Not that it makes that much difference, but I think that McCain had his best debate performance in this last one. I enjoyed: "I'm not George Bush. If you wanted to run against Bush, you should have run four years ago." Good line, and Obama backed off on his tired McCain-Bush comparisons.
But forget the debate. I'm interested in Joe the Plumber. Recall that Joe the Plumber was caught on camera asking Obama about tax increases for business owners while Obama was gladhanding on the campaign trail several days back. In the debate last night, McCain decided to take up the cause of Joe the Plumber, and Obama and McCain proceeded to discuss Joe's problems for what seemed to be about thirty minutes. Now Joe the Plumber is famous. And he's a political philosopher. The media has swarmed Joe's house, and Joe seems all too happy to discuss the issues of the day on camera.
Here's Joe on Social Security...
I also heard him speak at length on welfare, energy and technology.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The New Gig
I apologize that posts have not been as frequent as they once were. When I made this career change back to teaching, I thought that I would have all of this free time. At least compared to lawyering. But dammit, I'm working just as hard. They've got me teaching U.S. Government classes, a U.S. History class, and coaching the Debate team (which takes up lots of after school time and weekends for tournaments).
Don't get me wrong, I really am enjoying it. I much prefer this to sitting in an office fielding phone calls from anxious clients, arguing with difficult opposing counsel, etc. But where's my free time? Where's EZ Street?
Teaching has changed since I did it ten years ago. First of all, my circumstances were different. I only had to prepare lessons for one subject (World Geography). And that was before the state and the feds went crazy with standardized testing. I could create the curriculum as I went along, because the state had no testing or standards for Geography at that point. Spend a couple of days on Buddhist philosophy? Sure. Watch some footage of Rwandan genocide and discuss tribal conflicts? Sounds good. That was cool. But these days everything is tested and mandated, so there is not nearly as much autonomy for the teacher. I've got to coordinate with the other Government teachers and the other U.S. History teachers and make sure we are teaching the same lessons, giving the same tests, etc. We've got state standards for this, state standards for that. You spend as much time making sure lessons are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge Standards (affectionately known as "the TEKS") as you do actually getting to the substance of what you are teaching. I can still put in a little personal touch here or there, but not nearly as much as in the old days.
But on the whole, teaching is still great. The kids are maddening at times, but also a lot of fun. And in these uncertain economic times, I'd much rather be in a secure government job vs. scrambling around in the volatile legal market.
Don't get me wrong, I really am enjoying it. I much prefer this to sitting in an office fielding phone calls from anxious clients, arguing with difficult opposing counsel, etc. But where's my free time? Where's EZ Street?
Teaching has changed since I did it ten years ago. First of all, my circumstances were different. I only had to prepare lessons for one subject (World Geography). And that was before the state and the feds went crazy with standardized testing. I could create the curriculum as I went along, because the state had no testing or standards for Geography at that point. Spend a couple of days on Buddhist philosophy? Sure. Watch some footage of Rwandan genocide and discuss tribal conflicts? Sounds good. That was cool. But these days everything is tested and mandated, so there is not nearly as much autonomy for the teacher. I've got to coordinate with the other Government teachers and the other U.S. History teachers and make sure we are teaching the same lessons, giving the same tests, etc. We've got state standards for this, state standards for that. You spend as much time making sure lessons are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge Standards (affectionately known as "the TEKS") as you do actually getting to the substance of what you are teaching. I can still put in a little personal touch here or there, but not nearly as much as in the old days.
But on the whole, teaching is still great. The kids are maddening at times, but also a lot of fun. And in these uncertain economic times, I'd much rather be in a secure government job vs. scrambling around in the volatile legal market.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Dez's Favorite 100 Rock/Pop Records, #'s 10-6
Here we are at the Top 10. It's been a fun journey through my favorite rock/pop albums, and I appreciate your indulgence and comments and critiques. That is what this is really all about. It's a way to talk about tunes. Next week you will get Dez's absolute favorites of all time. Alright, Pockyjack, #10 is for you...
10. The Doors – The Doors, 1967
No other record sounds quite like this, not even subsequent Doors records. It was one of the most auspicious debuts from any band of the era, which was a time of many brilliant debuts. While Jim Morrison’s prototype dark, sexy, mystic persona has been immortalized over the decades, to me the key to this band are the other three guys. John Densmore swings like a jazz drummer, Robbie Krieger incorporates everything from blues to flamenco styles in his loose guitar playing, and the amazing Ray Manzarek creates the unique character of their sound with his double duties on keyboards and bass. These strengths are best demonstrated on their biggest hit, the still thrilling “Light My Fire.” This tune has been played to death on classic rock radio, but give it a fresh listen at top volume. After Morrison steps out of the way, that extended instrumental middle is still one of the more exciting and groovy passages of music I've ever heard. One of my favorite aspects of The Doors was how, early on, even though they were influenced by blues and soul music, they played it through their own unique psychedelic and baroque prism. Take their cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Back Door Man” here; instead of just regurgitating the original, Morrison and Co. turn it into something quite new and menacing. “Soul Kitchen” is a Doors original where they do something similar. Of course, #10 closes with the infamous oedipal, apocalyptic epic “The End” (a song famously used in the film ‘Apocalypse Now’ and also a song that got them fired from their residency at the Whiskey A-Go Go in L.A. after Morrison’s “father, I want to kill you / mother, I want to f*ck you” bit was too much for even the open minded late 60’s mainstream to handle.)
