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Reviews: albums or concerts
Who: The Dictators
Title: The Dictators Released: September 6, 2024 Normally, self-titled releases are for debut albums. This is the 6th studio release by The Dictators covering 49 years and first in 23 years, I love that it is 2024 and The Dictators have a self-titled release. It is also the 4th reset and fresh start for the band. Maybe the fourth time is a charm. The ‘70’s saw three releases as the band had minimal personnel changes but the emphasis did shift from Andy Shernoff on lead vocals to Handsome Dick Manitoba. 1990 saw the release of “…And You?” which was under the band name Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom but contained four core members from The Dictators, (Manitoba, Shernoff, Ross ‘The Boss’, Scott ‘Top Ten’ Kempner). Those same four core members were on “D.F.F.D” which was released by The Dictators in 2001. The new release contains two original members (Shernoff, Ross ‘The Boss’) and is balanced out with Albert Bouchard (BOC) on drums and Keith Roth on rhythm guitar and most lead vocals. When I saw the band perform earlier this year, four of their 5 previous albums plus the new one were represented. The music over the 49 years melts together seamlessly. I’m not sure if that’s a testament to consistency and greatness or just being in a really long rut! I won’t say it again…but I hate how pre-release songs ruin the new album experience…I won’t say it. However, if I were going to mention it, I would say how four of the songs have been on streaming for quite a while and another song (slightly different version) is available at a band member site. That’s exactly half of the songs on this ten track release and oh, another track is a BOC cover which means I only get four completely new songs. The effort certainly does not have that ‘new car smell’. The new release starts with the previously available “Let’s Get The Band Back Together” which is just such a great opener for this project. Following is “My Imaginary Friend” which by any measure qualifies as a really good song by The Dictators. Both recall the sly humor and emphasis on melody of early Shernoff songs. From this point on I will not mention humor when describing the band because The Dictators by definition are the musical equivalent of Alfed E. Newman. Their dumb guy humor is part of the charm. “Transmaniacon MC” is up next which happens to be the first track from the first album by Blue Oyster Cult. This is a snappier and thicker version than the original. Since Albert Bouchard is one of the BOC members credited with writing the song, is it really a cover version? So far so good and I’m going to skip straight to the final three songs which were all previously available. I’ll save the four new tracks for last. Crunchy riff and smooth back-ups, “God Damn New York” fits the profile of a NY punk band. The song is either reminiscent or autobiographical and has the great line, “Whatever happened to my party boys, we used to make some noise”. “Thank You And Have A Nice Day” is one of the best ever by The Dictators and they know it. Why else would they close with it on their last tour? The album finishes with a sentiment titled, “Sweet Joey”. For those that need a reminder, The Dictators were side by side with The Ramones at CBGBs in the mid ‘70’s. A more mellow version of this song was released a few years ago and can be heard at Andy Shernoff’s website. This new version belongs to The Dictators mostly because of Keith Roth but Ross is a big part as well. It’s not perfect but I like it better than the previous version and I will not knock a heartfelt tribute to a fallen friend. Sooo….we will now check out the middle four tracks which I’m hearing for the first time. “Sacred Cow” is not top shelf but is totally solid, there is nothing wrong with it at all. It’s smirk worthy that they start the chorus with, “It’s alright now” ala “Jumping Jack Flash”. This isn’t new ground, their song “It’s Alright” from “D.F.F.D” uses a riff very similar to “Satisfaction”. I’m certain neither is an accident. Ross’s guitar sound is just perfect as he does a little shredding and Keith’s vocals are totally his own. After three listens I’m really liking it. Yeah, I’m cranking it up. “Really Good” does not sound like a typical song by The Dictators, nope. It’s the closest they have ever come to writing a campfire song but what a fun campfire it would be with Cabin A singing the back-ups. Honestly, the beginning sounds like “The Passenger” (Iggy) and then goes into something reminiscent of a Brian May strum-along from one of his solo albums. I’ll give this song a pass but it’s an odd egg on a Dictator release, the universe of music certainly is unpredictable. “All About You” is back to being normal at least by Dictator standards. Chunky chords, ripping leads and Keith Roth doing his in key, talk-a-sing vocals. The vocals on this song and really through the entire release generally land half-way between Handsome Dick and David Johansen. I don’t see this as a problem. I’m willing to bet Albert Bouchard wrote “Wicked Cool Disguise” because it sounds more like an early BOC song than something by The Dictators. The track has plenty of great 30 second bursts but trips a bit in the flow department. It reminds me that both bands had some common ground with songs that sounded like they were copy/pasted together and can flow awkwardly. I’ll be interested to hear what BOC fans (pre Reaper) think of this song. I suppose most will judge this release based on how palatable they find Keith Roth’s vocals. My overall verdict is pretty darn good. The album vibe is a little uneven due to I’ve already heard three of the songs about a million times plus seen them performed live. The new material is solid but doesn’t pack an immediate ‘wow’. I will say the songs are growing on me after just a few listens but no way I can predict where the will land on my final Dict-A-Meter. I’m giving a thumbs up, well done! |
Intriguing. I have a hard time imagining The Dictators without Handsome Dick on vocals. But I'm willing to have a listen.
