Grow up and out of it

I've decided to merge this project with my main blog Vinyl & Bubblegum. There are a handful of reasons for this change. The main reason is that I don't want to spread my content too thin and while some of my projects do need separate spaces I don't know that this particularly one really does.

When I initially conceived of a plan for V&B it was in sort of opposition to this blog. The idea being that this blog would have a more historical bent and V&B would focus on more modern or current works. However, as I've gotten more ideas for V&B that stark of a divide seems less necessary. Not to mention the idea of separating the modern from the history seems antithetical to V&B's central idea that such division doesn't make sense. Initially the big divide that led to that idea was the notion that artistry and being an audiophile is somehow mutually exclusive from loving a pop sensibility. Of course, the snobbery behind that notion also acts as the basis for the snobbery that says the only good music happened pre-1973 (or 85 or 93), so I wouldn't to implicitly agree with that notion by keeping the Sacred Texts of the medium away from the modern stuff.

Plus, let's be real, I haven't updated this blog in almost five years, despite continuing to work on many essays for it. I think I need a change of scenery to help facilitate moving on through the project. I'll be frank, I was never completely jazzed about the name and url for this blog and I'm definitely not now. I wouldn't say that alone kept me from updating here, but perhaps subconsciously it might have contributed. (That said, I might use Cover to Cover as a way of distinguishing album reviews on V&B.)

As for what happens the Pepper and Touch essays, they're already up at Vinyl & Bubblegum under the header and tag RS500. I'll keep this blog up for posterity, but this will likely be the last entry.

Cooler than Ice Cream & Warmer than the Sun

Artist: Eurythmics
Album: Touch
Released: November 26, 1983
RS-500: #500

I could be going out on a limb here, but I think anyone who claims the 1980's were a horrible decade for music has clearly never listened to Eurythmics' Touch. The record is worthy of a listen (not to mention inclusion on the RS 500) simply for the voice of Annie Lennox alone. Beautiful, dynamic, unique, and so damn soulful, to not know or not include such a voice is a sin. Truly. Take for instance, "No Fear, No Hate, No Pain (No Broken Hearts)" in which she sounds so powerful that it makes the listener feel powerful, too.

The great thing about Touch is that the music created by Miss Lennox and Dave Stewart is just as varied and soulful, a perfect compliment to and vehicle for her voice. Sometimes it's laid back with a bass bobbing like water ("Aqua"). Others, it's a slightly sinister jazz-meets-techno groove ("Regrets"). It's kind of laid back, yet still danceable ("Cool Blue"). And then there's a song like "The First Cut", which gets into your guts almost and makes you want to get up and dance. The music of the track (the bass especially) connects that primal thing that makes you want to move and you can't really explain why. Similarly, the tropical and wonderfully upbeat, "Right By Your Side", just makes you feel good and want to move your hips. Though it's the type of song that I suspect if it were done by anyone lacking the soulful voice of Annie Lennox that it would be called fluff, but she delivers it with sincerity and makes it joyful and heartfelt.

On the other side of the spectrum is the gothic "Who's That Girl". While the mix of synths, bass, and strings is utterly gorgeous, it is the vocals and lyrics that take center stage. Whether it's the forceful and demanding, "but there's just one thing" or vulnerability in the titular question, they all come together beautifully to show the heartbreak and frustration of the person left "broken on the rocks." The track as well as the opener, "Here Comes the Rain Again", shows that the real heart of the album is emotions contained in the lyrics. "Here Comes the Rain Again" sets the stage wonderfully with its mix of shoo-wop background vocals and techno beats, as well as lyrical references to rain/water, which is frequently used throughout the record. In this instance, it seems as if the rain is there to symbolize depression or loneliness, something the narrator has felt before, but each time it feels fresh and new. And asking, whether it is just the audience or someone specific, if anyone feels the same with the line, "Is it raining with you?"

