Neon Trees- Habits

Some friends never learn. “There you go messin’ with my mind” and tell me that a debut album can’t be awe-inspiring and awesome. Neon Trees’ song “In the Next Room” does make a valid point and I wish to do the same. Neon Trees is one of the best new bands around. For my 2010 Best Music List, Neon Trees had the #1 song with “Animal” and Habits was the #6 album of the year. I still stand firmly behind those two decisions.

Now I wish I could say I have been following Neon Trees for years or that I knew about them when they were just a simple rock quartet from Provo, Utah, but that’s not the case at all. The first time I heard about them was from Spin Magazine and Mark Hoppus, co-founder, bassist and singer of Blink-182 as well as bassist/lead singer for +44. Back in March 2010, Hoppus praised the band and picked them as Spin’s “Band of the Week” at South by Southwest (SXSW). He said that the band hit him right away and he “listened to [them] four times in a row” after a “journalist pal” tipped him off.

I share a similar feeling. It’s somewhat difficult for me listening to a new band because I find it very challenging. It’s a tricky thing to explain, but I will do my best. There have been bands I have put all my love and passion into following them, only for them to breakup within a few years. Then there are the bands I “casually” enjoy for a few years when they are just a small “indie” band before they blow up and become the new “it” band. Even though I have listened to “that band” for years I feel like I have joined the bandwagon by saying “Oh, yeah I have been listening to them for years” because I have never been entirely passionate about them. One way or another it feels like I’m coming across as a pretentious music aficionado and I don’t want that at all.

It’s hard to explain, but I digress. Since March 2010 I kept hearing about Neon Trees and just kept putting off listening to them despite hearing things about them constantly. Eventually over summer I heard their single “Animal” and was completely enamored by it. However, it wasn’t until an appearance on the premiere episode of “A Different Spin with Mark Hoppus” as the first guest/musical act on the show did I immediately buy the album the next day. Ever since buying Habits I have listened to the album at least once a week starting Friday, September 17th, 2010.

Neon Trees is composed of Tyler Glenn (keyboards/lead vocals), Chris Allen (guitar), Branden Campbell (bass guitar/ vocals) and Elaine Bradley (drums/percussion/vocals). This quirky quartet reaffirms my belief that you can be successful and still be an alternative band in today’s music scene without compromising your sound.

Habits kicks off with the sensational “Sins of My Youth.” The opening of “Sins of My Youth” gives a preview of the chorus with Tyler Glenn singing “I’ve got these habits I cannot break” accompanied by killer keyboards before bursting into the actual song. Sweet guitar riffs transition into smooth drumming with Glenn’s sweet voice fueling this appealing and amazing album. The band is reminiscent of OK GO and The Killers (especially from their Hot Fuss days).

The other day I was in a coffee shop hanging out with friends when “Love And Affection” came on the radio. I started singing along with three complete strangers while my friends were shocked. That’s the beautiful and brilliant thing about Neon Trees- they create catchy, crazy, yet charismatic songs filled with “love and affection,” which leads me to their hit single and my favorite song of 2010.

“Animal” is the lead single off Neon Trees’ debut album Habits and has currently peaked at #13 (as of this writing, during its 22nd week) on the Billboard Hot 100. The high intensity, catchy chorus and titillating talent that emerges from this song makes this album a must buy. I was immediately hooked with the opening lyrics, “Here we go again/ I kind wanna be more than friends/ So take it easy on me/ I’m afraid you’re never satisfied.” This song reeks of coolness and you can’t just listen to this song once. It’s infectious, irresistible and inspiring music that makes you want to get up and dance to it as you sing along the entire time.

“Your Surrender” doesn’t shy away from its roots of post-punk, dance-pop and classic 80s music. Feeling reminiscent of Depeche Mode, INXS, The Strokes and other contemporary bands that incorporate several different musical backgrounds, Neon Trees crafts creative catchy slick songs possessing awesome choruses. Everything is well-balanced and focused. There is nothing wrong with creating irresistible pop music.

And “1983” is another perfect example of that. Besides “Animal” this is one of my favorite songs of 2010 and an astonishing song that will hook you onto Neon Trees. This song is beyond catchy. Words can’t describe how addicting and amazing it truly is. One of the things I love most about “Girls And Boys In School” is how the opening hooks you immediately. This song embodies more of that post-pop punk feel kind of like The Virgins and like all the other songs on the album is super awesome.

After listening to “In The Next Room” I felt like listening to classic 1930s jazz music and the Stray Cats. Opening with an awesome bassline, “In The Next Room” progresses into a savy, sophisticated song and is also reminiscent of The Cure’s “The Lovecats.” Neon Trees metamorphosizes genres and decades flawlessly to create a sound that is all their own.

The album concludes with “Our War” and is the cherry on top. Although only eight songs, don’t disregard this phenomenal debut album. This debut demonstrates the slick sound that awaits the future for music fans. Neon Trees are a breath of fresh air in a mostly dreary, dry mainstream music scene. They are like a new wave, alternative pop, post-pop punk, dance-pop, indie pop and most importantly, a kick ass rock band that makes excellent music. Their upbeat unique sound solidifies them as a band worthwhile to watch.

