5
Written, Directed and Produced by Kiko Jones
A Ballsy Production
*****
Hello, my lovely fellow "5" addicts.
It's been a while since I've done this, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before I would be called upon to once again submit a new installment of Greg C-style geeky insider knowledge and (of course) alarmingly jaundiced opinion.
This time around, instead of going on at length about everything that's clearly wrong about the contemporary music scene, I'm going to get into my archaeologist mode and polish off the bones of a dead, buried, huge, glorious beast that is sadly now extinct. Of course, I'm talking about the glory that was soul/R&B. I won't bore you with the umpteenth reiteration of the various and sundry reasons why you're a total fool if you don't own "What's Going On," "Innervisions," "There's A Riot Going On," "Superfly," "Hot Buttered Soul," "Young, Gifted and Black," "Extensions Of A Man" et. al.
I've done all the obscurity-digging so you don't have to, and will present 5 soul albums that may or may not be obscure except to aficionados, but which are all guaranteed to rock your world and impress your friends as to how down you are.
-GREG CASSEUS
Guest Editor
* * * * *
* * * * *
WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO:
CAFÉ TACUBA / Reves-Yo Soy (WEA Latina)
DON CABALLERO / What Burns Never Returns (Touch & Go)
JELLYFISH / Spilt Milk (Charisma)
THE LAST TIME I COMMITTED SUICIDE soundtrack
ROLLINS BAND / Insert Band Here: Live in Australia-1990 (BMG-2.13.61)
* * * * *
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO ?
Been driving between Santiago and Santo Domingo a lot this week,
so I had a chance to listen to lots of music:
TOQUE PROFUNDO / Magia
(specifically and obsessively, the cut "Paredes del Silencio")
OZZY OSBOURNE / Down To Earth
WEEZER / Pinkerton
FABULOSOS CADILLACS / Fabulosos Calavera
FABULOSOS CADILLACS / La Marcha del Golazo Solitario
PINK FLOYD / The Final Cut
FIEL A LA VEGA / A Quien Pueda Interesar
POKET / Mas Aceitosos Que Nunca
SYSTEM OF A DOWN / self-titled
LEO SUSANA Santo Domingo, Dom. Rep.
* * * * *
* * * * *
5 LOST SOUL/R&B CLASSICS (in no particular order):
1. JUNIE "Freeze" (Westbound-1975)
Besides being a total barrel of irreverent, on-the-one fun, this underground
classic earns its spot here as an answer to Mr. Jones' recent "one-man-band" list. Walter "Junie" Morrison was a charter member of the Ohio Players and later became a key player in George Clinton's merry funk circus. In between those two tours of duty, he released three solo albums on the Westbound label, home of both the Players and Funkadelic. Three years before that little purple guy's debut, it finds Junie playing EVERY SINGLE INSTRUMENT, and WELL. This album is soooo funky and soooo funny that it actually provides a persuasive argument for cloning, as that would be the only way for Mr. Morrison to take this funky-ass show on the road.
Sadly unavailable on CD at the present time, however...
2. CURTIS MAYFIELD "Curtis Live!" (Curtom-1971)
For his second post-Impressions solo release (after 1970's brilliant "Curtis"), the Gentle Genius takes his stripped-down and super-funky band into the Bitter End for an incomparable live recording that truly compares favorably with any live album of the rock era. Two guitars, bass, congas and drums, plus that wise and knowing voice, are all Curtis needs to keep you spellbound and practically applauding in your own living room. His between-song raps are witty and loose, and songs like "I Plan To Stay A
Believer," "Stare And Stare" and "Mighty Mighty (Spade And Whitey)" will never leave your head once lodged there. Plus the deepest version of "We've Only Just Begun" you'll ever hear. Simply a must-have, and now available on CD from Rhino.
3. BOBBY WOMACK "I Don't Know What The World Is Coming To" (UA-1975)
I could have picked any one of a half-dozen killer early ‘70s Womack albums, like "Communication," "Understanding" or "Facts Of Life," but lately I find I can't stop playing this one. It rocks, it grooves, BW sings his ass off (as usual), AND it's got "If You Want My Love (Put Something Down On It)" and "Superstar." Nuff Said! Also, special mention must be given to the cover shot of Bobby, dressed in black, with big dark shades, cigarette in hand, sittin' back with a gangster lean, obviously coked to the gills, looking like the biggest badass EVER. Must have scared off many a potential
buyer!
