Anniversaries: 'Sister'

SONIC YOUTH
Sister
[SST]

While its follow-up—the much lauded Daydream Nation [Enigma-1988]—is often cited as the band’s turning point, it’s actually this, their fourth album, that saw them deviating from their previous sound and laid the musical blueprint for the band’s subsequent releases.

 

Although not a commercial success upon release, the album is regarded by many as second only to Daydream Nation in their catalog, and is frequently included in Best of the ‘80s lists.

 

Also, lead-off track “Schizophrenia” served as the inspiration for the Foo Fighters hit “Everlong”. Take that as you wish.

 

Released June 1, 1987.

Anniversaries: 'The Dream of the Blue Turtles'

STING

The Dream of the Blue Turtles

[A&M]

 

Plagued by internal discord that eventually broke up the band, Synchronicity [A&M-1983] was for all intents and purposes a dry run for what became his solo career. And so, free of the other Policemen, Mr. Sumner teamed up with a cast of first-rate jazz musicians for his first full-length album. 

 

Despite the critical shorthand of this being his “jazz” album and there being a taste of it throughout, courtesy of the assembled musicians (including the great Branford Marsalis), it opens with “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free”, a funky pop tune that was the album’s first single and remains the highest charting song—reaching #3 in the US—of his post-Police output. (It’s also, thematically speaking, the exact opposite of the Synchronicity hit “Every Breath You Take”. Hmm…)

 

As his old band broke up at the height of their popularity, commercial expectations were high for this one. And in that regard it delivered, as it became a Top 5 album in both the US and UK. (As well receiving 4 Grammy nominations.) But it ultimately suffers from “serious artist” disease, in this case the afflicted trying a tad too hard to shed his pop star image and history. However, there are some rewarding moments throughout, as evidenced by “Consider Me Gone” and the singles “Fortress Around Your Heart”, “Love Is The Seventh Wave” (which quotes his old band's “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”) and the aforementioned “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free”.

 

He would set his future musical template on his next album, but this one was a decent if flawed first step.

 

Released June 1, 1985.

Anniversaries: 'Sgt, Pepper's'

THE BEATLES

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

[Parlophone]
 

It wasn’t really until the second half of the 1960s that the album became popular music’s main format to not only disseminate an artist’s work but, in many cases, to make a musical statement by said artists. With that in mind, it’s not a stretch to state that this one marks the specific point in time in which the album format established itself in that regard.

Considered by many the greatest album in the history of popular music, time has not been quite as kind to its status over the ensuing decades, even within the band's catalog itself, as befits such a designation. But its release was indeed a watershed moment that showed what was possible for a pop combo to achieve and has proven to be immensely influential, of course.

 

As the folks over at Pitchfork acknowledged in their 2009 appraisal of the Fabs’ remastered catalog, the shadow cast by this album, even in these fractured times, is “so pervasive and so instructional regarding the way music is crafted and sold to the public that [the album format] is still the predominant means of organizing, distributing and promoting new music…decades later, well after the decline of physical media.”

 

Not too shabby.

 

Released June 1st, 1967.

ANNIVERSARIES: Bachelor No.2 or The Last Remains of the Dodo

AIMEE MANN
Bachelor No.2 or The Last Remains of the Dodo
[SuperEgo-2000]

 
Co-produced by the great Jon Brion, it was made with no record company backing (Interscope didn't hear a single and let her buy back the album's masters) and was initially sold on her website and at shows, garnering enough attention to be released worldwide and achieve respectable sales figures. (That it shares 4 songs with the Magnolia soundtrack, released 5 months prior, didn't hurt.)

Highly acclaimed and featured in many year-ending and decade best-of lists, it was re-released in a 20th anniversary, double vinyl edition in 2020.

On a personal note, 'Til Tuesday aside, I've never been much partial to this lady's work before or since this album. But this one is, undoubtedly, one of my fave albums of the 21st century, so far.

Released May 2, 2000.

MILESTONES: DISINTEGRATION

THE CURE
Disintegration
[Elektra-1989]

Released the year The Mopefather turned 30, the album was the result of quite a predicament: Robert Smith was feeling the pressure of attempting a definitive musical statement as he approached a personal milestone, while in the midst of redefining the band’s sound by purposely casting aside the ‘one-dimensional gloom merchants’ tag they had been saddled with in the past. That their record company feared the finished album would be commercial suicide, surely didn’t help things one bit.

