Pop & Rock
VOICES Notes and news on Pop & Rock releases
The Big Bang
02 JUL 09 DAVID VIENNA
Long before Nirvana or Teenage Fanclub or even The Replacements hit the scene, there was Big Star. In the early-'70s, the group crafted a unique blend of radio rock and Brit pop, making them pioneers of the alternative rock genre. The band's albums #1 Record and Radio City were recently remastered and re-released, a blessing for music historians and fans of alt. rock.
Listening to tracks like "The Ballad Of El Goodo," you might even have a hard time not thinking it's Teenage Fanclub, one of the bands most influenced by Big Star. They even named their album Thirteen after a Big Star song. The band's impact can also be heard on TV. You'll recognize parts of "In The Street" from Cheap Trick's theme to That '70s Show.
Named after a southern supermarket chain, Big Star was fronted by former blue-eyed soul singer Alex Chilton, who joined the band after leaving the Box Tops. Critics dug both #1 Record and Radio City when they came out, but sales were slow and the band slipped in relative obscurity. The indelible songs, however, remained in heavy rotation on the turntables of music aficionados, reaching cult status by the early-'90s.
Infighting spelled the group's demise and, after Big Star finally imploded, Chilton went on to produce other bands, most notably The Cramps. There have been a few reunions (sans guitarist Chris Bell, who died in 1979). No incarnation had as great an impact as the original, however, which is why bands like Wilco and R.E.M. continue to cite Big Star as an inspiration.
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The Ballad Of El Goodo
Big Star, from #1 Record/Radio City
Beautifully Profane
02 JUN 09 DAVID VIENNA
Elvis Costello's new album Secret, Profane And Sugarcane once again finds him teaming with legendary producer T Bone Burnett, the man behind John Mellencamp's recent Love, Death, Life And Freedom. As with their previous endeavors, the record explores new territory and gets as close to flawless as any in Costello's long career.
Costello and Burnett worked together for The King Of America and Spike, both stellar forays into specific genres -- the former, country; the latter, pop. On Sugarcane, the pair follow a path oft traveled by Burnett, most notably on the wildly successful soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? The result is an album in which Costello thumbs his way through country, bluegrass, blues and even cabaret music, although he never strays so far into the weeds that he loses his signature rock edge or dark wit.
The lyrics and vocal rhythm on "Down Among The Wines And Spirits" stroll along with the band like a pleasantly drunk hobo while "Sulphur To Sugarcane" bounces through cities visited by Costello while on the road. And "The Crooked Line" features harmony vocals by the queen of bluegrass Emmylou Harris. (On a side note, the charming yet slightly creepy album cover was illustrated by the phenomenal Tony Millionaire of Maakies fame.)
Costello has proven his versatility time and time again. With Sugarcane, he and Burnett have created another gem.
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Sulphur to Sugarcane
Elvis Costello, from Secret, Profane and ...
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Almost Blue
Elvis Costello, from Marian McPartland's ...
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John Cockers
John Mellencamp, from Life, Death, Love ...
in this playlist.
Video Of The Radio Star
12 MAY 09 DAVID VIENNA
I've written before about Sia's music videos. The DVD TV Is My Parent features those videos, plus a one-hour concert and a series of behind-the-scenes vignettes. It offers a thorough tour of Sia's very colorful world.
The live show, filmed at the Hiro Ballroom in New York, contains songs from her Hear Music debut Some People Have Real Problems as well as Colour The Small One and some of her work with the band Zero 7. Having seen Sia at L.A.'s El Rey, I can say with certainty the concert film on the DVD is true to her actual live show. Her energy and playfulness are on full display.
The behind-the-scenes stuff, labeled "Where The Magic Happens" in the DVD menu, walks the viewer through various aspects of life on the road, or rather, life on the road with Sia, which may or may not be like other tours. I doubt Slayer's Tom Araya would ever call a fan's voice mail to sing a song that couldn't be added to the set list.
Some of the regular band shenanigans are there -- doing shots of tequila, then stripping down to their skivvies, for example. But other moments let you in on what it's like for Sia at that time. The most touching scene comes at the end when, after killing it at SXSW, she is mobbed by fans on her way to the tour bus. Afterward, she wears a look of genuine surprise, as if overwhelmed by the adoration, and expresses concern that she might have missed anyone who wanted an autograph.
Aside from the live show (which is hi-def and mixed in 5.1 surround sound), the backstage footage and four music videos, there are a few fun extras if you dig around.
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The Girl You Lost To Cocaine
Sia, from Some People Have Real Problems
Super Genius
27 APR 09 DAVID VIENNA
Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection is exactly as the title suggest -- an ultimate collection and pure genius. The disc includes pretty much every major Ray Charles hit or favorite from his entire, genre-bouncing career.
I don't need to convince you of the sheer joy of Charles' seminal versions of songs like Percy Mayfield's "Hit The Road Jack" or Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind." (If I do, let me be the first to welcome you back from the bomb shelter where clearly you have lived for the last 65 years. I also hate to inform you that whole Nuclear Armageddon thing never actually came to fruition.)
What I will tell you is this disc belongs in the collection of anyone who considers themselves a fan of stellar music. It features everything from the astounding R&B cut "I Got A Woman," recently sampled by Kanye West, to an affecting take on Hank Williams' "Take These Chains From My Heart."
Closing the disc are two stunning tracks. First up, Charles unique rendition of The Beatles' "Yesterday" brims with gravely heartache, making the track seem like a wholly American tale. And appropriately, the last song is his quintessential version of "America The Beautiful."
With 21 wonderful tracks in all, this disc serves as an easy reminder why the word genius is often applied to Charles. Keep an eye out for more releases from his vast catalog in the coming year.
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Hit The Road, Jack
Percy Mayfield, from Specialty Profiles: ...
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Georgia On My Mind
Ella & Joe Pass, from Speak Love
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Yesterday
Various Artists, from Stax Does The ...
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America The Beautiful
Ray Charles, from A Message From The ...
in this playlist.
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