Piece of s#!t blog

Water Pollution in the Textile Dye Industry

2012-11-30T06:51:00.001-08:00

The textile industry is considered to be one of the largest consumers of fresh water. Nearly all of the water used to make textiles and fabrics is utilized during the dyeing process. This is the manufacturing step in which color is added after the fabric is woven. On average, nearly 40 gallons of water is used to color about two pounds of most manmade fabrics. Globally, we dye 39 million tons of polyester per year, using over one and one half million gallons of water annually. This water is added to pigments, pigment compounds and chlorine bleach. In addition, the water needs to be heated within a conventional process, which requires fossil fuel. Even in the most optimum of circumstances where in which waste water is treated before being released back to the earth, alarming levels of effluent discharge still exist. And in cases where uncontrolled and unsuitable conditions are in place, significant environmental damage is being cast upon our aquatic ecological system. Specifically, the conventional dyeing process uses a variety of toxic chemicals including chlorine, sulfide, formaldehyde, ammonia, oils, and grease components that deplete oxygen levels in water. In China, where most of the textile dye industry exists, they are producing 70 billion tons of wastewater annually,causing severe damage to the environment. Genetically, animals and plant life risk irreversible alteration. Even within the most optimum of water treatment technologies in place, this is clearly an unsustainable practice. In response to this problem, new technologies have emerged employing the usage of super critical carbon dioxide within a process to dye fabrics without the use of any water at all. By adding heat and pressure to CO2, it changes properties and when contained, becomes almost as dense as water. Experiments utilizing this process began about 25 years ago in Germany. Lack of funds and technological obstacles has prevented implementation on an industrial scale. Today, a company from the Netherlands known as DyeCoo has developed, built and brought to market the first waterless textile dyeing machine. Given the scale and scope of the problem, DyeCoo’s outstanding technical innovations combined with the subsequent environmental benefit are being heralded as major achievements. In February 2012, the company forged a business partnership with Nike, Inc. Reinier Mommall, CEO of DyeCoo heralded, “There is no water consumption, a reduction in energy use, no auxiliary chemicals required, no need for drying and the process is twice as fast. The excitement of Dyecoo’s success is tempered somewhat given the fact that the process only works on polyester. Although polyester makes up for about 25% of all textile processing, the technology does not work on natural fibers such as cotton. In response to this, yet another company has emerged near Barcelona, Spain with a process that manufactures blue cotton denim while dramatically cutting water consumption. Known as Clariant, they have developed a more sustainable way to produce blue denim. Like polyester, traditional methods of dyeing cotton are wasteful and pollute the earth. Some 2 billion pairs of blue jeans are manufactured each year, and each one required 2500 gallons of water to produce. The chemicals used in tandem with this process rival if not exceed that of polyester. Indigo is not water soluble, so it cannot penetrate cotton fiber. Reducing agents, such as sodium hydrosulfate separate the dye molecules from indigo so that the color will take to the fabric. In addition, conventional dyeing of denim has to be repeated some 6 to 15 times per production run to achieve the desired color using vast amounts of energy and water. Clariant has developed a sulfur based dye as a substitute for indigo. Additionally, by introducing other colors to the process such as black and gray, more design and fashion choices may be offered. These sulfur based dyes bond better with cotton fabric, eliminating wasteful rinsing and re-dyeing steps. A process that up until now had to be repeated up to 15 times on the same garment has been reduced to once, resulting in considerably less usage of water. The new dyes also allow for the finishing wash down process to be done with hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine bleach. While making major strides in sustainability, these two companies have opened up new doors in the field of design and fashion. In addition to a broader spectrum of colors and shades, color fastness is easier to manage over longer production runs and designers can create previously unavailable effects on denim such as color gradients, shading, and imprinting. When an environmentally damaging process such as textile dye manufacturing can be improved on such a scale and create new fashion opportunities in the process, one wonders what other happy accidents are waiting to be discovered as we drive towards becoming more sustainable.

Double pack with a photograph...

2011-07-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

It seems that the record industry is reissuing old tunes with glossy new packaging now more than ever and given their sorry state of affairs who can really blame them? The tapes are in the vaults, nostalgia is always orbiting around the fringes of any scene, and the “vintage” craze has been expanded to include anything released before 1994.

In 1987, UK artists “The Smiths” released their last studio effort, entitled “Strangeways Here We Come”. 25 years later, the entire Smiths catalog is being reissued by Rhino Records in multiple box set formats, on both vinyl and CD. After reading about this, I decided to plop my original vinyl copy of “Strangeways” down on the turntable. As I listened, two thoughts came to mind. First and foremost, this was an amazing record by an incredible band. Secondly, I got to thinking how listening to music (at least during my lifetime) has come full circle. I started out with a transistor radio and one single earpiece. The sound was tinny, crappy, and interrupted by static, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I would adjust the tuning knob with the precision of a surgeon while rotating and twisting that little solid state box in order to try and get the best reception.

No matter what you tried it sounded like shit, but who really cared? We certainly didn’t, because this was the ultimate in entertainment. The only way to top it was to grab a record, place the needle on the groove and then sit down in one place and listen to it without doing anything else. My, how times have changed. Today, music is constantly droning on in the background of our collective lives, and other than the lack of static, today’s mp3 players and portable devices don’t really sound all that much better than those cheap transistor radios.

Getting back to The Smiths, there was a song on that last album of theirs called “Paint A Vulgar Picture”. The song included among other things a bit of a backhanded swipe at the music business, and how they recycle the songs of days gone by. The lyric goes “Reissue, reissue, repackage…re-evaluate the songs…double pack with a photograph…extra track and a tacky badge..”

These lyrics ask the question, “Is all this necessary?” Well, it depends. In the case of The Smiths, it’s all about availability. At some point over the last 10 years or so, most of the record buying public has come around to realizing that most CD’s released since the birth of the format sound like complete garbage. Shrill, over compressed, treble heavy hunks of plastic that work better as a drink coaster than they do as a listening experience. The digital files don’t sound much better because they are being mastered to be played on mp3 players and tiny computer speakers. I’m no vinyl purist, and I have plenty of CDs and digital files. So I completely understand and for the most part am willing to trade sound quality for convenience. Still, when I played that “Strangeways” vinyl over good headphones, I got a sonic kick to the gut that nothing else in any other format even comes close to achieving.

So unless you’re lucky enough to already own Smiths records on vinyl, these reissues will be welcomed as superior alternatives to the CDs sold in stores and online. Even the new CDs will probably be an upgrade as the trend in re-mastering now tries to emulate the vinyl experience instead of pushing everything in the mix up so loudly. The movement towards flat mastering began in Japan, as miniature replicas of classic LPs are being reissued in limited quantities on CD format.

These rare collectibles feature incredible attention to the most minute details involving packaging, artwork and most important, sound quality. A Japanese reissue of Led Zeppelin 3 comes with the original “spinning wheel” album jacket complete with die cut holes in the cover. More importantly, the sound kicks the collective asses of anything else you can find domestically.

There are other instances where even the original vinyl never made the grade. Elvis Costello and the Attractions 1980 release “Get Happy” had 10 songs crammed onto each side of the record, and the sound quality suffered as a result. Earlier this year, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab re-issued the record as a double 45 rpm vinyl collectible, and the difference is like night and day. Even the Ryko and Rhino CD re-issues cannot match it. Comparing them side by side, every version released up till now is plagued with muddy bass, tinny vocals and no discernible midrange to speak of.

Another fortunate occurrence taking place with the resurrection of vinyl is the growing appreciation of mono mixes over the stereo ones. There is no hard and fast rule here and the better mix is ultimately the one that just plain sounds better. However in many instances, the mono wins out. Although stereo technology hails back to the late 1950’s, it was initially utilized for recordings of large orchestras. Pop music for the most part would be primarily mixed for mono for another decade or so. The records that were mixed for stereo in the ‘60’s were often done quickly and without much thought put into what should go where . Mono was the preferred format so it obviously took up the most time and effort into getting the blend just right.

Still another element to consider is the inferior quality of much of the vinyl manufactured in the US during the 1970’s. During the energy crisis, the industry attempted to cut its costs by mixing the petroleum based vinyl with other raw materials. This would sometimes detract from sound quality, and almost always affect the products durability. Many music fans as a result, gravitated towards vinyl imported from the United Kingdom and other countries.

Inevitably, it would seem that no matter who your favorite artist is or what era floats your boat, there’s a re-issue out there for you. Completists will moan and groan as their self proclaimed status forces them to shell out coin again and again for what is basically the same music. Meanwhile, the record industry can capitalize on their unfortunate history of not getting it right by offering sonic upgrades of all kinds for future generations. The most amusing aspect of all of this is how they are now being delivered in a format that they themselves had once proclaimed to be dead and gone.

Split Enz- "Time And Tide"

2011-06-30T12:14:00.001-07:00

At the outset of the 1980’s there were several groups lumped into the “New Wave” category that rode to popularity despite having no real attachment to the movement.
One of them, New Zealand’s Split Enz, were actually more influenced by the UK progressive rock era that had taken place a decade earlier. By the time they achieved success outside their homeland, they were already grizzled veterans of studio craftsmanship with four long playing records under their belt.

The band would certainly not complain while singles like “I Got You” and “One Step Ahead” earned them enough attention and MTV airplay to tour the States and garner a positive buzz. However, the long playing records that these singles were extracted from (“True Colours” and “Waiata”, respectively) tended to be uneven in spots and gave the impression that they were consciously streamlining their sound to become more palatable. Some research through the band’s back catalog would confirm this, as earlier efforts were arranged and delivered in more of a progressive rock style.

The band’s 1982 release, “Time And Tide” would attempt to bridge these two approaches. In doing so, the band merged pop sensibility with melodic sophistication and ultimately delivered their best record. Hugh Padgham was signed on to produce, and in a bit of an ironic twist, proved to be a key element in helping the band achieve the heavier sound they were seeking. Only a year earlier, Padgham was the engineer for UK prog veterans Genesis on their album “Abacab”, a band that was a major influence on Split Enz’s earlier work. Genesis however, was looking to Padgham to deliver a more radio friendly sound like he did with Phil Collins’s mega seller, “Face Value”.