In hindsight, it’s easy to see how those fears were unfounded. But at the time, the band had come off a run of poppy, hit singles and this new record was infused with a melancholy and darkness more in line with their notorious 1982 album Pornography.

Smith ultimately prevailed by embracing the consistency and sensibility of the band’s recent past and jettisoning certain indulgences, while retaining a sense of majesty and toning down any overt ‘happy’ pop elements.

On a personal note, I don’t exactly agree with South Park’s Kyle Broflovski, but I clearly understand why he was once moved to proclaim it "the best album ever!" since my love for it runs deep, as well.

Released May 2, 1989.

ANNIVERSARIES: Frosting On The Beater

THE POSIES
Frosting On The Beater
[DGC - 1993]

After signing with DGC for their critically acclaimed sophomore album Dear 23 [1990] (produced by John Leckie, whose vast resumé includes helming the board for the likes of Radiohead, Stone Roses, Simple Minds and XTC), the band found themselves with a well-received breakthrough release, which put them on the map and set the stage for a promising expansion of their fan base.

But a funny thing happened before the recording of album number three: the Belligham, WA power poppers watched the scene from neighboring Seattle blow up and whether by circumstance or design, their next record would evidence a harder hitting sound, while retaining the hooky melodies and smooth harmonies that had graced the previous album.

 

A rocking collection of songs from an outfit that decided to give more power to its pop, without diminishing either element, it features a few of their most beloved songs (including the one-two punch of “Solar Sister” and “Flavor of the Month”) and was released on April 27, 1993.

ST. SAMMY?

Here’s something I just realized that is very hard for me to acknowledge: Sammy Hagar saved Van Halen. Yup, he did.

How so? Even though Van Halen were never a hairband they were hairband adjacent, having been the inspiration for many of them, whether they realized it or not. So, I’m assuming the distinct possibility that the classic Van Halen sound would not translate to the Alt-rock ‘90s, when Seattle was the promised land and Lollapalpoza gathered the tribes.

With the Red Rocker on board, they became a poppier, more commercially palatable version of the band—Van Jovi, as I have taken to derisively refer to that phase—which enabled them to survive. (Not coincidentally, Bon Jovi themselves did the same thing in order to avoid the hairband graveyard of the ‘90s.)

Now, fans of the Diamond Dave years will question whether it was ever worth it for the band to survive without him. They would likely reason that the brothers Van Halen could’ve taken a break after they broke off with DLR and not recorded anything until their swan song, A Different Kind of Truth [Interscope-2012] and no one would be worse for the wear.

Of course, that was impractical not to mention an incredibly selfish point of view, especially to those who enjoyed Hagar’s stint with the band and they are in the millions. (So were the bank statements of those closely involved in this rock and roll merger.) And, as the esteemed Chuck Klosterman once wrote, after Roth's departure they were too young to retire and too successful to quit, so... 

But you can’t overlook how this led to the band’s not entirely positive mainstreaming, as well as their very uncool participation in the Crystal Pepsi soft drink fiasco and its ad campaign, which featured the VH song “Right Now”. Alternative Nation was not gonna be down with any of that.

So the question becomes, was it worth it to save Van Halen in order for them to make the records they did without the Diamond One?

I have an answer, of course, but the only one whose answer matters is you.

UNDOUBTEDLY AMAZED

PAUL McCARTNEY
McCartney
[Capitol - 1970]

Recorded mostly at home as his first formal post-Fabs musical statement, it was the recipient of scathingly negative reviews but managed to reach and stay at the top spot of the charts for three weeks in the US. (It peaked at #2 in the UK.) The passage of time, however, has been kind to this one: these days it’s remembered as the first of his lone-man trilogy of solo albums and has earned much critical re-evaluation in the decades since it appeared, not to mention being regarded as an influence on the lo-fi/DIY movement. (It’s considered the first “indie” album by the man himself.) 

 

And while it comes across, undoubtedly, as a sometimes ragged and somewhat unfinished affair overall, even at his shaggiest and carefree the man was capable of bringing the magic, as evidenced by “That Would Be Something”, “Every Night”, “Junk” and the timeless “Maybe I’m Amazed”.

