THE KINKS
MUSWELL HILBILLIES
1971-RCA
Produced By RAY DAVIES
1. 20th Century Man
2. Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues
3. Holiday
4. Skin & Bone
5. Alcohol
6. Complicated Life
7. Here Come The people In Grey
8. Have A Cuppa Tea
9. Holloway Jail
10. Oklahoma USA
11. Uncle Son
12. Muswell Hillbilly
13. Mountain Woman
14. Kentucky Moon
Muswell Hillbillies is one of the most frustrating albums in my collection. It has a very acoustic feel from the opening of “20th Century Man”, and includes elements of rock and country. The characters are middle class working people dealing with prolems like alcoholism, mental illness, and just being middle class people. It’s exceptionally well played. I always think that it should be one of my favorite albums of all time, but it’s just not. Why?
The downside of Muswell Hillbillies is that Ray Davies fills the album with music hall sounding numbers. The result is an album that sounds like a collection of covers from the 1930’s. Most of these tracks are very good (“Alcohol”, “Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues”, “Holiday”, “Have A Cuppa Tea”)…it’s just that there are so many of them. Davies would have been better served to lean more towards rock and country with this one, especially given the raw sound the band achieves on the album. As it is, Muswell Hillbillies is a very good album, but it will unfortunately never be one of my favorites. After this album, The Kinks went way down the road of overblown production…this is the last one with everything relatively toned down.
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ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
1985-DOT
Produced By RAY BENSON
1. Deep Water
2. Cool As A Breeze
3. Liar’s Moon
4. Your Red Wagon
5. The Way We Make A Broken Heart
6. You Wanna Give Me A Lift
7. Write Your Own Song
8. Across The Alley From The Alamo
9. Lonely Avenue Revisited
10. Midnight In Memphis
Ray Benson formed Western Swing band Asleep At The Wheel in 1969…and through 43 years of ups and downs and always changing band membership (there have been over 90 members), Benson remains the one constant. They started off opening for the likes of Alice Cooper and Hot Tuna, but later evolved into one of the most respected institutions in Country music. They aren’t very well known otherwise, but in Country circles, AATW is one of the greats. In 1985, they released this album, their second self titled set, to what could be described as a completely empty room. In fact, this album was their commercial rock bottom. Too bad no one heard this, because it’s actually pretty good.
Benson and the band tear through some catchy and great sounding songs, like “Cool As A Breeze” and “Across The Alley From The Alamo”. They also do right on covers by John Hiatt (“The Way We Mend A Broken Heart”), Loretta Lynn (“You Wanna Give Me A Lift”), and Willie Nelson, who sings along on his “Write Your Own Songs”. The album is short and mysterious with absolutely no liner notes, but it’s one of the better albums of its kind from the mid 80’s.
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BAND OF HORSES
EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME
2006-SUB POP
Produced By BAND OF HORSES & PHIL EK
1. The First Song
2. Wicked Gil
3. Our Swords
4. The Funeral
5. Part One
6. The Great Salt Lake
7. Weed Party
8. I Go To The Barn Because I Like The
9. Monsters
10. St. Augustine
Not your father’s Seattle band, that’s for sure. Band Of Horses is the domain of Ben Bridwell, whose vocal style is comparable to Jim James, Wayne Coyne and Neil Young. The band has been through numerous personnel changes, but they have stayed true to their sound. Everything All The Time is their debut album, featuring 5 of the 6 songs from their EP Tour. “The Funeral” was the single, and it went nowhere, and the album sank without much notice. Which is too bad, because although it’s not their best album, it’s still a very fine debut. The vocals are also very mumbled-sounding (on purpose), which adds a bit of mystery, but also takes away a touch.
The album also runs a bit short at only 36 minutes, but that does serve to leading you wanting more. The “more” can be easily and nicely solved by then listening to the next album, “Cease To Begin”, the band’s masterpiece. But this band will grow on you, and once it does, you’ll want to hear them over and over. This album may be a bit raw, but it’s a vital part of the Band Of Horses experience. If you’re a big fan, you may object to my rating…but it’s only to give room for the growth of the next album. Do not miss this band!
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GEORGE HARRISON & FRIENDS
THE CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH
1971-APPLE
Produced By GEORGE HARRISON & PHIL SPECTOR
1. Introduction By George Harrison & Ravi Shankar
2. Bangla Dhun
3. Wah-Wah
4. My Sweet Lord
5. Awaiting On You All
6. That’s The Way God Planned It
7. It Don’t Come Easy
8. Beware Of Darkness
9. Band Introduction
10. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
11. Medley: Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Young Blood
12. Here Comes The Sun
13. A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall
14. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
15. Blowin’ In The Wind
16. Mr. Tambourine Man
17. Just Like A Woman
18. Something
19. Bangla Desh
20. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Nobody ever began their new career outside their old band like George Harrison did. After leaving The Beatles, he released the 3 record masterpiece All Things Must Pass, then got together with Ravi Shankar to put together The Concert For Bangladesh. Recorded at Madison Square Garden in August of 1971, the show was a huge success for refugees in need of help from oppression and a huge cyclone that ravaged Bangladesh in 1970. Proceeds from the show (and the album and film) to this day go to the George Harrison UNICEF Foundation. This was the first large scale benefit concert, setting the stage for all future benefit shows.
