RIP MALCOLM MCCLAREN 1946-2010 | |
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Famed rock manager, musical svengali and grandfather of punk, Malcolm McClaren passed away at the age of 64. Always outrageous and ever controversial, McClaren gained fame as the manager of the Sex Pistols. He also went on to create and manage Bow Wow Wow. In the early 80's, he also ventured out into a solo career in which he worked in several different genres including hip-hop, electronica and opera. Love him or hate him, you can't deny his influence. | |
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| Jeff | |
THIS IS WHAT ROCK AND ROLL IS ALL ABOUT!! | |
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| Taken by famed rock and roll photographer Jim Marshall who passed away this week at the age of 74. | |
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| Jeff | |
March-April 2010 | |
RIP ALEX CHILTON 1950-2010 | |
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I can't think of a better tribute than this classic from the Replacements.
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On a lighter note, Spring is almost here and besides looking forward to warmer weather(hopefully), getting outside and longer days,
I'm also looking forward to: This: | |
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The National-High Violet Release Date-May 11th Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA June 4th and 5th | |
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And This: | |
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My Morning Jacket Spring Tour | |
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And This: | |
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The Return of PIL Borgata Music Box Atlantic City, NJ May 15th | |
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| Jeff | |
March 2010 | |
| CD Review | |
Massive Attack Heligoland |
The masters of "trip-hop" have returned to form on this, their 5th album. The Bristol, UK duo of Robert Del Naja (3D) and Grant Marshall (Daddy G) create a slow burning, laid back, almost soundtrack like collage of grooves and electronic beats. This one may not grab you on first listen; but, once it gets into your head, it spreads like a virus. As usual, the band employs several guest artists to help with the vocals. Along with regular Horace Andy, guests include: Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz), Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star), Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio) and Guy Garvey (Elbow). So far, the best release of the year. |
| Please note this is not the actual video for Paradise Circus; but, a pretty cool interpretation anyway. | |
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Preservation Hall Jazz Band Preservation-A Benefit |
Preservation Hall located in the heart of the historic French Quarter of New Orleans was founded in 1961 to honor and preserve the tradition of New Orleans Jazz. At the center of the hall is the Preservation Hall Jazz Band which usually play there nightly and travel the world in order to educate and entertain the public about this treasurable form of music. This album is a benefit for the hall and the musical outreach program that it provides. A wide array of artists from all sorts of genres (indie, folk, country, pop) come together with the band for this uplifting and highly satisfying collection. |
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| Jeff | |
December 2009 | |
The Best of 2009 (IMHO) | |
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Well, another year yet come and almost gone. And another pretty good year for music in general. Some great new artists and some very solid outings from established artists. My wish to you readers is to have a great 2010. Live life to the fullest and don't forget your family and friends. My music wish to you is for you to seek out good music Don't just readily accept the stuff that is shoved down your throat by the mainstream media (radio, TV, press) Great music is out there, you just have to know where to look | |
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My Top 11 of 2009 | |
| 1.Passion Pit-Manners | |
| What started off as a homemade mixed tape for the lead singer's then girlfriend, eventually turned into the album of the year. Infectious grooves and dancebeats, falsetto vocals and swirling synths combining all of the best elements of 80's music. It never left my playlist. | |
| 2. Grizzly Bear-Veckatimest | |
| The Brooklyn-based band's third ablum combined Beach Boy like harmonies, choral vocals and even a little bit of jazz and funk to create some real magic. | |
| 3. Monsters of Folk-S/T | |
| The indie version of the Traveling Willbury's or maybe Blind Faith. Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket and M. Ward made an great album filled with story telling songs. A very nice diversion until the next MMJ album. | |
| 4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs-It's Blitz | |
| Another great indie dance record. Think of it as Blondie for the 21st century. | |
| 5. The XX-XX | |
| The young London-based quartet's debut is a sparse arrangement of dark, brooding love songs. Hard to define at times but it evokes the best of early 80's post punk while still sounding very today. | |
| 6. The Avett Brothers-I and Love and You | |
| Probably the best Americana album of the year. Folk, bluegrass, pop elements and even a little bit of punk spirit. | |
| 7. Mayer Hawthorne-A Strange Arrangement | |
| To look at him, the words Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye and Tamla/Motown don't exactly spring to mind. But this Brooklyn-based newcomer channels all of these and more on his debut and makes this music his own. | |
| 8. Phoenix-Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix | |
| This French-based quartet was all over the radio with its song 1901. And now thanks to a Cadillac ad, the TV too. One of the catchiest of the year. | |
| 9. The Horrors-Primary Colours | |
