The Nature of Withdrawal or April 26/15 Playlist

April 25, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

“Beneath The City Of Dreams” – Calexico

I missed out on their advance release when I wasn’t paying attention. Still, a great record I’ll probably talk about soon. Maybe even in the next few hours. They just create such great imagery.

“Don’t Wanna Fight” – Alabama Shakes

Reviewed this on Tuesday and it’s just so damn hard to listen to anything else. It is such an awesome piece of work I’m going to need copies for all my relevant locations.

“Bobby Jean” – Bruce Springsteen

Looked back at this earlier in the week, than I got word that a childhood friend had died; suddenly this song started making me cry. Just the idea that we never really say goodbye before people leave us, and we never have a clue what they meant until that door is forever closed.

“Just Like Anyone” – Aimee Mann

Another song about loss, except this one… well it speaks for itself.

“Don’t Look Back In Anger” – Oasis

Not sure what it is about this song, how it works as both depressing and up lifting at the same time. It pulled me out of a darker mood.

“The Rescue Blues (Live)” – Ryan Adams

Officially the most freakin’ expensive vinyl I own after shipping and duty charges. I wish someone would tell me how much duty I’d have to pay before I finish my order, as good as this record is I had to pay an extra frickin’ charge when UPS showed up at my door!

“I Don’t Want Control Of You” – The New Mendicants

Joe Pernice and Norman Blake were playing in town yesterday, unfortunately I wasn’t able to go, so I drowned my sorrows in their music.

“It Don’t Come Easy” – Ringo Starr

Back in university a friend and I wrote a movie script that featured this song in a very prominent position. It would have been hilarious…

“I Don’t Mind” – Sebadoh

Sebadoh just announced a show and the release of a new single… a cover of a famous Canadian single just because they love us. You can order here.

“Real Wild Child” – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

The first song off her RSD 15 offering Flashback… which rocks in case you were wondering.

“The Witch” – The Sonics

I’ll cover this song and album soon, but wow, I wish I had known about them when I was a teen.

“Ong Ong” – Blur

Off the new Blur album, I’ll have a review for ya by Tuesday.

“Blue Orchid” – The White Stripes

Posted about this album… holy cash grab, and I’m not talking about the record company or artist. Just look for Get Behind Me Satan on e-bay and you’ll understand.

“Limelight” – Rush

The original song before the Sebadoh cover arrives in May.

“Gold” – John Stewart

Sad storytelling at its AM radio best! Took me a while to find as all I had remembered was a couple lines and that Stevie Nicks was doing background vocals.

“Raspberry Beret” – Hindu Love Gods

You’ll understand why they’re included when I put the Blur review out. Besides, it’s a great cover of a great song.

“Spectacular” – Graham Coxon

Graham Coxon takes a most rockin’ riff and turns it into a sing along anthem.

“Black Nite Crash” – Ride

Think I’ll write about this album next week, so it gave me an excuse to add this song.

“Sophisticated Gentleman” – Gabby Glaser

My son used to ‘rock out’ in the backseat as we drove around and this song was playing. I actually sent a quick message to her about it and she wrote back thanking me. Seems odd getting thanks from the person who provided my son and I with the soundtrack to happy memories! Oh yeah Luscious Jackson got back together and have a kids record out, you should check it out here.

“Happy Kid” – Nada Surf

Just a damn good song by a damn good band! After the past week I needed something that would make me smile?

Sometimes Rare “Means” Rare or The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan

April 25, 2015April 25, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

With all The White Stripes catalogue being released through Third Man Records you would have thought that Get Behind Me Satan would have been in the mix… but noooooooo, sometimes rare stays rare. This explains a good amount about why Jack White went through great lengths to put out a cool vinyl product for Record Store Day. It also explains the hefty price tag if you were lucky enough to get your hands on it. Near $50.00 is expensive even for 180 gram coloured vinyl.

Thing is, the alternative is way more expensive due to the exclusive nature of its original pressings.

Only 600 were made and split for distribution between V2 and XL recordings in North America and Europe. These vinyl editions were given to music journalists for review. The original North American V2 record sells for over $630.00 on discogs and I found a copy on e-bay that someone had priced at over $1200.00.

The European XL edition is selling on discogs for over $426.00 and e-bay for more $970.00.

Then a German company tried to make a convincing bootleg edition to pass off as the those 600 originals by printing 600 numbered fakes in red coloured vinyl and another 600 in white. Funny thing is, even the counterfeit vinyl sells for over $200.00 a piece.

So now you have your Record Store Day copy Get Behind Me Satan and already the least expensive asking price is just under $100.00.

