The Fine Print

Musical Memories

2011-01-08T00:45:00Z

Today, as I was driving around running errands, I switched to a playlist on my iPod which has tons of great songs from the Laurel Canyon era. This playlist was created during a time that I was reading the book "Hotel California" by Barney Hoskins.

I recall doing so much research, trying to track down songs that were mentioned in the book, that I went slightly mad. I was happy to download the songs I was missing to hear what he was talking about and create this playlist but there wasn't enough information to determine what song was what. It was during that time, in late 2007, that the idea for the AlbumLinerNotes.com site came to life. Problem solved(?).

Anyway, back to the events of today and where it lead my thought process. I was driving and I thought about the first time I heard some of these songs and who I heard them from (or what I recall). So here it goes:

1. Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire. I discovered this song myself and it instantly became one of my favorite songs to sing along with. Except for the reference to the voting age, the lyrics are still pretty relevant.

2. Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds. There are some songs that have always just been there. You know what I mean? There is no time that it hasn't been on your radar. I think this is one of them although I would say that I didn't necessarily know who sang it. When I joined my first band, in 1985, this group became an immediate favorite. Still is. One of the few groups to have a style that has impacted the music world, even today.

3. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield. As I mentioned above, I was in a band during the 80's. It was essentially a cover group, performing music from the 50's, 60's and 70's. Our name was Route 66. Anyway, I was suddenly exposed to tons of songs that I had never heard, this would be one of them. Although we didn't perform this song, it still popped up and became a huge influence. Buffalo Springfield is another of the groups that had tremendous impact but was only around for a short time.

4. California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas. Another song that I always knew. One weekend in 1986 (or so), the band went off to a rented cabin in Big Bear. The wives all came (I was single so I didn't bring a guest). The band huddled in an upstairs room and played songs all weekend, with some skiing and hanging out in the meantime. Once we returned home, The Mamas & The Papas became an obsession with me. I don't know why, since we never played their music and no one turned me on to them while on the trip. Strange how that happens. They reminded me of the Big Bear trip but don't have any direct connection or memory tied to it.

Right before that trip, I bought a brand new CD player. I planned to take it with me, although I didn't have too many discs. It's a huge boombox. I still have it. Love it.

5. Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing - Buffalo Springfield. I discovered this song on my own. It's a strange one, the rhythm of the song is funky but I love it.

6. 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) - Harper's Bizarre. When I was younger, we sang this song in choir in junior high. So I knew it from those days, probably around 1976. This version of the song is decidedly different than the arrangement we sang, as you can expect. This song was written by Paul Simon.

7. Sit Down I Think I Love You - Buffalo Springfield. Just the amount of great Buffalo Springfield songs on this list ought to tell you how influential they are (and all their offshoots). I love, love this song. One of those songs that you can't change if you hear it on the radio (which you won't). I discovered this one myself, around 1987.

8. Our House - CSNY. Another song that I've always known. The book talks quite a bit about the writing of this song and of the Graham Nash/Joni Mitchell relationship. Caveat: Once you learn some things about the writing (or 'meaning') of a particular song, it may change the meaning (even the memory) of that song for you. Beware.

9. Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon) - The Mamas & The Papas. Another song i discovered while exploring The Mamas & The Papas LP I picked up at our local Music Plus in Monterey Park. I really loved that LP and listened to it obsessively.

One day, in 1987, I discovered that my LP was now on CD! Life changing! Thrilling! Couldn't wait to get it! By this time the Music Plus people knew me fairly well. I picked up the disc (16 Greatest Hits, if you want to find it) anyway, I went to the counter and the guy working there thought I was crazy for buying it. Still one of the greatest discs there is.

10. Helplessly Hoping - CSNY. I went through a number of years without knowing this song. The first time I heard it was an a cappella rendition by two new friends in London. We had spent the evening at Abbey Road Studios, listening to Beatle music and celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper. After we left, we discovered that we had to walk back to the underground station. Our small group, Sally, David, Brad and I started walking, all the while we sang Beatle songs. By the time we got back to the hotel, none of us wanted to go to bed. We hung around the hotel bar and the two guys, Brad and David, broke into "Helplessly Hoping" - shocked that I couldn't jump in with harmony. They sang it together and I discovered another great song, with another great memory. The next morning, a long trip to Liverpool.