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I did find out one additional thing about the release. The version of “Transmaniacon MC” was also on Albert Bouchard's solo release last year. The release has been on continuous play when not watching football or going to youth soccer. Ear worms o plenty. I hope it gets enough attention to garner some sort of club tour. They are already booked for this... https://www.undergroundgaragecruise.com/ |
Queen - The Night Comes Down
This popped up as a new release on my Spotify today (9/11/24). It is slightly different than the original album version but not positive if it is a remix or a different recording. I think it is a different version probably from the Trident sessions and not the remixed version from De Lane Lea demos that appeared on the first album. It's possibly the original demo but I'm unsure after one listen. In a former life I was knowledgeable on this subject... The official release is this Friday... Premier in 39 hours! |
Two releases that I've been looking forward to are both out this week! Mini reviews since I'm on vacation.
Who: Nick Lowe Title: Indoor Safari Released: September 13, 2024 Pre-released songs are becoming a reoccurring theme. Four of the 12 on this release were made available on streaming services over the last several months and an additional five were available on the 2020 release, "Wakabout". "Walkabout" was a hodge podge of single releases from Japan, Australia and New Zealand plus some unreleased material. I believe the crossover songs have been rerecorded for this release but really not much different. Sooo, that's 9 of the 12 I've heard in some form or another! Some of the others seem familiar as well...maybe they were released as singles in the future and time travel is a reality. Regardless, it's a top-notch release. Nick is once again backed by Los Straitjackets as he has been for most (not all) of the last 15 years. In case you don't know, Los Straitjackets are a surf band probably best known for wearing Mexican wrestling masks on stage. Their sound totally fits Nick Lowe's passion for free flowing, melodic rock. The release is instantly timeless in sound and style. What this release is not; it's not Nick with Rockpile or his early releases with Dave Edmunds. It's also not the crooning that Nick was doing in the mid '90's and into the '00's. If those two examples are a full swing of the pendulum, this release is smack dab in the middle. Everything Nick has done the last 50 years has prepared you for this. I can think of no artist that has aged as gracefully as Nick Lowe. I don't mean that as a knock at artists who keep pushing the envelope like Sparks or Todd Rundgren. Nick is living in a comfort zone and I am I too. Well Done! Who: Bad Moves Title: Wearing Out The Refrain Released: September 13, 2024 I first became aware of Bad Moves with their second release in 2020, "Untenable". The song "Local Radio" was one of my year end favorites. I often complain about pre-released songs being available on Spotify or other streaming services. Sometimes I need to acknowledge that this strategy along with some AI is actually working in my favor. Because of my liking the 2020 song "Bad Moves", I received Spotify notices (New Release Radar) over the last nine months when four of the new tracks were made available. I totally love three of the tracks which certainly benefitted by repeated listens and not competing against other tracks on the same album. No way that two tracks by the same band would be fighting it out to be #1 on my year end top ten if both were heard at the same time. The songs, "New Year's Reprieve" and "Hallelujah" are totally great and worthy of mention. Their style is under the umbrella of punky/pop but this is different than the dozens of bands sounding a bit retro. They are at least worth a listen so give them a chance. Well Done! Hallelujah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2qccLi5F_o New Year's Reprieve https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgqhOC7c7CE |
Who: Jesse Malin
Title: Silver Patron Saints Released: September 20, 2024 I'll be brief. Jesse Malin had some health issues last year and his friends decided to help. The help is in the form of a 27 track album of Jesse Malin songs covered by other artists. An impressive list of guests to put it mildly. The Bleachers Counting Crows Bruce Springsteen Billie Joe Armstrong Dinosaur Jr. Frank Turner Wayne Kramer Tom Morello Steven Van Zandt Lucinda Williams Elvis Costello The Wallflowers Spoon Butch Walker Graham Parker Alejandro Escovedo The Hold Steady Susana Hoffs (Bangles) Alison Mosshart Rocky O'Riordan Ian Hunter Low Cut Connie Willie Nile Rancid Gogol Bordello Agnostic Front Murphys Law I'm sure that every single one us has albums by at least a couple of those contributors. Some of my friends are into Jesse, me not so much. Because of this I'm not comparing the songs to the original versions like they are. I'll listen for a few days and move on but it is a notable release to be sure. Well Done! |
This just appeared as a new release on my Spotify today (9/11/24). It sounds slightly different from the original album version, but I'm not sure if it's a remix or a different recording. I suspect it might be a different version from the Trident sessions rather than the remixed tracks from the De Lane Lea demos on the first album. It could even be the original demo, but I'm still unsure after just one listen.