9. ZZ Top – Eliminator, 1983
In one of the most unlikely of reinventions, ZZ Top came roaring back from oblivion in the early 80’s on the strength of #9. Like so many other classic rock acts from the 70’s, ZZ Top didn’t seem to fit in with the New Wave dominated early 80’s. So what did they do? I will argue they pulled one of the most daring switches in rock, on par with what U2 accomplished going from The Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby. The Top managed to keep the essence of what made them a great band in the first place, but then added just the right elements from the new era and adjusted brilliantly. By keeping Billy Gibbon’s signature gritty guitar intact, they all but threw out Dusty Hill’s traditional bass guitar, and replaced it with a heavy, distorted synthesizer to stand in for most of the bass on the record, and then drummer Frank Beard (ironically, the only band member without a beard) turned his already simple drumming style into a metronome-like, mechanical precision. So, you’ve got an album that is purely hard rock, yet also very 80’s in all of the best ways. Next step, grow the beards and make a series of iconic, humorous music videos just in time for the peak of MTV. But none of this would have worked if they didn’t have the songs, and they also happened to come up with one of the best batches of songs of their career. Hits “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” “TV Dinners,” “Got Me Under Pressure”…they all rock hard and have a wonderful humor about them at the same time. Throw in some strong album tracks, like the funky “Thug” and the awesome updated blues-for-the-80’s “I Need You Tonight,” and you’ve got one of the best rock records of the 80’s…or any other decade for that matter.
ABOVE: Eliminator's album cover is in the running for one of the coolest ever. BELOW: Even Hot Wheels knows that the Eliminator car is a classic. The original Eliminator car now sits in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. It is consistently one of the more popular exhibits there.
8. Yes – 90125, 1983
#8 divides Yes fans like no other record. For people of my age, it was our first introduction to the band. Only after hearing this did we then explore their glory days of yore. #8 is all about Trevor Rabin, the new guitarist and writer of most of these songs. He added a definite 80’s sheen, and streamlined (for Yes standards) the band’s former grandiose compositions. He also raised them from the dead and gave them a new lease on life as a band. Yes was nowhere in the early 80’s, about as uncool and out of step at that point as any rock dinosaur could be. Prog rock was on the outs. So this giant of prog rock comes along and delivers their biggest commercial success, including their only #1 hit single, “Owner of a Lonely Heart” (a song that is still heavily sampled in rap songs). Single “Leave It” was one of the more unique sounding singles of the day with its layer upon layer of harmonized vocals in an almost a capella setting; and “Changes” is a transcendently great song, with its jarring and excitingly precise changes, probably in my top 10 of favorite songs. Surround those three centerpieces with solid and varied album tracks like “Hold On,” “It Can Happen,” “City of Love,” “Cinema” and “Our Song,” and you’ve got one of the most complex records of the 80’s, yet also one of Yes’ most accessible ones.
7. The Police – Synchronicity, 1983
At least The Police went out on top. Their last studio album before their acrimonious break-up was also their most successful, one of the biggest hits of the decade. It is almost as if the previous four records were all leading up to this one. Sting is one of the few artists who could make a record loosely based on the philosophical theories of Carl Jung and other such intellectual territory palpable to pop audiences. I mean, he had a hit single with “Wrapped Around Your Finger” which included such lines as “Mephistophiles is not your name” and “Caught between the Schylla and Charibdes”! “Synchronicity II” vies for their hardest rocker, megahit “Every Breath You Take” had such a seductive hook that most people overlooked the fact that it was a song about a stalker. “O My God” is a petulant little tune, where Sting demands of his Creator that He “take the space between us and fill it up some way”, insisting:
“O my God you take the biscuit, treating me this way
Expecting me to treat you well no matter what you say
How can I turn the other cheek, it’s black and bruised and torn
I’ve been waiting since the day that I was born, fill it up! Fill it up!”
Even God can get a dressing down from the Ego of Sting. “King of Pain” is the best Police song, the perfect woe-is-Sting number. With dazzling percussive effects courtesy of Stewart Copeland, and guitar textures from Andy Summers (even a rare and good guitar solo), “King of Pain” summarizes all of their strengths as a band. Stewart’s drumming is, as usual, brilliant throughout the record.