I'll continue this list more later.

Pet Sounds Interview with David Leaf and Tom Schnabel - KCRW 1990

2010-09-12T18:54:00Z

I recently stumbled upon this old cassette copy of an interview from 1990. It is from KCRW's radio program "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and is of host Tom Schnabel with author/Producer David Leaf.

The interview was sparked by the novel "Whale Music" by Paul Quarrington, which was loosely based on Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys story. Tom Schnabel had written a not favorable review of the book for the Los Angeles Times, to which David Leaf responded via letter.

Essentially, this is David Leaf's attempt to try to get Tom Schnabel to understand this recording. Tom's show, at that time, was heading more and more into World Music. I remember being in my office on Wilshire Boulevard and listening to Tom play endless African drums and other obscure stuff. (He eventually left to head the World Music division of Warner Music, I believe.)

In the beginning of the interview, David says that he is thankful to expose this music to Tom's audience that may not have heard it, to which Tom agrees. However, I am not in agreement. I think it was Tom that simply didn't understand or appreciate this music. His audience was well aware of it and was anxiously waiting for the release of this LP on CD. I mean, come on, we were very close to Hollywood (the station is based in Santa Monica) on the heels of the release of Brian's 'comeback' album a couple of years prior (and the return of the Beach Boys to the number one spot with "Kokomo"). The arrival of Pet Sounds on CD was huge news. Tom, unfortunately, didn't get it.

As for this recording: In an effort to save tape back in 1990 I edited out all the songs as they played live then restarted the recording for the interview section. Because of that I've had to restore the recordings (the tape had slowed slightly anyway and no one wants to hear these songs slowed down even a little). I've used the Pet Sounds Japanese mono mix, by the way.

I hope you enjoy this little time capsule back to the days of 1990 radio.

How To Save A Life

2010-07-31T21:14:00Z

I've been thinking about this song a lot lately.

I think that, for some reason, it is a song that everyone likes. It's funny watching people when this song is played, they can't help it - they have to sing. But they sing because of the visceral memories that this song conjures, as if they wrote it themselves. You can see it on their face.

Is it because everyone has someone in their life that they weren't able to help? I think so. Young people immediately remember a time in their life when a friend went off the rails. Older people remember someone that they were desperately trying to connect with, on some level. I have a few people in my life that spring to mind. Two ended up doing well, both survivors (both alcoholics, by the way). The others haven't fared as well (one of these guys definitely had a drinking problem, the other may have a drug problem). I have a feeling they are both in jail. The lyrics to the song say, "I would have stayed up with you all night," - I've done that. Trying to talk to someone and reach them, to no avail.

Or do people love this song because they were the one that didn't get helped? Are there people out there that listen to this song and remember someone that couldn't help them (or they refused to let help them).

Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin

2010-07-13T07:22:00Z

As most Brian Wilson fans know, Brian was asked by the Gershwin estate to 'reimagine' some classic Gershwin songs and 'collaborate' with George and Ira.

It's a scary prospect, you know, to take on such legendary music (by another legend, no less). I think there were a lot of Wilson fans that were concerned about how this project would work out. Well, the last week or so, there was a song that was released on BrianWilson.com. The song is called "The Like In I Love You." It is based on an old Gershwin rarity called "Will You Remember Me."

Since the release of this song, the conversation has been 'where does Gershwin end and Wilson start?' It's an interesting question. To compare the songs, we'd have to hear the original Gershwin song. The original tune by George and Ira Gershwin was never officially released after it was composed. It was supposed to be included in the show "Lady Be Good" and performed by Fred Astaire. However, it was tossed out of the production and not heard very much since then.

It has since been recorded twice by Michael Feinstein. The first version was from a radio program he hosted called "Cabaret Americana" on Los Angeles station KCRW, September 3, 1990, a special Labor Day program. During the final hour of the show he was playing obscure Gershwin recordings or performing songs on the piano that had never been finished, or otherwise released. I am fortunate to have a copy of that program. Below is a snippet of that radio show. Michael Feinstein performing "Will You Remember Me." I am placing it here because it is very, very rare and of historical significance.

