MARCO BENEVENTO Invisible Baby [Hyena]
FAILURE Fantastic Planet [Slash]
FASTBALL Make Your Mama Proud [Hollywood]
LIVING COLOUR Biscuits EP [Epic]
LONGWAVE The Strangest Things [RCA]
What are YOU listening to?
8/31/2009
Ain't Nuthin' but a Bling Thing, Baby
"I went to the Def Jam tour in Manchester in the '80s when rap was inspirational. Public Enemy were awesome. But it's all about status and bling now, and it doesn't say anything to me." - Noel Gallagher
The now ex-Oasis guitarist and chief songwriter was probably referring to this nauseating spectacle.
Disney to Buy Marvel Comics for $4B
AP:
LOS ANGELES -- The Walt Disney Co. is buying Marvel Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion in cash and stock, bringing such characters as Iron Man and Spider-Man into the family of Mickey Mouse and WALL-E.
Under the deal, which was announced Monday and is expected to close by the end of the year, Disney will acquire the rights to 5,000 Marvel characters. Many of them, including the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, were co-created by the comic book legend Stan Lee.
Disney CEO Robert Iger said Marvel's comic books, TV shows, movies and video games amounted to "a treasure trove of content." Iger said the deal would bring benefits like the ones Disney got from buying "Toy Story" creator Pixar Animation Studios Inc. for $7.4 billion in stock in 2006.
Police to Re-Examine Brian Jones' Death
40 years after the passing of Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones, British police are said to be looking into new leads regarding his death. Originally ruled a drowning accident in 1969, there has been speculation for decades that foul play may have played a role in the case, despite Jones being under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time.
27 years old at the time of his death, Jones was a founding member of The Rolling Stones; a gifted multi-instrumentalist and arranger who made unique contributions to the band's sound and is also credited with coming up with the band's name.
27 years old at the time of his death, Jones was a founding member of The Rolling Stones; a gifted multi-instrumentalist and arranger who made unique contributions to the band's sound and is also credited with coming up with the band's name.
Separated at Birth?*
Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas...
...and Poison frontman Brett Michaels?
[*Props to the late great Spy magazine. Michaels pic: h/t Xmastime.]
...and Poison frontman Brett Michaels?
[*Props to the late great Spy magazine. Michaels pic: h/t Xmastime.]
8/30/2009
Noel Gallagher Quits Oasis (again)
Here's the statement posted on the band's website:
Dearly beloved, it is with a heavy heart and a sad face that I say this to you this morning.As of last Friday the 28th August, I have been forced to leave the Manchester rock'n'roll pop group Oasis.
The details are not important and of too great a number to list. But I feel you have the right to know that the level of verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades has become intolerable. And the lack of support and understanding from my management and band mates has left me with no other option than to get me cape and seek pastures new.
I would like firstly to offer my apologies to them kids in Paris who'd paid money and waited all day to see us only to be let down AGAIN by the band. Apologies are probably not enough, I know, but I'm afraid it's all I've got.
While I'm on the subject, I'd like to say to the good people of V Festival that experienced the same thing. Again, I can only apologise - although I don't know why, it was nothing to do with me. I was match fit and ready to be brilliant. Alas, other people in the group weren't up to it.
In closing I would like to thank all the Oasis fans, all over the world. The last 18 years have been truly, truly amazing (and I hate that word, but today is the one time I'll deem it appropriate). A dream come true. I take with me glorious memories.
Now, if you'll excuse me I have a family and a football team to indulge.
I'll see you somewhere down the road. It's been a fuckin' pleasure.
Thanks very much.
Goodbye.
NG
Will it take? Is this just another of the Gallagher brothers' famed internal tiffs? What is the future of Oasis? And is there an Oasis without Noel? Will this be resolved by next week? Anyone care?
Stay tuned.