Recently I even offered several music aficionado friends, who thought about buying the album, a personal money back guarantee that they would be entertained, engaged and enjoy every minute of Habits. If not I would gladly refund their money. Since I made that offer, all those specific friends gladly took me up on the offer and came back satisfied thanking me for my recommendation. Habits is that good!


--Mr. Brownstone

Buy here: Habits
Buy here vinyl: Habits [Vinyl]

Buy here mp3: Habits

Ultraphallis - Sowberry Hagan

On Riot Season records, Liege, Belgium's Ultraphallus' Sowberry Hagan comes out January 24 and is...

...something...

...you should pick the motherfuck up.

Ultraquick version: an experimental cross between Sloath and Portishead.

Less quick version: it's got "typical" Riot Season production, like Sloath: a lot of bleed between tracks, making a single lumbering, massive doom metal sound, rather than several tracks overlaid each other. Frankly, it's a sound I really enjoy, and one that sounds great whether at (my fave) jet engine volume, or through good headphones. It's an organic monster-- the Swamp Thing coming into your ears (literally?).

Track shortlists:

"The Red Print": includes the (almost certainly improvised) vocals by Oxbow's Eugene Robinson, in a remixed ambient-rock track, all the while managing to sound like a metal version of Leon Thompson and his work with Pharoah Sanders. Soooo nice.

"Torches of Freedom": ambient, noise: spoken word about Bush administration... "The Loss of Their Teeth" is beautiful, almost lullaby-like; "Golden Fame" is riffy and introspective, and most easily encapsulates how Ultraphallus hits: a doom metal Portishead....

"The Crumbled" is banjos and birdsong (did I mention Ultraphallus were experimental? See this link about Eric Dolphy and birdsong... it sorta hits at where they're coming from, baby)....

"Cinghiale" includes increasing tape hiss and saxophone, and seems to me to be the perfect cross betweeen the love of "sound" and the love of Doom (like Preslav Literary School)...

I"ndians Love Rain": brooding, complex, mysterious (and does the title make more sense in Belgian French...?).

"Right Models" and "River Jude" are easily the most rocking tracks of the album, like a slow rock version of Kylesa's "Scapegoat"... or a combination of the Descendents and Sloath meets L7....

Album opener, "Pathological Freemind Verse" is (intentionally or not) an homage to Merzbow, all noise and intent....

Ultraphallus rocked a shitton of new sonorities: banjos, alto and soprano saxophones, noises and samples and field recordings-- as much as someone as abstract as Eric Dolphy-- and blends them all into a stew of sound, so much so that I, who plays soprano, alto and tenor sax, couldn't tell which sax was which.

Maybe that's the most apt description of Sowberry Hagan: an attempt to blend, without regard for the listener, pretty much every genre that comes into their minds....

The album title is a Mark Twain reference, and an obscure one at that: it's referenced once in Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 6, (about a man renowned for his cursing).

Musically! ...Myriad elements: doom, ambient, noise, sampled sounds, Kate Bush, Swans, death metal, Portishead, crushingly heavy alternative....

Engineering! ...Overall what I'm calling a "dusty" sound: Sowberry Hagan was "remixed with low frequencies," including sub-mixed samples, hidden noise, and other Interesting Sonic Oddities....

Overall? The haiku* review?

Oppressive
Scary and reassuring
Like warm grave soil



--Horn


Riot Season Records: http://www.riotseason.com/news.htm

Ultraphallus Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/ultraphallus


*I know this is not Haiku form.

Protometal Report - A Triple Dose of Iggy - Have Some Fun: Live at Ungano's, Popped: the Fan Club Package, and Kill City

The past year has been a bonanza for Stooges fans. In October 2009, four concerts of the 1971 line up were released by the UK label Easy Action as a box set titled You Want My Action. This is the band that featured both Ron Asheton and James Williamson on dueling lead guitars and the earth shattering rumble of Jimmy Recca on bass alongside Iggy and drummer Scott Asheton. In May 2010, Sony put out the deluxe Raw Power box set that came with a previously unheard concert of the Iggy & The Stooges version of the band in Atlanta from 1973. But now we have what we’ve all been waiting for – the Funhouse-era Stooges captured in all of their maximum 1970 insanity on a limited edition CD from Rhino Handmade entitled Have Some Fun: Live At Ungano’s.

For decades, survivors have been talking about the incredible run of shows the band played at a New York City club called Ungano’s around the release of the Funhouse album in the summer of ‘70. Now we have the audio evidence and it confirms the legend - The Stooges were an ferociously kick ass live band. Sound quality is a bit rough since it’s an audience recording but this is all that we have so I’m not complaining. The show was taped by Danny Fields, who signed them and the MC5 to Elektra Records. At the start of the disc there’s some very entertaining banter between Danny and a few others on the way to the show, including (rumor has it) Patti Smith.