Will You Remember Me - Michael Feinstein from "Cabaret Americana"

The second version Michael Feinstein recorded was officially released on a CD called "Nice Work If You Can Get It." If you'd like to hear that, you should visit Amazon.com or iTunes. You can hear a snippet of it. It's really just a polished up version of the piano demo heard above. The 30 second snippet is probably sufficient.

You can listen to the new Brian Wilson recording on his website, Brianwilson.com.

Hope this helps.

Some Manilow Magic

2010-07-09T06:36:00Z

Earlier today, my daughter and I bought a rose bush. The name of this rose is "Daybreak." It's a nice pink flower. Later tonight, at dinner, I mentioned the name of the rose to my wife and she reminded me of the Barry Manilow song "Daybreak."

Anyone (in our age group) would remember this tune. It was on Barry's greatest hits and it was a good one. Actually, most of the songs on that Barry collection were pretty good. Manilow was at the top of his game during that era, late '70s. I have a fondness for some of the songs from the early '80s as well.

When I was a kid, my Mom gave me a present for my birthday. It was an educational toy, a computer with various 8-track tapes that you could answer questions - it was called "2XL." Get it? To Excel? Anyway. It was great because it could play any 8-track tape and it was portable. I used to drag it into the bathroom and blast songs while I was in the shower. I had the Manilow collection on 8-track so that was one I played over and over.

After we left dinner tonight, I found "Daybreak" on my iPod. We listened to it on the way home, singing as we drove. My daughter was in the back seat. She laughed when I put on "The Old Songs" and started singing to that as well.

(Here's what 2-XL looked like - circa 1978. From Wikipedia)

The Reason We're Here

2010-05-31T04:35:00Z

Dear faithful readers,

Once again, I am reminded that we serve a purpose here at AlbumLinerNotes.com.

Initially, our purpose was simply to archive Liner Notes online so they could be enjoyed by everyone. It soon became clear that a major part of our audience is the visually-impaired. I have received many emails from people that enjoy this site simply because it is readable. Recently, I found a two-disc compilation of Minnie Riperton music called "Petals - The Minnie Riperton Collection". It is a very well put together collection with the exception of the Liner Notes.

I've included an image of what we're up against.

I'm not sure who had the brilliant idea of putting the text over the image of the music but wow - this scan has actually made the image easier to read but there are four pages of this. Who could read this? I have a hard time reading this! I totally understand why I get so many happy emails from the visually-impaired. Our pursuit of 'art' has made so many things totally unusable for some people in our society.

Just another reason why we're here. To make it easier for everyone.

The First Podcast

2010-03-09T21:26:00Z

Spiritual Quality of Music, Part Two

2010-02-27T03:12:08Z

A few months back a good friend asked me to compile a CD of music for him. Actually, it was for another friend. This person was suffering from cancer and he wanted me to make a positive, uplifting CD of church music for her. It's was a tough one. First of all, I didn't personally know this person. I would have no preconceived notions about her personality, likes and dislikes, what type of music she enjoyed, etc. I didn't even know her name. Secondly, I was fairly new to the idea of worship music. I took the challenge and set off to compile this collection.

It wasn't easy. There was a lot of anxiety about it for me. One of the caveats that my friend Chris had said was, "nothing too obscure or random." That's my entire concept down the tubes! I think he was making reference to a CD of Beach Boy music I gave him during the summer. To me, it was obviously not random. I knew exactly what songs were supposed to be there and which I wanted to avoid. I also wanted to expose him to Beach Boy music that was a bit off the beaten path. So, okay, there were some obscure numbers there but they are all jewels.

When I started to focus on the songs that I wanted to place on this CD, I scoured iTunes for something that I connected with. I downloaded almost all of the songs. As I always do, I had to test drive the playing order for a few days to fine tune it. (Is that odd? I don't think so). The whole thing has to move and flow exactly right or the rhythm is off and it's not working for me. I ended up moving a few songs to other spots. I tried my best to avoid what I call the "Tomlin Effect." Too many Chris Tomlin songs throws the balance off.