Harrison had plenty of help from some famous friends: Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, Billy Preston, and Badfinger were all there. Phil Spector lends his Wall Of Sound production to the live setting, making for a very advanced sounding album. The show is not without flaws: Ringo had one song to learn (“It Don’t Come Easy”), and he butchers the words. The Dylan set gets a bit long, and at times the lack of rehearsal time shows. But it’s still very worthwhile…the film is obviously better. Great to hear George finally able to play some of his Beatles songs live. An historic album, and a high note in Harrison’s career.
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ERIC ANDERSEN
GHOSTS UPON THE ROAD
1988-GOLD CASTLE
Produced By STEVE ADDABBO WITH ERIC ANDERSEN
1. Belgian Bar
2. Spanish Steps
3. It Starts With A Lie
4. Trouble In Paris
5. Listen To The Rain
6. Ghosts Upon The Road
7. Too Many Times (I Will Try)
8. Carry Me Away
9. Six Senses Of Darkness
10. Irish Lace
After his label lost (literally) his album Stages in the early 1970’s, Eric Andersen’s career floundered through the rest of the decade, and most of the 1980’s. He finally got it all back together in 1988 with Ghosts Upon The Road. The album was not a success commercially (a folk singer in 1988? Not much chance there). but it was acclaimed as a huge comeback. And for good reason: this is an album that is everything you would hope to get from Andersen, a folkie from back in the acoustic Dylan days. The sound is huge, yet subtle, and lyrically, Andersen had never been better.
The centerpiece is the title track. Coming in at over 9 minutes, you never want it to end. Andersen speaks the verses, which are all about the faces who have passed in and out of his life, both good and bad, over an eerie duo of guitar and harmonica, then sings the choruses home with a spooky flurry that can make your hair stand on end. There are plenty of other great moments…”Belgian Bar”, “Trouble In Paris”…that make this album special as a whole. Andersen has always been a bit snoozy, which makes him not for everyone, but once you get hooked, you’ll love this album.
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THE KOOKS
INSIDE IN/INSIDE OUT
2005-VIRGIN
Produced By TONY HOFFER
1. Seaside
2. See The World
3. Sofa Song
4. Eddie’s Gun
5. Ooh La
6. You Don’t Love Me
7. She Moves In Her own Way
8. Matchbox
9. Naïve
10. I Want You
11. If Only
12. Jackie Big Tits
13. Time Awaits
14. Got No Love
15. Do You Love Me Still?
Ah, Britpop. Inside In/Inside Out is the clumsily titled debut album from The Kooks, a kind of breath of fresh air for rock and roll in the latter half of the 2000’s. The Kooks are high energy, but it’s the right kind of energy in a sea of mopey and intelligent sounding bands. Their sound is very modern, but you can hear the influence of the 60’s British Invasion constantly trying to break free from their sound. The band has had big mainstream success for good reason: they write unbelievably catchy good songs that simply can’t be denied. Unfortunately, they have been a hit pretty much everywhere in the world except for the US, where this album has yet to reach gold status.
Although Inside In/Inside Out is not perfect, it’s a solid and exciting debut. “Ooh La”, “Eddie’s Gun”, “Sofa Song”, “She Moves In Her Owen Way”…all would have been nice, fresh additions to the American charts, which have been loaded with garbage for years. No matter…The Kooks are still at it, with two more albums out since then. Luke Pritchard’s very English vocals can be a chore, but if you can dig that, you’ll like this strong debut album a lot.
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VARIOUS ARTISTS
MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE
2004-ATLANTIC
Produced By TREY PARKER, MATT STONE & SCOTT RUDIN
1. Everyone Has AIDS
2. Freedom Isn’t Free
3. America, Fuck Yeah
4. Derka Derk (Terrorist Theme)
5. Only A Woman
6. I’m So Ronery
7. America, Fuck Yeah (Bummer Remix)
8. The End Of An Act
9. Montage
10. North Korean Medley
11. The Team America March
12. Lisa & Gary
13. F.*.G.
14. Putting A Jihad On You
15. Kim Jong Il
16. Mount, Rush, More
From the creators of South Park came Team America, World Police: the story of a crack team of terrorist fighting super Americans trying to save the world from an evil scheme concocted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il…as told using puppetry. The film itself is hilarious, and as on South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone make good use of music as a comedic tool. Unfortunately, only a couple of these tracks work without the visual. “Only A Woman” plays behind a graphic puppet sex scene, but is lame on its own. “I’m So Ronery” is Jong Il’s lament he sings while roaming his palace by himself. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work without being able to see it.