Brothers Tim and Neil Finn handled the bulk of the songwriting duties and like two sides of a coin, Tim’s jittery isolationist lyrics contrast starkly against Neil’s love lost/love longing melancholy. These contrasting styles work especially well on “Time And Tide” as it hits the ground running with “Dirty Creature”. Written about the demons and conflicts in all of us, the lyric exclaims “Dirty Creature’s got me at a disadvantage from the inside” , and the chorus laments “I don’t wanna sail tonight”. Devil on one shoulder , angel on the other.

Younger brother Neil’s “Giant Heartbeat” takes on the heavy topic of mortality, reminding us that “the time of yearning is the same at any age” and how “hearts and souls move together in time”. The rhythm track coupled with a jangling guitar figure lopes persistently to the finish, where it seems the end of life itself is examined. “Is anybody listening/A giant heartbeat is fading”.

“Hello Sandy Allen”, is a song written by Neil Finn about meeting the world’s tallest woman while waiting to appear on a talk show. It is one of the few tunes here that departs from the albums many loosely constructed themes. So it sticks out a little, but it is still a fine song with a tremendous arrangement. Conversely, Tim Finn’s “Never Ceases To Amaze Me” is a bit of an awkward stab at funk, and the next song, “Lost For Words” is a herky-jerky jam session that seems like it was created in the studio on the spot.. If we were hard pressed to pinpoint a misstep on the LP, it would be right around this juncture.

The good news is that from here on out, “Time And Tide” fires on all cylinders right to the very end. “Small World” uses a lyrical twist to emphasize how small the world is in contrast to the vastness all around us, exclaiming how we are all “a drop in the ocean”. Musically, the vocal harmonies really take off in tandem with the exquisite keyboard work of Eddie Rayner. His contributions to these tracks are an integral piece of the band’s overall sound.

“Take A Walk” kicks off side two with swirling orchestral flourishes. An irresistible shuffle beat sneaks in through the back door and drops right in to create the groove punctuated by scat guitar and more piano textures. The impeccable vocal blend of the Finn brothers is also put to good use here.

The centerpiece of the record is a type of three movement suite. “Pioneer” is entirely made up of keyboards with some nicely understated windy sound effects. This links up directly to “Six Months In A Leaky Boat”, the single from the LP that was not a top 40 hit in America, but got steady play within the now deceased FM album format. The tune percolated in the lower regions of the hot 100, and an “American Bandstand” appearance also helped. Great upper register harmonies, anchored by a punchy persistent bass line drive this tune forward, and the sea chantey instrumental break that links back into the main melody is inventive and thrilling. As the second section completes, a lonesome final passage appears as the musical equivalent of the vast loneliness of the ocean.

We need a break from all that excitement by now and Tim Finn’s autobiographical “Haul Away” provides a small glimpse of the Finn family tree with musical backing that again draws off of the albums loose nautical theme.

The last two songs on the record is where things really heat up. “Log Cabin Fever” is a pensive abstract exploration of solitude with a side order of claustrophobia. The persistent tension that threads through the entire track is a complete contrast to the wild jubilation of the closing number, “Make Sense Of It”. This song ties all the musings and themes together, reminding us that life’s riddles will never be solved and we would be better served to keep our sense of humor and find comfort in friendship.

Although “Time And Tide” is based around a distinct concept, the themes and messages that exist within the record are never delivered in a heavy handed fashion. As a result the overriding musicality of the effort shines through. This is the main reason the album is an almost universal favorite among the groups fan base and critics alike.

This blog

2011-06-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

will be converted over to tumblr in the near future, because it's so much easier to post audio and video. Here's the link-cut and paste into your browser and head on over.
http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/heymusicfans

I may keep them both up for a while, we'll see.

Looking Backwards and Pointing Forwards At The Same Time

2011-06-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

Mitch Easter's magnum opus is a defining moment in the history of american pop.

If you listened really closely and filtered out all the fake drums and bad hair of the 1980’s pop scene, you would know that there were still some great buried treasures released that decade. I’ve spoken about them from time to time in this space, covering territory like Rockpile’s “Seconds Of Pleasure”, The Replacements “Let It Be”, and Husker Du’s “Zen Arcade”, to name a few.

I can’t think of another decade prior where there was such a vast chasm between what was popular and what was actually good. Music video bears much of the blame for this, because while it added the visual aspect it did so at the expense of the listener’s own imagination. As a result, we were bombarded with titillating images and colors, manufactured to appeal to the widest variety of people in order to maximize profits. This “boardroom” approach of treating music like margarine permanently blurred (and perhaps even wiped out for good) the fine line between art and commerce.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, a groundswell of sorts was emerging in the southeastern corner of the United States. A musician by the name of Mitch Easter set up a record studio at his parents garage in Winston-Salem, NC, with the intention of producing pop records for all types of regional talent. In summer 1981, an Athens , GA band named R.E.M booked time at Mitch’s “Drive In Studio” to record a 45 titled “Radio Free Europe”. Despite its extremely limited pressing of only 1,000 copies, the disc achieved critical acclaim, most notably by The New York Times which named it as one of the year’s ten best.

This relationship would prove to be a watershed moment for Easter. Soon he found himself producing and/or co-producing R.E.M.’s first three releases for IRS records. The success of these efforts quickly led to a recording contract of his own, and he along with his then girlfriend Faye Hunter and drummer Sara Romwebber formed the group Let’s Active.

Their first EP, titled “Afoot” yielded the minor hit “Every Word Means No”. Its accompanying video, shot of the band against a mostly white backdrop earned enough MTV airplay to get IRS records to request a full-fledged LP release. “Cypress”, despite it’s accessible jangle-pop leanings couldn’t crack the mainstream market, and the band split up during a 1984 tour of the UK.

Easter however, would continue to work under the “Let’s Active” moniker playing the odd show with Hunter and other temporary members throughout 1985. He was also writing and recording mostly on his own what was to become the next “Let’s Active” LP.

“Big Plans For Everybody”, released on May 17th, 1986 was for all intensive purposes a Mitch Easter solo LP. Other than some bass parts plus a few drum and keyboard tracks he played all the instruments himself, as well as handling the production and mixing duties.

The record spent 11 weeks on the Billboard charts, but never cracked the top 100. However, amongst the burgeoning college rock scene, the record was extremely well received. Unfortunately though, college rock charts were still about two to three years away from becoming a more influential piece of the pop music market, mostly due to the groundwork laid out by Easter and co-producer Don Dixon on those early REM records.

“Big Plans” has plenty to appeal to most rock fans, which makes it all the more puzzling as to why it didn’t fare better upon release. Chalk it up to being stuck in a decade where style over substance was quickly becoming the norm. If the record didn’t have a video stuffed with partially clad women in it, then it had no chance for airplay. However, “Big Plans For Everybody” is a record that has gained respect over an extended period of time.

Rhythmically, it possesses the charm and straight forward percussion stylings of early Todd Rundgren. The melodic layering of several tasty guitar parts recalls the studio work of Jimmy Page, as well as Johnny Marr of The Smiths. The songwriting is taut and concise. Most impressively though, is how “Big Plans For Everybody” looks backward and points the way forward at the same time. It’s nothing less than a defining moment in the history of American pop.

The Replacements - Rock and Roll's last good "Dose Of Thunder"

2011-05-26T11:20:00.001-07:00

By the time I finally saw The Replacements live, they were the opening act for Elvis Costello around 1989. Original lead guitarist Bob Stinson was kicked out of the group three years earlier, and the band had all but run it’s course. They still put on what I felt at that time was one heck of a show, but 45 minutes from a band known for playing three hour long alcohol fueled marathons was just barely enough to whet my appetite.

The band was touring to support its last album, “All Shook Down”. Originally intended to be lead man Paul Westerberg’s first solo album, the record instead came out under “The Replacements” banner at the insistence of their record company, Warner Brothers. Although the band had essentially broken up by this point, they agreed to do the gigs.

Having missed seeing this band at the height of its powers is one of my top ten rock and roll regrets. Fortunately, there are plenty of live bootlegs proliferating the internet which allow me to at least partially rectify this. One of them, recorded February 4th, 1986 at Max’s in NY, is not only an incendiary moment in the band’s performance history, but also one of the last times Bob Stinson would appear with them.

The show mainly consists of material from their then most recent record “Tim”, and their 1984 Twin Tone release, “Let It Be”. Songs like “Hold My Life”, “I Will Dare” and “Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out” are aggressively delivered, with much more power and energy than the recorded versions. There’s no timing, no tuning, just raw instinct. There is no set list, perhaps a rough outline instead that ultimately gets cast aside as the show progresses. The band just wails.

From their very beginnings, their only intent was to have a good time, get loaded and play songs. Because of this, the live shows could sometimes deteriorate into an inebriated mess. The flip side of this coin though, is with just enough substance abuse, they could deliver a show that was beyond great. Like a tightrope wire act, it could go splat at any moment. This kind of tension only added to the excitement.

Added to this modus operandi is their collective attitudes which would ultimately ruffle the feathers of the people who’d hired them. Bob Stinson said it best when he exclaimed, “we’re not punks, we’re assholes”. One notable instance was during their SNL appearance in New York, when the band used foul language in a live televised setting, and then trashed the hotel room at the Omni Berkshire afterwards. This made the show’s producer Lorne Michaels so livid, that he vowed that if Warner Brothers did not foot the bill for the damages, no act of theirs would ever appear on his show again.

This reputation was just as important to the band’s legacy as their talent. Piece all these factors together , and you realize that The Replacements drew the dotted line from The Beatles to The Faces, and then even more importantly, onwards to the Sex Pistols and The Clash. They lived the life style, and they didn’t have to prove it (or anything else for that matter) to anybody. They didn’t dress the part, and they didn’t write songs that glamorized themselves. They simply got shit faced and played. If you didn’t like it , then they would be more than happy to spit right up the holes of your upturned nostrils.