The hilarious discussion sets up the main event perfectly. The club owner tries to introduce the band but Iggy screams “TAKE IT” and the band crashes into “Loose.” The tempo’s way up, faster than the studio version but the band is extremely tight and in control while being out of control at the same time. First thing you notice is how hard Scotty hits the drums. Jeezus, that cat can groove. Ron’s guitar playing is razor sharp and former roadie/new bassist Zeke Zettner replicates Dave Alexander’s parts just fine. Iggy’s voice is great and he lets out lots of howls and screams. Every song from Funhouse is played and it’s a real treat to finally hear an unedited live version of “TV Eye.” Unfortunately, the song “Funhouse” is truncated but there’s a killer jam that evolves out of “L.A. Blues” that’s titled “Have Some Fun/My Dream Is Dead.” These songs might have been improvised on the spot or could possibly be an unrecorded song called “Way Down In Egypt.” Whatever the case, the band really cuts loose, especially sax maestro Steve MacKay. Steve’s playing has always been an excellent mix of Junior Walker R&B and Archie Shepp free jazz.

Packaging on this disc is good but not great. There are some cool shots of Iggy flipping off the crowd (who are sitting on the floor!) but not much of the rest of the band. There’s a reproduction of an advertisement for the show. It’s interesting to note that the week before The Stooges played was the debut of Tony Williams’ band Lifetime featuring Jack Bruce, John McLaughlin and Larry Young. Iggy and Ron have always claimed that they did a bunch of coke with Miles Davis at one of the Ungano’s shows, but others say that although Miles was there he basically had his fingers in his ears. Johnny Winter is also rumored to have been at one of the shows, too.

Buy here: Have Some Fun: Live At Ungano's

For the real hardcore collector, Easy Action has released Popped: The Fan Club Package with reproductions of newsletters that were put out by Natalie Schlossman from 1969 to 1971. The Stooges were an extremely unpopular band and it’s amazing that someone went out of their way to document what they were doing with so much care and attention. The newsletters are fascinating to read but the real shake appeal here is a CD containing more 1970 live recordings titled A Thousand Lights. The mint deluxe packaging also comes with some great photos, a t-shirt and a booklet with a great interview with Jimmy Recca about his time in the band.

There are versions of “Dirt” and “1970” recorded in NYC but it’s not clear if they are the August 1970 shows or from a prior engagement. Either way, they’re great performances. A show from Chicago in July 1970 has been floating around on bootlegs for years and the audio has been cleaned up a bit for this CD. The sound is pretty rough but the unhinged versions of “Funhouse” and “L.A. Blues” make up for it. There’s even 1 song from the infamous Goose Lake festival where bassist Dave Alexander supposedly got so drunk and forgot all the songs. To wrap it up, there are the audio fragments of the 2 songs and that got aired on the Midsummer Night's Dream television special from a festival in Cincinnati that also featured Traffic, Grand Funk Railroad, Alice Cooper and Mountain. Chances are you’ve seen the famous photos of Iggy walking on the crowd and flinging peanut butter around from this show.

There aren’t a lot of these box sets, so get one while you can.


Buy from Easy Action


 

After the Stooges exploded in 1974, Iggy and guitarist James Williamson soldiered on and eventually made the album Kill City under difficult circumstances. Iggy hit rock bottom in Hollywood and wound up in a mental institution. While on weekend leaves, he cut his vocals on Kill City at a studio owned by soft rocker Jimmy Webb. Originally intended to be demos to score a better record deal, it was eventually released by Bomp Reocords in 1977. There’s always been a lot of discussion over the mix of the album. Many complained that the sound lacked balls while others noted the lack of cohesion.

Despite all of this, Kill City is a pretty decent album but now it’s much improved that James Williamson did a complete remix of it. The guitar is much more potent and upfront in the mix. The title track is still one of Iggy’s best and “Consolation Prizes” contains some excellent sleazy slide guitar work from James. “I Got Nothin” and “Johanna” were performed on the last Stooges tour and they were redone here with some occasionally overbearing saxophone. Iggy and James were obviously going for a Rolling Stones-type of sound here and are moderately successful at it. If they had done some of these songs with Ron and Scott Asheton along with some of the other great lost Stooges songs, it would have made a great 4th album for the band. Since that never happened, this is all that’s left and is a worthy addition to any Iggy-phile’s collection.

--Woody

Buy from Bomp (green vinyl)

“Kill City” promo clip

My Own Private Alaska - Free CD Give-Away on The Ripple Effect Radio Show!

We have a special give-away scheduled on The Ripple Effect Radio Show on Wednesday, January 12^th at 8:00pm (PST). As the first show of the 2011, we wanted to try something new, so we’ve invited Yohan Hennequin, the drummer from French avant-garde art rockers My Own Private Alaska to join us and give us the latest and greatest on the band. We aim to find out what these guys have been up to since the release of Amen, find out if they're gonna' make it back to the U.S. anytime soon, and find out what makes these tortured souls so gloriously tortured!