6. Los Lobos – Kiko, 1992
If the band Los Lobos only conjurs up a successful cover of “La Bamba” when you hear them mentioned, then listen to this brilliant piece of work. I don’t know what they were smoking when they were recording this (according to them, they were on quite a few different substances), but give me whatever they were on. There are so many styles and genres crossing, often from verse to verse in a single song, it is astounding. The years go by, and I admire this album more and more. The opening salvo of “Dream in Blue” and “Wake Up Dolores” should give you an indication of things to come. Both are off kilter rockers that unfold with fascinating sonic colors. From there, it just gets stranger. “Angels With Dirty Faces” and “Saint Behind the Glass” brilliantly use the band’s Mexican heritage in a modern context. “That Train Don’t Stop Here,” “Whiskey Trail” and “Wicked Rain” reassure fans that they can still do the blues/rock thing fairly straightforwardly when warranted. I love “Kiko and the Lavender Moon,” it sounds like Count Basie on acid, underwater. That is the best way I can describe it. In all this weirdness, there is a fantastic, largely acoustic middle set of songs: “Reva’s House,” “When the Circus Comes,” “Arizona Skies,” “Short Side of Nothing” and “Two Janes” that is modern Americana at its best, and sounds like really good mid-80’s Tom Petty. Then there is “Peace,” with a killer acoustic riff and perfectly building tension. Finally, they close out with “Rio de Tenampa,” which sounds like a drunken bar in Tijuana at about 3 a.m. on a Saturday night. This is one of the most impressive, eclectic and creative records I’ve ever come across. One of those rare records where all of the disparate directions and experiments work.
ABOVE: Los Lobos' Kiko is one of those rare records where every experiment or left turn works brilliantly.
10. The Doors – The Doors, 1967
No other record sounds quite like this, not even subsequent Doors records. It was one of the most auspicious debuts from any band of the era, which was a time of many brilliant debuts. While Jim Morrison’s prototype dark, sexy, mystic persona has been immortalized over the decades, to me the key to this band are the other three guys. John Densmore swings like a jazz drummer, Robbie Krieger incorporates everything from blues to flamenco styles in his loose guitar playing, and the amazing Ray Manzarek creates the unique character of their sound with his double duties on keyboards and bass. These strengths are best demonstrated on their biggest hit, the still thrilling “Light My Fire.” This tune has been played to death on classic rock radio, but give it a fresh listen at top volume. After Morrison steps out of the way, that extended instrumental middle is still one of the more exciting and groovy passages of music I've ever heard. One of my favorite aspects of The Doors was how, early on, even though they were influenced by blues and soul music, they played it through their own unique psychedelic and baroque prism. Take their cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Back Door Man” here; instead of just regurgitating the original, Morrison and Co. turn it into something quite new and menacing. “Soul Kitchen” is a Doors original where they do something similar. Of course, #10 closes with the infamous oedipal, apocalyptic epic “The End” (a song famously used in the film ‘Apocalypse Now’ and also a song that got them fired from their residency at the Whiskey A-Go Go in L.A. after Morrison’s “father, I want to kill you / mother, I want to f*ck you” bit was too much for even the open minded late 60’s mainstream to handle.)
9. ZZ Top – Eliminator, 1983
In one of the most unlikely of reinventions, ZZ Top came roaring back from oblivion in the early 80’s on the strength of #9. Like so many other classic rock acts from the 70’s, ZZ Top didn’t seem to fit in with the New Wave dominated early 80’s. So what did they do? I will argue they pulled one of the most daring switches in rock, on par with what U2 accomplished going from The Joshua Tree to Achtung Baby. The Top managed to keep the essence of what made them a great band in the first place, but then added just the right elements from the new era and adjusted brilliantly. By keeping Billy Gibbon’s signature gritty guitar intact, they all but threw out Dusty Hill’s traditional bass guitar, and replaced it with a heavy, distorted synthesizer to stand in for most of the bass on the record, and then drummer Frank Beard (ironically, the only band member without a beard) turned his already simple drumming style into a metronome-like, mechanical precision. So, you’ve got an album that is purely hard rock, yet also very 80’s in all of the best ways. Next step, grow the beards and make a series of iconic, humorous music videos just in time for the peak of MTV. But none of this would have worked if they didn’t have the songs, and they also happened to come up with one of the best batches of songs of their career. Hits “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Legs,” “TV Dinners,” “Got Me Under Pressure”…they all rock hard and have a wonderful humor about them at the same time. Throw in some strong album tracks, like the funky “Thug” and the awesome updated blues-for-the-80’s “I Need You Tonight,” and you’ve got one of the best rock records of the 80’s…or any other decade for that matter.
ABOVE: Eliminator's album cover is in the running for one of the coolest ever. BELOW: Even Hot Wheels knows that the Eliminator car is a classic. The original Eliminator car now sits in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland. It is consistently one of the more popular exhibits there.
8. Yes – 90125, 1983
#8 divides Yes fans like no other record. For people of my age, it was our first introduction to the band. Only after hearing this did we then explore their glory days of yore. #8 is all about Trevor Rabin, the new guitarist and writer of most of these songs. He added a definite 80’s sheen, and streamlined (for Yes standards) the band’s former grandiose compositions. He also raised them from the dead and gave them a new lease on life as a band. Yes was nowhere in the early 80’s, about as uncool and out of step at that point as any rock dinosaur could be. Prog rock was on the outs. So this giant of prog rock comes along and delivers their biggest commercial success, including their only #1 hit single, “Owner of a Lonely Heart” (a song that is still heavily sampled in rap songs). Single “Leave It” was one of the more unique sounding singles of the day with its layer upon layer of harmonized vocals in an almost a capella setting; and “Changes” is a transcendently great song, with its jarring and excitingly precise changes, probably in my top 10 of favorite songs. Surround those three centerpieces with solid and varied album tracks like “Hold On,” “It Can Happen,” “City of Love,” “Cinema” and “Our Song,” and you’ve got one of the most complex records of the 80’s, yet also one of Yes’ most accessible ones.