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Queen will be rereleasing their first album...again. October 25th will see the release in a lavish 1LP + 6CD box set that includes a 108 page book and they claims 43 new mixes. The presale price is just south of $200.
I bought the 2011 reissue and was 80% impressed simply because of the inclusion of the De Lane Lea Demos and a booklet chock full of photos. I was not impressed that they chose NOT to include the U.S. album cover (Elektra) which is sort of a big deal to North American fans. Here is a link to the Queen site that details the details! https://www.queenonline.com/news/pre...out-october-25 I find it interesting that the Queen merch page is selling swag that says 'Queen I'. It's interesting because this album was always referred to as 'Queen I' in spoken word but always appeared as simply 'Queen' in printed word. |
Who: The Black Crowes
When: September 27, 2024 Where: MGM Center Stage (Northfield, Ohio) Have you heard the latest and prophetic single by The Black Crowes, “Wanting and Waiting”? It seemed very prophetic on this evening. Mrs. Buckeye has been wanting and waiting a long time to see The Black Crowes. Whatever the reason, they have eluded her and this qualifies as a ‘bucket list’ concert for her. Myself? I was lucky enough to see them in 1991opening for ZZ Top. That show was a week or so before getting kicked off the tour for stage banter not aligning with tour promoters or ZZ Top. We thought we would see The Black Crowes in Cleveland opening for Aerosmith in 2023…which was unfortunately postponed due to Steven Tyler’s voice issues. We then thought we would see the rescheduled show in early 2024…but that was also postponed. The entire Aerosmith tour was put on hold and then rescheduled for autumn of 2024…and then cancelled all together. Well, that sucks. Wait! The Black Crowes almost immediately announced a U.S. tour titled, ‘Happiness Bastards Tour ’24 (The Reprise)’. The tour includes 32 stops kicking off with a show at MGM in nearby Northfield, Ohio. Well, that’s cool. The MGM Northfield Park (formerly Rocksino) is a casino which is adjacent to a longstanding harness racing track. The casino has been open for ten years and offers four restaurants plus two rooms with live entertainment. The larger room is ‘Center Stage’ and has a capacity of 1800. This is not a theater but a multi-purpose room that can host conferences, seminars, trade-shows, receptions or concerts. I’ve seen some dandy shows here and any negativity I have toward a room with the warmth of a dentist’s office is balanced by the positive vibe of free parking sprawling in all directions for as far as the eye can see. Man, it's a beautiful thing. A 30+ minute drive on Friday to a concert at the tail end of rush hour can be stressful. Not tonight, after leaving my neighborhood I have a grand total of four turns before pulling into the MGM parking lot. I love venues that are not in a downtown setting! Easy drive and free parking, the night is a success and the show hasn’t even started. I am not a gambler and I really don’t mind walking through a casino which is good because there is no other option if you want to see a show at the MGM. The entrance to Center Stage is only accessible by walking the entirety of the casino and weaving a path past all the people playing slots. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! First order of business after purchasing $23 worth of alcohol is scoping out the the t-shirts. While standing in line, an unaccompanied and younger girl uses my t-shirt (Dropkick Murphys) as a conversation starter. She was very enthusiastic and regretted not wearing her DKM shirt, a very chatty person. I smile when Mrs. Buckeye sees that there might be marginal interest from other camps if she steps too far out of line. (I’m so glad she doesn’t read these reviews!) Back to t-shirts. Another winner; a black tee with band logo on front and the back has tour name plus tour dates, a timeless combination. It seems so simple yet so many bands try to over think the design. Three types of seats at MGM; aluminum bleachers in the back, basic folding chair with some padding for the bottom and the luxurious captain seats in the first 11 rows….Oooooohhh, call me captain. The lumbar support is appreciated but as a suggestion, arm rests with a cup holder would have been perfect. I have to mention the pre gig music mix just because it included fabulous lesser known songs. “Kill City” by Iggy, “All This And More” by Dead Boys and “48 Crash” by Suzi. There were oldies like “C’Mon Everybody by Eddie Cochran but the real surprise…”I’m The One” by Mick Ronson, are you kidding me? I need to party with the author of that mix. Age of the crowd was exactly what you would expect for a band that came out in 1991 with a retro ‘70’s blues/rock sound embodying Humble Pie. OK, not surprising that nearly everybody was 45-65 but it got me to thinking about older bands attracting younger fans. Why do some bands seem to attract new generations of fans and other bands do not? Some bands are timeless and others are snapshots. This is a topic for another time. Opening this evening from Florida are