Peel and Stick

On this, the third annual John Peel Day, Actual Monkey venerates JP with a few tracks from some of his, and our favorite bands.

The Fall-Cruiser's Creek (Peel Sessions).mp3

ACR-Do The Du (John Peel 1979).mp3

Nirvana-Aneurism (Peel Sessions).mp3

Hey DJ (Original 12_Mix).mp3

Thanks to Mr.Walsh of Rockturtleneck for the additional contributions:

The Smiths- This Charming Man (Peel.09.23.83).mp3

White Stripes-Build A Home Memphis (Peel 08.11.01).mp3

Dhani Boy

The only thing darker than growing up in the shadows of fame and fortune as the progeny of a mega rock star is actually trying to step out of those shadows and make a go of it in the music biz yourself. Just ask Jakob Dylan or Julian and Sean Lennon.

Now although the jury might still be out on Dhani Harrison, it appears he's on his way. A spitting image of his father, his music also bears a striking resemblance.

His story is not all that interesting. After studying to be an aerodynamacist, he abandoned his ambition to assist in the completion of Brainwashed, George Harrison's final release shortly before his death in 2001. And after performing alongside a stage full of rock legends at the Concert for George, Dhani all but disappeared.

Fast forward to 2006. His new (and so far only) band, thenewno2 release their first EP, aptly titled EP0001. It received mixed reviews, but featured the sublime 'Lord Lord', a follow up of sorts to GH's 'My Sweet Lord'.

This past August, the band released their first full length LP, You Are Here. I like it. I think it sounds like George Harrison with a beatbox. Thankfully, it's free of cringe inducing slop like 'Too Late For Goodbyes'.

Interesting to note that the irony of Dhani's station in life is not lost on him. The band's name is a reference to 60's cult TV series 'The Prisoner'.


Things certainly have changed from his father's days in the music business. I am fascinated to see the various cross-sell and marketing tactics implemented on behalf of new artists these days. Included but not limited to: maintaining the obligatory MySpace/Facebook page, iTunes banners, webcasts, licensing deals for video games and even a recent fashion spread featuring Dhani, all dolled up, looking exactly like his father!. I guess you do what you have to do.

As for Dhani boy. I think he might have a better shot then some of the other Rock Star Kids. But it will always be a challenge to find the direct sunlight. I can only imagine how far that shadow is cast and how difficult it must be to get out from behind it.

I'm just sayin'.

P.S. In case he needs a little help finding the light, check out dear old Dad and Paul Simon from SNL, circa 1976.

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Thenewno2-Lord Lord.mp3

Happy 68th Winnie

Not my favorite Beatle ( I fancy myself a George man), but my favorite Lennon song. 'Whatever Gets You Thru The Night' was co-written with Elton John and appeared on 'Walls and Bridges'.

For me, it carries a lot of memories from that period of my childhood in the early 70's. Mom wore out her 45 and I remember hearing it on heavy rotation on WABC 770 AM. (Does anyone else remember Dan Ingram? )

The energy of this song tapped straight into the whole 70's 'me' vibe. A sort of 'do whatever' fallout from the peace and love 60's. Makes total sense that it was written during the 'lost weekend' period of Lennon's life.

Surprisingly, this was Lennon's only solo hit to top the charts while he was alive. (Billboard Hot 100 number one single, November 16, 1974).

Check the rare vid below, a glimpse of John strutting about in a deteriorating, Abe Beame era NYC circa 1974, sans Yoko.

I'm just sayin'.

John Lennon-Whatever Gets You Thru The Night.mp3

God is in the House

More sinister then a Dick Cheney staff meeting yet equally as uplifting as a Joel Osteen sermon, Nick Cave and Co. took the stage at (what is for now, still) the WaMu Theater at MSG on Saturday night, further proof that a Fu Manchu beats a receding hairline every time.

I was surprised at the variation in musicianship from song to song. They charged, noisily through some of their newer material and stumbled, clumsily through their older repertoire. Sticking with mostly fan faves in spite of new material from this year's post-everything offering 'Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!', NC&TBS did an admirable job delivering such classics as 'Tuepelo', 'Papa Won't Leave You Henry', 'Mercy Seat' and 'Deanna'. However, I found it a little ironic, if not trite when Mr. Cave introduced 'Mercy Seat' with the quip "Here's one about a guy and an electric chair." Sounded like a set-up line from Uncle Ted.

