing money, man. Back in the day, I was digging the pizza flavor, which I would often swap out with the nacho cheese just to keep things exciting.

Then it seemed like Combos dropped off the map. I began finding it harder and harder to track down anything but the most basic flavors at my local supermarket. My Combos fix went from constant to merely the occasional bag whenever I happened to be somewhere that sold them.

On a not-so-recent trip to my local 7-11, I happened upon some salsa-flavored Combos and devoured the bag like a ravenous dog. It was delish!

Many months passed, I visited the local 7-11 and saw there was a new flavor; Bacon, Egg & Cheese cracker. I anxiously paid the cashier, ripped open the bag on the walk home, found them amazingly devoid of taste.

Earlier this week, I saw yet another flavor (which, with a little web research, I discover has been around since at least this past spring); Cheeseburger cracker. From that, you probably aren't expecting much, right? I mean, rarely does the word "cheeseburger" mean "fuck yeah!" flavor unless you're actually eating a decent cheeseburger somewhere.

So, with moderate expectations at best, I popped the first one in my mouth and...

It fucking rocked.

First off, you can rarely, if ever go wrong with the tasty cracker shell. I've always preferred them to the harder, drier pretzrel shells. The flavored filling, however, is what makes this one truly special. Combos haven't so much captured the flavor of an actual cheeseburger as that of a McDonald's cheeseburger. That's right, the one that fills your mouth with more catsup and pickle than actual meat. Sure, there's a hint of actual cheese to be found (not hard to accomplish, mind you, in a "cheese-flavored snack") and maybe you can find a hint of meat flavoring, but that'd be a stretch.

I can't remember the last time I ate a McDonald's cheeseburger, but the taste is engrained in most of us, I am sure. It's a taste you never forget and Combos has done the seemingly impossible (much like those Jelly Belly popcorn-flavored jelly beans, or the Harry Potter snot-flavored ones, which were too accurately flavored for words) by capturing the flavor so accurately.

Near as I can tell, the only place carrying the flavor is 7-eleven, which means the Combos marketing team needs to get off their ass and make these newer flavors more readily available. I don't particularly like going to 7-eleven because I always feel I'm paying top dollar for whatever I happen to be buying. If I can avoid the place altogtether, that's just fine with me.

Well, I've still got half a bag left. Peace out.

Cheeseburger In Paradise

Weekend Six-Pack: Nick Lowe

This weekend's Six-Pack features one of my all-time favorite cats, Nick Lowe. Such a classy, cool fellow, Nick has been around FOREVER, from being part of Brinsley Schwartz's band, to doing his solo thing, to producing Elvis Costello's best early stuff, to playing in Rockpile, to touring as part of Paul Carrack's band, to forming Little Village with John Hiatt, Ry Cooder, and Jim Keltner...

One of my favorite stories is the one about Lowe making a million bucks from the inclusion of "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace, Love & Understanding" in the Whitney Houston flick "The Bodyguard". Thanks to the runaway success of her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You", the soundtrack album (which contained Curtis Stiger's cover of the Nick lowe tune) sold a gazillion copies, making Lowe a ton of cash via publishing royalties. Couldn't have happened to a cooler chap.

The dude's amazing.

So, without further adieu, the tunes:

Rockpile - I Love The Sound of Breaking Glass (live)
Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe - What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love & Understanding (live acoustic)
Little Village - Crying In My Sleep (live)
Paul Carrack - Tempted (live '88)
Rockpile - So It Goes (live '78)
Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind (live in '07)

Pop Quiz: Which Song Was NOT a Top 40 Hit?

I always enjoy the sweet contradictions of the Billboard charts, where bad songs are hits and great songs die miserable chart deaths.

Truth be told, chart positions mean very little in the real world. Cheap Trick's last Top 20 single was a song called "Can't Stop Falling Into Love". When's the last time you heard that on the radio? Heck, I didn't hear it on the radio when it was on the charts, for cryin' out loud.

So, here's a quick quiz for ya:

Q: Which Journey song was NOT a Pop Top 40 hit single?

a) Stone In Love
b) After The Fall
c) Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
d) Still They Ride

My thoughts on the Madonna/Guy divorce

Did anyone think it was gonna last, much less poor Guy? I mean, come on. Madonna's always been a chick you might have a little fun with (she does know her away around a coke bottle, nomsayin'?) but you certainly weren't going to bring her home to meet the parents.