I confess, for me the only downside to the entire album is the final track, "Paint a Rumour". The song is almost a sound collage, like The Beatles' "Revolution #9" except less chaotic. Plus, the point and purpose of this song is much clearer. It, like "The Final Cut" earlier in the album, is about reputations. In "The Final Cut" there is a line, "Each impression, makes a chain reaction... Will never be, never be, never be broken," possibly showing how your reputation can proceed you and that it will never die until you do. "Paint a Rumour" is about how secrets and rumors (true or not) can spread and do damage, such as in the line, "I heard a whisper - make it go away"; as well as cause embarrassment and anger when told, "See the place go red."

Regardless of my feeling that the final track is a tad too long, Eurythmics' Touch as a whole is a great and solid record. It's eclectic and has possibly some of the best, most intelligent and soulful dance music of the 1980s, if not, the last thirty years or more. Not simply for Annie Lennox' amazing voice or the fact that she and Dave Stewart could groove, but because of the heart and real tangible emotion behind it all; that makes you feel and move not just in your body, but your heart.

In and Out of Style, But Guaranteed to Raise a Smile

Artist: The Beatles
Album: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Released: June 2, 1967 (U.S.)
RS-500: #1

(Quick Author's Note: I apologize for the length of this post. However, with it being number one on the list, I felt the album needed a lot of detail and attention. Future reviews probably, hopefully. won't be this long.)

Since its release, The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band has suffered a strange fate. Similar to the band that made it, it proves that old saying "familiarity breeds contempt." For each person that praises it, there are even more people who claim it to be overrated. And when one lacks its historical context or the historical perspective of the time that produced and, therefore, heavily praised it, only seeing people constantly heaping praise upon what many consider nowhere close to the Beatles' best work, it's easy to see how such a feeling can breed.

Sgt. Pepper came at a time when most people had a very limited view of what rock'n'roll could do as well as what it was allowed to do. While there were exceptions to this, (most notably Brian Wilson, who knew just how out of step with the mainstream he was given songs like, "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times") the general idea basically boiled down to that rock couldn't be art. To suggest such a thing would be almost lunacy.

Then Sgt. Pepper came along and with that, killing the idea at the time that the Beatles had dried up, killing the idea that rock music couldn't be art, pushing the limits of what could be done technically at the time, and giving life to including lyrics in liner notes and idea of the concept album. The "concept" basically being the Beatles are playing a concert as Sgt. Pepper's band. Now, whether one believes the album strictly holds to the concept the entire way through or not is irrelevant, really, given the fact that it's impossible to tell when they are singing as themselves or some character concocted in Paul McCartney's imagination. However, from the audience noises to the rise and fall in the moods of the songs to the build up of the closing three tracks, the concert aspect of the concept works and completely fits. Just as every single track on the album fits together and flows into each other, despite how radically different from each other many of the songs are.

The opening title track is a "good old rocker" (to borrow a phrase from producer George Martin) and sets the stage fantastically for the concert the album is meant to be. The opening riff is instantly recognizable (and for me, will always bring to mind visions of the Beatles saving Pepperland), the drums are great backbone for the track as is the bass. The audience chatter at the beginning as well as the rise of the laughter and applause during the song add so much character to it. And of course, the track would be nothing without the as always, amazing three part harmony and the touch of French horns that give it a touch of class and round out the song well.

With a dramatic and quite pretty transition (with added applause), the album goes on to "With a Little Help From My Friends", the quintessential Ringo song. A song that shows off his need and love of brotherhood and his "sentimental thing" as Paul McCartney put it. As well as show off more harmonies and the strong rhythm section of the band, particularly the drums, which are airy and light, yet swing and carry the song so well.

The next song, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is almost a painting of sound, with it's evocative lyrics and arrangement. The long bass notes add to the sleepy, dreamy quality of the song's lyrics and the drums add just enough accents when they're needed and aren't overbearing. The music makes you feel like you're floating, that is, until the drum lead-up to the chorus kicks in, like you're about to take off flying. John Lennon's vocal and the effects added to it also add to the dreamlike quality. One second he sounds like he's right in your ear, the next he echos in and out, as if he's far away and trying to entice you to follow him where ever he's going along with Lucy to fountains and rocking horse people.

