Monthly Archives: September 2009

The Fabulous Poodles: Mirror Stars / Think Pink

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FabulousPoodles_MirrorStarsThinkPinkLate-70s lost rock ‘n’ roll classic

Amid the anarchy of punk rock and the forced quirkiness of new wave a few genuine rock ‘n’ roll bands managed to slip through the cracks. In the UK these bands often derived from the pre-punk pub rock scene, either directly as in the case of Rockpile, or on the tail end as in the case of the Fabulous Poodles. Their flamboyant stage act gave them a jokey veneer, but their records (particularly the debut produced by John Entwistle) were filled with superbly crafted rock ‘n’ roll that combined the melody and drama of Brill Building pop with modern touches and welcome helpings of Bobby Valentino’s violin and mandolin.

Vocalist/songwriter Tony De Meur had a flair for dramatizing and adding a touch of humor to stories that feel as if they were drawn from real life, not unlike Ray Davies. He sings as a lonely teenager who grows up to find revenge in stardom, a twenty-something allergic to work, a seductive singing idol, and an overworked and undersexed porn photographer (“they never seem to want to know / a seedy flashgun gigolo”). He celebrates the magic of B-movies, the joy of a perfect haircut (a Chicago Boxcar with a Boston Back – think D-Day in the film Animal House), a bionic dream and a satiric ‘50s styled rock ‘n’ roll ode to anorexia.

In addition to nineteen group-written tunes, the Poodles cover Mel McDaniel’s obscure country blues “Roll Your Own” and the Everly Brothers’ “Man With Money.” American Beat’s two-fer pairs the Poodles first U.S. release, Mirror Stars, which cherry-picks from the group’s first two UK albums, with their third and final release, Think Pink. The latter is more pedestrian and forced, particularly in comparison to the former, but Mirror Stars is easily worth the price of this two-fer CD. This is a bare-bones reissue with a four-panel booklet that lists song titles, writers and running times, but offers no liner notes. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

RIP Ellie Greenwich

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Various_DoWahDiddyDiddyI don’t actively read obituaries, as I expect the passing of anyone of import will filter to me through regular news channels. Apparently not. Ellie Greenwich passed away a week ago, and I just happened upon the news today. Brian Wilson said, “She was the greatest melody writer of all time.” Quite a compliment from anyone, but even more so from such a terrific melodicist in his own right. My affection for Greenwich isn’t tied only to specific songs, but also to the craft that she helped define as part of the Brill Building stable.

Several years ago I was listening to the Shangri-Las “The Train From Kansas City” and marveling at the lyric “I’ll be back in the time it takes to break a heart,” I started searching the web to see if I could find Greenwich’s address so I could see if there was a back story to this song, and on her home page found a link to a contact page. I expected a canned reply or a note from a publicist thanking me for writing, but a couple of days later I got a response directly from Ellie Greenwich. She couldn’t remember what inspired her and Jeff Barry to write the song, but was touched that someone would seek her out to ask about a 40-year-old lyric to a song that was never a hit.

I still find it difficult to wrap my head around one person writing or co-writing:

And Then He Kissed Me
Baby, I Love You
Be My Baby
Chapel of Love
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
Da Doo Ron Ron
Do Wah Diddy Diddy
Good Night Baby
Hanky Panky
He’s Got the Power
He Ain’t No Angel
I Can Hear Music
Leader of the Pack
Not Too Young To Get Married
Out in the Streets
River Deep, Mountain High
Then He Kissed Me
(Today I Met) The Boy I’m Gonna Marry
Why Do Lovers Break Each Other’s Hearts?

Not to mention lesser-known gems like Connie Francis’ “Don’t Ever Leave Me,” The Shangri-Las “Give Us Your Blessings,” The Chiffons’ “I Have a Boyfriend” (remade to perfection by Reparata & The Delrons) and dozens of sides for the Blue Cat and Red Bird labels that never made the charts. She recorded fine singles and albums under her own name and as part of the Raindrops, and discovered Neil Diamond.

Diane Warren said, “Those songs are part of the fabric of forever.” They’re certainly part of my forever.

Ellie Greenwich was 68 when she passed away on August 26, 2009. RIP.

Listen to Ellie Greenwich sing “Hanky Panky”

Derek Webb: Stockholm Syndrome

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DerekWebb_StockholmSyndromeProvocative CCM songwriter expands to modern pop and techno

As a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist for Caedmon’s Call, Derek Webb found success in Christian pop circles. But Webb’s calling turned out to be broader than would fit within CCM, and his solo career, launched with 2003’s She Must and Shall Go Free, showed his faith, both in Christ and in his own music, was stronger than some in the Christian world could handle. His approach to writing, and particularly to marketing, has evolved over the years, resulting in free album downloads and the launch of NoiseTrade.com. With his latest solo album he transitions once again, this time sonically, moving away from the singer-songwriter approach and electric guitars of his earlier works, and towards inorganic keyboards, drum machines, synthesizer washes and sampling that bring to mind Radiohead and techno bands.