Fortune Child who will be on the current tour for the first five shows. A three piece blues outfit with snappy drumming and lead guitarist extraordinaire, Buddy Crump. Every song felt like it was inspired by Zep’s ‘Dazed And Confused’ with a hint of ‘Inside Looking Out’ by Grand Funk. I mean that comparison is a good way, a sunburst Les Paul with warm distortion is never a bad thing. Unfortunately, their recorded work does not represent their live performance. Still, a good opener in this setting. It's 9PM, the lights dim and AC/DC’s “It’s A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock n Roll)” blasts out at concert volume as the band takes their positions on stage. Everybody in the nearly sold-out venue is standing and singing as the music comes to a stop and the band blasts into “Bedside Manner” from their most recent album, “Happiness Bastards”. Strong opening. The band is Chris and Rich Robinson plus long time bass player Sven Pipien. They are supported by hired guns; Erik Deutsch (keys), Nico Bereciartua (guitars), Cully Symington (drums) plus Mackenzie Adams and Lesley Grant on backing vocals. Some older bands seemingly ignore their most recent releases instead choosing to play fan favorites from yesteryear. Cheap Trick and Alice Cooper have had some top-notch releases over the last 20 years but these songs rarely find their way into the live setting. Other artists push the envelope and design an entire tour featuring new music of questionable quality while ignoring fan favorites (I’ll mention no last names, Todd R.). The Happiness Bastards Tour attempts to balance everything. Three of the first six are from the latest release which is their first album in the last 15 years. They save the album’s best track (Wanting and Waiting) for a little later in the show. Nice representation of new material. The band’s two most popular albums (Shake Your Money Maker, The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion) comprised nearly half (8 /18) of the show. Favorites from these for me were “Twice As Hard”, “Hard To Handle”, “She Talks To Angels”, “Sting Me”, “Jealous Again” and the show closer, “Remedy”. The only glaring omission from those two albums was “Sometimes Salvation”. How can you not play that! I like when a band pulls out a couple deep tracks not performed every tour plus I love a cover version as a surprise and the band checks both those boxes. However, playing the deep track “Virtue & Vice” from their lowest charting album as an encore seems odd. It would have made sense to flip this with the surprise cover song that brought down the house, “Stay With Me” by Faces. The other cover of note was Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” with Rich Robinson taking over lead vocals. Let’s talk about the actual performance. Well, The Black Crowes are not supposed to be shiny and polished, they are supposed to be a little frayed around the edges. That looseness is actually preferred with their brand of swashbuckling, over-amped R&B. What is also preferred is a party atmosphere on stage, the band did not deliver the party atmosphere for me. The sound was not great, probably the worst I’ve heard in several years over multiple venues. I blame the band because we were in the 9th row and I’ve seen previous shows at MGM in similar locations (Todd Rundgren 7th Row, Grand Funk 8th Row) and the sound was fine. Maybe this is just how they sound live, their sound was sub-par when I last saw them in 1991. Chris Robinson seemed engaged with his strutting and posturing but some of the between song banter came off a little flat and even snarky at times. Maybe Rich Robinson never smiles…maybe he just never smiles when in the same room with brother Chris. Impossible not to think of their long running feud due to almost no camaraderie on stage between the siblings. All negative comments said, the crowd seemingly didn’t really care or notice as we all stood for the entire show. It did seem that some of our responses after songs were obligatory applause and not thundering ovations. It wasn’t indifference but it might be because we were ‘Wanting and Waiting’ for it to get better. The final verdict came in from Mrs. Buckeye, "Glad I saw them but it was only good, not great". That sums it up for me as well. |
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A release by Michael Des Barres to share with all my glam rock friends. It's worth exactly one listen but it's fun! So many artists over the years have paid their respects to the glam era. I think my favorite was by Def Lep but they're all a good time.
It's interesting (to me anyways) that 'Stay With Me' gets included on some glam releases. I don't consider Faces a glam band. No surprise that Iggy and Lou Reed are included though the two songs had little to do with glam. Enjoy! Artist: Michael Des Barres Title: It's Only Rock N' Roll Released: October 11, 2024 Dyna-Mite Love is the Drug Moonage Daydream 20th Century Boy Search and Destroy Waiting for the Man Fox on the Run All the Young Dudes *** on Feel the Noize Stay With Me I'm Eighteen It's Only Rock and Roll |
I suppose it would be helpful if I added who did the original '70's glam version...