4. RUFUS & CHAKA KHAN "Ask Rufus" (ABC-1977)
Another case of "which-one-do-I-pick?" Basically, any mid-‘70s Rufus and Chaka will always be worth the money (especially since they're all budget-priced on CD), but this one has begun to overtake "Rags To Rufus" as my all-time favorite. Diverse and adventurous, it nevertheless keeps the band's fans satisfied with what they already know and love. The songs attain a new level of sophistication and the arrangements offer fascinating twists and turns. And despite the rather prosaic title, there have been few songs as genuinely sexy and seductive as "Everlasting Love." Other highlights
include "Hollywood," "Earth Song" and (ha,ha) "Slow Screw Against The Wall"
featuring Ron Wood. And let me also stress that Chaka's Arif Mardin-produced
solo albums for Warner Bros. such as "Chaka," "Naughty" and "What'Cha Gonna
Do For Me" are all completely amazing. Chaka is a total goddess, and she truly has never gotten her full due. Time to change that, folks!
5. ROTARY CONNECTION "Songs/Hey Love" (Cadet -1969/1971)
I justify pulling this 2-for-1 scam by reasoning that the only way to obtain
these two magnificent albums on CD is as a twofer anyway. The former features psychedelic soul-rock renditions of the rock hits of the day, by the likes of Hendrix, Cream and the Band, plus the spookiest version of "Respect" you'll ever hear. RC were the Chess/Cadet label's in-house "connect-with-the-kids" rock experiment, and Minnie Riperton's glass-shattering range one of the few constants in an ever-shifting
lineup.
Starting off as producer-arranger-complete genius Charles Stepney's sonic playground, they evolved into a redoubtable and utterly unique
psych/orchestral/gospel/R&B/pop outfit, complete with Stepney as an actual band member. 1971's beautiful "Hey Love" album, their swan song, is the real reason to track this CD down. "I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun," "Song For Everyman," "If I Sing A Song" -basically, the whole album is like a dream you don't want to wake up from.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
DJ ROGERS "DJ Rogers" (Shelter 1973)
AL GREEN "Al Green Gets Next To You" (Hi 1971)
KOOL & THE GANG "Light Of Worlds" (De-Lite 1974)
O'JAYS "Ship Ahoy" (Philadelphia Int'l Records 1973)
IMPRESSIONS "This Is My Country" (Curtom 1968)
All of which deserve FAR more than a measly "honorable mention," but this IS "5", so...
* * * * *
* * * * *
YES MAN: Fans of Yes might want to check out Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante’s defense of the ‘70s British prog-rock heroes in a letter to the editor in the June ’02 edition of Mojo.
6/17/2002
Flashback: 2002
5
Written, Directed and Produced by Kiko Jones
A Ballsy Production
*****
Of late, it seems the Grim Reaper has been really busy when it comes to the music business. Though never fans of the ‘80s hair farmers known as Ratt, we know for a fact that quite a few of you were. And so, it is our sad duty to inform you that former Ratt guitarist Robin Crosby died on June 9th after an eight-year battle with AIDS. Crosby had contracted the deadly disease through heroin use. He was 41.
****
We keep getting feedback from some of you telling us how much you enjoy "5" and how you’d like to write in, so, why not? Like the old advertising catchphrase and subsequently infamous line used to go: "try it, you’ll like it". We know we do.
Later,
-KJ
COMMENTS, PRAISES AND DEATH THREATS:
I got into a conversation last night with a friend who had just watched High Fidelity and just discovered Paris, Texas, and we had the perfect segue for me to tick off my five favorite soundtracks (in no particular order):
1) Ry Cooder, "Paris, Texas"
The bottle-neck guitar playing stretches out here like the desert in Wim Wenders' movie. Melancholy sustained over a whole record. Back when indie movies were actually idiosyncratic, and soundtracks were more than a marketing device. Best heard at dusk, when it's hot and you have a whisky on the rocks nearby.