| A total change in sound for this UK-based band's 2nd album. Gone is the goth-garage sound. In comes swirling guitars and keyboards evoking everything from early Pink Floyd to Joy Division to My Bloody Valentine. Even an nod to Jay and the Americans!!! | |
| 10. Various Artists-Dark Was The Night | |
| Another great record in the Red Hot Series to benefit AIDS research. This time Aaron and Bryce Dessner of the National put together a great collection of the who's-who in indie music. | |
| 11. Freelance Whales-Weatervanes | |
| A band to be on the lookout for in 2010. Just bought this one at the tailend of the year and I am really liking it. | |
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October 2009 | |
Random Musings and Monster of Folk | |
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Some Random Musings Over The Past Few Weeks: The Queen of Soul once sang "R E S P E C T find out what it means to me". Apparently, nothing to Mr. Kayne West. The newly remastered Beatles Cd's sound EXCELLENT!! Public radio/television deserves our pledge and support!! What is the appeal of Lady Gaga?? Her appearance the other week on Saturday Night Live baffled me. Shouldn't her 15 minutes of fame have been up 3 months ago??? RIP Jim Carroll and Mary Travers. 2 totally different musicians, but both equally important. | |
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CD Review
Monsters of Folk Monsters of Folk |
Monsters of Folk,
consisting of Jim James of My Morning
Jacket, Connor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes and M Ward, might be
what you would call an indie supergroup. Sort of an indie version of the
Travelling Willburys. Like the Willburys, each member brings to the group
their own unique talent; and each take turns sharing the vocals (with the
exception of Mogis who plays a variety of instruments and manns the
production). Surprisingly, James, Oberst and Ward's voices all
complement each other to the extent that it seems so natural, nothing
forced. There's not much in the way of ego here. The opening song Dear God (Sincerely MOF)" reminds me of what Marvin Gaye's What's Going On album might have sounded like had it been recorded in 2009 instead of 1971. The subject of God comes up quite frequently on the disc. Oberst's Temazcal, Ward's Gotta Lotta Losin and the beautiful, closing track, Jim James' His Masters Voice, with its memorable image of "Mohammed rolling dice with Christ at twilight" is a song about religious belief, a call to war and listening to that voice within you. There are a few missteps. Oberst's Man Named Truth sounds like the theme to a bad western and Ward's Slow Down Jo does drag a bit. But, overall, Monsters of Folk is way much better than we could have expected. |
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| Jeff | |
August 2009 | |
5 Quintessential (Or the Greatest of the) Greatest Hits Albums | |
| Greatest Hits albums/cds are well in one word, GREAT!!! Perfect for the newbie who is curious; the casual fan who does not want to go out and buy everything; or the die hard who just wants all the songs that they know and love on 1 collection. It is no wonder that the greatest hits collection is a lot of times that artists best selling album. Here are my top 5 Greatest Hits Collections. | |
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Queen Greatest Hits 1 
Queen Greatest Hits 2: |
Queen were the epitome of what makes a great rock and roll
band: top notch musicians, bombastic/over the top rock and roll, beautiful
harmonies, a killer live show and in Freddie Mercury, one of the greatest
front men of all time. These 2 collections are a testament as to why they
are still a major influence on bands today. Volume 1 covers their glory
years from 1973-1980. Their breakthru with Killer Queen, the operatic tour
de force that is Bohemian Rhapsody, the gospel choir of Somebody To Love,
the rockabilly of Crazy Little Thing Called Love, the pulsating funk rhythm
of Another One Bites the Dust and the anthems of all anthems We Will Rock You/
We Are the Champions. In my opinion, greatest hits don't get better then this
my friends or "my dears" as Freddie would say.
Volume 2 picks up with one of the greatest collaborations of all time in Under Pressure (with David Bowie). The hits keep on coming with the hard rockers I Want It All, Hammer To Fall and Innuendo. It is not as solid at times as Volume 1 but it packs a punch. There is a Volume 3 but I would pass on that one. It is an uneven collection of leftover hits, weak collaborations and solo material. If you want the best of the best, there will be an absolute Greatest Hits coming in the fall. |
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Sly and the Family Stone Greatest Hits |
The back of the cd says it all "one of the greatest party records every made". Sylvester Stewart (aka Sly Stone) broke down racial barriers with one of the first integrated bands to hit big in the charts. This 12 song collection is a blend of blistering horns, laid back grooves, singalong choruses and all around feel goodness. The chant of I Want To Take You Higher, the racial harmony of Everday People, and one of the greatest double sided A singles of all time in Everybody Is A Star/Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again. If this record doesn't make you wanna get up off your ass and Dance To The Music, there is something wrong with you. |
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The Beatles 1962-1966 (Red Album) 
The Beatles 1967-1970 (Blue Album) : |
These are the songs that defined a generation. In 8 short years,
the Fab Four went from loveable mop tops singing "YEAH YEAH YEAH" on the Ed Sullivan
Show to a mature, studio based band who influenced every major trend of the 60's and in
turn were influenced themselves. Everything is included in these 2 collections: the earliest
hits (Love Me Do, Please Please Me), the Beatlemania years (I Want To Hold Your Hand, Can't
Buy Me Love, A Hard Days Night), the transition between touring and studio (Eleanor Rigby,
Paperback Writer), the psychedelic years (Strawberry Fields Forever, I Am The Walrus, Lucy
In the Sky With Diamonds), the final years (Come Together, Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road).