Dyna-Mite - Mudd Love is the Drug - Roxy Music Moonage Daydream - David Bowie 20th Century Boy - T-Rex Search and Destroy - Iggy and The Stooges Waiting for the Man - Velvet Underground Fox on the Run - The Sweet All the Young Dudes - Mott the Hoople *** on Feel the Noize - Slade Stay With Me - Faces I'm Eighteen - Alice Cooper It's Only Rock and Roll - Stones |
What: Ruf Records 30 Years Anniversary Tour
When: November 8, 2024 Where: Robins Theatre (Warren, OH) Occasionally, I google up various artists to see if there is any info on upcoming releases or upcoming tours. While doing so a couple months ago I did a search on Samantha Fish. I stumbled across an upcoming tour titled, “Ruf Records 30 Years Anniversary Tour “. After reading the promo I learned it’s a tour featuring performances by artists that have been on Ruf Records. The tour includes Ghalia Volt, Canned Heat w/Bernard Allison and Samantha Fish w/Mitch Ryder. The fact I did a search for on Samantha Fish is a little odd since I don’t own anything and I’ve never seen her perform. My interest is based mostly on the song “Deathwish” w/Jesse Dayton and the fact her most recent tour that stopped by a nearby small venue sold out almost immediately. As I've told Mrs. Buckeye, my interest has nothing to do with photos I've seen of Samantha in leather outfits that would make Suzi Quatro envious. This concert looks really interesting, so I check on ticket availability. Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Tix have only been on sale for 15 minutes and I score two front row balcony seats at Robins Theatre. I’ve never been to this venue that is over an hour drive but I'm not scared. After doing a google search of the area I discover it’s across the street from the courthouse and there are two bail bond businesses on the same block. Still not scared, I love an edgy neighborhood. The Robins Theatre was built in 1922. At time of opening, the exterior was in Italian Renaissance style and the interior had Vermont marble columns and grand staircases with ornate walls and ceiling. The 1400 seat theater remained in operation until 1974 when the doors were closed until renovations began in 2017. Renovations included restoring the original splendor along with adding modern amenities. I think it’s great, the very first concert venue I’ve been to with a chandelier in the bathroom. I have always preferred tickets in hand, I’m that guy that prints out tix instead of having them on my phone or picking up at ‘will call’. Many venues now only allow electronic tix so I’ve slowly, albeit reluctantly shifted to the new era of technology, old habits are hard to break. After going through the metal detector and having the wand passed over my belt buckle several times, Mrs. Buckeye flashes her phone to the ticket taker…INVALID. Pardon me? Could you please try again? INVALID! Panic races through my body as I begin to internally meltdown and imagine a stress filled hour drive home (i.e. blaming Mrs. Buckeye for no reason and later regretting it). We go to the box office that is next door and after a short wait we are issued a pair of old school tix with names and numbers. Nice souvenir and glad I said nothing to regret The evening begins with an introduction by Ruf Records founder, Thomas Ruf (pronounced ‘roof’). I think it’s extremely cool that this guy from Germany has built a successful record label signing country, roots and blues artists. The music begins with Ghalia Volt who hails from Belgium. She is a one-woman wrecking crew that performs while seated with her guitar and a kick drum operated by her left foot, a snare with her right. Nice 20 minute set that was warmly met. I witnessed what I believe was a world record for shortest time between bands. In less than 10 minutes, Canned Heat took the stage and went straight into “On The Road Again”. The only original member from back in the day is their drummer, Fito (Adolfo de la Parra). The new members were certainly age appropriate to have witnessed those early shows at Monterey Pop and Woodstock. I only mention this because I’ve seen other bands with one original member that have been surrounded by much younger band mates and the authenticity to the era is non-existent. Most bands of this ilk run through a set of oldies for a trip down memory lane. While the band did include “Up The Country” and “Work Together” as expected they also introduced two new songs. I smile that Canned Heat is still pushing the envelope with recently released material from their 2024 album "Finyl Vinyl" even when performing as an opener. Also included during the set was a guest appearance by Ruff Record stablemate and guitarist Bernard Allison who performed two songs. Job well done by all. The majority of the crowd was of the age expected for fans of Canned Heat and Mitch Ryder. I expected a much younger crowd since headliner Samantha Fish is only 35 years old. I do understand older gentlemen being attracted to Samantha Fish (smiling). However…it was apparent from the moment that Samantha took the stage that this older crowd was here for Samantha Fish. Does this mean that the musical category of blues is generating new artists but not new fans? I won’t overthink this because of the