No Replacement concert would ever be complete without their sometimes hilarious and often thrilling versions of other bands material. Cover versions of songs as diverse as Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” to Sonny And Cher’s “I Got You Babe” could turn up in these sets at any given moment. They might make it all the way through the song, or simply abandon it right in the middle, snarking and giggling as it all breaks down. When I saw them in Connecticut, they played an incredible version of The Dave Clark Five’s “Any Way You Want It”. On that February evening at Max’s it was a walloping triple punch of T -Rex’s “Baby Strange”, The Beatles’ “Nowhere Man” and one hit wonder Vanity Fare’s classic “Hitchin’ A Ride”. In every instance though , they are able to turn these songs into something very much their own while at the same time staying true to the original versions.

We may never see a band like this again. The Replacements were that all too rare combination of attitude , flippancy and spirit. Towards the end of their shelf life, it may have wavered. But at their peak, they were an unbeatable pop combo that produced some of the greatest records and live shows ever.

Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues" reviewed.

2011-05-02T16:55:00.000-07:00

Any band that uses close harmony singing as part of their approach is going to invite comparisons to what preceded it. But if the songs are good , then that trumps everything else. In the case of Robin Pecknold and his band Fleet Foxes, these comparisons are more of a result of hard work and talent than they are an attempt to ape someone else’s style. Simply because the songs are good. Damn good. The melodic paths are taken so carefully that they often surprise, but nothing seems forced and I enjoy the underplaying that allows these grooves to just breathe.

The first two minutes of the first single and title track is so reminicent of The Everly Brothers in both spirit and execution it's uncanny. Also among the early favorites are "Sim Sala Bim" which I can only describe as Crosby Stills and Nash (or maybe even America) paired up with the bass and drum approach of XTC's "Mummer" LP. In fact, you could make that case for the whole enchilada (when you're not comparing it stylistically to SMiLE-era Beach Boys). "Grown Ocean" and "Battery Kinzie" are among the LP’s heavier moments and these collectively gallop out of the gate with the power and complexities of great early 1970’s progressive rock .

Having said this, to try and connect the music of Fleet Foxes with specific periods in the history of American pop is to ultimately miss the point. Because after you ’re done comparing it to its influences it still comes down to whether it‘s good or not. “Helplessness Blues” is good. Not because of what it sounds like, but because of how it plugs into an emotion. Of a time when people got together and sang songs because that was their only entertainment. From songs of oppression, to creaky front porches in the Appalachian Mountains to crowded holiday living rooms in the suburbs, it’s a feeling that exists in each and every one of us.

These songs reach out and ask you to hum along, or at least tap your toe. Grab a pot from under the sink and bang on it. That’s what exists at the core of this record, but it’s only the spring board. From there these humble folk songs are crafted into aerodynamic gliders of sound that are just as adventurous as they are accessible.

The Future Was Re-Written

2011-04-04T13:30:00.000-07:00

How “Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg” became “Combat Rock” and snuffed out the Only Band That Mattered.

By late 1981 into early 1982, The Clash were writing and recording material for their next record. Their last LP, “Sandinista!” was a sprawling three record affair. Released to near universal praise, the record was yet another example of the band’s steadfast determination to do things their way, even if those decisions ended up costing them money. Despite the immense content, “Sandinista!” was sold at a low budget retail price, just like its predecessor, “London Calling”. Even an extended play mini record, called “Black Market Clash” was sold at a discounted rate despite having almost enough material in length to be sold as a regular LP at a much higher list price.

The band’s label, Epic Records was eager to buck this trend. The band’s stock was at an all time high, coming off the positive publicity generated during their extended residency at NYC’s Bond Club. In addition to almost daily news coverage by the Gotham media, songs like “The Magnificent Seven” and “This Is Radio Clash” were crossing over into dance clubs, urban-themed radio stations and perhaps more importantly , Suburbia USA.

Epic needed to look no further than the band’s own manager for a sympathetic ear. Bernie Rhodes, recently re-hired by the group, was faced with the initial task of getting the band out of debt. So it was no surprise that both he and the band’s publicist, Kosmo Vinyl aligned themselves with the record company as being against another two record low list price, budget busting affair.

They would gain an unlikely ally in Joe Strummer. Facts get somewhat hard to come by at this point, but it seems clear that after five plus years of hard work, Joe wanted a mega selling hit record. Something that would stand toe to toe with CBS Records’ most established artists(Springsteen, Boston, Foreigner) and match it on a sales level, but far exceeding those records on a socially conscious scale.

Mick Jones had other ideas. Seemingly unaware of the growing sentiment, the band’s de-facto producer had pieced together these most recent recordings and had enough material for another double LP. With the working title of “Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg”, the original mix featured longer song versions, two other songs that remain unreleased to this day, and a looser overall feel that was similar to “Sandinista!” in approach, but a giant leap forward artistically.

Bernie Rhodes was among the first to state his case. It was in fact he, who inspired the opening lyric to “Rock The Casbah”, complaining that every track the band were recording was reggae flavored, and way too long. (Joe as legend has it went home that night and wrote, “Now the king told the boogie men, you have to let that raga drop…”). It soon became clear to Mick Jones that not just the record company, but his own band wanted to scrap his mix in favor of something leaner, punchier and radio friendly. He did not take the news very well.

It was then decided that record producer Glyn Johns would be called upon to edit the mix down to a single LP. Johns was no stranger to being recruited to salvage miles of tape into something commercially palatable. His experience in this regard starts off when he was brought in by The Beatles to try and make some sense of the ill fated “Get Back” project. Although his work was eventually rejected because it exposed too many of the band’s warts, it’s a highly respected version among collectors and bootleggers. Johns also was the one responsible for turning Pete Townshend’s “Lifehouse” project into “Who’s Next”, one of the most famous and best selling records of all time.

A session date was arranged for re-mixing the album with both Strummer and Jones to be present. A start time of 11:00 am was determined, but Jones had a habit of keeping people waiting, and did not show up on time. Strummer on the other hand was prompt, and both he and Johns had completed work on three separate tracks before Mick finally turned up around 7:30 that evening.

Mick Jones made it very clear that he was not receptive to the changes. Glyn Johns’s response was basically “too bad”. He reasoned that if he had come in on time, his opinions would have been considered. Since he instead turned up late, they would only go forward. Jones was absolutely fuming and the tensions were so thick that at one point Johns turned to Strummer and indicated that he had no intention of working in that atmosphere.

The power shift within the band went into full overdrive at that point, and one can only imagine the temerity of an apparent late night meeting with Strummer, Jones and Bernie Rhodes. The next day Jones turned up for work on time, behaved cordially, and more often than not, bit his tongue as Glyn Johns carved up his child into little pieces.

Both “Know Your Rights” and “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” were identified as potential singles, but Johns wanted the vocals redone. After hearing the original versions of both, it’s confusing as to why. The original vocal track of “Know Your Rights” is one of Strummer’s finest recorded moments, inexplicably abandoned and left on the cutting room floor. The ending was chopped off in favor of a slow fade out. The original mix of “Should I Stay…” has more Spanish lyrics and a more casual feel. Sure, the Glyn Johns version was a massive hit record, but when listening to both of them side by side it’s painfully obvious that the original one is clearly better.

A funky bongo drum intro to “Rock The Casbah” was cast aside. Drums and Guitars were pushed up in the mix to make them more palatable for radio. Entire verses and codas were deleted from “Straight To Hell”, “Red Angel Dragnet”, and “Ghetto Defendant”. Entire songs were omitted. Lyrics that were considered too overtly sexual for radio were replaced and re-recorded. When the dust settled, a 77 minute artistic statement was hacked and whacked into a 46 minute radio ready $9.98 list price single LP.

The relationship between Mick and Joe was wrecked beyond repair. Between Jones’s increasingly isolationist attitude and his belief that Strummer “ruined his music” combined with drummer Topper Headon’s escalating drug problem, Joe was more than happy to oblige when manager Bernie Rhodes suggested that it might be a good idea if he disappeared for a while as a type of publicity stunt. Of course the story goes that Strummer really did disappear because he was genuinely despondent over the band’s future or lack there of. He would turn up just in time to meet the band’s touring obligations both in the UK and the US, and Combat Rock was a huge million seller..

Even Glyn Johns has stated in print that when he first heard the “Rat Patrol” tapes, he described them as “enormously impressive and clever with an overriding sense of humor, but too self indulgent, long and drawn out.” Unfortunately, the sales figures of “Combat Rock” confirm his assessment. It seemed that EVERYBODY had this album. The Clash finally had the type of mega seller that would put them right up there with Howard Jones and Phil Collins. This is obviously a sarcastic dig, but all one has to do is listen to the original mix to realize that the artistic integrity of The Clash was cast aside in favor of the pursuit of a hit record. It also turned out to be what would tear them apart for good.

Queen - 2011 remasters reviewed.

2011-03-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Upon examining the first 5 Queen albums that were re-released this month, some thoughts come to mind. While the debut record released in 1973 demonstrates a swagger very few first records by any other band can match, it was absolutely nothing compared to the bravado and confidence that would adorn future efforts. In fact, the first record can be described precisely as that. “Phase one in which Queen demonstrates and sharpens their collective chops”.

Most of these songs were firmly implanted into the band’s live repertoire by this point and in most cases are actually re-recordings of a studio demo the band made some two years previous. In fact, bonus cuts on the first LP are comprised of that original 1971 De Lane Lea studio demo and are presented here officially for the first time. A highlight among these highlights include a remarkable version of “The Night Comes Down” that may be the earliest recorded evidence of the immaculate vocal blend that would soon take over the world.

Since it took almost 2 years for these tunes to see the light of day, it comes as no surprise that the band had enough of a backlog of material to release 2 records in 1974. “Queen 2”, released in February of that year, adds some progressive rock leanings to go along with the crunching rock riffage and provides a key early window into their trademark versatility. The second part of the effort, also known as “Side Black” is comprised entirely of Freddie Mercury songs, and vocally are just as ambitiously arranged as anything they’ve ever done. “March Of The Black Queen” is arguably the center piece here, with several musical twists and turns and it’s clever lyrical wordplay. “Side White” conversely is dominated by Brian May for the most part, and he blossoms here as a songwriter with shimmering tracks such as “White Queen(As It Began)” and “Father To Son”.

