Went to see the fabulous Willie Nile yesterday at an afternoon listening soiree and unplugged mini-concert for his forthcoming album of Bob Dylan covers...
...and I gotta tell you, I haven't been to such a great party in ages. Here's the first video from the album, shot at the same stygian downtown joint (two blocks up from the departed CBGBs) where yesterday's festivities took place. And if this doesn't make you smile, there's no hope for you.
The rest of the record, frankly, is even better, including a Ramones Meet the Byrds version of "Blowin' in the Wind" that must be heard to be believed. Positively Bob drops, as the kids say, on June 23, but you can -- and very definitely should -- pre-order it at Amazon over HERE.
Have I mentioned that it was a truly memorable afternoon? Thanks, Willie!!!
Ace critic Dave Lifton, bless his rock-and-roll heart, gets it.
There’s something about power pop that even albums that are 22 years old can sound as if they’ve been recorded yesterday. That’s definitely the case with Fire Lane, a 1995 album from Gerry Devine and the Hi-Beams that has just been reissued.
You can read the rest of the review over at POPDOSE.
I got my copy on Friday. I'd like to thank the EMI Group of Companies for sending me the actual original master tapes for review.
I kid, I kid.
That said, I've listened to the new stereo version of the album, which is, as today's youngsters say, the bees knees. Haven't heard any of the bonus material yet, but the Making Of documentary is pretty cool. George Martin -- you were the greatest.
[Okay, it's Memorial Day, i.e. the official kick-off to summer, so I'm recycling this (I originally posted it in 2009) for obvious reasons. I should add that I've changed a couple of the song selections, and re-written it slightly, just so as not to appear an even bigger slacker than I am. -- S.S.]
Best or Worst Post-Elvis Summer Song -- Which is To Say Either a Song About Summer or One With the Word Summer in the Title!!
Self-explanatory, I think, and in the interest of holiday comity, I'm imposing absolutely no arbitrary rules of any kind.
And my totally top of my head Top Nine would be...
9. Two Live Jews -- Oy, It's So Humid
"Doesn't Myrtle have air conditioning?" "What -- you mean Octagenarian Mutant Ninja Myrtle?..."
8. Graham Gouldman -- Bus Stop
"Bus Stop, wet day, she's there, I say, please share my umbrella...All that summer we enjoyed it, wind and rain and shine..."
And don't tell me about that Rihanna "Umbrella" shit, because I don't want to hear about it.
7. Smashing Pumpkins -- Summer
It occurs to me that Billy Corgan's pretentious cueball noggin has been absent from these precincts for far too long; unfortunately, it's not on display in this particular video. Actually, a pretty nice song, though.
6. The Jamies -- Summertime, Summertime
An arifact that has irked me since the late 50s. It's like a Chimpmunks record, but done straight. Or something. In any case, words can not express how annoying I think those harmonies are.
5. Billy Stewart -- Summertime
The Gershwin song, of course. This is the uncut version of Stewart's soul glossolalia hit, which I had never heard before yesterday. Kudos to whoever the drummer is, BTW.
4. Eddie Cochran -- Summertime Blues
No better rock-and-roll song has ever been written, and no cooler rock singer/guitarist has ever worn shoe leather.
3. Chad and Jeremy -- A Summer Song
I only found out relatively recently that they actually played all the beautiful guitar stuff on this one themselves. Just as sweet and lovely a pop song as there is, so naturally, my crappy high school rock band used to sing it as "Planes, crashing into mountain sides, with the loss of many lives...."
2. Bananarama -- Cruel Summer
Because, frankly, you just can't have too much Bananarama, even with crappy synth drums.
And the most memorable summer song -- summer being defined as hot, sweaty and fly-infested -- obviously is....
1. Mick Farren -- Let's Loot the Supermarket Again (Like We Did Last Summer)
Typical first generation 70s Brit-punk snarl, although Farren himself had been through one or two too many youth cultures by the time he conned Stiff Records into releasing this. Not in itself a particularly fabulous record, but you gotta admit -- the title's brilliant.