Finally, I got it right. Even as a worship music novice, I could feel that it worked. Here's what I put on the CD, (if you want to play along):

1. Today Is The Day - Lincoln Brewster
2. Blessed Be Your Name - Tree63
3. Glorious - Chris Tomlin
4. Eternal - Sanctus Real
5. How Can I Keep From Singing (Acoustic) - Chris Tomlin
6. Open The Eyes of My Heart - Sonic Flood
7. Half Our Lives - Sanctus Real
8. Uncreated One - Chris Tomlin
9. God Is It True (Trust Me) - Steven Curtis Chapman
10. City On Our Knees - TobyMac
11. Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly) - Sanctus Real
12. Safe - Phil Wickham
13. Amazed - Phillips, Craig and Dean
14. Prodigal - Casting Crowns
15. My Refuge - Sonic Flood
16. Finally Home - MercyMe

For me, it worked great. As you can see, it has a bit of the "Tomlin Effect" - three Tomlin songs (but three Sanctus Real songs too, so there). These songs had to be there, it worked better with them included. I gave Chris the disc to give to his friend and I hoped that it did the job. It's hard to know if it brought anything to the table for her or not. I hope so though. I guess it doesn't matter too much, it helped me. Isn't that enough? It's helped the few friends that I've given it to so that means something.

Today, my friend Chris told me that his friend passed away yesterday. I was surprised by how much that impacted me. I mean, I never knew her except through my friends concern about her.

I happened to be driving so, I grabbed my iPod and put on this playlist one more time. This time it meant something totally different.

A New Adventure

2010-02-13T18:51:00Z

The last month has been quite an adventure. I started out putting together a small recording studio in my house. It’s so much easier to do using my Mac but I still had to track down the proper components to do it correctly. Once things were up and running, I started recording a few personal songs that tested things out well. When I felt comfortable with what I could achieve, I invited a couple of friends over to record some of their originals, or at least some demos. This is where the fun begins. These two guys have quite a few good songs up their sleeves. It’s been a lot of fun helping them sculpt the songs into the finished product, so to speak. I’ve also taken the opportunity to have them listen to other songs, discuss songwriting and songwriters and the various techniques that have been used in the past.

It’s been fun for me to re-hear songs that I’ve heard over and over, with new ears. Listening to lyrics and understanding that some songs are simple, sometimes the songwriter uses the same lyrics again and again. Some songs are more complicated. Some start with the chorus, some have no bridge, some have no instrumental breaks.

These guys (I won’t tell you their real names), let’s call them Tim and Rob – anyway – are pretty good songwriters. They have been really good at taking my recommendations and rearranging their songs a bit. Tim often uses more complicated chords and chord progressions. Rob doesn’t have the same experience on guitar but he’s moving along nicely. They both have nice voices, Rob can use a little more confidence but that will come in time. I think that there are quite a few of their friends that are talented and I’m looking forward to recording them at some point. I’ll keep you up to date. In the meantime, I need to come up with a good name for the studio.

The Spiritual Quality of Music

2009-12-10T00:43:00Z

I've been thinking about this since yesterday, December 8, of course brought on by the anniversary of John Lennon's murder (as an aside, I've decided to refer to it as the anniversary of his 'murder' not just the anniversary of his 'death'. I mean, why dilute the brutality of it?).

Anyway, I was playing a bunch of Lennon songs and was thinking about his spirituality. I mean, he was a famous contrarian - that is, he said one thing and then did (or said) another at a later date. I think he made that apparent in 'Revolution' when he, alternatively, said we could count him in and count him out (or 'Strawberry Fields Forever' with contradictions galore). Looking back through the years, it would seem that he was not a spiritual man at all, or at least did not have a belief in God but I think that would be incorrect.

First of all, I didn't know John Lennon and do not presume to speak for his spirituality but I can speak for the lyrics he wrote and sang (as I understand them, any way) - especially in his last LP "Double Fantasy." He was still a young man when this was recorded (and when he was murdered) but had many lifetimes of experiences to draw on. However, most people always refer to an even younger Lennon to point out his beliefs in God, the infamous "More Famous Than Jesus" quote. I really believe that he was totally misunderstood in that interview (and the subsequent firestorm), and was seriously dismayed at the Beatles level of fame as compared to Jesus' within the youth and culture as a whole. More people would probably clamor to see them than Jesus, if they had the choice. Possibly a true statement even today.