Brian May’s guitar playing cannot be underestimated when examining key components of the band’s sound. On “Brighton Rock” the opening track on the bands third LP “Sheer Heart Attack”, his homemade “Red Special” axe gets an extended workout. Roger Taylor delivers one of his greatest songs in “Tenement Funster”, and John Deacon begins adding his tunes to the mix with the delightfully tongue in cheek “Misfire”. Taylor’s vocal range emerges more prominently than ever before, as he delivers a stunning falsetto track on “In The Lap Of The Gods”, which Mercury would later describe as a direct prelude to “Bohemian Rhapsody”, both in song structure and complexity of vocal harmonies.

“A Night At The Opera”, and it’s aforementioned hit single were unleashed in November of 1975, resulting in the band’s first worldwide smash hit LP. Nothing would ever be the same from here on out, as the band would finally reap the major rewards due them for all their efforts up to this point. The record takes the diverse approach of “Sheer Heart Attack” one step further, displaying an even wider range of styles and experiments. “The Prophet’s Song” employs the digital delay effect that first showed up on “Now I’m Here” a year earlier, but used more extensively on this track. “Seaside Rendezvous” features a “brass ensemble” comprised entirely of vocals.

The worldwide success of “Opera” left the band with the unique problem of trying to top an effort that was essentially un-toppable. Critical backlash to “A Day At The Races” was inevitable, although enough good notices were written to be able to say that reviews were mixed. “Races” actually would go on to be among their more popular and critically favorable releases, gaining stature over an extended period of time. Look no further than the record’s first two songs as evidence of the band’s extraordinary versatility coming to full fruition. The album’s opener “Tie Your Mother Down”, a bone crunching rocker juxtaposed against “You Take My Breath Away”, a piano ballad with vocal harmonies that are among the greatest ever written and arranged by someone not named Brian Wilson.

The box set serves as a document of the band’s high water mark, recorded over a timeframe of only four years. Future releases would add to their legacy and cement their status as the second greatest English band in the history of pop. Although their global popularity would continue to grow exponentially in the years to come, the band would for the most part find it nearly impossible to deliver any future releases that would come close to the immense quality of these early works.

Box of Vision-for the anal retentive music fan

2011-03-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

Hey music fans, have you ever wished you could store, organize and display all your Bob Dylan and Beatles records in a beautiful linen covered, table top slip case? Me neither.

Well, a company called “Box Of Vision” is out to change your mind. Officially licensed by the artists, they manufacture high end storage containers, complete with LP sized cover art and additional photos.

So far, Box Of Vision has The Beatles, Lennon and Dylan in their growing stable of um…boxes. The most recent Dylan one sells for …wait for it…. ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY DOLLARS! FOR A BOX WITH NO RECORDS IN IT!

The pigeon, I mean the consumer provides the records. The box enables you to proudly display your complete CD collections of the artist. To who , I don’t know. If I was stupid enough to waste my money on this, I’d be so ashamed I’d hide it in the attic.

I would provide the link just to prove that this does exist but honestly, I don’t feel like it would be a good idea to promote this craziness.

Their website says that they are always looking for new ideas for artists that we, the fans are deserving of the Box Of Vision “treatment”. A couple of suggestions come to mind.

Flying Lizards-yeah, it would be one real small box, but instead of being linen covered, you could manufacture it with scales.

Chumbawumba-just a big metal tub that you throw the CD into.

Modern English-Make the box out of chocolate and charge extra for the heat lamp.

Adam Ant-you open the box and all these feathers fly out.

Village People-here you could have 5 separate boxes for each member. A lunch pail for the construction worker, a bribery envelope for the policeman, a fire hydrant for the…you get the idea.

Blondie- A heart shaped box made of glass. You can use the same box for Nirvana and cut down on manufacturing costs.

Ramones-instead of using fine linen, go with ripped blue jean material. It would also unzip on the side.

New York Dolls-a purse, what else? One of those weird boxy ones your grandmother had.

Flock Of Seagulls- gold plated bird cage and a pair of sneakers.

B-52’s – a lobster trap-optional clambake edition comes with potatoes. Idaho’s, of course.

Steely Dan- a dildo, batteries not included. The CD’s “come” out of the tip, er ..top.

The Gloriousness that is King Crimson’s “Islands”

2011-03-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I like to write about some of my favorite records and “Islands” by King Crimson is certainly one of them. I’ve actually been conversing on the social media about it with some other fans, and it’s unfortunate that so many of them just can’t wrap their brain around this record.

Before I get started, let me just say that I know for sure that several other fans feel the same way I do, so I’m not trying to say that “Islands” is either obscure and/or underrated.
It’s obvious though, that a music fan can be attracted to King Crimson via many different avenues.

The heavy metal fans certainly have plenty to like here. What head banger wouldn’t be attracted to the sheer power of “21st Century Schizoid Man”, perhaps their best known tune. Chicks dig the whole “warbling troubadour” shtick, and original vocalist Greg Lake is right up there with Justin Hayward from The Moody Blues in the sensitive department.

So it seems somewhat likely that other than the hardcore fan that just inhales everything, there’s a second tier of fandom that has one or two records and leaves it at that. Or they bought one record and then another one that didn’t live up to their expectations.

“Islands” certainly qualifies as potentially being one of those records. The opener, “Formentera Lady” can be a head scratcher, especially if you’re expecting crunching power chords or a faster tempo. The track references a woman from the island of Formentera, off the coast of Spain. Much like an island breeze, woodwind instruments flow across the track. Sometimes quiet, other times more abruptly.

Fans who were on board for all four Crimson records up to this point wouldn’t be too surprised. The band’s previous record “Lizard” was also more oblique than it’s predecessor, “In The Wake Of Poseidon”. Among the band’s many strong suits is their ability to experiment and improvise. With a line up of musicians that was almost in a constant state of flux, (By this time guitarist Robert Fripp and lyricist Peter Sinfield were the only remaining original members) King Crimson was becoming as Fripp would quote many years later, “a way of doing things”.

The second track, “A Sailor’s Tale” is among the all time favorites for many fans of the band. Propelled by a jazzy 6/8 time signature, guitar and saxophone double the same melodic part creating a unique, unsettling sound before it segue ways into the third track, “The Letters”. Here we get the albums most improvisational moments, with quiet and loud passages juxtaposed against each other.

The music fan in me wants to believe that “Ladies Of The Road” is at least partially inspired by Frank Zappa’s “Road Ladies”, released just a year earlier. While King Crimson up to this point was not a band you would expect to put forth a controversial lyric, this song is lyrically spattered with several instances of misogyny. Whereas Zappa would make it funny, here it’s just flat out creepy.
A flower lady's daughter
As sweet as holy water
Said: "I'm the school reporter
Please teach me", well I taught her.

Two fingered levi'd sister
Said, "Peace", I stopped I kissed her.
Said, "I'm a male resister",
I smiled and just unzipped her.

High diving Chinese trender
Black hair and black suspender
Said, "Please me no surrender
Just love to feel your Fender".

Stone-headed Frisco spacer
Ate all the meat I gave her
Said would I like to taste her
And even craved the flavor

All of you know that the girls of the road
Are like apples we stole in our youth.
All of you know that the girls of the road
Been around but are versed in the truth.

Again the saxophone and guitar are prominent here. These are wailing, caterwauling episodes of sound that paint the most extreme visuals in your mind.

“Prelude-Song Of The Gulls” is where “Islands” really hits it’s stride. Four minutes and fifteen seconds of the most achingly beautiful string quartet arrangement ever attempted on a pop record. The music itself lilts and pulsates like waves that kiss the shore. Water and the ocean seem to be a reoccurring theme over the course of the record, and while “A Sailor’s Tale” painted an aural soundscape of stormy seas, this track evokes a feeling of more peaceful, calmer weather.

We finish off with the title track. How is it even possible to convey my feelings about this song and how much it’s grown to mean to me over the years? It makes me feel both insignificant and larger than life, both temporary and eternal, all at the same time.
It reminds me of the friends and family that I’ve lost, how they left this earth holding everything they’ve ever felt near and dear to them close, clutching and hanging on until that very last moment. How we are all our own type of “island”, and how all islands eventually erode away.

Earth, stream and tree encircled by sea
Waves sweep the sand from my island.

Dark harbor quays like fingers of stone
Hungrily reach from my island.
Clutch sailor's words - pearls and gourds
Are strewn on my shore.
Equal in love, bound in circles.
Earth, stream and tree return to the sea
Waves sweep sand from my island,
from me.

Capitol Records announces release of long lost Beach Boys Record

2011-03-11T12:57:00.000-08:00

Capitol Records says it’s official. All surviving members of The Beach Boys are on board and there will FINALLY be an official release for “SMiLE”, the 1967 album project by the band, abandoned and shelved for lo these past .. wait for it…….44 YEARS!

No release date yet, which still gives us the slightest kernel of doubt. But we’ve never been closer than we have in the past , that much is certain. Many details have surfaced today that result in a true cause for celebration.

It will be released in three formats. Digital download, 2 CD set, and a deluxe box set consisting of 4 CD’s, 2 vinyl LP’s, 2 vinyl singles, and a 60 page hardcover book written by long time Beach Boys historian Domenic Priore.

Two longtime Beach Boys associates -- engineer Mark Linett and archivist Alan Boyd -- are co-producing the release, which Capitol has titled "The Smile Sessions."

In a statement released through Capitol Records band leader songwriter, arranger and producer Brian Wilson said, “I'm thrilled that the Beach Boys' original studio sessions for 'Smile' will be released for the first time, after all these years,". I'm looking forward to this collection of the original recordings and having fans hear the beautiful angelic voices of the boys in a proper studio release”.

Fans can expect a combination of both mono and stereo tracks, including a complete mono mix of the record pieced together as closely as possible to Wilson’s 2004 solo release of the same name. While it’s been debated to death by fans whether or not “Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE” is an accurate sonic document of how the original album would have been sequenced, all parties have to at least begrudgingly admit that it’s the only template we have. Additional bonus tracks will appear in either mono and/or stereo.

Most important will be the likelihood of vastly improved sound quality. The bootleg versions that have circulated among collectors vary widely in this regard, and just the thought of a first generation copy of “Child Is The Father Of The Man” is enough to make me want to jump and weep for joy.