On top of that, we have five copies of the bands critically-acclaimed album, Amen, that will be given away (Hey! We’re covering the shipping coz’ we love you that much!)

Details for the give-away will be given on the air . . . it’s really simple. Tune in by following the attached link, listen carefully to the instructions given on the air, and if you’re fleet of finger, you get a free CD! 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-ripple-effect/2011/01/13/the-ripple-effect-1

Brother Ali - Us

“Hey there, we’re back!  You’re listening to KCRP and what you just heard were the top five songs on the Billboard rap chart.  Hot, hot, hotness!  Those tracks are fire!  Before we play some more bangin’ tunes for you guys we have some guy named Penfold in the studio with us.  Penfold, you dig music right?”
“Yes, I love music.”
“Well Pen, what do you think of those songs we just played?  Bangers right?”
“They were all right I guess.”
“What!?  Are you serious?  Just all right?”
“Honestly, I couldn’t tell that more than two songs had played the entire time.  It all sounded the same to me.”
“Oh I get it.  You just don’t like rap music, huh?”
“What?  No!  I love hip hop.”
“Yeah, whatever.  I know a lie when I hear one.  Tell you what.  Why don’t you just get out of here man?  See ya!”

Well, that ended quickly.  They cut off my microphone and rapidly showed me to the door.  One moment I’m inside a radio station, the next I’m outside very early on a drizzly Sunday morning.  These situations spring up often in my life and even though I am not normally at fault, I always feel lousy afterwards.  On this day, and in spite of the drizzle, I decided that I would attempt to walk off my disappointment.  I set off down the street with my eyes downcast, not really paying attention to where I was going.  After walking for a few minutes I glanced upwards and something beautiful caught my attention.  There was a solid beam of sunlight piercing the low hanging overcast.  I decided to treat the sunlight as if it was a spotlight, and set out to discover what it was shining upon.

I rounded the next street corner and found my answer.  The sunlight was bathing what appeared to be a converted church with a warm, friendly glow.  The structure had all the common church features: steeples, gothic architecture, stairs leading to large wooden entry doors, a bell tower, and people in fine clothing milling about.  But this was definitely not your normal place of worship.  Where you would expect to see crosses there were depictions of microphones in front of turntables.  My curiosity would not allow me to leave without discovering what was happening here, so I entered the building and sat down in a pew located in the rear of the assembly hall.  Behind the pulpit, which was also adorned with the microphone/turntable emblem, the choir you might expect to see was replaced with a full band dressed in flowing red robes.  Pretty cool I thought.  The real surprise however was seeing the legendary Chuck D of Public Enemy fame stride on stage behind the pulpit, wave his hands for silence, signal the band, and begin to address the audience.

“Brothers and Sisters.  The world we share is filled with such despair, and such pain.  We’re a people at odds with our very own selves.  The rich neglect the poor.  The young resent the old.  We’re divided by race, divided by religion.  Our politicians rob us and our leaders fail us.  I think it’s safe to say that we are our only hope.  Our speaker tonight is a soldier in the war for love.  He carries with him a message of true hope, and true peace.  I pray that you will listen with open hearts and open minds.  Brothers and Sisters.  Put your hands together and welcome Brother Ali!”

Let me tell you something.  From the moment that speech ended, it was on!  The man known as Brother Ali appeared on stage as if shot from a cannon, and the band went into overdrive with the drums thumping and the horns blaring!  The packed house, myself included, went nuts!  The rapid fire lyrical delivery of the first song performed, entitled “The Preacher”, left me in a state of shell shock.  While my mind failed to fully comprehend the message of the song, I knew with utter certainty that this was an artist not interested in propagating stupidity, materialism, or violence.  Yes sir, one song and I was hooked!  But I was not prepared for what came next.  “Crown Jewels” brought the energy level back down to reasonable levels and the first verse Brother Ali rapped went like this.

“I glide across the surface with my head held high / Shoulders pushed back, I’m convinced I’ll never die / Got a squint to my eye like I can’t take the world in / Too much beauty to behold by one person / Wear the sky around my shoulder like a tailor made cloak / create or decorated with my never fadin’ hopes / My same old skin like the robe of a King / Gold, platinum bling happen to grow from my chin / Sun keeps kissin’ my cheek as if it has to / And the Earth under my feet become a castle / Any word I endeavor to speak, I command you / Die grammer plan to make the Devil unhand you / Should the elements change and it ever rain / Drops fall around me, my garment is never stained / This is what God had in mind for me / Shine like the stars in the sky just align for me.”