BUT…..

You couldn’t get out for RSD 2015 and you really want a copy, well…

WAIT!!!!!!

Third Man Records is putting out a regular black vinyl edition later this year. You don’t need to mortgage your house or sell your car to own this record, you just need a little patience. It won’t be ‘rare’ much longer.

Ryan Adams career defining drop the microphone moment! or Ryan Adams – Live At Carnegie Hall (Limited 6 Vinyl Album Set)

April 24, 2015April 24, 2015 / ds barrett / 1 Comment

Writing an album review on an artist that you “really” appreciate is enough to give you a stress headache. You weigh the shows, albums and the amount of time you have spent receiving joy from their art against the artists themselves. Not connecting to their new music in a meaningful way is supposedly a knock on the artist rather than the perception of the reviewer… in other words, the whole process of criticism can at times seem rather… well, ass backwards.

That said if you open up a record and the artist has exceeded your expectations, you’re left with the task of tempering your enthusiasm lest you fall into the column of fan over critic.

Except this isn’t 1994 and I’m not writing for a publication. This is a blog and the pretense of professionalism can be used or tossed aside on my own whim. Besides, ‘professionalism’ and I were never all that comfortable sitting beside each other anyway.

So…

Here I am with six pieces of 180 gram vinyl consisting of 42 songs that cover a whole career, plus a couple of bonus new songs. They begin to spin on the turntable one after the other and I’m lost. The lunch dishes remain dirty, I arrive a couple minutes late to pick up my kids from school and I miss phone calls. Instead I’m in a cozy loveseat with a blanket and road size mug of vanilla tea being reminded of just how great a storyteller Ryan Adams is. Armed only with an acoustic guitar and piano he brings down the house time and time again.

A couple years back I witnessed a similar performance and walked away thinking of magic and once in a lifetime shows. What is that old adage about lightning? Well apparently Adams has become Spidey’s old nemesis Electro and he controls that flashy shit in the sky. He just pulls the audience in and never lets go.

The biggest complaint against Adams over the years has been his inconsistent ability to connect with fans on the same level as he did with his first two records and Whiskeytown material. You would never think that a problem when he performs Live At Carnegie Hall. In fact, you don’t think at all, the music washes away thought and your left with nothing but the songs and stories of a man who over the years has learned to command an audience.

To use that tired cliché – If Adams was standing in a room full of critics, he could simply pull out Live At Carnegie Hall, smile and drop the microphone… it is that damn good!

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Greatest Hits – It’s Rowan Approved!

April 23, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

Well, with the Rock Hall just having celebrated her induction, I thought I’d pull this back up. Enjoy

barrettbites

As I first sat down to write this, I desperately tried to separate Jett the rock star, from Jett the ‘female’ rock star. Just look at the music by itself without the distraction of a person’s gender and ‘rock mythology’ getting in the way.

Couldn’t do it. The very first song on this record is “Cherry Bomb,” a tune about youth rebellion, underage girls and promiscuity all from the female viewpoint.

My opinion is that next to the Ramones, Joan Jett is the ‘coolest’ (not to be confused with ‘Best’ ‘Greatest’ or ‘Favourite’) rock star to have walked the earth. Gender is part of that package. When I was a skinny kid on my banana-seat bike she was belting out “Cherry Bomb” with the teenage Runaways appealing to both the stoner set and emerging punk scene. During my own adolescence as big hair metal was killing the airwaves, she was…

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Holy Frickin’ Dinero Batman! Is A DVD Collectors Set really a “Collectors Set”? Batman 66 & Lord of the Rings

April 23, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

For Christmas I got the most awesome gift of the Batman television series (or Batman ’66) in a Blu-Ray collectors set. The kids and I watch together and laugh a lot and when the subject matter gets ridiculously misogynist as it did in Season 3 with its “straw feminist” depiction in “Nora Clavicle and the Ladies’ Crime Club” we use it as a teachable moment. Even before we started talking about it my eleven year old son was yelling “this episode is horrible – girls don’t act like that!”

Anyway, it’s a pretty cool set that has in addition to the blu-ray discs booklets, playing cards and a Hot Wheels Batmobile. BUT – is it worth anything as a “Collector’s Set? Actually, are any of these DVD/Blu-Ray sets worth anything more than the cost of viewing admission?

If we go back to the Lord of the Rings and their extended editions collector sets we can take a look at popular item amongst fans.