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ABBA Gold |
The guiltiest of guilty pleasures. But, then again, do gay men really consider this a guilty pleasure??? Don't most of us freely admit to loving these songs? Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus were geniuses when it came to writing and crafting perfect pop songs. No heavy messages here. Just unbelievably catchy songs that refuse to leave your head. All the biggies are here: Waterloo, Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen, Take A Chance On Me, Super Trouper, Lay All Your Love On Me and more. |
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Tamla/Motown Gold-The 60's: | America's music for a turbulent decade. This 3 cd collection
contains over 80 tracks. All of the major artists on the Motown roster are included
here: The Supremes, Four Tops, The Temptations, The Miracles, Stevie Wonder and
Marvin Gaye. This is stuff that makes you want to tap your feet, get up and dance or just
groove along to. THE SOUND OF YOUNG AMERICA!!
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Concert Review-Fleet Foxes, Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA July 30 2009 | |
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A lof of praise has been heaped upon this Seattle based band of modern day folkies over the past year.
Their music harkends back to the laidback California folk music on the mid to late 60's. Sort of a
combination of Crosby, Stills and Nash (emphasis on the Crosby part), the Byrds and maybe for a modern day
comparison, the softer side of My Morning Jacket (at times). Their full length debut was one of my
favorites of 2008. So, I was curious as to how they would sound live. They did not disappoint. Performing
most of their debut as well as the Sun Giant EP, the band displayed their beautiful harmonies and accapella
abilities to full form. The band really seemed to feed off of the energy that the crowd gave back to them.
There were a few times where I thought the sound could have been lowered a bit. Tended to drown the harmonies.
But that was a minor complaint. All in all, a very worthwhile show. I am looking forward to hearing where
the band goes next.
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| RIP LES PAUL 1915-2009 | |
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| Jeff | |
July 2009 | |
| OK. So gay men's musical tastes are not just all about Madonna, Cher and Liza. They run the gammet. Everything from punk to funk to classical and jazz. So, I have decided to start a monthly blog to rant or rave about my favorite musical goings on. Now I have been told by some that I am extremely critical and for that I make no apologies. I simply like what I like. You may agree or not. You may not even know who or what the hell I am talking about. But, if you read something that might interest you and you go out and buy/download something then I feel that I have done my job. And just remember, these are my humble opinions so if I piss you off, sorry!! | |
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| I thought I would start off with a brief review of 2 of my favorite cds of the year (so far). | |
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Passion Pit Manners |
What started off as a homemade mixed tape for lead singer Michael Angelakos's girlfriend has turned into one of the most buzzed debuts of the year. A perfect blend of sing along pop and synths. Sort of indie-disco if you will. It combines the best of 80's synthpop, infectious hooks and beats. The songs just sort of draw you in and take you for a nice ride. I dare you not to tap your foot to some of these songs. Angelakos' voice may take some getting use to. At times, it is a glass shattering shirll like on the track Sleepyhead but it works without being overbearing. Standout tracks include Sleepyhead, Little Secret (with its sing along school kid chorus) and Eyes Like Candles. The perfect music for summer and in my opinion, the best cd of the year (so far) |
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Grizzly Bear Veckatimist |
Brooklyn based Grizzly Bears 2nd full cd, named after an deserted island off the coast of Massachusettes, has taken them into a new realm of acceptance. It already has become their biggest seller so far, even debuting in the Billboard top 10. This is a really nice cd to just sort of mellow out to. Sort of dreamy pop-folk. Simple yet complex all at once. This is a cd to put on and listen to all the way thru and then again. It may not grab you right away but you will get sucked in. All 4 band members share vocal duties and each bring their own style into the songs but it all blends very well cohesively. Standout tracks include: the first single Two Weeks with its Beach Boys, choral like harmonies and out, singer-songwriter Ed Droste's gentle pledge to his boyfriend , Fine For Now, and the almost funk-like Cheerleader. |
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| Jeff | |