Madonna, of course, knew going in that the union's days were numbered. Whatever, Ms. Blond Ambition had two things in mind - okay, maybe three:

1) move to England, acquire posh British accent.

2) have some more children.

3) and, last but not least, find someone who can finally launch her acting career into orbit.

That Madonna actually managed to crash Guy's directorial career into the side of a mountain says more about her affect on men than anything. Mark my words, A-Rod's heading for a fuck of a slump if he ends up connecting with the Material Girl now that both are, ahem, soon-to-be free agents.

On a side note, is it just me or is Madonna starting to look like a younger version of an elderly Bette Davis? Weird.

Standing On The Edge Week: Day 5 of 5

Today, we wrap up our look back at the album that was Standing On The Edge; an album not without its highlights, but one that most surely revealed just how desperate the band was to boost their chart status. Thus, it was the first appearance of a "song doctor", if you will, in the form of Mark Radice, who had a hand in the writing of a majority of the songs on this effort.

So, here we have the last two tracks on the album:

COVER GIRL

Musically, this is one of the album's highpoints; an up-tempo rocker that you just know was gonna sound great live! Unfortunately, the lyrics were unspeakably bad, as indicated by the song title. "Cover Girl"?! This from a band once capable of delivering deliciously demented rockers like "Daddy Should Have Stayed In High School" and "The Ballad Of TV Violence (I'm Not The Only Boy". Seeing them reduced to writing songs like "She's Got Motion" and "Cover Girl" was just painful.

I mean, this was total Rod Stewart territory - a more rocked-up "Infatuation", if you will.

WILD WILD WOMEN

Speaking of horrific titles. Yikes. Everything about this song is lowest common denominator. Musically, it's as cliched and predictable as anything you'd find on a Poison album that nobody bought (you know, the ones recorded after CC Deville had split). Lyrically, this is a real low-point for the band.

Driving to me, it'll be easy
After all that's what it's for
If the fire's too hot, get out of the kitchen
Or do it, do it, do it, on the floor

Oh, man.

NOTE: The Standing On The Edge tracks are available through the weekend so grab them now, before they're gone.

Coming Next Week: Wall Of Voodoo, the Andy Prieboy years

Next week, I'll take a look back at the output of Wall Of Voodoo following the departure of original singer, Stan Ridgway. His replacement, Andy Prieboy, and their first album together, Seven Days In Sammystown, both remain favorites of mine.

They, of course, recorded two other albums with Prieboy before calling it a day. Check in on Tuesday, October 21 for the lowdown and to check out tracks from each of the albums.

Blackboard Sky

Mystery Artist/Mystery Song

Sometimes our preconceptions get in the way of us hearing a song and judging it on its own merits. Thus, I'm unveiling a new feature I call Mystery Artist/Mystery Song where I offer an anonymous mp3 and ask you to give your opinion of the track.

Give it a listen and leave a comment letting me know what you think.

On Monday, October 20, I'll reveal the artist and song.

Mystery Artist/Mystery Song

AC/DC Month Part 3: A Matter Of "Live" And Death

If You Want Blood You've Got It
(October 1978)

Back in "the day", a live album was a great way for the labels to launch a relatively unknown band into the stratosphere. While they weren't exactly complete unknowns, Peter Frampton and Cheap Trick are just two examples of artists who owe their careers to the success of their respective live albums. This album was my initial introduction to the band and, while it is a sonic juggernaut that captures everything great about a Bon Scott-era AC/DC gig, it didn't exactly set the charts on fire.

Despite failing to break the Top 100 in the US, it did land at #13 in the UK.

As one might expect, this album captures all the greatness of a Bon Scott-era AC/Dc performance. The band does a great job reproducing the studio versions of such songs as "Rock 'N' Roll Damnation", "Whole Lotta Rosie", and "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be", but they do so with even more venom and swagger than the studio versions.

It's one of those rare live albums where you feel as if you're front row center and can actally feel the band's sweat hit you as they tear the place apart. Completely essential.



Highway to Hell
(July 1979)

The difference a year makes. In an obvious attempt to trade in their cult status for mainstream success, the band changed producers (from Vanda and Young to Robert John "Mutt" Lange), resulting in an album that retained their undeniable personality and ribald sense-of-humor while beefing up their sound considerably.