Is that one of the coolest, best lyrical verses I have ever come across?  Yes.  Yes it is.  And that was only the tip of the iceberg!  The rest of the performance was filled to the brim with storytelling, message tracks, and braggadocio of the highest order.  I later learned that I had seen a full beginning-to-end performance of Brother Ali’s newest album Us.  Essentially, the songs that make up this album are designed to give the middle finger (please excuse my coarseness) to anyone who believes that hip hop/rap songs cannot be thought provoking or emotionally powerful.  To break it down further, if you want to mull over a subject broached by an intelligent artist look no further than the songs “Tight Rope”, “The Travelers”, and “Slippin’ Away”.  Do you simply want to listen to imaginative boasting?  Look no further than “Bad Mufucka Pt. II” or “Best @ It”, especially the latter with talk of his peer group.  Lastly, if you want a song to devastate you (in a good way…in a good way) listen to either “Breakin Dawn” or “Babygirl”.  Need a sample to see what I’m referring to?  All right, here is the second verse from “Babygirl”.

“How can she find peace in her mind when / Love means returning to the scene of a crime? / I can feel it inside we’ve reopened wounds every time we intertwine / Such an evil design when you can’t even enjoy the sweetness you find / Trying to see through the tears in your eyes and rebuild your shrine one piece at a time / E & K made it all fade away / Colors don’t burn no more it’s all gray / Can’t find heaven from within that shell but it’s enough of a blessing if just not seen hell / Constant inner dialog says just end the roller coaster ride you’re on / Only one solution seems final: slide into a hole where your pain can’t find you.”

For crying out loud, I’m in awe just typing out these lyrics!  People, I beseech you.  Seek out a copy of Brother Ali’s Us at your earliest opportunity.  I’ve been listening to it since it was released in late 2009, and I can attest that I always feel incredibly foolish when I come back to the album after even a short time away.  It is a bona fide modern classic that all waveriders interested in good music need to experience as soon as humanly possible.

-- Penfold


Buy here: Us
Buy here mp3: Us [Explicit]

Jesse Brewster - Wrecking Ball at the Concert Hall

 

The cowboy is an iconic character in the West. He is instilled in the popular psyche and has given rise to that fictional independent, hard-riding, hard-drinking, dust on the shoes and drover, image venerated in books, movies, magazines and music.  From the early music of Jimmy Rogers to the modern rock era, the desperado image has found voice in rock lyrics and a jangly guitar wail.  Classic rock purveyors Bob Seger, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Outlaws, and Tom Petty ploughed these grounds and became the foundation of sort of a country/folk classic rock musical tradition.  This combination of Western cowboy hard livin’ on the edge and dog has died sensitivity sells and the genre draws fans. Tons of them.

What makes it so good?  Women love it.  Songs about love, romance, God,  drinking, rebellion, repentance, redemption and renewal all delivered with a slight drawl with leather boots, tight blue jeans, western-style shirt and hat and an electric guitar slung over one shoulder like a bandolier is sexy.  Men also like it.  The rock guitar leads, twangy rhythms and bend licks soar into rock anthems with lyrics about love, sex and alcohol.  Men also like it because women like it.   Let’s face it, how many kids were conceived under the flickering Bics during a performance of “Freebird;” with “Night Moves;” as the guitars dueled it out on “Green Grass and High Tides;” or while “Free Fallin’?”

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Jesse Brewster has ninety-nine point nine percent of what it takes to be a rock star in the same fashion. His songs and songwriting are as good, if not better, and his guitar work and production values are impeccable.  His voice is evocative.  His new album. Wrecking Ball at the Concert Hall proves he is a force to be reckoned with. 

Brewster is a San Francisco Bay Area boy.  To record the album he grabbed a band of local residents - James DePrato (electric and slide guitar (and ebow)); Jeff Symonds (bass); Santa Rosa vocal coach Allyson Paige (background vocals) and Kyle Caprista (drums)  He also added keyboardist Eric Levy from Garaj Mahal.  The Waybacks guitarist, James Nash, plays and sings with Brewster on “God Fearin’ Man.” The Bittersweets keyboardist and percussionist, Jerry Becker, plays on “Consider This.”

This is one hell of an album. It begins with “All Those Things I Said,” a sonic experience of doubled and solo lead electric guitars, a great bass arpeggio, jangly acoustic rhythm guitars, a wonderful hook, and smooth background vocals in a song about regrets.  “Fuel for the Fire” is a romantic ballad about redemption and repentance that starts as an acoustic guitar ballad.  It has an intensely building slide guitar arrangement. “All She Deserves” is a romantic country/rock ballad.

“God Fearin’ Man” is a classic country rocker with a cajun beat, and distorted blues guitar. This “drinkin’” redemption song has an absolutely great electric guitar duel between Brewster and Nash. “Dive To Drown In” is a country blues bar ballad, again about love and regret.  Levy’s piano work holds this one together and Brewster’s voice and acoustic guitar move you through the vocalist’s down and out world. “My Great Escape,” which is presently featured on the Brewster’s  website, is another drinkin’, love and repentance song.  It is a dark number with an Outlaws’ worthy guitar interlude and a great hook. “Sometime” is a beautiful folk rock “parting is sweet sorrow” song about separation and friendship.