venue and type of show certainly could factor into the equation. Samantha with her short curly tasseled blond hair and heavy eyeliner opened with "Wild Heart". She was backed by an extremely tight outfit consisting of Mickey Finn (keyboards), Ron Johnson (bass) and Jamie Douglas (drums). She started the show with a white SG and changed guitars between nearly song but by the end she was back to rockin’ that SG. I don’t want to overstate or understate this; Samantha Fish and her band had the best sound I’ve ever heard at a concert…the very best. Maybe it was in part due to the natural acoustics of the theatre or maybe our location of being perched at the front of the balcony. The fact that the show was not over amplified probably helped as well. Don't get me wrong, the loud parts were loud but the dynamics were extreme because you could hear a pin drop during the quiet parts. The funny thing is that the videos I've watched on YouTube sound like any other concert, go figure. Samantha was great as she changed up the pace from slow blues to robust rockers. She had the crowd singing choruses and she also played a knock-out version of her latest single which is a cover of, "I Put A Spell On You". The highlight for me was the song "Bullet Proof". Everything was great. Lest I forget, Mitch Ryder came out a little over half-way through the show for a couple numbers. Mitch had to be led to a microphone, he was slightly hunched and appeared frail. Appearances can be deceiving because his voice was booming and anything but frail. I was hoping to hear some of his 60's classics but instead got two songs which are from his 2024 release on Ruff Records. First was "Tough Kids" which first appeared on Mitch's 1978 album (How I Spent My Vacation) followed by a Bob Dylan cover of "From A Buick 6". As quickly as he was led on the stage, he was led off the stage. Samantha ended her set before the encore with one of her heaviest blues numbers, "Black Wind Howlin'". Normally, I feel an encore is a predetermined fate but I'm not so sure on this evening. The band returned to perform "Goin' Down South" which was from Samantha's time on Ruff Records. She can certainly rock out when so inclined. I really don't know what else to add other than noting the coolest band t-shirt I saw during this well-seasoned evening of entertainment. It belonged to the keyboardist for Samantha Fish whose name if you remember is Mickey Finn. Mickey was wearing a T Rex Slider album cover shirt. The cool kids in the class will know why this is funny! Great time, I'm a total fan now and I don't even care what she looks like (smiling). Well done! |
I saw the Ruf Records tour in Cincinnati the night after Buckeye Randy saw it in Warren. I agree in general with the points made in Randy's review and will add some thoughts of my own.
The tour played Ludlow Garage, a legendary space in the late 60s/early 70s which saw a lot of legendary rock acts, including some, like the Allman Brothers, before they were massively popular. The venue closed in the early 70s. but reopened for concerts in 2014. However, even though in the same building, the current space is very different from the original. Due to a hardware store now occupying most of the first floor, the shows are now in the basement, in two seated sections mostly separated by the kitchen for the club's upstairs restaurant. You'll see why I'm mentioning the club's odd layout later in my review. Per my usual custom, I checked out the merch tables before the show. The tables had the biggest assortment of merch I've ever seen at any show: vinyl and CDs by not only the evening's acts but by other Ruf artists as well, Samantha Fish and Ghalia Volt t-shirts, and a tour t-shirt with the tour dates on the back--something I bought after the show. Ghalia Volt's 23 minute opening set was extremely impressive. I've seen one person bands before but Ghalia was the best I've seen. In addition to using both feet to play a kick drum and snare, she also had a hi-hat and tambourine she manipulated with her feet. Her singing and guitar playing were first rate, and blues purists might consider her set the most authentic of the evening. I very much want to see her headling sometime. Canned Heat was a big favorite of mine as a young teenager. And even though i eventually lost most of my interest in the blues-based rock I liked then, Canned Heat's brand of boogie music was always a bit different, being based on earlier forms of the blues, unlike a lot of other blues influenced groups. So I was glad to finally get to see them live. The current version of the band includes lead guitarist and vocalist Jimmy Vivino (who served as guitarist and musical director for Conan O'Brien for many years), rhythm guitarist/singer/hamonica player Dale Spaulding (who has worked with a lot of people, including his own band), bassist Rick Reed (who has done stints with Paul Butterfield and John Mayall, among others) and of course Fito, drummer who has been with the band for over 50 years and has kept it going for the majority of that time. In addition to doing old favorites like "On The Road Again", "Going Up The Country", and "Let's Work Together", the band played two songs from their latest album, Final