At this point in his career, Mr.Cave has adopted the Lou Reed modus operandi of speaking the lyrics more so than singing them. That said, he did croon the softer stuff, namely, 'God is in the House', his paradoxical satire on Christianity. The same Christianity of which Mr.Cave is a true believer and has been the topic of dissertation on this very blog in the past.

From the cheap seats, there was a lack of intimacy that such a performer warrants. I was later mortified to learn (upon viewing countless youtube cell phone video's taken of the current tour) that Nick's on stage persona is not spontaneous and improvisational, yet rather contrived and repetitive. I guess at some point along the continuum all rock stars are the same.

All and all a good show. But honesty, he could have come out onstage and read Paul's letters to the Philippians with the accompaniment of an open C chord and the crowd would have thought it the coolest show ever.

I'm just sayin'.

For the uninitiated: NC&TBS, Wamu Theater, NYC 10.04.08

1. Hold On To Yourself
2. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
3. Tupelo
4. Weeping Song
5. Red Right Hand
6. Midnight Man
7. Love Letter (Nick on piano)
8. God is in the House (Nick on piano)
9. Moonland
10. Mercy Seat
11. Deanna
12. Hard On For Love
13. We Call Upon The Author
14. Papa Won’t Leave You Henry

Encore:

15. The Lyre of Orpheus
16. Get Ready For Love
17. Stagger Lee

Extra Credit: In the following performance of 'There She Goes, My Beautiful World' (from Later w/ Jools Holland), the angelic, anthemic, name-dropping, muse inspiring opus that it is, NC espouses "Johnny Thunders was half alive when he wrote 'Chinese Rocks'". This lyric, while poetic, is not factually correct. Any good NY punker will tell you it was none other the Richard Hell and Dee Dee Ramone who penned that heroin classic. Nevertheless, a tremendous, hard-charger of a song.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- There She Goes, My Beautiful World.mp3

A Producer, A lawyer, What A Concept

With a storied career that began by working the boards for the Fab Four, Alan Parsons boasts one of the most eclectic resumes in all of popular music.

After cutting his teeth alongside Sir George Martin on the Beatles' Abbey Road, Parsons produced Pink Floyd's seminal Dark Side of the Moon. His stellar studio acumen also made Pilot's 1975 'Magic' a bonafide #5 hit. Later that same year, Parson partnered with attorney, producer and songwriter Eric Woolfson to form the Alan Parsons Project.

The entire creation of the band and all it's subsequent releases were based on concepts. Parson believed his contributions as a producer went above and beyond the mechanical tasks of a studio engineer and directly contributed to the overall finished sound. He sought to take the focus off the musicians and place it squarely on the producer, comparing his efforts to that of a Hollywood director. The Stanley Kubrick of pop music.

Each LP focused on a different concept, some apparent, some obtuse. Commercially, the duo (and backing musicians) achieved modest success, peaking at #3, with 1982's Eye in the Sky, from the album of the same name.

Often confused with Prog Rock to the uninitiated, The Alan Parsons Project was indeed just that. A project, a unique reformulation of the components of pop music that resulted in some notable critical acclaim as well as a few radio friendly gems.

I'm sure the commercial success of APP left Emerson, Lake and Palmer scratching their collective heads.

I'm just sayin'.

Don't Answer Me

Time


Pilot- Magic


Alan Parsons Project-Don't Answer Me


Alan Parsons Project-Prime Time


Alan Parsons Project-Time


Kids Incorporated- Games People Play

Get Ready for Love

I left off, abruptly back in March while on the topic of Nick Cave. I covered his dark side, but left his tender side untouched. Due diligence follows.

Nick Cave, sinister ringmaster, near do well, bon vivant, aggrandizing and exploiting the depths of the human condition, the good and evil that exists in the pit of every man's soul. His raw, haunting tales are the marrow of his repertoire, but these alone do not comprise the full measure of the artist. The sinewy tendon and muscle attached to the bones of his music is the love song. In addition to providing a certain gravitas to his catalog, they display a maturity that distinguishes Cave as a truly well-rounded songwriter, a journeyman of the heart, traversing it's deepest chambers and excavating every drop of emotion from within.

The softer side of Nick, while always apparent to some extent in his earlier work, was fully realized on 1997's Boatman's Call. This period is marked by his relationship and subsequent breakup with singer Polly Jean Harvey. Cave's delicate arrangements are a striking departure from previous Bad Seeds material and this brevity only enhances the content of these songs. His ability to call upon efficient arrangements and marry then to the simplest of allusions and the most basic of premises, (a walk together, a breakup, a longing for unrequited love) are at the same time sparse and lush, and altogether mesmerizing.