“I’m Not Broken” is about lost love (and drinking to get over it.)  Brewster tries to convince us and his ex that he is doing fine, although, he does sound rather bitter.  The song soars with electric Lynyrd Skynyrd-like guitar interludes.  “Consider This” is an acoustic guitar tour de force.  It is to Brewster as “Yesterday” is to Paul McCartney - a signature love song.  Soft and ethereal, it is the place where the Bics get flicked and the audience sways and sighs in intimate unison. “Sorry Ain’t Enough” completes the album.  This gin drinking song about an apology being insufficient to make amends for your actions oozes emotion as Brewster’s guitar wails over his vocals. The song (and CD) ends with a crying baby.  The entire album is the epitome of the fantasy of western cowboy hard livin’ on the edge and dog has died sensitivity.”

With his incredible songwriting talent, and world class recording and performance chops, it is hard to fathom why Brewster isn’t a household name up there with Seger and Petty,  Like I said, “Jesse Brewster has ninety-nine point nine percent of what it takes to be a rock star.”  I now think I know what the .1 percent is that has held him back from becoming a well-known country rock bandolero.  Every picture and video that I see him in lacks it.  He needs the cowboy hat, boots and bandolier.

- Old School

buy here: Wrecking Ball at the Concert Hall

Sweet - Off The Record

Things aren’t always what they seem.

After racking up a series of lightweight, bubblegum glam hits like “Little Willy,” “Ballroom Blitz,” and the “Sixteens,” The Sweet had had enough.  Originally called The Sweetshop, in 1970 the band shortened their name and were placed under the tutelage of songwriting team Chin and Chapman.  International success and massive hits followed.

But things aren’t always what they seem. 

In their hearts, despite the way-glammed, feathered hairdos, massive bell-bottom pants, sequins, and high-heeled boots, Sweet were rock and rollers.  They wanted nothing to do with the bubblegum and teeny-bopper songs-- they wanted to rock.  And nowhere is this seen more vividly than on their vastly under-rated album, Off The Record.

The move began with the prior album, Sweet Fanny Adams (not officially released in the US, but half of which became side 2 of Desolation Boulevard).  Breaking away from the Chin/Chapman dictatorship, the men of Sweet wanted to prove three things; 1) they could write their own songs, 2) they could actually play their damn instruments, and 3) they knew how to rock, motherfucker.  The success of the self-penned “Fox on the Run” and “Sweet FA” from Sweet Fanny Adams fueled the fire.  Off the Record gasoline-torched the whole bubblegum building down.  This record is a monster of hard-edged, shiny produced glam rock, that should rank up there with the best of the genre.

“Fever of Love,” kicks things off.  A big hit in Europe, it never really caught on here, and that’s a shame.  Employing the sharpest pop hooks on the album, it’s the closet thing here to a bridge to the old days.  That’s not to say it’s bubblegum, mind you, just slickly produced, tightly crafted, and catchy as hell.   Starting off with some lightweight synth flourishes over a steady beat, Brian Connolly sings “You took the apple from the tree/and gave the fruit of love to me/but love is blind I couldn’t see.”  The big, Queen-esque, high-pitched, harmony vocals pop in right away, defining the signature Sweet sound, and that chorus is just pure sticky-sugar sweet.  But if you listen closely, there’s a hint of something rougher laying underneath.  Check out Connolly’s voice as he jumps into the verse.  Thick and rough, tangled and ready for a streetfight.  That’s not a bubblegum voice, that’s rock, baby.  Pure and raw, hard rock.

 In fact, it’s an amazing voice, one that fuels the passion of the entire album, acting in stark contrast to the thick production and constant group harmonies.  In my opinion, Connolly was one of the most under-rated lead vocalists in rock.   Not only did he have a helluva range--dropping down to the guttural lows of rock, or scaling to the Everest highs of the bubblegum harmonies-- but his voice was just laden with texture.  A roughened, soulful voice, one that just screamed out for hard rock, mean-spirited and nasty.  Definitely not one to be contained in bubble gum.  Never is this more apparent than on Off the Record where Connolly is basically cut loose, and damn if the Scot doesn’t let it all go.  It’s a voice I could listen to indefinitely.  Sadly, Connolly passed away in 1997, depriving us of those magic vocal chords forevermore.

But Sweet wasn’t just about Connolly.  In Andy Priest they had a studly, unheralded guitarist and songwriter.  Steve Priest was a jewel on bass, never over-playing, therefore easily overlooked, but solid as the Rock of Gibraltar (with a few tricky flourishes up his sleeves as well.) And Mick Tucker owns his drum set, displaying chops that could never be utilized in “Little Willy.”  The whole attitude of the band coalesced here.  Just check out the period photos on the CD booklet.  Gone are the sequins, the heels, and the bell bottoms.  Bring on the sleeveless t-shirts and jeans.  Forget the hairspray.  Let it fall.  Let it tussle, let it be messy.  Let it be Rock.