However, the Beatles collectively (and Lennon, individually) were constantly evolving and changing, not only musically but personally. I think that one should consider this in their evaluation of all humans, we grow and change (or we should be). If you're not growing or changing in some detectable manner, you should sit down and take a look in the mirror - something's wrong. Getting stuck in a rut is the kiss of death. The Beatles never got stuck in a rut because they were in constant movement.

The Beatles were always a positive group, spreading a positive vibe almost exclusively (however, Lennon did say in "I'm So Tired" that Sir Walter Raleigh was a 'stupid get') - they often reminded us listeners that "it's going to be alright." So much so that Yoko titled an album "It's Alright" as a continuation of that positivity.

It's John's positive outlook on life (on "Double Fantasy") that made his murder even more sad. From the very first song, '(Just Like) Starting Over', John's positive outlook and hope for the future is immediately noted. The lyrics to "Clean-Up Time" are looking forward, "now it begins, let it begin." He was ready to move forward - wherever that was. The only sign of negativity (or of marital discord) is "I'm Losing You." John references past actions that have affected Yoko and thus, their marriage.

"Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" is a simply a masterpiece. From the beginning, with the sound of the ocean, bell, heartbeat bass drum and mouth clicks - it's the perfect love song for a child. The positive outlook on this one is heartbreaking - "every day, in every way, it's getting better and better." The playful "Ocean," "Sean" and "Patient" parts of the bridge. Ending with the spoken words "Good night Sean, see you in the morning." This is the one song that directly mentions prayer, which I don't believe John had ever used in a song before.

One of my favorites is "Watching The Wheels." His total satisfaction with being on the sidelines is refreshing and revealing. He says "I tell them there's no problems, only solutions." I love the Buddy Holly hiccup he uses on these recordings, on this song and the beginning of "Dear Yoko."

"Woman" is another gem. If only for pulling off the rare wordless chorus (yes, I don't consider "well, well" words this time) and no bridge.

Even more notable is one of the bonus tracks on the CD, "Help Me To Help Myself." This gospel-tinged demo speaks of the 'Lord helping those who help themselves' and asking the Lord for help. An interesting song. John Lennon was definitely not afraid to explore whatever subject and musical style he desired. Does any of this mean that he had become more spiritual in his late-thirties? Don't know, probably won't ever know but it's interesting to me.

I've always thought that the miracle of child-birth makes a person suddenly spiritual (on some level). How can you not think about God during the moments after a child is born. Perhaps watching his son grow (which he didn't get to enjoy with Julian) made John Lennon gain a little perspective in his belief of God (or at least a higher power), and those thoughts worked their way into his writing.

It's certainly not theory to presume that musicians (and the people who love music) know that music has a spiritual component to it. When a song connects with you, it's usually not on an intellectual level - it hits you in the heart, sends chills down your spine and makes you stand at attention.

As Carl Wilson said, "...well, the music does have a spiritual quality to it. And it's something that we were aware of when we would do the sessions because you'd hear all the sound coming out and it was just an indescribable thing that it did to the environment. You know, you'd be in a room and you'd hear this noise coming over speakers and you'd be resonating with it. Of course, that's just a basic truth about music is that music is an expression of spirit. And it's a living expression so it has a real people connector because people are spirit."

Thanks for that, Carl. He hit it right on the head (that is a transcript of a clip from the "Hawthorne" CD, by the way). I think he is not only correct but this concept of music as spirit couldn't be just a thing that The Beach Boys understood. During that time (and this one) artists know that their work has a spiritual component to it.

Some Contemporary Christian artists have been able to take their music to another level by acknowledging the inherent spirituality of music (sometimes sounding a little too much like U2 in the process but it's cool). Regardless, they have used music to make church worship a powerful and moving experience simply by using words and music.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this, when we remove the spirit from music, the spirit of life and love, we lose a lot. Some artists have forgotten this. They shouldn't be so concerned with making music for the sake of selling ringtones, they should be more concerned about their legacy as an artist and the music they leave behind.

Remembering John Lennon

2009-12-09T06:35:00Z

I'm sitting here tonight, listening to some John Lennon - "Double Fantasy" (okay, I'll admit it - I'm skipping the Yoko songs). My daughter wanted me to play "Imagine" tonight but I can't do it. I remember exactly the first time I heard that song, after John was murdered, Listening to John Lennon songs before his death took on a new meaning after his death, as you can imagine (no pun intended).