7. The Police – Synchronicity, 1983
At least The Police went out on top. Their last studio album before their acrimonious break-up was also their most successful, one of the biggest hits of the decade. It is almost as if the previous four records were all leading up to this one. Sting is one of the few artists who could make a record loosely based on the philosophical theories of Carl Jung and other such intellectual territory palpable to pop audiences. I mean, he had a hit single with “Wrapped Around Your Finger” which included such lines as “Mephistophiles is not your name” and “Caught between the Schylla and Charibdes”! “Synchronicity II” vies for their hardest rocker, megahit “Every Breath You Take” had such a seductive hook that most people overlooked the fact that it was a song about a stalker. “O My God” is a petulant little tune, where Sting demands of his Creator that He “take the space between us and fill it up some way”, insisting:
“O my God you take the biscuit, treating me this way
Expecting me to treat you well no matter what you say
How can I turn the other cheek, it’s black and bruised and torn
I’ve been waiting since the day that I was born, fill it up! Fill it up!”
Even God can get a dressing down from the Ego of Sting. “King of Pain” is the best Police song, the perfect woe-is-Sting number. With dazzling percussive effects courtesy of Stewart Copeland, and guitar textures from Andy Summers (even a rare and good guitar solo), “King of Pain” summarizes all of their strengths as a band. Stewart’s drumming is, as usual, brilliant throughout the record.
6. Los Lobos – Kiko, 1992
If the band Los Lobos only conjurs up a successful cover of “La Bamba” when you hear them mentioned, then listen to this brilliant piece of work. I don’t know what they were smoking when they were recording this (according to them, they were on quite a few different substances), but give me whatever they were on. There are so many styles and genres crossing, often from verse to verse in a single song, it is astounding. The years go by, and I admire this album more and more. The opening salvo of “Dream in Blue” and “Wake Up Dolores” should give you an indication of things to come. Both are off kilter rockers that unfold with fascinating sonic colors. From there, it just gets stranger. “Angels With Dirty Faces” and “Saint Behind the Glass” brilliantly use the band’s Mexican heritage in a modern context. “That Train Don’t Stop Here,” “Whiskey Trail” and “Wicked Rain” reassure fans that they can still do the blues/rock thing fairly straightforwardly when warranted. I love “Kiko and the Lavender Moon,” it sounds like Count Basie on acid, underwater. That is the best way I can describe it. In all this weirdness, there is a fantastic, largely acoustic middle set of songs: “Reva’s House,” “When the Circus Comes,” “Arizona Skies,” “Short Side of Nothing” and “Two Janes” that is modern Americana at its best, and sounds like really good mid-80’s Tom Petty. Then there is “Peace,” with a killer acoustic riff and perfectly building tension. Finally, they close out with “Rio de Tenampa,” which sounds like a drunken bar in Tijuana at about 3 a.m. on a Saturday night. This is one of the most impressive, eclectic and creative records I’ve ever come across. One of those rare records where all of the disparate directions and experiments work.
ABOVE: Los Lobos' Kiko is one of those rare records where every experiment or left turn works brilliantly.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Debates
So, I watched most of the McCain / Obama debate last night. No clear knock-out either way, which is bad news for McCain. Unless he changes the dynamic in the race, I think Obama has it. McCain could have gone at Obama on the Bill Ayers connection, but he steered clear of it. Which was a good idea in that townhall format. I think the Ayers friendship (along with Wright and Father what's-his-name) is actually significant in that it shows a disturbing trend as far as the company Obama keeps.
I watched the debate on CNN, and they had the strangely mesmerizing Undecided Ohio Voter Postive/Negative Meter Thingie at the bottom of the screen the entire time. This was one of those charts that somehow tracked, second by second, how a group of undecided Ohio voters felt about what was being said. In the middle was neutral, and if they liked what was being said, the line drifted up. If they did not like what was being said, the line would go south. I couldn't keep my eyes of the line. How did the undecided Ohioans like McCain's joke? What did they think of Obama's jab at McCain?? I had to know! Generally, I think the Ohioans liked Obama a bit more. Although McCain's positives were high when he was on foreign policy.
I don't think that debate really changed much of anything.
I meant to post about the Palin/Biden debate from last week as well. Palin has convinced me that I cannot vote for John McCain. The pundits were saying she succeeded at the debate because she essentially spoke in complete sentences. Talk about low expectations. Personally, I was very disturbed by her performance. After the intensive week of preparations, she managed to memorize about ten talking points. No matter what question was asked, she got back to one of her "safe" talking points. She even said as much, when she gave the lame line about "I don't know if I will answer these questions the way you want them answered, but I want to talk straight with the American people..." In other words, 'I am going to stick to my pre-prepared 10 mini-speeches, no matter what question is asked.' In that, she was extremely successful.