If you bought the gift set that came with replicas of Gollum, Minas Tirith or the Argonath bookends AND you “didn’t open it” it’s worth near a $100.00. However, if like me you own the extended four disc set and watched it many times – you would be lucky to get the price of a cup of coffee. So it’s just best to enjoy the experience of viewing it over and over again.

Then we have Batman 66. The first thing you need to realize about this “Collector’s Set” is that they made 95,000 of them; which means they are about as rare as seeing a minivan stuck in highway traffic. In fact, the regular set, which was actually selling for more than Collector’s set over the holidays (on Amazon) might actually qualify as ‘more rare’ than it’s better packaged sibling.

Of course, in both cases, it doesn’t stop people from trying to make a few bucks. While Amazon.ca is selling Batman for $200.00, E-Bay has it listed from $180 up to and above $385.00. The same goes for those Lord of the Ring “Gift Sets;” which go for anywhere between $35 and $155 on E-Bay.

My conclusions on the whole subject – these things are only worth as much as the sentiment you have for them.

Back Again… for the First Time! Bruce Springsteen – Born In The USA

April 22, 2015 / ds barrett / 3 Comments

bruce

I lived through it the first time, and it’s taken thirty years for it to stop being a bad soundtrack to everything 1984 and 1985. Maybe you had to be there, but Born In The USA was everywhere. Seven hit singles will do that. People who wouldn’t give Bruce the time of day were claiming to be his biggest fan and scrambling to buy tickets as he rolled into town in the summer of ’85. The local news networks went nuts when they thought it would rain on him… which you know it didn’t if you read my George Thorogood post from a couple days back.

In fact, this may have been the first honest to goodness ‘backlash’ record of my teens. An artist you really like puts out something so big, you get sick of it without ever having to buy the record. Sure there were other big records out in the 80’s, but I wasn’t into Michael Jackson or Lionel Richie or… well, a whole lot of the music that was everywhere on every station no matter where you listened.

So it is that thirty years later I’m listening to Born In The USA for the first time, on a turntable, with two speakers, and it sounds great. It sounds like I should have listened to it thirty years ago on a different turntable with a crappy set of speakers, or a cassette that would get worn down.

What strikes me as odd is that it was this big. That people missed the messages of broken dreams and desolation strewn throughout the record. That amongst the repeated chorus of so-called sing along tunes that seemed oh so patriotic were messages of just how screwed up everything was. I’m not sure how anyone could have missed it; all his previous works had these types of stories and people. Still, Born In The USA was for many people where Bruce (the Boss) Springsteen ended. I never stopped being a fan, but I didn’t follow him into those personal albums that followed. Stories of marriage and divorce didn’t really interest me in my early twenties, and the music reflected the change in direction with the E-Street Band no longer in the picture.

In fact by the 90’s, no one even talked about Bruce anymore. He won Grammy Awards, his music was featured in huge films, but amongst the music geeks of the world, Bruce was merely a shadow of the past or worse, a classic rock dinosaur; an artist relegated to being a nostalgia act.

This is where a bit of revisionist history sets in. When first, The Rising (2002) and later The Seeger Sessions (2006) came out, middle aged former hipsters started to take notice again. Springsteen began touring with the E-Street Band and now a few short years later those same people who had wrote Springsteen off were scrambling for tickets and posting pictures of themselves at concerts on Instagram.

It was all very curious to me as a music fan. As Bruce started to drift back towards political commentary through epic storytelling, fans came back – myself included. It’s just that I wasn’t sure how artist denial played in. Personally, I was never embarrassed to be a fan, but there was a time twenty years ago where many people thought it just wasn’t cool to admit it.

Anyway, Record Store Day young and old hipsters alike lined up and bought the early Springsteen records on vinyl, and I bought the one Springsteen record I had avoided since its release. The guy behind the counter, at least twenty years my junior said “you’re really gonna love this,” and as it turns out, I do.

Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color

April 21, 2015 / ds barrett / 3 Comments

If Alabama Shakes debut Boys & Girls was a first shot across the bow against musical mediocrity, then Sound & Color is a full on declaration of war. Not content to merely ride the wave of being the best rock ‘n’ soul or Southern rock band to currently grace the planet, they expand and grow. It’s the kind of growth and experimentation one got from Radiohead when they leapt from The Bends to OK Computer; or in other words – WOW!

Their sound might have originally been rooted in 1960’s Memphis, but damn, they just pulled in the 70’s funk and threw it into a blender with Bacharach on the song “Guess Who.” Then they give you a trip to so-cal on “Shoegaze” and fly off to Philadelphia Soul with a twisted Gibson/Marshall feel on the song “Dunes.”