Let's back up a bit first, about 45 minutes. I was watching a show on television called "Ladies Man" on CBS with my sister and her boyfriend, we were also playing a game - "Risk." It was just past 8 pm. The phone rang, it was my friend Peter. He was telling me that he heard on the radio that John had been shot. I hadn't heard anything about it so we hung up. I went back to the living room and told my sister what Peter said. Then there was a special report, it was Connie Chung (my heart still sinks when these come on the T.V.). We turned around to hear what they had to say and they told us the news. John Lennon was dead. I didn't know what to say. I got up and went back to the phone. I called Peter back and his sister answered, we spoke for a brief moment. I hung up and decided that I wanted to take the dog out for some fresh air. I had to get out of that apartment. I went downstairs, with my dog, and we started walking. That's when I heard "Imagine" anew - a car was slowly driving by and the song was blaring from the speakers. It was a like a stab in the dark, hearing that song. I haven't really been interested in hearing it again. Don't get me wrong, I love the song and have listened to it often since 1980 but it wouldn't be my first pick.

More Remasters

2009-10-14T22:16:55Z

I am continuing to listen to the Sgt. Pepper remastered CD. It is truly
amazing that this album was recorded using the arcane technology
available. It's a challenge to modern recordings to step up to the
plate and a sad reminder of what is missing in music today.

Beatle Remasters

2009-10-12T21:29:32Z

Well, I was really torn about the new Beatle remasters that were
recently released. First of all, I wasn't sure if it was better to wait
and buy the box sets individually or pick up the ones I really wanted
separately. Secondly, I'm confused about what's even available -
there's mono versions, stereo versions, etc. So I didn't race out to
grab them on 9/9/09.

This weekend, I happened to see them and had a few bucks in my pocket.
I decided to buy two of them. Decision time - it came down to "Sgt.
Pepper" and "The Beatles" (the White Album). Here are some observations
(mind you, I don't contend that I'm an expert in audio, recording,
Beatle history and all other versions that exist):

First of all, the hiss level is virtually gone for these releases. The
bass is much more prominent, there's a punch that wasn't there before.
These new reissues sure remind you why the Beatles were so good. "With
A Little Help From My Friends" sounds fantastic. The drums and bass are
great. Ringo's drumming is perfect (of course, the sound of them in the
mix is great). There are things that are suddenly evident and I'm not
sure if I heard them before or if I am just hearing them. The subtle
opening of the hi-hat. In the final verse of the song, starting with
the line "Would you believe in a love at first sight" there is a cymbal
ride that I never noticed before. The stereo spectrum is great on "Sgt.
Pepper" particularly, there is much movement between the two channels.

On "Lucy In The Sky," John's voice isn't phased (that was the problem
with the new mix for "Yellow Submarine" - to me, anyway). There was a
bit too much phasing on his voice (even though it was much more forward
in the mix). I remember first hearing this song and wondering what was
wrong with it. It was from the "Blue Album" greatest hits package but
we were used to hearing Elton John's version (this was the 70's, kids).
I was surprised to hear the original versions of "Got To Get You Into
My Life" too, since we only knew the Earth, Wind & Fire version.

More to come.....

The Build and The Flow

2009-10-01T04:15:35Z

One of the things that you can always count on in a well constructed
song is (what I call) the "Build" and the "Flow". The Build is the slow
introduction of instruments into the song. This is often evident in
Motown songs - (especially Holland/Dozier/Holland songs). One of the
best examples of this is the Supremes song "Where Did Our Love Go." The
slow introduction of instruments, background vocals, horns is a shining
example of this technique. Once you have heard this style of recording,
you will hear it in a bunch of different songs. It's pretty fun to hear.

The Flow is a bit harder to explain. For me, the "Flow" are particular
chords (or harmonic movement) that takes it to another level. This term
was basically coined for Brian Wilson songs. The Flow of his tunes are
pretty amazing. If you can't hear it, or feel it, you're not going to
understand. Brian used to call them "feels" and that is only the way to
feel a "flow." Sorry.

When Music Becomes Timeless

2009-09-05T07:51:00Z

I was thinking a couple of days ago that there is a particular moment in time that captures a song, that makes it part of your own personal soundtrack. I can remember the first time I heard a song, what was going on in my life or even a particular day or specific memory. However, there are many more songs that have no memory attached to them. They have always just existed, part of the environment or the atmosphere.