Going to see the incomparable Smithereens tonight at B.B. King's.
Which will probably be the zillionth time I've seen those guys in a club, but this is obviously a good thing. Especially as original bassist Mike Mesaros will be rejoining the band for the show.
That's him on the right of course. He was always the 'Reen with the most teen appeal.
Well, with the possible exception of drummer Dennis Diken, seen here back in the day with some asshole whose name rhymes with Sleeve Nimels.
Meanwhile, have I mentioned that, on top of everything else, The Smithereens are the greatest cover band of all time?
From (we think) 1974, please enjoy Belleville, New Jersey's finest, The Hounds -- featuring lead vocals, Rickenbacker 12-string and songwriting by my old college chum Tony Forte -- and their remarkably Byrds-ian "Dirge of the Wayward Seafarer."
In case you're wondering, this also features inadequate rhythm guitar by that guy on the right in the photo wearing the Wings t-shirt (whose name rhymes with Sleeve Nimels).
But don't hold that against Mr. Forte. I think this is a genuinely great song and a terrific performance overall.
Of course, it still kinda cracks me up that a bunch of mooks from the land of Tony Soprano would be performing sea chanties, but hey -- rock 'n' roll.
POSTSCRIPT: The cutest thing about all this? Check out the tall guy in the photo looking down at the beautiful blonde. After the band broke up, they wound up getting married, having a fabulous life, and being responsible for some incredible kids. The next person who tells me that rock is the devil's music, swear to god I'm gonna take a hostage.
Tomorrow: More music by people I actually know personally, and yes, they're ALSO from New Jersey.
From 2014, please enjoy Foglizard (featuring pal of PowerPop and frequent commenter buzzbabyjesus)...
...with a live in the studio performance of their not-at-all prog-rock "Pigs on a Cracker." That's BBJ with the hollow-body guitar, BTW.
And here's the almost pop "Almost July," the lead-off track from Viva Le Foglizard. Pretty snazzy, I think.
A word from the auteur:
"I posted "Viva Le Foglizard" as a weekend mix over at Burning Wood. Someone posted anonymously "No, Thanks". I wrote back that out of 7 billion people on the planet that weren't interested in my music, only one needed to point it out. I promised his brave honesty would be rewarded by his being the subject of our next song. It became a blog post."
I should add that you can hear more Foglizard tunes and read BBJ's complete history of the band over HERE. Pretty funny stuff.
Tomorrow: some more interesting if not world-renowned music, only this time from a friend I have yet to buy a drink for.
From (originally) 1972, please enjoy power pop legend/old chum Mark Johnson and his haunting "Rainy Dues"...
...a track from the just released reissue of his 1972 Vanguard LP Years.
Short version of a very long story: Mark all but ruled the Greenwich Village music scene in the late 70s/early 80s; about fifty percent of the reason The Floor Models got it together was our seeing Mark's band The Wild Alligators tear it up at Kenny's Castaways on numerous occasions (the other fifty percent was seeing The Smithereens do the same thing at the same venue).
In any case, at that time, I kept hearing from various Village types that Mark had this earlier album to his credit, but for some reason, nobody -- not even Mark -- would make me a cassette dupe of it. I eventually chanced across it, a few years ago, at some obscure download site via a vinyl rip. And was surprised at how different it was, stylistically, from the kick-ass pop/folk/New Wave rock he was doing when I met him. Years, in fact, was more or less the last flowering of the whole post-Sgt. Pepper baroque/orchestral/psychedelia album esthetic of the late-60s; think early Tim Buckley or something that could have been produced by Van Dyke Parks.
Oh well. Moving right along, let me just mention that this reissue -- splendidly remastered with bonus tracks -- on Real Gone also features definitive liner notes (including an extensive interview with Mark) by yours truly...
...and that you can (and should) order this remarkable artifact over at Amazon HERE.
You're welcome.
Tomorrow: More interesting music by somebody I've actually shaken hands with.
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