When you hear a Bacharach love song, it's transparent. A product. A song written for the sole purpose of existing as a love song. Sung by another and meant for someone else entirely. An objective offering on the subject. Cave in turn reverses the polarity, turning the love song inside out. At once achingly personal and sincere, and still ambiguous enough to be offered to the listener, transcending into our assimilated collective experiences. His love songs are in essence, the very soul of Nick Cave, and yet, not his possession at all.

I'm just sayin'.

Into My Arms (live on Letterman)

Lime Tree Arbour (Live)

Nobody's Baby Now


Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Nobody's Baby Now


Henry Lee (w/ PJ Harvey)

Back to the Start

Huh? Where am I?
I awake from a coma,
I hear this.
I am back.
I'm just sayin'.

Nick the stripper, Nick the necromancer

Cave's first band, The Boys Next Door, a quintet of school yard buddies playing disposable, tinny new wave was to become the nucleus of the influential Birthday Party. Transcending the No Wave movement, The Party lasted until 1984. In just 6 years, Cave and Co. had gone straight for the jugular, leaving heads shaking in disbelief of what had transpired. As unforgiving as Puriel, Cave casts aspersions as he assumes a Faustian persona. It was during this period, that he became the master storyteller. Telling and re-telling legends, his gift is never really separating himself from the story. Is he narrator, spectator, antagonist, victim? Or is he all those things, at once telling the story that he is inextricably a part of. His subject matter is often the wild, untamed frontier of America, and the underbelly of it's dark south. A sweat shop seamstress of history, he weaves his tales from the standpoint of a brooding, anonymous yet prejudiced witness.

Pure piss and vinegar. I'm just sayin'.

Nick The Stripper- The Birthday Party


Tupelo- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds


Tupelo- John Lee Hooker


Stagger Lee- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds



Shivers-The Boys Next Door

John Finn's Wife- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

The Carny- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Stagolee- Mississippi John Hurt

Is there a doctor in the house?

In acknowledgement of Nick Cave's honorary degree of Doctor of Law from his alma mater, Monash University in Australia (at which he only completed two years), I have set out, dedicated and determined to explore this prolific (and a personal favorite) artist.

Bear with me. Like trying to navigate and contemplate Deuteronomy, Dr.Cave's career is tantamount to the Old and New Testament of the Bible. His poetry, writings, music and vision are intertwined with the gospel, it's effects on his and our collective psyche and the world around us.

A tall order for a little blog, but I'll give it a shot.

For starters, here's an easy one. The signature tune The Mercy Seat from 1988's Tender Prey, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds fifth release.

A prime example of 'Old Testament' Nick Cave, his conviction and ambivalence are clearly evident as he spins a tale of a man and his journey both physically and spiritually to a fate that awaits him in the electric chair. Cave wrestles with virtue, weighing and extolling it's benefits and consequences. I find it particularly interesting how the song ends. The protagonist, after continual professions of indifference and innocence, comes clean:

And the mercy seat is waiting
And I think my head is burning
And in a way I'm yearning
To be done with all this measuring of truth.
An eye for an eye
And a truth for a truth
And anyway I told the truth
But I'm afraid I told a lie

This overarching theme, this dichotomy that grips Cave is prevalent in all his work, throughout his career.

In his own words, from the forward he penned for An Introduction To The Gospel According To Mark:

"When I bought my first copy of the Bible, the King James version, it was to the Old Testament that I was drawn, with its maniacal, punitive God who dealt out to His long-suffering humanity punishments that had me drop-jawed in disbelief at the very depth of their vengefulness. I had a burgeoning interest in violent literature, coupled with an unnamed sense of the divinity in things and, in my early twenties, the Old Testament spoke to that part of me that railed and hissed and spat at the world. I believed in God, but I also believed that God was malign and if the Old Testament was testament to anything, it was testament to that. Evil seemed to live close to the surface of existence within it, you could smell its mad breath, see the yellow smoke curl from its many pages, hear the blood-curdling moans of despair. It was a wonderful, terrible book, and it was sacred scripture."

FYI, In biblical terms, The Mercy Seat is the slab of solid gold that sits atop the Ark of The Covenant. Cave's keen ability to address, incorporate and manipulate symbolism challenges the listener to think while listening. To hear what is being said beyond just the lyrics and music. This is part of Cave's genius, and his longevity.

Not to be outdone, I've included the Man in Black's cover from 2000's American III: Solitary Man. Amen.