Webb explores soul, hip-hop, funk, doo-wop, and electronica as his expressive voice provides warmth atop chilly music technology. He’s stirred up controversy and a great deal of blog commentary with the song “What Matters More,” crossing his record label’s comfort level by including a four-letter expletive. Even without the lyric “Meanwhile we sit just like we don’t give a sh*t about 50,000 people who are dyin’ today” the song’s confrontational indictment of Christian hypocrisy with respect to gays and AIDS had to be tough for iNO to release to its traditional customers. The album is being offered in both its original 14-song version (via Webb’s web store) and a “clean” 13-song version that drops the contentious track rather than editing out the offending s-word. True to Webb’s assertion, this is one of the album’s most important tracks and is worth seeking out.

Even without “What Matters More,” there are plenty of Webb’s provocative lyrics. He takes Baptist minister Fred Phelps to task for his decidedly un-Christian hatred of gays, contemplates the seductive nature of oppression, explores cat-and-mouse relationships, and envisions a Heaven that redresses the ailments of modern society. Webb’s couched his lyrics in upbeat melodies and funky bass-and-drums that may distract you from the songs’ thematic weight, but the messages will seep into you as you sing along to Webb’s declaratory words. The few ballads include the doo-wop inspired “Freddie, Please” and moody closer, “American Flag Umbrella,” each providing a rest from the album’s more insistent beats.

This is an adult album, set squarely as a challenge to Christian believers. The album’s title suggests that Webb sees church orthodoxy as a suffocating captor to whom believers become overly attached and sympathetic. Non-Christians will be interested in hearing how Webb’s libertarian philosophy coexists and conflicts with his Christian beliefs. This is neither an evangelical album nor an attack on Christianity, but more the inner monologue of a believer striving to make sense of the dissonance he feels between the religious and secular worlds. Stockholm Syndrome’s political and philosophical ponderings, as well as its modern pop and techno sounds should pick up new fans to replace those CCM listeners who can’t handle Webb’s version of the truth. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | What Matters More
Derek Webb’s Home Page
Derek Webb’s MySpace Page

Hollis Brown: Hollis Brown

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HollisBrown_HollisBrownAngsty radio pop, Stonesish blues and twangy Americana

Hollis Brown lead singer Mike Montali is hard to pin down. He sounds a bit like the Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson, a bit like Neil Young, a bit like the Gin Blossoms’ Robin Wilson, and a bit like Robert Plant. He’s got the high edginess (and falsetto) with which they each create emotional tension, and though the band’s guitar, bass, drums, organ and harmonica share a ’70s rock ‘n’ roll vibe with the Crowes, Zeppelin, and Blossoms, they add twangy blues and country roots that really belie their urban Queens upbringing. The album opens with the exuberant “Show Love” and follows with the roiling guitars and stinging lyrical rebuke of “Walk on Water.” The songs track through Stones-styled rock, ambling Americana, broken-hearted country twang, shuffling sing-a-longs and angsty pop. The group’s melodic hooks will stick in your head for days, and Montali’s voice is memorable, whether singing up-tempo rockers or slowing to surprise with the Stax-styled soul of “Don’t Wanna Miss You.” One can only assume Hollis Brown polished these tunes in numerous live gigs, as their self-assurance in the studio translates to terrific passion and swagger on disc. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Show Love
MP3 | Passin’ Me By
MP3 | Completed Fool
Hollis Brown’s Home Page
Hollis Brown’s MySpace Page

John Fogerty: The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again

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JohnFogerty_BlueRidgeRangersRidesAgainJohn Fogerty re-revisits his musical roots

When John Fogerty cut the original Blue Ridge Rangers LP in 1973, it stood firmly as a work separated from his run with Creedence Clearwater Revival. A year from the band’s breakup, Fogerty immersed himself in musical roots with an album of covers, mostly country and gospel, played and sung entirely on his own. Even the album’s cover echoed the solo theme, with Fogerty silhouetted as each of the fictional group’s five members. Try as he might to distance himself from Creedence, however, his unmistakable voice and a track list of country songs upon which many of his own songs were built, couldn’t help but point to his previous work.