Whereas the band's previous efforts had been the result of a spontaneous live-in-the-studio approach, Highway To Hell was meticulously charted and recorded under the tutelage of a micro-managing Lange, who would go so far as to map out individual cymbal crashes. The result was an album of radio-friendly rock tracks (including my fave AC/Dc track of all, "Touch Too Much"), with nary a word or note out of place, that rode confidently into the US Top 20 on the strength of the album's arena-rocking title cut. In a brief departure from their trademark sound, "Love Hungry Man" utilized a disco beat and funky bass line.

The rock world had finally taken notice of the band in a very big way, with the album going platinum in America. Millions of rock fans the world over were awaiting the band's next move when tragedy struck swiftly and without warning. While working on the follow-up album in England, singer Bon Scott died after choking on his own vomit in alcohol-related "death by misadventure". The band was stunned into silence and momentarily thought about theowing in the towel. With Scott's parents' approval, however, the band moved on, hiring ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson.

Are you enjoying these tracks?
If so, consider donating a buck or two to save He'S A Whore.
My goal is to reach $1000 by November 4, or I will be forced to take one of the coolest rock blogs in the world off-line. I don't want to, of course, but circumstances will leave me with no other choice. To Donate, click the button at the top of the right sidebar. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Standing On The Edge Week: Day 4 of 5

THIS TIME AROUND

While I've always had a soft spot for "Tonight It's You", sometimes I find myself favoring "This Time Around" as perhaps the best track on the entire album. For starters, it has one of Zander's most Lennon-esque vocal performances, a great chorus, and a bridge that totally rips apart any suggestions that this is just another lame power ballad.

Additionally, the song holds up extremely well, as it is remarkably free of the zany '80s production flourishes that afflict much of the rest of the album.

An album highlight, without a doubt.

ROCK ALL NIGHT

Earlier in the week, I proclaimed my love for "How About You", a lovably clunky stadium rocker that closes out the first half of the album. "Rock All Night" is a very similar song, full of inane lyrics ("Make no mistake, don't take a chance, don't back down/Down, down to the ground, let's see some action"...sigh), incredibly routine rock guitar riffs, and a chorus tailor-made for flicking your Bic as the faint smell of marijuana wafts over you while you and your lady play bump 'n' grind to the music.

Not a horrible song, just horribly predictable in every way. Still, it can be a lot of fun if this song catches you on the right day and in the right mood.

Chameleons "Script of the Bridge" 25th Anniversary Edition

It's shocking to think that it has been 25 years since I first stumbled upon this album at my local record store. I'd been hearing tracks from the album on a local radio show called "Clambake" (which I'd almost totally forgotten about until now) and thought it was an import-only release.

MCA Records, of all labels, had released the album stateside. Further proving that there's nothing they couldn't f@#$ up, they chopped four tracks off the UK version and released it as a specially-priced eight-song EP. I understand the power of a specially-priced EP, but, still, this was an album that should not have been released in abbreviated form. Missing Persons, sure...Chameleons, not so much.

Thus, the band has just released a 25th Anniversary Edition of said album and I must say that it is spectacular. Say what you will about most albums released in '83 - they sound like they were recorded in 1983. Script of the Bridge, on the other hand, sounds as breathtakingly unique as it did back then.

The juxtaposition of soaring, chorus-laden guitars against Mark Burgess' bellowed vocals makes for an arrestingly urgent, yet ethereal vibe that pulsates as each track ebbs and flows like the ocean at high tide. At times, you can actually feel the salt in the air, and the chill of the wind growing stronger as the clouds turn dark.



What has always attarcted me to the Chameleons work is the loneliness the lyrics and music convey. It isn't a Joy Division type of loneliness filled with despair, but, rather, one of hope despite reason. Mark Burgess is UK rock's Don Quixote, forever battling the spiritual windmills that threaten to drag him (and the rest of us) down. While not always victorious, one is reminded of a Tom Petty lyric - "even the losers, get lucky sometimes."