This attitude change pops up front and center on the very next cut “Lost Angels.”  Ignore that beginning, poppy synth intro.  Just 8 seconds in, the synths cut out, leaving behind a decidedly heavy guitar, chugging away, ominous and foreboding.  Forget the “apple of love” lyrics.  Suddenly we got “Infinity/Like time without a friend/who’ll sing the song if melody should end/you’re dead my friend.”  Whoa!  This ain’t kiddy-bopper music anymore!  But it’s still Sweet.  We still got the big vocal harmonies and a drill-it-into-my-head chorus.  But check out Connolly’s voice as he sings “Insanity/I can feel the knives inside my brain.”  Damn, if his vocal emphasis isn’t just drop-dead spot on.  That part kills me every time.  Followed up by that big chunky guitar-riff.  Then just wait for the 2 minute mark, when wheels fall off the bubblegum cart completely.  This is charging, straight-ahead rock and roll, and it’s awesome.

“Midnight to Daylight” keeps the savagery going, from the first second of the drum solo intro to the stuttering guitar riff.  The band drops into a comfortable groove that has plenty of chunk and muscle to it.   And suddenly . . . what was that?  Andy Scott finally busts out on guitar, dropping in lead fills, scattering chords, and counter melodies that positively sear.  Where’d those come from?  Not “Little Willy,” that’s for sure.  Just listen to the last minute of guitar-work, pulling harmonies, then battling with the harmonica.  Solid.  Toss in some nice harmonica work, some neo-progressive time-changes, a hand full of melody changes, and suddenly you realize that Sweet means business.  And that business is bruising, and business is good.

But for me the whole album leads up to the next track.  “Windy City” is a terror.  By far, the heaviest song Sweet ever recorded.  So far away from “Fox on the Run” that you might never think it’s the same band if it wasn’t for the signature, high harmony vocals.   Starting off with a bare-naked guitar busting out one nasty, dirty riff, this is their “Smoke on the Water” moment.  Sure it's a "borrowed" riff, but it's a killer.  Thick and full-on, street level sleaze.  Drums kick in (ok, here they could’ve gone for a bigger drum sound) followed by Steve Priest laying down some killer counter bass lines.  Connolly is possessed here, scratching his vocals chords to shreds as he lets it out, “Your dad’s in the slam/Your mama’s a whore.”  Again, a far-cry from "Little Willy."  And then there’s that ever present groove, that hard n’ heavy riff and bass tearing the mutha to pieces.   Mid-song, Tucker drops down into one-mind blowing drum part underneath a near-jazzy guitar break, before locking back in with Priest's bass, as Scott goes off on a tear of a solo.  Then seamlessly, it all locks back down into that riff.  That freaking awesome riff-- a riff so powerful that I used to blast this song at volume 11 before soccer games to get me revved up, locked into the proper state of mind to tear the crap out of the opposing team’s forwards.  I pitied any fool who tried to carry the ball into my defensive zone after I’d been playing this song.   With that riff still blaring in my head, he’d be separated from the ball and left bruised and muddied on the turf in a matter of seconds.  Red cards be damned!

“Live for Today,” is pure 1977 proto-punk.  Fast paced, snot-nosed, and middle-fingered up into the air.  “Live for today/don’t need no politician/live for today/don’t want no inquisition/you gotta throw the rules away.”  Why this song hasn’t been covered by some hardcore band is beyond me.  Maybe I can get Woody and Mighty High to try it, they’d tear it up.  “She Gimme Lovin’” is another punky, rock outburst, which moves us right on to “Laura Lee.”  Breaking out the acoustic, Scott dazzles with some simply beautiful neo-classical guitar and a melody that can only be described as gorgeous.  This is a path he’d explore more on the next album, “Level Headed,” with sumptuous songs like “Silver Bird.”  “Laura Lee,” is simply a gem, a delicate ode to love with some gentle quasi-psychedelic flourishes, and that stellar acoustic work.  This is also the song where Sweet’s classic harmony vocal style finally made sense to me.  Stripped of the synths and heavy production, (about 2 minutes into the song), the band (all of which sing) drop into a stunning accapella, four-part, chamber orchestra vocal section that is sublime in it’s beauty.  Here you can really here the timbre of their voices.  No production necessary.  Just pure singing.  That moment passes quickly, just a few seconds, but it may be the single best vocal harmony passage I’ve ever heard in a rock record. 

“Hard Times,” rounds the record out (forgetting the slight misstep stab at disco “Funk It Up.”)  And “Hard Times” is just that, a blistering hard-rock track with some prog-worthy off-time riffing, the dual vocal singing of Connolly and Priest, breaking down into another classic Connolly throat-shredding outburst.   Another glorious stab at serious hard rock.  Play this for the Sweet doubters.  See if you don’t’ turn a few heads.