Vinyl, "One Last Boogie" and "East West Boogie". The two new songs, as well as "Whiskey Headed Woman" (featuring a fierce Spauldind lead vocal), were the highlights of their set for me. "East West Boogie", which seems a bit gimmicky in the studio version, really worked well live. It really sounded like a cross between the eastern and western parts of the world, with Spaulding showing a lot of versatility on the harmonica. The song really could, as Spaulding suggested, be a backdrop for belly dancing or snake charming. All in all, a fine set that surpassed my expectations, and the three songs they did with guitrist Bernard Allison were good as well. Something I've never seen happen at a show occurred during Canned Heat's set. A bald headed man approached the stage and interrupted the start of a song to talk wit Vivino. After he lest, Vivino told the sold out crowd "Do you know who that was? That was our manager, Skip Taylor (their manager since the 60s)." It turns out that Taylor was concerned that Vivino (who was doing most of the stage patter up to that point), wasn't playing enough attention to the audience members to the left of the stage (remember what I said about the two separate audience sections?). Although Vivino made a joke of the encounter--"hey, I'm right handed!"--he was clearly annoyed by Taylor's interruption--as well he should have been, as ill timed as it was. Samantha Fish has a lot of musical integrity. She has a voice that could have gotten her onto American Idol so she could make a lot of money doing vacuous pop music but instead has stuck with dong the type of music she wants to do. Good for her. And good for her for insisting that Mitch Ryder be part of the tour, as Mitch stated between the two songs that Samantha and her band backed him on. And she is very talented. She is an extremely talented guitarist, with inventive touches that kept her playing fresher than a lot of other blues-rock guitarists. She even showed a sense of humor by using an effect on one song that made her guitar sound like a cat meowing. But despite the positive aspects of her set, I found myself getting a bit bored after an hour of her set. Again, most blues based rock doesn't hold the thrill for me it once did, so a lot of guitar soloing in that vein eventually grates on me. Or was it because I was a little tired from having to work that Saturday? Maybe a little of both. All in all, though, it was a fine show that was well worth seeing. As a bonus, by sheer coincidence, the guy seated to my right was a guy I used to work with years ago. It was nice catching up with him between sets. |
Who: The Riders In The Sky
Where: Kent Stage (Kent, Ohio) When: November 16, 2024 Date Night in Kent The Riders In The Sky are a country western quartet representing a simpler time and certainly several decades before my time. What I know from their promo is they’ve been together for over 40 years and were regulars on The Nashville Network during the early days of cable. They have also won Grammys for their songs appearing in Disney’s Toy Story movies and are members of The Grand Ole Opry. The band was dressed exactly how you would expect in their western wear with plenty of sequins. Members are; Ranger Doug on guitar, Too Slim on standup bass, Woody Paul on fiddle and Joey the Cowpolka King on accordion (stomach Steinway). The harmonies and musicianship are very good. They included some yodeling and plenty of G-rated comedy banter for this near capacity crowd on a Saturday night in downtown Kent. I am amused that I was mere feet away from where I was in June when I was standing against the stage being blasted away by The Dictators. I’m like a chameleon. Sooo…it wasn’t really like going to a concert, the expectations were very different. It was somewhere between going to a school play and going to a circus. Mrs. Buckeye summed up the evening with some comments. “Is this what we’ve become? I’m not ready for this”! Very professional and entertaining band for people looking for reminders of a bygone era…I’m not quite ready to step in with this crowd but it was a fun time. |
Title: Lazy Days: The British Progressive Pop Sounds of 1975
Artist: Various Artists Label: Grapefruit Released: December 13, 2024 Number of Discs: 3 Discs @ 03:56:42 Do you like compilation releases by various artists? Over the years I’ve owned many on 8-Track, LP, cassette and CD and I define many as probably a little over 10. I don’t think any were bought out of pure curiosity. Have you had favorites over the years? I have. There are some rules in this discussion (my post, my rules). What does that mean? It means when talking about compilations by various artists that live festivals are not eligible! No “Live Aid”, no “Freddie Mercury Tribute”, no “Woodstock”, no “Monterey Pop”, no “Concert For The People Of Kampuchea” and no “Mick Ronson Memorial Concert”. That seems like a different sort of topic like…’festival releases’. One good compilation I bought on vinyl in ’78 was “Live Stiff’s Live” that includes tracks by Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury and Wreckless Eric and Larry Wallis. All songs are from a month long Stiff’s tour in 1977 and is totally live yet somehow totally