8/27/2009
Milestones: Rush
[Our series of posts on albums, movies, etc that celebrate significant anniversaries this year continues.- KJ]
When it comes to veteran Canadian power trio Rush,
rock fans seem to actively reject the middle ground and invariably love or hate them, largely due to the band’s notorious instrumental dexterity, lengthy song suites, and lyrical content. We must confess that much of their early music was a formative influence on us as musicians. But while that music still holds sway with us, in recent times, and upon further scrutiny, many of the words written by long-time drummer and band lyricist Neil Peart have left a bad taste; their heavy-handed, Ayn Rand-influenced, humanist propaganda a bit much to bear.
It wasn’t always this way. On their self-titled debut [Mercury-1974]—with original drummer, the late John Rutsey—vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson started things off with a non-pretentious slab of hard rocking Zeppelin-Sabbath-Cream-influenced tunes that would continue on follow up disc Fly By Night [Mercury-1975], which marks the arrival of the aforementioned Peart. With third album Caress of Steel [Mercury-1975], the band started augmenting their hard rock with prog rock tendencies and defining the sound by which they are best known, giving way to a trio of solid releases: the concept album 2112 [Mercury-1976], A Farewell to Kings [Mercury-1977] (home of fan favorite and concert staple “Closer to the Heart”), and Hemispheres [Mercury-1978].
The ‘80s were interesting times for Rush, as they found themselves influenced by many of the sounds and production techniques of the era. At the dawn of the decade they streamlined their approach a bit by incorporating shorter, radio-friendly songs (perennial favorite “The Spirit of Radio”, as well as Freewill” and “Entre Nous”) to 1980’s Permanent Waves [Mercury] and 1981’s Moving Pictures [Mercury], the latter catapulting them to the top of the US charts courtesy of “Tom Sawyer”, “Limelight”, “Red Barchetta” and the instrumental “YYZ”. (It remains their biggest selling album here in the States.)
Soaking up a more contemporary vibe, Signals [Mercury-1982] bore a distinct Police influence—most noticeably on the tracks “New World Man” and “Digital Man”—along with Lee’s more prominent use of keyboards, developments which ended up severing their ties with long-time producer Terry Brown, who was opposed to Rush’s shift from more progressive-leaning pastures. This approach was continued and expanded upon with 1984’s Grace Under Pressure [Mercury], which went Top 10 along with its predecessor.
Not that they were wrong to want to experiment but perhaps the boys should’ve listened to Brown a bit: their next two albums—Power Windows [Mercury-1985], and Hold Your Fire [Mercury-1987], respectively—while housing a few solid tunes, lacked the consistency of past records and featured sounds and production that have clearly dated them. For 1989’s Presto—their first for new label Atlantic Records, after 15 years recording for Mercury Records—Rush shifted back to a more aggressive, guitar-based approach. By this time, however, the band’s mainstream appeal had started to diminish, and over the last 20 years its sonic allure has been of interest almost exclusively to its legion of hardcore fans.
Aside from a 5 year hiatus beginning in 1997—mostly due to the tragic death of Peart’s daughter, and later, his wife succumbing to cancer—Rush have continued to tour and record, and in 2008 made their first American television appearance in over 30 years
on The Colbert Report, as well as a cameo in the comedy film I Love You, Man.
Seemingly maligned and beloved in almost equal measure—their fans have been referred to as “the Trekkies/Trekkers of rock”—Rush have managed to sell more than 40 million albums worldwide, 25 million of those in the US alone. Although eligible for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 1999 they have yet to be honored in this manner, in spite of their longevity, sales, and influence on such diverse bands as Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Primus, King's X, Audioslave, Porcupine Tree, and Dream Theatre. One thing is certain: fans of adventurous, instrumentally dexterous, progressive hard rock are sure to find much within the band’s massive catalog that rings close to their hearts.
Recommended:
Fly By Night [Mercury-1975]
2112 [Mercury-1976]
Permanent Waves [Mercury-1980]
Moving Pictures [Mercury-1980]
Signals [Mercury-1982]
"Talk About a Revolution, um, Revision"
It was bound to happen: amidst all the recent Woodstock nostalgia lies hair band-loving rock critic Chuck Eddy's list of substitute artists for the landmark '69 concert festival. Oh, and it's a doozy.
