Sometimes there is a band, like Blind Melon, that has a lead singer who brings all of the goods…and a supporting cast that just can’t seem to take it to the next level. One of the best examples of this is Matchbox Twenty. As was evidenced on the Santana hit “Smooth”, when you put a great band behind Rob Thomas, you’d better look out. But, with his home base band Matchbox Twenty, the charismatic Thomas is held back by his compadres.
So true. I'd rather be listening to the Grammy Award-winning 1999 hit Smooth by Santana Feat. Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty off the multi-platinum album Supernatural. _________________ Join us in the canon game :) / Add me on RYM
RADIOHEAD
OK COMPUTER
1997 – CAPITOL
Produced By RADIOHEAD & NIGEL GODRICH
1. Airbag
2. Paranoid Android
3. Subterranean Homesick Alien
4. Exit Music (For A Film)
5. Let Down
6. Karma Police
7. Fitter Happier
8. Electioneering
9. Climbing Up The Walls
10. No Surprises
11. Lucky
12. The Tourist
What’s the greatest album ever made? Is it Sgt. Pepper? Dark Side Of The Moon? Led Zeppelin IV? More people than you think will say it’s actually Radiohead’s third album, OK Computer. Released 25 years after the Pink Floyd masterpiece, it really is that good. Radiohead came a very long way in the short time between their debut album, Pablo Honey, a flat straight ahead rock album featuring one great song (“Creep”) and the follow up, the excellent The Bends. But no one could have predicted that OK Computer would be what it is. The band tried to distance themselves from the guitar rock of the first two albums, and created a stunning landscape that bands ever since have been trying unsuccessfully to duplicate. They have been very good since, but OK Computer is one of those rare magical musical intersections where absolutely everything works. Like Sgt. Pepper. Like Dark Side. This album is that good, without a doubt.
Everything works, and everything fits together. From the heaviness of “Paranoid Android”, to the dreamy “No Surprises”, the immediacy of “Karma Police”, and even the strange, Steven Hawking like “Fitter, Happier”…everything here has a purpose, and melds with everything else perfectly. OK Computer does not have a single weak track, or a single weak moment on it, and if you think I may be exaggerating by comparing it to the best work of the Gods of classic rock, then you should sit down with a good set of speakers (or headphones) and immerse yourself in this album. This album is well deserving of all of the accolades it has received, and is just as good, if not better, than the classics that preceded it. Is OK Computer the greatest album of all time? It may or may not be, but it has absolutely earned the right to at least be in that discussion. A perfect album, and a must, must have.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
GOO GOO DOLLS
DIZZY UP THE GIRL
1998 – WARNER BROS.
Produced By ROB CAVALLO & GOO GOO DOLLS
1. Dizzy
2. Slide
3. Broadway
4. January Friend
5. Black Balloon
6. Bullet Proof
7. Amigone
8. All Eyes On Me
9. Full Forever
10. Acoustic #3
11. Iris
12. Extra Pale
13. Hate This Place
One of the most unfortunately named rock bands of all time, Goo Goo Dolls spent years trying to shake off comparisons to The Replacements, which made about as much sense as their unfortunate name. By the release of Dizzy up The Girl, their sixth album, they had already had a decent sized taste of success with the song “Name” (from the unfortunately titled album A Boy Named Goo), but it was the inclusion of “Iris” in the film City Of Angels that really made them stars. This album boasted five singles, and is polished and cleaned up so much that previous recordings sound not much like this one. In short, the Goo’s set out to make a massively successful pop album, and in that regard, they accomplished what they were after. The reality, though, is that no matter how much you polish up a set of average songs, they are still going to be average songs. And Dizzy Up The Girl is nothing more than average.