I'm just sayin'.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- The Mercy Seat (Live).mp3

Johnny Cash- The Mercy Seat.mp3

Killer Set of Pipes

Although it's St. Patrick's Day and I always associate it with bagpipes, the Scots were really the ones to put the pipes on the map.

The following is lifted from http://www.visitdunkeld.com/bagpipe-history.htm

"As a musical instrument of war, the Great Pipes of the Highlands were without equal, according to historians. The shrill and penetrating notes worked well in the roar and din of battle and pipes could be heard at distances up to 10 miles. Because of the importance of the bagpipes to any Highland army, they were classified as an instrument of war by the Loyalist government during the Highland uprising in the 1700s. After the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745, kilts and bagpipes were outlawed, the pipes being classified as instruments of war."

The roar of the pipes. Must have scared the piss out of the enemy.

I'm just sayin'.

Scotland The Brave.mp3

Scottish Jig.mp3

Ode To Joy.mp3

Never been to Cleveland

Just a little rant. From an email sent to Mr Walsh. discussing Monday's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony:

I hope the Hall never acknowledges the New York scene. I think the RnRHoF and the Grammy's are hollow accolades, distributed to placate industry types who love to say, “ I was there when...”

Truth be told, rock is/was never about history, it’s all about the now. The RnRHoF is a museum, a repository for artifacts, dead history. I think once a year they should take an Elvis jumpsuit or something and burn it.

And handing out awards, what bullshit. The Grammy’s are so out of touch with music, always have been. It was nice to see a Jazz record win best album, but did you even hear about it before the awards? I can say without having heard it myself, it is not Herbie Hancock’s best work. Kinda like a lifetime achievement award I guess....and the worst thing to happen to Amy Winehouse was collectiing all those phonographs. Can you say Lauryn Hill?

The industry needing to legitimize itself with awards. So pretentious. And the amazing thing is that the music biz is dying, flopping around like a fish on a boat, gasping for air, not knowing what to do to stay alive.

Last week we went to the Plug Awards, get this, an ‘Indie’ awards show...totally a waste, they had a ‘blogger pit’. Sickening. If not for the standout performances by St. Vincent and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, the night would have been a complete write off.

I'm just sayin'.

St. Vincent- Now, Now.mp3

TV Dinner

On this date in 1977, Television released their debut album, Marquee Moon.

As far as influence, Television is more seminal than a Jenna Jameson video. Who knew this little New York band, the 'house band' of CBGB's (and first to play the legendary venue), a band that only released two studio LP's would have left such an indelible mark on pop music.

Tom Verlaine's dreamy, self absorbed lyrics? Richard Lloyd's searing six string assaults? Fate's hand in being in exactly the right place at the right time? I recall lightning strike itself.

They were touted as a punk band, but they were anything but. What they were was the first 'alternative' band. They were different. Different than bands before them and different from their peers. Where do they really fit? Window lickers riding the little yellow bus of rock and roll.

Formed in '73, during the decade of pretentious prog rock and grandiose cock rock, Television stood out. When he closest thing to alternative was a skinny British transvestite rock star singing about a skinny British transvestite rock star, and a skinny American transvestite singing about heroin to college kids, Television offered an alternative.

So, you have the ingredients: Verlaine and grade school buddy Richard Hell. Restless kids from Delaware. The mix: one part Richard Lloyd, dash of CBGB's, shake well and serve with a burgeoning New York music scene. Makes a nice cocktail. I've gone back to the bar on this one since I was growin' hair down there.

Musically accomplished, Television was more akin to extended, free form Dead-like jams, then two minute Ramones blasts. Different. Alternative. It's easy to get lost in the epic opus that is 'Marquee Moon'.

Back to the influence. REM, U2, Replacements (although Big Star might edge them out), and current bands like Wilco to name just a few. Check the homage factor on some of the Wilco tracks. And a peroxide-coiffed Michael Stipe belting out 'See No Evil' back during their Reagan-era heyday.

Although this album is 31 years old, it's fresh ever time it gets a spin. Punk? Attitude, yes. Sound, not so much. Different 31 years later? Absolutely.

When you leave a mark, a big, nasty greenish-yellow bruise on rock, it's hard to reconcile Television as being part of any blank generation.

I'm just sayin'.

Television- Marquee Moon.mp3

Television- See No Evil.mp3

Television- The Dream's Dream.mp3

Wilco- Spiders (Kidsmoke).mp3

Wilco- At Least That's What You Said.mp3

Television- 'Foxhole' 1978



R.E.M. 'See No Evil' 1985