Mendacity

1961, Max Roach - Percussion Bitter Sweet.

This is a stellar record! Max bangs the drums like no other. Eric Dolphy blows his horn like a man possessed!

But, the standout for me is the fifth song, "Mendacity", sung by Abbey Lincoln. Arriving in 1961, the song acutely depicts the deceit and trickery of the mid-century American political system and is particularly poignant. Abbey's biting lyrics about black disenfranchisement and extreme southern racial violence during the height of the Civil Rights Movement is imperative!

There are no disappointments on this record! Buy this!

R.I.P. - Doc Watson

On May 29th, 2012 the United States lost a musical treasure. Doc Watson was a blind man from Deep Gap, North Carolina. He was Appalachian music. He could pick, sing, interpret songs and carry a crowd better than most!

Unfortunately for the world, Doc wasn't "discovered" until the Folk Revival of the 1960s. However, born in 1923, Doc Watson began playing guitar in his youth and was somewhat famous in his corner of Appalachia. Following the Newport Folk Festival in 1963, Doc began releasing records for Folkways and Vanguard. Most of which in the 1960s-1970s were quite good!

The first Doc songs I heard were renditions of John Henry and Sitting on Top of the World. They were both great, but it wasn't until I found his 1966 record Southbound that I fully understood the power and importance of Doc Watson. That record also featured his very talented son, Merle.

Doc Watson, like Pete Seeger, is a name synonymous with traditional American folk music. He was among the greatest American musical talents of all time. I was truly moved recently when a student of mine recognized one of Doc's songs in a documentary I showed my class. His legacy will surely live on!

~ R.I.P., brother Doc Watson

Heaven.

The Walkmen have just released a new album called Heaven. It threw me for a loop. They have, as all bands do, changed their sound. They use much less of Hamilton's voice. It is a much tighter and more polished sound than their previous records. That doesn't mean it's no good. It's different... especially for them! Someone starting here would probably find it hard to get into the older records. I was not impressed with the first listen. Just skip song one! But, each time I hear it it seems to make a bit more sense. It is a Fat Possum Records release.

The single, also called Heaven, struck me instantly! It sort of sounded like their previous record, Lisbon. While Lisbon had plenty of the qualities of their early recordings, it signaled the changes they have made on Heaven. Heaven is not a disappointment, it just may take longtime fans a while longer to understand. (I need Hamilton's wail!)

My favorites are "Line By Line", "Song for Leigh" "The Love You Love" and "Heaven", but of course you have to listen to the whole album to get the whole picture! Happy listening!

Young Ned of the Hill

The history of Ireland is fascinating. The Irish were invaded by the English on several occasions and fell victim to English oppression for extended periods of time.

Many powerful songs have been written about these episodes. My personal favorite is the variation on an old Irish folk tale, "Young Ned of the Hill", on The Pogues' 1989 album Peace & Love. This song embodies the spirit of punk while embracing elements of traditional Irish folk music.

Shane McGowan didn't write this song, but I can't imagine anyone else singing it! What a great song about a terrible event!

Beatles?

I heard a rumor about myself yesterday. It's been said that I don't like The Beatles.          Not true. Not false.

First of all, there is more than one band called The Beatles. There's the early version of the band that adored US blues music and sang repetitive love songs and then there's the other band. I don't dislike either. I don't, however, have any need for the early version of the band.

But, the band that created songs like "The Fool on the Hill", "Something", "Norwegian Wood", "She's Leaving Home", "Within You Without You", "Dear Prudence", "Eleanor Rigby", "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "The Inner Light" is relative and necessary.

These days I'm more likely to play individual Beatles songs rather than sit down and listen to an entire album. I tend to gravitate more often to the offerings of mister George Harrison in favor of the more famous duo of songwriters. I suppose, it's a question of time and place rather than like vs dislike.

Sometimes, you just HAVE to listen to George Harrison's interpretation of India or John Lennon's comments on religion. Sometimes, you may even need to listen to Ringo as he begs her not to "pass him by"!

Here Comes A Regular....

"All I know is I'm sick of everything that my money can buy. A fool will waste his life, God rest his guts."

This 1985 song didn't come to me until college. But, it quickly became my midnight tear-in-my-beer song. An absolute underground gem!