I think that my kids will have that more of that in their lives than I did. Sure, I was exposed to music that my mother loved and played at home but I listened to my own music as well. That was enough for me to have imprinted plenty of memories in my mind. My kids are going to have many more songs in their musical soundtrack since they have the music that I love being blasted all around them. Are they going to remember a specific day or event or just the song existed. I think that's when a song becomes timeless, when you can no longer place where you first heard it. It has always been there for you, like an old friend that just pops his head around the corner to say hello.

Recently, I've been able to connect an old tape player to my computer and I started transferring old cassettes. It's interesting to hear some of the things that I recorded, some of which aren't worth the time and effort of transferring. Some are just cool old recordings of school choirs and obscure band performances (at a Halloween party in 1987). I find it very interesting that I can remember so many specific memories with these recordings, they come flooding back. I wish I hadn't recorded over so much cool stuff (I had to, there was more cool stuff to record and I couldn't run out and buy another tape!).

The Power of A Great "Woo."

2009-07-11T00:26:00Z

A few days ago, my daughter and I were going through YouTube watching videos. We were specifically looking for Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" since Entertainment Weekly had picked it as Michael's best video ever. We watched it and then moved on to Marvin Gaye. The video we watched was "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" - Marvin's duet with Tammi Terrell.

This has always been one of my favorite songs, it's as close to perfect as you can get - perfect songwriting, perfect arrangement, perfect recording, perfect production, perfect performance. My favorite part of the whole song though, is a Marvin "Woo" - it happens right as they come out of the bridge, into a key change. Tammi sings the lyric "My love is alive" and Marvin sings his woo. It is a woo of pure joy.

Last night I was watching "Almost Famous" (the extended version) - it's one of my favorite films (for many reasons but "Feel Flows" on the end credits is enough). Anyway, there's a scene in the movie when Stillwater's lead guitarist Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup) tells William Miller (Patrick Fugit) that there's a great part of Marvin Gaye's "What's Happening Brother" (off of "What's Going On") where he sings a perfect "woo."

I couldn't believe he said that, since my daughter looked at me like I was crazy when I told her about Marvin's woo. See, I'm not crazy!

A Michael Jackson Story

2009-06-25T22:54:00Z

As the U2 song states, "I can't believe the news today" - it is exactly the same today as in August of 1977. My brother broke the news to me about Elvis and, now, Michael Jackson. Although I'm not comparing the two, it's a sad day nonetheless. He was an icon. He had accomplished so much and, unfortunately, wasn't able to hit those heights again.

There was a time when we wondered what he would sound like next, what he would look like? In 1987, when the "Bad" album was released, there was so much excitement. There was also confusion with the first song "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." I remember hearing that song and not being able to figure out why it was released first (later I realized that it was the weakest song on the album, not unlike "The Girl Is Mine" being released first off of "Thriller" - even though I think there are weaker songs on the album.)

In the late fall of 1984, Michael Jackson and his brothers had reformed the Jacksons. They had recorded and released a song with Mick Jagger earlier that year, "State of Shock." The Jacksons had plans to tour, this included Jermaine, so they were technically the Jackson 6 not the 5 they were in the seventies.

This tour was going to be huge but there were complications. The tickets had to be purchased in blocks of four and they were expensive. One ticket cost $30.00 and that was a huge chunk of change at the time. There was no way I was going to go.

One evening, while I was at work, my brother showed up. He said that we should go to the concert. They were at Dodger Stadium and we might be able to buy a ticket from a scalper. So we went. Our needs were simple - two tickets - together, on the floor. We wandered around, trying to be cool, asking the crowd if anyone had tickets. Eventually, we stumbled upon a couple that had two tickets on the floor. They had purchased the four tickets for themselves and another couple but they had a fight and refused to come. They told us they were good seats and we bought them, face value.

We headed into the stadium, our tickets said we were in Row 2 - but in that huge area, there had to be dozens of Row 2's. There were at least twenty different sections. We eventually had to seek the help of an usher. He looked at our tickets and pointed down the line, "Follow these numbers til you hit 2," he said. We started walking down the aisle and the stage loomed larger and larger. We soon realized that we were in the actual Row 2! It was unbelievable luck! We looked down the row to our seats and there was the other couple.