The original twelve-track running order of the album is restored and remastered. In addition, there is a second disc featuring three bonus studio cuts and a live performance from 1983. The sound quality of the live cuts is exceptional, as is the band's performance.

featured tracks:
Monkeyland
Singing Rule Britannia (live)
In Shreds (previously unreleased version)

ORDER NOW

Standing On The Edge Week: Day 3 of 5

HOW ABOUT YOU

Taking a well-worn blues chord progression, the band finally lets loose on this infectious stadium rocker and makes a valiant attempt to rescue the album from the pits of synth-pop hell that was "She's Got Motion". I've gotta say that, despite lyrics that are as forgettable as your mother-in-law's date of birth, I've always enjoyed this tune. It's a great driving tune that grabs you from the opening guitar/vocal riff and doesn't let go until the final BOOM-BOOM.

STANDING ON THE EDGE

There's nothing inherently wrong with this song at first listen. But when you realize how out of place it would have sounded on any of the band's first three albums, you realize just how far the trolley has strayed from the tracks. Even on One On One (which was where, in my estimation the band began sacrificing parts of them for the "greater good"), this song would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

That's not to say that "Standing On The Edge" is a horrible song; it's just not the Trick we came to know and love with the savage, gutteral rock that graced their stunning debut effort, nor the much slicker, but no less stunning In Color or Heaven Tonight. Even those who jumped on the bandwagon during the At Budokan/Dream Police days could tell the difference.

Even so, a decent song that tells not of dream police coming in the night, but, rather, a beautiful woman with "laser eyes". On a side note, I've listened to the song for decades, but damn if I can make out a single word in the second verse.

Probably for the better, I suppose.

Order Standing on the Edge today!

Ringo, WTF?

If you haven't already heard about this one, check it out.

Ringo has announced that he will no longer be signing autographs or responding to fan mail sent to him. This, of course, isn't a surprise as much as the way in which Ringo announces it. Comes off poorly, I think.

RINGO RUDE AUTOGRAPH ANNOUNCEMENT

Standing On The Edge Week: Day 2 of 5

She's Got Motion

If Little Sister hadn't been too much of a shock to the system for longtime Trick fans, She's Got Motion was most certainly out to turn some heads. Not in a good way, of course. This is Cheap Trick at their most pandering and misguided. A steaming, synthetic facsimile of a song complete with every schticky studio bell and whistle available at the time. Thankfully, we Trick fans knew that, at the very least, this would be a tune we wouldn't have to hear in concert.

Love Comes

While still a far cry from the Cheap Trick of 1977, much less 1983, this touching ballad ranks as one of the album's highlights and seems just about as radio-ready as anything to be found elsewhere on Standing On The Edge. I mean, if REO Speedwagon can ride "I Do' Wanna Know" and "Live Every Moment" into the Top 40, then why couldn't Trick have done the same with "Love Comes"? Epic Records (also REO's label), I'm lookin' at you.

Better Late Than Never Movie Reviews

Rather than review movies that are due for release, or have just hit theatres, I figured I'd review some titles that have been out awhile - and that I've finally got around to watching long after their theatrical run.



JUNO

I must admit to not being into all the hype about this flick. Nothing turns me off quicker than a flick the hipsters are wetting themselves over. Remember Little Miss Sunshine? What a steaming pile. Feelgood movie? Hardly. It was a depressing, sorry excuse for a Sundance sensation. "Oh, but the little girl's so cute and the grandad is a heroin addict." Umm, yeah.

So it was with a great deal of apprehension that I began watching Juno. Truth be told, after the first ten minutes, I almost turned it off. It was just trying way too hard to be kitschy. Of course, it finally settled into a nice groove and, if you decided early enough to forgive the implausible dialogue, you could through to the heart of the movie.

Ellen Page is a star, I must say. She inhabits the role of a pregnant teenager giving up decides to give her unborn child up for adoption with a grace well beyond her years. The way she carries herself, you can totally see how she'll be when she matures and I think she's got a great career ahead of her. She, more than anyone else in the film, is able to transend the all-too-knowing dialogue and manages to breathe warmth into ever line.

Jason Bateman, despite playing the adoptive father-to-be who decides to leave his wife (played with icy perfection by Jennifer Garner) before Juno's child is born, seems to have also come into his own at last. I admit to not being a fan of Arrested Development (a show that always seemed to be trying way too hard to hilarious and edgy, but never quite got off the ground, if you ask me), but this role showcases his ability to play an adult role that adults like me can see themselves in.