Peter Buck says “No REM tour” and one longtime fan reacts

2011-03-10T11:07:00.001-08:00

REM are no stranger to NOT touring, having not gone out on a regular basis since the “Green” LP and what was that, 1989? It must be because they titled the first track “pop song ’89”. I remember the wife and I going up to Massachusetts to see the “Monster” tour in 1994, having paid a ticket broker 150 bucks for two really good seats. Great show, but we spent an hour afterwards looking for the car in the dark.

The first time REM stopped touring was because they had been on a permanent cycle of album/tour, album/tour pretty much since the inception of the band. That’s roughly six years of constant hard work making a name for yourself. Despite what Pete Buck said recently about touring not selling records, I have to think that he’s all wet here. If you do it right, you can still conquer the world musically going town by town. You just have to have good songs and the where-with-all to sacrifice your health and well being for the sake of the music.

However, a band like REM has long gone past the point of earning new fans by performing live, so perhaps in the specific case of his band, Buck’s comments may be spot on. The only ticket buyers out there for them would be the long time fans. Even some of those, (like myself) may think twice before going, having already seen them so many times as well as being wary of the newer material.

They have a new record out this week that was streaming free over the internet last week and it sounds like it’s pretty good. Only problem is that they have put out 3 or 4 records out prior to this one that were either not very good or not popular enough to generate the necessary buzz that would bring about a successful return to the road. The band has pretty much (by choice, I’m assuming) elected to stay on the outskirts of the of the record business since they signed that huge deal with Warner Bros. and delivered the mega-hits “Out Of Time”, and “Automatic For The People”.

Those albums were the type of gazillion sellers that would yield an inevitable backlash, but I’ve got to say that REM somehow managed to avoid that happening to them as well, at least as a band. Perhaps it was the departure of drummer Bill Berry, or the conscious decision to experiment more on successive albums like “Up” and “Reveal”, but the band never fell victim to becoming a punch line as much as people just stopped caring. The music business was evolving without them, and rather than try to adapt along with it, the band seemed to be fairly comfortable with letting it happen, rather than dig their nails in the dirt and compromise their approach in the process.

Even though 2008’s “Accelerate” did little to reestablish them in the eyes of record buyers, long time fans that did check the record out applauded the stripped down-back to basics approach. Only problem was (for me anyway) that although the record sounded more powerful than any REM record did in recent memory, this noisy, bombastic effort did nothing to conjure up the feeling of what made them a great band in the first place.

“Collapse Into Now” appears to have rectified that complaint in spades. Pete Buck’s guitar parts do more shimmering and less exploding, with the emphasis more on melody and tone. The vocal blend between Mike Mills and Michael Stipe, which even during the best of times would on occasion sound more than a little forced, rings honest and true this time around, particularly on the gorgeous “UBerlin”.

Whether or not we ever see REM perform live in concert again appears to hinge at least partially on the fortunes of this latest effort. If the sales numbers are promising and enough of the band’s once thriving fanbase can be re-enlisted, we may yet see a triumphant return to the stage upon release of the next album.

Arthurly 2011

2011-03-03T15:04:00.001-08:00

An unreleased 1973 record by Love titled "Black Beauty", is finally going to see the light of day as an actual release.
Often bootlegged with dodgy sound , the record was long thought to be too poor in audio quality to ever be issued. "Not so" says the fledgling High Moon Records label, which is making some bold claims about remastered sound and bonus tracks that have never been heard. They are also promising rare and unreleased photos from that era as well as some freshly penned liner notes by Ben Edmonds.

After disbanding the first two configurations of Love, frontman and prime motivator Arthur Lee recorded this effort with famed Doors producer Paul Rothchild. Unfortunately, Lee's record label at that time went bankrupt and the project was permanently shelved.

Having already long moved on from the lush orchestral arrangements of Lee's magnum opus 1967's "Forever Changes", "Black Beauty" is a stripped down funky R&B influenced affair bearing a closer resemblance to Love's later works such as "Out Here" and the criminally underrated "Four Sail".

Unofficially known as the first inter-racial rock band, Love burst on the west coast pop scene in the mid 1960's, hitting the charts with their version of Burt Bacharach's "My Little Red Book". It was their live shows however, that earned them their true notoriety and they were considered to be the best performing band on Sunset Strip. It was in fact Ray Manzarek who is known for saying that prior to forming what would become The Doors, his idea was to try and put together a group that was as good as Love.

Crank up yer Victrola Grandma, it’s The Beach Boys!

2011-02-24T06:33:00.000-08:00

Saturday, April 16th is Record Store Day all over the world I guess, and I don’t know who started it or how long it’s been around, but record companies have embraced the occasion by releasing rare collectables on that day.

The most recent addition is a double A side 78rpm vinyl of The Beach Boys two classic SMiLE era tunes, “Good Vibrations” and “Heroes And Villains”.

Ok, so we all know that vinyl is “back”, but 78 rpm? This is actually a trend that we may see more of believe it or not. Many of the newer turntables being sold right now have the faster speed available, and although I make no claim to being an audiophile, it makes sense if you think about it that faster RPM’s combined with wider grooves etched into the vinyl result in better sound quality.

A recent re-issue of XTC’s “Skylarking” that came out late last year was released as a two record vinyl set at 45rpm speed. The result was nothing less than incredible. It’s also been rumoured that Frank Zappa’s classic “Hot Rats” album will also see a vinyl release soon in a faster speed format.

The release also adds fuel to the smoldering fire that suggests that Capitol Records has a plan at least in principle to release the unfinished SMiLE tapes as a box set or some other format. Those of us who have longed forever to see official release of this material have the right to be somewhat jaded because A) we’ve already got the stuff on bootlegs and B) we’ve fallen for this trick before. It still makes me wonder though as to what’s actually inside the deep dark catacombs of the Capitol Records vaults, and is there actually something of substance that we in fact have not heard yet.

AXE VICTIM-Bill Nelson rejected stardom while creating some of the greatest rock music of the 1970’s

2011-02-22T13:05:00.001-08:00

He wrote better songs than Bowie. He played a meaner guitar than Marc Bolan. During a period of rock and roll that showcased glitter, mirrored top hats, face paint and leotards, he and his band would take the stage in impeccably tailored three piece suits. The time was the mid 1970’s, the artist is Bill Nelson and the band was Be-Bop Deluxe.

Nelson certainly played the game initially in order to get noticed. Back then, having good tunes was not enough. Wild costumes and shock value showmanship were absolutely necessary. Their first album had the face of a human skull fashioned into the body of an electric guitar. On the back cover was a photo of the band camped up with teased out hair and plenty of eye shadow. But all you had to do was drop the needle on side one, track one and listen to the lyric to realize there are deeper issues at play here.

“ He came to watch the band….to see us play our parts…We hoped you’d lend an ear…You hoped we’d dress like tarts….but backstage we stand naked….all the makeup cleaned away…my poet sheds his pretty skin, and turns to face the day…..”

So here comes the talent scout, eager to sign the next big thing. The band wants their music to be heard, but the AOR guy wants to see androgyny. To him, the image means everything but to the artist , it’s a necessary evil in order to get their tunes recorded. Sort of like buying gasoline to get to work. You don’t want it, but you need it so you can afford groceries.

It took only one album for Nelson to shed his “pretty skin”, sacking all the other members of the band and replacing them with what would be known as their classic line up. For the band’s second album “Futurama”, Producer Roy Thomas Baker (of Queen fame) was enlisted to twiddle the control room knobs. The result was one of the greatest records of 1975, if not the entire decade. Only problem was, with no gimmicks or visuals for the record company to glom onto, the LP did not sell and was poorly promoted, at least in the United States.

In the Rough guide to Rock Peter Buckley described the album as:
"Top-heavy with massed guitars and melodic ideas pursued on a whim and just as quickly abandoned, it nevertheless contained two of the most perfect pop singles never to make the charts — “Maid In Heaven” and “Sister Seagull."
While Piero Scaruffi only mentions the band for half of one sentence in the whole book A History of Rock Music: 1951-2000 his words sum up Bill Nelson’s style and the new bands performance:
"..., and Bill Nelson's Be-Bop Deluxe predated New Wave by fusing Hendrix's guitar neurosis and Eno's electronic paranoia, particularly on Futurama (1975).

Despite the dissappointing sales, enough positive buzz surrounded the band to allow a third release, 1976’s “Sunburst Finish”. The record would finally yield a breakthrough on the UK singles charts with the reggae tinged “Ships In The Night”, which made it as high as #23. Although Be-Bop would never dent the singles charts in America, their records were finally starting to make inroads on the progressive FM rock stations of the day.

1977 would bring the band more moderate success with the release of “Modern Music”, arguably their most consistent artistic statement. Some tireless touring as opening acts in the United States and elsewhere provided enough material to release a live record that continued their slow yet steady momentum in sales and airplay.

Bill Nelson was not the type of artist that would stagnate and 1978’s “Drastic Plastic” was a quantum leap forward from previous records in regards to song styles and melodic structures. Songs like “Electrical Language” and “Surreal Estate” leaned more towards electronics and less toward conventional instruments. Radio programmers were dumbfounded, the record never gained significant airplay or sales, and the band broke up shortly afterwards.

While Bill would move on to other musical projects and still creates to this day, he essentially walked away from all commercial aspects of the music industry. Upon laying Be Bop Deluxe to rest, he remains comfortable in the knowledge that stardom was simply something that never suited him. “The glamourousness and the packaging…that’s what the industry uses to sell the product….That’s something I’ve always found to be a difficult thing to swallow….and I felt uncomfortable being a part of that. It’s meaningless, totally meaningless and it has nothing whatsoever to do with creating the music…which is often a very personal and intense experience done in private…away from the public gaze. No, I don’t miss it at all.”

When Elvis Was King- The "Trust" Sessions

2011-02-11T07:44:00.000-08:00

Very often when I get my hands on demos or rehearsal takes of songs, they outshine the finished versions that the artist ultimately releases. Nowhere is this more apparent than when listening to the sessions for Elvis Costello’s 1981 release, “Trust”.