 

Despite being the antithesis of the, in comparison, elaborate and ornate ‘Abbey Road’ (which was the bulk of the negative critiques this one garnered), the homespun charm of this collection of songs has caught the ear of quite a few of his musical peers and descendants, who have voiced their fondness for it over the years, including the likes of Neil Young and Paul Weller. (Even the shit-stirring grouches at Pitchfork like this one!)

 

Sadly, while its release date coincides with the death of his beloved wife—who passed away on this date in 1998—I like to think the album’s airy and delicate opening track, “The Lovely Linda” and the aforementioned “Maybe I’m Amazed”, of course, are wonderful reminders of the anchor who kept him from going adrift at this time in his life. And for many years to come.

 

In late September 2020, the album got a deluxe 50th anniversary reissue three months before the release of ‘III’, the third installment of his solo trilogy.

 

Released April 17, 1970.

THEY WANT TO BE ADORED

LIAM GALLAGHER / JOHN SQUIRE
self-titled
[WEA - 2024]

There are instances of things that occur without warning that make sense once they do but not before. For instance, I didn’t have this particular collaboration on my bingo card but it made sense as soon as it made news. Two legendary Mancs who complement each other on a basic level—Gallagher’s need for a proven songwriting guitarist and Squire, a guitar hero looking for a voice for his tunes—make for an intriguing if not not necessarily enticing pairing.

While there’s no Oasis or Stone Roses here, a strong reverence for music of the past is quite present: a bit of Merseybeat; a touch of psychedelic Beatles; some Hendrix and Page-influenced guitar licks, on what in essence is a 21st century classic rock record. Interestingly, its warm production comes from Greg Kurstin, the Grammy Award-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist best known for working with the likes of Adele, All Saints, Pink, Sia and Jessica Simpson.

But at the end of the day, the songwriting is what has to carry the heavy load. And in this regard, the album is a decent but somewhat tentative affair. It ably showcases the talents of both these gentlemen, but feels like a nice opening salvo for a collaboration which might bear sweeter fruit down the road.

Released March 1, 2024.

 

New Way Home

 

FOO FIGHTERS
But Here We Are
[Roswell/RCA - 2023]

Early reviews suggest it’s a back-to-basics album, implying it’s a throwback to earlier records in the band’s catalog. There’s some truth to that—songwise, this one comes across as somewhat of a hybrid of The Colour and the Shape and There’s Nothing Left to Lose with, for good measure, a sprinkling of late ‘70s’/early ‘80s pop rock towards the back end. But those expecting or insinuating a return to the raw, aggressive sound and feel of the self-titled debut—which, coincidentally, was the last time Grohl played drums on an entire album for the band—are barking up the wrong tree. Well-oiled, veteran, arena rock acts rarely revisit their sonic roots. And if they do it's usually out of desperation, which is obviously not the case in this instance, as the band remains as popular as ever.

 

Many of this outfit’s detractors bemoan Grohl leaving behind the kit to become a frontman, thus depriving rock and roll of one of the most gifted drummers of his generation. Well, he’s back on this one and the results are what anyone would expect: the man hasn’t lost a step. But the sad, tragic reason why he’s behind the kit cannot be overlooked.

 

The album is dedicated to late drummer Taylor Hawkins and Grohl’s mom Virginia, whose death last summer went largely unreported. (“Rest” and “The Teacher”, in particular, seem to be directly inspired by their respective passing.) Grohl’s daughter Violet sings backup, noticeably on “Show Me How”, so there’s a bit of a family affair vibe, if not a festive one. This is, after all, a collection of songs responding to absence and grief. It’s not a dour listen, however—as the up-tempo rockers on the record’s first half clearly attest to—but meant to be an expression of catharsis and, as such, the band’s playful, sometimes gimmicky, often goofy vibe is not present on this one.

 

In the end, it’s a solid record from a band that’s been releasing albums longer than Kurt Cobain was alive. (Which in this instance is kind of fitting since the grief over his bandmate’s death was one of the reasons he started this one.) So, no earth-shattering musical developments just a pretty decent record, one that will be embraced the band’s followers but probably won’t draw in anyone who previously shunned them. I’m pretty sure Grohl is fine with that.

 

Released June 2, 2023.