The vibe is all over the rock music landscape and Brittany Howard’s vocal are not only up to the task, but are in fact laying out a challenge to anyone else willing to stand in front of a microphone. Rather than the usual “see my vocal range” musical masturbation that gets tossed out by pop musicians, Howard uses emotional resonance to drive home the feel of the song. In fact, I’d say she has more in common with old female jazz vocalists like Bessie Smith, or male rock vocalists like Robert Plant than any contemporary to be gracing the charts of this day and age.

With Sound & Color, Alabama Shakes have shown themselves to be far more than just another rock band, they are the band you seek out and put headphones on when you listen. You will not be content to let crappy computer speakers or crappy downloads play this music; nope it is full on stereo sound with this album. Yep, I think I found my soundtrack for the summer.

Speaking of which, you can get Sound & Color in a 180 gram vinyl 2 disc set at your local record store, or a clear double vinyl set at the bands website here.

The Sky Is Crying or George Thorogood & The Delaware Destroyers risk life and limb for a good time.

April 20, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

It’s August 1985 and the news in Toronto is all about the possibility of it raining on Bruce Springsteen who is touring the biggest album on the planet – Born In The USA. Thing is, the rain arrives a day early, and the CNE Grandstand has a totally different show going on that night. George Thorogood and the Destroyers with Johnny Winter opening are set to perform.

Drew and I left from the pool I lifeguarded at in total sunshine and headed down to the Canadian National Exhibition grounds with tickets that put us only seven rows from the stage. With some sense of over geeky enthusiasm I remarked how it looked like the rain would hold off. Drew, always the master of understated sarcasm raised an eyebrow glanced at the sky and shook his head in that “you don’t know your ass from a hole in the ground” way.

Johnny Winter hits the stage and the wind picks up. His set is phenomenal as his hands fly all over the neck of his guitar. I had known he was good, but WOW! This was damn impressive. He left the stage as the sun dipped out of site in the west and some dark clouds started to roll in quickly from the south.

Thorogood and the destroyers took the stage and started rocking out right away. I wish I could remember the setlist, but it was thirty years ago. What I do remember is that about 30 minutes into the set, the sky opened up and the rain drops were the size of quarters. The wind was blowing the water right into stage.

A drenched Thorogood looked out into the crowd as his band tried to step further towards the back of the stage and hollered “Does anyone want to hear some blue?” and the crowd replied with cheers. He broke into “The Sky Is Crying” and he just didn’t stop. Between songs a guitar tech would hand him a dry guitar and into another song he would go. The crowd was having a fantastic time and no one was leaving. The band that had initially tried to find shelter further down stage came forward and challenged Mother Nature to a duel. Over 90 minutes in the rain and they just kept playing until the damn sky cleared… and then, they did encores.

By all rights, Thorogood could have stopped the show and probably should have. Electric guitars and rain don’t mix, but this “nut job” musician was committed to putting on a great rock ‘n’ roll show, and he succeeded beyond the crowds wildest dreams.

In later years my taste in music changed and George got less and less of my time on the stereo, but when people would talk about the best concerts they ever went to, this still sits as the #1.

On Record Store Day Thorogood re-released his debut album, except in a way never before heard. It was originally recorded without a bass guitar. Initially the destroyers billed themselves as “the original five-piece trio” and this record reflects that. It is a trip to hear “One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer”, “Madison Blues” and “Ride On Josephine” as they were done in those first recordings back in the mid-seventies.

Anyway, I haven’t found an amount issued, but it is limited and on blue vinyl. I still saw copies kicking around on Sunday, but I wouldn’t wait if you’re interested.

My Story of RSD 2015 or Insanity Blooms Eternal

April 19, 2015 / ds barrett / 1 Comment

Over ninety minutes early and the line is more than one hundred deep. The old roomy and I meet and catch up as some dude directly in front of us chain tokes his way into the sonic abyss that is Record Store Day 2015. Music geek conversations drift through the air only interrupted by my backfiring joke at the length of the line.

“Maybe everyone is here to pick up that One Direction record…”

“I am!” says the woman just two people ahead. Her boyfriend starts laughing at my dumbfounded look.

I think to myself “I haven’t actually met a One Direction fan over the age of twelve” but I hold my tongue; after all, it isn’t even 9AM and pissing people off shouldn’t happen so early on a weekend.

The line moves forward in a civilized manner, which seems rather odd considering that I’ve had vinyl literally rain down upon my head during past RSD’s. Seriously, it is an odd sensation when a bunch of seven, ten and twelve inch records start smacking your cranium. Mild pain followed by anger and a quick burst of panic because you just don’t want any of this very sweet vinyl to get broken.