It's no easy feat to create a movie that attracts the hipsters while, at the same time, connecting with those of us who have little tolerance for things we're supposed to like because we've been told so. Juno is one of those movies - not something I necessarily regret avoiding while it was in theatres, but a nice flick with its heart in the right place.


SEMI-PRO

There are those who worship at the shrine of Will Ferrell, thinking he can do no wrong, whether it be Talladega Nights or Anchorman. Then there's me, who finds him seemingly incapable of playing anything but the same role he seems to trot out for every damn movie he's in (except, perhaps, Stranger Than Fiction).

Again, my expectations were pretty low, but, spurred on by the low-brow humor that made Steop Brothers a relatively high-ratio laugh-fest, I watched Semi-Pro and found a lot to like. It's no great move, by any stretch, but the ensemble cast that includes Andre 3000 and Woody Harreson among others, didn't spend too much time winking at the camera. Instead, they succeeding in creating a movie that delivered some quality laughs and that's all I really wanted.

I'd rank Semi-Pro among the top five flicks Ferrell has done - although I don't know that there are actually five Ferrell flicks I would honestly recommend, but you get the drift. Ferrell, I hope, has realized that his future success relies upon him giving the deadpan schtick a rest and continuing to mine that over-the-top style he works to perfection in this flick.


YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN

First off, let me just say that Rob Schneider is at his absolute best when he plays support roles in Adam Sandler flicks. He was gold as the native Hawaiian in 50 First Dates, playing a character that was both heartfelt and funny as hell. In Zohan, of course, he plays a Middle Eastern immigrant who drives a taxi in New York and he does it so well that he blends in perfectly with actors of actual Middle Eastern heritage. You actually forget this is Rob Schneider, which is saying something. Why he does utter crap like The Animal and The Hot Chick is completely beyond me.

Zohan, like Semi-Pro is a movie I feared would dive head first into the gutter and stay there. While the humor is certainly crude, it's done just well enough to make even someone who isn't a member of the Adam Sandler fan club find reason to laugh.

A totally mindless, yet laugh-out-loud funny way to spend 90 minutes.

Waylon Forever

Waylon Jennings was one of my dad's favorite artists. Many great childhood memories have Jennings' music as my mental soundtrack. I most fondly recall the album he cut with Willie Nelson, Tompall Glaser, and wife Jessi Colter under the name The Outlaws. Thus, it was with great sadness that I mourned his passing in 2002. Wow, has it been six years already?

My heroes at Vagrant Records are releasing a collection of his final recordings, which also involved son Shooter Jennings and the .357's, called "Waylon Forever" on October 21.

From the press release:

The inception of Waylon Forever began in 1995 when Waylon asked Shooter to collaborate on an album with him. "I'd been playing my dad the music I was inspired by at the time," Shooter explains. "Whether it was Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, Pink Floyd or Cream he really enjoyed being apart of my musical journey. It was then he suggested we do an album together." Of the recording process Shooter states, "He was always so creative and inspired by new musical directions and this was my first real album to put together.

I buried myself in the studio for weeks constructing the tracks. With 20 or so songs we went into the studio to cut vocals and overdubs. He was so excited for us doing a record together, constantly pushing himself and coming up with new ideas. I was so nervous but he was calm as a gunslinger." Final recording sessions for the album began in 2006 after Shooter transferred the original tapes to pro tools.

Shooter then brought the .357's into the studio in Los Angeles to cut tracks to his father's vocals and complete the record. "The tracks I originally made were a little young and messy, but they were still really wild. Now I feel like I been given the chance to take my years of experience and match them to his," confesses Shooter. "Either way, we did it and we now have a record that reflects his huge creative drive and the boundlessness of his own artistic mind. Waylon forever!"

The first single from the album is a great albeit melancholy track called "Outlaw Shit".

Pre-order Waylon Forever today!

Standing On The Edge Week - Day 1 of 5

The year is 1985 and Cheap Trick is coming off the commercial disappointment that was 1983's Next Position Please. The band looks back for inspiration, tapping Jack Douglas (who'd manned the boards for their stunning debut effort) to produce. In keeping with the times, the band would also rely upon heavy use of synthesizers, drum machines, and the all-too-common '80s cannon-fire snare sound.

We now take a track-by-track look back at the album, Standing On The Edge.