I just cannot imagine her stepping into the job of president. And the way John McCain was wheezing last night in the microphone (was I the only one who noticed his troubled breathing?), I will not risk having Sarah Palin take that job. She is embarrassing. What the hell is she going to do when she sits across the table from Putin? Wink and smirk (like she did countless times into the camera during the debate)? This is from a John McCain supporter. I will not cast a vote for Obama, so I may have to sit this one out. Since I'm in Texas, my vote isn't that important anyway. This state will go McCain with or without my vote.
I watched the debate on CNN, and they had the strangely mesmerizing Undecided Ohio Voter Postive/Negative Meter Thingie at the bottom of the screen the entire time. This was one of those charts that somehow tracked, second by second, how a group of undecided Ohio voters felt about what was being said. In the middle was neutral, and if they liked what was being said, the line drifted up. If they did not like what was being said, the line would go south. I couldn't keep my eyes of the line. How did the undecided Ohioans like McCain's joke? What did they think of Obama's jab at McCain?? I had to know! Generally, I think the Ohioans liked Obama a bit more. Although McCain's positives were high when he was on foreign policy.
I don't think that debate really changed much of anything.
I meant to post about the Palin/Biden debate from last week as well. Palin has convinced me that I cannot vote for John McCain. The pundits were saying she succeeded at the debate because she essentially spoke in complete sentences. Talk about low expectations. Personally, I was very disturbed by her performance. After the intensive week of preparations, she managed to memorize about ten talking points. No matter what question was asked, she got back to one of her "safe" talking points. She even said as much, when she gave the lame line about "I don't know if I will answer these questions the way you want them answered, but I want to talk straight with the American people..." In other words, 'I am going to stick to my pre-prepared 10 mini-speeches, no matter what question is asked.' In that, she was extremely successful.
I just cannot imagine her stepping into the job of president. And the way John McCain was wheezing last night in the microphone (was I the only one who noticed his troubled breathing?), I will not risk having Sarah Palin take that job. She is embarrassing. What the hell is she going to do when she sits across the table from Putin? Wink and smirk (like she did countless times into the camera during the debate)? This is from a John McCain supporter. I will not cast a vote for Obama, so I may have to sit this one out. Since I'm in Texas, my vote isn't that important anyway. This state will go McCain with or without my vote.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Changed My Mind on the Rockhall Nominees
Recall my previous post regarding the nominees for the Class of 2009 for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As a reminder: Metallica, Run-DMC, Jeff Beck, Chic, War, Bobby Womack, Wanda Jackson, The Stooges and Little Anthony & the Imperials. In January they will announce the five Inductees for 2009 out of those nine.
After much thought (and sadly, you know that I have actually spent some time pondering this issue), I have revised my lists of who I would vote for out of those nine and who I actually think will be inducted.
It is an annual ritual for me to investigate each nominee. For one, it is an excuse for me to delve into some music I may have overlooked. Secondly, I like to have informed opinions, even though I do not have an actual ballot to vote. Each year when the list of nominees is announced, I buy at least one compilation disc for each nominee. Since my collection is the grotesque size that it is, I generally already own material for a majority of the nominees. This year I had to go grab a disc each for Womack, Jackson and Little Anthony. I already owned plenty of material from the others. The pleasant surprise this year: I am now a big Bobby Womack fan. I would recommend this killer compilation (love the album cover, too)...
I've been groovin' to this album for the last couple of days. Womack is a triple threat. He's a great songwriter, performer and guitarist. "Across 110th Street" is one of the best depictions of ghetto life that I've come across. (And I know ghetto life, people, growing up on the mean streets of West Houston. "Across Briar Forest Street / Is a hell of a tester"). Anyway, Womack has an interesting mix in his discography. He's got funky, straight soul music, but he also takes interesting covers like James Taylor's "Fire and Rain," "California Dreamin'" or even Sinatra's "Fly Me To the Moon" and turns them into burning soul grooves. Very cool choices. Then he'll unleash an impressive guitar solo here or there. As a songwriter the guy is even more impressive. I didn't realize how many tunes of Womack's were covered by others. Soul legend Wilson Pickett recorded 17 of Womack's compositions, including "I'm a Midnight Mover" and "I'm in Love" (always a favorite of mine, only this week did I realize that Womack wrote it). He wrote Janis Joplin's gorgeous "Trust Me." Also The Rolling Stones' "It's All Over Now" is a Womack tune (and a killer duet version with Bill Withers is on the album suggested above). I am converted. Bobby Womack is the sh*t.
I find Little Anthony & the Imperials to be very mediocre doo wop. A ridiculous nomination. Wanda Jackson is also negligible. From what I understand, she is a favorite of Elvis Costello's, who holds a lot of sway on the nominating committee. Jeff Beck is rivaled only by Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman for rock guitar greatness. Metallica, of course (although there are others in that genre who should go in first, such as Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, etc.) Run-DMC were rap innovators and helped to bridge the divide between rap and rock. Absolutely. The Stooges (nominated for the 7th time) were the punk godfathers. Chic were decent disco pioneers, but I accept the nomination as legit mainly because of the contributions of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards through Chic and post-Chic as producers. War were great, but not Hall of Fame worthy.