2) Various, "Repo Man" –
Soundtrack as punk rock mixed tape. Another quintessential American indie, with Emilio Estevez's only bearable performance (ok, you can have The Mighty Ducks) [what about his turn as the lead in Wisdom? –KJ], it wasn't until recently that I noticed how much of the Latin influence on LA punk is obvious here. The Plugz have three songs, including the Spanish-language version of "Secret Agent Man" and there's the cholo punks of Suicidal Tendencies with the classic of SoCal suburban disaffection "Institutionalized."
3) Ruben Blades, "Crossover Dreams"
I haven't seen the movie since it first came out in the 80s, but the whole story line is so obvious from the sequence of songs, from Rudy's experiments with calypso and doo-wop to break out of the cuchifrito circuit, to his encounter with the roots of salsa
in "Todos Vuelven", to his reprise of the song at the end of the record.
4) Ennio Morricone, "The Mission"
I never got this, and never remember it well, but anytime I hear bits of it I stop and ask what it is. The padrino of movie soundtracks does it again, soaking everything in mood and place.
5) Neil Young, "Dead Man"
My nephew Jason calls this movie "sonambulist" and he's right. It's like a long, long dream, and you fall asleep in the middle not because you're bored but because your brain waves tune to that frequency. And then you wake up, and it's still there. The music here is like that hum of your brain in deep, deep sleep.
CAROLINA GONZALEZ Brooklyn, NY
Re: PAUL WELLER Heliocentric -import- (Island)
Is this a NEW Paul Weller album??? I'm a big fan of his first two solo albums, but not of the last two. Just curious.
Also glad to see you give props to The The's Dusk in your previous issue. I think we have the same musical chip implanted in our heads. You should check out the new
2 disc The The retrospective that just came out on Sony/Legacy. It's got some cool bonus tracks and remixes.
JOSH NOREK Los Angeles, CA
[As far as we know, Weller’s latest release was 2001’s Days of Speed, a live album from his solo acoustic tour the previous year. Heliocentric was released in 2000 and is his most recent studio LP. Neither one has seen the light of day here in the US. As for his self-titled, solo album debut (after The Jam and The Style Council, of course), we too have quite a soft spot for it. We were very lucky to witness an excellent in-store performance in support of this particular album, at the downtown NYC Tower Records in late 1992. –KJ]
*****
WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO:
CHRIS CORNELL Euphoria Morning (A&M)
LOS HIJOS DEL REY con FERNANDITO VILLALONA self-titled (Karen)
JANE’S ADDICTION Ritual de lo Habitual (Warner Bros)
LENNY KRAVITZ Greatest Hits (Virgin)
TUATARA Trading With the Enemy (Epic)
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO ?
*****
*****
DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK
It seems that Napster may be returning to cyberdom pretty soon after all. The beleaguered music-swapping "service", has taken steps towards financial consolidation by declaring Chapter 11 and setting up a new business plan that would attract investors and establish the company as a prime music-download site. Except that this time people would have to pay, as opposed to just making off like bandits with the stuff. Will it work? Will people stay away and just continue using the existing music-theft, uh, download providers that let them have it free of cost? Will Lars become an investor in Napster? Will Metallica finally recognize that it’s time for them to retire? Sorry, got a bit sidetracked.
DR. FEELGOOD
The ranks of drummers turned frontmen once again swell up with the addition of former Motley Crüe skinsman and unwitting porn king Tommy Lee. Although he had already grabbed the solo spotlight with his Methods of Mayhem outfit, Lee has officially switched to guitar and released a new album under his own name, garnering kudos from VH1 and landing the cover of a recent issue of Guitar One magazine. When he’s not getting pointers from buddy and head Foo Fighter Dave Grohl (another drums to guitar convert), Lee will be getting ready to tour in support of his Never A Dull Moment album sometime this summer.