eligible. I justify it because these artists were just starting and had no star power to speak of, just some great songs. The Rhino DIY series from the early ‘90’s had great releases of UK Punk (2), UK Pop (2), New York Punk, American Power Pop plus there were others. They did a good job of collecting the genre defining songs, all killer, no filler. I had a cassette player in my car and was picking these things up for drive time plus I’ve picked a few of the discs over the years when I see them in discount bins. I bought my son a four disc box set as part of his graduation present, Rhino’s “No Thanks, The ‘70’s Punk Rebellion”. It’s top shelf though the songs are scattered randomly with no groupings of likeness and there are obscurities to reel in completists. Still, it is essential. The ones I mentioned were all dandy. However, I generally don’t like various artist compilations because there is usually too little killer and a whole lot of filler. This practice was started by K-tel. A record company would give K-tel rights to a mega hit if they included some singles that bombed. This practice lives today and I believe it’s alive on the release we are looking at today. However…hard not to appreciate any comp with the star power of this release and a smattering of hits plus several songs I consider favorites. This tracklisting is from AllMusic, the Spotify tracklisting is slightly different. Disc 1 1 Good Lovin' Gone Bad - Bad Company 2 Imagine Me, Imagine You - Fox 3 Right or Wrong - Stealers Wheel 4 In for a Penny - Slade 5 Wild One - Thin Lizzy 6 My White Bicycle - Nazareth 7 Riding for a Fall - Moonrider 8 Everybody's a Star (Starmaker) - The Kinks 9 Precious Love - Stray 10 Jean Cocteau - Be Bop Deluxe 11 Both Ends Burning - Roxy Music 12 Blue Guitar - Justin Hayward & John Lodge 13 Good News - 10cc 14 Evil Woman - Electric Light Orchestra 15 Dan the Plan - Alan Hull 16 Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? - Ronnie Lane 17 I'll Regret It All in the Morning - Richard & Linda Thompson 18 Carol - Al Stewart 19 Ain't Gonna Stand for This No More [Single Version] - Ace 20 A Whole Pot of Jelly (For a Little Slice of Toast) - Pete Wingfield 21 Private Number - Babe Ruth Disc 2 1 Fox on the Run [Single Version] - Sweet 2 Won't Get Burned Again - David Essex 3 In the Future - Sparks 4 Nothing to Do with Us - Jet 5 You Go to My Head - Bryan Ferry 6 Frontera - Phil Manzanera 7 Share It - Hatfield and the North 8 Stuck in a Hole - Caravan 9 Go and Sit Upon the Grass - Ivor Cutler 10 Sad Sing - Tom Newman 11 Run Billy Run - The Shadows 12 Heard It All Before - Pilot 13 Highbury Incident (Rainy July Morning) - Stackridge 14 Titles - Barclay James Harvest 15 Someone to Love - John "Speedy" Keen 16 Hit Records - Kursaal Flyers 17 Lonely Eyes - Method 18 Summer Song - Clive John 19 Blue Eyed Boy - Heavy Metal Kids 20 Delilah [Live] - The Sensational Alex Harvey Band 21 Raingame - Streetwalkers 22 Arms of Mary - The Sutherland Brothers & Quiver 23 There's a Cloud in My Heart – The Brinsleys (Brinsley Schwarz) Disc 3 1 Once Bitten, Twice Shy [Single Edit] - Ian Hunter 2 Play Don't Worry - Mick Ronson 3 By Tonight - Mott 4 Running Through the City - Brian Protheroe 5 Spirits in the Night [Single Edit] - Manfred Mann's Earth Band 6 Minstrel in the Gallery [Single Edit] - Jethro Tull 7 Highfly- John Miles 8 Take It Away - Kestrel 9 Sad Eye - The Pretty Things 10 Trust in Dick - The Winkies 11 Hard Times - Peter Skellern 12 L' Hippie Nationale - Neutrons 13 Mr. Raffles (Man It Was Mean)- Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel 14 La Maison de l'Amour - Son of a Gun 15 Mad Dog [Single Mix] - John Entwistle's Ox 16 Kings of Speed - Hawkwind 17 Odd Man Out - Agnes Strange 18 Shoot Shoot - UFO 19 Lazy Day - Oddsocks 20 Back in the Night - Dr. Feelgood 21 Birthday Special - Peter Hammill Time for a game; Which disc is best and why? I’ll vote disc 3 because of including really good songs by Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, Mott, Manfred Mann, Jethro Tull, UFO (favorite song), Dr. Feelgood, Peter Hammill. Not knocking the other discs, I just give disc 3 an edge. |
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I would also vote for disc 3, as it has the most songs/artists that I like. I'm eespecially fond of Hawkwind's Kings Of Speed. It would be interesting to know which disc Psy-Fi prefers. |
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It's such a keyhole of a compilation. 1975 British Progressive Pop Very specific! BTW, I love the phrase 'progressive pop'! That was a contradiction for me in 1975 and now it slides into a one size fits all compilation. The discs would be different if they would have had the means to include any song meeting the criteria. Not only could they have upgraded a few of the selections but I'm pretty sure some Queen from A Night At The Opera would have been included. Elton John, Bowie & Eno all had '75 releases as well. Not complaining because the inclusion of many tracks I'm not familiar with is pretty cool and any compilation with Sparks is amazing. I can listen to many of the lesser known tracks because Spotify is my friend. |
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