The best song here is, of course, “Iris”, which is the strongest melody the band has ever written. The album balances the ballads and the rockers pretty evenly, and while “Slide”, “Black Balloon” and “Dizzy” are pretty good, there’s nothing that really sticks as “Iris” does. Johnny Rzeznik doesn’t have much to say, and the band never really kicks it into a higher gear. The result of all of this is that Dizzy Up The Girl is pleasant enough to not be off-putting, cleaned up enough to not be offensive, and poppy enough to make you believe that it might just be better than it really is. The reality is that this album is just perfectly average, decent but never great from beginning to end. Which has been the story of the Goo’s career. They have never been better than on this album…and they have never really been any worse. The one album that sits right at the very center of the musical universe, average in every way? Dizzy Up The Girl.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
JOHNNY CASH
AMERICAN IV: THE MAN COMES AROUND
2002 – AMERICAN
Produced By RICK RUBIN & JOHN CARTER CASH
1. The Man Comes Around
2. Hurt
3. Give My Love To Rose
4. Bridge Over Troubled Water
5. I Hung My Head
6. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
7. Personal Jesus
8. In My Life
9. Sam Hall
10. Danny Boy
11. Desperado
12. I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
13. Tear Stained Letter
14. Streets Of Laredo
15. We’ll Meet Again
American IV is Johnny Cash’s 87th album, and the last before his death in 2003. It’s also the fourth in the American series, produced by Rick Rubin and which brought Cash back to the forefront of music at the end of his life. Due in large part to a cover of the Nine Inch Nails song “Hurt”, and the powerful video that went with it, the album became Cash’s biggest seller in decades, and won a slew of awards…talk about going out with a bang. That was Johnny Cash…stranger than fiction, bigger than life. But American IV is about so much more than “Hurt”…it’s a 70 year old man being relevant in a young man’s game. It’s the perfect blend of an old soul with much younger music. It’s an album of farewells, and of dealings with death and the devil himself. American IV is the strongest of the series, the most powerful, and more than anything else, it’s Johnny Cash strapping on that black guitar over his black clothes and giving it one last go before leaving us for good.
The album is loaded with surprising covers. “Hurt”, of course. But also the Depeche Mode hit “Personal Jesus”. The Eagles “Desperado”. The Beatles “In My Life”. Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (a strange duet with Fiona Apple). He even covers Sting. And, fittingly, Cash’s special take on the saddest song ever written, the Hank Williams classic “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”. But even deeper is the Cash original “When The Man Comes Around”, a brilliant track lost in the hype of “Hurt”. It’s everything that was ever great about the man in one fine song. He also revisits his own past recordings with new takes on “Give My Love To Rose”, “Tear Stained Letter”, and “Sam Hall”. American IV is perfect with all of its flaws, and is ultimately the best way for a man to write his own epitaph. Warts and all, Johnny Cash really did have one more great album in him, and he was able to make it before he died in 2003, just a few months after his wife June. God bless Johnny Cash. Always.
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1. Get Miles
2. Whippin’ Piccadilly
3. Make No Sound
4. 78 Stone Wobble
5. Tijuana Lady
6. Here Comes The Breeze
7. Love Is Better Than A Warm Trombone
8. Get Myself Arrested
9. Free To Run
10. Bubble Gum Years
11. Rie’s Wagon
12. The Comeback
The problem with Gomez, the British band with the Spanish name, has always been identity. They have been labeled by critics since their inception as a blues band, even though they are about as much about the blues as Beyonce is about metal. They’ve never quite hit it big on either side of the Atlantic, despite being heaped with acclaim
on both sides. And they are blessed with three lead singers, although one of them (Ben Ottewell) sounds so different from the other two that he almost sounds out of place. Despite these obstacles, Gomez has soldiered on, showing that they do indeed have the stuff it takes, and that they have the ability to pull some great songs out of their collective hats. Bring It On is their debut album, and despite winning the 1998 Mercury Music Prize for best new album over a collection of much bigger discs, it remains something of an unknown entity.