Off the Record is definitely considered the lost album of the “classic-era” Sweet catalog, and it’s no wonder the album couldn’t find an audience.  Those who grew up listening to “Little Willy” and “Ballroom Blitz” must’ve been mildly traumatized by this, wondering if the band hadn’t lost their minds.  Yet those who loved to rock mostly ignored the album figuring it to be another piece of bubblegum fluff.  Both groups couldn’t have been more wrong.   Simply put, Off the Record is a great rock album, a glam mini-masterpiece that should’ve gotten way more accolades than it ever did.

In the liner notes of my deluxe-CD reissue, Andy Scott writes that upon reflection, Off the Record probably fits into his top 3 all-time favorite Sweet records. 

It’s number 1 for me, Andy.  Number 1

--Racer

Buy here: Off the Record

 Windy City



Hard Times


Lost Angles

Ripple Theater – Classic Albums: Rush - 2112 & Moving Pictures

As most of you should know by now, I’m a big Rush fan. I’m not the biggest, most fanatical, or most passionate Rush fan, but I’ve always appreciated their music and their approach to making music. It always felt like an honest approach, calculated to some degree, but not overly plotted out like a Clancy techno-thriller. Anytime that I can get a new perspective on how a band creates a masterpiece or pivotal piece of its catalog, then I find that it’s time worth spending in front of the television set. Classic Albums: Rush – 2112 & Moving Pictures is just that kind of DVD that had me glued to the couch with a piping hot coffee in hand and an ear to ear grin on my face.

Most of you have probably seen the Classic Album features on VH1 at one time or another, and if you have, you probably know that these folks do a great job at producing in depth, behind the scenes documentaries on the artists approach to said classic albums. With Rush and 2112 / Moving Pictures (kinda’ funny that they couldn’t pull just one single record out of the back log) the DVD is no exception. Pulling in the three band members, manager Ray Daniels, producer Terry Brown, label rep Cliff Burnstein, and a veritable who’s-who of industry voices to add color commentary, this documentary provides some insight in the making of these Rush classics that I hadn’t picked up on in my past readings of the band.

Of greatest note for me was fresh insight on how the three musicians work together and collaborate on ideas to create the music that has become the fabric of my existence. Sure, I’ve always known that Geddy and Alex write the majority of the music and Neil provides the lyrical content, but this video shows in greater detail how that process actually works. You see . . . I always imagined that it was simply that Neil penned the lyrics and handed the finished product to Geddy to belt out, but in actuality, it’s a more involved process of editing lyrical lines without losing a poignant emotion, and then making sure that the words all fit within a measure of music without killing the singer. Really fascinating stuff . . . at least it is for me.

I also found it rather interesting how the influences of Ayn Rand’s writings, as well as the anthems of adolescent rebellion helped form the musical message of Rush. Even up to recent years, I had always thought of Rush as a very calculated, precise, progressive rock band . . . maybe a little pretentious at times, but this DVD dispelled a lot of that from my cerebral cortex. Rush is a much more reactionary band, much more rebellious and anthemic band, at least in the case of 2112 and Moving Pictures, than I had originally thought. These guys were all about creating rock n’ roll like their idols of The Who and Cream, but they wanted to inject a more intelligent string of thought to the lyrics than simply getting in the back seat of a car and humping the night away.  The lyrical themes of 2112 are purely of an individual entity separating themselves from the confines of totalitarianism by way of music, essentially rebelling against the status quo and rocking out. Yeah . . . up until this DVD, I didn’t get that. Of course, I’ve always had a hard time reading between the lines . . . just ask my wife.

The bonus material on this DVD is even more insightful than the feature presentation. So, if you did catch the original airing of this documentary and were left with some questions or curiosities pick up this DVD and watch the bonus footage. There’s a great part where the band bring up a demo version of “Tom Sawyer” and to listen to that version in comparison with the version that we’ve all come to know and love, it’s extremely eye (and ear) opening. The original version was considerably faster in tempo and after years of listening to the final recorded version, this demo is a little jarring to listen to. Totally cool though, and further insight that I got on that song was the rebellious attitude and anthemic theme of the song. Again, I’m not the brightest bulb in the lamp shop and for thirty years, never really knew what this song was about.

The super passionate Rush fan will probably know everything there is to know about this band and the recordings of these two classic albums, so this DVD might . . . just might not appeal to them. For the Rush fan, like myself, who is fascinated with the inner workings of the bands creative process, this DVD is well worth the time and money. For folks who are interested in the band and don’t know where to start or really don’t know what the big fuss is over these two records, this DVD is a must. 2112 and Moving Pictures are two albums that helped forge Rush’s sound and cement them in rock n’ roll history. When someone mentions Rush, inevitably someone says in response, “Yeah. Tom Sawyer”, “Yeah. Limelight”, “Yeah. That side long epic song . . . 2112, isn’t it?” These two albums are quintessential Rush and are certainly classics, but like Caress of Steel  or Hemispheres, both of these classic albums also act as launch pads for further musical explorations from the band. Personally, I’d like to see the making of Grace Under Pressure and Roll the Bones, or even Vapor Trails . . . all albums that I feel usher Rush’s sound into a more modern age. Any takers on this project? Hhmmm?

--Pope