I’LL STICK AROUND
And speaking of Dave Grohl, the man Courtney loves to hate (ha!) has been back behind the kit of late, touring with former Foo Fighters opening act Queens of the Stone Age. Grohl-–who also played drums on the latest QOTSA platter as well as last year’s self-titled debut by Tenacious D--should be soon gearing up for the release of the Foo’s fifth album. But if the lame, Queen-retread stylings of recent single "The One" are any indication, our man needs to go back and write some more songs. Good ones this time, Dave.
GOD WAKE THE QUEEN
We recently caught a chunk of VH1’s telecast of the concert commemorating England’s Queen Elizabeth II’s golden jubilee. One word: booooring. Aside from a few highlights (among them, host Sharon Osbourne’s off-stage antics with hubby Ozzy; Paul McCartney’s rendition of the irreverent "Her Majesty"), the insipid performances and stodgy line-up was more than ample justification for the Sex Pistols reforming and subsequent threats of wreaking havoc all over again. Talk about a royal pain in the ass.
DOO UNTO OTHERS
In a bid to dethrone Dude, Where’s My Car? as one of the worst movies ever made in our lifetime, the Scooby Doo movie was finally released to resounding cries of agony. Some studio bigwig must have pictures of Freddie Prinze, Jr. cavorting with assorted farm animals or Sarah Michelle Gellar must have a monstrously insatiable drug habit that needs taking care of. Otherwise, why would these kids wreck their already questionable film careers with dreck of this ghastly nature? Come back Pauly Shore, all is forgiven. Well … almost.
*****
*****
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Les Paul; top-notch musician, studio recording innovator and designer of the world-famous Gibson electric guitar model that bears his name (87).
Written, Directed and Produced by Kiko Jones
A Ballsy Production
*****
Of late, it seems the Grim Reaper has been really busy when it comes to the music business. Though never fans of the ‘80s hair farmers known as Ratt, we know for a fact that quite a few of you were. And so, it is our sad duty to inform you that former Ratt guitarist Robin Crosby died on June 9th after an eight-year battle with AIDS. Crosby had contracted the deadly disease through heroin use. He was 41.
****
We keep getting feedback from some of you telling us how much you enjoy "5" and how you’d like to write in, so, why not? Like the old advertising catchphrase and subsequently infamous line used to go: "try it, you’ll like it". We know we do.
Later,
-KJ
COMMENTS, PRAISES AND DEATH THREATS:
I got into a conversation last night with a friend who had just watched High Fidelity and just discovered Paris, Texas, and we had the perfect segue for me to tick off my five favorite soundtracks (in no particular order):
1) Ry Cooder, "Paris, Texas"
The bottle-neck guitar playing stretches out here like the desert in Wim Wenders' movie. Melancholy sustained over a whole record. Back when indie movies were actually idiosyncratic, and soundtracks were more than a marketing device. Best heard at dusk, when it's hot and you have a whisky on the rocks nearby.
2) Various, "Repo Man" –
Soundtrack as punk rock mixed tape. Another quintessential American indie, with Emilio Estevez's only bearable performance (ok, you can have The Mighty Ducks) [what about his turn as the lead in Wisdom? –KJ], it wasn't until recently that I noticed how much of the Latin influence on LA punk is obvious here. The Plugz have three songs, including the Spanish-language version of "Secret Agent Man" and there's the cholo punks of Suicidal Tendencies with the classic of SoCal suburban disaffection "Institutionalized."
3) Ruben Blades, "Crossover Dreams"
I haven't seen the movie since it first came out in the 80s, but the whole story line is so obvious from the sequence of songs, from Rudy's experiments with calypso and doo-wop to break out of the cuchifrito circuit, to his encounter with the roots of salsa
in "Todos Vuelven", to his reprise of the song at the end of the record.
4) Ennio Morricone, "The Mission"
I never got this, and never remember it well, but anytime I hear bits of it I stop and ask what it is. The padrino of movie soundtracks does it again, soaking everything in mood and place.
5) Neil Young, "Dead Man"
My nephew Jason calls this movie "sonambulist" and he's right. It's like a long, long dream, and you fall asleep in the middle not because you're bored but because your brain waves tune to that frequency. And then you wake up, and it's still there. The music here is like that hum of your brain in deep, deep sleep.