The strength of Bring It On is in a trio of excellent songs. “78 Stone Wobble”, “Whippin’ Piccadilly”, and “Get Myself Arrested” are as good as anything that was a hit in 1998. Also exceptional is the 9 minute workout of the underrated “Rie’s Wagon”. This quartet of songs exhibit loads of promise for Gomez, proving that they can not only write good, catchy material, but that they also have the chops to stretch out and play extended tracks. After these four, however, things settle quickly into below average. The band plays well, sings well, but just didn’t have this much great material at their disposal. Not even a song title like “Love Is Better Than A Warm Trombone” can lift it above being nothing more than filler. In all, the album has great highs and puzzling lows, a decent but unspectacular debut from a band looking for an identity. Still, Gomez is highly interesting and adventurous, so any of their albums are pretty worthwhile.
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GOLDEN SMOG
DOWN BY THE OLD MAINSTREAM
1995 – RYKODISC
Produced By GOLDEN SMOG & SIR JAMES BUNCHBERRY
1. V
2. Ill Fated
3. Pecan Pie
4. Yesterday Cried
5. Glad & Sorry
6. Won’t be Coming Home
7. He’s A Dick
8. Walk Where He Walked
9. Nowhere Bound
10. Friend
11. She Didn’t Have To See You
12. Red Headed Stepchild
13. Williamton Angel
14. Radio King
Bands are rarely as much fun as Golden Smog. Not exactly a supergroup (because they really do not take themselves seriously at all), the lineage of this group is often more entertaining than their albums. The core and constant members are Gary Louris and Marc Perlman (Jayhawks), Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum), and Kraig Johnson (Run Westy Run), with a revolving door that includes members of Wilco, Big Star, and The Replacements. Originally conceived as a blow off steam cover band, they added Jeff Tweedy for their full length debut album, Down By The Old Mainstream. It contains all of the things that make the band so much fun, and it also has enough weaknesses to make you wonder, “what if?”. The band has an arsenal of three very good songwriters in Tweedy, Louris and Murphy, and the members are all excellent players. So, what in the world could possibly go wrong with a project like this?
On the plus side, the songs by the above listed three are all very good. The real highlights are in Louris’ “V” and “Won’t Be Coming Home”, Tweedy’s “Pecan Pie”, and Murphy’s “Ill Fated”. The collaboration “Radio King” and the Ronnie Lane cover, “Glad & Sorry”, are also excellent choices. But…the album sounds as if it was recorded almost in one take. There is not a whole lot of care taken to make sure things are right (particularly vocally), which makes for some pretty sloppy performances. And, the band’s biggest weakness, Kraig Johnson, sings and writes more songs than anyone else, and they are all significantly lesser tracks than the ones contributed by the other members. With a bit more thought, this album could have been great…more care in the studio, less emphasis on Johnson, and a little bit more desire to be more than just a fun side project would make the high moments on this album really stand out. Fun, uneven, entertaining, and man, I wish they would have cared more.
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Of dying history
KANSAS
LEFTOVERTURE
1976 – EPIC
Produced By JEFF GLIXMAN & KANSAS
1. Carry On Wayward Son
2. The Wall
3. What’s On My Mind
4. Miracles Out Of Nowhere
5. Opus Insert
6. Questions Of My Childhood
7. Cheyenne Anthem
8. Magnum Opus
Progressive rock in the 70’s was a big deal…big enough for bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes and Genesis to be getting significant radio play with catchy pop songs that were completely out of character. Into that mix fell Kansas, an American entry into the prog game that was mostly dominated by British bands. Kansas had made three albums that almost no one even noticed, and singer Steve Walsh (who, a decade later, would have undoubtedly been fronting a hair metal band) had come down with a case of writers block. Enter keyboardist Kerry Livgren, who not only kept the prog ship on track, but who also had a handful of pop hits up his sleeve. Four, to be exact. Kansas would enjoy its day in the sun, thanks to “Carry On Wayward Son” and “What’s On My Mind” from Leftoverture, followed by “Point Of Know Return” and “Dust In The Wind” from the next album…and then it was back to being obscure for Kansas.