Paul Westerberg was already known to me. I'd had his early 90s solo albums since middle school, but had yet to really devour The Replacements. He was also featured on the soundtrack to my favorite teenage movie, Singles.

My brother and his friends were fans and that's how The Replacements came to me. I knew a few of the rowdier Replacements songs, but "Here Comes A Regular" shined a brand new light on them for me.

This is as good a story as any of the period. Better, in fact, than most. Every time I hear it I am transported to the dark corner of a dank bar where a nostalgic tippler sits in a cloud of smoke muttering to himself of the departed good old days before his sunken frame wanders out into the deep, dark, frozen night...

Black Francis

Recently, a student asked me if I liked the Pixies. Seriously? Do I "like" them? No. My fascination with Pixies is far beyond "like".

The first time I saw one of their records was in 7th grade (1991). It was their final release, Trompe le Monde, from the same year. This (relatively) odd girl that sat next to me in English had several of their albums one day and we were checking them out. It was one of those weird moments where "you know something's happening, but you don't know what it is!"

I listened to them all and found them strangely exciting. I had never heard anything like it before. Trompe le Monde is a stunner! Not a bad song from start to finish. Nothing even resembling a bad song. There are plenty of hands-down standards: "Planet of Sound", "Alec Eiffel", "The Sad Punk", "U-Mass", "Subbacultcha", etc...

Their previous record, Bossanova (1990), opens with an instrumental cover called "Cecilia Ann". It is full of energy, but the next song is an absolute shredding masterpiece simply called "Rock Music". After blowing your hair back with both openers, they simmer down with a sort of epic called "Velouria". This was the initial standout. Of course, the two songs that follow are even better.

"Is She Weird" was the song that proved I was listening to something that no one else was listening to. With plenty of starts and stops as well as a bit of shouting and screaming, many of my friends said it was "too weird". Perhaps, that was the message.

After devouring these two seemingly flawless albums, I went back to the beginning. The first EP released by Pixies was titled Come On Pilgrim. It came out in 1987. The top three songs that year were by George Michael, Heart and Whitney Houston. Needless to say, this flew under the radar!

Come On Pilgrim opens with the seductive "Caribou". Then, Black Francis quietly begins speaking Spanish. After the band catches up he switches back to English. "Vamos" is a great, fast-paced little ditty. However, once they draw you in they smash your head with "Isla de Encanta" sung nearly all in Spanish. "The Holiday Song" is anthemic, but "Nimrod's Son", with it's declaration that the subject of the song was born of incestuous union, is unparalleled. Still, I prefer "I've Been Tired". Great!

Obviously,  fans and critics agree that Doolittle is their best. I say this... Do I like Pixies? Very very much. Where to start? Doesn't matter! Just start!

Black Freedom

That is the translation (from Swahili) of the name of the ineffable roots group Black Uhuru. I knew about the group long before I actually knew the group. I really only knew two songs: "Sinsemilla" and "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". Both are good. Neither are amazing.

When I lived in Prague, I found a music store that carried primarily English-speaking music from the US & UK. It was overpriced, but the selection was shockingly good.

I was in island mode, for some reason, for most of my time there. I was on a mission for the late-70s bands of the second wave of roots music. Black Uhuru is easily the best of the bunch.

I happened upon their 1981 release, Red. It was about $10 (75 Czech Crowns at the time). Too much. But, I was in dire need of new tunes. I bought it, took it home and proceeded to have my mind absolutely blown! This is a stellar record! The energy on this album is infectious. Impossible to pick favorites, but the following are standouts: "Youth of Eglington", "Sponji Reggae", "Sistren" and "Utterance".

They followed Red with the more club-friendly Chill Out in 1982. Also a good record with hardly a dud on it, but very different from Red. But, I shouldn't forget the record that preceded Red, Sinsemilla. This has a more relaxed feel than the later records.

This was the record that brought them out of Jamaica. It solidified them as the new sound. Michael Rose's voice is unique and is complimented perfectly by Puma Jones. Yet, the essential sounds of Sly & Robbie are what give the early 80s records of Uhuru so much power!

You will not be disappointed with any of the following records: Sinsemilla, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Red, Tear It Up: Live or Chill Out. All of these came out in a three year period (their best!).