Album: Come a Little Closer (Chess,1974) Chart pos: US(R&B)#84
Dem Heroin withdrawl blooze.
Any Etta James comp worth its weight in gold has at least 3/4 of At Last! (her best album IMO),huge chunks of her muscle shoals sessions and finally some of her later funkier material. This number with its extended funky intro (Etta doesn't sing a note for the first 90 seconds) is possibly her most underrated moment. Etta is on fine form despite being in the middle of Heroin withdrawal (she recorded this on day release from rehab).
Its a pity that some of Etta James' music is out of print, or in some cases not even available on CD. I think somebody should petition Universal who own the Chess back catalog to re-release her OOP albums. Once upon a time Temptations fans managed to successfully petitioned Universal to remaster Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin's solo records.
Sometimes its easy to find a cheap copy of the album on Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000002OCO/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0WGHE2E6DR9WPVQWPJ1C&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Roxy Music - Ladytron
Album: Roxy Music (Island,1972) Chart pos: N/A
Roxy Music is a band that i can't really dismiss these days due to the fact that nearly every sodding band I like owes a debt to them. And while I like some of their music, I've never had a burning desire to actually own anything they did. Ladytron from their début album sounds way ahead of its time especially Brian Eno's
electronic textures that beautifully augment the song. If Brian Eno never bumped into Andy Mackay on that certain underground station, popular music would have been whole lot poorer as a result.
Roxy Music is a band that i can't really dismiss these days due to the fact that nearly every sodding band I like owes a debt to them. And while I like some of their music, I've never had a burning desire to actually own anything they did. Ladytron from their début album sounds way ahead of its time especially Brian Eno's
electronic textures that beautifully augment the song. If Brian Eno never bumped into Andy Mackay on that certain underground station, popular music would have been whole lot poorer as a result.
Saturday, 5 March 2011
Bob Seger Sysyem - 2+2=?
Album: Ramblin Gamblin Man (Capitol,1968) Chart pos: CAN: #79
After a busy six moths which included failing a Msc thesis twice I've decided to reactivated this blog as something to keep myself occupied.
Firstly off the tune for today is from an artist whose always been written off as a poor-man's Bruce Springsteen, while in all honesty I don't really have much interest in his later music, some of his early nuggets-esque garage rock is pretty impressive. 2+2=? is a protest song against the Vietnam War from the perspective of a young man who seen a High School acquaintance being sent way to die, ironically a few years previously Seger wrote a song mocking draft dodgers. Some people have noted similarities in this song with fellow Michigan natives The White Stripes 2003 hit Seven Nation Army.
After a busy six moths which included failing a Msc thesis twice I've decided to reactivated this blog as something to keep myself occupied.
Firstly off the tune for today is from an artist whose always been written off as a poor-man's Bruce Springsteen, while in all honesty I don't really have much interest in his later music, some of his early nuggets-esque garage rock is pretty impressive. 2+2=? is a protest song against the Vietnam War from the perspective of a young man who seen a High School acquaintance being sent way to die, ironically a few years previously Seger wrote a song mocking draft dodgers. Some people have noted similarities in this song with fellow Michigan natives The White Stripes 2003 hit Seven Nation Army.
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
The Runaways - Cherry Bomb
Album: The Runaways Chart pos:N/A
The queens of jailbait
The film The Runaways (finally) came out in UK cinema's last week and being a big (abeit casual) admirer of Jaon Jett's solo stuff I decided to watch it. Even though the film didnt blow me away I still rather enjoyed it and Dakota Fanning and Kirsten Stewert were pretty good playing Cherie Currie an Jaon Jett respectively, I think it helped that I didn't know a great deal about the band.
It seems the more you know about a musical artist/band the more you hate the biopic. I saw the Serge Gainsbourg biopic and hated it because I felt upset that large chucks of his life was missed out. I hoped to see Gainsbarre upset France Gall by telling her La Sucettes is an metaphor for fellatio. So one day i hope to start buying some Runaways albums and reading their autobiography only to realise that despite the good performances the film is crap.
Looking from the video its quite unnerving seeing a fifteen year old gyrating in a basque and stockings.