The two hits are catchy indeed, and when not overplayed as they were during the 70’s, they sound pretty good on Classic Rock radio. Also, to their credit, they kept everything under the ten minute mark, and the band most definitely had the chops for progressive rock. About as good as American prog ever got. But, despite the album title, these guys really took themselves way too seriously, and they drive that home with instrumental attacks like “Magnum Opus”. Kansas soldiered on and made 16 studio albums before they were through (they are still out there somewhere), and they were actually pretty much a Christian band by 1983. They never came close to matching their commercial peak of Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return. This is the best you’ll find from them, a band that was at their best in the beginning of the stadium rock excess of the 70’s. And their best is very much average at best.
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Of dying history
DEAD KENNEDYS
FRESH FRUIT FOR ROTTING VEGETABLES
1980-CHERRY RED
Produced By NORM & EAST BAY RAY
1. Kill The Poor
2. Forward To Death
3. When Ya Get Drafted
4. Let’s Lynch The Landlord
5. Drug Me
6. Your Emotions
7. Chemical Warfare
8. California Uber Alles
9. I Kill Children
10. Stealing People’s Mail
11. Funland At The Beach
12. Ill In The Head
13. Holiday In Cambodia
14. Viva Las Vegas
Relentlessly fast, unwaveringly political and snotty as hell are some of the best things about the best of punk, and Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, the debut album of American punk band Dead Kennedys, has all three with ease. For these reasons, the band and the album are viewed as highly important documents in punk history. But, the album does come with flaws, and can be a difficult listen because of those flaws. The star of the show is singer Jello Biafra, a man with political convictions reminiscent of those of the Sex Pistols, American style. Because of the political nature of the songs, it can sound a bit dated, but some of the messages (“Kill The Poor”) still resonate today. Biafra is dead on with some of these songs, the best of their career…”When Ya Get Drafted”, “Chemical Warfare”, and “California Uber Alles” are some of the best punk songs ever written.
So, what goes wrong here? Mostly, it’s the music. Relentlessly fast can be a blessing, but in this case, it’s more of a curse. It’s especially glaring when Biafra isn’t singing…the band eschews any kind of emotion for what is simply raw speed, and it makes for a tedious listen at times. As excellent as many of these songs are, they lose a lot of their power by being imply hammered out at lightning speed without any kind of variation. It’s unfortunate, because this could have been the greatest of all American punk albums. Instead, you’ll need to take this in small doses or it might just put you to sleep. They only made three more albums before disbanding in 1986, with none of the three having the songwriting that’s featured here. Overall, this is the Dead Kennedys album to have, a landmark of American punk, but an album with flaws that almost kill the experience. Almost.
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Of dying history
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
KANSAS
LEFTOVERTURE
1976 – EPIC
Produced By JEFF GLIXMAN & KANSAS
1. Carry On Wayward Son
2. The Wall
3. What’s On My Mind
4. Miracles Out Of Nowhere
5. Opus Insert
6. Questions Of My Childhood
7. Cheyenne Anthem
8. Magnum Opus
Progressive rock in the 70’s was a big deal…big enough for bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes and Genesis to be getting significant radio play with catchy pop songs that were completely out of character. Into that mix fell Kansas, an American entry into the prog game that was mostly dominated by British bands. Kansas had made three albums that almost no one even noticed, and singer Steve Walsh (who, a decade later, would have undoubtedly been fronting a hair metal band) had come down with a case of writers block. Enter keyboardist Kerry Livgren, who not only kept the prog ship on track, but who also had a handful of pop hits up his sleeve. Four, to be exact. Kansas would enjoy its day in the sun, thanks to “Carry On Wayward Son” and “What’s On My Mind” from Leftoverture, followed by “Point Of Know Return” and “Dust In The Wind” from the next album…and then it was back to being obscure for Kansas.
The two hits are catchy indeed, and when not overplayed as they were during the 70’s, they sound pretty good on Classic Rock radio. Also, to their credit, they kept everything under the ten minute mark, and the band most definitely had the chops for progressive rock. About as good as American prog ever got. But, despite the album title, these guys really took themselves way too seriously, and they drive that home with instrumental attacks like “Magnum Opus”. Kansas soldiered on and made 16 studio albums before they were through (they are still out there somewhere), and they were actually pretty much a Christian band by 1983. They never came close to matching their commercial peak of Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return. This is the best you’ll find from them, a band that was at their best in the beginning of the stadium rock excess of the 70’s. And their best is very much average at best.