Little Sister

Those expecting an Elvis Presley cover would have to wait until 1988 (at which point the band would tackle "Don't Be Cruel" and score a Top 5 hit) found instead a caffeinated synthed-up rocker that signified the emergence of a new Cheap Trick. Loaded with hooks a-plenty, the song also features layers of keyboards, programmed percussion, and a kitschy-beyond-belief bridge break wherein guitarist Rick Nielsen electronically stutters "Oooh I l-l-l-l-like it when you talk, talk, talk dirty to me."

Truth be told, there's a great song underneath all the now-extremely-dated studio trickery.

Tonight It's You

At the time, this song seemed like a slam dunk candidate for returning the band to the top of the charts, where they belonged. I mean, this was back when power ballads ruled the day and this was Trick at their most powerfully balladesque. That the song failed to set the charts afire probably had less to do with the quality of the song and more to do with Epic's extreme lack of dedication towards anything with the words "Cheap" and "Trick" on it.

Despite a completely unnecessary synth break in the bridge, the rest of the song holds up extremely well and has always sounded great when the band performs it live.

AC/DC Part 2: Dirty Deeds, Let There Be Rock, and Powerage

We continue our look back at AC/DC's early days, commencing with the legendary Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap album.


Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (September 1976, Australia; December 1976, Europe; April 1981 USA)
The band continues to hone their controversial lyrics and rough-house rock style on this, their third official full-length album of new material. While it contains a handful of some of their most popular tunes ("Problem Child", "Big Balls" and the title cut among them) and was instrumental in developing the band's cult following throughout Europe, this album did not see US release until 1981. Only then, it was released to capitalize on the band's success following the release of Back In Black.

As with High Voltage, there are noticeable variations in the track listing between the Australian and US versions of the album. Missing from the US version, and still never officially released outside Australia is the song "R.I.P. (Rock In Peace)".


Let There Be Rock (March 1977, Australia; June 1977, Europe/USA)
With only a slight track variation between the Australian and US/Japanese versions of this album (the self-explanatory "Crabsody In Blue" was dropped in place of an edited "Problem Child" for the US/European version), Let There Be Rock made them true stars in their native Australia and was the band's first effort to crack the Top 200 Albums chart in the US (having gone on to sell over two million copies to date in the States).

Boasting a bigger production (thanks to new engineer Mark Opitz working in conjunction with usual producers Harry Vanda and George Young) and uniformly solid songwriting, it is considered today to be one of their better albums. It includes such fan favorites as "Whole Lotta Rosie", the first US appearance of "Problem Child", and the title cut. This is the last album to feature bassist Mark Evans, who would be replaced by Cliff Williams in time to tour in support of this album.


Powerage (May 1978)
This album is notable for being the first album to utilize the same cover art for Australian and worldwide versions. While the current track listing is uniform throughout the world, the initial European vinyl version included a song called "Cold-Hearted Man" that has yet to see official release in any form elsewhere. The album is also notable as the recording debut of new bassist Cliff Williams.

While the album surpassed sales of Let There Be Rock in the US, peaking at #133, the album's track listing is surprisingly lacking in easily-recognizable AC/DC classics, although "Riff Raff" and "Sin City" are certainly standout cuts.

It was during the band's US tour that critics and fans began taking a real interest in the band. Rolling Stone, which had panned the band's first US release, was now on-board, noting, "There's nothing new going on musically, but AC/DC attacks the old cliches with overwhelming exuberance."

Cover of the Weekend: Celine Dion "You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC)

I remember watching this on TV and not believing what I was seeing, or hearing for that matter. Celine is joined by Anastacia on this one and, well, it's just a special kind of wrong that shouldn't ever be repeated.

Enjoy!

Celine Dion and Anastacia - "You Shook Me"

AC/DC Month: Part 1 - The Early Days

AC/DC will return to active duty on October 20 with the release of their first new studio album in eight years (wow, has it really been that long since Stiff Upper Lip?). While there are many who consider Highway To Hell and Back In Black to be one of the best one-two punches in the history of rock, both albums are going on thirty years old.

That the band remains an ongoing concern is quite miraculous when you consider the fact that they could very well have chosen to pack it in after the sudden death of singer Bon Scott. Despite the diminishing returns of many latter-day albums, AC/DC fans both new and old anticipate each new album with hopes of a return to vintage form.