Other than a couple of instances, most of these tracks are similar to what appeared on the record. However, when they are stripped bare of the reverb effects and vocal overdubs that adorned the finished product, small nuances and counterpoint melodies rise up from within. Steve Nieve’s keyboards and Bruce Thomas’s bass lines are no longer buried under the gloss and sheen, which makes for a thrilling listening experience hearing their contributions so “up front” in the mix.

There are other surprises. Early attempts at “Watch Your Step” are presented in a much faster tempo and in a different key than what would eventually be settled on. Costello’s “close whispering” vocal that adorns the finished version is nowhere to be found. The rehearsal take here more closely resembles “Chelsea” or even “Lipstick Vogue” with the lyrics shouted out in an attempt to cut through the chainsaw rhythm track. As we all know, “Watch Your Step” would eventually be totally re-worked into something completely different. I would compare this early version to watching a baby being born. A little messy, but brilliant never the less.

An early run through of “New Lace Sleeves” is presented here as a mid-tempo track, reminiscent of say, Dylan’s “Basement Tapes”. This work in progress is once again,far removed from the finished product with it’s tight snare drum/ high hat combo and nervous plucking of that single guitar string we’re so familiar with.

Upon listening to some early takes of “Clubland” , you can hear Steve Nieve adding keyboard flourishes more often than what would eventually appear on the master. Therefore, one could safely assume that a conscious decision was made to save these riffs for specific moments within the song, ultimately adding to the tension and suspense so apparent on the LP version.

Those of us who have heard both “Big Sister’s Clothes” and the much faster “Big Sister” that appeared on the “Out Of Our Idiot” compilation LP have some point of reference when examining Costello’s creative process. Specifically, how he and his band could seemingly at will bash out alternate versions on the fly, picking and choosing the best bits as they occurred spontaneously in the studio. So it’s not all too surprising to hear yet a third version of this song that again sounds like a very early rehearsal. This one has more of a country/ western feel, but still up tempo enough so that one could envision a cowboy doing rope tricks with the track playing in the background.

In addition to these crude early tapes, alternate takes of the basic tracks feature only the lead vocal without the harmony parts and the reverb/echo that Elvis and his producer, Nick Lowe would add later on. An integral part of his overall sound particularly back then, it’s hard to say that one would actually prefer hearing these versions without Costello harmonizing with himself, since he does it so effectively. But after hearing “White Knuckles” , You’ll Never Be A Man” and these other tracks without them, the performances of the other three members of the band become more apparent. Paired up against that one single vocal track, the efforts of Nieve, Thomas and Thomas shine brightly here and are ultimately more thrilling than ever before.

Costello’s official assessment of the “Trust” album describe it as his most drug-influenced record. Specifically, he admits to a diet of hard cider, gin and tonic, various powders (probably not corn starch), Johnnie Walker Black, and the pharmaceutical drug Seconal, a barbiturate derived sedative. This cocktail of inspiration, while not recommended does however lend some credence to the theory that drugs may aid towards the execution of the creative process.

Either way, “Trust” represents the pinnacle of Costello’s songwriting talents as well as the versatility and arranging prowess of The Attractions. While “Imperial Bedroom” garners many of these same kudos and “Get Happy” gets the overall nod from other factions of Elvis fans, it is here on this record where we are treated to the most consistent balance between future experimentation and the immediate punch of his earliest works.

Click the "Play" button to hear an early rehearsal of "Watch Your Step" from the "Trust" sessions.

Howard Kaylan is my Facebook friend.

2011-02-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

This morning on the way to work, my Ipod battery gave out. Seems the newer ones don’t charge automatically by simply being attached to the car radio like the older ones did.

Digging around for CD’s to satisfy my music fix, I happened upon a homemade burn of the third and fourth LP’s by Flo and Eddie. I know these records are great and way under appreciated by the mass populous, but today for some reason that fact hit home more than usual. So as soon as I got to work, I opened up Facebook, and wrote on my “friend” Howard Kaylan’s wall (aka “Eddie”) to tell him personally of my fondness for these records.

It never used to be this way. As music fans we have unprecedented access to our heroes via social media. Plus the more obscure the artist, the more likely it will be that you’ve actually made contact with the genuine article.

This morning I got to read and engage in actual conversation with Peter Holsapple (of dB’s fame) in regards to Christina Aguilera’s butchering of the National Anthem this past Sunday. We agree that it isn’t just the fact that she botched the words, but it is also equal parts annoying that she insists on treating it like an audition. By trying to make it a showcase for her vocal talents instead of just SINGING THE SONG, she mangled the tune to the point where it was unrecognizable. A far worse sin than just forgetting a few lyrics.

Now keep in mind that I’m the type of music fan that would much rather shake the hand of the artist and say “thank you for the music” rather than get an autograph. So this type of unprecedented access in fact makes me uncomfortable on many levels. I am always overly considerate to the point where I would just as soon say nothing for fear of making the other person feel obligated to interact with me. Crazy, right? Maybe it’s just my introverted nature, but I don’t want to come across as some kind of smarmy borderline stalker. Which is exactly the kind of character trait social media thrives on to perpetuate itself.

So like a great guitar solo, I pick and choose my spots carefully. I try and be as brief and effective as possible, saying my piece concisely and then shutting the hell up. What can I say, it works for me. More often than not I get a response which inevitably freezes me in my tracks. Do I respond back? Should I just click “like”? Why did I even bother? Am I creeping out Howard Kaylan by stating out of a clear blue sky that “Moving Targets” is a wickedly great record?

I’m also friends with Todd Rundgren’s wife, Faye Hunter from Let’s Active, Stan Ridgway from Wall Of Voodoo, and many others. I read their posts and listen to their links, bathing in their limelight that they have so selflessly chosen to share with me. Always careful not to overstay my welcome or do too much chirping for fear of being perceived as a creep. This way, it’s better for everybody.

Ray Davies at the Webster Theater- 3/6/10

2011-01-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

Ray Davies took the stage shortly after 9:00 at Hartford’s Webster Theater. Paired up with Bill Shanley on acoustic guitars , the duo tore through the evening’s set with workman-like precision.

The Webster itself can only be described as a pit. An absolutely unfortunate venue in which to see this or any other act. What was once a movie theater had it’s seats ripped out, folding chairs and a bar put in, and not much else.

The inadequate public address system made it almost impossible to hear Davies’s between song banter. Even worse, the quieter moments like during “Two Sisters” were partially inaudible because it was competing with the sound of people milling about.

Even with all those negatives, a living legend took the stage there last night, and there were moments where the fact the we were seeing him in a glorified gin mill actually made it more special.

Davies opened the show with “This Is Where I Belong”. To kick things off in such an offbeat fashion boded well for the song selections for the rest of the evening. Amongst the obvious crowd pleasers, we were treated to several chestnuts such as “Autumn Almanac”, “Set Me Free”, “Too Much On My Mind” , and the aforementioned “Two Sisters” which was the big surprise of the set.

“20th Century Man” got a bit of a facelift as the bridge was tacked onto the beginning, and the two guitar approach worked especially well here as you could close your eyes and imagine you were jumping a freight train. It certainly smelled that way, but again that was more because of the venue.

“Misfits” also struck me as a bit of a surprise choice and was presented beautifully in a slightly augmented version. Again I hate to dwell on this, but many of the shows highlights were tainted by the poor audio and a crowd that I can only describe as a strange cross section of the populous. Sure , they knew all the obvious stuff and sang along when Ray prompted them to, but it seemed that they were oblivious to those moments when they were getting the really good stuff.

Opening act “The 88” came back to close the set with a blistering four song electric eruption. Davies was in fine voice the whole night growling and playing to the crowd in that big booming stadium voice of his. So when the acoustic guitars were put down in favor of the full electric band, it immediately went from quaint and restrained to loud and exhilarating.

“All Day And All Of The Night” set the tone for the electrified closer, followed by “Lola”, a tremendous note perfect version of “David Watts” which Ray introduced as a song written about a man who was in love with his brother, and “Low Budget” as the shows closer. By this time Ray was bouncing about the entire stage, and pointing his microphone out to the audience when he wanted them to sing. This is where we finally got the infamous gap-toothed grin from the man which served as proof positive that we were in fact in the presence of bonafide rock and roll royalty. Somehow amongst all the filth and squalor of the Webster Theater, it actually made it all the more satisfying.

The set list for the show included:

This Is Where I Belong

You Really Got Me

I Need You

Where Have All The Good Times Gone?

Till The End Of The Day

The Tourist

Victoria

20th Century Man

Autumn Almanac

Misfits

Tourists

Apeman

Two Sisters

The Hard Way

See My Friends

I’m Not Like Everybody Else

Nothing Can Stop Me Worrying bout my Baby

Too Much On My Mind

Well Respected Man

Sunny Afternoon

Postcard From London

Tired Of Waiting

Set Me Free

***With The 88’s***

All Day And All Of The Night

Lola

David Watts

Low Budget

The Art Of Extrication

2010-12-31T09:51:00.000-08:00

As I type this it seems unlikely that I will ever post these thoughts, but I’m finding it necessary to at least get this issue off my mind and down on the page if for nothing else than going about the business of moving on.

About a year and a half ago, I started contributing some of my rock and roll posts for this other blog I stumbled upon. This other blog was well established in that it had many more actual readers than mine did. Well, one thing led to another and before I knew it, I was expected to produce content, and produce it often.

This did not sit well with me. While I welcomed the opportunity to reach a larger number of people, I ultimately balked at my editor’s consistent demand for quantity over quality.
He was convinced that in order for the blog to be successful, “we” would have to post 20 entries per day. This was something I never signed up for. Especially when his idea of content would often consist of him puking out these one paragraph rants against members of the rock establishment. Basically, he loves to cast verbal stones of vitriol at the biggest names in music.

At first, I tried to cooperate. It wasn’t long though, before I realized that what I was writing ran contrary to this other blog’s modus operandi. It’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of today’s music. I’m sure that if I had lots of leisure time, I could find something recorded after the year1999 that appealed to me. I, in fact have on several occasions. My personal opinion towards artists like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and their ilk are that they are not only overrated, they are nothing more than music industry board room creations manufactured like so many jars of peanut butter. In short, not worthy of my attention.