"Getting Better" is a classic pop song, but with a foundation of a strong bass line, grooving and swinging drums, along with piano by George Martin and tamboura by George Harrison, giving it a kind of funky edge. The middle eight of the song also seems to swirl adding to the seemingly happy mood of the song. A song which may not be as happy-peppy-optimistic as it appears at first (and sometimes thousandth) listen. With lines like "it can't get no worse", "I used to be cruel to my woman", etc., one has to wonder just how happy it really is. After all, if the narrator's past includes beating people, just because it's "getting better" that doesn't necessarily mean that it's all that good. But that just might be looking too deeply at a song that is a classic example of how well John Lennon and Paul McCartney complimented each other.

The song that follows, "Fixing a Hole", also shows that in a way, as it shows an example of Paul's dream-like and atmospheric side (John's version of this being shown in "Lucy"). The music swirls and dips and takes you away. The guitar is funky and has a bit of a bite to it and the drums, again, swing. But the bass is possibly the most important instrument because it gives the song a groove and life and soul which would be gone in it's absence, leaving it sounding cold and thin. The possible downside to the song is that while the music is amazing, it would be very easy to get too swept away in it and lose sight of the quirky lyrics. According to McCartney the song is about "the hole in your make-up which lets the rain in and stops your mind from going where it will. It's you interfering with things." The song also almost sounds like it could be a precursor to "The Fool on the Hill" sung from his point of view, with lines like, "See the people standing there who disagree and never win / And wonder why they don't get in my door."

Next, "She's Leaving Home", possibly one of the Beatles most beautiful songs in terms of melody and vocals. The strings, arranged by Mike Leander, add to the beauty and sadness of the lyrics and the harp adds such a gentle and airy beauty, but the vocals are what take center stage. John taking the role of the befuddled and abandoned parents has so much vulnerability and Paul's singing of, "How could she do this to me?" is utterly heartbreaking. The song is a fantastic example of a common theme in McCartney's work, ordinary people doing ordinary things (though cynics like Lennon would say "boring"). While some may see this as a weakness, in the case of this particular song, it is certainly a strength. It beautifully shows off his romantic nature and reverence for the everyday. He can see the beauty in the everyday and how even the most seemingly simple things can resonate no matter how old the songs get. Because "She's Leaving Home," whether or not one is parent, is about something so common and so universal, something that all experience and understand: letting go.

Like "Lucy" earlier in the album, the next song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" is another painting in sound. You can almost hear the om-pa-pa, om-pa-pa in Lennon's voice and practically see him the center ring with a top hat as he sings. Thanks mostly in part to the full, lush and chaotic carnival noises made by Harrison, Starr, George Martin and with harmonicas by Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall, which do nearly make you "smell the sawdust" as John wanted. And yet again, the rhythm section gives life to it all.

As hypnotic as the carnival noises in "Mr. Kite" are, "Within You Without You", the song which follows it, is even more hypnotic. The trills and dips of George Harrison's voice are so subtle and beautiful. The rhythm of the tabla and the sounds of the dilruba, tamboura, the violins and cellos and Harrison's voice mix and flow, so perfectly, so beautifully, it's enchanting. The semi-duel in the musical break is amazing, too. The song is also proof of Harrison's lyrical strength and cleverness, particularly the double meaning behind the title "Within You Without You". On one hand it's about how life in each of us and outside of us, in all things; but on the other, while it's within us (as with all), it'll go on long after we are gone. And that it's more important to love and not get wrapped up in walls we put between ourselves and other "illusions". The only real down side to the song, and something that has always bothered me, is the laughter that happens at the tail end. It kind of kills the mood.

Though admittedly, it's a good segue in a way, as "When I'm Sixty-Four" follows (not that that will ever stop it from being bothersome). But "When I'm Sixty-Four" is meant to be quite a funny song, as well as an homage to musical loves of Paul McCartney's father, so it's hard to get too angry with it or treat it too harshly. (Not to mention McCartney wrote it when he was just sixteen.) Everything adds to the humorous and old Hollywood-type vibe that the band was going for with it. Again, the bass is quite simple, but effective and adds so much swing to the song, as does the piano, and with this album being basically Paul McCartney's baby/brainchild, that is not very surprising.