While that may not be entirely fair to guys old enough to qualify for the senior discount at Denny's, word on the street is that producer Brendan O'Brien took a no-frills approach in the recording of their new album, Black Ice, and that the final result is on-par with the band's best work.

As we look forward to the release of their new album, what better time than now to take a look back at the band's previous work?

AC/DC formed in 1973 in their native Sydney, Australia. Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young worked with a number of different line-ups, eventually luring Bon Scott into the fold in late 1974. Soonafter, they recruited older brother George Young (of well-known 60's act The Easybeats, best known for the hit "Friday On My Mind) and Harry Vanda to produce their debut album.


High Voltage (February 1975, Australia-only release)
Recorded in ten days, and considering the then-current line-up had been together only a short time, this album manages to present many of what would come to be AC/DC trademarks - Bon's recognizable wail, Angus and Malcolm's economical, yet effective rhythm-based guitar work.

Most notable is the band's blues-based sound, highlighted by their album-opening cover of "Baby Please Don't Go" and their own "Little Lover". The slickly-produced "Soul Stripper" and "Love Song" (which begins with a quite unusual - for AC/DC anyway - piano/guitar intro) are songs that feature stylistic nuances the band would quickly abandon. "Love Song", for example, features one of the most conventional (for the time) Bon Scott vocal turns I've ever heard. Who knew he had it in him?

Not long after the album's release, the line-up for which the band would first become famous would be solidified: Bon Scott (vocals), Angus Young (guitar), Malcolm Young (guitar), Mark Evans (bass), Phil Rudd (drums). One of the first songs to be recorded by this line-up was "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock & Roll)".


T.N.T. (December 1975, Australia-only release)
The difference between T.N.T. and the preceding High Voltage is that the band dispenses with the slicker glam influences and fully embraces the grittier R&B-based rock style, using heavier, distorted guitars, and turning up the intensity level tenfold. The result is an album that sounds very much like the band that would soon conquer the world. Truth be told, this album features some of their best-known material, including "High Voltage", the aforementioned "It's A Long Way To The Top" and the title cut. My personal fave from this album, though, is "The Jack", driven by a perfectly seething and playfully sinister Bon Scott vocal (here's a great live version of the tune from their '79 tour).

The band would later sign a worldwide deal with Atlantic Records and ready their first album to see release outside of their native Australia.


High Voltage (May 1976 USA)
Despite sharing a title with their Australian debut release, this album features only two songs from that release. The remaining seven tracks first appeared on the Australian T.N.T. album.

Strangely enough, reaction to the album in America was mixed and sales were lukewarm at best.


In hindsight, the band's perverse barroom humor and no-holds-barred rock assault seem positively inspired. Hearing these songs now, one could have almost lumped them in with the first wave of UK punk bands, minus the safety pins and mohawks. Otherwise dependable Rolling Stone critic Billy Altman saw it differently at the time, though, calling the album "mindless...calculated stupidity".

my thoughts on the Cubs

1. Where's the intensity, the fire?
2. Did somebody replace their bats with Folgers crystals?
3. What the @#$% happened to the pitching?
4. Um, enough with the freakin' errors, already.

Generally speaking, it's pretty disconcerting to see the teams with the best records in their respective leagues both down 0-2 in their first-round best-of-five. It's also pretty difficult as a Chicagoan to see both of our teams winless in four trips to the plate, so to speak.

From the moment the Cubs clinched their spot in the playoffs, I knew they were in trouble. Knowing enough about human nature, I couldn't help but sense them taking their foot off the gas. How could they not? It had been a long, hard-fought season, and there was just no reason to maintain the intensity. The "smart thing" to do was to rest a few players, give some pitchers some extended time off, and enjoy the moment.

Turns out the "smart thing" to do wasn't really the smart thing to do, as it has resulted in a team that is completely flat and lifeless. The pitching is abominable, the bats have been much too silent, and the sight of manager Lou Piniella sitting on the bench midway through Game 2 - a look of resigned defeat on his face - spoke volumes.

Where was the fire? Instead of smashing every Gatorade bucket in sight after being yanked, Cubs ace started Carlos Zambrano sat with his face buried in a towel.

And a stadium full of fans who've been on cloud nine all summer sat dumbfounded.

Is this how the greatest season most living Cubs fans have ever experienced is going to end? A first-round knock out?