As usual, there is that group of people trying to look through the bins of records while the people behind them are giving them the “pick your record and get the fuck out my way” stare. It would be amusing if I wasn’t trying to get my hands on the same record as … well, the guy in front of me who just grabbed the last Otis Redding record that my fingers were reaching for. Fortunately, I do get my hands on some of the stuff I wanted.

The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan in gatefold cover with coloured red and white 180 gram vinyl

The Dandy Warhols – Eponymous – first time on vinyl in double gatefold cover and white vinyl to boot

George Thorogood & the Delaware Destroyers debut without bass as it was originally recorded. Also on blue vinyl

Ride – OX4: The Best of – In glorious 180 gram red vinyl with a double gatefold cover

Yeah I missed out on Social Distortion, Joan Jett, Small Faces and as mentioned, Otis Redding, but still had a pretty good time despite the competition and jockeying for best vinyl position. I jump into the vehicle and head for the elderly mall on the west side of the city figuring maybe I could grab some of what I lost out on. When I arrive the employees are praying mallrats will finish the free coffee they had for their customers. I manage to pick up a couple of the 7 inch’s I missed out on, namely Alex Chilton’s “Jesus Christ” and the Lemonheads/Gram Parsons split “Brass Buttons” on pink vinyl.

Now, I’m looking at the clock and considering the likelihood of finding a few things at some record stores I’ve never tried before.

Do I really want to spend more?

It’s the best haul I’ve managed but the little music geek in the back of my brain is whispering, “find more… you must find more…”.

Then I remember, I have stuff on the way… other awesome pieces of vinyl in transit from places abroad.

Afterall, if you look around in the right places, any day can be a record store day. Yeah, right, who am I kidding, I’m heading to another record store.

Insanity Blooms Eternal – April 19/15 Playlist

April 19, 2015 / ds barrett / Leave a comment

“Just One Of The Guys” – Jenny Lewis

This was a 7” I had a friend pick up for me on Black Friday/RSD 2014, but I only got it yesterday. It was nice to spin.

“Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” – Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Was having a bit of a difficult beginning to my week after visiting a cemetery to pay a visit to… well, anyway, it got me very reflective. This song and the next popped into my head.

“It Makes No Difference” – My Morning Jacket

Out of context but the sentiment and conclusions loan themselves to mourning, so I just wrapped myself in a cocoon of sad music for a couple days and rode the whole thing out.

“Like A Daydream” – Ride

RSD 2015 find. It was a glorious day and now I’m spinning it… it’s going to be another great day!

“Dumb” – Nirvana

Was reading the interview with Francis Bean last week when this song came up and was popped right into my head.

“Bohemian Like You” – The Dandy Warhols

Another RSD 2015 find, although this song wasn’t on it… just wanted to hear it after playing the earlier album.

“Stratford-On-Guy” – Liz Phair

Another interview I found myself reading, it was interesting to hear her perspective… on so many different things.

“The Denial Twist” – White Stripes

Yes! Get Behind Me Satan was released on vinyl – finally! It will be spinning later today.

“Milk Cow Blues” – The Kinks

The b-side to “You Really Got Me” which was another of yesterdays finds.

“Ride On Josephine” – George Thorogood & the Destroyers

Currently spinning on the turntable, I’ll have a full story on this later in the week.

“State Trooper” – Bruce Springsteen

What can you say about the Boss and Nebraska? Dark and desolate it leaves little room for hope…

“Brass Buttons” – Gram Parsons

Such a beautiful frickin’ tune from a soul that left us way to soon.

“Singer Not The Song” – Alex Chilton

B-side to “Jesus Christ” on this RSD release, it just smacks of sarcasm.

“No Cities To Love” – Sleater-Kinney

The only thing I bought yesterday that had nothing to do with RSD. It sounds a 1000 times better on vinyl.

“Funplex” – The B-52’s

Another fun and sarcastic bit from the band that always makes me smile.

“The Meaning Of Soul” – Oasis

I just had to slip this in for no other reason than I felt like it.

“Superstar” – Sonic Youth

You don’t realize just how creepy this Carpenters classic is until you hear the Sonic Youth version. Spine tingling!

“The Cabbage” – Teenage Fanclub

I so badly want this record on vinyl. One of my favourites!

“When My Baby’s Beside Me” – Kelly Willis

Say what you want, it’s a great song that holds its own even when it gets a little ‘countrified’.

“You and Your Sister” – Chris Bell

Because it is a great song that I just had to put in… no other reason.