Another example of just how much it's Paul's album is the next track, "Lovely Rita." It's another song that lives and dies with the bass and drums, particularly the bass drum which gives the song much of its backbone and life. Odd lyrics aside, it's quite musically complex. The arrangements of the backing vocals, bass, piano (especially the intricate and fast piano break) and slightly dark musical coda do save it from being complete "fluff" or a "throwaway".

"Good Morning Good Morning" is another example of how Lennon and McCartney compliment each other, with the song being John's version of ordinary people doing ordinary things. Even if some of the pop culture references in it are lost on newer listeners, it still resonates. After all, "nothing has changed, it's still the same." The song is an excellent example of how funky the Beatles could get. The bass and drums swing and drive the song, the guitar is funky and soulful, and one wonders at times when the hell John Lennon manages to breathe. And the horn section is a brilliant addition, taking it from "ok rocker" to another level of sick and amazing.

The excitement and build up carries over into "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)", which is fast and fun with a driving rhythm section and great harmonies. The song totally drives home the idea that the album is a concert; whether it's raucous applause and laughter, John's little "Bye" to the audience, or sounds Paul trying to vamp up a crowd, it is the fun penultimate number in a show that comes before the utterly amazing encore...

"A Day in the Life". It is a masterpiece, plain and simple. The album is noteworthy simply for this song alone. It's a perfect blending of John and Paul's styles and ways of writing about ordinary people and events. Again, the foundation is the rhythm section, gorgeous piano, steady bass and drums that perfectly accent the song. Whether it's the rolling the verses, which adds to the drama of it all or the driving and marching drums in middle eight that are so evocative of the hurry-up-and-rush described in Paul's lines, the drums are perfection. They would be the star of the show here if it wasn't for the haunting vocal by John Lennon, which gives chills from the second he starts to sing.

Though the seeds had been planted before Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band was undeniably a turning point, not just for the Beatles, but for all rock and pop music. It was proof that anything and everything could be done.

There were no limits.

Well, except for the technical limits at the time. The creativity, on the other hand, knew no bounds. Whether it was pulling ideas from old Victorian circus posters, the newspaper, everyday life (past and present) or a child's drawings. It was all fair game. And it worked. While it may not be the Beatles strongest or best work overall, it is among their most influential and groundbreaking and pushed the envelope more than just about anything they had done. (Or just about anyone had done up until that point.) It changed all that came after it and is still the standard for many people, such as Ozzy Osbourne, who still says he wants to make his "Sgt. Pepper". Those are things that no amount of nit-picking will ever take away from it.

At the Top of the Dial

It's funny that no matter how many online journals and blogs and websites I've had over the last few years, writing the opening or first post is always difficult. It's always awkward, like a job interview or first date, because you have this self-conscious urge to explain yourself and your intentions as much as possible in as little time as you can. Even if you know time will likely make those things quite clear.

This blog, unlike most of my others, actually has a purpose. Well, beyond the narcissistic one of most and the fan rantings and writings of others. Though to be honest, it wouldn't be far off to say that all of those things do play a part here as well.

But I'm getting off track.

And, oddly enough, that is the driving force behind this.

This is my attempt to get on track with the career in music journalism that I want. Instead of sitting around waiting for interships that may or may not happen right away, I decided to take matters into my own hands with a blog. The only problem was that I've tried in the past to have a blog about music and it quickly died. Mainly to my own forgetfulness, but also because I didn't have a focus for it. My thinking at the time basically amounted to, "Just write about whatever, whenever," and when you're someone like me, who needs a focus/goal, that kind of thinking just doesn't work. Hence, it died.

Now, I know some might be reading this and thinking, "Well, what makes this time so different then, genius?"

A plan. That's what.

Taking some vague inspiration from Julie & Julia/The Julie/Julia Project, I have decided to work my way through Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time List by writing at least two reviews a month for records contained in it. Also, seeing as how the list was compiled in November 2003, occassionally I'll include reviews of albums released since then that I think would be good contenders/inclusions should the list ever be revamped.

Now, I know given the amount of records in the list the chances of me ever finishing the list are really slim, but that's okay by me. The closer I get, the better, but it's not about finishing the list. I mean, really, who could? It's about the journey.

Here's hoping that it's a good one.