The show was fantastic. It was magical to see Michael Jackson's feet moving that close up. There were moments when it seems that he was dancing on liquid, it was so smooth and fluid. I picked up a shirt that night and a program. I'm glad to have them both.

Thank you, Michael.

Best Female Vocalist(s) - 20th Century

2009-06-15T08:06:00Z

This one is pure opinion but here we go: I believe that the best female vocalists of the 20th Century were: 1) Ella Fitzgerald and; 2) Karen Carpenter.

Obviously, there are going to be many people who have their own opinion about this one, but here's my logic: Ella had the greatest female voice, period. She was a master of essentially every song she sang. I prefer Ella's voice from the 50's on, once she found her groove so to speak. I don't dig 'the young Ella' voice as much (although you can't deny it's brilliance). She was the best at scatting, too. Ella made it sound easy, it flowed from her like she was speaking in tongues. You can definitely hear it when someone has to work at scatting, it's almost painful to listen to. You can feel them thinking about the next note, Ella never did that. It was simply a beauty to behold.

Karen Carpenter had simply the purest tone of voice. For this reason, I believe that she would be the second best singer of the 20th Century. If Ella and Karen were actually contemporaries, that is; if they performed the same style of music, this would be a tough call but since they rarely sang the same stuff - it's easy to separate them. I love listening to her sing, you can hear the delicacy of her voice on "Rainy Days and Mondays." It's a great tune, but I love so many of her songs I can't pick one particular one. Well, that's what I think. What do you think?

VH1 Countdowns

2009-05-04T05:26:00Z

I spent a chunk of today watching a VH1 Countdown of the 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s. There's very little to complain here about the music and videos that were playing but - (you knew that was coming, right?) - my main complaint is the guys (and girls) that they have commenting.

I have to insist that the people commenting on the songs have to be old enough to remember them!

FYI: The number one song was (spoiler alert):

Come On Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners

Documentary Rant

2009-05-03T06:14:00Z

Recently, I watched a couple of music documentaries that bothered me. First of all, let me say, I love documentaries that try their best to explain the way things were in the music world. Whether it's trying to define the era, the music or our culture at the time. They can be extraordinarily useful when you are trying to educate young people (or the ignorant, haha).

Well, the first doc was about Queen, the rock group. It may have been on the Biography channel. This particular one was a little infuriating. The problem with the bio was that it basically blamed Queen's failure to chart (after 1980) on American homophobia. What? That's the most preposterous thing I've ever heard. The reason Queen stopped charting after "The Game" was that their music wasn't as good as it had been. Truth be told. Nobody wanted to hear some of those songs. To say that we didn't support them because we were typical close-minded Americans is ludicrous. Frankly, a lot of kids of that era didn't even make the connection that Freddie Mercury was gay (after all, we loved the Village People, remember?). Only until Boy George came around in 1982 was it even an issue (or mentioned in the press), at least as I recall.

The other one was in a similar vein. This one was one just a couple of days ago on Ovation. Normally, I love Ovation (remember the Yoko doc I went on about a few days ago - well, that was on Ovation). Anyway, it was about disco. Basically, they blamed the end of the disco era on a repudiation of hedonism and gay culture. Again - what? If disco did truly come out of New York gay clubs how would kids in middle America or even L.A. (where I was) make that connection?

They said that it was obviously a repudiation of gay culture because of the "Disco Sucks" phrase. You know, people only said that because of the gay thing. Uh, people say something 'sucks' all the time and they are not referencing gay sex (that sort of thing happens in straight sex too, you know?). I don't get that, at all. I think that if you're going to make a documentary about something, perhaps you shouldn't use the same four 'experts' over and over. Expand your horizons a bit.

As far as I recall, disco ended because, like all things, it ran it's course. It was it's time to go and we moved onto other things (like Punk and New Wave or whatever). Donna Summer, the Bee Gees, Gloria Gaynor - whomever, they couldn't keep that going forever.

I guess I feel that these documentaries, which go into our musical lexicon, need to be a little better. I think it's a little lame to try to explain the disco era in an hour documentary (or Queen for that matter) - for starters.

Well, that's bothering me tonight, trusty readers. Thanks for joining me.