The difference is that I would never try to shove that opinion down your throat. Personal tastes aside, the music being made today is just not designed with me in mind. I can find some enjoyment in the backing tracks of much of today’s rap and hip-hop, but ultimately find the misogynistic , polarizing and at times violent nature of many of it’s lyrics highly distasteful.

Rock criticism has never been my aim. I try to be inclusive, to turn someone on to a record or a band that they might not be aware of. And if they are aware of them, then try to provide some small nugget or kernel of knowledge they might not have known. Before I put pen to paper, I do my research and I work as hard as I can to be correct in what I say. Most of the time all my research data is obtained via the world wide web. This is mainly due to time constraints and convenience. I wish I could use more printed sources when I write, but this is not exactly what you’d call a “paying gig”. So even though you could critically analyze much of what I do as lame Wikipedia re-writes with a dash of passion, I’m always extremely careful not to talk down to the audience.

So yeah, I have a serious problem with someone who “writes” things like “Jaan Wenner is a plank” or “60’s music is dead”. Or someone who dismisses Bob Dylan’s back catalog as “moldy”. If one wants to champion new artists , then that writer should do that. However, doing that and at the same time “writing” derogatory comments about the ghosts of rock and roll past is the ultimate in contradiction and calls to mind the old saying of “cutting off your nose to spite your face”. Especially when that same person tries to pass off his opinions as fact. I have absolutely no time for this “dick measuring approach” whatsoever.

Now, my former editor would probably reply by saying that if I in fact provided more content, then I could have played a more active role in the blog’s direction. This may be true, but when one’s basic statement of principles run so perpendicular and contrary to the establishment for which he “works” for, it becomes not only a losing battle, but a fight that I would just as soon not undertake.

The catalyst towards my ultimate resignation occurred one Sunday afternoon. I was reading that blog when I happened upon a review by one writer of Paul McCartney’s performance on “Saturday Night Live” the evening before. It was the typical “he’s old, we hate him” crap that this blog usually tries to pass off as actual content. However, within the review came an incorrect observation by the writer that Macca was NOT actually playing the bass. They were accusing the artist of miming his bit while appearing on national television. Then , my former editor chimes in AGREEING with the writer and spewing forth some other crap about the keyboard player covering for him.

Does anyone else see the irony here? A blog that absolutely loves artists who regularly “perform” live to pre-recorded backing tracks calling out an artist that is at least in partly responsible for creating the music industry as we know it of miming on stage. This was compounded by the fact that their observation was completely incorrect.

How could I let this stand? I couldn’t! Compelled to respond, I opened up the “comment” section underneath the post and basically said that these writers were allowing their own cynicism to cloud their view of the facts. Well, you would have thought I had called them assholes and pissed on their shoes for good measure. Repressed hostility from my former editor came bubbling over with a slew of insults volleyed back at me. First he said I was “boring”, which coming from him, I actually took as a compliment.

So here he was defending his blog the way a parent would defend his or her child. Which is all well and good I guess, and sort of admirable in a strange psychotic way. But if you’re going to have a controversial (or in this case, completely incorrect) point of view, it’s a little naïve to think that nobody will ever call you on it eventually. There’s nothing wrong with being passionate, but in the meantime at least check your facts and make sure you’re right before you go spouting off and accusing me of sabotage.

Looking back now, it’s better for all parties involved that I extricated myself from that situation when I did. Now, I get to write only when I want to and when I feel like I actually have something to say. This blog may not spout out 20 posts a day, but I am extremely proud of it’s meager contents. Moreover, I vehemently stand behind each and every sentence comfortable in the knowledge that I will never have to change my mind about anything I wrote. At the same time however, I will always consider myself enlightened enough to accept someone else's point of view.

The curious life and tragic death of Randy California

2010-12-17T05:44:00.000-08:00

On January 2nd, 2011 it will be 14 years since Randy Craig Wolfe drowned in the ocean off the coast of Molokai, Hawaii while successfully preventing his son from suffering the same fate. He managed to push him towards the shore in the fierce undercurrent, but had no energy left to save himself.

Wolfe, better known as Randy California, was a guitarist and singer for the rock group Spirit. Founded in 1967, he was one of the group’s original members and was also the band’s principal songwriter, penning the band’s two biggest hits, “I Got A Line On You”, and “Nature’s Way”.

The band’s musical output is diverse, one that defies categorization. Within the grooves of their astounding first four albums are elements of jazz, folk, power pop and even the roots of progressive and jazz/rock fusion. “The 12 Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus” , arguably their greatest work, is a bona fide masterpiece that belongs in the record collections of all serious listeners.

A guitar genius at the tender age of 15, Randy met Jimi Hendrix at Manny’s Guitar Shop in New York City during the summer of 1966. He had migrated there from California with his stepfather Ed Cassidy who together were performing at several small jazz clubs in the area.

After hearing him play, Hendrix got Randy to join his band, which were then known as “Jimmy James and the Blue Flames”. There was another guitarist from Texas in the band named Randy, so Hendrix started referring to them separately as “Randy California” and “Randy Texas” to avoid confusion.

Upon being “discovered” by Animals bassist Chas Chandler, it was decided that Hendrix would go to England with his new manager with the intention of forming a band. Jimi wanted Randy California in the group that was to become the Experience, but Randy’s parents would not allow it, since he was only 15 and had still not finished high school.

Returning home with a new nickname, Randy, along with his stepfather would form “Spirit”. The success of their second album “The Family That Plays Together” found them touring the United States in 1968. Opening for them on several dates was a new band from England called Led Zeppelin. It was most likely here that Jimmy Page first heard Randy’s song “Taurus” which features a guitar part that is strikingly similar to a Led Zeppelin song that would be recorded a few years later, known as “Stairway To Heaven”.

Some bad management decisions (such as not playing the Woodstock festival) combined with the death of his good friend Hendrix, a disillusioned and depressed Randy California left Spirit in 1969. He would record and perform under a few different band configurations before re-acquiring the legal rights to use the name “Spirit” in 1974.
While he would never approach the quality of those early records, Randy California continued to write, record and perform under the “Spirit” banner until that fateful day in 1997, where he died while saving the life of his own son.

Click below to hear "Mr. Skin" by Spirit

Elvis Costello-"National Ransom" reviewed

2010-11-02T08:10:00.000-07:00

I can completely envision a scenario where some long time fans of Elvis Costello, upon hearing him whistle the melody towards the end of “A Slow Drag With Josephine” off his new LP “National Ransom”, would go lunging for the CD player in frustration and chuck this entire record into the bin. Which is unfortunate, because this thing’s not all that bad.

There’s more than enough eclecticism here to confound even his most loyal fans. While I can appreciate the fact that at this point in his career Costello continues to explore many different styles to get his tunes across, it’s ultimately frustrating to know that if about one fourth of these songs were left off this 62 minute effort it would easily be his strongest work since “All This Useless Beauty”. The most surprising thing here is that the experiments end up working infinitely better than the tried and true.

The album’s opener and title track is straight forward enough, even if it does lack a discernable melody. It’s almost as if Costello feels obligated to deliver a rocker, but is ultimately not interested in painting with those colors for very long. It’s also somewhat ironic in that in his overall attempt to use a wide variety of styles, the tunes that are the most “Elvis-like” are where most of this record’s missteps occur. Along with the title song, add “Five Small Words” and “I Lost You” as decent, but familiar ground that he’s covered more successfully on previous records.

From there we are treated to bathtub gin era jazz, (Jimmie Standing In The Rain) to dense Bacharach-esque chord structures, (Stations Of The Cross) to bluesy rock and roll (My Lovely Jezebel). All three of these songs are terrific, with some of the most inspired lyrics and vocal melodies we’ve gotten from the man in recent memory.

“Church Underground” is another standout number that features a type of twisted Salvation Army Band rhythm track which, when combined with the impassioned vocal and eerily filthy subject matter adds up to a tune that easily ranks among his very best. It’s immediately followed up by “You Hung The Moon”, a number that Sinatra would have died to sing if he was wasn’t dead already and is so good it makes things like “Almost Blue” (the song) seem inferior by comparison.

So it’s the variety of styles here that make for most of the high points. It ends up succeeding where something like say, “Spike” failed in that it was just too much of a scattershot affair with not much substance holding it together. On “National Ransom”, Costello feeds off the “Spike” template, but raises the songwriting ante considerably and combines that with the unifying theme of bankruptcy (both literally and morally) as the glue.

A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!

2010-10-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

One of the original rock ’n’ roll 45’s was almost never recorded. “Tutti Frutti” was cut by Little Richard and produced by Robert “Bumps” Blackwell at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in New Orleans on September 14th,1955. It was not on the original list of tunes that they were going to do that day. The session was not going as well as everyone would have liked, so during a short break, “Little” Richard Penniman decided to sit at the piano and let off some steam.

He started playing a bawdy, salacious tune laced with homosexual humor that he had perfected playing in gay nightclubs with his band, The Tempo Toppers. The original lyrics went something like “Tutti Frutti, good booty / If it don’t fit, don’t force it / You can grease it, make it easy". It bears a resemblence to a song titled “Tutti Booty” recorded some 20 years earlier by a novelty jazz duo known as Slim And Slam. Some of us who had parents that were young during that era may remember them for novelty hits such as “Flat Foot Floogie (with a Floy Floy)” and “Cement Mixer (Puti Puti)”.

Bumps Blackwell heard Little Richard tear through this tune with his trademark ferocity and knew right then and there that it was a hit. He also knew that there was no way it could ever be released with those lyrics. So a local songwriter named Dorothy LaBostrie was hastily contacted to come in and clean it up.

By now , time was of the essence. The session was nearly over and there was not enough time to teach the piano player how to perform the tune. So Matassa re-positioned the microphones so that Little Richard could play and sing the track at the same time. Fifteen minutes and three takes later, “Tutti Frutti” was finished. Released that following November, it went to #2 on the Billboard Rhythm And Blues charts. Even more astonishing was it’s cross over onto the Pop charts (which were typically dominated by white artists) where it reached #17.