Some of the tracks are funny with or without the film. “America, Fuck Yeah” is pure Southern rock, over the top patriotism, while “Freedom Isn’t Free” is a hilarious take on the country music stand on what it is to be an Amurican, reminding us that “freedom costs a buck o’five”. And “The End Of An Act” uses love as an excuse to bag on Ben Affleck and the film Pearl Harbor. The rest is not so good, and the last 6 tracks are score filler. Overall, a disappointing soundtrack that could have been so much more. But, it is still great to have “America, Fuck Yeah”.
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METALLICA
MASTER OF PUPPETS
1986-ASYLUM
Produced By METALLICA & FLEMMING RASMUSSEN
1. Battery
2. Master Of Puppets
3. The Thing That Should Not Be
4. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
5. Disposable Heroes
6. Leper Messiah
7. Orion)
8. Damage, Inc.
It’s easy to dismiss the fans of early Metallica for their dislike of the black album…until you listen to Master Of Puppets. There is simply no denying that this album is a metalhead’s dream. It’s all speed, volume and aggression by the band that basically invented and perfected speed metal. Starting with Ride The Lightning in 1984, Metallica went on a 3 out of 4 run (…And Justice For All was a kind of misstep) with Master Of Puppets in 1986 and Metallica in 1991. During this period, which was all about metal, no one could touch Metallica.
The title track is 8 minutes plus of sonic brilliance. The songs are long…nothing comes in under five minutes, giving everything room to breathe and to rock. The album could be called headbangers 101, a clinic on how to make a no bullshit, heavy, fast album. It’s considered to be maybe the most influential metal album this side of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, and there isn’t a weak moment to be found anywhere. This is pre-black album face melting gleeful, no holds barred pure metal, as pure as there ever was. A classic, great album.
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YO LA TENGO
FAKEBOOK
1990-BAR NONE
Produced By GENE HOLDER
1. Can’t Forget
2. Griselda
3. Here Comes My Baby
4. Barnaby, Hardly Working
5. Yellow Sarong
6. You Tore Me Down
7. Emulsified
8. Speeding Motorcycle
9. Tried So Hard
10. The Summer
11. Oklahoma, U.S.A.
12. What Comes Next
13. The One To Cry
14. Andalucia
15. Did I Tell You
16. What Can I Say
These kinds of albums are usually a lot of fun, but aren’t necessarily the best. Fakebook is critical darling Yo La Tengo’s fourth album, and it’s a huge departure from their usual sound. But it’s also an interesting look at what makes the band tick. The album consists of 11 covers and 5 originals, all in a stripped down, more acoustic setting. And given the fact that Ira Kaplan was once a music critic, the selection is eclectic, rare, and delicious. “Speeding Motorcycle” is the best of the covers, a Daniel Johnston song that works the best of all of the songs with this band. They also cover The Kinks (“Oklahoma U.S.A.”), John Cale (“Andalucia”), and other artists like NRBQ and The Flaming Groovies.
Of the five original songs, “The Summer” stands out as one of the bands best songs. In the Yo La Tengo discography, Fakebook is clearly the black sheep, the one that doesn’t go with the others. It’s the one album that’s an almost complete departure from their sound, so this album would not be a good indicator of what other YLT albums would sound like. It is a fun album, though, and it’s always good to hear obscure artists and songs get their due.
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BOB DYLAN
BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME
1965-COLUMBIA
Produced By TOM WILSON
1. Subterranean Homesick Blues
2. She Belongs To Me
3. Maggie’s Farm
4. Love Minus Zero/No Limit
5. Outlaw Blues
6. On The Road Again
7. Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream
8. Mr. Tambourine Man
9. Gates Of Eden
10. It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
11. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
You know from the first twenty seconds of Bringing It All Back Home that you’re in for a special listen. “Subterranean Homesick Blues” not only ushered in the New Dylan (the electric Dylan), but the Chuck Bery style romp is also one of his finest songs. The entire first side is electric, with gems like “Maggie’s Farm” and “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” changing the way he would be perceived forever…and proving that even just a few songs in, he could already rock with the best of them. Going electric was an inspiration from The Beatles, and this work would inspire countless others to plug in their acoustic guitars and rock.
Side two is more traditional Dylan acoustic fare, and it’s just as excellent. “Mr. Tambourine Man” won the hearts of The Byrds, and became the title of their first album. “Gates Of Eden” and “It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” are as powerful as anything the previously acoustic only Dylan had done, and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” is a beautiful ending to a perfect album. 1965 was clearly the year of Bob Dylan…he would follow this up with the somehow even better Highway 61 Revisited. But don’t forget this album. It’s perfect, it’s hugely influential, and it’s just as good. One of Dylan’s many masterpieces, one of his very best albums. _________________ May we all get to heaven
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