So, here is who I would now vote for from this list of nominees: Jeff Beck, Metallica, The Stooges, Run-DMC and Bobby Womack. That actually looks like a pretty solid class of five right there.
My revised prediction? Here is how I see it going: Metallica, Run-DMC, The Stooges, Wanda Jackson and Little Anthony & the Imperials. I hope that I am wrong. But I know that there is a large group of fogies who vote that still feel that 50's/doo wop is underrepresented, and Little Anthony has nobody to split that vote with. They often try to fit a woman in each class if they can, and Wanda looks to be that token choice. Plus, evidently Costello and Little Steven Van Zandt are both lobbying heavily for her. Don't know why.
ABOVE: I'll leave you with a double shot of Bobby Womack. Solo acoustic renditions of "California Dreamin'" and "Across 110th Street."
After much thought (and sadly, you know that I have actually spent some time pondering this issue), I have revised my lists of who I would vote for out of those nine and who I actually think will be inducted.
It is an annual ritual for me to investigate each nominee. For one, it is an excuse for me to delve into some music I may have overlooked. Secondly, I like to have informed opinions, even though I do not have an actual ballot to vote. Each year when the list of nominees is announced, I buy at least one compilation disc for each nominee. Since my collection is the grotesque size that it is, I generally already own material for a majority of the nominees. This year I had to go grab a disc each for Womack, Jackson and Little Anthony. I already owned plenty of material from the others. The pleasant surprise this year: I am now a big Bobby Womack fan. I would recommend this killer compilation (love the album cover, too)...
I've been groovin' to this album for the last couple of days. Womack is a triple threat. He's a great songwriter, performer and guitarist. "Across 110th Street" is one of the best depictions of ghetto life that I've come across. (And I know ghetto life, people, growing up on the mean streets of West Houston. "Across Briar Forest Street / Is a hell of a tester"). Anyway, Womack has an interesting mix in his discography. He's got funky, straight soul music, but he also takes interesting covers like James Taylor's "Fire and Rain," "California Dreamin'" or even Sinatra's "Fly Me To the Moon" and turns them into burning soul grooves. Very cool choices. Then he'll unleash an impressive guitar solo here or there. As a songwriter the guy is even more impressive. I didn't realize how many tunes of Womack's were covered by others. Soul legend Wilson Pickett recorded 17 of Womack's compositions, including "I'm a Midnight Mover" and "I'm in Love" (always a favorite of mine, only this week did I realize that Womack wrote it). He wrote Janis Joplin's gorgeous "Trust Me." Also The Rolling Stones' "It's All Over Now" is a Womack tune (and a killer duet version with Bill Withers is on the album suggested above). I am converted. Bobby Womack is the sh*t.
I find Little Anthony & the Imperials to be very mediocre doo wop. A ridiculous nomination. Wanda Jackson is also negligible. From what I understand, she is a favorite of Elvis Costello's, who holds a lot of sway on the nominating committee. Jeff Beck is rivaled only by Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman for rock guitar greatness. Metallica, of course (although there are others in that genre who should go in first, such as Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, etc.) Run-DMC were rap innovators and helped to bridge the divide between rap and rock. Absolutely. The Stooges (nominated for the 7th time) were the punk godfathers. Chic were decent disco pioneers, but I accept the nomination as legit mainly because of the contributions of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards through Chic and post-Chic as producers. War were great, but not Hall of Fame worthy.
So, here is who I would now vote for from this list of nominees: Jeff Beck, Metallica, The Stooges, Run-DMC and Bobby Womack. That actually looks like a pretty solid class of five right there.
My revised prediction? Here is how I see it going: Metallica, Run-DMC, The Stooges, Wanda Jackson and Little Anthony & the Imperials. I hope that I am wrong. But I know that there is a large group of fogies who vote that still feel that 50's/doo wop is underrepresented, and Little Anthony has nobody to split that vote with. They often try to fit a woman in each class if they can, and Wanda looks to be that token choice. Plus, evidently Costello and Little Steven Van Zandt are both lobbying heavily for her. Don't know why.
ABOVE: I'll leave you with a double shot of Bobby Womack. Solo acoustic renditions of "California Dreamin'" and "Across 110th Street."
Friday, October 3, 2008
Dez's Favorite 100 Rock/Pop Records, #'s 15-11
This is an eclectic batch...