Among Mr. Eddy's picks: Dionne Warwick instead of Melanie; The Velvet Underground as a substitute for Jefferson Airplane: the Joe Cuba Sextette in lieu of Santana; The Supremes over Janis Joplin; The Archies should've replaced the Paul Butterfield Blues Band; Funkadelic rather than Jimi Hendrix, among many, many others.
In fact, he's got alternates for every act that was on the bill. Jeez.
At least he didn't find a way to mention Poison in his post...
See for yourself here.
Among Mr. Eddy's picks: Dionne Warwick instead of Melanie; The Velvet Underground as a substitute for Jefferson Airplane: the Joe Cuba Sextette in lieu of Santana; The Supremes over Janis Joplin; The Archies should've replaced the Paul Butterfield Blues Band; Funkadelic rather than Jimi Hendrix, among many, many others.
In fact, he's got alternates for every act that was on the bill. Jeez.
At least he didn't find a way to mention Poison in his post...
See for yourself here.
Milestones: The Residents
[Our series of posts on albums, movies, etc that celebrate significant anniversaries this year continues. - KJ]
For decades now, the musical enigma that is Bay Area underground legends The Residents have created an enormous body of work shrouded in anonymity and secrecy, while enjoying the support of a loyal, unwavering fanbase, starting with their official debut album, Meet the Residents [Ralph], released in 1974.
If you've even been curious about these guys, there are numerous sources out there for you to learn more about The Residents and their music, with more info and commentary than we could ever attempt in this space. However, we thought we'd steer you towards a couple of albums that are worthy initial forays into their strange, wacky world.
Because of the uncompromising and somewhat impenetrable
nature of their music, many have recommended their 1980 release
The Commercial Album [Ralph]—a collection of songs of little over a minute each, meant as a commentary on ad jingles of similar length being the actual, true American music—as a good starting point for those unfamiliar with The Residents' brand of avant garde pop.
We don't disagree, but Glorious Noise's Todd Totale makes a strong case for Duck Stab [Ralph-1978], an album of "streamlined songs that housed a large amount of disturbia in such as small amount of time," and "a fine place to start."
If Captain Beefheart, Brian Eno, latter day Tom Waits, and left-field pop experimentalism are your cup of tea, you are probably already acquainted with The Residents. If not, the two albums mentioned above can be your ticket to embarking on a whole new bizarre and whimsical adventure. A word of caution: tread carefully, for this music is most assuredly not for everyone.
For decades now, the musical enigma that is Bay Area underground legends The Residents have created an enormous body of work shrouded in anonymity and secrecy, while enjoying the support of a loyal, unwavering fanbase, starting with their official debut album, Meet the Residents [Ralph], released in 1974.
If you've even been curious about these guys, there are numerous sources out there for you to learn more about The Residents and their music, with more info and commentary than we could ever attempt in this space. However, we thought we'd steer you towards a couple of albums that are worthy initial forays into their strange, wacky world.
Because of the uncompromising and somewhat impenetrable
nature of their music, many have recommended their 1980 release
The Commercial Album [Ralph]—a collection of songs of little over a minute each, meant as a commentary on ad jingles of similar length being the actual, true American music—as a good starting point for those unfamiliar with The Residents' brand of avant garde pop.
We don't disagree, but Glorious Noise's Todd Totale makes a strong case for Duck Stab [Ralph-1978], an album of "streamlined songs that housed a large amount of disturbia in such as small amount of time," and "a fine place to start."
If Captain Beefheart, Brian Eno, latter day Tom Waits, and left-field pop experimentalism are your cup of tea, you are probably already acquainted with The Residents. If not, the two albums mentioned above can be your ticket to embarking on a whole new bizarre and whimsical adventure. A word of caution: tread carefully, for this music is most assuredly not for everyone.
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