The queens of jailbait
The film The Runaways (finally) came out in UK cinema's last week and being a big (abeit casual) admirer of Jaon Jett's solo stuff I decided to watch it. Even though the film didnt blow me away I still rather enjoyed it and Dakota Fanning and Kirsten Stewert were pretty good playing Cherie Currie an Jaon Jett respectively, I think it helped that I didn't know a great deal about the band.
It seems the more you know about a musical artist/band the more you hate the biopic. I saw the Serge Gainsbourg biopic and hated it because I felt upset that large chucks of his life was missed out. I hoped to see Gainsbarre upset France Gall by telling her La Sucettes is an metaphor for fellatio. So one day i hope to start buying some Runaways albums and reading their autobiography only to realise that despite the good performances the film is crap.
Looking from the video its quite unnerving seeing a fifteen year old gyrating in a basque and stockings.
Monday, 27 September 2010
Herbie Hancock - Chameleon
Album: Headhunters (Columbia,1973) Chart pos:N/A
Chameleon from Herbie Hancock's blockbuster album Headhunters was one of the first albums that showed me that Jazz wasn't (necessarily) a form of musical masturbation. Possibly the main reason I loved the album was the fact that it wasn't a million miles from the synthesized funk that Stevie Wonder was pedalling in the early seventies before he lost the plot and made concept albums about the lives plants and collaborated with Macca. Chameleon which its funky synthesized bass line is a joy to behold alongside a reworked version of Watermelon Man constituted one of the finest first sides on a jazz LP.
Chameleon from Herbie Hancock's blockbuster album Headhunters was one of the first albums that showed me that Jazz wasn't (necessarily) a form of musical masturbation. Possibly the main reason I loved the album was the fact that it wasn't a million miles from the synthesized funk that Stevie Wonder was pedalling in the early seventies before he lost the plot and made concept albums about the lives plants and collaborated with Macca. Chameleon which its funky synthesized bass line is a joy to behold alongside a reworked version of Watermelon Man constituted one of the finest first sides on a jazz LP.
Thursday, 23 September 2010
Minuitemen -This Aint no Picinic
Album: Double Nickels on the Dime (SST, 1984) Chart pos:N/A
Double Nickels on the Dime is a strange album, if the fact that the songs are only about 90 seconds on average would make you think this band sounds similar to Wire you'd be mistaken. The band sounds a bit like Credence Clearwater Revival with slap bass one minute, then veering between folk and free jazz the next. Although Mike Watts' slap-bass thing is a bit too RHCP alike for my linking (Flea is a big fan of this group btw) the album still has some great moments. This Ain't no Picnic which was written after D.Boon was told off for changing radio stations at work is defiantly one of the standout tracks. The video had the band performing being inter cut with archive footage of the much reviled then president (especially by the punk crowd) Ronald Regan. Its a shame that a year after making this record D.Boon was killed in a car crash.
Double Nickels on the Dime is a strange album, if the fact that the songs are only about 90 seconds on average would make you think this band sounds similar to Wire you'd be mistaken. The band sounds a bit like Credence Clearwater Revival with slap bass one minute, then veering between folk and free jazz the next. Although Mike Watts' slap-bass thing is a bit too RHCP alike for my linking (Flea is a big fan of this group btw) the album still has some great moments. This Ain't no Picnic which was written after D.Boon was told off for changing radio stations at work is defiantly one of the standout tracks. The video had the band performing being inter cut with archive footage of the much reviled then president (especially by the punk crowd) Ronald Regan. Its a shame that a year after making this record D.Boon was killed in a car crash.
Saturday, 18 September 2010
Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddam
Album: Nina Simone in Concert (Phillips, 1964) Chart pos:N/A
A show tune without a show.
Nina Simone was inspired to write this song after the shooting of Medgar Evers in 1963. The songs jaunty opening leads to a darker commentary on civil rights era American. Lines like 'Oh but this whole country is full of lies/You're all gonna die and die like flies' bleakly convey Nina Simone's own anger at the state of America. Possibly one of the greatest songs about racial tension in the 60's.
A show tune without a show.
Nina Simone was inspired to write this song after the shooting of Medgar Evers in 1963. The songs jaunty opening leads to a darker commentary on civil rights era American. Lines like 'Oh but this whole country is full of lies/You're all gonna die and die like flies' bleakly convey Nina Simone's own anger at the state of America. Possibly one of the greatest songs about racial tension in the 60's.
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