15. Duran Duran – Rio, 1982
#15 defines a certain period of the 80’s…glitzy, superficial, dangerous, fun, excessive. But as with much of Duran Duran’s material, what on the surface may seem slight synthesizer pop, there is an interesting undercurrent of unease and melancholy. These guys were much better musicians than their detractors give them credit for (especially bassist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor), and Rio is their seminal release. It remains as glitzy and as listenable today as it was when it was released. The title track and “Hungry Like the Wolf” are both classic 80’s glam singles, accompanied by iconic music videos. But the album tracks are just as interesting, such as the brooding Roxy Music-ish “The Chauffeur” and “Lonely In Your Nightmare.” The highlight is “Save a Prayer,” which captures what is great about Duran Duran and also the essence of 80’s excess culture, it is both glamorous and wistful, and full of sweet regret. It is easy to make glamorous pop singles about the wild night on the town, but harder to write them about the morning after. DD simultaneously captures the seductive hedonism of 80’s excess and the consequences only fully understood on the day after. Even further, the song is ambiguous enough to where the listener is not sure whether Simon le Bon, even knowing the consequences, would have done anything differently.
ABOVE: Rio's iconic album cover
14. Pete Yorn – Musicforthemorningafter, 2001
Just when I thought I had discovered all the great music there was to discover, I came across this guy’s nearly perfect debut. Part Springsteen and part New Order, Yorn’s songwriting arrived almost fully formed. Infectious singles “Strange Condition” and “Life on a Chain” got lots of deserved play on college radio, but the rest of the record is just as good. There is not a bad song here. Yorn is a guitar player, but he was also a drummer, and his understanding of rhythm shows. What is great about this record is that as good as it is all the way through, he saves the most effective songs for the end with the triple shot of “On Your Side,” “Sleep Better” and “EZ”. He stumbled on his sophomore outing, but his third record was outstanding as well. Can't wait to hear more.
13. Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel (aka 'I', ‘car’), 1977
Gabriel’s solo debut is bursting with the joy of freedom. He had just shocked much of the rock world by suddenly leaving Genesis just as they were peaking at the forefront of the prog rock genre. He leaves behind the sprawling 10 minute prog epics and delivers a set of relatively concise tunes in a variety of styles, things that he had been wanting to try but could not within the constraints of Genesis. It is the sound of a man who is bursting with talent and ideas finally let loose to follow any avenue he found interesting. Not all of it works (like the odd barbershop “Excuse Me”), but it is thrilling to hear him try. “Solsbury Hill” is Gabriel’s personal declaration of independence from his old band, and gives an explanation of why he had to leave. “Modern Love” and “Slowburn” are assured rockers, while the odd “Moribund the Burgermeister” and “Down the Dolce Vita” show that he has not completely turned his back on art rock. As the notes of the beautiful closer “Here Comes the Flood” fade, one is left with anticipation for what Gabriel’s solo career would deliver in the future. He didn’t disappoint.
12. Big Star - #1 Record, 1972
Critic Jason Ankeny describes Big Star as "the quintessential American power pop band and one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll.” If you think #1 Record is a rather presumptuous title for a debut, they back it up with the music. Unfortunately, nobody was listening at the time. But decades later people started to listen. Big Star is often referred to as “the best band you’ve never heard of.” If this list inspires its readers to pick up a couple of records they have never heard before, please let this be one of them. In a just universe, Big Star would be standing next to the Rolling Stones, Beatles and Who as one of the greatest bands ever. Instead, this Memphis unit was torn apart by self-doubt, fragile personalities, record label indifference, and bum circumstance. But listen to the promise on this record, the shimmering pop brilliance in Alex Chilton and Chris Bell’s songs grabs you immediately. Bell’s “Feel” and “In the Street” rock out, while Chilton’s “Ballad of El Goodo” and “Thirteen” capture adolescence perfectly (“Tell your Dad to get off my back / Tell him what we said about ‘Paint It Black’”) They combine the best of The Kinks, Who, Byrds and Beatles in their sound, and create something all their own. In turn, even if they did not have commercial success, many notable musicians cite them as big influences, such as REM. Go get this now. In one of the best deals in music, it is available in combination with the almost as great follow-up Radio City on a single disc.
11. Uncle Tupelo – No Depression, 1990
This is ground zero for the modern resurgence of country-rock, alt-country...or whatever you want to call it. Tupelo approached it from a punk/county/folk angle, and their groundbreaking and hugely influential debut is startling in its raw energy and emotion. By successfully pulling off the unlikely marriage between punk rock and country music, they inspired an entire subgenre in their wake. This record is so influential that it inspired the name of the ‘No Depression’ alt-country periodical and lent its name as an alternate moniker for the entire musical movement. (“No Depression” the song is a cover of the A.P. Carter classic). Out of the duo of Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar, it is Tweedy who would later emerge in his next band Wilco as a fan and critical darling on the alt-circuit; but back then, this was Farrar’s show. His stop/start brutal everyman rockers like “Factory Belt” and “Graveyard Shift” still thrill, while new classic country dirges like “Whiskey Bottle” and “Life Worth Livin’” stand up with the best barroom-at-2 a.m.-tear-in-my-beer weepers of yore. Equal parts Minutemen and Merle Haggard, they deftly bring these disparate influences together and create this grim masterpiece of Midwestern angst that only grows in stature with each passing year.