Subsequent versions were soon recorded by Pat Boone and Elvis Presley, and were also hits. Richard’s version however, remains the definitive one partly because of the aggressive raw nature of the recording, but chiefly because that ferocious power was being conveyed by a black man. Kids of all colors subsequently went nuts, and the popularity of “Tutti Frutti”would change the world both culturally and politically.

Pop Artists Re-Recording Their Old Material-Revisionist History? Or Just Desserts?

2010-10-25T05:39:00.001-07:00

Music purists may be troubled by a recent trend in which artists from the 60’s and 70’s are going back into the studio to re-record spanking new versions of their classic tunes.
The list appears to be growing by the day, from the “new” Squeeze album “Spot The Difference”, to Ray Davies’s choral collection from last year being followed up by a “duets” album of sorts in the upcoming “See My Friends”.

Do a little more digging and you’ll find that The Sex Pistols recently reunited in the studio to record a fresh version of “Anarchy In The UK” for the video game, “Guitar Hero III”. The list continues with everyone from Kiss to Uriah Heep jumping into the game.

Almost 40 years ago, Ray Davies wrote a song called “The Money-Go-Round” in which he wrote, “Do they all deserve money from a song that they’ve never heard? They don’t know the tune and they don’t know the words but they don’t give a damn…” Herein lies the purpose behind this trend. Music publishing over the years has been bought and sold and sold again. It’s been broken into pieces via corporate takeovers and piecemealed out to other companies and may have even been won in a high stakes poker game for all we know.

The demand for this music is as high as it’s ever been. From video games to the ending credits on TV shows and movies, the thirst for classic rock is insatiable towards all things commercial. Many times though, the effort it takes to gain publishing rights to use the music is either just too expensive, or just too complicated because there are too many entities that own portions and percentages of the tune. So, by the time you round up all these approvals and signatures, your product has either already missed it’s deadline to hit the market place, or less expensive options get utilized.

Those less expensive options are where these new recordings come in. By providing a new performance of the song, the artist has effectively cut out all these middlemen and created a cash flow that goes directly to them. In that same aforementioned song Davies also lamented, “But if I ever get my money, I’ll be too old and grey to spend it”.. If that was the lay of the land some 40 years ago, can you imagine how bad it must be now?

So before we criticize our rock heroes for performing revisionist history on their back catalog instead of coming up with new ideas, remember that they need to put peanut butter on the table just like the rest of us. And before we take the directors and producers of movies and TV to task for not using the original recordings of songs, try to understand how difficult the environment is for them to get the rights to these songs in order to complete their artistic vision.

Copy and paste this link into your browser to read Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze explain why his band decided to do this.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/oct/25/squeeze-back-catalogue-up-junction

Cosimo Matassa

2010-10-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

When the phrase “Legend Of Rock And Roll” is used, one rarely hears the name Cosimo Matassa attached to it. However, if one were to mention Fats Domino, Little Richard, Smiley Lewis, Lee Dorsey, Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Brown, chances are there would be more people nodding their heads in agreement than you’d find at a bobble head doll convention.

All those people and dozens more are intrinsically linked together for two main reasons. They are all trail blazing giants of the Rock and Roll/ R&B genre and they were all recorded at one time or another (in most cases extensively) by Cosimo Matassa, owner and engineer of J&M Studio, 840 North Rampart Street, New Orleans, LA, USA.

The path was an unlikely one. Around the time of World War 2, Matassa was a reluctant chemistry major at Tulane University. After dropping out, some minor health issues allowed him to avoid the draft. A short time later, his father demanded that he either go back to school or find some work.

Employment was readily available through the family business, an appliance store that also sold and serviced coin operated jukeboxes. This line of business would ultimately yield an inventory of used jukebox records that were then sold at the store. Demand grew and customers started asking about the availability of new records.

As the records began to outsell the appliances, Matassa came up with the idea of adding a recording booth in the back of the store, where people could come in for a fee and cut a record of their voice or anything else they wanted to. Word got around, and local bands came in to record their music. As this became more commonplace, copies of these local records would make their way to the storefront, resulting in even more business.

The Matassa family were reaping reasonable profits, and Cosimo was enjoying the added benefit of recording and selling the local music that he loved. However, the game would change dramatically on Saturday, December 10th, 1949. Imperial Records owner Lew Chudd was in town with one of his employees, Louisiana native Dave Bartholomew. Arguably the most accomplished and technically proficient musician to be based out of that area, Bartholomew worked for Imperial records as an arranger, songwriter, and talent scout.

Chudd had asked Bartholomew to take him around town to see some of the best local talent New Orleans had to offer. It wasn’t long before they found themselves at a local dive in the 9th ward checking out a set by Fats Domino. It became clear that this was the act to record, so a session was arranged for that aforementioned Saturday at J&M, the only studio in town.

One of the songs recorded on that day was called “The Fat Man”, and while there can never be a definitive first ever Rock and Roll record that everybody agrees on, it can be said without a doubt that “The Fat Man” is one of the earliest records ever made that helped shape the genre. At first, it was only a local hit during that Christmas. However, after selling a reported 10,000 copies in New Orleans in a mere 10 days, the record broke nationally in January of 1950.

The success of “The Fat Man” created a gradual groundswell of sorts, building up to the point where independent record companies like Specialty, Aladdin and Chess entered the scene. These companies, who were already enjoying considerable success recording R&B artists from other areas of the country came sniffing around New Orleans saying to Cosimo, “This area has got some good records coming out , and we want to record some”. He would then take them to all the places and let them hear whoever in his opinion was worth hearing. As a self described “general direction pusher”, Matassa took great pride in calling attention to the artists that he loved. Even though he was essentially doing the work of an Executive Producer and/or A&R man, he would be the first to admit that he was not market conscious enough to understand that he could’ve in fact charged considerable fees for these services.

As a result, New Orleans was to early Rock ‘n Roll what California was to the Gold Rush. The independent record companies came in and strip mined the area, paying Matassa nominal fees for studio time (15 dollars an hour plus the cost of materials) along with musicians receiving bare minimum royalties or sometimes nothing at all, a result of what Matassa describes as “questionable accounting”.

As the Fifties progressed, Cosimo became busier and busier, as more record labels from across the country migrated down in search of his expertise. “ I practically lived in that place…(The studio)…We’d start at nine o’ clock in the morning, and sometimes wouldn’t get out until midnight. We never charged for overtime, and that would go on for seven days a week”.

So what was the secret? What made these records sound so good? Part of the answer lies in the talent. Matassa was fortunate that people like Dave Bartholomew , Earl Palmer, and other great musicians were around and available. He is in fact , the first to defer all of the credit to them, rather than himself. There were other fortuitous random instances as well, such as the time when a Jewish Synagogue allowed him to purchase a Telefunken Neumann 47 state of the art microphone for a fraction of what it cost. The congregation did not want the microphone because it was German!

At first, probably up until 1954 or so, all performances were cut direct to disc, obviously with no tape editing. Matassa comments on those days by saying, “Those were the good performances, probably some of the best. Because they really WERE performances as opposed to the synthesized record you make today, when you lay down the rhythm and start putting things on top of it, three months and 12 sessions later nobody remembers what the original thing was really going to be like”.

Matassa also had the technical expertise from both being “naturally technically oriented” and by being a member of AES (Audio Engineering Society). “that helped me immediately. I got back issues of the journals and stuff like that. I got myself oriented really
easily. Going to conventions and talking to and meeting with people who were doing anything I was starting to do was a big help too”
More important than all those things though, was his uncanny instincts combined with his emotional connection towards what was being recorded. “I would always pride myself in being able to walk into a studio, stick the right microphone in the right place, set up a group and record them. Just like a guy who lays a lot of bricks, he knows how to grab a brick and a trowel”

“If you transmit an emotion to the listener, it’s a good record…it’s gonna be a successful record. Now, having said that, how you measure it, I don’t know how you predict it. I have not a clue. Because it just happens, and then everybody’s aware of it, you know.. it’s fundamental. And yet totally evasive”.

Although far from a household name, Cosimo Matassa is chiefly responsible for what is now known as the New Orleans Sound. His approach featured strong bass, heavy drums, and a strong vocal lead combined with light piano and horn. Legend has it that the knobs in his control room never moved from where they were permanently set. Virtually every R&B record made in New Orleans between the late 1940’s and the early 1970’s was engineered by Matassa and recorded in one of his four studios. A partial listing below reads like a who’s who of popular music during that time frame.

Goin Home-Fats Domino- (#1 Hit)
Good Rockin’ Tonight-Roy Brown-
Long About Midnight-Roy Brown-(#1 hit)
Lawdy Miss Clawdy-Lloyd Price -(#1 hit)
My Ding-a-ling-Dave Bartholomew- not a hit but Chuck Berry’s version did also hit #1
Honey Hush-Joe Turner(#1-widely considered as the forerunner to “Shake, Rattle and Roll”)
The Things I used To Do-Guitar Slim- (#1 hit)
Jock-A –Mo-Sugar Boy Crawford--later recorded as “Iko Iko”
Blue Monday-Smiley Lewis-
I hear you Knockin’ Smiley Lewis-
Poor Me-Fats Domino-(#1 hit)
Tutti Frutti”-little Richard
See You Later, Alligator-Bobby Charles
Long Tall Sally-Little Richard-(#1 hit)
Rip It Up-Little Richard –(#1 hit)
Ready teddy-Little Richard
Lucille-Little Richard
The Girl Can’t Help It-Little Richard
Jenny, Jenny-Little Richard
Good Golly Miss Molly-Little Richard
Let The Good Times Roll-Shirley And Lee-
I’m Walkin’ Fats Domino-(#1 hit)
Sea Cruise-Frankie Ford
First ever recordings by Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Rivers, and Allen Toussaint
Walkin to New Orleans-Fats Domino
I Want To Walk You Home-Fats Domino (#1hit)

Mother in Law-Ernie K Doe(#1 hit)
Ya Ya- Lee Dorsey

When asked about his legendary sound and his immense contribution to popular music, Matassa exclaimed humbly, “I don’t know if you can call the Cosimo Sound that distinctive. I tend to feel less about that than other people seem to. I’m not impressed with myself”. When asked about his status as a pioneer in the field of Rock ‘n Roll recordings he quipped.. “Pioneer…that’s the guy with an ass full of arrows”.