Monthly Archives: April 2019

Louis Thomas Hardin, better known to the world as Moondog, was one of last century’s most unique composers. This means that interpreting the man’s music is tricky business, at least in terms of results that are satisfying to those not directly involved with the endeavor. On Snaketime: The Music of Moondog, out now on vinyl as a co-release through Feeding Tube and Astral Spirits, Chicago saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi and his octet have overcome without a hitch the difficulties in paying tribute through translation, successfully transforming the source material in a jazz context while remaining true to Moondog’s vision. Released in an edition of 500, curious vinyl lovers shouldn’t procrastinate.

Dustin Laurenzi’s highest profile gig is as a touring member of Justin Vernon’s Bon Iver, though the main thrust of his musical activity finds him improvising; he’s a member of the trio Twin Talk and the leader of the group Natural Language and has additionally played in a variety of ensembles including Snaarj, the Marquis Hill Blacktet, Katie Ernst’s Little Words (featured on a 2015 CD inspired by the writings of Dorothy Parker), and the Dave Lisik Jazz Orchestra.

The baseline reason for Snaketime’s worthiness is probably the passage of years, indeed roughly a decade, between Laurenzi’s introduction to Moondog’s music while studying at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and the making of this album, recorded live at Chicago’s Hungry Brain in January of 2018, through a group put together specifically for the purpose.

A first encounter with the works of Moondog, when absorbed together with his biography and his undeniably striking mode of self-expression, what Laurenzi calls the “lore surrounding him,” could easily prove seductive enough to inspire haste in creation. But not only did the saxophonist take a measured approach, he didn’t even have plans to release this recording, at least until it was played back. Upon listening, he discovered how exceptional it was.

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All this week we’re celebrating the 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees with a look back from within our hall of fame archives.
—Ed.

I am writing these lines in my own blood on a sheet of homemade papyrus, which I will then shove into a bottle and toss into the sea. Why? Because this review is about Roxy Music, and Roxy Music fans are a deranged and dangerous lot, known for issuing fatwahs against people who disagree with their fiercely held opinions—that or just plain fopping them to death.

So coward that I am, I took the precaution of relocating to a deserted archipelago in the remote vastness of the South Pacific—you know, to lie low until the spear-shaking dies down. Unfortunately, I now find myself a castaway (can’t believe I forgot to book that return trip) and have been reduced to a diet of stump-toed gecko and fermented 190-proof coconut hooch, a volleyball with a face painted on it for company. Because what I’m about to say is sure to cause every Roxy fan on earth to howl and then hunt me down. To wit, Roxy Music’s best album is NOT one of the fetishized Eno-era LPs, or the critically acclaimed 1973-75 albums that followed, or even the much-beloved late-period Avalon. No, Roxy Music’s best LP is—prepare to go apoplectic, Roxy lovers—1976’s live Viva! Roxy Music.

There, I said it. And I can hear the howls of outrage way out here in the middle of nowhere. Thank God for good old Wilson—at least I know he agrees with me.

What’s that Wilson? You think I’m full of shit? That we’re not talking about Phish, but Roxy Music? A band whose studio LPs were not only brilliant, but every bit as elegant, sophisticated, and impeccably groomed—with every hair in its proper place—as Roxy’s impossibly suave dandy of a front man, the tuxedo-wearing Brian Ferry? And only a complete moron would pass over such studio bliss for a LIVE album, that lowest form of rock life, where mistakes are inevitable and the band’s hair gets all mussed up and—what kind of buffoon are you, anyway?

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | After the critically-acclaimed reissues of the Manfred Mann HMV / EMI albums in 2018, comes ‘Radio Days,’ four volumes of recordings consisting mainly of sessions cut for the BBC in the 1960s through to the early seventies.

The sets include several previously unreleased tracks, as well as demo recordings, film soundtrack music, and even advertising jingles, and affords remarkable insight into one of the most mercurial (and commercially-successful) bands of the era. The four titles will be available in CD and heavyweight vinyl formats. All come with the ‘Artist Approved’ logo, signifying the full approval and participation of the band members. The four sets, much of which have been sourced in large part from BBC Transcription Discs, have been annotated by journalist Greg Russo, author of ‘Mannerisms: the Five Phases of Manfred Mann’ and detailed recording information is included.

‘RADIO DAYS – The PAUL JONES Era’ (Umbrella Music RADLP 1) is a double CD / double vinyl set, and represents the first complete collection of existing BBC recordings made by the original Manfred Mann line-up, with vocalist Paul Jones between 1964 to 1966 (Some early sessions no longer exist). Recordings from pre-Radio 1 music shows such as “Saturday Club,” “Saturday Swings,” “Top Gear,” “Pop Inn,” “Easy Beat” are featured here, along with band interviews conducted by presenters such as Brian Matthew and Don Moss. Included are sessions featuring the legendary bassist Jack Bruce, who was briefly in the Manfred Mann line-up before forming Cream later in 1966.

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Dallas, Texas-based soul starling Alexandra Raé has an effortless knack for transposing the past into her modern compositions. Her spell-binding riffs on classic ’60s Motown make for enchanting songs that comb the revivalist infrastructures established by Amy Winehouse and Duffy a decade ago.

Raé’s debut EP, “Power to Me,” is her first artistic statement since she turned 21. Having newly flown the nest, she has a lot to say about adulthood and all the frustrating, confusing, and draining obstacles involved in growing up. While her original songwriting shines, Alexandra’s gorgeous vocal chops and ear for arrangement make it clear that this is an artist to watch.