15. Duran Duran – Rio, 1982
#15 defines a certain period of the 80’s…glitzy, superficial, dangerous, fun, excessive. But as with much of Duran Duran’s material, what on the surface may seem slight synthesizer pop, there is an interesting undercurrent of unease and melancholy. These guys were much better musicians than their detractors give them credit for (especially bassist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor), and Rio is their seminal release. It remains as glitzy and as listenable today as it was when it was released. The title track and “Hungry Like the Wolf” are both classic 80’s glam singles, accompanied by iconic music videos. But the album tracks are just as interesting, such as the brooding Roxy Music-ish “The Chauffeur” and “Lonely In Your Nightmare.” The highlight is “Save a Prayer,” which captures what is great about Duran Duran and also the essence of 80’s excess culture, it is both glamorous and wistful, and full of sweet regret. It is easy to make glamorous pop singles about the wild night on the town, but harder to write them about the morning after. DD simultaneously captures the seductive hedonism of 80’s excess and the consequences only fully understood on the day after. Even further, the song is ambiguous enough to where the listener is not sure whether Simon le Bon, even knowing the consequences, would have done anything differently.
ABOVE: Rio's iconic album cover
14. Pete Yorn – Musicforthemorningafter, 2001
Just when I thought I had discovered all the great music there was to discover, I came across this guy’s nearly perfect debut. Part Springsteen and part New Order, Yorn’s songwriting arrived almost fully formed. Infectious singles “Strange Condition” and “Life on a Chain” got lots of deserved play on college radio, but the rest of the record is just as good. There is not a bad song here. Yorn is a guitar player, but he was also a drummer, and his understanding of rhythm shows. What is great about this record is that as good as it is all the way through, he saves the most effective songs for the end with the triple shot of “On Your Side,” “Sleep Better” and “EZ”. He stumbled on his sophomore outing, but his third record was outstanding as well. Can't wait to hear more.
13. Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel (aka 'I', ‘car’), 1977
Gabriel’s solo debut is bursting with the joy of freedom. He had just shocked much of the rock world by suddenly leaving Genesis just as they were peaking at the forefront of the prog rock genre. He leaves behind the sprawling 10 minute prog epics and delivers a set of relatively concise tunes in a variety of styles, things that he had been wanting to try but could not within the constraints of Genesis. It is the sound of a man who is bursting with talent and ideas finally let loose to follow any avenue he found interesting. Not all of it works (like the odd barbershop “Excuse Me”), but it is thrilling to hear him try. “Solsbury Hill” is Gabriel’s personal declaration of independence from his old band, and gives an explanation of why he had to leave. “Modern Love” and “Slowburn” are assured rockers, while the odd “Moribund the Burgermeister” and “Down the Dolce Vita” show that he has not completely turned his back on art rock. As the notes of the beautiful closer “Here Comes the Flood” fade, one is left with anticipation for what Gabriel’s solo career would deliver in the future. He didn’t disappoint.
12. Big Star - #1 Record, 1972
Critic Jason Ankeny describes Big Star as "the quintessential American power pop band and one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll.” If you think #1 Record is a rather presumptuous title for a debut, they back it up with the music. Unfortunately, nobody was listening at the time. But decades later people started to listen. Big Star is often referred to as “the best band you’ve never heard of.” If this list inspires its readers to pick up a couple of records they have never heard before, please let this be one of them. In a just universe, Big Star would be standing next to the Rolling Stones, Beatles and Who as one of the greatest bands ever. Instead, this Memphis unit was torn apart by self-doubt, fragile personalities, record label indifference, and bum circumstance. But listen to the promise on this record, the shimmering pop brilliance in Alex Chilton and Chris Bell’s songs grabs you immediately. Bell’s “Feel” and “In the Street” rock out, while Chilton’s “Ballad of El Goodo” and “Thirteen” capture adolescence perfectly (“Tell your Dad to get off my back / Tell him what we said about ‘Paint It Black’”) They combine the best of The Kinks, Who, Byrds and Beatles in their sound, and create something all their own. In turn, even if they did not have commercial success, many notable musicians cite them as big influences, such as REM. Go get this now. In one of the best deals in music, it is available in combination with the almost as great follow-up Radio City on a single disc.
11. Uncle Tupelo – No Depression, 1990
This is ground zero for the modern resurgence of country-rock, alt-country...or whatever you want to call it. Tupelo approached it from a punk/county/folk angle, and their groundbreaking and hugely influential debut is startling in its raw energy and emotion. By successfully pulling off the unlikely marriage between punk rock and country music, they inspired an entire subgenre in their wake. This record is so influential that it inspired the name of the ‘No Depression’ alt-country periodical and lent its name as an alternate moniker for the entire musical movement. (“No Depression” the song is a cover of the A.P. Carter classic). Out of the duo of Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar, it is Tweedy who would later emerge in his next band Wilco as a fan and critical darling on the alt-circuit; but back then, this was Farrar’s show. His stop/start brutal everyman rockers like “Factory Belt” and “Graveyard Shift” still thrill, while new classic country dirges like “Whiskey Bottle” and “Life Worth Livin’” stand up with the best barroom-at-2 a.m.-tear-in-my-beer weepers of yore. Equal parts Minutemen and Merle Haggard, they deftly bring these disparate influences together and create this grim masterpiece of Midwestern angst that only grows in stature with each passing year.
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