Two counters.
1. While they went full on Christian y the mid 80s, that was largely Livgen's influence and with his departure later on, those tendencies diminished and they went back to being a solid if less commercially successful American prog band.
2. Their worst is average. Their norm is well above 99%, and their best?.... Untouchable. While they had a good number of lineup changes, they were almost always comprised of astonishingly talented musicians who somehow still managed to make the whole greater than the sum of their parts. They way they layered, transitioned, and flat out combined intricacies has never been equaled this side of Yes or Rush. I really came to understand this when playin in a cover band during my college years. We could easily nail any of the straight ahead metal or classic rock of the day. We struggled with Rush, but could at least make an admirably listenable go of it. But we were neve satisfied with our attempts at Kansas. There's a special magic in there that mere mortals can not duplicate.
Chops, feel, songwriting, musicianship, orchestration, delivery.... dudes flat out had it all.
KANSAS
LEFTOVERTURE
1976 – EPIC
Produced By JEFF GLIXMAN & KANSAS
1. Carry On Wayward Son
2. The Wall
3. What’s On My Mind
4. Miracles Out Of Nowhere
5. Opus Insert
6. Questions Of My Childhood
7. Cheyenne Anthem
8. Magnum Opus
Progressive rock in the 70’s was a big deal…big enough for bands like Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes and Genesis to be getting significant radio play with catchy pop songs that were completely out of character. Into that mix fell Kansas, an American entry into the prog game that was mostly dominated by British bands. Kansas had made three albums that almost no one even noticed, and singer Steve Walsh (who, a decade later, would have undoubtedly been fronting a hair metal band) had come down with a case of writers block. Enter keyboardist Kerry Livgren, who not only kept the prog ship on track, but who also had a handful of pop hits up his sleeve. Four, to be exact. Kansas would enjoy its day in the sun, thanks to “Carry On Wayward Son” and “What’s On My Mind” from Leftoverture, followed by “Point Of Know Return” and “Dust In The Wind” from the next album…and then it was back to being obscure for Kansas.
The two hits are catchy indeed, and when not overplayed as they were during the 70’s, they sound pretty good on Classic Rock radio. Also, to their credit, they kept everything under the ten minute mark, and the band most definitely had the chops for progressive rock. About as good as American prog ever got. But, despite the album title, these guys really took themselves way too seriously, and they drive that home with instrumental attacks like “Magnum Opus”. Kansas soldiered on and made 16 studio albums before they were through (they are still out there somewhere), and they were actually pretty much a Christian band by 1983. They never came close to matching their commercial peak of Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return. This is the best you’ll find from them, a band that was at their best in the beginning of the stadium rock excess of the 70’s. And their best is very much average at best.
Two counters.
1. While they went full on Christian y the mid 80s, that was largely Livgen's influence and with his departure later on, those tendencies diminished and they went back to being a solid if less commercially successful American prog band.
2. Their worst is average. Their norm is well above 99%, and their best?.... Untouchable. While they had a good number of lineup changes, they were almost always comprised of astonishingly talented musicians who somehow still managed to make the whole greater than the sum of their parts. They way they layered, transitioned, and flat out combined intricacies has never been equaled this side of Yes or Rush. I really came to understand this when playin in a cover band during my college years. We could easily nail any of the straight ahead metal or classic rock of the day. We struggled with Rush, but could at least make an admirably listenable go of it. But we were neve satisfied with our attempts at Kansas. There's a special magic in there that mere mortals can not duplicate.
Chops, feel, songwriting, musicianship, orchestration, delivery.... dudes flat out had it all.
I can appreciate your points. And while I do agree that these guys had the instrumental chops to stand alongside pretty much anyone, I just don't think that they had the accessible songs to match. I get your cover band experience...I played with guys who straight up feared Kansas, and wouldn't even try to bring their songs in. _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
And crashing through the walls
Of dying history
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