The EP’s closer, a Beach Boys cover of “Don’t Worry Baby,” is where Raé shines with sophisticated harmonies that offset the shoegazey instrumental aspects, creating a truly original take on a modern classic.

All this week we’re celebrating the 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees. —Ed.

With three enduring hit singles, the last of which derives from a classic album that’s as redolent of its era as any, The Zombies aren’t accurately classified as underrated, but it’s also right to say that the potential of much of their catalog went unfulfilled while they were extant. Since their breakup, subsequent generations have dug into that body of work, which has aged rather well, and right now nearly all of it can be found in Varèse Sarabande’s The Complete Studio Recordings, a 5LP collection released in celebration of the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For anyone cultivating a shelf of ’60s pop-rock vinyl, this collection is a smart acquisition.

The Zombies began cohering as a band around 1961-’62 in St Albans, Hertfordshire UK. By the time they debuted on record in ’64 the lineup had solidified, featuring lead vocalist-guitarist Colin Blunstone, keyboardist Rod Argent, guitarist Paul Atkinson, bassist Chris White, and drummer Hugh Grundy. That’s how it would remain until their breakup in December of ’67. Rightly considered part of the mid-’60s British Invasion, The Zombies’ stature in the context of this explosion basically rests on the success of two singles, both far more popular in the US than in the band’s home country.

Those hits, “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No,” each made the Billboard Top 10 (the former all the way to No. 2) and respectively open sides one and two of the US version of their first album, a move suggesting confidence on the part of their label Parrot that, as the needle worked its way inward, listeners wouldn’t become dismayed or bored by a drop-off in quality.

That assurance was well-founded. While “She’s Not There” is an utter pop gem, thriving on perfectly-judged instrumental construction (in its original, superior mono version with Grundy’s added drum input) and emotional breadth that’s found it long-eclipsing mere oldies nostalgia, and “Tell Her No” a more relaxed yet crisp follow-up, their talents were established beyond those two songs, even if nothing else on The Zombies quite rises to the same heights of quality.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Begin the Begin is the first biography of R.E.M. wholly researched and written since they disbanded in 2011. It offers by far the most detailed account of the group’s formative years–their early lives, their first encounters with one another, their legendary debut show, early tours in the back of a van, initial recordings, their shrewdly paced rise to fame.

The people and places of the American South are crucial to the R.E.M. story in ways much more complex and interesting than have previously been presented, claims Robert Dean Lurie; he explores the myriad ways in which the band’s adopted hometown of Athens, Georgia–and the South in general–shaped its members and the character of their art. The South is much more than the background here; it plays a major role: the creative ferment that erupted in Athens and gripped many of its young inhabitants in the late 1970s and early ’80s drew on regional traditions of outsider art and general cultural out-thereness, and gave rise to a free-spirited music scene that produced the B-52’s and Pylon, as well as laying the ground for R.E.M.’s subsequent breakout success.

Lurie has tracked down and interviewed numerous figures in the band’s history who were underrepresented in, or absent from, earlier biographies–they contribute previously undocumented stories and cast a fresh light on the familiar narrative.

VIA PRESS RELEASE | This new landmark box set brings together 70 audio tracks by legendary English group, The Yardbirds, for the first time. Featuring live performances from across Europe, rare studio cuts, and 21 previously unissued BBC off-air recordings.

The band’s career from their blues beginnings to the pioneering psychedelic hard rock which lay the foundations for Led Zeppelin is charted across 5 discs. Amongst the numerous highlights are seminal performances by guitar legends, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, all of whom ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 greatest guitarists ever. Each disc is packaged in a deluxe mini-gatefold digipak and accompanied by a booklet featuring extensive liner notes by renowned music journalist and critic, Chris Welch.

Along with 4 CDs, a region free DVD is included featuring 21 restored live performances taken from the sources held in the ITV, Radio Bremen, INA, and BBC archives. The set also features an exclusive 36 page book with detailed liner notes, photographs and a new essay by Mike Stax (editor of Ugly Things magazine). An essential and comprehensive collection showcasing one of the 60’s most iconic groups!

These lovable Wolverhampton cheaters at Scrabble certainly never won a spelling bee, and one of ‘em (guitarist Dave Hill) walked around in a mullet so hideous it could even get you evicted from an Alabama trailer park, and come to think of it the whole bunch of ‘em looked pretty silly in their Glam clobber, but we’re talking about the great Slade here so–cum on feel the noize!

Because when it comes to irresistibly catchy (and irreducibly simple) rabble rousers (they perfected the whole stomp and clap thing long before Queen came along with “We Will Rock You”) Slade can’t be beat.

Slade may have abandoned their braces and boots Oi roots to climb aboard the Big Glam Bandwagon, but they never forgot their rowdy West Midlands yob origins–“Cum On Feel the Noize,” “Gudbuy T’ Jane,” and “Mama Were All Crazee Now” are all rafters-shaking boot boy anthems. Not for nothing did Hill wear the words “Super Yob” on the breastplate of his pointy-shouldered space doofus stage costume.

The “Brummie oiks” (thanks Barney Hoskyns!) in Slade were the friendliest bunch of Wulfrunian lager louts you’d ever want to meet, preferring cheery sing alongs in the great English pub tradition to sticking a broken bottle in your mug. They also had a quiet side and a sentimental streak a mile wide, not that you’d know it if you lived in the States, which only got to meet Slade’s crazee Mr. Hyde persona.

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