CAROLINA GONZALEZ Brooklyn, NY
Re: PAUL WELLER Heliocentric -import- (Island)
Is this a NEW Paul Weller album??? I'm a big fan of his first two solo albums, but not of the last two. Just curious.
Also glad to see you give props to The The's Dusk in your previous issue. I think we have the same musical chip implanted in our heads. You should check out the new
2 disc The The retrospective that just came out on Sony/Legacy. It's got some cool bonus tracks and remixes.
JOSH NOREK Los Angeles, CA
[As far as we know, Weller’s latest release was 2001’s Days of Speed, a live album from his solo acoustic tour the previous year. Heliocentric was released in 2000 and is his most recent studio LP. Neither one has seen the light of day here in the US. As for his self-titled, solo album debut (after The Jam and The Style Council, of course), we too have quite a soft spot for it. We were very lucky to witness an excellent in-store performance in support of this particular album, at the downtown NYC Tower Records in late 1992. –KJ]
*****
WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO:
CHRIS CORNELL Euphoria Morning (A&M)
LOS HIJOS DEL REY con FERNANDITO VILLALONA self-titled (Karen)
JANE’S ADDICTION Ritual de lo Habitual (Warner Bros)
LENNY KRAVITZ Greatest Hits (Virgin)
TUATARA Trading With the Enemy (Epic)
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO ?
*****
*****
DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK
It seems that Napster may be returning to cyberdom pretty soon after all. The beleaguered music-swapping "service", has taken steps towards financial consolidation by declaring Chapter 11 and setting up a new business plan that would attract investors and establish the company as a prime music-download site. Except that this time people would have to pay, as opposed to just making off like bandits with the stuff. Will it work? Will people stay away and just continue using the existing music-theft, uh, download providers that let them have it free of cost? Will Lars become an investor in Napster? Will Metallica finally recognize that it’s time for them to retire? Sorry, got a bit sidetracked.
DR. FEELGOOD
The ranks of drummers turned frontmen once again swell up with the addition of former Motley Crüe skinsman and unwitting porn king Tommy Lee. Although he had already grabbed the solo spotlight with his Methods of Mayhem outfit, Lee has officially switched to guitar and released a new album under his own name, garnering kudos from VH1 and landing the cover of a recent issue of Guitar One magazine. When he’s not getting pointers from buddy and head Foo Fighter Dave Grohl (another drums to guitar convert), Lee will be getting ready to tour in support of his Never A Dull Moment album sometime this summer.
I’LL STICK AROUND
And speaking of Dave Grohl, the man Courtney loves to hate (ha!) has been back behind the kit of late, touring with former Foo Fighters opening act Queens of the Stone Age. Grohl-–who also played drums on the latest QOTSA platter as well as last year’s self-titled debut by Tenacious D--should be soon gearing up for the release of the Foo’s fifth album. But if the lame, Queen-retread stylings of recent single "The One" are any indication, our man needs to go back and write some more songs. Good ones this time, Dave.
GOD WAKE THE QUEEN
We recently caught a chunk of VH1’s telecast of the concert commemorating England’s Queen Elizabeth II’s golden jubilee. One word: booooring. Aside from a few highlights (among them, host Sharon Osbourne’s off-stage antics with hubby Ozzy; Paul McCartney’s rendition of the irreverent "Her Majesty"), the insipid performances and stodgy line-up was more than ample justification for the Sex Pistols reforming and subsequent threats of wreaking havoc all over again. Talk about a royal pain in the ass.
DOO UNTO OTHERS
In a bid to dethrone Dude, Where’s My Car? as one of the worst movies ever made in our lifetime, the Scooby Doo movie was finally released to resounding cries of agony. Some studio bigwig must have pictures of Freddie Prinze, Jr. cavorting with assorted farm animals or Sarah Michelle Gellar must have a monstrously insatiable drug habit that needs taking care of. Otherwise, why would these kids wreck their already questionable film careers with dreck of this ghastly nature? Come back Pauly Shore, all is forgiven. Well … almost.
*****
*****
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Les Paul; top-notch musician, studio recording innovator and designer of the world-famous Gibson electric guitar model that bears his name (87).
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