Thirty-six years later Fogerty has brought elements of the Blue Ridge Rangers’ ethos back to the studio. Unlike the Rangers’ first effort, this is more capstone and reminiscence than a place to gather oneself between career phases. More importantly, rather than layering his own instrumental and vocal performances in the studio, Fogerty’s put together an actual Blue Ridge Rangers with the talents of guitarist Buddy Miller, steel/mandolin/dobro player Greg Leisz, drummer Kenny Aranoff and many others. He’s also chosen to share the microphone with Eagles Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit on Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party,” and Bruce Springsteen on the Everly Brothers’ “When Will I Be Loved.”

The song list remains an all-covers affair, including an earthy take of Fogerty’s own “Change in the Weather” that drops the unfortunate mid-80s production of Eye of the Zombie’s original. There are classic country tunes from Ray Price, Buck Owens and the Kendalls, but Fogerty also reaches to fellow singer-songwriters John Prine, Rick Nelson and John Denver, and favorites from Delaney & Bonnie, Pat Boone and the 1964 Jumpin’ Gene Simmons R&B novelty, “Haunted House.” Highlights include Prine’s environmentalist lyric of a bucolic childhood literally trucked away by a coal company and a take of Denver’s “Back Home Again” that’s adds a bit of Neil Young-like reediness to the original.

Fogerty sounds relaxed and at home surrounded by fiddle and steel and riding a Ray Price shuffle beat, and the husk of his voice adds an element of solemn pain and earthen soul to Pat Boone’s melodramatic death ballad, “Moody River.” The album closes with an overcooked Cajun-rock arrangement of “When Will I Be Loved” that has Fogerty and Springsteen reprising Phil and Don Everly. Though it’s more of a lark than an artistic summit, it’s great to hear two modern icons wailing away at their shared roots. That really sums up Fogerty’s decision to bring the Blue Ridge Rangers back to life, as it’s an opportunity for a great artist to revel in his equally great influences. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

Various Artists: NOW That’s What I Call Country, Volume 2

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Various_NowThatsWhatICallCountryMusicVolume2Modern country hits – pop, twang and country-rock

Singles – whether 7” vinyl or MP3s – have had a tumultuous history. They were the standard bearer in the juke box and top-40 eras, they shared the spotlight with long-playing albums that were purpose-built as “artistic statements,” were revitalized as soundtracks to MTV videos, lost ground with the demise of rock radio, and were renewed by per-song download services. Throughout the roller coaster ride of rock singles, the country single retained both its marketing and artistic clout. Country radio continues to be a major force in conveying new music to the commercial mainstream, and country music videos still appear regularly on cable channels. To that end, RCA’s second compilation of modern country hits will be quite familiar to listeners who’ve tuned to country radio the past couple of years.

The generous twenty-track set focuses on hits from the last half of 2008 and first half of 2009, extending all the way to recent hits by Dierks Bentley (“Sideways”) and Lady Antebellum (“I Run to You”). Nearly half the tracks are well-known #1s, but the lower-charting hits offer substantial charms. Jamie Johnson’s “In Color” (which peaked at #9) is as good as any of the chart-toppers, Trade Adkins’ “Marry for Money” (#14) is a catchy honky-tonker, Josh Turner’s “Everything is Fine” (#20) digs deeply into his lazy low notes, Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder & Lead” (#7) is firey, Gary Allen’s “Learning How to Bend” (#13) is an emotional tour de force, and George Strait’s “Troubadour” (#7) remains a terrific statement about age, experience and principle.

The bulk of these productions lean to the polished country-pop end of Nashville’s output, but there are a few twangy tracks and some powerful country-rockers. Many of the songs are loaded with radio-ready melodic hooks and sing-along choruses. The instantly recognizable voices of Turner, Johnson, Adkins and Strait and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland will remind you how thoroughly a country singer can stamp a song with the tone of their voice. Oddly, Carrie Underwood is featured singing her 2007 cover of Randy Travis’ “I Told You So” from her album Carnival Ride, rather than the recent hit duet with Travis himself. Perhaps there was a licensing problem, but this over-emotional rendition doesn’t measure up to the more recent remake.

Those who buy the physical CD gain web access to five recent tracks from young artists: David Nail’s “Turning Home,” Easton Corbin’s “A Little More Country That That,” Chris Young’s “Getting’ You Home,” Caitlin & Will’s “Address in the Stars,” and Emily West’s “Blue Sky.” That’s a nice bonus on top of the hit-packed disc and a clever way for the label group to expose new artists to modern country fans. Note that downloading the bonus tracks will require you to run a piece of Java code downloaded to your browser from Push Entertainment; this applet validates that the CD is present in your computer’s drive. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]